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Chapter Text

Nagisa hissed as he stumbled into the warehouse bathroom and locked the door behind him. His knuckles turned white as he clenched the sink counter. With gasping shallow breaths he pushed himself against the wall opposite the mirror and ripped open his shirt around the glass shards embedded in the side of his abdomen. His eyes closed and he was met with an array of flashing colours and ringing in his ears. Watching the glass shards move with his stomach as he inhaled he bit the collar of his shirt and dug around his utility belt. Out came a sanitation wipe, a needle, and stitches thread, and a small vial of alcohol for makeshift sterilization. His teeth ground together as he pulled the shards of glass out of his skin. Fingers pressing lightly around the smaller ones to force them out as if they were simply splinters. 

        He knows he should be focusing on stitching himself up. He knows he should be thinking about how to get out of this warehouse when the three assassins who ambushed him were still roaming, and it was a matter of time until they found him. However, he’s been doing a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking about his friend Karma. He uses the term friend generously. The two of them had gotten really close after high school, but just a week ago they had decided to stop whatever was happening between them in the name of their careers. Being an assassin dating an assassin is stressful, and takes a lot of effort that should be put into making your mission a success on your plan’s first launch. 

        Nevertheless, in Nagisa’s mind was a text message he’d been drafting for the past six days. ‘I’ve been thinking of trying that new bar on 6th . Do you wanna join me?’ Nagisa grimaced more at his imaginary text than at the pain. ‘Is that too weird?’ He thought to himself. ‘It’s barely been a week, he won’t want to go drinking with me, am I dumb?!’  He thought that once he graduated and began his life as a full fledged adult the rest of his life would somehow present itself to him. What an idiotic sentiment that was, he thinks now as he ties the knot on his stitches. His love life is in shambles, his parents and him don’t talk, his old classmates seemingly all about to get married or settle down, and every time he completes an assignment he blinks and sees the glowing light of the first person who ever believed in him float into the air to be lost to time. 

        His tools back into his belt he slides his phone down his palm, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. ‘Hey Karma’ he types before pausing. He’s interrupted by a voice and loud footsteps heading towards the bathroom. He groans and deletes the half done message, tucking his phone away and raising his clenched fists, inching towards the door. ‘My life has never been normal’ he thinks to himself as he swings his left fist through the opening of the door as it’s pushed open. 

        His body felt like it was made out of lead by the time he unlocked his front door. Clicking off his utility belt, letting momentum swing it to the side of his leg. He threw it onto the kitchen counter and looked right ahead to where his bed was waiting for him when he caught a glimpse of it. A small white envelope on his kitchen counter, no label, no markings, just a pure untouched envelope so pristine it looks like it was sealed shut with steam. In Nagisa’s line of work, work is never done. He uses a small knife from his drawer to slice the paper open. Inside was a folded piece of paper. Through the light and translucent material, he could see a square portrait and lines of spaced out text. Signifying a kill assignment. 

Name: Kento Takahashi 

E/C: Green 

H/C : Brown 

Ht: 1.88 metres 

Blood type: AB+ 

Address: 14 Kichijoki Sun Road 

Affiliation: Takahashi-Kimura Incorporated 

Notes:

 Financing nationalist extremist groups through false charity fundraising and investments. 

Founder of Children First Health Research Foundation. (Charity through which funds are raised)

Investor for Hayashi Technologies which creates artillery for nationalist extremist groups aforementioned underground. 

Multiple allegations: physical assault, extortion, insider trading, corruption. 

About to launch a new franchise in Seoul. 

Neatly, Nagisa folded the paper again and stuck it back in the envelope. Inching towards his bedroom with his arms and feet dragging. Flopping onto the soft mattress and cool blankets he buries his face in his pillow. Thirty seconds later he turns his head to the side and pulls out his phone and clicks it. No new notifications. He remembers when he would get home and have a text from Karma waiting to be read. ‘Is it as hard for him not to text me as it is for me?’ He wonders. With a huff he rolls onto his back. Probably not. He and Karma have always been opposites. From the way they’ve thought, 

“We kill!” 

“We save!” 

       To the way they acted in class. To the way they spoke to their friends and peers. All the way to their approach to assassination. 

“Karma is first and foremost a combat assassin. He relishes the process, the bargaining, the strategy. Only when he’s gone through the moves will he deal the decisive blow. Nagisa on the other hand is a pure assassin. Singlemindedly searching for the one strike that will secure victory.” 

