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Contrary to popular belief, Makai wasn’t just all night creatures and bloodbaths. The demon realm reached hundreds and thousands of miles, letting beauty bloom in small crevices, hidden to only those who chose to look. To Kurama, these lush oases were just as good as the best treasures. He thrived underneath the thick canopy, lavishing in the small pockets of paradise the demonic forests provided.
Kurama crouched low to the earth, the tips of his fingernails digging into the soil.
“A couple miles south and we’ll hit clean water,” he said, his ears perking up.
“That’s what you said hours ago,” Kuronue grumbled.
“You’re welcome to stay here if you’d like, but not all of us enjoy being covered in filth,” Kurama said plainly, walking towards the direction of the moist earth.
Kuronue watched the Youko’s eyes light up at every chance at the mention of a hot bath and chuckled to himself. For all the beautifully spun takes of murder and gore that would follow the majestic Youko Kurama, he was also nothing more than a high maintenance fox.
. . . .
“Now that wasn’t so bad was it,” Kurama grinned and stepped into the clearing that held a giant waterfall completed with a shallow pool at the base.
“I beg to differ,” Kuronue argued back.
Kurama walked close to his bat friend, leaning close enough to take off his hat. “Alright then..” he said in a low voice. “Beg.”
Heat rose to Kuronue’s cheeks as he silently thanked the twilight for masking his red state.
Before Kuronue could muster up anything witty in return, Kurama spun his heel and made a beeline towards the water and took his clothes off in the process.
“It’s been days and we’re both disgusting. You can wallow in your filth if you want, but I’m going to take a bath."
Kurama practically glowed in this light, the paleness of his skin contrasted in the darkening night. Kuronue’s blush didn’t go away. He’s seen the fox naked countless times and none of it mattered, but as time went on he realized that maybe it mattered just a little bit.
Kuronue wanted his best friend. He didn’t want the king of thieves or Youko Kurama the great white fox, or any other moniker for that matter. He wanted the Kurama he traveled with, the one with the plans that didn’t always turn up right, the one that was very much not the infallible monster the rest of Makai wrote him out to be.
With a sigh he took off his own clothes, hoping that maybe a cold bath would shake him out of his thoughts.
. . . .
“Your hair is quite soft you know,” Kurama observed. He ran his clawed hand through the bat demon’s damp hair, watching the black strands slip through his fingers.
“Excuse me?,” Kuronue replied as he threw more dry wood into the fire.
“It always looked so rough and unruly,” Kurama added.
“Unlike you, I don’t care too much about appearances. If I look rough, so be it.”
“Mm, I suppose you’re right. If you choose to look ratty, that’s your own volition. It’s just a treat to see you with your hair down,” Kurama teased. He stretched himself near the fire, settling his head down on Kuronue’s lap.
“It’s been a while since we had any real rest. As much as I love all the adventures we go on, it’s nice to relax once in a while,” Kuronue yawned. He tried not to move in case his thighs became too uncomfortable of a pillow, but to have Kurama lay on him was a secret luxury that he intended to keep to himself.
“Agreed. Maybe I’m getting older but I’m finding myself more tired after a well thought out heist.”
“I’m always tired after a heist Kurama, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re incredibly hard to work with."
“At yet you are here,” was Kurama's bland response. His arm reached up to the bat’s face as he absentmindedly stroked Kuronue’s cheek. “Yet you stay,” he added softly.
In the shadows of the fire's embers, there was no hiding the blush now. This was only one of the many times Kuronue failed to hide his embarrassment. But every time Kuronue was sure the fox had caught on, Kurama would stay silent and act interaction had never happened in the first place.
Kuronue often wondered if the subtle flirting was intentional. There was no way someone could be this touchy, this close without knowing what they were doing. He’d seen Kurama flirt with men and women before, and the actions towards Kuronue seemed to match. But just when Kuronue would think something more would happen, nothing ever would.
Maybe Kuronue was overthinking it. Maybe Kuronue wanted something so much that we just romanticized the whole situation. Or maybe Kurama knew. Maybe Kurama was teasing him simply because he was bored, and this was just a cruel way to wrap the bat tighter around his finger. Each thought made Kuronue’s heart hurt, so he would bury it into the deepest recesses of his mind to deal with for another day.
“Do you think we’re safe here,” Kurama said, breaking the long silence.
“Are we safe anywhere?” Kuronue snorted. “You have half of Makai on your tail.”
“For a night, if we were to lower our guard do you think we’d be safe,” Kurama replied, ignoring the jab Kuronue sent in his direction.
“I suppose so, haven’t felt any energy worth noting since we got here.”
“Then hand me that will you,” Kurama motioned at his plain burlap sack that Kuronue knew as his seed pouch. Deadly things came out of that sack. Kuronue once saw a demon split in two with only the flick of Kurama’s wrist. He’d seen razor sharp ivy’s thread into flesh, blooming into flowers as large as small forests. He had observed himself what powerful youkai looked like and what someone like Youko Kurama could do.
“Why are you looking to up our defenses if I just told you we should probably be fine.”
“Because I’m not. I’m looking to lower it,” Kurama smirked, pulling out a small pipe from his sack.
“Lower it?” Kuronue cocked his head to the side in confusion as his friend started packing dried leaves into the small bowl. “I’ve tried tobacco before but I don’t really think it did anything to me besides taste disgusting.”
