Italics are for emphasis and thoughts.
Better With You
(Sequel to Waiting)
By: Leafsdude
Chapter 8: Boiling Point
It's not long before Yuko and Natsuki pull into the parking lot of the local coffee shop. The pair quickly exit their vehicle and walk into the surprisingly crowded building for such a late hour, even for a Friday night. Considering the number of open laptops and old-school pencil and paper setups from various patrons, very few of them are there for a leisurely get-together.
Taking a seat near one of the back tables, they quickly receive a pair of menus from one of the waitresses, going through their options silently.
It's a couple minutes later when Natsuki puts hers down, having made her decision. A minute later, Yuko follows suit, shooting a grin towards the waitress as she does so. A pad and pen are pulled out as she quickly walks on over.
"Your usual today, Yuko?" She asks with her own smile. Yuko laughs as she shakes her head.
"Not at this hour, Miyako," she replies good-naturedly, the comradery between them obvious to Natsuki. "I'll have a mocha and a Boston cream."
"And your friend?" Miyako asks, turning to Natsuki, who can't help but scowl just a little.
"It's Natsuki," she says forcefully as she pulls the menu open again to double-check her options. "I'll have a cup of oolong and a lemon danish."
"Good choice, Natsuki," the waitress beams, pointedly using her name, but not being impolite about it. She gets another slight scowl in response as she picks up the menus and walks off to process the orders.
"It's late and you're ordering a mocha?" Natsuki asks quickly, eyeing Yuko curiously. "What's your usual?"
"Double espresso," she answers quickly, expertly ignoring the incredulous look in response. "Oolong's an interesting choice. I didn't think you would be for the relaxing stuff."
"It tastes good," the tone is annoyed, but still has a touch of playfulness as well. "A friend introduced me to it. They didn't know I was immune to relaxants."
The half-joke gets a short laugh out of Yuko, but their conversation stagnates.
"When did you get into baseball?" Natsuki throws out the idle question, not overly curious about the answer. The topic is at least more interesting than silence, she reasons.
"Since I was little," the brunette responds with a shrug. "Dad always thought it was important to be introduced to sports, but it still needed to have an intellectual quality to it. Lucky for him I always liked the statistical stuff, even if I never had a knack for it."
"Your dad sounds annoying," the words come out without a conscious thought, but the amused smirk keeps Natsuki from panicking.
"He's really not that bad," Yuko says simply. "I had a period where I hated everything about baseball, and he was really cool about it. I guess that was my rebellious phase or something, because I got back into it quickly."
The conversation is interrupted as their waitress walks over with a tray in hand. Carefully setting down their respective orders, she gives a polite grin as she clasps her hands together in front of her.
"Anything else I can get you?" She asks, exuberance in her tone. Natsuki doesn't answer as she lightly blows on her tea and takes a cautious sip.
Yuko, however, looks at her plate for a moment before looking back up, her expression anxious yet resolute. "Umm, this is a chocolate glazed. I ordered a Boston cream."
"Oh," Miyako mumbles as she looks at the donut quickly. "So it is. Someone must have put that in the wrong tray," she comments idly as she picks up the plate. "I'll go fix that for you right away."
It's a few seconds before the appropriate pastry is placed in front of Yuko. After an apologetic bow from Miyako, the waitress hurriedly walks away to another table, busying herself with clearing the table of one of her working customers.
"Nice job," Natsuki says with an appreciative nod. "Subtly doesn't work well in coffee shops. Gotta be blunt and to the point when they make a mistake."
The look she gets in response is one of surprise and confusion. "But I don't do that," the soft voice mutters from across the table.
"What do you mean?" Her pink-haired friend asks, having made out the words that came out of her mouth regardless.
"Huh?" Yuko looks up at Natsuki in confusion for a second before finally shaking her head. "Oh, nothing. What were we talking about?"
The reaction gets a long gaze from Natsuki, but she drops her question as she shrugs.
"Baseball," she says simply, and her friend nods from the refreshed thoughts.
"Right," Yuko replies. "Well, I told you my story. What's yours?"
"Dad as well," Natsuki manages to hold her sneer from the words exiting her mouth, but only just. "It was our thing to do together. He liked to hold it over the other parent's heads, though, how good I was. It's a good thing I enjoyed it, otherwise I'd probably hate him more for it."
"I'd like to see you play," Yuko nods excitedly at the prospect.
"I haven't in years," Natsuki admits after a moment. "Not since…"
She trails off as Yuko leans forward, her expression full of curiosity. "Since…?"
