Work Text:
The morning sun filtered through a cloudy sky, casting a pink light over the city. A cold wind blew down the street, and as Maki walked along, she buried her face further into her scarf. Another gust whooshed by her. In an attempt to warm up even a fraction, she exhaled into the scarf. The momentary warmth helped, but it didn’t last nearly long enough. She had never really been a fan of the cold, but at the same time, she appreciated the broader implications of what that weather meant.
It meant it was almost Christmas!
Maki smiled behind the scarf at that thought. Today was the last day of school before the break, and then she and her parents would be visiting their mountain home to celebrate with the extended family. Once there, she’d have to get everything ready for Santa’s arrival; he’d never missed their house before, and she would make sure he didn’t this year, either.
One thought, however, slightly tempered her excitement. In years past, the break from school had been a welcome reprieve from the tedium and boredom. This year, though, she actually had… friends at school. Friends she enjoyed seeing and spending time with.
In fact… one of them was even her girlfriend.
Maki felt her face heat up at the thought. Her girlfriend was actually the reason she was up and about so early in the morning. She wanted to pick up a present since they wouldn’t be able to see each other over the break, so she needed to get it before school.
Finally she arrived at her destination: Homura bakery. Thankfully it was open this early. Maki entered the store and almost immediately felt her muscles relax as the warm interior fought off the cold outside. Honoka’s mother stood behind the counter doing something, and she looked up at the sound of the door opening.
“Maki-chan, good morning,” she said with a smile. “If you were hoping to walk to school with Honoka, you might have to wait a while; she’s still asleep. I could wake her if you’d like.”
“No, that won’t be necessary, Kosaka-san,” Maki said, walking up to the counter. “I’m actually here to buy some manjuu.”
"Really? Then what can I get for you?"
Suddenly Maki felt self-conscious, but she didn't know a better way to word what she needed to ask. "W-What does Umi normally get?"
Mrs. Kosaka smiled. "What does she normally get, or what's her favorite?"
Those were different? Maki hadn't expected that. "What's her favorite?"
"You're in luck. She absolutely adores our winter collection, but she rarely gets it. It's a bit on the expensive side, and even though I offer to just give her a box, she always insists on paying for it."
"That does sound like Umi," Maki said, and she couldn't stop the affection from creeping into her voice. Then she blushed at how obvious that must have been. "A-Anyway! In that case, could I get a box of your winter collection?"
"I take it you're also going to insist on paying?" Mrs. Kosaka asked with a rueful smile.
Maki just took out her credit card and returned the smile. "Of course."
After the transaction was complete, Maki put the box of manjuu into her bag. As she turned to leave the store, Mrs. Kosaka called out to her.
"I hope Umi enjoys her present!" Then she winked, and Maki knew her face was turning as red as her hair. She tried to hide in her scarf and left before she could be embarrassed any further.
As she left the store, Maki felt inordinately happy, despite the cold. She walked to school, thinking of how best to give Umi her present. They didn’t have idol practice today, so that was a no-go. Not like she wanted to give the present with everyone else hanging around, anyway. The two of them also usually worked on songs on Friday, so maybe then?
These thoughts took her all the way to school—and even into the classroom. Because of her errand, she was one of the first ones there, so she let her mind continue to wander.
“Maki-chan looks like she’s in a good mood.”
Maki looked up from where she’d been idly doodling in her notebook and found Rin standing in front of her, grinning. She realized she’d been smiling like a lovesick fool and quickly shifted her expression to her practiced look of mild annoyance.
“W-Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, twirling a strand of hair next to her face. “It’s almost Christmas, after all.”
Rin’s grin only grew, but before she could say anything, the teacher walked in. Class began, and Maki tried to keep better control of her expression.
That was easier said than done. All Maki wanted to do was spend time with Umi in the music room and give her girlfriend her gift. It didn’t help that this lesson was little more than an extended review of material she’d practically taught herself weeks ago. Barely half way through, she pulled out her phone to text Umi.
Maki: Hey, even though there’s no practice today, we’re still doing song work after school, right?
She didn’t expect an answer anytime soon—Umi was a good girl who didn’t text in class, after all. For a brief moment, she considered texting Nico as a way to pass the time, but ultimately decided not to.
And so, the day slogged on. Morning classes felt like they took a few years to complete, and it was a relief when lunchtime finally arrived. As Maki ate with Hanayo and Rin, her phone buzzed.
Umi: I had planned on doing so, yes. Also, please pay attention during class.
Maki: It’s not my fault these classes are so boring. I’d much rather spend time with you than learn about algebra 1 concepts I taught myself already.
Umi: While I certainly wish to spend time with you, as well, please try to focus. We shall see each other this afternoon.
Maki: Fiiiine, fine, I’ll see you then.
Maki: <3
Umi: <3
“Maki-chan’s got that same look she had this morning,” Rin said, making Maki look up from her phone.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maki said, even as she felt her face heat up a little.
“I bet you’re talking to Umi-chan, aren’t you? She’s the only one who makes you smile like that.”
“What, like you don’t smile the same way when you talk to Hanayo?” She motioned to the girl in question.
