A Secret Santa present for MagnoliaJades, if you haven't seen her artwork on Tumblr, you really really should, she is fantastic!
I sadly do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, I only wish I did.
Most people live for the weekends, when they don't have to go to work or face the pressures of the office.
Inuyasha Taisho was not one of those people.
Well, to be fair, he had been one of those people, but there had been a shift over the past few months, and he had begun to look forward to the workweek and its routine. Waking up, getting his coffee from the local shop, getting to the office, grumping around, pretending to work, heading home to walk slowly by the coffee shop again before settling in at home to wake up and do it again.
It wasn't the work that had him looking forward to the weekdays, he worked with his half-brother Sesshomaru as a software developer, creating new security programs and firewalls for corporations and banks. He could do that anywhere honestly and didn't really need to go to an office space, but he liked being able to separate his work and his personal life, if he had one that is. It was more that Inuyasha wanted to be able to leave the asshole behind and not think about him once he walked out of the office. If he worked from home, Sesshomaru would be more likely to call at all hours to discuss a project. If his computer and work were at the office, Inuyasha could ignore the calls, which he tended to do quite frequently.
Inuyasha had been seriously considering it though, it was easier to deal with his half-brother's demands over the phone without the man standing behind him, watching while Inuyasha worked, correcting algorithms as Inuyasha typed. Sesshomaru had been getting on his last nerve, which didn't really take that long, but the tall quiet inu yokai had this way of making you like you were an idiot and a waste of space, and Inuyasha had been getting sick of it.
Inuyasha had been on the phone with his best friend Miroku Hoishi, complaining yet again about the ice lord, letting his former roommate convince him of all the merits of having separate spaces for work and home and talking him off a ledge when he had walked into the coffee shop, desperate for his first dose of caffeine for the day. The fresh scent of rose and vanilla had wafted over him, and he had scanned the room, searching for its owner.
His gaze had just turned to the new barista working the counter when she looked up, when her chocolate eyes met his golden ones, he felt the breath leave his body.
She was gorgeous.
She had long black hair that was tied back so it cascaded behind her, a perfect frame for her porcelain skin. A faint hint of pink had tinged her cheeks as her customer had pulled her attention back, and Inuyasha had finally become aware of Miroku yelling at him through the phone.
"Gotta go, call you later." Inuyasha had said quickly, closing the phone and tossing it in his pocket as he made his way to the counter.
She had smelled even better up close. As he moved to order he could see that her eyes were not completely chocolate brown, but speckled with gold and green, shining in the overhead lights. She was petite, barely reaching his shoulder, with a stance that was both welcoming and competent.
"What can I get you today?"
Her voice sounded musical to him, even the one phrase, repeated probably hundreds of times a day, had sounded so soothing to him, a voice of calm against the cacophony of sounds in the world.
He was entranced by her. Completely and utterly entranced.
"Hey, are you going to order or what?" A grumpy voice called out from the line behind him, shaking Inuyasha out of his daze.
"Tall black coffee." His cheeks were burning as he placed his order.
"Name for the order?"
"Inuyasha." Her eyes had snapped up to his at the name, and the side of her lips had turned up.
"Inuyasha." She repeated, and he had to fight a shiver that went through him at the sound.
As she handed her his change, he had gone to thank her, waiting for her to offer her name. Her eyes had lowered, and she had caught her bottom lip with her teeth. Before she could answer his name had been called out in the receiving area… the downside of a simple order.
Over the next few months, it had become almost a game between them, how many ways could Inuyasha ask for her name and how many times could she find a way to slip away with a smile that had grown increasingly warm. A few weeks in, the woman had added another layer to the game, leaving him little clues to her interests, and Inuyasha would find a creative way to respond, showing her a little about him as well.
Miroku had become so interested in Inuyasha's new fascination with this coffee shop that he had joined the man, insisting on seeing what drew him there day after day. Miroku had soon found his own reason to visit the shop, a tall brunette with dark brown eyes who tended to work the same shift as Inuyasha's crush. While Inuyasha was drawn to the game between him and the mystery lady, Miroku was a lot more… obvious, often saying outrageous statements to get a reaction and try and get his lady to drop her name.
"Idiot, why the hell did you ask her to bear your children?" Inuyasha had hissed after one particularly embarrassing day when he had forcibly had to drag Miroku out of the shop, leaving a $100 bill as a tip as an apology when he had seen how red the woman had turned.
"I… I blanked… I panicked…" Miroku had moaned, his deep blue eyes closed as he pulled at his black hair.
