Title: A Little Closer

Pairing: NicoEri

"Okay, I'm just going to run to the convenience store to pick up the things I need to finish dinner, so you three be good and stay out of the kitchen while I'm gone." Nico couldn't believe that she had been so distracted that she forgot to pick up the necessary ingredients.

'Let's see, I need more beef, carrots, and maybe a few more cubes of broth…I'll have to go to the grocery near the school…' As Nico walked, her thoughts strayed back to what she had been thinking about pretty much all day.

Nico didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but something about Eri's behavior the last few days was really bothering her. The blond was just acting so…so…normal, and the very normalness of her actions was driving Nico out of her mind. Nico could tell that something had changed, but the shift was so subtle and well concealed that she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was about the other girl that was driving her up a wall.

It all started when Nozomi left for a week long vacation with her parents. Normally students don't go on trips in the middle of school, but this was an exception, since she rarely got to see them. It was after the mischievous girl left that Nico started to feel that something was off with Eri. Was is just because it was so weird not to see the two best friends together?

Over the next few days, Nico's eyes had started to follow the blond's movements whenever they were in the same room, trying to discover what it was about the girl that was causing her so much unease, but no matter how much she looked, everything seemed normal.

Arriving early and working in the student council room - Normal.

Perfect posture and absurdly gorgeous note-taking - Normal.

Scolding misbehaving underclassmen and making them swoon with her entirely too charming half-smile and kind eyes - Normal.

Working through lunch in the student council room - Normal.

Confident movements and playful conversation during dance practice - Normal.

Staying late to work on student council stuff after practice - Normal.

It was all so normal, and it really was driving Nico crazy.

The school's lights were on. Or rather, there was one light on, the student council room. Nico almost didn't notice, lost in her thoughts as she was, but the bright light spilling out the window was hard to miss on such a dark night, with hardly any street lamps illuminating the road she was walking down.

'Huh…maybe she forgot to turn the light off when she left…there's no way that she's still there…' Turning away from the school, Nico attempted to convince herself that there was absolutely no reason why the student council president would continue working so late at night. 'Surely she went home hours ago…'

"err…ah…argh! Fine! I'll check it out, and if that idiot is really still there, I'll make her take me out to the fanciest place to make it up to me. A super idol like me shouldn't have to wander around creepy schools at night in order to look after stupid, sexy, workaholics!" The self-proclaimed Idol stomped angrily through the school grounds, partly to work off her annoyance, and partly to scare off any real ghosts that might have been floating around.

When she reached the student council room, Nico swallowed her nervousness and barged right in, pushing the door a little too forcefully, causing it to hit the wall with a distinctive 'Bang!'.

"Yeep!" Eri, looking exceptionally worn down, as if she had hardly slept the last few days, had been about to move a small stack of papers from the desk in front of her, but the sound of the door startled her causing her to jump in surprise and instinctively back up, tripping over her chair and sending the papers scattering across the floor.

"Nico! You scared me. What are you doing here this late?" It took a moment for the shorter girl to answer, because she was too busy laughing to say anything. Every time it seemed like the giggles were dying down, Nico would take one look at the other girl's bewildered and somewhat nervous expression and the laughter would overtake her once again.

"The real question is What are you doing here this late? There's no reason for you to continue working this late at night." As she said this, Nico knelt down and started to pick up all of the papers that had been scattered because of her earlier entrance.

"W-Well…I…" Eri refused to meet Nico's eyes, taking the papers and nervously shuffling them in her hands, before finally placing them down on the desk.

"…Unless…" Nico narrowed her eyes as a sudden realization crossed her mind. "…You lost track of time because Nozomi isn't here to remind you…and you were too scared to walk home alone in the dark!"

"I..I'm not…" The flicker of fear in her eyes and the way her features paled a little belied her denial.

"You are! There's no point in trying to act brave, you know." Nico was extremely pleased with herself for figuring this out. She was finally understanding some things about the 'not so perfect' blond that she had never really considered before. It made her feel pretty happy that she was getting to see a side of Eri that maybe only Nozomi had ever known. However, that didn't help with the current situation.

'I can't just leave her here. If she really is that scared, she definitely won't make it home by herself.' With an internal sigh, Nico promptly closed the distance between herself and the other girl, gently taking her slightly shaking hand and pulling her towards the council room door. "Well, come on! Don't worry, the great Nico-Nii will escort you home and protect you from all the scary things."

"Thank you, Nico…" A warm look, normally reserved for Nozomi, accompanied by a slight red tinge was enough to make Nico's heart beat faster. The sincere fondness in those blue eyes was almost too much and she had to say something to cover her own (embarrassing) reaction.

"Don't think that a thank you is enough of a reward for the opportunity to be personally escorted by the Super Idol Nico! I expect you to take me out for a fancy dinner and a visit to the arcade to make it up to me." She turned away to leave it at that, but a soft hand grasped her own briefly, and she felt the slight brush of Eri's lips on her cheek, her whispered words lingering in her mind as she was left alone on the doorstep, a hand covering her face stained with red, staring out at the dark, moonless night.

"…Alright…it's a date then…"