Work Text:
It was hard being an adult. After the events of the last few years, the real world seemed far more boring and, perhaps, even more difficult.
Fighting demons and corralling lost artifacts was your specialty, but with the Living World secure for the time being, your services were no longer required. Koenma said he was not in need of the Spirit Detective and his team of combatants — as a result, you were out of a job, a job you rather enjoyed.
So, to earn your keep, you had to find one of a more human persuasion, working long hours in the service industry. You acted as a project manager for your team, and although you were supposed to be dividing up the work, oftentimes you found that the only way to do things right was to do them yourself.
You had an important deadline coming up you could not afford to delay. Your boss would throw a fit.
The mountain of research and paperwork in front of you continued to grow. You found it difficult to be organized with so many moving parts, so many facets of this project. You would look at one paper for reference, and when you searched for it again a few minutes later, you’d find that you had misplaced it.
It might have been easier if your employer weren’t so fond of killing trees, but surely even on your laptop, juggling across the sheer number of resources would be a challenge.
You looked at your phone. It was already 1:00 a.m. You had at least a few more hours ahead of you, and your efficiency was falling off fast. “Caffeine,” you said to yourself, suppressing a yawn. You would have to brew something to help you stay awake.
When you returned from the kitchen with your favorite hot drink in hand, you looked at your desk. It nearly gave you a heart attack. Perhaps you would just have to do without sleep for the night. While it wasn’t good for your health, it would mean keeping your job and livelihood, so it was a sacrifice you’d have to make.
So you sat down and worked.
And you worked and worked.
You had no idea how many words you had typed, references you read through, charts you had made. However, as you were checking over your presentation for any mistakes, you felt yourself drifting off, your head growing heavier with each second.
Before you knew it, you had closed your eyes, leaning your forehead against the desk for support. You only needed a moment to rest. Just five minutes.
“Really? You’ve succumbed to this?”
His voice brought you from your brief respite, and you breathed in sharply as you sat up straight. “Oh, Hiei? What are you doing here? Don’t you know you’re supposed to knock?” Your gentle admonishment belied your excitement.
The look on Hiei’s face was a stoic one, though you had come to learn it was his default expression. really, his actions spoke far more than his words or even body language. “Would you really answer the door at 4:00 a.m.?” he said.
You yawned, not realizing it was quite so late. “No, probably not. I don’t let shady characters into my apartment after dark.”
He seemed amused at your descriptor. “Working late again?”
“Again? How do you know?” You hadn’t spoken with Hiei in years — truthfully, you hadn’t expected to see him any time soon. Last you heard, he was in Demon World, serving the new king.
“I’ve been in the neighborhood,” he said. “Your lights are on every night.”
“Ah, so this shady character is a stalker, too.” You closed your laptop, deciding you were done. Whatever progress you made was good enough. If you couldn’t sleep, you could at least enjoy the company of an old friend for a little while before having to leave for the office. “What are you doing here? Is there something exciting that I should know about? I might be a little upset if Koenma roped you into a new mission without consulting me first.”
Hiei leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “I wouldn’t accept any orders from Koenma. He doesn’t dictate what I do. Though, I’m not surprised you’re willing to shoulder the responsibility with all... this.” He nodded toward the paperwork stacked high on your desk. “Even a life of fighting crimes against humanity is better than human drudgery.”
“You never answered my question. What are you doing in the Living World? If you’re not here on behalf of Koenma, surely you have some other mission from Enki? Or maybe you’re here of your own volition — only, you never struck me as the sentimental sort.”
“I’m not. A rare portal opened up between the two worlds. I thought it better for me to ensure no demons came through and caused mischief.”
“Well, you’re not exactly the heroic type either,” you said, not believing his reasoning for a second. “Either Enki put you up to it or you wanted to visit someone here.”
“We were allies once. Is it so unbelievable that I’d rather you be alive than dead?”
“Why would I be dead, Hiei? This part of Living World is safe, you know, and I don’t think many humans could hurt me, even if they tried. They’d be in for a nasty surprise, despite me being a little rusty.”
“You were just asleep, _____,” he said. “Knocked out cold. If I were an assassin, I could easily run a sword through your heart.”
He had a point, and you shrugged your shoulders. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re not an assassin, and you’re not going to run a sword through my heart.” You gestured toward the couch. “Won’t you have a seat? I’m sure you have plenty to tell me since I last saw you. It was so long ago.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“Then why come by at all? I’m clearly alive since you’ve been sneaking peeks through the window. You can just check on me and be on your merry way. Have you missed me?”
Hiei was quiet for a moment. “Not your impudence,” he said, finally. “You have more redeeming qualities.”
You wanted to reach out and embrace him, your exhaustion melting away at the best compliment he could muster. But you thought it’d be better if you poked a little fun at him first. “And what are these redeeming qualities, Hiei?”
“I’m leaving.”
“No, you’re not. You just got here.”
“Did I stutter?”
“You’re the impudent one now.”
And the night continued with this banter, a great sense of nostalgia overcoming your need for sleep. You would be fine tomorrow, fueled by this fortunate meeting with an old companion from a time long gone by.
