Breathe Bubbles

Chapter Three

Pressing, pulling, pushing. He was the waves' plaything. Everything was backwards- inside out, outside in. Red encompassed his every sense.

Sheer terror, faltering conscious. Feeling against his wrist, unlike the unrelenting water. Shouyou sluggishly opened his eyes. Salt burned his vision.

Something struck Shouyou as odd, an outlier in the bleeding ocean.

Fading, it suddenly occurred to him.

Shouyou woke with thoughts of blue, panting out of a nightmare. He trembled out gasps, feeling nauseous. Feeling almost out-of-body, he slid into a sitting position. He grasped at his ginger curls, trying to slow his breathing.

Dimly he recognized that he was having a panic attack. Before being discharged from the hospital, a nurse had warned him of them. That depression, anxiety, and personality changes were possible with concussion. That panic attacks were a symptom. At request, she kindly explained what to do when in one. But for the life of him, Shouyou couldn't recall anything through the haze of fear.

Moments passed by slowly. Shouyou focused on breathing through the tightness in his chest, forehead pressed against his knees. It was a long process, but soon enough his limbs loosened. The buzzing in his brain calmed down, and the overwhelming panic eased.

Taking one last deep breath, Shouyou lifted his head. The room was poorly lit, weak light pouring from the windows. The curtains swayed slightly with the salty wind. Sunrise was breaking.

Standing shakily, Shouyou made his way to the window. Pinks and purples and oranges and blues painted the sky beautifully. The sun rose steadily over the sparkling ocean.

Something twisted inside him. That same water nearly killed him. Was he scared of it? Was he angry? This wasn't the first time Shouyou had asked himself those questions.

After staring a second longer, his mind was made up. Carefully and quietly the ginger made his way through the cottage, slipping on his flip flops and heading for the beach once more.

Ten minutes later and somewhat winded, Shouyou dragged his feet across the sand towards the calming waves. As he got closer, anticipation ate at his chest. So far, so good.

The back and forth shoosh of the water tickled his ears. The taste of the air was heavy on his tongue. Deliberately he kicked off his footwear, edging closer to the ocean. Soon enough the demanding waves swept past his ankles and licked his knees. He breathed softly, assessing himself.

Indeed, there was a wariness deep-rooted in his chest. But it was instantly treated by a sense of peace and comfort that the water brought him. Ever since he was a child, he loved the ocean. Most of his cherished memories were composed of beach days, swimming lessons, and barbeques.

The sun was nearly risen, blue seeping into the stunning explosion of colors. Seagulls started calling in the distance. Shouyou looked at the scene in genuine awe, never fully used to the view he had seen many times in his life.

An unexpected splash jolted him out of his daze. Shouyou blinked rapidly, panning the shore in confusion. And not even 10 feet away, he spotted it.

Blue eyes shone with the morning light. Shouyou couldn't help it.

He yelped.

Notes: Thank you SO much for all of the feedback! I'm so candidly surprised at how much I've gotten. Each comment is sweet and I appreciate them so much! Thank you thank you thank you!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Any comment is taken with joy!