        Assassination wasn’t the first career Nagisa would have chosen for himself when he was a teenager, but it’s the only one that gives him a sense of fulfilment and made him feel real. He doesn’t know why Karma got into assassination, probably because he loves inflicting misery on others. Maybe it’s a good thing they’ve stopped whatever was going on before it got to real, Nagisa ponders as he clicks his phone on once more to be met with an empty background: a picture of class 3-E when they managed to buy the mountain from their school to preserve Korosensei’s memory.  Karma had his arm around Nakamura, while the other rested on top of Nagisa’s head, looking down at him with a sneer and laughter filled eyes. With a huff, Nagisa threw his phone across the bed and groaned into his hands as they pulled down his face. 

        Nagisa huffed as he assembled his sniper with a click. Dressed in all black to blend in with the night sky. His spot on this roof gave him a good view of the target’s balcony where he was standing, leaning against the railing, having a smoke. He muttered to himself. “Everything is okay. I’m going to do what I love, take out a scumbag, and not…” He squints as he looks through the sniper lens. “…think about…” he chews his bottom lip as he adjusts the gun. “Him.” 

       For a second, Nagisa feels the moment of bliss that comes with his job. Everything peels away and all he can see is what’s within the dimensions of the lens. The air moved around his body except for a precise and direct stream that travelled into his lungs. He felt every muscle fibre in his body lock into place. His lips parted slightly as he exhaled ever so quietly. Then, his whole head whips to the side because of a sudden sound. Nagisa recognizes it as the heel of a boot scuffing the roof of a building nearby. His eyes focus on the figure of another person. Leaving his sniper on the tripod, he pulls a knife from his belt and tucks it into his sleeve. He jumps across the gap between the buildings and lands with a roll over his shoulder to save his knees from absorbing the impact. Swiftly he sneaks up behind the figure and shrugs his shoulder to present the knife, sliding it down so the hilt fits snuggly in his palm. He lunges forward and grabs the figure’s arm to turn it behind his back. The figure, however, turns around and slides their hand up Nagisa’s arm to grab his wrist, twisting it so that blade pointed away from the both of them. If only it had been a little lighter he would have noticed who it was and would’ve just ignored him. 

“Karma.” Nagisa exhales looking up at him. Karma’s eyes widen slightly, the grip around Nagisa’s wrist tightens. 

“What are you doing here?” Karma says quietly. 

“This is my mark.” 

“Funny, because this is my mark. Guess the Chairman double booked him.” 

        Nagisa can’t think of what to say. His throat feels dry and like it’s closing. Karma’s jaw twitches. 

“So which one of us gets this one?” Karma asks quietly. Without a cognitive function in his brain, Nagisa responds with a tight voice. “I’ve been thinking of trying that new bar on sixth. Do you wanna join me?” 

There’s a pause before Karma responds. “What?” 

    They heard a creak and a click. They both looked down from the roof to see Takahashi entering his home. 

Nagisa groaned. “Damn it.” Because of his childish affiliation with wanting to stand next to Karma they both lost the mark. He returned his eyes to Karma, who was still looking down at the balcony. The light from the street reflected in his amber eyes, made them look like liquid gold. 

“Well I guess my evening just freed up.” Karma said. “Give me a second to pack up and I’ll meet you for those drinks.”

Chapter Text

        Blood rushes to Nagisa’s head. All he can hear is the pulsing and ringing. Karma’s hand leaves Nagisa’s wrist, and the latter is painfully aware of how cold his skin is now. Leaping across the gap once more to pack up his gun he stood up to find Karma standing behind him. 

“So whoever gets there last pays?” He offered. Nagisa but the inside of his cheek. Karma laughs. “Nah I’m joking, I’ll pay. On a teacher's salary we wouldn’t be able to have much fun anyway.” 

“We need to drop off our gun cases first, or did you forget?”

“Sue me for thinking.” 

Nagisa once again felt his head ringing. ‘Thinking? Thinking about what? About us getting drinks? Was he waiting for me to ask to see him? Does he still like me? Gah I sound like I'm fifteen!’ 

        The bar had a soft yellow light glowing gentle against every surface. Chatter and laughter accompanied by the sounds of clinking glass entered Nagisa’s ear the second he stepped through the door. He watched Karma’s car park. His eyes blur as he watches him walk closer. Karma and him took seats at a table in the back corner. Nagisa’s foot tapped the ground anxiously, his fingers peeling at his nails. This was a bad idea. He was going to say something awkward and hurt his own feelings. He looked at Karma, leaning back with causality and ease, taking in his surroundings and tapping his fingers in time with the quiet music playing against his side of the table. How could he be so normal? Didn’t he feel aching in his chest and burning in his throat? ‘Polar opposites’ Nagisa reminds himself. ‘Think of this as getting drinks with an old classmate, an old friend. Not a man who once cooked breakfast in your kitchen.’ The silence was going on for too long. ‘Say something!’ 

