The It Couple
Chapter Forty-Nine
"Hey, Houshi," Sango said, immediately brushing past him to kick off her high heels and drop her purse onto the couch, "Got anything to drink?"
Miroku fought the urge to close his eyes as the scent of her perfume washed over him and instead shot her a telltale smirk. "Who do you think you're talking to, babe? Whiskey and water okay?"
"That's fine," she said, running her fingers through her still-damp hair, "but I'd just as soon take a vodka tonic if you have it. Gotta fit in a very tight dress at the Globes, you understand."
Miroku immediately wanted to ask her what was with the repeated dresses at all the latest events, but decided he had bigger fish to fry. He crossed to the bar to fix her a drink. He turned back around to find her sprawled out unceremoniously over the sofa cushions, a hand over her eyes.
"Here," he said as he placed the cool glass in her hand, "Wasn't sure if you wanted ice, but the tonic water's refrigerated."
"It's perfect," she said, sounding genuinely grateful as she removed her hand from her face and sat up to take a sip, "You even put a lime in it."
"If someone hands you a vodka tonic and doesn't offer a lime, they're a terrible bartender," Miroku said sagely.
There was silence for a few seconds as Sango gulped down a generous helping of her drink, coughed softly, and leaned back into the couch cushions.
"So?" Miroku said, sitting down beside her, careful not to touch her outstretched legs.
"So," Sango said, "I just came from Kikyou's place a few minutes ago."
"And?"
"After the awards last night, Inuyasha got fed up and told her off. A long time coming, if you ask me."
Miroku feigned ignorance and surprise. "Huh. How about that, there."
"Yeah," Sango said, taking another sip of her drink and sitting up straighter, all business and game plans and chessmaster-y, "But she's mad as hell, Houshi. Like, she just destroyed Kagome's old room. And I had to stop her from unfollowing and deleting both of them off all her social media accounts."
"Good call," Miroku said, "That would have made Yura and all her compatriots have a gigantic shitfit."
Sango smiled at the praise, then kept going. "I was there, Houshi. Inuyasha told Kikyou to leave him alone. For good this time. I was actually sort of proud of him. He just laughed at her. It was amazing."
"Oooh," Miroku said, "I'm sure Kikyou just loved that."
"I mean, like I said, she went straight home and started destroying Kagome's room. Didn't even change out of her bajillion-dollar dress first."
"So she's out to burn it all down, then," Miroku said, "This will be interesting."
"And the headlines tomorrow, well, today, are going to be just as interesting. On the one hand, we've got this anguished declaration of love from Kikyou in her Critics' Choice acceptance speech, and then we've got a brief blip on her social media that she can explain away as a hack or a glitch, but it sure looks like she unfollowed and then refollowed Inuyasha and Kagome. So we've got some wonderful juggling of stories to do." Sango frowned into her drink. "I came to ask you -" She seemed to rethink her question, and looked away.
"Came to ask me what?" Miroku found himself watching her legs cross and wanting nothing more than to just lean a little further down the couch and…
"Well," Sango seemed to be struggling to word it, and her cheeks were slowly turning pink, "I came to ask you what our gameplan should be."
Miroku fought back a genuinely thrilled smile. "Our gameplan, you say?"
It was just delicious, watching her squirm in her seat as she looked anywhere but his eyes. "It's just - I think you'd agree that we're both at our best when we're on the same page, right? Two heads are better than one, and all that…" She trailed off, looking like she wanted to flip off the couch and bolt out the door at the soonest opportunity.
"Are you saying," Miroku said, letting the hand that wasn't closed around his drink just drift slowly down to her ankle, where he rested it with nigh the weight of a feather, "that you need me?"
"Not need," Sango insisted, turning even redder, though she didn't pull away from his touch, "Just...just...I could use a second opinion on this stuff. Since it's my first awards season, after all."
"You've been doing wonderfully," Miroku said in a low voice, unable to keep the soft smile from his face, "Too wonderfully, at times. You're already giving every other press agent in Hollywood a run for their money. You were made for this job, babe. You don't need a blacklisted asshole like me, do you?"
