!! Kissed by an Angel - Polo - Mature Content

Ria let out a short breath when he stepped forwards. She felt his hands holding her face and she lifted one of hers so it rested ontop of his. When she felt his lips touch her a jolt of electricty shot through her heart causing it to speed up and she leaned forwards kissing him back as he pulled away, now standing on her tiptoes. He had listened to her. Thank the lord. It had taken so much out of her to see him basically reject her and she then understood how he had to have felt. And now, all that had been taken out of her was back. As she pulled back a real smile graced her lips and she grasped his hand, unsure of what this meant now. They were dating, she presumed. But, having never dealt with it, she had absolutely no clue.

When Ria returned his kiss, Bruce was robbed of his breath. When he finally pulled away from Ria, he felt as though he literally had to tear his hands from her soft cheeks. He didn't want to let her go...
Seeing her smile, Bruce felt his doubts begin to ebb away, and he hesitantly returned it. "That was my first kiss..." He admitted rather shyly, dropping his gaze to study Ria's fingers as she laced them with his. His cheeks were flushed with shame, but he didn't care. He was happy... He thought he was, anyway.

Ria laughed, squeezing his hand back. "Mine also..." she said with a shy smile, the blush which he had reached her face. "So... What now?" she questioned, even though she doubted he knew the answer either after him admitting it had been his first kiss. She had never thought this would be his first, she had basically told herself there were plenty of girls for him, that he would have been better off until today. And now she was just so happy he still felt the same way.

With a slightly breathless chuckle, Bruce managed to look up at Ria again - his eyes shining.
What had he been so worried about? What could possibly go wrong...? ((Um, you could DIE! MWAHAHAHA! *Resumes typing*))
At Ria's question, Bruce quickly rearranged his thoughts, falling back on his serious nature, and trying to think sensibly. "Well..." He began hesitantly. "Now I guess I get to take you on a date that isn't a complete fiasco." He laughed, "But I've got nationals on Saturday, so it doesn't really make sense doing it before then... How about Monday? That leaves me a day to be miserable if I screw up." He offered a half smirk, although inwardly he felt a flicker of annoyance with himself. He used to be able to bounce back from anything - and quickly, too. Since when had he needed a day to recover from a disappointment that might not even come...? But that was what he had been talking about before - he just wasn't himself. He was in a delicate place... So he had to improvise.
"So, does Monday work for you?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to one side and smiling at Ria.

Ria bobbed her head. "Monday sounds perfect. And im sure youll do just fine if you stop pushing yourself" she returned with a slightly worried grin. She rolled her eyes, which were now shining with happiness as she watched him. Her hair blew slightly into her face and to the side, sending a few drops of water rolling down her spine causing her to shudder and close her eyes as a memory slid back into her head. Pushing it away she raised to her tippy-toes and gently pecked his cheek again. "I can always come if youd like me to..." she offered, "for support..." she finished since Nationals actually wasnt all too far away this year and she had nothing to do in the first place. She would need to get away from her house, or her new 'father' was going to drive her up the wall.

"'Fine' isn't good enough." Bruce retorted with a laugh. He mirrored Ria's grin, tilting his head slightly to one side and considering her with a gentle fondness in his eyes.
When he saw her move forward to peck his cheek again, Bruce bowed his head to accept it this time - feeling a joyful flutter erupt in the pit of his stomach. A soft smile extending from his eyes, he let his fingers find her hand, and squeezed it slightly. "I'd love it if you'd come." He replied with a grateful smile, "I was going to ask you, anyway."
He watched her a moment, toying with the idea of hugging her, but eventually he decided against it, and just squeezed her hand again instead.

((After this, I think we should skip to the competition, unless you have any more ideas? Desperate for some RPing, so hurry up and get online. ))

Ria shook her head. "fine is good enough for me, with you still hurt," she said back worry creasing her face slightly as she pulled her eyebrows in.