“What do you know about Takahashi?” Nagisa asked. Work talk! That’s a good unemotional conversation topic. Definitely not going to hurt his feelings. 

“A lot,” Karma admitted, “granted that I used to work with him.” Karma pauses to take in Nagisa’s raised brows then continues. “A while ago. Takahashi-Kimura is the first company that I worked at out of university.” 

“So is it true? That he sends weapons to extremist groups?” 

“True as the sky is blue. He invests in killing children, in return those groups protect his franchises in their countries.” He takes a breath. “That’s why I left. Our agency needed some information on an investor for the company and it led me down a rabbit hole. I eventually found out. I knew I couldn’t kill Takahashi or Kimura right away because it would get me in trouble with the Chairman, but I resigned that week.” 

“That must be why the Chairman gave you the assignment, to let you take them out. Then, why did she give it to me as well?” 

Karma scoffed, “For the obvious reason of course. To babysit me.” Karma rolled his eyes. “Everyone knows what you do.” 

“What do I do?” 

“What do you want to drink?” Karma asks as he pushes himself up, going to order. 

“Wait Karma, what do I do?” 

“I’ll just get what you always get then.” Karma said, already walking away. 

        Nagisa, a few drinks in, but Karma only had soda. 

“Why aren’t you drinking?” Nagisa pouted, pressing his warm face against the cool table. Karma poked his head. 

“Well how am I supposed to drive home? This place isn’t close to my house, you know.” 

Nagisa grumbled “oh..forgot ‘bout that.” He switched to press his other cheek into the cool table. “You could just come back to my house, we can walk back, then I won’t be the only one drinking.” 

Karma was quiet, then he just hummed. 

“Drinking alone is no fun.” Nagisa muffled into the table, pressing his face into it. 

“Or I could drive us back to your place, so you don’t complain about the cold.” Karma said quietly. 

        They both know what a lightweight Nagisa is. Nagisa felt like he was made out of putty while Karma propped him in the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt for him, and when he helped Nagisa get his keys out from his pocket. He felt like liquid while Karma moved his arms to wrap around his shoulders, helping Karma prop him upright. While Karma dropped him on his bed and placed a glass of water on the nightstand for the morning. Nagisa’s eyes were already closed but he was babbling noises that sounded like words in his drunk mind when Karma turned off the lights and went to lay down on the couch. Though not before he noticed Nagisa reach out to the other side of the bed, then curl in on himself. 

The next morning. At 5am before Nagisa needs to get ready for the schoolday. The two sat across from each other on the couch where Karma had spent the night. Cold, with his arms crossed to take up as little space as possible, making him barely fit the length of the furniture. Nagisa sips his coffee and gently places the bottom of the mug on his palm, feeling the warmth. “So,” he starts. “Do you want to work together on the Takahashi mark?” 

“I don’t think the Chairman would’ve given him to both of us if she didn’t think this was a two person job.” 

“Do you think it will be?” Nagisa asked. Somehow he found himself caring more about how difficult Karma thought the job was than the Chairman. If Karma thought it was hard enough to require two high level assassins, then Nagisa had reason to sweat. 

“I think it could be.” Karma says with a nod. “Takahashi has a posse. Lots of scary guys with trigger happy fingers trail him whenever he goes out in public.”  

Nagisa nods along, and opens his mouth to speak and catches himself about to say the words “how did you sleep?”. He closes his mouth for a second before exhaling the words “So what’s our plan going to be?” 

“You’re the notetaker, not me.” Karma shrugged. 

“But you know him better. Where does he like to spend his time?” 

“While I was working with him he did invite me to hangout at an underground place. Lots of shady characters there. Bribe takers, gang leaders, that sort of crowd. He drinks and plays poker with them. High stakes. From what I’ve heard through workplace gossip is that it’s his element. He becomes loose and trusting, which is so impressive because he’s a very paranoid guy.” 

Nagisa tries to picture Karma in a place like that. In his work suit, tie loosened and cufflinks undone as he slides chips across a table. His eyes of liquid gold piercing the man across the table, urging him not to fold, and lose everything because of it. Or at the bar, his lips loose around a glass, the ice clinking against the interior while him and his coworkers talk about their next project. He coughs and blinks himself back into the present. 

“Taking him out in a crowded place like that is too risky.” 

