Ao'nung retrieved the team swimsuits from their storage bin, guessing on the sizing and hoping he got it right. Their uniform was navy one piece speedos for the girls, and matching navy fitted shorts for the boys. Ao'nung decided against wearing his swim cap and made the executive decision not to make his friends wear them either. Tsireya would have to braid his hair down tight to get it to even fit, and their short practice just wasn't worth it. He made sure to grab six pairs of goggles for everyone. He headed to the pool locker rooms, inhaling the unpleasantly familiar smell of chlorine and soggy clothing.
Rotxo stood with the rest of the group by the doors of the locker rooms, waiting for Ao'nung. He grinned as he approached, holding out his hands for his shorts and goggles. Ao'nung handed the girls' to his sister before passing the rest out. "Where's Neteyam?" he asked, looking around. "He's putting our stuff in his car, I think," answered Lo'ak. Ao'nung blinked. "Does he know where the pool is?" "I'm sure he can find it," Rotxo shrugged. "Probably," Ao'nung agreed, heading into the lockers to change.
Neteyam still hadn't shown up by the time everyone was changed. Ao'nung felt guilty for leaving him to find his way to a place he didn't even know about until a few minutes ago. He left Rotxo and Reya in charge of warm-ups and went to go look for Neteyam.
He found him waiting nervously by the gym locker rooms, with his backpack still on his back. "I thought you were putting your bag in your car," Ao'nung called. Neteyam turned to look at him and instantly grinned. "Oh, good, I thought I was lost forever," he replied, laughing. "Yeah, I don't know why nobody told you where the pool is. I'm sorry." Neteyam shrugged. "It's fine." Ao'nung was suddenly aware that he had been wandering around the school in his swim trunks. He quickly motioned for Neteyam to follow his direction, but walked behind him out of embarrassment. "Did you return that epipen?" Neteyam asked, looking back at him over his shoulder with wide eyes. Ao'nung felt his face flush. "I did," he responded, rubbing the back of his arm. "Did you get in trouble?" Ao'nung scoffed. "No, I didn't get in trouble, I told you, it was fine." Neteyam shot him a disbelieving glance. "Okay, fine, I got a verbal warning. But it wasn't a huge deal."
By the time they reached the pool, their friends were already swimming slow laps as a light warm up. Ao'nung opened the door to the locker rooms, letting Neteyam in before him. "Here," he said, handing Neteyam his shorts and goggles. Neteyam took them in his hand and held them up. "We all match!" he called excitedly. Ao'nung looked up to respond but felt the words die in his throat. Neteyam was in the process of taking off his shirt. The two of them had gone swimming before. This wasn't a new experience. Why did Ao'nung feel so embarrassed now? He quickly averted his gaze, staring at the wall in front of him. Ao'nung got to his feet, going to wash his hands in the bathroom sink. In the mirror, he saw Neteyam's back and shoulders. He noticed that he was, in fact, stronger than he looked fully clothed. Ao'nung dried his hands and stood by the door, pulling out his phone and trying to distract himself. He wasn't sure why it felt so much more awkward and embarrassing to see Neteyam change. It wasn't weird with Lo'ak. It certainly wasn't weird with Rotxo. He decided not to give it any more thought and put on his goggles as Neteyam finished up and joined him.
"Ready?" Ao'nung asked, not looking over at him. "Mhm." The two of them exited the locker room. Ao'nung instantly dove into an empty swim lane, tearing through the water in an aggressive breast stroke. He felt himself disassociate as he took the same calculated and timed gulps of air that he had for years now. His favorite part of swim was the repetition - the almost monotonous pattern of strokes and breaths. It allowed him to slow his mind down and really think. When he paused at the wall after a few laps, he looked over and saw Neteyam looking at him from a few lanes over, grinning. "You're really fast," he mouthed. Ao'nung shrugged. "Thank you," he mouthed back, giving him a thumbs up. Neteyam smiled and took a deep breath, submerging himself into the water. His butterfly stroke was a little messy, but the basic idea was there. Ao'nung decided that with a little work, he could be a decent asset to the team.
