Shot Week IV: Lovey Dovey Edition

by The Monday Child

In the fourth edition of shot week, we have: a husband going out of his way to give his wife the perfect gift, a desperate girl willing to do anything for a paycheck, a blast from the past who doesn't want to stay there, a visit from family shaking things up, a love that cannot be tamed or extinguished, a couple that really wants a very illegal piece of property, and a bully...

4. Chastisement

Kagome is a typical college girl concentrating on boys and drinking and partying, with the occasional brush with schoolwork. When a family member drops in, it becomes apparent that that she has a not-so-typical secret.

All are human in this one.

Four: Chastisement

"To the last fucking midterms we'll ever have to suffer through!" Miroku yelled, still barely audible over the music of the bar.

Sango, Kagome, and Hojo all clinked glasses with him before chugging their drinks down in one go.

"I'll buy the next round!" Kōga yelled. For the entire night, he and Hojo had been competing to get Kagome sloppy drunk. So far, they'd just managed to make her a little tipsy.

"Wanna dance?" Hojo asked her, shouting right against her ear.

Before she could answer, a strange man none of them had seen before walked over and came up behind her, playfully covering her eyes. Hojo was about to tell him to fuck off and find his own girl, but then Kagome screamed. The sound was far from fearful, in fact, it was full of happiness.

"Oh my gods, you're here!" she shrieked, turning around and hugging the man, crying in excitement. Overjoyed. Kagome was overjoyed to be surprised by this man, to touch him.

Hojo sat back down, feeling glum.

"This is Inuyasha," she explained to her friends. "I've told you about him, right, Sango? Usually he's travelling all over for work and barely has time to come home, and then it's almost always in the summer and over holidays."

Her scorned lover eyed the tall man. He was older, but not by much, and successful, by the looks of him. There were shadows underneath his eyes and stubble on his chin, but he was smiling with the same excitement Kagome shared. His long dark hair was down around his shoulders and he wore a white t-shirt and jeans that were so tight they made Hojo feel just a little inadequate. The man had tattoos snaking around his arms and shoulders. Who the hell was this bastard and what kind of hold did he have over Kagome?

"What do you do?" Hojo immediately asked. He was studying finance and planned on living the kind of life that would keep his future wife (fingers crossed it was the black-haired beauty across from him) more than comfortable.

"I work in tech. Mostly security and stuff like that."

How vague. The guy was probably a loser that played online video games all day.

"Interesting. So, how do you know our Kagome?"

The smirk that twisted the man's lips communicated without words that he knew what kind of game Hojo was playing. Putting one of his filthy arms around Kagome, he drew her close.

"She's my niece."

The group burst out laughing. Seriously? He was obviously only a couple years older than them.

"It's true," Kagome pouted. "Inuyasha's only five years older than me. He's my mom's kid brother, a surprise baby, and my mom had me pretty young. We grew up together."

Hojo felt like he should be relieved but the unsettling feeling in his stomach wasn't going away. "How come you've never mentioned him before?" It was an awkward question, he knew it, but damn it, he couldn't stop himself, not when it came to her.

Inuyasha raised a brow and stared him down. "Well, Kagome's never mentioned any of you before, either."

There was an awkward silence that he took full responsibility for. Thankfully, Sango changed the subject.

"So, Inuyasha, where did your travels take you last?"

He smiled at her and took the beer Kagome offered him, drinking the rest of her drink, his lips touching where the barely visible smudge of her lipstick sat. It was a small mistake, and anyone else who would be paying attention as closely as Hojo was would have thought it an innocent mistake on the part of the obviously exhausted man, but he trusted his gut, and his gut couldn't stop picturing that damn smirk.

"I just got back from Portugal. It was pretty great, even though I wasn't exactly there as a tourist."

The conversation went on and on after that, Kōga joining them and even him falling under the spell of the man who painted himself as a seasoned adventurer. But Hojo was watching, not listening. Kagome was staring at Inuyasha adoringly the entire time, all her attention on him in a way he had never seen it turned toward anyone or anything else. Not even her schoolwork, and she had perfect grades. To someone less attentive than he, it would appear that her uncle was borderline outright ignoring her. Inuyasha wasn't looking at her or addressing her.

But that was just a show.

Anytime Kagome's attention drifted in the slightest increment away from him, he would touch her arm, or say something about her in conversation. Even tug on the ends of her hair. It ensured she was always a hundred percent completely focused on him.

The thoughts he was having shouldn't have been running through his head, not about his sweet Kagome, but they were and they were making him sick. The entire night, he had been competing with Kōga to get her to come home with him, but now he knew that he didn't stand a chance. Neither of them did. It would never happen as long as that guy was around.

"It's been great meeting all of you, but I'm sorry, I should call it a night. I'm pretty beat." The smile he gave them all was mild and perfectly charming, but the look in his eyes was anything but. "C'mon, Kagome. Let's go home."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kagome squealed, scrambling to her feet. "Forgive me, Inuyasha. I should have been more considerate."

"It's fine," he soothed her.

Together, they left.

Hojo sat in his seat, fuming. "It's fine"!? Like it was her fault he was tired? The idiot didn't have to come and hunt her down when she was out having fun with her friends. He could have just gone straight home and not ruined the entire weekend. And there Kagome was, scampering after him adoringly, feeling guilty and sorry for him. Couldn't she see what a bastard he was!?

"We better get going, too," Miroku said. "It's later than I thought. I've gotta help old man Mushin clean tomorrow."

"Want a ride, Hojo?" his fiancée asked.

Hojo nodded sheepishly. He had ridden here with Kagome. Kōga elected to stay a little longer and hang out with some other people he recognized. As the three of them walked to the parking lot, Sango suddenly stopped them, holding her arm out so the two men couldn't pass.

"Uhhh, I forgot. It's uh, it's easier if we go the other way around the building. It's a shortcut." Her giggle was high-pitched and almost nervous-sounding.

"But my love, that makes no sense—"

"Shut up, Miroku!" she hissed, and that was the end of that. Physically dragging the two men away, Sango led them all the way back where they had come and then ran to the car, not even waiting for Hojo to close his door completely before peeling out of the parking lot.

O\o/O

"Oh gods," Kagome moaned, tangling her hands in his hair. "Oh, I'm gonna—I'm going to—"

Inuyasha knelt in front of her on the dirty ground of the alley. It wasn't the most romantic of places for a rendezvous, being outside in the cold against the wall of a loud bar and next to a dumpster, but once they'd left they hadn't been able to keep their hands off one another. It had been so long. One of her legs was thrown over his shoulder and Kagome hazily wondered if she would be able to stand for much longer. Her legs were trembling as it was.

The tip of his tongue nudging her clit, Inuyasha ducked back down and sucked her pussy lips into his mouth, first one and then the other. Just when she was about to lose it, he got to his feet. Had he not been holding her so securely, she knew she would have fallen. Then he kissed her, and he was standing for the both of them. Kagome was falling, feeling faint and overheated and overwhelmed by the mere pressure of his lips against hers, the way they moved and enticed her own to move with them.

Tugging the bodice of her pink and white bodycon dress down, he released her braless breasts out into the cold. She shivered, her already hard nipples pulsing with the need to be kissed as well. The bottom of the tight garment was still shoved above her hips, so she was now exposed above and below.

"Walk to the car," he whispered, lips against her ear sending tingles throughout every part of her.

Another game. How had she been able to go so long without playing with him? Kagome smiled at him, at the dare in his eyes. Did he think she had become timid because he had been away so long, or had he just forgotten that she could take whatever he could dish out and more? After all, the game was for her. With an extra wiggle in her stride, she sashayed her way to the car in the lot. There weren't many people about. A few witnesses only. Most didn't notice. One or two gave her some shocked stares.

Kagome didn't even feel the cold or the shame. She was walking on air.

Inuyasha took his sweet time making his way to the car. The closer he got to her, the more predatory his approach. Soon, but still too long for her comfort, they were standing together again.

Her tongue darted out to lick her suddenly dry lips. "What are you waiting for?"

A brief pause. "I wanna memorize you. So the next time we're apart, I'll have this picture right there whenever I close my eyes."

She smiled and tried not to blush. "If you want a picture that badly, just take one."

Barking a laugh at her seeming lack of care towards indecent exposure, he took out his phone and snapped a quick photo. Kagome posed like an old pin-up girl, one leg bent at the knee and her foot resting against the car door while her arms were up and holding her hair. When he was done, he leaned closer to her, arms caging her in against the car's cold exterior. Her eyes drifted shut on their own and she swayed, drawn to him magnetically, her lips aching for the kiss she knew was coming.

Inuyasha snickered and opened the car door instead.

"It was unlocked the whole time," he snickered, holding the keys up before her eyes.

Kagome gasped in faux outrage. "You're awful!"

"Not as awful as all the things I'm going to do to you tonight."

After something like that, she couldn't get in the car quick enough. The second they were inside, he turned the heat up, remembering she was always cold and doing her that favor even though he perpetually ran hot. Kagome's heart fluttered at the small act. And then they were driving and Inuyasha kept one hand between her legs as firmly as he kept the other on the steering wheel.

"No touching yourself," he snapped when she moved her hands to play with her breasts. "And no touching me, either. You're not allowed."

Her hands shrinking back from where they had been reaching for him, she instead grabbed the headrest. For the rest of the ten-minute drive back home, he fingered her, deftly playing with her pussy in the way only he could. Not once did he betray a lapse in concentration, either with his attention to her or his driving. Why was it that the excellent multitasking was almost as sploosh-worthy as his thumb whispering across her clit?

