Work Text:
If one was to ask someone on the street what a predictable career might be for a retired idol, tattoo artist probably wouldn't make the list. Or rather, apprentice tattoo artist. Yet, that was exactly the path Sayaka's life had taken. Former media darling and one of the most talked about teens in Japan, her group's popularity had diminished until one day, they unceremoniously disbanded.
It took some time for her to decide what to do with her life when idol activities played such a big part in it. She was still in her early twenties, not yet old enough for the public to get completely bored of her, but celebrity for celebrity's sake had never really been what appealed to her.
So she withdrew from the spotlight for a time to find herself. As the weeks turned into months, fewer and fewer people seemed to miss her. Once upon a time, that would have broken her beyond belief. She almost expected it to still, braced for what would surely be a devastating impact, but it never came. It just didn't hurt that much.
Back in her childhood hometown, staying with her father for the time being, she ran into an old classmate. He was running a tattoo parlor, he told her in the produce section of the grocery store. Sayaka agreed to come check the place out and meet the other employees.
She and Leon were never that close in school — their friendship, if it could be called that, mainly revolved around his hopeless crush on her — but to her surprise, she actually enjoyed spending the afternoon with him. The others around the shop were fun too. Ibuki, who she could talk about music with for hours. Rantaro, who radiated a kind, brotherly aura to everyone he met. Angie, who Sayaka still wasn't quite sure she had a good read on. Everyone was enjoyable to be around, filling some of the void that the loss of her group created.
When Leon suggested she work there too, she thought he was joking at first. If it was ever a joke, it was one she was more than glad she went along with. Everything there was great, but one of her favorite things was the view out the wide front window, overlooking the flower shop across the street.
"Ooh, Ibuki knows what that look means!" Sayaka almost startled upon hearing that familiar tone, Ibuki's multicolored hair tickling her neck and shoulder as she leaned in close. "Daydreaming about flowers again?"
Sayaka chuckled in embarrassment, both of them knowing exactly what (or rather, who) 'flowers' was code for.
"Yeah, a little. It's hard not to."
"Why not take your lunch break now and head over to see her? You know you want to," Ibuki said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. It was true that things weren't busy at the moment. Everything would be fine if Sayaka took a break and went to see Mukuro. The question was whether she wanted to endure the teasing she'd get for it.
"Well, okay," she agreed eventually, giving in to temptation. "Maybe I will." She stepped out from behind the front desk, nervously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just to say hi."
"Looks like you don't need to!" Angie chimed in then, pointing in the direction of the very window she'd been gazing out of. "Here she comes."
Sure enough, drawing closer and closer was the familiar figure of Ikusaba Mukuro, a vivid bouquet of flowers in her arms. She was still wearing her apron, emblazoned with the flower shop's logo. Must be on break too.
Before Sayaka could fully decide what to do or say, she was already there, the bell above the door chiming merrily.
"Maizono-san," Mukuro said, steadfastly ignoring the stares and suppressed giggles of Sayaka's coworkers around them both. "Hello."
"Hi, Ikusaba-san," she replied easily, flashing her best sparkly idol smile. "It's nice to see you. I, ah, had a really good time last night." Ibuki gasped in the background, feigning being scandalized.
"So did I." Mukuro smiled back at her, in that slow, hesitant way Sayaka had learned to adore. "I brought these for you," she said, holding out the bouquet. Though Sayaka didn't know much about flower language, she knew enough to appreciate how carefully each one must have been picked out. And, well, anyone could see that the arrangement was beautiful.
"Thank you," she said, eyes closing for a moment as she inhaled the light, floral aroma. "They're amazing." One arm hugging the bouquet to her chest, she outstretched her other hand to grasp Mukuro's, letting their fingers intertwine. Seeing her blush was delightful.
"You deserve the best." Mukuro squeezed her hand gently, a questioning look in her eyes. Sayaka nodded, grinning. No words needed to be exchanged for her to know just what she was talking about. With every word and gesture, her coworkers seemed to be getting more and more eager too. Despite her time away from the stage, she still knew exactly how to draw in an audience.
"Should we do dinner again tonight? After our shifts?"
"I...yes. I'd love to," Mukuro said, still doing an excellent job of acting shy and flustered. Some of it was probably still real, but no longer quite as much as when they first met.
"Great. Meet you outside?" Sayaka leaned a little closer too, teeth just barely catching on her lower lip for an instant. Just enough to draw attention to her mouth. Not that she needed to — Mukuro was already staring.
"Perfect." There was a faint noise in the background again, something that sounded like either Ibuki or Angie muffling a squeal of delight.
"And thank you again for the flowers, really."
"It was my pleasure. I'll be looking forward to tonight."
Sayaka giggled, leaning in close. "Likewise. See you later, Ikusaba-san."
As she watched Mukuro head back across the street to the flower shop, she wondered how much longer they'd be able to pull off this not-quite-together-yet act. The others still had no idea they'd been dating for a month already.