Red Riding Wolf
A Free! oneshot
by mew-tsubaki
Note: The Free! characters belong to Oji Koji-sensei, not to me. A bit of a nonsensical drabble because I like glasses. XP Read, review, and enjoy!
- ^-^3
He wakes up and has only a few minutes before he begins to panic.
Normally, in the morning, Rei rolls over, turns off his alarm, sits up, yawns, and then reaches for his glasses. This morning, he rolls over, turns off his alarm, sits up, yawns, and reaches for his glasses.
But his glasses. Aren't. There.
It doesn't make sense, but he tries not to panic. I must've simply knocked them on the floor or something.
But he can't see without them. So he carefully uses his hands and feet to feel around for the frames. Yet they're nowhere to be found.
Fifteen, twenty minutes pass futilely. His mother calls for him. "Rei! If you don't eat now, you won't be able to before you have to catch the train to school!"
Rei grumbles under his breath. He has to give up. Maybe his glasses are in his backpack, he thinks with hope. And that's just out by the front door.
But after dressing and rushing through breakfast, Rei struggles to check his bag on the way to the station. And it has everything but his glasses.
"I might as well not to go to school today if I can't read the board or even see my hand in front of me," the blue-haired boy mutters to himself.
Someone slaps his back with a laugh. "Ah, Rei-chan? Thinking of skipping school?"
Even though he can't make out Nagisa's face, he can definitely tell it's Nagisa's voice. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "I hate the idea, but I can't see."
"Ohh… Lost your glasses. What, you don't have an emergency pair or have rainy-day contacts?"
Rei groans. "Contacts make my eyes itchy."
Nagisa makes a buzzer noise. "Aww. I kind of want to see Contacts Rei… But it's unlike you not to have a backup pair."
"I don't need you telling me that," Rei says, looking away…which he realizes is stupid since he can't lock eyes with the blond anyway.
Nagisa's outline wobbles—oh, he shrugs. "I guess I'll just have to be your eyes for the day, then." And he tucks Rei's hand in the crook of his elbow as if the matter is settled.
So Rei takes the train, sitting closer than normal beside Nagisa. And they walk to school, with the time split between Nagisa leading him along like a gentleman and tugging on his hand like a dutiful boyfriend or something.
Kou feels for him. "Ah, that's a shame, Rei-kun. I guess it can't be helped, but you should probably skip practice today," she says at lunchtime.
"No, I can come to practice. I can swim. My goggles are prescription."
"But if your eyes are agitated from lack of focus today, won't it irritate them more when you put the goggles on?" She pats his shoulder. "It's fine, Rei. Just take it easy today. You've been working hard, too, so it's fine to take a day off."
She must be really sympathetic, he thinks. Usually nothing ever works to deter Drillmaster Kou.
Haruka and Makoto feel for him, too. But they also agree that Rei needs a day off. "And I'm sure your glasses will turn up soon," Makoto tells him. He doesn't have to look to know Makoto's smiling like usual. And he doesn't need to hear a word from Haruka to know he's nodding from beside the brunet.
Somehow he gets through the rest of the day, and it's torture. He can't see anything so he can't learn anything. Nagisa got permission in the morning to sit beside him, but Nagisa's a distraction. All Rei can think about it finding his glasses, finding his glasses, finding his glasses.
After school, Rei waits while the others have a quick meeting. Nagisa doesn't stay as long, and then the two of them are heading for the train station. It's as though just another normal day has passed.
They're the only two for once at the station. Nagisa's swinging Rei's hand in his because he's bored.
"I'll take you home, too," Nagisa remarks. Rei can hear the half-smile in his voice. "Sorry I didn't come get you this morning."
"No, it's fine. You couldn't have known I'd lose them."
"Yeah, but, if this happens again, just call me, Rei-chan. I mean it."
Rei gives Nagisa a stern look. "The point is that it shouldn't happen again, Nagisa-kun."
"Yeah, but…if it does…" He sighs and tugs Rei closer to him so that he can rest his head on Rei's shoulder. "Rely on me more, dammit."
