Dating was definitely new territory for the young school girl. Dating a god as a human herself was surreal - almost thrilling.

It seemed harmless enough.

But that "thrill" became duller, and the harm quickly grew when the said god would spend his free time inviting himself into her bedroom every afternoon just to eat junk food in her bed and watching her attempt to finish her schoolwork at her desk. Some nights, she had to beg him to leave once night approached.

She especially had to watch her back now more than ever when changing clothes or returning from the bath.

And while she was glad to provide Yato with a space where he felt secure enough to freely wander about, Hiyori needed her own. When she wasn't getting herself lost in the thought of his dreamy charmingness, she was in the presence of her mind captive. She hoped once the first week or two had flown by, he would calm down, but even after a month's passing, the god continued to stare at the young half-Phantom with the same burning light in his brilliant blue eyes. And she would melt every time.

Of course - as Hiyori had no intent of defusing his flame - she accepted it as a part of their relationship. She didn't know what dating a god would entail, but she knew what dating him would.

It meant he would be clingier than usual. It meant they'd be tied at the hip and have to see each other more often - if that was even possible. It would mean that she would be nearing the deadline of a school assignment while he would repeatedly offer her little gifts in order to gain her attention.

Which was precisely what he was doing at the moment.

"This is boring!" The blue-eyed god groaned, dramatically collapsing backwards into his lover's bed. Then a light turned on in his head, and a smile broadened across his face. "Let's go for a walk in the park together."

"Maybe another time?" Hiyori replied, opening her computer at her desk and sitting down. "I have homework to do."

The god sighed, sounding tired. "Fine, fine…" he mumbled.

Then, Hiyori released the regretful words from her mouth that would create her downfall.

"You… -can stay," she told him with warm cheeks. "As long as you don't distract me."

Yato was suddenly overwhelmed with joy. He smiled widely in response and spread himself out across her mattress, making himself at home.

Hiyori's eyebrow twitched as she observed him make a mess of her bed. She was quite jealous she had a few hours before she could retire to its warm, inviting embrace again.

For a while, all was quiet. The only sound resonating in the bedroom was the clicking of each key on the computer as Hiyori worked. At one point, she finally turned to check over her shoulder at her lover.

He had been so quiet - it was unusual. She almost forgot he was there.

When she did so, her eyes immediately met his from across the room. He gave her a hopeful smile.

"Are ya done now?" Yato asked eagerly.

Hiyori's face turned a rosy red, and she quickly turned away to see her computer screen again.

"N-no, not yet!" She blurted, nervously smacking her cheeks to refocus again.

"Well maybe you can just take a lil' break?" Yato suggested. "We'll go to the park and-"

"I really need to finish this, Yato. Not now."

The god's hope slipped away, his expression dropping.

The two fell into once another silence. And shortly after, Yato sprang up from her bed and passed by her desk where his lover intently stared at her homework in deep thought. He was half disappointed she hadn't lifted her head or noticed him on his way out to the hallway.

Upon returning, Hiyori had not moved much.

Yato had discovered the snack cabinet from the kitchen downstairs. His boredom leading him to hunger, he snagged a bag of potato chips to eat while waiting for the girl to finish her studies.

He settled back into her bed and proceeded to feast. For a little while, there was nothing said.

Then, the squeaking and crinkling of the bag's movements was beginning to sound a lot like nails on a chalkboard. Hiyori could hear every time Yato dug into the bag to retrieve a potatoes chip, and heard the cracking and snapping as he bit down.

With her peace suddenly disturbed, Hiyori sighed and audibly slapped her pencil down against her desk.

"Yato-" she turned to face him, rubbing her temple, and he stared back at her with a clueless look, "do you think you could take that somewhere else?"

Slightly alarmed by her change in demeanor, Yato blinked a few times at her. He resembled a deer in headlights.

He awkwardly cleared his throat and placed the bag of chips on her nightstand beside him.

"Uh - r-right," the god replied sheepishly. He thought for a second. "Maybe you can take a break now? I can go make you some tea, or something."

"No, that's fine."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Hiyori only rolled her eyes and refocused on her assignment again.

Yato observed her from across the room in thought.

She seemed tense. Was her school work stressing her out? Maybe she just needed some support and affection.

That was it, Yato thought. He just needed to come up with something. And it had to be perfect.

He believed the one he had in mind was just that.

However, when Yato presented his lover with a fresh red rose, he was met with the opposite of excitement and admiration.

"What is that?' Hiyori asked plainly, referring to the flower.

"Um-" the god glanced down at the rose and back to her, "a rose - for you!"

He handed it out for her to take. She didn't reach for it.

"Why?"

