The It Couple
Chapter Fifteen
"Hey, Kouga," Sango said, her voice even and professional despite the lavish attentions of Miroku on her collarbone at the present moment, "It's all good, then?"
The other end of the line was full of shouting voices, and Sango could barely make out Kouga's voice saying, "Yeah, poor kid had too much and threw up so Inuyasha took her up to my suite."
"And there were photos, yes? Of him carrying her?"
"Sweetheart, there were photos of the whole confrontation." From what she could hear, he sounded not a little amused.
Sango pulled the phone away from her face to plant a huge kiss on Miroku, who had been breathing into her ear for several seconds, then fought to keep her breath steady as she continued her conversation. "Perfect. Thanks for your help."
"Honestly, Kagome's a cute kid. I kinda feel bad. She was just in over her head."
"Maybe with you," Sango raised an eyebrow, "Did you have to get her that drunk?"
"Hey!" Kouga sounded outraged but she could hear the grin in his voice, "She said she was used to just beer! No wonder a few shots sent her spinning!"
Sango sighed, though she wasn't sure if it was from exasperation or from the absolutely filthy things Miroku was saying in her other ear.
"Alright," she said finally, "A deal's a deal. You get a sit-down with Spielberg for his new one next spring. After awards season."
She hung up the phone, then looked up to see Miroku staring at her, eyes glazed over slightly, mouth agape.
"You really did plan this whole thing," he said, that dopey, bemused look on his face.
"I told you," Sango said with a wicked grin, "I don't like surprises."
Miroku went to kiss her again and she ducked out of the way, putting a finger to his lips. "Just one more thing," she said, pulling up her phone contacts, "and then I'm yours, I promise."
They both seemed to pause at the way that had sounded, just for a second, and then Sango was letting the line ring on speaker.
"You know the doorman at that afterparty, right?" she asked, playfully ruffling his bangs.
"...yeah?"
"Tell him he needs to collect all cell phones on the way out the door. Tell him to say it's a studio security measure and that all photos of the incident that just occured need to be deleted."
Miroku smiled wryly. "But he's not deleting them, is he? He's sending them to us."
Sango winked. "That is one thing I learned from you," she said, fiddling with his tie, "Control all the footage, all the time, all that you can."
"Alright," Inuyasha said, having slipped his jacket over Kagome's shoulders, "We're going to have to leave in separate cars. Otherwise this whole thing will get more out of control than it already is."
Kagome stood before him, her shoes in her hand, still wobbly but looking much more steady. Her eye makeup was a little smeared, but only noticeable on close inspection. Her hair was a wild tumble of curls but there wasn't much he could do about that right now. "You need an assistant," she said with a small smile. Her voice had finally stopped shaking, and other than a slightly redder nose than normal there was no evidence she'd been bawling her eyes out. "An assistant would take care of the cars for you."
"Miroku's close enough to an assistant," Inuyasha hand-waved her off, "but I'm pretty sure he's busy right now."
"No, I mean it," she said, slurring her words and hopping from one foot to the other. She was so short when her heels were off, eye-level with his chest. "You're famous as fuck, dude."
"I hadn't noticed," Inuyasha said drily, taking her by the arm, "Come on."
"You are," she stressed, "and I'll be your assistant and you can win an Oscar."
"Think your sister might have something to say about that," Inuyasha said, patiently leading her into the elevator. There was a young operator sitting in there reading Nietzsche, who looked up and stood with a start.
"Good evening, sir, madam," he said, obviously a little starstruck. People seemed unable to act naturally around Inuyasha since...well, as long as he could remember, anyhow.
Kagome was obviously simultaneously trying to stand still and hold in a giggle. Inuyasha nodded a greeting to the bellhop and said, "Parking garage, please," as he tightened his hold around Kagome's waist.
She seemed to flinch for a moment and he wondered if he'd hurt her. But then she looked up at him with those huge blue eyes of hers, her face flushed, lips slightly parted, and he blinked in surprise and panic.
He reached behind him surreptitiously and steadied his own height with his free hand on the railing. Kagome seemingly noticed this, shook her head slightly as if to clear it, and turned her face toward the opposite wall.
"Parking garage," the elevator attendant said softly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.
Kagome went out first, and Inuyasha paused to turn to the bellhop. Okay, flash that winning grin, he thought, feeling like a trained seal.
"What's your name, kid?"
"T-Tommy, sir." The guy looked like a deer in headlights.
"Nice to meet you, Tommy. So, I've got something for you," Inuyasha reached into his wallet and pulled out several crisp hundred dollar bills, shuffling through them until he reached the right number, "A thousand bucks. For being the greatest elevator operator in the world. And the most discrete."
Tommy obviously understood, his eyes bugging out like a grasshopper as Inuyasha pressed the cash into his hand. "Th-thank you, sir," he stammered, "And can I say, I'm a huge fan?"
"You can," Inuyasha said bluntly, though his smile was still pasted on, "Have a good night, Tommy."
