THIS FANFICTION IS CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN AND UPDATED.
THINGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED AND I WOULD RECOMMEND REREADING THIS TITLE IF YOU HAVEN'T IN A WHILE.
THANK YOU FOR READING x
[START]
Define 'Normal'…
Chapter 27:
"Eeep!" A sharp screech that ripped, unbidden, from Yuri's throat as her heart near jumped past her ribcage.
Why? Because as Yuri quietly read her book at the kitchen table (marvelling at the cool, salty breeze that ripped in through the small gap on the glass, sliding door) another resident of Osana's summer villa made a loud, cheery entrance.
"Morning, Yuri!" A coral pink headed blur bounced into the room with a dazzling smile and cheery tone, instant regret exploding onto Sayori's face at Yuri's reaction, "Ah, sorry Yuri!"
"N-No bother." Yuri offered a shaky smile to the wincing entrant. A pair of white earphones in her ears, Yuri able to hear the upbeat bass of whatever she was listening to, "Good morning."
She was gifted a dazzling smile and hid behind her book, Sayori eventually moving on to whatever she entered the kitchen for. The two remained in relative silence as Sayori bobbed and danced her way through getting a cup of water, mouthing along to whatever song she was listening to.
Noticing she was being watched, Sayori twirled around with a grin, extending an earbud to the bewildered, surprised young woman at the kitchen table,
"It's the new Gucci Gushiken song, have you heard it?"
"I don't really like music." Yuri murmured, not quiet enough for Sayori to miss,
"Huh?!" Slack jawed, she stared uncomprehendingly, "Like… no music at all?!"
Yuri's lips thinned to a pencil stroke, Sayori blinking through a bug-eyed stare before shaking her head and even slapping her cheeks,
"Okay." She shrugged, taking out the other earbud and wrapping the wire around her hand. Yuri only watching her from the corner of her eye as her cheeks burned in humiliation. She cursed silently when the bubbly girl sat across from her, owlishly staring, "What do you like then?"
Yuri's wide, amethyst eyes
"Just reading?" Sayori needled a bit and, like a child, Yuri nodded along,
"I like to write too."
"That's cool." She grinned but Yuri ducked her head and sighed,
"I suppose my interests make me come across as… pretentious."
"I'd have said mature." Sayori shrugged, planting her butt on the counter and swinging her legs back and forth as she levelled the taller girl with a warm grin, "Books and literature does seem more like an adult set of interests, but liking them doesn't mean you're pretentious and weird."
"Would you mind telling those Ganguro's that?" She muttered with a scowl, missing Sayori's short frown as Yuri glared daggers at the printed words, "I can't help having interests that none of my peers share."
She sighed just as Sayori cleared her throat,
"Tis not sad to rest
With tome in hand, Yuri dear,
The day waits for you"
Yuri blinked in confusion whilst Sayori beamed,
"W-was that?" Her mind replaying the girl's words as she made to count the syllables,
"Like it?" She waggled her brows at her, "I LOVE poetry. And reading to be honest, I like sad stories."
"Sad stories?"
"Mmm hmm, those sad or bittersweet ones where even if the heroes win the day, not everything is okay in the end." She beamed and Yuri lightly frowned, "They feel closer to real life."
"I… suppose." Yuri nodded along, a thoughtful expression on her face, "Indeed. Emotional scars do linger after the events that caused them. Literature that acknowledges that fact is refreshing."
Yuri sighed heavily, laying her open book down for the first time, dainty fingers pinching the bridge of her nose,
"S-sometimes I wish there were some club for it." She eventually released with another sigh, "Perhaps I'd feel like less of a… well. I'd just like more like minded people."
"A poetry club DOES sound nice." Sayori hummed as she nodded along, but Yuri surprised her by shaking her head,
"I will admit I enjoy poetry and dabble in it from time to time." She gently laid her cup down on the saucer she'd pilfered from above the sink, "But I believe the novelty would quickly wear off and even I would grow bored with a poetry club."
Sayori hummed in a mix between thoughtful and agreement,
"Then I guess it'd have to be about more than just poetry…" She more thought aloud than addressed the room.
"What would?" Budo popped his head into the room, hands firmly around the doorframe and causing the second of Yuri's near heart attacks, "Whoops, sorry Yuri!"
The room quickly filled. A trio consisting of the aforementioned boy alongside Harry and Osana. Harry gave a wave and offered a loopy smile to Sayori when she cheerily addressed him, however he clutched his head briefly and made his way to the kettle,
"Again Potter-san, coffee and a headache don't mix."
"I'll pop some pills." He muttered grumpily, Yuri's brows rising to her fringe as he slammed a can (in hindsight something she'd seen him enter with) of coffee onto the counter as he rummaged for a mug, "I need caffeine or I'll go back to sleep."
