Regret (Ianthony)

Three Months, One Week Prior

Even though he knew for certain that it was only a joke, Anthony still felt scared. Okay, so maybe he didn't completely believe that it was a ruse, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Ian had signed them up to get in a cage and go underwater to see sharks while they fed on clumps of raw, bloody meat. And now, they were in the parking lot of the Marine Institute of California.

Just the thought alone made Anthony want to vomit, and it took all his willpower not to pass out on the spot. He wasn't sure if he really heard waves rushing because they were on the coast or it was just the sound of blood rushing in his ears. They were already out of the car and walking towards Anthony's nightmare, mere meters from absolute death. Even with Ian's hand wrapped safely around his hand, he couldn't stop the trembles that shuddered through his body.

"You alright, man?" Ian questioned, noting Anthony's pale skin and shivering hand.

"Fine." Anthony wasn't pussying out, no matter the costs. This was just a hoax; all Ian was doing was trying to freak him out after the fish incident. Maybe it was a sick prank, but then again, Ian was completely against the idea of rules. What a free spirit he owned.

They were entering the glass-plated doors all too soon, and as Ian held the door open for Anthony, he tried not to seem nervous, although it was clearly a lost cause. Waves of nausea passed through his body, and he felt dizzy. Steadying himself on the door frame before continuing in, he allowed Ian to pass him. He did not want to lead himself to his demise, whereas following Ian to his impending doom had a romantic twinge to it.

A hysterical laugh nearly escaped him, but he held his mouth shut firmly, not even allowing snorts of amusement to surpass his defences. He was not going insane, he was not going insane, he was not going insane...

Ian led him to the receptionist, who had a brief conversation with Ian about direction that Anthony didn't bother listening to. He was going to die anyways, so why not act like an idiot while doing so? Soon, they were heading through a fancy lobby that was full of fish tanks to a seemingly endless hallway that had many boring, uniform doors on both sides with plaques that listed the person occupying the room behind the door and their job.

Anthony didn't give a fuck about who was going to brief them on techniques to not get killed by sharks as long as they knew their shit, so all he looked at on the door that they knocked on was the job listed on the plaque:

Elasmobranchist

How the hell was that going to help him? His mind began to numb, which filtered out things he didn't want to hear. Of course, when the dude in the room let them in, he didn't concentrate on listening. It didn't matter to him anymore. He was sure survival wasn't part of the deal in this sort of twisted attraction. However, Ian nodded and played along with the smart guy, which made Anthony hope Ian was really paying attention. At least one of them could make it out of this situation alive.

They were led to dressing rooms after nearly an hour of talking with the genius. Instead of normal clothing, there was scuba gear and wetsuits. The two began dressing in the cramped room, not making any sly comments, other than reminding each other to leave their phones with their clothes, which they placed in a messy pile on the side of the plastic chair that resided in the corner of the room.

In what felt like seconds, Anthony found himself aboard a ship donning an uber-heavy oxygen tank and a mask to allow him to see underwater. The vibrations of the motor of the ship rumbled to a halt in which the boat stopped moving. It was pretty large with a sizeable deck, but not extremely big. He looked around them. The gentle rocking of the waves beneath the ship had the entire boat bobbing softly. He looked around. To his right, he could see a stretch of land that was only about half a mile away, although he knew it would feel farther away once he was in the water.

He wasn't sure whether he had just not remembered the past few hours or he had time travelled, but he just went along with it. He had made it this far, and realizing that Ian was squeezing his hand, he felt something inside him melt. Ian looked the same as him, and he noticed the wetsuit that showed off his body stature. He hoped he looked that good too. None of the crew that surrounded them were wearing wetsuits, which reminded him of exactly what he was about to do.

He felt like Ian was trying to ask him something, but worry clenched in his chest and he froze, not wanting comforting words from his boyfriend. Maybe the feeling would pass.

It didn't, even as they were climbing into the large cage. Not as they were being lowered into the water. Not even when the chill of the water began overtaking their bodies, rising slowly, yet much too fast for Anthony's liking. They were under the surface. Before their heads disappeared into the depths, Ian made sure that Anthony had put his air supplier into his mouth.

And they were under.

Anthony squeezed his eyes closed in realization that they were underwater, only to open them again and take in a few gulps of air from his oxygen mask. It was stale, but it helped to prevent him from hyperventilating, which was always a plus. He also noted that the weight of carrying the oxygen tank was much less, and he realized that he was partially floating, about two feet off the ground of the cage. He would have climbed down using the cage bars, but he was too scared to put his hands out of his sanctuary.

It was quiet in the deep. The utter calmness of the sea made Anthony's frayed nerves a little less distressed, and there were no sharks in sight. In fact, all Anthony could make out between the bars of his prison was the color blue. He had never felt so

alone

in his life. He felt someone squeeze his arm, and looked to see that Ian was still beside him, and he could almost make out a smile underneath his mouthpiece. He offered his own queasy grin, trying to make it seem like he was having the time of his life.

The first noticeable noises of the ocean were the muted splashes of hunks of meat being chucked into the water in front of their cage. Ian gripped his arm harder, almost to say, "This is the good part."

Nothing happened for the longest time. Then, out of nowhere, Anthony looked up at the sinking meat chunks to see that a four-foot long shark had charged through the tendrils of blood drooping off the raw flesh, then snatched it in its jaws and swam away, only to begin circling the food and lunge at it from time to time. It was Animal Planet in a way that was much more personal.

Anthony couldn't move. A second shark had joined the first, and it was a great deal longer by a couple of feet. It joined in the dance, circling around the dead prey and snatching it every once in a while. Was it fear or wonder that had him transfixed, unable to look away? He couldn't decide. Anthony snaked his arms around Ian's waist without realizing it, and Ian responded by attempting to kiss him on the cheek, only to realize that his oxygen mask was preventing him from doing so. A smile glinted in Ian's eyes through his mask, and Anthony realized that the deep blue surrounding them was the exact same shade of blue that made up Ian's eyes.

The small revelation made Anthony decide that it wasn't so bad being in a fix as long as he had Ian to comfort him for the duration.