This is a side story to my fic Nightbound, set just after chapter 14 or so. It can be read independently, but does include a lot of spoilers for the latter, so I suggest reading that first and coming back to this later. If you'd rather read on anyway, I hope you'll enjoy and check out the rest of the series, Yoru no Kizuna.
Hiyori heard the knock on her window sometime after midnight.
She groaned and turned over in her bed, away from the noise, not wanting to get up.
Go away, she thought sleepily, her cheek warm against her pillow. She hadn't been sleeping well for the last few days; it was getting harder and harder to get a full night's sleep when her body was constantly coming up with new inconveniences.
She'd almost fallen asleep again when her phone rang. She grudgingly clawed it off her nightstand and answered without so much as looking at the caller.
"Ugh, what?" she answered grumpily.
"Can I come in?" came a hesitant voice.
Hiyori huffed. "I don't have the plague, you know," she grumbled. "Since when do you ask permission?"
There was a flash of light and the sound of a phone flipping closed behind her.
"I just wanted to make sure it was okay," Yato said, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing her arm softly. She looked over her shoulder to meet his bright blue eyes and sighed with exasperation.
"You could have just snuck in and let me sleep," she complained, moving over to make room for him. He pouted, looking very childish as he kicked his boots off and tugged off his jacket.
"I was trying to be considerate, Hiyori."
"Whatever. Just hurry up, it's cold," she shivered as he lifted the blankets and snuggled in under them. He had only just settled in against her back, wrapping his arm snugly over her waist, when she felt an all too familiar urge.
"Ugh, damn it," she groaned as she grudgingly pulled the blankets aside. "I have to pee. Again."
"Need help?" he asked, sitting up immediately. She shot him a look of disgust.
"No, I can go to the bathroom by myself, Yato!"
His eyes grew so wide and round, so hurt and innocent that Hiyori immediately felt bad.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry," she said, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She got to her feet with a tiny huff and gave his cheek a small caress. "I didn't mean it, I-" Her bladder gave a painful twinge and reminded her she was in a hurry. "Uhm, hold that thought," she ordered.
A few minutes later she returned from the bathroom to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through the internet on his phone with a furrowed brow.
"Back, sorry," she said, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Hey," he said, relieved. "I was just looking to see if I could find anything that would help online," he explained as he tucked the phone away. "You okay?"
"Yes, and no," she sighed. He held out his arms for her with great seriousness and she couldn't help a small, wry smile. "I don't think a hug is gonna help very much either," she noted.
"Take it anyway," he insisted, and she rolled her eyes but nevertheless climbed into his lap.
"… Sorry," she repeated once he had adjusted his hold and pressed several gentle kisses to the top and side of her head. "I wasn't being mean on purpose."
"Mm, I know," Yato sighed, reclining back against the headboard. "I'm sorry too, I dunno what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe if I were a human-"
Hiyori scoffed. "I doubt that would make any difference, Yato. But it's not like you're doing anything wrong, I just… I don't know, one minute I'm fine and the next I just want to rip something apart with my bare hands. I'm so tired and I want to sleep, but then something starts cramping, or I have to go to the bathroom again, or I can't get comfortable; it's exhausting."
"I know, I'm sorry," he said again, so softly it was almost a whisper. "It's my fault-"
"Stop that," she said, burying her nose into the collar of his shirt. He smelled so sweet, so welcoming, it made her feel lightheaded. "Fault has nothing to do with this."
"It kinda does," he insisted. "If I knew this was possible-"
"But you didn't. So it's not something you have to keep apologizing for."
"That doesn't mean it's okay that you're stuck suffering now-"
"I'm not stuck," she sighed. "We made a choice. Together. If I didn't want this child, I wouldn't have agreed to carry it. I know I'm a little irritable these days, but I am happy, Yato. Aren't you?" she asked, guiding his hand to the almost imperceptible curve of her belly.
Yato smiled softly despite himself. "Mm," he said, caressing her abdomen with the pad of his thumb. "Of course I am. You have no idea, Hiyori. I just... wish I could do something."
"I think you've done enough, actually," she muttered to herself under her breath, but he must have heard her because he chuckled.
"Well, I can't really deny that, huh?" he teased, peppering her cheeks and nose with playful kisses. "But I wasn't the one who insisted, was I? Not that I'm complaining."
She blushed. "J-Jeez, you always bring that up!"
"Yup, I'm not about to forget it anytime soon," he grinned, stroking her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her lips, soft and sweet, and Hiyori's heart gave a painful twinge at the gentleness of the touch.
Please, don't ever stop, Hiyori thought, melting into his embrace.
"Yato..." she murmured as he gave a contented sigh and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Mm, I'm not about to forget the sound of you calling my name either," he said with a small, relaxed chuckle. "You sounded so desperate, like you'd die if I stopped touching you-"
Hiyori spluttered, her face going beet-red as she pushed away from him. "Yato!"
"What?! It's true, isn't it?" he asked, surprised by her sudden reaction. "What's wrong with saying it like it is?"
