Natsuki and Yuri Take the Bus Home

"Okay everyone! I think that about wraps it up. I officially call this meeting of the literature club - over!" Monika says, clasping her hands cheerily. A silence echoes across the room as everyone gets up and stuffs their things into their bags. Sayori and Anon start planning their after-club plans to each other, and Yuri and Natsuki are already racing out of the two exits in solitude.
"Ah, wait you two! Remember to have a poem for tomorrow! And the prompt is-"
"Family. We know." Natsuki grumbles before sliding her door shut.

Monika sighs and puts her hands on her hips. "Seriously, what was her problem today?" she says to thin air. Yuri looks back
at the troubled president before sliding the door shut, and spots in the hallway Natsuki storming off the other way. She takes a deep breath to steel her nerve. Now or never.
"H-Hey, Natsuki! Hold on for a moment!" She calls out and Natsuki turns back towards her her face already annoyed.
"Yeah?"
"So...it seems to have come to my attention that we both take the same bus home."
"And?"
"W-Well..would you be interested in accompanying me?"
Silence.
"T-To the bus stop at least?" A crookedly shy smile crops up on Yuri's face
Natsuki sighs, and continues walking. "I guess I can't stop you."
"Ah, okay! Cool!" The last word felt so wrong in Yuri's mouth, but Natsuki's cold disposition threw her off. Like if she continued to talk in her normal fashion, she would only get more and more angrier. But for the most part that wasn't a problem. Natsuki, who had no inclination to talk, Yuri, who couldn't find the words, they walked in silence through the halls filled with the handful of students who are also leaving from their clubs.
They exited the front doors and from the steps, could see their bus taking in the last of it's riders. Natsuki curses, and sprints for the bus. Yuri stutters a step, and tries to keep with Natsuki as she clears the last four steps of the stairs in one jump. The bus closes it's door and speeds the second Natsuki reaches it's back. She smacks the rear view window in a futile attempt to alert the driver, but she trips and tumbles onto the concrete. Her outburst as pain shoots through her causes Yuri to run faster. She crouches down beside the fallen club member and asks if she's alright.
"What do you fucking think, boobbrain!?" She grimaces in pain, and clutches her knee.
"Let me see,"
"I don't need your help!"
"Natsuki, let me see!" She never raised her voice like that. The antiquity of the volume caused Natsuki to oblige. She reveals the wound to the lavender haired nurse.
"...Just looks like scrape, ever so minuscule. The most you'll have to fear is feeling sore tomorrow." She brings her backpack around and pulls out her first-aid kid. "Let me patch it up."
She starts dressing the wound, making her wince for a second and then bandaging it. "You're pretty good at this, Yuri."
"Oh, uhm, thank you."
"Like you've done this a lot."
"Y-yeah well, my Dad lacks any sort of grace with a kitchen knife." Yuri says, laughing awkwardly.
"Mhm."
All fixed up, Yuri helps Natsuki up and politely asks the people on the bus stop bench to let her sit.
Natsuki plops down, growling "Great, now I gotta wait for the next goddamn bus."
"I'm sorry...I'm aware you wished to spend the least amount of time possible with me..."
"What?" Sighing, rolling her eyes, she says "No, Yuri, I had to leave early to make dinner. Fuck, now my Dad's gonna kill me..."
Natsuki crosses her arms and Yuri could tell if there wasn't other students around she'd be punching something right now. Yet, she looked at her, unsure of what to do, or what to say. A hand on her shoulder? Tussling her head? I'm sure everything will be...okay? Natsuki?

