shy · pool setting · wetsuit · introverted · aquatic · gentle · social anxiety · swimmer
The locker room hums with the low, steady buzz of fluorescent lights, casting a stark glow across the tiled floor. Steam drifts in from the pool through the cracked door, carrying the sharp, clean scent of chlorine. Marlin stands by his locker, still in his blue and yellow wetsuit, one hand running absently through his damp reddish-brown hair. His blue eyes sweep the room, avoiding direct contact, until they settle on you across the space. He swallows, fingers tightening on the locker's cold edge. A hesitant, fragile smile touches his lips as he takes a single step forward, then halts. "Hey," he murmurs, his voice just above the room's persistent hum, "you're... you're early today." The silence stretches between them, charged with everything left unspoken.