Aurora

The train shook gently side to side as it rattled down the familiar track. It was no wonder Nagisa fell asleep so easily on these rides, Rei thought. Nagisa always had so much energy, it was almost impossible to rationalize his boundless enthusiasm. Perhaps chlorine exposure could effect the brain's adrenaline output? Or perhaps all this extra sleep on the train was a more plausible explanation. At first, when Rei had begun riding the train with him instead of taking his usual jog, Nagisa would talk away the entire ride. He talked about swimming, new snacks, homework, this slug he saw on the side of the road once, swimming, the silly hat he just saw outside the train, Rei's progress in swimming , new snacks, swimming, the list went on. He seemed to have exhausted all possible topics for conversation around the third week though and now was simply making Rei's shoulder his new pillow. Rei felt that Nagisa could've brought up more stimulating topics, such as the possibility of swimming trunk choice affecting a swimmer's individual performance, but he was left to ponder that on his own as Nagisa continued to snore next to him.

After a few minutes he became bored. That was odd. Usually Rei could run calculations on various things to satisfy himself for hours, but after only five minutes he was unmistakeably bored. He watched the other passengers, boring. He watched the scenery pass, boring. He got out his phone and realized all he had on it was an encyclopedia and a calculator. Well, he had Angry Birds too, but he'd squished every oddly colored pig they had to offer already. He thought the game was going to be easy to master since he had a good enough grasp on physics, but it had been surprisingly difficult to topple the various structures. The physics in the game were completely unreasonable according to his calculations, and he kept over shooting or not flinging the silly little birds hard enough. It was rather frustrating, and now boring as well. He couldn't stand this terrible feeling of empty lethargy looming over him. He turned to look at Nagisa for the 10th time in two agonizing minutes.

If he woke Nagisa up, he would have his boredom easily solved. At the same time, he really didn't want to disturb him. Teenagers need a substantial number of hours of sleep each day; Nagisa's height could be testimony to a lack of that. It couldn't be a lack of calcium because he knew Nagisa liked strawberry milk. If he didn't let Nagisa sleep, he might be short forever. He would depend on tall people all his life. He wouldn't be able to reach high shelves. What If Haru-senpai left something important on a high shelf and something happened? What if Nagisa was the only one who had a chance to get that important thing? Waking Nagisa up would be too risky, Rei decided. And so, he contented himself with playing with Nagisa's face.

Rei never said it out loud, but Nagisa's face was terribly cute. It was even cuter when he slept. He heard people could get lost on the internet looking at videos of adorable cats, but he doubted they were as cute as Nagisa. He moved so often when he was awake sometimes he was hard to get a good look at, but now his face lay perfectly still on Rei's shoulder. Perfectly at peace. He poked Nagisa's nose lightly. It was small and soft. He poked it again, enjoying how Nagisa frowned just a little as he pushed it slightly to the side. Then he poked his earlobes. He wondered why Nagisa hadn't pierced his ears before. Nagisa wasn't the rebellious type, but he wasn't the type to worry to much about little rules and first impressions either. Earrings would suit him. Pink studs to match his eyes; they would look quite nice. He gently held onto it with his thumb and index finger, appreciating the completely smooth feel of his earlobe. Maybe piercings weren't such a good idea after all. Becoming bored with this as well, he tenderly stroked Nagisa's cheek. It was softer than his nose and firmer than his earlobe, though just as smooth. Rei simply sat there for a while, enjoying the feeling of it against his hand.

Nagisa was a beautiful person. Definitely one of the most beautiful, Rei thought. Haru-senpai was a beautiful swimmer, but Nagisa was beautiful in and out of the water. He lowered his hand and simply gazed at Nagisa's face. His pale skin and gold hair, It was all perfectly tranquil in this beautiful moment. Then the train hit a bump, and the moment was gone.

"Eh?! Ah, Rei-chan, did I fall asleep? Are we almost to our stop?" Nagisa sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I was having the oddest dream..." He launched into the telling off the dream as the train came rattling to a stop, and continued as they walked together towards home. When the time came to part ways, Nagisa gave his usual cheery good-bye. Rei took a last look and Nagisa's smiling face before he turned down his own path. He ran calculations to see when he'd get home, how much time he'd have for homework , dinner, free time, and time to sleep. He tried to predict tomorrows weather and enjoyed the sun they had today. Yet, his mind kept going back to Nagisa. The curves of his eyelashes, how his skin felt under his hand. Boredom had been a hateful feeling, the worst in the world, and yet, Rei found himself looking forward to the next time he found himself bored on the train. He was sure he'd once again find something truly beautiful waiting for him.