A/N: This is perhaps the start of an AU that takes some themes from my Idol Protection Program AU, throws in a dose of Terrace House, and Maki gets to choose music instead of medicine. And the future will factor in the second season of Love Live Sunshine.
I also wanted to write something short for our favorite redhead's birthday, I just finished it a bit early. I'm posting it so I don't talk myself out of it. Now back to jazz.
R: Hey Maki Maki, what's up?
Nishikino Maki picked up her phone, frowning. She'd just seen Hoshizora Rin at school and her goofy ginger BFF and Rin's girlfriend, Koizumi Hanayo were planning to hit three different ramen shops tonight to celebrate Rin's highest grade on a project ever. So there should be no time for interrupting Maki with casual chatter.
M: Working.
R: Studying?
Maki hated lying so she didn't. She also didn't clarify. She did hit pause on the track she'd been composing on her Korg synth.
M: Not exactly. Aren't you and Hanayo restaurant touring tonight?
R: We are. Just resting between bowls. And we want to know why I got a better score than you on the project.
M: You worked hard, Rin (^^)ｂ
R: You didn't.
Maki didn't reply.
R: Do you miss Nico that much ╥﹏╥
Yes, Maki missed Yazawa Nico, her very busy, very talented girlfriend, and member of last year's Otonokizaka graduating class. Contrary to the opinion of her family and friends, that was not why Maki, the pride of the Nishikinos, former top student was now treading water smack in the middle of her class. But letting them think Maki's academic slump was about Nico kept them from getting too nosy. And Nico, now an executive producer and rising star resident of the 𝝁's inspired inaugural season of Idol House, had been too busy to ask about Maki's schoolwork. Maki made sure Nico was thinking about other things when they had dates. Because Maki was too often thinking about other things and too little anywhere near Nico. And now, thanks to Rin, Maki felt a wave of longing, to have Nico sitting there, headphones slotted in next to Maki's, listening to Maki's latest creations, suggesting a chord, occasionally reaching over to run her fingers across Maki's neck, ruffling hair, glowing at Maki when the tune reached its full potential, leaning in now that Maki had...but that was fantasy Nico. Actual Nico met Maki for burgers and midnight makeout sessions every couple weeks when she was free and in Tokyo. As discontent started to froth in Maki's stomach, her phone buzzed her out of the Nico haze.
R: So that's a yes. Call her.
M: It's more complicated than that.
R: ＝(￣□￣;)⇒ WITH NICO? WHAT HAPPENED? IS IT THAT AKI-SAN GIRL.
M: No, no Rin, don't start rumors. Nico's fine, just busy. So am I. We text everyday.
R: (⊙︿⊙✿)
Maki sighed.
M: Enjoy your night. I'll tell you sometime soon. EVERYTHING'S OKAY.
R: If you say so (๑´╹‸╹`๑)
R: We're here for you, you know, me and Kayo-chin (っ⇀⑃↼)っ
M: I know.
M: ₍ఠ ͜ఠ₎ Thanks
R: Get some sleep, Maki-chan ꒰◍ᐡᐤᐡ◍꒱
Maki put her phone down. Don't think about Nico, she told herself, get back to work.
###
Hours since the Rin text chat...Maki reached up to slide her headphones off. Her parents were probably at the hospital, she might have eaten something, what time was it? Sadly, ramen sounded good. Rin would probably know what Maki could keep up here with her electric tea kettle that wouldn't taste like cardboard and worms. Prep for college. Maki shoved her seat back...college, more books, less Nico, and another year of high school still…
The NicoTone...Maki glanced at the text.
N: Ladder
Nico was here. And not at the front door. It had been half a year since Maki had snuck Nico into her room this way...Maki pulled open her bottom desk drawer. Yep, the fire ladder was still there. She took it to the window, made sure it was braced, and lowered the rungs, watching out the window as Nico scrambled up. The tiny singer pulled herself up, swung her legs over the window, and then sat back, "Hey." Her long, black hair was pulled into a ponytail under a pink 𝝁's ballcap, she was wearing a loose gray sweatshirt over a black bra, capris leggings that looked like Samurai armor, and pink kicks. Sporty casual. A big switch from the business formal Maki had gotten used to seeing her in when they'd meet after Nico finished all day meetings.
