Victoria mindlessly used one foot to rock herself in the rocking chair on the porch while she studied her phone with strict attention. Abraham had been fed for the day, Hank was roaming the yard to find something heinous to roll in, and there she was on Tinder swiping left on the list of prospects since no one in this damn town seemed like the sort of guy she'd willingly be seen in public with. The screen door creaked open and swung closed with a careless thud back into the frame.
"Morning Hiei." She didn't need to look up to know who it was. Kurama always closed the door nicely.
"We're out of milk." He spoke to her, gauging whether or not Kurama was blowing smoke when he said that the woman was getting better at their native language.
"Okay." She answered blankly, as though she was only talking because he said something first.
Hiei stared at her, arms coming to cross over his chest as his chin dipped down. "Victoria, we are out of milk."
"Hiei, I said okay." She mocked his tone continuing to refuse to look up from her phone. Finally after a silent eternity of him glaring, she exited the app and rolled her head to the side to stare back at him. "What do you want me to do about it right now?"
He looked at her like she was idiot for even asking. "Go buy some."
Her eyes squinted a fraction, lips pursing as she tried to decipher the meaning in his words. It took her a second but she figured it out. "No. I'm busy."
He switched to sign at the first indication this conversation would be drawn out by her ineptitude with Japanese. You are not. You're playing on your phone. We need food.
"You're awful bossy for a guy who doesn't pay taxes."
He glared again, harsher this time, as though that would move her into action. She relaxed into her chair in a display of aggravating passive-aggressive contempt. They continued to eye each other, him growing more annoyed, her growing more annoying. Then she inhaled through her nose, exhaled with her eyes closed and rocked herself forward to standing.
"You're buying some of your own groceries with some of that sugar baby money of yours." Victoria informed him.
Kurama appeared suddenly on the other side of the screen door, happily sheltered in the AC of the kitchen, to nearly press his face against the screen. "Are we going shopping? I have some things to pick up."
"Yeah, let's get ready to head out. If Hiei doesn't get his sixth bowl of cereal for the day he might die."
She stumbled as she walked passed the tense little man, shooting him a look as he shrugged. Blue eyes glared down at where Hiei had so carefully jutted his foot out to trip her. With mock innocence he forced an apologetic look onto his face.
Hiei's fingers formed the word Oops as though he meant it.
In retaliation, Victoria clicked the lock on the screen door the minute she crossed the threshold and then shut the back door and twisted the deadbolt into place as well.
With feeling, through the wood she called to him in return, "Oops."
Walking through Food Lion in their little group always brought some kind of attention on the trio. Hiei's general gremlin energy had nearly doubled with his faux hawk, exuding as he aggressively marched through the store to find his preferred items, always looking vaguely mean and fully taciturn kept the staff from creeping too close. Kurama had the opposite problem of studying unfamiliar items with heavy interest, inspecting product labels and nutritional facts, smiling pleasantly whenever someone addressed him. With his red hair pulled up into a ponytail, his manifested friendly demeanor the staff tended to approach him more openly and often, offering assistance.
It was lost on no one that the younger female store associates hovered nearby 'in case you need something'.
Victoria's colorful hair and general presence was met with little to no fanfare and just a hint of familiarity. After all, she shopped here enough that most of the staff sort of recognized her, but she didn't pretend to be overly chummy with anyone in particular. Most of the attention on her stemmed from guiding the other two through interactions.
Like now, standing in front of the deli case with Hiei as he eyed the selection of meats, acting as translator for his strange whims.
"He'll take two pounds of the cracked black pepper ham, sandwich thick. A pound of the pepperoni, cut thin, pound of the white cheddar, and a pound of the cajun style chicken, very thin, and a pound of the smoked gouda." Victoria relayed as Hiei gestured to what he wanted and how he wanted it. The attendant at the counter eyed Hiei, scanned back to her, then nodded and got to work. "Well, now that you've ordered half the deli I'm going to go grab some ribs and steaks."
