A/N: Mutt - Blink 182
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all rights go to respectful owners.
Eli and Nozomi went to bed rather early, seeing as the latter couldn't keep her eyes open. The second the artist's head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
"Jeez, you really are tired," Eli smiled at her sleeping lover, and gently brushed the purple hair away from her face. The blonde leaned down and kissed Nozomi's temple, and smiling as a soft mumble escaped the sleeping girl's lips.
"Night, Elichi…"
"Good night, Nozomi," Eli settled herself down and wrapped her arms around Nozomi's waist, feeling sleep take over her as well.
When Eli opened her blue eyes, she grumbled at the nightlight on her beside table.
Why the hell was she awake? What was the time even? Surely her body clock didn't hate her that much.
However, when she lifted her head to try and find out what the time was, a whimper came from beneath her.
'Hmm?' Eli looked down, and felt her heart sank.
Nozomi, still asleep, was whimpering and crying, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she clutched at herself.
Her body started to twitch as the whimpers grew louder.
"S-Stop…No…."
"Oh no," Eli gently placed an arm on Nozomi's shoulder, and shook the 26-year-old gently.
"Nozomi, Nozomi,"
"No…please stop...p-please!"
"Nozomi, wake up," Eli raised her voice slightly, and when the tears started to trickle down her cheeks, Eli started to worry.
The florist placed her other hand on Nozomi's shoulder, and shook her harder.
"Nozomi!"
Sure enough, the artist's eyes snapped open with a gasp. Sweat was beading on Nozomi's forehead as she took deep breaths, clutching at the bed sheets lightly, as if she'd fall into an abyss if she let go.
"…Nozomi?" Eli's voice was quiet, so to not startle the spooked girl.
Nozomi didn't speak, but slowly sat up and tried to regain control over her breathing.
Eli waited patiently, and gently rubbed circles on Nozomi's back, catching glimpses of the poem going down her neck.
Silence engulfed them, except for Nozomi's heavy breathing. Eli gently took the artist's left hand with her own and held it.
"E-Elichi," Nozomi stuttered softly, staring at the bed sheets with eyes glistening from tears.
"I…Had a nightmare,"
"I noticed," Eli responded while Nozomi groaned and fumbled around her bedside table for something.
"Did you want to talk about it?" Eli asked as Nozomi straightened up with a cigarette in her hand.
Nozomi was about to light it, but she froze at the question, green eyes locking onto blue.
"Nozomi," Eli gently moved her right hand from Nozomi's back to the green-eyed girl's shoulder.
"You know you can tell me anything,"
"I know, but I don't want to worry you…"
"And you think I won't worry regardless?" Eli raised an eyebrow, and grinned when Nozomi chuckled.
"That's true," Nozomi blinked the tears out of her face and lit up the cigarette with shaking hands.
"A nightmare?" Nico looked up from the daffodils she was watering, and Eli nodded. The blonde was leaning against the counter, staring at her phone.
"Yes, she was crying in her sleep, too."
"That's scary," Nico remarked. Maki, who was wrapping up more buqouets, frowned.
"Indeed, and this is the first one she's had in a while."
"You mean she's had them before?" Maki asked.
Eli just nodded.
"But, Nozomi seems like a very calm and spiritual person. Aren't people who are super zen supposed to, like, not have nightmares?" Maki asked.
"Nozomi might seem like she's in control, but she has her issues," Eli wrote down notes on the red roses in her planner.
"Nozomi is the last person I'd expect to have issues," Maki remarked, and Eli chuckled.
"Oh boy, you could not be more wrong."
"R-Really?" Maki was shocked, and Nico flashed her a sly smile.
"Of course you wouldn't know, Maki, you haven't known Eli long enough to know about Nozomi."
"Hey, I've met Nozomi multiple times!" Maki fell into Nico's trap and angrily twirled her hair around her finger.
Eli sighed, not really wanting to talk about her girlfriend's problems to Maki or Nico right now.
Nozomi had a hard time opening up to Eli in their first year of dating. It had been like pulling teeth out, but eventually, Nozomi told Eli about her depressing childhood. Her parents would constantly move due to their work, which meant Nozomi had no friends, because she'd be in a school for a few months, then off to another one before she knew it.
However, that wasn't the main issue.
Nozomi knew she was a strange child: her head was constantly in a book, she would hang out local shrines and draw all over her textbooks. While Nozomi's mother thought it was completely fine, and nothing out of the oridinary of a 'gifted' child, her father was concerned about her inability to communicate with other children, and took her out of regular primary school and placed her in a selective boarding school in Nara. During this time, she discovered who she was, and what she wanted to do once she left school.
But her father disagreed, and was completely livid.
