why do you all think im gonna kill my characters smh as if i'd ever. and WARNING FOR DROWNING btw.
PFFT ALSO I WAS NO. 67 IN FANFICTION THIS MORNING??? (15.4.17!!)
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Roman popped up next to Thomas. The others were already outside and helping to unpack all the stuff in the car. Sadly, Anxiety was back in his usual black attire, with the hoodie, jeans and all. Roman wondered briefly how he wasn't hot in that, because the sun was beating down uncomfortably.
Anxiety noticed his stare. "Get over here and help, Princey," he called irritably, waving him over.
Roman smiled and did so.
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"Come on, Anxiety," the royal whined. "Everyone else is swimming! You'll be all alone on the shore!"
Anxiety rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I'm not swimming," he snapped. "I'm not even wearing my swimmers."
Prince considered this for a moment. And then he grinned. "Who says you need swimmers?" He grabbed Anxiety, lifting him up and carrying him into the water.
"Put me down, you fucking asshole!" Anxiety hissed, banging his fists against Roman.
He smirked. "As you wish." Prince dropped Anxiety into the lake.
When Anxiety surfaced, he was spluttering. "Why did you do that? I could've drowned," he exclaimed, crossing his arms as he glared through his sopping hair at the other.
"You're standing in knee-high water, I'm sure you would've been fine," Prince drawled. "And besides, now you don't have to worry about swimmers since you're already soaked! Swim with us!" He laughed at the scowl Anxiety wore.
"My jumper would weigh me down," he pointed out.
"Then take it off."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's cold."
"Now you're just making up excuses."
"Look, I don't want to fucking swim, okay? I'm not taking off my jumper because I don't have anything underneath because it's hot, alright?" Anxiety trudged through the water back to land.
"You could use my shirt, if you're so worried about it," Prince suggested nervously, trailing behind the side. "I mean, since you're soaked and all that. Maybe you could use one of the airbeds Morality brought?"
Anxiety looked like he was considering it, which was a relief. "Yeah, but isn't your shirt difficult to put on? And it isn't even really a shirt..." He began looking for the container that held the floaties.
Prince scoffed. "I have casual wear too, you know." He searched a pile of clothes nearby. "Aha!" he cried, holding up a white shirt with red sleeves and black shorts. "There you go." He proudly presented it to Anxiety.
The side snatched it and in turn, chucked a flat plastic thing at Prince. "While I'm getting changed, go and pump that up for me." Before the other could complain, he butted in. "And don't forget, this was your idea," he said smugly, before walking away to find a hidden place to get changed.
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Prince was treading water, chatting with Morality and trying to rebuke any questions he was asked about Anxiety with a simple "shut up" when they heard it.
A scream, followed by a splash prompted everyone's heads to look towards the source. Disturbed water rippled and above it was an upside-down floatie.
"Did Anxiety fall?" Thomas called from the other side of the lake.
The others started laughing a bit at the situation, fulling expecting to see a saturated Anxiety pop up at any minute. Any second now. Soon. Right about no-
"He's not coming up," Prince muttered to himself, and then the realisation truly sunk in. "He's not coming up!" he cried out. Suddenly he was spurred into action, completely forgetting about anything and everything that wasn't the fact that Anxiety isn't coming up oh god what if he's dead why isn't he resurfacing where is he what's happening.
He ignored the pounding in his head as he swam as fast as he could, leaving Morality behind, only thinking that he was too far away he's never going to make Anxiety's going to drown if he doesn't hurry up.
And it was true. He was too far away to make it in time, the floatie that marked where Anxiety was drifting further and further away and this lake was deep, whether it looked like it or not. But still, he kept surging forward.
As his limbs pounded the water, a voice crawled inside his head. "And don't forget, this was your idea."
Roman knew with a horrified realisation that if Anxiety died, it would be his fault. He shook his head, trying desperately to forget it, to ignore it, and continued on.
He soon became aware of a figure diving down where Anxiety was, and for a split second, Roman thought it was the darker side, finally remerging. But then he became painfully aware of the panicked "Anxiety, just hold on!" and it clicked. Logan.
Prince kept swimming as he saw a spluttering and gasping Logic haul Anxiety up, using the floatie to catch his breath. He kept on swimming, even as the other kicked them both to the shore. Roman wouldn't stop until he knew Anxiety was okay.
