Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.
I've been uploading the detritus of fics saved on my PC. HoroRen yaoi.
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Horo turned a page of the magazine he was reading, and tried to focus on the article. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He sat up and rested the magazine on his lap. The shiny pages crackled unpleasantly, sounding awfully loud in the utter stillness all around him. Stillness. Silence. That was what was bothering him. He knew where all the others were, of course. He had been surprised when all of them had got dressed up and gone to various fancy restaurants (well... Anna had been dropping subtle hints to Yoh all month over what he should get her, and not-so-subtle hints over the consequences if he forgot) with presents and flowers and chocolates. He tried to pretend he wasn't annoyed that all of his friends had managed to find a date, even just for the night, but he wasn't even fooling himself. It wasn't that he had forgot- there were far too many adverts for cheap roses and pink hearts floating around for that- but... he hadn't found anyone important enough to ask.
He got up and walked into the kitchen. The tap was dripping. Staring at it for a second, he nearly laughed out loud. Plip... plop. Plip... plop. As far as being lonely went, this was what rock bottom felt like. It was the most romantic night of the year, supposedly, and he was in an empty house sitting in a darkened kitchen listening to a dripping tap, of all things. He tried to turn it off, but he couldn't seem to stop the dripping. He put some music on instead, turning it up loud.
Drowning it out, he thought, and grinned at his own joke. There was a pile of wrapping paper and discarded cellophane in a pile next to the bin, waiting to be thrown out the next morning. He briskly bundled it up, shoved it into the bin and tied off the top of the bag. If he was just going to sit around all night, he might as well make himself useful and take out the rubbish. It was barely dark outside, and he could see bright lights from the centre of town through gaps in the houses. Most of them were pink. If he listened really carefully he could hear laughter in the distance. Laughter, and shouting, and... was that the doorbell?
He ran into the house and through to the front door, skidding in mats and nearly falling over various objects strategically placed to trip a runner in a hurry. The last echoes of the dong were just fading away when the reached for the handle. Maybe one of his friends had come home early. Hopefully they'd have some interesting stories. Well, right now he'd settle for an in-depth discussion of their digestive system if it got him some human company. He opened the door.
'Hey! How are... Ren?' Horo stared at the other boy in disbelief. Of all the people it could have been, Ren was probably the one he least expected.
'I believe the traditional last word in that greeting is 'you',' Ren said, scowling in his general direction. 'However, I'll let it go if you let me in. Is Yoh here?'
'No... He's out on a date with Anna. Cos it's Valentine's Day and all...' Horo stood out of the way to let Ren past.
'I know what day it is,' Ren snapped. He strode into the hallway, but stopped when all that met him was a silent room. 'Is everyone out?'
'Everyone except me,' And if that's not good enough, you can leave. 'Anyway, what are you doing here? Isn't there some millionaire's daughter you should be giving a ride on your private jet or something?
'Yes, all the millionaires are queueing up to let their daughters date the son of a man who keeps dozens of corpses in the basement and squeezes the heads off pandas. I came here for some human company, but there doesn't seem to be any,'
Horo sighed. Ok, I'll bite. 'What am I then?'
'A yeti,'
'With lightning wit like that you should have had girls beating at your door with sticks,' Horo said, resisting the urge to grin. Even though the conversation wasn't going exactly as he'd hoped, he'd got what he wanted, hadn't he? Someone to talk to... argue with.
'I try to discourage that sort of thing. It gives people the wrong idea,' Ren almost kept a perfectly straight face, but one corner of his mouth was quivering. Bastard. He's enjoying this too.
'Well, as you walked all the way over here, do you want a drink? I promise I won't spit in it,'
'As I walked all the way over here,'
Horo went into the kitchen, not really surprised when Ren followed him. 'Can't trust yetis, right?' he said over his shoulder.
'Of course not,' Ren made a fake-serious thinking face. 'That and yetis can't make hot chocolate worth drinking,'
'Did I say I had hot chocolate? Ok, don't look at me like that,' Horo opened the fridge and began the difficult task of searching for the milk. 'Could you get me the powder? It's on the top shelf, left cupboard,'
Horo eventually located the milk behind the remains of a pizza and closed the fridge door. The two mugs were sitting where he'd left them, but there was no sign of Ren or the hot chocolate powder. Horo turned around, and nearly choked trying not to laugh. Ren was on his tiptoes, but his fingers were still an inch from the jar. Horo sneaked up behind him and easily grabbed it off the shelf over his head. Ren turned around sharply, his face beetroot red.
'Don't you dare-,'
'I'm not saying anything!' Horo waved his hands in the air. Luckily the lid of the jar was securely down. 'This is me, not saying anything. By the way, I like that shade of red. Goes well with your hair,' He unscrewed the lid of the jar and mixed the powder with the milk. He shived both cups in the microwave and waited for Ren to speak.
'I'm average height. Yetis are freakishly tall,' Ren muttered, still blushing. The microwave pinged, and Horo took the mugs out. A chocolatey smell filled the kitchen.
'Then how come Yoh doesn't have any trouble making hot chocolate?' Horo passed one of the mugs to Ren. 'Besides, yetis can't make hot chocolate. Remember?' He watched as Ren took a careful sip.
'That's right, they can't. Ok, you're not a yeti. Doesn't mean you're normal,' Ren said, following Horo into the living room and perching on the edge of the sofa. Horo watched Ren blow on his hot chocolate, make a face and put it on the floor. The TV suddenly flickered into life.
'Aren't you supposed to entertain the guests?' Ren looked over his shoulder at Horo. Horo yawned and settled back into the sofa.
'One, I don't see any guests. Two, you sat on the remote,' He grinned as Ren twisted round and saw it sticking out from under him. Ren picked it up and threw it across the room.
'Temper temper,' muttered Horo, not really angry. He settled down to watch TV. Some Valentine's Day special.
'What would you call me then?' said Ren suddenly, after a few minutes. He was still perched on the edge of the sofa, as if he was just about to stand up.
'Hmmm...' Horo pretended to think about it, sneaking an arm around Ren's waist. He pulled and Ren fell into his lap.
'A friend,' Horo said to the wriggling boy in his lap. He reached around Ren and grabbed both of his wrists, preventing Ren from moving. Soon Ren stopped struggling and Horo relaxed his grip. He felt Ren shift to a more comfortable position against his chest.
'And you do this to all your friends?' Ren's voice was muffled by Horo's jacket.
'Only the ones I really like,' Horo replied. Ren twisted his head to the side so he could breathe, and the watched TV in silence. The hero made up with the heroine, and 'the end' appeared in swirly writing in front of their last passionate kiss. Horo leant down so he could whisper in Ren's ear.
'Happy Valentine's day, huh?'
Ren muttered something intelligible. He was nearly asleep. Horo pulled the hem of his jacket to cover the other boy, and leaned back against the cushions. Another bad movie was starting, his hot chocolate had gone cold and there was no way he could get up to get another one or change the channel, as Ren had started to snore. It was by no means perfect.
But it was close enough.