He's Mine

Pairing: Nagisa/Rei

A/N: Slowest update so far, I'm sorry! I was caught up in NaNoWriMo~ I've read your responses, and while I wish to fulfill all requests and ideas, there might be some that will be altered slightly... Hope I don't disappoint you! :)

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction of Free!, a light novel originally written by Kouji Ouji.

When the wicked idea of screaming Rei's name right into the poor boy's ear popped in Nagisa's mind, he had certainly not expected the violent reaction that came with it. He was never one to think before acting, but Rei never seemed to mind whenever he pulled a prank on him, so what would make this time any different, right?

Right.

Nagisa came up for air and waddled to the side of the pool, coughing out some water he had accidentally swallowed in his free fall. He immediately fell into fits of giggles, unable to contain his amusement. 'Seriously, though, what was Rei-chan thinking about? His expression was so priceless!'

"Rei-chan! That was kinda fun, don't you think?"

His words were greeted with silence. Though a big grin was still etched onto his face, Nagisa made a whiny sound akin to that of a kid denied of his candy, maintaining the earlier thinking that Rei was trying to ignore him. The sound of water splashing behind him vaguely resembled the sounds of someone struggling underwater, but it might well be just his imagination.

"Come on, Rei-chan… Are you still angry with me? I'm sorry~ "

Drawling out the last syllable in an attempt to sound cute (not that he wasn't already), he turned around to face the pool, frowning slightly when Rei-chan was nowhere in sight. 'Is he sulking underwater?' Nagisa pondered. Not knowing the extent of Rei's capability of holding his breath, Nagisa had simply assumed that Rei-chan, being naturally athletic and perfect as ever, could last at least a couple of minutes. He'd seen Rei-chan attentively flipping through 'Swimming for Dummies: Vol. 2' just last week, surely he would have gotten all the theories right by now?

Nagisa crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently on the cold tile. His movements felt lagged and heavy due to the soaking wet clothes he was wearing, but soon his taps found a steady rhythm while he waited for Rei-chan to finally be out of breath and resurface.

15 seconds passed.

45 seconds went by. Rei chan had yet to reappear.

A full minute and a half. Nagisa was getting a bit worried now, but he won't back down just yet.

Two minutes elapsed, and a concerned voice nagged at the back of Nagisa's head. He recalled that Rei-chan had once told him about the wonders of human brain, enthusiastically explaining on how a brain can only last around three minutes before the cells start to die, though the time really vary from person to person. After about five minutes, the brain damage would have been substantial enough to be irreversible.

Glancing at his dripping wristwatch, Nagisa got a little jumpy when he noticed that three minutes had passed.

Careful as to not step and slip on the large puddle that had formed beneath him, Nagisa bent over the pool's edge to peer into the water, curious eyes squinting lightly to search for Rei's whereabouts. His vision caught a human-shaped silhouette -which was undoubtedly Rei-chan- about 5m away from where he was standing, slowly sinking to the base…

'Wait a sec, Rei-chan's sinking?'

Waves of immense terror and panic crashed on Nagisa's conscience as he registered the sight of Rei-chan, his Rei-chan, his precious and beloved Rei-chan drowning right in front of his eyes. Nagisa momentarily froze. His heartbeat was pounding so loudly that he felt it threatening to leap out, and he was so scared, so terrified that he'd lose Rei.

It all happened too fast. Before his mind could even decide on the best action to be taken, Nagisa had screamed Rei's name and found himself already diving into the pool (school uniform and shoes be damned), quickly making his way towards Rei. At this point, the blue-haired boy had already closed his eyes, the lack of oxygen probably getting the better of him, and he wasn't even struggling for air anymore. The water stung his opened eyes, but Nagisa could care less; all that mattered was saving Rei-chan. Mustering all the strength that was left in him -which was not much, really, because he was so taken aback by the fear of losing Rei once and for all- the blonde hauled Rei up and pulled him out of the pool, chest heaving and gasping for air once they reached the surface.

Rei's body felt cold in his arms, so cold it was terrifying.

'Is he already…' Nagisa couldn't bring himself to even think of the word. Shaking his head to ward off the pessimistic thought, he leaned over Rei's mouth to check for breathing. Negative; there were no puffs of air hitting his cheek. Nagisa tried pressing his left ear close to Rei's toned chest to search for a heartbeat. He caught on faint 'loop-dubb's repeating, but the pulse was irregular and sluggish.

The nagging voice in his head returned, and now it's screaming 'It's all your fault!', 'You killed Rei-chan!' and all the other nasty things Nagisa could only meekly agree with.

"It's all my fault." He breathed the words out, and the weight of the words sank in like daggers stabbing into his already aching heart. 'Rei-chan is going to die and it's all my fault…'

Nagisa's eyes were wide, hollow and filled with painful guilt, and he placed his trembling hands on Rei-chan's cold body. For now, Rei-chan's alive, but he's not breathing. Nagisa had to do something, he knew he had to. He considered the option of calling Mako-chan (Haru-chan not included, he never carries his phone) for help, but there would be no time for that. Besides, his cellphone might already be dysfunctional, so he had to rely on his limited memory of CPR steps.

