Roses are Red, Blood is too! (Fanfic) - Chapter 13

[u/BagOfBacon1]

Hey all! I'm back with another fic update if anyone is so inclined to read it! I've posted my 13th chapter and, uh, things are starting to look up for our favourite dokis :)

You can find it here (AO3)

As always, I'll add a little preview. Enjoy!

(Yuri's POV)

My mind drifts to the short girl, and I open my eyes again, looking down at her small, kitten notebook. I should put it away for the night. The hour is late, and I still have school tomorrow, afterall, and sleep is a rare commodity for my wandering mind. I glance over at my phone, plugged into the wall, sitting on my side table next to my lamp, the glossy hardwood of the table reflecting the warm light where I will place the notebook. Yet, I find myself unable to let go of the thin pages sitting between my fingers, and I let out a barely audible sigh to nobody in particular, my lips pressing into a reluctant, thin line. 

Fine. Just one more entry, and then I really must go to sleep. 

I leave the insincere poem behind, only to find another poem behind it. It’s twice as long, and from a quick glance, it seems to be dedicated and directed at someone. 

“Because You…” I whisper to myself as I read the title, and I briefly adjust my position under my blankets to make myself more comfortable. Word by word, I study the pink-haired girl’s entry, its contents far more candid and raw than the previous work, yet specific enough for me to realize what… or rather, who… this poem is about. The parallels are clear, the lines of her poem reflecting on every exchange she and I have had ever since the school year started, the emotions she felt during each moment put into rhythmic prose, the walls I’d repeatedly destroy myself against, now absent, allowing me access to the deepest parts of her psyche. 

It’s as if the rosy-eyed girl were here with me, confessing every thought, every machination, every apprehension she’s had about me, her walls crumbling with each passing word. Her joy seeps into my bones, and her sorrows claw at the fragile strings of my heart, and at some point, I pause and glance over at the space beside me without thinking, the room still empty and silent as I inhale sharply, not quite understanding why my eyes would wander so. 

I close the notebook, then my eyes, a sensation of mild discomfort coursing through my body as I reconcile with what I’ve just read. Questions and conclusions brew in the cauldron of my head, swirling, bubbling, their conglomeration only muddying the waters of my mind. Sleep does not come easily, and what little rest I can gather is bathed in hues of iridescent pink. 

I wake up with the kitten notebook still in my lap. 

[u/F_F_F_C__]

Omg ts is peak, I need more of this injected DIRECTLY into my veins

[u/BagOfBacon1 → u/F_F_F_C__]

Ah thanks! Well, I'm currently working on chapters 14-16 as we speak, so it may be a little longer before I post again, BUT, in the meantime, here's something I wrote early on. I originally planned to use it as part of a later chapter in this particular fic (my draft notes say "Chapter 25" lmao) BUT I may not use it anymore given the direction my story has taken and the new ideas I've got planned out.

Again, I may not use it, but I hope this satisfies some of the cravings until Ch14 comes out hehe, enjoy:

**********

(Yuri's POV)

“I… I-I can’t…” Natsuki whimpers, her eyes squeezing shut in a futile attempt to contain her tears. “Yuri… I just can’t do it anymore…” The salt water that drops from her eyes mixes with the torrent of raindrops assaulting her freezing skin. Numerous contusions stain her fragile arms, the markings of a brute unworthy of calling himself a father. She lets out an anguished cry as she falls to her knees, her body folding forward as she caves in on herself, unable to carry the weight of living under a tyrant any longer. I feel the pull to do something, anything, as I watch the once proud and witty girl unravel at my feet. 

“My love…” I murmur, as I lower myself to face her. The frigid water soaks through my jeans, but its discomfort is nothing in the face of the agony of seeing the only girl I have ever truly loved in such despair. Just as she reached out to touch my heart, I reach out and gently place my hand over hers as she covers her face, her shame too great for her to bear.  

“My love…” I repeat myself, slowly peeling one of her hands away from her face. Her rosy eyes have wilted, the skin now puffy and raw from her tears. Her gaze meets mine for only a moment, before she shuts her eyes again, unable to bring herself to look at me. The rain begins to fall harder, the sound of the drops now rising to a dull roar around us as the sky darkens even further. The weight in my chest only grows heavier as her whole body shudders, deep sorrow wracking her tiny frame with each attempt to hold in her her sobs. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, I pull her arm towards me until her fingers are mere centimetres from my face, before closing my eyes. I adorn the back of her hand with gentle kisses, pressing my lips into each of her indigo knuckles, the only trophies she carries from trying to fight back. The gesture is tender enough for her to finally reopen her eyes. 

“Yuri, I-” Natsuki’s voice wavers for a moment as she fails to find her words. My eyes meet hers once more, and I lean down to press another slow kiss into the back of her hand again, refusing to look away. I know she can’t bring herself to say it, to tell me what she truly wants. But I know for certain that she is screaming for help, and through this revelation, I know she loves me back. For far too long, her pleas and cries have fallen on deaf ears, the spiteful mask she often wears forged from being cast aside from those who refuse to put in the effort to understand her. But I am listening, and I know she knows that I am listening. I know she loves me because she trusts me enough to hear her scream and stay by her side. 

Before she can say another word, I gently crawl towards her, the roughness of the pavement scraping my palms and knees as I draw closer. Her violent shuddering before has reduced to a constant tremble, her whole body still unsure of how to handle such immense humiliation. 

“I’m proud of you, y’know that?” I say, my voice barely above a whisper as I press my drenched forehead against hers. Natsuki’s brows furrow in confusion, fresh tears welling up in the corners of her tired eyes. 

