-2 Years Ago-

He had already torn it off, but now Nagisa wished he hadn't. It seemed to be burning a hole in his pocket, almost as if to match the burning of his cheeks. And the latter had nothing to do with a cold or the weather—although it was early spring and the weather was still chilly.

Nagisa's face grew even warmer when he spotted Rei standing by the school gate, next to the sign that congratulated their graduation. The brunet was looking around, searching for someone amidst the hordes of third-year students pouring out the gate. Heart thudding in his chest, Nagisa took a deep breath and ran forward, breaking through the crowd.

"Rei-cha—"

"Ryuugazaki-senpai!" a girl's voice called out. Nagisa stopped in his tracks, bumping into one of the students on their way out. Fumbling slightly, he apologized quickly to the student and craned his neck in Rei's direction.

He saw a nervous-looking girl standing before Rei, her cheeks flushed and her eyes flickering towards the ground. By the blue bow on her collar, Nagisa could tell that she was a second year—and a cute one, at that. Instantly, the blond felt his stomach drop, his heart starting to hammer in his throat. He held his breath as Rei looked down at her quizzically.

Just as the girl opened her mouth, a group of rowdy third years passed through the school gate. They blocked Rei and the girl from Nagisa's sight, drowning out the girl's voice with their loud shouts and cheers. The blond frowned as he tried to look around them—he found he couldn't hear anything over the noise. Only after the students finally passed through did he manage to catch a few words, semi-shouted in a high, nervous voice:

"—always admired you!"

Nagisa froze, eyes growing wide as he watched Rei, holding his breath without realizing it. He saw Rei grow from tan to red in the matter of two seconds, the brunet sputtering out words that flew right over his head. Somehow, the last two words alone rang clearly in Nagisa's ears.

"—I'm sorry." Rei's face was still very pink, but there was no mistaking the apology in his expression and voice. At that moment, Nagisa felt something in him begin to deflate. The girl before Rei seemed to deflate as well, her shoulders sinking slightly. With her face turning pink, she swiftly bowed her head towards Rei and began what Nagisa assumed were a string of fervent apologies. Immediately, Rei began protesting her apologies with equal fervor.

Nagisa's stare dropped down from Rei's face to the left pocket of his own jacket. Slowly, his hand reached in and grabbed the object inside. His fingers curled and uncurled around it. All of a sudden, the sweat on his palm felt cold.

Instead of feeling relieved, he suddenly felt afraid.

"Nagisa-kun!" When the familiar voice called his name, Nagisa snapped to attention. Rei was waving towards him—his cheeks were still tinted pink, but the girl was no longer with him. Pulling on a smile, the blond ran towards his friend, the flower on his lapel bouncing.

"Rei-chan!" In the process of running, he tugged his hand out of his jacket.

The object slipped past his fingers, landing against the seams of his blazer pocket.

-2 Years Later-

Now the object was burning a hole in the bottom of his drawer.

"Nagisa-kun!" a voice called from downstairs. "We're going to be late if you keep this up!"

"Hold on a sec, I'm coming!" In his room, Nagisa stared at his reflection in the mirror one last time. He hurriedly fluffed up his hair with one hand, while the other grabbed a light jacket from his closet. Swinging the jacket on, the blond ran downstairs to the genkan, where Gou was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, as Nagisa hurriedly tugged on his shoes. "Look, I know you want to look nice for Rei-kun, but if you're home styling yourself all night you won't even get to see him!" Nagisa flushed.

"I wasn't styling myself—and I want to see everyone, not just Rei-chan!" At least he knew his words were half-true. Before him, Gou sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever—we better hurry and catch the train. I bet everyone's already there—hurry, Nagisa-kun!" With that, the two twenty-year-olds hurried out the door to rush towards the station.

"Ah—they're here!" In the middle of a busy diner, Makoto's eyes lit up. "Nagisa, Gou-chan! Over here!" He waved towards the entrance of the diner, where Nagisa and Gou had just arrived. When they spotted Makoto, their faces lit up.

"Mako-chan!" "Makoto-senpai!" They approached the table where Makoto sat, Nagisa near-tackling his friend with a back hug and Gou smiling behind him.

"I could swear you grew taller, Mako-chan!" Nagisa exclaimed, latched onto Makoto's back. "Did you see how high I had to leap just now?" Makoto laughed.

"It's great to see you guys after so long-!" He reached back to ruffle Nagisa's hair affectionately. "Though you're exactly the same, Nagisa. I see you changed your hairstyle, Gou-chan. It suits you!"

"Thank you, Makoto-senpai!" Gou beamed as she patted her layered bob. "I'm glad you seem well, and your muscles too!" Her eyes grew sparkly as she eyed the muscles visible under Makoto's shirt. "Tokyo has certainly been treating you well, hasn't it?"

"Oh, um—I do still swim with Haru every weekend," Makoto replied, with an embarrassed laugh.

"Eeeh? I grew taller too!" Nagisa jutted his lip out. "Two whole centimeters! And I've made some more muscles!"

"I see, I see," Makoto relented, chuckling. "Your grip certainly feels stronger—are you still on your college swim team?" Before Nagisa could reply, Gou spoke first.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked, looking around curiously. "I thought we were the last to arrive for sure!"

"Ah—Rin just arrived himself, so Haru went out to pick him up—and Rei went to the bathroom—" Nagisa jolted slightly at the mention of Rei, before letting out a casual hum. At that moment, the bell on the diner door chimed as three people made their way in.

"To think you couldn't understand directions that simple—you've grown backwards, Rin—"

"They were not simple! And it's fucking dark outside—give me some slack!"

"Now, now, please don't start fighting in public, Haruka-senpai, Rin-san—"

"Onii-chan! Haruka-senpai, Rei-kun!" Gou waved at them cheerily from the table. "We came!" Snapping out of his daze, Nagisa grinned as he hopped down from Makoto's back.

"Haru-chan! Rin-chan! I missed you guys!" He zoomed towards Haru first, jumping onto his back as he had done with Makoto.

"Nagisa—you're heavy—" Haru replied, but without any real displeasure in his voice.

"Geez, how long are you going to keep jumping people like that, Nagisa?" Rin commented from beside them, raising a brow. "I know you look about five now, but that's not gonna last forever, you know?" Nagisa pouted.

"Boo you, Rin-chan! For your information, the Hazuki face lasts forever—you'd eat your words if you saw my grandpa!" He grinned cheekily at Rin. "It's a face you can only dream about, Shark Boy!"

"Don't call me 'Shark Boy', you little shit!" As Nagisa laughed, a third voice spoke up from behind them.

"Ahem—don't you think we should go and sit down? We're blocking the hall." Hearing Rei's voice, Nagisa's ears perked up. The blond flopped down from Haru's back and stood before Rei, almost shyly.

"Rei-chan." He smiled. "Welcome back!" Rei held his gaze for a moment, before smiling back.

"I'm home, Nagisa-kun." They stood staring at each other for a while, until Rin cleared his throat.

"Get a move on, lovebirds—you're blocking the hall." The redhead smirked as Rei's face burst into flames.

"Rin-san! Could you please stop using such misleading words!" Behind Rei, Nagisa's own cheeks were flushed pink, his eyes averted towards the floor. His hands fumbled with the edge of his yellow jacket as he followed his friends to their table.

Two years had passed since Rei moved to Tokyo to attend college. Since then, they had kept in touch reasonably well. At first, Nagisa had called Rei a few times a week, with the excuse of wanting to know about the scene in Tokyo and how things were going at his college. Three or four times had eventually dwindled down to once a week, then twice a month—with how busy their lives were, it wasn't something that could be helped.

