Winter is usually a sad time for Nagisa.

He's not one of those people who gets particularly effected by the seasons, but there's something to be said, in the brightness of summer. Winter is cold, and dark, and involves watching so many of the plants around him die for a little while. Mostly, though, it's just lonely. Nagisa can feel it in the hushed discussions in his class already, about who's dating who on Christmas Eve. He sees it in news articles about arrangements for New Years, or something like that.

In fact, in just a few weeks' time, Tokyo will turn into a ghost town. Or, as much of a ghost town as the largest city in the world can be. People like him, young adults who moved to the city to pursue some kind of career goal, automatically scatter like snowflakes in the wind, back to whichever portion of the countryside they come from.

Nagisa's parents still live in Kunugigaoka, barely an hour by car from his apartment, and still only a little longer when you take all the train changes into account. It's not that Nagisa doesn't like spending New Years with them… it's just odd. They've been remarried for a while now, and his mother has been a lot better for some time, but there's still a wedge between them. Nagisa wouldn't feel particularly hollow, if he missed the usual celebration.

Also, he's never had a Christmas Eve date.

The fact that it falls on a Saturday this year hasn't escaped him. His and Karma's arrangement varies week by week, depending on work. Nagisa likes it on Fridays more, since at least there's something to distract him from not eating all day. But… maybe he could play it off like he was having an 'end of year' celebration with work, or something.

Another factor is whether their whole arrangement even lasts that long.

The thing is, Nagisa likes sex. Nowadays, he actually anticipates and actively wants to do it, which is a new and slightly inconvenient revelation. He feels strangely well versed in it now. He has a favourite position, and he knows what Karma's is, too. After the first time, too, Karma started actually giving him instructions, and Nagisa keeps notes on all of them. The only thing he wonders is how much there left there is to actually teach him. At what point are they just having sex… for fun? Can they really just go back to being normal friends at some point?

After Karma's ardent demonstration of 'doggy style' two weeks ago, Nagisa thinks any normal friendship is forever off the cards.

He's fully aware that he's overthinking it. But thinking is one of the things Nagisa just does. Unfortunately, it's not always the most useful, and tends to spiral out of control when he doesn't have much of a target to actually focus it on. And unpicking every part of his and Karma's 'relationship' certainly isn't ideal. Besides… they're friends, aren't they? They've saved the world together, they've flown to space, they've… beat each other bloody, a couple of times, sure. Regular sex isn't the weirdest thing to add to the list.

The reason his mind is running off like this is because he actually arrived at Karma's house early. It's not unusual for him to be a few minutes early for their agreed meeting time, after all he doesn't get to choose the train timetable. It doesn't usually matter, except Karma texted him five minutes ago to say he had something to do for the next fifteen or so minutes.

There's worse things he could be doing, than loitering around. Even though he's cold, and getting a little impatient, it doesn't matter. So what if they start things a little later than usual? Maybe it would do them some good. The cold, however, isn't much. He stares at the closed door, willing the time to just disappear already.

He convinces himself it's the reason why he's suddenly pacing around the balcony, as opposed to being completely lost in thought. What does he even have to think about, really? He's fine. He's happy with whatever he gets from Karma, whatever he's willing to give him. So he has no need to debate something so simple over and over. That all gets cut off by the way he suddenly clashes into something. Someone.

"Oh my!"

"Ah-" Nagisa mentally curses himself in every way he knows how, because he's just walked into a poor elderly woman who was just trying to go home. "I'm so sorry!" He bows, too, completely forty five degrees bent over. Maybe he should get on the floor?

The woman just chuckles, though. "No, no. I should have seen you walking here. Do you live in the building?"

"N-no," he straightens himself out. "I'm just visiting."

Her eyes dart between the apartment doors. "You're not 'Nagisa', by any chance?"

How does she know his name?! Nagisa immediately locks up out of habit, because how else should he react to that? Then, barely even half a second later, he really focuses on the woman. Fortunately for him, he's pretty good at detecting whether someone has good or bad intentions. Right away, he can tell this woman has nothing bad in mind for him… but he's not entirely sure if it's good either.

She laughs, cutting off the tension a little. "No need to act shy around me, dear. Karma kun's a nice young man, I'm just glad to see he's settled down with something. Though… You do look pretty young, if you don't mind my saying."

