camouflage [h.s]

34

The scene around me is chaotic, people of both genders yelling at the top of their lungs. Their eyes are wild as Harry gets hit repeatedly. I watch as blood runs down his face. With each punch it feels as if I'm getting hit also, the breath being knocked out of me as Harry lands on the ground with a loud thud.

Everything seems in a haze as I watch him lying there, desperately clinging onto consciousness. Harry seems to say something, eyes transfixed before slowly closing.

Medical staff rush into the ring, dragging Harry's limp body out of it while his competitor stands in the middle with his hands raised in victory. This was no victory though, it was a set up.

Nikolai purposefully wanted Harry to lose this way, to ruin his streak as a fighter. For what reason, I have no idea. By losing this fight, Nikolai would be losing money.

A hand lands on my shoulder, "Are you alright?" Liam asks, eyes genuine with concern.

I shake my head, "I need to go and be with him." He nods, placing his hand on my back and leading me through the crowd of people who are still buzzing from the fight they just witnessed.

Finally Liam and I reach the locker room, a bodyguard protects the door, but let's us through after some convincing.

When we enter there is a makeshift bed set up in the middle of the room, Harry's still body lying on it. He is still shirtless, dark bruises covering most of his body and hardened blood covering his face.

"Oh my god." I say, rushing to the side of the bed, taking his hand in mine. Harry's breathing is shallow, he gasps for air every few seconds. "What are his conditions?" I ask the doctor whom is standing a few feet away examining a piece of paper on a clipboard.

"He's got two broken ribs and a broken nose. All he needs is a week and a half's rest, then he'll be good as new." The doctor says, giving Liam and I a nod before walking out of the room.

"I've never seen him lose a fight before." Liam says quietly, leaning against the lockers across the room.

"You know about Nikolai, don't you?" Liam nods, just as I'd predicted. "He set this up, we both know Harry shouldn't have been fighting that man." I say, referring to the fighter who just beat Harry to a pulp.

"Nikolai wanted payback for something and he clearly got it." He looks at Harry's body with wary eyes, "At least it didn't go down like it did with Ed."

"What happened to Ed?" I ask. "Wasn't he killed in some kind of deal gone wrong?"

"I've already said too much." Liam says abruptly, and I can tell he won't talk about the topic anymore.

An exasperated groan brings my attention to Harry, his eyes are slowly opening under the dim light.

"I'll leave you two alone." I hear Liam say, then the door to the locker room opens and closes.

I turn my focus back to Harry, he's blinking rapidly. "Can you get me some water?" He barely gets out, his words sloppy and broken up. I stand, finding a fresh bottle sitting on one of the benches. I hand it to Harry, who quickly drinks half of it without a moment of hesitation.

"I'm glad you're the only one here." He says after taking small sips of water.

"I'm glad also, how are you feeling?" He tries to sit up, but groans in pain. "Don't move too much, you have two broken ribs and your nose is broken also." I say, holding his shoulders so he doesn't try anything. If Harry is anything, he's definitely stubborn.

"That's why it hurts to breathe so much." He says, pain flashing across his features. My heart began to break watching Harry, one of the strongest people I know, in pain.

"I could get the doctor back in here if you need me to," I suggested. "Maybe some pain medication will help."

"No, I can take some when I get back home."

I take his hand in mine, "Are you sure you want to go home in this state? I can take care of you at the apartment."

Harry vigorously shakes his head, "There's no way I'm taking up your bed like dead weight."

"I can sleep on the couch, it's no big deal." I try to bargain.

"I'm not going to burden you, I'll make the boys take care of me all hours of the day," he says with a grin.

"Fine, but you can't stop me from checking up on you."

"I guess I can't, now can I?" He says with a laugh, wincing a moment after the sound leaves his lips.

Harry swings his legs over the bed, "You probably shouldn't be moving this much." I warn, remembering the doctor's order of getting must rest as possible. He sighs before yelling out Liam's name.

The door to the locker room abruptly opens, "Is everything okay?" Liam asks quickly, eyes trying to find a source of distress.

"Everything is fine you idiot, I just need some help." Harry says, smirking as his friend rolls his eyes at him.

Liam crosses the room, putting an arm around Harry for support and helping him stand up. I watch as they shuffle to the back of the room, opening up a door I've never noticed before. Harry's car is parked just outside of it, a convenient place for it. Harry and I argue over who will drive, him winning in the end.

"Thank you Liam," He says once sitting in the driver's seat.

"It's not a problem, I'll probably be over at your place soon, Leah." He looks at Harry, "To see Casey of course."

"You should probably just go Liam," I say with a laugh. Judging off of the scowl on Harry's face, he's extremely annoyed.

Liam steps away from the car, waving as we drive out of the rear parking lot. "He's so fucking obnoxious sometimes." Harry says, raking a hand through his hair.

"Stop being so grumpy, Harold." I scold, grinning after using the nickname I know he dislikes so much.

He frowns slightly, "You're pushing it."

I decide to stay quiet after that, allowing music to be the only sound flowing through the vehicle. A familiar song came on, Harry began tapping his palm against the steering wheel along with the beat. The singer's words rose and fell with a certain beauty and fluency.

"-We've got one thing in common, it's this tongue of mine-" Harry sang with absolutely no flaws in his voice, angelic as it dipped or became more rasped with certain lyrics.

Closing my eyes, I leaned against the window, taking in this calm moment before it could slip away.

(Who do you all imagine Leah as? I can kind of see her as maybe Lily Collins or Shailene Woodley!

Don't be a ghost reader, vote and comment! Xo)