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Kuwabara gasped as he was slammed against the ring mat, the wind knocked out of him with one mighty tackle. His smaller opponent climbed on top of him, and grappled with his arms, before he finally managed to pin them above his head, all the while laughing a familiar laugh into his face. That laugh was so cocky, and as much as it pissed Kuwabara off, it brought him comfort too.
“Say you give, Kuwabara!” Yusuke snickered, panting as he kept Kuwabara down.
“God… dammit!” Kuwabara growled, trying to throw the smaller man off, and failing. He finally gave up and lay panting beneath him, exhausted from their skirmish.
Yusuke grinned smugly, his eyes dancing with mirth. “Say it!” He demanded.
“Fine, fine! Uncle! I give! You win!” Kuwabara snapped, breathing hard as Yusuke squeezed him with his thighs. “Now get off me, you're boney all over!”
Yusuke chuckled but slid against Kuwabara’s body, and lounged against Kuwabara’s chest, folding his arms across it, with his chin resting on his forearms. “Not bad Kuwabara, that was a decent match.”
“You beat me in like five minutes!” Kuwabara sighed with annoyance.
“It’s still an improvement, I used to beat you in three!” Yusuke snickered.
“Laugh it up chuckle-fuck,” Kuwabara growled, “Now get off me!”
“Nah, we made a wager remember?” Yusuke said with a grin. “Winner gets something.”
Kuwabara frowned. He didn’t recall making a wager. “I don’t-”
“I know what I want too. It’s easy to give,” Yusuke said sitting slightly up.
Curious, Kuwabara asked, “What do you-”
Yusuke pressed his mouth firmly against Kuwabara’s, and Kuwabara flinched with surprise. His mouth had opened to speak, but Yusuke took advantage of that openness and slid his tongue inside Kuwabara’s mouth, capturing Kuwabara’s tongue in a fierce tango.
Yusuke growled and groaned into Kuwabara’s mouth, delving deeper as he kissed and explored him, Kuwabara unwittingly going with the flow and the heat of the kiss. Kuwabara had grabbed Yusuke’s shoulders but he was frozen, unsure if he wanted to push or pull the man away. Yusuke bit him, and Kuwabara whined, which only seemed to excite Yusuke more, who slid his hands down, and up into Kuwabara’s shirt.
Kuwabara broke away from Yusuke’s mouth, gasping for breath, and turning away. “W-What are you doing man?”
“I won the match Kuwabara,” Yusuke purred, his mouth pressed against his ear, “I want you. Let me have you.”
“Yusuke!” Kuwabara rasped, startled as Yusuke caught him by the chin, and turned him to look at him. Yusuke grinned, his eyes flashing gold, as his Mazoku marks slowly formed on his body, and he purred, “Kazuma… I won. So you’re mine now.”
Kuwabara stared at him, confused, aroused, and admittedly overjoyed.
“Urameshi I… I’ve always…”
“I know,” Yusuke purred, taking Kuwabara by the chin as he leaned in to kiss him again, “I’ve always known…”
Yusuke titled Kuwabara’s mouth up and kissed him again...
And then Shizuru’s scream pierced the ring.
“KAZUMA KUWABARA YOU BETTER BE GETTING OUT OF BED! YOUR FRIENDS WILL BE HERE IN AN HOUR!”
Kuwabara made a choking sound and fell out of bed, rolling out of it and taking his comforter with him. He blinked with momentary confusion, and when he realized where he was he slapped his hands to his eyes.
He had had another wet dream.
‘God dammit, isn’t 25 too old for this kinda shit?!’ Kuwabara internally moaned, becoming increasingly aware of his painfully aroused cock. With an irritated huff, he sat up, making sure his comforter was secured around him just in case his nosy sister decided to bustle in. He strained to look at his alarm clock, noting that it was a little after ten. He had slept in super late today.
Shizuru opened the door, just as he thought she might, one of her arched brows cocked, and a fist on her hip, “Your friends are coming over to take us to the Makai. Are you ready?”
Kuwabara yawned, “I’ll get ready now.”
She glared at him, “You better."
He nodded rapidly and waited until his sister left before he made the awkward shuffle to his bathroom. Kuwabara cursed his continuously growing feelings as he turned the tap to cold on the shower on. What had been an admiration, had turned into a crush… and in the last few years, had turned into what felt like pure obsession or worse… love.
‘There’s no way Urameshi would even want you, so don’t fucking ruin it with your best friend,’ Kuwabara told himself as he stripped for his shower.