"I'm twenty four!" He feels the need to defend.

"You're skinny," she muses. "Come inside and eat a biscuit."

There's a certain kind of command to her voice which makes Nagisa feel compelled to follow her. As it turns out, she's Karma's literal next door neighbour. He feels very odd, entering the apartment, which is pretty much the identical layout to Karma's, except mirrored. It's also nothing like the apartment of any other old woman he's ever seen. Most notably is the strange artwork around the place… some of which is oddly phallic.

"Please," she says, "take a seat. I'll put some tea on."

Well… Nagisa still has ten minutes or so. Apart from his obligatory feeling of being here, after practically ramming into the woman, he's struck with minor curiosity. He feels vulgar, thinking dirty in an old lady's apartment, but the more he looks, the more he seems to be surrounded by penises, like he's fallen into some kind of lucid nightmare.

"Thank you," he says when she returns, sipping rather a lot of the tea despite it burning his tongue.

She smiles. "It's no trouble at all."

He stares into his cup for a moment. "I didn't realise Karma was close with any of his neighbours."

Her expression remains stagnant. "Well, I actually moved here after him. I used to live in Shinjuku, but my place was too big and busy to keep up with. He helped me with some of my boxes."

Considering how big these apartments are, and she supposedly came from somewhere much bigger and in Shinjuku, she's definitely rich. Though, Karma doesn't exactly live in the suburbs either. As far as Nagisa understood, most people retired to the actual countryside. Considering the circumstances, he figures she was probably actually born in Tokyo.

Nagisa also wrinkles his nose, trying to imagine the scene of Karma helping some old woman selflessly. Not that Karma can't be nice, exactly. But as far as Nagisa knows him, simply lending a helping hand isn't a part of his moral code. Then again, Karma definitely lives by his own set of morals, and Nagisa can't even try to pretend that he understands exactly what they are.

"That was nice of him," he says, because what else can he?

"I thought so too," she pushes the aforementioned biscuits towards him. "I'm Hisaishi Fumiko, by the way."

Right. "Shiota Nagisa," he introduces properly, "though I prefer to be called Nagisa."

Hisaishi san doesn't seem fazed, at least. "Difficult family?"

"Um-"

She laughs. "I used to hear it all, when I worked properly. Working people out was always a huge part of the fun… Yes, you remind me of that too. You have quick eyes."

"Were you some kind of therapist?"

"In a way," there's a glint in her gaze. "Mother, wife, disciplinarian… I took many roles back in those days. But enough about me. Is Karma kun treating you well?"

He shifts in his seat. "Uhm… I'm sorry if I misled you, but I'm not his boyfriend."

Surprisingly, she just shrugs. "Well, whatever they're calling it these days. Sex friend? Hookup? The question still applies." She pauses. "Don't look so embarrassed, dear. There's many benefits to having a regular partner, even if you're not emotionally invested."

All of a sudden, Nagisa feels like he's falling into a hole. "How do yo-"

Her smile widens. "Kids these days are moving away from their family homes much sooner. With it comes a lack of practise with volume control."

Oh no. No. Suddenly it makes perfect horrific sense how she knows his name. Is Karma really that loud? Nagisa's never really noticed it before, maybe because he's probably louder than that and- oh no. His eyes fix on the window, wondering how quickly he'd die if he managed to jump out of it. Or maybe tossing himself on top of the stove would be a quicker demise?

Instead, he downs the cup of tea in one gulp. "I-it was very nice m-meeting you, Hisaishi san. But I, uhm, I really have to go now."

"Of course," she stands up herself. "I don't want to keep you. Actually, I should be heading out myself for the evening. Do tell Karma kun 'hello' from me, won't you?"

"I will," he ducks his head, trying to get his shoes on as quickly as possible in the doorway.

They set out, and she locks it behind them. "I'll see you again sometime!"

She seems like a lovely woman, but a spike of dread rushes through him at the mere suggestion. At least she seems okay with it? Not that that's much of a take away. Maybe he will suggest doggy style again just so he can burry his face into a pillow. At least she's going to be out. He still can't believe they'd both been so careless about that kind of thing.

When Karma actually opens his door, though, he's still on the phone. He nods his greeting, but that's pretty much all Nagisa gets, before he walks off again back into the living space. From the sounds of it, it's a word thing, full of economic buzz words Nagisa fails to wrap his head around. It makes him feel oddly childish, as he sits there and listens.