Starting to feel uncomfortable, the aggressive woman crosses her arms. "I don't really want to talk about this, actually," she finally responds, her eyes a fiery glow before she turns her head away in her discomfort.
"Okay, well," the brunette gives a sly smirk as she stares into red eyes. "How about we talk about the game? For instance, you were really talkative. Like, you wouldn't shut up at all."
Natsuki takes the comment in stride, though she still rolls her eyes dramatically.
"That's kind of the point," she argues, indignant at having to defend herself. "Fans are there to distract and make noise. It's kind of our job."
"Yeah, a 'job' we pay for the privilege to take part in," Yuko teases.
The response this time is a lengthy glare across the table. "It's not like you can talk. You were somehow worse than me all night."
"What? I always picked my spots," the tall woman argues with playful indignation.
"Yeah, but they were all so rude and," Natsuki pauses, looking around the room quickly. "Stuff. I'm surprised you even knew half of those words."
Her friend shrugs, a touch of bashfulness suddenly striking her. "It kinda comes naturally, I guess?"
"I find that hard to believe," the reply is dripping with skepticism. "You're too nice…most of the time."
"Thank you?" Yuko's momentary shyness grows as light blush spreads across her face. Off a shrug, she considers the comment further. "I guess, when you hang out with people like Hime, you learn a particular set of skills."
Despite the joking tone, Natsuki scowls at the blonde's name. "Good thing that's the only part of her that's rubbed off on you."
Yuko chokes on her drink for a second on that comment before trying to pass it off coyly. "I-I suppose so," she manages to get out between a couple lighter coughs.
Despite the slightly concerned look, the woman across from her doesn't acknowledge her improper swallowing technique.
"Look, whatever," Natsuki finally finds her voice again, her tone still annoyed. "I don't want to talk about her, either. I'm having a good night, and she has a knack of ruining that, in body or in spirit."
Nodding softly in understanding, a look of concentration crosses the brunette's brow for a second. "What did you want to talk about?"
There's a moment before a mischievous smile grows. "What's your thing at the college?"
"Oh, umm," catching her stutter, Yuko shrugs. "Culinary arts."
"Well, that's boring," the reaction is quick as Natsuki sighs in disappointment.
"What about you?" There's a touch of annoyance in the usually composed voice.
"Oh, same thing," the aggressive woman shrugs. "Culinary arts."
The brow wrinkles in confusion now. "What? You're taking a course on something you find boring?"
"What?" They now wear matching expressions before Natsuki realizes her mistake. "Oh, no. It's boring because we're taking the same course."
"That's boring to you?" Yuko asks incredulously. "Most people like finding they have things in common with friends."
The two stare at each other for a moment.
"I guess," Natsuki finally responds, not fully giving up the point but not wanting to argue further. The fact she's unconsciously decided to ignore the comment about friends doesn't help.
"You have Kanna for Fundamentals?" Her friend asks excitedly, getting a light nod in return. "And Hime's in one of your classes, too? I didn't think there'd be cross-over with her."
"She's taking it as an elective," the explanation is given in a tone filled with exasperation. "And we're not talking about her tonight, remember?"
"Oh, right," Yuko shrugs apologetically. "Sorry."
"You know what? We're not talking about me anymore tonight, either," Natsuki's eyes glint in delight as the other woman gives her a quizzical glance. "Every time I ask something about you, you keep turning it back to me. I'm on to you, though. Tell me more about you."
"Uhh, there's…there's not much to tell, really," the stuttering voice is full of sudden nervousness.
"Oh, that's B.S. and you know it," the shorter woman responds sharply, but still with a decent amount of playfulness. "Everyone's got something interesting to tell. So spill. What's your most interesting story? Or something that embarrasses you?"
"Uh, Natsuki, that's not…I mean I really don't want…" The stutter grows as a grin spreads on the other woman's face.
"C'mon, tell me," she leans forward, her tone dropping slightly as she gets lost in her teasing. "You can trust me."
"Really, Natsuki, there's…there's nothing to-to tell," Yuko's reaching her breaking point, and Natsuki realizes that as she leans even closer to her friend.
"I already called B.S. on that," she smirks again. "Just tell me something already"
The distance and invasion of personal space finally breaks the resistance.
"I play the accordion, okay?! Happy?" The volume of Yuko's voice reverberates around the whole shop, and it take a moment for everyone to look over in surprise before they all erupt in laughter.
Natsuki's eyes roam around the room in anger, but her friend seems to take it in stride.
"Yeah, I know, it's absurd, right?" She laughs as well as she addresses the other patrons from her seat. "Such a clunky instrument. You should see the looks I get playing at kid's birthday parties."
