A/N: Prompt: Smitten. Requested by Chie and so, for her, this one is also AU! Enjoy!
He was smitten from the first moment she'd challenged him.
It had started at her interview when Sesshomaru had noted she was a human priestess yet she'd applied to work in an office—his office, for his company—rather than work at a temple. When he'd demanded an explanation, she'd told him primly that he wasn't due one.
It had intrigued him, though he hadn't recognized it at the time as anything more than a simple appreciation for her daring. So few would have dared to refuse him something he'd desired.
But she had.
And to his chagrin, he'd desired to have her challenge him again.
Perhaps, he reflected, that was why he'd instituted the rule that no one could leave early on Christmas Eve. There was work to be done to prepare for the next year and if he was to work the holiday, he expected nothing less from his own staff.
She had not bowed and accepted her fate as her coworkers had.
No, Kagome evidently saw it as her duty to speak up on behalf of everyone else.
She rose from her desk as she accused him of being a slave driver, demanding that he allow them all to go home early for the Christmas holiday. Christmas, he told her, was a human notion and one designed purely for profit. As long as there was still work to be done, he expected his staff to stay and do it.
He raised his yoki, expecting her to bow in submission and return to her desk quietly.
Later, Sesshomaru would realize that Kagome never seemed to do what he expected her to do.
"You're a monster," she hissed, glaring at him from the other side of his desk.
"No," he corrected her with a raised brow, "I am yokai, priestess."
The way her reiki flowed against his yoki, sparking with her rage, spurred instincts he had long forgotten in this softer, modern age. The urge to claim, to take, to own, nearly drove him to act upon them.
It was her human tears that stopped him, spilling from her eyes onto the paper he was reviewing, and it was her human heart that he'd realized he wanted from her. He could claim her body, perhaps, but if he simply took her as his kind had once done, long ago, he would never really have her.
She sniffled, trying to wipe away the dampness from her face. "Don't you have a heart, Sesshomaru?"
He did and he realized now how strong the urge was to prove it to her.
Around them, everyone gasped at her lack of formality. Not only had she used his personal name, she had refrained from any honorifics.
Sesshomaru did not desire an audience. So instead, he rumbled, "Everyone may leave for the holiday." As Kagome turned from him with a self-satisfied look, he added, "Except for you, Higurashi. You will not leave until your work is done."
She flinched as she turned back to him with a contrite look but she seemed to realize an apology would do her no good now. She waited until everyone else left before she glared at him, letting her temper rise once more. "Seriously, Sesshomaru?"
He raised his brows, more to hide his amusement than anything else. No, Kagome never did as he'd expected her to do. "Perhaps, priestess, you should consider the ramifications before you issue such a challenge."
"Or maybe," she snapped, "just maybe, you should have realized that people have plans! People go on dates on Christmas, Sesshomaru!"
"And you?" he rumbled, entranced by the way her face instantly flushed. "Did you have a date for tonight?"
She seemed taken aback by the personal question. "I—well, no, but—"
"Perhaps," he said, the urge to tease her welling up, "you desire one."
She fidgeted but her own need for honesty seemed to overrun her embarrassment. "Well, sure, I would like one, but I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."
He was pleased by her admission. "Are you not seeing me?"
"Huh?" She blinked and rushed, her face red, "Oh, sorry, that's an expression, Sesshomaru. I just meant that I'm not going out right now."
"Hnn." He rose and collected his jacket as she floundered in surprise.
She ran her hand nervously over her skirt. "Um, what are you doing?"
"Going out," he said simply, stepping past her to retrieve her jacket as well. She let him help her into it more so, he decided, because he left her no choice. The urge to care for her and look after her was strong and he would not risk allowing her to become sickened because she'd left her jacket off or back at the office due to her astonishment. "As are you."
"Oh." Her eyes went wide as he took her by the arm, placing her hand into the tuck of his elbow, and began to lead her out of the office. "Um, what are you doing? You said we still had work."
He stopped and looked down at her. "You wish a date tonight."
She nodded.
"Therefore I am taking you on a date." He willed her to understand what he found difficult to say himself. When she remained unconvinced, he searched for the words to reassure her. "I have," he stopped for a moment, considering the right word, "been smitten by you since we first met."
Her brows raised. "When you demanded to know why I wasn't working at a shrine?"
He offered her a short nod.
"Dammit, Sesshomaru, why didn't you say something?" she demanded, surprising him in turn as she used her free hand to slap his shoulder lightly. "You're supposed to tell a woman these things!"
There were a lot of reasons he hadn't, including the fact that he was her boss, but he felt that reminding her now would only add heaviness to the mood. So instead, he lifted his chin and said haughtily, "Perhaps you simply did not know how to listen."
She pressed her lips together and growled. "If you're referring to some yokai custom, Sesshomaru—"
He sensed another argument brewing. "Would you prefer traditional Japanese or French cuisine?" He held out a kerchief from his pocket so she could dry her face before they left the office. Fortunately, Kagome generally only wore eyeliner and mascara and it seemed that her makeup hadn't been damaged by her tears.
She took the handkerchief. "Thank you. Um, French, I guess?" she said hesitantly before adding, "You really want to date me?"
"Have I ever said anything that I did not mean?" he challenged her.
"Well, no," she admitted. "But how do you even know if I like you, too?"
To answer, he simply scented the air, obviously enough for her to catch the gesture.
"Sesshomaru!" she hissed, slapping his arm as he chuckled darkly.
"Come," he told her. "Let us enjoy this human tradition of yours to the fullest." Sensing that she might appreciate the admission, he confessed, "I have never done so before."
With that, the last tension in her body melted away. "Never?" she breathed. "But you're at least five hundred years old!"
He stiffened at the reminder.
To his surprise, she petted his arm, calming him down in a gesture that should have been thoroughly yokai.
"Hush, I didn't say it was a bad thing. It's nice to be your first," she admitted. "Alright! Before we go to dinner, we should get a cake for later. They'll run out soon, but I think we could get a really nice one. I like chocolate, but I'm open to anything you want, since it's your first Christmas. It's too late to really get each other a good present, but maybe if we stop somewhere after we get the cake, we could get something nice and—"
She continued to ramble as he led her out of the office but he didn't mind. He found that while he'd been smitten by her willfulness, he was entranced by the sound of her voice and the way she gently leaned into him, making him feel more powerful with her at his side.