Finally, it comes. "It'll be sorted over the weekend, okay? Listen- I have to go." The voice on the other end of the speaker keeps talking, almost frantically, but Karma makes a show of hanging it up.

"Was that important?"

Karma practically launches himself onto the sofa with a lazy sigh. "Not really." And then, "Work stuff."

Immediately, Nagisa feels like he's misplaced in being here. He doesn't want Karma to put stuff off just to see him. As much as he knows social life is important, too… He just hates the thought that he might be a burden. Karma does look tired, at least. Perhaps now's a good time, then, to talk, rather than do anything in the bedroom.

"Oh," he says, and sits down beside him. "I didn't realise it was so stressful."

"It always is," he shrugs, "but everyone gets like this before the New Year."

"Karma," he tries. "About everything…"

He looked at him funny. "Hm?"

"I-I just wanted to say thank you, for… using up your time with all of this." He took a deep breath. "We've done a lot of stuff already now… and you've shown me so much already. So I was thinking, what is there left to teach? When do I graduate? …or something. I just don't want you to waste time you don't have, I mean."

There seems to be a lot of emotions going through Karma's mind, but he actually starts to laugh. "What, you think you're experienced now?"

"N-no," Nagisa feels his fight or flight response rising. "I just don't know how much there is left to show me."

"There's plenty," he shrugs

That catches Nagisa off guard. "Like what?"

"W-well," Karma springs to his feet, as though he's full of determination. "There's other stuff," Karma says, not quite looking at him. "It doesn't just end here. We've been pretty vanilla so far, actually."

Vanilla? Like the ice cream? "I don't know what you mean."

Karma swallows, though. "Even you must know what kinks are."

"L-like handcuffs and cosplay and stuff?"

He nods enthusiastically. "Exactly! There's… way more to it than that, though. BDSM is pretty complicated."

Admittedly, Nagisa doesn't really know. Of course, he's not completely stupid. He's heard of the concept… people who like to be hurt or tied up or insulted during sex. It's not something he's ever even remotely considered for himself. But then again, he hadn't considered 'vanilla' sex either. If Karma has this much more to show him… Nagisa feels incapable of actually saying no.

"How do we do that?"

"You want to?" Karma actually looks taken aback.

Why does he sound surprised? "You just said-"

"Okay," Karma cuts him off. Now he's pacing? Why's he pacing? "First you have to talk about what stuff you like."

Heat rises to Nagisa's face. "I don't know what that is. I… haven't tried it."

"Of course you haven't," falls from Karma's lips. "And you've never… imagined it?"

"I never even really thought about the normal stuff."

The look on Karma's face is almost painful. Nagisa feels comfortable around him most of the time, but this is a fresh reminder of the gaps in their sex experiences. Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense that Karma's into to something weird like that. How much has he been holding back on him? Nagisa's unsure if he actually wants to know that.

"Explain it," he requests, as clearly as he can manage. As if to emphasise himself, he decides to stand, feeling too much like an actual student whilst sitting down.

"Well…" Karma physically straightens his back. "Usually, you have one person who's more dominant, and one who's submissive. And then the dominant one does whatever it is to the submissive."

Nagisa tilts his head. "So… you want to do that kind of stuff to me?"

His eyes widen, and there's a tint of flush across his cheeks. "If that's the role you want."

"What role do you usually have?" He can't really imagine actually doing stuff to Karma.

"I don't mind," he says too quickly. "I could like both."

"But you know what you're doing..."

Karma swallows. "Let's try something. You don't know if you'll even like it. But… you really need to trust me."

He feels serious as he meets his eyes. "Of course I trust you."

Somehow, the moment Karma takes his hand, he knows exactly where he's being led. Nagisa feels less sensitive to the anticipation of sex, now, but this is something else entirely. Nagisa's never been anything but curious, though, and he genuinely wants to know what Karma has in plan. There's also a weird anxiety brewing, though.

"Take this off," Karma tugs at the hem of shirt.

Nagisa doesn't hesitate to do what he says. It's not exactly a huge ask. Karma doesn't necessarily tell him to undress usually… but it's fine. Karma doesn't usually stare at him so intensely, though. It really starts to build on his nerves. It doesn't matter how many times Karma's seen him naked already at this point… being watched is still nerve-wracking.

