Note: This piece can be read independently, but it's also a side story to my ongoing fic Nightbound, set just before chapter 18. It does contain major spoilers for that and introduces a character that plays an important role there, and while I've done my best to provide context, it will probably make more sense if it's read as an accompanying story to that fic.
Or read on if you feel like it anyway, you do you. (＾∇＾)ﾉ
Hiyori was woken in the early hours by the sound of her bedroom door being opened.
"Hiyori?"
She stirred, reluctantly pulling away from the warm, sweet-scented pressure against her cheek.
"Hnn... Mother?" she asked sleepily in the faint light coming from the hall.
"Sorry to wake you-" her mother, Sayuri, paused, recognizing the other person fast asleep in her daughter's bed. "Oh. He's here again, I see," she said with distaste.
"Mm, Amane sleeps better when he's here," Hiyori yawned, sitting up and glancing over at the blissfully quiet crib by the window. The baby never slept well unless her father was around, not that she ever slept much at all until the sun came up. Still, having Yato around meant Hiyori could manage a little more rest until Amane inevitably got hungry, a fact Sayuri knew all too well.
Hiyori's mother made a disgusted sound. "I don't like it, it isn't proper for an unmarried girl to sleep in the same bed with a man-"
"Mother, it's a little late for that," Hiyori sighed.
"Be that as it may. Please tell me you're diligently taking your contraceptives at least-"
"MOTHER!" Hiyori hissed, trying not to wake anyone.
"What?! One accidental pregnancy is enough, isn't it?!" Sayuri hissed back.
"J-Jeez! I'm taking them!" Hiyori said, red-faced. She didn't bother to explain that she didn't really need to; gods couldn't conceive with humans normally.
Not unless the human is in a spiritual form, she thought, flustered. Still, she was taking them out of an abundance of caution... not that she and Yato had any time to themselves anymore.
She doubted even knowing that would appease her mother though. If Sayuri had had her way, Yato would have been arrested the moment he walked into the Iki house and claimed responsibility for getting a-then-eighteen-year-old Hiyori pregnant. That he'd done nothing illegal was moot in Sayuri's book; up until that point, both of Hiyori's parents had believed their daughter to be well-mannered, obedient, and responsible. It had been hard for them to come to terms with the reality that Hiyori could be so reckless, and with such a questionable older man too. They'd been completely thrown by her claim to love him enough to insist on having his child despite not even having been accepted to college yet.
As far as Sayuri was concerned, Yato was a menace who needed to be chased off for Hiyori's own good, and not even the arrival of her granddaughter, (raven haired, blue-eyed, and whose perfect resemblance to her father was some sort of cruel, divine joke, though Hiyori doubted her mother would ever understand exactly how divine it was) or seeing the love and pride he held toward his little family could shake her conviction that everyone would be better off without Yato in their lives. She'd since declared war on him and sworn to fight him on every attempt he made to infiltrate the Iki household, starting with forcing him to sign away any rights to the Iki fortune even if he one day managed to get Hiyori to marry him.
Privately, the rest of the family thought Sayuri's campaign was a lost cause. Even Takamasa, Hiyori's father, who had been so against the pregnancy from the start, had since mellowed out and grudgingly come to accept that Yato was there to stay. They even got along well, to some degree; they both had a middle-aged fondness for beer and reminiscing, and they were both so in love with Amane that her presence in their lives was more than enough to mend old hurts. On the other hand, her brother Masaomi had been the first to accept his sister's boyfriend, and also the only one of the three to understand that both Yato and his child were gods. He'd appointed himself Amane's physician to make sure no other doctors noticed her strange qualities, like the fact that she never needed diapers or that Hiyori never ran out of milk despite the insane amount she ate.
It was thanks to them that Yato had won the right to stay the night whenever Hiyori returned home from her usual haunt at Kofuku's house, but only after months of arguing with her mother. They'd overruled her after Hiyori, tired of all the fighting, refused to let Yato in through her window one night to prove a point, and the inconsolable screaming alone had been enough for both Masaomi and Takamasa to insist Yato move in, even if it was only for part of the week. Even Sayuri eventually gave up when it became obvious that Yato could soothe Amane much faster and with a lot less fuss if he stayed in the same room with her and Hiyori to begin with.
Hiyori doubted she could ever be convinced to forgive him, though.
"Hmph, good," her mother huffed. "In any case, I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are leaving for our trip."
"Trip?" Hiyori asked, momentarily confused. "Oh, the Okinawa trip. I thought that was on Tuesday?"
