For a friend! 8)
Movie dates were ideal, preferably in the furthermost row of the theater, preferably while watching a romantic movie to set the mood. Maki could imagine it - her significant other, tall enough that she could easily rest her head on their shoulder, an arm around her waist, whispering something about the movie into her ear. But Maki wouldn't be watching the movie, because she'd be too wholly invested in the person beside her.
That was ideal, but like most things in Maki's life, she was knocked on the head for wanting one thing, and presented with something entirely different.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter that she's shorter. I could care less about that." Maki didn't know how she found herself speaking to Honoka about this, but there were more pressing matters to think about. The second year was nodding with keen focus, her hands gripping the side of the table. "What matters is that Nico would ruin so much of that image. M-Maybe I just want to hold her hand, is that too much to ask?"
"Oh. Wow." The bluntness in Honoka's tone caught Maki off-guard.
"What's... What's wrong?"
Honoka stopped nodding her head, and she unclenched her fist. Her palm was pink from holding onto the table so firmly. "Maki-chan..." She bowed her head extravagantly, almost enough that she'd bump onto the table's surface. "That was embarrassing. I'm sorry I didn't stop you. For that, I'm sorry!"
"What." Maki bit the word out. Honoka? Embarrassed? For her? She crossed her arms, and turned away from Honoka. "You know what, forget it. I'm done talking." Now Maki remembered why she had approached Honoka. She had two girlfriends and was in a stable relationship. Maki was barely able to do good with hers. With that reasoning, she figured that Honoka was doing something right that Maki herself wasn't getting. I'm not getting any useful tips from her, though. This is useless.
"No, no! Maki-chan, you never come to me for anything, lemme help with this at least." Maki leaned back into her chair, staring at the idol posters around the clubroom. When she didn't make a motion to leave, Honoka settled back in her own seat and rested her elbows on the table. "Right, so. Other than you quoting a 90's chick flick. And getting all blushy about Nico. Nico Yazawa. That same Nico. The same Nico that-"
"I get it, Honoka, I have bad taste. Continue."
She raised her hands in defense. "Sorry! You're crazy about her, let's admit that first." Maki saw something akin to a smug gleam in Honoka's eyes. She was challenging Maki.
But she wasn't going to rise to any bait, not today. Maki rolled her eyes. "... No."
"Oh. Wow." Honoka repeated. Maki twirled a strand of her hair uncomfortably. Maki couldn't say anything after that. They both knew it was a cheap escape. Honoka looked like she wasn't going to say anything anytime soon either. The clock overhead began to sound unnaturally loud, and Honoka's eyes began to look increasingly accusatory, and this? Maki didn't want to put up with this. So much for not rising to bait, huh.
"Honoka, just. Stop. S-Stop looking at me." Maki sunk her head into her hands, shading her eyesight from the rest of the room. "Look... I want to go on this date with her. I do."
No response yet. She's dragging this out of me, this idiot-! "... And I want the date to be... I want it to be perfect." With her head in her hands, Maki frowned, her throat tightening, her face burning. She didn't just want it to be perfect. She wanted Nico to enjoy it. Maki couldn't exactly say that upfront, though. ... Of course I can't.
"Oh, why didn't you say that earlier? That's easy!" Maki looked up to see Honoka sticking her chin upwards. Then the girl planted a fist upon palm, giving Maki a stern look. "Maki-chan, listen very closely..." She leaned forward, convinced that Honoka (two girlfriends, two) had valuable advice. "... stop thinking so much!"
Maki balked at her. "Jeez, Honoka." There was no way that was good advice. At all. "Who's quoting some 90's chick flick now?"
"Are you going to ignore what I said, then?!" Honoka recoiled from Maki's gaze, as if any criticism would actually reach out and grab hold of her. Maki sighed. While it was true that she didn't believe Honoka's words held any weight... Maki already knew what she needed to do. She sought advice in hopes that, maybe, maybe she wouldn't have to hear the answer. "Maki-chan... stop thinking, please. It actually hurts to see you think so hard. Relationships shouldn't stress you out so much. Or at all!"