"Stay the fuck away for a bit… do not fuck this up for me." Inuyasha had growled as he had thrown Miroku into his car before he stormed to the driver's seat.
It turned out though that it had been the break Inuyasha had needed. His mystery lady's partner, whose name he came to learn was Sango, was willing to tell him his lady's name in exchange for his promise that he would get Miroku to back off a bit. Sango hadn't volunteered her last name, and Inuyasha couldn't blame her, but now he knew her first name.
Kagome.
Kagome Higurashi snuck a glance at the clock, noting it was almost 8 am. She felt her heart begin to race. It was almost time for him to arrive.
Inuyasha.
The silver haired, golden eyed god with his adorable puppy ears. She had known he was at least part yokai from the moment he had walked into the shop before she ever saw him, his yoki had brushed against her reiki as he had entered, and when she first laid eyes on him, she had been fascinated. Yokai and humans had lived side by side for centuries, so it wasn't unusual for her to sense them, but his yoki had felt different than others. And when she had seen him and saw his ears for the first time she had been surprised, higher yokai didn't have such obvious features, usually a crest and elongated ears but not puppy ears. When he had said his name was Inuyasha, Half Dog demon, she had immediately known he was a hanyo. A powerful hanyo.
And god he was gorgeous.
He had quickly become the highlight of her mornings, walking in the door at 8 am to order his tall black coffee and try and get her name. After the first week her roommate Sango had teased her that she should enjoy the attention, and that was exactly what Kagome had decided to do. She had turned his trying to get her name into a game, teasing him, dodging his asks, his hints, his guesses. It was their game, and while they played it she could pretend that he was as interested in her as she was in him.
Though how the hell he thought she looked like a Beatrice was beyond her. He never failed to make her giggle with his outlandish guesses, including Beatrice, Myrtle, Albreda. Yeah, he had gotten an eye roll at that last one.
Her favorite guess had been Bombalurina…what was she, a cat to his dog? Really? When she had mentioned that to Sango the woman had just laughed and said it showed that the dog boy paid attention. When Kagome had quirked a brow at her Sango had tossed one of Kagome's course books that she had brought to the coffee shop one day, T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats."
That had given Kagome an idea, and for the next few weeks she had brought in little clues about herself to see if Inuyasha would notice them, one day she had worn a pin of a dagger piercing a globe. Three days later when Inuyasha had paid he had slipped a Star Trek pin into the change. When she quirked an eyebrow he had smiled at her, revealing a hint of fang.
"Keh, the Federation was way stronger than the Terran Empire."
Her laughter had lit up the shop, everyone turning to see what had made her so giddy. Sango had to shove her into the back and take over the register to give Kagome a moment to get control of herself.
He was hot and a geek… she was doomed.
He had caught every little hint, learning about her even as she kept her name from him.
One day the routine had changed, and he had brought a friend of his along with him. The tall dark-haired man had given the name "Miroku" with his order and had reached out to grab Kagome's hand from the counter. Before she could tell him to let go, she had heard the low growl from Inuyasha, clearly Miroku had as well because her hand was quickly released. The moment Miroku had seen Sango though, Kagome had clearly ceased to exist.
Miroku quickly became part of the morning routine, and while Kagome recognized the need for customers, did he have to come in with Inuyasha and disrupt the game? Inuyasha now had to split his focus between Kagome and making sure Sango didn't kill Miroku (which was increasingly taking more and more of his attention).
Then Miroku had asked Sango to bear his children, and hell, Kagome didn't realize Inuyasha could move that fast, grabbing Miroku to physically haul him out of the shop, throwing a $100 bill in the tip jar as he left their coffees behind, trying to get out of there before Sango recovered. The next day Inuyasha had mercifully arrived alone, however he barely said three words to Kagome, grumbling out his order without looking her in the eye.
Kagome frowned when Sango asked if she could talk to Inuyasha for a moment. Kagome had darted looks over to them as she could while taking and filling the orders that were coming in, but neither ever looked in her direction. While Sango knew Kagome had a crush on the silver eared man, she was getting frustrated with his friend, and it was entirely likely that she was asking them to not come back.
Then Kagome saw Inuyasha's hands dart out to clasp Sango's, his gaze serious as he looked into Sango's eyes and Kagome's heart had dropped.
Sango had refused to tell her what they had talked about, and Kagome had tried every trick she knew to get Sango to spill. The only thing she had gotten from her friend was a casual comment.
"Don't worry. It will be fine."
Fine… Fine was the most worrying word in the world, any woman knew that. But Sango had refused to say anymore, no matter how much Kagome had begged.
