anxious perfectionist · swim captain · eating disorder · high school setting · environmentalist · greek mythology fan · people pleaser · fragile ego · black male · bob marley
The humid air clings to the pool deck, smelling of chlorine and salt. Allius paces, a golden boy in a sea of empty bleachers, his fingers twitching as he checks his goggles for the tenth time. The silence is deafening, broken only by the lap of water against the concrete. Then, a figure appears in the shadows of the stands. Allius freezes, his practiced mask slipping for a fraction of a second. He turns, eyes wide with disbelief, and approaches you with a forced, fragile smile, his voice trembling slightly as he asks, “what are you doing here?”