All In Good Time (Oriel)

[Wren O'Hara]

It was the first time Wren had been able to do actual laps in the pool since he’d started teaching Phoenix to swim, and he was determined to make the most of the opportunity. Not that Phoenix had been getting on his nerves, or anything; actually, the entire process had been pretty fun, save for Oriel’s snide comments here and there. Of course, those had dropped off dramatically after the energetic boy had injured his wrist.

Wren knew that it was bad to be grateful for someone else’s injury, on principle. He wasn’t a spiteful person as a general rule. It was just that… well, it was easier for him to think without Oriel glaring at him all the time. He hadn’t wanted him to get hurt. It had just… coincidentally worked out in his favor.

That’s all.

He made a concentrated effort to turn off his thoughts at the final turn. He knew that he was behind – he almost never finished 1500 meters in more than eighteen minutes, but at the moment, his waterproof stopwatch read 0:21:36.

He didn’t know why it mattered now; it wasn’t like it had ever mattered before. And even if he had decided that it mattered, he wouldn’t ever be able to compete again, not even at the regional level.

It was on days like today that Wren wondered why he bothered to keep swimming at all.

He touched the wall with unusual force and emerged from the water, panting. He was totally invisible, of course; if not for his swim cap and goggles, one would be hard-pressed to even notice that he was there.

After a moment’s rest, he hoisted himself up onto the edge of the pool. The faint, ghostly outline of his body began to appear under the beaded water clinging to his transparent skin.

He pulled off his goggles and let them dangle precariously on his wrist. He looked over at Phoenix, then squinted up at Oriel.

“Gonna get changed,” he informed them both before disappearing behind the locker room wall. He re-emerged after a quick three minutes or so, almost completely dry and properly clothed.

He plopped down on the bleachers beside Oriel, which was strategically the best position from which to judge his student’s progress.

“He’s getting better,” Wren mused.

[Deleted]

Ok, so maybe it was a good thing that Oriel had screwed up so bad, especially to result in injury. Mild injury, but still enough to deflate the boy's ego enough so that it didn't explode from all that hot air, which mightn't have happened if Wren had actually been stupid enough to encourage such behavior. After all, Oriel was the kind of person that fed on attention, best just to leave him alone and let him rage until he cooled off.

It'd been a few days which was more than enough time for just that. Oriel wouldn't admit that he actually felt a little foolish for his behavior but seriously! That guy Wren, didn't anything get to him? He was an enigma, the way he was so incredibly flatlined, how unreactive he was.

Oriel liked it.

He flicked his eyes down to Wren who announced he was going to call it a day and get changed, though didn't respond outside of that and just turned his attentions back to the pool where Phoenix was splashing around on his little kickboard like a 5 year old child.

God he was adorable. Oriel was going to make him pay for that later.

He coughed idly and cleared his throat as Wren set himself, fully clothed, beside Oriel. He put on a scowl just because…well, that what Oriel did when people talked to him. He really needed to get out of that habit.

"Yeah, he's doing good," Oriel agreed with a slight nod. Another few moments passed in silence, with only the ambient sounds of people chattering and splashing around in the background, before Oriel spoke again. "Thanks….for uh, helping Phoenix." He twisted his injured wrist upright, cradling the brace in the palm of his good hand. "And for putting up with my….hotheadedness…." And that was all he intended to say on the matter.

[Wren O'Hara]

“He can probably ditch the kickboard in another week or so,” Wren continued, rifling around in his bag for his water bottle. He removed the lid and took a long, thirsty draw before replacing it.

There were a few beats of silence between them, which Wren found generally preferable to their normal routine. He hadn’t been prepared for the gratitude, though; he cut the other boy a sideways glance. His eyebrows quirked slightly.

“You’re welcome,” he said casually. He let his gaze linger for a moment on Oriel’s wrist brace. Although it had been a minor injury in the grand scheme of things, Wren hadn’t doubted for a moment that it was painful.

He looked back to the water, pensive.

“How’s your wrist?” he asked, after a moment.

If he hadn’t been prepared for the gratitude, then Oriel’s next words definitely came out of left field. His eyebrows raised again, this time reaching such a height that they almost disappeared under his hairline.

Then, Wren chuckled good-naturedly.

“Nah, it’s nothing,” he said, pausing to take another sip of water. “My entire family is hotheaded. I’m used to it by now.” He was instantly reminded of his mother, a small woman with a fiery personality who made pot brownies, encouraged family meditation, and was probably the only person in the world who still religiously participated in primal scream therapy.

Really, the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that he had very few normal people in his life, as a general rule.

“Although…” Wren murmured, mostly to himself. “That rumor going around that I groped somebody was totally not cool. There’s some blond guy with weird teeth who keeps asking me for sex now.”

[Deleted]

Aww….but Oriel liked the kickboard. If Oriel had it his way, Phoenix would have the kickboard forever….Or have little arm floaties….or a colorful inner tube….

Soooo cuuuute!