"... Thanks, Honoka." Maki ended their conversation with no further preamble. Despite the instruction not to do so, she would continue to think more. Just... "I'll think about what you said."
She found a hand patting the top of her head, and Honoka's blue eyes blinking with mirth. "You're a good kid, Maki-chan. HonoPapa is proud of you." What?
"That's creepy, Honoka. No." For some reason, Maki found herself smiling as she swatted her friend's hand away. Maybe that was another reason she asked Honoka. She didn't have to think twice of Honoka's words, because they came just as they should. No double meanings. Just Honoka. "Get away from me, HonoPapa." Maki had gotten out of her seat and was now pushing Honoka out of the clubroom.
"Whoa-! Maki-chan, you actually said-" The door then promptly closed in front of Honoka.
Nico stood atop a stool, looking down at her subordinates. "Rin! Hanayo!" They were outside - just along the grass field of Otonoki, and the two first-years kneeled obediently in front of her.
"Yes, Captain!" and "Y-Yes!" were their very urgent replies, and Nico saluted them. They gave firm salutes in return. With full attention on her, Nico spoke with great emotion, her shoulders shaking her wonderful and petite frame.
"As you both know, I have a date. Not just any date, but The First Date." Rin gasped, falling back onto her elbows. Hanayo's eyes widened, already clinging to every word that Nico spoke. "With not just anyone, but Maki Nishikino."
"Oh, wow! I'm happy for you both."
"Nice job landing the girl!"
"Thanks. I know. She's pretty great. She's lucky enough to have me as her girlfriend." Nico wiped invisible tears from her eyes, stepping down from her stool and kneeling along with her juniors. She regarded Rin and Hanayo. These were her friends. Rin was a little difficult, but she always had good intentions. Hanayo was an angel sent by the gods with some serious fancy for rice. She could trust these two to help her out, definitely. "But I have a problem. The Problem."
Tugging on her uniform collar, Nico laid out the picture for them. "See, uh. As you know." She pulled a little harder on her collar. "I haven't been on a date before. Seeing as, yes. This is the, uh. The First Date." Rin and Hanayo stared blankly at her. Dammit, I can't stop now. "And seeing as you - my younger freshmen - have gone on plenty of dates together, I. I'm guessing that you coul-"
"Kayochin!" Rin yelled out, interrupting Nico's spiel. What the hell?! Hanayo had a similar look of astonishment on her face, but with less shocked anger contorting her features. "She's asking us for help!"
It was as if Hanayo had never considered the idea. "A-Amazing!" She turned to the side, rummaging through her bag that laid beside her. In another moment, she took out a notepad, of which she handed to Nico. A stern look crossed Hanayo's eyes. "Take notes, Nico-chan, the matters of the heart are serious!"
"Well... get on with it then..." Nico learned that the best way to react when Hanayo's attitude shifted was to follow along - what did she have to lose, supporting her friend's passion? Which, for some reason, included helping someone's love life? Nico lurched back for her own bag, pulling out a pen from the outer pockets.
"Be forward, nyaa! Rin loves it when Hanayo has everything all planned out for us." That seemed reasonable enough. Yeah, maybe Maki likes when I take charge... heh. Nico scribbled down 'Foolproof: Take Charge'. Rin was nearly jumping as she leaned against Hanayo, who nodded with Rin's every word. "And pick a restaurant that has both your favorite foods!" Restaurant. Favorite food. Got it.
"Ask her how she feels about everything. Never, and really, Nico-chan. Never. Go through a decision without talking it out with her." The grave tone in Hanayo's voice unnerved Nico. What kind of horrific event could have happened that caused this poor, innocent girl to press this issue? She's, what? Fifteen?! Nico wrote down 'MAKI'S EMOTIONS ARE IMPORTANT' and underlined it three times, once for Hanayo, another for Maki, and the last for herself.
