Natsuki Moves In! (WIP)

>On a lazy sunday morning, you were sitting in your room, playing games on your couch.
>You hear a loud, excited rapping on your door
>"Anon, honey, open up open up!"
>You huff and pause your game, dropping the controller on your coffee table as you reach for the door
>you barely even have enough time to turn the handle before your mother bursts through the door, her eyes sparkling.
>"Anon Anon, guess what, guess what, you'll never guess!"
>You plant your hands into your pockets and lean back, resting on the door frame.
>"Let me guess, you're going on vacation."
>"Nooope!"
>You place your right hand to your chin, and scratch it, acting as deep in thought as you can
>"Youuuu've bought me a car?"
>"You're bad at this, you know."
>You shrug, placing your hand back into your pocket and standing to face your mother.
>"I give up, what is it?"
>"Wellll....." As your mom leads into the conversation, she steps out of frame, and you notice a tall, dark haired man wearing a full business suit smiles at you.
>"I'm getting married!"
>You stumble, your hands ripping through the air out of your pockets to balance yourself.
>"M-Married!? When did this happen? How come I wasn't made aware before?"
>"Well, it happened kind of quickly, I was planning on telling you, e-eventually..." your mom looks away, her face showing a combination of guilt and absolute bliss.
>At once, she snaps back to attention, and looks to her fiance and back to you. "Oh, that's right, you're going to be sharing your room, since we don't have enough bedrooms. Sweetie, could you call her out here?"
>"Wait, they're moving in?!" Before you can ask anymore questions, the man roars his deep voice across the house, looking towards the wall concealing the living room.
>"Natsuki! Come out here!"
>You look over to the corner as a small frame, in the shape of a small girl, peers out from the living room.
>"Do I have to?..." Natsuki looks toward you with her face flushed, her eyes darting between you and her father.
>"Yes, come on already!" Her dad barks at her, his smile fading for just a second before looking to you, and flashing his diamond-white teeth to you again.
>Natsuki shuffles forward, stepping in front of your mom and looking up to you.
>"Hi, my name's Natsuki, it's nice to meet you..." She bows her head, and for a second you could have sworn you saw her father's toothy grin turn into a smirk.
>You shrug once more, and place your hands into the central pocket of the old sweatshirt you were wearing.
>"Well, it's nice to meet you too, or something like that. You can drop your stuff off over there."
>Your mom slaps your arm. "Anon! Help her unpack!"
>You look to your arm, then to your mom, looking at her with mock-disdain as you rub her arm, your brow furrowed down to your nose and your lips pursed out much farther than they should be.
>You lead Natsuki into your room, and point to your bed. "You can drop your stuff off there, it'll be easier to unpack that way."
>Natsuki silently nods and moves past you, placing her bags where you told.
>You shut the door, locking it without a second thought. The sound sends a shiver up Natsuki's spine as she whips her head around to you.
>"...what?" You stare at her dumbfounded, then look to the door.
>"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you. Why are you so nervous?"
>"W-Well, I-" Natsuki stops herself, her arms moving to her chest as she looks at you embarrassed.
>"D-Don't worry about it. What's your name, by the way?"
>"The name's Anon. You're Natsuki, you said?"
>"Woah, that's the Parfait Girls game!" Natsuki looks over to the TV, showing the game you had paused.
>"You like Parfait Girls?" You ask her as she inches closer to the TV.
>She stops in her tracks, and looks over to you, a smug grin masking the blood flushing into her cheeks
>"Wha-no! Hah, what, you think I'm some Otaku NEET that likes reading manga? Hah, what do you take me for?"
>You smirk, already getting a feel for your new roommate. "Tsundere, huh?"
>Natsuki's smirk turns to a stunned shock. "I'm not a Tsundere!"
>"Oh?" You muse, letting the word trail off your tongue. "But, if you know what a tsundere is, then you must read a lot of manga."
>Natsuki's arms go to her sides. "W-what are you implying?!"
>"I think you're more of an Otaku then you let-" Natsuki rushes over to you and clasps her hands over your mouth.
>you look to her confused, and she looks up to with a worried glance.
