(Time for some twists.)

I do not own Doki Doki Literature Club, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed within this story.

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"Have a seat son, we have a little bit to talk about your girlfriend." He said, interlacing his fingers.

In his room, there was the stereotypical lounge chair and a normal seated chair that you would see in therapist offices, then over to the side were two chairs and a desk, similar to how you would see in a principals office. He was seated behind his desk. He looked very similar to the Dr. Frazier at the hospital in the sense that they were both older gentlemen, African-American, and well-built for their ages. I wouldn't say that they could be twins, but certainly brothers at the least. After I greeted him, I sat down.

"Okay, I'm going to try and make this as simple as an explanation as possible. If you let me talk, I'll explain it the best I can." He states plainly.

"Alright, go ahead. I'm listening, sir." Did he get the wrong impression of me or something?

"Natalie has an odd, but not uncommon, form of depression. She has no self-worth, and as you're already aware, she's tried to take her life, with most of her reasons seemingly stemming from you. Now, I don't want you to believe that any of it is your fault, because it really isn't. She has an unnatural dependence on you, and I think that it would be dangerous to separate her from you." He stops, awaiting my input. I guess Natalie really did tell him the whole story.

"I'll help her in whatever way I can." I state firmly.

"I'm glad to hear that. If it's possible, I'd like you guys to live together for a little bit. I'm not saying you have to be constantly in her presence, but a great deal of your time should be spent with her, and then it should be reduced gradually so her dependence isn't as drastic. She most certainly won't be able to be alone, especially at night from what she's told me. I'm also going to prescribe her anti-depressants just to be safe, but those are completely optional." He pauses, then asks a question.

"There is one thing she wouldn't tell me. What is the parental situation? You two may legally be adults, but are you her only guardian?"

Uh oh. How do I explain that?

"Well… I'm not necessarily her guardian. We've been very close childhood friends for years. She never knew her father, and her mother is never home. She lives on her own. I do as well, but that's because… my parents aren't with us anymore." I say.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear about that." He stops and thinks for a while.

Its silent for a while, as if he's trying to think of what to say next.

"She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, you know that right?" He says

"Y-yeah…"

"She knows that too. I think that's why she's so dependent, however those are feelings even I can't explain. There isn't really much more to go over with you though. Keep an eye on her." We both get up from his desk. "Pay extra close attention to her. I think there may be some things you're missing that could be… beneficial… for the both of you. She may have some feelings that she has built up over time. I don't think we should leave her waiting any longer." He smiles at me.

We walk to the door, and he stops me one more time.

"Listen, I understand you two have been through a lot recently. Don't worry about payment, this session is on me. Feel free to come back if you guys ever need it. Go be with her."

I was completely shocked. "R-really?" I shook his hand firmly. "Thank you so much. It means a lot to us, really!"

"Well, my brother put in a good word for you." He winks at me. "Have a good day now son, stay safe." And with that, he nudges me out the door.

I walked back into the waiting room to see Natalie still in the way I left her, with her legs pulled up to her chest, and arms around them. She perked up when she saw me re-enter the room.

"I'm back." I smiled at her.

"Are we able to leave now? What did you guys talk about?" She asked, surprisingly energetically.

"We'll talk about it when we get home, alright?"

"Home?" she asked

"Yeah. Long story short we're going to be living together for a while."

She lets out a dramatic gasp and a smile shoots across her face.

"W-what?! Really?" She says.

"Geez, you're excited, aren't you?"

"N-no… okay maybe."

I chuckle lightly to myself.

"Let's get home."

She takes my hand in hers and we walk out to the car. I get in, start the car, and leave the parking lot.

"Well, while we're out, do you want to stop somewhere to eat? We haven't eaten since we left the house."

"Hmm… sure!" I knew she wouldn't turn down food.

We pulled into a place just off the highway. It was one of those steakhouses that wasn't advertised as a steakhouse but was pretty much known to be one. I got, obviously, a steak with some assorted vegetables and a baked potato. Natalie got chicken fingers and fries, which was predictable. I told her about what the therapist told me, but left out the part where he called her dependent. I did tell her about the optional medication, but I explained to her that they would make her not feel pain when she was sad, rather than call them anti-depressants. Luckily, she didn't catch on to what they really were. Somehow.

"So we get to live together, huh? That's gonna be awesome! It'll be like a never-ending sleep-over!" She states, taking a bite of one of her chicken fingers.

"Yeah, I'm excited. But we still have to decide: which house are we staying at? Mine, or yours?" I ask

"Hmm. Let's stay at yours. You have more things to do at your place, it's always cleaner, and your bed is comfier." She smiles at me.

