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mirsan · 7 years

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Ditched, Again

(For my sweet @inukag !!! This was supposed to be for your birthday, but it ended up being late enough that now we can go ahead and say it’s for you finishing your exams!!! I love love love you and wanted to give you a little something in celebration, so I settled with InuKag and MirSan on a double date :D~ Or well, it would be a double date if MirSan would stop trying to push their two friends together by ditching them… 👀👀👀

InuKag, College AU. 6,879 words, PG-13 for Inuyasha’s potty mouth)

Inuyasha had decided that he hated couples.

Specifically, he hated Miroku and Sango, and whatever weird shit they were up to with him and Kagome.

The four of them were spending another weeknight at their campus bar, exhaustion over final exams rolling off of them in waves of laughter and celebratory clinks of their drinks, as they finally reached the light at the end of their Fall semester. But there was a catch. And lately, as Inuyasha had managed to piece together over the course of the past few weeks, the catch was popping up more frequently, as clear as the tacky, flashing neon sign hanging outside above the entrance. And he was sick of it.

So when Kagome and Sango excused themselves to finally use the restroom that night, he waited until they were sufficiently out of earshot before leaning over the table to look Miroku dead in his guilty eyes.

“Can you two knock it the fuck off already?”

He could see Miroku’s face pass through several phases - confusion first, then maybe bewilderment. Then… Enlightenment? Then confusion again. Finally, exasperation. “Okay. I’ll bite. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Miroku, this is the first time you and I have been left alone at this table in weeks,” Inuyasha squeezed out like a hiss of hot air. “You gonna pretend like that hasn’t all been on purpose?”

He watched as his friend tilted his head, as though looking at Inuyasha at a different angle might somehow give him the answer he was searching for, while arching his eyebrows this way and that. Meanwhile, Inuyasha found himself growing more irritated by the second. He clenched his fist while wrapping the other on the table impatiently. He could remember exactly what was happening just three days earlier, when they met up together right at this time in an attempt to break away from seemingly endless hours of studying, to unwind with a couple of drinks and good times. And then just two days before that, to kick off the weekend like they normally would. And even before that, to celebrate during the lull between classes ending and exam period beginning, trying to savor that last bit of freedom from obligation before study period was in full force. Every encounter included the same shit: Miroku and Sango both showing up over an hour late with flimsy excuses, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome at the table alone; Miroku and Sango constantly getting up to order drinks and snacks at the bar, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome at the table alone; Sango stepping outside to take a phone call, and Miroku catching up with a classmate from last semester, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome at the table. Alone. Together. Over and over and over again.

“Inuyasha, I’m afraid I don’t understand. Are you and Kagome not friends? Is it inconvenient for you two to have to share space with each other for extended periods of time?” Miroku looked at him like a father might look at a cranky child as he drew lazy circles around his pint of beer and Inuyasha thought he was the most annoying person on the planet.

“That’s not the point, you idiot, we have nothing to say to each other unless you and Sango are there talking about something we can both chime in on, so when you leave us alone like that it’s fucking awkward and–” Inuyasha jumped at the sound of the heavy bathroom door swinging open from behind him and looked to check who was coming out, and upon realizing it wasn’t Sango or Kagome, continued on. “I barely know her, she’s you and Sango’s friend, we’re just friends by association!”

Miroku let out a deep, condescending sigh. “And don’t you think that the solution to this problem is, ah… Talking? I mean, how else do you really get to know someone, exactly?” He took a sip of his drink and averted his gaze to the other side of the room, really driving home that you’re insufferable vibe, missing the way Inuyasha bore holes into his disinterested face. “I mean really, Inuyasha. She’s been part of our friend group for months now, and you two barely know a thing about each other, aside from… Your majors? If that? And that’s just terribly sad.”

“Yeah, okay. Except you’re not leaving us alone to be friends, now, are you. Asshole.” He spat, his fingers tapping more vigorously now.

“Inuyasha, please. What on earth do Sango and I have to gain from that?”

“Another couple to do couple shit with. Y’all are always moping about how all your friends are single.”

“We certainly do not do that.”

Inuyasha leaned back and folded his arms, glaring and jaw set like Miroku’s filthy goddamn hands were halfway out of the cookie jar and the other man had the nerve to lie while his face was covered in crumbs. “Remember when you found that Romantic Weekend Getaway package deal and realized how fucking expensive it would be split between only two people instead of four?”

