A/N:
...Well, here it is - the last chapter for this story.
Something I didn't make clear in the last chapter notes: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE AU. THE AU WILL CONTINUE, THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER FOR THIS STORY.
And with that out of the way, here we go...
Jet Wave - Orseskaband
For the first time in two weeks, Nozomi actually felt well rested. She stretched out her body underneath the sheets, then swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was Saturday, her day off. She had also given Umi and Rin the option of having the day off, but the response was something she was expecting,
"It has been too long since I have pierced someone. The store will be open."
Nozomi smiled at the words, and then checked the time: 10:45am. The tattoo artist picked up her sketchbook and e-cigarette then made her way to the living room.
Nozomi had to admit, it was nice to wake up and not feel like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped on her. She sat on the couch with her legs up and started her warmup drawing. Her phone buzzed in her chest, and she pulled it out and instantly smiled. It was an email from a potential client. Nozomi scanned the email, and tapped out a response instantly. Hitting the 'send' button made her giddy with excitement that she was to continue doing what she loved.
Eli woke up fifteen minutes later to an empty bed. She shot up instantly, hair dishevelled and eyes bleary while she scanned around for any sign of her girlfriend. Eli's grace from years of ballet failed her - she stumbled out of the bed, got her ankle caught in the sheets, and landed face first on the carpet.
With a groan, Eli slowly peeled herself off the ground like a sticker and grumbled something in Russian.
She straightened up and shuffled out of the bedroom into the living room, and smiled when she saw Nozomi on the couch with her sketchbook and a lazy smile on her face. Eli also noticed that the lilies on their dining table were starting to wilt. She made a mental note to tend to them after she tended to her most precious garden in her life.
Eli came up from behind and lightly kissed the artist's neck, right over the white lily.
"Well g'mornin', Elichi," Nozomi closed her eyes as Eli hummed.
"Morning," Eli then came around the side of the couch and sat down on Nozomi's left, then started to kiss her bicep.
"You okay there, Elichi?" Nozomi quirked an eyebrow at the affection, and Eli trailed her kisses down Nozomi's arm, making sure she kissed every single flower.
Nozomi chuckled as Eli's lips ended at her wrist.
"I'm just kissing your flowers - a kiss from a rose,"
Nozomi groaned and lightly shoved Eli away.
"That's so cheesy and and wrong, because you're not a rose,"
"But I am a florist," Eli grinned, leaning forward again to lock her lips with Nozomi's.
"You're a sucker for cheese, that's what you are," Nozomi mumbled against the lips, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around Eli's neck.
Her sketchbook was forgotten on the couch, but like the petals that were falling from the lilies on the dining table.
"Elichi, I don't think we need that much chocolate," Nozomi smiled wryly at the giant child in front her her, who was cradling four blocks of solid chocolate. With a pout, Eli put one in their trolley and the other three back on the shelf.
"Just because you won a court case doesn't mean you're always right," Eli mumbled, stuffing her hands into her pockets and ignoring the chuckle from Nozomi.
They were out of food, and realised they had not done a proper grocery shop for over a week. Nozomi planned on cooking dinner before getting tattooed in the evening (like she always told her clients,) so that she would have some sustenance to survive the needle.
To her dismay, Eli would be coming with her. Nozomi knew that her girlfriend was going to be a support method, but she wasn't ready for how Eli might react to Rin tattooing. Eli might be a distraction, even though she knew better than to deliberately intercept Rin's concentration.
"If I can only have one block of chocolate, you can only have one lot of yakiniku," Eli pouted and pointed to the trolley. Nozomi raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Elichi, our shopping list says that we need this much to make the beef bowls," Nozomi pulled out her phone for proof, but there was a text message on the screen.
Rin-chan, 13:15pm
Senpai I finished the design! Tell me what u think :3c
"She's done already? That's great," Nozomi grinned, then opened up the message to look.
Nozomi's eyes lit up and Eli's jaw dropped.
Attached a photo of a small chibi cat head with a little mohawk.
"It's so cute!" Nozomi tapped on the photo to inspect the lines.
"And it'll work as a tattoo...I'm so proud of Rin-chan," the tattoo artist smiled at Eli, and upon seeing the worried look on her face, lightly poked her nose.
"Relax, it's going on me, not you."
Eli shrugged, not really minding. It was Nozomi's body, not hers, and she would love her no matter what she chose to get done.
As they approached the checkout, Eli caught sight of a bunch of flowers in boxes. She scowled.
"My work is ten times better than this rubbish," she wrinkled her nose at the lazy roses that had just been stuffed into a tacky pink box. Nozomi chuckled and linked arms with Eli.
"Yes, Elichi, you are the best florist in Tokyo," the tattoo artist reassured the florist while leading her towards the checkout.
When Nozomi and Eli walked up to Lily White hand-in-hand, Nozomi smiled brightly. It was just magical to see her hard work, her baby, still alive and kicking. The lights were on inside, and Nozomi saw the outline of the body piercer through the glass window.
