Notes: There's some implied intimacy in this chapter, but nothing explicit. Hope you guys like it! :)

-Present, Two Years Later-

'I really, really like you.'

When he felt the heat concentrated on his cheek, Rei woke up. Bleary eyes fluttering open, the brunet squinted at the gap in the blinds that was letting in the single beam of sunlight. Remembering that a certain someone had accidentally bent one of the strips the other week, Rei groaned and shifted so that his face was turned away from the window. As soon as he did, he felt something warm and soft stir in his arms, against his bare skin.

Since it was summer, the morning sun was strong enough to light up the small bedroom, even with all the blinds down. The room was still a little dim and his glasses were off, but Rei could still make out Nagisa's long lashes fluttering slightly, as the blond shifted on the mattress and curled up closer to him. He looked just like an angel, Rei thought, with his golden blonde hair falling gently over his forehead, the soft curves of his cheeks rising and falling as his small mouth breathed in and out, making his chest heave against Rei's. The bare shoulders that peeked out from under their light summer blanket made the taller boy blush. For a moment, Rei moved his eyes elsewhere, pretending to be extremely interested in the pattern of the blanket. It was yellow, with a pattern of rockhopper penguins printed all over it—bright and lively, just like its owner. An affectionate smile dawned on Rei's lips—he moved his eyes back towards the sleeping blond, who let out small sigh as he snuggled his head against Rei's shoulder.

"…Ish my burstday, Rei-cha…" As Nagisa murmured these words in his sleep, Rei blinked. "—you said you'd…do anything I want…hmm…"

Slowly, Rei let his eyes travel to the penguin-themed calendar that hung on the bedroom wall. A gaudy array of flowers and stars and hearts had been drawn around August 1st, with the words 'My Birthday!' written in large block letters. Looking away from the calendar, Rei turned his attention towards the yellow alarm clock on the dresser and froze. It was already ten in the morning—and when he had planned to rise early and cook the perfect birthday breakfast.

Groaning quietly, Rei looked back at Nagisa—taking a moment to appreciate his boyfriend's sleeping face. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth once more, and Rei carefully leaned down to press a soft kiss to his hair. Nearly melting when Nagisa's grin widened, he slowly withdrew his arms from the boy and slipped off the bed. He heard the blond whine sleepily as he turned over. Quickly, Rei knelt down and collected his clothes from the floor. Padding softly out of Nagisa's room, the brunet headed for his own, dropping his clothes into the laundry basket on the way.

Almost two years had passed since they had first started dating. Rei remembered the dream he had last night, about the time that Nagisa had first confessed to him. It had been a long dream, ending just after the moment they had finally worked things out together on the train platform. After that had come all the summer dates, with all the fast-melting ice cream cones and sweaty hand-holding, all the horror movies and game centers and even the occasional trips to the public library, courtesy of both Nagisa's consideration for Rei and his need to finish the huge pile of summer homework he had been putting off.

Rei remembered the first kiss they had shared together on one of those days. The blond had been frowning and pouting adorably as he tried to solve the same math problem for the fifth time—and before he knew it, he was leaning across the table, gently brushing their lips together. For all the boldness he usually showed, the older boy had been a blushing, stuttering mess when he pulled away. Rei had even thought Nagisa was mad at him, he had been so quiet on their way home. He still remembered how embarrassed and happy he had felt when, on his doorstep, Nagisa suddenly whirled around and tugged him down for a second kiss. True, it had initially given him a heart attack, and then a second one as he scanned the vicinity to see if anyone had seen, but to Rei it was a fond memory, one he would keep close with him for good.

As he was brushing his teeth after a quick shower, Rei found himself staring at the items on the bathroom sink. A bar of strawberry-shaped soap next to a plain one, a matching set of polka-dotted gargle cups, one yellow and the other purple, and a tube of strawberry-scented toothpaste leaning against one that was labeled 'Beautiful Breath'. A penguin-shaped toothbrush holder attached to the mirror, snug against the butterfly-shaped holder right next to it. They were all items that Rei had grown used to seeing every morning in the past half-year, but it still made him happy to see them together, side by side. Of course, Nagisa tended to leave his items lying around everywhere much of the time—just yesterday Rei had tidied up their sink during his nervous cleaning frenzy in the afternoon. As for what had made him so nervous…well, he would never admit the truth to Nagisa. Straightening up, the brunet spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth with water. Soon, he was in the small kitchen that was adjoined with the living room, pulling on his plain purple apron and getting to work.

When Rei looked back on it, the days until their high school graduation had passed surprisingly quickly. Before they knew it, he and Nagisa had taken over the swim club as vice-captain and captain, had managed to recruit a handful of underclassmen who were just as odd a bunch as them, had gone to nationals the following summer. In-between had been Haru and Makoto's graduation, along with Rin and Sousuke's—all four of them had come to nationals to watch the swim team compete. While they hadn't placed first, they had made it to third place and had been awarded a bronze trophy, one that their underclassmen had insisted they take. It now stood proud and shiny on one of the shelves in their small apartment, Rei taking care to polish it every now and then.

In their third year, they had almost broken up. Rei and Nagisa were in separate classes that year, both of them busy with preparing for entrance exams, and had not been able to see each other as often. In the face of stress about the future and their prolonged absences away from each other, more than a few doubts and misunderstandings had risen to the surface. But in the end, they had been able to work things out together and strengthen their relationship. In a life that he now couldn't imagine without Nagisa, Rei would always be grateful for that.

Eventually, when both of them got into two different colleges in Tokyo, they held three celebrations—one with Gou and their underclassmen, another with their families, and the third with just the two of them. It was on that date that Rei had asked Nagisa to move in with him once they were in Tokyo. And because the blond had given the answer that he did, here they were now. After that had come the challenges of living together, along with juggling college work, part-time jobs, and making time for each other. But with Nagisa by his side, it had all been worth it—in this unfamiliar city environment, they had reminded each other that it was okay to stay the same as they had been, but also okay to change with time. And the experience they had shared with each other last night had been a little bit of both. Like with many things when it came to Nagisa, Rei was glad that it had happened the way it did.

Just as Rei flipped the last of the Iwatobi-chan pancakes (made by pressing the Iwatobi-chan cookie cutter Nagisa had won at a raffle, just slightly into the dough's surface at the half-cooked stage), he heard a sleepy yawn and the padding of footsteps from behind him. Putting the pan down, Rei turned to say good morning—and almost dropped his spatula.

His boyfriend was standing with one hand on the wall, the other covered by the white sleeve of an oversized sweater. Namely, Rei's sweater—the one that said 'butter' in large block letters. And, from the smooth, bare legs that peeked out from under its hem, just his sweater. Normally, Rei would have lectured Nagisa for wearing his clothes—and by a normal situation meaning one where Nagisa also had his pants on—but seeing his boyfriend smile at him, eyes crinkling and cheeks slightly rosy and dimpled, skin seeming to glow, made the words die in his throat. As Rei's face colored red, the blond opened his mouth and said in a cheerful voice,

"Morning, Rei-chan!" His eyes sparkled. "Are those pancakes I smell?"

"Y-yes." Coughing to clear his throat, Rei readjusted his glasses, his ears starting to turn pink. "I'm making the Iwatobi-chan ones—although at this rate, after I finish the eggs and bacon, it will be more of a brunch than breakfast—"

"You're making bacon, Rei-chan?!" Nagisa squealed happily. "You never make bacon, ever! You always said it's bad for my health with all the fat and salt and grease on it and 'You'll die ten years early if you eat one tiny slice, Nagisa-kun'—" Hearing the impersonation Nagisa threw in at the end, Rei frowned slightly.

"I never said such a thing, Nagisa-kun—all I said was that you shouldn't eat so much of it so often, and that a more balanced diet would help ensure tha—" When his eyes coincidentally fell on the living room, Rei froze. His eyes flickered towards the blinds he had opened earlier, then back at Nagisa, who was still only dressed in a sweatshirt and nothing else. "Oh my god!" Squawking in an undignified fashion, the brunet did drop the spatula, hurrying over to the windows to pull down all the blinds.

"What's wrong, Rei-chan?" As Nagisa cocked his head quizzically, Rei finished his work and shot back around, his glasses askew and his face a matching shade of red.

"The blinds were open—anyone could have seen you just now!" Along with secondhand embarrassment, a flare of protectiveness swelled in Rei's chest. "And please, do shower and get dressed!" At this response, Nagisa pouted.

"But I wore this especially for Rei-chan!" he complained. "It was hard work too, finding it from your bottom drawer—and 'cause Gou-chan said that long-sleeved sweaters would look sexier—" Since it was currently summer, all of Rei's fall and winter clothing were stored in the bottom drawer of his dresser and—wait, when had Nagisa even gone into his room? Just now? Rei sensed that he had probably been too occupied with reminiscing over the past as he was making pancakes—it was a miracle, really, that he hadn't burnt any of them yet. But that wasn't the greatest issue at hand, Rei realized, as his mind replayed the words Nagisa had just said.