>She brings her voice down to a whisper, and you lean forward to hear. "Okay okay, I'm an Otaku, just, try to keep your voice down."
>you move her hand from your mouth. "Why?"
>"Well, my dad-"
>Natsuki's eyes widen, and her hand moves from hers back to her chest.
>"A-ah, don't worry about it."
>You look at her, and she looks at you in confusion. "W-what, is there something on my face?"
>"...Nah, it's nothing." "Well, the game is two-player, wanna play?"
>"R-really? You'll let me play?" Natsuki stares at you in disbelief, and you see a flash of hope flicker in her eyes.
>"Yeah, why not?" You smile, and hand her the controller you were holding in your hand.
>She looks down at the controller and snatches it, jumping past you and onto the couch.
>"Jeez, it's like you've never played a game before..."
>The two of you start up a new save file, both of you picking your favorite Parfait Girl.
>You point out the different controls and secrets to Natsuki, and she starts keeping up with you, the game evolving into a heated rivalry.
>"Hey, about earlier..." Natsuki continues playing the game, and you look over to her.
>"Yeah, what's up?"
>Natsuki says nothing for a time, continuing to play the game, her eyes focused on the mission at hand.
>"...Thanks, for earlier, and for this, too."
>"What do you mean?" You pause the game, and lean back on the couch.
>"Well..." Natsuki looks away from you, gazing at the old dirty carpet.
>"Hey, you alright?" You peer over, getting a better look at her face.
>"Ah, y-yeah!" She turns to you, and her nose brushes up against yours.
>Her face flushes red, and she scrambles away.
>"A-Anon! What were you, you, you idiot!"
>You hear three heavy knocks on your door, the slow rapping of a large fist. "Natsuki, it's your father. I'm heading to the store to get something to eat, do you wanna come and pick something out?"
>Natsuki looks to the door, then looks to the controller, then to you, her eyes begging for an escape.
>Your quick thinking spurs to life, your mouth moving as soon as your brain comes up with an excuse.
>"Natsuki and I were planning on going out to eat a bit later to get to know each other a bit better Sir."
>Silence. The wind grew frigid as the afternoon sunset peered through your open window.
>After a minute, Natsuki's father sighs. "Alright, you kids have fun, then."
>Footsteps can be heard walking away from Anon's small corner of the abode, and Natsuki sighs in relief.
>You look over to her. "A- I mean, my dad's not a bad guy, I j-just wanted to spend more time with y-"
>Natsuki's hands clasp over her mouth. She turns away from you once more, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed.
>You smile and place a hand on her back, letting loose a small chuckle. "I get it."
>Natsuki looks up to you, her face weary from the barrage of emotions she'd gone through, yet still showing a frustrated pout.
>"Now come on, let's go get something to eat." You pat her on the back and she hops off the couch.
>You and her walk out of the room, closing and locking the door behind you with the key you keep on your chain.
>Natsuki looks at your keyring, watching the keys slip in and out of the door handle.
>"You have your own lock and key on your door?"
>"Yeah. I started paying rent to live here, so I made the room into my own personal living space. I can use it however I please, though it gets a bit cramped at times."
>You lead Natsuki outside, pulling the door open and motioning her outside. "Mom, we'll be out for a bit, grabbing a bite."
>Your mom calls back to you on your way out: "Okay dear, be safe!"
>The two of you walk out of your house and down the street, getting to the main road.
>The sun has set, and the skies are starting their purple-pink routine of changing into the night
>As such, the city is alight with bright lights, and whirring cars, the height of suburbia.
>Natsuki looks around wide-eyed, spinning around to see everything she can
>"Wow..."
>"Never been out at night?" You nudge her arm, and she looks back to you.
>"Papa never let me come out much, he always had me in the house..." Natsuki trails off, a pained expression washing over her face.
>"Natsuki?" You call to her, and she snaps back to reality
>"Oh! Sorry."
>"Anyway, what would you like to eat?"
>"Oh! I'm not sure, Papa and I always usually go to mega-mart down the street from our old house."
>You smile, and cross the street with her, looking both ways before you make your way over.
