'It Happened in One Night'

My walls suddenly came down. Years upon years of defenses that I had built up over that long period of isolation suddenly came down. Hah. I prided myself on such a system being impenetrable, but it all came down like a house of cards.

By whom, you ask? And how?(I know I'm going insane now because I am talking to an imaginary audience)

The whom is easy to answer.

Yukino Yukinoshita.

The how? To be honest, right now, I don't even remember myself.

I wake up in an unfamiliar bed, groggy as ever, with the dim light of early morning splashing across my field of vision.

'What the hell happened?' I think to myself.

I open my eyes a little more(Well, as much as I can, with groggy fish eyes), and see I am not alone in this bed. To my right is the first member and president of the Service Club, soundly asleep.

'Damn, she looks good sleeping...'

"Oh shit..." I whisper aloud, softly.

I am in a bed with a woman, and my memory of the events of the night before aren't coming back to me.

'What the hell happened?' I think, in a frenzy of thoughts of worst-case scenarios. 'Was I drugged? Did someone move me over here while I was sleeping? Did we..?'

My first priority at that moment is to make sure that we didn't do... THAT last night.

I look down at myself, and see that I am dressed in pajamas. I look over to Yukino's sleeping... Appealing form, and see that she too is dressed in pajamas. This probably means that we didn't commit any offenses that would destroy the last shreds of innocence that I had.

Although, for some reason... A side of me feels... Disappointed?

'Damn it me, what the hell are you thinking?'

My next priority was to figure out why we were sharing the same bed.

So I think...

And I think...

And I think...

And I think...

And I think...

'And I think...'

Nothing is coming to me. Alright then. Maybe we can work our way to the answer. Yeah, that's it. So I decide to go to my next priority, my next question.

'Why are we in our pajamas?'

The answer to that comes to me. It is because we were having our Service Club Sleepover last night.

'Oh, so, you got to have a sleepover with two attractive women, eh? Lucky bastard.' came the thought from a part of my brain I thought I sealed off in 9th grade.

'That's not what it was!' I yell to myself internally. If Yukino was awake, she would see a very irritable look on my face right now.

'Oh? So what was it then, champ?'

'Ugh, you're worse than a pervy grandpa.'

'You're right. I'm a pervy teenage boy.'

'Alright, no.' I stop my train of thought in trying to respond to my pervert side, and instead formulate the reason we were having a sleepover. Yes... Now I remember... It was...

'It was because we were having a cookoff to see who could cook the best chicken noodle soup for Komachi'

Yes, my darling little sister had come down with a really bad cold, and I know it must have been terrible, because she was kept glued to her bed. Anything that managed to do that has the strength of a deity.

'But why did that necessitate a sleepover?'

'Well... Hmm... I think it was an exchange in the Service Club...'

Yes, I made the fatal error of revealing my plans to be a great big brother in the walls of the Service Club Room, and make my one-of-a-kind little sister some chicken noodle soup. I think the exchange went something like...

"Hikishita-kun, you and I both know that you are a failure at everything you do. If you made chicken noodle soup for your sister, and will probably cause her to be paralyzed to her bed for another three years. She will fail her University Entrance Exams, and end up as a hobo on the streets of downtown Chiba, or worse, end up as a maid in a cafe in Akihabara. All because you were a complete failure at making her chicken noodle soup. Don't even try, Hick-kun. I'll make her the soup."

"Now hold up there, Ms. Culinary School Rich Kid Extraordinaire. Just because you have access to fancy rich people cooking tools, doesn't make you a better cook than me. Hell, if I had access to the same cooking tools as you, I could probably make food so good, that I would have mind control over them... Or something like that..."

"And you think I don't have that ability with my current cooking skill?"

"Obviously not. Otherwise, you would have taken the opportunity to get me to commit Seppuku long ago..."

"You've got a point, HikidisgracetoyourfamilyandtheentirenationofJapan-kun."

"You know what? Fine. FINE. There's only ONE way to settle this."

"Oh yeah? And what's that."

"Cookoff."

"Alright."

"At your place."

"I see you're being especially bold today, Hikipervert-kun."

"I have no limits when someone challenges my pride and ability to service my sister in any capacity possible."

"Then I accept your challenge, Hikiabouttoloseashealwaysdoes-kun. You wouldn't mind if a prize were added to make things interesting, wouldn't you?"

"I don't mind at all. Otherwise, there'd be no fun besides pride points."

"Alright. Winner gets to order the loser to do one thing."

"So... The same stakes as our Service Club competition?"

"Don't worry. I'll be more... Lenient on you when I win this one as opposed to the service competition, Hikigonnabemyslave-kun."

"I accept those rules."

At some point, I assume we acknowledge Yui's existence, and, not letting us down, and in typical Yui fashion, she said soemthing like:

"Let's make it a sleepover at Yukinon's place! What do you think, Hikki?"

"Eh..."

After a lot of prodding and pleading by Yui, and probably some intimidation and challenging from Yukino, I guess I accepted this becoming a sleepover.

'Well, I THINK that was how that whole conversation went. That was the gist of it...'

'Alright, so what did we do once we got to Yukino's place?'

"Hachiman..." I heard a soft voice to my right. Was she awake?

'Oh no... I'm screwed...'

Luckily, I look, and she still seemed to be sleeping... So why did she say my name in her sleep, apparently... Much less my FIRST name?! I don't think I have ever heard her call me by my first name. I know she must be pleased with something I'm doing in her dream.

'Maybe I'm being decapitated... Or I'm performing all of the parts awfully in a community theater play... I honestly don't know which one is worse...'

Strangely, that somehow brought the memory back of the cookoff...