“Okay, well–”

“Remember bitching about nobody to go to Couples Cooking Classes with you both?”

“Listen–”

“Remember how dramatic you were about how only you and Sango had coordinated Halloween costumes this year?”

“Damnit, Inuyasha, do you know how annoying that was?!”

Miroku cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure, while Inuyasha sat back in his seat, poised for rapid fire. “I can keep going. Remember when–”

“Okay! Okay, fine.” He hushed, hands up in surrender. “You’re right. We just want you two to hurry up and date already.”

Inuyasha whipped his head around again to glimpse the bathroom door before practically snapping his neck back toward Miroku, eyes blazing. “Well get the fuck over it! It isn’t going to happen, so stop forcing small talk on us! I don’t see her that way.”

“And why not?” Miroku countered, leaning in and speaking a bit lower. He was clearly fighting the urge to waggle, at minimum, one of his brows. “I mean… Don’t you at least find her attractive?”

Inuyasha blinked. “Am I supposed to?”

“Oh. Oh my goodness. I see now. You’ve lost your sight.” Miroku buried his face in his hands in mock horror before extending his arm to cup his friend’s cheek. “All this time… I’m so sorry, Inuyasha.”

He swatted the hand away from him like a gnat. “Shut up, you jackass, I’m not calling her ugly or anything I just don’t–”

“Who’s ugly?” Sango’s voice sprang out of nowhere, leading Inuyasha’s heart to somersault out of his throat. She and Kagome flashed curious eyes back and forth between the two men. “What did we miss?”

Without a second wasted, Miroku slid over to let Sango back in her seat, gesturing with grandiose charm. “My dear Sango, we were just discussing the gorgeous blouse you’re wearing. I took the stance that it is beautiful and that it, having been chosen by you, is nothing short of perfect, but Inuyasha has an inherent lack of fashion sense, and disagreed with the idea that you and everything you do is without flaw.” Inuyasha cemented him as the most annoying person in the universe. The whole fucking universe.

Sango rolled her eyes and batted playfully at his arm. “Come on. Really?”

“Okay, you got me. Inuyasha thinks Kagome’s ugly.”

Kagome let out a tiny, surprised squeak, while the man next to her sputtered and choked on his beer. Miroku waved his hands harmlessly, “Kidding! Just a joke. Inuyasha, why are you so red? Please breathe.”

The four of them continued their evening with few speed bumps, and out of respect for his friend, Miroku did refrain from creating anymore opportunities that night for alone time between the two that were barely friends with each other. He did notice that Inuyasha and Kagome interacted very rarely with one another, usually only responding to something he or Sango might have said, but the one-on-one interaction wasn’t quite as nonexistent as Inuyasha might have made it seem. In fact, Kagome was the only one to laugh (sympathetically, very fake, couldn’t fool anyone) at one of Inuyasha’s awful attempts at a joke, and that was pretty significant, considering you couldn’t pay Sango or him to laugh at that one. She also seemed perfectly willing to share her fries with him after saying that she couldn’t eat another bite, and Inuyasha took her up on that offer, but of course this was free food and this was also Inuyasha, so it wasn’t terribly surprising either way. But it certainly meant that, at the very least, Kagome didn’t mind Inuyasha, and it could mean something even better.

With last call came the routine dispersing of the bar’s patrons, flurries of colorful evening wear disappearing under thick bundles of coats and scarves, as everyone reconvened outside in the crisp winter air to huddle together for a few last moments of chitchat. Before parting ways, Inuyasha drew Miroku to the side just to say one more time, for emphasis –

“No more, alright? Next time you dip out or show up late to a hangout, it better be for a good reason.”

Miroku considered. “Just for my own sake, what constitutes as a ‘good reason’ to you, friend?”

“Like if Kirara swallowed Sango’s make-up and had to be rushed to the ER.”

“That’s very specific.”

Inuyasha clicked his tongue in annoyance, stuffing his hands deep into his coat pockets. “Whatever! You get what I mean. No more bullshit from either of you, deal?”

