"Fuuuucccckkkkk," I groan in frustration. "Why the hell did I tell her that?!" I fling myself down on my sofa. "Ugh. I don't wanna but I'm gonna have to come clean with her."
"Come clean to who about what?" a voice suddenly asks, causing me to nearly jump off the couch.
I jolt up and lift my stare, meeting an all too familiar set of sharp azure orbs. Standing in the doorway between my kitchen and living room with an open bag of chips in hand is Yato. When or how he got here is beyond me. Well, I guess how doesn't matter. He can just magically appear wherever, after all. But the when...that can still be asked.
"What the hell?" I snap, furrowing my brows. "How long have you been here?"
"I just got here," he answers with a mouthful of chips. "When was the last time you ate these? They taste kinda stale."
"You're eating my food? What the...ya know, never mind," I huff, throwing myself back onto my couch. My body slightly bounces from the force. "Ugh. She's gonna be so upset when I tell her."
"Tell who what?" he questions.
I listen as he makes his way into the living room. The sound of his weight pressing into my chair's cushion fills my ears. Even without seeing him, I can tell he's getting comfortable. It's so easy to tell by all the sounds.
I shake my head and swallow, "My friend. She is utterly hellbent on a double date."
"Then go on a double date," he encourages, still chowing down on the stale chips. "These aren't too bad."
Ignoring his statement about the chips, I sigh, "But it's so stupid and lame. Besides...I kinda lied to her."
"You lied? About what?" he chuckles.
I bring my attention to him. As expected, he is slouching in my recliner with his legs hanging off one of the arms, still eating the stale chips. Happily, might I add. He seems to be in good spirits. Why that is, is beyond me. Maybe he got some really good jobs today. Maybe he made extra money. In the end, I don't know why, but I do know that he does look happy.
"I did," I breathe. "She was bugging me about trying to hook me up with someone for that stupid double date. I shouldn't have -I know I shouldn't have. It was so immature and pointless and just wrong."
"Good grief," he snorts. "What'd you do? Tell her you didn't want to be friends anymore?"
"Hardy-har har-har," I scoff. "No. I lied and told her I'm already seeing someone."
"That's it? That's all?" he presses, bringing his brilliant orbs to me.
I knit my brows. "What do you mean 'that's it'? I lied to her. That's a pretty big deal."
"Why's that? It was just a fib wasn't it?" he asks nonchalantly.
Honestly, it seems Yato doesn't quite grasp how this whole friendship thing works. Though, can I really be that surprised? Do gods even know how things work in the human realm? After all, I'm sure they live by their own rules and customs...right? Aren't gods on a totally different level from humans?
I blink. When did this become something I think about? When did it become a thing at all? Before meeting Yato, I never uttered a prayer and I certainly never paid any mind to gods or whatnot. There was only one thing that made perfect sense. One rational thing fueled by facts and calculations. One thing that always proved correct no matter what and that is science. Science is the only thing I was ever taught to believe in. Science and medicine but now, that foundation that was where my beliefs were planted is now shaking. Gods, regalia, and phantoms are shattering my reality.
I shake those thoughts from my mind and reply, "Fib or not, you don't lie to your friends. It's not right." I sit up, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you get what I'm saying?"
"What I'm hearing is that you humans have a lot of things you hold to morals," he shrugs. "But that's just how you're wired. Gods don't have those. Morals...rules we follow. We aren't programmed for that. That's why we have regalia."
That catches my attention. "That's why you have regalia? What do you mean by that?"
"Regalia were all human at one point," he shrugs, dumping the bag so that the crumbs land in his mouth. "Damn. All out." He wads the material up into a ball, adding, "Anyway, like I was sayin'. Regalia are all former humans. This means they can still be easily tempted and corrupted by all the things that corrupt humans. Greed, vanity, jealousy, wrath. It all still picks and gnaws at them." His eyes soften. "All those negative feelings...they can get to a regalia. The regalia's resentment and pain builds up and if left unstopped...they become a phantom and as a consequence, they cannot be saved."
"Well, damn. Depressing much?" I ask, lifting a brow. "But I'm confused. Despite how sucky that is, what does it have to do with gods and morals?"
It's as if there's a silent shift in the atmosphere. Yato's eyes almost appear dull as a sense of sorrow fills them. That once sense of happiness has been wiped away, being replaced by emotions that make a twinge pull at my heart.
