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Iwatobi Swim Club
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Post by Reeve Kasamatsu on Apr 26, 2016 3:19:49 GMT
 Kept on the inside
Sometimes a shadow wins Reeve knew he was a terrible swimmer. There was no doubt about that in his mind. He couldn't even kind of keep up with everyone else in the club, and he most certainly didn't fit in with any of them. Even if he knew how to act and fake it, which he really didn't, he wouldn't have wanted to fit in with any of them. He couldn't get close to anyone, because there was always that fear of him snapping at any moment and turning into the worst version of himself. That version made everyone hate him, and desired to hurt everyone he came in contact with. He was so afraid of it, even with the medication, that he'd spent the two years he was in psychiatric ward learning how to avoid people. Luckily, he had plenty of experience since his whole life before that had been built on blending into the background.
The problem Reeve had with the fact that he was a terrible swimmer was that he was always in fear of getting kicked off of the team. He couldn't have that, or his doctor would have definitely made a huge deal out of it. Who knew what he'd do? He'd probably make him join multiple clubs so that way there were always options. The thought of that was what drove him to what he was doing now in the first place.
It was already dark out. School was closed, but Reeve was still there. He'd gone home, but then he'd come back to train more in the pool. He thought that he might do better without the pressure of a ton of people watching him. Two hours had already passed, and Reeve was still swimming back and forth. He gave himself breaks every once in a while, but the skinny kid was far from in shape. His limbs ached and his whole body was beginning to feel like jello if jello could feel pain. He was stopping to cough every few minutes now, having swallowed a little too much water from his improper breathing techniques so many times now.
After about another five minutes, Reeve could feel his body beginning to give out all together. It was no longer listening to him, and it wasn't like when his other half took over. His body was still his own. It didn't want to swim anymore, but he still kept pushing himself, driven by the fear. In all honesty, he wasn't getting any better at all, and he knew that, which is way the thought of going home now was enough to make him cry.
He wasn't prepared for the cramp that built up in his legs when he was in the middle of the pool. No walls were in reach, and Reeve was far too short to even kind of touch the bottom. He might have thought to make himself float even with the cramp had he not started to struggle to stay above water, witch sent him into full panic mode. Reeve's arms flailed around in the water pathetically, unwilling to move fast enough to keep him above for long. No matter how frantic his movements, his face continued to slip beneath the surface of the water. He kept coming up, rapidly gaining breaths, not even able to have a moment to scream out, before he'd fall back under. A moment passed and soon he couldn't get above the water at all.
He was sinking fast, drifting lightly underneath the water, his arms hardly moving at all anymore as the water continued to flow in when his body desperately gasped for air when there was no air to be found. Soon he just started to feel warm, almost numb as his eyes slowly began to close. He was just too tired to continue to resist as the water suffocated him. Maybe... this is for the best... After all... I'm a monster... was his last thought before his eyes closed all together, and all he could see was endless darkness. |
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Iwatobi Swim Club
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Post by Garret Keen on May 7, 2016 0:13:41 GMT
garret keen ,
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It had been getting dark outside his bedroom window when the sudden realization had hit Garret. It was enough to cause the boy to sit straight up from his bed where he had been reading, and breath in sharply. 'Phone.' His hand shooting out to the table beside him, to no surprise - but to dismay - did he come up empty, hand not laying grasp upon his cell phone. Although he was not one of those teenagers who was absolutely desperate to have their phone around them at all times, his mind instantly reminded him where it had last been left, and that was what worried him. And so, that was what led the boy to leave his house, tell his mother he'd be home soon, and head toward the last place he had remembered setting it down; the benches along the side of the pool he swam and trained in.
The air was crisp on his cheeks, breeze brushing gently through his hair as he tread along, hands stuffed in his pockets. It was only a short walk, as he lived close, but it was enough for him to reflect on everything going on in his life, from the hatred of his part-time job, to the love of his sports and activities. He was glad that it was a Friday, and he did not have to work the next day; he needed a break, mentally; getting yelled at by angry shoppers was one of his least favourite things, especially as he always seemed to be the one who got the troublesome ladies and impatient men. A lot of them seemed to care very little that he had trouble understanding them, or hearing them some days, and it made each shift a living nightmare.
