Note: Here's a brief omake(?) for the story. I don't know, I thought it should be posted separately from the main chapter. Enjoy!

They were sitting on Nagisa's bed, backs propped up against pillows—Nagisa curled contentedly against Rei's side and Rei's arm around the blond's shoulder. It was late in the afternoon—they had fallen back asleep after brushing their teeth, both of them fatigued from the night before. They'd woken around noon, had lunch in the Hazukis' kitchen, and had come back upstairs to talk, about everything. When they had first fallen for each other, the things they had felt apart from each other in college, the packages they had sent each other, their conversations over the phone from Tokyo to Iwatobi and back.

"I saved all the postcards and key chains you sent me," Nagisa said, smiling contentedly as he traced circles on Rei's arm with his finger. "I put them all in that marine cookie tin you gave me."

"The one with the penguins?" Rei recalled, lips curving into a smile as well. "I thought you would like it."

"I love it," Nagisa said sincerely, and Rei's stomach flipped happily. "I love everything you ever sent me—and I love reading your letters. I kept them all too." They were neatly folded and secure in a manila envelope, safe at the bottom of the cookie bin. Rei's cheeks flushed pleasantly as he hummed in response. "That was one of the few good things about the distance. I was so excited whenever one of your packages came to my house. They made things much more bearable." For a moment, Rei hesitated, before opening his mouth.

"—There was another reason I wanted to confess to you after college." Nagisa looked up curiously. "Even if I confessed early and you had accepted—I was scared that our distance would break our relationship." Rei smiled faintly. "That was why I was going to do it after graduating—but in the end, I guess I couldn't wait that long either." Emotion swelled in Nagisa as the blond huddled closer to Rei, burrowing himself in his side.

"It's too late," he murmured, with his cheek against Rei's chest. "Now that you've officially swept me off my feet, you're stuck with me for good." His voice was earnest as he continued. "You're not getting rid of me with just the distance—I'm not going to let you." Rei's expression melted—smiling playfully, the brunet poked Nagisa in the side.

"Just yesterday, you were concerned that we would all leave you behind in Iwatobi," he said teasingly. "Where did this confidence come from, I wonder?" Frowning slightly, Nagisa stuck his tongue out at Rei.

"Things are different now!" he said indignantly. "At least, they will be—I'm going to be bothering you guys a lot more often with 4 am calls—just wait!" He grinned at Rei. "And it'll all be thanks to you, Mr. Whatever-am!" Flushing, Rei flicked Nagisa's forehead lightly.

"If you're going to call, do it at reasonable hours," he scolded. He paused, then spoke again. "Unless it's an emergency, of course. In which case—" Giggling, Nagisa leaned up and kissed Rei on the cheek.

"Thanks, Rei-chan. Either way, I'm going to be calling you a lot more often now." While Rei tried not to look too pleased, Nagisa smiled and tucked himself back under his arm. "If I'm 'a person people part reluctantly from', then you'd miss me tons, right? It's the least I can do!" he added, grinning cheekily. Instead of making a retort, however, Rei just stared down at him for a while. Nagisa was wondering whether he had said something wrong, when the brunet spoke.

"At our graduation ceremony—" Nagisa's ears perked up. "It hit me that we were really going to part ways for college. So, in the beginning—I thought about confessing my feelings to you. And I almost did—almost." As the blond sat up, Rei's eyes grew far away, as if reminiscing the past. "But then, at the school gate, when I hardly expected it—I myself was confessed to." Hearing this, Nagisa drew in a small breath—letting it out, he timidly spoke up.

"And then, Rei-chan? What happened?" he asked. His thoughts flickered to the object sitting in his dresser, buried deep in a drawer's corner.

"She was a second year—I remember her bow color was blue. She said that she saw my performance at the relay during nationals—she told me that she admired how hard I'd worked to get there. She called me 'smart' and 'handsome', and someone who she'd looked up to from a distance." Biting back his sudden jealousy, Nagisa smiled and nodded against Rei's chest.

"All true," he said, delighting in the way that made Rei blush. "Except she probably didn't know what a nerd you actually are."

"Nagisa-kun—" Nagisa giggled at Rei's reproachful voice. Sighing, the brunet gave him a look before continuing.

"Anyhow…I turned her down, of course. But when I saw how anxious she looked—I confess I saw something of my own self in her." Rei reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Nagisa's ear. He let his hand fall, thumb caressing Nagisa's cheek gently. "It occurred to me how it must have been the last chance for her, to convey her feelings—how nervous she must have been, and the kind of courage it must have taken her in the face of possible rejection. And when I thought that—I found myself sympathizing with her." He smiled ruefully. "In the end, I didn't have half her courage—and I couldn't bring myself to tell you how I feel. I was sure it would ruin our friendship for good, if you didn't return my feelings."

