After Korosensei had told them all the truth about his past, the mood had been weird. With all that had already happened that day, his teacher's backstory was near impossible to fully comprehend. Nagisa could only describe the feeling it left as hollowness. After all they'd been through, thinking of Korosensei as a monster they had to kill for the good of the earth, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Defeated, Nagisa had collapsed straight into bed and fallen asleep for what felt like years. Despite how uncomfortable he was recently, usually taking at least an hour before his body was comfortable enough to relax, the emotional toll had won out that night. Kayano had been taken to hospital after Korosensei's speech, though Nagisa was sure she wouldn't be in any real danger. He tried to remind himself that being medically monitored wasn't the end of the world.

Even after a night's rest, Nagisa didn't feel much better. Suddenly, assassination felt fundamentally wrong. Killing had come so naturally to him, his secret talent… but Korosensei didn't deserve to be killed. Then again, if he wasn't their target, then what had they been doing all year? The idea of reverting back to a regular student/teacher relationship sat uncomfortably with him.

At breakfast, Nagisa played with his rice, swirling it around the bowl with his chopsticks aimlessly. It seemed like the first time in his recent memory he wasn't hungry. Unfortunately, that probably wouldn't last very long.

"What are you, a little kid?" Asano commented from across the table.

It was actually pretty rare that they'd eat together. Most of the time, Asano was closed off, electing to say in his own room. Aside from studying, and the few times Nagisa had hung out with him in there, he had no idea what he did there… inventing some kind of plot, probably. Nagisa had been surprised to see him already sipping on his tea, that morning, as Toboso finished preparing the food.

"I'm sorry," Nagisa said, pushing the bowl away from him. "I can't eat anymore."

He cocked his head. "Did something happen?"

Was this Asano's friendship? It still felt a little strange, speaking to him like he would anybody else. Though, Nagisa still had to hold himself back. There was no way he could explain that one of his best friends had been living with a false identity all year, had tried to murder their teacher, and was now in hospital recovering from the weapons she'd implanted into her own body. He was under written agreement with the government that he wouldn't disclose basically any of that information.

"I'm just tired," Nagisa decided on, "end of term, and everything."

Asano pushed his own bowl forwards, signifying he was done. "About that," he exhaled heavily, "my father's being… strange."

"O-oh?" Nagisa had wondered if anything had changed, after everything at school had gone down the way it did.

"Today's Christmas," he announced, as if Nagisa didn't know the date. Though he'd never celebrated it, it was hard to miss the apparel everywhere. "My father says he'll be here this afternoon, until after the New Year."

Funnily enough, Nagisa's first reaction was happiness for Asano's sake. Though he didn't show it, Nagisa could see underneath the surface that really, he yearned for a normal relationship with his father. Though, actually being present in his own home for more than an hour shouldn't be such a revelation. Regardless, it showed some kind of willingness to spend time with his son. Perhaps he really was turning his act around, after all.

"I didn't think he'd be the type to care about Christmas," Nagisa said.

Asano shrugged. "He picked it up back in his college days in America, apparently. Anyway," he looked slightly nervous, "unless you want to stay completely silent in your room for several days…"

He understood. Though, it didn't freak him out as much as it probably should've. Nagisa's brain had had enough shock go through it to last a life time, these last few days, so he supposed there wasn't any capacity for panic left in there.

"Don't worry," Nagisa said cheerfully, "I'll sort something out."

"I'm sorry about this," Nagisa said, small bag of possessions thrown over his shoulder.

Karma leant against the doorframe. "You look like a stray puppy with fleas."

Ignoring the fleas part, he had a point. Nagisa just sighed, and took a step inside Karma's house, once he'd moved out of the way. He was a little surprised Karma had even agreed to it so readily, honestly. Perhaps Nagisa should have felt more nervous, about spending an unsupervised week in Karma's company. It wasn't like he had much of another choice, though. Maybe he could have asked Sugino, but as far as Nagisa knew, his family were pretty traditional. He didn't want to get him any kind of trouble, by association.

