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Nico Yazawa always got what she wanted. It didn’t matter how much you protested, she’d eventually whittle down your resolve until you gave in and she got her way.
That was how Maki had found herself at Nico’s apartment late on a Wednesday night when she should have instead been preparing for her post-graduation trip to London with her parents.
It had been just a few days since Maki had graduated from Otonokizaka, and it would be remiss of the Nishikino’s if they didn’t take their daughter on a vacation to celebrate. While Maki wasn’t not excited to travel, they were going to see the London Symphony Orchestra after all, she also wouldn’t have minded staying in Tokyo. Travelling was always a hassle, and she was horrible at dealing with jet lag.
Maybe that was why she had caved when she received a text from Nico, inviting her over to celebrate.
March 16th 21:34
makiiii chaaaan
i’m so bored
come hang out with me
i wanna celebrate your graduation with you
You were literally at the ceremony
You cried like a baby remember
I don’t think you cried as much at your own graduation
Anyways I would but it’s late and I have to get ready for this stupid dumb trip
oh no poor maki chan has to go on a trip to london
nico feels soooo bad for you
come on nerd you dont leave for another two days itll be fun
I already said I couldn’t
I haven’t even started packing yet
boo
youre no fun
March 16th 21:44
makiiiiiiiiiiiiiii chaaaaaaaaan
What.
im so lonely
Fine.
If it gets you to shut up I’ll come over
yayyyy!
i knew you loved me
see you soon ♡
Maki’s ears burned red at that last remark. While love might have been a strong word, Maki had definitely been harbouring a crush on the older girl for a few months now, ever since Nico had announced to the rest of μ’s that she was gay a little while back.
She had gone about it in the most Nico Yazawa way possible; by taking a group outing and making it all about herself.
It was during one of their unfortunately infrequent μ’s get togethers. It wasn’t that they weren’t still friends, but with a majority of them attending university it was hard to find time where all of their schedules synced up.
They had been in their karaoke booth for the better part of 4 hours, and the energy was winding down. Without queuing up a song first, Nico stood up and grabbed a mic, bringing it to her lips and interrupting any conversations going on.
“☆Nico Nico Nii!☆” she struck her signature pose with one hand and waited for silence before continuing. “Now that I have your attention, I have something to tell you all. I’m gay. I like girls. You can applaud now.”
Most of the group remained silent, shocked at how nonchalantly Nico had come out to them. Before anyone else could say anything, Honoka picked up another mic and excitedly asked Nico a question.
“Ooh ooh, how’d you find out?” before following up in a teasing voice, “was it one of us?”
Hearing Honoka ask that caused a thought to bubble up in Maki’s brain; “was it me?”
Instantly, Maki flushed red, which caused even more thoughts to bubble up. “Wait, why am I blushing so hard? Oh my god what if it is me? Why am I so excited right now? Holy shit am I gay? Holy shit am I gay for Nico? Like yeah we’re close and all but do I feel like that about her?”
Before Maki could continue further down her thought spiral of self discovery, Nico answered Honoka’s question
“Unfortunately for all of you, no. It was Kira Tsubasa.”
Honoka nodded thoughtfully and put down the mic, seemingly satisfied with the answer she had received.
Maki on the other hand, felt disappointed, which in turn caused her to feel even more confused.
Later that night, in the privacy of her own room, Maki did some serious research, answering the torrent of questions that had arisen earlier in the day. Yes, Maki was gay, and yes, she had it bad for Nico Yazawa.
Snapping out of her reminiscence, Maki changed out of her casual around-the-house wear and into something nicer. Even if they were just going to be sitting around Nico’s apartment she wanted to put some effort into her look.
She also took the time to spritz some perfume onto herself. It was one that Nico had commented on during one of their shopping trips, Maki had gone back to the store the next morning to buy a bottle.
Deciding that she looked presentable enough, Maki texted Nico to let her know that she was leaving, popped in her headphones, and began the walk to Nico’s apartment.
