Once upon a time, Hachiman's world had ended.

"We should focus on Yui-san's well-being first." Yukino had said one evening after some rather awkward days together. They hadn't talked much; they hadn't even done a lot when the three were together. So Hachiman had arrived with a lot of nervousness and no small amount of paranoia.

This, however, had exceeded his expectations. He feared Yukino would get sick, that something would happen to her family, to his own. Yui's problems were far too real for him to rationalize. Too physical to even see them in the way other problems had plagued his life. Loss was real, struggling for money was real. And seeing the two most important girls in his life slowly whither away from stress had already taken a toll in him.

"I know." Hachiman had tried to delay the things that he knew Yukino wanted to say. The inevitable conclusion that his tormented mind could come up with.

To her credit, to say she looked troubled would be an understatement. They'd gone through enough together that Hachiman knew that the struggle in her face was real. He understood that these things were difficult for Yukino, that she had a lot of trouble dealing with problems that directly affected her. That, for all the airs of being strong and decisive in her actions… Yukinoshita Yukino was quite the frail girl.

Don't say it.

"It might be for the best to take some time off, do things as just friends. For Yui-san's sake." She had intertwined her fingers in front of her. Whether she wanted to look all business-like or whatever, it didn't matter. All that it helped for was to better engrave this moment in Hachiman's mind. "I… I don't want to, but…"

Stop.

The resolve in her eyes was weak, so she refused to meet Hachiman's eyes. He knew that if he pushed a little, she'd back down. That he had a real chance of making a difference.

His own resolve wasn't faring much better.

"But if we can ease up Yui-san's burden, I think… I think a small time out would do us well. All of us." She didn't believe it herself, or at least that's what Hachiman thought he understood from reading between the lines. From the way she was talking, the way she behaved.

He thought back at the desperate move that Yui had made on him, the pain in her eyes… He had to concede that something needed to change. They couldn't just pretend that she wasn't beyond hurting at this point.

"…What do you even define as a 'time off'?" Hachiman had deadpanned, falling back on old habits. Desperately trying to salvage what little he could from this revelation. From the feeling of things just getting worse by the second.

"W-Well, I thought about an itemized list of things we do as a couple…" Yukino had looked glad, almost like she'd been praying that Hachiman would lead the conversation into a more light-hearted territory. "But I'm just thinking about stopping seeing each other without Yui-san. Just put her between us, metaphorically speaking. So that it doesn't become uncomfortable. So that we can show our support to her."

In other words… Go back to the way the Service Club had been.

Hadn't they been on the brink of breaking apart back then?

"How does that help though?" Hachiman insisted, letting his guard a bit down because the worst hadn't come to pass. Making that mistake in front of a girl that was growing restless, desperate to cope with things she hadn't had to cope before.

Yukino had given him a sad smile.

"We share the burden; we don't let one of us fall alone." The wording had felt damning. It felt like Yukino was worried about Hachiman pulling off a move that would only make things worse.

He'd felt ashamed back then. In retrospect, he'd known that nothing he could do would change Yui's situation. Her problems weren't as simple as simply shifting people's opinions, as making someone hate him to bring a better result.

"Just for a while. Just until Yui-san gets her bearings back." She'd promised him, reminded him a few times. And, to her credit, she kept her word… For a while. It had been awkward; he'd felt terrible for wanting to do couple things with Yukino while they helped Yui however they could.

Then one day… She was gone.

The birds turned their heads with their eyes trained on them. Judging. It made Hachiman hide his hands in his pockets, nervously scratching at the bumps left behind by the pecks he'd suffered through. It only helped to stave off the awkwardness for a moment, reminding Hachiman of something painful in a physical sense instead of the emotional one. But not enough that Hachiman didn't almost immediately set his attention back to Yui, giving her a side-glance as the girl's pace slowed down as the silence stretched between them. Making him nervous once more.

"You know… One of those assholes pecked me in the hands." Hachiman said the first thing that came to mind.

"…Eh?" Yui lifted her chin, seemingly coming back from wherever her mind had wandered off to. And increased her pace once more to match Hachiman's. Fully present in mind once more. "Ah… I think Hina-chan mentioned you got into an accident, yes."

Hachiman's eyes narrowed.

"That's… Probably not what she was referring to."

"But she said you were fine." Yui tilted her head, visibly trying to get the information right in her head. "Ah, did you need stitches or something?"

Hachiman stopped walking, and Yui took a second too long to realize she'd walked past him. Turning around with some laziness to regard him fully.

It felt like she had trouble centering herself.

Hachiman showed her his hands, letting her inspect them while seeing her mind spin its wheel. Work with the information given, come to her own conclusions.

"This doesn't feel like on the level Hina-chan mentioned…" Yui mumbled after a few seconds and lifted her gaze to meet Hachiman's eyes. "You look fine to me too."

"I…" Hachiman stopped himself, realizing that this wasn't the way to get Yui to fully pay attention. For whatever reason, she wasn't wholly with him. And although it pained him, he didn't want to just break the news to her like this. "I am."