Since college started, he has had a terrible time when it came to dating. Yukina and he hadn’t worked out, nor the three girls after her, or the two men after them. There was always something wrong with him.
He was too… too different. Too loud. Too tall. Too muscular. His friends were too much… he was too much.
It was all so annoying, and Kuwabara just wished he could turn his damn emotions off. At least he was going to graduate in under a month. Perhaps joining the workforce, and getting away from college would help distract him from the admires at his school who never panned out… and Yusuke who Kuwabara…
Kuwabara got in the shower, gritting his teeth against the cold.
“Yo, do you not own a hair dryer? Your hair is still wet!” Yusuke snickered, reaching up to flick the sloppy, and wet bun atop Kuwabara’s head.
“I don’t use hair dryers. That heat ain’t good for your hair!” Kuwabara huffed.
“I haven’t seen you much with your hair down, It’s nice Kazuma,” Kurama said kindly, snickering a little at Yusuke who kept tugging long loose curls out of the soon-to-be ruined up-do.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to maintain a pompadour all the time as a nurse…” Kuwabara sighed, “So I’m trying to think of something new for my hair. Maybe a new cut?”
“To celebrate your graduation?” Kurama asked.
“Yeah, and to make it easier to join the workforce!” Kuwabara sighed, swatting Yusuke who had pulled more long strands of Kuwabara’s hair out of his messy bun.
“Just let your hair out! You never wear it down!” Yusuke snickered his eyes alight with fascination. "I never realized it was so long!"
“Leave it alone!” Kuwabara snapped, his cheeks flushing red.
“Are the children ready?” Shizuru asked, a brow arched with annoyance, as she stood with Botan and Hiei.
“We could just leave them here,” Hiei suggested.
“Fine by me,” Shizuru agreed.
“Keep your shirts on, we’re ready!” Yusuke huffed.
“Besides, I can get you guys there faster!” Kuwabara huffed, stepping away from Yusuke and his prodding fingers to summon his Jigen To. He twirled it around in his hand and said, “Alright Hiei, send a picture of the Alaric market, and I’ll take us there.”
“A reminder to everyone, that the Makai haggles, so you need to haggle, otherwise the vendors will just rip you off. And don’t take anything the demons try to hand you,” Kurama warned, “What is safe for a demon to touch is not always safe for a human to touch. Wait for Hiei or myself to give you the clear.”
Hiei sent Kuwabara an image of an alleyway in the Makai and ushered his friends through a portal before he joined them in the market. He dragged his sword back up over the portal and sealed it shut, and then as a group, they exited the alleyway, Botan leading the charge, even if she had never been to the Alaric flea market herself.
Yusuke fell behind Kuwabara and started to tug at his hair again, further ruining Kuwabara’s hair.
Kuwabara growled, pulled his wet curls free of the scrunchy, and glared at Yusuke, snapping, “It’s down now, you happy?”
Yusuke grinned, his pupils blown wide and alight with mirth, and chirped, “Yup!” and then went back to tugging on some of Kuwabara's hair.
Kuwabara felt the skin of his face heat up, and he turned away from Yusuke, quickly muttering, “You’re being a real pain in the ass today.”
“Just today?” Yusuke prodded.
“Especially today!” Kuwabara grumped and then slapped Yusuke's hands away from his hair.
Yusuke snickered and leaned against Kuwabara’s arm, and Kuwabara, as he always would, leaned back. But he still maintained his sulk, even if he couldn't keep away from Yusuke.
Kurama and Hiei played surprisingly good tour guides throughout the Alaric market, introducing the group to the art of haggling. Yusuke and Kuwabara were immediately interested when it turned out that haggling could also be done with offerings of a fistfight. There were a surprising amount of demons who wanted to spar with Yusuke, Toshin Raizen’s renowned bastard.
“Alright, I do kinda wish they wouldn’t call you a bastard though,” Kuwabara chuckled, watching as a demon exchanged a small fight with Yusuke for a kebab Yusuke wanted.
“Eh. Kinda am anyway! Raizen didn’t know the name of the woman he banged, and then My mom is so vague about my human dad, I doubt he’s real sometimes,” Yusuke said with a shrug.
“Huh. In another world maybe Atsuko and Raizen could have shacked up,” Shizuru mused as she watched Yusuke cold-clock his opponent.
“That feels frighteningly accurate,” Yusuke shuddered before he held out his hands to receive his prize. He got two kebabs from the demon whose face had been rearranged and then marched over to Kuwabara and extended out a kebab. “Here man, you eat the other one.”
