Chapter 7
There was no rational reason for Kagome to be this happy. Especially given the fact the two of them had done nothing but bicker and argue since they left the bar.
She and Inuyasha were hand-in-hand amongst a thirty percent chance of snow that turned into enough of a flurry that Inuyasha decided to pick a fight over her word choice of heavy snowfall. He called it a blizzard, like that wasn't a heavy snowfall. Either way, the change in weather had them questioning if they were dressed warmly enough to complete the two kilometre walk that was the Solstice Show of Lights. And by questioning if they were dressed warmly enough, she really meant Inuyasha, given he seemed to find it perfectly acceptable to wear nothing but a hoodie paired with a leather jacket for his coat towards the end of December.
It was a twenty minute walk to get to the Show of Lights from the bar, and Kagome spent the first eight of those minutes relentlessly teasing Inuyasha over his ensemble. He was quite obdurate in the justification of his outerwear. Yet, to Kagome, it made no sense whatsoever. It was below freezing and he wore no headwear (because it would muffle his hearing, which, okay fine), no gloves (because he didn't like the feel of material covering his claws), and no scarf (because anything around his neck had him convinced he was being choked). At one point, she even had them pulling over so she could inspect the lining on his leather jacket, which turned out to be non-existent. She tauntingly referred to his coat as a fall jacket, and Inuyasha answered, with every semblance of seriousness, "Uh, yeah, which is why I also wore the sweater." While this explanation had Kagome guffawing with an incredulous shake of her head, Inuyasha merely rolled his eyes.
As they continued their stroll, the hanyou disconnected their joined hands to wrap her gloved hand around the crook of his elbow, pulling her close to explain how his demon blood kept him plenty warm. "So, you don't gotta worry about me, Kagome," he teased. Then he proceeded to tease her even more for being delicate in all her layers, which had her bickering heartily that she wasn't delicate.
When Inuyasha started daring her to take off her outerwear to "prove she wasn't delicate," Kagome rolled her eyes. She removed her limbs from his and told him, with bright pink cheeks, to "save it for your apartment." That comment left Inuyasha effectively open-mouthed and dumbfounded. His feet stalled. He was properly flustered. Kagome put a couple feet of distance between them, forcing her legs to keep moving to save herself from the embarrassment of a comment she didn't think about before saying. She wore a bright red on her cheeks that she was grateful she could easily blame on the heavy snowfall. A moment later, Inuyasha was back at her side, a stubborn furrow to his brows and a flush to his cheeks that all together gave Kagome the impression of flustered indignance, which she thought suited him well.
At the busy intersection across from the park that hosted the Show of Lights, Kagome marveled at the foot traffic. As the two of them waited for the light to change, Kagome was brushing shoulders with strangers and wrapped herself closer to Inuyasha. She tightened her grip on his arm and took a step towards him. Inuyasha pivoted, the heat of his height towering over Kagome to block her from the large flakes of snow that accosted the mass of bodies waiting to cross. Kagome didn't know what came over her, or got into her, but as soon as Inuyasha's Adam's apple invaded her line of sight, she wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her face in the open zipper at his throat. Inuyasha cleared his throat before his arms fell around her shoulders. He held her tightly, which had her holding on tighter to him.
"You okay?"
She nodded against his neck. The teeth of his zipper scratched her chin with every bob.
"Cold?"
The heat of his breath on the side of her face made her shiver. Kagome gripped him snugly, swallowing past a lump in her throat. For a moment, she wished the traffic light would never change and she could just stand here, holding Inuyasha in the snow, for an unreasonable amount of time. Maybe even forever. If forever with Inuyasha could be called unreasonable.
It shouldn't have taken Kagome as long as it did to answer Inuyasha's question. After all, it should be quite apparent whether one was cold or not; however, Kagome felt her arms quake from her hold of his middle, like the better she held him the more of his cedar she'd breathe in. She loved the heat of his breath on the side of her face, the way it coated the inner folds of her scarf and was barely a hint against her skin. When Inuyasha's hand gripped her shoulder, his fingers clenching to garner her attention, Kagome blushed. She realized she got distracted appreciating his body, and she nodded quickly. She may not have been overly cold before, other than her nose and cheeks, but Inuyasha's breath had left a fast cooling moisture on her skin. Somehow, his heat had her feeling colder.
