Candles and a soft drawn smile

Yuigahama Yui was heavily dressed, wrapped in an enormous greyish coat and navy blue stripes on her knotted scarf, because 'Winter's sooo cold, you know...' did she utter with chattering teeth.
'You were the one to tell me to meet up...' sighed Hachiman, with his casual uniform and his favourite dark coat, which he worn out through the year and the previous. 'Anyhow, I got everything you told me...' and he waved a little plastic bag, with Pan-san designed candles, the roundish cake and shards of cherry.
She smiled her cheeks swollen, pinkish and cute like her hair bun. 'That is so gonna be awesome !'

'About the gift, you were the one to choose...' tried Hachiman to reject potential guilt. 'Don't worry Hachimon, me and Yukinon are like, best friends you know. There is no way she will not love it, since it is gift from the both of us.' she comforted his doubts with giant and slow shrugs and the bright of her lips, bright of her glance.
'Hachimon' thought Hachiman while walking side-by-side with Yui, wondering how friendly was the airhead near him, and musing a bit how he just had to protect her soul, knowing that true nice girls like her were really weak. Passing their looks, the few snowflakes of an idle winter used to filter the sun rays, but now an immense shadow from a concrete block hid it in shadows. There were other buildings, of the same concrete, around this height, but this one was clear in the soft mist.
'Hey, this huge build, that's not Yukinoshita-san's building, right ?' went answered 'The first time, I was astonished the same' she laughed, and the shadow of her silhouette was accustomed with the landscape : street of buildings. Hachimon stood out there.

'By the way, the gift is a stuffed panda, right ?'
'Of course yes, she will hug it for years, I bet.' she laughed honestly, and Hachiman really treasured her company, like all times someone else broke into his usual loneliness. He stared at his hand, and thought about how he never took Yui's hand in his palm, although she tried so many times before. Out of his mouth, he ran such words about how he would truly enjoy it. They went unheared as the wind, but as though she had read his mind, she opened her palm, smiling back at his face. Instead, he cuddled her, surprising Yui. She was happy that she could bond that far with both Yukinon and Hachimon.
Their hug lasted two minutes, and the silence was enough to convey their thoughts. If it had been any other girl, Hachiman knew she would be scared, or troubled, or blush forever, but Yui would not. It was as if she was motherly, with the hot of her chest, her heart. Afterwards, they simply turned forwards to Yukino's block of flats.

All below, they could enter from a large, paved square but they had to call on the intercom. As it ever only had been Yui, Yukino naturally picked the phone, asking who could it be. 'Hello Yukinoshita-san...' uttered Hachiman in dread when Yui handed the phone to him. Misunderstanding totally the situation, Yukino changed tone with an imperious one, to add to Hikigaya-san's helplessness. 'Since when did we become so familiar that you ring to my flat ?' to that offensive tone, Hachiman grew a grimace and stared at Yui, who shook. 'Oblivious' she wondered.

'I did not intend to trouble you, I just thought we could...' he went silent and choked on his word... '... party...'
That reassured Yukino in her formality, still surprised 'Sorry for the misunderstanding... Are you possibly with Yuigahama-san as well ?' he answered that yes and she accepted their access. In front of the two high schoolers, from the cold paved street they were granted a warming hall with two stairs of marble, oranged tiles by the lighting, and two elevators. As they were further stupefied at the comfort of this cocoon modernity, Haruno rushed in, her handbag at shoulder, as to completely surprise Yukino. 'You mean trouble' pointed Hachiman, 'Thanks for all, you two, I just love how you two take care of my sister !' and Yui just laughed. 'Sorry you had to stop your date, you were both so cute, meow.' she swollen her cheeks and drew her tongue, to which they blushed, quivering anywhere else.

Once they were at the door, Yukino was waiting in the hall, back against the milk white wall. Her silhouette slowly appeared in their field of vision, and her lips were softly drawn. While Hachiman and Yui greet her from a reasonable distance, Haruno rushed from the stairs and hugged Yukino so tight, they almost lost balance. 'Yukino-chan, meow I miss you all the time, my dearest little sister, you don't even know...' Haruno said while kissing her cheeks all over. Chukle from behind, and silence too.
A while after, once they had finally entered, disposing of their outside clothing, three hard whooled coats of dewish white, grey and black on the couch. They were all sitting at equal places near the round table, comfy of white chairs and grey pillows. At corners of the squared, spaced room were toys of Pan-san, and near the bedroom was a short library filled with books, essays and the top displayed cat goods and albums. Yukino came back with a porcelain tea plate and four cups of fancy set. Haruno told 'Those are from the mansion ?' to which she quivered and whispered... 'Family memory.'

