Natsuki doesn't like anyone or anything. She doesn't let anyone get close to her. She only joined the literature club to stay away from home longer. She keeps everyone at arms length.
But when she falls and hits her head, her world is thrown into...
TW: mentions of a SIDS incident and character death.
"You want me to what?!" I demand shrilly and Yuri gives me a dry look. "Watch Candy for the day. You can handle it." Yuri encourages teasingly and I look over to the three year old curiously.
"Um no I cannot, in case you haven't noticed I don't do children. " I snap and Yuri rolls her eyes with a shake of her head. "Says the woman who made breakfast and got all the kids ready, when you didn't even have to." She whispered jokingly and I sigh. "I've never been around kids before Yuri, please don't leave her with me!" I exclaim pleadingly and Yuri smiles kissing my cheek, which short circuits my brain.
"You'll be fine Suki, even though you dont remember, you were always wonderful with our other kids, Darcy and you were practically joined at the hip from age one to like age seven." She whispered and I frown wanting to ask why not now, but I'm kind of afraid of her answer.
"Mommy we do science?" The little girl asks brightly interrupting our argument and Yuri frowns. "No science today Candy, mama's not in her right mind enough to deal with your explosions. " she warns kissing her nose making the toddler pout as she turns and disappears out the door with one final wave.
"Ugh no fair she get's to go doctoring or whatever the hell it is she's doing." I mumble and Candy looks up at me. "Watch Bill Nye?" She asks and I frown. "The science guy?" I question in disbelief because last I checked that was a show that you usually watched in science class not for actual enjoyment. But Candy's eyes light up excessively and she bounces in place.
"Bill Nye the science guy!" She sings happily and I smile, damn why'd she have to be so fucking adorable. "Alright but where will you watch them and how?" I question more curious than annoyed. Candy grabs my finger and tugs me towards the stairs going down, chanting Bill Bill Bill Bill on the way.
There's a flatscreen tv and shelf upon shelf of videos that line the bright blue walls. I watched enthralled as the three year old walks to the bottom of a shelf labeled Bs and points upwards.
I reluctantly lift her and she pulls a box set of Bill Nye the science guy from the shelf and hands it to me happily. There's at least a hundred episodes in here, maybe more.
We end up eating cookies and other junk food and binge watching Bill Nye the science guy all day. Which is where Yuri finds us hours later, hands on her hips and expression stern.
"Natsuki what in the hell have you done with Candy all day?" She demands and Candy beams biting into another cookie and kicking her legs energetically.
"Move Yuri we're trying to watch this." I complain instead of answering the annoying woman.
"Mommy we's watch Bill Nye the science guy and eat candy!" The three year old giggles merrily before licking some pixie stick off her arm.
"Did you even eat lunch?" Yuri demands sharply and I try to recall if we made anything healthy before I shrug and Candy copies my gesture with a wide smile. "Unbelievable," she growls and Candy pulls a sucker off the couch and holds it out angelically to her mommy.
"Sorry I'm not use to eating meals and what not." I grumble a bit bitter because she's the one who demanded I stay with the kid. Yuri's face softens instantly and she sighs. "Right high school Natsuki. Well then come on let's go you're having something healthy before dinner then you two delinquents are going to come clean up your sugar explosion.
The next day when I watch Candy, Yuri texts me around noon with the word Lunch and no more junk food appearing more than once. So Candy and I make grilled cheese for lunch. Then we head to the park to feed them fishes as Candy so energetically put it. We throw crumbs into the water and Candy talks to the fish slowly as she feeds them.
Which in turn leads to us swinging on the swings together and Candy sings Bill Nye the science guy expressively. I ponder how I got such a nerd for a kid. Probably Yuri's genes most likely.
The following day we make cookies shaped like bunnies and Candy sings little bunny foofoo adamantly while waving the stirring spoon in the air every time she gets to the good fairy part of the song. I'll admit the kid's kind of adorable. Darcy helps us add whiskers and faces when she comes home, I smile at the way her eyes light up as she helps us merrily.
Harry stays home from school the next few days, sick with a cold and I refuse to watch a sick kid, so Yuri takes a few days off work. Candy draws boo pints, which I think means blue prints but how should I know. I basically am Yuri's gopher, grabbing what she needs for the sick kid.
The next day after the kid goes back we sit together reading books in her room, she whispers words she recognizes to me as I softly read to her. She falls asleep and I don't really know what to do with myself. So I find myself going through photo albums.
It's where I find the picture of the little baby boy named Axle and my heart breaks at his name. That had been my brother's name. But then I frown because where was this baby. The one with Yuri's eyes and hair.
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Suddenly the album slams shut and Darcy gives me the saddest look I'd ever seen. I don't realized I've been looking at the album so long that she'd gotten home from school. "The hell kid?!" I demand and she shakes her head. "Don't look at that album, it's sad." She whispers holding the book to her chest backing away from me slightly.
"Kid who's Axle? Where is he?" I ask and she looks down at her shoes bitterly. "Don't wanna tell you." She whispered bitterly and I frown.
"Why?" I ask incredulously and she looks up at me eyes teary. "Cause you'll make mommy cry and you'll go to the hospital again." Then she leaves disappearing in her and Candy's shared room, slamming her door roughly without a word, but I can hear her cries through the door.
I don't ask Yuri, some things are better left unanswered. I don't belong here anyway, this isn't my life...it's a stranger's house, a stranger's family and someone else's wife.
But still that small baby's face haunts me that night, plaguing my dreams so bad that I can't sleep. So I just leave, shutting the front door behind me I just start walking.
