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“Yusuke?”
Shit
That was Keiko’s voice wasn’t it?
Shit
But it was not Keiko Yusuke was kissing.
Shit
No, the person an extremely drunk Yusuke had just smashed his face into was in fact not his long-time girlfriend and future wife but instead one of his best friends - Kurama.
Shit shit shit.
“I’m sorry.”
Yusuke said it to no one in particular, to neither- or both - of the two extremely important people he had just betrayed. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Keiko yet. He couldn’t read Kurama’s expression. He couldn’t believe he was such a friggin’ idiot.
Green eyes blinked closed once. Twice. Kurama was seemingly unfazed, which was frankly a little insulting. Yusuke thought he was a pretty good kisser. Good enough to warrant some reaction even from the person with the best poker face he’d ever seen and was he really mad that Kurama wasn’t responding to being kissed out of nowhere by someone who had no business kissing him? Then his friend rose and Yusuke nearly stumbled over his feet backing out of his way.
“I suspect you two will need a moment alone.”
That was it. That’s all the bastard had to say before gliding away. Of course, he didn’t owe anyone explanations the way Yusuke did. Not that Yusuke had any idea how to begin to explain himself. At last he turned to face the woman he supposedly loved. Not exactly proving that tonight. Her face was almost as unreadable as Kurama’s, though he thought there was something definitely not good for him in her expression.
“Keiko I…I don’t know what…I’ve had way too much to drink and he…I… um…”
She stared at him.
“It’s never happened before, and it won’t happen again, I swear. Can you forgive me?”
No response.
“Ah hell. Look, would you just yell at me and hit me and call me a jerk already? Please?” Nothing could be worse than that silent stare.
“Oh Yusuke.”
He was wrong. That was pity in her voice and it was way worse than nothing.
“I swear, Keiko, that’s the first time that’s ever happened.”
“I know.”
Yusuke looked up at her. “You do? You trust me?”
She gave him a small smile. “Of course I do.”
This seemed entirely too good to be true.
“You…aren’t mad?”
"Just at myself.”
Yusuke frowned, cocking his head to the side. “Why?”
Keiko heaved a sigh, blowing her bangs out of her eyes, and crossed her arms. “I owe Genkai so much money. Shizuru too. She said Kurama would be too gorgeous for you to pass up and she was right.”
“Huh?” Yusuke’s brows drew together in confusion.
“Well they both picked Kurama. Yukina was really hoping it would be her brother, but you and Hiei are way too repressed for that and I knew it. Kurama was likely sure, but I really thought it would be Kuwabara after all the history between you two and the way he was pining for you when you were gone. It just seemed like the safest bet.”
“Bet? Keiko, you have totally lost me, what bet?”
“Well I bet that it would be Kuwabara, when you finally kissed one of them.
“One of who ? Please start making sense.” Yusuke had never been more confused in his life but Keiko gave him an incredulous look, like he should’ve realized something obvious.
“One of the three of them. ”
Understanding dawned on Yusuke. And something that might’ve been a kind of horror. “Let me get this straight - “
Keiko snorted. “I don’t think ‘straight’ is the operative word here Yusuke.”
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Pointed at her. “Not funny. Maybe true. Not funny. You were placing bets on which one of my friends I was going to kiss ?”
Keiko might’ve at least had the decency to look sheepish but she didn’t. “Yeah, we were.” She crossed her arms., kicking at the ground and clicking her tongue in an annoyed way. “ I can’t believe this, I really thought it would be Kuwabara.”
This could not be happening. Yusuke half expected Keiko to tell him she was just kidding, but she didn’t. On from disbelief to rage then. “Who exactly was in on this little bet?” Yusuke would need a list of everyone he had to exact revenge on for laughing behind his back about his…love life?
When his longtime girlfriend giggled he only got angrier. “It was just us girls.” she paused, tapping her chin as she thought. “And Suzuki. And Shishi. Oh and we ran into Koto at that publicity party for the King’s Tournament awhile back -”
“That was last year ! Exactly how long has this been going on?”
“Hmm… do you remember what year you were all in the Dark Tournament?”
“Oh you have got to be kidding me,.”
Now, finally, Keiko looked the tiniest bit guilty. “Shizuru started it,”
“And you got in on it! I…” Yusuke placed his hands on his hips and huffed out a breath. “Keiko, are you honestly telling me you’re more annoyed I lost you a bet than that I - what was it again? Oh yeah, kissed someone else!”
For reasons Yusuke could not begin to understand that made Keiko smile at him again, in a way he usually found reassuring. She reached out to put a hand on his arm. “Yusuke, you didn't kiss just anyone else. You kissed one of your best friends, someone you’ve watched almost die a bunch of times, someone who you’ve risked - given - your life for. All that intensity had to go somewhere eventually.”
Yusuke’s shoulders sagged, tension he’d been holding from the moment she’d said his name a few minutes ago going out of him. That did sound like exactly what had happened. “You’re really not mad?”