"It is Tuesday, dear," Sayuri sighed. "We'll be back next week. You're sure you and Masaomi can handle things until we return?"
"Mhm," Hiyori nodded. Yato made a noise in his sleep as if to agree. "I have Yato and Yukine-kun to help out too. We'll be fine, Mother."
Sayuri breathed a sigh of relief at the mention of the boy she'd been led to believe was Yato's younger and far more capable cousin. "I feel much more at ease knowing Yukine-kun will be around. Please tell him to use the guest room if he wants to stay over, and I'll leave the money for groceries with the babysitting allowance."
Hiyori's mouth twitched slightly as she fought the urge to glance at the third, invisible occupant of her rather small bed, currently snoring lightly in the tiny space on Yato's other side. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had fallen asleep with his mouth open, but even if he had to curl up in the smallest corner and remain in her family's blind spots all night, Yukine rarely left the Iki house on the days Hiyori and Amane spent there.
"I'll let him know," she said with a small smile. Hiyori's mother nodded.
"Give Amane-chan a kiss for me, I don't want to wake her."
"Mhm, I will. Have a safe trip, Mother. Tell Father I wish him the same."
"Of course. I'll be off then, dear."
"Bye bye," Hiyori waved. As soon as the door closed, she snuggled under the covers with a sigh and nudged Yato's arm to try and return to the comfortable position she'd been woken from.
"Mm, Hiyori?" Yato murmured, half-asleep.
"It's nothing," she said, yawning. "Move over, I can't hug you like this," she said simply, too tired to dance around the topic. He raised an eyebrow at her but nevertheless lifted an arm to let her settle against his chest.
"Better?" he asked, his breath warm in her ear.
"Mm," she said, wrapping an arm over his torso. She always felt much less tired and at peace with that familiar, alluring scent enticing her senses. "Much better."
"Always happy to be of service," he said with a yawn, holding her close. "What time is it?"
"No idea," Hiyori murmured, nuzzling into the warmth of his collarbone.
"Amane?"
"Sleeping, thank god."
"You're very welcome," he chuckled, pressing a kiss into her hair.
"Idiot," she huffed, but at the sound of his contented humming against her temple, she quickly drifted off back to sleep.
Yato sauntered into the kitchen a few hours later, still in his pajamas and running a hand through his unkempt hair, to find Hiyori's older brother listlessly poking at a bowl of rice at the table.
"Mornin', big bro," he yawned, opening the fridge to peruse its contents.
"Morning, Yato-san," Masaomi grunted. "Where's Hiyori?"
"Not fully awake just yet," Yato admitted, inspecting a carton of milk. "She wanted to get dressed but I have a feeling she fell asleep again as soon as I left."
"Poor thing," her brother said sympathetically. "Amane is really making her life difficult. I just don't understand why she won't drink from the bottle if it's Hiyori's milk..."
"It's probably a god thing," Yato said, feeling guilty. "Amane has no proper believers, so I think she sees nursing as a ritual offering of sorts. Having her mother feed her probably comes closest to the act of worship for her."
"Will she stop if we build her a shrine or something?" Masaomi asked, looking unconvinced. Yato gave him a rueful smile.
"Unlikely. She also just really likes to eat, and they say there's a special bond between a nursing mother and her baby. I doubt Amane would trade in that comfort and safety for anything. I wouldn't, would you?"
"Honestly, I'm pretty sure Hiyori and I were bottle-fed."
"That's the saddest thing I think I've ever heard," Yato grimaced, taking a swig from the carton of milk.
"That's disgusting, Yato-san."
"It's finished is what it is," Yato said dully, shaking the nearly-empty carton. "Still, Amane probably should have a shrine made for her sooner than later; I don't think she can disappear, considering she's half-human, but it will probably cause her a lot of anxiety not to have a proper source of prayer in the future."
Masaomi watched him poke through the fridge for something else to plunder for a minute.
"Do you have a shrine too, Yato-san?"
"Hmm?" Yato said through a mouthful of leftovers. "Me? Yeah, it's upstairs," he shrugged.
"Up- Your shrine is in my house?!"
"It's portable," Yato said proudly. "A mini-shrine. Hiyori made it for me."
"You mean that ratty little thing on her desk?!"
"It ain't ratty! Don't be fucking rude," Yato growled, slamming the fridge closed. "It's a proper shrine, registered in Heaven and everythin'!"
Masaomi gave him a pitiful sort of look. "Gods have it so much rougher than I thought they did."