Turning into a much more polite sound in reaction to her words, the laughs die down a little. Natsuki's anger, however, doesn't.
"You all are a bunch of jerks," she says with a scowl. "That's pathetic, laughing at someone's talent. Someone should throw a pie in your faces. See who's laughing then."
Yuko reaches her hand across the table, hoping to calm the now shaking woman down.
"It's okay," she tries to reason. "Forget about it."
It's too late, however, as she sees Miyako heading over to their desk.
"Sorry, the manager told me to ask you to leave," she says apologetically. "Don't worry about the bill tonight, I'll cover for you."
Both of them throw a look at her, one of disappointment and another of resentment, while a few voices mumble around them.
"Fine, let's get out of here, Yuko," standing, the pink-haired woman huffs as she grabs her things and heads towards the door with a prideful stride.
"Sorry, Miyako," Yuko whispers to the waitress, though Natsuki doesn't hear.
Catching up quickly, they walk out the door together and into the parked Prius.
"I'm not sorry for anything I said," Natsuki finally breaks into the silence. Her voice is indignant, but still has a touch of regret in it.
"I wouldn't ask you to be," the response is quiet and understanding.
"They deserved it," she continues her half-hearted rant. "Laughing like that."
"If you say so," the words come out in an uncertain tone. Off the look, Yuko shrugs. "I'm not going to argue with you."
"If I have to apologize, then I'm not coming back," Natsuki crosses her arms stubbornly.
"They wouldn't do that to you," the brunette assures strongly.
"Fine," finally shaking her head in defeat, the passenger sighs. "Just…take me home."
"Alright."
Putting her key into the ignition, the vehicle comes to life quickly.
"So, accordion?" Natsuki asks slyly a few minutes later, her attitude having finally faded away while watching the scenery of the town pass by.
"Yeah," the response is almost too perky as Yuko glances over. "You know Weird Al?"
The name rings a bell, but Natsuki is not able to place it immediately. "I think so?" She says before a thought pops into her head. "Isn't he that parody guy?"
"Mmhmm," Yuko nods. "He's an accordion player. I liked him growing up, so I learned it, too. Most people don't think of it as a sexy instrument, but, well…" she trails off for a second. "If I had to name a guy I'd go for, it would be him."
Natsuki feels her mouth drop open in surprise for a second before her eyes narrow. "What exactly does that mean?"
The response is a mirrored expression of shock before a look of realization takes over her friend's face. "Oh, right, you're not from here," she says. Off Natsuki's pointed stare, she shrugs. "I'm a lesbian."
"Huh," is the extent of her reaction as she struggles to absorb the information. Eventually she snaps out of it with a quick shake of the head. "That's cool."
Flashing a smile, Yuko brings the vehicle to a slow stop in front of her friend's house. Her pink-haired companion slides out the door lazily. After a quick wave, the vehicle speeds off.
"What a strange girl," Natsuki mutters before walking up the driveway and into her house.
Sunday arrives slowly. Without Sayori around, the relative silence in the house is equal parts refreshing and distressing for Natsuki. Despite her brash commentary on using weekends for having fun, she had ended up cooped up alone in her room instead. Most of her time had been spent swapping between her phone and her computer, unable to find anything to keep her attention for an extended period.
At this particular moment, Natsuki's on her phone again, lying on her stomach in bed as she flicks her finger on the screen continuously. The game is just as annoying as it is satisfying for her. After a couple quick victories, the current level is starting to frustrate her. She groans as she loses another life, forcing her back to the start of the level.
"Bastard game designers," she mutters under her breath as she retraces her steps. With her knowledge gained from her previous round, she gets back to where she was quickly and her face shifts into an expression of determination. She brings her phone closer to her face and starts tapping on the screen even faster.
Initially, Nastuki gets the upper hand on her computer-generated enemy, surpassing the damage done to her opponent in the entirety of her previous attempt within a few seconds. However, her focus tunnels in on the image of the villain, and she doesn't notice her life bar decreasing. Suddenly, the screen flashes red, and then fades to black. It pops back to the beginning of the level again, gaining a primal scream from Natsuki before she flings the device against the wall.
Slowly reaching behind her bed, a quick inspection shows no dent for either of the unwilling participants of Natsuki's outburst. She sits back onto her bed, glaring at her phone. The adrenaline from both her frustration and her embarrassment slowly disappears over the next couple of minutes as she lies in bed pouting.
A sudden knock on the door breaks through the silence. John slowly opens it a crack before peering in.
"Hey, you wanna come get something to eat?" He asks nonchalantly. His eyes, however, roam around the room conspicuously. Natsuki sighs.