“Of course. Take care!” Miroku grinned and waved him off as Sango stepped out from the bar into the night, looping her arm with his and looking the picture of innocence and not at all like her boyfriend’s accomplice. “Night, Inuyasha!” She called to him behind her, smiling sweetly. “See you tomorrow for lunch!”

He gave a noncommittal grunt in reply before shuffling off in the other direction, but was silently grateful for what he hoped would be the return to normal, stress-free, no-ulterior-motives time with his friends. Plus Kagome.

Truth be told, Inuyasha didn’t trust Miroku as far as he could throw him, and so when he arrived at the cafe fifteen minutes late and he was still there before either one of The Fucking Couple, his blood pressure spiked.

He scoped out his surroundings; a casual ramen shop, with not too many people, which he liked. More people meant longer wait times, and he was in enough of a mood already without the added frustration of waiting for his food. Whatever, maybe they were just running late…

“Inuyasha!” He heard a girl’s voice call out, and spied Kagome in a powder blue cardigan signaling to him from her spot at a corner booth. “I got us a table!”

Yeah no shit, he thought, making his way over to her, dread quickly forming to sit somewhere low in his stomach. Something was up, and he knew it. He didn’t let her get much of a word in before barking out, “Are they seriously fucking late again?”

Her eyes not-so-subtly said weren’t you late too and maybe a touch of jeez, calm down there’s kids here, but she quickly pulled out her phone with a hum to herself. “I don’t think they’re coming for lunch. Sango texted me saying Kirara must have gotten into her make-up this morning and she seemed really sick, so the two of them were going to take her to the vet right away.” She placed a thoughtful finger to her chin, the flimsy story unraveling in her mind after saying it outloud. “It’s strange, she’s normally such a good kitty… And I thought most make-up was non-toxic anyways…”

Inuyasha hated them both so, so much. So much.

He contemplated his options: he could just leave, pick up a cheap hotdog from a street vendor around the corner, and go back to his bed and catch up on sleep. That sounded really nice, but would be a dick move to bail on her, all things considered. Or he could stay here and force small talk with Kagome for maybe half an hour, assuming they could order, receive, and eat their food that fast, and maybe they wouldn’t even need to talk while eating because, you know, they’re eating–

Kagome’s frustrated sigh broke him from his train of thought. “I swear, even if they were here they’d probably find some reason to flake on us later on, right?”

“Keh, no kidding,” he scoffed. “It’s all they do lately.”

Her eyes lit up with a mutual understanding, like a poorly structured dam that Inuyasha broke down instantly by saying just what had been on her mind for weeks. “Yeah! It’s really annoying! I mean, I get that things come up, but what’s so hard about carving out a few moments to spend with your friends?!” She then gasped and covered her mouth regretfully with her hand, lowering her gaze. “Oh… I shouldn’t say that. Especially not if Kirara is sick and all. I think I’m just tired…”

“Nah,” he brushed her off nonchalantly, not really caring if he seemed rude or dismissive of his friends’ struggles because damn it I know the truth they’re little lying sneaks and they’ve got something up their sleeve so don’t waste your sympathy on them Kagome, “you’re just tired of their shit. Don’t worry, so am I.” He propped his elbow on the table, cheek resting in his cupped hand as he absentmindedly perused the menu. It was just lunch. How bad could it be with only the two of them? Maybe he really could stuff his face and avoid conversation. Plan B and all that.

He exhaled in defeat, accepting that he wasn’t going anywhere for the moment. “Whatever. Let’s just eat, no sense wasting any more of our time. Their loss,” he trailed off, finger hovering over a picture of a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen. He’d already forgotten about the street hotdog.

“Mhm,” she cheerily agreed. “This was my suggestion anyway. I love this place, it’s one of the first restaurants I stumbled across when I dared to venture off campus after moving out here. The tonkotsu ramen is to die for…”

Well, at least she had good taste in food.

After they’d both ordered their lunch, waited around fifteen minutes for it to come out, and began slurping away at their noodles, Inuyasha counted maybe about five or six sentences exchanged between them. And “yeah” and “I guess” counted as sentences in his book.

So far in their forced conversation he’d learned that she liked spicy food, and she’d learned that he didn’t. She was studying early childhood education, and he was studying occupational therapy. They also discovered they both weren’t from the city, but from small towns out in the countryside, in opposite directions from Tokyo. He learned her family had a shrine, and she learned his family had a farm. All in all, Inuyasha figured that was probably enough discovery for one day.

