Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kurama was bored.

He’d already learned all of the information on the board. All of the information from the entire textbook, really. It’s not like chemistry was a difficult subject.

He tapped his pencil on the desk absently, ignoring both the girls staring in his direction and the aura popping up outside the window.

Hiei never failed to appear right as school let out, which would happen in three… two… one…

The bell rang.

Kurama grinned, scooping his things into his bag and heading out the door, side-stepping the usual invitation to the various after school clubs people always wanted him to join. Valentine’s day was coming up, which meant Kurama really wanted to escape the school campus as soon as possible.

His eyes narrowed. There were three girls standing in front of his locker, each smiling at him.

Human women weren’t usually this forward.

He sighed. Hiei was not going to like this, and he knew the small demon was watching.

Kurama put on a polite smile and approached them. “Afternoon, ladies. Could you step aside for me? I’m afraid I need to get to my locker.”

None of them moved. “Actually…” A girl stepped forward, “We’ve been waiting to talk to you. We, um… well, we all really like you Minamino-san. We couldn’t decide which one of us should ask you out, so we figured all three of us would, and you could pick whoever interests you the most.”

Kurama blinked. That was… an unusual request. “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t know any of you well enough to make that decision.”

The girl on the right frowned, “We’re in your class.”

Kurama shrugged, keeping the same polite smile on his face. “I’m afraid I’m always focused on my studies.” A lie, but one they’d most likely believe due to his grades.

“Well, is one of us prettier, in your opinion?” The girl on the left was stepping forward, now, and flipping her hair.

Youko certainly thought she was pretty, but Kurama didn’t really care for the kind of fling Youko would use her for. “I don’t like to rate women based on their appearances. Such behavior is shallow and appalling, in my opinion.”

“Of course!” Middle girl smiled at him, “You’re always so nice, Minamino-san. That’s what I like about you. Maybe you could just come sing karaoke with the three of us or something?”

A brief flare in the fire demon’s aura was all the warning Kurama had before— “What’s taking so long, Fox.”

The girls looked behind them, stumbling to the side in shock at Hiei’s sudden appearance. And his garb, no doubt, though it could have been worse. The young demon was wearing his usual black sleeveless shirt, tight black pants, and white scarf, plus the white bandanna to cover up the Jagan. Human clothing, but nothing that would blend in with a human high school setting.

“Hiei. These ladies wanted to ask me a few questions, that’s all.”

“Minamino-san… you know this boy?”

Hiei’s eyebrow twitched. “I’m older than you brats.”

“He’s a companion of mine that doesn’t attend here.” Kurama gestured toward his locker. “May I get my shoes now, ladies? I’m afraid I cannot join you for karaoke, as I have a previous engagement with Hiei.”

“Right…” The girl on the left stepped aside, dazed, which let Kurama slip between the girls to open the locker.

He sighed at the letter that fell out. Another one? He knew Valentine’s Day was next week, but this was ridiculous.

Hiei snatched it up, pocketing the paper before Kurama even had a chance to look at it. Darn it. There went any chance of making a polite response to the poor girl. The letter was probably already ash in the demon’s pocket. “I should read and reply to that, Hiei.”

“Too bad.”

Kurama rubbed his forehead in frustration as the girls glared at Hiei.

“Minamino-san, surely you don’t want to spend time with someone this rude.” The middle girl put her hand on his shoulder, but Kurama was quick to close his locker and back away, causing her hand to retreat as he stood next to Hiei and slipped his shoes on.

“Like I said, ladies, I have made prior plans with him. Excuse us.” He moved to head toward the exit, but a hand caught his sleeve. He looked over to see the rude girl with the long hair still glaring at Hiei.

“Why would you want to spend time with a guy like that when you could spend all afternoon with three pretty girls?”

Hiei’s gruff voice answered before Kurama could form a polite response, “Because he doesn’t like you, obviously, and he likes me. Now back off.” Kurama winced. Well, it was true, but the girls were likely to think…cautiously, Kurama turned toward them and saw their stunned expressions.

Well.

Lovely.

“What Hiei means is—”

“I was perfectly clear, Fox. Now come on.” Hiei turned on his heel, heading out of the school building.

Kurama sighed and hurried after him.

He’d have to clean up this mess tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Kurama’s classmates all thought he was gay. And that he was dating Hiei.

Kurama wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. On one level, he didn’t really mind, but letting everyone believe a lie didn’t sit well with him. And the whole school kept watching him when they thought he wasn’t looking (well, even more so than usual), which was annoying.

He sighed. At least they were giving him a wide berth.

“Trouble in paradise, Minamino-san?”

Ah. “Kaito-san.” Kurama turned toward his classmate. “What brings you here?” The psychic didn’t usually seek him out, especially during lunch.

