"Have you told her the truth yet, Inuyasha?"
Silence, then "I'm working on it."
Kikyo's eyes narrowed at the collection of sketches in her hand, though her irritation was directed elsewhere. The half demon had taken to hiding out in her classroom during his time off work and in between his own classes. He'd made the excuse that he could assist her, but she'd wager her favorite kitchen knives that he was drawn to the room because of Kagome's scent. Not that she knew anything about the scent he could pick up, though she had to admit the younger woman had good taste in perfume… She slapped the stack of papers on her desk, making the half demon in her seat jump. "If you were working on it you wouldn't be hiding in my classroom."
"You know you don't give off that huffy vibe but boy when it comes out –"
"Inuyasha," she warned.
"I'm just saying that you'd make a hell of a high school teacher if you ever got tired of being on tenure and wanted a switch."
"Stop changing the subject and explain why you haven't talked to Kagome outside of the bookstore. Or the classroom."
"We do talk outside of class," he grinned. "Or well…we start talking. Never lasts long…"
"I don't need to hear those details." Kikyo frowned as he reclined in her seat. Having had enough, she marched around the desk and began to swat at him with an empty folder she'd left on the desk until he vacated her seat. "We're coming up on the end of term. Next week is when I'm required to start giving the final exam. After that, you may be out of an opportunity to speak with her. She's likely to return home for the holidays, and you won't see her again until next semester."
He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets. "I know that," he muttered.
"You can't keep delaying this. If she learns about your dual identity from anyone else besides you, she's going to be hurt. More that it didn't come from you than the truth, I think."
"I know that," he repeated. "How…how am I supposed to even begin to explain this, Kikyo? I can't just tell her that I'm a chicken shit who's watched her for years and only had the balls to take a chance when I signed on for an experimental drug to look human."
The older woman looked thoughtful. "Actually, you could. Hear me out – all you need to do is say that, but not so bluntly. Tell her that you're attracted to her and have been since you first met, but because you're a half demon you feared she wouldn't be interested. You had no idea that she would be in this class when you made that agreement with me to model for the semester, and the drug was initially to keep your identity anonymous. That she was here was pure coincidence and played in your favor to garner her attentions."
Inuyasha looked surprised. "Holy shit, that was…"
"Impressive?"
"Yeah!"
Kikyo shrugged with a sly smile. "I have my moments. It also helps that I look unassuming, so no one expects me to unload on them when the situation calls for it."
He snorted. This instructor was something else. "Alright, so if I tell her all that, how do I manage to do that when I'm not at work and not taking the drug?"
"You're not in the bookstore now, are you?"
"No."
"There's your answer."
"Kagome's in class."
"Then wait until she's in between classes. Try the dining hall one day. Surely you can take an hour off for lunch?"
"Meh…maybe." Inuyasha scratched at the stubble on his chin. "If the boss is fine with it maybe next week."
Kikyo reached across the desk for her forgotten stack of papers and began to flip through them. She had to get some grading done sometime today, and she did not want to have to take it home again over the weekend. "Real good," she said absently. "Decide to spill the beans the week that your own beans are going to be on display for her evaluation."
"…Fuck."
Kagome's mood hadn't improved since she'd made a fool of herself the other day. Now it was the last regular week of classes, and she was dreading it on multiple levels. Where the week after it would be filled with students taking finals, all of her classes had done taken care of that, so it was an empty week in her schedule. She did her budgeting over the weekend and came to the conclusion that there was no way she could maintain the rent on the apartment and be able to travel home for the holidays. She couldn't ask her family for the funds to collect her and bring her back, they were already on a tighter than normal budget with her brother breaking his arm in a soccer game. She'd hated having to tell her mother that she couldn't come home, because they both knew that video chatting wouldn't be the same.
Especially when she was sitting in her apartment by herself.
Inuyasha still hadn't moved forward, and that was because he was waiting for her answer. He wanted her to get her answer from the half demon so she could decide for herself. If the half demon returned her feelings, he'd told her, then he would step away. That thought made her want to cry. She didn't want to lose him, but she also didn't feel like she could go further until she knew where the half demon stood either. She didn't want Inuyasha to feel like she was settling for him.
If she could get a yes or no response from the half demon it would have been one thing, but each time she approached him in the bookstore, there wasn't time to talk. Students were coming in to return textbooks or buy last-minute study materials, and he was swamped with processing those. The best she could get was when she needed him to help her reach things, and even then their conversations were shorter than either would have liked.
And here it was, Monday again. Mondays normally sucked on principle for one reason or another, but when a final was scheduled on a Monday it was even more depressing. At least it was in the last class of the day, and it was a class she enjoyed – besides the fact that she'd get to see Inuyasha. Did it make her a horrible student that she'd never looked at this class' syllabus to see what the final would entail?
Kagome poked at her lunch, not sure if she was hungry anymore. She had to get an answer out of the half demon somehow, had to know what he thought about her. Sure, she had Inuyasha's number, but what would happen after this semester if she couldn't give him an answer? Would he move on? Given the way things between them had progressed, she felt it was unlikely, but…with her track record she couldn't be sure of anything anymore.
"Hey! Kagome!"
Her head snapped up and looked around the dining hall. Who was that? No one ever called out to her, but it sounded like…Inuyasha? It couldn't be, she wouldn't see him until later in the day. Then her eyes caught a shock of silver hair and fuzzy ears. It was the half demon from the bookstore! She waved him over to her table, pushing aside her sketchbook to make room for his lunch. "Hey," she smiled, "I didn't expect to see you today. Did your boss let you out long enough to eat?"
The half demon grinned at her. "In my defense I was going to work through the lunch hour, but he said my stomach would frighten the customers."
"Oh wow. That must have been intense."
Inuyasha had started to say that he'd gone for longer without eating, but was more concerned with why she wasn't eating and asked about that instead. Her scent was…down. Sad. Frustrated. He knew why, and it made him feel like an ass.
