Uhgh... I have no excuse. I'm terribly sorry. It is short, but hopefully I've done this enough justice.

Warning: Slightly lemony but nothing explicit.

Silent Portrait: Chapter 35

If it were any other day, Hiei might have turned away. Pushed him away, even - just like that chilly morning on the ferris wheel; nowhere to go, everything to lose, all in the space of a second. Even after that not-confession of feelings stammered out in the hotel room, Kurama wasn't particularly sure that he wouldn't ruin things with Hiei again by pushing too fast.

With this reminder, he pulled back, gazing hesitantly at Hiei. Biting his lip, he reached out gently - brushing his hand against the other man's cheek. His hand was shaking slightly. It was all or nothing, yet again.

Hiei, in fact, did not shy away. With an intense gaze, Hiei reached out and gripped the collar of Kurama's shirt, pulling him down into a much deeper kiss. Startled, Kurama fell forward, though he managed to catch his balance and lean on the armrest - which was a good thing, too, considering what Hiei was currently doing with his tongue. Kurama felt like he was floating and he wasn't entirely sure all of this wasn't real somehow. He was having trouble breathing. He broke the kiss and their foreheads met, the sound of Kurama's heavy breathing filling the room.

Those soft noises were thoroughly distracting and attention-grabbing - Hiei'd definitely be interested in seeing what other noises he could produce from the redhead. The air seemed impossibly cool against his skin. Inflamed, perhaps, would be the term, and he wondered if it was just a side effect from all this passion he had hidden for so long. Work was a channel, as was Yukina - no time for anything else. Anyone else. And now ... here's Kurama, upsetting it all without even so much as a whisper.

"I'm not the most easy person to get along with," he said quietly, brushing a stray lock of red hair away from Kurama's face. "I've a terrible temper. I'm horribly overprotective. I'm judgmental, brash, and direct... and there's probably other things about me that will drive you nuts. I don't even know how to communicate with you currently," he added, aggrieved. Kurama smiled and opened his palm. Hiei mimicked the gesture and Kurama's fingers intertwined with his. He looked down at their hands and swallowed down some ... rising emotion of ... something he couldn't label. Something foreign, heavy and light on his chest all at once. It felt right, somehow.

And he loved it.

"But if you'll have me, and put up with me regardless ... then I'm yours."

Kurama grasped Hiei's hand tightly, releasing it and then brushing a quick kiss across the knuckles. He lifted his head, and then slowly, his gaze not leaving the other man's face, he put Hiei's palm over his heart. It thudded fast, strong and steady - hoping that it conveyed everything Kurama felt about this, he gave Hiei a brilliant smile.

Hiei smiled back, though only for a quick moment before glancing away. Kurama's smile widened into a mischievous smirk - of course the antisocial millionaire would be shy. He yanked Hiei's arm, deftly catching the smaller man as he pitched forward and swooped down to kiss him again. This time, Kurama had the element of surprise and slipped his tongue in, cutting off what was no doubt a muffled curse from Hiei. Hiei had no time, or air, to respond - he wasn't entirely sure he liked being dominated so he wrestled back for control, gripping Kurama's hair tightly to yank his head back.

With a throaty gasp (and boy did that definitely turn Hiei on), Kurama broke free and scowled at him. Hiei shrugged, as though to say "Well, you started it!" and then took the opportunity to kiss the redhead senseless again. He liked the sound of that gasp, the sound that was uniquely Kurama, and he had a feeling it would be featuring rather prominently in his dreams to come. He enjoyed the look on Kurama's face, the way those slender eyebrows knitted together with such focus as they kissed - yes, Hiei was not one to take his eyes off Kurama, even during such a moment.

Deepening the kiss, Hiei leaned forward, putting his hands on Kurama's shoulder, easing him back down on to the couch. Kurama shifted back, pleased, and in doing so Hiei had to grip the armrest in determination not to rut against him like… like an animal. His hips jerked, only a little, with some spite – if he were feeling this strained, there was no reason he couldn't make Kurama feel his frustration too. The redhead's breath hitched, and with a pout, he abruptly snapped his hips up into Hiei's, biting back a moan.

It was completely anticipated, however, so Hiei ignored that delicious feeling and reached down to kiss Kurama's neck. He wasn't entirely sure he knew what he was doing, but if licking, sucking and kissing the smooth skin kept making those little gasps and sighs, he was sure he was doing something right.

Kurama, for the most part, held on to Hiei's waist, arching his back and tilting his head so Hiei could get a better angle. He was a grenade waiting to explode, he was wound so tightly. He loved this feeling, and he wanted more, much more – a cramped sofa was the perfect place to make out, but a bed, with ample space to do naughtier things – now that would be preferable. He was thrusting upwards in little erratic motions, encouraging Hiei further with each new place explored. Slipping his hands inside Hiei's shirt, he made to gently push Hiei away and up so they could relocate to his bedroom when they were interrupted by a very loud, very audible gasp.

"OH MY GOD!"

Hiei jerked up as though scalded. He didn't dare turn around. Kurama's eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly open and distracting.

Okay, keep calm. Yukina has a good heart she'd never be against this. It'll be fine. Just turn around and calmly explain --

The room was now completely silent. Even Kurama appeared to have stopped breathing, temporarily.

"Botan," Hiei bit out, equal parts mortified and furious, "What. are. you. Doing. HERE."

Not last chapter but I figured you guys deserved an update. Sorry for letting this languish for so long. I wrote this in half an hour so please forgive the mistakes / sloppy writing / run on sentences.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for staying patient with me after all these years. I do have one final epilogue chapter which is not super detailed, probably going to be more of a "montage" so to speak.