>You stop in front of the Dunkin Donuts closest to your house, for some reason open 24/7.
>"This place saved me many a time during my high school days."
>"Wait, you're not in high-school anymore?"
>Anon shakes his head. "Just graduated this summer."
>"Wait, how old are you?!" Natsuki looks up at you, flabbergasted.
>"18, you?"
>Natsuki looks away, mumbling. "F-fourteen..."
>You smirk and push her shoulder. "I'm your Onii-chan, Natsuki~"
>"S-Shut up, we're in public!" Natsuki's face turns beet red.
>You burst out laughing, and after a second, Natsuki joins in.
>You two continue to laugh, trying to stifle your giggles as you walk into the doughnut shop.
>"Hey guys, I'll do a uh..." You look over to Natsuki, who's eyeing the row of pastries behind the barista.
>"Hey, Natsuki. You can handle your sugar, right?"
>The pink haired girl looks up at you, her face flustered. "O-Of course I can!"
>"Good. I'll Do a sausage egg and cheese for me, and a bacon egg and cheese for the girl."
>Anon continues to order their food, while Natsuki watches the baristas in the back make all sorts of fruity and coffee-flavored drinks in the back.
>One of the colorful, frozen treats makes it's way past you and Natsuki, and Natsuki yanks at the cuff of your sweatshirt.
>"Anon Anon, what's that?" You look over to where she's looking, and see the radiant blue drink go through the workers' hands and out the drive-in window.
>You smile at her, then look back to the waitress. "A Blue raspberry Coolatta, and a chocolate doughnut for her too."
>As the waitress nods, Natsuki yanks on your sleeve again. "What?"
>"You didn't have to do that! I just wanted to know what it was..."
>"Well, now you'll know by taste. It's called a Coolatta, it's pretty good."
>You hand the woman the money, and a couple of minutes later you two get your food.
>"Wanna take this home? It's getting pretty late, I need to start getting ready for bed, gotta get up early for work."
>"Oh, sure." Natsuki grabs her bag and starts heading out the door, with you following closely behind.
>Eventually, the two of you make it back home, and step into the house.
>You look around after opening the door to find all the lights off.
>"Is everyone already asleep?" Natsuki looks around, her pink eyes twinkling in the darkness.
>"Yeah, Mom goes to bed early. She's a nurse, so she has to be at the hospital stupid early."
>"Oh, no kidding." Natsuki grips her shirt as she walks behind you, the two of you reaching your room.
>You unlock your door and walk into the small living space, trampling and tiptoeing over assorted wires and clambering over to the central area.
>"Sorry about the mess, I'll have this cleaned up tomorrow while you're at school."
>"How'd you know I go to school?!" Natsuki looks over to you, and you stare back.
>"Oh, right, ehehe... So, am I sleeping on the couch?"
>You look over to the couch, it's fabric tearing at the seams, leaking a yellow mattress foam of unknown composition.
>"Oh jeez... I forgot how old this thing was."
>"It's alright! I've slept in worse, trust me." Natsuki grabs her blanket and pillow out of her suitcase, and begins to lay them down on the blanket.
>"What are you doing?" You stare at her, watching her get comfy as the foam scratches against her leg.
>"I'm getting a feel for the couch, duh."
>You look at her, watching her shift around underneath her blanket to find the perfect spot to lay in, when your brain snaps back into focus.
>"Oh yeah! Natsuki, hop off for a second."
>Natsuki does as told, moving away from the couch as you move near it.
>You toss the cushions into the closet behind it, and grip the inside, yanking it out and pulling it forward.
>"Hey, are you strong enough to move that coffee table?"
>Natsuki rushes over, and lifts the coffee table with all her might.
>Unfortunately, all her might amounted to nothing as the table wouldn't budge.
>You put the bed frame back away, and move to the coffee table, sliding it out of the way and into the corner of the room.
>You move back to the bed frame, lifting it up and pulling it out over the now empty floor.
>Natsuki stares in awe as an entire mattress has suddenly sprung before her eyes, landing on the ground.
>"Woah..."