“I heard a rumor that you’re dating a short, violent tempered school dropout with gravity defying black hair and questionable fashion choices. Oh, and they mentioned his name was Hiei, and his nickname for you was Fox. They all especially love the nickname. Of course, they think it’s because of your looks. There was also some false information, but I took care to eliminate the falsities from the rumor mill.”

Kurama winced. “How kind of you.”

“It was the least I could do.” Kaito straightened his glasses. “Of course, if you were to join the science club, I might be willing to help more. People listen to me since they think we’re close.”

“I apologize, but my answer to that is still the same.” Kurama really didn’t want to be around human teenagers more than necessary, and that wasn’t even considering Hiei’s reaction. The kitsune leaned forward, resting his head on one hand as he watched his classmate. “So you came here to laugh at me, then?”

“Partially. Also to find out if it is actually true.”

“It’s not. Hiei was just being his possessive self and doesn’t care about human customs.”

“A shame, then.” Kurama’s eyes widened. “What?” Kaito shrugged. “You two complement each other well. Any intelligent person can see that.”

“We’re… good partners and friends, yes.”

“Your eyes dilate sometimes when you’re around him.” Kurama’s eyes did what? “It’s a sign of physical attraction.”

“I think you must be mistaken, Kaito-san.”

His classmate studied him for a second, his voice contemplative when he spoke. “You know, when my game captured the shorty you were far more annoyed than when it captured your other teammates.”

“Hiei and I have been through a lot together.” Idly, Kurama took a sip from his drink, thankful that he’d already finished his food before Kaito entered. “I have more in common with him than the others.”

“Uh-huh.” Kaito gave him a disbelieving look. “What would you do if Urameshi died on a job?”

“Kill the offender and make sure Keiko is well taken care of. And any offspring they should have, if that’s the case.” Ah. He probably should have been a bit more reticent before speaking about killing like that but at least no one else was around—

“And Hiei?”

Kurama growled, Youko slipping out for a moment before he pulled the fox back. “I would kill them all.” Kurama shuddered, a hint of gold still in his eyes as he continued. “I wouldn’t stop there, probably. I’d track down their families and kill their children so that their bloodline could never continue.”

The psychic snorted. “Well. Thanks for that bloodthirsty reminder of what you really are. I do forget sometimes.” Kaito stared at him, watching what Kurama assumed was the gold fading from his eyes. When his eyes were completely green once more, the psychic asked, “Why the difference?”

“Different customs.” Kurama absently tapped his chin. “Yuusuke is… pack, I suppose. But not like Hiei. He’s too human for that.”

Kaito stared at him, then smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess even ancient geniuses can be wrong sometimes. I won’t argue with you anymore; it would obviously be a waste of time.” He grinned, “Though I can’t wait to tell you ‘I told you so.’” Kaito stood up, adding, “Tell shorty I said hi.”

“I think I won’t, if you don’t mind.”

The psychic laughed as he left the room.

Kurama rubbed his fingers against his temples. Even Kaito thought…? Kurama supposed the boy was just human, even if he was stronger than average. If that interaction was anything to go by, this week was going to be very long and very frustrating. Hopefully someone would do something over the weekend to start a new rumor.

When school ended, Kurama was exasperated to see Hiei waiting for him at the gates. The kitsune tried to maintain a calm composure as he made his way over to the small demon. “You couldn’t have waited somewhere more discreet?”

“Why should I?” Hiei shrugged, glancing over to where Kurama’s classmates all watched them from at least ten meters away. “They don’t dare bother me.”

“A bunch of human teenagers gawking at you from afar doesn’t bother you. Really, Hiei.” Kurama crossed his arms, glaring at him. “The truth, please.”

“They need to learn their place in the hierarchy. They’ve been becoming more bold recently.”

Kurama groaned, “Is this about those girls yesterday? And Kaito-san’s science club? I didn’t even join that.”

“They watch you. It’s annoying.”

“It’s not like your presence has stopped that. If anything, it’s worse now.”

“They will stop.”

“You can’t kill them, Hiei. You’re still on parole.”

“I know.” Hiei frowned. Then he stepped closer to Kurama. Startled, Kurama just stood there as Hiei reached out and grabbed his hand.

“What are you doing?!” Kurama hissed, trying to pull his hand away—this was going to make things so much worse—but Hiei kept a firm grip.

“I’ve been watching humans. This is how they stake a claim on someone, correct?”

“Yes! But a romantic one!”

“I don’t see the problem. It’s not as if you like any of them, and you like me.” Hiei grinned, using his grip on Kurama’s arm to pull the fox down, then whisper in his ear. “I could follow demon customs, if you would prefer.” Something wet brushed against Kurama’s earlobe.

A tongue.