Hiyori groaned and disentangled herself from his embrace. "It's i-inappropriate!" she scolded, avoiding his eye as she repositioned herself a safe distance away on the mattress.
"There's nothing wrong with it!" he insisted, frowning. "We're alone, and I'm your boyfriend, aren't I? It's normal to be intimate with your partner, especially after we already decided to have a kid together! And I know you didn't have a problem with it four months ago, cause I made you come at least three times-"
"Stop!" she cried, shoving him aside as her heart sped up and her skin burned with embarrassment and shame.
"Ow! Okay, okay! I'll stop!"
Hiyori moodily and deliberately turned her back to him as she settled back under the covers. "You can go if you're just going to be a pervert," she huffed. There was a rustling noise and then the back of his knuckles brushed against her shoulder as his scent enveloped her. She suddenly felt very nervous, and her throat seemed to have formed a painful lump that made it hard to breathe.
"It's not like that," he said softly, and Hiyori could hear the pout in his voice even though she was turned away from him. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, I swear. It just makes me happy to remember... And not just the obvious stuff," he added hastily. "I'm talking about the dumb, cheesy things, like how we didn't really know how to kiss at first, or how pretty your laugh is when you're ticklish... and yeah, okay, sure I like to think about the perverted parts too, but that's cause being with you is my favorite thing in the world, even if we're not doing anything at all. I can't help reminiscing and flirting a little here and there, but if it really bothers you to talk about it, I'll try not to bring it up."
Hiyori swallowed hard, fighting the memories of their one and only time together. Truthfully, it wasn't that she didn't want to think about it; she thought about it almost daily, every time Yato was close enough to touch. There were days when she could barely stand the restless urge to rub herself against him like a cat in heat, but she wanted to wither away and die as soon as she let her thoughts wander in that direction. It was just so shameless, so mortifying; Hiyori had been raised to be a proper young lady; how could she just let all that go, especially when the one time she'd acted up and given in to desire, she'd ended up pregnant at only eighteen years of age with a god for a partner?
Not that she actually regretted that part. Whatever her parents said about shame and virtue, Hiyori had made her choice, and she'd made it with the person she loved. But it was one thing to take responsibility and look to the future; it was another to openly admit to herself that she was just as capable of lust and reckless passion as she had been on that fateful afternoon in Kofuku's loft. Especially now that she knew exactly what she wanted.
She shifted restlessly without thinking. It just didn't feel right for her to think about such things so openly, not when she'd enjoyed it so much. It bothered her how often she longed for that blissful haze of pleasure, the freedom to feel good and not think about anything beyond Yato's voice and the taste of his fragrant skin on her tongue. She felt selfish and tainted remembering how attentive and thoughtful he had been, and how easily she could file away his sweetness and genuine, kind uncertainty to focus only on the raw electricity of his hands inching up her stomach-
No! Stop it, Hiyori! she groaned quietly to herself, squeezing her eyes tightly closed. I'm not an animal, she insisted, willing the ache between her thighs away. I can control myself… I will control myself. If I'm going to be a mother, I should learn restraint.
"Hiyori? You okay?"
Her heart jumped into her throat as his breath tickled her earlobe.
"Y-Yes, I'm okay," she managed, so tense now that she felt like she might turn to stone.
"You're all stiff," Yato noted. "Should I rub your shoulders?"
"No!" she yelped immediately, her stomach doing flips at the thought of those same hands kneading her bare skin.
"No need to shout about it," he said, clearly hurt by her tone. "I'm just trying to help-"
"I don't n-need help, I just want to sleep!" she insisted, turning her face into her pillow. Heat suffused her entire being, making the covers almost unbearably warm, but she refused to surface and let him see her expression.
Yato let her pull away and sighed. "Alright. I'll let you rest. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
"…Mm."
She felt gentle pressure as he pressed a kiss into her hair. "Good night, Hiyori."
"Good night," she whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure he could hear over the sound of him making more space for her.
A thousand years and several parenting books he'd stolen off Yukine should have been more than enough to help Yato easily deal with Hiyori's pregnancy, but as in most things, theory was not the same as experience. Knowing that hormones made Hiyori more irritable and irrational than usual didn't take the sting out of her rejections, or help Yato figure out what he could do to support her and make her condition easier to bear. Everything the books said he should do to be an available and helpful partner only seemed to make Hiyori more annoyed with him, and every time he thought he was finally doing something right, it inevitably backfired. He had a feeling that there was no winning when it came to a pregnant girlfriend, but Yato wasn't looking for a win; he just wanted to help.
I thought I could at least pamper her a bit, he sighed as he settled in Hiyori's bed for the night, careful to give her plenty of room so she could turn over freely. Cuddling and flirting always makes me feel better.
He could just imagine the look of disdain on Yukine's face if he mentioned how useless he felt. His shinki would go off on a lecture about how this wasn't about Yato or his needs, and how nice it must be to focus on feeling sorry for himself when Hiyori was the one actually suffering.