"Your advice sounds... great, actually. Thanks, you two." Nico gave them a thumbs up, and two fist bumps connected with hers. "Do you have anything else I should remember?" For some reason, Nico did have some doubts about asking her juniors, about asking anyone at all. It was admitting she didn't know how to date someone, right?! If that information got in the wrong hands, who knew how much it would throttle her idol career. Leave me black and blue, jeez. I need to avoid Nozomi until I have this dating thing down.
"Ehh," Rin scratched her cheek in thought. "... oh!" A thought struck her, and Nico could only watch as Rin grabbed Hanayo's face by the side and whispered conspiringly. Nervousness began to bloom as Hanayo nodded with increasing fervor. And then- like a cat striking out towards its prey, Rin snatched the notepad from Nico's hands.
"Rin, what the hell, my notes ar-"
Riiiiip. She watched as not only the page she had written on, but the entire notepad was torn in two. Even Hanayo was flabbergasted. "Rin-chan?! Y-You didn't say my whole notepad!"
Rin realized what had just occurred, holding the torn notepad as if the very papers had betrayed her. "Oh no! Kayochin-" Her eyes watered immediately. Nico felt alarm - she knew she had some tissues in her bag somewhere- "I'm sorry for ruining your notepad... I'll buy you a new one right away!"
Hanayo shook her head furiously. "No! You were just caught in the moment, Rin-chan. It's not your fault." And something about how damn truthful these first-years were really got to Nico. Would she ever get to that level with Maki? Where frustration didn't take root, only this crystal clear understanding of each other's emotions? Nico grimaced. That didn't really sound like something her and Maki would be able to do.
Meanwhile, Hanayo and Rin had long since made up, holding each other more out of familiarity than out of comfort. "That still doesn't change the fact that I don't have notes anymore." It was nice that her friends were as close as ever, despite whatever little conflict might've happened, but the whole reason they'd met up in the first place was for her dating troubles. Solutions, of which, Rin had just torn in half.
Rin waved her off, however. "Nico-chan, please. If you have to read notes during the date, then should you really be going on that date?" The lack of response was enough of an answer. "So Rin did you a big favor then, nyaha!" Nico rubbed a knuckle against her temple. She was infuriatingly in the right.
"Okay. Did I just waste my time, holy shit. What was the whole point of having this talk if you're telling me I should stop forcing a good date?"
It was Hanayo who answered this time. "For you to figure that out, of course!"
... Well, fuck.
It was six o'clock in the evening, and Maki stood beside the Akihabara bus stop. Not that she used the bus, but telling her voyeur to drop her off anywhere else felt intrusive. She wasn't used to walking the streets by herself, much less in the evening. ... I just need to wait for her. Maki played with the ends of her dress, her thumb tracing one of the small flower patterns.
"Is that my favorite Maki-chan?" She turned around to find a blue coat, outlining a red shirt - a black skirt - Nico. Maki waited for her breath to hitch, to catch in her throat, yet none of that happened. She stared, and her breathing continued on normally, maybe a little sped up, but normally. "Uh. Are you feeling okay?"
"Pitch perfect, yes." Maki replied, blindly grasping for Nico's hand. It seemed like the right thing to do. But she missed, and Maki couldn't for the life of her understand why she was feeling so clumsy. Pick up the slack! With her arm following through with the action, she hooked her elbow and found herself pulling Nico closer by the waist. "A-Ah-!?" Maki's face was red, she knew it was. She stared at Nico's wide eyes, realizing that her arm was still around-
"Hey... uh. Keep it there. Your arm." The chopped sentences slapped Maki's conscience. Now I've gone and made this date awkward. Great. "I like it. There. Your arm."
Maki nodded slowly, and Nico silently led them down the street. It gave her time to think. Or, well. Not think. That's what I was going for. Don't overthink. They passed a few blocks before Maki realized they had entered the residential area. She turned to ask Nico just where exactly they were headed, but she remembered man, they were so close in proximity. And Nico smelled great. Strawberries? Figures she would go for something sweet.
No wait. She had a question.
"Care to tell me where we're going?" Maki jerked into inertia as Nico stopped in place, eyes wide with alarm.
