A/N: Another one shot side story for White Fence...this is to help prepare everyone for the upcoming multiple chapter fiction that will be well on the way, within a few weeks...You'll see a few more one shots before then, however. I hope you enjoy this. I wanted to show a more, hectic and fun loving side to the family. Things like that were always talked about, but that, you never really see them. It was unfitting to put something like this into the first story, but I thought now would be a good time to sort of portray a different side...one that kinda gives off the upbeat way Natsuki tried to be, for the sake of everyone.
In case you want to know the order of the stories it goes like this: (1)White Fence (2)Dusty Bassinet (3)First Comes Love
Make sure you've read them in that order at least once. Also, this takes place in between chapters 9 and 10.
First Comes Love
Shizuru finally agreed to move a few of her things in.
In truth it was a join agreement. Kane was more than happy to see it happen, and Aki...well, she was tolerating the idea. Though, she was a bit skeptical at best, she couldn't deny it would make Natsuki happy, so, she relented her arguing about the matter.
Shizuru was taking her deer sweet time about it, a nice relaxing pace something she always insisted upon. She had been packing boxes of things she wasn't in dire need of for daily living, and had taken to moving them into Natsuki's home...soon to be her home as well. So, with moderately sized box, filled with assorted nicknacks, she made her way over to Natsuki's home, and entered to see a sight she wasn't at all pleased with.
She set the box downstairs, and then came back up, closing the basement door with a clicking noise. "Started your day early, I see."
"Mom," Kane said distractedly. "She's doing it again."
"I know it." Came the grumbled response right before Natsuki's character died on screen. "Damn it, Aki, no fair!" Taking the time to look over at Shizuru she gave her an unhappy glare. "Shizuru, you're supposed to tell us when you have boxes you need moved."
"It was only the one." Shizuru replied, though, looking at the scene from before, made her realize that she hadn't guessed wrong at all. "Natsuki really now, you should know better than to allow this." Shizuru shook her head, watching her family eating out of a single gallon tub of ice cream. The fact that it was sitting in the center of the coffee table only furthering her dislike of the matter. "That isn't anything near to a proper lunch."
"What do you call that?" Aki mumbled, more because her spoon was in her mouth than anything else.
"An empty pizza box." Shizuru noticed, slightly annoyed. "That isn't a healthy meal."
"It was." Kane only took the time to lift up the empty plastic container of salad. Much to Shizuru's ire, it was filled with more dressing than it had been greenery. "See?" The white substance pooled at the bottom of the bowl, making Shizuru flinch a bit.
"Hardly." Shizuru finally managed to say. "I hope you all had some salad with your mayo." Her eyes went to Natsuki more so than anyone else, but she didn't get the answer she had been hoping to receive. "Please tell me that you ate something decent?"
It was, after all, merely a shrug. "Who said anything about Mondays being healthy in the first place?" It was pizza and gaming night. So what, if school happened to be off today and everyone started a little early? Natsuki wasn't the first one to have the same idea. She looked out of the bay window, but Nao hadn't come by yet, likely still shopping for snacks. That's when she noticed Aki shoving more ice cream into her mouth. "Hey, lay off, or it'll be gone before Nao even gets here." Though, in truth, it probably wasn't helping that they were eating it with small serving spoons.
"We've still got half of it." Aki shot back as she watched Kane scoop out another huge portion. She promptly did the same. "Besides, we told her to be here an hour ago."
Natsuki looked up at the clock. "Huh, would you look at that." Time had indeed gotten away from her. That would likely explain how easy it was to get the tasty treat out from it's container. "Duly noted then." Scooping out another glob for herself. "She better get here soon, no point in waiting around."
"Of all the things..." Shizuru should have known to make something nutritious for them. "Well, at least I should be happy there hasn't been a popcorn war yet."
"Give that part time." Kane said with a soft smile. "You know how Nao gets."
"Yes, I do...unfortunately." It wasn't the fact that it was uncommon. In fact, she quite expected this to happen. "You're all going to murder your cholesterol levels if you keep this up."