She opened the door and lead Eli inside, and Umi looked up with a bright smile. She was wearing a navy blue bandana and a blue shirt and a black vest.
"Hello you two," Umi came up to greet them, but Nozomi just pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. Umi, for once in her life, reciprocated the action of affection.
"The shorts make you look like you should be in a ska band," Nozomi said to the piercer, who tensed up suddenly. Eli chuckled, looking down at Umi's bare legs, thanks to the shorts she was wearing.
"At least your shoes are closed," Eli added while Umi squirmed out of Nozomi's grip.
"Was it busy today, Umi-chan?" Nozomi asked with her hands behind her back. The piercer nodded.
"Oh yes, I had countless clients - all of whom came from that new store across the road," Umi pointed out the window to Wonder Flight.
"What does that place even sell?" Eli asked, taking off her jacket and slinging it over her shoulder.
"No one told me, it's just a store," Umi shrugged, then winced at the clattering that happened behind the counter.
"Rin has been very…productive, to say the least," Umi folded her arms and let her lips quirk into a small grin.
"Where is that padawan of mine, anyway?" Nozomi rubbed her hands together with glee, and as if on cue, Rin shot out from behind the counter with a huge smile on her face.
"Do you two just dress very casually on Fridays and Saturdays?" Eli enquired, eyeing the baseball t-shirt Rin was wearing and the snapback. Umi scowled, but Rin ignored the comment and hugged Nozomi tightly. There were tears in her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you, Rin-chan," Nozomi said into Rin's shirt, and instantly Rin's breath hitched.
"Thank you, Senpai," Rin shut her eyes tightly, but her tears prickled at the edges. Eli and Umi smiled at the affection, feeling their throats tightened.
"Anyway," Nozomi pulled back and beamed at her apprentice.
"I'm here for your handiwork, my dear padawan."
"You are indeed! I was just setting up," Rin bounced away to the station with Nozomi's hand in hers.
"Oh, also Umi-senpai bought along snacks today! They taste really good," Rin added while Nozomi inspected the station - the tattoo bed was set up and covered in glad wrap, the machine was set up and covered in plastic, and all the ink was in their bottles and ready to be poured into the small plastic cups.
"What was the snack?" Nozomi asked, peering at the set up proudly then turned to Rin.
"Your station is picture perfect," she added, and Rin fist-bumped herself.
"Thanks Senpai! The snacks Umi bought were these sticks of cheese! There might still be some left in the break room," Rin picked up the sketch from her table next to the bed and showed Nozomi.
"Since it's going on the front of nya hip, I might have to adjust the size, but what do you think?"
Nozomi observed, her mind immediately going into tattoo-mode.
"This is all fine, but if you make the design any smaller, you won't be able to get many details in. Even the tiniest needle won't catch the flecks in the eyes."
"Oh," Rin looked deflated, and then nervously scratched at the tiger on her arm.
"So what should I do?" She looked at her teacher desperately, but Nozomi just smiled and moved her finger around the picture.
"It's big enough to go on my hip as it is, but if you want to make it bigger, you can get more details. Maybe enlarge it by a centimetre, so it will look like this," Nozomi then lifted up her shirt and pulled her pants down slightly to expose her hip. Her hand against her skin was only slightly bigger than the drawing Rin had done.
"Good idea," Rin nodded, then picked up the drawing.
"Are you happy with that size?"
"Indeed I am, Rin-chan," Nozomi grinned and folded her arms.
"But we both need to sign some forms."
"Oh yeah, we don't want to end up back in that wormhole," Rin chuckled, and Nozomi joined her.
While Rin got the stencil ready, Umi, Eli and Nozomi stood around the counter, munching on the mozzarella sticks Umi had brought in. Nozomi was finishing off the forms as Eli bit into the stick.
"I didn't know you liked this sort of food, Umi," Eli remarked, watching Umi devour her fourth stick.
"Oh, well my tastes in food are not a popular topic of discussion," Umi shrugged, licking the excess crumbs off her fingers.
"These are really good though, Umi-chan," Nozomi complimented the melting cheese in her mouth. Umi smiled, and the older girls laughed.
"What is so funny?"
"You've got cheese on your septum," Nozomi pointed, and Umi scowled.
"Again?" She stuck her tongue out to try and get the cheese, and Nozomi chuckled. She was then poked in the cheek by Eli, who had a mozzarella stick in her hand.
"Here,"
Nozomi opened her mouth to eat the snack while continuing to write on the form.
"You made these, Umi-chan?"
"From scratch, it is the only way to make mozzarella sticks," Umi looked very proud of herself as Rin skidded forward with the stencil.
"It's ready Nozomi-senpai!"
"Excellent," Nozomi smiled, then signed the form with a flourish and got Rin to do the same.
"You sure you want to do this?" Eli asked Nozomi one final time.
The response was a wink and a smile that blinded Eli.
"One hundred percent sure."
Rin had Nozomi stand up while she placed the stencil carefully on the hip. The cat sat nicely at the side of the mandala Nozomi had on her stomach. While Nozomi came back from looking at the mirror to give the confirmation to Rin that the placement was perfect, Eli sat in a chair next to the bed.