The scowl had quickly turned upward into an amused grin as he continued to watch his lover and imagine him with all those kiddie toys.

"Hurts, but…" He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the water. "I've had worse….kinda." Oriel could boast that he had never broken or sprained anything from jumping before….that didn't mean that he hadn't from other sources. Mostly fights. Oriel wasn't exactly the sturdiest person; he could throw a punch well enough, but actually taking a hit was a completely different story.

Oriel briefly joined in with Wren's soft laughter. Honestly, that was as close to an apology the boy was going to get out of him. Though he was glad there didn't seem to many hard feelings.

However, he stopped when Wren mentioned his family and instead sighed as his thoughts lingered on that. "…….Sounds nice."

There was little else he could think of to say that didn't sound asinine. If Wren had dared to brag about all those thing his mother did, Oriel might not have been able to hold back his snark.

Luckily the topic changed, to one that had Oriel mirroring the exact same surprised expression that Wren had made just moments ago. "Huh? Rumor, what rumor?" He really had no idea what Wren was talking about. Though he did snort as he desperately tried to hold back a laugh, covering his face as he did so. "What, you mean St--Kodi?" His shoulders shook in amusement. "I swear, that psycho is obsessed."

Oriel collected himself, clearing his throat again. "You're alright though? He didn't, like, try to rape you or nothing, right?"

[Wren O'Hara]

Wren nodded sympathetically.

“I tried diving when I was a kid,” he said conversationally. “I lived in New York, and they had boards at the swimming club I went to. First time out, I slipped and landed on the edge of the pool – had a knot on the back of my head for months.”

He paused, looking cautiously at the other boy again. The first time they’d ever met, Oriel had chastised him for assuming things.

And here was Wren, assuming that Oriel’s lack of hostility meant that he wanted to have a proper conversation.

“Anyway, that’s why I don’t do it,” he finished lamely.

Another pause, and then…

Wren gave Oriel a look and squinted a little, as though trying to figure out whether the other boy was playing dumb. He looked genuinely surprised, though, and Wren sighed heavily.

Seriously? Who had started that stupid rumor?!

“I guess,” Wren said darkly. “He came up to me in the locker room with these freaky shark teeth and then wouldn’t leave me alone for, like, twenty minutes. He had eyeliner on.”

He pursed his lips at Oriel’s amusement, although his grave expression quickly dissolved into good-natured tolerance.

“I’m good,” Wren replied with a chuckle. “Uh, I think I could take him if I had to. It’s cool. Mostly just annoying, really…”

He watched Phoenix splash around some more.

[Deleted]

Even though Oriel wasn't necessarily looking for conversation, he didn't really mind it at this point. Especially since he was only putting on a show of being irritated and uncooperative at the moment. In reality, Oriel was feeling pretty relaxed and possibly a bit forthcoming.

"Hmph, dork," he said as friendly as possible, imagining a little baby Wren slipping like a cartoon character. "…..I've jumped from a lot of shit," he boasted. "Ain't never hurt myself though. Least, not before…" he swiveled his left wrist up, leaning his head to look in Wren's direction with his trademark cocky smile.

Reflecting back on that, he wondered how it looked. It must've been an epic failing fall, at least it seemed so from Oriel's point of view. If only the derby twins were around to record it, he'd definitely force a copy out of them.

"Ain't gonna stop me from trying again once this heals up, though." Oriel didn't give up easily once he got interested in something. Too bad he couldn't practice much now.

The more he heard about Kodi harassing Wren, the harder it was for Oriel to contain himself. Really, he knew he shouldn't laugh, but…..god, that Kodi was seriously warped.

"Ok…ok…" He relented through his tee-hee-hees. "I yield. I'll apologize for that if just for--" more giggles as he tried to collect himself. "Really, the only reason he's coming after you is 'cause for some reason, that guy's been trying to one-up me. Might have something to do with the fact that I kicked his ass a couple weeks ago, but still, that ain't no reason for you to get caught up in our problems."

Then he stopped and asserted, "Though I swear, I had nothing to do with that damn rumor, seriously, do I look like the kinda fucker who even has friends to gossip to?" Oriel was a lot of things, including an ass, but one thing he wasn't was a liar(99% of the time), and for some reason it was important that Wren understood that. He didn't even know why himself.

[Wren O'Hara]

Wren smiled good-naturedly at being called a dork.

“I was a really uncoordinated kid,” he said dryly. He listened with interest as Oriel described his jumping adventures. He looked like the type of guy who jumped off of a lot of shit, Wren reasoned. He looked at the other boy’s raised wrist, and then at his expression.

Wren offered a quirk of his lips.

“You’d have probably been fine if you hadn’t slipped,” he said encouragingly. “They actually don’t let the diving team run on the ten-meter because of that. They kind of…” he motioned vaguely to the diving platform. “Stand backwards with their heels against the edge. In practice, anyway.”

Of course, that was a pointless distinction, he thought to himself. Even intramural swimming competitions were still practice.