"Oh, shut up," Yato scowled.
Hiyori's brother sniggered, clearly enjoying himself at Yato's expense.
"No one in this entire family has any proper respect for divinity," Yato complained, taking down a mug from the cupboard to make himself some coffee.
"Seeing as Hiyori and I can see you and remember you're a god, I'd say we're actually more devout than most people these days."
"Ha, ha," Yato noted sarcastically. "A couple of wishes doesn't make you a proper believer if you're not even gonna keep praying to me."
"Well what about Hiyori then?"
"Hiyori properly worships me."
Masaomi made a face. "I really didn't need to know that, Yato-san."
"Don't twist my words out of context, damn it!" Yato flushed as he fished out the can of instant coffee. Masaomi wasn't necessarily wrong, but Yato didn't think he had any business knowing that.
There was a slow, heavy padding sound from the hallway and Hiyori appeared in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Morning, sis."
"Morning, Onii-chan, Yato," she greeted sluggishly. Unlike Yato, she'd put on a pair of shorts and a blouse, but she still looked distinctly sleep-deprived.
"Hey, Hiyori. Oh, so you did manage to get dressed," Yato teased as she sat down at the table. Hiyori shot him a dirty look.
"I'm not an invalid," she huffed. "I can dress myself."
"No one is saying you can't," Masaomi said soothingly.
"I'm just saying you look tired," Yato admitted, squeezing her shoulder. "You don't have to get up yet if you don't wanna."
"I have to get used to being awake during the day again," Hiyori said, leaning onto her open palm with a tired groan. "Summer break is nearly over, I can't miss another semester at the university."
"The point of maternity leave is to get as much rest as you can, before you have to juggle real life on top of the already exhausting job of being a new mom," Yato said, spooning coffee into a separate mug. He poured water from the kettle into it before coming over to pour himself, setting one of the mugs in front of Hiyori.
"There is no rest in being a new mom," Hiyori said flatly, gratefully accepting a spoon and the sugar bowl as he handed them to her. "Not when you're a glorified milk production source," she grumbled irritably.
"You're no such thing," Yato said firmly. Lately, he'd sensed that Hiyori was becoming particularly sensitive about the way Amane seemed to prefer him. He couldn't convince her that she was just misunderstanding the situation; the reason Amane seemed more comfortable with Yato was simply because she was a god created from his own essence and could understand him. Babies had no need to cry if they could communicate in other ways, and since Yato could sense what she wanted out of instinct, Amane stopped crying whenever he was around.
The truth was that the baby was actually far more attached to Hiyori than anyone else. She constantly looked for her and felt uneasy when Hiyori wasn't near, and though she ate far more than any normal child could handle without becoming sick, Yato knew she indulged out of a desire to feel close to Hiyori and bask in her mother's unconditional love.
But trying to explain that to Hiyori herself always fell on deaf ears, so all Yato could do was make it a point to constantly reassure her that she wasn't being taken for granted by anyone, least of all Amane.
"I feel like one," she muttered, taking a sip of coffee. "Mmm, I can't believe I ever thought coffee was too bitter," she said longingly. "So good... Sometimes I think I only wake up in the mornings because there's coffee in the world."
"What, Amane, Yukine, and I aren't good enough for you?" Yato asked with a huff.
"Amane and Yukine are, but you... not even close," she said coolly, drinking deeply.
Hmph, she can be so mean when she's tired, Yato thought, trying not to let his hurt feelings show.
"Yukine-kun's upstairs with the baby, I'm guessing?" Masaomi asked as Hiyori shivered with the pure happiness of someone at the end of their rope enjoying a small, guilty pleasure.
"Yep," Yato said, sitting down next to Hiyori. "I'm sure he's still resting though, he doesn't have any jobs today so I didn't wake him. He'll probably be grumpy that I didn't, though. Ungrateful brat," he said cheerfully.
"I miss being able to do all-nighters," Hiyori said sadly. "To be young and full of energy again..." Yato chuckled at her, leaning on his arm to watch her fondly.
"You're nineteen years old, Hiyori. You're hardly old enough to be grousing like a grandma."
"I should make you give birth and breastfeed sometime, see how you feel after that," she snapped.
Yato blinked innocently up at her. "I would've done it if I could."
"So you say, anyway," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Talk is cheap," Masaomi agreed. Yato glared at him.
"Butt out, this is between a husband and wife-"
"For the last time!" Hiyori cried, blushing. "I'm not your wife, Yato!"