He had to give her credit, though; despite his often gruff responses and lack of eye contact, she… Appeared to take a genuine interest in what he was saying. Every response from her was peppered with an ooh or aah, and when she heard the word “farm” she sounded like a kid at a petting zoo when she asked about what kind of animals his family raised. “Like chickens and pigs and cows? Horses?!”

“Uh, here and there. Kind of. Mostly chickens. Oh look, our food’s here.”

To his satisfaction, the ramen was delicious, much better than the cheap stuff he’d scrounged up during the school year when he was short on cash. Why did they always have to meet at the campus bar if this place existed? And you could always order a beer with your meal here too, if you really wanted, so what was the point of ever going to a bar in the first place? What kind of people was he even friends with? How stupid–

He heard Kagome sniffle from her seat across him and watched as she self-consciously covered her nose and mouth with a napkin. Her eyes were red, and the rest of her face wasn’t far behind. “Ahh, this always happens… The spice is soooo good, but sometimes I still can’t handle it!” She laughed nervously between sniffs as she tried to be discrete, shrinking in on herself to somehow try and make the display less obvious.

“Yeah, that’s why I don’t mess with that stuff. My senses are too sensitive as is.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust; the broth in Kagome’s bowl was liquid fire, with flecks of red chili flakes, and he could smell the flavorful heat from where he sat as it threatened to singe his nostril hairs. She must be pretty tough to handle all that and only get a runny nose, though, which was more than he could say for himself. He remembered not-so-fondly when Miroku cooked spicy curry over at his place one evening, and Inuyasha thought his taste buds would be shot for the rest of his life…

“Miroku nearly killed me with curry once,” he decided to finish out loud, between bites. “Everything I ate for the next week tasted like gunpowder. I drank a whole gallon of milk that night to get rid of the pain, and I don’t even like milk.” Kagome laughed and he couldn’t tell if the tears in her eyes were from laughing or if the spice was really getting to her now, but she was laughing pretty hard, and Inuyasha felt a smile tugging at his lips that he couldn’t fight.

“Oh my gosh,” she said, catching her breath, “no wonder he and Sango took those cooking classes together. She probably heard what he did to you and wanted to save herself from the same fate.”

He let out a little chuckle at that one. “I don’t doubt it,” he said.

This really wasn’t too bad. Kagome certainly had a personality, though he guessed he never really noticed before while hanging out at the bar with Miroku talking like he’d never run out of air. And her laughter was kind of infectious, especially when they took turns telling a ridiculous story about either one of their mutual friends. She always seemed like she never had anything to say other than smiley agreements and polite suggestions, but truth be told she had some spunk in her, a little bit of fiery edge to go with her brightness. He didn’t even realize they were eventually chatting in front of empty bowls until the waitress came around again and placed their bill on the table.

Suddenly, he was aware of his situation again. Wasn’t this supposed to be a half hour thing? Was he actually extending this little plot of Miroku and Sango’s? He needed to go find his fucking “friend” and hang him over the balcony or something for revenge, not dawdle here with all these damn pleasantries. Focus, Inuyasha. Remember how you ended up in this to begin with.

He rifled through his pockets and placed enough money on the table to at least cover his half, then pushed himself out of his chair, feeling heavy and sluggish from all the food but still motivated into action. “Well, I gotta get going. Tell Sango I hope Kirara feels better,” he said, already gathering his things to leave. Surprise at the suddenness flashed across Kagome’s face, but she nodded in understanding nonetheless.

“Mm, I’m sure she’s fine. You know how they are,” she jested and winked playfully, and he didn’t really know why she was winking, if it was a come on you know they’re lying about that right wink or if it was something else entirely, but in any case, he responded by blinking twice and then walking away with a wave from behind, not in any place to overthink things at the moment. “Keh, right.”

He headed briskly for Miroku’s apartment.

“Inuyasha! Good to see you, how–”

“Are you fucking serious.”

Miroku smiled genuinely and it made Inuyasha want to punch him in the face. “How did it go?”

