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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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The shift in Nico's confession makes Maki's skin run cold and her face grow pale.

Oh no.

That wasn't Nico returning her confession.

Oh. No.

"I mean-- I mean--" Maki doesn't even know what to say to that. What could she possibly say. She doesn't even have the mind right now to laugh or pretend it's a joke. She just feels dizzy and embarrassed and sick.

Maki bolts off her chair and runs to her bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Wha-- Ma-- Maki!" Nico barely has the time to gather her bearings before Maki's out the door, but all the same she scrambles to her feet and gives chase. She's too far behind, though, and the door slams in her face.

Which might be just as well, given she has no idea what to say.

Her heart is pounding hard, and definitely not because of the short run down the hallway. Her face feels hot and her mind's racing at a mile a minute. What the hell was that? Did Maki just...?

Taking a few moments to calm down, Nico draws in a deep breath, and then announces to the closed door:

"That was the worst confession ever!"

Maki's still leaning her hands against the door, feeling dumb and embarrassed and incompetent, when Nico's voice from the other side surprises her. And as dumb and embarrassed and incompetent as she feels now she also feels indignant and defensive. Her cheeks burn anew.

"It's not easy! It took me a long time to get the nerve up to say it and you don't make it easy, and you know it and I thought you--"

She stops herself there. She was wrong. So wrong. And she's scared it could ruin everything.

"I don't make it easy? I had to force it out of you!" Nico jumps to defend herself, adding after a beat: "... Even if I didn't know you meant it that way."

Her voice comes out a little subdued there, so she clears her throat. "Seriously, 'I like spending time with you'? Could you get more ambiguous than that?! I like spending time with my mom, what does that mean?"

"It was all I could think to say at the moment! It's what you asked! I thought that meant-- well I try to hold your hand sometimes, or eat from your plate, or when I gave you the code to the gate, or--" This all sounds ridiculous said out loud this way. And it is probably not helping her case one bit.

But at least Nico is talking to her. And they're fighting just like they usually do.

"Look, just forget I said anything. I... I didn't really mean it that way i-if it bothers you, okay?"

What, that? For a moment Nico feels stupid for never realizing -- but then she thinks, no, Maki's the stupid one for expecting her to piece it all together like she's Sherlock Holmes. It's all way too vague! It's unreasonable to think that she'd notice!

... But having Maki say it outright like that... now what?

Well, all things considered, now that the initial burst of confusion and adrenaline has calmed down some, Nico's feeling... pretty okay, actually. A lot more okay than either one of them would have expected.

"What if it doesn't?"

It takes Maki a moment to respond, her mind running a mile a minute processing what Nico just said. "What if what doesn't?"

As the door in the middle leaves kicking Maki out of the question, Nico settles for stomping her foot instead. "What if you liking me doesn't bother me! Keep up!"

For a moment all Maki can hear is her breathing and her heartbeat in her ears. What does that even mean? Is that her way of saying she likes her back? If so, Nico has no place to judge Maki so harshly. And Maki almost says that aloud but thinks better of it in this moment. Maybe later.

Slowly, Maki opens the door, peeking out a little. Then opens it more to look fully back at Nico.

"Ok..." she glances around before she meets Nico's eyes again. "I don't know exactly what that would mean..."

"A-at least think it through a little more before you confess," Nico retorts, though her voice doesn't have the usual bite to it, finally looking Maki in the face. She bites her lower lip, cheeks a little pink.

"... For the time being, just come out of the bathroom already. We can talk about it back in your room."

Maki could stay staring at Nico, the way she looks now and the way she's looking at her, for another hour if Nico didn't suggest they go back to her room.

Nico is pretty horrible at acting cute, but when she's being genuinely cute... it's quite powerful, Maki thinks.

She nods quietly, opens the door the rest of the way and steps out. She stands there awkwardly, waiting for Nico to lead the way.

Maki doesn't look like she's going to start moving any time soon, so Nico grabs her by the wrist before making the short way back to her room. Once there, she lets go, plopping down on the edge of the bed and waiting for Maki to do the same.

They sit for a moment in weirdly warm silence, until Nico pipes up again.

"So you want to like, date me?"

Maki's really not sure what's going to happen as Nico leads them back to her room. What if in the time it takes them to get back Nico changes her mind?

Maki thinks she should have a little more confidence in herself.

She sits next to Nico in silence, still waiting for her to take the lead on whatever it is "you liking me doesn't bother me" means.

