Happy birthday, Nico! This is only late because I couldn't upload it due to being run/designed by asshats.


"Is this...all for me?"

Nico gaped at the enormous box-no, small crate of strawberry pocky in front of her. Disbelievingly she picked up one of the smaller boxes inside, scrutinizing the label and shaking it as if to ensure that this wasn't some elaborate and mean-spirited prank. Finally she opened the box and tore into the foil packaging inside it, gasping she saw that yes, this was a box of real strawberry pocky.

"Yep," Honoka said cheerfully. She and the rest of μ's looked on amusedly as Nico quickly shoved several sticks into her mouth one after another. "We all chipped in to get it for you."

"Fank you!" Nico said through a mouthful of pocky.

Umi coughed. "Nico, while I appreciate your gratitude, would it be too much for you to eat your pocky like a normal person?" Several other members were staring awkwardly, as if silently agreeing.

"Hmph. Who are you to tell the great idol Nico-Ni how she should enjoy her birthday present?" Nico said. Nonetheless, she took a single stick from the box and stuck it in her mouth, holding it between her lips like a cigarette. She folded her arms and leaned back into her chair, sighing in contentment.

"Well," Eli said, standing up, "we should all get to class. How about we meet up somewhere after practice?"

There were murmurs of agreement as people began to exit the clubroom. Nico simply opted to lift the crate (with considerable effort) and put it off to the side somewhere. "I'll be saving you for later," She said, patting it gently. She got up and turned around to find that Honoka was still in the clubroom.

"Honoka?" She asked. "Hey, don't you have a class to get to or something?"

"Yeah," Honoka said. "But I wanted to give you my present first."

"You just did though," Nico said, her eyebrows arching. "That's what this whole sudden meeting was about, right?"

Honoka got up from her seat. "No," She said, walking over to Nico, "I mean I want to give you a special present." By now she was extremely close, and Nico could feel the blood flowing to her face.

"Hey, uh, Honoka? What's going on?" She said nervously.

"Hold still for a sec," Honoka said before leaning down. Nico's heart nearly stopped when Honoka took the other end of the stick of pocky into her mouth.

"Honoka…" Nico said dumbly as Honoka began to slowly nibble at the pocky. Her body seemed to have frozen up, she could only just stare as Honoka's face moved closer and closer to her own. She started to feel somewhat hot, possibly in anticipation of the inevitable result of this game she hadn't planned on playing. She could feel Honoka's breath on her now, soft and sweet, and it sent a shudder through her body. She examined Honoka's face as it slowly got closer, the way her closed eyes made her look so serene, how those delicious-looking lips inched their way along the treat towards her own, hey, were those freckles on Honoka's cheeks? Holy shit, she never noticed those before, how had she not noticed them sooner? They were absolutely ador-

Nico was snapped out of her reverie by the feeling of a pair of lips pressed against her own. She blushed deeply. Wow, Honoka's lips were really soft! Almost like velvet! And so warm too! She sighed into the kiss and tried to press deeper, but unfortunately Honoka chose this particular time to pull away. Nico almost whined, her lips feeling cold at the loss. Honoka just flashed a dazzling smile at her.

"Happy birthday, Nico-chan!" Honoka said brightly before turning around and leaving the clubroom. Nico stood for a moment in stunned silence, touching her lips and totally unbelieving of what just happened. She took a minute to calm her erratic heartbeat before taking another stick of pocky and putting it between her lips.


Nico exited the clubroom in a daze, closing the door and then leaning back on it. Her mind drifted back to the kiss, how nice Honoka's lips felt and how goddamn cute she was. She only had a moment to reflect, though, because she was almost immediately tackled by something small, fast, and orange. Nico flinched as she felt Rin squeeze her in a tight hug.

"Nya! Happy birthday, Nico-chan!" Rin said as she nuzzled Nico's cheek.

"H-hey there, Rin," Nico said nervously, trying to struggle her way out of Rin's grasp. Rin pulled back slightly and looked at Nico, her signature catlike grin spread across her face.