"—Wait, you consulted Gou-san about this?!" he croaked. To Rei's horror, Nagisa nodded, putting a finger to his cheek thoughtfully.

"Well, she was the only one who'd give me any advice—when I called Haru-chan he hung up, when I called Rin-chan he told me to 'figure that shit out on my own', and I think I actually made Mako-chan faint when I called him up—" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, Gou-chan just told me to prance out naked so I could 'showcase all my muscles', but then I told her about your no-naked house rule and then she said at least wear something that still shows my calf muscles, so—"

"You called all of them?!" When Rei burst out in the middle of his explanation, Nagisa cocked his head innocently.

"Yeah, I even asked Ai-chan about it! Although he was stuttering for most of the call, so I didn't really catch what he was saying—"

"Nagisa-kun!" In response, Nagisa burst into laughter, quickly waltzing towards the bathroom. Sighing, Rei turned back to his pan—"No!" And was horrified to find that the pancake was burning. Hurriedly, he turned the gas down on the burner and flipped it out of the pan onto a spare plate. To his relief, it was only a little burnt—wasting food was hardly beautiful, after all. Deciding he would eat it himself, Rei resigned himself to making another one. At least the others had turned out a perfect golden-brown—although the brunet knew that Nagisa wouldn't have minded even if they were a little burnt.

He had moved on to the eggs and bacon when he heard footsteps waddle into the kitchen. Before he could turn around, however, Rei felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind—followed by a warm torso pressing against his back. As he heard Nagisa hum pleasantly, Rei felt the blond's chest vibrate against him. From the wet, slightly tickly sensation against the nape of his neck, Rei knew that the blond hadn't dried his hair yet. Blushing, he looked down and noticed that Nagisa's arms were clad in purple. Namely, purple with a familiar butterfly pattern. He was wearing Rei's pajamas. As Rei's mind debated between scolding Nagisa and telling him to set the table, his boyfriend spoke first.

"Aww, Rei-chan, at least say something!" Rei could almost hear Nagisa pouting through his voice. "I've pulled two seduction moves on you already, and still no dice?" Sputtering, Rei nearly dropped his spatula as he turned a second shade of red.

"I-isn't it a bit early in the day for seduction?" He tried to keep his voice calm as he flipped the egg with his spatula. "And I see you're wearing my clothes again." For the moment he didn't look down to see if Nagisa was wearing any bottoms this time.

"Nope! And it's my birthday, Rei-chan—you can cut me slack just this once! And I'm even wearing shorts under it, too!" The kind that came a good distance above the knees, Rei found, when the blond decided to jump up and cling to Rei with his legs as well. Glasses askew as he staggered forward, the brunet fought to keep his voice as stern as possible.

"Please get off me, Nagisa-kun—it's dangerous to do such things near the burner," he scolded, not realizing that he was unconsciously looking out for his boyfriend's safety. His gesture didn't slip past Nagisa unnoticed, however—the blond's eyes softened a little before he pouted again, dropping off Rei's back.

"Hmph—you're so cold, Rei-chan!" As he murmured these words, he turned and started trotting towards the table.

"You were beautiful." Eyes rounding, Nagisa turned around to face Rei, who was still facing the burner. His ears, however, were a very noticeable red, as he turned the egg over in the pan. "I mean, you still are—" Coughing, Rei said in an embarrassed voice, "Happy Birthday, Nagisa-kun." For a moment Nagisa stared open-mouthed at his boyfriend, before a glowing smile spread across his face.

"Rei-chan!" Shouting happily, the blond turned to tackle Rei with a hug—and winced as he almost tripped. "Woah!" Hearing the exclamation, Rei turned around and saw Nagisa grabbing onto the counter.

"What's wrong, Nagisa-kun?" In response, his boyfriend smiled sheepishly.

"Guess I moved too fast—" He scratched his cheek a little shyly. "It actually…kind of hurts when I walk." At this short explanation, Rei's face colored a deep red. Now that he thought about it, his boyfriend had been leaning a hand against the wall earlier. So it hadn't been for presentation's sake…

Soon, Nagisa heard footsteps walk towards him.

"Why didn't you say so earlier," Rei scolded gently, stopping before the blond. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself, if that's the case."

"It's not that big of a deal, Rei-chan! After all, the apartment's small—not much space to walk around in, anyways—" Before Nagisa could finish, however, he felt Rei's hands tuck themselves gently under his arms. With a small noise of surprise, the blond was lifted slightly off the floor, and he felt himself being carried back towards the kitchen table. Walking around the back of the table Rei stopped in front of the chair with the cushioned seat. He carefully put Nagisa down on its seat before stepping away.

"Please sit still while I take care of breakfast. And don't worry about setting the table." With an upward push of his glasses, Rei was heading back to the kitchen. Back behind the table, Nagisa blinked his eyes a few times, before looking at his lap and smiling widely.

He was swinging his legs and humming the birthday song to himself when Rei returned. In his hands were two plates, one with a fluffy golden stack of Iwatobi-chan pancakes with whipped cream and syrup and strawberries on top, and another with a pile of warm puffy-looking scrambled eggs, sizzled bacon and juicy-looking octopus wieners, with a plentiful helping of salad on the side.

"This'll be brunch, Nagisa-kun," the brunet clarified, as he set both plates and silverware down in front of a delighted-looking Nagisa. "And please finish all the salad too—"

"Thanks for the meal!" Before Rei could finish, Nagisa was plunging into the tower of pancakes like a lion devouring its prey. Sighing, Rei allowed a helpless smile as he went to the kitchen to fetch his own more modest stack. What he had just cooked would have scandalized him normally, what with all the fat and sugar and calories, but he supposed that the birthday boy should get to pick what he wanted to eat on his day. At least Nagisa had an almost inhuman metabolism, which Rei sometimes thought should be taken down in history as one of God's miracles. Already the brunet worried for Nagisa's old age—and these worries were usually followed by a train of thoughts that included visualizing himself looking after the blond's health, well into their golden years. Cheeks feeling warm, Rei went back to the kitchen once more, to fetch the glasses of orange juice he'd poured for the both of them.

"Mmmm, these taste really good, Rei-chan!" he heard his boyfriend gush from the table. "You should quit math and major in cooking instead!" Rei laughed.

"As much as I enjoy cooking, I don't see that happening anytime soon, Nagisa-kun." Despite his worries about health, seeing Nagisa munch on his breakfast so happily brought a smile to Rei's face. He sat down at the table, setting the glasses down and picking up his own fork. Except for the pancake he had burnt slightly, they were pretty darn delicious, if Rei said so himself. "Although I do admit that I might have outdone myself this time!" As his chest puffed up with pride, Nagisa spoke up while chewing on his food at the same time.

"You were really cute yesterday too, Rei-chan!" As Rei nearly dropped his fork, the blond continued cheerfully. "I mean, the way you were sweating and talking about all the research you did before, how you were totally prepared to either top or bottom depending on my choice and had all the right theories down—it was adorable how much you were panicking!" Coughing on his food, Rei thumped his chest with one fist as he shot his giggling boyfriend an indignant look.

"I-I was not panicking! I was simply informing you that I would do my best to—to give you the most pleasurable experience possible!" the red-faced brunet sputtered. "O-Of course, I may have been a tad bit nervous, b-but I can't have been the only one!" Across the table, Nagisa's smile softened.

"Of course I was—it was my first time, too. And it was with Rei-chan, not anyone else." As the statement drew more red from Rei's cheeks, a hand reached across the table and warmly wrapped around his. "Thanks for treating me gently, Rei-chan." A good amount of time had passed since their graduation, and still the blond felt like a high-schooler all over again, his heart dancing as Rei's face erupted into flames. Wanting to prolong the blush, Nagisa half-jokingly added, "Looking forward to the second round tonight!" The result was Rei batting his hand away, a slight reprimanding frown on his face as his blush darkened even more.

"Absolutely not, Nagisa-kun. Please think about your body." The last sentence was grumbled in a soft tone that Nagisa knew only surfaced when Rei was worried about him. Feeling a sudden rush of affection, the blond stood up from his seat and slung his arms around Rei's shoulders, nuzzling his head against his boyfriend's neck.

"You're the best, Rei-chan~!" "Nagisa-kun! At least put the fork down first—aaaaahhh!"

…

One sheepish apology, strawberry-patterned bandaid, and get-well kiss to the nape later, the two of them proceeded to finish breakfast. After clearing both his plates of everything, even the salad, and stealing a few pancakes off Rei's plate, Nagisa sat on their small secondhand couch in the living room while Rei washed the dishes.

