Inuyasha patted his pockets to make sure everything was in place before they walked out the door: phone, wallet, keys…why did it feel like he was missing something…?
Sesshomaru adjusted the diaper bag on his shoulder more securely & shifted the carrier from his left hand to the right. "Yasha, you have the tickets, right?"
The hanyou snapped his fingers & checked his wallet again. The tickets sat nestled next to his cash & he nodded. "Yeah, I got it. It'd be just our luck if it somehow got lost, eh?"
The demon sighed & muttered, "Knock on wood…"
"Alright, let's be off!"
Even though Hiten was not a human infant & was not restricted from many things as human infants are, Sesshomaru was still kind of nervous about him being around so many people & noises so soon. The boy was barely 48 hours old & they were going to a graduation. Was that such a good idea? Even if he didn't allow anyone to touch Hiten who's to say there won't be airborne allergens? What if someone coughs in their directions? Humans shed skin particles all the damn time, it would be impossible for Hiten to not breathe any of that in!
"Inuyasha, wait…"
The hanyou turned to him, one eyebrow raised & his hand on the door. "What's up? We kinda gotta go, babe"
"I…I don't feel comfortable with Hiten around all those people. There's so much in the air he could breathe in & he hasn't even had his shots yet"
Inuyasha looked from his mate to the carrier & back again, thinking of ways to calm the demon. "Well…I guess we stay home"
"What? No, no, go to the graduation. Shippo is like a little brother to you; go celebrate with him"
"I'm not leaving you two here alone"
"I can defend us if anything happens, you know"
Inuyasha let the door handle go & walked up to Sesshomaru to put a hand on his neck, looking very fiercely into his eyes. "It's not that I don't know that, it's that I don't want it to ever have to come to that. You said so yourself that I can't just think of myself anymore"
"Forget what I said, Inuyasha. Go be with your friends" Sesshomaru whispered.
"No. I'm not going without you & we're not going without Hiten"
For whatever reason, Sesshomaru's jaw clenched as if he was getting impatient & he turned away but Inuyasha gently took his chin in his hand. He was surprised when the demon looked up at him, he had tears in his eyes.
The half breed grinned. "Marriage is 100/100 right?"
"We aren't married yet"
"Never too early to start practicing though"
Sesshomaru slowly leaned forward & kissed his mate gently on the lips. "I don't want you to miss this graduation, Inuyasha…"
"Well call Dr. Robbins. That might help if you hear from her"
Hm. Sesshomaru realized he hadn't actually thought of that. He put the carrier down & whipped out his phone to scroll through his contacts. When he found her name he hit dial & put it on speakerphone.
After three or four rings, It picked up. "Dr. Robbins speaking, how can I help you?"
"This is Sesshomaru & Inuyasha. We had questions about taking Hiten to that previous affair we told you about"
"Oh hi! Well…specifically what are you referring to?"
"Well it's a graduation & Sessh was concerned that all the people there would cause it to be an unsanitary environment for someone who has not had his shots yet. Also, it might be too loud"
Sesshomaru looked at his mate, impressed by his improvement in vocabulary.
"Well, to be honest, I can't say for sure. There are many things he can tolerate that human infants cannot & I, unfortunately, do not know his limitations"
"Well what would you advise if this was a human infant?"
Dr. Robbins paused for a moment. "I guess I'd be all for him getting out & getting some sunshine. I mean, if he was a human, he'd still be under close observation at the hospital so…"
"So this is a good idea, taking him with us to the graduation?" Sesshomaru asked just to be sure.
"I'd say yes. The noise might bother him but I'm sure for the most part he'll be ok"
Inuyasha smiled smugly at his mate who shrugged. "Alright, thank you so much, doc"
"Anytime, guys. Give Hiten a hug for me!"
Sesshomaru chuckled. "We shall"
They said their goodbyes & hung up. Inuyasha grinned, feeling triumphant for some reason. "Alright then. Ready to go?"
.
..
…
The two inus walked into a large gymnasium that was mostly full even though the graduation wasn't for another thirty minutes. Inuyasha spotted Kagome who was waving at them & they went over to their little group. The whole gang was there: Miroku, Rin, May, Sango, Ginta, Koga, even Hojo, Kagome's boyfriend. Miroku & Koga shifted up a flight of bleachers to make room for Sesshomaru so he could sit with the carrier beside him & Inuyasha to sit on the other side.
"Oh my God, he's gorgeous!" Kagome squealed.