When he turned back around, Kagome already had her phone out and was calling a cab. Leave it to her to be the resourceful one, even drunk off her ass.
"What's your address?" She put her hand over the receiver, cheeks pinkening as she said it.
Inuyasha gave it to her and set about calling his own limo driver.
Kagome arrived at the gate just before Inuyasha's limo pulled up. She swiped her card for the cabbie, left him an amazing tip while also making sure to read his name on the registration just in case he tried to play press leaker later on, and slipped her heels back on to step onto the sidewalk.
She was pretty sure Inuyasha's mansion was half the size of Kikyou's, which she supposed made sense since...since he lives here all by himself. There were a ton of grounds though, but she couldn't exactly see it too well from her vantage point in front of the huge iron fence.
"Oi, you in the dress." A low voice sounded behind her, and she turned to see Inuyasha, leaning out of the backseat window of his limo. "You probably want to get in here; the driveway's like half a mile long."
Kagome wobbled over to the door and he scooted over to accommodate her. His scent filled her nostrils and she kept her eyes cast to the floorboards.
"Listen," she said quietly, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier at the ballroom."
"Don't," he said, looking straight ahead, his expression stone-faced, "You've got a right to say how you feel."
"I probably should clarify-"
"I'd wait til you're sober for all that," he said. His face hadn't changed, but there was a bit of a stern edge to his voice.
He was so mad at her, wasn't he? Hell, he has a right to be, I guess. He's not the one who was acting a fool.
Kagome fell silent and leaned her head back on the leather seat cushion.
"Okay," Inuyasha sighed, shrugging out of his waistcoat and tossing it haphazardly on a leather chair, then turned to remove his suit jacket from around Kagome's shoulders. His fingers brushed her collarbone and she shrank back just a little. "Sorry," he said, "my hands are probably cold, huh?"
She didn't answer, just kicked out of her ridiculously tall high heels.
"Whose shitty advice did you take when you picked out those shoes?" Inuyasha shot her a small smile.
"Sango," Kagome said, "She said it would be better for the press photos if I was closer to Kouga's height." She grimaced, squeezing one of her sore feet.
The idea of Kagome posing for press photos on the arm of Kouga Okami (and obviously being encouraged to do so by people who should have damn well known better) was still enough to make Inuyasha's blood boil, but he heard Miroku's voice in his head. "Hey pal, why not control that famous temper of yours for once?"
"Easy for her to say," he griped, "Pretty sure Sango was born in high heels."
Kagome smiled weakly. "Do you...um...have something I can change into?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "I mean, it's just like t-shirts and boxers, but-"
"Perfect," she said, lifting her huge skirts up, "Where's your bedroom?"
A heavy pause hung in the air. Okay, Inuyasha thought, why did I just ogle Kagome, of all people? I mean, she does look fucking gorgeous tonight, public display of intoxication aside, but…
"I mean," she said quickly, "your closet."
He wordlessly pointed and she seemed to flee his presence as quickly as possible. As she walked, her arms bent around to the zipper on the dress and she yanked it, seemingly sighing with relief at the release of tension. Inuyasha looked away just in time.
She entered the bedroom at the end of the hall and Inuyasha busied himself with undoing his cufflinks and tie.
"Where are your boxers?" Her voice carried and he realized she'd left the bedroom door cracked open.
"Top drawer of the bureau, I think," he replied. Unless Nazuna moved them. She was always finding new and creative ways to organize and save space, even though, one, he lived in a fucking mansion, and two, he didn't own too much compared to others in his celebrity bracket. Maybe it came with growing up dirt-poor; you never wanted to overspend because all the money could be gone in a second.
There was another pause. "I don't see them," she said, "Whoops." There was a thumping sound. Before Inuyasha could dart to her, he heard, "I'm okay. Who put that damn footstool there.."
He chuckled to himself under his breath, then jumped when she appeared in the doorway, hair even more disheveled than before.
"Can I just wear this? It was hanging in your closet." She held up a red cotton nightshirt with short sleeves. A woman's nightshirt.
Inuyasha froze. Kagome looked puzzled at his lack of response.
He tried to recover quickly. "Don't you think you'd be more comfortable in boxers and a t-shirt? I feel like that's more your thing. Here, let me help you find them."
He started down the hallway towards where she was, leaning out the bedroom door, holding her dress up with one hand. As he did, Kagome looked at him, then at the nightshirt, then back at him.
Her eyes told him she had realized whose nightshirt it was.
"O-oh," she stammered, trying to pull the garment back behind the door as if it would erase its entire appearance, "Y-you're right, boxers are more my style.."
She trailed off as he approached. Were those more tears forming in her eyes? Dammit, you idiot, quit making this poor girl cry.
As gently as he could, he pushed past her in the doorway, making a beeline straight to the giant mahogany bureau drawers. She remained in place, still holding up her unzipped gown.
