Fic: Rush Week - Tuesday Morning (Olympics -- Michael Phelps/Ryan Lochte) PG
Title: Rush Week - Tuesday Morning
Author: kingzgurl
Fandom: Olympics - Swimming
Verse: Bonds of Brotherhood
Pairing: Michael Phelps/Ryan Lochte
Word Count: 2,800
Rating: PG
Summary: Follows Rush Night. The morning after Michael meets the swim team, Ryan has some thinking to do.
***
Ryan blinked sleepily when an unfamiliar alarm went off in the morning. It took a moment for Ryan to get his bearings, even in his own room, because there was a warm body tucked underneath his arm and pressed all along his front.
“Turn it off,” he mumbled sleepily against his bed partner’s neck. The other person was undoubtedly male and the strong smell of chlorine filled his senses. Swimmer, then. Michael, his brain supplied when the alarm turned off abruptly and the other man relaxed against his chest. Ryan pressed closer to him, his nose tucked into Michael’s neck.
“I’ve got to get to the pool,” Michael protested quietly, though he made very little effort to get out of Ryan’s hold.
“Too early,” Ryan replied, but he knew it wasn’t fair to keep Michael there, not with the restrictions on his time in the pool. He rolled over and grumbled, “Stupid freshman rules.” When it became obvious Michael was not going to get up, he shoved lightly at his back. “If I’m getting in the water at this ungodly hour, you’re buying me coffee.”
Apparently Michael wasn’t much of a morning person. He didn’t form full sentences, just grunted in response and pulled on the warm-ups and hoodie Ryan threw at him. Ryan wasn’t even sure that Michael realized whose clothes he put on.
“Move faster,” the sophomore smiled and packed his gym bag with an extra set of everything for Michael. “You’re slow as fuck in the morning.”
“Hnnn--” Michael grumbled, nearly asleep on his feet. He was dressed, though, and a nudge from Ryan got him to move in the direction of the door.
“Just be quiet until we get out of the house so we don’t wake Cullen,” Ryan warned as he grabbed both wallets and phone to shove in his bag. “It’s time to toss you in the water, sleeping beauty.”
“Shut up,” Michael yawned and rubbed at his eyes on their way down the stairs. “Didn’t sleep enough because you snore.”
“Do not,” Ryan whispered and pushed Michael out the front door so they could close it behind them. Cullen was dead to the world on the couch, thankfully, dressed in what Ryan thought was a pair of Gary’s obnoxious ducky pajamas. “Coffee is on the way, Mikey.”
“Thank god,” the messy-haired freshman mumbled and leaned on Ryan while they walked. It was early enough that there were very few students out, especially on Greek Row, so Ryan risked it and wrapped his arm around Michael’s narrow waist.
It felt good to have Michael pressed against him in the light of day. Not that Ryan was particularly shy about showing his interest, but the night before was the first time he’d ever shared a bed with someone without some manner of sexual favor being exchanged. It was different, and Ryan hadn’t been sure what to expect afterward, so he relaxed when he realized that nothing had changed. He didn’t want to think too much about it, though, especially not at 5:30am before he had a cup of coffee.
Pipes, the university coffee shop, had two campus locations: one in the Commons in the center of campus, and one at the end of Greek Row. Ryan was extremely happy he didn’t have to walk all the way across campus for his caffeine fix, and had developed a bad habit where he stopped in for the same thing every day.
“You’re here early, Ryan,” the blonde behind the counter waved when they entered the shop. “The usual?”
“You know me well. Thanks, Jen,” Ryan grinned when they reached the register. Apparently there was no line for coffee before the sun was up.
“What can I get for your friend?” Jen already had Ryan’s coffee on the counter and a blueberry muffin in a bag for him.
“Coffee,” Michael replied and looked at the too-perky-in-the-morning barista with a strange expression that made Ryan grin even wider. “Whatever your biggest size is.”
