Work Text:
Everyday, like clockwork, Theo watches Intak dive in to feed the fish. There were other divers amongst him he could choose to focus on, but Intak’s mannerisms were entertaining. He has a certain way of doing things that wasn’t wrong, but wasn’t quite right either. While Theo may not have been a diver himself, he was sure Intak was the clumsiest diver in the whole aquarium. Fish aren’t aggressive or threatening animals, yet Intak always found ways to get hurt. Like, he might stub his toe just before his leap into the water, or some other common error that puts his inexperience on display.
At some point, Intak seemed to notice that. Theo didn’t think he was particularly obvious about his observing of Intak, which only led him to believe Intak only noticed him because he, too, was staring. Intak approached him first, very directly. The first time they ever spoke, he outright asked, “Are you staring at me?” Theo remembers being shocked for a moment, but doing his best to hide any emotion. Theo almost missed Intak that day; he wouldn’t have been in the staff’s locker room at the same time if it weren’t for getting splashed with so much water at the daily dolphin show, and he had to excuse himself to dry off. Their schedules weren’t aligned whatsoever. Intak had been working there for a long time before Theo even laid eyes on him. There were only a few times a day that they saw one another; it was from a distance, and it was when Intak dove. They both had towels hung around their necks, drenched.
“Yeah,” was how Theo had answered Intak's question. There was no point in lying when already caught; that was how Theo understood the situation. Being aware of the fact that they typically never crossed paths, it wasn’t concerning to him. Theo wasn’t tense whatsoever, Intak on the other hand, Theo strongly recalled looked like a blood vessel might just burst. Such a visible reaction was laughable, but Theo didn’t allow himself to laugh at his face, though.
One detail Theo can’t seem to recall was who leaned in for the first time, though he certainly remembers using the towel around Intak’s neck as leverage. During that kiss was the first time Theo didn’t see Intak as an inexperienced bumbling nitwit. Then, when they inevitably did pull away from each other, Theo’s hands had gripped so tightly onto that towel that Intak wasn’t able to stand up straight. That’s where it began, months and months leading up to now.
Intak must’ve thought Theo had forgotten how different their schedules are, because he had begun showing up on purpose during times he knew Theo would be in the locker room. It was so painfully obvious, and even more embarrassing was how Intak pretended it was all pure coincidence. First, it happened a few times a week: ‘Oh, hey, Theo, you’re in here too, huh?’ ‘I didn’t notice you were here,’ ‘funny how we keep bumping into each other.’ Each time, he would have the same bashful smile on his face. Theo played along, acted like he didn’t know at all. Intak started showing up so often, so routinely, and eventually, he didn’t provide any reasoning at all. Theo never asked for one either.
Last week, Theo had actually stumbled upon Intak in the locker room by mistake, something that certainly couldn’t be said about any other of their meetings. Intak was still in his wetsuit, his breathing was coarse, hair was slicked down from pushing it out of his face with wet hands. His suit was zipped halfway down, a large portion of his chest exposed as a result. Theo approached suspiciously towards the bench where Intak was sitting by himself.
“Are you ok?” Theo questioned. Intak looked at Theo, then immediately reached for his zipper frantically. Jumbling around like a total fool. “Relax, it’s not anything I haven’t seen already,” Theo says.
“I was underwater for too long,” Intak huffs out, “didn’t,” huff, “realize,” he finishes.
Theo sighs, “You always make stupid mistakes like that.” Intak swallows hard. He stares as if he wants Theo to say more, but Theo doesn’t. “If you weren’t like that, I wouldn’t have noticed you in the first place,” Theo admits.
Intak’s breath has started to reach stability, and he begins to perk up. “Really?” Theo nods.
“Let’s dry you off,” Theo states. Intak stays put on the bench as Theo leaves, then promptly returns with a towel. Theo admittedly does actually dry him off a lot; he can’t without taking the whole suit off, so he’s still slightly damp by the time Theo is done. Intak smiles the whole time, dumbly. The man was easy to please. Theo hangs the towel around Intak’s neck, a force of habit.
“Theo, can I come over today after work?” Intak asks, giggling a bit.
“Again?” Theo questions.
“You don’t have to say yes, no pressure…” Intak trails off. Theo pauses before ultimately humming in agreement. Intak’s so thrilled, he almost falls backwards off the bench. That’s another thing, something that’s been happening as of late. Somehow, they had gone from making out in the locker rooms here and there to going home to Theo’s apartment together.
The first time Intak had come over, it was another ridiculous scenario. Intak had told Theo that he had crashed his bike that morning and that the walk was much too far. Asked him if Theo’s place was nearby. Intak was a bad, perhaps even awful liar. Though Theo had found it oddly charming how desperate he was. There was a lot Theo liked about Intak, but it was mainly his awkward charm that he seemed so entranced by.
There was one time when Intak found out that Theo liked fishing and invited him to go with him. When they went, Intak got not a single fish. There were a variety of things like that, things Intak was comically bad at, but when Intak was good at something, he was truly amazing.
After the work day is over, Intak and Theo meet in the locker room once again to head out together. Intak reaches for Theo’s hand, which Theo accepts, leading the way. Upon reaching the apartment, Theo takes his shoes off in front of the door, Intak soon thereafter doing the same.
By now, Theo had gotten used to the way Intak looked outside of his wetsuit, but before, it came as a big shock. Outside of work attire, and with his hair actually dry, he looked seriously handsome. Not that Theo didn’t like seeing Intak in the glove-fitted suit he wore, but he appreciated both versions of Intak for different reasons.
Theo walks over to the couch and sits down. Intak trails close behind. He doesn’t even have to say commands aloud anymore; Intak just follows. Theo doesn’t have to tell Intak to pull him up into his lap either; he just does. Intak planted his hands gently on either side of Theo’s waist. There’s a certain rhythm that Theo’s created within Intak, one that he’s proud to compose. Each note so perfectly measured, a symphony is created.
Another thing Theo has learned from all of the days he and Intak have done this, Intak never pulls away first. Never. Ever. The fact that today he had almost drowned himself wasn’t surprising considering that. Theo pulled back at the thought. “It’s not enough for you, is it?” Theo asks, only slightly out of breath.
Intak returns with his own question, “What’s not enough?”
“You want more than this, don’t you?” Theo continues. Intak’s eyes trace Theo’s face, lost. “You like me?”
“Of course I like you,” Intak responds seriously, nodding. He nodded as if Theo had said something offensive.
“Ask me out,” Theo states bluntly. Intak’s eyes widened.
Intak doesn’t question any further than that, just sincere compliance. “Theo, can I be your boyfriend?” Nice wording, that was worth extra points. Theo smiles and nods, grabbing Intak by the face and giving him a kiss on his cheek, and then another, followed by another on the other side, until they’re both laughing so much Theo has to stop. “Are you for real? I get to date you?” Intak checks.
“Don’t ask dumb questions,” he warns, then briefly pauses before adding, “But yes, I am serious,” Theo says. Intak excitedly wraps his arms around Theo, rocking him side to side in his arms.
“Ah, hey, this is all thanks to my handsomeness, right?” Intak teases. Theo shoves him away playfully, shaking his head.