If there's any formatting issues with line breaks, point them out. This chapter was written in FF's document editor rather than Google Docs, so things may look funky. This is the second time I've revised this.

Slowly, through horrid tidal waves of confusion and nausea, I pulled myself from the ever-tightening grip of blissful sleep. As my rotten eyes began to adjust to the horrifically low light levels in the room, the fog that polluted my mind began to fade. Where am I? I remember eating Yuigahama's cooking with...a frankly embarrassing amount of pleasure, but then I grew tired. Sleepy, sleepy, and sleepier still, until I...

Slowly, I sat up. Or, rather, I attempted too. My body was still heavy from sleep - and, on top of that, there was something on top of ME. Looking forward, I could see a small brown bundle of hair and energy currently sleeping on my stomach, curled into a petite ball. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized that I was also lovingly tucked in under a soft pink comforter, on which Sable made himself quite comfortable. The softness under my head I attributed to a pillow in the similar shade of pink, and the weight on my left arm...

Was Yuigahama.

My face exploded into a flush, and I began an attempt to move. However, I halted once I realized she was asleep, using my shoulder for a pillow as her free arm was draped across my chest in a hug - another thing that held me down. Feeling in my legs returned gradually, I slowly positioned them off of the bed. In an awkward 'L' shape, I slowly rolled my body to the left. Very carefully, Sable slid off of me, still dead a sleep, until he was parked gently next to Yuigahama's thighs. Thighs. Thighs thighs thighs. Focus! The final step of escape was simple. With my now clear path to the right, I slowly back myself out of the bed, moving backwards on my knees. As I began moving, however, Yuigahama's grip tightened to deathly levels, and I froze.

"Nn...no thanks, Mama, I've had enough to eat...couldn't stomach...another bite..."

Her grumbling ceased, and with it, her hold of me. I stayed still for at least ten seconds before moving again, freeing myself from the bed completely. As I stood and slowly backed away, I finally turned when I had reached the door. However, Yuigahama made another noise. A noise of covers moving. Shooting a look back over my shoulder, I held the knob firmly. She had shifted, facing the other direction, before settling.

"...Maybe another..."

With a twist of the knob, the door opened slowly, and I gave myself enough room to escape before clicking it back shut behind me. The abode was completely black, only the vague outlines of things visible. I felt like the thief that Yukinoshita had always made me out to be, skulking around someone's home at night, but I quickly disregarded that train of thought. In my pocket, I reached for my phone, and felt a small surge of relief when I found it there. The screen displayed that I had a single message.

"Bro, where are you at? It's getting super late! It's not nice to keep your sister waiting!"

Below that, however, was a response.

"hikki fell asleep! if u don't mind, komachi, can he spend the night? we have a room he can use"
"Ah, that's fine! Seriously, though, falling asleep at a dinner date? When he gets back, we need to have a talk..."

Komachiiii...It wasn't like that, honest!

I briefly considered the drubbing I was going to get from my adorable little sister before a sound registered in my head.

Klik klik klik klik. Sigh.

I focused, attempting to discern the location of the noise. Stepping slowly, I avoided tables and other pieces of furniture as the sound became louder and louder. Eventually, the trail lead me directly to a door, a thin sliver of light beaming through the bottom of it. Very gently, I tried the knob, and it was unlocked, revealing a pair of stairs that lead down to an illuminated, finished basement. Using every point of stealth I had allocated, I began to step down slowly, closing the door behind me. The lock engaging, however, had made more noise than I had anticipated, and half way down the stairs, I heard a voice - and saw it's owner.

"Is that you, honey? I'm sorry, I'll be to bed shortly, so please don't wor-...ah."

Slouched over a desk stacked high with papers was a man. He was roughly half a foot taller than I was, with messy dark hair and a slightly developed beard. Thin black frames adorned his eyes, the pupils of which were dangerously similar to mine. We stared at each other for an eternity, my body frozen on the stairs, and my words trapped inside of my throat.

