Hi! It has been SEVEN years since I posted last. I can't believe it. Time flies. I do have a few old unfinished stories that I might pick up again sometime soon but right now I'm focusing on this and a small project for Hiei/Botan week on tumblr.
This story has actually been in the works forever, but FF deleted my draft and I lost all the will to work on it. Now I'm determined to see it through. Thanks to mystikoorime for cheering me on this whole time.
Story notes: Inspired by Taylor Swift's Delicate on her Reputation album. That's how long I've had this has been sitting in my brain.
This little doodad will be told in 4 chapters. Updates might be slow but I expect this to be finished before the end of the year. Lastly, this is an alternate universe. I do my best to keep everyone true to their YYHverse characterizations, but for the purpose of the plot not 100%.
Summary: Botan, a famous actor with a bad reputation of failed relationships and a trail of heartbroken men left in her wake, meets Hiei – lead singer of the hit band Cursed Child. Determined to remain unattached, the situation turns a bit delicate when feelings get involved.
Delicate
"-rumors of infidelity have been running rampant around this most recent break up, her third in the past two years. And who would this new mystery side piece be? We can only assume it to be one of her sexy co-stars, Yusuke Urameshi. According to our source close to Botan, their on-screen chemistry can't compare to their off-screen chemistry, and Shishiwakamaru just isn't the type to be second place to anyone. He gave her an ultimatum: him or Yusuke, and apparently she couldn't bear to leave behind her on-screen Beau – dropping Shishi and taking a two week vacation in the Bahamas with Yusuke!"
Botan groaned from her space on the luxe couch in her apartment, dropping a pillow onto her face to mute her frustrated scream before tearing it away from her and glaring over at her manager, "Koenma, please stop reading this garbage to me. I know it sounds bad, but it's obviously not true! We were only in the Bahamas to shoot an episode for the show."
"Botan Kai first met Yusuke Urameshi five years ago, when their popular show Spirit Detective started filming. On-screen they are partners fighting against the forces of evil to keep the human world safe, but off-screen they have been inseparable. Could it be that this best friend status was just a cover for a smoking hot romance? Botan's most recent post was a spicy photo of the two in a hot tub, toasting pina coladas. We can only speculate-"
"Okay, okay! Stop! I don't want to hear the rest. I know you told me to use my insta account less, but we were having such a good time. You know I love cute pics!" The blue haired actress sent her manager her best puppy dog eyes, knowing he was angry with her. Frankly, she didn't blame him, but she wasn't the one writing this junk. He should be mad at the paparazzi and so-called journalists, not her!
Her longtime friend and manager, Koenma, sighed (he could never stay mad at her when she made that face at him), "This isn't good, Botan. You haven't had any good press lately, and a scandal like this could drop the ratings for your show. Plus, you just auditioned for those two movies and this could affect if you get hired for them or not. Couldn't you have just stuck with Shishiwakamaru a little while longer? Atleast until the audition process for the movies was over."
"Oh, you can't be serious! He was more into how we looked than anything. Everything with him was about appearances and I just couldn't take it anymore!" She huffed, rolling over on the couch so her back was to him. Sometimes Koenma was so unreasonable. She absolutely could not have stayed with Shishi any longer. It could be months before she had her contract settled for those movies! Months. Now, Botan loved pictures and good press just as much as the next person, but Shishi was absolutely obsessed with himself. He loved himself more than he ever loved spending time with her. Botan always felt like she was competing with Shishi for his own attention. And of course now that they were over, he would dramatize the whole thing. He couldn't have been that upset… only with how his image looked now that they'd broken up.
"I understand that, but this article isn't totally wrong. This isn't your first bad break up. In fact, far from it. I'm surprised they didn't go further back than two years. There's Shishi, Suzuki, Kiyoshi, Suzaku, Rando, Asato - just off the top of my head. And it's never you that's being left behind, it's these guys. I'm not saying you're in the wrong for not being happy with any of them, but I really need you to start being more careful with who you're in a relationship with. You're making my job really hard, you know. And reading all of these stupid articles always brings your self-esteem down. You can be really hard on yourself."
Now it was Botan's turn to sigh. She knew he was right, but sometimes this whole fame thing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She just wanted to date without the whole world watching and weighing in on her relationships. She never asked for everyone else's input. Clutching at the other fluffy pillow on the couch she grumbled at her friend, "Thanks for the history lesson."
