Birthday fic for lavendertwilight89 - Happy birthday Lav!

Full fic as well as accompanying art commission by kalsies available on AO3

"Happy Birthdayyyyyyyyyyy Ka-go-meeeeeeee" Eri's voice slurred on the other end of the cell phone.

Kagome stared down at the phone, then back up at the smirking man, then back down at the phone one more time. Her plans to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate were looking… less likely.

"If you'll excuse me." Kagome beckoned the man into her apartment, closed the door behind him, then scurried into the bathroom.

"You bought me an escort?" Kagome hissed, trying to keep her voice even, as the humiliation of the situation hit her.

"Aw come on girllllllll." Kagome was pretty sure she was hearing Yuka giggling in the background, "We got you the fuck you deserve!"

"You work yourself to the bone, Kagome," Eri whined. "You didn't even stay out with ussssss. It's a Fridayyyyyy. What the hell are you even doing?"

"I-I need to go," Kagome murmured, then hung up her phone. She then leaned against the cold tile wall to collect herself and try to figure out what to do.

Kagome didn't want to say she hated crowds. She hated being drunk. And that she had a lot she needed to get done that weekend.

She loved her friends; she really did. They'd known each other since high school. But… was it possible for one set of people to grow and one set to stay the same? Because that was what was happening. Kagome had gotten into UCLA, which was close enough to home to do laundry, but far enough away she still lived close to campus. Her family was going to celebrate her birthday on Sunday, giving her time to recover from 'turning 21—a rite of passage!' And she did go out with her friends, at least for a couple hours. And she did drink the birthday hard cider and clinked glasses and laughed and talked. But… she had homework to do, and she just knew that her family would not let her out of a daylong celebration! So… apparently this was the revenge her friends sought. They sent her… a man. A callboy. Because they thought it was about time for her to pop her cherry.

Stupid perverted friends….

Inuyasha stood in the doorway, trying to collect himself. The fact that the white cat splotched with brown patches was growling at him and flicking its tail aggressively was not helping matters. What the fuck was going on? This woman wasn't… wasn't who he expected at all. When he'd made the bet with Koga, it was supposed to be some chick named "Eri Yumimoto" requesting 'his services' and bought the highest level of package he had on that stupid app. Why the fuck had he agreed to do this?

Oh, that's right. Because he was stupid, and the asshole wolf was pissing him off. There were beers. And there was a bet. Inuyasha knew he was attractive, well, at least when he was wearing his charm and looking human. And... well… maybe he just wanted to show the cocky bastard up. Prove that he was hotter and could get laid a shit-ton easier than Koga ever could. He went into the bathroom of that dingy bar, threw on the charm, pulled up his shirt to show off his abs, took a selfie, and submitted the info they asked for to become, for want of a better title, a male escort.

"Bet you I can get a woman to pay for my company tonight wolf."
Why had he said that? Why had he taken the bait?

Because he wanted to show Koga that, all things equal, he was better.

The pings came to their phones around the same time.

"Oh lookie here. Naked cleaning requested. Ohhh, in Beverly Hills, bitch." Koga thrust his phone into Inuyasha's face. Older woman, not bad looking. Pretty good way to make a dime.

Inuyasha scowled.
That was, until he looked down at his own phone.

"Well, enjoy servicing the matron wolf, looks like someone is looking for a boyfriend." Inuyasha didn't even bother to shove his phone into Koga's face.

Eri was… cute. And fucking shit she'd bought his 'services' for the entire night. He'd put the "$1k boyfriend experience" up there as a joke.

Overall, it was a fucking good bet.

That was, until the door at the address that he'd been sent opened, and those luminous brown eyes met his. She… she was not the girl in the picture he had.

The moment she'd retreated to the bathroom, Inuyasha pulled out his phone to double-check that he was in the right place, with the right person. When he opened the app, he saw a message from 'Eri'.

Hi! My girl Kagone needs to get LAUIDDDDD. You are hjwer 21ast birthday prensent so be a good boy ajfd treat hjer like a QUEENnnnnn!
Eri's message told him what he needed to know: that his appearance was a surprise, and that Eri was really drunk.

