Across the Boundary

by Hadi42

"Hiyori, I-" he began as soon as they'd broken apart. She sighed, and though she wanted to die thinking about it later, she lifted her blouse up and over her head. "Just shut up and kiss me, you idiot," she said with a courage she didn't know she had, tugging him down so he could do just that. [Yoru no Kizuna Part 8, TW: Sexual Content]

This is an expanded version of a scene from chapter 7 of my ongoing fic Nightbound. Unlike my other Yoru no Kizuna series extras, this one is pretty self-contained, so if you just want to sit through two idiots fumbling their way through a dumb, awkward sex scene, feel free to hop on in.

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Hiyori had no idea what she was doing.

Not just in terms of her mortified inner voice, so stunned by her own boldness that it'd gone completely silent in her dazed bewilderment, but in every way she could think of... or at least, when she was able to think, which was certainly not the case now.

Everything in the world that had ever concerned her had vanished, replaced only by the immediate urgency of Yato's weight pressing her back into his bedding, his hands tenderly caressing her face even as he all but bruised her mouth with the hard pressure of his lips grazing against hers. All of his excuses lay forgotten in some far corner of the room, tossed away much like Hiyori's blouse, leaving nothing but heat and earnest desire as one kiss melted into the next, sometimes clumsy, sometimes perfect, always utterly disarming.

Hiyori had long suspected that kissing Yato would leave her breathless and wanting more, but she hadn't been prepared for the way his mouth moved to nudge hers open, the way his tongue gingerly sought her own, or of her own willingness to desperately close the distance, to show him that she would do anything to prove how she felt about him. The kisses kept changing, morphing from one moment to the next, so that now he slowed down to offer several light brushes against her aching lip, gently catching it between his own to draw out that strangely pleasurable sensation mixed in with the pain of swollen skin... and now his hunger became insistent, his fingers flitting over the clasp of her bra, just distracting enough to make her gasp and allow him in, let him overwhelm her so that there was nothing but his form pressed longingly against her and the irresistible pull of his divine scent.

See, she thought, hoping he could hear her wordless prayer as their noses brushed in the tiny pauses where they stole what breath they could, If gods can love the way you say they do, then there's no reason you should feel unworthy of being loved in return.

His hand clasped hers, raising it above her head as he trailed his lips across her jaw and over the pulse-point of her throat.

I love you.

Teeth nipped at her skin, just a tiny sting that made Hiyori wish he would try to leave a proper mark.

I love you.

His hand traveled down her bare spine, raising her hips to caress the curve of her ass over her skirt. His palm snagged against the base of her Cord, drawing a small gasp of surprise, but he barely seemed to notice as he all but tore the zipper open, his fingers massaging her skin through her soft, cotton underwear as he worked the skirt off her thighs and returned to kissing her mouth with a satisfied sound when she kicked the garment off the rest of the way.

I know I'm just a simple, ordinary human girl who has no right to love a god, but still, I've loved you to the brink of death and back. From the second we met, I knew without knowing, I felt without understanding... Didn't you feel it too? Didn't you sense my heart's devotion to you long before it took form?

Her arms went up around his neck, wanting to keep him focused on kissing her for a while longer before he was inevitably drawn elsewhere. Teeth knocked together painfully as her enthusiasm clashed with his own, and they both groaned for a second, startled.

"Ow," Yato winced. "Careful, Hiyori, the last thing we need is for one of us to accidentally lose a tooth."

"S-Sorry," she mumbled, red-faced, but he smiled against her mouth with an expression of great contentment.

"I'm glad you want to kiss me that badly," he admitted, running his thumb over her jaw. "If I'd known... I'm sorry I was too big of an idiot not to do this months ago."

"I don't care, just don't-" Stop, she finished wordlessly as he nudged her mouth open once more.

She started to understand the patterns of his attentions, started cataloging the different sensations and how to best catch him off guard. After a few more painful incidents, she figured out how to alternate the rhythm of their movements, when to push, when to pull, how to capture his heated, distressed whine when she refused to let him set the pace. Before she knew it, she was mirroring his technique right back at him, and she grew more confident, hungrier in her desire to surprise him, even if she forgot to breathe.

I love you, Yato, I will always love you. So please, don't keep me at arms' length anymore, let me into your wounded heart, let me give you mine... Let me be the lifeline you deserve, make it impossible for me to ever forget you... and gods, please...

Don't ever stop kissing me.

It could have been minutes, or it could have been days, but soon Hiyori became keenly aware that her head was going blank and that she was panting with exertion. Still, she wouldn't pull away, still she held him firmly locked into the kiss, determined to get her message across the boundary of life and death and into his stubborn, childishly vulnerable, but ultimately inhuman heart.

"Hah!" Yato exhaled harshly when she finally ran out of stamina and fell back against the sheets, arms raised over her head in what she supposed was a kind of surrender. "Wh-where did you learn how to kiss like that?!" he gasped, touching his bottom lip weakly as he struggled to catch his breath, eyes wide with a mix of admiration and shock.

Hiyori stared numbly up at him. "I... I dunno, I was just following your lead... w-was it bad?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Fuck no," he groaned, closing his eyes as he took several deep breaths. "I never thought kissing could feel so... And your taste, I can't..." he trailed off as he shivered visibly, blushing down to the roots of his hair. "Did... Was that as good for you as it was for me?" he asked once he'd gathered himself enough to check in on her.

"M-Mm," she nodded, unable to meet his questioning eyes through her heated embarrassment. She was, after all, almost completely naked, the skin of her bare arms tingling pleasantly as he brushed his fingertips tentatively over them. "Maybe... do it again?" she offered, trying not to lose her nerve as the uncomfortably restrictive fabric of her bra reminded her of what she was offering and how badly she wanted it gone. "A bit less... careful this time?" she asked, fidgeting slightly with the sleeve of his jacket in lieu of spelling out her exact desire.

He gaped at her as though he'd never really seen her before.

"Y-You thought that was careful?!" he asked in a strangled voice. "Holy shit, who are you and what have you done with Hiyori?!"

"Y-You told me I should tell you what I like!" she blushed reproachfully.

Yato gave a dry, awed sort of chuckle.

"I did, didn't I?" he muttered, almost to himself. He leaned in to caress her cheek with a strange look, an almost reverent expression. "This... This really isn't a dream, is it?"

"N-No, it's not," she admitted, touching the back of his hand reassuringly.

"This is really happening?"

She nodded, suddenly rather shy. He looked so obviously happy, so guileless, like a small child who'd just received the greatest gift in the world.

"You'll tell me everything you like?" he asked again, with just a hint of mischief glinting in the corner of his eye.

She nodded again, almost imperceptibly, and he relaxed with a tender, loving smile...

A moment later his face paled. "But y-you'll tell me honestly right? You won't pretend for my sake?"

"N-no, I won't," she assured him, raising a hand to brush the messy bangs from his face, unable to resist those devastatingly blue eyes. "I'll say something if I don't l-like it, I promise."

He sighed with relief and clasped her hand, kissing the inside of her arm warmly. "That's all that matters to me, Hiyori," he admitted. He paused, and for the first time all afternoon he really allowed himself to glance past her face, his fingers tugging absently at one of the straps of her bra, winding the firm elastic around his fore and middle fingers as he contemplated something with great seriousness.

"So... Is... Is there anything in particular you want?" he asked, his face adorably reddened as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the lacy white fabric.

Hiyori blinked, unsure. "L-Like what?"

The side of his mouth twitched. "You know... how you want me to... to touch you?" he hesitated.

"H-how?" she repeated, confused.

Yato flushed, swallowing thickly.

"Well... d-do you want me to be gentle? Rough? Should I just focus on finding your s-sensitive spots? Do you want to try a few... uhm... positions, or t-techniques? Are you okay with me going all the way, m-making you mine... coming i-inside you?"

Hiyori felt all the blood rush to her face so quickly she nearly lost consciousness for a moment.

"Wh-what, you mean like... Y-your s-se-sem...?!" she couldn't finish her sentence, the technical term she knew from her studies stuck in her throat like a physical wedge.

"I-If you don't want me to I absolutely won't, I promise," he swore immediately, stricken by her reaction. "T-That's why I'm asking all this now, I don't want to do anything that might upset or hurt you, no matter how good it feels for me."

Hiyori covered her mouth with both hands, wanting to sink into the bedding and disappear in her mortification. "I... I... If you w-want to, I... W-Will... doing that... Will it make a d-difference?"

"Uhm, probably," he said, avoiding her eye. "If it's something you don't want, I'll have to be really careful, not get too c-carried away, and I'll have to... to pull out before..." He mumbled meekly, letting the unspoken words hang in the air between them. "B-But we don't have to go all the way either," he added suddenly, almost desperately. "There's more to sleeping together than just... you know... We could take it slow, mess around a little bit..." He seemed to notice her bewildered expression and flinched. "I-I know it's a lot, but... This is your playing field, Hiyori, I'm just along for the ride. I don't even need to be touched to feel good, it's more than enough to focus on you-"

Hiyori shook her head slowly. "No, I... I do want to go a-all the way, but... I really don't know much of anything else, Yato. I'm sorry, I've barely ever..." She trailed off, unconsciously pressing her thighs together. Hiyori had always been too embarrassed to really allow herself the freedom to learn her own body, and the few times she'd tried had been ruined by self-conscious shame. She'd told herself that just meant she was a serious, virtuous girl who would never be led astray by carnal desire...

But if her younger self could see her now, she wouldn't have known where to turn.

Hiyori bit back her unwelcome thoughts, reminding herself that hesitating now would only make Yato mistakenly believe she wasn't ready.

"A-All I know is... I want to be with you... I want to be yours, and h-have you to myself in a way no one else ever has... So... will you t-teach me?" she asked in a trembling voice.

He swallowed audibly, his expression complicated.

"I-If you'll teach me," he said, pressing his lips to her brow with utmost tenderness. "I'm really not that much more knowledgeable than you are, unless you count dirty magazines and comics, or all the sex tips I've read over the last century."

"I h-have no idea if those count, other than to prove you really are a pervert," she accused under her breath, unreasonably jealous at the thought that Yato had probably indulged in countless fantasies of other women, real or imagined.

"You're probably right, but some of what I learned is definitely paying off right now," he teased as he traced his fingers lightly over the cup of her bra, pausing to rub the hard little point in the center with his thumb. Hiyori melted under him, all other thoughts forgotten as she submitted to his far too careful touch.

