#also on a different note (slightly) i feel like will just grabs nico sometime in the middle of the night like hes his teddy bear | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jenni42085 · 4 years

Text

Love in the Time of Corona <Two>

Two.

After the dough had risen enough Nico got up to start the relaxing but tiresome process of sectioning out the rolls and stuffing the dough with pepperoni and cheese. Chris watched her quietly from afar and decided that he could do what she did and wanted to be closer to her.

“Can I help?”

She figured he would keep her company but was shocked when he asked to help. Her shocked expression was quickly hidden but he still saw it. “Ummm, sure. I can show you how to do it.”

“Awesome.” He replies as he jumps over the couch to wash his hands and help her. Usually the process takes Nico a good hour but with his help it took her half the time. After they finish and let the rolls were stuff and left to rise one more time they sat on the couch again. “So stupid question but I’m curious. Who is your favorite Avenger and why?”

Her head clocks to the side with a small smile and adjusted her unicorn rainbow glitter glasses. “Honestly, Captain America and it’s not because I’m here with you. But his character was always good, honest, and always wanting to do the right thing for people. Then when Infinity War came out. The hair and the beard were like seeing you for the first time in a while different light. Sounds weird right?”

Chris does a small low chuckle,”No it doesn’t. I’ve heard some of the same things about the beard and getting more noticed. I did an interview on a podcast for . . . “

“Thirst Aid Kit.” She cuts him off with a chuckle.

His eyes widen with surprise to know she had listened a big smile crosses his face. “You listened to that?”

“Most def! I adore them so much. I was kind of surprised when I actually heard you on there. But they are right though.”

He runs his hands through his hair. “So this is the look that woman want?”

“Well I don’t know about women as a collective but a good majority love it.” She replies with a small chuckle. “Hold on one moment I need to put the pan in the oven”

He watches as she quickly rushes to put the two pans of pepperoni rolls in the oven. While her back was turned he was observing her, she was standing tall with pride as to how the rolls looked making him smile that he helped her.

Thankful that her back is turned to him, Nico had a chance to do a small sigh from admitting to Chris that she adores the beard and longer hair and that he was in fact her favorite Avenger. She was hoping her the time turned away would help the blush she felt go back down. He noticed she was taking a little bit longer than it should to put it in the oven.

So he gets up and checks on her. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah. Just a little in shock.” She replies quietly while looking down at her hands as she picks at her nails.

“Why?” He wonders in worry.

“Well, I don’t know it’s only 3 in the morning and I’m in Chris freaking Evans kitchen making pepperoni rolls and telling him that I adored his character and beard. You know nothing too crazy.” She replies with some sarcasm.

“Ohh, well there is nothing wrong with that.” He replies calmly hoping he didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

“I’ll be right back I have to use the little girl’s room.” She says in an unclear tone.

Chris was able to pick up on her melancholy sound and stopped her before she walks off. “You know it’s ok right? And you are handling this totally cool. I was just wondering is all. I’m sorry if you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s ok just in my head right now. I’ll be right back.” She walks off to the bathroom feeling embarrassed by the fact she did admit that she might have ok really had a huge crush on him.

While she was in the bathroom Chris texts the guys in the group chat.

Chris: She likes Cap! I’m her favorite AND she’s heard me on a podcast and loves the beard!

RDJ: First off congrats! Secondly, why are you awake?

Chris: Well apparently she couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t sleep and she is baking pepperoni rolls for us tomorrow.

Mackie: She cooks. She’s a keeper.

RDJ: What’s a pepperoni roll?

Chris: Well it’s a roll with pepperoni and cheese it in the dough smells so good. I’m excited.

RDJ: Ok then. Where is she now? Why aren’t you talking to her instead us?

Chris: I think she was letting her guard down by telling me stuff then got bashful and ran to the bathroom.

Mackie: Maybe she really had to go?

Chris: Or maybe I embarrassed her.

RDJ: Well she can’t really avoid you unless she’s goes back home. . .

Chris closes his phone when he hears foot steps coming towards him. He relaxes when he realizes it is Nico. She looks sheepish but still in good spirits as she looks over the rolls as they are baking she melts some butter and butters the still baking rolls then sprinkled Parmesan cheese on them and pushes them back in the oven. Chris watches her silently. Finally after what felt like an eternity, she turns her head to look at him.

“What?” She asks making her eyes get larger and adjusting her glasses.

He gives her a small smile. “Nothing, you just look really focused and beautiful.”

She readjusts her unicorn rainbow glitter glasses and gives him a funny look. “Right. If you say so.”

“What you don’t believe me?” He asks as he sits on the couch while she checks the rolls one more time.

Nico looks at him for a second then joins him in the couch. “Honestly, not too sure. Don’t know if you are being truthful or maybe trying to get into my pants.”

Chris grabs his chest in fake heartbreak. “Wow, you don’t pull any punches.”

“Not after you have heard that I adore Cap and the beard.” She replies with a big smile.

“Understandable, but I’d only trying getting in your pants if I knew I really had a chance and that you'd asked me to.” He replies confidently. He won’t admit it to her just yet but he finds her very attractive and so far he has enjoyed her company.

“Good to know. So we have about 20 minutes and then they are done. Want to watch something on TV?”

“Sure.”

Nico pulls up Disney+ and they start watching So Weird. She had been watching it before she came there and wanted to complete the series. As the episode progresses Nico finally feels the pull of sleep and gives into it.

Chris notices that Nico has drifted off and looks at her phone and sees that the alarm is about to go off so he waits for it to go off then quickly stops it as to not wake Nico.

He pulls the rolls out and they smell amazing. After turning off the oven and covering the pans with foil he walks back over to Nico who is still sleeping. He notices how he messy bun was slightly fallen and how the grey shorts had ridden up her smooth chocolate legs.

After debating for a hot minute of waking her, leaving her, or taking her to her room he turns off the tv and the lights in the kitchen and picks her up. She is heavier then most of the girls he has ever picked up but still light. He liked that she was thick and not bone skinny. She has things he can hold on to.

As he carries her to the guest room he notes how soft her skin is, almost like silk. Also how blemish free she looks. She snuggles closer into his chest using him for warmth. He enjoys holding her close, internally he hopes that holding would become a normal thing.

When he arrives in the room he notices that she left the night stand light on. The sheets were pulled back so he gently deposited her on the bed making sure not to wake her. His arm lingers as he puts her down and a small sound comes her that catches his attention.

He steps closer and says,” Nico?”

If he wasn’t as close as he was he might have missed it but sleepily she states, “ Stay.”

“Are you sure?” He asks unsure if she is awake or completely knocked out. No response is heard from her but she does a sleepy nod still asleep, while he pulls off her glasses placing it on the night stand.

Unsure if she was aware she had nodded or not Chris decides to stay with her. While still having contact to her body he maneuvers around the bed to pull back the sheets and climb in. Once in bed with her, he turns off the night stand light closest to him and tries to relax.

After a few minutes Nico rolls over to be closer to him, nuzzling her head in his neck causing him to stir in other places but, he quickly thinks of unsexy thoughts even though her warm body was cuddled up to him feeling very warm and inviting.

Her arm lays across his chest and he pulls her closer to him and feels her body completely relax. Finally realizing that she was in a deep sleep Chris decided to get more comfortable so he could finally get some much needed rest. He pulls the blanket over himself and Nico and closes his eyes and drifts into sleep.

He wasn’t sure if it was the fact it was so late or that he was tired from helping with the pepperoni rolls or what but he was able to fall asleep quicker than he has in a long time. As he drifted off he hopes that she doesn’t wake up and freak out because he was there.

***********************************************************************************************

Nico wakes up feeling warm, safe, and comforted. She wasn’t able to describe another feeling but she liked it. When she realizes that someone’s arms are around her she had to think what was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.

While trying to think if even remembers pulling the pepperoni rolls out, she feels the arms pull her closer. She doesn’t tense when she remembers she was on the couch when she fell asleep hanging out with Chris.

She rolls over in what she assumes Chris’s arms and looks at his sleeping body. Nico knows that she would be lying to herself if she didn’t think he was attractive not only physically but emotionally. He has always given off the personality of an all around good guy who loves what is good and right in the world. But still finds it odd that he said she was beautiful.

Nico knew she was cute or just pretty but never saw herself as beautiful. She knows a size 14/16 isn’t skinny and shocked he was able to carry her to bed. Sometimes the media makes her think she isn’t good enough for her size or color but deep down she has started realizing that there will be a man who appreciates her for who she is.

She was so deep in thought about his comment that she didn’t notice he had woken up and was watching her stare off into space. “Morning. Are you ok? Before you ask we didn’t have sex you asked me to stay so I did.” Chris states as he pulls her out of her thoughts. He notes that she looks just as beautiful as she did yesterday making him think she doesn’t wear make up at all. She's a true natural beauty which he appreciates.

Nico looks shocked at his statement but does understand that he was in her bed and she did have some questions. “Good morning and yes. Was just thinking. . . I couldn’t remember anything minus watching So Weird then I worried that I burnt the pepperoni rolls.” She states with a small chuckle.

“You didn’t. I looked at your alarm and got it before it went off. I figured you had a long day with driving, moving your stuff, and then being up late baking so I just let you sleep.”

“Well thanks. What time is it even?” She replies as she rolls over looking for her glasses.

“No idea. . .” He answers as he is cut off by the sound of her door opening.

“Maybe she is awake and . . . Colton! Come look at this!” Scott squeals as he sees his brother already in bed with Nico. He notices the pair looks bashful and shocked as they pull away from each other. “Already romping in the hay.”

Nico stands up and adjust her glasses. “No. . . We fell asleep apparently talking to each other.”

“What am I looking at Scott?” Colton comes in the room looking shocked. “Nico! Really?!?”

“What?” Nico questions looking bothered by her brother's stern tone.

Chris looks at the quickly blushing Nico and decides to say something. “Colton and Scott, we didn’t do anything. We baked pepperoni rolls and fell asleep in here talking. Nothing happened yet but when it does we will tell you guys.” He replies with a wink to Nico making her blush more.

Colton looks at Nico and notices that they are both fully clothed. Neither look like they have had the best sex of their lives so maybe they just fell asleep. But it still bothers him to a point.

Even though Nico is grown woman at 34 years old, she is still his little sister. He doesn’t want anyone to hurt her. He’s been there when she met a few men guys who broke her heart. The most hurtful was one the one when she was 20. Her ex fiancé who lied, cheated, and hit her. When he finally left her, she wasn’t herself at all. She was so in love with him that when he left her, she was sad, depressed, and self destructive. He promised himself to not let any man hurt her like that again.

Instead of telling her and Chris that it was cool and not make the whole stay in quarantine awkward he just looks at her and says, “Okay.” And walks out the room.

Nico sensing that she has done something wrong she follows after Colton leaving Scott and Chris alone. She sighs when she realizes that he had walked outside while it’s was starting to snow and she didn’t have on the appropriate clothing.

“Colton! Where are you going?”

“For a walk go back inside.”

“Colton, come on talk to me.” She whines as he finally stops walking.

He turns around and looks at his sister who looks cold and confused. He knows he can’t save her from everything but at least wants to tell her how he feels. “Go inside sis, you don’t have any clothing on.”

“Not until you tell me what that was all about? I didn’t have sex with him, I legit just slept. And more importantly, I’m almost 35!! Why are you acting like this?”

Colton takes off his hoodie and hands it to her she greedily accepts it and puts it on. “I don’t want you with him.”

“Then why invite me up here?”

“I don’t want you to fall in love and have him hurt you.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. I fell asleep nothing more and nothing less. I find him attractive and would like to peruse something with him BUT it’s only been a day and I barely know the real Chris. I only know what the media portrays of him.”

“I know but I know how you get when your heart has been broken and it is safer for it not to be broken.”

Nico looks at him and understands but she still needs to live, “Please tell me you aren't basing it off the past and I’ve grown up A LOT since then I can’t always be single. Just let me live. Ok?”

“I know but I don’t want you depressed or self destructive.”

“I won’t just let me explore this with him maybe. If that is even where it is going. It might not go anywhere because I'm still pretty guarded about giving my heart away to anyone.”

“Oh, he likes you. I see the way he watches you when you aren’t looking.” He replies while a small smile. “You are my baby sister, I can’t help but worry especially since we are quarantining with him and I’m dating his brother. I don’t want this to end badly for you or me.”

“It won’t for you and Scott. You guys are totally cute together. And Chris and I barely know each other. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t but I should at least have a chance to see where it will go. And at the very least let me work out some sexual frustration with him.” She states with a huge smile waiting for her brother’s disgusted reaction.

“Ewww Nico! I didn’t need to hear that.” He replies disgusted but slightly intrigued about it. “I wonder if they have the same bedroom skills.”

She tilts her head looking at him curious to,”Maybe but we will never know if you go all alpha big brother on him and me. We didn’t even kiss last night. He was a gentleman.”

“Yes yes. I’m going to try better at not being over protective. Go in there before you freeze and enjoy Cap.” Colton said with a smile as he gives Nico a hug.

“Thanks Colton. If I feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable I’ll tell you. Promise.”

***********************************************************************************************

While Colton and Nico were outside discussing whatever bothered Colton, Scott took the opportunity to talk to his brother.

“So you like her?”

“I think I do so far. She sweet, funny, and beautiful.” He replies as he walks out of the guest room to his room with Dodger and Scott close behind him. “Is that a bad thing?”

Scott thinks for a moment and looks at his brother sincerely, “No, Nico is a great lady just don’t hurt her please.”

“We fell asleep together. Not sex not even a kiss. How can I hurt her?” Chris replies feeling distressed and anxious.

“Nico hasn’t had a boyfriend for a while.”

“Ok. How long is awhile?”

“Four years. Give or take.”

“Why so long?”

Scott shuts the door to Chris’ room and sits on his bed.

“It’s complicated at best. She doesn’t let anyone in, so she stays alone. The first time she did. He hurt her so bad that apparently she had to go into rehab for her depression and anxiety. Colton wants her to be happy but I think he is worried what could happen since you are well. . . “

Chris cuts him off. “Famous. Ok I get that but I don’t want to hurt her. I like her company. It’s fun not feeling like the third wheel in my own house.”

“Ok I get that but don’t use her or get into her pants unless you really want to be with her.”

“I know. I know. I’m trying to get to know her more. That’s why I was up late with her baking to know more about her. And honestly when I carried her to bed she asked me to stay. And she looked so peaceful that I stayed.”

“She did?” Scott questions feeling even more excited about what could be there.

“Yeah, she was asleep idk if it was on purpose or not but I just couldn’t get myself to leave.” He says as pulls a cigarette out to smoke.

“Really? Still doing this?”

Chris rolls his eyes and looks at Scott kind of sheepishly. “Yes Scott. I still smoke when my anxiety is bothering me. And right now between Colton and you I’m stressing. Then RDJ got me worried that she might run.”

“Sorry bro just looking out for you and me. I don’t want you hurting her and Colton hating you. If she can calm her brother down I think we will all me ok.”

"I sure hope so. She's pretty good people and I want to talk with her more about her cosplays and the whole Fan Fiction community they talk about on the podcast." Chris replies putting his hands in his gray sweatpants.

***********************************************************************************************

#chris evans #chris evans x black reader #thirst aid kit #chris evans x plus size reader

23 notes · View notes

sadboyayeron · 4 years

Text

THE ONLY VALID MORIYAMA Nikoshi Doe

I came up with this Idea of Kevin having to raise Rikos son who’s name I decide would be Nikoshi Doe aka Niko

Enjoy

So If you Read “Tapping on my Chamber door”

You know Nikoshi’s mother, Naima Dixon was born in Jamaica but came to the states at a young age after her mom past away. She lived in the Bronx with her Aunt. She had tight curls aften in box breads or corn cornrows and dark skin with light brown eyes. She was 5’8. Had a muscular build from all the years of track and had a scholarship to run at Eager Allen University. She was soon to have a spot on the olympic team for long jump, 100, 200 and 400 meters. She was then pregnant with Nikoshi after her and Riko started there little hook up. The knew of each other but they first met in class. She noticed Riko looking at her.

“Like what you see.” I was trying to catch him off guard but he didn’t even look surprise. But then he smiled. Something sharp that left me feeling tingly, similar to how I feel before racing.

“Not to bad, no.” He chuckled, looked me up and down before he landed back on my eyes, “Want to sit.”

He left me in a trance and I took a seat next to him and sat my books in front of me. I tucked some braids behind my ear and looked at him again, he was looking back with a smug smile on his face.

At first I was thinking Nikoshi was Rikos frozen sperm and his mother was forced by Rikos uncle to have him BUT I decide that Riko died before he knew about Naima being pregnant She found out she was pregnant and went to Riko’s uncle for help and he said to give him the kid and she could get her scholarship Back. So she agreed naming him “Nico” but sadly she died while giving birth from bleeding out. Tesuji doesn’t use that name and changes it to ‘Nikoshi’ stripping him of any last name (Doe) putting the kid into the system in the same place she grow up in Bronx. Ichirou is informed of Nikoshi ten years later after having his Uncle killed. Who then informs kevin.

Nikoshi is from the Bronx has a accent when he speaks. He knows Spanish because of the amount of Dominican and Puerto Rican foster parents he’s had. Kinda understands broken english two because one of his foster brothers was from Jamaica which is cool because he knows he’s half Jamaican and some type of asian. He wears beat up high top jordan 1s baggy ripped jeans and long sleeves with a baggy jacket. He plays soccer because the system put him on a team and he’s very fast. He didn’t have much clothes but his best ones are the uniforms and he’s fine with that. He also plays street basketball and baseball with some kids in the area.

Kevin has to take Nikoshi in, according to Ichirou. Bringing Neil and Andrew with him. Ichirou just sent him a picture a kid and he was confused until he got that call that explained everything. He doesn’t need to explain who the kid is because you can clearly tell from the picture. Though the kid has milk cholclate skin, and curly hair that falls around his head in a fro.

When he frist sees Nico he has a scrape scab on his cheek, bruises on his wrist and purple knuckles. His ears a surprisingly pierced.

They find out Nikoshi Doe goes by Niko, he likes chocolate and cafe con leche (coffee), he likes shoes, he likes the color green, he uses a lot of slang and sometimes uses broken english and spanglish words, he’s quite but hyper and doesn’t know how to say still, asks why a lot, he hates math and likes to read, he loves listening to music it’s his safe place, he was diagnosed with ADHD/ADD and takes a pill in the morning and after noon on school days, he doesn’t like the way the pills make him feel, he likes Bee, Bee suspects Niko my be Borderline but it’s hard to tell, Kevin explains Riko was too. When they go to pick up Nikoshi they are informed of his diagnoses.

“So Kevin Day, It is very nice to meet you my husband loves watching you guys play Exy,” She smiled at them and then opened a drawer in her desk pulling out two folders.“ Now these paper were just printed out today. One from Nikoshi’s Doctor and another from his psychologist.” Kevin straightened his back more at that.

“Psychologist?” She looked up at Kevin.

“Yes, a lot of children in foster care go to see a therapist. It helps cope with abandonment and makes sure the kids are transitioning well in their new homes.” She opened one of the folders. “Nikoshi saw a therapist who recommended him to a psychologist. He was diagnosed with ADHD/ADD and given medication. He went through three different medications before he was put on Focalin XR. His biggest issues are impulsivity, managing feelings, and energy. There is more information in the folder with getting the prescription at a pharmacy and things to know about his behavior. He takes Focalin every morning before school, its not needed on the weekends but to long off it isn’t the best idea. Though if you want him off the medication, if you ever come to adopting him you can do that.” She looked towards the other two. “Will you two be helping take care of Nikoshi.”

“Yeah we are, is there anything else we need to know. If he needs a therapist we already got that covered. We can send her the information.” Neil replied with a bored tone but

“Thats good to know, he just saw the doctor last week. He gained some weight and is now at a more healthier weight then he was before.” She sighed. “You have to reminded him to eat, he forgets to and he doesn't ask for food. The foster home he was just at was good with keeping a schedule, he ate, took his meds, ate at school, had a snack at home, soccer practice and then dinner. He gets distracted and has little habits that cause him focus to much on random things. The meds take away his hunger also, so it important that he finishes.” She then closed both folders and stacked them together before sliding them to Kevin.

Kevin didn’t know how to process that. This information sounded to familiar. He always had to remind Riko to eat something. Riko would go days without eating, or sleeping, or even both. It got so bad the master had to tube feed him because he past out and didn’t get back up. Niko always got back up. He was taken out of his thoughts when the lady, Jennifer stood. He picked up the folders and got up following Andrew and Neil out the door. Nikoshi was still sitting in his chair, he was singing his legs slowly and seemed fixated on his hands.

“Nikoshi, these gentlemen here are going to be your new guardians,” Niko looked up at them. He got a better look at there faces, now that the glasses were off he could easily recognize who the taller man was with the chess piece on his cheek bone. He was confused o say the least. This had to be some sick joke, or a stupid stuPID dream. He looked at the other too, the screw that littered the red heads tan face and the man with blond hair and black studs.

“Deadass?” He blurted out suddenly. Fuck. He did not mean to blurt that out. Kevin day looked taken back by his statement and the other too snickered from slightly behind him. The lady looked horrified.

Riko used to self harm, stop eating for days, wouldn’t sleep for days either. His uncle had to force him into a tube feeder once because of this. Kevin and Riko had to see a therapist and she diagnosed Riko. His uncle disregarded it and gave him sum type of pills that made Riko’s anger at himself turn down a bit but he was more depressed. He tried to commit 3 times after. Kevin made him promise not to. He flushed the pills and started to abuse others.