Obviously I know that, he groaned inwardly, punching his pillow into shape as he turned. But how am I supposed to be there for her if just being near me sets her off?
He peeked over at her, wary. Most of her body was hidden under the covers, but he could still make out the rising and falling of her shoulders as she slowly drifted off. It was a familiar sight by now, but it still made something in Yato's chest ache to know that despite all her posturing, Hiyori still trusted him to sleep in her bed almost every night. It didn't really matter that she was too self-conscious and preoccupied to be in the mood for anything more than the occasional reckless kiss; just the fact that she always had space for him was more than he could have ever dreamed of having from anyone, let alone this gentle, beautiful girl who had given him her faith, her trust, and her entire self.
What did I ever do to deserve you? he wondered, wanting nothing more than to hold her close and smother her in affection. It took all of his self-control not to reach over and do just that.
There had to be something, some gesture or token he could offer her. He'd already tried formally proposing at least six different times, and once he'd even pawned off some of his most treasured Capyper merchandise to buy her a modest ring, but as soon as Hiyori and Yukine realized what he'd done, they'd marched him right back to the store and argued with the clerk until they could return it and get his money back. In the end, Hiyori rejected him all the same, and even shelled out some of her own money to buy his things back from the pawnbroker when the man tried to rip them off.
"Would you just stop proposing already?" Yukine'd scolded later that evening when Yato huddled in a corner of the attic with a beer to nurse his hurt feelings. "You know why she said no, it doesn't have anything to do with how she feels about you-"
"I know," he'd admitted, hugging his knees. "I just wanted-"
"To help, yeah, yeah, I know," Yukine said, laying out the futons for the night. "But Hiyori is right. Raising a kid costs money, money that we don't have, but which Hiyori's family does. It wouldn't help her or the kid if you brought her under your own name and made them dependent on our own crummy living situation; and that's just assuming you have a register. Which I'm pretty sure you don't, seeing as you're like, a billion years old and a god and all that. Not to mention the whole problem with Heaven if they ever found evidence of your relationship..."
All fair points, Yato had to admit, but it stung anyway. He hadn't made any flashy proposals since that talk, though he still asked Hiyori to marry him sometimes during a quiet, private moment or two, just in case she changed her mind. Her answer was always the same, though.
So, not an engagement, he thought, turning over onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering what else he could do.
He wracked his brain for what felt like hours, but in the end he fell asleep without anything to show for it.
His breath is hot on the nape of her neck.
"N-no, it tickles-!" She whines, but it's not at all the tone she intended to use. Her voice is thick with want, not dread, and when his lips trail up to a spot just behind her ear, a delicious shiver travels down her spine, drawing a harsh cry from somewhere deep in her chest.
"I thought you said it tickles," he murmurs with a chuckle, his nose pressed into her hair. "But you're doing the complete opposite of pulling away."
His fingers trace soft circles over the skin of her back, gentle and reassuring, and completely at odds with the far more compromising position he finds himself in, pinned to the wall by her weight as she sits straddled in his lap.
"You.. talk too... much," she complains breathlessly as he nibbles lightly on her ear.
"Maybe a little," he admits. "But that's never bothered you too much, has it? I think you kinda like the sound of my voice."
She does, she loves it, she can't handle the low, husky thrum when they're alone like this, the way his words vibrate in a seductive purr deep in his throat. When he says her name, it destroys her every rational thought and reduces her to nothing but desperate heat and longing.
But she just can't say it.
"I-It bothers me enough," she lies, prompting a snort and what she assumes is a roll of the eyes, though she can't see it because his face is still buried in her shoulder.
"Are you ever going to be honest with me about this?" he asks, nipping at her skin, a small, playful reprimand. "Or will I have to coax it out of you like always, Hiyori?"
A hand trails over the inside of her thigh, not quite where she wants it, but achingly close. His fingers knead her flesh with firm pressure, promising far more to come.
"Well?" he asks again.
He gives her no time to reply before his hand disappears under her skirt and all she can do is hold on to his shoulders for dear life.
"Mm, better," he teases as her muffled voice devolves into nothing more than a long, drawn out cry of pure pleasure. "You're so much cuter when you're honest, you know."
You're the worst, she thinks automatically, but not a single part of her body cares to put that thought forward. She just needs him to kiss her until her mouth aches, to trace her every curve with his hands and his lips and tongue, to call her name with that same sultry purr and never stop-
"Hiyori."
Yes, like that.
"Hey, Hiyori..."
A gentle hand shook her shoulder and an intoxicating scent suddenly washed over her. Hiyori groaned but instinctively rolled toward it.
"Mm, Yato...?" she murmured, half asleep. She blinked groggily, unable to keep her eyes open for longer than it took to find the hem of his shirt and dig her fingers into it.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, cupping her cheek and brushing it with the pad of his thumb. "You've been tossing and turning, and you sounded like you were having a nightmare or something... You made a sort of whimpering sound."
"Mm, dunno," she answered thickly, too sleepy to really understand what he was saying.
