Lucky Strike (Niall Horan)

8.<3

Lucy sat anxiously in the locker room of the arena on the night of her fight. She wasn’t nervous, she was excited. She felt every muscle in her body begging to be taken out into the ring so she could go after her opponent. She had studied the girl for hours over the past few days: watching old fights, reading her stats, finding out her flaws and style. It was like studying for a test but instead of writing an essay or filling in a bubble she would use her fists to dish the final answer.

She had gone through the traditional pre-fight weigh in and, for women, pregnancy test. Her gloves were checked and weighed before being returned and she was signed off, ready to fight.

“You remember that she tires out in the 3rd round. Her footwork is sloppy, make sure you keep her moving, use that to your advantage.” Gavin kept rattling off information that Lucy already knew but she wasn’t going to stop him. She was recording it and was planning on replaying it throughout the several rounds. She lived for those 3 minute successions, finding that her life made most sense then.

Lucy looked up at the clock and smiled at Gavin when she realized how close she was to going out into the professional arena for the first time. Gavin handed her the protective pads she needed for her breasts and groin before he let her dress. She went to reach for her silks but saw that they were missing from her bag. She began to panic, her face dropping as she dug around the bright yellow duffle bag. Her two French braids hung on either side of her shoulders, swinging wildly as she dumped out her bag and began to really freak out when she realized that her silk shorts were nowhere to be found. She pulled on her robe and began to whine softly, her eyes prickling with tears. Those shorts were her favorite, her lucky pair given to her by her grandmother. How could she fight without her silks?

“I took them out of your bag when I loaded them into the car,” Niall’s voice spoke up from behind her. He was wearing a pressed suit and had cleaned up for Lucy’s big night. He looked dashing standing in the dingy locker room the deep blue of the suit making his own oceanic eyes pop brightly against his pale skin.

“Why did you do that!?” Lucy asked in a shout. “I can’t go out there naked!” She snapped as she threw the empty duffle bag onto the ground.

“I know. I wanted to get you a new pair.” It was then that Lucy saw the nicely wrapped box that sat in his large hands. “I figured this was your first fight and you deserved a new pair of silks. I… I hope you like them.” He began to stammer, his nerves coming out. It was hard to tell behind the suit but he was tense, the muscles in his neck and shoulders rigid.

Lucy’s face softened when she heard what Niall had done and her eyes landed on the box. It was red in color and had a large white bow tied around it. He held it out for her and she quickly stepped forward and took the package from his hands. She was rather giddy, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she sat down on one of the benches and began to open the present. She could feel Niall’s eyes on her, begging silently for acceptance of his gift.

Lucy finally opened the box to find a new pair of silk shorts and the first words that jumped out at her was her boxing name, ‘Lucky Strike’ embroidered in beautiful orange thread. She held up the shorts to examine them more carefully. Her eyes skimmed over the white silk shorts and smiled largely when she saw the big green shamrocks on the hips of the shorts. She also found a matching silk robe that read her name across the back and underneath was a new nickname, “Boston’s Beauty.”

She looked up at Niall and didn’t say a word and moved to immediately wrap her arms around Niall’s neck and hugged him tightly, the two silk items still in her hands. Niall was quick to wrap his arms back around Lucy’s form in response and embraced her tightly, burying his face into her neck.