"...You must be 'Hikki', I guess..."
"...Hachiman Hikigaya. You're..."
"Yui's father. You can call me Mr. Yuigahama, if you so wish to do so...would you, uh, like to take a seat? There's coffee, if you want..."

The man gave me a slightly worried smile, almost looking apologetic. I crept down the stairs completely, and took a seat nearby his desk. The chair was stiff, but not uncomfortable.

"You, uh...don't see surprised that I'm here."
"Well, Yui had told me that her boyfriend was here, asleep after something about curry...I hadn't anticipated you being up and moving, though."
"Wait, you know about-"
"About you and my daughter, yes. Don't worry, I understand what's going on."

His expression grew slightly more solemn after he spoke that sentence, almost wincing. I readjusted my position in the seat, suddenly nervous.

"...You do?"
"H-Heh...If I'm right, she might be a little pushy. Gets it from her mother..."
"What are you insinuating?"

He rubbed the back of his head, coughing quietly.

"That you're most likely in the same boat I was a long time ago."
"...Hanh?"
"My little girl...that is to say, Yui, really likes you."
"Well, I could gather that, but-"
"No, no, you misunderstand me. She really likes you. Catch my drift?"
"...Sorry. No."

He let out a slight sigh. It wasn't one of irritation, but something far more bitter.

"She doesn't intend to let you go, is what I'm saying."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that even if you were to break up with her right now and leave, you'd wind up back here before you even got half way to your house. She loves you, in the same way my wife loves ME...dangerously so."

I began sweating, looking at the seated man with an increasing amount of underlying fear. Slowly, he turned in his chair, and stuck his foot out. Attached to his leg was a manacle, which kept him tethered to the desk. He gave me a very flat, matter of fact look with an underlying hint of sadness as he shrugged. I nearly jumped up and left, before he reached down and undid the thing himself, his leg once again free.

"She likes it when I wear that, haha..."
"...How long?"
"Hm?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Ah? As in, with my wife...? Mm...almost twenty years now, I'd say."
"You've...been held prisoner for twenty years?"
"...I wouldn't say that. It was closer to two years."

I gave him an incredulous look. He continued.

"I mean...yeah, you can say I started off here against my will, but...that faded sort of quickly."
"How...?"
"When you're someplace for that long, well...feelings will eventually become mutual. I mean, she never hurt me or anything like that, y'know? Took good care of me, kept me happy, stayed with me all the time..."
"And you never thought to escape?!"
"Mm. I did. All the time, actually. And, you know, on one occasion, I did."
"...What happened?"
"Well, she had forgotten to properly secure the cuff there...so I just sort of took it off. When she was in the bathroom, I made a break for it. Right up the stairs, outside, and down the street. Boy, I never ran so fast in my life! I ran and I ran and I ran until my legs couldn't go on, then I ran some more. I ran until I didn't even know where I was anymore, and I stopped for a break. It was the first time I had been outside and around in over a year, and I felt free, you know? Great. I thought about my next move. The police, obviously. But then what?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I thought about it for a long time, out in a park around three AM. I'm free, I tell the police, she's arrested, but then what? Go back home? Try to finish school, get a job and support myself? What was I supposed to do? It had gotten to the point where everyone I knew thought I had abandoned them, or gone off somewhere, or worse. I was alone, with no resources to my name, be it people or monetarily. I stayed there for a few hours, staring into the sky and thinking, running plans through my head...and the only option I had was to go back."
"And you-"
"Walked the entire way back. Eight miles, slowly, all the way back. My body was drenched in sweat, and my legs felt as though they were about to snap, but I walked it. And I got to that door. And I thought real hard about what I was doing, what I was committing myself too by going back in there. I thought about what it would mean for my future, what it would mean for my safety, everything. I took a deep breath, and I opened that door. I found her in the living room, sobbing and curled in a small ball, as if she were waiting for the authorities to come and get her. I mean, Heck, she didn't even turn to me when the door opened. And I felt bad. Real bad. Then I called out to her, and she froze. Her head turned to me, and she gave me the saddest look I've ever seen in my life. Some things happened, we hugged, and then, y'know...we got married. I had - and still have - free reign to do whatever I wanted. With her guidance and support, I got a steady a job, and a few years after that...well, our daughter came into the mix. Now I'm here at one AM tryin' to finish up stock reports so I can go to bed...when you wander in."