Kurama’s eyes widened, his face bright red as he pushed Hiei back. “No!” Hiei had licked him! Right in front of the school! “None of that while we’re around my classmates.”

Hiei smirked.

Why was he…? Kurama’s eyes narrowed. “I mean in general, Hiei!”

The shorter demon just shrugged. “I want ice cream.” Hiei turned, pulling Kurama after him. “Let’s go, Fox. You’ve delayed me long enough with this nonsense.”

“We did that yesterday!”

“And I want more today. I don’t see what your problem is.”

Kurama groaned. Great. If anyone saw them, they would probably assume the two boys were on a date. How did Kurama even end up in this situation?

Chapter Text

After that, Kurama began to find small tokens in his room every morning when he woke up. At first it was a venus fly trap seed. Then a seed for a rose. Then another rose seed, this time for a blue version. Sometimes they would be from makai plants, sometimes it would be a small gem instead of a seed, but it was always something small, and always resting right where he would see it once he woke up.

Kurama was sure it was Hiei—the shorter demon even left faint traces of his energy on each item—but, well…

This was the first step of demon courtship. Also the first step in a demon alliance or anything of that sort, really, so Kurama shouldn’t overthink it, Hiei was just showing Kurama that he was informed about him and wanted him to succeed. It was simply a more thorough version of the ritual Hiei had done when he first asked Kurama to help him steal from Koenma’s vaults, but…

Ever since that incident with the three girls, Hiei was also always at the school entrance every day, waiting for Kurama when his school let out. His classmates had even become so bold as to tell Kurama that his boyfriend was sweet Hiei! Sweet!

Kurama was very confused. It was as if Hiei actually wanted people to think that they were dating. The shorter demon would even find excuses to grab one of Kurama’s hands, and then he would hold it and refuse to let go unless Kurama made a scene, which Hiei knew Kurama would never do.

“Shuichi?” Kurama looked up from his plate to find his family staring at him. “Is everything alright? You’ve barely eaten anything.”

He blinked. Indeed, their plates were all almost empty, and his was still full. Well. “Ah… just thinking, that’s all. A friend is being confusing.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Kurama shook his head. It’s not like he could even explain the full situation to his mother, since it involved demon customs.

“Well, we’re here, if you ever do.”

His mother was still worried. He should… allay that worry, somehow. “Thank you, mother. I assure you, I’m fine, though. Just a bit distracted, is all.”

“Alright….”

Kurama wasn’t sure how else to reassure her, but thankfully his younger brother jumped in, telling some story about what had happened in his gym class that day.

Kurama made himself eat and pushed aside all thoughts of Hiei for another time.

Another time that ended up being five minutes after he put the last clean plate away, when the doorbell rang and his mother called out that it was Hiei.

Hiei was ringing the doorbell? He always just entered through Kurama’s window. Why would he use the front door? Kurama rounded the corner and stared in disbelief when he saw that, yes, the small demon was in fact standing in the middle of the hallway.

“Shuichi, while I have you both here…” his mother turned toward him, her hands on her hips. “I’ve been meaning to talk with you about this, but…. Why did I have to find out from Mrs. Taketora that you two are dating? I wish you would have told me yourself.”

“What?!” Kurama stared at his mother in shock. He… he’d never thought the rumor would make it back to her! “We’re not dating, mother, I assure you.”

“How can you say that in front of poor Hiei like that? Really, Shuichi, I’ve thought for a while that you might not like girls, it’s fine with us, and it’s obvious that you two have always been good for each other.”

“Mother! We’re just friends, we’re not—”

“You really don’t need to deny it in front of us, sweetie. It has to hurt him to hear you say that. Mrs. Taketora told us all about the dates people have seen you two going on.”

Kurama felt like he was going to faint. How did he fix this? Those weren’t dates! It was just Hiei being possessive of Kurama’s time. But now his mother was convinced of this rumor and thought Kurama was lying to her and… Kurama wasn’t sure of the best course of action. She seemed happy that he would be in a relationship with Hiei, which meant convincing her of the truth would only make her sad, but lying to her would just make her sad, as well!

“It’s fine.” Hiei’s eyes were determined as he stared back at Kurama, a slight smirk on his lips. “I know he likes me, he can deny it all he wants.”

That was not helping!

“Aw, that’s sweet of you, Hiei.” His mother sighed. “I didn’t raise you to lie to me, though, Shuichi. I wish you would just tell the truth.” With a frown, she added, “Well, I won’t disturb you two any longer, I just thought that might have been what had you all upset at dinner, and I didn’t want you to keep worrying about something when I already knew your secret.” She walked by, patting Kurama on the shoulder as he stood there, confused.