"So when are we gonna go to the aquarium, Rei-chan?" he asked, eyes shining with excitement. "I heard it's three times as big as the one in Iwatobi, and this one actually has rockhopper penguins too!"

"You'd have to walk a lot, Nagisa-kun—and you said it hurts to walk." Rei's cheeks turned a bit pink as he turned off the tap and tucked the last of the dishes into the metal basket. "I think you should rest for the day."

"Huh~?! But I was looking forward to going today! And you even rode the subway for an hour to purchase those tickets!"

"Well, they are going to be usable for any other day of the week," Rei replied, taking his rubber gloves off and hanging them under the cabinet. "Knowing you, you'll be running around to see all the exhibits—I'm sure you'll have a better time if we go a few days later. We could even eat out then, as a late celebration." In response Nagisa's face lit up.

"Really? You're the best, Rei-chan!"

"It's really just how the aquarium works, Nagisa-kun," Rei replied modestly, but Nagisa could tell he was smiling.

"What're we gonna do in the apartment all day, though?" the blond said thoughtfully, as he flopped down against the couch cushions. "Video games? Making out?" To his credit, Rei only blushed a little. "Or a horror movie marathon? Oh right, I borrowed that whole bunch of DVD's from the corner rent shop a few days ago!" Soon enough, the blush on Rei's face was replaced by a blanched look.

"How many this time, Nagisa-kun?" he asked weakly, the sweat already starting to form on his brow.

"Ten!" Nagisa replied cheerfully. "We could watch all of them in one day—ah, but I guess since it's daytime now we should wait 'til it gets dark! These living room blinds kind of suck at keeping sunlight out, after all!"

"Don't tell me you plan to stay up all night?" Rei croaked.

"I am!" Nagisa replied, eyes round and innocent. "Blood and guts galore 'til dawn!"

"THAT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL!" As Rei threw his head back and wailed in despair, the blond fell into a fit of giggles on the sofa. Hearing his laughter, Rei turned his disgruntled violet eyes towards his boyfriend, a pout on his face—a behavior he had picked up from Nagisa himself.

"Three movies tops, Nagisa-kun—it's bad for your eye health to watch so many at once! Not to mention that exposing your eyes to so much LED light before bed hinders your sleep—"

"Five, Rei-chan! It's my birthday, after all!" Aiming his trademark puppy eyes at Rei, Nagisa waited. One, two, three, four…

"—All right, then. Five it is." As Nagisa let out a cheer, Rei fought to keep the frown on his face, failing for the most part. "Only for today, understand?"

"Of course, Rei-chan!" Sighing, Rei turned to the refrigerator, fanning himself slightly as he did.

On the third week of August, they would make the train trip to Iwatobi together, to spend about two weeks with their families before college was back in session. The reason they were returning home so late was because they both had part-time jobs in Tokyo—and until then, they would have to spend the summer in their small AC-free apartment. Since the summer heat had hit Tokyo around a month and a half ago, Rei supposed he had at least gotten more used to it than in the beginning. Of course Nagisa would complain about the heat more often, plugging in the rusty fan that they had purchased at a secondhand electronics store and whining into its cage as the blades revolved within—although Rei suspected he did that more to hear the sound of his warped voice. Pulling the collar of his shirt down a little, the brunet opened the fridge and reached in for the water pitcher—

And noticed that they had almost run out of eggs. And vegetables. Suddenly, Rei remembered that he had meant to go grocery shopping the day before—he realized that he must have forgotten, in his frenzy to clean the apartment. And he needed more ingredients for the birthday dinner he was going to make that night. Forgetting about the water, Rei closed the refrigerator door and straightened up.

"We're out of groceries, Nagisa-kun. I'll go to the mart to purchase them—"

"Oh! Can I go too, Rei-chan? We're out of strawberry ice cream too—and I think they're still doing that raffle for that vacation to Hawaii by the convenience store!" In response Rei threw Nagisa a dubious look.

"But Nagisa-kun, you can't walk right now—if it's ice cream, I can just get it myself—"

"But what about the raffle? You can't do that for me, Rei-chan, you have zero luck when it comes to raffles!" Nagisa said, pouting. "And it ends today, too—no one's won the grand prize yet! I'm dead sure I'll be able to win it, with my birthday luck!" he chirped, pumping his fists down enthusiastically with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Birthday luck?" Rei repeated, raising a brow. "You know such a thing can't logically exist, Nagisa-kun—"

"Oh, but it does, Rei-chan!" Nagisa replied cheerfully. "On my first birthday, I was born healthy, on my fifteenth birthday, Mom said she'd let me go to Iwatobi High, and on my seventeenth birthday I confessed to you! So I'm pretty darn sure it does exist!" Rei blushed.

"I...I didn't answer you right away, though." In response, Nagisa's smile softened.

"But if you hadn't, where would we be now?" As Rei blinked, the blond hopped off the couch. "Time to dress, then! I'll be out in just a sec, Rei-chan!"

"Wait—don't rush—" Rei called out hurriedly.

"Haha, I'm fine, Rei-chan—ow, ow, ow!" As Nagisa hopped towards his bedroom, the brunet sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Having known the blond for over three years now, it seemed to Rei that Nagisa was always either surprisingly mature or less-surprisingly childish—there was rarely any in-between. Instinctively knowing there was no stopping his boyfriend, Rei gave up and headed for his own bedroom to change. He just hoped that Nagisa wouldn't push himself too hard by running around everywhere once they were outside.

…

"I told you not to run after it, Nagisa-kun!"

They were making their way around the corner, Rei piggy-backing Nagisa five minutes after they'd left their apartment. In response Nagisa laughed sheepishly against Rei's neck.

"Sorry, Rei-chan, I kinda got excited—but that puppy was too cute to pass up!" Rei groaned.

"Please, Nagisa-kun—you're not five, you're nineteen. And I told you not to push yourself!" He could almost sense Nagisa pouting, as the boy puffed his cheeks out.

"Hmph—it's Rei-chan's fault that my butt hurts in the first place!" he murmured childishly, almost making Rei choke on his spit.

"Cough, cough—Nagisa-kun!" the brunet croaked, as a group of giggling girls passed them by. Turning red, Rei ducked his head to the left in embarrassment, away from the other pedestrians.

"Are you gonna use a shopping cart, Rei-chan? Then I can ride in that!" Nagisa continued cheerfully. "Man, it's been forever since the last time—after I got in trouble with the management for running that cart into the squid tank that one time, Mom never took me along to the grocery store anymore!"

"—I'm hoping that this was when you were at the most ten?" Rei murmured dryly. Over the semester they had gone grocery shopping together, and the most problematic thing Nagisa had ever done was to fill a whole cart with strawberry snacks and attempt to wheel it to checkout when Rei wasn't looking. But then again, that in itself had been childish enough.

"Eleven!" Nagisa corrected cheerfully. "But don't worry, Rei-chan—I can't move around like that now, so you're either gonna have to carry me or cart me around everywhere!"

"—Ah, now that I recall, there might have been a child care center at the mart—" As Rei pretended to muse over the option, the blond pouted and nuzzled his head against Rei's neck.

"Rei~~chaaaan~~!" Laughing, Rei stopped to hoist Nagisa up, making his hold more secure before he resumed walking.

…

In the end, Nagisa ended up sitting down on one of the benches outside, while Rei went into make his rounds ("No fair, Rei-chan gets all the air-conditioning while I have to sit out in the heat!" "You were the one who insisted on coming along, Nagisa-kun!"). For the first fifteen minutes of his wait, he hummed some catchy commercial tunes to keep himself occupied, resisting the temptation to wander around the area. As he leaned against the store wall and idly swung his feet back and forth, three kids who looked around kindergarten age approached him with curious eyes.

"Penguin onii-chan!" one of them, a girl in an orange sundress, stepped forward and tugged on Nagisa's shorts. "Why was that onii-chan with the glasses carrying you?" Blinking, Nagisa looked down at his rockhopper penguin shirt, then grinned at the girl.

"Because Rei-chan likes me a lot!" he replied cheerfully, with a wink. "So much that he carries me around everywhere at my command! Isn't that great?"

"But he's a boy!" one of the other children, a boy in a cap, pointed out. "Don't you want a girlfriend?" The blond chuckled good-naturedly.

"Nope! I just want Rei-chan," he said. "I'm sure I'd always choose Rei-chan, whether he was male or female." Before him, the girl in the sundress cocked her head thoughtfully.

"But if Rei-chan onii-chan was a girl, then he wouldn't be able to carry you!" At that Nagisa laughed.

"Oh, I don't know—Rei-chan's always been really strong. I'm sure he'd be able to carry me even if he was a girl!" A brief imagination of what Rei might have looked like as a girl passed through Nagisa's mind—but he didn't linger on it for too long. After all, the Rei that was with him now was the only one he had eyes for.