"Just bummed is all," she replied. When he wouldn't take that as a satisfactory answer, she told him her frustrations about not being able to get home. About how the art model was too patient to even be real, but stopped herself before she blurted out that if she knew what he thought about her it would solve a lot of problems.
Inuyasha felt like even more of an ass. She was going to be alone over the winter break? In that apartment by herself? Then she'd started talking about the model, and he knew she was on the edge of saying something else. The way her mouth formed an "o" and the blush that began to rise up could only mean she'd been about to bring up her attraction to him. His heart had seized, hoping this wasn't the time to discuss it. He really didn't want to do this in the dining hall, even if they were away from the majority of people.
She'd shook her head moments after, saying it was nothing, then started to eat her lunch. He followed suit, trying to interject small talk between bites. It was an enjoyable lunch, and the longer he sat there he was kicking himself that he hadn't thought to do this before. Kagome appeared to enjoy his presence as well, even commenting that she normally didn't have lunch companions.
"Guess I'll have to see if I can time my lunch break to match yours next semester," he grinned. The flushed expression was worth the risk. "That is, if your art model guy doesn't mind me taking your time?"
"I…he's not…I mean…we haven't…we're not…" she sighed, dropping her chin onto her hand. "We're…I don't know what Inuyasha and I are. He…I know he wants more, but he wants me to make the call, and…" Kagome blushed down to her shirt collar as she realized she was talking about the half demon to the half demon. "…I'm unsure of how the other guy that I've had a crush on for years feels about me."
Inuyasha bit down on the inside of his cheek. "You like them both equally?"
The small nod she gave made him want to grin like an idiot. He couldn't, not without her asking questions that could lead to the talk they weren't ready to have. Still…what was to say that he couldn't nudge her in the direction of the talk they were due? Would that be a bad thing? She looked and smelled so down that his phone buzzing in his back pocket almost had him slinging it across the room. He did not need this now.
"You being called back to work?"
Dammit, why did his boss have to text him now of all times?! "Yeah," he replied, swiping the notification on the screen. "Last batch of stock came in and he wants to get it shelved as soon as we can so we're not losing our break getting it sorted." Inuyasha stood slowly collecting the remains of his lunch as Kagome rose as well. "I have a few minutes to spare," he offered, "Want me to walk with you to your next class?" God, was that coming on too strong? He'd only walked her to class looking human; would she still want his company –
"O-oh, that…that'd be nice, thank you."
Oh yeah, he was a fucking goner if he hadn't been years ago.
She'd tossed her trash and shouldered her bag, keeping in stride with him as they left the dining hall. He had to be careful and not get ahead of her as they walked across the courtyard to the class before her final one of the day. His hand had crept out to brush against her back, and he could swear she'd actually started to lean into him. "This other guy you like," he murmured, "what sets him apart from this model you're so into?"
He hadn't expected her to answer, but she let out a soft hum before she said "Actually, I don't think there's anything that sets them apart other than how they look. His hair is lighter…much lighter…and…his ears…" Kagome's face flushed and she ducked her head down as their steps slowed as they reached the building her next class was in.
"Ears, huh?" he chuckled, turning her to face him. This was too good, and it was probably really poor planning on his part but he knew he had to take this opportunity. Inuyasha gently lifted her chin up so she could meet his gaze as he leaned forward. "They wouldn't happen to be furry ears, would they?"
Kagome gasped. Oh god. How did he know? Did Inuyasha tell him? Maybe…maybe it was just a ruse. Maybe he assumed she was referring to another half demon with light hair and fuzzy ears somewhere on campus. Not that she knew of another half demon with fuzzy ears.
"You never know, Kagome," he whispered huskily, "Things you think are different could be one and the same." Before she could respond, and before he lost his nerve, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers in a quick kiss. "I'll see you around the bookstore," he added a bit hoarsely as he stepped away.
As soon as he got back to the bookstore he was kicking his boss's ass. She'd actually begun to kiss him back before he pulled away from her.
Fucking. Hell.
Kagome was fortunate that the class before her last one was essentially a cakewalk, because she hadn't been able to focus properly on the work at all. Not after that late lunch. Or the talk with the cute half demon.
Or that kiss.
He'd kissed her. Actually kissed her.
It hadn't been the same as that first kiss she shared with Inuyasha, but they were in the open on campus. He hadn't wanted to make a spectacle, but it was just enough to have her kissing him back before it ended. All she had been able to concentrate on was how his lips had felt against hers. It was…familiar.
Then there was the matter of him using her name, not once but twice. It was something she'd asked Inuyasha about as soon as she met him outside the classroom later.
"Me? No, I never told him your name. You didn't?"
Kagome shook her head as she walked alongside him. He reached out and slipped his hand within hers, giving it a squeeze. "No, and that's what's so weird. I've talked to him since I started school here, and that's the first time he's ever said my name before."
"This is good though, isn't it?" He held the door to the building open and let her pass through first. "You know that he likes you now, right?" He managed to kiss her as his normal self, so why didn't she look happier? Had she not gotten his clue?
Dammit, he was going to have to get creative.
Kagome was too busy mulling over earlier in the day to notice when he had let go of her hand to step behind the changing curtain. She set her bag down and began to remove her tin of pencils when she heard voices enter the classroom.
That was…weird. She checked the clock, and sure enough it was five minutes before the first bell were to go off, and already half of the remaining students in the class were filing in. Was it because it was finals week? And what was with the giggling? She'd never heard so much giggling as she had the last couple class meetings. It was starting to grate on her nerves to the point where she was debating asking just what the hell was so funny.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Kikyo said, walking into the room and closing the door. Something that Kagome found strange, as she never shut the door before then.
