"Ah, there you are Teach!"
Claude waved as Byleth finally made her way back to the beach. He was relaxing with a drink in his hand on the sand, his hair and body wet. He must have gone into the water like she had suggested. My goodness...he wore golden swim trunks with little white deer on them and no shirt. Byleth was surprised to see he had nicely defined abs and muscle, but she certainly wasn't complaining as her eyes continued to drift...
"Sorry I took so long!" Byleth apologized profusely, setting her bag down. "I...Well, it's a long, complicated story. Long story short, I found this nice woman and we..." Byleth didn't want to bring up the companies. They were here to have a good time, not worry about either of their problems! Besides, she knew Claude would be understandably upset just at the mention of the topic, and she didn't want that at all. "Just talked. I got carried away."
"No worries," Claude flashed her a quick grin. Was it just her, or did he seem a little tense? "Come on, Teach! Let's go in the water!"
Well, alright. Byleth didn't buy a bathing suit for nothing! She pulled the white dress over her head (yes, the one she had bought with Claude) and placed it into her bag. She had just bought a plain black bathing suit, nothing special about it. The suit was a little bit too small and was squeezing her chest, but she just had to deal with it. She turned to Claude, who had a slight blush on his face and an awkward smile on now. They turned to the water, walking in.
"Ah! It's cold," Byleth didn't want to go much further as the cold water hit her toes. Claude just walked further into the water, falling backward into the water. Byleth instinctively reached out for him, but he resurfaced quickly. "Um...You know, come to think of it, I don't think I know how to swim."
"That's alright," Claude responded, pushing his dripping hair out of his face. "We won't go far. If you start to drown, I'll catch you, so don't worry."
Well, Byleth trusted him, so she took a step further. Geez, it really was freezing! She was at about waist deep in water, the sea gently brushing against her.
"Come on, just dive in!" Claude invited. "Just hold your breath. Like this!"
Claude dove headfirst back into the water, swimming toward her. He was still seen because of the clear water, and as he resurfaced closer to her, he gestured for her to try. Byleth hesitated before following his lead.
Ah! It was cold. Byleth's vision was super blurry underwater and it stung her eyes, so she closed them. The water felt nice and cooling, a sharp contrast from the blistering heat outside. It was so nice to be underwater! It was just such a strange feeling...
When Byleth resurfaced, she smiled widely. As she turned to Claude, though, she could see him glancing at the sand with a faraway look. She frowned. He was distracted and looking tense...Byleth just wanted to have fun with him. She noted the water near her, and hoped this would work.
SPLASH!
Claude stood in the water, soaked as Byleth splashed him with a large mountain of water. He looked at her for a brief moment. and then a mischievous grin overtook his face. Byleth began to back up, but he was already splashing her right back.
"Pllft-It's in my mouth!" Byleth spat out the water before covering her face with one hand. The other hand was used to splash him. He grinned wider, and Byleth took the opportunity to use all her strength and splash him right in the face with a bunch of water.
"Oh, you're so going down!" Claude wiped his face, running at her as fast as he could in the water. Byleth laughed, running away, but he was a man on a mission, and couldn't be stopped! Plus, Byleth was running further into the water, and she didn't know how to swim. She'd have to stop sometime...
Byleth laughed louder, squealing as he finally made his way to her. He immediately tackled her, sending them both under the waves. As Claude pulled them both up, Byleth giggled. He shook his head, spraying water everywhere. As Byleth reached to run a hand through his hair, she suddenly realized just how close they were. He was practically holding her against his body, and she was basically clinging onto his shoulders. Her cheeks heated up. Yes, I missed this...
"I got you," Claude grinned cheekily, and she just laughed. She moved her hand down lightly his chest. Why can I only have fun with you? I don't know why...but i don't mind. Claude just raised a brow. "What are you thinking about, Teach?"
"I can't tell you that, can I?" Byleth chuckled, letting her hand linger before dropping it into her lap. "That would take the fun away."
"I think we could have a lot more fun if you told me."
Byleth just stared, wide eyed. He had a smile on his face, per usual...but this time, Byleth could sense something else behind his grin. She wanted to know so badly what it was...
"Maybe we could," Byleth said breathily. Could...it be? No... A whistle suddenly blew, and yelling at the beach began to occur. The two looked around in confusion. "Claude, what's going on-?"
"Get out of the water!" A darker skinned coast guard with red eyes yelled frantically, waving his short arms around. He looked a little young to be doing this... "Get out!"
"Wait, what-"
"There's a possible shark in the water!" The coast guard shouted. "I repeat, possible shark! Get out as soon as possible!"
"Shark...?" Claude's emerald eyes widened in understanding. Shark fin. He began to sprint with her in his arms toward the beach. "Where is it!?"
"Uh, I don't know?!" Byleth glanced around frantically. She didn't see anything...Everyone else was much closer to the surface than they were. They began to make their way to the surface when Byleth suddenly felt a bad feeling creep over her. She turned around...
Sure enough, there was a fin following them.
"It's behind us!" Byleth exclaimed, panicked. Claude grabbed her hand, trying to run quicker with her, but it was no use. They weren't close enough. They couldn't outrun a shark. They weren't going to make it! "It's here!!"
"Teach!!"
Claude suddenly threw himself in front of her, pushing her closer to shore. Byleth panicked, turning back toward him as he braced himself against the creature. She reached her hand out desperately, crying out in a panic.
"CLAUDE!"
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
