His Smile // Reigisa

Chapter 3

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Snacking was Nagisa's method of dealing with boredom. Snacks and naps. But mostly snacks. And boy, did he eat a lot of snacks.

Rei seemed bewildered by this. As a star athlete and nutritional mastermind, he followed a strict food regimen. He ate exactly 3 square meals a day, with one single granola bar before track to give him energy.

"I just can't understand how you can eat so much and still keep your slender form," Rei inquired.

Nagisa blushed slightly at the comment, pleased that Rei had been paying such careful attention to his figure.

"I swim a lot," Nagisa answered simply, pulling yet another Iwatobi roll out of his bag.

Rei groaned. "That's your third one since we've started this lesson Nagisa-kun! Don't you think you've had enough?"

Nagisa struggled to reply, his mouth full of his favorite snack. He suddenly felt sheepish. Rei's eyes looked at him curiously. He seemed to be annoyed, but the tiny smile at the edge of his lips said otherwise. Nagisa's heart skipped a beat.

"Buh Rei-haan, ih ho hoood..." Nagisa whined.

Rei let out a sigh. "Nagisa-kun, what am I going to do with-" He paused, his face scrunched up tightly. The sudden change in expression shocked Nagisa so much that he swallowed the bread whole.

"Nagisa-kun, there's something on your..."

Nagisa sat in shocked silence.

"Uh, w-well there's just... a little..." Rei sighed, defeated, and extended his hand to Nagisa's cheek. His face was calm and concentrated.

Nagisa's heart was doing somersaults, his brain failing to keep up with what was happening. Rei had such a gentle touch, his fingers softly brushing a bit of bread crumbs off the corner of his mouth.

"Got it," Rei muttered. His eyes seemed a little unfocused, maybe even dazed. The look in his eyes made Nagisa turn even pinker. His heart was racing, faster than it ever had before. Rei's touch, his look, was absolutely electrifying. This was becoming a problem fast.

Nagisa reached out and put his hands on Rei's shoulders. He wasn't aware of the motion at all until it happened. His arms just moved by themselves like clockwork- it just felt natural.

Rei swallowed. Nagisa noticed that he seemed to be shaking under his touch. Neither of them really had any idea what was happening. The air felt electrified around them as they sat in silence. Time crawled by. Nagisa couldn't tell how long the two had sat like that.

"Butterflies," Rei choked suddenly. The spell that held Nagisa weakened a little, but the tension remained.

"What?"

"Butterflies in the stomach. Commonly associated with feelings of anxiety and love. The stomach muscles become extra-sensitive during the fight-or-flight response, contributing to the sensation known as butterflies. Neurons along the brain-gut axis let the stomach know when we feel anxious. Butterflies and the fight-or-flight response may serve an evolutionary function. It has also been linked to feelings of romantic and sexual attraction, although scientists haven't quite been able to pinpoint why."

Nagisa froze. Butterflies? Why is he going on about butterflies?

Then he remembered.

"Oh Rei-chan," He sighed before succumbing to a fit of giggles, his head plowing into Rei's shoulder.

Rei gasped, startled. There was only a moment's pause before Rei wrapped his arms around Nagisa's torso, awkwardly chuckling. Clearly, he didn't know why Nagisa was laughing, but he laughed along with him anyway. This only intensified Nagisa's hysteric giggles.

Rei sighed. "Nagisa-kun, you confuse me to no end. I just cannot figure you out. You're... an enigma."

Nagisa looked up from Rei's shoulder, tears streaming from his eyes. "Is that a good thing?"

The boy smirked slightly, looking down to look the blonde in the eyes.

"I'm not really sure yet," he mused. "I'm not really sure."

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Oh my god I FINALLY got to writing this! I hope it isn't too short and I hope you all like it!