"Thirsty?" Karma asked, once Nagisa had properly entered, set down his bag, and removed his shoes.

He was, a little, but Nagisa didn't want to be even more of a charity case. "Not really."

Karma's stance remained casual. "How about some food, then?"

Nagisa was about to decline him again, but his stomach had a mind of its own. Considering he'd mostly skipped breakfast, it showed immediate interest, grumbling embarrassingly loudly. At this the disappearance of his appetite had only been a brief thing…

They didn't make any agreement, but Nagisa found himself following Karma into the kitchen. It was more than a little awkward, but he sat down on one of the bar stools that were set up next to the counter. Fondly, Nagisa remembered one of the few times he visited Karma's home when they were younger. Karma had been showing off, spinning around on one of the stalls until he actually fell off it. Nagisa had laughed so hard his apple juice came out of his nose… though he'd had to hide it when Karma's mother started telling her son off. His parents were around a lot more, back then.

As Karma begun making them sandwiches, Nagisa couldn't help but let his mind wonder. He'd only ever met Karma's parents a few times. He took after his mother, Nagisa had thought privately. Karma's father seemed a little more reserved, though maybe that was just because of how tall he was (Nagisa was under five foot back then). He did remember the man blinking with confusion when Nagisa explained that no, he wasn't a girl.

"So," Karma said, sliding the food over. "What do you want to do?"

Nagisa took a bite, and his eyes fluttered shut. He hadn't been paying attention to what Karma had put in it, but the flavour was heavenly. Though he knew Karma always did pretty well in home ec, but that was nothing to pay special attention to. Karma did well in every subject, after all. In the end, after they were done with the food, they just ended up watching movies in the living room.

It was a good distraction from everything that had been going on. A couple of them were only English with Japanese subtitles, so Nagisa was too busy focusing on that than letting his mind wander. He was suddenly very thankful for Karma's presence, and dry comments over now and then to keep Nagisa grounded to his surroundings.

Eventually, after a break for 'dinner' (mostly just dry snack foods), the late evening came. Nagisa felt his eyes begin to drop halfway through some psychological horror film, none of the spooky atmosphere affecting him particularly. That meant only one thing; it was time for bed.

"I'll go get the futon," Karma said, as though it didn't bother him.

They were sleeping in the same room, then? It wasn't a big deal, Nagisa forced himself to remember. Friends had sleepovers all the time. Still, he cringed at the idea of sleeping on one in his condition. Beggars can't be choosers. Nagisa followed him to his bedroom, immediately affronted by alpha scent. The amount of incense around the house masked the scent from other locations, but here... Swallowing dryly, Nagisa made his way over to the futon, bracing himself for the pain of lowering his body.

"You're not sleeping on that thing," Karma said, slightly sternly.

Nagisa looked over. "B-but it's your bed."

"You'll never get back off it," Karma rolled his eyes. "It's not a big deal. What, unless you want to share."

He bit his lip. Would that be so terrible? He knew girls did it, all the time, so… "Alright."

Karma's face turned an odd shade of pink, like he hadn't been expecting that answer out of Nagisa. Well, Karma had a pretty large double bed. They could probably both fit on it, without touching too closely or anything. Shamefully, Nagisa remembered his moment of weakness when he was in hospital, when he'd asked Karma to hold and comfort him. It hadn't been a big deal then.

Then came the next issue – pyjamas. All the way back when his mother had originally thrown him out, Nagisa hadn't had time to think practically about what he was taking. He hadn't really thought about nightwear, and it hadn't actually been an issue for quite a while. Usually, he'd just sleep in his underwear or something. It wasn't like he'd never been in his underwear in front of Karma before… they'd had to change for PE together for three years.

