Love Lessons

If it were possible for someone's quality of life to change drastically in the space of a few weeks, Yusuke Urameshi would have to say that that was what he was experiencing.

He woke up every morning with a smile on his face, nestled between two of the best friends he had ever had. Usually his hand was tangled in Kurama's red hair while Hiei's hand was pressed over his heart in a possessive manner. And so a happy three weeks passed.

The half demon was sitting in the kitchen one morning, watching Kurama prepare breakfast for the three of them.

"Hey, does your mother know about me?" Yusuke wanted to know.

"She knows of your existence," Kurama replied. "You were at her wedding."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, of course I do, Yusuke. Sometimes it's nice for people to say what they mean though."

Yusuke snorted at that. "You never do."

"Kitsune are nothing if not hypocritical," Hiei deadpanned as he walked into the kitchen. He wore nothing but a pair of black cotton sleep pants, and the half demon caught himself staring at the toned torso of the jaganshi and thinking about all that lay underneath those pants. Hiei caught sight of Yusuke staring and raised an eyebrow. "See something you like?" he quipped.

"Nope," The half demon said, averting his eyes.

Liar…

Yusuke scowled. Hiei had taken to leaving his Jagan eye uncovered when he was in the house which allowed him to speak to people's minds whether they wanted him to or not.

Hiei smirked and leaned over to kiss Yusuke on the lips. "Are we doing anything today?" he wanted to know.

"I was thinking perhaps that we could talk to Yusuke about mating," Kurama replied. Neither of his men had anything to say to that, and the redhead rolled his eyes. "For Inari's sake, I am not trying to get you mate with us now, I just want you to know what the process is."

"Oh. I guess that's okay then," Yusuke responded.

"Wonderful." Kurama placed plates laden with food on the table and poured three cups of coffee. He sipped from his mug and peered at Yusuke with his pensive green eyes. "What do you already know?"

"Well…I mean, demons bite each other, right? Somehow that makes them bonded."

"That is how it basically works," the kitsune confirmed. "The biting is purely an instinctual thing, the point is simply to bind a but of your demonic energy to the person you wish to mate with."

"Do both of you have to get bitten to make it work?" Yusuke wanted to know.

"No. It can go one way and still be a strong bond, but the double bond is much stronger. At the same time, it also creates more of a vulnerability."

"How?"

Binding yourself to another person places your life in their hands. If your mate dies or is injured, it affects you. It could even kill you. If the bond only goes one way, then there is a better chance that the remaining mate will stay alive.

"Hiei is right. A one way bond also has it vulnerabilities. It places the mate who is not marked in more danger since the other demon will have no way of knowing if they need help."

"So you two bit each other?" the half demon asked through a mouthful of eggs.

"We did. If you choose to mate with us then we will each bite you and you will bite us both," Kurama said.

"So demons don't do monogamy?"

"Oh they do, but it isn't necessary. A demon can have as many mates as he or she wants as long as they are willing to take the risks."

More than two is stupid, Hiei chimed in in their heads.

"Hiei, love, is your mouth broken?" Kurama asked.

No.

"Then will you kindly use it when you speak to us?"

"Hn."

Later that week Yusuke and Hiei were in the grocery store doing the shopping for that month. Kurama had gotten just a little peeved that he was the one who always did the shopping and most of the cooking, so he told his lovers on no uncertain terms that they were going to start helping out. Since Yusuke cooked for a living, and Hiei didn't care, the two of them took on the shopping.

Hiei was standing in the shopping cart looking bored, grabbing random things off the shelves while Yusuke pushed and consulted the list. They were nearly done when a shout startled them.

"Urameshi!"

The half demon's head shot straight up. He knew that voice and that energy.

Kuwabara, Hiei groaned in Yusuke's head. What are you going to tell him?

Yusuke didn't have time to answer before the orange haired man was upon them. "How the hell have you been, ya bum?" Kuwabara had been studying for med school like crazy, and had left the city for college.

"Been good, man. Working, you know. How's fancy doctor school?"

"Hard, but it's good, you know? It has meaning." Kuwabara looked at Hiei with a grin. "How's it going, shrimpy?"

"It goes," Hiei replied.

"Whoa, Hiei's being borderline civil. Did hell freeze over while I was gone?"

