Work Text:
“Let me get this straight,” Shimo starts, ignoring the way Suko snorts. She flicks her tail at him, and he grabs onto it and holds. She indulges without turning away from the great ape. “You’re telling me, after all that we’ve been through, you still can’t swim?”
Kong scowls at her befuddled state. “Why do you insist on making things up about me? Are you trying to make me look bad?” He complains, sweeping an arm out in a broad gesture. She just sort of blinks at the answer. It clearly isn’t what she was looking for, but frankly, she has enough ammunition on him to last her the rest of his natural life, and he has no intention of making her stash even worse.
They’re gathered around the crystal pool inside Hollow Earth, basking about the sandy ground while enjoying the heat. Even with the recent Titan activity, Godzilla says the surface is still much warmer than usual, and it’s reflected within their inner realms too. An unfortunate byproduct of the symbiotic relationship of the two worlds, but at least it’s easy enough to tell when things are getting even remotely better, climate wise, on the surface.
The water in the pool is comfortably cool compared to the air pressing down on them, which would make the entire experience all the more refreshing if not for one itty bitty issue.
“I’m not trying to make you look bad. You just can’t swim. I’m telling you the truth.” Shimo informs him. She’s sprawled out in the sand, head formerly resting on a pile of rocks, now raised to glare judgmentally at him. Suko rests near her back, engrossed in whatever game he’s playing that now involves her tail. She has the patience of a saint with Suko.
“I can swim!” He protests, dignity on the line. The sky is near cloudless, white puffs strewn haphazardly across brilliant blue. “I can swim, Shimo! What is your issue?”
“Oh? Prove it. Swim.” She challenges, a steely glint in her gaze as their eyes meet. He refuses to back down now. “Go on. Into the water with you.” She’s smiling, and she has far too many teeth.
He breaks contact first, turning to observe the water with thinly veiled distaste. The water itself is peaceful, save the occasional wave from the flick of a familiar black tail. Godzilla has yet to emerge from the water since descending ages ago, which is totally fine and totally normal, and it really has nothing to do with Kong’s hesitation. If anything, it’s more of a comfort knowing the other Titan is there.
Because Shimo is sort of right. He can’t really swim.
He can swim! But not particularly well. And the last time he went for a dip, Suko had led him directly into a monster that wanted to eat him. He’s not exactly keen on a repeat, even if the only monster in the water right now is kind of cute.
Besides, he doesn’t need to swim well. There is never a threat in the water Godzilla cannot personally handle, and Shimo is more than capable of swimming. He has no reason to dive in, so why start now?
Suko can swim, apparently. Which is unfortunate to know, actually, since now that makes him the second worst swimmer, only ahead of Mothra, who has the legitimate excuse of heavy when water-logged wings.
Just… Unfortunate.
Being in last place is mildly embarrassing. Not that he minds losing to Godzilla (for a wide variety of reasons, including but not limited to: he needs to kiss the king senseless), and Shimo’s somehow proficient at any task given to her, but Suko? Really?
He turns to stare reproachfully at the smaller ape, of whom is decidedly not paying attention, too busy wrestling Shimo’s tail to the ground in a chokehold type fashion. Shimo winces, though she doesn’t look away from Kong himself. It’s slightly unnerving.
“No thank you,” He tells her instead of all that. “My fur has only just dried. I would hate to get water into our nest. Too cold, isn’t it?”
“I hate you.” Shimo says.
“I’m going to tell Mothra you said that.” Kong informs her immediately. Her face falls into one of genuine nerves without missing a beat. “I’m going to tell Mothra AND I’m going to shake my wet fur over your nest.”
Shimo lunges for him, dragging Suko along behind her as she tackles him into the sand, sending all three of them pivoting violently toward the water. Suko hollers in a mixture of surprise and delight. Kong just screams.
They’re exceptionally lucky the ground is soft enough to brawl on, though not so lucky when Suko snatches up a giant rock and leverages it like a throwing ball. Shimo immediately releases him and springs out of the way, leaving Kong to turn, baffled, and barely avoid catching the rock with his face. Suko shrieks a laugh, though it quickly turns to just a plain shriek when Kong charges at him in response to his call, tossing the little ape onto and over his shoulder to march toward the water.
