This was exactly the way she wanted things to be. Everything was perfect. Nico laid on the soft mattress of Maki's bed, her arms behind her head, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. It was a nice break from their normally hectic lives of being school idols. Sometimes, all she needed was a moment where she could relax and simply enjoy being in the presence of the person most important to her.
Nico turned her head to look at Maki, who laid beside her, a hand holding a book above her head. Nico felt her cheeks heat up. When they were around other people, Maki usually held a stern or grumpy expression; Nico sometimes wondered if being around a lot of people was hard on her, even if they were friends. But it was in times when they were alone that Nico was able to see a different side of Maki.
The redhead's disposition was significantly more easygoing. Her eyes were soft; they lost the piercing sharpness that usually came with the everyday annoyances of being around constant high energy. Every once in while, the corners of Maki's mouth would turn slightly upward as her eyes scanned the pages. Maki almost never laughed outright at the passages that brought her that happiness, but Nico could tell by that soft smile and the way her eyes lit up that she was truly enjoying herself. That subtle change was enough to set Nico's heart racing.
I want to kiss her.
Nico jumped slightly as she saw Maki's eyes dart from the pages of the book to meet her own. Nico quickly turned away, her facing burning with embarrassment. Nico covered her face with her hand to hide her colored cheeks. That wasn't the first time she'd been caught staring, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Nico couldn't help but look. She didn't want to miss a single moment like this.
Nico felt Maki shift beside her. She uncovered her face, tilting her head to look back towards her girlfriend. Maki had moved on her side, her head propped up on her left hand. The small book Maki had been reading laid abandoned on surface of the bed. Maki looked at her with that same soft smile.
"What? Why are looking at me?" Nico turned so her body faced Maki.
Maki shrugged, "You were looking at me first, so I figured you wanted me."
Nico gasped dramatically, "Maki, that sounded so suggestive coming from you! I didn't think you were that type!" Nico covered her mouth with her hands, a smile forming behind them.
Maki's eyes widened, "I-I didn't mean it like that! Geez, Nico, it's your fault for jumping to that kind of conclusion..." Maki rolled onto her back, her face as red as her hair.
Nico snickered, "You weren't wrong, though." Nico sat up, and with one swift movement, she moved her body until she was directly above Maki, her arms on either side of Maki's head and her knees resting at the sides of Maki's hips.
"C'mere..." Nico lowered her head until she felt her lips touch Maki's. The younger girl responded instantly, wrapping her arms around Nico, bringing Nico's body closer until it rested on top of her own. Nico melted into Maki's embrace as their lips moved against each others.
Bzzt. Nico froze as she heard a familiar buzz. She lifted her head and looked over at Maki's nightstand. She spotted her phone, its screen lit up. This wasn't good. She had been waiting for this all day, Nozomi had some important plan she wanted to share via Snapchat, and now that it was here, Nico knew that it was only a matter of time before unbearable temptation settled in.
"Don't you dare." Nico heard Maki whisper beneath her. Nico looked down and met Maki's icy stare.
Nico chuckled nervously, "Of course not. I wouldn't look now. Not when we're right in the middle of something..." Maki's eyes narrowed, undoubtedly remembering each time Nico had, in fact, interrupted their time together to use Snapchat.
Nico fidgeted uncomfortably. She wanted to look. She wanted to look really badly. But if she grabbed it now, it would just make Maki angry. Her girlfriend had only just started to get used to her constant usage of that app, and so far, Maki's patience towards Snapchat only covered times when she was personally involved.
She would just have to fight the temptation. She would do it for Maki's sake! Nico internally groaned. That snap was going to be good. Nozomi tended to send snaps of whatever shenanigans she got involved in. They were usually pranks, and to say they were funny would be a serious understatement. Nico scrunched her face as her mind went through the endless possibilities of what could be contained in that snap.
Maki sighed heavily, "You're making a weird face. It's making this feel awkward. Just go look at what you want to look at. I'd prefer that to this." Maki pushed Nico back with a gentle shove.
Nico beamed down at Maki, "You're the best!" Nico placed one last quick kiss on Maki's lips before scrambling towards her phone. She sat on the edge of the bed, her phone in hand.
"You're seriously addicted to that thing."
