Here, Ducky... (Wren!)

[Deleted]

Yes... This was stupid. It was just a dumb rubber ducky. Somehow, sometime during the previous night when Oriel and Phoenix had been nuzzling in the hot tub/panicking over Phen almost drowning, the silly toy had ended up in the pool, and was now floating some distance out in the deep end, attached to one of the lines crossing the water.

Phoenix had realized it was missing when he unpacked his duffel bag. If it had been his, he would have thought nothing of it, but he knew Oriel had put it in there, and that meant the ridiculous toy meant something to him.

So he had come early in the morning just as the pool 'officially' opened, when no one was around, to see if he could find it. And he did. In its current location. Out of reach. Well, out of reach for him, at least. There was no way he would go into that water unless something far more demanding happened.

Now, he was just sitting there a good distance away from the edge of the water, staring dejectedly at the bright yellow duck. Soon other swimmers would begin to filter in, and he would have to leave, because of course everyone would laugh at him for being so determined to get a stupid toy.

[Wren O'Hara]

The locker room door swung shut behind Wren, and he was immediately grateful to be out of the cold. The unusually warm end-of-summer days had all but faded and, especially in the early mornings, had been replaced by the bone-chilling winds of autumn in Vermont, which felt uncannily like winter almost all of the time.

As usual, he was alone; nobody ever visited the natatorium at this hour except him. He began peeling off his clothes with practiced speed and shoved them into the top locker on the far end. He’d already put on his swimsuit. He fumbled in his gym bag for his cap and goggles before padding out to the pool.

He was greeted with a sight that was rather peculiar, and he hesitated for only a moment, busying himself by pulling his goggles over his head and letting them hang loosely around his neck.

Then, he cleared his throat.

“Morning,” he said amiably, looking at Phoenix out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t know the other boy, but he knew of him, in the sense that one could hardly attend Hammel and not hear about his exploits on a regular basis. Wren proceeded to stretch normally, shaking out the muscles in his arms with a kind of easy nonchalance.

“That your duck?” he asked after a moment, looking from his dejected-looking companion to the small toy that seemed to be caught at the 40-meter mark between lanes four and five.

Perhaps, he thought to himself, if it had been anyone else, he might have suggested actually entering the water to retrieve it… he didn’t like trouble, though, as such, and let the question hang between them without pretense.

[Deleted]

Phoenix had changed a lot, just within the past month or two. He wasn't the snarky, apathetic boy he used to be when he was in a constant dust-induced haze; while he still took hits out of habit and a psychological need, Oriel was successfully weaning him off of the stuff, replacing it with warmth and affection and companionship. He had gained some weight; his cheeks weren't as hollow, and the dark bags under his eyes were mostly gone.

However, being the sort of natural recluse that he was, no one could know about the changes in behavior unless they met him face-to-face. Wren was not one of those people, so it wasn't unusual that he still had the impression that Phen was still what his reputation told him he was.

He was still, unfortunately, quite spacey, and it wasn't until the arrival cleared his throat and greeted him that he jumped and looked his way. He hadn't realized someone had arrived, and he immediately begin to scramble to his feet, a flush coming over his cheeks despite himself.

"M...Mornin'," he replied awkwardly, standing on tense, still-scrawny legs as he gave Wren a small once-over. He couldn't recall if he knew the guy or not, but he couldn't help but notice the broad muscles than covered Wren's form, reminded of the not-so-distant scuffle that had left two puncture marks on his neck that he unconsciously rubbed at.

However, the guy seemed nonviolent, if his stance and greeting meant anything, and Phen relaxed slightly, hands coming together in front of him to twist a little anxiously before him. He looked back at the duck as Wren asked about it, feeling his flush deepen. "Um... Y-yeah," he mumbled. "Well, it's... My friend's. An' I can't... fuckin' swim," he admitted with difficulty. The only reason he said it at all was... Maybe this guy could get it for him without laughing too much. He seemed friendly enough, if a little wary of Phoenix, which he couldn't blame him for.

