Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rain stares into their coffee, lost in thoughts. They silently watch how the white stripes of milk fade into the soft brown color while playing with the metal pierced through their tongue.
It’s 8am, way to early, at least for their standards. But the client said it’s the only free time for the next months he could find. And Rain could never deny their customers anything because of that, especially not if it’s one of the regular ones.

Pushing back the chair with a quiet sigh, Rain stands up. The coffee won’t help and it also tastes kinda bad anyways.
Rain grabs the pack of cigarettes next to the long forgotten newspaper and reaches for their hoodie laying on the counter to quickly pull it over their head.
The wooden floor creaks under their feet, as they leave the kitchen. Rain doesn’t bother to actually tie their shoes and just leaves the messy knots from yesterday. One of the lighters on the shelf finds it’s place in the pocket of their jeans along with the keys before they close the door behind them. It seemed to be quite warm outside, so they leave the jacket on the hook next to it.

Hopping down the stairs while fishing a cigarette out of the pack with their lips, Rain shakes a few hair strands out of their face.
The metal of the doorknob feels cold underneath their fingertips as Rain opens the front door to the apartment, right next to their tattoo studio. Looking down, they make a mental note to repaint their nails later.
Fresh morning air surrounds them and Rain lazily stretches, almost dropping the cigarette as they hold back a yawn. They nearly rip the hood of the hoodie on their horns when they quickly pull down their arms down to catch it. With a roll of their eyes, Rain lights the cigarette while pushing back the hood and leaning against the stone wall next to the big front window of the studio.

The smoke curls into the air, dances around in the light wind and draws a few loops until it fades away. Rains eyes follow the gray lines as they inhale slowly, tapping a finger against the cigarette to flick off the ashes. Their lips part, letting more smoke fall out and vanish above their head.
Silently, Rain starts planning the day. The tattoo should take them around three hours, not longer than four if things go as planned. They could go grab another coffee after, a good one this time. Or maybe just write Mountain to bring one over. Rain should make use of being friends with the partner of the person who owns the book-cafe down the street more often. And Swiss usually opens the cafe around this time.

Rain reaches for their phone in the pocket of their pants, just to find it empty. A little sigh leaves their lungs as Rain remembers they left it at the kitchen table. Well, Mountain might still be asleep anyways, they could just text them later.
Pressing the cigarette into the ashtray on the windowsill with a pout, Rain grabs the keys again and pushes themself off the wall.
When they stand in front of the door, fumbling for the keys in their pocket, the empty spot over the little window catches their eye. A piece of paper used to hang there inside, taped against the glass.
“Oh?”

Rain pauses in their movement, raising an eyebrow. That Paper had been an information that the apartment right above Rains studio was free. No one lived there for so long, they actually considered renting it for themself, as second working studio maybe. Or as a practice room for when they had the time to play bass.
Their own apartment was down the corridor, closer to the stairs with windows to the back yard instead of the streets.

A little smile sneaks on Rains lips while opening the door. Maybe they would finally have someone nice around, to chat and hang out in the evening.
They did feel a little lonely here sometimes since all of their friends lived at least one street away. And every one of them was stuck there with working most of the time. It would be nice to actually see someone on a daily basis.

Chapter Text

The soft sound of the studios doorbell makes Rain raise their head, blinking hair out of one eye. They’re sitting behind the wooden desk in a corner by the window to the back, the one Rain always draws on while working in here. Multiple sketchbooks are sprawled out in front of them, pen still hovering over a page full of doodles.
Cool air fills the room and sneaks underneath the thin fabric of Rains shirt, making them shudder for a second. They let the pen drop onto the sketchbook before closing it, shoving it aside along with the other stuff.
“Hey,” Rain smiles while standing up, “You’re pretty early.”
The man who just entered the studio takes off his black hat, turning towards Rain to offer them an apologetic smirk.

“Ah, well,” he laughs, “My time schedule is pretty tight, you know me.”
Rain grins, walking around the desk to the counter at the door. They gesture him to come over with a flick of their tail, opening the purple notebook. Humming quietly, they flip through the pages, searching for the right date.
Rains fingers tap on the noted appointment, written down with blue ink: ‘Tobias ^-^ plectrum rose, 180 minutes, max 240’. It’s a bit messed up by their unclean handwriting and the fact they didn’t let it dry before closing the book, surrounded by little flowers Rain drew around the letters.
“I planned three hours. It shouldn’t take me longer than four,” they inform their client before jokingly adding, “If you don’t come up with changes halfway through.”
The man chuckles, running a hand though his dark hair.
“I trust you Rain, the design is awesome,” he grins, “I don’t think there is anything i would ever like to change about it.”
Rain gives him a shy smirk, feeling their cheeks heat up a bit. They fumble a hair tie from their wrist, quickly tying their hair to a messy bun.
“You flatter me, Tobias.”

