Nagisa tucked his long hair behind his ear, looking down at the ground. "Look at me when I talk to you, Nagisa!" his mother screamed. This was the third time this week she had gotten angry over school. She was supposed to take him clothes shopping, and he had avoided it for a good few months after school started.
He looked up at his mother and nodded. His eyes were fixed on her, but he was somewhere else entirely. He didn't want to wear women's clothes, or have his hair this long. He just wanted to continue his last year of school as a boy, not a girl. He was sick of fighting with her. He let her continue to yell, and when she finally calmed down, he walked out of their front door to school. He was already late, but he didn't care. No school punishment could compare to his mother's punishments.
He bounded up the steps to the street, pushing his hair back while the wind blew it forward in return. He was just about to reach the top step, when a familiar face popped out at him.
"Aaugh!" Nagisa yelped, almost falling backwards, and down the few stairs it took to get to the road. His friend grabbed his wrist, pulling him upward. Nagisa let out a breath, holding back a wince of pain as Karma gripped his wrist. "What are you doing here, Karma?"
Karma was Nagisa's only "friend" at this point. He had just got sent to the End Class, and Karma chose to stay beside him, even though he was still in the A-Class. He was really grateful to the redhead; he valued their friendship over everything. He tried to release his wrist, but karma gripped tighter. Nagisa grimaced, and the taller boy let go.
"I was waiting for you. Sorry about your…" he paused. "You've got to stop doing this to yourself, Nagisa. You know you can come to me if you need anything." His voice faltered slightly at the end. He hid it well, but Nagisa was no fool. Karma turned and shook his head, walking down the road. He tried to tell the smaller countless times not to give into his mom, but he knew he had no control over him in the end. He sighed out his frustrations. "Anyways, you didn't come to our meeting place, so I came here. Your mom didn't see me though, I was extra sneaky," he chided, smirking at Nagisa.
The two boys met up every day before school so they could walk together. "Sorry," the blue-haired boy started out. "Got caught up in something." He tried to shrug it off, like Karma did about the self-harm issue. Karma, however, wasn't having it.
"Nagisa-" he cut himself off. The last thing he wanted to do was make Nagisa think he was mad at him. He opened his mouth again. "Nagisa," he started again, looking back at the other who was trailing behind him. "I care about you, okay? Even if your mom doesn't, I do. I really do. You're my- my best friend," He choked out.
"Hey, Karma, you don't have to get so worked up… I was just being stupid, alright? I'm not going anywhere-" he was cut off by Karma's warm hands on his waist. It felt good in the Autumn air. Karma buried his face in Nagisa's neck. "Hey-"
"I can't control you, but just don't be stupid, Nagisa. I mean it," His last sentence was sharp. He exhaled quickly.
"Yeah, I won't… So can you- um, stop hugging me now? We're in public, Karma." The blue haired boy looked away, avoiding stranger's gazes.
Karma hummed, teasing. "Aw, you know you like my affection, Nagi~" He practically purred, followed by a yelp from Nagisa's fist hitting his head. He backed off, holding his head. "Jeez, didn't have to hit me that hard," he joked, sticking his tongue out. He started their walk to school again, breath puffing in the cold. "I'll race ya there, slowpoke," he chimed, running with a head start.
"Karma!" he called after the taller boy. "That's not fair!" He took off after him, hair fluttering in the cold wind. He felt something cold and wet against his scarf, as he ran. Placing his hand on it, he smiled. A blush rose to his cheeks and he tried to hold back a laugh as he ran after the redhead. 'Thank you, Karma,' he thought. He would have a lot of fun spending the next few days in detention with him for being tardy.