“Coming right up!” she filled a large cup from the coffee pot and placed it next to Ryan’s smaller cup on the counter. “Anything to eat this morning?”
“No,” Michael shook his head and patted his pockets in search of his wallet. “Crap, I forgot--”
Ryan held out the misplaced wallet, “Looking for this?”
“Thanks,” the younger man smiled fondly at Ryan, and the sophomore felt like the sun had come out when he turned to pay.
He knew there was a stupidly bright smile on his face, but he couldn’t be bothered to force it away. Not even when Jen winked knowingly at him.
“This is good,” Michael was a bit more talkative once he got some coffee into his system. It also meant Michael walked beside him rather than against him, which bummed Ryan out a little bit.
“Mmmhmm,” Ryan was a little preoccupied with his own coffee and delicious muffin.
The silence between them was comfortable while they crossed to the swim complex. It was a rare moment where Ryan didn’t feel the need to make conversation, because he knew Michael wouldn’t mind the quiet. And for once, he didn’t try to act the fool for attention. It was a weird realization to make about himself before 6am on a Tuesday, but it was liberating in a way. He made a mental note to think about that later.
***
“Hey Michael,” the guy at the front desk greeted them with only a cursory glance at the sophomore. “Swim team practice isn’t scheduled until one, Ryan.”
“Morning, Jordan,” Michael passed his student ID across the desk to be swiped. “Is Peter in the pool yet?”
Ryan’s annoyance with the desk guy - Jordan - was rarely an issue. Over the years he had gotten really good at ignoring people who thought he was dumb, but it was the fact he flirted with Michael and checked him out that put him a few notches higher on Ryan’s ‘I don’t like you’ list. “There’s nothing that says I can’t use the pool in the morning,” Ryan tried to be calm and passed his own ID across the desk.
“He isn’t usually in for another hour or so. I didn’t know you were friends,” Jordan glanced between Michael and Ryan before he handed back their cards. “I didn’t know you could be awake so early Ryan, not unless you’re coming off a party from last night.”
“Thanks man, I just met him last night but I’ve seen him around here sometimes. He seems cool,” Michael shrugged and glanced at Ryan. “Well I think I’m gonna hit the pool…”
Ryan realized belatedly that it could be understood that Jordan had meant PVK and Michael, but the look Jordan had given him made him think it was about himself and Michael. He still shot a dirty look back at the desk when he followed after the younger swimmer.
“Chill, Reezy,” Michael laid a hand on his arm when they were alone in the hallway. “He’s not worth it.”
“I just, like,” Ryan sighed. “I don’t like the guy. He’s always trying to make me feel dumb and shit.”
“I don’t think you’re dumb,” Michael bumped his shoulder against Ryan’s. “Now forget about him, we’re here to swim.”
“Jeah,” Ryan laughed when they made it to the empty locker room. “Over here,” he headed down to the last row where his locker was located. He twisted the combination lock open with practiced ease, “You get your locker soon, right?” The older swimmer tossed a speedo, one that was a little too small so he didn’t wear it often, to Michael. A cap and goggles followed quickly after.
“Thanks,” Michael grinned and changed, though he had the thought to turn his back to Ryan before he dropped his pants.
A naked ass was not an uncommon sight in the locker room, but Ryan generally made it a point not to ogle his teammates. It was much harder to look away when he wanted to grope and do all sorts of inappropriate things to the rounded flesh.
He must have made some sort of sound, because the bare skin was quickly covered by fabric and Michael’s cheeks were pink when he turned around.
“You can’t do that if the other guys are around-you’ll make me get a stiffy,” Michael’s ears burned red when he tried to admonish Ryan, and it only made the older swimmer want to say any variety of dirty things to see how far the blush could spread.
“Sorry, Mikey,” Ryan shrugged but the smugness in his voice was enough to tell Michael he really wasn’t sorry at all. His gaze lingered on the freshman for a long while as he studied the fine body displayed before him. “I was just enjoying the view.”
