After receiving a request on tumblr for a fic in which the gang tries to prank Hiei, but can't pull it off without Kurama, we have this fluffy little oneshot. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, or Kurama, or Hiei...

Somehow, against all odds and logic, Hiei came to Christmas.

They had no idea how Kurama managed to persuade him this year, or any of the others for that matter. It never seemed to stop them from doubting his appearance, despite the usual coercion, but there he'd be- sulking in some corner or gazing out the window like he planned on leaving through it at the earliest convenience. The first year he actually had, after staying for as long as he could bear. The second he'd refused to interact with anyone but the kitsune, which had done enough to drive the entire team, fox included, utterly mad. This year, the year after everything had settled and Yusuke had returned to the human world, he seemed intent on speaking to anyone but the redhead.

Kurama, of course, was less than pleased.

At first, Yusuke and Kuwabara had seen it as an opportunity to tease the fire demon, thinking that the spurn had gone the other way around. They'd received a heated glare from the kitsune when Hiei answered their ridicule with a snide comment of his own, and both had retreated, not sure it was worth the wrath that they could possibly incur.

For about twenty minutes.

Then, the curiosity began to kick in, the wonder at what Kurama could have possibly done to result in a fuming fox and a vindictive fire demon taking over. After some precursory whispering in the kitchen, a plan was drawn up to find out what happened, though it wasn't a very good one- even by their standards. The rest of the evening followed in a series of sad attempts on each of their parts to find the source of the debacle without ruining the cheer. Kurama was certainly more snippy than usual with them, avoiding Kuwabara's advances with alcohol in favor of teaching Yukina its possible evils (for which the baguette head wasn't sure if he was grateful or upset). Hiei, on the other hand, was more apt to drink what was handed to him, but the effects were less than satisfactory. In the end, the two had failed to leave together, Kurama shooting a backward glance at the fire demon who had already claimed Yusuke's couch as his before pulling on his boots and storming off in a silent huff. To the other two's dissatisfaction, they had failed to extract any information, and Hiei was gone before the detective had woken from his annual hangover.

Obviously, it was time to pull one over on a certain fire demon.

Kuwabara had heard from a little birdie (or rather, an ice apparition with a predilection for the winged creatures) that Hiei had allocated a few weeks' worth of time in the human world, though his informant seemed disappointed in the fact that he'd forgone her offer to stay at the temple. He'd relayed the message to Yusuke, who then conveniently dropped by the kitsune's place only to find that Hiei wasn't there either. Kurama had seemed pleased at the company, at least, and Yusuke returned hours later than he'd promised, his stomach fuller than when he'd left. Still, it didn't leave them any closer to the other's whereabouts than before.

Interestingly enough, it was Hiei who found them. Kuwabara had set up camp in Yusuke's living room, since Keiko was snowed in up at the temple during one of her visits to Yukina. Yusuke had stocked up on beer and chips, and the both of them were keen on finishing his entire stash in one night. It was a surprise to say the least when they'd opened the window to air out the apartment to find a snow covered Hiei on the other side, waiting to be let in.

Apparently sleeping in trees during a snowstorm was less than ideal, even for a fire demon.

And apparently, Hiei was no longer pleased over his little fallout with their favorite plant wielder. He'd even stooped to entertaining Kuwabara's company, and though Yusuke was plenty used to acting as a buffer between the two, even he had to consider it odd that the little youkai hadn't reconsidered his entrance upon the sight of the other. Either his toes were severely frostbitten, or he was at a loss for what to do with Kurama. The latter seemed more likely.

Though socializing wasn't one of Hiei's strong suits, it seemed that his willful isolation had taken a toll on him, proving useful in their ongoing search for information. They even got a beer or two into him (all of Yusuke's share, of course) after a gentle push. It was a lucky happenstance that he was talkative, as alcohol didn't seem to affect him in the usual fashion, but with a little prompting, Hiei seemed more than happy to speak his mind.

"What do you mean he isn't right? Kurama's almost always right," Kuwabara had said incredulously, putting down the bottle in his hand in favor of reaching for a handful of chips. It took all of the fire demon's contrived effort not to flip the bowl with the tip of his boot, but he restrained himself. Still, Yusuke saw the gleam in his eye.

