A/N: Our Life, Our Love - Softengine
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. All rights go to respectful owners.
Despite the bitter cold and freezing winds, Nozomi got off the bus with a smile on her face.
She walked home quickly, eager to get out of the harsh winter, and jumped two stairs at a time to get to her apartment door.
The artist practically kicked the door down to get inside the warmth of her own home.
"I'm home," Nozomi called out absentmindedly, taking of her shoes.
"Welcome home," the familiar voice came from the living room, and Nozomi's smile stretched.
Walking into the living room, she saw Eli sprawled out on the floor in her pyjamas, doing the splits.
"Well that's a lovely angle to come home to," Nozomi waggled her eyebrows as Eli looked away from the television.
"You certainly took your sweet time."
"I did warn you."
Eli got to her feet and brushed her blonde hair away from her face.
"You said you'd make dinner tonight."
"That I did,"
"Hop to it, I'm starving," Eli grinned at Nozomi from over her shoulder. The tattoo artist flamboyantly bowed with a wave of her hand.
"Your wish is my command, Elichi."
Nozomi took off her coat and rolled up the sleeves of her black and red flannel shirt.
She went to the grocery bag and pulled out the rice, chicken and basil.
While prepared the food, the two chatted idly about their days.
"I'm lucky we didn't fail stock take," Eli sighed.
"That would've gone against the cards,"
"True, and Nico actually came back from her break on time."
"Miracles do happen," Nozomi chuckled, rinsing the knife she used to cut the carrots in the sink.
Once Nozomi started cooking the chicken in the frying pan, Eli perked up.
"Chicken curry?" The smell hit the florist, and Nozomi nodded.
"Something simple to help wind down from a busy day."
"How did Rin do with her training?"
Nozomi checked on the rice and sighed.
"She's got the jitters, at the moment."
"That's to be expected, I guess?" Eli leaned forward to make her stomach touch the ground.
"Yes, it's something she needs to get used to…"
"Did you talk to Umi today?"
"I didn't, but I voiced my thoughts with Kotori-chan."
"You do that a lot, Nozomi," Eli smiled as Nozomi peered into her curry with a smirk.
"At least I'm not awkward and keep everything inside."
"Okay, that was uncalled for," Eli bit her lip and stood up again to relieve her legs.
Nozomi chuckled, and felt a familiar craving come over her. She reached into her pocket and took out a cigarette and her lighter.
"Umi-chan just has a lot on her plate, and marriage, while it is said to be the most magical moment of one's life, is just bringing those things to the surface."
"What did Kotori think?" Eli walked over and leaned against the fridge. Nozomi shrugged.
"She just listened. That's one of the beauties of being a tattoo artist, your clients have to listen to you, because they can't escape," she let out an evil laugh, and Eli rolled her eyes.
"That, and you never shut up," Eli shook her head and let a smirk cross her features. She took in her girlfriend's tattooed arms, reading the phrases on her right arm. Moving forward, she lightly poked a spot on Nozomi's forearm.
"What does that one say again?"
Nozomi looked down and hummed, moving her arm to see the quote.
"Ah, that's a quote from Da Vinci," Nozomi smiled, remembering when she got it done in Italy.
"It says: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,"
Eli smiled, half-lidded and lazily, then pointed to another phrase above the Da Vinci one.
"And this one?"
"Surely you'd know this one, Elichi, it's in Russian," Nozomi tsked, breathing out smoke away from the blonde. Eli frowned, and Nozomi chuckled,
"That's a quote from Tchaikovsky: Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy."
"He said that?" Eli gently ran her fingers over the words, then smiled up at the green-eyed girl.
"Apparently," Nozomi shrugged, glancing at Eli with eyes that twinkled with mischief.
"Did you enjoy your day?"
"It was okay, I guess? I said that the shop got pretty busy, but other than that everything is fine."
"How Is Alisa-chan?" Nozomi asked, getting a plate for the curry and rice. Eli took down two glasses and placed them on the table.
"She's fine? Enjoying ballet and all that…actually…"
Nozomi turned around as Eli walked back to the cuboard to get the vodka out.
"Her teacher said that Alisa should consider trying out for different dance companies when she graduates high school,"
Nozomi raised her eyebrows as she brought two plates over to the dining table.
"That could be promising," she mused as Eli poured herself the vodka.
"It is, but…" Eli's eyes turned sad as Nozomi stuck the cigarette behind her ear.
"You don't want her to go through what you did?"
A nod.
Nozomi sighed and reached out to hold Eli's hand with her own.
"Elichi," Nozomi smiled, rubbing her thumb over the florist's hand. Eli shook her head and exhaled sharply.
"It's whatever Alisa wants to do. I have no say in the matter," Eli's affirmative tone in her voice wasn't enough to reach her eyes.
Nozomi bit her lip and continued to hold her girlfriend's hand, she hated seeing Eli sad.
