Mark 4

 Kayama was <i>ecstatic</i> when she told her the next day at work. Elly was having her morning coffee at the Cafe before the record shop opened.

"Present Mic?! Really? I mean, I'd be happy if he was some regular Joe, but wow!"

"I was shocked myself." She sipped from her mug and shook her head. "No... I was beyond that. Am. I still think it might be a dream."

"No shit. So? What'd you do?" The other woman wiped the counter down and started refilling the sweetener station. "Deets, girl, I need the <i>deets</i>. How is he in the sack?"

Elly snorted a mouthful of coffee and swore, grabbing a handful of napkins to hold under her nose. "Ow! What the hell!" Her eyes watered and she grabbed another to dab at those as well.

"You didn't sleep with him?"

"Why would I!" Her ears were twitching and her tail fluffed out in all directions. "I'd just met him, for god's sake!"

"Hmpf."

Her friend bugged her all day, teasing her in as many ways as she possibly could from verbally calling out things like "<i>I know someone's got the hots for Present Mi-i-i-c!</i>" to changing the specials board at the Cafe to read various embarrassing things.

Elly was at her wit's end but knew she would have the final laugh.

Close to closing hours, a man walked up to the record store counter and asked about a special printing they were taking orders on. He was tall and wore his hair back in a bun, but blond hair still spilled out of the back, feathering down his neck. He pushed a pair of red glasses back up on his nose and grinned at her.

Elly would have recognized his eyes anywhere, but the true giveaway were their Marks. As he bent down over the counter they burst out from under the sleeves of the t-shirts they both wore, glowing brightly and beating perfectly in sync with the J-Pop that was playing at the time.

"You want two of these?"

He nodded. "I collect vinyl, thought I'd start shopping here from now on, hey?"

She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Hizashi."

"No problem," he said easily. "I wanna support the music <i>and</i> my girl."

Elly fought to retain control of her breathing. It was difficult but she managed to arch an eyebrow at him. "Oh, am I that already?"

"Is there any question about it?"

She couldn't really answer that.

"We can go wherever you like tonight," he suggested shyly. "I thought we could go for coffee, but I didn't know you worked right next to a coffee shop..."

"Oh, that's okay." She closed the register and made a note of the end count for the owner. "I don't drink it all day just because it's there or anything even though I love coffee. On purpose so I don't get sick of it, you know."

"Sweet." He bounced on the heels of his shiny black boots, grinning from ear to ear.

"I just have to go in the back for a second, then close off our side."

He nodded and she walked briskly into the back room.

"Oh my god, girl, your Marks! They're a-mazing!" Kayama was already there, dancing erratically in place and squealing in excitement. "<i>Tell</i> me you're gonna hit. That. Shit!"

"Ohmigod, shhh!" Elly hissed as she put some customer orders that hadn't gotten picked up yet aside. "He might hear you!"

"So what?" She asked bluntly. "I can tell you've got the hots for him already, and he's the <i>one</i>."

"Okay, I'm gonna go out there and, uh. Get to my date."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Kayama called after her with a wicked laugh.

Hizashi was waiting for her near the magazine rack where he'd been browsing the titles. "Hey," he grinned when he saw her, hastily putting the copy he was looking at back. "You ready?"

"Bad article?" Elly pointed at the publication.

He made a face, his short eyebrows drawing up to a point on his forehead. "Bad publicity." Hizashi sighed and picked the magazine back up, skimming until he found what he was reading previously. "Ngh. Here. '<i>Present Mic parties all night long at Lakeview gig</i>'".

She looked at where he was pointing and saw a lot of what the media liked to think were "pretty girls and boys" - definitely not common fans. "You're not in the picture."

"'Course I'm not," he grumbled. "I don't take pics with crowds. And I leave at the hour agreed upon every single time so there's no bullshit like <i>this</i> in the media."

Elly laid a hand on his arm. He jumped a little, then relaxed. "I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Thanks." He put it back on the rack again, then shook himself. "Ugh. Didn't want to start bitchin' at you like that. I'm sorry, too."

"It's fine. It must suck to get your life combed over like that for shits and giggles."

Hizashi snickered at the term but nodded, then shrugged. "Oh, well. You know what to expect, though. If it doesn't bother ya, it won't bother me. So. Shall we?"

"Yep!" She walked out with him, locking up along the way. As she was double checking the front door, she spotted her friend plastered up against the window on her side. Kayama was mouthing words at her, exaggerating them and waving frantically. She shook her head and shrugged. <i>What</i>?

Kayama held up a hastily scribbled note on the glass. It read:

<b>TAP THAT ASS ♡</b>

"What's she doin' back there?"

Elly chuckled nervously and slipped her arm in his when he would have turned around. "Nothing."

Hizashi grinned and squeezed her arm in a cute little sort of hug. "'Kay."