Michael made a quiet, choked sound. “Pool,” he reminded in a low voice. “And stop looking at me like that.”
Ryan didn’t want to stop looking, in fact he wanted to do a lot more than just look, but he knew in the back of his mind that Michael was right. There was a reason he had never mixed swimming and serious flirting before now. “You should go out there, I need a minute.” Or five, he thought to himself.
“Okay… I’ll see you on deck,” Michael turned to go, which left Ryan fully dressed and alone in the locker room while he sported a semi- from the visual stimulation.
“Fuck,” he groaned and let his head thump against the locker. He hadn’t had it so bad for someone since the pretty cheerleader his freshman year of high school. She’d made him a man, but five years later any thoughts about her quelled his arousal. It also left a sour taste in his mouth because any memory of her also included the fact that he’d walked in on her and the captain of the football team in the locker room a week later.
With his body once again under control, Ryan pushed those thoughts aside and changed quickly. The locker room next to the pool always smelled like chlorine and it made him itch to get in the water, so he shoved everything unceremoniously into his locker, grabbed both towels, and went out to stretch. He knew that a long swim would be just enough to get his mind sorted.
***
Michael was already in the pool when Ryan exited onto the pool deck so he dropped their towels on a chair near the starting blocks and stretched himself out. He spent a few extra minutes and paid attention to his left shoulder that had bothered him a little after the last few practices; he hoped that it was just a matter of not having stretched it enough in the past.
A quick drop into the water reminded him why he usually swam in the afternoons-the pool was about ten degrees too cold for his comfort level! Backstroke was Ryan’s stroke of choice to clear his head in the morning, so he didn’t plan for a full workout, just get some distance in. It took him a few laps to warm up, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as his arms and legs fell into the familiar motions. He thought about his classes for a while, what work he needed to get done, how long he could put it off, that sort of thing. He was at the university on an athletic scholarship, after all, and the team required a 2.5 minimum GPA, so being focused on classes wasn’t entirely unheard of for Ryan.
Eventually though, his thoughts wound up back on Michael. Ryan had flipped through Cullen’s freshman swimmers reference book before Rush, so he thought he knew what to expect. He thought Michael would be a dorky, awkward kid like the reference picture, but he decided that picture must have been at least a year old.
Funny teeth and large ears aside, Ryan had not expected the body that came with the name Michael Phelps. Perhaps he should have-the guide mentioned he trained with Bob Bowman, who was well-known in the swim community to be a slave driver. No one who survived Bob was anything less than perfection, a fact Ryan noticed first hand when he watched Michael swim the night before. When the freshman swam, he couldn’t look away from every flawless stroke and perfect kick. The others cheered and placed their bets because he was Michael Phelps, swimming prodigy (or progeny? Ryan thought he should probably find out).
Ryan had shouted and hollered with the rest of them, but the whole time he’d watched long, strong arms take huge strokes and move through the water like he was a fucking fish or something. He’d never seen anything like it; he’d never met anyone who became part of the water like Michael did. The urge to be close to Michael had actually surprised him by the sheer intensity of how much he wanted it.
The want was more than just physical, which he hadn’t planned for. Sure, Michael was fucking hot and he wanted a piece of that, even a blind dude could see it. But it was more than that. After the race, he’d needed to touch Michael any way he could, just to be close to him. He’d settled for what he had tried to play off as a friendly ruffle of the hair, but then Michael had leaned into him and he was hooked on just how simply and easily they had fallen into a comfortable position. Seated on the edge of the pool with his fingers in Michael’s hair, the younger swimmer leaned back against his shins, Ryan was comfortable. Happy even, with a warm feeling in the center of his chest. Then Cullen had stuck his nose in it.
Ryan kicked off the wall harder than he intended. He rarely got upset with his best friend, and usually got over it within about ten minutes, but the things Cullen had said didn’t sit right with him.
