"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right back, okay? Just try to calm down a bit."

Opening the door to the parlor, Ryuko began to tap her new box of cigarettes with a little too much force, breathing in the cool, fresh air around her. Bodies were scurrying past the shop she was in front of, paying absolutely no mind to their surroundings. They're like a bunch of salmon, Ryuko thought, on their way to the top of the river.

Leaning on the short gate in front of the shop and opening up her pack, Ryuko tried to not think about the hell back inside. Mikisugi had paired her with a screamer, again. It wasn't the client's fault, per se, but her manager had a tendency to try and push her buttons as much as he could these days.

As soon as the girl had walked in, Ryuko knew she would come up to her. She just looked the type: huge-ass designer sunglasses, big-ass designer bag, stupid-ass outfit that was definitely too tight, anddrunk off her ass at three in the afternoon. She had made quite the entrance too, with her friend constantly giggling like a schoolgirl while she picked out a stencil.

As soon as Ryuko had looked up to see the mess that had walked through the front door, the girl had pointed to her and said, "Her! I want her to do it!"

Confused, Ryuko had turned to her manager, who was manning the cash register with aviator sunglasses and a shit-eating grin, "You heard her, Ryuko! Let's get to work, now! I only demand your absolute best!"

"Um, excuse me. Isn't it a little cold to be wearing just a tank top?"

Shaking out of her reverie, Ryuko saw a woman in front of her, pale blue scarf around her neck, and white button-up coat to match. Taking in her surroundings, Ryuko found that she was actually quite comfortable. Shrugging, she said, "Nah, I run hot when I'm inside, so it's pretty nice out here, actually."

The woman deflated a little, peaking Ryuko's interest. Looking closer, she saw her long, black hair was tangled in with her scarf, and that her nose was pink with the weather. "Are you cold? I mean, you look a little chilly."

Looking up again, the woman shrugged, "I'm always cold. It's not a concern."

Her eyes were a pretty blue. "Oh, okay."

Putting a cigarette between her lips, Ryuko looked questioningly at the woman in front of her, silently asking if she could light up. The woman nodded, "So, who pissed you off this time?"

Taking a surprisingly satisfying drag, Ryuko raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

The woman hummed, "Well, I always see you come out here with a frown on your face, smoke about half your pack, then go back inside without a peep. If that's not pissed off, I don't know what is."

Ryuko stared. Did she have a Victoria's Secret supermodel stalking her? The woman must've sensed her mistake, "Oh, wow." She laughed nervously, "I own the shop next door, sorry, that must've sounded weird."

Taking another drag, Ryuko hummed and nodded in understanding, "Right. Right. Sorry I didn't realize that either, I don't pay attention much."

"So? What happened in there?"

Ryuko rolled her eyes, internally preening at the attention this gorgeous girl was giving her, "This drunk chick practically fell in our shop and demanded that I do her lower back tattoo because I'm a chick too, and 'chicks stick together' or some shit. It's obviously the first tattoo she's gotten consciously, though. She's been screaming every time I move the damn pen."

Huffing, Ryuko finished her cigarette quickly and placed the bud in the ashtray on the table behind her. Pulling out another one, she said, "Sorry, it just annoys me more than it should some days."

Suddenly remembering something, Ryuko pulled the unlit cigarette from her mouth and offered it to the woman, "Shit, I don't have any manners sometimes—"

The shop owner put her hand up, "No, no, it's alright. I quit. Thank you, though."

Ryuko noticed the woman's eyes continuously flicker to her mouth, "Yeah, I know it's a cancer stick, but I mean, it calms me down, so I don't really care about side effects."

After a full thirty seconds of staring, the woman spoke up, "Your teeth are interesting."

Ryuko blinked. The woman finally looked in her eyes, "They're sharper than most people's, wouldn't you say?"

Finishing the second cigarette, Ryuko grinned, showing off her canines, "Yeah, they're pretty unique. They don't hurt me at all. Though, I can't say as much for other people."

Understanding Ryuko's implications, the woman sniffled, glancing away quickly. Hmm, more conservative than I thought. Ryuko looked at her closely. She wasn't blushing… or was she? Was that just the cold?

"Ryuko!"

