The loneliness was creeping back.

Korosensei's visit had helped, really. But when the Christmas Eve night blended into the next day and Karma woke up to a Christmas morning that was cold and silent once again, he'd be lying if he said that he couldn't feel even a bit of the same throb that he felt for so long of his life.

Not that it surprised him. There was rarely anything that could just be fixed overnight.

Karma let out a sigh and got out of bed. There was no point getting hung up over it now. Not when he knew that there were better places he belonged in. He could handle an empty house.

Once he got ready for the morning, he made his way over to the kitchen and eyed the packets of instant noodles left on the counter from last night.

Yikes. The sight of that really did look pretty sad.

He gathered up the loose wrappings and threw them out before putting away the extra unopened packets. Seeing how concerned Korosensei had already been last night, Karma felt a twinge of relief that his teacher didn't see what kind of meal he had last night. That conversation would've been endless...

After cleaning everything up, Karma scanned his kitchen. He probably should eat a real breakfast. His mind began lazily flicking through the options of what he could make—toast, pancakes, eggs, oatmeal—but then he realized that he was actually walking towards his front door.

He put on his coat and boots, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him.

As much as he could already already hear the voice of an alarmed Korosensei lecturing him on the harmful effects of skipping breakfast, he couldn't help it.

I'll probably be in a better mood to cook once I take a walk.

Was that an explanation or an excuse? He wasn't sure either.

Karma shook his head and turned his attention to his surroundings. It seemed like a fresh layer of snow had fallen on the ground this morning. There were barely any footprints or tire tracks on the sidewalk and street around him—in fact, there was nobody nearby at all.

He exhaled, watching his breath form a white wisp in the air, and then closed his eyes.

The only sound he heard was the crunch of snow underneath his shoes. The only thing he felt was the rhythm of his footsteps as he let his feet carry him down the sidewalk.

It was almost... peaceful.

When he opened his eyes and looked around, the first thing he noticed was that he'd walked a lot further than he was planning to. He was approaching the edge of his neighbourhood, nearly at the park that he used to spend time at during the time he was suspended.

And sure enough, a few minutes later, a familiar park entrance appeared at the end of the block. He gazed at the sign with an ironic hint of fondness. The nights that felt particularly long and difficult to sleep through resurfaced in his mind. It was accompanied by the memory of sitting on top of climbing bars, staring into the moon and blocking out everything except the feeling of the cold night breeze brushing his skin.

Karma shook his head with a small snort of laughter.

Man, maybe holidays really did make him overly sentimental.

But even then, he let himself give into the urge to trace familiar steps, and he walked into the park. Scanning the scene before him, he took in the sight of the untouched playscape and snow-covered trees and benches—before pausing as he spotted a figure sitting on one of the swings at the back.

The person was just sitting still, head tilted down with feet hanging just above the ground. Karma wondered if they were a child from their short stature.

Wait a minute.

He ran up to the swings, and a spark of contentment jumped inside him as his suspicions were confirmed.

"Nagisa!"

With a jolt, Nagisa looked up. "Huh?" he said, looking equally as surprised as their gazes met. "Karma?"

"Knew it was you."

"Oh, wow." Nagisa let out a small laugh, his breath forming a small cloud in the air. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Me neither." Karma smirked. "I was confused when I first saw someone on the swing, but then I recognized your shortness and realized it was you."

"Of course you did," Nagisa muttered, but Karma saw the way his lips quirked upwards in a smile.

"Anyways"—Karma fell backwards into the swing beside Nagisa's—"what were you doing here?"

"Oh." Nagisa shrugged. "Well, nothing, to be honest." One of his hands began to fiddle with the swing's chain. "It's just that I..." He paused and his gaze flickered to the ground.

"Didn't want to stay at home?" Karma said.

He glanced up at Karma.

"Yeah," Nagisa said softly after a moment. The hesitation on his face melted into something that looked like both acceptance and relief. "Yeah."

"I figured as much." Karma kicked off the ground to start swinging. "It's the same for me too."

He'd only really heard bits and pieces of the rumors that surrounded Nagisa's mother, but he didn't need much to conclude that she probably wasn't a pleasant parent to be stuck at home during a holiday with.

No parents or a horrible one? He almost laughed. We've got some awesome options here.

"It's the same for you too, Karma?" Nagisa said after a moment.

Ah. Karma inwardly winced, the fact that he hadn't really told Nagisa anything about his family life sinking in.

"Yep. Well, kinda." He leaned back in his swing seat. "Let's just say that it's not easy for me to feel exactly happy at home when I'm my only company."

"Oh." There was a pause as Nagisa slightly frowned. "Wait, so... you're alone?"

"It's not like I don't have parents. They just... have a lot of other priorities, I guess. Work and travel." Karma shrugged. "But hey, the freedom is nice. And I've grown used to it."

"I see." Nagisa looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he closed his mouth and made a small nod with his head.

The only sound that filled the silence for the next few moments was the creaking of the swing chains as Karma swung back and forth in a slow, steady, but almost hesitant, rhythm. As he did, he glanced at Nagisa, who was staring down at his lap.