Karma’s eyebrow raised. “Yeah if you use a gun. Get him drunk, slip some poison in his cup, it’ll look like he passed out from the alcohol.” He pauses. “If he’s at that underground bar he’ll be the most relaxed we could get him. Are you feeling okay? You don’t usually miss things like this.” 

Nagisa’s face heats up and he drinks his coffee to hide it. “Headache.” He says quickly. Nagisa slumps into the couch and their knees brush, Karma’s fingers are propped onto Nagisa’s knee cap and for a second the only heat in the room is in those points of connection.  Then Karma pushes himself off the couch with a groan, stretching his arms out in front of him and clasping his hands together. “Well sounds good to me. I’ll get him to the bar, you keep him there, and we poison him. Chairman transfers money into our bank accounts and we move on.” 

“That’s not a plan.” Nagisa points out. Karma heads towards the door, running a hand through his slightly tangled hair. 

“It’s good enough for me. I should be leaving. I’ll text you if I think of any strategies.” He says abruptly, opening and closing the door with a bit of force. Nagisa feels the air in the room become solid, and lets his coffee go cold on the counter as he mindlessly gets ready for the day. 

The text that Karma mentioned came while Nagisa was grading papers for another class while his current class had a work period. Nagisa’s stomach twisted as the conversation went on. 

Karma: We can do this faster. I'm going to see him at his office today. I'll take him out there. 

Me: That's a bad idea. You haven't thought anything through. 

Karma: It'll be fine. 

Me: Why are you acting so rash again all of a sudden? I thought we agreed to work together. 

Karma: I don't need any help 

Me: And if something goes wrong? 

Karma: Then I'll figure something out. 

His thumbs itched. Despite his better judgement he scrolled up slightly. To their conversation after they ended “things”. 

Karma: I'm sorry if you thought this was going anywhere 

Me: It's fine. I don't even know what "this" was. 

Karma: Right. 

Me: I guess I just don't understand. 

Karma: Come on Nagisa. We're assassins. If something goes wrong and you got hurt, I don't want to have to deal with that. 

Me: That's the risk that comes with being us. Why can't we have both of what we want? Being assassins, and having us? 

Karma: I don't know what I want. Sorry. Bye. 


‘Focus’ He scolded himself, shutting off his phone. Nagisa couldn’t do anything until 3:30pm. Even then, he didn’t look like a corporate man. How would he get into the same room as the name partner of Takahashi-Kimura? Especially while his bodyguards follow him around. On his laptop he searched Takahashi-Kimura. Pictures of the inside office, charity headlines from news anchors, stock information, and reviews. Nagisa’s eyes scanned diligently, hoping to find something that could get him in the same room as Karma. Taking out a CEO in his own office was idiotic, and there is no way that someone at such an assasination level as Karma would think about doing this in their right mind. Something must be wrong. A few minutes of reading, and he found it. Takahashi-Kumira had people who offered lunch to the employees. Nagisa could pretend to be one of them and get in through the kitchen. It wasn’t a very well thought out plan- naive and idealistic, and it left a lot of variables unaccounted for; but he had no idea when Karma was going to see Takahashi. Nagisa needed to be in that room as soon as possible. Even moreso, he was always a little out of his head when it came to Karma.

Chapter Text

Getting in wasn’t as hard as Nagisa initially thought. Walking into the door was easy enough, and with the help of a magnetic pulse from one of his tools he broke the keypad to the ground floor employee bathroom where just moments before he saw a caterer enter. Thankfully, only one of the stalls was occupied. Leaning against the sink counter Nagisa waited for the stall door to open, then he knocked the guy unconscious. Now dressed in a caterer’s uniform he was able to use the unconscious man’s ID card to access the elevator. He kept his head down so as to cover his face from the security camera, clicking the button for the top floor. 

It seems Nagisa has always had a good sense of timing when it came to finding Karma because as he inched towards the office made of windows and class, Karma was standing in front of Takahashi. His hands in his pockets, grinning. His sleeves were rolled up his arms and his hair had gel keeping it in a professional order. His grin shined and his lips spread thin. The type of smile that made everyone listen to him. Nagisa couldn’t hear what they were saying through the door, and with the dozens of people crossing in front of the office he couldn’t get there soon enough. He watched as Takahashi’s posse stepped closer to Karma from behind. Karma’s lips moved slowly. 

“C’mon Takahashi, really?” Nagisa could make out what Karma had said. Karma’s eyebrows raise and grin shrinks in a casual mockery. Nagisa weaves his way through the sea of people while his eyes trail down to Karma’s pockets. His right wrist is flexed, which means he’s pushing apart the fabric of his pocket. He must have put his gun in there. ‘What is he thinking?’ Nagisa thinks to himself. ‘What am I thinking? This isn’t our standard!’. He forces the door open just as one of Takahashi’s guys reaches his hand towards Karma. Then all eyes fall on him. Karma’s breath hitches.  They look at each other for a few moments too long. 