Nico unlocked her phone, "You just don't understand the appeal, Maki. If you downloaded it like I told you to, then I'd send you funny stuff all the time and you'd understand!"
"Why would I want that?" Maki moved behind Nico, glancing over her shoulder at the phone.
"Because I'm hilarious, my snaps are hilarious, and you know it. You're just too shy to admit it. I'll prove it to you with my reply to whatever Nozomi sent me. Make sure you watch carefully."
Nico tapped on the Snapchat icon. She had four notifications, all from "sprtualpwr." She held her finger down on Nozomi's username. The first image to pop up showed Nozomi standing in her bedroom. She was pointing at the light switch on the wall, a sly grin on her face.
The next showed Nozomi as she pointed at Eli, the exact same grin on her face. Eli was seated on Nozomi's bed, her eyes glued to a book. Nico noticed that the shades were pulled down on the window behind the blonde girl. Nico snickered. She knew where this was going.
"Eli's going to kill her," Maki spoke up. The younger girl's head rested on Nico's shoulder as she looked at the pictures.
"Maybe. Let's wait and see."
The third picture was a solid block of black. Nozomi had turned off the lights, and with the shades of the window pulled down, the room was practically pitch black. A caption in the middle of the photo read: "Oops~ The lights went off!"
The final picture showed a frantic Eli clinging to an amused Nozomi, the lights in the room now back on. "Harasho~ So forward Elicchi~" Nico laughed loudly, her shaking shoulders forcing Maki to move from her position. Eli would definitely be cross about this.
"Isn't harasho Eli's thing?" Maki asked, swinging her legs around the side of the bed to sit beside Nico.
Nico nodded, wiping tears away from the corners of her eyes, "That's why it's even funnier. Man, Nozomi knows how to have a good time."
"Alright..." Maki sounded unconvinced. Nico shook her head. Apparently, Maki was the opposite. It didn't matter. Nico loved her a lot anyway.
"Though I do wonder what's taking them so long to get together." Nico put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "You'd think with all the tension they have going on, it'd have happened sooner. It's obvious that they like each other. Maybe they need a little push. I'm sure Nico nii's special touch can move it along!" Nico looked towards Maki for verbal support.
Maki rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to speak, but stopped abruptly, her brow furrowing.
"Wait, what? They aren't dating?!"
"Nico, what are we doing here? I thought you wanted to get something to eat."
Nico crouched down behind a bush, her eyes locked on the local ice cream shop. The building was across the street, making a view of the inside near impossible from her position. She needed to get closer. But how? There were no hiding places closer to the shop.
Nico felt Maki prod the back of her head with her finger, "Hey, Nico, answer me."
Nico looked behind her. Maki stood with her arms crossed, her lips pursed in a tight line. The redhead stared down at her, annoyance radiating from her entire body. Nico had invited Maki out to eat, today was their unofficial day for dates, but her initial plan to treat Maki to lunch had been ruined when she had received a very important snap.
Nico looked Maki straight in the eye, "Parfaits."
"What?"
"Parfaits." Nico enunciated the word carefully. "They go out to get parfaits after practice all the time. No one else has ever been invited, but have you seen the looks they give each other when they talk about it? It's intense! That must be when the tension hits its peak! It's the perfect time to strike!"
Maki pinched the bridge of her nose, "Aren't you reading into this a little bit too much? And what do you mean by strike?"
"It's a golden opportunity to push those two together. I can do it! It's happening today!" Nico pumped her fist in excitement, a grin spreading across her face.
Maki sighed in exasperation, "How do you even know they're here? There's tons of places nearby that sell parfaits. They could be in any of them."
Nico chuckled. Maki still didn't understand. Nozomi had sent her a snap earlier that had showed Nozomi and Eli sitting together in a booth, dessert menus opened in front of them. The caption had been: "Parfaits with Elicchi o(*゚▽゚*)o" Nico recognized the interior of the place where they were located. She had taken Maki there a few months prior.
"I just know, Maki. It's my sharp intuition."
"Right... Why do you care so much about this anyway? Wouldn't it be better to let them sort this out themselves? It might not be a good idea to shove yourself in the middle of it."