Even as his mother left, though, Kurama couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from Hiei. The demon was standing there, looking perfectly at ease in Kurama’s human home. The demon quirked one eyebrow as the silence stretched on. “You ready to admit your feelings yet, Fox?”

“Feelings?’ Kurama shook his head. This whole situation had gotten far too out of hand. “I need you to help me explain to my mother that we’re not dating.”

“Not going to happen. You like me. It’s only a matter of time and you wouldn’t want to confuse your mother with the back and forth.”

“Hiei!” Kurama glared at his friend. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“At the moment, I know what you want better than you do.” Kurama froze as the Jagan eye flashed underneath Hiei’s headband.

What… what did that mean? Hiei had used the Jagan on him? But… “You can’t read minds.”

“No.” Hiei stepped closer, slipping into the hissed whisper of his Makai tongue. “But I can read souls. You like me, Kurama. Both of your souls do. Stop running away.”

Kurama swallowed, staring into the shorter demon’s determined gaze. “When you say that… you don’t mean as friends, do you, Hiei.”

The smirk grew. “No, I don’t. It’s about time you realized that. You may be smart, but having two souls is confusing all of your emotions, despite the fact that they agree.” The demon’s eyes traced over Kurama, and then he shrugged, stepping back and turning toward the door. “Well, you’ll probably want to think alone for a bit. Make your existential crisis fast, Fox. I’ve never been good at waiting, and you’ve kept me at it long enough.”

For once, Kurama’s brain was frozen.

Chapter Text

Hiei dropped the severed demon’s head in front of him.

“What…?” Kurama stared at it in dismay. “Why…?” He’d hoped that Hiei had been joking about following demon customs—that the seeds and such had just been a joke, but here the smaller demon was, presenting him with his opponent’s head. “Hiei, this is a bit much.”

They’d been asked to clean out some weak demons that had slipped through the barrier to hunt humans, and it had been nice to fight side-by-side again with Hiei, but Kurama really hadn’t been expecting things to take this sudden turn.

“What the hell?” Yuusuke was laughing in the background, and Kurama could only be thankful that Kuwabara was studying and hadn’t been able to join them tonight. The human would have been even more confused than Yuusuke.

Then again, Hiei had probably chosen tonight exactly for that reason. The smaller demon had never considered Kuwabara pack, and this wasn’t something you did in front of outsiders.

Hiei’s blade slid smoothly back into its sheath, and Kurama suddenly felt warm, too warm, as Hiei licked the blood off his hand and then looked up at Kurama, a satisfied glint in his eyes. “You’re mine, Fox.”

“Hiei—”

“No.” Hiei was suddenly right in front of him. “You like me as more than pack. I know you do. I made it clear that I’m not waiting any more, so I’ll be the one to court you, even if you are older. I am not going to just let those idiot human fools try to latch onto you.”

Kurama swallowed, “Hiei, I’m honored, but I think you may have mistaken my desires. I don’t—”

“Tch.” The demon glared at him. “I haven’t. I told you. You’re just stupid when it comes to this. Your two souls are confusing one another.”

“What?! Hiei, I told you I don’t feel that way! And if anyone would know that—”

“It would be me.” The demon smirked, the Jagan eye glowing for a brief second, reminding Kurama of what Hiei had said that night in his entryway.

Kurama had been trying not to think about that. He really had been. It just didn’t make any sense! If both his souls agreed on something, wouldn’t he know? Kurama didn’t feel that way. He didn’t. Hiei was just a good friend and companion; a member of his pack, nothing more.

“So is this some kind of crazy demon shit I should know about?” Yuusuke was looking between them, ignoring the tension in the air.

“Not unless you plan on courting a demon, detective.”

“Courting?!” Yuusuke’s voice was practically a screech.

“Hiei, please—”

“Do I need to go find a bigger enemy? Is that why you’re not accepting it like the other gifts?” Hiei kicked the head, rolling it a couple inches closer to Kurama. “I thought you wouldn’t care for the traditional ‘head of your enemy’ gift too much, so I kept it simple, but if Youko would rather—”

“Hiei!” Kurama groaned, his hand covering his face. “It’s… what would I do with a severed head, Hiei? I can’t bring that home! The other gifts are one thing, but—”

Black flames erupted around the head, disintegrating it in seconds. “Fine. I’ll find something else.”

“Something else? Hiei, I haven’t even—”

But the demon was already gone, leaving Kurama alone with a flabbergasted Yuusuke. “Dude, what the hell was that?”

Kurama sighed. He might as well explain things to the detective, since Hiei had made a big scene about it. “Hiei seems to think that I like him romantically and is determined to court me.”

Yuusuke laughed for a few seconds, but trailed off uncertainly when Kurama just sighed again. “Wait. You’re actually being serious?!”

