So Sunday comes around, and my alarm goes off at 8. I push my head into my pillow trying to pretend it's not morning yet, even though the sun's been up for about an hour by now, but then I remember I have stuff to do, throw myself out of bed and practically run to the shower. Getting halfway there, I realise I don't have anything to change into, run back to my room, and grab my clothes before heading back. I laid them out last night. Being just a little bit prepared can go a long way. It's not like it was hard or anything. It's only a tracksuit to go over my swimsuit, and I won't be wearing it long. So I climb into the shower, silently celebrating that nobody was already in it and tear my way towards the door. "Morning, Onii-chan." Gou calls out to me as I walk through the kitchen. "There's some toast it you want it."

"Thanks." I grab the toast and continue on my jog to the door. "I'm going out."

"Where?"

"Can't say."

"Why not?"

"Secret." Not wanting to be pestered into saying anything more, I don't bother turning around to continue the conversation, instead opening the door and picking up my pace. I don't why I'm so excited to get there. Well, no, I do know, but I'm kind of pretending to myself that I don't because otherwise I'll just kind of lose it if things don't go the way I played them out in my head last night. Noticing some brightly coloured paper in the mailbox, I pull out an envelope addressed to Gou. "Letter for you!" Without stopping, I throw it backwards, half-knowing she'd be standing right behind me to catch it.

"Oh. I probably just have to renew my Muscles Monthly subscription."

"That's weird. Bye!"

"Good luck, Onii-chan!"

"For what?"

"For whatever! Call it woman's intuition."

I laugh in response and wave brashly. I turn my wrist so I can check my watch and I see it's still only 8:10. I can get ready that fast? I need to use this talent more often. But anyway, I slow my pace and focus instead on the toast I'm carrying. I'm glad we had a big dinner last night. I'd be dying otherwise.

My arrival at the train station just manages to tie in perfectly with my last bite of toast. I'm a little earlier than I anticipated, but hey. Better early than late. Although, it doesn't matter so much. I should still get to school with plenty of time. I take a seat on one of the benches lining the side of the station, because 8:15 on a Sunday is just one of those weird times no-one really wants to catch a train, so they're all free. I think I see somebody at the other end of the station, and they seem familiar, but my eyes aren't quite as strong for distance as they could be, so I can't see any details. I blame studying. Having books all of 30 centimetres away from your face all the time cannot possibly be good for distance vision. It bothers me that I feel like I know this person, but I decide to just ignore for the time being and focus on what's in front of me.

And suddenly there's a train in front of me, and unsurprisingly, both me and that other bloke from the other end of the station get on it. I take a moment and wonder if we're going to the same place, decide I doubt it, and just sit down and ignore all this stupid misgivings I've suddenly contracted. I pull out my phone, because it's only 8:20 and normally it only takes 30 minutes to get to school. Hey. I'll probably be about 10 minutes early. That OK?

Can someone remind me why I felt compelled to do that? Why on earth would Rei have a problem with me being early? Whatever. The message has sent, so there's not exactly anything I can do about it. I hope it doesn't make me seem desperate.

I'm already here. I came early to warm up, so don't worry. Okay. He's really enthusiastic. But, he does take his time warming up, so that's probably for the best. That's not a complaint, by the way. It can be fun to watch. He's fairly flexible, and has no qualms about being seen from any and every angle, so if you get the right one, there's a really good view of every little detail. The train pulls up at Iwatobi and knocks me out of my reverie. I get off the train, and that's that. It's 8:35. It shouldn't take me 15 minutes to get to school. I'll be there in no time. But I decide to take it at a light jog for a warm up. I'm not really into stretches. Although it probably wouldn't hurt to stretch a little every once in a while. It's not good when you get too tight, and when you're constantly exercising and gaining muscle, losing muscle, so on, you tighten up really, really fast. It wouldn't take a swimmer long to be unable to lift their leg past knee height if they didn't maintain a properly balanced routine. I never really considered flexibility as important in my routines, though. Because, for as a swimmer, I really only need flexibility in a few areas – in the shoulders, so I can do different kinds of stroke and along the insides of the legs so they can go far enough apart to kick strongly. Other than that, strength is the major concern.