Nico paused. Why was this so important? If it were anyone else, she probably would have listened to Maki's suggestion, but for some reason, it felt like she needed to do this. Perhaps it was because Nozomi was always looking out for her. When she struggled with confessing to Maki, Nozomi was the one who gave her a push in the right direction. If it wasn't for her, she never would have done it.
And now, Nozomi needed a push of her own. The purple haired girl was brave, kind, and always willing to help someone in need no matter the cost, but when it came to herself, she was much less giving. Despite Nozomi's confidence, there were things that even she couldn't talk about.
Nozomi's feelings for Eli were obvious. If Nozomi was truly able to talk about them without fearing some kind of repercussion, then it would have happened a long time ago. Nico was sure of that. Even the bravest people felt fear when it came to something dear to their heart. Nozomi had helped her, and now she'd return the favor. Eli made Nozomi happy, and the purple haired girl deserved happiness just as much as she did.
"It's just...something I really need to do. Okay?" Nico fixed her gaze on the ice cream shop, a new and powerful determination settling within her.
"Okay." Maki kneeled down beside Nico, making sure her body was properly hidden behind the row of bushes. "This is obviously important to you, so I'll help however I can. What do I need to do?"
Nico turn her head to look at Maki, her eyes wide, "Maki..." The younger girl smiled back at her with the same smile that sent Nico's heart rate soaring. Nico stared at Maki, still shocked by her cooperativeness, until Maki gestured towards the ice cream shop, her eyebrows raised questioningly.
Nico shook her head, "Right. So I think the best way to approach this is-" Nico cut off as she felt her phone buzz in her jacket pocket. She quickly pulled it out and was surprised to see two new notifications from Snapchat. Nico gripped her phone tightly as she tapped on the icon.
The first picture to pop up showed Eli, who was eagerly digging into a parfait in front of her. Small bits of ice cream stuck to her cheeks. "Elicchi's so excited! Cute!" Nico covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. This was a side of Eli she never knew existed. Before this, she never could have imagined the coolheaded, mature Eli eating ice cream like a five year old child.
Nico heard soft snickering come from the girl beside her. Maki had turned her head in the other direction, successfully muffling her laughter, but her shaking shoulders gave it away. Nico threw her a wide grin before turning her attention towards the second picture.
"Elicchi's so cute (ღ˘v˘ღ)". Eli was doubled over, one hand gripping her forehead, the other supporting her weight against the table. Nico couldn't hold back any longer. Nico fell backwards into a sitting position on the ground, laughing loudly, earning strange looks from others nearby whose attention had already been drawn to the two girls hiding in the bushes.
"Eli ate so fast that she got a killer brain freeze..." Nico struggled to speak through her laughter. "Oh man, I wish I had saved those. They would have been great blackmail material in case I ever needed it. Nozomi really knows how to pick them."
After her laughter subsided, Nico smiled at the ice cream shop across the street. Maki was right. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to disrupt them. Nozomi was happy right now, and that's all that mattered. The more complicated stuff could come later, when Nozomi was ready. Nico didn't need to force it. She was confident that it would happen naturally.
Nico's phone buzzed again. Two more notifications. Nico picked herself up off the ground before turning her attention to her phone. The first picture had no caption, and it was slightly blurry. Nico could make out Nozomi at the bottom right corner of the picture. The older girl was laughing as Eli was reaching across the table, grabbing Nozomi's arm to, presumably, take the phone away from her.
The second picture showed a grumpy Eli standing next to Nozomi, who was sticking her tongue out at the camera. "We got kicked out for being too rowdy". Nico's heart dropped. She recognized the background in the picture. They definitely weren't by the shop anymore. Nico slowly turned her head to the left, her gaze meeting two very familiar pairs of eyes.
Nico hummed quietly as she walked down the crowded sidewalk of the shopping district, her girlfriend at her side. Their schedule had been packed lately, they were all trying their hardest to prepare for their upcoming live show, so Eli had given them the day off from practice. Nico took this opportunity to spend extra time with Maki since they hadn't had much alone time lately.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nico noticed Maki increase her pace until she was a few steps in front of her. Nico frowned, but before she could protest, Maki turned around and stopped right in front of her. The younger girl held her hand out.
Nico stared at Maki's outreached hand, "Do I owe you money or something?"
"N-No! Just take it!" Maki looked away, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Nico stared until realization came over her.
