Chapter 1:
Inuyasha was woken up quit suddenly one Monday evening to the annoying loud Alarm of his cell. The one he specifically put so that he could wake up on time, but either Inuyasha didn't care or didn't remember, as he groaned, grabbed his phone tight, and chucked it hard into the closet where it found its new home in a pile of clothes that did well to block out it's persistent beeping.
He exhaled deeply and burrowed back into his sheets, easily falling back into a sleep. Besides, he had no reason to be getting up; he couldn't even remember why he set that alarm. The only thing he needed to be up for was-
Shooting up at the speed of light, he scrambled out of bed to the closet, fishing out the phone he cast away a moment before. He clicked at buttons until the screen lite up in response, casting back in large font the time.
8:47
"Shit!," he spat under his breath, throwing the phone behind him and digging his way through the pile of clothes under him, searching for something decent to where.
Jesus- Why hadn't he washed any of his clothes!?
A knock resounded at the front of his apartment and in response Inuyasha groaned. "Hold on!" He shouted back.
He finally acquired jeans and a half-sleeved shirt that smelled, uh, decent at best. But he wasn't going to get picky about it in these conditions. He dresses, retrieved his satchel (satchel's are manly), and headed to the door just as the second round of aggressive knocking began.
Standing behind the door stood his trusty sidekick, Kagome Higurashi, in her signature Hand on her Hips pose with the all famous Look of Disapproval. She even went a step further this time, adding "impatient foot-tapping" as a bonus.
He sighed, not wanting a lecture on being on time again and walked past her to the steps that lead to the parking lot, to where her car was parked.
"Inuyasha!," she called behind before catching up with him, her face saying he was still going to get that lecture, despite his efforts. "What did I tell you!? I said to be ready! And what the hell are you wearing?" she shot at him, eyeing up his clothing and successfully making him feel self-conscious.
"What? I was trying to hurry!" he defended, climbing into the passenger seat of Kagome's car. She rolled her eyes and rived up the engine, pulling out of his drive way and onto the road.
"This isn't high school, Inuyasha; this is your job we're talking about here. And your first day! Is that the kind of impression that you want to leave on your boss? A high school punk?" She kept on. Kagome was the type of person who didn't drop a topic until finally her victim broke down and admitted she was right, whether or not she really was. But Inuyasha had waaaaay to much pride to do that, so he usually just let her ramble and complain. Maybe that was why their friendship worked. He presented an endless challenge
"Listen, it doesn't matter how I show up dressed, Okay? They said they would supply me with my own work clothes, so see? Problem solved."
Sighing in answer, Kagome took a moment of silence and finally asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," He reassured her, ignoring his inner reeling at her relenting argument.
"Alright, if you say so," She said, but he saw she was biting her cheek, meaning she highly doubted it. "It's just that, this is your first job, ever, and it'd really suck if you got fired on the first day you know?" She glanced at him, and seeing in her eyes he had no doubt that she was honestly concerned for him. She always was and always will be, he thinks. She was like a pseudo-mother of kinds.
"I understand, 'gome. I promise, I'll try my hardest not to fuck this up, Okay?" He says just as she pulls up into the parking lot of his destination. He holds up his pinky finger to her and wiggles it, a crooked smile on his face. Although she tries, Kagome can't keep her stern face on for long and, smiling back at him, she wraps her pinky around his. "Okay."
"Thanks, I'll tell you all about my day later. And thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it," he thanked climbing out of the car. Just as he was about to close the door and walk away, he heard Kagome call from inside.
"Yeah?"
"Inuyasha, is this- is this a club?"
He looked back behind himself, at the neon sign and the loud music booming inside, and back to Kagome. "Yeah, it is."
"Your… not going to be working here, are you?"
"Yeah, I am."
"…"
"As of today, Kagome, you're looking at Inuyasha, The bartender!"
He savored a moment of her confused, exasperated expression, and then waved good-bye, shutting the door and making his way to his new job.
There was one reason and one reason alone that Inuyasha decided to bartend. It wasn't because he had a fascination with hard beverages, or some bullshit, movie like revelation of a dream needing to be fulfilled. No, as a Matter-of-Fact, the reason is a lot simpler and can be explained in a single name.
Kouga Hidano
A few years back, when Inuyasha had was going to community college, Kouga had been his classmate in computer technology. And while Inuyasha blossomed in the subject, Kouga was… less so.
And basically, he'd thought him too hot not to help out, and thus began their Help-me-to-Help-you friendship, as Kouga was surprisingly nerdy in English, a subject which still haunts Inuyasha to this day. Together, they each passed both subjects with flying colors and gained the ever special reward of friendship, lasting for years.
Until, that is, Kouga dropped an unexpected bomb.
"You're WHAT!?" Inuyasha had shouted making Kouga flinching at the sudden volume of his voice, briefly worrying about the possibility of the neighbors calling the cops if things got out of hand.
"Inuyasha, calm down," he held his palms up in a way one might to a stressed animal. "Me moving out isn't the end of the world. It's for the better!"
"Better what!?" He ran his hand through his bangs, a sign of irritation for Inuyasha. "Why would you want to move out? Is it something I did? I swear, I'll start picking up my dirty clothes, it's not a big deal!"
