Summary: Nico has an unexpected visitor. And the same two roommates.

Nico was not used to listening that much. Tsubasa had been telling so many stories, about touring, leadership, and how much having her two oldest friends in the band helped. Nico began to think there would be a quiz. She had taken an economics of music class but this was a combination of that and the social pressures of being on a bus with 16 other people and all of them wanting you to decide things. Even listening to it was exhausting. But at least Tsubasa had given her the details of the standard contract, although the bandleader had hedged on the headliner status and the potential record. Which made Nico tired and grumpy. So she was looking forward to taking off her shoes, cooking a bunch of the refrigerator cookies she'd taken out of the freezer when she'd returned from Troy, dipping a few in a tall cold glass of milk, and letting the television go to static while no one talked at her.

Opening the door to her apartment, Nozomi's voice boomed, startling her, "Nico-chi! You're home. We have a visitor."

"Who?" Nico turned around from locking the door, and instantly recognized the red hair. "Maki?" Nico hung up her coat.

"Mama said you called and wanted to rehearse." Maki was sitting on the couch, Nozomi on the other end, Eli was probably in the kitchen making tea.

"How was your meeting?" Nozomi asked.

"Complicated." Nico answered, worry lines deepening, rubbing her fingers through her hair as she sat on the wooden chair, before calling in the direction of the kitchen, "Hey Eli, if you're making tea, put a tray of cookies in the oven. French food isn't filling."

"I'll meet you in Paris." Maki said it so quickly, Nico wasn't sure she'd heard right and stared at the redhead.

"Huh?"

Nozomi got up from the couch, "I'll give you a hand, Eli-chi."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Eli called from the kitchen.

"I'll meet you in Paris." Maki repeated, a little slower, staring at the arm of the couch, her own arms crossed over her chest. She wore a cling to her curves gray wool sweater, tweed trousers, and fuzzy wool socks, an outfit much more suited to Nico's couch than the earlier gown, Nico thought. Maki took a deep breath, uncrossed her arms, pulled up one of her legs, and leaned forward, her eyes leveled straight at Nico's. "I won't be going to Lucerne, but I'll meet you in Paris whenever you say."

"You haven't even applied to your competition." Nico stayed with the thought she could understand.

"Professor Melton never thought I should go." Maki sighed and leaned back, one arm along the couch back, now staring at the ceiling, "Now I understand why. It's so different…"

"Jazz? Well, yeah, Nico could have told you that, maybe Nico should be a professor…"

"Other musicians...it's so…" Maki raised her other hand to play an imagined melody, 'exhilarating…"

"Well, not everyone will be as exciting as Nico."

Nico thought Maki might have smiled...or smirked...or...Nico would have given all her holiday tips to get a good look at the expression, "I suspected as much."

"Suspected? You're a detective now? You need to watch better shows." Nico prodded Maki's knee.

Maki sat up, now it was a frown, "Did you hear me? I said I'd meet you in Paris?"

Nico's turn to sigh, "Nico's not as fond of Paris as she was this morning."

Maki glared, then shot to her feet, raising her clenched fists as if she were facing off against Joe Louis, "Are you just making fun of me?"

"No…" Nico was up on her own feet and once again, one of Maki's hands was between her own, "that's not what I meant." Maki wouldn't meet Nico's eye and Nico raised a hand to the pianist's chin, "Maki, look at me."

Watery amethyst eyes, a little fearful, Nico thought. Be careful, she told herself, "Tsubasa talked at Nico A LOT and Nico's still chewing. So this isn't anything about you, Maki. Okay?"

Maki almost nodded. Nico almost felt like she could breathe. "I just have a lot to consider, Maki. And a few things to do. But there will be a place, okay, a place for us to meet, whatever Nico decides."

Silence. Nico knew her damn roommates were piled up in the door, just waiting for the wrong moment to say something that would probably startle the skittish redhead. Maki was still staring at Nico, getting closer, and of course that was when Nozomi opened her mouth.

"Why don't you two go…" of course there was a pause and a giggle, "rehearse at Maki's and Eli-chi and I will work on her technique here."

Maki jumped a bit. Mood killed. Nico glared in Nozomi's direction and got a non apologetic shrug as a reply, with a wink.

Nico crossed her arms, "Nico is not going anywhere without cookies. Even if we go to Paris, Maki, we're finding a restaurant with English on the menu and American food. Deal?"

Maki was rubbing the palm of the hand Nico had been holding, a slight flush on her cheek, "Deal."

