A/N: done over on tumblr for the prompt: "Hanayo and Maki planning on proposing to each other and getting advice from the NozoRin combo. In the end, they just put the rings on each other's fingers while cuddling." It was long enough and I liked it that I might as well post it up here too. I hope you enjoy.
"I need help," was the first thing Maki said the moment they got seated inside the cafe. She shot her eyes all around them after, as if watching out for something. Nozomi and Rin shared a look.
"… what are you doing?" Rin asked for the both of them.
"… just making sure Hanayo isn't here," Maki muttered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I told Kotori and Honoka to take her out somewhere not here but they just might be walking around somewhere nearby, I don't know."
"Is our wonderfully clueless Maki-chan having problems with Hanayo-chan again?" Nozomi couldn't help but tease. Maki snapped her head to her, narrowing her eyes in offense.
"No! And what do you mean, again?" Nozomi only shrugged her shoulders with a lazy smile. Maki rolled her eyes and sat up straight. "Okay, I want you guys to be serious today. I… I really need some help. I want to–"
"Excuse me, are you ready to order?"
The three of them looked up at the waitress standing by their table with a friendly smile. They glanced back down at their menus, realizing they hadn't even looked at them since sitting down.
Several minutes later after ordering their drinks, Maki coughed into her hand, gathering their attention once more. She looked at the both of them, gravely serious. Nozomi and Rin shared another glance, raising a brow.
"I bet she needs help trying to find a present for Kayo-chin," Rin said as they waited in front of the cafe for Maki to show up.
"But why does she need me here too?" Nozomi sighed dramatically. "If all she needs help with are gifts though, doesn't she usually ask just you? I mean, I give her advice all the time."
"Unneeded advice," Rin had to point out with a snicker, remembering the group chat all three of them were in when Maki needed help picking out a birthday present for Hanayo.
"Still advice!" She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, clothes on or off, those are problems easily solved within seconds." Rin broke out into another snicker.
"Anyway, I bet you it's another gift idea. Isn't it like their anniversary soon?"
"… pay for my portion if it isn't?"
"Done!"
Maki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And another. And then a third one. Finally, she looked up, sitting as straight as she could, looking between the both of them. "I… I really need your help with this," she started in a soft voice. "So, I'm asking you two to please be serious today."
"Okay, Maki-chan, you got it," Nozomi answered cheerfully, shooting a quick glance to her partner-in-crime. Maki nodded and continued, her face a pink hue now.
"I… I want to propose," she mumbled.
Both Rin and Nozomi widened their eyes at the same time, slowly turning to each other. "That's more than a gift," Rin managed to whisper in a choked voice.
"… I think I know why I'm here now," Nozomi could only say with a crinkle of her eyes.
–
"Okay, do I have to dress up nice? Do I have to do something even more extra?" Maki looked at them helplessly. "I don't… I don't know anything."
"What if she said no?" Rin joked, wanting to tease Maki a bit. There was absolutely no way Hanayo would anyway, and she was sure Maki would take it in good nature. Except Maki froze completely, staring at Rin in shock.
"I…" She glanced away, balling her hands into fists. "If she says no…" Despite everything in her telling her it was impossible, she couldn't help but imagine the exact scene playing out in her mind. She would present the ring and instead of the look of happiness that would blossom on Hanayo's face as she dreamed, she would sadly shake her head instead and push the ring back–
A sharp pain on her leg broke her out of her thoughts. She yelped, curling up instinctively so she could rub the pained spot soothingly, except her knee knocked loudly against the table instead. Maki slowly looked over at them, tears welling at the corner of her eyes as she tried to glare at them.
Rin slowly brought her foot back, guilty expression on her face. "You weren't answering so I… er, oops."
"… it's nice to know some things don't change when you get older," Nozomi only said.
–
"Do you know her ring size?" Nozomi asked.
Maki shot her an irritated look, snapping. "Of course I–" She broke off with a polite cough. "Sorry, force of habit." She glanced down at her fingers with a skeptical look. "I… don't. Uh… maybe… sort of bigger than mine?" She squeezed her fingers curiously.
"Really." Rin's face was incredulous. "That's, uh, important."
"Shut up, I know!" Maki sighed. "I guess… I guess I'll figure it out."
