A/N: Hello there~ This is my first Free! fanfic, and a fluffy Reigisa one at that! I love these cuties! :3 This is told from Nagisa's POV- a bit of a challenge, since I don't usually write in first person. But it was fun to write, all the same! Enjoy!

Lavender

I don't know when it was that I started loving him…All I know is that I've felt this way for a very, very long time. I was always aware that there was something…different between us (at least from my perspective) by the way my heart sped up every time he looked in my direction. But I'd never experienced these sorts of feelings before, and I had no idea what they actually meant 'til much later.

I guess the feelings began to blossom the first time I'd talked to him; even though he'd brushed me off right away, for some reason I found myself staring after him as he ran alongside the train on the way home. I had no idea why I was looking out the window, my eyes frozen to this random boy as he traveled; I'd never talked to him before, and he'd never really caught my attention either. He seemed like the quiet type, with his nose always buried in his book; not usually the sort of person who can handle my company for too long...I'm really chatty, what can I say?

Anyway, this nerdy boy's beautiful (that's his word, I know, but there's no better way for me to describe this cutie!) lavender eyes were always either downcast, usually examining a book or papers of some sort, or looking out into the distance behind his red-framed glasses. I remembered that he was on some sort of sports team, but even so he didn't seem to ever hang out with anyone. He was kind of a loner… but I guess that's what drew me to him. He was so different from the type of people I was usually with, it was really interesting to me.

…Okay, yeah, Haru-chan is kind of a loner, too, at times…but he's a special case. I've known him since we were kids, so I actually know what's really going on inside that water-filled brain of his. At least, I like to think so, though Mako-chan probably knows him better than I do… But I'm getting off-topic again. Sorry, I get easily distracted sometimes, haha!

Now, back to the guy I'm completely in love with.

I'd first talked to him on the train we both took to school. I'd been thinking about our swim club, of course, and the fact that we only needed one more member to make it official. I was gazing around absently when I caught sight of something yellow out of the corner of my eye. I glanced up and there he was, holding a bright yellow book that said "Physical Training" on the cover.

"Ryugazaki-kun?" I questioned as my gaze traveled up to his face; I'd heard his name mentioned once or twice before, and I was happy that I remembered it. His expression was really serious, as usual; he seemed to be deep into his book on "Physical Training"...it sounded kinda boring to me, but hey, to each his own. His lavender eyes shifted to me at the sound of someone calling his name. I smiled, a huge jolt of excitement going through me (though I know now that it wasn't just because he might be a future teammate of mine); maybe he would want to join the swim club! But I didn't want to ask him right away; people seemed to not like the abrupt route very much…I'd scared more than a few people away by being too "up in their face," as Haru bluntly put it. So I'd have to make some small talk first.

"You go to school by train, too?!" I asked, still grinning from ear to ear. He looked like he was pretty strong from participating in whatever sports team he was on; he had to be a great swimmer, too, I was sure!

He just gazed at me silently for a few seconds before responding with a curt "Yes," and going back to his book. I continued to stare at him, expecting him to say more; maybe he was at a really interesting part in his book and just had to finish that paragraph to know what happened, then he would talk to me again. At that point, I hadn't really gotten to know his personality yet, and I'm not really the best at "reading people," as Mako-chan puts it, so I couldn't tell if this boy was the type that would be able to (let alone want to) keep up a conversation with a random kid… but I figured out pretty quickly that he wasn't when his mouth stayed shut. Since I didn't want to have an awkward silence between us (I hate those things…), after a few more seconds I spoke up again.

"Oh by the way…," I said, trying to figure out the best way to phrase my request. I tried to say something different every time I asked someone to join the club; after all, different techniques work on different people. The problem was… I hadn't been able to match the right technique to the right person just yet. Maybe this time it would work. "I wanted to ask you a favor as a classmate…"

"I won't join the swim club." The refusal had left his mouth before I'd even finished my sentence.

"Huh? How'd you know before I said anything?!" I asked, surprised. Had he seen me ask someone else? Although I can't remember noticing him any other time except in class, and I know I didn't ask anybody in that particular class yet. Maybe he'd heard Haru-chan or Mako-chan talking about it? Or…maybe he could read minds! That would have been awesome…kinda freaky, but awesome!