"Ah shit! Did I forget to tell you?!" While the reply would have usually triggered annoyance, Maki felt mild relief this time around. We're both out of our elements with this. Nico fought to form words as Maki felt a secure hand tighten on the one she held on Nico's waist. "I'm picking the best place to land a reservation at, so don't you worry. The best part is? We're going to be all alone."
Huh?! That should've raised a flag in Maki's mind, maybe alerted her that hey, how do you find a pompous restaurant and have it completely empty? She knew Nico wasn't the richest of people, but even Maki would think twice about spending a fortune just to reserve that.
Which was why Maki felt a little concerned when they went down a narrow side street.
Which was why Maki forgot to say something to Nico when they ascended stairs to an apartment complex.
Which was why Maki was completely surprised when Nico took out keys from her pocket and opened the apartment door. They were at Nico's apartment.
"... Oh." It was just like Nico to make something so regular sound so extravagant.
"Maki-chan? Did you want to eat out? Because I'm a regular at this restaurant down the street and they'd be willing to-"
"Shut up, Nico-chan. It's cold, let's get inside." It wasn't ideal, but plenty of moments in her life did she have expectations, only to have them trampled on and left by the bus stop. She just wasn't used to walking away from it and into an apartment.
Nico groaned, stepping into the apartment after her. "Sheesh. I'm doing my best at being a good gi-" Maki's head swiveled to stare at Nico. Both their faces heated up instantly. "girlfriend, but first dates are super hard, y'know? You have to tell me if you don't like something so I can change that."
"You haven't really told me what to expect, so I can't really say I like anything, can I?" Maki shrugged off her red coat, handing it over to Nico to hang. The apartment looked the same as the last time the entire group had visited. A little tidier and quieter, with the siblings nowhere in sight. The thought that this was their dinner arrangement occurred to her. "Nico-chan... are you cooking for us?"
The girl jumped in front of Maki, arms raised and eyes alit. "Nico-nico-nii! Maki-chan, prepare for the best spaghetti you've ever tasted - parmesan cheese topped with some sundried sweet tomatoes!" Those arms now grabbed Maki by the hands, pulling her into a chair. She took in the situation as Nico continued to prattle on. "I was talking to Hanayo and Rin for ideas, and they said favorite foods was a good route for first dates. And I thought, 'Maki-chan sure loves her stupid-but-still-healthy tomatoes' and this was the first recipe to come to mind! Honestly it's a miracle any dish could work with how bland a tomato tastes like-"
At that point Maki had tuned Nico out. It was all filler conversation, anyway, and Maki had something bigger on her mind. She talked to Rin and Hanayo before all this. Which. Shouldn't be a problem. Nico was on a date with her, not the other two first-years. She was making spaghetti with tomatoes, because it was her favorite. But only because they recommended it. She wasn't jealous of their relationship, by no means. Maki glared at the empty dish in front of her, feeling ridiculous.
"Hey, Nico-chan." Maki called for her attention as she set the tray of pasta between them. The third-year took her seat opposite of Maki, waiting for her to continue. The nerves - the butterflies, the stress, the nagging feeling - festered inside of her, and Maki ducked her head. "Um... I'm not just another first year, am I? I mean, if this was just a trial date, we should quit now. I don't want any of those messy relationships, thanks."
... I definitely thought too much. Sorry Honoka. Maki could only stare at Nico for so many seconds before the thumping of her heart got too loud, too uncomfortable. Now she really went and soured the mood. She had basically implied that this date didn't feel authentic enough that she was able to question it. Maki hoped that Nico wasn't thinking about this as much as she was, else she would reach this same (and incorrect) conclusion. "D-Don't get me wrong, Nico-chan... the spaghetti looks great. You look great... Uh."
"Um." Maki shuffled from one side to the next. Nico coughed. "... Maki. Spaghetti?" She nodded wordlessly, accepting the serving of her dinner. The only sounds throughout the apartment was the background whir of electricity, the clanging of their utensils as it scraped against the plate.
