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A/N: This takes place somewhere within season 2 episode 9.

Disclaimer: I do not own Oregairu.

Chapter 2. Close For Comfort

The park was simply radiating with the traditional Christmas atmosphere.

Jolly music filled the air throughout every inch of the place, accompanied by the ever-present background noise of jingling bells. Every person in the crowds was bundled up under layers of colorful clothes, coats, scarves, and gloves.

But despite the chill in the air, they all seemed more than content to rush to their respective companions or family members to cling, laugh, and hurriedly continue on their way.

Yukino wished it could be that simple for her, too.

Even as she passed her gaze around the figures of every person of their group, she didn't feel as at-ease as she probably should have.

Despite the fact that she knew these people – that they were her classmates and respected upperclassmen – it was hardly comforting to see them scattered throughout such a crowd.

She'd never been good with so many people congested into one place. It wasn't exactly claustrophobia, but there was definitely a level of anxiety produced from being so closely compact with the dozens and dozens of people around her.

She couldn't help but sigh continuously as they made their way through the park. It wasn't to indicate that she wasn't enjoying herself – she really was trying to. But the deep breaths were part of what helped her calm down a bit when the people around her got too close for comfort.

As their group traveled around the park, she did her best to keep herself controlled, always maintaining a distance of about two feet between herself and Yui. Although the girl's bubbling energy seemed to be contagious for just about every other person around, Yukino only discovered she would get exhausted a bit too quickly if she encountered it too often.

Luckily for her, when her overzealous companion got to be too much to handle, there was someone else who had a much lower energy level she could turn to.

Even though he was constantly huffing and rolling his eyes and likely making judgmental assumptions about every person around him in his mind, Hachiman never seemed bothered by the bigger crowds. His indifference wasn't exactly confidence, but for whatever reason, it made Yukino feel better.

So after an hour of weaving through strangers and being bumped into and pushed without regard, she retreated to his side, quietly and without a fuss.

Hachiman was no idiot. He'd been keeping one eye on her all day throughout their little winter wonderland adventure. She looked constantly drained, always putting a hand to her temple and sighing. He knew she wasn't feeling well, but it was just a bit difficult for him to find a way to interject and say something.

Is it pretentious of me? he'd thought to himself. To think that I'm someone who can help her out in such a situation if she needed it? Yukinoshita's a big girl. She can handle herself.

But the minute he realized she'd dropped back to limp at an unsteady pace at his side, he couldn't think such things anymore.

"Whoa, there." He reached out to grab her sleeve just before she collided with a small child who was running around his mother's legs.

Yukino's eyes were glazed slightly, her face flushed pink, but he was starting to suspect it wasn't just because of all this cold air.

The second she felt herself begin tugged to the side, Yukino gasped softly, taking a step back. She put a hand to her face and rubbed her eyes, as though she'd just woken from a sleepwalk trance, then looked up to him.

"Sorry. Thanks..."

Even those two simple words sounded more than a little strained. Hachiman had seen her on the ride they'd gone on with Yui just half an hour ago. Yukino had wobbled onto the platform and sat down in a seat quickly enough that no one should've noticed her plight. But even if he hadn't seen the uncertainty in the way she'd moved, her rigid posture and death grip on the handle bars had spoken loudly enough.

Amusement parks more or less demanded that a person go on the rides, for that was considered the social norm. But places clogged with thousands of people all constantly moving and running and yelling just weren't her thing, and he could definitely understand that.

Presently, he could feel she wasn't about to keel over – at least not yet – so he let go of her sleeve.

"You wanna find a bench?" he offered.

She seemed to consider the thought for more than a second, but ultimately shook her head, her voice low.

"No. I don't want to lose the others."

"And I'm sure they don't wanna lose you. But if you keep this up, you're gonna need to go to the hospital."

"It's not that extreme."

"It doesn't matter."

She huffed again, exasperated, then sent a glare up at him, though it wasn't as fearsome as she might've liked it to be.

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"That's obvious," he grunted.

The moment of pause he gave allowed him to see the slight sparkle form in her eyes, though he wasn't sure what she was expecting him to say. Evidently, it wasn't what he really ended up saying.