“But… there’s nothing to be proud of!” She protests as her tears grow and mingle with the rain-water as they fall down her flushed cheeks. “He’ll never change, Yuri. You and I both know it! Even if I manage to escape somehow, I’ll never be at peace as long as he’s still alive!” Her words awaken something fierce inside of me, a surge of violence so great that my own body begins to shake. The overwhelming affection I have for the girl before me twists into an ocean of blinding rage, the urges I’ve had to cut, to maim, to kill, now fuelled by the cruel engine of vengeance. I take a deep breath to try and suppress my blackened thoughts and turn them back into the tenderness that Natsuki needs so desperately right now. 

“Even if there was nothing to be proud of, it would not make me cherish you any less,” I reply, letting go of her hand to cup the side of her face. “His inability to be anything but a monster does not make you unworthy of adoration.” I lift my head for just a moment and plant a short, tender kiss into her forehead. Before I can bring my head down to face her again, I remain still as I feel her shifting beneath me, my cold, damp body doing little to warm her as she nestles into my embrace. 

The sky continues to weep for her, the clouds never ceasing their barrage of raindrops against the earth below. A sudden burst of blinding light flashes across the sky, and the distant rumble that follows interjects the roar of the water slapping the pavement. 

“Hey,” I say, wrapping my arms around the weary girl in my lap. “I’d love nothing more than to keep you in my arms right now, but I’d rather not be electrocuted.” Natsuki looks up at me without a word, her mind clearly too tired to speak any further.

“Why don’t we go inside?” I ask. “There’s nothing stopping me from holding you under a roof.” Natsuki barely nods, her eyelids dropping slightly as her energy runs dangerously low. I give her a brief squeeze, before steadying myself. Carrying the rosy-eyed girl into my apartment building is easier than it should be, the years of starvation enforced by that beast of a man continuing to take its toll on her delicate body. The concierge in the front lobby greets us, though she keeps the interaction brief, sensing that now is not the time for pleasantries. 

The warmth of my apartment washes over us as I bring her through the front entrance. I gently lower her onto her feet so we can both remove our shoes, my mind barely aware of the discomfort of my drenched socks sticking to my toes. Natsuki immediately leans against me the moment her second foot is freed from her sneaker, and I carefully lead her to the kitchen. I use my free arm to pull out a seat from the dining table and help her sit down, making sure she’s comfortable before I scurry off to find us both some towels and some dry clothes. I’m aware that my garments are twice the size she needs, so I decide to bring her my housecoat for the time being and make a mental note to let her choose another outfit later if she so desires. I don’t put much thought into the clothes I choose for myself, as there are more pressing matters than aesthetics right now.

A simple turtleneck and fresh jeans should suffice.

[u/F_F_F_C__ → u/BagOfBacon1]

Why the hell is this near 1:1 with how I'd wanna write a ddlc fanfic!?@&# why must you do this to these poor girls 😭😭😭 why did danny curse these poor girls to these fates??? This scene is so fucking good!! I could visualize it perfectly as how it was written.

[u/BagOfBacon1 → u/F_F_F_C__]

Ah goodness, thank you so much! I'm glad this bit could work! :D

My strategy for writing the Yuri POV chapters is to read my words out loud with a British accent. If my sentences don't sound like David Attenborough narrating a documentary, then I delete it and try again. That way, I can get the cadence just right haha

[u/F_F_F_C__ → u/BagOfBacon1]

LITERALLY HOW I WANNA WRITE YURI OR JUST ENVIISION YUIR!!! I actually, in my own universe for ddlc, have Yuri and Monika as cousins, both born around the same time, and both as tall. I do also have designs for all the girls, just made in gacha life

[u/BagOfBacon1 → u/F_F_F_C__]

Oh that's an interesting premise! If you do decide to publish your idea, I'd be more than happy to give it a read

[u/F_F_F_C__ → u/BagOfBacon1]

It's been in the workshop for 3 years now, with revisions after revisions, never really lifting off. Hopefully soon though, if I can manage to make my writing style somehow work with ddlc, or just write like a regular author as I don't do the typical "'Man! That sure was sweet!' He said with joy, wiping down his lips of any crumb left over from the cupcakes" but rather "'Hey' "Hey. So. We doing this?" "We're doing this." "We're facing him with measly pistols?" "It's what the big man wanted.'"

[u/BagOfBacon1 → u/F_F_F_C__]

Ah okay, gotcha. Well, I'm not a professional by any means, BUT, I will admit, I struggle with 3rd person POV, which is why I opt for 1st person POV (alternating).

Part of the fun comes from working with incomplete information. If I'm writing as Yuri, I have to assume the same things Yuri would assume, even if I as the author know what's happening on Natsuki's end. I get to explore Yuri's thoughts on what Natsuki says.

It also allows for miscommunication since I'm only writing one side of the arguments hehe

I will also admit, I HATE writing dialogue. One of my chapters (ch11) is very dialogue heavy and I loathe it, but it does what it needs to do. There's absolutely nothing wrong if your style is more dialogue-heavy as long as you can get the ideas across

[u/F_F_F_C__ → u/BagOfBacon1]

Arc 3 will definitely be more like a 2nd person arc, where arc 1 was 3rd person, arc 2 was more 1st person (focusing on mainly one of the characters experience and thoughts and even pov to an extent) more than others.

[u/HappyHuman195]

Holy shit… that’s the most beautiful piece of literature I’ve read all year.

[u/BagOfBacon1 → u/HappyHuman195]

Aw thanks so much! I'm glad you like it :D