By the time I've considered the virtues of being made of rubber, I've arrived at the school pool. I didn't even know we could do this on weekends. Rei must have arranged ahead of time. God, he is enthusiastic, isn't he? I don't have to bother changing, because I thought about things first and wore my swimsuit under my tracksuit. So I just kind of let the tracksuit fall off and I'm ready to get in. Rei comes out of the change room, also in a swimsuit. "Thanks for doing this, Rin-senpai."

"Don't think twice about it." I take a few steps towards the pool. "I take it you're already warm."

"Of course I am. I couldn't possibly be not warm after coming here an hour early for specifically that reason."

"No reason to get so defensive about it. Now hurry up and get in." I lead by example, turning around and diving in. He follows in fairly short order, but he takes his time on the dive. This is good – it gives me a chance to analyse his form (that sounds kinda dubious, doesn't it?) His bend is good – he gets nice and close to his legs, so he has plenty of power in his launch. His launch is equally good – he pushes outward and upward in the right proportion, so he covers good distance before he even hits the water and also has plenty of time to make sure he's body's shaped and curved right for pushing in easily (I'm really going well with dubious internal monologue quotes today). He continues smoothly, getting about 10 metres or so before he even starts with his stroke. Well, nothing much to critique there. "Solid dive there, Rei. Not bad considering you couldn't even swim a year ago."

"Diving was simple. Some basic theoretical calculation was all it took. I was already good at jumps and angles and so on from pole vaulting."

"So you were a pole vaulter before they conned you onto the swim team?"

"Yeah. Have I never told you that?"

"No. But I guess it's not really relevant, is it?"

"That's true. But yes, I'd already joined track here, but Nagisa convinced me I should try swimming instead."

"Nagisa seems to do a lot for us, doesn't he?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, the swim team was his idea, wasn't it? And he conned you onto it…"

"I don't know if I'd call it conning."

"I would. I wasn't there, but it's Nagisa. I'd definitely call it conning."

"Well, I guess…"

"Whatever it was, Nagisa seems to have masterminded everything to get it the way it is now."

"You're right, I suppose. I would posit there are some things that were well beyond his control, but he has been a bit of lynchpin, hasn't he?" Rei looks like he's blushing, but that could just be the sun, and the water, and the angle, and all that stuff.

"What are we being sentimental for? I thought we were workshopping your stroke. My fault. Let's carry on. Is there a kickboard around?"

"Right on the side of the pool there. There's a buoy, too. I thought they'd be useful."

"Good call. The guys probably couldn't teach you too much about butterfly, could they?"

"Not really, but I learned a fair bit from Coach Sasabe right before prefecturals."

"Well, we're probably still at a stage where working on your leg and arm work at the same time is more productive than trying to hit your form on the whole."

"I have studied the theory extensively, but I'm not entirely sure my body has gotten the details going right yet."

"We'll have you going like a pro in no time." I push away from the lane barrier and indicate for him to have at it. He pulls back against the wall, grabs the kickboard and pushes off. I pay close attention to his hip area, because that's his most important part (dubious, still – I've got to stop this). His flexibility has its downsides. He can't control his back and hips properly, and his kick puts too much strain on his spine. "Try and keep your lower back still and just use your legs. You'll lose a little power, but your spine will hold out longer." I see him make a marked effort to oblige, but he goes a bit wrong – he tenses up his hips and his kick becomes stiff and awkward. "Relax your hips. If your body's tense, you'll have to fight harder to stay afloat, and you'll tire out fast." He relaxes, and his spine starts getting loose again. Not as loose as before, and I suppose it's not loose enough to be dangerous, so I just let it slide. Not everyone swims with the same form, so I have to make sure not to make this a 'Rin's butterfly' indoctrination session. Rei's body is different so he's going to swim different. And apparently, one difference is his loose kick. But I still feel a bit better for having corrected that – that range of motion at that intensity and consistency, in water, and Rei would have been facing back problems before he graduated. "Good. You're very consistent. That's enough for now. I've got a judge."

