Kurama, Kuwabara thinks dazedly, is one hell of a tricky bastard.

He's currently standing before a full-body mirror, watching his reflection in some disbelief as the tailor moves delicately around him, pinning and tucking and measuring until the elegant black tux is sitting on his body as comfortably as a second skin. He glances down and nods at the man, who smiles and moves away, letting him return to staring incredulously at his reflection.

He has no idea how he got here. No, that's not true at all, he amends, as a pale hand slides delicately over his shoulder and down his chest, trailing along the edges of the jacket lapels.

"You look wonderful," Kurama murmurs, his body a warm presence against Kuwabara's back. Kuwabara fidgets uncomfortably.

"I look ridiculous," he protests, meeting Kurama's gaze in the mirror. "I don't know why I ever agreed to this."

Kurama smiles at him, that delicate touch sliding under the jacket to trace the stark creases in Kuwabara's white dress shirt. "Because I asked you to."

Kuwabara can't quite explain why his throat's gone suddenly dry. Valiantly, he clears it and attempts to focus on the conversation, though he has to look away to gather his thoughts. "Why me? Why not just take one of the women from the company?"

Unexpectedly, Kurama shudders against him, but when Kuwabara tries to meet his eyes again, the fox-demon has them hidden behind a curtain of hair. "Oh, no," he demurs softly, "I simply couldn't."

Kuwabara frowns and opens his mouth to ask, but Kurama steps away from him and slips out of the fitting booth – absently, Kuwabara notes how the curtains barely rustle as he slides between them – offering, by way of explanation, a simple, "Wait here."

Shaking his head bemusedly, Kuwabara goes back to scrutinizing his reflection. It's not that he looks ridiculous, he admits, but that he feels ridiculous. He's the kind of guy who lounges around in an undershirt and boxers – dress clothes have always made him uncomfortable. Kurama could definitely pull this off, Kuwabara thinks, and the thought of the fox-demon sets his sixth sense abruptly jangling.

Worried, he turns and starts toward the dividing curtains, through which he can hear quick footsteps – two sets, he automatically identifies – approaching, trailed by muffled feminine giggles. Pausing, Kuwabara listens as the footsteps get closer, and then realizes that he can hear voices, as well.

" – terribly sorry, sir; I'll eject them right away." Store manager, Kuwabara distinguishes, the one whose face lit up when Kurama told him we wanted to buy a custom, tailored suit.

"That's all right. They can be quite persistent. Please, don't be too hard on them." Kurama's voice carries faint undertones of agitation that Kuwabara is sure he would not have been able to make out only a few months ago. His sentences are short and clipped, his footsteps are heavier than normal, and all these details mean that Kuwabara isn't at all surprised when the fox-demon stalks through the curtains and collapses heavily onto the small seat.

Kuwabara raises an eyebrow – something else he's picked up from Kurama, he realizes – and when the fox-demon looks up and sees Kuwabara's curious expression, he sighs.

"That's why I can't take any of them," he explains softly, tilting his head in the direction of the curtains. Kuwabara can just hear the fading sounds of the manager escorting what must be a collection of Kurama's female fans from the store.

Kuwabara frowns. "Because they're interested in you?"

"Because they're interested in Minamino Shuuichi, and the way he looks, and thinks, and acts," Kurama responds, standing and reaching out to place the neat fedora in his hands atop Kuwabara's head, tilting it forward to cast a shade over his eyes. "I want someone who's interested in me."

Kuwabara glances at him from under the brim of the hat as Kurama takes a small step back and considers him. The fox-demon's hands stretch out once more to smooth along the dark lapels, and then he smiles.

"Perfect."

Kuwabara absolutely does not blush.

*****

He's been on high alert all night, and has been granted a brief respite to grab a cup of punch while Kurama talks to his stepfather. Finally, Kuwabara thinks, a concrete use for all that time spent working for the Reikai.

Of course, it probably helps that Kurama's done so much reconnaissance – the fox-demon's provided even more information than Koenma ever did – safe places, escape paths, easy-access routes to and from each designated safe location, predicted target movement. With so much information, Kuwabara can't help but be well-prepared for the task he's been assigned: keeping Kurama out of the way of his admirers.

It's been harder than he might have imagined, though, even with all his training at being aware of his surroundings. The women are so damned persistent; Kuwabara's been busy all night: consistently being there with something he absolutely needs to do or see or taste at the closest safe point, sweeping Kurama abruptly away from fans who get overenthusiastic. At a few critical points, he's even gotten desperate enough to pull the fox-demon out to the dance floor, because at those points its just easier to turn in lazy circles until he has a clear course to the next safe spot.

Though, Kuwabara admits reluctantly, it's not like I can blame them. He turns his gaze to where the fox-demon is chatting amicably with his stepfather.

Kurama's chosen a deep blue tunic for the occasion, and just as Kuwabara expected, the fox-demon pulls off formal wear very well. He looks good, Kuwabara lets himself think, refusing to consider the interesting implications that thought brings up. Instead, he sips the watery punch and moves absently towards Kurama.

It's not until he's nearly there that Kurama glances up, the warm smile that initially spreads across his face as he meets Kuwabara's gaze shifting abruptly into shock as his eyes widen and he gives a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Kuwabara's steps falter and he frowns in confusion, but then Kurama's stepfather glances around as well, and Kuwabara has very little choice than to force a smile back onto his face and act natural.

Kuwabara gets to Kurama's side just as Hatanaka-san smiles at his stepson and moves away, and suddenly Kuwabara understands the terrible mistake he's made. With Kurama's stepfather gone, it's become painfully apparent that the two are left standing in a very vulnerable position, and damned if Kurama's admirers haven't noticed.

They're moving in using the best three-pronged formation Kuwabara's ever seen – it cuts off all possible escape routes and leaves Kuwabara and Kurama completely unable to defend all sides simultaneously. Panic starts to set in, but Kuwabara shoves it rudely to a far corner of his mind. He is not going to dissolve into a whimpering mass of pathetic in front of Kurama.

"Tell me there's a Plan B," he murmurs instead. Kurama twitches slightly, and is that a grin Kuwabara can see tugging at the corners of his mouth?

"There's a Plan B," the fox-demon responds, wary gaze shifting easily among the approaching women, "but you're not going to like it."

Kuwabara bristles. "That's hardly the point, is it?" he hisses. "The point is to get you out of here, and to do that, we need a Plan B."

Kurama's definitely grinning now, though he has taken a cautious step closer to Kuwabara as the women draw steadily nearer. "You're really not going to like it," he reiterates, and Kuwabara groans.

"Would you just – " he begins exasperatedly, but his words are cut off rather abruptly when Kurama whirls and presses their lips together.

The kiss is chaste and delicate, just the lightest pressure against Kuwabara's mouth, Kurama's hands a gentle weight on his shoulders, but Kuwabara can still feel his knees getting weak by the time the fox-demon pulls away. For a long moment, he can only stare back into Kurama's amused green eyes, and only when the fox-demon begins to draw away do his hands dart out and clasp Kurama's slim arms.

"Why wasn't that Plan A?" he demands.

Kurama smiles and kisses him again.