"Really, Maki-chan, I would have thought that you would already know all about Hanayo's fingers though," Nozomi had to add. Maki sputtered, glaring at her. Rin widened her eyes for some reason, turning to Nozomi and hitting her lightly in an excited manner.
"Nozomi-chan, speaking of fingers, you won't believe the things Kayo-chin tells me about Maki-chan–"
"Oh my god." Maki buried her face into her hands but not before they could see it burst into redness. Nozomi and Rin snickered to each other. "Why do I even bother with you two sometimes."
–
Afterward, they stood outside of the cafe, saying their goodbyes.
"… thanks for all your help, I guess," Maki muttered, wincing at the slight throbbing of her knee. Along with her leg, she felt as if she had gotten a headache from talking with these two instead. Though she had some answers and ideas now, she wasn't sure if it was worth the bout of teasing she got out of it.
"Maki-chan, you're worrying too much!" Rin clasped Maki on the shoulder, grinning at her. "Kayo-chin appreciates everything you do for her! It doesn't really have to be perfect like some big gesture because you two get too embarrassed easily for that. You could even just ask her over breakfast and I'd bet she'd say yes and then tell me later about how wonderful it all was."
"… that's reassuring." Despite the obvious tease, Maki couldn't help but smile softly at Rin. She looked over at Nozomi as well, giving her a grateful smile, silently thankful for everything they had done.
"Maki-chan, at the end of the day, as long as you just tell her how you really feel, that's all you need," Nozomi added. "I know you tend to worry a lot but you're really worrying over nothing." She smiled then, idly running her finger along her own ring. "Trust me, I know."
–
Almost exactly a week later, Nozomi and Rin met up with Hanayo.
"I-I-I need some advice on something," Hanayo said, sitting up straight.
"Are you proposing to Maki-chan?" Rin joked.
Hanayo's eyes widened. "H-h-how did you know that?!"
The both of them choked.
"Is… is it really that surprising?" Hanayo mumbled, looking uneasy now. Rin and Nozomi shared a look, almost tempted to tell her they were being surprised by a completely different reason.
"Well, Hanayo-chan, do you know her ring size?" Nozomi decided to ask instead, remembering the disaster Maki was with this question. And now, Hanayo was giving her a blank look. Rin and Nozomi shared a look. Thankfully, Hanayo regained her senses and began to nod frantically.
"O-oh! Um, yes." She laughed sheepishly. "It was, um, really good timing. We were shopping the other day and went into a jewelry store because she wanted to buy a necklace for her mother. We tried out some rings for fun while we were there."
Nozomi and Rin had to struggle to keep from laughing when they realized exactly the plan Maki used to get Hanayo's ring size. Apparently, it also went both ways too.
"You've already got past the hard part," Nozomi said with a quiet laugh. "Then you just pick when to tell her?"
"What but if Maki-chan… doesn't agree?" Hanayo mumbled, averting her eyes away.
"Of course Maki-chan's going to say yes," Rin immediately replied with an incredulous look, "why wouldn't she?"
"I-I-I know, but… but…" Hanayo stopped speaking, looking down at herself, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry, I know I… I just sound really silly for worrying over this. I just…"
"Kayo-chin." Rin reached out, laying her hand on top of her best friend's and smiling gently. "You're overthinking everything just like Ma—uh, I mean, like how Maki-chan always overthinks everything. You know, you guys have been together for years, and Maki-chan still acts like she's a dumb teenager in love when she's around you."
"She still trips into everything," Nozomi added helpfully.
"Exactly! What's there to even worry about?" Rin grinned at her. "And who do you think Maki-chan is? She could never say no to you."
Hanayo looked at the both of them, glancing back and forth. Finally, she slowly nodded, a tearful smile forming on her face. "I… thank you. I'm sorry for saying something like that. I just… Maki-chan is so wonderful and sometimes I still can't believe that she could be with someone like me."
Rin frowned at her. "Kayo-chin, do you still think like–"
Hanayo smiled and shook her head. "Not a lot anymore, but you can't help it, you know?" she said, shooting a quick glance over to Nozomi. It made Nozomi crinkle her eyes slightly, laughing under her breath.
"How about you just wait for Maki-chan to ask you?" Rin asked, shooting a sly glance over to Nozomi.