Smiling at her stiffened back in empathy, Koenma attempted to make her feel a little better, "Hey, on the bright side, the cover of this magazine had that really flattering photo of your chest in that bikini while you guys were drinking."
He laughed when a pillow sailed across her living room and hit him hard in the face.
A wave of heat crossed Botan's face as an explosion sounded to her left, glass flying and landing loudly around her from windows shattering. She was hiding behind a car next to Yusuke, crouched and covering her head to keep her safe from injury. Once the remnants of the blast settled, she coughed out the dust in her lungs and grabbed his arm while checking him over, "Kumi, are you okay? We have to finish this now before the whole block is leveled!"
"I'm fine, Sora. But this damn demon won't be when I'm through with him. I've had enough of this shit!" Yusuke replied and brushed the dust off his shoulders. He pulled her up into a standing position with him and grazed his hand over her cheek where dirt had accumulated, "You're always so beautiful when I'm about to kick some ass."
Blushing, Botan stepped closer to him and raised her hand to rest on top of the one he had on her cheek, "You say the craziest things."
Another explosion sounded behind them as he leaned his face over hers, but instead he groaned in annoyance before their lips could meet as the demon shot more blasts at the two of them. Yusuke pushed her out of the way before any of them could hit their mark and he shouted, "Can't you see I'm a little busy here?!"
"CUT!" was heard in the background and Botan sighed in relief at the blessed break. She was hardly in the mood to be shooting any romantic scenes with Yusuke right now. Quickly walking away as the crew went about their business and barely catching the direction for their next day of shooting (it was their last episode for the week – Kumi would destroy the demon with a blast of spirit energy and save the town, but the demon's brother would be back for revenge and take Sora hostage), she made haste towards the exit to avoid any chats with her friend and hopefully not give anyone a show of her real life drama.
It soon became clear he was not going to let her go that easily when he strolled up to her about ten feet before she got to the door. She huffed and tried to side-step him but he stepped in the same direction to block her way.
"Yo, what's with you today? You've been standoffish since frickin' 6am."
"Let's not do this here-" The bluette stopped mid sentence as her foot brushed against something on the floor when she tried to move away again. Looking down, her eyes widened as she saw the magazine Koenma had been reading to her the night before on the ground. What was this doing here? Someone had been reading it on set…
She could feel her anger take over as she read the name of the person who wrote the article, and was once again remind of why she was furious at Yusuke. And the best way to deal with that anger right now was to bash him over the head with it. So that's what she did. She whopped him over the head with the magazine. Repeatedly.
"Yusuke, I swear, if you don't learn to keep your groupies under control!"
"Stop, stop!" He cringed and put his hands in front of his face to protect his perfect skin. When she didn't relent in her assault of him he grabbed at the magazine, trying to steal it from her and resulting in a tug of war, "Botan!"
The blue haired actress growled irately and suddenly let the magazine go, letting him stumble back with it. Crossing her arms with her nose in the air, Botan silently pushed past him and walked to the door, desperate to get to her dressing room and be alone. Unfortunately, being alone wasn't in the cards for her because of course her best friend chased after her.
"Wait up, Botan!" He called from behind her as she turned the corner to her room, quickly opening the door and going inside so that she could lock him out. Yusuke managed to get an arm in the door as she went to close it, pushing himself inside and making her throw her hands in the air in defeat.
"Can't you just leave me alone to be miserable, Yusuke?" She wailed and fell back onto her bed.
"Uh, first of all, no. Second of all, move over and make room for me," he sat as she rolled over on her poofy pink comforter to make room for him on the bed, "third, this is so not my fault."
Botan sent a withering glare his way.
"You're the one who can't keep it in your pants! If you would stop sleeping with her with no intention of ever being together, then maybe she'd stop writing these articles about me all of the time."
This was not the first time Keiko Yukimura had written a bad article about her. In fact, Keiko had been a point of contention between the two friends for a while now. Botan and Yusuke fought like cats and dogs over the woman, and only just recently could Botan accept that no matter what, she would be writing about her – Yusuke or no Yusuke. Though sometimes it still stung that he slept with someone who wrote such awful things about her.
Yusuke laughed and grabbed her pillow, getting comfortable, "Hey, you're the one who posted that pic the other day and captioned it 'SoraKumi 4everrrr!'. Of course she's jealous. So is half of my fan base. And anyways, she knows I'm not looking for anything serious."
"Can't you tell her to stop writing this absolute filth?"