"Nico?" Maki impulsively hugged Nico, a sweaty, tempting musk pushing sleep even further away. Then Nico wiggled loose.
"Good guess...now why are you flunking out of high school?" Nico's eyes were narrowed and much darker, both in color and mood.
"I'm not flunking…" Maki balled her hands into fists, "What did Rin tell you?"
"Her grades are higher than yours and you miss Nico so much you cry yourself to sleep every night." Nico pushed herself out of the window, examining Maki's laptop and synth setup curiously. "Got any snacks up here?"
"In my backpack." Maki pointed, exasperated. The 𝝁's rumor mill aka Lily White, Rin, Nozomi, and Umi, continued to function at rocket speed. "I don't cry myself to sleep."
Nico grabbed Maki's backpack, bounced onto Maki's bed, made herself a nest in the pillows, and started digging for calories. "So Rin DID score higher than you?"
"Yes." Maki sat, closing tabs on her laptop.
Nico whistled, "Do your parents know?"
"Not yet."
"Are they also going to call Nico up and accuse her of neglecting you?" Nico's eyes were brighter but not happier.
"I told Rin we were fine. Look!" Maki slid her desk chair closer to Nico, offering her phone.
Nico unwrapped a cupcake with one hand, Maki's phone in the other, her voice suddenly chilling."Why are you texting Tsubasa? About lyrics?"
Maki froze. "Uh…" Oh right, you could see at least 6 ongoing conversations from that screen.
"Uh?" Nico bit into the cupcake, threw Maki's phone down the bed, and spoke while chewing, "It's no wonder you don't miss Nico. Everyone's 'texting' you." She pulled a pillow in front of her, between them, chin pushing down into it, mouth twisted, eyebrow raised, "I thought the latest A-Rise song sounded 𝝁's nostalgic...it's not just because Tsubasa's mad crushing on you or Honoka or...is it."
"Tsubasa's not crushing on…" Maki leaned from chair to bed.
"Maki." Nico's voice snapped.
Maki had a sudden thought and put her knees on the bed, crawling Nico-ward, "Do we have to talk right now?" Maki paused, feeling a little silly but somewhat feral, and decided to go all in with a wink, shaking her head, curls bobbing, eyelashes fluttering, coyly gazing at Nico, which rated an eye roll from her visitor, "I've missed you, Nico-chan. You look so cute on my laptop screen."
Nico snorted and dropped Maki's backpack to the floor, "Watch Nico on a bigger screen. It's worth it. You'll be saying sexy."
"Sexy." Maki mouthed it slowly, tongue flicking, desperate, close enough to Nico that she could feel her girlfriend's breath on her lips, and then Maki forgot she had any kind of plan and surged forward. Nico was here, close enough to…
And Maki was flipped, Nico had taken the moment when Maki scrambled forward, off balance, to drop the redhead to the side, rolling Maki on her back after a brief wrestle, and straddling her waist, "Nope. Nico came to talk." Nico only sounded slightly smug.
Maki pouted, Nico laughed, "Nico missed Maki" and there was a quick kiss and Maki surged up, but Nico had her solidly pinned, "but Nico seems to have missed Maki turning into a two timing delinquent."
"I AM NOT." Maki couldn't help it, she shouted, and Nico's finger was on her lips.
"Shush."
"I am not two timing." Maki could feel her jaw clench.
A sigh, "I know. What are you doing?"
"Writing music."
Maki was watching Nico's face and she would have sworn Nico was angry, but her voice was full of casual disinterest, "For A-Rise?"
Maki was getting uncomfortable. She was only wearing boxers and a tank top and Nico was very warm and actually touching her. And Maki had had too many dreams that started like this recently. It was why she'd given up sleeping. She wanted Nico to shift, to a more advantageous position for...conversation, but no, Nico was persisting in using her like a tatami mat. All while Nico was being silent and judgy and thinking. Maki was too much a bundle of nerves not to be pacing right now. Which Nico knew. And yet, here she was, cold bloodedly dropping one hand on Maki's shoulder, the other on her hip to discourage fidgeting.
