Nagisa's sure his sex drive will run out at some point.

It's almost as if they've been challenging that theory recently, though they didn't mutually agree on that or anything. It's just been this way ever since that night, and Nagisa can't help but feel a wedge between them. Sex is a convenient way of ignoring all of that. In fact, it's the only way Nagisa's been feeling like Karma's truly there sometimes.

There's a part of him, though, that kind of hates that it's basically all they do now. No matter how good it actually feels. It definitely seems like a shift. It's kind of more like a friends with benefits arrangement, minus the friends part. Nagisa's not that fussy. It's not like he needs a date every week to feel like Karma still likes him.

He just wishes it didn't suddenly feel like he was grating against him.

Then it starts getting even weirder. Even though Nagisa's adjusted a little bit to the fact that Karma doesn't just talk about how he feels, he can't help but think he's missing something. It's endlessly frustrating because he knows there's something. He's pretty sure Karma knows he knows too, because he seems to be doing everything he can to avoid the subject.

Nagisa has accepted that he can't force Karma to tell him anything he doesn't want to. And he's allowed to have his own life! He just… doesn't understand what could be so bad he doesn't want him to know. And the longer it goes on, the weirder it gets.

For instance, Nagisa finds himself sitting cross-legged on Karma's bed, left to his own devices for a few minutes. To his side, Karma's phone vibrates, and he glances a LINE notification. Nothing weird.

"You have a text," Nagisa says.

But Karma… pounces, awfully fast, and snatches it away from him. Kind of like he was worried the phone would explode. "Oh," he visibly relaxes, "it's just the group chat. Looks like Okajima's doing something for his birthday."

Now Nagisa's just confused. Karma's never been sensitive about this kind of thing before. Over the years, there's been a bunch of occasions when Nagisa let him know he had a message in the exact same way, and back then Karma had usually asked him to just read it aloud to him. Does the fact that they're together now really change things that much?

He had no plans to read Karma's messages. Why would he? But… should he? What kind of messages would Karma be this jumpy about him reading? Why was there a possibility it would be something he doesn't want Nagisa to see? Nagisa might not have been in a relationship himself before, but just from being around people in genera it's not exactly difficult to recognise the kind of behaviour he's thinking of. Most of his friends at the time would have described it as 'psycho', though he's not sure that's the best term.

In an effort to avoid anything like that, though, he tries to relax. Karma wouldn't cheat on him or anything. Right? He hates that he's even thinking that way.

Maybe Karma isn't used to commitment, but, well, surely he doesn't have the time to be with anyone else? There has to be a human limit to the amount of sex a person can have. If Karma's not already at that somehow, then Nagisa might be more genuinely concerned than mad about it. And at the very least, Nagisa does trust that it wouldn't be an emotional thing.

But what else would he possibly have to hide?

It's not like Nagisa has any right to press him on it. He's not entitled to his message history. And he knows, if he does ask, it's only going to make things worse. He may as well say 'I don't trust you' point blank to his face. And that's not even accurate anyway. He does trust him. With his life. But he knows Karma would take it like that regardless. It seems like the best way to make sure he never tells him anything.

But he can't exactly look at his messages without his knowledge. Morally he knows that's worse. As much as he kind of wants to…

"Woah," Karma says casually, "I know Okajima's kind of the worst but I didn't know you hated him that much."

He snaps out of it. "Huh?"

Karma shoots him an expression. "You looked like you were about to stab that wall."

"O-oh," he blinks, and then tries to breathe. Maybe he did get a little lost in his head. "I don't hate Okajima."

"Like, you want to go?"

He makes what he figures is the wise decision to check his own phone. Honestly, he feels a little bad about it, but he has the 3E group chat muted. It's not like he doesn't want to talk to them! He just… finds the messages a little overwhelming sometimes. He muted the chat when he was preparing for his first round of high school exams, and just hasn't been motivated to turn them back on since. He still checks it when he has time, though! Sometimes…

"It could be nice," he says, after scanning a couple of the response messages. "I feel like I haven't seen everyone in a long time."