They ignored him as the kettle began to putter and hiss, Osana's gaze finding Yuri and her cooling mug of tea,
"I see you've helped yourself." Osana's carrot brows raised as she folded her arms. Yuri flinched,
"I'm sorry I-"
"No, it's fine. I just didn't realise we still had tea in here." She gestured languidly to the cupboards as she then crossed the room and rummaged around in the fridge,
Cheeks still red, Yuri murmured,
"I… brought it with me." Here eyes fell to her book, though she didn't register a single word, "I find it difficult to start my day without a cup of hot tea to relax. I usually indulge in some herbal blends for their health benefits but…"
Her voice petered out as all eyes (even Harry's bleary greens) fell on her,
"It's fine. I just thought Harry was a freak for bringing two cans of instant coffee with him." Budo laughed through his sentence (a quiet snarl of, "Don't call me a freak.", missed by him) before he shrugged, "Guess it's a bit more normal than I thought."
Harry sniffed, entering the conversation with a,
"Is that Chamomile?" Yuri blinked, then nodded along as he smiled in self-satisfaction,
"What are you, some sort of tea hound?" Budo spat out after a quick bark of laughter, Harry glowered playfully,
"My legal guardian is a British/French aristocrat. I actually had afternoons where I went out with actual truffle hounds." Harry scowled as the kettle finished and he filled the cup with water and rigorously stirred.
"Aww, really?" Sayori giggled, "Harry the aristocrat."
"I hosted actual tea parties." He chuckled a bit before knocking back half of the contents of the dark, mud-like liquid. He wrinkled his nose and scowled down at the drink,
"Hot?" Osana snarkily added, doing the same with a bottle of chilled water,
"Duh!" He rolled his eyes, stunning them by finishing the cup with another long sip, turning to make another one, "It's also corner shop rubbish. The worst instant coffee I've ever had."
"I wouldn't expect a posh boy like Harry to enjoy such low standard coffee." Budo put on airs as he spoke, sniggering just a bit afterwards (joined in amusement by Sayori). Harry and Osana rolled their eyes but Osana did smirk at Harry suggestively as she took a swig of her water.
"There's a brand Professor Lupin used to have. Kenco, I think? That was pretty nice." He hummed it more to himself as he seemed more focused on the task than the conversation, turning to ask if Osana had any milk or sugar and then making her a cup when she provided both.
"So you're a tea AND coffee hound." Sayori nodded sagely before waggling her eyebrows at Yuri, "Looks like you're not the only one with mature tastes and hobby's around here."
She lightly glared as she blushed. Thankful that no one looked or had the faintest clue what they were talking about.
"My guardian used to say; tea is for the refined whilst coffee is for the pretentious." The others focussing in on the latter part of a conversation between Osana and Harry,
"What does that make you?" She smirked and he flushed a little,
"I only agree with the first half of that." He more murmured, soft laughter and light ribbing accompanying his admission.
"I can't say I feel particularly refined." Yuri let a small smile rise onto her lips after she laughed,
"You're kidding?" Budo scoffed somewhat and Sayori nodded empathetically along,
"Look at Yuri." Sayori's voice quickly took on an accent that she hoped came across as posh, "Dear Yuri sequestered away in a summer holiday home, the breeze of the ocean wafting in from beyond the patio as she indulges in a book alongside her morning tea."
Harry snorted, coughing harshly as he tried not to drown on the half gulp he'd had. Yuri, mortified, couldn't meet anyone's eyes,
"It's too early for this." He sighed, a loopy grin on his lips as he sipped conservatively from his mug,
"Did you say you have a headache?" Yuri gently inquired,
"I get them from time to time." Harry waved off the concerned expression with a soft smile, "My godfather says it's my Twin Bond, as I used to get them when Charlie was annoyed."
"Charlie?"
"You're brother, right?" Sayori got a nod before she grinned mischievously, "That's spooky."
"Are you sure it's not because you got like two hours of sleep and were texting Natsuki all night?" Budo snickered and the girls stared and snickered, teasing as he got pink cheeks,
"I-I was texting her BECAUSE I couldn't sleep." Harry snapped, folding his arms after draining his second scalding mug (something that made Yuri and Osana share a disbelieving glance), "And I wasn't just talking to Natsuki all night."
"Yeah, he was also talking to Monika. Lots of love hearts in that chat too." Budo waggled his eyebrows, Taro and his sister entering as he did so. The siblings near matching in their bed head and yawning.
And as everyone woke up and crowded into the kitchen (whilst Harry necked boiling hot cups of coffee to the disbelieving stares of some of his friends) the house awakened to start their day of summer.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
TO NEW READERS, WELCOME!
TO OLDER READERS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND CONTINUED SUPPORT!
AND TO EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR READING x