Sighing as he opened the door to the high school, he instinctively turned down the hall toward the pool, having been part of the swim club long enough now that he knew where to go without even a single thought. Through the change room, and then he was greeted by one of his favourite sights and smells; the pool. The air, always humid and warm, felt extra warm today against his cold cheeks and nose, and the scent of chlorine was as strong as ever. The very presence of one of his favourite things in life was enough to bring a smile to his face.
But that smile did not last long. He hadn't caught the sounds of the splashing, but the waves in the usually calm pool were enough to draw his attention. Garret froze, smile gone within less than a second, and for a brief moment he wondered if he was just seeing things. But no, he was not, and there was another person in the building, in the pool, and they were sinking, fast.
Instinct taking over, he ran toward the edge of the pool, hardly even hesitating before he lunged in. Later would he regret this decision to not stop and remove some articles of clothing, or some more important things; like his hearing aides, or the music player in his pocket. For now, his mind was focused, and with a sloppy dive, he was in after the other boy. His hoodie was like a dead weight within such a brief time, but he refused to let it slow him down, as he remained in a streamline position, arms above his head, and he had reached the other within a few moments.
The water was burning his eyes, and his lungs were already aching from being unprepared, but determination was forcing him through it, as he hastily grabbed the other by the arm, and brought him in close, doing what he had seen lifeguards do in shows and in person. He had no technique, and as a result, it was a brutal climb as the seconds ticked. He was kicking with all his might, and he had taken in a good amount of water when his head finally broke the surface.
Garret coughed harshly when he finally could breathe, gasping in breaths of air desperately as his attention remained on the boy in his arms, who he shoved at a lane rope, hoping, praying that the other was conscious enough to grab a hold of it. He needed a brief few seconds to gather his own bearings before he could help the other to the side, and he grabbed the lane rope beside the other, fighting the urge to vomit from the water he had inhaled. He could only imagine how much water the other had taken in during the time he had been under. His eyes were fixated on the other, as his fingers tightly gripped the lane rope, free hand ready to lunge at the other to hold him to the rope if needed. 'Don't go. Hang on.' Were the desperate words ringing loud and clear in his head, as panic was threatening to settle in.
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jellyfish princess @ adox |
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Iwatobi Swim Club
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Post by Reeve Kasamatsu on May 7, 2016 20:03:59 GMT
Kept on the inside
Sometimes a shadow wins Reeve had blacked out so he hadn't even felt the hand of his rescuer. He didn't even realize anyone was saving him. He had no thoughts at all. No reactions. Only darkness. The is until the water came spitting out of his mouth as they'd finally broken the surface of the water. His eyes were burning and felt heavier than they'd ever had before. Not even that time he'd stayed awake over twenty-four hours in a row had made them feel so heavy. Still, he fought until he could open them a sliver, only to have water come crashing into them. He squeezed them shut again, only to open them with more power. He was tired. So tired. He didn't want to move, and he'd only registered how he was moving when his half open eyes peered over at the brunette, still fully closed dragging him somewhere. 'Just let go of me...' He wanted to vocalize the command, but he couldn't manage. He didn't want to wake up. He'd felt so at peace with himself for the first time ever that he didn't want to fight.
The only thing that caused him to try and grab the lane rope he was being brought to was the thought that this other person, this kind savor of his, might get themselves into more trouble if he didn't cooperate. He would handle his own doom flawlessly in his conscious, but not someone else's. Not after all the bad he'd done in the world.