Kevin explains this to Neil and Andrew. They then try to learn more about BPD. They watch youtube videos, read articles and books on it till they had a better understanding of the disorder. They learn about the self-destructive tendencies and suicidal gestures that are quite common with the disorder. They all try there best to build a good support system.

Niko has a hard time with his identity and ‘who he is’, he tries to remember that Kevin wants him and isn't going to abandon him, he tries to keep his shifts in moods to himself but in only makes things worse. He tends to shut down in his room more often then not. He finds himself getting angry at little things knowing he shouldn’t but he still does. Anger attacks aren't as bad as the empty feeling he gets sometimes.

When Niko meets all the foxes he drifts more towards Nicky for whatever reason. He finds that he like Nickys happy vibes and feels it radiate from him. He likes to soak in it.

Niko likes talking to Neil, he gets candy from Andrew, and he likes playing Exy with Kevin. He didn’t like school and says it’s hard for him but he still makes honor roll no problem.

During the second month of school when he first started living with Kevin he expriences racism for maybe the first time. He didn’t have any friends, nor knew anybody. He could tell he was different from the other kids. They were mostly white with a splash of color here and there. The way they talked and walked was different then how he did. He didn’t grew up with white picket fences like they seemed to. They dressed different too. He didn’t like the stares he was getting from the kids in his class.

“Nice hair are you a girl?” One of the boys said, with his little click at his back. It was recess and Niko stuck to staying to himself drawling in his note book that Andrew gave him.

“No.” The boys continued to laugh. He hated when people talked about his hair. He didn't like his hair. Especially when his foster mothers always tugged and pulled on it. That wasn't just it though. It reminded him of his foster father Mr. James.

“Such pretty hair.”

The boys crept closers and Niko started to feel closed in. One of them pulled out scissors and two grabbed him by the shoulders. One talked about how there dad said them Black boys need to cut there hair. Another used a slur Niko heard a lot back in the Bronx, used it himself when with the kids in the neighborhood but he never heard it used like this. He started to struggle but another one grabbed his face and held him down so his face fell between his knees. He felt chuncks of hair being cut of from his head as they fell down his back and some at his feet.

He felt his eyes water and struggled harder. He kicked the one to his right in the shin, knowing how much it hurt from when he played soccer with out shin guards. The kids let go of that shoulder and he swung his arm hitting another kid. They all let go once they heard a teacher yell at them. Niko reached for the scissors and threw them in the grass. The boys ran away and Niko was left to look at the small and large chunks of his hair on the concrete. He didn’t mean to bother anybody. He didn't ask to have this type of hair. He didn’t ask to be different. Sometimes he missed the Bronx but then remembered his foster sister getting shot, and his doped up foster parents he used to end up with. He didn't want to go back, but he found himself missing it sometimes.

Nobody asked abut his hair during the rest of the school day. Not even his teacher. Its fine he didn't want to bother anybody. When Andrew came to pick him up he was wearing his hoodie. Today Neil and Andrew were coming over, so was Aaron. Aaron practically lived with him and Kevin now though. He said nothing on the way home. He didn't want to bother them. He was trying his hardest not to.

But then he got home he went straight to the bathroom and locked the door. He didn’t hear Kevin nor Aaron calling him. He stared in to the mirror and glared at himself. Disgusting. You look like a girl. He ripped off his hood and he felt something in himself crack. His hair was clearly uneven. Some areas you couldn’t tell but he could see how his curls on his forehead were shortened compared to the pieces on the sides. He could tell where every spot was that had been cut, like there were circles showing him where to look. A broken sob cut through his throat. The tears rolled down his cheeks. He always thought he was an ugly crier. He grabbed his hair and pulled. He kept pulling till he felt arms wrap around his torso. He wanted to fight who ever they were off but he couldn't. They grabbed his hands but they couldn't pry them from his hair. He heard someone calling his name and found a face to that voice. He noticed another person accompanied him in the mirror. Holding on to him. It wasn’t his voice he heard though. He saw the other three at the bathroom entrance but it was Aaron standing closest to him.

“Niko its okay, let go buddy.” He didn’t know if he meant his hands or his feelings but he let them go. He saw more pieces of hair fall through his hands but ignored it and them screamed. Kevin turned him around and held him again. Kevin lowered himself to his knees to let Niko cry and scream into his neck. He rubbed his back till he calmed down. Neil and Andrew left to prepare some ice cream and play music. Kevin noticed the hair that fell to the floor and so did Aaron. It didn’t match the amount that should still be connected to his head.

Niko told them what happened at school with less emotion then he displayed before. They were all furious but chose to keep it inside to comfort Niko. They called the school and told them what happened. The school apologized but Kevin still wasn't letting Niko go back to that school. He transferred Niko to another and reassured him it was okay and it was the same distance anyways. They took Niko to the babor shop and they evened out his hair. He got it cut some on the sides as well, allowing the back and top to be longer. His hair showed more off his forehead and ear piercings now. He felt more exposed, but was happy with the hair cut.

When he meets Dan she gives him oils and creams to put in his hair. Even showed him how to wash it too, Matt helps. He got to meet there kids.

Allison braided his hair down for when he graduated Elementary School. She teaches how how to do other things like twist, braids, and box braids.

When he goes to college Renee helps him bleach the ends of his hair blond.

He has nightmares often. And likes to have hot chocolate to calm his nerves. He gets irritated easily, they learn. When he gets irritated he stops talking and fidgets, tapping his foot and cracking his knuckles.

Kevin’s night terrors slowly fade as Riko’s dark shadow fades into Nikos warm glow.

Niko definitely learns how to skateboards when Aaron gives him his old one. Kevin likes to watch them practice it together. Just like Aaron likes to watch Kevin teach Niko Exy. He joins a team in Middle School. He's definitely going to be something.

Hope you guys like this. Leave ask and suggestions about Nikoshi Doe. I would love to hear about it and write the prompts.

38 notes · View notes

thebluesideofmyworld · 6 years

Text

I Like Me Better (Chapter 18) - A Solangelo Fic

Chapter 18: Don’t know about you but I can feel it in this room

(Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12|| Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 || Chapter 15 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17) || Read on AO3

Chapter Summary: Where the only one who realized that it was some sort of a date was not Will, nor Nico.

Nico sat on the stool, watching Will who was taking out some stuff from the fridge.

“I don’t know that you can cook,” Nico said.

Will turned his head. He flashed a half-smile at Nico as he nudged the fridge’s door with his elbow to close it.

“Well,” he said, and put some vegetables on the counter. “I didn’t know either that you can bake.”

Will shrugged his shoulders as he flashed another small smile. He turned around so that his back was facing Nico.

“What are you going to make?” Nico asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was staring at Will’s ass who was opening the cabinet door.

“Beef and broccoli,” Will said without looking at Nico. “Now if only I can find that… Ah, there it is,” Will said, and reached out for something on the top shelf. Will was tall enough that he didn’t really have to tiptoe to reach it. But still, his shirt went up as he stretched his arms up, to reach whatever it was that he needed. A strip of skin peeked out, the glorious skin a nice contrast of Will’s white shirt that he was wearing.

Nico had to forcefully look away from the sight in front of him before his train of thought went too far. He gazed around the apartment. The floor plan was basically the mirror image of Nico’s apartment, with the same basic furniture. But the knick-knack and some small details around the room were what made it different. While it looked a bit more scattered than Nico’s, there was just something that made it looked warmer.

The sound of door creaked opened, followed with footsteps coming from one of the bedrooms made Nico turned his head.

“Hey, Nico. How is it going, man?” Austin greeted him as he leaned his shoulder against the wall.

Nico flashed him a smile. “Am alright. How are you?”

“Not so bad,” Austin turned his head to Will. “You’re cooking?”

“Uh huh,” Will said, lifting his head up from the chopping board. “And Nico’s joining us for dinner,” he said, grinning at Austin.

“Really?” Austin’s turned his head back to Nico. “You’re staying tonight?”

“Will offered me free dinner, and hey… I am just a college student!” Nico said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s probably ready in an hour,” Will said as he was pouring soy sauce into the bowl of beef strips. “Beef and broccoli, and I am also making eggdrop soup.”

“That, sounds amazing,” Austin said, then his eyes darted back to Nico. For a split second, something flashed across Austin’s face, but a grin quickly took over his face before Nico was really sure about it. “Unfortunately, I think… I’ll have to pass tonight,” Austin said, angling his neck a little to look at Will.

Will stopped chopping onion, looking at Austin with confusion. “Huh? Why?”

“Well,” Austin said, straightened up his back. “I just remember that I need to go to the computer lab. My laptop is not fast enough for me to do my MatLab coding.”

“Oh, damn. I’ll save some and put it in the fridge,” Will said.

“Yeah,” Austin said. “But hey, at least you have someone to have dinner with tonight, right Nico?” Austin winked at Nico before he turned around and went back to his room.

Nico felt like he was not supposed to blush at that, but somehow he felt his cheeks were warmer.

Will himself didn’t seem to care as he already continued chopping the onion.

“Hey, Neeks? You know what, I was just starting to watch this TV show…” Will said as he put aside the chopped onion, and took a broccoli. Nico quickly forgot about what Austin said and listened to Will talking about the TV show.

About ten minutes later, Will was still trying to convince Nico to also watch Voltron, when Austin walked out of his room, his backpack on his shoulders.

He waved at Nico and Will as he walked past them to the door.

“Bye, Nico. See you later, Will.”

“Bye, Austin. Good luck with your codes,” Will said, as Nico gave a small wave at Austin.

“Anyway, where was I?” Will asked after Austin left.

“Your theory about Keith and Lance,” Nico said.

“Ah, yes… So, in like episode 4 of that season, there was this scene…” Will kept talking while continued working with the ingredients. Nico sat on the stool, watching him fondly as Will talked passionately as he kept on working with the kitchen utensils. There was just something endearing to see Will doing something so…domestic like this.

“And I swear that Keith was only being -“ Will’s fiery explanation was cut by a chirping sound from his phone that was lying on the kitchen island. “Hold on a second,” Will said, grabbing his phone. He looked at the screen. “Austin,” he said as he slid his finger on the screen. “Probably making sure that I save some food for him.”

Nico popped a grape into his mouth, but then he saw Will’s brows furrowed down.

“What?” He asked, a bit concerned when he saw Will was slightly frowning. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” Will said. “I just… don’t understand what he said in his text.”

“Oh? What did he say?”

Will looked up from his phone for a second. He pushed away a lock of hair from his forehead. “He asked me whether I wanted him to stay somewhere else for the night.”

Nico’s brows furrowed down in confusion. “Huh? Why?”

“I don’t know,” Will said, already looking back to his phone as he typed a reply. “Maybe he forgot his key and didn’t want to keep me awake waiting for him? I am asking him whether he forgot his key.” “Probably,” Nico said. “If he needs his keys, we can go to the computer lab to give it to him. Or I can stay with you to wait for him?”

“Yeah… We can do that,” Will said absently, still having his eyes on the phone. A second later, his phone went off again. Nico watched as Will read the message. Will raised his eyebrows. He shrugged his shoulders as he put his phone back on the kitchen island.

“Never mind. He has his keys with him. So we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh,” Nico said, popping in another piece of grape. “Okay. Good, then.”

At the back of his mind, he still didn’t understand what Austin meant, and probably Will didn’t either. But Will continued talking again, this time gushing about a character named Shiro, and that thought quickly disappeared from Nico’s mind.

***

“This is nice,” Nico said two hours later as he rested his back on the couch. On the TV screen was an old episode of Parks and Recreation. He made a deal with Will that he might consider watching Voltron if Will would watch Nico’s favorite TV series. So once dinner was ready, they brought the food and placed them on the coffee table, and Nico introduced Will to the city of Pawnee and its absurd citizens. Next to him, Will chuckled. Nico turned his head, finding Will was staring at him with a soft smile on his lips.

“What?” Will asked.

Nico raised his eyebrows. “What what?”

“What is nice?” Will asked again, and Nico really hoped that Will didn’t have that soft smile on his lips, that Will’s eyes were not that blue, because those things were just too distracting.

“Well, you know…” Nico rested the back of his head against the couch.

Being with you was nice. Doing anything with you was nice. Doing nothing with you was nice.

“The dinner,” Nico said, bracing himself to glance at Will. At first they sat at the opposite ends of the couch, leaving a respectable distance of personal space between them. But three episodes of Parks and Rec later, between laughing at Tom’s sassy dialogues and chuckling at April’s sarcastic remarks on practically everything, they were only separated by a throw pillow between them now.

Will chuckled. “Well,” he said, stretching his legs to the coffee table. “Good to know you like my cooking.”

“Hey, if the whole pre-med school doesn’t work out, you can actually start a restaurant. Or a catering service.”

Will laughed lightly, but kept his eyes on the screen.

“We should do this again sometimes,” Nico said, focusing his eyes on the screen as he tried to ignore how his heartbeat went faster. Will laughed at something that April said, then glanced at Nico.

“Do what?”

“This. You know, dinner, watching TV…” Nico moved his hand in vague circular motions. “Just…you know… relaxing.”

Will snorted at that. “Yeah, like we have the time to do some relaxing stuff…”

Something heavy filled in Nico’s chest. He let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped down a bit.

“Yeah,” he said, staring at Ron Swanson on the screen.

It was quiet for a while except for the dialogues coming from the TV, and Nico started wondering whether he should go now. Not that he wanted to but it was almost 11 now and-

“How about this Friday?”

“Huh?” Nico turned his head to Will again. “This Friday? What’s with it?”

“I can cook dinner again and maybe…to make it fair… You make something that we can have as dessert?” Will said.

Nico blinked. “But…you said you don’t have time?”

Will slowly turned his head at Nico, his cheeks were faintly tinted with bright colors. And it took a lot from Nico not to grab Will’s face and kiss that shy smile from his lips.

“Uh… Relaxing for just once a week won’t kill, I guess?” Will said. He sounded hesitant, but there was something similar to unspoken hope in his blue eyes. Will cleared his throat, then continued. “But I mean, if you are busy it’s-“

Nico quickly grabbed the throw pillow and used it to hit Will’s shoulder. “Hey, you are the one who said you’re too busy!”

The color on Will’s cheeks was even brighter now. “Well… I mean-“

“I’ll make some Panna Cotta then,” Nico said, cutting Will mid-sentence.

Will’s brows shot up. “What is that?”

Nico grinned. “You’ll see on Friday,” he said, making a mental note to go to the store tomorrow to grab some gelatin.

Will chuckled. “Will it go well as a dessert for some Mediterranean food?”

“Hmm…” Nico tapped his chin lightly, pretending like he was contemplating an answer. “I guess so?”

“We’ll see on Friday, then,” Will said, a grin spread across his face.

“Yeah, Friday.”

“And since I watch Parks and Rec, I guess it’s only fair if we watch Voltron that Friday,” Will added. He schooled his face into a serious expression, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed it.

Nico snorted. “Yeah. Sure.”

It’s Monday evening, and Friday is only a few days away.

Yet, Nico felt Friday was a bit too far away.

He would wait, though. He’d wait.

Author’s Notes:

Chapter title is from Thru by Vallis Alps

Austin is a good roommate. Too bad Will was too oblivious.

Comments and feedbacks are always welcomed. Thank you for reading :D!

#solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo fanfic #solangelo fanfiction #pjo #pjo fanfic #now this is officially a fanfic #since someone had to tear his gaze away #ha!#i like me better

29 notes · View notes

24hs · 6 years

Text

break open, break through

summary: Kotori meant to leave her heart locked after a heartbreak. (Umi Sonoda hasn’t received the note.)

Maki breaks hearts along her way to true love. (Nico Yazawa is hiding her heart, but it gets dragged onto her sleeve.)

pairings: kotoumi / nicomaki

genre: fluff / angst

words: 10 k

warnings: very mild description of nsfw topics ; swearing

also readable on ao3

please listen to this song for kotoumi and to this song for nicomaki ~

The most striking thing about Maki Nishikino is her hair.

It’s not the most attractive thing, of course - that would be her very pretty, very rare smile, Kotori decides -, but it does catch everyone’s eyes.

Kotori is not an exemption ; when a flash of bright red hair passes her, she’s fallen.

Their kisses are intense, in all kind of ways. Sweet and slow pink, they warm Kotori’s stomach ; hot and fast and red, they make Kotori pull Maki closer.

Their thing - affair, relationship, love, whatever it is - feels right.

(At least to Kotori, it does.)

“Hey”, Kotori places a quick kiss on Maki’s cheek when she arrives in the bar. She doesn’t notice Maki quickly whipping away the kiss’s ghost with a tissue while she’s arranging a chair for herself.

“Have you been waiting for long?”, Kotori asks, sitting down next to her. They’re by the bar, near the exit. The building is pretty empty - besides Kotori and Maki, there’s only a few guys and a black haired girl in it.

“Not at all”, Maki answers, taking off her jacket and revealing a short top underneath. Kotori’s gaze lingers on her cleavage for a moment before getting comfortable on her own.

“Do you want anything?” Kotori waves with a small menu in her hand, and Maki nods.

They order their drinks, and when they’re eventually sipping on them, silence falls over them like a heavy cloak.

“Hey, Maki”, Kotori suddenly asks, “what’s your favorite color?”

Maki kind of chokes on her drink. “Excuse me?”, she coughs, face red.

“Your… your favorite color”, Kotori slowly says, taken aback by her reaction, “What is it?”

“Why does it matter?”

Kotori can’t help but frown. Everything else with Maki comes easy to her, but talking is hard. Kotori isn’t dumb - she can see Maki has problems opening up, not to her especially, but to everyone.

“Maki?”

“I don’t want to be your girlfriend.”

Apparently, Kotori isn’t smart enough to see that Maki doesn’t want to open up.

“I’m sorry”, Maki breathes, “but I’m not exactly… looking for something serious. I’m really sorry.”

Kotori blinks. “It’s alright”, she croaks, ignoring her heart stopping in her chest, “I will just…”

She grabs her jacket with awkward, clumsy movements and stands still in front of Maki for a moment before she hurries out of the bar. (She wishes she hadn’t looked back to Maki. She really didn’t have to see the relieve in her almost-girlfriend’s eyes.)

When Kotori steps out of the bar, she closes her ears and exhales.

She heads to her holiday home, ignoring her stinging eyes and throat and her heart, whose pieces seem to rip her chest apart.

Maki doesn’t have a favorite color.

She chased away one perfectly well, pretty, charming and smart girl because she didn’t want to tell her about her favorite color. (And she doesn’t even have one.)

Kind of reminds her how she broke up with that Rin girl because she bought them matching key chains.

(To be fair, they were two cats with lots of hearts and it was pretty romantic and it made Maki panic.)

Maki has found out that she’s not a relationship person in those past years. (She has gotten tired of hurting people, even if they don’t mean the world - or anything - to her. She does feel kind of bad for it.

Besides that, the plates that are sometimes thrown at her by her ex-lovers are mostly her own and she’s way too lazy to buy new ones after every breakup.)

She sips on her drink, trying to put Kotori’s left cocktail out of her eyesight by placing it on the very edge of her table.

She’s so focused on a mind without the incident from earlier in it she doesn’t notice the black haired girl from earlier sitting down on Kotori’s - former - seat.

Maki stares at her as the stranger grabs Kotori’s abandoned cocktail and takes a sip.

She has big, red eyes and the pink lipstick on her lips is slightly smudged. “Wow, she has a good taste”, she says.

“Excuse me?”, Maki deadpans, still stunned by this sudden appearance.

“I’m talking about the drink.” Pink Lipstick’s mouth turns into a smirk and Maki’s expression changes to a frown.

“I’ve noticed you curving that poor girl, so I thought I should check on you. Are you alright?”

Maki blinks, then she blurts out, “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

The faintest of a blush crosses Pink Lipstick’s face. “I’m not, I swear. Are you alright?”

“Are you trying to be my friend?”

Maki gets stared down, before she gets asked, “you’re kind of blunt, aren’t you?”

Maki leans back on her seat, crossing her arms.

Pink Lipstick crunches her nose. “You just looked kind of sad earlier, but if you don’t to believe that, I can go. Sorry for bothering.”

She stands up, and Maki’s mind goes blank - she panics, and out of an instinct she grabs the girl’s’ sleeve.

“Hey”, Maki says.

(Oh god, Nishikino, don’t go there.)

“I’m alright, I swear, but sit down.” It comes off as an order when Maki wanted it to sound friendly, so she clears her throat and tries again, “I could need a friend right now. Please, stay.”

(Maki’s secret vow not to hurt anyone vanishes slowly into the back of her head as Pink Lipstick sits down again and they start talking.)

Kotori zips up her jacket when she steps out of the car, the sudden cold stinging in her face.

Unfortunately, time passes quickly when you’re doing only thing - grieving, in Kotori’s case, over what could have been -, so the summer was over in the span of a tear falling to the ground. (She would know.)

She glances upon the building, students chattering and laughing next to her while making their way to it.

Kotori sighs and heads to the inside.

She doesn’t tell anyone about Maki. Partly because she can’t bear to spend another thought on her, partly because she feels she’s already over her. Bringing up the whole topic again, having to chew all through it again, it would be useless. (That’s what she tells herself.)

