Work Text:
i.
Kugisaki bumps her shoulder against Maki’s. With a grin, she tells her, “You know, I really respect you, Maki-san!” She speaks with all the light and warmth of the summer sun. Maki has rarely had respect freely given before. It’s usually something she has to forcibly take.
But Kugisaki—
She hands it over on a silver platter, like there’s no question whether or not it’s something Maki deserves.
ii.
Respect turns to admiration turns to adoration, and Maki falls in much the same way. Sparring sessions turn to movie nights in Nobara’s bedroom, and eventually the movies are forgotten as they find more entertainment with each other. Nobara looks so pretty flushed beneath Maki. Her fingers dance along Maki’s skin, hands reaching up to cup her face and bring her into a kiss.
She chases away all of the things that haunt Maki at night.
She tastes like the future Maki dreams of may truly be possible.
iii.
Sometime after the exchange event group battle, Nobara finds Maki. They sit side-by-side on the floor of the infirmary building, in the hallway outside of Inumaki’s room.
“So,” Nobara says carefully, “your sister…?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Maki bites.
(The truth is—there is nothing she wants to talk about more, but she does not want to burden Nobara with the weight of her family. Mai is her curse to bear alone.)
“Oh.”
Nobara doesn’t leave, but she doesn’t say anything else either. They sit in tense silence, and for the first time, Maki does not know how to cross the distance between them.
iv.
Before leaving for Shibuya, Nobara drags Maki into a fierce kiss.
“Promise me I’ll see you afterwards,” she murmurs against Maki’s lips.
“I promise,” Maki agrees. Her fingers tangle themselves in Nobara’s hair. She wishes they could stay frozen in this moment forever, but a sorcerer’s life can never be so simple. “We’ll go out for boba tomorrow.”
v.
In the aftermath, Maki stops briefly in Nobara’s infirmary room. She’s headed to the Zen’in Compound, but she couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. Even if there’s still no sign of her waking, and Shoko has done all she can manage in terms of healing.
Maki brushes a hand against Nobara’s cheek. Burn scars against bandages.
“I’ll be back,” she swears. “So wake up soon, and we can still get that boba.”
Maki is met only with silence.
She turns away, haunted once again by someone who is not dead.