It was an accident really. It happened during a customary after-school visit to Kofuku and Daikoku's place. She was just entering the house when he came running to her.
"I KNOW IT WAS YOU, YOU IDIOT" Yukine's voice came from upstairs along with loud, angry footsteps.
Hiyori just had time for a little glance at Yato's flushed face before he took her hand and dragged her with him, giggling.
"Woah" the strength of his tug pulled a squeal out of her and before she was conscious of it she was running with him. She cried, "What did you do?"
"Run, Hiyori" He turned his face back to say. He was laughing, his expression so gleeful, so childish. It was so sweet her heart skipped a beat. Lately, he had been more like this, more open and at ease. Hiyori couldn't find a reason to not go along with him and laugh, too.
They ran, entering the park, hand in hand until suddenly Yato took a quick turn and yanked Hiyori behind a tree.
And so it happened.
It was casual, natural, not premeditated at all… he pinned her to the trunk and put his hands on it at both sides of her head. Eyeing the path, he watched for Yukine as breathy giggles escaped from his lips, completely oblivious to the effect of his actions on the girl in front of him.
So close.
Hiyori's already flushed cheeks felt impossibly hot, her racing heart now beat furiously and neither was from running. She gasped, at an abrupt loss for air. He was so close, too close. His scent, that scent she liked so much, inundated her senses. Hiyori could feel the heat from his lean body all over hers, their height difference made painfully obvious at this distance. She felt enveloped by him. Hiyori ran her eyes over the god in front of her and something in her belly turned violently leaving heat behind.
He's so close… yet, I want him closer.
The thought surprised her but not as much as she would have expected. It was more like something clicking inside her. Yato always had been special to her, that much was for sure. She knew that for a long time now. But, the idea that she wanted him? With him towering over her this close? Yes, she did.
And that was a new sensation.
They've been through so much together. They were friends. She had his back. She would do anything for him, and Hiyori knew she could trust her life to Yato. They were partners. Hiyori loved him, simple as that. And she wanted to be with him for as long as possible. Because, even though she had promised to never forget him, he felt fleeting. Always there but not really. Not hers. And until now she never let herself want things. But now she wanted things that she wasn't sure she should dare ask for.
"I think we lost him…" he said, his voice vanishing little by little.
Hiyori, who was currently staring at his chest, paralyzed with her epiphany, looked up and froze. His astonishing blue eyes were completely focused on her. He was usually intense and all that force escaped through his gaze so it was always an experience to have him focus on you. But this time was different. This time, those icy blue eyes were burning with something dark and pure. Something that Hiyori distinguished immediately, because it mirrored what she was feeling. Want. Hot and honest desire. He came an inch closer, still boring holes in her soul.
"Hiyori...?"
Her murmured name came out as a question from his lips and suddenly he looked just as out of breath as she felt. They were suspended in a bubble of heat, so close, it would be so easy to…
"Yato…" she whispered, her gaze flicking to his lips.
She stood up on her tiptoes and leaned her head a little…
"Yato, I know you're out there!" Yukine's angry voice burst the bubble and they both looked away blushing, gasping the breath they had lost. "Come here this moment or, I swear to god, I know where you hide the yen bottle."
Yato took a step back quickly sticking his foot on a root and then falling on his bottom.
"THERE YOU ARE!"
The chase was on once again, but Hiyori wasn't paying attention anymore as she melted into that tree trunk.
What the actual fuck?! Her hand came to smack her mouth close and stayed there. She felt all trembly and hot. She sighed and slid down the trunk until her butt hit the ground.
Damn Yukine, if it wasn't for him… her other hand came to smack over the last. Hiyori wondered what would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted and just how far things could've gone. She folded her arms over her knees and buried her face in them as she went through the last ten minutes.
He had always had such an effect on her: his scent, his good looks and his lack of respect for personal space always bewildered her. The lengthy exposure to the god and his ways had already numbed her a bit to all of it. However, the fact that it didn't startle her anymore didn't mean there wasn't still a flutter in her heart every time he came close to her. She had resolved to ignore it for the sake of her mental health but the last ten minutes had been an assault to her resolution. Hiyori closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Were we really just about to kiss?
She had wanted to, and clearly that had been his intention. His eyes had enraptured her, his slightly parted lips seeming so soft and inviting. She just wanted to taste them... That thing in her belly twisted again.
Hiyori groaned and stood up. She had no idea how to look at him now without recalling what almost happened, what she wished would've happened.
She went home and if the blush never really left her, no one needed to know.
…
So that was how Hiyori's life was ruined.
Well, not her life, but at least her peace of mind. She was now hyper aware of Yato every time they were within sight of each other, constantly flushed, jumpy, stuttering, clumsy. She was a mess and he did nothing to help her. He would just stare at her, questions in his eyes. She didn't know if the question was for her or to himself as they never had the opportunity to talk. They were never alone and Hiyori didn't know if she would be able to be alone with him ever again without feeling incredibly awkward.
Things became critical when others started to notice. Kofuku specifically, who was bold enough to address their strange behavior.
"Hiyoriiin, you haven't said a word since Yatty arrived and your cheeky-cheeks are so red, are you ok?" The goddess asked as she jumped on her and put her hands on Hiyori's cheeks and pressed. "Is it because Yatty has been rudely staring at you the whole time?"
