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Hiei wasn't the kind who seeked for shelters. He had gone through all the natural hellscapes in Makai just to find his sister, even if that meant spending hours in snowstorms. Now that she was finally safe with Genkai, he was having a hard time dropping the habit despite the particular hate he felt for cold weather.
The snowstorms in Makai were savage: they froze everything in the way for no reason. As a child, he wondered if all the mountains that spied him in the horizon were made of ice. That could perhaps explain why existance was so miserable in every place: everything was either blood or ice. In the Ningekai however nature had a side Hiei never got used to.
It was quite beautiful.
He was sat in a tree branch looking over a familiar street in Tokyo. Delicate snowflakes had formed a thin white coat everywhere, like billions of little tears. Yes, he was cold. But that snow reminded him of Yukina instead of the harshness of Makai — sorrowful and sweet, and because of that so alienating and haunting. Hell, he did what he was supposed to. He had gone to the end and back. Then why was him so unsatisfied? What else could him look for in any of the three realms?
Bullshit, he thought, forcing himself to stop with that pitiful line of thought. Hiei was a demon, after all. He was made to suffer and conform to it.
— Enjoying the winter? - The playful voice shook Hiei out of his thoughts.
Opposite to Hiei, Kurama was well dressed to handle the weather: a black turtleneck and a thick brown jacket protected his upper body. He looked up to where Hiei was with the same weird smile as always. That used to annoy Hiei at the beginning, but overtime it had turned into some sort of mystery to him.
— I thought you would be either closer to Yukina or in Makai now - Kurama stated, hands in his pockets. He still looked directly at Hiei.
— She doesn't know who I am. There's no point.
— And what about Makai?
Hiei fell silent. That was a good question. Why was him in the tree next to Kurama's building anyway? He should be back at the place that was meant for him.
— I don't have any business for now - he limited his answer to avoid getting too deep into the conversation.
— I see.
After that, Hiei jumped from the tree right into the shadows bellow it. The street light drew a perfectly division in the floor, with Kurama being in the lighter half, breath visible in the cold. His red hair was bright in the paleness of the empty street, and Hiei could see the little snowflakes melting in his forehead and slowly soaking little strands of hair. He suddenly realized that Kurama was warm, and the thought distracted him for some seconds.
— You don't like the cold - Kurama broke the silence, and Hiei cursed internally as he felt green eyes analyzing his expression.
— What makes you think that?
— It's just a guess - Kurama smiled again, but this time it felt like a tease. After some seconds, he spoke again - Why don't you stop by?
Hiei's impassive eyebrows frowned faintly in the shadows.
— Why?
Kurama didn't even flinch at the dryness
— Because you have nowhere else to be right now, you're cold from spending hours outside in the snow and...
— Tch.
— Maybe I just want you to stay.
That caught Hiei off guard.
— Spare me from your charity - he mumbled, walking away. He had meant to sound offended by such a stupid request, but his voice didn't deliver it as planned. The deflection was as crystal clear as Yukina's tears.
— You can't act like you're better off alone all the time forever - Kurama's voice was sharp like the scissors he used to take care of his plants - I know you long for more than that in your life.
Hiei turned to face Kurama slowly, a dry chuckle escaping his lips.
— Don't be so naive. I know you're smarter than that.
— Oh, am I? - Kurama crossed his arms - Or are you that scared of existing outside of your misery?
— There's nothing other than misery for me, Kurama.
A violent gust of wind suddenly blew Hiei's cloak, like it was trying to voice the quiet sorrow behind that sentence. Betrayed by himself, he turned to walk away again. Hopefully that interaction would end like the dozen of other ones in which Hiei left Kurama behind in a whim. Hopefully Hiei would be the cold hearted one just one more time . Hopefully-
— Hiei.
He felt a hand in his right shoulder.
— I just don't want you to be cold - Kurama squeezed his shoulder - It's pointless.
Maybe it was just Kurama's breath or some sort of temperature illusion, but Hiei's ears suddenly felt warm.
— You're so stubborn.
— You're the one who's punishing yourself for no rational reason.
Kurama's hand left his shoulder suddenly, leaving behind the ghost of warmth that Hiei's skin craved so badly under the fabric. Hiei turned to see him walking away without saying anything else.
He sighed. Kurama just knew him too damm well.
***
It took nearly ten minutes for Hiei to appear in Kurama's balcony. He stood over the parapet like a cat, noticing Kurama had left the door open.
He frowned. Was it really for him?
Hiei left his shoes outside and quietly entered Kurama's apartment. The room was in total darkness, but a yellowish light could be seen under the door. He opened it to find Kurama in his living room with glasses, a book in his hand and a pair of teacups over the small table at the center. Every inch of the place screamed his personality trough the warm-ish neutral colors and plants scattered around. Hiei approached mindlessly, reaching for the fuller teacup.