Snapping to attention, Ryuko turned around stiffly. Mikisugi's head was leaning out of the parlor door, "Get your ass back in here, it's been fifteen minutes! Let's move! Time is money!"

Growling, Ryuko grudgingly put the box in her back pocket, signaling the end of her break.

"Ah! Ms. Kiryuin! Haven't seen you around lately! Do you still have that cold?"

Oh.

"No, I got over it a few days ago, I was just taking a vacation before the holiday rush."

Mikisugi nodded, "Ah, I see. Well, glad to have you back! Those flowers don't grow themselves, you know!"

Laughing at his own terrible attempt at humor, he tucked his head back in the store after telling Ryuko to come back inside for the second time.

Before turning and going back in the parlor, Ryuko said, "I'm Ryuko, by the way."

The woman smiled, all lips no teeth, "Satsuki."

Ryuko had trouble swallowing, "Well, see you around, then."

.

"Hey, did you know that the chick who runs that flower shop next to us is super hot?"

Uzu grinned, "Uh. Duh, Matoi. Everyone knows that."

Ryuko narrowed her eyes, but continued her work, "Well, I always thought it was that blonde guy that owned it. I've never seen her before."

"Nah, they co-own it," Uzu leaned in, making sure Ryuko could see him, "I think they're married."

Ryuko bared her teeth, shoving his face away, "Bullshit. That guy is super gay. I've seen his boyfriend, that techy guy with a different hair color every two weeks."

Looking over, Ryuko saw Uzu eyeing her handiwork. "What, now?"

Shrugging, he said, "Nothing, nothing. Looks good, Matoi. Clean lines; nice."

Ryuko hummed, taking the compliment, "Thanks."

Sometimes, when there were no customers, Ryuko liked to work on her original sketch ideas. This one was a pair of scissors with a katana holding them up through the handles, thread twisting around the entire piece.

"I'm kinda iffy on who would even want this done, though."

Uzu waved her off, "Eh, someone will want it, you really never know."

Turning back to her work, Ryuko froze and said, "Wait. Does that mean you've talked to her?"

"What the hell? Back to this? Yeah, moron, I've talked to her," pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance he continued, "She's been in the shop before."

Ryuko whirled around in her spin chair, "No fucking way. I've never seen her!"

Uzu leaned down to be face-to-face with her, "That's because you don't pay attention. Ever. You don't even realize half of the people that want you to do their tattoos are fucking flirting with you!"

Ryuko stared. "Bullshit!"

"You think when some super hot chick comes in and asks for you specifically it's because she doesn't want us guys to touch her, but when guys do it too? Dude, they all want your dick!"

Ryuko stood up, "You're such an idiot! We wear gloves! I'm not even really touching anyone!"

"Before that! Like when a girl takes off her top and is like, 'I don't know exactly where I want it to go could you point it out for me' that is what I'm talking about!"

Taking a deep breath, Uzu continued, "Think about it. Where do you work the most, what parts of the body?"

Ryuko hummed, actually thinking about it, "Probably… thighs, hips, ribs, and back. But that doesn't mean—"

"You're an idiot. I don't have time for this. I have an appointment in ten. She works in the afternoons, go say hi on your smoke break or something."

Sighing, Ryuko turned back to her work, while Uzu went back to his station in silence.

"Just invite her to the Christmas party, it wouldn't even be a date."

Ryuko groaned, pulling out another cigarette, reveling in the cold air around them outside the shop. "But what if she rejects me! I'll never be able to talk to her again."

Uzu blew smoke in her face, "Do you fucking hear yourself? Are you in middle school? You haven't exchanged two words with her since you found out she owns the flower shop!"

Ryuko lit up a fresh cigarette, pouting like a ten year old, "So! That shit's in like a month anyway, it's too early to ask!"

"Listen, listen. As someone who has known you since you started working here, like, three years ago, I can tell you, when you have confidence, you're almost irresistible."

"What the fuck—"

"Listen!" Uzu looked off to the side, suddenly flustered, "I'm not gonna lie, you're pretty hot, okay, so, like, this bullshit with you not wanting to ask out Flower Babe cause you think she's too hot for you or whatever, just stop. Take a chance, you've always been good at that."

Ryuko took a long drag, digesting the new information.

"Oh! Hey, Satsuki!"