"Okay," Karma says steadily. "Hold out your wrists."

"Wh-"

He tilts his head. "You just said you trusted me, didn't you? Going back on it so soon?"

Determination wins out against embarrassment, apparently. "No."

Even so, it takes a lot for him to actually do as Karma says. However apprehensive he is, though, he's also curious, and it feels like there's nobody better in the world to teach him this. So, he pulls his wrists together, and holds them out like an offering. Karma gives him a look over for just a second, before violently yanking the tie from around his neck.

The material feels soft around Nagisa's wrist as he's bound, which surprises him for some reason. It's odd, because Nagisa knows what a tie feels like of course, even though this one is a higher quality material to any he owns. This kind of sex, what they've been talking about… isn't it supposed to be about pain? Yet, for some reason, Karma's being really delicate with whatever well practised knot he's tying, and it feels nice and soft.

A look passes between them, before Karma slowly goes down to his knees. Even at that height, Nagisa's not that much taller, so he doesn't feel like he's been given some huge vantage. His hands come out, right then, gripping him at the narrowest point of his waist. His fingers dig in harshly, just on the threshold of actual pain, before they stroke down the curve of his hips.

Though he's moving slowly, it doesn't feel like Karma's wasting time when he addresses the button and zipper of his trousers. They're kind of loose on him, anyway, so they pool at the floor without much effort, and he kicks them off the rest of the way. The underwear follows, though Karma has to slide it off properly, his hands stroking down the length of his legs in the process.

Nagisa's not sure he likes the sensation of being naked whilst Karma's fully clothed, the unequal balance throwing him off. Of course, logically, he knows that he literally consented to this just minutes before. And, in that moment, he decides he still stands by it. He does want Karma to lead the way, like he's already been doing. This is just… pushing it further.

He's definitely not hard, yet, but it's clear that he's showing interest in what's happening. It's enough for Karma, apparently, one hand supporting his length, and the other travelling around the squeeze his ass as he leans far enough forward enough to take him into his mouth. The effect sets in immediately. Nagisa has no real control of the gasp that leaves him, and it's like all his blood rushes south at once.

Yeah, that'll do it.

Unlike normal, though, Nagisa finds that he's unable to grip Karma's hair, something that usually grounds him to the please. Just like that, he knows he's frustrated. All he can do is curl his toes and squeeze his eyes shut as some kind of outlet. He can tell, though, that Karma's not trying to get him off like this. It's way too… good? Nagisa's not sure how to describe it, but if Karma's planning to get him off like this, he would probably take it a lot slower.

"Get on the bed," he orders, apparently satisfied that he's turned on enough.

At first, Nagisa doesn't really feel compelled to, at least not without questioning it. He figures that this kind of thing is all part of it, though. Can he really let go enough? Nagisa figures he can at least try, though, taking a step backwards until the backs of his legs are against the mattress. Legs shaking a little, he sits down on the edge of the bed.

"Properly," Karma says, like he's impatient.

Nagisa's not entirely sure what he means. He scoots back, though, difficult without the use of his hands. It makes him feel weirdly on display, as he lies himself flat. It doesn't help that Karma's also fully clothed, minus the tie currently around Nagisa's wrists. Beneath the weird feeling, though, the anticipation is definitely still there, and he's curious to see what Karma will do.

As it turns out, he doesn't climb onto the bed with him. Instead, he skirts around the side of it, and takes Nagisa's wrists into his hands. Nagisa can only watch in slight fascination as he reworks the knot ever so slightly, raising them above his head to tie securely to the bed's head board. Just like that, Nagisa finds he's pretty much trapped in this position.

"Does it hurt?"

Nagisa tries an experimental tug. The strain isn't too bad, and he figures if he really tried to, it's not so secure he couldn't just get out of it. But, this is more about fantasy, isn't it? "No.

Karma nods, before fetching the lube from the bedside table. Like a learned reflex, Nagisa flinches at the sound of the bottle being opened, but knows by now to spread his legs for it. Except usually, at this point, they're both already in the middle of things. Nagisa supposes that starting with the blow job, arguably, counts… but that's just him. And, like this, Karma's still standing above him and watching him.

