A/N: Earlier in the week when everyone in the IYFF Book Club was posting their Secret Santa gifts they had made, I happened to get inspired by nartista-digital's piece for arcprz...and may have written this in the span of two nights. Enjoy this surprise gift of smut!

"This?" Mama Higurashi held up a small bundle of synthetic leaves and berries, tied with a ribbon. Inuyasha had been helping her bring in the bins of decorations from the shed one afternoon while he waited for Kagome to return from school. She shouldn't have been surprised to hear him ask questions, but when he pointed to the bundle with a clawed finger, she was scrambling to find the easiest way to explain it. "It's mistletoe, Inuyasha. This isn't the real thing, but it's a plant that exists by many names. You might have come across it in your time by another name. Tends to grow in the tops of trees."

"But why is it in with this stuff?" Inuyasha took the proffered item and sniffed it. Just like the other decorations in the bin it reeked of staleness in storage for nearly a year, but it had no discernable scent underneath that. The leaves and berries felt unnatural and waxy compared to actual plants he'd handled. It didn't have any sparkle to it like the balls that hung from the fake tree Kagome had introduced to him that first Christmas they had known each other. It didn't have any bright coloring that made it stand out. It looked…plain.

Unassuming.

So why was she laughing? Did he say something funny? His ears drooped slightly at the thought that she was laughing at him.

Mama tamped down her giggles and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not laughing at you dear," she assured him. "I forget sometimes that our traditions are not as old as I think they are. Mistletoe…it's had multiple reasons for being hung in homes across different cultures, but to put it simply… it is a gift for lovers to meet underneath. One of the oldest traditions that I know of were used with real mistletoe. A person would pick a berry from the sprig before the person they were underneath it with could be kissed, and once they were all gone, there could be no more kissing. Nowadays, people in this time like to hang it in doorways to "catch" their intended unawares, but it can also be carried and held up overhead."

Inuyasha could feel the heat rise in his face. Kiss? There was a rule that you had to kiss someone under this thing?

"Though I suppose it didn't matter where the mistletoe was held, so long as it is under the couple…" Mama was mumbling to herself as she toted the bin in her hands to the living room, leaving Inuyasha to his thoughts.

Youkai Inuyasha grunted as she hefted himself up onto the lip of the well. The modern clothing that he had chosen to wear did not offer the same flexibility as his robes, he didn't care what Kagome said. The black short sleeved top, while a soft material, had nearly been snagged in his quest as he searched the tree tops. The 'dee-nym' was form fitting and stiff, limiting his ability to squat without the worry of splitting the material. It felt tough enough, but he had his doubts.

He swung his legs off the side and stood, wiggling this bare feet against the dusty floor of the wellhouse. It wasn't particularly cold in either time this evening, which suited him fine. If it got too cold Kagome would have his head for not wearing shoes. His hands searched his person, checking to make sure that he hadn't snagged the clothing or brought with him any more sprigs of leaves than he intended.

What he held in his left hand was more than enough.

He'd had the thought to approach Mama to ask about the mistletoe she had with the decorations, but killed that idea as quickly as it came. If he asked, she'd ask questions, and he really didn't need anyone to know what he was planning. The talk that day had been enough to help him set about finding the real deal back in the feudal era, and he'd taken advantage of Kagome not being around to go look for it.

It was too tempting. Present this plant and get a kiss? How could he turn that possibility down, especially when all of his previous attempts to get affection from the miko went sideways.

The first time had been in her bedroom, when Souta had thrown open the door. He had been able to feel her breath hitch when his lips were scantly an inch away. He wanted to hang that kid from the tree that he'd been pinned to for that one. After he had nursed his bruised nose from the faceplant that Kagome had done, pushing him into the floor. To this day it amazed him how close he came to landing in her lap with that movement…

The second time had been back in the feudal era. They had set up camp, just the two of them….or so he thought. He'd tried to lean in when Shippo came barreling through the bushes, yelling about having heard a ghost. There was no ghost. Just Miroku having a go at the kit's expense. It was the first time Inuyasha had stood up in defense of Shippo, and to this day Shippo still wouldn't let him forget it.