There was no one like him.

Once they arrived in the driveway, Kagome waited for him to open her door. Keeping her hands on the headrest, she watched him watch her, his dark eyes raking over her almost nude body. Her lips trembled and he wasn't even touching her. Reaching out, Inuyasha touched his pinky finger to her bottom lip, dragging it down her chin and throat and then circling her areola.

"Get out."

In a heartbeat she was kneeling at his feet.

"We'll do things a little different tonight, pretty girl. Just 'cause it's been so damn long and I don't have the patience to mess around with you."

Instead of making her crawl to the door like he usually did, Inuyasha swooped her up into his arms, making her gasp in surprise. With nervous giggling, she unlocked the door for him and then he was bolting for the bedroom. Kagome was eager, too. Ignoring his earlier command not to touch, she pulled his t-shirt up, temporarily blinding him until he dumped her on the bed and ripped it all the way off himself. Immediately he came down to kiss her and then her world was all warm and glittery. Arching her back and hips, she helped him take off her dress that had temporarily become a belt. Now that her bare skin was touching his again, she felt right on the edge, just as she had in the alley. The ache in her stomach was intense and the yearning between her thighs was a sweet torture.

Inuyasha kissed the shell of her ear, making her sigh in pleasure and longing. "You've gone too long without being punished."

"Nine months," she whined, her voice breaking with lust and pain from remembering their separation.

He outlined her clit with just the tip of his index finger before drawing his finger up and caressing her abdomen. "That is a long time. If we weren't careful, then you'd have given me a child by now."

Kagome whimpered at the forbidden thought, feeling a new rush of wetness between her legs. "I need you, Inuyasha."

"Then tell me. Say it, Kagome."

Opening her eyes back up, she locked gazes with him. "Please punish me, Uncle Inuyasha. Please make me hurt until I'm good. Make me your good girl."

"My sweet slut niece," he crooned, gifting her a soft kiss to the lips. Pulling out a very familiar red silk ribbon from his pants pocket, he carefully gagged her with it. "You'll have to be punished for what you are, pretty baby."

In one rough movement, he turned her over. Spreading her legs, he placed a kiss on each off her ass cheeks.

"I bought you a new toy." She heard the sounds of him opening and closing a drawer, and then he was probing her ass with his index finger, lubing her up. "I've been taking it out every night and imagining all the fun we'd have with it." His steady hand on her hip helped her to relax, and the toy popped in with a minimal amount of strain. Slapping her ass once, he kneeled behind her and she heard him unzip his pants and toss them on the floor.

A muffled shriek escaped her when out of nowhere he held a vibrator on full-blast against her clit. It was just for a second, but she had been so close to coming that she had felt her muscles clench in glorious anticipation. Then he removed it and she choked on her own gasp of pain when his belt met her unsuspecting ass. A few more strikes to her backside and the tops of her thighs and her skin was burning, sensitive from the pain. Still, she worked her way to her knees and wiggled her bottom in the air, inviting more.

"Fuck," he groaned at the sight of her. "Come here, bitch."

Without giving her the chance to move, he grabbed her hips and pulled her right onto his hard and ready cock. Having him move against her again after so long was pure bliss and Kagome found herself weeping, glad that the gag was muffling her sounds because he would undoubtedly stop and check on her and the last thing she wanted was for him to stop, or for him to see her reacting this way. Inuyasha's grunts were restrained, and he slowed his pace, his movements going from pure instinctual animalistic madness to a more controlled but no less satisfying rhythm meant to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up exactly like they were doing.

Every thrust he made inside her had her clenching down, and soon she noticed that the more she clenched down the more the plug inside her burned. After a few minutes, the burning changed from brief pulses to a constant pain. The hurt was making it take longer than usual for her to come even as her juices were running down her thighs. Without a warning, she was yanked to her knees by her hair and she shrieked at the pain and the anticipation. When he did that, it meant he was going to come, and he wanted her to work on him a little before he did. Together, him thrusting and her bouncing, they chased their orgasms. Tonguing the drool-soaked gag that formerly belonged to her school uniform, she sought out his hand with her own, and when their fingers laced together, her orgasm raced through her in unison with her strangled cry. A single thrust was all he had left in him before he was following her into paradise.

Inuyasha removed her gag and kissed her, soft and slow and oh so sweetly, before removing the plug from her bottom. Before he could leave and get the towels for cleanup, Kagome clung to him, kissing him over and over everywhere she could reach. She didn't think it was possible for her to ever get enough of him.

"Gods, I missed you so much," she told him, fighting off a resurgence of tears. "I hate that you leave."

Lying on his back, he pulled her on top of him, cradling her face in his hands and just looking at her. "I came straight to you from the airport. I was gonna take a nap since I've slept maybe three hours in the past two days, but then I saw those pictures you put on Instagram. You're so fucking hot and I know just how much every man in that place was going to want to fuck you, and I couldn't let that happen. I needed to have you first."

Kagome kissed him one last time. "Sleep, Inuyasha. I'll make your favorite breakfast tomorrow and we can spend the weekend together. I might even take Monday off for you."

Already, he was dozing off, eyes crossing the slightest bit in a way that could be called nothing else but adorable. Arranging them in a spooning position, he enveloped her in his arms and she knew he wouldn't let her go until he woke up.

"Get me up in the usual way."

Kagome shuddered a little, turned on just thinking about it. Now, she had to ask now, while they were still in a beautiful afterglow bubble. That way it wouldn't hurt as much.

"How long are you staying this time?"

"Dunno. I decided to take care of some things before my next assignment." He yawned and she felt bad for being so chatty, but she couldn't help it. Their moments together were so few and far between. "Might take a while. You'll probably get sick of me."

"Never! You already know how much I love being with you. Gods, I just wish whatever super secret government spy computer thingy you're doing could be done from home. Then we could always be together."

She felt him smile against her neck and then he kissed her there. "We'll talk more tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. Whenever we're forced to take a break and rehydrate before we can fuck again."

Goosebumps sprung up on her skin starting from where his lips had touched her. Kagome giggled and drew the covers over them, again lacing her fingers through his.

When she dreamed, images of how this all began were woven throughout the night.

O\o/O

It hadn't always been like this. They hadn't always been so unusually close.

When they were younger, they hated each other.

Inuyasha was arrogant. In addition to that, he was smart and popular and athletic did not tolerate those who weren't perfect like him. To those like Kagome, to whom living life did not come easily, he was cruel. So, so cruel.

"It's not because of you, Kagome," Grandma Kaede would always tell her in an attempt to get her to stop crying. "Inuyasha's really just sad. He doesn't have a daddy anymore and he misses him."

"But I never had a daddy and I'm n-not m-mean to him!" she would wail.

"Just try and understand, my dear."

All she could understand was that he was a lot older than her and bigger than her. When he pulled her hair and melted her crayons and tore the heads off her dolls and called her mean names, he was hurting her, and that made her cry, and that was wrong. He was bad.

Her only escape from his bullying was at school, and that was where she shone. Well, if you could call staying out of everyone's way and forming a few close relationships while achieving average scores shining, then that was what she did.

It didn't take too long for her to notice that her uncle was always a lot meaner to her after her mother visited.

Grandma Kaede always told her to be careful and to never under any circumstances call her mother anything but Kikyo in front of her. It felt dishonest. So whenever the woman did drop by on one of her rare and always unannounced visits, Kagome didn't call her anything at all. In fact, she didn't say a word. It wasn't like she wanted it that way. She just couldn't. When she was little, she wasn't yet able to articulate it, but she was finally able to put her finger on it when she entered adulthood.

Kagome was unwanted.

Kikyo and Kaede and even Inuyasha would always gather in the kitchen together when her mother visited. The little room became a cheery hub full of warm laughter at their reunion and Kikyo would tell them stories of all her travels, of the charity work that she did to help children in other countries. But whenever Kagome even tried to just be present, not even making a peep, just wanting to witness that the woman who had given birth to her and promptly left her to be raised by her own mother was in fact real and alive and accessible, the conversation would pause and everything became awkward. Grandma Kaede would try and say something to rekindle the earlier jovial flowing conversation, sometimes casually making mention of how good a reader Kagome was or point out one of her drawings on the fridge. After that topic always predictably went nowhere, Kagome was ignored until she was violently shooed from the room by Inuyasha.

She thought she was maybe around six or seven before she figured out her mother would stay for twice as long if she never saw her.

Things weren't so bad most of the time. If she stayed out of his way, Inuyasha stayed out of hers. Since he was so much older than her, or what felt like so much older when they were younger, they never saw each other in school. As he got older, he tended to stay out with friends more and more and take multiple jobs at once. With separate bedrooms, separate bathrooms, and opposite schedules, it was easy to pretend it was just her and her grandmother most of the time. Still, there was always that old hurt and fear of him lying just underneath the surface.

As though her life was a crappy eighties movie, everything came to a head the night of her senior prom.

Never one to really spend time on her appearance, Kagome wore oversized glasses and her uniform was a couple sizes too big because used ones were discounted and they didn't have one that actually fit her. Since she didn't really belong to any particular group and the only notable thing about her was how good she was at staying out of the way of others and going unnoticed, she was as surprised as anyone when the recently single Hiten, one of the best-looking guys on the football team, asked her to go to the dance with him. It was just as friends and he made sure she understood that in an almost painfully clear way, but still, that was pretty amazing. They did sit next to one another in trig and he copied off of her more often than not. Maybe it was his way of paying her back. Either that or his weird little brother that was still in middle school and freakishly obsessed with her had begged him to do it.