Ryuko froze; her back had been on the short gate, with Uzu facing the street next to her. Turning, she saw Satsuki in the same coat and scarf, nose pink from the weather. Goddammit.

"Afternoon, Sanageyama." She nodded in Uzu's direction, and stiffened once she saw Ryuko's stare. "Ryuko, nice to see you again."

"Hi."

She had some plants in her hands, the perfect opportunity, "Say, do you need any help carrying those?"

Satsuki's eyes widened a bit, looking down to her full hands, "I don't think—"

"Nah, it's cool, I'll help!" With a little too much vigor, Ryuko jumped the gate and took a majority of the flowers, leaving Satsuki with only one. Looking to Uzu, who was grinning and shaking his head, she said, "If Mikisugi asks, I'm helping—"

Uzu waved her off, finishing his cigarette, "Yeah, yeah. Don't have too much fun, Matoi."

Ryuko grinned and looked to Satsuki, "Lead the way!"

Satsuki stared at her for a beat longer than was probably necessary before turning and walking to the shop next door.

Once inside, Satsuki told Ryuko to 'just put them anywhere that fits' and went to the back, leaving Ryuko with the blonde co-owner at the front counter.

"So, finally got the balls to talk to her again? How long was that? Almost a month? Quicker than most people, I'll give you that…"

Ryuko blinked, "Uh, excuse me?"

The man laughed as Ryuko eyed him suspiciously. Why did people feel the need to comment on her courting technique? Ryuko snorted, courting technique, who the fuck says that?

Actually paying attention to the man in front of her now, Ryuko noticed that he was basically in a four-piece suit without the jacket: a grey dress shirt, black vest and black dress pants to match.

"Why're you so dressed up?"

The man snorted, eyes raking down Ryuko's figure with no amount of interest whatsoever, "I dress for success. Unlike someone else in this room."

"Iori, please refrain from insulting potential customers."

The man, Iori, apparently, cringed and said, "Satsuki, why is this person here?"

Satsuki, who had rounded the front counter by that time and had passed Ryuko to start sorting flowers in the windows, sighed and said, "Ryuko was just helping me carry some of our new stock is all. Is that a problem?"

Iori's eyes widened. Clearing his throat, he said, "Oh, no. No. Just wondering. If you needed assistance you could've called me…"

"It was a spur of the moment, don't take it personally." Satsuki turned to face them fully, head leaned to one side, and smiled genuinely, "You'll always be my first call, Iori, no need to worry."

Ryuko felt her face heat up. She can be cute as fuck, too? Holy shit. Iori, apparently had the same reaction as Ryuko, looking away quickly and muttering his thanks and apology simultaneously.

As soon as Satsuki turned back to her work, Iori grabbed Ryuko's shoulder, staring her down.

"What the—"

Iori quickly put his hand over Ryuko's mouth, silencing her, and let go of her shoulder, placing his pointer finger over his lips in the universal 'shhh' gesture.

Ryuko heard the bell to the front door chime, signaling that a customer had walked in and had distracted Satsuki enough for them to talk freely.

"Oi, what's your deal?"

Iori rolled his eyes, "Listen, sweetheart, I have no idea what's going on, but you just need to keep doing what you're doing."

Ryuko could feel a migraine coming on, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Huffing, Iori, looked over Ryuko's shoulder to make sure Satsuki was fully invested in the person that had just walked in, lowering his voice he said, "Are you interested in her or not?"

Ryuko's eyes widened, "Yes."

"Ask her out."

Ryuko spluttered, "Are you sure? She doesn't seem that interested."

Iori groaned, "Okay, fine. Wait a few more weeks—but actually talk to her! And when you're sure you want to, ask her out."

"Why are you so sure she'll agree?"

"I'm not, that's what's so interesting about this."

Ryuko hummed, hearing the chime of the bell again, signaling their conversation was over, "Fine."

It wasn't until the next week that Ryuko talked to Satsuki again, and the only reason was because Satsuki had actually walked into the parlor herself.

Uzu beat her to the greeting, though, "Hey Satsuki!"

Ryuko frowned, Asshole.

Satsuki gave a small smile, "Afternoon, Sanageyama. Ryuko."

"Hey."

