Chapter Text
The moving truck pulled to a squealing halt infront of the spacious house, Kawaii-Chan squealing an equal pitch in glee as the rumbling engine of the truck became suddenly silent as the eldest of the two black haired girls pulled the key from the ignition, climbing out of the truck with her younger sister following out behind her. The four of them regathered at the end of the drive-way, a collective groan as they all stretched out their aching bodies, a softer sound of collective bone pops. They stop, staring up at the house before them, each with a little proud smile on their faces- save for Katelyn of course. There was a collective moment of silence between all four girls, staring at their house, a silent proudness between all of them in ways that just needed their collective friendship.
Katelyn was first to break the silence, walking forward slightly and then turning around, staring at the two sisters as her arms crossed beneath her chest, briefly clearing her throat before speaking finally.
"Are you sure we can afford this place? What do you two even do for a living?"
Hyacinth looked slightly nervously at Aphmau, and Aphmau returned her a similar look. The younger of the two cleared her throat in return, as if unintentionally mimicking Katelyn's previous action.
"Uh- well... It's uh- it's a night job, and I really don't wanna talk about it, because I don't want word to get around to Garroth and Laurence... If they found out, they would be so mad."
"You both work at the same place together?" Katelyn fired back at Aphmau, Hyacinth nodded quickly, spitting out a practiced response.
"Yeah, yeah! The job listing was accidentally posted twice, but neither of us knew that until we showed up for the tour around the place, and they just let us both stay."
Kawaii~Chan whined at, turning to face the two sisters. "Waaah, you can't trust us?!"
Hyacinth rolled her eyes playfully, quirking her head slightly to look more directly at the pink decorated meifwa girl. "Kawaii-Chan, you're the one who was snapping pictures of me and Aaron on the side. Of course I don't trust you, but we'll live with you. Besides, sometimes a girl like Aphmau needs a bit of actual space between her and her boyfriend. Keeps the relationship strong you know."
"Aww poo!" The cat girl pouted sadly, her black ears drooping down the sides of her head.
"Hmph, fine. Keep it a secret, we live with you both now, so we'll find out eventually."
"B-But Katelyn~Sama, Kawaii~Chan wants to know now!"
"Patience Kawaii~Chan. Let's play Hyacinth and Aphmau's game. If they're keeping it a secret, then this must be good." Katelyn finished with a near sinister tone, one that sent a collect shiver down everyone's spine, the three other girls watching her walk off into the house first. It was silently between the three of them for a quick beat, before Aphmau was the first to break the silence, asking a question to no one in particular.
"Uhh, okay... what did she mean by that?"
Kawaii-Chan was the first to respond. "Oooh you know Katelyn~Sama. She just likes to get in a snarky remark. She does that. A lot. To our customers at the restaurant, which is why she always gets bad tips, hehe. In any case, we should start unpacking and picking our rooms. Katelyn~Sama and Kawaii~Chan both agreed before we came out here that since Aphmau~Senpai and Hyacinth~Senpai are paying more on the rent, you both should get first pick! Also Hyacinth~Senpai and Aphmau~Senpai should have the biggest room if you want!"
Hyacinth had been distracted by her phone, smiling at text messages she had been receiving from someone, but her head suddenly whipped up at Kawaii~Chan's words, a momentary lapse of confusion furrowed in her brows before the realization settled in her mind. She turned her phone off, shoving the small device into her pocket as she stood beside her sister, looking at Kawaii~Chan with vague shock. "Kawaii~Chan no, we're fine with whatever. If you or Katelyn want the biggest room, then take it."
"Hyacinth~Senpai, stop being so modest! You both were the ones that found the house and did all the work to get it! You deserve to have the biggest room! Trust Kawaii~Chan, she and Katelyn~Sama don't mind at all! Now go on and pick! Kawaii~Chan is going to be here to get her stuff down!" Kawaii~Chan said in response, a soft and sweet giggle coming from her, her tail swishing happily behind her. She slipped past the two sisters, pulling open the back of the truck, as she next climbed in and started seeking out all the boxes and crate that had her name printed on them.
Hyacinth and Aphmau looked to each other, equally surprised and slightly confused, trying to post-pone the choice choosing by asking if Kawaii~Chan needed any help, but the other girl just smiled and kept going about her business in the truck. Once more, the two sisters gathered themselves and made way into the house, marveling at how spacious it actually was inside, compared to the listing pictures they'd been looking at weeks prior. They separated from each other to look around independently, occasionally calling out whatever room they'd found like the bathroom or the basement, until they converged again at the base of the stairs. They looked in each of the rooms, seeing Katelyn already decorating the room she had claimed for her own, clearly the smallest of the three room, but Katelyn hadn't put much of her stuff in the moving truck anyways.