“Oh, thanks!” Kuwabara said, surprised but pleased to get offered the stick of meat. He paused, “Wait a sec this ain’t made outta me is it?”
“No, no. It’s like a giant fucking horse chicken,” Yusuke said flippantly.
“A what?” Kuwabara snorted.
“It’s a chicken the demons in this area can ride. They’re as big as horses,” Kurama helpfully supplied.
“Oh, like an ostrich!” Botan giggled, haggling for her own kebab. “No, no sir. I do not want a fistfight. I wouldn’t win without my bat!”
As they continued to explore, a spider demon called Kuwabara over, waving at him with six of her eight arms. He paused to look, and they waved again shouting, "Boy. Human boy, come! Come, come, come, come!!" He stepped closer, intrigued by her insistent tone. She immediately took his face in three of her hands, and tutted, “Your hair is a mess! What did you do? Take a yoki blast to the face?” And then she pulled out a little comb from her stand and started to come through Kuwabara’s hair with her many deft hands, all while explaining the comb's uses, what it was made out of, and how good it was for all types of hair.
Shizuru listened in with interest, and at Kuwabara’s confused expression she laughed, “Relax Kazuma, she’s fixing the train wreck of your hair.”
“Urameshi is the one who ruined it!” Kuwabara huffed.
“You’re the one who came outside with a wet head!” Yusuke shouted from across the market. He and Hiei were looking into a pen, and Kurama, though he was next to Shizuru, was looking back at them nervously.
“There, well Mitoko has fixed it,” The spider demoness said releasing Kuwabara and patting his hair. She then held up a silver mirror, and Kuwabara was able to see the woman had brushed back his long curls, somehow made the color of his hair shine brighter than it ever had before, and then braided his hair into a simple, but nice braid
“Whoa! A braid isn’t bad!” Kuwabara mused.
“Here,” Shizuru said offering, a silver coin. “For fixing his hair. Now let's talk business for a full set of these hair tools you got…”
“Uh… I think I’m going to make sure Hiei and Yusuke aren’t getting themselves involved in something stupid. Kuwabara, can you watch the girls?” Kurama asked, looking back at Hiei and Yusuke. Kuwabara followed his eyeline and spotted Hiei, grinning or all things.
“Ah yeah, I got this. It can’t be a good thing if the shrimp is smiling over there!” Kuwabara chuckled, wincing.
Kurama tried to leave, but Kuwabara paused him before he could get away and then muttered, “Kurama… put the shopkeeper's bag back. You don’t even need it!”
Kurama blinked, pretending for a second to be confused, but his eyes twinkled and he whispered, “Oh, it’s just an old habit-”
“Come on Kurama. She’s nice. If you’re gonna rob someone can you do it to someone who is like an asshole?”
Kurama sighed and slid a bag that he had removed from the spider clerk’s shop, back on the stand. He smiled at Kurama and tittered, “Only because you asked so nicely, Kazuma.”
“Only because I caught you, you mean,” Kuwabara muttered trying to shoot Kurama a scolding look.
Kurama shrugged, and then they both heard Hiei and Yusuek snicker, and he turned fully around to hurry over to whatever those two troublemakers were doing.
Kuwabara stood still watching as Botan and his sister haggled the spider woman for a few minutes, but he soon was distracted by the stand directly next to hers. He slid over to get a peak at a bunch of stone-carved little statues, hair decorations, and pieces of jewelry all made from brightly polished stones. What caught Kuwabara’s interest were some thumb-sized statues of cats that had been carved from a variety of stones Kuwabara didn’t recognize.
“Human?” a voice grunted, and Kuwabara looked up.
A demon with teal skin, and dragonfly wings was looking at him. He was humanoid in shape for the most part, only his skin and wings stood out to Kuwabara. He was about a head taller than Kuwabara, his eyes a bright violet with dark black sclera. He did not look hostile at Kuwabara, just curious, and so Kuwabara deemed it safe to answer.
"Yes, I'm human."
The demon nodded, his eyes going wide, and he gave Kuwabara a meandering look up and down. And then he said with a thick nervous accent, "Oh. Oh. I see. You like work?"
“Uh, yes, I like your little statues here,” Kuwabara said, pointing at the cats.
“Mm,” The demon grunted staring at Kuwabara for an uncomfortably odd amount of time. And then he bent down, and plucked up one of the statues, and offered it out to Kuwabara, “Good likeness?”
