POV: William
William shuffled behind Est like a duckling on fast-forward, the clipboard clutched to his chest like a shield.
Why did Est look so annoyed? Did I forget something? Did my hair offend him? Was I eating the banana too loud?
His thoughts were spiraling as they reached the benches. Est didn't say a word — just handed him the timer and went back to wrapping a towel around his neck.
Cool, cold, completely unreadable. Standard Est.
But for some reason, today it bugged William more than usual. Maybe it was the way Est's jaw tightened when Nut was playing with his hair? Or how he didn't even look at him when William offered the banana?
Wait... was he mad about Nut?
William's face burned. No no no. That makes no sense. Why would he care? It's not like he likes me. Right? RIGHT?!
He tried to steal a glance at Est but got caught.
Est raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"N-Nothing!" William squeaked and looked away. Abort mission. Abort all eye contact.
He focused hard on the clipboard, pretending like he was reviewing data and not having a full internal meltdown.
Maybe he's just annoyed because I was late again. Maybe I should bring him coffee tomorrow? Or a protein bar? Or... a handwritten apology in glitter gel pen?
Est suddenly leaned in a little closer, pointing to something on the sheet. "You wrote 56.3 here. It was 56.9."
William's heart stopped. Est was too close. Too close too close too—
"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, fixing it with shaky hands. He smells like mint and laundry detergent. I hate this. I love this. Oh my god, I'm broken.
"Focus, William," Est said coolly, stepping back.
William saluted. "Y-Yes, Captain."
Est stared at him for a second, eyes flicking down to his ridiculous hand gesture. And then... he smirked.
A small one. Barely there. But definitely a smirk.
Oh no. Oh no, he's cute. Abort harder.
Evening — Post-Practice Review
William sat cross-legged on the edge of the bleachers, Est beside him, both of them reviewing the lap records under the dim pool lights. The air smelled faintly of chlorine and something citrusy... probably Est's towel.
They'd been sitting in silence for a while, scribbling, recalculating, rechecking. William was sure Est would call it a day soon and leave without a word.
But instead—
"You did better today," Est said, without looking up.
William blinked. "Huh?"
"The recording. You got the intervals right. Timing's tighter."
William flushed under the compliment, trying to hide his goofy smile behind the clipboard. "Oh... thanks."
Another silence. This one more comfortable.
Then Est asked, "Why were you so sleepy this morning?"
William blinked again, caught off guard. "I was up late. Nut and I were—"
He paused. Glanced at Est. And for some reason, changed course.
"—watching dumb videos. I lost track of time."
Est gave a neutral hum, but William thought he caught a flicker in his eyes. It gave him the tiniest bit of courage.
"You don't... like Nut, do you?" William asked before he could stop himself.
Est looked up slowly. "Like him?"
"You know. As in like-like. You glare at him a lot."
Est looked at William like he'd just suggested the moon was made of shrimp. "No. I just think he's loud."
William nodded awkwardly. "Yeah. He is."
Another pause. The air between them shifted slightly. Softer. Warmer.
Est's voice dropped a notch. "You let him ruffle your hair."
William blinked. "What?"
"This morning. He did that. Twice."
William's heart went haywire. "You noticed?"
Est finally looked at him, straight on this time.
"You think I wouldn't?"
William couldn't breathe. Not because of the chlorine. Not because of exhaustion. But because Est was looking at him like he mattered.
Suddenly feeling exposed, William stood up abruptly, fumbling to gather the papers. "Uh—I should probably go. Nut's waiting."
Est stood too, slower, his eyes still fixed on William.
"Don't be late tomorrow," he said, a little softer than usual.
William nodded, heart pounding. "I won't. Captain."
And as he turned to leave, he swore he heard the faintest chuckle behind him.
YOU ARE READING
Against The Tide
FanfictionEst is a top national swimmer-disciplined, focused, and completely married to his routine. In his final year of university, he has no time for distractions, especially not lazy freshmen who stumble into his world. William, on the other hand, is the...