>"Impressed?" You tease, a quaint smirk forming on your lips.
>"N-no! I just... remembered, I have to pee!"
>Natsuki rushes out of the room and into the dark hallway.
>A few seconds later, her head pokes through the door. "Anon..."
>You fold your arms and give her a half-confused, half-teasing smirk.
>"Afraid of the dark?"
>"N-No! I just-"
>You walk over to Natsuki, dwarfing her hand in yours. "I'll walk you to the bathroom, if you want."
>Natsuki looks to the floor and nods. Her fingers weave in between yours, and she starts to walk towards the bathroom.
>Once she gets there, she turns on the light and shuts the door.
>you decide to sit down on the wood floor leading out to the hallway, when a heavenly aura burns your retinas above you.
>"Anon, sweetie, is that you?"
>Once your eyes readjust to the new light, you look up to see your mom glancing down at you, wrapped in a light blue bath robe.
>"Oh, hey Mom."
>"Waiting your turn dear?" Your mom sits down next to you.
>"Nah, just waiting for Natsuki to pop out. She asked me to walk her to the restroom."
>"Oh you have been such a good boy lately!" Your mom grabs your shoulder and jostles you around.
>"I'm so glad you two are getting along. I heard she doesn't have any friends going into high-school, and she always got picked on. Her father was telling me all about the bruises he'd find on her when she'd come home."
>You sit and ponder the situation, thinking about how hesitant she was to open up to you. You look to the roof, the empty light bulb just barely visible in the growing dark.
>"Bullies, huh..."
>After some time, Natsuki comes out, dressed in pink bunny pajamas, and her clothes in a bundle under her arm.
>"Oh, hey Mom. Ready to go, Anon?" Your mom blushes at Natsuki calling her her mother.
>"Yeah, I'm all set. Good night, Mom."
>"Good night dearies!" your mother steps into the bathroom behind Natsuki, and you two walk back to your room.
>Natsuki climbs into her new bed, and you lean down, sitting on the floor next to her.
>Natsuki looks to you, pulling the sheet to her waist. "I had fun today."
>"I'm glad, good to meet you. I guess I'm your older brother now, even if I'm not blood-related."
>Natsuki looks down. "Yeah..."
>"Well good night Natsuki." You get up to move, but Natsuki jumps toward you, wrapping her arms around your neck in a tight embrace.
>"Thanks for today." She closes her eyes and smiles, and you gently place your arms around her.
>"No problem Natsuki. You can come to me for anything, okay?"
>You chuckle a bit, and pat her back. "Your Onii-chan is going to protect you, got that?"
>Natsuki mumbles in your ear, her breathing starts to slow. "Mmmkay...Onii-chan..."
>She slumps into your arms, her own going slack around your shoulders.
>You lay her down onto the futon, placing her on top of her pillow, and pulling her blanket up to her chin.
>"Good night, Natsuki." You tiptoe off the ground and over to the coffee table, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV.
>You tread over to your bed, making sure not to wake the girl, and climb inside, closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep.
>The sound of your alarm buzzing through the room drives nails into your ears once again
>You awaken to the familiar sound and slam your hand down on the rusty alarm clock.
>Groaning as you sit up, you stretch in your bed, careful not to cramp your calves.
>You hop off of the bed, and move next to the coffee table.
>"Natsuki, Natsuki wake up."
>"Nooooo"
>"Natsuki come on, it's your first day of high-school, you gotta go."
>"Nnnnnn..." Natsuki rolls over to you, and opens her eyes to a squint. "Anon...?"
>You chuckle a bit. "Yeah, it's me. How you doin' this morning shortstop?"
>Natsuki shambles up in front of you, her eyes still not fully open.
>She raises a fist and taps your shoulder. "I'm not that short..."
>She plops down back into her seat on the foot of her bed.
>You pat her shoulder, shaking her just a bit, causing her to groan.
>"Come on Natsuki. If you don't go to school I won't let you play my Parfait Girls game today."
>"But Anooooooon" Natsuki whines and buries her face into your chest. "I'm really tired..."