Besides phone calls, they'd exchanged packages for their birthdays and holidays, and sometimes on random occasions. Nagisa loved everything Rei sent him—a tin of marine cookies with penguins on the container, key chains of Tokyo's mascot characters, postcards from various museums in the city, among other things—but he especially loved the little letters that Rei sometimes sent with them. Just seeing Rei's neatly penned handwriting made Nagisa happy, and so did imagining Rei's voice saying the words in his letters. Until Nagisa remembered that in reality, he could only hear Rei's voice a few times a month. And then the loneliness would spring up on him, as well as the urge to call Rei at odd hours of the night.

There was only one thing that held Nagisa back. It rested deep in the drawer of his nightstand, and part of him wanted to take it out and throw it at Rei, and part of it wanted to keep it buried there for good—maybe, if he kept it buried long enough, it would disappear.

At heart, change still scared him.

"Let's see—now that we're all here, what should we order?" Makoto asked, after all basic greetings and questions had been exchanged. "It's my first time eating here—any recommendations, Gou-chan?"

"Dinner Set A and C are pretty good!" Gou offered. "The crab cakes are delicious!"

"Anything with mackerel is fine," Haru put in. Rin rolled his eyes.

"Screw mackerel—it's gotta have meat in it, for it to be a meal."

"Oi—don't look down on mackerel, Shark Boy."

"Wha—you're calling me that too?!"

"Aw, don't be so mad, Shark Boy—we can have everything on the menu!" Nagisa pitched in, drooling. "Well, maybe except for stuff with bell peppers in it, but other than that—"

"Like hell we can! And stop calling me that!" Sighing, Rei plucked the menu from Nagisa's hands.

"Have mercy on our budget, Nagisa-kun. Amakata-sensei isn't around to treat us this time." His gaze sifted through the menu. "A and C seem pretty balanced as far as meals go—A has a mackerel dish in it and C has meat, so we should go with both, since a set serves about three people—and what else would we need?"

"Drinks!" Rin replied, grinning toothily. "I'm getting each and every one of you wasted tonight—but not you, Gou!" he added on afterthought, voice protective. "You better not go over two beers—and if any of you even try anything with her—"

"Please, Onii-chan—I hold my alcohol way better than you do," Gou huffed. "I'm here to lug your drunk ass back home after all—besides coming to see everyone, of course!" she added warmly, looking around at the former Iwatobi swim team. Sensing a sibling argument on its way, Makoto cut in swiftly with an awkward chuckle.

"Then drinks it is—let's order, you guys." He looked towards the hall, raising his hand. "Excuse me, we'd like to order!"

"—and then Kurata's face was projected onto the whiteboard instead of the lecture notes—and all the while Takamura had no idea why half the class was laughing—"

"Excuse me, sirs—your drinks have arrived!" Nagisa's anecdote was interrupted when the waiter arrived. In his hands was a tray with several glasses of beer.

"Over here!" A red-faced Rin grinned toothily as the second round of drinks was set before him. Next to him, Haru rolled his eyes while looking away pointedly. On Rin's other side, Rei balked as the redhead threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Oi, Rei, drink up! You've barely had half a glass of beer all night!" He laughed loudly, causing Gou to palm her forehead. "What's the matter with you, are you a lightweight?!"

"I—well, I—" Rei fumbled with his glasses, shoving them up his nose. "I prefer to consume alcohol in moderation, thank you very much—"

"C'mon~! Don't be a spoilsport—drink up, Speedo Glasses! It's all on this senpai!" Rin shoved two full glasses of beer towards Rei, nearly pushing his half-full glass off the table.

"Wai—Rin-san, you're going to knock the glass over—and you aren't my senpai!" As Rei protested from across the table, Nagisa turned to Makoto with curious eyes.

"Is Rei-chan a lightweight?" he asked. "I thought he just didn't like alcohol." During all of their previous school-break gatherings, Rei had never consumed over a glass of beer—and each time Nagisa had offered to buy more, he had been turned down. However, Rei had never shown signs of getting drunk either—his cheeks devoid of a telltale flush, his expression composed and posture upright. No drowsiness, dizziness, loud laughter, or uncharacteristic rambling. Which was why Nagisa had assumed Rei just didn't like drinking.

"Mm—well, I've never really seen Rei getting drunk." Makoto shrugged. "I don't think I've ever seen him drink a lot either. But then again, all three of us don't drink that much to begin with," he added with a sheepish laugh, looking in Haru's direction.

"Well, Rin-chan sure takes his fill," Nagisa commented, as the redhead across from him chugged down another glass of beer. "And what a happy drunk he is—I wonder if Australia's hit him hard again?"

"Please—Onii-chan's swimming career is going fine!" Gou declared from beside him. "He's just super happy to see you guys again—it has been three years, you know." She aimed a playful grin at Nagisa, leaning towards him and cupping a hand over her mouth. "I mean, you can barely stand being apart from Rei-kun for a semester—just imagine how lonely Onii-chan must've felt all these years!" Nagisa flushed, shooting Gou a warning look.

"I can too—shut up, Gou-chan!" he hissed in an undertone, causing Gou to giggle. Next to them, Makoto politely turned his attention elsewhere, pretending he hadn't heard anything. Across the table, Rei frowned slightly at the interaction, unable to hear their words over the din of voices in the background.

"—c'mon, Ryuugazaki, drink up!" When Rin pushed a glass of beer towards him for the tenth time, Rei's patience snapped.

"All right, all right—stop offering already, Rin-san!" Roughly grabbing the glass, Rei began emptying it in large gulps. With a loud thud, he set the finished glass on the table, startling the others.

"Rei," Makoto said with concern, as Rei picked up a second glass. "You don't have to drink more if you don't want to—"

"Just ignore Onii-chan, Rei-kun!" Gou added, looking apologetic. "He can be a little pushy when he's drunk but you don't have to listen to him—"

"I'm fine," Rei said curtly, setting the second empty glass down. He brushed the back of his hand across his mouth, before picking up a third glass. "I was becoming thirsty anyways. Please don't mind me."

"Heyyy, you do have it in you after all, Speedo Glasses!" Rin slapped Rei on the back cheerfully. "Cheers to the butterfly bros! We're the heaviest weights out there!" He laughed obnoxiously.

"You're loud, Rin," Haru said from his right, frowning. "Be a little quieter."

"Aw, don't be such a spoilsport, Nanase!" Rin laughed, and Haru rolled his eyes. As Rei silently chugged down his next drink, Nagisa looked at him with puzzlement and worry.

"Rei-chan…?"

"…and then…hic…Coach Johnson said…hic…that I wouldn't make it to the Olympics this way…hic…"

For the last thirty minutes, Rin had been complaining about his training experience in Australia. The redhead's eyes were teary as he sobbed over his tenth drink in a row.

"That fucking…hic…bastard…who does he think I…hic…am…" From across the table, Gou sighed and pulled Rin's drink away from him.

"That's enough, Onii-chan—drink more than that and you'll have to go home." Rin's face crumpled at these words.

"But…but Gou…!" he whined, slumping against his side on the table. "It's only my third glass—"

"You said that for the last seven glasses! God, behave yourself already!" Gou massaged her forehead tiredly. "Just who is calling who a lightweight?"

"He must've had a lot of stress pile up," Makoto said sympathetically, as Rin's head lolled to the side on the table. "It's understandable—what with the high competition around him."

"Poor Rin-chan," Nagisa commented, as Haru simply snorted. The blond then looked towards Rei, who had been completely silent for the last several minutes. He was staring down at the tabletop, with an intense furrow in his brow. He had stopped drinking after his fifth glass of beer, but had remained nearly unmoving as the conversation flowed around him.

