Chapter 1 - It Begins: Gettin Down on Friday

Perpetual loneliness was an affliction with which Nozomi was all too familiar. She'd spent most of her childhood being the black sheep, the quiet one, the weird girl, and while she used the copious amounts of alone time to study and master multiple languages and metaphysical subjects, the lack of meaningful human connection gnawed at her. Of course, that was many years ago, and she eventually found love and a sense of belonging in her friend Eli, and then in Otonokizaka's school idol group, µ's.

Now, though, even the days of µ's were far behind. They were grown women now, out living and working and doing their own things… well, everyone except Nozomi, it seemed. Every day, five days a week, Eli took off for work in the morning, leaving Nozomi to herself until dinnertime. And, unlike when she was in high school, she couldn't just call up her friends to hang out on a whim, because they were all working or studying, and some did not even live in the area anymore. Nozomi had taken to calling herself a housewife, which, while technically true, seemed to imply that she spent her days stuck at home by choice.

That wasn't true at all! Nozomi was bored to (occasionally literal) tears!

But today was Friday, and once Eli got home, they'd have the entire weekend to themselves. So Nozomi donned her "wifey apron" (as Rin so enthusiastically dubbed it) and got to work on dinner. If she was going to call herself a housewife, then darn it, she was going to act like one. Besides, she was certain that Eli, who worked so hard and so often, appreciated coming home to a warm meal.

The sun sank, and Nozomi cooked. By 6 o'clock, dinner was ready and Eli was due home any moment. Nozomi decided to send her lover a cheeky text, but just as soon as she hit the send button, she heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

"I'm home, Nozomi!"

Oh, yes! Finally! Nozomi sprang from the sofa to greet her beloved wife with a hearty kiss.

"Elicchi! I missed you."

"I missed you, too! Tonight's our night." Eli spied the meal waiting for them on the table. "You already cooked?"

"Of course I did," said Nozomi. "I thought I might cook before you got home so we could eat and, ah… settle down quicker."

"Right… Well, I'm going to change."

Eli always looked so sharp and professional in her work attire, and womanly, too, with her heels and a tasteful dash of makeup. Nozomi had half a mind to follow her and help her out of those classy clothes, but the dinner she worked so hard on would get cold. Too bad. When Eli returned she looked more herself, wearing a loose pink top and some shorts, and with her hair tied up. Her face was also redder than usual, Nozomi noted with delight.

"Why did you send me a text like that?" Eli asked, her eyes darting this way and that.

"Whatever do you mean?" Nozomi replied sweetly. "You didn't want me to tell you how utterly, desperately hor-"

"Okay, you don't have to repeat it out loud!"

They sat down to eat, and Eli finally made eye contact with Nozomi, her smile sheepish but her eyes burning. That was one of the things Nozomi loved best about her Elicchi – no matter how hard she played the ice queen, no matter how much she pretended to not want it, she always did, in fact, want it, and bad. Theirs was a love of deep familiarity and intimacy, the physical and emotional so fiercely blended, and yet still Eli was herself enough to get flustered at Nozomi's lewd teasing.

"So? How was work today?" Nozomi asked. "Hope you didn't spend too much time with, oh, what was her name? Kasumi?"

"Nozomi!" Eli was instantly offended, and Nozomi almost regretted it for the hurt that flashed across her wife's face. "Nozomi, you know that I would never, ever..."

It was easy to fluster Eli, but it was also just as easy to rile her up and start her on a tirade about just how much she loved Nozomi, how precious she was to her, how their bond was too powerful to ever break. Nozomi loved that about her, too. She smiled at Eli – a real smile, not that typical enigmatic look she usually had going on – until at last the blonde began to trail off.

"It's cute when you declare your love for me," Nozomi finally said.

"Well, I'm just saying..."

Beneath that cool exterior, Nozomi knew there dwelt a sweeter, softer, more sentimental Eli. The pair of them had their fair share of difficulties in expressing themselves, but their long history together allowed them to connect on what Nozomi considered to be a spiritual level. It wasn't her fault that she felt such longing when they were apart; they were fated lovers and cosmic soul mates, after all! So the cards revealed to her many, many moons ago.

The fated lovers had their dinner and shared their usual playful and somewhat-sexually-charged banter, and then settled down to play the old PS2, which Nozomi had dug out of the closet earlier in the week.

"Help me with this boss battle, Elicchi," said Nozomi. "I'm not as good at games like this as you are."

That wasn't true, of course, because Nozomi was ungodly good at most video games, but she liked to give Eli a chance to show off to her. Eli dutifully took the controller and feigned knowledge of the game's mechanics and controls while Nozomi nestled into her side, a content little smile on her lips. There were no greater nights than Friday nights with Elicchi!

"This boss reminds me of you," Nozomi said after a while of watching her wife get virtually pummeled.

"How so?"

"She looks just like you if you were meaner and had guns."

Eli only grumbled in response, partly because she failed to see the resemblance between herself and the boss character, and partly because she didn't actually know how to play this game. After the third total annihilation, she tossed the controller aside in favor of holding her extra-snuggly wife. Nozomi, pleased to be the center of attention now, kissed her, sweetly at first, but all Friday nights began with only sweetness. Tender caresses and feather kisses without fail gave way to raw, aching desire, and Nozomi soon found herself in a critical state of undress beneath Eli's lovely fingers.

