The train was quiet on the ride home. Nagisa and Rei had stayed even later than usual after practice (partly on accident, partly because Nagisa convinced Rei to wait for him after a teacher caught him covering other clubs' posters with their own). They barely caught the train on time. They boarded and Rei told Nagisa he needed to read for class and, for once, Nagisa had agreed to let him. He watched and admired the taller boy quietly from the corners of his eyes.
One of the things he loved most about Rei was his hair. He was jealous of the jet-black color that sparkled as a brilliant blue when the light hit it, the dark eyes and glasses, his studious nature. He was the perfect Japanese boy.
Nobody looked at Rei like he was a delinquent when the boarded the train.
Rei would have no trouble getting a job when he wanted to. He'd be great at anything he did, without a doubt. Nagisa was jealous. Of his looks, of his hair, his eyes – his everything.
Rei caught him staring.
"Nagisa-kun?"
Nagisa's lips curled and he smiled slyly. "Yes, Rei-chan? He drawled.
Predictably, Rei blushed. "N-nothing," he stuttered, and looked back down at the book in front of him.
Nagisa's eyes strayed from the ideal Japanese face of his friend to the dirty floor of the train. All he could think of was how he hated his blonde hair. How he hadn't really understood what being albino meant until people told him he was too young to bleach his hair or why would he wear colored contacts, even to school? Makoto's hair was light, but it wasn't blonde. People still took Makoto seriously, only thinking of him as "charming" or half-blooded, not as outlandish or immature.
At least this way he could still dress the way he wanted and act the way he did.
Rei's voice drifted in to Nagisa's consciousness quietly. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," he drawled in response.
"Nagisa-kun?"
"I'm okay, Rei-chan." Nagisa put on a smile. "Please don't worry about me."
"It's unusual for you to be so quiet and thoughtful, so I was worried," he explained, adjusting his glasses.
"Right," Nagisa agreed harshly, "because I'm usually so crazy."
Rei was quiet for a minute and Nagisa mentally berated himself for letting jealousy get the better of him. Why did he have to lash out like that?
But Rei agreed.
"Without you, what would ever get done?" He asked with a breathy laugh.
Nagisa's head snapped up.
"We do need you and your crazy ideas."
Nagisa pouted.
But Rei reached over and tousled his blonde hair. He chuckled. "We need you to motivate us sometimes."
"Well, I can't just leave you guys, can I?" He snickered. He took Rei's hand from his head and held it.
Shocked at first, Rei nearly stole his hand back, but Nagisa was looking so thoughtful, he got distracted. Nagisa intertwined their fingers before reaching up and running his other hand through Rei's hair.
He flushed. "Nagisa-kun?"
Nagisa smiled. "Rei-chan, I love your hair."
"Th-thank you."
Nagisa sat back in his seat, holding fast on to Rei's hand. Rei cracked open his book and tried to focus on the words on the page, instead of the warmth on his hand. And all Nagisa could think was how perfect that black hair with the blue highlights was, and how badly he wanted it.