"No," she says flatly. And while her response is strongly informed by her prior moment of anger, there's also an unconscious desire to remain closed off in her room.
"Okay," there's a weary sigh in John's voice as he pushes the door open fully, much to his roommate's annoyance. "What's going on?"
"Shut up," Natsuki's retort is quick as she glares at the intruder. "And I didn't say you could come in."
"Can I come in?" John asks quickly, fighting a grin. And though she immediately wants to bluntly tell him to get lost, Natsuki can't force herself to do anything but shrug.
Deciding not to say anything more, he purposefully walks over to her computer chair to sit down. Despite the seat being intended for someone much smaller than him, he maintains his relaxed posture as he eyes Natsuki.
"Don't get any ideas," she says as she turns her nose up in annoyance. "You can sit there if you want, but I'm not saying anything."
"Alright," John says in defeat as he stands up and makes his way to the door.
"No, wait!" Natsuki calls after him, before seeing the knowing grin as he turns around quickly to look at her. Despite seeing that this was his plan all along, she finally gives in to her desire to talk.
Looking pointedly at the area beside her on the bed, she watches as John sits down next to her, his grin quickly fading into a concerned expression. His eyes turn towards her again, softly this time, as he sits patiently.
"Do you know Yuko?" She finally asks without warning. She watches as his face contorts slightly from uncertainty.
"Umm," he draws the utterance out for a moment before his eyes brighten. "Oh, Sayori's co-worker, right?"
Natsuki stares at him for a moment. "I went to a baseball game on Friday with her," she finally says before looking downward with a light sigh. She's not surprised John remembers Sayori blabbing about her instead of from her outing, but she can't help but still feel disappointed.
"Oh," she looks back up to see John's surprised glance. "I didn't realize they were the same person."
"Yeah, well," Natsuki frowns again. "She's weird."
"Well, you're weird, too, so that should work out perfectly!" The response is automatic, judging by the laughter that suddenly turns into a cough off her look.
"Shut up," she snaps back anyway. John gives a look of apology quickly and she shrugs. "Okay, fine. Maybe she is kinda…" she pauses, before muttering under her breath. "Fun, to hang around."
"What was that?" The question is suitably loud as John leans in closer.
"I like spending time with her, okay?" Natsuki's voice is aggressive as she stands up a paces for a second. "I don't even know why."
"Do you need a reason why?" John asks after a moment's pause between them. She looks at him sharply, and he shrugs. "I'm just saying…"
"You're 'just saying' a lot of the time, so…"
"Just shut up," he cuts off, nodding. "I got it."
Natsuki looks at him for a second before sitting back down again with a sigh. "Look, I know you're just trying to help, but…I don't really I want it."
"Then why didn't you let me just walk out?" John asks, getting a groan from Natsuki.
"I dunno," she rolls her eyes. "I was bored?"
"Okay," standing up, her friend tosses her a smile. "I'll be out there doing who knows what, then, if you change your mind."
This time, Natsuki doesn't look back up before he leaves the room. It's a moment later when she hears the TV playing some random sitcom as she goes back to her cellphone, using it to aimlessly surf the internet.
It's a little while later when she realizes she's barely read anything on the page she's on. Her thoughts had once again unconsciously drifted to the brunette who had been clogging her brain ever since her outburst at the coffee shop. However, this time, the feelings of frustration are held at bay as she drops her phone onto the bed and walks into the living room.
Natsuki's impressed as she sits down next to John, who doesn't react at all. The boy who always overreacted to everything had managed to reel in that part of himself over the past year. She figured most of that was Sayori's doing, but a part of her wondered…
"This show's pretty good," she comments evenly after chuckling at a joke between characters she was only passively familiar with.
"It's Sayori's favourite," John shrugs, tone indicating it should answer any questions his roommate might have. "Still took me a while to get into it, but it has its moments."
"Sometimes I swear you try too hard to make her happy," Natsuki says without thinking. Looking over subtly, she can't read his expression as he considers how to respond.
"I guess," he finally says. "I'd rather try too hard than not enough, though," he adds as he turns to look at Natsuki. They hold eye-contact for a bit longer than is comfortable, before she looks back at the TV.
"Do you ever worry you're bothering her?" She asks without taking her eyes off the screen.
Returning his own gaze forwards, Johnny takes another moment as he thinks about his answer. "Yeah," his tone carries a sense of recognition as his head tilts towards her ever so slightly. "I mean, once in a while. But I trust her, to tell me when I'm being too much for her. Which she has, at least once or twice."