Natsuki didn't pay her any mind, instead, cursing at the fact that her son had taken her kill shot instead. Shizuru came to stand behind the sofa, watching with disinterest, though there really wasn't anything better she could do. Mondays were a time that she simply couldn't reach, and she had tried. Yet, there was only so many times she could strafe into a wall, before she became frustrated with the mere idea of holding that contraption of a controller in her hand.
"If you want to play, we can always switch to something else." Kane said, thinking of the other games that were four player friendly. "We have a few of the nonviolent games in the drawer." He answered, his feet using one of the corners of the coffee table as a foot rest, but he wiggled them, to indicate what drawer the games were in.
Shizuru really hadn't any interest at all to play anything. "It's quite alright." The clicking of the buttons, and the motion on the screen was stimulating enough. "I think I'll just watch." Sometimes, it was all she could handle if she wished to keep up.
"Or we could pull out the dance pads." Aki said then. "You like the dancing games, sometimes."
When both of the twins turned to look at her, with something nearing hope in their eyes, Shizuru finally nodded, resigning herself. "If that's the case, I'm going to go put on something fit for breaking a sweat." She went over to the stairs, watching as the rest of the family took the time to move the furniture and disassemble one gaming machine to put in place of another. The trio worked like a well oiled machine, and that just made Shizuru fondly remind herself that she was indeed wanted here.
Why else, of course, would they insist that she be included otherwise. It surely wasn't Natsuki's idea...a truth that warmed Shizuru's heart.
She didn't keep many items in the bedroom yet, mostly because she still stayed in her own home, for the most part. However, one thing she kept on hand at the ready, were yoga pants and a few shirts that she gardened in. Doing away with the black slacks and pearl white top she had on from her lecture earlier, she sighed, leaning back onto the bed. It lacked many things, in favor of others.
The bed was unkempt, and messy. Natsuki hardly took the time to make it, ever, so the sheets were always rumpled. Shizuru's own room was always carefully put together...Natsuki's was a tornado. Sometimes, she would hang up something, if she could wear it again...though...that was a rarity. Often times it would just end up on the floor, or folded haphazardly in the laundry basket. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Shizuru thought, as she picked up the clothes from around the room, and pulled the pillow out of the laundry shoot, she tossed them down without a second thought.
"Meticulous as always." Natsuki said, having come up to check on her. "The twins thought you were taking longer than you should have." Natsuki smirked, leaning on her door. "Nice dancing outfit, by the way." The grin that slipped over Natsuki's face was decidedly perverse in nature, and when Shizuru looked down, she realized why.
"Close the door!" Shizuru rushed answer came in shock, realizing that it was still open as she nearly dove to hide behind the bed.
"Kane's seen you with less than that." Natsuki shrugged, but complied with the request anyway. "So, what's taking you so long?"
"Nothing other than the fact I had to clean your floor again." Shizuru said as she stood up to put on her pants. "Really, Natsuki is it so hard to find where the laundry shoot is, or at least the hamper, if nothing else?
Natsuki just frowned, while shrugging. "Sorry, I'm just not used to it." That, or cleaning the windows, or washing the floors, not even clearing the cobwebs from the ceiling, or the dust bunnies out from under the bed. "I never really think about it."
"I know you don't." Shizuru said, knowing Natsuki's house was a mess by nature, though, it wasn't truly a sty as much as is was unorganized. "I'm just an overtly neat person by nature. I simply detest mess, that's all."
"Have you ever thought that might be part of the problem?" Natsuki said as she came around to the side of the bed Shizuru usually claimed, and gently pushed her down onto it. "You never complain when I make one of you, ya know." She said, a low purr in her voice, something she knew Shizuru loved. "Actually, I think you quite prefer it."
"Only when I know we can shower together after." Shizuru murmured when Natsuki leaned down to kiss the valley between her breasts. "This isn't going to be one of those times, at least, not yet." She let her eyes slip closed, wishing however, that it indeed was the case. Still, there was a different truth that would greet them if they didn't hurry up. "You know they're going to come barging in here if we keep them waiting."