"You could be! I can't count how many times you've turned me down-"
"I told you, don't ask me when we don't even have somewhere to live!"
"You're so mean, Hiyori," Yato sniffled, running his finger around the rim of his cup. "What will people say when I have to tell them I'm just your convenient sperm donor?!"
Hiyori spat out the last of her coffee.
"MY WHAT?!"
"That's what I come down to in public! You won't even let me tell anyone outside this family that I'm your boyfriend-"
"Because we're keeping a low profile! Gods and humans being together is taboo, we're not supposed to go around flaunting the fact that we're breaking Heaven's laws!"
"I know!" he said defensively. "But humans will just think that's some dumb excuse I'm making to get out of my responsibilities! They'll all give me that look like I'm just some garbage playboy who can't commit-"
"Oh yes, because it's always the men who get looked down on when they have children out of wedlock," Hiyori snorted, wiping the table with a napkin. "Here, shut up, be useful, and get me some more coffee," she said, pushing her empty mug at him. "I'm gonna need a lot of it today," she added under her breath.
Yato pouted but did as she asked. As much as he complained, he knew Hiyori had a point. Besides, she was struggling a hell of a lot more than anyone else; the least he could do was help where he could.
"S'there some for me?" came a sleepy voice, and everyone turned to find Yukine in the hall with the three-month-old infant dozing peacefully as he held her against his shoulder. Another chorus of tired greetings broke out to meet him.
"Hey kid. Morning, little god," Yato said, coming over to kiss the baby's cheek. She snuffled slightly but didn't wake. "Hold on just a sec, Yukine, and I'll make you a cup," he offered, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Thanks," Yukine said, too tired to make a fuss at his master's attentions. "Mm, say hi to Mommy, sis," he said as he passed Hiyori and bent down to let her kiss Amane. The baby burbled happily, roused by her mother's distinct presence, and there was a moment of fear as everyone at the table wondered if she was going to start crying to be fed again.
"She's not hungry, just happy to see you," Yato told Hiyori. A collective sigh of relief passed over them all and Yukine hoisted the baby up again, looking down at her with a tired but pleased sort of smile.
"Yeah, Mom's great, I like her too," he said. "You're so lucky you get to be her kid, y'know. Probably the luckiest kid ever; Nii-chan is totally jealous, but that's okay, 'cause I'm lucky I get to be your big brother too." He nuzzled into Amane's hair and chuckled at her tiny, overjoyed squeal, even as he fought off a yawn.
Yato couldn't help smiling at the sight of Yukine, barely awake but still diligently watching over his baby sister. Yukine fussed and worried more than the rest of them put together, but he adored Amane despite his natural jealousy at having to share his master and father-figure. Sometimes it was impossible to pry the little girl from his hands at all, and watching him with her was unbelievably heartwarming, so much so that both Yato and Hiyori sometimes teared up watching them play, overwhelmed by their sweet companionship.
"You didn't have to bring her if she was sleeping," Hiyori said as Yukine sat down across from her, leaning back in the chair with a loud yawn.
"As soon as I opened the door, she started fussing," he explained, patting the baby's back gently. "It's fine, she doesn't like being alone, and I don't mind when she's sleepy. Where'd your parents go, by the way?"
"Oh, they left on their trip today," she told him. "We're house-sitting."
"Crap, I totally forgot all about that."
"I honestly have no idea what day it is anymore," Masaomi sighed. "I can only keep track of time based on if Amane is screaming bloody murder or not."
"It's not that bad," Yato said defensively, placing a mug in front of Yukine before handing Hiyori hers.
"Hah!" Yukine scoffed.
"It's not! She calms down as soon as you pick her up and kiss her face- what?!" he asked as all three of them gave him a look of utmost loathing.
"I'm gonna kill him, Hiyori, I swear I will," Yukine hissed. "Fucking showing off while the rest of us suffer..."
"Don't let me stop you," Masaomi said coldly.
"W-Wait, calm down!" Hiyori cut in, sensing a fight brewing. "I know he can sound like he's bragging, but Yato can't help being obnoxious, it's in his nature-"
"Hiyori!"
"Well, you are!"
The argument was cut off as the doorbell rang, echoing through the house.
"A patient?" Hiyori asked Masaomi.
"Not that I know of, I have the day off," he said, pushing his chair back as he prepared to answer it.
Yato immediately sensed an opportunity to prove he wasn't just annoying to have around.
"It's okay, I've got it," he said, hurrying off before Masaomi could argue otherwise. "Coming!" he called down the hall, slipping his indoor shoes on.
