Author Notes

Happy Birthday, Nico-chan~! Nico-Nico-nii~~ X'D

May you enjoy, nico! XD

"Nico-chan, do you know what I love most about you?"

The silence of the clubroom, not counting the rotating of the fan, was disrupted by Honoka who had her head resting on her right hand, back arced in a sloppy manner, and a serene smile on her lips as she gazed at her black haired senior whom was tapping away at her phone moments ago.

What Honoka loves about me?

Questioning ruby met gentle sapphires, and Nico gave a small shrug before puffing her chest out.

"Hm? All of Nico is loved by you, Honoka!"

There shouldn't be a doubt about that!

Honoka chuckles before readjusting her head to be rested on both of her palms.

"Well, yeah. But there's this one thing I love most about Nico-chan! Why don't you guess?"

Gods, she is cute!

Nico took a moment longer to respond as she was promptly distracted by Muse's leader's excitable grin cupped between the owner's hands, sky blue eyes staring earnestly at her.

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"It's more fun this way~"

Honoka pouts and gives her puppy dog eyes to better convince her girlfriend to play along.

Ah, Honoka's not playing fair again. Mm... don't look, Nico! No matter how much you want to keep gazing into those endless...adorable...mind-bending...eyes!

Nico failed to look away, and the "cute and pitiful" look won once again.

"My cuteness? Nobody can resist how cute Nico is, nico!"

Nico even threw in a wink and put both hands together to form a heart as she nico-ed with her idol tone.

A tad superficial, but Honoka is always going on and on about how cute I am after all. Not that I mind.

Honoka shook her head with a grin, elbows no longer propped on the table.

"Nico-chan is definitely, super-duper-duper cute! But that's also definitely not why I love Nico-chan too!"

I'm super-duper-duper cute, but you're a hundred times cuter just because of how you said 'super-duper-duper' with those pumped up fists and twinkle in your eyes, Honoka.

Nico feigned a frown to show that she was thinking about the gingerhead's question when she saw Honoka waiting expectantly for a second guess.

"Mm...It's gotta be my wonderful, silky, black twintails! It's an all time charm!"

Nico swished her head from side to side to put up a show of how her twintails was exactly as she described it to be; also to get Honoka to notice how much effort she placed into caring for her hair, just for the gingerhead.

Honoka, you have no idea how much time and precision it takes each day for me to put my hair up to the exact height that you mentioned I look the most cute with!

Honoka had complimented her girlfriend quite randomly on one of their arcade dates, which made Nico assume that it was the way she put her hair up that day; thus the extra effort to replicate that cuteness forever.

"Ehh~ That's not it, Nico-chan~"

Honoka moved around playfully, kicking her legs back and forth under the table.

"That's not it?"

Nico felt slightly hurt at the lack of a 'You're cute' reaction.

Ugh... Honoka does like my hairstyle, right?

Honoka shook her head yet again. "I love Nico-chan no matter what hairstyle you have! Nico-chan with twintails is cute. Nico-chan with your hair down is also cute! But...more of pretty with your hair down I guess...Ahaha..."

Honoka laughed embarrasedly, a blush growing.

I- My- Honoka... I too...

"I love you in any hairstyle too, Honoka."

"Ehehe~ Thank you, Nico-chan!"

Honoka did an adorable and energetic bounce where she sat, widening Nico's smile.

And that's why I always tell Hanayo that my girlfriend is "illegally cute".

Nico now wore a really smug smile as she mentally snapped dozens of images of her "illegally cute" girlfriend that sported a light pink dusting her cheeks, tiny and modest smile, and that slightly uncertain, upturned blue peeking at her.

"Well. Not my cuteness, not my perfect hairstyle. Then..."

Honoka looked up expectantly.

"You love how reliable I am! After all, I am your senior; in both age and idolhood!"

Nico flashed Honoka a huge smile; pearly whites for all to see, always proud to flaunt that she was the senior one.

I'm quite sure it's this. Honoka probably really love being taken care of, considering the people around her.

Nico ticked Umi under the category of "Honoka's second mum", Kotori under "The twin that babies Honoka", and Eli under "She can't help but fond over Honoka". Nico's list goes on, but you get the gist.