Even when he does join him on the bed, after an unsettling period of staring, he's still standing on his knees, looming. Nagisa can't stop him, though, when he picks up his legs and shifts them into a position where he's kneeling between them. Offhandedly, Karma had mentioned before that they don't really need to spend much time on this step. Nagisa's more used to being stretched, now, and as long as they use lots of lube and take it slow, it shouldn't hurt him. He likes it, though. Karma's fingers feel good.

He can't help but keen into it, with the way Karma's fingers press against his entrance. For a moment, it seems like Karma's toying with the idea of teasing him even more, but then he breeches him in one go. Nagisa's used to this by now. He's fully relaxed when it happens, anyway, so the pain is pretty much inexistant.

Also, Karma knows exactly where his prostate is.

It's a lot, though, all at once. Rather than just going entirely in on that spot, he pumps his one finger in and out, before slipping in the second one. Nagisa forgets if he had any apprehension to this, especially when Karma puts his other hand on his erection as well. In fact, the fact that he's currently tied up evaporates from his mind almost completely.

The only part of it Nagisa's not sure about is how unequal he feels. Karma himself taught him that, that generally he shouldn't just lie there without doing anything himself. But… his ability for that's kind of been taken away from him. All he can do is squeeze his legs around Karma's waist a little, not that that's getting him anywhere.

He knows that he wants to reach for him and tug him in, because his lips are starting to feel cold and neglected. He also does want to make Karma feel good too. Unless this already does feel good to him? Nagisa doesn't know. But… looking at him, he doesn't look completely uninvolved. It's hard to concentrate, with the insistent way his fingers are moving inside him, but he can sense the heaviness in his expression.

Nagisa figures he guessed right, when he withdraws both his hands to unbutton his shirt. It's jarring, going from such an amount of sensation to nothing so fast. He's… frustrated. And he knows he wants something more. Karma seems to sense the same thing, because he couldn't have taken that shirt off slower if he tried. There's a knowing smirk on his face, too, when he does the same with his trousers. No, there's no worry about enjoyment anymore. Karma's clearly enjoying this too much.

At the sight of him reaching for a condom, Nagisa breathes a sigh of relief. Finally.

Unfortunately, though, Karma doesn't line himself up once he has it on. In fact, he just knees there, between Nagisa's legs, and slowly starts to jerk him off again. And, okay, Nagisa would have been completely fine with that if this was at the start of everything… but now he knows he wants more. He won't be satisfied until he's full.

"Just do it already."

Karma smirks. "I thought I was the one in charge here?"

Nagisa writhes and squirms, tries to tug his hands away but then realises he can't, as Karma just slowly jerks him off. It's almost entirely at his own leisure, as though he's doing it to please himself more than anything. And of course, it's frustrating, but there's just the tinniest hint of something else there. A deep dark kind of pleasure that's entirely different from the physical sensation.

"P-please," he finally gives in, the plea frightening as it slips out of him.

Karma's gaze maintains its glint, though. "Please what?"

He's close to screaming. "In me. Now."

"Well, if you insist."

He enters him in one go, and it's almost too much for Nagisa to handle. Every time they've done this, he's found it less and less uncomfortable. Like his body's slowly being trained to adapt to it. Right there, though, it doesn't hurt. At least, not really. Really it's more just the shock of being so full out of nowhere, and his breathing's misaligned.

Karma looks down at him, like that's some kind of solace. "Okay?"

Nagisa just about nods. It's the only answer he feels capable of giving. Other than that, he squeezes his legs again, the best encouragement he can give for Karma to move. It doesn't hurt, so he doesn't see the point in caution. He's craving the friction. It's almost as though he wants Karma to somehow mark him from the inside out.

He's being kind of lazy with it, though, and Nagisa knows it. Their first time… he understands why he held back a little. He's grateful for it, even. But now they've become more comfortable with each other, and he knows how much he can realistically take… Well, he knows Karma's certainly capable of going both a lot faster and harder. Perhaps it's just the situation, but that's what Nagisa wants, instead of this slow rocking. He wants to feel it.

"Faster," he tries.

"Not unless you ask properly~"

That catches Nagisa's attention, amongst all the good feelings. Ask properly? How's he supposed to do that? Didn't he ask already? Does Karma want him to say 'please' again? Nagisa knows he was pretty desperate before, but he's not sure how much he's willing to literally beg for. But maybe it's worth it.

