Part 12

"Wait, you have seriously started reading it?"

"Yeah! Why would I lie?"

Yuri laughed airily, swirling her straw in gentle circles around the thick, red slush in the slender milkshake glass before her. Her delighted grin was simply contagious and Natsuki soon found herself laughing alongside her. "Why is that so surprising?!"

"Because!" Yuri shrugged loosely, "I assumed you would be too stubborn to give it a chance."

Luckily Yuri had begun to relax more into her laid-back, sweeter persona since she had admitted her feelings and they had actually been having a really great time. They had ordered their drinks not long after their conversation; she had chosen strawberry, of course, and Yuri had ordered her own alongside a portion of fries for them to share.

She had noted the price of them on her phone.

Funnily enough, Natsuki would never have pinned Yuri as a sour cherry type of girl, but when she had chose it without a second thought it just seemed like the perfect flavour for her, charming and dark.

Her arms folded tightly across her chest and she wrestled against the immense desire to stick her tongue out at her. "Hey! I'm not stubborn!" Yuri rolled her eyes playfully, a cheeky smile teasing the corners of her lips.

"Refusing to admit you are stubborn only supports my theory, sweetie." Natsuki blinked at her. Sweetie. That sounded...really nice, actually. She had always thought pet names were pretty cheesy, so why did she like that so much?

Like a scolded puppy she grumbled in defeat. "Still! I did give it a chance. It's not, y'know, that bad." Yuri hummed cheerfully, her lips closing around the straw between her fingers as she gazed across the diner table at Natsuki, batting her long eyelashes. Little ripples simmered in her chest at the sight, her stomach tightening. Why was that so fucking hot? Control yourself, Natsuki.

"Well," Yuri continued after a moment, seemingly oblivious to what she had been doing to her only seconds before. "I love that you gave it a try, at least. How far are you?"

Huffing, Natsuki took a taste of her own drink, the syrupy strawberry a pleasant contrast to the salted fries she had been picking at. "Not telling! I know you're awful at not giving spoilers away." She felt kind of dazed, in a surreal, disorienting way, all thanks to the girl sitting opposite her ignorantly. What the hell was the little witch doing?

Playing along, Yuri pretended to look hurt. Her sparkling eyes gave her away, though, as she dramatically slapped a hand to her chest with a gasp. "I would never!" Natsuki giggled, taking another sip of her milkshake.

"Oh, you would and you do!" Yuri actually pouted her lips in response, which looked pretty damn cute on her.

Ugh, wait, no. Not cute.

She shoved those thoughts aside, she hardly needed those bitter memories right now.

"Fine, I relent," Yuri said with an overly theatrical sigh. "You win. However, I am definitely bringing this up again once you have finished."

With a sharp, snappy laugh Natsuki stuck her hand across the table for Yuri to shake, which she did swiftly. "Deal!" Damn, her hands are so soft. Why'd she have to pull away?

"So, um," Yuri started once her laughter died off. "This weekend? Do you still think you will be able to visit?"

Natsuki hummed in thought, playing with her straw mindlessly in between sips. "I can try. What'dya have planned?"

Yuri stuttered her words out hesitantly, "Well, uh, nothing specific, really...But last time was incredibly fun, so..." The sudden shyness was such a contrast to the playful attitude from a minute ago. With an exaggerated roll of her eye Natsuki promptly jumped up from her current seat and traveled clumsily to the other booth to slip beside Yuri, who seemed surprised at her arrival. What's so wrong about sitting beside your girlfriend, huh?

"Well I'm sure we can think of something." Natsuki slouched back against the faux leather with a content sigh, nibbling the plastic straw mindlessly between her teeth as she lost herself in her thoughts. There were plenty of things they could do, but perhaps they should spend their free time doing something more productive than laying around all day. It was highly doubtful that papa would be so lenient with her spending more and more time outside of the house so it was best to treasure the time she had access to. Surely he would get suspicious soon, how would be even react if he found out about her and Yuri...? She felt the heat drain from her as an icy hand squeezed her heart. That didn't even warrant thinking about.

