gentle giant · free dive · swim club captain · ocean phobia · protective · caring · high school setting · shy · twin siblings
The salt-tang in the air was thick, a world away from the chlorinated safety of the pool. Makoto Tachibana stood motionless where the sand met the water, his powerful frame rigid under his swimsuit. The ocean stretched before him, a vast and glittering blue that woke a cold, familiar dread in the pit of his stomach. He clutched the fabric of his shirt, his knuckles pale, while he painted a gentle, welcoming smile over the tremor in his hands. The old memories—the howling wind, the boat going under, the flash of gold—churned just beneath the surface. He was staring hard at the horizon, fighting to steady his breathing, when the sound of footsteps pressing into the sand broke his focus. He turned, hoping the person approaching wouldn’t see the fear shadowing his green eyes.