The head shake came again. "Mm-mm. It's not that Nico-chan~"

Nico could tell from Honoka's pout that the gingerhead was growing impatient, not that she isn't.

Wrong again? Just what does Honoka love about me so much?

Nico decide to shoot off the next thing that came to mind. "Don't tell me... my cooking..?"

Nico arced an eyebrow questioningly; she's proud of her cooking, yes. And there's the saying 'The way to a (wo)man's heart is through the stomach', but... somehow it wasn't something she wanted to be Honoka's reason for loving her the most.

Honoka gave Nico a smile; a smile as sweet and innocent as an Honoka is.

"Nope. I'm just going to tell you okay?"

Nico released a sigh of relief inside.

"Wait."

Honoka waited.

"You do like my cooking right?"

Nico leaned across the table, kind of afraid of the answer to come. What if Honoka doesn't fancy her cooking?

Honoka's giggle that rang next easily removed that fear. "Of course I do! I looooove~ Nico-chan's cooking lots, lots and lots!"

Honoka stretched her hands as far as she could to either side of her to emphasise her point.

Nico relaxed into a smile.

Thank goodness. I'll have to take a food course after high school if Honoka said she didn't like my current cooking. Or perhaps I'll ask Kotori for some recipes...

"So, what do you love about your universe one and only girlfriend?"

Honoka chuckled at Nico's laidback posture; the black haired girl leaned her back to the chair with an attempt for a sultry smile.

What is it? I'll harness it to the best so that Honoka will keep loving me forever and ever.

Honoka's entire facial expression softened – from her eyes, eyebrows, cheeks and smile; it was an expression of love.

And in an equally gentle tone, "Your smile, Nico-chan."

My smile...how did I not think of that?

Not waiting for a reaction; if Nico sitting straighter with her mouth left in a small 'o' is discounted as a reaction, Honoka adds on.

"It always makes my heart beat a thousand times faster..and well, I can't help but smile when you smile. And it makes me reeeeally~~ happy when I make you smile! Even if it's me doing something silly. Hehe~"

Honoka had a smile that pulled from ear to ear as she confessed how much she adored her girlfriend's smile – the one thing that Nico always brag about, and emphasize the most as idols; and yet have forgotten it here.

Heh... My smile, huh? Does it really win yours? ...Actually, you're my number one, no competition here.

Nico did what Honoka love the most about her – smile; Nico smiled ever so widely, her happiness manifesting in a smile.

"Idiot."

"Eh?" Honoka was mirroring Nico's blissful smile until Nico spoke up.

"Your smile is much, much, much, much more precious than mine. And I'll do whatever it takes to protect that smile of yours."

"Nico-chan..." Honoka looked ready to shed tears of pure bliss from Nico's honest to sweet praise and promise. "Nico-chan, I love you!"

Lov-

"Wh-What are you saying so suddenly?!"

Nico has a furious blush in a matter of seconds from the direct hit Honoka did on her.

"How I feel?" Honoka cocked her head to the side cutely; not understanding why her girlfriend was reacting so loudly.

"That's not what I meant!"

"The truth?"

"Oh just keep your mouth shut already!"

Nico pulled a hand across her burning face; not wanting Honoka to see her embarrassed expression, neither did she want to see the gingerhead's sincere, straightforward gaze.

"But I can't help but smile this widely when Nico-chan is all red and cute!"

Honoka, true to her words, was beaming like an idiot, or a maiden in love.

Nico buries her face further into her hands at the fact that Honoka already saw her blushing, while Honoka laughs cheerily.

"I love you too, Honoka..." Nico mumbles after some time, peeking from between her fingers to observe the gingerhead's reaction.

However, Nico was unable to see Honoka immediately, instead, she felt warmth wrap around her torso, the next thing she knew, Honoka was hugging her and snuggling close to her neck.

"Mmph...I know that."

Nico's silly grin only widened more than it stretched, the red on her cheeks spreading to her neck, and heart racing like a humming bird.

I'm glad you do... I love you, Honoka.

Author Notes

:'D I love you, Nico-chan! And I wish you a happy, happy birthday! Spend it with Honoka, spend it with Muse and spend it with family! *O*

I hope everyone enjoyed this little HonoNico story~ X'D

Leave a comment, if you please~ X'3 (Honoka and Nico will send a thank you Nico-nico-nii~ to you~)