Hiei awoke slowly the next morning, wrapped up in a haze of heat and tranquility. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling the unique mix of lavender and something else familiar as he registered a soft weight at his side.
Crimson eyes blinked opened, senses returning to him as he remembered where he was and all that had transpired. A mess of blue-hair tickled his cheek and drew his attention to the ferry-girl. Over the course of the night, she had somehow crossed over onto his half of the bed and attached herself to his side. She was snuggled up against him with her head nestled on his shoulder and half of her limbs spread over him, but the part that disturbed him the most was the fact that his right arm had curled underneath her body and around her waist in a loose embrace. He swallowed thickly and attempted to retract his arm, but it was no use. They were too tangled up in each other to do so without alerting her to his actions. The slight movement prompted her to press further against him – perhaps in an attempt to reclaim some of his warmth – and she let out a contented sigh, her breath fanning against his neck. This new position allowed him to feel the entire outline of her body through the thin material of her flimsy sleep shirt and Hiei stiffened as a new problem began to arise, all of the blood in his body moving south towards one very specific area. Screwing his eyes shut, Hiei mentally cursed his own lack of restraint and attempted to will his rapidly growing problem away. He tried to focus on the woman's more annoying qualities, like the shrill way her voice got when she was yelling or her frequent and emotional outbursts, but none of that was enough to break through the cloud of lust brought about by the press of her soft skin and smooth curves. He swallowed thickly. Things would soon get out of hand if he didn't do something to distance himself from her and he dreaded to think of how he would explain himself if she woke up now and caught notice of their current position.
Hiei opened his eyes again and stared up at ceiling with a frown. There was only one thing he could do, but he would have to be careful about it. He grabbed a hold of Botan's shoulder, slowly rolling her onto her back and freeing his once trapped arm in one smooth motion. She made a discontented noise and he thought he had woken her, but all she did was mumble something incoherently and roll onto her other side. Kicking away the covers that had somehow bunched up near his feet, he took the opportunity to exit the bed entirely. He scowled down at the strained material of his boxers and then back at the peacefully unaware ferry-girl, before stalking towards the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
Several self-loathing minutes and one ice cold shower later, Hiei was halfway through pushing his arm through the sleeve of one of his shirts. By the time he had fastened the last button, Botan was slowly rousing to consciousness. She sat up on the bed, hair a tangled mess and eyelids drooping heavily.
"Good morning," she greeted through a yawn as she silenced the blaring alarm on her phone.
Hiei grunted in response, not bothering to make eye contact at all.
"You're up early... any reason in particular?" she questioned.
He paused. He couldn't very well tell her the real reason behind the early start to his routine, so he supplied her with the next best thing.
"I'm going to work," he stated.
Amethyst eyes widened underneath a mess of powder-blue bangs as the ferry-girl sat up straighter, apparently on full alert now.
"Work?" she echoed, as though she did not hear him correctly the first time.
"I don't know why you look so surprised. You were the one who suggested we follow our counterparts' routines in the first place," he pointed out.
"But I didn't actually think you'd go unless I pestered you into it!"
"I've been going for the past two days," he revealed.
Botan clapped her hands together, a bright smile stretching over her lips.
"Oh, Hiei, I'm so proud of you!"
"Don't be," he replied, glancing away. "It's nothing to be proud of."
"It certainly is!" she said as she climbed out of the bed. "In fact, today marks our official first week of being in this realm. We've gotten through seven whole days of ups and down and uncertainties. I think that's a pretty big deal!"
"If you say so," he replied, somewhat distractedly as he attempted to fix his tie.
"And as such, I think we should do something fun tonight!"
"You're free to do as you please, just leave me out of it," he told her as he attempted to put on his tie.
"But it won't be any fun without you!"
Hiei paused in his ministrations, brow furrowing slightly as he tried to make sense of her words.
"I'm the farthest thing from fun, woman," he said eventually.
"Not to me you aren't," she replied as she took the material from his hands and proceeded to tie it expertly. "You're actually pretty decent company when you want to be."
He had no idea what sort of twisted notions ran through her mind and made her think these things, but he supposed that she was entitled to her own warped opinions at the end of the day. She patted his tie for good measure, before taking a step back regarding him expectantly
"So, what do you say?" she tried. "It'll just be for a few hours..."
A mixture of excitement and determination shone in her amethyst eyes and he knew that she would pester him for a great length of time if he didn't give in.
"I'll think about it," he acceded, although he really and truly had no intentions of changing his mind.
"That's the spirit, Hiei!" she cheered with a bright grin. "You won't regret it, I promise!"
He watched her disappear into the bathroom, still able to hear her humming excitedly from the other side. Appeasing her was far too easy and he couldn't help but wonder why he ended up hurting her so often.
