I'm so glad people are enjoying this! Thank you so much for baring with me!

TW: non-consensual touching

Happy reading!

When Rei returned to work that afternoon, there was a note left on his desk. Curious, he unfolded the notepaper and read it through.
'Mr. Ryuugazaki,
I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable. How about I take you out to make up for it? Here's my number. Call me.
Joel Johnson.'
Rei blushed furiously, staring at the words until they were burnt into the back of his head. That business man wanted to take him out? On a date? But why? Rei furrowed his brow. Well, what should he do now? He's never had two people wanting him before. He wasn't used to this kind of thing. Can you see other people if you're just dating? Wouldn't it hurt the other person? Rei sat in his chair and went to pick up the phone, but stopped himself. What was he going to do? Accept? Tell him to fuck off? What if it didn't work out with Nagisa? It wouldn't hurt to be seeing two people, right? Rei nibbled his lip, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

***
Rei: is it moral to date two people at the same time?
Sousuke: what? why? have you gotten a better offer?
Rei: I wouldn't call it a better offer.
Sousuke: is he good looking?
Rei: I suppose. He's five years older than me and runs a business with his brother.
Sousuke: wtf man get in there what are you doing asking questions?
Rei: well, I just wanted to make sure. I mean, wouldn't I be hurting Nagisa's feelings?
Sousuke: ... Well you're not exclusive yet right?
Rei: not yet, no.
Sousuke: then go out with him.

Rei: Is it moral to date two people at the same time?

Rin: I dunno I do it all the time
Rei: since when?
Rin: since always where have you been
Rei: sorry, I didn't know it was compulsory to know who you've been out with and when.
Rin: wow there's no need to be rude
Rei: You're the one being rude!
Rin: am I?
Rei: yes!
Rin: sorry I didn't know I was the dating expert
Rei: you're hopeless.
Rin: wtf man you asked for my opinion and I gave you one
Rei: 'I dunno' doesn't count as an opinion.
Rin: Rei I hate you sometimes

Rei: is it moral to date two people at the same time?
Haru: well it really depends on who they are. Do you like them?
Rei: I've been out with one guy three times, and the other I've only just met today.
Haru: huh.
Rei: ?
Haru: why do you need to date two guys?
Rei: I don't, I'm just asking for your opinion.
Haru: are they both worth your time?
Rei: um, I guess?
Haru: never waste time with someone you don't like.
Rei: fucking hell, you're all useless. I give up.

Ignoring all of his friends opinions and their 'help', he decided to call him, just to tell him he was seeing someone else.

"Hello?" Joel answered, and Rei could hear a bustling of people in the background.

"Hi. Um, it's Rei. Rei Ryuugazaki?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course. I see you found my number."

"I did... I'm sorry, Joel, but I have to decline your offer." Rei said softly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Oh? Why's that?" he sounded genuinely disappointed.

"I... I have a boyfriend." he lied, biting down on his lip.

"That's all right. No problem." Joel laughed nervously. "Maybe next time."

Rei cleared his throat. "Yes, maybe. Well, thank you, anyway."

"Not at all. See you, Rei."

Nagisa had called Ai on his cell that night, checking up on him, as he couldn't visit the hospital until tomorrow, when Momo was home.

"Nagisa, I'm fine." Ai reassured, his voice soft and sad. "They've put me on medication. It's making me really sleepy, but other than that, I'm OK."

Nagisa breathed out slowly, slightly relieved. "I'm so glad. Oh, Ai, you scared the living crap out of me and Mo. What were you thinking?"

Ai sniffed. "I don't know. I-I don't really..." he stammered, rubbing the back of his head.
Nagisa smiled sadly. "It's OK. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Nagisa yawned, stretching out his back. "I'm just glad you're OK."

Ai explained that he should be out in a few days, once the nurses are sure his condition is stable. This made Nagisa extremely happy, so glad that his friend was going to be OK.

"It's so weird not having you here... It's too quiet. But Rei came over this afternoon on his lunch break. He wanted to keep me company." he blushed happily, pulling his knees to his chest. "He sends you his condolences."

Ai smiled slightly. "Tell him I said thank you. It means a lot."

Nagisa sighed sadly. "I am worried about him, though."

"Why?" Ai quizzed.

Nagisa retold him the story of Rei's father, cutting out unnecessary information, and when he'd finished, Ai didn't know what to say.

"Gosh. Why does he still want anything to do with him?" Ai breathed.

