Nathan was the type of guy who took two showers during a regular day; the first one when he was done training at the pool, and the second one right after he finished his schoolwork or study, which he spent almost four hours on, the bare minimum to keep his grades up and, therefore, his scholarship. After reading fifty pages of five different books, a relaxing shower was just what he needed to be able to sleep soundly. And that was also why the second shower always took the longer time, and the reason why he made sure to take it around 10 PM, when everybody else was done. A thing he had to get used to, since there were only five bathrooms, with six showers each, for over 200 students.

It was roughly 10:30 PM as he walked back to his dorm, which he shared with Nitori now that Rin had moved to Sosuke's room. His steps echoed in the lonely hall, dimly lit by the lights besides each door in an unusually cloudy night, when he heard the familiar sound of a door creaking open, and he looked up to find he was metres away from Rin's room, as the guy walked out in his swimsuit.

"Three hours weren't enough for you?" he questioned, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough so he wouldn't wake anyone who might be sleeping in the nearby rooms. Rin looked up upon hearing the voice addressing him, and quickly found Nathan, hair wet and what he assumed were his sleeping clothes on; a grey t-shirt and plaid pants. He was carrying a towel and a bunch of clothes he remembered seeing him wearing that day.

"Is it ever?" he questioned with a slight grin. If they had shared this conversation merely a week ago, Rin would've rolled his eyes and throw a snappy comeback, but ever since they swam the relay together, things were a bit different.

Nathan resurfaced from underneath the cold pool water, taking merely two brief breaths before placing his palms on the stone border of the pool and jumping out, quickly standing up when his toes touched the marble floor. Just for a change, the two teams racing decided to alter the typical order of the medley; it was usually backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle, but now, it was in the opposite way. Meaning, Nathan had just finished the race, which he lost against Makoto since Iwatobi had the advantage from the very beginning, and they didn't lose it even when Rin got into the water. Proof that every single one of the members were incredible swimmers.

He was about to look towards the board that recorded his time, when something rough hit his face, obstructing his vision. As soon as he could see again, he looked down, to find a white towel lying at his feet. And looking up, he found Rin grinning at him, in mockery or amusement, he couldn't tell.

"Not good with reflexes, huh?" he questioned, and Nathan recognized a mix of both in his tone. Something definitely new; Rin was always annoyed at him, he never teased him. And he definitely did not smile at him like that, so...Friendly. He wondered if he should be scared.

"Did you poison the towel or something?" he questioned, giving his captain a frown. He was never nice to him, so this was definitely strange, for the lack of a better word "Does it have some sort of toxic gas you'll use to make me lose consciousness and kidnap me?"

"Nah, that'd be too complicated" he replied, which weirded Nathan out even more. Rin was...Bantering with him? Did he hit his head when he made the turn? "Besides, there's too many witnesses"

The brown haired blinked, hoping that the gesture would help his brain come up with something to reply, but for the first time in his life, his mind was blank. For the first time in his life, Nathan Lance had no idea of what to say.

"Excuse me, sir?" a young voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and when Nathan scanned the area in search of the owner, he found a little boy staring up at him on his right "Are you going to use the platform?" he questioned, and it was then that he realized that the Iwatobi Swim Club and Samezuka had cleared out of the pool, and a bunch of kids were in their place. Rin and him were the only ones left there.

"Oh, sorry, no" he replied, shaking his head as he moved aside, grabbing the white towel on the process, completely forgetting the belief that it might be poisoned "It's all yours"

"Thanks!" the kid smiled at him, before climbing onto it, ready to swim against his friends.

"Let's get out of here" Rin indicated, beginning to walk away, and Nathan followed him as he dried his hair with the towel that, surprisingly enough, was completely harmless. They walked in silence for a few second, and the brown haired found the situation kind of awkward. They should've started arguing like five minutes ago, the quiet atmosphere was abnormal "Good job out there" the maroon haired began "You were very close to beating Makoto"

He couldn't take this anymore.

"Okay" he stated firmly, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway, and the other mirrored his action, giving him a curious glance "Are you ill?" Rin frowned.

"No?"

