Surprised.
Surprised is what Hachiman felt when sat across from him was an all too familiar face. While his colleagues were chattering away, their voices seemed to dissipate as Hachiman locked eyes with an equally surprised attendee. After a moment of silence, it was the girl who spoke first. With some hesitation, she managed to continue.
"Uh… hi there… Onii-Chan."
-Line Break-
"Tonight's the night Hikigaya!"
Hachiman turned from his cubicle desk toward the source of this declaration.
"Tonight's the night for what?" He asked.
"Tonight is the night that I cash in that favor you owe me, and it will also do you some good as well… I think."
Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly are you cashing it in for?" He questioned.
A grin crept on the coworker's face.
"There is a mixer later at this new Karaoke bar between some of the staff here at the marketing department and our subsidiary company's accounting department."
"And you are coming with us."
Hachiman's eyes widened with surprise.
"Me? Wouldn't Hashimoto be more suitable for this kind of thing?" Pressed Hachiman.
"Perhaps, but if he went, all the girls would be swooning over him, there'd be no one to talk to for the rest of the fellas, myself included." They both turned to look toward Hashimoto's desk.
His reason was sound, Hashimoto was the most popular guy in the office, even now they both could see he was surrounded by cheery OLs vying for his attention.
"As you can see, this is why I'm cashing in this favor for tonight. Knowing you, you'd be there just long enough to be polite, then most likely try to get the heck out of dodge. The kind of guy I need in order to get a chance." Continued Hachiman's coworker.
After some contemplation, Hachiman relented.
"Alright, I'll go, but just know I'll be leaving when appropriate, I am also not buying drinks." He added.
"Alrighty then, it's a done deal. Just be there by eight, it'll be on Kawashiro street next to the Stationary shop."
"Yeah, yeah." Hachiman waved the excited fellow off.
As the coworker left with a spring in his step, Hachiman returned to work grumbling.
Great, just what I needed… further and further is Vita-Chan eluding my grasp.
-Line Break-
"KoooMaaaChiiii!"
An excited coworker flagged down Komachi before she could leave the office building for home.
"Huh? Chitoge?"
"Yo." The cheery OL made a peace sign as she appeared next to Komachi.
She is still the same since college Komachi mused to herself.
"What's up?" Asked Komachi.
"Why nothing more than your presence! With me and some of the girls to that new Karaoke bar down the street." She smiled.
"Eh, isn't it a bit too short notice?" Gawked Komachi.
Chitoge waved her concern off.
"Don't sweat it, it's us and some of the guys from the parent company. I hear there are quite a few lookers in the bunch." She continued to be beamed.
Komachi was unusually blunt.
"Forget it, like heck I'm going to one of your mixers, Kaneshiro had a hangover for the rest of the weekend from the last one I heard." Komachi brushed her off.
"Mou, please, the more the merrier! Besides, if you do me this favor, I'll pay you for your lunch at the mess hall for a month." She chimed in.
"A month? That upend food the officers eat?" She asked with her interest peaked.
"If that is what I'll take then I'll bear the costs." Declared Chitoge.
With a sigh, Komachi relented.
"Fine, let's go then."
"Yay!" Chitoge cheered.
-Line Break-
The lights were a bit dim, is what Hachiman thought as he followed his colleagues to the reception desk.
"Hello, we're here for the reservation of room 19." Hachiman's colleague stated.
"Ah, room 19.. yes, your other group had just arrived a few moments ago, it's just down this hall."
-Line break-
With the groups sitting opposite of one another, Hachiman opted to sit at the edge. By doing so, it would allow him to slip away without being noticed once an appropriate time to leave presented itself. With the group facing one another, there was an empty seat.
Even better, with no one across from him, the chances of him being noticed decreased more so.
Seeing the empty space in front of him, Chitoge piped up.
"Ah, don't worry, Komachi-Chan stepped out to use the washroom, she'll be back shortly." She smiled.
Komachi-chan? He thought.
A few moments later, the missing guest returned.
His head turned to see the new arrival, whereas she turned to stare at him. When they both locked eyes, both were surprised by the one sitting across from them.
""Ah."" Both uttered by impulse.
A few moments of silence later, Komachi spoke.
"Uh… hi there… Onii-Chan." Awkward as this was, there was no sense wallowing in it.
"Y-Yo… it's been awhile." He awkwardly waved.
"Yep, sure has…" she followed up with.
Their conversation started rocky, but with time it flowed on par or even better than the other guests. Every so often Komachi would stifle a giggle at Hachiman's dry or sarcastic joke or remark, similar to how Hachiman would smile from Komachi's bright and bubbly personality and the way that she excitedly spoke on topics that piqued her interest. If anyone else were to exhibit this, he would find it draining.
Eventually the topic of why they were here came to be. Komachi starting with the first question.
"So… why did you decide to tag along? I didn't have you peg as someone who'd attend these sorts of things." Komachi curiously asked.