>You wrap your arms around her, patting her back. "I know you are. Will you please get up, for me?"
>Natsuki whines, her muffled groans buzzing the center of your chest. "Fiiiiine."
>Natsuki stands up and removes her face from you. "Can you step out for a minute? I have to get changed into my school uniform."
>"Ah, alright." You grab your keys and step out, locking the door behind you.
>When you step outside, you notice Natsuki's father hanging out on the wall near the highway.
>"Hey there, sport." Natsuki's dad flashes you his toothy grin.
>Up close, you start to notice just how practiced it is, the smile perfectly showing just enough of his well-kept teeth.
>A shudder clawed up your back the more you looked at him, but you resist the urge to show it to him.
>"What were you doing hanging around my room?" You move your gaze to his eyes.
>His piercing blue eyes slice into your retinas, your brain screaming at an unknown predator in sight
>He fixes his tie, resetting his posture to that of a proud working man: tall and powerful.
>"I just wanted to see my daughter on her first day of school, is there anything wrong with that?"
>Natsuki's father's smile wavers for just a second, a twitch zipping across his upper lip.
>"No, that's fine, just..." You take a deep breath. "Scared me for a second there. Not used to having another male in the house, sorry."
>He laughs, a boisterous laugh that fills the hallway in a deep roar. "That's quite alright. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be seeing my daughter now."
>You block his path. "She's getting changed right now, she'll come out in a second."
>"I'm sure it'll be fine, I've been taking care of her ever since she's been a baby, I've seen her naked before."
>Her father tries to move past, but you step right back in front of him.
>"That's a bit of a breach of privacy, don't you think? That's also my living space, and I don't think I feel comfortable letting you in my private space just yet."
>Her father's smile wavers once more, and he laughs again. "Alright champ, sorry for bothering you two."
>you place your hands in your pockets, and stand tall. "Listen, I don't know what's going on between you and her, but she seems like she doesn't exactly enjoy your company. Maybe you should talk to her instead of forcing your way in there."
>Her father's smile finally drops and morphs into a scowl. He stares at you, a cold death creeping from his aura.
>"Hmph." Her father walks away, into the other side of the house, meeting your mom in the kitchen and putting his hands on her waist.
>You knock on your door. "Hey Natsuki, it's me, can I come in?"
>"Yeah, it's okay to come in now."
>You unlock the door and step inside, where you see Natsuki fiddling with her hair in front of your mirror, her back turned to you.
>"Anon, come here for a second, I need your help with something."
>"Eh? What do you want?"
>"Just get over here, my hair clip won't stay up."
>Natsuki turns to you, and holds her hands out. in her palm is the familiar red hair clip that rests on her bangs.
>"Can you put this in for me?"
>You take the hair clip from her hands, and move closer to her.
>"It goes in the bangs right here, right?"
>"Yeah, just slide it on, it usually stays, I don't know why it won't today."
>You slip her hairpiece on, guiding the tuft of hair through her bangs.
>"There we go, all better?"
>"Eh. You did okay for your first time, I guess." Natsuki shoots you a smug grin.
>You look up and down the girl's figure, eyeing her uniform.
>"Here, hang on a second..." You pull her jacket enough to pop out her collar, then fold it properly.
>"There you go, lookin' sharp!" You chuckle and push her shoulder.
>Natsuki chuckles along with you. "Thanks Anon, you're a big help."
>A teasing grin creeps up across your lips, and your mind begins it's clever work
>"Anon, huh? That's not what you called me last night."
>Natsuki's cheeks turn bright red. "That was... because... I was tired! I was just going along with whatever you were saying!"
>Natsuki shuffles a bit, then turns her head, mumbling. "Though I wouldn't mind..." the rest trails off into incoherent whispers.
>"Hmmm?" you scoot over to her, sticking your face closer to hers.
>She immediately scuttles away, her arms moving to her chest once more.
>Natsuki looks to the floor. "I-I was just saying that I... wouldn't mind... calling you that..."
>Her face turns beet red, and she waves her hands in front of her face, stammering. "I-If you'd like! I know that's kinda weird and we just met but-"
>"I like it, I think it's pretty cute." You smile at her, and her worried stammering silences.