Shaking the thought from his head head, he turned away and headed in the opposite direction. There was no point in dwelling on the past. All he could do now was look towards the future and avoid making the same mistakes as before.
-x-
Later that morning, Hiei was walking through the station entrance with a clear mind and relaxed gait. The past week had been a series of ups and downs, but he was on steady footing and even ground now. He had gotten used to the noise and the general atmosphere that clouded his workplace and he had grown accustomed to his partner and all of his eccentricities. Speaking of, the orange-haired man was currently chattering beside him while toting a box of pastries in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
Hiei found himself only mildly annoyed by the other man's ramblings and he allowed him to continue on without issuing a single offensive remark. Perhaps he was becoming immune to his partner's brand of personality or perhaps he was simply learning some restraint, as Mukuro had always urged him to. Whatever the case, it was working in his favor, so he did not bother questioning it.
Haru, however, had no qualms with pointing out the changes in Hiei's demeanor.
"Something's suspiciously different about you..." Haru said, emerald eyes narrowing warily.
Hiei nearly faltered in his steps at the unexpected statement. His partner had a shrewd mind when he wanted to and Hiei didn't appreciate the scrutinizing way he was being observed. It could be that the other man was starting to pick up on the stark differences between him and his counterpart.
"What are you babbling on about?" Hiei asked indifferently.
"You look… I don't know… more adjusted and settled. Like the weight of the world no longer rests on your shoulders," Haru observed. "Guess whatever was bothering you these last few days worked itself out, huh?"
The tension in his shoulders drained, but he did not let his relief show. He supposed that things were better now that the ferry-girl was back in the apartment and he had a few days to get acquainted with this world. He even felt more settled and adjusted, just as Haru had said. But he didn't like the way the man had read him so well, so he dismissed it entirely.
"You're always saying nonsense," he scoffed.
Haru chuckled as he set the items down on their workstation and then clapped a hand on Hiei's shoulder playfully.
"Deny it all you want, but deep down you know I'm right," he sing-songed.
Hiei's reply was cut off by the arrival of a familiar figure.
"Hey boys and girls," Yusuke said as he strolled into the station, late as always.
Haru waved, but Hiei ignored him.
"You guys are coming to the bar tonight, right?" Yusuke asked as he took a seat and leaned back into his chair.
Hiei raised a brow. He had no prior knowledge of any plans and he certainly did not intend to spend the night at a crude bar filled with rowdy humans.
"Sorry man, but I've got family stuff tonight," Haru declined.
"No worries, there's always next time," Yusuke said, before glancing over at Hiei expectantly. "And you?"
"That much should be obvious: I'm not going," Hiei replied.
"I guess I'll just have to have Botan convince you, then," he teased with a cheeky grin lighting up his gaze.
"She can't convince me to do anything."
"Yeah, and I'm Mother Teresa," Yusuke retorted, before swiveling around to face his desk.
Hiei didn't understand the joke or why Haru snorted in amusement, but he opted to ignore the both of them as he turned towards his workstation. Minutes later, his phone lit up with a notification. He already knew who it was and what the message would be about, but that didn't stop him from going through the motions anyway.
'Bar tonight ;)?'
Hiei paused. She had sent one of those weird faces to him again, but he couldn't decipher what it meant or the logic behind it. Ignoring it for now, he responded to the message.
'I didn't take you for the bar type, woman.'
'Well, I haven't really been to many, except for that one time with Shizuru, but it sounds like fun!'
'Everything sounds like fun to you.'
'And everything sounds mundane and trivial to you, but I really think we should join the others tonight.'
'I refuse to subject myself to a night surrounded by drunken humans.'
'Everyone will find it strange if we skip out for no reason. We have to go!'
'No, we don't.'
'But you promised you'd think about doing something fun tonight! This falls under that category.'
'I've thought about it and decided against it.'
' :( '
Hiei squinted at the screen, before typing.
'What the hell is that?'
'It's an angry face. I'm very displeased with you right now, Hiei!'
'You'll survive.'
'We'll only stay for a short while. Pretty please?'
'Just go without me.'
'But I want you to come, too!'
He frowned. He couldn't understand why she insisted on including him in everything, especially when he gave her no reason to do so. It made absolutely no sense for her to seek his companionship, but then again, nothing about her made sense.
He glanced down at her text message again, that strange tugging pulling at his chest.
If he skipped out tonight, then two things would inevitably occur. First, the ferry-girl would undoubtedly be disappointed in him and once again, he would be on the receiving end of one of those saddened looks. Secondly, if she did go to the bar without him, then he would find himself returning to an empty apartment for the third time in a row. Both outcomes didn't settle well with him - for reasons that he did not want to consider - and, although he loathed the idea of going to the bar, he realized that he could afford give into her this one time. It was the least he could do after all he had put her through. Sighing, he picked his phone up again and typed a reluctant message out.
