Note:
This short story can be read independently, but it's also a side story to my ongoing fic Nightbound, set just after chapter 17. It contains major spoilers for that story, so if you'd prefer to have all the context, I suggest reading the main fic first and coming back to this as an extra later. If you'd rather read on anyway, I've tried to include as much context as I could! I hope you'll enjoy~
"Hiyori, am I supposed to leave this part blank?"
Iki Hiyori rubbed her brown eyes sleepily, glancing at the clipboard held out to her as she reclined in a hospital wheelchair.
"Which part?" she asked, her voice audibly strained. The young man filling in their paperwork pointed at one of the fields with a pen, his dark hair falling over his bright blue eyes. He sat on the armrest of a rather dingy looking waiting room chair, mostly invisible to the other patients.
One of the nurses, however, seemed to have sharper senses than most, and cast a withering glare in his direction. He probably looked like bad news, sitting around so sloppily on hospital property, wearing an old t-shirt and faded trackpants with his signature cowboy boots, his hair tied up in a careless tuft. Hiyori offered the woman a tight-lipped smile, and the sight of the exhausted young girl holding a swaddled bundle of blankets seemed to shame the nurse into minding her own business.
That's right, I'm an eighteen-year-old student with a baby, and this mildly suspicious-looking deadbeat is the father, she thought with am irritated huff. Look away before you catch my social disgrace.
"Hiyori?"
She turned back toward Yato, some of the tiredness in her soul melting away at his concerned gaze. She was still a little touchy after all the pain she'd just been through (in no small part because of him), but Hiyori didn't regret a single thing about what they'd done and chosen together.
She shifted the sleeping infant onto one arm as gently as she could, leaning in to have a look.
"The father's name?" she asked. She glanced at the information he had already filled in. Iki Amane, with the characters for 'rain' and 'sound', born June 23rd to Iki Hiyori (just five days shy of her own nineteenth birthday) at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. The section that declared her paternity was blank.
"Says I need to add my seal," Yato muttered so Hiyori's mother wouldn't overhear. They both glanced at the other side of the waiting room, where Iki Sayuri was currently berating her husband Takamasa over the phone for not having prepared the baby's car seat in advance. He'd had to go home with Hiyori's brother to get it, and was apparently struggling to install it.
"Do you have a seal?" Hiyori asked quietly. She was fairly sure her mother was too preoccupied to worry about their whispered conversation, but it never hurt to be extra cautious. Neither of Hiyori's parents were capable of remembering the truth about their daughter's boyfriend; it had taken months of diligent work just to ensure they recognized him at a glance.
"Well, no, but... I'm right here, and I want her to have her father on her birth certificate... It just feels wrong to leave it blank," he frowned, scratching his head with the end of his pen.
Hiyori scanned the document again, unsure.
"She's under my name, so that means she's on my family register, right?" she asked.
"Mm, your dad insisted." Yato looked slightly put off by that; if he'd had a tail like Hiyori sometimes did, she was sure it would be drooping dejectedly. "I thought I could at least make sure my name was included somewhere; I don't want her to find the records when she grows up and think I didn't want her."
"She won't think that. But it can't be helped, you don't have a register, Yato," Hiyori sighed. "You don't even have a last name, they'll ask a lot of questions when they notice," she said. "It's probably better to leave it blank. Less evidence left behind," she added in an undertone. Gods couldn't have children under normal circumstances to begin with, but the fact that Hiyori and Yato had found a loophole, even purely by accident, made their already forbidden relationship more dangerous for everyone involved. The act of loving humans made gods liable to betray their loyalties to Heaven, and the existence of a child who defied the laws of the divine made the threat all the more potent. With so much at stake, Hiyori couldn't help feeling a little relieved at the thought that Yato wouldn't be able to put his name on any of the paperwork.
"I know that. Doesn't mean I gotta be happy about it," he grumbled. He frowned at the papers before he reluctantly skipped the paternity section to fill in the rest.
The blankets shifted slightly, a soft, sleepy sort of whine emanating from its depths. Hiyori immediately tugged the wrapping aside, worried, but her newborn daughter's pretty features were at peace, her tiny hand curled up against her cheek.
"I can't get over how beautiful she is," Hiyori breathed, fighting the urge to run her finger over the silky soft tuft of black hair peeking over the blanket.
"Hmm?" Yato asked, preoccupied.
"Amane," she said. "She's perfect. I can't stop looking at her."
He put the clipboard down and leaned over to gently tug at the blanket so he could see. A satisfied smile played on his lips, his eyes filled with warmth at the pretty little girl sleeping without a care in the world, safe in her mother's arms. Hiyori knew that he was practically drunk on the sense of relief and happiness at seeing them both alive and in good health.
See, you didn't need to worry so much, she thought, leaning her head against his shoulder as she watched him smooth the baby's cheek with the back of his knuckles. She slept soundly through it, her breath soft and even.
"Of course she's gorgeous," he said, putting a finger under Hiyori's chin, prompting her to look up at him. "You're her mother."
He leaned in to kiss her, sweet, affectionate, and very chaste by Yato's standards, but though Hiyori really shouldn't have felt embarrassed after everything they'd already been through, she felt her cheeks grow warm and her heart begin to race as he proceeded to kiss her nose, eyelids, and forehead. Lastly he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and sighed as he reluctantly let her go.
"S-She looks nothing like me, you liar," she accused, still flushed. A crooked, slightly abashed grin tugged at the edge of his mouth.
"Yeah, I know, I just thought it might be messed up to say I'm the reason she's so cute after everything you just went through," he admitted.
Hiyori rolled her eyes, but Yato had a point. Amane was his spitting image, just an unbearably tiny and precious version of it.
"Thanks for the empty flattery anyway," she said, squeezing his fingers with a small smile.
"There's nothing empty 'bout it," he said, returning the pressure before he let go to finish the documents. "You are beautiful, Hiyori."
"Yato, I'm literally a mess right now," she said, exasperated. Her clothes were fresh thanks to her mother's foresight in bringing extras, but she hadn't had a chance to bathe after her ordeal. As grimy and battered as she felt, she just hadn't had the energy or strength for more than a cursory rinse in the hospital room bathroom with her mother's help. Her whole body hurt in ways she had never believed possible, and though she'd slept for a couple of hours afterward, the exhaustion was still plain on her face. She had no doubt that she would fall asleep again as soon as they got home; a proper bath would probably require Yato's assistance anyway.