"Hm, well, as long as you're okay," he mused. She made a small noise of assent and snuggled against his knee, wishing he'd hurry up and get back into bed already.
"Sorry, Hiyori, I gotta go," he said, softly brushing her hair.
"Noooo..." she groaned childishly, not quite lucid yet. How could he tease her like that, only to leave before she was even a little satisfied?
But Yato didn't seem to notice her distress.
"Your mom is awake, she's gonna come in soon; I can't be in here when she does, she's getting way too good at seeing me."
"Don't go, I don't want..."
Warm breath tickled her nose as he kissed her brow. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, I promise. I wouldn't miss your appointment for the world."
Hiyori blearily opened her eyes to find him watching her tenderly, a small smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. Confusion swirled through her mind; how did she end up lying down and looking up at him? And what was with the sweet, angelic gleam in his brilliant blue eyes? Hadn't they just been glowering with barely-disguised lust?
"Hey, I'll be back," he repeated, thinking she was just fighting off sleep. "Yukine'll come too, so don't worry, I'll-"
He stopped suddenly, his blue eyes widening with alarm as he stared at the door. A second later he jumped to his feet and scrambled toward the window, then seemed to change his mind as he rushed back to her bedside and kissed her with a quick "Love you, bye." He paused only long enough to press an affectionate hand to her stomach before he was off again, and he just managed to climb through the window and carefully pull it closed before Iki Sayuri could knock.
"Hiyori?"
Her mother's voice brought Hiyori back to her senses like a sudden slap across the face.
Oh my god, she thought, horrified as blistering heat flushed through her veins. I'm having sex dreams now?! What am I doing?!
She was suddenly uncomfortably hyper-aware of the deep ache in her belly, and of the suspiciously moist fabric of her underwear. She hastily tugged her blankets over her lap and thanked every god she had ever met that Yato was too oblivious to notice the difference between a nightmare and whatever depraved hole Hiyori was digging for herself.
"Hiyori? Are you awake, dear?" came a second knock.
Hiyori cleared her throat, hoping against hope that she looked far less flustered than she felt.
"Mm, yes, good m-morning, Mother," she greeted, feeling dizzy with Yato's lingering scent still in her nose.
Sayuri opened the door. "Good morning, it's almost breakfast-" Her mother frowned and immediately came over to cup her face.
"You're flushed, Hiyori! What's wrong? Do you feel sick?" she asked.
Hiyori felt her skin go another shade of crimson. "Huh? N-No, I- I'm f-fine," she murmured, averting her gaze before her mother could see all the inappropriate thoughts still lurking on the surface."I j-just got overheated, probably used too many blankets," she lied.
Sayuri touched her forehead to check her temperature.
"Hmm, no fever at least," she noted. She gave Hiyori a concerned look as she pulled away. "I didn't know you were having night sweats, Hiyori."
"Uhm, n-not that often. Just once in a while... sometimes I get very cold instead."
"Well, it's not entirely unexpected, I suppose…" Sayuri mused. She regarded her daughter with something like suspicion. "You're not hiding anything, are you Hiyori?"
Hiyori gulped. "N-No, w-what gives you that idea, Mother?" she asked, a little too quickly to be entirely innocent.
"Feeling unwell could be a sign… well, you haven't been... bleeding... or feeling any sharp pains, have you?" Sayuri asked carefully, her mouth thinned with distaste as it always did when she had to acknowledge her daughter's pregnancy. "It would be dangerous to keep that sort of information to yourself."
Hiyori's short-lived relief that she wasn't talking about Yato vanished into a hot pang of anger as she noticed the almost hopeful gleam in her mother's expression. "No, nothing like that. I'm perfectly well. So is the baby," she added pointedly, one arm around her waist as if she could physically shield herself and the tiny, precious gift Yato had left inside her.
"Good," Sayuri said, and though Hiyori saw genuine relief, Sayuri's tone was strained and somewhat conflicted.
Like she's not sure if its for the best that I haven't miscarried, Hiyori mused bitterly. There'd been a particularly nasty fight the week before, during which Sayuri had tried to beg her daughter to go to the clinic for an abortion before the legal limit for termination expired. Yato and Yukine had arrived in the middle of the argument, which only got worse the minute Yato thought Hiyori and his child were threatened. It had escalated to almost physical blows when Yato lost his temper completely, summoned Sekki, and straight up threatened Sayuri and her husband at sword-point that if they didn't drop it and leave Hiyori and his child alone, he would take her away from them and do everything in his divine capabilities to make sure they never saw her again.
It was not the first time Yato had outed himself as a god to the Iki family, but as usual, they forgot all about the details after having him out of their sight for a few hours. The anger and outrage of the incident remained, however, even if the fear was forgotten, and there'd been a second row between Hiyori and Yato later that evening at Kofuku's house, in which Hiyori had furiously told him off for threatening her family without even asking her first; things calmed down once she'd said her piece and Yato submitted to her scolding with his tail between his legs, but the wounds inflicted during both arguments were still rather fresh.