"Not like that, you moron. I mean there's been something off about him lately." He mumbled something under his breath, something both boys didn't understand but didn't think too deeply about. Instead, a light was going on in the former detective's brain, and he took the opportunity while Hiei was distracted to kick Kuwabara in the shin. The student yelped, but hushed up at the look he was being given.

"Yeah, well, you can't blame the poor guy, you know?"

Kuwabara very nearly opened his mouth, but the art of subtlety was something he'd learned, at least in part, from trying to court Yukina. It had been infinitely helpful in learning when he was pushing too far, in picking up on cues she didn't know she was giving. That, and the faces the others made around them suddenly started making sense.

Hiei's head jerked up at Yusuke's comment, eyes widening ever so slightly at the implication.

"…What?" Suddenly, there was a tension in the air that wasn't there before, one that Yusuke found a little too funny for his own good. He tried his hardest not to beam as he played the role of somber informant, watching as Kuwabara chugged his beer out of the corner of his eye.

"You know, he's goin' through something rough. Never seen the poor bastard like this before." He added his best sigh, nursing his drink and willing himself not to giggle. Hiei's eyes darted from him to the human, who was oddly composed, and then back again.

"Just what are you getting at, Yusuke?" he barked, looking a lot less pleased than he had when standing in the cold. Though, the former detective noted with pleasure, he seemed to be drinking more quickly now.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" he paused to let the glare drag out the other's frustration before adding, "Then what did you fight about?" Hiei averted his eyes briefly, enough to make Yusuke wonder if he'd put the other off too much, but he spoke nonetheless.

"He refused to acknowledge that something was wrong. That's as far as I got." Yusuke's eyebrows went up in faux surprise. The knowledge was certainly useful. How convenient that it played into his ideas.

"Wow, Hiei, you must've pissed him off real bad for him not to tell you of all people." That comment got an empty bottle thrown at his head, but Kuwabara ducked gracefully, a chuckle escaping him as he did.

"No," Yusuke said, sticking the fire demon with a look that put him on edge. He leaned forward from the position he was sitting in, sliding his hands up his legs as he did and gripping his knees. "It makes sense. Out of all of us, Hiei's the least likely to get it, right?" Kuwabara took a moment to think about it, not understanding without context, but playing it up all the same.

"And what could you morons comprehend that I couldn't?" His voice was icy, but with a tone that hinted a real need to know. For a second, Yusuke felt a pang of guilt, but the warm feeling in his gut kept him from taking it to heart.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yusuke blinked, the picture of innocence. "Kurama's in love."

The silence was so thick even Kuwabara would have had trouble cutting it with his spirit sword.

"He's… what?"

"Whipped," the ginger chimed in, taking the big reveal and adding his own flavor of legitimacy. "For a big, foxy thing he's a slave to love." The sound of another bottle popping could be heard, but the fire demon was stunned blind.

"Yeah. Who would've guessed?" The Mazoku ran a hand through slicked back hair, looking intently at the fire demon. He took on a more serious tone when he spoke again, careful in his words despite the slight buzz in his head. "Really, Hiei, go easy on him. He's not used to this sort of thing and isn't dealing too well."

He managed to notice how red eyes seemed to shake in their sockets, not looking at anything in particular but with pupils too small to be out of focus. The muscles in the youkai's arms were tight, his grip hard enough to shatter the bottle that he'd had the foresight to put down (which was certainly lucky for Yusuke, who didn't know where Keiko kept the broom). Kuwabara caught on not long after, nudging the other's foot with his own, but was ignored.

"Who?"

It was said quietly, with a tone they had ever heard him speak about Yukina in. Suddenly, Yusuke felt a lot more sober than he did seconds before. That was probably a sign to drop the subject, and quickly.

"I dunno," he shifted uncomfortably, meeting the ginger's eyes briefly and giving him a telling look. "He doesn't talk to us like he talks to you. But whoever it is, it must not be mutual 'cuz he's seriously down about it."

