An Unexpected Love (Rin Matsuoka X Reader)

Regionals II

"I can't believe I lost that badly..." You mumbled. "Will the others be mad?"

Gou glanced up from the list of standings she was examining.

"Why would they be? We all agreed that you did exceptional, especially considering you were against males."

"I don't think fourth in my heat is that exceptional." You pouted, slouching into the bleacher chair you sat in. "I feel like I let the team down."

"(Y/N), be quiet!" Gou giggled. "You didn't let the team down! Let's cheer on the boys in the medley relay and forget about it."

You felt your anxiety disperse and change into a strong feeling of excitement.

"Do you know what other schools are in their heat?" You said, trying to find them in the heap of swimmers on the deck.

"I only recognize Samezuka Academy," Gou answered. "It's going to be a tough race against them!"

You poked your head over the railing in front of you and waved at the boys below.

They all saw you waving and smiled.

You noticed Makoto was starting to stretch his his long muscular arms as he would be first to start the relay.

You rested your head on your arms, anticipating for the race to begin.

All of the sudden, in the corner of your eye, you noticed Rin was smirking at you from the deck.

You felt your heat beat become faster, but you stuck your tongue out at him, rejecting the sensation in your chest.

"(Y/N), stop trying hide it." Gou spoke.

"What are you even tal-"

"I know you like my brother! It's obvious." She said.

"What are you saying! I would nev-"

"(Y/N), you're so stubborn! Instead of ignoring those feelings, try to at least understand them." She added, crossing her arms.

Your damp hair wavered over your face as you stared at the ground with shock.

What the hell! I don't like him. He's a close friend, nothing mo-

You knew you were lying to yourself. You knew these feelings towards Rin weren't the same as the ones you felt with your friends.

Your muscles relaxed, releasing the building tension.

Do I really like him?

Then suddenly you heard the sound of the starting gun erupt throughout the arena.

Your head flew up to see all the backstroke swimmers dive into the water.

Makoto was already ahead as he thrusted himself in front of the other competitors with his strength.

Nagisa was awaiting his return as Makoto changed direction back towards him.

You noticed that Momo was catching up to Makoto.

"Let's go Iwatobi!" You shouted as Nagisa dove into the water.

Nagisa plowed through the water with his familiar breaststroke movements, trying to get ahead of Nitori.

They both kept the same pace, until Rei and Sokuke hurled themselves into the pool when they touched the wall simultaneously.

They fought for the advantage in the pool as they picked up speed with the butterfly stroke.

You saw Rin slapping the back of his goggles around his head and getting into position on the block.

Rei and Sosuke touched the pools at the same time, signalling a synchronized dive by Haru and Rin.

You covered your eyes from the overpowering nerves taking over your body.

Gou started shaking your shoulders viciously from behind.

"Watch the race, (Y/N)!"

You peaked through your hands to see them fighting to get ahead of each other as both of their arms stretched out to finish the race.

The crowed roared with excitement as everyone stared at the scoreboard.

Time Skip

You felt a rush of relief as you threw yourself at all four boys who were waiting at the front of the arena to leave.

"I can't believe you won!"

"I can't believe we beat Samezuka Academy by a millisecond!" Nagisa yelled, throwing his arms into the air.

"Remember they can still beat us at nationals!" Gou exclaimed. "Let's get back to the hotel to pack up! We have to start training again as soon as possible."

Everyone groaned.

You began walking away from the arena, but you noticed Rin standing alone in front of the entrance.

His head was lowered to the ground and his hands were in the pockets of his tracksuit.

You walked up to Rin.

You felt your chest become heavy, but it didn't feel burdensome.

"Rin?"

He lifted his head revealing startled eyes, then looked to his side with disappointment.

"Go ahead... I know I lost."

You pursed your lips with irritation.

"Shut up! All that matters is that you made it to nationals." You shouted. "I didn't come to shove it in either... I wanted to congratulate you."

He ran his fingers through his maroon hair, staring at you with disbelief.

Your face reddened.

"Anyways, I have to leave!" You stammered, walking away from him.

"(Y/N)!" Rin yelled.

You stopped for a moment before trailing away.

"We're not going to lose."

You could see him grinning from where you stood.

"We aren't going to either."