He leaves out the fact that the only reason for that was because they spent the last meet-up making out in the forest.

Karma puts his phone back down on the side table, and Nagisa can't help but notice it's angled away. "If you say so."

"You don't have to come," he offers.

Maybe he imagines it, but he feels like Karma stiffens a little. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You hate parties," Nagisa frowns.

"I like them enough if there's hot gu-" he stops, and then clears his throat. "I mean, you get used to them. I bet it's more fun than the work thing I have next week."

He looks at him with slight intrigue. "What work thing?"

Karma sits down on the bed next to him. "It's just a celebration… event… thing," he gestures with his hands, though it doesn't mean much to Nagisa. "Look, I don't even really know. Sometimes I feel like they'll find any excuse." His eyes widen. "You should come!"

"What?"

He nods, like this is somehow a great idea. "C'mon, it'll be fun~. Hey, I know a couple of people from MEXT are gonna be there. Maybe you can talk to them about your article."

Nagisa tries to process. "It's not my article. Plus… it was only local news," he's been trying to affirm that to himself. "I don't see why it would matter to officials from the Ministry of Education. And are you even allowed?"

He just shrugs. "I can bring a plus one."

Nagisa's heart sinks down into his stomach, and he swallows harshly. He's not exactly a formal party person either. Especially not the government kind. Or he can imagine so at least. There's a part of it that appeals to him though. Karma wants to bring him somewhere… as his boyfriend presumably. Despite everything else it's enough to make him at least a little but giddy.

What follows is anxiety. Because Karma wants to bring him somewhere.

"O-okay," he says, and instantly regrets it.

Karma smiles. "Great." And then "are you staying?"

Like trying to wake himself up out of a nightmare, Nagisa springs to his feet. "U-uhm, no! Can't today! I still have some grading to do."

It doesn't feel like running. And Karma even gives him a kiss on the way out. In truth, Nagisa just feels like he has a lot to process and there's no way he's going to be able to do that effectively with Kama right beside him all night. So maybe that turns out to be attempting not to think about it at all, by the time he gets home, but he's fine with that. He does actually have grading, after all!

That's how the next few days of Nagisa's life go, at least.

At work? Not thinking about it. Chopping a carrot? Not thinking about it. Bent over Karma's kotatsu after a movie got boring? Still not thinking about it! Unfortunately, though, he kind of has to think about it by the time the event actually rolls around. Well, that and all of the other complications… Nagisa's biggest obstacle seems to be his own wardrobe, though.

"My clothes suck," he voices to himself.

Yeah, it was probably a mistake to not think about it. He really should have looked at his clothing options before the night before the party… now he has about 24 hours to figure things out. Nagisa just doesn't go anywhere formal! And even if he did… he's not sure how it would fly. Not that Nagisa's met any of Karma's government friends (?) before.

His phone buzzes, and he almost, selfishly, hopes Karma's suddenly come down with the plague or something.

Kayano: Hey! Are you free anytime? We just wrapped up filming for this season and I have at least two weeks before that press tour for the movie. Let's hang out!

He feels a certain kind of relief.

Nagisa: It's kind of an emergency right now.

His phone immediately starts to ring. Maybe he should have predicted that. He feels a little bad, though, maybe he's being dramatic.

"Are you okay?!" Kayano sounds concerned, at least.

He hesitates. "I have nothing to wear."

"…Nagisa?"

He slumps on his floor. "I don't own any suits. Unless you count what I had for interviews, but if I wear that I'll just look like some lost graduate."

"Uhm," Kayano sounds a little confused and he can't exactly blame her. "Okay. Let's start with why you need a suit?"

"Karma invited me to a work party," he gets out.

He almost expects her to laugh at him, but he's glad when she doesn't. "Meet me at Shibuya Station. 10am sharp."

The call hangs up.

At least she sounds confident? Nagisa feels a little bad, his stomach twisting itself into a knot. Logically he knows it's not a bad thing to reach out to your friends for help, but he still hates doing it. Especially given how busy Kayano usually is. Though… she wanted to hang out. And this is her idea. He tries to remind himself of that fact at least.