Kuwabara guessed the demon could not speak Japanese very well, which was wildly spoken by many of the demons in the market, but besides the slightly halting speech, Kuwabara didn't see any harm in accepting the trinket. Kuwabara accepted the little cat and smiled at it. It was carved from a yellow stone, and curled on its side, one paw stretched into the air.
“This is really good! Really like a cat!” Kuwabara praised and smiled at the demon, who was still just staring at him, again. It was a bit awkward, but Kuwabara offered, “Uh, how much? Would you take a silver for it?”
“Yes,” the demon agreed readily, which had been different from how most of the day had been going. Most of the demons immediately haggled, but Kuwabara noted his stand was mostly empty, so maybe he needed this first sale. Kuwabara fished out a silver coin, and he meant to hand it over but the demon held out a hand, signaling for Kuwabara to wait. Then the demon smiled, exposing sharpened black teeth, “But I take, three copper if you also say your name?”
Kuwabara blinked at the weird request, but willing to take a deal, said, “Alright. I’m game! I’m Kazuma Kuwabara, nice to meet you.” He offered out the three coppers, and then the demon accepted them. The demon patted his chest and rumbled, “Turchik.”
“Turchik?” Kuwabara pointed, “You’re Turchik?”
His wings unfolded and buzzed, moving so fast, that Kuwabara could not see them. The demon floated a bit in place and then landed back on his feet, his wings going limp again. “Yes. You get.”
“Nice to meet you Turchik,” Kuwabara said smiling at the demon as he pocketed the little cat figure. He glanced at his sister and Botan, just making sure they were still haggling with the spider demon.
When he turned his attention back to Tuchik, Turchik was holding out a large hoop, that looked to be carved of a white cloudy stone. Kuwabara blinked at it and tilted his head. The hoop was large, too large for jewelry.
“Uh… What’s this for?” Kuwabara asked.
Turchik held out his hand, wiggling his fingers and pointing at one of Kuwabara’s hands. Kuwabara offered his arm, and the demon slid the hoop over Kuwabara’s arm. To Kuwabara’s surprise, the hoop shrank until it was tight against his wrist, and Kuwabara felt his hand jerk forward as the hoop was drawn to Turchik’s other arm, where there was also a white bangle around it.
As his wrist collided with the demons, Kuwabara felt his strength disappear, as if his spiritual powers and Reiki got covered by a veil. He could sense his abilities, but something was keeping them back at bay, hidden. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up in alarm, and he braced his free hand against the stall, digging his heels into the dirt beneath his feet.
“Hey! What the hell?!” Kuwabara snapped, trying and failing to pull his arm away from the demon's magnetic-like band.
Turchik made a rumbling sound, something like a purr, and the buzzing of an insect, and tried to guide Kuwabara behind his booth. Kuwabara, now alarmed snapped even louder, “Hey! Cut it out!”
A strong grip wrapped around Kuwabara’s waist, and then on the arm caught by Turchik, and Yusuke was there, glaring up at the demon, waves of dangerous Yoki and Reiki mixing together like a promising storm. “What the hell is this?”
Turchik growled and said something to Yusuke in another language, that Yusuke clearly didn’t understand. Yusuke tightened his grip on Kuwabara and growled back, bearing his fangs.
“Oh no,” Kurama’s voice said, coming from Kuwabara’s other side, “He’s caught you in a binding hoop!”
“A what?” Kuwabara asked, voice pitching higher as he struggled to get control of his arm, which simply would not budge away from the dragonfly-like dremon.
Hiei appeared behind Kurama’s elbow, gave Kuwabara a flat look, and criticized in an even duller tone, “Why did you touch something without us, you fool?”
Kuwabara flushed, having no real counterargument to make.
“Can you guys shut up, and reprimand me after you get him to let me go?!” Kuwabara snapped.
Kurama stepped forward, and in the same rolling words Turchik was using, began to talk to the demon. The two talked, Turchik keeping ahold of Kuwabara through the hoop, and Yusuke making sure Turchik couldn’t grab him more. Kurama chatted with Turchik, his tone getting more aggressive with each second, and then finally the two seemed to come to some understanding.
Turchik gilded his hand over the hoops and clicked a barely seen button on the hoops, and Kuwabara almost tripped as he was suddenly able to draw his hand back, but Yusuke kept him upright with his arm around his back. Yusuke placed himself between Turchik and Kuwabara, his eye narrowed at the demon.
“What was that all about?” Yusuke growled.
“I can’t get this weird bracelet off my arm!” Kuwabara grumbled, tugging at the band that was acting like a second skin against his arm.
“Turchik claims he fell in love with you at first sight…” Kurama announced.