"Doesn't change a thing," he said stubbornly, and Hiyori dropped it. She was too tired to argue.
"You done yet?"
Hiyori glanced up to find a small, yellow-haired boy carrying an armful of snacks, having just raided the vending machines in the hospital lobby.
"Please tell me there's melon bread in there," she said, eyeing the pile hopefully. None of them had had time to eat all day, and Hiyori was starving. Yukine grinned and fished a packet out for her.
"Last one, you were lucky," he said, tearing it open with his teeth. He held the open package out to her and she accepted it gratefully.
"You are by far my favorite person, Yukine-kun," she sighed happily. Pink tinged the boy's cheeks but he looked pleased with himself.
Yato made a small noise of outrage. "I thought I was your favorite person, Hiyori!"
She gazed up at him levelly as she ate. "You lost a few rankings after this afternoon," she said drily.
"B-But I was there the whole time!" he whined. "I haven't left your side all day!"
"Because that's the same thing as giving birth," Yukine growled sarcastically, throwing a candy bar at his master. Yato raised a hand to catch it in midair but looked guilty at the accusation.
"There was nothing I could do to make the pain stop," he said in a small, vulnerable voice. "I'm sorry."
Hiyori hesitated and held her bread out to him for a bite. "Don't be," she said as he blinked at the offering. "It was awful but... it was worth it to have Amane here with us, healthy and safe."
"Hiyori..."
"Just take a piece already, Yato," she complained, her arm cramping slightly from its awkward position. She must have winced, because Yukine immediately tipped the rest of his spoils into Hiyori's lap, reaching for the baby.
"I'll take her," he said.
"Are you sure?" she asked, not wanting to make him feel overlooked or used. Yukine nodded seriously.
"What's the point of a big brother if he's not gonna help out when you're exhausted, Hiyori?" he asked.
Hiyori couldn't help getting a little teary eyed with pride and relief as she wordlessly helped him take Amane.
"Careful with her head," she said as he tenderly lifted the baby into his arms, his golden eyes shining with awe.
"No worries, I've got this," he said, adjusting his hold on the baby as Yato tore a small piece from Hiyori's pastry and pressed the rest back into her hand.
"He's been practicing for months," Yato assured her under his breath. "Pretty sure he's better prepared than we are."
Hiyori giggled. She had no doubt he was.
"Hi, sis," Yukine said softly once he was satisfied. "You probably can't tell, but it's Nii-chan again. I was the one holding you earlier, in the hospital room."
"She can," Yato said simply, looking over the clipboard for anything he'd missed.
"Can what?" Yukine asked, distracted by Amane's adorable fidgeting.
"Tell it's you," Yato said. He pressed Hiyori's personal seal into a pad of ink and stamped it onto the paperwork where her signature was required.
"How would you know?" Hiyori laughed at his certainty.
Yato returned the seal to her bag with a self-assured nod that everything was set. "'Cause she's a god," he explained, tugging the papers out of the clipboard. "And I can feel it."
"Feel what?" Yukine asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.
"One sec," Yato said, getting to his feet and heading for the receptionist up front. Hiyori and Yukine watched him hand over the papers and point back at them before he turned and made his way back, an obvious skip in his step. "What were we talkin' about again?" he asked as he reached them and ruffled Yukine's hair warmly.
"If Amane can tell who I am," Yukine said, mildly annoyed as he pushed his master away.
"Oh yeah, that's easy," Yato noted. "She doesn't really get what a brother is, but she knows you're one of her guardians. Not me or Hiyori, but someone who loves and wants to protect her anyway."
"You're saying you can talk to her?!" Yukine asked in disbelief.
Yato frowned thoughtfully. "No, not talk; I just kinda... know what she's thinking? Or feeling, anyway, she's not really thinking the way an adult would."
Hiyori coughed, choking slightly on a piece of bread. Yato immediately patted her back until her windpipe was cleared.
"Hold on, you're reading our daughter's mind?!" she demanded once she'd caught her breath. "Our less-than-five-hours-old infant?!"
He scratched his cheek. "Kinda?"
"I don't believe you," Yukine said immediately. "You're just fucking with us. You never said anything like that when she was in the womb! We didn't even know she was a god until after she was born!"
"It's true!" Yato insisted. "I couldn't sense anything back then, but now I definitely just... get her. I can prove it, she can understand me too, look." He turned toward the baby in Yukine's arms. "Amane," he said, and almost immediately the baby began to fuss, her ice blue eyes blinking open as she whined.
"That doesn't prove anything," Yukine said scornfully, but Hiyori suddenly remembered the child reacting similarly when Yato had named her.
Almost like she understands that's her name, she thought.
"You're okay," Yato said gently, still addressing the baby even though she couldn't see him. "Go back to sleep, Amane," he told her, his hand resting on Hiyori's wheelchair. Like magic, the child quieted down and turned to snuffle against Yukine's chest.
Hiyori and Yukine exchanged a bewildered look and turned to Yato.
"What the fuck, Yato?!" Yukine demanded.
"That's so unfair!" Hiyori complained. "I'm her mother, why can't I understand her too?!"
Yato seemed to pick up on her resentment because he gave her an apologetic grimace. "It's not like I knew this would happen," he assured her. "I think it's just because we're both gods-"
"Bullshit," Yukine snapped. "You can't read other gods' minds; if you could we would've never gotten into as many fights as we have-"
"Yeah, it doesn't work with other gods," Yato shrugged. "Just the one I made."
"Oh, you made her?" Hiyori glared. "Funny, I don't seem to remember you screaming in the delivery room after nine months of inconvenience and discomfort."
"... Helped make," he corrected, withering under her gaze.
"Barely," Yukine scoffed under his breath.
"Are we all set here?" All three of them looked up to find Hiyori's mother approach, her phone call seemingly finished.
"Yes, Mother," Hiyori told her. "Yato just turned the paperwork in."
Sayuri flashed a suspicious glance at Yato, her enmity as potent as ever. Despite Hiyori's assumption that she would be the first to insist on Yato doing the 'proper' thing and marrying her, Sayuri had been the most supportive of her daughter's reluctance to do so, though for entirely different reasons; frankly, Hiyori was sure she was holding out hope that Yato might still be chased off, once Hiyori came to her clearly addled senses.
"You did put her on the Iki register?" Sayuri snapped.
