Chapter 2

The trains rumbled past xxx station, and Nagisa felt the vibration startle his knees again. He was glad for it. It gave him something to focus on besides Karma. Karma, dastardly, loyal Karma, shifting about in his seat. Karma adjusted his position, and their knees knocked again. Nagisa blushed. He resolutely returned to concentrating on his feet, on the steady hum of the train.

He wasn't sure when it first began.

When he'd lost the ability to look straight at Karma for a second, before his face began burning as red as Karma's hair.

When their friendship had began crumbling.

When their conversations dwindled to awkward greetings. But even those had grown sparse. He'd forgotten when they'd last talked.

Nagisa was not an idiot, because future assassins couldn't afford to be. He knew he liked Karma.

Romantically.

But was it a shallow infatuation, or was it love? Was it something worth chasing, or better letting go?

That, Nagisa did not know.

The train jolted, and their hands brushed. They sparked like an ember smoldering on skin. Wrist against wrist, fingers against fingers. Nagisa's eyes widened.

He could almost feel Karma's fingers curling around his; and their pulse beating in tandem, like lunging lions trapped beneath their skin.

Karma was still staring out the window without care. He withdrew his hand as though it burned. Nagisa flushed. He turned away in hurt and did the same, but with undeniably more emotion. And so they settled into their distant positions, as if that moment had never been.