Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 1-Liam Payne?

Blood spattered against the asphalt. Broken remnants of bottles causing me to step cautiously, afraid that the shards would puncture my converse. A shaky breath escaped my lips as I lowered my head, trying to escape the vulgar stares of the men around me. I don’t know what possessed me to agree to this. I could be at home safe and snug as I watched a movie, but no; I was at some abandoned warehouse where men literally beat the life out of each other.

“Watch it,” some guy said gruffly, his whole person stinking of stale cigarette smoke. A small ‘sorry’ was uttered and I quickened my pace to catch up with Jordan who had walked a ways ahead of me. She stood out among the drunks and druggies that scattered the dirt parking lot, her black hair pin straight, jeans hugging her legs, and leather jacket accentuating her curves.

“Jordan,” I called, trying to get her attention as she sped forward, her boots making a distinctive crunch. “Jordan!” She whipped around and glared, waving a hand towards her in a beckoning gesture. I wasn’t complaining though, I didn’t want to be alone.

“Keep up,” she sighed, sliding her arm through the crook of mine, that cool material of her sleeve making me shiver at the contact with my skin. “And stay close…these guys can be brutal.”

“Can we just go home?” I begged, tugging on my sister’s arm. “Please? I don’t want to be here.”

“C’mon, Brin…live a little,” she smirked, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Without giving me a choice, she dragged me over to the door that led inside the deserted building and threw it open. The load roar of men and stench of alcohol hit me like a brick wall, my feet stumbling backwards on their own accord; it was awful.

“Welcome to my world, kid,” she grinned, dragging me inside of the dark room. The air was stuffy and thick, almost incapable of being breathed. All around there were people screaming and chanting, fists being thrown in the air as they watched upon the fight in the cage standing proudly in the center of the warehouse. I think that’s what got my attention the most; the cage. Inside there were two men, blood smeared across their chests and faces as they threw punch after punch, kick after kick. How did Jordan enjoy watching these…animals beat the life out of each other? The mere thought of it made me cringe and here I was, my eyes glued to the fight.

It was obvious who was winning. His fit body was glistening with sweat and blood, the only clothes he was wearing being a pair of gym shorts that swayed with every bounce of his feet. A serious of black arrows lay across his forearm, showcased for everyone to see as he held his hands up by his face, elbows tucked in tightly to protect his ribs. His biceps flexed with every punch thrown, every attack countered and I couldn’t help but stand frozen in awe at the fluidity of his movement. While it disgusted me that he was beating another human being, every twist, every turn was executed with such precision and grace it almost seemed other worldly.

“That’s Payne…Liam Payne,” my sister said with a knowing tone. “One of the best in the business. He’s gone undefeated for the last year and a half.” A knot formed in my throat at the thought of such a beautiful person doing such damage; it almost didn’t seem right.

The crowd suddenly grew louder as Liam’s opponent was sent sprawling to the ground unconscious. While everyone in the room whooped and screamed, the fighter stood there, chest heaving and fists clenched. I expected him to be happy about the victory, but he just stood there, cold and emotionless as he scanned the mass of people. He gave a few nods to a select few before his gaze landed on me, my eyes wide with a mixture of emotions. Fear, awe, surprise, attraction; it was just a mess of feelings that I didn’t even dare try and separate.

A man came in and announced Liam the winner, holding his wrist high above his head, but his gaze stayed locked with mine the entire time. For that split second the noise around us died down and something passed between us…a warning almost. All too soon though I was harshly pulled out of that world as I was pushed aside by a random stranger, my body clumsily trying to regain its balance only to bump into someone else. I was shoved from side to side, my grip on Jordan slipping as I fell to the dirty cement.

I gagged slightly as I saw the tooth that rested right on front of me, dried blood crusted over the tip. That was enough to make me scramble back up, but no matter how hard I tried to stand, I was just pushed back down, knees knocking into me and feet narrowly missing me. My breaths became labored and I harshly tried to push my way back to a standing position but it was no use; everyone was too tall.

“Jordan!” I yelled as I caught sight of her leather boots only an arms width away. The crowd was too loud though and she walked away, seemingly searching for me. I couldn’t help the sinking feeling that settled in my stomach as tears burned the back of my eyes; I was terrified.

“Help!” I squeaked, pushing myself up to my knees but quickly being pushed back down, my head almost colliding with the ground. My palms stung with small cuts from the glass that lay scattered around me, only further showing me how dangerous this could really be.

“Please!” I tried again, shoving against some man’s leg that had knocked into me. Cold eyes stared down at me, half lidded from the alcohol induced sluggishness.

“Little slut,” he slurred, his arm rising to backhand me. His knuckles made brutal contact with my skin, my head snapping to the side as I fell back to the cold ground. He came closer to my aching body, foot then drawing backwards when a dirty pair of trainers stepped in front of me, shielding me.

“Have some respect. She’s just a kid,” a hard voice spat, the muscles in their legs tensing. My attacker stumbled backwards, almost falling as he scrambled away, the fear on his face evident.

 “Move,” the man who saved me suddenly muttered gruffly to some of the surrounding men. His command was quickly obeyed and large hands gently gripped the tops of my arms, lifting me to my feet with ease. My fingers gripped his bicep making my hands look tiny compared to the muscle that they rested upon. He steadied me with a gentle touch, surprisingly light for a guy so tough. It made me curious of who this man was that had stepped in and saved me but before I even caught a glimpse of his face, I saw the black arrows that crawled up his forearm, my heart quickening as I looked up, knowing the face that I would find.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared into soft brown eyes that had held my gaze only moments before; the eyes of Liam Payne.