She went to walk away and felt a hand grip her by the forearm, keeping her in place.
"You cannot possibly need any more deli meat, Hiei. That's four pounds of meat and two pounds of cheese." Victoria expressed with visceral concern. He rolled his eyes and nodded toward the counter. She sighed. "I'm sorry to interrupt but ham was supposed to be sandwich thick and the chicken was meant to be very thin."
"Oh, sorry."
"No worries, it was a long list. He's just very particular."
Hiei let go of her arm and rudely waved her off now that she'd corrected the worker's mistake.
She pushed her buggy with a clunky wheel to the meat department and selected two racks of ribs and some steaks to grill up. It was on her way back to Hiei that she paused by the seafood counter and hesitated. Damn. Against her better judgment, because she knew she'd be stuck buying them every time since the boys had relatively expensive taste, she waited her turn in line. Almost defeated she requested five pounds of crab legs. For herself she'd normally just get one, maybe one and a half, but Hiei was a trash can with no bottom and Kurama ate more than he liked to admit. Regarding her cart she wondered if she should start putting some stuff back. The meat alone was going to cost her a car payment at this rate.
She didn't get time to decide as Hiei unceremoniously dropped his plethora of spoils into the buggy without even looking at her before rushing off on his next quest.
"Walk!" She shouted at him, then heaved a sigh. "I'm going to put a shock collar on him."
"I'd like to see that." Kurama joked from behind her, quiet enough that she startled. "Sorry."
"Are you finding everything you wanted? I noticed some of the shelves were pretty light." Victoria asked, beginning to walk while hunched over the buggy, her forearms on the handle.
"Most of it." He nodded. "I did want to ask you if we might be able to go to that specialty market again. There are some tastes from home I'm missing."
"Yeah, I think we can do that. Let me just get Hiei fitted for a harness and leash first so we don't lose him."
Kurama's grin formed around his chuckle. "He's the most comfortable that I've ever seen him. It's almost miraculous. It seems his social anxiety is getting better."
"Learning to swim gave him too much confidence." She complained mildly, but she was smiling too. "It is nice to see him thriving a bit. Even if he does act like a moody teenager."
"Somethings can't be changed." Kurama waved his hand in a gesture to indicate it was what it was. "Thank you again for getting him into the camper by the way. I've been sleeping more soundly and there's no laundry on the floor."
They both came to a stop, each of them considering their thoughts for a moment. Victoria turned to him with mild disgust on her face. "Have you seen him wash his clothes since he moved out?"
Kurama mimicked her expression.
"No. I haven't."
"Hiei! You disgusting little imp. Get some laundry soap." She called his name just as he exited an aisle with an armful of food. He rolled his entire head along with his eyes. "I didn't stutter."
He approached to dump his groceries into the buggy, flipped her off, then went off to retrieve the laundry detergent.
"He's so gross." She muttered.
Kurama, who had known this for years, agreed with a simple nod. Still, it was one thing to forgo a bit of hygiene when your whole job consisted of hunting through the world, getting covered in viscera, and sleeping in dirt. He didn't really have any of those excuses here.
Hiei returned with a large container of detergent with a bold label stating it was free and clear of irritants. When Kurama eyed the choice, he was greeted with a sneer.
"Shut up. The other kind makes me itch."
"I didn't say anything."
Hiei pointed at him in warning, daring him to make any comment. Kurama responded with an easy smile that Hiei did not trust, not one bit.
Attentive eyes followed each of Victoria's movements as she placed the steaks on the pre-heated grill. The flames leapt for joy as the marinade began to drip down, causing her to adjust the heat settings a touch. The soiled plate came to rest on the metal shelf attached to the side of the Char-Broil. Hank crept closer to that side of the gathering, licking his lips as he watched the discarded dish as though it might jump down to him and beg to be licked clean. Patiently he sat on the grass, standing careful guard, just in case.
Kurama and Hiei watched too, while the woman remained dedicated to the work of creating the best cooked meat possible for them to enjoy for dinner.
