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A gust of cool air rushed by, causing Rei to unconsciously bring his scarf up to his chin. The sun had already set, the once orange painted sky replaced with a dark void graced with the presence of thousands of stars. The only sounds that could be heard were the crunching of leaves on the ground and the gentle breaths of a certain blonde not too far away.
Nagisa had insisted that they take a late night stroll around the park, claiming that ever since the pool was deemed too cold to swim in, the days they spent together were too far and few in between. Of course none of that was true, Nagisa still often went home with his companion as if nothing had changed.
Rei muttered lightly under his breath, wondering why Nagisa chose out of all activities to walk around in the frigid cold. He would much rather be buried under a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate than wandering an empty park at a ridiculous hour.
“Rei-chan, are you alright?” Rei’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Nagisa’s voice perturbed the calm air. Giving a small nod, Rei replied, “I’m fine… just cold.”
“I’ll warm you up then!”
And before Rei could interject, a warm arm was quickly linked around his. “Better?” Nagisa asked, smiling up at him. It was hard to feel any sort of negative emotion when a smile as endearing as that was being offered. “A-ah… yes, thank you, Nagisa-kun…” The smaller boy simply nodded his head, making sure to stay as close as he could to his companion.
It was times like these that baffled Rei the most. He could surely have come up with a logical reason as to why his face burnt up or his heart beat at an abnormal rate when Nagisa did something so little as give him affection… but his thoughts were inconclusive. Maybe it was because of the way his eyes lit up when he looked at him, or how everything that came out of his mouth was so genuine and vibrant that Rei found himself becoming more and more drawn to his company as the days passed.
The feeling of another body pressed against his side felt surprisingly relaxing. In truth, he probably would have resisted had anyone else tried to act this affectionate with him. Such familiarity between them was to be expected though, as the two practically spent all of their free time together. Beforehand, no one had ever attempted, or tried hard enough to become a part of Rei’s life… that is until Nagisa came along. Here was this beautiful, passionate boy next to him that had managed to weasel a way into his heart and it made Rei feel vulnerable. And yet, a small part of him wished that their arms would stay linked like that forever.
“Hey, Rei-chan.” The bespectacled teen, having been lost in his thoughts again, jolted at the sudden sound. “Y-yes?”
“Look.” Rei shifted his gaze down to rest his amethyst eyes on Nagisa, he looked absolutely stunning.
“What?”
Nagisa pointed his free hand up towards the night sky. “The stars… they’re beautiful aren’t they?”
Rei had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t even notice the thousands of stars that danced above their heads. Allowing a few seconds to take everything in, he remarked, “Indeed, they are…”
But not as beautiful as you.
“We should go get a better view!” The warm arm that was once around his slid out of place, and immediately Rei felt a smaller hand intertwine with his.
“Let’s go Rei-chan~!”
“Nagisa-kun wai-“ but before he could finish his sentence, the blonde had began to bolt, pulling his companion along with him.
Wind rushed through Rei’s hair as he fought to keep from tripping over the uneven grass that covered the park. His eyes narrowed, trying to fixate his gaze on where they were headed. He felt himself begin to incline, and then he realized that they were running up a hill. There was something about running with Nagisa in the dead of night, the feeling of his heart racing as he sprinted blindly to the top of the hill that invigorated him. And then he realized… this must be how Nagisa feels every day. That free-spirited feeling, like anything is possible. Rei watched the blonde curls ahead of him flow freely in the harsh winter air, and the way they caught the light from the moon was striking.
Before he knew it, they were both at the top of the hill, the night sky and all of its beauty before them. Rei’s concentration was interrupted by the sounds of panting from approximately 6 inches away. “Nagisa-kun…” He started, trying to see if the worn out boy was alright. Nagisa’s stomach was heaving, but he looked just as happy as he did before they began their run.
Without saying anything Nagisa plopped down on the grass, bringing rei down beside him. Now both of them were lying in the grass, their hands clasped together. Their cheeks were red and they were still trying to catch their breaths.
