Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 8-Conciousness

My mouth went dry, my eyes widening at the sight before me. Liam looked pissed, his hands moving in crazy gestures as he seemingly yelled at her. She only rolled her eyes though, pushing him aside and moving towards the man standing at the other side of the ring; he was nearly three times the size of her! And what did she do? She spat at him, her saliva landing on his face. Was she stupid?! I wanted to go right up and slap some sense into her, but the crowd was so massive, people shoving me aside as I tried to make it to the ring.

“Jordan!” I screamed, tears starting to prick my eyes as Liam shook his head, stepping out of the ring and watching as my sister fell into a trained position, a sly smirk on her face. A bell was rung and she lunged forward, hitting her opponent in the face. That was all it took, he quickly tackled her, fists flying and legs flailing. Hit after hit could be heard, the crowd roaring as my guardian, my sister got the living hell beat out of her. I couldn’t just stand there and watch, I couldn’t bear to know that I was just idly staring as she was slowly being killed.

I violently shoved people aside, until I reached the ring, my body shaking slightly as I heard the crunches and slaps of the fight. I don’t even think she was conscious anymore. Her head was hanging to the side, jolting when another hit collided with her. Why weren’t they stopping the fight?! She was going to die!

My hands had just grabbed onto the cage, my fingers digging into the metal to the point where I swore they were bleeding, when an arm wrapped around my waist, tugging me backwards. I screamed and thrashed against their grip, desperately trying to hold on, my eyes darting to and fro as I tried to find the entrance to the ring.

“L-Let go of me!” I spat, my body kicking and flailing as I was suddenly lifted from the ground. “JORDAN!”

“Hey, hey, quit fighting me. You’re going to get yourself killed,” a familiar voice growled in my ear. At any other point in time, I probably would have died from embarrassment that he was touching me, let alone restraining me, but he was the least of my worries.

“Liam, I have to go in there. Please. L-Let go,” I squeaked, pulling at his arm around me.

“Listen, this is what happens in fight clubs, people get hurt. You shouldn’t be here if you can’t take it-,” he began , his words barely escaping his mouth when desperation clawed its way out of me and I lunged, trying to get free.

“Brin…stop. Seriously,” he grunted, tugging me back so I fell into his hard chest. At that same moment, a scream came from the ring, the sound too familiar as a crunch accompanied it; Jordan. Her writhing body on the floor made me let out a squeal of anguish, a sob standing out among the jeers of men.

“Please don’t cry,” Liam groaned. “She’s a fighter, she knows what she’s getting into when she enters a ma-“

“That’s my sister!” I wailed just as another scream of pain came from the ring drawing another sob from me. My big sis was lying there in a pool of blood, struggling to protect her face as hit after hit was thrown at her. A hand suddenly slipped over my eyes though, shielding me from the gruesome sight. My initial response was to fight at the sudden change, but lips pressed against my ear and warm breath fanned over my cheek.

“You’re not going to want to see this,” he said softly, a shaky breath leaving his lips before he quickly turned me around so my back was to the fight.

Another scream…

Even Liam winced at the sound, his visage contorted in a mask of worry.

“I want you to cover your ears, alright?” he instructed, waiting for me to obey before crushing me to his chest. A large hand cupped the back of my head, holding my face tightly to him so I couldn’t see a thing. Tears slipped from my eyes, spilling onto his tank top and dampening the fabric, small sobs escaping my mouth as I still heard the faint sounds of my sister’s pain. There was a sudden roar from the crowd and the chest beneath me grew taut as Liam let out a shaky breath.

“What? What is it?!” I shrieked, struggling to turn around, but not prepared to see the sight before me. Jordan was lying there unconscious, head lolled to the side, a pool of blood surrounding her. Was she-? Please tell me she was still alive? She was all I had! My breathing sped up, vision blurring as I desperately tried to pull in much needed air. It was too much, it was all just too much…

“Damn,” Liam muttered, easily picking up my trembling body and storming through the crowd, people parting the way for him. I could hear a slight buzzing noise, almost as if it was muffled talking, a hand caressing my cheek and cold air nipping at my exposed skin.

“Brinlee,” a familiar voice said loudly, words finally losing their haze and becoming clear.

“My sister…she’s-she’s-” I wheezed, that familiar panic flaring up again.

“Easy, easy. Calm down,” Liam said softly, his brown eyes shining with such intense emotion. “Count your heartbeats, okay? Focus on the beats.” I simply shook my head, spots dancing in my vision as I failed miserably at his instructions. I was suddenly sat down, my body leaning against the cool metal of the warehouse. My legs were straddled and hand taken in a gentle hold, my palm being firmly pressed to a chest.

“Feel that?” he asked, looking down at me. “Count out loud, alright? It’ll help, Brin.”

“One,” I whispered shakily, a sob catching the end of the word. “T-two. Th-three…Liam, I can’t! I have to go to my sister! Please!” My body twisted as I tried to maneuver out from under him but his hands went to lightly press my shoulders into the side of the building, his knees tightening so my thighs were clamped stationary.

“Listen to me, I know it looked awful, but you going over there would only create a bigger problem,” he said softly, leaning down to make eye contact with me when I kept trying to struggle. “We might not be a sanctioned league, or even a legal one at that, but we do take some safety precautions. She will be taken care of, alright?”

“Do you expect me to just go home?!” I yelped, eyes wide. “Sh-she was my ride here and I can’t just leave her!”

“Call your parents. They’re probably worried anyways, love,” he tried, watching as my head lowered, lip being pulled between my teeth.

“Liam, sh-she’s all I have,” I whimpered, chin quivering with emotion. Realization dawned on him and his breath visibly caught in his throat, his chest hovering in isolation as the full implications of those words sunk in.

“I didn’t know,” he said quietly, his voice pained. “I’m so sorry, Brin. I-“

“Please don’t, I’ve heard it all before,” I quickly cut him off, looking away only to have my chin grasped in a gentle yet equally firm grip.

“Whether you’ve heard it before or not, it wasn’t coming from me. I know how hard it is to lose a parent-“

“Listen, I don’t want to talk about this, okay? I-I’ll find a way home and get out of your hair,” I once again butted in, pushing against his chest in an attempt to move him but having little luck. “Move. I want to leave now.”

“I don’t want you driving right now,” he said, his tone making me weary; he wasn’t going to back down. “Hell, I don’t know if you should be alone right now, babe.”

“It’s not like you care so get off of me,” I hissed, tears stinging my eyes once again. Gosh, why was I being so overly sensitive? I normally didn’t cry this much, let alone in front of strangers. A gust of wind suddenly blew through, the chill causing the hair to rise on my arms, a shudder coursing through me.

“Brinlee, I-I do care, alright? I do…but I’m trying to protect you,” he murmured, moving off of me and offering a hand to help me up. “Now, as much as I tell you to stay away, you keep coming back so I really find no use in trying that anymore, but I would like to ask you to come home with me, just for the night.” My eyes grew to the size of saucers and my mouth opened and closed like a fish as I stared up at him.

“I’m a virgin!” was all I squeaked, Liam’s face scrunching up adorably as he burst out laughing. His eyes crinkled at the corners and stubble covered cheeks drew up in amusement, the sight making me smile slightly too.

“I just want to make sure you’re alright,” he laughed. “No tricks involved.” You know those voices that whisper in the back of your head that it’s a bad idea, that whatever you about to do would just screw you over? Yeah, well as much as it screamed at me that I was being an idiot, I placed my hand in his outstretched one and let him pull me to my feet.

“I’ll go…”