"Pit stop?" He didn't let her go, but rotated the two of them until Kagome could see the quaint bistro behind them that was darkened glass and bulbed string lights on the outside that, in the snow, gave the one-storied brick and vinyl frontage an instant coziness that enthralled her. She was the first one to lower her arms, her gloved fingers finding Inuyasha's bare hand and yanking him towards the restaurant in a strong affirmative to his question.
After all, Inuyasha had originally said he wanted to leave with Kagome to grab some kind of food.
Her brightened spirits fell with a sigh when she gazed inside to see a packed front entry. Inuyasha's palm found her back once he stepped inside after Kagome, the door slow to close behind him. Ever since the bus shelter, the hanyou was always finding a way to touch her, and Kagome's cheeks heated with the self-realization that she liked it. She had been drawn to him all night, and now that she knew his touch, knew his taste, her body and her brain only seemed to know the word more. Perhaps that was what had her quickly unzipping her coat to hold in her arms while Inuyasha approached the podium to leave his name. He returned to Kagome—his palm reclaiming that same spot on her back—saying it would be around a twenty minute wait for a table. She nodded, claimed she was fine with that, and leaned into the warmth of Inuyasha's body as soon as he unzipped his faux-coat duo.
A chill ran down Kagome's spine, a barrage of goosebumps hounding her arms, when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he said into it, "Let's see if we can grab some seats at the bar." Her gloves, earmuffs, and scarf shoved into one of the armholes of her coat, Kagome's bare hand was quick to wrap around his, and she followed his lead to the packed bar that seemed to have standing room only.
The inside was more modern than Kagome suspected it would be from the quick glimpse outside. The ambience was dark with dim, warm lighting, making the four outer walls feel small but in a cozy way. The decor was minimal, a deco-art type of wallpaper spattered with a variety of fine art portraits in thick black frames. The ceiling, also dark, showcased exposed beams and pipes. Every few feet hung chandeliers made of empty, upside-down wine bottles. There was some type of club music playing, giving the space a trendy vibe that the clientele seconded with their facial piercings and contemporary attire.
When a group of young women with skirts barely covering their undergarments breezed by in a flurry of giggles, Kagome rolled her eyes endearingly with a curt shake of her head. It had been several years since she had been out for a night, dressed like that, eager to catch the eye of some demon open for human companionship. That thought had Kagome feeling appreciative for the half-demon in her company. A coy smile on her face, her hand slid from Inuyasha's, drifting up his arm until she held his bicep firmly against her. She wrapped the entirety of her body around the broad, firmness of that muscled arm. When he seemed to realize she held him snugly between her breasts, Inuyasha stiffened, which made Kagome blush.
It was crowded at the bar, and Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha when he tucked her body into his so she was less pressed up against some stranger and more pressed up against him. She stood next to a seated, older couple, who looked like they had taken their dinner at the bar. The woman of the pair smiled at Kagome, who smiled back politely. The woman turned to say something to her companion—a broad-shouldered, grey-haired demon with a square jaw and piercing silver eyes—who looked at Kagome, then observed Inuyasha, and seemed to smile at the way the hanyou's corded forearm slipped around Kagome's waist.
"My mate and I are just waiting for our bill," the woman commented, leaning on her low-backed stool towards Kagome. While she looked to be in her fifties, there was an agelessness to the sheen of her dark green eyes that made a chill run down Kagome's back. The way she inclined towards Kagome revealed long, pointed ears that were covered in a variety of silver loops that shone white in the low lighting. "Lovely place, this. I must let you know the bruschetta is fantastic. We'll be out of your way soon," she said with a smile, "then you and your mate can claim these seats before someone else does."
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh—um—yes, thank you, but we—" She cleared her throat, feeling self-conscious of the way Inuyasha was looking at her. Once the female was helped into her jacket by her demon mate, she rested an affectionate hand on Kagome's forearm and squeezed. She leaned towards Kagome, to whisper in her ear, "He's very handsome, your mate." Her eyes flicked to Inuyasha, her gaze taking in the tell-tale signs of him being a hanyou. "It's been a few centuries now but, my God, the early days of matehood with my dear one are some of the fondest days of my life, I hope the two of you—"
"Dear, you're making her uncomfortable," the older demon chuckled, wrapping an arm around the female's shoulders to draw her away. He placed an affectionate kiss to her temple. "I know it's hard, but do try not to pester the young ones."
