Chapter 4 - Stay Up (part 1)

I tried to tone down with the adjectives, i hope this is an improvement from the last chapter. Let Hachiman run his fingers trough Sayaka's (?) hair.

Wood creaked under hesitant footsteps as the group slowly filed into the cabin. It was old and decaying and looked to be only moments from collapsing around them, but it at least offered some protection from the cold night air and droplets of rain that were slowly beginning to fall.

The room the front door opened to was fairly small. There was another door they followed Hiratsuka to, one that was thankfully dry and significantly warmer, and even had a bed in the corner.

"Well at least we can all get some sleep and stay dry," Shizuka told them with a positive smile.

"Hachiman?"

Hachiman hadn't fully stepped into the room, instead watching as everyone settled in from the doorway. At his name, he blinked and his eyes found Yuigahama, who was looking at him expectantly, her hand gestured to the bed in an offering.

He shook his head. "I'm gonna stay out here," He said with a gesture to the area behind him.

Sensei frowned and took a step towards him. "You sure? You haven't gotten a chance to properly sleep in a while—"

"I sleep enough," He interjected as he turned to leave the room. He raised his palm with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm used to it."

He only got one step out of the room when two hands closed around his wrist and pulled him to a stop. He turned to look over his shoulder and found Yuigahama holding him back, frowning at him. The room was dim, only lit by moonlight shrouded by rain Hachimans that streamed in through a dirty window, yet her eyes still managed to shine brilliantly red.

"But it's so cold out there," She told him worriedly.

"I'll be fine," He assured her, even lifting the corner of his lips a fraction to appease her.

She held onto him for a moment longer, looking very much like she didn't believe him, but she eventually nodded and let him go. Hachiman nodded at her and turned to leave again.

"Then… Shall we share the bed?" He heard Hiratsuka ask Yuigahama as he shut the door behind him.

Hachiman removed his bag from his back and settled against a wall for the evening. He rubbed his eyes blearily and shook his head; honestly, he was feeling pretty tired. A lot of times, he found himself lying awake most of the night, unable to go any deeper than a light doze. He'd be fine, he told himself. He was used to it.

He pulled one knee up to his chest, his other leg laid straight in front of him, and draped an arm over it, let his head fall forward slightly and shut his eyes with a sigh to try and fall into a light sleep.

Only about an hour passed when Hachiman was woken up. He sensed movement, then heard a quiet creak and felt footsteps approach him. He didn't flinch or even open his eyes. He knew that presence, and he knew it was no threat.

"You're lucky I'm used to you," He said quietly. "Otherwise sneaking up on me like that might have gotten you hurt."

He heard a laugh. "Oh? 'Used to me'? That's an interesting way of saying we're close."

Hachiman finally lifted his head and opened his eyes to Yuigahama, who stood over him with her hands behind her back and her lips pulled into an innocent smile. "What are you doing out here?" He asked her. His tone was soft, as soft as his eyes as he regarded her. Maybe he was too tired to fix her with the glare she deserved for being out of bed, or maybe it was for another reason.

"I couldn't sleep," She said as she sat down in the spot next to him, smoothing her skirt under her thighs and pulling her knees to her chest.

Hachiman sighed. "Still, just lying down can rest your body, even if you don't sleep." He gestured around the cold, dreary room. "Definitely a lot better than sitting out here."

"You're sitting out here," Yuigahama countered with a sly smile.

Hachiman side eyed her. "That's different. I am used to this."

Hachiman released a long breath.

"Hachiman?"

Hachiman blinked when he heard Yuigahama's voice. He looked at her, found her looking at him patiently. There was concern swimming below the surface of those warm eyes.

"Your eyes…" Yuigahama said softly as she looked at him.

Hachiman swallowed and nodded, averted his gaze. "Y-Yeah…they're not...ya' know- the most appealing part of me."

"No, not that," Yuigahama said with a soft shake of her head. "It's just... You look really tired."

"I-I'm fine. I'm used to it," He insisted. He'd repeat it as many times as he needed to until everyone believed him, including himself. He cleared his throat and shrugged one shoulder.

Hachiman leaned his head back until it thumped against the wall.

