"It's not every day a young man turns 15," Inuyasha grinned.
"I turned 15 at least 8 times," Shippō interrupted.
"Just because you look 15 does not mean you get to celebrate the anniversary of your 15th birthday for ten fucking years," Inuyasha grumbled.
"I'm a child, Inuyasha," Shippō whined. "Who has never been exposed to swear words. It will rot my impressionable brain."
"Me too!" Sōta joined in.
"I've heard the words that come outta your mouth kid," Inuyasha grumbled, pointing an accusing claw toward Sōta. "You're lucky I'm too afraid of your sister to tell her that your vocabulary comes straight from the goddamned Urban Dictionary."
"Too something…" Shippō murmured, low enough that only Inuyasha could hear him, leading Inuyasha to growl in warning.
"Oh, she definitely knows where my vocabulary comes from," Sōta giggled.
Inuyasha had no doubt, and on occasion had heard some very choice swears come out of Kagome.
Four months had now passed since Sōta asked for a job, and the kid was a natural in the shop. His design for the new flavor competition had meant the biggest donation Inuyasha had ever been able to give Big Brother Big Sister, and Sōta's instinct about the Strawberry Cheesecake had been a good one: proudly on the menu now, having won the vote decisively. (Shippō still hadn't cut out the shit about 'puppy chow,' though.)
Inuyasha had still failed to guess Kagome's favorite flavor, to the point that he was now paging through his mother's ice cream recipes, checking out books from the local library, and finally trawling all ends of the internet for flavor ideas. It was both his favorite game, and the thing that kept him awake at night.
Well, if he was honest, it was Kagome that kept Inuyasha up at night. What started as a need to care for her and a glint of attraction had become full blown all-encompassing love. The moment he caught the whisper of her chocolate and raspberry scent near the end of Sōta's shift, his ears started to wiggle and his heart rate skyrocketed.
And even as he tried to hide his unrequited affection, he couldn't shake the feeling that his employees knew. Shippō would head into the back and Sōta would stall, giving Inuyasha a few blessed extra moments in Kagome's presence.
"So… Inuyasha. Are we gonna get to close early today and celebrate?" Sōta looked down at his hands, a private smile upon his face. "After all, a young man doesn't turn 15 every day."
Inuyasha tried not to look too smug, or too excited. He'd memorized Sōta's birthday from the employment paperwork, and checked in with Kagome before he planned anything. But, with her advice (and permission), Inuyasha had picked up aged prime rib that he'd put in the slow cooker on his late lunch break. He'd gotten corn on the cob, ready to be thrown on the grill, because that was Sōta's favorite. Kagome had promised to pick up dessert, insisting it was the least she could do and 'you're around ice cream all day—let me get the sweet thing.' Because that night, Inuyasha was going to host a little party at his house: for himself, Sōta, Kagome, and Shippō. Nothing too big, just a little something that could bring a smile to Sōta's face.
And even though he knew Kagome was gonna kill him, a wrapped Nintendo Switch with a couple of games were also waiting for Sōta.
Inuyasha couldn't wait. Because this was going to be the first time in all those months that he would get to see Kagome outside of her dropping in to pick up Sōta. Maybe the interaction would go beyond her quietly thanking him for Sōta's dentist appointment (…seriously…), or her refusing him, for the twentieth time, to be employed at Dog Days for a single hour a week so she could also join his insurance plan. Or… her saying that, yet again, he had failed to figure out her favorite ice cream flavor.
"No can do, kid," Inuyasha chuckled. "But I'll start gettin' stuff cleaned up and ready so we're out the door the second this place can close."
Inuyasha wasn't going to say that he would be hurrying the customers out that night, because he sure as fuck was not gonna keep Kagome waiting.
"At least it's Sunday, and we close at 7 instead of at 9…" Shippō murmured. "And it's summer, so no more school Monday morning…"
"And… it ain't like I'm not payin' you for bein' here." Inuyasha grumbled. "So you can wait."
Shippō and Sōta exchanged a loaded look, before their conversation and retorts were interrupted by a family coming to enjoy some ice cream after their early dinner.
Inuyasha ducked back into the back, where he began to cut the leaves off of strawberries to make a new batch of Strawberry Cheesecake. He tried not to think about it, about her, but his mind kept wandering back with every lapse of concentration. Kagome Higurashi was going to hang out with Inuyasha socially, for the first time since… well, since Inuyasha had gone over to Kagome's place to talk to her about offering Sōta a job. And he was going to get to cook for her. He was going to get to see the smile light up Sōta's face as he opened his present. And even as she would scoff at him for being 'over the top,' she would smile too.
That was the plan at least, as long as Inuyasha didn't accidentally cut one of his own fingers off in his anticipation. But Inuyasha's distraction had greater consequences than the potential for a missing finger: he didn't hear the way that Shippō and Sōta were animatedly whispering to one another in between customers.
So finally, at exactly 7pm, Inuyasha turned the hand-painted sign from "Open" to "Closed".
"Hey, Inuyasha! You should probably head to your house," Sōta said, nodding at Shippō. "We can take care of the last things here, since I bet you need to take prime rib out of the crockpot and things." When Inuyasha made to retort, Sōta continued, "Plus, I told Kagome to meet us at your place at 7:30, not here. So… if someone's not there then—"
"Why the fuck did you tell her to meet us there?" Inuyasha growled.
