Carbon

Did I mention this was a Hiei/Kurama/Yusuke fic? I didn’t? I guess that’s because the muses just told ME too…

In answer to a review from YACUMO: there really isn’t a seme/uke thing going on here. I don’t write the traditional seme/uke gender roles. But thanks for the review!

Chapter 5

Yusuke hadn’t noticed until after he and Kurama left the house that Shiori wasn’t home. When he asked Kurama about it on their way to the restaurant (in a town car driven by a driver) Kurama informed him that Shiori and Kazuya had gone on a short trip to Kyoto for the holiday and would be returning the day before school started again.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Yusuke couldn’t help but notice that, even on the outside, the place looked fancy. His suspicions about the level of luxury was confirmed when he and Kurama were seated in plush seats amongst expensive-looking tapestries and across from a large fountain.

After declining the offer of champagne from the maitre d’ Kurama handed Yusuke a menu. Yusuke was struck again that his menu didn’t have prices in it, much like the one he’d looked at when he’d gone to brunch with Kazuya.

“Do expensive restaurants not tell you how much their food costs?” Yusuke asked.

“No,” Kurama replied with a smile. “My menu has prices on it.”

Yusuke cocked an eyebrow at that.

Kurama chuckled. “You don’t need to know the prices as I am the one paying.”

Yusuke shook his head.

“In fact…” Kurama took Yusuke’s menu away. “I’ll order for you. I have a feeling you’ll go out of your way again to order something that sounds inexpensive.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. “I was trying to be polite.”

“You’re polite enough. My future step-father wanted to treat you to something nice. As to I.” Kurama reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. “Happy birthday,” he said as he handed the gift to Yusuke.

Yusuke took the gift. He was surprised. He’d forgotten that it was his birthday. “Thanks,” he muttered, tearing the paper off the box. Inside was pair of cuff-links, studded with what Yusuke strongly suspected were diamonds. “These are… really nice. But when would I wear them?”

“My mother’s wedding.”

“They look expensive.”

Kurama shrugged.

“Would I be pissed if I knew how much you spent on me?”

Kurama shrugged again and addressed the waitress who’d come to take their orders. Yusuke remained silent as Kurama told her their order. When Kurama looked back to his friend, he noticed the agitated spikes in his aura.

“Yusuke?” he asked.

Yusuke was staring intently at the table-cloth, gnawing on his lip at a sudden feral instinct to leap across the table and do something to the waitress who dared talk to Kurama. He took a few deep breaths and fought the feeling back. Fuck… he thought.

The feeling evaporated suddenly at the feeling of Kurama’s hand covering his own. “What’s the matter?”

Yusuke shook his head. “Don’t know, man. Just got annoyed with the way that waitress was talking to you.”

Kurama frowned. “What specifically?”

“I didn’t like her aura.”

Kurama made a mental note to read the woman’s energy when she returned with their salad course and was surprised to see that she appeared attracted to him. He chuckled when she left. “Jealousy is an unattractive color on you, Yusuke-kun,” he laughed.

Yusuke felt his face turn beet red and stabbed at his salad.

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s actually quite flattering.”

“Shuddup.”

Kurama laughed again. “It’s normal, Yusuke. I’m part of your ‘pack’ so-to-speak. I’d be insulted if you didn’t get annoyed with outsiders speaking to me.”

Yusuke looked up, glad that his reaction was normal.

“Don’t think I’ll allow you to be the alpha,” Kurama cautioned. “But be aware that Hiei reacts that way if outsiders act too friendly toward you or me. He even becomes slightly uncomfortable when strangers act friendly toward Kuwabara, but to a far lesser extent.”

Yusuke snorted. “I never noticed.”

“It’s an instinct that we have for protective purposes. It’s normal to be guarded around unfamiliar creatures and to be upset if they get too close.”

“Speaking of short-stuff… where’d he go?”

“He’s around. He sleeps in the forest for the most part, I believe. I think he wishes to lie low for a while.”

“How’d he like the video?”

“He destroyed it,” Kurama replied, understanding that Yusuke meant the copy of Chapter Black Kurama had stolen. “It was a fake, anyhow. Makai has the real version.”

“You knew he’d toss it?”

