Nico awoke the next morning feeling groggy. Her nose was still sore and the light from the sun was blinding her. Nico squinted her eyes enough so that she could look over at the clock that sat on their nightstand.
It was 9am.
Nico tried to sit up but a weight kept her from doing so, she noticed Maki's arm was still around her and that she was still asleep. She sighed and shook Maki by the shoulder, "Maki wake up, you're late for work."
Maki didn't say anything except hug Nico tighter and bury her face against Nico's shoulder. She sighed in response and relaxed herself, "Sheesh... what is she doing sleeping when she has work...?"
Nico repositioned herself and faced Maki, lightly brushing the red hair away from the hidden face. Maki bore a pained expression as she slept and Nico frowned, "... Where did things go wrong..." she twirled Maki's hair around her fingertips.
"You used to be so loving... Taking time out of your schedule to be with me... We used to go out all the time on little dates and sit in our living room to talk about whatever came to mind," Nico unwinded Maki's hair from her fingers before starting over again, "I miss you, Maki... The Maki I love is gone now..." she sighed and gently lifted Maki's arm off of her before sliding out of bed.
She made her way to the bathroom and Maki laid in the bed with her eyes peeking open, "Nico..." Maki felt like crying but she held it back as best she could. She decided to skip out on work today to help her think things over, but after hearing Nico's words, she was at a loss.
The door to the bathroom opened and Maki resumed her fake sleeping until Nico left the room. After hearing the door shut, she sat up and hung her feet over the side of the bed, "Have I really changed that much...?"
She kept getting flashbacks to when she hit Nico last night and held her hand tightly, "What am I supposed to do...? If I keep this up... then... I'll lose Nico..." Maki fought hard but she couldn't stop a few tears from leaving. She thought back to when the two of them had started dating.
Nico waited until Maki graduated from Otonokizaka to start officially dating. They used to go out on dates every weekend after their university classes and spend every night talking to each other on the phone. Maki had even skipped out on studying some days against her father's orders to spend time with Nico.
Seeing how she was then compared to now depressed her. What happened along the way? She asked herself this question over and over again in her head. It pounded and thrashed around in her mind and she couldn't scrounge up any specific reason.
Maki stood up and fixed her hair before deciding to brace herself to face Nico downstairs. She decided not to change out of her sleepwear and headed downstairs right away. When she peeked around the corner, she saw Nico over at the stove like she always was and spotted that the table only had one plate on it.
Maki hesitated before poking out of the corner, "... Nico?"
The small girl flinched and turned around, her bandages on her nose were replaced and it looked as if the swelling had gone down, "M-Maki?" She turned around to focus on the food and cleared her throat, "... Good morning..."
Maki stepped forward into the kitchen sheepishly and inched closer to Nico. When she placed her hand on the small girl's shoulder, she felt her flinch in response. Maki pulled her hand back and her heart began to ache. Was Nico afraid of her now?
She sighed mentally and stepped to the side to get herself a plate from the cupboard.
"Aren't you going to work?" Nico asked.
Maki shook her head and placed her plate down next to Nico's, "I'm calling in sick today..."
"Okay then... breakfast will be ready in a bit..." Nico replied.
Maki nodded her head and took the seat closest to Nico at the table. After several minutes, Maki heard Nico flip off the switch to their stove and she walked over with the pan full of food. Maki watched Nico distribute the food evenly on their plates, it was omurice, one of Maki's favorite dishes Nico made.
Maki reached to kiss Nico on the cheek but she turned away to remove her apron before grabbing her plate and sitting on the other side of the table. Maki stared down at her food depressed and ate it slowly.
The two lovers barely exchanged words, "Are you finished with your plate?"
Maki looked up to see Nico standing next to her. She looked back at her plate to see that she had barely eaten any of the food and handed it over to Nico, "Yeah..."
"If you're not going to eat, at least tell me so we don't waste food," Nico grabbed it and placed it on the counter so she could wrap it up for later.
"I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought I was..." she replied. She stood up and made her way over to their living room where she took a seat on the couch. Maki grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly before using a remote to turn on the TV. She surfed through the channels to find something to watch and something caught her eye, "Hey Nico?" she hung over the back of the couch like a small cat.
"What is it?" Nico kept her eyes fixed on washing the dishes.
"That American movie you really love is about to start," Maki announced.