Wren listened carefully to Oriel’s explanation and managed to politely furrow his eyebrows.

“One-up you?” he asked curiously. “Oh, you mean like… because he thinks I groped your boyfriend.”

Wren pondered this in troubled silence. Then, he peered at Oriel, as though trying to determine whether or not he looked like the kind of fucker who had friends to gossip to.

“I believe you,” he said. “Sorry – I just kind of assumed because you called me a pervert that time…” he trailed off guiltily.

“My bad,” he offered by way of apology.

[Deleted]

"And you're not now?" Oriel replied with a raised brow. "Honestly, Spuds, I think that blow to the head might've done more than just leave a bump." Especially considering how slow and unresponsive this guy seemed most of the time. Oriel still wasn't certain that it wasn't just an act, though.

"Damn straight…." Oriel agreed hesitantly. Actually, he wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't have slipped even if he'd done that sort of thing before. It was scary. He'd never admit it though. After a few more practice dives maybe he'd be better at the actual jump, followed by a few practice launches on the ground floor…..when it wasn't slippery and stuff….

Oriel furrowed his brow. "Well…what's the fucking point of that?" Oriel obviously didn't know anything about competitive swimming or diving. Not that he wanted to learn or anything, but it was definitely interesting.

"Yeeaaah, something like that." Oriel rolled his eyes as he thought of what Kodi's train of thought must've been when he decided to go after Wren after hearing that the swimmer got away with touching the same person that had gotten Kodi beat to shit. Granted, if Phoenix hadn't stopped him, Oriel might've done something to Wren too.

"Hmph," Oriel grunted and flicked his eyes briefly in Wren's direction. "I'm still not convince you ain't, but…." But what? Oriel smirked and shifted in his seat, sliding closer towards the seemingly oblivious boy. "You know..." Oriel crossed one leg over the other and rested his elbow upon it, with his chin in the palm of his good hand. "Phoenix and I do have an open door policy, if you're ever interested." He smiled flirtatiously, leering over those swimmer's muscles hidden by such a thin layer of clothing.

He straightened and gently trailed a finger down Wren's arm. "What do you say? I'm sure Phoenix wouldn't mind if you joined us."

[Wren O'Hara]

Wren gave Oriel a slightly suspicious look – not because he was offended, but because his sister had said almost the exact same thing to him once, minus, of course, the nickname Spuds.

He shook off the eerie feeling of deja-vu and tried to go back to more comfortable topics, like water and the sports that occurred therein.

“More height,” Wren murmured distractedly. “See, you’d think that you’d get a higher jump by running, but actually, you just get more distance.” He made vague motions in the direction of the diving tower with one hand. “If you stand on the edge and jump from a stationary position, you can make a higher, more vertical jump, which means a better dive and more points.”

He paused.

“Not that anybody here actually keeps points,” he added with a strained smile. “But… yeah.”

Wren watched Oriel’s face carefully, especially when he started talking more freely about Kodi and the events of Phoenix’s first swimming lesson. He sometimes had trouble reading emotions, and the one Oriel seemed to be displaying was especially confusing. The other boy planted his chin in his palm and smiled oddly.

Wren quirked an eyebrow.

“Uh,” he said, always the picture of eloquence. Open door policy? So, like…

Ohhhh.

“Thanks, but I’m actually not gay,” he said matter-of-factly. “I mean… not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just… actually, I kind of have a girl I like, so…”

His eyebrows reached their maximum height as Oriel’s finger slid down the muscles of his arm. They formed a perturbed steeple in the center of his forehead.

“Yeah, please don’t do that,” he added solemnly.

[Deleted]

Even if Oriel's eyes were on his baby Phen kicking around in the pool like a toddler, his ears were all on Wren and his explanations about the high dive. He briefly darted his eyes over the the other boy to watching his pantomime. "Hmmm….." Oriel pondered this new information, visualizing it in his head as his eyes wandered over to the diving area. "I'll have to keep that in mind for next time." Because Oriel the undefeatable would not allow himself to be so easily defeated by such a minuscule task!

Though in actuality, learning how to do that kind of shit seemed rather appealing to Oriel. Not that he had any intention of joining the swim team anytime soon(he was honestly at his limit with just the dance and drama geeks), but it seemed like Oriel's style. Especially since the boy seemed to have a natural affinity for high places.

When Oriel decided to put on the charm, he almost couldn't keep a straight face seeing Wren's reaction. Oriel still wasn't convinced this guy didn't like dudes, he had "gay" written all over his face. Probably just in denial.

He smiled wider and bat out a hand dismissively. "Oh, that's Ok. She can come to." After all, open door meant open door.

Oriel snorted, his smile diminishing into a mere smirk. Damn, he said the magic words. "Poo, you're no fun." Oriel dropped the act and returned his attentions forward the pool and the little korean boy splashing around in it. "….doesn't anything bug you? I mean like, more than just a shallow wave of irritation?" Wren was a tough guy to beat. Stupid, but tough.