The third time wasn't really anyone's fault, so much as it was just really sucky circumstances. Kagome had come down with a fever and ended up feeling so bad she had to go back to her time the next day. He had been so concerned that he'd collected ingredients to make the broth his mother used to fix for him, forgetting all about trying to get a kiss. After that…well, her kid brother basically outing him for not admitting that he liked Kagome kinda killed his moment to try when she got better, because all of a sudden it turned into solving Souta's nonexistent love life.

The point was – there had been too many instances that had screwed him over in the past. And past-future. So past-past and past-future…fucking hell that was confusing.

He wanted his kiss, dammit! That's all there was to it!

Kagome pushed open the bathroom door and closed it with her foot, arms laden with a change of clothes and other items that was left in a heap on the counter. Today had been a bust all the way around, and she was in need of some pampering. Hot shower with her favorite body wash, maybe do a face mask, paint her nails…who knew what she'd end up doing, but she was going to treat herself, dammit!

It had been a shit week anyway. Well, not entirely true – Naraku was dead, and had been dead for some time, so that was one less stressor. The jewel shards were still out there and needed to be found to reform the jewel. In the final battle Kagome had a case of déjà vu when she shot her last arrow into Naraku's chest, shattering the chunk of the jewel he'd embedded into his body. That act hadn't been what brought him down, but it had certainly put a dent in. In the end, the search was harder than it had ever been, because she could swear that the arrow smashed it into even smaller pieces.

Fighting youkai that had taken these pieces wasn't difficult, just…really time consuming. It had taken them the remainder of her junior high year to get to the point where they were strong enough to take on Naraku. It had taken her entire high school experience to vanquish him and find most of the remaining pieces of the jewel. It was bullshit, but it was her life now.

She wanted to come back to spend Christmas eve in the present, despite knowing that she would be coming back to an empty house. Her mother had told her in her last visit that they had made plans to go out of town. Kagome didn't mind; it had been so long since they had last done anything fun she wouldn't begrudge them of this. She had told her mother that what she'd probably do is ring up the girls and spend time with them during the day. Since they had graduated they rarely got to hang out as a group, between Kagome's personal business and their college classes eating up time. It would be the perfect opportunity.

Those plans were shot to hell that morning as she made the calls. When had Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi all gotten boyfriends at the same time? Had she been that out of the loop? Each girl had given her the same excuse, albeit worded differently – since they were on break and their boyfriends weren't working today, they wanted to spend the entire day together doing couples things – to which they all hastily added that if she wanted to come with them, she was more than welcome to.

Fuck. That.

No way in hell was she going to be a third wheel and listen to the worst ASMR imaginable all day.

Kagome had decided right after she ended her phone call with Ayumi that she'd make it a day for loving herself, since outside of her family it didn't seem like anyone else would. Including Inuyasha.

She frowned again as she turned the knobs to set the water. Inuyasha had been distant all week, and this morning when she said that she was going back to the well? He hadn't even made a fuss! What the hell was that about? Was he just as annoyed with their stagnant progress? He hadn't even made any threats to come get her like he did so many times in the past. As she stepped back and peeled off her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, Kagome tried to think back. Maybe there had been something she had missed? Did he have plans that he had mentioned and she glossed over?

No…nothing came to mind. Maybe Kaede needed some help, or one of the other villagers, and that took up his time. Usually he wouldn't be far behind her anymore when she returned to the present.

"I don't know why I'm surprised," she said aloud, stepping under the spray of the water. "it's just my luck that been in love with a guy who misses all the signals."

Kagome wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen for the hanyou, but she knew that fascination-turned-crush slammed into love and sat with her for years. It wasn't hard to see why. Outside of his gruff exterior, he was sweet in his own ways. He also had a natural beauty to him that would leave him flustered whenever she pointed it out, and as he got older it only got better. She didn't think she'd ever get him to understand that it was a compliment; too many years of being belittled for what he was had a lot to do with that.

All that silver hair, those cute ears, the fangs… hm…

As she uncorked the cap on her body wash, Kagome was struck with the idea that maybe… well, what could it hurt, really? She was home alone. No one would hear her. And it was supposed to be a "self-care" evening, after all. What's to say that she couldn't do a little more intensive self care while she was at it?