“Why would I lie about that, Yuusuke?”

“Dude, I don’t know. The brat just doesn’t exactly seem the romantic type.”

Kurama frowned, trying to figure out how to explain it to the human-turned-demon. “It’s more like… possessive, really. He’s mad that the teenagers at school try to ask me out, so he is trying to stake his claim.”

Yuusuke snickered. “Now that totally seems like him.”

“It’ not funny, Yuusuke.” Kurama glared at him, his frustration with the whole scenario finally reaching a breaking point. “Hiei has my entire school thinking that we’re dating! And my family! When I tried to explain that we weren’t, my mother thought I was just being insecure and didn’t trust her to be ok with the fact that I’m dating a guy!”

“Well, I don’t know, man…” Yuusuke rubbed at the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly, “but if he’s convinced that many people, there has to be a reason why they’d think that, right?”

Kurama’s eyes narrowed, his voice darkening. “You don’t think I like him that way, do you, Detective?”

“Ah….” Yuusuke started to hedge away from him. “I, um… look at the time! Gotta go!” The detective ran.

With no one else around, Kurama let Youko slip out a little, growling at the human-turned-demon’s retreating back.

Why did everyone seem to think that he liked Hiei?

What was he missing?

Chapter Text

Kurama hadn’t seen Hiei in a month, and he was beginning to worry. This wasn’t a case of the small demon avoiding him—he hadn’t received a single gift since the incident with the severed head, which meant Hiei had most likely left town completely, and maybe even left the human realm.

Kurama was beginning to worry that his friend had gone and done something incredibly foolish.

Hiei was smart, but he was short-tempered. What if he wasn’t thinking through his plan? What if he got hurt? What if…

No. Hiei was perfectly capable of defending himself.

Kurama didn’t need to go search for him.

But… Kurama stared at the small trinkets lining the edge of his bookshelf. He picked up a pearl, rolling it around in his hands. Hiei had probably stolen this from some poor woman, but Kurama couldn’t bring himself to care. Youko liked it too much.

And well… it looked similar to a tear gem.

Kurama sighed.

When Yuusuke had said that there might be a reason why people were so ready to assume he was dating Hiei, he’d thought at first that the boy was being ridiculous, but now he wasn’t so sure.

He missed the shorter demon, and people at school were noticing. Kaito had even asked if Hiei was no longer around because they’d had a lover’s spat!

Everyone was being ridiculous.

Kurama could admit that he missed Hiei. He could even admit that he wouldn’t be this depressed if anyone else left for a month, except for his mother, of course. But that made sense. Hiei was his closest friend. He was Youko’s partner, too, and—

Kurama’s hands froze, halting the pearl’s movements.

Youko called his best thieving friends or fighting buddies his partners. But he also called his… well, his romantic dalliances his partners.

Was that how Hiei had gotten confused?

But that didn’t explain everyone else…

And… what if Kurama was the one confused, like Hiei said? Kurama had always assumed Youko meant a fighting partner, but… well, Youko did suggest some things from time to time about Hiei, but he did that with everyone, really, and Kurama just noticed more when he did it with Hiei because it was uncomfortable since Hiei was pack, and—

“Stop thinking so much, Fox.”

The pearl fell to the floor as Kurama spun around toward the window. “Hiei!”

The fire demon smirked. “Miss me?”

“Of course! You never even said you were leaving; I was worried.”

Red eyes evaluated him. “Worried.” Then Hiei was inches away from him, peering up into his face. “Why were you worried?”

“You disappeared for over a month, Hiei.” Kurama crossed his arms with a frown. He refused to react to the demon’s sudden closeness. “I know you’re perfectly capable of fending for yourself, but that is not your usual behavior.”

One eyebrow rose. “I said I was going to find something for you.”

“That is hardly reassuring since it was implied that the something would be from my enemy. I don’t make a habit of leaving my enemies alive.” Kurama pushed Youko back, stifling the growl that threatened to escape him.

“I’m aware.” Hiei scowled and reached into his pocket. “It made things difficult, but I managed.”

He pulled out a necklace, then stepped back and held it up in front of Kurama’s face. There was a small charm at the end—a dragon made from pewter that was roaring and spitting out flames. But the chord was what seized Kurama’s attention. There were dozens of threads woven together to create a thick braid, each thread extremely fine and delicate, almost like hair. No…. No, it was hair. Kurama’s eyes widened. He even knew that hair. “Karasu.”

“Is dead, yes. Now, at least. I’d heard rumors that he’d somehow survived the vampire tree and was in Makai licking his wounds. So I went and killed him for certain, this time. I was careful not to get the blood on his hair, though. It would have been annoying to wash out.”

