Notes:

After finishing The Window and related drabbles, I'm finally back with my next Reigisa fic! Around the end of March, I got a sudden urge to write these dorks in the Splash Free AU, and before it seemed like going off sudden urges worked out well for me...hahahaha not so sure about this time *runs away*. It really bothers me that I couldn't write this in one long sitting, what with RL hitting me in the face, and if the story seems fragmented or rushed in any way, that's the reason *sobs*. I think a lot of details turned out different from my original intentions, although I did keep most of my original big plotline. I'm not quite as satisfied with this as I was with The Window, and it's been a love-hate experience writing this story, but I hope you guys can still enjoy it! :)

PS: This is the first time that I ever tried writing anything with an even remotely Arabian setting, and I probably made up a lot of culturally and historically inaccurate stuff, glossed over even more of said stuff, and for sure put in some Western cultural elements that might stick out like sore thumbs. I'M SORRY *goes into dogeza mode* I honestly thought it would take forever to research and I would never get to post the story between RL and actually writing it up (so I kind of gave up on researching and yes it'll probably be noticeable*coughcough*). It won't come close to comparing with some of the really nice Splash Free-based fics out there, but I hope you guys will still give this fic a try!

"Onii-chan!" A bright, searing grin followed the cheerfully tinkling voice. "Smile!"

He knew it wasn't uncommon, not in the world where he lived. Especially in his time, where the usual pattern of the overwhelming majority in need and poverty was also joined by a crushing sense of thirst, in multiple senses of the word, that blanketed the entire country in some way or another.

And yet, unlike the greater portion of Iwatobi's citizens, Hazuki Nagisa had allowed himself to dream—of a vibrant life that included himself joining a caravan, dancing freely as he traveled the world—and, once he found the right person, falling in love and sharing his life with his beloved. But now, as he stood in the lush garden lined by elegant white arches and colonnades, his body draped with layers of silk and jewels and a veil, the blonde boy of seventeen years felt that both of his dreams were simultaneously being crushed to dust.

It was ironic, really. Today was his wedding day, an event that he had dreamed about at least once in his life, and was supposed to be festive—although he had prayed to the gods many times that this particular wedding would be called off. As it turned out, his prayers were fruitless—and now, against all his angry protests and struggles and desperate tears, he would be bound to the stranger standing in front of him for the rest of his life—which he had been foolish enough to decorate with dreams that would end even before they were pursued. No matter how beautiful and luxurious his surroundings at the moment were—lavish as the garden square was, with its marble fountains of sparkling water and its jewel-like blossoms and emerald lawns—they failed to lift the blonde's stormy mood as he stared down stubbornly at his feet, encased in crimson velvet slippers lined with gold embroidery, the shoes making his toes and heels hurt.

But then again, Nagisa thought, maybe he had been naïve, expecting that marriage was something that was supposed to be a choice, one that brought happiness. Well, maybe that definition was accurate in a different way—this marriage, arranged by his sisters, seemed to bring them happiness well enough. Even if it meant that they were pretty much sacrificing their brother's own personal happiness and freedom. It was no original story, really—in these tough times when even the rich were less willing than before to pay for leisure, their family dance troupe was suffering. Due to an accident, they had lost their parents and home many years ago—they were one step away from living in the slums again, barely sheltered under the small grain of grudging hospitality that their distant relatives had left to show them. For his sisters, Nagisa knew, the offer that had been made by their father's old friend had been like a savior's call, a miraculous drop of rain in a dry, barren desert.

But even so…All the blonde could think about, as the festive music in the background jarred with his stormy mood, was how angry he was that his sisters had chosen to marry him off instead of offering themselves to this…this deal of friendship, or whatever it was fit to be called. He knew they were not typical of many women in their country, that they enjoyed their independence and that was why none of them had gotten married over the years. That was why Nagisa felt all the more strongly that they should have known better and respected his independence as well. True, he was a minor by law and his sisters still had custody over him, but also being Hazukis, they should have known how stubbornly independent their only brother was—no matter that he was the youngest in their family, no matter that his sisters had always been able to bully him into going along with their whims when he was little. When the news of this godforsaken marriage had first been broken to him, Nagisa had seriously considered running away, bolting under the cover of darkness that very night.