There's also the fact that Karma purposely slows down even more.

"Please," he squeezes his thighs around his hips tighter. "Will you pick up the pace?"

"Alright alright," Karma has the nerve to laugh. "Relax."

Nagisa's head falls back against the pillow, and his throat opens up in a cry. This is what he needs. Karma's holding him at the waist, shoving him back on his length with every movement of his hips. He keeps tilting, too, trying to find that perfect angle. And he's so close… Unfortunately for him, it's hard to shift his own position much like this.

It's only a matter of time, before he manages to find it on his own. Nagisa's so relieved, in fact, that the word "yes" slips from his lips despite his intent.

That's embarrassing.

It does the opposite of deterring Karma, though, who just picks up the pace even further. Usually, at this point, Nagisa would be grabbing onto his back and pulling him closer to him, but he can't. He can't even grip anything to ground himself. It's good, though. Nagisa tosses his head back and arches his back, at least, though in the background he can feel the tug at his wrists.

Now that Karma's picked up, his satisfaction just builds and builds. He knows he won't actually finish until Karma strokes him, though. And he definitely can't do that as he currently is. He just has to count on Karma knowing when he's close. Which is pretty much right now, from how much he's burning. The longer he's like this, though, the worse it'll get.

Should he ask?

"Karma," he moans out, but it's hard to string words together whilst he's getting pounded like this. "Karma-"

Karma doesn't slow down or stop to listen to him, though.

"Please," he tries again, as though that's some kind of magic word. "So close."

He doesn't start jerking him off, though. At those words, he actually does stop, before pulling out entirely. Nagisa almost screams in frustration. Why? Karma actually has the nerve to laugh, possibly at his expression, before he grabs him by the hips again, hauling him up. Before Nagisa even knows what's happening, he grabs him under the back, before suddenly he's being tossed.

It takes him a moment to figure out the position Karma's manipulating him into, quite literally since he's still positioning his legs. He's on his knees, even tighter against the headboard, and he's more than aware of Karma kneeling behind him. They've done this position before, but Nagisa was actually able to hold his weight on his has hands, that way. Now it just feels like his ass is in the air.

Karma notices too, squeezing him roughly there before thrusting in to the hilt again. Nagisa groans, turning his face so that his mouth is being covered by his right arm. He's deeper than before, like this, and Nagisa can feel him better. Every single inch. He continues to gasp and moan into his arm, rocking his hips back against it immediately, just as Karma grips him by the waist and pulls him back onto him.

It doesn't take him long at all, then, the rebuild to his previous heights. From the incoherent, slightly muffled noises he's making, he's pretty sure that much is obvious. Then finally, Karma's hand slips from his waist to round his front, and he wraps it around his much neglected erection. Nagisa keens immediately, his body unsure whether to try and buck forwards into his hand, or back onto his length.

"Hang on," Karma says.

He only whines in response, because he's not sure that he can. As much as he clenches his teeth, he's already about to fall down that spiral. Karma keeps his hand on his erection, but rather than really concentrating on getting him off with it, his own hips are moving without pace, and Nagisa's very much just along for the ride.

"Karma, he just about calls out, "I'm-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, before whatever will he actually still had snaps. It's pretty intense, like that, with Karma still pounding away at him, close enough that he's practically throbbing inside him too. All he can do is ride it out, thankful at least that he can bury most of his noises into his arm.

Karma collapses on top of his back, like that, the weight of it knocking him flat – which isn't the most comfortable position he's ever been in. It's nice, though, in a way. The faster and rougher pace of things felt good, but Nagisa also really likes it when their bodies rub together, like this constant push and pull. Maybe next time.

Right here, though, he's exhausted. And his wrists are sore.

Karma doesn't stay on top of him for long. "I'm just going to clean this up a bit, okay?"

He nods weakly, vaguely aware of him getting off the bed and exiting the room. Well, Nagisa came all over his hand, so it's natural that he wants to wash it off. He hears him doing just that, at the sound of running water. Nagisa knows at least that it won't take him that long to clean off, and he usually comes back before he can start to miss him.

Finally, he gains the sense to move out of his position, before the sudden realisation that he can't. Karma forgot to untie him.