"It was easy enough to guess," he responded, never once taking his eyes off of his book. How anyone can read and have a conversation at the same time, I'll never understand. But I suppose it would be easy for a mind-reader. "…considering the recruiting posters in your bag and those Iwatobi-chan straps you probably plan to give to new recruits."

"Oh…," I said, looking down at my bag guiltily. I guess he wasn't telekinetic or telepathic or whatever…I was just really obvious. I closed the top of the bag a little more, just in case there was another potential member around that hadn't heard our conversation.

"As I mentioned before, I already joined the track team," the boy said, his expression as stoic as ever. A slight frown crossed my face; when did he tell me that? Oh! I had talked to him before! He was in my class, and I'd tried to have a conversation with him one day… only to get the same cold response as I got this time. I guess that was just his personality…

"Goodbye," he said curtly as the train doors slid open, and then he abruptly stepped off.

"Huh? Why?!" I called to him as the doors began to shut. We weren't at the school yet; we were fairly close, yes, but it would still take a while to get there on foot… so why had this crazy guy just gotten off the train?! "The school is the next station!"

As the train started to move, I watched the boy put his book in his backpack and then readjust that on his shoulders. Then…he started to run. Alongside the train. I kneeled in my seat backwards and put my hands and face up against the window so I could watch him go.

"Wow! He runs the last stretch everyday! Haha!" I laughed at this crazy kid. Maybe he was on track; that would explain the running. Hmm… he could do both, right? I was sure that he would be a great addition to the team. I stared after him until the train picked up enough speed that I could no longer see him, and then I clenched my fist.

That settled it; no matter what it took, I would get the lavender-eyed track guy to join the Iwatobi Swim Club. I smiled to myself; now, to think of a way to do that…I could tell that this was gonna be fun!

And so, after a few minor setbacks (like realizing that the guy couldn't swim… heh heh, go figure), I managed to convince Ryugazaki-kun to join the swim club! The first thing I did was change his name to Rei-chan…okay, I didn't actually change the name itself (that's just silly), but changed what I called him. Rei-chan was shorter, easier to say, and it was much cuter, too. Next, we taught him how to swim. It was tough (he tended to sink a lot), but we got through it. A few tournaments and some drama with Rin-chan happened after that, but I'll leave that long, long story for Mako and Haru-chan to tell.

Anyway, everything is fine between the five of us now. Rin-chan is being friendly again, and Rei-chan is an awesome new member of our swim club, not to mention our ever-expanding group of friends! Since we were disqualified from Nationals, things have been pretty quiet around here…

I suppose that's why I currently find myself standing outside Rei-chan's door, waiting for him to come outside so we can go to the movies together. There's a new one about penguins that just came out, and I can't wait to see it! Of course, who better to go with than my best buddy Rei-chan?

Recently, though… I've been thinking of him as a little more than a buddy. I couldn't help it; at first, I thought I was just paying extra-special attention to him because he was still sort of new and I didn't want him to get scared away…but a few days ago I realized that my feelings are a little stronger than that. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who realized it, either.

Gou-chan noticed me watching Rei-chan super-closely the other day during swim practice, and she asked me why I was so concentrated on him. I tried to answer her, but for once…I couldn't find the words. Hard to believe, me not being able to talk, I know. But it was true, and it kinda freaked me out, if I'm being honest. Gou-chan must've seen my distressed face, because she gave me this funny little smile and told me that I should talk to Mako-chan about it. When I asked why, she said that it was because I've been looking at Rei-chan the same way Mako always looks at Haru-chan.

So…I talked to Mako-chan, and he explained everything to me. He said that he always looks at Haru-chan that way ("lovingly," as he put it), because he liked him. Not just liked him as a friend; I mean he like liked him. Remember the distinct difference between those two expressions that you probably learned all the way back in Elementary school? Yeah… well, it was finally time for me to have to use it.

Of course, I knew that Mako-chan had a thing for Haru ever since I started going to school with them again, but I never pointed it out because I didn't know if Haru-chan felt the same way; his emotions are hard to understand, sometimes… But hearing Mako-chan admit it out loud brought up this strange feeling in my gut. As he described how his heart always sped up when Haru-chan came around, how he couldn't wait to see him every day, how he looked forward to watching Haru-chan swim the most, and other things like that, I realized that those were the exact same things I was feeling about Rei-chan.