***
Maki knocked on the familiar door, waiting on the front step for Nico to come and let her in. Ever since Nico had moved out of her childhood home and into her own apartment, Maki’s presence there wasn’t uncommon. Maki always found herself there whenever she needed a break from everything. It served as a sanctuary against the outside world, and Nico was always happy to provide the much needed respite.
Even though it had been only a few days since Maki had seen Nico last, Maki was still excited to spend time with her. Even ignoring her crush on the older girl, Nico’s company was always enjoyable.
Maki was reminded of how hard it was to ignore as soon as Nico opened the door.
“Congrats on graduating nerd!” Nico exclaimed, throwing her arms around Maki, “Nico knows how much you stressed about those final exams, so tonight is all about relaxation.”
Maki was about to reply before catching a whiff of Nico’s scent; strawberries. It struck just the right balance, not too sweet and not overpowering. Maki thought it was quite a classy perfume for someone who so often went way over the top in everything she did. Maki returned the hug, and thanked Nico for having her over.
Nico stepped away from Maki before turning around and entering the small apartment, heading into the kitchen area. She turned her head over the shoulder and called back to Maki.
“Go get settled in the living room, Nico has a graduation present for you”
Maki didn’t miss the mischievous tone in Nico’s voice. Maki sat down at Nico’s kotatsu, getting under the pink blanket and waiting for her friend to return.
Maki had expected Nico to come out of the kitchen holding a cake or some other homemade baked goods, Nico was an excellent baker after all.
What Maki certainly didn’t expect was for Nico to slam a big bottle on the table with a triumphant grin, followed by what looked to be two shot glasses.
Maki’s eyes went wide. She knew Nico was planning something when she had invited Maki over out of the blue, but this exceeded her expectations. Even though Nico prided herself on being a mischief maker, this was too far. Still, Maki wanted to give Nico the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it was non-alcoholic, full of water or something just to scare Maki into thinking Nico would really have alcohol at her apartment.
“Nico-chan, what the hell is that?” Maki asked incredulously.
“What does it look like genius, it’s a bottle of vodka.”
Nico rolled her eyes, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Bu-but,” Maki stuttered, “how did you even get that? You’re still nineteen Nico-chan. You didn’t have some strange adult buy that for you did you?” Maki’s brain was going into overdrive. Was Nico secretly a delinquent?
Nico actually laughed out loud at that. “Relax Maki-chan, I just nicked it from my mom’s place last time I was over babysitting the kids. Do you really think I’d ask some random off the streets to buy booze for me? Anyways, let’s celebrate.”
Nico cracked the seal on the lid and began pouring two shots. One for her, one for Maki. The scent immediately filled the air, overwhelming Maki’s senses and further overloading her brain.
Nico pushed the shot towards Maki, the look in her eyes almost made it seem like she was challenging the younger girl to take a drink. Maki just sat there and stared at the shot glass on the table in front of her, entirely unsure of how she should be reacting. She looked up at Nico, shot glass in hand, clearly waiting for Maki to pick up hers.
“Come on Maki-chan, you seriously aren’t going to? You just graduated high school, learn to live a little.” Nico chan said with a smirk.
Maki was aware that Nico was trying to get to her, this was how she always acted when she wanted Maki to do something. This time though, Maki wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.
“Nico-chan, I'm not doing it. My parents would kill me."
“Your parents are no fun.” Nico replied flatly, before continuing with more emotion in her voice, “Nico went through all this trouble to get this to celebrate with you and now you’re not going to drink any of it?” Nico had moved onto phase two; guilt tripping. Thankfully, Maki was prepared for this.
“I didn’t ask for you to do this Nico-chan, you went and did this by yourself without consulting me at all. You only have yourself to blame for getting your hopes up.” Maki crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and turned her head away, a smug smile on her face implying that the conversation was over. She wasn’t drinking and that was the end of that.
The two sat in silence for a couple of seconds. Expecting a response, Maki opened one of her eyes only to be met by Nico sitting there with an infuriating smirk and a glint in her eye. Maki’s face fell, she knew Nico was about to unleash her nuclear option.
