Summary:

Nico's been singing and Maki can't sleep. Nozomi forces Nico to talk about what's bothering her.

Maki could still hear the notes, see the twinkle in Nico's eyes, close her eyes and see what Maki would swear had been a sparkle in the air around the singing starlet. Maki had been caught, inspired, launched into temporary obsession by singers before, by songs, but it had never been this…intimate, never someone she knew, she'd never had to connect comfortable Nico with heart racing on stage spotlight STAR Nico. She didn't know. This had never happened. She wanted to help Nico, not be unable to close the Nico Door. She should have thought twice, plead anything, bled anything. But no, Nico had dragged her in for a Waa-Mu rehearsal when their regular rehearsal pianist had an emergency. Seemingly innocent, Nico excited to show off her friend Maki and to show her friend Maki how she hard she worked. Sight reading the songs was a simple challenge; the Mount Everest was keeping her eyes on the music when Nico leaned on the piano, with a wink, and delivered the "hey, fluffadellas, is it gay to yearn" solo 13.25 inches away from Maki's face.

Maki sat at the piano, her fingers riffing a complicated take on "La Vie En Rose." Did Nico really mean "bury me in flowers?" What was Nico's actual cubic volume? Surely, Maki could figure out the math for that one. There must be a formula. Maki picked up her phone.

M: How much do you weigh?

N: ?!

M: Calculating your cubic volume.

N: Why?

M: You said…

M: Nevermind…

M: SOrry to bother you.

Maki's phone buzzed. Nico. Of course. She hit speaker and laid it on the piano.

"What's up, Maki?"

Maki blew out a small storm, "Me."

"Want Nico to sing you a lullaby?"

Maki shoved back from the piano, hit the lurking wingchair, tilted the bench, and connected with the floor.

"Maki?"

"No. No singing…"

"Nico would be very happy to."

There was a hum. Maki stretched up like a swimmer flailing for a rail and hit the red button. Nico hit redial.

"Maki."

"Nico."

"Tell Nico what the problem is."

Maki thought of a song, from a very old, meh plot musical with killer music, Pal Joey. Rodgers and Hart always resonated more than Rodgers and Hammerstein, "Lately, I've not slept a wink."

"Well, that's not good, Maki."

"I know." Maki wondered if she could sneak in another lyric. "I'm just…on the blink."

"And rhyming."

"What?"

"Wink, blink, pretty soon you'll be writing Broadway lyrics."

Had Nico figured it out? Would there be an angry flood of rant about the half pint imitation line? Or questions about being in love? Maki didn't want questions about being in love. Or songs about being in love? Or Nico's voice stamping new words into the history of musical theatre.

Hey, fluffadellas, let me tell you a yarn,
About how to yearn,
Knit yourself up
in her dreams,
Beam yourself up
To their starship

Galaxy's calling
Gravity's falling

In-fin-it
Just ship it
How you learn
You yearn
You burn;
You fly
You cry;
You miss;
You kiss

Gravity's pulling
Galaxy's filling

It was a stupid, stupidly silly song, for a wonderfully silly showcase of a farce.

"Maki?"

Nico was still on the phone.

"Get some sleep."

"Okay."

"Good. Text me tomorrow. Maybe we can have dinner."

"Sure. 'Night, Nico."

"'Night, Maki."

Would Day Maki think about Nico less?

###

Sunglasses, mask, scarf over her head, and yet something about Yazawa Nico still centered attention. Nozomi walked by her, then did a double take, curious. Nico RARELY went out without the full Nico effect, makeup, cute outfit, sparkly eyes. Yet here she was at Norris, picking at a donut, chugging a coffee as large as she was, and staring glumly out the window at the Lake. An irresistible conundrum to poke at. Nozomi slid into the booth across from her friend.

"Who was the unlucky lady?"

Nico threw a chunk of donut at Nozomi.

"You are the opposite of an asexual." Nico sipped more coffee, "An alwayssexual. Is that a thing?"

"I have a healthy relationship with my body's sexual needs and my body has a healthy relationship with…"

Nico raised a hand, "Nico doesn't want to hear it." She raised her cup, "And congratulations. Self knowledge is power."