The silence pounded on her ears, the same way that her heart beat against her ribcage. Being this nervous made her frustrated, but it was only because she was too scared to do anything that she felt this way. She was running around in circles - Maki was driving herself nuts. "Maki-chan."
"... Yeah?"
Nico had finished her plate, utensils laid to the side. The girl focused on the dish as she continued, bunching her shoulders. "Sorry I'm taking up your time, Maki-chan. I didn't know that's how you felt, honestly." She released a breath - she laid both hands on the table. The air felt thick and hard to breathe in. "Aw jeez, I wanted this date to work. I was a little ambiguous when I asked you out, huh?"
Maki supposed that it was because they were alone, in a private setting, in Nico's personal space, that the girl before her was willing to talk so freely. Her breath felt shallow. And her head felt lightheaded. Yet - maybe - Maki could follow suit. "Nico-chan. I wanted this date to work too. There were other things-" Like a romantic movie with someone taller. "- but mostly, I was worried that y -you wouldn't enjoy our date." She clenched the hems of her skirt, unwilling to see Nico's reaction. It probably wouldn't be what I expected anyway.
"Holy shit." Maki started at Nico's curse, jerking up to a blushing face. "Maki said what was on her mind. To me. Holy shit."
"Why is that so surprising to everyone?" Maki pouted, crossing her arms. "And you're not exactly truthful either, Nico-chan. So you can't pull that on me."
Nico feign-swiped sweat from her forehead. "... Ha, yeah, you're right. We're both awful liars who don't say what's actually on our minds. What a match." And it was this moment of clarity, as Nico gathered the dishes and placed them in the sink, where Maki could breathe. And her mind uncluttered, left with a singular thought: Our date isn't over yet.
"Nico-chan - let's go to the movies."
So Nico obviously knew what it meant to go to the movies with your girlfriend (holy shit). The handholding, the shared popcorn, maybe a little smooching, the whole shebang. She understood that. With the way their date had gone so far, however, she doubted their movie of choice would play out anywhere near that. We have the worst luck. Officially. It's going in the handbooks. "Maki-chan, any movie you have in mind?"
"Well... no. I haven't heard of any of these movies before." Like, help this girl. Did she even watch television? With the intense look on her face, Nico couldn't help but place a bet on hell no, Maki is uncultured in the ways of a simple commoner. Good thing she had the reliable Nico-nii to guide her through this.
"That's okay, my precious, innocent junior," Nico dodged an offensive hand that was aiming for a hit. "I have just the movie. I'll save you from all those awful romcoms." For the smallest of seconds, Nico thought she saw a look of disappointment on Maki's face, but c'mon, Nico had great taste. Maki just didn't know it yet. "Get a load of this: The Women's Promise. It's supposed to be stirring, enough that people walked out of it crying. That sounds amazing."
"... That doesn't sound so bad. What's it about?"
Nico scoffed. "Losers read summaries and reviews before the movie. We're watching it with fresh eyes. All we need to know is that it's great." Maki didn't look convinced, in fact her face twisted even more than it did previously, but it was because she didn't trust the Nico-nii Intuition. This movie would prove Maki wrong. "Trust me on this, Maki-chan!"
"I am! Get the tickets already." Nico didn't want to point out that it was probably because Maki's never bought tickets herself before, but- oops, she already did. The least she could do was keep it to herself.
They had some waiting time in-between before the actual movie began, so they took their seats; the infamous, left corner, all the way in the last row, stood untaken by anyone else. "Nico-chan..." Oh fuck, did Maki see the seats too? Without further conversation, she lead them to the chairs, cocking her head to tell Maki to sit first. She did. And Nico sat next to her. And.
And nothing happened.
"That was anticlimactic. I usually go to the movies alone, so I was expecting something a little more..." Nico's hands wrung together, trying to find the right word. "More, I don't know, spark?"
"I agree. That was boring." Maki pulled up the armrest between them. And. Again. Nothing happened. "But how can you go to the movies by yourself? That's weird." And a prickle of 'oh no Maki is this idiotic first-year' found its way into Nico's heart.