"Wait for Maki-chan?" Hanayo mulled over that thought before quickly shaking her head. "Rin-chan, it'd take twenty years at that rate." Nozomi and Rin both snorted at the same time, laughing silently. Hanayo laughed along with them before she nodded determinedly. "And I… I want to be the one to one to propose. I can't always depend on Maki-chan all the time! I feel like she's always the one pushing me to do new things so I want to be the one to do this, for the both of us."
"It looks like you're dead set on it. With everything you've just told us, it sounds like you didn't really need that much help," Nozomi remarked.
"Ah…" Hanayo smiled bashfully. "Maybe it was something I always wanted to do and I just wanted to talk it out first…"
"It'll turn out fine, Kayo-chin!" Rin said with a thumbs-up. "Just make sure Maki-chan doesn't hurt herself. You know how clumsy she gets." Hanayo nodded but she wasn't sure why Nozomi started snickering. "Look at my Kayo-chin all grown up and getting married to her favorite idol!" Her best friend playfully wiped a tear away.
"R-Rin-chan!"
–
Several weeks had passed since talking to Nozomi and Rin. There was no need to rush and Maki had all the time in the world, Nozomi reassured. Regardless, she worried constantly about it. How was she going to know when the time felt perfect? Was it supposed to feel perfect for Hanayo too? Was she just supposed to go straight into it? What else did she need to do?
Maki leaned against the armrest of the couch in their living room, staring at the wall pensively. It was a good thing that Hanayo was sleepily curled up on top of her, eyes closed and dozing in and out as the night dragged on, so she couldn't see Maki's troubled face. Even so, Hanayo shifted slightly, still able to tell that Maki was oddly tense.
"Maki-chan, is there something wrong?" she asked with a quiet yawn at the end. Maki couldn't help but flinch at the words, laughing nervously.
"Um… H-Hanayo, have you… er, ever thought about what you wanted to do in the future?" she asked.
"Hm? Um… I… I'm not sure? Was there anything you wanted to do?" Hanayo mumbled out, feeling too comfortable to open her eyes.
"Uh…" Maki cleared her throat. This… this was the perfect time to go into a speech, right? It sounded perfect to her. Okay, this was it. She was going to go for it.
Every word she had prepared just for this moment died in her throat suddenly and she let out a strangled gasp instead. Romantic, Maki-chan, she could already hear Nozomi tease in her head. Maybe now isn't the right time, she began to think, even though she gave herself the same excuse for the past several weeks. Some other time is okay, it doesn't have to be now, that's fine. Make it sound even better. Serenade her? No, Rin will make fun of me until I die. Should I just plan some big thing then? Either way, the moment passed and Maki sighed, deciding to worry about it another time. She pulled Hanayo closer, resting her head on top of hers, trying to distract herself with the scent of her lover's shampoo.
A quiet murmur of her name made Maki glance down and realize Hanayo was slumbering. She brushed back Hanayo's hair, pressing a small kiss to the top of her head and smiling indulgently afterward.
"Hanayo, let's get married," she let out in a quiet breath then. Her whole face instantly flamed afterward. It was one thing to say it in her mind; it was another to actually say it aloud. But… saying them aloud made her feel strangely relieved, and maybe the words weren't actually going to be that hard–
"Okay," she heard.
"What?!" Maki whipped her head down in panic. She quickly let out a breath of relief. "Oh, she's still asleep–"
And Hanayo opened her eyes, completely unfocused. She gave a sleepy smile before clarity started to return to her. When it did, she furrowed her brow, glancing down at Maki's arms before up to her face. "Wait… Maki-chan?"
"Y-yes?" she answered with a sharp squeak.
"… that… that wasn't my dream?" Hanayo whispered slowly. "Did… did you just…"
Maki wanted to scream.
She stared blankly ahead, wondering whether she wanted to continue ahead with it or attempt to play it off as a joke. Too busy with trying to figure out what to do, she hadn't realized Hanayo had pulled away and was rummaging through her bag on the table.
"H-huh, I thought it was—oh! Here it is." She came back and sat in front of Maki, shyly raising the box in her hands. Maki's eyes immediately shot down to it, her expression completely baffled. Despite the nervousness and jitters she felt, Hanayo giggled at the dumbfounded look on Maki's face.
"W-w-wait, wait, you have one too?!" Maki blurted out.