Logan was freaking out. He kept on calling Anxiety's name, but to no avail. He coughed and struggled to breathe as he dragged Anxiety onto the land, onto the safe, safe grass. His limbs felt weighed down and exhausted but the fight wasn't over yet. Especially since Anxiety wasn't moving, wasn't coughing up water like he was supposed to. Logan flailed for the right thing to do for a moment until his brain sorted itself out enough to remind him that what he needed to do was CPR, not panic. He couldn't let illogicalness to get the best of him when a fellow side needed him.
Logan shook his shoulder, and loudly asked if he could respond. Anxiety gave no sign that he heard. So he started on the next bit. He opened Anxiety's mouth and, upon not seeing anything blocking his airway, he checked his breathing. Logan's heart (metaphorically) stopped. Anxiety's chest wasn't moving. With a gulp, Logic cleared his head and started on compressions, placing his hands firmly on Anxiety and pushing up and down, his mind playing "Stayin' Alive" and god, he had never hated that song more than now. He counted in his head.
'27, 28, 29, 30.'
He took a deep breath, psyching himself up, and then he leant down, tilting Anxiety's head back and pinching his nostrils. Then his lips sealed Anxiety's as he breathed out for a short second. He waited for what seemed like an eternity though was in fact only a second or two.
Anxiety's chest rose.
Not allowing himself to celebrate his victory yet, Logan gave another rescue breath and started the compressions again. He soon became aware of the others around him, sobbing. But that wasn't important now.
'28, 29, 30.' Logan reached down to give another rescue breath. As he went for the second, Anxiety suddenly spluttered and coughing, water dribbling down his chin.
"Anxiety!" Roman called, falling to his knees and hugging him awkwardly. Morality and Thomas stood back, letting themselves breathe out with relief.
Anxiety blearily blinked, trying to orientate himself. When he was conscious enough to comprehend everything, he spoke. "M-my first kiss was cranky-face. Ugh," he muttered weakly, drawing small, broken chuckles from the group.
"I have to say, that was one of your worst insults yet," Logan breathed out, falling back onto his hands and wiping his hair away from his eyes.
"I almost d-d-drowned, I think I'm entitled-" Anxiety coughed violently, startling the others. Prince helped Anxiety sit up, rubbing his back.
"Anxiety, I think it's best if you don't speak," Morality said, wrapping him in a dry towel.
Thomas nodded. "At least you're safe."
"Well," Logic hesitated as everyone whipped their heads towards him. "There's this thing called 'secondary drowning'. If enough water got into his lungs..." He trailed off, but the others understood him perfectly.
"What?! Do we take him to hospital?" Prince shouted, fretting.
"Is he going to die?" Morality covered Anxiety's ears as he looked up, fearful.
"What can we do?" Thomas asked, pacing.
Anxiety remained shock-still throughout this, trying not to think about the 'what ifs'.
"Okay, first of all, there's a 72 hour wait before we know he's safe for sure, but, there are symptoms of secondary drowning we can look for over the next few days. And we can't exactly take him to hospital, considering..." Logic looked at all of them pointedly. "If we have to, we will, but secondary drowning is quite rare."
Everyone calmed down minutely. Prince helped Anxiety to the car, as the side was too weak to sink down, and the others started packing up, a little shaken and still extremely worried, but okay for now. They just had to keep an eye on Anxiety for a while, nothing else, right?
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A/N Interesting (or morbid, however you want to class it) fact: there are two songs that match the 100-beats-per-minute for compressions and they are "Stayin' Alive" and "Another One Bites the Dust".
I feel like this chapter was a bit rushed (it was). To those who want ~more angst~ it's cominggg.
Almost everyone said "Prince knocks over Anxiety's floatie" wow do you really think so low of him?? (I was TEMPTED.) And I believe EVERYONE said "drowning" so well done, but for MOST accurate (with extra detail and stuff) it'd have to be:
@Katelyn_Hufflepuff (part of it wasn't explicitly mentioned because it can be a sensitive topic, but that was the implication I was aiming for.)
and
@_Just_A_Lost_Girl_ (yes the jealousy part will become more apparent later, but I don't think that they'd care too much about Logic giving mouth-to-mouth as long as Anxiety is alive.)
(if it doesn't tag right, then blame mobile. sorry this is a few hours late againnnn.)