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alchemicink...no I didn't intend to post two fics starting with the word "how" today 😅 Anyway, this is number four of my six Christmas fics! This one definitely should have been written/posted a few weeks ago, but such is life. I enjoyed writing it, even if it's belated.
Title: How lovely are your branches
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Pairing: Kurama/Hiei
Summary: Against his better judgment, Hiei helps Kurama decorate a Christmas tree
Length: 1.3k
Notes: fluff and humor, pre-relationship, Christmas tree, Hiei's love language is putting up with whatever human bullshit Kurama is into
AO3 link: here
Hiei is used to the overabundance of plants in Kurama's apartment. There's at least one or two in every room, and Hiei rarely pays attention to them other than to ensure he doesn't accidentally knock one over when he's moving around.
But today, a new addition in the living room catches his eye. A baffling development for the plant-obsessed fox.
"This bush is fake.”
Kurama pokes his head curiously out of the kitchen at the declaration – Hiei had arrived just as he was coming home from the grocery store – to see what he's talking about.
"Oh," Kurama chuckles. "That's my Christmas tree."
He says that like Hiei should understand what that string of words mean. But firstly, Hiei notes, it's a sorry excuse for a "tree." It's not even taller than himself. And secondly, that doesn't explain why it's not even a living plant. Even Hiei can see that it's balanced precariously on a plastic tripod, and that all the greenery smells fake.
"It's part of a holiday celebration," Kurama continues speaking. He steps fully into the living room now, apparently finished with unloading the groceries. "It's only temporarily used for a few weeks each year, so artificial trees are more popular than live ones. You're supposed to decorate it."
The small plastic "tree" is currently devoid of decorations.
Hiei is unimpressed.
"You're celebrating a human holiday?" he questions.
"For my mother," Kurama continues, unfazed as usual by Hiei's derision. "We used to decorate our Christmas tree together when I was young… and I was feeling a touch nostalgic. I think she'd be happy to see it when she comes to visit. I just haven't had a chance to get it all together yet."
There's a sort of wistful tone in Kurama's voice as he speaks, hidden away underneath his casual words, but Hiei knows Kurama well enough to recognize it anyway. It's been a few months since Kurama moved into this apartment, but perhaps the fox is a bit more homesick than he expected to be. Suddenly living alone again after two decades with his mother only a room away must take time to adjust to.
"How do you decorate it?"
Kurama blinks, shaken out of his reverie by Hiei's unexpected question.
"There are several kinds of ornaments that are popular. And then some tinsel usually. And, of course, lights as well."
Hiei's not even sure what tinsel is but that all sounds terribly gaudy. It’s probably safer not to voice that thought out loud though.
"I'll help," he declares instead.
Kurama tilts his head this time, as if he isn't sure he heard Hiei correctly. Which is ridiculous, of course, because the fox has always had excellent hearing and it’s not like Hiei was mumbling.
"You don't have to do that for me.”
"It can't be too difficult,” Hiei bites back. “It's just the size of a bush."
The tree is resting on a table under the window so that it looks taller than it actually is. In fact, Hiei is sure there used to be a lamp on that table the last time he was here.
Kurama ignores the insult to the tiny tree and stands up, looking more delighted than he had a few moments ago. He disappears briefly to rummage through one of the closets before he returns with a box of what Hiei presumes are the ornaments and other assorted decorations. But before they get started, Kurama switches on the radio to flood the room with low music.
Holiday music, Hiei assumes, because it sounds absolutely dreadful.
“We'll start with the lights,” Kurama explains, and then pulls a long tangled cord from the box. Little lightbulbs dangle from the string, and Hiei can't imagine any of them are bright enough to serve as any sort of decent lighting. Humans are so impractical.
Kurama explains how to wrap the cord around the tree, and that seems easy enough, but they can't actually get the string of lights untangled to even reach that point.
“Let me do it,” Hiei demands after watching Kurama fiddle with them uselessly for a solid five minutes.
Hiei focuses on unraveling the knots, but more seem to keep popping up no matter what he does. After he gets his fingers somehow tied up in the lights too, he's tempted to use the Jagan just to see if it'll provide him with a solution that isn’t simply slicing the thing to pieces.
“Is it all going to be this infuriating? What part of this is fun?” Hiei grumbles as Kurama frees his hands.
The fox laughs but provides no answers.
After more finagling and several muttered threats from Hiei against the continued existence of Christmas lights, they somehow get the cord wrapped around the tree. Hiei thinks the lights are probably supposed to look a little less lopsided and crumpled up, but he sure as hell isn't going to take them down to do it over again.
The next thing Kurama pulls out of the box is something silvery and shimmery.
“Tinsel,” he explains.
Hiei looks skeptically at the decoration, then at the little Christmas tree currently being strangled by Christmas lights, and then back at the tinsel again.