I don't agree with his methods, but I'm not going to stop him from protecting our child- no, our family, from anyone who wishes them harm. Not even you, Mother, she thought, giving Sayuri a resentful look.
To her credit, Sayuri seemed to understand her daughter's train of thought and hastily broke eye contact.
"W-well, come down and eat something if you can, you shouldn't go to the clinic on an empty stomach."
Hiyori gave a small snort. "Mother, we live in the clinic, remember?"
Sayuri clicked her tongue. "I still think you should have a licensed obstetrician doing these tests and checkups-"
"I do," Hiyori said, combing through the tangles in her hair with her fingers. "But Masaomi-oniichan can do an ultrasound and a basic physical just fine. My OB said that as long as he passes the results and imaging along to her, there's no reason to go all the way to the hospital. If I need something more in depth, they'll let me know."
"Hmm," Sayuri noted tonelessly, "I suppose if she says so..." She grimaced at nothing in particular and left.
Hiyori was a little busy by the time Yato and Yukine arrived less than an hour later.
"Sorry, she's throwing up right now," her brother Masaomi explained as he let them into the house. "Do you-"
But that was all he managed to say before Yato gave a loud yelp of distress and elbowed his way past him so he could rush to her aid. Yukine groaned but decided one pain-in-the-ass boy hovering while Hiyori knelt miserably over the toilet was more than enough without adding himself into the equation.
"Sorry," he apologized on his master's behalf. "He's worried. And stupid."
Masaomi gave a dry chuckle. "I'd judge him more harshly if he weren't trying so hard. Come on, there's still a bit of toast if you haven't eaten yet, Yukine-kun. You guys showed up early."
"Thanks," Yukine said gratefully as he followed behind Hiyori's brother. "Yato didn't really give us time for breakfast before he was dragging me out the door."
"Heh, sounds like him, alright," Masaomi snorted, leading the way to the kitchen. "He's always annoyingly anxious whenever Hiyori has an appointment."
Yukine rolled his eyes. "It's not like it's her first ultrasound," he said.
"No, but it's always a little nerve-wracking. A lot can happen in fetal development, just from one day to the next. And even if there's nothing concerning going on, it's still part of the whole experience, y'know? It's emotional for them."
"I guess..."
They made their way into the kitchen, where Hiyori's parents were finishing up their breakfast.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, Yukine-kun and Yato-san are here," Masaomi announced.
"Good morning," Yukine greeted politely. Sayuri looked up from her plate and smiled with genuine warmth.
"Oh, Yukine-kun! You're here so early! Sit down, dear, I'll get you some toast-"
Her husband glanced at Masaomi with something akin to dread. "And...?"
"Upstairs with Hiyori," Masaomi answered without explanation. Both his parents scowled. "I'm pretty sure she's still gonna be throwing up for another five minutes at least," he assured them drily as they exchanged a meaningful glance.
"Think I'll go fetch my reading glasses," Takamasa grunted as he got up from the table. Yukine wasn't fooled by the thin excuse for Takamasa to make sure Yato wasn't doing anything inappropriate with his daughter.
You'd think she weren't already pregnant, Yukine thought, but he wasn't stupid enough to say so out loud.
"How's Hiyori today?" he asked Sayuri as he accepted the invitation to sit at the table. Her mother gave a small sigh as she placed a plate of food in front of him.
"Well, mostly fine, but the morning sickness is getting worse. I'm not sure why, I never got this nauseous when I was pregnant with her or Masaomi. Perhaps it's her young age..."
Or maybe it's that she's a human girl carrying the child of a god, Yukine mused. He took a bite out of his toast, listening for the inevitable argument that would ensue upstairs any moment.
"Is it bad that she's throwing up so much?" He asked Masaomi after hearing nothing but reassuring silence.
"Well, it's not good, especially not on her poor esophagus," Masaomi admitted. "But it's not at a point where she needs any medicine. I'm trying to avoid medicating her unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Because of the baby?" Yukine asked.
"Partially," Sayuri answered for her son, her expression hard to read. "Hiyori hasn't been well for a few years, ever since she got hit by a bus-"
Yukine coughed. He hadn't been there for Hiyori and Yato's fateful first meeting, but he knew all about her narcolepsy and the penchant she'd developed for dropping her physical body In favor of her half-ayakashi form.
"I've been meaning to ask, Yukine-kun. You live with your cousin, don't you?" Sayuri asked as she sat down across from him.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah," Yukine cleared his throat, remembering the cover story Hiyori had come up with when her parents were finally introduced to him a couple of weeks before.
"Just the two of you?"
"My parents are dead," he said flatly, not wanting to talk about that particularly sore subject. "So Yato took me in a few years ago."
"And his parents?" Sayuri asked with a frown. "He's too young to be living alone and caring for a younger child."
Yukine bit back a scoff; Yato was almost unfathomably old, and had been around since most of the world was still in the so-called Middle Ages. Even by Japan's ancient and storied history, Yukine's master was definitely long in the tooth as far as humans were concerned.