The tea was hot.
— I'm honestly surprised you took off your shoes.
— What do you think I am? Some kind of uneducated foreigner?
Kurama laughed, the sound echoing like music. He closed his book and crossed his legs. Even in the comfort of his home he seemed so naturally elegant that Hiei though that there was no way that could be intentional.
— I'm just messing with you.
Hiei hesitated — a rare sight. He recomposed himself as quickly as possible while standing next to Kurama. The teacup felt like a gentle flame in his pale hands, the same sensation spreading through his body and revitalizing his entire being when he drank it. Kurama laughed again.
— Did you invited me just to make a clown out of me?
— Sorry, it's just that I never saw that look in your face before.
— What are you talking about!?
— You seem so out of your element - Kurama shrugged - I always wondered how would you behave if you weren't alert all the time.
The phrase sank in Hiei's ears. He wasn't really caught off guard by it - Kurama was a fox after all. He was good at understanding people's behavior, so it was natural that he thought about how Hiei would react in a new situation. The thing is that it didn't bother him at all. Instead of frowning immediately at the insinuation of him acting like a fool, there was some feeling Hiei couldn't shake in his chest. He took the last sip of his tea in silence as Kurama opened his book again.
Hiei quickly noticed he never saw Kurama in that clothing before. The pink short sleeved shirt was oversized, and a part of his collarbones where apparent. The glasses were also new: simple and practical, but just by being in Kurama's face they felt like a bit more than that. Hiei's eyes went back to Kurama's collarbones. With way less clothes now, would they still be warm?
Wait, what was he thinking?
— I have a sweater for you since-
— I'll pass.
— No, you won't - Kurama's eyes fixated in the fairly wet black cloak that had already left some drops in his floor - you're going to make a mess.
Hiei could have left instead of playing into Kurama's weird domestic game, that was true. But without thinking too much he abandoned the old cloak over a coat rack and put on the white sweater. Kurama observed his every move, eyes unreadable behind the glasses.
— It suits you - He mumbled.
— Kurama.
Hiei called, but wasn't sure of how to finish the sentence. He stood there with Kurama's sweather - stupidly oversized for him - without any clue of what to do. At this point he didn't even knew why he complied with everything Kurama demanded. Was this kind of situation a common thing for humans? Was he too much of a demon to be by Kurama's side without their friends or the imminence of danger?
— Tch, nevermind - Hiei pulled the stoic card again, sitting in the couch the same way he sat over tree branchs and high windows.
He observed Kurama as he peacefully put his book aside and turned to him.
The silence was unbearable.
— Why are you doing this? Shit, what are you doing? - under Hiei's annoyance there was something weird, perhaps the same strange emotion behind kurama's smiles and...
And the way he looked at Hiei behind the clear lens.
— I was afraid that you wouldn't show up, but you did - Kurama took off the glasses, putting them over the table.
— Because you asked me to.
— I did, then you refused. But then you came nonetheless. Why?
Hiei paused, averting his eyes while seeking an answer.
— Because you asked me to - he repeated, lower this time.
Hiei expected him to pick up the book again. Instead, gentle fingers pressed a point in his face. Hiei almost felt like flinching, but stood still and stared carefully at Kurama. He always had a hidden power within that slender, elegant hands. Once Hiei had heard about how some humans had a particular attraction to that, and passed it as ridiculous. However, at that instance, he quietly understood why such simpleton beings could be hipnotized by hands like Kurama's.
— I never noticed this little scar before - Kurama mumbled in a way that could pass as uninterested if Hiei didn't knew him for long enough.
There was silence for a while. Outside, the snow was as beautiful as before, beginning to cling to the window behind Kurama.
— Why did you invited me today? - he ignored the comment and the digits against his cheek - Was the boredom telling you to spend time with a demon?
— I'm also a demon - Kurama retorted.
Hiei grabbed his wrist suddenly, forcing the fingers out of his cheek.
— I'm not human. This isn't how things are supposed to be.
— Because there's nothing but misery for you in the world? - Kurama's gentle demeanor broke into a bitter smile - Look at you. You're still there, don't pretend that I'm forcing you to do this.
Hiei didn't say anything in return. The grip in Kurama's hand got stronger as he averted his eyes.
— I invited you because I wanted you to stay - Kurama's voice was softer again, but more serious than before - It isn't that deep, so why make things complicated?
Kurama's free hand reached out to Hiei's face, this time holding it. His palm was so warm against the skin that giving in to it was tempting Hiei. He looked up to meet Kurama's eyes, the fake angry expression fading into that something else that he didn't had a name to call.
