Valentines Day
The usual sound of his alarm woke Rei Ryugazaki from his early morning slumber. It wasn't a usual Friday morning, however, as it was Valentines Day. Rei had spent his entire week planning for this day to run smoothly-and swimming be damned if it didn't.
It didn't take long for Rei to wake up, shower, and get dressed for the day. His showers were quick and to the point and getting dressed was a breeze thanks to needing to wear a uniform to school. He did set aside his coat, hat, scarf and gloves though, so he'd be properly bundled up on this chilly February morning. Rei decided he would skip his usual morning run because he had other plans. He intended to meet Nagisa at the train station and, like always, they would ride it into town together, making the walk to school together too. It had become a routine for the young couple
A quick breakfast consisting of a granola bar and a banana was enough for Rei-his stomach was in knots anyhow. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, sliding on his gloves, and picking up the red plastic bag from his kitchen table, he was out the door in no time, more than likely to arrive for the train even earlier than usual.
Not far from Rei was Nagisa Hazuki, working through his own morning routine. A poppy tune chimed out from his cellphone on his bedside stand. Groaning and rolling over, the blonde-haired boy reached over to shut it off, sighing deeply. Mornings were not Nagisa's specialty, that was for sure.
After dragging himself out of bed, he simply got dressed for school-no need for a shower in the morning, he preferred to take them at night. Something about it being more enjoyable. With a quick wash of his face and brush of his teeth Nagisa grabbed the purple and blue wrapped gift from his bedroom floor and tucked it into his backpack. He would need that to give to Rei.
Eventually, Nagisa was at the train station, a few minutes before the train was expected to arrive-his usual time. From a distance, Nagisa could see his boyfriend sitting on a bench, waiting. Nagisa smiled. Rei looked nervous. Rei's nervousness was really adorable in its own way. Nagisa quietly approached Rei from behind, at the last moment covering Rei's eyes with his hands. He could feel Rei jump in surprise as the blonde's hands clasped gently around his face. "Guess who, Rei-chan!" Nagisa said in a sing-song voice that was typical to him. Rei chuckled upon hearing Nagisa's voice.
"Hmm, who could it be? Well. . . Only one person out there calls me Rei-chan. . ." Nagisa giggled and nuzzled the top of Rei's head. Rei smiled softly. "Is it you, Nagisa-kun?"
Nagisa took his hands away and kissed the top of Rei's head. "Yes! It's me. And I have a gift for you, Rei-chan!" He said, grinning a mile wide. Sitting next to Rei on the bench Nagisa set the gift in Rei's lap. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Rei was intrigued by the wrapping paper-a dark shade of blue, not unlike Rei's hair, covered with metallic purple butterflies. Makoto had helped him pick it out. . . And wrap it.
"This wrapping is so beautiful! I can't simply just tear it open. ." Rei stated, as he carefully pulled it apart at the right places and seams so as not to tear the paper. Once the box was bare, he opened it. "Oh, wow, look at that," he murmured to himself quietly as he took the object in hand. It was a soft, light purple eyeglasses case. Not something that Rei would expect Nagisa to pick out, but it was beautiful in appearance-and, Rei didn't own one to begin with-so he really did appreciate it. Rei turned to Nagisa, smiling. "I love it, Nagisa, thank you," he leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. Nagisa giggled.
"Silly Rei-chan, that's not all there is! Open up the case!" His eyes were wide and filled with excitement. Rei raised his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled, opening the case. Inside was a stack of small, stiff cards, similar to notecards, held together with a staple. Each one was a different color of paper, all with something written on them. The top card said it all, though. "Valentines Day 'Coupons.'"
"Valentines Day coupons?" Rei asked Nagisa, tilting his head. The blonde-haired shota grinned.
"Yeah! Read them! Each one is redeemable for something different. They get progressively more. . .Intimate, as you flip through them." He added with a devilish grin. A rosy blush crept over Rei's cheeks as he read over them, stopping even before the end. He shook his head and smiled.
"They're great, Nagisa-kun. Thank you very much." Nagisa returned the smile. "Now," Rei added, reaching into his bag. "Time for you to open your gift." Rei held out the red bag that contained Nagisa's present. With a gulp, he handed it over.
