I'd love to hear your thoughts as the story progresses.


Bike Ride

Rummaging through Kurama's stuff, Yusuke was excited to see what kind of clothing Kurama owned. He always looked so neat and cared for. No wonder his entire closet was full of expensive fabrics and nice-fitting suits. Kurama was folding laundry and storing it away only for Yusuke to take it out again to feel it.

"Where do you buy your clothes? Everything always feels so damn good and comfy." Yusuke smiled as he ran his hand over the arrangement of blouses.

Kurama smiled at him. "I'll take you with me next time."

"Nah man, I got no money for that."

"It's not as expensive as you think."

"Kidding right? I can't even afford caramel in my coffee. You snob." Yusuke laughed.

"I'm not a snob!" Kurama couldn't help but join the laughter. "I just like to have clothing that stays nice for a good couple of years you know."

Yusuke scoffed a little. "My clothes cost nearly nothing and they stay good for years man!"

"Yeah, with holes in the fabric and faded color."

"Who needs color when you have black, white, and black?"

"Have some fun in life Yusuke. Express yourself a little."

By now, Yusuke was digging deep inside Kurama's closet. He loved looking at what he had hidden in the back. Stumbling upon one very recognizable leather jacket, he felt a lightbulb turning on inside his head. "Alright your Highness, I propose a compromise."

"I'm listening." Kurama folded his arms as he eyed Yusuke with annoyance.

"I'll try out this clothing style of yours if we go on a bike ride." He pulled the jacket out of the closet with one smooth swoop.

Kurama's eyes widened, and for a moment, Yusuke thought he was against it. But when a smile softly crept on his face, he knew Kurama had been waiting for this. "Take the spare helmet from the top shelf."

Yusuke was excited, he'd never ridden a motor. He expected Kurama to have a generic one, two wheels, and an engine. He never expected Kurama to open the garage door to an absolute beast of a motor.

"Are you sure this is your motor? Isn't this the wrong unit? Is it in the back or behind this thing?" Yusuke looked around for something smaller, more timid, just like how Kurama looked in his mind. Elegant and sophisticated.

Kurama merely walked towards it, inserted and turned the key, and swung his leg over. It roared as he awakened it, temporarily deafening Yusuke. He inserted the earbuds Kurama had given him, he thought it to be unnecessary but he was wrong.

He felt his knees buckle as he got onto the back, holding Kurama a bit too tight. His hand tapped Yusuke's hands signaling to loosen his death grip.

Yusuke didn't know where they were going, what he did know is that the route they took had one of the best sceneries he'd ever seen. They crossed a mountain and seemed to completely drive away from civilization. When he finally stopped the motor, Yusuke was the first to get off.

"Dude this is awesome!" He exclaimed as he inhaled the fresh air, less musky than city air and for the first time, he had nothing to say about the view. They looked at mountain fields with small streams of water running through them.

Kurama had parked his motor and moved to stand beside him. "This is my favorite spot if I never need to get out of the city." He smiled. Yusuke eyed him with admiration, he had closed his eyes, the small smile still gracing his features.

He stayed quiet for a bit, contemplating if he should say something. His heart was racing, even with Kurama's approval, Yusuke still found the act of loving to be a scary thought. He hadn't told anyone for that matter. But he'd have to speak his mind, he couldn't be a closed book when Kurama has been so open.

"I'm glad you're happier." Yusuke didn't intend to whisper it, he had no control of his voice.

"And I'm glad to be happier." Kurama sighed. "Are you happier?" Returning the question.

Yusuke felt the skin on his cheeks burning up. "Honestly… Everything makes me happier than before."

"Why's that?" Kurama asked.

Yusuke resisted the urge to scratch the back of his head. "I mean, I'm glad you're becoming the old you. Before Yomi did…" He saw Kurama flinch at the mention of his name. "Before everything went downhill. I don't want that anymore, I shouldn't have left you so soon."

"That was all forgiven, Yusuke." Kurama turned to him.

"For you, yes. But I haven't forgiven myself yet, I was careless and also a bit nervous."

"Why would you be nervous around me?" Kurama moved to sit in the grass, softly tapping the ground next to him, and inviting Yusuke to sit. "I'm not scary, am I?"

"No not at all!" Yusuke sat down next to him. "It's just that I've been walking around with these kinds of feelings I didn't know how to handle."

"Since when did you have them?"

"Every since I met you." Yusuke said honestly.

"But you and Keiko were a thing for years after our meeting." Kurama's brows furrowed in confusion.

Yusuke plucked a dandelion and some stands of grass as he eyed the soil. "I think I was in denial. I wanted to follow the standard I guess. I never knew it was an option for me."

"I understand how you feel." Kurama leaned over, taking the dandelion from him. He twirled it between his fingers, allowing it's spores to appear before handing it back to Yusuke. "I didn't want to disappoint my mother but over time I learned she's very easy with it. It is as if she… You know… Also walked on both sides of the road."

"Have you ever liked a girl?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama lowered his head as he looked at the grass below, his mood fell slightly. "I did."