Since she felt awkward in her own skin and was entirely ignorant in the subject of beauty, her grandmother saw fit to help her out and generously treated her to a full day at a spa, with hair and make-up and nails all included. When they got home and she looked in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself.

"Oh wow," Kagome breathed. Her hand reached up to touch her face but she stopped halfway. No, she didn't want to ruin it.

Somehow, the women who had spent hours working on her today had created a miracle. Was this really what she looked like? But her eyelashes were so long, and her eyes were so big. Her hair fell in smooth waves to the middle of her back, free of the messy bun she normally wore. The red lipstick made her lips look much plumper and she felt like a classic film star.

"Here you go, dear," Kaede said, holding out a red dress. "It was your mother's prom dress. I've been working on it here and there so it would fit you."

"Oh, thank you!" she squealed. From what she could remember of the times she had hidden and drank in the sight of her stranger mother, Kikyo was taller than she was and thinner.

The dress was a little daring for her tastes, but maybe that was just who she was tonight. It was simple, almost like a satin nightgown, but for the nice lines and darts that gave it a little bustier-lingerie look. When she tried it on, she felt like she was beautiful for the first and only time in her life. It was a little tight and she couldn't wear a bra with it, but if her grandmother said it was okay, then it was okay.

"Thank you so much, Grandma!" Kagome was trying hard not to cry, not wanting to ruin her makeup. Throwing her arms around Kaede, she blessed her only parent's arthritic hands.

Kaede, however, couldn't hold back her own tears. "I'm sorry, dear, it's just…you look so much like her." At the look on Kagome's face, she continued, "I'm sorry. Here, dear, something else from me. It's just a little something for tonight. I hope you feel like as much of a princess as I did when I wore it so many years ago."

Taking the object wrapped in white tissue paper, Kagome unwrapped it, trying to ignore the confused feelings inside herself at her grandmother's earlier comment. When it was fully revealed, she was speechless. Kaede had just given her the tiara she wore at her own wedding, a delicate thing of tiny thin twisting gold branches with little leaves and exquisite seed pearl blossoms, crafted for her by her husband Totosai as an engagement gift. Handing it back to Kaede, she allowed her to crown her with it.

The mirror showed them a beautiful girl. Not only did she look beautiful, she felt beautiful, and that was more important. All the hours she had spent letting others get her ready no longer felt so hideously tedious and wasteful. It was all worth it.

They had agreed to meet at the hotel, part of the whole "just friends" thing, she guessed, and so she took a taxi there. Kaede had offered to get a limo, but it would have been weird taking one by herself. Most of her friends were skipping the dance, and the ones that weren't were going with their boyfriends. Before Hiten had asked her, she had been planning on skipping herself, just staying in and watching movies and trying not to think of what the other kids her age were doing.

When she walked into the hotel ballroom, the looks on everyone's faces told her she had made the right choice. Hiten's showed shock. He was slow to recognize her at first, but then there it was, recognition and complete bafflement. Something else, too. Never before had she seen that look directed at her, but she recognized it all the same from when it had been given to other girls, the kinds of girls she wished she could be more like. He liked her. He thought she was pretty.

"Kagome," he said, still not quite having recovered from the surprise of seeing her done up. "I started to think you were going to stand me up."

She smiled at him. "No way. A promise is a promise."

"Wanna dance?"

"Absolutely." Kagome didn't know how to dance, but all the same, she was going through with it.

The girls Hiten had been standing with were still processing what was happening, too confused to even glare at her or protest, and then she had the one they sought all to herself.

"I'm really glad you showed," he murmured, drawing her close even though it wasn't a slow song.

"Were you waiting awhile?"

"I'd wait a hundred years for you."

It was fake and it was stupid but she still blushed.

The night started off great. They were dancing and she was laughing even though he wasn't really funny and people who had never given her the time of day were acting like they were best friends. Hiten was always touching her, always grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her off to dance again when one of his guy friends talked to her a little too long. At first, she liked it. Having him act so possessive of her was thrilling. But as the night wore on and he got touchier and touchier, it got a little scary.

"Here, have some more punch."

Kagome grabbed the plastic cup. Gods, why was he so concerned with keeping her hydrated. Thanking him, she scrunched up her nose and drank the unpleasantly sharp-tasting punch, doing it only to be nice. After the third one, she couldn't feel her mouth.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked.

"Yeah. I need to go outschide," she said, lips feeling funny. "Need schome air."

"Sure thing."

Ever the gentleman, he took her out into the hotel hallway and she leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths.

"You look really good tonight," he said, getting far too close to her for comfort.

"Thanks." She closed her eyes and tipped her head back against the wall, wishing she had a chair nearby to sink into.

Something soft pressed into her lips and she furrowed her brow. Was she…? She opened her eyes. Oh gods, this was her first kiss. Weren't her eyes supposed to be closed? Wasn't she supposed to kiss back? Wasn't he—

As suddenly as he started the kiss, he broke it, lips moving over her neck and then down her chest, his tongue darting out to lick at her exposed cleavage.

"Hiten, I don't—"

"Just let me, Kagome. I really like you."

He did? That was news to her. The football player grabbed her ass, squeezing too hard for comfort. His hands ran up her body and then he was tugging her bodice down in an attempt to get her topless. In his haste, he ripped her dress.

Revolted, Kagome pushed him away. "Hiten, stop it! This is my mother's dress. It's important!"

"Did you seriously just fucking push me!?" he said, voice low and threatening. "You little bitch, I'll fucking—"

Before the hand he had raised to her could even come down, someone yanked him back by the collar so hard he fell onto his butt right in the middle of the hallway.

"Fuck off back to your friends or I'll throw you out, you little shit."

Hiten glared at her then looked at the guy, sizing him up, before storming off. Kagome knew she wouldn't be welcome back at the dance.

"What the hell, Inuyasha!?" Kagome yelled, too angry to be surprised at his appearance or grateful. "Why did you butt in? I had it handled!"

Inuyasha stared at her, swaying on his feet a little. "Kikyo?"

Feeling unreasonably angry at the mention of her mother, she slapped him. "It's me, you idiot," she hissed. "Kagome. KA-GO-ME. Remember me? Your niece?"

He scowled at her and his eyes seemed a little clearer. "Oh. You. Why're you wearing Kikyo's dress and fucking some kid in a hotel lobby?"

"Ugh, you're disgusting. Just take me home." Kagome walked past him, hoping to get out of here fast and in bed and pretend it all never happened.

He grabbed her arm. Hard. "No. Why are you at a hotel with a guy?"

After everything she had gone through already tonight, the last thing she wanted was to talk to the man who had tormented her all her life before finally moving out five years ago.

"Let. Go. Of. Me."

"You're being a slut."

The word broke her. "So the fuck what!? I'll do what I want to do and you don't get to tell me anything! You don't care about me, asshole. Let me go. I hate you!"

Inuyasha dragged her over to the now open elevator, his expression enraged. She was surprised when his voice came out in a whisper. "You need to shut your whore mouth, you ungrateful little bitch."

At his repeated insults, her hand rose to strike him again, but then he held her tightly to him, hugging her but just pressing her face against his suit jacket, almost suffocating her. When she heard the voices of others getting on the elevator, she understood why.

"Aw, you two are so cute together!" a woman gushed. "Prom? Adorable."

Thankfully, they got off on the next floor and he released her. She hated herself for not having struggled and hated herself again for still being alone in the elevator with him. Why hadn't she run? Why was it that she still trusted Inuyasha to be her savior when he would never be that? Kagome wanted to yell at him, but all the anger had left her. All she felt was a hurting emptiness. They stared at one another from opposite sides of the silent elevator, her heart beating faster and faster, until they arrived at his floor, the top floor.

He grabbed her wrist, but when he seemed certain she wasn't going to run, his grip transferred to her hand. Together, they walked to his room.

"You're gonna have to call home and get my mom to come and pick you up. I'm too drunk to drive."

"I left my phone in my bag downstairs. What are you doing here, anyway?"

He shrugged and went to the bed, sitting down and taking off his shoes and jacket. "I got back from a work assignment. An old girlfriend and I were gonna meet up, but she never showed, so I hung out in the bar and drowned my lonely ass in watered down whiskey." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Have you ever gotten drunk before?"

"No!" she protested, incensed he would ever think anything like that of her. She tried her hardest to always be good. The opposite of him.

Inuyasha sneered, that old malice making an appearance in his eyes. "A whore and a liar. Way to go, Kagome."

That was it. "Why are you always so mean to me!?" she cried. It sounded whiny but she didn't care. "I've never done anything to you, Inuyasha, I've always been so nice—"

"Shut up," he growled.

"—and I always admired you and how great you were—"

"Shut up."

"—and it hurts that I can't love you like I should because we're family and—"

"Shut the fuck up already!"

Before she could really process what was happening, he had her pinned down on the bed, his hand on her throat.

"You never should have been born," he told her, cold and quiet. "You fucking ruined everything."

Kagome was crying already, sensing that everything she didn't want to know was going to be forced down her throat. "Stop, Inuyasha. I'm sorry. Please stop it."

But he didn't stop.