"Was that productive, Rin-senpai? I feel like you more or less said to do something and then stop doing it."

"Well, it was a little bit like that. But you're using you're back less now, which is good, because with the amount you were using it, you could hurt yourself. And we don't really want that, seeing as you have to swim the relay and all."

"I'm not going to start this."

"Start what? You're in the relay. We've established this."

"You've established that. We'll wait and see if it's a good idea in due time."

"Whatever, you're in the relay. But, moving on. Your kick is strong, but you could afford to do a little bit of working out to get some more power in your legs. But that's really a detail. As far as form and technique, you're doing very well. You sure you only learnt to swim last year?"

"If you don't believe me, ask Nagisa, or Haruka-senpai, or Makoto-senpai, or Gou." I wonder why Gou came last? "I swam like a hammer."

I laugh, but banter's over. "Now, I'm going to guess ahead here. Your shoulders are probably going to have the same issues as your back did. If you're too loose, you run the risk of damaging your joints. So make sure you're not over-rotating your shoulders. If it feels like you have to relocate your shoulders to make the circle, you can stand to move your arms outward a little to make a more natural path for your arms."

"I'd never thought of it that way. All the books say that the tighter your circle, the faster you go."

"There's more to swimming technique than time, you know."

"Of course. We can't afford to get injuries every other day."

"Well, the way you swim right now is so power-centric, you'll eventually get yourself an injury you'll never recover from."

"That's why I stretch so much. I can keep my body flexible, I can make more severe movements without threatening my joints."

"That's true. I guess you can afford things I'd call dangerous being suppler." I'm still talking dubiously, but that one was out loud. Regrettably.

"So, are there any other issues with my kick?"

"I think it would pay to point your feet a little harder. It streamlines you, and I'm sure I don't have to explain why that's a good thing."

"I can't point my feet much harder than I do."

"If this was ballet, I'd recommend you shove your feet under a piano, but that's dangerous. Try to point your toe, as well. It'll pull your feet down."

"I never understood the difference in between pointing feet and pointing toes. Is there any?"

"Pointing your foot comes from the ankle, and you push your foot flat so it's like an extension of your leg. Pointing your toes comes from the joints underneath them, so your foot kind of curls in on itself."

"You make it sound painful."

"I thought I already said that dancers use pianos to improve their pointe."

"Do they really?"

"Yeah. I had this friend in elementary school and his older sister was always doing screwed-up stuff to try and make her body better for ballet."

"Like what?"

"She'd weight her legs while she slept to improve her turnout and sometimes she tied herself to the bed with a rope to get her legs hitting the positions right."

"That's horrifying! Why did she do that?"

"Call it dedication to the craft. Why are we here right now?"

"Extra training on a Sunday is a far cry from ropes and weights to gets your legs working right."

"It's the same principle. That's just a detail. Anyway, grab the buoy. I want to see how your arms are going." So he does, and he takes off on some laps, doing his best to keep his legs from letting go of the buoy. "If you can't operate your arms and legs independently, we're going to have problems. Fight a little harder to keep your legs still!" He obliges, and suddenly, his legs freeze right up, but he doesn't tense enough to start sinking. I smile. He's learning. I turn my attention to his arms (in more ways than one). I'm not going to lie – I'm enjoying this. Getting a chance to examine his body this closely is a rare opportunity and I intend to make full use of it (while also making sure I'm helping him improve his form). "Turn your hands down so you pull more of the water. The more you push back, the more you go forwards." I'm sure he knows this. He's probably just never made the connection. His stroke turns a little awkward as he tries to rotate his arms to suit my instructions. He'll get the hang of it. He starts moving faster, if only a little. But I think any improvement will satisfy him. "Try to keep your shoulders still. You're thrashing a little." He'll go off course his swings his arms wildly like that. He straightens up, and his speed goes up a little as he starts swimming straighter. "Good. Keep going like that." I let him go through another few laps and then I'm satisfied. "Okay. We're good."

"What next, Rin-senpai?"

"Quit the senpai."