Over the week Ria packed her things. Maggie, Susanne, and Gregory did the same, intent on going with her. Maggie, to be near Greg. Greg, to make sure Bruce didnt try anything. And Susanne, to be there for Ria and make sure Maggie didnt do something stupid. Once everyonr had everything packed rhey loaded it in the two cars and drove off towards the Nationals host city and their hotel. It took a few hours. But, when they finally arrived Ria and Greg had to share a room so Maggie didnt do something weird. Luckily, it was two full beds so they didnt have to sleep together and they worked out times for the bathroom. Then, with Rias camera bag in tow, they headed towards the nadatorium to watch Bruce. Maggie, attatched to Gregs hip but asking Ria a bunch of question they had gone over a million times about how they started dating. Questions which Ria shrugged off so Greg didnt go after Bruce for having had kissed her.

The whole way to Nationals, Bruce was uncharacteristically quiet. He was nervous, and he was worried... His ankle still didn't feel completely right - and the idea of failing after he had worked so hard to get here was almost more than he could take...
He was glad to find himself in a room of his own when they reached the hotel. Thank goodness their group was an odd number - because he really didn't feel like having company.
Yet even alone, he couldn't sleep. The full moon outside the window seemed to taunt him, and the cries of night birds echoed mockingly in the eerie silence.
The day of the competition dawned bright and clear, but their were dark rings under Bruce's eyes from lack of sleep.
The whole way there, he didn't say a word. He just sat in the car, looking faintly gray, and willed himself not to throw up... Again.
They arrived slightly late, and Bruce ran straight to the change rooms - throwing on a pair of simple black trunks. Naturally, he couldn't wear a shirt for the competition - and he began to wish that he had been practicing without one, since he still wasn't completely comfortable with walking around half-naked - even if everybody did it.
Shaking off his doubts, Bruce rolled his shoulders and headed off to the pool. As he glanced around at the other competitors, he consoled himself with the unkind thought that, at the very least, he looked better shirtless than most of them.
He snorted in amusement at the thought, then felt terrible afterwards. Who the Hell was he? Laughing at people's appearances...
He shuddered it off - putting it down to nerves - and hurried to the start, where he climbed up on a low diving board.
He tested his weight on his ankle, and winced slightly.
This was going to be tough...

Ria slid her camera out and adjusted all of the settings on it quietly until the lighting was just right. She snapped a few shots of Bruce and smiled. But, when she looked back at the pictures, he seemed to have winced when he put pressure on his ankle and her heart sank. He was pushing himself, the idior. How was the coach even letting him swim?! Maggie, still intrigued by the whole Rias first kiss and first boyfriend situation was now hounding her. "Riaa. What did your first kiss feel like. Come on. Please. What happened?" she begged. Ria, glaring at Maggie, said "I already told you once. You dont need to be told a million times," and she gave a sideways glance to Greg who was now clenching his fists. "The twirp kissed you already?!" he growles through clenched teeth, preparing to stand and go after Bruce. "Yes. Greg, but i kissed him first. So calm down before you ruin any chance he has at winning!" she chastised. Greg rolled his eyes. "More like winning with you. I sware. Ria. If he lays one hand on you!" Greg grumbled and Ria shook her head, "you will smile and be happy right?" Ria forced onto Greg who reluctantly bobbed his head.
Still, she had yet to tell anyone she was trying to learn how to swim. She knew everyone would overreact, claim he was forcing her, and Bruce really would be smushed to a pulp by Greg. No. They wouldnt know. They wouldnt, even if she had her bathing suit in her camera bag, they wouldnt.