“Ah,” Shimo says, seated calmly now as if she hadn’t been the one to start this whole mess. “I thought you weren’t getting wet?”
“Shut up,” Kong grouses, dumping Suko into the lake. The resulting splash soaks his legs and half his lower body, but it’s entirely worth it for the yowl of annoyance Suko releases before being temporarily submerged. The action forces ripples in every possible direction. Kong has only the briefest of moments to feel even slightly apologetic for Godzilla, of whom had been content under the surface for hours now, before the beast is erupting from the depths, creating new waves as he shakes water off his face. Kong snatches Suko out of the water before he gets hauled away by an unfortunately large wave, though the result is a soaked chest and arms for his troubles.
From a safe distance away on the shore, Shimo audibly snorts, dry and content to stay that way. “Now that you’re soaked, why not take an actual dip?” She calls out, as Kong deposits Suko back on the ground once the waves die down.
“Stay away from me forever,” Kong calls back to her, wiping residual splashes off his face with wet arms. Suko giggles at the face he makes. “She’s so disrespectful.”
“I think so too.” Suko agrees wisely, because he knows better than to actually involve himself in their petty squabbles. And then, because he’s been spending too much time with Auntie Shimo, “It must be hard, not knowing how to swim.”
For a moment, Kong truly considers the ramifications of becoming childfree.
Suko is saved by Godzilla finally emerging from the lake, water cascading down his back as he stomps back to shore. Godzilla is beautiful all the time, but the sun dances across dark scales and Kong is unfortunately a goner no matter what.
“Close your mouth.”
Shimo says, suddenly standing beside him. Suko is already seated comfortably on her back, picking dirt and sand out of his own fur.
He does so with a snap. She snorts when he wrenches his eyes away from his King to glare at her, even if she looks away immediately, a smug look on her stupid face.
“Too noisy,” Godzilla rumbles, also suddenly very close to him. Kong turns again to face him, but the other Titan has a very sharp smile. “What did you do to poor Suko?”
Kong is not about to throw a fit over everyone questioning his parenting decisions, even if the one asking in question is, by all accounts, also Suko’s parent, but he does groan and shake his head. “Nothing. He was asking for it.”
“No.” Suko, the little snitch, says from the safety of Shimo’s back. “Unprovoked.”
There’s an amused sort of glitter in Godzilla’s eye. Kong thinks his heart is going to burst out of his chest if the other doesn’t stop looking at him like that. “Oh?”
Apparently Kong’s entire personally built family likes his partner more than him, because Suko has no problem announcing to the world that, “Because he can’t swim. He’s jealous everyone else can swim.”
“Okay, no, wait,” Kong interrupts, holding both hands in front of himself defensively when everyone turns to look at him in varying degrees of judgment. “I CAN swim. I just don’t want to swim.”
“He can’t swim.” Shimo tells Godzilla, who just blinks.
“Why are we lying today? Are we just not listening today?” Kong complains broadly. The sun is getting unbearably warm, or maybe he’s extremely embarrassed now. Or both. It may very well be both.
“You can’t swim?” Godzilla asks him, genuinely sounding puzzled.
“Oh my God.” Kong says, despondent.
“He can’t.” Suko says cheerfully.
To his credit, Godzilla doesn’t immediately jump on the opportunity to tease him, but he does eye him critically for a moment before turning back to Suko. “I can’t swim either.”
Suko stares at him, eyes bigger than ever before. “Yes you can.”
“No. I’m just really good at floating.” Godzilla tells him, sort of hushed, like he’s letting the kid in on some big secret. “... And sinking.”
The newfound “secret” is clearly ruining Suko’s life, because the smaller ape looks between Kong and Godzilla, clearly mortified by the turn of events, though the heaviest shade of judgment is now reserved for Godzilla, who clearly does not care in the slightest. Shimo huffs a laugh, turning to make her way back to dry land with Suko still on her back. The kid doesn’t even protest, too busy adapting to an entirely new secret as his world falls apart before him.
Kong waits until they’re a reasonable distance away before speaking again. “Thank you.”
Godzilla has never been terribly good at talking, so he just tilts his head in understanding, though he’s still looking at Kong curiously out of the corner of his eye. “Can you swim?” He asks, and it’s an oddly gentle question for someone so sharp.
