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It was another beautiful summer day.
Quackity usually loves spending summer out on the open waters because the cool ocean breeze keeps everything at just the right temperature. He loves to sit inside the captain's quarters to read or write, having the windows open to allow the breeze to come inside. Even when he's working, he's never had an issue with getting too hot, even underneath the glaring sun above.
The rest of Wilbur's crew, however, isn't like him. They can't seem to function if they don't go swimming at least once a week. The adults like Niki, Techno, Phil and Eret usually put up with it, but Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo and Fundy seem to complain every few minutes until Wilbur either drops anchor to allow the boys to swim or stops at a random, nearby island so they can go swimming.
Today happened to be one of those days.
Wilbur had pulled the ship near a nearby island—Floatsam Shores he believes it's called— and the crew jumped right into the waters. Everyone apart from Eret, who was keeping Quackity company where he sat on a rock in the shade of a palm tree. It was still hot though, the heat coming from the sand was still cooking them alive. Quackity kept telling Eret they didn't have to stay with him and they can join the others in the water, but Eret insists it's not a problem and that swimming isn't really their thing anyway.
So, for the past twenty minutes or so, Quackity has been watching everyone else splash around in the water, laughing and chatting about whatever. And while Quackity still had his deep fear of water, he couldn't help but wish he could join the others.
Of course, Wilbur seemed to be able to read his mind as the brunette walks over and sits down beside him, wearing the simple white outfit he wore underneath his coat and vests.
"You're really hot, Quackity." He says while putting an arm around his shoulders.
Quackity nearly chokes on his breath from the sudden compliment while Eret simply laughs at it.
"Wow, so charming!" He says mostly sarcastically, although he knows Wilbur has told him that genuinely multiple times now, he just wasn't used to it yet.
Wilbur smiles. "I mean, you are hot in that regard, but I also mean temperature wise," Wilbur points out as he brushes Quackity's bangs out of his face. "Your cheeks are slightly flushed. Why not hop in the water with me?"
Quackity looks at him pointedly. "Nice try, but I can't swim. Remember?"
Wilbur shrugs. "Nothing is stopping you from learning though. I could even teach you!"
Quackity scoffs with a playful smirk. "I don't think your instructions will be very helpful with a tail."
"Ah, but if you recall, I still knew how to swim even before I got cursed! Just because I have a tail now doesn't mean I can't teach you!"
Quackity shakes his head with a light chuckle before looking back at the rest of the group that was still playing in the water. He lightly bites his bottom lip as he seriously thinks about it. He knows he'll need to learn at some point, it'll just be a useful skill to have were something bad to happen (especially considering he was supposed to have already known how to swim in order to be Navy in the first place), but it still just terrified him.
Wilbur's expression softens as he saw his boyfriend's conflicted expression. "You don't have to, of course. But I'm always ready to help you when you want to learn. It's really not so bad once you get the hang of it!"
Quackity inhales deeply before letting out a harsh sigh, shaking his head. "Aw, the heck... fine! I'll do it. I'll let you teach me."
Wilbur's expression brightens with excitement.
"But," Quackity rushes to add. "We go slow! No rushing to move on when I'm not ready!"
Wilbur nods. "Of course, I'd never rush you. We'll take it as slow as you want, I promise." He reassures, placing a kiss on top of Quackity's head.
-
Wilbur had gotten into the water first, his tail taking shape as he kneels in the shallow part of the water as Quackity still stood on the shore.
"We'll start by simply just getting you to touch the water. Just go deep enough for the water to go up to your ankles for now," He explains, gently encouraging Quackity to continue.
The black haired man takes another deep breath as he carefully touches the water with his toe before immediately jumping back with a yelp and a shiver.
"It's cold!"
Wilbur snorts. "Yeah, you're not really ever gonna get warm water in the ocean. It'll feel good once you get used to it!"
Quackity eventually pushes forward and walks far enough for the water to reach his ankles, causing him to shiver a bit as he gets used to the temperature and tries to calm his nerves. The waves lap against his feet and he has to admit, it feels somewhat nice, especially now that he's getting used to it.