I guess he's stuck somewhere in his early twenties or something now, probably for good considering he's a combat god that needs to be able to fight, he thought to himself. Not that he's actually mature in any way that matters.
"Not in the picture," he replied, scratching uncomfortably at the removed name that had once marked him Father's Nora. By which I mean Yato cut the fucker down as he deserved. "It's for the best, we're all better off," he added before Sayuri could ask for details.
"Didn't you have any other relatives to live with?" she pestered as the shouting upstairs began. "Anyone more... reliable?"
"No," he said, more defensively than he liked to admit. "Yato is more than enough." He pointedly resumed eating as his master called Hiyori's father several loud and extremely rude names.
"Will it ever end?" Masaomi grumbled as he scrolled through his phone.
"What, Yato's foul mouth?" Yukine scoffed.
"No, the unnecessary confrontations. Can't you and Dad just leave them be?" he asked his mother.
"Absolutely not!" Sayuri snapped. "That boy has no right to act like he can do whatever he likes in this house!"
"He hasn't done anything other than follow Hiyori around and eat a few snacks out of the fridge," Masaomi sighed. "Isn't it a good thing that he's so devoted to her?"
"Hmph! That's not devotion, Masaomi. There's only one thing a man like that wants-"
"He's really not that bad," Yukine muttered, slightly pink at Sayuri's implication. "He's annoying and dumb, but he does care about Hiyori, Sayuri-san."
"You're just too young to understand, Yukine-kun," she sighed. Yukine thought it best not to mention that life-experience wise, he was around the same age as Hiyori, and that wasn't even counting all the years he'd spent as an unattached spirit. As far as the Iki family was concerned, Yukine was somewhere around eleven years old, at most.
But I'm definitely not, he thought, fighting back the memory of just how much he inadvertently knew about Yato and Hiyori's relationship. Don't think about it, get your head on straight, Yukine, before Yato gets stung.
"Maybe," he lied. "But Yato wouldn't be so worried if he didn't care."
"He's not worried," Sayuri scoffed.
"He is," Yukine said, putting the piece of toast down. "I know him, he's just acting normal because he's trying not to stress her out. He won't admit it, but he's an extremely anxious person when it comes to the people he cares about."
"He's tricked you too, Yukine-kun, believe me, that kind of man only cares about himself."
Yukine felt an edge of annoyance and anger at her surety. How dare this human woman think she knew his master better than he did? Yato was far more complicated than he looked at a glance, and Yukine would never have sacrificed himself, or fought so hard to protect him, if he didn't think Yato was worth it. What could she possibly know about Yato's gentleness, or his genuine affection and devoted heart? What did she understand about how much Hiyori meant to them both?
But Yukine knew he had to keep his temper in check; if Hiyori's parents were determined to hate Yato, Yukine had to be the one to salvage their family ties. Thankfully, Masaomi seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
"Mom," he said sharply. "You shouldn't speak badly of Yukine-kun's parent in front of him."
Sayuri blinked, caught off guard by her son's rebuke.
"O-Oh, no, I didn't mean- I apologize, Yukine-kun, I never meant-"
"S'okay," Yukine muttered as he finished off his toast. "It's not like Yato never gets on my nerves either."
"It was still an unkind thing to say-"
Yukine managed a grim, slightly rueful smile. "Please don't mind me, Sayuri-san, I'm fine."
"I still think you guys are being too judgemental," Masaomi interjected, probably sensing the tension under Yukine's silence. "Yeah, the man is rough around the edges and kind of annoying sometimes, but he can't be all bad if he's raised a kid as polite and smart as Yukine-kun. He's been good to Hiyori too, I've seen it myself, Mom. Give Yato-san a chance before you decide you really hate him."
But Sayuri's expression remained unconvinced, and Yukine privately thought it was a small miracle that Yato had managed to worm his way into the house at all.
"It's okay, you're okay," Yato murmured, holding Hiyori's listless frame against his shoulder. "I know… you feel terrible right now, but it won't last forever."
The two of them were now sitting on the bathroom floor by themselves, with Hiyori curled up in Yato's arms as they waited for her nausea to properly subside. After a tedious spat, Hiyori's father had reluctantly gone to work, but only after he left Yukine behind to keep an eye on them; of course, Yato's hafuri had wisely removed himself to another part of the house as soon as it was clear that no one was going to come bother them for a while.
"If I have to sit here and watch you two be all disgusting and clingy all morning, I'll throw up myself," he'd grumbled, excusing himself.
Yato was thankful for the quiet; Hiyori was more receptive to his attempts to soothe her if no one else was around... or at least, she was now, seeing as she was in the middle of a hormonal breakdown, fueled by the agony of her morning sickness.
She sniffled, unable to stop the miserable tears leaking into his jacket.
"I'm sick of crying about stupid things," she said, her voice raw and strained. "It's not like I've never thrown up before!"
"It's natural," he assured her, pressing his lips into her hair as she clung to the hem of his jacket. "It's just hormones, don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, anyone would feel upset if they couldn't stop projectile vomiting all over the place-"
"Urf," Hiyori shivered, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Don't," she said weakly.
