Upon opening his eyes, Hiei could tell that something was off. There was no youki signature nearby or the sound of an alarm clock to rudely pull him out of his slumber, and with a quick glance at his surroundings, nothing was off in the fox's bedroom either. He could tell that his position was slightly elevated as he could look out of the window adjacent to the fox's bed rather than up at the sill from his place on the floor. Which brought into question, where was he exactly, and why did he feel warm?

Something red and shifting caught his eye and he tilted his head to catch a glimpse of it only to feel something soft brush against the underside of his chin. The one pillow that Kurama slept on was beneath his head and the red he'd seen was fanned out against the remaining space. His brain faintly registered it as hair and his heartbeat picked up as he followed the red tresses with his eyes. His gaze drifted down to a mass of red hair pressed against his chest and winding around his arm, soft even breaths warming his skin as Kurama slept .

For a moment, Hiei was transfixed on the fox's sleeping face. Devoid of his usual smiles and teasing glances, he seemed peaceful, relaxed and content . His arm wrapped around Hiei's middle and his cheek pressed flush against his chest as if he was using the fire demon as a pillow and was content to do so. Hiei wasn't sure how to feel about that and shifted the fingers of his left hand, a tangle of red locks wound around his fingers and a slight ache in his shoulder as he carefully unwound his hand. His arm wrapped around Kurama's shoulders with his hand tangled in his forelock felt stiff and he wondered how long it'd been there.

Long enough for him to feel a slight pain in his shoulder as he withdrew, flexing his fingers and trying not to think of how soft Kurama's hair was wrapped around them, almost reminding him of red silk. Making sure that the fox wasn't disturbed by his shifting, Hiei observed him quietly. Lifting his fingers and hesitating before carefully easing them into Kurama's hair and gently running them through the sleep mused locks to straighten them out as best he could without waking the fox. Kurama sighed in his sleep and Hiei stiffened up, not even daring to breathe, but after the fox settled he took it as a cue to continue and did just that. Once the fox's hair was in at least some semblance of its usual order, Hiei reluctantly pulled his hand away and stretched his arm out to lay on the pillow beneath his head instead.

The only thing keeping him connected to Kurama being the fox's hold on him. The arm marked by the Dragon lying at his side motionless and he wondered if the entity itself was sleeping. He thought to test it and see but with a glance at Kurama's sleeping form, he dared not to move too much, not wanting to disturb him. With all of the work the fox had been doing lately, he deserved to sleep in whatever manner chose. Though for the life of him, Hiei could understand why he decided to sleep like this .

Kurama's bed was oddly comfortable, it smelled of the fox, with a mixture of earth and flower aromas that Hiei knew by heart now. Some from the Ningenkai but most from the Makai, a mixture of two worlds just as Kurama was. Hiei wasn't particularly picky about where he laid his head and could fall asleep almost anywhere, but the fox's bed was his favorite. And Kurama was fairly particular about his space so the likelihood of him changing his sleeping habits on account of Hiei's presence were slim.

Weren't they?

Looking down at the sleeping fox as if he could give the answer in his unconscious state, Hiei found that he was no closer to understanding. The best that he could do was lay there and try to pick through what he knew and compare it to what was happening. First, how did he end up in Kurama's bed?

He racked his brain to glean a clue. Faintly remembering entering through the fox's window just as he was returning home from work, talking to them before accompanying him while he started dinner, now for two instead of one. Eating while talking about their day then Hiei retired to Kurama's room while he insisted on finishing something. Hiei's eyebrows furrowed as he remembered the slight tension in the fox's shoulders, weariness in his eyes and the curve of his smile as he bid him goodnight. Hiei lingering in the hall before returning to Kurama's side, holding his wrist and insisting that it could wait. The momentary lapse in movement from the fox's surprise gave Hiei an opportunity to pull him away from what he could only assume was the work the fox brought home with him.

Dragging Kurama to his room, insisting despite the fox's weak protests that he change for bed. Enduring the staredown and lifting his chin in defiance, stating that he would prepare Kurama for bed himself if the fox didn't get to it. Something flickered in the fox's eyes then, emotions that went so quickly that even Hiei wasn't able to examine them, but eventually Kurama sighed and went about his preparations resigned. Hiei waited for him beneath the window sill, watching him flit about from one corner of the room to the next before heading to the bathroom. By then, Hiei's exhaustion had begun to catch up to him and his eyelids began to droop though he tried to fight sleep to ensure Kurama didn't sneak off to his work without his knowledge.