"Pester!" the woman scoffed, bristling. "I was merely about to impart some conjugal advice! I remember when we were newly mated and—"
"Margot...leave them. Pardon my mate," he said with a smile to Kagome. "She reaches three-hundred winters and suddenly has it in her mind she has the right to meddle in everyone else's business. Enjoy your evening."
A blush consumed Kagome's entire body. Her fists tightened atop the bar while Inuyasha's hand seemed to cinch tighter around her waist. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched the male drag a gasping Margot away, sputtering with indignity that she wasn't meddling. As Kagome settled herself in the vacated stool, she turned to Inuyasha. She had hoped to deliver a sarcastic or witty remark to take the edge off her discomfort, but stopped when her eyes met his. The look he wore had the words stalling in her throat. He appeared flustered, thoughtful. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his golden eyes piercing, reflective, surveying Kagome with an attentiveness that had her feeling squirmy.
Kagome drummed her fingers on the bar, her pulse thick in her throat. "They seemed...nice." Inuyasha nodded, distracting himself by looking over the bar menu. Her eyes lingered on the side of his face, waiting for him to say something. When she found herself growing impatient, Kagome cleared her throat. Despite the combination of the bar's busyness and the placement of their stools pushing their shoulders together, they somehow found themselves on either side of a giant chasm of awkward discomfort. Kagome decided it wouldn't do them any favours to allow this elephant in the room to remain unaddressed, so she cleared her throat again then said, "Hey, Inuyasha...can...can I ask you something?"
Kagome had perused many a bar menu in her life, and she felt absolutely confident that a bar menu could not be as riveting as Inuyasha tried to make it seem. She watched the tip of his striking pink tongue zip out of his mouth to poke at the edge of his bottom lip before his eyes flittered to hers. He nodded his head once, a long, slow dip of his chin.
She clasped her hands together to prevent herself from fidgeting. She leaned into Inuyasha's bicep, appreciating the warmth of his body—it was comforting despite the frenzied whoosh of her stomach. "Um...why did that woman—that couple—seem to think we're...uh...mates?"
"Um...why did that woman—that couple—seem to think we're...uh...mates?"
Fuck—this was not the way Inuyasha had hoped this would go.
He turned his eyes back to the bar menu, beholden for the reprieve from the allure of Kagome's pretty face. In this moment, Inuyasha was grateful Kagome was human so she couldn't hear the rampage of his heart, storming and thumping in his chest.
Their mating bond had already started.
He should have known.
He should have fuckin' known!
He should've known better than to have kissed Kagome.
What the hell had he been thinking, propositioning her over beer pong? And then kissing her again in the bus shelter, and then a few more times after that? Yes, her lips were plump and deliciously inviting, but if he had wanted to be strategic in how he told her they were mates, he shouldn't have fuckin' kissed her.
The swapping of saliva had triggered the bond, and now their scents were starting to integrate. Of course that demon couple would've been able to pick up the faintest traces of it, being as close to Kagome as they'd been.
Saliva, blood, semen. The holy trifecta of solidifying a demon mating bond. Well, or arousal fluid, for demon pairings where semen wasn't incorporated.
Just add those few magic words to bind their lifeforces and their scents would unify, becoming their own scent exclusive to them two. She'd no longer be identified by scent as Kagome. He'd no longer be Inuyasha. Their scent would mark them as a, well, them. To demons, the scent of their mating bond would be as prominent a marker of their partnership as a wedding band would be to a human.
Shit, Kagome would probably want a ring, wouldn't she?
Inuyasha swore under his breath, glad for the noisiness of the restaurant so Kagome couldn't hear his strife.
A ring was just another thing to add to his list of shit to panic about.
"Inuyasha?"
Shit, fuck, right! She asked me a question.
What the hell should he say? He didn't want to lie to her. But on the walk over, Inuyasha had decided he would tell Kagome when they got back to his place. A nice, private, mating reveal party for two. Where hopefully they could then immediately finalize the bond by fucking, exchanging some blood, and Inuyasha could dig through his dad's old things to find the journal he left for Inuyasha that held the mating ritual words. Because Inuyasha sure as hell didn't have them memorized.
He was desperate for a distraction. He lifted his eyes from the menu, instantly spotting one of the two bartenders and mentally tried to compel one of them over. When Inuyasha fiercely began lamenting his lack of demon compulsion abilities, he tried to avoid the fact that Kagome was staring at the side of his face, waiting for her answer.