Yato tried his best to be as charming and polite as possible, but Hiyori could see the vein twitching in his temple.
"Of course, Sayuri-san," he said, almost (but not quite) pleasantly. Good boy, Hiyori thought. Sayuri seemed less satisfied by his placating tone, however.
"Good, the last thing my poor granddaughter needs is to be saddled with your prospects on top of your looks-"
"Are we ready to go, Oba-san?" Yukine asked suddenly, distracting her. Hiyori gripped Yato's hand and shook her head slightly as he opened his mouth to retort. He glanced at her, his expression surly, and she could practically hear his annoyed whine asking her why he had to put up with her mother's uncalled-for insults.
Not now, she mouthed. He grimaced but thankfully stayed quiet.
Sayuri didn't notice the silent exchange as she smiled with fond affection at Yato's supposed 'cousin' holding Amane. Her hatred of Yato did not extend to Yukine, who has always done his best to act as politely and well-behaved as possible in front of her and her husband. They of course had no idea that the boy was dead and permanently stuck at the age of fourteen, or that he was also the Regalia (and keeper) of the occasionally dangerous combat god dating their daughter. As far as the Iki family was concerned, Yukine was a wonderfully competent and intelligent child, who shared no fault in the (allegedly) unfortunate circumstances that had landed him under Yato's guardianship.
"Yes, Masaomi and Hiyori's father are pulling up to the hospital now," Sayuri said. "We can drop you two off at home on the way back to the house-"
"Hold on," Yato interrupted immediately, frowning. He didn't even notice Hiyori's desperate squeeze on his wrist. "We're not going home today, Oba-san."
Sayuri chose not to look at him and addressed Yukine instead.
"Of course, you're welcome to visit with us until later this evening-" she began politely.
"We're not visiting," Yato insisted, stepping in front of Sayuri to force her to acknowledge him. "I'm not leaving my daughter and wife-"
"I'M-"
"SHE'S-"
"NOT YOUR WIFE!" Hiyori and her mother both cried out together.
Yato huffed at them, clearly annoyed by their stubbornness but not willing to give in regardless. "Fine, the mother of my child then. I'm not leaving either of you tonight, not after everything you went through today-"
Sayuri glared at him, her nostrils flaring. "If you think I'm letting you stay overnight with my daughter-"
Hiyori coughed slightly, glancing at Yukine. Hiyori's mother had no idea that Yato and his shinki had been climbing in through her window every night for the past six months.
"What are you talking about?! We sleep together at my place every week!" he argued. Sayuri stiffened, her mouth pressed into a thin line.
"We all sleep together," Yukine clarified, throwing Yato a sharp look. "It's a one-room living situation, we put out tatami; it's like a sleepover."
Hiyori was very thankful that the boy had the good sense not to mention that even though he wasn't lying, Hiyori and Yato almost always ended up cuddled together under the same covers, a pure, tender type of skinship, perhaps, but skinship nonetheless. That, and the fact that Amane had been conceived in that very same room nine months prior when Yukine was absent... Sayuri very much did not need to know that either.
"Sleepover or not, the point is that Hiyori and I sleep in the same room just fine, there's no reason to make a fuss out of staying the night at your house too!" Yato insisted.
"I can't control what happens outside my home," her mother snapped at Yato. "But as long as Hiyori still lives with us, I'm not letting you anywhere near her bedroom, Yato-san."
"You can't keep her and Amane from me!" he argued, his blue eyes flashing with anger. "I know you hate me, but they're my family! I promised I would do my part in raising the kid, and that means being there in the middle of the night to help take care of them both!"
"Oh, I'm sure you'd love to take care of Hiyori," Sayuri bit back furiously.
"Mother!" Hiyori paled, shocked at the blunt, and highly public insinuation from her normally uptight and rigidly polite mother.
Yato practically growled, his voice dropping dangerously in temperature. Oh no, please, not the wrathful god posturing, Hiyori prayed, hoping some faint sense of his might pick up on her earnest, desperate wish.
"What kind of fucking selfish prick do you think I am, thinking I'd try to do anything to Hiyori right after she's given birth?! Even if she weren't recovering, I'm not about to risk getting her pregnant again, if that's what you're worried about!" he snarled.
Hiyori flushed deep crimson and sunk back into her wheelchair as several passerby turned to watch the argument unfolding.
Damn it, Yato... what I'd give to leave my body right now, she groaned inwardly, but Amane's uneasy fidgeting at the raised voices reminded her now was not the time to be running away.
"Shh, it's okay," she whispered, hoping she wouldn't start screaming and make everything worse. The baby mewled, but seemed to calm down when Hiyori raised her up against her shoulder. "Mommy has you, it's okay." For one lovely second, the only thing that existed in Hiyori's world was the warmth and intoxicating scent of her newborn tucked into her collar, and then the shouting ruined it.
"As if I can trust your word after everything you've done!" her mother was saying viciously. "You're not even sorry about it-!"
"Of course I'm not sorry about it! Hiyori, Yukine, and Amane are everything to me!" Yato snapped. Hiyori went red, and the faint, strangled sound from behind her told her that Yukine was equally touched and embarrassed by Yato's shamelessly passionate but pure-hearted devotion. "I would never regret my own daughter's existence when the three of us agreed we wanted her!"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" her mother scolded.
"It is what you meant!" he said, his voice slightly strained, and Hiyori felt her own heart ache at the pain she recognized in his tone. Of everyone involved, Yato had been most affected by the possibility of losing the baby. "You would have forced us to get an abortion if we hadn't fought you on it, I haven't forgotten, Sayuri-san!"
"Of course I insisted! I'm glad the baby is fine, but I still think it would have been better if you'd listened to me! Hiyori is my child, and her father and I are only thinking of her best interests-"
"Well Amane is mine and Hiyori's, not yours, and I'm going home with her whether you like it or not-!"
"ENOUGH!" Yukine shouted, getting between them and shoving Yato back unceremoniously. "This is not the time or place to work through your issues!" he hissed, jerking his head at the crowd that had gathered to watch. At least one rude witness was holding up a phone as though he meant to record the fight.
Bless you, Yukine-kun, Hiyori thought, grateful that she hadn't needed to raise her already damaged voice.
She reached up, tugging Yato's sleeve to ground him against his own anger, but he seemed to think she needed him as he gave a start and turned to her, eyes wide with worry.
"You okay?" he asked her, concerned. He immediately took her hand, exerting gentle pressure against her palm, and Hiyori sighed at him, exasperated.