Rei blinks, a little stunned. He's fairly sure he's heard Nagisa swear only once or twice before, and he's never figured out what motivates the blond to do so. But he says nothing, and the train comes, and it's the weekend, and they get a car to themselves.
The ride home is silent and uncomfortable. But Rei doesn't know what to say.
At his shoulder, he feels Nagisa pressed up against him, and his thoughts melt and dissolve into one wish—to find his glasses a.s.a.p. He groans.
Nagisa picks up his head a little before they hit their stop. "Well…," he begins. "You've suffered long enough."
Before Rei can ask for an explanation of that cryptic statement…suddenly he can see. Nagisa puts his glasses on him, and he can see. He can see his hands before him, he can see their legs pressed together, and he can see Nagisa's eyes, the color of dark roses.
"I'm sorry," Nagisa says with a pout. "They accidentally made it into my bag when I was over last night."
"Oh, really?" Rei breathes a sigh of relief. He's relieved to be able to see again, but most of all he's relieved to be able to see Nagisa again.
"Okay, that's a lie. I filched them."
Rei gives him another look. "Why would you do that?"
"Well, I…"
"Do you know how worried I was? It's frustrating, not be able to see you."
Nagisa grimaces. "I just want you to rely more on me. …wait, what?"
Rei purses his lips. Being honest about this is almost as frustrating as being without his glasses. "I could get through the day fine, with the exception of not seeing you. It—it wasn't fair. I see your face all the time, and then to have it to turn into nothing more than a yellow blur?"
"I didn't realize you liked my face that much." Nagisa nervously chuckles and settles beside Rei.
The blue-haired teen notes that their hands are linked once again.
"Sorry for being selfish, then. I really did just want you to rely on me. That way…we'd spend more time together."
He can't help it: Rei laughs. "What? Why? We're together most of the time anyway."
"I like you, Rei-chan."
Rei's laugh subsides. He looks away, but the heat of Nagisa's hand in his is almost too much to bear. He feels his face growing hot. "…you don't expect me to say it, right?"
Nagisa snickers. "No. After all, 'it's not a beautiful thing to say,'" he says in a good mimicry of Rei. He sighs contently. "It's all right. I know you well, anyway, so I know you feel the same way. And I promise I won't steal your glasses again."
Rei snorts. "Of course you're going to steal them again."
"Okay, yeah." Nagisa turns Rei to face him and he reaches for those red frames.
"Ah, hold on—I'd like to see your face for the first one."
So he does, and kissing Nagisa is a very beautiful thing. It's clumsy and sweet and gentle all at once, and Rei's just glad he can see it happen. He has to suppress a chuckle when he sees Nagisa's face turn bright red.
"What?"
"They're in the way, Rei-chan." Nagisa doesn't even ask for permission before he slips them off and resumes their kiss.
But then their stop arrives, and the conductor's announcement is enough to bring them back to their senses. Rei puts his glasses back on, both boys adjust their bags on their backs, and Nagisa gives Rei's leg a little squeeze.
"I know I promised not to steal them again," the blond says as they get off and begin the walk home. "But…"
"Yeah?"
"Wanna forget them at my house tonight?"
And as Nagisa waggles his eyebrows and takes Rei's hand once more, Rei smiles. He's red from head to toe, but he smiles. He definitely wants to lose his glasses in Nagisa's room tonight.
- ^-^3
XD Urgh, another ridiculous fic, but I love it, somehow. XDDD I think Nagisa's WAY more devious than we've seen in the show so far… And he and Rei are just good noms. But they're a stupid couple, really—never coming out and saying straight what they want to, Nagisa taking the glasses, Rei wanting them back if only to see Nagisa… Ah, bakappurus… -w- So cute! I do kinda wanna write sexy times for them, but I'll wait until real inspiration strikes… :') Cover doodle by me, btw. Agh, I need a dA to post my pics… -.-
But thanks for reading! And please review!
-mew-tsubaki ;]