“Kotori! How were your holidays? It sucks that you had no reception in your holiday home”, Honoka greets her, gesturing her to sit down next to her. They’re having lunch, Kotori hasn’t seen her for weeks since she spent her vacation abroad. Also, from what Kotori can tell, they don’t seem to have any classes together. (Which “totally sucks”, as Honoka puts it, since “without Kotori she’ll be falling asleep in class”.)

“I missed you too”, Kotori smiles, sitting down. “How have you been? Did you have to help a lot in the shop?”

Honoka pouts. “You have no idea! I’ve barely relaxed this summer.”

Kotori laughs with her when Honoka complains about making sweets all day, and she does feel a bit lighter. (It’s kind of like the pause in between heavy rain ; in which the grave, gray clouds are still hanging in the sky, but in which there’s also light. In which you can see.)

They’re interrupted by Hanayo hurrying to their table. “Hey”, she squeals, out of breath, and lets herself fall into the chair next to Kotori. “Second years have different lunch times than third years now”, she sighs, looking so miserable Kotori grabs her hand and squeezes it under the table. “You’ll be fine, Honoka and I will just hang out here a little longer so we can spend more time with you.” Hanayo gives her a shy smile, and Kotori beams back.

“I forgot we’re third years now”, Honoka cries, burying her face in her hands. “We’re going to graduate this year, Kotori!”

“I haven’t forgotten”, Kotori chuckles, patting Hanayo’s hand one last time before gently letting go.

“I feel like a lot is going to happen this year.”

They’re on their way home, well, at least to the Nishikino’s holiday resident, and it’s dark and it’s cold and Maki has the time of her life.

Nico’s the name of the girl with the black hair, red eyes and the smudged pink lipstick, Maki has discovered. She has found out a lot of things in the past hours - she knows that Nico is on the island for a vacation job, not for actual vacation, because she has three siblings and no money at all. (Yet they don’t live far from each other, neither on the island nor at home. If Maki believed in it, she would call it fate.)

She learns that Nico likes to make people laugh, she can tell by the way Nico is acting things out, everything slightly exaggerated, and she doesn’t make Maki laugh, but smile a lot. (Maki feels like she hasn’t genuinely smiled in a long time.)

Nico’s favorite color is pink.

They arrive way too early.

“Thanks for today”, Maki says, and she means it. She hasn’t thought about Kotori or the nagging guilt in her stomach in a while, and it’s all thanks to Nico.

“No problem.” Nico bites on the inside of her cheek. “Can I see you again?”

It’s shy, sweet almost, but something in Maki shifts at her words.

“I’m.. no”, she splutters, and Nico raises an eyebrow. (Yet Maki sees the hurting in her eyes. She hates it.)

“I can’t see you again because I can’t allow you to fall in love with me.”

There’s a pause.

“You must really think you’re the shit, Nishikino.” Nico tilts her head, and her usual smirk appears in her eyes again, her eyes not revealing any of the hurt they have portrayed before. “I’m not going to fall in love with you. I promise.”

She pulls out a pen from her bag, grabs Maki’s wrist and writes her number on her hand, in thick black.

Maki glances at the prettily swung numbers, the written out swear Nico has given to her.

“See you, Nishikino.” Nico stands on her toes and gently kisses her on the cheek, but it’s alright, because she promised. Maki trusts promises.

I’m not going to fall in love with you.

Maki believes in promises.

So she pulls Nico into her house, despite Nico having wanted to go home earlier, and they spend the night on Maki’s bed, talking and smiling and being.

Kotori meets the new student right after she thinks of Maki, and maybe that’s why she can’t get her out of her head.

Her hair is of a deep blue, black almost ; it reminds Kotori of the ocean’s color before a storm.

A flash of dark blue hair passes her and she’s-

“Good morning“, the students starts talking after a gesture of their teacher. Her voice is quiet, but stable and calm, and it gives Kotori goosebumps. (It’s kind of similar to mild wind, idly embracing your skin.)

“My name is Umi Sonoda. I’ve attended Otonokizaka so far, but due its closure, I’ll be going to this school.”

Umi Sonoda.

Kotori suppresses mouthing the words ; she knows anyway it’ll sound as pretty as flowers blooming in her mouth.

(Oh god, Kotori, don’t go there.)

Dismissed by their teacher, Umi walks up to the only empty seat the classroom has, in front of Kotori.

(Her steps are firm and quick without looking hasty ; Umi Sonoda has got the characteristics of a panther, Kotori decides.)

They maintain eye contact, and even if it’s only a second, Kotori feels her heart electrify. Umi’s eyes are golden, and combined with her blue hair, Kotori’s immediately reminded of a Van Gogh painting.

(Something beautiful, but you can’t truly put your finger on it ; it’s slipping right through your hands.)

Umi averts her eyes and Kotori can breathe again.

She spends the rest of the lesson drilling her stare into Umi’s back of her head.

“Do you know anything about the student that transferred to us?”, Kotori asks Honoka. They’re walking around in the city, without a specific goal as they had just eaten dinner.

“No, I barely know her, really”, Honoka thinks about it, “what was her name? Umiko?”

“Just Umi”, Kotori breathes, then she nods, shaking off her tension. “She’s in my chemistry class.”

It’s just a whisper, but, “she’s pretty.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. Hey, do you wanna go to the arcade?”

“Can I ask you something?”, Nico asks. Under different circumstances, Maki’s heart would start racing - or stop, maybe -, but they’re playing Mario Kart and despite never having played it before, Maki has gotten really into it. (Like, really really. She didn’t talk to Nico for a whole lap after same snatched the first place from her.)

“Sure”, Maki mumbles under her breathe before she pans her plastic steering wheel to the left. (Bowser heavily rams Baby Peach and Nico scoffs. “Asshole, I was in first place!” Maki grins victoriously.)

“What happened between you and that girl in the bar you broke up with?”

Bowser crashes into a wall.

“I- really don’t-“, Maki stutters, her remote almost falling out of her hands.

“No, I’m sorry”, Nico quickly adds. “Just don’t. You don’t have to tell me.”

Maki bites the inside of her cheeks. Kotori’s name has been spilled, but she didn’t bother to explain details. (Why she bent and broke her heart like a glow stick, for example.)

“Okay.” They remain playing, pushing buttons, the sound of it echoing in the room. The television’s light flickers, reflecting on Nico’s stoic face in every color Maki can imagine.

It’s nice with Nico, because while she’s demanding (Maki’s time and attention), she’s leaving her alone about things she doesn’t really want to share. (Her parents. Rin. Kotori.)

It’s especially nice because Maki knows Nico is going to leave her if she does eventually.

Nico’s good night kiss is slightly misplaced, not on her cheeks, but rather on Maki’s right mouth’s corner. (Maki doesn’t mind, not physically, and if Nico hadn’t made that promise, she would mind a lot emotionally. But she did promise.)

Maki thinks of this almost kiss for the whole night.

(It’s not an good idea.)

Every time chemistry class is barely over, Kotori wants to reach out for Umi, but Umi is basically out of the room once the bell has rung, so her hand remains lingering.

It’s only the first school week, and Umi is all Kotori can think about (stoic, soaring, stunning Umi), so she eventually takes action.

And signs up for the student council.

Kotori feels guilty for it - who does bureaucratic school work to distract oneself from a breakup that wasn’t even a breakup to begin with? (After all, Maki never said they were exclusive.)

Yuuka, a third year whom Kotori hardly knows and also the head girl, welcomes her with a warm smile to the first meeting Kotori encounters as a member.

Kotori vaguely thinks about how she signed a contract by which she has to stay in this club until she graduates before stepping into the room.

To see Umi Sonoda sitting at the table, staring at her like a deer in headlights.

Kotori exhales and slowly makes her way to the one empty seat left, which is between Yuuka and - of course - Umi.

Clearing her throat, Kotori sits down, straightening the pleats on her skirt. She sees Umi shooting her a look from the corner of her eye, so she gives her a small smile. (Umi quickly averts her gaze, and Kotori’s smirk vanishes.)

“I’m glad everyone could gather today.”, Yuuka starts, standing up. “Everyone, this is Kotori Minami, our new secretary, and this is Umi Sonoda, who will be our treasurer from now on. They’re both third years.” She turns her head to the new members. “I’m Yuuka, if you didn’t know already, and I’m the club president. Koyuki and Yuuri here are the vice presidents.”

She sits down, reaching for the tower of piled paperwork in front of her. “Okay, first on the agenda is…”

Kotori tries to focus, she really does - she even half turns her back to Umi so she can’t even see one strand of blue hair -, but, sadly, it’s not working. She can feel Umi’s breath on her back. (She can’t, but it sure as hell feels like it.)

This was going to be a long, long year.

Maki likes to think that Nico has become her best friend because of two main reasons.

One, they’re close.

Maki wakes up, she’s there, having slept over, mascara still on her eyes. Maki does homework, she’s with her, playing games on her phone, waiting for Maki to be done. When they don’t stuff together, they do their stuff separately, in the same room. In fact, the only times Maki is alone when she goes to school, but even then Nico sometimes waits for her after her last lesson. (She acts coolly, of course, but Maki notices that she has sweat stains under her arms and that her breathe is unsteady, so Maki figures she runs all the way from her near high school. When Maki pointed it out to Nico with the biggest smirk on her face, she just flushed and mumbled something about “working out and getting to Maki simultaneously”. Maki’s flattered and she feels kind of proud. Proud of being worth someone’s else’s time so much they will run to you after class just to catch you in time.)

Two, she’s kind of Maki’s only friend.

And only means best, right?

(Maki tries not to think that by this logic Nico’s also her worst friend. It just reminds her of the fact that Nico is going to leave her, too.)

Being with Nico is extremely comfortable. Maki has never found that kind of amenity anywhere - it was hidden in her piano’s keys, of course, but its effect vanished quickly when Maki noticed the sound echoed hollowly in the empty house. Playing Chopin’s fantaisie impromptu dragged her heart down, so she stopped playing at all.

Nico is Maki’s music - luring her into a mind without problems, a piece of work she appreciates with a heart on her sleeve.

Which is ironic, because Maki isn’t honest, she never is.

But it’s nice to pretend for a little while.

(Maki turns the music louder.)

Kotori’s life gets a little worse when her chemistry teacher divides the class into groups and she’s forced to work with Sonoda Umi for two weeks.

They are allowed to do whatever they want, basically ; because the first chemistry exam was written recently, their teacher let the class have some fun and work on projects they could decide about themselves.

Kotori and Umi sit in silence while every other team has started picking up books, searching for ideas and chatting.

Kotori clears her throat. “So”, she chirps, “do you have any ideas?”

Umi doesn’t look her in the eyes when she answers, “the teacher probably had something in mind that will grab everyone’s attention right away.”

Kotori hums, giving Umi a encouraging smile even though Umi doesn’t see it.

“Maybe something that takes time to develop until it finally breaks out?”

Kotori says it carelessly, without really thinking about the content of her words, but it’s the trigger for Umi looking at her for the first time today. (Hell, the first time in weeks.)

“Like a volcano?”

Kotori blinks before putting up a smirk again. “Exactly like a volcano.”

Umi’s weird, Kotori decides, but she’s not one to judge.

One minute, Umi talks in a quiet, but strong voice, interacts with Kotori and looks her in the eyes ; the other, she avoids Kotori at all means. All the time, she’s kind and thoughtful and calm, and it’s very attractive, no matter how much Kotori tries to deny that.

Kotori has thought about why Umi closes herself off Kotori in those minutes, and she decides it’s because Umi doesn’t want her near. Sometimes Kotori brushes her hand or leg while moving, and she can see in the way Umi flushes she doesn’t especially like it. Kotori feels terrible for it, vowing every time not to put her into distress again, but something in her needs to touch Umi Sonoda, to feel her under her fingertips, and Kotori isn’t sure how much longer she’ll be able to resist.

The first time Maki’s caution slips is also the first time she gets to kiss Nico Yazawa.

She doesn’t think much about it ; it’s kind of a accident anyway. A mess. (But it’s her mess. And when the surprise in Nico’s eyes fades and gets replaced by a soft warmth Maki can feel in her stomach, she doesn’t feel as bad as she should.)

It’s not perfect.

They had taken a run together, and Nico’s bangs stuck to her forehead and she was barefaced - Maki looked as bad -, and because Maki was so happy to had finally finished the lap, she put Nico in a headlock, laughing when Nico halfheartedly protested. Nico pinched her and Maki flinched so hard she falls to the ground. (Nico gasped in worry until she sees Maki’s only laughing harder, so she got down on her knees as well, grinning.)

And Maki’s saw Nico’s pale, greasy skin, sweat on her nose, and a smile bigger than her heart, so she leaned in and kissed her.

It’s far from being what Maki would call a great kiss - Nico doesn’t kiss back instantly and their teeth clash - but it’s Nico. (Everything with Nico is kind of great in its own way despite the thing totally sucking, anyway.)

They don’t talk about it. Maybe if they did, Maki thinks, they wouldn’t walk this path right now.

Maki really wants to make up her mind about all of this - not to ruin yet another friendship-, but Nico has learned how to do things with her tongue and god, Maki can’t think clearly when Nico is moaning against her lips.

Maki wraps her arms around Nico. Music‘s in synch with her heartbeat, throbbing along.

She tries to catch herself before she falls into Nico’s red eyes any further, but she fails.

(Maki starts to think that maybe she does have a favorite color.)

Kotori does a lot of research whenever she’s able to ; in between exams and her bureaucratic tasks, she looks up how to create a classical, chemical volcano to impress Umi. (She has found that Umi is extremely smart, in all kind of areas, from a butterfly‘s anatomy to loanwords. Sometimes Umi looses herself in a flood of information and Kotori listens with her chin resting on her hands. In those moments, Umi turns soft and gentle and Kotori finds herself to be even more attracted to her.)

So Kotori sits in lunch, nodding and humming as an answer when Honoka is talking to her, not even noticing her best friend pouting because she’s looking at instructions for making a freaking volcano.

It’s worth it, though, when Umi looks her in the eye for another second and Kotori feels pride swelling in her chest.

“Do you think we’ll be able to finish this in time?”, Kotori asks after the bell has dismissed them from class, her brow furrowed as they step out of the classroom. Umi gives her a small smile. “It’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” Kotori nods. They’re making their way to the cafeteria, walking side by side ; and Kotori finds herself in peace, fully embraced in Umi’s steady aura. (She hasn’t thought about Don’t-Say-Her-Name for five days.)

“Maybe we could prepare something at my place?”, she says without thinking. “You know, for the presentation. I make excellent ham rolls.” Umi chokes on air, and Kotori flushes.

“I’m- sorry, that was a joke-“, Kotori splutters, feeling guilt in her guts as she sees Umi in distress, but Umi quickly shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry, I was just- yeah, let’s”, she vigorously nods, “do that.“

Kotori notices they’re already in front of the cafeteria when multiple students push them to get through the doors, heading to the buffet. It must be a funny scene, Kotori thinks, the both of them with red heads, blocking the way.

“Then… let’s do that”, Kotori clears her throat. (Oh god, don’t repeat after her like an idiot, Kotori. Oh god, don’t blush harder.)

“Yes!”, Umi says, looking everywhere but into Kotori’s eyes. A second of silence - before they rush into different directions, not without accidentally brushing each other’s hands.

When Kotori sits at lunch, chewing a surprisingly tasty sandwich, she can’t get Umi Sonoda out of her head.

A week has passed and none of them talked about what Maki secretly calls The Incident, and Maki isn’t sure if Nico is actually fine with it. (She keeps searching for signs that she isn’t, but Nico is laughing and scoffing and breathing like she always did. Maki stops looking for those signs when something about making up symptoms, needing an excuse to leave and abandonment issues crosses her mind.)

Nico is laughing and scoffing and breathing and Maki’s a little bit closer to a panic attack with every passing day.

Maki reminds herself that Nico can’t possibly know that ; Nico does, despite her caring and attentiveness and genuine interest, not know her at all. (She doesn’t know Rin or Kotori. She doesn’t know her parents. She doesn’t know Maki.)

And they continue with whatever they have. Maki breathes kisses and Nico gentle touches, and Nico gets embraced. (To Nico, they’re sugar ; unable to hold apart, one and only. To Maki, they’re water and oil ; no matter how much time passes, it’s clear to everyone they won’t merge into each other.)

Slowly, Nico has less and less time for Maki, with her exams and siblings to take care of, and Maki‘s pissed. She doesn’t exactly feel entitled to Nico’s time and attention, but in those past weeks, she’s grown fond of her. (Maki has heard that people obsessing over their partners are usually called overly clingy or utterly possessive. Not that Nico’s her significant other. Hell, no.)

She comes home to a cold, empty house. (Her father is on a business, her mother on a wellness trip. As usual, Maki’s all alone.)

“Welcome home, Maki”, she mutters to herself, slipping out of her coat, “How was your day, Maki?”

She takes a peek at her phone. Nothing. No Nico.

Maki throws her phone on her bed.

Umi’s arriving at Kotori’s house in a second and Kotori is only half dressed, barefaced and almost in tears.

Nothing seems good enough for Umi Sonoda, easily a living art piece, not even Kotori’s favorite dress with the cute ribbons on it. (She wore that dress on her last date with Don’t-Say-h… Maki. Maybe it’s time to make someone else her favorite, Kotori thinks.)

She pulls a heavenly blue blouse out of her closet. It’s not perfect, but for now, it should be enough.

Umi enters the hall with a shy smile on her lips. (Kotori doesn’t see if she had trouble finding appropriate clothing ; in fact, Kotori is so enthusiastic about the fact that she sees Umi Sonoda that she doesn’t waste gazes at her body. They’re all reserved for her golden eyes and small smirk.)

“Hi”, Umi breathes, and Kotori beams.

“Hi”, she squeals, “come in.”

Surprisingly, they have lots of stuff to talk about. (Umi sees Kotori’s collection of recipes, accurately and well-ordered on the shelf, and suddenly Kotori finds herself in a heated discussion on whether cupcakes or cake are the more appropriate choice to bring to a family reunion.

“Cake!”, Kotori frowns. “Everybody loves cake. You can’t do anything wrong with cake.”

“With the right technique, you can impress someone with something as easy as a muffin with a topping”, Umi argues back. “I’d treat my future mother in law with cupcakes!”

“She wouldn’t be your mother in law much longer”, Kotori grins, “Not if you could have brought a perfectly fine chocolate cake.”)

They kind of forget they wanted to bake for their presentation tomorrow.

Kotori tells Umi she’s interested in design and fashion, and even shows her the portfolio she still has to send in as an application for university. Umi clearly has zero sense of those topics and it’s obvious, but she nods and asks further when Kotori’s eyes begin to sparkle. (Umi’s attentive, Kotori adores it so much. She could talk all day to her and wouldn’t mind if her mouth got all fuzzy from it.)

Umi shows her pictures of her archery competitions and Kotori is really impressed, even if she doesn’t quite can get behind the techniques ; but Umi seems happy, so she’s content as well.

And the sun sets and Kotori is happy.

Fall comes and it has become a habit for Nico to drop by after school since there’s no time to meet otherwise. (“Is it okay for me to hang at your place all evening?”, she asked, “like, don’t your parents mind?” Maki shot her a look and despite scoffing back, Nico didn’t ask another time.)

Nico doesn’t exactly notice that she’s never met Maki’s parents, and, to what Maki sees, she doesn’t even acknowledge their sole existence. Not that Maki complains.

When the leafs turn into different shades of Nico‘s eye color, Maki realizes that she’s never had a friend that long. (Rin was her friend for exactly two weeks, then they dated for a whole another one.

Kotori and her spent time platonically for three days before their first kiss.)

Nico and her had a full summer, and the very first time of their first fall. (Their first, Maki thinks, and the words taste sweet on her lips. Maybe she’ll experience another fall with Nico, and another summer. It feels weird ; planning ahead of her time when the future is still getting crafted by dreams only and not facts. But with Nico, it’s right, kind of. Maki’s not sure. But it’s the closest to security as it gets.)

Accidents happen, Maki tells herself when somehow their lips find their way to each other again.

You can survive accidents, Maki tells herself when Nico growls under her breathe and pulls her closer.

Maki thinks about Nico’s unbroken vow she made the first night they met when she gets on top of Nico.

(I’m not going to fall in love with you. Maki goes down on Nico, a grin on her face.

I promise. Nico shudders under her touch, and it makes Maki a little bit addicted.)

Maki trusts in promises. So when Nico comes in her arms, with Maki inside her, she’s safe. Their relationship is safe and everything’s fine.

Umi doesn’t avert her eyes when Kotori gives her a smile the next day, and Kotori realizes how much actual progress they have done in the past week. (Umi talks to her. Umi doesn’t treat her like a leprous person anymore.)

And they present their volcano - without any food to corrupt their teacher - and Kotori’s beaming like a little child. (They even get an A. For teamwork, mostly. Kotori has never been prouder and Umi gives her a low high-five on their way back to their desks when the teacher isn’t looking.)

“Do you want to celebrate later?”, Kotori asks when class has ended, and Umi eagerly nods. “Yeah. I have archery after school, though… maybe in the evening?”

“Sure!”

They had decided to meet up at six, when Umi has had showered and changed into free time clothing, but Kotori was so excited for their meeting she dropped off at the gym, when Umi still practiced.

(When she entered, Umi was halfway shooting an arrow ; but as she saw Kotori, she flinched and it missed. Ashamed, she waved at her Kotori, who just chuckled.)

