He's Mine
Pairing: Nagisa/Rei
Disclaimer: I don't own Free! :')
Nagisa always had the knack of asking weird things at the most inappropriate time possible; Rei of all people was especially accustomed to this. But when he asked out of the blue "Ne, Rei-chan, what do you think of the girls in our class?" while they were both in the gym's changing room getting ready for Physical Education, Rei was still taken aback by the strangeness of it all.
Rei popped his head out from his pristine white T-shirt collar to peer at Nagisa, who was struggling with getting his hands in the right sleeves. Most of his other classmates had slowly shuffled out from the room, not wanting to be the victim of Moriyama-sensei, their strict, dictator-like PE instructor whose idea of punishment was a 15 laps around the baseball diamond, a few hundred push-ups and 5 minutes of planking without breaks in between. Rei sighed and adjusted his clothing before walking over to Nagisa to help. Honestly, could a day ever go by with Nagisa not messing up anything at all? Sure, that was one of the things that made the boy all the more endearing and interesting to watch, but sometimes Rei couldn't help worrying that his klutzy nature would place him in danger.
"Why are you asking this?" Rei questioned while gently grabbing Nagisa's flailing hands to properly insert them into the designated holes. For one, he's thankful that Nagisa had changed into his gym shorts, else he'd be forced to offer assistance with that too. That wouldn't end well for Rei, if the furious blush spreading across his face was any indication.
"Nothing…" Nagisa answered, smoothing the front of his T-shirt before standing on the tips of his toes, leaning in to whisper softly. "It's just that, I think some of them like you."
"L-like me?!" Rei exclaimed loudly. Realizing that his sudden outburst had attracted a few pairs of curious eyes, he clamped a hand over his mouth and resorted to whispering. "In what sense?"
"You know, the romantic kind of like! The one that involves kissing, hugging, se—"
"I get it, I get it!" Rei moved his hand to close over Nagisa's mouth to stop the 's' word from escaping; who knew what would happen if their classmates were to overhear their conversation. "Still, I cannot possibly understand why anyone would take a liking to me," Rei's voice dropped when he saw the sparkly eyes Nagisa was giving him, and he scoffed, turning away to hide the embarrassment at what he was going to say. "Other than you, of course. You are abnormal, an outlier and therefore, an exception."
Nagisa crossed his arms and faced the opposite side as well, as if mimicking Rei's posture, except that his was far more dramatic with the audible huff, puffed out cheeks and pointing of chin.
"You're wrong, Rei-chan. I don't like you!"
Rei whipped his head around to look at the blonde, expression morphing into that of a kicked puppy (but to be honest, he ended up looking more like a scandalized big dog who was just dumped by its owner). "You don't?" Rei asked, afraid to hear the answer. 'What if he has found someone new?' His mind wandered to the thoughts of Nagisa going out with another girl, and instantaneously the image of Hikaru clinging onto Nagisa's arm popped up in his head. What made his heart lurch and stomach drop was that the idea wasn't the slightest bit absurd; after all, Nagisa had dated some girls before. Rei gulped and waited for an answer.
"Nope, because…" Nagisa left the words hanging in the tense air for a few seconds before rapidly spinning around to fling his arms around Rei's neck. "…I loooovee you!" He continued in a sing-song voice –his trademark tune whenever he's happy about something. Rei didn't budge at first, standing rooted to the ground with his face covered by his hand, shakily adjusting his glasses again. Nagisa was, for a brief moment, honestly concerned that the bespectacled boy was angry at him for the loud and blatant proclamation of love in bright daylight, or that he'd taken the joke too far. However, he caught the sight of the blazing blush at the tips of Rei's ears and heard Rei muttering things like '…immensely embarrassing' and '..giving me mini heart attacks…', instantly realizing that the poor kid was just ashamed.
This was one of the reasons why teasing and poking fun at Ryuugazaki Rei never gets old: his reactions are always too precious to let up!
"So? What do you think?" Nagisa asked again, putting on his running shoes and jogging on the spot a little. Whistling sounds echoed from the field, signaling they didn't have much time left. He had to know Rei's opinion on this, fast.