"No, Inuyasha, it's not about that," He sat down on the floor, his back to the bed Inuyasha sat on. A dreamy misty look was in his eyes and Inuyasha knew instantly what it was about.
"You're going back to college, aren't you? To be a professor." Kouga's silence was answer enough.
"Kouga!," Inuyasha groaned, but was interrupted by Kouga's raised hand.
"Inuyasha, you know it's been my dream to be an English professor for years, this shouldn't surprise you"
"Yeah, but those were just, you know, dreams. You were never supposed to actually go back to school!"
He drug his hands again through his bangs, glaring at the wall next to him and missing Kouga's hurt expression.
"So, you never believed for to me to be able to follow my dreams?"
"No it's not like that… Kouga," he continued to stare at the wall, a sigh falling past his lips, focusing on a time sense past. "People like us don't get to follow our dreams."
He was brought out of his musing by the rush of clothing next to him, as Kouga stood up. Inuyasha was honestly surprised to see Kouga looking angrier then he'd ever seen him before.
"That's really fucked up, Inuyasha." He'd said, his voice sounding calm while his whole body was tensed. "I can follow whatever dreams I choose, and it's really fucked up you won't support me on this just because you're a lazy douche-bag whose sole income depends on how many computer break in the neighborhood."
Inuyasha flinched at his insult, hurt because he knew it was true, and also because Kouga had told it was cool. "I didn't mean it like that, I-,"
"No," he interrupted, grabbing a bag Inuyasha noticed was full. "I was going to leave in two weeks and have my stuffed shipped, but you know what? Fuck you. Fuck this apartment, Fuck you, fuck you."
For a moment they stared at each other in silence, Kouga's stare filled with anger and Inuyasha's wide-eyed and disbelieving. Inuyasha looked down first.
"I'll send someone for my stuff later," Kouga muttered, walking out the door, not once looking back at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha sat there for a long time, long after the sound of the front door slamming had left his ears.
A couple years went by and he never heard of Kouga again, and given time he started to see the situation from Kouga's perspective. What kind of friend even said shit like he did? He was supposed to help him, not make things that much harder for him. And he always wanted to take it back, and say he was sorry and have his best buddy back but he was never found out where he lived, or how he could contact him. Until one day, when Kouga messaged him.
That day, when he sat down with his laptop and saw he got an IM from Kouga, he almost thought it was joke. But sure enough, it was the old wolf, casually saying "What's up?"
He smiled, and replied back with their old joke, "The ceiling, Duh."
"So, how's it been mutt?"
"I should be the one asking you that question, you're the college boy. Forget me, how's school been?"
"Same as ever, ain't gonna change just cause I'm there. But actually, it's great. I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere, you know?"
"Yeah... no, actually. It must be great though." An empty feeling grew inside him at hearing about Kouga's success. He hadn't dropped out, and he was actually carrying on with what he wanted, and he was happy, really, but...
"What's up man?" Kouga asked, using that sixth sense of friendship that had never died out even after so much time.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it."
"Are you still mad about last time? I mean, I know it was a really bad falling out but-"
"It's not that, promise."
"So what is it? Don't lie to me man, we're bros. Bros don't keep bros in the dark."
"...It's just that, I don't know, You're moving on and I'm still stuck here... fixing computers for a living."
"Well, haven't you always wanted to study computer programming and what not?"
"Yeah, but I can't do that. You were able to, but I just can't, ya know"
"No, I don't"
"How am I going to go to school? I have no money, I don't even know the first thing about applying, and my grades from high school sucked-"
"So did mine, but here I am."
"I know but-"
"Listen. Come move out here with me."
Inuyasha froze his fingers over his keyboard, taking in what Kouga was asking him. He wanted to him to move out with him...
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, man. We can be roomies again, like old times. I can even hook you up with a job at the place I work at. We'll see if I can convince you or not what you 'can' and 'can't' do. What do you say?"
He gave himself a moment to think things over, but in the end he knew what he wanted and wasted no time making up his mind.
"What's my new job?"
Inside, the club smelled of sweat and alcohol and instantly stung his nose. Strobe lights stretched over the roof, flashing vomit-inducing colors and the floor was covered with half-naked bodies, dancing together in a mesh of limbs and hair.
He would be lying if he said none of it made him the slightest bit nervous. Having been used to the comfort of his room for the past three or so years, and such a... public place made him feel out of place, and he stood there awkwardly until a hand grabbed his arm.
There he was, looking the same as he did when they roomed together. Kouga, looking stylish in a waistcoat and bowtie.
"Well, aren't you looking dapper as fuck?"
Kouga chuckled and pushed on his shoulder, leading him to the back where the Staff Lounge was. "This is the employee universe man, you're going to have t look 'dapper', too"
"What, seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
He didn't want to believe him, but he had no choice when Kouga picked up a pile of clothes labeled 'new guy' and handed them over. He sighed and Kouga laughed again, and dropped a hand onto his shoulder.
"Welcome to the Club, bro."
A/N: My brain was all over the place while writing this, so please forgive me If it's like, really bad. I will do better, I promise.
This story was written for KAYBOP1 as a challenge, and I hope she likes it, and hope you all enjoy it.