"I guess that makes sense," Natsuki nods. "You guys have known each other forever."
"Well, she feels like that sometimes, too," he notes out of the blue. "And, I mean, I've told her a few times how annoying I thought she was when we first met. But look at us now, right? I don't think either of us regret it."
"But she just wanted to be your friend because you didn't have anyone," the point is argued half-heartedly as Natsuki recalls the story her friend had first shared with the literature club nearly a year ago.
"That wasn't all it was, though," John shrugs. "She wanted to be friends because there was something she saw in me that she liked, even if I barely talked. I still don't know what it was. I just count the stars that I was so lucky."
"Did you ever think she was weird?" There's a touch of hesitation in the question, resulting in apprehension when the response is a hearty laugh.
"All the time," he says immediately, which quickly allows Natsuki to relax. "Still do. But I learned to like, and I guess love, that part of her. And it comes in handy sometimes, 'cause I don't think I'd be friends with you, or Yuri and Monika, without her helping me with the random insights that she gives me."
"So you're saying I should just like spending time with Yuko," Natsuki finally concludes with a sigh, as John's words filter through the fog in her mind.
"I didn't say that at all," he responds cheekily. "I was just talking about Sayori."
Natsuki's response is a light wack on his shoulder that he grimaces playfully at. Her expression goes somber a moment later, however. "I miss her."
"She was here just a couple days ago," John retorts simply. He gets an annoyed shake of the head as a reaction.
"Maybe, but," Natsuki sighs again. "With classes, and her job, and even just being busy with random things, I feel she's drifting away from me. I didn't really notice it until now, talking about things with you. I…" she trails off for a second, before taking a deep breath. "I don't like it."
There's a moment's pause before her roommate gives his own sigh. "I think I know what you mean."
"What?"
"I've been really focused on classes the past few weeks," he shrugs. "She's teased me about it, but…Maybe I need to stop. Think of other things again to fill my time, instead of just school."
The pair maintain eye-contact again for a moment before a key in the lock of the front door gains their attention. Their heads turn in unison as it swings open.
"Hey guys!" Sayori greets with her typical energy, her belongings haphazardly dropped at the front lobby as she hurries in towards the two. "Did ya miss me?"
The two look at each other, equally amused as they stand up. Natsuki gets a strong squeeze for a hug, while John gets a playful peck on the lips, which gains an eye roll from the third member of the trio.
"How was Monika?" John asks casually, getting a giggle from his girlfriend.
"She was a lot of fun," she responds, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "We had a crazy time at the game, and then we just hung out in her room. She's still trying to decide on a major, actually, so I suggested veterinary doctor, 'cause she likes animals, but she doesn't think she has the stomach for it. We ended up just joking with each other about the most absurd things she could try out."
Clearly enjoying the new energy infused into the room by Sayori, John gives a big smile as he gives her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm glad you had a good time with her."
"Me, too!" Sayori smile slowly fades after a moment, however. "We thought about making it a regular thing, but…I think we wouldn't have the time to make that work, considering how far apart we are."
"And you have us here, too," Natsuki says pointedly, the filter in her head turning itself off for a moment. There's an instant of uncomfortable silence.
"Maybe over summer, we can all go see Monika," John tries to steer the subject back, but his girlfriend shakes her head.
"Johnny," the tone is soft but stern as Sayori gives him a light smile before turning back towards Natsuki.
"I didn't mean like that, but," their pink-haired friend sighs, the filter clicking back in place. It's still too late to back out of this conversation. "It doesn't feel like we've spent time together since we moved. As friends, or whatever. And John thinks so, too. We don't like it."
"Maybe we could do something to fix that," Sayori offers with a hopeful expression.
"Like what?" Natsuki's tone is skeptical. Before Sayori can offer a suggestion, however, John jumps in.
"Well, you two did have that bit of time on Thursday with each other," he says. "You could make that a regular thing."
"Assuming Monika doesn't interrupt us all the time," Natsuki retorts quickly with an annoyed tone. Sayori just giggles in response.
"Or Yuko," she throws out the name casually before carefully hiding her amusement at Natsuki's flushed face.
"Don't remind me," she mutters before shrugging. "I suppose we could try that. It's not like we have much free time together otherwise."
"And I could probably do well to clear some time on the weekends," John says with a thoughtful expression. "Make it more well-spent."
Sayori gives them both a pleased grin. "Okay," she nods. "I'm glad I have friends like you guys."
She takes a step forward towards the pair with wide arms, but her legs get twisted together, causing her attempt at a hug to turn into a stumble as she falls into them. They all struggle in vain before they're all collapsed on the floor together, giggling.