"Mom and Dad were away that weekend. Kikyo was babysitting me and some guy broke in," he rambled, and she felt like he wasn't even seeing her anymore. His eyes were looking somewhere else, sometime else. "She hid me under the bed. For six hours, that bastard," here, he squeezed her neck, "tortured her. Raped her. Over and over again. He got tired, I guess. Took some shit and left. Kikyo was too hurt to even get to the phone, so I had to do it. I was five fucking years old." He shook her and she tried to stay absolutely still, afraid to set him off further. "When they saw her in the hospital, Dad had a heart attack. And the fucking bastard that did all this died in a car accident while the cops were pursuing him. Didn't even see a cell. But a part of him lived on. It still does."

"No," she whimpered, closing her eyes and feeling the tears leak down her temples and into her hair. "Don't do this, please, Inuyasha."

"Kikyo couldn't go to school after that. Everyone knew what happened and she was humiliated. And when she found out about you, she was too far along to get it taken care of. You know she tried throwing herself down the stairs to get rid of you? But it didn't work. You just stayed there, leeching. And then she tried pills. All sorts of pills, all at once. I found her passed out and again, I was the one that had to call the ambulance. Instead of getting rid of you, the doctors just induced labor and then we were stuck with a baby no one fucking wanted." His eyes were horribly blank, terribly cold. "You ruined Kikyo. You ruined everything."

"I didn't mean it when I said I hated you before," she choked out, "but I sure as hell mean it now."

For the first time, he seemed to see her, really see her, taking in her ripped bodice and smeared makeup. And the hatred in his eyes morphed, twisting into cruel rage.

Inuyasha laughed. "You hate me for being honest? For treating you like what you are? But you wanted to run after a fucker who was going to hit you. You wanted us to be friends, right? Well, let me show you what your friend was going to do to you back there and fix everything."

His hands went to her breasts and she gasped. With the help of the tear in the seam from Hiten, Inuyasha rent her dress in pieces. Kagome cried and struggled, trying to kick him and hit him, but her blows either weren't landing or weren't working, she wasn't sure which. He slapped her just hard enough to sting and grabbed both her wrists, pinning them down on the mattress as he held her in place with his body.

"Your nipples are fucking hard," he said, sounding a little surprised. "I'm gonna taste 'em."

And he did. His head ducked down and he sucked on one of her nipples, mouth like a vacuum.

Kagome suddenly stopped struggling.

"You taste fucking good," he mumbled.

Going back down for more, he ran his tongue over and around her areola, no technique, just pure exploration. His lips plucked at her and she arched her back, moaning. In response, he ran his teeth over her and made her shiver. His pace leisured, he kissed and teased her other nipple, giving it the same treatment. The heat between her legs grew at a fearsome pace and her stomach hurt with longing.

"I think you want this," he said, sounding really and truly puzzled. "I think you're due for a brutal fucking and I think I want to be the one that does it."

With that, he dragged her panties down her legs and off, about to throw them before reconsidering and stuffing them in her mouth.

"Keep that in there or you'll regret it."

When he was assured she was going to be obedient, he transferred his hold of her wrists to one hand and used the other to touch her. Kagome's muscles twitched wherever he touched her, over her stomach, her thighs. When the tips of his fingers brushed against her entrance, she embarrassed herself by spreading her legs for him. Whatever had come over her, she didn't know. Whether the madness was new or had been inside her all along wasn't something she could answer and she didn't even really want to think about it.

"You're fucking wet," he laughed. "I can actually fucking hear it, you little slut. So tight… And a virgin? No wonder you're so desperate you'll even fuck your uncle." Unzipping his pants, he turned her over. "You don't have to wait anymore. It'll be our secret."

The first thrust should have hurt. Oh gods, she wished it hurt. But it didn't. It should have hurt and she should have screamed and tried to run a long time ago. But she didn't. It was a tight fit and he wasn't gentle but she liked it. The two of them moaned in unison.

"Oh fuck, Kagome. Your sweet cherry blood is all over my cock…"

With her wearing just her grandmother's bridal tiara, she lost her virginity on an unmade hotel bed. Inuyasha's fingers found their way between her legs again and then he was rubbing her clit, just drawing circles around it until her legs were shaking and she couldn't hold herself up anymore. Face pressed into the mattress, she bit down hard on her panties, tasting how wet she had been for him. Moaning, she played with her nipples, pinching them as hard as she could. The friction between her legs increased and she guessed Inuyasha was enjoying the sight. When he came, he slammed into her so hard she swore for a second something broke, and then she realized she was coming too, pulsing around him in a mad pattern, unwilling to give him up.

For a long time after, they just lay on the bed side by side, not saying anything, not looking at one another.

It was overwhelming. The thought of what they had just done. First things first, they were family. They had been raised together in the same house by the same woman. And they hated each other. How did a lifetime of mutual hatred turn into something like this?

Inuyasha was the first to break their isolation.

Rolling on his elbow until he was hovering over her, he looked into her eyes, gaze so powerful she couldn't possibly look away. Of all the things she would have possibly thought he was going to do next, nowhere on the list would have been what he actually did.

Inuyasha kissed her. It was a real kiss, not the bare-minimum-rest-stop-style flutter of Hiten. A real first kiss. Kagome kissed him back with equal amounts passion and inexperience. Losing her hands in his long hair, she enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers, of his hard big body against her small soft one. This was making out. Finally, she was doing what other girls her age were doing. Maybe they weren't doing it with their only living close male relative, but still.

This time, their sex was slow and they remained facing one another. Her heart fluttered in fear at the thought that this time could not be explained away like the last. There was no anger this time, they weren't really drunk anymore, their blood wasn't boiling. This time was definitely not an accident. Had they left things as they were after that time, she felt that they could have each gone back to their lives and never mentioned the night again. But this time was purposeful. He was acting like a lover, his face pressed into the side of her neck as he slowly but steadily moved between her legs, one hand at her breast rolling her nipple and plucking it. When his tongue moved over her throat, she came again, this time gently.

He came inside her again. Without a condom again. The two of them knew what they were doing, but instead of talking about it, he kissed her again and ended up giving her a hickey while fingering her to yet another orgasm.

When he finally fell asleep, it was two hours before she normally woke up for school. Putting what remained of her dress back on, she snagged his suit jacket to cover up the ruined top. Kagome vowed that all her weekends would be spent repairing it until it was in perfect condition again. Taking enough cash from his wallet to cover a taxi, she went downstairs and found her bag at the lost and found. Thankfully, there were still a few cars in service, and her ride home was swift. Showering was weird, watching the blood and various other things be washed down the drain. It was like part of her was sad to see it all go.

That day, Sunday, after only a few hours of sleep, she got up and spent extra time getting ready. For the first time, she put on makeup. Kaede had gotten her some makeup from the spa, and she watched a couple YouTube tutorials to try and get an idea of what to do. It was nowhere near as good as last night, but it would have to do. Choosing her shortest skirt and tightest sweater, she said goodbye to her grandmother and took the bus to the hotel. Inside she was all sorts of nervous. Was he even there anymore? Did he want to see her? Would he remember? Would he lie? Was he going to be mean to her? Somehow, she remembered where his room was and gave the door a tentative knock.

Inuyasha opened the door and he looked awful.

"Did you tell her?" he asked, dark eyes urgent.

Kagome shook her head. The two of them went further into the room and he sat on the bed, head in his hands.

"You here to confront me before sending me to jail? Are the cops on their way?"

Gods, but she wasn't sure how to say this. She sat next to him. "I'm… I never felt close to you before, Inuyasha. Ever. But last night, we connected."

"What?"

"I always wanted that. To be with you. To be close to you. Maybe something is wrong with me or whatever, but there was a reason we ended up like we did last night. There was no way I was going to give it up to Hiten, but I let you do whatever you wanted to me, and I liked it. I loved it. I think I'd like anything you do to me."

He was stunned. "Y-you liked it?"

She nodded. "Loved it," she repeated. "Even when you said all those things to me. I always wanted to know why K—why she treated me that way. Now I do."

His expression was tortured. "Kagome, I—"

Holding up a hand to stop him, she shook her head. "Don't. Just keep doing what you did to me last night."

"I can't," he said, voice hoarse with unshed tears. "Kagome, I never wanted to hurt you like that."

"If you don't, I'll tell."

"I can't!"

Leaning in closer to him, she palmed his semi-hard cock in his pants. "But you want to."

For a moment, he just looked at her, considering her (and probably himself).

"Fuck, take it out and suck it."

"I've never—"

He rolled his eyes. "I know. Just do it."

As soon as she saw his cock in the light of day, her breath escaped her. However had she managed to take that monster inside herself? Jerking him a few times, she watched in amazement as he grew even bigger. Tentatively, she stuck her tongue out and licked the head of his cock. It took a few more licks, but she worked up the courage to suck him, going deeper on each bob until she had crammed almost half of him in her mouth. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for Inuyasha, because he thrust up suddenly and held her head down on him, swallowing his cock until his zipper was scraping against her chin and cheeks. When she gagged and tears dripped down her face, he released her and pushed her away.

"Get undressed."

Kagome did so with trembling hands, watching him with big eyes as he went to his duffel bag and took out some ropes and stuff. Going back to her, he cupped the side of her face and gave her a hard kiss before forcing her on the bed, tying her limbs to the corners.

"I brought these to use on my ex, but honestly, I've never been so glad to have been stood up before." He tweaked her already hard nipples, pulling on them and shaking them. "You're a gorgeous fucking woman." A silicone clamp went on each nipple and he flicked them on, making them vibrate.

"Ohhh, Inuyasha," she moaned, face turning red from how her hips had decided to raise all by themselves.