'Yes... Yui, in typical Yui fashion, managed to start a fire... Though she managed to outdo herself by setting the whole stove on fire... It took a herculean effort by Yukino to put out the fire... Which also spoiled my attempt at the soup... Which left only one soup...'

"Once again, Hikidisgrace-kun, your efforts to be of service to your sister hilariously backfire, and end in failure." Was how I remembered her phrasing her victory boast.

Yui felt great shame in her starting the fire and ruining her and my soups, so she ran out, blubbering that she's a disgrace to the Service Club.

"Aren't you going to chase after her, Madame President?"

"Eh... She'll be fine... Eventually. I'm sure she'll come back soon."

She didn't come back, if memory served correct.

"Shouldn't we check to make sure the police have her on suicide watch? She looked really disgraced and ashamed..."

"Eh... She'll be fine... Eventually. I'm sure she wouldn't do anything THAT drastic..."

For some reason, my memory of Yui leaves off there...

"Hikiloser-kun, you still owe me that one favor..."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"I want you to tuck me into bed and sing me a lullaby."

The shock of her saying that is coming back to me.

"You want me to do... What?!"

"I want to use your poor singing skills against you some day... And I'll know how bad those skills are if you sing me a lullaby."

That may not have been the exact wording of the reasoning, but I remember the reasoning being very flimsy and her having a rather... Strange expression on her face.

"Well, fine, I do owe you a favor. Get ready for bed, and I'll tuck you in and sing to you in just a moment." I must have looked away in embarrassment. I cannot see any universe where I say that with a straight face.

In the bathrooms of her apartment, we changed into our pajamas.

"Why are you in pajamas, Hikioverlyeagertosleep-kun?"

"Well, this is still a sleepover, right?"

If memory serves correct she... Blushed?

"Well, I guess I will allow you to sleep her tonight, as to be a good host of her word, despite these suspicious circumstances. This is out of sheer generosity. Don't expect this to be the new norm for you, Hikipubescentboy-kun."

"Don't worry, I have no expectations of you. I've learned to stop having those."

"Why's that? Do I disappoint you that much?"

My answer, in my head, to that question now, is 'No, because you keep breaking them.'

My answer then was something along the lines of "I never know what I'll get with you, so I won't expect anything out of you."

"Fair enough, then. Time for that lullaby?"

"Yes. This is one that I sing to Komachi, called 'Sakurasou'"

In all honesty, I had never sung that to Komachi. I always just sang to her the old traditional lullabies. I had heard this one a long time ago, and it has been even longer since I've sang it. I am going to guess that my rust showed quite a bit...

"You know, Hikigaya-kun," Yukino said softly, with a softer smile and eyes half-closed "You're a terrible singer..." And with that, she fell straight to sleep.

"Wow, I even impress myself, sometimes." I think I said, when suddenly, I was hit with a wave of fatigue. I was about to go off to sleep, but I somehow remember now the thought I had before I did.

'You know, she really is beautiful... I think I love her...'

And with that, I went to sleep...

And here I am now, with the sun rising, and the risk is even greater that she wakes up, and my integrity becomes compromised.

'So what do I do? How do I feel?'

Last night's thought comes back to me

'I think...

I love her.'

'Is this really love? How would I know? I've never felt this way about anyone before. And why does this feeling emerge now?'

'Maybe that's it. It's unexplainable. It's something I've never experienced. It comes from the blue. I think it is love, then. That's my best guess.'

'But what do I do? Do I hold this in? Isn't this a surefire path to sheer embarrassment?'

'No. Holding this in will only hurt everybody. I think it's time we try being as open as we can... If that's what she chooses...'

The thought has come to be.

'Wouldn't it be selfish, to just reveal this, if that's not what she wants? What if she doesn't want to taint this path, a path of normalcy? Then I must give her choice.'

I write three letters. The first is one I will place on top of her sleeping form as I leave.

Don't worry, nothing happened last night. We had a sleepover for the cooking contest. Yui messed up, as expected, and your stove has some burns. Because I lost, I sang you a lullaby. There is a letter to your left, and to your right. Do not read both. When you read one, burn the other. Reading both will only negate their meaning.

If you desire normalcy, and a life unperturbed, one that goes its course, open the letter to your right.

If you want to experience something frustrating, illogical, nonsensical, and new, a path that will change the course of everything to come, open the letter to your left.

Remember, read only one of the letters, and burn the other.

Sincerely,

Hachiman.

The letter to her right, the next letter I choose to write, is my resignation from the Service Club. She'd understand. Our school career is ending within the next few months, and time will be needed to prepare for college. That'd be my excuse, anyways.

The last letter I write, to her left, is simply:

I love you.

I realize how brash and illogical that conclusion is, but that's the one I came to. You choose to do what you want with this information.

I place the letters, and I head out.

I reach a stoplight while riding on my bicycle when I receive a message.

From: Yukinoshita Yukino

I suddenly begin shaking all over.

'Damn it! Pull it together! It's time to face the situation we've made.'

I read the message.

I accept your offer.

I give a sad smile.

'Well, that had to be the one she chose. There could be no other way for her. That's the choice that makes sense... There was no other way...'

The trembling remained, but in a smaller amount. Now, I noticed drops of water being formed on the ground.

'Damn... In the end, I fell victim to the thing that I swore I would never have to face again...

The cruel rejection of a woman.'

I arrive back home, when I notice a black car in the driveway... One that is very familiar...

"No way..." I whisper to myself.

I go to the doorstep, and there I see her, sitting on the ground, tears welling in her eyes.

"So... Hikigaya-kun... How did you reach your conclusion?"

"Well..." I sigh "It happened in one night."

A/N: This is my first one-shot, first Snafu fanfic, first romance-centric story... So it may not have met your expectations. Regardless, thank you for taking the time to read!