"Just who is a girl now, Nagisa-kun?" Blinking with surprise, Nagisa turned to see Rei. His brows were furrowed slightly and his hands were pushing up his glasses, as if to mask his embarrassment. "And just what are you telling these children?" Nagisa wondered just how much of the conversation he had heard—but before he could ask, another voice piped up first.

"It's Rei-chan-onii-chan!" The girl in the sundress ran towards Rei with a smile on her face. "You look so tall up close!"

"Tch, I'll get taller when I'm an adult, Rei-chan-nii-chan!" her brother declared, puffing out his chest.

"Huh—wait, two 'chans'?!" As the two children chattered away before Rei, Nagisa laughed from the side.

"Onee-chan~!" The third child, a boy who looked younger than his other two siblings, spoke up. I want Mama~!" he whined, as he tugged on his older sister's dress. "Where's Mama~?"

"Eh?!" The girl scratched her cheek in what Nagisa perceived to be a nervous fashion. "Um…where was she again~?" At this unsure reply, her younger brother looked like he would burst into tears any minute.

"You got separated from your mother?" Rei asked, leaning over with concern.

"We were trying to find her inside the grocery store a while ago," the boy in the cap explained. "It's all because Nee-chan was running around looking for the ice cream section!"

"N-no, it's not!" As his sister protested, her little brother started crying, sobbing loudly as he did.

"E-Eh?! Don't cry!" Nagisa said hurriedly. "Um~! What should we do, Rei-chan?!"

"Eh?! Um—we should ask the management to make an announcement!" Rei exclaimed. "I'm sure they deal with lost children all the time—"

"WE'RE LOOOOOSTTT! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" As the youngest child wailed even louder, both Rei and Nagisa started to panic.

"Wh-what should we do, Nagisa-kun?!"

"I-I don't know, Rei-chan! I'm the youngest in my family, I never even babysat anyone before!"

"B-but I'm the youngest too!"

"H-hold up! You bought the ice cream, right?! Ah, there it is! Hey, buddy, have some of onii-chan's ice cream!..."

…

Eventually, after reporting the lost children to management, Rei and Nagisa took them to the child care center and played with them for a short while. By the time their parents arrived, the children had completely taken to them, especially Rei (because he was easy to tease, Nagisa cheerfully suspected). All throughout the play session they had fussed over the brunet, clinging to his legs and shouting things at him. Although it had been a little exhausting, both Rei and Nagisa had fun looking after them.

Some time afterwards, the two of them sat outside the grocery store, where Nagisa had initially been waiting. In each of their hands was an ice cream cone, Nagisa's strawberry and Rei's blueberry flavored. Their hands were overlapped, resting on the space between their groceries and the wall.

"It was nice of those kids' parents to treat us, don't you think, Rei-chan?" the older boy said cheerfully, as he licked his strawberry ice cream. "They even waited for you to get through checkout!"

"Yes," Rei agreed, smiling absently as he bit off some of his own ice cream. "Even though they really didn't need to go through the trouble…" During their brief stop at the ice cream parlor inside, the youngest child had even fallen asleep again on Rei's back, a peaceful smile on his face. Even now Rei didn't seem to mind that the back of his shirt had a bit of drool on it.

"Those kids really liked you, didn't they, 'Rei-chan onii-chan?'" Nagisa commented, leaning over slightly while propping his cheek on one hand, a smile on his face. "They were hovering around you just like Ren-chan and Ran-chan do." At the mention of Ran and Ren, Rei's smile softened further.

"Although I'm not sure what I did to gain their affections," he replied. "It's—touching. Before, I never expected children to be so friendly with me."

"It's because children are good at reading people," Nagisa replied, chuckling. "They can see right past all your nagging, Tsunderei-chan! Just like I can," he added in a teasing voice.

"I'm not a tsundere, Nagisa-kun!" Huffing slightly, Rei averted his eyes, his cheeks slightly tinting pink.

"Right, Rei-chan! At least you're not as bad as Haru-chan and Rin-chan—although in the end, all three of you are just big softies!" As Nagisa slurped on his ice cream, Rei's eyes grew thoughtful.

"…When I was actually a child myself, not many other children liked me that much." Not noticing his boyfriend pausing, Rei went on. "Maybe I've reached my peak popularity these recent years?" he joked, laughing a little. "If I do say so myself—"

"That's because they were idiots." Blinking, Rei looked up at Nagisa's mutter—the blond was frowning as he stared ahead, no longer licking at his ice cream. "Looks like the kids in Ren and Ran's generation are much smarter." He could feel the blond's hold on his hand tighten. After observing his boyfriend's profile for a while, a gentle smile formed on Rei's face.

"Well, I did become a lot more sociable in high school," he said mildly, in an attempt to placate the blond. "Or maybe I just didn't meet the right children earlier." Getting up, he puffed out his chest proudly. "After all, I'm sure everyone at Iwatobi High was taken by my beauty! Daw~hahahaw~!" As dorky laughter filled the air between them, the furrow in Nagisa's brow disappeared. Eventually, he was giggling at his boyfriend—noting the change in his expression, Rei smiled, sitting back down.

"Let's finish these and head back—we do have to stop by the raffle before it closes, after all." Nagisa blinked, before returning the smile.

"Yeah!"

…

As much as Nagisa had trusted his birthday luck, they ended up not winning the trip to Hawaii. However, Nagisa had managed to win one of the minor prizes, which just happened to be a penguin-patterned bathrobe set for couples ("You'll wear it with me, right, Rei-chan?" "O-of course, Nagisa-kun." "Hm~? You just stammered!" "I did not!"). It turned out that the elderly couple right behind them in line won the grand prize, and although Nagisa had been a little disappointed at first, he was humming cheerfully on Rei's back by the time they neared their apartment.

"We should take a bubble bath to celebrate, Rei-chan!" he was saying, swing his legs around idly from Rei's back. "And then we can try on the bathrobes! There's this vanilla-scented soap I got from a friend that we can use!"

"All right," Rei murmured, ears turning pink at the 'we'.

"That old couple next to us looked nice—I bet they're going to have a great time on that vacation!" Nagisa continued cheerfully. "When we've saved up enough, or maybe win the next raffle, let's go to Hawaii too!" At the mention of the future, Rei smiled softly.

"All right."

Once they were inside the apartment, Rei went into the kitchen to put the groceries away while Nagisa flopped down on the couch. It was then that the blond felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Ah—it's Mako-chan!" Face brightening, Nagisa picked up the call. "Hello, Mako-chan~? Huh, you called earlier? Oh, I must've been busy with the kids then—I was just out getting groceries with Rei-chan, see, and then—" As the blond went on describing the events of their grocery trip, Rei carefully stacked the vegetables into the refrigerator.

"—and we won a couple bathrobe set! Guess what, it even has penguins on it!" Humming slightly to himself, Rei got the pitcher of water and poured a glass for himself and Nagisa. He picked up one of the glasses and started drinking.

"—Oh~ You mean that advice I asked for you yesterday?" As soon as he heard these words, Rei spat out his water. His burning face whipped around towards the living room as Nagisa rolled around on the couch, oblivious to Rei's embarrassment. "Hmm, peach, huh? Haru-chan said that? Geez, he should've just told me when I called! And yellow? I see~!" Over his shoulder the blond cast a mischievous grin at Rei. "Although I think I've done a good job on my own this morning! …Ah, you didn't faint again, did you? Hehe, sorry! Yep, it's been a great day so far! Thanks, Mako-chan! Yep, yep! Mhm~! Is Haru-chan over? Ah, he's right next to you? Can you put him on the phone? Thanks!—Hello, Haru-chan?"

After their graduation, both Haru and Makoto had chosen to stay in Iwatobi—Haru attending a liberal arts school while Makoto was studying literature at the best local 4-year college. Rei and Nagisa would see them both when they returned home later in August. Meanwhile, Rin had come to Tokyo a year earlier than Rei and Nagisa, and was attending a sports-famous college in the city. They had promised to meet with Rin that weekend, the redhead having offered to treat them both to lunch as a late birthday present for Nagisa. Rin seemed busy all the time, even during the summer—since he had been scouted at nationals two years ago, Rei knew that he was probably training in most of his spare time.

As if on cue, the cell phone in Rei's pocket started vibrating as well. Seeing 'Rin-san' flash on the screen, Rei clicked the call button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello? Rin-san?"

["Why the hell won't Nagisa pick up his phone?"] Rin's voice grumbled at the other end of the line. ["Gou tried calling him earlier too and got his answering machine."]

"Ah—he might have been a little distracted earlier, Rin-san," Rei said, pulling out a chair and sitting at the kitchen table. "We were out to get groceries earlier, and right now he's speaking with Haruka-senpai, so—"

["Hello, Rei-kun? How was Nagisa-kun this morning? Did he take my dressing advice?"] As Gou's excited voice piped up from the other line, Rei froze, turning red and surprised at the same time.

