Jealous

Yato decided that bringing Hiyori along was definitely the worst idea he had ever come up with.

They hadn't been standing in his client's lawn for more than five seconds and already he could tell that he would not be enjoying the job. The client himself wasn't the problem—he was a kindly old man who smiled often and spoke in a thin, silvery voice. Upon meeting them, he had immediately offered them snacks and kept bowing profusely, thanking them for coming over at such short notice and at a very small sum too. The man was kind and Yato liked him a lot.

His grandson on the other hand, was one of the most irritating, little pricks Yato had ever encountered. The moment the boy had been introduced to Hiyori, he wouldn't stop staring at her or attempting to "accidentally" brush his arms against hers. It wouldn't have bothered him as much if it weren't for the fact that the boy's attempts at flirting with her were extremely aggressive. He even insisted on helping the two of them decorate the lawn, even though his presence was clearly not needed.

Yato had been hired to set up the old man's lawn for a party he was having. He hired a couple of people to do it but he wasn't able to raise enough money to pay them and the deal fell through. The party would be a surprise for his wife who would be coming out of the hospital in a few hours and he would hate for it to be cancelled. While Yato and Hiyori dealt with the preparations, Mokomichi-san (the old man who hired them) would go and pick up his wife.

Yato would have brought Yukine along, as he usually did, but they had a massive argument the night before and Yukine had refused to come with him, no matter how hard he had pleaded or apologized. In the end, he had no choice but to ask Hiyori to help him out. God though he may be, setting up a venue for a party in just a few hours is something that even he couldn't do alone.

"You know, I never really got your name," the boy said as the three of them gathered boxes of party supplies from the house. He was around Hiyori's age and about a full head taller than her, with close cropped black hair and leering, beady eyes.

"Oh, it's Hiyori. Iki Hiyori," she replied, completely oblivious to the seething look on Yato's face.

"You never got my name too," Yato said, irate at being excluded from the conversation.

"Mokomichi Tatsuo," the boy said, ignoring Yato's previous comment. He held his hand out and gave her a flirty smile that she didn't seem to catch. "You don't go to Funabashi, do you?"

"No. I go to another school," Hiyori said. The three of them set the boxes down and started sorting through the piles of streamers and deflated balloons.

"I thought so," Tatsuo said as he playfully nudged her shoulder. "If you schooled there, I definitely would've remembered someone as pretty as you."

To his horror, Hiyori looked more flattered than embarrassed and the corners of her lips actually pulled into a bemused smile.

"Ah, thanks—''

"I don't go to Funabashi either!" Yato obnoxiously interjected, eager to divert Hiyori's attention away from Tatsuo. He glared at the boy, his eyes narrowing into catlike slits.

Tatsuo's brows ticked upward. "Why would you? You must already be in college, right? You're like, really old."

"I'm not that old!" Yato irritably retorted.

"Okay!" Hiyori loudly interrupted, coming in between the two boys. She pulled Yato away from Tatsuo and whispered, "Yato, what are you doing? Calm down, okay?"

"I want to go," he abruptly told her.

Her nose scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

"I want to go!" he whined, his voice becoming petulant.

"But...but...we can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because! We already agreed to help Mokomichi-san," Hiyori said. She raised a brow at him. "And besides, don't you need the five yen?"

"Who cares about the five yen? I want to go now!" he said, his demeanor increasingly morphing into that of a five-year-old.

"Yato, we can't. This is for his sick wife, remember? This party needs to happen. We can't just up and leave him. Who's going to set everything up in such short notice?" she demanded.

He sent a resentful glare in Tatsuo's direction. "He has his shitty grandson for that."

"Yato, not so loud—''

"Hiyorrriii. I don't like him."

"Why not? He seems like a nice person."

"He isn't! He's sketchy. I don't like him."

"That's no excuse. We still need to finish the job."

"But—''

"We're finishing the job," Hiyori sternly said.

"Fine!" Yato responded, lips pursed into a pout. He opened his mouth to say something else but before he could, Tatsuo interrupted, saying, "Hiyori-chan! Would you mind helping me unpack all these streamers?"

"He called you Hiyori-chan," Yato hissed in outrage. "Hiyori-chan. What the hell? He doesn't even know you that well."