"I love you... so, so much, Hiyori..." he whispered a second later, abandoning her breast to brush her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "I've dreamt of this moment for so long, told myself it could never happen, that I was imagining the way you're looking at me now... You don't know how much it means to me, just knowing you want me as much as I want you," he murmured softly as he kissed her again, an unbearably gentle touch that made Hiyori's heart skip a beat. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to find you, Hiyori."

"I think you've found me," she whispered back with a warm smile, unable to hide her own happiness at the sweet, earnest words. "And... I think you've stalled more than enough, my god."

His eyes widened in surprise at the honorific, and if Hiyori thought she'd seen him blush before, it was nothing compared to the wave of heat that practically radiated off his reddened face as he stared down at her with such a complicated wealth of emotion that she had to wonder how she could have ever believed he didn't understand love.

Something warm and wet splashed down onto her nose.

"Y-You... You are everything, Hiyori," Yato cried with a choked little sob. "I can't, I'm sorry, I-"

He made to pull away from her but she held him fast, her hands clutching the back of his jacket almost painfully as she hugged him close.

"You idiot... for a combat god who is 'supposed to be driven by his base desires', you are terrible at this, Yato," she sighed, stroking his hair. "What am I going to do with you?"

He laughed, a small, relieved sound as he let himself sink into her embrace and nosed at her cheek.

"I have some ideas, if you need any," he said. "You can also just keep doing what you're doing."

"You're not making it easy," she complained. He winced slightly.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to get out of this, I just needed a second..."

"I know," she said with a soft smile as she gently brushed the tears off his face. "I understand. It's just one of the hundreds of reasons I love you, Yato."

He blinked, surprised, and then beamed at her. "Hundreds, you said?"

"Mhm," she assured him, unable to resist the pure joy sparkling in his bright blue eyes.

"I don't suppose I could get that list in writing...?"

"Not on your life," she scoffed, prompting another chuckle.

"Then I'll just have to give you mine," he said, kissing the side of her mouth. A moment later all the sweet gentleness of the moment had vanished, replaced by the urgency of his deepening kiss. "But you won't need it in writing when I'm done with you," he promised in a low, sultry murmur between kisses. Hiyori gasped as the hard edge of his hidden erection brushed against her pelvis.

"Y-Yato..."

He let out a deeply sensuous moan, one hand twining into her hair, the other still fingering the elastic band on her shoulder hesitantly.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you call my name like that, or how seductive your scent is..." he said longingly as he began nosing at her jaw and the side of her neck, his breath hot on her skin. "You're driving me crazy, Hiyori..."

The vibrations of his voice speaking the very words she thought every single day traveled through her nerves and down her spine. When Yato then kissed a spot behind her ear that had previously made her tense up and cry out in panicked laughter, it was all she could do not to go limp and helpless as an entirely different sensation flowed down her back, through her belly, and out to the tips of her fingers and toes. A pathetic sort of whimper escaped her lips, an unbearable shudder of electric stimulation waking something in her she never knew she could feel as liquid heat pooled deep in her core.

"You really are sensitive," he noted with an indulgent chuckle, pulling back to grin at her dazed expression; she never could keep up with his whirlwind of changing moods, they left her feeling dizzy and pleasantly drunk, almost as potent as his scent. "I bet they don't tell you in anatomy class that being ticklish is also the sign of an erogenous spot."

"Don't..." she began, meaning to tell him not to tease her, but then he returned his attention to the side of her neck, a cheerful little hum accompanying each labored sound he managed to coax out of her.

"Don't what?" he asked innocently, knowing perfectly well what she meant. "I can't quite hear you, I'm a bit preoccupied right now," he teased, and though she couldn't see his expression she heard the evil smile in his voice as he turned her head and very lightly brushed his nose past the gooseflesh on the nape of her neck. "You'll have to say it again."

"I-Idiot," she groaned as he licked a soft line up to her earlobe.

"Does that mean you want me to stop?" he asked, nipping her skin with his teeth for a moment before he paused to wait for her response. Hiyori was sure he was still teasing her, but she was equally certain that if she honestly asked him to, he would waste no time in helping her cover up again.

"... No," she said, running a hesitant hand over the fabric of his t-shirt. "Would... can I take this... off?" she blushed, wanting to do more than just hide in his embrace.

"I dunno, can you?" he grinned, but he merely placed a soft kiss to her jaw and sat up to tug the jacket off his shoulders, his face reddening as she watched.

"Y-You don't have to stare," he accused, pausing with his shirt rolled halfway up his chest, his lean muscles well-defined in the afternoon light. "You're making me nervous..."

"You're staring at me!" she exclaimed, hugging herself across the waist as if that could hide the half-moon shape of her breasts peeking over her bra or the striped panties he (uncharacteristically) had yet to remark on. If anything, the gesture seemed to make Yato blush harder as his eyes flicked over her body and he nervously licked his lip.

"C-Can you really blame me?" he asked, forcing his gaze off to the side as he pulled the shirt off and hesitated. "How could I not stare when you're doing your damnedest to seduce me, Hiyori?"

"I'm not-!" she began, but she suddenly realized he was right; she was the one pushing him over the line, making it impossible for him to stay in control.

"You are," he insisted, crawling forward to brush the hair from her face once he'd tossed his shirt. "You're unbearably beautiful, I couldn't look away even if I wanted to. And I definitely don't want to." He kissed her again, leaning to the side so he could slip his hands behind her back and unclasp her bra. "Can I...?" he paused before he pulled the straps down her arms.

Hiyori swallowed hard, nervous despite the excited pounding of her heart.

"P-Please," she whispered, and Yato obliged, letting the garment fall away to expose her plump, pink-tipped breasts. There was a heavy silence as he took a sharp intake of breath and paused to drink in the full sight of her, his deep blue eyes raking her over hungrily. Hiyori trembled and hid her face in the crook of her elbow.

"Y-Yato, s-say something..." she begged, her skin burning just from the intensity of his gaze.

A feather-light touch traced a line up from her navel to brush against the underside of her left breast. Hiyori whimpered, the feeling of his fingertips lingering long after he took them away.

"... Fuck," he cursed softly, and despite her embarrassment, Hiyori couldn't help a small, slightly hysterical laugh at the reverent tone behind the dirty word.

"Ugh," she groaned, covering her face in her hands. "You're such a dork, Yato. You're supposed to be a god, you shouldn't curse as if you're praying."

"I said it 'cause I'm a god," he said defensively. "What else could I say? I already told you you're beautiful, and that's not even close to enough to explain what I'm feeling right now. I could tell you how much I want to mark you so that nobody will ever look at you without knowing you belong to me, but that's a pale, human imitation of what I really think. There are no words to say that, to really tell you exactly how much this means to me, how fiercely my soul is aching for you to be mine, and not just physically. When a god loves, it's all-consuming; I want your body, but I also want your heart, your soul, your essence, your very life... And even that doesn't really capture the sentiment."

"I... what am I supposed to say to that?" Hiyori trembled, unable to lower her hands. She felt incredibly hot, like her blood itself was on fire, and she didn't know how to face him when she knew his gaze was glinting with that beautiful, terrifying sharpness that set him apart from humans.

"Nothing, it's why I cursed instead," he admitted. "I knew I was in trouble, I just didn't really understand how much until just now... and if I loved you even a tiny shred less than I do, I'd probably have given into my aramitama by now."

Hiyori barely heard what he said; she couldn't focus when he was currently running his fingertips over her knee and thigh.

"But I do love you, and I won't let that happen," he said softly. A moment later the touch on her leg disappeared and he tugged her hand away from her face to press a small kiss to the inside of her palm.

"Please don't hide from me," he murmured softly into her fingers. "I want to see you, all of you."

Hiyori felt a lump form in her throat at the gentle warmth in his eyes.

"I... I can't help it," she whispered, her heart beating so fast it hurt. "When you look at me like that, I... I-"

The words stuck in her throat and became a strangled little sound as Yato ran his tongue between her fingers without missing a beat, not once lifting his gaze from hers.

"When I look at you like that?" he asked with a clearly shit-eating grin twitching at the edge of his mouth.

"Y-You-!" she choked, unable to say anything more. Yato laughed softly as he leaned in to rest his forehead against hers, his nose brushing past hers affectionately.

"I know... I'm the worst, sorry," he murmured against her lips. A moment later she felt his fingers run back over her hip, pausing to trace little circles with his thumbs as he inched his way up her stomach. "Not sorry," he breathed as he found another ticklish spot right under her rib and Hiyori squealed with reflexive laughter.

"W-Wait!" she gasped as he moved further up and found another, far more tender spot on the underside of her breast. Hiyori instinctively threw her arms around his neck, trying to both hide her helpless laughter and cut off his access, but it backfired spectacularly as Yato took the opportunity to draw her into another heavy kiss and ran his hand from the base of her Cord all the way up her spine.

"I'm done waiting, you're the one who told me to quit stalling," he muttered, touching that same spot on the back of her neck that he'd used to tease her earlier.

"N-No!" she yelped, though it was only a knee-jerk reaction; her whole body seemed to have become unbearably sensitive to his touch, and he barely had to brush her skin to send that same burning desire right down to the tightening pressure building up within her belly. She couldn't help jerking upward into his embrace as he caressed the back of her neck and shoulders, her breasts flush against his skin.

"No?" he asked as he gently pressed her back down into the futon so he could kiss her throat. "You sure about that? Your body's betraying you, you know," he noted, pinching her hardened nipple between his fingers. Hiyori moaned, her back arching despite herself to try and get closer to him, and her mind went totally blank as he took her into his hand and began kneading with gentle pressure. "Should I get a closer look?" he asked, all fake innocence as a loud, drawn out cry escaped her.

"Y-Yato...!" she cried, her breath catching as his palm rubbed against her nipple, pinching and squeezing her tender flesh as he went, pausing to press several warm, light kisses to her shoulder.

"You're so cute, Hiyori," he breathed, his other hand wandering over her waist. "And so soft, I could enjoy this feeling forever..."

His fingers hooked into the band of her underwear as he kissed her sternum, teasing it off a tiny inch at a time until Hiyori raised her hips impatiently to let him pull them away. He made a pleased, rough sound in the back of his throat at her eagerness and slid her panties down her thighs and over her knees with one swift movement. She kicked them off the rest of the way herself, and as soon as she was free of them, he lowered his mouth to her other breast and let his tongue drag over the firm little bud.