“Do you two know each other?” Takahashi asked. 

Karma blinked and suddenly he was out of whatever trance they were in. “We met briefly at an event, he was catering.” 

“Yes that’s right! How are you, Mr. Akabane?” 

“Good thank you.” Karma smiles as if he were talking to a coworker. There’s a few pauses before Karma’s eye twitches. Nagisa stutters. 

“Oh Mr. Takahashi, I wanted to know if you were…hungry.” Nagisa tried to will the nervous sweat on the back of his neck to go back inside his body. “No one saw you...at..lunch.” 

Takahashi laughed quietly, before sighing. “I’m fine, not hungry.” 

“As I was saying,” Karma grinned as he approached the desk. The men behind him inched closer. “Let an old friend take you out. We never did get a chance to go to your favourite place.” 

Takahashi seems to think for a second before grinning in the same charismatic way as Karma. Nagisa’s breath slows. These men are born with this ability to smile like that, and Nagisa can’t help but feel his attention being pulled from Karma to Takahashi to Karma again. 

“Sure. For old times’ sake. I’ll send you the address.” Takahashi leaves his desk and approaches the door, his posse following. “Only if you bring this gent,” Takahashi points at Nagisa as he steps toward the door, not bothering to avoid Nagisa’s shoulder. “I like the distressed look on his face, it’s funny.” 

        Nagisa grabs Karma’s arm and pulls him towards the office door. He doesn’t get far, Karma weighs a lot more than him. 

“You came.” Karma says almost breathlessly. 

“Of course I did. You were going to shoot his brains out in the middle of the office! In front of everyone!” Nagisa says in a growl-like voice. “Am I right?”

Karma nods dumbly. Looking at Nagisa like he’s surprised he's real. 

“Are you trying to get yourself found out, get yourself killed?” Nagisa huffs. “You almost lost me my mark.” He adds. Karma’s eyes darken. 

“You came because of that?” He asks. 

Nagisa halters. Trying to push down the bubbling in his chest, staring up at Karma and seeing his eyes twist and churn into something isolated. 

“Why else?” Nagisa says, and immediately regrets it. He decides to drop his hand from Karma’s arm. He’s set on leaving now, getting out and going home to prepare for wherever Takahashi wants to take them. As Nagisa opens the door to the office Karma speaks. 

“Maybe because you worry about me.” 

Nagisa’s hand tightens on the handle. 

“Well, it was a worrisome idea.” With that, he leaves. 

        Karma arrived at Nagisa’s door at eight pm. They were set to arrive at the underground club at nine. 

“I’ll pour the drinks. So I can slip in the poison, and the paranoid bastard will probably be more comfortable drinking from someone he knows.” Karma said, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

“Or the opposite,” Nagisa sighs. “Maybe he’ll think you came back just to poison him.” 

“I’ll let him watch me make the drink then. I’m no stranger to dropping poison into drinks without a reaction.” Karma says confidently. As if what happened when he lashed out and planned to kill Takahashi, in what assassins would consider a suicide-assassination attempt,didn’t occur at all. “And you’ll have to keep him drinking.” 

“Why me? He knows you better”

“You’re more seductive than I am.” Karma says and the room falls silent. Nagisa’s jaw tightens. ‘It’s like he does this on purpose’ He thinks to himself. Karma continues. “Besides, he'd never go for me. I’m not his type.” 

“And I am? How do you know?” 

“You’re everyone’s type.” Karma shrugged. 

‘yup.’ Nagisa thinks to himself, ‘definitely on purpose. To mess with me. Hurt my feelings.’

        Nagisa picked at his fingernails until they bled. “Karma, can I ask you something?” 

“Sure.” Karma hummed as he raided Nagisa’s pantry for a pre-mission snack. 

“Why do you say those things?” 

“What things?” 

“Everyone knows what you do, or sue me for thinking, and you’re everyone’s type..” 

“It’s just teasing, Nagisa, calm down.” Karma laughs as he unwraps his snacks. “It’s like you don’t know who we are.” Karma looks down like he’s made a mistake, and takes another bite. “Who I am.” He quickly corrects. 

