Chapter Text
Yuri has a new obsession.
she chews on the end of her pen, her leg rocking up and down, and the plastic molding around her teeth as she stares ahead of her.
at who?
Natsuki.
shes been staring at her for quite some time.
She suddenly jolts up and looks down at her blank paper.
the pen is pulled from her mouth as she puts pen to paper and starts writing.
after MC left the school since his parents moved away, Yuri's obsessive tendencies shifted to the one girl who acted like she hated her guts.
"ugh, is that your slobber on your pen? that's nasty, y'know?"
Her breath hitches before she looks up.
when the hell did she get there???
"o-oh...uhm. yea." she quickly wipes the pen off with her coat.
Natsuki scoffs before walking away.
"what's her problem..."
"my problem? you chewing on things like a dog."
Yuri jumps and looks up.
"p-please stop appearing like that...!"
Natsuki laughs at her surprisment before handing her a pen.
"here. now stop biting on the pen and use this one."
Yuri stares at the pen now patiently sitting on her desk waiting to be used as Natsuki walks away.
Did she really just do that? did she give Yuri her pen? just like that?
the pen is slowly lifted from the desk and carefully brought to her nose.
she inhales deeply.
a deep blush makes her ears almost as red as one of Natsuki's ribbons before she puts the pen down.
she knows this pen. this is Natsuki's favorite pen. the one she uses to write all of her poems with. the one she carries around in her pocket everyday. Her prized pen that she won her neighborhoods poem competition, the one she touches and holds 24/7.
....I can't let what happened with MC happen again.
"I have to treasure this..."
she carefully picks up the pen before continuing to write, savoring every stroke of her pen.
the only difference being that her leg stops rocking.
———
The day ends quickly and Monika ends the club meeting.
but, Yuri notices Monika handing the club room keys to Natsuki.
what is this??
they're too close...
the muscles in her legs flex and contract naturally as she strides over to Monkia and Natsuki.
"whats going on..?"
"none of your business, Yuri. go away." Natsuki snaps back.
"dont be like that, Natsuki. I'm handing her the keys because she wants to stay a little longer and read."
Yuri lights up at the opportunity to be near Natsuki.
"Ah....can I join you? Natsuki..."
she quickly scoffs and is about to protest, but Yuri stares at her with those hopeful eyes and she falls silent.
Monika smiles before walking out with a wave.
"I'll leave it up to you two. see you guys tomorrow."
Yuri smiles softly and waves back
"bye, Monika—"
"hey! I never said you could stay!"
"oh...well, you never said no..."
"I-...ugh. fine! whatever."
Natsuki storms off to the classrooms closet before opening it and sitting down underneath the window.
Yuri watches before following.
"...uhm."
an awkward pause floats between them and Natsuki looks up at her annoyed.
God, she's so beautiful.
"what are you reading..?"
"...you're really asking?
"I mean...yeah."
she slowly sits down beside Natsuki, feeling oddly bold, but also the intense need to get closer to her.
Natsuki looks at her like shes gone insane, hesitating to continue.
"well...I'm reading Sailor Moon."
"...can I read as well?"
Natsuki raises her eyebrow.
"are you feeling well?"
blush reddens her cheeks at that.
"huh? I-I'm fine...! why do you ask?"
"I'm asking because you're being weird."
"what do you mean weird?"
"...you actually want to sit here and read my manga? I thought you hated cute things."
"I don't hate cute things..I like a lot of cute things.
like you."
the room falls silent and they stare at each other like they both have gone mute.
then, Yuri—fully processing what she just said— quickly stands up before running off, her face lit up like a red stop light.
Natsuki watches, frozen with shock and she sighs heavily before resting her head in her hands.
"damn...idiot."
———
Natsuki stares at the clubroom door, quietly listening for the sound of footsteps.
when the hell is that girl going to come back? Natsuki's real worried...she's been acting off all day. she even watched her sniff her pen. but thats not the weirdest thing she's done.
that award goes to what just happened.
why the hell did she have to go and say that she was cute!? aside from the fact that she hates being called cute, now she can't calm down! her hands feel fidgety, like she needs to move and she can feel the heat in her cheeks.
she buries her head in her hands and groans, but just as she does—she hears the door slide open.
"I-I'm sorry for that, Natsuki...I know you don't like being called cute.."
she looks at her.
her awkward stance, the evidence of blush still present on her cheeks, and her messy hair. she was clearly beating herself up while she was gone.
she smiles slightly before patting the spot next to her.
"come on. I want to keep reading."
Yuri looks surprised and she can see the confusion on her face.
she's kind of adorable.
hesitantly, she walks over and sits down beside Natsuki.
Yuri leans in slightly, her shoulder barely brushing against Natsuki's.
"uh...so. how are we going to read...?"
"like this, duh."
Natsuki presses her shoulder against Yuri's as she puts the book between them.
"lean in closer. you're too freakishly tall to lean back like that."
"ah...sorry."
Yuri leans in and her chin rests on Natsuki's shoulder as they hold each side of the book while Yuri flips the pages.
"this is kind of funny..y'know?"
Natsuki's gaze shifts to Yuri's
"how so?"
"I did something like this with MC before..."
that remark makes a painful and almost disgusting feeling apear in her chest.
"hmph. well, i
I'm not him. so don't compare the time we spend together to the time you spent with him."
"oh...s-sorry about that."
suddenly an irritation appears.
"dont apologize, you idiot! whatever. It's not like I want this moment to be special or anything."
she mutters bitterly before looking away.
after a long moment of silence, Natsuki hears a small giggle.
she tenses and looks at Yuri, who's covering her mouth with her hand.
"you're really something, Natsuki..."
what does that even mean?
"...whatever!"
she looks back at the book and quickly flips the page.
she realizes; that horrible feeling had disappeared, replaced with a faint blush on her face.
they quietly flip the pages, slowly moving closer as the moment becomes more relaxed.
the sun slowly sets and the hue of reds and oranges fills the room. time for the both of them was almost up...
"Natsuki...do you...have the second book to this?"
"huh? yeah...why?"
"I know you can't take it home...but I want to keep reading this with you. so, do you want to stay over..?"
her heart skips a beat and her eyes widen only a fraction.
"really? like, you're being serious."
Yuri nods and excitement fills Natsuki's body. but, of course she can't show it.
"well, whatever. I guess I could come to your house."
Anything to avoid going home.
Yuri grins and surprisingly hugs Natsuki tightly.
"ugh, get off of me you dumbass!"
she grumbles before pulling away and grabbing her manga.
"oh...I'm sorry."
why does she keep apologizing to me? I'm not angry at her. in reality, its more the opposite.
"tch...idiot..let's just go."
Yuri gets up and after Natsuki locks the club room door they walk to Yuri's house.