“How did what go? Lunch for two? Nevermind that, how’s that sick cat of Sango’s? She throw up all over your shit yet? Because she should.” Inuyasha nudged his way through the doorframe where Miroku stood with that stupid face of his, and watched as the other man closed the door to his apartment. “Wait, no, of course. She wasn’t really sick! Because you’re a sneaky asshole and that shouldn’t surprise me by now but here we are.”

Miroku made a soothing gesture, attempting to look blameless and all things holy and right. “Ah, Inuyasha, you misjudge me. Sometimes, a good friend is not just one that will do whatever you want them to do. Sometimes, being a good friend means doing what you should do for others, even if those others might disagree with you. So you see, I was simply helping you along a path I am sure you will want to follow, though it may seem daunting at the moment.”

“Daunting?!” Inuyasha shouted, his face wild and hot with anger. “What the hell makes you think this is a ‘path I’ll want to follow’ or whatever the fuck?! What does that even mean?! Why do you have an agenda for my life suddenly?! Wh–”

“So it went badly?” Miroku lamented, deflated and with probably the most pathetic pout Inuyasha had ever seen. God, he was so punchable.

He plopped on the couch and hesitated for a moment, remembering an hour or so earlier when he’d met with Kagome for lunch. Badly? No… It went fine, really. But it’s the principle of it all! It was supposed to be the four of them, and they got ditched again! But it wasn’t like a death sentence or anything… Okay, it wasn’t terrible, fine. It was even kind of nice sometimes. And the food was really good. Is lunch ever really a disaster if the food is good? He thought not.

“It didn’t go badly, no. But still. What the hell, Miroku.”

He shouldn’t have given him any leeway with that response, because in the next moment, Miroku’s eyes were practically sparkling, and he looked like an excited child eagerly awaiting the next words out of Inuyasha’s mouth. “It didn’t? So it went well? What did you talk about? Do you like her even a little bit? Inuyasha, please, give me something. I’m positively giddy, I need to know.”

Inuyasha rubbed the bridge of his nose with regret. Is this what happened when you became a couple? Because he could swear he was talking to Sango right now, too. “I told you it wasn’t bad! What more do you want? We talked, we ate food, and then I left to come here and possibly kick your ass.”

“But,” Miroku stressed, urgent and leaning forward, begging the question. “But did you enjoy yourself?”

Inuyasha grit his teeth. “Fine. I did. She’s not awful to talk to. Are you happy? Positively giddy?” He propped his feet up on Miroku’s coffee table, leaning back and closing his eyes. “I’m so glad for you, really. You’re a great friend.”

“Your sarcasm is duly noted and dismissed because I know that deep down, you know I really am, Inuyasha,” he said dreamily, sitting beside him on the couch. “You know, you’ll thank me for this one day. I’ll be giving my best man speech at your wedding, and I’ll raise my glass and tell of the first date you and Kagome ever had, how it was all possible because of–ow! That’s my throw pillow! Easy, easy!”

“Shut the hell up!” Inuyasha growled, thwacking him a few more times and then getting up to leave. “I’m outta here. I can’t wait to not be around your sorry ass for a few days.”

Miroku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while he watched his friend retreat, then suddenly remembered.

“Inuyasha! Sango’s birthday this weekend. We’ll meet up downtown to see the light show at the plaza fountain and go from there. See you then?”

“Oh, I don’t know, you gonna actually be there?”

“Well, it’s Sango’s birthday, so I mean, I’d say… Definitely?”

“Oh. Right,” Inuyasha blushed. “Well, I still don’t trust you. But okay.”

Miroku beamed. “We’ll see you there! I promise!”

The days came and went, and Inuyasha spent them tending to his own affairs, using some alone time to tune up a couple things at home and get in a few good workouts. For what it was worth, he did get an apology phone call from Sango for the lunch debacle earlier in the week. She’d mentioned how Miroku was the one that told Kagome about Kirara getting sick, but that he’d used her phone to do it. “I’m not one to lie about that sort of stuff,” she empathized. “But, well… Miroku convinced me that it would all work out okay. Still, I’m sorry for going along with it.”

He’d brushed her off, hearing the sincerity in her voice and repeating that it’s whatever, it happened, it’s not the end of the world. There’d been a small silence before she’d softly asked him, “But… She’s nice, isn’t she? I hope you two still had somewhat of a good time.”

