Work Text:
A few more lines…
and…
Done
“It’s finished, ma’am.” Shiho sat up.
“Thank you, it’s lovely.” the client responded, beaming.
Shiho wrapped it in plastic and gave her the usual instructions for aftercare.
“Thank you so much, I love it!”
Her client had chosen a floral tattoo, a bouquet of peonies and irises. A nice choice, albeit difficult, as Shiho usually didn’t ink flowers, but she thought it was good enough, if she could say so herself.
“Thank you, good thing it turned out well.” Shiho replied, tired and ready to leave the shop.
She paid generously and left all smiles.
Shiho sighed and left the shop with a destination in mind.
Should be over here
It was only six, just enough time to go to the nearby store, pick up dinner and visit Shizuku, because she left work early, after notifying her superiors, of course.
She grasped her coat, the December air howling as a strong gust blasted the grey haired girl.
The florist’s outside was painted a soft blue color, which went nicely with the orange awning above the storefront.
Upon entering, a small bell chimed as she entered the small store.
Shiho briefly browsed the room, noticing neat buckets of flowers along the green walls, some pre-arranged in bouquets and others grouped by species and overall by color.
She must have looked very out of place, surrounded by bright flowers whilst in a Mindless Self Indulgence tee, with some of her tattoos peeking out and washed out grey jeans.
She knew nothing about flowers, much less plants in general.
Shizuku had a vase on her dining room table with some flowers that had dried out since she had hosted thanksgiving
So Shiho had made it her mission to get her older sister new flowers for her birthday.
Her scanning of the bouquets was interrupted when she heard a voice from the back of the room.
“Hello! Let me know if you need help finding anything” the woman smiled, emerging from what Shiho presumed to be a storage room, holding a bucket of flowers.
Holy fuck
She was beautiful.
Shiho flushed and nodded in reply.
“T-thank you.”
She had blue-black hair and wore a banana yellow long sleeve button up under a navy blue apron with a few various buttons and embroidered with flowers of different varieties, as well as black gloves.
She had three buttons on the strap of her apron. The top button had an illustration of a girl with teal twintails. The second seemed a flag, it had yellow, orange, white, and blue stripes. The last button had an orange and pink flag Shiho knew well.
SHE LIKES GIRLS
Shiho calmed down and looked for a name tag.
Her name tag read Ichika
A name nearly as lovely as her.
Quite a fitting name for a florist.
Shiho continued perusing the store realizing she would have no choice but to ask the florist for assistance.
She lingered momentarily by the flower baskets, dreading her approaching social interaction with the cashier.
“I need help making a bouquet for someone.”
“Okay” She sneezed, picking up a tissue from one of the many pockets in her apron.
“Sorry.”
“No you’re fine.”
“Would you mind telling me what they’re like?” Ichika asked. “Like if they were a color what color would they be?”
“It’s for my sister’s birthday. Well to be honest, she’s a little bit of an air head, but she really cares a lot. As for color, I’d say a light blue.
If it was anyone else Shiho would have struggled with choosing a color, but most of Shizuku’s merchandise was a light blue, akin to her hair color.
Not like Shiho knew much about her sister’s streams or anything…
“What’s your name?”
“My name? Shiho Hi-”
She hoped Ichika didn’t know much about idol culture.
“Shiho Hinomori”
“Nice to meet you. If you haven’t seen my nametag, I’m Hoshino Ichika. You can call me Ichika, if you’d like”
Shiho nodded.
“Okay. Would you like to choose the flowers with me?”
“Sure.”
Ichika walked around the store, selecting flowers, and checking her customer’s facial expression after every choice.
She sneezed a few times doing this. And apologized every time.
A florist with hay fever?
Ichika began to walk back towards the counter with Shiho trailing a few paces behind.
She sneezed again and began her apology
“Sorr-!” Shiho placed her hand on Ichika’s shoulder and used her other hand to cover her mouth.
Shiho was fed up with it.
“Don’t apologize.”
Shiho’s gaze darkened, her bangs casting a shadow over half of her green eyes.
The two girls blushed at the sudden intimacy. Shiho released her hand flushing furiously at her impulsive action.
WHY’D SHE DO THAT?! Who does that to the girl they like
They silently arrived at the counter and Ichika finished arranging the bouquet.
It really was impressive.
“Done! Would you like to hear the flower’s meanings?”
“Sounds good.”
Ichika’s eyes seemed to light up. “Okay, so the hydrangeas symbolize gratitude. The peace lilies represent tranquility. I put a couple white roses in as well, meaning new beginnings. The baby’s breath usually means sincerity and trust.
Purple Gladiouses symbolize grace and beauty. All of those sound good?” she finished, staring at Shiho.
“It’s amazing. Thank you.”
Ichika smiled.