"Yato," she said, looking tired. "Stop it. You're overreacting."

"I am not overreacting!"

"Yato, come on."

She gave him a gentle smile and immediately, he could feel all of his irritation ebbing away.

"This is for that poor man's wife. Let's just get through this and when we're finished, we can go out for food okay?"

He nodded, feeling so much better.

"Hiyori-chan!"

And just like that, he was irritated once again.

The two of them turned to look at Tatsuo, who was shooting Hiyori an oily smile, "I'd hate to interrupt you from your discussion but we really need to start unpacking these streamers."

"Okay, Tatsuo-san," Hiyori smiled as she moved towards him. Yato started to follow her but then, Tatsuo added, "Oh, but ugh...um..."

"Yato," Yato sullenly supplied.

"Yeah. Ya-to," Tatsuo continued, purposefully splitting up the syllables of Yato's name in an annoying fashion. "D'you think you could go and get the party lights and fix the wiring up?"

Yato immediately bristled.

"Why can't you get it?"

"Because I'm helping Hiyori-chan."

"But—''

Before Yato could finish, Tatsuo moved towards him and whispered, "And also, if I remember correctly, my obisan hired you which means you're working for him. And I'm his grandson so technically you're also working for me. So you kind of have to do what I say."

Yato's shoulders immediately tensed.

He was about seconds away from unleashing divine punishment on the little shit but then he remembered how desperate the old man had been and how lovingly he spoke of his wife. It wasn't his fault that his grandson was a total prick.

"Fine. I'll get the party lights," he glowered. He glared at Tatsuo for a moment before turning on his heel and storming off.

Three hours had already passed and Yato was quickly reaching the threshold of all his self-control.

Tatsuo had managed to keep him away from Hiyori by delegating him to tedious jobs that were very time consuming. He had been forced to clean the roof's gutter, fix up the wiring for the party lights and haul the heavy tables and chairs around. Meanwhile, Hiyori and Tatsuo were left with the convenient tasks of arranging the flowers, folding napkins and setting the tablecloth.

What bothered him the most, more than Tatsuo's increasingly brazen attempts at flirting with Hiyori, was that Hiyori herself didn't seem too affected by them. Every time Tatsuo dropped a sleazy pick-up line, she would merely send him a bemused smile. That annoyed him for several reasons. The first was that he flirted (or at least tried to) with Hiyori all the time and she always reacted badly, stuttering and demanding that he stop being creepy.

The second was that Tatsuo moved way too close to her and stared at her in a way that Yato did not like. It reminded him of the way his father talked about how he kissed Hiyori; the way Tatsuo's eyes focused on her was very, very skeevy. Hiyori, however, only reacted with mild indifference and never once bothered to unleash her Jungle Savate kick on the bastard. Either she was completely oblivious to all of Tatsuo's attempts or she secretly enjoyed it.

Case in point, when they were trying to fold the napkins, Tatsuo insisted that they use the most complicated napkin fold possible and Hiyori ended up having some trouble. Tatsuo then took it upon himself to "teach" her by sitting very close to her and encircling his hands around her wrist, guiding her through the movements. Hiyori didn't seem bothered by it and when they finished, she had given him a beaming smile as she thanked him. Yato had stood by the corner, twisting the string of party lights in his hands and seething at how close the two of them were.

It hadn't even been long before the little shit was at it again. When Hiyori was trying to pull some leaves for their centerpieces, Tatsuo had leaned in from behind her, pressing his chest against her back and bringing his mouth close to her ear, saying, "Let me get that for you, Hiyori-chan."

Yato had nearly flung the trowel he was holding at Tatsuo's head and the only reason why he didn't do it was because Hiyori had stepped away from Tatsuo and politely told him that she was uncomfortable with him being so close. Then, the two of them went back to the task of gathering up leaves and flowers and Yato was left angrily shoveling the grime trapped in the gutter and thinking of various ways he could discreetly dump them on to Tatsuo's head.

They talked a lot too. He couldn't tell what they were talking about because he was too busy assembling the tables and carrying them around. But he could see them laughing and nudging each other's shoulders. Whatever Hiyori's thoughts were about Tatsuo, it was clear that she at least got along well with him.