Her voice had a devilish, knowing undertone that almost went unnoticed but Hiyori had been already teased by her too much to miss it. Kofuku turned her playful eyes to Yato, who had caught the exchange and looked away coughing. He whined about something to Daikoku who was clearing the table with Yukine. A delighted giggle came from Kofuku as she let go of Hiyori's face and rolled on the floor beside her.
"You're so funny!"
…
It had become maddening.
The tension between them was unbearable, but Hiyori refused to face the situation. Yato wasn't staying silent anymore, either. He had tried to talk to her, but she did everything humanly possible and a little more to avoid the conversation. It was ridiculous, really. But the state of affairs brought her to face a crucial and unsettling matter that she'd been burying in her mind: her feelings.
Yes, Hiyori loved Yato but how exactly, she was not sure. She knew she wanted him. And ever since the tree incident, she frequently found herself staring at him, feeling flustered by the most stupid of things, every slight touch sending shivers through her whole body. She couldn't get him out of her head, yet hadn't figured out exactly what she wanted.
I want him to want me back.
But would she dare wish for it? She knew Yato felt something for her. He bordered on too clingy on his best days, yet he never really made a move on her. And she wanted to know why.
"Hiyori."
The low call came from right behind her like a touch to her nape and all the way down her spine leaving goosebumps at its wake.
Yato.
Her heart started to race. They were alone, for the first time in what seemed like forever. She was tidying up the room after a study session with Yukine. The boy had left in a hurry saying he was late to meet Kazuma, so she stayed and packed the books and pencils parsimoniously. And for some reason she forgot that this room had another occupant and wasn't expecting him to appear.
"Hiyori," he repeated, closer.
She was frozen, her eyes fixed on the half closed bag.
"I-I was just leaving. See you around, Yato."
Hiyori turned to the door with a nervous kind of laugh that resembled a hiccup, eyes down, not brave enough to look at him.
"Hiyori."
This time his tone caught her attention and she looked up. The frustration she had heard she could now see on his face. She felt it resonating deep within herself. For how much longer could she hide? And what for? This was Yato. Her Yato... Oh.
She smacked both of her cheeks and looked at him brazenly; he was a mere step away. "What?"
He closed that distance in a second. Now there he was, so close once again. His hands cupped her burning cheeks, his fingertips lacing into her hair. Another second passed while his eyes asked her permission, and another for Hiyori to give the most subtle of nods.
Then his lips were on hers.
She didn't know quite what to expect, but certainly not this. She thought his kiss would be like everything else with him: intense, bold, overwhelming.
She was completely wrong.
The touch of his lips was soft, curious, barely there...and gone too soon. He pulled back with a soft caress along her cheekbone before his hands left her. Hiyori opened her eyes to find him blushing, looking to the floor with his hands deep in his pockets.
Yato never was what she expected him to be, but to see him being this uncertain…
Who is this shy creature?
One of the reasons she loved him was because he tended to bring out the best in her, and often it was her courage. Therefore, in a surge of bravery she pushed his chest a little to get his attention. When the icy blues timidly met hers, she grabbed his face and kissed him with everything she had.
This time it wasn't soft. It was with purpose. This kiss bore a question:
Be mine?
She loved him. She wanted him. The god was under her skin but she never dared ask for this, to claim him.
I'm yours, be mine.
That was what her kiss meant. She was tired of running, tired of being second guessing, tired of tiptoeing around him and suppressing her feelings. This was honest. It was pure.
Hiyori felt him kiss her back, and the rush of adrenaline that ran through her body gave her more courage. She put her arms around his neck and brought him closer, burying her fingers in his silky hair. His hands went from her waist to her back; one between her shoulder blades, the other very low. Their bodies pressed together as their lips moved along, finding a pace, getting familiar, sliding sweetly. They parted for breath, their foreheads touching, and Yato breathed her name with a little smile as his arms secured themselves around her waist. Her hands drifted from his hair to his neck to drag down his chest and stayed there, feeling the strong thud of his heart, slightly accelerated just like hers.
Her lips tingled. They were simply breathing each other's air, eyes still closed, nuzzling their noses together, just feeling the closeness of the other. Again, they were in a warm little bubble, one that was gentler. It felt so right. This was an amend, puzzle pieces fitting together. This was what it was supposed to be. Hiyori opened her eyes to find his half closed eyes already on hers. They were burning, as usual, but this too was softer. She drifted into those icy blues, not consumed by their fire, but deliciously warmed by them. Her lips curled in an unstoppable smile as she leaned in for another kiss when their bubble was burst. Again.
"Yatty! You're up there?" Kofuku's voice came from downstairs accompanied by the rustle of plastic bags and what sounded like "You'd better not" from Daikoku.
Reality flooded between them and they broke apart blushing furiously with matching sheepish grins on their faces.
As they walked down the stairs, she could feel Kofuku's awed gaze. What had just happened was written all over Hiyori's face and she knew it. Hiyori chewed her lip to keep the beam in her heart from bubbling over. She said goodbye, and as she walked away, past the vending machines, she could hear Kofuku's gleeful shrieks and Yato's flustered whines.
Kofuku will never let them get away this.