Fuck. This was not how it was supposed to go. He was not supposed to show up to the house and find that the woman in front of him was not the cute one, but instead a fucking gorgeous woman who made his breath stop. It was supposed to be easy. A drink, a compliment, maybe he'd cook, and then he'd give her the night she wanted. Not… not standing there like a dumbass trying to collect himself when the scent of her—cherry blossoms and vanilla—overwhelmed his nose. Not when his disguised eyes saw different colors of the rainbow dancing through her obsidian hair. Not when her chocolate opalescent eyes were so wide and confused looking at him.

Not when… not when he could hear not only the anger in her voice, but also the hurt in it through the bathroom door with his disguised ears. He was her present. A present her friends bought her to humiliate her because they were upset she didn't stay out with them. And… he felt like shit. But, he was here to do a job, because this Eri chick had paid him a grand to spend the night with the beautiful delicious-smelling woman.

Inuyasha stood and waited for the woman… Kagone? To reappear. He heard her hang up the phone with her friends. Who the fuck thinks the best surprise they could buy her for her birthday was a strange man showing up to her apartment assuming they would be having sex?

He… he definitely hoped he could smooth things over. Because he didn't think he'd ever wanted to sleep with anyone as much as this woman. Not when she looked and smelled like that. Fuck his life.

When Kagone re-emerged, Inuyasha threw on a bright smile. He was disguised as a human. She didn't know that he had silver hair or golden eyes or… well dog ears and fangs. He was always careful how he used his teeth when he wore the charm, and he'd cut his claws short for his "date."

"Happy birthday Kagone..." Inuyasha purred in his best baritone, taking a single step forward, which only seemed to make the beautiful woman's scowl deepen, and caused the cat to hiss and spit.

The fucking cat seemed to know he was disguised.

"My name is Ka-go-me," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Shit. He was already off to a bad start. Fucking drunk friends.

"Oh, um. Happy Birthday Kagome." Inuyasha attempted to make his voice purr again. He failed.

"Thank you." Kagome wrapped her arms around herself protectively. She didn't look at him. As if she were afraid to.

"Uh. So… are-are you a student?" Inuyasha felt dumb. "I… I go to UCLA... "

"Me too," Kagome answered, finally bringing her eyes up to the callboy standing in her entryway.

Kagome wasn't sure what to make of him. He set her on edge (partially because Buyo was making his feelings about the man very well known through a combination of hisses and growls). But, Kagome would be lying if she didn't admit that he was… well it was clear why he could book… clients.

He was tall, at least 6ft, and seemed to be sculpted out of pure muscle. In the tight red t-shirt he was wearing, Kagome could see how defined he was. His biceps cut into his arms, bulging out just enough to make it clear that he worked out. Kagome could see his pecs and abs clearly under the shirt, creating sharp peaks and valleys that managed to stand out enough she did not need him to remove his clothes to know what he looked like underneath it. He had long charcoal black hair that fell smoothly down his back. His eyes were purple-gray, and his face had a boyish charm.

But she didn't like his smirk. It was the sort of smirk someone wore when they were about to try to sell you something. And something about his teeth felt off.

"Hi um, sir," Kagome sighed. Her friends, even while drunk, managed to make her feel like shit. She now had to entertain this man they paid because she was a 21-year old virgin. "You… you don't have to be here if you don't want. My friends are stupid. I promise I'll leave you a good review. Or… whatever."

When Kagome's shoulders slumped and she looked down at the floor, hiding her embarrassment, Inuyasha had to contain the guttural whine which wanted to break from him—the one where his instincts were demanding that he take care of her.

"Nah. Wouldn't feel right. I'm yours tonight, birthday girl." Inuyasha took one further step into the apartment, only to be hissed at again by the fucking cat. "For whatever you want. And… name's Inuyasha."

A flash of hope crossed Inuyasha's eyes, but he swallowed it down. He'd flirted his way into the pants of plenty of women in his time, he could do it again. But… why was it that every time he thought about putting the moves on this girl, Kagome, something felt off? He… he was pissed he was disguised. He was pissed he met her the way he met her. And he was pissed that she looked so defeated and angry.