"Gou-san?! You're with Rin-san?!" Unlike Rin, Gou attended a school in Osaka. Rei had expected her to be home in Iwatobi for the summer.

["Yep, I came up to visit onii-chan!"] Gou chirped. ["So how was it, Rei-kun? I told Nagisa-kun he absolutely had to show off those tantalizing calf muscles at leas—"] Her enthusiastic questioning was cut off, and a moment later Rin was on the phone again.

["—stop asking about his muscles, for Christ's sake!"] Hearing the protectiveness in his voice, Rei smiled knowingly. ["Tch. So is he still talking to Haru?"]

"Still talking," Rei confirmed, as he cast a sidelong glance at Nagisa, whose eyes were sparkling animatedly as he shouted something at Haru. "He seems happy to hear their voices—it's been a while, after all." Before Rei knew it, his voice had grown fond as he watched his boyfriend.

["Wow, I can just hear your sappiness all the way from here,"] Rin drawled from the other end, making Rei flush. ["So? How's the little terror doing? You didn't tire him out too much last night, did you?" "Onii-chan, don't cover up my ears!"]

"F-for your information, that is none of your business, Rin-san!" Rei yelped, face darkening into a beet-red.

["Well, your boyfriend sure made it seem like it was,"] Rin replied, and Rei could hear his voice softening. ["He kinda sounded nervous, actually—and that kid never gets nervous."] Hearing this information, Rei blinked. ["Though I told him he could bite your balls off by accident and you still wouldn't be disappointed."]

"Rin-san!" Lowering his voice, Rei spoke in a less-scandalized tone. "He really said that?"

["Yeah, more or less,"] Rin replied—from the rustling in the background it sounded as though he was scratching his head. ["Which I don't get, since the two of you've practically been married for years—but I don't know. It sounded like he could have something else on his mind, too."] Rei's eyes wandered back over to Nagisa, who was still talking and laughing on his phone. ["Not that I think I need to remind you, you're practically his mother—but just keep an eye out for him. Yeah?"]

"…I will," Rei replied earnestly. "Thank you, Rin-san." After exchanging a few greetings and a promise that Nagisa would call them back, Rei hung up on the Matsuoka siblings. Closing his cell phone, Rei looked back at Nagisa, who was just wrapping up his conversation with Haru and Makoto.

"…Mmhm! Thanks for the birthday call, guys—see you next next week!" Hanging up, the blond looked up and saw Rei staring. "Ah, Rei-chan! You finished with your call? I was gonna put you on the line with Mako-chan and Haru-chan, but last time I checked you were still talking, so—"

"I was just on the phone with Rin-san and Gou-san," Rei answered. "They said they called earlier but you didn't pick up." At this Nagisa perked up.

"Really? I had no idea—I should've remembered to take my phone off vibrate sooner!" Flipping his phone open, the blond checked his call history. "Ah, it's true! Guess I should call up Rin-Rin now—" Just as he said this, his phone started to ring again. "Wow, Rin-chan sure is fa—" Nagisa's voice stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the caller ID. It was in that moment that Rei thought he saw a slight change in Nagisa's expression.

"—oh, it's Mom." At that statement, Rei started a little before letting his face fall into a neutral look. "Guess I'll take this first!" He pressed call and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello—Mom? Yeah, I've been doing fine—yep, so has Rei-chan! How're you and Dad?" As Nagisa continued to talk, Rei lingered for a while, trying to figure out why the blond seemed a little different all of a sudden. But after a minute or so, the brunet got up and went to his room instead.

…

While Rei's parents knew that they were dating. Nagisa's parents did not. People who didn't know their families well might have expected it to be the other way around, but that was how it was. Before Rei had always imagined Nagisa's parents were like their son, cheery and casual and open-minded—but after Nagisa ran away from home in their second year of high school, Rei had learned that it was the opposite. He had only met Nagisa's parents a few times—once when he, Makoto, and Haru helped Nagisa convince them to let their son stay in the swim club, a few more times out of the many occasions Rei visited the Hazukis' home to tutor Nagisa, and, most recently, when they were asking for their parents' permission to room together in Tokyo.

It wasn't that Rei thought they were bad people—they did seem to genuinely care about their youngest child and want the best for him. But they were 'a bit conservative', according to Nagisa, and that phrase seemed to fit Rei's impression of them as well. Rei's own parents were professors with very liberal mindsets, and even they had only found out about their son's relationship with Nagisa by accident—one that involved an awkward walk-in on the two teenagers kissing in Rei's bedroom. Although they had warned Rei and Nagisa of the hardships they might face in the future, Rei's parents had accepted their relationship, much to their son and his boyfriend's relief. Even now it scared Rei a little, when he thought about how things might have turned out if Nagisa's parents had been the ones to walk in on them.

Maybe that was why, even now, Rei felt a little uncomfortable being in the same room when Nagisa was on the phone with his parents. It almost felt like he was eavesdropping even if he wasn't paying explicit attention, and although they both had agreed that they'd go to their bedrooms for calls they wanted to keep private, it was almost always Rei retreating elsewhere first—whether it was his room or the bathroom or the living room, depending on where they were at the time.

Slowly falling onto his bed, Rei stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, eyes lost in thought. They wandered absently around the room before landing on his closet. On a sudden whim, Rei got up from his bed and walked over to the closet, opening one of its doors.

Inside, stashed away in a dark corner, was Rei's birthday gift for Nagisa. It was resting inside a small box, wrapped in purple gift wrap with a yellow ribbon. Taking it out, Rei held it in his hand for a while, staring at it thoughtfully.

'It sounded like he could have something else on his mind, too. Keep an eye out for him.'

'On my seventeenth birthday I confessed to you! So I'm pretty darn sure it does exist!'

'But if you hadn't, where would we be now?'

'Where would we be', huh… Absently, Rei brought the back of his palm to rest over his lips, the box still in his hand.

"Rei-chan~?" When he heard Nagisa's voice outside his door, Rei nearly threw the box across the room. Shooting up from his bed, the brunet scrambled to hide the box back in the closet, shutting the door quickly.

"Y-yes, Nagisa-kun?!"

"I just got off the phone with Rin-chan and Gou-chan!" Rei blinked, checking his wristwatch. Around thirty minutes had passed since he'd gone into his room—he must have been spaced out for the entirety of that time. "Let's play some cards or read manga or something!"

"Sure—just a minute—!" Rei cast a quick look at the mirror on his dresser, making sure his expression didn't look too ruffled before opening the door. As soon as he did, his eyes rounded.

"Nagisa-kun—when did you change clothes?" There Nagisa stood, in a peach-colored short-sleeved jumper Rei hadn't seen before, and light yellow shorts—the kind, Rei noticed, that came well above his knees. The warm colors brought out his hair and eyes, and settled well against his light skin. Remembering the advice from Haruka he'd overheard, Rei swallowed and casually looked off to the side. It didn't pass by Nagisa unnoticed—the blond retained his casual smile, however, as he took Rei's hands and tugged him out the doorway.

"Well, since we can't go anywhere fancy, I thought I should change out of my sweaty clothes at the least~! C'mon~!"

They spent most of the afternoon playing cards, board games, video games, reading manga (a reluctant Rei reading some shoujo manga out loud for Nagisa and eventually immersing himself in acting out the roles, which had the blond collapse in a laughing heap), and just chatting. Before they knew it, it was past six in the evening. When he noticed the time, Rei started, nearly dropping Nagisa's head from his lap onto the floor.

"Ack—Rei-chan!" As the blond eyed him reproachfully, Rei scratched his cheek apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Nagisa-kun—I just realized it's already past six," he explained. "I should get started on dinner now." Eyes snapping to attention, the older boy grinned as his hands and feet jubilantly shot up in the air.

"Yeah! Hamburger steak!" Smiling, Rei helped Nagisa sit up before standing.

"It shouldn't take over an hour," he said. "Please keep yourself occupied until then."

"Roger!" As Nagisa flopped onto his belly and reached for another comic book, Rei went into the kitchen, taking his apron off the hook and putting it on. Thanks to living with Nagisa, the brunet was sure he could now satisfy the palate of most children in Japan. He quickly set to work, taking the ingredients out of the fridge and the pans out of the cabinet.

…

About an hour later, Nagisa was sitting at the kitchen table with shining eyes, his mouth in the shape of an O and his eyebrows lifted with awe.

"Chef Ryuugazaki-sama!" he burst out, fists at his side with excitement. "Thank you for the perfection that is this meal!" Before him was a plate filled with a juicy slab of hamburger steak, topped with demi glace sauce and a perfectly fried sunny-side-up egg. Around it was a side of tomato pasta, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and salad. The corners of Rei's mouth were quirked up, his chest puffed out with his hands on his hips.

