Realistic or Modern Cold Water (Anim&Michi)

[davian]

The smile returned to Ronan's face, but it was more of a smirk since the other man had already agreed to bet on it, when Ronan hadn't even disclosed what he wanted if he won. "Okay then," he said, reaching out his hand to shake Dylan's and officialize things.

Afterwards, he took some money out of his wallet and set it on the bar to cover the price of the food and a tip. "So, I've got to run and get some rest," Ronan excused himself as he slid out of his chair. "If you have any more questions, feel free to call. Otherwise, see you on Saturday, right Dylan?"

 

[Michi]

Dylan shook on it with a smile. “Call me Pickle, seriously. The only people who call me Dylan is my boss and my mom. And you, honestly, don’t look anything like either of them.” He chuckled, “See you on Saturday.”

He turned his attention back to the tv when the other man left. Freestyle, was that like he could do whatever he wanted? Or was that a specific style? This swim team thing was turning into a lot of work. After a few minutes, he left the bar himself and drove home to watch YouTube videos of professional swimmers. Well it didn’t look that hard... but maybe he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew. After a few videos he moved on to how to swim tutorials. Well that made it look super easy. He just had to do it faster than Ronan. Piece of cake.

 

[davian]

Ronan smiled again. "Alright," he said, pushing his chair back under the bar. "Have a good night," he added before leaving the restaurant and making his way back to his car. He was still a little shocked that the challenge had been accepted, but there wasn't that much at stake after all. At least that's how Ronan saw it.

He spent the rest of the week swimming in the mornings, and working until the sun went down. By the end of the week he had a group of at least ten people who were sure to show up on Saturday. Ronan got to the pool early to make sure he could greet them and confirm that they were in the right place.

 

[Michi]

As Saturday neared, Dylan felt confident that he had a fairly decent idea of how to not drown. Now to just put what he had learned to the test. He'd gotten a new bathing suit, and even met one of the guys who planned on trying the swim team as well. He introduced himself as Jeff and was in much better shape and taller than Dylan. What a way to make him self conscious but he moved on.

Dylan wasn’t fat by any means, just not as muscular... guy probably swam like a fish, but he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing the man in just the bathing suit. How many of the other guys would be just as fit? He still hadn't managed to decide what he wanted if he won though. He'd have to think more on that later.

Saturday came, and Dylan got lost on his way to the pool, but he did manage to find his way and wasn't even the last to arrive. He carried a bag with a towel, his swimsuit and a black swim cap because the cashier told him he was really going to want one... but Dylan didn't know if he could wear something like that. He paused as he looked around the pool area, oh... that was a lot bigger than it seemed in his mind... maybe he should have actually been trying to put those theories to test sooner...

Nerves made him hesitate as he looked over at the small group nervously and saw Ronan. It was too late to back out now, wasn't it?

 

[davian]

Once people started to arrive, Ronan noticed that they were of various backgrounds and ages. Some were probably still in their last year of high school, but they seemed to be really dedicated and know their stuff. It hurt a little bit, since he wished that could be him again, and that he could have another chance at his shattered dream.

A few of the guys had shown up and introduced themselves in person by the time that Ronan spotted Dylan- he was a little impressed that he hadn't backed out and had actually showed. "Hey Pickle!" he greeted enthusiastically, almost making the mistake of calling the man by his actual name again.

Some of the other guys' heads turned and a few smiled at the peculiar nickname, especially the youngest of them, but nobody said anything.

"How's it going?" Ronan added with a warm smile.

 

[Michi]

Yep, too late to back out. "Hey!" He waved as he walked into the room, it smelled like bleach, but that was probably the chlorine. "Not bad. Bet you thought I wouldn't show up." I almost didn't. He wasn't going to mention that. He greeted the other men shaking hands with a few of them. Reminded him of school, when the first day of classes started and everyone just stood around not really knowing what to do yet. "Excited to be trying something new."