When at last both women were spent and satisfied, Nozomi chose to bask in the tingly afterglow on the sofa, while the ever-tidy Eli collected their clothes from the floor and turned off the PS2. Making love to the music of a forgotten video game was actually quite common, to the point that Nozomi hardly noticed the mood-breaking tunes anymore. She watched her wife with quiet interest, and not just because her bottom was on full display every time she bent over.

"I love you, Elicchi."

Eli looked back at her, seemingly surprised at the sudden declaration, but then replied, "I love you, too, Nozomi."

"And..." Oh, they'd had this argument so many times, and Nozomi was sick of it, but she was sicker of not having her wonderful wife by her side. "I miss you so much when you're at work. I want you home more often."

"We've been over this," Eli mumbled as she deposited their clothes into a basket. "I have to work, Nozomi. We're lucky I even make enough for us to live like this… I wish I could be home, too, but I don't have a choice."

"That's the excuse my parents always used, too," Nozomi shot back before she could temper her tone.

"Nozomi..."

"...Being alone in this empty apartment all day reminds me of the days before I met you," Nozomi said. She suddenly became aware of just how exposed she was, and hugged a pillow to her chest to conceal her bare body. "You don't understand how bad that makes me feel, Eli. I know you have to work. But you don't have to work as much as you do!"

Eli returned to the sofa, clearly struggling to formulate an appropriate reply. "Everything I do is for you, Nozomi," she finally managed.

"Then please stop working so much overtime," Nozomi said. "If everything you do is for me, then… you should think about my feelings, too. Just because we're married doesn't mean I don't still get lonely sometimes."

Eli looked away and chewed her lip. Nozomi, ever a veteran at reading her wife's body language, recognized this as Eli's way of saying, "You're right, and now I don't know what to say."

Heavy silence hung between them as they redressed and tidied up the apartment. In some ways Nozomi regretted bringing it up again, but some things just have to be said. She'd kept silent about so many important things in her life, but her relationship with Eli wasn't about to be one of them.

"Um, I'll take care of the dishes," said Eli in a fake-cheery tone, probably hoping to lighten the mood.

"Alright. I'm going to bed."

Nozomi settled into the bed and closed her eyes, listening to the racket Eli was making with the dishes. She did not sleep, but instead waited for her to finish up and come to bed, because she knew Eli made it a point to never sleep before first making up. So it did not surprise her at all when the kitchen quieted and Eli slid into the bed shortly afterward, pressed her body into Nozomi's back, and let her lips flutter across her neck.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my charm," Nozomi said. She wore a smug smile meant to fluster Eli as she turned over to face her. The truth, though, was that it was she who couldn't resist Eli's charm. She was still upset at the long-term situation, but she felt her immediate anger at her wife melting away with every one of those gentle little kisses.

"I'm really sorry, Nozomi!" Eli's voice was so desperate as to be adorable. "I swear I'm not trying to hurt you on purpose! It's just… my job… and my boss… Look, I promise I'll try to cut back, okay? I just… I'll just have to convince him."

"Convince yourself, too, while you're at it," Nozomi replied, and flashed her tongue at Eli.

"Nozomi!"

Eli grabbed her and rolled on top of her, and Nozomi couldn't hold back a giggle. That was that.

Nozomi woke hoping to catch Eli still sleeping. She always looked so beautifully serene when she was asleep, a reminder that pure, sweet Eli was still there beneath the stressed-out, workaholic version. This morning, though, Eli was already awake, and apparently perusing the internet. Nozomi scooted closer and peered at the screen with sleepy eyes.

"Hm. Isn't it a bit early for porn, Elicchi?"

"W-what?! No!" Eli practically shoved the laptop in Nozomi's face. "I'm just looking at, you know, local listings!"

Yeah, right. Nozomi sat upright and took a clearer look at the laptop, and… lo and behold, Eli was telling the truth.

"Job listings?"

Eli nodded. "I thought I might look around a bit. Just in case things don't work out at my current job..."

So Eli had taken her words to heart. Nozomi could at least be hopeful now that she might have more time with her soon, and keep that lifelong demon of loneliness at bay. She leaned into Eli and rested her head on her shoulder, content to bask in the loveliness of her wife until, of course, she was so rudely interrupted by her ringing phone. Eli was closer, so she checked it for her.

"Oh, it's Rin. You better answer." She handed the phone off to Nozomi.

"Give it here. Hello?"

"Nozomi-chaaan. It's Rin!"

"I can hear that!" Nozomi said. "Everything alright? How's Hanayo?"

"More than alright!" Rin said. "Our baby girl was born early this morning! We went in so late last night, so I'm only just now calling everyone. I didn't wanna wake anybody up!"

"That's wonderful news! Eli and I will stop by shortly, okay? Text me your room number."

Eli must have sensed the excitement, because she hovered nearby Nozomi's head, straining to hear Rin through the phone. It's not like she didn't know what happened; rather, she just wanted to hear Rin say it. Nozomi grabbed her shoulder, bidding her to be patient until the call was over. When it was, Eli clapped her hands together.

"We're going to visit the baby, then?"

Nozomi beamed. "Yes! Come on, let's get dressed. We can grab breakfast on the way!"

And that was how Nozomi's Saturday morning began – not with a bonus round of face-to-crotch, as many Saturdays do, but with a brand-new bundle of joy that, unbeknownst to Nozomi now, would end up causing quite a stir in the coming weeks. Exactly how shall soon become apparent.