A/N: So this fic is thanks to a conversation with soraspromise over on tumblr about Yatori spooning dynamics. I am pretty happy with it, which is surprising. Beta'd by my wonderful boipren who does not exist online (he has an email but that's it lol). Also, note to anime-only fans: Hiyori's eyes are canonically brown in the manga, so that is the color I went with. The pink eyes are a stylistic choice made for the anime. And of course, reviews are strongly encouraged! That's all for my rambling, enjoy!

...

"Hiiyooriiii~," Yato sang, relishing in the way the syllables reverberated along his vocal chords.

Hiyori answered him with a tired "Hmm?" as she trailed behind him into her bedroom.

Yato performed a surprisingly skillful pirouet, twirling himself over towards her bed. He pressed one knee on top of her mattress as he reached for the window. Hiyori's physical body shifted a little towards the dip made by Yato's weight.

Yato slid open the glass in a single fluid motion. The the nighttime orchestra of insects outside amplified. He leaned forward further, inches from pressing his nose to the screen and inhaled deeply.

"Ah, I love the smell of summer, don't you?" he said. Then stiffly, "Ah, oh no. I've lost my balance."

Not really even pretending it was an accident, Yato fell onto the bed beside Hiyori's body. He wrapped an arm around her, fitting himself snug against her back. He burrowed his face in her hair. His favorite smell. He wondered if she knew that. He was too embarrassed to tell her.

He wasn't sure what their relationship was now. But it had changed, and he didn't think Hiyori knew how to define it either. They'd gotten as far as holding hands and, more recently, cuddling - but that was it.

Hiyori sighed.

"Yato, I had a lot of fun tonight, but I'm tired," she said. "I want to go back into my body and sleep."

"Wait, wait! Not yet," Yato was quick to protest.

"I'm waiting."

Yato squeezed Hiyori's body closer, and began wriggling with optimistic anticipation.

"Hiyori~ spoon me~"

"What."

"Please." Yato turned to give her his best pout.

Hiyori released the hand she'd been resting on her hip along with another sigh. The other hand went to her face, which was beginning to burn a lovely shade of pink that matched her tail. She was so insanely cute, Yato could hardly stand it. He was the luckiest guy in the world.

"You mean while I'm still outside my body...?" Hiyori was peeking at him between her fingers.

"Yes, Hiyori sandwich please."

Hiyori groaned, making zero attempt to mask how ridiculous she thought it was.

"For a little bit," she mumbled after a long pause. She climbed onto the bed behind him.

"Yay!" Yato wiggled gleefully.

Hiyori let out a breathy chuckle, warm and sweet, that ghosted over his ear. She rested her hand on his shoulder. The thought of being surrounded by Hiyori on all sides was enough to make Yato giddy, but living it was making him melt into a puddle of bliss. He heard her inhale deeply.

"This bed doesn't really fit three peo-three bodies," Hiyori pointed out. She shifted a little.

"But if you were in your body, then I wouldn't be in the middle of a Hiyori sandwich," Yato countered.

"I'm not sure if I'm flattered or creeped out by that. Maybe a little bit of both. ...Also, this is really weird."

"Correction: it is great. You should be flattered; I wouldn't rather be sandwiched between anyone other than you."

"I'm not sure it's possible with anyone else," said Hiyori, the eye roll apparent in her tone.

"Then if it were possible," Yato amended.

Hiyori let out a sigh that bridged into a soft chuckle. "All right, all right."

She sidled up closer. He hadn't expected that. This was still new territory, after all. He nearly forgot how to breath. She curled herself flush against him.

"You have in enough room on your side?" Yato said, a little insecure the only reason she was so near was because she was trying not to fall off.

"I'm good," she assured him.

Hiyori's hand slid from its perch on Yato's shoulder, and slipped under his arm, then finally snaked its way up his chest. The action brought her firmly against him. Through their thin T-shirts, Yato could feel Hiyori's breasts flatten against his back. His heart hammered wildly beneath her hand. He could feel her relax into him as if her soul were drifting into his body instead of her own. Yato took another nose-full of Hiyori's hair – her unique scent equal parts soothing and intoxicating.

Not quite having the nerve to take the hand of the conscious Hiyori, Yato reached for her sleeping form's. He pressed tender kisses to her fingertips. The girl behind him stiffened.

"Could you feel that?" Yato asked sheepishly, returning her hand.

He heard Hiyori swallow, and felt her face burrowing into his back.

"Maybe. Do it again," she whispered between his shoulder blades.

Yato obliged, caressing her knuckles with his lips. Pressing kisses into her palm, losing himself in the softness of her skin. He didn't notice the warmth at his back had gone until Hiyori stirred in front of him. His lips stilled against the pulse in her wrist.

Hiyori slipped her fingers between his, drawing their hands away from his mouth toward hers. She offered a quick peck against the back of his hand and then she rolled over to face him. She blinked up at Yato from behind shyly fluttering lashes, her face that marvelous shade of pink.

"Hey," she said, the corner of her mouth tilted up.

"Hey," Yato replied.

Yato lost to the impulse to kiss her burning cheeks. She giggled nervously, threading her fingers through his hair, and he found himself smiling against her skin. He peppered her face with more kisses in pursuit of more melodical laughter. Her fingers wound their way into his hair, slowing his kisses – drawing out tenderness.

Yato's mouth brushed her eyelids, her brow, the side of her nose. At the edge of her jaw, her noises had become wistful exhales. He kissed her chin. He hovered over the corner of her mouth for a brief while - not making contact - before pulling away. They hadn't kissed yet, and he wanted to be absolutely sure it was something she wanted.

"Why did you stop?" Hiyori followed his retreat, bringing her forehead to rest against his. Her voice was low and heady and filled with something a little like longing.

The question implied she hadn't wanted him to stop. He swallowed and took a deep breath to steady his nerves some.

"I wasn't sure you wanted me to..." Yato couldn't finish the rest of the sentence. His cheeks were on fire.

"Yato." She bumped noses with him affectionately.

Catching her gaze this close, Yato could see every shade of brown in her eyes, bursting light to dark from the pupil outward like she contained the sun within them. He could count the freckles in her irises. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know the words to express the depth of his feelings for her, they haven't even used the word "love" yet, and even that word was insufficient to convey his soul to her. He trembled, his overwhelming affection boiling under the surface with the struggle to find the right words.

"Yato," Hiyori said again, his name barely a whisper between her slightly-parted lips. She followed his name, hot across his face, drawing him in toward the source. Her lips were clumsy and inexperienced, yet they fit perfectly against his own.

Yato savored the taste of his name on her tongue.

"I want you," she said, breaking between kisses to emphasize each word.

Maybe it was too soon, and maybe it wasn't the poetic words Yato was searching for, but they were true.

"I love you," he said.

He pulled back to examine her face, silently pleading for reciprocation but trying not to show it. He didn't know if he was succeeding.

Hiyori's eyes were soft with adoration, her mouth quivered with restraint, suppressing a smile so wide it might cleave her whole face. She grabbed him, unable to kiss properly while grinning like a fool. So it was just her mouth crashing shapelessly into his own, and then Yato was grinning too. He didn't need the words to know she felt the same, but they came anyway. When they did, Yato was couldn't stop his lips from curving even further upward. And then Hiyori was laughing because all she could kiss was his teeth.

...

A/N: Thank you for reading 'til the end. If you liked it, please please let me know. Even just saying "I liked your fic!" means the world to me and really inspires me. Thanks! (insert shameless plug to follow me on Tumblr)