A few minutes passed in silence, the pair finding solace in the sound of each other’s breathing. If it wasn’t so cold, Rei probably could have been lulled to sleep.
Nagisa’s free hand absently twisted and picked at the fresh grass as he paid the sky his undivided attention. The other teen glanced to look at him, and his heart nearly stopped. The first thing he noticed was the way Nagisa’s cerise eyes reflected and captured the essence of the starry sky above. His eyes were opened wide as if blinking would cause him to miss something important. His lips were parted slightly, catching a shine from the moon. His ears and cheeks were a bright pink and his unruly golden curls were laid out on the icy grass. And Rei swore that he was more beautiful than any of the twinkling stars surrounding them.
Without hesitation, Rei gave Nagisa’s hand a gentle squeeze in appreciation. Without Nagisa, Rei would have never joined the swim club. He wouldn’t have these memories that were so precious to him or the emotions that came with them. For all of this, Rei loved Nagisa unconditionally.
The smaller boy tilted his head, focusing his gaze on Rei now. Their eyes locked and for a moment the world stopped spinning. On that winter night, it seemed as if they were the only two people on Earth. Nagisa squeezed Rei’s hand back, and the smile he gave him was the most beautiful Rei had ever seen.
Feeling his cheeks heat up, Rei quickly broke eye contact to settle his gaze back to the sky. It wasn’t fair that Nagisa could have this much of an effect on Rei’s state of mind.
As Rei tried to focus on all of the different constellations, he felt an arm drape over his chest and he had to stifle a gasp as a head rested on his shoulder moments later.
“Tell me about the stars, Rei-chan…”
Rei had to wait a few moments for his heart to stop racing before replying. “Alright…” he began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before continuing. “Do you see those two bright stars right next to each other?” Nagisa scanned the sky and once he spotted them, gave a small nod. “Those are Castor and Pollux, they represent the heads of the twins in the Gemini constellation.”
“Where is the penguin constellation?” “
It doesn’t exist…” Rei countered.
“That’s no fun!” the blonde exclaimed, giving the other a small pout. Rei rolled his eyes good naturedly, moving his arm to support Nagisa so he could stay in place on his chest. He didn’t know what compelled him to do that, but it just felt natural to be holding him there.
“Do you see that star right there?” Nagisa pointed up. “The really bright one to the left?”
“Yes, what of it?” Rei replied.
“That’s you, Rei-chan.” Rei froze in place, his cheeks turning a shade of red he didn’t think was humanly possible before sputtering, “T-that’s preposterous! Stars are made out of primarily hydrogen and helium whereas humans are-“
But before he could finish, something warm and soft pressed against his lips. A small sound of surprise escaped from Rei’s lips as Nagisa gently kissed him. He didn’t resist, however, despite how flustered he was.
A few moments passed before the blonde pulled away, his face shaped into a warm smile. “You talk too much.”
“Nagisa…kun” he spoke quietly, still in shock from what just happened. “You make me so happy, Rei-chan.” The smaller boy leaned down and nuzzled his face into the crook of Rei’s neck, causing Rei’s heart to palpitate.
“Nagisa-kun…” Rei began, waiting for a response.
“Hmm?” Nagisa mumbled, playing with the other boy’s scarf.
“Thank you… for everything”
“Eh?”
“Because of you, I’ve been able to experience so many wonderful things… and feel things that I didn’t think were possible to feel. So thank you, truly.”
Nagisa squeezed his arms around Rei, a genuine grin on his face. “I love you, Rei-chan.”
“I love you too, Nagisa-kun.”
Those were the last words uttered that night as the two drifted off to sleep, their bodies enough to keep each other warm in the winter night. Rei’s last thought before dozing off was that he never wanted this closeness with Nagisa to fade away. He had created a place in his heart for him, and he wanted that place to continue being filled with memories like tonight and the day after.
Until the world stopped spinning.