Kotori watches Umi in awe, follows the track from arrows so fast she can’t even see them until they hit right the target’s middle. Umi’s great at this ; with ultimate grace, she’s able to focus on what’s important for her in this moment. (Straight posture. Eyeing the target. Shooting. Hitting perfectly.)

Like the other three dozen of things that make Kotori’s heart grow tighter at the thought of Umi Sonoda, her ambition is one of them. Her dedication to certain things, as well as the eye for detail and minimalism - those are traits that scream Umi Sonoda. To Kotori, at least.

“Sorry it took so long”, Umi breathes when her team has finished practice, walking up to Kotori. (Walking is the wrong term ; sprinting to her would fit a lot more.)

“It’s alright!”, Kotori chirps, “After all I came early.”

“Why did you, by the way? Did something come up?”

“No, not really, I just…”, Kotori hesitates. They’re almost at the changing rooms. “I just wanted to see you.”

She can’t see Umi’s face - Kotori is behind her as Umi is busy unlocking the door -, but she can see Umi’s ear, sticking out of her long, thin hair, turn red in a second. Kotori smiles to herself.

“I see”, Umi croaks, still facing the door and not Kotori, and finally opens it. “I’m going to shower quickly, can I leave you alone for ten minutes?”

Maybe it’s because they’ve been - physically - exposed to each other, Nico’s become bolder. (She has always been, sure, but not with Maki. Not romantically and certainly not sexually. Whatever that means, Maki thinks, when the line that’s supposed to divide those areas has blurred with their first kiss and was fully erased with the one they shared in bed.)

No, Nico doesn’t grant her peaceful space for herself anymore ; even if she doesn’t ask, Maki can see questions itching under her fingernails.

And then, she does ask.

“Maki?”, she mutters. Nico’s holding Maki’s waist, putting her in between her legs. Maki’s eyes are closed as she’s leaning against Nico, but when she hears the question to come, she snaps them open, suddenly longing for orientation.

“Yeah?”, she breathes, hoping Nico can’t feel her heart beating under her rips.

“Was I your first?”

Maki’s hand slides on Nico’s arm, gently loosening her grip because she cannot breathe.

“Your first what?”, she mumbles, then turns around so she sits on Nico’s lap, basically, to smash her lips on hers. Nico turns her head before Maki can touch her (maybe Nico is just as irresistible to Maki as she is to Nico).

“You know what I mean”, Nico says with a low voice, “I mean, I know there were other girls before me, but…” (Maki’s heart aches when she hears Nico comparing herself to anyone else, because no one can be like her, not in a thousand years.)

“There was”, Maki interrupts her before Nico can talk any further, “no one like you, Nico.” No one, she quietly thinks, the same things, but never with a taste this sweet.

It’s a bland answer, of course, but for the moment, the shallow taste of air seems enough to Nico. (Maki’s glad, but at the same time it feels like trying to bury a time bomb under a layer of glass.)

Kotori finds herself fallen heels over head by the time their second meeting has ended. Umi’s charming, smart and funny in her own, dry way ; she’s attentive and listens and Kotori has never felt more comfortable with anyone, ever. (Not even with Maki. Saying her name now feels freeing, not jailing anymore. Kotori has become an enthusiast with the mere presence of Umi Sonoda.)

Kotori knows she’s swooning all over her, like a child with a silly first crush, but she really cannot help it ; with cautious fingertips, they’re getting closer, and Kotori’s bursting from happiness. (It’s great, to be happy, to have nothing to worry about. The stage in which she isn’t in so deep for Umi Sonoda that it could break her heart to be not loved back.)

These days, she wants to ask Umi out, but she couldn’t bring the words over her tongue, through her lungs if she died. She’s still scared. Afraid that will Umi turn into her old, shy, Kotori-avoiding self again. (Kotori isn’t sure why or how she overcame those characteristics, so she’ll tiptoe around her until she finds out what the factor was.)

So whenever she can silently admire Umi’s side profile - the way she puts her hair behind her ear, the way her lips curl into the prettiest smile she’s ever seen -, the words want to blurt out, with trumpets and fanfares they need to confess Kotori’s true feelings.

Kotori also searches for signs Umi could maybe, perhaps return her feelings - it’s not that unrealistic.

(Kotori hopes, at least. Umi is not Maki, but there’s still an ounce of doubt in the back of her head, even if she’s trying to push it away.)

With a soft glance in her eyes, Kotori gazes at Umi, and her clouded heart is now sunny, shining bright.

Maki feels bad when she makes out with a stranger in the bar, but guilt has been weighing a lot on her shoulders these past months - hell, years -, so it’s not exactly hard to shove the fault to Nico.

It’s not like she and Nico are exclusive, anyway ; and Maki feels the little bit of her heart left turn into something she imagines like a pitch black abyss when she pulls the blonde girl closer (she has forgotten the name ; it never mattered, anyway).

Earlier, Maki had spilled like a bottle of ink, but, to be fair, it was Nico who pushed it from the edge.

(At least, that’s what Maki thinks. Maybe she jumped.)

If Maki’s ink, then maybe Nico is white paper that soaked all of her into herself.

“Please, Maki”, Nico had said, eyes big like a child waiting for candy on Halloween, “tell me.”

Maki didn’t have to ask what she meant, so she started at the beginning. (She isn’t sure what brought her to tell her, spill the ugly truth ; whatever it was, Maki wants it gone.)

Maki remembers the time her parents were still together only vaguely, but since memories are pretty much the only things she has got with her parents she desperately clings onto them. (She even has found a diary from when she was six, but threw it away. She doesn’t need more graphic descriptions.)

Maki matured really quickly. In elementary school, her classmates’ mothers had come up to her, complimenting her on the self made chocolate cake she made for their graduation.

Maki smiled thinly. When she had asked her mother to come to the celebration, she got cut off mid sentence, just to be scolded as her mother “had better things to do” and “no time for silly things like that, anyway”. (She didn’t ask her father for he was at work as usually. If he actually was at home, he usually would shush Maki away so he could read his newspaper in peace.)

So Maki grew up and eventually stopped going to her parents. She was only bothering them, anyway.

One time, they accidentally forgot her at a gas station when they were on their way to their holiday house. Maki had stood outside for about one hour until they came back, realizing they had abandoned her. Sometimes Maki wonders where the line between an accident and a purposefully incident was.

And then they filled in a divorce, Maki was more alone than ever. (Around that time, she hooked up with Rin, she remembers ; then, it felt natural, now it’s a painfully obvious draw to her parents splitting up.)

She told Nico that whenever someone got close (gets close), it arouses some kind of panic in her chest she doesn’t know how to shut off. (Worst thing, Maki hadn’t had a breakdown with tears and all that stuff ; she basically showed Nico her heart with a casual smirk and snorts when she told her about her deepest insecurities. She didn’t even have to look at Nico’s face to see the horror on it.)

And Maki doesn’t the feel the freedom of venting or whatever people say she’s supposed to feel.

(The only thing she feels is the blonde girl‘s tongue in her throat.)

Once Kotori has decided to ask Umi Sonoda out, she’s fallen a bit more. Maybe it’s the admission of genuine, true feelings ; maybe by time, Umi unfolds her beautiful personality with less caution.

Whatever it is - Kotori catches herself humming to songs stuck in her head and look at everything through rose-tinted glasses.

She introduces Umi to Honoka and Hanayo, who welcome her warmly into their little circle, and from this point on, Umi isn’t allowed to miss any lunch breaks. (It turns out both Hanayo and Umi are into drawing, so there’s not one ounce of the silence Kotori had excepted. She’s glad to watch them talk eagerly, chuckling when Umi’s cheeks flush as she’s gesturing wildly, spluttering words coming out too fast for her tongue. Cute.)

They also meet up with Umi’s two best friends from a nearby school ; Eli, a blonde beauty, and Nozomi, whose motherly behavior instantly sticks to Kotori. They ask her a lot, about school and hobbies, but also about Kotori’s past relationships. (When she wants to answer, Eli suddenly flinches as if someone had kicked her under the table, and Umi smiles a very victorious grin, which of course is completely unrelated.)

They’re walking home, almost hands in hands (their fingertips keep brushing each other’s, but neither one is brave enough to take the final step, to finally touch.).

“Hey, Kotori”, Umi suddenly breaks the silence, clearing her throat, “I know we changed the topic earlier, about, um, former partners, but…” She leaves the word soaring in the air, hoping Kotori to get the hit. Kotori does her the favor.

“There was someone”, she says truthfully, “but she’s not important. Anymore, anyway. I’ve…”, she eyes Umi, who doesn’t look back at her, “fallen in love with someone else.”

Umi slowly nods, still dodging her gaze. “You should ask them out”, she says quietly. Kotori’s heart drops. Does she know it’s her? But why does she sound so distressed, then?

“Yeah, I should”, Kotori mumbles to herself. Then, louder (a bit braver), “Umi Sonoda-“ Umi turns her head. “Do you want to go on a date with me?”

Kotori sees at least four emotions in one second.

One, confusion (frowning), two, resignation (“I must’ve misheard that”), three, shock, (“Oh my god, I didn’t mishear”).

Four - absolute panic.

“M-Me?”, Umi splutters, flushing so hard her ears turn pink, too.

“Yes!”, Kotori quickly reassures her, cheeks just as red. Umi looks deadly embarrassed, and suddenly Kotori isn’t sure if Umi even likes her back. (Maybe she misinterpreted, thought too much into it.)

Kotori steps back. Umi’s still dazzled.

“I’m sorry, I’ll just…” Go away. Swallow her feelings again.

Umi blinks. “Kotori.” Kotori turns on her heels, sniffling. “Yeah?”

“I’d love to.”

The words don’t come through instantly, but when they do, Kotori starts beaming.

“You do?”

“I do.”

Maki could have wore a scarf, a choker, anything to cover the hickeys on her neck. (But of course, she didn’t. Provoking her relationships to fail horribly seems almost like a signature move of her.)

In this one case, Nico sadly isn’t an exception.

They’re in bed, Nico somewhat on top of Maki, slowly kissing her neck, when she suddenly stops.

“What is it?”, Maki idly asks with her eyes closed, snatching them open when Nico doesn’t answer instantly. Nico’s staring at Maki’s exposed neck. “You didn’t have these hickeys yesterday”, she says. Maki tries to figure out Nico’s mood, but her voice is stable and her eyes, usually disclosing so many things, lay hidden in the dimmed light.

“Yeah”, Maki mutters, “they’re not from you, so…” She wraps her arm around Nico again only to get shaken off.

“From who?”

It’s just two quiet words, but Maki gets goosebumps all over her skin. “Yeri?”, she tries to remember, “no, it was Eli. Whatever.”

She tries once again to kiss Nico - maybe that’s her cruel streak, to cut people off yet never letting them fully go -, but Nico turns her head and Maki’s lips meet air.

“Are you mad at me, Nico Yazawa?” (A cynic smirk pokes the dragon’s eye.)

“Of course I’m mad!”, Nico explodes, shoving Maki from her and onto the bed. “You kissed someone else!”

Maki bobs up, supporting herself on her elbows. “So?”, she exhales, “it’s not like you’re my damn girlfriend.”

Nico doesn’t respond, and Maki narrows her eyes. “You promised, remember?”

If Maki was an sensitive person, it would have come out soft, maybe even comforting, but she really isn’t, so she says it with mockery dropping like honey from her voice.

Putting a finger in an open wound.

Maki feel herself choking on the silence. In all honesty, she has no idea what she’s doing - sheer teasing, pushing just to pull again, shoving Nico away.

“Yeah, I did”, Nico finally says, getting off Maki - her legs were starting to hurt from the weight, and because of the sudden release they feel weirdly light. Nico slips from the bed and is by the door in a second.

“Where are you going?” Maki hates how vulnerable she sounds. (Who is she to demand anything from Nico at this point, even if it’s just plain information?)

Nico stares at her blankly, before answering, “I don’t know. As long as it’s a place without you.”

Kotori gets a déjà vu from their first meeting (and now, it’s their first date!) when she, again, tries to figure out what to wear. This time she forces herself to wear her former favorite dress - the one with the ribbons -, because, maybe Umi can erase the memories of Maki. Sooth, at least. Kotori believes she can ; because it’s Umi Sonoda. Umi Sonoda can do it all, clean the mess others have thrown in Kotori’s way.

It’s awkward, but Kotori finds herself enjoying every second of it.

First station’s the cinema - such a cliche, she knows, but Kotori has never had a proper first date and she figures Umi deserves the whole way of dating, from the first date to whatever is going to bloom out of this relationship. (A closer, romantic relationship as the best outcome. Kotori’s s excited for it.)

They’re watching a romance movie, and it only shows Kotori that she has so much more things to learn about Umi Sonoda, because there’s pure horror on her face while they’re watching.

(Cringe gives Umi actual goosebumps and if Kotori wasn’t feeling so bad about it, it’d be hilarious.)

Next - dinner. Kotori wanted to eat in some fancy restaurant, but on a Friday evening everything was already reserved for people with a lot more money than Kotori has, so they have a picnic. (It’s not perfect, because it’s winter already - they’re dining in Kotori’s room, on her bed’s blanket, feeding each other with small cubes of cheese and sausages.)

Umi tells her she has never had a date she enjoyed this much.

(“Oh, I thought this was your first date”, Kotori exclaims, genuinely surprised, and Umi flushes. “It is, actually, but it’s also the best one, so…” Kotori has to suppress a laugh and Umi sulks, hiding her face under the scarf wrapped around her shoulders.)

The rest of the evening Kotori prances in her room, Umi Sonoda stays in her heart and fills it with warmth.

Nico’s has got this bad, awful, terrible habit of lying.

It’s not that she doesn’t know the consequences - she just doesn’t always think it completely through.

It’s kind of the same with her and making promises.

Middle school. She vowed her mom she wouldn’t forget to get a turkey for Christmas dinner, but she did, with her exams and all. Consequences were that she “ruined Christmas for the whole family”.

Freshman year, high school. She carelessly told her brother to help him with his history homework, but someone at work did a mistake and left a whole mess for her to take care of. When she came home, late at night, her brother was already asleep, proceeding to ignore her for a whole three days.

First quarter of college. Without thinking, Nico promised Maki Nishikino that there was no way she was going to fall in love with her.

(Of course, she did. Nico Yazawa is always bound to break promises. Maybe that’s her downfall.)

Maybe it’s Maki’s fault.

She is, after all, the most beautiful girl she has ever seen, chances are that she’s an actual angel walking on earth. (The fact that she almost spits fire when she opens her mouth are clouding these chances, but Nico is confident that even angels have their tiny flaws.)

Nico’s never been in love, never truly, so maybe that’s why sly grins and well-aimed touches have spun her head so hard she mixes up up and down and left and right. (At the same time, she’s the only person with whom Nico can breathe freely, think clear.)

When she saw Maki for the first time, she was amused by the girl sitting by herself in a bar, so obviously out of place Nico had to talk to her to put the poor girl out of her misery. Maki was nothing to her but a pretty girl that could maybe, in the future, become a friend.

(Oh, how much more she is now.)

Nico closes the door behind her and gives her a second to breathe with her blocked lungs, because that’s what the talk they had the past minutes did to her body. (Stinging eyes, tight chest, bleeding heart.)

It’s not fair.

It’s not fair that the girl she love with can deal with her so easily, can look into her eyes with a softness Nico has never seen before just to make out with some other girl.

Sometimes Maki Nishikino is an open book to Nico, melting under her touch and being so wonderfully honest with her. Other times, her mood changes in the span of a blink and she goes from clawing Nico closer to her to pushing her away with all she has.

As long as it’s a place without you.

She exhales and starts heading towards her own home.

It’s their second date and everything’s the same as before.

At the same time, it’s so much better. They’re doing baby steps of progress, Kotori imagines their bond like flexible material that’s half knitted, but can be something even prettier when it’s done. Maybe they’re like a blank canvas, the corners already painted with colorful volcanoes, cupcakes and cakes, first dates and vivid hearts. A puzzle whose borders are already built, leaving an ordered mess to solve. While Kotori did their first, Umi’s planned this date - maybe it could become their thing, she wonders dreamily -, and apparently, they’re going to a concert. (Umi likes a clear schedule more than surprises, Kotori finds out, and it’s no wonder, really. It’s quite cute, though, how sternly Umi presents her plans to Kotori while same is trying to hold her laugh.)

The band‘s is pretty unknown, but good nonetheless ; Umi hums and Kotori bounces along and every love song is about them. When the last song has ended, Umi drags Kotori (gently, or course) to a near field.

“I’ve always enjoyed looking at the stars at night”, Umi explains as she lays down, her hair spread around her head like an halo. Kotori quickly gets down as well, carefully slipping her hand into Umi’s. She sees her face blushing and smiles to herself.

“How did you get into it?”

“A girl from elementary school introduced me to it, I believe”, Umi thoughtfully answers, “I don’t remember her name, but she had this habit of baking something every time the class met up.”

Kotori briefly remembers their first baking meeting and instantly dislikes whomever Umi is talking about. (She doesn’t, sure, she couldn’t if she wanted to, but she’s close.)

“Anyway, we had a sleepover once and she showed me her telescope. That’s when I really got into it. Like, I read about all those constellations, for example- see these stars?” She points to a bunch of stars.

“That’s Andromeda. It’s stunning, isn’t it?”

“It is”, Kotori whispers, but she’s not looking at the sky.Umi turns her head when she hears Kotori’s soft voice, and Kotori leans in.

“Can I”, she turns quieter as the distance between their lips gets smaller, “hm, kiss you?”

Umi’s gaze is on her lips. “You may”, she breathes, and Kotori closes the gap, her heart bursting from happiness. Umi’s lips are softer than Kotori expected, and she melts right into it. Umi smiles into their very first kiss and snuggles closer.

Maki hasn’t seen Nico in ten days and nine nights. The days are a little bit better than the nights ; on a scale from 1 to 10 maybe a 100. (A bit better, but the nights are a 1000.)

She has probably called a thousand times already, but Nico won’t answer the phone, or at least she won’t answer Maki’s calls. (One call declined. Whatever, Maki thinks, who needs Nico anyway? One minute passed, she’s on the phone again, because she needs Nico and she needs her now and she cannot be alone in this.)

It’s her fault, that’s worst. If Nico had done her wrong, horribly wrong, Maki could have sulked and made peace with it, eventually. But now? Like this?

Maki begins to think that having Nico in her heart maybe was the best thing to happen to her. (Maki already knows that pushing Nico away was the worst decision in her whole life.)

Maki [22:16]: Hey. Are you alright? If you come over I can cook dinner for you. Maki [22:18]: I mean, I don’t actually know how to, but we’ll figure something out. Can’t be that hard, right? Maki [23:57]: You can come whenever you want, by the way. I know, it’s late already, but tomorrow’s another day. Maki [3:32]: Right? Maki [4:55]: I miss you. Maki [5:12]: Nico, please.

Everything turns awfully bland when Maki realizes that Nico won’t come back to her. The games they used to play have become boring, she freezes in her bed without Nico laying her arms around her, the four walls of her room are stifling any good thoughts that she had left.

The color pink seems to be mocking her. Nico’s silhouette haunts her whenever she tries to forget. Her voice stays in her mind all day, like a lullaby it pulls Maki into her charm. Making sure that Maki won’t ever get over her first ever, true love.

Making sure Maki won’t ever forget that’s it her own damn fault that Nico Yazawa left.

“Can I ask you something?”

Kotori says it with an appropriate gentleness, trying not to scare Umi with her vague words, and she’s glad to see Umi doesn’t even twitch a brow. (She’s so glad to see how comfortable Umi has gotten with her.)

“At the beginning of the school year”, she slowly begins, adjusting her pose ; they’re sitting side to side on her bed, after their third date, waiting for the movie on her television to start, “did you dislike me?”

Umi turns her head and now she does frown, but it seems like she is rather confused than offended.

“Dislike you? Of course not, why are you asking?” She sounds genuinely curious, and Kotori gathers her courage.

“You would always turn your head when I looked at you”, she mumbles, a blush creeping onto her face as she’s speaking because this is pretty embarrassing, who is she lying to, “and before we were on that chemistry project, you pretty much avoided me all the time, so…” Kotori bites on her lips.

“Did you hate me?”

“Kotori…”

“Because, you know, I can handle it! I-“

“Kotori-“

“I’m honest, you can tell me everything, and-“

“Kotori.”

She shuts her mouth and Umi gives her a very awkward smile.

“Kotori Minami, the second I saw you I thought you were the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

Umi’s voice is stable, but her red cheeks underline the honesty of her confession.

“Oh”, Kotori manages to say, and suddenly she feels very hot. “That’s very sweet from you.”

“Well, you are a very sweet girl.”

And suddenly, Kotori bursts out in laughter. “I really thought you hated me”, she quietly chuckles, snuggling closer to Umi.

“How could I”, Umi answers, wrapping her arm around Kotori’s shoulders and placing a kiss on her forehead.

“I’m so glad I met you, Umi Sonoda.”

Kotori pulls Umi closer for a kiss and her heart is bursting from happiness.

#nicomaki #kotoumi #love live #nico #maki #kotori #umi #writing #ok WIG i think this is my first one shot to hit 10k im Proud #i mean its like 9.9 k but whatever!! hope u all enjoyed reading and this will get lots of readers in general because #i put effort into it! and its kind of a filler writing comeback or whatever bc i took a break from writing twice lol #anyway yes!! hope yall enjoy !!