The foil-wrapped potatoes had been cooking, waiting for the steaks to join them so they could be ready at the same time.
"Did you two finish the salad?" She turned to look at the two men, receiving two confident nods. "Like a real salad? Not just lettuce doused in dressing with a few croutons?"
Hiei glared at her for the pointed comment while Kurama answered to the affirmative.
"Hiei set the table. And do it nicely. Your food will be done first." Victoria directed. "Grab the fixins for the potatoes too, please."
"Should I help?" Kurama wondered, as though he knew the outcome.
"He's got to learn."
The redhead wasn't so sure of that. Hiei's malicious compliance was greatly juxtaposed to his incredible ability to weaponize incompetence.
"Let me rephrase. If he wants his steak to be cooked the way he likes it, he'll do it right the first time. For every extra attempt, I'll keep the damn thing on the heat until it is nothing but charcoal." Victoria explained as Hiei exited the house with paper plates. Before the door had time to close he spun on heel, headed back inside and returned with real dishes and a handful of silverware to prepare the fold out table they'd set up on the porch to enjoy the evening air.
"Nicely done." Kurama whispered.
"I have my gifts." She winked at him. "Maybe sometime soon we can take the grill onto the boat and take it out. We'll eat out on the water."
Hiei straightened, turning to stare at her with curiosity. His gaze flicked to the pontoon then back as he considered the logistics necessary for such a treat. He was open to it. Maybe now that he could tread water he wouldn't have to wear that ridiculous life jacket.
"I was also thinking it might be nice to go to the beach sometime. You know, we haven't done much to enjoy the summer." Victoria flipped the steaks over. "I haven't shown you guys much of the state really. It's been about survival so much recently. I think taking y'all out and about would be nice."
"That's not true, you took us to a haunted house. That's been on my bucket list for my entire visit." Kurama joked, holding the plate handed to him so she could remove the potatoes from the grill and he could walk them to the table. "It was a wonderful, one of a kind experience."
"Cute. Thank you. Hiei come get your steak." She shooed Kurama off to the table. The other man appeared so quickly she almost elbowed him when she turned with the cut of meat, waiting for his plate. She plopped it down and watched as he rushed back to the table. He'd barely sat down before he was cutting into it. "Jesus boy, you act like you've never had a meal in your life."
He ignored her, grabbing a hot potato with his bare hand and dropping it to his plate, unwrapping it from the foil without wincing at the scalding or the steam that spilled out when he cut it in half lengthwise.
Victoria and Kurama shared a look and then laughed together, shaking their heads. Their steaks took a little longer to cook, since they weren't determined to lick blood from their plates. Hank even received a tiny cut of meat himself, a special treat for being a good boy. He waited until they'd all sat down to stand on his hind legs to yank the discarded plate from off the side of the grill and drop it onto the ground to lick clean.
Without bothering to ask, Victoria deposited a heap of salad onto Hiei's plate, arguing with him through sign that he had to eat it if he wanted to keep his brain running on what few cells he had left. Kurama watched them with unbridled fondness, dumping a hearty spoonful of sour cream onto his potato followed by salt and pepper. Despite her nagging of Hiei to take care to eat better, Victoria topped her own potato with butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon bits. Hiei followed her example to the t, but at least they both ate their salad. Victoria with less trepidation than the dark haired menace.
Their conversation revolved around topics like a spinning door, moving from nutrition to Hiei needing a haircut to keep up with his look. Victoria asked for suggestions for her next hair color. Kurama sought opinions on if he should buy a gaming console, only to be encouraged to start a Twitch channel before he'd even committed. Hiei, translated through Kurama, wondered when they would be able to get rid of the kappa because it was encroaching too close to his innertube and from the end of the pier Abraham offered a contentious noise as though he could tell they were plotting against him. This brought Kurama back to some youtube rabbit hole he'd been sucked down, leading to him asking Victoria if the frogs were actually gay or if that was meant to be a joke.
