“Flight 82310 to New York City, now boarding,” the speakers announced.

Five boys stood quickly, assembling in a somewhat orderly line in front of their gate. The woman who had just called their flight number stood a few people ahead, and they were soon in front of her.

“Boarding passes?” They each in turn presented her with a slip of paper, which she handed back after a few seconds. “Go right ahead.” They could see she was trying to contain her excitement, which was a normal reaction to these five boys in particular.

Once inside, they found their seat numbers and stowed their baggage, taking their seats and settling in. Each of them was wearing baggy jeans or sweatpants and a large sweater with the hood pulled up, as well as darkly tinted sunglasses. If they were normal people, this would be considered an odd choice of outfit for a day flying across the Pacific. But these were no ordinary boys.

The five boys were members of international phenomenon One Direction, and they were currently the most famous individuals in the world. Everywhere they visited, they received a loud welcome from screaming teenage fan girls who wanted nothing more in life than to meet, talk to, or touch their idols. It was the life of such a celebrity, and the boys were enjoying their fame while it lasted.

This flight between London and New York served as their small break between escaping crazed fans in the city and beginning their second world tour, for their second hit album. The album was fast selling and amazingly rated, and the boys couldn’t be happier, though they wished they could have a break sometimes. The interviews and signings and advertisements and concerts and all other performances were tiring after an amount of time.

When the plane was full, the door was heard being shut and the captain cleared his throat over his intercom system. “Hello, and welcome to British Airways. I will be your captain today, and your flight crew are at the very front and back of the plane. Please watch the crew as they show you our safety precautions.” As instructed, the attendants pick up their life vests and oxygen masks and begin their safety speech.

The boys of One Direction have heard this same speech many times over the last few years, and they’ve taken to tuning out the flight crew and instead staring out the window or whispering quietly to each other. The only boy paying attention was Liam Payne, the most mature of the group (though not the oldest). He was always the one the others trusted with their safety, and they knew he would have their backs if needed.

Liam was sitting in the aisle seat, next to him a blond-haired, shorter boy with a thick Irish accent. Niall was already complaining in a hushed voice to the boy on his other side about how hungry he was and how planes should really serve snacks and beverages before they take off, so the passengers are more content. Zayn rolls his eyes, turning to glance behind him at the two snuggling comfortably across their seats. Louis and Harry were curled up with each other, already positioned for a good rest as they flew across the ocean and into America. As Zayn turned back to his own row, he saw Liam was no longer concentrating ahead and realized the safety information was over.

The plane had a short taxi and a smooth takeoff, and soon enough the snack cart came around. Being in first class, Niall was able to order everything on the menu without too much of a charge, and the others ordered a single entrée or a smaller dish. As the food arrived they dug in hungrily, having skipped the previous meal (as they knew it would be free during the flight).

Stomachs satisfied, Louis and Harry resumed their earlier positions and easily fell unconscious, but not before reminding Liam to wake them when it was almost time to land. Liam sighed before agreeing, pulling out a book he’d bought recently and opening it to his current page. Niall turned to Zayn, who had a small mirror and was redoing his dark hair so the streak of blond showed in the front.

“Are you excited for the tour?” he asked curiously.

“Of course! The last one was so much fun, and I get the feeling this will be a blast as well. Are you looking forward to having your guitar on you when we’re onstage?” the older boy replied.

Niall sighed happily. “You know I am, Z. I just hope I don’t mess up, because that would be humiliating.”

“You won’t. You’re the best at guitar of anyone in this group, even better than stubborn old Liam.” The two had a low laugh at that. “Remember when he called you cute during that festival show, and you blushed? That was just too sweet,” Zayn chuckled.

“I thought we agreed you were never bringing that up!” Niall exclaimed, embarrassed. It was true, he had rather enjoyed his band mate calling him cute in front of the world. It made him look even more desirable to their millions of fans, and he loved the female attention that being famous brought him.

“Fine, I won’t say it again, but only if you tell Louis that Kevin’s dead,” Zayn smirked evilly.

“But then he’ll try to kill me, even though I’m just the messenger!” Niall was unhappy with the visual.

“It’s either that or I talk about how you enjoy being called cute next time we’re at a live interview,” the other boy bargained.

“Fine, I’ll do it, but do I really have to wake him right now to tell him that?”