Was this a written test? Oh shit she hadn't prepared for that at all. Wait, why were people staring at her? Did she have something on her shirt? Did she drop something? Kagome surreptitiously looked around her to make sure she hadn't gotten a stain from lunch when her eyes landed on Inuyasha sitting down in the chair next to her. He wasn't wearing the wrap that he'd worn in the last few classes, at least not that she could tell. It was kind of hard to see anything past the black satin dressing gown he had pulled around him and belted at the waist.
"This is your final week with me, and for your last three assignments we're going to pull everything you've practiced this semester together into three pieces. You'll have only this class to complete each piece. When you come in on Wednesday you'll only focus on the second, and the third for Friday. You will need to focus on your attention to detail, as any mistakes you make will be noticeable." She waved at Inuyasha to stand up and come to the middle of the room.
Kagome began to get nervous when he held tight to the belt of that dressing gown. It's like he was trying to keep it closed for as long as possible…
"Today I want you to demonstrate your knowledge of contrapposto. Can anyone tell me what that means? Come now, I'm sure you remember hearing this in high school, surely."
"It's Italian for 'counterpoise'," Kagome said, when it was apparent that no one else would. "In visual arts it means the figure doesn't stand completely straight. Weight is put on one leg while the shoulders and arms are counter balanced. It allows the figure to appear in motion while stationary, and to many critics the minimal shift has an…attractiveness that draws the eye over a fully static stance."
Inuyasha was grinning widely as she explained, and a glance over at Kikyo proved that she was delighted with the answer. "That's a very good explanation, Kagome! Very well done!" She motioned to Inuyasha and continued. "As Miss Higurashi so thoroughly explained, this is your first assignment. When our model is ready to remove his robe and get into position, you will begin. You will draw the angle from your seat. Do not get up and move."
'Remove his robe? Inuyasha, what are yo- OH MY FUCKING GOD!'
Inuyasha was naked.
Very, very naked. Naked as the day he was born naked. There was no cloth, no sock, not even a smiley face sticker over the tip. He was completely bare, letting everything hang out, and he was staring right at her.
Kagome had seen naked men before. Not so close in person, but she had seen her fair share of bare asses in sex scenes in the movies. For him to be standing just a few feet away…watching her…she was positive her brain had stopped functioning. She knew she was blushing. Even other students that she could see in her peripheral were blushing. A couple of the men in class could be heard coughing into their hand, and she was certain she heard "lucky bastard" come from one of them.
He was indeed very…lucky. 'And…cut. Oh my, he's…yeah he's definitely cut…'
She'd drawn male anatomy before, so it wasn't like it was anything new to her. Of course with her limited experience it had been from expensive art books she'd collected years ago. Still – it was right there and she was having a really hard time looking away. She'd decided long ago that if she were given the choice of which to draw, she'd prefer what she was looking at right then. Any time she ever drew one uncut she spent the majority of her time doubting that she had drawn it right.
It looked weird to her, okay? Some things were just better streamlined.
Kikyo had asked Inuyasha if it was warm enough in the room for him as he tossed the robe onto the empty chair beside Kagome, jolting her from her thoughts. 'Right. Pick up your pencil, Kagome. You can think about how hung he is later. Much later. Alone later.' She had begun adding light strokes with her HB pencil across the paper before he had even gotten into a comfortable position. She knew the contrapposto well enough, so it wasn't difficult to frame the proportions out ahead of time.
If she had seen the dark looks other students were giving her that Inuyasha had, she might've stopped and waited. He'd had to resist grinning when she tapped into her artist brain and started sketching before he'd even gotten settled. With how she had answered Kikyo's question, he knew she knew her stuff, and he was so proud of how she answered with such confidence. He liked to see that side of her come out. In a way, it made him feel better about standing before almost a dozen of his peers – not that they had figured out he was a student, thank god – buck ass naked for the next hour and a half.
And there were two more days where he had to do this.
Shit.
He had almost backed out the week before. The idea of Kagome seeing him naked was something he hadn't minded, but honestly? He'd have rather she gotten to see all of him when they were alone. Preferably at his place. And when he wasn't in disguise as a human. 'Nothing to be done about it now,' he thought to himself. She was getting a good look at all of him now. Inuyasha had been more nervous than he'd even let Kikyo know about doing this, and it was the first minutes after removing his robe that had been his biggest fear.
Would Kagome approve of him?
Granted, this worry wasn't something he should have been worried about. The room being too cold would have been more substantial, but thankfully as a half demon his body temperature ran higher so that was the least of his problems. He was worried about what she'd think of him. Would his appearance startle her? Would she be repulsed?
Clearly not, as her expression proved. Oh she had been surprised alright, but he had to figure that was more to do with his being naked more than him exactly. Once the realization had kicked in…that's when she started to actually see him and every signal she was giving off indicated she was very pleased with what she saw. It was subtle, but he could tell her scent had changed for the better. So when she picked up her pencil and began to sketch, he was equally proud and relieved. The last thing anyone needed this week was for him to get a raging hard on because he could smell how much Kagome liked what she saw of him.
"So…" Inuyasha began as he sat down on the covered seat. "How's finals coming along?"
He'd been able to engage the other students in conversation the first night, but it had taken some doing. Once they had relaxed and accepted that they were supposed to draw the naked man before them, it had become a little easier to talk. It was like everyone was back on page one at the start of the semester again on Monday night. With Wednesday's meeting, he'd decided that he was going to sit. Kikyo had even gone so far as to suggest for the added challenge to shift around slightly to ensure that her stragglers would draw more than just his manhood.
Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was more embarrassed or amused that of ten people – not counting Kagome's piece – there were four students who had done a bare bones outline of his figure but spent most of the time focused on his cock. Kikyo hadn't been as amused, given that these were grown adults that should be capable of drawing the human body without issue. When she said point blank that she'd have to dock points for the overall composition, he'd suggested giving them partial credit for the important bits that they did get done.
She'd chased him out of the classroom and told him to go to work after that.