"Make all the noise you want. I like it. You were pretty loud last night, even with your panties crammed in your mouth." Inuyasha held a purple vibrator against her pussy, sliding it up and down her lips before turning it on full blast. "I'm gonna make you come so hard, pretty girl."

He held it right snug up against her clit and she was squirming, moaning and yelling for him to touch her. Another noise joined the cacophony and she dimly recognized it as his phone. Pulling it out, he looked at the screen before smirking.

"Hey, Mom," he said.

Kagome instantly went rigid. Oh no. Oh no. This was bad. A whimper escaped her and turned into a solid hum. There was no way she could keep quiet.

"Yeah, I just got in town and ran into Kagome out and about today." He smiled at her wickedly. "We're gonna catch up and have a nice long lunch together and then I'll bring her home and have a visit."

Kagome could barely hold back. She was breathing loud and quick through her nose, hoping the conversation would end soon.

"How have I been? Oh, Mom, can't you wait to see me and find out then?" There was an evil glint in his eye as he twisted the vibrator against her. "I'm good. Work's been tough, but I like traveling."

He shook the toy back and forth. Kagome couldn't help it and started rubbing herself up against it. So close, she was so close. Inuyasha ripped the vibrator away abruptly and she cried out at the loss, face turning flaming red when she realized what she had done. What he had made her do.

"Sorry, that was just the TV, Mom. I'll turn it down."

When he put the vibrator back on her clit, she gasped and moaned.

"Yeah, actually, that was Kagome that time. The team she was rooting for lost on the game show. Wanna talk to her?"

"No, no, no, please, Inuyasha, oh gods, I'm gonna—Hi, Grandma!"

"Hello, dear! Oh, but I'm so glad you and your uncle are finally getting on together. I can't wait to see you two. I don't want to interrupt. Goodbye, sweetheart. Give the phone back to Inuyasha, please."

Inuyasha took the phone back and said goodbye to his mother just as Kagome had the loudest, breathiest orgasm of her young life. There was no way anyone could mistake or explain away what was happening to her, but at the moment, Kagome didn't care even if Kaede could hear her. All she wanted to do was ride out the worst, naughtiest, most thrilling orgasm. Meanwhile, Inuyasha was twisting the vibrator, turning the frequency up and down, turning it on and off, making her come over and over. Kagome continued to indulge him with her loudly expressed pleasure, squealing and jerking her hips, moaning his name and blessing him for the dual torture of vibrating nipples and clit.

Tossing the vibrator to the side and unclamping her nipples, Inuyasha kissed her, his tongue claiming her mouth before he sucked on her lower lip.

"You're such a nasty, naughty little niece," he growled. "Wanting me to fuck you." Catching her nipple between his knuckles, he continued, "You need to be punished."

Inuyasha dragged her over his lap, immediately squeezing her ass and spanking her lightly.

"Ow! That hurt."

"Count 'em."

"What? That's—Ow! One! Two! Three!" Each slap sent a jolt of pleasure straight to her swollen clit.

His fingers ran up and down her pussy lips in between hits. When it hurt too much he'd rub her ass and squeeze it.

"Say you're my slutty little niece who needs my cock to make you a good girl."

The words almost left her mouth before a thought occurred to her. What if they didn't? "No."

In retaliation, he continued to spank her, only this time was much harder. She realized that before he had been barely pinkening the skin, but now he was really doing it.

"Ow! Oh gods. I'm your slutty little niece and I need your cock. Please Uncle Inuyasha, please use your cock and make me a good girl!"

"Well what are you waiting for? Get on top and ride."

Scrambling to obey, she lowered herself down on him slowly, still swollen from the night before and sensitive from the vibrator. Once she accomplished her goal, she realized she had never felt more complete.

Inuyasha pulled on her nipples. "I want to see your tits bounce every time you come down on me, so you better go hard, bitch."

Kagome tried her best, riding him until her thighs were burning. Taking pity on her, Inuyasha started to assist her, bringing her down on him and thrusting up. Again, he came inside her without any protection. After, he lay with her on top on him, cradling her against him and kissing her temple from time to time. It was stupid, but in that moment, she felt loved. After a little while, he helped her up and they took a shower together. Inuyasha washed her everywhere, inside and out, his fingers playing with her pussy and ass until she couldn't stand anymore and he had to hold her up.

On the drive back home, she tried to watch him as secretly as she could in such a small and confined space. A part of her was afraid that now he would act like he had before and treat her that way in front of Kaede. Even if it was just so no one would suspect anything, she didn't think she could bear it.

He sighed. "What is it? You're looking at me like I just ran over your dog."

Fidgeting nervously, she replied, "I just… I don't want things to change. I mean, I don't want us to act how we were before all this happened."

Inuyasha glanced at her, understanding.

When they were back home, everything started off normal. Not normal in her experience, but normal like she thought other families would be. Kaede tearfully hugged her son and he returned her embrace, all smiles.

"I'm so proud of you!" she gushed. "Barely out of college and already getting paid to travel the world and take down international criminals. Your father would be ecstatic."

They sat down in the kitchen together, and for the first time, Kagome was welcome at a visit. The three of them spent hours talking and laughing together. And the best part was that Inuyasha held her hand under the table the whole time. It made her blush and she hoped her grandmother thought it was just a slight sunburn.

"I've been thinking of buying a house in the city," he continued, squeezing her hand and making her pay special attention to what he was saying. "Last we talked, you said Kagome was going to head to school there, right? Maybe she could live at my house rent-free while away for work. When I come back, we can be housemates again."

"Thank you so much, dear boy," Kaede said, a light shining in her eyes as she looked at the two of them. "It's good to see us finally being a real family."

"I like Kagome. We get along so well now. It's the best time I've ever had with a family member, or anyone else, really." The two of them locked eyes. "I feel bad about how I treated her before. All I can think about now is what things would have been like if it had always been this way."

"That's so good to hear. Kagome is graduating in a month. Would you like to come by then and celebrate with us?"

He looked back and forth between the two women before taking into account all the hope shining in his niece's eyes. "I'll move some things around. Don't worry, I wouldn't miss it."

In the days leading up to her graduation, Kagome was in a world of bliss. No matter what rumors Hiten had spread about her, all the mean taunts and glares, she didn't let them get to her. Before, anyone looking at her the wrong way or speaking to her sharply would have had her crying to Kaede to be homeschooled. But things were different now. She started taking more interest in her looks and altered her uniform so it was more flattering. Soon, she had guys pursuing her, but she paid them no mind. All of her belonged to Inuyasha.

True to his word, Inuyasha was there for her when she graduated.

After the ceremony, he came up to where she was with her friends. Kagome was unable to contain herself and threw her arms around him. It felt like forever since they had last been together when really it had just been a few weeks. She barely had the presence of mind to keep from kissing him.

"Hey, Kagome. Glad to see you, too." Something about his tone was off. "This is my date, Nazuna."

"Oh." She was stunned. The woman was nothing much to look at, in her opinion, but her dress was very short and her legs were long and tanned and she guessed some guys might like her or whatever if they had odd taste. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey. Congrats." The woman seemed bored out of her mind. Kagome didn't blame her. Who brought a date and not a seriously significant other to their niece's graduation?

They went to dinner together and things were going well…for everyone but her. Kaede really liked Nazuna and treated her like she was her future daughter-in-law. Kagome barely touched her food, trying not to look at her uncle and his new girlfriend, but she knew she was doing a poor job of it and probably glaring at them all night, judging by the weird looks Nazuna was giving her.

"How did you two meet?" Kaede asked.

"We worked together on assignment. I usually don't get too close to anyone at work, but we started talking and sparks just flew."

"I'm going to the bathroom," Kagome grumbled, throwing her napkin on the table a little too theatrically.

Her hands were shaking and tears were burning behind her eyes. Looking in the mirror, she saw just how tense she was and tried to relax her shoulders and unclench her jaw. All she had wanted was a nice night with Inuyasha. Maybe they could have sneaked away somewhere after dinner and gotten reacquainted. There were so many things she wanted to do with him, so many things they hadn't done and all the things she wanted to do again.

"What the hell, Kagome?" Inuyasha came in, locking the door behind him. "You're being a complete bitch right now."

She laughed and rounded on him. "I'm a bitch!? For weeks I've been looking forward to seeing you again and spending time with you, and then you show up with someone else!"

He looked at her, face blank. "Did you think you and I are together or something? Because that can't happen. Nothing like that can happen between us because of, you know, that."

Kagome sniffled, trying to hold back tears. "I know. But I just thought we'd be able to celebrate tonight by doing the same kind of thing we did before. Do you not want me anymore? You have her now. Is it ever going to happen again between us?"

Inuyasha smiled and drew her closer. "Nazuna had a flight to catch. She left already. The only reason I brought her was because she kept whining about spending our last day together and I got fed up and let her tag along."

"Have you… Were you with her like you were with me?"

Looking up at the ceiling, he kept his hands low on her back, hovering just above her ass. "I've been fucking her once a day for the past week. Except for yesterday when I fucked her twice." Able to meet her eyes again, he went on, "I didn't do anything with her today. I was saving it all for you. And no, I've never been with anyone the way I am with you."

Unable to keep a tear from falling at that, she turned away from him and crossed her arms, trying to wipe it away so he wouldn't see.

"Next time, don't bring your girlfriends around me. I don't like seeing them."

Chuckling, he kissed the side of her neck. "If it makes you that jealous, then okay."

"I am not jealous!" she cried, stomping her foot.

