[ it's kind of funny, but this really answers more questions than it poses for Nagisa. sure, he had freaked out originally, because telling anyone your feelings is hard to do, and he's only ever really done it once. and that one time wasn't even legitimate, it was the Landlord fucking with him. maybe part of why he had been scared going into this whole day, and even before Rei had texted him (which had prompted to sort of semi-avoid Rei in the first place) is because he didn't want that to happen again. to just "wake up" at the stroke of midnight and realize this had all been a big joke and that something he's wanted to have be special for forever is now messed with, again. but he hadn't been lying when he'd told Rei his feelings had started well before all that. he doesn't know if it was day one, or after some certain point had taken place, or what, but he knew it was there and it was only a matter of how it would come out.
he still has his worries, but all the confusion and stress is gone. he's always known guys were a preference (certainly not necessarily an EXCLUSIVE preference, because dang, sometimes, girls tho), a notion only solidified by the fact that as a young and awkward budding pre-teen he had spent far too much time making googly eyes at Haru, also decidedly male. (even if he did blab at home "I'm going to marry Haruka-chan" where his sisters could hear it and they said "who's haruka, probably an UGLY GIRL"... that's not the point. he IS an ugly girl, which is why he's a boy. duh). so this just makes sense. he's had a lot of never-quite-made-it crushes since then so this is such a relieving breath of fresh air. Rei was easy for him to be around, to be himself around, since the day they became friends. what else do you really need??
when he comes back he's somehow managed to become even giddier, a respectable pair of jeans, a yellow button-up shirt, a black sweater vest (along with pink polkadotted socks and underwear poking out from under his arm, completely mismatched), and one of his nicer pairs of trainers all wadded up over his arm. under his other arm is his science textbook—he didn't make any effort to grab the others. he starts to hand the book over so he can stuff the clothes in his backpack but pauses, noting the look on Rei's face. ]
Re: the taste of his strawberry lipsmackers
he still has his worries, but all the confusion and stress is gone. he's always known guys were a preference (certainly not necessarily an EXCLUSIVE preference, because dang, sometimes, girls tho), a notion only solidified by the fact that as a young and awkward budding pre-teen he had spent far too much time making googly eyes at Haru, also decidedly male. (even if he did blab at home "I'm going to marry Haruka-chan" where his sisters could hear it and they said "who's haruka, probably an UGLY GIRL"... that's not the point. he IS an ugly girl, which is why he's a boy. duh). so this just makes sense. he's had a lot of never-quite-made-it crushes since then so this is such a relieving breath of fresh air. Rei was easy for him to be around, to be himself around, since the day they became friends. what else do you really need??
when he comes back he's somehow managed to become even giddier, a respectable pair of jeans, a yellow button-up shirt, a black sweater vest (along with pink polkadotted socks and underwear poking out from under his arm, completely mismatched), and one of his nicer pairs of trainers all wadded up over his arm. under his other arm is his science textbook—he didn't make any effort to grab the others. he starts to hand the book over so he can stuff the clothes in his backpack but pauses, noting the look on Rei's face. ]
Rei-chan?