"Kane won't." Natsuki laughed quietly. "He's had enough disturbing eye candy for an entire lifetime."
"Thank the gods." Shizuru had too. "You really need to put a lock on the door."
"Will you stop worrying so much if I do?" Natsuki asked then, pulling herself up a bit. "If so, I'll put one on the damned thing tomorrow after work." They shared comfortable silence before Natsuki spoke again. "Shizuru...really, I want you to be happy here, so I'll do anything to make that happen."
"Hurry the hell up!" The shout came from down stairs, and it was resonating up the laundry shoot. It was a reminder that it had been yanked out.
"Nao's here." Shizuru stated the obvious with a bit of mirth in her eyes.
"Good, then now she can play games for a bit." Natsuki decided as she melted back into their embrace. "You and I can play a different game up here."
"Oi, Natsuki!" Nao bellowed yet again, disturbing the peace. Clearly, she could hear them. "Last I checked, the ice cream wasn't between Shizuru's legs!"
"That's it..." Natsuki growled as she got of the bed and flung the door open and started her way down the hall. "Nao Yuuki, I am going to kill you!" She roared throughout the house.
Shizuru sighed, with a soft little smile on her face, though she could hear the sounds of a crash, coming form downstairs. She grabbed her shirt, and pulled it on. "Now Natsuki, don't actually do it. Murder is illegal." Shizuru said, as she looked down into the laundry shoot, pillow in hand. "Oh my..." She didn't quite know what to make of the rainbow splatter that covered both Natsuki and Nao. "Well, this was unexpected." The ice cream barrel was planted atop Nao's head, covering even her face.
"Where's the ice cream now?" Natsuki growled. "Jackass!"
"You are so gonna wish you hadn't done that!" Nao fired back as she punched Natsuki in the back of the knee, making her crash down onto the floor, splashing melted ice cream everywhere.
Shizuru merely sighed, and decided she better down stairs to stop the fight. By that time, however, Kane had a hold of his mother, and Aki had a hold of Nao. "Didn't I just say that I hate messes?" Shizuru questioned, seeing the sad state of affairs the laundry room had become. The splatter had been everywhere. "Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" A shared look, and a few troublesome grins have her the answer she wasn't looking for. "Don't you even think about-"
SPLAT!
With a wet, slippery thud, she'd been bum rushed, and tackled, right into the soggy pile of dirty, ice cream covered clothes. "Gee, thanks." Shizuru sighed, unsure of what to do. She was torn with scolding them all, or just embrace the group, and be happy they included her in their brand of insanity.
"Don't mention it." Aki replied, as she took in the sight of the group. "Alright, here's a question. How are we going to the to the bathroom without dragging this crap all through the house?"
"Good question." Natsuki hadn't thought about that.
"Well come on then." Shizuru sighed, knowing the hose was the only way. "We're going to have to go rinse off in hose water first."
"Not how I intended on spending my Monday afternoon." Nao muttered.
"Well you're the idiot that started this mess." Natsuki muttered before Aki broke the soon to be argument up.
"I think we still have last year's slip n' slide in the garage." Aki said, as the thought for last year came to mind. "And the old skateboard we took the wheels off of."
"You mean the one we put all of cooking spray on?" Natsuki actually knew where she put it. "Yeah, that's on the shelves."
"Now that's an idea!" Nao nodded. "I'm all for it."
"I have a feeling there will be a need for the first aid kit yet..." Shizuru said to her son when the other three had gone out the back door to locate the troublesome items. She could only sigh dejectedly at the foot prints meandering through the kitchen.
"You'd better get used to this." Kane replied dully. "Summer's coming around the corner."
"Oh no...you can't say that this is normal." Shizuru refused to believe it.
"Well, more or less...when it's hot out." As he stood at the door, he looked behind him. "Are you coming? Mondays are family nights, or did you forget that."
"I remember." Shizuru said softly. family nights...family. Such a wonderful concept.