The smile that Yui offered him felt wrong, incomplete. It reminded him more of the way she tried to be reassuring, back when they'd constantly asking if she was doing alright. Like she hadn't gone through her mourning properly.

"I see. That's enough, then. You… You have a way to get in trouble, huh." Yui chuckled awkwardly, placing her hands behind her body while trying to sound easy-going. "You sure are hopeless, Hikki."

Hachiman forgot how he would react for a moment, before settling for an awkward smile.

"You have no idea." He resumed walking, a bit slower now, so that they wouldn't get too side tracked. Worrying about Yui wasn't just about how she'd react, what she thought. But about the very real problem of her having yet to eat, and what she'd been eating thus far. "I actually went to the hospital."

"…Eh?" That seemed to bring Yui more closely to fully awake. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't be wandering around if I wasn't." Hachiman looked away, kicking himself mentally for slipping so easily when he just thought that he should be tactful about this.

"Well, I guess that checks out…" Yui gave him a troubled look. Trying to discern what about his appearance didn't look right. "But gosh! If I had known…!"

She tilted her head, averting her eyes as her words died out. Looking like shame was replacing the worry she'd displayed before.

"…Guess I wouldn't have been able to do anything."

"I wouldn't want you to lose sleep over it anyway." Hachiman tried to shrug like it didn't matter.

"That's even worse!" Yui crossed her arms in front of her face. Fired up for once. "You were planning to hide that from me?!"

"I mean, I'm telling you now. First thing after seeing you in…" Hachiman cut himself off, cringing both physically and mentally. "Well, it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?" Yui's expression wasn't one he could read.

"No. Because I'm here now." Hachiman hurried to elaborate before he could hurt the pink-haired girl any more. "And I don't intend to hide from you again."

He waited for a couple of seconds, letting Yui's tired mind catch up with the very roundabout way he spoke. Letting her show some confusion.

"'Hide' from me? What are you talking about?" Yui laughed nervously, looking more troubled by the second.

"I… I should've stayed. I should've kept helping." Hachiman balled his fists, stopping in his tracks once more.

The pink-haired girl didn't immediately respond.

"Let's… Let's go to the store, Hikki." She didn't sound disappointed or in pain. Just… Tired. Like she had to hold back a sigh of resignation.

He probably deserved that kind of cold shoulder.

"Sorry." His steps were awkward because he felt so light-headed. It was as if he had grown weak. Like he'd fall over because his legs could no longer carry all of his weight.

"Don't be. We're all dealing with stuff of our own." Yui shook her head with a sigh. "Didn't you say that now you're here? I'm really happy about this, honest."

"But…"

"You don't have to say anything if it's too much." Yui's expression became gentle, although it didn't completely override the way her eyes had sunken a little, or the clear lines that traced from her eyes to her cheeks. Not quite eye bags, but not quite expression lines either. "You'll spoil the lunch."

Hachiman looked at the sky.

…Guess it's still lunch time, but it wouldn't be in a couple more hours.

"It needs to be said." He insisted.

"Doesn't it feel like you're trying to close a cycle?" Yui's reply made him fall silent again, thinking. Wondering if he was, indeed, coming too strong on her. "Like you'll just say your piece and disappear again."

"That's not what I want." Hachiman stated immediately.

"I know, I know…" Yui sighed again, not really sounding convinced. "I just… Y'know, it's been a while. Do we really need to do this right now?"

"We can't ignore what I did… What I didn't do for you."

"Hikki… You didn't do anything wrong." Yui replied, now sounding a little exasperated.

"I didn't do anything right either. And that's just as bad."

"You couldn't have done anything. Even if you started working, if Yukinon asked for money, all you'd have done was to shift our problems around. Make us dependent on your charity." Yui scratched the back of her neck, nervously straightening the short hair that ran from her scalp. "And Hina-chan, and Yumi-chan were with me. I really just wanted you to be alright. It's not like… It's not like I expected Yukinon to just… Leave."

The street was a little more crowded now, but Yui didn't seem to realize it. She didn't lower her tone or try to change the topic. It felt like she was more aware of things now, but not precisely in the physical realm. But more like, she was thinking more. Faster.

"You were devastated."

"It's not comparable to your own loss." Hachiman insisted.

"Gosh, Hikki. You make me sound like I'm some helpless little critter that needs to be taken care of with the most delicate touch." Yui turned to him, looking very disappointed. "Can't you see that I'm fine? Things worked out in the end. It's fine. Thank you for the sentiment. But, again, it's not like you could've done anything."

Hachiman stopped walking again.

"I could've…"

"Even if you could." Yui interrupted him. "You were too hurt to do things right. That… That might've been my fault, actually."

She laughed nervously, turning around to face him while straightening her hair. Stalling for ideas to say this right.

"So I gave you the space you needed. Yukinon and you were there for me in the worst days of my life, so it was only fair that I didn't burden you with my problems. At least that's what I wanted to think." She looked at the floor, at the space between their feet. "I wanted to think you'd find it in you to forgive me, to look back and think that it was for the best. As long as you were not alone, I knew you'd bounce back. You're strong like that."