Natsuki shivered and stuttered out the first thing that came to her mind, halting her thought process from wandering too far into dangerous territory. "So, uh, can I try your shake?" With a hum Yuri pushed her glass closer to her, which she took as a valid form of invitation and so she closed her lips around the other girl's straw, taking a long sip.

It was a little less sweet than her strawberry and it almost tasted like children's cough medicine, but it was thick and fruity and she liked it. "Doesn't beat mine, but it's alright."

Natsuki's tongue darted out to catch a little of the milkshake that had splashed onto her lower lip and when she looked up again Yuri's mouth was parted slightly, her breath coming in short, fast bursts as she watched her attentively. She hastily blushed and averted her eyes once Natsuki caught her staring, taking the glass back to take a long, calming drink, her heated face hidden behind a curtain of hair. "A-Ah, yes."

Well, at least I'm not the only one feeling that way... she thought, her heart pounding as Yuri worried her lip.

Attempting to keep her voice light she spoke as she pushed her own glass closer to her girlfriend. Two could play at this game. "Try it." Yuri hesitated before returning Natsuki's gesture, taking an overly prolonged taste. Her careful eye never left Natsuki's as she did so. Thick tension confined her, dizzying her already groggy vision as the girl blinked slowly at her before she hummed softly in approval. "Y-You, uh, like it?"

Yuri mirrored Natsuki's previous actions and licked her own lip slowly, her eyes glancing to Natsuki's mouth briefly. "Y-Yes."

"Is that all you can say?" Her voice came out much weaker than she'd intended, but she doubted Yuri was listening too intently to what she was saying. Her delicate fingers were twisting strands of her long purple hair, her whole demeanor radiating with anxiety.

She was going to have to make the first move again, wasn't she?

With an impatient grumble Natsuki closed the distance between them in one swift movement and captured Yuri's lips with her own, encouraging an adorable squeak from the other girl. It only lasted a moment, but when Natsuki pulled back she found herself delightfully surprised by Yuri tugging her back again gently for another, slightly longer kiss. Her senses were aflame, her skin prickling and buzzing with excitement, and she soon realised she was smiling as they pulled apart again. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and she tasted the sickly fruitiness of their complimentary drinks.

Yuri looked a little flustered but she was smiling through it, anyway. "I have been wanting to do that since we arrived here," she admitted, her face heating adorably yet again.

"Then you should have!" She rolled her eyes playfully, turning to face Yuri properly in the booth.

"I am aware, I just...I did not want to draw attention to ourselves."

"Well, it's a little late for that, now, so..." she paused, waiting with a cheeky, expectant grin on her face. After all. she had to force Yuri to test her boundaries somehow. The other girl screwed her eyes tightly shut for a brief moment and took an uneasy breath before cradling Natsuki's face gingerly in careful hands and pressing another slow, deliberate kiss to her awaiting lips, the tension draining from her in a small sigh.

"Much better," Natsuki murmured before sitting back against the booth once more. In return Yuri offered her a pleased, coy smile that only spurred on the awful, teasing thoughts that were currently causing a rampage of chaos in her mind. Yuri would get there with her confidence eventually, though, she knew that. Time and patience were key.

Natsuki's phone buzzed suddenly against the table and she sighed inwardly as she read the little message that bobbed ironically cheerfully on the screen.

Reminder - [Head home soon]

Her stomach flipped and she felt a deep, sinking pit weighing her down. Their little date had been fun, she really wasn't prepared for it to be over so quick. "Do you have to go?" Yuri asked, her voice hushed and fragile. Natsuki nodded regretfully as she swiftly drank the remains of her milkshake, wincing abruptly as her head stung sharply. Brainfreeze, nice one. "Well, let me walk you home at least."

Natsuki slipped out of the booth, stretching her stiff limbs as she stood up straight. Yuri followed her after a moment's hesitation, shrugging her dark leather jacket on as they left the diner. The crisp Autumn breeze felt like bliss against her flushed skin, and she savored the burn at the back of her throat as she took a deep breath to calm her hammering heartbeat. "So, when will you be getting your driver's license?"