When the two girls entered the master bedroom, with it's own attached bathroom and a decent walk-in closet, they immediately broke into a fit of playful arguing over who deserves the room more, bringing up who- between the two of them was paying the most, bringing up age, who had the most things, even bringing up one of them rooming with either Katelyn or Kawaii~Chan.
"O-Okay Hyacinth, sis... my beloved, amazing, super cool big sister. Just... take the room. You deserve it, you're literally paying the most rent out of all four of us, you deserve the biggest room." Aphmau started, seeming almost nervous, but not quite, waiting for her sister to say something.
Hyacinth, the older of the two sighed softly in contemplative thought, dragging a hand down across her face, and tapping a finger against her cheek, looking around the room, as if already plotting out where everything would go if they were to share a room together once more. Katelyn most certainly wouldn't share her room with anyone, and Kawaii~Chan would gladly but... Hyacinth shook her head and smiled at her younger sister with an affirmative look.
"Well Aph, I would say we could have our own rooms, but someone would probably have to stay in the basement and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone. Katelyn most definitely won't share her room. Kawaii~Chan wouldn't be the worst option ever but so, so much pink." Hyacinth looked around the room once more. "There's more than enough space, we could share the room. The biggest thing would just be figuring out who gets the closet if we do that."
Aphmau nodded excitedly, her amber colored eyes almost seeming to sparkle at the prospect. "Oh, and we can play... My Little Horsies!! I'll get our stuff!"
Hyacinth laughed softly at her sister's excitement, watching her dart out of the room as Hyacinth follow behind at a more leisurely pace, already imagining what the house would like with all four of them working together to making it home.
- - - (1st POV) - - -
After some time, discussion after discussion of where things should go, and Aphmau practically forcing me to take the closet, we got the most important parts of our room set up, beds placed in the corners by the window, the walls up to the foot of our beds belonged to us and our separate posters and decorations, the rest of the room was our 'communal' area to decorate together. I had left to use the other bathroom briefly as Aphmau was using the other one by the time I'd realized I need the bathroom. Approaching the door, I heard her talking to something or someone, at first thinking she'd been talking to someone on the phone, so I made myself quieter to not interrupt her until I stood in the doorway, seeing what she really had been talking to, her Levi poster.
"Huh. Levi~Senpai, I-I'm so sorry to put you in a crate, I-I just moved to a new house, and it's a new experience, but I'm glad this is an experience I get to share with you senpai. If- if only you were real. Garroth was so close to discovering our forbidden love last time, I-I'm sorry I had to rip you down infront of him. It's just... I don't want anyone to find out about us, and-"
I had to stop myself from straight up cackling in amusement at the sight before me, a hand clasping over my mouth for a moment as I sighed deeply to calm myself down, standing upright from my leaning position against the doorframe as I walked forward a little more into the room, a playful smile still stuck to my face. "Are you seriously mentioning sweet nothings to that poster?"
"Augh- uh- Hyacinth! Uhm- uh haha! Heh! N-No, no no, Hyacinth-" Aphmau kept stuttering, a nervous blush coloring the apples of her cheeks as she kept looking between me and the Levi poster, suddenly standing straighter, her fists bunched up on her hips. "Why don't you knock before you come in? I was just practicing lines for a play I-I'm gonna be in with this guy- not this guy! I swear I was just using this poster because it was the first thing I pulled out. Don't get any ideas, I swear."
I rolled my eyes again with a smile, looking up at her after throwing some hair back over my shoulder, a teasing look glistening in my eyes. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were in a play."
"Heh. Thank you-"
"A play about crazy people with poster senpai's. Haha!"
Knowing my sister well enough obviously, I turned around and quickly shut the bedroom door and ran down the stairs, nearly bumping into Katelyn as Aphmau chased after me, giggling playfully, but stopping short after I rounded the couches one of the other girls had set up, and after Aphmau noticed Kawaii~Chan standing behind her, a fruit bowl held in her hands.
"Aphmau~Senpai! Let's go and introduce ourselves to the neighbors. Come on!"
As Aphmau and Kawaii~Chan talked about visiting the neighbors to give a proper introduction, Katelyn playfully elbowed me in the side of my ribs, a knowing look in her bright blue eyes, arms crossed just under her chest, the two of us watching Aphmau & Kawaii~Chan.
"So... why's she chasing you down like a hungry dog now?"
I chuckle softly, shaking my head. "Playfully made fun of her for talking all sweet to her anime poster."
"Ah. Makes sense. I would of absolutely done the same thing Cinni."