Yuigahama hummed and rocked back and forth, thinking. "It must be hard not getting enough sleep. I sleep like a log." She offered him a sheepish smile, then shook her head and held her fists in front of her in a silent cheer for herself.

Hachiman couldn't help it. His lips turned up. "Heh."

"Eh? Why are you laughing?!" Yuigahama cried, her voice raising just a bit from the hushed tones they had been speaking in. "You don't think I can stay up with you?!"

"I'm not laughing," Hachiman said with a shrug.

"You are! You so are!" She poked his cheek, just beside the corner of his still slightly smiling lips. "I can see you smiling, mister!"

Hachiman grabbed the wrist of the hand poking him and eyed her with a raised brow, amused.

"Hmph." Yuigahama pulled her wrist away and crossed her arms around her knees. "Meanie."

Hachiman shrugged as he leaned his head back against the wall.

Yuigahama pouted, and just stuck her tongue out at him, which only made him exhale another quiet laugh. This girl… The first moment they met, Hachiman had felt for certain that she would never be the kind of person he could spend even a moment more with, so bright and personable. If nothing else, he was sure she would grow tired of him soon enough. And yet… He had also felt this inexplicable pull towards her. It had felt like he had already known her his entire life at that point, already knew exactly how important she would be, already willing to do whatever she asked of him as long as he could see that smile.

Now he was certain that he could never go without her by his side.

"So," Yuigahama said after a while of silence. "Always on high alert, even when you're relaxing?"

"Yep," Hachiman said with a nod.

"So does that mean you were on high alert back when… we were picking flowers together, for instance?" She asked. She tilted her head, her large hairbun falling over her shoulder.

Hachiman's face flared hot for a moment. Why was she bringing that up now? "O-Of course."

"Really?" Yuigahama asked with a tone of utter disbelief.

"Especially then," Hachiman said. "You had all those dudes chasing you."

Yuigahama thought for a moment, then nodded. "Hmm… I suppose that's true." She laughed quietly behind her hand. "It's nice to know you're is always so careful, even when you're just picking flowers."

"Ugh," Hachiman groaned as he ran a hand down his face. "Just drop it."

Yuigahama laughed again. "Yes, sir," She said with a nod. "But don't you worry, there will be more times for you to pick flowers."

Hachiman shook his head and didn't entertain her with a response. But when he thought of it… Actually, picking flowers with Yuigahama again sounded nice. Peaceful.

Hachiman thought that maybe he wasn't doing a very good job with that, but Yuigahama still didn't seem sick of him, so… Maybe he was doing better than he thought.

They sat in silence like that for a while, and although Hachiman had felt tired before, he didn't feel the urge to sleep. He liked sitting here with her, even though they weren't saying or doing anything. It was comfortable.

He blinked when he noticed movement next to him and looked at Yuigahama, watched as her head drooped forward, then bobbed back up, then slowly began dropping again.

Hachiman watched her do this a few more times, then sighed with a gentle shake of his head and an even gentler look in his eyes. Sometimes, she could act like such a fool… She said she couldn't sleep, and now she was falling asleep immediately. Why make herself uncomfortable when she could have been in a warm bed?

She lifted her head again and tried to sit up straighter to keep herself awake, but then she started slowly tilting to the side, until she was leaning heavily into Hachiman. Hachiman blinked big eyes as her head got under his nose. Her hair somehow seemed to always smell like flowers, even after they'd just gone through hell without a decent shower.

She listed to the side until her head fell onto Hachiman's shoulder, at which moment she immediately sat up straight. "I'm awake," She said without even opening her eyes. Her head began falling forward again.

Hachiman shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright. "Yuigahama, go back to bed."

"Nope," She said, and Hachiman thought it was a wonder she could somehow still speak when she was so tired she couldn't even open her eyes. "Gotta…" She trailed off into a long yawn. "...stay awake."

Hachiman sighed and shrugged. "Fine then. But at least lie down here before you break your neck." He gestured to the floor around them.

"Mmm… Good idea," Yuigahama said groggily. She finally opened her eyes to shuffle along the floor, until she could lie down on her side.

Then, Yuigahama's head landed on Hachiman's thigh.