Nico’s voice dripped with challenge, “Well I guess Nico was just too presumptuous in assuming that Maki-chan could handle a bit of alcohol. I guess you’re just not mature enough, having just graduated high school and all.”
It worked like a charm.
Maki knew she was playing right into Nico’s hand, but she couldn’t stop herself. She picked up the shot glass from the table and brought it to her lips, draining it in one go.
She immediately regretted it. Instantly she felt her nose burning, the sensation causing her nostrils to expand. Next it hit the back of her mouth, an uncomfortable harshness beginning to spread as the alcohol made its way down her throat. Maki began to cough and sputter, her eyes bugging out and her hands flailing wildly.
As quickly as they came, the unpleasant sensations passed, replaced by a warmth radiating through her core.
Maki could hear Nico laughing uproariously across the table from her. She glared daggers at her senior, feeling annoyed at how easily she had given in. She knew her defeat had been inevitable though, Nico always got what she wanted.
“That was quite the performance Maki-chan,” remarked Nico, wiping her eyes. Nico then lifted her own glass to her lips. She locked eyes with Maki over the rim and winked, “Let’s see how Nico fares.”
Nico fared far worse.
Now it was Maki’s turn to laugh as she watched her friend retch and shake her head, going so far as to stand up and shiver her whole body.
“Oh my god that tastes horrible.” Nico made a face as she sat back down at the kotatsu, “I can’t believe people actually like this stuff.”
Maki was surprised. Nico was so confident before that Maki had assumed this wasn’t her first time drinking, but her comments now had Maki thinking otherwise.
“Wait, you’ve never drank before? Not even with Eli and Nozomi?”
“Nuh-uh,” replied Nico, “This is my first time drinking as well as yours.”
Maybe it was the alcohol affecting her, but Maki felt offended that Nico would assume she hadn’t drank before. She had attended many high class events after all, it wouldn’t have been impossible for her to have had a glass of sake or two. Not that she had, but Nico didn’t know that.
“How do you know I’ve never drank before Nico-chan?” her tone was accusatory.
Nico didn’t even dignify her with a response, simply raising her eyebrows at her with a look of doubt across her face.
"Fine. I haven’t” Maki blushed, all but mumbling into her chest as she admitted it
Nico looked smug, “that’s what I thought Maki-chan. Now go be a dear and grab some snacks from my pantry, maybe some juice as well to get this taste out of my mouth. While you’re doing that I’ll pour us some more shots.”
“We're drinking more?” Maki should’ve seen this coming, Nico wasn’t one to half ass things after all
“Obviously,” responded Nico, rolling her eyes, “we’ve already had one shot, what's the harm in a couple more?”
Nico’s logic made sense to Maki’s addled mind. They'd already gone this far, after all.
“Ugh, fine you win.” Maki acquiesced.
She stood up from the kotatsu and immediately realized how funny her head felt. It wasn’t a bad feeling, if anything it was actually quite pleasant.
Making her way over to Nico’s kitchen area, she got out two glasses and filled them with juice from the fridge. She then made her way over to Nico’s pantry and looked around for some suitable snacks. Despite being raised in a high class home, Maki enjoyed salty processed snack foods far more than she would like to admit. She looked around before deciding on two bags of chips and a box of chocolates.
Maki made her way back to the kotatsu with the juice and snacks, setting them on the table next to the now once again full shot glasses.
Grimacing at the prospect of having to taste alcohol again, Maki plugged her nose before clinking glasses with Nico and downing shot number two.
***
Though Maki wouldn't say it out loud, getting drunk with Nico was actually incredibly fun.
The two of them drank, chatted, laughed, sang, and danced for the better part of two hours. Since it was both of their first times drinking, neither girl knew what their limits were and got far drunker and more disinhibited than either of them had intended.
One benefit of this, Maki discovered, is that drunk Nico was very clingy.
Another benefit, is that drunk Maki had no intentions of stopping her.