'Fine.'
Botan was thrilled that Hiei had actually agreed to go to the bar with her. The gang decided to meet up at eight, giving her plenty of time to go back to the apartment, change out of her work clothes and convince Hiei to wear something nice as well. She threw on a pair of comfortable jeans and a soft, violet sweater, before setting out a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt for Hiei to change into. He must have found it suitable enough, because he exited from the bathroom wearing exactly that. After spraying some perfume, she took the liberty of spritzing some of the other Hiei's cologne on him as well. Her efforts had earned her nothing but a low growl and a harsh glare, but as she had been used to his treatment, she simply shrugged it off.
The bar was within walking distance of Block 7, so they set offing foot. It was a dark and chilly night, but she didn't mind it so much. She was just excited to be doing something social with the others. As she glanced over at Hiei and took notice of his current state, her good cheer dwindled a bit. His hands were in his pockets, strides stiff and footsteps heavy. Although his face was shadowed in the darkness, she could still make out the deep-set frown etched into his features. He looked much too tense for a man who was going to spend a few hours at the bar with his friends, so she decided to loosen him up a bit with a little lighthearted conversation.
"So, apparently, Keiko's been dropping hints that she's ready to take the next step with Yusuke," Botan began casually. "But he's much too dense to realize it."
"The next step?" Hiei questioned, brow raised slightly as he lost some of his frown.
"You know... marriage, building a family, etcetera, etcetera..."
Hiei pulled a face as Botan continued.
"And Shizuru and Sakyo continue to dance circles around each other. I can't tell if they're in a secret relationship or if they're just caught in a little flirting game. It's really hard to tell with the two of them."
"Perhaps you should be paying more attention to your work than the affairs of your coworkers," he berated lightly.
"Oh, but the office gossip is just so juicy!"
He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest as she went on.
"Did you know that Kurama was a big hot shot in the world of botany? Shizuru showed me some of his publications, he's just as smart and knowledgeable as ever."
"The fox has always had an unnatural affinity towards plants, I'm not surprised he's turned his fetish into a career."
Botan's eyes widened in surprise, but the absurdity of Hiei's words sunk in shortly after and she was soon unable to hold back a fit of laughter.
"Oh, Hiei," she said in between giggles. "That was a horrible thing to say about poor Kurama!"
The corner of his mouth quirked upwards and in the lowlight of the streetlamps, his crimson eyes seemed to glow.
"That doesn't make it any less true," he maintained with a smirk.
As Botan paused to consider Hiei's claims, she was actually inclined to admit that the fire-demon did bring up a valid point. Kurama was always so mysterious and there were many sides to him that the rest of the gang was not privy to. He could very well have a few less than orthodox secrets tucked away behind that straight laced composure.
"Do you... do you think he..." Botan trailed off, not sure if she wanted to voice this particular thought.
"What?"
"Well, you know... uses his rose-whip with his partners?" she asked.
"What?!"
"Maybe he likes to tie them up," she pondered.
Hiei looked mildly pained in that moment, but she continued on.
"Or maybe he's the one who likes being tied up!" she supposed, tapping a finger against her chin. "It's so hard to tell with him."
"You're disturbed, you know that?" he accused, frowning over at her.
"Hey," she exclaimed, folding her arms underneath her chest. "You're the one who started it with the whole plant fetish thing!"
"And you're the one who took it a step too far," he accused. "For a prudish ferry-girl, you have some unusually perverse thoughts."
"Oh hush!" she retorted with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I was only curious..."
"Hn, curiously perverted."
"Hiei!"
He smirked at her, mischief in his red eyes as they continued onwards. The silence between them was a comfortable one, no words needed in the quiet calm of the night, and she was thankful that they were back on good terms. The past few days without him weren't fun at all. Despite what her false cheer and the forced smiles suggested to the outside world, she was miserable inside. She never expected for Hiei to ask her to return, but she was so glad that he did. She saw something in his gaze, something worth believing in, and although it had only been a short twenty-four hours later, he had yet to disappoint. Ever since last night there was a noticeable shift in their dynamics, a new color to the way he has treated her. Their tentative alliance was by no means perfect - nothing ever was - but Hiei was trying, and that meant the world to her.
She glanced over at him and bit back a smile. Hiei must have sensed her gaze, because she soon found herself staring into dark red eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
A hot blush spread over her cheeks as she shook her head.
"No reason at all," she said hurriedly, looking away and searching for a distraction. When she spotted the bar front, she pointed over at it with a forced laugh. "Look, we made it!"
