#lenanswers

i like nagikae, but i'm extra weak for ships that are basically rom-com opposites- two people who argue for sport, learn to open up like reluctant houseplants, and accidentally fall in love (and steal each other's hoodies).

i think they blew up so much because during the 2020 era, tons of people finally had time to watch the anime- but since the anime skips a lot of depth the novels/extras give, everyone naturally latched onto the two mains instead of the side characters.

☆ headcanons

(I try to sneak these into my art but I forget half the time)

Karma “I don't care but absolutely cares” Akabane

physical / vibe hcs

freckles. canon to me.

stronger nose bridge.

undercut, eyebrow slit, piercings (some rebellion, some impulse).

speaks like five languages “accidentally” because he lived abroad. insists he forgot them- he did not.

physically fit despite eating snacks at unholy hours.

hard of hearing

he can't smile properly, and never has. it usually scares kids.

his fangs make indents in his lips. very cute.

personality / habits

collects lighters for no reason other than ✨click✨

owns expensive clothes but eats instant noodles over the sink while wearing them.

remembers bizarre trivia you told him 3 years ago

does that thing where he leans back in his chair like he’s trying to die on purpose.

can cook VERY well but forgets to buy groceries → “i have rice, ketchup, and a lemon. thoughts?

hates being woken up

laughs uncontrollably at the dumbest things- memes, vines, nagisa tripping. he’s gone instantly.

develops crushes slowly → then he’s attached and biting.

not big on small gifts, but will show his appreciation through long term investments

owns multiple cats he treats like divine royalty, all with overly elegant names.

NAGISA “will kill you” SHIOTA

physical / vibe hcs

rounder eyes, smaller nose, little choppy haircuts he thinks are subtle (they are not).

light scars from training + childhood + mental health struggles.

piercings his mom thought were “cute” as a toddler

surgeon-steady hands that are lowkey terrifying.

personality / habits

picky eater- bc textures. but will try anything karma cooks- even if he feels guilty not helping. but nagisa sits on the counter while karma cooks, swinging his legs.

(bc of his mother) high medication tolerance; when he gets sick its difficult to find anything that helps

low blood pressure → prone to fainting, often suddenly.

names his snake pets after Romantic poets.

can handle venomous snakes like it’s no big deal.

neat handwriting except when excited

chronically cold hands BUT always looks like he’s cold even when he isn’t; so it annoys him when ppl help too much

gets emotionally attached to objects easy

deceptively competitive- destroys people in Mario Kart without blinking.

falls asleep easily on public transport

weirdly good with tech- fixes things by clicking random stuff. karma is equally impressed and offended.

has deceptively strong opinions but delivers them in the softest voice ever.

allergic to strawberries.

☆ joint/karmagisa headcanons

(childhood trauma bonding but make it gay)

realized they liked each other in school → immediately repressed it.

reunite in their 20s → “ohhhh THAT’S why no one else worked out. cool. cool cool.”

first kiss = disaster of tension and nerves; both think the other hated it for 48 hrs. they are wrong.

separate apartments for most of their 20s until nagisa’s stuff migrates into karma’s. “it’s because yours is bigger” = official excuse. they kept falling asleep on each other’s couches. = unofficial excuse

karma gets multiple cats. nagisa wants a snake. karma is creeped out by snakes. but nagisa is like “you have YOUR pets, why can’t i have mine?”

karma: (buys him his dream snake + full setup for his birthday)

nagisa: crying.

karma: panicking.