“It's festive,” Kurama says.
Pieces of the tinsel have already started flaking off onto the floor, looking like some cheap sparkly imitation of snow.
“It’s an abomination.”
With a playful smirk, Kurama chooses to drape the garland of tinsel over Hiei's shoulders instead of the tree.
“Now you look festive too.”
Hiei briefly contemplates murder, but finds his anger fading away when he sees Kurama looking so joyful, with a happiness sparkling in those green eyes that he didn't have earlier.
“Let's just skip over to the ornaments, shall we?” Kurama suggests.
Of all the decorations so far, Hiei is relieved that these are the least complicated. The designs are simple – colorful glass orbs and snowflakes, mostly – and Kurama shows him how to hook each one to the tree branches.
Hiei swipes a pack of red decorations that are the exact same shade as Kurama's hair, and starts covering his side of the tree with them. They talk while they work – well, it's mostly just Hiei listening while Kurama fills him in on what he's missed while busy in Demon World – but he does find himself relaxing the longer it continues. Decorating is a sort of mindless activity that allows him to enjoy his time with the fox. They rarely do anything else as mundane as this.
Eventually, they run out of ornaments, which is fine because they're running out of space on the branches too. He almost thinks they're sagging a little under the weight of everything, but maybe that's just because the tree is so small.
“Now there's only one thing left – the most important part – and I think you should do the honors.” Kurama hands him a large sparkly plastic star, and gestures to the very top of the Christmas tree.
“It's your tree and your tradition,” Hiei points out.
Kurama makes a dismissive gesture and shakes his head. “I’ve put the star on top of the tree many times over the years. But this is your first time. I’d love for you to do it.”
Hiei clutches the stupid star in his hands, thinking about what it means for Kurama to entrust him with this crucial task, to want to share this with him. So after another moment, he steps forward, holds his breath, and slowly slots the star into place, taking care to make sure he doesn't mess anything up.
When he's done, he takes a step back and frowns because the star ornament is leaning slightly to the left.
“It's perfect,” Kurama declares, beaming as if Hiei had just delivered the most valuable treasure right to his doorstep.
Kurama switches off the overhead light and switches on the Christmas tree lights, and suddenly the room is bathed in an array of soft colors. In the dark, the whole thing actually looks a lot better now that he can’t see half of it.
It's still just a stupid fake tree for a holiday he doesn't celebrate, but it means something to Kurama. So Hiei thinks maybe it was worth the hassle.
Title: How lovely are your branches
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Pairing: Kurama/Hiei
Summary: Against his better judgment, Hiei helps Kurama decorate a Christmas tree
Length: 1.3k
Notes: fluff and humor, pre-relationship, Christmas tree, Hiei's love language is putting up with whatever human bullshit Kurama is into
AO3 link: here
Hiei is used to the overabundance of plants in Kurama's apartment. There's at least one or two in every room, and Hiei rarely pays attention to them other than to ensure he doesn't accidentally knock one over when he's moving around.
But today, a new addition in the living room catches his eye. A baffling development for the plant-obsessed fox.
"This bush is fake.”
Kurama pokes his head curiously out of the kitchen at the declaration – Hiei had arrived just as he was coming home from the grocery store – to see what he's talking about.
"Oh," Kurama chuckles. "That's my Christmas tree."
He says that like Hiei should understand what that string of words mean. But firstly, Hiei notes, it's a sorry excuse for a "tree." It's not even taller than himself. And secondly, that doesn't explain why it's not even a living plant. Even Hiei can see that it's balanced precariously on a plastic tripod, and that all the greenery smells fake.
"It's part of a holiday celebration," Kurama continues speaking. He steps fully into the living room now, apparently finished with unloading the groceries. "It's only temporarily used for a few weeks each year, so artificial trees are more popular than live ones. You're supposed to decorate it."
The small plastic "tree" is currently devoid of decorations.
Hiei is unimpressed.
"You're celebrating a human holiday?" he questions.
"For my mother," Kurama continues, unfazed as usual by Hiei's derision. "We used to decorate our Christmas tree together when I was young… and I was feeling a touch nostalgic. I think she'd be happy to see it when she comes to visit. I just haven't had a chance to get it all together yet."
There's a sort of wistful tone in Kurama's voice as he speaks, hidden away underneath his casual words, but Hiei knows Kurama well enough to recognize it anyway. It's been a few months since Kurama moved into this apartment, but perhaps the fox is a bit more homesick than he expected to be. Suddenly living alone again after two decades with his mother only a room away must take time to adjust to.
"How do you decorate it?"
Kurama blinks, shaken out of his reverie by Hiei's unexpected question.
"There are several kinds of ornaments that are popular. And then some tinsel usually. And, of course, lights as well."
