Summary: Nico is leaving pre tour instructions for her wife.

With not quite an hour before Sonoda Umi was due to join them for dinner, Nishikino Maki and Yazawa Nico were on opposite ends of their comfortable couch going over a few practical matters before Nico had to leave their newlywed nest for her first major international tour. They had been flying through the list, when Nico paused to put down her scribbled list of things to tell her wife to watch that wife purse her perfect lips in concentration as Maki took notes on her phone, red bangs falling forward as she concentrated. When the slender, piano ready fingers finished typing at thrice Nico's usual rate, lavender eyes were suddenly suspiciously examining Nico.

"What?" Maki snapped harshly, then winced, "Sorry Nico-chan."

Nico shrugged, "You're just very cute, taking notes to do very domestic things as Nico's blushing new bride."

Maki growled, but it was playful and flirty, "You told me I had to…"

"There will be a test. If you do well, Nico will make sure there's a reward." Nico leaned forward and blew a kiss over her open palm.

Maki flushed and went back to typing…

"So you're eating meals at school." Nico returned to her list.

"Yes." Maki nodded.

"And Nico will have a kitchen when she gets back…" Nico let that sentence trail off.

Maki's lips pressed together and her frown swept them slightly to the left, "You sound more worried about the kitchen than me."

Nico laughed and moved to drop into Maki's lap, "I notice you don't deny that Nico should be worried about something."

Maki ducked her head into Nico's shoulder, "I'm going to miss you, Nico-chan."

"I'm going to miss you too, Maki-chan, but you're the one who's determined to prove you can live on your own, be married to the hottest singing sensation in the world, and start college off on time."

"I can." Nico recognized Maki's expression. Ultimate stubbornness personified. Only made the redhead cuter, which had stopped puzzling Nico after about their fifth kiss.

"I know you can...I'm just going to miss you too." Nico hugged Maki.

"I'll fly out to see you the first break I get, Nico-chan...but I don't want my parents to say I just married you because…"

"We couldn't be apart...Nico knows...Nico agrees...Nico just worries, you've never been on your own before."

"I'm a grown woman, Nico-chan." Maki's scold lacked fire, although it retained a hint of pique, but Nico was pretty sure it was directed at skeptics not in the room.

"And a very sexy one…." Pause for enough of a kissing session to leave Maki panting and completely muss her hair and then Nico decided to brooch the two points Maki might kick at.

"Maki-chan, remember now that you're a Yazawa…" Nico paused, expecting Maki to argue, but instead the redhead just got the broadest grin on her face…surprised at Maki's reaction, Nico had to pause to kiss her wife resoundingly yet again, "You are expected at Sunday lunches. Don't make Mama come find you. You know what's that like."

Both paled, remembering how Nico's mother pounding down the door of their apartment, newlywed status and overbooked schedules being no excuse for missing the Sunday family meal, and the awkward conversation after. Another stellar entry in the Adventures of Nishikino Maki vs. Nico's Mother.

"I'll put a reminder in my phone." Maki flipped through screens. More superfast typing.

"Good." Nico ruffled Maki's hair, "And text me pictures so I know how fast everyone's growing."

"Will do." Maki added a note.

Nico dropped her head on Maki's shoulder, her mood suddenly difficult to read.

"What is it, Nico-chan?" Maki was a little better at coping with Nico's quicksilver mood changes calmly.

"You may have to answer questions?" Nico nestled closer to her wife, knowing the redhead's arms would automatically tighten around her.

"From your mom? About what?" Maki felt her heart start to race and her shoulders tense…

'No, not from Mama. I had a talk with her." Nico sat up, crimson eyes serious, "From the press. About US."

US...Maki could feel the weight in Nico's voice. "Why?"

"Because Nico Ni always gets questions about her romantic life, you know that…"

Maki nodded, getting grumpy thinking of all the rumors that always surrounded Nico, Nico with her, Nico with everyone else in μ's, Nico with….

"Nico is going to have a new answer." Nico's voice quavered slightly. Maki thought she might be the only one who would have noticed.

Maki's arms snapped into 'never let Nico go' mode and Nico was having difficulty breathing so she tapped Maki's hands to ease up and the redhead did. Maki managed to whisper the question she was afraid to hear the answer to, "What?"

Nico turned, quickly and gracefully, so now she was straddling Maki, arms dropped casually on Maki's shoulders, eyes wide and sparkly, "That while Nico's private life is private, she is very proud to announce that she recently married her high school sweetheart, the ultra hot, super talented Nishikino Maki…"

"Nico-chan…" now Maki's voice quavered.

"Well, you are…" Nico bopped a kiss on Maki's nose. "Only the best for Nico."

"Can't we just send out a press release?" Maki whined, "And tell people not to call me."

Nico pulled back, "You know that will only make them want to find you more...Maki-chan. Nico thinks with the right interviewer we can spin this so it's not such a huge deal…"

Maki frowned. "Shouldn't we both be interviewed then?"

Nico arched an eyebrow, "Do you want to be interviewed about being a newlywed? Or what your parents think?"

"Not really." Maki glared at the ceiling.

"Your parents are going to handle as many questions as they…"

"No." Maki snapped, meeting Nico's glance with determination.

"Maki-chan, they're good at this."

"Did you call them?" An accusation.

Nico sighed, "No. Your mother sent me an email with PR agency suggestions."

Maki moved Nico to the side so she could stand, fingers catching on tangles, legs making an even smaller space out of their studio apartment as she paced, "We'll do the interview together, Nico-chan. When you get back. Or wherever we go to make it marriage license legal."

Nico glanced at Maki's phone, which her wife had left on the couch, "You'll be flying to see me in Seattle. Why not there? I'll have a three day break before we head to Canada."

"Okay." Maki had paced a circle, several times and ended up behind Nico. She flumped over the couch back, her legs across Nico's lap. "It's a date. I'll pack a dress."

"Wouldn't you already? Or were you just planning to wear your usual pajamas all the time?"

"Nico-chan!" Maki blushed and grabbed one of the half an Idol sized pillows to hide her face. "Wedding dress…" could be heard being muttered from the vicinity of an mortally embarrassed redhead.

Nico had been searching on Maki's phone, "Pack a kimono instead. There's a Shinto Shrine near Seattle, it looks beautiful."

"Let me see, Nico-chan." Maki swung herself up to lean into Nico, arms draped easily over Nico's shoulders. "That's so pretty."

"I know. It'd be quiet, which you'd like, but still special." Nico found another site with photos taken at the shrine. Maki leaned in closer.

"You could invite your family, Nico-chan."

"Our family, Maki-chan." Nico rubbed her cheek against Maki's.

"Our family." Nico's heart swelled at the warmth in Maki's gorgeous tones.

"Nah, too much fuss. When it's legal here, we'll have a local ceremony. And besides," Nico pulled Maki down on the couch so she could look up into that goofy, sexy, oh so tempting smile, "it's my honeymoon."

"Our honeymoon," Maki chided Nico, mimicking Nico's emphasis.

"Yeah." Nico's grin was just as goofy as her wife's, who closed the distance to enable sensual lip smashing in record time, even for newlyweds. Umi, still 15 minutes out, would be ringing their apartment buzzer for a long time that evening.

A/N: Another entry in the when I need a short break from the latest chapter of Casual Lunacy, I sort out the early years of NicoMaki marriage timeline. Enjoy!