She winced. He relished it.
"I owe you an apology," she said quietly, "I'm sorry I said that."
Miroku waved it off like it was nothing, though it certainly hadn't been at the time she'd originally said it. "I said way worse to you at the time, and I apologize for that. So we can be friends again, right?"
Sango's lips curled into a smile. "Friends," she agreed.
Cue the awkward silence. Were we ever actually friends or just fighting this godforsaken attraction to each other the whole time god dammit this sucks just as bad. Miroku cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.
"So what should we do?" Sango said, crossing her legs beneath her on the couch (and removing them from Miroku's reach, curse it all).
"Well-" Miroku started to say, but the patio door slid open and in stumbled one of the topics of conversation.
"Miroku," Inuyasha said, holding up his empty glass of whiskey, "Where's the bottle?"
Miroku did his level best to ignore the unamused look Sango was sending his way and replied, "Here, give it to me, I'll refill it. Look who's here, though." He gestured sweepingly.
Inuyasha nodded at the woman on the couch. "Hey, Sango. Sorry you had to see all that, earlier."
"No problem," Sango said, though she was still no doubt staring at Miroku with narrowed eyes, "How long have you been here, Inuyasha?"
"A good thirty minutes or so," Miroku answered for him.
"I see," she said evenly.
Miroku consciously ignored the looks she was giving him and stood up from the couch, walking over to take Inuyasha's glass from him and crossing back to the bar. "Sango, need a refill?"
"I'll get it myself," she said, and he heard her stand up behind him, just as he simultaneously heard Inuyasha plop himself down into an armchair.
"Thirty minutes, huh?" Sango hissed out of the corner of her mouth as she violently splashed more vodka into her glass, spilling some over the side.
"You want me to get that?" Miroku said, unable to help the smile rising to his face. He held up a paper towel.
"Fuck off, Houshi," she grumbled, snatching it from his hand and wiping up the spill, "Just when I think you're going to keep me up to speed on everything, like I was trying to do for you - "
Miroku reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and she seemed to lose all power of speech as her eyes widened and met his.
"Sorry," he said, "I just wanted to hear you talk for a while. Missed the sound of your voice when you're planning and plotting."
"H-Houshi," was all she said, her face beet red once more. She went to take a sip of her drink, apparently forgetting that she hadn't put any tonic water in it to dilute it, and coughed and spluttered at the no doubt jarring taste of straight vodka on her lips.
He patted her gently on the back until she stood up straight again, conveniently leaving his hand pressed between her shoulder blades. She was a good six inches shorter than he was without those heels on. He smiled down at her, leaned in...she wasn't stopping him...he leaned in further…
"Ugh," Inuyasha said, "Is my whiskey ready yet? I don't want you two swapping spit into my glass, thanks."
"Keep your voice down, Inuyasha," Miroku turned to him tersely, "Maybe someone somewhere is sleeping, and they don't deserve a full-on diva tantrum jarring them out of a peaceful slumber." Of course, part of me wants to just let him do it. Either way, this is super entertaining.
"Whatever," Inuyasha grouched, standing up, "I gotta take a leak."
Miroku just grinned at Sango, who looked at him very questioningly, and decided right then and there to throw a nice, adorable little wrench in the works for Inuyasha. He wanted a little private time with Sango, and this was the best way to get it.
"Don't use the main bathroom," he lied smoothly, "I've got maintenance coming in the morning. But the one in the guest bedroom is working just fine."
"Ten-four," Inuyasha said grumpily, shuffling past them and entering the dark bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Sango, babe," Miroku said, unable to keep the look of glee off his face as he took her hand, "There may be one extra little detail about tonight that I haven't mentioned to you yet."
"Inuyasha, you are the reason I'm here right now. And I know that you and I have been through a lot, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you. So very, very much." Kikyou's tearful confession in front of the eyes of hundreds of people sounded almost ethereal, disembodied.
Kagome could vaguely remember watching a brief clip of this acceptance speech on the plane ride home, but now she was there, sitting somewhere in the crowd, unable to see any faces in the glittering haze around her.