"Don't be so nervous, Rei-chan. I'm sure I'll love it," Nagisa said as he opened the bag. Inside was a medium-sized stuffed rockhopper penguin. Along with the plushie was a card, complete with a handwritten message on the inside.
My dearest Nagisa, I'm so happy to be able to celebrate this Valentines Day with you. I've never celebrated Valentines Day with anyone, to be honest, so I want this to go perfect. I have lots of things prepared for us today, and I sincerely hope you'll enjoy all of them. -Rei.
"What does all this mean, Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked, his eyes curious. Rei took Nagisa's hand (the one that wasn't clutching the stuffed penguin, that is) and stood up.
"You'll see," Rei said with a grin as he lead Nagisa with him to board the train. "Train's here, best not miss it!" Once they had boarded, it only took a minute or two for the fwoosh of the closing doors, and the train sped off.
As Nagisa and Rei approached Iwatobi High School, they parted ways for their different home room classes. Giving Rei a peck on the cheek, Nagisa rushed off to get his textbooks from his locker. Attached to Nagisa's locker, waiting for him, was a simple red rose. He untaped it from the locker door and inhaled its scent, smiling. Rei was such a sweetheart. Sticking the rose in his blazer lapel, he gathered his books that he needed and rushed off to class.
Classes went by that day slowly for both boys. They were impatient to get out of school and enjoy their day-it was a Friday, after all, the kick start to the weekend. It made it all the more exciting. Lunch time couldn't have come quick enough, however. Rei and Nagisa were reunited, eager to see each other already. Joining them was Kou, Makoto and Haruka. Makoto kicked off the conversation.
"So what are everyone's valentines day plans hmm?" He asked, chewing on his melon bread.
Kou was the first to pipe up. "Well, don't tell Rin, but. . ." Her gaze shifted back and forth, as if she was searching for Rin somewhere in the lunch time crowd. "Captain Mikoshiba asked me out on a date tonight! I'm so excited!" Kou really couldn't contain herself as a grin spread across her face, still showing as she ate her peach yogurt.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time, Kou. And you won't have to worry about Rin-kun. . . He is spending the night with Haru and I," Mako added smoothly. Haru's gaze shifted to Mako's face for a moment before turning back to his bento, nodding. "How about you two lovebirds?" Mako asked Rei and Nagisa, noticing how they hadn't piped up yet. Rei blushed profusely but Nagisa grinned.
"Rei-chan said he has lots planned for us! I'm really looking forward to it all." Rei nodded in agreement.
"It should be a good evening indeed," Rei said, drinking the last of his water bottle. And before they knew it, the warning bell was ringing, signaling that lunch was over and students didn't have much longer till they were expected back for their classes.
The group of friends parted ways, Kou rushing off to meet her friend, Makoto and Haru-joined at the hip as they always are-walked together to their classroom, and Rei and Nagisa headed in their own opposite directions as well.
Classes dragged on, seemingly passing even more slowly as Nagisa counted the minutes till the school day was over, checking the clock on the wall compulsively. Eventually, however, even though he was impatient-the day was over, and Nagisa practically bolted out of his classroom, barely remembering to stop at his locker.
He threw his school supplies into his backpack and rushed as fast as he could to the cubbies where they kept their shoes, his and Nagisa's after-school meeting spot. As he arrived, he couldn't quite spot Rei yet-but he did see Mako-chan and Haru-chan leaving, and he waved them goodbye. Already starting to feel impatient again, he barely had to wait more than two minutes before Rei walked up to him from behind. He gave his hand a squeeze.
"Ready to go?" He asked Nagisa. He nodded, unable to contain his grin.
"Oh yes Rei-chan! Where are we going?" The boys started walking hand in hand, out into the cold winter air. The weather had picked up, and snow started to fall softly, blanketing the sidewalks in a thin layer of white.
"First, I arranged for us to take a walk in the park," Rei told Nagisa. "
Ooh! So romantic, Rei-chan!" Nagisa said, reaching up on his tip toes to give his boyfriend a peck on the cheek. It caused Rei to blush profusely.