Curse familial bonds—curse irresponsible strong-headed sisters, curse old friendships, curse the drought. But most of all, curse their undeniable poverty. Because ultimately, that was the biggest reason why the usually strong-willed blonde had not run away—why he could not bring himself to break this arrangement, one way or another. It had been almost a decade since his parents passed away—and while he himself had gone through some hard times, he had seen his sisters suffer from poverty for too long. They had always borne the brunt of their hardships—the things they had done for him in the face of sacrificing their honor and pride, in the face of their earlier years living in the slums, in the face of their apathetic relatives, in the face of this apathetic world—it was honestly a wonder how they had stayed unmarried all these years, really, because for them, that would have been the ultimate sacrifice of pride spurred by the ultimate cause for such change.

But then again, maybe the fact that Nagisa was standing in this garden at this very moment was proof that the fiery Hazuki pride was finally crumbling. Because in the end, his sisters had thrust him into the very fate that they themselves had been avoiding with a passion. And perhaps, he thought as the music came to a gradual halt, this wedding ceremony was the very embodiment—not just of his sisters' ultimate sacrifice of pride—but, his own as well.

Curse poverty indeed. Hunger wasn't the only grief the villain could cause.

Just as he finished this last thought, Nagisa heard the officiant beginning to speak. All throughout the man's speech, the blonde kept his eyes on his feet, stubbornly refusing to meet his soon-to-be-husband's eyes. Only when the officiant called for the two grooms to meet each other's eyes did he reluctantly look up, taking in the face of his betrothed for the first time.

He was tan, and tall—a head and some taller than Nagisa was, with broad shoulders and lean, muscular arms, a trim waist, and long legs. Nagisa had been informed that the man was many years older than him—was it seven years? Eight? The stranger looked youthful—but then again, he could only be in his mid-twenties at the oldest, so perhaps it was to be expected, although Nagisa knew many men in their twenties looked much older as they began growing beards. Apparently, this man preferred a clean-shaven look—the only significant amount of hair he had sat atop his head under a turban, a crop of rich, dark blue locks that framed his high-cheekboned face in an almost equal part.

What briefly caught Nagisa's curiosity—before the blonde immediately reined it in—were the odd silver spectacles sitting atop his nose. It wasn't that he hadn't been aware of the existence of glasses before, but it was the first time that the blonde youth had seen them in real life. To be honest, it was a little unexpected—even if the man was a royal guard, one that worked for the Prince, he was still supposedly a guard and not a scholar, the only people that Nagisa knew to need such accessories.

But what caught the blonde's attention the most were the man's eyes. They were an iridescent shade of violet, one that Nagisa did not remember seeing before in his life, but felt strangely familiar—and as the blonde met the man's gaze, they flickered with a series of emotions: surprise, then nervousness, then…had that been a flustered look just now? Before the blonde could observe the emotion in detail, the man had averted his gaze—and as the officiant called for a token of affection that would seal the promise of marriage, all other thoughts fled from the boy's mind as his body immediately stiffened up. As his betrothed leaned down towards him, the blonde flinched instinctively, expecting a kiss on the mouth—

And was surprised when he felt a calloused hand gently take his own smaller one. As the blonde's burgundy eyes flickered open and blinked owlishly, he felt the dry sensation of slightly chapped lips on his knuckles as his betrothed gave his hand a chaste kiss. Two things rippled through Nagisa at once—relief at the more tolerable form of physical contact, and a strange flutter that came out of nowhere and traveled down his spine. But before he could ponder over the sensation, the officiant was declaring them man and husband, the celebratory music resumed in the background, and the guests in the garden were already clapping.