"…" To that, Nagisa had no answer. His mind recalled himself from just over a year ago—how he had been afraid of the same thing for so long, even before then. When he was silent for a long moment, Rei's eyes turned on him worriedly.

"Nagisa-kun?" Nagisa sat up and turned on the bed, his feet landing on the floor.

"Wait here." With that, he got up and walked to the set of drawers next to his desk. Kneeling down, he drew out the bottom-most drawer and reached deep in it, rummaging for something. When he found the object, he closed his fingers around it and fished it out. Closing the drawer, he got up and returned to the bed, crawling back onto the mattress.

"Rei-chan, do you remember Mike and Catherine?" he asked, making Rei blink.

"—Ah," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a rueful smile. "The recruitment program we made up in our second year—how could I ever forget?" He knew Makoto was still haunted by what had happened afterwards, with the entire team forcing him to cross-dress. And Nagisa—remembering how cute the blond had looked in his wig and skirt, Rei cleared his throat with embarrassment. "A-anyhow—what about it?"

"Here." Without directly replying, Nagisa pulled Rei's hand towards him. In his palm, the blond dropped a small object, and lifted his hand away. Rei's eyes rounded when he saw the button from their high school blazer. If it had come from Nagisa's room, then…

"I was going to give it to you, at graduation." Nagisa shrank into his shoulders shyly. "At first, I thought of playing it off as a joke—but then I thought about how you were going to Tokyo. How it was our last day of high school together, and I wouldn't see you as often anymore. So then I—sort of decided that I would give this to you, and confess for real." He paused. "But before I could give it to you, I saw you with that second-year girl." Rei's eyes widened at the revelation.

"I—you saw us? I had no idea…" Nagisa nodded.

"I guess—I felt the same way you did," he said, his eyes on the single yellow button that he'd hidden away for so long. "After I saw you reject that girl, I was scared—that I would get rejected too, in the same way. I'd already ripped it off my blazer and everything—but in the end, I couldn't give it to you. And it's been stuck in my drawers ever since."

"…Nagisa-kun…" Rei said slowly, his cheeks tingeing pink for some reason. "Does that mean—did you hear our entire conversation?" Nagisa blinked, before he shook his head.

"There were some seniors passing through the gate then—I only heard you say sorry to her." He looked at Rei curiously. "Why?"

"…At the time, I said…" Rei cleared his throat, readjusting his glasses. "That my heart was already set on someone else. And that I was sorry, but I couldn't return her feelings." His cheeks were red beneath his palms, almost matching the shade of his glasses. Nagisa's eyes widened, his own cheeks mirroring Rei's blush.

"…You did?" he asked, surprised. Rei nodded, ears turning warm.

"Although I couldn't act on my own words at all…" he murmured bashfully. "—So you didn't hear…"

"No," Nagisa replied, voice small. "I didn't." Suddenly feeling too warm, he scooted a little away from Rei, drawing his knees to his chest. "How can I say it…we're both scaredy-cats, aren't we? And yet—here we are." Rei only hummed in reply, unable to say anything to that. They both sat in silence for some time, before Nagisa spoke up.

"Rei-chan." Rei looked down at the blond. "Can I—now that I've given you mine—can I have yours?" Nagisa paused. "Your second blazer button?" He stroked his mattress absently with his finger. "When…when we performed that recruitment program…and Catherine asked Mike for his second blazer button…she really meant it." He turned and looked Rei in the eye earnestly. "Can I have it, Rei-chan?" Feeling that he was asking for more than just a button, Rei's face settled into a tender smile.

"Of course." His own blazer was still at his parents' house. "It's always been yours to take." His fingers curled around the button in his hand. "I'll take good care of yours as well, Nagisa-kun." When he heard these words, Nagisa smiled fondly as well.

"It'll be in your care then." He crawled closer to Rei, setting a hand on his thigh for support. He looked up as Rei looked down and they shared a soft kiss. Rei's hands tangled in Nagisa's hair as Nagisa's arms wrapped around Rei's neck, their legs tangling warmly on the mattress.

There was nothing to burn a hole anymore. And Nagisa couldn't be more content.

-Fin.

Note: Thank you for reading~ If you have any comments or questions, leave them here or feel free to message me at my Tumblr (I have the same username, point0k).