Kai dipped one foot into the water. Filled with water, the pool was so different. And to be honest, Kai preferred pools when they're drained from water so that he could climb in without getting wet and safely scrub the tiles down. At least the water had a nice temperature. He looked at Suho who smiled and waved at him, obviously feeling in his element, quite like a fish in the sea.
"...How deep is it?" Kai asked cautiously.
"It barely reaches my neck, look. And you're even taller than me. If you jump in, you'll feel the ground beneath your feet immediately. It'll be okay, trust me."
Kai looked into the pool, swallowing. The tiles on the bottom seemed to wave and swirl into each other as the water surface rippled. It didn't look trustworthy at all. Kai liked having steady ground beneath his feet.
He had gone skydiving before, but jumping out of an airplane seemed safer than jumping into a body of water. The thing with skydiving was that you dropped through air and landed on normal ground. The biggest advantage air had over water was that you couldn't drown in it.
Kai sat down at the edge of the pool, gripped it tightly and eased his body slowly down into the water, not letting go until he felt the flat tiles beneath his feet. It seemed to take an eternity. There was way too much water around him. Gritting his teeth, he contemplated to just fuck it and climb back out. Sehun would have a field day. A pool boy who's scared of a little water.
Suho didn't laugh though. He swam over to Kai with a few slow strokes, only his head poking out of the water. The way he smiled oddly reminded Kai of a seal he had seen in a zoo as a child.
"We'll stay close to the edge, okay?" he said, when he stood next to Kai.
"Okay. And now? What am I supposed to do now?" Why had he agreed to let Suho teach him how to swim again?
"Spread your arms and let them rest at the water surface. Do you feel how they float?"
Honestly, he did not feel how they floated. At all. He pressed his lips in a thin line.
"Okay, and now try kicking your legs up to the front. Like lying back on your favourite couch. Look, I'll show you." Suho opened his arms and leaned back into the water, his legs came floating up until his knobbly knees poked out of the water, feet paddling a bit to help him stay afloat for a while. Then he pulled his legs back down and stood.
Kai tried to copy him, but what had seemed so effortless for Suho wasn't easy at all. His legs wouldn't come up to the surface, no matter how hard he tried to kick them up and his neck and shoulder cramped from keeping his head a safe distance above the water. It was unfair how the water seemed to carry Suho the way it should considering the laws of nature. But in Kai's case, gravity seemed to disobey and pull him down relentlessly towards a wet death. He stood and frowned at the water. How was he going to learn to swim if he couldn't even do this? Damn you, water, just let me float!
Suho chuckled at him. "It's completely normal that it doesn't work on the first try. Don't let it discourage you. Just try again. If you don't mind, I'll put a hand under your back and help you up? Just take deep and even breaths, I'll make sure your nose stays in the air, yeah?"
There was something to be said about a warm hand under your back holding you up so that you, albeit a little clumsily and insecurely, float on the water surface, blue sky and brilliant summer sun right above you the only thing in your field of vision.
Re: wc!au: team kai – sukai fic (or more like drabble)
Kai dipped one foot into the water. Filled with water, the pool was so different. And to be honest, Kai preferred pools when they're drained from water so that he could climb in without getting wet and safely scrub the tiles down. At least the water had a nice temperature. He looked at Suho who smiled and waved at him, obviously feeling in his element, quite like a fish in the sea.
"...How deep is it?" Kai asked cautiously.
"It barely reaches my neck, look. And you're even taller than me. If you jump in, you'll feel the ground beneath your feet immediately. It'll be okay, trust me."
Kai looked into the pool, swallowing. The tiles on the bottom seemed to wave and swirl into each other as the water surface rippled. It didn't look trustworthy at all. Kai liked having steady ground beneath his feet.
He had gone skydiving before, but jumping out of an airplane seemed safer than jumping into a body of water. The thing with skydiving was that you dropped through air and landed on normal ground. The biggest advantage air had over water was that you couldn't drown in it.
Kai sat down at the edge of the pool, gripped it tightly and eased his body slowly down into the water, not letting go until he felt the flat tiles beneath his feet. It seemed to take an eternity. There was way too much water around him. Gritting his teeth, he contemplated to just fuck it and climb back out. Sehun would have a field day. A pool boy who's scared of a little water.
Suho didn't laugh though. He swam over to Kai with a few slow strokes, only his head poking out of the water. The way he smiled oddly reminded Kai of a seal he had seen in a zoo as a child.
"We'll stay close to the edge, okay?" he said, when he stood next to Kai.
"Okay. And now? What am I supposed to do now?" Why had he agreed to let Suho teach him how to swim again?
"Spread your arms and let them rest at the water surface. Do you feel how they float?"
Honestly, he did not feel how they floated. At all. He pressed his lips in a thin line.
"Okay, and now try kicking your legs up to the front. Like lying back on your favourite couch. Look, I'll show you." Suho opened his arms and leaned back into the water, his legs came floating up until his knobbly knees poked out of the water, feet paddling a bit to help him stay afloat for a while. Then he pulled his legs back down and stood.
Kai tried to copy him, but what had seemed so effortless for Suho wasn't easy at all. His legs wouldn't come up to the surface, no matter how hard he tried to kick them up and his neck and shoulder cramped from keeping his head a safe distance above the water. It was unfair how the water seemed to carry Suho the way it should considering the laws of nature. But in Kai's case, gravity seemed to disobey and pull him down relentlessly towards a wet death. He stood and frowned at the water. How was he going to learn to swim if he couldn't even do this? Damn you, water, just let me float!
Suho chuckled at him. "It's completely normal that it doesn't work on the first try. Don't let it discourage you. Just try again. If you don't mind, I'll put a hand under your back and help you up? Just take deep and even breaths, I'll make sure your nose stays in the air, yeah?"
There was something to be said about a warm hand under your back holding you up so that you, albeit a little clumsily and insecurely, float on the water surface, blue sky and brilliant summer sun right above you the only thing in your field of vision.