If the Universe gave two shits about Inuyasha, it would give him this one thing. It would let him tell Kagome she was his mate the way he wanted to and not have to acknowledge it now because some old mated couple decided to acknowledge the early signs of his and Kagome's mating scent.
If the Universe heard Inuyasha's plea for a distraction, it certainly heard him. Because in that moment, one of the giggling airheaded bimbos walking past Kagome tripped over her own goddamn feet and her full glass of red wine launched from her hands. The glass shattered as it hit the bar-top, sending a wave of red wine over Kagome's blouse and coating the puffer jacket that she held in her lap.
Kagome stood with a shrieking gasp. There was so much red wine she looked like she had been stabbed. If this was blood, Kagome would be soon dead. Because this would have been a lot of blood, which meant it was a lot, like a lot, of wine.
"Oh fuck, girl! I am so, so, so—fuck, fuck! I'm so sorry! Oh god, my nine ounces." When she realized she had started lamenting her wine instead of showing any accountability for bathing Kagome with alcohol, the girl shouted, "I'm so sorry!" as she planted a handful of napkins in front of Kagome and then took off to follow her friends.
Kagome cried a gasp of incredulity, which had Inuyasha on his feet beside her, looking clueless as to how he could help. Wine dripped from her flesh to puddle on the floor beneath her feet. Her skin puckered with a chill from the liquid tickling its way down her arms. The blouse stuck to her breasts and stomach, giving Kagome the instant sensation of being a sausage, her sopping shirt her casing. The bartender was right there with a handful of paper towels, putting to shame the four napkins the offender had placed next to Kagome—as if four rectangular pieces of recyclable paper could be enough to clean up nine ounces of wine. People were turning from their seats and standing positions to cast empathetic glances at Kagome. Her cheeks rivaled the colour of the wine that soaked into her blouse and dripped down her biceps.
As soon as Kagome reached for the paper towels, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's coat from her and tucked her purse under his armpit. Wrapping his hand around her dry bicep, he yelled over the music to the bartender, "Restroom?" Inuyasha then escorted the two of them in the direction the bartender pointed.
Kagome felt tears coat her eyes. She knew it was just wine. Spills happened—it shouldn't have been a big deal. But then she thought about how much she loved this blouse, and how the red wine was probably going to leave a stain, and she'd likely have to throw out her once favourite shirt. She thought about how the wine would leave her light blue coat discoloured and splotchy, which meant having to buy a new winter coat. She thought about how she and Inuyasha were supposed to be having a date-like outing with an impromptu meal, and then a romantic park walk, and hot beverages and chestnuts. But now she was covered in wine and—Oh God, it was in her hair, even!
As Inuyasha steered her to one of the two single rooms with unisex symbols on them, Kagome clenched her eyes to fight back tears. She knew this unfortunate turn of events was likely going to see her heading home before her night with Inuyasha had even gotten started.
"Fuck, Kagome," Inuyasha said again. It'd been a pretty steady mutter since they left the bar. "You okay?"
"No! No, I'm obviously not okay," she heard herself saying, her tone curt, rude. The guilt set in fast. There was no reason for her to talk to him like that. It was unfair to direct her anger at Inuyasha when he had been so fast-acting to get her away from the pitiful eyes. "Fuck," she sighed heavily, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, squeezing his hand. The heat of anger and frustration and disappointment was becoming a manic pressure in her chest. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I just—"
"You don't gotta apologize to me," he replied. Both rooms read occupied, so the two of them stood in a little alcove, waiting. "This fuckin' sucks. You can be upset, obviously."
Kagome gripped the hem of her blouse, holding it away from her body. The sensation of drying red wine on her skin was not a great one. She sighed again. "This does fuckin' suck."
Inuyasha looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to say the first thing that came to mind. "I'm sure it'll come out. When we get back to my place, you can—"
"Y-your place? Inuyasha...I should probably—"
"Yeah, my place," he interrupted, staring down at her pointedly. "What? A little red wine and you're already gonna call it a night?"