Whatever was left of Hiyori's reason dissolved into a desperate, keening sound as her hands buried themselves in his hair and her legs automatically spread wider to accommodate his weight resettling between her thighs. All she cared about was the wet heat of his lips and the deft ministrations of his hands fondling her breast, stroking her hip, groping her backside, digging fingers into the back of her thigh... She suddenly couldn't understand why he was still clothed, or why he wasn't inside her yet. He clearly wanted to be; his body rocked into her slowly with each languid kiss, each movement bringing her aching center to rub against the hot, intrusive shape of him under his clothes as his breath grew increasingly labored. Still, he never made a move to free himself, or to do more than lavish her with his full attention. Part of her loved him for it, adored his dedication and selfless focus as he took his time to learn her body, but another part of her was drowning in frustration as he did everything possible to avoid touching the part of her she most needed him to explore.

"T-Take that off," she whined thoughtlessly, her toes curling up into the leg of his trousers as he teased her nipple between his teeth.

"Hmm?" he asked distractedly, not really listening.

"Your stupid- hah... a-ah!" she cried as he suckled harder with a loud noise, derailing her thoughts entirely as she tugged at his hair with considerable force.

"Ow! Ow, ow, Hiyori, not so hard!" he gasped, abruptly letting her go. "You're gonna rip my hair out!"

It took her a moment to come back to her senses.

"O-Oh, gods, are you okay?!" she asked, her pleasurable haze forgotten in her rush of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I don't mind if you pull a bit here and there... I kinda like it, most of the time. But that was a bit too rough, even for me," he winced as he rubbed the back of his scalp. Hiyori blushed, ashamed at her own lack of control.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to h-hurt you."

"I know you didn't," he said, offering her a knowing smile. "But I'll take it as a sign that I'm doing a good job."

He leaned in to kiss her for what must have been the thousandth time, and Hiyori couldn't help sighing contentedly into it.

"So... Am I?" he asked a second later.

"Huh?"

"Doing a good job?"

Hiyori stared at him for a second and let out a choked snort of laughter.

"I know you said you wanted me to tell you what I liked, but I didn't think you expected me to give you a review!" she giggled incredulously.

"I mean, if you're offering-" she cut him off with a sharp jab to the ribs.

"OW! What happened to being sorry for hurting me?!"

"That was that and this is this."

"That's so mean," he sniffed petulantly. "I just wanted to know if you were happy or not."

Hiyori sighed, unable to resist his childish earnestness. She hesitated and wrapped her arms around his torso to let her fingers rest against his shoulder blades.

"I am happy, stupid. I've told you over and over, I love you," she said simply, and the corner of his lip vanished as he chewed on it with a sweet, nervous dusting on his cheeks.

"Not fair, you can't use that against me," he said in a small voice. "You know I'll do anything to hear you say that."

"Anything except the most basic, obvious thing," she muttered, only to blush heavily at her own daring a moment later.

"What?"

Hiyori took a deep breath to steady herself; shyness was getting her nowhere, and she'd never forgive herself (or him) if Yato never got to the point after coming this far.

Determined not to back down, she pointedly tugged on his waistband until he finally seemed to get the message.

"Oh, you want me to- you could've just said so," he flushed.

"I did!" she said bitterly. "You were too busy trying to get praise out of me to hear!"

"Fair enough," he said sheepishly. A moment later what was left of his tracksuit joined the rumpled mess of clothes across the loft. "Hold on," he said, taking her hand firmly as she reached for his boxers. "I need you to know that even after these come off, I'm not going to rush, no matter how much you want me to."

"W-Why not?" she asked, perplexed.

"Because if I don't spend enough time making sure you're ready, I could hurt you," he explained with a sad note in his tone. "That's the last thing I want."

Hiyori blinked, confused.

"I thought it's always supposed to hurt... the f-first time?" she said slowly, the embarrassment catching up now that she could actually process the weight of their conversation.

Yato grimaced. "That's not true. Any man who hurts a woman during her first time isn't doing everything he can to make it as painless as possible. It will be a little uncomfortable at first, but it's not supposed to hurt, and it's definitely not supposed to bleed. That's just a shitty myth men keep perpetuating to excuse how bad they are at pleasuring women. I'm not taking any chances with you."

She frowned, suspicious.

"I thought you said you'd never done this."

"I haven't," he assured her. "But did you think I was kidding about all those sex tips? I dunno if you ever read a magazine in the early 2000's, but there used to be entire sections just made up of them. Especially the imported ones. And some of the better ones backed their claims up with studies I also had a look at."

Hiyori had a mental image of Yato studying diligently at Yukine's table.

"You would," she groaned into her hand, torn between the desire to laugh or roll her eyes. "I'm going to find clippings in your closet if I look, aren't I?"

To his credit, Yato flushed guiltily.

"Uhm... please don't look, I'm not ready to hash out that particular conversation," he gulped.

"I don't even know if I want to know what you're talking about," she muttered. He pretended he couldn't hear as he ran his fingers over her clavicle.

"I can't believe how sweet and soft your skin is," he said softly. "I always knew you were pretty, Hiyori, but I never imagined you'd taste or smell so good."

Hiyori blushed. You're the one who smells heavenly, idiot.

"Y-You're just trying to distract me," she said, using the courage she gathered from avoiding his gaze to allow herself the chance to trace the taut lines of his stomach. She'd always been attracted to physical strength, but she'd never really stopped to appreciate the fact that Yato was far more muscular than his rather lanky frame suggested. She had the sudden urge to push him over and run her hands over every inch of him, to kiss his shoulders and his stomach, to rip his boxers off herself and conduct her own investigation of his naked body. Would he make the same helpless sounds she made when the tables were turned? Would he like the feeling of her hands caressing him, stroking him, her lips leaving wet marks across his chest and thighs?

"Is it working?" he asked with a smile, drawing her out of her rather shameless thoughts. She flushed despite herself, hating how stubborn her inhibitions still were. "Or do you just like what you see?" he teased.

She swallowed painfully and forced a tiny nod. "Y-yes... I do..."

Yato hesitated, caught off guard by her nervous response, and pushed his hair back away from his face.

"You are making it so hard for me to hold back, damn it," he groaned. "Literally," he added in an undertone, which Hiyori decided was best to pretend she'd misheard.

"It's only fair I touch you too," she mumbled shyly, spreading her palms over his ribs. "You're not the only one who wants to explore a bit."

"Explore, huh?" he asked, just a little playful.

"I... I want to know the b-body of the m-man I l-love," she stammered, sharply aware of the sound of his throat convulsing nervously as she spoke. She couldn't let her embarrassment stop her if she was going to get what she wanted, no matter how hot her face felt.

"A-and... what do you t-think?" he breathed.

"I...I'm not sure," she said honestly. "I don't know what I expected, but... I like t-touching you. It feels nice," she said, drawing a fingertip over his navel. She was done being a polite girl.

Yato said nothing, letting her map out his skin unimpeded. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing; she thought she could feel the heat of his gaze on her face, but she refused to look up and let him take the reins just yet.

"You're not ticklish," she noted after a minute, mildly disappointed. "I wanted to pay it back..."

"I am, in a couple places," he said quietly. "You just haven't found them yet."

"And you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope, I'd rather you find them on your own," he chuckled.

"Tease," she huffed, her hands wandering over the sides of his waist.

"Just a little."

"That's the biggest lie you've ever told," she accused. He grinned and pulled her into a loose hug.

"I can think of worse," he said, but Hiyori wasn't really paying attention.

"You're so warm," she sighed without meaning to; she was suddenly very cold without his weight pressing her down.

"You say that like you're not," he murmured into her ear, and Hiyori shivered as the liquid tones reached deep into her marrow.

"Not warm enough," she said honestly, her earlier determination evaporating as she caught his eye and reached to touch his cheek and brush the bangs out of his eyes. "Kiss me?" she asked softly.

"Always," he breathed, and Hiyori was sure she felt his aura shift slightly, his scent sharpening its unique tang as it settled on her tongue. She closed her eyes as his lips found her jaw, sighing readily as he pulled her in close.

"I wish time would stop right now," he whispered, more to himself than to her after a few breathless seconds. "I wish I could live here, in this moment, forever..."

"Yato..."

His hand took hers, and Hiyori barely even noticed the nervous clamminess of his fingers as he guided her to the thickened bulge under his boxers.

"You wanted to explore," he said softly as she hesitated in surprise at the feel of his hardness beneath her fingertips, just one flimsy layer of cloth separating her from him. "Go ahead, have a nice, long feel."

Hiyori's mouth went dry at the smooth, seductive tone of his voice. She couldn't look away from his reddened face as she let her curiosity inform her awkward little movements over his unfamiliar shaft, and she couldn't help the soft whine in her own breath as she ran an inquisitive finger from base to tip. It surprised her; she was the one touching him, but every delicate trace of her fingers over his underwear and the harsh, almost pained gasps of breath she elicited from deep within his throat sent a jolt right to her core and made her impatient and bold.

She began to rub her hand up and down the hard length, not quite able to hold him but still applying steady pressure. He tensed above her almost immediately, his eyes shut tightly closed as the arms holding him up started to tremble, his fists clenching the bedding hard enough to make the muscles in his arms and shoulders stand out. Hiyori stared up at him breathlessly, held captive by his vulnerable, cute reactions. If her inner voice were at all lucid, she would have died of shame at the shape of his cock pulsating under her palm, or at the wetness she felt gathering between her thighs as Yato moaned sweetly, his hips bucking slightly into her caresses, but every touch only seemed to excite her further.

She couldn't believe how satisfying it felt to pleasure him, even if it was only indirectly. She wanted to go further, to take him in her hands properly and stroke the firm flesh between her thumbs until he was completely at her mercy. She wanted to see what the little patch of wet fabric at his strangely rounded tip was hiding, what he looked like when he was fully free and erect, what he would do if she pushed him to his limits.

But she didn't get the chance. His hand suddenly gripped her wrist and stopped it in its tracks, his face red and his chest heaving as he gazed down at her with lidded, somewhat distant eyes.

"Stop, I don't want to waste this just yet," he said thickly. "I'm not confident I'll be able to do this more than once, I'm too nervous..."

"A-Are you sure?" she asked, a bit disappointed.

"Yeah," he assured her, bringing her hands to the side of his hips. "I loved every moment of that, but right now what I want is you, so I'll be patient."

She flushed as he gently hooked her thumbs into his waistband.

"Your turn to take something off, Hiyori," he murmured against her ear.

Hiyori swallowed her nerves and gave him a tiny apprehensive nod, but she didn't even hesitate as he drew her into a slow, heavy kiss and she blindly but assuredly pulled the fabric down over his hips, over the curved edge of his desire, and down toward his knees.

"I've got it," he murmured into the kiss a moment later when she made to break away and finish the job. His tongue licked at her mouth until she granted him entrance, and she felt him shift above her as the last barrier between them disappeared, leaving him as bare as she was without once breaking their kiss.

