My short stories

Aquaphobia

Note: Based on a headcannon I have. I will reveal what it is at the end of the story. Valt and Shu may be OOC. All interactions between them are strictly platonic.

Shu Kurenai highly regretted agreeing to accompany the Aoi family on their day trip. But then, he didn't even know where they were going to until Valt told him.

'A waterpark?' asked Shu. 'Are you sure?'

'Yeah,' said Valt, his eyes shining. 'It's going to be so much fun! We'll go on the waterslides and be in the water all day. Anyway, Mom told me to inform you to pack your swimsuit, sunscreen, and an extra change of clothes.'

Valt was too busy being hyper to notice that Shu looked nervous. As for Shu himself, he wasn't sure how to explain to Valt that he was no longer excited about the trip.

That Saturday was the day of the trip. Shu had not dared tell Valt that he didn't really want to go to the waterpark. He hated to be a party pooper.

Toko and Nika, Valt's younger siblings, were enthusiastic about going to the waterpark. They kept talking about it for the entire journey.

Valt was very impatient and kept whining, 'Are we there yet?'

'Valt, the time isn't going to pass faster just because you want it to,' said Shu.

'I know,' said Valt. 'I'm just so excited.'

After what seemed like forever, the Aoi family finally arrived at the waterpark. The Aoi siblings were so excited that they ran to the nearest slide they saw.

'Wait,' said Chiharu, Valt's mother. 'You guys weren't planning on jumping in there fully clothed, were you?'

The three siblings couldn't keep from giggling. Even Shu couldn't hide his amusement.

'So what slide do you want to go on first?' asked Valt.

'Err, why don't you go on the slides without me?' asked Shu. 'I'm not a big fan of slides.'

'But Shuuuuuu! It won't be fun without you.'

'No, I'm fine. Just enjoy yourself.'

Suddenly, a thought came into Valt's head. 'Shu, are you scared of waterslides?'

Shu shook his head. 'Of course not,' he said.

'Then why do you look so nervous?'

Shu looked down in embarrassment. How could he explain this to Valt?

'Shu, is everything alright?' asked Valt.

Shu forced a smile. 'Of course, just enjoy yourself.'

But Valt didn't really enjoy himself. He noticed that Shu flatly refused to go in the water at all. Valt felt that all the fun he could be having was tainted.

Later, Chiharu took the kids for lunch. They all ate at a Subway restaurant. The twins excitedly ate their food, but Valt and Shu were a different story.

Valt noticed that Shu seemed fidgety. The latter didn't eat at all. Finally, Valt couldn't stand it anymore. He quickly took Shu's hand and ran across to the toilets.

'Shu, what's going on?' asked Valt. 'You are acting really strange. It's almost as if you don't want to swim.'

'That's because I don't,' said Shu.

'You don't want to swim?' asked Valt. 'Why? It's so much fun. Are you telling me that you can't swim?'

'No, I'm afraid of swimming,' said Shu.

'You're afraid?' asked Valt. 'Why?'

Shu looked down. 'I... I don't want to say.'

'Shu, we're best friends. You can tell me.'

Shu sighed. 'Fine. Once when I was a little kid, my parents dropped me off at the beach alone. They didn't bother staying to check on me. So I went swimming alone.'

'What happened?' asked Valt.

'I got stung by a jellyfish,' said Shu. 'It really hurt. I was so shocked that I started sinking. The next thing I knew, I was at the hospital. I was told that I had almost drowned and got rescued by some people who were nearby.'

'Oh my, that's awful,' said Valt. 'I'm sorry that you had to go through all that.'

Shu sighed. 'It was awful. The worst part was that my parents didn't really care. Ever since then, I had been afraid of swimming.'

'So that's why you wouldn't go in the sea the day Spryzen broke,' said Valt. 'You were afraid. Why didn't you tell me earlier?'

'I was ashamed,' said Shu. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's all right,' said Valt. 'And it's okay to admit that you're afraid.'

Shu smiled. 'Well, do you want to get ice creams?'

'Sure,' said Valt.

So I headcannon that Shu has a fear of swimming. It seems to fit in quite well.