"Rei-chan?" Nagisa called tentatively, concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." Rei's voice came back, perfectly stable. "I'm perfectly fine, Nagisa-kun." His eyes didn't look up from the table.

"You haven't spoken much for a while," Makoto remarked, worried as well. "Are you feeling ill? Maybe a fresh breath of air will help—"

"Or maybe he needs a glass of water?" Gou looked around the hall for the waiters. "I think we all could use some—let me call someone over—"

Creak! The loud sound of chair legs scraping against the floor drew everyone's attention. All the sober members of the table stared up at Rei, who was now standing. His head was still hanging down, the expression on his face hidden.

"—Rei-chan?" Nagisa said cautiously. "What's wro—"

"You know what I need?" Rei looked up suddenly, a dead-serious look on his face. With a sharp movement, he pointed his finger across the table at Gou. "For you to switch seats with me, Gou-san." A beat of silence followed, before Gou blinked and spoke.

"Sure thing, Rei-kun. I don't mind." Getting up from her spot on the cushion seat, Gou lifted her bag and stepped towards Rei's seat. A stunned look traveled across Rei's face, as if he hadn't expected this reaction.

"—You're fine with it?" he asked, blinking stupidly. Gou shrugged.

"You must be annoyed by my brother flailing around, aren't you? I'm family, so I can take his drunken antics." She cast a glance at Haru. "If you'd like, I can sit between you and Onii-chan, Haruka-senpai."

"…It's fine," Haru replied, turning his head to the side. Rei looked oddly befuddled at this exchange, before he turned towards Makoto and Nagisa.

"Then—may I ask Makoto-senpai for a favor as well?" Makoto blinked, nodding.

"Sure thing, Rei—what is it?" Rei pointed to the spot next to his original seat.

"Can you move over there?" Another beat of silence traveled between them, before Makoto carefully spoke.

"—You want me to sit at the other side?" He looked across the table at the space available, between Gou's seat and the next table—a fourth chair could fit, but there would be no table space before it. "Do you—want to have a whole side of the table for yourself?" Rei shook his head.

"No—I just want you to move, Makoto-senpai." From the way Rei spoke, it almost sounded like he was making a casual statement about the weather. More puzzled than offended, Makoto nodded.

"Okay then…" He got up from his spot on the cushion seat, edging his way around Nagisa. Grabbing a chair from the empty table next to them, he pulled it next to Gou and sat down. "Is…is this all right?" For the first in a while that night, Rei smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Makoto-senpai!" He then sat in Gou's former spot—only he continued scooting towards Nagisa on the cushion seat.

"?" Thinking Rei wanted more space, Nagisa scooted towards the corner where the seat met a partition in the wall. Just as his thigh brushed against the wall, however, he felt a warm thigh press against his other leg. "…?" Face flushing slightly, the blond looked up at Rei, who leaned his side against Nagisa's as well. He had a blissful look on his face as he plopped his head down on Nagisa's shoulder.

"There!" Nagisa heard Rei say, in a happy voice. "That's better!"

A long silence followed as the three pairs of eyes across from them stared. Next to Rei, Nagisa's face was rapidly turning into a tomato.

?! All alarms started going off in his head at this unprecedented situation. Although Rei had grown more tolerant of physical affection (thanks to a certain someone), he himself was never the one to initiate it—and such a clingy gesture, at that. While Nagisa tried to figure out what was going on, Gou clapped her hands excitedly from across the table.

"Oh my gosh, Rei-kun!" she exclaimed, her lips quivering as she fought back laughter. "You're drunk!" With that, Haru and Makoto exchanged a look, coming to a silent understanding.

"Oh…!" Makoto chuckled good-naturedly. "I had no idea—that was unexpected!" He scratched his cheek sheepishly. "He didn't seem any different from usual, except for just now—" His eyes twinkled as he watched the pair across from him. "I see—he becomes even more honest and upfront when he's drunk!"

"—Eh?" Nagisa blinked, as Rei snuggled his head against Nagisa's shoulder. "Eh…"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhh?!"

"Nagisa-kuuuunnn~~!" Rei wheedled, as he nuzzled his head against Nagisa's arm. "Just try one more math problem—pleease? We're almost at the end~~!" Next to him, a blushing Nagisa squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the sensation of Rei's hair. Gou giggled, observing the two of them with amusement.

"It's almost like the two of you switched personalities!" she remarked, as Rei's arms reached out to hug Nagisa from the side. "I should get this on film, this is gold!"

"Wha—don't just sit there giggling!" Nagisa bleated, eyes snapping open. "Help me—!"

"Oh, but do you really need help, Nagisa-kun?" Gou winked mischievously. "I don't know, it seems like you're handling things just fine!" Before Nagisa could retort, Rei snuggled closer to him, rubbing his cheek against his chest.

"I missed you soooo much, Nagisa-kuuun!" he said, grinning foolishly against Nagisa's jacket. "Let's have a sleepover tonight—just like we used to!" And although Nagisa knew Rei was drunk, that his lopsided smile and drunken words really shouldn't have made him blush harder, they did. The blond's heart hammered in his chest as he shrunk into himself, wishing he was someplace else, or at least in some other state that wasn't as embarrassing as this. Across from him, Makoto chuckled affectionately.

"He really did miss you a lot, Nagisa," he said, causing the blond to look up. "He always does—even during his busy days, when he barely has time for lunch with us before class." His green eyes softened into a motherly look. "I'm not sure how much he's told you about it, but I'm glad he's expressing himself now. Even if the situation is like this."

"…Really?" Nagisa looked down at Rei, who was attempting to tuck himself even closer against his side. His own face softened, and he smiled a little sadly. "I missed Rei-chan a lot, too."

"Nagisa-kun…" Gou began, with a concerned frown.

"Then you should just tell the poor guy already," Rin drawled, interrupting his sister. All eyes turned towards the redhead, who had finally lifted his face from the table. "It's better than moping after him for over a year, then not doing jack shit when he's actually in front of you, y'know?"

"Onii-chan!" Gou scolded, jabbing Rin in the ribs with her elbow. The action did nothing to quiet Rin, however.

"Just look at how he's latching onto you like a baby—if you hit that now, maybe you'll actually get somewhere for once—God knows you'll never get anywhere when you're both sober—"

"Rin-chan." Nagisa's voice cut in, uncharacteristically quiet. "Shut up." His tone made Rin's mouth drop open. An uncomfortable silence fell over the members at the table. The tension was only broken when a wheedling voice spoke up.

"Nagisa-kuuun, you shouldn't eat so much junk food all the time~!" Rei was pouting as he slung an arm over Nagisa's shoulders. "Just because I'm not here anymore…hic! Doesn't mean you should go on a…hic! Sweets rampage…hic!" As everyone's shoulders relaxed slightly, Rei went on. "A balanced diet is the key to…hic! Leading a long and healthy life…hic!" The tension in Nagisa's face receded, and he let out a quiet sigh.

"I think I should take Rei-chan home, guys." He patted Rei's shoulder as he stood up, pulling the taller man up with him. "He's obviously not in any state to chat."

"Eh—you're leaving already, Nagisa?" Makoto stood up with concern. "Are you sure you don't need help with—"

"Makoto." From his seat, Haru gave him a telepathic look. After a while, Makoto smiled a little and nodded.

"All right then—we'll meet up again before break ends," he said.

"Of course!" Nagisa promised, with a wider smile. "Once is hardly enough!" Next to Makoto, Gou stood up as well.