"How much water did you swallow?" the other guy gave him a look that showed he clearly didn't know what he was talking about "Because all these compliments are definitely not something you give me with a sane mind"

"That's because you annoy me on a daily basis, but it doesn't mean I don't know a good swimmer when I see them" Nathan tilted his head in consideration, ignoring the clear insult Rin had thrown at him, and instead deciding to say something else, but he was interrupted before he could "Look, I'm trying to honestly compliment you here, just accept it"

"I humbly accept your compliment" he stated in his usual manner, and Rin just rolled his eyes, but there was a grin of amusement in his face "Does this mean you're quitting the excessive amount of glaring you give me every time you see me?"

"It depends" he replied "Are you going to stop trying to annoy me?" Nate thought about it for a bit.

"Well...I guess I could tone it down a little bit, if you tell me why it happens in the first place" the other guy gave him a curious look upon hearing his words, and Nathan proceeded to explain himself "You're not the type of guy who gets annoyed easily, Rin, I've seen you enduring worse headaches" Rin couldn't deny that, the guy standing besides him irritated him quite a bit, and he knew the reason for that. But before he could decide whether to explain it to him or avoid the question, a voice interrupted them.

"Hey, guys!" they looked ahead to find Nagisa and Rei approaching them from the entrance to the lockers room, where all of them had left their things. They were dressed in their regular clothes, swimsuits long off "Lunchtime is soon. Coach Sasabe hired a full catering service. You're staying, right?"

"I can't say no to free food" Nathan replied, like any normal human being would "We'll go and change, and be right back"

"I guess we'll see you then" Rei replied formally.

"See you" Nathan stated, before they went off "We should probably get there before all the food's gone" he added, as he walked in the direction of the lockers "C'mon"

A couple minutes later, they were set to go, when Rin's phone vibrated, signaling that he had received a message. Nathan eyed him curiously as he read it, noticing the small grin that crawled up his lips. He was about to ask about it (or rather, tease him), but he spoke before he could.

"You can go ahead" he indicated, looking at him "I have somewhere else to be" and without even giving Nate a chance to reply, he just went off. The brown haired stared at him until he was gone, before shrugging and closing his locker.

The topic wasn't brought again after that, mostly because there wasn't a right time for it, since not so long after, Rosa and Rin announced they were dating, and that took over everyone's minds. But Nathan could tell that the maroon haired wasn't as intolerant with him as he was before; he didn't know if he could call him a friend yet, but, at least, a teammate. And, for now, that was good.

"But, actually" Rin spoke up, pulling him out of his thoughts "Rei called me and asked me if I could give him a hand in learning the rest of the strokes, so I'm on my way to meet him at the pool" he explained. He had received his call early that morning before class began. He agreed to do it after practice; Rei had potential, and Rin was always willing to aid in swimming to whoever proved they deserved it. And he had, Rosalya had told him about how hard Rei had worked to be able to learn swimming (In a week, nonetheless) and, furthermore, be able to swim in an actual competition. He was definitely part of that category "I think the others, except Haru, obviously, are going to swim two styles in the tournament, and I guess he doesn't want to stay behind" Nathan nodded in understanding, and then decided on something that surprised Rin.

"I'll join you"

"You want to help?"

"Yeah" Nathan nodded "Maybe I could give Rei some advice, too" he knew hard work, he knew effort, and it would definitely be a challenge for the guy to learn all strokes and master them perfectly, something that he understood 100%.

"Suit yourself" Rin replied, shrugging slightly. He didn't really have a problem with that.

"Just let me change, I'll be back in a minute"

When they reached the pool, Rei was already there, standing close to the edge, and staring at the water underneath him thoughtfully. Nathan wondered what was on his mind: Rei was a very quiet person, not as quiet as Haru but certainly not as explosive as Nagisa, and quiet people were usually the ones who thought the loudest. He bet Rei had a very active mind.

"Yo" Rin spoke up, and his voice echoed in the empty pool, as Rei turned to look at him.

"Good evening" he replied, and he then spotted Nathan behind Rin. He arched his eyebrows in surprise.

"Rin tells me you want to learn more about swimming?" the brown haired spoke up, noticing his expression.

"Well, yes" he replied, shifting the weight to his other foot, in what Nate recognized as a nervous gesture "I want to excel at a number of things"

"Maybe I can help" Nate suggested "I have some experience" not just in swimming, but in what came with learning a new discipline from zero, with absolutely no knowledge or previous experience with it "Are you okay with that?"