"Wow, mutt, I was worried the baby was gonna look like you" Koga said & Ginta slapped him upside the head while Sesshomaru chuckled.
"Mommy, look, it's a baby!" Rin said, tugging at Sango's shirt sleeve.
"His name is Hiten. Go say hi to him" the mother said.
Sesshomaru picked the little girl up & blew a raspberry on her neck. "& not say hi to me?"
The little girl giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Hi, Sesshie!"
The demon set her down & turned the carrier so she could see Hiten who was slowly rousing out of his nap. Rin stared in awe, her eyes big in wonder.
"He's a cuh-tooie"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "A what?"
"A cutie-patootie" Sango corrected laughing.
"Mommy, was I this small too?"
"Yes, you were. But you had black hair"
"Little brother has white hair cause Sesshie & Yashie have white hair?"
"Yes, my darling"
"So that means they had sex?"
Inuyasha outright laughed & Sesshomaru had the nerve to blush while he picked the girl up & handed her back to her mom. Both the inuyoukai & Sango shot Miroku a scathing glare but the human put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.
"I told her nothing of the sort, I swear!"
"Are we going out to eat after this or what?" Koga intercepted.
Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru, nudging him discreetly. "You think you'll be up for grabbing a bite to eat?"
The inuyoukai shrugged one shoulder & pretended to be busy with fixing Hiten's blankie. He kind of didn't want to but he knew Inuyasha really wanted to. "I wouldn't mind. I'm already hungry anyway"
The puppy eared half breed nodded, smirking & turned to the wolf. "Where to?"
"We should try that new Thai spot downtown. It has four stars" Ginta put in.
"Ooh, sounds expensive. What about Arby's? Those new gyros are amazing" Miroku said.
"They do have good curly fries…" Sesshomaru mused.
"I say Motherfucker's" Inuyasha said & Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"It's Fuddrucker's, Inuyasha" Sango said with a glare, covering Rin's ears.
"Yeah, yeah…"
"I want pizza!" Rin announced.
"It ain't about you, kid" Inuyasha grumbled & stuck his tongue out at her when she pouted.
"My family owns barbeque restaurant in Midtown. It would be more than enough room for all of us to sit comfortably" Hojo put in.
"Oh my God, yes! & his uncle makes the best honeyed rib tips!" Kagome gushed.
"Guess it's settled then. I could go for a pulled pork sandwich" Koga stated & Sesshomaru's stomach growled at the thought of it.
Hiten yawned & started to rouse, his hands reaching & grasping so Inuyasha picked him up, smoothing his hair down. "Hey, Boo, you gon' wake up long enough to say hi to everyone?"
Sesshomaru smiled fondly as everyone gushed over Hiten, tickling his little feet & playing with his little hands. Who knew anything could be as perfect as Sesshomaru himself? (just joking…a little). He couldn't wait until the boy finally opened his eyes. It was obvious his eyes were going to be gold considering his parents & grandparents all had golden eyes but what if somewhere down the line they had an ancestor with different colored eyes & Hiten inherited that? He'd read a few years ago that many (human) babies start out with grey or blue eyes before it settles into brown or whatever. That thought made him even more excited.
Hiten started to whine so Sesshomaru took him & stood to go feed him in private.
"You think he needs to be changed? The graduation is about to start" Inuyasha pointed out.
"I must feed him. I'm sure he'll be done by the time it begins" the inuyoukai responded.
"What? You can feed him out here. It's very natural; anyone who's uncomfortable with seeing you breastfeed is a…butthole" Sango said heatedly but caught herself before she cussed in front of her girls.
"Daddy, what's a butthole?" Rin whispered to Miroku.
Sesshomaru stiffened. "It has more to do with what I am comfortable with, Sango. Natural or not, I prefer privacy"
He excused himself & made his way to the back of the gymnasium where the bathrooms were. He hesitated, trying to decide if he wanted to go to the men's or women's, but considering men's bathrooms were typically nastier, he just decided to go outside. It seemed like everyone coming was already there anyway so he'd be relatively out of sight from prying eyes. Once outside, he threw a thin blanket over Hiten's head & began feeding him, walking slowly around the front of the building & humming softly. Whenever someone pulled up or came outside he turned his back. Why did he feel the need to hide? He couldn't exactly say he was ashamed because there was nothing shameful about feeding his son even if humans weren't used to the idea of birthing fathers, much less, birthing fathers that fed like women but that was not his concern. It was not his fault they were ignorant of demons' ways.