Nico reeled backwards, "Ahh you've never let me hold your hand in public! What's the catch?"
"There's no catch..." Maki grumbled, still not willing to make eye contact. "I was just thinking about the day we staked out that ice cream shop. It reminded me of how much you want to help Nozomi. That made me want to hold your hand for some reason. I don't know! Just take it and stop asking me weird questions!" Maki shoved her hand forcefully towards Nico.
Nico pulled her phone out of her pocket, "Wait, I have to tell Nozomi about this! It's a huge thing, and I know she'll want to see it!" Nico grabbed Maki's hand.
Maki sighed, "Alright, alright. Just hurry up. This is embarrassing enough already."
Nico moved to take a picture of their clasped hands but stopped as she noticed the notification symbol at the bottom left corner of the screen. Nico cocked her head. She hadn't felt her phone buzz at all. She tapped on the small symbol and held her finger over Nozomi's username. Nico crinkled her nose at the sight of the image.
"What's with that face?"
Nico shoved her phone towards Maki, "Nozomi has no shame."
In the picture, Nozomi stood in front of an offertory box, clad in her white haori and red hakama, the same ones she wore whenever she worked at the shrine. Her eyes were closed and her hands were pressed together. The caption read: "Praying for the gay".
"Geez, Nozomi." Maki's lips twitched, fighting down a smile. "I feel bad for the poor person she asked to take that. They must have been really confused. Oh, wait. I think you just got another one?" Maki handed the phone back to Nico.
Maki was right. The filled square next to Nozomi's username indicated another new picture. Nico opened it, a grinning as she looked at Nozomi's continuation.
Nozomi had taken a picture of Eli, who appeared to be approaching the purple haired girl, her hand up in a small wave, a big smile on her face. "Prayer answered \( 'з')/".
"She really likes Eli a lot, huh?" Maki leaned forward to look at Nico's phone.
Nico gave Maki an incredulous look, "Well, duh. That part's pretty obvious. The difficult part is getting Nozomi to admit it seriously. She's always joking about these kinds of things. If she ever confessed, I wouldn't be surprised if Eli took it as a joke."
Maki turned and began walking in the opposite direction, her grasp on Nico's hand pulling Nico along, "Well, I suppose we'll have to figure out how to get around that. Come on. We can talk about it as we walk around."
"Okay..." Nico's mind shut off as she felt Maki interlace her fingers with her own.
Nico let out a loud, frustrated groan. Her phone had buzzed, and it was all the way across the room. Normally, she'd ask Maki to get it for her, which, more often than not, resulted in a small argument about Nico's laziness, but Maki wasn't around, leaving Nico to lounge alone in her bedroom this lazy Sunday afternoon.
Nico glared at her phone across the room. Why had she left it there in the first place? She always carried it around in case she received important notifications. Nico knew she had to get it. Whatever made her phone buzz was probably from Nozomi. She hadn't snapchatted with the older girl much that past week, something had seemingly been troubling Nozomi, so this was probably important.
Nico whined as she slid off her bed, her body hitting the floor like a rag doll. Refusing to pick her body completely off the floor, Nico inched her way across the ground towards the dresser her phone sat on. Once she reached her destination, she glared at the dresser that towered above her. It was time for the climb.
Nico grimaced as she pulled herself up by the handles of the dresser drawers. She could never let Maki she her like this, or she'd get the scolding of a lifetime. Nico's arm shot upward as she neared the top. Grabbing her phone with a quick swipe, she fell back towards the ground. Nico writhed in pain as she landed on her back.
Nico laid there for a few seconds before moving to unlock her phone. She had been right. The notifications were from Nozomi. Nico tapped on the screen. The first picture to show up was of Nozomi, who sat at the desk in her house, her tarot cards spread across the face of the desk. The caption said: "The cards foresee many things today."
Nico squinted at the picture. She didn't really understand the idea behind tarot cards, so she wasn't sure what to expect. It didn't seem bad, just very Nozomi-ish. Nico waited patiently as the seconds ticked away.
The second picture was of a sleeping Eli, who laid on Nozomi's bed, her mouth hanging open and an open textbook cradled in her arms. "Like Elicchi's cuteness :)"
Nico laid her arms out to the side, her phone sliding out of her weak grip and onto the floor. She stared at the ceiling, her tired mind trying to from a coherent thought.