Quickly, I pieced together the puzzle: I liked Rei-chan. No, I didn't like him; I like liked him. I told this to Mako-chan, who gave me that warm, brotherly smile of his and ruffled my hair. We started to talk about what this meant for the both of us, and that's where we found the problem: we had no idea if Rei-chan felt the same way.

Yeah, his emotions are way easier to read than Haru-chan now since we got to know him, but…there was no way for me to tell whether his blush was from simply being close to me or from embarrassment for messing up on his dive once again. I felt like it was probably the latter; as much as I hated to admit it, Rei-chan had shown no interest in me (or any guy, for that matter) in that sort of way. But Mako-chan, that sweetie, told me he wasn't so sure.

I think he just said that for my sake, because I know that he couldn't tell what Rei-chan was feeling either, but it was nice to hear all the same. He suggested that I try and find out for myself; maybe ask him to go to the fair or to a movie or something and sneakily try and figure out his feelings.

And thus, I'm on Rei-chan's doorstep. My heart's racing, and I wish I could tell it to be quiet for just a few hours…but of course, it won't listen. In fact, this darn thing starts beating faster as I hear my lavender-eyed boy running to get the door!

He's probably running because I might have possibly rung the doorbell about twenty or thirty times in my excitement…But that's beside the point. Before I know it, Rei-chan flings the door open, and I'm almost knocked over by how much more attractive he suddenly appears simply because I figured out that I love this guy to death. He has on dark jeans and one half of a tan, zip-up sweatshirt pulled over a white t-shirt, which I guess he had been trying to put on as he ran.

"Nagisa-kun, are you alright?!" he asks as he tugs the rest of the sweatshirt on. I blink and close my mouth, because I'm pretty sure that it was hanging open a little bit without me realizing it. He looks really worried, that cutie, so I give him a big smile and throw my arms around his waist.

"Of course!" I say as I hug him as tight as I can. Because I'm not a fish (like I'm sure Haru-chan wishes we all were) and actually have to breathe once in a while, I take a deep breath and I'm hit with a wave of "Rei-chan;" it's…kinda hard to describe what that smells like, but it's really good! …And that probably sounds really creepy, but I promise you, I don't mean it in a weird way. I nuzzle into his sweater and he pats my head.

"Well, you were ringing the doorbell like there was some horrible crisis, so I wasn't sure," he replies, and I laugh. He's such a silly penguin…er, butterfly. I mean, guy. A silly guy.

…Love really messes with my brain.

"Nope, I'm just really excited to see this movie!" I don't want to let go, but I know it'll be awkward for Rei-chan to walk if I'm hanging off of him like some sort of weird belt, so I let go of his waist. He gives me a look like he's not sure if I'm really okay, but I just grin back.

"Alright, well… let me just grab my wallet and we can go," he tells me. I nod and he runs back into his house for a few seconds. I can't help jumping up and down a few times, since I'm so excited. Rei-chan comes back outside, locks the door, and then starts off down the street.

"So, this movie is about penguins…," he says, raising one eyebrow and looking down at me. God, his eyes are beautiful…

"Yup!" I reply, but I'm too fascinated by his eyes to say anymore. The sunlight is reflecting off of the lavender color in a way that's so, so pretty I just want to reach up and grab his face and-

"I see," Rei-chan says when I don't say anything else, breaking my train of thought. Which is a good thing, because I swear I'm walking on tiptoes so it's easier for me to reach up and give him a big smooch right on the lips.

Did I mention that his lips look really soft, too? And his cheeks have this little blush on them because the air is kinda chilly and it's absolutely adorable. …Sorry. I really need to stop talking about every little thing that pops into my head. But these are the types of things you notice when you really like like somebody.

Without even thinking, I grab Rei-chan's hand in my own. I quickly look up at him, wondering if he's weirded out, but he just raises an eyebrow again and doesn't say anything. I start to swing our hands as if I was a little kid, hoping that I could make it seem like that's what I wanted to do all along. Of course I didn't want to tug on his hand so that he'd get pulled down to my level and plant a kiss on those cute, soft-looking lips of his. That would be silly.

…Okay, that was a lie.

I've never wanted to do something so much in my entire life.