He found two vaguely familiar girls in casual clothes standing outside when he opened the door, and all three of them stared at each other blankly for a good minute.
"AH! It's the hot guy from graduation!" one of the girls exclaimed, pointing at him rudely.
"Er... yes?" he replied without thinking, trying to remember where he'd seen them before.
"Oh! It is!" said the other girl, adjusting her glasses nervously. "Hello, uhm, I'm sorry, I can't seem to remember your name-"
Recognition struck him.
"Ah! Hiyori's school friends!" he said, automatically putting on his best customer service smile. Hiyori would be happier if he was nice to her friends, he figured. "Uh... Ami and Yama, right?"
"That's us," the first girl grinned. "Is Hiyori home? And why are you in pajamas? I thought you were a priest?"
"A what-?"
There was a shriek of horror from behind him and Hiyori suddenly elbowed him aside.
"Ami-chan! Yama-chan!" What are you doing here?!" she cried loudly, and sure enough, when Yato looked back into the hall he saw Yukine and Masaomi hurtling upstairs with the baby, using the commotion as cover.
"What are you saying Hiyori?! We said we'd meet up over the summer, didn't we?"
Yato could see the panicked wheels turning in Hiyori's head. Of course she didn't remember any of her plans; Hiyori had been hiding at home for months to avoid anyone finding out about Amane.
"W-Why didn't you text or call?!" she asked desperately.
"We thought we'd surprise you!" Yama insisted. "Why, is there some reason you don't want us coming here?" she asked suspiciously.
Upstairs, Yato was sure he heard the quiet sound of a window being unlatched and quietly rolled closed. A moment later he spotted Masaomi coming back downstairs and flashing him a brief thumbs-up. He sighed with relief and touched the back of Hiyori's hand to let her know Yukine had snuck Amane out successfully. Some of the tension in her shoulders lessened and she surreptitiously squeezed his fingers behind her back.
"No, of course not!" she said with a terribly fake laugh. "It's just... we were thinking of going out later today," she lied. Yato raised an eyebrow. Were we, now?
"A date?" Yama grinned, looking like she'd won the lottery.
"I wouldn't mind a date, Hiyo-" he began, unable to resist teasing her a little.
"N-No! A family outing!" Hiyori insisted, cutting him off as she stepped on his foot. He hissed but held his tongue. "With family, which Yato is!" she added forcefully through her teeth.
Yato couldn't help feeling a little hurt. He's been the one to lie and say he was only a relative the last time he'd met her friends, but she had been pregnant at the time and he'd been trying not to call too much attention to themselves out in the open. It wasn't as dangerous now, not at home and away from potential prying eyes. She could at least call me her boyfriend... we're not doing anything wrong, he thought, sulking.
"Oh, yes, that was your name!" Ami said, hitting her open palm with her fist. "Yato-san! It's nice to see you again," she said, blushing slightly as she bowed.
"H-Hi, a pleasure," he replied, mildly nervous as he realized how poorly-bred he must seem. He was suddenly uncomfortably aware of his stupid Capyper patterned pajamas, and he hadn't even bothered to comb through his bedhair yet. "Er, um, I should probably go change," he said, reddening slightly at the thought of how embarrassed he was probably making Hiyori feel.
For some reason he thought she looked deeply unhappy to watch him hurry off.
Damn it, why can't I do anything right? I just want Hiyori to be happy, not make her feel ashamed of me.
"Well, come in then," Hiyori said with a sigh once Yato was gone. She had no idea how to handle visitors at a time like this, but it would be too rude to send them away. Besides, it had been months since the last time the three of them had spent any time together; even without Hiyori's secret, supernatural family life, Yama and Ami both went to Tokyo University, while Hiyori attended the National School of Medicine. She had to admit it was nice to see them again.
"Excuse us," Yama called out in a cheerful voice as she kicked her shoes off in the entrance hall. Ami rolled her eyes and neatly set her own sandals next to her friend's.
"Sorry for just showing up out of nowhere, Hiyori," Ami apologized as Yama wandered into the parlor. "I forgot to let you know we had the day off-"
"It's okay, Ami-chan, I'm glad to see you," Hiyori said with a small smile.
"What have you been up to all summer?" Ami asked as Hiyori led her down the hall.
"Oh... nothing much really," Hiyori coughed. "I've been a little under the weather."
"Mm. You do look really pale and tired. And you lost so much weight all of a sudden!"
Hiyori laughed weakly. "Er, yeah, I guess so..."
