Warning: this story has manga spoilers!

Thus far I've wrote about yatori and Yukine, Hiyori, & Yato all together as a sort of weird dysfunctional family but I haven't explored individual friendships yet~ so even though yatori is the basis for this talk, I'd like to think the main focus is the bond between Hiyori and Yukine. And I'm sure a fanfic based between the bond of Yato and Yukine will come soon enough because I have so many feels about Yato trying to be a father figure. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!

Between Friends

"Is everything okay, Hiyori…?" Yukine asked in a quiet voice as she led him into her living room. In her past few letters, she seemed somewhat distant and almost afraid, but wouldn't say why despite his urging. Finally, she agreed to meet him one day after school.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She nodded, glancing around the living room and commenting, "Though it is a bit weird being here. I still want to say it's home but…it's so empty now that no one's been here in a while." As Yukine started to sit down, she quickly apologized, "Sorry if it's dusty…"

He shook his head, "That's okay, don't worry about it. So… no trouble with Yato's dad or anything?"

She squinted her eyebrows, "No, no; definitely not. I still catch glances of him every once in a while at school, but I've managed to do a pretty good job of avoiding him." She sat down across from him, straightening out her skirt after she did so.

"That's good." Yukine gave a relieved smile, "But still. You haven't been yourself, so I'm worried."

She looked down at her skirt, smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't know who else to talk to and I was sort of hesitant about telling you in a letter. It seemed too important for that."

"Oh?" He blinked, finding it hard to disguise the surprise on his face. 'Me?' He questioned to himself, 'She really trusts me more than anyone else for whatever this is about?'

"It, um… sort of affects you too. So I wanted to make sure you're okay with it." Hiyori continued shyly.

Now he was really confused. "O-okay…" Yukine stuttered in response. 'It affects me?' The only possibility he could think of was maybe she wanted him to stay at her grandmother's house to help watch over everyone. But her grandmother wasn't a fan of Yato, and he couldn't leave him by himself. Especially not now.

"I—I think I have feelings for Yato."

"You…what!?" He blurted back at her. This had to be a dream; a dream influenced by Yato talking in his sleep again.

She sighed, the embarrassment clear on her face, "I know it doesn't really make sense… He's obnoxious and overbearing but… I don't know."

That sounded like Hiyori. Maybe this was real after all.

"You don't have to explain," He answered quietly, "I understand; sort of. In my own way."

Hiyori gave a little smile at that, "Right." She took a breath before continuing, "But Yukine, I won't say anything to him if you don't want me to. I don't want to make you uncomfortable and I don't want to come between you and Yato—I don't want anything to come between you and me, either."

He exhaled, taking a moment to let all of her words sink in.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. Even though he'd let go of any non-platonic feelings after his ablution, he still thought Hiyori was an amazing girl and he cared about her more than he could say. She deserved much better than Yato, that was for sure. But it was all too clear Yato had a giant crush on her and if he made her happy in return, then who was he to judge?

"I wouldn't want you to hold in your feelings like that." Yukine finally let out, "That'd just be painful and awkward for all of us. It kind of goes without saying, but Yato likes you a lot, too." He shifted, sitting up a little bit straighter and his voice becoming a little more firm, "Not saying anything would make me feel guilty, which would blight Yato, so… it wouldn't work anyway."

She rested her elbows on her knees, and hid her face in her hands, "I didn't think about that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know what you were trying to do, and I appreciate it." He gave a wide smile, "If I were alive and it was just me, I might have been selfish enough to take you up on your offer. But it's my responsibility to take care of Yato now. And I've got to take care of you, too, because we're friends, so…" He looked down, hiding his face as well.

"Yukine," He heard her call his name and looked up to see her standing in the middle of the room, her arms open.

He got up slowly, still sheepish as he approached her. She reached out and pulled him in, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back awkwardly, his voice cracking as his worries finally surfaced, "Nothing's gonna change, right?"

"Never." Hiyori shook her head.