Work Text:
“Wait. Are these idiots actually in love, or am I just trapped in a sitcom?”
If you’d told me a few years ago that Hiei and Kurama would become whatever the hell they are now, I would’ve laughed in your face.
Actually, no.
I would’ve assumed one of them had murdered the other.
Probably Hiei.
Maybe Kurama.
Honestly, the odds were fifty-fifty.
Because we’re talking about two demons who came from Demon World. Two legendary criminals. Two guys whose moral compass used to be “Does this benefit me?” and “Can I get away with it?”
And somehow…
Somehow they ended up becoming each other’s person.
I don’t even know when it happened.
One day they were just partners.
The next day Hiei was crossing entire continents because Kurama disappeared for a few weeks.
Not because he was worried.
Obviously.
Because Hiei doesn’t worry.
According to Hiei.
Meanwhile Kurama would spend every mission pretending Hiei wasn’t currently making increasingly reckless decisions.
“Hiei, that’s dangerous.”
“Hiei, perhaps think before attacking.”
“Hiei, maybe don’t challenge everything with a pulse.”
Like some exhausted wife trying to stop her husband from fighting lawn equipment.
And the worst part?
Hiei actually listens.
Not all the time.
Not even most of the time.
But more than he listens to literally anyone else.
You know how insane that is?
This is Hiei.
The guy who once looked at friendship and decided violence seemed easier.
The guy who treats emotional vulnerability like it’s a contagious disease.
But Kurama asks him not to do something?
Suddenly the little psycho is considering alternatives.
Sometimes.
Rarely.
By Hiei standards, that’s practically a love confession.
And Kurama isn’t any better.
Everybody thinks Kurama is the reasonable one.
The mature one.
The responsible one.
Wrong.
Kurama is just better at hiding his insanity.
Hiei knows this.
That’s why whenever someone underestimates Kurama, Hiei gets that look.
That little smirk.
The one that says:
“Oh, good. You’re about to learn.”
Because nobody respects Kurama more than Hiei does.
Nobody.
Not me.
Not Kuwabara.
Not even Kurama himself.
Hiei saw the legendary fox thief at his peak.
Saw what he was capable of.
Saw what he became after turning human.
And somehow respects him even more now.
Which is insane.
Because Hiei respects maybe three people total.
One of them is his sister.
One of them is probably himself.
And one of them is Kurama.
Guess who wins most of those rankings.
And Kurama?
Kurama acts like Hiei is annoying.
Constantly.
He’s always criticizing him.
Correcting him.
Calling him reckless.
Calling him stubborn.
Calling him impossible.
Yet somehow he’s also the first one checking if Hiei’s injured.
The first one noticing when something’s wrong.
The first one quietly stepping in when Hiei’s self-destructive tendencies start acting up.
They’re ridiculous.
They know each other too well.
Way too well.
They finish each other’s plans.
They anticipate each other’s reactions.
They can communicate entire conversations with one glance.
And don’t tell me that’s normal.
I’ve known these idiots for years.
That isn’t normal.
That’s what happens when you’ve spent so much time together that your brains start sharing custody of the same brain cell.
Honestly, I think the funniest part is that neither of them would ever admit any of this.
Kurama would smile politely and change the subject.
Hiei would threaten to kill me.
Which, for the record, isn’t a denial.
I’ve checked.
But after everything they’ve survived—
Demon World.
Betrayal.
Loss.
Loneliness.
The kind of lives that should’ve left them incapable of trusting anyone.
They found each other.
And somehow that changed everything.
Not all at once.
Not dramatically.
Just little things.
One choice at a time.
One act of loyalty at a time.
One moment of understanding at a time.
Until the guy who trusted nobody had someone he would cross worlds for.
And the guy who carried every burden alone finally had someone willing to share the weight.
So yeah.
Maybe they’re partners.
Maybe they’re best friends.
Maybe they’re soulmates.
I don’t know.
I stopped trying to define it years ago.
All I know is that if one of them walks into danger, the other isn’t far behind.
And after everything they’ve been through?
I think that’s the closest thing either of them has ever had to a home.
…Don’t tell them I said that.
I enjoy being alive.
“And then people ask me and Kuwabara if they’re together.
Buddy, I don’t know.
I’ve seen less commitment in actual marriages.”