"So Umi, the wedding is coming up soon," Eli held Nozomi's hand as Rin's tattoo machine whirred to life.
"That is is, I am so excited," Umi's small smile came with some fidgeting as she locked the piercing room door.
"It seems like only yesterday I met Kotori, and now she is going to be my w-"
"OW!"
Eli turned back at hearing Nozomi's cry of pain, but then her face fell when she saw the needle against her skin.
"Nozomi...did you just cry in pain from the tattoo?" Eli did her best to stiffle a laugh as Rin smirked and Umi shook her head.
"Nozomi, you keep telling your clients that the pain is not something to cry over," Umi scolded as Rin put down the machine to let out a few laughs.
"I can't believe Nozomi-senpai is a wuss!"
"I am not! " Nozomi whined as she bit back the tears. Rin took the machine up again and continued her work.
"It's a needle going through all seven layers of my sk-skin how can it not hurt?! Owie!"
Eli chuckled, and Rin stuck her tongue out in concentration but the smile stayed on her face.
"Toujou Nozomi, the greatest tattoo artist in Tokyo who is too cool for school cannot handle the needle herself," Eli stroked Nozomi's hand gently, but found it incredibly hard to keep a straight face.
"It's hard for everyone," Nozomi hissed and clamped her eyes shut. Rin continued to tattoo, and laughed every time she took the needle off of her teacher's skin to wipe away excess ink.
Nozomi reached into her pocket with a small whine and pulled out her e-cigarette.
"Hey, I am the boss, and this thing doesn't stink," Nozomi saw her girlfriend and co-workers stare at her for the action and quickly supported her decision with facts.
"At least it's not beer," Rin shrugged and kept working on the outline. The tattoo was not overly big, and Eli just continued to hold Nozomi's hand and stroke her thumb while the artist whined from the pain.
"Hang on, Rin-chan," Nozomi straightened up when Rin took the needle away to get more ink. She repositioned herself onto her side and rested her hand on her cheek.
"Would you like me to draw you like one of my French girls?" Rin smirked the posture. Nozomi chuckled weakly and took a drag of her e-cigarette.
"Draw me like one of your cartoons,"
Eli and Rin laughed while Umi pulled up a chair to sit with them. It was a stupid scenario, and she could not believe the sight before her, but it was nice for things to be back to normal.
Eli and Nozomi (despite one being in pain,) could not be happier with their evening. There was no one to hurt them, no one to bother them, and they were with two of their closest friends. Rin performing a tattoo on her boss was such a milestone and would be going up on her Instagramthat evening when it was complete. The florist smiled down at the tattoo artist, who blinked away droplets from her eyes to flash a lopsided yet strained grin up at her.
"I love you, Elichi, thanks for being my squeeze-toy," Nozomi winced out the affection. Eli beamed and placed a kiss on Nozomi's lips quickly so as to not move her body too much for Rin.
"I love you too, Nozomi. I'm so proud of you," Eli responded, ghosting against her plump lips with Umi rolling her eyes in the background.
"We are all proud of Nozomi,"
"I'm also proud of you, Umi," Eli turned to smile at the piercer.
"You were practically a punching bag for the stress-head,"
"Ah well," Umi shrugged and crossed her legs.
" Someone had to be level-headed through that nightmare."
"Well the nightmare is nyaw over and we can keep our jobs!" Rin added, wiping away more excess wink with her curved grin.
"Now the outline is done, Nozomi-senpai, so I can start on the colour!"
Nozomi's face paled, knowing that the colour would hurt less, but it was still a group of needles against her skin.
"You reckon you can handle it?" Eli squeezed Nozomi's hand.
The tattoo artist looked up at the florist, and nodded.
"What kind of artist would I be if I couldn't?"
"You're doing pretty poorly right now" Umi deadpanned, and Nozomi pouted while Eli and Rin laughed.
So, I'm not one for speeches, and it's stupid because there seem to be tears in my eyes, but I have some stuff to say.
First, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you who read this fanfiction. I know I don't respond to the comments, but I really do read them and appreciate that you took time from your lives to read this. It means a lot to me and honestly is what kept me going to finish this.
Second, a massive thank you to every artist who drew stuff for this fic - there is nothing nicer than to wake up and see your interpretations of Nozomi's tattoos or Umi's piercings, and even the Eli artwork was fantastic!
Lastly, I'd really just like to thank you guys again for being with me as I wrote this. I know it's stupid - a wannabe asshole punk turning fictional high-school girls into florists and tattoo artists and day workers, but it warms my little black hole where my heart should be that you guys liked this.
So I'm going to take a break from this AU (it's been encompassing my very existence for six months,) to write some other stuff. HOWEVER, there will be a Rin backstory on the way, along with some other little prompts here and there.
If you'd like to keep reading my Love Live stuff, then may I direct you to AO3:Dvalkyrie, and my tumblr: tarot-tatas this is my last story on this website
Until next time, keep your head up
Xoxo
- D