AN: This is written for day one of Inuvember 2015: InuKag day. The story was inspired by the prompt "It works every other Tuesay." from Prompt Set #569 by allofthepromts dot tumblr dot com. I hope you enjoy!
Warning: Explicit language
She knew how to work a coffee pot, honestly. She did. There had to be something wrong with the machine, because she'd spent the last twenty minutes cleaning it, replacing the grounds, and filling it with water just like she was supposed to. But still, it sat there on the counter, flicking its little red light at her as if to say, "Not today, Kagome Higurashi. Not today." She sighed and slumped forward onto the countertop, dropping her forehead onto its wooden surface. This morning in particular seemed to be doomed from the beginning. Last night's storm had blown out the power and reset her alarm clock, and when she'd awoken an hour and a half late to a random blinking number, there hadn't been any hot water in her apartment. Not to mention, the load of work clothes she'd put in the dryer had still been sopping come morning, so her frantic searching for something—no matter how hideous—she could wear to work meant she would definitely miss her train. In near defeat, she made the long, chilly walk to work in rumpled clothes, smudged eyeliner, and a tragically rebellious head of hair that refused to obey the haphazard hairspray job she attempted.
Come on, work you stupid thing! Kagome frowned as she mashed the brew button for the twentieth time.
"You're wasting your time," said a rough voice behind her. She winced; she knew exactly who it belonged to. "That damn thing only works every other Tuesday. You'd be better off going downstairs and getting something from the cafe."
Embarrassed, she blushed and shook her head. "I uh, left my wallet at home by accident…" She couldn't bring herself to directly meet his eyes. Even then, she could see that he was the most beautiful man in the entire building, and he had to talk to her today of all days!
He laughed, his whole face crinkling into a (gorgeous) smile she'd never seen before. "You're kind of a scatterbrain, huh?" He smirked and took a sip from his coffee cup.
Wait, what? Scatterbrain?! He didn't even know her, and here he was calling her names! With his stupid silver hair and golden eyes made of the sunset and well-toned, suit clad body…how dare he? "I am not!" She crossed her arms and looked him dead in the eye, narrowing her own. "It's just a bad morning, and you're definitely not helping!" She stormed past him and down the hall toward her cubicle. What else is going to go wrong today? she lamented, falling resignedly into her desk chair.
What did I do? he wondered, watching her disappear down the hallway with a blank look on his face. This is the first time he'd ever talked to her, or well, got up the nerve to approach her. How had he messed up already? He hadn't meant any harm by it, but apparently his stupid-ass mouth had managed it anyway.
He tossed back the last dregs of the coffee in his cup and tossed it in the bin, shoving his hands in his pockets as he shuffled past the pod of cubicles where she worked. He always made sure to walk slow enough to catch a good sight of her, and today he made an extra effort. Usually, she wore a bright, cheerful smile and a friendly disposition; if someone had asked him how to describe her, and he felt like a fool enough to admit it, he'd tell them she was made of pure sunlight. But he wasn't a fool, so he didn't dare tell a soul that she made him feel happy and almost affectionate, the thought of which disgusted him. Since when am I that person?
Today though, there was a definite storm cloud over her head, and he assumed she'd never guess, but it dampened the whole room. She was having the worst day he'd ever seen, and he made her worse? Fuck. Of course he did. He always had to be that asshole. But he would make it up to her, and not just because he wanted her to like him. He hated the storm cloud that tormented her, and he wanted to break through it.
This is gonna bite me in the ass, he thought as he walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. He tapped his foot impatiently, questioning himself. What the hell was he doing for this girl? When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, he made his way over to the cafe in the lobby, ordering a cup of coffee and a chocolate muffin. He'd noticed that she always seemed to have some sort of sweet or baked good on her desk, so he took a chance. On his way back up, the foot-tapping started again. Looking at the items he was holding made him even more nervous. She was going to throw this back in his face, so why was he doing it?
When he entered her cubicle, he sat the coffee and muffin on her desk. With a confused look on her face, she asked, "Inuyasha?"
He turned away, unable to look her in the eye, clearing his throat and mumbling, "I never said bein' a scatterbrain was a bad thing."
"Oh," she sniffled, and he saw that tears were brimming in her eyes.
Shit, what did I do? Why is she crying?
Before he could register what was happening, she'd flung her arms around his waist. "Thank you!" she cried, squeezing him tightly.
A warmth erupted in his chest that flooded to his gut, and he wrapped his arms around her, realizing that holding her felt more natural than he could ever have imagined. Why is she so damn precious? he wondered, unable to stop himself from smiling a little, because this might be one of the best days of his life.
