Summary: Having exchanged phone numbers, Maki and Nico are in touch, but not exactly dating.
A/N: Right ho, welcome to this continuation of the Song Lyric fic masquerading as a Single Parent AU. The next phase will be chapters based on songs from Sabrina Carpenter's Singular, Part I album. This is curveball off "Sue Me" because I love the mood.
And now back to jazzy jingle bells. Cheers.
"Well, did you ever think that it was hard for me
To walk it off like nothing happened, nonchalantly?
I got you feeling like, I got you feeling right
I got you feeling like
(Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup)
That's my shape, I made the shadow
That's my name, don't wear it out though
Feelin' myself can't be illegal, illegal"
This time, there had been texts...actually, sexts, Maki recalled with a groan, forcing herself not to unlock her phone and reread them. Nico's sexting game was a jolting mix of coy and complimentary interrupted by raw and graphic bursts of desire that completely derailed any and all of Maki's previous thought trains. She had stopped checking messages before work. Her patients deserved more focus than that. But she and Nico still hadn't managed an actual date, just a near month of increasingly frustrating communication from Maki's perspective. From Nico's, it seemed like each day wiped the slate clean, with no cumulative effect. Maki had stopped sending sexy selfies, but even this hadn't triggered any more urgent response. So Maki decided to cheat.
Maki checked herself in the mirror again. She had no idea what her parents would think about the dress, but she'd been planning this moment since she'd asked her parents to hire Yazawas to cater their Art Crawl fundraiser. Nico had tried to decline, saying they didn't have a catering staff, but Maki had refused to take no for an answer and made it personal. Because it was. Let Nico look her in the eye and ignore this. The dress was frosted purple jaquard, slit up the right side to mid thigh, neckline low over her chest, shoulders bare with a lacy silver shawl draped over them. Armor. Maki looked good. Maki looked great. People would stare. Nico would...Maki frowned, suddenly uncertain. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe Nico wouldn't...Maki frowned at herself in the mirror, shaking her head, watching her hair bob in tangled curls she knew Nico would want to tug, no time to be faint hearted. And so Maki Nishikino stepped out of her hotel suite. Time to debut her look on the dance floor.
"I, I, I, I guess I'm hard to ignore
Pick up that jaw off the floor
So sue me for looking too pretty tonight
Wearing your favorite color under the lights"
There was a mutter, a ripple. The ballroom got suddenly silent and then people started whispering. An odd break in the normal flow of party conversation. So Nico glanced up. And practically dropped the tray of ratatouille she'd been maneuvering into position.
Maki, who she hadn't seen in person since the night of Cotarou's accident 29 days ago, walked through the doors. Strode, steered...smashed, Nico decided, right into the middle of a crowd too dull for the redhead's brilliance, shattering the air of polite formality. As if on cue, the DJ, because of course, the DJ would, switched up the flow to a snappy remix that got everyone's hips moving...or at least Nico assumed it was everyone's because she couldn't take her eyes off Maki's, which meant she couldn't shake the memory of how they felt under her hands.
"Nico!" One of her assistants jostled her out of a very vivid sense memory, "There's a couple of trays missing."
"I bet they're still in the van. I'll check."
When Nico got back, trays of a wickedly decadent layered chocolate trifle settled in their place, Maki had taken to the dance floor. With a very attentive, moderately attractive partner. Nico could feel her jaw clench. But she smiled politely at the lovely older lady fussing over how delectable the crab cake appetizers had been.
"They're my dad's recipe. Ancient family secret. Nico will never tell." Nico's punctuation was a scandalously flirtatious wink that brightened up her admirer's night, "Stop by the restaurant some time. Nico will cook you this amazing crab and lobster quiche that's on the secret menu. Same spices."
"Oooh, that sounds amazing." Squeezing Nico's arm gratefully, the woman took her plate of pasta back to her table, leaving Nico to pay not enough attention to the distribution of food and too much attention to the way Maki's dance partner kept almost catching her hands. This wasn't going to work. Maki had obviously planned to get Nico's attention and there was no way for Nico to pretend that strategy hadn't worked. Nico was just glad she'd bribed Cocoa to stay home and work on Cotarou's art project with him.
Nico grabbed whoever was closest to her and wearing a Yazawas apron, not taking her eyes off Maki."Take over. I have to talk to our…" Nico paused for emphasis no one but she would understand "client."
Nico heard a "You got it, Boss," untied her apron and approached the dance floor, where Maki seemed to be in an animated conversation with a slightly taller than Nico brunette. But Nico had caught a few glances from lavender eyes that couldn't resist the urge to see the effect Maki's evening adventure was having on Nico's composure. So whether the other brunette realized it or not, Maki had another target audience in mind. Nico was very underdressed for this, uniform black pants, short tuxedo jacket, and white linen wing collar shirt, but she undid the top two studs at her throat, rolled up her sleeves, and doubled down on the sparks glinting in her eyes.
