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The rain pounded against the window pane as a crack of thunder and the rumble of the storm preluded the streak of lightning coloring violet across clouded dreary grey sky. Hiei’s head rolled from one side to the other, looking from the window to Kurama, the redhead flipping through the pages of his textbook and writing in his notebook without pause. With the overhead light turned off and his desk lamp on, the warm amber light cast shadows over Kurama’s face whilst the world outside of his room painted in the room in shades of monochrome that made the soft colors of his bedsheets and walls duller. It was odd how Kurama stood out amidst the drab and faded yet seemed to hide amongst it effortlessly. Hiei rolled onto his side and tucked his arm beneath his head, watching as Kurama pushed a lock of hair behind his ear.
It was getting longer. Perhaps the fox had taken his suggestion to heart about growing out his hair for his seeds. However, his hair was currently in that awkward stage where it wasn’t long enough to tie back but wasn’t short enough to keep out of his face. Hiei drummed his fingers along the back of his head, nails grazing along his scalp as he wracked his brain for the memory of one of Kurama’s schoolmates. She wore an appealing hair clip that held her bangs away from her face but wasn’t distracting. From what he could tell, most of those clips were made of plastic and easily breakable.
He was almost certain that he could find something suitable though the matter of what was concerning.
“Are you okay, Hiei?”
Shelving his thoughts, Hiei focused on Kurama, realizing that he was staring and the fox had turned from his work to regard him with curiosity. Eyes wandering from Kurama’s to where his hair stopped near his chin, he wondered what color would look best. The fox did have appearances to keep after all.
“Hiei?”
Realizing that he was expected to answer, Hiei opened his mouth but another thunderclap drowned out any half-assed answer that he could come up with. Kurama’s attention shifted from him to the window and his brows furrowed.
“It’s been coming down like that for hours,” Kurama muttered, likely thinking of Shiori on her way home from work.
Hiei thought to look over his shoulder and at least feign interest in the weather but there was something about the crease in Kurama’s forehead as he frowned that was interesting.
“It won’t stop for at least a day,” Hiei pointed out. “And your mother brought her umbrella.”
Kurama raised a brow and glanced at him with a little smile. “I could have sworn that I saw her umbrella sitting by the door when I came in.”
“You must have been seeing things, fox.” Hiei said, rolling over to lie on his back.
Kurama hummed softly, and Hiei could feel his eyes on him. “Where’s your cloak?”
“Hanging in the bathroom.”
“Did you get caught in the rain on your way here or was it after you went downstairs about a half hour ago?”
Hiei suppressed a wince. He knew that he was caught but he’d be damned if he was going to let Kurama corner him. Looking his way, green eyes met crimson and the silence was deafening but the tension said it all. Hiei refused to concede and Kurama’s knowing smile was irritatingly interesting. Eventually, Kurama turned away from him and returned to his work and once the pencil met paper, Hiei decided to look away.
Silence was blissful but after a few moments of Kurama scribbling away and Hiei lost in his thoughts, it was broken.
“Will you stay here?” Kurama asked, flipping a page in his textbook and following the text along with a finger to the print. “Mother wanted to have you over for dinner again.”
Shiori’s cooking was some of the best that he’d tasted and Kurama was steadily picking up new things from her as well.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Does it really matter?”
Hiei mulled it over. Though Hiei didn’t want to get dragged into the kitchen to help, it did do him some good to know how to cook further than making his food edible. Taste was second to edibility but they weren’t mutually exclusive, he supposed. And cooking with Shiori was entertaining to say the least.
“Perhaps.”
Glancing at Kurama from out the corner of his eye, the fox’s eye roll was met with narrowed eyes.
“She said that if you were coming, she would make your favorite.”
Hiei’s eyebrows raised. His favorite? That rice-dish she always made or perhaps the beef bowl. He propped himself up on his elbow as he thought back to the groceries he’d seen in the fridge. If it was beef then Shiori would’ve told Kurama to start making the rice sometime after he got home. Though if it was the rice-dish then there would be vegetables. However, she wouldn’t be home until later.
Hiei glanced at the clock then to Kurama. The little smile on his face didn’t help the fire demon in gleaning answers of just what was for dinner but it all hinged on what the fox would do. He’d have to keep a closer eye on him.
“She’s very fond of you.”