“That’s because it’s Makai Ashweed, something I used to smoke when I was a lot younger and a lot less infamous,” Kurama replied, as he took a small twig and held it in the fire long enough to catch. He lowered the burning wood into the bowl to where the leaves started to burn, and inhaled.
“Hm, and how will it make you feel,” Kuronue asked curiously.
Kurama exhaled as the smoke swirled around in front of him. “A lot more relaxed, like you’re floating. I can’t explain it, but you can try it if you want.” He handed the pipe to Kuronue.
He reached for it without question, inhaling till the leaves lit with a dim glow. The sweet smell of Ashweed wafted through the air as he exhaled and proceeded to cough harshly into his fist.
Kurama laughed as he rubbed Kuronue’s back in large soothing circles. “I should’ve warned you it can be rough on the throat.”
“Y-you think?!” the bat hacked out.
“Here, drink this,” Kurama gingerly tipped Kuronue’s head back enough to spill some water into the bat’s mouth with his small canister.
Kuronue’s head began to get fuzzy, and his body sagged against the trunk he was sitting near. Normally this display of affection would make him stammer like an idiot, but he allowed himself to drink the water until his throat no longer felt irritation.
The weed was far different from being inebriated. He felt the same warmth, the same lack of inhibitions, but Kuronue was hyper aware of everything around him. His senses were heightened but in a way that was almost overbearing yet comforting at the same time.
“It.. it feels. I don’t know,” Kuronue babbled on.
“I understand,” Kurama looked entertained as he took another drag from the pipe. Kuronue followed suit as he shifted himself closer until his thigh was pressed against his friend.
“My fingertips are tingling,” Kuronue dragged his hands across the fabric of his legs, feeling the new sensation.
“It does kind of skew your perception of things so it’s not the best to do when you’re on guard. But I figured we both deserved to relax a little, especially since I’m apparently incredibly hard to work with,” he mimicked the bat’s words.
“I didn’t mean that,” Kuronue started, as he stared hard at the floor.
“I know-,” but before Kurama could finish, Kuronue cut him off.
“I mean I like relaxing with you. I like doing anything as long as it’s with you,” Kuronue confessed. His brain wasn’t processing fast enough to stop his mouth from saying those words, yet he didn’t really care.
“The weed must be hitting you pretty hard if you’re being this kind to me," Kurama let out a mirthless laugh.
Kuronue shrugged and pulled his knees closer to him. “Maybe, but you know it.”
“Know what?”
“That I like being around you. I’d follow you anywhere. And you know it,” Kuronue murmured, his eyes still glued in front of him.
“And what do you mean by that?,” Kurama turned to him, his face etched with confusion and mild amusement.
Kuronue moved his head lazily to the side until his violet eyes met gold. “I mean that I’d follow the ends of Makai with you, and that I have and will continue to.”
“You must really be feeling it,” Kurama muttered to himself.
“Maybe,” the bat moved in closer. Maybe it was the weed or maybe it was something his mind fabricated on its own, but he could’ve sworn the slight hint of a blush on the fox’s face.
“If it adds anything, I also like having you around,” Kurama admitted as he rested his forehead against the bat’s.
Kuronue smiled weakly and licked his lips, suddenly nervous and aware of how close he was to the fox. “Why do you always do this?”
“Do what?,” Kurama answered mischievously, his vulpine smile illuminated by the dwindling fire.
The bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
“This,” he answered back in an exasperated tone, and gestured towards the fox. “Get close. You’re always so close.”
“Yet you don’t push me away,” the fox murmured and tilted his face even nearer.
Kuronue inhaled the scent of Makai Ashweed and fresh water and the subtle hint of flora coming from the fox. It was tantalizing and pleasant, and he was intoxicated by it. Everything about Kurama intoxicated him. He stared directly into the demons challenging eyes, flicking his gaze down to the pair of soft lips.
This was all too easy, and he was far too gone to worry about the repercussions of his next actions.
“I don’t,” Kuronue agreed, before leaning forward, touching his lips against Kurama’s. Kuronue slotted his mouth onto the fox and eagerly took anything his partner would give him. Kurama groaned helplessly into the kiss and opened his mouth instinctively, allowing Kuronue to explore on his own accord.
Kuronue’s mind was both numb and acutely awake at the same time. His whole body felt electric as his mouth moved against Kurama’s. Their breaths mingled, both harsh and heavy until Kuronue pulled away with a teasing tug to the bottom of Kurama’s lip.
Kuronue is the first one to break the silence, suddenly sobered up by the past few minutes. His eyes fluttered open, his body flushed from the neck down.
“I just wanted to know how it felt,” his face bloomed red and he hung his head until it rested on the other man’s shoulder.
“To kiss me?” Kurama asked, his voice also sounding a bit distant.
“To finally take what I wanted,” Kuronue whispered against the skin.
Kurama reached out and grabbed the bat demon’s chin so they were once again staring at one another.
“Then take what you want,” Kurama replied reassuringly. His eyes were dark and hooded, his lips swollen and red. He leaned forward this time and pressed his mouth against Kuronue as he smiled into the kiss. “With all the passes I’ve been making, I was starting to think maybe you were the one that wasn’t interested.”
They both laugh at this, the sounds of their voices echoing against the silent forest.
They make out for a while, lazy and slow. Their minds are both hazy and calm and wonderfully fuzzy. Kuronue’s body felt like it was on fire and he wondered how in the world he lived without this feeling all his life.
For tonight, the most wanted demons in Makai fall asleep under the stars, nestled together like they had no care in the world.