        He’s right. Nagisa and Karma know that they’ve always had a special dynamic. A special way of interacting. When they were teenagers Karma would make him dress up as a girl and poke fun at him, he would insult him. Nagisa never left though, never wanting distance. He felt a need to stand next to him. Waiting for Karma to walk up to his desk and ask to be in his group because that was what they’d do. They didn’t mind when their shoulders pressed against each other as they watched their favourite show. Karma didn’t mind carrying Nagisa’s bag up the mountain when it was too heavy. Nagisa didn’t mind ordering extra food at the mall even though Karma said he wasn’t hungry. Exasperated, Nagisa huffs. 

“Right.” 

Karma looks at him with piercing eyes and all Nagisa can think of is that text. ‘I’m sorry if you thought this was going anywhere.’ Nagisa gets up, and begins to walk to his bedroom. “I’m gonna change.” He says softly.

Chapter Text

He doesn’t dress like a rich jerk. He makes himself look at a lower status than Karma and Takahashi. It’ll probably stroke Takahashi’s ego. Karma, in his suit, was standing in the bathroom. Trying to mess up his hair slightly. Undoing his tie a few inches and scrunching up the ends of his sleeves. Nagisa’s eyes lingered on him as he crossed the hallway. Nagisa sat on the couch, picking at his fingernails again. Karma approaches him from behind. 

“Do I look like a sleazy corporate man who’s aiming to sleep with a bottle?” He asks with a grin. Nagisa cranes his neck to look over his shoulder at him. 

“Uh yeah, exactly that actually.” 

        Karma’s passenger seat is still adjusted to Nagisa’s height. Soft music plays, Nagisa looks out of the window. Pointedly away from Karma. He can feel the two of them focussing, putting aside whatever emotions that are causing them to act out of the norm and honing in on what they do best: assassinating. An energy pools in the car, something sinister and erupting with life. Nagisa feels his stomach clench in anticipation for the satisfaction of raising the stakes. This is their natural element, where they feel the most real and have the most proof of their existence. As they pull into a parking lot a bit away from the bar’s entrance, Nagisa takes a deep breath. 

“Nervous?” Karma asks him as they load handguns and strap knives to their stomachs. 

“I’m too experienced to be nervous.” Nagisa says as they get out of the car. Karma knocks on the door and a slit at eye level opens. 

“How many?” The deep voiced man says. His voice is obviously distorted by a filter. 

“Two.” Karma says. 

“I only see one of ya.” The man says. Karma smirks down at Nagisa who goes on his tip toes so he’s just visible from the slit. “What’s the password?” The man continues. Karma leans into the door and whispers something with a smile. The door clicks and the two are gestured inside. As they enter, Karma pushes Nagisa’s head. He laughs at him. Nagisa huffs and pushes him away. 

        Takahashi is waiting for them in front of the bartending counter. No guards. Karma grins at him and they pull each other into a hug. 

“You’re finally joining the club.” Takahashi groaned. “I still don’t get why you were so opposed to coming here when I first invited you.” 

“I had things to do.” Karma said with a face of regret and pain. 

Takahashi gasped. “Right. You said you had your boyfriend waiting at home so you shouldn’t be out late so often. Boring.” 

Nagisa, who was taking in their surroundings, snapped his head to the two of them. ‘What boyfriend?’ He thought to himself. ‘He said he worked with him right out of university. He was single, unless he just didn’t want to tell me.’ With a tight throat and stomach Nagisa went back to observing. Where the bathroom was. The poker and pool tables beside them. The orange ambiance. Soft lighting so you needed to squint to see the faces of the other attendees. People had guns out on tables, drugs, women on their laps. He didn’t like the idea of Karma wanting to come here. 

        Karma took off his suit jacket and placed it over the back of a chair, pulling it out for Takahashi, and stepping behind the bar. “Let me make you drinks to make up for it.” 

“Sure, Karma. You know I’ve missed seeing you.” 

Karma places a hand over his heart and pretends to look emotional before laughing with Takahashi. 

“No posse tonight?” Karma asks with eyebrows raised. “Don’t need them in my bar with my old friend do I?”

Karma grins. Then he nods to Nagisa. “You remember this guy don’t you?” 

Takahashi gestures for Nagisa to sit beside him. Nagisa feels his body recoil. Takahashi is the kind of guy who comes alive in environments like this, he’s already made the fatal mistake of sending away his bodyguards. All because Karma is so damn charismatic he can make you forget dangerous people are closer than you think. He sits next to Takahashi and looks at Karma as he starts pouring. 

        Takahashi grabs a shot from Karma and downs it, face scrunching afterward. Karma offers Nagisa a shot. He hesitates grabbing it. Karma’s eye twitches again and he slides it further. Nagisa takes the shot and immediately groans, his face squeezing as it burns down his throat. Takahashi chuckles and slaps his shoulder. “There’s that distressed look. Isn’t it funny, Karma?” 