"I'm getting that a lot recently."

"What?"

"A lot of people have asked me to stop using honorifics lately. First Nagisa, then Gou all of thirty seconds later and now you."

"Well, it's weird. I think we're close enough that we can call each other by name, without bothering with all the who's-above-who that comes with honorifics."

"I guess we are… Rin."

"That's more like it. Now back to business. Five laps with both arms and legs, and I'll assess your turns while we're at it. Keep in mind all the things we've checked in on so far."

"Hai!"

"Don't sound so formal."

"Sorry. You got it."

"That's better." And just like that he takes off. He's improved already. "Good! Don't let yourself get too tense! We're coming to the turn – use your legs as much as you can!" He turns gracefully and impacts the wall at the perfect angle. But he doesn't push hard enough, so he starts to stroke when he should still be gliding. "Push harder on the next turn! I know you've got more strength than that." He pushes through another lap, and I find myself struggling to keep up with him because of this sort-of improvised side-stroke thing I'm doing so I can still see him. "You're not breathing in enough! You can't starve your muscles of air!" He can hold his breath for a really long time, evidently, but it's better not to if you can help it. I make a mental note that we have to fix that. He makes his second turn and pushes of harder than the last one, but still not as hard as he could. "If you breathe better, you'll have more strength for the turn. Focus on taking deep breaths!" He obliges and I let the few technical errors that show up in his stroke fly by – breathing is important. I notice that he's not breathing deeper, but more often. I let him get to the next turn before I scold him again. He pushes off harder again, but there's still room to improve. "Don't breathe more often, breathe deeper. Use your diaphragm and really fill up your lungs." He manages to do it right on this lap, and he becomes noticeably faster. "Good! Keep it up! Now, I want a serious push on this last turn!" He rolls in and rotates around, pushing off the wall at full power. Now that's a turn. "That's what I like to see! Now go all out!" I didn't really need to say it – he's about a body length ahead of me and my awkward stroke. In all of twenty-five seconds, he's touched the other wall and stopped. "Excellent work, Rei. We'll just have to fix your breathing, and you'll be going like a torpedo in no time flat."

"Thanks for this, Rin-sen… Rin."

"I've already told you not to worry about it. Now, we need to cool down. Out of the pool. I want you teach me some of your stretches. Being a bit looser could improve my form."

"Well, okay. Just let me go and grab my glasses." He runs to the change room, and I towel myself dry before putting my tracksuit back on. I don't bother zipping up the top, though. It's not like I have anything to be shy about (in fact, quite the opposite. Showing off muscles is one thing I am good at). Rei comes back out, wearing both glasses and tracksuit, fully zipped and everything. I'm a little bit disappointed. Whatever.

"Well, let's get stretching. While we're at it, what was that thing you wanted to talk about?"

I was kind of hoping he'd forget. I was intending to ask if he would approve of my going out with Gou, but after Nagisa's confession, I'm not sure if I still want that. I wrestle with a few possibilities. Do I carry on as planned, and ask for his blessing even though I'm not sure I'll need it? Do I say I've sorted it out, and I don't need his help anymore, thanks anyway? Or do I tell him the whole truth, and get his opinion? "We'll start gentle. Put your leg against the fence and try and reach your toe. Hold for thirty seconds on each leg." I take a moment to try and justify which choice is the best theoretically, at which point some part of me says to hell with formulae, and decides to spill everything. "Can I be honest with you, Rin?"

"Of course you can. I thought that was the sort of dynamic our relationship had. You were the first one I told about Australia. So I think it's fair that I'm the first one you tell about whatever it is you're thinking about."

"I'm just… having some trouble with a very personal decision." We change legs.

"That's not much to go off. I could bear with a few more details over here."

"Well… I have to make a choice. And I can't decide."

"You're not very good at being specific."

"Next stretch. Stand straight with your hands extended above your head, and then lean forward without bending your back until your hands touch the fence. Hold for thirty seconds then bend your knees. Hold for ten seconds, and then roll your spine upwards into the first position. Stand up straight. Repeat three times." We start this stretch, Rin taking care to follow my movements carefully. This one's a bit of a process. "But, this decision… I have to choose between Nagisa and Gou."