…

During the reception banquet that followed, Nagisa returned to avoiding his now-husband's gaze. Throughout the event, the blonde caught glimpses of his sisters here and there—each time they made eye contact, the three Hazuki women threw their brother warning looks, as if telling him to warm up to the blue-haired man. But Nagisa choose to ignore their telepathic advice—after shooting each of them pointed glares, the blonde redirected his gaze back down towards his red slippers—curse these shoes, he was positive that at least one of his heels were bleeding now. Because they were naturally seated next to each other and the guests kept approaching them to offer their congratulations, the blonde had to remain by his husband's side at all times—but while he put on a polite façade in front of the guests, Nagisa did not try to initiate any conversation with the blue-haired man or even turn and face him. And whether it was because the man sensed Nagisa's purposeful efforts or because he was too busy with the events going on around him, the blonde was unsure—but the brunet also did not attempt to initiate an interaction with him. And as a result, despite the numerous conversations both of them held with the guests, the only information related to the dark-haired man that made a firm impression in the blonde's head was his name, repeated so many times by the people at the wedding: 'Ryuugazaki Rei'.

By the time the banquet ended, Nagisa was feeling exhausted to say the least. All throughout the procession back to the royal palace, where the man named Rei lived, his eyelids felt heavy against his tired eyes and he thought that his legs would give out from under him any minute. At the palace gates, the guests finally left the couple, and they were escorted inside by a few other members of the royal guard and a small train of palace servants. Any other day in any other situation, Nagisa would have been thrilled to be inside the palace and run around marveling at its beautiful architecture and gardens—but by the time they finally reached Rei's living quarters, all the blonde wanted was to drop down on the floor and give himself up to slumber.

But as a few servants escorted him to the baths to 'prepare him for his wedding night', as one of them said with a good-natured smile, all thoughts of sleep immediately disappeared from Nagisa's head and was replaced by panic and dread. He could not even bring himself to be embarrassed about having his body stripped and washed by strangers during the bath, because why had this not occurred to him before?

In all seventeen years of his life, Nagisa had never lain with a man, or even a woman before. And although he knew boys and girls younger than him got married all the time and even had children before they turned seventeen, the blonde felt too young, too underprepared physically AND mentally, and definitely too scared for such an event. Feeling his stomach churn as he was cleaned and dried and polished with scented oils, he considered the wild option of running away from the palace, or maybe simply drowning himself in one of the large marble tubs in the chamber.

But before the blonde could do either, he was whisked away to the dressing room, where another group of servants draped his body with silks and adorned his ears and neck and wrists and ankles with tinkling gold jewelry. And when another royal guard, a tall man with orange hair who was even taller than Rei and just as muscular, came to escort the blonde to Rei's bedroom, Nagisa knew there was no longer any hope of escape. Trying to swallow his fears and nervousness, the boy followed the guard down the hall, the cheerful chatter from the guard's lips entering through one ear and going out the other. It didn't help that the oblivious guard winked at the blonde and 'wished him good luck' before leaving him at the door. By then, Nagisa was a bundle of nerves—his body started quivering as he turned with dread towards the bedroom.

Thankfully, the room was empty. As he let out a relieved sigh, Nagisa's shoulders relaxed for the moment, his burgundy eyes traveling around the space. Even for a guard's room, he thought, the bedroom seemed modestly furnished, considering that it was a room in the royal palace. The furniture was simple without much decoration, the drapes were velvet but of a subdued color, and there were none of the expensive-looking ornaments that Nagisa had seen around the palace. In the center was the bed—and while the presence of that particular piece of furniture had the blonde's stomach churning again, he noticed that it was also not as big as he had expected, with a frame that was about the size of a middle-class double bed and a simple canopy with plain white sheets draping the mattress. Nagisa was pretty sure Rei was a high-ranked official in the royal army, although he was not sure of his exact rank, so he was surprised that the room was not as lavishly decorated as he had expected it to be.

