My contribution for Inuyasha White Day 2020: a continuation of "Fluff Prompt 26", which can be found in my collection "Fluff Parfait". You don't need to have read that one to follow along here - the TL;DR of that one is they're both lawyers (Inuyasha a prosecutor and Kagome a public defender), they've known each other since law school, and they got together in the fluff prompt. Also Inuyasha's much more emotionally accessible in this universe.

Enjoy!

Kagome knew it was all about to come crashing down. If she was honest with herself, she'd known since yesterday when her throat started to get a bit scratchy. Daring to hope, she'd written it off as the result of lots of talking combined with mild dehydration.

And then she woke up with a full-blown sore throat and mild congestion.

She checked the time – 7:00 AM. She would need to meet Inuyasha in an hour to head to the airport and he would flip out if he knew she was sick. He'd always been protective of her, and it certainly intensified when they started dating a few weeks ago.

He just won't know, then, Kagome decided as she rolled out of bed to dig up a decongestant pill from her medicine cabinet and prepare a saltwater solution for her throat.

There's no way I'm going to let him make me miss this for anything.

Not that she was worried he would. She knew he would never fly off to Los Angeles, leaving her home alone and sick – he always made sure to check on her when she'd fallen ill in the past, and that was long before they got together. Years, even.

Anyway, the wedding wasn't for another week – they were just flying in early to help Sango and Miroku set things up. It was the least they could do as the best man and maid of honor. She'd kick this measly cold in a few days and be healthy in time for the wedding.

She just didn't need Inuyasha breathing down her neck about it. She'd take the medication and power through.

Easy.

Kagome started to drag as she stood in the security line - why was the wait so long? Where did all these people come from? It was the middle of the morning on a Saturday!

Things got worse as she pulled her suitcase through the terminal, struggling to keep up with Inuyasha as they made their way to the gate. Fatigue was setting in way sooner than it should have and her heart wouldn't stop racing.

You just need to sit for a few moments, Kagome decided as she slumped into a chair in the waiting area, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You okay there?"

Kagome jumped as she opened her eyes to find Inuyasha's face maybe an inch from her own.

"Y-yep, fine. Just resting!"

Was she sweating now? Had the walk from security been that exhausting?

Oh no.

"Resting, huh? Well, I'm going to go get coffee. You just… keep resting," came the reply as he patted her head, not-so-subtly taking a second to rest his hand on her forehead. He winced slightly, undoubtedly feeling the heat radiating from her.

He knows, oh god; he KNOWS. Just keep your shit together; you'll sleep on the plane and it'll be fine. Then you can let the warm weather do its thing and you'll be good in no time.

Kagome did sleep on the plane – the whole three-hour flight, in fact, wrapped in a blanket and Inuyasha's sweatshirt - and woke up feeling better.

Not that Inuyasha would hear her protests that she was on the mend.

Carrying all of the luggage (and looking completely ridiculous but ignoring any offers to help), he ushered her through the airport to a coffee stand for tea and into the rental car in near-record time.

"Dinner is cancelled," he stated as Kagome settled into the passenger seat, her tea in hand.

"What? No, I'm feeling better! I can meet Sango and Miroku!"

"And get them sick the week of their wedding? Nope. We're going to the hotel and you're getting in bed."

"But… it's pool weather…" Kagome wanted to cry. It had been so cold at home and the thought of sitting by a pool in March (in March!) was one of the only things keeping her sane at work these days.

"Okay, if you're getting teary over that, you're definitely sick. I've seen you get slapped by your own client and not even cry."

Kagome frowned, recalling that day. She was defending a repeat offender who had apparent… issues with being represented by a woman, and he slapped her, completely unprompted, midway through his competency hearing.

Kagome remembered being too shocked to cry (though she had later that night, once she was home and the day's events sank in). She also remembered Inuyasha launching himself across the courtroom to get to her as the bailiffs descended.

It was the week before she and Inuyasha had gone out for that (fateful) pizza dinner. It was also the day she started reconsidering her career choice.

I don't want to think about job stuff now, Kagome thought, unable to stop a few tears from falling. This is so embarrassing – I'm so off my game right now!

"Ugh, fine," Inuyasha conceded. "If your fever breaks tomorrow, you can sit next to the pool."

Kagome beamed.

"For ten minutes."

She slumped down in her seat as they pulled out of the lot.

"You need to dry your hair."

Kagome wanted to cry again. The burst of energy she'd experienced after the flight was short-lived. She made it through a shower okay, but it had been a struggle to get her pajamas on. She was so tired and bed was so close.

So close.

"I don't need to; I'm sure I'm not going anywhere tomorrow. I'll just pull it up," she whined, grabbing a hair tie from the counter.

"You'll stay sick if you sit with wet hair all night. It'll make you too cold. Bad for your immune system."

"That's not real. What are you, my grandmother?"

"You're sick, so I'm choosing not to hold that against you. Come on," Inuyasha replied, pulling the towel from Kagome's head and tossing it on the bathroom floor. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the desk in the corner of the hotel room, setting her gently in the chair.

"Stay there," he told her as he walked back to the bathroom.

Kagome rested her head on the table, using her arms as a pillow. He wasn't gone long, but she began to drift off nonetheless.