Fantasies about the silver haired hanyou taking control and showing her what she had been missing for so long were quickly filling her head and sending delightful surges of pleasure south. Kagome's thighs clenched together as she set the bottle on the shower shelf. She had all the time in the world to wash.

Red eyes blinked as the door swung open. The house was eerily quiet as Youkai Inuyasha entered. He sniffed the area, heading to the kitchen. Each room he had passed was empty and devoid of any fresh scents of the other family members. He could only assume that there wasn't a threat, because he would have heard from Kagome by now if there had been.

A note had been left on the table. It was written in Mama's handwriting, and from what he could decipher, it was letting Kagome know that they had gone on some kind of trip. A funny feeling raced through him at that. They had left her behind? No, no that wouldn't be right. Kagome had mentioned that they had made plans weeks ago…that must be this trip, then! So why would she come back here now, knowing that she'd be alone?

The box that Kagome said was a telly-fone beeped from the living room, and he followed the sound to see that the box was blinking. Youkai Inuyasha reached down to pick up the receiver, recounting what Kagome had taught him before, and pressed the appropriate buttons to listen to the message. If it were important he could always pass the message to Kagome, and she could write it down if need be. He wasn't sure he could accurately transcribe the unfamiliar terms anyway.

It was a message from one of those girls – the one with the really short hair and the loud mouth that tried to convince Kagome that he was a two-timer. She…what? The fuck? His ears pinned back in irritation as the girl continued to giggle and admonish some male that was with her to stop whatever he was doing so she could leave her message to Kagome. He was seconds away from hitting the button marked 'delete' when her words gave him pause.

"We're going to reserve a hotel tonight and hit up the spa treatments. I know they say that they're couples only, but I'm sure we could get them to make an exception if you wanted to come with us, Kagome. Or you know, we could always find someone for you-"

Youkai Inuyasha hit the delete button so hard he had to check to make sure he didn't break the casing. Like hell he would allow Kagome to resign herself to being the tagalong company to – to that! Not when he was right there!

He sniffed the air, trying to place where Kagome was in the house so he could find her and tell her that her friends from that school were imbeciles, but the sound of running water answered that easily. She was in the bath…or the showering contraption that was meant to be more efficient. How, he didn't know, but it was like a hot waterfall to him.

The closer he got to the bathroom, the more certain he was that Kagome had opted to take a shower. The amount of time the water would have been running otherwise would have been concerning, but also…there was something else going on. Something he never would have expected to be happening during a time when Kagome prided herself on getting clean. The hand not gripping the mistletoe grasped and turned the knob on the door, opening it as quietly as possible. His curiosity was getting the better of him. He could just as easily waited until she was done, but also…he really wanted to know.

Youkai Inuyasha had no issue getting in the door and getting it closed, but the steam that filled the bathroom hindered what he could see. Fortunately, Kagome was anything if not quiet in her endeavors, so all he had to do was stand back and listen to the mewls of pleasure that she was pulling from herself.

Kagome couldn't pinpoint when the idea of Inuyasha dragging his fangs along her body was a turn on, but dear gods was it ever. Her fantasies were switching from him pinning her against the wall, biting and licking at the pulse point with his teeth as he teased her with his cock between her thighs, to leaving light marks all over her skin and every crevice in between.

Even under the spray of the shower head she could still feel the slick gathering between her thighs as her fingers dipped and stroked her folds. Her other hand would palm her breasts, envisioning that it was his that were cupping and tweaking her nipples. It would switch to grasp her other hand as her head fell back against the wall, and if she pictured hard enough it was almost like she was guiding his hand to touch her.

She was so close… A flick of her thumb across the swollen clit had her gasping out loud, bucking into her hand, trying to get her fingers that were pumping inside her to go a little deeper. She just needed a little more and –

The loud schwip of the shower curtain being ripped open had her gasping, the hand that had been fingering herself was jerked behind her against the wall. Her other came up to rest between her breasts, and Kagome swallowed thickly as she realized that it was Inuyasha standing there. "I-Inu…yasha…"

She took in his appearance as he continued to stare, and she pretended that he didn't know what she had been doing seconds before. Black fitted t-shirt, jeans and barefoot…it was unfair to look that good, and the incessant ache between her thighs agreed. What surprised her was the appearance of his full youkai side, though she would be lying if she told herself that she didn't mind seeing this side of him from time to time. It was one of the few good things that had come from their long quest, was Inuyasha's ability to control his full youkai. He had gotten to where he could call forth the youkai for any given reason and still maintain his conscious self.