As the students around him offered some gripes and complaints about the end of term, his gaze was focused on the silent woman across from him. Kagome was all but avoiding making eye contact unless she absolutely had to, and it had nothing to do with him being naked. The half demon let out a small sigh through his nose. She'd been acting strange ever since….shit, ever since Monday…when he had kissed her as the half demon. He thought that dropping the hint would have made something in her mind go off and connect the two dots, but all that move seemed to do was make her sad. She still thought they were two different people that she had to choose between. He'd tried to tell her again as he drove her home each night that he wanted her to be happy, but apparently that made things worse.
He was going to find some way to fix this, if he had to wait until after Friday's last class meeting to do it.
She'd come into the bookstore earlier that morning to speak with him, but he'd barely gotten a handful of words out to her with the rush of students returning rental books. He couldn't blame them – the sociology majors especially – for wanting to return the books they'd rented months ago. Fucking instructor had decided a month into class that he was building his own syllabus that didn't require the book. He'd processed a lot of returns of the book still in the shrink wrap. When he'd looked up again, she'd left, and his heart had sunk.
Now here she was, perched behind her easel, hiding from him. Occasionally she'd lean around it to commit his image to memory then duck behind it again and scratch – scratch – scratch the pencil would go. Inuyasha wanted to growl, anything to get her attention. To just…look at him. Say something to him. He knew she was working and that didn't bother him. He wanted her to work, to do well and end the class with good grades. That wasn't the issue.
It was her ignoring him.
"How ya doing over there, Ka-go-me?" he asked, moving his left leg just a bit away from the other. He made the movement loud enough for her to look around and see that he had spaced his knees shoulder-width apart. It had the added effect of hearing some students around him mutter curses and reach for their erasers.
"I'm managing," she replied stiffly. Why he had to sit facing her she had no idea. On second thought, she had a pretty good idea, but really. Spreading his legs further apart didn't help her concentration, because now he was just blatantly framing himself as he watched her. And she knew he was watching her, even when her eyes were focused on the easel in front of her. She could feel those dark eyes staring at her, waiting for her to look at him.
"Been so quiet I thought you were having trouble." Might as well mess with her. "Something on your mind?"
If looks could kill, he would have been sprawled out on the floor then.
"You know exactly what's bothering me," came the clipped response.
Kagome wanted to be feisty tonight, did she? That was fine with him. All it did was make him grin and lean forward, resting his hands on his bent knees. That made quite a few students cuss out loud and he chuckled, still focused on the spitfire that was shooting him a dark look. "Come on now, the answer is right in front of you. You just have to look a little harder."
"I've been looking plenty and I still don't see the solution."
"Maybe it needs to be wrapped in a bow? Presented with ceremony?"
She scoffed. "I really don't see how this could be wrapped in a bow."
"Why not?" Inuyasha grinned wider. "A big red ribbon with a tag tied to it that says who it's for and who it's from."
The scratching from behind her easel stopped and the sudden snap had his eyes widening. Kagome remained calm as she deposited the broken pencil pieces into her tin and retrieved a spare, turning back to her work without giving him a second look.
Friday had been a whirlwind for Inuyasha, and he only hoped that Kagome was faring better than he was. Finals had been done since the day before for all of his classes, which was good because his work schedule had been doubled because one of the other students actually forgot that they had their final today. He'd gotten to take lunch off at least, but he hadn't been able to find Kagome to dine with her. Just as well – it was later than she normally ate and with how she'd been acting all week it might be better to talk to her after the last class. He'd gotten his meal to go and planned to take it back to the bookstore and just eat behind the counter when Kikyo intercepted him, looking frazzled more now than he'd ever seen her.
"I need your help."
Those four words may as well have been the incantation to opening a portal and dropping him into another universe, because as he inhaled his food on the walk over to the building he could not have predicted the situation that he would put himself in. Kikyo's normally straight hair was looking a little frizzy, or maybe it was curly? Now that he thought about it he wouldn't be surprised if she used a flat iron to smooth it out. Her clothes – where she normally wore a flouncy blouse and skirt or loose pants – was replaced with a t-shirt and worn jeans. She looked more like she was going to be moving furniture than administering a final exam.
Kikyo led him – damn he didn't know she could walk that quick – to the classroom where all of the student chairs and easels were moved to the furthest walls. In the middle of the floor where his covered chair was the other night sat a box. A big box, with no identifiable information as to the nature of it's contents. As soon as he got inside she closed the door, which only added to his suspicions.
"Am I just fattening myself up for slaughter?"
"Don't be dramatic, Inuyasha."
"I ain't being dramatic! You tell me you need help, you bring me here at the speed of a damn gazelle, and you only ever shut that door when I drop trough. Now there's a big ass box sitting here in the middle of the room that I'm pretty sure I could fit my ass in. So yeah, Kikyo I have questions."
Her face scrunched up in a manner similar to the look that Kagome had given him on Wednesday night and Inuyasha decided that he liked the look much better on Kagome. On Kikyo it didn't sit right. There wasn't the passion there that Kagome had…then again he didn't want to pin Kikyo against her apartment door and drive her wild either. "I was given grant money at the start of term to make sure I had the supplies I needed for the year, and with our current arrangement, I needed to purchase a new piece of furniture. I didn't think you'd want to put your bare ass on the cold floor."
"I appreciate your concern for my ass."
"Anyway," she ground out, "the delivery came today, as you can see, but I wasn't available when it was dropped off. I went to the bookstore hoping I could catch you, but Suikotsu said that you were taking your lunch break. I need your help getting it assembled."
Inuyasha wanted to comment that he was spending his lunch break putting this – whatever this was together – just to sit in it later while she watched most likely. He polished off his lunch and dropped the trash in the garbage can by her desk. Had to be better than spending his time standing around in the bookstore until it was time to go get Kagome. He swore under his breath, digging in his pockets for the last two capsules. Dr. Mushin had told him to take them after eating so the effects would last the longest, and well…since it was a late lunch he wouldn't have time to go home to eat before having to come back to get Kagome.