“Yes,” Kong says, stressing the word. He’s been asked a few times too many.
“Do you want to swim?” Godzilla asks after a pause, another curious question that’s spoken in a tone reserved only for Kong and sometimes Suko.
“Not really.” Kong admits after another moment of silence. He has no interest in diving under the waves, no real interest in paddling into open water. He’s not like Godzilla, who gets grouchy after too long on dry land, or like Suko, who enjoys splashing around in the water. There’s nothing wrong with the solid ground beneath his feet.
Godzilla nods again, a quiet gesture that speaks volumes to his maturity and wisdom, slinking back into water that’s just deep enough to float in. It’s still just shallow enough to stand in, so Kong tags along after him, even if the water is brushing against his shoulders and he’s waterlogged and slow. Godzilla cracks one eye open to peer at him with a curious rumble that Kong answers in kind, rather mindlessly, as he watches the King float idly in front of him.
“You don’t have to come out.” Godzilla tells him, as they settle into a comfortable silence. “Now you’re all wet.”
“No,” Kong agrees, still just watching the other. “That’s okay.”
“Okay.” Godzilla says.
“Okay.” Kong repeats. Godzilla flicks water at him with the tip of his tail. Kong grits his teeth and takes it. The resulting huff is an overwhelmingly fond sound.
Since things had settled down on the surface, Godzilla has spent a lot of time inside of Hollow Earth with the rest of them. He claims to heal faster down here, which is probably true enough, but Kong is pretty sure the King actually just enjoys spending time with them and is too embarrassed to admit it out loud. Which is fine, because it’s funny. It also means he gets to share a nest with the other Titan much more frequently, which is the best possible outcome of the entire situation. Kong gets a date, Godzilla gets a nap, and Rodan gets peace and quiet on the surface. A win for everyone involved!
Rodan’s been terribly stressed recently. Poor guy probably just needs a break from the other surface-bound Titans. Kong would feel crazy if he shared an environment with gossip-champion Na Kika, too. Granted, Shimo is really just as bad, if not worse, so he supposes everyone sort of loses that battle in some way.
Godzilla remains quiet for the majority of the afternoon, content to let small waves push him gently through the water. Kong splits his time pretty evenly, standing near where Godzilla floats and kicking rocks on the shore with Suko. He’s almost positive Godzilla is probably lying about being fully recovered, so he really doesn’t press, just lets the other Titan do as he wishes without argument. They’ll have plenty of time to spend together once they settle in for the night, anyway.
He does not miss his partner when they’re separated only by a small body of water.
“This could all be solved if you learned how to swim.” Shimo reminds him when he apparently glances just a bit too longingly back at the lake.
He does not grace her with a response, just waves her off with one hand. She tries to bite him. Suko giggles wickedly at the act. She nips at him too, though much gentler.
His fur is waterlogged and heavy, dripping onto the ground around him for hours as he lays in the sun in a desperate attempt to dry off. Having scales must be so nice on days like this, when the sun beats down on the world, an oppressive mix of hot and humid that makes it sort of hard to breathe at times. Suko seems alright, building a cave out of sand with Shimo, of whom indulges the young ape without too much complaint. It gives Kong time to rest, picking sand out of his fur as he stares at the sky.
The sun sinks against the horizon slowly, signaling an end to the day as Shimo takes Suko home to the caves with a knowing glint in her eyes. Kong just waves her off, content to wait alone. Suko is half asleep, anyways.
The sky is alight with colors that dance across the clouds, pinks and purples and blues that mix into a floating ocean of warm color, when Godzilla finally exits the lake. His dorsal plates blend in with the sky behind him as he picks his way carefully over to Kong with a soft-sounding rumble.
“Didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” Godzilla tells him, settling gently onto the beach next to him. Kong shuffles to the side a bit to make room, on his back to stare into the fading light.
“No, no.” Kong huffs, prodding at Godzilla’s leg with one finger. The King growls playfully. “Shimo took Suko home. I think Mothra is stopping by tonight.”
Godzilla nods in understanding, eyes fixed on him with an intensity that almost makes him shy. “You’re still wet.” He notes, a curious lilt to his voice.