The security he feels in Kayano's knowledge of fashion is enough to allow him a decent night's sleep, against all odds. Really, there's probably nobody better to ask. She has… red carpets, or at least he thinks so. Honestly, they don't talk about her celebrity lifestyle stuff so much. He even forgets about it sometimes, since she's just the same as she was during junior high for the most part.

"Nagisa!" Kayano waves cheerfully, wearing her usual minor disguise of fake glasses and a har. "Long time no see! I brought Yukiko chan!"

Kanzaki, looking a little more relaxed, shoots him a smile. "Hi. I hope you don't mind. Kaede chan contacted me because I've been to a lot of formal events with my family."

Actually, he really doesn't mind, considering he needs all the help he can get.

Nagisa just nods. "T-thank you so much for coming. Uhm," he scans the massive sea of people. "Where are we actually going?"

Kayano looks at Kanzaki. "109?"

She shakes her head. "Too informal." She looks at Nagisa. "Did he give you a dress code?"

"No," Nagisa says, realising he should have asked.

Kayano's eyes widen. "Oh! I know! That place in Harajuku. Let's go!"

Nagisa doesn't feel like he has much room to question what place she's actually talking about, or why they met up in Shibuya. He's not complaining, though, it's hardly a far walk compared to the trip they used to do every day when they were in 3E. Besides, he hasn't exactly spoken to Kanzaki in a while either, so Nagisa has no problem with the extra time to catch up.

After a brief stop by an enroute Starbucks, Kayano finally starts digging for the context.

"So, how come you're even going to this party?"

He hesitates. "Karma just kind of invited me." Though he's been wondering if it was some way to change the subject. "I don't know," he bites a little at the straw. "I've never been someone's plus one before."

"He seems happy," Kanzaki finally says as they walk along. Even amongst friends, she's never been the most talkative. "It's not like I can read him much… but he's been more approachable lately."

Kayano nods. "He hasn't even insulted Terasaka for weeks."

Nagisa's brow creases, because he certainly didn't seem that happy a few days ago… "Maybe he's just been busy with other stuff?"

"More information that I asked for," Kayano's smile suddenly feels a little fake.

It takes Nagisa a second to realise what he just implied. "I didn't mean like-"

Kanzaki coughs. "In any case, maybe you bring something good out in him. And vice versa."

He's not sure how to feel about that. He doesn't think he's changed much. Has he? Aside from the increase in sex drive, at least. Not that Nagisa has a problem with seeming generally happier, or apparently making Karma happy. It just kind of feels like another shot of confusion in the mix. He'd thought dating would be easier than before.

"I guess I'm just nervous," he admits.

"We're pretty close to the shrine," Kayano says. "We should go get omikuji!"

Nagisa's not exactly sure if getting his fortune is going to help or not, but he can hardly say no to the idea of the shrine, considering it's basically directly on their way. Any extra support he can get is more than welcome. Even though, on actual approach, it feels like a pretty significant trek towards the shrine.

It's also a little unnerving that it's busy enough for a queue to have formed.

Still, Nagisa manages to find a five yen coin in his pocket, tosses it forwards, and claps his hands to pray. He's never been particularly occupied with religion, though a part of him feels like he should pray more often. He's not even sure how to word it, if the gods really are paying attention. They probably have bigger issues to deal with than his love life problems anyway. Bring me clarity, he settles on.

He can't help but feel a little on edge for some reason, when they approach the box of paper fortunes. He ends up closing his eyes, sifting them around just a little before drawing one. And then he reads the words 'large curse'. Nagisa's never actually drawn one of those before. His eyes scan the cryptic text, which basically spells out that he's doomed to a lifetime of failure. What really hits him is 'you will face certain romantic turmoil" and 'marriage prospects: never'. It doesn't feel like a good sign.

"What's with the face?" Kayano questions.

"I-it's pretty brutal," Nagisa admits.