Which did NOT make Shiho feel anything.
As Ichika began to wrap the bouquet, Shiho asked:
“Are you seriously a florist with a pollen allergy?” Shiho asked.
“Huh?!” Ichika replied before replying, still surprised, but more calm.
“Yeah.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, having finished wrapping the flowers for transport. “Ironic, isn’t it. I enjoy it though so I don’t mind”
A comfortable silence filled the room, as if these strangers had been friends forever.
The florist put in the due amount in the cash register, before a mischievous smirk grew on her face.
“Have you heard of our discount?” Ichika smiled an impish smile.
“No” Shiho replied, suspecting nothing good from the glint in Ichika’s eyes.
“Well, We have a special for pretty girls~”
Shiho didn’t reply, she just stood in shock, a bright red.
Ichika waved her palm back and forth in front of Shiho’s eyes.
“Uhh, earth to Shiho”
She giggled, proud of her work, a light pink on her face.
Shiho slightly recovered and paid, in hopes to get to the party on time.
“See you later, Shiho” Ichika waved as Shiho left.
I hope so.
Shiho waved back.
The udon shop was only a few blocks away, so it was very walkable.
She picked up enough food for everyone, making sure to get tofu skin for her older sister, as it was her favorite.
Shiho walked back towards the shop to retrieve her car.
The drive to Shizuku’s house was uneventful.
She pulled into the street beside the house.
Shizuku’s house was homey, full of her embroidery, books, photos, and gifts from devoted fans.
She could obviously afford a much bigger and better house, being a successful idol, but it was clear she preferred it, even if she didn’t see it much while on tours.
Shiho knocked thrice, her knuckles hitting against the wooden door, worn from knocks of many.
Shizuku opened the door, and pulled her into a hug, overjoyed to see her younger sister.
“Shii!”
“Yeah, yeah. Happy Birthday.”
Shiho entered the house, seeing many familiar faces.
She entered the dining room, setting the food down before carefully extracting the old flowers and even more carefully placing the new flowers into the newly cleaned vase.
Haruka entered the room during this process.
“That’s quite an arrangement.”
“Mhm-Hm. I found a really nice florist.”
That’s for sure
Moments later, they were all gathered around Shizuku’s relatively large dining room table.
Shiho sat beside Minori and across from Mizuki, a sewing buddy of Shizuku’s.
She didn’t know Mizuki well but they were acquainted.
Shizuku sat at the head of the table beside Airi and Mafuyu.
There was a light chatter among the group, various conversations of memories, past More More Jump! Concerts and similar events.
Shiho tried to keep active in the conversation but her eyes kept falling on the bouquet.
At some point during the dinner Minori tapped Shiho’s shoulder.
“You okay? You seem a bit out of it today.”
“Yeah, it’s”
Stupid
“It’s nothing.”
“If you say so. I’m always here if you need someone to talk to!” She lifted a small thumbs up.”
“Thanks.”
As everyone had finished eating and cleared the dishes, Airi brought the cake she had baked earlier out.
They all sang and distributed the cake.
Airi had been in many food-related idol streams and events, so she was skilled at the craft.
The cake had blue frosting and said "Happy Birthday Shizuku!” in frosting and a white border around the cake.
An hour later the guests started to leave. She decided to stay late to clean, so as to make Shizuku’s night easier.
Shiho and Airi split up the work. Airi would package the leftover food and Shiho would do the dishes.
“Shii, you don’t have to do that. You have work tomorrow, I’ll take care of that.”
“Shizuku, it’s your birthday. Enjoy it.”
“But-”
“I have a later shift tomorrow.” she said bluntly.
Shiho’s eyes glanced over at the clock after her sister left.
10:30
She could get a decent amount of sleep, before heading out on errands and eventually work.
She finished the dishes and bid farewell to Shizuku and Airi.
Before she left, Shiho placed the gift for her sister on the table, along with the card.
The gift consisted of a few books she thought Shizuku may enjoy. She had thought about buying her something for her bow, but began searching and ultimately giving up.
She hoped she’d like it.
‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹
Shiho usually stayed up later to practice tattooing.
She had only been working for a couple of years, after all.
It helped her relax and helped her hone her skills.
Usually she would work on tattoos she had struggled with throughout the day or styles she wanted to try or improve on.
Tonight, however, she kept on inking flowers.
She was never especially skilled at flowers, but something, or someone had compelled her to draw flowers.
So stupid
Despite her thoughts, she continued.
After thirty minutes she decided to sleep, so that she wouldn’t snap at a customer or co-worker.
‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹
Shiho allowed herself to sleep in a little, due to how much later she fell asleep last night.
She ran a few errands, picked up groceries, did laundry, some decently productive stuff.