"I must admit, I have outdone myself twice today, if I say so myself! Please feel free to call me the Beauty Butterfly Chef!" As he laughed proudly, Nagisa eagerly picked up his knife and fork.

"Thanks for the meal!" As the blond dug in, Rei's proud face softened into a fond expression. He went to the kitchen and brought back his own smaller portion as well.

In the back of his mind, Rei pondered over Rin's words again. For a long time he left his meal untouched, staring at Nagisa as he wolfed down the hamburger steak. Maybe, just maybe, Rei thought, he had been too nervous the day before to see things clearly. But the Nagisa before him looked perfectly happy, cheeks full of food as they bobbed up and down. Over the years Rei had trained his ability to sense if Nagisa was feeling unwell in any sense—so he was around ninety-five percent sure that whatever was on Nagisa's mind couldn't be a terrible thing. But then again, maybe Nagisa had also gotten better at hiding his feelings as well over the years—for whatever reason that he might feel the need to do so. Feeling curious, the brunet was debating between asking his boyfriend directly and coaxing it out of him later—when the person in question looked up from his plate.

"Rei-chan, why aren't you eating? Everything tastes delicious!" The blond frowned slightly, in a way that resembled Rei's worried frown. "Plus you're being awfully quiet—are you coming down with something?"

"Ah—" Rei blinked, before he smiled casually. "I'm fine, Nagisa-kun—I was just thinking that you seem to be enjoying today a lot. Even though it's the first birthday you've spent away from Iwatobi…"

"But of course I am!" Nagisa replied cheerily. "Rei-chan's been spoiling me left and right today, after all! What more is there to wish for?" In the evening sunlight Rei noticed the food crumbs and sauce around Nagisa's mouth. For a brief moment, he considered getting the gift from his room, but he relented. Something told him that a better time would come later. Clearing his throat, the younger boy reached across the table and, grabbing a napkin from the holder, wiped the food off the blond's face.

"If you eat so quickly, you'll choke, Nagisa-kun," Rei scolded, in a voice that was anything but scolding. "And take bites of your salad in-between, please." For a moment Nagisa stared at Rei, pupils wavering slightly. Then, he cast them down, smiling in a quietly contented way.

"Yeah. I'll try." Before Rei had the time to be stunned, the blond quickly snapped back to his usual boisterous self. "But hurry up and eat, Rei-chan! We've got that bubble bath to get into after this!"

"—All right." Blinking owlishly, Rei returned to his meal—suddenly realizing that his throat had turned dry. He picked up the glass of water next to him and gulped it down, feeling strangely like he was on his first date again.

…

It turned out that the bath wasn't as awkward or embarrassing as Rei had thought it would be. They had a fun time in the small tub, Nagisa ceremoniously spilling half the vanilla bubble bath into the water (he had originally intended to pour all of it, but Rei's shriek thankfully stopped him). It was actually relaxing for the most part, Nagisa purring with content as Rei washed his hair, Rei getting his own hair conditioned into spikes by Nagisa—although the brunet wailed that it was not beautiful when he saw himself in the mirror. At one point Nagisa had pulled out a water gun and started squirting Rei in the face as a surprise attack, but at least Rei had gotten back at him by tickling his sides and making him drop the toy. And at one point, they just sat comfortably amidst the bubbles, Nagisa leaning back against Rei so that the brunet's chin rested in his hair.

Just a few years ago, Rei never imagined that he would be close enough with anyone to share this sort of experience with them. Intimacy had always made him uncomfortable, and before Nagisa he'd always shied away from physical contact. Not that Rei had started to embrace it right away after they started going out—and Nagisa had been surprisingly thoughtful in that aspect. Surprisingly, it was not long before Rei was occasionally initiating physical contact—slipping his hand over Nagisa's, straightening out his frequent cases of bedhead, even kissing the blond first. Even though it hadn't been a common occurrence, Nagisa had looked happy each time, and that in turn had made Rei feel happy as well. And now they were even together like this—even though they had been living together for half a year now, Rei still found himself marveling at the turn of events.

It wasn't just about the physical closeness either. The feeling still struck him from time to time when he looked at or thought of the blond, leaving him dazed in the middle of whatever he was doing then. Something between loneliness and belonging, comfort and nervousness, a sensation that made his throat dry. Between relishing their closeness and wanting to be even closer. And the sudden bouts of happiness that sometimes struck him like bullets and, at other times, crept up on him at the most random times. As he dried Nagisa's hair on the sofa, both of them wearing the penguin-patterned bathrobes from the raffle, Rei thought about it all—and again, what Rin had said to him over the phone.

"Nagisa-kun."

"Hm~?" Nagisa hummed pleasantly as Rei reached behind his ears with the towel.

"Is there anything on your mind that you wish to tell me?" For a moment, Rei heard the humming stop. Then, a casual-sounding voice replied.

"What makes you think that, Rei-chan?" As the blond continued humming, Rei stared at his own hands for a while, which had stopped moving for the moment. "Is there something Rei-chan wants to tell me?" The brunet blinked, as he was suddenly met with Nagisa's curious burgundy eyes peeking out from the fringe of his pale lashes. His boyfriend had tilted his head back so he could see Rei's face—the corners of his lips curved up in a smile. For a moment Rei's mouth fell open slightly—before he smiled back and shook his head.

"It's nothing." He returned to drying the blond's hair, giving it a few more light fluffs before putting the towel down.

"Hmm. Let's put on one of those DVD's now!" Nagisa's grin widened. "It's movie time!" At that Rei's face paled slightly.

"Lights out?" he asked, in what he hoped was a casual voice.

"Yep! It's finally dark outside!"

"…All right." He struggled to keep his voice normal-pitched as the blond happily grabbed a DVD from the stack on the coffee table.

…

"Hyaaaaaahhhh!"

The sound of Rei's shriek filled their dark apartment, as a character lost their head on the screen. Ducking his head behind Nagisa's shoulders, the brunet's hands shook as they held onto his boyfriend's arms.

"…Rei-cha…" As the blond mumbled his name in a relaxed voice, Rei responded in a terse voice.

"N-Nagisa-kun! How are you so calm—"

"Give that penguin…the speedo…" As Nagisa's head nodded and his form slumped forward a little, Rei blinked. Forgetting about the screams coming from the TV, the brunet sat up straight and looked around Nagisa's shoulder. He realized then that the older boy had fallen asleep in his arms—he was now breathing in and out softly, eyes closed as his chest heaved up and down. Blinking, Rei looked up at the clock on their wall—it was already eleven-thirty. Looking back at the blond, he was wondering whether he should wake him or carry him to bed when Nagisa began to stir.

"Mm…eh…I fell asleep?" Sitting up in Rei's arms, Nagisa rubbed his eyes. "Did I miss a lot of the movie, Rei-chan?"

"You couldn't have fallen asleep for more than ten minutes, I think," Rei said, jerking slightly as a particularly ear-splitting scream was followed by the sound of a whirring chainsaw. "To think that you fell asleep in the middle of this ABSOLUTELY UNBEAUTIFUL BLOODFEST!" he yelped, as he ducked his head behind Nagisa's shoulders once more, having glimpsed a particularly gory scene from the movie. "—I am a-absolutely amazed." Nagisa's smile widened.

"Aw, but Rei-chan, it's totally beautiful! Just look at that amazing gory makeup!" As Rei blanched and his arms tightened around Nagisa's stomach, the blond laughed affectionately. "Plus I can 100% count on you clinging to me while we watch—what's not beautiful about that?"

"Th-that isn't beautiful at all!" Rei stammered, ears turning pink. "And I do not cli—hyaaah!" As Rei buried his face in his nape once more, Nagisa giggled.

"That tickles, Rei-chan! But don't worry, we're almost at the end now—" His eyes coincidentally wandered elsewhere, and suddenly he let out a shout. "AHH!"

"HIIIIEEE! Wh-what?!" As Rei yelped, Nagisa stared with surprise at the clock.

"It's already eleven-thirty! And we didn't even do the cake yet!" Crawling off Rei's lap, Nagisa pulled Rei up from the couch. "C'mon, Rei-chan! My birthday's gonna end soon!"

…

Five minutes later, Nagisa sat at the table, a delicious-looking strawberry shortcake with nineteen lit candles before him. The day before, Rei had gone out in the evening to purchase it from a famous Tokyo bakery an hour away from the apartment. After bursting out with delighted surprise and admiring the cake for a good minute, Nagisa looked up at Rei with an expectant grin.

"Well, then! Sing to me, Rei-chan!" At the command Rei coughed, feeling put on the spot.

"B-by myself?" he stammered. The blond's eyes only grew more sparkly as he nodded.

"Of course by yourself, Rei-chan! I haven't heard you sing anything since music period in high school!" He clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Hurry!"

"V-very well then." For all of Nagisa's previous birthdays, Rei had only sung with other people, making sure his less-than-musically-apt voice was the very back of the background. Clearing his throat again, the brunet opened his mouth.