"Oh I know Katelyn, that's why we make such good friends."
Aphmau turned and looked at us, a playful tone in both her eyes and voice, a mock anger that wasn't proper. "Gonna go greet a neighbor. Kawaii~Chan only has one fruit bowl, so we can only greet one. If you come with, no more joking about Levi~Senpai."
I hold my hands up in mock surrender, shrugging in the same motion as I give a confirming nod, already heading for the front door. "I won't say anything about your senpai sis. Not until we're back home that is."
"Never again!" Aphmau shouted back playfully, both her and Kawaii~Chan following after me with the fruit bowl still in hand as we stand at the end of the driveway, looking around as to determine which of the houses was worth visiting and actually occupied. We were told by the real estate agent that the neighborhood was a newer one from several renovations on a couple of the house, so many were unoccupied for time being but there were many waiting applicants. The three of us walked down the sidewalk, not wanting to cross the road to the other part of the neighborhood, deciding to try our chances on our possible neighbor directly next to us, a nice simplistic blue-grey house.
Aphmau reached the door first, pressing the door bell, turning to face Kawaii~Chan, giving a gentle warning to still be herself but a bit more tamed and calmer, yet not completely suppressed. An equal amount of surprise rocked through both myself and Aphmau seeing who had opened the door, Brendan, a good friend we hadn't seen a while, a playful smirk on his face as it usually was.
"Well, well, well... I didn't know cute girls were delivering pizza these days." Brendan said, a playfully lilt to his voice.
"...Are you serious? You... live here Brendan? I-" Aph started, Brendan cutting her off- though not intentionally.
"Of course I do. I've been inviting you guys to come over to check out the place, remember? I see you finally took me up on my offer."
"Hehe, uhm, no. We actually just- uh- moved next door. Uhm, Hyacinth, Kawaii~Chan, and myself-" Once again, Aphmau was cut off, this time by Kawaii~Chan, moving forward to stand infront of her slightly, excitement clear in her voice with a tone of something sweeter.
"BRENDAN~KUN! LONG TIME NO SEE!!"
It took Brendan a moment to process who was now Infront of him, that smirk still holding on his face until it dropped suddenly, his eyes shooting open wide and his cheeks coloring a vibrant red color, as he stuttered like a confused child.
"K-K-K-K-KAWAII~CHAN! I DIDN'T THINK Y-YOU WOULD BE-" And a third time of someone being cut off, except Brendan did it to himself, stumbling back slightly and fainting, his body hitting the floor with a deep thud.
"Oh-" I started, side-stepping Aphmau to close Brendan's door, turning to face Kawaii~Chan with a half smile. "Guess he still has a crush on you Kawaii~Chan."
None of us were able to barely even open our mouths when the loud rumbling of a truck filled the air, the three of us turning in unison to look down the street at the house directly across from ours, a blue moving truck with the decal saying 'PROFESSIONAL MOVERS' on either side.
"Huh. Someone's moving in right across from us. On the same day we are? What a coincidence! Cmon girls, we should go say hi." Aphmau excitedly skittered off of Brendan's porch, leaving me and Kawaii~Chan to stare at each other in brief surprise before we had to break into a slightly jog in order to catch up to her down the sidewalk.
Finally getting back Infront of our house a few seconds later, finding Katelyn standing outside staring at the three figures with an amused expression, giving me a knowing look as I approached first.
"Hey there new neighbors, my name is Hyacinth, and this- wh- huh?! Garroth, Laurence, Dante?!?"
Laurence gave a half wave and a an equally half smirk. "Yo."
"No, no, don't tell me you guys are- please tell me you're just helping this person move into this house here..."
'Nope," Katelyn said, the smirk clear in her voice without me ever having to turn around and see her face. "They're moving in here it looks like."
I dragged my hands down across my face, digging the palms of my hands into my eyes for a moment, already feeling the specific gazes of Laurence and Dante burning into me. Kawaii~Chan and Dante held a conversation I paid no attention to until Kawaii~Chan brushed past me, telling me specifically out of everyone else to not follow her
"Well... that was weird... Anyways! I'm going to go and continue to fix up my room... good luck with these guys!" Katelyn added quickly, also running back inside, waving to me and Aphmau before shoving the door shut and disappearing behind it to go back to her room. I turn slowly on my heels, finding Aphmau already embraced in Garroth's arms, warm smiles adorning both their faces. I looked over to Laurence, a look lacking any sort of amusement on my face, my hands resting on my hips.