The first client was supposed to come in around eight. It was a moderately difficult tattoo so she would likely be working during most of the night.
It was a custom tattoo. A memorial to the client’s deceased pet cat. Shiho’s specialty was animal tattoos, due to her hidden fondness towards animals.
She often inked pet memorials so she always had a box of tissues out for the clients. They often told Shiho about their pet’s life and memories, after asking her if they could. A good amount of them teared up so she left the tissue box within arm’s reach.
Shiho’s eyes watered occasionally at the stories.
She couldn’t imagine the loss.
She had always wanted a pet, maybe a dog, bunny, cat, something along those lines.
I wonder if Ichika has any pets.
Here she goes again…
She seems like she’d have either a cat or dog. Or both.
I wish I could see her again.
YOU LITERALLY SAW HER YESTERDAY.
In spite of her counter argument she couldn’t deny it: she did long to see a certain florist again.
Her client approached, breaking through her mind’s wanderings.
She had long black hair that faded into blue at the tips. She wore street clothes, a white crop top and ripped jeans.
“I’m Shiho Hinomori. I’ll be your artist today.”
“I’m An Shiraishi! I’m glad I was able to book you. I really like your work.”
“Thank you. Shall we get started?”
Shiho began her work as An asked “Mind if I talk about my old cat? No pressure, though.”
“‘Course”
She began telling stories of her cat, and the various shenanigans she got into. An eventually began tearing up.
“I have some tissues if you need them.” Shiho gestured with her head towards the box of tissues on the table.
“Thanks. I thought I’d be able to get through this without crying. It’s been a whole year.” Her voice cracked while she spoke the last sentence.
“It’s fine. It takes a long time to recover.”
A long period of silence followed before An began chattering about everything and nothing.
Before she knew it the first session was over. As protocol, she gave her the instructions and what not to do.
She finished listing the guidelines and An left.
Shiho cleaned her station, putting her tattoo machine away.
Once home, following her routine she practiced her art once again then fell asleep.
‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹
A few days later, she woke from her dreams of a blue haired florist.
It had been a few days and she was already dreaming about her.
Damn, She knew she was gay but not THAT gay.
She began going about her Saturday normally, but alas, her thoughts all led to a single person.
Shiho knew she couldn't do anything productive in this state, so she got in her car and drove to the florist.
You win, Ichika.
Shiho arrived at the florist, breathed deeply and opened the door.
“Welcome in! Let me know if you need help with anything.” She heard a few beats after the bell on the door jingled.
Has she forgotten me already?
“Oh Shiho!” She looked over to the desk in the back where the florist looked up from…
Was that a cat?
She was right!
Focus, idiot.
“Where’d the cat come from?” the grey haired artist asked, feigning nonchalance.
“Oh, her? She’s been in my apartment for about a month but I think she likes it better here.”
The cat was a tuxedo cat. Her black and white coat seemed recently trimmed.
“What’s her name?”
“Um… Miku”
“Anyways!” Ichika said a little too loudly. “What are you in here for?”
“Flowers.”
“Oh? Who’s the lucky person?”
“...Me”
“‘Course! Sorry I just didn’t take you the type to have flowers around.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
“Any particular type of flowers you want or colors?”
“I’ll let you choose.”
“Really?” her eyes lit up.
Shiho nodded and the florist began to hurry about the shop. The customer however, stayed, stroking the cat while watching the store owner.
After nearly ten minutes she was finished and wrapped them with a dark green ribbon, contrasting the lighter green color of some of the flowers.
“I assume you’ll need a vase?”
“Yep”
Ichika selected a blue tinted glass vase from a shelf of vases behind the counter.
“See the flowers match your eyes!” she announced, stepping back to admire her work.
Shiho’s ears reddened slightly.
She totaled the cost and read it to her customer.
“You aren’t going to tell me the flowers’ meanings?”
“I’ll write it down”
The azure haired entrepreneur wrote something down behind the cash register, so as to obstruct the other girl’s view.
Whatever could she be writing that’s so secret? It’s just flower meanings.
She folded the note and tied it onto the vase.
“I’d wait to open that~”
“Okay-?” Shiho stammered, bewildered.
‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹˚.‧⁺ ⊹
After the eternal-seeming drive home, she sat at a table glaring at the note tied to the flower pot.
Breathing deeply, she opened it.
In messy scribbles it read:
The White African Lily - love, beauty
Sweet Alyssum - love beyond beauty
Green Lillies - expression of admiration
White Lillies - unwavering devotion
Spider Mum - love, sometimes asking someone to run away together ;)
Here the writing somehow became messier.
I love you, Shiho
Underneath the last sentence she left her number.
Shiho became so red you could confuse her with a tomato.
She would later call that number, after long minutes, seeming hours she sat preparing her.
Thanks Shizuku.