Little Brother-In-Law

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[-Continuation-] 

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"Fine, I will give myself permission to feel angry about it, but only if you promise not to laugh at me."

"Promise. I won't laugh... too much."

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[-Third Person View-]

Hikigaya Hachiman once again finds himself in an unexpected situation.

He wasn't sure how he ended up like this - one that feels both surreal and perfectly natural.

Here he was sitting outside of his girlfriend's apartment hallway with her in his arms, leaning against the door instead of moving inside.

The quiet hum and dim light of the hallway radiated the sparkling sensual tension between them.

Their conversation had long died down after receiving an ankle jab to his chest for his exaggerated cerebral jab at Yukino's thoughtfully put out words of knowing each other.

…even then, they simply stayed in the same position in silence.

Yukino continued to nestle between his legs, her back gently resting against his chest.

His head, almost naturally, found a resting place on her right shoulder, the soft scent of her hair filling his senses while his arms loosely circled her waist.

Gone are Yukino's token protests.

Whether she's finally accepting this new dynamic or simply lost in the moment like him, he can't tell.

–dudd!(:lift stops)

The elevator arrives with a tiny ring and the lights displaying.

But being so silent in the quiet in the hallway, their ears immediately picked up the sound.

At first, Hachiman thought it belonged to a neighbor, but he remembered Yuino's flat was the only one on the floor.

He, who had been resting his head on Yukino's right shoulder, blinked as his eyes snapped and stared at the elevator doors.

His mind was sluggish trying to process the sudden interruption.

'…wrong address maybe?'

He wondered, but the rhythmic tap footsteps echoing from behind those doors aren't those of someone lost or confused.

They are purposeful and confident, like someone who knows exactly where they are going.

'Then, who could it be?'

The thought barely forms in Hachiman's mind before his attention snaps back to Yukino's changing demeanor against him.

Her body transformed from soft comfort to rigid alertness in an instant.

Her heartbeat, which had been steady as a metronome moments before, now races like a frightened rabbit's.

Yukino was thinking, he could tell, running through a loop of possibilities at once.

The reason was because she knew - only two people besides her have access to this floor.

Her father had secured that privilege for her.

Well, except for two people.

While Yukino's mind races with possibilities, her immediate concern focuses solely on extracting herself from their current position, regardless of who might emerge from those elevator doors.

In contrast, Hachiman was notably less frantic.

…though perhaps 'dazed' would be more accurate, still lost in the lingering warmth of their embrace.

Anyway, his mind was fairly empty, save for one clear thought - by now he had a pretty good idea of who the footsteps belonged to, and the realization made him break out in a cold sweat.

And unlike Yukino, who stopped there, he was assessing who it could be.

He also could guess.

There were only a few people who could access this floor, besides Yukino herself, and for some reason he knew exactly who 'one' of those few people was.

'If it were her, we are sure to see hell… but again, I at least won't have to vary my survival chances.'

The thought makes him break into a cold sweat.

Not that knowing he will 'survive' makes the thought of what's coming any better.

His forehead slickened with slight anxiety.

Just the thought of seeing that person, and worse, having her see him and Yukino in this undeniably intimate position, was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

The teasing - oh god, the teasing - would be relentless, like being pecked to death.

Yet even with doom approaching in measured footsteps and knowing that they were seconds away from being caught - Hachiman couldn't bring himself to move.

The warmth of Yukino in his arms, the perfect rightness of this moment, holds him captive more surely than any chains could.

'It was… so nice. So comfortable.'

The thought drifts through his mind like a lazy cloud, even as time ticks away mercilessly.

Yet - he was so immersed, he didn't want to move.

He didn't want to let her go.

But there were only - two more seconds.

Five seconds was the time he could remember for the doors of the elevator to open after reaching the floor.

And as one more second passed, he could feel Yukino's muscles tense.

And this - this simple, perfect moment - is worth whatever embarrassment awaits them on the other side of those elevator doors.

On the other hand, Yukio, being still somewhat sane - tried to move, to rise from his lap, pushing against his arms to stand - but he held her in place for just a second longer.

It wasn't much, barely any resistance at all, really, but it was enough to stall her.

And that was all the time it took for disaster to arrive.

The two doors of the lift opened with a striking view of beautiful women standing.

…and there she was, Haruno Yukinoshita, the older sister herself.

Her plain expression was immediately thrown to the gutter as her eyes turned sharp and glinting with amusement, instantly taking in the scene before her.

When Haruno arrived at her little sister's apartment, she was prepared for many things, like a super unwelcoming gesture from her sister…

But she never thought she would be stepping into this outrageous and spicy scene, her heels clicking softly against the floor stopped for good.

Her gaze immediately zeroed in on the pair sitting on the floor, still tangled together.

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a smile that sent a shiver down Hachiman's spine.

