Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a Free! fic and I'm not sure how IC they might be, but I really, really wanted to write them together. The end, as much of my work, is left to the reader's interpretation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Free! or any of its characters, despite how fiercely I will actually fight you for them.
Best to keep things in the shallow end, 'cause I never quite learned how to swim.
"Blue", A Perfect Circle
She watched him for a long time, hidden by the shadows cast on the second floor balcony of the gymnasium's indoor pool. With the lights turned off and only the moonlight to guide him, the water turned him into something ethereal, not entirely human. Despite his towering size he was as lithe and graceful as her brother when he was in the water, imposing like some mythical sea creature of years long forgotten. She watched him jump in the water, nimble like a panther, his shadow casting over the water for a split second, making her gasp. From her vantage point she could see his body elongating, his arms cutting through the water and propelling him further, quicker than a man his size should have been able to move.
She had always enjoyed watching his body, the way it seemed to have been sculpted to fit some Greek or Roman standard. His broad back and shoulders, the shadows that his muscles created on his arms, his long, solid legs. He was a vision, despite how often he seemed to sink upon himself and try to disappear into the darkness cast by his own imposing height. Slowly she walked away, counting her footsteps from the balcony to the stairs until she reached the first floor entry to the pool.
"Sixty-eight," she breathed, hitching to a stop on the doorframe. Ruby eyes met teal and he looked briefly surprised before he settled on a quietly stoic expression.
"Matsuoka Kou," he greeted her, his voice echoing in the distance.
Gou cocked an eyebrow at him, drawing closer and smiling at the use of her preferred name.
"Yamazaki Sousuke," she said. "How formal of you."
He was leaning on the edge of the pool, eyes fixed on her face. Gou kneeled before him, touching his head affectionately for a brief moment, her smile brightening at the sight of his slight blush.
"Rin isn't here," he announced, quite unnecessarily.
"I'm not here to see my brother," she replied quietly, earning a raised eyebrow from him.
Sousuke watched her in silence and Gou counted the seconds in her head. He was drawing farther from her, allowing the water to lift him up as he floated gracefully on the surface, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I came to swim," she finally said, five seconds short of a minute.
"You don't swim."
"No," she agreed, "I don't."
She removed her suit jacket and trousers, revealling a standard one-piece swimsuit in white and red. Sousuke dove, swimming a lap underwater as she sat on the edge of the pool, swinging her legs back and forth. The water was cool on her skin and the motion soothed her, calmed her nerves. He finally came out for air in front of her, pushing his wet hair back from his face. Wordlessly, he approached her, placing both arms on either side of her hips, touching his wet cheek to her thigh.
"Sousuke?" she murmured, thin fingers running through his scalp, turning his face upwards, towards her.
"Hmm?"
"Show me how."