"What were you doing in there with Honoka, nya?" Rin asked loosening her grip on Nico. But only slightly.

"Nothing," Nico said, finally managing to pry Rin off of her.

"Why was she eating your pocky?"

A red tint creeped into Nico's face. "You saw that?" She said

"Some of it," Rin said. "Kayo-chin dragged me away though. But what were you doing?"

"She was...giving me my birthday present," Nico said, small beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Oh!" Rin beamed before reaching up to grab Nico's face. "Rin wants to give you a birthday present too!" Nico only just managed to guess what the hell was going on when Rin opened her mouth wide. Nico shut her eyes tightly in preparation for a very clumsy kiss...and felt nothing. She cracked open to find half the stick in her mouth gone, which was presumably what Rin was so happily chewing on. Nico sighed. Well, at least she wasn't getting kissed in the hall where anyone could see her.

"Rin-chan, no!" Nico and Rin both looked over to see Hanayo running towards them. She grabbed Rin by the shoulders, pulling her away from Nico. Hanayo, you are officially my hero, Nico thought. "What are you doing?"

"Giving Nico a birthday present, nya."

"Rin-chan…" Hanayo gave a long sigh. "That's not how you play the pocky game." Nico tensed. Wasn't Hanayo supposed to save her? What was going on? "I'll show you how to play, watch this." Nico began to sweat more as Hanayo moved closer, putting her hands on Nico's shoulders. Nico began to panic. I take it back! Not my hero! Not my hero!

Hanayo pressed closer, a light pink tint covering her cheeks. Nico screwed her eyes shut. It was one thing when Honoka was doing something like this in the privacy of the clubroom, but now she was out in the hall, with Rin and who even knows who else watching her. Nico could feel Hanayo's face getting even closer, and braced herself. She felt herself heating up in anticipation, and as annoyed as she was by the whole situation, it was kind of exciting. A span of time that couldn't have been more than two seconds felt like an eternity as she waited to feel Hanayo's lips against her own. Her breath was caught in her throat. There was a quick brush of something soft and warm against her lips, and then there was nothing.

Wait, was that it?

Nico cracked an eye open. "See, Rin-chan?" Hanayo said. "That's how you play the pocky game."

Rin's eyes sparkled in awe. "I see!" She said. "Can I try again?"

"Um...no," Nico said, hurriedly moving from her spot against the door. "I...uh...have to get to class. I'll see you after school, or something." She spun around and took off toward her classroom at full speed. Why won't anybody let me eat my damn pocky in peace?


Class had been agonizing. It had been harder than usual for Nico to concentrate because she swore that Nozomi kept making rather sultry expressions at her. What was with everyone today? When had it been declared that today was National Flirt with Nico Day? Well, okay, that should be every day, but she would have appreciated a more gradual transition. Nico sighed as she splashed some water on her face, looking into her own tired expression in the mirror as she took out another stick of pocky and stuck it in her mouth. Turning to leave the bathroom, Nico didn't bat an eye as the door opened. She bristled as a familiar redhead stepped in.

"M-Maki-chan?" Nico said. "What are you doing in here?"

"Hiding a dead body, obviously," Maki said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Despite her harsh tone Nico couldn't help but notice the light blush on her face. Nico's eyes narrowed.

"What's got you so embarassed? Nervous about being alone in the girl's room with Nico?" Nico immediately regretted speaking in such a challenging tone. Maki's blush deepened.

"Wh-why would I be nervous about being alone with you? If anything, you're the nervous one!" Shoot, she had Nico there. A small bead of sweat ran down the side of Nico's face as her blush deepened. Maki stepped forward, seemingly strengthened by Nico's display of weakness. She soon towered over her, and Nico could feel her knees beginning to shake. "I'll give you a reason to be intimidated by me," She said. She leaned forward and took the other end of the stick of pocky into her mouth. Oh no, not again, Nico thought.