"No, I'm not okay," she said. "I don't have the strength to yell at you right now."
"Huh?"
"You're unbelievably dense for a god, sometimes, Yato," she muttered, eyeing the crowd pointedly.
To his credit, Yato looked alarmed to realize that she was right, and Hiyori recognized the slack-jawed confusion on the crowd's faces as he abruptly shut down his aura and vanished from their memories almost instantly. Several of them frowned at nothing in particular, blinking hard, and Hiyori was relieved to see the man with the phone shake his head as though it were full of water and delete the video with a rather carrying self-reprimand about opening his camera app for no reason.
Unfortunately the effect hit Hiyori's mother too, and though she could still see Yato, her brown eyes went blank and refocused on them all with mild bewilderment as her perception of the god faded to a background level.
"Sorry, what were we talking about?" Sayuri asked. Yukine, dependable as always, jumped in with a gentle nudge into a more favorable direction.
"You said Oji-san and Masaomi-san were here to pick us up," he said, drawing her away from Hiyori and Yato with a quick glare in their direction and the words 'Hurry up and let's get out of here' mouthed furiously at his master.
There was a short, uncomfortable silence.
"Fuck, I messed up again," Yato groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Hiyori, I didn't mean to blow up at your mom like that."
"Yeah, I know," she sighed, leaning back. Amane fussed a bit, and Hiyori gently adjusted her hold, pausing to press her cheek to the child's soft hair. "I wish you hadn't yelled or made a scene, but... thank you for fighting for us anyway."
"Really?" he asked, surprised by her easy acceptance.
"Mm, it was sweet of you," she said softly.
"... You're still under the effects of the painkillers aren't you?" Yato asked, unconvinced.
"Well... a little," she admitted. "But mostly, I just want to go home. Take us home, Tou-san?" she asked, holding Amane up toward him.
His eyes softened with warmth and affection at them both.
"Your wish has been heard loud and clear, Hiyori," he said, leaning in to kiss her before he began pushing her wheelchair toward the exit. "And don't worry, I'm gonna be there tonight and every other night, even if your mom tries to drag me out," he reassured her. "I won't leave you to deal with everything by yourself."
"I know," she said. "If it were that easy to get rid of you, I would have done it ages ago."
"Not true!" he said, slightly hurt.
"Yeah I'm just teasing," she said, offering him a smile. "You're my god of fortune, Yato. You always will be."
He flushed at her earnest response.
"They gave you the really good stuff, huh?" he muttered, and she laughed, a slightly hoarse sort of sound.
"Probably." But that doesn't change the fact that I love you, idiot.
No one was surprised when Hiyori fell asleep on the living room couch not five minutes after they got home, and she didn't wake even when Yato carried her upstairs as soon as her mother wasn't looking.
"Sleep well, Hiyori," he said quietly as he tucked her into her bed and smoothed the hair from her brow. She looked exhausted, her face pale and her eyes rimmed with dark circles, but Yato could have knelt at the edge of her bed and watched her forever. He was so unbelievably relieved that she was alive; the odds were always good she would be, but Yato hadn't been able to help dwelling on the terrifying possibility that he might have lost her.
But she's okay, he thought, clasping her hand between both of his. She's really okay, and so is Amane. We made it.
He let out a deep sigh. He felt dizzy, almost like he'd been holding his breath for so long he'd forgotten how his lungs worked.
I never want to see you suffer like that again, he thought, remembering how terrifying it had been, unable to do anything to help her in her agony. Humans are so fragile, but you do things that leave even a god in awe of your strength and courage.
He pressed his lips to the back of her knuckles and reluctantly got to his feet.
"I'll be back later," he said softly as he closed the door behind him.
He found Yukine sitting on the floor of the living room, gently rocking an old, low crib with his foot as he read. Masaomi was lying on the couch with all the energy of a dead man, his arm over his eyes.
"You look like you've been through hell, big brother," Yato snorted, leaning over the back of the couch casually. "You do know it was your sister who gave birth and not you, right?"
"Ugh, shut up," Hiyori's brother groaned. "You have no idea how stressful it was to wait outside for news, not knowing if she was okay or not..."
"I have no idea how stressful it was?!" Yato chuckled. "I was in the delivery room, Masaomi. It was my hands Hiyori crushed until they went numb."
"Oh boo hoo for you," Yukine scoffed sarcastically from the tatami. "How awful, holding someone's hand! Did you want a medal?"
"You know what I mean!" Yato frowned. "Obviously I wasn't the one suffering most, but I was still fucking scared!"
Yukine rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his book. "Fucking drama queen," he muttered.
"What was that?!"
Yukine clicked his tongue impatiently.
"I'm busy, didn't anyone ever teach you it's bad manners to interrupt someone who's reading?" Yukine said, waving his book at him.
"Is that another parenting book, Yukine-kun?" Masaomi asked, glancing at the cover. "Surely you've read enough of those by now."
"Yeah, it's just, I'm a little concerned," he said slowly.
"What about?" Yato asked, sitting next to the crib so he could watch Amane dozing. She was so cute, it was hard not to pick her up and smother her chubby little face in kisses. She kicked her foot listlessly in her sleep, and it was all he could do not to marvel at her teeny little toes or her curled up hand raised up to her ear.
"Well, she's six hours old, and Hiyori fed her almost as soon as she was born, right?" Yukine asked, scratching his head.
"Yeah."
"And then she ate again just before we left the hospital."
"Right, what about it?" Yato asked. Masaomi reluctantly sat up, listening in.
"It's just, I checked her diaper a few minutes ago and it's completely clean. And then I realized no one has actually changed it since the nurse put it on." He leaned over the side of the crib and pointed at the hospital brand lettering printed on the material.
"She hasn't had a single diaper change?" Masaomi asked, all doctorly concern as he got off the couch to come take a look, clearly alarmed.
"Oh, yeah, she wouldn't have," Yato shrugged easily. "You know gods don't shit, Yukine."
Masaomi spluttered at the new information, but Yukine just nodded.
"I thought that might be it," he sighed with relief as he closed the book. "I just wasn't sure if it was the same for her, since she's only half-god."
"It doesn't really work like that," Yato told him, reaching out to touch the baby's hand. Her skin was so soft and smooth it made him choke up a little. "Sure, she might have some special qualities as a natural-born denizen of the Boundary, but you can't really be half a god. You just... are a god."
