Hello! I am sooo sorry for being so late with updating, but I've been going through some personal stuff. (╥_╥) Plus, I tried to write a chapter based on episode 5 but I didn't really like how it turned out when I included Angel. So have this little completely made-up chapter that takes place the night before the regionals. (I live in constant fear that episode 6 will destroy the continuity of my story -sobs-) Hope you guys like it. (Also, a little bit of warning - there's a moment in the chapter where there is a slightly nsfw discussion about Angel's butt XD I think that Sousuke is a bit OOC there, but I found that whole scene extremely funny and well, it's my story, so I decided to include it. (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧)
Also, I've written a little one-shot about Angel having a sleepover with Rin, Nitori, Sousuke and Momotarou. It's completely random and doesn't have any place in this story, but if anyone's interested I could touch it up and post it here.
Anyway, reviews are welcome! Enjoy!
Chapter 7
"The prefectural tournament is tomorrow, so everyone make sure that you get a good rest tonight!" Makoto said, giving us his trademark gentle smile, while we were walking home from swimming practice. I had known him for a while now, and I had never seen that smile leave his face.
"Thanks, Mako-chan! You take care too!" Nagisa grinned and waved his fist in the air. "And let's all do our best tomorrow!"
We chatted for a little longer and then parted ways – Makoto and Haru went one way, and Nagisa, Rei, and I went another. Nagisa noticed that I was looking down at my feet while I was walking and smiled, having guessed what was going through my head. He gave me a playful poke in the ribs to get my attention.
"Don't worry, Angel-chan, you will do fine tomorrow!" He smiled.
"I'll probably finish last …" I muttered. After a lot of persuasion, I had finally agreed to take part in the 100 m breaststroke event. Makoto kept telling me that my time was very good and that I had a real chance of making it, but I wasn't so sure. Maybe he was just trying to cheer me up. "Ugh …. I never should have agreed to participate!" I covered my face with my hands, letting out a low groan. "I'll be the laughing stock of the whole competition!"
"No, you won't." Rei smiled softly and Nagisa nodded in agreement. "You've improved so much since you joined the club."
"That's right!" Nagisa grinned. "Even if you don't manage to do as well as you'd like, at least you'll have a taste of what's it like to be in a swimming competition, so you won't be as nervous next year."
"Thanks." I smiled at them, touched by how supportive my friends were. "I promise that I'll do my best. But … well, I don't want to be negative, but could you guys please not get your hopes up very much? I just don't want to feel like I've disappointed you if I don't qualify."
"You can never disappoint us, Angel-chan!" Nagisa grinned and hugged me. "Just remember to have fun!"
"Alright." I chuckled. "Thank you, Nagisa-kun."
A few hours later I was almost ready to go to bed – I had eaten my muscle-building dinner, I had my gym bag prepared for the tournament tomorrow, and I had a large T-shirt instead of pyjamas on. Now I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth. I was still feeling very nervous – now that I was alone, all I could think about was what would happen tomorrow. Somehow I kept imagining the worst-case scenario … What if I slipped on the block and messed up my dive? What if I got a bad cramp while swimming? What if I accidentally took a breath underwater and started drowning?
I returned to my bedroom and climbed on the bed, fluffing my pillow. Then I checked my alarm clock to make sure that it was set – the last thing I wanted was to over-sleep accidentally.
"Hm?" I looked at my phone which was buzzing from the nightstand. I took it and my eyes widened when I saw that I had received a text from Sousuke. "What could he want at this hour?"
[I'm at the station near your house. Can you come?]
I furrowed my eyebrows as I stared at my phone's screen in confusion. Why would Sousuke text me all of a sudden? This was the first time that he had ever contacted me since we exchanged numbers… And besides, he was swimming in the competition tomorrow. We would certainly see each other then … So why would he text me so urgently to come to the station?