"I don't particularly mind" Rei replied, shrugging "The more, the merrier, right?"

"Great" Nate smiled at him.

"Don't worry, despite what he might look like, he's actually a good swimmer" Rin commented mockingly, giving the guy besides him a shark like grin.

"That's some high praise, Matsuoka" Nathan stated, folding his arms "You still have time to take it back before I take over your position as captain" he added, eventhough he would never do that, because pressure was not something he could handle well.

"In your dreams, Lance" he replied with a smirk, as Rei just cut his gaze between the two of them, wondering when exactly they began getting along so well; a week ago, Rin could barely stand being in the same room as him, much less talk to him without sounding irritated. Now, they were joking around as if they were old friends "Okay" he turned to look back at Rei, pulling him out of his thoughts "Go get changed, and we'll start warming up"

"Alright" Rei nodded, and went off towards the lockers room. Nathan waited until he was out of sight, before approaching Rin, who was deep in thought as he stared at the pool, probably trying to figure out where to start training.

"How do we tackle this?" after a few seconds, he spoke up.

"First, we'll warm up" Nathan nodded in agreement "Then, I was thinking we could start with backstroke, since it's one the easiest ones to learn"

"Are you demeaning my hard work?" Nathan asked, feigning shock.

"You, hard work?" Rin stated, playing along as he walked over to one of the closets, that held the kick boards and inflatables "Since when?"

"Hey, you're talking to someone with a scholarship, remember? I'm frankly offended" the other guy replied, watching as Rin grabbed one of each and walked back to the edge of the pool.

"I didn't know your feelings were so fragile" he mocked, as he placed the objects on the floor.

"Well, they are, and I don't know if I can forgive you for it"

"That's too bad" he replied, with clear sarcasm.

They would've go on bantering for hours had Rei not showed up, interrupting their discussion.

As Rin said, they began warming up first and then, with Nathan's help, they began teaching him the basics of backstroke. Nathan swam it a few times, as slow as he could so Rei could see the precision and timing of the movements, even going as far as to just do the arm movements while standing in plain concrete.

They didn't make him swim with all the movements at once either, he started out by just kicking as either Rin or Nathan held his arms and walked towards the other side of the pool, and then they repeated the process, but holding his feet this time, as he moved his arms.

"Okay, Rei" Nathan spoke up, around two hours later, once Rin and him agreed that their student was ready "Try to swim a few metres" he was going to do it with no kick board, no inflatable and no help from anyone.

"Alright" the guy nodded in agreement, and took a few deep breaths, before getting into position. He pushed the pool's wall with his feet, which launched him backwards, and he got ready for the first stroke as his feet kicked, while he went over the angles and calculations needed in his mind. Then, he let his right arm touch the water, and, soon, the left one followed "Yes!" he exclaimed, but in all his excitement, he forgot about the fact that was supposed to keep on moving, and sunk to the bottom, but he quickly rose up again, feeling really pleased with himself "Finally!" after so long, he finally learned something new.

"Good job" Rin complimented, as Nathan and him walked over to where Rei was standing "You still need to train a bit more, but you got the basics figured out"

"Just remember to always keep moving" Nathan stated, with a lopsided grin and a playful sparkle in his eyes "You don't want to sink in the middle of a race"

"Yeah, I know" he replied "I was just caught in the moment, I can assure you it won't happen again"

"I know" the brown haired nodded "And you have all the right to be happy, I was as well the first time I could actually swim backstroke without sinking, which wasn't that long ago"

"How old were you?" Rei asked curiously.

"Twelve, but I only became good at it a year later" the black haired could not hide his surprise upon hearing those words, and neither could Rin, who was also taken back by that statement.

"But Rosalya said that you learned how to swim when you were barely three years old" Rei commented, remembering one time after the first tournament they had against Samezuka. Nagisa was surprised as to how close Nathan had been to getting the first place, and that's when Rosa told them some things about the swimmer, including that.