Nagisa swallowed, and let his trousers pool to the floor, averting his eyes from Karma's body. Immediately, he wished he'd kept the trousers on, despite how uncomfortable that would be. He was definitely over thinking it. Nagisa decided to at least keep the jumper he was wearing on, for a bit of extra warmth. It was technically Karma's, though, back when he'd given Nagisa a bunch of clothes.

Keeping his eyes planted on the floor, Nagisa went over to the bed. The moment he sat down on it, his mind went blank. Instead of worrying about what he looked like, he had to worry at what his instincts were screaming at him to do. Currently, that was to rub himself into the covers and pillows and burry himself in Karma's raw scent. Not wanting to look like a crazy person, Nagisa put all of his concentration into resisting that urge.

He barely noticed Karma sit down beside him, ready for bed himself. He'd forgone any kind of shirt, but at least had his legs covered with sweat pants. A little scared of what he'd do if he tried to plant his head down and immediately try to fall asleep, with his body in its over sensitised state, Nagisa bit his lip and thought of something to distract himself. Wracking his brain for a moment (incredibly forgetful, in its current state), Nagisa quickly thought of something. He twisted his body, ignoring the pain that came with that, and reached over the bed for his bag.

"H-hang on a second," he said, sensing Karma was about to ask what he was doing. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. "Here you go," Nagisa said, handing over the miniscule package.

Karma looked down at it as though it was a bomb about to explode in his hands. "For me?"

"Mm," Nagisa smiled. "Happy birthday, Karma kun! Uhm… It's not much," he admitted, "I only have a little bit of money from tutoring Sakura chan."

His eyes went wide, as he untied the draw strings. Thankfully, the shop owner had been kind enough to offer Nagisa a tiny bag, not unlike one you'd get with jewellery, so he didn't have to worry about wrapping it up. Nagisa couldn't stop his heart from thumping, as Karma took his gift out and admired it. He could only hope he wouldn't hate it.

"I was surprised to find it," Nagisa said quickly. "It was just in that shop in town, you know," his eyes darted downwards, "that one with all the Harry Potter stuff."

For a movie that hadn't even been released in Japan yet (a fact that Nagisa was very frustrated about), he was surprised to see merchandise. Still, when Nagisa had seen a Sonic Ninja pin hanging up, he felt compelled to get it. It was only small, no bigger than his thumbprint, with the character illustrated in the chibi style.

Karma looked like he wanted to say something, but instead smiled. His genuine smile, that was, not the smirk he often wore when he was up to something.

"Thanks," he put it down on his bedside table.

Nagisa was a little too overwhelmed for him to make a big deal out of the gift, so he smiled too, and nodded. It would have been weird for Karma to fling his arms around him in gratitude, or something. This was comfortable, the space they were meant to share.

"Are you happy to be fifteen now?" He questioned, dying to change the subject.

Reclining, Karma stretched a little bit. "It doesn't feel much different."

It wasn't like they were average fifteen year olds. First and foremost, they were assassins, and after that… they'd be parents. Nagisa wrinkled his nose at that, the concept still sounding foreign. He'd just about got used to being pregnant, but after that… At the thought, it seemed Akuma was bored of being calm, especially as Nagisa wasn't doing anything interesting.

"Ah," he let out, at a strong kick. "Ouch."

The signature grin had returned to Karma's face. "Is Akuma chan throwing me a birthday party?"

Nagisa hunched over slightly. "Feels like it." He sighed, rolling the material of the jumper up slightly. It never really did much, but Nagisa could at least try resting the flat of his palm against his skin. After a few seconds

"Eugh," Karma said, out of nowhere.

That sounded worrying. "W-what is it?"

"I think I can… see a foot?"

Nagisa peeled his eyes opened, and looked down at his stomach. Sure enough, he could see his skin literally lift up, as Akuma moved around. Feeling it was one thing, but seeing it? "That's kind of gross."

"It looks like something out of that movie Alien."

"W-what's that?"