Everything suddenly felt right, and a feeling of deepest comfort settled over Hiyori like a physical blanket as she ran her fingers lovingly through his soft hair, savoring the intoxicating taste of his lips and tongue. She might live in an address in Tokyo, but home was here in Yato's arms, and it would be for the rest of her life, if she had anything to say about it. Whatever Heaven or Earth thought, Hiyori didn't care. Nothing about this moment was wrong or improper, not when fate had brought them to fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle, different in shape but perfect as a whole, and defied every odd to ensure they found their way to one another.

Because Hiyori might not be able to articulate the sentiment out loud, but she knew, deep within herself, that whether they were the truest of friends, a god and his most ardent believer, young lovers, soulmates, or even, officially or not, husband and wife, it all boiled down to the same thing: Hiyori belonged to Yato, and Yato belonged to Hiyori, and it would always be that way right up to the moment when she no longer drew breath, and quite possibly beyond.

"I love you," she whispered once he broke away with a heaving gasp. "I really, truly... I can't bear to live without you ever again, Yato."

"You don't have to, Hiyori," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, his thumbs coming up to caress the sides of her face. "Even if something pulls me away from you, I will always come home to you, I swear."

"Then... I'll always be here to welcome you home," she promised.

He smiled, nuzzling her cheek.

"I love you too," he reciprocated as he claimed her lips once more.

A minute later she was startled out of the kiss by the feeling of hard, hot flesh pressed into the tender skin of her inner thigh. She would have looked, but she was just as quickly distracted by the feather-light touch of his fingers running over the side of her breast as Yato propped himself up to resume his caresses.

"So pretty," he murmured, watching his own progress as he reached up to circle her areola with his thumb. "I could look at you forever, and it would still never be enough."

Hiyori shivered, her nerves alight.

"Y-You... you said you wanted to... t-to mark me," she said after a moment, wishing he'd recreate that terribly erotic feeling of his lips on her breast. Yato blinked, his thumb slipping over her nipple distractedly.

"What?" he asked blankly.

Hiyori felt her body tremble with apprehension at the all-too short contact but soldiered on.

"You said you wanted to... to make sure no one could l-look at me without knowing I belong t-to you..."

"You... are you asking me to give you a hickey?!" he demanded suddenly.

Hiyori almost lost her nerve.

"... I... I never said it c-couldn't be more than one," she mumbled, absolutely at her limit.

"Huh? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear-"

"YES, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, YES, PLEASE!" she shouted, only to clap her hands over her mouth a second later in horror.

Yato gaped at her, but soon his shock turned into a wry, nearly predatory sort of grin.

"I think Christmas just came early," he chuckled, his nose wrinkling mischievously. "I told you, Hiyori, tell me what you want, and what you like," he said, leaning in and murmuring directly into the side of her throat, making her whimper. "I would do anything for you... no matter how dirty," she felt him grin.

"I-It's not-" she began, but Yato seemed to be enjoying himself too much to let her off that easily.

"Isn't it?" he asked simply. "I mean, it's already pushing your usual limits that you want to sleep with me, but on top of that you want me to leave visible proof that you're mine? That's practically a kink."

"Don't say that!" she gasped, completely mortified. "T-That's not what-"

"Whatever you say," he shrugged easily, nipping her with his teeth. Her breath caught, her chest heaving against his. "But I'm just here to satisfy you, so your wish is my command." He moved his lips a bit higher up her neck. "Hmm, I could do it here. Everyone would see it then, is that what you want?"

Yes. "N-No, I didn't mean-" she groaned as he licked the spot, forcing herself to remember that sometimes her spirit and physical bodies transferred little scratches or bruises, particularly when Yato was the one responsible. It wasn't a sure thing, but she didn't want to risk it.

"No? Maybe somewhere more private?" He kissed the hollow of her throat and then her shoulder. "I could mark you somewhere only I'll ever see... That'd be a pretty good turn-on too."

He let his fore and middle fingers slide down over her sternum to the space between her breasts.

"How's this?" he whispered hotly against her ear.

Hiyori gave a tiny nod, her heart beating so fast it was making her vision flicker.

"Say it," he said firmly. "Tell me what you want."

Hiyori shut her eyes tightly, trying to find her voice.

"P-Please..." she whispered. "M-Mark me, Yato."

He rewarded her with several more kisses to the top of her breast as he moved closer. "Your wish has been heard, loud and clear, Hiyori," he said, pressing his lips to the spot. A sharp sting drew the smallest moan as her head fell back into the bedding, her entire focus on the pleasurable ache of a pressed bruise as he sucked at her skin with firm pressure.

She found herself praying the kiss mark would transfer; she wanted to be able to see it whenever she wanted, not just when she dropped her body.

After a minute, Yato released her with a longing sound in the back of his throat, pausing to run his tongue over the darkened skin twice.

"Well, I think that's alright," he noted once he seemed satisfied with his work. "It didn't hurt too much, did it?"

"N-No, it felt g-good," she managed at his teasing, bright-eyed expression.

"I'm glad," he said genuinely. "'Cause I liked it too."

"I know you did," she huffed, avoiding his eye.

"'Course I did. As long as you're enjoying yourself, I'll like anything and everything," he said, crossing his arms and leaning under the swell of her breasts to admire the dark red, coin-sized mark on her chest. "Though, I do have to admit, this might be one of my kinks too," he smiled.

"It's not a k-kink!" she protested, fighting the urge to shove her foot into his stomach. "I just... I wanted..." she mumbled the rest, her face going red again.

"I really can't hear you when you talk that quietly," he said, looking rather troubled. "What is it?"

Hiyori bit her lip.

"I... I want..."

"Yeah?"

"S-something to... to remember... t-this moment..."

All the mischief drained out of his expression.

"It's going to fade eventually," he noted sadly. "I'm sorry."

"T-There's nothing to apologize for!" she said, alarmed by the tone of his voice. "Why would you-?"

"... 'Cause," he said slowly. "I can't grant your wish properly. I don't know what else-"

"You. Are. An. Idiot." she enunciated drily. "I never said I wanted something permanent, and anyway, you can always... always m-mark me a-again," she added in hurried undertone. "B-Besides, you won't be able to see it at a glance, but... I'm s-still... I'm g-giving you... I w-want..."

She couldn't elaborate, but thankfully Yato seemed to understand because he kissed her stomach with great reverence.

"You're right," he said softly, nipping and biting his way up her torso. "And I know I said I won't rush, but... that doesn't mean I'm not going to try everything I can think of to make you call my name," he murmured, touching the back of her thigh. "And I've got plenty of ideas on how to do that."

She realized what he meant to do a split second before he nudged her knees further apart and the back of his hand brushed against her entrance.

Oh my god, she panicked, mortified by the utter lewdness of what was about to happen, but then his finger teased her inner lip and any objections were thrown out the window.

"Hah, oh... oh god," she echoed aloud, but her voice was thick with desperate lust as her hips raised just enough to grant him more space and her fists clenched white into the sheets. "Y-Yato, h-hah, I...I... ah!"

He hummed against her breast with obvious satisfaction. "Mhm, just like that," he said, dragging the tip of his finger up to rub against the little bundle of nerves at the top of her opening, just as he licked a soft stripe across her almost painfully hardened nipple.

Hiyori couldn't focus, and she certainly couldn't breathe. She couldn't stand the aching pressure building between her legs, her entrance growing wetter with each little caress against her sweet spot. Nor could she handle the scalding breath against her breast as he dragged several kisses around the areola, teasing here, nipping there, his tongue flicking past her sensitive point, just enough to coax another moan past her defenses.

Except she wasn't sure she had any defenses left; she wasn't even bothering to tense up whenever he brushed past somewhere ticklish anymore. She simply accepted his touch with several shuddering sighs, letting him stroke her and draw out the mind-numbing sensations that almost made her black out.

"Y-Yato, Yato...!"

"Good girl," he said indulgently as he moved up to lightly bite her earlobe and she hung onto his shoulders for dear life, her needy whines growing more reckless with every swipe over her clit. "But not loud enough," he noted, nudging her thigh up to give himself more room to work. Hiyori's whole body trembled, held captive by his voice and the feel of his breath against her neck, the questioning little brushes against her inner lip as he teased her entrance, the warmth of his bare skin against her breasts... How could surrendering herself like this feel so wonderful? How could anyone resist the pull of desire when it burned so hot through her very veins, when it threatened to leave her utterly undone?

"Louder," he insisted after a minute, and Hiyori didn't even think about disobeying as his fingers fully slipped inside her, her own slick lubricating his touch.

"Ah, ah...!"

She couldn't stay still, she couldn't stop her hips from moving to take him deeper inside, couldn't help the sense that it just wasn't enough, that one finger or two could never fill her up the way she wanted him to, not even when they rubbed against places no one had ever touched before.

But she was equally certain that if he stopped for even a second, the world would stop turning, and she couldn't bear for that to happen; he couldn't stop, not until... until...

Something inside her snapped, a sudden, hot wave traveling up and down her entire being as her head went completely blank and her whole body tensed for one amazing, drawn out moment. When it was over she collapsed back onto the bedding, weightless and dazed, sighing blissfully as Yato pressed a kiss to her forehead and brushed her hair back.

"Wow," he whispered. "I never thought you could make noises like that, Hiyori."

She gazed up at his warm smile, not really understanding what he was saying in her thoughtless afterglow.

"Yato... " she said, her hand raised to touch the soft features of the face she loved so much. Her fingers lingered over his swollen lips and the thin line of his nose. "... You... You're stupidly, unfairly pretty..." she noted thoughtlessly.

"Wh- At least say cute!" he pouted, though he seemed rather pleased by her comment. "The 'stupid' was unnecessary."

"You are cute," she admitted, though she had the faint, barely-there idea that maybe his definition of 'cute' was a bit different from hers. She just ignored the last bit. "But that's not what I mean... I mean... when I look at you, I feel like... like I'm looking at a beautiful painting... or a landscape... like you're more than just an attractive person."

"I'm a god," he shrugged. "I guess that might have something to do with it."

"Not all gods are pretty," she insisted.

"True."

"I used to think you were only pretty, but now..."

Yato looked stricken. "Y-You don't think I'm pre- I mean, cute, anymore?"

She shook her head dreamily. "That's not it... now that I know you, now that I've seen all the different sides of who you are... I... I don't know, I just... I feel so happy when I look at you... I don't just see the pretty anymore. "

He nuzzled her cheek with a gentle smile. "Yeah, well, that might be the orgasm talking."

"Hmm...?" she asked, drawing the sound out far longer than it needed to be.

"Yep, I thought so," he chuckled, holding her close. "That good, huh?"