In response Keiko hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m not. I’ll only be mad if you let this sit and fester and get awkward instead of finding Kurama and talking to him.”
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “You trust me to be alone with him?”
“Yes Yusuke.” She kissed him full on the lips. “I trust you both.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey.”
Well, if that wasn’t a pathetic way to start the conversation. But then how exactly did one start a conversation with a guy they’d known for years and just kissed for the first time?
“Hello Yusuke. I take it things are smoothed over between yourself and Keiko?”
“Uh…yeah, we’re good. Did you know about the bet?”
“I didn’t, though while you and Keiko were speaking I’ve caught on. Lots of frantic whispering from the rest of the group.”
“Right.”
Silence. Awkward silence. Yusuke was pretty sure he’d never really had one of those with Kurama before. Companionable silences, sure. Sad, heavy ones. But not awkward. He had only himself to blame.
“Um…I said it before but uh…I’m sorry.”
Kurama cocked his head to the side. “For..?”
“You know. What I did.”
There was the tiniest twitch of one red eyebrow. Was Kurama really going to make him say it?
“I’m sorry I kissed you.” He managed in a rush.
“Are you?”
Yusuke glared. “Okay, how is this conversation possibly more infuriating than the one I had with Keiko about everybody making bets on me?”
“I don’t mean to infuriate, Yusuke.” Kurama said with infuriating patience. “It’s a genuine question. Let me ask another. Why are you sorry?”
“I…” Yusuke scratched the back of his head and stared at the ground. “I screwed things up.”
“You said all was resolved between you and Keiko.”
:”I mean between us.”
Kurama’s voice was matter of fact when he answered. “No, you haven’t.”
Yusuke jerked his head up. “Really?” It sounded too good to be true. In Yusuke's experience kisses changed things between people.
“Really.” Kurama leaned a little closer and whispered conspiratorially, “You’re not the first man nor the first friend I’ve had an intimate moment with.” he paused, “I’ve done much more than kiss a number of people I would consider friends.”
“With benefits.” Yusuke couldn’t stop himself from quipping. He smirked at his own joke.
Kurama chuckled. “That is how humans tend to define it.” His face grew serious. “In all honesty, it’s not something I’m willing to get tangled in with you.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t what Yusuke wanted. To get entangled. So why was he kind of disappointed? “I mean yeah, I didn’t expect - “
“Let me be frank. It is not because you are unattractive.”
Another silence. A little less awkward. “You think I’m hot?”
“I’m…not fond of that vernacular. But you do have a certain charm about you Yusuke.” Yusuke thought there was maybe a tiny smirk on his friend’s face when he said, “Does that make you feel better?”
“Kinda.” Yusuke winced. “Gee doesn’t that sound shallow.”
“Hoping for mutual attraction? I should think not.”
“And you don’t see me any differently? I’m still just your hot pal Yusuke?”
Kurama smiled. “You are a dear friend. An attractive friend, yes. Acknowledging that needn’t change things between us. I’d like it not to.”
Yusuke exhaled “I think I want that too. For things not to change. So you said you’ve kissed a lot of guys?”
Wow, shock was a rare expression on Kurama. And damn was he good at reining it in quick. “Uh, I didn’t mean to say that last part out loud, it's just…I haven’t really talked or…even thought about that side of myself much.”
Kurama cleared his throat, then stared past Yusuke’s shoulder, a far-off look coming over him. “To answer your question, in this life, no. And in my old one, I wasn’t one for kissing. I was…” he paused and cleared his throat “I was with many men. Many demons of all genders.”
“People were still terrified of the great Yoko Kurama though?” Yusuke didn’t exactly love that there was a part of him that was convinced being attracted to guys would make him less tough, or more accurately be seen as less tough. But the fear was there. And maybe it wasn't fair, after the stunt he’d pulled, to ask Kurama to help ease that fear. But he’d always turned to Kurama for advice before, when he was smart enough to ask for it, and they didn’t want things to change.
“Ah.” Kurama, with that big brain of his, took no more than a second to catch on. He made the face he always did when he was figuring out how to answer someone carefully. “Demon world is a far from perfect place. Human world is the same. But I will give Makai this, no one much cares who you bed down with. There’s far more concern for who you can defeat in battle. Surely you saw evidence of such things in Raizen's territory?”
“I mean…yeah. A lot of the monkettes were into each other. It’s just…it’s helpful to hear you say it. Cuz I trust you. I hope…” Yusuke met his friend’s eyes. “I hope you can still trust me.”
Kurama’s smile could break hearts. “Of course I do.”
Yusuke let out a slow breath, then caught himself smiling unexpectedly. It was all gonna be okay. “Keiko told me the same thing.”
“What can I say?” Kurama had the nerve to wink at him. “She and I have excellent taste.”
~~~~~