Nagisa opens an eye to look at Takahashi, then Karma, who’s looking at him with focus. 

“It’s hilarious.” He says in agreement, and Nagisa feels his throat burn again. Then, Karma goes back to mixing. 

        They’re a few drinks in. Takahashi is starting to get drunk. He’s talking louder, his words are more slurred, and he’s getting closer to Nagisa. His hands play with his hair. “Your hair is an interesting colour. Is it natural?” 

“Yup.” Nagisa laughs, trying to make him comfortable. Takahashi grins down at him. “You’ve got a good face.” “Thank you Mr. Takahashi, that’s very kind of you.” 

Karma slides him another drink and downs it quickly. Then he’s onto bragging about a new project he’s overseeing, then how he shut down a family business a few days ago, then how he bought out a pharmaceutical company and laid off more than half the workers. 

“You’re very impressive Mr. Takahashi.” Nagisa says sweetly, leaning against his hand to look at him. His face is flushed from the alcohol. Takahashi raises an eyebrow at Karma as he points to Nagisa. 

“Where the hell did you find this guy? He looks at you like a small puppy.” He laughs. Karma laughs as well.  

“I just borrowed him from you.” He reminds Takahashi, who slaps his forehead. 

“Oh yeah! You work for me. God I have so many people I don’t even know half of them.” 

        Karma nods subtly. Finally, Takahashi is drunk. He’s practically leaning on top of Nagisa bragging about his success and wealth. Nagisa stares at him with love struck eyes, trying to keep his attention on him and not on Karma, who’s shaking the vial of poison behind the shaker with Takahashi’s drink. Soon afterwards, Nagisa feels his lips against his ear as he asks to spend more time with him after this. Nagisa opens his mouth, but at the same time Karma has placed the poisoned drink in front of Takahashi, a little too forcefully for anyone paying enough attention. 

“Got room for one more?” Karma asks. His eyes darted between the two. Takahashi smiled at Karma from behind Nagisa’s ear. 

“You haven’t had any, why don’t you take this one?” 

“I’m treating you.” Karma shook his head. “It’s all yours.” 

        Takahashi leans forward over the counter and pulls something out of his jacket pocket. Karma’s gaze hardens as a barrel of a gun is pressed against his solar plexus. Nagisa yelps. Takahashi coos and shushes him. 

“Don’t worry. Why don’t you have this one, Karma? I insist.” 

“What’s this all about?”

“You know that guys like us learn to read people very well. From the minute you two were in the same room I knew you had to have known each other. This whole night, Karma, you’ve been looking at him like you want to punch me.” 

“And that requires..a gun?” Karma tilts his head. 

“You’ve always hated me. You’ve always wanted my position. I bet you’d do anything to get rid of me” 

“You’re paranoid, Takahashi.” Karma scolds. “Put it down.” 

Takahashi shakes his head. Nagisa sees the crazy in his eyes. He wants to do something but he can’t with Takahashi’s finger twitching on the trigger. 

“You probably only came back to take me out. You left without a word. Without a reason. Now you come back right before my company is going to launch a new franchise and you want it. You want to take it from me.” 

“This job has made you mad.” Karma says coldly. “I don’t want your company, put down the gun.” 

“Not until you drink from that cup.” 

Nagisa’s chest tenses as he releases his knife and slides it into his palm. Karma notices and his jaw flexes. Nagisa instinctively stops. Karma grabs the poisoned drink and takes a sip. A good, long sip. He licks his lips afterwards and exaggerates a refreshed sigh. Nagisa’s heart sinks. 

“Happy?” 

“No. Drink more.” 

“Why are you doing this?”

“I brought you here so I could kill you and protect my position. Karma Akabane will not be better than me. Now drink more.” 

Nagisa closes his eyes as Karma takes another swig. Karma grabs the barrel of the gun and the two start to pull it in opposite directions. 

        Nagisa feels like his mouth is made out of sand. “Mr. Takahashi!” He yelped. “Uh, why don’t we stop this?” This is not how he normally acts under pressure. Seeing Karma at the end of a gun is making him feel like he’s underwater. His head is about to explode from the pressure. 

Takahashi laughed and looked at Nagisa. “I see how you look at him, poor thing, do you like him? Is seeing him against a gun making you scared?” 

“You’re unwell,” Karma says slowly. “You wouldn’t shoot anyone.” 

“Really?” Takahashi says through tight teeth. Nagisa  reaches for the gun strapped to his back, but the sudden movement makes Takahashi twitch towards him. Nagisa leaps over the counter where Karma is reaching out for him to pull him onto the other side. Karma’s arm wraps around his chest while Nagisa aims the gun at Takahashi. 