Kong shrugs one shoulder, glancing at the other. “I have a lot of fur.” He points out mildly. Godzilla makes a displeased sound after nudging him. Having thick fur is a blessing during colder months, but it’s disgustingly hot outside this time of year, and drying his fur is the biggest nightmare ever. “It’ll dry. Are we going home now?”
Godzilla nods, standing again as Kong rolls back to his feet. He leans his shoulder against Godzilla’s side, beyond pleased when the other Titan remains still as he settles against his scales. The King has always been outrageously warm, sometimes to the point of it being uncomfortable sharing a nest, but it’s a welcomed heat tonight as his fur drips lake water onto the ground below him.
It’s mostly quiet as they make their way back to the caves, broken occasionally by a soft word or two. The sun has long since set by the time the cliff is visible, the moon strung high above them, casting a warm hue across the world.
“You’re not a strong swimmer.” Godzilla says, completely out of the blue.
Kong turns to stare at him, almost affronted. “Seriously?”
The other blinks once, twice, and then shakes his head. “I just meant it as, you can still learn to swim. If you wanted to. It’s hot here.” He huffs, turning to hide his face. Godzilla is larger than life itself, but he seems very small sometimes.
Kong thinks it’s funny. He’s never going to tell anyone that, though. “… Oh.” He says, somewhat stupefied. “Are you offering to teach me how to swim?”
Godzilla just huffs and turns a little further away.
Kong’s heart is about to blow up in his chest. “You are!” He crows, and then shoves his still-drying face into Godzilla’s neck. The King of Monsters just lets it happen with a mildly irritated growl. “And here I was thinking Shimo was my last hope. I hope you’re ready to save my life.”
Godzilla smiles, teeth sharp and shiny in the moonlight. Kong thinks he’s the prettiest thing on any version of Earth.
“Start tomorrow?” He asks, offering his hand to Godzilla, palm up. The King takes it after a moment, allowing Kong to tug him up the inner path to the highest levels of the cavern. Torches line the wall, previously lit by the other apes that live there.
It’s quiet in the caves, to their surprise. No petty squabbles to break up, a change from the damn near nightly cleaning sessions they’re forced to do. Everyone must be asleep already. Kong sends Godzilla to their shared cave and checks on Suko, who’s sprawled out across his nest, arms out of said nest and mouth wide open. He chuckles at the sight, withdrawing to join his partner in their section.
Godzilla is settled into the nest, back facing the entryway, a wide space available between him and the wall, clearly saved for Kong, who shakes himself out a few times before damn near diving into the nest of branches and fur. It’s shockingly warm, but a quick sniff tells him it’s Godzilla’s scent. They’re both as quiet as possible as he arranges himself into the branches and slings an arm over the other with a half-hearted yawn. Godzilla flicks a heavy tail over Kong’s legs. The fond feeling erupting in his chest has yet to dissipate. He thinks it’s only ever growing stronger.
“You don’t have to learn to swim if you don’t want to.” Godzilla muses, a quiet sound. Kong shuffles a tiny bit closer to hear better. “You don’t like when your fur gets wet because it’s heavy.”
It’s nice to know someone actually listens to his incoherent ramblings, actually. “I should. Who’s going to help Suko in the water?”
“I would.” Godzilla yawns, showcasing sharp teeth before settling back down. Kong blinks at him. “You like Suko.”
It’s really just that simple, isn’t it?
“Okay.” He says. “Help me swim better, and then we both help Suko.”
An amused huff is the response he gets before getting whacked once more by a heavy tail. No real response, but the silence speaks louder than Godzilla would have in this situation, anyway.
“Please don’t let me bring water back into the nest. That’s all I’m asking for.”
“Okay.”
“… And don’t leave me out there.”
“Shimo will get you.” Godzilla says, eyes closed.
“No she will not. She’ll let me fight my way back and you know it.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious. And don’t let Shimo anywhere near me.”
Godzilla is most certainly asleep. He’s not a particularly skilled actor. Kong pokes his face gently to confirm and when Godzilla doesn’t bite his finger, he decides the King is fully asleep.
Shifting slightly to rest on his back, he stares at the ceiling, flames from just outside the room sending light flickering across the rocky cavern. The exit is hidden behind the sleeping mass that is Godzilla, but the light beaming in from behind him is still visible, even if only slightly, as the torches die out.
He closes his eyes.
What a lovely day.