He pulled out some boxers (from the bottom drawer; Nazuna had indeed been rearranging his underwear to her heart's content) and then a white cotton tank top. "Will this be okay?" he asked, not meeting her eyes as he tossed them onto the bedspread.
"Of course it will," she said, her tone almost pleading.
He looked up at her. She seemed to have forgotten her partially-dressed state (he could just see the curve of her back and hips in the reflection of the mirror by the door) and was staring at him like an orphaned puppy.
"Stop," he said, forcing a smile, "How the hell could you have remembered? She only wore that thing like once, ages ago. Don't worry about it. In fact, hell, wear it if you want to. It's not like she's going to anytime soon."
The wounded animal look in her eyes vanished. Oh shit, he thought, now what did I say?
"I wear enough of her clothes as it is," Kagome said evenly, her grip still firmly on the bodice of her evening gown, "Is there a room I can bunk in for the night?"
He pointed to the door immediately diagonal to his.
Kagome grabbed the boxers and tank top and stumbled into the hallway, with her voluminous skirts evidently giving her great trouble in her intoxicated state.
"Here," Inuyasha said with a roll of his eyes, grabbing the majority of the lacy, sheer material and helping her through her bedroom door.
"Thanks," she said sheepishly, turning back around to face him. There was that tiny dimple again, the one he'd never thought to notice before.
He realized quickly that he was making this far more awkward than it needed to be and ducked back into his own room.
He was halfway out of his now-ruined dress shirt that he heard it.
"Um...Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha gulped. "Yeah?"
"Can you...come back in here?"
Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. What the hell. Why was his throat suddenly dry?
He contemplated taking the shirt entirely off, decided that was probably a bit much, and went across the hall to the guest bedroom, pushing the door open gently.
Kagome stood there, hand clasped over the neckline of her bodice, a clean v-shaped hole in the side of her gown. The zipper was stopped halfway down, entangled in…
Are those black lace panties?
Kagome was fifty shades of red, her eyes screwed shut, still wobbly from drinking an entire bar's worth of booze. Her hair was unpinned, hanging in large, loose curls over on shoulder.
"...I'm stuck," she said finally, obviously unable to look him in the eye.
"I-I can see that," he said, fighting to keep his own voice calm and collected.
"Just help me, please," she said exasperatedly, stumbling and placing a hand on the guest bed to steady herself.
"Alright, alright." He was about to say "Keep your panties on" but common sense won out. He approached and knelt at her side.
"Yeah," he said, squinting, "I don't know what the hell you did here but this is well and proper fucked up."
He began pulling at the black lace, trying to free it from the zipper's teeth, but to no avail. "Kiddo," he said, "we're gonna have to cut you out of this thing."
"Oh, God," she said, slamming a hand over her face, "Just get me some scissors or a knife and I'll do it."
"With your motor skills right now you'll stab yourself in the hip," Inuyasha snapped, "I won't look, alright? Scout's honor."
He raced down the hallway into a room that was haphazardly arranged into a kind of office (maybe Kagome was right, an actual assistant would leave things less of a mess). He grabbed a pair of scissors and returned to find that Kagome in her drunken state was now leaning against a vanity, bracing herself upright with both hands, her face still beet red.
"Alright," he said, kneeling again and tentatively placing a hand on her hip just beneath the cut of those panties. Who'da thunk she was this adventurous when it came to underwear? Wow, Inuyasha, you have reached a new low.
He slid the scissors beneath the black lace band, looking to her for a response, yay or nay. When none came, he clipped the band in two with one jerking motion.
The whole gown slid precariously downward an inch or two, and Kagome squeaked in surprise and grabbed at her chest before the whole damn thing fell off.
Though she hadn't asked him to, hadn't even looked at him, Inuyasha found himself reach forward and with both hands continue the zipper's path downward to her upper middle thigh. This was hard to reconcile with the skinny teenage kid he'd known and adored, all elbows, knees, and braces. He couldn't see anything, really, just the curve of her hip and leg, but good lord, where had she been hiding this figure?
I said 'Scout's Honor.' Guess it's a good thing I was never a Boy Scout.
"Thank you!" Kagome said quickly, stepping away, still holding her dress up to her chest. Her eyes were anywhere but his right now. "See you in the morning, okay?"
It was with strange, feverish, and above all confused dreams that Inuyasha Takahashi found sleep that night.
Ohohohohohoooo... I love writing clueless Inuyasha. He's the most famous, charismatic dude in the world, and yet when it comes to Kagome, he ALWAYS puts his foot in his mouth. Also yay for awkward sexual tension! Maybe they'll stop being in denial soon enough? HAHAHAHA if you think the answer is yes, you don't know me well enough. Sango and Miroku are here to play to win. And so is a certain older sister whom we haven't heard from in a few chapters... Love you guys! Hope 2 chapters in one night makes up for my overlong absence! My muse is back and she is bugging me like crazy! As always, reviews make me smile and make good things happen in the world. Like OTP's becoming kinda sorta canon in movies one has seen recently... . - meggz0rz