竜ヶ崎 怜

                      Beauty is not flawless, it shines through your FLAWS. 

                      Beauty is not flawless, it shines through your FLAWS. 

                      Beauty is not flawless, it shines through your FLAWS. 

Rin was gathering his own things, books and papers and lecture notes, so he didn’t notice any clumsiness on Rei’s part. He had a sheaf of papers in a folder – god, he really needed to consider digital notetaking – that tended to be a bit unwieldy. Maybe he’d look into that…

They stepped out of the cafe and Rin blinked a little as his eyes adjusted to the light. Rin headed for the library, walking quietly. He wasn’t sure where to start as far as conversation was concerned. 

He knew that he did not wish to discuss their… night together. If one could even call it that. Rin didn’t remember it much, so he didn’t know how much it counted. He supposed he’d know how much it counted after a quick trip to a doctor for sexually transmitted infection testing.

As Rei asked about where Rin was from, he turned to look at him. “Iwatobi,” Rin said. “You?”

        Rin’s response to his question rather surprised him, and he turned to look at him with a clear expression of that on his face. “Really? That’s where I’m from--” What are the odds that they would both be from there and wind up meeting like this. 

        “We must have gone to different high schools I suppose, or you would at least seem familiar,” he added after a moment, adjusting his glasses with a brief nod. Apparently the two of them had more in common that he had thought as he snuck away that morning. 

          It made him feel a little better about everything. Their way of meeting still made him feel awkward, but it could have been worse, in the end. There was at least the potential that they could become friends from all of this. 

Ai pressed his lips together, feeling helpless and like he’d crossed a line with his prying.  But he could see how true Ryuugazaki’s words were.  How much he truly wished he could continue swimming…

He remembered a passing conversation with Rin last year, as Samezuka’s previous captain headed to the locker rooms late in the evening.  Ai was just leaving and surprised to see him.  “Rei’s coming over to practice,” Rin had said bluntly, like that wasn’t strange at all to teach a competitor in his free time.  It had become something that a number of Samezuka members knew about but never spoke of, out of respect for Rin and Rei both.  Rei had worked so hard…

“What if Hazuki didn’t know?” Ai blurted out.  The room seemed unnervingly quiet after he said it.  What was he trying to suggest exactly?  “I mean…  I wouldn’t tell anyone…”  His words petered out and the helplessness washed in again.

Rei looked up in surprise at Nitori’s words. Not tell Nagisa that he wasn’t supposed to be swimming and continue to do exactly that? He would be lying if he said that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind a few times since his doctor’s appointment. 

And he wasn’t planning to continue swimming competitively once he reached college. While he enjoyed it now, it wouldn’t be the same without the current teammates, and he likely wouldn’t be able to manage it with what he plans. So even if it did destroy his shoulder, he didn’t need it for something like this ever again. 

He chewed his lip as he thought it over, adjusting his glasses out of habit more than necessity. “If Nagisa-kun didn’t know, and you didn’t tell anyone.... I guess it could be possible to continue swimming,” he spoke after a moment. Most of the responsibility would fall onto his own shoulders, of course. He’d only gone to the doctor because of the twinge in his shoulder, and that would only get worse as he continued to push himself. 

This really is our last summer, isn’t it?

Starter call !!!!

Ah, internship. The bane of all of their existences. Every sciences or engineering guy Rin knew was gunning for a great internship, and it was a stressful topic at the best of times. He didn’t like to think about it too much, really. Speaking of, he really needed to –

Oh! Rei said yes?

That was unexpected. Rin grinned a little. “Great,” he said.” It took a certain kind of person to appreciate an invitation to do research together. Honestly, it could almost be considered a date, given how they’d met and all. That thought made him cough a little, but Rin quickly bent to gather his things in an effort to cover it.

“I was just about to get going,” said Rin. “So if you’re fine with drinking coffee while you’re walking, we can head that way together.” He smiled again, softer this time. It would be nice to have someone to chat with about their respective fields.

Picking up his bag, Rin shouldered it and swallowed the last of his coffee. He glanced down at Rei, waiting for a moment. 

     Rei nodded as Rin mentioned he was heading out, and he set his cup down long enough to stand and shoulder his bag before he picked it back up. His nerves were still showing through slightly in his almost clumsy movements, but he was hoping that Rin wouldn’t be able to notice that. They hardly knew each other, after all. 

     Although that wasn’t the most comforting of thoughts for him, especially considering how they met. But he seemed nice, and he was hopeful that they could at least be friends after everything. They seemed to get along well enough. 

     He pulled himself from his thoughts as he followed Rin from the cafe. There were a few moments of quiet while he thought of something to talk about, something simple-- even small things would help him get to know Rin better. 

                                      Life is tough, my darling.                                              But so are YOU.