Nagisa shrugged, defeated. "God knows. Hopefully he'll be OK, though... He's too sweet to be sad. As are you! I need you to be happy again, Ai! It's not the same if you aren't!"
Ai smiled sadly. "I know. I'll try my hardest to get better, Nagisa... Just like you did for me."

Nagisa lowered his eyes, staring at his bare feet. "Yeah." he said softly, smiling a little. "Just like I did for you."

Rei received a message off every friend he'd asked for advice off that night.

Sousuke: You got to choose between a stripper or a rich business man, and you went for the stripper.

Rin: God fucking dammit rei stop asking for my opinion if youre going to do your own thing anyway

Haru: Makoto thinks your mad. So do I, what the fuck, Rei? A stripper?

Rei ignored them all. He knew he'd made the right choice. He knew he'd met the right person. He knew he could trust this hot blonde stripper was the one he was meant to be with, not Joel.

Right?

Sighing deeply, he began to get changed, his work clothes suddenly feeling tight and uncomfortable on his body. As he undid the buttons on his shirt, his eyes settled on his torso, which was muscular, his skin taut across his stomach muscles. He ran his fingertips over the long scar that sat from the centre of his chest to his naval, shocking white against his caramel skin. He shrugged off his shirt and bunged it into his washing basket, not wanting to look at it any longer. He pulled open his closet door and dug around for a t-shirt to wear, and as he was about to pull one over his body, he caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror behind his closet door. He bunched the t-shirt up in his hands and stared at his naked upper-body, not really understanding why he hated it so much. He took in the stretch marks on his stomach and hips, the long, white scar, the dark freckles on his shoulders, everything. He wondered how Nagisa did it. How he could just get naked in front of thousands of strangers everyday without a care in the world, and yet he could not take his shirt off in front of himself without getting embarrassed. He slipped off his glasses and squinted at his reflection. He was just a blur, a fuzzy being with midnight blue hair and a t-shirt hanging by his side. He pulled on his t-shirt and pushed his glasses back on over his nose with a sigh. It amazed him how he still wasn't a virgin, the way he was going on. A distant shrill of his land line forced him to look away from himself and walk out of the room, his mind slowly wondering to who the caller could be.

"Hello?" he answered cautiously, not used to receiving calls on his home phone.

"Rei! Hi! Are you busy tomorrow night?"

It was Liberty, his brothers wife. Rei blinked. "Uh, well, not really, I mean, I have some work to catch up on-"

"That's great! Could you babysit Gracie and Rosa for us? Your mother was busy."

Rei smiled. "Of course I can, that's no problem."

"OK! Wow, good! I'm so glad, I thought we had to cancel! OK, come over ours at around five tomorrow, we'll be gone only for a few hours."

Rei hung up after details were swapped, and he breathed out. He'd babysat his nieces once before, when Rosa was a baby and Gracie was a grumpy six-year-old girl, and neither of them would stop crying for four hours straight. When one stopped, the other started, and Rei had no idea what he had to do. It was not how he'd expected to spend his Christmas vacation from college, that was for sure. He lowered himself down into his armchair and picked up War and Peace. For some reason, he'd put it on his 'Bucket List' when he was fifteen, and when he finally got around to buying a copy, it had taken him exactly five years to get halfway through the book. It was interesting, but not interesting enough to get through in one sitting. He figured if he didn't finish it, though, he'd only be disappointing his past self, so he opened the book and got reading.

Nagisa could not contain himself when he walked into Ai's hospital room – he was so happy to see him.

"Ai! Ai, Ai, Ai!" he cried, jumping onto his bed and winding his arms tightly around his shoulders. "I miss you so so much!"

Ai returned his friends bone crushing hug, clinging to the back of his shirt, nose buried in the nape of his neck. "I miss you too, Nagisa."

Nagisa pulled away after a couple of seconds of squeezing the life out of him, so glad that he was still here, so glad he was found when and how he was, so glad that Momo was brave enough to call for an ambulance. If he was on his own, who knew where Ai could have been by now? He grinned at his best friend, eyes watching his. "How are you? Feeling better?"

Ai nodded. "I am. My sister came to visit me this morning and we made some funeral plans. The doctors said I wouldn't be up to it, but you know, I was OK. Because my mom is happier now. She isn't in pain, like she was for so long. She's free." he smiled sadly, eyes misting over. "I still miss her, though."

