Practice Makes Perfect (Kurama/Yusuke, PG-13)
Title: Practice Makes Perfect
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Pairing: Kurama/Yusuke - with side notes of Yusuke/Keiko.
Rating: PG-13, for suggestiveness.
A/N: Written in a total hurry to make my 30_kisses deadline. I so suck at doing those in any kind of timely fashion.
"Again, Yusuke," Kurama commands softly, and as if that weren't enough, he makes an oddly inviting motion with one of his hands.
Nothing doing, though - Yusuke groans and collapses dramatically on the table.
"Again?" he asks incredulously, his voice slightly muffled against the wood. "Kurama, we have to have done this at least ten times by now."
"You need the practice," Kurama responds with a graceful shrug.
Yusuke glares balefully over his arms. "I do not."
Kurama's answer comes in the form of a rather noncommittal noise, accompanied by a delicately arched eyebrow. Yusuke sits up abruptly.
"I don't!" he insists defensively, and Kurama just gives him one of those looks. This one is the one Yusuke's learned to identify as Kurama's more dignified way of responding to a situation in which anyone else (like anyone else Yusuke hangs out with) would simply claim, 'Bullshit'.
"Yusuke," Kurama says patiently, "none of those last..." He takes a moment to think, and Yusuke can see his lips forming silent words. Numbers, as it turns out. "Twelve attempts has been anywhere near satisfactory."
For a few long moments, Yusuke can't even form words. He just sits there, gaping at Kurama, occasionally voicing a wordless sound of disbelief. Finally, he mutters, "I didn't think that last time was all that bad."
Kurama sighs. "Yusuke, you can't just...stop in the middle like that. There's no faster way to display that you're insecure about your performance."
Yusuke can feel the heat in his ears as they flush in embarrassment, but he decides to ignore it. "Don't even know why we're doing this, anyway," he says under his breath, mostly just to have something to say, because he knows Kurama's right, and he hates that.
"To be honest," Kurama answers, even though Yusuke didn't really want an answer, "I probably wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Keiko."
That little tidbit of information leaves Yusuke speechless and gaping again, though not for quite as long this time. "Keiko?"
Kurama nods. "Mm. She came to me, concerned about your performance. Said it was...'subpar'. She's worried about you, you know."
That heat in Yusuke's ears is back again, and it's worse this time. Jeez. Is it really bad enough that Keiko had to go asking Kurama for help? She's been on his case for a while, it's true, but he hadn't thought she would go to someone else. She must really be worried - Yusuke hates that thought.
"Worried, huh?" he asks softly. Kurama nods again.
"Very," he confirms, and then his gaze softens a little. "She just wants what's best for you, Yusuke - she cares for you."
Yusuke nods absently. He knows, of course - he always has. They've got an...interesting relationship, he and Keiko, but there's no one who can say they don't really care for each other, underneath it all. Yusuke knows he'd do just about anything for Keiko, at least.
But this is all getting a little too...touching for Yusuke's teenage sensibilities, so he heaves a dramatic sigh and looks across the table at Kurama again.
"All right, then," he says with a shrug. "Let's go again. As many times as it takes."
Kurama smiles, and they both drop their gazes to the tabletop and lean in...
And Kurama presses the 'Record' button on the cassette player.
"Now - read through the passage, and watch your pronunciations this time, Yusuke."
Yusuke shoots him another glare across the table, but it's rather half-hearted this time as he starts struggling his way through the first sentence. Because graduation is coming up, and he - along with all the other students at Saryashiki Junior High - must pass an English proficiency test in order to receive his diploma.
Comments and criticisms are, as always, welcome.
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Pairing: Kurama/Yusuke - with side notes of Yusuke/Keiko.
Rating: PG-13, for suggestiveness.
A/N: Written in a total hurry to make my 30_kisses deadline. I so suck at doing those in any kind of timely fashion.
"Again, Yusuke," Kurama commands softly, and as if that weren't enough, he makes an oddly inviting motion with one of his hands.
Nothing doing, though - Yusuke groans and collapses dramatically on the table.
"Again?" he asks incredulously, his voice slightly muffled against the wood. "Kurama, we have to have done this at least ten times by now."
"You need the practice," Kurama responds with a graceful shrug.
Yusuke glares balefully over his arms. "I do not."
Kurama's answer comes in the form of a rather noncommittal noise, accompanied by a delicately arched eyebrow. Yusuke sits up abruptly.
"I don't!" he insists defensively, and Kurama just gives him one of those looks. This one is the one Yusuke's learned to identify as Kurama's more dignified way of responding to a situation in which anyone else (like anyone else Yusuke hangs out with) would simply claim, 'Bullshit'.
"Yusuke," Kurama says patiently, "none of those last..." He takes a moment to think, and Yusuke can see his lips forming silent words. Numbers, as it turns out. "Twelve attempts has been anywhere near satisfactory."
For a few long moments, Yusuke can't even form words. He just sits there, gaping at Kurama, occasionally voicing a wordless sound of disbelief. Finally, he mutters, "I didn't think that last time was all that bad."
Kurama sighs. "Yusuke, you can't just...stop in the middle like that. There's no faster way to display that you're insecure about your performance."
Yusuke can feel the heat in his ears as they flush in embarrassment, but he decides to ignore it. "Don't even know why we're doing this, anyway," he says under his breath, mostly just to have something to say, because he knows Kurama's right, and he hates that.
"To be honest," Kurama answers, even though Yusuke didn't really want an answer, "I probably wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Keiko."
That little tidbit of information leaves Yusuke speechless and gaping again, though not for quite as long this time. "Keiko?"
Kurama nods. "Mm. She came to me, concerned about your performance. Said it was...'subpar'. She's worried about you, you know."
That heat in Yusuke's ears is back again, and it's worse this time. Jeez. Is it really bad enough that Keiko had to go asking Kurama for help? She's been on his case for a while, it's true, but he hadn't thought she would go to someone else. She must really be worried - Yusuke hates that thought.
"Worried, huh?" he asks softly. Kurama nods again.
"Very," he confirms, and then his gaze softens a little. "She just wants what's best for you, Yusuke - she cares for you."
Yusuke nods absently. He knows, of course - he always has. They've got an...interesting relationship, he and Keiko, but there's no one who can say they don't really care for each other, underneath it all. Yusuke knows he'd do just about anything for Keiko, at least.
But this is all getting a little too...touching for Yusuke's teenage sensibilities, so he heaves a dramatic sigh and looks across the table at Kurama again.
"All right, then," he says with a shrug. "Let's go again. As many times as it takes."
Kurama smiles, and they both drop their gazes to the tabletop and lean in...
And Kurama presses the 'Record' button on the cassette player.
"Now - read through the passage, and watch your pronunciations this time, Yusuke."
Yusuke shoots him another glare across the table, but it's rather half-hearted this time as he starts struggling his way through the first sentence. Because graduation is coming up, and he - along with all the other students at Saryashiki Junior High - must pass an English proficiency test in order to receive his diploma.
Comments and criticisms are, as always, welcome.