I adore coffee shop aus. I adore twists on coffee shop aus. I adore kurama and hiei. I wanted to kind of play around in Hiei's mind when it comes to feelings...It didn't really work out, but whatever.

Series: yuyu hakusho
Pair: hiei/kurama
Rating: T for slight language
Summary: Hiei hates his job a lot, he hates coffee a lot, and he hates people a lot. Kurama likes all three of those things. Hiei likes Kurama.

It's the third time this month that Hiei's boss has threatened to fire him. He knows it's not going to last at this rate, but honestly, he's worked this job longer than most, so does it really matter? It's about time they got sick of him, anyway.

He's never been a big fan of coffee, anyhow, and at the moment the whole reason he works in this god forsaken shop is just to pay the rent and feed his sister (who was actually much better at holding work). If it weren't for her, he would have quit a while back; by this point, losing the job is inevitable- he doesn't even want to keep it. So instead of apologizing and fixing his act, Hiei drudges along at his usual pace.

His pace goes like this: Clock in, clean the counter, stand there for an hour before the stupid thing opens, take some orders ('Smile!' the boss always says. He doesn't.), get paid, clock out, go home. Boring as hell, and the same every single day. Well, most days.

Some days, though, Hiei has a reason to keep this job. A reason for staying so long, despite his distaste for the bitter taste and strong smell of coffee.

A reason that hasn't shown up for three weeks until today.

That reason, suspicious as it is, happens to be a customer by the name of Shuichi Minamino. Or Kurama, as he had asked to be called ("Where did that name come from, anyways?" "An old friend, is all."). Kurama is different from the rest of Hiei's hustling customers, as cliché as it sounds, and the short worker quickly found himself enamored with the lithe redhead, not that he would ever admit so much out loud. He went to incredible lengths to learn about him. Lengths such as starting a conversation. And trying to smile. It was really quite tedious, but hard work pays off. Eventually, Hiei learned that Kurama was a college student majoring in botany, and he worked at a little flower shop down the road. He learned that Kurama liked one spoon of sugar in his coffee, except on really bad days, when he would order an iced mocha with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. He learned that he used to live with his sickly mother a few towns over, but now lives in an apartment nearby, and that his only down time was when he came to the bane of Hiei's existence- other known as the coffee shop. Most of all, he learned that Kurama's eyes were absolutely breathtaking, which was quite the surprising thought.

This thought happens to be one of many embarrassing revelations Hiei had come to recently, and looking up at Kurama smiling in front of him reminds him of why. The damn guy was absolutely gorgeous. It was criminal.

"Kurama." Hiei grunts. It's gruff, and probably not the nicest he's ever sounded, but hey, he never was concerned with that kind of stuff.

"Hiei. Hi." Kurama replies with a smile. He looks tired, Hiei decides, and suddenly he feels less grumpy about him disappearing. Not that it was any of his business in the first place.

"The usual?"

"Of course."

Hiei makes the coffee quickly, and when he sees Kurama take a seat inside of the store instead of leaving immediately, he informs his boss that he is taking his break early and takes a seat across from him.

"Ah." Kurama exclaims quietly. "Feeling talkative today, Hiei?"

"Hn. Not at all."

The silence drags on after those words, and Kurama drinks in a companionable atmosphere with the least companionable person he knows. Or, slightly knows, at least. It's obvious after a bit that Hiei wasn't joking about not talking, and so the redhead takes the initiative, as he often does.

"I went home to my mother for a while recently," he starts, "she is feeling ill lately."

"Hn. I wondered where you went." It's not much of a reply, but it's certainly something coming from the shorter man.

"I might've told you if I had thought about it more, but I didn't think you would notice."

"Mhm."

They lapse into silence again, and this time it stays until Kurama finishes his coffee. As he rises to leave, Hiei stands as well.

"Kurama." He says, and the taller looks back at him expectantly. "Tomorrow I will buy your coffee."

A smile spreads across Kurama's face, and he nods.

"Okay."

xx

The next day, Hiei does as he had offered, and takes his break to sit alongside the redhead once more. He supposes this will have to substitute for showing interest, and decides that it's the most he'll do without prompting. If Kurama doesn't get the message, then it's his fault. Hiei isn't used to this kind of thing and does not plan on going out of his way to learn.

That suits the quiet man just fine, and they find themselves slipping into a comfortable routine for the next two weeks or so. Hiei is mostly content to stay like this, and it gives him one more reason to keep the damn job at this place. It pleases his sister, Yukina, as well, and that's always a good thing.

It's only until Hiei finds himself walking Kurama to the door of the coffee shop that he realizes he almost wants more, and that drives him to ask about Kurama's flower shop.

"You're welcome to visit any time." Kurama says. So Hiei does.

It's a small shop, but it's quaint and homely, and gets good business. Hiei has also never seen Kurama look so happy about something before, and he realizes with a start that he's never really seen Kurama look much of anything other than tired or content. It bothers him, knowing that, and he decides he wants to know more about Kurama. It's not something he can say about many people, and it's a bit uncomfortable, but it's the truth.

"Oi." He murmurs, grabbing a bouquet from next to him. "I wanna buy some flowers."

Kurama is a bit taken aback at first, but quickly smiles at Hiei's interest in his work, sudden as it is.

"Sure thing." As soon as Hiei pays, Kurama leans on his hands. "Are they for your sister?"

That gets a small huff out of Hiei, and he shoves the flowers at Kurama.

"They're for you, dumbass."