She blinked, her senses coming back into focus. A moment later she flushed crimson.

"Oh."

He laughed. "That's one way to put it. I'm guessing you liked it?"

She shrank into his embrace. "I... I did, I just... I've never felt anything like that before," she groaned. "And I didn't even do anything for you-"

"Don't worry about that," he said simply. "Trust me when I say it's for the best... and it's not like I didn't enjoy it at all," he teased as he kissed her cheek. "I learned that I really like seeing you come. Though... I never actually doubted I would."

"Yato!"

"What?!"

"You know what!" she groaned.

"Leave me alone!" he huffed, bristling. "This is the only time my dirty mouth is justified so just let me have this, for fuck's sake."

Hiyori couldn't help laughing.

"You're such a child," she giggled.

"Am not."

"Are so."

He made a noise of deep displeasure and without warning nosed into the crook of her shoulder and blew hard against her skin.

"KYAAA!" she screamed and fought back, unable to hold back a manic bark of laughter as he pinned her down and set to tickling every bit of her his hands could reach. "NOO! STO- AHAHAHA! STOP, STOOOOP!"

"Divine punishment!" he insisted, though he was laughing too, and it wasn't long until they both ran out of breath and he lay his head on her chest, her fingers running through the dark strands of his hair as he nosed at her shoulder.

"You're the worst," she accused, but she couldn't completely hide the warm, relaxed feeling of his weight blanketing her, relatively innocently, all things considered.

"I had a point to make," he muttered.

"Well, you definitely proved you're even more of a child than I thought," she said.

He scowled. "I'm way older than you!"

"Not where it matters," she teased. "I'm catching up pretty quickly."

Yato's face went pink, and he timidly traced the line of her breastbone. "... Well, your body definitely is."

"YATO!"

A grin played across his lips as he ignored her reaction and touched the bruise he'd left. "This suits you," he said, pressing a soft kiss over it.

"Th-That doesn't make any sense," she huffed.

"Makes sense to me," he shrugged. He reached for her hand and turned her fingers thoughtfully in his own. "Everything about you makes sense to me."

"I have no idea what you're saying," she said, a little apprehensive at the tenderness of the gesture.

"I couldn't explain it if I wanted to," he shook his head. "You just... when it comes to you, especially when you're with me, everything makes sense. Life, death, the Boundary, the sun rising in the sky, the moon circling overhead... I feel like everything leads me back to you."

Hiyori couldn't help the heat rising in her face.

"T-That... I don't know how you can say things like that with a straight face," she mumbled.

"But you like hearing them," he said. It wasn't a question.

"... They're like poetry."

"I could write you poetry, but it's not really my style," he grinned, pressing a kiss to her rib. "These are just me trying to explain what it's like to be a god who loves a mortal."

"They're romantic," she admitted quietly.

"I guess, they are a declaration of my feelings."

"I really like them."

"I know, that's what I've been saying," he said, slowly traveling down her belly with each touch of his lips.

"Yato..."

"Hmm?"

"You make sense to me too."

He smiled against her navel. "I'm really happy to hear that, HIyori."

He scraped his teeth over the next patch of skin, making her shiver, and paused to leave a second mark just under the dimple of her belly button. Hiyori took a sharp intake of breath at the sensation, which seemed to encourage him.

"You're so adorable," he murmured as a small whine escaped her. "Purr some more for me, won't you?"

He shifted down a bit further and suddenly she realized she could feel his breath between her thighs.

"Y-Yato, wait-!" she yelped, meaning to tell him he didn't have to do that, that she was probably dirty and hadn't even showered yet today, and that even if it was only her spirit body, she was still uncomfortably wet from his earlier attentions and she didn't think he'd like kissing her there-

His tongue dipped into her folds before she had a chance to say anything else, and then her hands were desperately wound in his hair, her cries raw and even less coherent than the last time. She quite literally saw stars as her breath was held a minute too long, her body practically writhing beneath him as he firmly held her open, his tongue running up and down along her slit, thrusting rhythmically into her entrance, licking clean the wetness that smeared over her labia... Just as she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he pulled away to bite at the inside of her thigh, making her yelp in surprise for a moment before he sunk two fingers inside her, all the way up to the knuckles, and licked a languid stripe over her clit.

Hiyori almost cried real tears in her desperation, in her need to feel him further than he could reach, in her desire to feel him spread her out, fill her in, lift her up into his lap and thrust himself in from below with a series of greedy kisses capturing each of her cries... But it still felt so good, even when he insisted on only using his mouth and his fingers to rub against her walls. His deep, throaty hum sent vibrations right through her clit and up her spine, his movements quickening as his lips closed over it with a soft moan of his own, and suddenly it was all too much. She came, abrupt and swift, and had to gasp so violently to regain her breath that Yato panicked and hastily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he hurried to check on her. He spent an entire frantic minute trying to calm her, his hands cupping her face as he begged her to take deep, slow breaths with him, until, at last, she slumped against his touch and weakly kissed his palm.

"You scared me, Hiyori!" he said, eyes wide and terrified as he ran careful fingers over her cheek. "I thought you were having a fit, or a heart attack, or something!"

"I'm- hah- m'kay..." she mumbled, managing a small smile. "I... I..."

"Shh, don't talk, just breathe," he insisted, fretting nervously. "I'm sorry, if I knew you'd react like that, I never would've-"

She shook her head with a slightly frantic urgency. "N-No, that... that was..." she trailed off, unable to find words, so instead she just pulled him down into a sloppy, heated kiss. She couldn't help noting the unfamiliar taste now lingering on his tongue, and a sharp jolt shot through her belly as she realized she was tasting herself on him. She wanted to be upset by it, or at least, she felt she ought to be upset, or at least embarrassed by it, but it only served to make her ache more fiercely than ever, her ayakashi nose suddenly far too sensitive to every trace of her pleasure on his skin.

He fought her as soon as he'd gathered his wits, desperate to give her air.

"H-Hey, I said you need to breathe!" he insisted. She made a frustrated sort of sound in the back of her throat, not quite lucid enough to explain herself, or to express how badly she needed him to just stop worrying and take her already-!

"I-Idiot!" she groaned after another deep breath, but that only seemed to confuse him so she lunged for his shoulders and pulled him down onto her, her thighs parting to bring him right up against her pelvis as their faces hovered only an inch from one another. His breath burned against her lips, and she was sure he was thinking the same thing as Yato stared down at her with a glazed-over look.

"H-Hiyori, wh-" he finally managed, but she groaned and pressed the back of his head down to lightly knock her forehead against his.

"You are so clueless sometimes! I... I can't wait anymore!" she insisted as soon as she had the oxygen for it. "I want you now, Yato, please-"

His face changed color from stark white to deepest red so fast that she actually saw him sway dizzily for a moment.

"Fuuuuuck," he groaned, hiding his face in her shoulder. "I thought... shit... you really enjoyed that, didn't you?!"

"Yes!" she exclaimed with mild irritation. "I'm t-trying to tell you-"

"Damn it," he cursed as he faced her with a deeply apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Hiyori, I was so scared, I need a few minutes to... HNNG?!"

She brought him crashing down again into a furious kiss, shutting him the hell up before he wasted a single second more. It didn't take very long at all for him to reciprocate the urgency, and before she could repeat her request, he had already re-settled perfectly between her knees, his revived member rubbing against her entrance longingly.

"A-Are you sure you're-" he managed breathlessly.

"Ask me again if you want to find out what wrestling moves I've been practicing lately," she snapped, drawn far too tight to put up with any more interruptions.

He grinned despite himself but said nothing more as he gingerly interlaced his fingers into her hand, sweet and gentle, and easily slid right between her walls with only the smallest push.

Her soft gasp overlapped with his strangled moan at the same moment, and Hiyori distinctly felt him twitch inside her, the unfamiliar shape of him both mildly uncomfortable and wonderfully intimate. The nervous tension in her hips dissipated with each second that passed as she slowly adapted to his warmth and form. It didn't hurt at all, though he was definitely thicker than his fingers had been, and her core felt just a bit too tight around him, but in the best way. Soon enough her initial discomfort melted away too, so that all that was left was a feeling of unbelievable fullness, a welcome, perfect fit, as though her body had been shaped just so intentionally, always meant for him alone. Hiyori supposed the opposite could be true as well, though she couldn't quite imagine that some divine will somewhere would influence a god's physique just for a mortal girl's carnal specifications.

Yato didn't move. His face was completely hidden in the crook of her shoulder, his breath scalding the nape of her neck as he squeezed her hand tightly.

"Yato...?" she asked, worried after a full minute.

"Fuck. I need... If I move right now, I'm going to come undone in seconds," he muttered. "You have no idea what you're doing to me right now, Hiyori."

"I-I'm not doing anything," she said, bewildered.

"You are," he hissed, and she felt him twitch again, drawing just the tiniest hitch of breath from her lungs. Even that small movement made a shiver of anticipation travel over her skin. "You're so goddamned tight inside, and really, really wet..."

"J-Jeez! Don't say things like that out loud!" she flushed.

"Oh now you're embarrassed!" he huffed, swallowing thickly a moment later. "You practically strong-armed me into this- Hah! Fuck! Don't move!" he cried with a powerful shudder.

"I didn't!"

"Y-you're squeezing me!" he gasped, his grip on her fingers tightening almost painfully. "I'm begging you, Hiyori, take it easy on me! I want to make sure you feel good too-"

"I... I do feel good," she said truthfully, closing her eyes as he kissed her brow shakily. "Really good," she added in a small, slightly embarrassed whisper. "I never thought... I didn't know it feels so warm, or so nice... People always warned me that it would hurt, that women don't enjoy it, but... I could stay like this forever..."

"Hiyori..."

"I'm... I wish I could express how happy I am right now," she murmured with a small sniffle as he brushed his nose gently against hers. A knot of complicated emotions had formed somewhere in her chest, and suddenly it was too much to hold in. She felt a tear streak down her cheek, and then another.

"I-If you're happy, why are you crying, Hiyori?" he asked softly, his eyes frightened and concerned. "You promised you wouldn't lie, so you have to tell me, please... am I hurting you?"

"It's not t-that," she whimpered. "I'm telling the truth, I really am happy, it's just..."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me," he said, his thumbs caressing her cheeks with tender gentleness. "Just... Please, don't cry, Hiyori... I can't bear to see you in tears..."

