Minor Note: I don't know what came over me but I suddenly felt an urge to write a fluff fic (If you can consider this fic one). Anyway, a short story for all the YukixHachi shippers out there and even though it might be a bit OOC, eh it's set after high-school so expect some changes.

Slowly but surely, their spring began to emerge.

The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

At least that's what my mom taught Komachi who apparently took it to heart. Dad talked about it once during a family dinner, which was a rare occurrence due to their work. He mentioned how mom's cooking was beyond delicious and it was what captivated his heart in the first place.

I knew that he was just exaggerating since if that was the case, world class female chefs would have every men at the tip of their fingers. But I can see how he came to that conclusion. There was something about homemade meals that scream 'I'm special!'

I, being the experienced loner that I am, did not fall prey to such petty lies (The quickest way to a man's heart is through his chest by the way). As expected, Komachi fell for it, Isshiki fell for it and Yuigahama fell for it. Miura and Ebina probably fell for it too.

The last person I expected to fall for this farce is Yukinoshita Yukino.

Now why would I think so?

Because my humble apartment was invaded by a malicious cat.

Said cat is Yukino.

Said cat also situated herself into the kitchen, despite having no ingredients to work with due to my insistence that I can live off instant ramen and microwavable curry.

Now why was Yukino in my house?

You see, we are what normal people call a 'couple'. Now how did such occurrence occur between me and the Ice queen? After all, two minuses added are still minus, right?

Well, just like there are spontaneous combustions; we had something called 'Spontaneous confession'. I didn't bother trying to remember the details because frankly, it was embarrassing. So embarrassing that I might die if I recalled a single detail about that moment.

I got into a university in Chiba but it was far away from home so I had to move out into a not-so-spacious apartment but it was still big enough for my comfort. Yukino got into a prestigious university in Tokyo even though she could just go straight to a university abroad.

Her plan was to receive her bachelor's degree then go on to continue her study abroad. She made it quite clear with her parents that she wanted to stay in Japan for her bachelor's degree first but even I couldn't imagine the scene due to her parents making her look like a snowflake in a blizzard.

As such, it was very hard to see each other despite our 'Spontaneous confession' so we decided on a routine. Each month, we would alternate our visit to each other's place of residence except for when an important assignment pops up.

So far, the plan was working well.

Except for this time since we had to postpone our meeting due to our hectic university schedule. So instead of one visit per month; it was one visit in two months.

But then, why is Yukino in the kitchen?

Our visit usually culminated in a dinner with the two of us. Sometimes in a fairly good restaurant and other times, in a ramen stall. A good ramen stall, mind you; not those crappy ones.

So Yukino cooking was out of the blue and straight up weird.

"Hachi-kun," Her voice rang from the kitchen, "Spicy or not?"

"Spicy." I answered back after a pause even though my cat tongue wouldn't be able to handle it but it was winter so a little spice would heat things up a bit.

The kotatsu that I currently inhabited was certainly doing its job, heating my body even though my back was still cold. A few minutes later, Yukino came out holding two plates; which obviously contained curry.

At least she still remembers what my favorite meal was, aside from ramen.

I received the plate gratefully and Yukino situated herself in the kotatsu as well, right in front of me. I scooped out a bit of my meal, looking at it dubiously despite having full faith in Yukino's cooking skills.

I cautiously put the spoon into my mouth so that the spice won't burn my tongue. It tasted surprisingly well despite being spicy. I looked over to the other inhabitant of this apartment and was met with a pair of cold blue eyes.

I was about to inquire on her observation but she beat me to the punch.

"How is it?"

I consumed another spoonful of curry before responding, "Good enough, I suppose."

"Good enough?" She replied, a look in her eyes which screamed that she had something more to say.

Naturally, I inquired even further.

"What is it?"

Yukino halted her action of delivering the curry to her mouth to raise an eyebrow.

"I mean; you obviously have something to say, right?" I continued.

She let out a sigh before looking off to the side sheepishly, "It's been two months since we've seen each other so I thought I would do something to elicit a response out of you…"

"So you just want me to praise you?" I dead-panned. Yukino changed, a lot since high-school. She is more susceptible to teasing now and usually fall for my tricks. I guess the phrase 'Love changes a person' really does apply, to both social creatures and loners alike.

Yukino is living proof of that.

She didn't reply yet so I did what I had to do.

"If I say your food was beyond great, would you be happy?"

"You already said that my food was 'good enough' so any further comments would not take effect."

"Jeez, you're like a spoiled cat." I sighed deeply.