"Especially the kind of self knowledge that leads to climactic self stimulation."

Nico's sunglasses reflected Nozomi's smirk, "Are you amusgasming yourself enough that this isn't a complete waste of Nico's time?"

There was a tone in Nico's voice, one Nozomi hadn't heard before. She couldn't immediately pin a mood to it. So she went back to a save point.

"So now you want to be a gay wiki."

""Because Nico said asexual? Raise the bar, Nozomi. You're smarter than that."

"So what really kept you up last night? Studying?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Nervous about Waa-Mu?"

"Nico will be legendary." Nothing but confidence.

"How did yesterday's rehearsal go?"

A hit. Nico stared at the Lake.

"Maki filled in for our rehearsal pianist. It went really well, but she's been weird ever since."

"What kind of weird?"

Nico traced a shape on the window, "You know when someone's paying attention to you and you can tell, even if you're not with them."

"Yeah."

"Nico just knows. And Maki's not sleeping. And rhyming."

"Rhyming…that's…that's a bad sign, Nico, the worst." Nozomi clutched the table, swaying, voice shrill "She should have gotten the vaccine. Or masked before interacting with sheet music."

"She was masked." Nico slapped a hand on the table, "And just shut up. They were song lyrics."

"What song?"

"Doesn't matter. To you."

"So just talk to her."

Nico grimaced, "Can't tell her I know the song; it'll turn awkward. Maki's not ready for…"

"Love?"

Nico had a sudden memory of them sitting perched on the balcony outside Maki's room, Maki, staring at stars, kicking her legs, relaxed at the space between them, but near enough that Nico could feel her warmth.

"She's more an action person, an outside person. Not ready yet for...hopping through windows, eating inside."

"Like a stray cat?" Nozomi doubled over with laughter, "So you're leaving out food and escape routes for her."

Nico giggled, "Sometimes."

"Just keep the window open. It's getting warmer all the time."

"But something's making Maki weird."

Nozomi's green eyes softened, "We all have our own weird, Nico-chi. Be patient. You like her, right?"

"Yeah. She's funny, kind, easy to talk to, so so smart, talented…and…" Nico wolf whistled while making an almost imperceptible hourglass gesture, "hot."

"Not used to not touching?"

Nico stared at Nozomi for a long time, "Maybe."

"Act like a bottom for the month. Or buy yourself a collar and roleplay celibacy on command."

"Talking to you is always a mistake." Nico slammed her cup down.

"You know, Nico-chi, you can't just put what you want on hold for someone else forever. That's not healthy."

"Except for the Maki being weird and not sleeping, this is actually working; Nico has a lot going on."

Nozomi snorted, "Have you told Maki you're anti-romantic and anti-sexual on account of being a workaholic."

"I think she figured it out." Nico's wry self awareness turned to a jab, "But that's rude. And disrespectful of the aroace community."

"Like I have a hot, rich, perfect not girlfriend and no pressure for sex is letting me overwork myself to death while insomnia and stress turns her into a zombie is a good, respectful headspace to be in."

"Not your business."

"You'll hurt someone. You, Maki..it's not a good place for either of you."

"So what does Nico do?"

"Talk to Maki, not me."

"Nico didn't ask you to sit there."

Nozomi reached across the table, squeezing Nico's hands, "We're friends. You didn't have to. Your sparkle was dulled. I missed it."

That got a Nico smile. "Thanks." Then she snarled, making a cutting gesture. "You say anything to Maki and Nico will…"

"Yeah, yeah, you're terrifying."

There was a sharpness in Nico's voice, matched by a flare of fire in her gaze. "I would be."

Time for a change of topic. Nozomi leaned forward, all perky, peppy enthusiasm. "Now let me tell you about how wonderful Eli is for ten minutes. Fair is fair."

Nico rolled her eyes, "Five minutes and first you get Nico a refill."

"As you wish."

Nico threw her cup across the table; Nozomi let it bounce off her chest.

"So that's where you've got your mind. No wonder you're so grumpalicious."

A growl. "Get Nico coffee."

Nico glared; Nozomi giggled. The world had righted itself.

A/N: Tired.