In a few minutes he was expecting his boys to come through. Much to his excitement Shippo was coming too. Next weekend he would be graduating from college with masters in engineering & to be honest, Inuyasha was so proud of him, like Shippo was his little brother or something. Shippo said he couldn't stay long; he had a midterm due in two days but he wanted to swing by to give Yasha & Sessh their tickets to the graduation [since when did you need a ticket to go to a graduation?].
Sesshomaru waved Inuyasha's feet off the coffee table. "I would've hoped you would have shared that food with your company"
Inuyasha belched, much to his mate's displeasure. "Oh that was for them? My bad, gimme the number, I'll order something for them"
"Do not order them some cheap pizza no one but a child would eat, Yasha"
"...Well hell, it's either that or I'm cooking ramen!"
The inuyoukai had a hard time not smiling. "You are restricted from eating any of this..."
The hanyou smirked as Sesshomaru called Pizza Hut again to order two more pizzas & forty more wings in his "professional" voice. He walked around aimlessly as he talked, gesturing with his hand occasionally as if whoever he was on the phone with could see him. Inuyasha chuckled, remembering the first time Sesshomaru used a telephone. Very confusing time for the both of them.
"Alright. Thank you"
"Did you get honey barbeque wings?"
Sesshomaru slid his phone into his back pocket. "Whatever flavor I ordered will not be for you"
"Aw, babe"
Most days were like this: playful bantering, Sessh chiding him, Yasha being hard-headed but all in good fun. Sure they still had their hiccups; Sesshomaru still was not ready to have sex & Inuyasha still felt like his mate didn't truly acknowledge the problems he faced while the demon was in rehab but for now they pushed it aside. They spoke on it already, there was no need to beat a dead horse.
Sesshomaru combed his fingers through his already sleek hair.
"Nervous?" Inuyasha asked. His mate was getting better at speaking on his emotions but sometimes he needed to be prompted.
The silver haired beauty shrugged.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know"
"Sessh..." Inuyasha said slowly. & sometimes he still had to be patient.
Sesshomaru looked down at his fidgeting claws. "I...I don't...I don't know how to put it into words"
That was another thing: the inuyoukai had been repressing his emotions for such an incredibly long time that sometimes he'd feel a certain way & he had no idea how to express it, especially now that he was trying to be more open about his feelings.
"Are you angry?"
The demon shook his head.
"Are you sad?"
Another shake.
"Are you happy?"
Sesshomaru paused then made a "meh" noise, making a gesture with his hand like that wasn't quite the word he would use but it was something similar.
"Alright...are you upset by something?"
"...No...?"
"Is that a question?"
"No. No, I am not upset by anything"
"Is something making you uncomfortable?"
"...Yes"
"Why are you uncomfortable?"
Sesshomaru shifted a few times, his eyes darting around the ceiling as if the answer was on it. "I...I'm not sure if I'm ready...for company"
Inuyasha looked a little sad. "You want me to reschedule?"
"No. No, sometimes change makes you uncomfortable but it'll help you grow"
The hanyou chuckled. "But this is not the first time you've been around the guys or their kids"
The silver haired beauty's eyes widened. Shit. Miroku did have children huh? How the hell was he going to respond to them? Hopefully he wouldn't be creepy but he hoped to God he did not burst into tears either.
Inuyasha put a hand on his cheek. "It'll be alright, baby. I'll be right here"
Before the moment turned really mushy the doorbell rang & Inuyasha's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"They're here!"
If he didn't know any better the demon would've thought this was his mate's first sleepover with his best friends. Inuyasha flung the door open & greeted his friends warmly, slapping Koga's back roughly & dapping Miroku before ruffling his daughters' heads. Sesshomaru swallowed thickly as he assessed his environment before he checked himself. As far as he could tell he was relaxed: his hands were by his side & not clenched into fists, his eyes were not watering, his heartbeat had picked up very slightly at the sight of Miroku's beautiful little girls but not to the point where he was concerned & he didn't feel the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. He was...calm. He was good. He could do this.
Koga sauntered up to him, arrogant smile in place. "Hey baby. I missed you"
Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow when the wolf went to hug him.