"Well, obviously I would be flattered to know that girls find me attractive…" came Rei's reply. He paused in hesitance, sneaking a glance at Nagisa in a shy peek. "B-but I already have you, so..."
He wasn't given room to complete his sentence as a jubilant ball of excitement immediately jumped on him, knocking the air out of his lungs.
"Awwww, Rei-chan you're too sweet!"
Just then, a few of their female classmates passed by, giggling to themselves at an inside joke which Rei had no interest knowing. Different high school have specific unique PE uniform designs, and naturally they differ for boys and girls. In summer, Iwatobi's included a loose white T-shirt and dark blue shorts with green stripes running down the side, and while girls are no longer required to wear those ridiculous panty-like things in favour of less skimpy outfit, their shorts are undoubtedly much, much tighter and form-hugging than those of boys. When Nagisa ran ahead towards the door with little joyful skips to his steps, Rei found himself staring at the blonde boy's back, and images of Nagisa in tight booty shorts began flashing through his mind… Nagisa swaying side to side in slow motion with a shy look on his adorable baby-face…
"Rei-chan, let's see who reaches the field first! Loser pays for lunch!" Nagisa turned to stick out his tongue and take a head start, disappearing down the hallway. Snapped out of his daydream, Rei groaned in frustration. First he had 'Nagisa in boyfriend shirt' fantasies, now 'Nagisa in girls' PE uniform'? What fetish is next in store for him?
'Am I turning into a pervert?!' Rei pondered as he trailed after a startlingly fast Nagisa.
PE had always been among Rei's favourite subjects; Iwatobi's curriculum was especially entertaining and enjoyable as they incorporated various disciplines and athletics, including rhythmic gymnastics, tennis, basketball and the obligatory track and field. It was one of the few moments that allowed Rei to put his knowledge to practice and exhibit his skills in the sports he considered beautiful.
Today's programmes were coincidentally pole-vaulting and high jumping –both his particular favourites. Hardly anyone in the class was any better than the all-rounder Rei at these games, and even Moriyama-sensei was aware of this as he insisted on allowing the other students go first. Letting Rei lead would've been disastrous because all the other students in line would only end up gawking in awe, astonished by the skills and accuracy of Rei's technique, perfected by his ongoing mental calculations and blessed physique. That wouldn't be too good for the spirit of the class; some might become disheartened or even give up before trying. It happened before, and it sure could happen once more if the talented prodigy proved to be flawless yet again.
Of course, if there's anyone who would be most affected by the attention Rei's newfound admirers was showering on him, it'd be Nagisa.
Nagisa sighed dreamily from the side as he watched Rei take his turn on pole-vaulting. The queue had finally reached the end after numerous attempts from everyone present. The majority of them passed at least the 2.5 to 3 meters mark (those who couldn't clear the starting height were entitled to 'the punishment', poor lads), a handful even getting further till 4-something, but when the bar was raised to 5 meters, everyone failed miserably, leaving only Rei to continue the challenge.
There was something enchanting and mysteriously hypnotic about the way Rei moved when he's engrossed in doing things he was passionate about. The firm grip his hands had on the pole, the long, precise strides he took in the approach, the way his mouth rattled off complex calculations to himself –things like 'maximizing transformation of cumulated potential energy' and 'perfect velocity, take-off and double pendulum motion' which no student was serious enough to take into account-, everything, was simply breathtaking. Nagisa knew the techniques, they were taught the basics and principles in theory classes after all, but he was convinced that no one could pull it off while looking that elegant.
"Brilliant, Ryugazaki!" Moriyama-sensei exclaimed as Rei cleared yet another height, close to breaking the school's record now. "Let's see how far you can get this time," the middle-aged PE teacher said before instructing the assisting students to raise the bar's standards by a few inches. Nagisa could already hear the singing praises of fellow admiring classmates, along with the scornful disses from those harbouring jealousy. He was immediately reminded of the love letters he'd snatched from Rei's locker yesterday, the appalling declarations of love and admiration from bratty girls who thought they stood a chance against him and the chocolate cookies that still left an icky taste on his tongue. One of the letters was indeed from Yui, whose previous attempt at wooing Rei with her pathetic strawberry-scented card ended in ashes. Whether she's just desperate to get back at Nagisa for burning her letter or was truly still interested in making Rei her boyfriend, that would remain unknown, but one thing was for sure: Yui was clearly not over it.