They’d argued on the patio about Michael and Ryan’s track record with guys he’s fucked (he never had a second night with any one of them). Cullen brought up the house, hazing, and sexual harassment. That had been the final straw for Ryan-he hadn’t done anything wrong, but Cullen assumed the worst!
Ryan had been more than a little tempted to tell Cullen to fuck himself then gone to kiss Michael in front of everyone, but he hadn’t. And that worked out better for him in the end, because Michael had come upstairs and searched for him instead. It wasn’t just Ryan, because Michael wanted him too.
It was easy between them, like it had been when they were in the pool. They laid in bed, listened to music, and talked a little. Once Ryan stopped thinking about the stuff Cullen said, it was comfortable with Michael next to him. They watched Dodgeball on Ryan’s laptop because it was right there and neither of them had to get up to turn it on, and at some point they had fallen asleep. It wasn’t a big deal. Michael was comfortable with it, so Ryan didn’t understand Cullen’s need to make it a big issue.
His thoughts were still tangled when a hand closed around his ankle and threw him entirely off rhythm. He flailed for a moment in the water before he rightened himself and peeled his goggles off so he could yell at the person.
Michael was in his lane, leaning heavily on the lane line as he laughed at Ryan. He laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen! “Sorry, just wanted to tell you I’ve gotta go,” Michael grinned and pointed to the deck, where the two gymnasts from the night before stood with gym bags.
The amused laughter made Ryan laugh at himself as well and he splashed water in Michael’s direction. “Oh, right. The combo is 1-11-21 if you want to get your stuff. Am I gonna see you later?”
“Seriously?” Michael grinned broadly, “I guess you can’t forget that! And yes, I’ll be at the house for poker night.”
“Cool,” Ryan smiled stupidly back at him. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Michael lingered there a moment longer, as if there was something else he wanted to say, but then the moment passed and he gave a little wave before he swam off again.
Something in Ryan’s stomach-probably that traitorous blueberry muffin-flip flopped. It took him far too long before he moved again, headed for the edge of the pool and the locker room, but by then Michael was long gone.
Author: kingzgurl
Fandom: Olympics - Swimming
Verse: Bonds of Brotherhood
Pairing: Michael Phelps/Ryan Lochte
Word Count: 2,800
Rating: PG
Summary: Follows Rush Night. The morning after Michael meets the swim team, Ryan has some thinking to do.
***
Ryan blinked sleepily when an unfamiliar alarm went off in the morning. It took a moment for Ryan to get his bearings, even in his own room, because there was a warm body tucked underneath his arm and pressed all along his front.
“Turn it off,” he mumbled sleepily against his bed partner’s neck. The other person was undoubtedly male and the strong smell of chlorine filled his senses. Swimmer, then. Michael, his brain supplied when the alarm turned off abruptly and the other man relaxed against his chest. Ryan pressed closer to him, his nose tucked into Michael’s neck.
“I’ve got to get to the pool,” Michael protested quietly, though he made very little effort to get out of Ryan’s hold.
“Too early,” Ryan replied, but he knew it wasn’t fair to keep Michael there, not with the restrictions on his time in the pool. He rolled over and grumbled, “Stupid freshman rules.” When it became obvious Michael was not going to get up, he shoved lightly at his back. “If I’m getting in the water at this ungodly hour, you’re buying me coffee.”
Apparently Michael wasn’t much of a morning person. He didn’t form full sentences, just grunted in response and pulled on the warm-ups and hoodie Ryan threw at him. Ryan wasn’t even sure that Michael realized whose clothes he put on.
“Move faster,” the sophomore smiled and packed his gym bag with an extra set of everything for Michael. “You’re slow as fuck in the morning.”
“Hnnn--” Michael grumbled, nearly asleep on his feet. He was dressed, though, and a nudge from Ryan got him to move in the direction of the door.
“Just be quiet until we get out of the house so we don’t wake Cullen,” Ryan warned as he grabbed both wallets and phone to shove in his bag. “It’s time to toss you in the water, sleeping beauty.”