"Regalia, along with acting as a god's weapon, are like a god's moral compass," he sighs, bringing those sharp eyes to me. "For instance, if I wanted to, I could kill anyone I wanted -man, woman, child, sick, healthy, rich, poor, influential, simple. Doesn't matter. I could do it and it wouldn't mean a thing. A regalia, being formerly human, still holds some morality to them. They hold onto what is right and wrong. So, when they think or do something that is seen as wrong in the mortal world, they sting their master."
"Sting...their master? What's that?" I ask hesitantly.
"It's a negative reaction to their behavior. A small sting can simply be cleansed with some water," he replies. "However, if a regalia continues to act up, they risk becoming a phantom and their master. Well...it'll kill them."
My eyes go wide as my heart drops. It feels as if my soul has slipped from my body, leaving me to be a hollow shell. I don't know what I was expecting him to say, but it certainly wasn't that. I mean...gods dying? That doesn't seem real. Then again, what is real anymore? Nothing is ever as it seems.
"It can...kill them? But I don't get it. You're a god. How can gods die? That makes no sense to me," I sputter.
His eyes soften as he meets my stare. "You're a human. I don't expect you to understand all this. There's a lot that comes with the far shore. I will tell you this, even if a god dies, that does not mean it's the end." He shoves his hands into his jacket's pockets. "Not for the well-known gods, anyway. They are reincarnated and looked after by their regalia. However, for lesser-known gods, the chances of returning are slimmer, making for a more grim outcome." He shrugs, "Eh. Tis how it goes, though."
He folds his arms behind his head and lays back in his position, continuing, "So, you told a fib? You feel guilty and now you're trying to resolve it. You can either come clean and tell the truth, but risk upsetting your friend, or you find a different solution. Your call." He snuggles more into my recliner. "There's plenty of dating services in Tokyo. Hire a fake boyfriend for the night if worse comes to worse."
"Is that your mighty and holy advice?" I question sarcastically.
"Take it or leave it," he mumbles.
I shrug, "I don't know. I don't wanna spend money like that on a fake date because of a lie I told. Plus, it'd be awkward as hell. I'd have to act like I've known him and like we've been talking and..."
The wheels begin to turn, firing up the little lightbulb in my head. An idea is forming deep within my mind, causing the corners of my lips to draw up. I bring my eyes directly to Yato. He is comfortably unaware of what I have brewing in my thoughts, but he's about to find out.
"Wait. I think I have a plan," I chirp, flinging myself off the couch. "Yato! Be my date!"
His eyes rip open and meet mine as he peels himself up into a sitting posture. His vivid stare meets mine as a red tint dusts over his cheeks, battling me. At first, I don't understand his reaction when it dawns on me. What I said...how I said it...his response. It all makes perfect sense, causing my own features to redden with embarrassment as a fiery scorn burns my cheeks and ears.
"B-be my fake date!" I correct. "T-that's what I meant! Be my fake date!"
Still blushing, he murmurs, "Sorry, but I'm not getting in the middle of this. I'm a god. I have plenty to do and –"
"Please!" I beg, practically lunging at him. "Please, Yato! I'll even give you five yen!"
His eyes widen before he turns his head, muttering, "I only accept that when it's a wish. Are you saying this is a wish?"
A wish. I never thought about that. I've already made wishes before. He's granted them. This could just be another one. It would leave him obligated. But it feels...wrong making this that. It makes me feel guilty. Or is that just my guilt for lying to Hiyori? Regardless, I don't want this to be a wish but I'm desperate and I don't want to disappoint my friend. So, I do all I can.
I dig into my pocket and fish out a coin, tossing it to Yato as I declare, "Yato god, I wish for you to be my fake date in the double date with my friend."
He catches the coin and stares at it. I can see it. I can see the hesitation in his gaze. Much like me, he's unsure of this arrangement, but it doesn't take long for him to flip the coin up and catch it once again, swallowing, "I am the god Yato and you have made a wish that's been heard loud and clear. May your wish be granted."
**Bello my beautiful lovelies! Well, looks like there's gonna be a double date after all! Hiyori, Hiroki, Yato, and Y/N are all gonna meet up! That said, how do y'all think it'll go? Feel free to take a gander! As always, thank you so much for everything! Y'all are da bestes! Wuv yous!! <3**
-Noel Ross
P.S. "Mercy" by Shawn Mendes -ugh. I love his voice.