"Which one?" Nico turned the water off and wiped her hands dry.
"Casablanca," she answered.
Nico let out a sigh of relief, she didn't want to do it, but she tested Maki to see if she still remembered what Nico's favorite film was, "I'll be there in a second," she reached into a drawer for some plastic wrap to pack up the unfinished food and placed it in the fridge.
She made her way over to the couch and took a seat next to Maki, "Have you ever finished watching the whole thing, Maki?"
Maki shook her head, "I always fell asleep."
"I'm going to make sure you stay awake this time," Nico reached over for a pillow and hugged it tightly in anticipation for the movie.
Maki did her best to stay awake during the entire movie, but after it started picking up, she found herself really getting into it. By the time the film finished, the girls applauded and smiled at each other for the first time in months.
"So, what did you think?" Nico asked.
Maki scratched her cheek timidly, "I regret not watching it sooner..."
"I told you! Casablanca is such a great film! What was your favorite part?" Nico leaned in closer, her eyes filled with life, something Maki hadn't seen in a long time.
She smiled gently, "I think the goodbye scene between Rick and Ilsa, I wanted to tear up when Rick wanted Ilsa to leave without him and go with Victor instead."
Nico squealed in response, "There are so many good parts in this film, I love that one too," she giggled to herself and leaned against Maki's shoulder.
Maki stayed still for Nico until her stomach started to grumble, Nico looked up with a smug grin and Maki blushed, "Someone's hungry again."
Maki nodded sheepishly and Nico got up to warm up the breakfast she had made earlier. She returned shortly after and held the food up to Maki's mouth, "N-Nico! I can feed myself..." she grabbed the plate and spoon away from the small and went for a bite before noticing Nico's face.
Nico pouted and looked down at her lap. This caused Maki to slowly lower her spoon and hand the plate back to Nico whose face lit up almost instantly. She scooped up some of the food and held it up to Maki's mouth, "Say ahh!"
Maki swallowed her pride and did as Nico said, "A-Ahh..." the food entered her mouth and Maki chewed slowly to savor the taste. She swallowed and opened her mouth up for another bite.
After half of the food was gone, Maki held up her hand to signal Nico to stop, "Listen Nico... I'm sorry about... everything..." Nico lowered the plate onto her lap and waited for Maki to finish speaking.
"I just... Work was always on my mind and... I just forgot to... you know..." Maki struggled to get the words out. She wasn't always the type to always be honest with herself and others.
"...Make time for me?" Nico finished.
Maki frowned and nodded, "I love you so much, Nico... and I don't want to lose you."
Nico set the plate down on the center table and took a deep breath.
"Wait, let me finish what I have to say..." Maki calmed herself down before continuing, "Until today... I didn't notice how I spent my days off of work..." she looked down at her hands, "I couldn't even make time for you on my days off and focused on work instead..." she clenched her hands into fists, "And just spending time with you today made me realize how stupid I am..."
Maki did her best to get her words out even if they were clumsy, "I'm such a terrible wife, always focusing on work and forgetting the most important person in my heart... I'm so stupid and I heard what you said this morning about how I'm not the same girl that you love anymore and I understand if you want to go our separate ways and get a divorce, but I just want to let you know that I am sorry and that I-"
Maki felt soft, warm lips press against hers and closed her eyes. Her tears began to flow and her heart bursted with emotions that she hadn't felt in a long time. The two kept their lips locked together until Maki calmed down.
Nico backed away and looked into Maki's eyes, "You idiot... There's no way I would ever leave you."
Maki felt a tugging sensation in her chest and her need to cry resurfaced. She hugged Nico tightly, "I'm so sorry for everything up until now Nico. I promise I will be a better wife, I love you so much."
Nico sighed and pat the back of Maki's head. She smiled as if she were holding a small child in her arms, "There, there... I love you too, Maki."
Maki buried her face into Nico's chest and wiped her tears with Nico's shirt, "Hey!" Nico giggled, "You're ruining my shirt." Maki sniffled and nodded her head up and down.
Nico sighed and smiled gently, "You'll buy me a new one, right?"
Maki nodded and pushed Nico to lay down on the couch. She rested her head on Nico's chest and felt the back of her head gently being patted. Nico smiled at her helpless wife,
"I guess being the one to lean on every once and awhile isn't so bad."