“Shut up,” Michael yawned and rubbed at his eyes on their way down the stairs. “Didn’t sleep enough because you snore.”
“Do not,” Ryan whispered and pushed Michael out the front door so they could close it behind them. Cullen was dead to the world on the couch, thankfully, dressed in what Ryan thought was a pair of Gary’s obnoxious ducky pajamas. “Coffee is on the way, Mikey.”
“Thank god,” the messy-haired freshman mumbled and leaned on Ryan while they walked. It was early enough that there were very few students out, especially on Greek Row, so Ryan risked it and wrapped his arm around Michael’s narrow waist.
It felt good to have Michael pressed against him in the light of day. Not that Ryan was particularly shy about showing his interest, but the night before was the first time he’d ever shared a bed with someone without some manner of sexual favor being exchanged. It was different, and Ryan hadn’t been sure what to expect afterward, so he relaxed when he realized that nothing had changed. He didn’t want to think too much about it, though, especially not at 5:30am before he had a cup of coffee.
Pipes, the university coffee shop, had two campus locations: one in the Commons in the center of campus, and one at the end of Greek Row. Ryan was extremely happy he didn’t have to walk all the way across campus for his caffeine fix, and had developed a bad habit where he stopped in for the same thing every day.
“You’re here early, Ryan,” the blonde behind the counter waved when they entered the shop. “The usual?”
“You know me well. Thanks, Jen,” Ryan grinned when they reached the register. Apparently there was no line for coffee before the sun was up.
“What can I get for your friend?” Jen already had Ryan’s coffee on the counter and a blueberry muffin in a bag for him.
“Coffee,” Michael replied and looked at the too-perky-in-the-morning barista with a strange expression that made Ryan grin even wider. “Whatever your biggest size is.”
“Coming right up!” she filled a large cup from the coffee pot and placed it next to Ryan’s smaller cup on the counter. “Anything to eat this morning?”
“No,” Michael shook his head and patted his pockets in search of his wallet. “Crap, I forgot--”
Ryan held out the misplaced wallet, “Looking for this?”
“Thanks,” the younger man smiled fondly at Ryan, and the sophomore felt like the sun had come out when he turned to pay.
He knew there was a stupidly bright smile on his face, but he couldn’t be bothered to force it away. Not even when Jen winked knowingly at him.
“This is good,” Michael was a bit more talkative once he got some coffee into his system. It also meant Michael walked beside him rather than against him, which bummed Ryan out a little bit.
“Mmmhmm,” Ryan was a little preoccupied with his own coffee and delicious muffin.
The silence between them was comfortable while they crossed to the swim complex. It was a rare moment where Ryan didn’t feel the need to make conversation, because he knew Michael wouldn’t mind the quiet. And for once, he didn’t try to act the fool for attention. It was a weird realization to make about himself before 6am on a Tuesday, but it was liberating in a way. He made a mental note to think about that later.
***
“Hey Michael,” the guy at the front desk greeted them with only a cursory glance at the sophomore. “Swim team practice isn’t scheduled until one, Ryan.”
“Morning, Jordan,” Michael passed his student ID across the desk to be swiped. “Is Peter in the pool yet?”
Ryan’s annoyance with the desk guy - Jordan - was rarely an issue. Over the years he had gotten really good at ignoring people who thought he was dumb, but it was the fact he flirted with Michael and checked him out that put him a few notches higher on Ryan’s ‘I don’t like you’ list. “There’s nothing that says I can’t use the pool in the morning,” Ryan tried to be calm and passed his own ID across the desk.
“He isn’t usually in for another hour or so. I didn’t know you were friends,” Jordan glanced between Michael and Ryan before he handed back their cards. “I didn’t know you could be awake so early Ryan, not unless you’re coming off a party from last night.”
