knives and bruises a yuri x natsuki fanfic

Part 1

Natsuki sighed and trailed her fingers along the line of fresh, yellow bruises cupping her throat. They were ugly and they hurt, but they weren't half as bad as they had been in the past.

Before she was used to this, that is.

She huffed and stretched her neck around slowly, testing how much free room she had before the pain made her wince. Not bad, she noted, given their appearance.

Why of all days had he decided to lash out at her today? And why, dear God why, had she agreed to spend that same day with Yuri?

Well, no going back now. Life goes on, right?

She dug around in her sock drawer, praying to any deity above and below that she hadn't thrown away that scarf, one she never wore but it had been a gift so she shouldn't have chucked it...right? She wasn't going to break her promise to Yuri.

They had made plans to prepare for the festival on Monday, or more specifically tomorrow. Why wasn't she more excited for it? Sayori had been practically bouncing with excitement on Friday.

No, she knew why. Yuri.

Ah hah! Natsuki pulled out the pink fluffy scarf she'd been searching for and slung it around her neck, adjusting it to ensure it covered the bruises with plenty of wiggle room. She peered at herself in the mirror, puffing her chest out and crossing her arms over it. It matched her outfit, at least. Even if it made her look...cute.

She hated the word "cute". She hated looking cute. Hated it's associations.

But then why did she find Yuri so damn cute?

She was such a hypocrite.

Natsuki stared at herself with a sigh. She doubted she was anything to sneeze at, particularly in comparison to the girl currently on her mind. Natsuki didn't think herself unattractive, just...not beautiful. She was short, in height and hair length, and thin. Puberty had given up on her early, leaving her with a half finished body.

Actually, no. She knew exactly what had caused her limited growth and it hadn't been puberty.

Natsuki unplugged her phone from its charging port and checked the time. 9:54. Crap, she was gonna be late. She'll hate you for that. Why would she ever want to make plans with you again?

Oh, shut up.

She pocketed her phone and grabbed the sports bag she'd filled with the necessary baking supplies before trotting down the stairs, out the door and along to Yuri's.

Natsuki had only been there once before, when Sayori and Monika had encouraged her to join their movie night there. She'd nearly declined. She hadn't known Yuri well enough at the time to feel comfortable third wheeling with her while Sayori and Monika would no doubt occupy themselves. They were a cute couple, but they could be gross with their public affection.

Oh, that word again. Cute. Ugh.

Anyway, she'd ended up going and it had actually been a really great night. They'd watched a movie of their choosing each, ate popcorn, made pizza (disastrously on Sayori's end) and laughed about silly, simple things.

Heh, it may have also been the night that she realised she was utterly, completely crushing on Yuri.

But now she was back, ready and equipped for festival preparations.

It didn't take long after knocking to hear footsteps approaching the door and for it to swing open to reveal Yuri. She smiled, "Natsuki! Welcome!" The sincerity of her words made Natsuki's heart twinge.

Yuri invited her in, leading her down the hallway to the little kitchen at the rear of the house. The place smelled of...was it Jasmine? She wasn't too good at that kind of stuff, but it smelled nice and it was comforting. It seemed to be coming from an oil burner on the kitchen table and Natsuki rolled her eyes. Yuri was definitely the type for that kind of stuff.