###

Nico knew that if Nozomi came along they'd get nowhere, but with three days until the concert rehearsal was REALLY a necessity. And yet here they all were, sitting around the apartment, eating cookies, as if there was no looming deadline, laughing at Nozomi telling embarrassing stories about Eli and Nico, Maki relaxed on the couch, Nico on a chair pulled from the kitchen and set near Maki's end of the couch, Eli on the hard back chair, scooted close to a Nozomi who was enjoying her audience a bit too much.

"And then, after Eli screamed, the neighborhood's lights came on and I discovered she'd dropped her saxophone off the roof. Fortunately, it had landed on a patch of dirt so there wasn't any damage. But I'd never seen anyone look that pale before." Nozomi ruffled Eli's hair.

Nico shook her head at Eli and tapped Maki on the hand, "And now she's afraid of heights as well as darkness. Let's not even get started on the time we had a gig on the Hudson. Sometimes, Nozomi and I discuss getting the saxophone a leash for Eli."

"Hey…" Eli leaned forward, futilely attempting to swat at Nico.

Maki giggled. "It's too bad you don't have a piano here. We could just rehearse."

Nico grabbed the last cookie off the plate on the table next to Maki, "Plus, Nico's food is better than yours."

"True." Maki's hand was suddenly warm on Nico's and that moment of distraction let the redhead steal the cookie and pop it in her mouth, gloating.

"Nico will pack you a to go bag." Nico stretched, twisting around to try to see the clock over the stove, "What time is it?"

Maki glanced at her watch, "10:40."

"We've been talking all night." Eli yawned.

"Yeah." Nico decided rehearsal was out for tonight. It would be hard to go back out in the cold.

"It's been nice to get to know Maki." Nozomi smiled at their guest, "Stop by anytime, even if Nico's at work. I can feed you cookies too."

Nico clicked her tongue, "That's right, I have to tell Viv when I decide on my last night."

"How long have you worked there?" Maki wondered.

Nico shrugged, "Year and a half. Nico worked at a diner before. Tips are better, hours are worse, But as a musician, Nico needs to get used to the night life. Not many of us get to do afternoon recitals."

Maki's lip quirked up, "I'd prefer evenings. People came over too early."

"Did Maki have to be polite when she was grumpy and sleepy?" And cute, Nico thought to herself, remembering Maki on her mom's couch in Troy on Christmas night.

"Mama wasn't thrilled I went out for breakfast. The hairdresser had to wait."

"Ooohhh, rebel." Nico poked the pianist's elbow.

Maki blushed. Nozomi's laugh was mocking, "You're a bad influence, Nico-chi."

Nico bounced up with a bow, "I do my best. Besides, how bad could an influence could anyone think I might be. Mrs. Nishikino invited the one and only Nico Ni to dinner at least five times today."

"I'm sorry about that. Mama…" Maki closed her eyes, "just likes to know who my friends are."

"Nico understands." Nico winked at Maki and Maki knew Nico was remembering her own mother grilling Maki about driving 'her baby' through a snowstorm.

"Mothers, where would we be without them?" Nozomi made a grand swing with her cocoa mug and finished her drink, "Bed. That's where I'll be. Come on, Eli." Nozomi pulled Eli off her chair and they were almost through the door into the bedroom before Maki could get out a protest.

"Aren't we going to rehearse?" Maki sounded plaintive.

"You can't have Eli. She's mine after 10:30. Take Nico-chi, she's portable." Nozomi practically cawed and then the bedroom door slammed.

Nico stood up, shaking her head, "My roommates, ladies and pianists, and the hell Nico puts up with."

Maki frowned, her brow folded into worry wrinkles. "Nozomi seems really supportive of Eli."

"She is." Nico dropped into the seat Nozomi had vacated, turned so she faced Maki, chin on her knees, arms wrapped around her shins. "Eli was such a square before they started dating. Her music was even more buttoned up than yours, but Eli wanted to play like Coltrane so Nozomi and I kept nudging her until she finally let go and just got in front of an audience and went crazy."

"That must have been amazing." Maki's entire face lit with amusement. It was a great look.

Nico laughed, "Optimist. She was terrible. Worst thing Nico's ever heard. But Eli loved it, the no safety net, the raw feel of the audience, and with Nozomi's encouragement, we got better and better."

Maki shifted, turning in toward Nico, "That must be weird for Nozomi. Not playing. Honoka says she's 'got chops..'"

"Nah…" Nico took a minute to think about it, unusual for the spitfire, but this conversation was different, "I think Nozomi loves to play, but she really loves Eli more. So she gets joy out of seeing Eli do well, if that makes sense."

Maki said nothing, but Nico could read the doubt in her posture.