As she choked around the beer Hiei had retrieved for all of them, trying not to inhale the liquid while she shook with laughter her phone dinged with a distinct sound that earned her quick attention. Then she rolled her eyes, flipped her phone over, and sipped her drink again.
"Friend of yours?" Kurama questioned, interested in her negative reaction.
"No, Tinder. The dating pool around here is pretty shallow in my opinion. I have decent standards." She explained.
It was Kurama's turn to sputter. She kicked his shin under the table, calling him a name. Hiei tossed her a knowing look, clearly telling her that Kurama's reaction was earned.
"Look, okay, I just need to clear my system so I can focus. Don't tell me neither of you have ever needed a fix. You're men. I know better." She used her can of beer to gesture to each of them in turn. "And my taste in men has evolved."
"I don't seek out the company of strangers." Kurama defended himself, ruffled.
"Yeah, really? Maybe Shuichi doesn't but you cannot convince me Youko did not pull as much ass as was thrown at him." Victoria declared readily. "Also, weren't you the one the other day who said you could haul anyone you wanted? Where is that energy now?"
He blushed a bit, chewing on his response before offering any information. "I've also evolved."
Hiei's attention quickly moved between the two of them, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Kurama, you cannot involve yourself with this woman."
Stricken, the redhead gaped at his friend. "Hiei, you cannot seriously think that's what this conversation is about."
"I don't recognize most of those words, but I did hear 'woman' and saw you look at me. Are you two talking shit?" Blue eyes scanned them.
"No. Hiei thinks I'm trying to seduce you." Kurama explained, incredulous. "He's deranged."
"Ouch." Victoria glared at him. "That's not very nice. I mean, it's true, but you could have said it nicer."
It was Kurama's turn to kick Hiei under the table, glowering at the spot the other man had put him in. Sweetly, trying to smooth the conversation over, he smiled at the woman. "I didn't mean it that way, Victoria. I simply meant that-"
"Oh, I knew what you meant." She assured him.
Hiei laughed, beer can nearly touching his lips.
"For the record, the reason I'm on Tinder right now is because I had a lapse in judgment the other day and thought you were both attractive for two minutes and it woke me up to how neglected my sex life has been. Obviously, I wouldn't stoop low enough to engage in a relationship like that with either of you dickheads." Victoria downed the rest of her drink, setting the empty can on the table. "This wouldn't be happening if you two hadn't gotten in my way with Mark. We had mutual chemistry, and you two had to go and fuck it up. Rude."
"In hindsight we shouldn't have interfered." Kurama allowed, though it sounded begrudging. "You're a grown woman with your own honed instincts and life."
"Damn right I am."
Hiei got up from the table, snatching his and her empty cans to take into the house for recycling. He returned with two more drinks, setting one in front of her. He paused at her side, eying her before he signed with a vicious grin, You're looking awful thirsty. Drink up.
"That's it, you're grounded you little shit."
He laughed again, full of menace, and reclaimed his seat. Hank worked his head under Hiei's palm to receive absentminded ear scratches. Red eyes moved to green with heavy humor. "This is a good time. We should torture her more often. It brightens my mood."
"That's not nice, Hiei." Kurama scolded with a frown. "Victoria, I really wish you wouldn't take my comment personally."
"So you're saying I am fuckable then?" She stared at him, unblinking. "Is that what you're saying?"
"I'm saying, um, well what I'm saying is that perhaps in a different situation," he floundered then grimaced. "What's actually important is that after a lot of thought I actually came to the conclusion that of the three of us, based on research, Hiei is the most breedable as the kids say."
That put end to the dour expression on Victoria's face, wiping it out instantly as she turned red to her hairline, breathlessly wheezing out a strangled, "Breedable?"
"He's attracted the most attention, has a line of potential suitors, all of whom dote on him. So yes, obviously he's the most-"
"Please," the woman gasped fruitlessly to interrupt him. "I can't. Kurama. I can't."
"What does that mean? Breedable?"Hiei pronounced the word in English, irritation lining the syllables as he realized he was on the outside of the joke. He wasn't familiar with that particular term and he'd developed a steadfast grasp of the language surrounding him.