Ryuko craned her neck to see, but it was all in vain, sighing and giving up, she turned back to her original position, letting Uzu continue his work on her.

"You're getting a tattoo?"

It was hard not to attempt to break her neck when Satsuki was talking, just so she could see her face, "Uh, no. Adding on to it, actually."

"And… done!" Uzu rolled back in his swivel chair slightly, so Ryuko could step out of her chair and lower her arms. She had forgotten that fact that she didn't have a shirt on until Uzu coughed to cover up his laughter. Facing Satsuki in only her pants and bra, Ryuko flushed, not sure what to do.

A few blinks later, Satsuki said, "So, what did you add to it?"

Ryuko lifted her left arm, showing Satsuki her rib cage, "It's like a life tree, sort of. I got the tree with no leaves when I was fifteen, when my father passed away, and I add on leaves when I feel like I've done something or something has happened to me that impacts my life."

She felt Satsuki's cool fingers trace the outline of the tree, on the outer-most branch, lingering on her third rib. Looking to see Satsuki's face, she was met with a look of appreciation and understanding.

"That's very thoughtful of you. I remember my late father in a similar way."

Ryuko lowered her arm when she felt the weight of Satsuki's hand leave her side, only to see Satsuki unbutton her pants and pull the front of them down enough to see a small, simple anchor on her lower left hip. Ryuko almost went to touch it, but she held her hand back, knowing it wasn't hers to touch.

"That's cool, was he in the Navy?"

Satsuki nodded, pulling her pants back up and buttoning them again. "He served for almost twenty years, came back home to raise me only to get called back out. He was a good man."

Ryuko nodded solemnly.

Satsuki looked at the pictures lining the walls, "Do you have any other tattoos?"

Ryuko grinned, "Hell yeah! I've got this one," pointing at the small cartoon elephant on her right shoulder blade, "and only one more right here," pointing to a pair of scissors on her left wrist, "Did that one myself, actually."

Taking her shirt from the front of the chair, Ryuko put it on while Uzu began to clean up.

"I was actually hoping to ask you a favor if you don't mind."

Ryuko grunted, putting a few bracelets on her wrists. Satsuki continued, "Could you put some color on mine? Or at least touch it up a little?"

Ryuko heard Uzu let out a long sigh, causing Ryuko to frown, "I'd have to see it again, to see what I can do, it didn't look like there was much to it, though. What color would you want, black?"

"Do it in your own station, Matoi."

Ryuko sighed and turned to Satsuki who shrugged, "Okay, come on, then."

Sitting in the client chair ten feet away from Uzu's station and facing Satsuki's stomach, Ryuko said, "Alright, let's see it again."

Doing the same thing she did before, Satsuki lowered her pants and underwear only enough for Ryuko to see the entire anchor. Not thinking, Ryuko grabbed Satsuki's hand and lowered it further, causing a grunt and warning stare sent Ryuko's way.

"Calm down, I just need to see what I'm working with, your hand was blocking. Lift your shirt up a bit, it's causing shadow."

Satsuki yielded, doing as Ryuko asked. Looking at the actual lines of the tattoo, Ryuko found nothing wrong, maybe if they were a bit thicker… Testing the sensitivity of the skin Ryuko pressed her thumb over the bottom of the anchor running it up to Satsuki's hipbone. She hadn't realized she was still holding Satsuki's hand until she leaned back, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"The most I can do is thicken it. Would you want to add a shade to it or actually color it all in?"

Satsuki pulled her pants back up, and hummed thoughtfully, "I want to color it but have shading as well, but not full black, just the iron color anchors are, know what I mean?"

Ryuko nodded, "Yeah, yeah. I'll draw it out for you, just so we're on the same page. Come back either tonight or tomorrow and I'll have it done and we can start working on it."

"Great, I'll come back this time tomorrow so you have ample time to work on it."

With that, Satsuki turned and walked out of the parlor.

Leaning into Ryuko's workstation, Uzu grinned and said, "Matoi, you sly dog."

Ryuko gave a shit-eating grin that matched the ones she had when she instigated fistfights between clients who had two different boyfriends come to their session at the same time, "I dunno what you mean, Uzu."

Leaning back into the client chair she sighed dreamily, "She's got great skin, though. And holy shit did you see those abs? Oh my God."