"Laurence! Laurence-"
"Now now... we can explain... you see, since you were moving we... uh... decided to move as well! ...And uh... this place just so happened to catch our eyes and uh... so we moved here! W-We had NO IDEA you were moving here as well!" I could hear the nervousness in the way his voice shook, his forehead starting to grow with a shine of sweat that had yet to come through his pores, his eyes darting everywhere but me.
"...Are you lying to me, Laurence?" I asked, my tone accusatory but still light, jabbing a finger into the air at him.
"Lie? To you..? NO, NEVER! I mean... you know what... D-Dante can answer that. DANTE!!"
I followed Laurence around the front of the truck, past Dante, and watched Laurence run into his new house. I chewed on my bottom lip, staring forward long after Laurence had disappeared from my line of sight. I shook my head with an exasperated smile on my face, watching Aphmau helping Garroth carrying in boxes from the truck to the house, still locked deep into whatever conversation they'd started earlier. I started turning to face the front of the house again, stopping about half way to look at Dante, still attempting to hide behind the front of the truck.
"Dante-" I giggled softly at the squeak that emitted from him once I took notice of him and the way he seemed to almost shrink back into the truck. "Dante... did you guys find out I was moving here? And decide to move here as well?"
"Y-Ye-NO!! L-Laurence was the one who moved us here because he was um... he set up the viewing this morning! YEAH! THAT'S IT! GO- TALK TO HIM!!" Dante stuttered, turning to try running away and almost eating the road beneath us, as he got his footing back and ran off to the house in an equal panic to Laurence just moments prior.
I yelled after him to no avail, feeling irritation starting to bubble in the pit of my gut, rounding the truck to find Laurence moving around and looking into boxes, jumping slightly whenever he seemed to notice my presence behind him.
"Why hello there Hyacinth." Laurence leaned on a box beside him, a playful smirk on his face.
"W-What are you doing with your face..?"
"I'm just admiring your beauty from here... say, do you need any help moving into your new place? I'm twice as strong as Garroth and Dante combined." Laurence continued with a near cocky tone in his voice, flexing muscles under the sleeves of his hoodie.
"No thanks... but thank you for offering. Now, I wanna ask you... did you really find this place on your own, and asking Garroth and Dante to room with you?"
"...I did... you know why? Because I wanted to be next to the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Aphmau's dog? Celeste? She's not here yet, she's with the pet movers still."
"...Are you really- nevermind. Yes, I wanted to be next to her dog. Sheesh... heh, but you know what? I find it cute that you're so... cute."
"What..? Laurence, what? That made no sense." Laurence clearly saw the confusion on my face, his thumb and pointer finger coming up to rub at his eyes as he groans slightly.
"......Ugh, I can't flirt on an empty stomach. I mean- I need to finish unpacking these boxes... if you see Dante or Garroth, can you tell them to come help me unload these kitchen supplies? I'd appreciate that. See you around neighbor." Laurence winks at me a final time, slipping past me out of the truck and once more back to his house.
I sigh, staring with distress on my face as I watched Aphmau finally leaving the house and jog up behind me as we walk side by side back to the house in silence. We stop on the porch for a moment, my hand coming up to rub my eyes as I glanced at the front door then back to my sister. "We'll obviously ask Katelyn and Kawaii~Chan before any big decisions but... do we wanna do small grocery shopping or just order something for dinner tonight?" Aphmau thought for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin for half a second before her eyes lit up slightly. "I'm putting my vote towards ordering something like pizza. I know we're all too tired from all the moving and unpacking and boys todays."
I gave a playful glare to Aphmau at what she had said at the end of her response, but shook my head as we both walked inside, the door closing behind us. Aphmau went upstairs to look for Kawaii~Chan and Katelyn, as I searched the downstairs, but neither of us had any luck finding them, even if we looked in more obscure places, like the kitchen cabinets or the bathtubs. I sighed, realizing what the only option left was, checking the basement. I desperately wanted to avoid the basement, not because of the previous warning Kawaii~Chan had told me, but just because basements in general really creeped me out, and they always had, even whenever I was a kid.
"Are they hiding from us? This better not be a prank." Pulling the door open, I descended down the stairs, seeing the large stack of crates in a specific part of the basement, knowing that was were the two girls most likely were, walking forward to round the crates and stopping suddenly dead in my tracks as my eyes widened as much as they could seeing the pictures on the wall and the little figurines on the table. My cheeks flushed a near embarassing red color, my hands cupping over my mouth as my brain barely even recognized Aphmau's presences besides.
"Oh my- what- w-what... What the heck in all this..? Me and Aaron..?"
I turned as Kawaii~Chan suddenly appeared, a waiting half-smile on her face. "Does Hyacinth~Senpai like it? This is the place Kawaii~Chan comes to give strength to her ship!"