I looked at the time. It was a bit late and I wanted to have a good night's rest, but … this was Sousuke. He was asking me to come and see him - something that he had never done before on his own volition. How could I not go?
I guess I can spare half an hour at least … It would be rude not to see what he wants.
I sent Sousuke a message that I'd be there in five minutes, and then got out of bed. I put on a pair of worn-out jeans and a pair of old sneakers and then left my room. When my mother saw me leave and asked me where I was going so late, I told her that I was going out for some fresh air, explaining that I was feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow's race and just needed to calm down.
I jogged to the station and found Sousuke standing near the entrance, leaning on a pillar with his hands in his pockets. He was looking down at the ground and his eyes were closed. When he heard me coming closer, he looked up and gave me a light smile. That made me blush, but I couldn't help but think that the whole situation was kind of odd.
"Ah … hi." I greeted him shyly. He didn't say anything and after a minute of silence, I spoke again. "Um … why did you ask me to come here?"
"Tomorrow we'll be rivals."
I blinked at the statement and then bit my lower lip – of course, our teams would be competing against each other tomorrow, but that didn't really mean that we should act like rivals, right?
"W-well … technically, yes, our teams will be rivals." I nodded. "But I don't think that you and I will be … I mean, we won't even be competing in the same event! I doubt that you'll be swimming in the 100 meter breaststroke."
"You won't be swimming in the relay?" He asked.
"Of course not!" I laughed. "I watched Haru, Makoto, Rei and Nagisa practice for the relay and they were just so perfect together! They were like some sort of machine, you know? Perfect harmony." I smiled. "Besides, I'm not a good enough swimmer to participate in a relay. I wouldn't even be participating if Makoto hadn't persuaded me."
"I think you'll do great in your event." Sousuke smiled lightly. "I hear that you've been working hard."
"Ah … Thanks." I blushed again. It felt so odd being complimented by him. "Good luck to you tomorrow."
"Thanks. But luck has almost nothing to do with swimming."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have some." I chuckled. "But I still don't understand why you wanted to see me … We'll see each other tomorrow before the events for sure."
"But tomorrow we will be officially rivals. I wanted to see you before that."
"Oh." So Sousuke was firmly intent on viewing me as his rival then? "Well, in that case … How about we agree that whatever happens in the tournament stays there. Once it's over, it wouldn't matter who qualified and who didn't. Once the events are done, we are no longer rivals. How does that sound?" I suggested.
"Alright." He raised his fist and I chuckled lightly as I bumped it with my own fist. "That sounds reasonable."
"Yeah, besides, it's ju-Ah!" I gasped and shivered as a cold gust of wind blew our way. I could feel goosebumps forming all over my skin.
"You should have worn something warmer." Sousuke reprimanded me. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Here."
"T-thanks …" I blushed. Sousuke's jacket was warm and smelled like him; he had a nice, masculine scent which I really liked. "B-but … aren't you going to be cold? I don't want you to get sick right before the tournament …"
"I'll be fine." He smiled lightly. "Besides, I don't want you to get sick."
I smiled and looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why Sousuke was acting so nice to me. He was usually so aloof around people. Not that I minded, of course. I actually liked that he was being friendly for a change.
I wonder just how nice he could be?
"Hey … You must have been in a lot of swimming competitions, huh?" I muttered.
"I have." He nodded.
"So … How do you deal with all the anxiety?" I asked.
He was silent for a while, obviously pondering my question.
"I don't remember ever being anxious." He finally replied. "I know that I am good at swimming, so why should I feel anxious?"
"Hehe … " I chuckled. "Well, it may work for you, but I am not as good as you, so I am really nervous about tomorrow. I've been having this nightmare that I forget my swimsuit and I try to swim in my underwear but it's not allowed so the Iwatobi team gets disqualified because of me." I sighed, looking down at my feet. "So horrible …" I muttered.
I looked up when I suddenly heard an odd snorting sound. To my surprise it turned out to be Sousuke trying to conceal his laughter. I blushed in embarrassment and pouted, punching him playfully in the shoulder.