"Hold on," Masaomi insisted, wiping his glasses. "What do you mean gods don't-"
"They just don't," Yukine shrugged. "They could eat an entire cow and they wouldn't even feel full. Shinki are like that too."
"So where the hell does the food you eat go?!"
"Beats me," Yato said, stifling a yawn. "I doubt even Amaterasu herself could answer that."
"We still get hungry though, and sick if we don't eat," Yukine scowled, and Yato winced, knowing he was thinking back to their early days of living on the street.
"Can't die from it though," Yato pouted. "If Amane wasn't like us, then she'd be in considerable pain by now. But she's sleeping just fine, hasn't cried or felt any discomfort."
"So then, Amane-" Masaomi began, his forehead creased.
"Yeah, she doesn't actually need diapers," Yato confirmed. "Actually, we should probably get her some softer cloth ones, just for show. These disposable ones can give her a rash."
"Also explains why she nursed for such a long time," Yukine said. "She kept going at it long after the books I read said it was normal. I thought Hiyori would run out of milk."
"Mm, I doubt she could," Yato said thoughtfully. "Now I think about it, there's no way Hiyori could produce that much milk so soon after giving birth. It's probably some effect Amane is having on her."
"What, a literal endless fountain of sustenance?" Masaomi asked, skeptical.
"Why not? Gods and miracles go hand in hand. There's never been another baby like Amane, I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what's happening."
Masaomi groaned. "You just love making my life harder, don't you, Yato-san? If you're telling the truth, then we can't just carelessly let my parents look after her. And what'll we do when she needs medical attention?! We can't let a normal doctor examine her, can you imagine the chaos if mortals got their hands on a sample of divine blood!?"
"Is that even a thing? Would god blood be different than human if you ran tests on it?" Yukine asked, mildly disturbed.
"The hell should I know?" Yato snapped. "Gods don't use doctors. But we don't have to worry about it, cause we have you, big bro; she won't die from illness anyway-"
"Oh great, just throw more work at the doctor running a clinic by himself!" Masaomi grumbled. "You're lucky she's my niece, and that she's so damned cute."
"Hey, it's not like I did it on purpose," Yato complained. "I wasn't even sure she was a god until after she was born!"
"At least tell me medicines still work on gods."
"They should, yeah, for the most part."
Masaomi ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Honestly, I dunno if I should feel proud that my sister nabbed a god for a partner, or if I should feel sorry for the rest of us."
"Fucking rude!" Yato growled. "I should kick your disrespectful ass."
"Well you can do it on your own, I ain't helping," Yukine warned. The baby woke at the sound of the arguing and made a gurgling noise, fussing restlessly on the bedding. Yukine immediately reached over to pick her up. "Aw, sorry sis, we didn't mean to wake you," he said gently, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. Her sharp blue eyes blinked open slightly, and Yato felt a wave of disorientation and curiosity push against his own consciousness. He smiled and took her fist between his fingers.
"Hey kid. Don't worry, Mommy's just sleeping upstairs," Yato assured her as she questioned the absence of the heartbeat she had, until recently, known better than her own. She whined unhappily but accepted the response and stared at him instead.
"Can she actually see you?" Yukine asked, craning his neck as she lay against his shoulder.
"I doubt it," Yato admitted, waving her hand gently back and forth. "I think she sort of knows I'm here, but I'm probably just a mysterious fuzzy blob to her. Your books said babies don't have properly developed vision when they're newborns, didn't they?"
"Yeah, she won't be able to process what she sees for a while," Masaomi said. He patted Yukine's head and yawned. "Well if you two don't mind, I'm gonna go take a nap myself. Get me if she needs medical attention." He raised a lazy hand as he skulked out of the living room.
"And then there were two," Yato said, leaning back against the couch.
"Three, actually," Yukine corrected drily. Amane burbled as if to agree. Yato watched as Yukine rubbed the baby's back, his expression soft.
"You really like her, huh?" he teased, unable to suppress a grin.
"Why, am I not supposed to?" the boy frowned.
"No, I was just worried you might feel jealous."
"Mm... well, to be honest... I am jealous," Yukine said, looking down at the child in his arms. "She's such a lucky kid, getting to be Hiyori's daughter. My... I mean, Haru's mom, she wasn't strong like Hiyori," he said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. "She couldn't protect herself, and she never tried to protect us either, not until my... until Yuka made her. I wanted a mom who was brave, a mom who would fight for us... But at the same time, it's not like I blame her... I just... I wish I could have been loved the way Hiyori loves us before I died."
"Yukine..."
"I'm okay," he said with a sigh. "I'm jealous of Amane, but at the same time, I never want her to have to go through what I did. So I'm also really glad she's your kid. And I'm glad I get to be part of her life."
Yato sniffled, trying to hide the tears threatening to spill over.
"Are you crying?!" Yukine accused. "It's not THAT big a deal-"
"Sh-Shut up and let me have this moment," Yato said churlishly, throwing an arm over Yukine's shoulder. "A dad is allowed to be proud of his kids."
"I don't remember having such a pathetic dad," Yukine snorted, but he didn't fight off the embrace and he seemed happy enough when Yato ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Well you've got one, and he's proud of you," Yato said. "And I'm glad you don't hate Amane."
"Mm, it helps she's adorable and that she smells so good," Yukine admitted. "And she's been so quiet, I haven't seen her cry at all."
"Don't get used to it," Yato warned, yawning as he stretched his shoulders. "She's probably exhausted right now, but sooner or later all kids cry. Though... it might not be too bad... I think she feels safe with us," he noted.
"Me too?"
"She knows you're a shinki, yeah. Not hers, but since you're mine, she trusts you. I'm sure she'll start recognizing you as her brother sooner than later."
"You knowing what she's thinking is so fucking weird," Yukine muttered. "You sure you're not just screwing with me?"
"Course not!" Yato exclaimed. "Have some damned faith in me, would you?!"
"I'm not your believer, so you don't need my faith," Yukine said coolly.
"Wow, rude!"
Yukine grinned and flipped through the book still in his lap.
"I wonder where Hiyori's parents went," he mused after a few minutes of companionable silence. "They vanished as soon as we got home."
Yato wrinkled his nose with dislike. "As long as they're not yelling at me for every little thing, who ca-"
He didn't get to finish as Hiyori's mother appeared in the doorway, her hair still wet from what looked like a shower.