"Unfortunately."
He made to move forward, when she remembered something important.
"Hiei, wait..."
She had been meaning to tell him about it, but recent circumstances pushed it to the back of her mind. It was imperative that he knew - and he deserved the chance to hear it before they joined up with the others.
He stopped walking to look over at her expectantly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I found out that you and Yukina were separated at birth in this world. Much like in ours, you both only came into contact with each other later in life."
Although Hiei's expression remained stoic, the slight crinkle in his brow made it more than apparent that he was processing the news. Botan's expression softened as she took a step towards him.
"It's sort of crazy how things work out," she sympathized. "But you both seem to be in a good place in this world, so I just thought you might like to know."
Crimson eyes met hers as he afforded her with a simple nod. He didn't need to say a word; she knew that he was grateful for the information and that was enough for her.
"Alright," she began, excitement lighting up her eyes. "Now that that's settled. Are you ready for an enjoyable night out?"
"Hardly."
She looped her arm through his and grinned.
"Chin up, Hiei. Time flies when you're having fun, so maybe if you loosen up and try to enjoy yourself while we're here, we'll be back home in our dimension before you know it!"
"I don't think it works like that, woman," he discouraged.
"Well, in any case, it wouldn't kill you to spend some time with your friends."
She heard him grunt out something disparaging, but ignored it as they entered the establishment. She was told that Chuu owned the bar and he made a pretty penny due to the lively atmosphere and loyal customers. The place was already packed, but she managed to find the gang seated over in a booth by the corner.
"Hey guys!" Kuwabara waved, a pink flush already adorning his face and lighting up his dark, charcoal eyes.
"Hello!" Botan returned with a grin.
"Nice to see you joining us, Hiei," Kurama noted.
"Knew she could get you to come," Yusuke smirked.
Hiei chose to ignore the both of them and slid into the booth after Botan.
"Are you guys hungry?" Keiko asked. "We ordered some of the specials."
Botan looked down at the finger foods. She and Hiei had eaten dinner, but it was a sparse meal that consisted of a single serving of ramen. They were forced to share it, considering the fact that there wasn't much left at the apartment.
"Thanks!" she said as she sampled one of the cheesy appetizers. It was pretty tasty and she nodded for Hiei to do the same. She watched as he picked at the food, occasionally popping a fry or a piece of chicken into his mouth in boredom. She almost felt bad for the raven-haired man, especially when Yusuke and Kuwabara began to heckle him, but eventually Yukina intervened and saved him from the boys' teasing.
They all got into a natural groove, which mostly consisted of a lot of lighthearted bantering and catching up on each other's lives. Hiei was mostly tuning everyone out, but Botan was learning that a lot of things in this dimension were playing out the same as back in her own world. For instance, Kuwabara was still looking into getting his doctorate and Kurama was working on a huge publication that would make waves in the field of botany, just as they were in her dimension. Keiko was still waiting for Yusuke to pop the question and Shizuru was considering relocating to a larger apartment, the exact same as they were back home.
She watched as Yusuke and Kuwabara raced to finish an entire mug of beer in one go with a smile. Something about this entire scene was so familiar and so right. It was heartening to see that their dynamic could not be changed between time, space or dimensions. She snuck a glance at Hiei, as he watched the spectacle through disinterested and slightly disgusted eyes. Even if if he hated crowds and noise, she had a feeling that he was also a bit comforted by this familiarity.
"I take it things are back to normal, now?" Shizuru asked, pulling Botan from her thoughts.
"Huh?"
She tore her gaze away from Yusuke and Kuwabara's spectacle and regarded Shizuru through a confused frown.
"With you and Mr. Broody?" the brunette clarified.
"Oh," Botan replied, before nodding. She recalled all the surprising things he had said to her that night and the agreeable way he had acted with a fond smile. "Yes, we're just fine now. We talked it over and he made things right, in his own way."
"Glad to hear it."
"Thank you again for all of your help," Botan said with a smile.
Shizuru matched her expression warmly.
"It was nothing."
Their moment was interrupted when Yusuke slammed his mug down on the wooden table just second before Kuwabara did.
"Told ya I'd win," he boasted.
"One more round, Urameshi! This time, I'll win for sure!" Kuwabara proclaimed.
"Fine!"
The night continued to pass on in a carefree fashion, everyone wrapped up in their own conversations and happenings, until Yusuke suddenly cleared his throat.
"We'll go get the next round," Yusuke offered, nudging Kuwabara.
Kuwabara barely concealed his grin, before nodding and taking a stand as well. They were up to something, but Botan couldn't quite figure out what it was.
"Kurama, help us out?" Yusuke urged.