[Wren O'Hara]

Wren smiled just enough to be polite, still busy with his stretching. This was convenient, because it became quickly apparent that it was going to take a little time for him to get any sort of explanation as to why there was a rubber duck in the pool in the first place. Then again, he reasoned, maybe not getting an explanation was better.

Yeah, it was probably better.

Wren didn’t notice the flush in the other boy’s cheeks, but he did hear it in his voice, and he wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Based on the stories, he had really expected Phoenix to, say, throttle him, or say something snarky, not necessarily in that order.

Actually, the fact that the other boy wasn’t living up to his initial impression made him feel incredibly guilty for judging him in the first place. Especially after he admitted that he couldn’t swim.

“Oh,” said Wren, as neutrally as possible. There was a beat of silence. “I can get it out.”

He didn’t bother even to pull his goggles over his eyes, being that he was only swimming to the middle lane and back. He dove in cleanly and expertly, and suddenly all that was visible was his black-and-blue swim jammer.

The duck, which was bobbing pathetically in the wake of the ripples Wren had made on impact, was suddenly pulled under the water. A few moments later, it was resting on the side of the pool beside Phoenix’s feet.

Wren wiped at his forehead, so that his face would be a little more visible.

“I can teach you,” he said, a little abruptly. “To swim, I mean. Later. Uh, not that you have to, or anything.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he found himself feeling a little awkward about what he'd said. It really wasn’t any of his business, right?

[Deleted]

Phen let out a small, relieved breath when Wren didn't laugh at his inability to swim, which seemed like such a stupid thing not to be able to do. Well... It was not only that he wasn't able to, but he was also desperately afraid of drowning. Ever since he almost had in the Puget Sound when he was younger, the thought of dark, sickly waves often haunted his dreams, though they had faded a bit with time as he tried to suppress those awful memories.

His eyes widened at Wren's offer; he hadn't even had to ask, which was a relief, and he tried not to respond too eagerly. "That'd... That'd be really nice," he replied in an embarrassed mumble, unable to meet the swimmer's eyes and instead staring (probably awkwardly) at Wren's broad chest. He was awfully nice to look at, he couldn't help but think - but unlike how he was pre-Oriel, Phoenix wasn't constantly on the prowl for potential bedmates, so all he could do was appreciate a nice body when he saw one. He had his own beautiful one to play with whenever he Oriel wanted.

He watched with a bit of envy at Wren's flawless dive into the pool, risking a few steps closer to the edge. Phoenix didn't realize at first where the swimmer had gone, until he noticed a dark object moving around in the water, and let out a startled sound. What... The fuck? He was even more confused as the duck seemed to be grabbed by an invisible force and pulled underwater, appearing along with the dark object at the edge of the water shortly after.

Phoenix blinked, then let out a startled gasp and stared at the face suddenly appearing floating above the water. For several moments he seriously had to wonder if he was high and had forgotten. Once he determined in his sluggish mind that this must have something to do with Wren's ability rather than any dust-induced hallucination, he almost missed the offer and gazed uncertainly for a few minutes before responding.

"Um..." His foot scuffed nervously at the ground, and his gaze darted away like a guilty child. "That's... Really nice," he mumbled. "I, uh... Maybe? I... We wouldn't start in the deep water, would we?" He blurted out the question without really thinking, and immediately cringed.

There was also the fact he wasn't sure how Oriel would feel about someone else teaching him to swim, but he wasn't going to say that aloud... Yet.

[Wren O'Hara]

There was an uncomfortable moment during which Wren was very, very conscious of his ability, and didn’t like it one bit. The confusion was evident all over Phoenix’s face; Wren knew that he couldn’t be faulted for that, but he was really tired of explaining his useless power over and over.

“Sorry,” he said. He hoisted himself out of the water with little difficulty and grabbed for the towel he’d dropped by the edge. Wherever the fabric touched his skin, he slowly, streakily, gained some opacity. “I guess I should have warned you. I never think about it.”