'If only I had paid attention when the teacher explained about it…' Nagisa thought, but there's no time to regret, either.

Struggling to recall the CPR training he had received back in his middle school days, Nagisa began by removing the red tie Rei was wearing and unbuttoning the first few buttons. Had it been under other circumstances, Nagisa would've gotten excited at the chance of undressing his crush, but now there's a life at stake! Then, he started giving chest compressions, applying firm pressure and checking for signs of breathing time and again.

"Come on Rei-chan! Please… Please wake up…" Nagisa whimpered and choked a sob as tears began streaming down his cheeks, dripping onto Rei-chan's chest drop by drop. He desperately repeated the steps, all the while praying to god that he was doing it right. Rei-chan's still not breathing, so he alternated the compressions with mouth-to-mouth.

His lips made contact with Rei's, and that was when he noticed that Rei's lips were icy. Nagisa began fearing the worst.

"No, no… Rei-chan, don't leave me…" Nagisa chanted Rei's name like a mantra, voice quivering and tremors shaking his whole body. He could already picture it in his frantic mind; the scene of Rei's funeral, Rei's mother sobbing uncontrollably in front of an open coffin and her sad violet eyes staring at Nagisa, affection now replaced with anger as she yells at him, blaming him for her dearest child's death. He didn't want that… A life without Rei-chan… It's better to not be alive at all.

Nagisa's actions grew more frenzied and he almost went hysterical, but when he leaned down to deliver the next mouth-to-mouth, Rei jolted upright and coughed loudly, spewing out water onto the tile. He sucked in deep breaths to make up for the lack of air for the past few minutes and finally noticed Nagisa lying half on top of him, eyes brimming with tears.

'Rei-chan is alive.' Nagisa's lips started trembling as his gazed pink orbs met with Rei's lilac ones, incapable of holding his feelings in anymore. 'Rei-chan is alive!' He lurched forward and threw his arms around Rei, breaking into full-blown sobs and hugging Rei tightly like there's no tomorrow.

"Uwaaahhh I'm so sorry, Rei-chan!" He cried into Rei's shoulder, sobbing grossly and not giving a damn about the snot that was flowing freely onto the man's soaked shirt. Rei's body was starting to regain its usual comforting warmth, and Nagisa only tightened his embrace, never wanting to let go.

"Nagisa-kun? S-stop, it's hard to bre—"

"Rei-chan I'm sorry… I'm sorry… please don't hate me please don't—" Nagisa nuzzled his face closer, still sobbing pathetically. His voice croaked and he was sure as hell that he looked ugly and miserable right now, but Rei-chan lived. Rei-chan lived and that's all that mattered.

Rei, on the other hand, had fully recovered his consciousness and did not really appreciate having a 55kg grown teenage boy squeezing his lungs out when he had just barely survived a traumatic drowning experience. He listened to Nagisa's whimpers and muffled words, and pried the boy off him to get a clearer look of his face.

When Nagisa looked up at him, Rei gasped, feeling the familiar clenching and acrobatics movements his heart seemed so fond of doing whenever Nagisa was around. Throughout the few months he had spent knowing the petite blonde, Rei realized that he had never once seen the cheerful boy cry. Nagisa was always so joyful, always a bundle of trouble with energy so boundless that Rei suspected could be on par with the amount released in nuclear fission reaction, always smiling merrily and making Rei's heart swell in adoration.

Now, seeing the glazed eyes red and a little swollen from the tears, the equally reddish button nose twitching when the boy sniffed and the trembling pink lips Rei had thought he would never have the chance to kiss again, Rei couldn't help but to wear a soft smile.

Sure, Nagisa was the one who had almost killed him, but Nagisa was also his saviour. It was an accident, anyway.

Upon seeing Rei's kind smile, the smile that wordlessly conveyed 'it's okay, now, everything's fine. I'm alright, aren't I?', Nagisa just cried even harder, burying his face into the crook of Rei's neck and wailing loudly.

"I was so scared, Rei-chan! I thought I was –hic- going to lose you! I'm so sorry… -hic- I love you so much, Rei-chan—"

Rei's eyes widened.

'Am I imagining things? Did he just say…'

"Nagisa-kun," Rei said with a firm voice, pulling away from the embrace to look at Nagisa square in the eyes. "Did you just… confess to me?"

For a brief moment, Nagisa stared blankly at him, trying to recall his words before a blush crept onto his face.

'Ahhhh, my stupid mouth!'

He wasn't sure how to reply to Rei's question. Denying it would have made him look stupid, because those words did come out from his mouth and Rei-chan had heard it loud and clear, but confirming it might jeopardize their friendship. It had taken quite the effort to approach Rei-chan and receive his trust, and no matter how desperate he was for Rei-chan's love, he knew that his (possibly) unrequited love would just be in the way…

"I mean, platonically, of course! I love you as a… a f-friend!"

Rei stared, his serious eyes unwavering, making Nagisa cower timidly under the intense gaze.

"You know, Nagisa-kun… When you lie, you tend to look upwards, scratch your head and grin like an idiot."