Kurama was beautiful - that was old news. Through the years Hiei witnessed the power this quality had over countless school girls. He'd spy from afar as Kurama rejected every single confession and love letter, almost curious about the repetitive ritual. It was so boring. It was so... Pointless. And yet, Hiei was there - falling slowly for the very same face as that human kids for years without realizing. Now, he had no way of denying it. Maybe that was the unseen reason for his resistance to just abandon the Ningekai. Part of him was chronically intrigued about why the fox spirit had never returned to his old ways. Was it the human conveniences? The easier weather? Perhaps the love of his mother?
Love.
That could be enough reason.
The grip in Kurama's wrist grew weaker. Slowly, Hiei pulled his hand instead, hesitantly placing it in his own face.
— So you were cold.
Hiei only frowned in response. He didn't knew what he was doing and wasn't going to attempt to explain it. All he wanted was that warmth - that gentle, genuine red flame. That faint floral smell that came from the soft pink shirt so close to him. Was he even man enough to deserve anything other than the distress of being lost in a land of blood and ice? At that point he didn't care anymore. All he wanted was to feel some softness for once.
The kiss came as gentle as it could, with Kurama leaning in to find Hiei's dry lips - hesitant, motionless and thirsty, waiting for him to take a step further.
— Did you ever did that before? - Kurama mumbled while smiling against Hiei's lips.
— That's not your business - Hiei responded by squeezing the pink shirt in his hands in a quiet desperation for more.
A soft humorous sound escaped Kurama's throat as he leaned in more, lying Hiei down in the couch. He offered no resistance, clinging even more to Kurama's shirt and seeking for his lips between shorter and shorter pauses to breath.
As they pulled away, Hiei looked surrendered under Kurama: face flushed, eyes deep into green ones trying hard to not look away.
This seems so normal to him, Hiei thought. He couldn't help but wonder how many other people had been touched that way by Kurama, and the assumption made him surprisingly disappointed.
But why would he care about something that wasn't even meant for him in the first place?
— What's on your mind? - Kurama asked, the gentle tone hiding some amusement.
— What does this mean to you?
— Sorry, is this too much?
— That's not what I asked - Hiei averted his gaze, finally letting go of Kurama's shirt.
— This means that I want you. I've been for some time.
Hiei laughed dryly. That was more natural to him than keep acting like a foolish human teenager.
— I really thought you were smarter than that.
— Perhaps I am and you're the one who is being irrational again - Kurama had that confrontation tone. His hair was a distracting red cascate, tips brushing against the borrowed white sweather.
Hiei's eyes met the green gaze above him - intense, deep and caring. But that was nothing new: that was what exactly what annoyed him in the beginning. Kurama was such a different being than what he had imagined when he heard the Youko tales that his first instinct was being disappointed. However, that sweetness in Kurama's eyes didn't nullify how unforgivable he was in battle. He was such a dichotomy: the fierce silver fox capable of the cruelest acts was trapped behind the wall of affection right above him.
— You can believe what you want.
— What about you?
Hiei sighed, looking away again. Doing that still felt weird to him.
— I may have the bias to always believe you - he mumbled after a minute of silence, his hands slowly wrapping around Kurama's waist in a unexperienced hug.
— That's enough for me - Kurama's hand reached to Hiei's hair this time, running through it with care before he left the couch - We should go to bed. This couch isn't going to be comfortable all night.
— And who said I was going to stay for the night?
— It's just a guess - Kurama said teasingly without looking back, disappearing in his bedroom. Hiei couldn't see his face, but felt he was smiling.
He didn't wait for ten minutes to follow Kurama this time. Hiei opened the door to a comfortable bed he hadn't payed attention before without the low light of a floral lampshade. Of course Kurama was there - waiting for him.
***
As the morning sun came in through light colored curtains, Kurama woke up to find an empty space beside him.
Well, that was expected.
He fixed the bed sheets distractedly, his mind occupied by all the boring chores and human obligations he had for the day. Kurama almost didn't noticed the faint energy in the balcony's parapet.
— Still hanging around I see - Kurama opened the balcony door to meet Hiei.
— Tch.
Hiei had his cloak back, and there was no trace of the shy man from the previous night. Still, he was there with nothing to say or do. That amused Kurama.
— Want to eat some breakfast?
— Do I look like a stray animal to you? - he was blunt, but the corner of his lip seemed subtly turned upward from Kurama's perspective.
Hiei looked at the distance briefly before turning his back to Kurama. He opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind in the last second. Kurama watched as he jumped to a lower floor, suddenly gone from his view.
He does behave a lot like a stray cat
Kurama sighed, closing the door to the balcony and going back to his chores. As he finished fixing his bed he noticed that his white sweater had vanished. Did Hiei put it back in his wardrobe?
A quick search proved it wrong.
He did knew Hiei really well and spent more time thinking about how he would react to human situations than a friend should, but Kurama didn't antecipated Hiei would just...
Kurama smiled to himself.
I guess he really doesn't like the cold.