"Nagisa-kun—" Her eyes were apologetic. "I'm sorry about Onii-chan—" Next to her, Rin hmphed and turned his face away, his cheeks still red from the beer.

"Aw, don't apologize, Gou-chan," Nagisa replied understandingly. "Rin-chan, too—I'm sorry for telling you to shut up." He smiled apologetically at the redhead. "I guess I'm feeling a little tired from part-timing today."

"It's because!" Rei cut in dramatically, waving his finger around. "You don't sleep early enough, Nagisa-kun!" He swerved forward, causing Nagisa to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him back. "Going to bed early in the morning—hic!—isn't good for your attention span—hic!—either!" Hearing his nagging voice, Nagisa's smile softened.

"All right, all right." He pulled Rei's arm over his shoulders once more, and placed his own free hand on Rei's side. "Let's get you home, Rei-chan. You can lecture me on the train all you want."

"Huh! I do not lecture anyone! Excuse you!"

"Yeah, yeah—I bet our swim club kouhais would beg to differ."

"Oh really? Would you like me to dial some of them up right now? Hic!"

"Hehe—let's save that for next time, Rei-chan—you don't want to disturb their sleep cycles now, do you?"

"Gasp—you're right! How thoughtful of you, Nagisa-kun!" After the two left the diner, Gou and Makoto exchanged looks.

"Nagisa-kun—I wonder if he'll be all right?" Gou said worriedly, looking down at the table.

"If it's those two, it should be fine," Makoto said reassuringly. "Even though they might still be stumbling, I'm sure they'll meet in the middle someday."

"…It would be great if that's the case…" Gou murmured. "You've seen how they were at our last gathering—and the one before—" She frowned slightly. "Especially Nagisa-kun—somehow—"

"He always seems to be holding back."

"Nagisha-kun! Nagisha-kuun!" Rei tugged on Nagisa's arm persistently. "Let's stop by somewhere…hic!"

"Rei-chan, the last train comes in thirty minutes," Nagisa replied. "And it's getting kinda cold—" He shivered slightly, shrinking into the folds of his light jacket. The diner they'd just left was near the beach—he had underestimated the sea breeze, although it was a summer night. "I think I can use a nice hot shower back home—" His words stopped when something warm was draped around his shoulders. Suddenly, Nagisa found himself enveloped in a familiar scent—one of clean detergent dashed with the slightest smell of beer—

"There you go—now you won't be so cold anymore," Rei said, smiling down at him. "Is it warm, Nagisa-kun?"

"—Huh?" Looking down, Nagisa saw the arms of a navy jacket hanging at his sides. Realizing it was Rei's, the blond flushed immediately. His ears went pink as he stammered out a response. "U-uh—that's—you didn't have to give up your own jacket—" Seemingly puzzled, Rei stepped closer to Nagisa and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Is it warm enough now?" he asked, peering down at Nagisa from a close angle. His voice tickled Nagisa's ear—quickly, the blond whipped his head in the opposite direction.

"Yes!" he squeaked, cheeks hot. "More than enough!" He heard Rei laugh.

"That's good—then let's stop by the beach, Nagisa-kun!"

"—Huh?" Blinking, Nagisa turned around. "The beach?"

"It's the beach, Nagisa-kun!" Rei shouted as he ran forward. "The beach!" Behind him lagged an exasperated Nagisa, who was quickly running out of breath.

"—Rei-chan—stop running so quickly! You're going to trip on something if you're not careful!" Gou was right—it was almost as if the two of them had switched personalities, instead of just Rei getting drunk.

Lucky Rei-chan, Nagisa thought, pausing to catch his breath. Even when his drunk, he runs so fast—guess he wasn't on the track team for nothing… He suddenly remembered how beautiful Rei had looked when he first saw him pole vaulting. How gracefully the boy's back had arced as he soared over the pole—almost as if he was flying.

It's already been over four years since then, huh… A wave of nostalgia washed over Nagisa, as well as something like homesickness.

"Nagisa-kun!" The blond looked up as Rei ran back towards him. He stopped before Nagisa and held out a smooth white shell. "You can hear the ocean in this!" he explained, smiling as he dropped the shell into Nagisa's palm. "And it's beautiful—you can have it. And the beach too—I'll give it all to you!" He laughed childishly behind lopsided glasses, and Nagisa stared. His fingers closed around the shell in his palm. Flushing, he turned away to avoid Rei's eyes.

"…You've been to the beach tons of times, Rei-chan. Even in Tokyo there are beaches—how come you're so excited now?" For a while, Rei fell silent—from the slight furrow in his brow, it seemed like he was thinking hard. Then, his face brightened.

"Because this is the beach at home!" he declared, smiling earnestly. "I love being back here—much more than any beach in Tokyo or anywhere else. This is Iwatobi!" He threw his arms up triumphantly. "My country, my home~! It's beautiful~!" The corners of Nagisa's mouth twitched up as he stifled his laughter.

"I see—you must've been really busy in Tokyo, so you couldn't have gone to the beach anyways, huh?" he said, grinning. "You really must've missed it if you asked to stop by here at this time." Although you are pretty drunk, he added in his head. Rei stared at him for a moment before smiling softly.

"I missed a lot of things here." He held Nagisa's gaze for a long while, and eventually Nagisa had look away, feeling self-conscious. He's drunk, he reminded himself, He's probably just staring at some random spot near my face—calm down, self, calm down— "Including you, Nagisa-kun." And with that, Nagisa's heart leapt into his throat.

"—Ha, ahahaha, ahahaha!" he laughed forcefully, trying to calm down. "O-of course you did, Rei-chan! With my charm and likeable personality, of course you'd feel my absence!" He struck an exaggerated pose, hoping to throw off his nervousness.

"Of course." The way Rei agreed with that soft smile of his didn't help Nagisa's heart at all. Laughing awkwardly, the blond hurriedly pointed towards the sky.

"Ahh, Rei-chan, look! It's the Penguin Constellation!" he yelled, his voice loud. Rei blinked as he turned his eyes towards the sky.

"Nagisa-kun, there's no such thing as the Penguin Constellation—please get your astrology facts straight!" he lectured, adjusting his glasses in his nerdy way. For a moment, it almost seemed as if he had returned to his sober state—but then, Rei continued. "That is obviously the Butterfly Constellation! Look at the splendid shape of the wings!" Nagisa blinked.

"—Rei-chan, there's no such thing as a Butterfly Constellation either—I mean, there's something called the Butterfly Cluster, but—"

"Look, Nagisa-kun! The Leonids are falling!" Rei pointed to a random spot in the sky, running forward eagerly. "We have to catch them! Hurry!" The way his arms swung at enthusiastic ninety-degree angles made Nagisa burst into laughter.

"The Leonids are in the fall!" he called after Rei, eyes crinkling with nostalgia. "Oh my god, Rei-chan, you really are drunk!" While he stood giggling on the spot, Rei stopped in his tracks and turned, staring for a while. Then, a smile spread across his face, and the brunet jogged back, stopping before Nagisa.

"Nagisa-kun." Nagisa looked up at the hand held out towards him. "Let's dance, shall we?" The blond blinked up at Rei.

"Here, on the beach?" he asked. "Do you even know how to dance, Rei-chan?"

"I've come across the theory for ballroom dancing before—I am certain that I can execute the art perfectly!" Rei said, puffing his chest out with confidence.

"Rei-chan, that's a flag for failure!" Nagisa teased, giggling. And besides, I don't know how to dance—I might mess up your beautiful routine!"