☆ little relationship things

nagisa organizes karma’s desk → karma immediately loses everything.

their dates swing wildly between “soft café morning with pastries” and “I dare you to break into this abandoned building with me.”

when they hold hands, karma will absentmindedly play with nagisa’s fingers; nagisa melts every time.

nagisa is the only person who can get karma to actually rest. karma is the only person who can get nagisa to actually ask for help.

karma takes sneaky photos of nagisa. nagisa is very photogenic.

nagisa steals karma’s hoodies. karma pretends to be annoyed (he is not).

they sleep like tangled otters.

karma’s cats sleep on nagisa more than him. disrespectful.

nagisa leaves refrigerator notes like “eat a vegetable today.” karma replies with increasingly aggressive vegetable doodles.

karma has a nagisa-specific voice for calming him down. never discussed.

talk about serious feelings during the most mundane tasks (chopping vegetables, brushing teeth, feeding pets).

arguments last five minutes → guilt, sadness, then sitting on the floor talking like adults.

karma braids nagisa’s hair when he’s stressed; nagisa braids his back. karma’s braids are awful. he keeps them anyway.

nagisa patches karma up after every stupid injury like it’s routine.

karma picks nagisa up from work leaning in the doorway like an anime delinquent.

they slow-dance in the kitchen at 3am when they can’t sleep.

karma watches nagisa read for the microexpressions.

nagisa watches karma nap because it’s the only time he looks actually peaceful.

☆ bonus: their love languages

Karma:

acts of service disguised as teasing

physical touch (ONLY when he thinks no one is watching)

forehead kisses

grounding hands on the back of the neck / in hair

gifts that are both thoughtful and weird

Nagisa:

quiet loyalty and gentle reminders

taking care of karma’s self-neglect without making it obvious

soft touches; curls into karma when overwhelmed/non verbal.

yap yap yap hope that's something :)

The proposal itself is almost painfully casual. Probably sometime late at night while doing something domestic together and talking quietly about the future when Karma jokes about it. And Nagisa laughs immediately because he genuinely thinks Karma is joking at first. Then Karma just looks at him with look that makes Nagisa realise he is completely serious.

Nagisa changing his name becomes far more emotional than either of them expected. Esp because canonically, Nagisa is already someone who's willing to detach himself from his original name if needed, so it isn’t a difficult decision for him. Emotionally, though, it hits much harder.

They genuinely forget sometimes that they’re legally married now until something official reminds them. Like signing forms. Or paperwork.

The first package addressed with Nagisa’s new name sits unopened on the counter for like ten minutes because they both keep staring at it.

They’re deeply domestic in a very unglamorous way: discussing grocery budgets in bed, arguing about laundry settings, texting reminders to take medicine, falling asleep halfway through shows. They will argue over everything.

They both act like the wedding rings are “just rings” while being deeply attached to them almost immediately. Karma spins his ring around his finger while thinking. Nagisa rubs his thumb over Karma’s ring absentmindedly during crowded situations or when anxious. Half asleep at night, they’ll unconsciously reach for each other’s hands just to feel the rings still there.

The first time Karma casually refers to Nagisa as “my husband” in front of someone else completely destroys Nagisa emotionally for the rest of the day. Karma notices immediately too. Which means, naturally, he starts doing it on purpose. “My husband already handled it.” “Ask my husband.” “My husband gets cold easily.” Karma loves introducing Nagisa as his husband in painfully ordinary situations.

Karma never stops flirting after marriage. If anything, it gets worse.

If one of them is out late, the other always waits for them. (Not because they're worried or jealous of where the other is, but because after long days they instinctively gravitate back toward each other to decompress. They struggle sleeping without the other)

Karma physically seeks Nagisa out constantly around the house without even realizing he’s doing it anymore. Hand settling on his waist while walking past. Leaning against his shoulder while he cooks. Pulling Nagisa into his lap during completely normal conversations. Resting his chin on the top of Nagisa’s head absentmindedly while reading something over his shoulder.

Nagisa gradually becomes much softer in private after marriage because for the first time in his life he feels completely secure in being loved long term. It took a while to convince himself Karma would stay though. (Still has heavy doubts, but Karma learns how to reassure whilst calling him an idiot for it. But eventually he asks for affection more openly. Stops apologising for needing reassurance. Falls asleep against Karma much faster and more deeply than he used to. Lets himself be clingy when he’s tired instead of hiding it.

Karma secretly loves every domestic trace of their shared life together. Toothbrushes next to each other, shoe at the door, Nagisa calling his name. Laundry hanging.