Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most {Niam}

Ten-

The score was tied, nine-to-nine, and the game was quickly coming to a close.

Niall's legs burned, sweat dripped off his fringe and down his face, he was sure that his skates were about to give out underneath him, and the crowd's cheers were more distracting than ever. The pressure of everything made his heart pound against his ribcage, as if testing the stability of the construction. He felt like it would burst from his chest.

It seemed like the fate of the game rested entirely in  his hands, and he hated it. And he would pass, but there's no one close enough to take the puck - not to mention the fact that one wrong move would ruin the entire game, and he wasn't about to risk it.

Honestly, he didn't know why he was so nervous. He loved Hockey, more than any other sport, and he was damn good at it, too. And tonight wasn't anything special, it was just a regular little game -definitely not their biggest of the season.

Still, Niall felt like he would throw up.

He didn't know who was actually in the crowd. Liam always came to his games, so he was probably out there. Mitch might be watching, if he weren't still mad at Niall for god knows what. And his parents, well...they loved him, always supported him, but they probably weren't out there after what had happened last night because he had yet to even step foot inside the house since the incident. He was too scared.

He could hear Savannah and Jayden screaming, loud and proud, just for him. It only took one shot to disappoint or send the crowd into a frenzy. And it was now or never - stalling could only lead to a loss, and that's not what Niall was going for.

He shoots, his body arching forward with his stick and he's surprised that he doesn't collide with the ice. He shuts his eyes tight, suddenly unconcerned if someone wants to charge into him and knock him down.

The buzzer goes off, and he's lifted into the air by someone with strong arms - tangling around his waist and spinning him all around. Said person falls and Niall goes down with him, and he opens his eyes in time to see the rest of the team jumping on him, and it's not odd so he doesn't make it out to be. He just lets himself smile and enjoy the attention, despite the fact that they're hurting his bruises that are still ripe and painful all on their own.

He wonders if any of them can notice the smashed, crooked look on his face as limbs dig into various parts of his body. His complaints and whines of pain are muffled by the mouth gaurd that clings to his teeth. He feels like his lungs are being crushed underneath the weight, considering most of his teammates are twice his size, and for a moment he wonders if they're going to crush his windpipe.

But as soon as it has come, his worry has gone away. He scored, and the crowd is on their feet.

~-~-~

Before going out to mingle with other people, Niall had to freshen up - he was sweaty, and tired, and sore, and a warm shower would fix that better than anything else.

He's showered in front of his teammates before, and he's certainly seen them naked before - not that he looks, it's just kind of hard to miss when someone is showering right next to you. But this time, things are different.

Niall wasn't exactly openly gay - not really a problem considering five boys on the team were, but still. The boys on the team liked to consider Niall their little brother, him being the only Freshman good enough to make the team. And just because Jayden was stupid enough to buy the "rough sex" ordeal, doesn't mean the rest of the team is. And they wouldn't take the bruises and scratches lightly, not at all.

So he doesn't remove his clothes. He sits on one of the benches of the locker room, playing iPhone games while he waits for it to clear out.

"Nialler!" a voice calls to him, followed by a hard smack to his back. Niall strains to hold in a cry of pain as his back starts to feel painfully numb - someone just hit his bruise. He does, however, jump in surprise and drops his phone in the process. He's lucky it doesn't crack on impact. "Nice shot out there, bud. No one but you could make one of those."

Niall doubted it. But instead of saying so, he stretched out in an attempt to relieve the pain in his shoulders as he responded, "Thanks, man."

He hadn't been bothered to turn around, and instead reached down and picked up his phone. His screen lights up with a brand new message, and Niall cocks an eyebrow, confused. He had texted Liam and told him that he'd be out in about ten minutes, so who the hell could it be?

From: Mitch

Nice job out there, baby! Hurry hurry hurry on out 'cause I wanna give you a proper congradulations. ;)

Niall shuddered, an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Niall!" the voice shouted again, and this time the blonde did turn around, also covering his phone in the process. It was only Adrian, Savannah's older brother, and that made Niall relax, only slightly, because he didn't talk with Liam and therefore wouldn't tell him - hopefully. "You're getting laid, aren't you? And by a boy! Who is he, who is he?"

"You're a fuckin' girl, Hendrix," Niall snorted, afraid but trying not to show it. Because he technically wasn't getting laid - at least, he didn't want to be. But that's okay, right, because Mitch is his boyfriend? "His name is Mitch."

Adrian's lips went from a bright smile to a straight line - and yeah, Niall figured that he knew of Mitch's reputation. "Mitch, as in...Mitch O'Dwyer? From Cross Country?"

Niall sighed - it seemed like Adrian was the spitting image of Liam. They'd be good friends, Niall might have to introduce them. "Yes, Adrian. Mitch O'Dwyer is my boyfriend."

Adrian mumbled something that Niall couldn't hear, "He doesn't deserve you, the whore."

...

"What?"

Adrian walked away from him, sauntering off to the showers. And Niall frowned, ignoring the message and watching as Adrian retreated.

Did Adrian know something about Mitch that he didn't?

[what do you guys think about Adrian?x]