Tsireya swam up in the lane beside him. "Whatcha looking at?" she asked, looking over at him and following his line of sight. "I'm just glad they don't suck," he whispered, motioning to the Sully kids. "It would have been really bad to have to, like, pretend that they were good because this was all our idea." Tsireya laughed and nodded. Ao'nung whistled to get Neteyam's attention as he came up for air. The boy froze mid stroke and looked around, eyes landing on Ao'nung. "Want me to show you what an actual butterfly stroke looks like?" he asked, grinning. Neteyam rolled his eyes. "I can do a butterfly stroke just fine," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "Well, yeah, but it was sloppy." Neteyam's jaw dropped in sarcastic surprise, turning away from him. "Don't be an ass, Ao'nung," he retorted, grinning. Ao'nung rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Come here, I'll show you."
Neteyam swam over to the lane next to Ao'nung, an exasperated look on his face. "Show me, then," he teased, gesturing with his hands. Ao'nung grinned and pulled his goggles back over his eyes, pushing his hair out of his face. "Oh, by the way, when we have to wear swim caps, just make sure your braids are tied back. Maybe no beads, just so it'll... fit? I have Reya french braid my hair into, like, three braids, so it's all neat." Neteyam nodded. "Yeah, I figured." Ao'nung nodded and pressed his feet against the wall, pushing off into the water. He remembered instantly why he hates butterfly stroke. So much effort for so little speed.
He reached the end of the lane and looked back at Neteyam. "The trick is in the re-entry. You have to keep your arms moving in rhythm, even when you recover." Neteyam looked at him blankly. "Those words mean nothing to me," he said bluntly. Ao'nung laughed, going over to him. He took one of Neteyam's arms in his hand, stretching it all the way out. "Keep your arms nice and stable all the way through the stroke." He tapped Neteyam's shoulder gently. "The motion comes from here. You're using your arms as paddles. Try to visualize that." Neteyam looked up at him with his wide brown eyes, nodding. Ao'nung took Neteyam's fingertips in his fist without breaking eyecontact. He smoothed Neteyam's fingers into a cup. "Keep your fingers together and cupped like this. Like you're scooping the water." Ao'nung dropped Neteyam's hand and thought for a moment. "Oh, one more thing. Your arms need to keep moving in the same way even after you come up for air," he finished, grinning. "Oh. Oh, okay," Neteyam nodded slowly. Ao'nung returned to his spot on the wall. He waved Neteyam over. "Show me. Swim to me," Ao'nung called. "Well, I can't do it with you watching," Neteyam retorted, pursing his lips. Ao'nung scoffed. "I'm your captain. You have to."
"Woah now," Tsireya called from the other side of Ao'nung. "Sounds like an abuse of power to me." Ao'nung scoffed. "I'm just trying to get him to show me his butterfly," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Teyam," he called, beckoning. Tsireya arched an eyebrow at him. "Teyam? Really?" Ao'nung gave her a confused glance, not sure what she meant. "Whatever. Carry on," she said dismissively, ducking her head back under and swimming to Lo'ak, who was evidently trying out his backstroke. Ao'nung turned his attention back to Neteyam as he came up for air, arms stretched to either side. His shoulders were really quite strong, and his wingspan was exceptionally long. Ao'nung thought that he should stop wearing such oversized clothing. It really wasn't doing him any justice. His back and shoulders rippled as he re-entered the water, sending a spray of droplets across the surface. He swam up beside Ao'nung, grinning. "That felt better. Was that better?" Ao'nung nodded. "Better. You have very long arms." Neteyam gave him a curious smile. "...Thank you?" Ao'nung cringed inwardly at himself for saying that, but he nodded in an effort to keep his embarrassment internal. Why did everything feel so humiliating and different around Neteyam? He didn't care how anyone else perceived him. Truly, he did not. What was different now?
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this is what a butterfly stroke looks like from ao'nung's viewpoint btwww
