Finale

"It's almost okaasan birthday." Her ten years old daughter, Hisa said as she looked at Maki who busily cut the steak on her plate.

Maki hummed in agreement, "Yes it is."

"It's tomorrow."

"I know."

Hisa sighed as she looked at her younger sister, Mio who was two years younger than her and nudging the younger girl. Mio, take it as a cue looked up from her dinner plate and straightly stared at Maki before saying, "Mama didn't love okaasan."

At the sound of her eight years old daughter saying that to her face directly with accusing voice and eyes were enough for Maki to forget her manner as she dropped her fork and spoon from her hold, emitting a loud 'Clang' sound from them when they hit her plate, and her jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?!" Maki said, almost shouting actually as she looked at her daughter inridiculously.

"Yeah, I agree with Mio!" Hisa said as she too give Maki an accusing glare. "Mama didn't love okaasan."

"What makes you guys said that?" Maki said defensively as she folded her arms on her chest, not finding any mood to eat anymore.

"Mama never told okaasan that you love her." Hisa began.

"Sometime you didn't have to say anything to convey your feelings."

"You never cook for her." Mio continued obviously ignoring Maki.

"Mama never kiss okaasan."

"Never bought okaasan present."

"Not on Valentine day."

"Or Mother Day."

"Or White Day."

"Or your anniversary."

"Or birthday which by the way I am so sure mama still haven't bought okaasan any present yet."

"Now wait a min-"

"The only thing we know you gave her is the engagement ring when you propose her."

"Which we still didn't know why okaasan accept it."

"You two wouldn't be here and talking if it weren't for her accepting that engagement ring." Maki said frowned.

"Mama and okaasan never do any couple activities together."

"No PDA."

"No cuddling."

"No dinner at the outside."

"Never eat lunch together."

"No romantic movies marathon."

"No flowers."

"Are you two done yet?!" Maki said slightly, no scratch that, highly irritated and annoyed at her two kids that ganging up on her. How she wants to shout at them if only Nico didn't banned her for that.

Whoever said to have two children anyway?

All Maki wants is a child, one cute child that didn't have many things to demand and listen to her well.

Is that really much to ask?

Apparently so, because instead of one kid, she ended up with two kids that love to gang up with her and obviously had many things to demand and she blamed Nico for that.

"You two didn't know anything. I love your okaasan and your okaasan love me as well. If we're not, then why in the world are we still married for fifteen years?!"

Hisa shrugged, "By a sheer of luck."

Maki narrowed her eyes at her eldest daughter.

"But mama is so not romantic!" Mio complain as she poking her food on the plate with her fork.

"Don't play with your food." Maki said, frowning at the little girl manner in the dining table, "Beside I am romantic."

"Midnight activity doesn't count mama."

"What the-!? Who taught you that Hisa?!"

"Then tell us a romantic thing you did to okaasan." Mio demanded as she looked at Maki skeptically.

Maki huffed, "Sure, you two are so going to regret it saying that I am not romantic."

12 years ago

Nico woke up at the sound of her blaring alarm, yawning she stretched out her hand to turn the alarm off and after she did that she turn her body around, wanting to see her girlfriend sleeping face just to frown a second later because the usually occupied place is now empty.

"Where is she?" Nico thought before she get up from the bed and check around the room before she let out a sharp intake breath.

The room was now filled with pink helium balloons with photos attached at the end of every string. Nico randomly took the nearest photo from where she is and saw the picture of her blowing a candle on the huge cake with smiling face. Right bellow the picture there's a caption saying, 'July 22; The day where my love born'

Nico can feel her mouth forming a widest grin ever as she looked at the photo with happy teary eyes. Whoever thought that her girlfriend can be so romantic like this?

Nico get up from her bed and in every step she took, she read every photo.

'Thanks for being the sun in my life.' caption with a picture of her and Maki smiled at the camera.

'I could never be more grateful than when you decide to be my girlfriend.' caption with a picture that she and Maki took when she agreed to be Maki's girlfriend.

'I still think you're much more beautiful than this picture of sunset.' caption with a picture of the beautiful sunset they once watch together.

Every sentences was simple but Nico know that the younger red hair girl must spend so much effort from these. She must spend days to pick the perfect picture and thinking a good sentences that match the photo and it was really makes Nico feel happy and touched.

Suddenly Nico had this urge to go and see Maki as she quickly run out from their shared room and run downstairs. She want nothing but to see Maki and hug the younger girl for the sweet gesture the younger girl made for her.

When she reached the kitchen though, once again she was shocked as she saw something unbelievable.

"Oh, you're here." Maki said when she saw Nico standing at the kitchen entrance, jaw dropped.

Maki put the pancakes that she just finished made on the dinner table before she walked towards Nico and smiled at the older girl. "Happy birthday, Nico."

"M-Maki… Thank you." Nico said as she smiled brightly towards Maki. Her vision now blurry because of tears welling up on her eyes. "This is the most sweetest birthday I ever had."

Maki laughed, "It's still not over yet. I still had many things to give for a birthday girl today." Maki said as she leaned in and kiss Nico's warm lips.

Present

"And after that, I took Nico to dinner in a famous restaurant. Arranging a small orchestra performance and then at the end of the night, I propose her." Maki said and her lips slowly forming a smirk when she saw how her daughters looking at her in awe.

"Wow! I never know that mama can be that romantic!" Mio said/

"Yeah…" Hisa nodded her head.

"Neither do I." A voice suddenly said, startling the three girls as they quickly looked up where the sound is coming.