He’s one of the few humans that come to Rain more often and they know each other for at least ten years by now.
Rain once played bass for Tobias’ band, but only for a short time since they wanted to focus on their career as tattoo artist. Of course they remained friends and when Rain finally opened their own studio six years ago, Tobias immediately became one of their regular clients. Most of his tattoos are done by them.
While Rain has multiple regulars, Tobias is by far the only one they would call a friend. Sessions with him are always chill and he’s also someone who lets Rain freestyle without any plans, something they really appreciate.

“Anyways,” Rain breaks the silence, “I’m ready, we can start whenever you want.”
They look at him, tilting their head a bit.
“Sure thing, i would be ready as well,” Tobias answers, “You don’t wanna go for a smoke?”
“Nah,” they respond with a huff, grabbing the laptop on the counter, “I’m out of cigarettes. Forgot to buy a new pack yesterday.”
“Hmm, sucks.”
Rain just shrugs their shoulders, opening the laptop as Tobias follows them, dropping his hat and coat onto a chair.
“Mount ‘s coming over later, i wrote him i need coffee and a pack. He’ll either just pick me up or has some mercy and bring both.”
“Good luck,” Tobias chuckles, sitting down next to Rain who already scrolls through the folders on the laptop.

Almost three hours later, Rain finally leans back, pulling the tattoo machine away from Tobias skin.
“Done,” they announce happily, “The shadows where easier than i thought.”
“It’s perfect,” Tobias watches as Rain cleans the skin and then puts the foil over it, “Maybe even my new favorite.”
“Glad you like it,” they respond while throwing their gloves aside, “The details on the thorns of the rose were pretty tough.”
Rain lets their eyes wander across the lines and the foil on Tobias arm, checking if everything looks correct. No strong bleeding and the ink stays where it is supposed to, at least for now. They hum in approval while fishing for the hair tie. Dark locks fall into their face and Rain blows a strand aside that lands directly over their nose.

The doorbell rings and Rain turns around, smiling brightly as they see Mountain entering the studio. Giving them a little nod, the earth Ghoul takes a seat at the dark blue couch near the front window, typing something on his phone.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” Rain calls across the room, spinning the stool back towards Tobias, “Everything’s done! Just come to the counter when you’re ready, like always.”
They stand up, stretching a bit before walking to the counter once again, calculating the price while writing “done” next to the note in their notebook with a red pen.
“You still have everything you need?” Rain asks, sorting the money while Tobias grabs his coat and hat, “If you run out of something you know where to find me.”
“As always,” Tobias grins, “But i think i still got everything needed. Thank you, Rain.”
“Any time! Hope you get home safe.”
“I will,” he promises, opening the door, “Take care Rainy!”
Rain waves, eyes following Tobias as he leaves, stopping at the window to wave back and then disappears walking down the street.

“Ey, Rain!”
“Hm?”
Rain turns their head, stumbling backwards with a loud squeak as they suddenly get hit by something on their forehead. They pull the arms up against their chest, catching whatever Mountain just threw at them.
“Mount, what the hell?” Rain complains, starring at the red pack of cigarettes in their hands.
“Still need a coffee? You look tired,” Mountain laughs, “Or are you awake now?”
“Yes to all of those,” they whine, ripping off the foil around the pack before shoving it into the pocket of their pants. At least he remembered what brand they smoke.
The earth Ghoul stands up, brushing his hair back. Rain can’t help but stare for a second, the way the sunlight lets Mountains hair glow in a warm hazel color just catches their eyes every time.
“So, you wanna come over?”
His soft voice pulls Rain back into reality, nodding quickly.
“Let me just get my stuff.”

Rain rushes to their apartment, pulling their hoodie over the head once again, grabbing their wallet along with the keys, hooking the studio one back onto the chain. An annoyed sigh leaves their lips as they look for the lighter they left on the shelf next to the door, finding the place empty. They shake their head, searching for another one in the pockets of the jackets, luckily finding one.
Closing their fingers around the pink lighter, Rain jumps down the stairs while fumbling a cigarette out of the pack.
They check if the studio is locked before turning to Mountain, who waits outside. Leaning against the wall next to the front window, he raises his eyebrows, looking at the water Ghoul.
“Uh, ‘m ready,” Rain gasps, being a bit out of breath from how they rushed themself.
Mountain just rolls his eyes at it, flicking his tail.
“Always those smokers.”
Rain pouts at the words, leans over and provocatively lights the cigarette directly in front of his face.
“I hate you,” Mountain mutters, trying to hide his grin.
“No you don’t,” Rain simply replies with a cheeky smirk, inhaling the smoke.