A soft, melodic voice broke the tension.

"Ara, ara…" A small pause here.

"What do we have here?"

Hachiman felt every muscle in his body go rigid as Haruno's gaze swept over both of them.

Yukino, still half-seated in his lap, cheeks flushed, her posture halfway between awkward and flustered.

….and him, sitting there like a guilty party caught red-handed, unable to muster a word in his defense.

"Yukino, and my brother-in-law... if you want alone time, there are better places, you know?"

Haruno teased, her voice lilting with mock surprise. Her eyes sparkled as she slowly, almost predatorily, moved closer.

Yukino stiffened even further, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson.

"Big sis... it's not what it looks like." She stammered, her usual composed voice cracking just a little.

"Oh? It doesn't look like my little sister is cuddling with her boyfriend in front of the door?" Haruno's eyebrows lifted playfully, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. "Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me?"

Hachiman wanted to sink into the floor.

This was it, the end.

There was no surviving this level of teasing from Haruno, who had clearly found her next source of entertainment.

And yet, despite the mortification that crept up his neck, he still couldn't bring himself to let go of Yukino.

"Well, I guess I will just have to take a picture to remember it by." Haruno said with a grin, pulling out her phone.

"No!" Yukino exclaimed, finally managing to pull away from Hachiman's grip, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Hachiman had a hunch, he heard a machincacial clicking sound…

The picture was taken.

Yukino scrambled to her feet, her hands raised as if she could somehow block the evidence.

Haruno laughed, waving her phone in the air before slipping it back into her pocket.

"Don't worry, Yukino. I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of everyone. Just the two of you is enough."

Hachiman, now sitting awkwardly on the floor without Yukino's support, let out a small, resigned sigh.

"....Big sis.. Did you take the picture?" He muttered with a little serious tone, though he knew his words held no weight.

If anything, it would only give Haruno more ammunition.

"Who knows…" Haruno replied with a smirk, kneeling down slightly to ruffle his hair. "But you are so cute when you are flustered, little brother-in-law."

Ignoring her comment, Hachiman finally got up from the floor.

Yukino huffed, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as she glared at her sister. "Haruno, don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Hmm... nope, not really." Haruno was sure to not take the hint.

"But now that you mention it, maybe I should leave you two lovebirds alone. You are much more interesting than I thought, Yukino."

Yukino finally found her voice, though it was much quieter than usual.

"Why are you here?" She asked, her tone a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Haruno shrugged nonchalantly.

"I had a key." She said simply, holding up the small item like a trophy. "I figured I would drop by to see my adorable little sister. I didn't think I would get such a… heartwarming sight."

Yukino shot Hachiman a glare, though the redness in her cheeks betrayed her true feelings.

"I told you…" She muttered, her voice low.

"Yeah, I know." Hachiman replied, resigned to his fate. "But you were comfy."

Haruno let out a light laugh, clearly reveling in the awkwardness of the moment.

She closed the gap between her and Yukino.

"Well, this is interesting. Yukino, I had no idea you were so… affectionate." She teased, her eyes twinkling with delight. "And brother in law… my little sister seems to have finally tamed the beast?"

Yukino sputtered, her eyes widening in horror. "Haruno, please…"

But Haruno wasn't about to let this moment pass.

She stepped forward, her grin widening as she knelt down slightly to get a better view of both of them.

"Don't worry, Yukino. I won't tell anyone." She said, though her tone suggested otherwise. "Your secret is safe with me."

As Haruno stood up, her playful smile still firmly in place, she gave them both a wink.

"Well, I will leave you two lovebirds alone for now." she said, turning on her heel. "But don't get too comfortable. I will be back soon.."

With that, she strode out of the room, leaving the two of them in stunned silence.

After a long pause, Yukino finally spoke, her voice small and strained. "I am… going to kill her."

Hachiman, still leaning back against the door, chuckled. "Get in line."

She glanced at Hachiman, who had finally managed to stand up, brushing himself off.

"But, that... that could have been worse." He said, his voice dry.

Yukino shot him a sideways glare. "It was bad enough."

With one last amused glance at the two, Haruno turned on her heel and made her.

But not before giving them a final wave and a cheeky. "Don't have too much fun without me!"

"...ahem, sister-in-law, can you send me the picture…?" Hachiman asked finally after surprising his desire for so long.

"Of course, my little brother-in-law." Haruno agreed without asking anything in return, or more like she already got what she wanted.

Yukino exhaled slowly, her face still red from embarrassment.

Her eyes narrowed, but there was no real anger behind them. "Be quiet, Hachiman."

He chuckled softly, stepping closer. "Yes, ma'am."

And just like that, the moment of tension passed, the intimacy lingering between them like a quiet echo, even in the wake of Haruno's teasing.

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….

[To be continued…]

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