A/N: Long Way Down - The Creepshow
You can follow me on tumblr. URL: Valkyriemusic
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all rights go to respectful owners.
Eli always wondered why Honoka didn't take over her family's sweetshop, seeing as she was next-in-line to inherit it. Yet, she had opened a daycare centre, stating that she preferred to work with children from in front of the counter.
The blonde sat opposite Maki, both had hot drinks in front of them and a notebook.
Maki stared at her coffee, quietly contemplating what had possessed her boss to treat her to this.
"Maki," Eli spoke, as she picked up her pen and started to write in the notebook.
"There are a few orders that are getting picked up on Friday, so please make sure that they are done tomorrow and stored away."
Maki nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.
"There's also another shipment of daisies on their way, which we were actually missing last week, but I've chased up the delivery company so it should come in on Friday."
Eli picked up her mug of hot chocolate and took a sip.
"I know you're still new, and when I'm not here, Nico is in charge, but I'm telling you this because I want to treat you as an equal."
The door opened to the sweetshop, and a girl with short, orange hair toppled inside.
"Why is it so fuckin' freezing outside?!" She hissed.
"Rin-chan, watch your language," a familiar voice ordered the girl. Eli turned around, and her eyes lit up: Nozomi and Rin were standing in the doorway, both shivering from the cold.
The tattoo artist caught her gaze, and instantly walked over to the florist.
"Good afternoon, Elichi," she greeted, meeting Eli's lips with her own.
"H-hi," Eli was breathless as she moved her lips back from Nozomi.
"Good afternoon, Maki-chan," Nozomi smiled at Maki, who lightly nodded.
"Nozomi-senpai,"
"What are you doing here?" Eli asked, making room for Nozomi and Rin.
"Well, Rin-chan needs her latest test reviewed, and I thought, why not do it while we're on a coffee run to everyone's favourite sweetshop?" Nozomi gestured around the store as Rin approached the table.
"Oh! Maki-chan! Hello!" Rin greeted her flatmate, who gave a quick smile.
"Did you want to pull up a chair?" Maki asked Nozomi, but the green-eyed girl shook her head.
"We're getting takeaways, plus Umi-chan will be grumpy if we don't bring her back the famous manjuu ASAP," Nozomi chuckled while Rin held her right arm.
"Everything okay, Rin?" Eli peered at the apprentice, who perked up at the sound of her name.
"O-Oh! Yes, I'm fine," she smiled back, but winced in pain when she rubbed up the arm.
"Rin-chan has a new body modification, and you both know what it's like to have a brand new piercing or tattoo," Nozomi patted Rin lightly on the left shoulder.
Maki touched at her pierced ears, and remember the pain of the gun shooting through the cartridge.
"A new tattoo?" Maki asked, but Rin shook her head with a sheepish grin.
"N-no, it's a piercing…"
"You can pierce your arm?" Maki raised an eyebrow.
"Rin-chan will tell you all about it, I need to go order," Nozomi turned on her heel and went up to the counter.
"Nozomi!" Yukiho greeted, and immediately started to make the usual orders for the tattoo artist and her apprentice.
"How are you today, Yukiho?" Nozomi asked, looking at the decorations hanging from the ceiling.
"Eh, business is slow due to this damn weather, but otherwise everything's okay. How about you?"
"Well, no one wants piercings in winter (except for Rin,) but I've had a few clients this week, which is nice," Nozomi smiled.
"Oh, also could you make Umi's regular please? And some manjuu to go?"
"On it."
"So, how's Honoka-chan?" Nozomi asked. Yukiho shrugged as she got to work.
"Eh, she's the same as always. Although," The younger Kousaka grinned.
"Apparently she's seeing someone."
"Hmm?" Nozomi's eyes gleamed as a Cheshire grin formed on her face.
"Who is this person lucky enough to attract Honoka's very limited attention span?"
Yukiho laughed as she poured the peppermint chai tea for Nozomi.
"Apparently a school teacher from UTX. Y'know, that big fancy school near Akibara?"
"Interesting," Nozomi mused, while Yukiho proceeded onto Rin's latte.
"I haven't met them yet, but I hope mum and dad approve of them."
"I'm sure they will," Nozomi's grin stayed on her face as she did the best to hide the sinkhole of sadness that formed in her stomach.
"I mean, Umi and Kotori are engaged with their parent's approving. Who knows how mum and dad will react?"
