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Maki's phone vibrates again. She knows it's probably another text from someone in her family. Blocking their numbers would only cause more trouble than it's worth, so she leaves it out on the kitchen table.
There would be more questions as to when she plans on returning. More questions on when she plans to quit her "silly" dream in pursuing engineering. More questions as to when she'll leave her girlfriend and "actually settle". It was all too much. Even though she'd managed to keep her address from being leaked to them, what could she do about the texts, the calls, or the emails?
The only one she got along with from her blood family was Megumi, but he didn't act like any of the Zenins Maki knew, and she had found herself thankful that he hadn't known her family until later on. They were all willing to settle with whatever mere roles the family gave them, and such a stifling and limited lifestyle had prompted Maki ro finally make a stand on her own.
These thoughts had Maki curled up on the couch in the living room, swaddled in the blanket Nobara had gotten for their anniversary last year. It was made for colder weather, sure, but it was also a gentle reminder of some small moments she shared with the other.
Moving into an apartment with her girlfriend had been an easy decision, though she knows it may come off as reckless in the eyes of others. But Nobara had been looking for a place, and Maki had trouble paying rent on her own, and they were already dating and quite lovesick for one another. It was a better situation than most college students her age had.
"Maki! Can I have the last piece of cake you left in the fridge?" Nobara's cheery voice made Maki stir slightly from her self pity party. The ever observant lover she was, Nobara paused her cheerful plan to take Maki's dessert when seeing the green haired woman looking gloomy. She was quick to get to the other's side on the couch.
The two sat in silence for a while, managing to menauver the blanket to cover them both. Maki let her head rest on Nobara's, sighing contently.
"You wanna talk about it?" Nobara asked gently, reaching for the TV remote.
"It's just my family. I'll settle things with them somehow though," Maki assured her, thankful that the other was scrolling through movie choices. By now Nobara had figured out that letting things go as normal was best for Maki in these cases, and Maki was very grateful for this.
Explaining why her family was so exhausting was it's own form of exhausting. Venting about her anger towards them would go nowehere. Maki already had a plan in motion to exceed their awfully low expectations of who she has to be. All she needed was someone to be there at her side when all else seemed to be falling apart.
"They're not the only family you have!" Nobara reminded her, clicking on some anime movie, "I mean, I think I'm pretty great too y'know? And I'm your girlfriend. Yuuj, Megumi, Inumaki, Panda, Yuta- we're all your family, and way better than those other assholes."
All she needed was one person in her life who inspired her to be the best she could be. And to her luck, Nobara was just that person.
"I know. Thank you," Maki said with a tired smile, reaching to intertwine Nobara's hand with her own. The other squeezed it back comfortingly.
"Dummy, don't thank me. I love you," She said, snuggling closer as the beginning credits of the movie finished.