𑣲⋆ SYNOPSIS: friendship never had a chance to fully blossom between keonho and y/n. however, through mutual friends and a pool hangout, keonho feels the urge to show off his swimming skills. only to find out a kept secret of the girl he is trying to impress.
PAIRINGS: swimmer!keonho x swimmer!reader | fluff, crack, swearing, kissing, skinship
NOTES: can u guys tell I love swimmer keon omg. I just had to do this request, it was too cute not to write right away. well, here is another down-bad, easy keonho for you guys!
WC: 2.2k ♪ NOW PLAYING: i was all over her-salvia palth
between keonho and you, no one would utter a word. maybe a small nod or a smile would hit you at school, but being friends never crossed either of your minds. the two of you existed in the same friend group, which ultimately bothered your friends due to the never-ending silence from either side. amongst the group, a natural closeness drew everyone together, everyone but you and ahn keonho. it was never on purpose; no grudge was held, no beef lingered. it was just a mutual agreement that you two would stay strangers.
a typical hangout would maybe consist of going to the cinema or a party that you would all attend. in your mind, the type of hangout was the reason behind never fully interacting with keonho. always focused on the movie or crowded by the mob of teenagers, it just never left an open window toward a friendship. so you accepted it, and so did keonho, supposedly.
having one less friend never had an impact on you. your closest friends moka and wonhee had stuck with you through everything. all the failed relationships, friendships, and the high school culture shocks. without them, you wouldn't have survived up until now, your senior year.
"okay guys, I have a proposal,” martin catches the whole table's attention.
“this can’t be good,” seonghyeon rolls his eyes and gets everyone snickering.
"don't ou have faith in me?" martin flashed his infamous pout.
"uhh not after you proposed that we should all bake together and then nearly burned down your entire house," wonhee shot at him.
"that was one time!" martin's voice pitched up as he made his case. "look anyways, you know how I just got a new pool at my house?... how about we have some sort of pool party?" everyone looked at each other, curiosity filling your eyes as you met keonho's for a second while he mirrored the same look.
"I... kinda like that idea," you shared your thought, slowly nodding your head in agreement.
"finally a good idea from martin," keonho stated , quickly flicking his eyes to you before landing on martin.
"i'm just going to ignore the backhanded compliments and assume that everyone's in?" martin chimed in, everyone nodding and muttering in agreement.
you were happy to have something to be excited about. it was never a boring time with your friends, so having fun was never something to worry about.
the organised time to arrive at martin's was seven o'clock, but being yourself meant that you would show up right on the dot. so inevitably, you were standing right outside his door at 6:59, ready to knock.
"aye y/n, you made it!" he checked his watch. "and right on time, that's my girl." you mentally cringed at his words, giving him a judgmental look.
"don't ever say that again edwards. anyways, is anyone else here yet?" you pushed past him into his house, ready to socialise. however, after seeing who was sprawled on his couch, the plan changed.
keonho lay stretched out on martin's leather couch, digging his hands into a bag of chips while crumbs lingered on his chest, his eyes fixed on the tv. you took in the picture, recognising how it was odd to see him like this. so relaxed and, well, just acting like a normal teenager.
"keonho stop acting like a slob, we have precious company," martin stole the bag of chips from keonho's grip, causing him to divert his attention to you. his eyes widened slightly and he stood up and brushed the crumbs off his shirt, the majority of them falling onto the carpet.
"h- hey," he shot you a slight smile, clearly embarrassed by the sight you had to witness.
"enjoying those chips?" you teased him for the first time ever, skeptical of how this would play out.
he eased out and let out a chuckle, "more than you would know." he scratched the back of his neck and awarded you with an awkward smile.
"when did this happen?" martin butted in.
"you know..." he gestured between you and keonho. "you two being... friends?" you and keonho shared the same look, not aware of the answer yourselves. the moment got interrupted by a loud knock. martin went to answer, and both moka and wonhee arrived, sharing a hug with you.
over the next half hour, more of your friends would filter in. some began to occupy the kitchen, and others found comfort in the living room. you however, sat on the edge of the pool, feet slightly submerged in the cold water. some pool party, you thought to yourself.
you kicked your feet back and forth, reminiscing about the comfort that water used to give you. the smell of chlorine and the wrinkled fingers were no more, so this was nice. even if you felt like a proper loner.
"hey loner," a voice echoed from behind you. you twisted your body to be met with a shirtless keonho. it was no denying that he was stunning, his toned shoulders and abs giving away that he was a competitive swimmer. you smiled at him and whipped your head back towards the glistening pool. the blue lights under the water giving it an ethereal look.
"hey," you added. it was still awkward between you and keonho so you wanted to be as careful as possible, scared that you would accidently end the brewing conversation.
"can I sit?" he walked over until he stood beside you. you saw the reflection of his tall frame hanging over the pool.
for the next few minutes silence hung over the pair of you; the ambience of the music subtly filled the air.
"blondie by current joys, I fucking love this song," keonho broke the silence, his head tilted back, blowing air into nothingness. you noticed how his feet kicked back and forth to the rhythm of the song, and how his index finger tapped lightly against the concrete in unison.
"same, I added it to the playlist when martin wasn't looking," the corner of your mouth lifted when keonho tilted his head toward you.
"wow, how have I gone this long without knowing you have elite music taste?" shaking his head while he displayed that killer smile, nearly ending your life. you cheeks heated up, the light from the pool illuminating your face.