"Hn."

The conversation fell to an unceremonious close there, Yusuke not letting the silence fester by exploiting Kuwabara's turned head and throwing a chip at it. The other had followed in suit, resulting in an impromptu wrestling match right there on the old sofa. All the while Hiei sat by silently, contemplating something that the other two dared not intrude on. Like the last time, he was gone when they woke up.

Though he wasn't sure if he'd come to regret it, or if the other would play along, Yusuke made the call anyway.

The New Year crept up on them quickly, giving them another time for celebration and another chance to ambush the fire demon. The ginger and his sister had been kind enough to offer up their home for the festivities, under the stipulation that everyone brought enough osechi ryouri to share. It was quite the spread, with Kurama's mother having made enough mochi to feed a small army and the boys providing nothing but drinks; luckily the girls had thought ahead enough to keep everyone satisfied. Everyone, it seemed, but Hiei.

Moping didn't even begin to describe it.

To his credit, Kurama didn't do anything particularly telling one way or another, acting his usual self with the exception of not speaking to Hiei. Had he not been a key part in making it happen, Yusuke would have been put off by the way Kurama looked at him, both sad and hopeful, like there was something he'd wanted to say but didn't. He always managed to do it just when Hiei would turn to look at him, baiting him before turning away and absorbing himself in one task or another.

He lasted about an hour before cornering the former thief.

Kurama had slipped away into the kitchen, something not out of the ordinary for him; the (mostly) humans of Team Urameshi had come to the conclusion that too much socializing was hazardous to his sanity. They'd understood that he needed his quiet moments alone and unusually indulged him, but this time, after seeing Hiei follow him in with practiced stealth and a concerned look on his face, it had been too much for Yusuke not to follow. He'd tried to signal to Kuwabara, but he was preoccupied with a wooing going particularly well, and with Yusuke's propensity for storytelling he'd enjoy hearing about it secondhand. Somehow, the detective had the awareness to tap down on his energy before pressing his ear to the door.

"You could have told me, you know."

There was nothing else to preface it, nothing else needed. He could hear the miniscule sigh escape the kitsune's lips, the quieting of dishes being moved off to the side, giving the other his whole attention.

"I didn't think you'd understand."

There was an audible shifting, the pushing of glasses aside as Hiei made room for himself before hopping up on the countertop near where the kitsune had been working.

"Even if I wouldn't, you didn't say. You don't trust me with this?"

The detective didn't need to see to be able to tell that Kurama was blindsided by the hurt in his tone, something he was sure he'd never get to hear again. For a moment the guilt kicked in, but they were too far in and his curiosity was much too great for him to call it off now.

"Of course I trust you. It was just... difficult for me to speak about. I didn't mean anything by it, I assure you."

His voice had quieted some, enough to make him wonder whether the kitsune was a better actor than they'd all bargained for or if there was truth behind his words. Then again, his head was buzzing pleasantly enough to remind him that he wasn't quite sure about anything.

"Will you tell me now?"

Hiei's response was equally soft, vulnerable almost. He could almost imagine the face that the redhead made because of it, sad but eyes crinkling and bright.

"There's no need. It isn't, I mean," there was an uncharacteristic hesitation before another breathy sigh, most likely followed with a hand running through red hair. "It won't be reciprocated."

"They must be insane."

He could only take the lack of response to mean that Kurama was beaming. Hiei, probably, was looking anywhere but at him.

"Perhaps," he laughed, the clinking noise suggesting that he'd gone back to doing whatever he had been before the fire demon's interruption. There was a small thud as the fire demon's feet hit the floor, causing Yusuke to scramble back so as not to look suspicious upon his exit. The door didn't open, though, not immediately. Inching just close enough to hear, Yusuke let a grin spread across his face. Maybe Hiei could use a trick or two in his life, if these were the results.

"Next time."

He left then, leaving the kitsune to follow after a private, heartwarming smile.

"Next time."

That night, when boots were pulled on in the face of a winter chill and uncommon snow, the strange pair left together.

Remember, if you liked it REVIEW it. I love getting favorites, but it doesn't mean much without some words of support.