Nagisa never really explained why he transferred back to Iwatobi, and Mako and Haru never really asked. Sure, they had been surprised to see their old childhood friend at Iwatobi High on the first day, but the young blond had simply said that he wanted to go to school with his best friends, and that it was worth taking the train to school every day to be able to see them and swim with them again. And that had been it. The two upperclassmen had never asked Nagisa about his old middle school- not about how his classes had gone, what his teachers were like, or if he'd made any friends that he had to leave behind. They had simply just accepted that Nagisa had returned and didn't question it. They took for granted the presence of the young energetic blond, who had come back into their lives like a whirlwind, dragging them out of the ruts they had been in and taking them along for the ride.

Rei, on the other hand, did ask questions. Granted, he was inquisitive by nature; he would always ask about things that he didn't know or understand. Plus, he was the newest member of the swim club, so naturally he was curious about all of his new friends and teammates. But he was most curious about Nagisa. The boy was a mystery to him in so many ways, largely because he was so different from anyone he'd ever met.

For one thing, Nagisa was impulsive. This was both a good and a bad thing because while he encouraged Rei to try new things, he also tended to get Rei into some sort of trouble at least once a month. Last month, it was trying to swim with the penguins at the aquarium. He didn't even want to think about what it would be this month…

Nagisa was loud. It had taken Rei a long time to get used to having a friend who made so much noise all the time. And this was not an exaggeration; a day spent with Nagisa was literally a day filled with constant noise. If he wasn't talking Rei's ear off, he was humming or singing, or loudly chewing his food. Even when he slept, the boy still made noise, either quiet snoring or incoherent mumbling. And after mulling over his thoughts and feelings on the matter, Rei decided that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it was just different from what he was used to. Before Nagisa, his life was filled with quiet- the kind of quiet that comes from having too many books and not enough friends. But now, every morning, his day started with a "HI REI-CHAN!" and a tackle hug, which was highly inappropriate for public transportation. There were always people on the train who would stare, but the regular riders were starting to get used to it. Some had even learned to move out of Nagisa's way as he bounded onto the train and made a beeline for Rei.

That was another thing- Nagisa was extremely affectionate. Most people he knew would only give a verbal greeting to others. They would smile and wave to their friends, but that would be all. But Nagisa would run up to his friends, arms wide open, and hug them like he hadn't seen them in years, even if he had seen them the day before. He would also sit in laps, ruffle hair, tap shoulders, even demand piggyback rides from Mako on occasion. In fact, he was so touchy feely that it had taken Rei an agonizing three months to realize that Nagisa liked him as more than just a friend. But then he had realized that he was the only one who Nagisa would hold hands with, or cuddle in bed with during sleepovers, and then Rei felt stupid for not figuring things out sooner… Now, he was the only person who Nagisa would kiss on the lips, and, well, other places too, of course. Not everywhere though. Not yet.

Yes, Nagisa was a lot of things that most people were not, at least in Rei's opinion. Nagisa was playful, Nagisa was overly cheerful, Nagisa was honest… Nagisa was beautiful… But perhaps the most interesting, as well as the most puzzling, trait that the blond possessed was his bravery. He had no idea where this bravery came from; Nagisa was one of the smallest boys at Iwatobi High. He wasn't weak of course; he did have muscle, but at five foot five and a hundred and twenty pounds, he certainly wasn't the strongest boy in school. Still, nothing seemed to scare the cheerful blond boy- not snakes or spiders, not heights, not the dark, certainly not horror movies…

Not even telling someone that he liked them, maybe even loved them. It had been Nagisa who finally confessed to Rei; much to Rei's chagrin because he had really wanted to be the one to confess first. He'd had it all planned out how he would do it too. But, as Nagisa had said, Rei had taken too long, and he knew that it was because he was nervous and worrying about all the ways that his plans could go wrong. And so, Nagisa had said, in one night, all of the things that Rei had been struggling to put into words for weeks. However, no matter how frustrating it was that he hadn't been the one to confess first, Rei had to admire Nagisa's courage. It took guts to confess first, especially to a boy who had never been the most romantic of people, and yet the words seemed to have come so easily to the smaller boy. But that was just part of what made Nagisa so… Nagisa. He went through life charging headfirst, never slowing down, never holding back, and certainly never fearing what lay ahead.

Which was why Rei was so shocked when he saw a hint of terror in Nagisa's eyes one Friday night. It was only for a second, and it was purely by chance that Rei saw it at all, because the reaction stemmed from such a tiny insignificant detail, or so he thought. He was over at Nagisa's house, in his room, waiting for dinner to be ready. And while they waited, he was telling his new boyfriend about what had happened during that day's joint swim practice at Samezuka. The blond had had to miss practice due to an afterschool dentist appointment, and he wanted to know everything.

"I'm telling you, Nagisa-kun, practice really was not that exciting today."

