What started as a simple idea, renting a yacht for Harry’s birthday and inviting a few close friends, had quickly spiraled into something else. You should’ve known that when you told the band to bring "a few" close friends, they'd take it as an invitation for practically everyone they’d ever met. Your intimate little gathering had somehow become a full blown rager at sea.

The sun melted into the ocean almost an hour ago and the party is in full swing. Music thumps through the deck and the laughter somehow matches the volume. You aren’t sure who invited the DJ but it’s a nice touch considering what the party has become. The alcohol is flowing freely and everyone is pretty much past drunk and well on their way to wasted. Harry seems so in his element, surrounded by friends and very distracted. But it’s time to bring out the cake and getting his attention feels impossible

Until you spot the captain up on the bridge

The quiet hum of the control panel is a stark contrast to the chaos of the party below as you step inside. You flash your sweetest smile and politely ask if he’d mind giving the foghorn a little honk. He laughs softly as he obliges

The sound cuts through the music and the laughter like a knife. On the deck below, Harry nearly jumps out of his skin, stumbling backwards with shock. His eyes are wide with shock and he immediately assumes its another one of Niall’s little pranks, so without missing a beat, he turns to the bridge and yells, “Fuck off, Nigel!!”

Laughter ripples through the party, but when you lean out the window and shout back a birthday greeting, his expression shifts in a second. His smirk melts into a genuine smile and he looks at you like you’re the only thing that’s ever mattered. Even as you direct the guests to the dining area for cake, he doesn’t look away from you. He’s always been a cuddly drunk but this is different. It’s just pure and unfiltered love