"I didn't realize it took multiple people to fulfill such a small task," he said, but stood up nonetheless.
"You're coming, too, Hiei," Yusuke ordered.
"What?" Hiei barked out.
"Unless you'd rather sit around and listen to girl chat, that is," Yusuke quipped with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Hiei frowned darkly, causing the girls to laugh at his expense as he stood up.
Once they were out of hearing range, Botan turned to Keiko.
"So, tell us, has Yusuke caught onto any of your hinting yet?" she asked, leaning forward to hear her response.
The brunette sighed and shook her head.
"Not yet," she lamented miserably. "I don't want to force him into it or anything, but he sure is taking his sweet time."
"Cheer up, Keiko! He'll pull through one day, he always does," Botan encouraged.
"Botan's right," Yukina supported. "Yusuke may seem as though he's oblivious, but I think he knows your heart."
Keiko smiled.
"Thanks, but I think you're the luckiest out of all of us," Keiko admitted, looking over at the aqua-marine haired woman with a grin. "Kuwabara is so loyal, earnest and sincere. Plus he wears his heart on his sleeve so you never have to wonder where you stand."
The smallest smile curved Yukina's lips upward as she nodded.
"Kazuma has always been like that," she recalled. "It's a bit difficult for me to express myself the way he does, but I've always admired how open he is."
Botan's brows rose slightly. She knew that Yukina was more subdued than the others due to her upbringing as an ice maiden, but it was interesting to note that she was the same way in this world. Perhaps it was a family trait, since Hiei had much difficulty expressing himself beyond the realms of frustration, anger and disgust. If that was the case, they had a lot more in common than anyone realized.
"How are you doing with Hiei?" Keiko asked.
"Oh, we're fine," Botan answered.
"Hiei should stay on his toes. One of these days, Yuuto might just sweep Botan off her feet," Shizuru joked.
"What?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed the massive crush he's harboring on you," Shizuru stated. "I'm pretty sure everyone in the office knows about it."
Keiko giggled.
"Really?" she asked. "You've got an admirer at work?"
"I just thought he was simply being polite!" Botan exclaimed, her face flushing in embarrassment.
"You really are oblivious sometimes," Shizuru teased.
"Remember that time Shishiwakamaru was hitting on her at last year's Christmas party and she didn't realize it, either?" Keiko pointed out with an amused giggle.
Botan's eyes widened.
"I-it's just that I'm so perfectly content and happy with Hiei, that I don't seem to notice anyone else!" she defended.
The girls laughed at her expense and Botan pouted as she sucked up the last remnants of her mixed drink through her straw. So, she was a bit oblivious sometimes, it wasn't like it didn't happen to everyone! Luckily for her, the conversation moved away from her naivety and onto Shizuru's lovelife. That was something that Botan excelled at prying into.
They continued to chatter on as the night flew by, none of them noticing the absence of the guys until Botan glanced over to the bar to see what they were up to. She had a bad feeling tugging at her gut and her instincts were usually right. When she spotted Hiei sitting on the bar stool with five empty shot glasses in front of him, she realized why that foreboding shadow had befallen her.
"When I told him to loosen up, I didn't mean for him to take it to this extent…" she muttered to herself. She regarded the rest of the table with a sheepish look as she rose to her feet. "Excuse me for a moment, girls..."
As she approached the bar, she watched Yusuke and Kuwabara nearly fall over themselves in laughter, apparently amused by something Hiei had said. While she was glad to see that he was indulging in a little leisurely fun, something about the scene was not right. The glaze in his crimson eyes and the color in his cheeks indicated that he had gone far past his limit. He must have not realized that his tolerance was significantly lower in this dimension.
"What are you boys up to?" Botan asked conversationally.
"Oh, you know, just grilling Hiei," Kuwabara replied.
Botan frowned in confusion.
"Why on earth would you do something like that?" she questioned.
"Ever since Yusuke and Kuwabara learned that Hiei was the honest drunk, they've been determined to return him to that state," Kurama filled in helpfully. "He usually never falls for the bait, but as you can see, he's had a bit too much to drink tonight."
"Hiei's an honest drunk?" Botan repeated, unable to get past that particular piece of information.
Yusuke chuckled.
"I know you're a scatter-brain, but there's no way you could have forgotten about this," he admonished. "Watch this: Hiei, what part of Botan turns you on most?"
Hiei looked over at her, his gaze roving downwards.
"Legs," he answered honestly, before he set his sights a bit higher. "Her ass is a close second."
Botan nearly choked on air, her eyes widening at Hiei's response.
"Hiei!" she exclaimed as the others erupted into a fit of laughter around her. Botan felt a blush crawling all the way down to her neck and she fanned herself in an attempt to cool down.