"I'm okay, I promise you're not doing anything wrong," she assured him, her eyes blinking closed as he kissed the salty droplets away. "I just... I love you so much, and it almost hurts how happy I am to be sharing this wonderful feeling with you... But I'm also ashamed at my own cowardice... I spent so long lying to myself, and then hiding my feelings because I was sure you didn't feel the same way... It's been four whole years... for me that feels like an eternity, but for you... I wasted all that precious time I could have given you. I've wanted this forever, almost as long as I've known you... so why did I let myself be so indecisive when I knew I wanted to be with you from the start?"

"It happens," he murmured. "Love is hard. At least, it's been hard for me. Pun not intended," he said, the side of his mouth twitching at her exasperated little groan. "Besides, nothing was wasted," he insisted, brushing his lips lightly over the side of her jaw. "These years with you and Yukine have been everything I never knew I needed. Sex isn't everything... though I am a big fan right now," he added under his breath.

Hiyori giggled despite herself, a small hiccup escaping her from the sudden shift in mood.

"Much better," he said softly, holding his palm to her cheek tenderly. "I love you, you know. I really do... I want to make you the happiest girl in the world, Hiyori..."

"Yato..."

"Do you still think I'm lying?" he asked with a soft touch of the lips. "Do you still feel like I'm just telling you what you want to hear?"

"N-No," she whispered, her mouth trembling slightly as she remembered something else. "B-But..."

Yato's eyes flashed with sadness. "I've meant every word I've said to you, what more do you need before you can trust me?"

"I do trust you!" she said, alarmed. "It has nothing to do with trust. I'm just... I'm scared, Yato. I've dreamt of being yours for such a long time, and you have no idea how elated I am to hear you say you love me, I'm just... what if by asking this of you, I've just done something I can't undo? What if Heaven comes after you? I don't want to lose you-!"

"I told you, you don't have to listen to whatever that jerk Kazuma said-"

"I do," she said, fresh tears spilling over her face. "I don't want to be the reason you and Yukine-kun get hurt, Yato... I can't be the reason, I'll never forgive myself."

"You won't be," he swore. "I won't let anything happen to you two."

"That's just it," she said sadly. "I wanted this, wanted you, more than anything... more than the worry that I might be doing something terrible. And after today, I don't know how to stop wanting you. I would do anything, Yato, anything, just for the chance to love you for the rest of my life. But... I can't help it, even if I know that, even if I've already decided that, I still feel so selfish..." she whispered.

"You are not selfish," he insisted. "You're human, and you're in love. It's okay to want, okay to take risks if they mean enough to you."

"B-but these are your lives, Yato... How can I ever justify that? But what's worse...

"What's worse," she hiccuped, covering her mouth with the back of her hand for a moment to gather herself, "is I already let myself justify it... I am justifying it, all because I can't bear the thought of returning to a life where I'm not allowed to love you... I can't do it, I can't..."

He bit his lip, an uncertain look in his eye as he regarded her sadly.

"Hiyori... are you... does that mean you regret being with me?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Should I have stopped this before it got too far...?"

"No!" she insisted immediately. "That's not what I meant! It's not about regret, I just..." she trailed off, her heart breaking at his devastated expression. "Yato, no, please, I could never regret this... Can't you t-tell?" she said, avoiding his eye as she timidly nudged the side of his hip with her knee to remind him of what they were doing. "I-I wouldn't be so... I w-wouldn't have..."

"Y-Yeah... I can definitely tell." He gave her a small, sad little smile even as he blushed hard, a shiver passing through him and into her, sending a pleasant, tingling warmth up her spine. "I... I'm starting to get a feel for how you like to be touched, what makes you feel good. And I'm pretty sure... after what I've seen so far, that you're enjoying this, even if I haven't moved yet... y-you really are squeezing me so nicely... it's like a... a pulse, a wave that keeps repeating every few seconds and passes over every inch of me," he said as he swallowed thickly. "It's so good... it's taking all my concentration not to follow your lead."

"God, why do you have to say it out loud?!" she asked in a high, embarrassed voice as she covered her face in her hands.

"I like telling you how you make me feel," he replied simply. It was such an honest reply coming from him that it caught her off guard. She peeked over her fingers and saw that his eyes seemed to be staring off at a point a bit to her left, their usual glimmer now dim and conflicted. "And I love knowing I'm making you feel good too... But if you have doubts about this-"

"I don't. That's why I'm crying... I..." she sighed, lowering her hands and forcing the lump in her throat as far down as it would go. "I think... Maybe it's just been a lot for one day... and I didn't mean to ruin the moment..."

He turned back toward her, alarmed.

"You haven't, Hiyori-"

"I have," she said, steeling herself. This wasn't the time to be overwhelmed by fear; Hiyori had already made her choice, and if she didn't focus on seeing it through, she would only hurt Yato. "I'm sorry, I... I got a bit overwhelmed..." she admitted, focusing only on the hands now cupping her face and the worried, tender look in his eyes.

"Don't apologize, dummy. All I want is to make sure you're happy, Hiyori. If you don't want this anymore, we can always stop-"

"Don't you dare!" she gasped.

He blinked at the fierceness of her refusal, and then that terribly lascivious smirk was back on his lips, and his eyes were shining with mirth.

Her face suddenly felt extra hot.

"Alternatively, we could just stay in this bed together forever," he offered. "I've got a lot of ideas I still haven't tried. If you're worried I haven't come yet, I can definitely suggest a few things too..." He bent to whisper a few in her ear, but truthfully Hiyori was so out of it she could only focus on the unintentional shift of his body as he leaned in.

Oh no, oh god, she thought, her toes curling as she took a shaky, unsteady breath and let the sensation melt into her flesh. He... He feels so good, I... i need him to move, I need him to take every last thing I have... I...I can't take this, I can't handle a second more, please, please stop talking, Yato!

He kissed her cheek gently, and that brought her back to her senses with a small jolt. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice that she'd spaced out as he pulled back to look at her; he just seemed to think her flustered expression was a reaction from whatever obscenities he'd tried to offer her.

"Another time, though," he said, oblivious. Hiyori focused on the ever-changing color of his beautiful eyes, trying her best to stay present. "If I weren't so nervous I could probably even manage to go more than once... though..." his tone changed, became less mischievous. "if I'm being honest... I wouldn't mind just... staying like this... I like feeling connected to you," he admitted running a finger over her bottom lip longingly.

Hiyori smiled at the gentleness of his voice.

"I like it too," she said warmly. "I really do..."

"Oh, I know," he grinned.

She stuck her tongue out at him and he stuck his out right back, his nose wrinkling playfully at her.

"Does that mean you're feeling better now?" he asked as he pulled back to kiss her forehead. "We really can stop if you don't want to do this right now, we can always try again another time-"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I want you. I want to love you with everything I am," she said honestly. "I love this feeling, but... I want you to feel as good as you've made me feel."

"No danger of that not happening," he noted drily, suppressing a shiver as she shifted slightly beneath him. "I wouldn't even have to move. All you'd have to do is kiss me the way you did earlier, and I'd come embarrassingly fast-"

"Ugh, stop!"

"Sorry," he said. "Except I'm really not."

"Oh shut up and just..."

"Kiss you already?" he asked innocently.

Hiyori huffed but reached up to slide her fingers over his breastbone until her palm rested right over his heart.

"No. Take me," she said, her cheeks a little warm even as she held his gaze. "Have me. I want you to... t-to make l-love to me, properly."

Even his ears seemed to flush red as she watched.

"Hiyori... Y-You're sure?"

"More sure than I've ever been about anything," she said, taking his face into her hands. "I want to be yours, only yours."

He smiled, a sweet, genuine smile without a single ounce of mischievous intent.

"Okay, whatever you want," he murmured as he leaned in to draw her into a slow, gentle kiss. "As long as you're happy, Hiyori."

"More than anything."

His eyes seemed to dance in the afternoon light. "Then I'll gladly have you, Hiyori. But... you do know that technically, you're already mine, right?" he said as he wound a strand of her hair between his fingers.

Hiyori blushed but returned the smile all the same. "Of course I do... I can feel you, Yato."

He raised a brow as he pressed a kiss to the loop of hair and purposefully let it cascade back onto her shoulder.

"Good," he said, a little too nonchalantly to be entirely innocent. Sure enough, he bent down to whisper in her ear a moment later. "Cause I'm going to make sure you can feel me there for days."

Blood rushed into her face, her heart pounding loudly against her eardrums as a sharp, desperate pang shot through her belly.

"Shit-!" he groaned, a throbbing sort of ache echoing inside her walls in response to her movement. "Hiyori...!"

"S-Sorry," she apologized, too flustered to look at him.

"D-Don't be," he said with difficulty, brushing her cheek with the back of his shaky knuckles. "That felt amazing, I just... I wasn't expecting it, it caught me off guard, almost lost control... I'll be more than happy to get you to do that again in a few minutes though."

Hiyori made a small noise of distress but decided the less she talked, the faster he would deliver on his promise.

He tipped her face up to kiss her.

"I love you, Hiyori," he whispered with a soft brush against her lips. "More than you can even imagine."

With a shuddering breath, he began to rock his hips, each movement bringing him almost completely out of her with a slow, deliberate motion before he pushed back in with a wet, satisfying sort of sound. Hiyori gasped, her breath hitching as each inch of him buried itself deep within her core, stroking her from within with burning, languid friction. His scent was so strong that Hiyori quickly drowned in it, her only concern that she breathe in as deeply as possible, that she taste her own desire mixed in with his heady musk and let it drive her lust to bring him in as far as physically possible, her ankles crossing to pull him close while their hands clasped together desperately on the sheets.

"Yato..." she shuddered longingly, her head thrown back a second later with a terribly loud moan, in total rapture of his presence, his body, his scent. She wondered if this was what it felt like to go insane, and why anyone would ever fight that urge. It felt better than she could have imagined, even in her most optimistic daydreams. It wasn't just the motion of him between her walls either; she couldn't help rubbing herself against him, enjoying the gravity that made her breasts move up and down against his chest, the rebound of her pelvis as her thighs rose to meet his movements, her whole body rocking back and forth into the futon deliciously with each of his thrusts.

He belonged inside her, she could feel the rightness of it, the growing ache in her belly as his movements quickened, becoming faster and a little reckless. Sweat trickled down his brow as he licked the side of her neck, his lips caressing her skin as the fingers of his free hand found her breast again.

"Hiyori... Hiyori...!" He moaned, taking her again and again as her cries ramped up in wanton ecstasy.

There was another heavy kiss, and another, and suddenly Yato faltered in his movements as he fought to breathe evenly and catch her eye.