"Ms. Nishikino?" Formal politeness. Give Maki an easy out for her conversation. Do not grind teeth. Yes, this could have all been avoided if Maki hadn't spent the last week ignoring Nico's perfectly reasonable requests that Maki stop by for lunch instead of demanding Nico present herself at a fundraiser. But then Maki wouldn't be a person so pent up that she'd exploded in the back of her own car four months ago, desperate to be held together. That edge, that tension, that potential had kept Maki vivid in Nico's mind and yes, there should have been a date, but Nico had been keeping her text/sext game next level. Or so she'd thought. Maki's selfie drought had probably been a clue. But before Nico had recognized the change in mood, there came the demand for an appearance before the court.
"Can I help you?" Oh, the arched eyebrow, the sly smirk, the faked nonchalance about whatever it was Maki was deigning to listen to Nico address. Yeah, Nico thought, that wasn't going to work.
"There's a problem in the kitchen." Nico grabbed Maki's hand and yanked forward, not looking back, feeling Maki stumble for a few steps, catch up, shake her hand free, and then take five steps forward with those impossible to ignore legs and turn to confront Nico. They had made it through the tables surrounding the dance floor but not quite out of view of the dancers.
"There's a problem right here." Maki had also at least doubled down in letting the banked embers of emotions flame dangerously in her eyes.
"Do you really want to do this here?" Nico stepped forward, aggressively, hand hovering over the slit on the redhead's dress. Maki blanched, eyes to the side, but then she recovered and met Nico's glare full on.
"Fine." Nico inhaled, "Have a change of clothes?"
"Yes, why?"
Nico grabbed and the dress tore, the slit reaching to Maki's waist. Maki squawked, but before she could step back, Nico had taken off her jacket and wrapped it around Maki's waist making sure her hands lingered just slightly. Maki gulped, "What are you doing...why are you...what the hell…"
"I heard yes…" Nico hissed.
"No...I didn't mean…" Maki glanced around, but if anyone was watching they were being discreet. And Nico had been so quick it would have been hard to catch the motion.
"No?" Nico stepped back, hands up, "Sorry, guess I misunderstood…I'll get back to work."
Maki exhaled loudly, fuming, still feeling the touch of Nico's hands on her hips, "What is wrong with you…" Maki pushed Nico through the nearest door. Not the kitchen, full of Nico's employees. A regular corridor, not full of anyone, carpeted, sconces for mood lighting. Maki found herself with the wall cool against her back, Nico hot against her front, standing up on her toes, nose to nose, eyes as intense as flares. "So no?"
"You suck." Maki pounced forward, hard pressure against Nico's lips.
"I'm sorry." Nico pushed forward, tongue promising thrills this wasn't the position to explore. "So yes?" Nico's hand was back on Maki's dress, sliding under the waistband of her underwear.
"Not here." Maki managed, barely keeping upright as her legs wavered.
"Your car? Feeling nostalgic?" Nico had already tasted every millimeter of skin from Maki's neck to her elbow and she was working her way back, one hand palming Maki's leg, the other shadowing her lips' transit on Maki's other side. "I'll fire anybody who interrupts us."
"Upstairs. Suite. Private elevator." Maki managed to jerk her head in what she thought was the right direction. Nico took the hint, her arm around Maki's waist, steadying the taller woman as they hurried to the elevator.
Maki punched in the code, Nico pushed her inside and as the doors closed, Maki shivered, Nico blowing gently over her ear, "So yes?"
"Yes." Maki gripped the railing, hoping her arms would hold her up for 10 floors, but then Nico undid the knot in her jacket and tore again, the skirt of Maki's dress now barely attached at one hip. Nico's hands deftly traced patterns between Maki's thighs that were making the doctor revert to entirely primitive impulses. Maki pictured herself crawling into the suite but then they were sprawled on the floor of the elevator, Nico's full weight pressing into her, the rush of surging sensation splitting reality, singular sounds ripped out of Maki's throat, sensuous, rolling symphonies. With one last coherent thought about soundproofing, Maki, fingers dragging through Nico's so so silky hair, arched into the moment she'd been dreaming about for weeks.
"You miss the long goodnights, you miss the long goodbyes
You miss the long goodnights"
"Maki?" Nico's breath ruffled her hair, toned arms pulling the redhead closer.
"Yes." Maki knew Nico grinned at that reply.
"Come home with me tonight."
"Sure."