"Be honest," Yusuke began, wiggling his eyebrows with a lewd look in his brown eyes. "Was Botan your first?"
"You don't have to answer that, Hiei!" Botan defended, shaking her head at him.
"My first what?" Hiei questioned.
"Your first love," Kuwabara cut in.
"She's his only love, doofus," Yusuke interjected, smacking Kuwabara upside the head before turning back to Hiei. "I'm asking if she's the first woman you ever slept with."
Hiei glanced over at her casually, before nodding.
"She was."
Botan's face flushed a darker shade of red, but Yusuke didn't seem to be satisfied with Hiei's answer. He leaned closer towards the drunken man, gaze narrowed as he scrutinized him.
"...Is he screwing with us right now?" Yusuke wondered. "I was totally testing him with that question and he failed."
"How was that a test?" Kuwabara asked.
"If he answered honestly, we'd know that he's really reached his limit. But if he lied to save his own hide since Botan's here, then we'd know he's still in control of his mind and his tongue."
"Oh, heh, I see," Kuwabara replied.
"And that just means that we need to supply him some more drinks until drunk Hiei comes out to play," Yusuke concluded, signaling for Chuu to supply them with another round.
"I think you've liquored him up enough!" Botan exclaimed, stepping between Yusuke and Hiei.
"Clearly we haven't, if he's lying!" Yusuke countered.
"Or perhaps he is simply answering you literally," Kurama corrected.
Kuwabara's features lifted as a realization dawned on him.
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense."
Yusuke looked between the two, before raising a brow.
"I'm not following."
"Me either," Botan admitted.
"Well, we all know that shorty was really loose back in the day-" Kuwabara regarded her with an apologetic look. "Oops, sorry Botan."
She frowned in confusion, wondering why he was apologizing to her. She didn't care about Hiei's past history with other woman and it certainly didn't offend her. It wasn't as if they were—oh, that's right. In this world, they were a couple and hearing about Hiei's past conquests would naturally upset his girlfriend. Perhaps she shouldn't have had so much to drink, either. She would have to be more vigilant, seeing as Hiei was clearly down for the count.
"That's alright, you can continue, Kuwabara," Botan soothed.
"So, it's like, even if he slept with a lot of woman, he didn't really sleep with them," Kuwabara explained with a proud grin.
Botan and Yusuke exchanged confused glances, before Yusuke looked over at Kurama.
"Can you translate? I don't speak 'idiot'," Yusuke stated flatly.
"What he means to say is: before Botan, Hiei was in a string of casual relationships that were based solely upon a carnal need. I doubt he stayed long enough to spend the night, or, in this case, "sleep together" in the same bed with his past flings."
"Is that what you're saying?" Yusuke asked, looking down at Hiei. "Are you being literal with me?"
The raven-haired man nodded with a smirk.
"She's the first woman I ever slept with," Hiei admitted after finishing off another shot. "In fact, we did it last night."
"Hiei!" she yelped, slapping his arm in indignation. "Stop humoring Yusuke, you'll give him strange ideas!"
"But it's the truth," Hiei maintained.
"I don't care!"
Yusuke grinned.
"Even when he's drunk, he's still a slippery little bastard," he quipped as he rubbed at his chin. "Guess I have to word my questions carefully then…"
"Oh, no you don't, Yusuke!" Botan snapped, before rounding on all of them. "It's not right for you all to take advantage of him when he's in this state."
"But shorty hardly ever gets drunk. And I like him way better when he's like this," Kuwabara admitted.
"Well, he will be livid when he finds out that you were all asking him such intrusive things!"
"Aw, lighten up, Botan. It's not like he's saying anything new. We all knew Hiei was an ass man, isn't that right, buddy?"
Hiei shrugged, before reaching out to take another drink.
"I think you've had more than enough, mister," Botan said, pushing the shot glass just out of his reach. He frowned at her, but she held her ground. She was afraid that he might start blurting out the wrong things - like the fact that he was from another dimension and that he wasn't in a relationship with her - so she did the only thing she could do. "In fact, it's gotten pretty late, so I think we should probably head home now."
"It's only eleven; the night is young!" Yusuke argued.
"Yes, but I'd rather not have Hiei suffering a massive hangover tomorrow," she supplied. "We've got lots to do."
"Sure you do," Yusuke teased cheekily.
Botan wasn't quite sure what Yusuke was getting at, but she was sure that it was something lewd. She opened her mouth to scold him, when Kurama intervened.
"Ignore him. He's had his fair share of drinks, too," the redhead urged calmly, before looking down at Hiei. "Do you need help getting back home?"
"Oh no, that's quite alright. I can handle him," Botan responded. "Besides, I think you'll have your hands full with those two."
