A karushuu fanfic because this ship is slowly destroying my life and I needed to write something for it.

Gakushu Asano hated winters. This one in particular.

It was cold and bitter, even though it was only December, and the news was saying that there was bound to be the largest amount of snowfall in at least a decade. As it was now, the ground was covered in slippery ice from a vicious rainstorm that had hit two nights ago, and sleet was starting to cascade down, soaking into his school blazer.

He hadn't thought of bringing an umbrella and he had left his coat behind in the school building, so it looked like he was doomed to walk another five blocks through the freezing air, probably catching a cold along the way.

His father had some long series of meetings and so and so's for the entire break, so he would mostly be alone in the house. Not that he was complaining, the break from high school would be much more enjoyable without his father hanging over him. He'd been trying to act like a father since junior high, something to do with that 'Koro Sensei' that Akabane and the old E-Class kept mentioning. But his company was still rather... undesirable.

"Oh hey, Shuuie! You look a bit drenched there."

Gakushu growled quietly, his knuckles going white around the strap of his bookbag. Typical.

"I don't see why that's your problem."

Karma strolled up beside him, everything from his untucked shirt to his lazy gaze suggesting he was one of the students who would probably become a dropout. Gakushu knew otherwise. Underneath his carefree exterior, there was a vicious competitive streak and a razor-sharp mind that could get perfect scores easily if he put the effort forward.

It was one of the things that made him such an interesting rival.

He wore his nonchalance and minor insanity like armor, driving people away and terrorizing teachers, and woe betide any target he set his eyes upon. Compared to how Gakushu was the bright, perfect student, the shining example of the school, he seemed like a psychopath and was perfectly fine with it.

"Weeeeell, I can't have my dear rival getting sick and having to stay home for the exams tomorrow, can I? That'd take aaaall the fun out of it." Karma tossed him the black umbrella. "Hold this."

Gakushu grabbed it and held it gingerly as if it might explode. Karma unbuttoned his black coat and then slung it over the strawberry blond's shoulders. "Here, put that on."

Caught between either not follow orders from Karma or freeze to death, Gakushu opted to pull on the coat that smelled of cinnamon and sandalwood, immediately grateful for the warmth. He mumbled something that sounded vaguely like a "thanks", and handed Karma back his umbrella.

The blood-haired demon sent him another shark grin, then pulled Gakushu close by the waist and held the umbrella over both of them. The school's ace flushed with embarrassment as he made a half-hearted attempt to pull away, glaring at Karma. "The hell? Don't touch me like we're so familiar!"

"But we are." Karma teased, the cold making his cheeks look pink as well. At least it was probably the cold. "We're such close rivals, we may as well be in a relationship. We know pretty much everything about each other."

"Not true." Asano huffed, burrowing into the jacket and trying to ignore how pleasant it felt to be touched like he was Karma's boyfriend. With care instead of violence, and none of the tentativeness his lackeys— classmates always had. Blatant disregard of reputations, status and some bravado as well, the same way Karma treated every aspect of life.

"Oh really? What's my birthday and birth sign?"

"December 25, Capricorn… anyone would know that, your birthday's on Christmas!"

Karma laughed. "No need to be embarrassed about it, Shuuie, stalking isn't that serious of a crime. Yours is January first, also Capricorn. My favorite drink?"

"...berry au lait."

"See?"

"Alright, fair point." Gakushu eyed him curiously."But why do you care? It seems a little excessive."

"Cause I like you." Karma shrugged, his cheeks coloring to a magenta despite his calm attitude. Gakushu froze.

"What?"

"I already said it. Not saying it again."

"Why?" Gakushu started at the pavement, barely conscious of the fact they were only three blocks away from his house now. It was most likely some stupid prank, but if that was the case, he wasn't going to give the demon the satisfaction.

"Well, you're pretty, for starters. Also smart, aggressively competitive, sassy, dangerous, hardworking, you know?"

"...oh."

"Very eloquent." And just like that, Karma was back to being snarky. His grip had shifted so that his hand rested just above Gakushu's hip, and a sly smile played across his lips. "It's snowing now."

Gakushu looked up at the snowflakes spiraling down, blinking when a stray wind blew snow in his face. He turned back to look at Karma. "Aren't you cold?"

"Nah, you're warm and it takes a lot more than this to throw me."

Gakushu stepped forward into the fast-falling snow, tilting his head up as he watched the white flakes spiraling down. It fell into his hair, spiraling around his head like a halo, and perched on his eyelashes. Looking back at the redhead, a small smile perched on Gakushu's lips. "I suppose it isn't so bad."

Karma stepped forward to join him, his hand cupping Asano's face in a trance-like state. "You look like you're out of a Christmas movie."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment? Also, your hand is cold."

"It's a compliment. And…" Karma stepped closer until they were barely three inches apart. His hand shifted to the nape of Gakushu's neck, the umbrella forgotten on the ground. "You could always warm me up this way."

Gakushu was no stranger to kisses. He found them rather boring, rarely did they light a spark that made him want more. But Karma's kiss was something else.

It was slow, warm and made him feel as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Karma pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling and sucking on it as the neurons in Gakushu's brain went full shutdown. His hands tugged on Karma's hair as he pressed against him, wanting to be closer.

Karma pulled away, breathless and triumphant as he watched Gakushu's eyelashes flutter in confusion. "Want more, second place?"

"I thought…" Yes, he did. He needed Karma to kiss him again. "You'd stopped…calling me that."

"Nope." This time Karma went aggressive, yanking him forward by the collar and locking his arms around the strawberry blond's waist, his tongue pushing past his lips. Karma tasted of strawberry milk, his body warm and lean and he kissed like nobody's business.

A warm feeling grew in his chest, and Gakushu recoiled internally. He wasn't falling for Karma, was he?

Shoot.

Unbidden, his hands tugged Karma closer. He couldn't let Karma slip away. Not now. His veins ran with fire, and it may as well have been ninety degrees outside for all he knew. When he finally pulled away, his entire body was shaking and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Gakushu looked up at the redhead across from him, who was genuinely smiling.

"I must be out of my mind." He sighed, placing his hand against his lips.

Karma held out his hand with a flourish. "Aren't we all?"

"Fair point." Gakushu took his hand, picking the umbrella back up and leaning against the redhead. "I wouldn't be opposed to doing this again."

"Which part? The home together or the kissing?"

"All of it."

The redhead's laugh echoed amid the silent snow. "I'll remember that."

"I don't doubt it."

Rare fluff with rivalry. Yay!

Expect more of these two goobers in the future.