She reads the paper over, eyes widening a little. "Well…" she looks sideways. "It doesn't really mean anything…"

Nagisa feels his nerves liven up and he immediately steps away to go tie his fortune up. That should uncurse him, at least. He side eyes the main shrine complex. Is that a response to 'clarity'? He hates to think 'be careful what you wish for', but that might just be it. Maybe it's better to just move on and try to forget Karma's weird behaviour.

"Shopping time?" Kayano offers tentatively.

Harajuku proper isn't far from the shrine, since it's right on the edge of Yoyogi park. It's a lot easier to focus on the stress of outfit finding than deeper questions about his entire relationship anyway. Under Kanzaki's direction, though, they end up in a store Nagisa wouldn't have even thought to entre on his own.

In fact, he's not really contributing much, unless he counts listening to Kayano and Kanzaki discuss his options. Nagisa's usual choice in clothing is comfy, practical, and inexpensive. He doesn't put much thought into how it actually looks on him, so long as it fits. Especially formal items. He's actually pretty dressed down compared to most of his co-workers as it is.

"Try this on," Kayano says, handing him a small pile of clothing.

Kanzaki nods affirmatively.

Kind of like he's being marched to stand on trial, he does what they say. Honestly, he can't even remember the last time he tried clothes on before buying them. He shrugs off his existing outfit, trying to ignore how alien staring at his own reflection is underneath the shop's harsh lighting.

Though, he can't help the way his eyes bulge out as he notices just how many hickeys are plastered across his torso. It's not as though he never looks down or anything, but considering he doesn't own a full length mirror he's never actually noticed the extent of it. Jeez, Karma. This could even be mistaken for the aftermath of a punch up!

He snaps out of it then, and decides to change into the new trousers as quickly as possible, because he knows for a fact there's going to be more across his thighs. At least he hasn't been handed a tuxedo? Though, they're definitely a lot tighter than anything he's used to wearing. He even has to tug at them to get them on, though they do technically fit.

Kayano had handed him a couple of shirts, but he just goes for the closest one. That just leaves him with a textured grey blazer jacket. It seems like a weird combination to him, but maybe it works when he actually puts it on. Nagisa's not sure how to feel, looking at his own reflection. He looks… fine, he thinks. The clothes fit, at least, even though they fall on him in a way he's not really used to.

"U-uhm," he finally says, pulling back the curtain, "it fits?"

Their expressions are surprisingly hard to read.

"Here," Kayano gets to her feet, "let me-"

She starts immediately messing with the shirt buttons. A few seconds later, Kanzaki's on him too, both of them shaping his outfit like modelling clay. Nagisa doesn't make any attempt to stop them, but he feels under an uncomfortable level of scrutiny. His eyes travel upwards, finding it easier to make contact with the ceiling instead.

Kanzaki claps her hands together. "It's good. This should be a good balance of formality."

Nagisa turns a little, trying to figure out what they did. The most obvious change is the shirt being slightly unbuttoned. His trousers have also been rolled up, in a way he thinks is meant to be fashionable and not to actually alter the length. It feels a little better, at least, though Nagisa's not sure exactly how to take in his own image.

"We're geniuses," Kayano declares. "And you're getting everything."

Nagisa figures it's best not to argue with her, especially since it's his fault she came all this way and everything. Even though his eyes pop out of their sockets at the price tag. It's a good thing Karma gives him free food, because otherwise he won't be eating this month. He convinces himself it's fine, anyway. He can wear the trousers and shirt to work, at least. Besides, even if Karma is having so kind of affair, he'd make him regret it.

"Thank you for your help today," he says outside the shop, feeling inclined to punctuate it with a bow.

"Anytime," Kanzaki says.

"I had fun," Kayano adds. And then, laced with subtle threat, "Karma better write me a thank you card."

Nagisa laughs awkwardly, before they say their goodbyes. He doesn't actually have that long before the event anyway, and he figures he'll feel better after he takes a bit of time to decompress. Admittedly, Nagisa's not the best at that. He really wishes he had Karma's ability to just nap on command, at least he'd pass the time faster that way.

He's astounded he even manages to get ready at all through the nerves and tension coursing through him. He even gave up on pacing at one point in favour of throwing knives (the rubber kind) at the wall. Still, he finds himself dressed exactly how the outfit had been arranged earlier by the time his doorbell rings.