Slowly, Reeve extended and arm. He was disoriented, so the first time he'd tried to grab for the rope, he'd clenched nothing but air. He tried again, this time he face sank under the water in the process, but a swift kick of the legs brought him back up. He coughed again, spitting out the water. He was becoming more and more conscious as the burning in his throat intensified all the way down to his lungs. The pain was intense, and given Reeve's wimpy personality, tears were flowing down and mixing with the water on his face. He grabbed for the rope again, this time getting it and holding on rather tightly, but his limbs were still so sore that he felt like he was pushing himself to the absolute limit. Red eyes shifted back over to the one who'd saved him. The one he was causing trouble for. Was he on the same team? He knew him from some where, but his mind refused to worry about such a trivial thought in such a moment. "I'm... so sorry..." The words slipped out of his mouth in a choking whisper as he continued to struggle to stay above water. |
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Iwatobi Swim Club
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Post by Garret Keen on May 14, 2016 11:54:10 GMT
garret keen ,
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The rope burned between his fingers, as the young teenager held on for dear life, breathing deeply through his nose, mouth shut tightly as he swallowed a few times. His brown eyes were still resting on the figure he had retrieved from the depths of the pool, the features of the other vaguely familiar in the dim lighting of the pool. When the other slipped back under, Garret lunged for him, but it seemed that he was starting to wake from the trauma of being submerged. 'Good.' Was his single thought on that; he knew that if the other hadn't come to, things would be way worse, meaning he had taken in too much water. The way the other's arm flung itself against the ropes, and the tears that flowed down his face along with the streams of water told Garret that he was alive, and conscious.
That was when he recognized the boy. 'Reeve.' He didn't know his teammate all that well, but he knew that the other was hard of making friends, and determined like no other. It probably explained why he was here this late, and how he had ended up in this position. He had to admire that, even if it seemed Reeve had no sense of when was enough before one got too tired. His own coughing distracting him from mulling on that further, he tightening his grip on the lane rope, holding his breath to stop the urge. He had to keep from coughing so he could help his teammate to the side; once they were there he could recover.
Reeve now had his gaze on him, and the unmistakable pain on the other's face worried Garret. 'Almost too much water.' It was clear that Reeve was going to need some sort of medical help once they got to the edge. He was pale, and looked far too tired, even for all the energy that had too have been exerted. He had seen enough television in his life to recognize these signs. When the other's mouth opened to say something, it was then that Garret realized he couldn't hear anything, and it took all his concentration to make out what the other would've been saying. 'So sorry... ' He repeated the lipread words in his mind, and he sighed in an automatic response.
Reeve was still on the border of drowning, so Garret made the hasty decision to not respond verbally, only flash some sort of half-smile, before he took a deep breath, and went back into action. As long as he could keep his own body from inhaling more water, and keep Reeve conscious, he was pretty sure they would at least make it to the edge of the pool okay. A quick glance around told Garret that there were no flotation devices around - annoyingly - and that they were just under half way from one edge of the pool. 'Or, could go under ropes.' He thought, wondering if Reeve would be able to handle going under the water a few more times. It was a shorter distance cutting through the lanes and going under the ropes, but as they were on the deeper end, and both were tired, he was not so sure that was a smart idea.
And so, with a nod at Reeve, meant to be reassuring, he let go of the rope. At once he could feel the weight of his clothing again, but he paid no mind, using all the energy he had to grab Reeve, pry him off the lane rope, and carry him as he swam backwards to the wall. His arms wrapped tightly around the other's abdomen, he was able to keep both his own head out, and Reeve's, by leaning back and kicking with all his might. It was difficult, but effective, and after a few moments of being stationary, he was able to move, and he did not loosen his grip even once as he made the slow, painful trek back to the wall.
By the time he had reached the wall, he was breathless, stomach turning, lungs burning. He grabbed the wall with one hand, and once again shoved Reeve at safety, pushing the boy against the wall, and hoping dearly that he still had the energy to be of some use. If not, he would figure it out, but he had hardly any energy left himself, and the water in his own lungs and stomach was threatening to make an appearance once again. On the bright side of everything, he remembered he hadn't touched his phone yet, and if they could just get out of the pool, he could call someone for help. They just had to make it that far.
He gave Reeve another push, gentle, but persistent. "Out." He breathed, voice hoarse, his own words not reaching his ears, the silence he heard rather terrifying, as he could not tell if Reeve was responding, breathing. If he could only get in a position to see the other's face, things would be a bit better, but right now he was trying to shove the other out of the pool, up the wall. They were so close, but so far.
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jellyfish princess @ adox |
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