“Uhh, yeah,” he’d stammered out. “I guess.”

“I’m glad. Take care, and see you in a couple days.”

Thinking back on the conversation made him antsy, or maybe guilty, or maybe both. He’d been keeping himself busy lately, but now, having time to remember hanging out with Kagome… He felt a little silly being so fussy about meeting up with her alone. She wasn’t a bad person to have lunch with. And if she wasn’t a bad person to have lunch with, she probably wasn’t a bad person to eat dinner with either, or whatever else. But the thought of giving Miroku any pleasure by letting him be right even on one account was just too much. Tell the guy Kagome isn’t the worst person in the world to hang out with, and he’s already checking rates for a bed and breakfast in the mountains.

In any case, it was Sango’s birthday, so he’d have to be on his best behavior, and that meant at the very least not giving either of them a hard time. And also making nice with Kagome. Which wouldn’t be all that hard, considering that they maybe, kind of, sort of hit it off…

“Oi! Kagome!” Inuyasha spotted her in the crowd, her vibrant green sweater easy to see in the sea of people swarmed together at the plaza. It was already sunset, which meant the light show would be starting not too long from now, and everyone was flocked together to watch. Did Sango really have to choose this packed of a place to start off the night? His senses were overwhelmed completely, loud noises and weird smells and he could swear he felt at least three people’s body parts on his own body parts and he’d really like to be home right now but it was Sango’s fucking birthday, so whatever.

Kagome inched her way over to him and his waving arm in the air, squeezing through the mass of people with a grimace. “Oh, thank goodness! I thought I’d never find you guys.” She looked over his shoulder and to either side of him, confusion spreading across her face. “Wait, where are Miroku and Sango?”

“I thought they were with you.” He narrowed his eyes.

Wonderful.

Not one to fall into this trap without a fight, Inuyasha took out his phone immediately and rifled through his contacts. Too loud to talk in this place, so a text would have to suffice. He tapped furiously to Miroku. ‘Where the hell are you two?’

‘Up at the front,’ he got in response a moment later. Inuyasha motioned to Kagome to start making their way toward the front, while he sent another text, ‘We’re in the back.’

Okay, this wasn’t completely a bust. They were apparently here somewhere, they’d just have to find them. Kagome made a bee-line toward the outside of the crowd, and Inuyasha followed, grateful to make the trek up to the front in a more open space instead of being surrounded by sweaty people. He rushed up to walk alongside her, mumbling a couple of choice words under his breathe like “seriously” and “unbelievable,” but upon catching up to her, he stopped.

Kagome looked… Happy. Not annoyed, unless she was just doing a great job of hiding it. She had something of a pep in her step, and Inuyasha found it a challenge to not feel a little more at ease with her around, her relaxation and happiness a powerful counter to the petulance bubbling up inside him. “Why are you so cheerful?” He questioned, trying to disguise his interest in her answer.

Her cheeks were lightly tinted, surprised he’d been paying attention to her appearance that much, but she gave him a small smile. “I actually love this light show. I remember coming into the city when I was a kid and I thought it was the most beautiful thing, and back then the pyrotechnics were probably nothing compared to now.” She nervously fidgeted with her hands and cast her gaze down while she walked.

Something about the way she talked about the lights made Inuyasha envious… He’d already seen this damn thing last year, and it was neat and all, but to have that sentimentality for it would probably make it seem spectacular.

“Well,” Inuyasha offered, “I don’t know what it was like back then, but Sango flips out over it still at her age, so you’ll probably have the same reaction.” That seemed to satisfy her enough, and for the first time he wondered about Kagome outside of just this moment, walking together to the front of the plaza, and instead thought of what her face might look like during the light show, how wide her eyes might be when she sees the grand finale and all the colors illuminating the sky. No way she wouldn’t be impressed if she was that crazy about it as a kid. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least kind of anticipating her reaction.

They made it to the front and shimmied their way back into the crowd, keeping their eyes peeled for Miroku and Sango, but no luck. The sun had already set by now, and the lack of light made it that much more difficult to identify anyone in the swarm of people. Inuyasha felt himself losing his patience again. He was subjecting himself to sensory overload, and for what? Two people who probably weren’t even here?! At least he had Kagome to keep him company in the misery, but even then–

Wait, what? No. Nonononono. Absolutely not.

