『 drowning 』

chapter two

It had been nearly a month since the accident. It had been nearly a month since Rei entered his endless slumber. It had been nearly a month since Nagisa's world began crashing down.

Nearly a month since what seemed like the end of the world.

For the most part, everything at school had remained the same. Sure, the swim team wasn't able to participate in any competitions now that Rei was... ineligible. But that didn't stop the remaining three from devotedly attending practice everyday.

And everyday, Nagisa had his cheerful façade built up to keep himself from deteriorating.

"I wonder... How will Rei regain all his stamina when he wakes up?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Would we just wait for him to catch up? Or would we make him work a little harder? Do you think they do the water therapy after someone has slept for a long time? Would that be enough to help?" Endless suggestions, queries, and occasional random ramblings poured from the blonde's mouth. As long as he kept talking, he wouldn't have to worry about his train of thought roaming too dangerously deep into the topic of Rei. As long as Nagisa kept it light-hearted... He'd be okay, right?

The endless chatter pouring from Nagisa's mouth trailed off to a stop, and the smile vanished from his face. No matter how much effort he put into sounding happy, it did nothing to help make him happy.

As he stared hopelessly at the ground, Nagisa folded his legs back, hugging them to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. "You know, I really really miss Rei."

Makoto turned his head to face Nagisa, looking away from Haru who was undoubtedly swimming lap after lap. "Of course you do. We all do." He blinked once, studying Nagisa's expression. While the blonde put up this act, trying to convince the others that he wasn't having a problem handling all the recent turmoil in his life, Makoto couldn't help noticing that the defensive barrier was slowly cracking. Day after day, Nagisa seemed to be slipping. His smile seemed to have lost it's genuine charm, and his sentences began to sound more curt. More... Brisk. And his eyes... Dear Lord, his eyes seemed to be holding all the despair in the world.

Makoto wanted to do all he could to help Nagisa, but what could he do when the blonde wouldn't open up to him? He understood Nagisa was trying to keep everyone happy, be something like a distraction to the others. But it just... Didn't sit right.

Makoto squatted next to Nagisa, water dripping from his hair. "Hey," he spoke softly, resting a hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "We'll work our way through it. And when Rei gets back, we'll be ready to take on every swimming club in Japan."

The warmth that spread through Nagisa's shoulder brought him to lift his head, glancing up at Makoto for a moment before a smile tugged at his lips. Gratitude for Makoto's words rushed through him as he felt contentment for the first time in a while.

"Thank you, Mako-chan!"