Hiei sank down into the mattress and folded his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, the thumping of the rain and the rumbling thunder background noise to the thoughts in his head. Shiori was kind to him. That much was clear. She worried over him more than others did, insisted that he come over constantly, and involved him in anything that she could. He thought it was foolish when she had other things to occupy her time but Kurama mentioned that it was just how she was.
And it wasn’t all that bad.
“As am I,” Hiei grumbled beneath his breath. The scratching of Kurama’s pencil came to a halt and the fire demon wrinkled his nose, glancing over to find the fox staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“The weather must be having an effect on you.” Kurama said, smiling slightly. “You never admit to liking someone without a fight.”
Hiei’s eyes narrowed and his youki pooled in the palm of his right hand, the fingers curled into a fist as his flames burned and smoke rose from the cracks in his fingers. “Would you rather I fight you?”
Where others would have been apprehensive at the sight of his flames, Kurama was amused. His smile was sharper with an almost toothy look to it, a thrill and a shiver running through Hiei at the sight.
“Later, I have homework.” Kurama turned away from him and back to his work, setting to the task of note-taking as if nothing happened.
The flames died down in Hiei’s hand and he slowly sat up, resting his hands in his lap, rocking forward slightly to see what Kurama was doing.
“Even on a day like this?”
“If only teachers were so merciful.”
With the sight of numbers and figures drawn, he wrinkled his nose and leant away. Mathematics. One of Kurama’s subjects that he hated. He preferred English, at least it would be useful in the future. With a glance at the clock, Hiei frowned. Kurama had been studying for at least two hours now.
“Can it wait?” Hiei asked, looking back at Kurama and tilting his head to one side.
Kurama looked up and glanced over his shoulder at the clock then turned his head to meet Hiei’s eyes. “I’d rather finish it now to give myself time later, why?”
Of course he’d rather finish it now, always the efficient one, why put off what you could do today and the like.
“Can you multi-task?” Hiei asked flatly, narrowing his eyes.
Kurama stared at him for a moment before he smirked, resting his chin in his hand. “You know that I can,” he said and Hiei fought down the heat rising to his face. “But why?”
Hiei rolled his eyes and gestured to the spot beside him. “You can do your homework over here.”
Kurama glanced at the bed then shrugged. “And?”
“Be with me,” Hiei said as if it was obvious.
For all of the fox’s smarts, he could be wonderfully oblivious at times, and it was delightful to see the tables turned when Kurama’s eyes widened. They looked at one another and Hiei was in no hurry to look away, delighting in the pink dusting Kurama’s cheeks as he gathered his materials and walked over to sit beside him. Inching back to press his back to the wall, his legs splayed and book resting in his lap, he looked comfortable and striking even in the monochrome.
Hiei’s eyelids drooped and he inched backward himself, stopping Kurama from opening his book by lifting it away.
“Hiei?”
Without warning or question, the fire demon nudged at Kurama’s legs, pushing them further apart. Kurama’s breath hitched but Hiei wasn’t interested in deciphering why, nestling himself between his legs and lying down with his head tucked against Kurama’s stomach and his arms wrapped loosely around his waist.
“…What are you doing?” Kurama asked after he’d gotten himself comfortable.
“Being with you.”
Kurama said nothing for a moment, the book that Hiei had taken was left abandoned on the other side of the fox’s legs while the fire demon was happy to bury his face against his arm and close his eyes, letting the sounds around him lull him into a light sleep. Kurama’s breaths evened out and he shuffled slightly but relaxed. The page-turning catching Hiei’s attention and he opened one of his eyes, turning his head over to see Kurama reading with the book on the other side of him.
“I don’t mind having your materials on me,” Hiei said, glancing up at Kurama when his hand stilled from turning the page again. “Just give me this.”
He wasn’t sure what expression Kurama was making or what he’d said that changed the air around him. The book laid on his back and a hand in his hair, fingers gently working through his hair. It felt nice. Kurama’s fingers were warm and dexterous, easing along his scalp and brushing over his ears lightly.
“What are you doing, fox?” Hiei mumbled.
Kurama hummed in response, pressing his fingers to a spot behind Hiei’s ear that made everything softer for just a second. “Cuddling you,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Disgusting,” Hiei grumbled. “…Do it again.”