Kurama cracked up too, trying to not show it as he fought down a fit of his own grins and giggles. "It's okay, Hiei, it's not important."
"Breedable." Victoria repeated, tears in her eyes. She glanced to Hiei then broke down into a tearful fit of laughter. Every time she looked at him the fit redoubled. "My chest hurts."
"Tell me what it means!" Hiei demanded, concluding not only was he outside the joke, but he was the butt of it. No one volunteered the information. Annoyed, he grabbed the closest phone on the table which happened to be Victoria's, and opened the app he'd come to understand allowed for searches. Angrily he hit the little microphone and spoke the unfamiliar word into the voice search.
As the answers loaded it was his turn to turn red, though for entirely different reasons. Victoria slumped from her chair to the wood floor of the porch, making noises normally reserved for dying animals. He stood over her, glaring down, weighing the consequences of just following through with the urge to stomp on her head. Instead he fast pitched the cell phone into Kurama's forehead, forcing his head back on his neck. Whether the crack heard was the phone or Kurama's neck breaking was left to be determined.
"I am NOT 'breedable'," Hiei seethed, fists down at his side.
Victoria wheezed from the floor, struggling to the use the chair to get upright while still fighting for her life through the laughter. Kurama righted his head, blood running down his face from the cut that formed above one of his eyebrows. It was with startling calm that he rose from the chair, grabbed the discarded and busted phone to place back on the table. He used a paper towel to dab at the rivulet of red, studying the soiled item for a second before he finally lifted his gaze to meet Hiei's.
The darker haired man stepped back a half-step.
Kurama didn't appear to move, but the light behind his emerald eyes had grown considerably darker. It was very suddenly that a line of red to match his own injury slowly beaded up along the side of Hiei's cheek and face. It was a thin, sharp pain. A papercut sort of sting. Hiei only moved his eyes to the side the cut had formed on as Kurama lowered his hand.
Victoria sobered up, blinking the laughter induced tears from her eyes. She turned around to blink at the steak knife embedded in the yard, wooden handle sticking up like a headstone from the green. A warm breeze shifted around them all before she returned her attention to the two men. Hiei had refocused on Kurama, a look of trepidation lining his mouth and tightening the corners of his eyes. The other man simply stared at him, then cracked into a smile with a forced head tilt.
"That wasn't very nice of you, Hiei." He spoke with cultivated friendliness as crimson dripped from the tip of his nose and off his chin. "You broke Victoria's phone."
An unusual paleness robbed Hiei's tan of it's usual luster. Swallowing, he glanced over to Victoria as she came to her feet. He signed a quick apology.
"Kurama," Victoria called his name and earned his tense, hollowly friendly attention, "go get my knife from the yard."
The man before her stilled, stiff and she didn't miss the angry squint he tried to cover with a smile. Without really thinking about it, her hand flashed out. Not to him, but to her side, fingers pinching around Hiei's earlobe and tugging down with a yank.
"Are you fucking crazy boy?" She used her hold to shake Hiei's head, ignoring his hissed complaints. "Look what you've awakened. You may not have to sleep in this house but I do!"
Kurama physically loosened as he watched the woman admonish his friend. It was a strange feeling, the wave of ease that overtook him. There was a weight of familiarity to the moment, if the warmth of his stomach was to be believed. Following that feeling he allowed his anger to dissolve, grabbing his paper towel to keep dabbing at his cut as he went into the yard to fetch the knife he'd thrown. He waited until he made it to the grass to grin. Hiei's face had been priceless and that was it's own reward.
He felt that sometimes his friend forgot who he was.
Lowering the paper towel, Kurama eyed the lawn. He took a few steps, then looked around and frowned in confusion. "It's not here."
Victoria released Hiei so she could offer the redhead her attention. Her eyes scanned the grass. "Well, it didn't grow legs and walk off. Keep looking."
"Thank you for that insight." Green eyes rolled, and they landed on a familiar figure and a glint of metal. "Hank."