"Right, well, it's only the first of many plans I have today. Let's go." A short walk later, maybe 30 minutes or so, the boys had reached the park. The usual green grass and blooming trees were now covered in snow and bare. The winter air felt refreshing, however, not overwhelmingly cold at all.
Rei stopped walking and motioned for Nagisa to join him on a park bench over looking the small pond, now frozen over. "I have a little treat for us here, Nagisa-kun, come, join me." He pat the bench next to him. Eagerly Nagisa sat down, scooting up close against him.
"What's the treat, Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked curiously. "Well, it's-" and as Rei reached into his messenger bag, his fingers had only barely clasped over a silver thermos when Nagisa spoke up again.
"Rei-chan watch out!" Before Rei could react, a heavy, furry, fast-moving object bumped into the boys, sending the thermos flying out of Rei's grip. It landed a few feet away, the contents now spilling all over the ground, steamy hot chocolate dying the white snow brown.
"Please forgive me!" Said an unfamiliar voice. A young girl, looking to be not much older than the boys themselves, stood before them, holding tightly onto a leash, a large, furry dog on the other end. "He's not very well-behaved yet, I'm not the best trainer, either. . ." The girl's eyes widened as she saw the thermos on the ground. "Oh no! Your hot chocolate. . . Please, please let me repay you," she said as she started rustling through her purse.
"Oh it's really not-" but Rei was cut off as the girl placed a small plastic bento in his now empty hands.
"It's homemade takoyaki. I know it's not much, or the same as hot cocoa, but please take it!" She bowed and smiled at the boys. "It's the least I can do."
"T-Thank you, ma'am. Your kindness shows no limits." Rei responded, bowing his head in thanks.
The girl blushed. "You're welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day, you two!" And with that she was walking back towards the park entrance, or, rather, the dog was walking her.
"That dog was huuuuge, Rei-chan! Can you believe it? And now we have homemade takoyaki! What good luck!" Nagisa's eyes were sparkling with excitement. Rei furrowed his brow and pushed up his glasses.
"But, I had planned for us to share this hot cocoa here together in the park, watching the snow fall, staying warm together. . ." He sighed, putting the bento into his bag. "No matter. It's already almost time for our next activity anyway. Come on, let's go." Taking his hand, Rei lead Nagisa out of the park and back towards the train station.
They had barely made it to the station in time to catch the 4:30 train. Rushing onto it, short of breath, the boys stood together, breathing heavy. Nagisa smiled. "We made it!" Rei returned the grin. "Indeed we did, Nagisa-kun. Now, let's hope my next plan goes more smoothly than the first," he said with a nervous chuckle.
It was close to 5:30 when the boys reached their destination. Rei was feeling confident-they were headed towards one of the fancier eateries in the district, where Rei had been able to-somehow-secure a reservation for the two of them. It was by some sort of miracle, he felt.
The reservations weren't until 5:45, so they had plenty of time as they entered the building. The restaurant was styled after an older Japanese teahouse, complete with sitting at kotatsus and the like. The hostess smiled warmly at the young couple as they approached. "Hello, do you have a reservation?"
Rei nodded. "Yes, we do, the name is Ryugazaki." The hostess nodded and scanned the clipboard in front of her. Her pleasant expression turned to one of confusion, however.
"Oh. . . Hm, it seems we might have booked two reservations for the same timeslot. . . And we only have one table available, which I just gave to the nice young couple over there, who also made a reservation," she told them, gesturing with her hand to the other side of the room, where a young red-headed girl and a muscular redheaded boy sat together, laughing over something. They hadn't even been served their tea yet, meaning they hadn't been there long.
Nagisa frowned. "But Rei-chan said he made a reservation! His name is on the list. Why can't we have a table?" Rei sighed and placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder.
"It's all right Nagisa-kun. Surely if we wait, another table may open up?" He asked hopefully, looking to the hostess. Her friendly expression faded as she bit her lip, shaking her head.