"Doesn't work like that, Bo. She's paparazzi and a gossip columnist, she'll do anything she can to get her hands on good story. Even if it means going out and getting the dirty details herself."
"Well she never writes this stuff about you…"
"Yeah, cuz she knows she won't be getting the D if she does. And trust me, she wants the D."
"You're seriously disgusting," Botan gagged before bursting into giggles and poking him in the arm.
"And you're a blatant homewrecking cheater, according to Keiko. But if it makes you feel any better, you're still skinnier and better looking."
"So now not only are you disgusting, but you're vain and disgusting."
"Basically."
Huffing once again, Botan hopped off of her bed and started pacing the soft, thick carpet of her dressing room, "I just don't even know how you can stand her."
"I can't. My dick can."
"You're so crude."
"Crude, vain, and disgusting," Yusuke commented, eyeing her as she walked around the room, "anyway, on a more serious note: Don't you think maybe you're fueling the fire a bit here? You know the rumors aren't gonna get any better this way."
His best friend stopped in her tracks, shrugging helplessly, "I know it seems that way, but I'm not going to change who I am over this. I won't stop being your friend. I can't let them win, no matter what they write about me."
"Okay, Bo. Not saying I disagree. Can't let the bastards get you down. I'm just worried about you."
"I know," she smiled and pushed his dirty shoes off her blankets before there was a knock on her door, "come in!"
George, the director's assistant stuck his balding head in the door, "Break's over! We're filming in three."
"Right," Yusuke nodded at him. Hopping off the bed, he lent Botan his elbow. She took hold of it and he led her out of the dressing room and down the hallway. As they reached the door, he snapped his fingers, almost forgetting to tell her about what he heard this morning, "By the way, I heard Enma talking earlier. He wants to bring in that Kurama dude as a recurring guest on the show. Thought you'd be happy since you're always drooling over his modeling crap."
"Really?" Botan let go of his arm to clap her hands together, "Oh, how exciting! I can't wait to meet him!"
"Uh huh, whoop dee doo."
Kurama (a stage name, his real name being Shuichi Minamino) was on set two weeks later. Botan and Yusuke had only had a brief moment to introduce themselves to him before the cameras were rolling, but as it turned out modeling was the not the man's only talent. Everyone was quite pleased with the way he portrayed his character Yoko, a demon who tried to kill Sora and Kumi but ended up helping them in the end as well as consulting on new cases for them from time to time.
When everyone stopped filming for the day, Yusuke clapped the strikingly feminine yet handsome man on the back, "Hey bro, nice work. Even I was impressed."
"Thank you, Yusuke," Kurama replied, untying his long red hair from the bun it had been in for the show, "It was nice to work with you today."
"Eh, yeah, I'm alright. Botan here," Yusuke grunted as he pulled his nearly drooling best friend over to him, "Was really looking forward to this. Don't be fooled by her freakish fangirling right now, she's cool."
Said woman instantly snapped back to reality to elbow him in the side before turning to Kurama, a charming smile placed on her face, which she started fanning nervously to keep from sweating, "Oh, that Yusuke! Such a kidder! Don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. I don't have a collection of your pictures taped to my mirror like he says, I promise," she wiggled her pinky at him to pinky swear and blushed as he chuckled at her joke, "just one or two."
"Hm, alright," he replied in kind, "I suppose I can live with just one or two. Once you hit three it starts to roam into stalker territory."
"Wouldn't want to go there, now would we, Botan?" Yusuke grinned, only to wince in pain as she elbowed him a second time.
"Yusuke, if you don't stop trying to embarrass me in front of Kurama I'm going to email Keiko and tell her that I can't compete with her and you'd love a relationship with her but you were too nervous to tell her."
Gulping, Yusuke lifted a hand to his forehead in a salute, "Yes, ma'am, I'll behave."
With raised eyebrows, Kurama let out quite a laugh, "You two are genuinely like brother and sister. I can tell our time together will be rather amusing."
"Yeah, yeah. A real hoot," Yusuke dismissed them as he waved his hand around, "I'm starving. Botan and I are gonna get some Chinese. You wanna join?"
"I'm afraid I must decline today," Kurama denied with a kind smile as he glanced towards the door when a man Botan did not recognize walked through it, "I'm meeting a friend, but perhaps next time?"