"Hey! I was sharing my fears with you! D-don't laugh!"
"S-sorry! But that's just … so ridiculous!" He snickered.
I huffed and crossed my arms, turning my back to Sousuke.
"I'm never sharing a secret with you again …" I muttered.
"Sorry." He apologized again, this time with a calmer voice, and patted me on the back. "But are you still feeling nervous?"
"I …" I stopped and blinked. "No … Actually, I'm not." I turned to look at him with amazement. "You were actually trying to distract me?" I asked.
"It wasn't that hard, to be honest." He explained, smirking. "And that story was rather funny. But even if you forget your swimsuit, there'll still be enough time to go get a new one."
"I guess … But with a wonderful start like that, having forgotten my swimsuit, how can I expect to do well?"
"You can try to swim in the nude." He said with a smirk. "Maybe once the judges see those freckles on your butt they'll put you in first place."
"That would make the judges quite the perverts, if you ask m- Waaaait …" I eyed Sousuke suspiciously. "How do you now about my freckles there?"
"I caught a glimpse of them when you were changing after one of our joint practices."
"You stared at my butt long enough to notice that I have freckles there?" I blinked. "I'm not sure if I should feel creeped out or flattered …"
Creeped out … Definitely creeped out.
"It's not like I did it on purpose." He shrugged. "I just looked up and saw you."
I blushed brightly. Ok, maybe staring at me while I was changing was kind of unsettling, but … well, it was Sousuke! It was the guy I had a crush on and if he liked the freckles on my butt then … well, that was good, right? At least he liked something about me.
"Um … So I think that I should go back home … " I muttered. "It's getting kind of late and we both need some sleep, right?"
"Yeah." He nodded and looked at me, hesitant for a moment. "Can I … um … no, nevermind."
"What is it?" I asked curious.
"Forget it." He looked away, frowning slightly.
I sighed and shook the jacket off of me, handing it back to Sousuke.
"Thank you for the jacket. It was really warm." I smiled.
"You're welcome." He replied, taking it from me.
"So … I'll see you tomorrow then." I was about to leave when I suddenly found myself surrounded by a pair of strong arms. I blinked surprised and shifted a bit when I realized that Sousuke was actually hugging me. "Um … Sousuke?"
"Sorry." He muttered. He had his nose buried in my hair and his warm breath made me shiver.
"N-no … you don't need to apologize." I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around him – it was like trying to hug a huge rock. "Is this what you wanted to ask me?"
"…" He hesitated for a moment. "Yes."
I blushed and relaxed my body in Sousuke's arms. It felt so nice to be held by him – he was so warm and I felt so safe! I was so happy that he had hugged me. I wished that we could stay like this longer, but I knew that I had to go home. And he had to go back to Samezuka Academy.
"Yamazaki-kun … I should go … " I sighed. "Um … Maybe we can meet after the tournament? We can … um … continue with this?"
He looked at me slightly wide-eyed and then smiled, nodding.
"Sure, that sounds like a plan."
I licked my lips, nervous about what I was going to do next, and then kissed Sousuke on the cheek. I thought that with the way he had been acting, he wouldn't mind me doing that. And indeed, even if my action had caught him off guard, he didn't show any dislike.
"Once again, good luck tomorrow."
"Thanks. You too." He replied, patting me on the back gently before he turned around, disappearing into the station.
PS - So someone on tumblr messaged me saying that I wasn't portraying Sousuke accurately ... I apologize for that, but we really don't know much about his character. I've based the way I write him on what I've seen so far in the anime and what I've read from his Wiki page (I can't find a translation of High Speed 2 anywhere :/) The only trait that I've given Sousuke that isn't canonically confirmed is that he isn't good at flirting. I just think that he wouldn't have much experience with flirting and dating because he thinks that it would waste time that he could spend practicing.