And yet somehow, we make it to the movie theater without any other odd moments, though I think Rei-chan can tell that I'm being quieter than usual. But he still doesn't say anything. He lets go of my hand to buy the tickets (I gave him some money beforehand, so it's not like he's treating me or anything), and soon we're in the semi-dark theater. It's one of the smaller ones, since the movie had already been out for a long time and the theater had to make space in the big rooms for the new releases. It's totally empty, so we get the best seats- right in the middle of the very back row.

We sit down and I've gotta admit, the silence has gotten kinda awkward at this point… Rei-chan's always been the quieter of the two of us, but I'm too focused on my self control not to kiss him right then and there to start up a conversation. So we just stare at the giant screen and watch the mindless commercials for stuff that we don't care about.

I try to shift in my seat to scoot farther back so I can let my legs dangle; maybe if I focus my attention on swinging them until the movie started, it would distract me a little bit. But when I put my hand down on the armrest between me and Rei-chan, it lands on something warm. I look down and see that Rei-chan's already claimed the armrest…and I just put my hand right on top of his.

"Oh! Ah, haha, sorry, Rei-chan!" I say, a little too loudly for the quiet theater. I pull my hand away as fast as I can and glance up at the adorable face of the boy next to me.

"I-it's fine, Nagisa-kun," he says quickly, but I frown. I heard that stutter. I squint my eyes so I can see him better in the light, and I swear that the blush on his cheeks is back. He suddenly locks eyes with me. "Is there something on my face?"

"No!" I instantly turn back towards the screen and sit back in my seat. Now would be as good a time as any to ask him how he feels about me; there's no one in the theater with us, and the commercials are quiet enough at this point that we can actually have a conversation and hear each other. I open my mouth to say something…

But no words come out. I'm totally speechless; I have no idea how to bring up the subject, let alone ask him… it would be really weird to just ask him straight out, after all. I should've listened to Mako-chan and written out a plan ahead of time…Usually I'm so good at winging things, though, that I didn't think I'd need one this time.

Well…apparently I was wrong.

Rei-chan has moved his arm, so I put mine on the armrest where his just was. It's still warm from his body heat, and I subconsciously squeeze it a little tighter. Now…how in the world am I going to do this? I have to come up with an idea quickly; I'm running out of commercials. Maybe if I-

My train of thought is totally stopped when I feel something warm on my hand. My heart speeds up again, darn that thing, as I look down and see that there's a hand on top of my own. With my eyes, I follow the hand to the wrist it's connected to, then up the arm and finally land on the very familiar face that goes along with it.

"Rei-chan…," I say softly, not sure how to respond. His hand is obviously on top of mine, but the question is why? Maybe he didn't notice that the armrest was already taken. But if that was so, he should've picked his hand up the second it touched mine. I continue to stare at his face, but he's making a point not to look at me.

"I…It, um, it's warm," he tells me slowly, as if he's not sure what to say either.

"Are…are you cold? Do you…want my sweatshirt?" We both know that there's no way my little sweatshirt would ever fit him comfortably. But I'm pretty sure we're just making conversation to avoid the actual thing we need to talk about, i.e. our hands touching each other.

Personally, my brain is so mushy right now with the thought of how good Rei-chan's warm palm feels that I couldn't hold a real conversation if I wanted to.

"No, I'm fine, Nagisa-ku… N-Nagisa."

My eyes widen; he just used my name without the suffix. That's…that's a pretty big step for him. I've never heard him do that unless he was cheering me on at a meet, and that was only because "Nagisa-kun" doesn't fit very well into the chant. So the fact that he just used it, not to mention made a point to use it, was a major thing for both of us.

"Okay…Rei," I say cautiously. He finally locks eyes with me, and he actually looks kind of…nervous. I don't know what he had to be nervous about…unless he really is a mind-reader and can tell what I'm thinking! Uh-oh…I hope he's not mad that I'm head over heels for him.

"Nagisa, there's…something I wanted to talk to you about." His gorgeous eyes are completely serious. I'm starting to get a bit concerned; I hope he's alright and nothing's going wrong at his home or anything like that… I'm not sure what to say, so I just nod.

"Well…" Rei-chan turns in his seat to face me more, so I do the same. I can tell he's trying his best not to look away from me, but his eyes wander every few seconds. They snap right back to mine, though, and he grips my hand a little tighter. "I've been feeling a bit strange lately."

