.
[-Continuation-]
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[-Third Person View-]
"Now that I think about it."
Yukino said, her words coming in a hurried rush. "It's not a good idea after all. I would rather spend some private time with my family without any distraction. So no, you don't have to trouble yourself."
Hachiman couldn't resist one final jab, his tone dripping with playful affection.
"If you say so... dear~"
The deliberately sarcasm when said dear hung in the air, and for a moment, Hachiman half-expected Yukino to cut the line then and there.
But to his mild surprise, the line remained open..
On the other end, Yukino stiffened, unable to think of anything, a moment of flustered silence stretching between them.
Seemingly determined, Yukino recovered quickly, attempting to shift the conversation away from the teasing but unintentionally landing in even more awkward territory.
"So, I was asking... How did it go with your family? You know... about us, and... when your dad caught us together and... all."
Hachiman's smirk faltered as the memories of the talk resurfaced.
His father's deadpan face - and his uncharacteristic enthusiasm when the subject of their relationship had come up.
It wasn't every day you saw a Hikigaya Head practically bubbling over with approval.
"How should I put this... My dad has fallen. Actually, my whole family's fallen."
"Fallen?" Yukino echoed, her voice uncertain. "What do you mean?"
Hachiman sighed, recalling his father's words with a mixture of amusement and resignation. "Well, they are… um… how do I say it? They are deeply succumbing to your unparalleled beauty."
He said, half-seriously, half-defeated.
"..." The line went silent, save for the faint sound of Yukino's breath catching in her throat, finally followed by Yukino's soft but incredulous reply.
"...Excuse me?"
Hachiman could practically envision the wide-eyed, slack-jawed expression on her face.
The thought of her reaction coaxed a smirk back onto his face. "Yep. My dad practically told me - If you are dating someone, it better be her. Or else just stay single for the rest of your life."
The silence on Yukino's end grew deafening, palpable in its intensity.
"I… don't understand. Are you being serious?" She asked, her voice unusually timid.
"As serious as a heart attack." Hachiman confirmed, half-groaning.
Yukino's response was a quiet, mortified sigh, though Hachiman couldn't quite discern whether the emotion behind it was more embarrassment or sheer frustration.
"Your family has… fallen for me?" She repeated, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.
"Completely. Utterly. Hopelessly." Hachiman declared, relishing in the statement.
"Can't blame them though, can I?" He continued, a smug expression spreading across his features. "I mean, my Yukino is just that good."
Despite her protest, Hachiman could tell she was enjoying the praise, even if she tried to act like she wasn't.
After all, she was a woman.
And who wouldn't enjoy a little flattery from their boyfriend?
But Yukino's response remained characteristically controlled.
"Again, stop exaggerating things." She chided, though the edge in her voice had been considerably dulled.
"Am I, though?" Hachiman's tone turned teasing once more. "I mean, it's not like they are wrong. You are the Yukinoshita Yukino, after all."
Another sigh, this one more exasperated than before.
"....I said stop it." Yukino repeated, though her words carried less heat and more resignation.
Hachiman grinned at that. "Anyway, now you have won over the whole Hikigaya family, too. Feels like I am getting outnumbered here."
He could practically feel the weight of her glare through the phone.
"This conversation is over." Yukino declared, her voice returning to its usual sharpness.
Hachiman chuckled softly. "If you say so… my dear~"
But just as he was about to drop the topic, a spark of inspiration ignited in his mind.
Dropping the smug act.
"Except for my mother, I guess." He said, like he was tossing salt into a peaceful conversation, the suddenness catching Yukino off guard.
"What about her?" Yukino's tone shifted, seriousness creeping in, almost like a perfectionist fretting over a single lost point in a test when they had otherwise aced it.
It was as though a small, nagging voice in her head whispered - I wasn't able to impress her…
The shift was palpable, and for a second, Hachiman realized she might have taken his comment more seriously than he intended.
"Yeah, since she's the only one who hasn't met you yet. She was getting a little grumpy about it. No, wait. Grumpy isn't quite right. Maybe… jealous."
"Jealous…?" Yukino muttered under her breath, more to herself than to him.
"Mm-hmm." Hachiman continued, absently rubbing the nape of his neck. "Jealous that my dad and Komachi got to meet you, but not her. She can be quite competitive about these things." A grin tugged at his lips. "She was practically pouting."
Silence stretched between them, and as Yukino listened, a peculiar realization began to take root.
Hachiman's words seemed to hint at something deeper than just dating. The moment that thought sprouted, she tried to push it away.
Don't overthink it, Yukino. She chided herself. It's just Hachiman being... Hachiman.
But try as she might, her mind kept circling back to the same conclusion - what… is he talking about…?
"It's not really an issue, though." Hachiman continued, his tone deceptively casual. "Even if my family hadn't fallen for you, I probably would have handled it somehow. So no need to worry."
Yukino felt her thoughts derailing again. Handle it… what exactly?
"You would have… handled it?" She repeated, her voice soft, trying to decipher the direction of this conversation.
"Yeah." Hachiman replied, his voice lowering but maintaining that signature nonchalant tone. "Because the most important person has already fallen, and pretty hard at that. I wouldn't really have much choice, would I?"
That did it.
It was the final straw for Yukino's composure.
"Enough, idiot! Don't tease me like that!" Yukino snapped, her voice rising as she waved her hand in the air, though there was no one to see it.
Her flustered reaction was cut short by a faint, but unmistakable sound.
A gentle splash.
Hachiman's eyes widened as realization dawned.
It was the same sound he had heard when she first called, before uttering a word.
Like water... being disturbed.
His brow furrowed as the pieces clicked into place.
"Hey… Yukitty…" Hachiman's voice dropped, the teasing edge replaced by something more earnest.
"Yes?" Yukino responded, caught off guard by his sudden change in tone.
"...You are in the bath right now, aren't you?"
The words felt surreal as they left his mouth, but the evidence was undeniable.
There was a brief pause, and Hachiman could practically hear her breath catch.
No way…
"...I am."
She finally answered, her voice carrying that same defiance that said - what of it?
But now, both of them knew just how awkward the situation had become.
For a moment, Hachiman was utterly speechless.
A thousand blurry, half-formed images came crashing into his mind, and though he tried to push them away, they only grew fuzzier and more distracting.
He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling his face heat up in embarrassment, even though she couldn't see him.
"This girl..." He muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "One of these days, Yukino, you are gonna be the death of me."
On the other end of the line, Yukino was only now beginning to grasp the full weight of the situation.
She had called him on a whim, already settled into her bath, the warm water a cocoon of comfort around her
It hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time - she had just been talking to Yui moments before, and the transition had felt natural since she was already in the bath, soaking in the warm water.
In fact, she had assumed Hachiman would be preoccupied with his family, which explained her initial silence when the call connected.
It wasn't because this was their first phone conversation as a couple - that thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
Until now.
The realization crashed over her like a tidal wave of mortification.
It all hit her at once.
She wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground and disappear.
But since that wasn't an option, she did the next best thing.
She sank even lower, until only her eyes remained above the water's surface staring at some indistinct point on the tiled wall to drown out her embarrassment.
Her wet hair floated around her, and she tried, really tried, to forget that the phone was still propped up behind her on the tub's edge, on speaker.
What have you done, Yukino?
She wished, with every fiber of her being, that she could turn back time and undo this moment of careless intimacy.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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