That was how the two of them ended up on the same side of the kotatsu, Nico with her head in Maki’s lap, hair splayed out in a halo around her. Maki had one hand going through Nico's hair, the other on the ground, keeping her upright. The mood in the room was comfortable, and calmer than it had been for most of the night.
Nico made eye contact with Maki, her expression suddenly becoming unreadable. “Maki-chan is so prettyyyyy.” Nico mumbled. It was so quiet that Maki wasn’t sure she had heard her correctly at first, until Nico continued. “It really is unfair to the rest of us that you get to look like this.”
As she said this, Nico brought her hand up to Maki's arm and left it there.
Maki had no idea how to respond. Nico had complimented her before in the past, but the tone in her voice and the way she looked at her were totally different from any of those times. Maki stayed silent.
Nico didn’t stop mumbling. Maki had to hold her breath to ensure she could make out the words Nico was saying. She almost sounded sad, Maki thought.
“You’re going to be the campus queen at university I bet. Boys will be lining up to ask you out on dates and to give you flowers and chocolates. You’ll have your pick of the litter.”
Upon hearing this, Maki couldn’t help but start to giggle. Her mouth moved before her brain could stop her.
“Christ I hope not, I don’t really care for boys.” She trailed off, not thinking about what she had just said.
Nico sat bolt upright.
“Are you being serious, Maki-chan?” The black haired girl's voice was intense. She stared directly into Maki’s eyes, trying to detect any hint of sarcasm, “that wasn’t a joke?”
Now realizing that she had practically just come out to Nico, Maki didn’t see any point in lying. She was far too drunk to care about where the conversation would head afterwards.
“Nuh-uh, not joking. I’m gay too.”
Nico’s eyes lit up.
“Really!?” her voice was full of excitement, “This is awesome! We can talk about girls together! Holy shit Maki-chan why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
Maki agreed with Nico, why hadn’t she said anything sooner? Talking girls with her sounded like a great idea.
“Wait wait wait wait,” Nico was buzzing, “before we do that, Maki-chan I totally forgot to ask; how’d you find out?”
Maki blushed and tried to deflect.
“Ah well it’s kind of embarassing…” she trailed off
Nico noticed her hesitancy and leapt on it, a shit eating grin on her face. “Ooooh, now I wanna know even more. It was totally someone from μ’s, wasn't it.”
Maki blushed hard. Seeing this, Nico continued her assault, taking guesses as to who it could be.
“Is it Rin or Hanayo? Nah, knowing you, you'd go for someone more mature. That disqualifies Honoka as well. Ohhhh this is fun. Umi or Eli Maybe? You and Umi worked pretty closely when songwriting after all, and obviously you and Eli have the BiBi connection.”
Suddenly, a dangerous look crossed Nico’s face. There was a glint in her eyes that only appeared when she was about to tease Maki mercilessly. She leaned in close to Maki’s face.
“Hey Maki-Chan,” Nico leered, “It didn’t happen to be your amazingly cute and talented upperclassman who just so happens to be sitting right next to you, did it?”
Her tone was sweet, but laced with mischievous intent.
Normally, Maki would have told Nico to shut up and changed the topic, but tonight, empowered by alcohol, Maki decided to go on the offensive.
Matching Nico’s tone as best she could, she shot back, “Well Nico-chan, let's just say it was you. What then?
Her attempt at going on the offensive had backfired. Horribly.
Maki's eyes went wide, realizing what she had just said.
Nico stared at her, blinking.
Panicked, Maki tried to think of any way she could play the accidental confession off casually. She could pretend it was a joke, but that seemed kind of cruel. She could barricade herself in Nico's bathroom, which was tempting, but didn't really solve the problem. She could-
“Maki-chan, what did you just say?” Nico asked.
A furious blush erupted over Maki's face. She stayed silent.
Nico began to advance. Shifting from her sitting position to crawling forward slowly on her hands and knees, keeping eye contact with Maki the entire time.
