By Accident, on Purpose

Prompt: Oops

Universe: Canon Divergence

Genre: Domestic Fluff, Humour

600 Words

There was a shuffle of footsteps in the next room. A sharp gasp.

Then, a breathless "No, no, no – crap", followed immediately by the sound of something shattering.

Someone else, somewhere else, might have been alarmed by such sounds.

But Sesshoumaru just looked up from his letter, his eyebrow arched, his lips twisted in resigned amusement.

When your significant other happened to be one Higurashi Kagome, minor accidents were a given and oops was a word you rather quickly became desensitised to.

He set down his letter and got to his feet, stalking across the room to the doorway, so he could inspect the destruction his mate had wrought in her wake.

She was kneeling on the straw mat floor, hurriedly picking up pieces of a ceramic vase. Sensing his presence, she looked up, her big blue eyes pleading for forgiveness, for understanding.

"I tripped over the hem of my kimono," she explained with a sheepish grimace.

"And sought purchase so as not to fall?" Sesshoumaru guessed.

"Yeah, that." Kagome sighed. "Managed to stay upright but knocked down the vase."

"I would rather have any trivial trinket destroyed than see you risk an injury," Sesshoumaru said, in a voice that left no room for argument.

Kagome's cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked back down at the shards.

"Besides," Sesshoumaru continued in a drawl, his golden eyes twinkling, "I would imagine the vase will be much easier to replace than it was to repair the paper screens."

Kagome groaned, squirmed a little in obvious embarrassment. "I thought we agreed not to bring up the paper screens. Ever."

"This Sesshoumaru recalls no such promise," he replied, his voice carrying a rare light, teasing edge.

Kagome huffed and picked up her speed, piling the pieces of her latest wreckage into her lap. "Well that only goes to show that you're an evil bas – Ow!"

Kagome stared at her pricked finger with a miserable frown, blood already beading on her skin.

"Figures," she murmured in resignation.

Sesshoumaru swallowed a laugh, and strode into the room, knelt beside her.

"Allow me."

Without waiting for a reply, he brought her finger to his lips, ran his tongue over the pinprick of a wound, and swallowed the lone drop of blood – all the while looking at her with hooded eyes.

Kagome's lips parted and she inhaled sharply. Her scent spiked, grew brisker as her holy energy surged under its usual restraints.

The spark of reiki sent a tingle down Sesshoumaru's spine, and though he could tell the wound was already closing thanks to the gentle prod of his youki, he flicked his tongue over the tip of her finger again for a good measure.

Reiki danced in the air around them, and Kagome stared at him, her blue eyes dark and deep.

Sesshoumaru released her finger, revelling in how breathless she looked.

"Now you're just baiting me," she accused, shaking her now healed finger in his face.

"I merely lent my youki to heal my mate," he replied, feigning innocence. "And even if I were to bait you, what could you do about it?"

"Plenty," she promised, a knowing smile blooming on her lips. She leaned forward, let her finger run along the magenta stripe curving on his cheek in a feather-light caress.

Sesshoumaru's eyes fluttered shut and he only barely managed to bite back a groan.

"It's a game two can play after all," Kagome whispered, having moved so close her breath ghosted over his lips.

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened.

"My favourite kind of game," he murmured, before crashing his lips against hers and swallowing her smile.