Work Text:
Antiope is the one who makes Diana get the job.
“You spend all your time running with headphones on, or with your nose in a book. You might as well do something new over the summer. You’re a good swimmer, you’d make a good lifeguard.”
“I’m doing something new,” Diana argues. “I’m going to learn Danish.”
Antiope rolls her eyes. “Why?” she asks, exasperated. “Just try it. It might be fun. You can put it on your college applications.”
This is a good point.
The first day on the job, Diana is introduced to her coworker, Sammy. He’s just wrapped up his freshman year in college, majoring in theater and minoring in education. He leads children’s swim classes on the other side of the pool, and Diana hangs out by the deep end in her fire-engine-red swimsuit, making sure nobody dies.
The first few weeks are fine. Kids wade around in their water wings, Diana yells at them to tell them not to run, she gets free ICEEs from the snack shack. The squeak of flip-flops becomes constant background noise to her and Sammy’s banter.
“My roommates are coming to visit today,” Sammy tells Diana while they’re sitting on the counter of the snack shack one July morning, stealing M&Ms and potato chips before their shift starts.
“That’s exciting,” Diana says, tossing a red M&M in the air and catching it on her tongue. “Have you missed them?”
Sammy rolls his eyes. “Puh-lease. I’ve been enjoying the break from them.” The annoyance fades and he winks. “I’m kidding. They’re fun. You’ll like them.”
Diana can guess who Steve and Charlie are when they walk through the gate. Her first clue is Sammy calling their names and running up to them to do the whole bro-handshake-hug combination. Her second clue is when they all simultaneously burst out into a sailor’s song, which is, well, unexpected. And also nothing that the usual pool frequenters would do, considering that they’re usually ten-year-olds or exhausted parents.
They talk, though Diana can’t hear what they’re saying from the top of the lifeguard stand, and her attention is mostly on the two children wrestling each other dangerously close to the pool’s edge.
Soon, Sammy has returned to his swim class, entertaining the children with his impression of a pirate. Charlie is poking Steve, as he tries to read on one of the chairs.
Diana drags her attention away from Steve, even though he’s impeccably good looking and she wouldn’t mind staring at him for an extended period of time.
In fact, she ignores him almost entirely, until he jumps into the pool and starts drowning.
She’s on autopilot, diving in and swimming over to his body. Diana wraps her arms around him and carries him to the side of the pool, hoisting him over the side and following, pressing her mouth to his to begin CPR.
Steve suddenly gasps, and sits up, and then he’s coughing and breathing again and Charlie’s by his side, saying, “I told you that you couldn’t swim.” Steve shoves him aside.
“Shut up, Charlie,” he says. Then, he turns to Diana. “I’m Steve, it’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Diana. Nice to know you’re…alive,” she manages.
“I owe you one for that,” Steve admits. “How about dinner?”
Diana squints. “Are you asking me out?” she questions, bluntly.
Steve looks over at Charlie, raising a brow. “…Yes?”
She shrugs. “Okay. My shift ends at five.”