Rin chokes a little over that one. "Okay. I didn't exactly see that coming." We bend our knees.

"It's been harder than I realised to try and make the choice." We roll our spines upward and I notice how feminine the motion looks, but also how natural it looks on Rin. We stand ourselves up straight, ready to repeat the stretch.

"Well, as Gou's older brother, it's kind of my job to try and get you onto Nagisa." We bend over again. "But, that being said, if I had to pick someone to be Gou's first boyfriend, I'd probably pick you."

"Well, thanks, I guess." We bend our knees again.

"The way I see it, you're nice and responsible, so you'd never be late to a date or anything. You're also fairly perceptive, so you'd be able to make her happy and pick good spots for dates." In the middle of his sentence, we roll our spines again, and it creates an unnatural but nonetheless pleasing crack in his voice. He seems to have put a lot of thought into this. Is it really all for Gou? Is that how siblings care for each other? "And you picked out that dress she bought yesterday, right? At least I know she'd never go underdressed."

"She showed you the dress?" We stand up.

"It was beautiful." Bending down again.

"That was made me think I wanted to date Gou. That was what I meant when I said I had something to talk about. I intended to ask your blessing to date her."

"But?" We bend our knees, for the third of three stretches.

"But then, on the train on the way home, Nagisa and I had a little discussion." We roll up and straighten for the last time. "Next stretch. Sit on the ground and put the soles of the feet together. Hold your toes together and try to lie flat on the ground without bending your spine. Hold for thirty seconds. Repeat three times." I push down, and go significantly further than Rin does. That was to be expected.

"So you and Nagisa are on the train…"

"And he talks about Mizuki Nana, his favourite singer, and her childhood, and says her music is good because she went through hell for her love. Then he says he wants to go through hell for me, too, and kisses me."

"Like, on the lips? On a train? Jesus. That child has no shame."

"The train was deserted. It was really weird, actually, now I think about it. But no, not on the lips. Just the cheek." We straighten up, and then push down again.

"Well, obviously, he's head over heels for you."

"That doesn't make the decision any easier."

"Why should you try to ask Gou out and risk getting shot down when you know you've Nagisa as a sure-fire option?"

"You're being protective of Gou, aren't you?"

"I'm her Onii-chan. It's part of the job." We straighten up. Last time for this stretch. Pushing my way back down, I reply.

"So there's my predicament. I think I love them both, so I can't decide who I love more." His head was already low, so it's hard to tell, and Rin just let his head hang. Was that disappointing for him to hear? We straighten up again. "Next stretch. We can do this one as a partner stretch." We go into the formation I propose while I dictate it. "Put your legs apart, and line up your feet with your partner's. Push together so that your legs go further apart." Suddenly, we both seem conscious of the fact this involves pushing our crotches together, so neither of us pushes too hard. "Lean forward onto your partner's shoulder." Why did I choose such an intimate stretch in this situation? "Hold for a minute."

Rin rests his head on my shoulder, and whispers almost straight into my ear. "Why don't you love me for a little while instead?" I try to move away, but in this position, unless both of you try to move, you're pretty much stuck this way. "I'm Gou's brother, so I'm like a male version of her, right? So, I'm half Nagisa and half Gou. What's not to love?" He sounds like he could be crying, although he don't think he is.

"It's not quite that simple."

"Why can't it be? Maybe I'm just selfish, but I really wanted you to love me anyway. So, if you decide you can love me, it'll be like loving Gou and Nagisa at the same time for you, and it'll also be a dream-come-true for me. So, why not? Even if it's just a little while, so you can make up your mind, why don't you love me?" He makes it sound very inviting.

So I cave. "I can't make any promises. I can't say it'll be forever. I can't say I won't choose Nagisa or Gou or anybody else over you in due time. But for now, I will. Just for a little while, I can love you." And suddenly, both of us push in harder with our legs, and almost involuntarily our arms reach around each other. And we hold the stretch for much longer than minute, but neither of us really counts or cares.