"Oh, no, are you sick?!" Is my precious Rei-chan ill?! I need to take him to a hospital right away if that's the case, and-

"No, Nagisa, I'm…not sick." I let out a huge sigh of relief; thank goodness he's okay. However, he still seems really nervous for some reason. I smile encouragingly at him; I already told him soon after I first met him that if there was anything he ever wanted to talk to me about, I was all ears anytime he needed it.

"Well, you see, I've noticed some strange things that have been starting to occur during certain times," Rei-chan explains, and I sit still and listen as well as I'm able to, though his extra-eloquent speech (that he only uses when he's not sure of something, by the way) makes that kinda hard. "My heart speeds up, my palms start to sweat, and my head gets fuzzy."

I feel the smile slip off my face as I scrunch my eyebrows together; that all sounds very familiar…

"But these things only happen during one common occasion." Rei-chan looks up from where he was staring at our hands (mine's still under his; I haven't had any desire to move it) and looks me dead in the eyes. "They only happen when I'm around you."

My mouth drops again. He can't be serious; he must've talked to Mako-chan or Gou, or Haru-chan or something. Maybe he's just humoring me because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings…

"I…I see," I respond, not being able to think of anything else to say. We're both randomly looking around the theater by this point, and when my eyes accidentally meet his we both turn away as fast as we can. However… I glance down and realize that Rei-chan still hasn't taken his hand off of mine.

"Um…," I say quietly, raising our hands slightly. As much as I want to keep them just like this, I also don't want this really uncomfortable silence to stretch any longer. Rei-chan looks down at our hands, too, but when I start to move mine away he only grips it tighter.

"No!" he says, so loudly that it actually makes me jump. I glance up at his face and his cheeks are so red it looks as if he's suddenly gotten a really bad sunburn. He clears his throat and starts talking at a normal volume. "No, I mean, I… you don't have to move it. I…I, um…"

"…Did you talk to Mako-chan about it?" I ask suddenly; I can't stand not knowing why Rei-chan is telling me these things anymore. My blue-haired cutie's eyes widen, and he stares at me a second before he responds.

"Y-yes, actually."

I nod to myself; I knew it. He must've noticed me staring, so he asked Mako-chan about it. I never expected Mako-chan to blab about my feelings, though, but… I suppose he thought it was for the best. Still…now I really don't know how to respond to Rei-chan.

"Did you…talk to Makoto-Sempai as well?" he asks, and I can't help but raise an eyebrow at him.

"Of course. That's how he could tell you-" I stop talking, realizing that maybe we aren't quite on the same page. "Wait…what did you talk to Mako-chan about?"

"Oh, well, um…my…" Rei-chan bites his lip and stares hard at the ground. It's weird to see him this unnerved. I put my free hand on top of his own and squeeze it gently. His beautiful eyes wander to our hands again and he just stares at them for a few seconds. Then, he takes a deep breath and looks me right in the eyes.

"Mako-chan and I were discussing my f-feelings for you," he says matter-of-factly. My mouth falls open; not only am I impressed that he managed to say that so boldly, but I'm also amazed that he only stuttered once. I heard people confessing their feelings are usually a lot more stutter-y.

Wait.

People confessing their feelings.

Confessing. Their. Feelings.

I…I'm pretty sure Rei-chan just confessed his feelings for me… I can't believe it; after all the inner turmoil I've been through over the past three days trying to figure out what the heck was the best way to do just that, my wonderful Rei-chan just up and says it out of the blue!

It's…it's just…

"No fair!" I blurt out, and Rei-chan jumps.

"W-what?" he questions, looking kinda concerned but also a bit scared. I don't know what my expression looks like, but I don't think it's the one he was expecting.

"You got to say it first!" I say, and he just stares at me. I sigh; why doesn't he understand what I'm saying? "I talked to Mako-chan about that, too, and I had this whole plan- okay, it wasn't really a 'plan,' more of an idea- but I was going to take you to the movies today and then while we were waiting for the movie to start, I was going to confess my feelings for you!"

I clap the hand that was on top of Rei-chan's over my mouth as soon as those words leave my lips. I didn't mean to say that out loud. Okay, so maybe I didn't have an exact idea of how I wanted to do this when I picked Rei-chan up today, but I know that this is definitely how I didn't want it to go.