Zayn’s smirk grew. “Yes, that’s perfect! Wake him up by telling him Kevin’s dead.” Shooting Zayn a glare, Niall unbuckled his seat belt so he could stand, turning and leaning until his mouth was by Louis Tomlinson’s ear (the one that wasn’t pressed to Harry Styles’ chest).

“Lou, I hate to tell you this, but Kevin… Kevin passed away. He’s gone, mate.” He was forced to jump away from the Tom-wearing boy as his head jerked up and his muscles tensed.

“Kevin? KEVIN? WHO KILLED KEVIN? NO!” He screamed, waking up the curly-haired boy beside him.

Rubbing his eyes, Harry muttered, “What in God’s name are you doing shouting like that on an airplane, Boobear? What’s happened?”

Louis started to cry. “Niall said someone killed Kevin,” he sobbed.

“Why would you do that? Now look what you’ve done; he won’t sleep the whole flight thanks to you!” Harry grumbled, rubbing Louis’ back soothingly and pulling the older boy into his lap.

Niall shrugged, “Don’t blame me; it was Zayn’s idea.”

“Was not!” the boy, now done fixing his hair, debated.

“Was too, and you can’t deny it!” Niall was grinning as Zayn frowned.

“Look, Louis, he was just joking. Kevin’s still alive as ever, don’t you worry,” Zayn took over the job of soothing the hysterical boy in the row behind him.

Liam seemed to notice that the other boys had been causing a ruckus. “What have you done this time?” He swept a hand through his short, tousled hair.

“Niall lied and told me that Kevin died!” Liam accused, pointing at the Irishman.

“But it was Zayn’s fault; he threatened me to!” Niall pointed at his Bradford friend.

“Can we all just quiet down a bit and get some rest before the tour? This is probably going to be our only break for a while, you know,” Liam pointed out, and the boys all knew he was right. They took their seats, slowly drifting to sleep.

A few hours later, they were woken by the pilot’s intercom. “It appears we are experiencing some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts until the seatbelt sign has been turned off.” Rubbing their eyes tiredly, the boys began to feel the plane shaking and jolting.

They had been on turbulent flights before, so the only one who was worried was Liam. Since he was in charge of their safety, he was running over the speech from earlier in his head, making sure he knew the protocol if something went wrong. He felt his heart jump with each hop the plane took, and he quickly gained a stress-induced headache. The other boys were oblivious, settling in for another nap.

Another announcement interrupted them. “We are sorry to inform you that the weather has taken a turn for the worse, and we are afraid to say that it is extremely dangerous to fly a plane in this type of storm. We will continue, but please do not leave your seats and try to stay calm. Thank you,” the captain stated.

Now Liam was even more concerned. What would happen if the plane went down? Would they be rescued? Would they die like that, trapped in a plane on their way to their world tour? That was a way he had never imagined himself dying, and he didn’t appreciate the image in the slightest. He clutched his armrest tightly, willing the storm to fade quickly.

But there was no such luck. The boys felt the plane becoming more and more unsteady, until it finally began to spiral. That was when Liam lost his control.

“Niall! Zayn! Louis! Harry! Grab your life vests; they’re under your seats! Follow me; we have to get to those doors. You see them, by the wings? Yes, we have to go over there. Move it! No, Niall, we don’t have time to get you a snack. Zayn, your hair looks fine! Harry, Louis, you can cuddle later, get it moving!” He ushered them forward, but they still managed to get themselves trapped behind a line of people who weren’t about to let them thought simply because they were One Direction.

There was a splash, and suddenly the only thing visible out the windows was water. The plane was sinking, and fast. The doors were shoved wide, but all it did was encourage the plane to sink faster as the water came rushing in. The boys felt themselves beginning to choke as the plane was filled entirely, and they knew they were hundreds of feet below the surface. It was too far for any of them to swim, except maybe Liam, and he wasn’t about to leave the others behind.

One Direction huddled together, just as they had done all those years ago on the X-Factor stage. They pulled each other close; relishing the feeling of being with the ones they trusted with their hearts and souls. If they were having their last moments in life, they wanted to be together, no matter the price. They felt their bodies being pulled away from the plane in a water current, and none of them pulled back to see how deep they were. It wasn’t worth it; they knew it was the end.

It was just the five of them; nobody else mattered in that moment. The boys leaned closer, touching their foreheads and encircling their arms around each other. There were no words, and trying to speak underwater was a terrible idea.

That was how they drowned, together as the five boys of One Direction.