“Thanks man, I just met him last night but I’ve seen him around here sometimes. He seems cool,” Michael shrugged and glanced at Ryan. “Well I think I’m gonna hit the pool…”
Ryan realized belatedly that it could be understood that Jordan had meant PVK and Michael, but the look Jordan had given him made him think it was about himself and Michael. He still shot a dirty look back at the desk when he followed after the younger swimmer.
“Chill, Reezy,” Michael laid a hand on his arm when they were alone in the hallway. “He’s not worth it.”
“I just, like,” Ryan sighed. “I don’t like the guy. He’s always trying to make me feel dumb and shit.”
“I don’t think you’re dumb,” Michael bumped his shoulder against Ryan’s. “Now forget about him, we’re here to swim.”
“Jeah,” Ryan laughed when they made it to the empty locker room. “Over here,” he headed down to the last row where his locker was located. He twisted the combination lock open with practiced ease, “You get your locker soon, right?” The older swimmer tossed a speedo, one that was a little too small so he didn’t wear it often, to Michael. A cap and goggles followed quickly after.
“Thanks,” Michael grinned and changed, though he had the thought to turn his back to Ryan before he dropped his pants.
A naked ass was not an uncommon sight in the locker room, but Ryan generally made it a point not to ogle his teammates. It was much harder to look away when he wanted to grope and do all sorts of inappropriate things to the rounded flesh.
He must have made some sort of sound, because the bare skin was quickly covered by fabric and Michael’s cheeks were pink when he turned around.
“You can’t do that if the other guys are around-you’ll make me get a stiffy,” Michael’s ears burned red when he tried to admonish Ryan, and it only made the older swimmer want to say any variety of dirty things to see how far the blush could spread.
“Sorry, Mikey,” Ryan shrugged but the smugness in his voice was enough to tell Michael he really wasn’t sorry at all. His gaze lingered on the freshman for a long while as he studied the fine body displayed before him. “I was just enjoying the view.”
Michael made a quiet, choked sound. “Pool,” he reminded in a low voice. “And stop looking at me like that.”
Ryan didn’t want to stop looking, in fact he wanted to do a lot more than just look, but he knew in the back of his mind that Michael was right. There was a reason he had never mixed swimming and serious flirting before now. “You should go out there, I need a minute.” Or five, he thought to himself.
“Okay… I’ll see you on deck,” Michael turned to go, which left Ryan fully dressed and alone in the locker room while he sported a semi- from the visual stimulation.
“Fuck,” he groaned and let his head thump against the locker. He hadn’t had it so bad for someone since the pretty cheerleader his freshman year of high school. She’d made him a man, but five years later any thoughts about her quelled his arousal. It also left a sour taste in his mouth because any memory of her also included the fact that he’d walked in on her and the captain of the football team in the locker room a week later.
With his body once again under control, Ryan pushed those thoughts aside and changed quickly. The locker room next to the pool always smelled like chlorine and it made him itch to get in the water, so he shoved everything unceremoniously into his locker, grabbed both towels, and went out to stretch. He knew that a long swim would be just enough to get his mind sorted.
***
Michael was already in the pool when Ryan exited onto the pool deck so he dropped their towels on a chair near the starting blocks and stretched himself out. He spent a few extra minutes and paid attention to his left shoulder that had bothered him a little after the last few practices; he hoped that it was just a matter of not having stretched it enough in the past.
A quick drop into the water reminded him why he usually swam in the afternoons-the pool was about ten degrees too cold for his comfort level! Backstroke was Ryan’s stroke of choice to clear his head in the morning, so he didn’t plan for a full workout, just get some distance in. It took him a few laps to warm up, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as his arms and legs fell into the familiar motions. He thought about his classes for a while, what work he needed to get done, how long he could put it off, that sort of thing. He was at the university on an athletic scholarship, after all, and the team required a 2.5 minimum GPA, so being focused on classes wasn’t entirely unheard of for Ryan.