"That's not possible." The blond's eyes widened as he looked up. Rei was smiling down at him fondly. There was a gently coaxing look on his face, even softer under the moonlight. "It'll be fun, Nagisa-kun—come on." Without waiting for an answer, the brunet grabbed Nagisa's hands in his and tugged him forward.

"Ah—!" Nagisa gasped slightly, stumbling forward. With a plop, his face collided against Rei's chest, cheek pressing into the warm material of his shirt. Face turning red, he quickly straightened up. "S-sorry about that, Rei-chan!" he stammered. "I lost my balance—"

"It's fine." Rei reached down and ruffled Nagisa's hair gently. Nagisa froze, feeling his long fingers carding through his locks. Although it made him self-conscious at first, the nervousness soon faded and was replaced with a pleasant, warm sensation in his chest. He'd just decided to indulge himself in the feeling, closing his eyes and leaning into Rei's touch, when the man's hand pulled away. He felt an initial rush of disappointment, before the brunet's hand took his once more.

"Let's go."

"...Okay."

Rei's hand was larger than his own, palm just as calloused and warm as he remembered. As they began moving across the beach, Nagisa wondered if he was imagining it, or if Rei seemed to be acting kinder than usual. Cheeks pink, the blond tried to keep in time with Rei's steps, his eyes fixated on his own feet.

Their 'dance' turned out to be hardly graceful at all—for all of Rei's confidence in his dance skills, his moves were clumsy and a little jerky. They nearly tripped over each other's feet several times, their steps tangling together or pulling apart. However, that seemed to do just the trick—the further they danced, the more Nagisa relaxed, and a genuine smile began to light up his face. Soon, both of them were laughing, hands twined together as they teetered towards the waves lapping onto the shore.

"—Ack! It's cold!" Nagisa yelped, an incoming wave drenching his shoes. He jumped back from the water, causing Rei to stagger backwards as well. They both lost their balance, falling onto the sand with a thump. Sitting up, they both exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha—Rei-chan, you're such a bad dancer! I mean, who leads their partner into an ocean that's right in front of them?" Maybe it was because he was drunk, but Rei didn't seem offended in the least

"Maybe I was planning it, Nagisa-kun!" he replied teasingly. "And you were the one stumbling over my feet the whole time!"

"Hey—to be fair, we were both stumbling!" Nagisa retorted. "And I'm still wearing your jacket—it probably got dirty from the sand when I tripped. It's your loss!" As the blond continued laughing, Rei's eyes softened.

"You're really laughing now—I'm glad." Hearing these words, Nagisa stopped laughing and looked up. "At the diner just now—even during our phone calls—you seemed a little down. I was wondering when I would see you smile like before." When Rei's hand reached over and cupped his cheek, Nagisa's eyes widened. "Your happy face—it suits you more than anything else in the world. I really missed seeing it." He ran a thumb over Nagisa's cheek, caressing it gently.

"I—" Words stuck in Nagisa's throat as he felt his face warming. "I don't—" He swallowed. "I was fine…I am fine…" His voice trailed off unconvincingly, as he gripped the knees of his pants. Concerned, Rei released Nagisa's cheek and sat up straight.

"Gou-san said…that you didn't seem like yourself lately." He cleared his throat. "Even before that—whenever we had our gatherings in Iwatobi during school break—I thought at first that college life had changed you a little, and that was why something felt off—but the more I thought about it, it didn't seem like that was all there was to it." Eyes earnest, Rei met Nagisa's gaze head on. "I'm going back to Tokyo soon—but before I do, I want to know, Nagisa-kun. And it might not be much help, but if there's anything I can do, I will. I don't want to leave you like this."

"…Rei-chan…" Nagisa's heart clenched at Rei's words. "It's—it's not something you or anyone can help with—" Even this was more than he had intended to say. "Just—I'm sorry—" He began inching himself away from Rei on the sand, when a hand slipped over his own, stopping him.

"Please." Rei's voice was soft but earnest. "At the least—" He inhaled slightly. "If it's something you can't tell me about—please tell someone else. Gou-san, or Makoto-senpai or Haruka-senpai—even Rin-san—they'll all listen to you until the end, no matter what it is about. Just…please don't keep it to yourself." He squeezed Nagisa's hand gently. "We all care about you, no matter what—no .matter how far away most of us are. Please don't forget that—"

"I miss everyone." Before he knew it, Nagisa had blurted out these words. Rei's eyes widened a fraction—they were at attention, however, when the blond continued.

"That's—that's really all there is to it." With a weak laugh, Nagisa drew his arms around his knees. "It wasn't so bad last year, because I was a freshman and college was new and exciting and all that—but now, it's different." Hearing this, Rei frowned with concern as he leaned forward.

"What do you mean, Nagisa-kun? Is something not going well at your college?" Nagisa shook his head.

"No, it's not that—my classes are great, and my friends are all really nice. It's just that—it's not the same. As being with you guys." His voice grew smaller, as he shrank into himself more.

"Nagisa-kun…"

"Sometimes—sometimes it all feels a little exhausting," Nagisa said quietly. "I didn't realize it so much in my freshman year, because I was busy having fun—but everyone and everything around me always seems to be changing. And I—I don't know if I'm really ready to change with them. Everyone seems to be moving on to better things—and—and sometimes, I feel like I'll be left behind for something better—someone better." His hands fisted into the sleeves of Rei's jacket.

"Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan—even you, Rei-chan—it always seems like you're thriving off change, whether in Australia or Tokyo—and I know that if I want to catch up to you, get somewhere, I have to move forward too—but in the end, I'm too scared. I feel like—like if I don't stay the same at least, then there's really going to be nothing holding us together anymore—we'll all keep changing, and we'll split ways and keep going further and further away—" Nagisa sucked in his breath.

"If I stop clinging to the past, then everyone will really scatter away. But even if I don't—I feel like I'll still be left behind. And that scares me." He remembered saying good bye to Rin at the airport—to Makoto and Haru at the train station—seeing Rei's train zip away from the same platform a year later. He remembered their graduation ceremony, the words that didn't escape from his throat, the object that stayed buried in his pocket and later in his dresser.

"One day, maybe—we'll stop having these gatherings altogether. And one day—maybe you'll all forget me. When I start thinking things like that—it's hard to be one-hundred-percent happy in front of you guys. Even though I tried so hard to hide it—" Nagisa buried his face in his knees. "That's why I didn't want to tell any of you. It's not something that can be helped—and I didn't want to sound selfish or childish—we don't even get to gather like this often, I didn't want to ruin the mood—"

"Why didn't you say anything to us earlier?" Rei's raised voice startled Nagisa into silence. His eyes rounded as Rei went on heatedly. "Things like sounding childish and breaking the mood—none of that matters to us! It would be worse for all of us, if we all pretended that you were feeling perfectly fine when you aren't—none of us would want that, and you know it!" Flinching, Nagisa drew back, eyes screwing up with protest.

"That's—that's not fair, Rei-chan—I just—I didn't want to burden you guys!" he burst out, voice shaking. "All of you are doing fine on your own, so I thought—I thought that I should just deal with this on my own, that's all!" Tears started welling up in his eyes. "We're not in high school anymore—you guys aren't here anymore! What did you expect me to do, call each of you up at four in the morning and bawl my eyes out?!"

"Why not?!" Rei's shout echoed through the beach, over the sound of waves lapping onto the shore. "Why not?" Rei repeated, his voice quieter but still firm. "It doesn't matter if it's four am or whatever am—every single one of us would have picked up, if the call was from you. I would have picked up no matter what I was doing then. I would. We would."