Leaning over for his phone, Karma quickly typed something into YouTube. He passed Nagisa the screen, and Nagisa had slam a hand over his mouth at the video. Though horror didn't really bother him (aside from jump scares), and the special effects were clearly dated, he still felt the strong urge to puke after witnessing that.

"A-akuma's not coming out like that," Nagisa said, somewhat defensively, despite how much it looked like his skin could rip open.

Karma was paying more attention to his stomach. "They're giving me a high five," he announced.

"Don't encourage it!" He complained. 'Pregnancy is beautiful', people said, 'a magical experience'! When he regained his physical abilities, Nagisa was going to punch whoever came up with that notion. It was much like carrying around a parasite at all times. Still, he let Karma do what he wanted, trying his best not to cringe at the violent movements.

He'd never say it out loud, but Karma's warm hands made him feel relaxed, despite the pain. As if he was being lulled back into his exhausted state, Nagisa felt his eyes begin to drop. Karma's voice (Nagisa wasn't sure what he was saying) was soothing, soft when he spoke to his bump. He knew that it would be bad to fall asleep like that, though, no matter how good it felt right then and there.

"Go to sleep, Nagisa kun," Karma eventually said, loud enough to force Nagisa's eyes open.

He was so exhausted. "Akuma doesn't want to," he muttered bitterly, the twist in his stomach proving it.

"Come on," he said, though it wasn't that demanding, "how do you usually sleep?"

Nagisa would really like to be lying on his back, but Akuma was far too high up for that. If he even tried it, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep. Wordlessly, he shifted onto his side, wrapping the loose sleeves of Karma's jumper over his hands like mittens. Groaning lightly in frustration, Nagisa reached for one of the pillows, sacrificing the head comfort for something to rest his stomach on.

Without warning, he was enveloped in warmth. Perhaps Nagisa would have freaked out and complained, if he wasn't instantly soothed. Karma's arm draped over his body, resting easily on the swollen bump. He pressed up close, chest resting against Nagisa's sore back, with his chin Nagisa's shoulder. Slowly, Nagisa sensed comforting pheromones trickle out into the air of the room. Despite how at home Karma's scent was making him feel, Nagisa forced himself to remember that despite everything, he wasn't actually his alpha.

"There can't be much room left in there," Karma murmured, slipping his hand against his skin, to stroke it soothingly.

By all logic, Karma's gentle and tired voice right against his ear and his touch should have had the opposite of a calming effect, but Nagisa suddenly felt drowsy, flooded with pheromones that were more protective in nature. Why was he allowing this level of intimacy, again? He almost had the urge to purr, nuzzling up closer to his alp- Karma. Akuma agreed, finally settling down after a few final firm kicks.

They woke up in the same position, practically. Nagisa came back to the land of the living, slowly and blinking with confusion. For a moment, he forgot where he was, staring at unfamiliar walls. As the seconds ticked by, though, Nagisa became very aware of the arm that was draped over him, and the warm breath that was tickling the back of his neck.

"Uh, Karma kun," he said, panicking slightly.

It didn't exactly have the desired effect. If anything, Karma just clutched him tighter, and took a very deep inhale. With great embarrassment, Nagisa realised his nose was pressed right up against his scent glands. None of his scent blocker was lingering to cover him, pheromones that Nagisa hadn't learnt to control or understand yet. Even more horrifyingly, it felt good. With every deep breath, Karma's ribcage heaving against Nagisa's back, Nagisa felt more content. He didn't even care that Karma was literally scenting him.

The moment didn't last much longer. As if Karma had suddenly suffered from cardiac arrest, he let go of Nagisa, flipping his body away so fast he bounded hard against the mattress.

"Morning," he said, strained.

Without the pheromones relaxing him, Nagisa became aware of the intense pressure signifying he needed to pee. At least Akuma wasn't giving him the punching bag morning alarm treatment, even if they were apparently using his bladder as a cushion. Well, it was an excuse to end whatever this was. Nagisa shifted out of bed, wincing as he stood up.

