A/N: Ok, my apologies in advance, we have only reached level: en route to the party, but I hope you have forgiven me a little by the time you reach the end of this chunk. It's a nice end point and I feared some readers might implode/lose even more of their minds if I delayed the chapter past the week point ; ) I will try to get the next chunk finished as soon as possible, barring a rumble between the Wolf and Theatre gangs ; )
Thanks for the playlist suggestions, you can find the link if you wander over to AO3. Enjoy!
What to do about Nico. First, don't lie. Maki picked up her phone and texted.
M: Hi, Nico! Thanks for last night.
N:Σ(゜゜)
N: Oh, Princess (✿ヘᴥヘ) She wasn't a problem. I just worry about her.
Maki hesitated but then just fast typed and hit send.
M: I want to talk to you about something. Can we walk to the party together?
N: Sure. Nico has to work and then shower, but stop by my apartment at 9 and we can head over. I'll text you the address ٩(θ‿θ)۶
M: See you then.
Odd message, Nico thought as she put her phone back in her coat pocket, but Maki was a bit odd anyway. But cute. With the eyes. And the legs. And the mischievous, tooth biting into the underlip grin. Nico hoped it was a cute thing Maki wanted to talk about, like an invitation to dinner or something. Nico had no time, but she might work out something, if Maki asked nicely.
Maki had stepped carefully around her mother all morning and texted a sincere "Sorry" to Rin and Hanayo. She'd spent most of the afternoon in her treehouse, rehearsing things she could say to Nico, imagining things Nico might say to her. None of them seemed right, all of them gave her a twitch. Running off some stress was the only part of the day that her mind felt clear, although she was careful to do it in human form and found herself missing Rin's cheerfully optimistic company. But Rin would just say blurt it out and Maki knew she couldn't. When the sun finally started to set, Maki swung down from the platform and went inside to shower. Her mother had gone out, her father was sitting, relaxed on the sectional, watching a documentary.
"Hi, Papa."
"Hi, Maki." Her father turned off the television and turned around to look at Maki, "How are you?"
Maki shrugged.
"Poetry not helping?" Dr. Nishikino chuckled; Maki flushed. "Your mother liked Nico."
Maki shrugged again, still blushing a little, slouched, hands in the pocket of her hoodie.
"Maki, talk to me." Her father leaned on his arm, worry lining his face.
Maki frowned, then climbed over to another leg of the sectional, "What did you say?"
Her father chuckled again, "When you meet my mother, she might bite you."
Maki stared at him, sure it was a joke. "Really, Papa?"
Now her father shrugged, his expression playful. "I loved your mother's sense of humor. I thought it might help to appeal to it."
Maki laid down, staring at the ceiling, grudgingly admitting, "I don't know that much about Nico."
"You like her, right? And she likes you. That's a good start, even if you don't have something in common like a class." Maki heard her father shift his position.
"She likes music. We talked about Cole Porter." Suddenly Nico's voice singing filled her head "I get a kick every time I see you, Standing there before me, I get a kick though it's clear to see, You obviously don't adore me." What would it be like to tell Nico and see fear in her bright crimson eyes instead of warmth, to smell dismissal instead of welcome. Whatever Nico's initial reaction was, Maki would know immediately. And that terrified her.
"Remember: 'Faint heart never won fair lady'." Dr. Nishikino tapped his daughter's knee.
"Huh?" Maki glanced up at her father, confused.
He leaned forward, hands on his knees. "Gilbert and Sullivan, Iolanthe. "Faint heart never won fair lady". Fortes fortuna adiuvat."
Fortune favors the strong. Maki needed to be strong enough to look Nico in the eye and say "I'm a…" She couldn't even finish the thought in her head and leapt up, "I have to shower."
"Your mother wants you home by 1." Her father relaxed again, his eyes sympathetic, "If you need a ride or a little more time, text me."
"I will."
Maki had left herself most of the evening for choosing an outfit. She heard her mother and father talking when she stopped in the kitchen to eat a quick dinner warmed up in the microwave and wished she could have just run down to Cup o' for a sandwich made by Nico. And a smile. Mostly a smile. She turned up her speakers and let Sugar for Sugar's 'Bizarre Love Triangle' cover blast.
Everytime I see you falling
I get down on my knees on my pray
Waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
Right. Grey cashmere t-shirt, Black blazer with jagged white stripes across the back and black pants tucked into kicky boots. Maki grabbed a slouched fedora and a beret to compare the two, but opted instead for a gray and white NU wool bobble hat to pull over her hair, which wouldn't maintain its shape anyway. It was like her nerves were deciding to rearrange the follicles every two minutes. She hoped her nerves wouldn't decide on their own to rearrange her ears. Then she bounded downstairs, stopping by the table in the foyer where a fresh array of flowers always greeted visitors. That's where her mother ambushed her.
"Maki."
"Mama."
Another staring contest and then the older woman smiled at her daughter, grabbing her for a quick hug. "Have a good time."
"Thanks Mama." Maki felt her heart pounding in her chest. This was really going to happen. She was going to be strong, no matter how much her head was spinning with fear and want. Everything would change after tonight. Nico would…well, that Maki couldn't know, so she plucked the freshest rose out of the vase and ventured out, howling bravely into the night as she closed the door behind her. She smiled when she heard Rin's encouraging response echo. Her boots made no noise in the new snowfall and the moon glittered brightly at her, winking from its perch above the trees as her pace increased.