Koga took a step back & cleared his throat, embarrassed. "S-sorry. Thought maybe..."
The inuyoukai smirked & nodded his head once in acknowledgement of the apology. "How are you, Koga?"
The arrogant smile was back in a flash. "I've been good, baby. How about you, lookin' all good & shit?"
The okami's baby blue eyes travelled up & down the inuyoukai's body in appreciation. At first Sesshomaru was going to let him know his displeasure but then he...realized he actually liked the compliment. Inuyasha never passed up the opportunity to give his mate a compliment but something about getting the recognition from another man made him feel...like maybe he still had it. "I'm doing a lot better, thank you"
Koga's smile lost the arrogance was replaced with something calm, relaxed. "I see. I'm so proud of you for staying strong. I'm serious"
Sesshomaru shifted uncomfortably. He was ok [somewhat] with opening up to Inuyasha about emotional topics & situations but to another person that only knew the basics of what he'd gone through? Yeah no thanks. "Thanks..."
"Girls"
The silver haired beauty started at Miroku's voice sounding much closer than he remembered the human being & he automatically glanced down at two pair of gorgeous little bright eyes staring up at him, Miroku between the two.
"I want you to meet your other godfather, Sesshomaru. Say hi" Miroku said.
"Hi" they both said at the same time.
The inuyoukai didn't know if he wanted to melt, cry or smile. He had this strange over-pouring of love in his heart for these little tikes & he didn't even know their names yet! "Hello, Your Magesties. May I have the honor of knowing your names?" he asked, kneeling onto one knee & bowing his head to them.
The toddler smiled.
"Tell him your name" Miroku said, grinning & poking the older one in her belly.
She giggled. "Rin"
"What about you, little girl? What's your name?"
The toddler made a bunch of noises with an occasional word [she was probably about one] & pointing at Sesshomaru several times.
"Your Grace, you name is-" Sesshomaru asked then mimicked the noise the little girl made, smiling when the little girl responded with more nonsense.
Miroku chuckled. "Her name is Kagome but we call her May"
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow & the human male raised a hand.
"You know Sango & Kagome are close so of course when we had another girl she had to name her after that woman"
"I am honored Your Majesty & Your Grace have found me worthy enough to know their names. Shall I fetch the princesses a drink? A snack?" Sesshomaru asked, still on one knee.
"Rin is allergic to peanuts & doesn't seem to respond well to apples. May loves apple juice"
Sesshomaru nodded & stood then bowed before walking into the kitchen. As soon as he got out of eyesight from everyone he pressed his hand to his mouth to stifle his laugh. Well...he had a better reaction than he could've ever dreamed & it felt so natural! It was like he'd known them all of their life & not once did he feel uncomfortable.
He turned when he heard footsteps behind him.
Inuyasha gave him a concerned look. "Babe? You ok?"
The inuyoukai realized he still had his hands around his mouth. He put them down, still smiling. "Yes. I am fine"
The hanyou smirked. "I know you're fine but are you ok?"
"Yes"
Inuyasha came forward & put a hand on his mate's cheek. "So I see you're having a very pleasant reaction to Miroku's little girls" he commented, noticing a rosy glow he hadn't seen on the silver haired beauty in a very long time. Hell he hadn't even seen him smile in a very long time.
"They are precious"
"Aren't they? May is just so sweet & Rin is a great child. You know we're their godparents, right?"
Sesshomaru's smile grew wider.
Inuyasha kissed him gently on the mouth & caressed his cheek before he stepped back out. The inuyoukai had to clench his fists to keep himself from screaming. He had goddaughters!
..
Inuyasha gently knocked on the door then allowed himself in. Sesshomaru was laying on the bed, propped up on his side, May snuggled into his chest & Rin with her head on his bicep. Both girls were fast asleep, mouths open & all & Sesshomaru looked like he was not that far behind them [though the hanyou was sure watching these boring cartoons was to blame].
"Hey" he said softly.
Sesshomaru shifted & stifled a yawn. "Hi"
"It's about time for them to go"
The demon glanced down at the girls & Inuyasha could've sworn he heard a soft, "Aww..."
"They didn't give you a hard time?"