"Was that worth the effort?" Nico mumbled out loud. She glanced at her discarded phone and slowly nodded her head. It was. At least nothing was wrong. Nozomi seemed as happy as ever. But she couldn't be completely sure. Now was as good a time as any to bait Nozomi a little.
Nico grabbed her phone and raised it in front of her face. She stuck her tongue out and winked as she hit the capture button. She tapped out a quick caption: "Love struck nerd". Now it was time to wait. Nozomi's reply would tell a lot.
The reply came faster than she thought it would. Nico opened her phone. The picture that showed up was of Nozomi who was hiding a smile behind her hand. "Are you on the floor?" Nico sighed. She had avoided the topic. Nozomi was relatively comfortable with expressing affection until it was pointed out by someone else. Nico supposed that was a normal reaction.
Though something felt funny. Nico couldn't quite tell what it was, but it bothered her. She rarely worried about Nozomi, the older girl gave off an air of confidence and competence, but it felt different this time. Something was off, and Nico was determined to figure out what it was.
Nico tapped her pencil against the table of the Idol Research clubroom. She stared out the window, her eyes watching numerous students pass by. She had received a snap a short while ago, but she hadn't been sure how to answer it. Her inability to help Nozomi was grating. The older girl's wisdom allowed her give sound advice, but Nico didn't share that trait, no matter how much she wished she did.
Nico looked down at the picture album in her phone where she had saved many snaps that Nozomi had sent her, including the one from today. Looking at it more than once might give her some ideas, or so she had thought. Each time she looked at it, she was reminded of her incompetence.
"Do you think she knows at all?" A picture of Eli sitting in their classroom, her eyes glued to a notebook on the desk in front of her, was the most recent snap Nozomi had sent. Eli was smart, but sometimes these things didn't get across to her. It didn't help that most of Nozomi's affection was given in a seemingly joking manner.
That was the difference between her and Nozomi. It had taken her ages to admit to having feelings for Maki and even longer to verbalize them. Nozomi, on the other hand, was incredibly open about her affection to the point that it became hard to distinguish between jokes and her real feelings. Perhaps there were times when those two intertwined.
It would be preferable if Nozomi just confessed, though that was easier said than done. Nico knew that all too well. But if she had to guess, Eli returned those feelings. If she didn't, Nico highly doubted that Nozomi's affection would have been as accepted as it was, regardless if it was intended as a joke or not.
"Why do you look so down?"
Nico jumped at the sound of Maki's voice. Being deep in thought, she hadn't heard the younger girl come in. She pulled out the chair next to her, inviting Maki to sit.
"I got another snap from Nozomi."
"Why is that upsetting?" Maki sat down in the chair next to Nico.
"I don't know how to answer it." Nico pushed her phone towards Maki, making sure the image was pulled up on the screen. Nico watched as Maki stared at the image intently.
"Hmm," Maki hummed softly. "It seems like she might be nervous. I wouldn't be surprised if she's thinking about Eli in a more serious manner right now. Nozomi doesn't seem the type to send something like this unless she's really bothered by something."
Nico nodded, "Yeah that's what I figured. I was thinking of just flat out telling her to confess, but I'm not sure how much that would help."
"Didn't she do something similar for you? She told me that you came to her for advice on confessing, and that she helped push you in the right direction. Do you think you would have been able to do it without her support?"
Nico rested her head on her hand, leaning on her elbow for support. That was true. The day Nico had planned to confess to Maki had been hectic, to put it lightly. She had almost flaked out multiple times, but each time she allowed any doubt to resurface within her, Nozomi was there to push it back down.
If it weren't for Nozomi, she never would have gone through with it. She never would have learned that Maki reciprocated her feelings, and there was a possibility that they never would have gotten together before she graduated. The thought made Nico's heart heavy. She didn't want that to happen to Nozomi.
"Maybe it's time for Nico nii's 'special touch'". Maki smiled as she slid the phone back towards Nico.
Nico nodded. Maybe it was. Nico picked up her phone, opened the app, and held it front of her. She stared at herself in the camera. She wasn't sure if humor was the right way to approach this. She settled for just smiling at the camera. Once the picture was taken, Nico typed out a caption. "Maybe you should let her know".