And when the answer comes Maki tenses instantly. She tries to play it off but she's blushing down to her shoulders. "What? Dating? I didn't say dating? Don't get so ahead of yourself." It's almost like instinct, to respond that way, and she makes an effort to calm. "Besides, I don't know what Nico-chan wants."

Edited 2014-10-07 07:37 (UTC)

Nico's eyes just about roll to the back of her skull, and there's the near-audible pop of her patience expiring. She leans forward, grabbing Maki's face with both hands so hard her cheeks squish up and her eyes look stupidly tiny. That makes Nico feel just a little bit better, but hardly enough to subdue her exasperation.

"Listen up! Being confessed to shouldn't be this much effort for me! You do it like this: 'Nico-chan, I like you, please go out with me'. I'm not going to say yes to some wishy-washy half-confession!"

"Mmf!" Maki lets out in surprise as Nico grabs her face so suddenly. For a moment she thinks she might kiss her but it's clear from the way she's smushing her features that she wouldn't.

She glares at Nico, through it. Maki loses all her patience when Nico gets unreasonably bossy. She should know how hard this is for Maki. She keeps herself so guarded, so calculated. This took a lot.

And yet Nico has a point. This hasn't been a good confession at all. She could understand Nico not wanting to go out with her simply because of it.

And, for that, she should try harder.

She opens her eyes and meets Nico's with a good level of new determination, and a strange softness to them too. She puts her hands on Nico's, more in an effort to pull them from her cheeks a little so she can speak more clearly.

"I like you, Nico-chan. Please go out with me. If you want to..."

"Woah," Nico says, hands dropping from Maki's face in sheer surprise. Her eyes are wide, brow climbing dangerously close to her hairline, and her mouth is slightly ajar though it takes another three seconds for any more sound to leave it. "Y-you actually said it..."

... At which point she hunches over into herself and breaks out laughing.

Maki could just die. Literally, right now, she could die. The burning in her face feels like a pressure about to explode and she's so ashamed she could just cry. She could almost run away again but her anger wins over and instead she smacks Nico on her back.

"That's mean! I finally said it right and all you do is laugh? I take it back then, forget everything. Nico-chan doesn't deserve my confession!"

"Ow!" Nico sputters between giggles that refuse to die down even after the blow. "It's just, I didn't think Maki would seriously say it...!"

She wheezes, finally managing to get her laughter under control. When she straightens up to wipe at the corners of her eyes, Nico's face is a noticeably warmer hue. Maybe it was more than just the humor in the situation that fuelled her laughter -- like nerves, perhaps -- but she'd sooner die than allude to that aloud.

She does feel a little bad, though. She's sure it wasn't easy for Maki, even if she was just repeating after her word by word.

"Sorry, sorry." Nico offers the other girl a hardly-comforting slap-pat on the arm. "Don't get mad."

Maki just huffs. "Too late I already took it back."

"If only getting it out took as much effort as taking it back, I would've been happy," Nico mutters halfheartedly, and then leans into Maki's side with an abrupt switch in her demeanor, a smile stretching across her features.

"Come on," she coaxes in the very cutest voice in her arsenal, looking up at Maki with glimmering eyes and puckered lips. "I really didn't mean it, so forgive Nico, 'kaaay?"

Maki gives Nico an exasperated look. She knows when Nico is laying on the charm and she never buys it. She doesn't know why Nico keeps trying after all this time. She'd much rather have honest Nico, especially at a time like this.

Maki puts her hand on Nico's face and pushes her away. "I forgive you just don't make that ridiculous face."

"Heehee, as expected, Nico-nii is irresistible." Nico grins, all proud of herself, and obediently detaches herself from Maki's side.

"Sooo..." She leans back on her hands and folds one leg over the other, looking ahead of her as if in thought. "Since I agreed and you took back your takeback, does that mean we're dating now?"

Maki looks ahead as well, one finger twirling in her hair. For someone who was blindsided by her confession, Nico is taking it very well. So well that Maki's the one that feels behind now, face still warm and especially after Nico says that.

She tries to sound as casual as she can. "If we agree to it, I guess we are."

"So technically, this is our first date?" She taps her foot to an idle off-beat rhythm against the floor. "Kind of lame."

"What?" Maki turns to Nico with honest indignation. "Of course this isn't the first date! This is us telling each other. The first date comes after, of course!"