Nagisa nodded. "I know, I know. But we're here to keep your mind of things for a while! Momo's buying us some drinks." he explained, opening up his messenger bag and digging around inside.

Ai looked over his shoulder. "What are you looking for?"

Nagisa frowned, still unable to find the item. "Uh... Ah!" his fingers scrabbled at pages, and he pulled out a book. "Here! You haven't finished it yet, have you?"

Ai shook his head, accepting the book from Nagisa's grip and letting a small smile lift the corners of his mouth. "Thank you." he grinned, holding the book close to his chest. "I'll finish it tonight."

Nagisa got comfy beside Ai, slipping into bed with him, as Ai had told him his nurses wouldn't mind, and he was freezing cold anyway.

"Has Momo told you what happened at work last night?" Nagisa asked, pulling the sheet over his legs.

Ai shook his head, shuffling over a little. "Not at all."

His blonde friend started to babble about how a fight broke out between the bartender and one of the pole dancers because apparently he'd tried to steal from him. The pole dancer would have gotten fired if the bartender hadn't punched him so hard in the face, so the bartender got the sack instead.

"Good riddance." Ai said softly, rubbing his ice cold nose. "He was a slimy piece of work. Remember when he tried it on with me?" he shuddered, and Nagisa laughed.

"Oh, God, yeah! But then Momo came to your rescue. There's been a lot of times when he's saved your ass." he smiled slightly, crossing his arms. "Hey, Ai... Do you think Momo has a thing for you?"

Ai blushed furiously, his chilled blood heating up. "Don't be so ridiculous!" he breathed, pulling his sheets up to his chest. "How could he?"

Nagisa shrugged. "Isn't he like... Bi, or something?"

Ai sighed deeply. "Pansexual, actually." he mumbled, tired of correcting people.

Nagisa elbowed him gently. "Is he really?" he couldn't help but grin. "You would know."
Ai slapped him feebly on the arm, making Nagisa laugh again. "Shut up, Nagisa!" he cried.

"No way, maybe you're the one with a crush!" he chortled, elbowing him again.

Ai threatened to push him out of the bed, so he shut up after he got a few more laughs, a knowing smirk on his face for the rest of the afternoon. Momo appeared behind a nurse, a sheepish grin on his face as she fussed over Ai.

"I got lost." he smiled at Nagisa, handing him a bottle of juice. "Why are you in bed with him?"

Nagisa twisted off the cap off his bottle. "Why?" he took a small sip, not looking him in the eye. "Jealous?"

Momo laughed lightly as Ai was about to lash out on Nagisa. "I'm not, but Rei might be."

Nagisa stuck out his tongue. "It's not like he's going to walk in here, is he?" he mumbled into his bottle, taking another sip.

"I could always take a picture and send it to him," Momo grinned, pulling out his phone.

Nagisa went to swipe it out of his hands, but Momo dodged him neatly, laughing. "Come on, I'm sure he wouldn't take it the wrong way."
Nagisa frowned at him. He knew what he was doing. He was trying to get him out of bed so he could sit there, just to spite him. Momo was like that. He would always, somehow, get what he wanted out of Nagisa. But, then again, Nagisa was exactly the same. He could easily manipulate somebody to do as he asked, and he has had many women and men alike wrapped tightly around his little finger. But Momo was different. He would not submit to Nagisa's crafty little ways. He'd always been a tough nut to crack. The two of them snapped at each other bitterly whilst the nurse made sure Ai was comfortable and set his pills in the palm of his hand, which he swallowed right off the bat, chasing them down with ice cold water, wincing as he felt them crawl down his throat.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Sorry about my friends."

The nurse smiled kindly. "It's no problem. The taller one was very worried about you. What's his name, now? Momo, is it?"

Ai nodded, smiling a little. "He's always worried about me, he's kind of like my big brother, really. Even though he's younger than me."

The nurse smiled kindly. "That's sweet. Well, I'll leave you to it. As soon as you feel tired, kick them out of here. They are a bit noisy."

Nagisa ended up on the chair because he was afraid that Momo would tell Rei another incredibly embarrassing story about him, and Momo ended up cuddling up to Ai. The two of them talked about work, whilst Ai talked about how boring it was on his own in the hospital. Eventually, though, Ai slowly began to tire, his medication kicking in, and before he could stop himself, he'd fallen into a deep sleep.

"He's fallen asleep sitting up." Nagisa giggled.

Momo looked over at him with a grin. "What should we do?"