"Rei-chan…"

"Didn't I say it already? We all care about you, Nagisa-kun." Rei's voice was quiet but earnest. "All of us noticed something was off with you—and you didn't have to tell us a single thing for us to know. Don't you understand?" He exhaled slightly. "If you're going to make us worry anyways, just tell us what's bothering you, Nagisa-kun—we would be a lot less worried that way. We want to be told, we want to be burdened—it's because it's you, Nagisa-kun." He reached over and grabbed Nagisa's hand, holding it in his own.

"How will any of us forget you, with the person you are—how can any of us leave you behind?" He squeezed Nagisa's hand. "There's a difference between leaving someone behind and parting reluctantly from someone—and you're the latter, Nagisa-kun. You always will be, to me—to everyone else. Even if—even if, by some chance, everyone else does forget you—even if you forget me—I could never forget you. No matter where I go, no matter how much I change, there's no way I will ever forget about you."

"…Rei-chan…" Unaware of the way Nagisa's heart fluttered, Rei continued.

"And we may appear to be changing, but we're not changing as much as you think, Nagisa-kun." Rei smiled. "Haruka-senpai still loves water and mackerel—Makoto-senpai is still a saint to everyone around him—even Rin-san, he still pretends to be aloof and cocky, but I know he'll still be a softie at the end of the day. Just like Gou-san still loves muscles and still sounds like our manager. And me…" His smile softened as he stared at Nagisa. "What do you think, Nagisa-kun? Did I really change that much?"

"…Rei-chan…Rei-chan is…" Nagisa dabbed at his eyes. "Rei-chan is still…a nerd…sniff…"

"Hey!"

"Though I think…sniff…Rei-chan got kinder…sniff…" Rei's eyes widened as Nagisa lifted his arm away from his face. "But I think…sniff…if it's a change like that…sniff…I can live with that…!"

"Nagisa-kun…"

"I like you." Before he knew it, his words came out in a rush. "Rei-chan, I like you so much…!" As Rei sat with his mouth open, Nagisa continued, saying what he had wanted to say since before their high school graduation, since he found out Rei was aiming for a college in Tokyo. "I'll miss you, Rei-chan—your nagging, your scientific mumbling, your dorky laugh—our train rides home after practice—everything! I've already missed you so much!" Tears started streaming down his face once more.

"Don't go back to Tokyo…hic! Don't leave me here without you…! If you're going to leave me, stop being so kind to me…! Stop making it so hard to send you away, every time…!" He reached out and clung to the hem of Rei's shirt, almost like a child. "Don't go, Rei-chan…! Rei-chan…!"

"Nagisa-kun…" A hand landed on his shoulder, shaking it gently. "Nagisa-kun…look at me…!" Nagisa looked up from his knees, his eyes tearful. Through the slight haze of his tears, he saw Rei smiling wide, his violet eyes starlit and soft, his cheeks tinted a mesmerizing pink even in the dark. He looked beautiful—he looked the happiest that Nagisa had ever seen him in months, maybe even years.

The breath caught in Nagisa's throat as Rei leaned towards him slowly. When their faces were only inches apart, Nagisa's heart started to hammer wildly in his chest. Not knowing what to expect—was he right to hope for what he was expecting?—his eyes squeezed shut, his cheeks stained a brilliant red. He held his breath as he felt the warmth radiating from Rei's face—

Thump! But soon, that warmth was somewhere else. Nagisa blinked, feeling a weight on his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and saw Rei's face buried in the crook of his neck—the frames of the brunet's glasses were pressing into his collarbone. Nagisa blinked again, his brain taking a moment to process the situation. When a soft snore came from the vicinity of his shoulder, his heart sank to his stomach, his face coloring even redder.

After several minutes of being drunk, Rei had finally passed out. And Nagisa was quite sure that he might pass out from embarrassment as well, anytime soon.

In his head, he began to curse Rin with all his might.

"Mmf—"

Nagisa grunted as he carried Rei across the street. The last train had departed before they could return to the station—since his house was closer on foot, the blond was taking him there for the night. He had called Rei's parents to let them know—thankfully they hadn't seemed to mind, thanking Nagisa and apologizing for their son.

He'd been walking for around thirty minutes now, with a sleeping Rei in tow. When he saw his house, the blond felt like collapsing in relief. He set Rei down on his porch and fished out the house key in his pocket. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open and draped Rei him across his back.

"Damn it, Rei-chan—you're so—mmf—heavy!" He dragged Rei into the genkan, tugging the door shut behind him and turning the lock. Thankfully, none of Nagisa's family members were home for the night—if any of them had seen proper, 'nice-boy' Rei drunk, Nagisa was sure they would've accused him of making Rei drink. Kicking off his shoes, Nagisa knelt down and undid Rei's shoelaces as well.

"You're lucky I like you, Rei-chan," he complained in a disgruntled voice, tugging Rei's Nike sneakers off his feet. "I carried you here for half an hour, you know? And you weigh more than I do, that's for sure—"

"Naisha-kuhn—" When Rei's sleepy voice spoke, Nagisa's hands paused. "—Yer habby agehn—ahm glah—" Warmth rose to Nagisa's cheeks. He sighed and pinched Rei's cheek gently.

"…It's because I got to see you again, dummy." His voice was soft. "You don't know how much it hurts, not being able to see you." When only a soft snore came in response, Nagisa sighed again and pulled himself up.

"Let's get you to bed, Rei-chan." He hoisted Rei's arms over his shoulders once more, dragging him through the hall and towards the stairs. With some difficulty, he brought Rei to the second floor and carried him to his bedroom. Once he'd placed Rei on his bed and drawn the covers over him, Nagisa stood up. Trying to remember where his mother kept the futons, the blond was about to head out of his room when Rei's voice called his name.

"Nagisa-kun…" The blond paused. "I really…did miss you a lot…" Rei was mumbling in his sleep. "Don't…go…" A lump stuck in Nagisa's throat, and he swallowed to try and push it down.

"—I'm just getting out a futon, Rei-chan. I'll be right back." I'm the one who doesn't want you to go. His hand was on the doorknob when Rei spoke again.

"Come here…Nagisa-kun…" The blond turned to see Rei stretching his arms out towards him, smiling in his sleep. "It'll be warmer this way…come on…" For a long moment, Nagisa stared at him, his eyes wavering.

It'll only be one night, he found himself thinking, pushing away any traces of guilt that threatened to rise. And it's not like we haven't napped together before—it's fine. Swallowing, he released the doorknob and treaded towards the bed.

"…Like this?" Hesitantly, he slipped into his bed, lying close to the edge with his back stiff. He was startled when Rei pulled him closer, towards his chest—his arms wrapping around Nagisa's waist.

"There," Rei said, his words a happy echo of himself back at the diner. "That's better." And although Nagisa knew it was probably just sleep talk, that Rei was still drunk, he couldn't help but feel happy. His heart thudded stupidly against his ribcage as his eyes squeezed shut. Slowly, his hand reached up and gripped Rei's shirt. He dared to lean into Rei's touch, to press his cheek against his chest. He could feel it rise and fall as Rei breathed in and out, slowly falling into slumber.

Now he smelled of the sea, more than anything else. Carefully, Nagisa reached up and plucked the glasses off Rei's face. He reached over to his nightstand and placed them there, falling back into Rei's arms afterwards. He stared up at Rei's sleeping face for a while, before he closed his eyes again.

"Good night, Rei-chan." It really is warmer. He snuggled closer to Rei, the grip on his shirt tightening.

The last thing he wished for before falling asleep was that Rei would still be next to him in the morning.

Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep!

