Warning: Hints of abuse

A/N: It's been so long since I wrote a fanfic, maybe like 10+ months? After getting into Doki Doki Literature Club I found myself obsessed with Natsuki and Yuri, and after browsing on ao3 and only finding like 10 fanfics of them, I decided to write one of my own! I'm hoping to write more in the future! For now, hope you enjoy this one! :D

It was no secret that Natsuki had a rough time at home. There were some days where she would arrive to the club with bruises and cuts littered on her body, but any time someone would try and ask her about it, she would quickly dismiss it and change the subject. No one would push her on the matter, as it was pretty clear it was something she wouldn't want to discuss.

When Natsuki had arrived home one night, she prayed that things would be different. That maybe her father would work overtime and she could hole herself up in her room to avoid him, or that she would find him asleep and she could sneak past him. Unfortunately, it seemed as though luck was not on her side.

As quiet as a mouse, Natsuki walked through the front door. She tried her best to quietly yet also quickly make it to her room, but as she turned a corner, she bumped into the man she had been trying her hardest to avoid.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Yuri always had a habit of stopping at the book store after club meetings. Despite having a decent collection of books at home, she always found herself stopping there anyway just to see what she could find. Tonight was different though, she knew one of her favorite author's had released a knew book, and she was eager to buy it.

The line was a bit long, but she didn't mind. She found herself skimming through the book briefly, and before she knew it she was at the front of the line. Yuri could feel her social anxiety welling up, but she pushed through it.

After paying for the book, the cashier handed her the bag with a smile, "Have a nice evening, miss!"

"Th-Thank you, you too!" Yuri spoke softly, returning the smile before quickly making her way out of the store.

The indigo-haired girl held the book to her chest, taking a deep breath before beginning her walk home. However, she only took about two steps forwards before running into someone. Thankfully, she had been holding onto the book with a death grip, so there was no chance of dropping it. Looking to see who she bumped into, she was met with a familiar cotton-candy pink-haired girl.

"Ah! I-I'm so sor.. N-Natsuki?!"

Natsuki had stopped running to turn around and look into Yuri's eyes. Yuri gasped as she saw tears streaming down the smaller girl's face, her cheeks a mix of red and purple.

"Natsu-"

Before Yuri could ask, Natsuki had turned back around and continued running down the sidewalk. Yuri couldn't help but worry about the smaller girl, and she knew she'd never forgive herself if she just walked home without doing anything to help. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding in, Yuri clutched the book tightly as she ran after Natsuki.

Natsuki continued running until she felt her chest begin to burn, her lungs begging for oxygen. She turned to hide in an alleyway before leaning on the concrete wall, sliding down until she was seated on the ground. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and burying her face in her knees as she let the tears fall freely. Her shoulders shook with each choked sob that escaped her lips.

This wasn't normal, she knew this wasn't normal. She knew that this needed to be put to a stop, but there was no escaping it. Natsuki had no other relatives to live with, so if she got her father in trouble, she would be put into foster care, and that was something she couldn't imagine going through. That was if the police even believed her side of the story. She couldn't imagine what would happen if they didn't, what her father would do to her if they didn't. The thought alone made her cry harder.

"N-Natsuki!"

Startled, Natsuki snapped her head up to lock eyes with Yuri. Quickly, she tried to wipe away her tears and calm her breathing.

"Y-Yuri, what are you doing here?" Natsuki asked, trying to steady her shaking voice.

Yuri walked closer to the smaller girl before settling on her knees, noting the flinch as she pressed a hand to Natsuki's swollen cheek, brushing her thumb on the soft yet burning skin.

"What happened, Natsuki? Who did this to you?" Yuri's eyes were filled with concern, but also something Natsuki had never seen in those violet eyes. Anger, perhaps?

"I-I.." Natsuki started, flustered by the close contact.

Yuri seemed to come to her senses and blushed crimson red, quickly drawing her hand back and holding both of her hands in her lap, "I-I'm so sorry!"

"'S okay" Natsuki murmured, avoiding eye contact.

The taller girl coughed before speaking, "What are you doing out here so late? What happened to you?" She asked.

Natsuki visibly stiffened, her eyes staring straight down in her lap. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, and Yuri didn't want to pressure her or make her uncomfortable in any way.

"I can take you home if yo-"

"NO!" Natsuki screeched, shaking her head violently, "I'm not going back there."

After such a reaction, Yuri put two and two together. She didn't understand the full story, but she knew whatever happened to Natsuki must have happened at home.

"That's alright, it's okay. Do you want to, um.. Spend the night at my house?" Yuri asked nervously.

Natsuki had never been over to Yuri's house before, so the taller girl felt a little bit anxious from it, but she knew there was no way Natsuki was going home and she wouldn't dare to leave her to figure something out on her own.

"A-Are.." The smaller girl sniffed, "Are you sure?"

Yuri nodded, "Of course. It's no trouble at all."

"Thank you, Yuri," Natsuki did her best to smile.

The taller girl stood up, reaching a hand out for the smaller girl to take. Together, the two walked to Yuri's house. Yuri had to admit, there was something unsettling about seeing Natsuki appear to be so vulnerable and scared. In the club she was always so confident and happy, this wasn't like her at all and Yuri would do whatever it took for Natsuki to feel safe again.

After some time, the two arrived at their destination. Making their way inside, Yuri informed her parents that Natsuki was spending the night before leading the pink-haired girl to her room. She placed the new book on her night stand.

"Make yourself at home, you can sit anywhere you like. Do you want me to get you anything? A snack, a drink?" Yuri asked.

Natsuki shook her head, "That's okay, thank you, I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"It's no problem at all, I insist."

"Oh, a water is fine, thank you."

Content with the answer, Yuri nodded before going to fetch a water bottle for the smaller girl. Returning to her room, she found Natsuki on her bed, her hand running through the soft blanket.

Yuri passed the water bottle to her, "Y-You can, uhh.." She paused to collect her thoughts, "You can lay down a-and go to sleep, if you would like."

Natsuki felt her face grow warm, "Is that okay?"

Yuri nodded, sitting on the bed next to her, "Get some rest, I could tell you could use it."

Natsuki smiled, "Thank you, Yuri. For all of this."

This time it was Yuri's turn to blush, "O-Of course, anything to help."

Natsuki grinned a toothy grin before getting herself more comfortable in Yuri's bed. She let out a sigh of content at the softness of the blanket, plush and warm. Yuri smiled down at the smaller girl, grabbing her new book from the night stand and beginning to read.

As she began reading, she used one hand to hold her book and another to run her fingers through Natsuki's soft pink locks of hair. A soft hum could be heard from the small girl, and Yuri halted.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, I could stop if you'd like," She felt her face grow even warmer than before.

"'S okay, it feels good," Natsuki's voice was soft and slurred.

Yuri smiled, resuming her reading as she continued to play with Natsuki's hair, helping the girl fall asleep.

Yuri knew that it would take some time for Natsuki to open up to her about what had happened, but as long as she could be there to help her through whatever had happened, that was more than she could ever ask for, and she hoped she could continue to be there for her no matter what else may happen.