Nagisa stood and took hold of Ai's shoulders, tilting them forward until his head was resting in the crook of Momo's neck. "How's that?"

"I don't want him! He's a drooler!" Momo hissed, recoiling.

"Says you! You're disgusting!" Nagisa snapped, still holding Ai by the shoulder.

"At least I don't snore!" Momo retaliated.

Nagisa let go of Ai as he reached over to hit Momo, but as he did this, Ai slowly fell from Momo's shoulder, down his chest, and into his lap. Momo blushed furiously, raising his hands. "Nagisa!"

Nagisa laughed, clamping his mouth shut with his hands as to not wake his snoozing friend. "What do you want me to do?" he chortled, biting down on the inside of his cheeks to stop himself laughing. "Don't you want him there?"

Momo went dark red, making Nagisa double up. "No, no, Nagisa, just move him!" he hissed, curling his hands up into fists.

Nagisa did as he was told, still silently laughing to himself. "OK, get up, so I can get him into bed." he breathed.

Momo hopped out of bed, letting the blonde settle their friend down comfortably, pulling the sheets over his shoulders and edging both pillows beneath his head.

"OK," Nagisa said softly, pulling his notebook out of his bag and writing Ai a note. "How... Is... this?"

Momo snatched it out of his hands.

'Ai we had to leave becus you fell asleep, hope you get well soon! We miss you lots! Nagi n Mo xxx'

"You spelt 'because' wrong." Momo sighed. "Should I do it for you?"

Nagisa blushed, shaking his head. "No, he won't mind. He knows I can't spell, anyway."

Momo nodded, and left the note tucked beneath his book, ready for him to read whenever he decided to wake up.

Nagisa walked home alone that night, Momo once again having to go to work, and because he took all the shifts last week, he wasn't on until Thursday night. It was a crisp evening, and the wind was bitter as it hit the bare skin of his neck and cheeks. He remembered the scarf Rei was wearing yesterday, the cute red tartan one, that was wound tightly around his neck and covered his chin, and he figured he needed to buy one for himself as the wind whistled harshly, causing him to bring his jacket collar up over his ears, trying as best he could to block out the up and coming winter. He pulled out his phone to check the time. Nine PM. Not too bad, but it was still pretty dark. He started to text Rei, wondering if he was still awake, turning into the alleyway which he walked through everyday to get home. His attention was focused so much on his spelling, he was almost sent flying when he walked straight into a rock solid body.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" he breathed, surprised. "I didn't see you there." He raised his eyes from his phone to see a large man, much, much taller than him, with broad shoulders and a stocky build. He wasn't Rei tall, who was the perfect height for him, just enough to make him feel protected – no, this guy was huge, towering over him like some giant. Nagisa shoved his hand in his jacket pocket, fingers brushing against his apartment keys.

"Oh, well, it's no matter," he smiled. Something about it was not to be trusted. "Accidents happen."

Nagisa nodded, a slow, uneasy feeling crawling underneath his skin. "Yeah. Uh, excuse me, I have somewhere to be." he said softly, side-stepping him and trying his hardest to avoid the colossal being - but a hand grabbed his wrist, quick as a flash, so fast that Nagisa had no time to react.

"Why the rush?" he said, that smile still present, something twisted and sinister behind it. "It can't be that important. Why not stay?"

Nagisa tried to pull away, but he had an iron grip, clamping down on his arm like shackles. "Please, let me go." Nagisa said - but it wasn't firm. It was polite. It lacked persistence, lacked force. He couldn't muster up the courage to yell at him or be rude. Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to run to run - run, run, run away, get away from this stranger, get somewhere safe, somewhere where he can't get to you! Hide for Gods sake! - but his mouth would not work that way, his feet were frozen to the spot. He could not fight back.

"Why would I do that? Let this pretty thing get away from me, huh?" his sickening smile turned into a sneer, and in that moment Nagisa felt fear like he'd never felt it before.

"Just let me go." Nagisa begged, more forceful this time, struggling against his grip. "Please!"

The man pushed him against the wall with such power it winded him, a pain shooting up his spine. "Nothing's gonna hear you." he muttered into his ear, twisting his wrist behind his backand holding it against the wall. "So, don't try and scream."

Nagisa turned his face away as the man tried to kiss him, his breath hot and disgusting against the cold of Nagisa's cheek. He tried with all his might to push him off, but to no avail, his body too heavy, his arms too weak.

