A/N:

Dance Inside - The All-American Rejects. (Hey, don't judge me, I will always be stuck in my 15-year-old wannabe punk rock phase.)

Nozomi walked the client out of the store, smiling and talking in English effortlessly. Once the client had left, she leaned against the door frame and folded her arms: ankle tattoos were difficult, that's for sure.

"So how many tourists have you tattooed now? A hundred?" Umi grinned as Nozomi shut the door and walked back to the counter to add the tattoo to her portfolio.

"More like a thousand," Nozomi grinned. She was popular with tourists because she could speak English, and was always so friendly. Umi chuckled and checked her schedule.

"I've got three piercings back to back at 4, that'll be enjoyable."

"Just don't rush, yeah? No one wants a piercing that's been done under a time constraint."

"And no one wants a tattoo done by a tired artist."

Umi knew she shouldn't have said it out loud, but she couldn't help it. Nozomi put down her phone and looked at the piercer, eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

"I'm not tired, Umi."

"Uh oh, no honorific," Umi thought as she balled her hands into fists.

"Last night, I had a nightmare. Naturally, Elichi woke me up, then we went back to sleep. I still got up at a reasonable time and feel completely and utterly fine. Just because there may be some bags under my eyes does not mean I'm tired. Do I make myself clear."

Umi bit her lip, making her snakebite glint in the light. She then stuffed her hands back into her pockets and sighed.

"If you say so, I'm just worried about you."

"Right back at you, Umi-chan," Nozomi's glare immediately turned into a smile.

"You're getting married soon! That's something much more important to worry about than your boss."

"B-but-"

"Not buts, Umi-chan!" Nozomi grinned, then adjusted her black t-shirt.

"I need to clean my station and check on Rin-chan, now."

As the tattoo artist walked off, Umi furrowed her brow in thought.

"If she's not tired, where did the shadows come fr-"

Then, it hit her.

With a grunt of annoyance, Umi turned on her heel and walked into her piercing room to ready herself for her incoming clients: she'd have to talk to Nozomi about it once the day was over.

"Okay, home time," Eli smiled, taking off her apron and dusting down her jeans. It was exactly 4pm, and she was ready to go home.

Alisa was going to ballet with a their mother today to talk to miss Yoshino, so Eli was able to go directly home and start her two days off.

"I will see you both tomorrow night, then," Eli grinned at Maki and Nico.

"Maki, could you please text me your address?"

"Sure, I'll do that tonight,"

"Great, I'll see you both then."

Eli left her shop feeling much lighter than before, but that was because the start of her weekend was now.

Friday and Saturday were the days she could just sit back and do nothing (aside from payroll for ten minutes on Saturday.) her days off mainly consisted of her going for a run, doing some stretches and making jewellery from scratch.

Not to mention the little adventures she and Nozomi went on in the evening.

"What should I cook for dinner?" Eli thought to herself as she adjusted her shoulder bag.

They had yakiniku on Tuesday, takeout last night, so perhaps it was time for a change.

"Stroganoff," she smiled, then turned into a side street to get the ingredients.

"Everyone ready to go?" Nozomi called out to Umi and Rin. Both were standing at the front of the shop with the door open.

"Yes!" Rin was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Nozomi chuckled and punched in the alarm. Once it started to tick, she walked calmly to the front door and shut it.

"Well, today we did well," she locked the door and smiled at her work colleagues.

"Now it's time to start my days off! There's a flea market happening in Akibara that I'd like to take Elichi too on Saturday,"

"Oh! That reminds me!" Rin perked up from the warmth of her three hoodies.

"Tomorrow night, Kayo-chin, Maki and I are having a dinner party, and you are all invited! Kayo-chin's workmates will be there, so will Maki's by the sound of things."

"That sounds good to me, I'll just come along with Kotori," Umi smiled, stuffing her hands deeper into her jacket's pockets.

Rin turned to Nozomi, "You're more than welcome to bring Eli-san if you like, Senpai."

"That sounds lovely, we'll definitely be there," Nozomi smiled, she hadn't been to Rin's new place yet.

"Fantastic! I'll text you both the address when I get home. It'll start around 7:30,"

When Nozomi opened the apartment door, a smell backhanded her in the face.

"Elichi, is that what I think it is?" Nozomi hurridly took off her shoes and practically bounced into the kitchen.

Eli was over the stove in that joke apron again with the television on in the background.

"It might be," was the response, so Nozomi walked closer and wrapped her arms around Eli's stomach.