"Maybe for you, it's only the challenge of the music, but for some of us, we enjoy seeing our friends do something well, maybe knowing some more about them." Nico almost bopped Maki on the end of her nose with a finger, "Nico was caught up in a certain pianist's performance this afternoon, but I didn't have any urge to join in." Nico didn't often search for words, but Maki's eyes glowed and there was a sense of expectation between them, "I really got having a relationship with the music thanks to you. Clair De Lune is still" Nico patted her chest, "in here and Nico's never seen the sheet music."

"I don't know…" Maki scratched her cheek, "I'd want to play."

"You crave the spotlight more than Nico. Didn't think that was possible." One nose bop, one startled Maki, one too entertained Nico. "At the restaurant, Tsubasa was talking about the difference between performing and directing…" Nico dragged out a dramatic sigh, thinking about Maki's questions about Nozomi. "at length. And how important support was."

Maki's question was quick,"What did she say?"

Nico glanced at Maki suspiciously, expecting a return to the 'don't go theme," but the redhead just sat, waiting, curious, gorgeous, one hand tucking hair back behind her ear, so Nico answered the question. "She talked a lot about Erena and Anju, her oldest friends, and how important they were to her success. They'd started as a trio."

"Oh, like Bibi."

Nico frowned, "No, not exactly. Eli and I wanted to play together and Coco just kind of wandered in, kinda like you."

Wrong thing to say, Nico realized as Maki pulled back and tension returned, "Well, actually, you were more of a tasty Christmas dessert, Coco was cafeteria jello, kinda there, but not memorable."

Maki's attention snapped back and she pulled her legs up, Nico's glance drifted to the side as Maki bit her lip, "Coco stalled at a much lower level than we needed. Nico thinks she knew that and…pffftttt…." Nico blew out a long raspberry of a breath as Maki tried to ignore Nico's tongue tip licking across the darker pink of her lips. Why couldn't she stop getting caught up in such inessential details, Maki wondered.

"Maki?" Candy cane stripe eyes much sweeter than the sugary treat melted with warmth and concern, "You look like you've had a long day." Nico had scooted a little closer, one hand patting the couch next to Maki's legs, "Nico's couch isn't nearly as comfy as yours, but I could get you a pillow and a blanket if you're too tired to drive home. Then we can start rehearsing in the morning."

After Nico made her breakfast. Pancakes or eggs or...and what did Nico's bathrobe look like? Or did she just get dressed right away...Maki wondered if touring changed that sort of thing, who Nico would be sharing a room with...Maki stiffened and stood, "I'd better leave. Mama will be worried if she wakes up and I'm not there. Papa has the overnight shift."

"No, you don't want to worry your mother." Nico felt surprisingly disappointed by Maki's conscientiousness, but hid it in a tease, "Then she really will think Nico is a bad influence." Nico scooted back and swung her feet to the floor, going to get Maki her coat from the hook.

"Like your mother thinks I am." Maki muttered.

"Mama's not used to Nico bringing girls home." Nico stopped, horrified, hand on Maki's coat, hearing the words hang in the quiet of the apartment. Maki standing next to Nico, froze for a heartbeat as she stepped into her boots. A fake cough was the best Nico could manage as she dropped the coat around Maki's shoulders, willing her fingers not to tremble or linger.

Maki's hand went deep in the pockets of her coat, but she was still fascinated by the floor.

"You should tie them." Nico pointed down at open bootlaces.

Maki nodded and knelt, quickly knotting the rawhide. Then, back to being tall and awkward in a small and awkward space. "Let's work at my house in the morning. We'll get more done."

"Nico will call before we come over."

"Good." Maki was twisting a curl of hair, her shoulder the nearest thing to Nico.

Nico grunted, "Nico forgot to pack you a to go bag."

"That's okay." Maki was getting more fidgety with every second. "Thanks for the cookies. I'll see you tomorrow, Nico." Her smile was inviting, but pensiveness deepened her eyes.

And Nico was trying to read secrets in the quiet, somber pools, about to force herself to say something when Maki's eyes closed and they were both surprised by her huge yawn.

Nico sighed. "Be careful driving."

"Be careful sleeping." Maki yawned again, as she reached into her pocket for her hat, the knitted bobble cap Nico had given her for Christmas. Over the too tousled, too tempting russet tendrils.

"Cute hat. Don't write lyrics." Nico opened the door, pulling the brim of the hat so Maki's name was at a good angle.

Maki bowed her head in theoretical defeat, but then started humming softly as Nico closed the door.

"Silly Maki." Nico turned, leaning against the door, glad Nozomi hadn't seen or heard any of that. Nico closed her eyes, almost afraid to say her thought out loud. "Nico's not used to Nico bringing girls home yet."

A/N: I'M REALLY BAD AT SUSPENSE AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS.

Also, it's raining and my roof leaks. How was your vernal equinox?