Disclaimer: I do not own Free!
Matsuoka Gou hung her head in defeat as she put away the leis in a box. She really hoped they would get new members this year. They did so well on stage and in the race they surely had attracted attention. When no one came, Gou was bitterly disappointed. She would have liked to have seen some new muscles around here.
Gou shoved the box into the caddy of her locker then retrieved her clipboard, timer, and whistle. She walked all the way to the pool, stopping just before the diving boards as she reviewed first day's practice plans.
We need an intense workout plan for our first day, she thought. The boys have been out of season for too long, and have so little time to catch up and be in tip top shape. She's thankful Samezuka allows joint practices with their little team and it was easier now that her brother was captain, but they can't always lean on Samezuka for support! They have their own pride as a team and need to keep their own secrets too if they want to stun the competition and make it to nationals!
"Gou-chan, I'm ready!" chirped a voice behind her, almost making her drop her clipboard.
"Nagisa-kun, don't scare me like that," Gou gasped, her heart still pounding. "I wasn't even expecting you to get ready that fast."
"I'm just really excited!" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "I get to swim with Mako-chan, Haru-chan, and Rei-chan again. Hey, you should swim with us too, Gou-chan."
Gou shifted from one foot to the other. "This is the men's swimming club."
"That doesn't matter! It's only proper all members take a dip in the pool at the start of the new season, including our manager," he said. Then his mouth fell open. "Gou-chan, are you shy? About your sex appeal? You don't have to worry though! All of us are boys but we're not malicious. And it could garner us more members―"
She whacked him on the head with her clipboard. "N-none of that is of your concern!" she stammered, turning red.
"I'm kidding," he said, rubbing the spot where Gou hit him.
She pouted and turned back to look at the regimen on her clipboard. "Recruitment aside, we need to focus on getting everyone back in shape. We've been out of season for so long, I fear you guys have gone soft." She groaned then turned on Nagisa. "Especially you, Nagisa-kun. You ate a lot of sweets this year; a very unhealthy diet. So starting today, you are getting the toughest workout I have listed on here."
"Gou-chan, that's unfair!"
"It is fair. Nagisa-kun, you are the most underdeveloped member of the team, and your only charm point is your calves. We can't have that. All of your muscles need to be developed if we want to make it to nationals this year."
"Gou-chan, you're so heartless," Nagisa whined, wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing his head on the small of her back. Gou merely crossed her arms; Nagisa need to hear the cold hard truth.
He stopped rubbing his head, but didn't remove his arms from her sides. He was very quiet, something Gou found very odd on the otherwise energetic boy. "Nagisa-kun . . . ."
"Gou-chan, we didn't get new members today," he said. The tone in his voice was not the usual chipper it always had. He sounded concerned, worried, even scared. "And this is Mako-chan and Haru-chan's last year. After they graduate, there will only be me, you, and Rei-chan left on the swimming team. It's not that I hate hanging out with you and Rei-chan; you guys are some of my best friends, but I don't think our club can survive if it's only three members with me and Rei-chan competing."
He too has also been wondering what will happen when the season's over. Has he been thinking about it since the beginning of the year like her?
She knew for both of them, this was much like elementary school, when Makoto, Haruka and Rin were moving on to middle school and her brother moving to Australia. It was very lonely without her brother, but it must have been very lonely for Nagisa too. To watch his teammates leave him behind and for him to come to the local swim club with none of his friends, swimming all alone.
She lay one hand over his, giving a gentle squeeze. "It is unfortunate no new members came to join today. And if they don't for the rest of the season, I think this may very well be the last year of the Iwatobi High Swim club." She felt his arms tighten around her. "But that doesn't mean we can't make it a good year." His arms fell from her waist and he removed his head from her back. Gou turned to look at him. "Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai, and even Onii-chan are graduating. But there is still a lot of time before that happens. So let's work hard, in the individual events and relay, and make this the best year of the swim club, okay?"
Nagisa didn't say anything, but Gou saw the light return to his eyes, the excitement and determination coming back.
"Okay," Nagisa said. A grin spread across his face. "I'll work hard and make sure the others work hard too. And we'll make this a year you, me, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Haru-chan, and even Rin-chan will never forget." He parted his hair to the sides of his face and changed his expression to match that of her brother. "Let's make it a sight they've never seen before!" he said with a deeper tone in his voice.
Gou howled with laughter. That's the Nagisa she knew. The locker doors opened and the other boys came out in their swim jammers.
"Come one, let's go. I still need to give you your training regimen," she said, walking towards the others.
"Aww, Gou-chan, why?" he whined as he followed her to the team's first meeting.
This pairing needs more love ;_;