"Hey, your 1pm's here," Umi tapped Nozomi on the shoulder. She was out the back, having another cigarette.
"Ah, lovely," Nozomi smiled and threw the butt onto the ground.
"Let's get to it," she walked past Umi and into the store, but the piercer saw the dark areas under Nozomi's eyes.
"Hey, are you okay?" Umi asked, tapping Nozomi on the back.
"Oh, I'm fine. Just had a bit of trouble sleeping," Nozomi's smile was permanently on her face, and Umi scowled.
"Yeah, and I'm the king of Germany. What's up?"
Nozomi stopped walking and leaned against the wall.
"I just woke up in the middle of the night and went back to sleep. I am awake, Umi-chan, and I am fine. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to tattoo a charm onto a tourist's ankle."
Umi was shocked as Nozomi walked right passed her into the shop and greeted the foreigner.
Rin looked on from a station, working on flower tattoos.
"Something's up with her," Umi had walked over and muttered to Rin, who nodded.
"Yep, I agree. She did have a nightmare last night."
"How do you know?" Umi raised her eyebrows at the apprentice.
"I heard from Kayo-chin. Apparently Eli told Nico and Maki, who then told Honoka, Kotori and Kayo-chin, who told me."
"It's a real gossip circle now," Umi sighed, and Rin shrugged sheepishly.
"You know what Nico's like."
"True," Umi looked on at Nozomi and her client. Nozomi was showing the design to the enthusiastic young girl.
"Good thing Nozomi can speak English, I guess…wait, do I have to learn English to be a tattoo artist?!" Rin panicked and turned to Umi, who leapt back because the tattoo machine was still in Rin's hand.
"Put that down!" Umi ordered, and Rin jumped again, remembering what was in her hand.
The apprentice quickly kicked the switch to turn it off and placed it back in its holder.
"Is everything okay over there?" Nozomi smiled at the two with her eyes gleaming.
"Y-Yes! Everything's fine, senpai!" Rin bowed an apology, but still felt Umi's angry glare on her neck.
"S-Sorry, Umi-senpai…" Rin also apologized with a bow to the piercer, who pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"It's fine, Rin, just be very careful," Umi mumbled. Rin turned the tattoo machine back on and got back to work on the flowers Nozomi had set for her to do.
"And no, you don't have to be fluent in English to be a tattoo artist," Umi added, stuffing her hands into her jeans pockets.
Rin let out a sigh of relief.
The store phone rang, and Maki rushed to grab it.
"Bibi Flowers, Maki speaking,"
"Maki-chan! It's Hanayo from Printemps Childcare Centre,"
"I know who you are, Hanayo, we live together," Maki sighed, making the other girl stutter.
"S-S-Sorry! It's a work greeting!"
"Don't worry about it, what's up?"
"W-Well, Rin and I were thinking of having some work friends over on Friday night for dinner? Would that be okay with you?"
"Um, sure? I don't see a problem,"
"Great! And did you want to bring anyone from your work over? Rin said her bosses would come, and so will mine, so why don't you bring yours?"
"I'll have to ask; I know Eli has Fridays off. What time did you want everyone over?"
"W-Well, the day-care centre closes at 5:30, and the tattoo parlour closes at 6, so maybe 7:30?"
"Yeah, that's fine, we close at 6, too."
"Fantastic! Please let me know if your work friends are coming! See you tonight!"
"See you," Maki hung up and sighed, then turned to Nico, who was seeing a customer to the door after a purchase. Eli finished wrapping a box of flowers up with a grin.
"H-Hey, Nico? Eli?" Maki walked up to the 26-year-olds.
"Yeah?" Nico turned around once the customer left the shop. Maki looked awkwardly at the ground and started to rub her arm.
"S-So my housemates are having a dinner party thing on Friday…did…did you want to come along?"
Eli blinked, and then looked at Nico.
"Are you inviting us, your boss and workmate, over for dinner?" Nico's smug grin made Maki twitch.
"H-hey! It's not like I'm forcing you to come or anything, it's an offer you don't have to t-"
"Sure," Eli shrugged.
"N-Nozomi will probably be invited as well, since she's Rin's boss and all…"
"Are you three roommates inviting your bosses over for a raise or something?" Nico's girn spread to her ears. Maki was turning the same shade of red as her hair.
"It's called being polite! Something you wouldn't know!"
"Ouch, Maki!" Nico chuckled and folded her arms.
"Are you coming or not?!" Maki's hands were now fists by her side.
"Yes! I'll come along, jeez! You don't have to be such a bitch, that's Eli's Job!"
"Watch it," Eli side-eyed Nico, and the black-haired girl felt chills run down her spine. Eli looked back at Maki and smiled.
"I'm looking forward to seeing your new place, Maki."