"So who?" Yukino began.

"Who what?"

"You said that my meal was good enough…" She muttered slowly, "Is there someone better?"

Hold on. Hold on just a second.

If my high-school self was here right now, he would scoff while proudly proclaiming 'Of course!'

But the Hachiman now could only think of one thing that could incite such a reaction from Yukino.

Petty jealousy.

It's stupid really. Other people try to justify jealousy as a way to show affection but if that was the case then the affection you were receiving were nothing more than a farce, a slap in the face to those who think that they were loved.

If you know that your partner is affectionate for you, you wouldn't be jealous in the first place. But until I find it in myself to learn psychology, I won't be able to fully understand this emotion of jealousy.

Truly, humans are interesting creatures.

I weighed my choices of words carefully. Even though Yukino is tamer than her high-school self; she is still the Ice Queen.

I involuntarily gulped. "Well, I can't say that I didn't taste better"

She narrowed her eyes dangerously but this was all going according to the plan. Definitely all according to the plan. I smirked inwardly.

"Would you mind disclosing on who made it?" She said without faltering.

I leaned one of my elbows on the table. It was amazing how she could change over the course of two years. But still, it was a rare sight to behold as the ice cold exterior melted away, leaving the soft core of a maiden inside.

Kind of like one of those lollipops.

I couldn't help but let out a brief snicker, "It was my mom who made it."

Yukino immediately went from slightly agitated to being fully flustered in just seconds. I would never get tired of this view. As I said, the Ice Queen melting is indeed a rare sight to behold.

She didn't reply after that but the crimson hue on her face blatantly showed that she was still flustered. But no rebuttals or insults? I guess mission accomplished.

Yukino has been defused. Counter-Yukino wins. [1]

We ate our meals in silence, not even asking about our studies like usual. Well, I do enjoy a silent meal more than a talkative one. I'm sure Yukino is the same.

We finished our dinner relatively quickly and Yukino immediately sprung to action, taking the dishes to wash it. Despite my insistence on helping her, she shrugged me off with a phrase that she began to use quite repetitively.

"It's girlfriend's duty after all." She said, a bit of haughtiness apparent in her voice.

Our interaction is like a back and forth game of cat and mouse. One moment I tease her and the next, she teases me and the cycle repeats over and over again until we're out of each other's sight.

A clanking sound brought me out of my thoughts. Yukino placed a cup in front of me before taking a seat near the kotatsu herself, setting her own cup on the kotatsu.

The content was orange juice which was strange considering that she usually got us coffee or tea. I looked over to Yukino, who was sipping the juice like it was normal.

"So…" I looked back and forth between my cup and Yukino, "What's with the orange juice?"

"Just thought that a change of taste might be nice." She brought her cup closer to her lips as she replied.

"Is that so…" I hesitated a bit but what are the chances of Yukino drugging me because she thought that I was cheating on her?

…That was oddly specific.

True to her words, the sweet yet slightly sour taste of orange enveloped my tongue; metaphorically washing away the bitter taste in my mouth that I had accumulated from years of drinking coffee.

Though I was sure that I'll be back to drinking coffee tomorrow anyway.

I finished my cup though I wish there was more. There was something about orange juice that makes you crave for more and more. Pff and people say that coffee was addicting.

I looked over to Yukino who despite started drinking earlier than I did, didn't finish her own cup yet. She was also…shivering? The Ice Queen shivering, how ironic.

"Yukino, you're okay?" Her head perked up at my question, "You're kinda shivering there."

Yukino widened her eyes in recognition as she finally realized her current state. Seeing as she was in this condition, I immediately asked.

"You want me to turn up the heater?"

Despite shivering, she still managed to answer, "T-That would n-not be necessar-ry."

Damn, now you're a stubborn cat.

"How about I get you a blanket?"

Once again, she refused with a shake of her head.

I sighed, rubbing my neck. "What about sleeping in the kotatsu?"

"H-Hachi-kun," She struggled as her teeth shook with the cold air as if winter itself has embraced her, "If I d-did that, you w-would catch a-a cold…"

"Jeez, then what do you suggest we do?" I was beginning to get annoyed here. I was trying to be a good…boyfriend.

Crap, that word still sounds foreign to me.

"M-Move backward…" Yukino replied as she got up from her seat which made me think. If she didn't want me to catch a cold then why was she suggesting that I move from my sanctuary of heat and comfort?

I reluctantly scooted back a bit from the kotatsu, exposing a little bit of my thighs to the cold embrace of winter. Yukino came over to my side for some odd reason….