16 notes · View notes

ryqoshay · 7 years

Text

How to Handle a Nico: How to End a Date

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Secondary Pairing: NozoEli Words: ~4.4k Rating: T, I guess Time Frame: Late in Maki's 1st year and Nico's 3rd year in college. Story Arc: "First Date" Morning Preperation First Date How to End a Date

List of all HtHaN scenes

Author’s Note: Well, this ended up being a heck of a lot longer than intended. Not complaining, mind.

“You’re kidding right?” Maki said in disbelief. “Hanayo said that?”

“Yup.” Nico confirmed with a nod before opening the door to the apartment complex.

“Hanayo.” Maki repeated, moving past the other girl who was holding the door for her.

“Mmhmm.” Nico let the door close behind her and bounced the few steps over to catch up. “You’ve seen her when she gets serious about idols.”

“Well yeah, but…”

“She’s even more intense online, but always civil and polite.” Nico explained. “And she doesn’t take kindly to cyberbullies. She and I had a few heated encounters back before we both joined µ’s; back when I was a bit more…” She hesitated as she considered the right term.

“Troll’ish?”

The older girl balked. “Maki-chan knows that a troll is?” She feigned extreme surprise.

Maki returned a deadpan stare. “I know of them because people have talked about them, but you know how little time I have for all that forumy, gossipy, socially media stuff.” She flipped her hair as though to physically represent her dismissal of what she felt to be rather droll pastime.

Nico smirked at the other girl’s choice of words. “A~nyway,” She continued. “Etsuko and I used to be a kind of team…”

“A troll team?” Maki raised an eyebrow.

Nico pursed her lips at the interruption but otherwise ignored it. “I mean it wasn’t anything official; we didn’t have any sort of special agreement or anything. But we were both highly critical of idol groups and would often play off each other’s comments. I suppose we may have taken things a bit too far a few times.” Nico sighed at the memories. “But all that changed when you guys dragged me into µ’s.”

“Dragged?”

“Kicking and screaming.” Nico grinned.

Maki rolled her eyes.

“So Etsuko took it as some sort of traitorous act when I started singing µ’s praises instead of bashing them.” Nico shrugged. “And apparently it was some sort of grave injustice when we started getting popular while she was still struggling.”

“And you said she’s always been like that?”

“A jaded jerkass? Pretty much.” Nico nodded. “It’s probably why she and I got along at first. But then things changed.”

“And now she’s gunning for you?”

“She’s always been gunning for me, well for µ’s in general, really.”

“And how come I’m only now hearing of her?”

“Because Hanayo and I didn’t want to raise a fuss about it. She mainly stuck to slinging barbs in the comments sections of our videos on YouTube or threads about us on the forums; she never confronted any of us in person.”

“I see…”

“I mean I saw her in the audience of a few of our lives, but she always left early and never did anything.”

“Strange…”

“Nozomi found out about her at some point.”

“Of course…”

“But by that time, we had enough fans backing us up that her negative comments were quickly buried and her more threatening ones were reported and deleted. So again, we just didn’t feel it necessary to stress out anyone about it.”

“So meeting her today…”

“Was just a coincidence.” Nico shook her head. “A really unfortunate coincidence. So like I said, you’ll probably see her skulking around as I continue to shine as an idol, but so long as she sticks to online stuff, it’s best to just ignore her.”

“She confronted us today in person.”

“It was just a one-off.” I hope… “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright…”

“Well, here we are.” Nico said as the pair arrived at the door to her apartment. She turned to Maki with a smile. “Thanks for coming with me today, I had a lot of fun.”

Maki returned the smile. “I did as well.”

“And thanks for an amazing dinner. We should go there again sometime.”

“Definitely.”

“But next time I’ll get the check.”

“It was my idea to go.” Maki pointed out. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s only fair.”

“That’s fine but…” Maki paused for a moment before continuing at a lower volume. “I’d rather you just cook for me…” She admitted.

“Well I suppose I could do that.” Nico’s smile grew. “But I’d probably have to cook like five or six meals to match that price.”

“I’d… be alright with that…” Maki’s hand reached up to twirl a strand of hair.

Nico couldn’t help but laugh at that. Truth be told, she loved the fact that Maki liked her cooking so much. Still giggling, she started fishing for her keys in her purse. As her fingers found the collection of trinkets on the ring, a thought crossed her mind. Was it too soon? Technically, this had only been their first date, but considering the circumstances, maybe an exception was in order? She fidgeted with the keys as soon as her hand was back out in the open and immediately chastised herself for it; Maki wasn’t the type to pick up on subtle gestures like that. If Nico wanted to do this, she would have to be more blunt. But what did Maki want to do?

Nico stole a glance at the redhead beside her. The younger girl was on the tail end of recovering from her mild embarrassment from her recent admission. As such, she was standing quietly, her attention not seeming to be focused on anything in particular. Nico’s gaze moved down from lavender eyes to lips that had just a bit of sheen to them… Did Maki’s RA suggest the use of gloss?

Unconsciously, Nico licked her own lips.

“Hmm?” Maki blinked, apparently having caught the motion.

Nico’s heartrate spiked as her eyes met Maki’s. By the gods, why couldn’t she move forward? The movies always made it look so easy; the girl just flutters her eyes, tilts her head up and the guy leans down and… When did Nico actually take that step forward? She didn’t remember doing that. She heard Maki’s breath hitch. Did she know Nico’s intentions?

Wait, what was the proper procedure? Should she ask first? Should she just take the lead like and grab Maki? Nico’s mind whirled. She had read dozens of different methods claiming to be the right way to do this and she couldn’t remember a single one.

Just do it already!

Soft.

Nico heard a gasp and her eyes snapped open. When had she closed them? Her vision focused in time to see Maki stake a step back as her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes were wide in panic.

Oh no… Had she taken things too fast? Nico couldn’t even remember the entire thing clearly; it really had occurred to fast. But there was a residual tingle on her lips and she resisted the urge to touch them.

“I’m sorry…” Maki uttered after an awkward moment of silence.

Nico blinked. Maki was apologizing again? “What?”

“It’s j-just you were…” the redhead started to stutter. “And I th-thought… uhm… maybe I…”

So she had discerned Nico’s intentions. Perhaps she wasn’t as dense as Nico tended to think. “It’s fine, Maki-chan.” The raven-haired girl assured, closing the distance between them. “I was worried I scared you.”

“No.” Maki shook her head slightly. “Actually… uhm…”

“Do you want to maybe…” Nico couldn’t help a fair bit of hopefulness in her tone “try that again?”

“…” Maki merely nodded.

Without another word, Nico reached up and placed a hand on Maki’s cheek, smiling as the taller girl pushed a little into the touch. She drew her hand slowly back towards herself and the redhead followed obediently. Oh gods, this was really going to happen. Maki’s eyes fluttered shut as the distance between them was reduced to mere centimeters.

Oh gods. Oh gods…

Everything within Nico was on high alert, determined not to miss a single sensation as she had so carelessly done the first time.

Contact.

And there it was. Nico was kissing Maki. She was finally kissing the girl she had dreamed of kissing for years. And it was glorious… but…

…

Now what?

What was the next move? Maki was motionless; not tense, but definitely not relaxed either. It was up to Nico. But what?

More.

Closer. More contact.

With that thought in mind, Nico rolled up onto her toes to push upward and deeper into the kiss. She would not soon forget the sound Maki made in response and it caused her to slip both arms around the taller girl’s neck and to pull her down. Finally, Maki took the hint and wrapped her arms around Nico’s lower back to press their bodies closer as well.

So this was what Hollywood made such a big deal about? Nico understood now.

Air.

As much as Nico wanted this moment to continue indefinitely, apparently her body still needed oxygen. Reluctantly, she pulled away and immediately started breathing heavily.

Now there was a sight she had never seen before. Maki’s eyes were completely unfocused and she seemed to be looking almost through Nico as they both recovered. Nico was aware that she was probably staring, but she didn’t care, she wanted to enjoy this.

Then Maki’s eyes changed. Focused and frantic, they searched the area as her cheeks reddened. She let go of Nico and stepped back, still glancing about.

Nico was about to ask about the problem when it hit her; they were still standing outside her apartment. In the open. In public. Where anyone could see. And right after she had just vehemently denied to Etsuko that the two of them were dating. And after reminding Maki that they would have to keep their relationship a secret. Nico couldn’t help wincing as she also scanned the area for possible witnesses. Geez, she was going to have to be more careful in the future or she wouldn’t be an idol for very long.

“It’s alright, Maki-chan.” Nico finally spoke up, placing a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “I don’t think anyone saw us. This place is pretty quite this time of night during the week.”

“I’m sorry.” Maki responded.

Nico shook her head. “I said it’s fine. We’ll just be more cautious next time.”

“Next time…” Maki’s hand moved again to her lips.

“Of course next time.” Nico couldn’t help smiling. “I’m looking forward to a lot of next times. And you should to.”

“Who said I’m not?”

“Nobody. I was just making sure you know what a privilege it is to do such things with the No. 1 Idol in the Universe.”

“Good night, Nico-chan.” Maki deadpanned, before turning.

Ask her! Ask her now!

“Maki-chan.”

The redhead paused.

“Do you, uhm…” Nico paused. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”

Maki turned, and was is Nico’s imagination or did the redhead almost skip on her way back? Either way, there was no mistaking the smile on the younger girl’s face as she came to a stop in front of Nico.

“So, I’ll take that as a yes?” the older girl couldn’t help a bit of a teasing tone.

Maki blushed a little. “Yeah. Yes. I mean…”

“Alright,” Nico replied, digging for her keys again. When did she put them back in her purse? “Let’s see what Nozomi and Eli are up to.”

“They’re here?”

“Probably.” Nico shrugged. “Is that a problem?”

“Not really…”

“Eli only has a few early classes during the week, so she usually stays here when she doesn’t.” Nico sighed. “But knowing Nozomi, she’s probably already told Eli about us. So even if Eli did have early classes, they’d both probably want to be here tonight so they could be the first to congratulate us.”

“I see.” Maki chuckled at the realization that they were probably in for some teasing, but it was nice to know their friends cared about their wellbeing. “Then I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“I suppose.” Nico finally slid the key in the door and unlocked it. “Let’s get this over with.” She opened the door and entered with Maki in tow. “I’m home.” She said as soon as the door closed.

“Welcome back, Nicocchi.” Nozomi responded from the living room. A moment later, her head poked out from around the corner. “Ah, Maki-chan’s here too!” She grinned. “Welcome! How was the date?”

“It was amazing.” Nico’s voice slipped up almost an octave. “But when you consider that the likes of Maki-chan and I were involved, that much should be obvious.” She made a dramatic show of indicating herself and her girlfriend.

Maki opened her mouth to offer her standard rebuttal, but closed it when she realized Nico had uncharacteristically included her in her bragging. Instead she smiled and said, “It was fun.”

“So I heard the good news.” Eli said, walking into the entryway. “Congratulations, you two. You know you had us all worried there for a while there.”

“Sorry…” The new couple responded in unison.

“But you made it through and are together now.” Nozomi laughed. “That’s what’s important.”

“Oh, we did run into Etsuko…” Nico turned towards the purple-haired girl.

“Oh dear.” Nozomi placed a hand on her cheek. “Did she figure it out?”

“I denied it, but we’re going to need to be careful.”

“So no more kissing in the hallway?”

“What?!”

“Your lips are swollen.” Nozomi said with a wink. “So are Maki’s.”

“Who is Etsuko?” Eli asked, trying to change the subject to spare her friends further embarrassment.

“She’s complicated. I’ll explain later, Elicchi.” The spiritual girl turned her attention back to the other pair. “But you’re right, Nicocchi, we should only tell those we trust.”

“The other will want to know.” Eli pointed out.

“Honoka and Rin are the only two that concern me.” Nico admitted.

“Hanayo-chan knows the idol industry and will keep Rin-chan under control.” Nozomi pointed out. “And Honoka-chan has successfully kept her relationship with Tsubasa-chan under wraps this long.”

“Fair point, I suppose.”

“And you should probably tell your parents.” Eli said.

Nico scoffed. “I think Mama’s assumed as much for years…”

“But you should still confirm it for her, at least.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“What about you, Maki-chan?” Nozomi asked.

“I’m… uhm… meeting my parents for dinner on Sunday.” Maki reached up to twirl her hair. “I suppose I could probably tell them then.”

“Good, so that’s all settled. Now, come join us,” Nozomi motioned toward the living room, “we were just about to watch the next episode.”

“I kind of want to get changed first.” Nico admitted, pulling at a tighter part of her dress.

“Uhm…” Maki looked down at her own blouse and skirt.

“I might be able to find something that will fit you.” Nico said thoughtfully.

“If not, you can borrow something of mine.” Nozomi offered.

“I’ll… see what Nico-chan has first…” Maki replied, turning her gaze down.

“That’s fine.” Nozomi grinned. “The offer stands, just in case.”

“C’mon, Maki-chan.” Nico grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Let’s see what we can find for you.”

“I’ll make some tea.” Nozomi offered. “But don’t take long.”

“What do you mea… never mind.” Nico shook her head and moved down the hall.

“If you’re not back in a half hour, we’re starting the show without you!” the spiritual girl called after the departing pair.

Nico made a rude gesture in return before closing her bedroom door.

“Why would it take us a half hour to ch…” Maki started asking before realizing the answer. Immediately, her face flushed.

“It’s Nozomi, Maki-chan.” Nico moved to her dresser. “I can’t believe it took you that long to figure that one out.” Geez, she figures out the whole kissing thing then goes right back to being clueless. What am I going to do with this girl? “Here.” She said, turning and holding out a sleep shirt. “This one has always been a little big on me, but I think it will fit you fine.”

“Th-thanks…” The redhead accepted the garment but continued to blush as she stood motionless.

Maki had yet to move by the time Nico retrieved one of her favorite sets of pajamas for herself. “What?” the raven-haired girl asked, turning to find her girlfriend staring at her.

“Uhm…”

“Too pink for you?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“N-no, the shirt is fine, but…”

Oh. “You don’t have to change here, Maki-chan. You know where the bathroom is.”

“Yeah… uhm… I’ll… be right back…”

Well that reaction probably rules out moving past just kissing tonight. Nico shook her head as she watched her girlfriend leave. Of course with Nozomi and Eli here, I’m not sure how keen I am on it either. Then again, I have to listen to them all the time. Turnabout is fair play, right? Nico sighed and proceeded to change.

A few moments later, Nico regretted thinking she shouldn’t push to progress things. The sleep shirt she had loaned Maki fit her well. Too well. The style was definitely a bit on the cute side compared to what Maki normally wore, but pink suited Maki probably more than she herself would admit. And while it wasn’t quite as short as some of the stage outfits they used to wear, it was definitely shorter than the sleepshirts she usually wore. As such, between the two outfits Maki had borrowed for the day, Nico was being provided with a plethora of pleasing perspectives.

“Nicocchi, Maki-chan, your tea is on the table.” Nozomi said as the pair entered the living room. Having pointed out the beverages, the spiritual girl took her position beside Eli on the loveseat.

“What are we watching?” Maki asked, taking the spot next to Nico as she had the night before. She blinked and tilted her head in response to Nozomi’s smirk.

“Same thing as last time.” Eli explained, aiming the remote to start the show. “You didn’t miss much; the last few episodes didn’t really have much to do with anything.”

Maki quickly found she couldn’t concentrate on the show as her attention kept drifting over to Nozomi, who kept leaning more and more against Eli, eventually sliding all the way down so she could rest her head in her girlfriend’s lap. She glanced at Nico out of the corner of her eye. As embarrassing as the concept seemed, she could not deny a strong desire to mimic the spiritual girl. But how would Nico react if Maki were to do that?

Without her bidding, Maki’s body suddenly shifted just enough to lean against Nico. Her girlfriend responded almost immediately by sliding an arm around her shoulders. Maki felt herself tensing and willed herself to relax. Nozomi might tease her later, but they were mostly in a private setting. This much was fine, right?

Nico pulled her closer and Maki felt her head resting against hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nozomi drifting off and felt a small pang of jealously at the degree of comfort the other pair had with one another. She leaned a little closer to Nico, who responded by pulling her again.

For the life of her, she could not remember how it happened, but suddenly Maki found herself doing exactly as she had imagined; mimicking Nozomi. Oh gods! Her head was in Nico’s lap! Oh gods! A wave of panic shot through Maki and with it came the desire to bolt up and run out of the room.

And then it was gone.

Nico’s hand brushed Maki’s hair up and over her ear and Maki released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Every thought of moving away from this position vanished and was immediately replaced with a sense of calm. Maki understood exactly why Nozomi was on the verge of falling asleep. With Nico’s hand running through her hair, across her shoulder and down her arm, Maki felt she could almost purr. She no longer cared about the show as all of her attention was focused on Nico’s gentle touch.

Nico leaned down just enough that her lips almost brushed her girlfriend’s ear. “Time for bed, Maki-chan.” She murmured.

Maki stirred and muttered something unintelligible.

“You two sleep well.” Eli said, guiding a half-asleep Nozomi towards her bedroom.

“You too.” Nico replied with a smile.

“What time is it?” Maki muttered, slowly sitting up.

“Like I said, it’s time for bed.”

“Oh…”

“C’mon, let’s get to bed.” Nico said, taking her girlfriend’s hand.

“Nnn…” Maki replied.

Nico chuckled at a mild sense of déjà vu as she lead her girlfriend down the hall. Just like the night before, Maki staggered towards the bed and collapsed onto it. As Nico crawled on bed as well, she couldn’t help wondering if Maki would fall asleep before she could get the blankets over them again. However, Maki proved Nico wrong as she rolled onto her side to face her girlfriend. Well, almost wrong; her eyes belied her energy level.

“I’m sorry.” Maki said softly.

“What?”

“I’m sorry.” The younger girl repeated.

“You’ve been apologizing a lot to me lately, Maki-chan.” The raven-haired girl pointed out. “What are you apologizing for this time?”

“For calling you an idiot.”

“What?”

“For yelling at you about your grades and nosing around in your business.” Maki seemed unable to hold Nico’s gaze, be it though embarrassment or lack of energy, Nico couldn’t quite tell; probably both.

Nico scoured her memory for… oh… that… “I was upset.” She admitted. “And in pain. And on pain meds. I’m not entirely sure why I said all that.”

“But you were right.” Maki insisted. “I do yell at you over your grades. And I do…” She paused. “I do call you an idiot.”

Nico sighed. “Like I said last night, Maki-chan, I was upset about a lot of things then, and I took it all out on you. I know why you care about my grades, and I don’t actually think you nose around too much in my business.” She smiled. “And as for the whole idiot thing, I know you don’t actually mean it.”

Maki wrinkled her brow. “You do?”

“Well, you’re not always easy to read, but I think I’ve figured out at least that one. I do my idol thing, you call me an idiot, I say you like it, you say maybe, and we go on from there.” Nico chuckled. “It’s just a weird thing we do. I don’t even remember when we started doing that, do you?”

“Not really…”

“It’s not important.” Nico shrugged. “Anyway, a lot of my frustration over the last few years has been dealing with the fact that I wanted to date you, but not having the courage to ask and knowing you were to dense to do anything.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” Nico reached up and gently swatted Maki on the head. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re dating now. We’re together now. We just got back from our first date! Heck, we just had our first kiss! And I can’t tell you how happy I am after all that.”

Maki felt a smile come to her lips.

“So let’s not end the day on a sour note by dredging up all that stuff from the past few weeks. We have plenty of time to talk about all that and figure out that stuff later, alright?”

“Alright…”

“Good. Now come here.” Nico reached out and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. Maki reciprocated the hug immediately. “Better?”

Maki nodded, but after a moment, Nico felt her starting to pull away a little. She was just about to pull Maki back in when she felt the other girl slide her cheek against hers.

“Maki-chan?” Nico asked as the redhead pulled back just enough that they could catch each other’s eye for a moment before moving forward to bump their noses together.

Was Maki not-so-subtly seeking another kiss? Nico had intended to merely hug and maybe change the topic of conversation, but a kiss was definitely a more positive way to end the night. She tilted her chin up and almost gasped in shock as Maki quickly moved to capture her lips. Barely a second later, Nico felt something else brush against her lips. Was that Maki’s tongue? By the gods, was the girl who had balked at their first kiss and practically had to be walked through their second, now taking the lead on their third? What the hell?

Still, Nico was not going to pass up this opportunity and opened her mouth to allow Maki access. Forget the sound she made earlier, the moan Maki released then was ten, no twenty-five times better as their tongues danced against one another. Maki’s fingers threaded through Nico’s hair before pulling her deeper into the kiss and it was Nico’s turn this time to pull their bodies closer.

Bliss.

This was pure bliss.

Once again, Nico had to force herself to pull back. She giggled as Maki whined and leaned her head forward. “Just a moment, Maki-chan.” Nico placed a finger on her girlfriend’s lips. “Nico has to catch her breath.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “So Maki-chan really likes kissing Nico, huh?”

“You don’t like it?” Maki pouted in response.

Nico had to contain a bout of laughter for fear that it would be heard through the thin walls of the apartment. “No, that’s not it. I liked it very much. But how are you not out of breath?”

“…” Maki merely blinked.

“Well, whatever.” She was as ready as she thought she could be. “C’mere.”

No less than half a dozen kisses later, the two finally turned in for the night.

Warm.

Really warm.