"Where's Hiyori?" she asked, frowning at the sight of both boys sitting on the floor by themselves. Yato groaned inwardly, annoyed.
And of course she shows up right as I say that.
"Upstairs, getting some rest," Yato answered curtly, holding his hands out to take the baby from Yukine. He felt particularly defensive of Amane around Hiyori's parents; he knew it was irrational but he couldn't help feeling like they might take her away from him if Hiyori wasn't there. No matter what they said now, he could never forget they once tried to get rid of her.
"You should have put the baby in the crib in her room, it's important for Hiyori to be close to her," Sayuri said, and Yato bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to snap.
"I was worried she might start crying and wake her, so I told Yato to leave her here for a while," Yukine explained, sensing the tension in the air. She glanced at Yato with disdain as her mouth thinned into a line.
"Hmm," Sayuri said. She didn't say anything else as she turned and left the room.
"I really don't like that woman," Yato grumbled. "I know she's Hiyori's mom but she rubs me the wrong way."
"Probably because you rub her the wrong way," Yukine snorted. "Seriously, you can't expect her to like you. Would you be fine with a guy who just came out of nowhere and got your daughter pregnant before she's even graduated high school?"
Yato opened his mouth to argue and was hit with the horrible image of a grown up Amane being deceived by a shitty, no-good, money-wasting low-life.
"Oh HELL no, NO ONE is touching my baby girl if I have anything to say about it!" he snarled, hugging the child to his chest protectively.
"Exactly my point," Yukine scoffed.
"But our situation is different! I love Hiyori! And she loves me back!"
"Amane might fall in love too," Yukine shrugged. "You'd hate the guy anyway."
"... Damn right I would," Yato muttered mutinously. Amane mewled her complaint at his tight grip. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry, little god," he apologized, alarmed.
Yukine rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm hungry, and no one's had anything to eat all day, so I'm gonna go and get started on dinner. You're gonna be fine alone with her, right?"
"Yeah, don't worry about us," Yato said, cradling the baby tenderly in his arms. "Daddy's got this, right Amane?" She turned her face into his chest, and he felt her sleepy contentment tug at his heartstrings.
Dad's got you, little god.
"Hiyori? You awake?"
Hiyori groaned at the sound of her brother's voice.
"I am now," she grumbled, tugging the sheets over her head.
"Sorry," she heard him say as he closed her bedroom door. "Just wanted to check in on you. Mind if I take your vitals real quick?"
She sighed and gingerly sat up as he flicked the light switch on. "Okay," she agreed.
"Careful," Masaomi cautioned as he helped her up and toward her desk chair. Hiyori sat down with a wince and planted her feet flat on the carpet while her brother unpacked his pressure cuff from his bag. "You haven't had any sharp pains or anything?" he asked as he fitted it over her arm.
"No more than I had at the hospital," she said. "Where's-"
"With her father," Masaomi answered easily. "He's got it under control, I've been checking in and he definitely knows what he's doing."
"Mm, he's good with kids," Hiyori said, yawning slightly. "He's lived a very long time."
"How long is a long time?" Masaomi asked as he inflated the cuff.
"I'm not completely sure, actually," she admitted. "He's cagey about the actual number, but at least a thousand years, I think."
Masaomi dropped the bulb.
"A thousand?!"
"Give or take," she said, too tired to justify or explain.
"Are all gods that long lived?! He's not gonna drop dead of old age tomorrow, is he?" her brother asked, concerned.
Hiyori snorted. "No, he's not. Not as long as I'm alive."
"You?"
She hesitated. It wasn't the first time she'd thought about talking to her brother about this particular problem, but Masaomi was so much less involved with Yato than she was that she'd been second-guessing herself for months. He'd proven several times already that his ties to the Boundary were tenuous at best, and it scared Hiyori to entrust her faith to anyone who wouldn't take the responsibility of protecting Yato's memory seriously.
But it wasn't just Yato and Yukine she had to protect anymore. Amane was a god too, and though she might be half-human, Hiyori had no idea if her daughter would survive being forgotten as well. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take.
"Onii-chan... Can I ask you a favor?" she said slowly, watching him as he resumed his examination.
"Of course. What's up?" he asked, brow raised at her change in topic.
"If anything ever happens to me..."
"Nothing is gonna happen to you, you're fine," Masaomi cut in firmly. "I'm just doing a routine check-"
"That's not what I mean," Hiyori fretted. "If, for some reason, someday in the future, I can't be here for Amane..."
"Wouldn't Yato-san take her if that happened?" her brother asked, confused. "It's better for Amane to be with her father, isn't it?"
Hiyori shook her head. "It's not that. I have every faith Yato will be there for her."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Just... if something happens to me, I need you to go through my things."
"Your things?" he asked absently as he looked at his watch to time her heart rate. "What things?" he frowned a few moments later.
"There's a letter," she said. "I wrote it a few weeks ago, just in case-"
"A letter? You mean... like a will?" he asked, clearly disturbed at the thought.
"Sort of," she admitted. "I thought it would be a good idea, in case I didn't make it through the delivery."
"Well you did," he insisted. "There's no reason to be so macabre-"
"Just promise me, Onii-chan," she implored. "If anything ever makes it so that I can't be here, you'll come get that letter and do everything it says," she said, a hint of desperation in her tone.
"It's that important?"
"Extremely important, at least to me," she stressed. She was careful to be as vague as possible; she knew if she told him it had to do with Yato or Amane, he might forget.
Masaomi loosened the strap of the pressure cuff and gave her a concerned look.
"Where is it?" he asked.
Hiyori turned to her desk and fished a small aluminum box from the drawer. She'd taped a small note to the top that read 'For Masaomi-nii-chan.'
"Here, with a few other important things," she said. "But it's only for an emergency, so I don't want you to have it yet. I need you to promise you'll come get it the minute you hear I'm hospitalized or dead or anything. Please."
"Hiyori..."
"Promise me," she insisted, taking his hands. "I need you to do this for me, Onii-chan. It's really important. You're the only one I trust to do it."
Masaomi said nothing for a minute, then nodded, his expression grim. "Okay. I'm sure you have your reasons for being so secretive, sis. If anything happens, I promise I'll come get that letter first thing."
Hiyori sighed with relief. "Thank you, Onii-chan. You have no idea how much that puts me at ease."