"Get your head out of your ass, Matoi, you need to come up with a plan!"

Ryuko chuckled, although, hearing it herself, it sounded more like a pervy type of chuckle, the kind gross old men have when they see young girls on TV, "I have a plan!"

"Oh? And what's that Sherlock?"

"I'm gonna ask her during the session!"

Uzu groaned, "That's so lame!"

"Well, sorry if I can't fucking come up with anything better! You come up with something, then, bitch!"

Uzu grinned, "Whatever, Matoi, good luck either way."

Ryuko grunted, getting out of the chair and going to the front of the parlor to meet her next appointment.

.

The next day, Ryuko showed Satsuki the sketch of what she thought she wanted to add to her tattoo.

"Yes, that's exactly it!"

Ryuko grinned, "Okay, great, I'm gonna need you to definitely take your pants off for this though, it's better for me to work with."

"Of course."

Turning away to start getting her tools together, Ryuko heard Satsuki take her pants off, lie down on the soft table, and clear her throat to signal she was ready. Once Ryuko got everything in order she grabbed the stencil to lie over Satsuki's lower hip and turned around in her swivel chair.

Ryuko's throat went dry at the sight, but keeping her professionalism in check she held her attraction as far down as she could, and lowered Satsuki's black lace thong enough to put rubbing alcohol over the area.

"Alright, now I'm gonna put some rubbing alcohol on here so it's gonna be a little cold," With no response, Ryuko went ahead with her regular process, putting on the alcohol and stencil trying to not get too caught up in Satsuki's skin.

"Okay, are you ready? I'm gonna start the tattoo now."

Turning away to wash her hands again and put on gloves, Ryuko heard Satsuki say, "I'm ready when you are."

"Okay, I know you've obviously done this before, but just fair warning, it might hurt since we're going over some bone."

Satsuki shrugged, "That's fine."

The actual tattoo didn't take longer than forty-five minutes, but it felt like one of the longest sessions Ryuko had ever done. Seeing Goosebumps and Satsuki's hand twitch when she would get too far to the right had Ryuko clenching her teeth.

"Okay, all done!"

Sitting up, Satsuki looked to Ryuko for some kind of reassurance that it was okay to move around. Ryuko grinned, "Come on, get up! It's not gonna fall off."

Watching Satsuki stand and move to the mirror on the other side of the station was a huge mistake on Ryuko's part. Mostly because she forgot Satsuki was wearing a thong at the moment. Ryuko's mouth practically watered at the sight. Sweet Jesus.

At the same moment, Uzu had popped his head in to check on everything, like always did, and caught Ryuko staring. "Oh, man, I'm sorry, Satsuki!"

Satsuki turned a little too fast, "What? Oh, no, it's fine, we just finished anyway," She turned toward Ryuko, "It's perfect. Thanks for doing this for me."

Ryuko swallowed, "No problem. Just go up to the front and Mikisugi will tell you everything about aftercare and stuff."

Once Satsuki put her pants back on, and was going back to the table get her purse, Ryuko decided to speak up, "Hey, so, what're you doing next Friday?"

Satsuki picked up her things and paused, going through her mental calendar, "I don't think I have anything planned, why?"

Ryuko took off her gloves and started cleaning to distract herself, "Eh, no reason, we're having a Christmas party here at the parlor so I was just wondering if you wanted to come, since your work is so close and you give us free flowers sometimes."

"Sounds great. When does it start?"

"Eight."

"I guess I'll be your plus one, then."

Ryuko felt the tips of her ears catch fire, "Guess so."

Hearing Satsuki leave the station to go to the front and pay, Ryuko let out a long sigh. After a few minutes, she turned just in time to see Uzu round the corner with his hands over his mouth, barely containing his laughter.

"Oh my god! You looked like you wanted to eat her ass right there! Her actual ass!"

Uzu cracked up, earning a groan from Ryuko, "Was it that obvious?"

Uzu laughed even harder, "You should've seen yourself, Matoi. You were practically drooling."

Ryuko pushed his shoulder on the way out of her station, nearly knocking him over, "Whatever, I don't even care. She said yes anyway!"

Pulling her cigarette box out of her back pocket, Ryuko stepped outside the store to fully enjoy her afternoon smoke break.