Turning her around, he kissed her full on the mouth and took her breath away, pressing her into the wall. For that moment, she could feel all of him. When he pulled away, she was breathless.

"You won't be jealous after tonight."

"There you two are," Kaede said when they got back to the table. "That Nazuna was just lovely. Shame she had to leave, but I guess it was for the best. My head hurts something awful."

Kagome's brow furrowed in concern. "We need to go to the doctor and get these migraines checked out, Grandma."

"Mom, do you mind if I take Kagome out for a drink after taking you home?"

Kaede smiled. "Not at all. Just make sure to give her some life advice while you're at it. You've done so well and she looks up to you so much." Tears filled her eyes again. "Seeing the two of you together makes me so happy, Inuyasha. Always take care of your little niece, okay?"

He put an arm around her. "Don't worry, Mom. I will."

Once again, they were alone. He drove her wherever, she didn't care. As long as his hotel had a bed, she was fine.

"Nazuna isn't my girlfriend. I don't have girlfriends, so you don't have to be jealous."

"Do you wear condoms with the others?" Kagome couldn't look him in the eye when she said it. It was wrong, but if he had to be with other people, she wanted him to only be raw with her and to never even once want to cover it up before coming inside her.

"Yeah, I always do. Haven't barebacked it since I fucked my old debate teacher in high school, and she told me beforehand that she'd had her tubes tied. But when I was with you, the condoms were in my wallet so far away and you were right there and I wanted it so much. Then I figured that was just how it was going to have to be from now on."

"A lot of boys have been asking me out while you were gone." Her voice as coy.

He raised one dark brow. "And have you been out fucking these boys?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want them. I want you."

"Well, whenever you do want a guy, all I ask is that you not bring them into our home. Once we get a home, anyway."

Kagome pouted, disappointed and a little hurt that he seemed so apathetic on the subject of her being intimate with other men. Just thinking about him being with a woman that wasn't her made her stomach hurt and her heart quake in her chest. Unbearable. If she had to see it, she would die on the spot.

Inuyasha pulled into a residential area.

"Is this an Air BnB?"

He didn't say anything as he pulled into a driveway. The house was nice and big and the neighborhood was lovely. Close to the ocean but not so close so as to be nearly inaccessible due to beach traffic. Getting out of the car, he was opening her door before she even had her seatbelt all the way off.

"Is this your friend's house?" she asked. "Are you housesitting?"

Crouching in front of her, he ignored her questions and flung her over his shoulder. Kagome screeched when he lifted her into the air, covering her mouth belatedly so as not to wake any early-to-bed neighbors. He opened the door with a key unattached to any kind of chain and immediately plopped her down on the carpeted floor outside the foyer. Kagome looked around. There was no furniture inside, no nothing.

"This is our house." He grinned at her. "Your graduation present from me. We can go shopping for furniture and stuff this weekend, before I go out on my next assignment. Get whatever you want, Kagome. The place is yours to beautify or destroy, depending on your tastes."

With a happy squee, she practically tackled him to the floor with the force of her running embrace, smothering him with kisses. Though they had been apart for so long, the abrupt intimacy was not awkward in the least. It was right. It was overdue, but it was so, so right.

"Thank you, Inuyasha! You're so… So…" She couldn't think of the words. she didn't even know if they existed. "I—I like you so much. You're the best."

His answering kisses were a touch darker than her own, his gaze heavy and his mouth eager and smiling.

"When we're here, we can do anything and everything together that we can't do out there. This will be our place for just us, no one else." Once again kneeling at her feet, he lifted up her skirt and yanked down her sheer hose, kissing her and tonguing her over the mesh lace of her underwear. "Fuck, Kagome. When I was gone, this was all I could think about. You're alive in my blood. Somehow, you dug so deep inside that you've sprouted roots and I don't think I can ever get you out. I don't want to, either."

"Show me, Inuyasha. Show me how you feel." Her heart was beating out three words that she knew he would never say to her, but this was as close as she could get and she was going to take it, come what may.

"I'm going to make you—"

Her stomach growled, the sound loud in the unfurnished living room.

Inuyasha laughed and got to his feet. "First things first, I guess. Where do you want to go eat?"

Kagome walked into his arms and stayed there, allowing herself to be held by him and imagine that he felt the way she did. Completely and totally content. Glowing with love.

"I don't want to leave our place. Let's get pizza and stay here."

The first night in their new house was spent watching movies on his laptop and eating all the pizza they could manage. Inuyasha brought out an inflatable mattress and a blanket. Now that they had all the time in the world together, they were free to just be. Instead of plunging straight into sex, they spent an indeterminably long time just kissing one another, whispering secrets and laughing together. When they did fuck, it was unbearably intimate and Kagome had to try so hard to keep from crying. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced.

Naked and half-asleep, she was barely conscious of herself as a separate presence from the man who was wound so tightly around her, keeping her safe and warm.

"I don't wanna go," she murmured against his chest. "I want to stay with you forever."

His only answer was a soft kiss.

In and out of dreamland, she heard him make a call to Kaede and tell her they had lost track of time and he was just going to drop her off in the morning.

When she awoke, she was confused, blinking in the bright sunlight. Inuyasha was passed out beside her, muted snoring the only sound in the room. It was so pathetic and showed that she was really far gone in her feelings, but she thought it was adorable. Yawning, she was about to get up and get a glass of water before her eyes landed on the tented blanket.

Pulling down the blanket as slowly and smoothly as possible so that she wouldn't disturb his slumber, Kagome gazed upon the god of a man that she had the privilege of being with. His long black hair streamed like ink in a corona over the mattress, the ends brushing the floor. His tattoos, twisting branches belonging to a tree that took over most of his back, depicted battle scenes like engravings, tiny pictures symbolizing the actual cases he had worked over his time in the field. His cut chest and abdomen made her own soft stomach clench in want and she ghosted the tip of her index finger over one of his flat nipples and down, down, down the nicely trimmed black happy trail until she held that which gave her so much pleasure.

Fascinated by and enamored of his penis, she gave it a thank you kiss. Kissing turned to sucking and then she was taking him in her mouth completely. Since they had last met, she had been practicing her skills on cucumbers, learning to control her gag reflex so she could be the kind of blowjob queen he deserved. Before too long, his hand came down on her head, gentle and caressing. Encouraging. He let it go on for a bit and then yanked her head up by the hair.

"Ride me," he demanded.

She complied. It was awkward on the air mattress, but she had been practicing this too and thought she was doing pretty well. The way he was looking at her, full of awe, made her feel powerful. His big hands caressed her sensitive stomach and covered her breasts, feeling her and making her feel. When she saw in his face that he was close, she rubbed herself frantically, racing to catch up with him, and then they were finishing together. Kagome collapsed in his arms, sweaty and out of breath and sated.

Inuyasha kissed her, moaning into her mouth. "That's the only way I want to wake up from now on."

She smiled. "I'll make that our usual."

They took their time showering, and by the time they got home again, it was after noon. Inuyasha knocked on the door, for once happy and carefree and not the smug tense jerk she had grown up with. Had she made this change happen? Kagome squeezed his hand and knocked on the door again. It was taking a while. Opening her purse, she fished around for her keys, hoping she actually had them with her for once.

On the floor in the entryway lay Kaede.

Kagome dropped her keys and what happened next seemed to be in slow motion. Inuyasha sprang into action and checked her vitals, pulling out his phone and calling for an ambulance. All she did was stand there. Lean against the doorway and stand. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Slowly, she started to sink to her knees. Everything was going to be different now.

At the news of Kaede's stroke and death, people from all over gathered to remember her. Kagome was in a daze for the entirety of the funeral. The only ones in the family pew were herself, Inuyasha, and her mother. She sat at the far end, barely holding in her sobs, while Kikyo and Inuyasha were right next to one another. Neither of them cried. Faces blank, they never looked more alike. After the ceremony, she stood to their side unnoticed as they received condolences from everyone Kaede had ever known. Some spared her a nod, but that was it.

She was forgotten. Again.

Ever since they had walked in to find Kaede's corpse, she hadn't had any time with Inuyasha. Was he blaming her for ruining his life again? For not being strong enough so that he had to step up once more and be the one to alert emergency services to a dire situation? Guilt was eating at her, so much so that she hadn't had more than a couple hours of sleep over the past few days. Did he even notice between all the time spent with Kikyo making arrangements?

Her sobs turned into sudden deep uncontrollable breaths.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Inuyasha murmured. When she shook her head, he glared at the well-meaning mourners who attempted to approach her. "Back off. She needs space."

Taking her from the shrine proper, he brought her inside the house. It still gave her chills every time she had to step over where Kaede had died. Now that they were alone in her room, he took her into his arms and held her as she cried. This was what she had been needing. All along, it had been him. Gently, he rocked her, something she was certain her own mother had never even done. She clung to him, unable to do anything else but weep.

When her tears were quieting down, she kissed his throat and went for his belt.

Inuyasha pushed her away, hands on her shoulders. "What are you trying to do?"

She sniffled, face still shining wet. "It's all my fault, Inuyasha. You were right. I need you to punish me and make it better."

His face crumpled and for a moment she thought he'd break down too. "It's not your fault, Kagome. Mom's dead. She was old and she missed her husband. It was time."

"But i-if I hadn't asked you to stay then I would have been here with her and I could have helped her and she would still be—"

The door to her room opened without notice and there stood Kikyo. For a second, she looked at her daughter's room which she had never seen before concentrating on Inuyasha, completely ignoring Kagome.