"It seems we're booked up for the entire evening, sir. . . This place is very popular on Valentines Day, you see," she said with a smile. "I truly am sorry about the inconvenience, if there's anyth-"
"Don't worry. It. . . It's okay," Rei said, taking a deep breath. "Thank you anyway, miss. Have a good evening." Quickly Rei grabbed Nagisa by the wrist and lead him out of the warm teahouse and back out into the cold, where it had quickly become even darker outside than it was earlier.
Rei sat down on the bench outside, placing his head in his hands. "I guess. . . There's nothing left but to return home, now. All my other plans have been ruined. . " He said under his breath, softly.
Nagisa pulled Rei to his feet. "Stop looking so sad, Rei-chan. Let's just head home and have some fun together there." Nagisa leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "We still have those coupons I have you, remember?" His voice was low and teasing, illiciting a bright red blush from Rei.
"All right, let's go," Rei said with a grin as he adjusted his glasses. "We can make the next train home."
Not much later, the boys, tired from their long day so far, walked up to Rei's front door, where Rei unlocked the door and lead Nagisa inside. Rei's parents were gone for the weekend on their own valentines-day type retreat for a married couple-sometimes Rei admired how in love his parents still seemed to be. He aspired to one day find a love like they have..
Nagisa walked into Rei's kitchen, rummaging around. "Reiiii-chan, what do you have to drink?" He asked, opening and closing the fridge seemingly a dozen times, surveying the beverage selections.
"Well, I can make us some tea.. Or there's soda in the fridge, or-" Rei was interrupted.
"No, no Rei-chan I mean what do you have to DRINK, like alcohol? This is a holiday, right? We need to celebrate!" Rei smiled softly.
"Oh, well, now that you mention it, that reminds me. . ." Rei followed up behind Nagisa, reaching past him deep into the back of the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of champagne. "I was able to convince a family friend to buy this for me. I said I had someone to woo on Valentines day." Rei blushed slightly, placing the bottle of champagne on the kitchen counter.
"Ooh, Rei-chan it's perfect! Lets open it now!" Nagisa, giddy as ever, quickly grabbed two fancy glasses out of the cabinet where Rei's parents kept such things. Rei followed suit and poured them each a glass, lifting his up after handing Nagisa his own. Rei cleared his throat.
"Ahem, uhm, Nagisa, come with me, we shouldn't drink this in the kitchen.." Distracted, Rei's words trailed off as he took Nagisa by the hand and lead him upstairs to his bedroom. There, he sat on the edge of his bed and gestured for Nagisa to sit next to him. Wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist Rei smiled. "This is better."
Nagisa returned the smile. "Today has been really great, Rei-chan," he said confidently. Never had Nagisa had a better day-for, what could be better than spending an entire day with his boyfriend?
Rei furrowed his brow, adjusting his glasses. "But everything I had planned today went wrong.. How could you have had a good time, Nagisa-kun?" Nagisa grinned and shook his head.
"Silly Rei-chan. I've spent an entire valentines day with you. We gave each other gifts, you gave me a rose, we got to walk in the park, and we ate that delicious homemade takoyaki on the train. What more could I ask for?" Nagisa gave Rei's hand a squeeze. With a deep breath, Rei looked up at Nagisa's smiling face, framed by the blond locks of his. Rei smiled and shook his head.
"I'm so lucky to know you, Nagisa. Who would have thought that all those months ago, when you asked me to join the swim club. . . That we would be here now, sitting together. . ." Rei clasped Nagisa's hands in his own. "Nagisa there's something I want to tell you. . . " He gulped, his heart starting to beat faster and faster. "I. . ." Rei's gaze connected with Nagisa's. "Nagisa Hazuki. . . I love you."
Rei's heart was pounding in his chest, his palms growing clammy, waiting for Nagisa's response.
Nagisa gasped softly, eyes widening. "R-Rei-chan, do you really mean it?"
Rei nodded his head. "I've never been more sure of something before."
Nagisa grinned, wrapping his arms around Rei's neck, nuzzling him. "I love you too, Rei-chan!" Squeezing him tight in a hug, Rei kissed the top of the blonde's head.
"Now, let's drink that champagne finally," he murmured into his hair. Pulling away from their embrace the boys grabbed their drinks and clinked them together. "To love," Rei said in a toast.
"To love!"