Kagome groaned. She felt trapped by her friends. Trapped by this man. What the hell would she have Inuyasha do? He was there, and he was paid to… to service her. It made her feel like a farm animal that her friends decided it was time to breed. But, that was hardly Inuyasha's fault. Maybe if it didn't matter what he did, she could get him to put the heavy boxes she had still not unpacked up on the high shelves in her closet.

"Um. What exactly did my friends pay you for?" Kagome asked, finally waving her hand to gesture them both into her living room.

Inuyasha followed her in, scratching the back of his head. "Whole night, birthday girl."

"So… anything?" Kagome asked, trying not to pay too close attention to the fact that… truth be told, he was probably one of the most attractive men she had ever seen.

"Tell me what you want." Inuyasha put that fake smirk back on his face, though the moment he saw Kagome's reaction, the smirk disappeared.

"It's really okay," Kagome pleaded. Why was she even thinking about asking this guy to lift heavy boxes? "I swear I will say that you rocked my world and made me super satisfied and will tell whichever friend who bought your time to write that you were worth every dime."

Kagome looked desperate. He could even see the telltale glistening of tears creeping into the edges of her eyes. What the fuck did he tell her? He made a stupid bet with a stupid friend and was a disguised half-demon who showed up so he could have bragging rights? He was a shit. That had become clear. But… he couldn't leave. Not only because he didn't want to, but also because he wanted to see if he could make this beautiful girl realize that he would be here with her in a millisecond without a single penny being thrown his way. And her indecision—as if she was fighting with herself over wanting him to stay—was making him want to stay even more.

"Kagome. I don't know what sort of cunts your friends are, doin' something shitty like buying time with me as a surprise, but… I-I'm glad they did. Because fuck, woman, you are beautiful. I don't give two shits if you make me clean your whole damn apartment tonight. I'd do it clothed, I'd do it naked, shit, I'd throw a bunny suit on if that was what you were into." Inuyasha figured that telling the truth was the best option. Worst she could do was kick him out.

"You got paid to say that." Kagome's words were so soft that he only heard them with his half-demon ears.

"I got paid to give some girl named Eri the 'boyfriend experience,'" Inuyasha answered, drawing Kagome's surprise that he'd heard her. "Sending me to an unknowing friend is all sorts of against the Terms of Service. Bitch set you up and bitch set me up."

"They're—they're not that bad…" Kagome countered. Okay, fine, her friends had done something stupid and rash and drunk. But, she chose to believe that their hearts were in the right place.

It wasn't like Kagome didn't complain about being single, about every man she met being sort of a douchebag. Her first boyfriend turned out to be a cheating bastard when she didn't put out in the first week. The second one was a friend who insisted they try dating even though she wasn't that interested, and tried to pressure her into moving in with him after their first kiss, because 'moving in leads to sex' (his words)… and it had taken a while to get away and trust men not to be shits again. By the time she did, she just sort of… never met anyone worth taking the risk. She figured she'd find someone eventually, but it hadn't happened. Because every guy that flirted with her had the potential of being Bankotsu or Hojo.

Maybe… maybe this guy, the one that came with no strings, the one who would be in her life for one night then gone, would take the pressure off of finding the right guy. And… well, she was looking into his eyes when he called her beautiful; his words were genuine.

Either that, or he was a really really good liar.

"So. Why don't we start there. Tell me some shit chore you hate and I'll do it." Inuyasha shrugged, looking around Kagome's apartment. "Clothed or shirtless, your pick."

Kagome blushed a little but… well, shit. Her friends paid for her to have a good time, and picked a really really good looking man. She… she deserved to have a little fun.

"Dishes. Shirtless," Kagome said, a small smile settling onto her face. Maybe… maybe this wasn't the worst birthday present she'd ever received.

Inuyasha chuckled, and took off the red t-shirt he knew showed off his muscles. The moment the fabric peeled off of his body, Inuyasha's nose picked something up, a new scent. A new spicy scent. A new spicy scent that was coming distinctly from Kagome.

Ginger.
Kagome liked what she saw.
And now her scent, cherry blossoms and vanilla, which already was making him have to distract himself to not drool, was laced with ginger. Because Kagome was aroused.