"Oh my, it is," Nozomi's glee filled Eli.

"Beef Stroganoff, nearly identical to how my mum makes it."

"Well," Nozomi pulled on the frilly pink apron and let her smile become mischievous

"I don't think your mum wears this when she cooks, does she?"

Eli swatted Nozomi's hand away from the apron.

"Can you get some plates out?" the blonde pointed to the cabinet.

"Are you feeling any better?" she added while the artist took out two plates.

"Why does everyone think that having one nightmare is like having a piano dropped on me?"

"Because, believe it or not, Nozomi, people care about you," Eli bumped her hip against Nozomi's and giggled.

"Remember how we talked about opening up to people?"

Nozomi sighed as she placed the plates down.

"Does everyone know about this?"

"Only Maki and Nico," Eli reassured, scooping out stroganoff onto the plates. Nozomi took off her coat and went to hang it up.

"Elichi, I'm fine. Nightmares happen to everyone," Nozomi slid back into the kitchen on her socks.

"By the way, I take it you're going to Rin-chan's dinner party tomorrow?"

"Yes, because Maki lives with her and invited me. It must be a housewarming," Eli handed Nozomi a plate of stroganoff.

"Well, we're going regardless."

"Okay, how do you get this to taste so good, Elichi?" Nozomi felt the beef melt in her mouth, it was so succulent. Eli rested her cheek on her hand and grinned.

"It's an old family recipe. Grandma taught mum, who taught me and Alisa, and then I'll teach my children someday," Eli placed the beef in her mouth as Nozomi took a drink of tea.

"You would like children?" Nozomi asked, moving the tea cup away from her lips. Eli looked off in thought, then shrugged.

"I don't know, honestly. I mean, maybe down the track?"

"I think you'd be a wonderful mother, Elichi," Nozomi's eyes twinkled, making Eli blush.

"Oh hush you, damn smooth-talker…" Eli picked up her glass of water as Nozomi snorted.

"It's the truth," Nozomi moved the beef over to some mushrooms with her fork.

"I hope when I have children, that things would be different to what I went through…"

"Hmm?" Eli looked up, and saw the pain in Nozomi's eyes instantly.

"Hey," she reached across the table and grabbed the artist's hand, rubbing her thumb over the Kanji.

"You will be an excellent mother. Your past has nothing to do with our future,"

Nozomi's eyes crinkled at the edges, overflowing with adoration for the 26-year-old woman sitting across from her.

"Well, I already have a child, and she needs to overcome her squeamishness for pigskin."

Eli laughed, "Come to think of it, I also have two children who won't stop bickering."

"Yep, we'll be great parents," Nozomi chuckled.

"So, what did you want to do tomorrow? During the day, that is," Eli asked Nozomi as she entered their bedroom. Nozomi let down her hair and humed in thought.

"Sleep in for once?"

Eli chuckled as she pulled back the bed sheets.

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Well we have plenty of time to kill before that dinner party, was there anything you needed to do?" Nozomi took off her shirt and bra.

As the artist looked around for a tank top to sleep in, Eli gazed at the art on her girlfriend's back: Her left shoulder blade had the sun, and her right had the moon. Inbetween them was the poem in Kanji. Beneath that was a Shinto shrine, and on the sides of her back were the F-holes.

"I love how you just decided to become a violin one day," Eli mused, and Nozomi smirked over her shoulder.

"We've been through this, Elichi, I'm a cello."

"Ah, of course, silly me," Eli set up her pillow against the bed head.

"Even though you can be as squeaky and annoying as a violin at times."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nozomi threw a black tank top over herself and slipped on some purple pyjama pants.

She then crawled into bed, and flopped onto the mattress. Eli hissed in slight annoyance, and huffed when Nozomi wrapped her arms around her.

"Y'Know, Elichi," The green eyes flashed mischevious as she moved her hands up and down her waist.

"You have very nimble fingers,"

Eli braced herself, because she knew what was coming next.

"Perhaps you can put them to use and play me like a cello?"

She couldn't help it, she had to groan at the atrocity of the pun.

However, the florist shifted her body to face Nozomi's and reached up to snake her arms around her neck.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but cellos don't usually talk," she became mesmerized by the grin on Nozomi's face, and couldn't help by laugh when Nozomi bought her right hand to her mouth and zipped it shut, then threw away the key.

"That's more like it," Eli then captured Nozomi's lips with her own, and pulled her down onto the mattress, kicking the bed sheets up to cover them.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)