The man grabbed his other wrist, jerking it out of his pocket, laughing as Nagisa's keys flung out of his hand and went flying into the darkness of the alley, no where to be seen. "Gonna try and stab me, huh? Get away from me?" He started to dig his nails into his skin. "It never works, pretty boy."

Nagisa, once again, tried to fight back, but the man pressed him against the wall, slowly crushing him, his chest swelling up so he couldn't breathe, feeling dirty as the mans clammy hands moved from his wrist and started to tear at his clothes.

"Help me!" he cried somewhat pathetically, but it was something. "Help!"

The man clamped his mouth shut. "What did I say? Nothing's gonna hear you." he hissed, his hand getting even tighter around his wrist.

Nagisa felt tears dribble down his cheeks as he moved his hand from his face and continued pull at his jeans. Nagisa remembered that his hand was free. He remembered his phone in his pocket. He remembered how hard it was, how sharp the corners could be. Although his wrist screamed out in pain as he searched his jacket pocket, trying to escape was better than not at all. He grabbed his phone, whipped it out of his pocket, and smacked the corner of his phone against the side of his head with such force the screen cracked. The guy cried out in pain, moving his hand from Nagisa's pants to his head. "What the fuck?"

Without hesitation, Nagisa swung his knee up and gave him a swift kick in the nuts, as hard as he could. The man stumbled backwards, letting go of Nagisa completely as he nursed his crotch with both hands. Nagisa dashed out of the alley in a heartbeat, wrists and back in awful pain, tears streaming down his face, keys in the alleyway, phone broken and no where to go - but he managed to escape. He managed to get away from that horrible man in the alley.

Rei was dropping off in his chair when the intercom buzzed. Puzzled, he set his book down on the coffee table and answered the call.

"Hello?" he yawned, fixing his glasses.

"Rei, Rei, please let me in."

Rei blinked, shocked. "Nagisa?" he shook his head. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Oh, fuck, I-I-I think he's after me, just let me in! Please, Rei!"

Shocked, scared and still very confused, Rei did as he was told, buzzing him in as quick as he could. In less than a minute there was a fast rapping at his door, and Rei swung it open to reveal a breathless, tear-sodden Nagisa, who was ghostly white and looked as if he was going to faint. Before Rei could ask what had happened, Nagisa's eyes closed and he fell forwards, Rei catching him before he could land flat on his face, supporting him with his strong arms. "Whoa, all right, I got you." he reassured, watching as Nagisa's eyes fluttered open, a fuzzy feeling taking over Nagisa's brain and mixing up his thoughts, his vision slowly going from black to grey to colour again, his eyes settling on the black cotton of Rei's shirt and the cream paint in his hallway.

"You all right, now?" Rei asked gently, looking down at him.

Nagisa shook his head, bursting into tears. "My wrists and back and head hurts and I want to go home but I can't and Momo's gonna be mad at me because I lost my keys and Ai's gonna be mad at me because I didn't catch the bus home a-a-and I'm such an idiot, Rei!" he babbled through his tears, hiding his face in Rei's chest and sobbing his little heart out.

Rei lay a hand on top of his head, running the palm of his hand over his soft blonde locks. "Of course you aren't. What happened? Who was after you?" he said as steadily as he could, trying to calm him down.

Nagisa snivelled, closing his eyes, tears spilling over his lashes. "A man stopped me in the street and he held me up against a wall, but I ran away." he mumbled, tightening his grip on Rei. "I hit him and kicked him and ran away."

Rei's blood was boiling. Why? Why would anybody do this? What was the reasoning behind assault and rape and anything non-consensual? He supposed if he understood this, he would be one of the people who did such a thing. Rei wanted to comfort him by telling him that nothing like that would happen again, and that he would keep him safe, but how did he know that? How did he know that that man, whoever the bastard was, would try and get him again? Anybody could get to him again. Especially with the job he had. "OK, OK. It's all right, Nagisa, you're here now. I'll take care of you." he said softly, pulling away from him and looking him in the eye, which were watery and glazed over with fear and pain. "Did he cause you any harm?"

Nagisa shrugged limply, letting his arms drop to his sides. "My wrists and back hurt. So does my head." he said softly, wiping his cheeks free of tears.

Rei ordered him to take off his jacket, and he did as he was told, slowly relaxing as the gentle, caring hands of someone he knew touched him so lovingly. His wrists had started to go a dark purple, red fingermarks turning into bruises.

"Shit," Rei breathed, stroking them gently. "Do they really hurt?"