"Hey," Karma starts, "you ready to…"

Nagisa swallows. Predictably, Karma looks great, in an effortless way. But Nagisa's half convinced he'd look good in pretty much any context. It's annoying, really. Honestly though he's mostly grateful he's not dressed in a tuxedo. It's not that far off to what he wears to work, though a little less suit-like.

Then he realises Karma never finished his sentence, and is now just staring at him. "I-is something wrong?"

Karma appears to reboot, stepping properly inside the entrance so that the door closes behind him, though he stays put without removing his shoes. "Let's just stay here."

Although Nagisa's gut reaction is to be offended, he notices the tone in Karma's voice. "No way."

"But," Karma tugs him over by the wrist so he's pressed up against him, "I can think of at least ten things I'd rather do right now."

Suddenly feeling a weird sense of pride, Nagisa lets him kiss him. In fact, it almost convinces him that staying in could actually be a pretty good idea. It's hard not to get carried away with him, though Karma's tug at edge of his jacket makes him snap out of it. He didn't spend all of that money for nothing, after all.

"Come on," he urges.

Karma sighs dramatically without actually letting him go, though Nagisa can tell the seriousness has evaporated. "Where did you even get this from anyway?"

He looks up at him. "I went shopping."

A demonic grin appears on his face. "Just for me? Then let me appreciate it some more-"

Nagisa dodges his attempt to kiss him again. "I don't want to make a bad impression by being late."

Karma pouts briefly, before standing up straight again. "You'll regret this when you see how boring it is."

He's not entirely sure how he manages to get out of the door, with Karma making his thoughts so obvious. In reality, Nagisa can't say he minds it. A part of this actually makes him feel pretty good. Even though he knows Karma's mostly just joking… does he really think he looks that good in these clothes?

He realises he's not actually following him after a few steps.

"Karma!" He turns over his shoulder. "Quit staring!"

"But I didn't even see your ass yet," he complains.

Nagisa takes his hand. "You've had plenty of opportunities before."

Karma sighs dramatically, before his tone shifts. "It really won't be that exciting though."

"I know," Nagisa looks up at him. "I don't mind."

When they enter the metro station, Nagisa feels even less glamorous about it, but he figures that's a good thing. It makes this experience feel a little less alien at least. Though they get a couple of glances, the train is mostly empty, affording the rare opportunity to take a seat. Nagisa realises they're still holding hands at that point, though he doesn't do anything to stop it.

They're mostly silent the rest of the way there, which miraculously didn't require any changes. Nagisa doesn't spend much time in east Tokyo, so he's pretty much just following Karma. For just a moment though, he doesn't mind much at all. He suddenly feels oddly calm about this entire thing, though he has no idea why.

"Think this is the hotel," Karma eventually says, looking down at their hands like he's reluctant to let go.

"Okay," Nagisa squeezes him.

It reminds him a little of some great aunt's birthday party he attended as a child. That is, a bunch of strangers milling around and chatting. He's a little more out of his depth than he realised. It's not much of a party in any way he would define it, though. Aside from taking a complementary drink, Nagisa doesn't actually know what to do.

"Okay?" Karma asks.

Nagisa nods. "Yeah… You work with all these people?"

"In a way," Karma scans the room. "It's not like I know all of them though. A lot of people don't even come to this kind of thing."

"How come you are?"

"Have someone I need to speak with," he shrugs. "I'm not sure if they know what an email even is, and I'm not faxing them."

Nagisa considers it. "What do you have against fax machines?"

Karma opens his mouth, as though he's about to describe exactly what he has against fax machine, before something else seemingly captures his attention. Nagisa tries his best to follow his eyeline, scanning around the room until he sees Terasaka, of all people. It makes sense considering his profession, but he'd hardly been expecting to see him here.

"Oh good," Karma says, "if Terasaka's here then the professor probably is. Let's go say hi."

Nagisa doesn't even get the chance to quest him, before he's tugged over.

"Evening Terasaka kun~" Karma says.

