Max walked ahead of the boys as he followed the detective into the elevator. Eddie stepped in first making sure to check everything- just in case. Everyone stepped into the elevator. The tension in the tiny space was thick. The boys were so nervous.
They rode the elevator to the eighth floor. Detective Snow led the boys down the long hallway. Niall tightened his grip on Harry's hand as a chill ran down his spine. They approached two doors that were opposite each other, beside the door was a large window.
"Okay gentlemen. Good luck. Harry styles is in this room on the left and Niall Horan is on the right. The doctor will be in after all the questions have been answered."
Harry took a deep breath and kissed Niall's forehead. "See you later Nialler." Niall shook his head keeping a tight hold on the older man. "H-Haz noo..."
Harry smiled sadly and cupped Niall's face in between his large hands. "Babe you can't do this now. No more crying. You have to be strong for me love." With that he pecked the Irish lad's lips and sent him off to the other room. He watched him go inside before he opened the door to his assigned room.
A man with a round belly stood to his feet when he saw Harry enter the room. He held out his hand. "Good afternoon Mr. Styles. I'm detective Benson." He pointed to the bulky police officer in the corner. "That's officer Grey. He's here in case you don't cooperate. I won't have any problems if you won't." The detective shuffled through some papers and cleared his throat. "Alright Mr. Styles... how old are you?"
"Twenty three."
The man nodded as she read over some documents. "It says here that you have a history of anger issues. Is that correct?"
Harry hesitated. He hasn't had an outburst in years, all of that is in the past. He's better now.
Detective Benson rolled his eyes. "This isn't going to work if you don't answer me Mr. Styles."
Harry sighed and sat up straighter in his seat. "Yes sir. Um... that is correct but it was a long time ago." The detective wrote something down on his notepad. "And you're dating Niall Horan correct?" Harry nodded. "Yes sir."
Again, he wrote something down. He rubbed his hand over his face as he continued, "How long have you two been together... you guys are still together right?"
"Yes sir. Its been a little over two years."
The man hummed a response but didn't speak for a second. He flipped to another paper, "are you two living together?"
Again, Harry nodded. "Yes sir."
"Alone?"
Harry shook his head, "no sir. Niall and I live with our best mates."
The detective's eyes widened, "I'm surprised this report is just coming in. Are they around when you put your hands on your boyfriend?"
A sharp pain crawled into Harry's chest as he furrowed his eyebrows. "I have never put my hands on my boyfriend. Ever."
The man didn't say anything. He interlaced his fingers and stared Harry directly in the eyes. "Alright Styles cut the bull. Do you get good laughs putting your hands on him. Does it make you feel powerful or dominant to see him cry?"
Harry shook his head and took several deep breaths trying to steady his breathing. "I don't hit him. I would never do that to anyone. I love him... more than anything."
Detective Benson smirked as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "You expect me to believe that? We don't just get random false reports here Mr. Styles. Someone must have saw something. Maybe a bruise or... a black eye... a broken arm..?"
Harry's breathing picked up as his fists balled at his sides. "I never hit him!"
That caused the officer in the corner to move closer to the man. "Watch your tone son."
Detective Benson cleared his throat and leaned in closer to Harry. "Let me tell you something Mr. Styles." He pointed towards the door. "Right across in that room, they're questioning your little rag doll. If they find anything... and I mean anything. A scratch. A bruise. Even a paper cut. I will have the pleasure of cuffing you myself. I'm warning you now. Just one little thing... and you're done. You can kiss your little boy band goodbye."
With that the detective stood to his feet telling Harry not to move and left the room along with the officer, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. His hands shook as the ager built up inside his body. Hot tears threatened to drop from his eyes but he quickly swiped them away. He didn't want them to see him cry.
Niall on the other hand.... was the complete opposite.
The detective sighed as she watched the boy crumple in front of her. "Niall please just calm down. We just want to ask you questions and take a quick look at your body for any indication of abuse and then you'll be free to go. You have to cooperate if you want to get this over with."
Niall whimpered as he wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. He just wanted to go home and cuddle with Harry.
Thick silence filled the air. The detective waited a little longer before talking so Niall had time to compose himself. "Alright Niall let's get this over with. How old are you?"
Niall sniffled and tried to speak as clear as possible. "T-Twenty two."
The woman nodded and wrote notes down on her little pad. "Alright, and how long have you and Harry been seeing each other?"
"Two and a half years."
She nodded and took a deep breath trying to speak as calmly as possible. "Do you guys argue a lot or have a lot of disagreements." Niall hesitated for a minute. He wanted to lie and say no but he remembered what Zayn said about being honest and confident. He took a shaky breath, "only sometimes...not a lot."
The woman glanced at the mirror behind the boy knowing all to well that other detectives were listening closely. She put her pen down and placed her full attention on the boy's facial expressions. "Does Harry get angry a lot." She slightly squinted her eyes as she watched Niall. He seemed pretty sure of himself.
Niall shook his head. "Not angry... annoyed a little bit but never really angry."
"Has he ever put his hands on you... even if he was a little annoyed?"
Again Niall shook his head. His anxiety started to kick in a little bit. He nervously glanced around the room and unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table. "No he never hit me before. Not even once."
The detective didn't say anything but she watched his every move.
Niall whimpered and wiped his teary eyes with the back of his sleeve- which was now soiled in a mixture of snot and tears. "W-Why can't Harry sit in here with me?"
The woman shook her head. "Niall we're almost done here. Just a few more questions." She flipped through her notes and carefully skimmed through them. "Does Harry ever scare you or make you uncomfortable."
Niall shook his head. His anxiety kicking up a notch. He just wanted to see Harry. The questions seemed never ending but Niall got through them all- a few more tears were shed but he got through it.
A short woman maybe in her fifties or sixties entered the room wearing a white long coat. The detective stood to her feet and greeted the woman then turned to Niall. "Niall this is Dr. Gomez she's just gonna check everything to make sure you're alright. When she's done just sit here and wait for me to come back. Okay?"
Niall nodded. "And then I get to see Harry?"
The woman nodded with a small smile. "Yes I will let you see him when I return." She left the room closing the door behind her.
Making her way towards the conference room, she stopped when she saw Max. "I'm gonna talk things over with Detective Benson and I will be back with further information. Until I return we are keeping the boys separate." Max nodded suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. The boys weren't the only ones who felt nervous.
The woman entered the conference room and sighed as she plopped down into the chair beside Detective Benson. "How did it go."
The man shrugged, "I don't think that kid would hurt a fly."
The woman nodded. "I think Niall has separation anxiety. He couldn't even focus for too long without asking for Harry."
Detective Benson ran his hand over his bald head and sighed. "We should let them go. There's no evidence that he hit him."
Niall squirmed as Dr. Gomez pushed on his ribs. Her finger were ice cold.
"Alright sweetie, everything looks good to me." She squeezed his cheek and left the room. It didn't take very long for the detective to return. She opened the door but stood in the door way. "Sorry for the wait but you are free to leave. Everything seems to be okay."
Niall stood to his feet and dashed out into the hallway. Harry stood next to Max buttoning up his coat. Without thinking Niall ran over to the lad and tightly wrapped his arms around him. Harry smiled and kissed Niall's nose. "Hi my love, come on let's get home."
They followed both Eddie and Max into the elevator then out the door.
What a day...