As he felt a yawn escape his lips, the boy remembered just how tired he was at the moment. His eyes swiveled over to the bed, which was modestly furnished but looked comfortable—but the context of the particular evening kept him from approaching it. He saw an armchair in the room and settled for that instead, folding his knees and drawing them up to his chest, bringing his feet up on the cushion after freeing them from his silk slippers. Propping his chin on his knees, he wrapped his arms around his legs and looked down at his feet, which were still slightly swollen from the uncomfortable wedding slippers he had worn for the majority of the day. Seeing his feet and seeing the unfamiliar room before his eyes suddenly made the blonde feel a strong pang of overwhelming homesickness.

The small servants' room that he had shared with his sisters back at his uncle's house had been much more cramped, with only a single hay mattress and a tiny widow in one of the crumbling walls to let in sunlight during the day. It had been dusty, dark, and small, but Nagisa thought that he would gladly be in that room instead of this unfamiliar one in the palace. Sure, it had been uncomfortable, sharing that small mattress with his sisters every night—but at least he had had them next to him in that room, giggling and chatting and gossiping about what had happened that day, teasing him and attacking him with tickles, the four of them huddling together during the colder nights. Now, he was alone in the room of a man who was a stranger—and the thought that his sisters, nor anyone he even knew for that matter, would be there for him, to listen to him and comfort him through his fears and sadness and bad days, made him feel small and lonely. All of a sudden, he felt tears prick the back of his eyes—and he almost gave in and let them spill from his eyes. But knowing that this was not the time to be crying, that this was the time to be strong and get through what he had to get through, to follow through on the choice that he had made, the blonde bit his lip and stubbornly blinked those tears back.

No matter that he was scared. No matter that this man, Rei, might be just like the other palace guards he had met in the streets, who had used to treat him like a street prostitute and tried to harass him, who were crude and violent and treated the poor of the kingdom like livestock. No matter that the man might be rough with him that night, might not care about his feelings at all. No matter that Nagisa had never even lain with the person he loved—that he had never even gotten to experience falling in love in the first place. No matter that he had had dreams for his life, wanted to travel the world and see its many sights. No matter that his sisters had given him up, that they were no longer by his side now. He could get through this. He would. And as the blonde was stubbornly gritting his teeth, he heard the sound of the door opening, and that snapped him out of his determined thoughts and brought back the panic to his heart.

In came the stranger, Rei. It seemed that he too had been in the baths—the faint smell of soap and oils surrounded the man, who had changed out of his wedding clothes into more comfortable garments. His violet eyes took in Nagisa, sitting curled up on the chair, his face looking pale and his burgundy eyes frozen with terror. As the man stepped slightly forward, opening his mouth, the blonde flinched and instinctively drew back his body. Squeezing his eyes shut, Nagisa waited to hear the continued footsteps towards him, waited for the touch of that calloused hand to graze his skin…

But the next thing he heard were the sound of footsteps distancing away from him. Puzzled, the boy opened his eyes just in time to see the door of the bedroom shutting. Blinking, his wide burgundy eyes took in the emptiness of the room that had been unexpectedly restored.

Seized by relief, Nagisa's body relaxed, slumping against the chair. It then stiffened once more when he considered the possibility that the brunet man might enter again anytime soon and continue whatever his intentions towards the blonde had been. But as the minutes passed and not a single soul entered the room, Nagisa began to doze off on the chair, his head nodding off towards slumber.

In the hazy subconscious of his sleep, he thought he felt gentle arms lift him up and carry him somewhere. When he woke up to the rays of sunshine filtering through the bedroom the next morning, he found that he was lying in the bed, alone—still clothed in the same garments and jewelry that he had been dressed in the night before.

When a week's worth of nights had passed much the same as the first, Nagisa began to wonder.