"Maki-chan, answer my question." Her voice was low, flustering Maki and making her blush impossibly deeper.
As Nico advanced, Maki retreated, until there was nowhere left to go. She had backed herself into a corner, literally.
"Say it again, Maki-chan." Nico said softly, almost pleading, "I need to know if I heard you correctly, or if my mind is just playing tricks on me."
Maki debated her options. She could either tell the truth, or to lie, and the latter seemed unfair to both her and Nico. She really didn't have any other choice. As much as she was afraid, there was no way she was getting out of this.
"Nico-chan," Her hands trembled. Seeing this, Nico grabbed hold of them, reassuring her. "Nico-chan, I like you. A lot."
As soon as the words left her lips, Maki felt an impact at her side as two arms wrapped themselves around her.
"Nico does too, Maki-chan." Nico sounded on the verge of tears.
Maki was overwhelmed with emotion. Thinking about how the feelings she had harboured for months were requited was honestly too much at the moment, so she decdied to distract herself in the cause of it all.
She looked down at Nico, the look of utter joy on her face rivaled even the one she had when they won Love Live years prior.
The two locked eyes. Deep purple met crimson red. Time seemed to stop. The whole world seemed to fade away. It was just Nico and Maki left.
Nico moved closer.
Maki could feel Nico's breath hot on her face, mingling with her own. She felt Nico's arms leave her waist, only to be looped around her neck seconds later, ready to pull her in. The feeling sent shivers down her spine. She brought one of her own hands up to Nico's face and placed it gently on the girl's cheek.
Nico's gaze was hungry, eyes flicking down to Maki's lips and lingering there before coming back up and meeting Maki's once again, a silent plea. Maki nodded almost imperceptably, an answer.
As she leaned forward, Nico closed her eyes and pulled Maki downwards into her, meeting in the middle.
Nico's lips were soft and warm against Maki's own, her hands tangling themselves in Maki's hair. The two were in sync, acting on instinct as mouths opened up to deepen the kiss. Nico panted as she pulled back for a breath, before quickly closing the distance between them once again.
Maki's mind was blank, the feeling of Nico's mouth against hers had wiped it clean. All she could focus on was how good it felt, how right it felt. Nico's hands in her hair, Nico's comforting warmth, Nico's lips against hers; it was everything.
Spurred on by these feelings, Maki grabbed at Nico's back, pulling her in closer so that their bodies were flush up against each other. Letting her tounge explore, she slid it across Nico's and over the roof of her mouth. She could taste rememnants of the vodka from earlier mixed with Nico's saliva, the harshness of the alcohol had been mellowed out, leaving only sweet fruityness.
Suddenly, Maki felt hands at her shoulders. Her eyes opened just in time for her view of the surrounding room to blur as she was pushed to the ground. Nico wasted no time in straddling the girl's waist and planting hands around her head, leaving long black hair hanging down and tickling the sides of Maki's face.
The two stayed like that for a beat. Maki's vision was entirely taken up by Nico. The older girls face was one of elation, beaming down on Maki with endless amounts of happiness in her eyes.
Maki had only one thought in her head.
"You're so beautiful."
Nico's smile grew impossibly bigger, and in lieu of words, responded by once again pressing her lips against Maki's.
Their first kiss had been driven by the excitement of something new, the release of feelings that had been hidden for months. Their second kiss was much slower, softer, and full of emotion.
After a few minutes, the two once again separated. Nico rolled off of Maki and onto the floor beside her, nuzzling into her neck and wrapping herself around Maki's body.
"We should probably get ready for bed soon, Nico's fading fast." Nico muttered into Maki's neck.
"Yeah, probably." Said Maki, making no effort to get up.
Eventually the two got off the floor and made their way to the bathroom to brush their teeth and take off any makeup, never straying more than an arms length away from the other.
Stumbling into the bedroom, Nico flopped down face first onto her matress, slowly crawling up to her pillows. Maki knelt down on the floor, preparing to get into the futon that had been set up before being interrupted by Nico's voice.