"Ah, well that fellow over there wanted me to tag along, and I owed him one." Hachiman explained. Komachi turned to the fellow in question, seeing him sing his heart out in karaoke.
"Ah… is that right… well, we are in a similar boat then, Chitoge… that blonde over there wanted me to tag along." Komachi stated.
"Ah, did she bribe you with food or something?" Hachiman asked.
A look of embarrassment grew on Komachi's face.
"N-No." she faltered
Hachiman, inferring the truth of the matter, grinned widely, which only added to Komachi's flushed cheeks.
"Is that so?" Hachiman stated.
After a few moments, Komachi broke.
"Ah mou, fine I was." She relented
Hachiman's smile widened at his victory.
"You always were swayed by sweets." Hachiman reminisced when they were younger.
Their conversation on topics that came to them continued throughout the get together.
The areas and feeling he had stayed long enough for obligation's sake, he began to rise from his seat, from which Komachi's attention was quickly drawn.
"Well, this was more fun than I expected, always nice to see you Komachi." He smiled.
"Ah, you're... you're heading out already?" She asked.
Hachiman turned to Komachi, "I suppose I have the opportunity to do so, as you can see, my coworker is a bit distracted, so i might be able to slip away."
Hachiman pointed to the enamored coworker still trying to woo the girl next to him.
"Ah, I don't think he'll have much luck with Itami-San, she is flirtatious, but not really serious ." Chuckled Komachi.
"Well, I suppose we shouldn't mention that to Takeda-San." He chuckled.
"Takeda-San… your coworker?" She asked.
"Yes, he is a bit of a handful, but he's alright."
While Hachiman continued to rise, Komachi too much to Hachiman's surprise rose after.
"Ah, well if you're going to go, I think it's fine that I do as well. Slipping away and all that." She explained.
"Ah, sure, fair enough."
-Line Break-
Both made their way into the hall that had picked up in traffic since they first arrived. As they near the entrance, both stopped near a wall, Komach leaning against it, Hachiman in front of her.
"Well, I'll see you around Onii-Chan, hopefully in less unusual circumstances." She grinned.
"I'd like that, just give me a call if you want to go out sometime if work allows it." Hachiman stated.
"Ah, wasn't it you who said to work is to lose?" Komachi jabbed.
"Eck, no need to remind me, I still have aspirations to become a wealthy OL's househusband." Komachi winced at Hachimans conviction.
"Oi, oi, give me back my proudness of you." Komachi deadpanned.
"Well alright Komachi, I-"
A sudden push from the crowded area propelled Hachiman forward toward Komachi, his arm raised, he managed to stop himself from crashing into her, and with a fierce sound, planted his right extended arm on the wall. She, pressed against the wall, with him at a close distance in front of her could vividly see the surprise on his face, and she imagined he could see the same for her.
Hachiman found himself closer than he normally would be to Komachi, he could clearly see the expression in her face, he recalled that seldom did he see Komachi flustered. Their eyes locked, breaths held, they were still for a brief moment, before Hachiman pulled away.
After that occurrence, Hachiman apologized quickly.
"Sorry for that."
Komachi blinked, as if she was resetting before answering.
"A-Ah, it couldn't be helped, with the place crowded and all a-ahahah." She laughed it off.
They two exited the building, side by side they took in their surroundings.
The evening turned to dusk and as the street lights began to shine, seeing how dark it was becoming Hachiman was concerned about Komachi's trip back to her home.
Scratching the back of his head, Hachiman was unsure of how he would bring the topic up, much to his relief he found that he did not have to.
"Say… Onii-Chan?" She turned to him.
"Hm?" He turned to her, slightly jumped by her sudden speech.
"Being Friday and all… why don't we go back to my place? I still have leftovers from yesterday, and I am curious whether or not you've taken this househusband thing seriously."
Hachiman's eyebrow rose.
"You want me to cook for you?" He asked.
"Y-Yeah." Komachi managed, a bit embarrassed about his bluntness.
Once again, Komachi was glad to see one of Hachiman's few smiles appear as he spoke.
"Well, let's get going then, though it may not be five stars it will certainly be something enjoyable." Declared Hachiman.
"I'm sure it will be great." Komachi laughed.
As they moved toward the station, another surprise from tonight had just came to. As they walked side by side through the pathway, he felt his arm become linked with hers. When he turned to see a smiling face, he returned it with his own, both now looking forward, where light conversation picked up where it had left off from the Karaoke place.
-End of chapter-
I rushed the original one out and did not think it flowed well so this is the rewrite of it as it was a bit quick and forward in hindsight. If you read one of my fics you'd probably might as well of read them all as they are similar in a sense of actions taken to show affection. There is another new one in the works that probably won't be published in reality, as well as continuation of Outting and Workplace fics. What limits me and the chapters production is my limitation of creativity and ability to show affection xD, as despite watching probably 100s of hours of romcoms, I still am not that creative in coming up with something other than smiles or close quarter stances. At any rate, at the very least I think this came out more acceptable than the original chapter was the main point I wanted to convey.
Until the next time!