"Kagome," he purred, a fangy grin crossing his lips. Those red eyes were watching her carefully and she knew that he knew what she was doing.

He was taking a step forward and wait – "Inuyasha! The shower –"

"Don't care."

"But –"

Inuyasha didn't respond as his hand came towards her to mold around her bare hip. He leaned forward as she leaned back into the wall, and the red and teal faded to the golden amber she was so used to seeing. His other arm raised above them, and Kagome's eyes followed to see him hold up a sprig of… "Mistletoe?"

When she looked back down into his eyes, she couldn't help the soft gasp at the expression they held. He knew what he was doing. He knew the significance of the plant, and as it sunk in with her, the big grin only seemed to get bigger.

He wanted a kiss. He couldn't wait for her shower to finish, but he wanted a kiss. How could she possibly refuse him? Especially when he was looking at her like that?

Kagome chewed her lip as she watched him before reaching out to pull him towards her. If he wanted a kiss that badly he was going to have to deal with getting his clothes wet, because she didn't want to come out from under the hot water. Having his lips settle over hers at last was better than any fantasy she could come up with. It had been slow, delicate…and enough to make her want more. Or maybe that was because she still hadn't gotten off like she had wanted.

She reached up and fisted her hands in his shirt, tilting her head back and parting her lips to encourage him to step it up a notch. She wanted more. Much more than just the one hand palming her ass cheek and tickling her with his claws. Inuyasha had gladly deepened the kiss, and it was so good that if she hadn't been holding onto him she'd have fallen.

Maybe coaxing him to make out with her in the shower wasn't the best idea.

Well…fuck it. It would be better if she could get him to let go of that mistletoe so he could use both hands…

With her backed against the wall it was hard to maneuver, but Kagome had managed to get him to lower his arm just enough to pluck the sprig from his hands. All it had taken was a carefully timed ear rub right at the tip. His breath had caught and his grip had gone slack just long enough for her to make her move. She didn't push him back when they parted from the kiss, but she held the now soaked plant between the valley of her breasts.

If he wanted to play "kiss under the mistletoe" then she could play too.

Inuyasha glanced between the plant and her expression before bending and drawing a puckered nipple between his teeth. His hands held Kagome up as he sought to bring her as much pleasure as she had been giving herself, if not more. The hand that was gripping the mistletoe was beginning to shake with each lick or nip to her breasts, which made him chuckle as he sucked one especially hard. Inuyasha could feel his pants getting more uncomfortable, and not just from the water that was soaking them. The vision that she had presented him with when he pulled that curtain back…fuck he was struggling! He left a light mark on the underside of her breast as he gently tugged her hand that held the sprig lower.

Kagome knew what he was planning. She shivered against the wall as the featherlight touches of the plant leaves tickled her stomach. Inuyasha was planting kisses along her skin, leading the path to the patch of curls. He still had a firm grip on her hips, and she trusted him with her life, so it wasn't hard to obey his next words.

"Spread your legs, Ka-Go-Me."

He had dropped to his knees on the shower floor, and by now he was soaked from head to toe. Kagome wanted to ask him to pull those clothes off, because she knew he wasn't comfortable, but she didn't think he'd listen. He was too focused on settling his lips between her thighs and feasting on the slick that hadn't been washed away from the spray of the shower.

She gasped, throwing her head back against the wall without thinking. That…that hurt like a bitch but holy gods yes she didn't want him to stop what he was doing! Not now! Not when she was finally getting what she'd been struggling to do herself. Any other day her fingers could have done the job just fine, but not this evening. This evening it required the skilled tongue of the hanyou, and he was delivering in spades.

Lick. Suck. Flick. Even with just his tongue he was hitting spots that wouldn't make her levitate by her own hand. Her body had been thrumming in delight before, but now that Inuyasha was in control, she couldn't anticipate what was to come next. She couldn't tell him to touch her there or nibble harder in that spot – not with that look in his eyes. It was a look that said she was going to be at his mercy, and boy was she ever!