"But...but, I—" I won't have anything to wear. I need a shower, and my outfit is soaked, and—
The loud echo of the door opening next to her forced Kagome's mind silent. As soon as the previous occupant left the room, Kagome scurried forward, catching the large black door. She just sighted her reflection in the vertical mirror above the pedestal sink before she saw Inuyasha slip into the room behind her. His palm slapped the button to lock the door, and the click that echoed in the space felt larger than it probably was. Kagome spun on her heel to face Inuyasha, her heart a wild bird fluttering around her ribcage.
"Inu—"
Her words stalled, watching him turn to the door hook to hang up her coat, purse, and then shrug out of his own sweater and leather coat.
She licked her lips then tried again. Her heart was somehow louder. "Inuyasha...what're you—?"
He reached over his shoulders, gripping the material of his t-shirt behind his neck and tugged the red cotton over his head. Kagome watched, breathless, her heart growing increasingly more haggard as goldenly ashen skin appeared. Inuyasha yanked the shirt over his head and held it in a ball in front of his naval. His eyes never left Kagome's face. Kagome's eyes, however, had zero interest in Inuyasha's face at this particular moment. She was high on the sight of chiseled pectorals, biceps like mountains above veiny, corded forearms. She had appreciated the sensuality of his thick neck and the arching peak of his Adam's apple in his t-shirt; however, shirtless, the sight was even more carnally pleasing. His long neck sloped into bulky trapezius muscles that had Kagome's mouth literally salivating. Inuyasha owned a body that Kagome had only ever seen on the cover of GQ or Men's Health magazines. She licked her lips as his nipples tightened from the chill of his nakedness. The areola pebbled into smaller discs of dark pink as his erect nipples somehow made his chest look even more dangerously sensuous.
As her eyes lowered, drawing the ridges and valleys of pronounced abdominal muscles, Inuyasha cleared his throat, startling her.
Kagome went from drooling over the sight of his nakedness to becoming vocally perplexed and alarmed by it. "W-why are you—? Inuyasha, y-your shirt!"
"There's no way you can wear that—" he motioned to her blouse— "outside. You'll freeze half to death."
She blushed, her eyes stuttering over the manliness of this man in front of her. Remembering that dignity was a thing—meaning he was more than just a sexual hunk of man to eye-fuck—Kagome's gaze bounced to his face. The pink of her cheeks became fiercer when he smirked at her.
"Here." He extended the shirt to her. It was no more than a red ball in his hand. Kagome found it hard to rectify that this offering of material in his hand was clothes. It looked so small and inconsequential in the largeness of his grasp.
"I-Inuyasha...I can't take—"
"Yeah you can." His hand extended towards her a touch more. "Take it, Kagome."
Her eyes didn't know where to look: the ball of red, the sinful deliciousness of Inuyasha's bare naval and treasure trail of dark hair, or the intense gleam of his amber eyes. "But, what'll you—?"
"I got my sweater. I'll be fine. Rinse out your shirt and coat. Then put this on—" When she wouldn't grab the cotton, he approached her to open her fist and rest it in her palm. Her face was burning— "and you'll wear my leather coat too." He acknowledged her puffer jacket with a frown. "I don't think that's gonna do ya much good outside in a state like that."
Kagome held his shirt in both palms. Somehow, the heat in the material made her blush deepen, reminding her what she held in her hands had been on Inuyasha's body just moments before. "This is—I—" She paused, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly— "Thank you, Inuyasha, I mean. This is—" She paused, marveling over the heat emanating from her cheeks— "this is really sweet of you."
Kagome almost didn't notice it at first: the heat of her embarrassment turning into a different kind of heat. It was one she didn't just feel in her cheeks and neck but that sunk low. She felt it below her naval until it became a molten burn between her legs.
Her feet were sure and quick to cover the distance between them. His t-shirt a rope that hung from her fist, she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck and tugged his lips down to hers. Inuyasha didn't gasp exactly, but his eyes widened with her approach like he couldn't comprehend what she was doing and why she was nearing him so fast. He inhaled sharply, audibly enough so that Kagome's lips upturned into a smirk as they crashed into his.
His surprise faded quickly. Before his hands fully cupped her jaw, the smile was wiped away from Kagome's face as she leaned into the kiss. She moaned when his tongue pierced her lips. His hot, wet organ swirled the tip of hers, stroking the sides of it like a fond pet. He was gentle, not quite tentative, but this wasn't a kiss that owned her like the one they had shared in the bus shelter. Kagome pressed her breasts against him and Inuyasha made a sound deep in his throat that was like a grunt of pain. It had Kagome gasping a breath, creating space between them to make sure he was okay. But her lips were quickly claimed, a moan growing inside her and building in intensity when Inuyasha's hands cupped her ass.