Yusuke stiffed, and Kuwabara stopped trying to pull the stone bracelet from his arm, and choked, “Excuse me?”
Kurama looked apologetic, and he shrugged, “He claims he fell in love with you at first, sight, and per the custom of his people was going to… well essentially kidnap you.”
“What the hell kinda trouble did you get yourself into, Kazuma?” Shizuru snapped from behind Kuwabara, now joining in with Botan.
“I…I dunno!” Kuwabara flustered.
“His people are bride snatchers, Kuwabara!” Hiei ground out with disgust, “They kidnap the bride they want.”
“Do I not get a fucking say?” Kuwabara snapped.
"No, that's the whole point of bride snatching. They snatch you up in hopes you'll submissively become their willing partner," Hiei growled, glaring at Turchik with angry red eyes.
Kurama sighed, and glared at Turchik, “You could cut your arm off… that would be considered a form of rejection his people would accept.”
“You got to be kidding me! My arm?!” Kuwabara shouted.
Yusuke’s aura crackled with aggression, and he took in an angry breath as he glared at Turchik, who met the glare back.
Kurama coughed, “There is another circumstance that he has agreed to, which would get Kazuma out of this. Which is to make him battle to the death for the right of Kazuma.”
“A battle to the death!?” Botan gasped, clutching to Shizuru’s arm, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Could you not sound so excited about it?!” Kuwabara snapped, “Both sound awful to me!”
Kurama cringed, “Er, you won’t be fighting, it would be Turchik here, against your fiance.”
“My what?” Kuwabara repeated.
“His what?” Yusuke growled.
“The battle has to be between Turchik, who is interested, and your fiance,” Kurama smiled painfully and gestured at Yusuke, “Yusuke.”
Kuwabara’s jaw dropped open, and then he looked down at Yusuke who also had a wide-eyed startled expression. Kuwabara then glanced at Turchik, who was still glaring daggers at Yusuke, and then finally Kuwabara turned to Kurama… who had clearly lied so Kuwabara wouldn’t be forced to cut off his arm.
Kuwabara put his hands protectively on Yusuke’s shoulders and snapped, “No way! Urameshi shouldn’t have to fight to the death for... for something so stupid! Turchik just shouldn't be allowed to snatch brides, or whatever!”
Turchik said something in that foreign language which Kurama listened to, his expression growing angrier and angrier.
Kuwabara gripped Yusuke harder, “No way. Hiei. Hiei, cut off my arm!”
“Kazuma!” Shizuru hissed.
Hiei burst out laughing and then warned, “If you ask me again, I will do it.”
Kuwabara was about to stick his arm out, because to hell with this fighting to the death for his hand bullshit when Yusuke grabbed his wrist and marched him to the other side of the market.
“Kuwabara, don’t ask to get your arm fucking cut off. I’m gonna fight that guy!” Yusuke snapped, rounding on him with a furious glare.
“Look, I’m sure Yomi or Mukuro could reattach it for me!” Kuwabara snapped in a wild frenzy.
“Don’t be stupid and take that kind of risk!” Yusuke warned.
“I don’t want you to fight in a death match!” Kuwabara groaned. "This is really stupid!"
“Well, I’m gonna! I’m not letting you go anywhere near that guy again, let alone be his bride to snatch off!” Yusuke snapped, his face flushed with anger. “He’s weak Kuwabara, I’ll take him out fine!”
“But he did this bullshit to me,” Kuwabara growled, holding out his arm with the stone hoop, “He might try some bullshit trick against you in the fight! Or cheat somehow! I…” Kuwabara paled as he heard his voice catch. He swallowed and looked away from Yusuke and admitted, “If anything were to happen to you man…”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Yusuke reassured, slipping an arm around Kuwabara’s waist and tugging him close. “Kuwabara this is me, It’s going to be fine. I’m gonna stomp this guy’s head in, and then we’re going to get the hoop off your arm, and then me and Hiei are going to make fun of you for the rest of our lives.”
Kuwabara rolled his eyes, “I’d rather lose my arm!”
Yusuke took Kuwabara’s hand, and startled Kuwabara by pressing a kiss to his knuckles and promising, “I’m gonna get you outta this. I promise.”
Kuwabara blinked with wonder, mortified as he felt his whole head flush with color. He stared at Yusuke his mouth opening, but he could not find the words to say. Yusuke met Kuwabara’s gaze staring at him with determination, another emotion flickering in his depths that had Kuwabara’s heart thumping.