"C-confessing your f-feelings?!" Rei-chan exclaims, his eyes getting even bigger. It's actually a pretty funny sight (no pun intended; okay, maybe just a little one), but I resist the urge to laugh. I huff and straighten up more in my seat.

"Well, I guess I should do this the right way," I say, putting my hand on top of his again. I look him dead in the eyes, and I admit that I'm kinda starting to get very nervous as I think about what I'm about to tell him. My palms are sweating a little, but Rei-chan either doesn't notice or doesn't care, because our hands stay just where they are.

"Rei-ch-no, Rei. I…I like you. I mean, I don't just like you; I really like you. I mean, I like like you, you know what I mean?"

Oh god please someone shut me up I sound like a five-year-old and I can't even take this right now oh my god why couldn't I just say it instead of adding all that extra stuff and-

I blink. Rei-chan isn't backing away from me or giving me a look like I'm crazy like I thought he would. He's… laughing. Actually laughing. Not just giggling, I mean, like, this is a full-blown laughing fit; he's doubled over in his chair holding his sides with the hand that isn't trapped between mine.

I'm so stunned and still reeling a bit from my confession that all I can do is sit and wait for him to finish.

"N-Nagisa, I'm s-sorry," Rei-chan says once he calms down enough to breathe. He wipes a tear from his eye and focuses his attention back on me. I know that I'm pouting by this point, but I don't care; I want to know why me spilling my heart out to the guy I love is so funny. Said guy suddenly smiles at me, and I immediately can't help but smile back, my attitude disappearing as fast as it came.

Darn him and that smile. I can never be upset when that combination is around.

"Nagisa…you're very cute, you know," my lavender-eyed boy says. I swear that I'm blushing, but I couldn't care less right now; Rei-chan has never called me cute before.

"Thank you!" I reply happily, my heart fluttering at the compliment. I know that most guys don't consider being called "cute" or "adorable" a good thing, but, well… that's kind of my thing; I realized long ago that if I'm gonna be stuck this size, I'd better just accept it. But still… hearing that from the love of my life is a whole new experience.

"Nagisa, I like like you, too," Rei-chan says, his smile widening. I'm grinning so much that my cheeks are actually kinda starting to hurt. "Can I, um…" He trails off and looks at the ground for a second, and then back to me. "Close your eyes."

"Uh, okay," I reply; that's a weird request, especially in a movie theater… I do as he says, though. Just as I'm trying to figure out what he's going to do, I feel something soft press against my lips.

I can't help it; I open my eyes to see if this is really happening. My gorgeous boy is pressing his soft (oh my god, are they soft) lips to my own. I cautiously reach up to run my fingers through his hair to make sure that this is actually real life.

Yup. It's real, alright.

Just as I close my eyes to enjoy the kiss even more, Rei-chan pulls away. His expression is a combination of happy, unsure, and obviously worried that I was going to get mad at him and slap him across the face.

"Nagisa, I-"

"I love you," I cut him off before he has a chance to explain. I take in a quick breath; even I'm surprised at how easily that came out. Rei-chan looks completely taken aback. A humongous grin spreads across my face again, and I finally release his hand…only so I can throw myself around his neck.

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!" I chant, nuzzling up to him like a penguin would nuzzle up to its husband. He starts laughing again, and I have to say, that's one of the best sounds I've ever heard. He hugs me back, and his arms feel so warm and safe wrapped around my waist.

"I love you, too," he says quietly into my ear when he's finished laughing. A shiver runs down my spine, and I grab his face and plant a big kiss right on his lips. It's not very long, but I put all of my feelings into that little kiss; apparently, so does he, because it feels like electricity is running between us.

A little reluctantly, I pull away after a few seconds. Rei-chan and I stare into each other's eyes, and I never thought that I could love someone so much in my life. We share another small laugh of pure happiness that our feelings are finally out in the open, and then suddenly the lights dim and the music gets louder.

I turn around to face the screen as the previews start to roll, but I make sure to grab Rei-chan's arm and snuggle up to it as much as I physically can. He kisses the top of my head, and I wiggle a bit with excitement.

I can finally call this lavender-eyed boy "mine."

And I have to say…it's a beautiful feeling.

A/N: Please comment and let me know what you think; I would love some feedback on this! :)