"Maki-chan what the hell are you doing?" Despite how tired Nico sounded, the confusion still rang clearly in her voice.
"Getting into the futon you laid out for me?" Maki replied, equally confused
"Wha- you're so stupid Maki-chan. Do you really think I want you sleeping on a futon after what we just did? Get in bed, Nico wants cuddles."
Maki didn't need to be told twice, eagerly hopping up onto Nico's bed and sinking into it. She slid under the covers and turned to face Nico, eagerly wrapping her arms around the girl before tangling their legs together.
She heard a long content sigh, shortly followed by Nico's voice.
"I'm really really happy right now."
Maki's heart fluttered, this night couldn't have gone any better.
"Me too Nico-chan. Tonight was wonderful."
As she said this, Nico pulled Maki even closer, bringing her face to Maki's and giving her a quick peck on the forehead, followed by one on the lips.
"Goodnight Maki-chan." She whispered, "sleep well."
Maki wanted to say it back, but she was already falling asleep, comfortable and content, surrounded by Nico.
***
Waking up next to someone was a wonderful feeling. One that Maki didn't know she wanted to experience so badly.
Glancing over, she could see that Nico was still fast asleep, a content look on her face.
As Maki sat up to get a better view, she was struck with a headache.
Waking up next to someone was amazing. Waking up hungover, on the other hand, was something Maki would happily go the rest of her life never experiencing again.
Looking back over at Nico, Maki decided that she needed to preserve this moment, She reached over to the nightstand where her phone lay and grabbed it, bringing up to take a photo.
"I didn't take you for the kind of person who would take creepshots, Maki-chan."
Nico had woken up, and immediately made it Maki's problem.
"Bweh-" Maki had to fumble so as to not drop her phone, "I wasn't- I'm not- shut up Nico-chaaaan." Maki's embarassment was partially due to being caught, but also because Nico's morning voice was adorable. Maki couldn't help but tease the girl in retailiation "And here I was thinking you'd be nicer to me after last night."
Nico chuckled before grabbing the red head's face and pulling it gently into her own, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Maki instantly gave way, any embarassment leaving her body.
"Is that better, Maki-chan?" Nico asked, voice full of playful antagonism.
Maki let out an exaggerated 'hmmm', as if debating something internally, "well it's definitely a start, but you'll have to make me breakfast before I fully forgive you."
The two got out of bed together and made their way to the kitchen, ignoring the empty bottle that had spilled over Nico's floor in the midst of the previous nights debauchery.
Breakfast was omurice, at Nico's request. An obnoxiously large ketchup heart adorning Maki's, who couldn't help but love it even though she'd never say it out loud.
The rest of the morning was spent simply indulging in the other's presence, cuddling up under the kotatsu (after cleaning up the spill) and reveling in shared closeness. A TV show in the background was ignored in favour of mutual touch and stolen kisses.
As it neared noon, Maki realized that, as much as she didn't want to leave Nico's side, she should probably head home and begin packing for her upcoming trip.
"Nico-chan," Maki said, stretching as she did so, "I need to get going soon. I leave for London tomorrow and I still need to pack."
Nico pouted, removing her head from it's place on Maki's shoulder to look up at her, "wow Maki-chan, you care about your chores more than me? I'm hurt."
"That's not what I said and you know it." replied Maki, flicking Nico on the forehead, "I'd much rather stay here, but I also don't want to be up all night packing."
"Fine, you win," Nico acquiesced with an exaggerated sigh.
The two of them stood up and Nico escorted Maki to the door, pulling her down for one final kiss before she left.
Just as Maki was closing the door behind her though, Nico jammed her foot in it, preventing it from closing.
"Wait Maki-chan! Clear your schedule for when you get back ok?"
"What? Why, whats going on?"
"I'm taking you on a date dumbass, now go enjoy London. Make sure to send Nico tons of adorable selfies."
Nico shut the door quickly, leaving Maki blushing on her front step unable to protest. Not that she would, because even though Nico always got what she wanted, sometimes, Maki did too.