Yusuke and Kuwabara had taken to singing some song that Botan was not familiar with and she smiled at him sympathetically.
"Tell the girls I said bye?"
Kurama nodded as Botan tugged on Hiei's sleeve.
"Come on, sweetheart," she said sweetly.
"I'm not your-"
Botan clamped a hand over his mouth and forced a tight smile over her features.
"Let's go, snookums!" she urged, before dragging him out off the stool and out of the bar.
They stepped outside, the cool night air feeling like heaven on her overheated skin. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself and gather her thoughts as she looked over at Hiei. All in all, it was a good night. Now all that was left was getting back to the apartment without any further incidents.
"What was that all about, ferry-girl?" he asked.
She turned to face Hiei slowly.
"I realize you're drunk and your mind is a muddled mess, but you have to be more careful," she advised.
"Why?"
"We're trying to keep the others unaware of the fact that we're from another dimension, remember?" she reminded him. "We can't let them know that you're a fire-demon and that I'm a ferry-girl and that we are not really in a relationship."
"Why?"
"Because it's forbidden to!"
Hiei winced.
"When your voice gets shrill like that, it makes my eardrums bleed," he informed, lips pulled dangerously close into a pout.
"Well, excuse me for being shrill! That seems to be the only way to get through to you!"
He winced again but did not bother responding.
"Come on, let's just go," she urged.
Luckily, he listened and followed after her. As they made their way through the streets, Botan noticed the uncoordinated way that Hiei was moving forward. She paused and looked over at him sympathetically. It was certainly a shock to see the fire-demon lose some of his control like this.
"Here, you can lean on me," she offered.
Hiei stopped moving and stared at her blankly. Normally, he would have insulted her for even offering him help, or he would have brushed her off and insisted that he was fine. But this time, he just gazed at her as if he was trying to figure her out.
"Why?" he asked.
"Not this again..." she muttered, slapping a hand to her face in frustration.
"Why do you want to help me?" he clarified.
"Because I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself?" she tried.
Something flickered across his face, before he nodded his assent and allowed her to wrap an arm around him. He placed an arm over her shoulders and together, they continued onwards. Even though he had agreed to let her help him, he refused to lean his weight on her. She was wondering if she was even helping at all, when he interrupted the silence that had enveloped them with a startling statement.
"You smell good, woman," he noted.
"Um… I…"
"You look good, too," he added as an afterthought.
Hiei had never commented on her appearance before, not even when she asked his opinion. Her brows lifted, before she broke out into a smile.
"You really think so?" she asked.
He nodded wordlessly.
"Well, that was awfully sweet of you to let me know!"
"I'm not sweet," he denied.
"You are!"
"I simply said what came to mind," he replied, looking a little confused with himself now. Perhaps some of his sobriety was returning if he was finding his actions strange.
Botan giggled, before turning her eyes forward.
"I like drunk Hiei!" she decided.
"You like everything," he countered, lips quirked upwards slightly as they continued onwards.
She matched his expression, reveling in just how open he was as opposed to his normal state. It would be a shame to let the moment pass, so she decided to see what she could get out of him.
"Say, Hiei? What do you really think of Kuwabara?" she asked.
A look of disgust passed over his features.
"He's a fanciful imbecile," he snarled, before his features loosened from the tight look of anger. "But he isn't as useless as I first perceived him to be."
"And Yusuke?"
"An immature fool, that always manages to pull through in the end."
"Kurama?"
"An insufferable know it all," Hiei replied. "And a pain that speaks the truth."
Botan smiled knowingly. Despite his apparent frustrations with the team, he did seem to respect and value them on some level. That was good to know.
She was tempted to ask what he really thought about her - they were in a good place now and she was almost certain that his opinion of her might have been more positive than negative - but she decided against it in the end. Perhaps one day she could ask him all of this when he was sober.
"You haven't asked about yourself," he noticed. Perhaps even without his jagan, Hiei possessed the uncanny ability of reading people's minds or maybe it was written all over her face. Who knows.
"Am I that predictable?" she asked sheepishly.
"Always."
"Well, if you must know, I was tempted to ask..."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because, even I know that it's best to leave some things unspoken."
"Hn."
They made it to the apartment without any further incidents and she watched with amusement playing in her eyes as Hiei plopped down ungracefully on the bed. She never thought she would have the chance to see this side of him and it was interesting, to say the very least. He had no filter. No guard. No walls. Perhaps this is what he would have been like if he didn't have such a rough and tumultuous past.
"How do you feel?" she asked, taking a seat beside him.
"My head aches and I'm thirsty," he replied honestly as he sat up.
"Well, lucky for you, I've got just the thing!" she cheered.
He peered up at her curiously, keeping silent as she disappeared and then re-entered a few moments later.
"These will certainly do the trick," she promised, holding out two pills and a bottle of water.
Botan sat beside him, watching him curiously as he paused to examine the tablets in the palm of his hand. A single dark brow lifted in suspicion as he regarded her.
"You aren't trying to poison me, are you?"
"What?" she spluttered, completely caught off guard by his suspicions. "Hiei, I would never—I can't believe you even thought that I'd—"
"Hn, it was a joke," he interjected.
Botan's mouth fell open in shock.
"I wasn't aware that you had a sense of humor," she admitted.
The ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips.
"There is a lot you don't know about me, woman," he said, before downing the pills and half of the water bottle. He held it out towards her wordlessly and Botan frowned down at the gesture.
"You should drink the entire thing," she instructed.
"You finish it."
"Hiei-"
"I saw you guzzle down two of those blue concoctions back at the bar," he explained. "And I know that this is the last bottle of water left in the apartment, so I'm telling you to take the rest."
Botan's brows rose slightly. She wasn't aware that he noticed anything but his own displeasure, so the fact that he had paid enough attention to her to see what she was drinking and how much she had consumed was a bit of a shock.
"Take it," he ordered as he pushed the bottle into her hands.
Their fingers brushed together for a moment, causing Botan's heart to pick up speed against her will. It was awfully considerate of him to even bother saving her the rest of the water, so she nodded and brought the bottle to her lips. When she was done, she stood up and glanced down at him.
"You should wash up and head to bed now," she instructed good-naturedly.
"I'm not a child, woman," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I know that. But you probably should get a good night's rest and let your body recover from all of that alcohol you drank. Your tolerance must be much different without your usual abilities."
"Fine," he conceded after a few moments of contemplation.
Botan smiled. He was much more compliant when he was in this state of mind and she almost wished she could keep him like this for a bit longer. Her train of thought quickly derailed as Hiei started stripping off his shirt and casually threw it on the floor
"Hiei, we talked about this! At least have a little decency."
He grunted dismissively and Botan shook her head.
"I'll be outside if you need anything," she said, grabbing her pillow. "Have a good night."
Hiei paused to look back at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I just thought it would be better if I slept on the couch tonight," she explained.
"You should sleep in here," mumbled lowly.
Botan blinked slowly.
"Are you offering to take the couch instead?" she asked, bringing her hands up to cup either sides of her face. "Oh my, you really are a sweetheart, aren't you?"
"No, you misunderstand," he said with a shake of his head. "Our sleeping arrangements shouldn't change. It was already agreed upon that we would both share the bed; there is no reason for you to make things more difficult than they have to be."
"I was only trying to make it easier on you!"
"You shouldn't care about things like that," he warned.
She frowned as his face went blank.
"I wonder why you do," he continued.
"I've told you why time and time again, you just don't seem to listen or believe me."
"Tell me again."
"But you hate it when I get sentimental…"
His gaze fell away from hers and she suddenly felt guilty for calling him out on his rare moment of curiosity.
"But I suppose I can say it over and over again, until it finally sticks," she amended with a light smile. "I do these things because I consider you my friend and I care about you. It's as simple as that."
Dark brows furrowed over shaded crimson eyes. Hiei seemed to be in deep thought, conflicted over her words.
"Perhaps you care too much, woman. And for the wrong sort of people," he warned.
Botan swallowed back her response, unsure if anything she said right now would actually get through to him. He looked mildly troubled for a moment, but then the uncertainty vanished from his expression and was replaced by a determined resolve.
"I don't need to be coddled and you don't need to be inconvenienced," he decided. "You should sleep here."
"You want me to sleep here with you?" she tested curiously.
"Only if that's what you want."
She held his gaze wordlessly, an unspoken understanding passing over them in that moment.
"…Alright," she agreed finally. "I'll stay."
He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, before closing the bathroom door behind him.
Botan didn't move or breathe again until she heard the sound of water spraying against the shower floor. Hiei was such an enigmatic fellow and he just kept on surprising her at every turn. She raised her fingertips to her heated and flushed cheeks before lowering her hand to rest over her racing heart.
"How strange…" she muttered, noting the way her heart beat wildly beneath her chest as a new and strange sensation coursed through her veins and overtook her entire being.
It must have been the alcohol.
Poor Hiei, first he's struck with the awkward boner and then I get to butcher his character by making him drunk for half of the chapter. Will he ever get a reprieve? Who knows?
Anyway, this chapter was supposed to cover the entire weekend, but it was getting too long so I cut it short. Part 2 will hopefully be posted within a week's time and it will involve some good old-fashioned domestic HB.
Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Let me know your thoughts~