Maki nibbled slowly on the pocky, the blush on her face growing in intensity the closer she got to Nico. Nico could also see the beads of sweat on her forehead, and the way her lips trembled even as they inched their way along the treat. It was actually pretty cute, as far as Nico was concerned. Maki also had some nice-looking lips, shapely and kissable and right in front of her. Okay, maybe kissing Maki would be pretty nice, and she was already halfway there. Just a few more inches and...wait. Why was she stopping?

Maki's face and hair were about the same color at this point, her skin was slick with sweat and her eyes were screwed shut. She just lingered there, not moving, and Nico could feel her heavy breathing on her face. What's she waiting for? After what seemed like an eternity, Maki quickly pulled away, leaning against the sink and panting heavily. Nico scowled.

"Is that it?" Nico said, chomping up the rest of the stick. Well, at least I'm getting an indirect kiss. "Am I supposed to be intimidated by someone who doesn't even have the guts to kiss me?"

Maki's breathing began to steady itself. She looked up at her own reflection, wiping sweat from her brow and taking one last gulp of air before turning to face Nico again. Her eyes, their color slightly darkened, met Nico's, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then, before Nico could even tell what was going on, Maki had grabbed her face and pressed her lips against hers. Nico yelped in surprise, Maki's soft lips pressed against her own sending shivers throughout her body. She was just about ready to melt into the kiss when Maki broke it, standing up straight and coughing into her fist.

"I've got plenty of guts, Nico-chan," She said before disappearing into one of the stalls. Nico just stood there, desperately trying to catch her breath.


Nico's face still had a pink tinge to it by the time she made it back to class. Sighing, she shuffled over to her seat and sat down. She buried her face in her arms and grumbled. Nozomi gave her an amused smile.

"Oh my, Nicocchi," Nozomi whispered. "Did something happen while you were in there?"

Nico didn't even look up. "No. Shut up."

"Who was it with and how far did ya go?"

This time Nico did look up. "I said shut up," She said, sending a hard glare in Nozomi's direction. She rested her head on her hands and sighed again, barely paying attention to the teacher as they droned on and on about...something. She didn't know, and she sure as hell didn't care. It was too hot to focus on the subject anyway. Her bangs were starting to stick to her face. She quietly turned to look at Nozomi. Her breath caught in her throat.

Was Nozomi...undoing her ribbon? In class? Nico swallowed hard before glancing quickly around the classroom. She almost sighed in relief when she saw that nobody had seemed to notice, but she didn't want to make any noise. She'd only draw attention to herself. Or Nozomi, who seemed to have the top button of her shirt undone. Nico swallowed again.

Nozomi was a tease. It was in her very nature, and Nico was pretty used to being on the receiving end of her teasing by now. But the fact that Nozomi was doing this now, in the middle of class, on a balmy July afternoon where Nico happened to be sitting in the sunniest part of the classroom, on a day where everyone else was trying to have her way with her, just seemed way to ridiculous to even be real. Nico held her breath as she watched Nozomi undo another one of her buttons, leaving the tiniest amount of cleavage exposed. Unconsciously she wiped some sweat away from her forehead, feeling way too hot to deal with anything, especially Nozomi's craziness and whatever the teacher was going on about now. Class really couldn't end soon enough.

Finally, the school bell rang, and Nico let out a breath she might have been holding for the entire class. Students began to pour out of the classroom, eager to start summer vacation, but Nico just sat at her desk, panting hard and trying to dry her sweat-dampened skin. Groaning, she turned to see Nozomi still sitting at her desk, and oh god was she undoing another button? Nico slammed her head down on her desk. She was going to die here.

"Heya Nicocchi," Nozomi said, getting up and moving over towards Nico's desk. "Did ya like the present we got ya?"

Nico tensed slightly. Given her other experiences with the pocky that day, the fact that Nozomi, who had just spent the entirety of class teasing her, was asking about it was setting off a few red flags. Nico let out a long sigh. "Yeah, it's great," She said tiredly. Nozomi smiled innocently. Oh come on, you know I know you're gonna do something naughty.

