Perspective: Hachiman

It can be said we've all had the awkward moment of being walked in on doing something embarrassing. The nature of what a person walks in on us doing is entirely varying and often causes us to cringe in embarrassment later on and it can lead to harmful consequences. It can lead to awkward conversation with one's family members or it can lead to mockery by one's peers in the workplace and in school.

Source: A friend of a friend

For the things that we are walked in on, they vary in nature as I previously stated. We may be acting out at fantasy of ours or doing something inappropriate. You know what I mean by this. Of course, this is what makes us human and I don't think that we should be ashamed of being caught doing these things if they are not malicious in nature. Yet, we still find ourselves embarrassed. This is precisely what has happened in this moment. Both Yukino and I stare wide eyed at my mother, whose jaw is agape as she stands in the doorway. Why is her jaw unhinged? Well, it could be the fact that Yukino is straddling my hips as we kissed on my bed. But it could be other things I suppose. (It's not.)

Of course, feeling guilty, I attempt to clear the situation.

"Mom, I…" Before I could finish a response however, she silences me with a stern look

"Save it. Have you two done anything above your age?" She demands coldly yet quietly, conveying a sense of deep anger. We blush heavily at her statement and I am left unable to answer due to embarrassment. Luckily, Yukino takes over for me and gets up to face my mother properly.

"N-No, Hikigaya-san. The furthest we have gone was t-that…" She says hiding her face in embarrassment. Forget about Yukino being scary, my mom is on a whole new level. This is the most mad I've ever seen her. She breathes of heavy sigh of relief, but looks at me sternly and I gulp in response.

"Hachiman. I will not tolerate anything adult going on in this house. You're not even 18 yet let alone able to support a family. Do you understand me?" If Yukino is the Ice Queen, then at this moment my mother is a Viper. Her words are logically sounding, but they leak with hints of deadly poison and malice. Not wasting anytime, I also stand up to answer her.

"Y-Yes, Mother." I say with a bow

"Good boy. Make yourselves presentable; we have much to discuss at dinner." She says as she leaves the room smiling at the both of us, then closing the door behind her. My mother can be described as being very caring, much more so than my father. But the problem lies that should anything threaten her children, such as matters of starting a family at too young an age, sends my mother into a fit of worry and she is often very aggressive in those regards. Through years, the unfortunates in my early life who caused me trouble, found first handedly the wrath in which my mother possesses. As years went on, especially with middle school, I hid the bullying away from the sight of my mother and put myself through constant mockery and social out casting. There were two reasons I did this, one was because I didn't want anyone to feel that wrath and two it would only lead to more of bullying later.

Sadly in life, as we age, we are less and less protected from the often righteous care of a parent and instead subjugated to the will and standards in which society puts on us. I see this as the natural order of things and don't see any change to it coming in the future. Children ought to, at one point, be free to deal with their problems. Though, I find the reasons for which society bullies those who are different as completely wrong and many seek to ignore the fact that those who are different are the ones that suffer the most in this society of materialism and obsession with social status. Politicians and Companies advertise being different is positive and should be encouraged to make themselves look good or to sell a new fashion trend only to have it be replaced by another more obscene one. Clothing has increasingly become more revealing, especially in women. Where has the sense of honor and humility gone in our society? Anyway, the lack of protection left me at the mercy of false social standards and norms that directly harm people in the long run. I was labeled a creep for being socially awkward, for the things I enjoyed, and the how desperately I wanted to fit in and have company.

Perhaps that's why I'm so cynical, but I'm glad I have turned out the way that I have. It freed me from false idealism and has lead me onto this path I share with Yukino.

Speaking of which, as I was in my monologue, I failed to notice Yukino trying to gain my attention.

"Hachiman!" She exclaims somewhat loudly, breaking me of my thoughts

"Sorry, I was thinking of somethings…"

"Uh huh, don't tell me you got indecent ideas from your mother's words. I fear for my chastity." She says covering her modest chest.

You don't even have anything, why bother? I suppose I shouldn't say that out loud though.

"Of course not, demon superwoman. I was thinking about the past."

My words seem to stun her and I can see on her face, even for a brief second, I hit something deep. This is bad, I need to fix this before it can become a problem.

"I wasn't thinking of anything bad, I was thinking of the good that's led me here."

She smiles lightly and we proceed out of the room without saying another word.

Perspective: Yukinoshita

"Of course not, demon superwoman. I was thinking about the past."