Nagisa nodded with a sniff. "Mmm," he mumbled. "I think he sprained it."

"OK. OK." Rei had started to tremble himself, unsure on what to do. "W-we have to take you to the police."

Nagisa shook his head vigorously. "No, no, I can't, what if they don't believe me?" he breathed desperately, squeezing his hands into fists.

Rei pointed at the bruises forming on his wrists. "With these?"

Nagisa's bottom lip trembled. "I'm scared, Rei." he said, voice wavering. "What if he tries to find me?"

Rei shook his head. "He won't. He'll be too scared to. What did you do to get away?"

Nagisa pulled out his phone. "I hit him on the head with this."

Rei took the phone out of his hands and laughed shakily. "Wow, you bashed the screen up." he pressed the lock button, but it wouldn't turn on. "And you broke your phone completely."

Nagisa nodded, sniffing.

Rei pressed the device back into the palm of his trembling hand. "You're really brave, you know? I couldn't have done what you did."

Nagisa shook his head, but said nothing. He couldn't think of an argument. He didn't have one.

Rei sat Nagisa down on his sofa and took a peek at his back. His shoulder blades had started to turn blue, the bruises showing up beneath the dark red of the rose tattoos he had inked on his body. He desperately wanted to kiss them, needing to make him feel better, as if his lips would do the job, but he resisted. "We'll have to get you checked out at the hospital too, just in case." Rei said gently, rubbing his back comfortingly. "OK?"

Nagisa nodded, unable to speak just in case he burst into tears again. He was being so kind about this, so caring. He barely even knew him. "Thank you." Nagisa said softly, slowly standing and turning towards him. "For everything."

"It's all right. No need to thank me. I'm just looking out for you." Rei said gently, giving him a warm smile. "What more can I do?"

Nagisa couldn't help it, but he fell in love with him, right then and there. His pretty lips upturned into a smile he knew nobody else could summon, his violet eyes sparkling as he tried to stay positive, just for him. It wasn't a smack in the face or a twist in the gut, like he'd always believed the realisation of being in love would be. It was gentle, calming, almost going unnoticed as the new feeling settled over him like a warm blanket or a gentle embrace. Nagisa averted his eyes as he blushed, his heart swelling in his chest.

"I'm going to run you a bath, OK? Are you hungry?" Rei asked him, totally oblivious to Nagisa's sudden revelation. "Want anything to drink?"

Nagisa blinked. "I-I-I'm not hungry, but I would like something to drink." he said timidly, hugging himself tight.

"What would you like? Hot or cold? Oh, I have some herbal tea, that should calm you down, you're still shaking." Rei said gently, reaching out and squeezing his upper arm. "Relax. You're safe now."

Nagisa nodded, trying his best not to burst into tears again.

Rei ran Nagisa a piping hot bubble bath, which soothed his bruised wrists and back as he sank lower into the bubbles, a deep calm washing over him as the water enveloped him. He examined the bruises as they formed, hating that he had something to remind him of tonight for at least a week or so. He slowly slid underwater, holding his breath as his head was consumed by light pink bubbles that smelt like cherry blossoms and hot bath water, wondering what would happen if he never surfaced, wondering whether he would be selfish enough to do so – and then he came back up. He washed his hair with some expensive looking shampoo that smelt just how Rei did, scrubbed himself down with whatever shower gel he got his hands on first, and hopped out, not wanting to over-stay his welcome in the bath tub, although Rei did tell him to take as long as he needed. Rei had let him borrow some of his clothes, which were pretty massive on him. He tugged on the t-shirt and hoody, tried on the pyjama bottoms, realised they were too big, and just went without, tugging his underwear back on instead. He towelled his hair dry and walked out feeling fresher than he had done for ages. Rei blushed furiously when Nagisa walked into the kitchen, his clothes tucked under one arm, his other hand rubbing his eye sleepily, his damp hair curling around his cheeks and ears, cheeks flushed from his bath, looking like the cutest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Were the bottoms too big?" he said lightly, shaking off the sudden feeling of affection with a small laugh. "I figured they would be."

"Can you wash my clothes? I mean, if it's not too much." Nagisa said shyly, tucking his hand in his pocket.

"Of course! It's nothing at all." Rei took the three items out of his hands and bunged them into his washing machine. "I'll just put some of my stuff in. Make yourself at home. I'll make your tea in a bit."