"Well, I hope it's not too much to ask, but could I have one?" Okay, Nozomi was definitely planning something. Nico sat up and looked Nozomi straight in the eye.

"Button up your shirt and maybe I'll think about it," She said with a sneer.

Nozomi put a hand over her heart in mock offense. "But it's so hot in here! I gotta keep cool somehow, ya know?" Well it was definitely hot. Nico almost would have fallen for it if she wasn't so certain of the real reason. "C'mon, Nicocchi...please let me have just one." Was Nozomi doing puppy dog eyes? Really? More pressingly, why was it working? Must be the damn heat. Nico sighed as she reached into her bag and pulled out the box, taking out a single stick and holding it out to Nozomi. "Thanks, Nicocchi," She said, taking the pocky.

"Yeah, yeah, you're wel...come…" Nico watched as Nozomi leaned back, lifted the treat up to her mouth, and dropped it. Goddammit, I'm such an idiot, she thought as the pocky somehow landed perfectly in Nozomi's exposed cleavage.

"Oops," Said Nozomi. Nico was almost certain that what had just unfolded was no accident.

"Get that stuff out of your boobs," Nico said, looking away.

"Oh, but Nicocchi," Nozomi said, leaning towards her, those damn boobs now dangerously close to her face, "I think you should get it out, since yer the birthday girl and all."

"Hell. No." Nico began to sweat even more as Nozomi pressed closer. She felt like she was suffocating. Also, wow, this was really tempting. Strawberry pocky and Nozomi's boobs. Only drawback was that Nozomi would have the smug satisfaction of humiliating her. Nico glanced at Nozomi through her peripheral vision. She swore she saw the cream on the pocky melting, spreading across Nozomi's creamy skin and mixing with her sweat. Nico swore her mouth was starting to water.

"C'mon, Nicocchi," Nozomi cooed, "I know ya really wanna do it. It's all over yer face."

Nico swallowed before looking at Nozomi's face. "Don't tell anybody, okay?"

"Of course, Nicocchi," Nozomi said, smiling. "Now dig in."

Nico leaned forward slowly, clenching her eyes shut as she got closer and closer to the protruding treat. She gently took it between her teeth, gradually pulling it free from the place where it had been trapped. She inhaled, taking in the scent of melted strawberry cream and sweat. She started to nibble on the stick, figuring that it wasn't good to waste a gift anyway. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she had finished the stick. Great. She was done with this torment. "Move your tits, Nozomi."

"But Nicocchi, there's a big mess there. Are ya sure ya don't want to clean it up?"

Nico shoved her way past Nozomi and stood up. "Get yourself a damn napkin. I'm done dealing with you."

Nozomi gasped, although her gleaming eyes gave away the fact that it wasn't at all genuine. "How cruel!" She said.

"I hate you, Nozomi," Nico said as she grabbed her bag and prepared to leave.

"I love ya too, Nicocchi," Nozomi said with a teasing smirk. Nico just scoffed before hurrying out of the room.


Nico absentmindedly munched on another stick of pocky as she walked through the halls toward the clubroom. Maybe if she was the first one there she could get some much needed peace and quiet. She didn't feel like doing lewd things with anyone else today. She sighed deeply before opening the door, and nearly freaked out when she saw that she hadn't been the first to get there.

"Hi, Nico-chan," Kotori said. Nico grumbled before sitting down. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Nico just sat down next to Kotori and began to rub her temples. "I've just had an...interesting day," She said.

"Really?" Kotori asked, moving closer. "How so?"

"Everybody seems to want my pocky," Nico said. "I don't mind sharing, but they all seem to want to take it straight my mouth."

"Wow, really?" Kotori seemed genuinely interested. "So have you been playing the pocky game with people?" Nico nodded. Kotori leaned in. "Who?"

"It's not any of your business who I've been kissing," Nico snapped.