"Aww, come on," Nagisa said, pouting. "You're really gonna tell me that nothing happened?"

"Well, Haruka and Rin-senpai had a race during time trials."

"Ooh, really? Who won?!"

"Haruka-senpai, but only by a fraction of a second. He says he owes his victory to his new and improved swimsuit, but…" he sighed and shook his head. "It looks exactly the same as all of his other swimsuits."

"But remember, Rei-chan… they all fit differently," he said in a monotone voice, a fake scowl on his face. Then he giggled. "That's what Haru-chan would say!"

"Yeah, you're right; he would say that," Rei agreed with a chuckle. "In fact, I think he actually did say that, after Rin-senpai pointed out that he had a dozen more of the exact same swimsuit at home." This earned another giggle from Nagisa.

"Oh Haru-chan… So what else did I miss?" Anything?"

"Hmm… Not much that I can think of right now… There were two new members who joined the Samezuka swim team today though. They introduced themselves before practice- they're first years just like us. I believe they said they transferred from Yakami."

"Yakami?"

"Yes… Hey, isn't that where you went to middle school?"

"Yeah," Nagisa said slowly, dropping his gaze down onto the bed. "Why?"

"Oh- it's just, I thought… Maybe you might know them. Their names are Akito and Takashi. Both very tall boys, one with orange hair, one with brown… I think the brunette is Akito, and Takashi is the one with… Nagisa?" Rei stopped mid-sentence after taking a look at his boyfriend's face. It seemed paler than it was a minute ago, and he was still avoiding eye contact, which was rare for him. "Nagisa?" he repeated. "Are you all right?" Nagisa jerked his head up to look at Rei, and that's when he saw it: that expression of pure panic- those wide eyes and shrinking pupils. He had seen that look so many times before on Makoto's face, but never on Nagisa's. It left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Nagisa-kun, is something wrong?" At the taller boy's last question, Nagisa seemed to snap out of his trance. His focus came back from whatever far away place in his mind that it had been, and returned to Rei.

"No- nothing's wrong! Sorry about that Rei; I just kind of… spaced out. I guess I'm just a little tired; classes have been really tough this week- so has practice- and I didn't get much sleep last night… I was up late playing video games," he added with a nervous laugh, as Re shot him a disapproving look.

"Nagisa-kun; you shouldn't make a habit of that; you know you need your sleep. Especially on school nights." He took another look at Nagisa's face. The color was slowly returning to his cheeks, but he still looked paler than he should have. Rei sighed. "Maybe I should just go home after dinner."

"What?"

"You should go to bed early tonight; catch up on your sleep."

"Aww, but Rei-chan, that's no fun! I'm not that tired, and we don't even have school tomorrow, so I can sleep in as long as I want! Besides… I'll sleep better if you're here next to me." He rested his hands on top of Rei's and then leaned in to give him a gentle kiss on the lips. It wasn't a very long kiss, but Rei's whole face felt hot by the time they pulled apart. This kind of affection from Nagisa was still something he had to get used to. Not that he minded getting used to it; he actually quite enjoyed the feeling that it gave him, despite its tendency to impede his ability to think rationally.

Rei was still humming happily to himself and rubbing his lips together when Nagisa leaned in and whispered, "Stay. I'm fine; I promise." And Rei's head was so fuzzy, his heart still so filled with butterflies, that he just nodded dumbly and allowed himself to be kissed again. It was a good few moments later, when his head cleared, and his heartbeat returned to normal, that he remembered his earlier question.

"So, Nagisa-kun; do either of those names sound familiar?" he asked. "The new transfer students at Samezuka?" Nagisa's expression faltered once again, but this time he bounced back much quicker, and that cheerful smile immediately returned to his face. He shook his head.

"Nope; I don't think so! They must have been in a different class! But wow, someone who also went to my old middle school coming to Samezuka right after we start up the joint practices… kind of a funny coincidence, don't you think?" He chuckled as he scooted off the bed, hopping down onto the floor. "Well, I think dinner's almost ready; I'm gonna go see if Mom wants any help setting the table. I'll be right back, ok?"

"Ok…" Rei frowned as he watched his boyfriend turn to leave. Nagisa's performance just now may have fooled most people, but Rei couldn't help but feel he'd just been lied to. Because those wide eyes, shrinking pupils, looking down, face suddenly drained of color... It was easy to diagnose what those were symptoms of.

Fear. It doesn't suit him, he decided. He hoped he'd never have to see the smaller boy go through it again, but he bad had a feeling that he probably would.

A/N: I'm back! With more angst; I'm so not sorry. Anyway, this fic stems from a personal headcanon of mine about Nagisa's past. I loved watching Free!, but since they didn't give us much of a backstory for Nagisa, I'm doing it myself- or at least trying to fill in a few of the gaps. Anyway, welcome! Hope you all enjoy the read. :3