The starter stepped up to the side of the pool, and Bruce felt a flock of butterflies in his stomach begin to stir.
"Ready..."
He gulped, stretching his arms one last time, then preparing to dive.
"Set..."
The butterflies began doing aerobatic flips, and Bruce could have sworn he'd be sick there and then. Thankfully, he hadn't had any appetite that morning - or the night before, for that matter.
"GO!"
Suddenly, everything went quiet. The butterflies vanished, and all Bruce felt was a hollow emptiness. The shot of the starting gun rang out, and time seemed to slow down.
With a picture of Ria in his mind, Bruce dived. As he felt the cold shock of the water, everything came back to him. The sound of the crowd was slurred by the water in his ears, and all he heard was a dull roar as he swam at full speed to the other side. He reached the opposite end of the pool in first place, then spun around and pushed hard off the wall before heading back to the other end. He lost some ground from the painful push off his injured ankle - but soon made it up again as adrenaline flashed through him.
One more excruciating push off the opposite wall, and he was on his final lap - desperately trying to ignore the pain in his ankle.
He reached the other side far ahead of his opposition, and a breathless laugh escaped his lips.
He had been first in his heat - but he would still have to face off against the winners from the other heats for the final, and his ankle was already aching.
He tried to his his pain as he walked over to the bleachers - sitting down and wrapping a towel around his shoulders. Somebody offered him a drink, and he accepted - taking a deep swig of the water.
He knew he could win this. He had to win this...

Ria managed to get quite a few good pictures during the first heat. But she was really worried about him. His ankle, it shouldnt be able to hold up to many more heats. He already had to be in a lot of pain. Susanne caught the look on Rias face and sent her a questioning glance. Ria, taking in a short breath said, "his ankle..." susanne was confused and added, "its still hurt?" Ria nodded "yea. He is pushing himself. He doesnt want to lose..." she said, wincing at thr pain he must be in.

When the loudspeaker called the contestants for the final, Bruce took a deep breath and got to his feet. Just as he was about to head to the start, however, he felt something collide hard with his shoulder.
Bruce's head jerked around to see one of his other competitors - a big, burly boy with forearms like Christmas hams - pretend to trip, and aim an 'accidental' kick at his ankle.
Bruce grunted in pain, and stumbled away from the boy.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, aghast - but with a smug twinkle in his eye. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine." Bruce replied with a snarl, balancing on one leg and trying desperately to ignore the pain throbbing through his leg.
"I hope you'll still be able to swim - your heat was the fastest so far..." The boy told Bruce with mock encouragement.
Clenching his jaw, and refusing to be provoked, Bruce turned away and took one limping step toward the diving board. He caught one of the officials frowning in concern at him, and realised with a shock that if they caught him limping, he would be pulled out of the race.
So he forced himself to put weight on the foot, and by the time he was standing on the board - tears of pain and frustration were threatening to spill from his eyes. He managed to keep his composure, though, as the starting gun's shot rippled through the air.
He dived from one foot, and started a little behind the other competitors. He swam like a demon, though - and by the time they all reached the other side, Bruce had gained the lead.
When he pushed off the wall, it was done again with only one leg, and once again Bruce's lead was snatched from him.
As he watched the other swimmers pull away, desperation almost got the better of him, and for a moment Bruce splashed around in his haste.
Then he calmed himself, and focused on his technique.
Gradually, he began passing the other swimmers, and found himself in line with the leaders when they reached the other end of the pool.
Bruce closed his eyes for a moment as he spun around. If he didn't push off with both feet now, he would lose more ground than he could make up...
So he braced his feet against the wall, and pushed off hard - propelling himself forwards.
An ominous cracking sound followed him as he began swimming again, and Bruce felt a hot flush of pain overwhelm him. He gasped, and took in a mouthful of water - then he began to panic.
The other swimmers were starting to pull away from him, and Bruce made a desperate lunge after them. Tension gripped him, and he felt his muscles strain and cramp with reluctance to move. As he felt himself begin to sink, he took a desperate breath, and got another mouthful of water. A sensation of drowning came over him, and panic robbed him of sense to the extent that he completely forgot how to get back to the surface. As he sank, he felt cold darkness wrap around him - like strong arms... And then nothing.