"I don't want any scenes at the reception. Make sure of it."

And she closed the door and disappeared again.

Kagome saw the look of worship on Inuyasha's face and suddenly everything clicked.

Pushing him away, she narrowed her eyes. "You're using me."

"What?"

"When you first saw me that night, you said her name."

His brows came together in confusion. "Are you talking about Kikyo? Hey, you really did look like her and you were wearing her dress and everything and I'd just had enough whiskey to fuck my own niece, so yeah."

"You're sicker than I thought," she said with a humorless laugh. "It's one thing to want to fuck me, but your sister?"

"What the fuck are you going on about, Kagome!?"

"It's all over your face! I can't believe I was so stupid." Hands trembling, she turned to leave. She had to get out of here. Anywhere than here with him was better.

Inuyasha grabbed her by the wrist. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

She tried to tug away but it was impossible. "Let go! I need to go outside with everyone else. I need to think. I can't be here with you."

"You've done enough for today. I'm not letting you back out there."

He wrestled her to the bed and pinned her down. For a second, she thought the fire in his eyes meant he was going to take her, but instead he left her there. She heard a chair being propped under her door and his footsteps going down the stairs. When she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.

Kagome cried herself to sleep. When she awoke, it was dark out and the covers were over her. There was a glass of water on the nightstand. It was almost like her grandmother was still alive and caring for her. Already knowing what it would be like downstairs, she sneaked out as quietly as possible and sat midway down the stairs, eavesdropping just as she had when she was younger and just as unwelcome.

"I'm leaving in two days to help the children in Cameroon," Kikyo said. "I don't have time to babysit some privileged hysterical girl who, I might add, is an adult."

Inuyasha sighed. "No one asked you. I'm taking care of her from now on."

"We should start looking into selling the house. I don't know about you, but the money would help me out a lot. And her."

"Absolutely not," he said firmly, surprising Kagome. "I'll buy it and give you your share if you want."

"That sounds good. But what do you want with a house that holds such unpleasant memories?"

"There are a lot of good memories here, too."

A short pause. "I better get going. Wire me the money and I'll see you next time."

She left.

"You can come down now, Kagome."

Her heart stopped in her chest at the sound of her name, but all the same, she found herself walking down the stairs and sitting next to him at the table. It was obvious he had been drinking, but nothing like that first time.

He smiled at her but it trembled a little. "I always knew you listened." He patted his lap. "Come here." When she stayed where she was, the smile slid off his face. "Uh, the rest of the day was boring without you. I wish you had been there. No. I wish I could have been here."

She just glared at him.

"I didn't do it because of what Kikyo said!" he protested. "I did it because the way you were acting scared me and I knew you needed to rest. You shouldn't be around death, Kagome. I promised to take care of you. Let me take care of you."

Rolling her eyes, she got up and went back the way she'd come.

Inuyasha followed after her, tone growing increasingly desperate. "I got time off from work. We have the entire summer together." He blocked her from slamming her bedroom door in his face. "Look, Kagome, I know it was wrong. I know I should have stayed with you and helped you, but I'm not at my best either." His voice broke and she felt her heart softening. He must have seen the change in her face because he felt confident enough to take her in his arms. "All we have is each other now. We need to help each other heal."

Kagome found her voice. "What about her?"

"She isn't here. It's only us." When she tried to pull away, he tightened his hold on her. "Earlier, you told me to punish you. I don't blame you for a thing, Kagome, not anymore, but if that's what you want, if that's what you need, then I'll do it. I'll hurt you. And that will be my punishment."

And that was the start of their relationship.

O\o/O

When Kagome woke up, she immediately got under the covers and performed "the usual" on Inuyasha. Still sleepy, he smiled at her and kissed her as she got on top of him. After a brief encounter, she left him to take a little nap while she went and showered. Gods, but she could practically feel herself glowing. After nearly a year of being separated, they were finally going to have some time to spend together. They hadn't discussed their arrangement continuing after she graduated, and she was a little scared to bring it up. But he was being so loving and gentle that she thought she might get brave enough to talk to him about staying together. She couldn't imagine life being any other way.

All her hopes were dashed when she got out of the shower and Inuyasha threw a pair of boxers at her.

"Uh, I'm already wearing a pair of your boxers," she said, gesturing to the puppy-printed pair she had gotten him.

"They're. Not. Mine," he spat.

Kagome paled. "Oh."

"Which one was it? Which one of the fuckers I met at the bar last night did you bring here and fuck in our bed!?"

"Kōga!" she answered honestly. "I was only with Kōga while you were away."

He snorted and crossed his arms, glaring at her. She tried not to be distracted by his naked muscles shining in the morning light. Didn't he know already that she only really wanted him?

"Do you honestly expect me to believe it was just one guy? The other two were eye fucking you all night long, and those are just the ones I know about. Yeah, even the one with a fucking fiancée wants you. I can tell. I can recognize it."

"Inuyasha, stop it! Gods, I would never fuck Miroku. And I won't fuck Hojo."

"Why not? Do you have feelings for Kōga? Are you two together?"

"No! It's just... I would never be with Hojo like that unless..."

"Unless what?" His voice was dangerously low.

"Unless you and I were through," she admitted. "I really like him and I couldn't cheat on him. Not even with you."

Inuyasha stared at her, eyes hostile. "I had one fucking rule, Kagome. One rule for letting you live here for free. Do you remember? Don't bring your boys back here."

"I didn't mean to! It's just that we were both drunk and my place was the closest and it—it happened." She felt herself growing angrier. "It feels like you're more mad at me for being with him than you are for me bringing him here. That's not fair, Inuyasha. I can guess at how many women you fuck while you're away. Gods only know how many you went through in nine fucking months!"

He ignored her. "I'm installing a security system. Cameras and everything. If Kōga or Hojo are ever on this property while I'm away, I'm calling the fucking cops."

Tears filled her eyes. "You just ruined this weekend, Inuyasha! I don't even know how long you have to spend with me here, but you fucking ruined it already and it hasn't even been a day."

Hurt and angry, she dressed in the closet and went out. He didn't follow her. She needed some air, some time to herself. Grabbing a boba and a croissant at a place just outside the neighborhood, she picked at her food mournfully. The only reason she had been with Kōga in the first place was because he reminded her of Inuyasha in a way. He was smart and a leader and had a similar physique. With the lights down and her eyes closed, it was almost like she was with the one she really wanted. Things had been awkward with her classmate since the last time they'd done it. She couldn't remember for sure, but she was fairly certain she had called out a different name, and she knew exactly which name that would have been.

When she felt ready to come back home, he was gone. Her heart started beating hard, panicking with the worry that she had made him leave and he might never come back. Remembering Inuyasha was an old-fashioned guy, she dug his planner out of his laptop bag. A hard copy and a digital one in his phone, she always knew. Flipping through, she got to the date and saw that the rest of the month was blank but for her name scrawled over it. Her heart melted. But today he had one other appointment.

Lunch with Kikyo.

Something inside her broke and she grabbed her bag and left. She was going to confront the two of them. She was going to tell Kikyo everything. Now her perfect mother would have to know her brother was beyond flawed. Inuyasha had taken the car so she grabbed her bike, her usual form of transport, and made her way to the restaurant he had taken her. What made it all so much more hurtful was that it was their restaurant. Their favorite place that had his favorite food and her favorite atmosphere, the perfect combination of their likes. She'd never gone there with anyone but him. She didn't even want to.

Huffing and puffing outside the establishment, she was about to burst inside when someone called her name from across the parking lot.

"Kagome! Wait up!"

Attempting to school her features into ones not reflecting her jealous rage, she hoped she was smiling at Sango. Done up in her workout gear, she had obviously been at the gym across the lot.

"Hey. Good to see you. Sorry I left so early last night..."

"Uh huh," she said, giving her a look she could not decipher. "Let me just cut to the chase. I saw you in the alley last night. Are you guys really...you know..."

Every drop of her blood ran cold. Someone else already knew. "I—I—"

"If he's forcing you, you can tell me," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you."

"No! It's not like that." She shrugged off the comforting hand. "It's... Yeah. He and I are... And we're..." The tears came without warning and her face turned red with shame. "Sango, I know it's fucked up, but I fell in love with him a long time ago and I can't stop. I don't want to. I tried but I love him so much and I need him."

Sango sighed. "Okay. I was afraid of this. Seeing how the two of you were last night, it was obvious. I'm pretty sure even Hojo knows, and he's not the brightest." She blanched. "I won't lie, it's gross. No matter how cute you two are together."

"You won't tell, will you?"

"No. I mean I don't approve or anything, but I'm not going to shun you. Believe me, I get it. He's a good-looking guy and he's so tender with you. And what he was doing in the alley... All I'm gonna say is he better give Miroku some pointers."

She sniffled and smiled at her. "Thanks. But it might be over. I don't know. He's here today and he's—he's with another woman. At this place." She couldn't tell her friend that women was his sister, her mother. When they had first met, she'd told everyone that her mother was dead. It was easier to explain.

Valiantly holding back her disgust, Sango said, "Why don't you go inside and check things out? I'll tag along and we can pretend we just happened upon them while we were going out to lunch."

Kagome grabbed her hand, telling her without words how grateful she was. Once they were inside and seated, it was easy to spot them. Only one section was open due to the early hour and this being more of a dinner establishment, so they were in a booth not too far from them. Inuyasha and Kikyo were sitting with a beautiful woman she had never seen before. The stranger only had eyes for Inuyasha, and he seemed to be interacting with her more than with his sister. They weren't close enough to hear what they were saying, but it was more than obvious what was going on when they got up to leave together. Inuyasha passed her without even looking her way and having the opportunity to recognize her.