"I'm going to shower," he decided to say on a whim. At least that would neutralise his scent, just a little.

Grabbing the sheet in bunches to gather it around his form, Karma nodded. "You know where it is, right?"

Perhaps Karma was just shy in the mornings? To be honest, the idea of Karma being shy at all sounded a little stupid… but maybe it was just one of those things where his confidence needed an hour to recharge. Whatever the case, Nagisa made his way to the bathroom. Once he'd emptied his bladder, he stripped off his clothes and turned the shower on.

The warm water was instantly soothing, especially in juxtaposition to the cold weather surrounding them. Nagisa could have spent hours in there, allowing his muscles to relax under the scalding spray. Since it was bare, Nagisa decided to lightly poke the skin of his stomach. By the feel of it, Akuma hadn't quite woken up yet (a fact he was grateful for), so there was no mysterious skin raising.

Nagisa regrettably turned off the shower, and the soothing comfort it gave him. He'd like nothing more than to soak even further in the bath, but that simply wasn't happening. Even if he somehow managed to safely lower himself into it, he seriously doubted his ability to get back out again afterwards. Instead, he towelled himself down and changed into his limited supply of clean clothes for the day.

When he returned to Karma's bedroom, after the cleanliness of the shower, the scent appeared to be significantly stronger. Considering he was far less exhausted, it made Nagisa's mouth begin to water, a fact that made him want to run away in shame. Karma was for the most part where Nagisa had left him, although he looked a little different. He was flushed and sweaty, slightly dishevelled. Nagisa had to wonder what he'd even been doing whilst he was gone. By appearances, running laps around the room or doing push ups or something.

Much like the day before, neither of them really knew what to do next. The next few days of their winter break passed exactly like that. They found something to amuse themselves with, at least. When they got bored of movies, they played video games, or just generally existed in each other's company. Despite not having that much to do, Nagisa never quite felt devastatingly bored. After all, Karma probably was his best friend. It was just like having an extended sleep over.

The last straw came when they turned to card games for entertainment, though. As Karma dealt out the cards and explained the rules, Nagisa finally began to notice a bit of stir craziness set in. It wasn't as if Karma's house was dirty (surprisingly, considering he basically lived alone, it was very clean), but Nagisa began to notice some weird things. One of Karma's text books, for example, wasn't pushed into the book shelf all the way, and it was irritating him. Nagisa just had this deep urge to fix it.

"Show me your cards," Karma said, jolting Nagisa out of it.

Nagisa sighed, letting the cards he'd drawn fall flat on the table. He understood the appeal of poker, and kind of grasped the rules, but he didn't think he'd ever be good at it. There was a lot of strategy involved by the sounds of it, and whilst Nagisa was good at founding the perfect plan to guarantee himself a result when he needed to, this was a lot longer. It was drawn out, involved a lot of factors, and played more into Karma's skills. Nagisa got the feeling he was actually really skilled at this game.

Karma looked them over. "That's a straight."

"Do I win?" Nagisa asked, studying them.

Letting his own two cards fall, Karma smirked devilishly. "Straight flush."

Thankfully, they weren't playing for anything. That was most of the game, apparently. Not in the cards, but in misleading the opponents. Nagisa would be frightened to face Karma if there were actual bets in play, though he didn't have much of value in the first place.

"So," Karma said, "want to play for real?"

Nagisa squirmed at that idea. "Do you mind if I clean?"

"Huh?"

Turning a brand new shade of crimson, Nagisa realised he'd voiced his desire out loud. He wanted to go outside and dig a hole to burry himself in. The worst part was, Nagisa didn't have much of a clear and rational explanation as to why he'd requested such a thing. Now he just looked insane, probably. He had to think of something fast.