Kotori just smiled. "That's fair," She said, leaning towards Nico. "You are very cute, though."

"Well of course!" Nico said. "It's only natural that people would want to kiss the great idol Ni-hey, aren't you a little close?" Kotori was indeed very close now, the treat between Nico's lips reaching hers. "Whoa, don't tell me you wanna play too?!"

Nico shivered as Kotori leaned closer, their faces way too close for comfort. "You know," Kotori said, taking the end of the stick of pocky between her fingers, "I do like sweets." She caressed Nico's jaw with her other hand, her lips now dangerously close. "But I think I'm more in the mood for you today." She gently took the pocky from Nico's mouth and tossed it aside before grabbing her face and slamming their lips together. Nico pressed her lips tightly together, trying desperately to protect her mouth from Kotori's probing tongue, but she almost felt like the kiss was weakening her. It didn't take long for Kotori to slide her tongue into Nico's mouth, where it rubbed against Nico's own, flailing aimlessly as she began to lose herself. Nico could feel a small amount of heat pooling between her legs, her breath being stolen from her as Kotori somehow managed to deepen the kiss even more. Finally she pulled away, leaving Nico a panting, semi-aroused mess.

"You are so cute," She said, beaming. Nico was too winded to respond.


"What are you looking at?"

Eli lowered her head and began looking over the form she was holding. Nico narrowed her eyes, nibbling on the pocky in her mouth. It was clear as daylight that Eli was not focused on the paper in front of her, and something else had her attention. Her eyes flitted back and forth between the form and...something. Something on Nico's face. It took Nico only a little longer to figure it out.

"You want my pocky don't you?" She asked accusingly. "You specifically want the pocky in my mouth!" Eli said nothing, but she did blush a little. "Answer me!"

This time Eli's eyes were focused on the paper in front of her. "...Maybe," She said almost inaudibly.

"What is with everyone today?" Nico said, throwing her hands up. "Why do you all want to kiss me?"

"Well, maybe because you're pretty kissable," Eli said, again almost inaudibly. Nico heard her, though. A small blush creeped over her features.

"What was that?" She said, walking over to Eli and leaning in so that their faces were rather close. Eli again said nothing, but her eyes drifted to the stick of pocky. Nico noticed a little too late as Eli gently grabbed the side of her face. "Hey, what's going on?" In truth Nico knew exactly what was going on.

"Sorry Nico," Eli said, "but I just can't resist." Eli's lips wrapped around the other end and she began to rather quickly nibble her way towards Nico. Nico braced herself. Eli was more than halfway to her lips, their breaths starting to mix together. She shut her eyes and waited, her legs trembling and sweat sliding down her face. Eli seemed to be taking forever to reach her, and it was driving her insane. Nico then felt something soft brush against her lips, and a tongue very briefly slipped into her mouth, before pulling away and leaving her lips rather cold. Nico opened her eyes to see Eli running her tongue over her own lips.

"Harasho," Eli said, smiling. "That was pretty good. You don't think I could have another, could I?"

Nico threw a stick of pocky at Eli before leaving the room.


"Ah, hello Nico."

Nico turned around and felt her heart nearly leap out of her chest as she saw the one person she had wanted to run into today. Umi was standing there, smiling softly, and Nico could no longer help herself. She ran at Umi, wrapping her in a tight hug and burying her face in her shirt.

"Um…" Umi looked down as Nico continued to hug her chest, a small blush on her face. "Are you alright?"

Nico looked up. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to see you today," She said.

Nico eventually let go of Umi, and together they found themselves sitting under a tree, relaxing and making idle chatter. Nico found herself feeling more comfortable than she had all day, sitting beside Umi and talking about μ's and plans for the summer. In her security she reached into her bag and pulled out the box of pocky, now almost empty. Umi noticed.

"May I have one?" She said. Nico paused and studied Umi's face. Her expression was calm and pleasant, there wasn't a hint of mischief anywhere on it. And why would there be? Umi wasn't one to play tricks, her true intentions always seemed to be out in the open. Not that Nico didn't like the idea of Umi tricking her into playing the pocky game, but it was refreshing to hang out with someone who wasn't hellbent on doing that with her today.