"…?" The sound of an alarm made Nagisa's eyes flutter open. Groggily, his hand reached out towards the nightstand and tapped the buzzer on his clock. When the sound still didn't stop, Nagisa rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, not sure where it was coming from. It was strange, now that he thought about it—he had never bothered to set an alarm during the break. Everything seemed to be the same as yesterday—his closet with the door open, the five pairs of pants that were thrown across his chair, pale-faced Rei with a panicked look in his eyes, his hair standing up at odd angles—

Nagisa's eyes shot wide open, and he lurched up in his bed.

"—Rei-chan—" he breathed, his hands clutching the edge of his sheets. His voice snapped Rei out of his frozen state.

"I—I'm sorry, Nagisa-kun!" Rei hastily pressed a button in his watch, and the beeping sound stopped. "I—my alarm—I set it to six am every morning so I can go jogging—I didn't mean to wake you up, I—"

"—Oh—" As Nagisa's eyes came into focus, everything began returning to him—the gathering with their old swim club and Rin, Rei getting drunk, the two of them stopping by the beach, himself carrying Rei to his house—

And everything in-between. Nagisa's face slowly began to turn pink, all the way to his ears. With an embarrassed squeak, he ducked his head under his blanket, curling his shoulders inwards. Little did he know that his actions would send Rei into panic.

"Oh God—oh God, I must've done something, didn't I—I'm so sorry, Nagisa-kun!" Blinking at the apology, Nagisa peeked out from under his blanket, eyes rounded. "I can't—I honestly can't remember what happened after—after what we did on the beach, and—" Rei was fumbling with his words, his own face a brilliant red. "And when I woke up this morning, I was in your room, in your bed with you—I don't even know how I got to your house, but I must've intruded on my own and I—" He bowed towards a slightly bewildered Nagisa. "I must have acted in a way that made you uncomfortable—I'm so sorry, Nagisa-kun!"

"Rei-chan—" Nagisa sat up, letting the blanket fall around his waist. "It's fine—I was the one who brought you here. I mean—you sort of passed out on the beach yesterday, and when I looked at the time, the last train already left the station—so I—I carried you to my house because it's closer." His cheeks flushed pink. "You didn't do anything but sleep. Everything's fine, Rei-chan."

"—I—oh—I thought—" After a beat of silence, Rei cleared his throat, still looking embarrassed. "All—all the same—I must have troubled you a lot yesterday! Making you carry me all the way here—and your family!" he gasped, horrified. "To think that I intruded on them in such a state—"

"It's fine, Rei-chan," Nagisa reassured him. "None of them were home yesterday—my parents went on a camping trip and my sisters are out of town. They're not coming back til tonight."

"Oh—oh—" Nagisa could see Rei's shoulders relax. "They won't be back til night—that's good—that's very good—oh!" He flushed. "I mean, it's good that I didn't trouble them—yes, that's good—that's perfectly—"

"Rei-chan," Nagisa interrupted gently. "You're rambling."

"Sorry!" Rei yelped, before shutting his mouth. A long silence stretched out between them, during which Nagisa fumbled with the edge of his blanket, keeping his eyes down. Then, Rei spoke.

"—I'm sorry." He looked up to see Rei looking lost and unsure—and definitely uncomfortable. A conflicted look was in his eyes as they darted everywhere but towards Nagisa. "I know I still ended up troubling you—and with what happened at the diner and the beach—" Nagisa noticed his ears color pink. "E-especially what happened at the beach—I—" Rei seemed like he was struggling to find his words. He seemed so troubled for some reason, even for someone remembering embarrassing drunk memories—even if he had acted more affectionate than usual. And then, something clicked in Nagisa's head.

'I like you. Rei-chan, I like you so much…!'

Oh. Nagisa's stomach flipped in his chest. Oh. It sank back down heavily. Rei had said that he remembered everything before he passed out—that meant—

Crap. As Rei continued to stutter, eyes flitting around the room, Nagisa's face paled. He remembers. He knows—and he doesn't know how to respond. It's troubling him. His hands shook around the edge of his blanket—suddenly, he felt like crying. As his head spun, he heard some of the words Rei was choking out.

"—I should leave now. I've—I've definitely made you feel uncomfortable—it must've troubled you when I stayed over, after everything I've done. I'm—I'm really sorry, Nagisa-kun—"

'I really…did miss you a lot…Don't…go…'

The world seemed to spiral to a stop as Rei headed towards the door.

Don't go. Nagisa's hands clenched around his bedsheets, hard.

"Rei-chan!" Rei's hand stopped on the doorknob. Eyes wide, the brunet turned around. He froze when he saw the tears filling Nagisa's eyes.

"—Nagisa-kun?" His voice was hoarse, worried. "Why are you—"

"Don't go." Rei's eyes widened. "I'm—I'm the one who should be sorry." Nagisa tried to morph his face into an apologetic smile—the corners of his lips shook at his attempt. "I'm the one who made you feel uncomfortable—all because you were drunk, and I thought you wouldn't remember—I—" As his shoulders shook, Rei shot him a bewildered look.

"What are you talking about, Nagisa-kun?" He took a step forward, his hand pointing to his own chest in earnest. "I'm the one who should be sorry! I—I was the one encroaching on your personal space at the diner—I was even rude to Gou-san and Makoto-senpai—and as if it wasn't bad enough that you had to try and take me home, I was the one who dragged you out to the beach and—and—" Rei hesitated, face turning scarlet. "And I—when I heard you say—that you like me—" Nagisa's heart gave a flip. "—I was so happy—that I went and misinterpreted it on my own—" Rei's hands gripped the fabric of his pants hard. "And—and after that, I tried to do something unforgiveable—I'm so sorry, Nagisa-kun—" As his shoulders sagged, Nagisa blinked, not quite following his words.

"Wait…what do you mean, 'misinterpret'?" he asked, sitting up. "I don't understand—" At these words, Rei's face flushed harder, and he threw up his hands in slight frustration.

"You know what I mean! I—being in my drunken state, I—I was quick to assume—" He squirmed uncomfortably. "—that you meant those words in a…romantic way…" He lowered his hands helplessly. "And I—I was so elated…that I…" The brunet visibly deflated as he worked out the next words. "—that I tried to kiss you."

A long silence followed these hoarsely whispered words. Something in Nagisa's throat seemed to unwind, as the temperature in the room suddenly went up ten degrees. Not entirely sure whether he was awake or dreaming, Nagisa's mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times. Finally, he cracked his lips open, his own voice hoarse.

"You—you tried to kiss me?" He remembered how Rei was leaning into his face, before falling asleep at the beach. After what had happened, he had assumed that Rei was just passing out. "But…why?" Before him, a red-faced Rei wrung his hands, before his eyes dropped to the floor.

"—Isn't it obvious?" he replied, voice slightly hushed. "It's because…" He swallowed, forcing himself to meet Nagisa's eyes.

"It's because I'm in love with you, Nagisa-kun."

At that moment, the world seemed to swirl to a stop. Nagisa's eyes fluttered wide open, his fingers loosening and his hands sliding off his blanket. Rei's voice rang strong in the air between them, the brunet staring at him with earnest eyes and scarlet cheeks. Nagisa's mouth fell open, as Rei continued his words.

"This—this isn't how I planned to tell you—" he faltered, the flush traveling down to his neck. "I was going to graduate college with flying colors—come back to Iwatobi—and—and if you still didn't have anyone special, I—I was going to take a chance then…" His voice trailed off lamely, and he swallowed. "But I had to go and mess everything up—and to think that I was so desperate that I twisted your friendly words into something else—" He let his head fall. "And now, I must have troubled you with my feelings. I…I don't know what to say, Nagisa-kun. I'm—"

'I'm in love with you, Nagisa-kun.'