Slowly but surely, Quackity eventually gets the water up to his chest, barely able to touch the sand on his tippy-toes, and he takes deep breaths as he tries to calm his racing heart. Wilbur floated right in front of him, keeping him secure by resting his hands gently on the shorter man's hips, waiting until he was ready.
"Just let me know when you're ready," Wilbur reminds him gently.
Quackity takes a few more deep breaths before he nods. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Wilbur gently grabs his arms and starts bringing Quackity out into the deeper water, and he tries not to panic as he is no longer able to feel the ground beneath him. Wilbur brings him in close enough that Quackity is able to wrap his arms around Wilbur's neck and allow himself to be carried out into the deeper waters, the brunettes smooth tail brushing against his legs in the process.
Quackity couldn't help but look down at what was visible of the tail from above the water. Wilbur was still a little self-conscious with having it visible around the others but Quackity just thinks it makes him look even more beautiful.
Once they were a decent way away from the shore, something that caused Quackity's heart to beat even faster if that was possible, Wilbur stops so that they're gently bobbing up and down in place.
"Alright, we'll start with treading water. Once you know how to tread water, you can very easily avoid drowning!" Wilbur explains. "Are you ready?"
Quackity nods quickly. "Yeah, yeah I guess so."
So Wilbur walks him through what to do, telling him to kick his legs back and forth and flap his arms in just the right way that keeps him afloat.
"Be sure to not do it too fast or else you'll just tire yourself out. You want a steady rhythm and to keep taking deep breaths." He adds while hovering closely as Quackity practices treading water himself. He had been freaked out at first but as he started to get the hang of it, his expression softened as he got more comfortable with the motions. Wilbur let him keep going until he had pretty much mastered it, and grabbed him by the waist once he got too tired to continue, allowing him to rest for a moment.
Wilbur smiles and tilts his head. "See? Now was that so bad?"
Quackity shrugs while looking down at the water. "I guess not."
"If you're ever in a position where you can't swim anywhere, just stay put and focus on keeping your head above the water." Wilbur explains, earning a soft snort from the shorter male who looks up at him.
"I know that. They taught us that in training."
Wilbur raises an eyebrow at him. "Yes, but there's a difference between being taught something and actually doing! When they taught us that they all assumed you would have already known how to swim." Wilbur chuckles. "Still have no idea how you managed to get in without them knowing."
Quackity grins. "It's all about confidence! You're the one that taught me that!"
Wilbur's smile and expression softens. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
Quackity nods, his own expression also softening as the two of them stared into each other's eyes. It went on like this for a while with the two of them simply staring at each other in silence, bobbing gently in the waves, both of them shivering slightly from the cold water and staying in one place, but neither of them seemed to mind.
Eventually though, Wilbur blinks and they snap out of their little gazing session. He clears his throat. "Alright, well, do you want to do some more today or do you want to be done for now?"
Quackity smiles sheepishly. "Honestly, I really want to be done for today! I think learning to tread water was enough for me!"
"Of course," Wilbur nods and he swims them back to shore. Quackity breathes a sigh of relief as soon as he's able to feel the ground under his feet again and he gets out as quickly as he can, collapsing onto the sandy shore with a big huff.
"Oh wonderful, warm sand! How I missed you!"
"Hey, why don't you ever react to me like that??" Wilbur asks, a smile on his face as he drags himself onto the shore, leaning back on his arms so that he can dry and get his legs back.
"Because the sand is steady and warm!" Quackity replies as he stands up and shakes off the sand that got on him, using the water to wash off the sand that was stuck in his hair.
"You say that like you don't ask for cuddles every night," Wilbur points out with a smirk, letting out a small yelp as Quackity flings water at him.
"Shush! The others don't need to know about that!" He says, scolding him in a stage whisper.
"Oh trust me, Quackity, they know."
That earned him another water flick which causes him to laugh brightly. Quackity was laughing too, feeling better after today.
Maybe learning to swim won't be so bad.