He missed the perplexed look Kikyo shot him as he dry swallowed the pills, looking between him and the clock on the wall.
Inuyasha used his claws to break the packing tape on the box as Kikyo reached for the open flaps, pulling them back to reveal something large, leather-looking, and black wrapped in plastic surrounded by packing peanuts. "I don't think you have to worry about assembling it," he remarked. "This thing looks like it's in one piece."
"Oh well that's even better. You can test it out and see how it feels before later and save some time."
There had been a moment when he debated on removing it from the box and going back to work, but if she'd approached his boss for his help, that meant he could take all the time he needed to, right? Maybe it took longer than they thought and he used up the last of his shift? Suikotsu was understanding, and it wasn't like it was just the two of them on the floor today anyway. That kid he filled in for that morning would be coming back in to finish up, so essentially he had a free pass. The half demon shrugged and continued to split the box down its sides. Packing peanuts scattered, which Kikyo began to sweep out of the way, as he lifted the piece of furniture and set it upright on the floor.
At least, he thought it was upright as he ripped the plastic covering away. It had this strange curve to it with a steep dip in the middle. How this was supposed to be comfortable was beyond him. There was a headrest, but he still didn't see how that would be good for his back if he had to sit in this for nearly two hours. Bunching up the plastic to trash he caught sight of a slip of paper that had fallen at his feet.
Turning it over his eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. What he assumed would be care instructions was actually a set of diagrams.
Oh shit.
He coughed. "You sure you picked this out?"
"Of course I did."
'Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Whatever you do, don't laugh.' "What uh…what was the name of this…recliner…exactly?"
Kikyo dumped the last of the packing peanuts in the trash and frowned at him. "On the website it was listed as a "sunning chair". Why? And what's with that face? You look like you're about to do more than just fart."
"A sunning chair," he repeated. "Yeah I imagine you could use this outside. Have to have a good tall fence though."
"Inuyasha! What is it!"
Instead of saying, he held out the piece of paper to her, watching her expression. She looked suspiciously at him until she glanced down at the paper – then she shrieked. "Oh my god!"
"Yeah that would get the desired effect."
"This is not what the website said it was for!"
"I mean it could pass as a fancy chaise lounger."
"Inuyasha what am I gonna do!" she shrieked again. Now she was pacing in front of her desk and shaking the paper. "When I purchased this I was going to take it home with me after the end of the semester to get it out of the way!"
"You mean after my bare ass has been in it? I hope you intend on washing it –"
"I can't take it home with me now! My younger sister lives with me! I can't take a sex couch home with me! It took so damned long to ship here the window for returning it is long since passed – and they damn sure won't take it back once your ass has been all over it!"
"Hey!"
"You were the one cracking jokes a minute ago. Don't start getting offended now," Kikyo pointed out. A second later, realization had dawned on her and the grin she wore was frightening. "You have a house."
"…I do."
Kikyo strolled forward and slapped the slightly wrinkled piece of paper against his chest, grinning widely. "Congratulations Inuyasha. You have a new piece of furniture, and you won't have to lay a cover over it tonight if you don't want to! You did bring your truck, right? It should load into the back no problem. Good thing that it's not going to rain until next week…"
"Woah woah woah!" the half demon was sure he'd heard wrong. "You bought this with grant money. You can't just give it to me."
She turned, walking back to her desk. "I can and did," she said, feeling more relaxed now that the problem was solved. "You agreed to help as my model this semester as a volunteer. There was no contract to designate any form of payment beforehand. It was bought for your use, so it's only fitting that you should be given it in compensation for your time."
Inuyasha's mouth opened and closed a few times, but he couldn't find words to counter her point. His eyes narrowed at the older woman who sat behind her desk looking entirely too pleased with herself. "I don't know how the hell you and Kagome do it, but you two must have some kind of psychic connection that allows you to back me into a corner like that. You two are the only two women I know of outside of my own damn family that can pull that shit. It ain't natural. Or fair."
"Speaking of," she said, reaching for her ungraded work and a pen. "When do you intend to tell Kagome the truth?"
"Tonight. After class is over."
Kagome couldn't place it, but there was something decidedly off about that lounger that Inuyasha was draped across. He was reclining on his left side, arm bent against the headrest cradling his chin. The right leg was bent at the knee while the other lay stretched out. Or as stretched out as was possible, given the drastic plunge of in the middle. What the hell was wrong with this lounger?
Unlike Wednesday, Inuyasha wasn't moving around as much. At best he'd adjust the arm he was leaning against or a leg, but it was minimal in comparison to the shitstorm he'd caused in the last class meeting. Kikyo had to remind him to not move so much because these students – while she was disappointed with their subpar performance – still needed to be graded on this last assignment. Once he'd gotten over his laughing fit and accepted that he now had a lounger he'd have to cart home, the dread of going home had hit him, making that grease pit of food in his stomach sit like a rock. He felt pretty confident as he went to get Kagome and walk with her to class, even up to the point where he stripped down behind the folding screen and later pulled off the robe to get comfortable on his new…couch. What kind of wine was Kikyo drinking the night she'd picked this thing out anyway? The shipping label had come from out of the country, so no wonder it had taken so damn long to get there. What amazed him was that none of the faculty had asked her about the large box that had been hauled across the courtyard.
Then again it was college and even some of the instructors didn't give two shits about dressing up for work on a Friday so it wasn't impossible to believe that it was overlooked.
He sighed lightly, breaking his gaze away from Kagome's spot to look at the clock. They had twenty minutes left, give or take, and he'd have to tell her the truth. Twenty minutes to figure out how to tell her that she had no reason to be sad about having to choose, because she was getting both. Maybe if he told her to be angry with him for holding onto this secret so long, would that keep her from crying? She hadn't cried in front of him, but he had smelled the trace of tears a few times. That had been like a knife in his chest.