But also soft. Why was it so…

No, Nico knew exactly why it was so warm even before she opened her eyes. Maki was using her like a teddy bear. Again.

“No…”

What?

“Nico-chan…”

Oh for the love of… Was Maki fighting with Nico even in her dreams?

“… is mine…”

What.

“My Nico-chan…” Maki’s embrace tightened. “Mine…”

Wait… Maki wasn’t hugging Nico like a teddy bear. Maki was hugging Nico… like Nico.

Nico had to resist laughing at the realization. Maki being possessive didn’t surprise her in the least, and to be perfectly honest, it didn’t bother her either. On the contrary, Nico found she liked it. But now she definitely needed to tease Maki about this.

Unlike the previous night where she had been too nervous and excited when Maki had hugged her in the middle of the night, Nico relaxed into the embrace this time. Smiling, and snuggling into her girlfriend, she let sleep overtake her again.

Author’s Note Continued: I suppose this probably could have been two, maybe even three scenes, based on how I’ve been writing most of this story thus far. However, there were two - technically three - things I wanted to include in this scene; four if you include the redo of the end of Forgiven.

I may come back to revisit this scene and touch up a few parts later, but for now I just needed to get the ideas out of my head and onto digital paper.

#NicoMaki #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #How to Handle a Nico #Love Live #fanfic

39 notes · View notes

oumiyuki · 7 years

Text

The Daily Life of Loving a Really Cute but Dense Vampire Ch11

Chapter 11 – Great Nico-ni tries her hardest

May you enjoy~ XD

Kotori was walking to school as per normal. The sun has only begun peeking out from the East, and the pathway had little people. So, the walk to school was a slow, peaceful one.

A head of orange bobbed a few metres in front of Kotori, and a smile naturally grew on Kotori’s face.

“Honoka-chan!”

Kotori was met with a smile. “Oh~ Kotori-chan! Good morning!” Honoka stopped for Kotori to catch up to her before they continued walking together.

Honoka looked over to see Kotori still smiling even though five minutes has passed since they started walking together.

“Kotori-chan, you seem happy?”

“Mm?” Kotori looked over to see the ginger’s cheerful face. “Mmph! Getting to walk to school with Honoka-chan…It’s like a dream come true…” Kotori nodded with a giggle.

Honoka smiled broadly. “Then I’ll make your dreams come true every morning from now on!”

“Eh?” Kotori’s heart skipped a beat at Honoka’s wink.

“Let’s walk to school together starting today, Kotori-chan!”

“Mmph!” Kotori gave another happy nod as the two head off to school.

Kotori almost walked into a wall as she daydreamed about being able to walk to school with her most favourite person.

“Ah…” Kotori smiled sweetly at the thought of the sweet ginger taking the initiative to ask for her company every morning.

I don’t think Honoka-chan will even think of that though…

Kotori started her walk to school again.

Ah, since we walk around the same path to get to school…There might be a chance that I may bump into Honoka-chan while walking to school?

Kotori smiled broadly at the idea of turning a corner to see her sunshine. She also deliberately slowed her pace in case the person she wanted to meet was behind her. Kotori kept a look out for a bubbly orange-brown haired girl that might walk, run or skip by, but alas, she reaches school with no such girl in sight.

I wonder if Honoka-chan is in class already…Or still at home? Maybe we just missed each other by a bit…

Kotori let out a soft sigh before shaking her head.

Mm, mm. Honoka-chan wouldn’t be so negative! I’m going to get to see Honoka-chan later anyways! And…sit beside her… Hehe~

Kotori giggled softly with a hand covering her mouth, before looking around to make sure no one saw her, she did not want to be a topic for the school after all. Getting a title like “The girl who giggles to herself” would make her so uncool that she won’t be allowed to date Honoka, was what ran through Kotori’s mind before she walked normally to class.

In the classroom before Kotori arrives, the diligent Class President and Vice Class President were already there.

“Elichi, how was your weekend?” The purple haired Vice President made her way down the steps slowly to the blonde who could not help but gawk for a moment before collecting her thoughts to answer the question.

“Ah…It was productive and…interesting.” Eli remembered her time with Kotori and Rin on Saturday and then with her sister, Honoka and Honoka’s sister on Sunday; they were both interesting and different for the Class President who usually has things planned out. And those two meetings were certainly unplanned. “I met Kotori and Rin on Saturday, and Honoka the next day.”

Oh? Elichi met with Honoka-chan this weekend~

Nozomi mentally noted a point about the gingerhead who might be a vampire.

“Hm~ Got all your homework done?” Nozomi smiled teasingly.

“Yes, I started on Friday and finished the rest on Saturday, since I’ll be occupied on Sunday.” Eli did not catch the tease.

“Oh~” Nozomi let the miss slide. “Did something special happen on Sunday?”

“Yes…My little sister came from Russia to live with me.” Eli had a gentle smile and loving gaze into the distance which made Nozomi smile wider, feeling Eli’s genuine love for her younger sister.

Looks like I just found out who is Elichi’s love of her life~

“That’s sweet~ How much younger is she from you?”

“Just one year, actually.” Eli grinned wider before realizing that she might be getting carried away with her joyful emotions, so she cleared her throat. “How about you, Nozomi? How was your weekend?”

“Mm~ Finished my homework, then hung out with Nicocchi and Hanayo-chan~”

“Hm…I would say I feel slightly sad that I wasn’t invited. But since I was busy myself, I won’t.” Eli had a playful smile, while Nozomi eye’s widened for a second before smiling.

I think I like the flirty Elichi quite a lot~ Hehe~

“Then how about we hang out some time soon? Like a date~” Nozomi winked, Eli had red paint her cheeks the moment she heard Nozomi liken their hanging out to a date.

Aw~ Elichi is blushing~

Eli kept silent, averting her gaze away from the grinning purplenette. “Am I being rejected?” Nozomi feigned a sad tone.

“N-No. That’s not it. I…I’d be glad to…hang out with you, Nozomi…” The red on Eli’s face persisted as she danced around the ‘date’, trying her best to not focus too much on the word or idea.

Nozomi smiled wider. “I look forward to it then~”

A date with Elichi~ And maybe finding out about Honoka-chan from someone else’s eyes~

Defenceless.

Honoka woke with a start as she felt something hit her stomach.

“Oof! Wha- Wha..?” Honoka sat up like the rising dead, rubbing her sleepy eyes that still wanted to remain closed.

Who even wakes like that? It’s kind of cute though. A- Ahem!

“Good morning, Honoka.” A calm voice greeted the gingerhead.

Honoka yawned aloud and stretched as if she was alone in the room, or at least she did not care that she had a spectator to watch her uncouth behaviour and also giving a peek of her bare stomach when she did such a huge stretch.

Honoka, you should cover your mouth when you- H-H-Honoka?! H-Honoka’s…b-b-bare skin…It looks so…s-soft…

The spectator felt her cheeks heat up before quickly averting her gaze to the side, held back her hand to herself and choked on the inside.

“Mm…” Honoka lowered her arms to rest it on the object that hit her awake – a school bag. “Is it Friday already?” Honoka looked over to the person responsible for calling her over to the waking world at whatever the time was now; time isn’t something Honoka like to keep track of; not unless it’s time for food, play, sleep or the end of mathematics lessons.

Honoka is kind of calm when she has just awoken.

“No, it’s Monday.” The blush subsided as the spectator looked at Honoka sternly.

“Only Monday..?” Honoka flopped back down onto her bed. “Wake me when it’s Friday- Wah!”

Don’t even think about going back to sleep, Honoka!

The bag fell off the bed and the ginger’s eyes shot open as she was forcefully pulled into a sitting position with her legs outside the warmth of her blanket.

“Uu…Umi-chan…”

Thankfully she’s wearing pants… What am I even thinking? Of course, Honoka would be wearing pants, Umi!

“School. Now.” Umi pointed with her thumb towards the door.

Honoka pouted before sighing. “Do I have to..?” Honoka whined as she got off her bed lazily.

“Yes. Now get to it.”

Hurry up and get ready for school… Honoka when she just wakes up is kind of adorable… Stop with those impure thoughts, Umi!

Honoka trudged to her closet to take some fresh clothes but stopped since she needs to change into her school uniform not casual ones. She then continued her walk to the bathroom.

After some time that Honoka has left her room, Umi suddenly stood up from the bed she had tidied.

“H-Honoka didn’t take any change of clothing, which means…” Umi felt the heat from before returning as images of Honoka changing in this very room that she was in right now appeared in her mind. “Even if this is your room-”

“I’m back-” Honoka was attacked by her blanket as Umi wrapped the innocent ginger with it. “U-Umi-chan?! What are you doing?”

E-E-Even if you c-can dash back to and fro the toilet really q-quickly d-d-doesn’t mean you can go running around n-n-n-nude..!

“I’m covering you so that you d-don’t appear s-s-so sh-shameless…” Umi held the blanket up as she stared at the ground.

“I don’t look shameless…” Honoka stared at Umi who refused to make eye contact with her. “I’m not naked, you know?” Umi turned to face Honoka slowly. “But I still need help with my sunscreen-” Umi grabbed Honoka to her bed and disappeared outside Honoka’s room.

W-What was I even thinking? Sonoda Umi! Of course Honoka wouldn’t do that! I-I can’t face her now…

Umi buried her flushed face in her hands.

Applying No-Burn on Honoka’s…bare back…

Umi leaned against the wall for a moment before mentally slapping herself.

I’ll get Yukiho to help Honoka…

Honoka blinked twice and sat at her bed obediently for a time. “…Can I go back to sleep?”

Honoka stared at her pillow that seemed to be calling her, but before Honoka could lose to the allure of lying down to sleep again, her room door opened once more.

“Umi-chan-” Honoka looked up to see that the person who has entered was not a blue head. “Yukiho?”

“Umi-chan asked me to help you with your sunscreen.” Yukiho smiled with a bottle of No-Burn in hand.

“Umi-chan chickened out, huh?” Honoka unwrapped herself out of the blankets.

Yukiho chuckled. “You probably did something to scare her, Onee-chan.”

“No I didn’t!” Honoka protested as she took her shirt off and Yukiho poured some sunscreen on her free palm.

“I heard Umi-chan calling you shameless.” Yukiho smirked as she helped her sister with her back, and Honoka rubbed the sunscreen on the rest of her skin.

“Umi-chan is always overreacting… I sometimes don’t get what she finds shameless…” Honoka frowned in thought, while her younger sister chuckled.

Done with applying No-Burn and changing into her school uniform, Honoka went downstairs to begin going to school with her blue haired childhood friend.

The childhood friend in wait glanced up to see Honoka approaching, a smile grew at her lips.

“Ready?”

“Ever ready!” Honoka bounced beside Umi whose smile grew wider.

“Honoka can’t be ‘ever ready’.” Umi opened the door to exit.

“I totally can…” Honoka pouted as she followed behind.

“We’re going off now, Honoka-mama.” Umi called to Honoka-mama inside the shop.

“See you, mum~” Honoka turned to wave at her mum.

“Take care, Umi-chan, Honoka!” Honoka’s mum stopped what she was doing to wave goodbye to both daughters with a broad smile of her own.

After walking for barely thirty steps, Honoka turned to Umi with a really broad smile that Umi could only expect trouble from the ginger’s mouth.

“What is it?” Umi sighed.

“Wanna dash?” Honoka’s eyes sparked with excitement, while Umi shook her head.

“No, how many times must I tell you that it will crease your uniform, plus.” Umi added as she took in the indignant pout from the ginger beside her. “It’s really early right now, dashing to school means being there really early. Do you really want that?”

Honoka’s eyes widened considerably before she shook her head and visibly deflated as she was upset about being unable to dash, but she did not want to end up in school super early too. “No…”

Umi smiled as she won this round in making the overly energetic ginger not run off, and walk with her to school instead.

Honoka really should get a watch or check the time, because it actually wasn’t very early. Umi chose to wake Honoka who loved to sleep in, at a timing that would be just nice for them to brisk walk at a quickened pace that humans won’t question and Honoka won’t notice for them to get to school and still have ten minutes of preparation time in class.

The moment they reached the lockers and switched their outdoor shoes for their indoor ones, Honoka skipped beside the archer.

“Race you to class, Umi-chan!”

“Race- Wait, Honoka!” Umi blinked and in that time Honoka sped off for their classroom. Umi sighed. “Why are you so energetic in that…way?”

Umi felt like with all that wasted energy Honoka has, she might as well join a club or do something productive, but instead, her ginger friend only use it for running around, causing trouble and then sleeping in.

Honoka’s one track mind got her to the classroom soon enough as she did not even look back to see if her blue haired childhood friend even bothered to race with her. The door was opened for some reason so she ran in shouting, “Goal~!”

Ah, Honoka-chan is here. Her bright smile is so sweet today too… Just seeing it puts a smile on my face~

Kotori’s day brightened the moment she laid eyes on her crush while their classmates were almost accustomed to the boisterous gingerhead’s exclamations, so few were startled. Honoka’s sight rested on the Class President who had her back towards the entrance as she was busy at the teacher’s desk.

“Eli-chan~!” Honoka glomps the unexpecting Class President from behind.

“H-Honoka?” Eli managed to support the both of them so that they don’t end up on the floor.

“Good morning~” Honoka greeted energetically and loudly which made Eli want to smile and frown at the same time; the cheerfulness was welcoming but the loudness was not.

“Good morning, Honoka…” Eli placed Honoka an arm’s length away from her with a small smile which could not match Honoka’s gigantic one.

Eh? What is this?

Kotori who was already seated could not bring herself to smile at the lovely ginger’s energy when she is directing so much physical affection to someone that wasn’t her.

When did Honoka-chan and Eli-chan get so close?

Kotori watched with a slight frown as Honoka tried to pull the reluctant blonde closer.

Is…Is Eli-chan a love rival for Honoka-chan too?

“Honoka…I’ve still got work to do, so…” Eli smiled gently at the bouncing ginger she held an arm’s length away.

“Aw~ Alright. Let’s play again soon, Eli-chan~” Honoka nodded with a bounce.

“Alright.” Honoka smiled broader as she skipped to her seat.

Honoka-chan and Eli-chan played together..?

Kotori couldn’t keep her eyes away from the smiling gingerhead who plopped beside her as they were seating partners.

Honoka didn’t waste another minute as she dropped her bag at the side of her seat and turned to face the staring ash-grey. “Good morning, Kotori-chan~!” Honoka beamed.

“G-Good morning, Honoka-chan…” Kotori’s jealous feelings went poof like smoke as Honoka’s bright smile filled her with happiness and her lips naturally pulled up into a smile too.

Honoka-chan’s good morning…

Honoka smiled at Kotori for a good minute while the ash-grey haired girl returned the smile and enjoyed the attention.

“Honoka-chan…”

“Hm?” Honoka tilted her head slightly to the side.

“Um…” Kotori lowered her head. “You seem really close with Eli-chan..?” Kotori couldn’t help but give in to her curiosity as the thought of when did Honoka get much closer to Eli nagged at the back of her mind.

“Closer?”

Was I any different?

“Mm-hm…Y-You were hugging her?” Kotori shrunk into herself as she remembered the gingerhead’s display of closeness to the Class President earlier.

Oh~ I think I was giving Eli-chan a good morning hug?

“Oh, we met and chat on Sunday before I-”

Ah, almost said when I met Kotori-chan! But that was during my bat form so…Ehehe…Lucky save~

Kotori looked at Honoka confused at the sudden cut off. “Honoka-chan?”

“Ah, um, that’s just a good morning hug. Do you want a good morning hug too?” Honoka recovered with a grin, not noticing that Kotori’s cheeks got slightly redder when she offered the fashion enthusiast a morning hug.

“C-C-Can I really..?” Kotori stuttered in a soft voice and her hands fidgeted in front of her.

“Sure, that-” Honoka stopped mid-sentence again as her gaze fell onto Kotori’s front, namely her chest which reminded her of their rainy encounter.

H-Hug…With Kotori-chan means…

Honoka went bright red in the next second which worried Kotori.

“Honoka-chan? Are you okay-” Kotori was interrupted by two strong hands that placed itself firmly on Kotori’s shoulder. “Honoka-chan?” Kotori squeaked.

I-I’ve got to teach Kotori-chan to be more careful on rainy days! And to look out for when her clothes get w-wet…

Honoka shook the image of Kotori’s drenched dress away. “K-Kotori-chan.” Honoka spoke in a serious voice that made Kotori give Honoka another 100% of her attention.

“Y-Yes?” Golden orbs met blue ones.

“Kotori-chan do you know the powers of rain and water?”

Rain and water is not one to be belittled, Kotori-chan! They already got you good yesterday!

Kotori blinked, stared back at the ginger’s utterly serious expression, and blinked again. “Um…Rain and water give life to living things..?” Kotori tried.

“That’s not it!” Honoka tightened her grip on Kotori’s shoulder and pulled her closer in her frustration. “Rain and water has the power to make your clothes see-through!”

Your white and pink- I mean…Ahh!

Honoka screamed internally to erase the forming image.

“E-Eh?” Kotori’s mind struggled to keep up with her crush’s sudden seriousness to outburst, random question and then an unexpected answer to the random question. Kotori was also very conscious about the bodily contact and closeness she is currently under thanks to Honoka herself. “S-See-through..?”

That’s right, Kotori-chan! Can you see where I’m coming from?

Honoka nodded solemnly, made the mistake of looking down which made her blush as the close up view of the ash-grey haired’s well-endowed chest rushed her simple brain. “Ah- Um.” Honoka squeezed her eyes shut.

Kotori moved a hand to her chin. “I-I think I understand what you’re trying to say, Honoka-chan…”

“You do?” Honoka opened her eyes and smiled hopefully at Kotori’s face.

Kotori nodded. “Mm-hm. You’re trying to tell me to be careful not to spill any form of water on books and paper right? It’ll be troublesome to wait for it to dry, and the other side of the page would be visible too…” Kotori had a small smile, thinking she got Honoka’s intent.

Honoka stared at Kotori without saying a word.

Kotori-chan doesn’t get it…If it comes to this, I have to show her!

Honoka took Kotori’s hand and pulled Kotori out of her seat to lead her to a place with water for demonstration.

“H-Honoka-chan? Where are we going? Homeroom is going to begin-”

“It’ll only be a short while.” Honoka’s one-track mind took control as she resolved to make the clueless ash-grey haired girl understand the importance of being careful around water.

Now in the bathroom, Honoka rushed up to the sink and collected two hands full of water and splashed it on herself.

“H-Honoka-chan?!” Kotori gasped and rushed over to Honoka, her handkerchief out of her pocket already.

Eh?! Why did Honoka-chan splashed water on herself?

“Kotori-chan!” Honoka grabbed both wrists of the surprised ash-grey haired to stop her from trying to dry her. “This is the power of water! It makes your clothes see-through. See?”

S-See?

Honoka puffed out her chest for Kotori to see the water that have seeped through her white uniform and plastered itself to her skin, also revealing hints of the silhouette of a bra for the blushing Kotori to see, and possibly burn into her mind.

H-H-Honoka-chan is..! H-Her bra…is…is white…It’s so fitting for someone as innocent and cute as Honoka-chan, but… Honoka-chan’s…

“H-H-Honoka-chan?” Kotori stammered while her eyes were glued to Honoka’s somewhat exposed front.

“Do you understand the terrors of water now, Kotori-chan? You should be careful-”

Kotori spread her handkerchief across Honoka’s chest and pulled her hands away before quickly turning away from the ginger that was oblivious of the effects the ginger’s actions has.

As much as I want to stare at Honoka-chan all day…Or just a second more… I shouldn’t let Honoka-chan keep herself wet and exposed…

“D-Dry yourself with that, H-Honoka-chan…I-I can see your…b-bra…”

Honoka blinked. “Okay..?” She dabbed Kotori’s handkerchief to her wet uniform for a while. “So you understand, Kotori-chan?”

Mmph…It has the power to get us closer…

Kotori turned back slowly and nodded. “Mmph, I understand the powers of water now, Honoka-chan…”

Honoka smiled broadly, glad that her lesson got through to Kotori.

The ash-grey on the other hand was red to her ears as she took in the sight of Honoka’s wet front again, the drying was not working out the way she wanted.

“Um.” Kotori took off her blazer and made Honoka wear it. “W-Wear this to cover yourself until you dry, Honoka-chan…”

“Oh, it’s still not dry, huh?” Honoka laughed sheepishly before donning the blazer. “Thank you, Kotori-chan.”

“I-It’s nothing…”

Honoka-chan is wearing my blazer…

“Shall we head back to class?” Honoka folded Kotori’s handkerchief and returned it.

“M-Mmph…” Kotori kept her handkerchief and started for the exit.

I wonder why Honoka-chan wanted to tell me about the…powers of water…

Kotori smiled shyly.

I’m glad that it was with me though…I wouldn’t want Honoka-chan showing herself to someone else…

Kotori looked over to the ginger who was back to being carefree as she admired Kotori’s blazer on herself.

“Hehe~ It feels funny to wear someone else’s blazer~ But I didn’t bring mine today, so we can’t exchange blazers~” Honoka giggled.

Just looking at you wear my blazer is enough, Honoka-chan! Though…If I can wear yours while you wear mine, would be kind of romantic too~

When Honoka and Kotori returned to the classroom, almond, violet and ruby eyes were focused on them.

Strong almond-yellow belonged to the blue haired archer, and striking violet belonged to the crimson haired doctor. The two of them was wondering where Honoka had taken their ash-grey haired classmate to, instead of them, and returning with the ash-grey’s blazer on her too. “What happened?” ran through their minds as they remain seated.