"Urameshi... I-"
And then Kuwabara felt the hoop on his arm yank him about a foot back and he was slammed into Turchik’s waiting arms. Turchik wrapped an arm around Kuwabara’s shoulder, while his other hand had Kuwabara’s wrist, his matching stone bracelet connected to Kuwabara's .
“No touch,” Tuchik growled glaring at Yusuke, “Not until after fight!”
And then Turchik kissed Kuwabara’s fingers right where Yusuke had. Kuwabara glared at the demon, while a crackle of angry Yoki snapped off Yusuke like a roll of thunder and lightning, and dug a deep furrow into the ground/
“Alright, this is not funny anymore!” Shizuru snapped, stomping over to Kuwabara, and taking his hand. She tried to yank him away, but the hoops prevented Kuwabara from parting from Turchik.
Getting into the demon’s face she snarled, “I am his sister, his sister. Family. And you better let my brother’s arm go or I will fucking eat your face.”
Turchik blanched, “Human eat demons?”
“Today I do!” Shizuru snapped.
Kurama briskly walked over, his green eyes cold as ice, and he spoke to Turchik in the rolling words of the demonic language. The demonic tongue hadn’t sounded scary before, but with Kurama’s voice layered with anger, and given that the subject was about Kuwabara getting carted off or not, Kuwabara was starting to get creeped out. Turchik finally clicked the button on the hoops, which let Kuwabara yank his arm back, and then Shizuru tugged Kuwabara close to her, Kuwabara starting to feel like a little kid.
“Until the fight, no one but Kuwabara’s sister can touch Kuwabara. If anyone touches Kuwabara besides his family…” Kurama took a breath and wrinkled his nose in distaste, “That would give Turchik leave to touch Kuwabara in exactly the same way.”
“My ass it does!” Kuwabara snapped.
Kurama smiled at Kuwabara and sighed, “Per agreement to the rules, the battle will take place tonight at an agreed-upon neutral location. Yusuke, if you accept fighting for your fiance, shake Turchik’s hand, and you two can discuss where to fight.”
"Can't we just kill this guy?!" Kuwabara snapped, his frustration and his suggestion to outright murder Turchik, had Hiei laughing.
But Yusuke strode forward and held his hand out for Turchik, and the two men shook. The air exploded around them, the wind picking up and pushing the others back. They lept their hands grasped tightly and spoke, though the words couldn’t be heard as they argued.
“I can’t believe I got myself in this mess!” Kuwabara groaned.
“Pfft, I can. You shouldn’t have touched anything,” Hiei huffed standing behind Kuwabara.
“Well… at least this will solve something,” Shizuru sighed.
Kuwabara glanced at his sister, “Solve what?”
She didn’t look at him, but Shizuru smoothly answered, “Solve you and Yusuke beating around the bush. Now you two will have to do something about your huge crushes on each other.”
Botan and Hiei cackled, while Kuwabara stared in open-mouthed shock, unable to say another word.
Turchik and Yusuke decided on a place within Alaric that was an open field with strange purple waist-high grass. Turchik led Yusuke and and the others to the field to show them where the fight would take place, and then to Kuwabara’s horror, Turchik had Kurama announce that he would be joining them on the rest of their trip until the fight.
“Great. I gotta hang out with my would-be kidnapper. So fucking fun!” Kuwabara lamented, trying to tap back into his Reiki, and frustratingly his power still remained out of reach.
“He wants to make sure Yusuke doesn’t touch you again… and unfortunately we can’t stop him. He could just activate the hoop again and carry you off... but getting him to agree to the match is the best we could do,” Kurama sighed apologetically.
“Or I could cut off my arm,” Kuwabara grumbled.
“Just say the word Kuwabara, I’ll make it quick,” Hiei promised, ignoring Botan who slapped his shoulder with irritation.
"Kazuma, that is not the answer," Kurama consoled, glaring at Hiei. "Be serious, you can't cut off your arm. Just let Yusuke fight him."
Kuwabara frowned, still very tempted to take Hiei up on lopping off his arm. When he was free, maybe he could turn around and beat the shit out of Turchik with it.
What had meant to be a fun day trip, now was awkward as Turchik followed them around, standing next to Yusuke, both men directly behind Kuwabara.
Kuwabara hadn’t realized how much he and Yusuke used to touch when they were on group trips. Whenever they were together they always leaned against each other, or Yusuke would prod or poke Kuwabara, or both men would rough house. But now they couldn't touch for fear of Turchik copying the gesture, and it was rubbing Kuwabara wrong.
It felt strange not touching Yusuke now, and the urge to do just that, kept rising up within him.