'Fuck I need a distraction,' he thought, flexing his bent leg before returning it to it's position. "You guys have any big plans over break?" he asked the room, hoping to build up some conversation. There had been murmurs of "yes" and "kind of", with some students talking about going home. Some would be going out of town to visit other family they normally didn't get to visit. A couple were actually going to be getting on flights that evening to go around the world for the holiday break and wouldn't return until the start of the new year.
It was when he asked Kagome what her plans were that he instantly regretted it. The scent of sadness basically permeated the room, and in that moment he'd have rather tried to conceal a boner in front of everyone than make her upset.
"I won't be able to make it home for the holidays," she said in a flat tone. When one of the students to her left asked how come, she'd explained about how her budget was tight and with her brother's broken arm taking precedence, it was easier if she stayed in her apartment.
"That's a shame," the girl who had asked her replied. "I get that. Luckily my boyfriend is coming in from out of town so I won't be alone this Christmas. But you'll still get to "see" them in video chat, like you said. That's not the same, but it's not as bad as not having that ability at least."
Inuyasha couldn't see Kagome's expression, but the whiff of anger and jealousy that hit his nostrils as the younger girl talked told him everything. 'Shit girl. Back down. You don't know what you're getting into…' If Kagome could snap a pencil one handed he wouldn't put it past her to use it as a weapon.
"I'll be fine," Kagome said, as the scratching on the easel increased and the easel legs began to shake. "I've gotten on by myself well enough so far. I can do it again."
The subject had changed to television midseason finales after that. It was safer ground.
When Kikyo had called for everyone to put their pencils down, Inuyasha hadn't hesitated to sit up and reach for his robe. As usual, he'd wait until most of the class had left before ducking behind the folding screen to get dressed again. Everyone in the class had gotten a free show for three nights, and he was only interested in letting one of them get a repeat performance. She, it seemed, looked as if she wanted to fold into herself the more empty the room became.
Kikyo arranged the stack of artwork into a neat pile on her desk before she began the search for her purse. She'd become used to Kagome hanging back, and when Inuyasha had explained to her that he was driving her home it made a lot more sense. "It's been a pleasure having you in my class, Kagome," she smiled, straightening and shouldering her purse at last. "I've greatly enjoyed having someone with talent such as yours embrace each of your assignments. It's what makes teaching so worthwhile. I do hope you have an enjoyable holiday."
"She will," Inuyasha said as he stepped out from behind the folding screen. When Kagome shot him a quizzical look he scoffed. "Like I'd let you spend the holidays by yourself!"
"You have family –"
"Yeah a brother that I terrorize by buying my twin nieces the most obnoxious toys imaginable. They're going to be out of town and won't be around to annoy. We'll be alone together."
As much as Kagome wanted to frown, his cheeky grin was infectious and she felt her own lips curling upwards at the corners.
Kikyo clapped her hands in delight, and to Kagome it was like she was on a whole other wavelength with the wide smile she was sporting herself. "Now that that's settled," she beamed. "Inuyasha, do you need help getting this to your truck? I'm sure that I could catch Renkotsu and borrow one of his dollies if you need it…"
Kagome's eyes shot from her instructor to the man beside her. What was her instructor talking about?
He blew a raspberry at the mention of the janitor. "No need, I can get it. S'not that heavy anyway. If Kagome can spot me, I'll be golden."
"Wait…what?"
"Excellent, then I shall leave you two to it! Thank you again for your services, Inuyasha!" With her computer tucked under her arm and her purse, Kikyo was all but gone in seconds.
A beat had passed before Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha. "What…was that about?"
"Yeah…so, I might need your help."
"With this…couch?"
"Uh huh," he coughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Turns out Kikyo ordered it and it's…too big for her place…so she offered it to me for the modeling."
Kagome crossed her arms and tried not to grin at how red his face was turning. She knew there was something off about this lounger and his blushing was only confirming it. Of course she knew that such things were a thing, but she'd never seen one in person before. Tilting her head to study it, Kagome had to admit that it was more subtle than what she imagined it to be. "Alright," she said, unfolding her arms and letting them slap at her sides. "What do you need me to do to help you get your sex couch in your truck?"
Inuyasha nearly choked on his spit. "Oh fuck, you know?!"
"It's not that hard to tell!"
"For Kikyo it was apparently!"
It shouldn't have taken as long as it did to get the lounger out to his truck. Once he had gotten Kagome to stop laughing, he'd recounted the story that Kikyo had told him and how he really came to acquire the new piece of furniture. Once she had quit laughing the second time, he was able to get her to run ahead and hold the doors open. It really didn't weigh as much as it looked like it would, and he was able to hoist it on his back. Kagome had expressed concerns, but he kept telling her that he had a firm grip and could see where he stepped this way.
They'd reached the parking lot when he heard her ask "Did you really mean what you said back there? About the holidays?"
"Of course I did, Kagome. Why would you think I didn't?" Shit, the weight of the couch was starting to kick in and naturally he had to park a ways away today of all days. His body bowed forward a little more, so he couldn't see Kagome's expression fall as they reached the truck.
"I mean…with the stuff with the guy from the bookstore…I didn't figure you'd want anything to do with me." Kagome opened the passenger door to drop her belongings inside, then ran around to the back to drop the tailgate. This worry had been sitting on her chest all day, and she had to get it out before he responded. "Because I haven't been able to make a decision, I thought…that you'd think…you know. Why try to get involved with this girl on any level if she's hung up on some other guy?"
Inuyasha heard the soft bang of the tailgate laying flat and heaved the lounger up off his shoulders. "You can't think like that. Kagome, I mean it when I say that I'm willing to accept whatever answer you give me. If that means I have to wait, I'll wait. Has the half demon said anything more to you about it?"