Terasaka ignores him, looking at Nagisa instead. "What're you doing here?"

"Karma invited me," Nagisa explains, though admittedly it's not with much enthusiasm.

Karma makes a show of looking over his shoulder. "Your boss around?"

Terasaka straightens like he's about to recite something. "He won't be taking work business on a social occasion."

"Great," Karma rolls his eyes, "because it's not work business. C'mon secretary kun," he elbows him, "help me out."

From Nagisa's perspective, Karma and Terasaka's relationship has always been a little odd. On the one hand, Terasaka generally keeps up with his tough act, and could easily just ignore whatever Karma's telling him to do. But he seems to just go along with it, with a bit of grumbling beforehand. Nagisa's not sure they'd consider each other friends though.

With Terasaka pointing in a direction, Karma moves them along, which leaves Nagisa curious. He doesn't know why Karma specifically wants to talk to his person so badly… At least he feels a little bit better, knowing there's somebody else he can at least talk to. He wouldn't consider himself friends with Terasaka either, but they had a certain connection through 3E.

"Ah, Akabane kun," an elderly looking man says upon seeing them. "I haven't seen you for some time. Taxing someone else for a change?"

Karma laughs it off, so Nagisa assumes it was meant playfully. "Culture really hate my guts."

The man hums. "Formidable, yes that's the word I think." He slides his eyes over to Nagisa. "Don't tell me they let someone shadow you."

"This is my boyfriend," Karma explains.

Nagisa, caught a little off guard by how openly he said hat, feels his cheeks heat up a little. "N-nice to meet you," he breathes in. "I'm Shiota Nagisa."

"Professor Wada Takumi," the man lowers his head a little.

"He teaches at a junior high," Karma says for him. Right. He probably should have said that part. "Probably saw him on the news."

"Karma," Nagisa hisses.

Professor Wada's face morphs in recognition. "You saved a man's life after a student called you in distress, correct? I thought that name sounded familiar."

Nagisa cringes. "A-actually, Karma deserved most of the credit for the saving part."

"Humility will only get you so far in a ruthless world," the professor says, and Nagisa's unsure whether to perceive it as a threat.

Karma squeezes his hand. "You're good here? I have to find that guy. See you in a bit!"

Nagisa almost gapes as he releases him and practically saunters away like it's nothing. Talk about abandonment!

"So," the professor looks at him, "you were part of an interesting article, if I remember right."

"R-right," Nagisa gets out, trying to swallow his distress. "You read that?"

He appears to think. "I like to keep up to date with those kind of discussions, it is my job after all." He pauses for a moment. "You had some interesting criticisms."

Nagisa feels like he's about to be eaten alive. "I wouldn't call them criticisms-"

"In any case," his eyes flash, "You dislike mainstream policy, true?"

"I guess," the floor looks attractive right then. "I wonder what students are really learning other than memorisation. It's a valuable skill… but it doesn't prepare them for life. Only being able to recite facts won't help them much when something unexpected inevitably comes their way." Somehow he feels passion build. "And besides, a lot of students simply can't learn by repetition and memorisation. When all they really need is a slightly different approach, it feels like an injustice to just let them believe they're unintelligent instead."

Whoops. Nagisa didn't mean to say all that.

Professor Wada seems unphased. "Though of course, you can't dictate something like teaching style."

"That's true, but with the examination format skewed to that approach as it is, most teachers don't have much of a choice." He exhales again. "Lateral thinking is important," he continues. "Adaptability… teamwork… motivation?"

"So that's how you arrived at your unconventional methods?" The professor looks at him. "It's interesting, at the least. Though there's little to be known about longer term impacts. Still… interesting. I hope I'll have the opportunity to hear more from you one day. You must get Akabane to bring you again."

Nagisa swallows. "He doesn't really have the power to change taxes, does he?"

The professor laughs lightly at least. "Not personally, at least not yet. I don't doubt it someday, though. He's made quite a name for himself already, almost caused a constitutional crisis in his first week."

Why is that not actually that surprising?

"Anyway," he continues, "enjoy the rest of your evening."

