Wow, guys, I'm sorry this took so long. I swear I'm starting to figure this out towards an ending, maybe, hopefully...
"Surprise!" Kofuku crashed through the front door, not noticing as it barely stayed on its hinges.
"It's not a surprise when we know you're coming," Yato called from the living room. Yukine was quick to start the hustle towards the voices in the hallway but Yato stayed put, legs stretched under the kotatsu to leach the last of the warmth.
Kofuku was the first through the doorway, diving on Yato with a boundless intensity built from the separation. She'd been used to the boys in her attic, the wayward souls that didn't have anything else and being without them now had left many a day listless. "Where's Hiyori?" she cooed as she smushed her cheek into his.
"You're early," he choked, Kofuku's arms tight around his neck. "She'll be back from the market any second."
"Well," Kofuku settled next to him on the floor. "Gives me time to tell you what an idiot you are."
Yato groaned, slinking further under the kotatsu as if the cover would hide him, let him disappear into an alternate universe where he wasn't about to get chewed out. "I've heard it from that one already," he sent a limp finger Yukine's way as he entered through the door, Daikoku looming behind him.
"You," she punctuated this with a finger to the center of his forehead. "Put all of us through hell, Yato. Unforgivable. Completely unforgivable."
Yato sent a withering look Yukine's way which was completely dispelled by the gloating joy on the younger boy's face. "Totally. I'm an asshole, a jerk, an idiot. Next?"
"Which means you owe all of us," Kofuku took a moment to point around the room, earning a nod from Yukine but an eye roll from Daikoku.
Daikoku was more than happy to try to ignore his wife's diatribe as he started towards the table, fishing goods out of the bag he had brought. It was mostly treats, desserts that he had made himself, but also too much sake for the group. As soon as the bottle hit the table, Yato's hand was already up to beckon, and Daikoku had to smother a laugh, knowing that any humor now would mean the death of him.
With another pump of her finger to his forehead, Kofuku continued as the nail digging into his skin. "And what about Hiyori?"
"Not before the sake," Yato groaned. "Please, just let the drinking start first."
Daikoku nodded the affirmative to Yukine, urging him towards the kitchen for the glasses. He was quick, hearing Yato's continued whines in the background. With glasses in hand, Yukine came back, adding a little kick to Yato as he moved past and handed them to Daikoku who instantly got to pouring.
Kofuku kept at her poking. "You made her wait like a beautiful war-bride…"
All three started to tune out, Yato's hand clutched tightly around the glass as Daikoku poured. Please, come home, Hiyori, he begged off into the universe as he threw back his first glass. It was right back on the table after, getting another top off of liquid before Daikoku started on his own cup.
"I'm home!" came the relief-inducing chime of Hiyori's voice from the entryway.
"Yay!" Kofuku was officially diverted, leaving a little crescent moon on Yato's forehead as she darted into the hallway to tackle her next unsuspecting victim.
"Cheers," Daikoku held out his glass to Yato, grinning as they clinked together.
"Cheers," Yato grumbled before downing the second cup. He only got a flash of Hiyori's face, a quick wave of her hand as Kofuku forced her into the kitchen. "Fill it again."
Yukine settled himself next to Daikoku, stopping his reach with the bottle. "Slow down."
"Look at the little mother hen," Daikoku laughed as he tousled Yukine's hair. "Let the man drink. He's going to have a long night."
"Since when do you stand up for him?" Yukine grumbled as he let the bottle go, watching disappointed as Yato's glass refilled.
"Since he did what he was supposed to do." Daikoku raised his glass again, clinking it to the one tightly gripped in Yato's hand. "I'm proud of you, Yato."
Yato rolled his eyes, "You can stop."
"Really, Yato, come on." Daikoku paused to drain his own glass, letting the warmth drill in his belly. "I honestly never thought you'd free yourself. It took balls."
"It took Hiyori," Yukine corrected.
"It took a lot more than that," Yato groaned before shooting down another glass. He was slowly edging his legs out from underneath the kotatsu, the heat of the liquor in his blood making it feel more like summer. "I know Kofuku isn't wrong. I owe all of you guys, not to mention Ebisu and her parents."
"Actually," Daikoku shot back another drink before clearing his throat. "Debt's kind of paid."
Yato faked a hard laugh, "Cute. I'm not that drunk yet."
"No," Daikoku moved to the second bag, lifting it and tossing it on the top of the kotatsu. "All in all, you under-the-table fed me about $200,000."