Her fingers curled and hooked in his hair. She wished she wasn't hanging onto his shirt. She wished being pressed up against him didn't feel like sticky, gross, red wine soaked into a satin-cotton blend. Like Inuyasha's mind was tethered to hers, her eyes opened and head recoiled to feel him prying his shirt from her hands. He was a flutter of motion that, to her human senses, appeared like he was fast-forwarded. He added the shirt to one of the door hooks then snapped his body back to Kagome, moving with such speed it startled her to the point of gasping. But Kagome knew nothing but arousal as soon as he cupped her ass and hoisted her. She obediently wrapped her legs around his waist, her thighs seated on his hips. They both groaned loudly when his erection nestled against the heat between her legs.
She cupped his face and lapped at his tongue, suctioning it deeply between her lips. She swallowed his flavour so audibly it had them both moaning. He tasted faintly like beer and something so musky and specifically Inuyasha-flavoured it made Kagome want to guzzle him down. When he turned to press her into the wall, Kagome's keening gasp connected with Inuyasha's panting growl.
"Fuck, Kagome," he hissed into her mouth. He released her lips to nuzzle her chin aggressively until she exposed her throat to him. She mewled at the first sensation of his lips and tongue on her jugular. "You taste so fuckin' unreal."
How funny she'd just been thinking about the way he tastes.
"Yeah?" she breathed, barely recognizing the husky, feminine smokiness that spoke. "What do I taste like?"
"Not enough," he groaned, chuckling a gravelly hoarse sound in his throat. "I dunno how to explain it, but I don't think I could ever get tired of the way you taste." He nipped the side of her neck in a way that spoke directly to her nervous system. Her hips jerked against him, momentarily connecting her slickening heat with his throbbing hardness. It had them panting into their next kiss. "Fuck, Kagome, every little taste just makes me want more. I've wanted to fuckin' devour you all night."
She chuckled, her head hitting the wall in her eagerness to give him as much room as possible to suck and lick her neck. "If you've wanted to devour me—" She paused to moan when he sucked her earlobe between his teeth— "why haven't you?"
"I told you," he growled, licking along the seam of her mock neck, making her shudder. "You're worth more than a quick invite back to my place. That also means—"
"But a restaurant bathroom is fine?" She had meant for her words to be teasing, but a stillness overcame Inuyasha that left Kagome's heart feeling like a painful echo in the space around them. The lack of his lips on her skin as he pulled away made her feel empty. Cold.
"Fuck, you're right. I—fuck, Kagome, I'm sorry, I—"
"No," she said quickly, "no, no no, no! Inuyasha...I didn't mean—" She cursed at herself under her breath— "Open mouth, insert foot," she groaned hotly, rolling her eyes. She cried out with disappointment when Inuyasha lowered her to her feet.
"No, you're right," he said, breathless in a way that made Kagome remember how wet he made her and how cold her slick panties now felt. She couldn't look away from his kiss-swollen lips. "This was—" He paused to clear his throat— "It's hard to say no to you."
She frowned at that. "You want to say no to me?"
"No, I—Fuck...no, that's not what I meant." His cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. "If you're lookin' for a one night stand, you definitely deserve better than some fuckin' restroom, Kagome."
"O-one night stand?"
Right, of course, Kagome was a side quest girl.
She shouldn't have allowed Inuyasha's passionately intense kisses to fool her into thinking anything more. That couple at the bar also just got her romantically hopeless hopes up. For how often Inuyasha seemed to be cold with her, it should have emphasized how not mates they were.
"Yeah," he snorted, looking away from her, absentmindedly rubbing a hand across his chest. "'Cause you said that's what you want, but you deserve so much fuckin' more than that."
It almost sounded like he spoke under his breath, like he was talking to himself but just loudly enough for Kagome's human ears to pick up on it. Her brows furrowed until two little ridges poked up between her eyes. She didn't understand where that comment had come from. "I want—what? What're you talking about?"
"At the bar," he basically spat at her, "I heard you talkin' to Sango. You said you just wanted a one night stand, a distraction or whatever."
Kagome blinked at him for a couple heartbeats. "I—" She frowned, steeling her emotions— "That wasn't for your ears."