"Have you seriously never gone to the theaters alone? Not even in middle school?"
"Nico-chan, I wasn't allowed to go to the movies alone in middle school." Oh yeah. Huh. "Anyway, isn't the point of going to a public area about being with other people? Even if it's... with one person..." The lights dimmed and the final fifteen minutes of trailers began. The theaters had filled up some, but sporadic enough that moviegoers still had plenty of empty seats around them. In their case - they were near isolated from anyone else. Nico's stomach suddenly felt queasy, but dammit she was the senior, she wasn't allowed to show weakness!
"Movies by yourself..." Nico lowered her voice to a whisper so she wouldn't disturb anyone, but that resulted in Maki leaning closer. Holy shit. Fucking hell. She's not allowed to look so pretty! Especially in the dark, fuck that. At this angle Maki looked nothing short of, well, perfect. "Y-Yeah, it wouldn't suit you at all. I'm not gonna let you watch any damn movie without me from now on, got it?"
"What are you implying-?" Maki continued to stare at Nico as the opening credits to the movie began, and now was the time that Nico fully realized why the left corner, all the way in the last row, was infamous in its reputation. She felt suffocated, stifled, almost surrounded by the actual presence that was Maki Nishikino.
Nico looked anywhere but the girl beside her, who sighed out of resignation and had turned towards the big screen. And she should've just done that too, just let it all slide, and watch as Rachel and Elizabeth encountered each other for the first time. But she couldn't focus, goddammit. Nico could practically feel her face redden - her gaze traveled to the other occupants in the theater, hoping to distract herself.
There was an old man already asleep in the middle row, and a younger woman watching the movie in rapt attention. Another woman was already on her phone, its brightness annoyingly on a high setting. Whatever, jerkass. Most of the audience looked to be middle-aged women - there were a few other teens like themselves, though. That was when her eyes saw two figures sneak in from the entrance, popcorn bucket in hand. Ha. Latecomers. Losers- holy shit.
The two silhouettes made their way across the length of the floor, walking up the staircase hand-in-hand. Nico sunk into her seat, and tried to vanish from this theater, maybe disappear from life altogether. Maki be damned, this was the worst case scenario for any type of date.
"Nozomi, I told you we'd be late." Eli Ayase. Student Council president. Certified Gay Russian.
"Ah, but the ride over was fun, wasn't it? ... That's what I thought." Nozomi Toujou. With a quick peck on Eli's cheek she chose the worst two seats that the Boob Monster could have decided on. On the row right in front of them. Ridiculous. She chose those on purpose. She knows we're here. She probably stalked Maki all the way to my apartment for all anyone knows. Nico pinched the bridge of her nose. Fifteen minutes into the movie and she'd already missed Elizabeth and Rachel making out.
Wait. What.
"Maki-chan." Nico turned to the other girl, who sat enraptured by the film's contents. If the situation wasn't so dire, hell, Nico would've enjoyed it too. But if Nozomi uncovered that they were here- "Maki-chan, you stupid gay, stop looking at lesbians and start looking at your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Rachel whispered on-screen, touching the back of Lizzie's neck and digging her fingernails into the sensitive skin. Lizzie hissed in response. It was a miracle Maki looked away - even Nico had to spare a glance.
"We gotta go. My idol career hangs in the balance of us getting out before Nozo..." Nico's explanation trailed off as she saw Maki's was the small pout and downturn flicker of her eyes that cued Nico in; the girl was already invested in the movie. The same girl who hardly came to the theaters, who didn't even know any of the movie titles currently showing. Damn me and my immutable conscience. "... Never mind. I was just going to ask you, uh. What was happening."
"You're hopeless," Maki scooted closer (holy shit), and pointed out that Rachel - that one, the brunette - was in a financial crisis but needed money to support her family. So she took to being a prostitute; unconventional, but interesting. Maki was probably the only high school freshman Nico would hear calling the trade 'interesting'. "Lizzie's this - yeah, the blonde one - she's this musician that's down on her luck, and..." She only half-listened to the movie, preferring to follow Maki's commentary instead.