At his words, I felt my stomach sink heavily and it felt like my heart had been stabbed by his words. Why would he say he was thinking about the past? Is he trying to imply that he is having second thoughts about our relationship? Does he regret becoming involved with my running away from home? A million and one thoughts begin to circle through my head and although he said he wasn't thinking of anything bad, I still felt like he was having second thoughts. I am very grateful that he is considerate of my feelings, because he noticed the effect the words had on me. That's one of the many reasons I don't want to lose him, one of the many reasons I want to be… his.

These past few days, in which so much has happened, I have thought of nothing other than Hachiman. I've thought about everything, from the beginning of the Service Club up until now. It seemed I thought of every moment that happened between us, the arguments and banter we shared that made me laugh and smile as I thought of them, the sorrow I felt after Hachiman committed social suicide for people that didn't even care for him, and how he has brought and kept everyone together even when it seemed impossible. But mostly, I've thought of the love that I began to feel towards him, since before Destinyland and up until today. He's sweet, he's gentle, he's caring, he's a gentleman; there are so many things that I love about him that make me desperate as to not to lose him. He is my pillar of support, he's helped me as I ran from the family, for the most part, that never loved. Without him I would be hopeless to refuse my mother. I decide that, as everyone sleeps, I will sneak into Hachiman's room and confirm if my suspicions are true or not, but I sincerely pray they are not.

As I continue to think, we sit down side by side at the dinner table along with Komachi-san. I can see in her eyes that they are mischievous which more than likely means a great deal of teasing will be coming from her. We begin to make small talk, with a few "Have you two done it yet?" or jokes of Hachiman being a "Player", at the table as Hachiman's mother makes the last preparations, I presume, in the Kitchen.

5 minutes later though, Hachiman's mother comes from the kitchen carrying rich scented teriyaki chicken with fried rice by the looks of it in a large pot, places it onto the table, and went back into the kitchen and placed 5 bowls on the table. Shouldn't there only be 4? I don't believe Hachiman's father is here.

"Otto-san! Dinner is ready!" Author's Note: I couldn't really think of a name for Hachiman's parents so I just used the word for husband.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" I look to the hallway, revealing Hachiman's father.

His appearance can be described as an oddly normal one for a Japanese male of his age. His hair is somewhat similar to Hachiman's, but has barely noticeable grays hidden within it. In terms of his stature, he stands a tad bit shorter than Hachiman and not as well fit as Hachiman. Not that his father is fat, but there is extra weight probably due to the fact that according to Hachiman they both work office jobs.

He sits down in front of Hachiman, leaving the remaining seat for Hachiman's mother. Which is in front of me. We fill our bowls and begin engaging in common talk of our days. Komachi was apparently confessed to by a boy today, much to the dismay of Hachiman and oddly enough his father. While Hachiman and father looked as if ready to kill, Komachi and Hachiman's mother were laughing with a great deal of joy. I even found myself giggling at Hachiman's antics, as he and his father ranted on about what they'd do to any boy that laid a finger on Komachi. Stating that it was in the defense of her innocence.

From this moment I felt a connection to something that I felt I never had with my own family, which only furthered my desire to stay with Hachiman.

"Otto-san." His mother spoke somberly, gaining the attention of everyone "I found something very interesting happening between our son and Yukinoshita-san here."

In response, I could faintly hear Hachiman let out a gulp and I saw Hachiman's father's eyebrows rise in intrigue. I also felt my heart sink at the mention, because it may lead to a decision to remove me from the home. I knew I shouldn't have been that passionate with him while they were home! Even though we didn't do anything technically wrong...

"And that is?"

"Well, let's just say that I found that they are more than just clubmates. The scene between them was a bit too intimate for my liking."

Hachiman's father's eyes rise in realization and his attention is turned to Hachiman. My cheeks, as well as his, are now flushed a violent red.

"Son, we need to talk. Follow me."

"D-dad..."

"No buts! Get up and follow me!" He bellows causing Hachiman to quickly rise from his seat and follow into another room, leaving myself alone with Komachi-san and Hachiman's mother. Despite the cold demeanor of her mother, Komachi-san seems unaffected and is grinning ear to ear.

"Yukinoshita-san, I hope you understand why I made this situation serious. I cannot have my some starting a family at a time when he really needs to focus on his studies. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Hikigaya-san... We weren't planning on doing anything close to that..." I say, blood still rushing too my cheeks.

"Then would you care to explain what I saw, it certainly looked to be something else." She says, although not conveying as deep of malice in her words. In fact, she is smirking. After a long pause, many due to my embarrassment, I am finally able to mutter an answer.