"What?" Yukine almost shrieked before Yato hushed him with a sharp 'sh.'
"Gave Ebisu about $50,000. Offered him more but he claims he already forgot the deal."
"Typical," Yato grumbled as he started to dig his fingers into the tatami mat, guilt starting to lap at him like high tide was coming in.
"Kazuma flat out refused money since taking care of Yukine's easy." Daikoku tossed Yukine's hair again, getting a long-suffering sigh from the teen. "And we only took $25,000. So, you've got a whole $125,000 at your disposal."
This had honestly been his insurance policy, meant to pay out on his death. It wasn't supposed to be divided, just lump-summed on Yukine to keep him alive, safe, away with Daikoku and Kofuku as executors to keep him in line. Instead, here it was sitting on the counter and he was still alive and well, minus that little bit of ache he still had in his side every now and then. "Take a full 50, Daikoku."
Daikoku tried to wave it off. "Come on, 25 is fine for the two of us."
Yato took another long draft, putting the cup back again next to the bottle. "Fill this and take the 50. And Yukine, another 50s going into savings for you."
"$50,000?" Yukine's voice was just one octave below a squeal.
Yato rolled onto his stomach, grumbling into the mat. "You can have it once you're 18, once you want to get out there and do your own thing."
"And what's the other 50 for?" The sake had Daikoku grinning like a fool. "I mean, engagement rings should really be under 10. You're a fool to go over $1000."
Yato groaned, grinding his face into the mat. "She'll never marry an idiot like me."
"You're marrying Hiyori," Yukine spat back.
"Sure, I want to, but she-" Yato cut himself off quickly as he heard the footsteps, waiting to see those somehow beautiful little ankles rush past his view. And there they were, bringing those thoughts into full-gear rather than a screaming halt. He wanted to marry those ankles, the legs attached to them that curved to a beautiful set of hips. "Hiyori," he purred from the floor.
"You're drunk." She nudged him with her foot, just barely getting it away before he grabbed for it.
Yato still grabbed at her regardless of the futility. "Drunk in love with you."
Hiyori sighed in reply before kneeling down next to him. His hands were instantly on her thighs, pulling himself closer so he could rest his head in her lap. "Yato," she chided with her voice but still ran a comforting hand through his hair.
"Did you tell him the good news?" Kofuku added a little twirl, finally giving the show-man hands that Yato usually used to highlight the bag on the table.
"Good news?" Hiyori cooed down to Yato, smoothing his hair again.
Yato 'humphed' in reply, digging his face further into her lap, trying to hide away the blush that was renewing on his cheeks. It wasn't just the alcohol, it was the thought that he had that money for her, for them, for a family if she would ever even agree to that.
"Yato," Yukine snapped sharply.
"Fine," he mumbled. "We've got $50,000."
Hiyori's hands froze. "What?"
"I know it's not a lot," he raised his head slowly from her lap, "but for now, we've got $50,000 to, I don't know, just live. That doesn't mean I'm not going to do my jobs, or-"
Hiyori planted a finger against his lips. "Where did you get that money?"
Her finger over his lips was supposed to be playful, but this drained all the fun from him. "Guess you can say it's a parting gift from my dad."
Hiyori grabbed his cheeks, "Give it away."
"Hiyori," he started but the look on her face offered him no window for argument. "Please, babe-"
"Babe?" She blinked before shaking her head. "Don't sweet talk me. If it's from your father-"
He reached up slowly, anxiously buttoning her lips with his finger. "Later, ok. Yell at me later."
Hiyori's eyes stubbornly trailed along the room, waiting for some kind of backup and receiving none. She huffed out a breath, batting his hand away. "Give me some sake."
Yato instantly offered his cup, watching with piqued interest as she slammed it back like a shot. "You know, you can enjoy it a little."
"I'll enjoy it later," it was a borderline hiss.
Yato sighed before slowly easing himself up, reaching for the bottle to fill her glass again. He wasn't entirely sure reasoning with her while drunk would be better, but he was at least one hundred percent sure that trying while she was sober wasn't going to be of any use either. So while she was emptying each refill, he was trying to formulate a plan. That was until he managed to get Yukine to get him another glass and he continued to spill sake down his gullet, instead opting to forget completely about the bag on the table.