>Natsuki sighs, exhaling her worry. "Thanks. You're way too much of a tease, you know."
>"Isn't that what a big brother is for?"
>Your mother calls from down the hall. "Anon! You're going to be late!"
>You look to the clock hanging up on the wall in your room. "Oh shit, Natsuki, I've gotta go."
>Natsuki looks at the clock. "Oh, I've gotta hurry too, at this rate I'm gonna miss the bus!"
>Natsuki goes to bolt out the door, and you grab the handle on the back of her bag, pulling her into the air.
>"Gah! Onii-chan, what do you want, I'm gonna be late!"
>"Here." You grab a silver key off of your keyring and hand it to Natsuki.
>"This is a spare key for my room, the Home Depot guy accidentally made me two keys when I went to have it made."
>You put your hands on her forearms and kneel down to her eye level.
>"You're welcome to be in here whenever you like, and if you don't feel safe for any reason, you lock that door and don't come out, okay?"
>Natsuki stares at the key in awe. She looks up to you, and jumps into you, hugging you. "Onii-chan, thank you so much!"
>You chuckle. "You're welcome, now come on, let's get going."
>Anon and Natsuki head outside through the front door, Anon waving goodbye to his mother.
>"Oh Natsuki, aren't you forgetting something?"
>At the edge of the living room stands her father, dressed in a business suit, with his arms outstretched.
>As Natsuki turns around, you see her smile fade for only a second, before walking to her father and kissing him on the cheek.
>"Good girl, Eheheh..." Her father's laughter sends shivers up your spine, and you turn around only to look at Natsuki.
>She's already back to you by the time you've turned around. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her father shoot you a snickering grin.
>You turn back around, and lead Natsuki out of the door.
>"Your dad gives me the creeps." You look down to Natsuki, who's wearing a stoic look on her face.
>"What makes you say that?" She stares forward, looking only where she's going.
>"Just, the way he carries himself around. Natsuki, I don't know what's going on with you and your dad, but-"
>"It's fine!" Natsuki shouts, her voice squeaking. "It's fine, I promise."
>You ponder for a time, thinking about how she may feel.
>You decide not to press any further.
>"You know, you don't have to walk me to the bus Anon, I'm old enough to go myself."
>"Ah, sorry. This is just the fastest way to work, I guess we'll be walking together in the mornings."
>"Ugh, can't I get away from you for five seconds?" Natsuki exaggerates a sigh, giving you a playful smirk.
>"I'm hurt, I had thought you'd love walking with me, Shortstop."
>"Hah, as if anyone would wanna walk to school with you, dummy!" Natsuki's arms zip to her sides, her hands balled in fists. "And stop calling me Shortstop!"
>"I can't help it." You place your palm on Natsuki's head and jostle her around a bit, chuckling. "It fits you so well."
>Natsuki struggles to hold her giggles in any longer. "Okay okay, you win, you win! Just don't mess up my hair, I worked hard on this!"
>You take your palm off her head, and Natsuki runs her fingers through her hair, straightening it as best as she can.
>A while after, a yellow bus rolls in front of the corner of the street and Natsuki waves you off.
>You head down the street, and into your job at the construction site.
-------
>As Natsuki walks down the center of the bus, she sees a familiar, gaudy bow bouncing as the bus drives over cracks and bumps.
>She sits down in the aisle next to the girl. "Hey Monika."
>"Hey Natsuki!" Monika smiles and moves her bag, placing it on her lap.
>"Who was that boy you were walking with? He was kinda cute~"
>"Blow off, he's my step brother."
>"Really? You two seemed pretty close~"
>"M-Monika!" Natsuki's face flushed red.
>"Ahaha, there's that blush. You know I'm just teasing you. I'm glad you get along with him though!"
>"Yeah..." A smile forms on Natsuki's lips, her subconscious remembering the fun times her and you had together.
>"He's different, a lot different."
>"What do you mean?"
>Natsuki's eyes widen. She waves Monika off, giving her a faked smile. "A-Ah, don't worry about it!"