Yu Yu Hakusho - Kuwabara/Yuusuke - Domestication: Houseplant
Domestication: Houseplant (854 words)
Domestication Series Timeline
“Hello Yuusuke.” Kurama removed his shoes upon entering the apartment. As Yuusuke backed further into the room to let the other man in, he noticed two things: Kurama was smiling, and he had a weird-looking plant. It was bad enough when the guy had either a plant or a smile, but him having both at the same time was enough to make Yuusuke cautious.
“Hey, Kurama,” Yuusuke said in greeting, then turned his attention back to the weird plant, frowning at it slightly. He’d save the glare for Kurama, once he figured out what the hell this thing was. “What’s up with th’weird-ass tree?”
Almost like showing off a baby or something, Kurama beamed and held the small potted tree out. “It’s a housewarming gift, naturally. I know that you and Kuwabara have the essentials taken care of, and with plants rather being my forte, I thought I’d bring you this.” He smiled in a way that was somehow simultaneously disarming and off-putting all at the same time, and held the plant out a bit further.
As if Yuusuke was just going to reach out and grab an unidentified plant from a guy who had a habit of making them mean. “Uh, thanks? Just, put it over in that corner..?” He gestured vaguely at an unoccupied corner in between the living room and the kitchen, still empty because, yeah, they had everything important but hadn’t gotten anything to decorate.
Kurama’s smile faded a bit, and he sighed quietly as he put the potted tree in the corner Yuusuke’d mentioned. “Is there something wrong with the tree? Do you not like it?” Arms folded in a thoughtful pose, Kurama assessed the plant with a critical eye as Yuusuke tried to think of what to say.
Somehow ‘that damn tree’s going to eat me, isn’t it?’ didn’t quite feel right, and ‘you still haven’t told me what the hell it does!’ just seemed too whiny.
Luckily Yuusuke was saved from asking if the plant would possibly be able to eat their neighbor’s fucking annoying toy poodle when Kuwabara walked in, back from picking Eikichi up from his sister’s place (and wasn’t that a weird thought - for the longest time Yuusuke had always considered it Kuwabara’s).
Kicking his shoes off while carefully not jostling the cat’s carrier, Kuwabara walked into the room and set the carrier down before greeting the two men in his living room. His-and-Yuusuke’s living room - it was still sort of strange and new to be able to think of things as theirs. “Hey, what’s up with the weird-ass tree?” Kuwabara questioned, glancing from the tree to Yuusuke, who shrugged, then over to Kurama, who glanced incredulously at them both before shaking his head.
“It’s a housewarming gift. I brought it because I thought you could use a plant in your new home. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Ah, thanks,” Kuwabara said, grinning, as Yuusuke mumbled his own thanks, eyes not straying from that tree. Eikichi mewled from in her carrier, and Kuwabara knelt down to unlatch the door, but he hesitated. “Uh, hey, Kurama… that tree… it’s not gonna, y’know, eat Eikichi, is it?” He looked worried, and Kurama shook his head and frowned.
“It will not eat your cat, Kuwabara. It’s just a plant. Nolina recurvata, the ‘ponytail palm’. Simply a tree.”
The room was silent for a moment, Kuwabara and Yuusuke shooting each other overt glances (though perhaps they’d meant for covert) and Eikichi waiting patiently for her carrier to open. Finally Kuwabara opened the carrier door and scooped the cat up into his arms, glancing once more at the tree before looking at Kurama.
“You’re sure? S’just, it looks so… weird.”
Kurama had nearly infinite patience when needed, so while a lesser man might’ve gotten annoyed, Kurama simply walked over to the tree. “The nolina recurvata is nearly impossible to kill as a house plant, because this lump here stores water.” He pointed at the abrupt widening of the tree’s trunk at the bottom, the lump that lent the tree an off-balance, weird look. “It can last nearly two weeks without being watered, which should be plenty of time for one of you to remember, right?” Though Kurama had a saintly smile on his face, the other men in the room knew when they were being teased. They also knew when they wouldn’t do anything about it, as the plant was already inside, and if Kurama did anything to it now it’d be near impossible to get rid of without a mess.
Still, though, Yuusuke had to be sure - that damn dog was so annoying. “So, th’tree doesn’t do anything?”
That saintly smile melted into a smirk, and Kurama’s answer was still polite but annoyed at the same time. “It absorbs carbon, gives off oxygen, and looks rather nice while doing so.”
Kuwabara let Eikichi down to explore her new home, and Yuusuke sighed at the tree. “Guess that damned poodle’s here t’stay then.”
Yet somehow, standing there in his-and-Kuwabara’s living room, with their cat and their friend in their home, Yuusuke thought that their neighbor’s annoying poodle was pretty insignificant.