"Nico…" It wasn't a whine, not really...
"Writing music for…" Nico's chin jutted with the verbal nudge.
"A-Rise...a couple of singers they know...I haven't been doing it for long…" Way to sound confident, Nishikino, Maki thought as her voice quivered.
A staring match. Maki still thinking Nico might be mad, the eyebrow was at low grade twitch level, but Nico's voice remained terribly, terribly calm.
"And Nico is the last to know."
"No one knows, Nico-chan…"
"Tsubasa does…" Ah, now we were mad, Maki realized, as Nico pounced forward, causing Maki's heart to race with wild hope, but then Nico just pushed up and was back sitting in the window, arms crossed, before Maki could react. "You could have written a song for Nico." Finally, impatience cracked Nico's tone.
"I did, before…" Maki pointed to the laptop, "You can listen to them…"
Nico's eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You're talking to professional producers now." Maki knew she sounded petty, but it had stung, the first time she saw Nico working with a talent the Idol House producers had set her up with, "And you didn't ask me to." Maki also knew she sounded bitter, but this was a grudge she'd been holding in for the past three months of filming. "You and Papa made sure I have nothing to do with Idol House."
Nico dropped her head, then sprang to her feet, Maki watching fascinating as the genuine YAZAWA NICO raged across her bedroom, hands flying, voice cracking, nearly hopping with rage, "I WAS LETTING YOU BE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT."
Maki wasn't sure if her parents were home and she didn't care. Nico was here and she was finally noticing Maki the musician again, "THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT.'
"YOU'RE NOT EVEN 17 YET."
"I KNOW WHAT I WANT."
Nico hesitated, hands hovering by her side, she and Maki were nose to nose and her eyes were deep ruby temptations but Maki dug her nails into her palms.
"WHAT?" Nico inhaled, "WHAT DO YOU WANT, MAKI?."
"YOU. I WANT YOU."
Shocked, Nico retreated back to the window, "You want to be Nico's child bride?"
"Yes." Wait, Maki wasn't a child, that was annoying, but Nico said bride, was that a proposal…
Nico watched Maki for a minute as the redhead raced through thoughts, paying no attention to her, then spoke at a normal volume. "That wasn't a proposal."
"Oh." Maki thought for another minute, grabbed Nico's hand, dragged her over to her desk, yanked open a drawer and pulled out a jewelry box, "This is. Marry me, Nico-chan."
The ring was platinum, with a cluster of pale pink gems designed to look like cherry blossoms. Maki had seen the ring at an art fair and knew it was meant for Nico's hand. Like Nico, it was unique, an original, the designer had only made one, beautiful, striking, irreproducible, breathtaking, lustrous, every adjective that suited Nico. Was Nico crying?
"Nico-chan?" Maki whispered, maybe she was down on one knee but it was only to see if Nico was crying, taking off the ball cap, gently sweeping strands of Nico's silky hair back.
"You're impossible." Nico was bawling. Her outbursts no longer terrified Maki as much as the first few times, but it did make her cautious, Maki put the ring box on her desk, and took Nico in her arms, sitting them both on the bed. Nico had her head on Maki's shoulder. Maki could feel her skin getting wet, although Nico's crying had turned silent, "What is Nico going to do with you?"
"Marry me." Maki suggested, kissing Nico's hair. "We run away together, I write songs for you, you sing, we tour, we teach our children all the words to the 𝝁's songs…"
"Children?" Nico sat up.
Maki shrugged.
Deft, delicate fingers stroked Maki's hair, Nico whispering in her ear, "Nico needs to visit more. You daydream too much."
Maki just hummed, squeezing Nico tighter, enjoying the sable hairs tickling her nose, and the fruity shampoo Nico always used. "Just enough."
Red eyed with crying, Nico tried to recover some of her dignity, tapping Maki on the shoulder, "Nico's songs need to better than Tsubasa's."
Nico hadn't said no. Nico hadn't said no. Maki giggled, silly and triumphant. "Of course they will be, they're Nico-chan's," With the gentlest of touches, she turned Nico's head so their lips were practically brushing, and with the softest of whispers, confessed again, "So am I."