He would do fucking dishes for eternity if it meant getting to smell that. And… he wondered if she'd let him, because he was starting to realize how much he wanted to taste Kagome too.

As Inuyasha turned on the water and began doing the dishes, Kagome watched him. It was so strange, she swore she watched his nose snuffle the air just after he took off his shirt. At exactly the moment that Kagome was… well… was picturing those arms wrapped around her waist. The chest pressed up against her. For a second, she thought to shove those pictures down, but… well… she didn't have to, because that's what Inuyasha was there for.

"See something you like?" As he was doing the dishes, Inuyasha's eyes found Kagome, and he gifted her a grin, softer than the smirk he'd worn through the first half of their encounter: genuine.

"I like seeing my dishes all get done!" Kagome answered, ghosting a small smile of her own. "So… how-how much exactly did Eri pay you to entertain me tonight?"

"More than any sane person." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to think about how much he got paid, money he didn't really need, but… money all the same. To be here. With Kagome. Who smelled like cherry blossoms and vanilla and ginger.

"Give me a dollar amount." Kagome folded her arms. "I want to know just how much my friends wanted me to get laid."

"Well, currently they only paid for you to get your dishes done," Inuyasha retorted. Thinking about actually sleeping with Kagome was not doing his groin any favors. "And… uh. They paid me a lot."

"I guess I should be thankful that they loved me enough to send someone expensive." Kagome sighed, "You must get a lot of clients…"

"Uh. Y-you're… my… first one." Inuyasha dropped the dish that he was washing back into the sink. "A grand. Your friends dropped a grand. And… it was kind of a stupid joke."

Kagome rolled Inuyasha's words over in her head. She was his first client. Eri had dropped a thousand dollars on this. And… it was a joke?

"L-lemme explain." Inuyasha turned off the water, then turned around to face Kagome; his bare chest glistened with the condensation of the hot water he was using. "Y'see. I-I sorta did this thing as a stupid bet with a friend. That… I could get paid to get laid faster than he could. So-uh. We uploaded our profiles to this stupid escort app to see who'd win."

"Seriously?" Kagome swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat.

This guy was not a professional. He was just some random dude who made an account and her stupid drunk friend clicked on him?

"Y-yeah." Inuyasha officially was a shit. He shouldn't have told Kagome the truth. Why the fuck had he? It was idiotic, but… he didn't like keeping secrets from her. He wanted to make sure that when he said she was beautiful, she believed him. "It's not one of my smarter ideas. Keh… I don't make too many smart ideas when I'm drunk and shit gettin' paid to get laid? Who the fuck would think? I-I don't stay in relationships very long and most women are… are not into me for more than a night… so might as well, right? Anyway yeah. I thought your friend Eri was cute and all that so was thinkin' cool. Then shit, I walked up to this fuckin' door and it ain't Eri it… well… it was you. Gettin' here, to meet ya is makin' my stupidity worth a fuckload more than a grand."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"Dunno," Inuyasha shrugged, rinsing and toweling off Kagome's coffee mug. "But I'm not."

She… she wanted to believe him, she really did, because he called her beautiful and told her he wanted to be there and—god help her—she wanted him there too. But… his job was to make her feel good, and so it was possible he just figured out yet another convenient lie.

But if it was a lie, it sure was a stupid lie.

"Dishes done. What's next, birthday girl?" Inuyasha broke Kagome from her thoughts, folding his arms over his chest. "Wash your windows? Vacuum? Clean that hellion's litter box?"

When he sensed Kagome's scent spiking to ginger again, Inuyasha made a decision. He strode up to her at her little dining room table, and kneeled in front of her. "I'd also be… really excited… if you… wanted to do any of the things your friends are assumin' we are doin'."

Kagome felt heat come into her cheeks, but she didn't look away from Inuyasha's eyes. There was no smirk on his face. His lips were serene and serious, but his eyes held a tempest of emotions, hope being amongst the most prominent.

