summary: during a rare day off, keonho takes reader on a swimming date not knowing that brings back memories she tried to forget.
warnings: indirect mentions of drowning, fluff fluff fluff!!!!!
A/N: this is inspired by what happened to me years ago! i wrote this at 3 am so donāt mind if thereās any mistakes
Keonho noticed something was wrong immediately.
at first, he thought you were cold.
you were sitting at edge of the indoor pool, with a towel wrapped around you while he adjusted his goggles nearby, excited in a way he rarely got to be anymore.
almost became a professional swimmer.
so when he suggested taking you swimming during a rare day off, heād looked genuinely happy about it.
you just couldnāt say no.
but the closer you got to the water, the quieter you became.
and keonho noticed everything.
the way you kept staring at the deep end.
how your shoulders stiffened whenever someone splashed nearby.
how you nervously laughed every time he said;
ācome on, the water is niceā
and you just kept making excuses.
at first he teased you lightly
ādonāt tell me y/n y/l is afraid of waterā
but the second he saw your expression change, he stopped smiling immediately.
because suddenly you looked embarrassed.
not playfully embarrassed.
then quietly ā barely above a whisper ā you admitted;
not because he judged you.
just because he genuinely hadnāt expected it.
and before he could even respond, you started apologizing.
like you were nervous heād think it was stupid.
āi know itās embarrassing-ā
āi shouldāve learned when i was younger-ā
āsomething happened during swimming school lessons and i justā¦ā
your voice cracked halfway through.
that instantly changed everything.
keonhoās entire expression softened.
he sat down beside you at the edge of the pool without saying a word at first, listening carefully while you explained how someone pushed you into pool during your swimming lesson years ago.
whether it was an accident or intentional, you never even fully knew.
you just remembered the panic.
not being able to breathe.
the feeling of sinking before the teacher pulled you out.
and after that, every swimming lesson made you terrified. hell, just thought of swimming made you nervous.
by the time you finished explaining, your eyes were glossy and you looked embarrassed for even crying about it.
especially in front of him.
but keonho didnāt laugh.
didnāt look disappointed.
didnāt tell you it was silly.
instead he immediately moved closer and took your hands gently into his.
āheyā he said quietly.
āthatās not embarrassingā
you looked away immediately instantly when tears started slipped down your face, but keonho just gave your head a gentle squeeze.
āno one shouldāve pushed youā
āiād be scared tooā
that almost made you cry harder because of just how serious he sounded.
and the thing about keonho was that when he cared about someone, it showed in every tiny action.
he wiped under your eyes with his thumb carefully like he was scared that heās going to upset you even more.
then he said the softest thing imaginable;
āyou never have to get into pools if you donāt want toā
but after sitting there quietly for a few minutes, he added;
ā..but if you want to learn, iāll be with you here the whole timeā
you looked at him nervously.
āi wonāt let go off youā
and somehow, because it was him saying it, you believed it immediately.
so eventually ā very eventually ā you let him guide you into shallow end.
keonho stayed ridiculously careful the entire time.
one hand firmly around your waist.
the other holding your hand above the water whenever you got nervous.
and every single time you panicked even a little, he stopped immediately.
the kind that made your chest hurt a little.
at one point you accidentally clung to him too hard after slipping slightly, clearly panicking, and keonho pulled you against him securely.
ābabyā he murmured softly.
and that was unfortunately the exact moment another tear rolled down your cheek.
keonho looked so alarmed you almost laughed.
āoh no - wait, why are you crying again?ā
you covered your face instantly out of embarrassment while he tried comforting you with his wet hands and no actual strategy.
by the end of the day, you still couldnāt really swim.
but you did float for a few seconds while holding onto him.
and keonho looked prouder of that than any medal heād ever won.