Sesshomaru turned his back when a group of young men walked outside, talking quite loudly. Immediately, their noise annoyed him; he always did have a grudge against teenagers.
"God forbid, you grow up to be a moody, annoying, rebellious teen like humans typically do" the inuyoukai muttered to his son.
"Eww…" one of the boys muttered & they laughed uproariously.
There was a good chance that was not directed at Sesshomaru at all but a hot, prickling sensation tickled across his shoulder blades anyway, causing him to stiffen. He wanted nothing more than to choke one of them out & scare the shit out of the rest of the group to show he wasn't one to be fucked with. He never responded well to bullying; his temper, though simmered over the last hundred years, was a force to be reckoned with. But he could not hurt someone else's child no matter how annoying they were being-
"Freak…" another one said, a bit louder than the last one.
Sesshomaru took a slow, deep breath & closed his eyes. It was not his job to teach anyone a lesson, he knew that. If he was being honest, the insults were not even hurtful & he really shouldn't even bother, especially not while his son was in his care. They were just little punk kids being little punk kids.
Hiten detached himself & rubbed his face as if that feeding tired him out. Sesshomaru wrapped the blanket over his little body & laid him on his shoulder to burp him, patting his back gently. He could hear music starting up & decided to go back inside even though that meant passing the group of boy-wait…when did he ever get nervous about passing a group of boys, much less human boys?
As he approached the doors, one of them said something else slick & when they started laughing again, a jeering kind of laugh, something snapped & Sesshomaru redirected his path. Enough was enough. None of the boys could look him in the face as he strolled up to them & that made him smug; they could talk a lot of shit but couldn't even look the person they were laughing at in the eyes. How typical of humans.
He narrowed his eyes on the bigger boy who seemed to the one who said "ew". The boy had the stink of a teenager who didn't care about his hygiene, even went so far as to have plaque all on his teeth. "I didn't catch that last jest. What was it?"
"What? Nobody was even talking about yo ass" the boy sneered, looking everywhere but in Sesshomaru's eyes.
"I guess that "ew" & "freak" wasn't directed at me either, huh?"
As soon as the inuyoukai's ears picked up a different boy muttering something under his breath, his response was quick. He grabbed the boy's jaw quicker than any of them could blink & they jumped back, shouting in alarm.
"Anything you want to add, I suggest you say that shit at a volume where I can hear it" Sesshomaru hissed as he stared the boy in his fearful eyes, eyes that were big as dinner plates.
The first boy stumbled over himself, shaking. "Y-yo, ch-ch-chill!"
The demon didn't even bother looking at him. "The fact that all of you smell like two week old, wet garbage is insult enough. Don't you ever fix your mouth to talk shit about anyone when you are a piece of candy away from getting three root canals"
Hiten burped & Sesshomaru found himself relaxing just a bit. He had to remember, above all else, he was a father & fathers pick & chose their battles. These punks were just mean-spirited; they'd get their ass handed to them by someone their age. He pushed the boy away & strolled off. Anger still threatened to boil over but having his son on his shoulder, yawning & rubbing his eyes, kept it in check.
Sesshomaru took his seat just as the first speaker adjusted the mic & began their speech. Inuyasha gave him a raised eyebrow, as if asking he was ok. The inuyoukai simply nodded, laying Hiten across his lap to rub his back.
After several minutes of listening to different speakers talking about the future & looking back on their lives & blah, blah, blah, everyone was starting to get bored & resorted to having little conversations. At first, there were scattered, "shh!" & "be quiet" but after a while they gave up (they probably started talking too).
"Hey Sessh, did you ever answer the mutt's question?" Koga asked.
"What question?" Sesshomaru responded
"Well if he said no they probably wouldn't be together right now" Ginta pointed out.
"Not necessarily" Inuyasha interrupted, "Even if he said no, I'd still be there for him & Hiten. I wouldn't break up with him over that"
"So he said yes?" Koga asked as if he was surprised.
"Duh, ya scrawny wolf! Why wouldn't he?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you implying that you are so irresistible that I had no other choice but to say yes?"
"Well I mean…" the hanyou started, smirking, "You did call me daddy the night Hiten was conceived…"
A furious blush made its way up the inuyoukai's neck & into his hairline.
"Inuyasha, you're an idiot…" Kagome grumbled.
"Why I gotta be all that? It's the truth!"
Sesshomaru grabbed him by the front of his shirt & pulled him closer to growl in a low voice, "Just because it comes to mind, doesn't necessarily mean you should say it"
Inuyasha gulped. "Yes sir"
"So you said yes?" Ginta asked hesitantly.
