The Serpent Inside (A Karmagisa Fanfiction)

26: Lab Friends

SO SORRY WE'RE LATE!!!
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Nagisa woke up to something warm and comfortable. His immediate assumption was a pillow, but after moving his head to the side, he was met with a backseat view of Karasuma's car. Fingers ran through his hair gently, lulling him deeper into his sleepy haze. He tried unsuccessfully to lift himself up, his arms too tired, and warm hands grabbed him and gently laid him back down. 

"Shhh, go back to sleep." Nagisa could faintly hear Karma's voice from way above. A thought suddenly occurred to him. If he was laying across all the back seats, that would mean that someone was sitting with him. And his 'pillow' must've been Karma's lap. 

Misui's voice could be heard from the middle row, turning around as to speak louder and clearer. "Yes, we just stitched up your back for you. I don't think that the stitches will come undone so easily, but I'm not taking any chances. Plus, your back is probably still tender. You'll make a swift recovery, but in the meantime, just try to relax."

Over half of the words spoken to him went right over his head, but he got the main idea: sit still. 

Karma made small-talk with Misui, while running his fingers through the blue locks as Nagisa fell asleep. 

"For someone who acted like everything could scare the living out of you, you've got some guts." The redhead said, his voice soft as to not wake the sleeping beauty. 

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Trust me, I may act confident now, but when everything goes back to normal I'll be a stuttering mess, most likely bumping into everything in my reach. Breaking an 8 million yen vase here and there."

"I can imagine that." Karma said, the conversation falling into a comfortable silence. Karasuma was driving carefully, and Irina was sitting in the passenger seat, her eyes still closed from when she first fell. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he ignored the feelings that he wanted so badly to express. 

It could be worse. She could be dead. 

"She's alive, but everything just depends on what happens next." Misui explained. "For all I know, she may not be able to walk again. I doubt that'll be the case, but I really don't have a clue on what's going on with her. Worst-case scenario, she'll end up disabled. Best-case scenario, she might have trouble doing things she once did, but she could make a full physical recovery." 

Karma could only hope it was the latter. 

Karasuma took a left turn, driving the vehicle into Karma's driveway. The redhead couldn't have been happier that he was home, Nagisa with him. Sighing in relief, he unbuckled himself (with some difficulty), adjusting Nagisa into his arms (also with difficulty) so that he could carry him inside (yes, also with difficultly). He was ready to fall over and go to sleep again. 

Karasuma took the blonde into his own arms, while Misui trailed behind, carrying all of the stuff from the laboratory that they may need in the future. They decided that they could trust the girl in her mid-twenties after she explained why she was working with Shiro in the first place. It certainly wrapped up a bunch of loose ends. In the meantime, she was to stay for the day and night until she was ready to go home. She agreed to check up on the family everyday for any sudden catastrophes. 

"My name is Hanasaki Misui. I was an old-time friend Yukimura Aguri back in high school, and we kept in touch afterwards. After her death, I decided to lay low, but then when I heard of experimentation going on where Aguri worked, I decided to investigate. Shiro found me and threatened me when I tried to refuse helping him. He found out about my almost-fiancé, and held that over my head if I tried to go against him, and he knew that I was close to proposing too. My lover tried to get me to stand up for myself, but I couldn't put them in harm's way." 

"That does explain a few things. But on an added note, your boyfriend must be pretty pathetic if he can't be the one to propose to you."

"I don't have a boyfriend." 

"Wait, so does that mean it's a forced marriage? But that wouldn't add up with what you just said." 

"..."

"Ohhhhhhh. You have a GIRLFRIEND. Now I feel stupid." 

"You should."

"So who's the lucky lady, then?" 

"Yumi. Fukase Yumi."

Fukase Yumi. 

Karma dropped Nagisa onto their bed, dressing themselves into more comfortable clothing before face planting onto the soft pillow. The redhead tucked the covers around his blueberry, making sure to sleep with one eye open, just in case he had to whack anybody upside the head with his cast. 

Snuggling in with the warmth, the two relaxed, curling up against each other like two oddly shaped puzzle pieces that fit together. Karma sighed, releasing all the stress he carried on himself. He fell asleep against his unique companion, holding him close as he slept the day away.