They walk down the street in silence, only their steps and the quiet crackling of Rains cigarette when they take a hit being heard.
A few meters away from the cafe, Mountain finally speaks up.
“The apartment over your studio. Someone’s moving in?”
Rain makes a confirming noise, pressing the cigarette against the trashcan at the front door before letting it fall into it.
“Saw it this morning. Dunno who or when though, probably a student, the university isn’t that far away after all.”
Mountain nods along with their words while opening the wooden door underneath the sign, “Flowerpit” being written on it with green paint. Rain chuckles at the memory how proud Swiss was when he came up with the name, a mix of “Flowerpot” and “Pit”.
The two of them step into the warm room, the smell of fresh coffee, books and different cakes fills the air. Rain sighs happily, relaxing a bit as they stroll towards their favorite place in a corner near the bookshelves. They notice a few new plants between the others. Mountain always stuffs the cafe full with his plants, being kind of responsible for the name because of that.
He already hopped to the counter where Swiss stands at the checkout, stealing a little kiss. Rain can hear Swiss laughing at something, pressing another kiss at the tip of Mountains nose who giggles.
Those two are so cute together it’s almost disgusting, Rain thinks, letting their eyes wander across the room. Lost in thoughts, they start playing with their rings, waiting for Mountain.

Rain flinches when he lets himself drop onto the chair next to them out of nowhere.
“You’re pretty jumpy today,” Mountain comments, “Didn’t sleep well?”
They just yawn as answer, dropping their head onto the table.
“Aww, poor Rainy,” he coos, gently running his fingers through their hair, “Don’t worry, Swiss got you the usual.”
“With extra caramel please,” Rain groans and Mountain chuckles.
“Sure, i’ll be right back.”
The hand in their hair disappears, they hear how he stands up and walks away. Rain closes their eyes for a second, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. Their eyelids feel heavy, the cozy vibe of the cafe lulls them into a warm cloud. Rain hums lazily, sinking deeper into the chair.

When they open the eyes again, Mountain sits in front of them across the table, looking down on his phone. Two cups stand between them, the smell of coffee hangs heavily in the air.
Rain abruptly lifts their head, blinking a few times.
“Morning Sleepyhead,” Mountain smiles, putting down his phone and shoving one of the cups towards them. Rubbing their eyes Rain tries to bite back a yawn while looking around.
“Why didn’t you wake me up,” they ask, voice tick.
“Why should i,” Mountain simply responses, reaching for his own cup, “You sleep far too little.”
Rain closes their fingers around the warm cup of coffee. He was probably right though.
They stay for another hour before making their way back home.

Now they sit in their studio again, working on some tattoo designs. But Rain just can’t get the lines right and the shadows look dirty all the time. They’re simply too exhausted to focus.
With an angry flick of their tail, Rain drops the pen, closing the sketchbook. They reach for the keys, leaving the studio, locking the door behind them.
Rain drags themself up the stairs into their apartment. Kicking their shoes aside, they throw the hoodie on a chair in the kitchen, watching how the fabric slowly slides down until it falls onto the floor. Rain rolls their eyes, picking it up again to place it on the table. Falling on the couch, they close their eyes, sleep catching them almost immediately. Rain really didn’t realize how tired they were.

They wake up again around evening, the sun already standing low. Golden stripes of sunlight fall through the window into the room, painting the walls with warm colors. Rain sits up, stretching their arms with a yawn.
They force themself to stand up, stumbling across the room towards the table, grabbing the cigarettes and lighter. After quickly checking for the keys in their pocket, Rain closes the door. They find the front door of to the apartments open, brows furrowing in confusion. When Rain steps outside, a stack of boxes and two suitcases catches their eyes. Oh, right. Someone’s moving in.
Rain leans against the wall at their usual spot and lights the cigarette. Smoke fills the air, floating around their head, fading into thin air after a few seconds.
A car stops a few steps away, someone gets out. Rain hears two people talking, forcing themself to not stare into the direction as they flick off the ashes on the cig.
The sound of a car door being slammed shut makes them jump, almost choking on the smoke. Rain carefully turns their head, looking over to the boxes.

The Ghoul standing there seems busy typing on his phone, one foot resting on top of a suitcase. He’s wearing black combat boots, ripped jeans and a leather jacket, both in the same color as the shoes. A guitar case hangs over his shoulder, his tail swishing non-stop behind him.
Quintessence Ghoul, Rain thinks, recognizing the typical black spikes near the spade of the tail.
He lowers the phone, his gaze wandering over the boxes. Rain can hear his annoyed sigh. The Ghoul adjusts the guitar case on his back and Rain holds their breath without realizing.
Deep purple eyes, sharp jawline, a bright smile. Dark curls frame his face, parting around two different colored horns. One is also slightly bigger than the other, Rain notices.
They bring the cigarette to their lips, hastily looking away when he moves, picking up a box. Rain hears him going up the stairs, quickly throwing the cigarette into the ashtray, sneaking into their own apartment.
He looked cute though.
Rain smiles. Maybe this was going to be better than imagined.