As it drew closer to 8, Kagome felt her anxiety rise as she waited for any sign of Inuyasha, the brush of his yoki, the glint of light off his silver hair.
She snuck a glance at the clock, her eyes going wide with shock. It was 8:02… and he hadn't appeared.
For the first time in three months there was nothing, he wasn't there.
"Fine… fine my ass." Kagome groused under her breath before giving a fake smile to the next person in line, going through the motions of being polite while a ball of nerves was forming in her stomach, leaving her feeling oddly hollow. Kagome saw Sango turn to her out of the corner of her eye and purposely turned away, futzing with the pastry display case rather than looking back at her roommate.
She couldn't. Not yet.
God, she really hoped the next time she saw Inuyasha he wouldn't be introduced as Sango's date.
She heard someone cough at the counter and with a small sigh Kagome turned back, her fake smile firmly in place before her eyes were captured by a deep burning gold.
"Hello Kagome." His rich baritone voice sent shivers through her as he said her name for the first time, and his smile bordered on a smirk as he caught her reaction. "Looks like I finally got your name."
"Looks like you did." Kagome gave him a small smile, now she knew part of what he had discussed with Sango, but she was sad to see their game end. "Tall coffee, black?"
"There are some things I didn't get to learn about you when we were playing our game," he responded, throwing her off when he ignored her question.
"What else would you want to know?"
"Whether you like ice cream or not?" His voice had dropped, and for the first time he sounded slightly hesitant.
Kagome tilted her head as she stared at him.
"Why would you want to know that?"
"I…" she watched his cheeks turn pink as he ran a hand against the back of his neck, "well, I want to ask if you would be interested in getting some ice cream with me today after you get off work, and it seemed like something I should know before I did."
The smile she gave him took his breath away and had his heart stuttering.
"I would love too," she said shyly, her eyes sparkling.
"Really?" Inuyasha let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and smiled back at her, his ears flicking as she giggled and nodded.
"Okay then, this afternoon… I… I'll see you then." He took a step back, crashing into the person behind him in line, quickly turning to apologize as he hurried to the exit.
"Wait Inuyasha, your coffee?" Kagome called out, a giant smile on her face.
"Keh, I'll take a raincheck," he stated, turning back to steal another look at her.
"She gets off at 4," Sango yelled, chuckling as she turned her head between the two.
"4… got it." Inuyasha nodded, his eyes showing his deep appreciation for her help before leaving the shop.
It was a few hours before there was enough of a lull in traffic for Kagome to corner Sango.
"You knew? You knew and didn't give me a hint?" Kagome pointed a finger at her roommate, her eyes narrowing.
"Yeah… yeah I did." Sango confirmed, grinning at Kagome. "Girl, you've been mooning over this guy for months."
"So, what was yesterday about?" Kagome asked, her eyebrows raising as Sango's smile took a wicked turn.
"I told him if he would get Miroku to calm the fuck down I would tell him your name."
"You sold me out!" Kagome gasped.
"Oh, come on Kagome, I was desperate, and so was Inuyasha. He told me he didn't want to ask you out until he knew your name, so you could say I didn't sell you out so much as I… helped move things along."
Kagome caught the glimpse of relief in Sango's eyes when they heard the bell signaling a customer had entered the store.
"Let me just say this…" Kagome's eyes narrowed as she stepped close to Sango. "Thank You Thank You Thank You!" she whispered, throwing her arms around the stunned woman's waist.
"Why do you think I told you to wear a cute outfit." Sango whispered back, returning Kagome's hug.
"I did wonder about that," Kagome laughed as she made her way to the counter. "Hi there, how can I help you!"
"I can't believe you finally asked her out." Miroku's cry echoed through Inuyasha's office. Inuyasha had his cell on speaker, the damned headset he had to wear to use his phone hurt his ears, so he only used them when he was out, and if people had an issue with it, well they could go complain to Sesshomaru.
One benefit of being a co-owner, no one would complain.
"Sango took pity on me and helped me out."
"And what did you have to promise the lovely Lady Sango for her help?"
"I promised her that I would get you to back off, you pervert." Inuyasha smirked as Miroku's sputters came through the line.
"Well, that's just cold."
"All is fair in love and war 'Roku." Inuyasha chuckled.
"And what do you have planned for the lovely Coffee Lady who you have been focused on for three months? Dinner, dancing, the theatre?"
"Ice cream."
"... I'm sorry what?"
"I asked her to meet me for ice cream at 4."
"Ice cream… Do you have to get her home by 10 for curfew? Jesus Inuyasha, you are 31, not 16..."
