Title: Now Is Her Chance
Rating: T
Summary: Valentines' Day is coming. Nina wanted to come forward to Euphemia and tell her how she felt, but she didn't muster the courage. Now, it's her chance.
Pairing: Euphemia/Nina
Author: SpinoInWonderland
Written for the Valentine prompt by Aminta Defender. Honestly, I think the pairing is more than a tad underrated. Sure, Nina isn't perfect, but I think her negative reputation and hate from the fandom is quite disproportionately overblown. But enough about that for now, without further ado here it is.
Milly Ashford, the President of the Student Council, had called in a meeting in the club room. Seated around the table were the other members of the council: Shirley, Lelouch, Rivalz, Nina, and Kallen.
The day was February 13.
"Well, council members…Valentines' Day is coming!" Milly announced with great enthusiasm. "And we're going to have a Valentines' party! I'm pretty sure many of you have that one special person who they really like. We're going to have plenty of gifts and special moments to look forward to..."
The blonde turned towards an orange-haired lass with a coy smile. "Don't you, Shirley?"
"W-wh-wha!?" Shirley stuttered suddenly as her face turned red.
"I'm pretty sure you're looking forward to your lovey-dovey with Lulu…" teased Milly.
Lelouch rolled his eyes.
"M-Milly!" Shirley shot out, the redness and embarrassment in her face having increased.
"Why so embarrassed?" asked Milly, still with a teasing smile. "Just embrace your love. We all know you're head over heels for Lulu. You're really not doing a very good job at hiding it."
"M-Milly! P-p-please!" Shirley turned as red as Kallen's hair.
"Milly's right, Shirley," said Nina. "We can all see it."
"Oh don't worry Shirley, I'm not singling you out," said Milly. "I mean you're not the only one with a special someone." Her eyes shifted towards the green-haired bespectacled lass. "Don't you agree, Nina?"
"Huh?" Nina raised her eyebrows.
"I just couldn't help how you've been so much admiring Princess Euphemia ever since that hotel incident," said Milly. "And ever since she enrolled at the school you can't stop looking at her with that totally lovestruck look in your face."
"M-Milly?" Nina stuttered out as a blush appeared on her own face.
"You kept on talking about her like a goddess," said Milly. "Your knight in shining armour…"
"Milly, please…" Nina whimpered sheepishly.
"Geez Milly," thought Shirley. "Now you've moved on to teasing poor little Nina…"
"Don't be embarrassed," said Milly. "I mean she did save your life, and she's a really nice person, very beautiful too. She's been a heartthrob here on Ashford ever since she came. Don't be so ashamed."
"I-you're right…" Nina conceded, her voice low.
"Before she enrolled, you went on about how you wanted to meet her," said Milly. "And now that she's here at school, Nina…what are you waiting for now?"
Nina couldn't find her words to answer.
"When will you confess to Princess Euphemia how you really feel?" asked Milly. "Does she know?"
"I-I wanted to tell her…sometime," said Nina softly. "B-but…"
"But tomorrow's the perfect day," said Milly. "You got to come up to her sometime and say what's in your heart. Don't let your dream keep being a dream, Nina. You got to find your courage and go for it."
"Don't let your dream keep being a dream…find the courage for it…but how? It's not as easy as you say, Milly…"
Later at night, Nina was hard at work in her room table as she wrote letter after letter, trying to find the right words to express herself. Anxious, nervous, and dissatisfied with her draft, she crumpled it up and threw it into the trash along with several others past.
On the other end of the table were a box of chocolates she had bought during her shopping with the rest of the council earlier that day.
It took about ten tries before she came to the letter she felt was right. She placed it inside the valentine card over the box and exhaled heavily to try and calm herself.
Yet she remained anxious. She had no idea how Euphemia would react if she confessed. She feared the possibility of rejection. She didn't know what she'd do then.
"What…what would Princess Euphemia see in a mere commoner like myself…what would she think of me…"
She hoped that she could find the confidence to express herself, but she didn't know if she could…
Euphemia sat under a patio umbrella set on the school's rooftop. Across the circular table was an empty seat. Milly had informed her that someone from the Student Council wanted to talk to her, and arranged this setting apart from the rest of the student body down on the schoolyards.
"They should be coming here any time soon…" she thought.
And as if upon cue, Milly came along with a bespectacled girl of about average height with short dark green hair, long braids at each side over her shoulders, carrying a bag hung around her side. She looked quite shy and nervous, hesitantly taking her steps towards the table.
"No wonder Milly arranged this for the two of us alone," thought Euphemia as she looked upon the shy girl.
"Come on Nina…" Milly gently nudged Nina towards Euphemia. "Come on. There's nobody else here. This is your chance."