"I just wanted to be close to him, I like it when he holds me..."

"AWWWW" Komachi and Hachiman's mother both let out as they both scoot closer to me.

"Come on details, details! How was my son's confession?"

"Actually, mom. Yukino-san confessed to Hachiman. I actually got to see it first hand, on the couch." Komachi said with a giggle. I think she's intentionally leaving out that Hachiman was injured, which is a good thing I believe.

"Well I suppose that is expectable, given how dense and shy my little boy is. I'm just glad he's not alone anymore, I was beginning to get worried."

"Oni-chan has a lot of girls all over him, Mom! You guys just don't get to hear about it 'cause you and Dad are at work all the time!"

"Is that so..." We all find ourselves giggling and talking about Hachiman before both Hachiman and his father come back. I find for once in my life, that I am moving towards a path of happiness.

Perspective: Hachiman

We head into my dad's office and he tells me to have a seat in his chair. He then turns to close the door, assuring that the others would not hear anything that was about to be said. My father is definitely not as kind as my mother, not by a long shot. I sometimes wonder if he even has any care for me other than the fact that is socially acceptable to spend time with one's son. Unlike my mother, who was raised in a nice middle class family, my father was from a background of extreme poverty, crime, and hard labor. Although he traded that life for that of a corporate slave, that does not mean that my father is lacking any bit of roughness, strength, and ruthlessness. I've heard from my mother that he will do anything to prevent any of us falling down that wrong path, for it would bring him a great deal of shame.

Between us though, we have a mutual understanding. We live under the same house, we share in our love for our dear Komachi, and we are both naturally great readers and loners in our own regards. It's an odd relationship, but I am forcertain that the lecture that I am about to receive is a great deal more threatening than that of my mother's.

"Hachiman."

"Yes, Dad?" I gulp nervously

"I know I've never told this before, but I see a lot of me in you. We're both oftenly swayed by our emotions and the "love" that we may feel for someone. But unlike you, I didn't have someone to keep those desires in check. That's why your mother had you when she was 17, which made our lives a living hell. We both had to work long hours and your mother had to balance college and you to even scrape by. We weren't ready then for a child and I know that you aren't, even if Yukinoshita's family is extremely rich. There's more than just having a ton of money to live comfortable with a child, you have to raise it and give it love. So I need to know son, did you two had sex?"

"No, Dad. We just started dating less than a day ago."

He breathes a heavy sigh of relief and sits down in his office chair. I never devolved any great deal of thought to my parents upbringing. I knew that their lives were hard in the beginning, but the insight that I gained from those words gave me a new found respect for my father. Although I never really thought, and still remain somewhat doubtful, I sense that my father does hold some degree of care towards me. I honestly feel happy from those words. They may not be around all of the time, but I know that my parents aren't bad people. They are merely the victims of circumstance.

"Anyway, son. Would you mind telling me how you snagged that beauty on your first try. You may have used all of your luck in one go, son." He says cracking a grin, causing me to chuckle.

"Well, a lot has happened sense the beginning of High School to say the least. These few days as Yukinoshita ran away from her family just brought forth the feelings I suppose."

"I have to admit son, I didn't think you had it in you. Plus ain't you ballsy. Bringing a girl home as she ran away from her family. You're lucky that that was our circumstance when me and your mother got together. Or else we sure as hell wouldn't have let her stay."

"You went through this type of thing too?"

"Yep! Although not as severe as Yukinoshita's situation. Given this could be a national scandal. We'll give you pointers, but both your mother and I agree that you need to figure out the best course of actions for yourselves."

"Thank you, dad." I say smiling at him. He stands up and wraps me in a hug

"No problem, son."

Yukinoshita Yukino, you brought a new level of understanding for my family and I can express how grateful I am for that. I feel today that I am alleviated of the worry that haunted me before hand. We aren't alone in this fight.

Author's note: Holy shit, this was a mess. But I think I gave a great deal of character development for everyone in here, including Hachiman's parents. I think Hachiman's parents deserve a bit of character development as well, and although it may not be in line with what is told with the light novel, I think it fits with what I am writing. I haven't even watched all of Season 2 so keep that in mind. Anyway, sorry that this was so late, I've been crushed by work. This fic also is kind of an argument for traditionalism and close family bonds, even though it may not be by blood. I had a lot of fun writing it and sorry if the English is a tad bit confusing, I have a tendency to write in a bit of older English. And hurray for a way longer chapter than normal! Consider it my treat for being late.

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