"Keh, I like ice cream."
"You have been out of the game way too long my friend to think that women want to be taken for ice cre…"
"She said yes didn't she?" Inuyasha interrupted, his eyes narrowing in annoyance at both Miroku and the program he was testing.
"I'm just saying you could afford to take her anywhere."
"Yeah, and I'm choosing to start with ice cream. You want to impress someone, you do it your way."
A soft tap at the door told Inuyasha his next meeting was about to start.
"I gotta go, Miroku, work calls."
"You'll call after you get hom…"
"No way in hell, you aren't my mother. Goodbye Miroku." Inuyasha disconnected before his friend could make any more stupid comments.
He stalked out of the door, grabbing the folder that his assistant held out as he made his way to his brother's side of the office. They had learned early on that the secret to working well was separate spaces. It worked well, if Sesshomaru remembered that and didn't stand over Inuyasha's shoulder all the damn time.
Sesshomaru Taisho sat behind his desk, his long silver hair flowing down his back, his golden eyes focused on the computer before him. Two magenta stripes down his cheeks were a physical testament to his strength, but it was his analytical mind that had helped their software company grow. Sesshomaru had a knack for finding and exposing weaknesses in security systems, while Inuyasha excelled in closing them. It made them highly effective in their field, and their custom programs were highly sought after.
Didn't make working with someone who lived to pick you apart and find the flaws any easier. That's why they tried to limit their face-to-face meetings and why Inuyasha had moved out as soon as they had gotten their first contract.
"Let's make this brief, I got a lot of stuff to finish." Inuyasha said as he sat down across from his half-brother, pulling his folder out.
"You always have things to finish, yet you always take your time." Sesshomaru commented, his attention still on the computer.
"Keh, gotta make sure it's right."
"Indeed." Sesshomaru finally lifted his eyes to Inuyasha's.
"Come on Sess, let's get this over with."
"Hmmm. You are impatient, more so than usual. Did you forego your coffee this morning?"
"Keh…"
Sesshomaru sighed. It was going to be a long meeting.
"The latest stress test on Tessaiga found a vulnerability in the program. We need to figure out how to fix it."
"Where?" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at Sesshomaru's words, grabbing the report out of his folder. "Hell, it appeared when you used the Tensaiga mining program."
"We need to shore that up, the client is expecting delivery next week. I think it's narrowed down to this algorithm if you look here…"
Inuyasha did have to admit, as annoying as it was, sometimes it helped to work with someone with Sesshomaru's brain. It made finding the problems simple, which made his life easier. It meant that he should be able to leave a little early, make sure he met Kagome at the shop at 4…
"That is the 8th time you have looked at the clock in the last hour Inuyasha, do you have somewhere to be?" Sesshomaru interrupted Inuyasha's thoughts, and Inuyasha immediately took back every compliment he had mentally given Sesshomaru.
"Does it matter?" Inuyasha shot back, his fingers flying over the keys as he changed code in the program and ran another diagnostic test.
"Not as long as we get this done."
"It would go faster if you stopped interrupting me."
"Does your impatience have anything to do with your meeting at 4?"
Inuyasha's head darted up as his eyes narrowed. "How the fuck did you…"
"If you insist on using your speaker on the cell you can't be surprised when people overhear."
"There is no way you were close enough to hear anything."
Sesshomaru shot Inuyasha a glare. "No, but your assistant was, and apparently you going on a 'date' is important enough for her to call MY assistant to tell her all about it, who also happened to have her phone on speaker, which unfortunately was in my hearing."
"Remind me to fire Ayumi." Inuyasha growled as he read the diagnostic report. His ears flicked as he looked at the data, and with a scowl he handed it to Sesshomaru for approval. When Sesshomaru nodded, Inuyasha took a deep breath. "If you are done having fun at my expense, I will head out. Let me know in the morning if Tensaiga found any other vulnerabilities."
Inuyasha had almost gotten out the door when Sesshomaru called his name.
"I do hope it goes well; I know how much you like this girl."
Inuyasha smiled. "Yeah, me too."
Sometimes Sesshomaru wasn't a complete ass. Inuyasha looked at his watch, he had 10 minutes to get to the coffee shop. He would just make it, there was no way in hell he wanted to be late.
At exactly 4 pm he stood outside the shop, waiting for Kagome. When he saw her approach the entrance he quickly held the door open and was rewarded by another of her brilliant smiles.
He had been afraid that things would be awkward between them with the change in dynamic, but he had been quite pleasantly surprised at how easily conversation and debate had come to them. By the time they had reached the ice cream shop it felt as though they had known each other forever.