If she hadn't been in such a pleasure-induced daze she might've been able to brace herself for the moment that he pulled away. "Inuyasha?" She was too shaky to stand without bracing herself on his shoulders. Kagome watched as he reached for the fly on his jeans, grunting in irritation with the wet material. If she knew she wouldn't fall, she would've dropped into a squat to help.

No chance in hell that she'd have gotten back up if she had, of course.

Inuyasha breathed a sigh as the soaked denim was pushed off his hips, letting his cock spring free. He looked up to see Kagome bent forward and quivering. When he'd seen her pleasuring herself earlier, he'd wanted to draw this out. Make her enjoy the pleasures of having been touched by him outshine anything she could do. Everything about her from the look of longing to her scent that was permeating the shower said that wasn't going to happen.

Dammit.

"Turn around," he croaked out, guiding her to turn with his hands on her hips. Inuyasha helped steady her as she lowered to her knees on the shower floor. He shifted, pushing her legs further apart so that his thighs cradled her ass comfortably.

Kagome shivered at the feel of his cock poking between her thighs. She knew he wasn't trying to tease her, but this wasn't fair! She needed him – right – now –!

As if Inuyasha could read her mind, he leaned her forward just enough to line himself up and brought her down onto his cock in one swift move. Kagome felt the rumble of his groan more than she heard it over her own as he filled her.

That was exactly what she needed.

He kept his thrusts shallow as Kagome tried to find her balance to meet them without slipping. The wall and floor were too slick to push against even when the shower hadn't been in use. Her hands blindly searched out the bunched denim around his knees and gripped it as best as she could.

Inuyasha wasn't going to last at this rate. He needed to bury himself in Kagome – these little jerking motions weren't going to cut it. Her walls were squeezing him on each push in, and with the position he held her in he knew he could go so much deeper. The hanyou grabbed her hand, prying the fingers loose from his jeans and brought them to the juncture where they were joined. He groaned into her shoulder as he felt the wetness coating his fingers and hers with each slow push and pull. "Kagome…touch yourself…for me." He didn't have to say why. Aside from not wanting to risk hurting her with his claws, he wanted to watch her keep going from earlier. See what she did that she liked so much and learn from it.

Kagome didn't hesitate to drag her fingers in a circular motion around her clit. Between the feel of him pushing up into her and the clenching she felt as she rubbed the swollen bud of flesh, she knew it wouldn't take long. She could hear the growl in his voice as he murmured in her ear about how he loved watching her, about how good she felt around him, as his thrusts became erratic. She was too far gone to care as he snarled and bit down on her shoulder as he spilt himself into her. His hips continued to push into her as he came, and that was the last little push that she needed to come undone. Her head fell back against his shoulder, her back arched, and she yelled out his name as her fingers continued to flick and rub her clit.

The water continued to flow from the shower head over the pair as they leaned against each other, basking in the moment.

Much later, after both of them had a proper shower and in dry clothes, the miko and the hanyou were reclining on the couch in the living room. One of the American Christmas movies was on the television, though neither of them was really paying attention to it. Kagome had seen it multiple times, and for Inuyasha, it looked like the same setup as other movies he had seen with her through the years.

"I can't believe you thought to recreate our first kiss," she grinned, reaching up to play with the beads around his neck. About the only time she used them anymore was for moments where he really deserved it, and now that she had come to understand him better it took some doing to make her say the words. "Three years to the day…"

Inuyasha grinned, feeling quite pleased with himself. It had been an impulse three years ago to take the fake mistletoe and sneak into the bathroom when she was in the shower. He had barely been able to control his youkai side at the time, and it had taken control without warning. Really though… looking back on it he had to give his youkai side credit for taking that first step. If he hadn't… they'd probably still be skirting around each other, thinking that the other didn't feel the same.

"…although we didn't have sex until almost a year later so that part doesn't count," she giggled.

"Keh," he felt his face heat up. Despite having been courting for going on three years, being able to talk about their intimate moments casually still gave him pause. He really hoped one day that he could speak about it so easily like she did and it not be in the heat of the moment. "Maybe that should be one of the next firsts we recreate."