"Is walking with me not sufficient enough?" Yuri teased halfheartedly. Natsuki merely shoved her with her shoulder, which barely even faulted the other girl. "I am in the process of it, I can only imagine it will be soon."

"Just in time for Winter, let's hope." Humming wistfully, Yuri closed the short distance between them and thread her forearm through the curve of Natsuki's elbow, locking them together.

"You wanted me to be more adventurous, yes?" her voice, although kind, held a hint of untamed nerves. All of this was new and uncharted territory for the both of them, she assumed. Well, she knew Yuri had been in relationships before, but...that didn't necessarily mean she was used to these things. Natsuki placed a soothing hand on her arm, securing her in place.

"Y-Yeah, I did," she stuttered out. "Thanks."

It felt safe having her solid, reliable warmth beside her like that as they strolled at a leisurely pace side by side, and having their arms linked showed everyone surrounding them that they were a couple. It was sweet, she thought, that even though Yuri wasn't a fan of too much attention that she was willing to sacrifice her fear to walk with her like this, even with attracting the occasional stares from those around them. Natsuki viewed it more as showing her off to any wandering eyes. The public could think whatever the fuck they wanted about them. She was happy, that's what mattered.

"Natsuki?"

"Yeah?"

"When are we going to tell Monika and Sayori about us?" Natsuki nipped her lip, pondering her reply. That was a good question that she wasn't entirely sure of the answer.

"Maybe once Sayori is out of the hospital? Or at least improving."

Yuri smiled sadly. "I suppose. Although, that could be an awfully long time..."

With a mischievous grin Natsuki squeezed her arm. "Just can't wait to show me off, can you?" Her girlfriend's laugh was genuine and pretty to her ears, but there lay an underlying sadness between them. It was true, unfortunately, that Sayori could be in recovery for a long time.

She wondered how Monika was dealing with this whole situation. Perhaps she should message her later to be sure she was okay, after all she seemed to be pinning a lot of the blame for Sayori's circumstances and mental health onto herself and she must be genuinely lonely without her bubbly girlfriend to keep her spirits high as she often did. It wasn't even as if she could message or call her for company.

"Do you, um-" Yuri cleared her throat roughly before continuing, "Do you think Sayori is afraid of us judging her?"

"Probably," Natsuki said, even though she wholly wished that wasn't the truth. "Why? Do you think less of her?"

"No, not at all. I mean, I would be the world's largest hypocrite if I did" A harsh, timid laugh escaped her lips that held little humor. "I sincerely hope she is not imagining ludicrous thoughts like that. Gosh, being cooped up in that room can only be doing maddening things to her mind."

Natsuki inclined her head to the floor, guilt wrapping itself tightly around her chest and sucking the joy from her person. "She can't hide away from us for long."

Before long they reached the base of her street. Her heart plummeted painfully as Yuri pulled her arm away from hers, her comforting heat evaporating all at once. "I had fun," she said sheepishly, her eyelashes prettily fluttering.

"Yeah, me too," Natsuki admitted awkwardly before shooting her a weak grin, "Who would have guessed, you're not so bad after all!"

Yuri laughed shortly, then inhaled unsteadily before stepping forward and offering a sweet, brisk kiss to Natsuki's lips and then again to her forehead before backing off officially with a contented smile. "I will see you tomorrow, Natsuki."

"Y-Yeah, you, uh, you too." She sounded dumb, her voice frail and faltering, but she really couldn't find it in herself to care. With trembling legs and a hazy reasoning Natsuki watched for a tranquil moment as Yuri turned to leave, before making her own way along the street towards her father's apartment. Her vision was dazed and her mind muddled beyond belief; but, somehow, those usually uncomfortable sensations were morphed into something delightfully addictive, something she wanted more and more of until it utterly and totally consumed her.

Is that a good thing?

She didn't know, and quite frankly she couldn't give a damn either way.