"I'm... I can't- If you don't want me to come inside, I have to-"

"I want everything you have," she swore, and she knew when she saw the dark glimmer in the back of his unnatural irises that he was fighting some primal urge to take his pleasure without worrying about how she felt. Perhaps another time she might've been afraid, but at the moment she had the utmost faith that his loving touch and gentle caresses meant that he would never hurt her, that he would put her comfort and enjoyment first, just as he had been doing all afternoon-

A loud, sharp crack echoed in the room and Hiyori's jaw exploded into sudden agony just as Yato came to a dead stop and echoed her cry of pain.

"OW!" they both yelped, clutching their respective injuries. Yato had accidentally knocked the top of his head right into Hiyori's chin in a careless, probably overzealous reaction to the affirmation of what she wanted.

She groaned and tried to move her jaw. It hurt, but it seemed to work just fine. She turned her attention to him, meaning to ask how he'd fared, but when their equally worried eyes met, a wild impulse seemed to strike them both at the same time and they burst into loud laughter.

"Ow," she giggled. "That was not how I expected that to go."

"Sorry," he said, his mouth still twitching with mirth. "I got too excited, I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"I know, I didn't mean to hurt you either-"

"We really are bad at this, aren't we?" Yato grinned lopsidedly. "We've spent more time just talking than actually sleeping together-"

"... Maybe a little," she said shyly. "But... I don't mind, d-do you?"

"I'd have to be an idiot to mind right now," he scoffed, missing the point entirely. "But no, even if I wasn't cock-deep in-"

"OH MY GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she shouted, smacking him in the shoulder.

"YEOWCH, DON'T HIT ME!"

"DON'T BE SUCH A CREEP!"

"IT'S THE TRUTH AIN'T IT?!"

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SAY IT LIKE THAT!"

"HOW EXACTLY DO YOU WANT ME TO PHRASE IT?! 'I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING YOU'?! 'I'M BURIED INSIDE YOUR C-?!' OWWWWW!" he shouted as she slapped him across the face.

"HOW DID I END UP WITH YOU AND YOUR FILTHY MOUTH?!"

"HAH?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED THIS-"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO DATE ME-"

"WELL YOU'RE THE ONE WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH ME!"

"AND YOU'RE THE ONE WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH ME!"

They glared at each other angrily, but it was impossible to keep a straight face when Yato had an admittedly valid point about their current situation. Every irritable, harsh breath made their bodies shift against each other, sending unintentional currents of pleasure up their spines as they eroded the indignation one shiver at a time. Before they knew it, they were both giggling like idiot schoolgirls, drawn back to one another as naturally as though they'd never broken the embrace at all.

"You're right about one thing, I do love you," Hiyori admitted as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I think you've done something questionable to put me under your spell, Yatogami."

"Mm, a spell, huh..." he said nonchalantly, brushing his nose over hers affectionately. "Can't say I'm very good at those. But the questionable part... I dunno, what do you think?"

"I think you talk too much."

He chuckled.

"Oh, I think you like hearing me talk. And I think you're a satisfied customer on the other point. Two very nice sales... and counting."

"You like hearing yourself talk," she snorted.

"... Not untrue. I like hearing you call me by my title more though."

"What, Yatogami?"

"Yatogami-sama," he corrected pointedly.

"Oh, no, that's not happening," she said without hesitation, but the indulgent smile on her face ruined it.

"So there's hope then," he said cheerfully. "Before or after I hit three sales, do you think?"

Hiyori rolled her eyes, though it was with a certain fondness for his antics and a pink tinge to her cheeks.

"You know, I think we might have a bit of brain damage," she said pointedly. "That injury was pretty painful."

"Eh, there are worse sex injuries."

"And you know this because-?"

"Magazines. Keep up, Hiyori! I'll start worrying you've gotten all sex-addled at this rate," he said with a click of the tongue.

"That I can accept as semi-decent Japanese," she scoffed. "Semi."

He rolled his eyes, stifling a grin. "You need to relax, Hiyori. I'm a god, remember? Who cares if I don't talk politely?"

"I do," she said stubbornly.

"You care way too damned much," he muttered, kissing her throat. "Can I get back to work now? I do have a time limit."

"I never told you to stop," she huffed, but she couldn't help the dumb smile that stayed on her lips as he pulled her into a far more compromising kiss, his hands coming to rest against the small of her back to hold her as close as possible.

"Technically I never did stop," he breathed.

"... I noticed."

He pouted against her mouth.

"You're no fun."

She nipped his bottom lip.

"I refuse to negotiate with foul-mouthed terrorists."

"You're just saying that."

Hiyori gave a sound between a huff and a snort.

"Am I, though?"

"You love me," he insisted.

"... Mm... against my better judgement, I suppose I do," she said, playing at reluctance.

He made a falsely outraged noise.

"Wow, rude. I'm gonna make you regret that."

"I dare you to tr- WAIT!" she cried as he bit a spot under her ear and half-sucked at the skin there as a vague threat. "Don't! You can't leave a mark there!"

"Oh, can't I?" he asked menacingly.

"My parents will see it! The school will see it! I'll get expelled!"

"Oh come on, it's not 1990, you'll get detention at worst-"

"I don't want that either!"

Yato sighed petulantly. "Fiiiine, I won't leave a mark there," he promised, but Hiyori distinctly caught the evil glint in his eye when he kissed her cheek and lowered his voice. "But maybe I'll leave a few more somewhere better, after we're done here," he added as he nibbled her ear and she gave a weak, high pitched voice of distress. She was so distracted by his hot breath against her ear and the shivers traveling over her skin that she wasn't prepared for him to start moving again.

"Ah! N-No, hold on, I need a- ah, Y-Yato, Yato!" she cried as he reached between them to rub a finger against her clit between each thrust. She suddenly had zero reasons to stop him or complain.

"Hiyori..." he groaned softly against the pulse point of her throat. "I need you to come for me, I don't have much left- hah, fuck... I won't give in yet, I gotta..."

"F-Faster," she gasped, clinging tightly to him as he obliged and his pace devolved into a series of reckless, clearly desperate movements, his entire length slipping in and out jerkily as she cried his name, the sound of wet skin slapping together filling the gaps of every lewd moan and ragged breath.

"Hiyori! I'm gonna... I can't-!"

But she couldn't really hear him over the sudden wave of pleasure ripping through her, different still from the ones she'd already experienced. This time she recognized the now-familiar mind-numbing, breathless ache of tightening muscles, but she also continued to feel the last of Yato's shallow thrusts echoing deep in her belly, and he somehow managed to rub right past a place Hiyori had never known existed, a spot that sent a second, different bolt of lightning through her body, augmenting the already wonderful aftershocks as she rode out the throes of her climax.

She had barely come back to her senses when Yato tensed against her with a shuddering breath and a new, equally disarming sensation rushed into her. She tightened her grip on his hair with a soft cry as he spilled himself inside her, the feeling so gratifying and intimate that she lay there breathlessly, her mind blank but for the strange pride she felt at accepting him into her body, for having been able to give him the same pleasure he'd given her.

He collapsed into her arms, trembling but still inside her, though no longer as hard as before.

She decided she liked that feeling too, and she didn't want it to end anytime soon, though when it did and he reluctantly slipped out a few minutes later with a rather mortifyingly wet sound, she flushed self-consciously but didn't mind as much as she'd thought she would; it was equally lovely to cradle Yato's tired frame in her arms, his face snuggled close as his fingers traced lazy, thoughtless circles across her shoulder.

"Yato..." she sighed, just wanting to keep calling his name a little longer.

"Mm..." he said tiredly, but a second later he seemed to tense up. "W-Was... Was I okay? I thought I felt you come, but I'm not completely sure you felt as good as I did... Did... I didn't mess up did I?" he asked quietly, and she could tell that this time it was a genuine concern.

"I don't think the word 'good' comes even close to describing what just happened, Yato," she said warmly, kissing his temple as he nuzzled into her hair with relieved happiness. "I... I honestly don't think there's a word strong enough."

He offered a sleepy half-grin.

"Amazing? Awesome? Divine?" he joked. "I like the last one, personally."

"Idiot," she clicked her tongue.

He didn't answer for a second.

"Y-You... it really was okay for me to come inside... right?" he asked slowly. "It... it didn't hurt or make you feel gross or anything...?"

Hiyori shook her head shyly. "I... I really liked it," she mumbled, unable to look him in the eye. "It... surprised me for a... a second, but... it was warm, and intimate, a-and... it felt so n-nice... a-and I, uhm... I l-love knowing that you... that you felt..." she trailed off, fighting to regain her nerve. "I always want you t-to... to feel like that," she managed, so hot her body felt like it might burst into flame.

His face reddened sweetly at her words. "O-Oh... that's good," he muttered, hiding slightly in her shoulder. "...idea... good... stop," came a muffled continuation.

"Huh?"

He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat but spoke louder. "I said, I had no idea it felt so different than just... letting it out. It almost hurt how good it felt, and I wish I could go more times in a row, 'cause feeling how slick and wet you got with both our... y-you know... it was really exciting for me... especially since you were still so tight from your release... I didn't want to stop."

Hiyori had pressed a hand over the bridge of her extremely flushed nose and grit her teeth halfway through his explanation. "I can't blame you for that one, I did ask. I should've known better," she muttered, mostly to herself.

"I mean, yeah you really should've," he agreed, sounding just a bit more like his usual cheeky self. "But y'know, I think I noticed something interesting," he said, resting one arm lightly over the swell of her chest and the other propped on the bedding next to her shoulder so he could lean on his fist. He tapped his fingers purposefully against her breast, just an inch shy of her still-hardened nipple, clearly pretending he had no idea what he was up to. She gave him a slightly reprimanding frown but he merely watched her with a sly, evil smirk hiding in those already cat-like irises. If he had a tail like hers, she was sure it would be flicking lazily back and forth in naughty contentment. "Every time I said something particularly dirty, I'm pretty sure you tightened up, or moaned louder, and once your fingernails practically cut me-"

"I-I D-DON'T KNOW WHAT Y-YOU'RE T-TALKING A-ABOUT!" she cried immediately, turning her face sharply away so he couldn't see her desperate expression.

He snickered. "RIght. Not even a little," he said, spreading his fingers over her mound to cup it tightly in his palm. "I guess it's just a little cold in here, huh?"

She couldn't help the little moan when he squeezed.

"D-Don't!" she gasped harshly.

He immediately let go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" he began seriously.

Hiyori hid her face in the crook of her elbow.

"N-No, I meant... d-don't tease me if y-you're not going t-to..." she whimpered.

She couldn't see his expression but she was sure it was absolutely salacious. He didn't say anything, but she felt him move off her and shift up toward her face.

"Hiyori," he breathed, taking her hand and coaxing her arm out of the way. She shut her eyes tight, knowing it was all over if she saw that stupid grin hovering above her. "Hiyori, look at me."