"Sure," She said, holding out the box. Umi smiled and gave a quiet 'thank you' before taking one and putting it between her lips. Nico smiled back before taking the last stick for herself, munching it down relatively quickly. She looked back at Umi to see that she seemed to be taking her time enjoying the treat, having barely started eating it. An idea formed in Nico's mind. She moved a little closer.

"Nico?" Umi noticed immediately. Nico gave a wide smile.

"Just wanted to be a little closer to you," Nico said. Umi nodded and said nothing. Nico took that as her cue to move even closer. Soon enough their shoulders were touching, and Nico decided to gently lean on Umi. She was warm. Nico could feel a slight blush creeping up her face. She looked over at Umi, whose face seemed so calm, so serene, so beautiful. Nico leaned closer, reaching up to put a hand on Umi's face.

"H-hey, Nico?" Umi said as Nico's face came closer to hers. "What are you doing?"

Nico stroked Umi's cheek. "For some reason, everyone wants to kiss me today," She said in a low voice. "Most of them were surprisingly good. Most of them." The stick of pocky brushed against her lips, and she could almost taste the strawberry cream coating it. "But the only person I really want to kiss me today…" She took her other hand and placed it on Umi's other cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin as a luminescent blush covered her face. "...is you."

Nico began to slowly nibble along the stick, watching Umi's flustered expression through half-lidded eyes. Her face was so red now, and sweatdrops were quickly forming on her brow. Whether they were from being flustered or from the heat, Nico wasn't sure, but it certainly helped with making Umi's face look absolutely adorable. Umi was visibly shaking, but she didn't seem to be pulling away, much to Nico's relief. She was about halfway there now, those lips so often curled into a scowl, now trembling so delicately, getting closer with each passing second. Nico closed her eyes. It was better to do these final steps that way.

Nico picked up speed, wanting to reach those lips as soon as possible, and she could also feel Umi's hot breath on her now. It was kind of exhilarating. She knew she was close, but she wasn't there yet, she still had a little ways to go. Only a few long seconds passed, before finally, finally, their lips touched. It was slow and gentle at first, just a simple touch, then Nico took Umi's bottom lip in between hers, sucking lightly. Umi, surprisingly, didn't seem to mind, instead leaning into the kiss as if she wanted more. Nico was more than happy to give her more. She ran her tongue along Umi's lips, sliding it between them for only a brief second. They pulled apart, gazing at each other with lidded eyes, before coming together again. For a span of time neither of them cared to measure they kept doing this, kissing and separating, and both felt like they could probably do this forever.

"Whoa, you guys are really into it!" Was that...Honoka?

The two quickly pulled apart to see the rest of μ's had shown up, somehow. "When did you guys get here?" Nico said in a slightly panicked voice.

"We haven't been here too long," Nozomi said, "but we did see ya almost put yer tongue in Umi's mouth. Nice work, Nicocchi."

Nico blushed deeply as Umi buried her face in her hands and muttered about shamelessness. Eli just chuckled softly. "Well, you two will have plenty of time for makeout sessions later. How about we go get some ice cream to celebrate?" There were several cheers, and Nico smiled softly as she and Umi got up and joined the others as they exited the school gates. There was a warmth in Nico's chest as they walked, and it seemed to bubble with each passing moment.

"Y'know, I'm only gonna say this once," She said. Everyone turned to her, curious to hear what she had to say. "I love all of you," She said, tears forming. She wiped them before continuing. "You're all so important to me, I...I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Tears of joy began pouring from her eyes, and she soon found herself in the embrace of several people.

"We love you too Nico-chan!" Rin said, nuzzling her.

"We all love you very much," Kotori said, stroking her hair.

"Thanks, you guys," Nico said through her tears. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Honoka said cheerily. "After all, you deserve the best birthday ever!"