“Yeah, but I don’t try to hide how much I love Kayo-chin!”
Hanayo blushed at that, and for some reason, Maki did, too. She and Rin continued to go back and forth throughout lunch. It was kind of fun, in a slightly annoying way. Then again, that sort of summed up being friends with Rin, in general.
After an absolutely excruciating series of afternoon classes, the final bell rang at last. Maki packed her bag with lightning speed and made her way down to the music room. She arrived first, so she went over and took her seat at the piano. After lifting the fallboard, she began doing her warmups. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how much song work they’d actually do, but if Umi wanted to get some real work done, Maki wanted to be ready.
When the warmups got too boring—which they almost always did—she started to improvise melodies. There was something so incredibly freeing about letting her mind go blank and allowing her fingers to simply play. Part of it felt almost therapeutic, like Maki could express things using the piano that she couldn’t with her words.
“It will never cease to amaze me how you can improvise so beautifully.”
Maki stopped and opened eyes she didn’t remember closing. There, in the doorway, stood Umi. She had a gentle smile on her face, and her eyes shone with warmth. It was such a soft, almost vulnerable expression, that Maki had to fight down a blush. Then Umi’s words actually sank in, and the blush won. For some reason, Umi’s compliments always felt more genuine.
“It’s nothing that special,” Maki muttered as she glanced away, twirling her hair.
“On the contrary, I find it incredibly special.” Umi walked over and took a seat on the piano bench next to Maki. “Even such short improvisations hold so much emotion. I always consider myself lucky when I get to hear them.”
“Th-Thanks.” Maki felt out of her depth. This level of compliments was unusual, though she couldn’t deny that part of her liked hearing it. But now, with how nice Umi was being, Maki wanted to return that kindness. “I, um, I feel that way when I get to read your lyrics. Heck, your lyrics are why I joined µ’s in the first place. They have a way of… speaking to me in a way very little else does.”
She worked up the courage to look at Umi, and she found her girlfriend looking at her, wide-eyed and blushing. For some reason, that made Maki blush even harder.
“You’re… you’re too kind,” Umi said. Abruptly, she turned away and began rummaging through her bag. “A-Actually, on that note, I do have some lyrics mostly completed for that melody you’ve been working on. I thought it’d be a really good fit for Lily White. I… was wondering if you’d like to hear them.”
Truth be told, Maki hadn’t expected lyrics so quickly. She’d been working on a slightly slower melody and had just given Umi a sample about a week ago. But hey, if Umi wanted to actually work on songs, that was fine. Maki could give her the manjuu when they finished.
“I’d love to hear them,” she said, smiling. “I’ll play you in, okay?”
Umi nodded, so Maki began playing. It was a fairly simple opening, and it wasn’t long before Umi began to sing.
I want to gaze at you every day
I want to gaze at you from morning to night
When I feel your gentleness even through your nonchalant act
I get the feeling that the two of us can become happy
When I'm with you our hearts draw closer to each other, don't they?
And forever we will chase our dreams together
Maki’s heart skipped a beat, but she couldn’t stop playing; she didn’t want Umi to stop singing. She would play for as long as Umi sang. Minutes faded away, carried off into the wind by the sound of Umi’s voice.
With this overflowing fondness feeling like second nature
I know without a doubt that the two of us will become happy
I believe…
Umi held the last note, letting a rich vibrato fill the room. In the silence that followed, Maki became aware of how quickly her heart was beating. Her mouth felt dry, and she tried to swallow.
“Wow….” she muttered.
“Okay, I lied,” Umi said quickly. She looked down and bunched up her skirt in her hands. “I didn’t write that song for Lily White. I… I wrote it for you.”
Maki’s jaw dropped, but Umi kept going.
“I just… I never feel like I’m able to fully express everything you mean to me, so I tried putting those emotions into lyrics. This was the result. I… I hope my true feelings reached you.”
Neither of them were typically inclined to initiate physical contact, but this time, Maki couldn’t stop herself. She turned and pulled Umi into a hug before burying her face in the crook of her girlfriend’s neck. No one had ever written her a song before. It… it meant a lot more than she ever would have expected.
For just a moment after the initial contact, Umi tensed up, but then she relaxed and wrapped her arms around Maki’s shoulders. They stayed like that for a while, taking comfort in each other. After they finally broke the hug, Maki reached down and picked up her bag.
“I, uh… I got you something to try and express my feelings, too; though, I don’t know if it can beat a song.” She took out the box of manjuu and held it in front of her. “Since we won’t be able to see each other over break, consider this a Christmas present. Merry Christmas, Umi.”
Umi gasped. “Is that—”
“The Homura winter collection, yes. It’s your favorite, right?”
“My absolute favorite,” Umi said, and the happiness in her voice filled Maki’s heart. “Thank you so much, Maki. I’ll make them last so that even while we’re apart, I’ll have something that reminds me of you.”
Maki couldn’t take it anymore. Even though they were still at school, she leaned in and kissed her girlfriend. For a wonder, Umi didn’t object to such a shameless display.