euphoric (n.s. AU)

f o u r

*Niall's POV*

"Yes, I promise." I mumble to my mom. She sighs through the other end of the phone.

"Alright. I love you, Ni. Call me later." She replies, her thick accent ringing through the device before hanging up shortly after. I sigh before tossing my phone on the bed and walking towards my closet. A voice interrupts me from my search for clothes, startling me.

"Where are you going babe?" He asks, his voice deep and raspy from his nap. I gulp a little before sighing; I figured he would be at work by now. He almost always is at work after I get out of school.

"I'm going to work. Or, uh, what ever you would call it I guess." I mumble while playing with my fingers. He rolls his eyes and scoffs in response. It's going to be one of those days, I think to myself.

"I don't want you to leave yet." He pouts, holding out his arms from underneath the blankets. I sigh, knowing this would turn into something I couldn't get myself out of.

"Sean, you know I have to-"

"I don't want you to leave yet." He repeats, more of a statement then a request. It sends shiver down my spine, but I shake it away. His dark hair frames his face in a way that makes him seem almost innocent, but I mentally remind myself that it's a facade, and he will soon prove that.

"Oh. Well, I have to be there in an hour, and if I'm late Mr. Styles will fire me." I say. He shakes his head and sits up from the bed, throwing the thick comforter that once covered him to the side. His muscles move and contract while he stretches his tired limbs, and the sight makes me swallow a painful lump in my throat.

"Niall, what did I say about talking back to me?" He mumbles, getting up and walking towards me. I let out a shaky breath and look up to meet his stern gaze, his eyes boring into my own with so much intensity it makes my knees buckle.

"Please, I really need this internship. You know how much this means to me." I plead, my breathing becoming unsteady. His sudden change in demeanor is no stranger to me; in fact, I've grown so used to it that I expect it now. I break eye contact with him swiftly, the growing pressure becoming too much to bare, and decide to stare at my feet instead.

"Answer my question." He demands, taking my chin between his pointer finger and thumb, tilting my head up from its previous position at the ground to look at him. I can feel my entire body heating up with anxiety, praying silently that he will go easy on me. Sean is not easy to calm down once he gets riled up, and I have no extra time to do so anyway. I was hoping that I could slip out of the house while he was sleeping and just catch an Uber to work, but it seems like that plan was just wishful thinking.

"You said not to..." I whisper under my breath. He rolls his eyes at me and releases his grasp on my face, walking towards our wardrobe and grabbing the belt that hung from his side of the closet; the belt that I've become painfully familiar with.

"And what did I say would happen if you did?" He says, folding it while looking me in the eyes. I feel my palms begin to sweat, my heart rate increasing drastically. Tears begin to well in my eyes as he closes the distance between us, waiting for my reply.

"T-that I would get punished." I mumble, taking my bottom lip between my teeth to prevent myself from pouting unintentionally. He narrows his eyes at me before bringing the belt back and swinging it forward, making harsh contact with my face. 

*Harry's POV*

"Yes, water is fine Allison." I tell her. She nods before scurrying out again. I laugh at her constant worrying about my hydration, thankful for her concern before glancing at my wrist watch. Niall's consistent disregard for punctuality makes me huff as I fold my arms over my chest. This just won't do. Allison walks back in and places two water bottles on my desk and I send her a small smile.

"Thank you. Has Mr. Horan arrived yet?" I ask. She looks around as if she was thinking before shaking her head.

"I'm afraid not." She tells me, pushing one of the water bottles towards me and gesturing me to drink. I sigh and oblige, popping the cap off and chugging as much as I could stomach. She has been very adamant about my water intake as of late, since I've been complaining about having headaches. After I drink a good portion of the bottle, I set it back on my desk, my mind wandering back to the small blond who should be here by now. Where is that boy? I'm sure he's not very busy, due to the fact that he seems like he gets bullied in school and has to sit in the bathrooms at lunch. I chuckle as an image of Niall sitting alone in the stalls creeps its way into my mind.

"Well, inform me when he does." I tell her and she nods her head once before taking a stack of papers and walking out. I click on my computer before logging in and checking various emails. As I start opening another tab, I see a news article about a devastating car crash that happened a few days ago. My eyes skim over the title, wondering if some of the people involved in the crash were in Marissa's operating room. The photo provided by the journalist sends a shiver down my spine, it looks horrific. I scroll down a little further, seeing that there was only one passenger in the car, and he's currently in critical condition. I shake my head, taking in the information. That sounds terrible, and I feel awful for the guy. Just as I was about to really dive into reading the article, a small hurried knock prevents me come doing so. I turn my attention to the door, clicking out of the tab to hide my distraction from work.

"Come in." I say. Just as I thought, Niall walks through the door with his head hanging low.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr. Styles." He mumbles before speed walking to his provided chair and sitting. I clear my throat and he looks up at me, his eyes red and glossy. I furrow my eyebrows before I turn my attention to something much more disturbing. I gasp, covering my mouth with one hand while the other one grips my stomach.

"Mr. Horan, what happened to your face?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!

i really hate picturing zayn as violent, i love him so much :-( zayn is portrayed as abusive and angry in many fanfics, and mine was one of them, so i've made the decision to change who nialls boyfriend is. i will incorporate zayn in the story in different ways, i just dont like him being constantly seen as an abusive human being, especially when he's the only POC in the band. sorry if its confusing or doesn't make sense, but i hope you guys will understand my decision!