He can't help but feel even more on edge, though he only spoke his honesty. Now what? More people have filtered in since he arrived, and he has no idea where Karma is. He bounces on the balls of his feet, trying to look around the room. It's noisy, though. Too noisy. Nagisa tries his best to dull down his senses, but all that causes is an intense ringing, his vision blurring in favour of consciousness.

"Hey!" A hand being waved over his eyes. "You listenin' or what?"

He snaps out of it, eyes meeting Terasaka. How long has he been here? "S-sorry."

Terasaka rolls his eyes. "Don't blame ya, these things suck."

Nagisa looks at him for a moment. "You really have to go?"

He shrugs. "It'll be part of my life whether I like it or not."

"Exposure therapy," Nagisa smiles wryly. "You don't happen to know where Karma went, do you?"

A scowl forms. "Seriously? You two are-" he mumbles something. "No, I haven't seen him. There's a whole other room attached to this one though."

Nagisa smiles again. "Thanks, Terasaka kun."

He's not being co-dependent. In fact, wouldn't it just be impolite for him to not try and find him, considering he's the reason he's here? Not like it matters! He doesn't have to justify himself to… himself. Okay, maybe he could do with taking a moment to breathe properly. He's fine. Karma's over six foot, anyway, it can't be that hard to find him.

Predictably, upon entering whatever room Terasaka pointed him towards, all he really has to do is look up. Nagisa steadies himself and walks over in a way that's definitely not a determined march. He's casual… he can do this. Annoyingly, he's spending so much energy on keeping calm that he's pretty obvious on his approach, causing Karma to turn automatically.

He doesn't look disappointed to see him, at least?

"Hey, nice talk?"

He's not even sure. "I think so?"

"Good, I'm bored, wanna ditch?"

Nagisa peers around. "You're not busy?"

"Done all I needed t-"

Something feels wrong, like the air has changed. Nagisa tries to focus in on Karma's conscious, which is clearly spiking. What could he be on edge about, though? It's not even something only Nagisa would detect, he looks visually unsettled.

"Let's go," Karma says sharply.

But Nagisa stands his ground. "What for?"

"Didn't think I'd see you here Karma."

Karma locks up.

When he turns to see who's approaching them, Nagisa squints. The first thing he notices is an almost blinding smile, though it's not so far off from being a little creepy. Honestly, at an initial glance, he looks like how he'd imagine Bitch Sensei if she was a man, right down to the accent… though it's considerably stronger. There's something a little colder though, and Nagisa can't tell if his eyes are blue or grey.

Finally Karma swallows. "I could say the same."

"Really?" His lips curl. "I would never miss an open bar." His eyes flick down, like he's only then acknowledging Nagisa's existence. "Who's your friend?"

Karma remains rigid.

"I don't think we've met," Nagisa cuts in, feeling strangely emboldened. "Nagisa Shiota, his boyfriend."

There's a visible clench in his jaw, as he raises an eyebrow, looking more at Karma. "Is that so?"

"And you are?" Nagisa asks, though he suspects he knows.

"Of course," he looks a little offended, just beneath the cracks. "My name's Sergei."

"Oh," Nagisa says neutrally, "are you a colleague of Karma's? I don't think he's mentioned a 'Sergei' before."

It appears to get under his skin a little, though he's pretty good at masking it. "We were friends."

"Did you want something then?"

He blinks. "Excuse me?"

Nagisa really doesn't mean to, he doesn't, but he feels his bloodlust slip out just a little bit. He's been on edge for long enough anyway, so it feels like it was just inevitable. A part of him doesn't want to care, in favour of staring the man down.

"I'm sorry," he forces a smile, "I thought you said you 'were friends', that's the past tense, isn't it? Maybe I'm messing up with my English again."

"Nagisa-" Karma's hand on his shoulder snaps him out of his… death glare.

"Right, we were leaving," he affirms. "Nice to meet you, Sergei!"

He's not sure who's pulling who, but they vacate the room pretty sharply. Nagisa feels a strange satisfaction at Sergei's expression for a moment, though reality sets in the second the cold air hits his face. Did he really just… do all of that? It feels like he's outside of his own body, like something just took him over.