"It's New Year's Eve!" Nagisa remembered, suddenly. Good, that was an excuse. "It feels weird to not be cleaning today."

Karma shrugged. "My parents never really celebrated it."

Come to think of it, even despite his weird urges, it did feel kind of odd to be missing all parts of the celebration. "Can we?"

"Sure."

Nagisa had never felt so satisfied. He'd never been a fan of cleaning, ever. Sure, he wasn't particularly messy – his mother would have screamed at him for hours – but it wasn't exactly a hobby of his. Every item he lined up perfectly, his heart practically burst with joy. Maybe he really was going insane… The extra energy wasn't unwelcome, though.

"What do you do for the holidays, then?" Nagisa asked eventually.

Karma considered it for a moment. "Not a lot. My parents took me to Diwali in Varanasi one time… but that's earlier in the year."

"Where's that?"

"North of India," he said casually. "I liked the lights."

Nagisa nodded, turning his attention back to the task at hand. After making sure the furniture was in perfect alignment, it was time to make it spotless. His next enemy was the bookcase. He'd dusted all the individual shelves, but then there was the very top of it… He just knew there was dust up there. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite tall enough to reach it. Nagisa attempted to balance on his tip toes, stretching his arm as far as it could go.

He yelped as hands latched onto his hips, lifting him into the air. "Karma kun!"

Karma didn't respond, but he did a terrible job of masking his laugh.

"You could have just done it yourself," Nagisa complained, but dusted up there anyway.

After they finished up downstairs, they moved on to upstairs. There wasn't as much to do, but it still made Nagisa much more relaxed. His final target was Karma's bedroom. It really was very tidy already, which made sense, but something under the surface of Nagisa's skin still squirmed.

Karma scratched the back of his neck. "I'm getting a drink… You can start if you want."

Nagisa swallowed, as he was left alone. What Karma was giving him permission to do was surely… intimate. Funnily enough, there was nothing he immediately wanted to fix, yet the itch was still present. Tentatively, he stepped over to the closet, assuming maybe something would have been hung up incorrectly.

He opened it, and breathed in deeply, more of Karma's natural scent filling his lungs. Most alphas that Nagisa happened to pass smelt a lot like dirt or metal, not unpleasantly so. Nagisa couldn't put his finger on exactly what Karma's scent reminded him of, other that it felt a lot warmer and inviting (when he was relaxed, that is).

Before he even noticed what he was doing, he'd taken one of Karma's shirts from the hanger, and was pressing it into his nose. Once he remembered how creepy that was, borderline stalkerish in fact, Nagisa quickly tossed it away, causing it to land on the bed. He chewed his lip, an urge racing through him. Before he could decide against it, he took another shirt, and then another. Soon, there was a pile of clothes covering the sheets.

It wasn't good enough. Nagisa went over to the bed, and began to examine his work. Hands working almost on autopilot, he arranged the clothes nicely, to his own liking. It became almost like a ring in the end, the bottom lined with fabric, with a thicker layer to keep the edges defined. Nagisa took a step back, looking it over. It was nice, and he really wanted to lie in it, but something was missing…

Turning his head, Nagisa noticed that Karma's school blazer was draped over the back of his desk chair. Perfect. Locking onto his target, Nagisa snatched it carefully, and began to consider where to position it. It would clearly work as some kind of centrepiece… Maybe it would look nice next to the pillows.

Out of nowhere, Karma forced a cough, making Nagisa practically jump out of his bones. "What, are you nesting or someth-" His eyes fell from Nagisa's guilty form to the bed. "Oh."

Finally, Nagisa's sense returned, and he dropped the blazer. It seemed he really had been building a nest. Out of Karma's clothes. On his bed. Without any permission to do so. Well, that settled it. Nagisa was never looking Karma in the eye again. He was tempted to go outside, dig a hole, and burry himself six feet under.

"U-uhm…"

Karma kept his cool, though, sauntering over. "Looks comfy."

