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"Sorry for the intrusion," Nico mutters flatly as she takes off her shoes in the doorway, knowing full well that even if there was anyone in that labyrinth of a mansion but her and Maki right now, her voice would never be able to reach them. She follows Maki inside with her hands shoved into the pockets of her cardigan, head tilting left and right as she takes in her surroundings like it's her first time seeing them. There are so many pieces of overly-elaborate decor that Nico doesn't think she's ever going to remember them all.

Oh, but she definitely remembers that giant piece of armor on the wall over there. She always gets the feeling like if she gets too close it'll topple over and trap her underneath, so she subconsciously leans towards the opposite wall every time they pass by it.

"Seriously, Maki, no matter how many times I come to your house, it's just way too big," she grumbles, only to catch herself the next moment.

"-- But of course, once Nico's become a super idol, she'll have a mansion like this in every prefecture!" She strikes her signature pose and smile. "Teehee."

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Nico knows, of course, that everything she said was true. Yet knowing Maki, she fully expects her to continue her pitiable protests for hours to come rather than utter the words 'you're right'.

But not a single word of protest leaves her mouth, and instead, she reaches for her hand. This situation feels so alien to Nico that she honestly has no idea what to do. Her shoulders tense, and her first instinct dictates she should pull back her hand, but even she knows well enough not to act on it.

"... Oy," she says after a brief yet uncomfortably weighty pause. "What is it?"

The way Nico responds to Maki reaching out to her makes her feel incredibly stupid and self-conscious and Maki pulls her hand back as if Nico's skin suddenly became boiling hot. She crosses her arms against her stomach and turns away flippantly, as if that could

"N-nothing, nevermind," she mutters and stands up to pace to the other side of the room, not really looking for anything in particular. She walks to the first thing she sees -- the intercom -- and pretends that's what she was going for. She presses the button and, "Kaya?"

It takes a moment for the response, "Yes, Miss Maki?"

"Could you bring some snacks and juice? Whatever we have is fine."

"Right away, Miss."

"Thank you." Maki remains standing near the intercom as if not sure what to do next and feeling to embarrassed to look back at Nico.

Nico remains sat on the bed, looking at Maki's back with a furrowed brow. She gets the feeling there's something here she's missing -- that among all of Maki's contradicting half-truths and averted gazes, there's still something left unsaid.

She's just not sure how to go about asking for it.

Nico gets to her feet again, shortening the distance between the two of them by a couple of steps.

"Maki, you're kind of weird today."

Maki's shoulders hitch tensely at Nico calling her out. She doesn't turn around and instead says the first retort that comes to mind. "Eeh? N-Nico-chan's weird today!"

Edited 2014-10-06 18:13 (UTC)

"What's turning it around on me gonna do?!"

"You were the one to call me weird in the first place when you're being weird!" Maki side-glares at Nico. "Coming here and scolding me about the choices I make! Don't think you know me so well!"

Though she's used to arguments with Maki, this particular sentence seems to strike a nerve. Nico's eyes narrow, and her hands tighten into fists at her sides.

"I do know you. Whether you like it or not."

Maki glares at Nico, face growing red from the fast paced beating in her chest. She's angry and yet somehow Nico saying that has affected her like this? She really must be weird.

"Well you don't know everything about me, so stop acting like you do," Maki mutters.

Edited 2014-10-06 19:06 (UTC)

Nico's voice abruptly rises in volume, and she takes another two steps forward, grabbing Maki by the wrist. "In that case, tell me! Instead of trying to act tough and coming up with excuses for everything, just explain it to me properly!"

Nico's hand on Maki's wrist stings, both from her grip and Maki twisting and her arm a little from her. "Let go of me!"

Nico only holds on tighter in response, a sharp, stifling feeling rising up in her chest. "I'll listen, so talk to me!"

Maki's voice comes out shrill, like a tea kettle at it's boiling point.

"I can't because I don't know!! I don't know what I really want to do with my future, alright?! Is that what you want me to say?! All I know is I'm sad and stressed all the time and not having you there just makes me feel sadder! And I know it's not fair to Hanayo or Rin but I'm just a burden to the group like this anyway!"

Maki only stops because her voice cracks hard and hurts her dry throat.

Nico's mouth opens soundlessly, and then snaps back to a close. For a moment all she does is stare up at Maki, and then, just as she seems to have found her words and is about to speak up again -- the door opens, revealing Kaya with a tray carrying tea and cake.