Nico took a deep breath as she laid her phone back down on the table. She was feeling surprisingly jittery considering that this had nothing to do with her. Nico wondered if Nozomi had felt the same on the day she confessed to Maki. Nico tapped her fingers against the surface of the table as she waited, hoping to let out some of the anticipation that was building up inside her.
Nico practically jumped from her seat as her phone buzzed for a second time that day. Nico grabbed it quickly, her heart thumping as she unlocked it. Nozomi had sent a video this time. Nico beckoned Maki to lean in closer.
The camera was flipped to show Nozomi's face. It appeared like she was walking down one of the hallways at school. "Elicchi said she had something important to tell me in the student council room, but she told me to go ahead and wait for her there while she finished up something in the classroom. My heart's racing for some reason. It's probably because of the snap you sent me, Nicocchi."
Nozomi smiled at the camera. Nico heard the sound of a door being slid open. Nozomi must have reached her destination.
"Whatever Elicchi has to say is probably about student council work, so I shouldn't worry. Though, maybe you're right. Now could be the perfect time. Though, I'll need to consult my cards before making a decision like that." Nozomi grinned at the camera and threw her hand up in a victory sign. The video stopped there.
"Whoa, it sounds like she might actually do it." Maki leaned back in her chair. "I think your support meant a lot."
Maki's words sparked something in Nico's mind. She quickly opened Snapchat and put her phone in front of her. Nico remembered exactly what had given her strength on the rooftop the day of her confession. Nico smiled at the camera, forming her free hand into a thumbs up. "You can do it Nozomi!"
Nico sighed and leaned back. She kept her phone in her hand, fully expecting a some kind of reply to come soon. She hoped that picture would help. Nozomi had sent something similar before, and that simple picture had worked wonders. Nico wrapped her arms around herself. The last time Nico remembered feeling this nervous was when she was waiting for test results. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maki extend her hand towards her. Nico grabbed it, giving Maki a grateful smile.
As the minutes passed by, Nico felt her jitteriness increase, as well as her grip on Maki's hand. Nico let go of Maki's hand once she saw the younger girl's pained expression. Maki pulled her hand back, rubbing her now sore fingers.
Bzzt. Nico jumped at the sound of her phone. Without even checking if the notification was from Snapchat, Nico opened the app. Luckily for her, it was. Nico apprehensively held her finger down on the notification. There were only two ways this would go: amazing or horrible.
Almost immediately, Nico's tense expression faded, and she broke into a smile. "Oh my god."
The picture showed Eli, who had apparently taken Nozomi's phone, standing in the student council room, a triumphant smile on her face. Her body only appeared in the leftmost portion of the picture. Over Eli's shoulder, Nico could see Nozomi, who was sitting at the table, her head laid face down on its surface. The caption read: "Surprise confession! Success!"
"Oh my god," Nico repeated, laughing. "I haven't given Eli the credit she deserves. Apparently, she's got game."
Maki stared at the phone, her jaw dropped. "Wow, Eli's really sneaky."
Nico nodded, "I'm sure Nozomi's beyond shocked. But how great is this? It may not have happened the way Nozomi expected, but I'm sure she's happy with the result." Maki voiced her agreement.
Eli really was sneaky. The blonde girl had given no indication that she had something like this planned out. Nico thought Eli's feelings towards Nozomi were just as obvious, but she never expected her to be the initiator. Eli always seemed like the type who was too busy to give these sorts of things much thought.
Suddenly, the phone in Nico's hand buzzed again. Another one? Nico unlocked her phone. The picture that popped up felt vaguely familiar. Nozomi had her lips pressed to Eli's cheek as the blonde girl smiled at the camera. A caption below said: "Muse couple #2"
Nico stood up, her body shaking in excitement. She grabbed Maki's hand and pulled her towards the door. "This calls for a double date! Let's do it now!"
"What? Already? Nico, wait!"
Nico ignored Maki's protests as she dragged the younger girl towards the student council room, a wide grin on her face.
A/N: Almost all of the emoticons showed up correctly and I'm still shocked. But anyway, this is the last part to this fic, so I hoped you enjoyed it. And thanks for reading!