This was… Kurama reached out and took the necklace, staring at it. The strands were as smooth as they had looked when the demon was alive. As when his hands had threaded through Kurama’s own hair, trying to mark him, to claim him…

Kurama’s thumb smoothed over the chord, a soft purr escaping his lips. He knew his eyes had to have turned completely gold, but he didn’t care. “Thank you, Hiei.” To have that particular enemy gone… to possess his hair when Karasu had coveted his own so much… there was no way Kurama could refuse this gift. He slipped the chord over his neck, lifting his own hair to let the chord settle against his skin.

Hiei’s eyes glinted in satisfaction, staring at where the dragon charm settled between Kurama’s collar bones. “Anytime, Fox.”

“Hiei…” Kurama swallowed. Something was churning in his stomach and Kurama felt hot and overwhelmed, but he couldn’t keep letting this go on. “About this whole courtship…” Kurama’s voice trailed off as Hiei stepped forward again.

The shorter demon tapped the dragon as his eyes met Kurama’s, challenging him. “I will always fight for you. I will fight both to defeat your enemies and make you realize your affections. I will give you everything you deserve to have.” His lips stretching into a thin frown as Hiei searched Kurama’s face. “But I won’t move the courtship further until you make the next move.” Hiei’s hand fell as he stepped back, and Kurama barely held back a whimper at the rush of cold air that now separated them.

He wanted Hiei to stay close.

Kurama had never wanted so bad for someone to be that close to him, for Hiei’s hand to be millimeters from his skin, his warmth radiating against him.

Hiei stared at him, not moving a muscle.

Kurama didn’t know what to do. He’d never felt like this before. Tentatively, he stepped forward.

Hiei still didn’t move, not even when Kurama kept stepping forward until he was once more standing inches away from the smaller demon. Slowly, Kurama brought up his arms, wrapping them around Hiei and pulling him up against his chest. At first Hiei’s shoulders tensed, but ever so gradually they began to relax. Kurama leaned down a little, tilting his head to the side and resting his head on top of Hiei’s. Eventually, Hiei’s arms came up to wrap around Kurama’s waist.

Warmth.

Kurama felt like he was basking in sunlight.

“I don’t know what I want, Hiei.” His voice came out as a low murmur, and Kurama could feel the shorter demon’s breathing pause. “But right now, I know this is what I want. To be with you. To hold your warmth.”

Hiei’s steady breathing resumed. His arms shifted to wrap around Kurama a bit tighter. “Then have it.”

Youko purred.

Chapter Text

Hiei had shown up every day after school again.

Kurama still wasn’t entirely sure about the whole situation, but when the shorter demon slipped his hand through his, it felt so warm and right… Kurama had missed it.

He’d missed it a lot.

The daily gifts had resumed, too. Every morning rare seeds and trinkets would show up somewhere in his room.

And the necklace… well, Kurama couldn’t bring himself to take it off. He knew what it meant to Hiei. He knew he shouldn’t wear it unless he was entirely comfortable with the idea of Hiei as his mate. Yet, as odd as Kurama still found it, that idea didn’t seem as unreasonable as it once had.

Hiei… he understood Kurama in a way that no human would, yet was also willing to interact with humans in a way that very few demons would. And Hiei didn’t look down on Kurama because of his demon form, he just accepted Shuichi as part of Kurama and…

And Kurama had missed him.

It kept coming back to that.

Kurama hadn’t just missed the demon’s warmth. He’d missed his very presence, the way he was woven into Kurama’s life, the way he fought for whatever he wanted, the way he cared for those close to him, the way he spoke through his actions…

Kurama rolled over in bed, fingering the necklace around his neck. That Karasu had survived, that Hiei had killed him and brought back a necklace of his hair, it made Youko purr with satisfaction every time Kurama thought about it.

It was a fitting gift for a bloodthirsty kitsune.

Kurama was pretty sure his mother knew the necklace was a gift from Hiei. The woman had caught him fiddling with the dragon pendant a few times and given him a knowing look, but thankfully she had yet to broach the topic.

Kurama wasn’t sure what he would do if she did. He hated lying to her, having her think that he was actually dating Hiei when he wasn’t, yet at the same time, Kurama honestly wasn’t sure if they weren’t dating.

Hiei gave him gifts, walked with him home from school, took him to get ice cream (though that was mostly because the shorter demon loved the treat), and would even willingly stay and talk with Kurama’s human family.

Hiei had become someone precious to him. Kurama had known that for a while now. He was pack. He was Youko’s partner. In fact, as far as Youko was concerned, Hiei was Kurama’s closest pack member, even closer than his mother. Shuichi disagreed, of course, but…

Kurama’s hand tightened around the pendant.

