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Natalya had already tried separating from her beloved big brother, Ivan. She had already attempted to live with that overly cheerful and loud American, Alfred. It didn't exactly work out too well, considering how she constantly weirded him out with her strange hobbies and how he constantly annoyed her with his overly positive attitude. It bothered her how he much he's able to smile. It bothered her how he constantly stuffed his face with fast food and ice cream. It bothered her how he never cleaned anything.

Natalya constantly tired Alfred out. It bothered him how much she frowned and refused to laugh or smile. It bothered him how much she refused to open up, how much she refused to eat his food most of the time. He didn't like her overly negative attitude, and he got rid of her.

But for odd some reason, they found themselves living with each other again.

Natalya still had her obsession with Ivan, but she eventually learned to try to distance herself from him. Nothing would stop her from loving him in that way, but she tried everyday to control it. She knew it was wrong and it made him extremely uncomfortable and scared, but she'd do anything for him. She knew there was no real point in sticking with him. She had a strong heart and will, but her feelings always came out as hostile and negative, no matter what she did. And she hated it.

She knew she should've went to live with her big sister, Katyusha, but she was unavailable. She was probably on a farming trip, and wouldn't be back for a while. She knew Toris or Felicks would want to help her, and they somehow consider her as their friend. But she doubted that she could deal with either of their personalities. There are reasons why she calls both of them annoying cat shit bastards. Reasons why even though Toris is so nice to her and has a crush on her that started in childhood she finds herself hating his guts and strangling him. Reasons why she finds herself calling Felicks in the afternoon and just sits there, not saying anything to him after he picks up just for the sake of it.

She weighed out her options. She thought about the Baltics, and decided that she'd rather not deal with those that were connected with Ivan. She knew she'd always have the option of living alone, but she felt like she needed someone's company to get through this, however annoying they could get. She hadn't really been acquainted with anyone that had nothing to do with her brother. The closest she could think of was none other than that one annoying, loud guy. As soon as he crossed her mind, she decided on him, not thinking any further so she couldn't change her mind and regret it. She knew what she was getting into, but she didn't want to turn back.

When she knocked on his door, Alfred practically shrieked and tried to shut the door in her face. But as soon as he opened it, she stuck her foot into the doorway and prevented him from shutting it. He reluctantly allowed her in, not saying anything until they awkwardly sat next to each other on the familiar couch in the living room, her suitcases resting on the floor next to her.

"Uh... Trying to separate yourself from your brother again?"

"Yeah."

"...Why'd you come back here of all places?"

"... Everyone else I know is connected to him. I feel like I need to stay away from them, too." She paused. "...And I guess I don't hate you completely."

He smiled at that. "All right then, I guess you could stay here again for a while, if you have nowhere else to go."

She stood up and bent over to pick up her bags. "And since I'm such a great guy and her-"

She hit him with one bag in the stomach to stop him from completing the sentence. He grabbed his stomach and cried out in pain as she walked towards the staircase. She continued walking and arrived at the guest room. She put down one bag and touched the door, the door to the room that once belonged to her. She turned the knob and pushed open the door.

The room was messy and unkempt as usual. The pillows and blankets were on the floor, the curtains were practically falling off the window, and the desk was covered in miscellaneous clutter. Picking up her other bag, she was about to take a step into the room when she heard the irritating thumps of a certain someone running up the stairs after her. When Alfred caught up to her, he smiled widely, catching his breath. "Hey! I know you know where everything is and all, but let me be a good host and help you unpack!"

There it was, his cheery and positive attitude, even though Natalya knew he didn't really like her that much either. What is with this guy? Without her saying anything, he grabbed both bags out of her hands and followed her into the room. She immediately took back the bag that held all her clothes and her precious knife. She unzipped it and quickly placed all her neatly folded clothes into the dresser and stuffed the knife in her pocket. She certainly wasn't going to kill Alfred or anything, but you never know when you need it.

She looked over at him. He had placed the suitcase on the bed, and unzipped it. She walked over to him and snatched away the things he didn't need to see. As she put those away, he examined what was left. "Ah, still reading those crappy romance novels, I see!"

He laughed as she glared at him.

This was going to be hard to pull through.