"I know it doesn't really matter who does it but I wanted–" Hanayo paused, blinking at her. "Wait, too?"
"I… I, er, uh… I have… one…" Maki's mind was spinning as she continued to stare at the small box in Hanayo's hands. This… this wasn't how she expected this to go. "I, er, wanted… um, for… f-for you… um. Um." The more she looked at the box, the more it felt as if she lost her entire vocabulary, unable to say anything else or do anything besides gape.
"… Maki-chan?" Hanayo waved her hand and Maki didn't even blink. Laughing softly to distract herself from the pounding of her heart, she opened the box, taking the ring, a simple silver band, and gently took Maki's hand afterward.
"Ah!" Maki's eyes roamed over to the ring. Her hand began to tremble. Hanayo slowly looked up at her, trying to smile reassuringly.
"Can I?"
"No!" Maki shouted instead. Her mind caught up to what she said and she began to shake her head. "W-wait, I mean…" she trailed off. Hanayo looked at her curiously, knowing that Maki still had a terrible habit of blurting out things opposite to what she meant. "I mean… uh, I… together," she clarified, her cheeks burning. "I… let me go… get mine and then, um, together?" she mumbled, shooting her eyes away in embarrassment.
"Oh! Y-yeah! Um, sure." And Hanayo watched as Maki quickly stood up, stumbling her way to their bedroom. Hanayo let out several deep breaths as she looked at the ring in her hand. There was a sense of relief that was slowly coming to her now that she knew she wasn't the only one thinking about something like this. Still, she didn't imagine it would turn out this way and she could only imagine the disappointment on Rin's face when she would relay this story to her later. It all seemed… anti-climatic, somehow.
A loud yelp made Hanayo wince, glancing over to where the bedroom was. "Maki-chan? Is everything okay?" she called out.
"Y-yeah! I just, uh, tripped. I'm okay!" Within seconds of answering, Maki appeared with a similar shaped box in her hands. She all but ran over to Hanayo, face red with exertion.
"Um, are you sure you're okay–"
"Yes!" Before Hanayo could speak, she let out a long sigh, sitting back down on the couch next to Hanayo. "I mean… I wanted to be the one who…" she broke off with a small pout, wishing her face wasn't so red.
"Technically, you were?" Hanayo said with a giggle before she scooted closer, reaching for her hand.
"H-Hanayo?"
"Sorry, but I want to be the first one, is that okay?" she asked, shyly peering up while batting her lashes innocently.
"… you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Maki grumbled.
"Hm?" The look on Hanayo's face changed into slightly mischievous. Nozomi and Rin were definitely rubbing off on her. "U-um, anyway, I'm going to put it on." And Maki watched with bated breath as Hanayo brought the ring closer to her finger. Her heart was pounding rapidly and she struggled to keep her hand steady, not even daring to breathe at this point. Hanayo's fingers and unfamiliar metal slid down her finger. When Hanayo pulled back, Maki let out the breath she held. She slowly raised her hand to her face, staring at it. "How i-is it?"
"It's wonderful," she replied softly, letting out an amazed laugh as she held up her hand to the light, enjoying the glint off of her hand. She didn't realize she spent a long time doing it until a tug on her arm made her look back down. She was greeted with Hanayo's pouting face, an expectant look on her face as she held out her own hand.
"Ah, right, right." Maki couldn't help but laugh even as she took Hanayo's hand, excitement and anticipation replacing all of her previous nervousness. Pulling the silver ring from her box, she did the same, slipping it on Hanayo's finger, enjoying how Hanayo was doing the opposite of her, sucking in her breath and staring with eyes wide. She wondered if this was how Hanayo felt earlier, watching her. She grinned afterward when Hanayo also mimicked her earlier actions, holding her hand out as far away to admire the ring.
"It's… it's beautiful," Hanayo said in a voice full of quiet wonder as she brought her hand back, cradling it within her other hand. Maki knew she wasn't talking just about the ring as she looked back up and smiled widely, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.
"Yeah." Her voice was thick as she spoke and she couldn't get any other word to come out. She took Hanayo's hand into her own, entwining their fingers and pressed their foreheads together. Overwhelmed with everything she was feeling, she could only repeat her word again as she closed her eyes and pulled her new fiancee closer. "Yeah."