Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Quick note: This one-shot can be read as a kind of a sequel/addition to my previous story, Alive, but you don't have to have read it to understand this one. Title comes from the song Wake Me Up by Ed Sheeran (don't own that either). Shameless fluff ahead- enjoy!
-maybe I fell in love when you woke me up-
Wake Me Up
Yellow-green sunlight filtered in softly through the open window of the treehouse. It spread gradually throughout the room like molasses, illuminating first the smooth wooden floor, then the solid walls. Creeping up the ivory blanket, tendrils of pale light finally came to cover the bed, containing three peaceful figures, against the far wall.
An intense pair of golden eyes surveyed the quiet scene, Inuyasha silently daring the audacious dawn to disturb the remnants of quiet left behind by the previous night. His gaze, briefly distracted by the sluggish approach of the sun, settled back on the sleeping face of the woman lying in his arms. His mind wandered as his hand reached up to stroke her dark hair.
It had been a long, tiring year. The same arrow that had ended Naraku's miserable existence had re-shattered the jewel, scattering shards across the land of Japan once more. The hanyou remembered his miko sinking to her knees in equal parts relief and frustration as their enemy vanished in an aura of pink light streaking across the sky.
So their mission had begun anew. However, this new journey was infinitely more wonderful, Inuyasha reflected, a grin spreading unconsciously across his face.
He was pulled into memories of the morning she agreed to marry him, the morning after their final confrontation with Naraku. She already bore the mating mark which had saved her life but recently.
He found her already awake, uncharacteristic for a girl who enjoyed sleeping in until forcibly roused. She sat at the base of the Goshinboku, and looked up smiling at his arrival, as if she had been expecting him.
"Good morning," she greeted, standing. Inuyasha took note of the slight blush that colored her cheeks with pleasure. The new peace had brought with it a certain indecisiveness in the air; they were technically already mated, but what should happen now?
He had always hated indecision. So, he had come to break the tension between them.
Inuyasha smirked outwardly to cover up his pounding heart; what he was about to do was much more terrifying than any youkai opponent he'd faced in the past.
"Strange to see you up so early, wench," he remarked offhandedly, but his actions belied his tone as he covered the ground between them and gathered her in a sudden embrace. Her head pressed to his shoulder as he mentally gathered his nerve, praying she couldn't feel his rapid pulse.
"I couldn't sleep," she replied, voice muffled by his haori. "Too many nightmares." She looked up at him somberly. "You died in too many of them."
Pulling back slightly, he raised a hand to touch the silvery mark just under the left of her jaw. He looked at her, long and slow. He watched her grow uneasy under his gaze until he spoke.
"You thought I saved your life that night," he said honestly, and they both flinched at the memory. "But it was really you that saved mine."
"Inuyasha.." Her quiet voice was filled with uncertainty.
Looking into her eyes, he knew it was now or never. He released her and sunk down on one knee, watching her hands cover her open mouth.
The current Kagome, lying close with her back to him, brought him back to the present as she stirred slightly, the early sunlight dancing across her closed eyelids. He held his breath, hoping she wouldn't wake quite yet and disturb the other, smaller form resting by her side.
Very shortly after his proposal, the hanyou and miko had married. It was important to Inuyasha that he honor Kagome's human upbringing in the way that she had always honored his youkai characteristics, and they had been wed in a small ceremony on Kagome's side of the well. Once united in both youkai and human eyes, they were finally prepared to take the step they had been driven to since he had marked her as his.
It wasn't two months afterward before they discovered the presence of the smallest member of their little family.
With that, his gaze turned to his absolutely tiny son, who had miraculously managed to stay peacefully asleep for the past several hours. His eyes traced the small hands and feet, the furrowed brow and messy tufts of white hair, the twitching ears that were miniscule copies of his own. In the few weeks since his birth, his son had never ceased amazing him.
How the hell did I end up so damn lucky?
It was beyond him to ever know.
Inuyasha resisted the urge to gather his family tightly in his arms, choosing instead to continue his silent vigil over both of them. He rarely slept at night since the pup had made his loud appearance into the world; if he wasn't taking care of his son, he was too nervous that some threat would come while he was unaware and steal away the precious joy he had found. Most nights he just gathered Kagome into his arms and kept a quiet watch until dawn.
He usually tried to get a little sleep once the sun came up, but this morning he found himself transfixed. Her skin, her scent, the curve of her neck, the steady rhythm of her breath, it was all particularly mesmerizing. Every so often the pup would squirm or make a small sound, his tiny fuzzy ears flicking about even in sleep, and it hypnotized the hanyou. He didn't consider himself a particularly sentimental man (although Kagome always did bring out his emotional side), but he wanted to memorize every moment of this time.
However, the encroaching sunlight grew steadily brighter, and his pup's quiet whimpers threatened to turn into full-on cries. Reluctantly, Inuyasha pressed his lips to Kagome's neck, sharp fangs gently grazing the place he'd desperately marked so long ago. His hand traced small circles on her stomach. She stirred with a groan, shifting to lie on her back and opening bleary eyes to meet his alert expression.
"Pup's waking up," he muttered, and she reached up to kiss him, long and slow.
"You should be careful how you wake me up, then," she complained sleepily, winding a strand of his long white hair in-between her fingers. A simple diamond ring on her finger sparkled in the sunlight as she did so. "It's not fair to tease."
He smirked at her, leaning down to kiss her jaw. She sighed contentedly in response. "Keh. I never claimed to be fair."
Rolling her eyes, she turned over to give her attention to their son as he really began to cry, his insistent voice splitting the peace of the early morning. "I suppose you didn't," she allowed, too tired to tease much more so early. She yawned as she got up to change his diaper.
The rays of light streaming through the window gave Inuyasha a wonderful view of the beauty in the scene as his mate swept her messy hair back, off her shoulders, bending down to take care of their child. In a quick, smooth motion, he was up from the bed to help her. Once the task was done, Kagome returned to the bed and raised the pup to her breast, feeding him to quiet him.
Inuyasha let her rest against his chest as she sleepily snuggled back into him, holding their baby. He brushed his lips across the top of her head, remembering a sunset long ago when they had rested in a tree in this same position, struggling to confess their feelings. She smiled up at him in response to his kiss, presumably remembering the same tree.
"You're still awake," he joked, placing a hand over hers on the pup's back. She grinned. Her eyes sparkled.
"With the way you woke me up, koi, how could I fall back asleep so soon?"
Yellow-green sunlight filtered in brightly through the open window of the treehouse. Brown eyes met gold ones, illuminated by the rising sun. And Inuyasha felt himself fall in love with her all over again.
-fin-
A/N: No, you aren't dreaming, I actually posted something. Completely a spur of the moment thing. I wrote this out of the blue an hour ago. It's Father's Day and I kept picturing Inuyasha as a dad- that's really the only excuse I have.
Hope you enjoyed this bit of family!InuKag fluff.
Reviews are always welcome! Feels good to post again. :)
~Lady E