"H-happy birthday to you…" As he sang slightly off-key, Nagisa giggled. Rei shot him a look.

"Do you want me to sing or not?!" Music had never been his best subject—back in high school, the music teacher had always commented that he was singing off-key, or that his transitions in pitch were too stiff and unconnected. Settling down, Nagisa grinned apologetically at Rei.

"Sorry, sorry! Keep going, Rei-chan—I promise I won't laugh!" Sighing, the younger boy went on, trying his best to sing as naturally as possible.

"…Happy birthday, dear Nagisa—" For some reason, Rei's voice grew a little nervous. "—kun~"

"Eeeh~? Did you have to tack the –kun on~?" Nagisa whined. Ignoring him, Rei finished the song.

"Happy birthday to you~!" He clapped somewhat awkwardly as Nagisa leaned forward and blew out the candles.

"Happy birthday to me!" he declared cheerfully. "I wish I can get a real-live penguin for my next birthday!"

"That is absolutely not happening, Nagisa-kun," Rei commented dryly. "And please don't try to kidnap one from the zoo, like last time." He was referring to one of their high school dates to the Iwatobi Zoo—an experience that had created, along with many fond memories, a particularly exhausting one of restraining Nagisa as he tried to climb over the rail into the penguin exhibit.

"Ehh~? You're such a party pooper, Rei-chan!" Pouting, Nagisa turned back to the cake, face brightening. "Oh well! Cake time for me!" Grabbing the plastic knife, the blond began to cut himself a large slice, humming cheerfully. As he did, Rei's palms began to feel a little sweaty—fingers fiddling a little with themselves under the table, the brunet opened his mouth.

"I—have to get something from my room." At that, Nagisa looked up with an excited smile, as if he already knew.

"Go ahead, Rei-chan!" Nodding a little nervously, Rei stood up and went to his room. Several seconds later, he came back with the box wrapped in purple gift wrap and yellow ribbon. As the brunet sat down, scratching his cheek self-consciously, Nagisa's eyes sparkled.

"Can I open it, Rei-chan?" he asked, staring at the box curiously. Rei nodded, blushing slightly. With that the blond untied the yellow ribbon and carefully tore the gift wrap off. He opened the box and saw metal glint atop a velvet cushion.

"Rei-chan…" Nagisa whispered, eyes growing wide. The item was a dainty silver-colored watch, the chain made of circular links with penguin and butterfly charms hanging off it. Even though it probably wasn't real silver, it looked expensive—the blond was already worried that he might scratch it or break it. "You shouldn't have…"

"I—I got it at the aquarium the other day," Rei explained, looking off to the side nervously. He didn't mention that he had taken last-minute extra shifts at his part time job to pay for it. "I—I know I've already gotten you a penguin-themed gift before, but—I saw this and I thought of you and—" He didn't mention that he had the butterfly charms added to the chain at the counter—hoping Nagisa wouldn't ask about the unlikely combination, the brunet nervously turned back towards his boyfriend. The blond was smiling warmly up at him, with a genuinely touched look in his eyes.

"Thanks, Rei-chan. Now I can always wear this like you with your grandpa's watch—we can finally match!" Rei tried to find his voice, to tell Nagisa that technically they wouldn't match, since the aesthetics of their watches were completely different—but when he opened his mouth it didn't come out. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, he tried again.

"I—that is—since it didn't seem like you had a watch—and since this is made of steel, the chains are strong and won't scratch easily, so you could wear it anywhere without—" Somehow, it seemed like his voice was forgetting the words he wanted to say. As if sensing this, Nagisa giggled gently and held his wrist out towards Rei.

"Put it on me?" he asked, eyes sparkling. Swallowing, Rei nodded and reached for the box. Carefully, he unclasped the watch from the cushion. Brushing his fingers against the small of Nagisa's palm, he gently tugged the blond's arm forward so that it was at the appropriate distance. The brunet looped the chain around Nagisa's wrist, clasping the ends together before letting the accessory settle. The light silvery charms shone against the blond's light skin like stars. Their light seemed to almost bounce off Nagisa's eyes, as the older boy stared at the gift with quiet adoration, his lips curved up in a soft smile. There it was again—the expression that Rei had seen during dinner, the one that had taken his breath away.

'I...I didn't answer you right away, though.'

So many things had changed since that time.

'But if you hadn't, where would we be now?'

So, so many things. He wonder if Nagisa knew, just how much the world around him had changed.

'I think I like you, too.'

For Rei, there was no 'I think' anymore. Before his brain could catch up with his heart, he heard the words slip out in a hoarse whisper.

"I love you."

Rei thought he heard Nagisa's breathing stop. Hands shaking under the table, the brunet slowly, fearfully, raised his head. He felt his own breathing stop when he saw Nagisa's face—his cheeks beautifully flushed, burgundy eyes glistening as they stared hard at Rei, mouth fallen open slightly. It looked as if he was going to cry, and for a moment Rei feared that he had made a grave mistake. Panic and dread rushing down his spine, the brunet immediately jerked up in his chair, face burning and paling at the same time.

"I-I mean—I'm sorry! I don't know what got into me—oh god, I'm so sorry, Nagisa-kun! I didn't mean to trouble you, and on your birthday, too—oh god, I'm sorry, I'm so—"

Before he knew it, a body barreled into Rei, almost knocking him over on his chair. Just as the small remainder of his sanity ordered him to grip the table for balance, Rei felt a pair of lips press hard against his. The brunet barely had the time to register that it was Nagisa before the blond slung his arms around his neck and tugged his face closer. Quickly, Rei felt his body temperature rise as Nagisa half-straddled him on the chair, his kisses turning harder, deeper, and more insistent. His half-fried mind recognized the taste of strawberry cake—it seemed Nagisa had gotten in a few bites when Rei went to fetch the birthday present. Groaning with both embarrassment and confusion, the brunet gasped for breath between kisses, face beet-red and hot, hair disheveled from Nagisa's hands gripping it.

"N-Nagisa-kun—mmf! W-wait! Mmf—I just, we—mrf—c-can we please at least—mmf!—talk it out—hnn!" When the blond finally pulled away, Rei heaved a shaky breath as he opened his mouth.

"…ve you too." He blinked as he heard Nagisa's small voice.

"…What?"

"I love you too, you idiot!" Immediately, Rei's eyes snapped wide open with surprise. His boyfriend was glaring up at him with teary eyes and equally flushed cheeks. "What took you so long to say it!? You're stupid, stupid, stupid!" The blond proceeded to punch Rei in the stomach repeatedly—and while it should have hurt in any other context, the brunet couldn't feel any pain at all. Overwhelmed by a simultaneous rush of relief and awe and giddy happiness, Rei struggled internally as to how he should react. In the end, he reached down and placed a hand on Nagisa's face, making the blond look up. Gently, Rei wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, sliding a thumb over his cheek in an affectionate caress.

"I'm sorry." He didn't even know why he was apologizing—all he heard in his head were Nagisa's outburst, over and over. "I didn't—since when…?"

"I don't know!" the blond wailed, as more fat tears leaked out of his eyes. "I just—I really missed you in third year and hated that we got into that stupid fight and then, all of a sudden it's spring again and graduation and you said we should live together in Tokyo and now we're living together and—" Stopping for breath, Nagisa continued. "And even though you nag me all the time about me leaving my stuff around and eating too much junk food I'm just r-really happy that I get to come home to you all the time and—and then I start thinking how nice it'd be if we could stay like this forever and then—and then I realize how much of me I trust you with, and now you're spoiling me left and right because it's my birthday and carrying me around everywhere and before I know it I feel so comfortable around you but at the same time I'm feeling nervous because it's you, Rei-chan, you and that stupid dorky laugh and stupid theories and that stupid soft look you get in your eyes when you smile at me sometimes and—"

"Wait, wait, slow down, Nagisa-kun," Rei said at last, feeling a little faint. "I—I'm honestly feeling overwhelmed—in a good way of course!" he added quickly, as he saw the blond's face furrow with hurt. "But please, for your own sake, calm down—take a few deep breaths first." To the brunet's relief, Nagisa listened to his advice, looking down at his laps and breathing in and out. Almost naturally, Rei looped his arms around the small of Nagisa's back, supporting his boyfriend with one hand while rubbing comforting circles into it with the other.

"—I just—" When Nagisa spoke again, this time in a quieter voice, Rei's ears perked up. "I was worried that—that it wouldn't be the same for you. That you just weren't there yet—that I was just getting ahead of myself." He paused, still not looking up from his lap, sniffing. "That's why, when you asked me if I wanted to tell you anything, I chickened out. I thought that I'd just be getting my hopes up on my own. I was scared, Rei-chan." For a long moment, Rei said nothing in response—his mind thought about the underlying anxiety he himself had felt, the emotions that had swirled deep in his stomach, constantly fighting to breach the surface, whenever he was around Nagisa.