"Elichi," Nozomi leant over the table and gently kissed the blonde's lips.
"Alisa isn't graduating high school for another term. She has plenty of time to think."
Eli looked at Nozomi, and smiled sadly.
"I know, but I'm allowed to worry. I mean," she let out a bark of laughter.
"She might not be able to work at my shop for a bit when she graduates"
Nozomi chuckled, glad that Eli was learning how to find the humour in awkward situations.
After dinner, the two lay in their bed, Nozomi with another cigarette and her tarot cards, and Eli with her laptop, finalising the payroll for the week.
"It's Tuesday, why are you doing payroll now?" Nozomi asked Eli, who didn't look up from her computer screen.
"Just a draft for the week, so I can finalize it on Saturday from home."
"You might want to show Nico or Maki how to do it, it's handy," Nozomi took a drag from her cigarette.
"Nico already knows how, but the one time she was meant to actually do it, she didn't," Eli deadpanned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"She had one job. Literally!"
Nozmi chuckled, and exhaled the cigarette fumes through her nostrils.
"That's why no one else but me does payroll."
"Not even Umi?"
"Not even Umi-chan," Nozomi closed her eyes and leaned back against the bedhead. Her mp3 was playing again, this time it was Softengine.
"Where do you even find this stuff?" Eli couldn't help but sway to the beat.
"There's a magical website called Youtube, Elichi. Surely you've heard of it?" The green-eyed girl smirked, puffing out more smoke away from her girlfriend.
Eli scoffed and continued to tap away at the keys.
"You just find the most obscure music, Nozomi. It's a talent," Eli smiled, then saved the excel sheet and opened up her Internet browser.
"Just need to send this to the bank, and come Monday, we'll have some money in our accounts,"
"Holla holla, get that dolla," Nozomi sung, and Eli chuckled.
Nozomi's phone buzzed, and the tattoo artist lazily reached over to look at the message:
Umi: 21:15,
Kotori loves her tattoo, thanks again for the great design!
"Did you take a picture of Kotori's tattoo?" Eli asked, pearing at the text over her girlfriend's shoulder.
Nozomi nodded and went into her photos app to bring up the picture.
Kotori's skin was red from the recent ink, but the colours were a lovely blend of white, green and silver.
Eli smiled and leaned closer into Nozomi.
"It looks amazing," she breathed, curling up against her girlfriend. Nozomi pressed a kiss to the top of her head and sighed.
"I'm glad she liked it. This was quite the challenge, and it took longer than expected."
"Did she need to stop?" Eli placed her laptop on her bedside table, and Nozomi shook her head.
"No, I just took more time than usual," she sighed as Eli curled into her body again.
The couple went silent, just enjoying each other's company for the time being.
"But that's why you're amazing. You take your time and care about your clients, you build bonds and take pride in your work," Eli's speech was a little slower, and Nozomi blushed as she wrapped an arm around her to bring the blonde closer.
"So do you. I see the care and effort you put into those bouquets," Nozomi hummed, stubbing out the cigarette at throwing it into the ashtray by her bed.
"That's why I love you, Elichi. You're a perfectionist, it's both a blessing and a curse, really,"
The florist nudged the artist in the stomach with her elbow, nearing a laugh from Nozomi.
"Yeah? Well you're a pain in the arse most of the time."
She looked up into the emerald-green eyes, and felt herself get lost in the glittering galaxy.
"But, that's also why I love you," she gently leaned into a kiss, and Nozomi's smile reached her ears. When Eli broke the kiss, she pouted and lightly whacked the older girl's arm.
"Hey, your breath stinks of smoke!"
"I'm not the one who kissed first,"
"But you kissed back," Eli scowled and pointed to the bathroom as she moved away from Nozomi.
"Go brush your teeth, then come back to bed so I can ravage you."
"My, my, Elichi, you're so commanding tonight," Nozomi gently kissed the blonde's forehead, then moved the covers off her and got up.
"Well, I won't want to make love to Smokey the Skunk,"
"That's a new one," Nozomi mused, walking to the bathroom.
Nozomi brushed her teeth, and stared at her reflection again.
Since her conversation with Kotori about Umi, she felt her heart sink slightly.
Umi's parents were not thrilled with her being a body piercer, and she could only imagine Rin's parents at the shock of giving up her athletic career to be an apprentice tattoo artist. The thoughts brought her back to the scarce memories of her own parents, and a familiar shadowy figure lingering over her in her mind.
"I didn't raise my daughter to become the scum of the earth,"
"You didn't raise me at all!"
Nozomi gasped at the memory, and clung onto the sink with shaking hands. She shut her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself, and didn't open her eyes until her heartbeat slowed down.
The green-eyed girl looked down at her hands, the kanji on her left hand said 'hope,' and on her right said 'faith.'
The two things she had clung to for her entire life.
Hope you get your reflexes up, because you're about to be backhanded in the face with some feels.