"What was that?" Karma finally stops walking, by the time they're on the next street over.

Nagisa looks down. "Y-you seemed uncomfortable."

"So," Karma almost looks like he's only just processing it, "you thought pissing a circle around me would help?"

"I'm sorry," Nagisa says, "I don't know why I said all that."

A small smile grows across his face. "I mean seriously? 'Past tense'? Where did that even come from?"

All he can do is shrug.

Karma laughs lightly, though it's almost bitter. "You…" He just shakes his head though, and paces closer to the building, which is probably better than standing right in the middle of the pavement. He crouches beside the vending machine against the wall. Take the suit away, and he'd easily pass for a high school delinquent.

"Karma…" Nagisa starts. "That's not the first time you've seen him, is it?"

The humour disappears from his face. "No."

Nagisa swallows. "Okay."

Finally, Karma exhales. "He's a low level envoy now, apparently. Ran into him at work. Not that it matters, he hasn't changed, he's still the same asshole."

"Y-you can still have feelings about it though," Nagisa tries, but he's not sure how to articulate himself.

He breathes sharply. "Yeah, well."

"Is that what you were upset about?" He's mostly talking to himself, though, remembering how Karma had burst into his apartment.

"I wasn't upset-"

Nagisa's thoughts are still working in semi-overdrive though. "Does he text you?"

Karma goes rigid again for a moment, like he's in shock. His head tilts up, so he's just staring up at the sky. "I didn't reply."

"He still has your number?"

That just earns him a side-eye. "The crazy jealous thing doesn't suit you, Nagisa." He inhales again though. "He did live here for a year, y'know. He has LINE."

Nagisa nods, and tentatively looks around. To anyone walking past them, this probably looks really weird. It's not like they're in the middle of Shibuya, it's definitely not the environment to pass out drunk in the street. Not that anywhere is the area for that, Nagisa strongly disapproves in fact. At least it's the kind of corporate wilderness that's not so populated outside of business hours.

His eye catches the vending machine, and for some reason a part of him feels like there's a chance it might help. Fishing around in his pocket for his wallet, he finds just enough change. Karma doesn't say anything, though neither does he, as he starts inputting his choice into the machine.

"Thirsty?" Karma stares at him, sarcasm laced in his tone.

Nagisa presses the strawberry milk carton into his hands, and joins him at his level. Rather than crouching though, he fully sits. A voice that sounds like Kayano's screams at him for ruining his new outfit, but he manages to shut it out.

"This doesn't mean I approve of the sugar," Nagisa says.

A smile grows on Karma's face again for a moment, before falling. "I don't care that he's here, it's just…" he hesitates. "Threw me off."

Nagisa sighs. "I know. Did he… uhm… deserve… that?"

"Yeah," Karma says. "You're scary. And hot. It's kind of confusing honestly."

He's not sure how to respond to that. "Y-you can talk to me, you know?" His eyes squeeze shut. "You should be able to trust me with something like this. T-that's better than just… holding it in."

If not, then are they that different from 'friends with benefits'? Even plain friends should be able to talk about something like that.

"I warned you," Karma says lowly. "I don't know anything about this relationship crap."

Nagisa shoots him a look.

"I didn't mean it like that."

He finds himself shaking his head. "Aren't you meant to be a fast learner?"

"Touché," he takes a sip. "I'll try."

"Just be honest," Nagisa says. "Uhm, please?"

"Alright," Karma finishes the drink, and stands up properly again, offering out a hand. "Can we go home and watch Sonic Ninja?"

That catches him a little by surprise. "Uhm-"

"Honestly speaking," Karma says, "that's what I want to do the most right now."

Nagisa smiles at him. "Of course."

There's something across Karma's expression, but Nagisa can't read exactly what it is. It certainly feels like he wants to say something, like it's on the tip of his tongue. Karma appears to swallow it down though, breaking their eye contact. Nagisa's not sure in this lighting, but his cheeks look just a tiny bit red.

"Let's go before the trains stop for the night, huh?"