Kagome reached up in a vain attempt to help slide the lounger into the bed of the truck, but the best she could do was brush the side with her fingertips. Her focus had been on the lounger itself as she voiced her thoughts. "No. Things have been too busy at the bookstore, and I didn't see him today at lunch…and…oh…oh my god…"
She was seeing things, right? This was all in her head? Had the rum raisin she polished off the night before turned over without her knowing? There had to be some explanation for what she was seeing.
How in the fuck was Inuyasha's hair turning white?!
Her grip on the side of the truck bed tightened as he straightened up, looking at her confused with golden eyes instead of brown. The human ears had disappeared as the hair went white to the tips, and two fuzzy dog ears appeared higher up. The blunt nails on his hands had grown into familiar clawed points.
Oh god.
It was him.
"You're…oh god…you're…"
"What? What's wrong, Kagome?" His expression grew into alarm as she failed to get the words out, and he rounded the truck, grasping her by the shoulders. As he was about to ask her again what was wrong, he noticed his hands. "Shit. Kagome – I – I can explain."
"You're….you…you're…holy shit…"
"Kagome, I swear I can explain."
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish before she finally said, "I sure hope so cause you're not a werewolf."
That…that had been unexpected, and he found himself laughing uncontrollably as he dropped his head onto her shoulder. Of all the things she could have said…her first thought was lycanthropy? Here he was expecting her to scream at him, cry, be mad as hell, anything that he'd stressed about the longer he had spent his time around her with the disguise.
"This is funny?" she squeaked, feeling heat cross over her entire body. Kagome was positive she was blushing from head to toe in that moment. "I've seen you naked!"
"Did you like it?"
"Inuyasha!"
"I mean it," he chuckled, lifting his head up and studying her. Kagome was practically glowing red she was blushing so hard, and his tone softened. "I really do have an explanation, if you're willing to listen?"
This time she laughed, but there was no humor in her voice when she spoke. "Listen? Sure, I'll listen. You'll just have to do me a solid and break it down into small parts so I don't misunderstand anything. I mean how much of an idiot can I be, Inuyasha? I've been drawing you all semester and was too stupid to see you for what you were! Oh – the kicker – you know the kicker? That I've been kissing you for months, not knowing you were you! That I've wished you would agree to drop by my apartment for a bit after classes, knowing full well where it could lead –"
"Kagome…"
"No, Inuyasha! You need to – oh who am I kidding you already know! You've known for months that I've had a crush on you since my first year here! And you managed to act like you didn't know all while you were kissing me, holding me, making me wish that I'd gotten that chance with you as you are now! Was this…whatever we were doing…was this true? You really meant the things you told me for months?"
He didn't like that he was smelling the onset of tears. She wasn't upset with him. She was humiliated with herself. Inuyasha let go of her shoulders and cupped her cheeks in his hands, directing her to not look away from him. "I've been attracted to you since you stepped in the bookstore that day," he murmured. "Everything I said to you was the truth, Kagome. You're not a fool, and you're sure as hell not stupid. I'm the moron that was keeping this secret from you. I could have told you anytime before now. I'd intended to tell you tonight, actually."
"Why did you wait so long?"
"Scared," he admitted. "All of my past relationships didn't take kindly to committing to a half demon for the long term. I was afraid to tell you because I've grown to care about you so much. The thought of you being repulsed by me was nearly as bad as you not wanting to ever speak to me again. I thought…if I couldn't get more than friendship with you, that would be enough. But I'm not so sure it is anymore, Kagome. Not since I kissed you that first time."
The tears that did run down her cheeks were brushed away by his thumbs. "Sorry, I don't mean to cry. I'm just…"
Inuyasha could tell, pulling her into his arms tightly and murmuring in her hair. "I know." The way she held onto him was what he'd hoped for for years, and he was going to savor it. Her tears didn't last but he really didn't want to let her go. Not yet anyway.
Kagome buried her face in his chest as she tried to calm down. "Sorry," she said again, though it came out muffled. "It…it was a shock."
"I figured," he chuckled dryly, and she could feel the vibrations against him. He rubbed her back lightly, feeling some of the weight lift off his chest as she sighed. At least she still welcomed his touch.
She really wasn't upset with Inuyasha. That's what she kept reminding herself. She only wished she could tell herself that she wasn't stupid for not noticing the similar features. Kagome struggled to lean back just enough to look up at the half demon that was holding her. He still looked concerned that she was going to run off or something, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. "Does this mean…what you said…I mean, before before…all this…"
"The waiting? Woman I've waited to get you to notice me for almost three years; if you need time to think about us becoming an "us" I'll wait another three –"
Kagome didn't wait to let him finish his sentence before she grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. Being able to kiss the "human" him had been wonderful, but now that she knew the truth and could kiss him as the half demon that he was, it was so much better. Especially since she actually got to kiss him this time. When he'd done it just before class the other day, she'd been so caught off guard that she barely got to enjoy it.
He let out another laugh once she let him go. "Guess I don't need to ask if you need time," he teased. The parking lot lights ticking on reminded him that they weren't outside her apartment, like he usually was when he got to kiss her. "It's late, we should get you home." The words felt bitter on his tongue after that last kiss, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
She let him lead her to the passenger side and climbed in without a fuss. Inuyasha shut the door and came around the other side, sliding in behind the wheel. It wasn't until after the engine started up did she remember to ask, "Why were you disguised as a human?"
"Shit, I never did say did I?" Inuyasha pulled out onto the street, sending her an apologetic glance. "Sorry, got distracted by your tongue –" he let out a laugh as she reached over and swatted him in the shoulder. "I mean it! But anyway, yeah. I uh…might have been taking an experimental drug…"
"You what?!" She hadn't meant to say that in a squawk, just as he hadn't intended to slam on the breaks in the middle of the road, jerking them both forward against the seat belts.