Nina moved forward, taking her seat on the table opposite of Euphemia as Milly stepped back. She couldn't contain a slight reddish tinge in her cheeks as she looked upon her dream idol in front of her. Her long, voluminous pink hair, her pale, smooth skin, her violet eyes, her slender, elegant statuesque form. Nina just couldn't help but imagine her shining like a goddess on Earth.
But merely dreaming isn't enough. It was as Milly said. This was her chance.
"H-hi…Princess Euphemia," greeted Nina sheepishly. "I-I-I'm Nina. N-nice to meet you…"
Nina trailed off and went silent for the next few moments. She felt like shrinking where she sat, tense and anxious, unable to speak whatever words she wanted to say next.
"What's wrong?" asked Euphemia. "I'm sure you have some things you wanted to say to me. Don't be shy."
However, despite the encouraging tone of the pinkette's words, Nina remained silent. Euphemia thought about it and came to the conclusion that her status must have something to do with it.
Perhaps Nina was afraid of saying the wrong thing?
This was one of the things Euphemia hated about her title as a princess. She wished she could converse normally on a personal level with other people but her title and position kept getting in the way. Indeed, this was among the reasons she insisted on enrolling at Ashford. To see, interact, and connect with the world of regular people.
She went to reassure Nina.
"Oh, if you're so worried just don't think of me as a princess," said Euphemia. "Think of me as just another girl. It's alright. Feel free to express yourself. Don't be scared. Say what you want to say."
Nina felt relieved. "I-I wanted to thank you. For saving me back in the hotel when we were hostages."
Euphemia thought back about the time she presented herself to save a meek girl from the JLF terrorists. "Ah, that was you. I just did what I felt was right."
"I never forgot it," said Nina. "I-I've longed to meet you, and when you came to our school it was like a dream…but I was too scared to come forward. You're like a shining goddess to me."
Euphemia turned her gaze down upon hearing those words. "I-I'm sorry, Nina. I'm…not exactly the wonderful person you think I am. I'm no good compared to my older sister. You're praising a figurehead. I'm unworthy. I'm sorry."
"No." Nina shook her head. "That's not true!"
Euphemia turned her head up.
"A figurehead wouldn't risk her own life to save others like what you did back then!" exclaimed Nina. "No good? How can you be no good!?"
"Who else would have saved someone as lowly as me?" Nina's voice turned low, her head slumped as her expression fell. "I-I'm just a commoner. I'm not pretty. I'm nothing special."
"Nina…" said Euphemia. "You shouldn't hate yourself so much."
"Huh?" Nina turned her head up.
"I think you're pretty cute," said Euphemia. "And don't forget you've got some of the highest marks in Ashford. You've got some qualities there you should be proud of. And you've got friends who care for you."
"Really?" asked Nina, a quivering smile appearing on her face.
"Yes," said Euphemia. "And…you're the first person who actually appreciated me. I don't get that very often. Nearly all those people in the courts who go to me only look at me for my title. They don't care about me as a person. When I did what I did back then, I expected to be thankless as I've always been before."
The pinkette's lips beamed a smile. "But having someone actually appreciate me for doing what I thought was right…it feels…it feels nice. I should thank you, Nina."
Nina bore a gentle smile. She felt glad to see the woman she had admired smile, for and because of her.
She then remembered that she had a gift she wanted to give.
"Happy Valentines' Day." She took out a heart-shaped pink box with a folded Valentine's card of the same colour on it and presented it to Euphemia. "Here."
As Euphemia took the card and read it, Nina looked away with a bashful look on her face.
Euphemia let out a slight gasp as a slight red blush appeared on her own face. "I-I didn't know you felt this way about me…"
"I-I…" Nina could only stutter as she turned red as Kallen's hair.
"You really poured your heart into this letter," said Euphemia. "You shouldn't feel ashamed. If that's what your heart wants, don't be afraid to follow it."
"T-thanks…" said Nina. "You're right."
Euphemia took out a small lavender paper note and wrote something on it.
"Here." She handed the note to Nina.
Nina was astonished and elated as she took a good look at it. "I-is…is that…your number!?"
"That's right," said Euphemia. "We can keep in touch. If you want to talk to me sometime, go for it. I'd be glad to. Let's make this work."
"A figurehead wouldn't risk her own life to save others. Those were the words you have said to me. I suppose you're right. Thank you for reminding me of who I must be. Of who I must become. You reminded me that I should not hate myself. You gave me this pleasant sensation, this warm, fuzzy feeling inside. As you have thanked me, I thank you as well, Nina.
If this is the path our hearts desire, let's follow it together. Arranged marriages can stick it up where the Sun doesn't shine. Let our budding love breach the boundaries of class."