He rarely saw the man that became his husband during the daytime. The only times he saw Rei was at breakfast and lunch, and then dinner later in the night. And even during those times, they kept dining in silence, their eyes rarely meeting across the table if meeting at all. Even after dinner, the royal guard still had duties to carry out and only returned at a late hour in the night. It seemed that he was even called out for duty sometimes in the middle of the night—and the only way Nagisa had found out was because he had heard the servants gossip about 'His Honor' being summoned before dusk once again, that he was being worked all too hard even for his rank. A little curious about what exact rank that was, Nagisa had wanted to ask the servants about it—but whenever they caught the blonde looking at them, they cast him knowing glances before distancing themselves from him. It had the blonde frowning, because he didn't know what he had done to deserve such treatment from them. The only one who seemed even remotely sorry among them was a grey-haired servant who seemed to be around Nagisa's age, with his large sky blue eyes flickering apologetically before he turned and joined the rest of the group.

Cold treatment from the servants aside, Nagisa hardly felt like he was married. It felt like nothing was expected of him, not during the day as a conversation partner, not during the night as—well, as a husband. He spent most of his days wandering aimlessly around Rei's living quarters, with nothing to do and no one to talk to but the walls themselves. The boredom was not-so-slowly starting to wear on him, as well as his grudging curiosity about the blue-haired man who hadn't spoken a single word to him since they had been wed. And on the morning of the eighth day, when he yet again woke up to an empty bed in an empty bedroom, Nagisa finally decided that he had some finding out to do.

The routine of the eighth day went a little differently—though Nagisa had expected to see Rei at breakfast and dinner, the blue-haired man was absent from the table for both meals. It was the grey-haired servant who had informed him politely that 'His Grace' was occupied with his guard duties and could not join him for the meal. The boy had quickly disappeared before Nagisa could ask him any questions, and as only the sound of his own cutlery echoed through the dining room, the blonde's determination to confront Rei only grew stronger. So that evening, when the blue-haired man finally sat down at the table across from him, Nagisa took a resolute deep breath before opening his mouth.

"Why aren't you doing anything to me?"

Admittedly, for being the first sentence that Nagisa had spoken to the man ever, the phrasing of the question had been a little blunt, to say the least. But still, he wondered, did that really warrant the stricken look that crossed the man's face? The next second, Rei was coughing violently, having choked on a portion of his dinner—his tan face now beet-red. After hastily grabbing a glass of water and downing his meal, the brunet's wide violet eyes swiveled back towards Nagisa as that deep voice stuttered out a word, the tone two octaves higher than usual.

"Pardon…?!" The blonde wondered what the brunet was looking so flustered for—wasn't he a full-fledged adult man, and a royal guard at that? Nagisa knew what the average royal guard did for leisure, and more often than not those 'leisurely times' involved the whorehouses in the back alleys outside the palace. But perhaps that was beside the point—realizing that his question sounded like it only addressed part of the issue between them, the blonde felt his own cheeks coloring in embarrassment as he rephrased his inquiry.

"I mean—why aren't you doing anything with me?" That didn't sound much better, the blonde realized, but before Rei could return to panicking, he hurriedly went on. "What I mean is, I know I haven't really spoken to you either, but I thought by now you might've actually tried to have a conversation with me—or at least said 'Good morning' or 'Good afternoon', or anything." In the back of his mind he briefly wondered if it was all right to address a man seven years older than him—he had picked up the brunet's exact age from overhearing the servants' gossip—in such an informal tone, but the thought passed through his head and vanished as he looked at Rei expectantly for a reaction.

"—I, that is—" Rei's cheeks were burning as his eyes took on a somber look. "—I'm sorry. I thought—that you did not wish to talk to me, or be spoken to—" Nagisa heard him clear his throat nervously. "I truly did not wish to be rude—I do apologize…" Not having expected this reaction, all Nagisa could do was blink his eyes owlishly at the man.