The two of us talk more about how nice the therapist was, and I told her about how the two doctors actually were related, and he didn't charge us. We also talked about what work we could make up for school when we get home, and other things we could do, although knowing Natalie we probably won't end up doing any school work. After we finished our meals, we paid, and got on the road again.

After a drive that felt way quicker than it should've, we were home. We walked inside, took our shoes off, and Natalie went straight for the couch. I checked the time on the kitchen clock: 9:27. It was still the weekend, so it wouldn't have hurt to stay up late. I figured I could ask Natalie and see what she wants to do, should she be up for anything.

"Hey, do you want to do anything in particular?" I asked

"Not really, I'm kinda tired from that trip. Can we watch something on the big TV?"

She slept a good deal all day today, but after I realized what she probably went through at the therapist, I decide not to tease her about it.

"Yeah, that's fine."

I took a seat next to her on the couch, and turned on one of our favorite shows we used to watch when we were younger. It's one of those animes that's appropriate for all age groups, that once you're a fan it's basically a 'for life' thing. Natalie liked it, but she wasn't as big of a fan of it as I was. She was laying on her back to my right, with myself sitting upright in front of her.

This is strange. The therapist (I'm trying not to say 'Dr. Frazier' since that could be the therapist or the doctor to avoid my own confusion.) didn't say anything about Natalie having any mood swings, but just earlier today she was pretty lovey-dovey, and then other times it just feels like we're friends. We haven't necessarily stated whether we're dating or not, but we haven't said we aren't dating either. I mean, we've held hands, hugged, and once even said we loved each other. Were those just 'in the moment' moments? I still can't always tell how she feels.

Pay extra close attention to her. I think there may be some things you're missing that could be… beneficial… for the both of you.

That thing he said earlier echoed in my head. What did he mean by that?

"NICK!" Natalie yelled at me.

I jumped back, nearly falling off the couch.

"Jesus! What? Are you okay?" I ask.

"You were spacing out and staring at me… I don't think you were even able to hear me."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Is everything alright? Did you wanna talk about anything?" She asks.

"No… Not particularly." I say unconfidently.

She squints her eyes at me, she could tell I was lying.

"Alright, that's it." She says finally.

"Wha-?" I'm cut off by her sitting up, grabbing my arm, and pulling me down on top of her, hesitantly. I could feel the blood rush to my head.

"You don't have to… be so shy… you know?" She says.

I was laid over top of her, with her eyes meeting mine, and then she looked away.

"I just… I'd do anything for you… you know that, right?" she asks.

That's when it hit me what she was implying.

"Woah, Nat. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I don't expect it either." I pushed myself back up, looking her in the eyes again.

She stayed quiet, and put her arms around my neck, pulling me down into a hug. I turned myself on the couch to where I was off to her side, facing the TV.

"Just relax, alright? Everything's fine. Let's just watch TV." I'm on my side, and she's still on her back. She's obviously bothered, because she feels like she owes me. I decide to push my luck to make her feel better.

I leaned my head down, and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"I promise, I'm happy. You're fine." I smile at her, blood again rushing to my cheeks.

Her face instantly gets red, and she covers her face, obviously smiling behind her hands.

I think I did alright, I think to myself.

We spent the rest of our night basically cuddling, or… spooning? Whatever you want to call it, on the couch, watching our show in mostly silence, enjoying each other's company. It was so nice to have her right there with me. She was really warm, and smelled so nice. It felt like… home, to be with her. It felt like there was no bad in the world with her in my presence. Aren't I the one who is supposed to be helping her?

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It was around time for bed. Natalie and I both got dressed into sleepwear (in separate rooms) and rejoined in my room. Natalie made it obvious that 'yes, she was completely okay with still sharing a bed' and especially after the time we spent on the couch, I believed she really wouldn't mind another night. We got into our usual position from back in the hospital, with myself on my back, and her mostly on top of me with her legs wrapped around mine.

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Death. It seems almost as if it is better than life sometimes. Would you want to know you are going to die before hand or die suddenly without warning? What happens after death? Life is meaningless. You are put upon this earth, then you die. But what happens when the one thing you look forward to most is what you should fear? If someone you loved was killed in front of you, but someone created a copy of them that was perfect right down to the atomic level, would they be the same person and would you love them just as much? What matters, and what doesn't? Where does self-worth come from? Is suffering necessary for human life? Death is a naturally feared thing in life, yet can be so invitingly attractive to end suffering.

What's important to you?

Open your eyes, Nick.

Just how replaceable are we?

You should probably wake up, before you forget how to.