Hiei's not even sure what tinsel is but that all sounds terribly gaudy. It’s probably safer not to voice that thought out loud though.
"I'll help," he declares instead.
Kurama tilts his head this time, as if he isn't sure he heard Hiei correctly. Which is ridiculous, of course, because the fox has always had excellent hearing and it’s not like Hiei was mumbling.
"You don't have to do that for me.”
"It can't be too difficult,” Hiei bites back. “It's just the size of a bush."
The tree is resting on a table under the window so that it looks taller than it actually is. In fact, Hiei is sure there used to be a lamp on that table the last time he was here.
Kurama ignores the insult to the tiny tree and stands up, looking more delighted than he had a few moments ago. He disappears briefly to rummage through one of the closets before he returns with a box of what Hiei presumes are the ornaments and other assorted decorations. But before they get started, Kurama switches on the radio to flood the room with low music.
Holiday music, Hiei assumes, because it sounds absolutely dreadful.
“We'll start with the lights,” Kurama explains, and then pulls a long tangled cord from the box. Little lightbulbs dangle from the string, and Hiei can't imagine any of them are bright enough to serve as any sort of decent lighting. Humans are so impractical.
Kurama explains how to wrap the cord around the tree, and that seems easy enough, but they can't actually get the string of lights untangled to even reach that point.
“Let me do it,” Hiei demands after watching Kurama fiddle with them uselessly for a solid five minutes.
Hiei focuses on unraveling the knots, but more seem to keep popping up no matter what he does. After he gets his fingers somehow tied up in the lights too, he's tempted to use the Jagan just to see if it'll provide him with a solution that isn’t simply slicing the thing to pieces.
“Is it all going to be this infuriating? What part of this is fun?” Hiei grumbles as Kurama frees his hands.
The fox laughs but provides no answers.
After more finagling and several muttered threats from Hiei against the continued existence of Christmas lights, they somehow get the cord wrapped around the tree. Hiei thinks the lights are probably supposed to look a little less lopsided and crumpled up, but he sure as hell isn't going to take them down to do it over again.
The next thing Kurama pulls out of the box is something silvery and shimmery.
“Tinsel,” he explains.
Hiei looks skeptically at the decoration, then at the little Christmas tree currently being strangled by Christmas lights, and then back at the tinsel again.
“It's festive,” Kurama says.
Pieces of the tinsel have already started flaking off onto the floor, looking like some cheap sparkly imitation of snow.
“It’s an abomination.”
With a playful smirk, Kurama chooses to drape the garland of tinsel over Hiei's shoulders instead of the tree.
“Now you look festive too.”
Hiei briefly contemplates murder, but finds his anger fading away when he sees Kurama looking so joyful, with a happiness sparkling in those green eyes that he didn't have earlier.
“Let's just skip over to the ornaments, shall we?” Kurama suggests.
Of all the decorations so far, Hiei is relieved that these are the least complicated. The designs are simple – colorful glass orbs and snowflakes, mostly – and Kurama shows him how to hook each one to the tree branches.
Hiei swipes a pack of red decorations that are the exact same shade as Kurama's hair, and starts covering his side of the tree with them. They talk while they work – well, it's mostly just Hiei listening while Kurama fills him in on what he's missed while busy in Demon World – but he does find himself relaxing the longer it continues. Decorating is a sort of mindless activity that allows him to enjoy his time with the fox. They rarely do anything else as mundane as this.
Eventually, they run out of ornaments, which is fine because they're running out of space on the branches too. He almost thinks they're sagging a little under the weight of everything, but maybe that's just because the tree is so small.
“Now there's only one thing left – the most important part – and I think you should do the honors.” Kurama hands him a large sparkly plastic star, and gestures to the very top of the Christmas tree.
“It's your tree and your tradition,” Hiei points out.
Kurama makes a dismissive gesture and shakes his head. “I’ve put the star on top of the tree many times over the years. But this is your first time. I’d love for you to do it.”
Hiei clutches the stupid star in his hands, thinking about what it means for Kurama to entrust him with this crucial task, to want to share this with him. So after another moment, he steps forward, holds his breath, and slowly slots the star into place, taking care to make sure he doesn't mess anything up.
When he's done, he takes a step back and frowns because the star ornament is leaning slightly to the left.
“It's perfect,” Kurama declares, beaming as if Hiei had just delivered the most valuable treasure right to his doorstep.
Kurama switches off the overhead light and switches on the Christmas tree lights, and suddenly the room is bathed in an array of soft colors. In the dark, the whole thing actually looks a lot better now that he can’t see half of it.
It's still just a stupid fake tree for a holiday he doesn't celebrate, but it means something to Kurama. So Hiei thinks maybe it was worth the hassle.