‘Where are you?!’ He texted Miroku again. This was too much. He and Kagome pushed through the crowd to end up at the other side of the front, him looking disheveled and just about done for the day, and her looking puzzled, still scanning her eyes across the pool of people to find their friends. Inuyasha damn near threw his phone against the pavement when he got a text back from Miroku that read ‘In the back! Where are you?’

“Come the fuck on!” He yelled, and Kagome was thankful for the loud buzz of the people around them to drown him out, otherwise she’d be mortified. He cocked his head back in the direction they came from. “They went where we were before. Of course.”

She laughed, if only to convey how ridiculous this all was. “Of course!” She repeated, and followed suit, heading down the stretch all the way back to the plaza entrance with him. “Well, at least we know they’re here?”

“Keh, for all we know he could be pulling our leg again. That’s the future lawyer for you,” he said, trying to calm himself down just a bit. “Always pulling something out of his ass.”

Kagome thought for a moment that maybe they could be ditching them again, but… On Sango’s birthday, of all days? It seemed unlikely. “Let’s keep trying. I’m sure we’ll find them!”

Her optimism wasn’t as off putting to him as it should have been. In fact, he kind of believed her. Before he could give any sort of response - agreeable or sarcastic, he hadn’t decided yet - the few streetlights around them dimmed, and cheers erupted from all around as orchestral music played loudly over the sound system. Kagome let out a gasp and turned to him. “It’s starting! It’s starting!” she tugged at his sleeve, and he just kind of… Let her do it. I mean, with as excited as she was, he didn’t want to put a damper on it by telling her to knock it off, I get it, I have eyes and ears, leggo of me already.

“Yeah, we’ll find them after,” he murmured to himself, watching the fountain begin to spray a fan of water over the lake in front of them while projections danced along the surface it created, lasers bouncing from the lake and reflecting off of Kagome’s bright, captivated eyes. The boom of fireworks shooting into the sky made them both jump, but she quickly recovered with a delighted giggle and a few claps of her hands. The fireworks burst across the night sky in an array of shapes and colors, sunbursts and falling stars and flowers, all in time with the swell of the instruments, and even he had to admit it was amazing, though maybe more so considering the girl next to him couldn’t tear her eyes away from the show for a second.

He wasn’t sure if it was just the excitement surrounding them, the music that was so loud it made the railing around them vibrate, or the abrupt blasts of fireworks, but Inuyasha’s heart was racing. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to, nor did he particularly like it, but it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, either. Just… Different. A change. He turned his head toward Kagome, who was still staring with her mouth agape at the display before them, earrings catching the multicolored lights and when the hell did he start noticing her earrings, or even the smell of her perfume, amidst all the fried food and cologne and whatever else was stinking up the air, but she smelled sweet and her hair wasn’t usually too curly but today it kind of was, like maybe she spent a little extra time or something to make her hair look bouncier? Was that the word? Or maybe shinier? But for what who knows–

“Isn’t it beautiful?” She breathed out, hands clasped closely to her chest.

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

The rest of the night was loud, and smelled like alcohol, and yet everything to Inuyasha sounded as though it were filtered the way noise might carry to someone who was under water. They ended the night at a more lively, glitzy bar than their usual hangout spot, and Miroku had to ask him multiple times if he wanted to take a birthday shot (”How many fucking shots can be called a ‘birthday shot’ tonight?” “If it’s happening today, then it’s a birthday shot! Are you allergic to fun? How is that working out for you?”), because his mind was just… Elsewhere; figuring things out, reading into and making sense of expressions and gestures and questions and answers.

By the time the festivities drew to a close, Sango was giggly and red-faced and clung to Miroku’s neck like a bib, and Miroku’s face was that of a man so indulged and satisfied you could swear the birthday sex already fucking happened. Kagome, meanwhile, had a light flush, but nothing suggesting she was anywhere near Sango’s level. Inuyasha managed to come back to Earth for a moment to motion to the rest of them that it was time to round up and get going, ushering them out of the bar and preparing to wave down a taxi.

“Ah! Actually,” realization dawned on Kagome’s face, “my place isn’t far from here, maybe just a couple blocks.” She tucked her scarf into her coat and fished her gloves out of her pockets. “You guys go ahead, I’ll see you all tomorrow for brunch!”