Truthfully, he had started to think that it was because the brunet did not like him, whether it was because of his less than friendly attitude towards Rei or because of some other reason—but the man had acted distant just to give him some space? When they were married and their culture and customs dictated that Rei had every right to pretty much do anything he wished to him? The blue-haired man had just been respecting his apparent wishes? Feeling a little stunned, the blonde opened his mouth.

"But—why?" Noting that Rei looked confused, Nagisa elaborated on the question. "I mean, why do you care? You could do anything you wanted to me—you're in that kind of position, after all!" Hoping his flushed cheeks were not too obvious and gave away the fact that he was young and scared and all too inexperienced in many ways, Nagisa went on. "I mean, I've been on the edge ever since the first day, but you won't even make me talk—" Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Nagisa, and he wondered why he had not thought of it before.

"Is it because you have a secret lover or something?" he asked before he could stop himself. If that was the truth, then that would explain everything—after all, the blonde realized with a start, their marriage had been arranged by each of their guardians, and Rei had probably not had any say in the matter either. Perhaps the brunet hated this arrangement as much as he himself did—but before the blonde could continue his speculations, he noticed Rei frowning from across the table.

"I most certainly do not have an external lover—Hazuki-san." The man's words were still polite, but his voice was firm, taking Nagisa aback slightly. Rei must have noticed the look on the blonde's face, because he let out a sigh while adding in amendment, "Well, perhaps the way I've been acting towards you lead you to draw such conclusions." Clearing his throat, Rei hesitantly met Nagisa's eyes with his violet ones, which were flickering with an emotion that the blonde could not put his finger on.

"I just…I do not wish to force you—to do anything that you are not willing to do." Despite his cheeks flushing a little at the implication, the man's voice was every bit sincere, his violet eyes glowing with all seriousness. "I realize that—that you did not have a choice in this marriage. And since you did not choose for this to happen—it is the least I can do in this situation, to respect your wishes—as I believed I had been doing." With every unexpected word, Nagisa's burgundy eyes grew rounder and rounder—and after Rei's last words, his mouth fell open in a slight gape.

"…Oh." The word fell softly from his lips, the only response that the blonde could think of at the moment. For the remainder of their meal, a less-than-comfortable silence settled over the two of them, only disturbed by the awkward clacking of silverware on ceramic platters and the faint sounds of chewing.

To be honest, Rei's response at dinner that evening had thrown Nagisa for a loop. Really, everything that had happened since their wedding day had thrown the blonde for a loop—so far, nothing had gone the way that the boy had expected them to in their marriage. And although he did not want to admit it, the semblance of a conversation they had had at the table that night had caused a marked change in the blonde's perspective of Rei and of their situation.

It seemed, Nagisa realized with guilt, that he had been a little unfair towards the man, to say the least. He had been so preoccupied with his own feelings against this marriage that he had not considered the fact that it had also been arranged for Rei as well. It was the old friend of Nagisa's father who had offered his son in marriage, not the brunet himself—but somewhere between having the news broken to him and having the late conversation with Rei, Nagisa had forgotten that fact. Perhaps that was what had caused the blonde to project his own not-so-great assumptions on the blue-haired man's character, instead of waiting to see what he was really like. And so far, the blonde had gotten the impression that, at the least, the brunet did not seem like a bad man.

Now feeling sorry about his behavior, Nagisa decided that he would try to make amends. Neither of them had had a choice in this arrangement, but the wedding had already been done, and there didn't seem to be any going back—so he thought that at the present they should just make the best of the situation. Having reached this conclusion, Nagisa took a deep breath as he knocked on the door of Rei's study three days later.

"Come in!" Straightening his shoulders up a little, the blonde took in another breath as he grasped the door handle and pushed it forward. And in an unexpected moment, Nagisa was taken aback by the sight that greeted him.