She was startled by the sound of a hairdryer but found herself quickly steadied by a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't jump – you'll fall out of the chair."

Am I just that small, or is his hand really that big?

Kagome found it hilarious. It was probably the fever.

"I'm just going to get it dry enough so you can get in bed, okay?"

"Okay."

She started to drift off again as Inuyasha dried her hair, his firm but gentle grasp keeping her upright. Kagome couldn't say that she'd ever expected to see this side of him – she was so sure that he would be frazzled by her illness throwing off the pre-wedding week with Sango and Miroku, but here he was, he was caring for her so patiently.

And he always had, hadn't he? That dinner a few weeks ago, that time in the courtroom, and so many moments before then…

He adores you. He is soul-crushingly, disgustingly in love with you.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, yet at the same time she was completely unable to process it. It just stayed there at the front of her mind as Inuyasha finished drying her hair and helped her into the bed. It remained as he propped her up on a couple of pillows and tucked her in before heading back to the bathroom.

Kagome started to drift again. She thought she heard him mention something about stepping out as he set a glass of water on the nightstand and gave her a kiss on the forehead, but she wasn't really sure.

Kagome wasn't sure how much time had passed. The last thing she remembered was being tucked in and vaguely hearing the room door close, and here she was now, waking up to the feeling of the bed shifting as someone sat down on the other side and gently shook her shoulder.

"Do you think you can eat?" Inuyasha asked as she opened her eyes, frowning when she shook her head no. "You haven't eaten since breakfast," he chided gently.

Kagome sat up and reached for the glass of water only to have her hand moved away.

"Wait," Inuyasha murmured before shoving a thermometer in her mouth. "You can drink water in a minute."

Kagome wrinkled her nose in displeasure but didn't fight it, instead focusing on the warm hand stroking her hair.

He's babying you.

She couldn't say she minded that much. She snuggled up to him as much as she could, given that she was still tucked in and he was sitting atop the covers.

Inuyasha frowned slightly as the thermometer beeped and he read the result.

"102? No wonder you were struggling. I'm honestly impressed you hid it as long as you did. Do you think you can eat?"

"I'm not hungry." Inuyasha frowned as Kagome shook her head.

"You need to eat. I picked up a pizza when I went out to get the thermometer," he gestured to the desk where a small pizza box sat next to a plastic shopping bag.

"Pizza?" She wasn't hungry, but she supposed she could try to eat a little to make him happy.

"Don't get used to it. If we weren't stuck in a hotel room, you'd be eating something actually good for you."

Kagome wrinkled her nose and he tapped it teasingly in response.

"That said, I thought you might be willing to try to eat if it was something you liked… even if it isn't all that healthy."

Kagome still wasn't sure. The thought of food wasn't revolting to her; it just… wasn't really motivating in any way.

"I'll try to eat a slice," she conceded. Inuyasha beamed as he got up to grab a box from the shopping bag as well as the pizza before sliding back onto the bed.

Kagome couldn't help but smile at him as he put on a show of things to keep her spirits up. She liked this side of him – she knew she was perhaps one of only a few people would had ever seen it.

She wanted to protect it at all costs. Even if he was forcing her to take a fever reducer.

"Come on, just a little more? You can't go to bed having eaten a muffin and a half of a slice of pizza."

"I had a coffee too," Kagome grumbled.

"Black coffee has 0 calories. That doesn't help your argument, counsel," he took the remainder of the slice and held it toward her face. "Eat. I'll feed you if I have to."

Kagome sighed but made no effort to take the slice back.

"Fine, you leave me no choice then. Here comes the airplane, Ka-go-me."

"Oh my god," Kagome moaned.

It's unfair! I can't even fight back because my brain is all mush and my skin hurts.

"The airplane, Kagome! It's circling the airport. The people are getting restless – they want to go home." He held up the pizza to emphasize his point.

He's mocking you, Kagome realized fuzzily. Still though, she didn't feel attacked, just… aggressively cared for.

Still nice, even if it was excessively silly. And mushy. So mushy she was embarrassed.

"I'm an attorney. I don't have to put up with being treated like this." She grabbed the pizza from his hand and shoved half of it in her mouth, glaring at him as she chewed deliberately.

"I knew it."

"What?" Kagome swallowed and took a bite of the remainder of the slice.

"I knew I could goad you into eating."

"No you didn't."

"True, but the alternative was hand-feeding you - which wouldn't have been so bad either."

"You need to stop talking to Miroku."

Inuyasha blushed. Kagome squeezed his hand and tried to wink.

She thought she was successful, but she wasn't sure.

Less than an hour later, Kagome found herself settled back into bed after a brief adventure to brush her teeth, snuggled up to Inuyasha's shoulder.

"You should go to sleep," he murmured.

"No, it's only 8 PM. That's too early."

"You're sick. There's no such thing as 'too early'."

"I like this movie though," Kagome countered sleepily.

"Fine," Inuyasha replied, ruffling her hair. "We can watch."

They stayed like that for another half hour, watching the movie silently as Kagome's eyelids started to get heavier and heavier.

"Inuyasha?" She was barely awake by this point, but Kagome's earlier realization just would not leave her alone.

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

He leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of her head.

"Go to sleep," he muttered, his face still buried in her hair. Kagome could have sworn she felt him grin as she drifted off.