Swimming Alone Together

Posted on 17 Jan 2015 @ 2:53pm by Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc.

1,384 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84 - Deck 622, Rec Deck
Timeline: MD 27 - 1420 hours

[ON]

Standing on the raised platform -up on the diving board- Andreus Kohl remained motionless, as he considered the swimming pool below. His left foot was placed forward, with his toes hanging over the edge of the board. His back foot was laid flat, with his weight centred between them. The sheen of water on the diving board was cool against the soles of Kohl's feet. The sensation sent a shiver up his bare body. His only coverings were his fitted, indigo swimming trunks, the pair of motor-assist bands strapped to each of his legs, and a pair of small black motor-assist pads affixed to his lower back.

Without any twitch or any tell, Kohl raised his arms above his head, and he pushed off the diving board with his feet. He launched himself towards the water, and straightened out his body as he plummeted. Kohl's fingertips entered the water first and then the rest of his body followed.

Standing off to the side, clad in red swim trunks with a white stripe down each side, Elijah watched his friend dive into the pool. He admired the man's form, he was tall and lean. The perfect combination, at least in his own opinion. Gray eyes followed as the tall man hit the water then went under. Elijah found himself smiling and clapping. "That was really good," he said once he saw the other man surface.

Coming up for air, Kohl gulped for a fresh breath, but it didn't take him long to notice Elijah and Elijah's applause. Kohl paddled over to the side of the pool and he made no secret of the scenic route his eyes took up the length of Elijah's toned body. He paid special attention to Elijah's chest and the tattoo on his left biceps. "Thank you," Kohl replied, as he gripped the edge of the deck. Looking up with lightning-bright eyes and a beaming smile, Kohl said, "I was on the Academy diving team in second year." A little bitterly, he added, "We didn't make it to Nationals."

Elijah looked down at the other man and offered a bit of a sympathetic smile at that. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was really good though, I would probably tumble off of the platform," he laughed. He wasn't much of a swimmer to begin with, diving would probably be out of the question.

After making his way to the nearest ladder, Kohl climbed up and out of the pool. As he did so, he admitted, "I was glad for a shorter season at the time. I had just broken up with my diving coach..." With his hands, Kohl slicked back his honey-brown hair to keep any dripping water out of his eyes. Water dripped from every other part of him, meanwhile. "I could teach you how to dive," Kohl said, and he jerked a thumb back at the board. He stepped closer to Elijah, and closer still. "But I'd prefer to wade in the shallow end for a while."

For a brief moment, Elijah's gaze went back to the diving board and he studied it. He wasn't afraid of heights but tumbling off a board that high didn't seem appealing. Hitting water from that height would seem like it was possible. He turned his attention back to the taller man who now was extremely close. "Me too, I'd hate for the new swim trunks to go to waste."

"Oh, I think they're serving their purpose well," Kohl remarked, and he clapped a hand against Elijah's thigh for good measure. "Or they will be," Kohl added, as he slowly backed towards the pool, "once you get them wet."

The hand on his thigh had caught him off-guard but he didn't draw back. The old Elijah Williams would have probably run away screaming, but the new and improved version stood in the same spot. His heartbeat did however, start to thump faster against his sternum. "Well then," he followed Kohl, "it's time to take a dip then."

"Good man," said Kohl encouragingly. "You'd better get used to giving orders, Lieutenant Williams. You're going to be giving more of them now." Kohl turned away from Elijah and then he jumped into the pool with far less grace, and far more splash, than the last time.

Elijah smiled at that. He had been referred to as Lieutenant Williams since the hollow pip was pinned to his collar but that was different. He was no longer a junior lieutenant. He watched the taller man make a much bigger splash then Elijah followed suit and jumped in, cannon ball style. After a moment he popped back up to the surface, laughing as he ran a hand through his hair to keep it out of his eyes. "I haven't jumped in like that in years."

Kohl beamed back at Elijah, after he surfaced. He bobbed a bit, as he worked to keep above the water. Paddling closer to Elijah, Kohl asked, "Did you do much swimming in Georgia? And San Francisco?"

"More so in the summer when I was growing up, in San Francisco at the Academy I would go like at three in the morning," Elijah said. "There was something incredibly peaceful about being in the pool all by myself, the lights dim..." He kicked his legs to stay above the water line, the warm pool water felt nice against his bare skin. "I never was really a strong swimmer, strong enough to get past the requirements at the Academy. Nevertheless, I just always liked being in the water, it's relaxing."

"By yourself?" Kohl said, latching his attentions onto that detail from Elijah's story. The next thing he latched onto was Elijah's upper arm, using a gentle grip. Closer now, Kohl regarded Elijah's grey eyes. "Did you always go swimming alone?" Kohl asked.

Before, the gentle grip on on Elijah's bicep would have caused his body to go tense. Now, he just offered the other man a smile. Being this close to Andreus didn't bother him anymore. It didn't make him nervous and it didn't make him want to pull away. Maybe it was just more than confidence, it was being comfortable now too. He was started to be more comfortable with who he was, how he felt, how he looked even. "I did," Elijah said and nodded a slight nod. "I didn't have many friends but plus I was always so nervous and timid that even being in swimshorts made me shy."

"Oh, Elijah, Elijah..." Kohl said in a taunting tone. He moved away from the slimmer man, but only to immerse himself in deeper waters. "Look at you. Standing there in only your swimshorts should make you bold. You are physical perfection, Elijah. ...Has nobody told you that?"

Elijah chuckled at that and shook his head. He stood there and then followed the other man. "Never," he replied. "Or, well... no one ever put it like you have." He wanted to comment on how Andreus looked but the words caught in his throat. "I didn't always take a compliment so easily. One of the very first compliments I ever received was from an instructor at the Academy, I thought she was talking about someone else."

Now it was Kohl's turn to laugh, as he said, "I can imagine you doing that. I can imagine that quite easily." As he waded through the water, Kohl put on a brief pantomime for Elijah. First he pointed at himself, while contorting his face into an expression of utter innocence. Then, he frowned, and he pointed at another swimmer over his shoulder. Back to himself, Kohl excitedly asked, "And what did she compliment you on?"

"You play a better me then me," Elijah said. He tried to contain the loud laugh that was no echoing off the bulkheads, but to no avail. After the laughter faded to a chuckle, he continued. "For out of the box thinking concerning a sample sensor analysis." He shook his head at the memory. "I haven't thought about that in years."

Paddling himself towards Elijah again, Kohl remarked, "You should think about it more often."



[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Elijah Williams IV, M.Sc.
Geologist
USS Galileo

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