Nagisa couldn't help but flush at his approval, his inner omega incredibly pleased. "I'm sorry… I'll put it all back."

Like it was a crash mat, Karma flopped back onto it. He reclined, making a big deal out of sighing with his shit eating grin plastered across his face. "Is this why you wanted to clean?"

Trying to pretend his brain wasn't short circuiting, Nagisa averted his eyes. "M-maybe."

Karma kicked himself back up again. "If we're doing this tradition thing, I was thinking of cooking soba noodles."

It was all so casual. Nagisa agreed to the noodles, following Karma back down to the kitchen. He wasn't nearly as good at cooking, but he could at least attempt to help. Finally, though, Nagisa felt satiated. That realisation suddenly brought along hollowness. He and Karma were essentially playing house, and whilst their mutual comfort in each other's presence made his heart burst with happiness, dread wasn't far behind. This was going to end badly, Nagisa just knew it. You couldn't really exist in a perfect little bubble. Pretending… it was only going to hurt more in the long run.

He tried to remind himself that, late at night. The cleaning had worn him out, but Nagisa didn't want the New Year to pass without him. Despite the coldness of outside, Nagisa's body felt pretty hot. They ended up sitting outside, not saying much to each other. He tried to remember what his life had been like, this time one year ago.

Honestly, Nagisa probably wouldn't even recognise his past self.

Looking up at the sky, the crescent moon shining down on them, Nagisa felt very small. His breath caught, at the sound of the first bell to signify the start of the New Year. Even as a little kid, he'd loved listening to them. As was tradition, they rung out another hundred and seven times, filling the air with their melody. Nagisa's eyes slipped closed, taking in the sound.

When the skies fell silent again, Nagisa smiled. "Happy New Year, Karma kun."

"Happy New Year," he replied, eyes lost in the constellations.

A customary kick came to his stomach. Nagisa sighed, looking down at it. Yes, Akuma, happy New Year to you too.

They went back inside, after the festivity was over. Though Nagisa had become (frighteningly quickly) accustomed to sleeping beside Karma, sleeping with him in a nest was something different entirely. It was heavy. Karma either didn't recognise or care about the significance, relaxing pretty quickly, though Nagisa could tell he was awake.

Nagisa felt restless. He shifted into several positions, impatient to find one that was going to work for him. To make matters worse, his stomach decided to complain. He knew he couldn't go and eat anything, but now the thought was on his mind…

"I want ice cream," Nagisa mumbled to himself.

Karma stirred. "Huh?"

He tried turning over again, groaning at the effort. "Strawberries…"

The mattress shifted beside him, which Nagisa guessed was just Karma turning over, tired of his annoying pregnant omega antics. Nagisa was certainly tired of it. Frustratingly, he began to feel incredibly hot, which didn't make much sense given the winter season. He gave up in the end, deciding to just trip the clothes off, aside from his underwear. That was significantly better.

Nagisa was the first to wake up in the morning, with his mandatory bladder emptying duty. Thankfully, Karma wasn't clinging to him, so it was easy enough to remove himself without causing a disturbance. When he was done, he was tempted to go back into the warm nest and sleep again. Upon investigation, Karma had stretched out in his absence, so there wasn't much room for him to seamlessly return.

For a guy most people were fearful, or at the very least wary, of, Karma looked peaceful in his sleep. There was none of that mischievous fire that danced across his features when he was up to no good, or the malice than sometimes set in when he was doing something seriously bad. He looked kind of harmless, actually, despite Nagisa knowing far better. Nagisa's chest fluttered at the way he breathed lightly, chest rising and falling with steadiness, and he knew he had to turn away.

"Your dad's a heavy sleeper, huh?" Nagisa said quietly to his stomach, as he felt Akuma roll around.