The one night stand turned to a tale of woe and comfort, as the two women made a promise to carry each other's burden together. The Women's Promise. Unsurprisingly gay, actually. Nico had to give the movie kudos for not having any sex scenes. Damn.
Overhead lights dimly flickered on as the movie came to its end, and- "Maki-chan, get down! What the fuck!" Nico dragged the girl down; she'd gotten up to give standing ovation. Thinking fast, Nico pushed Maki's head against the seat's bottom cushion, pulling her jacket over her own head and covering both their faces. She had no choice but to awkwardly lean sideways, kneeling on the sticky floor. "Hopefully Nozomi isn't bothering to look... Good going, idiot."
"N-Nozomi? What's she doing here?" Nico smelled minty breath, and glanced down to see Maki's face centimeters from her own. The Women's Promise has nothing on this, holy shit. Holy fucking shit. The look of confusion brought Nico back to her senses.
"I think she was on a date with Eli... never mind that, we just need to wait her out." Maki's eyebrow raised, slowly, with the judgment of all of heaven weighing down. "Urk... She'd never let it go if she found out what a mess this date was. Just give me this, Maki-chan."
She rolled her eyes. "I'll humor you, only because you picked a good movie."
"What, fucking gay? Literally? You know that's what the credits blacked out for, right?" It was when Maki chose not to reply, and instead blushed that Nico became increasingly aware that - fuck! - she had her hands resting on both sides of Maki's head, and being under her jacket was getting nauseatingly warm, and Maki's face was right there. Why the hell did Nico choose now of all times to talk about a nonexistent sex scene? What the fuck?
Maki had this look in her eye, and maybe Nico did glance at Maki's lips a little more than three times - not the point. Because Nico knew where this all lead up to. A kiss. The First Kiss. A first kiss on a first date, and notwithstanding the circumstances, maybe this would be the one thing that didn't go wrong tonight. Maki lifted her head just a little closer. A whisper: "... Should we kiss?"
A reply: "Maki-chan... what if we mess up. Everything's gone wrong so far."
The answer, a stutter: "But I'm liking w-where it's going." Maki propped herself up on her elbows, and they were eye-to-eye. Ms. NozoBoob can get lost, this was happening. Right now. Nico felt out of breath. She wasn't panicking, no, but imagining how the kiss would feel like, imagining sharing this first kiss with Maki, the near-untouchable first-year, shortsighted but beautiful - there were too many thoughts to take in.
And then Nico felt pressure against her lips, and she shut her eyes, forgetting about holding up her jacket anymore. They weren't even doing anything but Nico's stomach was feeling the butterflies, and fuck it all, this was a pretty great first kiss. She pressed forward, and Maki was leaning backwards again, when-
Nico suddenly realized she really needed to breathe. That just ruined the mood. She risked peering at Maki through half-lidded eyes, and if her throat wasn't burning and her eyes weren't tearing up she could watch Maki forever. She looked so good. What the fuck. This was her girl. Somehow she got Maki to say yes, and even if they completely mucked up this first date, Nico wanted another one. And another. A lot more.
"Nico-chan...! Why... Why are you crying?!" They broke off the kiss, and Maki wiped a thumb along Nico's cheek. Her cheeks were stained with the stupid water that continued to leak from her eyes. She gulped in air desperately, deigning to rest her head on Maki's chest. "Huh?!"
"I couldn't... breathe... but I couldn't just... end our kiss, Maki-chan. So... thanks for doing that for me." She spoke in-between ragged breaths. With her ear against Maki, Nico could hear how fast her heart was beating.
"I-Idiot. Breathe through your nose next time." Nico raised her head, watching Maki avoid her gaze.
"There's going to be a next time?"
She got her answer right after.
"I'm telling you guys, Maki had a great date -" Honoka aimed a thumb towards herself, opening the clubroom door for her girlfriends. Kotori curtsied, pulling on Umi's arm as they entered. "- and you know why? Because I gave her advice!"
