I Love You But I Can't Breathe

Chapter Twenty Three

"Fuck you," Louis seethed, pushing Niall off of him with enough force to make the blond haired boy wince. "He's not some fucking mystical fairy creature, Niall, grow up." 

Louis got up from the ground on shaky legs and headed towards Niall's truck. "Give me your keys," he added. "Someone needs to tell Anne what happened. I'd rather it be someone who's not a total psycho." 

"Louis, you need to hear me out," Niall pleaded. He was still a sobbing, snotty mess, and if it weren't for the truck keys in his pocket, Louis would have up and left right then and there. It wasn't a far walk back to Anne's house, or Louis' own house for that matter, but his legs were weak and he didn't think he could make it back without finally having a breakdown. 

He didn't want to have to tell Harry's mum. 

 "I'm walking home," Louis declared anyway, heading up the beach toward the road. 

"Which one of us has worked with sea life since we were five years old?" Niall asked, standing up. His voice was starting to become more steady now. 

Louis stopped. 

"Which one of us knows every goddamn thing that lives in that ocean?" Niall continued. 

"Which one of us did Harry marry?" Louis asked coldly. 

"I saw it last night," Niall said. "It finally all made sense. You have to fucking listen to me, Louis."

"What did you see? A picture of Harry's face photo shopped over the Little Mermaid's body?" 

"His gills," Niall said simply. "He had, he had these slits in the side of his throat, I've worked with enough sea life to know what gills look like." 

"That's not what... it can't..." Louis stuttered. But the gears started turning and they wouldn't stop. Louis felt nauseous, like his world had flipped. 

"Why can he only move his legs both at once?" Niall continued. "Why is there a weird diamond pattered rash all over his legs?" 

Almost like scales. 

"They said his lungs were lacking moisture. Like water. His lungs are literally drying out. Remember when the humidifier was the only thing that helped? What about the water therapy he did with Aiden? What about all those baths? The only time his legs stopped hurting and were able to move properly was when he was in water. That never seemed weird to you? His desperate need to get to the ocean to the point where he literally wheeled along an abandoned road for probably half an hour, flung himself out of his chair and crawled toward it in the middle of the night? He's not a medical mystery, Lou. It does add up, we were all just looking at it the wrong way." 

"Niall, can you fucking not?" Louis definitely had a migraine now. "My husband's not a fish. I didn't marry a fish. Yes, his rash looks like scales, and yes his legs move together but that's nerve damage. And maybe he just likes baths or whatever." 

"Just because you haven't seen something like this before doesn't mean it's not real," Niall insisted. 

"Oh my god," Louis muttered to himself. "My boyfriend was best friends with a crazy person." 

"I'm going to go wait for him at the aquatic center," Niall said. "You can either come with me, or not." 

"If you're wrong though..." Louis said slowly. "He's still probably going to wash up though, isn't he?" 

"One way or another," Niall said quietly. 

Louis' stomach churned as he took in what Niall's words meant. 

"I don't want to see him like that," Louis called out after Niall, who was already walking away. 

"Do you not trust me?" 

"No." 

"Harry does." Niall said simply. 

Harry did, Louis wanted to correct. But he didn't feel like Harry had died, and he ought to know, right? Shouldn't he have some sort of sixth sense for husbands? Louis eyed his wedding band curiously, but it was the same as it was any other day. 

"I swear to God, Niall, if you're wrong about this..." 

"Harry would want you to trust me," Niall stated, and reluctantly, Louis followed him to go wait for Harry.

Sorry if anyone didn't like the plot twist, it's been planned since the beginning though! the last chapter will be up soon enough, I'm thinking either one or two more :)