Chapter Text
Andrés never knew how to swim. He never needed it. Being poor, swimming was a luxury his mother couldn't afford. After her painful death, Andrés couldn't afford to learn to swim because all the money was spent for Sergio's treatment.
It went on like that for several years and Andrés had no problem with it.
Until he met Martín.
*
"Okay, so first try to float," the woman who was teaching him and Martín to swim, instructed Andrés who was trying to keep his face above the water and failing.
One night, Martín had asked him if he knew how to swim. Andrés was taken aback by the question but replied in negative. Martín had looked at him as if he was some kind of alien and then burst out laughing.
Even after Andrés had threatened, scolded and insulted Martín, that hijo de puta never stopped laughing at him. Embarrassed and angry, Andrés left for his room with Martín's laughter still ringing in his ears .
"Legs up, core strong," she instructed them. Martín was doing this with ease which made Andrés suspicious that he did know how to swim but was merely pretending. The bastard.
"Why are we doing this again?" Andrés asked her, breathing heavily. It had been too long, his muscles were burning and he was nowhere even close to swimming. Martín was not even out of breath and was trying to stifle his laughter.
"So that you don't die by drowning. Now try to float!"
The very next day, Martín burst into his room and dragged him away in their car. When Andrés had asked him where they were going, Martín had replied with a wink and said that it was a surprise.
Turns out Martín had contacted Jakov. Jakov knew a woman who had a swimming pool and owed a favour to him for saving her life. The woman, whose name was Gabriela, had agreed to keep her mouth shut and to teach them swimming in exchange for a good sum of money as her payment.
"How about," Andrés asked, still heaving, "we will continue this tomorrow?"
"One more time," she replied.
*
One more time . Her words and the impact they carried led Andrés to learn swimming in four months. Martín, as it turned out, did know how to swim but still attended all the sessions with Andrés to support him.
Martín would encourage Andrés when he wanted to give up and sometimes would even go as far as provoking him so that Andrés would push himself harder.
Later on, she taught them how to perfect their techniques and when the time came to say goodbye to her, Andrés asked her out.
But he was rejected because she was a married- to a woman.
Martín found the entire thing hilarious. Andrés didn't.
*
With time, Andrés and Martín found a sweet escape in swimming. It helped them with creating ideas for heists and kept them in shape. They would sometimes float, talk and sometimes even race which left their muscles and lungs burning but hearts happier.
Sometimes, when Sergio would visit them, they dragged him along in the swimming sessions which always made Sergio uncomfortable and Martín would have fun at Sergio's expense.
Sergio never liked that.
*
In that time, Andrés had gotten married and divorced two times. But he never swam with any of his wives. That was always reserved for Martín.
It had become their own thing. Just like planning the heist at the Bank of Spain.
*
(But this happiness wasn't going to last too long.)
*
Because Sergio, who had his doubts about Andrés' diagnosis from 2011, would ask him to get it done again in 2014.
This time, he was tested positive for Helmer's Myopathy which led Andrés to fall for a pianist named Tatiana and marry her.
*
(And it only went downhill from here.)
*
Andrés and Martín were desperately trying to convince Sergio of their heist at the Bank of Spain but were unsuccessful.
In the meantime, Sergio, who himself was planning to rob the Royal Mint, wanted his brother to lead the heist. So he brought his brother to reality and convinced him to let go of the gold.
*
It ended with Andrés violently ripping Martín's heart out and calling off their plan.