A/N: This is what happens when you and a friend just throw ideas around with OTPs.
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to Love Live! School Idol Project.
Catching Up
Nico Yazawa did not have much free time to herself, but that fact was common knowledge amongst famous idols. Between tours, meet-and-greets, and events, celebrities in the music industry were rarely able to have recreational fun. However, there were exceptions here and there.
Although she did not get the chance to see many of her friends often after graduating college, Nico still maintained a good relationship with all of her former idol friends from high school. After all, they were not only her idol friends but her best friends and, as proud as she was, she did not want to lose that in the slightest. A family is more than what is bound by blood and, so, she gave it her greatest effort to stay in touch with Eli, Nozomi, Honoka, Kotori, Umi, Hanayo, Rin, and, of course, Maki.
Maki Nishikino had always been a special case for Nico for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because the younger woman was predictably always in the same city. Eli and Nozomi had made it a mission to travel the world, and Honoka had begun touring with the still-existent A-Rise as a guest and, needless to say, significant other of Tsubasa. Kotori and Umi had moved to Europe in a successful attempt to establish a Minami clothing line in France after their wedding, Rin had won an Olympic silver medal for Japan and thus proceeded to continue living life as a model for a sports agency dealing with femininity in athletics, and Hanayo became the host of her own television show that specifically dealt in the statistics and awareness of current and upcoming idol groups. Maki, however, never left the city so that she could grab the reigns of the Nishikino family's medicinal empire.
She was, at the very least, the easiest to visit for Nico.
And so it was with a warm welcome in November that the two women embraced upon meeting outside a luxurious restaurant in the same city where they met.
"How long has it been this time around?" Nico asked, removing herself from the hug.
"I don't know, four months?" Maki smirked, "Probably the shortest period so far."
"I do it for you, of course. You get special treatment, considering you're the friend of an extremely famous celebrity."
"Idiot. Let's eat before we die of the cold."
And, as usual when chances like these arise, they're off to a private corner of the restaurant where they may speak freely of what has happened since their last meeting. It cannot be helped or, rather, shocking when Nico's voice somehow manages to fill up a room from excitement and Maki has to profusely apologize for the behavior of her friend. Aside from that, everything is relaxing and, at this point, almost routine. Nico would speak of crazy stories she had heard or experienced on her tours while Maki would explain the sheer ridiculousness of some patients, and dinner would proceed to be nothing short of fun and happiness. The playful bantering and bickering of the past was still there in traces but, more often than not, they simply tried to enjoy the lives they lived by sharing it with one another. They could always communicate through electronics and media, but nothing could beat happiness at face-value.
But constants do not truly exist, a fact that becomes emphasized in the presence of alcohol.
There have been a few refills of the wine by the time Nico finished yet another story of how her idol friends, whom she had met through the business, once again managed to get their feet stuck in a portable toilet.
Maki grinned in amusement, taking a small sip from her glass, "Although unrelated to the toilet problem, this really helps me remember how fun it was to be an idol."
"Yeah, you were really good at it, too," Nico laughed, tipsy in execution but utterly sincere.
"You honestly think so?" Maki asked, feeling slightly off guard. She may have had a glass or two herself, but it was obvious that, out of the two of them, Nico was more buzzed than she was. In fact, she felt borderline sober with only a lingering bit of delay.
"Yeah," Nico grinned, "Sometimes when you would sing, I kinda' got distracted. Oops! Wasn't good for when Nico Nico Nii had to step up her game! It is hard to get moves right when focusing on a pretty girl."
"I distracted you?" Maki blushed.
Nico grinned, her lips sloppily turned upward to show off a cheeky grin, "Well, yeah, it isn't easy to be focused on stretching when the girl I like is doing it within three feet of me."
There was then an awkward silence, lasting only seconds before Nico began to frantically pat the dribble from her mouth. The laughs erupting from her were awkward and high-pitched, her flushed face reddening further, "O-Oh, wow, that came out d-different!"
Maki avoided looking Nico in the eyes, her cheeks too similar of a shade to her hair to be considered healthy. She abruptly grabs her wine glass and chugs the rest of it down because, boy, does she need it.
Nico continued sputtering about, picking up stuff after having dropped her napkin in the midst of her panic, taking on the role of a clumsy heap of a mess. It wasn't until after she finished tipping everything over that she noticed Maki hadn't said a word the entire time. She closed her eyes, doing her best to focus her mind on her words for one second since the buzz hadn't left.
"Is there any way you can pretend I didn't say that? It was years ago, I'm sorry. That is probably really weird," she manages, although it was difficult for her to make eye contact as well.
"Was?" she hears Maki mumble, watching as the woman in front of her lifted her hands to cover her face. It sent panic signals through Nico again, and she attempted to ask what was wrong to no avail as Maki only spoke in muffled mumblings, "I should've —such an idiot – the whole time."
"I can leave if you want," Nico said softly, unsure of what the atmosphere was anymore and too buzzed to analyze anything properly.
Maki released her hands from her face, discreetly – but not without notice – wiping a stray tear and exhaling a shaky breath, "W-Wow. Sorry, I, um."
"Are… we okay? I will never mention anything like that ever again. Hell, I won't even mention high school. Consider me a dropout!" Nico tried to compromise, chuckling awkwardly again as she picked up her handbag in the awkward anticipation that Maki may want to leave.