Suddenly, he was very afraid that she would end up liking him and spending more time with him. Just the thought sent his stomach lurching—he wouldn't be able to bear if Hiyori got a boyfriend and it wasn't him. Or worse. What if she ended up forgetting about him when they started dating? He gripped one dismantled table leg tightly and tried to suppress the urge to use it to whack Tatsuo all the way to Takamagahara.

This was all Yukine's fault, he sourly thought. If Yukine had just accepted his apology then he wouldn't have had to invite Hiyori and Hiyori wouldn't have met Tatsuo. He didn't even understand what the big deal was with leaving candy in his pockets; it wasn't as if the stains couldn't be washed off.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was doing this for the old man—who was, by the way, a very respectable, considerate client. And Tatsuo hadn't done anything that was too out of line so he could deal with it for another hour more.

He had moved on to inflating the balloons when he heard Tatsuo and Hiyori talking about how to decorate the place with streamers. The conversation seemed innocuous enough but from the corner of his eyes, Yato could see him invading Hiyori's personal space again. While describing how he wanted the streamers pinned up, he had one hand pointing and gesturing to the various places and another that was slowly moving along the curve of her back—

Okay.

That was it.

Before he could react, a loud pop resounded across the area and he looked down and saw that he had accidentally smashed the balloon he was inflating.

"What the fuck?" Tatsuo snapped, tearing himself away from Hiyori. He marched over towards Yato, eyes bright with hostility. "Oi! Be careful with those balloons! There are only a few of those and—''

Before he could finish, Yato swung an arm and punched him on the jaw.

"Ow! What the fuck!?" Tatsuo screeched in annoyance.

"Yato!" Hiyori gasped, shooting him a look of disapproval.

"He was trying to grope you!" Yato accusingly said.

Hiyori's mouth popped open and she whipped her head to face Tatsuo. "What?"

"We're leaving!" he declared.

"But we haven't even finished—''

"I want to leave!" Yato insistently said. They had mostly finished setting up anyway so all that was left to be done was to bring the food out and finish decorating the place with streamers and balloons.

"But you won't get your five yen—''

"Hiyori. Let's go," he said. He could see Hiyori staring at him, trying to see if this was another one of his childish outbursts. Then, her eyes widened when she realized that he was dead serious and without another word, she quickly made her way over to him.

"Hey! What are you doing? We're not finished here yet!" Tatsuo said as he attempted to grab Hiyori's shoulder. "You can't just leave—''

Yato flung one of the balloons at him and it bounced harmlessly off his head. Tatsuo immediately started spluttering.

"Have fun putting the streamers up!" Yato said as he grabbed Hiyori's hand and pulled her forward.

"Yato!" Hiyori barked, once they were a good distance away from the house. "What was all that about? Why did you suddenly punch him on the face?"

"Because he was trying to take advantage of you!" Yato replied.

She gave him a blank look. "Take advantage of me? Yato I don't think he was—''

"Yes, he was!" He buried his face against his hands and moaned, "You're just too sweet and innocent and pure to realize it—''

Hiyori's cheeks reddened and she sputtered, "What on earth are you talking about? Were we even in the same place? Tatsuo-san has done nothing but be helpful—''

"What the hell are you talking about? He did nothing but flirt with you the whole time! And you even seemed to enjoy it!"

"Excuse me?" Hiyori said, offended.

"Yes!" Yato said, nodding vigorously. "You like him don't you?"

"I do not."

"Yes you do! Exhibit A, he was being really touchy-feely with you when you were folding napkins and you didn't try to kick his ass!"

"Why would I kick his ass?" she spluttered. "He was just teaching me!"

"Exhibit B, he came up from behind you and you were totally okay with it!"

"I was not. I made it known to him that I did not like him invading my personal space by politely telling him so. Unlike you, I actually have manners."

"Exhibit C, he tried to feel you up—''

"And if he really was about to do something inappropriate, then I would have gladly done a headlock on him," she testily replied.

"Okay, fine! But what about everything else, huh? What's your excuse? How could you be okay with him flirting with you? It's not fair!" Yato whined.

"What?"

"It's not fair! Every time I try to flirt with you, you either Jungle Savate me or call me creepy!" he accusingly said.

"That's...that's because you are creepy!"