He tries his hardest to twist his wrists out of it, but he's tired. His arms have been in that position for a while, and his brain is half turned to mush. At least he knows that Karma won't be gone for long… He doesn't exactly feel good about lying here like this, though. On the one hand, the situation is a tiny but funny, but on the other he feels weirdly vulnerable.

"Why are you still lying like that?" Karma asks. When Nagisa looks at him, his hair's wet, so he clearly jumped under the shower.

"You," his throat is a little dry, "you didn't untie me."

"Right," Karma realises, and comes to his aid. "Sorry."

Nagisa feels relief at the use of his arms again, taking care to roll over to the side of the bed that doesn't have semen all over it. He feels a little bad about that. Maybe he'll get Karma new bed sheets for his birthday, since he has to keep washing them because of him. His wrists are a tiny bit red, but they're not rubbed raw or anything.

"How do you feel?" Karma perches on the end of the bed.

Nagisa blinks at him. "Good? Tired?"

"So," he tries, "you're into all of that?"

There's way too much to unpack so soon. "I… I didn't dislike it."

Karma looks a little impatient, though. "You want to try more stuff?"

"Well," Nagisa thinks of how to phrase it, "I'll try whatever you have to show me."

His inhale is sharp and audible, and there's a strange expression on his face. "I'll get you some food."

Nagisa almost protests, but Karma can be weirdly fast when he wants to be. He's not sure if he's actually hungry or not, but he figures it can't hurt him. His body is sore, though, enough so that he knows he's going to spend the next day shifting around whenever he has to sit. At least hot water will help a little with that.

He's over whatever reservations he had about taking showers here now. Mostly because it's a much better option than the feeling of lube and sweat and his own release all over him. It does mean, though, that his mind's given the opportunity to wander, without much threat to his privacy. And Nagisa's not the best at shutting the thoughts out.

Did he like that? Well, he'd come pretty hard, so he doesn't think he can argue that he hated it by any means. But sex is sex, at least to his understanding. Even without the extra stuff, it probably would have felt good. But did the extras make him feel better? Nagisa thinks about it, and he knows that it was intense at least. And he's definitely not against doing more.

By the time he's done in the shower, and dressed to a decent standard, he can smell something being cooked. His stomach rumbles, and he's actually glad that Karma insisted, even though it also feels like his insides just got majorly tossed around. He ventures out a little shyly, almost a little shamed to admit that this is one of his favourite parts of his arrangement with Karma.

"What are you making?"

Karma flinches, as though he didn't hear him come in, but turns over his shoulder. "Just egg fried rice. I put one of my best spices from Malaysia in it, though."

Nagisa tilts his head. "When did you go to Malaysia?"

"Nagisa, you've heard of E commerce, right?"

"O-oh," he flushes. He's not sure why he didn't think of that. "Right."

There's a half smile across Karma's face. "I had a couple of days off last summer. I wouldn't say I'm that into travelling, but I felt like a change of pace. I picked the spices up from a market just outside Kuala Lumpur. Anyway, it's done, eat up."

Nagisa takes his bowl graciously, and elects to kneel rather than directly sit on the floor. "Thanks for the food."

As always, it's absolute heaven in his mouth. Does Karma even know how good he is at cooking? If Nagisa got to eat this kind of food every day, he'd probably get super fat. Nagisa admittedly doesn't know that much about Malaysian spices, but he knows they compliment whatever else is in the bowl well, and all he wants to do is eat more and more of it.

"I didn't see that you went anywhere," Nagisa says.

"Well," Karma shrugs. "It wasn't planned. I was alone, anyway, so it's not like anyone was taking pictures."

He looks down at his now empty bowl. "I can't imagine travelling alone."

"It can be fun," he offers. "You can just do what you want without having to worry about anyone else, but…"

"But it's also lonely?"

Karma's quiet for a few seconds. "Something like that. Anyway. I have homework for you."

"Homework?"

He nods. "You've always been good at research. So. Before we do anything else, you should look into this. If it's actually something you want to do."

Nagisa swallows. "And if I don't?"

Karma leans back. "There's still more stuff I can show you."

He nods. "Okay."

"Oh, by the way, can we do it on Saturday next week? I have a stupid work thing."

Saturday, huh? That's the Saturday before Christmas Eve.

"Of course."