MAIBAN

Maiban is the ship name for Maisie and Ichiban. Their relationship progresses over the course of y7 and y8, with their most recent status being engaged in y8. The general timeline goes as follows:

They're stupidly in love. They're similar in a lot of ways, both passionate, both fiercely loyal, both caring, both stubborn. One of the first things they bonded over was their similar levels of passion for things they love, and that remains as one of their favorite things about the other. They have similar communication styles, too, prefering to be blunt and honest.

Which comes in handy during their frequent squabbles, as they have plenty of opposing traits, too. Maisie is cautious and at times, unrelenting. Ichiban is impulsive and goes with the flow, figuring the plan out as he goes. They find the traits in the other appealing at times, Maisie's caution leading to thoughtful actions and Ichiban's impulsiveness giving a sense of heroism, but they frequently find themselves frustrated with them instead.

They're both excellent compromisers, keeping their relationship strong despite their frustrations. They love eachother enough to want to work through whatever may come up, together.

They met only a few months after Maisie moved to Japan, around 6 months after the end of y7. Maisie was vending at a local artists market, trying to sell off the remnants of her merchandise to try and focus on her contract work. Ichiban happened to stumble into the outdoor event while running errands, curious at what was drawing such a crowd.

Maisie's table caught his eye, the bright colors unmissable. He looked over her wares idly, but as he went to leave, he accidentally knocked over the stand holding her art prints. As he profusely apologized and tried to put everything back, they struck up a conversation.

Despite her initial annoyance, Maisie found Ichiban shockingly charismatic, and found herself drawn to him. It didn't hurt that he was handsome, too. So, when he offered to buy her dinner as an apology after hearing that she had been sitting there all day, she couldn't say no.

But! She had a booth to pack down and luggage to haul back home, so she rain-checked him. They exchanged numbers and met for lunch a week later, quickly hitting it off and becoming fast friends.

Ichiban ended up being her first real friend in Japan, and was the driving force of her deciding to stay instead of moving back to the US after her contract expired.

After months of obvious (to everyone but eachother) flirting, Ichiban confesses to Maisie about a year after meeting. Maisie had realized a couple months before he confessed that she had a crush on him, but hadn't said anything yet, partially due to wanting to enjoy having a crush and partially due to nerves. Ichiban and his friend group was the majority of her friends in Japan, and while she knew he would still be happy to be friends if he rejected her, she felt awkward about it.

Ichiban's realization was much more recent, maybe a month before he caved and confessed. He was nervous about her reaction, but after his friends pointed out her very obvious crush, he took the plunge.

They spend the next 2 years happily dating, before Maisie finds out her work contract - and by extension her visa - isn't getting renewed.

Maisie spends a couple of months trying to apply for new positions, looking for any other option to renew her visa, all while hiding it from Ichiban. She finally tells him that she has to move back a month before her visa expires after having no luck securing a new job. He frantically looks for other options, not keen on his girlfriend being 2k+ miles and 12 hours away from him.

He suggests a marriage visa, explicitly telling her that they can still just date even if they're legally married. Maisie is hesitant, but eventually accepts, feeling secure enough in their relationship to have a legal tie. They get married within a couple of weeks, not having any kind of ceremony or telling anyone else. They continue to date, the only major change being that they get an apartment together after her lease expires.

While Ichiban committed to them just dating, their legal marriage stirred up his thoughts about their future together. Months after their technical marriage and a little over 2 1/2 years after they started dating, Ichiban properly proposes to Maisie. She happily accepts, and they consider themselves to be engaged.

And then... something!