He was starting to think that maybe Hiei wasn’t just pack, that maybe he wasn’t just Youko’s fighting partner. After all, Kurama needed Hiei’s warmth at his side more than he needed any other pack members’ attention. And he had never gone stir crazy when his mother went on trips like he’d felt when Hiei had disappeared.

Kurama did like him. Both Youko and Shuichi liked him.

He’d just never realized, because Hiei was always there.

Well, that and Youko made sexual jokes about everyone, so how was he supposed to realize when the demon was actually serious.

Kurama sighed. The little demon would be insufferable if Kurama told him he was right. And yet…

Kurama tensed as his window opened, only to relax as he felt Hiei’s aura flare just slightly, slipping out of the demon’s tight hold so that Kurama would know it was him even without turning over to look.

“You’re awake.”

Kurama sat up, not bothering to hide it. “I wasn’t able to sleep much last night.”

Hiei stared at him.

Kurama looked away, his human hormones reacting to Hiei’s presence while they were alone in his room. A growl from Youko was all the warning Kurama had before the kitsune took full control.

Hiei raised an eyebrow at the transformation.

“Shuichi is too shy, so the boy won’t act.”

Hiei remained still, evaluating the kitsune as Youko stalked forward and grabbed his shirt, lifting him off his feet and holding him against the wall with ease. Youko grinned, tails flicking in delight at the implicit trust behind Hiei’s lack of resistance.

“Will you act, then?” Hiei’s red eyes challenged. “Or are you too scared to admit that you like me?”

Youko chuckled, his free hand reaching up to trace Hiei’s neck. “My feisty little dragon, I accepted that a long time ago. Kurama just never understood what I meant by partner.” Youko’s hand cupped Hiei’s jaw as he leaned forward, then paused with their lips mere centimeters apart, “And you are mine.”

Youko’s lips were slanting across Hiei’s, insistent and demanding, claiming him. Hiei’s arms reached up, latching onto Youko’s shoulders as the kiss continued. But then Youko was shifting, shrinking and Hiei was sliding down the wall, but he didn’t let go. He pulled Kurama closer, continuing the kiss, and Kurama whimpered.

Everything was so much. Too much. Overwhelming, but he didn’t want to stop. All he wanted to do was to keep going, to keep kissing Hiei, keep holding him, and Hiei’s hands reached up, threading through Kurama’s red hair, his nails scraping across his scalp, and it felt so good that Kurama didn’t even care about the seeds that were being dislodged, all he could do was moan and—

Hiei stepped back.

Kurama stared at him, dazed.

The small demon smirked, red eyes taking in Kurama’s disheveled appearance. “Meet me tomorrow at noon at Genkai’s temple.”

And then he disappeared.

Kurama swallowed. What… what had just happened? Youko had taken over and… Kurama blushed.

He’d made out with Hiei.

They’d kissed. A lot. And… Kurama released a small whine, his fingers running back through his hair and restoring the seeds to their rightful places. It… it had been nice. A lot nicer than he’d expected.

And now Hiei wanted to meet with Kurama at Genkai’s temple tomorrow.

He’d said he wouldn’t move forward in the courtship until Kurama made a move, but Youko had done that and Kurama had continued it and now…

Now Hiei wanted to meet him at the temple.

It had to be the last ritual: Hiei wanted to announce his courtship in front of their full pack. The only way Hiei could do that was if Yukina was there, and the only way Yukina could be there was if Kurama came to the temple. But directly asking him to come like this… if Kurama showed up… if he went when they both knew what Hiei was about to do, then Hiei would see it as acceptance of his suit.

Needless to say, Kurama was a distracted mess throughout the day, barely able to pay attention to anything at school, and his distraction only became worse when Hiei didn’t appear at the school’s gates after school.

Kurama wasn’t sure how he got home. He wasn’t sure what they ate for dinner or how the evening and night even passed, but when morning came he was sure about one thing—if he was going to do this, he was going to do this right.

Kurama went over to his closet, bypassing all of his daily wear and looking through his more formal outfits. He needed something that wasn’t what he usually wore, that—

Perfect.

The black sleeveless washu fighting uniform had silver edges with blue flames licking up the right side. Normally Kurama would wear another long-sleeve shirt underneath the washu, but for Hiei… Kurama sighed and just grabbed the matching pair of pants and silver sash. This outfit wasn’t about Kurama’s tastes.

Thankfully his parents left to take his brother to soccer practice and run their Saturday morning errands, so none of his family members would see the outfit and ask him about it.

Kurama sighed, finishing the final knot in his sash before starting the arduous task of combing through his hair and disentangling its mess without dislodging any seeds.

This process always took forever, but it was necessary. Once that was finally done, Kurama slipped his wallet and phone into his pockets, put on his slippers, and untucked Hiei’s necklace from beneath the washu.

