"We're 67 kilometres away Captain!" A sailor told Niall at about 1:45 in the morning.

On the 25th of Feb. 1851 when the Birkenhead was near it's destination, the port of Cape Town, Africa, Luke and Ashton were on night watch duty at the deck and every once in a while they'd see sharks roaming around the ship and steal secret kisses unaware of Niall fonding over them from the window of the control room.

Niall truly considered himself the captain of all ships.

At 2 O' clock, the Supposedly unsinkable Birkenhead struck an unidentified rock, about 64 kilometres away from the shore of Capetown.

The rock was big and the struck was hard enough to cause extreme damage to the ship including the water flooding the bottom of the chimney which was the source of power for the ship to move.

As trained to do in such a condition, the sailors immediately lowered the anchor to steady the wooden ship.

Niall turning his eyes away from the lovey dovey couple towards the sailor beside him at the control room and saw that the horror in his own eyes reflected the horror in the eyes of the sailor.

"Call Louis, NOW!" He screamed.

"No need for that! I'm here. What happened?" Louis walked in with Harry in tow.

"We've struck what I believe is a rock. The chimney has shut down. And the ship has suffered extreme damage. We're at the mercy of the Lord and the sea now!" Niall said, almost in a whisper.

Louis turned to Harry and cupped his face. "Listen to me Harry, ok? I want you to go to Ashton and Luke and anyone you can find and tell them to ask every single person; men, women and children, to get on the deck in exactly 5 minutes. You understand?"

Harry nodded silently and run towards the door but not before kissing Louis on his forehead and mumbling an 'I love you!'

In the span of eight minutes every person on board including, sailors, captain, officers, women, children were on the deck of the massive ship.

Louis decided it was better to quietly let them sit at the right side on the deck since left side seemed to be a bit damaged, and wait for the waters to calm down so that they may lower the lifeboats.

Now mostly at this point, in such a situation there would have been a chaos at the deck and people should be fighting eachother to save their own lives but surprisingly there was none. There was no sound to be heard than that of the waves hitting against the ship's walls. Everyone was sitting obediently with their loved ones trying to cherish what could be their last moments together.

Then at about 2:10 the ship struck the rock again only this time it broke into two parts. The left part sunk in a matter of seconds but luckily the right part on which the people were, was still floating. It was sinking too but at a slow pace, buying everyone some time.

There were only 3 lifeboats left though with a capacity of 60 people each, meaning only 180 had sureness of survival yet there were 630 souls aboard including 170 women and children.

They all had no idea what to do neither did they had any instructions nor a set of rules or a code to follow.

They could all try to fight eachother and let their muscles decide who'd survive since the water was no choice in such a cold weather, not to mention the viscous sharks waiting for their food to arrive.

All of them sat and sat and not did anything. Louis, afraid for his own lover's life as well as of all the people he was responsible for, sat up and announced loudly, "All soldiers Assemble!"

Everyone stared at him like he had grown a dick on his forehead but when he repeated his command they all snapped out of a daze and stood up to salute the officer incharge.

Louis nodded.

He motioned towards the waters of the sea and smiled.

"Do you see that lads? That there is death. It could be mine, yours, or his, hers, or even all of us. Today it is up to us to decide who'll die here tonight not death. You did not face an enemy greater than this is the entire span of your lives. This enemy has wiped out many nation, countries, species, generations, families. The question today isn't if it will wipe us, but it is if it will wipe our families. These here are your women and your children, lad. Would you rather die for them to live? You've served your country well, gentlemen but today you are asked to serve your own families. Are you all willing to die to save your loved ones? Are you willing to sacrifice for your own blood? Lads, are you willing to surrender your souls for your women and children to have the privilege of life?"

"SIR YES SIR!" Every men on board said in unison.

"Then load the lifeboats with your own and bid them farewell. Today we serve our families. Women and children first, gentlemen. Women and children first!" Louis sighed.

"You heard the man! Women and children first! Now load the lifeboats and get started lads. Remember it's not just your country but your family you're serving!" Niall shouted as the lads leaped into action showing their remarkable heroism and perfect discipline.

Louis turned to Niall and smiled. "Niall I-"

"Lou, my 2 year old daughter and wife are waiting for me at home but they would more ecstatic to know I died a noble death than to see me get back alive!"

Louis smiled at the great bravery his men and mates were showing. They were truly soldiers at heart with Chivalry running in their viens instead of blood.

Louis felt someone put a hand on his shoulder which he immediately recognised.

He turned around to come face to face with his lover of many years. He smiled at Harry's dimple-y one.

"What you did was so brave Lou! I'm so proud of you babe!" Harry huged Louis tightly to which Louis returned just as tightly.

"Umm Haz?" Louis asked still engulfed in Harry's warm embrace.

"Mmm Lou?"

