Chapter 1: Innuendo


It was the start of the summer season, and the Samezuka swim team was back in action. Rin had been given the honor of Team Captain at the end of last season, but Mikoshiba, the ex-captain of the team, still paid his teammates regular visits.

Rin and Nitori watched him tease his younger brother, Momotarou Mikoshiba, as they entered the pool area. It was hard to ignore either of them when they were alone, but when they got together, they were the two most noticeable people in the room. Their voices echoed, bringing more attention to them and making their presence more obnoxious, if anything.

Nitori let out an audible sigh. "I can't get a break from this guy, can I?" he muttered to himself.

Rin looked at him over his shoulder with a grin of amusement. "What's the matter, Ai?"

"Momo has really been getting on my nerves." he exasperated.

"Already? You two have only been roommates for 2 days." Rin mused.

"I know… I don't mean to be rude… I respect the guy and all but, he's always so hyper and he never stops talking. He's practically told me his entire life story by now."

Rin watched Momo and his brother fuss and shout at each other, in a playful manner, at the other end of the pool as he listened to Nitori. "Yeah, he's definitely one of the talkative types."

"He goes on and on about how he got nicknamed 'The Sea Otter'," Nitori continued, mocking Momo as he spoke. "and how he collected stag beetles all his life…and this, that, and the other thing…" Rin chuckled. "I can barely find time to do my homework! He's just, such a distracting roommate." Nitori sighed.

He then remembered one other thing. "And worst of all: he talks about Goa all the time." That caught Rin's attention. He drew sharp eyes at Nitori and listened intently. "I mean, that doesn't bother me personally, but considering she's your sister, I thought I'd mention it."

Rin then turned his gaze back toward Momo and his brother, and glared at the younger of the Mikoshiba's. Momo made it obvious he had a knack for his younger sister, Goa, when he indirectly introduced him to her a few days back.

"Thanks for telling me." Rin then said, replying to his fellow teammate. "I'll have a talk with him after practice."

Nitori thanked his elder and, traditionally, addressed him by his last name, adding the honorary "senpai" to it. Rin cringed slightly at the word. He'd remembered asking Nitori not to call him "captain" just yet, as he took up the position with slight hesitation and was still adjusting to it, but he didn't like to be called "senpai" either. Regardless, he brushed the word off and commenced that afternoon's swim practice.

/

Immediately afterwards, as he'd promised Nitori, Rin called Momotaru to the side and asked him to meet him at his dorm room. The ginger-haired boy was slightly confused about why the captain needed to see him privately, but he agreed to Rin's request nonetheless.

After a quick shower, Momo dressed himself in his usual clothes and made his
way to the captain's dorm. He thought to himself as he walked. 'What made Matsuoka want to see me outside of practice? He's probably going to scold me for being rowdy with my brother before practice. "You should have spent that time warming up, you dope!" That's probably what he's going to say.' He laughed to himself.

'But, what if it's about something else? Huh, maybe he's going to congratulate me about my awesome swimming at practice today!' Momo held his head high, confident that the talking-to he was going to get from Rin was going to be a good one.

Before he knew it, he'd made it to the room, and gave the door several loud knocks. "It's me!" he called, as though Rin couldn't already tell.

With an unimpressed expression, Rin swung the door open and gestured the young swimmer into the room. "So, what's it that you wanted to-" Momo began brightly, but was cut off.

"I was just about to get to that." Rin said sharply, shutting the door with force. Momo read the atmosphere in the room, and his confidence quickly drained. He wasn't going to receive any form of appraisal.

"Alright Momo, come clean. What's your obsession with my sister?"

He wasn't expecting to hear that. "Huh?!" he exclaimed, an embarrassed blush creeping on to his face. "I wouldn't call it an obsession… I just… She's really cute, and I want to spend time with her!" he tried to defend, but Rin wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, 'spend time with her,' uh huh." he mocked, crossing his arms.

"Erm…" Momo tried to level his head. "Matsuoka, it's not like that at all!"

"Cut the crap, Momo! Of course it's like that. It's plainly obvious. I'm not blind." Rin spat.

The young Mikoshiba was slightly offended that Rin thought he was so shallow, and he tried to further defend his crush on Rin's sister, but was cut off again.

"Just tell me this," Rin began, stepping closer to Momo as he spoke. "What is it you think she has that I don't?"

"Huh?!" Now the red-head was really surprised.

"You heard me, Momo. What do you think she can give you that I can't, huh!?" he demanded, just inches from Momo's face.

He held his hands up in a sort of surrender. "Uh- I… Matsuoka-senpai," he tried to reason.

"Answer the question, Momotarou." he pressed, but the young swimmer was unable to utter anything in reply, both shocked and fearful Rin would strangle him like he had when he'd first laid eyes on Goa.

Rin knew he wouldn't get an answer out of Momo right then. He sighed through his nose and turned his back to the first-year, staring out the window. 'Rin, what are you thinking?' he asked himself, his reason returning.

Frustration had taken him over before. He simply couldn't stand Momo's fixation on his sister. He didn't understand it. They didn't even attend the same school, for crying out loud.

'What can she give you that I can't?' he mocked himself, echoing the question he pressed Momo to answer. 'What kind of question is that? You're the captain of the Samezuka swim team. You can do better. Just give that kid the talking-to you intended to give him and bid him adieu.'

Rin sighed hard before he whipped himself back around to face Momo. He took him by the collar and brought him in close. "Listen. Just- stay away from my sister. That's all I ask."

"But, Matsuoka, I don't know what you're talking about!" Momo exclaimed before he could get cut off again.

"You well know what I'm talking about, you little shit!" Rin yelled back, gripping his collar tighter.

"No, no! I wasn't talking about Goa…" Rin's expression lightened the slightest bit in confusion. "I'm just- confused about…what you just said."

At that, Rin loosened the grip on Momo's collar and turned his face away before the young swimmer caught sight of his embarrassed blush. He crossed his arms and kept his gaze on the floor. "Well…you heard me right. I didn't stutter, did I?" he asked over his shoulder.

That was when two and two came together, and Momo realized what Rin was really saying. He felt his face heat up and his chest tighten, but he couldn't place if it was out of shock or excitement.

Just then, Rin added, after some hesitation, "Look, just…whenever…" he stuttered, then sighed and turned back to face Momo, looking him dead in his eyes. "Goa won't give you what you want. Just get that through your thick head and get over her."

Momo looked just as puzzled as he was before as he tried to absorb Rin's words. Rin, meanwhile, debated whether he should utter his next words, but they evidently slipped from his mouth.

"If you ever need anything…don't be afraid to come to me, alright?"

"HUH?! Matsuoka-senpai!" Momo exclaimed.

"Listen, you, don't give me any of that 'Matsuoka-senpai' crap! I've gotten enough of that from Ai!" Rin huffed. "Don't tell him I said that…" Momo only blinked and nodded in reply. Rin let out another audible sigh and took hold of the red-head's collar once more.

"Like I said. Get this through your stupid, thick head: Goa won't give you what you want…but, I'm willing to." he said softly, careful not to let the students in the dorms adjacent hear him.

Rin then shifted the atmosphere and dragged Momo by his collar out of his room. "Now beat it!" he ordered, throwing him out. "And don't speak a word of this to anyone, am I clear?"

"Yes! Crystal." Momo saluted before Rin shut the door on his face.

He finally relaxed, or tried to at the very least, gripping his shirt over his chest and steadying his breath. 'What the hell was that about?'