notes:

mildly referenced sexual content ahead. nothing explicit, only suggestive, but not enough to cross into the M-rated territory! (i think...)

Jacket. Socks. Belt. Shirt. Pants. And everything else that came after. Karma doesn't know how or when he'd first taken note of that particular order of undress, but it's all he could think about whenever he came home with her. No, it's strange enough he'd noticed in the first place. The equation, Manami minus clothes plus skin had always been a wonderful and welcome distraction from anything.

He remembered the first time they did this; remembered how fiercely embarrassed she had been (and to some extent, him too) and how her hands had shaken with every article of clothing disposed of. But she had undressed him in the same order and had continued doing it like so. The only thing that changed was her confidence about the whole thing, a certainty that had outlived her insecurity, with her nimble fingers and lips that kissed his mouth before skin, skin, skin.

It was methodical. Lawful. The Okuda Manami standard procedure for getting one's boyfriend naked. Absently, Karma pictured a small pamphlet, a step-by-step procedure complete with a visual guide, and a small laugh spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it—which, to his utter dismay, make her pause and pull away from a very stimulating perusal of his neck to peer at him.

"No, go on," he complained in hoarse tones, recognizing the questioning gleam of her stare. "It's nothing."

"You're ticklish? You weren't ticklish before…"

"I'm not. I just had a funny thought." He tugged her closer again. He needed her to be closer. "Please continue."

Manami humored him… at least for a second and another indulgent kiss before sitting back again, taking her distracting mouth away. "But what was so funny?"

Karma groaned, mostly from thinking how he'll explain that he'd thought of the way she undressed him and partly from the way she settled against his hips. Does she really expect him to answer her like this?

"If you want me to answer properly you should get off of me first."

"Eh… what's that got to do with anything?"

By nature, Manami was not sly, nor was she coy. She couldn't even lie to save her life. But he's been with her for six years now, and she'd always been a quick study. So Karma knew that the smile on her swollen mouth is anything but innocuous; that's his smile. Manami had clearly spent enough time with him to mirror his expressions.

Karma growled. "You know damn well what I'm saying." When Manami let out a little laugh, he wrapped an arm around her, bringing her down and rolling them over as he showered her face with a bevy of kisses.

"You're just trying to distract me!"

"Distract you?" Karma breathed. "I think you meant I'm helping you remember who you should be focusing on."

His hands trailed lower, reigniting her blush all the way down her neck—he knows it goes down to her chest as well, so he yanked his shirt up and off of her, the only thing she had on, so he could kiss that blush all the way down her navel. There he listened to her breathy sighs as he kissed her hip; not where he knew where she wanted him, if her fingers tugging on his hair was any indication. Then he attacked.

"Karma-kun!" she shrieked, twisting and laughing and squealing now as he blew raspberries on her belly.

"Who's laughing now, huh?"

He makes her breathless and pliant with laughter, and then he's rising, crawling back up her body and finally touches where she'd been wanting, her giggles hitching and her body tensing, arching, opening up to him and Karma gladly falls into her. It's his turn to pick her apart, but she'd always been very good at unraveling him, too, and he lets her. Always lets her. Because he knows she will put him back the way she remembers, the only one who knew him the way he knew himself. He always makes sure to return the favor threefold, too.

i dont think i can write outright explicit karmanami smut, but i dont mind writing something just like Unravel again ahahaha btw! feel free to drop prompts for letters V-Z, because honestly? i've run out of prompt ideas. please stick to one-word prompts only, if ever. thanks for your continued support yall!