'I'll have to change that.' Oh yes, he'll keep the bastards away from his beloved Rei-chan and have fun while doing it.
The class was almost over and a lot of them were already helping to tidy the field, carrying the equipment to the storage room. However, Moriyama-sensei was adamant in making Rei take the final jump. It was obvious that he had his eyes on scouting Rei as part of the school's pole-vaulting team, and if Rei passed this one too, it's basically his golden ticket; he'd definitely get in.
"Nagisa! Stop gaping like a stupid fish and help us out here!" One of his classmates yelled, walking along a few other boys whose hands were full with heavy-looking landing pads and steel bars, looking like they're about to topple over any time soon. Nagisa flashed an apologetic sheepish smile and replied "Hold on, I need to watch this! Just one more, okay!"
The whistle blew and Rei started his final run, instantly entrancing everyone watching. Like a star athlete model jumping to life straight from the textbook, there wasn't a single fault in his steps. Nagisa felt an impulsive surge of pride, but also unease overcoming him at the prospect of losing Rei-chan to Moriyama-sensei. It sure looked like he was going to have no problem leaping over the tall bar, and oh god what would he do without Rei-chan, 'What if I never get to swim with him?', 'What if he leaves the swim team, then we'll be lacking a member and—'….
But the worse happened instead.
Just as Rei was about to take off, to the horror of those witnessing the scene, the planted pole snapped in two, falling onto the ground in heaps of clattering mess. The clanking sounds were excessively loud in his ears, and within a split second, Nagisa's eyes widened as he watched Rei tumbled over, crashing down on the pit merely inches away from hitting the solid ground.
Nagisa froze, almost paralyzed by the sight of Rei clutching his hand and arm, writhing on the thick mat. The bespectacled boy was also pressing his palm to his abdomen, his eyebrows scrunched and furrowed in what looked like shocking pain.
Rei-chan was in pain.
His Rei-chan was hurt.
"REI-CHAN!" Nagisa shouted, dashing towards where his lover laid on the landing pad, struggling to sit up. The shattered pieces had struck Rei in the area around his lower stomach when it broke, and his wrists must have been hurt, too. Carefully, Nagisa placed his arm around Rei's shoulders, supporting him as he tried to get up. A few other students had come rushing to the scene as well, but Nagisa wouldn't let anyone touch the still flinching Rei. After the near-drowning incident, he had developed a phobia of losing Rei. Feeling anger bubbling inside him at the mere thought of someone's negligence causing harm to his Rei-chan, he quickly went to the teacher, lashing out and demanding answers.
"Sensei, why the hell was the pole not checked before being used?!"
Moriyama-sensei looked surprised at the unexpected outburst coming from his normally cheerful, carefree student, and even more at the hint of accusation in his question. And did this kid just cursed at him?
"I did check, Ryugazaki might have just exerted too much burden on the pole," he shifted his gaze, unable to meet Nagisa's blaring fiery eyes who looked like he's ready to eat anyone for lunch now. Moriyama-sensei bent down to collect the broken pieces. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the edges were frayed instead of clean-cut, indicating that the pole had been tampered with. Looks like Hazuki's suspicion might be right; someone had tried to sabotage Rei. 'But who, and why?'
"It's dangerous, sensei! Rei-chan could've…" Nagisa paused, almost choking on his words and the tears that were threatening to flow. His trembling hands had curled into tiny fists at his side. "He could have-!"
"Nagisa-kun…" Rei cut him off before he could break down, lightly touching Nagisa's arm to calm him down. "It's nothing, this kind of accidents happen sometimes, you know? It's not anyone's fault."
"But you were hurt, Rei-chan!"
"People always get hurt in sports, don't they?" Rei reasoned, softly grabbing Nagisa's hand and uncurling it, resting his palm against Nagisa's (their teacher looked on, noticing the gesture but said nothing). "The risk is there, no matter which sports we choose."