Kurama smiled. “I know him well enough. The real copy has to be with the other Chapter.”

“I’m glad he didn’t want any more reasons to hate people.”

“He’s warmed up to humans.”

Kurama stopped talking for a moment when he felt that the waitress was approaching their table. She brought the meat course and whisked away the empty salad plates. “He would have stayed in Makai if he hadn’t.”

Yusuke thought about that for a moment. He was happy that Hiei had stayed but kind of confused. He didn’t quite buy that Hiei had suddenly ‘warmed up’ to the ningens. If anything, Hiei’s natural reaction (or so Yusuke thought) should be to hate them for being too weak to avert their own undoing. He came to the conclusion that it was far likelier that he’d rather not return to Makai without his ‘pack.’ He smiled at the thought and enjoyed his meal with Kurama.

= - = - =

Yusuke was shocked to see Hiei standing outside the restaurant when they exited. “Hey!” he greeted the diminutive demon, his expression and aura brightening at his presence. “Long time, no see, eh?”

Hiei grunted. “I have a message from Koenma,” he said in lieu of greeting. “He said that he’s back in Reikai and has assigned me and Kurama to make sure you don’t kill anyone.”

Yusuke raised his eyebrows at that. “He thinks I’ll do that stuff?”

Hiei shrugged.

“Well, that’s bullshit.”

Hiei gave him an unreadable look. “Don’t kill anyone. It will make my life easier.”

“So, what? You have to follow me around?”

Hiei scowled. “Only if you’re not with Kurama. Again, do me a favor and make those moments scarce.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes. He’d been joking about needing to be followed. “I have to go back to school next Monday.”

Hiei cringed. “I’ll stay outside the gates and intervene if you decide to throw a fit.”

“Ugh.”

“Did Koenma plan on letting me know I was given this assignment?” Kurama asked, a note of annoyance catching Yusuke’s attention.

“I’m the messenger,” said Hiei. He grabbed Yusuke’s arm and snapped a bracelet on it. “Happy birthday, detective,” he said before flitting away.

“What a freak,” Yusuke muttered, looking down at the jewelry. It was a simple chain made of several thick metal links. At least it looked masculine but it was still a strange gift.

Kurama grasped Yusuke’s hand and took a closer look at it. He frowned. “He spent more on you than I did,” he said.

“Huh?”

Kurama shook his head. “Unless I’m mistaken, that is a rare Makai metal that enhances awareness. It’s an incredibly thoughtful gift to give someone who is having difficulty adjusting to their new demonic powers.”

“Then why are you so disgusted about it?”

Kurama looked startled. “If he purchased this legitimately, which I know he did, he’d have to have a great deal of gold.”

“Where would he get money?”

“That’s what I was wondering.”

Yusuke decided to drop the subject and he and Kurama reentered the town car. The driver took them back to Kurama’s house where Yusuke retrieved his belongings and insisted that he had to go home. In reality, Yusuke wanted to talk to Hiei and thought that leaving Kurama’s house would be a good way to get the fire demon to approach him.

As Yusuke expected, Hiei fell into step with him a few blocks into his walk. “I thought I told you to stay with Kurama,” Hiei growled.

Yusuke laughed and hitched his backpack higher on his shoulders. “I can’t stay at his house all the time,” he responded.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time there already. Are you suddenly unwelcome?”

“No. I’m just trying not to abuse his hospitality, that’s all.”

Hiei shook his head. “I’ll never understand you humans.”

Yusuke grinned. “I’m not really a human anymore, y’know.”

Hiei didn’t respond to that, but Yusuke thought he saw the corners of Hiei’s mouth tighten as if fighting a smile.

“So… where’d you get this bracelet?” he asked.

Hiei refused to meet Yusuke’s gaze when he responded. “I bought it.”

“Kurama said it costs a ton of money.”

Hiei growled something that sounded like “The fox should mind his own business.”

“How’d you get it?”

“I have ways.”

“Legal ways?”

Hiei stopped in his tracks and stood in front of Yusuke. “I wouldn’t break the law in order to get you a present. It’s not worth the risk of Koenma arresting me.”

“But spending a hunk of gold on me is a-okay?”

Hiei scowled and turned around. “I had something of value that I traded, if you must know. And before you ask, it was only of monetary worth to me.”