"I apologize for the wait, young ladies," she says. The sight of the two of them gives her pause. "... Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Nico quickly answers, and then lowers her head with the sort of politeness she always shows the woman, and never displays anywhere else. "Thank you very much." She takes the tray from her, and Kaya leaves them both to it with a bow.

Nico sets down the tray on Maki's desk, taking a seat in one of the chairs. The air in the room, that seconds before felt heated to the point of combustion, was now heavy and stiff with silence. The words that had come to her mind have already scattered back into the dark corners of her skull.

Nico raises the cup to her lips and takes a long sip.

"You could've just said that from the start, idiot," she murmurs with a soft puff of steam.

Despite how tense she is, Maki's kind of glad Nico responds before she can and takes the tray. She stands there stiffly, though, as Nico sits down and helps herself to the snacks. Nico's casual and chiding manner makes Maki's blood boil again, but Maki manages to keep it under control enough to sit down at the other chair.

She watches Nico for a moment, glancing away occasionally, but waiting for her to say something else.

"That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah, well," Nico grumbles a non-answer. She knows there's more she should say -- she's just not sure what it is. Where to begin, how to respond. She breaks off a piece of cake with her fork, drops it into her mouth, chews, swallows.

She then takes an unmissably loud breath and forces out unmissably fake laugh.

"Boy, but to think you missed Nico that much, huh? Well, it's not like I can blame you. As club president and the most knowledgeable, most talented and cutest idol, there's no doubt I really held the group together! It's a wonder the rest of you can keep it up without me at all!"

At first Maki's eyes grow wide at Nico's sudden laughter, and then slowly close half-way with a disgruntled frown as Nico does what she does best: make the moment about her. Even when the moment was already about her, she somehow manages to make it even more about her.

Maki leans her face onto her hand and mutters, "that's not why I missed you, idiot."

Nico's face instantly slips back into her natural expression, cutesy smile gone without a trace. Of course, the day Maki actually goes along with any of that, she'll probably have been kidnapped and replaced by an alien clone. "What'd you miss me for, then?"

Maki startles slightly when Nico's expression shifts and even her voice changes. Oh that she had to notice.

This is an opening. Maki could tell her.

And give Nico the satisfaction? Forget it.

"N-n-no other reason. The club is less annoying without you, at least. Don't think that you're so special to me or anything."

"Seriously?" Nico says flatly, and then butts Maki's shoulder with her own. "As always, you're not honest all."

"H-hey!" Nico's bump on her shoulder isn't as hard as Maki makes it out to be.

They settle back into that heavy silence again, Nico sipping her tea and eating cookies and Maki just sitting there with her hands folded in her lap and stomach twisting in knots.

She doesn't know why she isn't honest, especially when Nico gave her an opening. There's just something about telling Nico the truth -- this truth -- that scares Maki more than anything. She thinks it's more likely Nico doesn't return her feelings. Her half-assed attempt at a confession earlier -- grabbing Nico's hand -- confirmed that for her.

If Nico says she knows her so well then she should already know this and save her the trouble!

"Nico-chan's still an idiot."

She bumps Nico's shoulder back much harder than she means to.

Edited 2014-10-06 22:16 (UTC)

"Wah-!" Nico, being considerably smaller in size, is knocked far enough to the side to almost spill her tea. Thankfully she manages to steady herself in time, but the glare she gives Maki is no lesser for it.

"You trying to pick a fight or something?!"

Maki's startled by her own force and she fumbles to try to catch Nico, even if Nico doesn't really need her to.

"No! I wasn't! You bumped me first!"

"I wasn't trying to knock you over!" Nico snaps back, and then goes kind of quiet when she realizes Maki's arms are still around her even though she's sitting perfectly straight.

"... Anyway," she coughs, "I'm fine now, so you can let go."

Maki's eyes grow wide and her face grows red as she realizes she's still holding Nico. She's so tense she could barely move to let go but that's what she should do right now. She and Nico don't typically hug or cuddle, so this is definitely strange.

And she finds it hard to let go for more reasons than just the tension in her shoulders.

"Sorry," she mutters so quietly it just sounds like a strange grunt, and finally, awkwardly, she lets go and sits back in her seat.

She keeps glancing at Nico, hoping the confidence will just hit her and she'll say what she wants to say.

It doesn't.

Nico remains stiff as a log even after Maki's let go. This is definitely weird. Maki is definitely being weird.

But she knows she's not going to say anything about it in a hundred thousand years, so Nico decides to be the one to break the silence instead.

"You know, I've been thinking it for some time now," she begins, rolling back her shoulders as to loosen them, "but haven't you been calling me over an awful lot since graduation?"