Death Wish | lrh [ON HOLD]

the first chapter.

01

" THE ADRENALINE "

luke hemmings was sure that fighting was the greatest thing known to man. punch after punch, win after win, he always came out on top.

and as he towered over the man who was poorly beaten, no one could say otherwise.

"c'mon, rodriguez," luke whispered to bruised and bleeding man limping in front of him. "i thought you were tougher than that," he went on, his fist connecting with the guy's jaw. "don't tell me you agreed to this fight just to embarrass yourself."

"fuck you, hemmings," rodriguez spat, using the last ounce of strength in his body to swing at the man taunting him.

the young blond, swift on his feet, dodged the punch just in time. he pouted, clearly toying with the injured man. "too slow."

and with that, luke made his final hit quick, successfully knocking out his opponent in one solid, yet smooth, strike.

the referee didn't hesitate to announce the winner after ten seconds of the loser remaining on the ring floor. with a raise of the blond man's arm, "the match has ended! your champion, luke hemmings, is crowned the winner," cheers erupted from the crowd.

the referee looked at the victor and patted his back. "good job tonight, luke."

shaking him off, luke grumbled out a simple, "whatever," as he made his way to the back of the building once the crowd had dispersed.

the lights flickered as he sat in the locker room, a small towel wrapped around his neck. he was wrapping up his hands that were covered with cuts. "what do you want?"

and the three boys who were peeking through the small sliver of the door soon realized that the blond was aware of their presence.

"congrats, luke," the three announced in unison, making their way towards their friend.

ashton, however, continued. "tread with caution, guys. he may still be in fight mode," he giggled at his own comment.

luke turned around to face them with a blank expression. "haha, very funny."

the oldest out of the bunch rolled his eyes, nudging the kiwi. with a playful tone, ashton scoffed. "get a load of this guy. he thinks he's all tough just because he won a fight."

"ashton?"

"yeah, man?"

"shut the fuck up," luke deadpanned.

"shutting the fuck up now."

"anyways," the fake redhead began, quickly changing the subject. "meet us in the parking lot when you're done getting dressed. we'll go to john's right after."

"sure," luke said, monotonously. "now leave me alone."

the three idiots left the boy to tend to his injuries and put on some decent clothes, finally giving the exhausted man peace and quiet.

as much as luke appreciated them—even though he didn't show it—he never really liked the praise. the only thing he needed to fight was an opponent and a place.

boxing was a thrill, and he loved the adrenaline.

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