Maki laughed weakly, "No, idiot, it's fine. I'm just, well, not shocked but, um, God what am I trying to say…"
Nico remained quiet, trying her best to be patient despite feeling queasy.
"I should have said something…" Maki said softly, and Nico cannot tell if she just doesn't understand or if Maki is talking to herself.
She felt no harm in asking, however.
"Said what?"
In a swift movement, Maki began cleaning up her side, promptly signaling for a waiter before dropping some money on the table for the food, "That whole year, I –" she stopped, taking a moment to smile briefly at the quick appearance of the waiter to pick up the money.
Nico suddenly began to feel extremely anxious due to the random rush that Maki seemed to be in, especially since there was no playful debate over who would pay, which was something that happened every time they met to catch up. She attempted to grab the money before the waiter, but her slowed reflexes stopped her from doing so.
She actually managed to knock down her empty glass in the process, immediately thankful when it did not shatter upon impact. In the midst of her panic to hurriedly pick up the glassware, she briefly heard a "—love you," before lifting herself from the floor only to see that Maki had begun walking out.
It took her a second to register that Maki was exiting through the door before she jumped up, almost forgetting her own bag, and sloppily ran out the door. She managed to stop Maki on the sidewalk, grabbing her by the shoulder.
"Wh-What did you say?" she asked, and Maki would have already had her guarded walls back up were it not for the bits of alcohol that had already gotten through to her. The genuine concern and sincerity in a flushed Nico's expression was enough for her to chisel away and take down the walls brick by brick.
"I should have told you I love you when I had the chance," she said, her voice trembling, but she did not stutter, managing to look into Nico's eyes until her gaze drops at the very last word.
Nico gulped, "You… so you did like me?"
"Y-Yeah, idiot," Maki blushed, and Nico's cheeks puffed up in a weak attempt to keep from laughing at how quickly Maki reverted back to herself.
"Nico Nico Nii had you fooled, Maki-chan! This whole messy klutz act was just a ruse to get you to admit your undying love to me~" Nico teased, going with the atmosphere while the moment lasted. Maki crossed her arms and turned, before Nico grabbed her arm again, "Wait, wait! I'm kidding! I'm an idiot! A big dumby! Nico Nico Nincompoop!" she tried to play it off, only to realize Maki was not budging. She softened a bit, tugging a little more on the sleeve of Maki's sweater, "Don't leave me again."
"You're the one who left," Maki said, her voice softer even though she hadn't moved. Noticing Nico's silence, Maki continued, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was graduating. I guess I knew, but I treasured you more than the risk of what could have been. I wanted you to focus on your life before deciding to become a part of someone else's… especially the life of an idiot like me."
"Did you really mean it when you said that was only years ago?" Maki asked after another moment of silence, both of the women unmoving with only a grasping hand on a sleeve connecting the both of them.
"No. And it's okay if you can't forgive me. I don't know if the distance ever hurt you beyond missing a friend. I know it did for me, and I'm so sorry if I only put that on you," Nico said, her voice lowering to a whisper toward the end before letting go.
Maki quickly turned at the moment that the weight on her sleeve lifted, and she grabs Nico's hand whilst tearing up, "I hate that you're so much more mature than I am. I hate that you waited to tell me you ever liked me, even though I was pretty sure back then. I hate myself for not being honest and straightforward. I hate how easily I miss you so much after every time we manage to meet up now, even when I get used to not seeing you for months. I hate how alone I feel when you're not around anymore. But I love you so much and, as much as I hate that I've never gotten past that, I know I couldn't ever hate you."
Nico's eyes were extremely watery, and it was obvious that she was holding back from crying and becoming an emotional mess. She intertwined her fingers with Maki's, desperate and suddenly scared that Maki's statements were only leading up to a departure that came without a return.
"I hated hiding it all from you. And I hate that it took me until now to say anything. But you know what I don't hate? The way my hand feels so right holding yours, even now as we remember things we couldn't grab onto in the past. I'm sorry that I decided to be more responsible for you than honest without your permission. It may have taken me years and a few drinks to say it, but I know I never stopped loving you and I know that I hate how much I want to kiss you when I don't even deserve to," she says, her voice strained by the way her throat has been begging to cry.
Maki looked into Nico's eyes, her brow furrowed in thought and concentration as her eyes scanned Nico for an answer.
Seconds went by, uncertain and painful in its wait, before Nico rubbed her thumb across the back of Maki's cold and trembling hand.
Maki put her free hand on the side of Nico's face, exhaling a shaky breath.
Nico's eyes began darting through violet, reading the anxiety and fear that swam in the currents of those irises. She gave a very small smile of assurance, bringing her own hand and putting it gently on Maki's.
"I won't leave you like that again. That's a Nico Nico promise," she said with a slight wink, which causes Maki to sniffle along with releasing a breathless laugh.
"Idiot," Maki mumbled, leaning in and kissing Nico, whose hand, that been atop Maki's, moved to rub a thumb against Maki's cheekbone, bringing her in further into the kiss.
The life of an idol required a lot of time, but it was always smart to manage time in order to maintain relationships. Nico Yazawa always thought it was good to catch up on what she had missed, after all.