[ there's something about this whole thing that doesn't sit quite right with rin.
(yes, he's having horrible flashbacks to approximately a year ago, when he'd been dolled up in a pink maid's outfit - pink, goddamn it, while the rest of the team got the usual black-and-white ensemble - and had spent the entirety of the cultural festival wishing that he could disappear into thin air.)
zack wouldn't pass as a woman, not with his build, but he still manages to pull it off. it's the confidence more than anything else, the swagger in his step, the cheer he carries about with him. without apparent effort.
rin has confidence in his intelligence, in his prowess in the pool, but it's always been tempered by childhood insecurity. a fish-hook through his ribs, tugging him away from that final step.
maybe that's why he'd been drawn to zack. despite the disquiet oh which rin has caught only glimpses - zack's cheerfulness is hardly his definitive trait - zack has optimism enough for all the worlds that have been lost. despite his wobbly steps. despite the fact that he's bursting from that eye-searingly pink dress.
rin has to rip himself away from the sudden - and uncharacteristic - bout of navel-gazing, falling back on a classic: the toothy grin. he waves up at zack, cat-calling without shame. ]
Looking good, Zack — !
[ a moment later, zack reaches the end of the catwalk, does his jaunty little twirl, and rin reaches out - driven by instinct to catch something tossed at his face, not by conscious thought - and finds himself with a wreath of flowers.
always the bridesmaid, never the bride — ?
okay, maybe rin's grin falters just slightly. maybe there's a hint of color in his cheeks.
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(yes, he's having horrible flashbacks to approximately a year ago, when he'd been dolled up in a pink maid's outfit - pink, goddamn it, while the rest of the team got the usual black-and-white ensemble - and had spent the entirety of the cultural festival wishing that he could disappear into thin air.)
zack wouldn't pass as a woman, not with his build, but he still manages to pull it off. it's the confidence more than anything else, the swagger in his step, the cheer he carries about with him. without apparent effort.
rin has confidence in his intelligence, in his prowess in the pool, but it's always been tempered by childhood insecurity. a fish-hook through his ribs, tugging him away from that final step.
maybe that's why he'd been drawn to zack. despite the disquiet oh which rin has caught only glimpses - zack's cheerfulness is hardly his definitive trait - zack has optimism enough for all the worlds that have been lost. despite his wobbly steps. despite the fact that he's bursting from that eye-searingly pink dress.
rin has to rip himself away from the sudden - and uncharacteristic - bout of navel-gazing, falling back on a classic: the toothy grin. he waves up at zack, cat-calling without shame. ]
Looking good, Zack — !
[ a moment later, zack reaches the end of the catwalk, does his jaunty little twirl, and rin reaches out - driven by instinct to catch something tossed at his face, not by conscious thought - and finds himself with a wreath of flowers.
always the bridesmaid, never the bride — ?
okay, maybe rin's grin falters just slightly. maybe there's a hint of color in his cheeks.
damn it. ]