He scoffed an exhale through his nose. "I don't ask to overhear shit, alright? I just do and can't help it."
Kagome blushed. "Just like how you probably accidentally overheard me with Sango that other time too, right?" That time where I told her I have feelings for you and that I think I'm your mate...
A red like Kagome had never seen took over Inuyasha's cheeks and nose. It slithered down his neck, leaving his flesh attractively mottled. "I didn't ask to hear that shit either."
Kagome took in a lung-filling breath of air and held it until it burned. Her exhale was a desperate release to unburden the weighted heat inside her. "And what shit did you hear exactly?"
Inuyasha walked away from her, grabbing his sweater from the hook and slipping into it. Kagome found the allure of his muscles between the open teeth of the zipper even more enticing. "Do we really gotta talk about this in a fuckin' bathroom, Kagome?"
He was closing himself off to her. She could see it in the way he held his body away from her, rotated his shoulders, angled his head and refused to meet her heated stare. She felt her anger grow. He wouldn't acknowledge her question at the bar. He wouldn't answer her question now. His comment about a one night stand felt sour in her throat.
In the heat of her frustration, Kagome stomped forward to grab his t-shirt from the door hook. The sensation of stickiness on her flesh, the way her blouse clung to her skin, felt stifling. She felt crowded. The burn of her disappointment and rage felt worse every time she moved and felt the suction of sopping satin dredging her skin.
Turning her back to Inuyasha, Kagome whipped her blouse off and tossed it into the pedestal sink. She clawed her way into the largeness of Inuyasha's t-shirt, ignoring the noticeable hitch in his breath behind her—probably from the sight of her lavender lace bra and pale, knobby back. She swam in the material. What had been form-fitting for him, was baggy on her. She tugged at the back hem so the V-neck didn't dip too far forward to expose the length of her sternum.
Harrumphing loudly, Kagome marched to the sink and ran the hot water. Steam rose from the porcelain bowl as she let the water soak into the reddy-green fabric of her stained shirt. Kagome could sense the glower of Inuyasha over her shoulder from the mirror's reflection, but she didn't allow herself to look up. She pumped a mound of handsoap into her palm and then went to work at trying to clean her blouse.
"What's wrong with you?"
Kagome's spine stiffened. If the mindless activity of washing out her shirt had found her anger diminishing, like a deflating balloon, Inuyasha's idiotically phrased comment just had it spiking again. "Excuse me? What's wrong with me?" She met his eye in the mirror and he flushed.
"You know," he scoffed, "why the hell're you mad at me?"
The garment fell from her hands with a wet slump in the sink and she stood there for a few thoughtful seconds, the water running over the backs of her hands. "What do you want from me?"
She didn't have to be looking at him to know her words confused him. It was obvious enough in the way he asked, "What d'you mean?"
Kagome took a deep breath and then sighed it out loudly. Despite her desire to have a nice, calm conversation/argument, there was no denying the bite in her tone. "You clearly have some kinda complex about fighting with me or teasing me or whatever. One second you're all rude and shit and then the next you're...confusing."
"I'm confusing?"
"You are!" She met his eye in the mirror. She didn't miss the fact he still hadn't zipped up his sweater. "We do nothing but fight the entire time we're playing beer pong, and then all of a sudden you want me to kiss you? You want me to leave with you? You chase me out into the street because you don't want me to leave without you? You keep kissing me, and you keep touching me, and then you're saying these sweet things to me like I'm worth more than just a pity fuck invite? What do you want from me? Since you so innocently overheard me tell Sango, I'm clearly more interested in this than you are, Inuyasha, so—"
"You're wrong."
"Oh, am I?" She fully turned to face him then. "What is even happening right now, Inuyasha? Do you just really wanna get laid tonight and I'm fit for the job or—?"
"Fuck off, Kagome, you know that's not it at all!"
"Then what is this? Why are you still here?"
He growled at her before closing the distance between them and grabbing her face in his palms. Kagome gasped when he backed her up into the pedestal sink. The heat of the water rose up the billowing back of Inuyasha's t-shirt. Her heart was a frantic pulse in her ears as his lips hovered above hers. "This is me wantin' you. This is me tellin' you that this is not gonna be just one night even though I know you know that too. This—" He kissed her. When he pulled away with a loud smack, Kagome's body was alive with a tremor that made her distrust the stability of her legs— "is me endin' this conversation 'cause I'm taking you home."