Yusuke seemed to be struggling with it too, Kuwabara having to step away more than once from Yusuke’s hand, or his shoulder. Yusuke would frown every time and then sigh, frustrated with himself, and for Turchik, the strange demon who had got them in this mess. Their friends tried to talk to them, but both Yusuke and Kuwabara remained quiet, the anger and awkwardness of the situation too hard for either of them.
Turchik kept trying to talk to Kuwabara or make small talk, but Kuwabara tuned him out, and his sister would cow him into silence with a well-placed glare, or by puffing an aggressive ring of cigarette smoke directly into the demon's face.
Kuwabara felt himself snap when Yusuke tugged Kuwabara out of the way of a large demon who wasn’t looking where he was going. The relief Kuwabara felt at Yusuke's hand on his arm after not having his best friend touch him for only a few hours was almost ridiculous… as ridiculous as Turchik, who then squeezed Kuwbaara’s other elbow.
“Fuck this. I can’t pretend to be enjoying myself walking around, I’d rather just fucking leave!” Kuwabara snapped yanking his arm away from Turchik.
“You will grow to like me when we have our time,” Turchik said, his wings buzzing as he spoke to Kuwabara.
Kuwabara chunked the carved cat figure he’d purchased earlier at Turchik’s head.
After that outburst, Kurama took them all to a place to get dinner, and Kuwabara and Shizuru sat at their own table, away from their friends, whom Turchik sat with. Turchik and Yusuke seemed to be talking, Yusuke looking angrier and angrier by the second as Kurama served as an awkward translator. Botan had muttered to Hiei about just killing Turchik in an alleyway, but Hiei had amitted, most likely Turchik would have people who would be waiting at the ready to try and snatch Kuwabara up, if Turchik wasn't given a fair fight... not that anything about this situation was fair.
“What a fucking nightmare this is!” Kuwabara huffed, stabbing at the food on his plate.
Shizuru pat Kuwabara’s hand, “Yusuke will handle it in another hour, and we can put this dumb day behind us.”
Kuwabara nodded and then looked at his sister, and found her gaze waiting for his.
“...You… you said something about us… me an' Urameshi having a crush on each other?” Kuwabara awkwardly began.
“Come on little brother… I know you as well as I know myself… you’re in love with Yusuke,” Shizuru sighed, shooting Kuwabara a slightly reprimanding look.
“And he… uh…” Kuwabara tried to ask but found himself fumbling.
She put her hand on top of Kuwabara’s, “He likes you… and more than a friend, Kazuma. You both got it so bad it's stupid.”
Kuwabara couldn’t quite meet his sister’s eyes and just stared at her hand on top of his. “I… I don’t think-”
“Kazu… don’t be dumb,” She said very gently despite her choice of words, “you know it’s true. You’re just scared. Because unlike anyone else you’ve liked… Yusuke is more special than all the rest. You’re just scared.”
Kuwabara couldn’t bring himself to speak any further on it and quietly finished his dinner. Shizuru kept a comforting hand on Kuwabara’s all the way until the group marched their way back to the field they had selected before. Like Hiei had suggested, there was a group of demons waiting, who all looked very similar to Turchik with their teal-colored skin, and dragonfly-like wings. Kuwabara felt many eyes on him, all judging him and commenting on him as if he were livestock. Hiei sent a gust of Yoki at the demons and sent them scattering far from their group, and Kuwabara nodded at Hiei in silent gratitude.
Kuwabara approached Yusuke before he could go out to the field to face Turchik. Turchik stood by, his arms crossed with irritation, as he watched Yusuke and Kuwabara stand before each other.
“You win this, okay?” Kuwabara encouraged. He shook his head and then with his heart in his words said, “I promise to find a way to make this… whole stupidity up to you!”
Yusuke looked at Kuwabara’s face, his expression serious and strange. It was silent for a bit before Yusuke took in a breath, stood tall, and declared, “When the match is over, I’m going to kiss the hell out of you.”
Kuwabara’s eyes went wide, and his face went very red, and he stared at Yusuke unable to say anything back.
Yusuke suddenly grinned, his expression smug, “I would do it now… but then this bastard might try to kiss you and I think I’d do more than just kill him. I’d have to absolutely torture the shit out of him.”
Turchik shifted uncomfortably.
Yusuke turned towards the field, “Come on Turchik you rotten bastard, I’m gonna tear your wings off, make you eat them, and then end your miserable life.”