"Good, because your blood pressure's a bit high," he said drily as he packed the cuff away. "Nothing too abnormal, but you gotta relax and get some rest. That means no stressing about things that may or may not happen in the future," he warned.
Hiyori offered him a smile.
"That's more than fair," she said, accepting his hand as he helped her get back into bed.
Yato was sitting against the open porch door with Amane's little crib tucked against his side when Takamasa found him.
"There you are," the older man said, startling Yato from a daydream. The smell of food was thick in the air and his stomach was rumbling viciously after not eating for an entire day. It felt like torture, waiting for dinner to be ready, and the exhaustion was catching up to him now that he was relatively relaxed.
"Takamasa-san," Yato said, surprised to find Hiyori's father speaking to him. Takamasa had been their most stubborn opposition to Hiyori's pregnancy, and he often liked to pretend Yato didn't exist, even when the latter was doing his damnedest to remain noticeable. "Hiyori's resting upstairs," he said guardedly, tugging the crib closer to guard against any sudden movements.
"I know," the doctor grunted, lowering himself to sit next to Yato on the porch. "Here," he said, holding out a can of beer.
Yato blinked stupidly.
"Huh?"
"D'you want it or not?" Takamasa growled. "You are old enough for alcohol, aren't you?"
"Oh, uh... yeah. Thanks," Yato said, taken aback as he gingerly reached for the can.
There was an awkward silence as tabs were opened and the two men drank in silence.
"I don't like you, Yato-san," Takamasa eventually said.
Yato choked at the blunt statement, spilling beer over his shirt.
"Er, yeah, I got the feeling," he muttered, wiping his mouth.
"I don't like that you got Hiyori pregnant."
"I definitely knew that."
"I don't like that you went against our family's wishes."
"Is there a point to this, or are you just listing everything you hate about me?" Yato asked, annoyed.
"I don't like the way you talk either," Takamasa scoffed. "You're so disrespectful of your elders. But-"
"There's a 'but?'"
"Would you let me speak, Yato-san?!"
"Sorry," he muttered. He had no idea how to act in front of Hiyori's parents these days; on the one hand, he really could care less about propriety and their attempts to control their daughter's life, but they were still her parents, and she was constantly asking him to play nice even if they pissed him off.
"But," Takamasa said, clearing his throat. "I think I was wrong."
Yato stared at him.
"Wrong?"
"About you."
Yato dropped the can of beer all over his lap and didn't even notice. "HAH?!"
Takamasa chose to ignore his disbelief.
"I used to think you were just a good-for-nothing, playing around with Hiyori so you could take advantage of her," he said, watching the wind blow through the garden thoughtfully. "Even after Sayuri made you sign that prenup, I thought, 'he's going to run away once everything gets too real for him.' I kept waiting for it to happen. But you just kept showing up, and no matter how sick or irritable Hiyori got, you were always there to help her.
"So then I thought, 'maybe he does care about her, but there's no way he can keep this reliable act up forever. He's too young, too much of a mess to stick around for a wife and child.' I was sure of it, that any day you'd realize you couldn't provide what Hiyori and the baby needed."
"But you changed your mind?" Yato asked, confused.
"Mm, around the time we met Yukine-kun," Takamasa nodded. "Though I didn't want to admit it, at first. I kept looking for excuses for your behavior. Hiyori said you've been raising him, after he lost his parents?"
Yato feigned a cough, thankful for Hiyori's quick thinking. "Well, it just sort of worked out that way."
"He's a good boy, and he trusts you," Takamasa noted. "But at first I thought you were just doing it because there was no other choice, or because you'd been pressured into it or something. Yukine-kun argues with you enough that I thought he must hate you."
"Hmph!" Yato huffed. "I chose Yukine, whatever he says. He complains, but he doesn't wanna leave either."
"I believe that now," Takamasa chuckled. "I did ask him, once. If he didn't have any other relatives to live with. He said he didn't want anyone else, that you were more of a father to him than his real parents had been, and that he was glad you found him."
"Yukine said that?!" Yato asked, taken aback.
"He did. But he told me not to tell you, since it would make you more insufferable than usual," Takamasa laughed. "That being said, I'd like it if you didn't say anything. I only bring it up to make my point."
"Which is?"
"...That you were a much better and more reliable person than I gave you credit for," Hiyori's father admitted, grimacing down at his half-empty beer. "I started paying more attention to the things you did and said. As rough around the edges and obnoxious as you can be-"
"Wow, rude," Yato cut in. Takamasa pretended not to hear him.
"Once I saw that Yukine-kun trusted and cared about you, I started to see why my daughter fell in love with you. Did you know that your face lights up the moment she walks into the room?"
Yato flushed deep red. "Does it?" he muttered.
"It does, and your eyes follow her even when she's not speaking with you. You look at Hiyori like she's the most important person in the world, like you want to do anything to make her happy."
Well, that's because she is, and I do, Yato thought, his face hot. He hadn't realized what a sap he probably looked like to other people.
"I tried to tell myself it was just the usual foolishness of youth, but when I saw you today in the hospital room, holding Amane and Hiyori like you were afraid someone would take them from you... I finally had to admit that there was no use denying it anymore." Takamasa sighed deeply, weariness lined on his face. "You're not going anywhere, are you, Yato-san?"
Yato regarded him curiously, unsure. He'd been so busy thinking of Takamasa and Sayuri as the enemy that he never thought they might eventually get as tired of antagonizing him as he felt being antagonized.
"Well, no, I'm not," he said carefully. "I said it when we first met too."
Takamasa sighed again. "I believe you did, though the details escape me for some reason."
I outed myself as a god and threatened you is why, Yato thought, fighting a mildly inappropriate grin. It was very effective.
"I think I forgot the most important thing in my anger," the older man continued reluctantly. "Hiyori loves you, and you seem to make her happy, somehow. Her happiness is all I ever wanted for her." He paused scratching the back of his neck. "Today, when I saw you hold Amane-chan for the first time, I recognized the look on your face right away," he said, glancing at the sleeping infant. "It was the same look I used to have, whenever I held my own children. I realized you were a father, just like me, Yato-san. A father who loves his family and would do anything to protect them."
Yato nodded. "Yeah, I would. I understand why you don't like me, by the way," he admitted, wincing. "Hiyori is... she's way too good for me, even I think so. She's been saving me since the day we met, in more ways than one. Every time I think she'll be better off without me, she always sees right through me," he chuckled, thinking of all the times she'd come and knocked some sense into him. "I need her, and Yukine does too. Until the day she decides she no longer wants me, I have no plans to go anywhere."