"Sorry," he apologized, adjusting their positions so she could still reach for the toilet if she needed it. She'd long emptied her stomach, but she was still prone to dry-heaving or coughing up bile, and Yato didn't want to make the already painful process harder on her. "I just meant it's totally fine to want to cry. I'm not judging you."
Hiyori nodded sluggishly, closing her eyes with an exhausted sigh.
"Distract me," she pleaded. "Talk about something that isn't food or illness, please."
Yato tapped his thumb thoughtfully against her arm. "Hmm... like what?"
"As long as it won't make me feel sick, you can talk about whatever you want."
"I'll do my best," he promised, thinking. "Should I tell you a story then?"
Hiyori smiled softly against his shoulder. "What kind of story?"
"Well... did I ever tell you about my thread of fate?" he asked, leaning back against the bathtub so he could snuggle her closer.
"No," she said slowly. "... But when you say 'thread of fate'-"
"Yeah, the plaques from the gods' summit," he nodded. "How we decide and match soulmates." He ignored the sharp bite of jealousy he still remembered from the memory of Hiyori's string tied to a bunch of good-for-nothing creeps several years ago. "It's not just for humans, we gods have them too."
"Mm, I saw them," she said, her voice strangely hard to hear. "I saw yours too."
"You did? I don't remember that," he said, surprised. Hiyori didn't say anything so he guessed she was waiting for him to continue. "Well, last year, when I went to go pay my respects at Ookuninushi's place and check in on Nora, I got lost and ended up in this enormous courtyard with trees everywhere. At first I just thought it was some random garden, but then I noticed there were ema dangling from all the branches, as far as the eye could see. I got curious so I went to have a look, but the trees just kept going forever, and the ema got older the further I went. Finally I realized that it had to be the place where Ookuninushi keeps and blesses all the threads of fate after they've been matched, probably every single pair since he first began matchmaking.
"Then I remembered; I never found you a proper partner, Hiyori, so you had to be somewhere in that courtyard, still paired up with some awful guy that didn't deserve you. I freaked out, so I started looking for your ema; I was gonna find you a proper match no matter what," he told her seriously.
"You couldn't just let it go, could you?" she sighed, clearly annoyed.
"Of course not! You're my most precious believer, I could never let you be unhappy!" he insisted. "I wanted you to have a great life and a partner who would love and cherish you even more than I do."
"But... didn't you want to be with me yourself?" she asked, uncertain. "We started dating last year, so I thought... and you always say you've had feelings for me for a really long time... Didn't... did it never occur to you to tie yourself to me at all?" Her voice wavered, clearly hurt that he'd been so eager to give her away.
"It wasn't about me, Hiyori. I've loved you all this time, but I never thought I was the best choice for you. As your patron deity I wanted to offer you the best I could... So honestly, no, it didn't even cross my mind at the time," he admitted. "I figured I was kidding myself, I never really thought you might feel the same way I did, and I thought... I still think you deserve way better than me."
"I don't want anyone else," she said, clinging stubbornly to his jacket with an adorably petulant tone.
Yato hummed, pleased, and kissed the bridge of her nose. "And I'm never letting you go, don't worry."
Hiyori nosed into his collarbone with a sigh. "I don't know how you convinced yourself that I didn't love you for three whole years; didn't you read my diary?"
He coughed at the accusation. "Er. Well... Yeah, I did, but you never outright said you loved me romantically. I thought you were just working really hard not to forget me or Yukine because you cared about us, cause we're family... I didn't get to read it all either, I was in a bit of a hurry..."
"I didn't realize I was in love with you when I wrote it," she admitted quietly. "But when I read it all at once... It should've been obvious how much you mean to me."
"That I knew," he said. "But I dunno, as a god, it can be a little difficult to separate the different kinds of love, we can't cut it up as neatly as mortals can. When I say I love something, when I say I love you, or Yukine, there are different undertones, but ultimately it's still love, and love is what we're always searching for, the love that will keep us alive and relevant.
"So yeah, when I read your diary, I felt your wishes and your devotion, but to me, that was first and foremost proof of your belief in me," he said. He paused, the side of his mouth twitching restlessly. "I know, I'm an idiot, I can see it now," he sighed.
"At least you can recognize it," she smiled wryly.
"Don't push it, I know all your weak spots," he teased, lightly poking the side of her ribcage where he knew she was particularly ticklish.
"GAH, NO!" she tried to push him away but there wasn't much room and he easily caught and held her in place.
"Mine," he said childishly, interlacing his hands around her waist. "You can't get away from me that easily, Hiyori."
She shot him a dirty look but he was in too good a mood to pay it any mind.
"In any case," he continued once he'd regained his train of thought. "It's a good thing you don't want anyone else, 'cause when I finally found your plaque, I discovered that someone had already-"
"Matched us together," she interrupted suddenly. Yato frowned.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
She blushed, her eyes focused on the collar of his tracksuit.