'But not in swimming!' was what Nagisa wanted to say, but even he knew that Rei was absolutely right. Choosing the path of an athlete was akin to offering yourself up for injuries and hazards; it's just inevitable. Practice and precautions could significantly reduce the likelihood, but at times, it's really up to luck.
The truth was that, regardless of how badly Nagisa wanted to protect Rei-chan, at the end of the day, no one can predict the future.
"We'll look into this matter, don't worry. Go to the infirmary and get yourself checked, Ryugazaki," Moriyama-sensei said, patting Rei on the back in assurance. Rei bowed a little and thanked him, before turning to Nagisa to mouth the words "what were you thinking?!" Anyone who dared to curse in front of -let alone at- the sadistic PE teacher must've been either one, an idiot, two, suicidal, or three, downright out of their freaking mind.
It occurred to Rei that perhaps Nagisa was an exquisite mixture of all three.
"I was really worried, Rei-chan! How's your wrist? What about your stomach, does it hurt anywhere?"
"No…. The pain was minor and short-lived, but I will spray some analgesics later, just in case," Rei said. It was true; snapping poles had happened in professional tournaments before, including in Olympics, and while the accident appeared frightening (not to mention the horrifying snap sound), injuries were uncommon. Taking in the sight of an almost-crying Nagisa –wobbly quivering lips, watery eyes and all- was actually far more painful, so much so that he had to pull Nagisa in for a warm hug. He looked like a mess; a heart-clenchingly adorable little mess. "Shhh, everything is alright. Why are you acting like I'm dying of an incurable disease…"
They shared a small laugh, and Rei gently thumbed under Nagisa's wet eyes to rid of the stray trail of tears, not once letting go of his hand as they walked to the infirmary.
The school's nurse, a sweet lady in her thirties whose kind smile reminded Rei of his mother, thoroughly checked his body for any signs of underlying injuries (Nagisa didn't feel any threat coming from her, so he let the nurse lay her hands on Rei's skin). When none was found, she let them both return to class, giving them both a lollipop each like a doctor usually would when dealing with kids. Rei blushed profusely, declining the gift ('B-but I'm not a child anymore!') so inevitably, Nagisa took his share.
When in class, Nagisa kept on going back to the earlier incident. Putting the unfortunate mishap aside -which he was very pissed off about- he's still astounded by how stunning Rei-chan looked. That was what Rei-chan loved the most, wasn't it? The feeling of being suspended in the air, having your body arch in a willowy curve as you fly above the bar... these he had once told Nagisa. 'Rei-chan's passion was running and pole-vaulting… And I took that away from him.'
Nagisa knew that he was the one who snatched the beauty away and promised to give it back through swimming.
Rei-chan was his responsibility. Nagisa decided right then; he's going to make sure Rei-chan becomes the most beautiful swimmer Iwatobi prefecture, Japan, and even the world, had ever seen.
But the first thing he'd have to do was to seek aid from the best swimmer he had ever known: Haru-chan.
After convincing Rei that he could use some rest and turn up at training later (it took quite a number of sneaked get-well kisses and encouraging compliments to do that since Rei was being a stubborn hardworker), Nagisa sprinted along the school's courtyard to look for his potential savior. The chances of finding Haruka within the vicinity of any closed container of water exceeding that of a 2.0L bottle was approximately 78%, as Rei had claimed. How the whiz had come up with that number was inexplicable, but Nagisa believed it anyway, even suspecting that the percentage should be higher. Unsurprisingly, he found Haruka on his way to the pool, but with no Makoto in sight.
Strange. With Makoto and Haruka, it's almost impossible to find one without the other.
"Haru-chan!" Nagisa called out, waving from far with relentless enthusiasm. "You're alone? Where's Mako-chan?"
"Makoto will be late today," Haruka answered, casually placing his bag in its designated space in the dressing room, along with his bottle and shoes. "Ran called. She was panicking and screaming that Ren is down with fever. He's going back to settle things."