Eventually though, his thoughts wound up back on Michael. Ryan had flipped through Cullen’s freshman swimmers reference book before Rush, so he thought he knew what to expect. He thought Michael would be a dorky, awkward kid like the reference picture, but he decided that picture must have been at least a year old.
Funny teeth and large ears aside, Ryan had not expected the body that came with the name Michael Phelps. Perhaps he should have-the guide mentioned he trained with Bob Bowman, who was well-known in the swim community to be a slave driver. No one who survived Bob was anything less than perfection, a fact Ryan noticed first hand when he watched Michael swim the night before. When the freshman swam, he couldn’t look away from every flawless stroke and perfect kick. The others cheered and placed their bets because he was Michael Phelps, swimming prodigy (or progeny? Ryan thought he should probably find out).
Ryan had shouted and hollered with the rest of them, but the whole time he’d watched long, strong arms take huge strokes and move through the water like he was a fucking fish or something. He’d never seen anything like it; he’d never met anyone who became part of the water like Michael did. The urge to be close to Michael had actually surprised him by the sheer intensity of how much he wanted it.
The want was more than just physical, which he hadn’t planned for. Sure, Michael was fucking hot and he wanted a piece of that, even a blind dude could see it. But it was more than that. After the race, he’d needed to touch Michael any way he could, just to be close to him. He’d settled for what he had tried to play off as a friendly ruffle of the hair, but then Michael had leaned into him and he was hooked on just how simply and easily they had fallen into a comfortable position. Seated on the edge of the pool with his fingers in Michael’s hair, the younger swimmer leaned back against his shins, Ryan was comfortable. Happy even, with a warm feeling in the center of his chest. Then Cullen had stuck his nose in it.
Ryan kicked off the wall harder than he intended. He rarely got upset with his best friend, and usually got over it within about ten minutes, but the things Cullen had said didn’t sit right with him.
They’d argued on the patio about Michael and Ryan’s track record with guys he’s fucked (he never had a second night with any one of them). Cullen brought up the house, hazing, and sexual harassment. That had been the final straw for Ryan-he hadn’t done anything wrong, but Cullen assumed the worst!
Ryan had been more than a little tempted to tell Cullen to fuck himself then gone to kiss Michael in front of everyone, but he hadn’t. And that worked out better for him in the end, because Michael had come upstairs and searched for him instead. It wasn’t just Ryan, because Michael wanted him too.
It was easy between them, like it had been when they were in the pool. They laid in bed, listened to music, and talked a little. Once Ryan stopped thinking about the stuff Cullen said, it was comfortable with Michael next to him. They watched Dodgeball on Ryan’s laptop because it was right there and neither of them had to get up to turn it on, and at some point they had fallen asleep. It wasn’t a big deal. Michael was comfortable with it, so Ryan didn’t understand Cullen’s need to make it a big issue.
His thoughts were still tangled when a hand closed around his ankle and threw him entirely off rhythm. He flailed for a moment in the water before he rightened himself and peeled his goggles off so he could yell at the person.
Michael was in his lane, leaning heavily on the lane line as he laughed at Ryan. He laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen! “Sorry, just wanted to tell you I’ve gotta go,” Michael grinned and pointed to the deck, where the two gymnasts from the night before stood with gym bags.
The amused laughter made Ryan laugh at himself as well and he splashed water in Michael’s direction. “Oh, right. The combo is 1-11-21 if you want to get your stuff. Am I gonna see you later?”
“Seriously?” Michael grinned broadly, “I guess you can’t forget that! And yes, I’ll be at the house for poker night.”
“Cool,” Ryan smiled stupidly back at him. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Michael lingered there a moment longer, as if there was something else he wanted to say, but then the moment passed and he gave a little wave before he swam off again.
Something in Ryan’s stomach-probably that traitorous blueberry muffin-flip flopped. It took him far too long before he moved again, headed for the edge of the pool and the locker room, but by then Michael was long gone.