I stared at the man, mouth agape, as he told me his story. This man...is crazy! Totally crazy! Why would he-

"And, I know, you're probably thinkin' I'm crazy or something..."

Geh.

"But, love is funny like that, you know? And, no, it isn't Stockholm syndrome or anything like that, it's just..."

He leaned over his desk, his cheek resting on his hand as he looked off into the distance - more accurately, the wall.

"I've never felt so loved before in my life. At first, yeah, I thought she was...creepy. Crazy, really. And...you could argue that possessive is a type of crazy, I suppose, one based off of insecurity. But I found myself drawn to her, regardless. To her kindness, her embrace. Her...genuine qualities, you could say."

He gave a dry laugh.

"Boy, all the things I could've avoided if I had just stayed with her to begin with! Man, I was a dummy when I was your age. I thought she was soooo scary, that I was actually ignoring her feelings."

I shift uncomfortably, averting my gaze, as the man's words were beginning to hit dangerously close to home.

"Feelings that I'm sure Yui has for you."
"I..."
"Hey, you can trust me. I recognize the excitement in her voice, the energy she has when she mentions you. Mirrors the wife, at her age. She really, you know...loves you. Ahhhn, my little girl is growing up..."

Hey, don't get sentimental now!

"But you're scared, right, Mr. Hikigaya?"
"No, it's not that, it's..."
"Unsure of what you want?"
"...Yeah. You could say that."
"Heh, well...with Yui, you're gonna be getting a life long commitment. I can guarantee you that girl will go through Hell and high water just to make you happy. Yuigahama women are like that. But she'll expect your complete trust, since she'll be giving you hers. Understand?"
"You're being awfully calm about throwing your daughter into the arms of a man..."
"I know better than to try and dissuade her, and you don't seem the scummy type - or you would've already told her to leave you alone, or abused her feelings. In other words, I have some faith. You remind me a bit of myself."
"And what I refuse the path that Yuig...your daughter has laid out for me? What if I want to go in another direction than the one she has planned?"
"You'll shatter her heart and soul into a thousand tiny pieces, and from the damage she will not recover."

While the rest of his speech had a fairly upbeat, positive tone to it, the manner of which he spoke in the last reply he gave was chilling. It was no assumption, it was a stated fact, and it was not one he was pleased with. I shared the sentiment.

"...And what if there's someone else?"
"Interested in you, or you interested in them?"
"...I guess you could say it's a yes on their end, and vaguely on mine."
"Mm...then that's something you'll have to figure out, Mr. Hikigaya. It's your life. But you'll be hurting someone. Can I ask you a question, though?"
"Shoot."
"Can you say, with utter certainty, that you love my daughter?"
"...That's a pretty blunt question."
"I know. But, do you? And, please, consider everything I've told you."

I gave it some thought. I had begun dating Yui because I loved her, true. But over the past few weeks, I can safely say that I had felt that love straining due to my own perceptions of aggressive behavior from her. But, now, I take into consideration what Mr. Yuigahama has said to me. Her insecurities. Her fears. Her feelings. Thinking about it all, I pause. I take, and exhale, a deep breath. Despite all this. Despite everything I've done, she's done, said, and tried, I can say...

"Yes."
"I'm glad. I won't call you son-in-law just yet, but...Heck, it sure seems like that might be the case, huh?"
"D-Don't go jumping to conclusions like that. I never said anything like that, and who knows what the future might hold."
"If the future holds anything, it'll be because of YOUR actions, mister."