"That doesn't mean that I was good at it" he replied with a chuckle. The first thing he learned was to stay afloat and doggy paddle, and it took him several months to get that right "In fact, I was pretty bad. When I had tryouts to join my first team, I barely got in" Rin could not imagine that; the first time he saw Nathan swimming, he was, unbeknownst to everyone, very impressed by his skills. He was faster than most people there, and his recovery rate and stamina were also outstanding, he never looked tired, not even after swimming back and forth for three hours, with only a twenty minute break "Do you know what the captain said to me?" Rei shook his head, captivated by his story "He said that even though I was pretty much the slowest out of everyone that had tried out, he saw spirit in me and that's the only reason why he was letting me join" Nathan would be lying if he said he didn't feel upset when he heard that; he was very upset, as any ten year old would be, but after some reflecting and talking with his mother, who always gave great advice (he had probably inherited that from her) he stopped drowning in self pity and focused on reaching his A-game "Afterwards, I started training very hard to catch up to the rest of my teammates. I'm talking five hours a day every day, I could barely stay awake in class the next morning. And I still had school to worry about"

"Must have been a lot to deal with" Rin commented, taking advantage of the minute of silence that fell on the pool.

"Yeah, let's just say that I didn't get much sleep" he replied good-heartedly. He would constantly fall asleep during the school breaks, and once he reached his house at 3 PM, he divided his time between swimming and studying. He ended up going to bed at around 3 AM and waking up three hours later. His appearance was a mess everyday, and that lifestyle went on for almost three years. And even when he could finally swim backstroke properly, he didn't settle, cause now, speed was his focus "But I wasn't going to give up, and that's the only reason why I managed to get a scholarship, because I never stopped"

"Did you ever have any doubts? About what you were doing?" Rei questioned, because he certainly had a lot himself, specially at the very beginning of the Iwatobi Swim Club. He wondered if Nathan had gone through it as well.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I thought about quitting swimming altogether several times, especially at first" Rin could relate to that, maybe him and Nathan had more in common than what he thought "But I decided that I was going to pick myself right up and keep on moving. It took a lot of time, sweat and tears to get to where I am today, and even though I'm glad I made it so far, I'm still aiming for more" he finished his story, a story that would remain in the minds of the two guys standing besides him for a very long time. Nathan always looked so confident and sure of himself and his swimming, that none of them could have ever imagined it hadn't always been that way; it was imprinted on him. They couldn't think about him without his bold personality coming to their minds "If there's one thing you have to remember, Rei, is that raw talent means nothing if you don't practice" that was the reason why he wanted to help Rei in the first place, because he reminded him of his younger self, a self that worked himself to the bone to be able to earn a scholarship and attend Iwatobi's top school for swimmers, but even after achieving that, which was a lot for him, he didn't slow down, and was still working to jump even higher "Just ask Rosalya, or even Rin here. They will tell you the same thing"

"He's right" the maroon haired agreed "You should never settle down. If you want to go far, you have to work for it"

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Rin Matsuoka is the captain of the Samezuka swimming team" Nathan commented, serious time was over "Have you tried joining the student council? You'd do great in it" Rin rolled his eyes, of course he'd say something like that. Nathan Lance couldn't be serious for longer than two minutes, it was stronger than him.

"Thank you for sharing your story" Rei commented as he looked at Nathan, it had certainly helped him "I'll have what you said tonight in mind"

"No problem, inspiring people is my second job" he replied jokingly.

"You don't even have a first job" Rin commented sharply and unimpressed.

"Dealing with you on a daily basis takes up all of my time" he said with a deadpan face.

Rei was still very confused as to when and how these two began to get along, he was expecting that the night would be filled with arguing and discussion but, besides the occasional banter, nothing really serious happened.

"Same time tomorrow?" Rin questioned, ignoring Nathan's words. The black haired nodded.

"Absolutely"

As they walked back to their dorms after saying goodbye to Rei, Nathan suddenly remembered he had pending business with Rin, and since both of them seemed to be getting along better, he figured it was as a good time as any to bring it up.

"You know, you never did answer my question" he spoke up, and Rin gave him a frown "Why were you so annoyed by me before?" the maroon haired turned to look back ahead, trying to figure out how to explain it to him, because he was going to, he just needed to figure out the way.

After some seconds of silence, only interrupted by the sound of their footsteps on the floor, which helped him to organize his thoughts, as Nathan remained quiet and expectant, he began speaking.

