A/N: Story is inspired by art done by tumblr user lexxerduglas.
"Matsuoka!"
Rin looked up, the towel on his head sliding down as he met his coach's eyes.
"Someone named Ryugazaki is here," he said, gesturing over his shoulder to where the pool door was. Rin's eyes narrowed as he stood, tossing his towel on the bench. He quickly pulled on his trackpants and slipped into his shoes, grabbing his jacket on his way to the door. He was unaware of Nitori's gaze, following his every move. Who was this Ryugazaki person? What did they want with senpai?
He furrowed his brow, determination etched in his face. Maybe this stranger has an answer to why Rin has been so distracted lately. He was such a talented swimmer; there was no need for him to be so hung up on his old teammates!
Nitori followed the redhead outside, keeping his footsteps quiet. Rin was pulling his jacket over his muscled shoulders when he caught sight of his visitor.
An unknown voice broke the silence. "Rin-chan-san, yes?"
Nitori poked his head outside, but couldn't see past Rin's tensing frame.
"It's you," he growled, turning his body towards the stranger.
Nitori nearly squeaked in fear, clamping a hand over his mouth. Since when could Rin-chan sound so terrifying!? The silence stretched onwards, making Nitori's stomach squeeze in discomfort. The stranger broke the silence again.
"I need to talk to you."
"So," Rin replied, his voice much calmer now. "What do you want?"
"I have two questions for you," the man named Ryugazaki began.
"Huh? What are they?"
"Then here is my first question…"
Nitori swallowed hard. This couldn't be good.
"Why did you suddenly decide to swim in the relay?"
Rin shifted, speaking with confidence. "I changed my mind. You came out here to ask me that?"
"That answer does not convince me," the other replied. "You've been fixated on racing Haruka-senpai all this time. Your reason was because you couldn't move forward until you defeated him."
Nitori's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Didn't senpai already win against his friend Haruka?
"And in the last tournament, you beat him," Ryugazaki continued, answering Nitori's unspoken thoughts. "Doesn't that mean you achieved your goal?"
"My goal isn't to beat Haru," Rin snaps. "And it's not to win tournaments in this country. I aim higher. My goal is the world."
"The world?" Ryugazaki says, sounding confused. "Very well. Moving on to my second question.
Oh no, Nitori thinks, peering around the doorframe once more to try and see whom this invading force is.
"How do you feel about Haruka-senpai?"
"Huh?" Rin's body stiffens as the other explains.
"In grade school, you and Haruka-senpai were close rivals. I saw old pictures of you guys when we were at Coach Sasabe's house. You used to smile all the time with Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai, and Nagisa-kun."
Nitori's heart skipped a beat, making his chest ache in a way he has never felt before. Senpai has never smiled around him before.
"The four of you were always together and having fun. So what made you change after going to study abroad?"
The silver-haired boy craned his neck once more, trying to see past Rin's muscular frame. He was just as interested in the conversation as the guy asking the questions.
"Why didn't you contact Haruka-senpai, or any of the others after you returned to Japan? What happened while you were abroad?"
Rin's fist clenched as the man continued.
"You used to be good friends, so why? You swam in a relay together, so why? You must've been thrilled about swimming in a relay with them!"
Nitori watched as Rin's frame began to shake with rage, his fists tightening.
Ryugazaki's voice became desperate. "Aren't you the one who understands more than anyone how great that relay was?"
Suddenly, Rin lunged forward.
"Shut up!"
Nitori could finally see the situation better, and recognized Ryugazaki as being one of the members on the Iwatobi team. He was Rei, their butterfly swimmer.
"I let you talk, and you think you can spout all the stupid logic you want?" Rin snarled. "Why do I have to explain myself to you!?"
Should I step in? Nitori thought, watching the situation unfold with wide eyes.
Rei straightened his glasses, looking effortlessly calm before he replied. "Because I'm a victim."
Nitori never thought he could relate to someone more than in that moment. He bit his lip as Rei continued. He explained how even though he swam a relay with Iwatobi, the team still talked about senpai.
"Rin-chan! Rin-chan! Rin-chan!" he mocked, spitting out the name as if it were poison on his tongue.
"That's not my problem!" Rin yelled.
"Like hell it's not!" Rei cried in return, lunging for Rin. He grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pinning him against the brick wall.
"Senpai-!" Nitori began, hurrying to step in between the rivals. A hand suddenly clamped down over his mouth, and he felt himself being pulled backwards into the bushes. He fought against the grip, his cries muffled under the palm of the stranger's hand. Nitori was spun around to face a blonde haired boy with dark pink eyes.
"Shh!" he hissed, still keeping his hand firm on Nitori's mouth. "Keep quiet! They can't know we're here!"
"You're from Iwatobi," Nitori whispered when he was finally granted his speech.
"Yes, I'm Nagisa."
"Bastard!" Rei's insult caught their attention, and the pair of boys peeked around the bushes to watch the fight.
"It's your fault Haruka-senpai stopped swimming!"
"Huh?!" Rin pushed back, his face contorted. "What are you talking about?!"
"Haruka-senpai felt guilty about beating you in middle schoo!" Rei shot back.
Rin's face fell, and there was a brief silence where the rivals started at each other, breathing heavily.
"So why are you people acting this way?" Rei shouted. "I don't get it!"
Rin's face remained still, emotionless.
"You beat Haruka-senpai in your last race! Isn't that enough!? Why are you swimming in a relay now?!"
Behind the bushes, Nitori was frantic.
"Oh no!" he groaned. "It looks like Rei-kun and senpai are about to get into a fight!" His hands were pressed to his face in shock. He turned to Nagisa, who was watching with a straight face. "What should we do?!"
"Hmm," Nagisa mused, a finger tapping thoughtfully on his chin. "I have an idea." His eyes were sparkling as he stood up from behind their hiding place, earning a squeak in surprise from Nitori. He grabbed the silver-haired boy and pushed him into the open.
"'What are you-?" he began to protest, but Nagisa silenced him by pressing his hands against his mouth again.
"Just trust me," he said, as he began unzipping his jacket. He turned to Nitori and unzipped his too. He then grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward roughly.
"Touch me," he said quietly, his voice urgent.
"What?"
"Just do it!"
Nitori quickly wrapped an arm around Nagisa's neck, resting a hand on his exposed skin. Nagisa was much more bold, grabbing Nitori's ass in one hand and running the other down his bare chest.
"Rei-chan, Rin-chan!" Nagisa called, pressing his head to Nitori's, keeping his gaze on the fighting pair. "Please stop fighting!"
Rei and Rin turned they heads to the voice, and they blanched in shock, their mouths falling open at the sight before them.
Nagisa stroked Nitori's chest again, ignoring the other's feeble attempts to push him away.
"You're upsetting your shotas," the blonde purred, his voice lustrous. "If you don't stop, we're going to have to comfort each other…"
If Rei and Rin were able to move that fast in the pool, they would've set a new world record. Rin snatched Nitori away from Nagisa, throwing him over his shoulder and storming away. Nitori looked up from his new position, watching Nagisa wave cheerfully while being carried away by Rei.
"See you later, Nitori-chan!"
A/N: And that's it! If you see any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know, and I'll update.