Aside from those soft movements, he began to feel the familiar pangs of hunger. Not so hot anymore, Nagisa crept over to the nest, quickly grabbing one of the shirts to pull over his body. With his stomach in the way, there was no chance of it buttoning up, but at least the sleeves kept his arms warm.

He went down to the kitchen, hoping he'd find something there to satisfy him. For some reason, he didn't really feel like a normal breakfast. Nothing that involved cooking, at least. He tried the fridge, nothing really catching his eye at first. Out of desperation, he moved to the freezer, though he wasn't expecting much at all.

It was packed with stuff that definitely hadn't been there the day before. Nagisa looked over at the shelves, which were lined with strawberry ice cream of several different brands. The sight pleased his stomach, and he eagerly reached for a brand he knew, grabbed a spoon, and let the flavour he'd been craving dance across his taste buds.

"Morning."

The spoon fell slightly out of Nagisa's mouth. "H-hi."

"Nagisa kun," he tutted, "that's not a healthy breakfast."

"'S good," he replied around the spoon.

Karma leaned against the counter nonchalantly, though a slight flush was evident on his cheeks. "You fell asleep before I could give it to you last night."

Nagisa needed to take a moment to process that. "Last night?"

"Well yeah," he said, "you said you wanted some, so."

"Y-you got me ice cream in the middle of the night?"

He stood up properly. "You better appreciate it. Anyway, what do you want to do later?"

He really didn't want to just drop the subject right then and there. How did Karma even find a place that was open in the middle of the night, on New Years no less… Nagisa couldn't help but feel guilty. He was being a massive burden, he was sure of it. Despite that, the ice

"We could go to a shrine or something," Nagisa offered.

"Eh…" Karma paused. "I don't really believe in that kind of thing. But I don't mind."

After Karma had grabbed a spoon and helped Nagisa finish the first tub of ice cream, they headed out. Nagisa was only wearing his (technically Karma's) regular clothes. Even if he had his kimono to hand, he had serious doubts that it would have fit him still. They probably wouldn't be the only ones dressed casually, or so he hoped.

By the time they actually got to the shrine in Kunugigaoka, it wasn't busy. Most people, Nagisa guessed, were still midway through their morning traditions. At least that meant no queuing. It wasn't like any of the big shrines in Tokyo, but even a small town like theirs could get pretty busy.

Nagisa realised, when he actually stepped up to throw his offering coin in, that he didn't know what to pray for. As a kid, he generally defaulted into wishing for a generally good year. I pray that I'll graduate, Nagisa thought, as he went through the ritual. I pray that Kayano will recover soon, that Karma and I will continue to work things out, and, he hesitated, that Akuma will be born safely into this world.

Not making any kind of offering himself, Karma waited for him. As they left the premises together, passing the people who were setting up the festivities in preparation for the crowds who would surely come by later. He found himself not missing the traditions he'd always taken part in that much.

Even though he and Karma just went straight home, Nagisa decided he wouldn't have wanted it differently. They spent the rest of the day chatting and watching the special TV programs for the day, and Nagisa forgot. Even if allowing himself this would come back to haunt him later, Nagisa just couldn't bring himself to care. It was a new year after all, a fresh slate. He felt happy.

In bed that night, when the lights were completely turned out, Nagisa sensed Karma roll onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Say, can I ask you something?"

There was no harm. "What is it, Karma kun?"

Karma hesitated. "I was thinking… Maybe we could drop the formalities."

"Why?" It was the first thought that came to mind.

Rolling onto his back, Nagisa could tell Karma was thinking. "It's a little weird, right? We're going to be parents really soon, and… I think I'd rather just call you Nagisa. Are you okay with that?"

"Uh…" Nagisa felt his blood boil.

"I'll just do it on my own, then," Karma said. "G'night, Nagisa."

It wasn't like it would do anymore damage, Nagisa supposed.

"Karma," he said, letting the wisps of it float out into the darkness. Nagisa smiled, rolling over himself to bury his head into Karma's chest. It just felt right.