Kofuku and Hiyori had cooked enough to feed an army and while it soaked up most of the fuzzy feeling in Hiyori's head, Yato was still closer to a slug than a human, brain capacity as gone as the first and second bottle. Yukine stayed up as late as he could, but as soon as everything devolved to carousing he opted to leave them, having to be torn away from Yato by an apologetic Hiyori. It wasn't long after that Hiyori shuffled Kofuku and Daikoku off to bed, leaving them in the guest room next to Yukine's.
As she walked back slowly to the living room with the expectation of peeling Yato off the floor, Hiyori felt the longing hit her, the strange want to go back to what wasn't exactly normal. She missed Kofuku's, missed the constant contact with Kazuma who had mostly become a voice on the other end of a line, and most of all missed her family. All were a train's ride away, but it felt like another dimension as if she no longer existed in the mortal world now that she had chosen him. It wasn't regret, because if she tried to say now that she did not love him or treasure him more than all the rest of it, that would be a lie, but it was longing.
Hiyori expected him half under the kotatsu again, starting to doze in his drunken stupor but all she found was a cleared table, the light already out as if the house hadn't been bustling just fifteen minutes ago. She stood, hands on her hips trying to absorb this, to listen for movement in the house. She could still hear settling from the guest room but the rest of the house was silent, sending a chill down her spine. He's gone. He's not here. Something, someone took him and he's gone, gone, gone. But the chill wasn't just the thought but a draft, the goosebumps trickling up her exposed legs until she realized it was the night air.
Following the breeze was easy, the sliding door off the kitchen still open enough to let it buzz through the house. She cursed him for the foolishness of leaving it open but not for the hint, and as she stepped out onto the engawa she noticed him in the middle of the yard planted next to the stump, one hand grinding against it. "Yato?"
"Hey," he murmured. "Sorry, left the door open, didn't I?"
"I thought you were gone," she blurted, unable to coax the remnant of the feeling away, having it take root again in her heart and spring the tears to her eyes.
"Fuck," he stumbled to his feet, trying to dust himself off in the process before grabbing her tightly to his chest. "No, I'm here. I'm always going to be here. I'm always going to be with you." As one hand smoothed through her hair the other trailed up and down her back, making soft lines with his fingers. "I'm sorry I called you babe."
She croaked a laugh against his chest, her fists clenching into the side of his shirt. "You know I hate that."
"But you're too cute, Hiyori, to exist without a pet name," he murmured as he rocked her back and forth. "Babe, honey, sweetheart, sugarplum."
Hiyori let out another trembling laugh, wiping away the tears on his shirt. "You're so stupid."
"Yeah, stupid enough to think you'd take that money," he muttered before relaxing his grip. It was a frozen moment, the way he stared down at her, waiting for her to rightfully jump down his throat, tear apart the idea. Instead, he found her quiet, staring, her eyes hard but still ready to absorb him. "I know the cash is all wrong. It's the worst thing, especially since it was supposed to be my insurance policy, money because I'd be dead right now and the rest of you would need it."
"You weren't supposed to be planning your own death," she grumbled.
"Yeah, and I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you either, but I do what I think's best and that was it." He sunk his fingers into her hair, finding her thankfully pliable enough that he could pull her into a kiss. She tasted like sake and the strawberry mochi Daikoku had brought specifically for her. "No matter what, Yukine's getting his share. He's going to need it. Being with us will get old and he's going to want to have a life and I'm the last link he has to his past. But our half, if you want me to just add it to Yukine's, I will. You want me to let Ebisu or Daikoku have it, I will. If you want me to throw that money in the ocean, I will."
He kissed her again, silencing her choice until he could build up the nerve for the next string of words that were bleeding out from his heart. "But if you let me keep it, it's for us. I'll use it to fix up the house, to make a drop in the fucking ocean of paying back your parents, to give you a cushion if you want to go back to school full-time instead of working, and maybe just a little bit so I can buy you a ring. Not a lot, since I know you're not the flashy type, but enough to give you what you deserve, Hiyori."
She blinked up at him, her lips parting hesitantly before taking in a trembling breath. "Are you asking me?"
"What kind of idiot asks without a ring?" he murmured breathlessly. "You'd have to say 'no' if I was asking without a ring. But if I was… would you think about it?"
Hiyori shook her head slowly.
Yato sighed as his fingers searched deeper into her hair. "I know, I know. Your first thought tonight was that I was gone. I'm still not doing a great job on that front, I guess."
"That's not it," she whispered.
He couldn't help it, the way his mouth slacked dumbly, "What?"