Gulp.

"But, you know, you don't have to worry about telling Yui anything you just said."
"And why's that...? You'd rather keep this meeting secret?"

Before he could respond, a brown dog came into vision, sitting peacefully. As though he had been there the entire time.

"H-Hikki, you mean it...?"

Turning back, Yui stood on the stairs, one hand on her chest and the other covering her mouth, her face red and wet with tears that I could only assume were from happiness. Mr. Yuigahama gave me a slight, happy smile through a worn, tired face.

"Y-Yuigahama, I...u-uhm..."

I stuttered, tripping over my own words. She stood there, patiently, waiting for me to recover, still stuck in the same pose. Mr. Yuigahama, however, was mouthing words of encouragement. What kind of dad is this?!

"...Yui."
"H-Hikki...?"
"...I love you."

Her voice cracked as she winced, more tears pouring from her eyes as she wobbled on the stairs, taking slow steps down them before advancing towards me. As she came close, Mr. Yuigahama spun around in his chair, facing towards the wall as if we weren't there. Shakily, I bought myself to my feet and opened my arms. Is this really fine? This path I'm choosing. I thought those words at least a hundred times before Yui pressed herself against my body, wrapping her arms around me as she buried her face into my chest, sobbing quietly.

"Honey, are you awake down there? What's taking you so-...oh, my."

Yui paid no mind to her mother, still hugging and crying into my shirt. Mrs. Yuigahama herself had her hand over her mouth in astonishment, looking between me and her husband, who slowly brought himself up from his seat, moving around us and to her.

"We should go, dear. They have a lot to talk about."
"Y-Yes...let's get some sleep, okay?"

As they ascended the stairs, I heard Mrs. Yuigahama talk.

"You didn't say anything silly, did you?"
"Hoh? You have so little faith in me?"
"Uuu...I hope you didn't feed him any cynical lines..."
"Maybe one or tw- ow! Hey, no hitting!"

I stood holding Yui for what seemed like a century before her sobbing finally came to a halt. With a ruined yet happy face, she looked to me, still sniffling, and leaned up. She pressed her lips against mine, digging her fingers into my clothing, and I did not resist.

"Hikki..."
"Y-Yeah?"
"What about...Yukinon...?"

Chills.

"...We'll tell her together."
"Are you s-"
"It's our only choice."
"O-Okay, Hikki. I...I trust you. Do you think she'll...take it well?"
"...I can almost guarantee you she won't."

Her expression sunk further.

"But we can try to do what we can. For now, though, it's late...and I should be heading home."
"N-No, it's fine, you can stay here!"
"I don't have a place to sleep."
"Hikki, don't be a dummy. It's fine."
"Yui-"
"Hikki."

She peered at me, pouting angrily before she pinched my cheeks, tugging on them.

"After all you said, you're still afraid to sleep next to me?"
"I-I never said I was afraid!"
"Then you're doing it!"
"Wait! I never agreed to that!"
"Come on Sable, we're going!"
"Stop pulling me! I'll stay on the couch, it's fine!"
"Nope!"

Gaaaaaaah!

In their room, Mister and Misses Yuigahama listened to the racket coming from the hallway, all the way to the other end, where it ceased. Mr. Yuigahama gave a slight sigh of relief as he stayed next to his wife, who was currently wearing her light pink pajamas. He had gotten them for her months ago when he was out on a business trip, and she had been using them ever since. They looked cute on her.

"Honey...?"
"Mm?"
"Do you think I did the right thing with Hikigaya? Telling him...you know. Everything."
"Well...he hasn't run outside screaming, and Yui is happy. I think you gave him a push onto a path that he needed."
"Hm. I just hope it's one he ends up enjoying."
"I'm sure he will...now, let's go to bed, alright~? I'm tired after all the cooking today!"
"...So what did you put in his curry, anyway?"
"Ahh...Valerian..."
"Pfft. That's so like you."
"S-Shush!"
"Ow!"

hi