The study was beautiful, arguably the most beautiful room in all of Rei's living quarters. It was also the largest room, Nagisa realized, with its tall marble walls lined with elegant mahogany bookcases, the shelves lined with what seemed like millions of books, bound in crimson and navy and forest green and a whole multitude of other rich colors. In addition to the many books, there were also tables full of many curious instruments and models and maps and diagrams full of illustrations, some of the latter two also covering the walls of the study. Against the middle of the back wall stood a desk, made out of the same rich wood as the bookcases, its surface overflowing with books and stacks of parchment and writing quills and pens, accompanied by some more of those odd instruments Nagisa had seen throughout the room. One particular instrument caught his attention—the blonde's eyes widened when he recognized the rotating globe in its copper frame, the orb gold and bronze with shapes of the world's continents and oceans and their many names etched across its surface—an object he had only before seen at the annual international bazaar. With shining burgundy eyes, the blonde had momentarily forgotten the reason he had come to the study in the first place and had been about to step towards the desk to take a closer look—

"Ah—it's you…!" The surprised voice of Rei brought Nagisa back to his present situation. Jumping a little, the blonde's wide eyes swiveled towards the brunet, who had emerged from behind one of the movable bookcases with a stack of books in his arms. "I apologize for making you wait, I had to climb back down from the ladder..." Having seen the blonde stare at the globe with wonder, the blue-haired man cleared his throat. "Would you like to take a closer look?" he offered, gesturing to the globe. When Nagisa looked a little startled at the question, Rei hastily tacked an explanation onto his words. "I mean, that is, you seemed interested in it, so—"

"Let's stop this." The words promptly flew out of Nagisa's mouth, almost surprising the blonde himself as much as they did Rei. As he saw the blue-haired man's face fall a little, Nagisa quickly revised his words. "I mean, let's stop walking on eggshells around each other," he said, his voice earnest. "You were right about me not having a choice in this marriage—but you didn't, either." He thought he saw Rei's eyes flicker a little at this last remark—thinking the emotion was something like agreement, the blonde continued. "And since we're here like this, now, we might as well make the best of it. So…what I'm saying is…" Feeling a little shy, Nagisa said the next words a little grudgingly.

"I'd really like a little more company from you, at the least." At the blonde mumbled these words, the brunet's violet eyes widened with surprise. "I don't really know anyone else in this palace—and I'm feeling a little lonely here, you know?" Nagisa's fingers fumbled with the shawl wrapped around his waist, his eyes resolutely pointed down at his feet. "Just…talk to me a little more now and then. Otherwise, it'll be too quiet around here…"

"…Do you mean that…?" At the question, the blonde blinked and turned his eyes back towards Rei—the brunet was staring at him, those odd violet eyes glowing with…was that hope? "You—you would not mind if I spoke with you…?" At this question, Nagisa's mouth began opening in protest, as if to say that he had made his point on that issue clear. But he felt strangely nervous under that violet gaze, and he closed his mouth, simply nodding in response.

What he saw next almost blew the blonde away. As the rays of golden sunlight filtered through one of the tall study windows, they highlighted the side of Rei's face—just as the blue-haired man smiled before Nagisa for the first time. The smile stretched his thin lips, the corners of his mouth curving up gently, lifting his slightly flushed cheekbones and reaching those iridescent violet eyes behind those silver frames, eyes that crinkled up in a way that Nagisa could only describe as beautiful. The moment that his own two eyes captured that expression, the blonde felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

Then, as if had been told to go in reverse, it suddenly started to beat, thumping harder and faster than ever before. The sensation startled Nagisa—it was the first time that it had ever behaved this way. He knew it wasn't fright he was feeling, because that quickening of the heart was different—but before he could reflect upon it further, Rei spoke up again.

"If…if you would like, then…" His voice was quiet as usual, but it seemed a little happy. "Would you like to take a look around the study?" The blue-haired man readjusted his glasses with one hand as he smiled again, a little shyly. "You did seem interested in it, so…" Somehow, the gesture also brought a smile to Nagisa's face as well. Not noticing the startled look on Rei's face, the blonde chirped back an answer.

