Upon rewatching LL! I wondered how Nozomi managed to obtain a copy of Eli dancing to share with Umi and this fic was the result.
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"Would… would you like to see one of the videos?"
Eli's voice is hesitant, softly stumbling over the words and regretting them the second they leave her mouth. Heat invades her cheeks when she sees the stunned look on Nozomi's face and for a beat she wonders if she's presumed too much.
"You wouldn't mind?"
Nozomi studies her carefully, gauging whether it would okay but Eli can see a hint of excitement in her gaze. Breathing is suddenly much easier as she shares a smile with Nozomi.
The moment she hears the familiar music, Eli is certain that if she shuts her eyes she will still be able to picture the entire routine. The practiced movements have never really left her. She watches the image on the screen with a fond smile, so caught up in nostalgia that she nearly misses the quiet murmur to her left.
"…beautiful…"
Her family had always praised her skills, her teacher offering a firm nod of approval every so often, but no one has ever described her dancing as beautiful. Her chest feels almost too tight and Eli is glad, for once, that the room is dark enough to hide the color flooding her face.
She's rehearsed this a thousand times in front of her mirror, clutching the disc in her hands and trying to sound calm and collected. But actually standing in front of Nozomi is an entirely different matter, one which makes Eli blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
"Here."
That did not go as expected. Nozomi looks slightly taken aback, though Eli can tell she's also trying not to laugh. She clears her throat and tries again.
"You seemed to really enjoy this. The other night. I mean-"
Eli is still tripping over her words and hoping that they make some semblance of sense when Nozomi is suddenly hugging her tightly, whispering softly in her ear.
"I'll be sure to treasure this forever, Eli-chi."