[He has a strong grip for so wiry a frame. Bruce isn't passing judgment, but he does notice- the boy who pulls him to the surface is lean and pale, there's something over the bridge of his nose that he can't see just yet in the absence of light. A flush, maybe freckles.]
I wouldn't say no.
[Before Bruce had gone running he'd seen another boy on shore, gathering up life preservers from the boathouse and taking them into the water. Those shapes are what he looks for now- something bobbing atop the waves. In the dark beneath them, two ropes are wound around Bruce's hand, a tether to keep hold of; the weight threatens to tug him back down if he loses momentum entirely, if he doesn't keep the muscle of his arm corded and taut. He has no idea how long its been and that's troubling in it's own right- he doesn't know if he's earned the exhaustion he's beginning to feel.
Still, there's no denying the unsteady look of the other boy- not that he comes across as weak- but there are shadows beneath his eyes. Strain. He's probably hurt.]
no subject
I wouldn't say no.
[Before Bruce had gone running he'd seen another boy on shore, gathering up life preservers from the boathouse and taking them into the water. Those shapes are what he looks for now- something bobbing atop the waves. In the dark beneath them, two ropes are wound around Bruce's hand, a tether to keep hold of; the weight threatens to tug him back down if he loses momentum entirely, if he doesn't keep the muscle of his arm corded and taut. He has no idea how long its been and that's troubling in it's own right- he doesn't know if he's earned the exhaustion he's beginning to feel.
Still, there's no denying the unsteady look of the other boy- not that he comes across as weak- but there are shadows beneath his eyes. Strain. He's probably hurt.]
Can you swim?