Turchik tried to speak to Kuwabara, but Kuwabara turned from the demon and rejoined his friends and sister. He didn’t want to hear a word the guy had to say. Kuwabara sat down next to Shizuru, acutely aware that Kurama, Hiei, and Botan were staring at him.
“They heard everything he said, huh?” Kuwabara sighed.
“That and your face is redder than a tomato,” Shizuru joked.
“This field has amazing acoustics,” Hiei snickered.
"I think the other demons heard you too," Botan said with cheerful unhelpfulness.
Kuwabara sighed and turned his attention to the fight.
Turchik was clearly regretting his choices, but it had foolishly taken him too long to feel that regret, as Yusuke wasn’t going to let him back out now. Just as Yusuke promised… he did rip the demon’s wings right off. But luckily for Turchik, he didn’t make him eat him.
In less than ten minutes, Yusuke had won the match, and Turchik's head was tossed out to the demons who had shown up to watch the match, after Yusuke kicked it like a soccer ball. Kuwabara worried that Turchi's family would retaliate, but they only gathered up the head, and then left.
“Well… that was anti-climatic!” Kurama sighed, “And Turchik was an S-class. I thought the fight be more dramatic than all that.”
“Please. As if an S-class matters if you’re protecting your mate,” Hiei snorted.
Kuwabara turned to gawk at Hiei, who bristled under the attention.
“What? I’m not blind. I know you two are together!” Hiei snapped.
Kuwabara closed his eyes as Botan and Shizuru laughed.
“Hiei,” Kurama said his voice full of amusement, “Yusuke and Kuwabara are not together… I mean, they might be getting together right now, at this very moment even, but they are not together.”
Hiei turned to look at Kurama with a shocked expression, and a sarcastic, disbelieving explosion of, “You’re kidding me!”
Kuwabara got up, and headed for Yusuke, eager to get away from the group as they discussed his and Yusuke’s very apparent relationship, which Kuwabara was just learning about. He kept his eyes on Yusuke as he approached, Yusuke standing in wait with his hands on his hips, and a smile on his face.
“So… you won,” Kuwabara said as he drew closer.
Yusuke nodded, “Sure did. Let’s get the hoop off your arm.” With a smug look, he turned around, and stepped on Turchik’s arm, shattering the hoop on his arm. The bracelet on Kuwabara’s arm expanded and slipped off his body, and Kuwabara sighed with relief as he felt it fall away, his Reiki returning to him as if the veil had been lifted. He looked down at the hoop that had started this whole mess, and crushed it with his heel, satisfied at the crunching sound it made when it broke.
When Kuwabara turned back around, Yusuke approached him, his arms moving behind Kuwabara and snaking around his waist. Kuwabara gasped, his hand clutching Yusuke’s shoulders, and he stared down at Yusuke with wide and, admittedly, hopeful eyes.
Yusuke grinned, “I said I was going kiss you. So bend down here already.”
Kuwabara’s heart was racing and his arms anxiously wrapped around Yusuke’s shoulders. Part of him worried that this was a big joke, that Yusuke had been kidding just to piss off Turchik. Another part worried he’d wake up, just like he had this morning, and it would be another dream–
But then Yusuke hooked his hand around the collar of Kuwabara’s shirt and yanked him down. With an impatient growl, he hissed, “Get down here, Kuwabara.”
Yusuke slanted their mouths together, his hands curled tightly around Kuwabara’s waist. Boldly, he thrust his tongue inside Kuwabara’s mouth, devouring the gasp that burst from Kuwabara’s mouth. Kuwabara tensed, and then sank into the kiss, eagerly chasing Yusuke’s demanding tongue with his own his hands squeezing around Yusuke’s shoulders tight.
The audience behind them cheered, and someone shouted, “Fucking finally,” but Kuwabara ignore them in favor of a kiss he had only been dreaming about for several years now.
Yusuke’s hands slid down Kuwabara’s waist, over the curve of his ass, to his thighs and he picked Kuwabara up off the ground, snickering into Kuwabara’s mouth as he hoisted the taller man up. Kuwabara pulled back, gasping a little, his eyes shining happily as he looked down at Yusuke’s triumphant grim.
“Wow…” Kuwabara whispered, his heart in his throat, “Wow…”
“That all you got to say, big guy?” Yusuke asked with a cocky grin.
“...I love you,” Kuwabara whispered quietly, his expression turning soft.
Yusuke’s pupils dilated and he growled, “Fuck Kuwabara… I love you too! Get back down here!”
And Kuwabara kissed him again, with Kurama’s loud voice joking to Hiei, “Okay, Hiei. Now, they’re together.”
End