"But your boobs are still huge, damn it," Ami groused, poking at her own chest. Hiyori blushed but thought it best not to mention that there was really nothing sexy about being uncomfortably full of milk all the time.
Unless you're Yato, but Yato's a pervert, she thought with a stab of annoyance. Ami had always liked Yato when she noticed him from afar, but Hiyori had never seen him react like that to another girl's attentions before. It bothered her how quickly he'd run away, considering how shameless he usually was.
"A-Anyway, have a seat, I'll get us some tea-"
"Hiyori, what's with all this stuff lying around everywhere?" Yama asked as soon as they joined her.
"What st- KYA!" she screamed, noticing for the first time that Yato and Yukine had left a bunch of baby toys, picture books, and blankets in the middle of the room from the previous nights' pre-bedtime romp. "T-Those aren't mine!" she cried, hurrying to pile it all together. "We had a... a relative's child visiting yesterday-"
"Yato-san's child?! He's married?!" Yama asked, her eyes huge with curiosity.
"NO, SHE'S NOT HIS CHILD EITHER-"
"Oh, that's a relief," Ami noted quietly, and Hiyori didn't miss the blush on her friend's face.
"Oh ho, you really like him, dontcha, Ami?" Yama teased. "Well, I admit he's easy on the eyes, if I didn't have Abe, maybe I'd be checking him out too. He does have a nice ass-"
"Yama-chan!"
"Hehe, relax Hiyori, just stating the facts. And just think, if Ami marries him, you'll be related!"
"Yama, jeez!" Ami flushed.
"D-Don't make fun of people like that," Hiyori scolded, tying the blanket and carting the bundle of baby paraphernalia off to a corner. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to look upset.
It's not like I don't want to marry him, eventually, she thought, brushing her hair behind her ear. There's just so much to worry about already without having to deal with all that. Amane is safer the less people know anyway.
"Hey, I didn't miss anything did I?"
Hiyori looked up at the sound of Yato's voice and blanched, shocked beyond words.
He was dressed in a normal shirt and a fashionably ripped pair of jeans, his lanky figure suited perfectly to the mess of black bangs brushed loosely out of his eyes. There wasn't a single ugly accessory to his name, not even a pin or scarf, and the horrible tracksuit seemed to have vanished into the ether. He was even wearing socks, clean, plain white socks, and his natural scent, normally so pleasant, had been utterly ruined by some foul, artificial body spray he'd probably stolen from Masaomi. All in all, he looked like a model out of an admittedly dated magazine, but anyone other than Hiyori would have found it undeniably attractive.
"W-What on earth are you wearing?!" she demanded, unable to hold back a panicked wave of anger. Was he trying to seduce her friends in front of her?! Even for a shameless self-advertising tactic, this was a new low for him.
"What's wrong with it?" he asked, his eyes wide and guileless. "I tried to pick my best clothes-"
"Holy shit," Yama whistled behind her. "What movie did you walk out of, Yato-san?!"
Yato grinned at her, all charm. "Thanks, I couldn't stand around looking less than my best for you two."
"Y'hear that Ami?" Yama teased, pushing her friend forward. "He got all dressed up for us!"
"Y-You look very nice, Yato-san," Ami told him, and Hiyori snapped.
"Why don't you go get us some tea, Yato?" she said in a falsely cheery voice, pushing him out into the hall. "And don't come back until you find the really expensive blend, I think my mother put it in the back of the highest cabinet-"
"Sure, happy to," he said, oblivious to her foul mood. He hummed loudly as he went, pleased with himself.
I'm going to kill you as soon as they're gone, she thought viciously, returning to her friends with that same fake smile plastered on her face.
"How have you been related to that your whole life and never bothered to tell us until this year?!" Yama asked as they sat around the small table.
"Oh. Uhm..."
"Yama, not everyone has a simple family life," Ami said sternly. "I'm sure Hiyori has a reason. There's a bunch of relatives on my dad's side I've never met cause there's that feud-"
"What feud?!"
Hiyori sighed with mild relief as the topic wandered away from Yato and her friends fell into their usual comfortable banter, requiring only the mildest level of engagement. She was thankful for the easy, inconsequential conversation. It felt like ages since she'd been able to relax and feel like a normal teenage girl, someone without responsibility and danger looming ominously over her at every turn.
"-and then, I swear to god, he stared at the blackboard and said, 'well, that can't be right.' Everyone just kind of stared at each other and then he shook his head and erased it all!"
"No!" Ami laughed.