"No…" Yusuke hedged. "Things changed a bit, I guess."

"I'll say. You're grocery shopping with Hiei. What brought that on?"

"Kurama."

Kuwabara nodded. "That makes sense. You guys still hanging out?"

"You could say that," the half demon muttered.

"That's good since you're a demon and all. How's Keiko doing by the way?" Kuwabara wanted to know.

And there it is, Hiei said.

"I wouldn't know actually."

Kuwabara frowned. "What do you mean? She's your wife. I can tell you how Yukina's doing, and I haven't seen her in months."

"Well you still plan to be with Yukina, so you have a reason to keep up with her."

"I don't understand."

"Who's surprised about you not understanding?" Hiei snapped. "They aren't married anymore."

"What the hell happened, Urameshi?" Kuwabara demanded. "You and Keiko have been together since before you were really together. How could you get divorced?"

"We were fighting all the time, and it just wasn't working out."

"Huh." The orange haired man scratched his head. "I'm sorry, Urameshi. So you're alone now?"

"Not exactly," Yusuke sighed. "I live with Kurama and Hiei now."

"That's cool. Is it awkward with them doing it like bunnies all the time?"

The half demon and the jaganshi exchanged a glance. Now or never, Yusuke, Hiei remarked. I don't care either way.

Yusuke knew that wasn't true. Hiei wanted him to tell Kuwabara about the relationship. The taciturn little demon probably wanted the validation, so Yusuke made a decision. "Nah," the mazoku replied finally. "I usually just join them."

Kuwabara was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. "So you're doing them now? Yeah, okay, Urameshi."

"Dating. Not doing," Hiei deadpanned with a blank look on his face.

Yusuke grinned at him. "Dating and doing, maybe," he suggested.

The taller man's mouth hung open. "Seriously? You're serious?"

"Yeah."

"Wow." Kuwabara checked his watch and swore. "I gotta go. Shizuru is waiting for me in the car. I'm going to be in town for about a week. Can we get together for dinner or something?"

"Sounds good," Yusuke replied. "Give me a call."

"I will. It was great to see both of you, however strange things are now." Kuwabara headed to the register, then left the store with a jaunty wave.

Yusuke blinked. "That went well."

Could have gone worse.

"Kurama's right you know. Having you in my head is irritating as hell."

You'll live. Let's get ice cream.

It was a very nervous Kuwabara that made his way to the door of the apartment Yusuke now lived in. Before he could knock, the door was opened by Kurama. The human was impressed by how his redheaded friend still looked exactly the same as he always had, just happier than he used to.

"Hey, Kurama," the orange haired man said with a timid smile.

"Kuwabara. It's wonderful to see you. Please come in."

Kuwabara obeyed, entering the apartment. He was taken aback to see Yusuke on the couch watching television with Hiei's head in his lap.

"You guys weren't kidding about being together, were you?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. Not even phased by the visitor, he sat up. "Hello, fool."

"Be nice." Kurama scolded half heartedly. "Actually, go make yourself useful and check on dinner."

Kuwabara was amazed to see that the jaganshi got up and made his way into the kitchen, giving the kitsune a lingering glance as he went. The redhead took Hiei's place on the couch, settling into Yusuke's side.

"This is surreal, you guys." Kuwabara said. "I mean I'm happy for you and all, but this is really, really strange."

"It does take some getting used to, I suppose." Kurama replied. "For us as well. But we are happy."

"And…Keiko?"

Yusuke sighed. "She signed the divorce papers, so she's accepting it I guess."

"Enough talk of sad things, tell us about your life these days, Kuwabara."

The taller man scratched his head. "It's good. Working hard at school and stuff. Shizuru still gets a copy of my grades, and if one falls below a 90 she's all over me. It's good motivation to do my best."

Kurama smiled. "That's wonderful. So no demons then?"

"Nope. Sometimes I miss the old days, but mostly, I'm glad it's over."

"Yes, I quite agree. Being settled suits me nicely."

A/N: I'm not satisfied with this one, but I'm tired of staring at it, so here it is. Two more parts before completion! Happy Holidays to all of my wonderful readers! If time allows, I might have a Christmas gift for you all. If not…then we'll call it a New Year's thing. As always, thanks for the reviews, and please let me know what you thought of this.