"I know," he murmured slowly, causing the blond to look up. "I think, all along, I was probably scared, too." At that, Nagisa slowly blinked his eyes, before letting out a weak laugh.

"What's with you, Rei-chan?" Raising his hand, the blond dabbed his eyes with his knuckles. "What made you say it today? 'Cause it's my birthday?" Rei paused.

"I think, that probably…" As the words stuck in his throat, he looked away, cheeks starting to flush.

"What? What is it, Rei-chan?" As Nagisa crawled closer into Rei's lap, the brunet froze, brows furrowing nervously.

"But it's embarrassing…" he murmured in a low voice, blush darkening.

"Rei-chan~!" As Nagisa chided him, Rei sighed.

"…It's probably because…" he began in a small voice, looking anywhere but Nagisa. "When I saw how you smiled just now…and at dinner…" He recalled both of Nagisa's quiet contented smiles, and his blush darkened even more. "I thought…that it would be nice, if I could keep staying by your side…and make you happy. And before I knew it, I…spoke." As if to hide his expression, the brunet placed a hand over his face—not pushing his glasses up but letting his fingers stop just under the rims. When he was met with silence, he hastily pried his mouth open.

"Th-this is exactly why I didn't want to say it! I—" When Nagisa grabbed his face and forced him to meet his eyes, Rei stopped short in his words.

"Rei-chan," the blond said, in a serious tone that worried Rei before his next words. "You better take responsibility for that." The lower tone of Nagisa's voice sent chills up Rei's spine—until the blond closed the distance between their lips once more.

Now, unlike the moment before, Rei's hands were firmly on Nagisa's waist as the two of them kissed. He felt Nagisa straddling him fully now, the blond's arms looping around Rei's neck, tugging him closer. His hands ended up tangled in Rei's hair once more as their lips met and their tongues brushed against each other, softly exhaling and catching their breaths in the spare moments. As Nagisa's bathrobe slid up his thigh from moving, Rei felt his hand move there, palming the soft skin and stroking the lithe muscle. His boyfriend felt warm, smelled like vanilla, still tasted of strawberries—it had Rei looping his arm around the blond to draw him even closer, as close as he possibly could. It was then that the front of Nagisa's bathrobe fell a little open—and just like that Rei's hands were reaching inside, brushing up and down against his boyfriend's bare sides as they continued to kiss. Feeling Nagisa shiver slightly with pleasure, Rei scooted closer towards him on the chair—

And heard Nagisa gasp as he nearly fell over. As if on reflex, Rei caught him under his arms and jerked the both of them back, just in time—the two of them bumping their foreheads together in the process.

After staring at each other for a while, both of them burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha—Rei-chan, what are you doing? You almost pushed me off—and right after you confessed to me too! Ahahaha!" As Nagisa wiped his tears of laughter, Rei smiled playfully at his boyfriend.

"Oh, I apologize. Would you have preferred a planned speech with roses, candlelight, and music playing in the background?" he teased, after recalling a certain memory. Leaning forward, the blond lightly bumped his nose against Rei's in retaliation.

"Maybe I would've!" he teased back. "There's no way I'm satisfied with just you, after all!" But he was all smiles, his tone light and playful. Pretending to frown, Rei grabbed Nagisa's cheek and pulled on it gently.

"You're so cheeky, Nagisa-kun." In response, Nagisa pulled out of Rei's grasp and nuzzled him under his chin.

"But that's what you love about me, right?" The blond looked up and was about to tease Rei for his reddening face when a yawn escaped his lips first. Noticing this, Rei sighed and patted his boyfriend's head, fluffing up his hair a bit with affection.

"Let's go to bed, Nagisa-kun." Overhead, the clock on the wall read a minute past midnight. "Happy belated birthday." Letting out another yawn, Nagisa nodded.

"Can we sleep in your room tonight?" When Rei gave Nagisa a look of almost motherly disapproval, the blond added, "We can just cuddle, Rei-chan. Geez, you're such a pervert!" Flushing, Rei averted his eyes from Nagisa as the boy wrapped his arms and legs around him. "My butt still hurts—carry me, my slave!"

"Would you kindly refrain from calling me that!" Wrapping his arms around Nagisa's waist, Rei hoisted him off the chair, carrying the blond to his room.

Once inside, Rei placed Nagisa on his mattress and tucked him in, taking his glasses off and setting them on the dresser before sliding under the covers himself. As soon as he did, the brunet felt his boyfriends arms wrap around his back, the blond burying his face in Rei's chest and letting out a contented sigh.

"Good night, Rei-chan!" In the dark, Rei smiled and wrapped his own arms around the blond. He tugged the smaller boy closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Good night, Nagisa-kun." When everything had been silent for the next fifteen minutes Rei thought Nagisa had fallen asleep. He was just about to drift off himself when a voice spoke up next to him.

"Rei-chan. Can I ask you something?" Blinking, Rei looked down at the blond, now able to make out his face in the dark.

"What is it, Nagisa-kun?" For a moment Nagisa was silent, toes hesitantly curling and uncurling on the mattress.

"I've been thinking...about telling my parents about us." The breath caught in Rei's throat as his eyes widened.

"Nagisa-kun…?" Hearing the surprise in his voice, Nagisa hurried to explain.

"I mean—if you don't feel comfortable with that, than I don't have to tell them now—not right away." He paused. "I've just…been thinking. That I don't want to introduce you as a friend anymore." His arms tightened around Rei slightly. "That I don't want you to come over for dinner when we go back, and have my mom ask you what you think about my sisters. Even as a joke."

"Nagisa-kun…" As Rei murmured his name softly, Nagisa smiled a little.

"You want to hear something cheeky?" He looked up at Rei, placing a hand on the brunet's cheek. "When I first saw you pole vault, I really did think you were beautiful and that you'd be a great addition to the swim team. But even before that, I noticed you were alone all the time—you wouldn't talk to anyone in class, and even at lunch you were eating by yourself. I thought I was doing you a favor by getting you to join the club, so you could learn how to have fun around people and wouldn't be lonely anymore." The blond laughed.

"But in the end, it was the opposite. All that time, you were the one staying by my side, looking after me, telling me not to give up. After I met you, I was the one who didn't feel so lonely anymore. And when I realized that, I kept thinking how lucky I was, to have someone like you with me…and that I wanted to keep you with me, maybe forever." He inhaled slightly, before continuing.

"I don't want to hide you anymore, Rei-chan. Even if my parents disapprove, I'm not going to let go of you. Not when you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." When he was met by a drawn-out silence, Nagisa started to think he had made a mistake. Then he heard a sniffing noise, which caused his head to snap up with alarm.

"Rei-chan…? Are you…?"

"D-don't point it out, please!" Rei protested, his voice sounding a little choked. "Just…just give me a minute…!" In the dark, Nagisa thought he could make out Rei's slightly glassy eyes.

"Aw, Rei-chan~!" Arms tightening around the taller boy, Nagisa inched upwards on the mattress and pressed a kiss to Rei's forehead. "Don't cry~!" Even as he said this, however, he could feel his eyes getting a little damp.

"I-I'm not crying! I just—have dust in my eye—that is all!" The obviously cliché protest only made Nagisa smile, as he blinked his own teary eyes.

"Mmhm...!" For five minutes they just lay there, the blond running his hands up and down Rei's back comfortingly. Then, Rei spoke.

"If that's what you truly want to do, Nagisa-kun, then that is perfectly fine with me." As Nagisa's eyes rounded in the dark, Rei hugged the blond closer to him, a decided expression on his face. "When you do, I'll be there to support you the best I can." Hearing Nagisa's breath come to a stop, Rei hastily added, "I mean, that is, if you want me to accompany you on the occasion—I am perfectly willing to support you in another fashion if that's what you—"

"I love you, Rei-chan!" Nagisa's earnest voice stopped Rei in midsentence. "I really, really love you so much!" Feeling the blond bury his head in his chest and leak tears on his bathrobe, Rei smiled fondly down at his boyfriend.

"I love you a lot, too."

…

When Rei woke up the next morning, his eyes were swollen and his cheeks were hurting from smiling in his sleep. But when Nagisa barged into his bedroom with clumsily made breakfast on a tray and a bright smile on his face, Rei thought that it was already one of the best mornings of his life.

When his cheeks continued to hurt, Rei realized that he had never stopped smiling.

He knew that, from what he and Nagisa had discussed last night, there was sure to be trouble ahead. But for now, he felt that all was right with the world. And with Nagisa, Rei knew that all was sure to be right with the world again.

End Notes: It felt kind of weird writing something without a grand plot (after two long multi-chapter stories), but this was a great break for me. I feel like I've been able to explore Rei and Nagisa's characters a little more through this and I'm glad. Thank you for reading! :3