"I don't want anyone getting sick from this stupid trip. It's supposed to be memorable for the sights and events, not going to the ER."

Yukino's expression shifted just a bit, her lips pursing tighter as she looked to the ground.

"Like I said, it's not that extreme. I'll be fine."

"Says the girl who can't even stand still for thirty seconds without swaying."

"Don't be rude."

"Don't be an idiot." He reached out to grasp her sleeve again. "Come on. There's a bench right there."

He led her over to it despite her protests, weak as they were. But he noticed she was following him rather willingly, as though she were relieved that someone was finally forcing her away from her unhealthy habits.

He cleared a path to the bench and made sure no one jostled her along the way. Once there, he released her sleeve and invited her to sit.

"Fine..." she sighed. "But now we've lost the others because of this."

"You underestimate the twenty-first century and the innovative new wonders of a cell phone."

As he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket to retrieve his phone. I was gonna text Yuigahama anyway. She's the best person to deal with Yukinoshita when she's like this.

He might've been able to diagnose the symptoms, but he wasn't a healer. That job belonged to someone else.

He selected the designated number and then sent out a small text: Can you hang back for a second? Yukinoshita's a little tired.

After sending it, he looked back to the bench.

Yukino was as stiff as ever, her hands balled into tight fists where they rested atop her knees, her posture slightly slouched. Dark locks of her hair were spilling out over the fronts of her shoulders, her usual calm, collected demeanor nowhere to be seen.

But he didn't know what more he could do than be the envoy to bring the person she needed most right now.

Or so he thought.

What he didn't know was how much she appreciated his concern, and how much she appreciated the fact that he'd remained standing beside her, glaring away any potentially pesky passerby. Had she been alone, she knew there would have been at least a handful of boys swarming around her already, asking intrusive questions.

But Hachiman was like a guard dog for her right now, perhaps a bit leisurely, but if trouble were to arise somehow, she had no doubts that he wouldn't just be all bark and no bite.

So now that she felt she could relax for a moment, she focused on filling her lungs, absentmindedly wiping the back of her hand over her forehead.

The action didn't go unnoticed, and a few seconds later, Hachiman had reached his hand down to her.

"Take off the scarf," he suggested. "You're flushed."

She peered up at him past her bangs, almost puzzled until the words made sense. Without a word, she unraveled her scarf, silently admitting it felt much better to let a bit of air caress her neck where she'd previously been sweating.

Once it was removed, she handed him her scarf with a small nod of thanks. He merely shrugged, though his eyes were still trained on her.

"Any better?"

"Yes. Just a bit."

"Better than nothing," he said, satisfied.

She blinked up at him, the nodded.

He was almost certain enough to say that she'd smiled, but a flustered voice coming from behind him prevented him from checking.

"Hikki! Yukinon!"

Both of them looked up toward the direction where the voice had come from. Yui was scrambling her way through the crowds, squeaking apologies as she hurried toward them.

Hachiman winced when he felt a cold stare upon him.

"Hikigaya-kun." He turned back to look down at her. Her eyes were still tired and her arms were crossed over her chest in a defensive position. But her voice was stern as she scolded him. "I thought you were merely telling her we stopped for a break. You didn't have to tell her to come find us."

"I didn't tell her to," he mumbled unconvincingly. "Should've known she'd come back hunting for us on her own."

Yukino merely sighed, knowing it was too late to protest now.

Yui squeezed past a few more people, finally catching sight of her two companions. Hachiman was holding a scarf that wasn't his, and the moment they made eye contact, she called out to him again.

"Hikki! I'm here! Where is she?" She covered the last few feet of distance between them, and only then did he step aside.

Yukino was seated on the bench, looking a little overwhelmed by everything. Yui was used to festivals and parks like this, but she could see how the sounds and colors and random movement could get discombobulating for someone who wasn't used to it all.

Yui didn't waste a second in beelining for the bench to sit beside her friend.

"Yukinon! Are you okay?"

"That Hikigaya-kun..." she muttered. "He didn't need to call you."