Hachiman stilled. He stared down at her with wide eyes and lips parted in shock. His whole body felt like a bow string drawn too tight, ready to snap at any moment. His eyes flicked all around the room, trying desperately to not look at her, but he couldn't help it for long. He looked down at her head in his lap, her hair trailing to the floor, her bangs splayed out across his dark pants.

Hachiman's heart hammered in his chest as he looked down at her, sleeping in his lap. He had scolded her earlier for being too loud, but he wouldn't be surprised if someone found them just from being able to hear the way his heart was about to crack his ribs. It was a wonder Yuigahama herself didn't wake up from the sound of it.

"Yeah… Much better," Yuigahama murmured, already half-asleep.

Hachiman swallowed and slowly, carefully, moved the knee that he had hiked up so both of his legs were lying flat on the ground to hopefully make things a bit more comfortable for her. Immediately, she hummed in appreciation and shifted a bit, laid her head as much across his lap as she could, even snuggled her face into his pants a bit to get more comfortable, and sighed in contentment. Shortly after, her breath slowed and grew deep as she fell fully asleep.

It felt like Hachiman's brain had shut off. His face was burning. His hand hovered over her, shaking for a reason he didn't know. Whatever he had said earlier about always being on high alert felt like it had been said by an entirely different person; right now, all he could focus on was Yuigahama.

The bit of moonlight that was able to get into the room reflected silver across her hair. He could still smell her flowers. Without understanding his own mind, he had a sudden urge to touch those soft strands, to see if her hair felt as beautiful as it looked. He pulled his glove off.

Fingers trembling, he lowered his hand to her head. He brushed his fingers over her hair, just the whisper of a touch. He held his breath—he felt more terrified of waking her than he did rushing into a battle. He brushed over her hair a few times, but she didn't stir, so he slowly moved his hand to smooth over her hair properly. It was soft. He's not entirely sure what he expected—it was still just hair, after all. But… It was nice. He suddenly had the selfish wish that her hair could be let down, that he could spend the rest of the night brushing through the strands, that he could feel the weight of her hair sitting in his palms.

Hachiman sensed a movement and lifted his eyes from Yuigahama. The bedroom door creaked open and he saw warm grey eyes peer out at him. Those overly familiar eyes blinked, and then the door opened wider to reveal Hiratsuka, looking down at the two of them in surprise.

Hachiman pulled his hand away from Yuigahama's hair like he had been caught stealing. "Uh…"

Shizuka offered him a pity smile and stepped out of the room. After quietly shutting the door behind her, she walked over to them and knelt in front of Yuigahama. When she saw that Yuigahama was asleep, she looked at Hachiman.

"You two having a slumber party out here?" She whispered.

"Um… She said she couldn't sleep and didn't wanna wake you," Hachiman whispered back. "But… then she immediately fell asleep."

Shizuka laughed quietly and took Hachiman's place in stroking Yuigahama's hair. "I think what she meant was that she couldn't sleep without you nearby."

Hachiman swallowed and looked down at Yuigahama, watched Shizuka's hand gently brush across soft orange hair. "I…" Hachiman began, but he wasn't sure what to say. He felt… happy. Guilty, too, if he was the reason Yuigahama normally couldn't sleep, but happy. Embarrassed also, for the things Sensei noticed that he wasn't aware of.

"We're lucky to have her," Hiratsuka said quietly. Finally, she lifted her eyes to look at Hachiman. "You're lucky to have her."

Hachiman's lips parted as his mouth fell open at Sensei's words. The two simply looked at each other for a moment, until he lowered his gaze to look at Yuigahama again. Lucky… huh.

Shizuka suddenly stood up, patting her hands over her knees to brush off dust. "I'd better get back to bed," She said. She turned to walk back to the bedroom, but stopped just before opening the door to turn and look back at Hachiman. "It's kind of cold. Make sure she stays warm. And try to get some sleep yourself."

With one last smile, Shizuka disappeared into the bedroom. Hachiman looked at the bedroom door until it closed, and then he looked back down at Yuigahama.

He brushed his hand over her hair again. This time, his fingers weren't trembling, but steady as he felt her hair. Lucky.

Hachiman nodded to himself, and continued stroking her hair until he fell into slumber.

Thanks for reading!