Rin says something that Maki can only pretend to understand with her limited knowledge of French from short lessons long forgotten from her early childhood years, the words like smooth silk pouring off the tip of Rin's tongue. She smiles, and damn this idiot, because Maki's pretty sure blood is rushing to her cheeks.

Not allowed. Rin isn't allowed to be so damn charming. That's like violating the laws of nature.

Two years traveling and studying abroad would change a person, Maki supposes.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Rin's smile widens by a fraction when she notices that blush and the way Maki keeps diverting her gaze elsewhere. The cause for it, however, flies right over her head. "French was way easier to learn than English! Anyway, Maki-chan, you'd love it there, they've got loads of art galleries— I still don't get that stuff, actually, but,"

Her rambling continues but Maki is still only pretending to listen. Say something in French again you moron, she's tempted to say out loud, but of course she doesn't. Instead, she quickens her pace to walk a few steps ahead of Rin.

"Hey, wait up!"

Oh, to hell with it all. Maki allows Rin to grab her shoulder and she grabs Rin's wrist in return, glaring up at her. Rin also isn't allowed to be taller. The laws of nature will have to be revised, apparently.

"Let's go back to my place to talk."

"But I had reservations at that restaurant, and it's just around the corner…"

"We'll deal with that later. Whatever. Let's just go."

"Wait wait wait, Maki-chan, you're pulling my arm too hard-!"

—

Rin crumples and folds like a tower of cards once it's made perfectly clear what Maki's after, as if it wasn't clear enough already. They make a sort of sloppy, haphazard dance in each other's arms across glossy hardwood floor with random articles of clothing deposited every other step. The bedroom is too far away and Maki winds up dragging a half-naked Rin with her patience worn down to the consistency of wet rice paper and Rin is stammering something, not in French, attempting to plant more kisses along Maki's bare shoulders as she stumbles along.

They never make it to the bedroom. Neither of them really mind, and there's a convenient plush sofa, so.

"Listen to me for a second," Maki breathes, grasping Rin's face with both hands. Two years in a foreign country did little to wear down the naivety in Rin's goofy smile but there's something else she can barely see and feel, something Maki wants to drag out from behind the Rin she knows and missed for all that time.

"Uhh?" Rin says, articulate as always.

"Talk to me in French," Maki's face reddens. God, she feels like a character in a crappy romcom, but she pushes on (and pushes Rin on her back, on the sofa) when she gets a puzzled blink in response. "I want you to talk to me in French. Got it?"

Rin gets it. Probably. She could laugh at Maki's silly request and ruin the mood but she doesn't, thankfully. Her grin takes a new angle and she pulls Maki onto her lap, whispering foreign words in her ear that make Maki arch her back and shiver.

—

"Hey, Maki-chan," Rin pipes up. They somehow finally made it to the bedroom after some time of moving from the sofa to the wall, to a table, to the wall again, and down the hallway, and it was frankly kind of savage on Maki's part, but Rin can appreciate that enthusiasm. Even if said enthusiasm left bite marks and scratches all over her. She's glad Maki isn't holding herself back with all her reservations from those few years ago, at least.

"Mmh?" Maki lazily props herself up on her elbows and bends her neck to rub her face with her hands, sleepy.

"Did you understand any of the things I was saying? While we were…."

Maki looks straight at Rin and wishes she could say yes. Because that'd make it slightly less embarrassing, maybe. "Of course I did!"

"No way!" Rin laughs and rolls over onto her back, nudging Maki's arm with her head in her usual cat-like ways. "I still know every sign when Maki-chan is lying, you know!"

"I'm not lying, Rin."

"Yes! Yes you are! You definitely are!" Rin wriggles in even closer, still laughing, and something about the laugh makes Maki pause and consider.

"What are you talking about…"

"Uhhhhh."

"Rin!" Maki reaches to pinch her face, drawing out little mewls of protest.

"I know Maki-chan is lying because Rin was talking about food the whole time! But you still thought it was hot—!"

"Rin!"

She pinches harder. Rin mewls louder.

"I'm telling the truth, I swear! You were going really hard while I was describing the sandwich I had earlier today so that's how I know you didn't understand a word Rin was saying! And it wasn't even a very good sandwich!"

This is too much for Maki's fragile dignity. She finally lets go of Rin and covers her face with her hands, groaning and silently hoping for a spontaneous earthquake to open up a chasm in the floor and swallow her. Rin cautiously nudges up against her again, and Maki feels an arm drape around her, a gesture she recognizes as one of Rin's usual attempts at physical comfort.

"Well, you told Rin to speak in French so suddenly, I wasn't sure what to talk about…"

"I meant dirty talk, Rin! Jeez!"

"Then should I try again?!"

They stare at each other, faces too close and eyes too wide, Maki's face heating up. Rin's face is, too, and they manage to keep a straight expression for about four seconds before they both burst out into laughter, ears and cheeks reddened.

"Not right now," Maki wipes her eyes with her knuckles, gently pushing Rin away. "You completely ruined the mood."

"I did?!"

"'It wasn't even a very good sandwich!'" Maki imitates with a grimace. "Really?"

"They put too much mustard on it…"

"You're missing the point! I'm getting dressed." She swings her legs over the edge of the bed, mildly wondering where all her clothes had been scattered. There's one of her socks by the open door, and she thinks that might be her skirt down the hall.

At least Rin doesn't try to pull her back, but she's getting up in her personal space yet again. "Aww, Maki-chan!"

"We didn't even have dinner yet, so let's go out." Ah, right, they had had reservations, but then Maki…

Another embarrassing moment to add to the vault, then. Maki shivers involuntarily and decides to pick a new outfit from her wardrobe rather than attempting to gather all the articles of clothing left around the apartment. Rin can deal with her own clothes.

"Oh yeah!" Rin bounces to her feet off the other side of the bed and stretches, flashing a toothy grin when she catches Maki watching her in the reflection of a mirror on the wall. "No more detours this time, though?"

Maki quickly averts her stare and huffs. "Of course not."

"Comme tu veux, mi amour."

Rin gets a slipper violently thrown at her face barely a second later, but the look Maki gave her was totally worth it.

.

.

.

A/N: i was in Europe for a month and i passed through France and this idea's been stewing ever since WOW
also the idea of Rin being terrible at English but excelling in some other language tickles me