You Can't Sing Without Air- Harry Styles Fanfic

Prologue: I Know How It Feels to Drown

When I was seven I almost died. I'm used to the feeling now, considering it's happened a few times since.  But that first time was different, because it was the only time my body wasn't the thing killing itself.  

It was summer holidays and we were having our usual family gathering by the lake.  All my mum's siblings and cousins were there, just like every other year. Niall and I were swimming together in the frigid water, splashing each other and starting water wars to keep warm.  Although he was only four years older than me, Niall was a much stronger swimmer. His thin, pale arms were already beginning to get a little thicker with muscle tone. Mine, however, were just as weak as the rest of me. I was small and frail, which is something -unlike Niall- I've never grown out of. At that age, we were both a little too young to realize I wasn't as physically strong as everyone else, and even if I did, I was stubborn enough not to care. 

So there we were, bobbing about in the lake, passing the time with ease. Splashing got old pretty quickly and Niall decided to stretch out on his back to float. I tried doing the same but my body just wouldn't stay up. I kicked off the bottom of the lake, pushing my feet to the top of the water again and again, but to no avail. No matter what I did I couldn't stay afloat.  Niall made it look so easy. 

Frustrated with apparent failure in being able to copy my older brother in absolutely everything he did, I pushed myself again and again until suddenly I realized it was getting more difficult to touch the ground. It wasn't until I was at least 10 meters off of shore that I realized what I had done. 

"Niall!" I yelled, hoping he would notice how far I had drifted from the shore.

"Niall! Help!" I cried out again, my voice becoming desperate now.

His ears were underwater, his eyes closed, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the lake. 

"Somebody help me!" I called again, but to no avail.

I started to panic. I gasped for air, thrashing my already-tired arms to keep my head above the water. I began to cough as water filled my nose and mouth. 

"Help!" I cried one last time before my head slipped under. I sank down, my lungs thick with water. The last thing I remember was the glimmer of the sun through the ripples before everything went dark.

............................................. 

I woke coughing up water on the shore. Staring over me were the eyes of my mother, my uncle, my grandmother, and of course Niall, dripping wet.  

"Aideen!" My mother gasped. Her hand was behind my head, cupping it upwards.

"Thank God Almighty! What were you thinking!?" She demanded, pulling me close to her chest. 

I heaved another wet cough and wiped some of the water from my face. 

"I don't know mum. It was an accident I swear!" I choked out, my eyes filling with tears. 

"Come here child", she said, pulling me up and into her lap.  

I noticed her eyes were red and puffy as I'm sure mine would be in the next few minutes. She gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before scooping me into her arms. 

"We're going to hospital." she said matter-of-factly. 

"I'm fine! I swear!" I protested, but another round of choking coughs suggested otherwise.   

"Hush now. You know well enough that we don't mess about in this family when it comes to your lungs." 

She carried me to the car and wrapped me in a towel as we drove to hospital. I was heartbroken to abandon my precious holiday, but even in my few years I had come to realize that when my mum set her mind on a medical intervention, there was no arguing. 

Niall sat quietly the entire three-hour drive. In our haste my mother had only thought to grab one towel, so his blond hair dripped onto the seat of her precious car while I snuggled tightly, dry and warm. 

I always thought Niall was mad at me for ruining our holiday. It wasn't until another near-death experience years later that I realized it was something else entirely- not anger, but fear.