"I'm serious, I was halfway through my second page trying to follow this lecture, and this professor just legit stopped to tell us all he'd gone and screwed up!"
"Oh no!"
Hiyori's laugh was abruptly caught off as an overwhelming, unpleasant scent wafted down the hall.
Damn it, of course he found it.
"Sorry, I had some trouble finding Sayuri-san's tea," Yato chirped as he came in with a tray and set it down at the table. "I found it in the bottom cabinet behind the fridge," he told Hiyori, looking eagerly at her. It couldn't be more obvious that he wanted to be praised.
"Isn't that what I said in the first place?" she lied spitefully. "You never listen when other people are talking."
His face fell, his pretty blue eyes full of disappointed hurt.
"H-Hold on, Hiyori, you really did tell him to look in a different cabinet," Ami said, clearly trying to defuse the situation.
"No, I didn't!" she insisted, feeling irrationally petty toward them both. "I told him where it was the first time!"
"But you really didn't! It's not fair to Yato-san if you blame him like that when it wasn't even his fault-"
"W-Wait it's okay, you don't hafta fight-" Yato tried to intervene.
"You shut up," Hiyori snapped at him, and Ami frowned at her.
"What is wrong with you today, Hiyori? Why are you being so mean?!"
Shame and guilt filled the pit of her stomach; it was so hard to keep control of her emotions lately, and she never meant to snap at Yato as much as she had been... Some rational part of her understood it was partly the fault of her hormones adjusting to the recent changes in her health and lack of sleep, but she couldn't help feeling terrible about it at the same time. Sometimes Yato deserved it when she got mad at him, but now she was just looking for an excuse to be upset because she was jealous.
"I-It's none of your business, Ami-chan!" she cried, balling her hands into fists. She regretted it almost as soon as she said it, but she couldn't take it back.
"Hold on!" Yato jumped in desperately. "Please don't take that to heart, Ami-san, Hiyori is recovering from, uhm, an illness, and it's really stressing her out. She isn't trying to hurt anyone, I swear-"
"But it's not fair to you, Yato-san!"
"Ami, let it go," Yama whispered loudly, tugging the other girl's sleeve.
"He's just being nice and considerate, and Hiyori is treating him like he's a servant or something!" Ami said angrily.
"I- I'm not!" Hiyori said, horrified. "I'm really not," she insisted, turning to Yato with a pleading note in her voice. "I'm sorry. I just..."
He gave her a small smile and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Yeah, I know, it's okay."
She felt terribly dirty and petty at his easy forgiveness.
"Sorry, Ami-chan," she apologized, blushing. "I was lashing out at both of you."
"Well... As long as Yato-san doesn't seem to mind," Ami said in an unconvinced tone.
"I don't," he assured her, all bright smiles again now that Hiyori had calmed down a bit. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself," he said with a wink. Ami blushed so hard that she resembled a living tomato, and Hiyori absolutely lost it.
Without warning, she grabbed the front of Yato's shirt and tugged him down with a panicked yelp into a fierce, possessive kiss. He struggled for only half a second in his surprise before he took her face in his hands and responded eagerly, sighing with happiness and pleasure. Hiyori almost forgot they had an audience as he ran his fingers through her hair, his thumb rubbing lazy circles against her jaw as he deepened the kiss, his tongue gaining easy, familiar access to her mouth without any resistance.
Hiyori made an involuntary sound, and the sheer lewdness of it snapped her back to attention as she abruptly pushed him away, unbearably hot and more than a little aroused by his passion. Her face was on fire, she knew, and her friends looked no better in their shock and second-hand embarrassment.
"Y-Yato is off- off limits!" she gasped, unable to look them in the eyes as she struggled to catch her breath.
What am I doing?! she thought, panicking. Are you insane, Hiyori?!
"O-okay," Yama muttered simply.
"B-But... Aren't you relatives?!" Ami asked, losing her head.
Yato glanced at Hiyori, uncertain.
"He... He's my family," she said, shutting her eyes tightly. "Because... Because he's my... my life partner!"
To her horror, Yato burst into a loud bark of laughter.
"Life partner?!" he howled. "Seriously, who even uses that term these days?! At least call me your significant other or your fiancee or something. Hell, I'll even take 'lover' if you're okay with it," he grinned, leaning in to kiss her nose before she could gather her senses. "But fine, I'll be whatever you want, whenever you want," he chuckled.
"J-Jeez, not in front of other people!" Hiyori cried, hiding her face in her hands.
