protective_logic | Open Post

'Just double checking.'

He collects the pile Delta's set out for him and heads for a different changing room where he starts stripping his armor and undersuit. There are a selection of swimming shorts and he picks out a black pair with a gold stripe down his hips and outer thigh. They fit perfectly, Delta was as good as his word, and once he's satisfied, he steps back out.

Delta returns from changing first, his green board shorts (covered in triangles of course) tight to his body. In silence he waited for the man to return, and when he showed up Delta was left staring in... awe? God he was beautiful. It made the man swallow and to protect himself from giving things away he splashed into the shallows. Cold water should help.

"So uh... Like them?"

York, for his part, is feeling a little exposed and self conscious. He hasn't willingly been this bare in a while, and he's gained a few extra scars since then, most notably the long lashes across his back, which he'd rather keep from Delta. If he stays facing the man, it should be okay.

That aside, Delta is looking good in broad shorts, and York smiles as he meets him on the side of the pool.

'I do. Good pick.'

The man doesn't bother to look at York. He's just too attractive.

"So it's time to start, right? Get in the water and you teach me how to swim? Or at least float. Can we start with floating really? I'm only slightly okay at it."

When he floated he tended to flinch and then he wasn't floating anymore. Oh well.

'We'll start with floating,' he assures him. 'And we're starting in the shallow end.'

He ushers Delta down to the other end of the pool. This place doesn't have signs up saying how deep each end is exactly, but he can tell from here that the water won't go halfway up them here. A good place to start. There are steps down into the pool and he urges Delta to them before following him in.

He follows when prompted but stays a touch quiet. This was something he could do, he knew he could do it. York would keep him from getting hurt. Was part of the contract. Besides, York couldn't get out of this place without Delta's help. Self preservation if nothing else.

For a minute or so, they just stand in the water, York swishing his hands lightly in the water. Then he heads over to the side and beckons Delta to join him.

'Okay, so the first thing we're going to do is wade from this side to the other. Not getting any deeper, just walking through the water.'

It was a weird way to start, but Delta was set to listen. Trust. This was about trust. So he let himself walk through it, close to York. Walk. Wade. Get used to the water? Maybe, but he can't be certain.

"Okay, so... why?"

Damn, he asked.

'To get a feel for the water. How it moves around you, the general weight of it, and assuring yourself that your feet can touch the bottom the whole way there an back.'

He won't be taking Delta out of his depth this time, but the reassurance will hopefully make him feel safer and more confident.

Really? Okay, he can understand that argument. And he moves through the water and thinks about what York said. Simple. Easy. He won't slip, and if he did the water would catch him. Or York would. Good? Okay.

York walks with him. Staying close enough to catch him if he slips, but not crowding him. It's careful progress and York let's Delta set the pace.

'Good job! he says as they reach the other side. 'How was that?'

"I've walked in pools before, but I tried to look for what you said. And maybe... it wasn't all that bad."

Made sense, and he liked things that had a logical sense to them. However he still wanted to move on from this. "Is this all we're going to do today? I hope not."

'That's good.' They're not starting from scratch, but it's good to get an image of where Delta is in all this.

'Nope. Now we're going to get you floating. Lean back into me and I'll hold you while you get your legs up. I won't let your head go underwater.'

For a moment Delta hesitates. He swallows and looks away for half a moment. Then he nods briefly in agreement. He turns his back to York and takes a deep breath before leaning back against York. The warmth of his body is weird juxtaposed against the cold of the water. But he leans back and has to trust that York will be there.

For a moment, York wonders if Delta will refuse, but then he nods and York sets his feet a bit further apart, arms out. As Delta leans back, he catches him under his arms arms nd eases him back the rest of the way, keeping his head and upper torso out of the water and against his stomach.

'Good. Now kick your legs up a bit and keep kicking them a bit to stay up.'

"I thought floating was about just relaxing and letting the water do the work."

Were they already to kicking? Wouldn't that push York off balance? And then they would flail and be in the water and he wouldn't remember to float and...

Delta swallowed down his anxiety, closed his eyes and just tried what York said.

'Humans float, but very few float perfectly. I always find my mid-section going down a bit. Kicking gently or swirling your hands a bit helps stay stable.'

He's doing well though. York holds him steasy and let's him set his own method.

"Muscle sinks, fat floats. Your midsection doesn't float well because you are trim."

Not that Delta has checked. Nope. Not while measuring York.

He focused on his floating, keeping his legs moving.

'Huh, that makes sense.' And Delta's not chubby or particularly muscular, but he's keeping up pretty well.

'Alright, stop kicking for a moment just to see where you'll go naturally. I'm still holding you.'

Delta closes his eyes and tried not to hold his breath as he stopped kicking. His legs sank by only a bit. He wasn't very muscular so he didn't fully sink but his legs did droop in the water. But he could float, no denying.

'Good. Okay, so if you find yourself in trouble before you get good at swimming, remember that you float in most waters. Get your face above water, spread out and use your hands and feet gently to stay up.'

"I know," Delta reminds him. He can mostly float on his own. For short periods. But try to move and he fails.

'Yeah, you do,' he remembers with a wry smile. 'You okay if I let go of your head for five seconds, or would you rather I didn't?'

"I should be fine," Delta says, and he's sure that it's okay. Hopes it's okay. And when he looks up at York and sees that smile, he has to smile back. It's beautiful. Dammit, why did he choose someone who was clearly charming?

Delta's face lights up whenever he smiles like that and York enjoys the sight. But they're doing something here and he carefully eases his hands out from under Delta's shoulders. 'I'm still right here, just let yourself float and keep your head up.'

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