"Uhm... I was kind of there when Kofuku-san tied them. I even wrote about it in my diary, but I guess you missed it-"
"KOFUKU?!" he yelped, alarmed. "How could you let her do that?! Don't you know how cursed-"
"I wanted her to!" Hiyori said, so red now that even the tips of her ears seemed to burn. "I mean... I knew it was unlucky but... even back then, I was really happy to know we were connected... Besides, Kuraha-san found out way before you did; last time I saw him, he told me he'd seen the ema and thought I might like to know. He said it looked like Ookuninushi-san had already blessed them, since he never felt Kofuku-san's aura on them."
Yato sighed with relief, only to bristle indignantly a moment later.
"Hold on, doesn't that mean Bishamon and Ookuninushi knew this already?! And that fucking skank still sent Kazuma to try and break us up?!"
"Yato!" Hiyori exclaimed. "Don't-!"
"I'll call her whatever I fucking want," he growled. "It's practically sacrilege to try and undo a tied thread of fate-"
"Oh, is it?!"
He immediately shut up.
"N-not if it's the wrong thread," he muttered sheepishly a few minutes later.
"Uh huh," she said sarcastically.
Yato tightened his hold around her waist just a little.
"You're... you don't like the idea of being my soulmate, Hiyori?" he asked in a tiny voice. She hesitated and sighed, leaning back into his embrace.
"Obviously I do," she admitted, her face pink. "I'm just thinking, it's kind of weird that no one noticed or tried to separate us, considering the taboo..."
"Oh, no one would have really paid attention to a minor god's plaque," he said grudgingly. "Plus Ookuninushi is one of our allies, so maybe if he did notice at some point he just decided to mind his own business. I'm not the first god to fall in love with a human; we're just not supposed to act on it, and most of us wouldn't even if we wanted to."
"But you did."
"I'm me," he shrugged as though that explained everything. "And I couldn't bring myself to separate us even though I knew leaving that thread was dangerous... I'm sorry," he said softly, feeling terribly selfish now that he thought about it again.
"Don't apologize for that," she said with a wan smile. "I'm glad you left them alone. It kind of scares me actually... How close I came to being matched with someone else."
"It... It wasn't meant to be that way," he reassured her, taking her hand and kissing the veins on the inside her wrist. "Heaven may not agree, but you were always mine, Hiyori. And I was always yours. We just didn't know it yet."
"You can't be that sure," she muttered, clearly flustered by his attentions. "What if you'd never gotten drunk on that night you asked me to date you?"
Yato suddenly grinned, pleased at himself.
"Oh, that wasn't a coincidence," he chuckled mischievously. "I mean, I didn't mean to get shitfaced, but that was the same night I came back from my visit to Takamagahara, remember? I was planning to confess all along, after I found those ema. I just ended up drinking too much out of nervousness."
"You what?!" Hiyori gasped with disbelief. "You were going to confess and instead you just... declared we were an item?! Do you have any idea how unromantic that was?! You barely even asked me-!"
"I did! I think," he frowned to himself as she glowered at him. "B-But it wasn't on purpose-"
"And you knew we were s-soulmates all year but you still didn't even try to kiss me until I'd had enough of waiting for you?!" she demanded as she pulled her hand out of his grip and smacked him on the arm. "Do you have any idea how insecure I felt all that time?! I really thought you didn't love-!"
She was cut short as he abruptly tugged her in close and kissed her, hard, determined to convey every ounce of his feelings for her with each breathless second. He could feel her whole body go slack and weightless as a pitiful sort of mewling escaped her lips and her fingers thoughtlessly found his hair.
Fuck, he thought in the back of his mind. I have to stop, I'm going to do something reckless unless I let her go right now-
He didn't have to though, because suddenly Hiyori broke away from him, face scarlet, and covered her mouth with an utterly horrified sound.
"Why?!" she asked, as devastated tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. "How could you do that, Yato?!"
He stared, completely lost. "H-Huh? What did I-?!"
"You stupid, stupid idiot!" she wailed, smacking her fist none-too-gently against his chest. "You can't kiss me when I haven't even brushed my teeth! What is wrong with you?!"
Yato blinked and then broke into a slightly unhinged laugh.
"What the- I don't care about that, Hiyori!" he chuckled.
"It's disgusting, I was just sick-!"
He rolled his eyes. "It's seriously not a big deal, there isn't much about you I haven't tasted at this point, you know-"
"PERVERT!"
But even getting slapped wasn't enough to wipe the smile off his face; if she was energetic enough to want to hit him, then he'd done his job of distracting her just fine.
It was a tiny, silly thing, but it meant he wasn't powerless, that he could help her through her pregnancy in his own way. All he had to do was be there for her, plain and simple, and like in all small things, it would make every bit of difference in the end.
Now, if only they weren't already late for that stupid appointment downstairs, Yato could've taken the time to distract her far more effectively. He wouldn't have gone too far, of course; if he was the reason she had to suffer through a pregnancy, there was no way he was going to pressure her into even the smallest potential discomfort.
Even though it was seriously killing him inside.