"Oh now you care," he scoffed. He pulled her into an affectionate embrace, ignoring her strangled cry asking him to let her go. "Sorry about my life partner here," he said, beaming. "She really is going through a bit of an emotional crisis, so maybe you should come visit again some other time."
"Er... Yeah, guess so," Yama said with a small cough, looking away from their obviously flirtatious bickering. She got to her feet and cleared her throat. "C'mon, Ami. I think we're in the way."
Ami looked dazed as she got up to follow, and Hiyori immediately disentangled herself from Yato's hold to go after them.
"W-Wait, Ami-chan!" she called as she caught up to them putting their shoes on in the hall. "I'm really sorry," she said, bowing in apology. "I know you liked Yato, and you were being very nice sticking up for him earlier- I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings or d-do something like t-that," she stuttered.
Ami and Yama exchanged looks and each took one of her shoulders.
"Seriously, don't worry about it," Ami said honestly. "Yes, I thought Yato-san was cute, but you're way more important to me than some pretty face I don't even know that well. I'm sorry I didn't realize how you felt earlier. I'd never have made a move on him if I knew he was spoken for."
"Honestly, Hiyori. You could have just told us," Yama frowned. "We're only gonna tease you mercilessly about it for a little while, before we get bored."
"Jeez!"
"Why did you even hide that you were dating him? Your parents have to know already if he's showing up to your graduations and wearing pajamas at your house-" Ami said, trailing off. "Unless... You really are relatives?! A forbidden relationship under your mother's own nose?!"
"NO!" Hiyori shouted as Yama and Ami started laughing.
"We're just messing with you, Hiyori. Anyway, we'll get out of your hair now, we'll text you next time before we drop in unannounced," Yama said.
"Y-Yeah. Thanks for coming... Sorry again," Hiyori mumbled.
She closed the door behind them as they left, groaning with the residual embarrassment of it all. She really didn't like how out of control she was acting these days, but... at least Yato seemed to understand she couldn't help being all over the place.
She felt a little lighter as she returned to the parlor and found him waiting for her with a sly, mischievous smirk tugging at his mouth.
"So," he said. "You were jealous."
She flushed. "N-Not even a little bit!"
He got to his feet with a soft laugh, placing his hands on her hips. "Mhm. Sure," he said, pulling her in close. "You're so cute, Hiyori, but you should know by now that I'm all yours."
His hand trailed up the inside of her blouse, fingers running lightly up her spine. He chuckled at her small, helpless gasp and kissed her again.
"Mm, still, I like it better when you respond honestly like this," he grinned when they broke apart. Hiyori took a deep breath to steady herself-
And almost gagged at the awful smell.
"Please, go wash that horrible stuff off!" she groaned, covering her nose and mouth. "It's disgusting!"
"What?" he asked, confused by her visceral reaction.
"That godawful spray!" she coughed. "I can't stand it, it's too strong! Why would you use something like that?!"
Yato blushed slightly. "I thought it might make me seem a little more... I dunno. Respectable. Yukine is always complaining I stink... I didn't wanna embarrass you in front of your friends."
"Well, as much as I appreciate the thought, please don't ever do it again. Now go and shower or you're not coming anywhere near me for the rest of the day," she warned. "And no, I'm not showering with you while my brother is home," she snapped at the hopeful, excited look on his face.
"Not even a little bit?" he whined.
"No."
"Then..." he leaned in to whisper in her ear and Hiyori choked on her own racing heartbeat as he pulled back questioningly.
"... I-If you hurry up before Yukine-kun brings Amane back," she muttered, mortified.
"Yes!" he exclaimed, running off. A second later he came back and picked her up by the waist, whirling her around carelessly with an innocent, bright laugh. "Damn it, I'm too fucking happy, I can't just leave like that! Even if it's a dumb, old fashioned label, I'm just so glad to be your life partner, Hiyori!"
"GAH! Yato, put me down!" she cried, but not even the nauseatingly awful smell could tamp down the affectionate ache in her chest or the pure, unadulterated joy of her laughter at the sight of his stupidly sweet, delighted smile.
Notes:
I'm absolutely not procrastinating from actually updating my ongoing fics, how dare
I was kinda sad I didn't flesh this little incident out in the main fic so here it is in all its stupid yatori glory. Also for those curious, what Yato was asking for at the end there is actually stupidly sweet and mostly innocent... mostly. That's all you're getting out of me. :3c
Please like and review if you enjoyed this dumb little tidbit, I live for the vAlIdATiOn. (๑•﹏•)