Three pair of eyes widened, two in delightful surprises while one in panic.

"Okaasan!" Hisa and Mio shouted as they quickly run towards Nico.

Laughing, Nico bent down and hug her two daughters before looking at Maki with a smug smiled, "You're not going to welcome me, honey?" Nico asked sweetly but from Maki's hearing it sounds really scary.

"Uhm… welcome back." Maki said nervously as she twirling her scarlet hair, "Since when you c-come back?" Maki asked, trying to sound indifferent but with no avail.

"Since you began to tell the story about my amazing romantic birthday." Nico said, chuckling and Maki found the urge to hide her face inside her palm. Her face now was as red as her hair, that's for sure.

"Okaasan, have you eat dinner yet?"

"Where have you been okaasan?"

Maki let out a sigh of relieved when she saw Nico diverted her attention towards their daughters. At least she is safe… for now.

XXX

"So… why did you lie to our daughters today?" Nico asked as soon as she entered their bedroom after she finished tucking their daughter to bed.

Maki groaned, "It's because they ganging up on me telling me how unromantic I was and many other things."

"It still not nice to lie to them." Nico said, shook her head before she walked towards the bed and sit on it while Maki was keeping her eyes on the older girl the whole time.

"How's your day?" Maki asked softly as she pulled Nico in her embrace.

Nico sighed and put her head below Maki's chin, "Tiring but it was fun. I like my job just as much as you like yours."

"I know." Maki said, smiling gently as she keep stroking Nico's hair reassuringly.

"But still, how can you use Umi and Eli's story and turn it into ours?" Nico said, slightly push Maki away so she can glared at the scarlet hair girl.

"I deserve some credit too! Don't you know how hard it is to accompany Umi picking the photos and gave her some ideas about what to write on it? I need to pull myself together for not puking at the cheesy line and photo I saw! And I recommended the restaurant to Eli and told her to hire a mini orchestra!"

"Still, it's not our story." Nico said sternly before shook her head, "You really weird, you can give this romantic advice and yet you didn't do it yourself."

"That is only because you didn't let me." Maki deadpanned.

12 Years Ago

"You know, I saw the red ruby ring inside your pocket yesterday." Nico said in the most calmest voice while putting a pancake on Maki's plate but her statement makes Maki choke her morning tea.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!" Maki spluttered out as she looked at Nico with wide surprised eyes.

"I said I found the red ruby ring inside your pocket yesterday." Nico said as she sighed, "You need to do better than that if you want to make a surprise for my birthday today."

"Or you probably need to be at least more I don't know, trying to pretend you don't see so you won't ruining my plan today?" Maki said as she glared at Nico.

"The answer is yes though," Nico said shrugging. "Yes I will marry you."

"Excuse me?! Did you heard I ask you the question?! Why are you so full of yourself and think that I want to propose you?!"

Nico rolled her eyes, "Give me some credit will you? I know exactly what inside your mind."

"….I refuse this!" Maki shouted as she folded her arms on her chest, there's no way she will let her romantic plan to propose today is ruined! She already thought carefully about the surprise proposal for two months now and she was sure it' gonna be really grand.

They suppose to be watching star while eating some simple dinner on the Nishikino Hospital rooftop after spending their whole day together with their friends celebrating Nico's birthday and then when the clock strike at 10.00 PM there's gonna be fireworks that formed sentence 'Nico, will you marry me?" and when Nico turned around to see Maki, she will already on her knee and showed the ring.

That was her perfect proposal.

Definitely not like this, at 8 AM in the morning with messy bed hair after a 'night sessions' and disheveling clothes that had a tea stain on it.

Maki haven't brush her teeth yet!

"I don't see the problem here." Nico said, frowning. "You can still do all of those things later today. I just give you the answer faster."

"I tried to be romantic here!"

"So you want me to take back that 'Yes'?" Nico asked, arching her eyebrows.

"That is not-" Maki groaned in frustration, "Argh! Fine, whatever! Suit yourself! We're fiancée now!"

"Good girl." Nico said, chuckling as she leaned down and kiss Maki's lips gently.

They kissed for a few minute before Nico leaned away and said, "Oh, and can you please cancel the fireworks? It was really cheesy and it's quite disturbing the neighbors with the loud voice."

"How did you even-" Maki sighed in defeat, "You know what, fine. Whatever. You're the birthday girl so you're the queen."

Nico chuckled again as and the kissed Maki one more time.

Present

"There's no way I can tell them about that." Maki said, frowning.

Nico chuckled, "You're really cute back then you know? Sulking all day long."

Maki huffed, "It's all your fault for not letting me be a romantic."

"Admit it Maki, you're suck at that. Besidde…" Nico smiled gently as she kissed Maki, "All I want for my birthday is just to be with you. I don't need more than that."

Maki smiled gently as she cupped Nico's cheeks.

A voice from the Grandfather clock in their living room signaling that it was already 12 AM.

Nico's birthday day.

"I know, because I feel the same too." Maki said and leaned closer towards Nico, "Happy birthday, Nico-chan."

And with that, they kissed each other passionately.

AN: Happy Birthday, Nico-chan! Thanks for my lovely reader, yzyr for reminding me and pushing me to write this fanfic for Nico's birthday! XD

I haven't edit or reread the story yet so please forgive the bad grammar and thank you very much for reading this! I hope you like it guys! XD

EDIT: Lol, sorry I got the date wrong (I really thought today is 22 July but yeah… my fault) but well I guess advance birthday present from me to Nico and all NicoMaki fans?