"Not at all" Sesshomaru replied, turning off the tv & gathering the toys they'd brought, "They were perfect little angels"
"So you're saying the spawns of Miroku never tried to hit on you or...?"
Sesshomaru chuckled. "No. I'm sure even Miroku knows where to draw the line"
Inuyasha helped clean up & put the girls' shoes back on before they carried them out to where the guys were standing by the front door, ready to head out.
"Oh thank you guys. If I'd known they were asleep I would've helped" Miroku said, setting his things down quickly to grab Rin who yawned sleepily.
"It was no problem at all" Sesshomaru said, buckling May into her stroller.
"Look at my baby, being all helpful. He would've been a great fath-..." Koga started then abruptly stopped himself. Everyone but the girls stiffened, waiting to see what Sesshomaru might do or say. They were still half afraid the inuyoukai might have another breakdown. But when Sesshomaru straightened & gave the wolf a very small smile they relaxed a bit.
"Thank you Koga. I'd like to think Inuyasha & I would've made very wonderful fathers"
Everyone sighed in relief.
"Well I never said Inuyasha would be but..."
"Hey, shut up!" the hanyou snapped.
They bid each other farewell for now with the promise that May & Rin come back over soon [Miroku claimed he & Sango worked most of the day & they could really use a babysitter sometimes but Inuyasha suspected they were probably trying to work on baby number three since Sango wanted a son]. The hanyou & his mate cleaned up the kitchen of the few dishes their guests had messed up, talking about the cute & funny things May & Rin would say or do.
"Rin is so sweet. She drew me a picture of me & you at Disney World" Inuyasha said, nodding to the piece of paper on the dining room table since his hands were wet & sudsy.
Sesshomaru smirked. "Though Rin is a good child I would have to say May is my favorite"
"Ah yes, I did notice you two hanging out a lot together"
"She's a very smart girl; I suspect she'll skip a few grades in her lifetime. How old was she again?"
"Fourteen months. Her birthday is the same day as Kagome's"
"Oh? I wonder how she feels about having a child named after her..."
Inuyasha shrugged. "I haven't talked to her in a while but when she found out Miroku named his baby after her she was pretty excited"
"Hn"
"What do you mean by hn?"
"Nothing, nothing. I just feel Miroku wanted a quid pro quo"
"A squid...?"
Sesshomaru nearly spat out the coffee he was sipping on. "No! It's like a tit for tat, scratch my back & I'll scratch yours"
"Ohhhh...what do you think he wanted from her?"
The inuyoukai gave his mate a very meaningful look.
"Oh...well, yeah..."
"Still...I look forward to the next time he brings them over. Hey, maybe next time we should go pick them up. They can listen to your Disney playlist on your iPod"
"I'm not downloading nothing from that fucking Frozen movie!"
Sesshomaru pouted. "But it has some really good songs..."
"Love Is An Open Door had good vocals, that doesn't make it a good song!"
"But...there are other songs..."
"Don't even get my started on Let It Go, Sessh. I will drop those kids off outside of a homeless shelter"
They both chuckled good naturedly. Sesshomaru didn't mind watching or listening to whatever May or Rin wanted to since it was easy for him to tune things out. If it made them happy, it made him happy. & that's when he realized he felt...complete again...whole. Ever since he got out of rehab, even after Dr. Jaken's advice about making sure no one started treating him differently or pretending he never went into rehab, he just never felt like he belonged. He felt in the way & useless...until now.
After he was done washing dishes, Inuyasha sorted through the mail on the counter & sighed when he saw the medical bill from when Sesshomaru went on the night of the miscarriage. "They keep sending all these bills even though Medicare covered all of it but fifty dollars. I dunno why they think I need to keep this in my records or something"
Sesshomaru cleared his throat & took a deep breath. "How much was it?"
"Only like a thousand or something"
"Would Medicare cover treatment?"
Inuyasha frowned at his boyfriend. "They already covered your rehab, Sessh. I been told you that"
"N-no...not that treatment. I meant...the...experiment Dr. Grey mentioned...to correct my immunologic disorder..."
The hanyou's eyebrows slowly rose on his forehead as realization dawned on him.
"I want to try & have another baby"