"What happened this time?"

Rin grunted, feeling both troubled and annoyed that she always had to ask the same question for the nth time to her friend. It was nearly 1 AM and she was having her much-needed sleep after a rough day in the university when Maki came unannounced to her apartment.

And drunk. And crying in front of her door. Again.

"Rin, I really can't take it anymore. All we ever do is fight," Maki sniffed, trying hard to say the words as clearly as possible between her ugly sobs. "Like, I don't even remember the time… that I was actually happy with her."

Rin sighed at Maki's explanation and assisted her in to her small unit. She'd been close friends with Maki since their first year of high school but it still puzzled her sometimes how the prideful and always cool-and-composed friend of hers can look so low like how she was now.

"How much did you drink again, Maki-chan?" Rin asked as she carried — or practically dragged — the drunken redhead by the shoulder. She silently thanked Maki in her head for being mindful of her weight. It made it easier for Rin to drag the girl (and sometimes literally carry her) when she's half-dead drunk.

In response, Maki let out an undignified laugh she can only pull off while under the influence of alcohol. She then started mumbling words that Rin can't decipher despite having the intoxicated girl's reddened face in close proximity to her own. Must be more of her usual rants, Rin thought. Soon enough, Maki was settled on the couch as Rin went to the kitchen.

"Do you want to eat anything? Or have you even eaten?"

A groan.

"I told you so many times, Maki-chan. At least give me a heads up or something if you're going to crash in my place especially at this time of the night." Rin took a pouch of instant coffee from the cupboard and poured the contents on a cup of hot water. "And why do you always have to get yourself that drunk? Didn't I also tell you to call me if you want to drink yourself to death? You can just do it here so I can take care of you right away if you pass out."

The orange-haired girl walked to the living room with a straight face, a cup of coffee on a saucer at hand whereas Maki slouched on the couch with a very unfeminine position that would appall even the scarlet princess herself if she saw it when sober. Maki was still awake though, looking at Rin with her thoughtless, slanted eyes.

"It's a miracle how you even made it here in one piece while driving like that," Rin put down the cup on the small table in the middle of the room, just enough for Maki to reach without having to move so much.

"Have some coffee first so you'd feel a little better. And make sure to finish it."

Maki stared at Rin, this time with an amused look, and snorted another undignified laugh.

Dismissing her drunken friend's behavior, Rin sat beside Maki on the couch within breathable distance. The sporty girl wore a contemplative look and settled in silence with the doctor-to-be who hasn't moved an inch at all to drink the hot beverage. How many times did this happen now? This kind of scene between them had become nothing but common after Maki started dating that upperclassman Nico just about a year ago. How Maki and that short, twin-tailed girlfriend of hers even connected and fell in love was beyond Rin's understanding. She clearly remembered how Maki told her that they were always arguing and how they didn't agree on much when they were still just plain friends. So obviously, nothing really changed even after they took their friendship a step higher.

Actually, it just got worse because feelings were involved.

Maki-chan's feelings are involved.

It irked Rin so much that she always had to be the one catching Maki when she's down and devastated because of another fight or whatever with Nico. She downright hated it whenever she saw her long-time friend crying and hurting. Of course she didn't mind being Maki's go-to person given how good of a friend she's always been. And for the record, she liked Maki's girlfriend too. Rin was naturally friendly and although Nico was a bit aloof with her at first, it didn't stop Rin in pouncing and teasing the older girl until she warmed up to her cat-like antics and became more comfortable around her when the three of them were together. It's just the Rin thing to do.

But to be honest, it did shock Rin a little when Maki finally broke the news that Nico was now her girlfriend. Rin always had the impression that there might be something going on between the two, and maybe she had always known the unexplainable magnetic connection that Maki and Nico had, but she didn't really take it to heart despite feeling really uneasy about it. She still remained in friendly terms with Nico regardless of all the fights and drunken nights Maki put herself into and continued supporting them saying, 'this is just a trial, Maki-chan! You'll see better days with Nico-chan soon!' with her trademark megawatt smile.

Well, okay, maybe it wasn't really shock she felt that time when she knew about her friends' relationship.

It pained her. A lot.

Rin always loved Maki more than just a friend after all.

"Hey, Rin."

"Hmm?"

"You don't really say 'nya' anymore, do you?"

Rin stifled a small laugh. She's so drunk she even asked me this question. "I'm trying hard not to. Do you not like it, Maki-chan?"

"I… I miss hearing it sometimes."

A faint smirk trailed Rin's face but she chose not to push the conversation anymore. She just continued staring lazily at some blank space that her eyes managed to land on in the dim-lighted apartment, similar to what Maki have been doing all this time. A deafening silence lingered on and neither of them moved from their slacked position on the couch, the cup of coffee left untouched.

"Do you think she still loves me?"

Here we go again.

"You always ask me that." Rin shifted her eyes to the ceiling. "You should know my answer already."

Sniff.

"I love her, you know." Another sniff, and a squeaking — no, a breaking, painful voice followed. "I love her so much... so it hurts."

Rin's eyes squinted as her lips closed into a thin line. Something was brewing inside her throat and she was not liking it. She never did. All she wanted was to sleep that night, she never wanted to see Maki crying again, and she never asked for the painful reminder that the love of her life is deeply in love with someone else.

"I know that, Maki-chan." A deep breath was released. "I've always known."

Maki slowly leaned her head on Rin's shoulder and started crying silently for the uncountable time that night. Rin stared down at the cup of coffee that Maki won't probably ever touch nor notice anymore, much like her own feelings for the girl. Always warmly offered, waiting to make her feel better… but never really noticed and never taken in.

"Thank you, Rin. For being here with me."

I love you.

"I'm your friend, Maki-chan. I'll always be here for you."

A/N: I just needed to get this outta my system. Sorry for any errors and OOC. Unbalanced Love is to be partly blamed for the angst.

RinMaki is love. See y'all soon.