"I have to have a reason?" He asked, completely lost.

His lover breathed out heavily. "I told you; I have work to do. We can hang out another time."

Yato visibly fell inwards on himself. He retreated his hand away from her and clutched the rose with his trembling hand. His eyes lost their flame, and the last hope in his heart slipped away.

Yato tried not to dwell on it as he found his spot back on the bed. However, as the minutes grew into hours, his mind was free to wander.

What more could he do? Why was none of his attempts successful? Why did she not reciprocate his advances?

Soon, Hiyori's focus finally shifted when she realized the falling sun was draining light from her darkened bedroom, and she found it difficult to make out the words in her textbooks.

How long had it been? Was she really there for a few hours?

Her parents would be arriving home soon to make dinner.

A sudden light breeze swept into her, and Hiyori was pulled from her thoughts. She immediately turned to find her bedroom window open, the drapes flowing gently in the wind coming through.

When did she open that? Did someone else open it?

The brunette scanned the room, and tried to find the culprit to no avail. No one was there. She was alone.

It was awfully quiet.

Then it hit her.

Where was Yato?

"Yato…?"

Hiyori stood from her seat, becoming more alert. She carefully headed towards the direction of her window, assessing the situation.

Had he left? It wasn't like him to leave without saying anything.

Out of sheer curiosity, Hiyori lead herself to that very window. Upon scanning her backyard, she noticed a figure.

It was Yato. He was up in the tree, the rose still in his hands. He was plucking the petals off one-by-one and releasing them into the wind. He watched each fall before pulling out another petal.

The girl sighed in slight annoyance and shook her head as she smirked to herself.

He was always so dramatic.

She glanced back at her desk where she had been just a moment ago. It seemed she hadn't left at all, her snoozing body's head was resting in her arms against the pages of her books.

Her gaze fell back to the open window framing the scene of the tracksuit god perched among the tree's limbs. She weighed her options.

It could wait, she decided. This was more important.

He was more important.

With her Phantom abilities now in her favor, Hiyori pursued her lover. She shot out of her bedroom window, aiming for the tree just a few feet away in her backyard. The bushes of leaves swayed and russelled around her as her feet met the tree branch.

The brunette quickly detected him, his scent trailing from a neighboring branch just a bit higher above her. She looked up to catch him there, sitting miserably by himself.

"Yato…?" Hiyori called.

The god shifted so that she could only see the back of his head. She heard him clear his throat softly and saw his arm come up to wipe his face.

Hiyori's heart sank.

Was he crying? Had she upset him?

Realization slowly struck her. Her shoulders dropped by her sides, her eyebrows pulling upwards in worry.

She leapt up to meet him on his branch. She landed gracefully next to him and steadied herself before grabbing his shoulder to gain his attention.

"Hey…" Hiyori tried gently, "what is it? What's wrong…?"

Yato hung his head, his dark locks covering his facial features from her. He lamely twirled the rose around in his hands, avoiding her gaze. There was a moment of hesitancy before he finally spoke.

"Do you… -still love me, Hiyori…?"

His voice was fragile, breaking like glass. She almost didn't understand the words he presented to her.

"W-what?!" Hiyori panicked, her pink eyes widening. "Of course I do!"

"Then why do you keep rejecting me…?"

Taken aback, Hiyori didn't respond.

Had she really been avoiding him and neglecting him?

It hadn't been her intention. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him, but she only wished to get her school work out of the way before giving him her undivided attention. He was the one distracting her and trying to pull her away from that.

And yet, maybe she was thinking about it all wrong. His clinginess wasn't dangerous - it was admirable. It showed her he was reliable. She could trust he would always be there for her.

The palm of her hand found his chest. Just an arm's length away.

She never had to question him. She could always turn to him.

Her head lifted to meet his gaze as the moment of clarity dawned on her. And Hiyori felt her heart leap to find those strikingly handsome eyes staring back with uncertainty towards her.

Before his anxieties could infect her, the half-Phantom used her momentary confidence to her advantage. She had to do it before there was even a chance to second guess herself.

And so, Yato watched with growing surprise as his lover slowly invaded his personal space, their faces aligning perfectly. Her angelic face softened, her eyes fluttered shut, her lips reached out for his own.

And even as her mouth met the god's, Yato made no attempt to resist. His thoughts flew away with her actions, and he suddenly slipped into a comfortable bliss.

He used to only dream he would end up so lucky - to have found a love as pure and sweet as the one Hiyori provided him. And now, as he cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her back, Yato realized it was true.

Once they were far enough for her to speak again, Hiyori offered him a kind smile.

"I'm sorry I've made it seem that way. You're right - maybe I need a break. Let's go to the park together now."