"Kagome," Sango said softly. "I know that looks bad, but we don't know for sure."

It had to have been written all over her face how devastated she was. Inside, she felt like her world was ending and she was dying along with it.

"It's you."

The two girls looked up, not having heard Kikyo approach.

This was the first time she could remember being directly spoken to by her mother. "Oh. Yes. Hello."

"I take it you're not here by coincidence?" she said, looking back and forth from the suffering Kagome to the still-sweaty Sango.

Her cheeks turned pink. "What were you all talking about?" There probably could have been a better way to say that, but she wasn't in the right state of mind to think about what that could be.

Kikyo stared at her for a second and she wondered if it was the first time she had really looked at her. "Inuyasha was telling me about his upcoming marriage."

That was the final blow. Kagome couldn't breathe and there was a ringing in her ears. Suddenly, everything was hot. She was going to pass out. Oh gods, she couldn't breathe and she was going to pass out and die here and Inuyasha would be relieved because his problems would all be over.

"That was my friend Tsubaki," she continued. "I introduced them about a year ago and they really hit it off. She's so excited to plan a wedding. She orchestrates the most fabulous events."

"Sorry to bother you," Kagome said, abruptly getting to her feet. "I have to go now."

Sango called after her, but Kikyo was faster, catching her just outside her car.

"Wait," she said, reaching out a hand to grab her but not quite able to bring herself to make contact. "This is for you." Handing her a wooden keepsake box, she gave Kagome a look that told her she was expecting her to open it. Inside was Kaede's tiara, the one she had worn on the first night she felt beautiful. The first night she felt loved. "I'll never need it. I hope you'll wear it and think of your grandmother. And me."

"Thank you," she choked out, the good manners Kaede had instilled in her coming out robotically even at such a cruel jab as this.

Waving to Sango who was watching them worriedly from the entrance, she got in her car and left. As she drove, she tried calling Inuyasha but he didn't pick up. It was really over, then. That's why he had taken so much time off work. So he could break it to her gently and try and stop her from going crazy. Well, she wouldn't try and ruin his perfect happiness. She'd pack her stuff and get out of his life. But not before she did one last thing.

"Hey, Hojo," she said, perking up a little when he answered on the first ring. "Can we meet at my place? There's something I want to tell you. Yeah, as soon as possible, please. Can't wait."

She met him at the door and took his hand, bringing her friend of four years inside.

"Wow, Kagome," he said, looking at their joined hands with wide, stunned eyes. "What's the occasion?"

Turning to him, she smiled. "I've just been thinking a lot. We've known each other for so long, and I really like you. I was thinking that, if you didn't mind, we could maybe try..." Gods, but how was she supposed to do this? It was so easy with guys like Inuyasha and Kōga.

He grinned and its sweet simplicity broke her heart. "I want to be with you, too. I've been wanting to ask, but I was worried you'd say no, and then Kōga was always around..."

"I don't want Kōga," she answered honestly, cupping his face. "I want you." And she kissed him. Their first kiss. Hojo's lips were soft, but they were thinner and wider than what she was used to. He tasted of mint toothpaste and not of cinnamon and cigarettes.

She'd just have to get used to it.

"Kagome," he groaned when started to unbutton his shirt. "Isn't this a little fast? I want you, but—"

"And I need you."

That settled it. Their rush to the bedroom was a blur to her but then Hojo was on top of her on the bed. His face shifted and she started seeing someone else, so she closed her eyes, but that just made it worse. Instead of taking the time to properly explore him as one usually would with a new lover, she just went through the motions, doing what she knew would turn a man on so that he would be inside her all the quicker. After a while, it even started to feel good, and the torment in her heart faded to an ache. Hojo would be her medicine.

He cried out in pain and was suddenly on the floor. Kagome gasped, her confusion turning to terror when she saw the very man she was trying to forget staring at them, face twisted in apoplectic fury.

"Get out and never speak to my niece again or I swear to everything that is holy I will murder you."

Without even looking back at the woman he had been so keen on romancing, Hojo fled.

Inuyasha stared at her, seeming to deflate the longer he looked.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he whispered, the sound loud in the dead silent room. "If you wanted to stop, you could have told me, Kagome. I know I was gone for a really long time, but I swear I had a good reason."

Kagome pulled her shirt down and forced herself to continue to meet his eyes. "Kikyo told me everything."

Inuyasha turned pale.

"Do you really think I'd ever want this to continue under those circumstances?" she hissed, gesturing between them. "What the fuck do you think I am!?"

"I-I thought that's what you wanted."

Really? He thought she'd want to continue to be his fucktoy while he went off and got married and had children with someone that wasn't her?

"You don't know me. You never knew me and I wish I never knew you."

They stared at one another and he looked away first. "Fine. Guess I was wrong. Keep the house. Keep everything. Sell it if you hate me that much. It was all for you, anyway." He grabbed his suitcase and laptop bag. He hadn't even had time to unpack. "I won't be back."

And he left her.

Kagome curled up in a ball and cried like she hadn't cried since she was a baby. Never in her life had she felt so cold. It was over. It was all over.

The months after that were dull and colorless. She spent all her time at school, not wanting to go back to the empty house. Even with all her extra studying, her grades suffered. She hardly ate, hardly slept. When graduation rolled around, she barely made the cut. As her disappointed advisor told her, had she not performed so excellently at the beginning of the semester, she wouldn't be graduating at all. Most of her friends had grown tired of her change and ceased to spend time with her. Hojo avoided her entirely and Kōga stopped sending good morning texts. Only Sango stuck by her, because only she knew what was going on. Even so, she realized she was pushing the only friend she had left away. If it was over with him, she wanted it to be over with everything.

That night of graduation, ignoring her friend's calls to come hang out, Kagome stayed in her room with the lights off, pretending she wasn't home just in case anyone dropped by. The television was on to provide background noise and so she didn't feel quite so alone. Where was she to go from here? She had her degree but lacked the motivation to do anything with it. What was he doing? Would he invite her to the wedding? Or let her know when it would be? He hadn't called or texted her. He usually didn't when he was working. For safety reasons, or so he claimed. Only on his way back. Only then, to let her know that they would be together and she wouldn't be alone for however long he decided to stay.

"You didn't walk at graduation."

Kagome turned and saw him in the doorway to what had once been their bedroom. He looked so good, standing there in his suit. She must look a mess in her flannel pajamas. In a way, she wasn't even surprised to see him. For so long, he had lived inside her. Having him there just seemed like what should be.

"What are you even doing here?" She had tried to sound snotty but it came out sounding mournful. "Is Tsubaki waiting in the car?"

His brows raised and he looked at her like she was speaking in tongues. "Why would she be here?"

"What, does she want you to have space before the wedding? Congrats, by the way. I don't think I got to tell you that before."

"What wedding? There is no wedding." He was angry now.

"Don't lie to me, Inuyasha!" she cried, getting to her feet. Why was he doing this to her? "You're engaged. Kikyo told me everything. You're marrying her friend and she played cupid."

"Is that really what she told you?" he said, tone filled with disbelief. "I barely know that woman. I was trying to hire her for—for a party."

"But I saw you! She was all over you at the restaurant and you even left together. Then Kikyo told me you were going to get married."

"Fuck, Kagome. Tsubaki needed a ride back to her hotel and we were just discussing things about the—the event. We didn't do anything. I don't want her. I never did."

"Then who are you marrying?" she said, throat tight and burning. Who was he marrying and why?

Taking her hands, he gently sat her down on the bed. He knelt down and they were almost eye-level. This was it. He was preparing her for the announcement. Gods, this was going to hurt so, so much.

"Kagome, the reason why my assignment before I saw you last went on for so long was because it was one of the most dangerous ones with the smallest percentage of success. I agreed to be brought on in exchange for the state giving me something I wanted more than anything. A favor. In addition to that favor, if I succeeded and lived to tell about it, I would have a desk job. And everything worked out. Well, almost everything."

"A-are you getting m-married or not?" She sounded like a little girl and she hated it so much.

"I might be." Fishing around in his pocket, he pulled out a ring. No box. Just the white gold ring. "The favor was legal permission to be with you. I was going to do something all big and romantic the last time I saw you, but then everything happened the way it happened."

Kagome sniffled, the tears that had been threatening to come magically drying up. "Are you for real?"

"Yes," he said, obviously trying very hard to be patient. "So do you wanna?"

"I never thought—I never thought we could possibly have this." She was feeling so many things right now.

"Me neither. That's why I insisted on us seeing other people at the same time. I didn't want us to want something we could never have. But then things got to a point where I knew it could only be you." Tears filled his eyes and he refused to let them fall. "I know I've done so many horrible things to hurt you, to make you hate me. But Kagome, if I can't be with you, I don't want to be. Will you marry me?"

"Of course," she said, kissing him. Kagome could hardly believe this was real. She was going to marry Inuyasha and it wouldn't get them thrown in jail. All the suffering she had experienced had been more than worth it if this was her reward. "Of course."

Note: So this wasn't uploaded yesterday because guess who got food poisoning and spent last night throwing their guts up. So now I'm off work for a few days because I'm sick af from eating half a four-day-old club sandwich. Ew. I'm going upload two one-shots on V Day to make up for it. Sorry, fam.