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When Hiei slipped through the window, it didn’t surprise him to see that Kurama was sitting at his desk with a book in front of him engrossed in studying. The commotion at Tarukane’s had kept him away for a few days and while he didn’t expect the fox to wait every second for him; it hadn’t been an excursion they discussed. Sliding the window shut behind him, he took his cloak off and braced himself for the inevitable lecture. Their fates were bound together as were their freedoms because the Reikai viewed them as a package deal. If there was one thing that Kurama loved more than his precious control, it was his freedom. Hiei couldn’t imagine that he’d get off easy by jeopardizing that.
A soft creaking of the fox’s chair being pushed backward, the gentle thump of a book being set aside, and soft featherlight footsteps approaching him. Hiei kept his back to Kurama as he busied himself with his cloak. The weight of Kurama’s gaze lingered on his back and he took a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth, every muscle in his body tense. A light touch to his shoulder, a simple warning, but he didn’t dare to turn around. A warm palm cupping his shoulder and traveling down his arm, dipping to rest on his chest.
Holding his breath, he wondered if Kurama could hear his heart racing. He trusted the fox with his life but the anticipation was maddening. The slow movements meant to warn and Hiei followed the trail his hand left until the other followed the same path, his arms encircling the fire demon’s torso in a loose embrace.
“Did you find her?” Kurama’s voice was close to his ear, warm breaths fanning over the shell and a shiver ran down his spine, the tension in his body melting.
So he did know.
That saved Hiei one explanation but another cropped up in its place.
Just why was he doing this?
Nodding mutely, he could practically feel Kurama smile as his lips brushed against the shell of Hiei’s ear, soft and welcoming.
“I’m happy for you,” he said, easing his hold on him as Hiei turned in the embrace to glean some understanding from the fox’s eyes.
There was none to be found just warmth, care, worry, a tangled forest of emotions in bright green eyes that kept his own as Kurama’s hold tightened slightly. Hiei knew it was prompting, that he was being asked a silent question and he wasn’t sure how to respond with words. Leaning forward to rest his forehead against the fox’s chest, it must have been the right answer as Kurama’s arms tightened around him. One of his hands shifting to rest on the back of Hiei’s head, deft fingers threaded in his hair as he cradled the back of his head.
Hiei swallowed thickly. This felt intimate but the hold itself was a silent reassurance. Kurama’s hand rubbing at his back, the other cradling the back of his head, the relief in his smile that Hiei could see from the corner of his eye. The fire demon’s fingers twitched and slowly, he raised his hands to rest at the fox’s side.
“I thought you would be scolding me,” Hiei muttered lamely, uncertain if it was his own voice by how soft and small it sounded.
Kurama’s voice was close to his ear as he spoke, “Would you rather I scold you?” he teased and Hiei huffed.
His hands slid across the fox’s side, wrapping around him in a loose embrace. Everything felt hazy around the edges and warm, and the fox didn’t seem intent on letting him go for some time. And yet for some reason, Hiei was fine with that. With the stress of finding his sister, the worry that some fate worse than death had befallen her, and the anger that would have landed him back in a cell for having human blood on his hands melting away — he felt relieved. Grateful that he was back. Kurama was safe, likely attending school and ensuring their freedom by reassuring the Reikai of Hiei’s accountability to following their one idiotic rule.
“I won’t apologize,” Hiei muttered.
“I don’t expect you to.”
Hiei squeezed his eyes shut and curled his fingers in the back of the fox’s shirt. “Then what is it that you want?”
Kurama’s hair slipped over his shoulders as he pulled away. Forcing his eyes open to meet his gaze head-on, there was an unreadable look on the fox’s face as he searched Hiei’s face for something. His gaze was heavy and scrutinizing but the fire demon refused to buckle beneath its weight. Finally, Kurama smiled.
“For you to come back to me,” Kurama smiled and bumped their foreheads together. “Hiei, welcome home.”
Hiei tensed up and any words that he would have spoken died in his throat. Lips parting then shutting, he grunted and averted his gaze.
“...I’m back.”