"No problem, new partner! Any day you want, just say the word," Botan offered, her eyelashes practically fluttering when Kurama turned his attention to her and nodded. Her eyes widened as she got lost in his own forest green eyes and nearly melted into a puddle of goo at his feet, "You're even prettier in person. Has anyone ever told you?"
"Literally every pathetic hanger-on in a fifty mile radius has told him that. Hn, not that I expected anything less from the likes of you," a gruff, flat voice interrupted from her right. The bluette could feel herself turning red out of embarrassment and felt her chest tighten at the snipe. Is this really how people saw her? All of those articles were full of slander, surely people knew that.
"Now, Hiei-"
"Dude. I will fight you," Yusuke grit out with clenched fists, and Botan gained the courage to look towards the source of her mortification with her bestie backing her up. A man slightly shorter than Yusuke stood behind Kurama, looking as if he would rather be any place than here. His striking red eyes were glaring their way, and she would find him to be a very attractive man if his dark personality didn't override the strong set of his jaw, clearly muscled form, and gravity defying but soft looking hair. If only Kurama kept company as charming as he was.
"Do as you will," the man, Hiei, scoffed, "I don't really care. I want to be here as little as you want me to be here."
Yusuke locked him into a stand off, the two glaring intently at the other until what seemed like minutes (but was really seconds) later Yusuke took a step back and shrugged, "You get one free pass because your music is badass. Don't let me hear shit like that again."
Botan could see Hiei rolling his eyes but ignored it, her interest instantly peaked, "Oh! Music, how lovely. What do you play?"
When nobody replied, she looked between the three of them, clearly confused, "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"
"Where the hell have you been the last five years?" Yusuke laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder, "You're oblivious."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the actress frowned, pushing his arm off of her when he tried to give her a knuckle sandwich.
"Botan," Kurama interjected, stepping between the two friends by putting a hand on her shoulder, "This is Hiei. He's the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Cursed Child. They're quite popular."
"Hmmmmmm," Botan hummed, squinting at Hiei and bending down slightly to get a better look at him, her finger resting on her chin as she examined him, "Nope! Can't say I've heard of you."
"Hn. Well I've heard of you," Hiei practically sneered at her before ignoring her presence and turning to Kurama, "Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes, I think we should go," The model turned actor sighed before sending Botan and Yusuke an apologetic smile, "I will see you both tomorrow. Enjoy your Chinese food."
The two left behind watched as their new coworker walked away with Hiei, and Botan wondered out loud what such a nice person could be doing with such a miserable person. The exit door closed and Yusuke shrugged at her.
"Eh, he ain't all bad. Atleast he makes good music."
"That doesn't make someone a good person!"
"What do you know?! Miss-Lives-Under-A-Rock!"
The next two weeks for the trio of actors went by in a blur. Their filming schedule ended up being quite grueling, and a majority of their days were spent on set. They all worked together and practiced lines often when not shooting, and ended up becoming good friends rather than just acquaintances. Botan was overjoyed at the prospect of having someone else to take pictures with, and who better than her favorite male model to pose with? Kurama had no issue with it, being no stranger to cameras and social media, and Yusuke was happy that he didn't have to get dragged into all of Botan's selfies. All in all, things were looking up for them.
Of course it was, because that's when life changing things happen – when you least expect them to.
At the end of the day on Friday, the last day they were shooting for the week, Yusuke could once again be found stuffing his face with the donuts provided. He taunted Botan mercilessly with the tasty baked goods while she growled and chomped angrily on a carrot. After the recent article that Keiko had written about Botan gaining weight, she was determined to stay fit as ever. There would be no unflattering images of her printed on the front of a magazine if she had anything to say about it! Kurama sighed fondly at the two of them before walking over to the snack table and grabbing a celery stick in solidarity.
"Oh look, someone with a heart!" Botan exclaimed and then glared at Yusuke. Seeing Kurama next to him, Yusuke grinned, causing chunks of donuts to fall out of his mouth. Botan cringed and gently pushed his jaw closed, turning to Kurama in disgust and trying to forget that she saw anything, "I've heard an itsy bitsy rumor that you'll be busy this weekend. Is that true?"
Swallowing the celery, Kurama nodded to her, "Yes. A friend of mine is throwing a party in Tokyo tomorrow night. You're both welcome to join me if you like."
Yusuke instantly agreed, stating it had been way too long since he got laid while being cooped up in the studio, and Botan rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, "I suppose I have to go now. Someone has to make sure Yusuke doesn't get into too much trouble."