"Ah, poor Ren-chan… But that's good for you, right? Since Mako-chan is not here to stop you from making sweet love to water," Nagisa teased, jabbing the boy's side playfully. Haruka's reply was nothing more than a soft "hnn", so Nagisa decided not to press on the subject, understanding that the older boy was actually worried about Ren's wellbeing. They'd always been close, even way back when the twins were just tiny bundles of joyful gifts from heaven. Ren was like the little brother Haruka might've wished for, but never had.
Nagisa waited for Haruka to sort his items before slowly inching closer, sly grin indicating that he had something to ask for.
"Haru-chan… Can we talk?"
Haruka spared a glance at his teammate, noticing the cheeky look on that babyface (more like a baby mask, anyone who'd been around Nagisa for so long would know that Nagisa was nothing close to innocent). 'This is not good. Nothing is ever good when Nagisa smiles like that.' Still, ignoring him was definitely a worse choice. "Depends. Is it important?"
"Very! It's very very important!"
The way items are ranked in Nagisa's 'importance scale' is different than most people. 'Important' for Nagisa might be, at times, as significant as a speck of dust on top of a forsaken trophy for others (but who was Haruka to judge anyway, when he himself prioritize water over pride and dignity). Still, Haruka knew that Nagisa could be serious when he wanted to, so he figured why not give this a chance.
"Okay," he muttered. "I'm listening."
"Great!" Nagisa cheered. "You know that the competition is coming up, right?"
Haruka nodded slightly, and a curt 'hmm' followed.
"And that Rei-chan still cannot swim…"
"I told you before. The water hates him." He was sure of it. If Water-chan could talk, he was certain that its first words would be 'get the weird glasses kid away from me!'
"No, it doesn't. Rei-chan just needs the right guidance and technique!" Nagisa retorted, puffing his cheeks out childishly.
Oh. Now Haruka had an inkling of where the conversation was going.
"Your point is?"
"He needs you to teach him."
Haruka stared at Nagisa, his own sparkling blue depths clashing with the hopeful gaze coming from the two brilliant pink orbs. Unfortunately for the chatterbox, Haruka was almost completely immune to his puppy eyes technique; only Rei-chan and Rin-chan were easily swayed by it.
"No."
"But Haru-channnn…"
"No means no. It's too much trouble."
"Pleaaaaase? You're the only one who can help!" Nagisa continued pleading, nuzzling his little head against Haruka's left shoulder, rubbing incessantly like an affectionate cat begging for food.
"No. If you and Makoto can't teach him, then he just isn't cut out for swimming."
"But how are we supposed to enter relay if Rei-chan can't swim?" Nagisa whined, unaware of the little secret he'd let slip.
It didn't get past Haruka's hearing.
"Relay?" Haruka repeated, observing with great curiousity when the breaststroke swimmer's eyes went wide in realization. He took a step closer to Nagisa, now towering over the smaller boy and sending a deathly intimidating glare. "Nagisa. What relay?"
Nagisa cowered, scratching his head and looking at anywhere but the fuming dolphin-human hybrid in front of him. "Ehehehe… I might have asked Gou-chan to sign us up for relay…"
"You what?"
"I'm sorry, Haru-chan! Look on the bright side, Rin-chan will be in the relay too!"
At the mention of Rin's name, Haruka visibly flinched and went rigid, like he'd been struck by electricity. Nagisa had a feeling he hit a sore spot somewhere, because seconds later, the stoic boy sighed and walked away, craving more than ever to just feel the water wrapping his body in a gentle, comforting cocoon.
It was his only escapade. His sanctuary, his answers.
"That is not a bright side, Nagisa," he uttered, unzipping his jacket and easily side-stepping Nagisa's attempted glomp.
"It is! We'll race against him after so long… Don't you want to swim with Rin-chan anymore?"
Haruka didn't answer the final question. He simply couldn't. Standing next to the pool, he stared up at the clear azure sky. Nagisa's never-ending babbles were lost in the background, blending in with the other noises. The blinding sunrays warmed the water below, and in the cloudless stretch of blue, he could see a single eagle soaring with ease, its majestic wings spread out beautifully.