"Inuyasha," she sighed, feeling the fire of her anger becoming a different kind of heat. The heat of arousal. The heat of amourousness. The heat of desperation—for answers, for him. "Why wouldn't you answer my question at the bar?" Then, with all the bravery her pathetic, quivering little heart could muster, "Why did you point at yourself during the last game? Why...why did you really come after me?"
Tell me it's because we're mates. Please tell me I'm not making this up.
His throat bobbed. "Kagome..." He looked away, his brow stern, his eyes unsure.
She swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. "You said you overheard me with Sango?
"Yeah," he answered, feeling too unsteady on his feet to meet her gaze. Her body felt small beneath his hands, her hips too pointed, her skin too warm.
Inuyasha's eyes closed when her palm slid across his cheek, cupping him. Her thumb crawled a languid pace between his mouth and jaw. "Then you know how I feel."
He swallowed again, wishing words and sentiments didn't make a dam in his esophagus. "Yeah," he repeated.
"Then you know what I think I might be to you."
Why was he panicking? Wasn't this what he wanted?
Kagome's other palm separated the flaps of his sweater to rest above his heart. His hand flew to hers, like he wanted to drag her slender digits away from his flesh, like he didn't want her feeling how desperately and deafeningly his heart roared beneath her touch.
"What that demon couple thought I might be to you."
She pushed up on her toes to kiss him. Her lips were light, the graze barely there but enough to sear Inuyasha and draw a ragged breath from his lungs.
"What I'd like to be to you."
Just when he thought his voice incapable of functioning, he heard himself say, "And what would that be?"
She nuzzled his nose and it startled Inuyasha enough to open his eyes. He felt the pressuring tug of her palm to turn his head towards hers. He reluctantly met her gaze and she sighed against his lips. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
Her eyes searched his. He couldn't deny the slow upturn of his lips when he spotted the slight jolt of her eyebrows. Kagome was clearly frustrated with his blatant ignorance.
He never said he had to make this easy for her.
"Why won't you say it?" she asked quietly, hotly, her eyes continuing their interrogative stride between his. "Is—" Her neck retracted from him, injecting space where Inuyasha wanted none— "is this a game to you or something, Inuyasha? Because I—"
"No," he sighed bluntly. He circled her waist until his palms found the small of her back. He tugged her close until her hands rested on his traps. "No, it's not a game to me, Kagome."
Her eyebrows creased as she tried to make sense of him. "Then why're you—?"
He sighed, declining his head until his forehead met hers. He heard the tremor in her next breath. "I don't wanna talk about this here."
"Talk about what here?"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her and Kagome, with her endearing stubbornness, narrowed hers back. "You know what."
"Do I?"
He kissed her to the point she surfaced from his lips gasping. It was the sweetest sound he ever heard a woman make. Especially because Kagome was his woman. And he was looking forward to her making that sound for the rest of their lives.
"You do. I heard you, Kagome. You do."
"So—" Her eyes searched his, trying to see through his intentional enigma, trying to read between the lines— "So, I really am—? You are my—"
"Not here," Inuyasha whispered before kissing her beautifully pinkened mouth that looked both well-kissed and not kissed enough.
Kagome sighed when their lips parted, her cheek settling against his chest. Inuyasha flushed, feeling embarrassed by how noticeably his heart was pounding and how she was in a perfect position to hear it. "Take me home, Inuyasha."
His lips pressed into the crown of her head. His eyes fell closed as he swam in a pool of jasmine. His heart didn't know how not to erupt from hearing such a gorgeous sentence. "Home?"
"Home," she repeated, kissing the hollow between his pectorals, the space where his heart thundered with happiness and relief so loud it marred his senses. "Because I need to hear you say it."
"Hear me say what exactly, Kagome?"
She looked up at him then with the most glorious pink to her cheeks. Her coffee eyes shone and tapered with the beam of her smile. She'd never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment: dressed in his shirt, a gleam of happiness radiating from her pores that accentuated her laugh lines. Her scent was the most pleasing combination of apples and allspice. Kagome cupped his cheeks in her hands, holding him so she could peer into his eyes. A ghost of a laugh snuck from between her lips as her eyes shook, bouncing between his and then settling on his lips.
"To hear you call me your mate."
Then she kissed him, and Inuyasha knew this was going to be the best night of his life.