Nagisa watched him leave, his heart thudding hard in his chest. He just seemed to be getting more and more perfect as the night went on. Nagisa sat on the sofa in his lounge, pulling the polka-dot blanket that was thrown over the back of the sofa around his shoulders, snuggling into its soft wool. He raised his eyes to the clock that was hung above his TV. It read ten thirty, and something told Nagisa that this was a usual bedtime for someone, as the curtains were drawn up tight, the TV was off, the only light in the room coming from the lamp that loomed over the armchair in the corner of the room. Nagisa stared at the reflection of himself in the blank TV screen. He could clearly see the outline of his body, and the golden wisps of hair that had already dried and curled upwards. He flattened them down by running his fingers through his hair, shifting his bangs away from his face as he did so. He needed something to keep them in place, but he doubted that Rei had a hair band lying around. He let them flop back over his forehead with a sigh, looking into his lap and running his fingers over the long scar on his leg, another thing on his body he wish he could erase completely.

Rei walked back in with a pile of dark washing. "OK?" he asked, walking into the kitchen and squashing all his clothes into the washing machine.

"Yeah," he said softly, pulling the blanket tighter. "This is a weird question, but do you have a hair band, or something?"

Rei laughed. "Probably! My nieces leave all sorts of things here when they visit." he walked back into the lounge after switching on the washing machine, and opened a tiny pot that sat on his bookshelf.

"Here," he said, offering him the pot. "Take your pick."

It was full of tiny sparkly hair slides and heart berets and blue ribbons. Nagisa pulled out a pink hair tie with a little plastic bunny on it and tied back his bangs. "Out of ten how adorable do I look? Ten being absolutely." he beamed up at Rei, shifting the rabbit to the centre of the pigtail.

"I'd say you're about an eleven." Rei smiled slightly, shutting the pot up tight and setting it back in its space.

Nagisa blushed happily. "I knew it." he giggled sweetly.

Rei sat before him on the coffee table after grabbing some bandages out of his first-aid box, and took Nagisa's hand in his. "I'll wrap this up for you, in case it is sprained." he said gently, winding the clean white bandage around Nagisa's damaged wrists. "Just a precaution, you know." Nagisa nodded, watching as the bruises started to disappear.

"Thank you." Nagisa said once again, his voice soft. "You're my hero."

Rei blushed, adjusting his glasses. "Don't be silly. I couldn't possibly be. You saved yourself." he patted the clean bandage and started on his other wrist. "You're your own hero."

Nagisa giggled. "No way. I can't be my own hero. How does that even work?"

Rei thought about it whilst he bandaged his other wrist, and as he pinned it up, he smiled. "Well, you managed to save yourself, right? All heroes can do that." he looked up at him with a grin. "So that must mean something to you."

Nagisa furrowed his brow, thinking about it. His own hero? He'd never really had a hero before. He'd never looked up to anybody. Maybe his sister, but she didn't count as a hero, more like an idol, someone he wanted to grow up to be. He sighed. "Maybe." he mumbled, scratching his cheek. "Who's your hero, Rei?"

Rei wound the rest of the bandage around his hand, brow creased in the middle. "I don't know. It wouldn't be a family member, that's for sure. Maybe... Maybe... Hmm... I don't have one." he concluded, looking back up at Nagisa. "I guess I've just gotten by without one."
Nagisa pouted. "That's sad. I've always thought my sister as a hero. Or an idol. I haven't decided." he examined both arms, holding them out in front of him and smiling. "I look like a thug."

Rei laughed. "Yes, the rabbit beret in your hair makes you look absolutely terrifying." he winked at him, standing and tidying the first-aid kit away.

Nagisa smiled, a pink blush dusting over his cheekbones. "Thank you."

Rei had a shower and changed into his own pyjama's, and the two of them huddled beneath a big fluffy blanket together and watched Back to the Future together, the only halfway decent film on at eleven at night.

"I loved this film when I was a kid." Nagisa breathed. "It was one of my sisters favourites."

Rei smiled kindly. "You really love your sister, huh?"

Nagisa looked up at him, eyes earnest. "She was like a mom to me. My own mom didn't really look after us, so it was my oldest sister who did all the work. I love her so much, but I never see her because she lives so far away." he sighed sadly, sipping his tea.

Rei sighed too. "I'm sorry. Maybe I could take you sometime." he smiled down at the small blonde, whose eyes had brightened.

"Really?" Nagisa breathed, and Rei nodded.

"Of course. Why not?" Rei set his mug down and pulled the blanket back over his shoulder. "It would be a nice trip."

Nagisa set his mug down on the coffee table and snuggled into Rei's shoulder, winding his arms around his own. "You're too kind for your own good, Rei Ryuugazaki." he muttered, squeezing him tight.

Rei chuckled. "I am, it's a bad habit. But only to those who need it." he said, resting a hand over his.

They were halfway through the movie when Nagisa realised something was off. "Hey, Rei, where's your dog?" he mumbled sleepily, raising his head from where it rested, still comfortable on Rei's broad shoulder.

"Oh! He's gone to the vets. I'm picking him up tomorrow morning. Want to come?" he asked, looking down at him.

Nagisa nodded. "Yeah! Wow, a whole night and a morning with you. Aren't I lucky?" he grinned.

Rei raised his eyebrows. "Are you taking the piss?"

Nagisa giggled. "Maybe a little." he grinned up at him. "But I am grateful for what you're doing for me. You're like... The best, uh... what are we, exactly?"

Rei blinked. He wasn't quite sure. They weren't close enough to be boyfriends, but they were too close to just be dating. Friends sounded lame, friends with benefits sounded way too far from the truth. "I actually don't know." Rei laughed, fiddling with his glasses.

Nagisa smiled. "Then you're just the best, Rei." he said gently, and he pulled himself up and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Rei had said he would give up the bed for him, but Nagisa refused and said that he'd done enough for him already, so Rei set up the sofa bed for him. They both settled down to bed after twelve AM, the both of them worn out, Nagisa especially drained. It had began to rain, and the sound against the ceiling to floor window was soothing, and slowly sent Nagisa into a deep sleep, snuggled up in a ton of blankets and pillows that smelt like Rei's expensive shampoo. But as soon as he fell into this sleep, his mind replayed again and again what had happened to him, just each time they ended differently. Instead of Nagisa hitting him, he hit Nagisa and left him in the alley. Instead of managing to escape, he got caught and raped. Instead of running to Rei's, he ran home, and got his friends into trouble, as well as himself, even though they weren't even there. Instead of him being stopped in the alley, it was Rei, and all he could do was watch, like it was on a TV screen. He was trapped in this loophole, trying desperately to wake himself up, but to no avail, his eyes refusing to open. But when he saw Rei being stopped, he started to scream. He didn't know whether he was doing it outside of his dream, who knew? He just wanted to torture to be over, he didn't want to watch the loveliest guy he knew get treated the way he had done. He wouldn't stop screaming, until something called out his name. It was Rei, underneath the guy, looking directly at him. He was screaming too.

"Nagisa!"

Nagisa jolted awake, still yelling. "Rei? Rei! Rei!?"

Rei held the trembling body close to his chest. "I'm here. It's all right. I'm right here." he said gently, stroking the back of his damp head, trying to calm him down. "You gave me such a fright."

Nagisa started to sob into his chest, so glad he was OK. "R-R-Rei, he was back. The man was back." he wept weakly, clinging to his t-shirt. "H-He'd got you a-a-and I couldn't do anything."

Rei tightened the embrace. "He's not here. It's just you and I in here, OK? Nobody's going to get me or you." he closed his eyes, half-asleep. "I promise."

Nagisa clung to him until he'd stopped crying nonetheless, not wanting him to leave him on his own again. "Rei, I don't want to sleep on my own." he mumbled, sniffing furiously.

Rei sighed, pulling away from him and kissing his clammy forehead softly. "I understand. Come in the bed with me, OK? I'll keep you safe."

Nagisa let Rei guide him by the hand into his bedroom, and Rei fixed the pillows for him. "No more nightmares, all right? We need to get you to the hospital first thing." Rei said softly, watching as Nagisa climbed into his bed and closed his eyes almost immediately.

"OK, Rei." he mumbled sleepily, pulling the sheets tight around his body.

Rei slipped into bed beside him and switched off the lamp beside the bed, yawning and flipping over, his back to Nagisa. As he was falling into another dreamless sleep, he felt two arms wind themselves around his waist, and two legs tangle themselves between his. "Goodnight." Nagisa whispered into his neck, kissing his jaw gently.

Rei blushed deeply, yet couldn't help but smile. "Goodnight." he murmured, holding a bandaged hand in his.

I don't know whether I liked this chapter or not? Idk whether its written well enough or anything. I need your critique! Please tell me if you liked it, it may reassure me! Thank you!