"Oh, come on, admit it, In the Pale Moonlight was a massive shift in Star Trek." Kagome said as they entered the shop.
"That really was a fantastic episode, but was it really the start of the shift? They had already started to hint at a darker timeline with Locutus." Inuyasha countered, laughing at Kagome's side glare. "You know it's true."
"Fine… but they immediately backtracked, Pale Moonlight was a true tone change of a series and you can't… Could I get a scoop of strawberry? Thanks! You can't deny that."
"Could I get a scoop of Cherry vanilla? Yeah, they are together, thanks." Inuyasha handed the cashier his credit card before turning back to Kagome while they waited for their ice cream. "By season 6 the show had already taken a darker turn, hell they were in the middle of the dominion war. It was just the first time a Captain readily acknowledged they could deal with what was necessary to win the war."
Kagome narrowed her eyes for a second before her lips twitched and she burst out laughing. "I have to say, it's refreshing to have someone go toe to toe with me in my geekdom."
"It's not geekdom, its appreciating well-crafted sci-fi series when there really aren't that many, there's what, the Star Trek series, Farscape, Stargate, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, but nothing really recent."
"Thank you!" Kagome cried out, "someone who understands!"
Inuyasha could only watch her with fascination, if he thought Kagome was beautiful before it was nothing compared to Kagome caught up in excitement, her cheeks flushed, eyes shining with happiness. It took the cashier several tries to get his attention to hand him their ice creams, and Inuyasha guided Kagome to a corner table, away from the other customers.
"I do wanna know," Inuyasha said as they sat, "how did you come up with the little clues that you would tease me with? The terran symbol, the poetry books, the flowers in your hair?"
"It was driving you nuts wasn't it?" Kagome teased, taking a bite of her ice cream.
"You have no idea." He groaned, watching her. "You gave me these little hints but wouldn't give me your name. Why was that?"
Kagome licked her spoon, not noticing Inuyasha's eyes as they homed in on the small movement. "Sango."
"Sango?"
"Yup, it was the day you asked if my name was Bombalurina, and she realized you had seen my T.S. Eliot poetry book from class. So, I wanted to see what else you would notice."
"But you wouldn't tell me your name?"
Kagome shook her head. "If I had told you my name, the game would have ended, and it had become the highlight of my day. And … I thought… it's stupid." She looked away, her eyes lowering to the floor.
"Kagome?" His voice was gentle as he reached out to take her hand. "You thought what?"
"I thought... I thought if you learned my name then you wouldn't come around anymore… the mystery would have been solved, and you would have moved on to something else."
"Kagome…" Inuyasha gave a small laugh. "I was trying to learn your name because I didn't want to just say 'hey you, would you like to go out with me, by the way what's your name.' You had an advantage, you needed my name for my order, I was trying to level the playing field."
Kagome smiled shyly as she drew her hand back, her cheeks flushing pink at his words. She took a moment to eat the last bite of her ice cream, her eyes on his, and he found himself wishing he knew what she was thinking.
"Hopefully, it didn't disappoint you," she whispered, and Inuyasha was thankful for his enhanced hearing... he had very nearly missed her soft statement.
"How could it?" He asked quietly, waiting until she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. "You are smart, funny, beautiful, how could I have been disappointed? My only regret is not asking you sooner, name or no name."
"Even if I was a Bombalurina?" Kagome teased lightly, her eyes sparkling.
"Even if you were an Albreda." Inuyasha confirmed, his lips curling and showing a flash of fang.
When Kagome laughed, he rose to clear their table, then turned and offered her his hand. Her laughter faded as she looked up at him for a moment before placing hers in his as he helped her stand. His fingers closed around hers before shifting to lace their hands together, their eyes still locked on the others.
"Let me walk you home." Inuyasha said gently, his voice deeper than he had expected it would be. The simple touch had sent a wave of warmth through him, a sense of rightness that he had never felt with anyone else.
Kagome lived a mile from the ice cream shop, but to Inuyasha it seemed as if they had only been walking a moment, her hand carefully held by his, before she had tugged him to a stop.
"Thank you for today Inuyasha. I… I had a really good time." Inuyasha reluctantly let her hand drop as she took a step backwards towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow for your usual coffee?"
"Yeah..." his voice trailed off as she turned to enter the building. "Hey Kagome," he called out, stopping her before she could enter the building, "there's a special showing of First Contact at the theatre on Friday, would you be interested in going with me?"
Kagome leaned her head against the open door and smiled.
"I would love to."