"N-No."

"Hiyori..." he insisted, stroking her cheek.

She shakily allowed one eye to blink open. Instead of the smirk she was expecting, he was gazing at her with such a soft, gentle glow in his eyes that she stared, confused.

"I promise I'll love you like this again later, okay?" he said squeezing her fingers gently in his palm. "But right now, I really only want to lie here with you and just... be. Is... Is that okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"...Be?" she asked, unsure what he meant. He smiled, that stupid, angelic smile that destroyed her defenses every time he turned it on her.

"Mhm, I wanna lie here, cuddle with you, talk about... nothing, I guess. And everything. I just... I want to feel close to you, share lots of small kisses, hug you, listen to your heartbeat... Is... that not something you want to do?" he asked with a slight, disappointed tremble to his voice.

Hiyori's heart felt far too big for her chest.

"Y-Yes, of course I want to!" she said, touched by how much he seemed to want this very sweet, very innocent experience after everything they'd just done.

He beamed happily and made a motion that she should scoot over so he could join her on the bedding proper. As soon as he had the space, he pulled her against his chest and kissed her hair.

"I love you, Hiyori," he murmured with a deep, relaxed sigh. "I know it doesn't mean much, coming from a god that can't love the way you need me to..."

"It means everything," she whispered back, her cheeks hot. "I'm sorry I ever thought you didn't care about me, Yato..."

"Don't be," he assured her, bringing her in against his chest. "I'm sorry I made you feel insecure in the first place-"

"That's enough, no more apologies," she said, pressing a finger to his lips. He blinked at her and nodded.

"Okay," he said simply, pulling her into a soft kiss. "Still, I want you to know this. I might not always show it very well, but my love is as real as yours, Hiyori," he whispered as he tucked her into his shoulder and wrapped a loose arm around her waist. "I promise on my name, you will always be my heart."

Hiyori felt her chest ache even as his breath slowed down and his eyes fluttered closed, and though it took her a while to find the nerve to speak, she reached up to touch his face and brushed the hair away from his eyes to tuck it behind his ear. He made a quiet, content sound but his eyes remained closed.

"I love you too, you know," she breathed. "With everything I am, Yato..."

If he heard her, he didn't show it. He seemed to be more asleep than awake, which was more than fair after exerting himself as much as he had. Hiyori allowed herself to begin relaxing into his embrace, closing her eyes as his hand ran up and down her back like she was a child he was comforting, and let the beautiful words she never thought she'd hear from him sink into her still-racing heart.

I... I never knew I could be this happy, she thought, wishing she could rewind back to the start of the afternoon and re-experience it all.

There was so much more she wanted to do with him. Do to him, for him... He'd worked so hard to love her, she wished she could have shown him the same considerations... she'd try her best not to give in to her debilitating embarrassment next time.

Next time...

Hiyori's heart gave a sharp twinge. There would be a next time, right? She wouldn't wake up in a few hours and find it was only a dream?

No, the gratifying soreness between her legs was real, the heat and fullness in her aching belly too pleasurable to imagine. The marks on her skin, not just the ones he'd left on purpose, but all the other ones, a constellation of reckless kisses accidentally imprinted on her breasts, her legs, her arms and shoulders were too clear when she looked down at herself to be a dream.

She wasn't a virgin anymore. Hiyori thought that would be a terrible thing to realize, but all she felt was residual heat running over her skin and a sense of utter satisfaction. Yato had claimed that part of her forever, and she couldn't begin to describe the depth of feeling in her chest at the thought that she was now officially the lover of a god, to this specific, complicated man who always did his best for her, who trusted her with his many scars and needed her in more ways than she could really understand. He was the only boy she'd ever loved; if anyone could have her, she only wanted it to be him.

Of course there would be a next time, she thought happily as that truth sunk in and she eyed Yato's broad chest and shoulders, felt his body pressed warmly against her, his still-wet member resting peacefully against her lower belly. She would make sure of it.

New desire made her sigh and lean against him, not strong enough to wake him but enough to let herself fantasize a little about what she'd do if he were.

She pressed a kiss to his collarbone, just a soft barely-there caress, and smiled when he groaned sleepily and held her closer.

He really is cute sometimes... not just the way Yama-chan would say he's cute, but actually sweet and adorable. I could watch him forever...

For the first time in her life, Hiyori thought it might be nice to fall asleep like this, vulnerable and completely naked. There was something both sweetly erotic and yet perfectly innocent at the thought of lying skin-to-skin against Yato for an entire night. It was a little like Schrodinger's cat, she thought as her own tail tucked itself over her hip and into the space between them. Yato might want to hold her just like this, intimate and serene, his body heat warming her under the covers, not a single ulterior motive as he ran his fingers through her hair, kissed her face, and wrapped her in his affectionate aura. Or, he might glower at her in the darkness with insatiable desire, might reach between her thighs or fondle her breasts, might wake her with little bites across the nape and sides of her neck, might whisper terribly inappropriate but exciting things in her ear while he took her from behind, or sat her in his lap, or simply leaned over her to easily reach every part of her he felt like touching, felt like stimulating.

She wouldn't know which Yato she was getting until she was already in his bed. And if she were lucky, like today, she might even get both.

Maybe... I'll work up the courage to do this in my real body next time, she thought, nuzzling into his shoulder. I wouldn't mind no matter which Yato I got. As long as he's mine.

I don't know how he could ever think he would hurt me. He was so careful... too careful sometimes... but it makes me happy that he's trying so hard to treasure me... even if it makes him question himself-

A smile formed on her lips as a thought crossed her mind and a petty urge took hold.

Which reminds me...

"... Yato?" she asked aloud.

"Hmm?" he asked sleepily, clearly out of it.

"Are you awake?"

"Mm... am now," he muttered with a small sigh.

"You said you'd love me again later," she said, as innocently as she could. She felt him tense up next to her.

"Y-Yeah, but I didn't mean today! I really don't think I've got it in me to do this again right now. You can have climaxes over and over, but I've gotta ration mine out. And I spent a really long time ins- I mean," he coughed before she could reprimand him. "You know what I mean. I wasn't just biding my time in there, I had to be constantly fighting myself- hold on, it's still light out," he realized, turning his head slightly toward the window. "It can't have been more than twenty minutes- didn't we already agree we'd cuddle...?"

"Oh, I didn't mean I wanted this now," she said simply. "I just thought you might want the results of your review before then. You know, so you can make improvements."

She had to bite her lip to prevent from bursting into laughter as he stiffened with what she knew was total indignation.

"Impro-? WHAT?" he demanded, pulling away to give her a hurt, petulant look. "You came three times, and you still think I need to do better?!"

She blinked up at him, carefully keeping her expression blank.

"Of course. You're a god, aren't you? Aren't you supposed to be on a different level from the others?"

He opened his mouth to retaliate, his eyes wide with alarm, but then he seemed to realize what she was up to.

"Oh, you're funny," he huffed sarcastically as he firmly tucked her back into his arms. She erupted into a fit of giggles, feeling stupid but definitely enjoying herself at his expense. "As if I could really forget I'm the only man you've ever slept with! And I have no plans of sharing you," he added firmly before she could throw in another quip. "But okay, fine, you want to play? I can play. if you really think you can handle me when I get serious... you just see what I come up with next time."

"You're the one who said you had to pace yourself."

She could practically see the vein in his temple throbbing in frustration.

"New rule," he insisted. "No discussing the game before we play the game."

"What game?!" she asked indignantly. "You can't have rules for a game that doesn't exist!"

It was his turn to give her his best, most attractive, shit-eating grin.

"You'll see."

She somehow managed to pretend she was unaffected as she rolled her eyes, even as her heart pounded faster. "G-Good luck with there being a next time now," she lied.

"Nice try," he said, clearly in a much better mood now that he'd managed to throw her off balance. He shifted them both over so he was leaning over her again, pinning her down gently beneath his relaxed weight as he settled into her obliging arms. "But you are never getting rid of me again," he said, nuzzling against her throat.

"I-Idiot," she said, unable to resist the small, indulgent laugh as he kissed one of her ticklish spots.

For a little while, just as long as her inhibitions remained mercifully lowered, she was more than happy to let Yato be as affectionate and flirtatious as he wanted. She never let herself be fussed over like this when she worried too much about appearances, and while she'd always felt freer, less bound by societal pressure when she was around Yato and his soothing aura, his enticing scent, this was much stronger still.

But Hiyori knew it couldn't last. She knew she wouldn't have the mettle later to admit the truth she was just starting to grasp, that not only had she given into lust, but that she had found the experience deeply moving and exhilarating on every level. Some childish part of her had thought sex would be the bookend of any romance, but now Hiyori was sure that she could never get enough of Yato's growing presence in her body and soul. She might be too self-conscious to say so out loud, but she knew she would chase this high, this precious intimacy, the warmth and comfort of his love for the rest of her life. It was impossible not to, because while most gods might not be capable of loving mortals, her god was different, and Hiyori couldn't go back to a life without him.

She didn't have a choice. They didn't have a choice.

All she could do was allow herself to be content and free for a few precious moments, free to love, free to indulge in her own hidden passions, and free to pretend that she was just a girl, and Yato was just a boy, and that the only rule they'd broken was Yukine's iron-clad law about leaving clothes lying around in the loft.

When those moments were over...

There was always the numb safety of Yato's kisses to hide behind, or the echo of his caresses aching pleasurably in his absence; nothing else was strong enough to help her forget that in one impulsive, reckless stroke, Hiyori had allowed her precious little family to fall through the cracks and right into terrible danger.

But not yet, she couldn't let herself worry about that now, not when she'd made her choice knowing exactly what was at stake, and would have made it all over again just for the smallest chance of reliving this precious feeling with Yato whenever she could.

"You're mine," he sighed happily, drawing her back to the soft bubble of his affections as he kissed her shoulder. "Mine, mine, mine."

And while Hiyori hadn't yet worked up the courage to reciprocate the marks he'd given her, she knew she'd claimed him in her own way too. She may have given him her purity, but he'd also given her his, and he was as much her lover as the reverse. She could smell it on him, her arousal lingering on his skin, blending with his divine scent into something new and terribly exciting; she could see it on him, where her fingernails had left little grooves on his shoulders, where his lips had become darkened and swollen from kissing; she could feel it in the ache of her own tired muscles, the residual sensitivity of the places he'd stroked and kissed, and in the strong, skipped beat of his heart next to her ear when she let her fingertips wander over his arms, his back, and his sides.

Hiyori might belong to Yato now, but Yato also belonged to Hiyori, and not even Heaven could deny them that, whatever else might come their way.