"Because it's less of a walk for her, holding a cake," Sōta shrugged, a little too easily, his eyes cast down and away from Inuyasha's. "Anyway… I thought we'd be done here in time and stuff, so…"
"Fuck." Inuyasha looked around the shop frantically.
Was he forgetting anything? What if Kagome was early and left waiting outside for them? Something about Sōta's answer didn't sit right with him, but the idea of Kagome standing outside and waiting twisted his gut more than his suspicion.
"We close up all the time, Inuyasha," Shippō sighed, exasperated. "Just go. We'll be there to meet you soon!"
Inuyasha nodded, and rushed out the door. The walk to his house from Dog Days usually took about 20 minutes. He'd be able to make it in 10 if he jogged, leaving 5 minutes to spare before Kagome was due to arrive.
Inuyasha growled as he darted past people, paused at intersections, then wound through the tree-lined streets toward his house. It was the house that his mother had purchased when Dog Days had finally made it. There were sometimes days Inuyasha thought it was too big for just him, but he could never let it go, because it was Izayoi, and that made the house special, his. It was two-stories high made of handsome brick, with old oak trees in the front yard. In the backyard, Inuyasha tended a garden, where he grew strawberries and pumpkins. The garden was surrounded by a well-tended raspberry bush. In the peak of the summer months, he'd often harvest his own raspberries and mix them into batches of ice cream. Indeed, he already had a bushel of the first set of raspberries sitting and waiting on his kitchen counter.
He had plans to use these for something extra special: a white chocolate-dark chocolate swirl with fresh raspberries. The Kagome (though he would never admit to calling it that). He'd only ever served that ice cream once before, many years prior, but… well shit, being around Kagome's sweet chocolate and raspberry scent had inspired him to make it again.
Inuyasha took a deep whiff as he walked up to his gate: no chocolate and raspberry scent just yet. He'd made it home in time. As he unlocked the door, the overpowering aroma of the prime rib hit his nose. Yes, it was ready, and it smelled delicious.
Before he did anything else, Inuyasha removed his shoes and headed for the bathroom to wash his hands and splash water on his face.
He shouldn't be fucking nervous about this.
Tonight was about Sōta, and celebrating Sōta's birthday.
So what if it was the first time that Kagome was going to be inside his house.
It wasn't like he had been thinking about how long her scent might linger. How, maybe if she got cold, he could offer her a blanket that just happened to be very, very good at absorbing scent.
No. This was Sōta's day.
So Inuyasha got to work. He headed into the kitchen and pulled the husked corn out of the refrigerator, then set the butter and pepper and grated Parmesan cheese down next to it. Next, Inuyasha headed out onto his back patio to check the grill, smiling to himself at the fragrance of the raspberries still left on the bush, ripened by the sun, ready to harvest and make that special ice cream.
When he heard a weak knock, Inuyasha sprinted for the foyer. After all, it was rude to keep a guest waiting for too long. Even before he opened the door, chocolate and raspberries flooded his senses. He inhaled deeply, letting the scent bathe him in relaxation (he wasn't nervous, okay?), then turned the doorknob.
Luminous chocolate eyes looked back at him, and a bright red blush brushed Kagome's face. She wore a sundress with a cashmere cardigan, and she'd braided her hair down her back. She looked, even more than usual, beautiful.
"H—hi," Inuyasha stammered, waving his clawed hand awkwardly. "You look… nice."
Nice?! That was the best word he could think of? What the fuck was he doing? He flirted with pretty women all day at work.
But… Kagome was… different. Special.
"Th—thanks," Kagome cast her eyes downward, and her breathing increased. Suddenly, she seemed to become aware of the box in her hands. "Oh! Right. I got a cherry pie!"
When Inuyasha saw the label on the box, he had to swallow down a groan. It wasn't just a cherry pie, it was a cherry pie from the bougiest bakery in Baltimore, Fahrenheit 350. It wasn't that their pies were bad, they were just… expensive. Really really expensive.
And Inuyasha knew what it meant for Kagome to splurge like that.
"Don't… even say it." Kagome's voice was sharp. Apparently she too had seen where his eyes had trailed. "Our parents used to bake cherry pie for birthdays, because I always complained that the frosting on cakes was too sweet. So… since I didn't have time to bake one, this was… the best I could do. To give Sōta a treat."
Kagome's defiant eyes did nothing to make his love for her diminish. She'd probably been saving up for that fucking pie, because it would bring Sōta a happy memory of their parents.
"You're—" Inuyasha started, but before he could finish his sentence with the word amazing (if… he could get up the nerve), both his and Kagome's phones pinged.
Happy Birthday to ME! I'm gonna be staying over with Shippō tonight. So… enjoy your DATE! That's the best birthday present you could give me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Inuyasha's stomach dropped straight through his body, and his hand began to involuntarily tremble. That little shit…
But then, his ears tuned into a different sound. Quiet, defeated, and as freaked out as he was.
"Stupid Sōta. Stupid Sōta. Stupid Sōta."
When Inuyasha looked over at Kagome, smelled her, and saw that the blush she wore was now beet red and covered her entire face, a realization came over him.
Perhaps his unrequited love for Kagome Higurashi was not so unrequited…