"Yes! This place looks amazing!" His burgundy eyes sparkled. "But first, show me the globe!"

…

Of all the afternoons Nagisa had spent at the palace after the wedding, that afternoon had arguably been the best. Of course, considering what those long, boring afternoons without any companionship had been like for the blonde, it was hardly surprising—but nevertheless. The study was a treasure trove of items that fascinated Nagisa, from the bronze globe that his gaze had first landed on to all the curious scientific instruments lining the desk and shelves to the pieces of yellowed parchment on the walls containing maps, diagrams, and illustrations—to the hundreds of colorful bound books that the blonde gleefully pulled off the bookcase shelves. When he was young and his parents had still been alive, they had taught him letters and how to read and write them. However, it had been many years since then that he had read or written anything, and he found that he had forgotten most of what he had learned. But as he found, Nagisa felt content from just looking at the various illustrations that the books held, and as he greedily flipped through the pages, Rei watched from behind, a small smile on his lips and a gentle glow in his eyes.

It was after two hours of running around looking, pointing, exclaiming, and touching that Nagisa heard a knock come from the study door.

"Come in!" After Rei called out to the inquirer, the door opened and the face of the grey-haired servant peered in.

"I apologize for interrupting, Sire. His Majesty has sent for you." At that, Rei immediately straightened up.

"Not at all, Nitori. I will be out to see His Highness shortly. Thank you." Bowing, the boy called Nitori retreated, closing the door behind him.

Somehow, watching this interaction had made Nagisa calm down from his excitement. It was only when he heard the grey-haired servant address Rei politely that he realized how casually he himself had been addressing the brunet the whole time he was going through the study. In fact, the blonde realized with a start, he had completely let the childlike side of his personality surface—something that he had never expected to happen around the stranger who was his husband. And the man was seven years older than Nagisa, seemed so quiet and serious from what he knew about him so far, that the blonde wondered whether it was acceptable for him to be so…less-than-polite around the brunet. As the two of them exited the study, signaling the end of those two lighthearted hours, the blonde hesitantly turned towards Rei, who opened his mouth.

"I will see you later then, at dinnertime, Hazuki-san. Until then—"

"Is what I'm doing all right?" The blonde's hesitant voice interrupted Rei's words, making the man blink his violet eyes in confusion. "He—that servant—he seemed about my age, and…well, I was just wondering if I was being too informal with you…" As understanding registered in the brunet's violet eyes, Nagisa swallowed a little and waited nervously for his answer. He had heard tales of husbands reprimanding their spouses when they were 'disrespectful'—more often harshly than not. But Rei had not seemed to mind before when they had that short conversation at dinner previously…

"It's perfectly fine." As the brunet's voice rang firm and earnest, Nagisa looked up at Rei in surprise. The man was smiling down at him, his eyes gentle and sincere. "You are free to address me however you would like—" He scratched one cheek with his finger, as if being slightly bashful. "In fact, I would honestly like that very much." As if to cover his face up, he reached up with a hand and readjusted his silver spectacles, the gesture coming off as a little flustered. And while Nagisa was puzzled at the small warmth that shot across his heart, he smiled in delight at the slightly blushing older man.

"Then I'll keep doing that from now on!" he chirped. "I should warn you, considering how I am, it'll be too late to change your mind later!"

He had exchanged farewells with Rei and was just about to turn the corridor when a thought occurred to him. Turning around, he called out to Rei, who was headed in the opposite direction.

"And call me 'Nagisa'!"

It was only natural, after all. 'Hazuki-san' was too stiff for Nagisa to get used to, and since they were married, it seemed pointless to address each other with those titles. Oblivious to a blushing Rei who had stopped in his tracks, the blonde hummed in his footsteps as he reminded himself to call the brunet 'Rei' from now on.

End Notes: To be continued! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :)