[Ania] Learning to Swim (With Another)

"I bet you're a really cute fish too~"

Jacob stood up and took his hands, reluctantly, off of her shoulders. Ania sure knew how to bounce back from a little discouragement. He liked that kind of attitude, and he too was pumped for another go at trying to float. He took it as a good sign that she was already bouncing and taking her feet off the ground in excitement, if only for a few moments.

"Now that's the spirt, Ania! Just take it bit by bit..."

He assumed his holding position again, ready to hold her afloat. He stayed quiet and calm as Ania adjusted herself without his aid, or much of his aid. She did need his chest for support. But when she finally got herself back into a float, Jacob was already giving her tiny adjusts to keep her on the surface. A little nudge here and a push there. But otherwise she was doing fine on her own.

"You're doing great. The trick is to relax remember? Your body instinctively knows how to keep itself afloat. Thinking about your movements too much makes you rigid and sinkable. Just let your limbs do the little adjustments and just focus on me..."

By then, Jacob had re positioned himself from her side to standing at her head. She would see him looking down at her upside down as he stood above her. His smile and bright green eyes greeted her, and invited her to keep her concentration on him. His hands slowly came up to hold her gently beneath the arms and shoulders. Ania would feel a tugging sensation and the sensation of the water moving around her. Jacob was slowly pulling her across the water's surface.

"Don't worry I got you. We're just going to try some movement now. I'll move you along, you practice a little control alright? Gently kick your feet and wave your arms like you're flying. Just feel yourself moving along the water..."

The errant flailing and flapping of someone learning how to swim always looks awkward. There was no avoiding that fact. It was the body's instinct to keep the head above the water and resist anything that resembled a downward motion. But like a lot of instincts, the unfocused, instinctual movements derived from genetic memories were just barely effective beyond a few a moments of survival. If a person truly wished to elevate a skill beyond "fight or flight", they needed practice. Practice and practice. Then those awkward movements would be refined, honed, and molded into something presentable and useful.

So even though he chuckled lightly at Ania's movements as he pulled her gently through the water, he wasn't teasing her. It was just a little funny and reassurance that she was trying to learn. And to her credit, she was a quick learner. For awhile, she had good rhythm and flow as she was towed about.

For that little while, he gave her encouragements and tips and they fell into a nice groove. Such a grove let his mind wander as his body took up muscle memory. His eyes errantly traced over her once or twice, admiring her less-than-competition-worthy choice of bathing suit. He realized that the water was the right temperature of cool. His gazing was broken soon after she adjusted herself, a move he did not miss at all, and she started a minor panic again. She quickly got control of herself and he didn't need to hold her again, though he was treated to a strangely alluring display of hip wriggling...

"W-Well you're doing great anyway. You'll pick the rhythm back up even faster now."

He lowered one hand so only one finger of one hand was holding her up, and seemed to back up a little to give her a bit more room to float and move on her own.

"You see what I mean though? It's really peaceful and soothing when you get into it. It's like... Your body doesn't have to hold itself anymore, and you're free to just loosen up and drift."

Just to emphasize his point, and encourage her to float on her own, he pulled a little farther away and let his hand slip down her arm to her hand. There, he held her hand and pulled her in a gentle circle around him.

Between Ania's hand clinging tightly to his and her sweet girlish plea for him to not let go, Jacob was feeling just a wee bit smitten. He knew he should not have, but she was such a sweet and pretty girl, and Jacob had such a weak spot for girls like her. Playful and sunny but also a little demure.

"I won't let go..."

He stuck to that promise until she was right on top of him again, clinging to his entire body for a second time. Well, his hand might have let go of her's. However he still held her with his arms when he reflexively wrapped them around her tightly, encircling her entire body in a secure hug. He only just stopped himself short of leaning his head down to nuzzle into her hair too. That would have been, well, a little too intimate even if he was trying to calm her.

Ania had to push herself back to the water. Jacob's hold on her was firmer than before, and he held her close until she actively pulled away. Granted she didn't need to put much force into it, Jacob wasn't about to hold her against her will, but his arms needed the indicative pressure before letting go.

"O-Okay! Follow me."

He was getting bolder. Taking both of Ania's hands he lead her to the edge of the pool before climbing out. Jacob wasn't going to leave her in the middle of the pool while he demonstrated. This side of the pool had the small diving platforms used as the starting places for competition swimming and he immediately gravitated towards it.

"Alright, Ania. Watch very closely."

Jacob took up the crouched starting position facing the water and waited for a few seconds while he pictured the competition setting in his head. Normally he would have goggles and a swimcap at least, but for now he would just have to deal with his wet hair in his eyes.

After a moment, he imagined the starting gun in his head and he leaped straight forward towards the water. His hands were straight out in front, coming to a perfect point, and his body flowed gracefully behind. He resembled a dolphin as he sailed over the water forward. The moment his fingers touched the water, he was in zone.

He made a minimal splash as he slipped into the water and remained under it for a few moments as he undulated his entire body, like a dolphin, for maximum speed, before he broke the surface and started swimming. It was just like the competitions. His movements were graceful with a mechanical, regimented rhythm. He flowed through the water without pause but his arms and legs moved in harmony with each other. His hands would come up, perfectly flat, slice into the water before pushing back.

When the opposite came up, he dipped under the water, flipped, and pushed off in perfect form. Again he swam back with speed and grace. He was so caught up in the imaginative competition that he made another go when he reached Ania's side again. He was apparently doing the 200 meter course this time.

When he finally did come back, he slapped the pool as he would to signal his end and he popped out the water, dripping wet and breathing hard. His chest heaved up and down as he got his breath back, but he still beamed at Ania.

"*huff* So... Whaddya think?

"Hee~ You flatter me, hon. But I don't think I'm THAT good yet. I don't have nearly the year-round regime that those people have."

Ania's praise and energy made this whole little lesson, and all of its hiccups, worth it.

"So you think you're ready for the big times? Alright then..."

Jacob pushed off from the ground and slid backwards in the water. He glided backwards for some distance, assisted with some kicks from his legs, before coming to a stop about a quarter of the way across the pool. It was only about thirty feet away, but it was enough of a distance between him and Ania that she could not just push off the edge and make for him.

"Show me what you got, hon! Swim over to me however you want! Copy me. Do your own thing. Just make it to me. I want to see you try!"

He readied himself for some flailing and the possibility of having to jump over to save her, but he really wanted to see how persistent she was willing to be. And when he saw her technique, or lack of it, he would know where to apply his efforts the most.

"C'mon, Ania! You can do it! Keep it up!"

Jacob was not holding back on the encouragements. To anyone else, Ania's attempt at swimming might have seemed comical and worthy of a few jibes. But to Jacob she was putting her all into learning something that she was really passionate about, and as a teacher he had the duty to help her all along the way. Her paddling and kicking and splashing was clumsy and awkward for now. In time they would become the measured strokes and kicks of a real swimmer, and with a little practice.

As she drew closer to him, tired and panting, he held his arms out for her, ready to receive his student. Ania seemed to gravitate right into his arms and he did not hesitate to hug her close as she latched on once more.

"You did it! Nice!"

He felt her shiver in his arms, no doubt her muscles were feeling a little taxed from her attempt at swimming. For a few moments, he just wanted to hold her close and let her rest. The poor girl probably wasn't even of how steadily she was chipping away at his defenses. Between her endearing persistence to learn and just... how pretty she was in that two piece, it was almost inevitable that he would fall for her in due time.

Then she asked him to kiss her and his defenses went up in panicked reflex. He nearly toppled backwards in surprise, but still somehow still held onto her.

"W-W-W-What?! I mean *ahem* Why? I mean, I like you too Ania but I'm a teacher and you're so young and--!!"