Yuri stutters, before retreating to silence, and clutching her arm with the other. What good was a developed vocabulary when you couldn't use it?
After a good minute of cursing under her breath, Natsuki looks up and around. She spots what she was looking for, and her stomach grumbles, so she gets up.
"Natsuki, you should rest, so uh why are you getting up?!"
"I'm gonna go get some thing from the vending machine."
"Stay seated! I'll go get it for you."
"Fine, whatever." She pulls out her wallet and fumbles around. Something thin and rectangular falls out while she rummages but she doesn't notice. Yuri picks it up and her face lights up seeing it's contents. Natsuki looks up, and her face goes green seeing what she's holding. She snatches it back with a snarl and swiftly pulls out the only bill in the wallet
"J-Just get me whatever this can get you! Scram!"
The bite in her words makes Yuri flee away, and she stands at the machine. Everything in there cost two or three dollars.
She only gave her one.
Hoping she doesn't notice, she pulls out her own wallet and supplies the remainder, choosing a bag of chips.
She comes back, and presents it to her. She groans. "Lays? How boring can you get?"
"Sorry..."
"No, it's fine. I'm so hungry I don't-" She doesn't finish her sentence, as she's already chowing down.
She finishes the last chip, and peers inside the bag to see if there's any major crumbs left. Not finding any, she shyly asks Yuri to throw away the bag for her. With both of them seated on the bench, they wait for the bus in silence. How long has it been?
"Say, Natsuki, that picture you have in your wallet is nice."
"..Oh yeah? It's one of the few I have of my entire family."
"It truly is! Your Mom and Dad are all joyous and festive, but there you are with your arms crossed up and scoffing at the camera, that's just like you." Yuri covers her face as she giggles
"Well, glad you got a kick out of it." Natsuki replies, peering down the road if the bus is coming soon.
"May I ask why weren't you smiling though? Did something happen?"
"Not really. I just don't like smiling for pictures. It's so fake, why smile if you're not actually happy?"
"Then..why weren't you happy?"
"...I don't know. This was from a while back."
"Ah, I see. You did look young in it."
"Yeah, maybe about 8 or 9."
"And, your parents looked so pretty in it. Especially your mom, though I'm surprised you don't have her hair colour."
"That, I got from my dad."
The conversation dies off, and Natsuki pulls out the picture in question. It was just as Yuri said. A picture that reminded Natsuki how happy her parents could look. But God, why did she look like a piss ant in this picture? What was this little shit thinking? Why didn't she just smile for her parents? The one thing she could've done for them that day, and she didn't. And how could she possibly be angry when she was ther-?
She strokes the picture fondly, and hasilty rubs away the tears.
"Hey, Yuri!" She looks towards the high-schooler tightly gripping the tear stained photo, waiting for her to continue
"Because you helped me today, I'm going to be gracious and share with you some wisdom I've learned. So write it down, I won't repeat myself!"
Yuri grins, and pulls out her poem book, ready to write.
"If you're gonna to take a picture, make sure you smile. Because if someone wants to take a picture, that someone must feel some sort of happiness, right? They wanna remember that moment fondly, so suck it up and smile, for them. If you don't...you'll regret it. You got that?!"
"...Yeah. It's all written down." She presents her book as proof.
"Good."
Finally, the bus arrives. 5 minutes late, no less. They get in, and by the stroke of luck find two seats for themselves. The bus hums and they're on their way. Yuri brings her finger to her lips in thought, and pulls out her phone. She fumbles, trying to find the camera feature, and figures it out.
"Hey, Natsuki, s-say cheese!"
"W-What!? Why are you trying to take a picture of us?!"
"Oh I thought it would, uh, be fun to do it?"
"What the hell? Oh fuck, fine. If I don't you'll just get all mopey."
"Heehee, okay. 3,2,1, cheese! Hey, you didn't smile!"
"Did I have to?"
"Yeah! What was that 'gracious wisdom' you told me just a few minutes ago?" Yuri sneers
"...Fine. Witch." Natsuki bares her teeth, showing off how white and clean her teeth were
Yuri laughs and takes another picture and they look at the results. Even Natsuki ends up laughing at the absurdity of her face, and comments on how Yuri blinked.
"Oh no, we have to redo it again!"
"Hahaha, no way, jose! You got a picture of me smiling, that's worth millions! As valuable as a picture of the Loch Ness monster! So you're going to have to deal looking at your mistake forever."
Yuri sulks at the comment, and Natsuki sighs.
"Well you still look pretty in it so...j-just make sure to send a copy to me too, okay?"
"Uhm, how do I..?"
"Oh my god, you're hopeless. Here..."
The sun drifted out of view as Natsuki taught Yuri, her troubles melting in the twilight.