Nozomi chuckled awkwardly, and made a fist with her left hand to try and counteract the depression seeping its way through her body.
"By the way, when's the date for their wedding anyway?"
"I'm not sure, I've been meaning to ask Umi-chan, actually," the sudden slight change of topic eased the green-eyed girl.
However, she felt Eli's eyes on her, and turned around to give the blonde a smile and a wink.
"Man, I envy you and Eli, Nozomi," Yukiho sighed, pouring Umi's black tea into a takeaway cup. Nozomi shrugged and put her hands in her pockets.
"How so?"
"You two have this…connection, like you're meant to be together," Yukiho placed the lids on the three cups, then pulled out tongs to get the manjuu.
"How long have you two been together for?"
"Four years."
"Wow, and you live together, huh,"
"Indeed we do,"
"What's it like?"
Nozomi looked over at Eli again, and have a sheepish grin. The artist then leaned in towards Yukiho and lowered her voice.
The young Kousaka had to avert her eyes from Nozomi's impressive chest.
"Every morning, I have to wake her up at 6am because she doesn't get up to her own alarm. I also get a few texts every now and then before I leave the house to remind me to do things I already know. Sometimes, we argue so loudly that the neighbours come to see if we are okay. On occasion, she goes out with Nico and Honoka and gets pretty drunk, so I need to go get her. Oh, and sometimes, when we're doin' the do, our bed hits the wall so hard that, again, the neighbours get pretty upse-"
Nozomi stopped and laughed at the look on Yukiho's face, eye twitching.
"But, all of that aside," Nozomi looked over at Eli again, and sighed.
"I believe Eli truly is my soul mate, and I wouldn't have my life any other way."
"Nozomi'-senpai's taking her sweet time, hey?" Rin looked over at her boss, but Eli just grinned.
"She likes to talk to everyone, as you surely know."
"That's true," A grin form on the athlete's face. Maki looked down at the notebook, then frowned.
"Wait, Eli-senpai?"
"Yes?" Eli looked at her collegue, who pointed at a line.
"Is Nico no longer doing payroll on Saturdays?"
Eli looked down, then bit her lip.
"No, she's not."
"Then who's going to do it?" Maki looked worried, and Eli pointed to herself.
"Really?"
"Yes, I can do it from home. It only takes a few minutes, anyway," Eli looked at Maki, who just stared back. Eli sighed and rested her cheek on her left hand.
"Nico didn't do it last week, and I cannot afford for that to happen again."
Rin chuckled at the pun, but Eli ignored this.
"I will do it at exactly 4:30pm on Saturdays for the time being. And one day, I will show you how to do payroll."
"R-Really?" Maki blinked, clutching at her cup. Eli nodded.
"I promise. But first," Eli grinned and poked Maki's nose with her first finger.
"You need to be more friendly with customers, missy."
"Huh?!"
"Rin-chan, here's your latte," Nozomi handed her apprentice the drink.
"Now, let's continue our review on the way back to the shop, okay?"
"R-Right!" Rin jumped out of her chair.
"What time are you going to be home tonight?" Eli asked Nozomi, who looked at her phone.
"Probably sometime after 7pm? I have one client in an hour, but it's quite a big work so I'll probably have to stay back."
"Okay," Eli sighed, which made Nozomi tilt her head to the side and shrug.
"Back-pieces take a long time, and they're quite exhausting, too."
"A back-piece?" Maki looked confused. Rin took out her phone and opened up her photo gallery. She showed a picture to Maki, who actually gasped.
"Her entire back?!"
"Yep! Nozomi-senpai did the outline last week, and that took about six hours or so,"
"Six hours?!"
"You know what they say, Maki-chan," Rin took a sip of her coffee.
"Beauty is pain."
"Did you want me to bring home takeout or something?" Nozomi asked Eli, ignoring the younger girls.
"Might as well, I'm not particularly in any mood to cook."
"Would you be in a different mood for a different domestic activity when I get home?"
Rin choked on her coffee as Eli turned bright red and elbowed her girlfriend in the stomach.
"Oh come on!" Eli's eyes twitched at the comment, but Nozomi struck again.
"I can later tonight, if you like?"
"Urgh, you're unbelievable," Eli scoffed and swatted Nozomi away. Yet the artist swooped down to kiss the florist on the cheek.
"I'll see you tonight at home, Elichi."
"See you," Eli sighed, letting a blush graze her cheeks as Nozomi and Rin left the sweetshop.