Should he say something to break the silence?

Maybe I should.

And then the familiar weight of hesitation fell over him. Nothing would change. And there was no point getting people roped into his own personal issues—especially not one whose revelation would just result in him being so... unguarded. Vulnerable.

But then he remembered the fleeting yet comforting warmth that filled his house last night, and he heard the echo of worried words and a gentle promise.

An unfamiliar feeling stirred inside Karma.

Or maybe it had always been there, and only now was he truly letting himself feel it.

"Well, I tell myself I'm fine with it." Karma dug his shoe into the dirt below him and skidded to a stop. "And sometimes, I still like to convince myself that my parents are just busy people. That they would come home to visit me more if they could."

Nagisa looked at Karma. "Oh..."

Karma shrugged. "Denial, of course. I'd realized a long time ago that they just don't give enough of a damn. But I also don't care."

"You don't?"

A pause.

"Okay. Maybe I care a bit more than I'd like to. You know, as a kid I used to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Even though I know at this point that I wouldn't have been able to change anything." Karma took a deep breath. It felt strange, laying bare the things he'd kept buried deep inside of himself like this, the sensation of it somehow both relieving and nerve-wracking all at once. "And everything just... stings more, during the holidays."

"Holidays." Nagisa echoed, something that looked like realization filling his gaze. "Like Christmas."

"Yep." Karma let out a small chuckle. "It's not a surprise, really. Turns out that a day meant for joy and family really does serve as a pretty effective reminder of..."

His words faded into silence before he realized it. And then he let the silence stretch into seconds as he turned his gaze to the ground, because he didn't know if he wanted to finish the sentence. Not knowing if he dared to.

"The loneliness."

Karma looked up at Nagisa.

"The loneliness," Nagisa said again. "Or like, knowing that everybody else hasa happy family to celebrate with... while you don't." He slightly tilted his head. "Right?"

"Yeah," Karma said after a moment. "Yeah, that's it."

Then Nagisa smiled, but Karma couldn't describe it as happy. He could only describe it as... resigned.

"I'm the same as you," Nagisa said. "Well, not exactly. I have my mom. But she's never been close with me. The reason why I'm here is actually because she was in a bad mood this morning, and I was..." His words wavered for a second. "I was too scared to be near her. Anything I did might've set her off. So I left."

Karma slowly nodded. He was scouring his mind for words, trying to formulate a response—but any possible reply he might've come up with simply evaporated on his tongue.

"And even though she's normally fine," Nagisa continued, "we never do anything for the holidays. We're not close enough—it'd just feel awkward, honestly." He sighed with a shrug. "It normally doesn't bother me. I've learned how to deal with her. But at the same time, as much as I try to deny it, when it's a holiday..."

"It just sucks," Karma murmured.

"Yeah."

"A lot."

"...Yep."

Another hush fell over them. But this time, instead of seeking to break it, the two of them let it settle between themselves. It was quiet. It was comfortable. And right now, it was everything they needed—an unspoken sigh of relief and a silent heartbeat of peace.

It was only yesterday that Karma had stared down at the houses around him with a bitterness that bordered on scorn. It was only yesterday that he'd felt like all he had was his own cold loneliness. It was only yesterday that all he'd been able to see was the world living happily without him, seizing all the light and warmth and leaving nothing behind.

But being here with Nagisa, both of them sitting together in the same comforting silence—maybe he didn't need the world. Maybe he just needed this.

Karma stood up from his swing.

"By the way, Nagisa," he said, "have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Uh." Nagisa blinked at him. "Not yet. Why?"

With a grin, Karma pulled his wallet out of his coat pocket. "I've always wanted to try the honey toast at Kunugi-Kaze Café. What do you say?"

The surprise on Nagisa's face turned into a smile—a full, happy one this time—as he got up from his swing. "Sure!" He followed Karma, and the two of them headed down the street.

"Wait," Nagisa said after a bit. "I didn't bring my wallet though."

"No worries, I'll pay." Karma shrugged. "You can just repay me with your reactions when you bite into a wasabi-filled piece of toast."

"Wait, what?"

"I might've had a tube of wasabi paste in my coat pocket. Who knows."

"I'd rather pay you back in money, thanks..."

"Hey, maybe wasabi and toast will turn out to be a delicious combination."

"Or maybe I'll burn off my taste buds and spend the rest of the day crying."

Karma had woken up this morning expecting nothing more than a day of silence and solitude.

But as he walked with Nagisa, the space between them filling with jokes and laughter and warmth, he felt like maybe this year would be the last time he'd ever have to do that again.

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A/N: Surprise! Bet you weren't expecting this sequel hehehe

This idea for this sequel chapter has actually been in my head for like over a year, but recently I got really back into AssClass, and I finally was able to actually write it all out! Looking back on this fic, I still like it, but it also makes me happy to see how much my writing has improved. And I have to say that I'm pretty proud of this sequel chapter, in terms of both the writing, and the interactions between Karma and Nagisa :')).

Any likes or reviews would be an immensely pleasant surprise for me-especially since this fic is over two years old now! But as always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!