Harry Styles One Shots

Part 3 of Y/N didn't know mermaids existed and Harry cannot stand humans

iii.

There were probably a few reasons why Y/N should have realized she was getting a fever.

Yesterday morning, she had woken up with her throat feeling slightly sore; it wasn't excruciating to swallow, but the itch was annoying enough that she drank some warm tea and suckled on a couch drop afterward. She had attributed the scratchiness to falling asleep with her ceiling fan on and her window open, so the air was dry, and she tended to sleep with her lips parted. Waking up with a sore-ish throat happened every so often and it eventually went away, so she usually thinks nothing of it. Mentions it as a passing complaint to Niall before moving on about her day with no other thought toward it.

She had felt tired and was moving a little slowly, but she also hadn't slept very well in the last few days either. Harry already came over relatively early on weekdays so he could spend time with her before she went to work, but instead of just seeing her, he decided he needed to take her swimming Tuesday morning as well. Y/N tried fighting it but he told her it was imperative because the moon was bright and it would encourage the water to be kind to her. Getting in the water before the sun was an idea in the sky's head is something Y/N had sworn off long ago, but she guesses she feels safer when the sea creature she was scared of eating her, was who invited her in the first place. The forest is louder at night; more active, bustling with insects and nocturnal animals with glowing lights in the unabating darkness. It felt okay though, with Harry near her.

Right after swimming, she went to work, and when she was off work she found that Harry hadn't left Rhubarb's side all day. Harry stayed until 11 PM that night, Y/N offered him the couch to sleep on, and he refused. Harry never stays the night, Y/N isn't necessarily sure why but she doesn't go out of her way to question him about it. On the long list of odd things Harry does, that was at the bottom and the most inconsequential. Or at least it had been until right now when Y/N realizes she's sleeping much less because Harry is staying around late and she doesn't want to fall asleep on him – not because she doesn't trust him, but because she thinks it would upset him. At least he never seems all too pleased when he looks over and her eyes are shut while they're watching the telly.

Plus, Y/N has had a nagging headache since yesterday morning, just beyond her temples that no amount of paracetamol would alleviate. Now, when she woke up this morning, that ache feels more like a weight sitting heavy, molasses dripping slowly down the edges of her brain, through every crevice. It felt heavy to even raise her head from the pillow.

Rhubarb is awake, sitting on her right side and staring at her like she knew she didn't feel well. Her alarm starts to go off but she silences it immediately – there's no way she could go to work feeling like this. She could hear Niall's alarm going off in his room, and with a frown, she messages him, asking if he had any cold medicine he could bring to her room. Niall spent most of his winters with some variation of a stuffy nose so he is usually well-stocked well for moments like these.

It takes about three minutes before Niall stumbles into her room, his briefs lopsided and his eyes squinted like it was too bright in her room despite the only light coming from the led strip around her telly, "Honestly, can't say I'm shocked," he had his hands around a bottle of Nyquil, and tucked beneath his arm was a small bottle of orange juice, "Seems like swimming around in ice water at the beginning of winter is finally catching up with you, huh?"

Y/N grunted with a nod, "Yeah," her voice is croaky and awful, and her throat feels rubbed raw and dry, "He's g'na be pissed."

Niall scrunched his nose at her with a small shake of his head, "No, he won't," he told her, "When it comes to you, I don't think he can get angry. With me, however – if he was teaching me how to swim and I got sick, I'd think he'd use it as his excuse to drain my blood."