"What are you talking about?" he said, genuinely confused. "I've done nothing but be romantic whenever I show my affections for you."

"Buying me bras from Capyperland is romantic?" Hiyori demanded.

"Underwear is a basic human right. I was trying to provide for you!"

"You also hacked my phone and put your picture up as my wallpaper!"

"It's not my fault you have a very easy password. And I did that so you wouldn't forget me."

He actually did that because he wanted other people to think that Hiyori was dating him but she didn't need to know that.

"You also wanted to kill every single boy I know."

"I didn't want to kill them. I wanted to do pest control."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"I just wanted to make sure that they were treating you in a respectful manner!"

"What about you stalking me on twitter?"

"If there's anyone here who's a stalker, it's you. You're the one who's able to find me from anywhere."

Hiyori flushed, looking embarrassed. "How many times do I have to tell you that I used logic to find you when you and Bishamon were fighting?"

"Yeah, right," he disbelievingly said. He still had no idea how she managed to track him at that time but he was very sure that it had nothing to do with logic.

She huffed, folded her arms and looked away from him. "What about all those times you sent me messages asking about spring weddings and gondola rides, huh?"

"I...wanted to think ahead. It's always good to plan for the future."

Hiyori's cheeks flushed. "Plan for the future?"

"You never know what's going to happen right?" It was probably best that he didn't mention that he wanted to marry her. That would make his stunning future proposal less surprising and romantic.

"What about that time you wore my middle school uniform?" she demanded.

"Um..I wanted to be close to you?" he weakly said as he racked his brains for another excuse.

Okay, fine.

That was a little creepy.

Maybe he should start googling tips on how to romance girls.

Yato sighed, his shoulders slumping. When he did all those things, he thought that he was showing Hiyori that he cherished her. But all he did was make her feel uncomfortable.

"You're right," he sadly said. He turned away from her, walking forward and putting distance between the two of them. "I'm no better than Tatsuo."

He continued to walk, his lips pressed together into a frown. He couldn't believe how deluded he had been. All he ever wanted was to make her happy but he couldn't even do that right. Hiyori's face fell and her brows pinched together with guilt upon seeing the expression on his face.

"Yato! Wait!" Hiyori said, lurching forward and grabbing one of Yato's hands. He turned his head a fraction of an inch towards her.

"I...I..." she sputtered, suddenly looking embarrassed. Her cheeks were an even darker shade of red and she was looking at everywhere but him.

"Hiyori?" he prodded, concerned.

"I just wanted to tell you that..." She took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "That you're not that creepy."

"Eh?"

"I mean...I mean...well, there was that time you spent all of your money to buy art supplies just so you could make a picture book to help me remember. And...and...then there was also that time you confronted Bishamon just to get me back. I thought it was nice that you didn't think about the consequences and that all you cared about was my safety." She paused for a moment, as if to catch her breath. Yato stared at her carefully, hardly daring to believe her words.

"And I really admired how you were willing to cut our ties to keep me safe. That was really selfless of you. If...if the roles were reversed, I don't think I would have been able to do it," she mumbled, the redness of her face spreading to the tips of her ears and her neck.

"H-Hiyori—''

"And I also remember that time we went to Capyperland," she said, her lips twisting into a pensive smile. "You had dragged me all over the place even though I never really wanted to be there. But when you found out how unhappy I was, you didn't even hesitate in saying that we should go home. And there was that time when—''

She abruptly stopped and looked away. Her hand was still wrapped around his and it was increasingly becoming sticky with sweat.

"My point is that..." She closed her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. "You're really sweet Yato."

Yato stared at her for several moments, hardly daring to believe what she had just said. He looked at her hand in his and wordlessly opened and closed his mouth. Finally, he managed to sputter, "H-Hiyori..."

"Y-Yeah..."

He used his free hand to point a finger at himself. "Does...does that mean that you like me—''

"N-Not in that way!" Hiyori embarassedly said, wrenching her hand away from his.

Yato shook his head and gave her a disbelieving grin.

Well, it looked as if he didn't need to google romance tips after all.

Author's Note: Naw, you still need to Yato, hahaa But anyway, I'm thinking of making this into a series of oneshots because I have other fic ideas and plots saved up. I won't label it as that though until I can put another story up.

Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think if you have the time! :)