…And just like Kamakura, she came in between the kotatsu and me, effectively making a Yukino-sandwich.

"Uhh, Yukino," I asked as she began to lean back on me, "What are you doing?"

It's super embarrassing. Please stop.

"Isn't it natural to expect warmth from your partner? So let's just stay like this for a bit." Her voice returned to its haughty form once more as she began to lean on me even more. I reluctantly hovered my arms over her petite body, contemplating whether or not I should embrace her or not.

That question was suddenly shattered as she took my arms and embraced herself with it.

Crap, I could feel the heat rushing up to my face already.

"Hachiman…"

I slowly began to accept my faith as she stopped shivering. But even so, I voluntarily wrapped my arms around her even tighter.

"In two more years, I'll be gone…" She stated solemnly.

Ah, her studies abroad.

"…Yeah."

"That's why…"I couldn't see her face so I couldn't tell her emotions at the time but she gripped my arms even tigther, "Can we have just one night to ourselves…"

With that one phrase, I could feel the gentle warmth of spring coming; washing away the cold air of winter. No, it was more like the hot heat of summer.

But even so, I knew what she was asking for but I'm a coward. A rotten coward.

"Yukino…" I freed one of my hands from her clutch to scratch my head in a weird angle. "I don't think you're being fair asking me like that…"

"Then can I just be unfair for one day?!" She replied, almost shouting in the process. To see Yukino with such a passionate display…this was too unfair of her.

"Hachiman, I am weak, too dependent on other people…"

"What are you talking about? You're not like th-."

"But even so!" She interrupted me, her voice almost cracking, "Even if I'm the child of the Yukinoshita family, even if I'm just the lesser of the two Yukinoshita siblings…"

Yukino gripped my hands hard but she was trembling once more. No, the room wasn't cold. Far from it. The room felt like an oven, the tension almost unbearable and the heat… it was mostly coming from Yukino.

She turned around swiftly, surprising me as her blue eyes locked with mine. I could see a few drops of tears at the corner of her eyes which were red from sobbing.

"Even so…I'm a still a woman who fell in love with you." She said with such conviction that it made my heart twisted and my eyes hot. I wasn't sure on what to do even though we had been together for more than one year already.

"Yukino, don't say it like that…" We weren't ready yet; I know that she knows it too but…

I averted my eyes from her deep, blue ones. "No matter how much of a rotten coward I am, I can't guarantee that nothing will happen, you know…"

My eyes landed on her once more but this time, she wasn't looking at me. She was gazing on the floor like a dejected child.

After five grueling seconds, she finally spoke up.

"So it's won't work...?"

The look on Yukino's face right now made me feel even worse. It was unfair really. What kind of power does a crying face hold in this world? Might as well manufacture it into a weapon.

Screw it all!

I immediately took her in for a hug, an action that even I thought I won't be able to accomplish.

"I didn't mean it like that…" My nose caught a whiff of her scent. It smelled strangely like strawberry. "If you're okay with it, I guess I'm fine too."

"Hachi-kun…"

I stood up just as she said that, leaving her baffled at my action.

Well, this is awkward.

"How about we go out for a bit?" I scratched my cheek nervously as she looked at me, "I mean, we still have some hours left so why don't we do something fun?"

She still looked at me in confusion so I further explained myself.

"You know, we can go to the mall or how about a cat café?! You still love cats, right?"

Somehow, for some strange unknown reason, she chuckled. It was like a gentle bell chime, enveloping the room with its beautiful sound.

"What is it?" I narrowed my eyes a bit.

"I-It's just…" She covered her mouth in a poor attempt to stop chuckling, "It's a rare sight to see you flustered, Hachi-kun."

I averted my eyes once more as her amused gaze landed on me. Gaaah, this was too embarrassing.

"I-I need to get my wallet first." I said hastily as I made an effort to move towards my bedroom. My action was halted as a hand enveloped my own.

Yukino looked up at me earnestly, leading me to question her.

"What is it now?" She didn't answer but amusement adorned her face as she stood up and did something that could only be described as a sneak peek to tonight.

Yukino pecked me squarely on the lips, widening my eyes.

She pulled back sheepishly, a finger lingering on her lips.

"Hurry up, Hachi-kun," She said teasingly, "We need to use our time wisely after all."

I grumbled in response before heading towards my bedroom. The heat returned once more, continuing its deadly assault on my cheeks. How could such a simple action leave me so speechless and flustered?

At this rate, I'm going to have a full-blown fever by the end of the night.

[1]: Counter-Strike reference.