Somewhere along the line, he must have fallen asleep but how did he end up here, per se? His only guess was that the man holding onto him at something to do with it. But then that raises the question of why Kurama was holding him rather than just sleeping beside him. It wasn't as if they'd never shared a bed before, but this was different. It was new and it was odd.

But also nice.

Kurama was warm against his side, he fit nicely against his body, like two puzzle pieces that'd found their match. And with every slight shift, comforting sigh, Hiei felt his world narrow down until the fox was all that he could see. He lightly brushed his fingers along Kurama's temple, tucking them around a lock of hair and pushing it behind the fox's ear, allowing his fingers to brush against the shell of his ear before tracing the curve of his jaw down to his neck then his shoulder. His skin was soft to the touch and though there were faint scars from battles hardfought, Hiei found them beautiful. Each one held a story and while he was there for most, if not all, there were some that he didn't know of.

The fox's body told a story and Hiei wanted to know every letter and every page. From the number of seeds wound into his hair and held taut by his youki to the new plants that'd been popping up here and there in his apartment. And most importantly, his reasoning for using Hiei as a pillow. He couldn't say that he was angry. He wasn't. It was almost impossible to be angry with Kurama — annoyed, yes. Irritated, very often. But angry?

Never.

He was simply confused. Unsure of the fox's intentions, whether there was any meaning behind this. Why did he want this to mean something?

He felt like a cacophony of contradicting thoughts.

Sighing, he glanced up at the ceiling and let his hands move of their own accord, the left idly stroking and twirling Kurama's hair around his fingers while the right settled on the fox's forearm, tracing circles and other shapes. This rhythmic movement continuing for a time before Hiei's gaze left the ceiling and shifted towards the alarm clock that sat on the fox's nightstand. The red digits which blinked at him made him raise a brow and he glanced to the window where the sun was rising.

How long had he been laying here?

Kurama still hadn't stirred and Hiei sighed. While he was curious of the fox's intentions, if it was possible that Kurama had nothing to do with him being in his bed, he didn't want to earn the fox's ire. The challenge being in somehow untangling himself from Kurama without waking him. Thinking of a few methods, the best one Hiei could come up with was carefully lifting the fox's arm from around him and slipping from beneath him. Yet as he began to shift, Kurama's hold tightened slightly and Hiei's eyes widened as he looked from the fox's arm to his eyelids as he began to stir.

Half sitting-up, Hiei knew he could have easily broken the fox's hold, gathered his belongings and darted out the window. There was virtually nothing stopping him from taking his leave aside from Kurama's eyes opening and his gaze centering on him.

"Morning," Kurama muttered, his voice rough from disuse and laden with sleep.

Hiei swallowed thickly, unsure of what to do with his hands which immediately fell away from the fox's skin upon his stirring, carefully lowering them though the fingers of his left hand brushed against Kurama's back. The fox gave no sign that he registered the touch but Hiei's heartbeat quickened, his voice quiet as he muttered, "...Morning."

Kurama's gaze drifted from him to the clock. "You have somewhere to be?"

With it being this early in the morning, he'd normally be making his rounds in Mukuro's realm and beating the living daylights out of anyone who'd been slacking. As her second in command it was his duty to make sure that the warriors who bore ties to her weren't weak. Mentally and physically. He'd run them ragged from dusk till dawn and oft from dawn till dusk. Some had even taken to calling him 'Kokuryuha' if not for his style of training then for the Dragon that writhed on his skin as he put them through the paces.

Though as much as he loved his job, Mukuro did mention from time to time that he could use a break and so could his subordinates. Too much pressure and they were doomed to break under it. Glancing at Kurama who stared up at him, still half-dazed from sleep but expecting, Hiei considered that taking a break wouldn't be the worst thing.

"Not particularly."

Kurama seemed pleased by that, shifting slightly in his hold and curling up at his side. "Good," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Good?"

"We can sleep a little longer," Kurama said with a nod, settling in place against him as if he simply knew he belonged there.

While Hiei wouldn't have moved him for anything in the world — he didn't quite understand.

"...We?" He said, disbelieving that he was even in the fox's bed let alone being allowed to stay.

He rescinded his previous thought that there was no immediate danger. Maybe something was wrong with Kurama, or he was being oddly kind because he was tired, or the amount of work he'd been doing had finally broken some part of that beautiful mind of his. Or he was asking what Hiei thought was impossible.

"You're here, aren't you?" Kurama muttered, opening an eye and looking at him tiredly. "Therefore we ."

Hiei's brow furrowed. "...I'm in your bed, fox."

"As you were when we fell asleep," Kurama raised a brow and Hiei didn't really have a response for that one.

Not immediately at least.

"It's morning," he pointed out, gesturing to the window and the sky that was already beginning to brighten. "..You still want me here?"

Kurama opened both his eyes and propped up on his elbow, much closer than he had been before, and Hiei wasn't sure what to do or think with his intense gaze met his own "Without question."

"...Why?"

Kurama tilted his head and his confusion only served to make Hiei even more disbelieving. "Why do you think I would wish for you to leave?"

Wasn't the fox aware? Didn't he know what he was?

Hiei opened his mouth, then closed it, torn between letting the conversation die and gathering his things to leave, or explaining himself to the only person he knew would understand. The only one he wanted to understand. His brows furrowed and he sighed harshly through his nose, letting his shoulders fall.

"No one's ever asked me to stay," he intoned softly, looking down at his hands.

He wasn't ready to look at Kurama. Didn't want to see the reaction that his words would have brought or hear all that would have cost him. Honestly, he'd rather tuck himself back into bed and try to pretend that it was all a dream. As if the warmth of Kurama's body near his own and having his head resting over his heart wouldn't keep him warm for months to come. A soft lingering touch brushed against his side before pressing insistently to his skin, spurring Hiei from his thoughts as he lifted his head and looked to Kurama.

"I wouldn't have slept with you if I didn't wish for you to remain, Hiei," he said in the usual tone he used when he spoke the truth, though it was much softer than usual.

Hiei sighed and his fingers twitched, hesitating before he moved to tuck a lock of Kurama's hair behind his ear. Kurama kept his gaze and made no move to stop him, merely leaning into his touch as Hiei's fingers traced the curve of his ear before pulling away. It was a gamble, reaching out for Kurama and hoping not to be rebuffed, but luck seemed to be on his side. And if he pushed his luck any more, then it would be like this.

"Go to sleep, fox," Hiei mumbled with a slight nod, content to sit up like this while Kurama slept.

Yet the hand that rested at his side traveled up his arm to his shoulder, leaving a trail of heat wheresoever the fox's fingertips brushed, and the hold on his shoulder wasn't demanding but guiding him down to share the pillow at Kurama's side. The fox nuzzling and pressing lightly at the column of HIei's throat as if he was trying to reach his hammering heartbeat, his arm settling around Hiei's waist as he held him in a loose embrace.

"Stay with me," Kurama whispered against his skin, and Hiei was certain that his heart was going to escape from his chest at this point.

Wrapping his arm around the fox's middle, the nuzzling brought a smile to his face and made him slowly relax, easing into Kurama's hold and allowing it to tighten. "Sleep," he muttered, shifting to brush his lose and lips against the crown of the fox's head, letting his words press against his skin. "I'll be here when you wake."

Kurama's body relaxed and after a few minutes, the quiet returned with his light breaths indicating that he'd fallen asleep. Hiei glanced down at his face and smiled despite himself, hugging him closer.

He felt warm.

He felt protected.

He felt wanted .

And it was only those three words that brought him this feeling. This feeling that warmed his chest at the sight of him, made him want to smile and hug the fox as close to him as possible. Spurred him to take an impromptu break from the job that he loved so dearly, stay within the confines of his room, in his bed, and in his arms without a care.

He felt —

He felt something .

But surely there was a name for it…

Carefully, Hiei ran his fingers through Kurama's hair. Kurama's soft sigh caused him to stiffen up for a second before relaxing, tucking his arms around the fox, and resting his chin atop his head. Sleep claimed his muddled thoughts after a time and while he drifted off, he wasn't sure of this feeling's name but he wondered if it could be defined as a person.