        A single gunshot, but two bullets fired. Nagisa bites his tongue as the bullet lodged itself under his ribs. Karma falls down as Nagisa goes limp and heavy. They smash into the glass bottles behind them, some of them piercing Nagisa’s shoulders and sides.  Takahashi grabbed his shoulder and stumbled backwards. They’ve caught the attention of the other guests. A man like Takahashi must have connections, and those connections must be the ones running up to the counter. Karma pushes Nagisa against the counter and tucks his head down to make him harder to see, then he jumps over the counter, his fist colliding with the first jaw he sees. 

        The sound of gunfire and grunting and punches landing blurred into ringing as Nagisa grabbed his head. He must’ve hit his head when he landed. The blood soaks his shirt and he clutches the area, doubling over and taking shallow breaths. This is by far the worst job he’s ever done. Everything’s gone to shit. If it weren’t for Karma “dumping” him maybe he wouldn’t be so out of his head. Moreso, if it weren’t for Nagisa being so obsessed with being next to him, near him, having him, then he wouldn’t care about what happened last week and he wouldn’t be so out of his head! He’s gotten shot and Karma’s bound to get shot soon. He can’t move, his body is made out of liquid, his eyes are blurring and he feels sleepy. Get up.’ He scolds himself. ‘You’re being useless, get up and help Karma.’  He crawls onto his hands and knees, trying to stand on wobbling joints. ‘I’m horrible at my job.’ He blinks slower, and slower, until it all goes dark.

Chapter Text

  Nagisa sits in a hospital bed in their agency’s infirmary. Grey, white, dull, blinking lights, and wires. His head leaning back against the pillow to look up at the boring ceiling. The door to his room is pushed open. He looks to the side to see Karma holding a black envelope. He throws it onto Nagisa’s lap. 

“Takahashi is dead.” 

“That’s your money then.” Nagisa says, looking down at the envelope suspiciously. 

“Don’t need it. Don’t want it.” Karma shrugs, sitting on the chair next to him. 

“Was the Chairman upset?” 

“She was a little underwhelmed.” Karma admits. “She says she expected more of the two of us to work as a team.” 

“Well we weren’t working together at all.” Nagisa mutters. Karma stays silent for a few minutes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.” 

Nagisa wishes the bed would swallow him whole. Or that Karma would leave, but at the same time he doesn’t want him to go anywhere. 

“I’m really fine, you can go-” 

“You don’t look good laying on the floor like that.” Karma interrupts him. Nagisa stutters, 

“What?” 

“Seeing you laying on the floor with blood spilling from your stomach.” Karma specifies. “I don’t like looking at that. It makes my head hurt.” He takes a long deep breath. “I was wrong. When I said that if something went wrong and you got hurt I didn’t want to deal with that. I found out tonight that I’m going to deal with that whether I want to or not.” 

“Karma,” Nagisa says softly, “What the hell does that mean?” For a second Karma’s face relaxes and he hangs his head low. 

“I didn’t want anyone to take you from me when I brought you here. They said your adrenaline and cortisol were through the roof, blood pressure too. You clearly weren’t thinking right all week and I think that was because of me. Because of what I said.” 

“You were right to do it, though. It’s not your fault I can’t move on like an adult.” Nagisa says quietly, not trusting his voice if he speaks any louder. 

Karma shakes his head. “I don’t think it was right. I’ve been acting out like when I was a kid. I’ve been denying anyone who wants to work with me and I keep putting myself in dangerous situations.” 

“Why do you do that?” 

“Because,” Karma looks up. “I don’t have you to stop me.” 

Nagisa looks at him confused. “I don’t stop you, I can’t tell you what to do, you don’t listen to anyone.” 

“Having you makes me think twice. It makes me remember how I felt the first year we met, what it was like to have someone at all. You’re naturally talented, ingenious, and kind. How could I act how I normally do and get to say I have you?”

“Wait. So what are you saying?” 

Karma stands up, and Nagisa feels panic start to rise in his chest. He doesn’t want him to leave. Nagisa squeaks, 

“Are you saying you want things to go back to how they were before?” 

Karma looks down at him with intense focus. “I know that I can’t operate without you, and I don’t think you can without me either.”There’s a moment of silence where everything in the room peels away except for Karma, and Nagisa feels his head getting fuzzy. Karma’s fingers press against the back of his hand and he feels his skin ignite. Then he continues, 

“So maybe we accept the risk that comes with it.” 

“It?” Nagisa echos. 

“Having both of what we want.”