"I wouldn't have to think about it." Hiyori tipped into him again, throwing him off his balance and forcing him to grab at her. It felt impossible to steady himself, not because of the liquor or his foot almost hitting the divet around the stump, but her words sending him into a dizzying euphoria. Even if he had to chuck the money, send it off into the ocean spray, he'd work every moment of his life just to earn enough to get the right to ask that question.
"You don't have to walk me to the gate," Yukine's voice was already strained for the morning filled with complaint. Each step of the way, Yato had tried to be as annoying as possible with Hiyori barely lagging behind in frustrating behavior.
"Just today," Yato repeated for the eighth time at least. He couldn't tell Yukine it was his need to reassure himself of the younger boy's location and ultimately his safety. Even with the utter quiet of this neighborhood, the fright was still churning in his gut, his eyes scanning for faces he knew he couldn't possibly see. "And Hiyori will pick you up."
Yukine stopped, turning on his heels to shout at Yato. "I'm not a toddler!"
Yato sighed in reply, steadying his hands on Yukine's shoulders. "It's not that, Yukine, come on. I know you're not a kid and I know you can walk home just fine but we're…" Yukine shrugged his hands off his shoulders. "Look, we're scared. Big, sissy, first-time parents watching their totally capable kid go off and have a life. So just humor us for today, OK?"
Yukine's big amber eyes stared at him unblinking, hands jammed into his pockets. He let out a long, aching sigh before turning his back to Yato. "Today. Only today or I swear-"
"Today," Yato ran over his words and prodded him in the back, willing him another step forward. This thankfully ended the argument for the rest of the walk and Yato made sure to put just enough space between them to keep from spurring any additional grumbling from the younger boy. He stopped right at the gate, letting Yukine take the rest of the steps without him. "Have fun."
Yukine threw up a nonchalant hand over his shoulder, not bothering to look back at Yato. His eyes were set on someone else, the boy standing at the entrance, a tentative smile on his face. Yukine felt compelled to run, to turn tail and forget that this place even existed, but Yato was still standing at the gate, blocking any possible exit. He decided not to engage, to keep his head down and barrel through the day.
"Hey," the voice forced Yukine's eyes up and even as he tried to force his step he found himself slowing.
"Hi."
The brunette boy extended a hand, "I saw you, right? At the doctor. I'm Suzuha."
"Yukine." He hesitated by slowly raising a shaking hand, offering nothing much but a quick touch.
Suzuha's smile reminded him of Hiyori's, the way it settled so easily across his face. "It's the first time I've seen you at school."
"Just moved here," Yukine grumbled. He had to take a step, put some distance between him and this new boy but as soon as his feet started the movement, Suzuha continued with him, keeping his pace.
"Nobody ever really moves here," Suzuha sighed. "Not exactly the busiest town. Your dad a fisherman or something?"
"Half-brother." Yukine managed to throw his head over his shoulder just to catch the last glimpse of Yato before entering the building. "His wife inherited the house." God, how he wished Yato hadn't decided on that stupid lie. It was more believable that he could be Hiyori's half brother, not that big idiot, but they were stuck with this story since that's the one Mr. Abe got and rule one is keeping your story straight.
"How old's your brother?" Suzuha had a healthy amount of skepticism, a shock from the rest of the village that just seemed to take Yato's luck at face value.
"Twenty. Hiyori, his wife, is rich though, so nobody had to die for them to get the house." Yukine tried to shrug off the rest of Suzuha's wonder. "And now I'm stuck here with the lovebirds."
Suzuha laughed. "What about your parents, aren't they…?" But he let the question drift off before clearing his throat. "Sorry, probably shouldn't ask."
Yukine let that be the last word, especially since Suzuha shouldn't, because Suzuha wouldn't get any truthful answers and all of this would be a lie. Sure, Yukine would get pity, probably even a friendship, but never anything real. It was the thing he envied the most about Yato and Hiyori, not their love, their closeness, but the freedom from lies, the right to live authentic lives with each other.
"Uh, what class are you in?" Suzuha finally broke through the hazy silence, trying not to notice the way Yukine had tumbled off into his own head.
Yukine glanced absently at the paper before bringing his eyes back to Suzuha. It was off-putting, the way those dark eyes actually seemed to shine at him. "1A."
"That's my class, I'll show you."
At this point it seemed inescapable, but wasn't it fitting? Friendships are always formed over mutual insanity it seemed. That's all Yukine was ever going to get.