"Kagome," Inuyasha continued, not moving closer, but also not moving away. "I could bullshit you until the cows come home, but… fuck. You're fucking gorgeous. You smell like my version of heaven and… and if you wanted to. I… do too. I really do too." When Kagome's eyelids grew heavy and her lips parted just the smallest amount, Inuyasha leaned a hair's width closer. "I-I want to make you feel good. I want to worship you. And no. Not because your friend paid me to. B-because… somehow, the Fates sent me to the apartment of a fucking goddess."

"Stop laying it on so thick Inuyasha," Kagome growled, pushing her chair away from him. Smelled like heaven? Was a goddess? He would worship her? Even though his eyes were telling the truth, Kagome knew better.

"Want me to prove it?" Inuyasha picked up his phone, letting her see the screen. He clicked on the escort app, clicked the appointment, and his finger hovered over the red button marked 'CANCEL'. "I'm canceling this. Because I sorta want to try to do this without something as bullshit as a grand hanging over my head."

Inuyasha's finger almost made contact when Kagome rushed forward, pulling his hand away. He would've done it. And he would've had no regrets.

"W-wait." Kagome's hand touched his, and he could feel the sensation of sparks flicker through his nerves. "I-it's my birthday present, right?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered, his finger still ready to cancel.

"If you cancel, I am going to get a phone call from Eri about what the hell happened." Kagome looked down at her hands, which were now in her lap. "She's going to pity me even more than she already does." Then, her voice became impossibly soft: "Couldn't even lose it to an escort."

That information stopped Inuyasha's advance. Virgin. The woman in front of him, the one who'd just set his body on fire with a single touch of her hand. Who, if his goddamned fantasies could manifest into a person, would look exactly like her, was a virgin. The demon in his head purred, wanting him to stake his claim. To make her his. But the rest of him was terrified.

He'd only ever fucked one virgin before. He thought he knew how to be the right kind of gentle and the right kind of caring, but what if he was wrong? He lost his virginity to his girlfriend Kikyo in high school, the woman he thought he was going to be with, until she came out to him their senior year. It wrecked him at the time, but he'd healed. He was now Kikyo and her girlfriend Kagura's go-to handyman, and he actually appreciated their friendship.

Kagome reminded Inuyasha a little of Kikyo, the only other woman who meant more than a damn to him. But there was some extra sweetness he detected to Kagome that Kikyo always lacked. Yet, Kagome was, ironically, the only woman that he actually was supposed to treat like a one-night stand.

Inuyasha made a decision. He thrust his hands forward and cupped Kagome's, relishing in how small and delicate they looked encompassed in his. He… He wished he had his claws and was his real self at this moment, but… there would probably be time for that later.

"I-I'm not gonna ask you to do anything you don't want to. And… well… I ain't an escort. Shit man, tell the stupid girl that I came to your place and you just made me clean." Inuyasha leaned in further, feeling Kagome's breath tickle his face, hearing the rapidity of her heartbeat. "Whatever we do, it's ours. For no one but us. And…" Did he dare say it? "And… if… if after tonight is over, you-you still want to… well… shit. I'd ask you on a date in a heartbeat."

"Why," Kagome whimpered. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I like you. I like your scent. I like your sass. I like the fact you have a fucking cat who wants to kill me and you tried not once but twice to politely let me go on my way." Inuyasha chuckled. "You're gonna be my first and last 'client', that's for fucking sure."

Finally, Kagome smiled and looked at Inuyasha. He hadn't lied, not about any of it. He-he genuinely seemed to like her. The comments about the way she smelled? Well, no escort would use those words to compliment a client. Did… did that mean that she should do it? Inuyasha was gorgeous and gentle and genuine. He was flirty and fun and… even as his teeth looked off and he used his nose more than any human she'd ever met, the things he'd told her had been the truth.

And Inuyasha was the first man in an extremely long time that Kagome actually did want to… to… well, to let worship her. She could feel the daydreams coming of the night with him. Of kissing and touching and more. Of someone doing the things to her that she'd only ever fantasized about, but never tried.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered. "For a thousand dollars. Do-do you… do you kiss?"

"For you birthday girl?" Inuyasha answered, his head coming into contact with Kagome's. "I'd kiss you all night for zero dollars."