A cab drove up to the curb and Miroku opened the door with a greeting to the driver, urging Sango to slide in while holding her hand to help steady her. “Inuyasha, you coming? Your place is on the way, right?”

He watched Kagome walk off without a care in the world. What the hell was she thinking? It was past 2 in the morning and she was tipsy, and they were close to downtown, and she was walking by herself–

Mentally, he kicked himself.

“You two go on ahead,” he said over his shoulder. “And for your sake, give that poor girl some water when you get home.”

Miroku’s grin could split his face in two. “She’s in good hands, friend. You go take care of Kagome,” he read Inuyasha’s mind. “Can’t have a pretty girl out this late on her own.”

The other man let out a half-hearted keh before jogging to catch up to the aforementioned pretty girl (’It’s not that she’s pretty, okay, she’s alone at this time of night and that’s dangerous no matter what, shut up!’), calling out for her. Kagome turned to see him stop beside her. “Inuyasha…?” she said, waiting with expectant eyes.

He gulped. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m just making sure you get home safe.” He knew his face would turn redder by the second, so he looked away from her curious face and hurried them along, pulling his scarf up to his nose for warmth.

She stood there for a moment before he heard the tell-tale sound of her heels clicking on the pavement as she followed, appearing again at his side. “That’s… Really nice of you. Thanks,” she said softly.

They walked the few blocks to her apartment in companionable silence, and she carried herself well, barely wobbling at times - though he figured it could have been her feet hurting and not the drinks she had that night. She occasionally gripped his arm during the last stretch, when it seemed her legs were about to give out, and she whispered “I’m sorry” and he muttered “It’s fine” from the safety of his scarf, thankful it covered as much of his face as it did. In hardly any time at all, they stopped in front of what Kagome identified as her place.

“Thank you again, Inuyasha,” she smiled up at him, and before he could mumble something detached in reply she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, her cheek pressed heavily to his chest, and time must have slowed for him because he could swear an entire minute passed during the five seconds of that hug, and he hoped hoped hoped she didn’t catch his heart beating during all that, because it sure fucking was, and it was also pounding in his ears, but how could he hear anything when the smell of her shampoo was just there right underneath his nose completely overwhelming every other sense of his, and suddenly he was under water again.

He was frozen in place and didn’t even notice Kagome scurry up to her building’s door while he remained there on the sidewalk, wide-eyed, a chorus of whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck singing in his head.

“Are you sure, Inuyasha? I actually was really craving crepes this morning–”

“Nah, it’s fine. Something came up.”

“Well, alright. This is my karma. I’ll let Kagome know?”

“I’ve got it.”

“You’re gonna reach out to Kagome of your own free will? Why, Inuy–”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, this is a little uncharacteristic, but not unwelcome! So tell m– hello? Helloooo?”

Kagome sat at a table for four, glossing over the menu and licking her lips in anticipation of sinking her teeth into a chocolate and strawberry crepe, or maybe banana coconut french toast, or no, what about an omelette? Maybe she could sucker Sango into ordering one thing and Kagome could get the other, and they could share! Brilliant. Genius.

She looked up from her menu just in time to see Inuyasha sit down across from her. Good, he got here first! She was hoping to have a minute to thank him for last night again, and apologize for being so tipsy and impulsive. Definitely the after-effects of too many cocktails. But, well, that was a little strange to get into out of nowhere… So she settled with a “good morning” and handed him a menu. “Looks like those two are ‘late’ again,” she joked, unable to help herself from giggling at their recent inside joke with one another. And it wasn’t a bad ice breaker, either!

Inuyasha blushed. “Um, actually, I… Told them not to come.”

Kagome blinked. “Oh,” she said, her mouth round in surprise as she pieced it together.

“Oh,” she repeated, quieter this time, and smiled.

#inuyasha #kagome #inukag #miroku #sango #mirsan #i'm so proud of you for doing well on your exams <3 #the inukag to my mirsan #ilu cynthia!!!! this is so late... and not worthy... but i've been wanting to write inukag mirsan double date for a while for you bc #it was our inside joke when we got these urls dsfksfsdfsdf #and welp here's... an attempt lmao #also 👀 inuyasha might 👀 be demi 👀

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