One Cupcake Can Go a Long Way~ A Natsuki x Yuri Fanfiction

Brand New~

Natsuki grunted as she picked up a small but still heavy stack of cardboard boxes. These were all of her belongings that she kept in her room. Now, she just had to get them to Monika's house. As quickly as she could, Natsuki carried the boxes down to the living room, where the other girls were waiting.

"There you are!" cried Sayori, while Yuri just smiled.

Natsuki, exhaling, dumped the boxes down on the sofa. They spilled across the soft, springy cushions, but the contents of the boxes remained inside, to Natsuki's relief. She directed each girl to pick up a box, starting to get a sense of what Monika must feel like as the club leader. This is kind of nice. Everybody listens to me.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," said Monika, and everybody followed her to the front door. Monika, Sayori, and Yuri hopped down onto the porch, but Natsuki felt herself freeze in the doorway. Slowly, she turned around.

"This is my last time," she whispered to herself. Her eyes searched her house, inspecting every nook and cranny. I remember . . . one time, Papa let me watch TV with him . . . and once, we had a cupcake eating contest . . .

Natsuki shook her head. Those days were in the past. Her father was a different man now.

Natsuki felt several pairs of arms wrap around her, and she turned to see that the three girls were hugging her. For a moment, she let them, but then she pushed them away. "Guys," she said forcefully, trying not to let her voice crack. "Stop. I don't need . . . that. I'm fine." She paused. "Okay?"

The girls all exchanged a glance, not buying it. Natsuki just sighed and started walking. "Are we going to Monika's or not?"

She continued walking. Eventually, she heard the other girls' footsteps hesitantly join hers. Natsuki realized that she didn't know exactly where Monika's house was despite having passed it on her first date with Yuri and, cheeks red, paused to let them pass her, then trailed along in the back. She couldn't help but take another glance over her shoulder to see her old house for the final time before it melted into the horizon like chocolate left out in the sun and disappeared from her view.

The walk lasted about ten minutes, and the sun was still shining intensely by the time they reached Monika's house. Once they got there, Natsuki examined the house. It seemed nice enough, and bigger than it needed to be for only two people, but wasn't that more positive than negative? She blew out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in and turned to look at the other girls. Yuri and Sayori both stood there uncertainly, but Monika waved them all into the house. When they got up to the front porch, she fished a key out of the pocket of her blazer (nobody had changed out of their school uniforms yet) and gently opened the door.

It seemed like an average house. The living room had a sofa and two armchairs with a large TV displayed at the front. Off to the side, Natsuki could see a kitchen and a bathroom, and there were some stairs leading to the second story. Natsuki turned to Monika. "So, where should I put my stuff?"

"Oh, I'll show you your new bedroom," Monika said pleasantly, and she stepped lightly up the stairs. Natsuki followed her, Yuri and Sayori right behind her. When they got to the second story, there was a long hallway with several different doorways. Monika gestured Natsuki to a room on the far left, and Natsuki hurried in.

It was a plain bedroom, with nothing but a twin bed, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. The walls were a simple, creamy white, and the floor was a light beige carpet. Natsuki dropped her box on the bed, and the other girls followed suit.

"I'm sorry it's so plain," Monika aoplogized. "I've never had any use for this room. I could help you go out this weekend and buy some paint and furniture and stuff."

"Yeah, sure," Natsuki said, then grudgingly added, "Thanks." There was a short moment of silence as all the girls just stood there.

"Well, we should probably leave you to get settled in," Yuri said reluctantly.

Natsuki shrugged. "I guess," she said. "Hey . . . guys?"

They all looked at her, and Natsuki wondered how she'd gotten so lucky with such friends. Before the Literature Club, I didn't have anyone like this. If only all of them knew how much they meant to me . . . It's just so hard to be all mushy . . .

"Thanks. All of you." she finally said, ducking her head. She felt her cheeks turn red, embarrassed that she had relied on them all so much. They had their own lives--why had they decided to drop everything and help her? Especially Monika. After all, this is her house.

Once again, Natsuki felt herself being the center of a group hug. Somebody squeezed her especially tight, and Natsuki looked in that direction to see that it was Yuri. They shared a smile.

They all broke apart, and Natsuki quickly wiped away a tear. "Well, I'll see you all tomorrow," she concluded, smiling weakly.

"See ya!" Sayori chirped.

"Bye," Yuri said. With a final wave, they both exited out the door and were gone.

Monika stood there awkwardly for a moment, then said, "I should probably give you the grand tour, don't you think?"

"Oh. Yes," Natsuki agreed. She left her unopened boxes on the bed and followed Monika as they slipped into the hallway.

"This is the upstairs bathroom," Monika said, gesturing towards an open door with a toilet, sink, and small shower inside. "Then, there's my room."

This continued until Monika had shown Natsuki every single bathroom, bedroom, and closet in the house. Natsuki had silently been keeping track of the rooms in her head, and the total was 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4 closets, 1 laundry room, 1 living room, 1 dining room, and 1 kitchen. Natsuki was in awe at the fact that 18-year-old Monika already had such a nice house--how had she gotten so much money? However, for some reason Natsuki felt uncomfortable when she thought of asking, so she didn't.

It turned out that she didn't need to. "You might be wondering how I have a house," Monika said wisely.

Natsuki started to shake her head, but her curiosity overtook her, so she nodded.

"My parents died in a car crash a while ago. They had a will--it said that they gave the rest of their money to me. All of it. And, well, let's just say that they definitely weren't poor." She paused, looking at the ceiling as if hoping it would give her some sort of message. "I lived with my aunt after that. She was nice enough--didn't have any children of her own. But once I turned 17, I started to think, why not get my own house? My aunt agreed with me." She looked back at Natsuki. "So here I am now."

Natsuki blinked. "Huh. That's . . . huh."

Monika shrugged. "Not normal. I know. Anyway, now that we're done with the tour, you can do whatever you like. I'll be in my room if you need me, I have a horrific amount of homework." And with that, she disappeared into her room swiftly.

Natsuki looked around the house, wondering what she should do. She already had all her homework done--not because she liked it, but because there hadn't been much for her to do yesterday, as she hadn't had any plans with Yuri or the other girls. So, she went up to her room to start unpacking her belongings.

Two of the boxes were filled to the brim with clothing, and she easily got that stacked and folded in her wardrobe in no time. After that, she took out a small stack of manga and a few random knick-knacks and other sentimental items. As she didn't have much furniture, she ended up putting her stack of manga in the corner of her room and randomly scattering the other items on her nightstand and across the top of her wardrobe.

While she was putting away her stuff, Natsuki came across a photo of her and Yuri together that they'd taken at the park. It showed them both leaning in to each other on their picnic blanket, Yuri smiling with her eyes closed and Natsuki bursting into laughter. Natsuki took a moment to admire it, then took a piece of her decorative tape with pink hearts on it and taped it right above her bed.

Perfect.

In a house where everything is brand new . . . I'll have one thing that's both familiar and happy.