Yui moaned after two sips, meowing 'Your teea's alwaays soo good', and Hachiman agreed by nodding, for what it was worth. And it meant much. Yukino smiled and looked at Haruno, whom's smile faced her back. After sugar coating their palates, Hachiman asked attention, pulling with solemnity the cherry flavored round cake, with its vanilla cream coulis and shards of raspberries. Once Haruno and Yukino assisted placing it in a plate, Yui wished to be given the candles. They were two Pan-san designed, and the whole set of candles, one by digit, was given to Yukino. The two pandas were shaped roundish on the curves and rough on the straight. Seven Pan-san and One Pan-san were passionately giggling of merriness.
'So now, how do we light'em ?'
Everyone looked at him, like it was otherwordly. He quivered fastly, blaming 'You forgot this, didn't you Yui...' and, seeing the silence went on, he added '-Gahama-san...'

'Enough joked, remember you guys to always have certain items in your bag for everyday needs. Like a lighter. Yet, don't smoke.' Haruno opened her bag pocket to grab a lighter, lit the two candles, and closed her bag. 'Nyaa' instinctively, and because it had been a couple of times, Hachiman thought of Yukinoshita-san, but she was just as surprised. The bag had moved. Yukino stood there, recognizing a cat's meow. Haruno smiled and opened the bag. The kitten saw for the first time another girl but Haruno, and naturally went to Yukino's leg, brushing it with his warm fur. Hachiman asked, with his same monotone and off the hook mood 'Is having a kitten in your bag an everyday need ?', to which Yui stared at him with exasperation, still softly. In Yukino's dark sea stare, this kitten was celestial, from his licked paws to his white fur. Haruno said 'As I know you already possess every knowledge and responsibility required to keep him, I convinced Mother and Father of letting you take care of him. How do you want to name him ?' 'Flake, flake because soft flakes on the hand must feel... like a lick on the paw.'

'Now is the time, Hachimon !' Yui pushed him, handing him the pet toy, to give the gift to Yukino. He shook during his march, and when he had gone all the way, he just held out the stuffed panda casually, hoping she would not make any remark. Still mesmerised by the kitten, she hugged the pet and said 'Thanks, Yui, Hachiman, Haruno-chan.', and a general 'Happy birthday' was shout.
When they finally ate the cake, it was one of the best memory they ever made, and the success of their bond certainly was this giant hug in a selfie, Hachimon as he kept that surname afterwards, in the embrace of Haruno, Yui and Yukino. All smiles drawn, the white kitten Flake held like a baby tiger. Lips were still covered with white cream and red cherries, happiness still floated in their joy. Afterwards, they eventually left the building, Haruno staying the night with her sister, and as the night went dark Yui and Hachimon went together to the train station, hand by hand like he asked her. Holding his phone as he laid, later that evening, so late that the moon claimed the name of night, he glanced with satisfaction at the picture, the shine of a smile brightening his normally nonchalant face.

Slightly opening the door, and letting some light in, Komachi called for him, as he stayed laying. 'Did you have fun today, onii-chan ?' 'Very much, I say, Komachi-chan', and she cuddled him without asking more, simply happy for her brother to be as smiling as when he was younger, when his contented smile was genuine.

Author notes

Dear Yukino : my favourite female lead of the series, she is the very first character I felt really close to, even more than Hachiman, so I really intended this piece of fanfiction to be her birthday gift, although she is not real. Never has a fictive character meant so much for me, shining in a romance settling while I was myself suffering from love... It is merely for her that I went on this website, to read more about her, to know more about her. Reading multiple fanfictions about one character really helps feeling her presence daily, just like some acquaintance you hear about some days to days. But she means so much more, as I really love her, and I really love everything about her character, much more than other fictive characters. She is idealized socially, beautiful girl and mesmerising grades, really the kind of shining girl. But she also has a catastrophic family situation, terrible relationships in general. She kinda became my second personality, I guess. Happy birthday and I hope you would enjoy it.

Dear readers : Two years and half ago I joined this website, and up until one half year ago I deleted every piece of fanfiction I had submitted, simply because it was an horrible writing, and certainly was I too childish back then. But I'm back for more characters (I love all of them, Hachiman, Yuigahama, Haruno, Shizuka, Yukino, and all of the side characters), and I really am fired up to bring more content to this page. I just hope there are still as much good writers and passionate readers as there were back then.
There will probably be suits for this one-shot, because actually it helps that she now possesses a kitten, and it is written by whom was he offered, and the hug lets a cloud of romance for a bond between Yuigahama and Hachiman, or even an even deeper and genuine bond by finally making Hachiman, Yui and Yukino best friends instead of following canon. Oh by the way I decided to break away from canon entirely so don't expect me not to take liberties, because it really shut down my liberty for writing for so long that I gave up once about fanfictions...
Review as much as you want if you are hyped up, if you were happy about the friendly bond, or if you wish you too Yukino-chan an excellent birthday, and don't hesitate to follow me on as a writer, because I plan several fanfictions on Doki Doki Literature Club, perhaps even Re:Zero and furthermore very much of Oregairu. Long live the fandom even if the novel does end soon ! Thanks for reading up to this point, you mean so much for me.