The lifeguard's arms closed around Bruce's limp form, and dragged him back to the surface. The man swam quickly to the edge of the pool, dragging Bruce onto the bricks.
He pressed his ear to Bruce's chest - then called for the paramedics, who quickly put up white screens around him as the lifeguard started CPR.
A few moments later, Bruce coughed up a mouthful of water, and drank in deep gasps of fresh air. "D-did I win?" He asked stupidly, as soon as he had finished coughing up all the water still choking him.
"Sure, kid, you creamed them." The lifeguard replied sarcastically, snorting in amusement and shaking his head.
"He's fine!" He called to the paramedics, who took down the screens and walked away.

Somebody wrapped a towel around Bruce's shoulders, then helped the dazed boy over to the bleachers - acting as a crutch while he hopped along on one leg.

Ria jolted off of the bleachers as he fought to reach the surface, then nothing. Screens were up around him where the lifeguard had pulled him out. What was going on? He wasnt one to drown. God, she was the one who was supposed to drown. She heard the lifeguard call, saying he was okay and Maggie and Susanne had to hold her back so she didnt go and get in the way of the people. "Let me go!" she hissed, Gregory now standing in front of her also. "Ria. Hes fine youll see him in a second" he told her before shaking his head in amusement. As someone helped Bruce to the bleachers Ria immediately headed over as he was away from the team, fear filling her face. "You idiot!" she said to him when she was at his side. "Why did you push yourself. Losing is one thing, but losing you is another," she said, the tears in her eyes as she paniced. She almost lost him. She couldnt lose him. Putting both of her hands on his shoulder she looked at him, "dont do that again," and then she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug holding back the tears that were threatening to come. Maggie and Susanne soon appeared pulling Ria back so that Bruce had room, knowing he was probably still in shock as Ria had been. Greg stood off to the side, ready to punch Bruce for causing Ria to panic as she just had. But, he was restraining himself as Bruce was already hurt anyways.

When he saw Ria rushing over to him, Bruce looked away.
Great... Just to remind him of all the damage his stupid little mistake had done, here was his aquaphobic girlfriend. Until now, she had been making great progress - but after watching his little slip-up, he doubted she'd ever want to get in the water again. Just perfect...
Bruce did not react as she set her hands on his shoulders and berated him, nor when she hugged him. He didn't react at all. He just sat there, glaring at his feet. But hey, it was fine. She probably wouldn't even know he was ignoring her. They'd all assume he was in shock, and leave it at that...
I could have won in... Bruce thought to himself, feeling a sinking weight drop onto his shoulders, I could have gone to the World Championships if I hadn't hurt my stupid ankle... Maybe even the olympics! So much for all my hopes and dreams.
His hands tightened into fists, and his shoulders rose slightly in furious tension.
He wanted to be left alone...

Rias eyes caught his hands forming fists and his shoulders rising in annoyance as the two girls pulled her away. He didnt want her. Her heart sank even farther until he was completely out of sight. She sprinted to her car, camera bag in hand and locked the door, but not before Maggie and Susanne managed to hop in. Letting out a couple shaky breaths she blared the radio and let the tears fall, Maggie leaning over and hugging her comfortingly. She wanted to support him. And now, he didnt want her there. Couldnt he see he nearly had gotten himself killed because of all of this. There was always the next two years, and if he was that good with a hurt ankle he would have no problem coming back. But, no. Now he couldnt even walk, he had nearly drown, and he was pissed off at her. She just wanted to make sure he was okay...
Maggie continued to calm Ria down as Susanne pulled out the camera from the camera bag, to look at the race pictures and see if she could find a reason for this to happen. But, when she saw the swimsuit she pulled it out and stared at it questiongly, "ria. Whats this? You dont swim..." she said confused. Ria sniffled and looked at her. "He was teaching me. So i wouldnt drown. So much for that helping though considering how he almost did and he can swim." she grasped the swimsuit, then a pocketknife and quickly ripped it to shreds before tossing it back in the case. "I cant stay here when he is pissed at me for caring. Im sorry. But we are stopping at the hotel and then going home." she said before pulling out of the parking lot, grabbing their things and headng home.