Domestication Series Timeline
“Hello Yuusuke.” Kurama removed his shoes upon entering the apartment. As Yuusuke backed further into the room to let the other man in, he noticed two things: Kurama was smiling, and he had a weird-looking plant. It was bad enough when the guy had either a plant or a smile, but him having both at the same time was enough to make Yuusuke cautious.
“Hey, Kurama,” Yuusuke said in greeting, then turned his attention back to the weird plant, frowning at it slightly. He’d save the glare for Kurama, once he figured out what the hell this thing was. “What’s up with th’weird-ass tree?”
Almost like showing off a baby or something, Kurama beamed and held the small potted tree out. “It’s a housewarming gift, naturally. I know that you and Kuwabara have the essentials taken care of, and with plants rather being my forte, I thought I’d bring you this.” He smiled in a way that was somehow simultaneously disarming and off-putting all at the same time, and held the plant out a bit further.
As if Yuusuke was just going to reach out and grab an unidentified plant from a guy who had a habit of making them mean. “Uh, thanks? Just, put it over in that corner..?” He gestured vaguely at an unoccupied corner in between the living room and the kitchen, still empty because, yeah, they had everything important but hadn’t gotten anything to decorate.
Kurama’s smile faded a bit, and he sighed quietly as he put the potted tree in the corner Yuusuke’d mentioned. “Is there something wrong with the tree? Do you not like it?” Arms folded in a thoughtful pose, Kurama assessed the plant with a critical eye as Yuusuke tried to think of what to say.
Somehow ‘that damn tree’s going to eat me, isn’t it?’ didn’t quite feel right, and ‘you still haven’t told me what the hell it does!’ just seemed too whiny.
Luckily Yuusuke was saved from asking if the plant would possibly be able to eat their neighbor’s fucking annoying toy poodle when Kuwabara walked in, back from picking Eikichi up from his sister’s place (and wasn’t that a weird thought - for the longest time Yuusuke had always considered it Kuwabara’s).
Kicking his shoes off while carefully not jostling the cat’s carrier, Kuwabara walked into the room and set the carrier down before greeting the two men in his living room. His-and-Yuusuke’s living room - it was still sort of strange and new to be able to think of things as theirs. “Hey, what’s up with the weird-ass tree?” Kuwabara questioned, glancing from the tree to Yuusuke, who shrugged, then over to Kurama, who glanced incredulously at them both before shaking his head.
“It’s a housewarming gift. I brought it because I thought you could use a plant in your new home. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Ah, thanks,” Kuwabara said, grinning, as Yuusuke mumbled his own thanks, eyes not straying from that tree. Eikichi mewled from in her carrier, and Kuwabara knelt down to unlatch the door, but he hesitated. “Uh, hey, Kurama… that tree… it’s not gonna, y’know, eat Eikichi, is it?” He looked worried, and Kurama shook his head and frowned.
“It will not eat your cat, Kuwabara. It’s just a plant. Nolina recurvata, the ‘ponytail palm’. Simply a tree.”
The room was silent for a moment, Kuwabara and Yuusuke shooting each other overt glances (though perhaps they’d meant for covert) and Eikichi waiting patiently for her carrier to open. Finally Kuwabara opened the carrier door and scooped the cat up into his arms, glancing once more at the tree before looking at Kurama.
“You’re sure? S’just, it looks so… weird.”
Kurama had nearly infinite patience when needed, so while a lesser man might’ve gotten annoyed, Kurama simply walked over to the tree. “The nolina recurvata is nearly impossible to kill as a house plant, because this lump here stores water.” He pointed at the abrupt widening of the tree’s trunk at the bottom, the lump that lent the tree an off-balance, weird look. “It can last nearly two weeks without being watered, which should be plenty of time for one of you to remember, right?” Though Kurama had a saintly smile on his face, the other men in the room knew when they were being teased. They also knew when they wouldn’t do anything about it, as the plant was already inside, and if Kurama did anything to it now it’d be near impossible to get rid of without a mess.
Still, though, Yuusuke had to be sure - that damn dog was so annoying. “So, th’tree doesn’t do anything?”
That saintly smile melted into a smirk, and Kurama’s answer was still polite but annoyed at the same time. “It absorbs carbon, gives off oxygen, and looks rather nice while doing so.”
Kuwabara let Eikichi down to explore her new home, and Yuusuke sighed at the tree. “Guess that damned poodle’s here t’stay then.”
Yet somehow, standing there in his-and-Kuwabara’s living room, with their cat and their friend in their home, Yuusuke thought that their neighbor’s annoying poodle was pretty insignificant.