Ruby eyes that appeared fierce at the moment was scrutinizing the gingerhead, wondering when she could shine some truth onto the ginger; is she vampire or not.

Hm. The homeroom teacher doesn’t seem to be arriving any time soon.

Nico glanced to the door before resting her eyes on the ginger that was turning to speak to Kotori again.

I swear, the fact that Honoka’s stalker can sit right beside her in class is just unfair to all those other stalkers that have to put in an effort to peek through windows or hide behind bushes!

Nico wasn’t upset because the ash-grey haired classmate was making it hard for her to stalk and test the gingerhead, no. She also wasn’t feeling injustice for Honoka’s other stalkers, Nico does not know of their existence yet. Nico was simply upset because she realized that her tests have proved that she actually believes that Honoka is vampire.

This must be Nozomi’s spiritual powers messing with my head.

Nico grimaced as she expertly crushes a ball of paper; her ammo is loaded.

Well, it’s now or never. The Great Nico-ni shall now commence “Expose the Vampire Case 5: Honoka-idiot (human stalker still around)” She should be able to see the paper ball flying over since she’s facing Minami and then she’ll catch it, like Koizumi. And wa-la! She’s vampire!

Nico stood up, because she got so into the role, she felt the need to stand in a throwing position and pull back her hand for greater effect.

The idol’s actions were not going unnoticed as the redhead behind her raised both eyebrows at her ridiculously exaggerated pose. The redhead also figured that Nico seemed to be targeting the gingerhead for some reason she has yet to find out, so she decided to step in.

“Take this!” Nico swung her arm, but was unable to watch the results of her paper ball as she pulled a redhead to her side of the table.

Maki’s “What are you doing?” was cut short at ‘What’ as she lost her balance thanks to the phenomenal strength the smaller twin tailed girl just exerted in a simple hand throw.

…

Nico sweatdropped as she turned her head, an incredibly forced smile on her face, as she watched the redhead she just reeled in change from wide eyed to displeased in a matter of seconds.

Why did she grab onto my hand?

“M-Maki-chan?” Nico started with her idol voice though it came off shaky.

Damn! Why did I stutter? Stuttering makes me sound guilty!

“Why did you throw the paper ball at Honoka?” Maki didn’t like wasting time or beating around the bush, so she just asked the question on her mind.

“E-Eh? Nico wasn’t trying to throw a paper ball at Honoka~” Nico averted her gaze.

The Great Nico-ni does not need to try. The Great Nico-ni gets things done!

“Huh…” Maki narrowed her eyes which made Nico gulped.

Why isn’t Maki-chan letting go of my hand? It’s seriously stressing me out here. Ever heard of personal space?

“Hey, could you return Nico’s hand-”

Maki smiled a very eerie smile. “Your hand is very strong.”

Damn, there was that too! Is Maki-chan light or am I just that strong? Pft, of course it’s the Great Nico-ni who is strong. But that strength just brought me trouble. Ugh.

“N-Nico isn’t very strong…” Nico internally slapped herself for a stuttering and barely passable acting.

“Really?” Maki strengthened her grip on the class idol’s hand, and released the strength in her legs to test if Nico can keep her up with one wrist.

Nico managed to keep Maki up for a good second before her eyes bulged when she realized what Maki was doing, so she quickly put her other hand behind the redhead’s back in pretence to hold her up.

What the hell are you doing, Maki-chan?! If I didn’t had super strength you’d drop to the floor! If I was someone else, you’d be their next live target!

Nico forced another smile. “M-Maki-chan…Did Maki-chan not eat breakfast today..? To suddenly be unable to stand…on her two legs…That really surprised Nico…”

“It seems like you’re plenty strong.” Maki felt that she experimented on the class idol enough, so she let go of the black haired girl’s wrist and took a step back.

The Great Nico-ni isn’t going to get found out by a mere human! And a disinterested in the world human that somehow got granted the great looks too!

“N-Nico is an idol, so…Idols have rigorous training to train up our strength and stamina!” Nico felt like a good few years of her life was being shaved off thanks to the redhead’s incessant suspicion on her. The smirk on the redhead’s face somehow irked her too.

“Sure, I believe you.” Maki rolled her eyes at Nico’s idol front before returning to her seat.

Ugh…I’m not discovered right?

Nico slumped back into her seat, exhausted. She looked over to the gingerhead who was resting her head on the table.

I didn’t take her down with a paper ball right? Well, if Honoka really got knocked unconscious in class, Minami or Sonoda would be making a fuss, not sit around like nothing happened.

Nico closed her eyes and dropped her head to meet the table too.

Expose the Vampire Case 5…failed… Got to… Get to the next plan!

Nico slammed both fists on the table in determination, but held her head with both hands after, as her head felt the table’s vibration when she banged her fist on the table.

Ouch…

What really happened when Nico’s paper ball flew out of her hands; Honoka did see the paper ball flying over, but she just turned to see the projectile hit her on the forehead and she clasped both hands to her head.

“Ah! I-It’s a head shot…!”

Honoka-chan?! Where did the paper ball come from?

“H-Honoka-chan?” Kotori was surprised that a paper ball flew over suddenly. Plus it hit the ginger in the head. “Are you okay?”

“K-Kotori-chan…” Honoka held onto her head as she leaned closer to the concerned ash-grey. “I-I don’t think I have much longer…” Honoka pretended to be severely injured.

Ah, Honoka-chan is so close…And is cute when she’s pretending to die.

“Eh? H-Honoka-chan… S-Should we go to the nurse’s office to check on your injury?” Kotori knew it could not be that serious, but could not help but play along with the ginger’s antics.

“B-Before that…I just want to let you know that…”

“Let me know that?” Kotori looked over with her large golden eyes.

Will Honoka-chan pretend that we are lovers, and she’s an injured soldier that just returned from a war that has yet to end, and then…say that she just wants to let me know that she loves me..!

Kotori’s imagination was skyrocketing but before it became full-blown, the main actress spoke up again.

“I would love to have strawberry jam bread once more…before I go…” Honoka slumped to the back of the seat, pretending to have lost conscious.

Ah…Honoka-chan is thinking about food, huh?

The paper ball of course, did not even leave a scratch on Honoka’s forehead, so there wasn’t a need to go to the nurse’s office.

Classes began, came and went. And now, it was time for lunch.

The one who strikes first, wins!

Nico cheated, or she was well-prepared; the Great Nico-ni, Class idol and part-time detective shot to her feet the moment the teacher uttered “Class end”. And before anyone could react, she bounded her way to Honoka’s table.

“Honoka.” Nico had a hand on the table and another on the seat, garnering all of the gingerhead’s attention when she turned to look at who called her.

“Oh, Nico-chan! What’s up?” Honoka smiled a large, warm smile to the angry looking Nico.

Not ‘”What’s up”, but “Where to”, Honoka.

Nico grinned. “Do you mind coming with me for a bit?”

Has long as she did not make any prior appointments, she’s mine.

Honoka tilted her head to the side. “Mm, sure.”

Winner!

Nico beamed. “Great! Let’s-”

Before Nico could get Honoka out of the classroom, someone interrupted; she knew things can’t just go her way.

“Hold on. What do you want with, Honoka?”

Nico turned around to see Sonoda Umi who has stood up, asking with a no-joke expression and tone. And to her left, a step above was a redhead who was radiating an unhappy aura with her arms crossed.

Am I in her way or does she want Honoka too? And Sonoda seriously might be Honoka’s chaperone with the way she’s almost always beside Honoka like this. Well, I better play safe here. Don’t want to get Sonoda and Maki on my tail.

“Nico just wanted to get to know her classmates better~ So Nico would like to hang out with Honoka a bit more for lunch~” Nico did her signature pose with a near perfect smile.

“Honoka-”

Umi was cut off when Honoka spoke up. “Yay, Nico-chan wants to hang out with me!” Honoka laughed happily. “Does Umi-chan want to hang out with Nico-chan too?”

It’s amazing how clueless to the animosity Honoka is. But good job, lighten the mood, Honoka!

Umi frowned at Honoka’s carefree attitude. It’s understandable that Honoka won’t go around doubting her classmate, but Umi has reasons for her suspicions on Nico. “No, I don’t.”

“Then there’s no need to inter- I mean stop us from hanging out, nico~”

How hard is it to have this dumb idiot here for a moment alone?!

Nico was getting annoyed.

“If Umi doesn’t have a need, I do.” Four pair of eyes looked over to Maki.

“Maki-chan wants to have lunch with Nico-chan?” Honoka guessed, again totally off the mark.

“No. I want to have lunch with you.” Maki wondered how she was able to be so honest, but forgave herself since it’s for the better in this situation.

Great. Now the classy redhead wants to have lunch with the idiot!

“Aw~ I’d love to, but I already promised Nico-chan. Want to eat with us instead?”

What? No. You don’t go inviting other people to our alone time, Honoka!

Maki opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted.

“No. I’d like to have you alone, so.” Nico didn’t want to dance around a redhead who was glaring daggers at her, and a blue haired archer that looked ready to pull her bow out (not that she’s afraid of some arrows), thus she did the next logical thing, get out of the situation literally. “We’re going now.”

Nico grabbed both of Honoka’s hands in hers to pull the gingerhead out of class and the situation itself. She should have done it earlier to avoid Honoka asking others to eat together with them; they weren’t even going to eat.

I should have done this earlier.

When Nico took Honoka’s hands into hers, Maki, Umi and Kotori flinched and frowned as they wanted to be the one to hold Honoka’s hand. Umi scolded herself for thinking that, Maki told herself it’s not like she really wanted to hold Honoka’s hand, while Kotori had half a mind to follow along regardless, but stopped herself to respect Honoka’s and Nico’s decisions.

Right, there was still Hoshizora to worry about.

Nico gave a quick glance back towards the purple haired girl who was observing them with a grin, she signalled to Nozomi with a glare to keep watch on Hanayo and Rin to see if they can find out more about the Asking-for-trouble banner, aptly named by Nico herself. Nozomi just grinned wider and turned her attention to the brunette and orange haired girl in front of her.

“Let’s go get ramen, Kayochin!” The orange haired girl turned to her childhood friend excitedly.

“Um, Rin-chan.” This time, Hanayo wasn’t trying to avoid ramen, but instead want to gather information about Rin’s banner creation.

“Hm?” Rin calmed down a little to listen.

“How…How goes your banner?” Hanayo was thinking of ways to ask in a roundabout manner, but finally decided she might as well just cut to the chase for this matter.

“Banner, nya?” Rin cocked her head to the side, not yet registering what does banners have to do with her. “Oh! The bat-banner?”

Hanayo nodded with a small smile at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Mm…” Rin crossed her arm while furrowing her brows.

“W-What’s wrong?” Hanayo felt concern for her cheerful friend’s frustrated expression.

“Rin can’t decide which colour to use, nya…”

Hanayo could not help but smile slightly, relieved that Rin has yet to progress much on her banner. Nozomi who was listening into their conversation grinned, assuming the same thing as Hanayo.

“I- I see…Good luck, Rin-chan…”

“Thank you, Kayochin Rin will do her best!” Rin went back to being jolly thanks to Hanayo’s support.

“Ah…Mmph…” Hanayo nodded.

Umi walked out of the classroom without saying anything, she had full intentions to follow the class idol whose actions she queried, and her childhood friend that is oblivious to her situation, whatever the situation is.

Maki considered returning to her seat to sulk, as she lost her appetite when Honoka got dragged off elsewhere, but she wasn’t given that chance when her nurse in training disciple spoke to her.

“M-Maki-chan?”

Maki uncrossed her arms and rested her left hand on her hip. “What?”

“Um…Are you free to teach me more about medicine today..?” Kotori was intimidated by Maki’s cool attitude, and disinterested eyes.

Maki shrugged. “How about your lunch?”

“I-I’ll finish it quickly.” Kotori answered quickly with a smile, relieved that she was not turned down.

“Alright then.” Maki walked over to Kotori and sat beside her; initial reason was to wait for the ash-grey girl to finish her lunch, but when she remembered it was Honoka’s seat, she rest her chin on her hand and looked away from Kotori as there was a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

Kotori was slightly surprised that the redhead came over to sit, she also wanted to ask if Maki wanted to eat, but decided against it; the redhead seems to know what she’s doing all the time, questioning her might come off as rude.

Outside the classroom, Nico was still holding onto Honoka’s hand as she led the ginger to where she regarded as a private space for talking; the same corridor she officially made friends with Hanayo when she exposed the brunette’s identity.

Following behind them, the talented blue haired archer was clenching and unclenching her fist to calm herself down.

When is Yazawa-san going to let go of Honoka’s hand? It’s getting kind of annoying. Maybe I should step in to separate those hands…

Umi clenched and unclenched her hands once more before letting out a long breath, all to calm herself and avoid making a move she might regret. Her father taught her to be more decisive, yes. But he also taught her to not be too hasty in making important decisions; especially when violence is involved.

“Alright.” Nico turned around to face Honoka who was smiling.

Honoka’s weirdly obedient… Who would just follow a stranger to wherever they want?

Nico stared at the smiling ginger, the smile being very contagious as Nico’s lips edged upwards too. However, when she noticed that she was still holding hands with Honoka, a blush formed on her cheek for some reason as she let go.

What the heck! Why am I getting embarrassed?!

“You could have asked for your hand back if you didn’t like it, you know?” Nico shot the ginger an accusatory glare.

Umi standing further away in the shadows was glaring back at Nico.

And you could let go of Honoka’s hand the moment you left the classroom.

Honoka just cocked her head to the side, confused. “Hm? I didn’t dislike it.”

Dislike it, Honoka! I mean…Can you be silent for a moment, brain? I’m trying to find out if Yazawa-san is up to something. Not...get jealous… I’m not jealous!

Umi was having an internal conflict with herself.

“Dislike it.” Nico commanded with deadpan eyes.

Seriously! Be more conscious about this sort of lovey-dovey actions!

“Eh~ But I really don’t mind.” Honoka smiled broadly. “Holding hands is a sign of how close we are!”

For couples, maybe.

“Cos’ we’re friends!” Honoka made a gut pose, and was smiling so eagerly that Nico couldn’t retaliate with a snide comment.

Does she have a grade-schooler brain or something?

Nico sighs.

Vampire. Honoka. A vampire…

“Is everything okay, Nico-chan?” Honoka’s concerned tone brought Nico’s attention back to her.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Let’s begin “Expose the Vampire Case 6: Honoka-idiot (Alone, finally)”.

“So…You mind answering whatever I ask you?” Nico put up a huge grin to be less intimidating.

“Sure! We’re going to get to know each other more, right?” Honoka giggled happily.

“Y-Yeah…” Nico found herself smiling naturally again. “What’s your favourite food?”

“Bread!” Honoka did not even have to think for this question; if she did, she might consider saying blood, so luckily for her, she did not think.

Well, Honoka did mention that she loves bread during introductions…

“With what topping?”

“Strawberry jam! It’s just so sweet and delicious~ I can’t really explain it…I think you should try some. I’ll bring some for you next time!” Honoka’s eyes was shining, Nico found it rather blinding to look at Honoka’s pure form of excitement for the jam, so she put both hands out to say no.

Honoka was eating that and feeding it to Minami too. In fact, I already knew this. I should ask something else… Though I was hoping to hear her say blood instead… Why wouldn’t a vampire who loves bread, not put blood all over her favourite food right? I mean, Hanayo does it…

“T-That’s not necessary…” Nico couldn’t take bread very well. “Why did you mention blood during your introduction on the first day of school?” Nico narrowed her eyes in anticipation.

“Because I was told that blood type O is quite rare, making it important! And I love it!” Maki taught Honoka about how blood type O has fewer donations than the others since O type is few among the population, and she also told the gingerhead to use this as a reason for whenever blood is mentioned to Honoka; it most probably can get Honoka out of accidentally exposing herself.

“How fast can you run?” Nico decided to step away from blood and try on other aspects of vampires.

Just tell me that you can lap the school in few seconds-

“Eh..? I’m not really good with math…” Honoka lifted her right hand to her lips as she tried to remember the mathematical formula for speed.

“Do you think you can-” Nico was going to ask if Honoka can purchase her favourite bread and return here in a minute, but the gingerhead had a question of her own.

“Is Nico-chan asking about my physical capability so that you know what kind of training we can begin with?” Honoka looked up excitedly.

Umi who has been keeping her brain in check, and listening in to the two’s question and answer session, perked up when she heard ‘training’.

What’s this training about..?

“T-Training..?” Nico’s pace was broken as she fell onto Honoka’s track.

“Mm-hm! As basketball idols!” Honoka nodded.

Basketball idols?

Umi’s eyebrows furrowed together. She already did not bother with idols with how flashy they dressed, hearing of basketball idols just sounded even more ridiculous to her.

“No. Not basketball idols!” Nico really did not want to be known as a basketball idol, so she had to clear the misunderstanding with Honoka before she spreads the wrong word.

“Um…As idols?” Honoka hoped she did not anger the class idol unintentionally.

“I- …Yeah, yeah. I’m asking you these questions to see if you’re fit to be an idol worthy of the Great Nico-ni’s training!” Nico placed both hands on her hips proudly.

Umi suddenly felt like she lost all interest in the conversation.

Since when was Honoka interested in being an idol..? I’m pretty sure she’s more interested in battle mangas… Anyway, if this was all about playing idol together, I guess I didn’t have to worry so much…

Umi made her judgement; Nico and Honoka ran on weird wavelengths. And it most probably isn’t harmful to each other, so she can relax. Umi exited the shadows to spend the rest of lunch break doing something else.

Nico was now back in her seat and staring at the gingerhead again; Honoka rested her head on her arm lazily as she had no one to talk to since Kotori has yet to return from the nurse’s office.

… How did lunchbreak just went by like this?! Honoka side-tracked so much that I ended up explaining about idols to her and what training she could do! I did not manage to get concrete answers! Ugh… Honoka…

Nico slumped her entire body across her table, both mentally and physically exhausted from following Honoka’s pace. The Great Nico-ni’s detective work has yet to end. She absentmindedly crushed paper and rolled it to the side.

The classroom door opened and the ash-grey haired girl who still has yet to get her blazer back entered. She walked up to her seat from the resting ginger’s side, but stopped as she wasn’t sure of how to get in.

Honoka-chan is resting…Maybe I should go from the other side..?

Honoka sat up straight suddenly and turned to look at Kotori.

Ah, Honoka-chan woke up.

Kotori blinked in surprise before smiling sweetly. Honoka broke into a broad smile.

“Kotori-chan! Welcome back~” The ginger who regained her energy hopped out of her seat for Kotori to go in.

“Thank you, Honoka-chan…” Kotori felt her heart thumping faster from Honoka’s broad, broad smile, plus her heart can’t keep calm every time the gingerhead that she is head over heels for calls her name.

Honoka-chan…I just love it when you say my name…

Kotori took note of where she placed her pencil case which marked where she should sit so that she is closer to the gingerhead who sat back beside her.

“Kotori-chan, where did you go to eat today?” Honoka made small talk with a bright smile.

“I ate in class today, actually…” Kotori returned the smile, though slightly smaller.

I’d only go somewhere else if with you, Honoka-chan…

“Oh~” Honoka blinked once, wondering what the next question should be. “So you were in the bathroom?”

Kotori shook her head. “No, I was at the nurse’s office with Maki-chan-”

“Eh?! Did something happen?” Honoka shuffled closer concernedly.

Honoka-chan moved closer to me..! And Honoka-chan’s worried expression…It’s a different kind of cute…

Kotori blushed slightly and shook her head. “No…I’m studying first aid with Maki-chan’s help, so…” Kotori gave a small and shy smile, she did not really consider telling Honoka about her medicinal studies since she has yet to know enough to be confident in sharing about it.

Honoka visibly relaxed as her smile returned. “Hm~ Kotori-chan is learning healing powers, huh~ That’s cool!”

“I’ve only just started though…” Kotori lowered her head shyly.

“It all begins with a start!” Honoka beamed proudly at Kotori. “Once you become even better at healing, I’ll have two healers! Hehe~” Honoka chuckled joyfully. “Ah, that’s if Kotori-chan wants to be mine healer too though…” Honoka changed from proud jolly to modest and shy.

H-Honoka-chan… Of course, I’d want to be your healer! I don’t think I’m good enough though…

Ping! Ping! Ping!

Sounds of metal clashing reverberated in the air as sword blows were exchanged.

“This is the end for you, Swordswoman Kousaka!” A painful stab that grazed the swordswoman sides sounded as she staggered backwards.

“Ugh, no it isn’t! I’m not going down without a fight!”

“Swordswoman Honoka-chan!” Golden orbs that tried to blink away the forming tears cried the name of her warrior.

“Don’t worry, Healer Kotori-chan. Just concentrate on healing me. And I won’t die.” The Swordswoman Kousaka Honoka turned her head to give her healer an encouraging smile.

Healer Kotori rubbed the tears away from her eyes with the sleeves of her robe before giving a firm nod to her partner in battle. “Heal!” A green light appeared around her warrior, healing the injuries as best she can; it wasn’t much, but it lifted some of the pain Swordswoman Honoka felt.

“Thank you, Healer Kotori-chan!” Swordswoman Honoka readied her next fighting stance. “Meet your end! Evil Swordsman!”

“Gaahh!!” The Evil Swordsman suffered some hits as he was unable to parry all of Swordswoman Honoka’s strikes, slashes and lunges.