"Didn't work out?" Yusuke scooted a bit closer. "Would you like to share it?"

A small scoff hidden within a sigh, Kurama didn't lift his head. "It was before I met you, she liked me a lot but I always kept my feelings hidden from her, it wasn't a priority for me at that time." Yusuke could see the pain in his expression. "The day I met Hiei, she was kidnapped by a demon, Hiei and I went to take it out and save her. I knew I couldn't bring her life into danger so I…" He swallowed thickly. "I used the pollen of forgetfulness to erase her love for me. With that, I also erased myself from her memory completely."

A gust of wind blew past them, spreading the dandelion seeds over the field as the wind carried them away. "You never tried to reconnect?" Yusuke flicked the stem away.

"No." Kurama shook his head. "I didn't want to risk her life. Last I heard she moved to a different city with her boyfriend, I won't be surprised if she married him. The fact that she's happy makes it all worth it."

"Was it though?"

Kurama eyed him with confusion. "I think so, why wouldn't it be?"

"You loved her," Yusuke said bluntly.

"Feelings change, Yusuke."

"Yeah okay, I can relate to that." Yusuke leaned back. "But I think I'm happier like this."

"With me?" Kurama looked down at him. "Are you really?"

"Absolutely." Yusuke huffed. "Are you?"

"I suppose so." He replied honestly."I think I'm going back to work next Monday."

Yusuke was quite shocked at this. "Are you sure?!" He shot back up, almost headbutting Kurama in the process.

"Yeah, I can't live off of my savings forever, you know?"

"But do you feel safe enough to go out and work?" Yusuke's mind was replaying countless scenarios which he hoped would never happen again.

Kurama waved his concern off. "He'd be very desperate to break through the new barrier AND try to attack around a lot of humans."

"I guess you're right." Yusuke pressed his lips into a thin line. "I think I'm just afraid something goes wrong and I won't be able to do anything about it, you know?"

"All will be fine," Kurama reassured him, softly nodding his head as he placed his hand on Yusuke's shoulder.

For a moment, Yusuke was frozen in place. "But…" He eyed the grass. "Are you really happier?"

"Why this question all of a sudden?" Kurama laughed nervously.

Yusuke's eyes met his emerald ones. "If we were to become… Like… A thing…" Yusuke stammered. "Would that really make you happy? I mean, we've been friends for years and I don't want to ruin our friendship and such. Keiko also said she was happy, but she clearly wasn't, I don't want to be the reason why someone can't be happy… And I'm not sure what to do 'cause this is a first for me and I…"

"Yusuke, stop," Kurama said firmly. "If you want us to become a thing, you first have to get rid of these concerns. You will never not make me happy."

A smile involuntarily appeared on Yusuke's face as his eyes lit up. "So that means you're accepting me?"

"Why wouldn't I accept you?" Kurama was slightly confused at the question, he leaned back slowly.

"I mean, you're accepting to be a 'thing' with me?"

"Are you confessing to me?" Kurama grinned. Yusuke merely nodded his head as he sat up, crossed his legs, and placed his hands on his knees as Kurama continued. "After we've been on numerous hangouts which were basically dates at that point. After you've saved me I nearly literally clung to you like an idiot. After we've kissed multiple times, you're now confessing to me that you want us to be a 'thing' like in a relationship?"

Yusuke nodded again, a big smile on his face. He liked being here, the trip was beautiful, the place was beautiful but most of all he found Kurama to be the most beautiful of everything he had seen today. "First of all, yes I am confessing to you. Second, you're no idiot." His face fell slightly. "I'm still surprised you trust me after everything that has been done to you. I will never forgive myself for waiting and for not stepping in when you were treated horribly. But thirdly, yes I want us to be… Us."

"Say it Yusuke, there's no shame in it." Kurama laughed.

"Alright." Yusuke surrendered. "I want to be in a relationship with you… But only if you want to cause I don't want to force you into anything, I want you to be happy."

Kurama said nothing, only quirked his eyebrow and stuck his hand in the pocket of his jacket. "I've been wanting to gift you this." He said casually as he pulled out a key and presented it to Yusuke.

"That's the key to your home," Yusuke said.

"Good observation, I want to give you the keys to my home so you can come and go as you please." Kurama took Yusuke's hand and placed the key into it. "So hereby I give you the key to my house, and with that, my heart."

"That's a yes?" Yusuke beamed.

"Obviously-" Kurama started but hadn't been given the time to mutter more than one word as Yusuke threw himself at him.

As they headed back, Yusuke wrapped his arms tightly around Kurama's waist, he never imagined the ride back to be even better but he had finally gotten the courage and the momentum to tell Kurama about the feelings he had been bottling up for the last couple of years.

From the first time he met him, he knew he'd be at his bedside when it was needed. He'd try to be the stable rock when Kurama needed one and most of all, he knew he wanted to be more than friends.


This isn't the last chapter even when it feels like it is... It isn't. But it is the last chapter of 2023,

I just want to give a big thank you for reading this story this year. It was wild, it was weird but if you're here that means you loved it and that means the world to me. So, signing off for now, I will wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year and I'll see you in the next one!