"I only swim free," he whispered.
"Sorry for not being around the last few days, but I have a good news," Gou announced happily when she arrived, waving a piece of paper in front of the boys huddled next to the pool. Her ruby eyes twinkled with delight, sharing an uncanny resemblance to that of Nagisa's whenever they're both excited about something. "Samezuka agreed to conduct a joined practice… tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?!" A chorus of staggered voices resounded, Rei's being the loudest of them all. "Why the short notice?" Makoto asked.
"Oh dear, is there a problem? I thought it'd be good to hold it earlier."
"Rei still can't swim," Haruka spoke, while the others just sighed in resignation.
"I see…" Gou, however, took a few moments to actually digest the piece of information, and when she finally did, her eyes went wider than they usually did when she was ogling hot living Greek statues (honestly no muscular guy was safe from her sharp vision). "Huh?! REI CANNOT SWIM?!"
Nagisa jabbed Makoto in the ribs a few times, making the latter squirm uncomfortably. "See Mako-chan? Told you she'd be shocked."
"B-but, tomorrow!" Gou continued to panic, grabbing onto Rei's shoulders and shaking him back and forth as if daring him to tell her that this was a bad dream, everything was a lie, and Ryuugazaki Rei could swim. Rei could only offer her a weak smile.
"Yes. Exactly."
In the end, Haruka did help teach Rei swim (Gou mentioned something about her older brother training hard for the upcoming competition, and suddenly Haruka was up and in the water to assist Rei), though his idea of help involved more of philosophical phrases of 'water and its many personalities', of advices on how to be one with water and such. Nagisa and Makoto watched with despair as Rei tried, and tried, and tried.
"It's okay, Ryuugazaki-kun," Gou coaxed, unable to bear watching her newest team member overwork himself with no progress. "I'll just explain to Mikoshiba-kun and we can postpone-"
Suddenly, Makoto's voice cut in, effectively gaining everyone's attention.
"Butterfly."
Everyone turned to look at the backstroker, whose emerald eyes had lit up in interest.
"Makoto-senpai, you said something?"
"Butterfly… Rei, have you tried butterfly?" Makoto inquired, getting jumpy on his feet.
Rei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "While I admit their beautiful colours give a tempting appearance, I doubt they taste good—"
"Not that kind of try, Rei. Swimming butterfly! It's the only style you haven't tried, right?"
"Haha! Silly Rei-chan~" Nagisa giggled and mocked him, but was ignored by Rei who was desperate to just swim already. 'Makoto-senpai had a point', he thought to himself. 'But out of all the strokes, butterfly is the least graceful of them all! Especially when the swimmers come up for air. Oh god their hideous facial expressions…'
"I reckon the chances of me being able to swim a single style is very slim, Makoto-senpai. Plus, butterfly is widely acclaimed as the hardest one…" Rei tried to dodge the idea, but everyone was already keenly observing him with brilliant sparkly eyes overflowing with hope.
"It doesn't hurt to try, Rei-chan!"
Makoto was spot-on; butterfly stroke was perfect for Rei. None of them, not even the genius himself, could explain why he so abruptly swam succesfully without sinking. It was like he had miraculously grown a pair of magical wings and acquired the ability to glide through water from thin air; Rei just went from zero to hero (not really, but still).
"Well, that was easy," the swim team captain commented as he joined the little group sitting by the poolside, intently watching Rei complete a lap. Gou was actively annotating and narrating every time Rei's deltoids/triceps/biceps flexed with heart eyes, while Haruka coolly dried his hair with a towel, indifferent expression masking the bit of satisfaction swirling in his heart.
He was happy for Rei, it seemed that Water-chan didn't actually detest the guy that much. He supposed most of the credit was due for Rei anyway; he had seen him bury his nose in a few books around during training. Rei's diligence was quite inspiring. But when Haruka thought of swimming with –or rather, against- Rin once again, his heart clenched painfully.
'Rin… is this the way it's going to be?'
"I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Haruka-senpai," Rei said while bowing slightly, bringing Haruka out of his deep thoughts.
'When did he get out of the water?' Haruka deadpanned. "I didn't do anything, you did all the work."