At once, a powerful surge of elation hit Nagisa.

"You're wrong." The words slipped out before Nagisa knew it—Rei's words had given him courage without him realizing. "You didn't mess anything up, Rei-chan. You're not troubling me at all." Finally, for the first in a long time, the corners of his lips began quivering up naturally. "You worried about me even when you were drunk—you brought me to the beach and danced with me just to cheer me up. I haven't laughed like that in a long time—it was all thanks to you, Rei-chan."

"Nagisa-kun…" As Rei's eyes rounded, Nagisa went on.

"You asked me what was wrong with me and wouldn't let it go. You listened to me when I was feeling insecure and lonely, and you even comforted me—last night, you told me what I needed to hear the most." The blond's eyes shone with tears as he looked up at Rei. "Even when you were drunk, you were looking after me the whole time—it made me really, really happy." A tear started to fall down his cheeks, and then another. "Don't apologize for doing something like that."

"Nagisa-kun…" Rei's breath caught in his throat, as he stepped forward. "Nagisa-kun, why are you crying? Nagi—"

"I love you." Rei stopped short in his tracks, stunned. Nagisa laughed a little through his tears. "Ever since high school, I've been in love with you. I love you, Rei-chan." With each word, the heaviness in his heart seemed to seep away, as if it was being freed at last. "You weren't misunderstanding anything—you weren't misinterpreting anything. Even if I was too scared to use the right word—even if you were drunk then and I wasn't brave enough to say it when you were sober. It was because you made me so happy that I was able to say that much in the first place."

"Nagisa-kun—" Rei whispered, looking a little faint. "But I thought—I always—you never—"

"That's because you didn't look hard enough." Nagisa said, voice cracking. "I've liked you almost from the start. I was always scared that you would find out—that you'd reject me when you found out. But you never did, Rei-chan." He dabbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I've spent years wishing that you'd love me back. And now that it's actually happened, I still can't believe it. I mean, look at me now—I'm a mess!" He laughed again, his voice shaky. "It's all your fault, Rei-chan! Why did you have to wait so long?" He knew Rei wasn't the only person he was speaking to. "Just when I thought that I should give up on you now—why, Rei-chan? Why do you always come back at this timing? Why—!" The blond's words were cut off as strong arms crushed him in a tight hug.

"I'm—I'm sorry!" Rei burst out, squeezing Nagisa against him. "It's just—you're the first person in my life that means something like this to me—for a long time, I couldn't even accept that I was in love with you. Love was illogical and unpredictable—and you were beautiful—you still are beautiful, and I—I wasn't sure that you would ever feel the same. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you—I couldn't—" In his arms, Nagisa's eyes screwed up with emotion. His hand gripped Rei's shirt tightly as he opened his mouth.

"Then why did you try to kiss me at all? Why did you confess now—why after all these years?" he demanded, more tears leaking from his eyes. "What the hell do you mean, that you were going to wait until you graduated from college?! What if I'd found someone else before then—what if you'd found someone else before then?!"

"That wouldn't have happened!" Rei said hotly, pulling away from Nagisa suddenly. "I mean—maybe you would have found someone else—but before that, I wouldn't have moved on. I couldn't have!" His violet eyes bored into Nagisa's earnestly. "You were the one who changed my world, Nagisa-kun—as if I could move on from you so easily! That's just not possible!" A long silence fell across them—as Nagisa stared at Rei, he could feel the heat radiating from the brunet's face.

"—W-well?" Rei croaked out at last. "Say something, Nagisa-kun—!"

"…I really changed your world?" Nagisa asked, feeling a little light-headed. Rei sputtered in response, coloring an even darker shade of red.

"Y-you were the one to drag me into the swim club!" he stuttered, reaching up to readjust his glasses. "I planned to go without swimming for the rest of my life—but you came and practically wrapped me around your finger—and after that, everything changed!" His ears turned red as he continued. "Everything changed—I met Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai, Rin-san, Gou-san—I realized what it was like to be a part of a team, to interact and work with people who I can genuinely call friends—and you. You changed my world completely, even without realizing it—made it fuller and more vibrant than anyone else ever did—" His voice grew emotional.

"And I—I always wanted to return the favor someday—to grow into an adult who could open up your world…! That's why—that's why I was going to graduate first and come back for y—" His voice was cut off when a warm pair of lips overlapped his. Fluffy strands of blond hair tickled his forehead, and warm palms rested on his chest as the lips pressed forward. Rei froze, eyes flying wide open as Nagisa kissed him, the blond's long lashes brushing against his cheekbones. For the initial few seconds, Rei's hands flailed uncertainly, as sweat started to run down his back. They eventually settled hesitantly on Nagisa's waist, pulling the blond closer towards him. After some time, Nagisa pulled away with a soft plop, eyes lidded and dazed with happiness.

"But Rei-chan," he said, with a sincere smile and pink cheeks. "You already did." And looking at the awkward brunet with red glasses, who had proved more selfless than anyone else, who had given him courage to express his true feelings, who had given him a best friend and looked after him all this time, Nagisa knew he meant it. Just as much as he had meant it, when he approached Rei after their graduation ceremony, when the object in his pocket had seemed heavier than anything else in the world.

"N-n-Nagisa-kun—!" Rei stammered, his face bursting into flames. To ward off the sudden shyness that overcame him, Nagisa pulled away and teasingly made a face.

"You taste like beer breath, Rei-chan." Immediately, Rei turned a darker shade of red and dropped his face in the crook of Nagisa's neck.

"Th-that isn't my fault!" he protested. "For one thing, I haven't brushed my teeth yet and—and you were the one who kissed me first!"

"But you were going to do the same thing last night—before you passed out on the beach," Nagisa pointed out slyly.

"I—that was—I was drunk then!" Rei replied, as if to defend himself—then grew redder. "My judgment was clouded—if I'd been fully alert, I wouldn't have—"

"Eeh? Why not?" Nagisa interrupted, making his best hurt puppy eyes at Rei-chan. "You said you were in love with me!" Saying these words brought a thrill to his heart, even though his tone was joking.

"Th-that's not the—you were just saying my breath stinks!" Rei barked with embarrassment. "After drinking that much, who in their right mind would—"

"Hey, Rei-chan—why did you drink so much, anyways?" Nagisa asked curiously. "I mean, even when Rin-chan was poking you in the arm at first, it didn't seem like you'd give in—"

"That—" Remembering that Nagisa had been whispering with Gou about something, Rei flushed and averted his eyes. "—I just became in the mood for drinks—that is all—"

"Really? It didn't seem like that to me!" Nagisa pursued, genuinely puzzled. "It kinda seemed like you were upset about something—"

"Enough of that!" Hastily, Rei got up from Nagisa's bed. "I'll be using your bathroom, Nagisa-kun—please lend me a toothbrush!"

"Eeh? You're no fun, Rei-chan!" Nagisa sighed and hopped off the bed after Rei. Skipping towards the brunet, he shyly bumped his side against Rei's, with a smile. "We should get you drunk way more often!" A startled Rei sputtered in response.

"That is absolutely unnecessary!" As Nagisa's giggles followed, the bedroom door closed. Voices echoed down the hall, along with the pitter patter of Nagisa's footsteps next to Rei's slower gait.

For now, it seemed, all was truly well and moving forward once more.

Note: I know I haven't posted anything in a long while. I've been struggling with writing since summer break, but I wasn't really satisfied with anything I wrote between then and now. I'm not sure I'm really satisfied with this piece either, but I really wanted to write something for Reigisa Week, so this happened. I've been working on another long fic since college let out for winter break, and I hope to get that posted soon too. Thank you for reading!