He tossed the towel aside and looked up from his sitting position at Phoenix, who was still stumbling over his words. Wren listened patiently, although he hated the idea that he made anyone nervous. Was it something he was doing? Had he said something really weird?

At the other boy’s admission of worry, though, Wren understood. He shook his head.

“Nah, definitely not,” he assured him. “It goes down to two feet near the ladders,” he pointed unnecessarily with a transparent arm. “So you don’t have to worry about it.”

He had also taken a CPR class, for what it was worth, although he hesitated to say that out loud, in case the other boy thought that they would actually be needing CPR. He smiled awkwardly instead.

[Deleted]

Phoenix reached down and nabbed the silly little toy, holding it somewhat possessively to his chest with a small, belated "thank you". He knew Oriel would probably laugh at him if he heard about this, but he couldn't help it! At least he had gotten it back without too much embarrassment.

"Oh, um..." He watched vaguely as Wren seemed to pull himself out of the water, purposely averting his eyes to prevent any unwanted results from watching him as he dried off and revealed his muscles again. "It's okay. I just... You turn invisible when you're wet?" That was... Quite unfortunate. Thank God Phoenix didn't have that ability; no one would be able to see him if he was drowning.

And what if you wanted to get frisky with someone in the shower...? Or something?

His shoulders slumped in relief at Wren's response. "Okay, that... Should be fine then." He wondered if it was obvious how freaked he was about deep water; probably very. "Um... I mean, I would like t'learn." Maybe it would help him get over the fear? "But I should, uh, ask my... Ask Oriel about it, too," he mumbled awkwardly, still unsure of the label to put on his lover. "He, um... Well, I think he should... Know..." God, could he be any more awkward?

He risked a tentative look up at Wren, still cradling the toy in his hands. "I really... Appreciate the offer though."

[Wren O'Hara]

Wren nodded at Phoenix’s thanks, not troubled in the slightest by what had taken place. If he minded getting in the water, he wouldn’t be here, right?

“Yeah,” he confirmed, offering a small, slightly sarcastic smile. “I’m pretty much a walking mediocre party trick.” To his credit, at least Phoenix hadn’t laughed. Most people either laughed or looked mildly sympathetic, and he wasn’t sure which annoyed him more. He wasn’t about to say that, though. The other boy seemed awkward enough as it was; no need for Wren to tell him his life story.

Part of Wren was glad to hear that he did want to learn to swim, though. He’d always had a little trouble with teaching, due to the obvious as well as the not so obvious. He had plenty of experience, though, and there was something about the situation that seemed a little important. He wasn’t sure why.

It seemed a shame to be afraid of water, was all, really.

“That’s cool,” he said, skipping over the part about Oriel, which he wasn’t sure how to respond to. He’d heard that name before, though, somewhere… “Take your time. I’m here every day, so… you can just show up.”

He studied Phoenix again, then nodded to himself, as though what he’d said had finalized things.

[Deleted]

Phoenix chuckled weakly at Wren's confirmation and small joke. "It's okay, my ability ain't all that useful either." Well... To most people. And it was growing less useful to Phoenix, because despite the wings that came with the dust, he hardly ever flew.

Was it weird to accept an offer to be taught to swim by a complete stranger? Whatever, Phoenix needed to get out more anyway now that he had more free time when he wasn't tripping out by himself, and maybe this... Wren guy could turn out to be another... Friend? Jeeze, Phoenix needed to slow down on this friendship business, otherwise he might have to actually try to be a social person.

He gave a small, relieved smile when Wren didn't ask any questions and agreed easily. "That sounds good. I'll, uh, definitely stop by sometime, probably... Early." He rubbed the back of his head. "I ain't exactly good with crowds." He knew how busy the pool could get later in the day, and he would rather not deal with that.

Belatedly, he offered a slightly shaking hand. "Phoenix, by the way," he told the guy. "Um... Thanks again." Determined he had done his part in finishing the conversation, he clutched his little rubber toy and made his exit.