yuan couldn’t remember the last time that he went swimming, but when woobin invited him to the pool, he was quick to say yes. for one thing, he’d be able to dive into cool water now that it’s getting warmer outside, and for another, he’d be in the presence of someone he’s grown quite close to; someone that’s had an alarmingly important impact on his life. their dynamic is one that nourishes yuan in a way that he never thought he needed, and he’s overjoyed to know that he can be a safe space for someone to break down barriers and be themselves, even if it’s only for the small shreds of time they have to hangout one-on-one. he sees a lot of his past self in woobin, and because of that, he feels the fierce need to take care of him; to help him through the confusion and the anger that comes with lifelong suppression. it’s been awhile since he was in that dark state of mind, but he knows all too well how maddening it is to feel like you can’t be expressive, or that you have to conceal everything that makes you beautiful, from everyone else out of fear that you’ll be rejected, or ridiculed, or told you’re unworthy of love or friendship.
none of that is of importance right now as they intend on having a relaxing time talking, lounging, and cooling off, and once they enter the locker room, yuan sets his bag down on the benches provided; sights set on his comrade. “ i know the struggle, but there’s nothing to worry about — i’m sure you’re just as gorgeous beneath the bb cream and mascara. ” the younger teases, winking out of playfulness. what happens next confuses him, though. he watches as woobin removes his pants and is already wearing his trunks beneath them, and in that moment, he wonders if he should’ve done the same thing. yuan would hate it if he made his friend uncomfortable by stripping all of his clothes off, but it’s not like he can do anything about it now. deciding not to overthink things too much, he gathers his swimwear and kicks off his shoes; timid at the idea of unveiling his torso, but he knows that his senior won’t judge him. at least he hopes that he won’t.
“ i don’t mind changing here. it’s not like there’s anyone around except for us anyway, ” he adds, then pulls his shirt over his head; throwing it into the locker before him once he gets it open. after, he tugs down his pants and underwear, folding them neatly and putting them up, as well. not wanting to make things awkward, yuan is quick to slip on the trunks he’d newly purchased for the occasion — their hue a beautiful jewel-toned blue. “ alright, that’s it for me !! we have to rinse off before we jump in, right ?? ” he asks, licking over his lips. “ also, your trunks are so cute !! where’d you get ‘em ?? we can be matching the next time we come here !! ” he jokes, pivoting around so he can guide the two of them to the showers he spotted when they walked in. “ i don’t think i’ve ever been to this pool, but that’s largely because i don’t, like, swim all that often, i guess. though, i’ve always wanted to get more into it !! i’ve heard it’s a really great way to exercise, and that it’s also really calming for people, too. does it help calm you down when you’re stressed ??”
There are things about Yuan that initially made Woobin nervous, as well as jealous. He’s so sure of who he is, and Woobin’s not, by any means. When he thinks about who he is Woobin’s left with a dark hole in his head that feels an awful lot like it’s filled with a thick blanket hiding a whole sewage system full of shame-laced problems. He doesn’t want to pull the blanket off and face his demons, at least not yet. Though it seems like Yuan doesn’t even have demons. He’s so free and bright and pleasant to be around and Woobin wonders what he could possibly see in Woobin that he decided to be his friend.
Whatever it was, he’s glad of it. Yuan may have made him feel thrown off kilter at first, but now he’s... a comfort.
“Can’t promise you won’t be blinded by what’s under all this.” He gestures to his face, which is already bare anyway. He wasn’t in the habit of wearing makeup, despite knowing it could cover the dark circles under his eyes, caused by late night tv show binges.
He shoves his clothes into his bag, then glances over to Yuan just in time to see him tug off his pants and underwear, and suddenly Woobin’s face is on fire and he’s turning away so fast he makes himself dizzy. He has to force his mind not to burn the sight of Yuan’s naked body into his brain, hurriedly sweeping the image into a dark corner where he absolutely shall never return for it. Woobin busies himself with locking his bag away, then fastens the key bracelet around his wrist. He’d not yet looked back over at Yuan, too scared to potentially see him naked once again. But he doesn’t have to worry as Yuan speaks up, almost as if he knew Woobin needed the confirmation that he was safely in his swimwear.
“Oh, uh... I think I just got them from some online store. I can see if I can find it again for you.” He says as he follows Yuan to the showers. Stopping under the showerhead for a quick rinse off he finally takes a moment to look at Yuan, biting his lip as he notices how pretty he is. Sure, he knew Yuan was pretty, but now he can tell he’s pretty not just in the face, but elsewhere too, and it makes his stomach knot uncomfortably.
So, he puts it out of his mind.
“I swim at least once a week, I probably mentioned that before. It’s... honestly one of the few things that really helps me destress. I swam a lot when I was little, so it sort of reminds me of being back in Jeju, even if the waters... totally different.” Sufficiently rinsed, Woobin leads the way to the pool and stops at the edge. Usually he’d dive into the deep end first, but since he’s with Yuan this time he sits down and hangs his feet over the edge into the water instead. “It’s a bit cool at first, but you get used to it. I asked if my friend could make it warmer, but he doesn’t know how to do it and didn’t want to risk boiling us alive.”