Hachiman couldn't help scoffing before motioning to himself, beckoning Yui to give him a good look.

"That's certainly not what happened."

Yui chuckled bitterly a moment later.

"Sorry, I'm not precisely the smartest of the bunch." Then, she looked away. Like something physically hurt her. "I'm always just… Dragging you down, huh."

"Isn't that how it's supposed to go?" Hachiman moved again, feeling like he'd actually fall to his knees if he didn't. "To care for someone is to become vulnerable, to let them in and show them easy ways to hurt you. And you know that it'll happen, and you'll learn to forgive them all the same."

Yui didn't immediately follow him. So Hachiman was forced to slow down his walk to a crawl.

"You always make it sound so negative…" Or so Yui said, but she resumed walking all the same.

"This is just the kind of person I am." Hachiman eyed up, seeing a bird land on a rooftop, setting its beady eyes on them. It made him feel unsafe.

"I guess…" Yui chuckled, looking at the floor while she walked by his side.

"That's why your company is so important, I think. You've always been…" Hachiman's words got choked in his throat, unable to go through as his feelings got in the way. He pushed through. "…the heart of the group."

Yui scoffed, blushing a bit while intertwining her fingers in front of her.

"Thanks."

Thanks? Hachiman was trying to bare his heart and that was all she could say?

"…It's been tough, huh." Hachiman sighed, looking around just to make sure they hadn't gotten lost.

"Kind of." Yui replied after a moment. She didn't seem to realize where they were going. "You sorta get used to the pace. Forget everything else…"

Seeing her like this? He could believe it.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Yui lifted her gaze, grabbing Hachiman's sleeve with a pitifully small smile. "I don't have much free time, but I'm doing well. Really. No matter what Hina-chan or Yumiko would say."

That was no way to address the topic.

"Y'know. We're going to visit an entertainment company soon." He put his hand on his shoulder, pretending to make circles with it like he was stressed out. He wasn't. "Maybe you should tag along, get a better job."

He was beyond that point now.

"…Eh?" Yui blinked a few times, fully in the here and now… Now. "Entertainment? You and who…?"

"Err, whoever I can convince. Really."

Yui's eyes narrowed, full of suspicion now.

"You?" She insisted.

"Yes, me."

"Why?"

"They owe me a favor."

Yui looked even more confused now.

"I feel like… You know how you watch this or that show, and it has episodes that link to each other in an order? And then you miss a whole season, and you come back and have absolutely no idea of what's going on?" Yui's voice became more energetic, more filled with actual emotions instead of exhaustion.

It made Hachiman glad enough that he entertained her thoughts seriously.

"I don't think that has happened to me."

"Well, that. That's how it feels now." She scanned his face for any trace of guilt, any clue that she could get. "Hikki? What is going on?"

Hachiman cringed while thinking of a way to put things bluntly. He looked around to check for how many people were walking the street, and beckoned Yui to get close so he could whisper in her ear. Like a conspiration freak sharing a secret with a new recruit.

Yui's expression went from confusion to realization, from sorrow to undiluted fear.

"YOU WHAT?!" She screeched right in his face. Making Hachiman pull back as Yui did the same. "Whu…?! How?! When?! That's not an accident!"

"I'm fine." Hachiman insisted, hearing a small buzz behind his ear while he covered it with a pained expression.

"I don't believe you!" Yui jabbed a finger in his direction and started shaking it up and down while panicking. "You! Why do you always get in trouble?! This isn't the first time you almost die either!"

"Yui-san, Yui-san." Hachiman reached to her, looking around when the people passing by turned to look at the panicked pink girl. "Calm down, you're making a scene."

"You mean to tell me this conversation might as well not have happened?! That I'd have to make peace with a cold stone again?!" Tears streamed down her eyes, her breathing becoming erratic as she struggled to stay put. Forcing Hachiman to hold her down by the shoulders while she released all the nervous energy that had been created by the news. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Hachiman smiled at her bitterly.

"I didn't think I had the right."

Yui looked at him with incredulity.

Then, she punched him right in the face.

"Idiot! Cretin! Jerk!" The first hit hurt like a bitch; the next ones were just packed with enough strength that he had to push his weight right to avoid tripping. "You…! You…!"

Hachiman cradled his nose while Yui's breathing slowed down.

"I'm back." He tried to make it sound like a joke, but it didn't quite land.

"You're unbelievable." Yui sounded like she could pass out at any moment. "Why do you risk your life like that?"

"In my defense…" Hachiman pushed his nose a bit with his fingers. Testing if it had broken. It hadn't. "I was left unattended."

Yui stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"So, how does that sound? Do you want a better job or not?"

"You make it sound like you got gutted for my sake." Yui growled at him. "Don't do that."

"Sorry."

"I… I…" Yui cradled her head. "I'm too hungry and tired for this, let's just get something to eat. Let me deal with one thing at a time."

Hachiman pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Yes, ma'am. At your service." The joke didn't land again, it just made Yui even more mad at him.