Umi shook her head. "No way. I don't believe it. Why would Maki approach you, first of all?" She took her seat at the table as the other two girls sat in the chairs on either side of her. "Not that I doubt you helping someone when the time calls for it, but you're always saying how you aren't the best at giving advice."
Honoka pouted. "Yeah I said that, but she did! And I got her to admit that," she sat in an erect position, bringing up a finger to twirl a strand of hair. "'I want the date to be p-p-perfect'. Just like that!" Kotori laughed at her impersonation, stretching an arm forward to high-five with Honoka's uprised hand.
"Oh, I don't know about what Honoka did, but the date did go well." The clubroom door was opened, and both Nozomi and Eli walked in. The two third-years gave each other knowing looks. "We shouldn't" said a pair of blue eyes, while the other mischievously suggest "Oh yes, yes we should." Eli sighed as Nozomi took out her phone and slid it across the table. "Go to the Camera Album, check the last two videos, and you have all the proof you'll ever need."
"N-Nozomi-chan...? How'd you get these?" Kotori ventured as Honoka grabbed the phone and cradled it like a religious artifact. Umi bumped shoulders with her until she finally turned the phone on. She then proceeded to go through Nozomi's messages, Umi too curious herself to stop her.
Eli sat down across from Kotori, pulling a long face. She looked exasperated more than anything else. "Nozomi and I went out to watch a movie, where we found that those two had taken our regular seats. Everything else after that?" Eli gave a pointed look at Nozomi. "It's all on her."
"Elichi is just annoyed because we couldn't do anything during the movie with how much noise they were making."
"W-What?!" Umi snapped away from Nozomi's messages, the implication catching her ears. "Maki wouldn't. She's a responsible girl." She grabbed the phone from Honoka, finding the Camera Album in a matter of seconds. There - in the top left corner of the screen, lay two videos. Incriminating evidence. But she wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.
Pressing on the latter video, the second years leaned in as Nozomi shushed Eli in the video. "Shh... listen. Listen to them."
"So Rachel's definitely bluffing there." The camera stayed directed at the film, but that was definitely Nico's voice.
"Yeah. I mean, she didn't kiss the guy the same way she kissed Lizzie." And there was Maki's...
"Fuck...! This is so gay! Fuck me, I'm so gay."
"Nico-chan..."
The video shifted, and in the darkness Nozomi waggled her eyebrows before tilting the phone. There, with no doubt left to assume, was Maki leaning into Nico, an arm around her. And Nico? Practically on top of her, angling her head so she could whisper into Maki's ear.
Umi was just about ready to faint. "D-Did they-? Was that actually- are you saying that-"
She was interrupted as Rin and Hanayo slammed the clubroom door open. "They're coming, nyaa! Rin accidentally spilled the beans about the videos!"
Nozomi crossed her arms. "Cadet Rin! You failed your Commander!" She pulled the girl to the side, ruffling her hair. "Don't feel bad about it, we've already shown the first video." Rin perked up at that, as if that was the whole point of this entire escapade. She looked at the devastated look on Umi and the burning faces of both Honoka and Kotori, and Rin knew. They'd done it.
"Nozomi, I will kick your ass, I'll kick Rin's ass, I'll kick my own ass. What the hell are you doing with those vid-" Nico ran into the clubroom with a flustered Maki right behind her, and man, she was ready to kick ass, that is, until she saw the looks on the second-years. "Photoshopped. Edited. Whatever you saw, Nozomi made it up. It's fake."
Honoka got up and bowed. "I'm sorry for ever intruding on your marriage. We'll pray for you both." Kotori and Umi immediately followed suit. Nico could do nothing but gape at her juniors. Nozomi had the smuggest grin on her face, giving both Hanayo and Rin pats on the back. Eli shook her head, but a smile teased on her lips.
Maki, face downturned and red as a tomato, rested a hand on Nico's shoulder from behind. "... T-Thanks for the blessing, everyone."
Nico's entire body shook, but she covered Maki's hand with her own and addressed the girls assembled in the clubroom. "Yes... Thank you. For your input on our relationship."
It looked like just another day for all of them.