He grimaced. "I'm right here, you know."

"In any case," Yukino went on, ignoring him. "You didn't need to come, Yuigahama-san. I was just taking a little rest."

"No, I'm glad Hikki texted me! I'd feel so bad if you were back here feeling unwell and I was up there having a good time and not knowing! You should've said something, Yukinon!"

"It's not that big a deal. Honestly."

"But you're so pale!" Yui wailed. "I'm sorry. I should've paid more attention. You said it before that the crowd was hard for you to handle..."

"It's not something you need to apologize for," Yukino reassured her.

"But still. I should've been more mindful. We're friends, after all."

And there it was. The word Yukino couldn't refute or deny.

Hachiman smirked a bit as he watched her sigh again, caving at Yui's candid feelings as she so often did.

But still, she was rather stubborn.

"I just didn't want to worry you."

"Yukinon..." Yui reached out to take both of her hands, squeezing gently. "I'd rather worry about you now when you're not feeling well rather than worry about you later after I've found out that you got sick or something. Know what I mean?"

Yukino sighed, defeated.

"Yes. I suppose you're right... I guess I worried you even though I didn't want to."

Yeah, Hachiman thought. If you try to avoid someone so you won't worry them, what do you think they're gonna do when they find out about it? Worry more, of course. Especially in Yuigahama's case.

But at least Yukino had acknowledged her mistake.

Yui sighed and gave a small smile.

"It's okay, Yukinon. Just make sure you don't let it happen again. If Hikki or I are around, we'll always come help you! And even if we're not around, we'll come anyway!"

Speak for yourself! he grumbled internally.

But as he looked at the two of them now, the prospect of running across town in the middle of the night if either of them would ever need him to wasn't seeming so far-fetched.

He continued standing guard, clutching the scarf in his palm as Yui scooched closer to the dark-haired girl. She couldn't tell if Yukino appeared to be more pale or flushed, but somehow she seemed to be both.

Tentatively, Yui reached her arms up around the girl's back and pulled her close. She could feel Yukino breathing a bit unevenly, probably a little more quickly than what was comfortable. Yui patted her back softly and murmured reassurance to her.

"Just take it easy, okay?"

Yukino was a bit surprised by the embrace, but she found it wasn't stifling or suffocating. Not in the slightest. It was a bit loose, just enough that she could pull away if she wanted to.

But she found she didn't want to.

Yui's presence was a slight pressure against her chest, but it was more grounding than anything else. It reminded her how to breathe properly, and she matched her breaths to Yui's, closing her eyes as she rested her chin on the girl's shoulder.

Yui waited for a moment, feeling as the tension drained from Yukino's shoulders, and her chest stopped heaving.

A few minutes later, she pulled away, offering a bright smile as she sought Yukino's gaze.

"Are you okay?"

The other girl wiped her forehead again, but the sweat was gone.

"Yes. Thank you, Yuigahama-san."

The other girl merely grinned and hugged her again.

Then, Yui stood, helping Yukino to her feet as well.

At last, Hachiman relinquished his grip on the scarf and returned it to its rightful owner.

As Yui gently curled it around Yukino's shoulders, the dark-haired girl flashed him a glance.

"And you too, Hikigaya-kun. Thank you."

He blinked, rather surprised by the gratitude, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"I didn't do anything."

She almost argued that he had in fact done something, but decided against it for now. She caught his eye, and just that alone told her that he was merely happy to help.

Yui finished wrapping the scarf around her friend's shoulders, then clapped her hands together.

"Alright! Let's meet the others! They're getting a bite to eat at that little cafe." Before either Yukino or Hachiman could protest, Yui slipped in between them, hooking one arm around each of theirs. "Come on, come on! Let's enjoy the rest of this trip together, you guys!" She marched forward, giving them no other options.

Yukino couldn't help but chuckle slightly, her gaze meeting Hachiman's once more for a second.

And even he cracked a small smile.

The trio headed off together, maintaining a close proximity that was just comfortable enough.

A/N: I'm still getting used to writing these three, so I hope this was alright. Just Hikki having to realize he really has people he cares about~

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