It had taken so long for him to prepare his hair that there was only a little over an hour left until noon. Kurama swallowed. It was time.

His outfit garnered several looks on his way to the bus stop, but Kurama paid them no heed. It’s not like a martial arts uniform was that unusual, even if it was a more formal version than most people would wear. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait for the bus too long, though the looks didn’t stop once he’d sat down.

When they reached the opposite side of town, Kurama pressed the button next to his seat, signaling that he wanted to get off. And then the familiar steps up to Genkai’s temple stretched before him.

Kurama stood there a minute, staring at them. Hiei would be at the top.

A fifteen minute climb, and then Hiei would ask Kurama to be his mate.

This was his last chance to turn around, his last chance to leave. His human form wasn’t that old, this felt way too fast for Shuichi, yet for Youko… Youko was impatient, and Kurama half-thought he would force his way out again if Kurama didn’t move forward.

So he put his foot on the first stair, and then began to climb.

As always, the path was long, though today it definitely felt longer than usual. When he knew what waited… well, Kurama still wasn’t sure if he wanted to run towards it or run away.

But then he reached the top.

Kurama’s eyes immediately focused on Hiei. On how his red eyes widened at Kurama’s outfit, at the smirk that grew as he took in each piece. At the long-sleeved washu that Hiei was wearing: white with gold trim and a red sash and a red fox curving down one side.

Kurama had been right.

Of course he’d been right.

But still, seeing Hiei like this… seeing Hiei in clothes meant to represent Kurama… it made his breath quicken, and it didn’t help that Kurama knew the shorter demon could hear his physical reaction to it.

For that matter, so could Yukina and Yusuke, who were both smiling as they stood at Hiei’s right side. Kuwabara, Botan, and Genkai were there, too, though Kuwabara looked fairly confused. Kurama doubted Hiei had explained anything to him.

To Hiei’s left however….

Kurama didn’t understand.

His own family stood to Hiei’s left. His human mother, step-father, step-brother… Why this combination of people? Hiei’s clothes showed that he wanted to do the demonic tradition, to present Kurama to his pack as his mate. But… why was Kurama’s family there? Kurama supposed there wasn’t anything inherently demonic, Hiei could be planning on veiling his wording, but to have someone from outside the pack present at a pack ceremony…

Hiei stepped forward, and Kurama shoved those thoughts aside as the shorter demon walked toward him. “You’re the only reason I’d ever gather these people together, Fox.” Hiei’s eyebrow twitched as he spoke. “Or wear these colors. And I’ve already been around them far too long, so let’s get this over with.” For too long? How long had—Kurama’s eyes widened as Hiei pulled a ring box out of his pocket.

Hiei… Hiei was… proposing? That was why the humans were here? He was using the human tradition for the demon ceremony? Kurama glanced back at his family. His mother was definitely crying.

“I’m not getting on one knee.” At the back of Kurama’s mind, Youko growled in agreement. No, that action showed too much weakness. It couldn’t fit this ceremony. “But I can do this much.” Hiei opened the box, then held it out so that Kurama could see the ring.

Kurama couldn’t help but gasp.

A black tear gem. At the center of the ring was a black tear gem. It was small, but unmistakable as it sat nestled in a band of white gold, glinting in the sunlight. “Hiei…” There was no one else who could have made it. Hiei, he… he would have had to cry to produce it. That Hiei would go this far… “I’ll treasure it.”

Hiei snorted. “You better. That wasn’t the response I was looking for, though.”

Ah. Kurama smirked, letting some of Youko’s playfulness seep through. “Well then maybe you should ask the right question and clear things up for me. I am so very dense, after all.”

Hiei’s chin lifted up, a challenging glint in his eyes. “Marry me, Fox.” He stepped forward until he was only inches away from Kurama, then continued in a murmur, “Be my mate.”

Kurama shivered, Youko threatening to come out. The small demon smirked at the gold that had to be flickering in Kurama’s eyes. Kurama forced Youko back, but his voice was still breathy as he responded, “You do realize it’s not normal for people to marry when they’re still in high school, correct?”

Hiei shrugged. “I’ll wait however long you want for the usual ceremony and such. But that ring goes on your finger so that those idiots know to back off.”

Kurama laughed. Of course. Hiei had always been jealous, after all. Kurama reached out, gently plucking the ring from the box, slipping it onto his finger as red eyes followed the movement. “I’m yours.”

Hiei grinned, sharp-toothed and victorious, then grabbed Kurama’s collar, tugging him down for a hungry kiss that made Youko growl. Kurama dimly registered that his pack was cheering behind them, and after a few seconds Hiei backed off, no doubt hating that they were on display. Red eyes appraised him, and then Hiei’s warm hand was slipping through Kurama’s and holding it tight. “About time you realized it.”