Sleepy Bois Inc. Angst Oneshots

Water

TW: fear of drowning/ water, almost drowning, light mentions of death, coughing and coughing up water
AN: fun fact, I almost drowned in a hotel pool as a child :)
hmmm, I might write a oneshot about that someday... but for now, I give you this
~*~
Techno always hated water. As a Nether creature, he thought the cool, blue liquid was unnatural and foreign. It reminded him of lava, which he was always warned to stay away from, and although water was the opposite of lava, he was still convinced it could kill him.

And so, he vowed to never go in it.

Easy, right?

It was... until Phil decided they should go to the beach and "bond" or some bullshit. Techno rolled his eyes at the suggestion and tried to fight it, but his brothers were all for it. He was outnumbered.

With much reluctance from Techno and excitement from everyone else, the Sleepy Bois packed up their swimsuits, sunscreen, and beach toys and drove to the beach.

It started out nice enough. They set up their towels underneath a big, shady oak tree in the sand. Techno could see the lake from their spot. He crinkled up his nose and plopped down into the sand. He didn't have to go in the water, right?

Instead of swimming, Techno convinced Tommy and Wilbur to play in the sand. They built a sandcastle- Well, Techno built a sandcastle as Wilbur ate sand, and Tommy chased a group of giggly girls around. Techno was fine with it. They weren't swimming, and he didn't have to worry about the water.

Then, Tommy ruined it. One of the girls had told him she didn't think he could swim to the raft, a giant wooden deck anchored in the middle of the lake. He had to prove her wrong, didn't he?

"Let's go, Wilby, Techno! We gotta swim to the raft and show them!" Tommy shouted. Wilbur nodded, whipping his shirt off and diving into the water. The girls giggled and squealed as they got soaked.

Techno merely glared at Tommy and the girls; he sat rooted to his spot. He was not swimming. Not now, not ever. "No!" Techno shouted back. Tommy shrugged and jumped into the water, chasing after Wilbur.

His brothers swam out to the raft in the middle of the lake as Techno watched from the sand. He sighed, resting his head on his knees.

Feeling the warm sun on his back and the soft sand in between his toes, he nearly started dozing off.

"Don't you want to swim?" Phil asked, crouching down to eye level. Techno's eyes snapped open, and he snorted in alarm, falling over and knocking down his castle. Phil laughed as he regained his composure.

"I don't want to," Techno responded, huffing. Truth be told, he didn't know how to swim, and the water frightened him. He didn't want to tell Phil, though, because he didn't want the man to think any less of him.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Phil said. Techno tried to protest, but Phil wouldn't hear a word of it. He put Techno on his shoulders and carried him into the lake. Techno could feel the cool water teasing at his toes, and he shrieked. He pulled his feet up, nearly making Phil fall over.

He slipped off Phil's shoulders and into the water. He splashed and screamed as the foreign liquid surrounded him. It filled his lungs and choked off his scream. He couldn't get out; he didn't know which way was up. He couldn't breathe.

Phil picked him up. He held him by the arms above the water. "Sorry, Techno, didn't mean to drop you. Are you alright?" he said to the choking boy.

"Can we- we go back to the- to the land please?" Techno stuttered. He was shaking, and goosebumps began to snake their way up his arms and legs. His heart pounded. He coughed up more water, wiping it from his face. Phil nodded, sighing. He carried him back out to the land and set him down on the sand.

"Do you not like the water?" Techno shook his head as he pulled his towel around himself. He coughed again.

"I don't- I don't know how to swim," he finally said, not looking at Phil. "And I've... I've never really been around water before."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Techno shrugged. He laid his head on his knees again and tried to ignore the tears building up in his eyes. He turned to look at Wilbur and Tommy, who were still jumping off the raft, unaware of Techno's troubles.

"I can't swim very well, either," Phil said as he sat down next to Techno. He patted him on the back gently. "My wings'll drag me down if I go too far out. Learned that the hard way." Phil stared out into the water, thinking of a time long past.

"What happened?"

"I was about Tommy's age. My parents told me to stay where I could touch. I didn't listen and swam out as far as I dared. I went a little too far and almost drowned. My dad came and saved me. Scared the hell out of him, though, and me, too. He hardly let me touch the lake for the rest of the summer, not that I wanted to."

"That sounds terrifying." Techno shuddered.

"It was, but I still got back into the water the next summer. I was scared, but I wanted to swim with my friends so damn bad that I got back on that horse. I had the best time ever; oh, those were the days." He sighed and patted Techno's back once more before standing up and brushing the sand off. "Don't let your fear hold you back, Techno. How about I carry you to the raft? You can try swim a bit out there, but you should be able to touch."

"Okay," Techno said. Phil reached out a hand, and Techno took it. Phil carried him to the raft. Techno's heart raced as his toes trailed in the water. Phil set him down on the raft.

Techno, hands shaking, slid into the water. He held onto the side with white knuckles, but he was in the water! He kicked with his legs and slowly got used to how it felt to swim. He was swimming!

"You're doing it!" Phil clapped. Techno smiled wide. He let his grip go a bit before letting go entirely. He swam a lap around the raft. And another. And another. By the time it was time to leave, he hardly wanted to get out of the water.
~*~
(1068 words)
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AN: Thanks for reading! I actually really like this one :D And thanks for sticking around through the good and bad as I grow as a writer! Hugs and cookies for everyone!

now I'm going to sleep :)

good night/ good morning/ good evening; take care of yourselves! I love you all, and I'm proud of you all!