Two weeks later, Ryuko and Uzu stood in her station, finishing the clean up of the last client of the day.

"Wow Matoi, do you ever wear anything but tank tops?"

Ryuko scratched her stomach, "Why does what I wear to this stupid party matter anyway? I'm not about to go home and fucking change."

Uzu put his hands up, "Hey now, I just thought you were pretty serious about Flower Babe, that's all."

Groaning, Ryuko looked away, "I am serious about her. Her friend told me to keep doing what I'm doing and I'm doing what I do right now, so there shouldn't be a problem with what I'm wearing."

"Okay, whatever you think is right for you. For now, let's get this party started!"

After almost two hours of drinking, Ryuko saw Satsuki finally walk in the front door of the parlor. Practically running up to her, Ryuko said, "Hey Satsuki! Sorry, we kinda got started a little early, heh. Help yourself to anything."

Ryuko was sure her face was flushed by that time, seeing Satsuki take a bottled screwdriver out of the fridge, "So, how was work?"

Satsuki opened the bottle and chugged almost half of it right then and there, "Whoa, you don't have to try and catch up to us!"

She felt Satsuki's hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her, "Work was terrible. People don't know what poinsettias are, much less how to take care of them. They keep bringing back dead flowers claiming my soil is bad," She took another huge swig of her drink, hand still on Ryuko's mouth, "It's called water. And sunlight. Morons."

Ryuko grinned under her hand, which was enough for Satsuki to remember where it was, removing it immediately.

"Sorry."

Ryuko took a sip of her beer, "Nah, it's cool. I'm almost trashed anyway."

Satsuki finished her drink, "Almost? Well, I've got some catching up to do, don't I?"

Ryuko laughed, "Try as you might, I don't think you can."

"We'll see about that."

After another few hours of chatting and drinking with her co-workers, Ryuko finally got Satsuki to come to the back of the parlor and into her workstation. Practically falling in her client chair, Ryuko laughed, "Holy shit, I think I'm done for the night."

Seeing Satsuki's face flush, Ryuko grinned at her, "What're you thinkin' about?"

Satsuki swayed a little too forward, signaling Ryuko that she didn't drink this much that often, "There's mistletoe above your head."

Ryuko snapped her head up to see just that, fresh mistletoe tied to the headrest of her chair. Fucking Uzu, you genius.

"Guess that means I have to kiss you, now."

Ryuko could feel her sluggish heartbeat through her ribcage, "Only if you wanna."

"Stand up, please."

Ryuko obeyed, as well as she could for being drunk off her ass, and got out of the chair. Satsuki invaded her personal space, their noses only a few inches apart, hands touching at their sides.

"I thought we had to stay under it, or it wouldn't work or whatever."

Satsuki grinned, allowing a sliver of white teeth to show for Ryuko, "No, I don't think it matters once we've established that it's present."

Ryuko couldn't stop staring at Satsuki's mouth, replied dumbly, "Oh. Okay."

Satsuki bumped their noses and laced their fingers, lips hovering over Ryuko's, "Are you sure this is okay?"

It took everything for Ryuko not to shout, instead letting out a breathy, "Yes."

Groaning when she felt Satsuki's mouth met hers, Ryuko almost fell backwards her knees were so weak. She felt Satsuki let go of one of her hands to wrap around her waist to steady her, and responded by threading both hands into Satsuki's long hair.

Satsuki sighed into her mouth, running both hands up and down Ryuko's back, going under Ryuko's shirt to feel her skin. Ryuko sucked on her lip when she pulled away after a few minutes, sharing smaller kisses with her until she was too tired to stand.

She leaned into Satsuki, feeling her eyes getting heavier and heavier, "I'm really glad I got to kiss you."

She felt Satsuki chuckle at her demeanor, and her breath in her ear, "Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah, just leave me here. Help me get on that table, though."

Once Satsuki got her on the client table and fetched the pillows that were underneath it, Ryuko sighed contently, "Merry Christmas, Satsuki."

Satsuki cleared her throat awkwardly and said, " I meant to tell you earlier… I'm actually Jewish."

Ryuko didn't stop laughing for weeks.

A/N: happy holidays! hope this isn't too terrible D: