Chocolate
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"That chocolate isn't going to hurt you, you know" Shiori voiced amused as she hurried past her son on the couch. He was looking at the small heart shaped box of chocolates, sitting with its lid slightly askew, with a mixed expression of amusement and disgust.
"I don't know, Kaasan," he voiced thoughtfully, shaking his head slightly and letting his emerald eyes skirting up to meet his mother's bemused expression. "With as much as I've been offered today, I may just yet die of high cholesterol."
"Such a killjoy," she scolded playfully, combing the coat rack near the door distractedly for her purse, "eating a peace of chocolate once a year isn't going to kill you." When she straightened herself up again, purse hanging off her shoulder, she added, "Besides, it's the least you could do after they went through so much trouble."
"I suppose," Kurama agreed silently, his thoughts reeling slightly at her words.
"Besides, it's the least you could do after they went through so much trouble."
By they, she meant, of course, the same swarm of girls that flocked to him every time this day of the year came around. As was usual, he would politely refuse their gifts and say that it wasn't in his nature to accept such things. Yet, somehow, despite his efforts, by the time he had walked through the door after a long day at school, this box was sitting on the living room table for him.
"Well, whatever you decide, Shuichi, darling," his mother's voice cut across his thoughts once more, "I'm off to work. I'm running a double shift; so don't worry about waiting up. If you could get dinner done it'd be more than enough."
"Of course, Kaasan. I'll see you tonight then," he replied offhandedly, waving her with slight abandon out the door.
When it had shut, his mind returned to the box of chocolate's sitting openly before him. It looked inviting enough, and after the hurried day he had been subjected to at school, he hadn't had time to eat much for lunch, yet he knew better than to touch it. To eat the chocolate would be inconsiderate. Of course it had been given to him, and intended for him in every way, but he couldn't eat it. Eating it meant nothing short of having feelings for the one who had given them to you. And, he didn't have feelings for this girl. For this… Kaname Chiisei… who ever that was. It was the girl who had left him the chocolates. Not knowing her, much less caring for her, he had no right to eat the chocolates.
And it was like this every year. Swarms of girls, probably tons of chocolates… But, no matter how many he received, and no matter from how many people, he could never get the one person he actually wanted to give him chocolate.
And he's the only one who matters, Kurama sighed dejectedly, stretching in a tired fashion. In slight discomfort, he arched his back against the couch cushions, grimacing slightly as his back cracked in feeble resistance.
"What are you doing, Kurama?"
Startled by the voice, he jumped in surprise. Craning his head back, numbly aware of just how much it exposed the interior area of his throat, he found himself looking into the scarlet eyes of none other than he who his thoughts had presently been lingering on.
Quickly recovering himself, he spoke with slow deliberation in an attempt to mask the fact that he had been thinking about the hiyoukai whose gaze was currently lingering on him with an air of confusion. "Relaxing, Hiei. It's been an exhausting day."
Hiei shrugged noncommittally, his eyes flashing briefly in an emotion that Kurama couldn't quite pinpoint.
"So," Kurama began again, on the pretext of making small talk. He straightened up on the couch once more and brushed loose tendrils of hair from his face. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
At this Hiei cast him a scathing look. Well, it was either that or an affronted one.
"Hn."
Typical. Kurama sighed in tired agitation. He should have known it wouldn't be easy. This was, after all, Hiei. And you were lucky to get more than a few syllables out of him at a time, much less a tangible reason for anything he chose to do. Yet, before he could make an attempt to restart the flow of conversation and pry Hiei's reasons from him, the said hiyoukai had taken up his end of the conversation again.
"It's that Day… isn't it? What do you ningens call it? Valentine's Day?"
"Indeed," he complied quietly, nodding in allowance for his companion to carry on.
"Well, Yukina is with the Oaf and the Detective is with his girl."
"And that should bother you how?" Kurama inquired lightly, casting a curious glance toward his fiery-eyed companion.
"Hn. Everyone's with someone and I got bored."
Even though he had said it quite plainly, Kurama had a feeling that there was something more behind the words. "And that brought you here?"
"I knew that you, Fox, wouldn't be one to partake in such menial ningen traditions." And with that said, he stalked around the couch and sunk onto it contentedly, sitting almost unreasonably close to his companion.
"What makes you say that I don't?" Kurama inquired lightly, keeping his voice smooth though it threatened to waver with the painfully increased beating of his heart. Couldn't Hiei realize what sitting so close to him was doing to him?
Hiei turned to him, his head moving in a swift jerk to face Kurama. There was something highly reminiscent of disbelief drawn over his features, but within a moment he had resumed his naturally expressionless countenance.
"You mean to tell me that you do?" His voice wavered in something like shock, or perhaps fear that feeble human reasoning had finally corrupted Youko to the point of absolutely no return.
In reply, Kurama nodded his head towards the box of half-lidded, yet completely untouched chocolates that sat, still as death, on the coffee table before them.
"More gifts from swooning ningen females?" Hiei inquired, his voice dancing in slight amusement at the Fox's forever-unchanged situation among the ningens.
"Hai… it never ends, I'm afraid." Kurama sighed tiredly, shaking his head.
Hiei nodded, "it would seem that you truly don't partake in such ningen festivities, Fox, the sweets haven't been disturbed at all."
"And why would they be?" Kurama retorted, the words coming off his lips slightly sharper than he had intended them. They aren't from you… why should I care for them then?
"Hn." Hiei shrugged. Then, leaning forward, he reached out a hand and pulled a sweet from within the box. Examining it carefully, his eyes narrowed in suspicion at the delectable goodie. "What is it?"
"You said a moment ago," Kurama pointed out tiredly, watching Hiei's actions slightly bemused.
"What kind of sweet? Sweet like my sweet snow?" He inquired.
Kurama shook his head, no, not like your sweet snow."
"Then what is it?" Hiei demanded, his eyes narrowing at the piece of candy that was now beginning to melt on his fingers.
"It's called a chocolate. Most people find them quite good."
"So why aren't you eating them?"
"They are also considered to be aphrodisiacs," the redhead sighed.
"A what?"
"It's nothing of consequence," Kurama shrugged lightly. "It's just not something I myself need. Try one for yourself if you'd like, though." He motioned towards the box, whose lid was now ajar exposing the chocolate candies inside.
Hiei cast him a skeptical look, but after a moment of contemplation he resolutely popped the chocolate into his mouth. As he chewed the small morsel his eyes widened in slight surprise. After a moment he made an over-exaggerated swallow and turned again to Kurama.
"What was in it?" he demanded.
Kurama raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Most probably some sort of filling. Nougat perhaps, or caramel."
Hiei, not being familiar with the terms, cast him a seething glare that demanded explanation.
Kurama chuckled slightly, "don't worry, it's nothing poisonous. In fact, it's quite edible. Do you really think I'd be one to poison you, Hiei?"
Hiei was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No, you wouldn't." Then he promptly reached for another of the chocolates.
Kurama gave him an amused look, eyes twinkling, lips curling into a wry smile. "Good, aren't they?"
Hiei glared at him for a moment before letting his eyes soften again. He popped the candy into his mouth without so much as yelling one scathing comment at his companion. Kurama smiled, shaking his head and suppressing a chuckle that had formed in the back of his throat.
The minutes wore on in silence. Kurama sat contentedly, watching his small friend finish off one chocolate after another, and Hiei ate them in a self-satisfied sort of way that gave him the smug look of a young child who had just discovered some joy inhis life.
As he was just about to reach for the last chocolate in the box, however, Kurama stopped his progress with a question. "So, is it better than sweet snow?"
Hiei stopped, his hand hovering mere inches above the box. He turned toward Kurama and muttered, "Hn." Then he proceeded to reach for his final goodie.
But, Kurama had other ideas. Making good use of his Youko speed and swiftness, he snatched away the last of the chocolates before Hiei had a chance to lay his fingers on it.
Kurama held it up to him almost teasingly, yet his voice was quite serious as he spoke. "You know, Hiei, these are my chocolates, after all. I think it's fair that I should get the last one, don't you?"
Hiei glared at him, his voice coming out in a would-be-threatening hiss, "You wouldn't."
Kurama smiled. That same sadistic smile he had been renowned for as a Youko. That same seductively sexy smile that always drove Hiei insane when it was aimed at him.
"Oh, I would," he whispered, in his deep, throaty voice. A smooth baritone that sent shivers running down Hiei's spine. And then, he did just that. He popped the small ball of chocolate into his mouth, that same devilishly twisted smile adorning his features all the while.
Hiei eyed him with stunned disbelief. How dare he? How dare he take away his delicious goodie? How dare he make himself be so incredibly seductive without realizing it? How could he expect to pull that stunt and not have Hiei get his revenge?
And, that's just what he intended to do, whether the Fox approved or not.
"Kurama," he growled, "you bastard…"
And before Kurama could so much as utter a retort, Hiei and shifted on the couch, grabbed Kurama roughly by the shoulders and pressed his lips furiously against the Fox's. Kurama's eyes widened in shock at the action, and reflexively, his lips parted in an attempt to protest. This was just a pretext for Hiei to deepen the kiss, pushing with a desperate hunger past Kurama's parted lips and exploring. Overwhelmed, Kurama's eyes fluttered closed and he snaked his arms around Hiei's neck, burying his hands in the soft raven tendrils of his hair and pulling him close as though asking for more.
After another few heated moments, in which Hiei had progressively ended up on top of Kurama, his small form pressed almost possessively against him, the two broke apart, lips sated and breathing raggedly. Hiei turned over, so his back rested contently against Kurama's chest, and his head rested against his shoulder. Kurama smiled and snaked his arms around the smeller's lithe waist, holding him close and closing his eyes in content peace.
"Now that," Hiei began, after a moment of prolonged silence between them, "was better than sweet snow." His soft voice danced up to his ear, and his moist breath made the small hairs on the back of his neck prickle pleasantly.
Kurama opened an eye, gazing half-lidded at his companion. His face, too, looked quite contented, as though a longing for something had finally been lifted from his shoulders. Hiei graced him with one of his rare smiles when he noticed the Fox looking at him. That's when Kurama saw it--a small smudge of chocolate adorning the corner of Hiei's lips. He let out a throaty chuckle, the sound reverberating serenely on the air.
"What is it, Kurama?" Hiei asked tiredly, not caring so much that Kurama had laughed at him.
"It's nothing," Kurama shook his head; a smile curling his features once more.
Maybe chocolate really was an aphrodisiac…