Hank the dog stared at Kurama, wood handle of the knife in his mouth. With a slap he hit his little dog arms down against the grass, butt in the air and tail wagging.
"Hank, what do you have?" Kurama tried not to excite the animal as it did another playful bow.
"Is that the knife?" Victoria's eyes flashed wide. "Hank!"
The dog took off like bullet, running across the yard like he was sprinting to make the Olympic team. Turning a tight corner as Victoria ran into the yard, he whipped around her to aim for the other end of the lot.
"No!" Kurama called and started to chase him with Victoria. "Hank, stop!"
Hiei picked his plate up from the table, continuing to eat his salad while he watched the scene unfold. Being bested by a dog was exactly what Kurama needed to cool his attitude, he decided. His eyes tracked the two grown adults rushing around and trying to carefully get the lab mix to give up his dangerous quarry.
"Hank!" Victoria dove for the dog, aiming to grip his collar only to have him zig when she zagged. "Dammit dog!"
Kurama panted, then he glanced to the grill. Hank seemed to follow his line of sight, pausing in his escapades to watch. With purpose the redhead marched to the grill, opened the hood and acted like he was reaching in for something. The dog ran to him, offering a startled yelp as Kurama whirled on him, causing him to drop the blade. "Sorry, but I had to get it somehow."
He grabbed the knife from the ground along with the plate that Hank had previously stolen.
"Not for you!" Victoria gasped, hands on her knees as she fussed at her dog. "Dammit Hank, you could have gotten hurt!"
Brown eyes grew big and a mournful whine escaped the animal's chest. He approached her low to the ground, tail tucked, big puppy dog eyes begging for forgiveness.
"You're so cute." She gave in immediately, falling to the ground to scratch and rub him all over his body, earning his belly quickly for vigorous rubs.
"You shouldn't reward that behavior." Kurama chastised without effort. It was fruitless to try to sway her from spoiling Hank.
"You shouldn't throw knives at people's heads." She retorted, grabbing Hank's jowls and falling into keening baby talk. "At least you didn't cut anyone. Oh yes. Oh yes my good boy. Somebody call OSHA, we have a safety certified good boy here. Not like mean ole K-drama. Oh no. Straight to jail with him."
"Please don't talk at me through the dog."
Under the heavy veil of a warm summer night, air pressing to her exposed skin as her feet shifted back and forth in the lake water, Victoria sat on the edge of the pier, hands on the wood behind her as she stared up at the clear sky. A clawed, wet webbed hand brushed around her ankle as Abraham chittered before slipping under the protection of the wood slats as footsteps approached. It was late, later than Kurama normally stayed awake and later than Hiei usually preferred company so she craned her head back to figure out who had come to see her.
Hiei offered her a cold beer, staying clear of the edges of the pier, silent as he watched her.
"Thank you." She accepted the offering with a grin that made him roll his eyes. He offered a barely there wave and retreated back to his trailer.
With a sigh she closed her eyes and lowered herself backwards to lay on the wood, holding the cold drink in her hands to cool her palms down from the same everlasting warmth that dampened the back of her neck. Blue eyes peeled open to gaze up. What was it that DaVinci had once written? Something about how once one has tasted flight, they would always turn their eyes skyward because that's where they'd always long to be? She'd been in planes before, but she'd never kissed the sky.
A mosquito interrupted her thoughts, landing on her cheek. She swatted at it, more from instinct than malice.
"I'm happy." She offered up like a secret to the stars glimmering above and to the darkness between them she added, "I wish this could last forever."
She wouldn't stop trying to get her boys back home. She wouldn't stop fighting to the right the damage that had been done to her reality. Still, she didn't think doing those things should be any reason to not wish these days could last.
Her phone dinged and she groaned, sitting up to see what fresh-faced hell awaited her. Instead she spied a notice from an online retailer through the shattered glass of her screen. With a victorious yell she nearly dropped the device. "Oh hell yes! My pre-order shipped!"