When Ria walked away, Bruce buried his head in his hands and ripped at his hair in frustration. He had known all along that something like this would happen! That was exactly why he hadn't wanted to get into a relationship in the first place! He wasn't himself... Hell, just a couple of weeks ago, he would probably have laughed off this whole thing, and started training for next year immediately. He certainly wouldn't have been so torn up by the thought of defeat that he would forget how to swim in the middle of a race...
Gosh, he was pathetic.

Bruce spent the rest of the day moping and wallowing in self pity. He was taken in to hospital at one point to have his ankle X-rayed and set in a cast. It had been broken from the beginning, apparently, but when he had over-strained it in its already delicate state, it had broken in several other places, too. The doctors claimed that his healing process would be a slow one...
He took a taxi home, since his little 'support crew' had pretty much left him hanging.

As he had predicted from the start, he spent the whole of the next day moping in his bedroom, and blasting dramatically depressed music. In fact, he was acting so out of character that his mother began to worry.
She knocked on his door several times, begging him to let her in and talk to her - but Bruce refused.
Eventually, she could contain herself no longer - so she picked up her phone, found the piece of paper with Ria's number taped to the fridge, and called her.

Ria answered the phone that afternoon, not sure who was calling to see it was Bruces mom. After a little bit of persuasion Ria finally agreed to come over and see what was wrong, though she still highly doubted he would want to see her. But, since his mother was on her last limb and was going insane because Bruce wouldnt talk Ria would at least try. It was bad, though, because Bruce hadnt even told her what had happened with his ankle. He hadnt texted her, or called her. And that in and of itself was a worrying sign to Ria. If he wasnt talking to her, and he wasnt talking to his mom, was he just laying in bed?
Still really confused she arrived at his house alone, and was quickly ushered up to his room by his mom, who then left her standing outside a bit uncomfortably. "Bruce!" she said, rapping on his door quietly. "Its Ria. Let me in, please... I just want to talk..." she said trying to be heard above the loud music. Music that was depressing, and angry, and way too loud. She knocked one more time, worry creasing her face. "Im sorry for calling you an idiot. I just... Bruce. I cant lose you, and i thought i had back there. Please. Just talk to me..." she finished off, hoping that he would open his door.

((Backkk))

((Good! Don't leave me again. ))

When Bruce heard Ria's voice, he sighed and glared up at his ceiling. Sure, he was pleased to hear from her. Ecstatic, really... And he was glad that she was still speaking to him. But he also felt guilty - and just miserable in general. He didn't want her to see him in this state... She barely knew him in his usual state of mind! All she had seen - except for right in the beginning, when she didn't even like him - was the worst of him.
He sighed again - then got out of bed - swinging his heavy cast over. He picked up his crutches and hopped over to the CD player, pressing the 'pause' button before limping over to the door - followed by the dull clunking sound of his crutches hitting the ground.
He unlocked the door and swung it open, straightening up and leaning heavily against the door frame so he didn't have to hunch over his crutches.
"Ria... It's good to see you." He greeted her with a small, forced smile.

Ria paused, taking in his cast. He must have hurt his ankle bad, and she still blamed herself from the fact that he dove in after her to save her. "Whats got your mom so worried, she had to call me?" she said quietly blinking once and stepping forwards to grab his hand. "I mean i was worried because i hadnt heard from you at all, but i didnt expect to hear from your mom telling me that i needed to come and talk to you because you were ignoring her..." she said, cocking her head lightly to the side and gently reaching for his hand. "If I can help, Bruce, I want to, but it does mean you have to actually tell me whats going on..." she said, her voice breaking slightly as she looked back up to him, instead of the ground. "And yes, that does incluse me just sitting beside you listening to this loud music, of itll help..."

"She's been worrying more than usual lately..." Bruce muttered with a shrug, squeezing Ria's hand slightly. "I guess it makes sense - since I haven't been myself. She's not used to seeing me depressed. Hell, I'm not used to it!" He chuckled slightly, and shook his head - then sat down on his bed, since he was tired of standing on one leg. He kicked moodily at his cast for a moment, then returned his attention to Ria. "Sorry I didn't call..." He mumbled, "I just figured you'd still be pissed, so..." He trailed off, shrugging vaguely. "I was kind of an ass to you, after all." He offered a forced half-smile, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Thanks for coming over... But try not to worry about me, Ria. It's like I told you before - I'm just not myself at the moment. I'll get there, eventually... Until then, you'll just have to be patient with me."