Luckily he was taking a back road so no one saw that his truck visibly bounced the lounger that was sitting in the bed. He mumbled out another apology as he eased back onto the gas. "It's not as bad as you think, Kagome!" Holy hell he hadn't expected her to react that way about it. "The head of the medical sciences department – Dr. Mushin, you know of him? He's been developing a pill that allows a full blooded demon, or in my case a half demon, the ability to suppress only the physical characteristics that set us apart from humans.
Since there wasn't a lot of full blooded demons that were willing to do the study that met his requirements, he approached me and asked if I'd be willing to try it for the term. I guess full demons figured they might get purified, I don't know, when they heard about the drug. Dr. Mushin was the one to produce it, and has only had students on hand to observe his findings. There was no way he'd allow a student to create this.
So I go to his office to meet with him, sign all the forms that say that I'm willingly volunteering, he's not bribing me with anything, all that junk. I'm halfway there and I run into Kikyo. Said she was looking for a model for her class for the term. Wanted to stick with just one this time because apparently in the past she had multiple ones get the schedule mixed up and it was a grand shitshow. Her hunt to find someone whose schedule that could line up with her original class time wasn't working, and somehow my name was passed along to her. With me having less classes I've been working at the bookstore more often, and she wanted to ask me about my schedule and when I got off work…"
Kagome reached out and grabbed his arm, realization hitting her. "You mean to tell me…that you're the reason this class was later than it should've been?"
"If I say yes are you gonna be mad?"
"….Probably not?"
"Well I ain't saying no…" Inuyasha grinned when he glanced over and saw her slump back in the seat. "In my defense, I had no idea that you were in the class until that first night I walked in there. That was pure coincidence."
She nodded. Looking out before her, a frown dropped onto her face. This…this did not look like the way back to her apartment. "Inuyasha? Where are we going?"
"What?"
"This isn't my apartment building. It's not even one of the streets that lead to my apartment. I don't…think?" It was very much dark now but the streetlights weren't giving her any visual cues that she recognized on the way home.
"Um…right, about that…" Fuck, he hadn't even realized! He had been so caught up in telling Kagome about why he looked human that he hadn't been paying a whole hell of a lot of attention to where he was going. "This is…uh…my house." Inuyasha coughed uncomfortably. "I wasn't paying attention, and it's just a five minute drive from your apartment building that I...drove home out of reflex. Let me pull in and turn around and I'll get you home."
"W-wait!" Kagome froze as she reached out for his hand as it fell on the gear shift. Heat flooded her face as it sunk in that she had to explain herself. "I mean…you know…" she was fumbling over her words again, that was just great. "There's no reason I couldn't help you…you know…get your lounger inside."
Was she...? Inuyasha swallowed thickly. "Then…how about dinner? See what happens?" The shy smile that spread across her face made his stomach flip.
"Yeah. See what happens."
Three weeks later
Kagome stretched and turned over in bed, reaching for the phone that was currently vibrating on her nightstand. It was too early for phone calls. Her mom knew this. Her grandpa knew this. Her brother even knew it, but since it was his dominant arm he'd broken she couldn't imagine it was him, even for a prank call. She'd said she would video chat that evening anyway.
She blinked at the screen in confusion before she realized it wasn't a call, but a text. A text from one of her old girlfriends from high school. Eri, in particular.
[Hey Kagome! Merry Christmas! Called your house and you mom said you were staying at school over the holidays?]
'Shit. If I don't respond she'll keep it up.' [Yeah. Can't afford to make it there and back this year. There, she hoped that'd suffice.]
Right as she was about to put the phone up it buzzed again. [Uh huh. So what's his name?]
Kagome choked, dropping the phone on her nose. [It's the truth! Rent's high in the city!]
[Okay okay. But what's his name?]
[…Inuyasha] She skimmed her gallery and added a picture of the two of them as an attachment. It'd only be a matter of time before she asked anyway.
Several minutes passed before she got a response.
[Oh my damn]
[How was it?]
[Good?]
[Please say good]
No way was she going to respond to that. [How was what?] she typed instead.
[Don't play innocent, Kagome!]
She snorted loudly as she typed her response. Kagome was so engrossed in her phone that she missed the grin on the half demon's face as he stood in the doorway, watching her.
"What's got you smiling like that?" Inuyasha asked as he slid into the bed next to her. He dropped kisses along her bare shoulder as she finished typing. "Your family change the time of the video chat?"
Kagome shook her head and tried not to shiver at his touch. Too distracting, and he knew it. "No, that's still the same time. You're gonna be there, right?"
"Your grandpa gonna try and purify me over Wi-Fi again?"
"Okay that was more funny than worrisome and you know it," she pointed out. "Besides, you're growing on him. Mom's told him about all the good you've done." She waved the phone at him and added. "Text from a Eri, one of my friends from high school. Asked about you and me."
"Oh really? What did you say?" Inuyasha was curious, but he didn't expect her to pass him her phone. He scrolled upwards and skimmed. Eri wanted to know his name…okay. Wanted to know… wait. She wanted to know if they'd – yep, that's exactly what he read.
Then he got to Kagome's response and howled with laughter.
"Yes Eri, we fucked. And it was good," he read aloud once he could find his voice again. Inuyasha passed the phone back to her as he wiped the tears from his eyes. That certainly explained her snorting earlier.
"You approve, I take it?"
"Fuck yes. Except…just good?"
Kagome gave him a funny look. He actually sounded offended by that! "What? You expect me to type phenomenal this early in the day?"
Inuyasha crawled over her, grabbing her phone and setting it back on the nightstand. His lips descended on her neck, nibbling at the skin and delighting in making her giggle. "I don't expect you to be able to type anything this early. Gonna have to fix that…" The half demon proceeded to make his girlfriend forget how to spell her own name, much less "good".