"not my problem ahn, should've gotten to know me earlier." you took the first plunge of the night and immersed yourself into the pool, jumping slightly at the cold. he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck like he did in martin's living room earlier.
"you're cute l/n," taking the time to join you in the pool and submerging his whole body beneath the water. once he arose, he flicked his hair back, stroking it with his palms. he skin shimmered from the water, and his mouth was gasping for air. your chest stung as you watched him, the water complementing him entirely. to hide your burning cheeks, you sunk yourself into the water, bringing yourself up when you finally processed the situation. when you came back up his eyes were already on you, a softened expression on his face as his eyed your soaked hair.
"what?" you asked him, scared that something uninvited had appeared on your face.
"you swim? he asked abruptly, making you raise your eyebrows.
"kinda, I guess?" you tried to hide your excitement, you did swim, and you were good at it. you used to compete until last year, when you quit. the stress of your parents' divorce and the overhwelming school work had consumed you, leaving no room for competing.
"kinda? well I would love to watch and see if you have potential, of course."
"ohh right, because no one can beat ahn keonho," you said sarcastically, eyes rolling slightly as you smiled.
"you said it, not me," he said as he raised his arms in defense, pushing a small laugh from you.
"okay well, since you're such a pro, how about I see some of your moves first?" you proposed, catching keonho's interest.
"sounds like a deal, m'lady." you rolled your eyes again, preparing for whatever was to come.
he reached the end of the pool, placing his arms behind him as he gripped the edge of the pool. his legs were bent against the wall under the water, and his eyes on you. he sent you a wink and dove into the water. you watched him rise back up, his arms took turns rotating under the water, front stroke. once he reached the other side, he flipped under the water and rotated 180. on his way back to you, he showed off his butterfly skills, using both arms as leverage at the same time. he was mesmersing, his body moving as one with the water. when keonho arrived back, you realised you had been mentally timing him. 27 seconds was how long it took him. he was good.
he rubbed his hand through his hair again, making your heart skip a beat.
"so?... think you can give it a go?" he smiled as he bit his bottom lip, holding onto the edge of the pool. you tried so hard not to break character; he was in for a surprise.
"well, the real question is if you're ready to witness some pro moves from yours truly," he laughed, and you positioned yourself against the pool.
"oh, I'm ready," he lifted himself up to sit on the edge of the pool, ready to watch what he thought would be an amateur lap.
you took a deep breath and released yourself from the pool's wall, immersing yourself into the cold atmosphere. the need to show off became a habit for you when you were competing; the pressure from your family to win had once devoured you. you now knew that less was more; the comfort you felt around keonho had taken away the competition aspect of this moment. as you swam your front stroke, you kept it relaxed, the only way to blend your morals with the sport.
but remember, you did like to show off. you returned with the same butterfly that keonho displayed moments earlier. arms moved in semi-circles, smoothly reaching the water on every loop. when you finally emerged from the water, your hair had stuck slick to your head. keonho's eyes were blown wide and his mouth was hung open, frozen in place.
"y/n..." he put his hands on his head, taking a deep breath. emitting fumes of regret.
"you're... you're fucking amazing..." although doubt always lingered amongst you, you could tell he was speaking his truth. you smiled at his words.
"wow, thanks keonho... so are y-."
"god, I wish I had gotten to know you earlier," he said more to himself than to you. you turned to look at him, really look at him. this was once the boy who never paid you any mind. you would have never thought you would be sat, feet in the pool, with that same boy. he turned to look at you, really look at you.
"I'm sorry, y/n, seriously. I tried to find the right time to talk to you; I really did, but you were always just there, always looking too stunning, always laughing, always making those witty comments. "I can't believe I have spent years without being your friend. the thought literally makes me realise how much better those years that I spent being too shy to talk to you could have been." he was breathing heavier now, and a silence fell over the both. of you. the only sound, again, being from inside the house.
keonho's traced the water droplets on your face, watching them fall and leave wet spots on the concrete. your eyes traced the grip of his arm on the edge of the pool, and the way his hair befell in the most messy but perfect way. both of your eyes began to trace the features of eachother, resulting in both of you landing on each other's lips. keonho's hand came up to tuck a strand of wet hair behind your ear, as he did that, his hand came to hold the back of your head. as soon as you knew it, his lips hovered over yours.
"please forgive me, y/n," he whispered into your lips, giving you no time to process what he said before his lips were on yours. the two of you moved in sync, matching the movement of the water surrounding your feet. your hands landed on his wet locks and the back of his neck, which you now noticed to be his favourite place to treat his nervs.
both of you pulled away, out of breath and shocked by what had happened. keonho then pulled out that awkward smile, his hand landing on that one spot.
"sorry... was that too much?" he looked at you, his lips swollen and his eyes red from the water. you left a peck on his lips.
"of course not, keonho," you whispered into his mouth as you pulled away. you then rested your head on his dripping shoulder, his hand then coming up to tangle his fingers in your hair. your feet still kicking at the water, creating ripples that faded once they reached the length of the pool.
keonho kissed the top of your head and rested his head on top of yours.
you seriously never know what you're missing until you find it.
©hyeonblu all right reserved
PERM TAGLIST: @eoduuung @freesofxx
𑣲⋆ I know I still have a smau to continue but I just cant resist a good oneshot! thank you sm to the anon who requested this, the idea was so so food and I hope this lived up to your expectations. I also want to thank you all for 1k+ notes on my martin fic! I was seriously lost for words, thank you everyone! I hope all you coerblrs enjoy swimmer keonho!!