Sesshomaru nodded, pushing his fiancée away when the hanyou tried to whisper in his ear. "I did"
Their little group clapped quietly, giving out congratulations.
"Wow, miracles do happen" Koga muttered.
"Are you thinking of proposing?" Miroku asked him with a sly smile & the ookami sputtered while Ginta looked at him curiously.
"Have you guys decided when the wedding will be?' Sango asked.
Inuyasha shook his head once, discreetly trying to run his hand up Sesshomaru's thigh before his hand was slapped away. "Haven't exactly had time for all that, ya know. I'd like it to be in the spring though, you know, when the cherry blossoms bloom & all…"
"Oh, I love cherry blossoms! Can I get married in spring too?" Rin asked.
"Stop hoggin' the spotlight, ya little pipsqueak" the hanyou said in mock irritation, grabbing her up & pretending to eat her.
"Since Shippo is now considered an adult, you had to find someone to pick on, huh?" Sango asked, smiling.
Inuyasha stopped when Rin squealed too loud & put a hand over her mouth. "Well Hiten is too young to wrestle. But once he grows up-"
"You will not rough-house him" Sesshomaru said sternly.
"Not while he's there anyway" Inuyasha whispered behind Sesshomaru's back.
"Did you say something, hanyou?"
"Nah"
"& now we present our 2018 graduates. Please hold your applause until after everyone's name has been called" the dean said.
"Yeah like that'll happen" Inuyasha muttered.
"Have you heard they're starting to fine people now if you cheer?" Miroku said as the first name was called & their family or friend cheered for them.
"Guess those folks will be ticketed then" Koga pointed out with a shrug.
Shippo's last name started with a T so it took a while before his row stood up to wait by the stage. When he stood, the group waved, trying to get his attention & when they did, his smile was blindingly bright as he waved back, excitement causing him to practically vibrate. Inuyasha felt something warm & fuzzy radiate throughout his chest. He was so incredibly proud of the fox. It felt like watching his son achieve something even though Shippo was only a few years younger than himself.
He kissed Hiten's cheek & sat the boy on his lap to face the activities even though the boy's eyes were not open. "That's gonna be you one day, Boo, making me & your Otosan so very proud…"
"Shippo Tenko"
The group cheered for a second & when it died down, Inuyasha yelled, "Bout time!"
The audience laughed & Shippo shot him a glare & flipped him off.
They called the rest of the graduates' names then at the end, all of the graduates threw their hats into the air to thunderous cheers & applause. Once you realize how much work every graduate put in to make it to this moment, you couldn't help but be so happy for them. They deserved a good pat on the back.
The group filed outside to wait for Shippo. Rin was getting tired; this had all zapped the excitement out of her. Miroku took her & May to the car so he could put them in their car seats. He figured once Shippo came out & they talked a while they'd all be good & ready to eat.
Once they spotted Shippo they cheered again & handed him the bouquet of flowers & balloons they'd gotten for him. The young fox blushed adorably, his cheeks, which were losing their baby fat, red as a tomato. "Thanks, guys. You all are the best"
"We know" Koga said with a smirk.
"Congratulations on having to pay back all that student loan money as well" Hojo said, laughing.
"He's got an interview with the CDC that he's sure to get so he'll be able to pay all that back with one paycheck & still have enough to take us all out to eat" Inuyasha said.
Shippo shifted his gifts so he could raise a hand to get their attention. "This is all fine & well but I'm hungry. Please tell me you guys have agreed on where to eat because I do not have time for an argument"
"We're eating at Hojo's family's BBQ restaurant" Kagome said, her arm wrapped around her boyfriend's.
The fox let out a sigh & whispered a, "Thank you, God". Their group had so many different tastes & preferences, choosing a place to eat was typically annoying & lasted until they each just went their separate ways to their chosen restaurant. It always made him wonder why they even brought it up sometimes.
The drive to the restaurant was pretty quick. They each drove their own cars & parked close to the door since it wasn't very busy. The inside was very nice, well-lit & Hojo was right, it was big enough to fit all of them comfortably. They all sat, chattering excitedly.
"Hey, you think Boo can eat something?" Inuyasha murmured quietly.
Sesshomaru gave him a weird look. "Inuyasha he's not even a week old…"
"I mean something soft! Like…macaroni or something"
The inuyoukai scoffed & shook his head. "No, Inuyasha. He's not even weened yet"
"Well what if you put BBQ sauce on your nipple or something?"