“Swordswoman Honoka-chan…” Healer Kotori whispered the name of her warrior, worry-laden as she did her best to cast another heal.

“You can’t defeat me! Swordswoman Kousaka!!” The Evil Swordsman’s dark aura doubled and before Swordswoman Honoka could react, she was slashed five times and when she parried the sixth strike, the force blew her backwards all the way to where Healer Kotori was.

“Ughh!” Swordswoman Honoka groaned in pain.

“Swordswoman Honoka!” The tears welled up in Healer Kotori’s golden orbs once again as she knelt beside her warrior and hovered her staff over the injured spots, hoping that if she healed from a closer range it might be stronger.

“Healer…K-Kotori-chan…” Swordswoman Honoka cupped the crying Healer’s face gently with her shaky hands. “Don’t cry…” She caught a falling tear and wiped off the rest that threatened to follow. “I will protect you through it all…”

Healer Kotori shook her head vigorously. “It’s my fault! Because I’m not strong enough-” A finger placed softly on her lips stopped the Healer from more self-blame. She looked into ocean blue eyes that still reflected strength, determination and love despite the injuries the owner has suffered. “Swordswoman Honoka-chan…”

“Believe in me, and I will be able to protect you, Healer Kotori-chan.” Swordswoman Honoka mustered a wide smile for her healer.

“Mmph! I believe in you, Swordswoman Honoka-chan!” Healer Kotori exclaimed, as she held the hand of her warrior’s and green light shined all around the two.

Swordswoman Honoka got to her feet, gave a final squeeze to Healer Kotori’s gentle hand, before she directed her determined eyes at the enemy.

“Evil Swordsman! Here! I! Come!! Raaarggh!!” Swordswoman Honoka let out a battle cry before all the concentrated energy she channelled to her feet propelled her forward at lightning speed and she pierced the heart of the Evil Swordsman with her blade.

“Kotori-chan? Would you want to be my healer?” Honoka was trying to get the ash-grey hair’s attention.

“Eh? Um, I- I’d love to, Swordswoman Honoka-chan!” Kotori affected by her daydream addressed Honoka as swordswoman, while sounding very determined too.

Honoka took an extra second to take in the change before she smiled broadly and chuckled. “I’m more of a fist person, but I think swords are cool too~ Hehe~”

Honoka-chan as a sword wielder or simply fighting with your bare fists is equally cool~

Nico above has crushed a whole bunch of papers and seeing the carefree ginger and ash-grey classmates chatting and laughing away got her slightly irritated.

I’m putting in so much effort to find out if you’re vampire and all you do is flirt and make things hard for me!

Nico’s train of thought was entirely irrational as the exhaustion crippled her capability to cool down. Nico sneaked a glance behind her to see that the redhead was not back yet.

No one to stop me now!

Nico grabbed the crushed paper balls and rained it down on Honoka.

With that speed, if you’re a vampire, you can catch all of it! Or at least half.

Nico crossed her arms and watched, though the results was never what she expects it to be when it came to the gingerhead. The paper balls all hit or fell around Honoka.

“Woah!” Honoka picked up a few paper balls and stared at it in fascination.

Why do I even bother? That dumb-idiot is probably thinking around the lines of magic paper balls…

“Honoka-chan, are you alright?” Kotori picked up some of the paper balls that landed on the floor too.

“I’m okay!” Honoka chuckled. “Watch this, Kotori-chan!”

Kotori looked over to see the gingerhead juggling about ten paper balls. Kotori giggled as she watched Honoka increased the amount of paper balls she was juggling, not noticing that Honoka was adding each paper ball at a phenomenal speed. Nico too failed to notice as she got irritated that her paper ball test led to helping Honoka impress Kotori more than necessary.

Honoka-chan is so good at juggling~

Honoka laughed happily which made her miss throw a paper ball in her juggling, which then led to the other paper balls to stop being juggled properly and all landed on Honoka’s head one after the other.

“Wah! Ah! Haha~” Honoka laughed even more as each paper ball hit her on the head.

Kotori could not help but laugh again, even more than before.

Honoka-chan…She’s so funny and adorable…

Honoka felt a great sense of accomplishment that she can make Kotori smile and laugh so much just from her juggling skit, so she smiled much, much broader than usual.

The rest of the school day rolled by relatively normally, and now it was after school. Honoka dropped her head onto the table with a soft complain.

“Uu…It’s after school…”

Finally it’s afterschool…

Kotori smiled at the ginger before packing her bag. “Honoka-chan…”

“Mm?” Honoka shifted her head to look at her seat mate.

Oh, Kotori-chan is ready to head home already… hehe~ Kotori-chan sure packs fast. She’s as efficient as Umi-chan and Maki-chan!

“Um…W-Would you like to go home together?” Kotori stuttered the question, the ginger usually invite her to walk home, but there are times when someone gets to her first, and Kotori would just feel like she’d be intruding if she walked with them; even if they are walking the same way.

Go home together, huh~ I’d love to, but today I’m not going home! Well, not yet anyways~

“Mm…” Honoka sat up while she thought of her reply, but while she was thinking, someone came to approach her.

“Honoka, there isn’t archery club today, so I could walk you back.” Umi with her school bag in hand, stood by Honoka’s table.

Umi-chan too?

“Eh? Um, I-”

Honoka could not finish her reply as a third person approached Honoka.

“Honoka.” The redhead glance to her blue haired childhood friend for a moment before returning her gaze to the gingerhead. “Want to walk home together?”

Maki-chan too? Today’s walk home would have been so much fun! Ah, but I can’t. I promised myself that I’ll visit Rin-chan today!

“I’d really love to, but…” Honoka wore a nervous smile, she did not like to cause unhappiness to others, and she somehow felt that saying no to walking home with the three of them would make them kind of upset.

“Did you get detention?” Umi questioned.

“Wha-? No? I- I did not get detention, Umi-chan!” Honoka frantically denied the possibility; she does not remember getting a detention yet for high school. “I just have something on, so I can’t walk home with you all…” Honoka turned in her seat to make eye contact with Maki, Umi and Kotori to show her sincerity.

I really, really, really would love to walk home with you three! But not today!

“Sorry, Kotori-chan.” Honoka apologized, while Kotori waved both hands in front of her.

“I-It’s nothing to apologize about, Honoka-chan…It’s okay. T-There’s always next time…” Kotori’s heart was doing skips again as she met Honoka’s filled with sincerity and apologetic blue eyes.

Kotori-chan is so nice~

“Mmph! There’s always next time!” Honoka turned around. “Umi-chan, sorry I can’t go home with you today even though you’re finally free…” Honoka gave the same apologetic look to Umi.

Umi had a lopsided smile. “It’s okay. As Mina- Kotori has mentioned, there’s always another time.”

“Umi-chan…” Honoka felt touched at Umi’s understanding.

Umi-chan is so understanding, hehe~

“Maki-chan, I’m sorry I can’t walk home with you today.” Once again, Honoka changed to her apologetic look to the redhead.

Maki crossed her arms and averted her gaze. “I-It’s not like I’m agreeing with Kotori on purpose…But as she said. There’s always another time. So…D-Don’t misunderstand, okay?” Maki looked at Honoka with a huff.

W-What’s there to misunderstand..?

“O-Okay..?” Honoka agreed to whatever she’s supposed to not misunderstand with a warm smile.

Umi, Maki and Kotori remained at their positions for another minute or so, not knowing when would be a good time to go.

“I-I guess I’ll go now… See you, Honoka…” Maki began.

“See you, Maki-chan!” Honoka had just finished packing her bag.

The three of them continued standing around despite Maki already saying she’ll go; the three of them were waiting for Honoka to go first for one reason or another.

Hm…I shall follow Rin-chan to her house today and have a chat with her~

After Rin has walked quite a distance down the corridor, Honoka stands up to follow.

The remaining three stood in silent for a moment after Honoka left, before each taking their leave.

Honoka was doing a fine job of following Rin and Hanayo as they walked home together, but the gingerhead didn’t see a need to distant herself from her two friends. She might as well walk together with them, before pretending to go further down the path.

Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan sure are close~

“Rin-chan, Hanayo-chan~” Honoka waved at the two who looked behind them, she jogged over to Rin and Hanayo. “Do you mind if I walk with you?”

“There’s no problem, nya~” Rin answered excitedly.

“I-I-I’d love to…walk with…H-Honoka-chan too…” Hanayo was so nervous she started stuttering as she squeaked.

I’d love to walk together too~ That’s why I called out to you after all~

Rin laughed. “Kayo-chin! You don’t have to be so formal or afraid!” Rin patted the brunette’s back excitedly.

Hehe~ Rin-chan sure knows how to calm Hanayo-chan down~

“Kayo-chin does not have to be so nervous~ Let’s walk together, nya!”

“Y-Yes…Rin-chan…” Hanayo was still relatively jittery.

“Hey, hey, Rin-chan.” Honoka walked beside Rin.

“Nyat is it, Honoka-chan?” Rin turned her attention to the ginger.

“I heard you want to meet the bat you chatted with again?” Honoka grinned widely at the thought of visiting right after their walk home.

“Yes, nya! Rin wants to chat with the cute little bat again~” Rin did a happy bounce.

“I want to chat more with you too~” Honoka giggled.

“Nya?” Rin and Hanayo looked over to Honoka confused as to why Honoka would say that.

Honoka blinked and returned the stare.

Did I say something wrong?

“U-Um…” Hanayo spoke up quietly.

“There’s no need to raise your hand to speak, Hanayo-chan.” Honoka sent the timid brunette a huge and reassuring smile.

“M-Mmph…” Hanayo nodded then looked over to Rin. “R-Rin-chan. Don’t you think meeting a bat is kind of…dangerous?”

“Dangerous?” Rin didn’t see the dangers in chatting with an adorable bat that seems to understand human language. “Rin don’t think so.”

I love how Rin-chan is so trusting. Of course, I’m totally trustworthy too!

Honoka smiled wider at her self-praise.

“Well…bats could…bite?” Hanayo knew it as a fact that bats normal or abnormal can and will bite.

Don’t worry, Hanayo-chan. I won’t bite Rin-chan.

“If the bat is hungry Rin can share with it my ramen, nya!” Rin put her hands out like she was holding a bowl of ramen.

“Rin-chan…” Hanayo does not believe that she can persuade Rin to change her mind about meeting bats.

“I don’t know if I’ll like eating ramen…” Honoka spoke her mind as she thought about slurping down some noodles; she tried dry noodles before and it did not end up in her digestive system happily.

“Eh? But ramen is sooo delicious, nya!” Rin was inspired to spread the love for ramen to her energetic friend. “Honoka-chan has to try it!”

Honoka laughed. “Mm…I’ll think about it.”

“You must!” Rin looked over determinedly.

I should not have said that out loud… But Rin-chan really loves ramen. I think she eats ramen for every lunch break. Well, I’m not one to talk since all I can eat is bread and blood.

“Ah, our houses are this way…” Hanayo spoke up again when they neared their apartment.

“Oh~” Honoka looked up at the high rise building.

So this is how Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan’s houses look like in the day time.

“Honoka-chan’s house is further down..?” Hanayo asked.

“Eh? Ah…” Honoka looked from Hanayo to Rin who was waiting for an answer. “M-Mmph…I need to walk further down from here.” Honoka pointed to the front.

My house certainly isn’t here…

Honoka laughed nervously.

“See you tomorrow, Honoka-chan, Rin-chan.” Hanayo gave each of her friend a small wave before heading home.

“See you tomorrow, Hanayo-chan!” Honoka returned a huge wave.

“See you, Kayo-chin!” Rin did the same as Honoka before spinning around. “See you, Honoka-chan~”

“See you soon, Rin-chan!” Honoka grinned, while Rin skipped off.

Very soon indeed~

While Honoka, Rin and Hanayo were walking home together for the first time, Nozomi finished with her duties went back to class to grab her bag.

“Waiting for me, Nicocchi?” Nozomi joked immediately upon entering.

Nico just returned the spiritual vampire a deadpan stare.

“No luck today?” Nozomi smiled understandingly, she can tell that Honoka is quite the enigma to crack; especially if you tackle it the roundabout way like Nico is doing.

Nico sighed heavily. “Honoka…”

Nozomi was understanding of Nico’s situation, but she could not let the opportunity to tease that Nico herself opened slip by.

“Nicocchi misses Honoka-chan so badly already~? Well, this is one of the symptoms of young love, I suppose~”

Nico slammed her hands on the table and glared at Nozomi. “Why don’t you try testing Honoka instead? It’s tough to even get her alone!” Nico grimaced, she was upset enough that her plans weren’t working out, getting teased was just adding to her anger.

Nozomi smiled. “Honoka-chan is a very popular girl after all.”

Nozomi used her gentle tone which helped Nico calm down considerably, as she crossed her arms. “Talk about popular…Even Maki-chan…”

Nico trailed off while furrowing her eyebrows.

“Did something happen with Maki-chan?” Nozomi smirked as a chance for teasing called her. “Perhaps Nicocchi is jealous of Honoka-chan~”

“W-Why would I be jealous of the dumb idiot?” Nico frowned, not even sure why she stuttered, and during her shouting, she did not notice the classroom door opened.

“Well~ Honoka-chan gets most of the girls attention, right? Even Maki-chan’s. So you’re jealous that Maki-chan isn’t looking your way~”

“And why would I, the Great Nico-ni, universe’s cutest idol, want Maki-chan to be looking my way?!” Nico glowered.

“Yazawa-san is in love with Nishikino-san?” The person who just walked in quickly clasped a hand to her mouth for her insensitive commenting.

Nico jerked her head over to the source with wide eyes, internally sighing in relief that she did not add on the title of smartest vampire.

“A-Ayase?!”

“Oh, done with talking to the teacher, Elichi?” Nozomi grinned, she knew Eli entered the classroom, and decided that it would be more fun to tease Nico this way.

“I’m sorry for listening in. It wasn’t on purpose.” Eli bowed in apology. “I won’t tell anyone about your feelings for Nishikino-san, Yazawa-san.”

“Wha-?! I’m not in love with Maki-chan!” Nico could not believe her ears.

“Nicocchi is still confused as to whether she likes Maki-chan or Honoka-chan more~” Nozomi feigned an upset look as though she felt for Nico’s plight.

“Nozomi!”

“Honoka too?” Eli believed whatever Nozomi said and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wha-? N-No! Don’t believe whatever this woman says!” Nico gestures exasperatedly at the purplenette who was trying to control her laughter.

“I…” Eli lowered her head to hide her blush. When Nico lay out the fact that she believes whatever Nozomi says, it makes her wonder why she believes everything too, though it does not make her feel foolish, in fact it makes her want to smile.

Nico groaned at the two’s reaction. “I’m leaving.”

Nozomi spoke in between giggles. “See you tomorrow, Nicocchi.”

“Um, see you tomorrow, Yazawa-san.” Eli bowed again.

Nico huffed and closed the doors.

After Rin and Hanayo walked into their high rise building respectively, Honoka rushed to a corner and transformed.

“Hehe~ Time to do some friend visiting~” Honoka-bat pumped a wing in the air before flying after Rin; losing sight of her cat-like friend now would defeat the purpose of walking with them in the first place.

Rin made it easier for Honoka as she was humming “nya” as she skipped home. The lift door opened, and Honoka-bat swiftly flew in and remained above Rin’s head so as to only say hi when she has entered Rin’s house.

Rin-chan lives on the 9th floor, huh…That’s kind of high~

“Rin’s back, nya!” Rin greeted as she entered her house.

Honoka-bat skilfully flew in and hid behind a cat ornament when Rin’s mum came over to greet her daughter.

Once Rin’s mum walked away and Rin started for her room, Honoka-bat hopped out from behind the cat, climbed it, and jumped off the shelf to begin her bat flight.

Rin-chan’s house is filled with cats~ No wonder she goes nya~ hehe~

Honoka-bat saw Rin closing the door to her room and panicked.

“Wha! Wait, wait up, Rin-chan!” Honoka-bat called and quickened her flying and somehow managed to slip inside before the door closed.

“Nya?” Rin turned around to look at her door as she thought she heard something.

Honoka-bat used more speed than necessary to make it into the room, so she smacked right into the other end’s wall and landed onto the floor.

“O-Ouch… It’s not really pain, but…” Honoka-bat shook her head and pushed herself off the floor.

Rin placed her bag away and stretched. “Nyaa~” She has yet to notice the bat in her room, and she ran over to her table to grab her banner in the making.

“Is that the banner to invite me over, Rin-chan?” Honoka-bat giggled, but was drowned out by the sounds of the banner being spread across the floor.

“What colour should I use for this side of the banner, nya…” Rin held up an orange marker and a green marker.

“I think orange is nice~” Honoka-bat hopped over to the banner and stood where the drawing of a bat was.

Rin’s mouth dropped agape as she stared at Honoka-bat.

“Hello, Rin-chan~ We meet again!” Honoka-bat had apparently forgotten all that Umi chided her about, as she waved to Rin.

“A-Are you the bat that…Rin met before..?” Rin bend closer to Honoka-bat.

“Yup!” Honoka-bat saluted as an affirmation.

Rin’s eyes were sparkling. “R-Rin has yet to finish the banner for you…and…and you’re already here..! Rin is happy!” Rin laughed and jumped onto her feet before doing a happy run around her room going “nya” and “yay”.

Honoka-bat chuckled and flew along with Rin. “I’m as happy to meet you again in my bat form, Rin-chan~ It’s kind of fun flying~”

“How did you know Rin wanted to see you again…Bat-chan?” Rin stopped running and was hopping on the spot.

“Kotori-chan let me know~ hehe~” Honoka-bat remained in air in front of the starry eyed cat-girl.

“Um…” Rin was so excited, she forgot all that she wanted to chat with Honoka-bat.

“Let’s-” Honoka-bat was interrupted by a shout asking Rin to stop making such loud noises, and Honoka-bat fell onto the floor.

“R-Rin’s sorry, mum!” Rin stopped jumping and bend over to the bat on the floor that was seemed to be laughing.

“Ahaha…I seem to fall a lot in this room.” Honoka rested on the floor where she fell.

“Are you okay…Bat-chan?”

“I’m totally okay, Rin-chan. Hey, wanna finish your banner together?” Honoka-bat asked and realized Rin might not understand what she’s saying, so she got to her feet and half hopped, half flew over to the banner on the floor.

“Bat-chan?” Rin followed the bat.

“Let’s finish the banner together! That’ll be super fun, right?” Honoka-bat pointed at the banner and then raised both wings in a hoorah pose.

Rin beamed and nodded vigorously. “Let’s colour the banner, nya~” Rin rushed over and picked up some of her coloured markers and pens to spread it on the floor. “Which colour do you think Rin should use, nya?”

Honoka-bat pretended to scan the array of colouring materials with one wing to her mouth.

I kind of already know I want orange, so~

“This one!” Honoka-bat tried to pick up the marker with her wing, and frowned. “Whoops, can’t grab it properly.” Honoka-bat hopped onto the orange marker to lift it with her feet. “This one!”

Rin stared in awe as Honoka-bat lifted the orange marker up into the air. “Rin is…amazed, nya…”

Honoka-bat giggled and dropped the orange marker into Rin’s waiting hands. “Let’s colour!”

Honoka-bat flew back to the area which needed colouring to urge Rin to begin.

“Yes, nya!” Rin uncapped the marker and started filling the white with orange.

At various areas, Rin tried getting Honoka-bat to join in the colouring. Honoka-bat gladly complied as though she couldn’t colour properly with her wing or feet. Rin then suggested that they hold the marker together; in which Rin did most of the colouring, while Honoka-bat hopped along with the marker, letting Rin know where she missed a spot.

Honoka-bat and Rin laughed heartily when they had completed the banner.

“Nya~ Rin had lots of fun today with Bat-chan~” Rin turned to look at Honoka-bat.

“So did I~” Honoka-bat gave her toothy smile to Rin. “I wish I could tell you I’m Honoka though~ But Umi-chan would get so angry…” Honoka laughed nervously and stopped.

Umi-chan will be so angry… Ah! I totally forgot that I’m not supposed to do all this humanly actions!

Honoka-bat stared at her own laidback posture on the ground, similar to Rin’s.

Rin felt Honoka-bat’s sudden unease. “Is everything okay, nya?”

“Ah…It’s okay…” Honoka-bat gave a small smile. “Has long as Umi-chan doesn’t find out!”

Rin smiled. “Want to eat ramen, Bat-chan?” Rin’s eyes shined excitedly.

“Ah…I actually have to go already, Rin-chan…” Honoka-bat looked out the window to see that the sun is about to set.

Rin was still looking at Honoka-bat expectantly, so Honoka-bat flew over to the window and pointed.

“Oh…Do you have to go already, Bat-chan?” Rin felt a bit lonely already.

Honoka-bat smiled and waved. “I might visit again~”

“Let’s play together soon!” Rin smiled, deciding that showing positivity is better than being sad; the bat went off last time, but returned too.

“Hehe~ Yup! See you, Rin-chan!” Honoka-bat waved once more and flew out.

“Bye bye, Bat-chan~!” Rin waved and shouted even though Honoka-bat was no longer in sight.

Author Notes

How was this chapter? XD I made sure it was longer too~ As apologies for sharing later than usual!

I got carried away with Kotori’s fantasy of Swordswoman Honoka and Healer Kotori too~ XP Hehe~ It was kind of fun.