"There will be some extra space in the lifeboats even after the women and children have setteled,-"

"No!"

"But Harry,-"

"No Louis I'm not leaving you!"

"GO Babe! Please!"

"NO! I PREFER TO DIE ALONG WITH YOU THAN WATCH YOU DIE ALONE! Besides 'Women and Children first', yes?"

"Yes."

Louis sighes.

"Louis please!"

"I can't. I love you Harry I can't let you go through something like this!"

Harry sighs.

"And I can't let you go through something like this alone! I love you too you know! Till the end and after, remember?"

"I do but-"

"Louis!"

"Fine!" Louis groaned.

"I love you" Harry chuckled.

"I love you too, till the end and after!"

"Till the end and after!"

Soon all the lifeboats were all filled and as expected there was still some room left for a few more men but no-one dared to move.

They all stood still and waited like it was a normal routeen and that they didn't face death or so much as a smidge of danger at all.

They knew it would be unfare to others if even one man aboard the lifeboats so they let them go and watched them disappear towards the direction of Capetown.

Louis then turned to Harry and smiled.

He bowed down and held his hand out for Harry. "May I?"

Harry giggled and held Louis hand. "You may!"

They walked to their shared room which was now filling with water quickly and layed down on their bed.

Louis on top of Harry, both looking into eachother's eyes, cherishing every breath they had left together.

Harry cupped Louis' face and stroked his cheekbones. Louis caressed Harry's smooth curls.

Harry smiled up at his universe and sighed.

"Now kiss me you fool!" They chuckled after they both had said that at the same time referring to their first kiss atop the tree in their training camp back in Manchester.

And so they kissed eachother till they were breathless with swollen lips and then some more.

They kissed till they felt water lightly touching their skin and damping their uniforms.

They kissed till they drowned into eachother deeper than they'd drowned into the ocean.

They kissed till their breathing stopped.

They kissed till their hearts couldn't beat anymore.

They kissed till their souls left their bodies.

They kissed till they dissolved into eachother.

They kissed till they were one,

"The Lovers of Birkenhead!"

♡~♡~♡~♡

"Luke! Over here!" Ashton called his lover as the ship had sank to deep bottom of the seas along with its Officer incharge and second in command better yet known as the 'Lovers of Birkenhead!'

Luke swam towards his soulmate and held onto eachother like their lives were dependent on it! Which in a way they were.

Niall saw the couple swimming from the piece of floating wreckage he was holding onto for support and called them over to share the few minutes of Life they might've left.

After a few minutes of silence and waiting for either the eventual death or some angel to come and rescue them, Niall realised the piece of floating wreckage started to get cracks. He knew it couldn't hold on to the weight of all three of them together so he smiled at the young lovers.

"Right mates! I've come a long way and tonight sadly I've lost me most prized possession, me ship! And the most important people in my life except for my family, my mates! Your love is as pure as theirs'. I couldn't save my one true eternal ship but I will save you two. Farewell you twats. I'll see you on the other side!" Niall said as he let go and willingly sunk to the bottom of the oceans.

Ashton and Luke were later saved by a trading ship going towards India from Africa. They got aboard and decided to travel to India instead of trying to contact their authorities.

About 436 men were said to have died that night from which Ashton and Luke's bodies were reported missing and theorized to be eaten by the sharks, little did they know they were both now married and living in a village in India with 4 daughters and 3 sons.

The Birkenhead's history became famous and every navy of every country made it a part of a navymen's training.

A surviver of the shipwreck later had given a statement to the press that;

"The order and regularity that prevailed on board, from the moment the ship struck till she totally disappeared, far exceeded anything that I had thought could be effected by the best discipline; and it is the more to be wondered at seeing that most of the soldiers were but a short time in the service. Everyone did as he was directed and there was not a murmur or cry amongst them until the ship made her final plunge - all received their orders and carried them out as if they were embarking instead of going to the bottom - I never saw any embarkation conducted with so little noise or confusion."

Birkenhead Drill from that day on was known to mean, 'to stand and to stay still!' Birkenhead's code; "Women and children first!"

The whole event was written and published in many books, magazines, newspapers, etc except for the part of the 'lovers of Birkenhead'!

But that didn't stop Luke and Ashton from telling their children about the adorable couple who was madly in love and died for eachother and the children just couldn't get enough of it.

"And they'd always tell eachother that they loved eachother to the end and after!" Ashton would say.

"And you know what kids?" Luke would say while grinning.

"What?" The children would ask dreamingly.

"They did!" Ashton and Luke would say in unision and then would peck eachother's lips.

So maybe the legacy of Niall's true eternal ship didn't live on among everyone but he was at peace wherever he was knowing that it did live on in the Hemming-Irwin household and that's all that mattered, as long as 'the lovers of Birkenhead' were alive in their hearts, that's all that mattered!

-fín!