"Just….shut up"
The hostess placed menus in front of all of them & took their drink orders.
"Rin, what do you want?" Sango asked.
The little girl looked at the menu & pointed to something. "This!"
Miroku sighed. "That's a margarita. You can't have that, Rin"
"We should get him a sippy cup" Inuyasha said in a low voice.
"Yasha, he does not need a sippy cup, he drinks directly from my breast"
"Ok but what if you aren't able to feed him for whatever reason? I can't feed him so if you put in a sippy cup…"
The demon shifted Hiten to his other shoulder & sighed, closing his eyes. "That would be a bottle he needs, not a sippy cup"
The hanyou's ears sagged. He looked so defeated, Sesshomaru wanted to comfort him & acknowledge that he was actually trying to help. Inuyasha had his heart in the right place, he just…didn't know everything. & that was ok, Sesshomaru was willing to teach him.
Hiten stretched & said something in his own language, causing Sesshomaru to smile & pull back to look him in his face. "What are you talking about, koibito?"
The little boy made a few grunting noises before he smiled & his parents nearly melted.
"His first smile!" Inuyasha exclaimed & attracted the attention of Miroku & Sango who were sitting nearest him. The two humans leaned in close to possibly catch a glimpse. Even Rin & May stared in wonder.
Hiten yipped at not being close to a body, squirming around irritably, before his face started to scrunch up & he whined. Sesshomaru cooed to him & laid the boy back on his shoulder, kissing the side of his head & burying his nose in the soft, downy hair.
"Next time we have to have to camera ready" Inuyasha said, a smile lingering on his lips.
The group placed their orders when their waitress stopped by & sipped their drinks in the meantime. They talked excitedly about their future, like Shippo getting the job at the CDC, Kagome & Hojo getting married one day & of course, Sesshomaru & Inuyasha's upcoming wedding. Sesshomaru really didn't have a preference for the time of the year (though he didn't want to get married when it was really hot) & Inuyasha stuck with wanting to get married in the spring.
"Would you wear a dress, Sesshomaru?" Sango asked, only half joking.
The inuyoukai frowned. "Why would you assume I'd wear the dress & not Inuyasha?"
"Well….I mean, you were the one that had Hiten…" Miroku pointed out.
"& you're the prettiest" Ginta added which caused the inuyoukai to blush.
"You should, mama, you'd look good" Inuyasha murmured in his ear, running his hand over his thigh & causing Sesshomaru's blush to deepen.
"I'm not going to wear a dress, I don't care how good I'd look in it" Sesshomaru said.
"Well, what would you wear?" Kagome asked.
The demon thought on it for a while, taking a sip of his soda, before answering. "I hadn't considered it. Possibly a white tuxedo…?"
"White?" Inuyasha asked incredulously, "But you're not even a virgin!"
"It's my wedding, I'll wear whatever the hell I want to wear!" Sesshomaru snapped, eyes narrowed on his mate.
"Is green still your favorite color? Maybe you could wear a white tux with green accent" Miroku asked randomly & the demon gave him a look like he wondered how the human knew.
"Oh my God, Sango, you should plan that & the reception!" Kagome said excitedly.
The young woman gushed, fanning her face. "W-well, I dunno, I'd need so much & I don't know where I'd even start! I still haven't gotten their feedback from the baby shower!"
"We loved it" Sesshomaru & Inuyasha said at the same time.
"That settles it then" Miroku said, smiling.
Inuyasha happened to glance up & see Koga moping, idly playing with the ice in his drink with his straw. It seemed not everyone was happy about their union. "Hey Koga"
The wolf looked up.
"I want you to be my best man" the hanyou said with a smirk & Koga's jaw dropped while everyone exclaimed in excitement.
"You want me to be your best man?" the ookami asked for clarity.
"Well of course. Miroku will probably be working that day, Shippo will be at the CDC & no offense, Homo—"
"Hojo!" Kagome snapped.
"-But I don't know you like that"
"None taken" Hojo said cheerfully.
"I wish I could have Sessh as my best man but…that wouldn't go quite as smoothly. I need my best man behind me & the best a man can get beside me" Inuyasha said, grabbing his fiancee's hand & kissing the back of it. He grinned when Sesshomaru turned his head away, knowing he was just trying to hide the fact that he was blushing, while everyone, "aww!"ed.
"You should propose to him again so we can get this food for free" Koga whispered.
"Cheap ass…" Kagome grumbled.