"I'm not sure that's possible but perhaps it's a good idea," Kurama said, "I will see you both in the morning, then. My driver will take us."
Botan waved as he walked towards the door to leave them, then she grabbed Yusuke (who protested whole heartedly at being separated from the food) and walked in the opposite direction to her dressing room. She needed him to help her decide what to wear, after all.
The next evening found the three friends standing outside of a large gated house (okay, it's basically a mansion), colorful lights flickering from the windows and music blaring, with plenty of people drinking and dancing beyond the door. Yusuke whooped and walked right in, grabbing one of the beers being passed around – about to go hunt for his bed mate for the night. Before he could run off, Kurama pulled the back of his collar and lead them both through the foyer.
"How about we make introductions before you find your next victim."
Botan nodded in agreement with a smile on her face. Her boys just looked so handsome. Yusuke wore black jeans with a black leather biker jacket and a white tank underneath. He even had an expensive set of shades to complete the look, but she expected those to be coming off soon. Kurama wore the opposite – white leather pants with a white crop top that only a man with the confidence of a model could pull off. He left his hair down for the night. And her? She chose to sparkle tonight. A simple tube mini dress made not so simple by the cover of crystals shining brightly in the light, and a cute sweetheart neckline to show off the diamond necklace she wore (courtesy of Kurama!). She made sure to use a pretty highlighter in her makeup so her skin would glow with the rest of her ensemble, threw on some strappy silver sandals, and put her hair in a curly updo to complete the look.
Grumbling, Yusuke shrugged him off and followed dutifully, just ready to start his night. Walking inside the large doors and into a spacious living room with a modern fireplace in the wall and a big screen tv above it with music videos playing, he began to grin when he could barely hear a thing with the music pounding out of the speakers and could barely move while his personal space was invaded by the immense amount of people in the room. Botan held tightly onto his arm as he pushed people out of the way and she maneuvered between them, relieved when they seemed to come to a stop in front of a tall brunette who was downing a shot with another man she did not know.
"Shizuru," Kurama greeted with a nod as Botan let go of Yusuke's arm and finally got a good look at the pair. The woman, Shizuru, was gifted with a set of long and shapely legs that she showed off in a small pair of black shorts and lengthy, silky chestnut hair that she let loose. The man next to her had odd, curly orange hair atop his head and was clearly related to the woman next to him, but didn't match in her good looks. The peculiar man smiled at her and handed her one of the beers she saw being passed around, and she decided that she liked him in spite of his weird choice in hairstyle.
"Shuichi, you finally made it," Shizuru's sultry voice cut through the music, "and you brought your friends."
"Oh," Botan began grinning mischievously with a sip of her beer, "you must be close to him if he lets you call him that. Nice to meet you, Shizuru. I'm Botan."
"Heh. Something like that. We have been modeling together a long time."
Botan snapped her fingers, recognizing Shizuru now, "I see! I remember that spring 2023 spread you were in for Tokyo Beauty Magazine!"
"Thanks," Shizuru smirked lightly, "I know you from the magazines too. Not that it matters, they never get anything right."
Botan definitely liked this woman.
"Right. I'm Yusuke. This is great and all but I've got things to do so let's hurry this up."
Botan smacked the back of his head, horrified by his lack of manners.
"Hey! Don't talk to my sister like that in our house!" The curly haired man exclaimed, nearly dropping his drink as he shook a fist at Yusuke.
"And this," Shizuru stated as she pushed the man next to her into a seat to sit down, "is my little brother Kazuma. Excuse him, he's drunk."
"Stop treating me like I'm a little kid! I'm a man! I can introduce myself."
Botan sweatdropped as he attempted to get out of the chair but fell backwards, clearly more drunk than he seemed. Trying to be nice, Botan asked him, "and do you also model?"
Yusuke snickered next to her and she glared at him, knowing he was about to make a rude comment so she stepped on his foot to keep his mouth shut.
"No, pretty lady. I'm a photographer," he claimed loudly, shoving his drink into the air as he said it and spilling some of it on the floor.
"Well aren't you sweet," she laughed, "it was nice to meet you Kazuma. Shizuru. I'd better go find more drinks and let Yusuke loose before he snaps. Thanks for having us!"
The bluette blew a kiss to Kurama and ran after Yusuke as he yelled, "Finally!" telling him to behave and not to break anything. He asked something about her being his mother but she waved him off, knowing he needed to let off some steam after their long week. She intended to do the same once she grabbed another drink from one of the coolers all around the house.
Botan lost sight of her friend in the crowd of the dark entertainment room. Left to her own devices, she chose to take a large gulp of her beer until it was half full and then join the mass of bodies gyrating to the music with the LED lights flashing above them. Here, at a party hosted by Shizuru, she could be herself without fear of someone snapping an unwanted photo of her or doing something stupid that would end up a headline. So she made the most of it and moved back and forth with the pack, jumping and twisting and shaking her behind when it was the perfect moment in the songs. She laughed and let go, finishing her beer off when she started to sweat from the heat of the dancing. When her arms and legs started to burn after what must have been two hours worth of songs, she detached herself from the other women who had been dancing close to her and sought the break she so desperately needed.
Someone was handing out shots of some sort of alcohol as she walked through one of the rooms of the large house, searching for the door to the back yard. She had heard the chatter of voices outside and the splashes of water on her way in the front door with Yusuke, so she knew it was there somewhere. Botan cheered with the kind soul who gave her something to drink as she threw her head back and drank her shot before quickly resuming her search. It was so hot now and her skin was damp so she was sure her makeup was a little bit of a mess. Some fresh air would do wonders for her now.
Botan made it to the kitchen where she ended up finding an assortment of shochu bottles, beers, sakes, and other drinks on every single counter. At the back wall was a set of two sliding doors to the backyard. Such luck! She grabbed two bottles of shochu and stuffed them in the crook of her arm as she made her way out into the cool night. She took a deep breath of relief as the night air touched her hot skin before marching out to find a space to drink her shochu either in peace or with whatever entertainment she would find out here.
Walking around to the side of the pool where she sighted some space to dip her feet in and sit, Botan unexpectedly bumped into someone's chair as she pulled her sandals from her aching feet. She apologized quickly when they told her to watch where she was going, but blinked when she noticed familiar dark spiky hair attached to said person.
"Hiei! Fancy meeting you here."
"What you call fancy, I call ill-fated."
Frowning, she chose to ignore his comment and took the seat opposite of him. Nobody else was occupying the other seats around him, which didn't surprise her. His body language would scare off just about anyone. It clearly screamed "DO NOT SIT HERE", but she was in too good a mood to be run off by the likes of him. She noted the mostly empty bottle in his hand, "I see even alcohol doesn't lighten you up, mister."
Botan expected a quick retort from him, but he said nothing. He paid her no mind. He was too preoccupied staring fiercely across the yard, at the other end of the pool. She followed his line of sight to find a beautiful, more mature woman sitting in the water with a man whispering in her ear. The woman laughed and her orange head fell backwards, revealing extensive scarring on the side of her face and body.
Botan gasped in surprise.
"Who is she?"
"That… is Mukuro. The manager of Cursed Child," Hiei replied and finished off his bottle.
"What happened to her?" Botan inquired, unable to control her curiosity. The woman was striking, even with the scars. In fact, the scars only made her more striking. She can see how Mukuro could capture Hiei's attention. She also took a note from Hiei's book and opened her own bottle of shochu, the other tucked under her chair, next to her feet.
However, Hiei wasn't very forthcoming with details, "None of your business."
She sighed and took a sip from her bottle. Hiei wasn't a very fun drunk (or a fun anything, really). Maybe he just didn't have enough alcohol to loosen him up yet. Botan gently shook her bottle back and forth, offering it to him.
"Hn. I suppose if you're going to bother me any longer then drinking might make it more bearable."
"I'm only sharing the alcohol with you if you share the tea with me."
He gave her an odd look.
She clarified, "The low down. The gossip. The juicy details."
The cringe on his face had her laughing like Mukuro in the pool a moment ago. She pushed the bottle at him more insistently and he sighed before roughly taking it from her hands, making a small klinking noise from the rings he wore. She took this as a silent agreement from him to be less gumpy and sate her curiosity so she pressed for more info, "So?"
It took Hiei a moment to answer her, his eyes still on the two in the pool, "Mukuro wants no emotional attachments to anyone. She prefers to be alone. The same as I."
Botan wondered why she wouldn't want attachment to anyone, but she didn't ask. What she was truly interested in was why that mattered to Hiei.
"Yet you're looking at her as if that's tearing you apart."
His eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her, his stormy expression much darker than it was a moment ago. If she hadn't had any drinks in her system, it might have frightened her. She quickly opened her other shochu if only to distract him a little.
"What would you know about it?" Hiei snapped as his hands tightened around the bottle she had given him. With any more force it would break.
"Hey now," she placated, "I know all about failed relationships, remember? Everyone knows. You were reminding me about it just a few weeks ago."
The thought of everyone else having an opinion on the things that hurt her the most made her feel a little queasy, so she took a sip from her bottle. Tonight was about forgetting that. Tonight she was only sparkles and drinks and fun.
He noticed her sip and took his own swig of shochu, sitting back in his seat and trying to swallow his bitter anger. Normally Hiei Jaganshi wouldn't have given Botan Kai the time of day. But something in him – maybe the alcohol, or maybe the sight of Mukuro in the pool with the guy she planned to have take her home tonight – compelled him to answer her.
"We slept together."
If she hadn't already swallowed, Botan most definitely would have spit out her drink. She cleared her throat, attempting not to look too interested in this information, "And that's… a bad thing?"
He took another long swig from the bottle.
"No. It's not a bad thing. It's not a thing at all."
It didn't take much to put two and two together. Hiei had strong feelings for his manager. She didn't feel the same way. They slept together but nothing would come from it. And now he was forced to see her with other men. Unrequited love. Botan's heart went out to him a little, so she took her own deep drink from her bottle before asking, "Why are you here tonight?"
"My band is here. The oaf's sister invited us."
She giggled into her bottle, "The oaf?"
"Kuwabara."
"Ah."
Botan could have pointed out that he didn't have to be out here, witnessing Mukuro with another man, but she didn't. They sat in relative silence after that, aside from Botan occasionally humming along with the music. It was kind of pleasant if she were being honest. They both drank their bottles to the bottom – Botan watching the light from the pool reflect off of her dress, forgetting, and Hiei seeing everything he needed to, to know that his attachment would go nowhere.
An unknown amount of time had passed for the bluette actress like this, until she noticed the moment when Hiei was alerted by Mukuro moving to get out of the pool. She was followed by her lover for the night, along with Hiei's eyes. Some indescribable feeling welled up inside of Botan, something compelling her to distract him. To not let him lose face in front of the woman unintentionally stomping on his heart. To keep their bubble of quiet understanding from popping. She reached for his arm and his attention snapped back to her.
He looked down at her manicured hand on him and slowly followed the length of her arm, to her neck, then her lips, to her eyes that took on an amethyst glow from the lights of the pool. She was trying to convey something to him that he wasn't quite picking up until she glanced back at Mukuro's wet form walking along the path towards them and then down to his lips. He couldn't help but to look down at hers too.
Hiei only had a split second to decide what he wanted before Mukuro would be close enough to see him. He didn't want to attach himself to a woman who was drama personified. Whose life everyone wanted a piece of. Of that he was certain. But Botan was presenting him with a lifeline that he couldn't refuse when he would be drowning in bitter misery as he watched his manager leave for the night with whatever fool it was that caught her fancy.
So, he did the only sane thing to do when one is under the influence and under this sort of pressure. He leaned in and took what was offered to him, claiming her lips with a murmured, "Don't get any ideas."
Hiei could feel her eyelashes flutter against his cheeks when she whispered, "I would never," and pressed her lips more firmly to his. He noted how soft they were as he responded in kind, brushing his lips heatedly against hers. She tasted of shochu and a hint of berry gloss, and suddenly he felt more intoxicated than he could possibly chalk up to the alcohol as he ran his tongue over her mouth to savor the flavor. The low moan it elicited from her was borderline sinful to his ears, and had him pulling her closer to his body for better access to her. He continued exploring her mouth and the feel of her against him, scarcely noticing the movement of time as if the world slowed around them. Maybe it really did, because when they finally parted to take a breath, his brain caught up with him to register that Mukuro had already walked by them long ago- laughing in delight that Hiei was too preoccupied to notice or say goodbye to her.
Botan held onto the collar of his shirt to keep herself upright, dizzy and panting from what was so quickly igniting between them. She had to look away from him so that she could take a second to pull herself together.
When she did, her eyes flitting around the concrete patio of the pool, she also realized that his paramour was nowhere to be found.
"M-mukuro, she-" Botan started, only to be cut off by the sharp sting of a nip to her bottom lip.
"Don't," he warned, to stop her from pulling them back to reality. He didn't want to think about that right now. He just wanted to finish what they started.