"When we were young, Rosa and I were very close" Nathan nodded, he knew that already "I'm not going to get into the details, but I used to rely on her a lot. And I was the person she always went to when she needed something, maybe a laugh, or a way to forget about her problems for a while" more than once Rin had seen Rosa upset, and more than once he had done everything in his power to raise her spirits, succeeding most of the time "Even when we were in separate countries, we still relied on each other. And that made me feel like she genuinely wanted me in her life, I wasn't just a passerby she would forget about when we grew up" and she didn't, she definitely didn't. She came back to him; even after everything he put her through, he still had a place in her life "But then, as you know, I cut ties with her, and I didn't talk to her again until last year" Rin hated to bring that topic up; even if he had apologized to everyone a hundred times for his behavior and they forgave him the hundred times, every once in a while he still thought about it, and felt awful and even a tad ashamed; he didn't want it to happen again "I tried to convince myself that I was over it, that I didn't want her in my life anymore. And it worked for a while, but then…" he made a pause, the only other person he had ever told this was to Rosa, nobody else knew about it. It was taking him a whole lot of courage to admit it to Nathan, specially since it concerned him "She met you. And you began being for her what I used to be. You stood up for her like I used to do, you made her laugh like I did, and she began doing the things that she did with me with you. And I didn't like that, cause it seemed she had moved on, when I couldn't" Nathan remained quiet, listening to his every word attentively "And, unfortunately, the target of that resentment was you, cause I couldn't bring myself to hate her"

Silence reigned for a few seconds, as the brown haired digested and processed what he had just heard coming out of his captain's lips.

"So" he finally spoke up, and Rin gave him a curious look "The reason you disliked me so much, was because you were jealous?" there was no mockery, no amusement in his voice. Rin had half expected him to crack a joke or even laugh at him, but all he saw was a straight face and an analytical stare.

"You could say that" the maroon haired agreed. He felt he was being replaced.

"Listen, Rin" he stated with firmness in his voice "I understand where you are coming from, and why you'd feel threatened by me, because who wouldn't, I'm awesome" and there's the joke Rin was expecting. Nathan's factions became playful for a split second, before straightening again "But I would never try to replace you, or anyone. I didn't even know about your past when I approached her, and the only reason I did that was because she was my sister's best friend, whom she always talked about, so, naturally, I was curious" Joy mentioned Rosa in every single conversation she had with him so, of course, it sparked some interest "And even when I found out about your history, I never had second intentions in sticking by her side. I just wanted to be a friend, and that still remains. I can guarantee you I'm not planning on ruining your relationship or anything like that, because, first, I don't like her like that and never will, so that's one less problem in your list, but also because I know how happy it makes both of you" he appreciated the two of them for different reasons, but the one thing he wanted for both of them was happiness, specially after Rosa told him everything she went through with Rin, and what happened in Rin's life in particular. He would never do anything to jeopardize their very special relationship "And if I tried to get in the way of that, what kind of person would that make me?" he questioned logically "So you don't have to worry or feel insecure, cause Rosalya and I are just friends, and that's what we will always be. And maybe one day, you and I can get over this weird and unfounded tension and be not just teammates, but also friends"

Silence.

"I hope so, too" Rin said with a nod. Nathan's words helped a lot to ease the insecurities he felt towards his relationship with Rosa, and Nate's interest in her, which was nonexistent after all "Thanks" he added on that note.

"No problem" he replied, shaking his head and shrugging it off "And, like I promised, you answered my question, so I will start toning down my annoying tendencies"

"You don't have to do that" the maroon haired commented, making the other guy look at him with arched eyebrows "You without being annoying wouldn't be you"

"That's a drastic statement, Matsuoka. Are you sure you are okay with that?" he said, igniting a fire inside Rin "There's no turning back"

"That sounds a lot like a challenge, Lance" Rin replied, his eyes lighting up

"That's because it is" Nathan confirmed "The question is, are you up for it? Because, I can assure you, it won't be easy dealing with me"

"Bring it on"

I don't know if any of you believe in astrology, but I gotta say, Nathan's rising sign is definitely Leo.

Also, this bromance between Rin and Nathan is hilarious (and also kind of precious) to write about. I will definitely include more of their banter.