"But your advices still helped a great deal! Especially regarding the tips to reduce water resistance, they weren't in the books! It's amazing," Rei gushed, and if Haruka was not Haruka (or if he was Rin), he would've blushed at the kind words. But Haruka was indeed himself, and well, Nanase Haruka was not known to be one of many expressions.
"Water is alive. It chooses who it'll let in, who it'll wrap its arms around instead of baring its fangs and attack. The water has chosen you as well, Rei." Haruka said. "I expect you to make the best of this chance Water is giving you."
Rei's violet eyes shine with respect and admiration at his senior. He's finally one step closer to swimming beautifully, just like Haruka-senpai.
"I will!"
Things are always easier said than done.
Swimming in front of four people whom he was acquainted with (and one, in love with) provided enough mortification and embarrassment to make him want to curl into a tight ball and disappear. But tomorrow, in front of god knows how many strangers from a powerhouse boarding school famous for producing top-class national athletes? Rei had a feeling that not even an invisible cloak could provide him the comfort from all those judging stares, jeers and mocks he's sure to get.
Rei sensed his stomach churn and turn at the thought. He felt nauseous all of a sudden.
"Rin-chan's butterfly technique is superb! But because he wants to race Haru-chan, he changed to front crawl. Haru-chan and him always race against each other whenever they…" Nagisa continued to talk, voice loud over the sounds of the moving train.
"Nagisa-kun, what sort of person is this Rin-chan you always talk about?" Rei inquired, his curiosity piqued. This Rin-chan-san person was like a buried time capsule. He was gone for 4 years, no news or greetings, yet when he returned, suddenly everyone was reminiscing about the moments they shared. 'Just like an unearthed time capsule, carrying all these memories…. without me in them.'
"Hmm, let's see… When he smiles, his full teeth show and he looks like a shark... He smiled a lot, especially when he watched Haru-chan swim," Nagisa described, fond grin gracing his features all the while. "He's friendly, and kind, and cheerful! That's how he was back then, but now…" His smile dropped a little, and his words trailed off.
"Nagisa-kun?"
"He's just… he changed a bit, I guess. You'll see. Ah, Rei-chan, why do you look so pale?!" Nagisa suddenly cried out, touching Rei's cheeks frantically.
Rei was shocked; was his anxiety that bad? "Really?"
"Yeah, you look like you're going to drop and faint any time!"
Rei frowned, his eyebrows knitting as he casted his gaze downwards. Nagisa caught this gesture and stopped freaking out, realizing that his boyfriend was just worried about something. He leaned in and bumped onto Rei's shoulder, resting his head on it and exhaling a long breath. The train jerked a bit and he edged in closer.
"Scared of tomorrow, huh?" he asked.
Rei was quick to retort. "Not scared! More like… nervous and unsure," he muttered, glancing at Nagisa. "Can I really swim, Nagisa-kun?"
"Of course you can! You're Ryuugazaki Rei, there's nothing you can't do!" Nagisa bolted upright, grabbing Rei's hands and swinging it around a little in a silly attempt of simulating the way Rei swam earlier. Then, he flashed a small smile, not his usual playful teethy grin, just a sweet upturn of pink lips, more than enough to make Rei's heart flutter and skip a few beats. "You'll do great. Trust me."
"Should I really?"
"Heyyyyy! Are you doubting me now?" Nagisa pouted, nuzzling his head onto Rei's arm while the blue-haired boy chuckled. The nervousness was gone momentarily, but it came haunting Rei again when he laid down to sleep that night.
For now, Rei could only hope that Nagisa would be right.
A/N: It's been forever since my last update! Major writer's block. So now I decided to have a fixed update time: every Friday. What do you guys think? Oh and do leave a review of your opinions on the fic so far, because I'm worried that I might've lost my flair for writing!
Rejoice for second season! I haven't got past episode 2 though, will continue soon (I heard Reigisa is practically canon already by now?)
Shoutout here: Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed/fav'd/followed this fic. I never expected it to ever reach 200+ followers and 100+ favs, wow. This means a whole lot to me :')