“Okay, then…”

Hiei continued walking and Yusuke became irrationally angry at Hiei acting as though leading him. Yusuke picked up his pace and walked slightly ahead of Hiei but looked back when the fire demon chuckled. “What?” Yusuke demanded.

“You think I was usurping your authority,” Hiei replied. “Funny, considering you have none.”

“You were gone long enough that I forgot how much you piss me off sometimes,” Yusuke growled.

“Heh.” Hiei gave Yusuke a sideways glance. “You amuse me, detective.”

“Why is that?”

“We passed your house several blocks ago.”

Yusuke looked down the street. “Shit!”

“I suppose I distracted you.”

Something about Hiei’s tone caused heat to creep into Yusuke’s cheeks. Hiei laughed again and turned around to walk back in the direction of Yusuke’s house.

“How come you were so willing to follow Koenma’s orders?” Yusuke asked.

Hiei’s shoulders tightened but he stubbornly ignored Yusuke’s question.

Yusuke rolled his eyes.

“Kurama’s clothes suit you,” Hiei said out of the blue.

Yusuke gaped at Hiei but continued walking. They’d reached Yusuke’s block and Yusuke was determined not to pass it again. “Wha-?

“The fox dances around things. You’ll find that I do not. If I want something, I take it.”

The heat crept into Yusuke’s face again. “What the hell are you talking about? What do you want?”

Hiei chuckled and it occurred to Yusuke then that he’d never seen Hiei quite as happy. “You’re dense, so I’ll leave no room for misunderstanding: you are what I want detective.”

It took a few minutes for Yusuke to digest that information. “You… you’re… you like… men?”

Hiei gave Yusuke an incredulous look. “Now, detective,” he replied with a note of sarcasm. “What gave you that idea?”

Yusuke walked up the path to his house and had his hand on the doorknob before he could think up something to say. “Well, I’m not… like… that, okay?”

Hiei nodded but the half smile on his face told Yusuke that he didn’t believe a word of it.

= - = - =

After several uncomfortable minutes of silence in which Hiei gazed distastefully around Yusuke’s cluttered bedroom, Yusuke finally forced himself to talk. “If you’re gonna sleep here, I have to warn you, my mom’s not the greatest hostess.”

Hiei’s jagan glowed beneath his headscarf. “I see…”

“Don’t pull that Vulcan mind-meld shit on me, Hiei!”

Hiei scowled. “You allowed a human to cause physical harm to your body without retaliation?”

Yusuke’s face fell and he averted his eyes to the floor. “I was too afraid-“

“Of a human?”

“No, you idiot! Of myself- fuck! Why am I telling you this?”

“Dete-“

“Forget it.” Yusuke flopped backward onto his bed and scowled at the wall. He ignored Hiei’s weight settling beside him and pretended Hiei wasn’t even there for as long as possible. Until Hiei began stroking his back, that is. “Quit that!” Yusuke demanded. He wanted to sound angry but his voice betrayed a note of panic.

“I would if I thought you really meant that,” Hiei responded.

“Damnit Hie- unnghhh…” Hiei had managed to find a sore spot on Yusuke’s back and was massaging it away. Fuck it… this feels good. He let his eyes slide closed and did his best to hold back delighted groans. He growled in disappointment when Hiei suddenly stopped. The feeling of Hiei’s chest pressed against his back, however, quickly dissolved his annoyance. The closeness of Hiei’s heat and breath ghosting against his neck had Yusuke gasping for breath and a familiar tingle rushing into his stomach.

Hiei leaned forward and nipped at Yusuke’s earlobe. With Hiei’s gentle, but firm coaxing, Yusuke flipped onto his back and allowed his friend to straddle his hips. Hands on either side of Yusuke’s head, Hiei leaned in until his mouth was barely an inch from Yusuke’s. Yusuke held his breath. His mind was in enough of a fog that he couldn’t resist but there was a nagging tightness in his stomach that wanted to tell Hiei to stop.

Hiei felt Yusuke’s reluctance and kissed the half-demon on the forehead instead before slipping off and standing. “I’ll be near,” Hiei whispered before exiting via window.

Now what? Yusuke wondered.