Death is knocking at your door

Watch Your Step

prompt: death

prompt theme: dead island's theme

anime & pairing: free! - makogou

Implied makogou relationship, harurin mention

"Ah, Gou-chan hurry up or you'll make us all late." Makoto chuckled lightly shifting his weight to one side as he leaned in the doorway. The entire wedding party, excluding Makoto and Gou, were all settling into the white limo parked outside.

Today was the day wedding of her brother Rin and Haruka. To say there was excitement all around was quite the understatement. The moment Gou had found out she'd been bouncing off the walls. Her case was not helped when they both easily chosen her as the maid of honor. Even Makoto couldn't help but feel a little pride when they'd called his title as best man at the group get together one night. Though this was quickly overshadowed by his modest nature.

"Well tell my earring to show itself! Little devil better come out from hiding…" She trailed off leaving Makoto amused and before he could help her find the piece of jewelry it seemed the problem was solved, "Ah…wait…found it!"

He watched her bend over to grab the earring which left him with an eyeful before he dragged his eyes away with a blush. He felt like mentally punching himself; they'd been in a relationship for months yet still he was such a mess.

He spared a glance back and saw that she staring harshly into the mirror trying to get the damned earring back into place.

"You know you look fine without earrings Gou-chan." He spoke earnestly but blanched when she froze and slowly stared at him.

"I can't just show up at the wedding without earrings…the only one without earrings at that!" She cried out before calming herself with a breath, "I know it seems silly but just head downstairs! I'll be right there," Gou responded to Makoto whilst raising her hand back to her ear to correct what was missing knowing the look he was giving her now, "Sigh…I'm serious! As ex-manager of the swim team you can take my word for it, I promise…oh by way fix your boutonnière, it's crooked."

The laugh Makoto emitted was enough to settle them both so he abided by her command and left with a final remark, "Alright, alright I will but like I said before you'll look lovely no matter what."

He stepped out of the door frame and proceeded to walk towards the stairs. They had all decided to get ready in Rin and Haruka's new home which had ample space for the entire wedding party. It had been a good day to the start now that he thought back to it, one that was surprisingly peaceful considering Nagisa's spastic behavior.

He could see the sunlight filtering in at the bottom of the stairs and even the loud chatter form everyone outside though he couldn't make out the words. Right before he made his way down the stairs he glanced at the budding red rose pinned to his dress coat. Twisting it slightly it appeared to fix the problem Gou had been referring to earlier. He smiled and began to descend the stairway.

There was a sense of breathlessness overcoming him as his eyes widened. He had absentmindedly overstepped the stair edge on his way down. His fall, far from clean, turned into that of a painful tumble with the wooden edges bludgeoning against his body. And though it only took a matter of seconds it felt like hours to him.

A slow, painful pounding.

But his life didn't flash before his eyes until after his crumpled body had settled at the bottom of the floor, until after when he realized the harsh pain that had rocked his body moments earlier had completely gone away. When he was staring at the ceiling even after his mind told him to get up…

And he didn't.

He felt so weak and so breathless that when he inhaled his body shook. Makoto could feel himself fading away by the instant and it scared him. The ceiling above him seemed harsher of a white than it had the first time, like it was threatening to overtake his vision.

"G-Gou" He had called out, his voice cracking. He had heard footsteps upstairs and knew they were heading for the spot he had just fallen so suddenly from.

Gou wasn't sure what she'd heard, the walls in the house being good at keeping noises to their select rooms but when she'd stopped at the top of the stairway her once boisterous voice failed her.

Seeing Makoto splayed out at the foot of the staircase looking so broken it nearly killed her. Her brief pause was broken by her clambering down the stairs in shock, her hands gripping the railing so that she wouldn't fall herself.

When she'd reached his body she couldn't handle it anymore and dropped to her knees, "Ma…koto?" Her voice was breathless, sounding so lost. There was blood dripping out from his nose and down his face daring to stain his skin.

She swallowed hard when he didn't respond, his open eyes focused hard on her direction but there was no sign of life within him anymore, "Ma..Makoto please…"

Tears were threatening to spill from her glossed over eyes, the light in them quickly going out by the scene before her. She could barely speak his name wishing…no willing for this to be some sick, disturbed dream.

Right before her resolve not to cry broke everything was still, everything was quiet when she heard him. When she heard him whisper something barely audible to her, "I…love you."

And then she caught his final breath, a sharp gasp to go alongside his widened eyes.

And then nothing.

Gou could no longer hold back the hot, heavy tears that had built up. She cradled herself against his still-warm body sobbing desperately.

"Makoto please…" She cried through her sobs, her voice raised before it dropped to a low whisper once more, "I…I love you too."

The door, which was mere feet away, opened with a creek. In walked Rin who was preparing to drag the two outside already as they had taken long enough to get ready only to be stopped short.

"Oh my god..."