And so did she. She wanted this. She had come here looking for a distraction, but little did she know that what she was really coming here for was him. So once she built up the courage, she turned her head to breathe against his ear, "Take me somewhere private."
Hiei did not need to be told twice. He pulled them to their feet and took her by the wrist, leading her through the people walking opposite them towards the pool. She was a bit unsteady on her feet as he dragged her along but she didn't complain. He took her inside and her eyes squinted to adjust to the dark room with lights flashing to the music coming from down the hall. He continued down a different hall away from there with conviction - he knew where he was going. Botan idly wondered how many times he had been here before but before she could think on it any further, she squeaked in surprise at what she saw as he went left towards the stairs.
In a dark corner right beneath the clearly expensive glass staircase, Kurama and Shizuru were pressed against the wall doing something that she couldn't quite make out but was definitely not innocent. Kurama glanced back when he heard her high-pitched yelp, and his own eyes widened in surprise at the glimpse he caught of her and Hiei before Shizuru grabbed his chin and turned his head back towards her.
Hiei grunted at the small interruption on their way to wherever he was taking her, and continued to pull her along up the stairs. They managed to get to the top without breaking any limbs and she almost sighed in relief. He took them down another long, dark hall that had atleast 6 different rooms attached to it. When they got to the last one he opened the door and tugged her in behind him.
The lights were dimmed but she could tell the room was something she would have chose herself. A crisp white with grey floors, fluffy pillows and blankets, crystal decorations and lighting, and a large mirror taking up the whole expanse of the wall across from the bed.
She smothered a small laugh and couldn't help but ask, "Did you choose this room for the mirror?"
Hiei smirked at her in response and it did something awful to her. The heat pooling at her core had her pressing up to him and unzipping the silver zipper of his leather jacket and shoving it off his shoulders. Underneath it was a black and red checkered long sleeve wrapped around his waist that she made quick work of before running her hands over his chest. Botan could feel the muscle beneath his dark tee and she couldn't wait to touch him without the shirt in the way. He had a silver chain dangling from his neck that she tugged on gently to lead him backwards towards the bed.
"This doesn't mean anything," he told her as he pushed her against the end of it. A bit off balance when the back of her knees hit the mattress, she let herself fall into a sitting position on the edge. Now she was just barely looking up at him, into his red eyes that were usually so cold for her, but in this moment they were smoldering. She was completely enraptured by them, and when he pushed his knees between her legs she finally managed to breathe out a reply.
"Just touch me, Hiei."
He took his time to oblige her. His hands found her sides, and his musician's fingers slowly inched up her legs and past her shining dress. She felt trails of fire left in their wake. Botan's hands slipped into his hair as his mouth dragged along her shoulder, her breath hitching as his lips and teeth caressed her skin. She was already overwhelmed by the heat of him against her, yet it wouldn't be enough until she was engulfed in his flames.
"Please."
The following Monday on set, Botan chose not to say anything to Yusuke or Kurama about what had happened at Shizuru's party. She had a sneaking suspicion, though, that Kurama had definitely seen her that night due to the glances he shot her way when he thought she wasn't looking. The two men were going over some lines before their next scene, however she couldn't pay attention. She knew it wasn't supposed to mean anything, but Hiei had definitely made her forget the things she was running from that night. They may not like each other very much, but there was no denying the intensity between the two of them in bed.
She blushed, fanning herself just thinking about it.
After their sordid tryst(s), she had laid against his body and basked in the warmth of him while he caught his breath. They didn't speak, just riding the wave of the moment. He left quickly once his band mates started texting him, and they didn't bother with exchanging numbers or farewells. Once he left, she had taken a few minutes to examine the marks he had left on her skin before getting dressed and getting a ride to her condo, hoping nobody she knew would notice the blotches lining her neck and shoulder. Today, Hinageshi from the makeup team was sweet enough to cover them up for her before anyone showed up to the set. Of course Hinageshi had been wildly curious where they came from, but Botan was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to share any details. Maybe she should have tried to-
Yusuke said something to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. Botan laughed nervously and pulled her infamous cat face on him to throw him off her trail, "What did you say, Yusuke?"
"Yeesh, what is with you today? I said finish these lines with us."
But a jingle from her phone had her walking over to her coat instead, while he shook his head at her and grumbled a comment about her being such an airhead. She opened her notifications and clicked on the message from an unknown number. What she read had her biting down hard on her lip to keep from smiling.
I want to do that again.
.
That's chapter one!
Yeah, they defiled that room.