"No, I don't! I—"

"You're doing it now."

Rei had to bit his lips to stifle a laugh when watching Nagisa getting all flustered, though he himself was getting embarrassed too (because Nagisa was still sitting in his lap, damn it!). Nagisa -who was infamous for his nerves of steel and lack of shame, decency, sense of personal space and all things relevant to a courteous human being- was blushing oh so cutely in front of him (in his lap, mind you), and god, he's so beautiful and Rei just yearned to gobble him up and—

'Calm down, my friend.' Rei knew he was being ridiculous for he was talking to his excited 'little one' for god's sake, but it had to be done. 'Remember How to Win His Heart 3rd edition... Step 1: the confession.'

His racing heart calmed down a little as he recited the exact words from the book in his head. It didn't go as planned; he was supposed to be the one confessing first, but at least now he knew that the feeling was mutual.

"I… too," His voice came out whispered, stuck in his throat, even, and Rei cursed inwardly at his inability to express himself boldly when it came to things like this.

Nagisa blinked foolishly; a cue that he had to repeat.

'God, this is so embarrassing...'

"I love you too!" Rei finally said, sighing in relief at the success of getting the burden of keeping his admiration a secret out of his system. He couldn't believe that he was proclaiming his love, right after a near-death experience, directed to the person who was responsible for it, no less.

He waited for a response.

"Rei-chan."

"Yes, Nagisa-kun?"

"Slap me."

"Uhh, okay?"

The blow was delivered swiftly (and quite gently, actually) to Nagisa's plump right cheek, earning him a yelp and a dragged whine of pain.

As far as he's concerned, Rei thought that with the copious amount of tears Nagisa had been shedding ever since he was saved from drowning to death, it was simply impossible for the boy to cry anymore. He was proven wrong, because Nagisa had started crying again, clutching onto Rei's wet shirt for dear life, making him wonder if it was due to extreme happiness upon realizing that it wasn't a dream, or because of the pain inflicted by his slap.

Step 2 was 'give him a hug, and then a kiss', so Rei wrapped his strong arms around Nagisa and returned the embrace, loving the way Nagisa flawlessly fit into his hold like they were meant to be.

Just seconds before Rei could kiss his lover (can he call Nagisa that, now?), the door clicked open, revealing Makoto and Haruka. The olive-haired boy was startled by the sight, as portrayed by his widened eyes and gaping mouth, while the latter had already stripped down to his swimming trunk and dashing towards the pool at lightning speed. Rei doubted that Haruka-senpai had seen them hugging, given the record time he had taken in making his way from the door to the pool.

It was biologically not viable to be that fast and elegant at the same time, but there're always exceptions.

"Gosh, Haru, I said wait!" Makoto exclaimed exasperatedly. "Ah, umm, did we… interrupt something?" Makoto asked, his usually gentle and mother-like smile twisted into an awkward grin, his face paling a little.

'Argh, Mako-chan you cockblockkkkk!' Nagisa screamed in his head, feeling disappointed at their failed endeavour in sharing a second kiss.

"WHAT? You can't swim?!" The three shouted in unison (more of Nagisa shouting, really) when Rei explained how he managed to drown in the first place.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked, feeling a bit hurt that Rei-chan had been keeping this a secret the whole time. He was supposed to be taking responsibility of Rei-chan, remember?

"Like I can reveal such an embarrassing fact! I have my own pride, alright."

Makoto nodded, understanding the circumstances Rei was in. After all, he, for one, had been in a similar situation; not being able to tell them about his recurring phobia of the ocean. Maintaining his pride was one thing, but more than anything, he did not want to make them worry unnecessarily. Makoto was convinced that Rei had felt the same.

"You can learn, Rei," Makoto spoke up, flashing a warm smile in an attempt to provide some comfort. "We can teach you."

"Thank you, Makoto-senpai," Rei smiled back. He could really use some help.

In the end, it was decided that all of them would take turns in teaching Rei the basics since reading, when not coupled with hands-on training, proved to be insufficient. The training session was scheduled to start tomorrow, and Rei was already getting anxious.

Truthfully, the anxiety didn't originate from the idea of stepping into the place that had almost become his burial place, at least not entirely. Most of the giddiness he was feeling actually came from the golden-haired boy seated next to him, who had been restless and constantly fiddgeting since the train started moving.

The atmosphere was awkward, but of a pleasant sort.

"Hey, Rei-chan." Nagisa scooted closer and whispered, tugging lightly on Rei's sweatpants (he had changed into his spare clothes since their uniforms were utterly drenched).

"Hmm?" Rei-chan turned to look at him (thinking god, Nagisa is his lover now and he still couldn't believe it); excitement, worry and anticipation bubbling in his heart simultaneously when he saw the dazzling smile and the hopeful twinkle in Nagisa's bright pink orbs.

"Can I come over tonight?"

A/N: They finally confessed! I couldn't think of any other moment more suitable for the confession... Did I kill the mood or anything? By the way, Nagisa's being a little bit too eager, isn't he? You guys know what's next...*evil laughter* Reviews are welcomed and very much appreciated!