Nico had neatened up the kitchen, showered, eaten a small dinner, and was now fixing her makeup. Kotori and Honoka's place was too close to drive to, parking would be a nightmare, but that left the shoe problem. Boots obviously, there'd been snow, but Nico's purse was too small to stash heels in, she'd have to settle for ballet flats, unless Kotori had something near her size. Purse and parka at hand, she was ready for her escort.
A knock. Polite. Maki on the doorstep, no coat, of course, just a modish blazer, blocked out in black and white with a knit grey t-shirt underneath it and black pants dusted with snow above the bootline. A nice match, colorwise, for Nico's most stylish of little black dresses. A good omen for the night, Nico thought cheerfully as she greeted Maki with a wave. Maki's face was reddened from cold and wind. She entered at Nico's invite, pulling the hat off her head, her hair falling in front of her eyes.
"Hi, Nico." Maki's eyes were hidden behind her red hair, but the smile was adorably nervous, the voice beguiling and Nico felt herself pull in air nervously as her chest contracted.
"You look nice, Maki." Nico watched as Maki pulled something from behind her back, a nearly budded red rose, holding it out in front of her.
"You look amazing. Thanks for letting me walk you to the party." Maki's voice was soft, shy.
Nico took the rose, glanced at it for a moment, then broke off the stem, reached a hand out to Maki's lapel, slowly searching along its length for a buttonhole, and sliding the rose in carefully when her fingers found one.
In the dim light of her foyer, across every spectrum, Nico glowed. Maki raised a hand to stroke Nico's, shock in her lavender eyes from what Nico could see of them. Nico wanted a closer look so she reached out, sweeping the hair back from Maki's temple to her ear, sliding her fingers through silky hair, breath catching, feeling Maki lean into her touch, a soft hum vibrating through the redhead, the lavender eyes luminous and unfocused.
Maki couldn't help it. It felt SO good after all the worry. Nico's touch was a familiar comfort by now in her wolf form and to feel Nico's hand brush tingles across her skin and through her hair in this form was too much. With every breath, Nico's essence became sharper, stronger, more magical, cocooning her and Maki felt herself measuring the new sensations bolting through her body with each heartbeat, pulsing with each surge of blood and breath, pressing her Nico-ward. Then Nico stopped, her hand frozen, breath released in a shocked gasp, fingertips hovering over Maki's ear. Maki woke up from her dream to find crimson eyes wide with shock, disbelief, awareness. Nico stepped back, almost tripping, confused, heart racing almost as madly as Maki's. She knew. Maki read it everywhere, instantly, in Nico's touch before she broke away, in her eyes, in the way her heart skipped, her body withdrew. Nico knew. And it was over.
"Nico, I can ex…"
Nico flipped her hand up, palm out, lips tight, words hissed through, sputtering while Maki cringed, "Princess?!" Then Nico's voice revved near its volume max, her face darkened by anger, betrayal. "Everyone else knew, didn't they, Maki? Rin, Hanayo, your mother…" Nico laughed, her voice quieter but colder, "of course, they did. Nico's the only idiot. Worried about a 'dog'."
"N…no Nico, you're not an...they…"So many emotions coming from Nico, a confusing wave of sensation Maki couldn't buffer.
"Everyone else knew. Everyone except Nico. Stupid Nico. Nico, who everyone's laughing at…" Nico grumbled, arms crossed over her chest, face scrunched in an effort to contain her emotions.
Maki stretched to touch Nico, but Nico turned away. Maki thought she saw tears. Oh gods, this mess was worse than fear. Panic was close to triggering the transformation, but Maki flattened her hands against her thighs, counting her breaths, inhaling deeply, trying to calm every flight/fight instinct pricking at her.
"No, Nico it wasn't like that. You're great. No one laughed. They were all too busy yelling at me." Maki realized she spoke a little too loudly when her words echoed in the foyer. "I'm sorry." she whispered.
Nico shot a look of contempt at over her shoulder.
"Let me explain…" Maki felt her ears flatten as Nico stomped past her, the wolf starting to fill in her senses, panic ebbing, boldness surging.
"Nico can't be late. People are expecting a performance." Nico zipped up her coat and turned, hands on her hips, eyes red tides of turmoil. Maki started to respond, stepping forward, but then Nico snapped "Heel," disdain and disappointment rip currents in her voice.
Maki fell back, startled at the bitter splash of Nico's command, head hanging down, sullen, dread oozing everywhere.
"Nico doesn't have time for this. I have an audience waiting, friends to see, people to entertain." Nico chirped, in a forced, bright tone, her eyes a blazing storm. "Nico is going to be the hit of the party." Then Nico's voice lowered, sharpened, edged with an emotion Maki couldn't classify, one that demanded she yield. "You WILL talk later."
Maki gulped, following behind Nico as she stepped outside. Even without a tail, Maki's posture screamed defeat. The wall of Nico's embarrassment and bewilderment buzzed between them, anger the most minor theme. How to break through that? Maki started to howl, but froze in fear when Nico spun quickly, arms crossed, lips set in a critical sneer.
"No howls, no tail, no running off. Nico decides what happens next. And when." Pause. Breath. "Do not mention ANY of this at the party."
Maki nodded, then remembered, "I have to be home by 1 a.m."
Nico snorted, "Isn't it usually midnight?"
Maki tilted her head, confused, but Nico ignored her, heading once again toward the party, grumbling as she stamped her feet through the snow, "cold...doesn't even get jokes...what is Nico supposed to…but cute...damn pouty puppy eyes...uugghhh...Nico doesn't have time..."
Somewhere in the torrent of Nico's grumbles, Maki heard a chance.