espionage [h.s.]

THREE

I follow his gaze over to the door of the gym, finding that my target, the angry, green-eyed man who I'm here to spy on, is now strolling back into the gym. His whole demeanour is evidence of his foul mood, his shoulders and back muscles visibly tense as they shift underneath his shirt as he walks, his jaw still clenched tightly. I watch him carefully as he approaches the Louis guy that Niall just pointed out, murmuring something in his ear before both of their eyes suddenly swivel over to me.

"Oh fuck, they're looking at us! Why are they looking at us? Act natural, stay fucking calm!" Niall rants with panic in his voice, flailing his limbs about in a way that is the complete opposite of calm.

I, on the other hand, am calm, standing up straighter and making sure to keep my composure as they stare at me. Alternating my gaze between them and the rest of the room, I watch as they finally tear their gazes away and talk amongst themselves for a while afterwards. I'm not quite able to fight off the smug, slightly narcissistic smirk tugging at my lips, kind of loving that I seem to be causing a stir already.

Eventually, they end their conversation and Harry approaches the edge of the mat, clapping his hands to gain the attention of everyone. "Right, we're moving onto the next exercise," he announces, green eyes flitting around the room. "Now, I'm sure many of you are familiar with the notion of being attacked from behind, and although you may believe that only happens in movies or in dark alleyways, it could always happen if you make the rookie mistake of turning your back on your opponent. Although you can't see your attacker, it's still rather easy to defend yourself as long as you have simple situational awareness. So, pair up, and demonstrate what you'd do if attacked from behind. Louis and I will be coming around to check your technique."

Niall and I both glance at other, nodding as agreement to pair up. Once everyone else is in a pair, we all begin the exercise, Harry and Louis strolling along to watch us, occasionally stopping to comment or offer advice. I start off first, creeping up behind Niall and attempting to wrap my arm around his neck, but he manages to twist my wrist back before I have the chance, shoving me away and immediately jumping into a sort of kung-fu stance, legs spread and hands held up in front of his face, making me laugh.

When it's Niall's turn to attack, I turn around and begin to walk at a leisurely pace, whistling some tune under my breath. I hear his footsteps as he runs up behind me, calculating his approximate distance so when I feel his hand just brush against me, I immediately spin around to grab his arm, twisting it behind his back. I spin Niall around so his back is pressed against my chest, my other arm looping around his neck to put him in a chokehold, squeezing tight.

"Think you can sneak up on me, huh, asshole?" I tease, only tightening my grip when Niall attempts to claw me off him with his other hand.

As I'm doing this, I notice Harry approaching us in my peripheral vision, watching his slow movements before he finally stops to stand in front of us. His eyes meet mine first, moving to Niall who is mumbling incoherently and gasping for air, before he turns back to me with a disapproving look. "It wasn't the exercise to choke out your opponent, trainee Costello," he reminds me in a firm voice.

"What does he expect to happen if he approaches me like that?" I ask with a small shrug. "I have quick reflexes."

Harry just rolls his eyes, not seeming amused by my backchat. "Let him go," he tells me in a bored voice.

"N-no, t-that's ok," Niall manages to gasp. "I-I'm fine, r-really."

"Niall, you're turning purple."

"Oh, a-am I? W-well, I like p-purple, it l-looks g-good on me."

Harry brings his gaze back to mine, narrowing his eyes but I just arch an eyebrow challengingly, smiling sweetly as I tighten my grip on Niall when he attempts to move again. I notice a muscle twitch in Harry's strong jaw as he stares at me, that crease between his eyebrows appearing again as he studies my face, seeming to be scanning over every feature. His gaze is so intense, so burning that it sends a shiver down my spine, but I'm never going to let him know that.

"Release him," he replies in a much firmer, darker tone, a clear indication that it's an order, not a request.

I debate it for a few seconds, but after deciding that I probably shouldn't piss him off anymore for my own sake, I finally release my grip on Niall. Mine and Harry's eye contact remains as I unhook my arm from around Niall's neck, our eyes not even straying from each other's as he stumbles down onto the floor, coughing and wheezing while assuring everybody he's fine. It's only when someone calls for Harry that he breaks our rather intense eye contact, swallowing hard before trudging away from me, leaving me stood with a victorious smirk.

After I'm done watching Harry walk to the opposite end of the gym, I turn back to Niall who's still coughing on the mat below me. I reach down to offer him my hand, helping him back up onto his feet. "Sorry about that," I say, brushing myself down. "I had a point to prove."

He stares at me as he rubs his neck that I can already tell will be covered in a nasty bruise tomorrow, but he surprisingly doesn't look too mad about it. Pulling his hand from his neck, he points at me with a boyish grin. "I like you."

I let out a laugh, shaking my head at him. "Don't worry," I reply. "You'll get over it."