Ria sighed, "I was never pissed at you, Bruce. Not for one second..." she said, joining him on the edge of his bed. "Scared as hell for your life, yes, but never pissed." she explained, watching him carefully. "I thought you were mad at me, the way you clenched your hands into fists and raised your shoulders up defensively. And, then, I felt useless because I didn't know what I could do to help..." she continued to explain, the worry obvious in her eyes. "And besides that fact, it's impossible for me not to worry, just like you need to talk to your mom so she doesn't need to be sent away in a straight-jacket. I think she's making a trench in the carpet she has been pacing there so often." she said, managing a tiny smile. "Hug?" she questioned, wanting to know at least part of his old self was there. "And then, how 'bout you explain this cast ordeal." she finished off, opening her arms slightly for the hug, even though she was unsure that she would get one.

"Well, that's a relief." Bruce muttered with a vague chuckle. "And here I was thinking I'd screwed everything up already." He smiled - just a small smile - but this time an earnest one. At least things were still okay between Ria and him. It didn't mean that everything was fixed - but it still meant a lot.
"I'm sorry, I should have talked to you back then... I was just upset, and-" He broke off, shaking his head. "And I should have told my mother, too..." He sighed slightly, dropping his gaze to his feet.
Truthfully, he felt like he and his mother had been drifting apart lately. Since his sister had moved out, something had been missing between the two of them. And Bruce's father had been working late a lot - so it was almost as though he and his mother were alone together too often.
"Hug?"
At this single word, he glanced dully at Ria, considering her for a moment with a lifeless expression. Then, when she opened her arms, he sighed and laughed slightly - accepting the hug. When he finally pulled away, he resolved to explain about the cast.
"The doctor said that I probably broke my ankle the first time I hurt it - or fractured it, at the very least. So because of the broken bone, the rest took more strain. I overdid it a bit, and ended up with a few more breaks. They say I might need to get bone chips removed as well, but they're going to study the X-ray first to make sure. I don't want surgery, even on my foot." He pulled a face, and flopped back on his bed - staring blankly at the ceiling, and hating himself for being such lousy company to Ria.

Ria grinned, glad that he was accepting the hug from her before he explained his ankle situation. She shook her head, wanting to say something but biting her tongue. Or, at least she thought she could bite her tongue, it kinda failed when she spoke. "Why did you have to win so badly? You had the fastest time, you could have simply waited till next year..." she said, no harshness to her voice, just curiosity. She grasped his hand and squeezed it once more before waiting for him to respond.

"I hate losing." Bruce muttered, shaking his head, "And I thought my ankle could handle it..." He trailed off, then shrugged vaguely. "Sometimes you have to take risks for the things you care about... You would understand that." He looked up at her with a smile, then reached out and took her hand, squeezing her fingers fondly. "I know it's stupid, but swimming is really important to me..." He trailed off, falling silent again. His swimming felt like the last connection he had left with his father... Somehow, he feared that if he stopped winning, his father would stop loving him. He knew that wasn't true - but he still couldn't help but think it sometimes.

Ria bobbed her head lightly, watching him carefully. "Yea. I understand that..." she whispered before leaning her head against his shoulder. She allowed her eyes to slip shut for a few seconds relaxing, this felt nice, even though he wasn't himself. But, just being back around him after the two of them both thought the other was pissed off at them. It was a strange feeling, but she enjoyed it a lot. The feeling of knowing that someone else actually cared. Though, listening to him explain how swimming was his life her heart sank. She wasn't sure she could even get in the water again, not after him nearly drowning. It just... it was too terrifiying. And she knew, oh yes she knew, that that in and of itself was going to break her heart.