"This is bullshit!" Kagome stood up, pointing at the figure onstage, but no one around her seemed to take notice, "You're using him! You're going to hurt him again!"
"Kagome, please," a voice said in a low whisper, and Kagome felt a light touch to her elbow from behind, "I'll handle this."
She turned, fearfully, to try and look into his eyes and read his expression, but his face was clouded in shadow. "Inu...yasha?"
He bent to kiss her, and she all but melted into his arms. When they parted, he did that all-too-familiar gesture of tucking a stray curl behind her ear. His palm felt wonderfully warm and light on her cheek, as if he weren't flesh and blood, but an angel, a spirit of love and mercy.
"I missed you," Kagome whispered, "I missed you so much." She curled her fingers into the front of his shirt, leaning up for another kiss.
His hand moved to cover her lips, and she stopped short as he leaned in over her ear.
"You shouldn't have left, then," he said, "Just when I was starting to enjoy your company, you left me to the she-wolf. And now I have no choice."
Kagome's heart sank. "I had to leave, Inuyasha. To give you the chance to decide!"
"Were you prepared for an answer you didn't like?" His voice was like a hiss.
She felt her throat go dry and couldn't find an answer.
He released her from his grip so suddenly that she staggered to get her bearings again, and half-walked, half-glided up the stage toward the figure in black, who was holding out two hazy arms to welcome him.
"You see, Kagome?" Kikyou's voice sounded from all around her, "All he needed was a little push in the right direction. I have you to thank for that. Enjoy your life in Europe, sweetie. You're not ever allowed back."
Two pairs of strong arms seized Kagome by the shoulders and pulled her into the darkness. Kagome screamed and kicked, but Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her, didn't even look up from Kikyou's embrace…
"Inuyasha, please! Don't do this! We can figure this out!"
The scene started to fade to grey as the arms kept dragging Kagome bodily backward.
"Inuyasha! Wait! I didn't leave you alone forever! I left so I could come back fighting! I'm ready to fight for our happy ending, remember?"
She wasn't sure, in the growing darkness, but it certainly looked like Inuyasha's blurry form looked up from Kikyou's embrace…
"Man, fuck this shit," was Inuyasha's reply, his voice distinctly louder and more gravelly than before.
Kagome squinted to try and look at him, confused. "Huh?"
It definitely was Inuyasha speaking, she could see that now. But what he was saying made no sense.
"Who the hell put this shit here?" he said, his arms still around Kikyou even as he glared at Kagome.
Wait a minute…
Kagome blinked her eyes open to stare at the pitch-black ceiling. There was a rustling sound at the far end of the room, near the bathroom door. She fumbled to switch on the bedside lamp, and winced at the sudden glare, letting her eyes refocus.
"...Inuyasha?"
He was standing there, hopping on one leg, his foot entangled in the strap of one of her duffel bags, and at the sound of her voice, he stopped short, turned to face her, and promptly fell over in an unceremonious heap.
"OW! God dammit!" sounded from the other room.
Miroku held up a finger. "Ah, there we go." He smirked, clinked glasses with Sango, and proceeded to gather her in his arms. He didn't plan to let her go for the rest of the evening.
LOLLLLLLL. So much for the tearful, dramatic reunion, am I right guys?
Poor Kagome just wants to sleep, but both dream Inuyasha and real life Inuyasha are foiling those plans.
Yay Miroku and Sango! Now for the Golden Globes...hmmmmmmm...
SONGS!
Kagome - "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul (EVERYBODY SING! "Straight up now tell me if you really wanna LOVE - ME - FOREVERRRR")
Inuyasha - "Changing of the Seasons" by Two Door Cinema Club (because he's well and properly done with Kikyou's crap yayyy)
Miroku - "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" by Shawn Mendes (CUTENESS. THE CUTENESS. He made the move. You go Glen Coco.)
Sango - "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson ("I know that I've got issues, but you're pretty messed up too...")
This chapter was so much funnnnnnnn. Hope you guys like it! Can't wait to read your reviews. All my love! - meggz0rz