He paused, rocking the crib gently as Amane whined.
"I'm sorry I've made her life more complicated, Takamasa-san. I know I'm not the kind of guy you would have picked for her, but I won't apologize for loving her or Amane. You're stuck with me."
Takamasa clicked his tongue but nodded. "I think you're right, as much as I hate to admit it. So from one father to another, truce?" he asked, holding out a hand.
Yato stared at it, confused.
"Really?"
"Eh, despite the impression I've been giving off, I'm not really the type of man to hold a grudge. You're here to stay, and you're the father of my granddaughter. I feel terrible saying I didn't want her. Children who are loved are a blessing, and I've seen nothing to make me doubt that Amane-chan is beloved. For her sake, and Hiyori's, I'm willing to be cordial."
"Huh," Yato said, accepting his hand with a firm shake. "In that case, thanks, Takamasa-san. I always wanted a dad friend," he grinned.
Takamasa snorted. "I never said we'd be friends. Just, not enemies."
"... Fair enough."
"My wife on the other hand," Takamasa grimaced. "I'd watch out for her, Yato-san."
Yato gave a dry laugh.
"Yeah, well, I never planned to let my guard down around Sayuri-san," he scoffed. Amane stirred at the sound of his voice and he paused to give her foot a gentle nudge.
"Getting hungry?" he asked in a soft tone, reaching into the crib to pick her up. "Me too, kid. Wanna go see what Yuki-nii is up to before we go say hi to Mommy? Hmm?"
"Yato-san," Takamasa said before Yato could get to his feet.
"Yeah?"
"Take care of them."
"Never had any intention of doing otherwise," Yato assured him, carefully supporting Amane's head. "I take my job pretty seriously, Gramps."
He left Takamasa spluttering wordlessly at the rude honorific.
There was a loud row after dinner that night, which ended only when Hiyori's mother quite literally dragged Yato by the back of his tracksuit jacket and unceremoniously threw him out of the house. He shouted angrily at the door for a good while, but neither his filthy cursing nor Hiyori's arguing would change Sayuri's decision that Yato would not stay the night.
Less than five minutes after he seemingly gave up and skulked off with Yukine in tow, however, Amane started to scream in earnest for the first time all day. Nothing any of them did could soothe her, and she was only quiet long enough for Hiyori to feed her before bedtime. Desperate, Hiyori texted Yato and angrily reminded him that he said he wouldn't leave her to fend for herself, and a few minutes later there was a knock on her window and she slid it open to let him in.
"Sorry, just went to the store first," he said, offering her a plastic bag. "Pudding," he explained at the incredulous look on her face as she bounced the inconsolable child in her arms.
"You can't just bring me pudding every time I'm in a bad mood, Yato!"
"The hell I can't," he sniffed, putting the bribe down on the desk as he kicked his boots off. "Don't snap at me, this time it's not my fault. I've been waiting all evening for your mother to calm down enough so she won't notice me sneaking back in."
Hiyori sighed irritably. "Where's Yukine-kun?"
"He went home," Yato explained. "Said he was too tired and needed to sleep, and thought we might want some time to ourselves."
He didn't wait for her response before reaching for Amane, still wailing at the top of her lungs.
"Shh, it's okay, little god, Tou-chan's here," he cooed, gingerly lifting her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her hair and like magic, the crying faded into a pitiful but bearable whimper.
"How on earth did you do that?!" Hiyori gasped. "We've been trying everything-"
"She got scared," Yato explained. "Yukine and I were with her all day, so when we left, she probably felt exposed. She has no shinki, so she instinctively knew she was in danger if anything from the Far Shore noticed her."
Hiyori sunk onto the mattress, sighing with relief.
"I was worried she was hurt or sick," she admitted as Yato sat next to her.
"She's okay," he assured her. "I'm sure she'll fall asleep soon, she's tired."
"Thank goodness," Hiyori groaned, falling back onto the bed with her arms wide open. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she yawned. "I don't feel anywhere near ready to deal with her if she fusses all night."
"It's fine, that's why I'm here," Yato said, humming to himself. Hiyori felt her tension ease away at the gentle expression in his eyes as he rocked the baby back and forth.
"You look happy, Yato," she said with a soft smile.
"'Happy' doesn't even begin to cover it," he said seriously, settling closer to her. "Not sure I know any words to really express how I feel right now."
"Since when are you such a romantic?" she laughed.
"According to Yukine, I've always been one."
"Hmm, he might be right," she admitted. "But you always find some way to ruin it."
"Hey!"
Hiyori giggled slightly and he seemed to take it for a good sign.
"Wait right there a second," he said, getting up.
"Yato?"
He carefully settled Amane in her crib and leaned in to kiss her cheek with a whispered good night. Once he was satisfied she wouldn't wake, he crawled back into Hiyori's bed and pulled her into a loose embrace.
"Hi," he breathed, grinning broadly at the involuntary blush on her face.
"H-Hi," she said back, slightly confused. "What is it?"
"Nothing, really," Yato shrugged. "I just wanted to hold you for a while with no one interrupting. That okay?"
"Yes, of course," she said, but she felt strangely nervous as he tucked her in against his chest and settled his arm around her waist.
"Feels like forever since I got to hug you like this," he said, nuzzling into her hair. Hiyori's heart started beating faster despite herself.
C-Calm down, there's nothing unusual about this... Yato is always affectionate, she thought, swallowing back her nerves.
"You hug me all the time, idiot."
"I do, but I've had to sleep against your back for the last two months cause you were uncomfortable."
"Oh, you're right," she realized. She hadn't really thought about it before.
"Well, I'm not complaining," he said with a loud yawn. "It's just nice to be able to wake up to your face again."
"You're so embarrassing sometimes," she sighed as he kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose.
"Not even a little sorry, Hiyori," he chuckled fondly.
"I know you're not," she said exasperatedly. But she had to admit he was right.
There really was no substitute for falling asleep in the arms of the person she loved most. Not even when he had to to get up several times through the night to soothe their crying daughter.
Notes:
Me, one month ago: I'm having trouble with writer's block, so I'll do a small little fluff piece to get my creativity flowing again
Me, 10,000 words later: Well, fuck
Hopefully I can write the actual next chapter of Nightbound now ifghiuwhf
Please like and review!
