Chapter Text
Quarantine Day 1
Kagome checked the clock again and sighed deeply. It was the first day of quarantine-mandated work-from-home for all salaried library staff and it was not off to a great start. She had been fairly panicked when the director had announced the library would be closed indefinitely per the governor's orders but she was doing her best to see this as a positive. She’d been meaning to do a total catalog tag overhaul to match the new elementary curriculum but it was just too much to do during the work day between story times, after school homework help, and all her other duties at the Children’s Services Desk. When she suggested to the director that she spend some of her WFH time on this he told her he’d even assign a cataloging librarian to help her. She’d been thrilled until he told her that the cataloging librarian was Inuyasha. Just like that she was dreading her own project. It’s not that Inuyasha was bad at his job - he always seemed to know what he was doing - but he was always so rude and seemed to vaguely hate her. Now it was day one, meeting one, and he was late. Lovely.
Finally her screen lit up and she saw what she could only assume was Inuyasha’s living room. Even in the comfort of his own home he was scowling. Was working with her really that bad?
“Hey, Inuyasha, thanks so much for meeting with me. I’m really excited about this project and I really appreciate your help.” He didn’t reply, so she checked her mic. The icon was green, and she could hear his music coming through her speakers.
“Inuyasha, can you hear me?” She waved at the screen to get his attention, just in case.
He leveled his webcam with a half-hearted glare. “Yeah, can we just get on with it? “
“Oh, well I just wanted to thank you for helping me--”
“Didn’t volunteer, just didn’t fight being assigned. What do you want to do?”
Well that answered that question, apparently working with her was that bad.
"Right. Well, I'm trying to update our catalog so our records match the terminology the school district uses. Make it easier for kids to find books they need for their assignments. I need… what's that sound?"
Her train of thought was derailed at the sound of frantic scratching from Inuyasha's side. His ear swiveled to the left and he sighed, clearly annoyed.
"I put my dog away and he's not thrilled. Just ignore him."
"Why did you put him away?"
"A modicum of professionalism?"
She took in his oversized hoodie, long silver hair pulled up into a messy bun, his unmade bed in the background, and the fact she could still hear his music - t.A.T.u. if her teenage self was remembering correctly - and couldn't stop her eyebrow from raising. He rolled his eyes and moved out of frame. She heard a door creak followed by very excitable woofing and yapping. When Inuyasha reappeared on her screen his arms were full of a giant, white, fluffy akita. She immediately felt guilty at how high-pitched her reaction was.
"He's so cute! I can't believe you were hiding him from me! What's your name, beautiful?"
Inuyasha was clearly not expecting her to be so excited and hesitated a moment before answering.
"He's Achilles."
"Achilles?" she looked at the distinctly not Mediterranean canine. "How'd you pick that?"
His lip perked up in the corner and he fought it back down, but not quick enough that Kagome missed it.
"Aww come on, tell me," she batted her lashes in the most over the top fashion she could muster.
Inuyasha looked directly down his webcam at her and seemed to be in deep internal conflict. Finally he put the dog on the floor and in his obvious "command" voice said -- "Achilles, heel."
Kagome's laugh came out as a sharp bark and she immediately slapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from snorting. Inuyasha had a sense of humor, who'd have guessed?
Quarantine Day 3
Having hanyou hearing sucked. Actually having hanyou anything sucked but the hearing was especially vexing when all of your neighbors were home all of the time and watched terrible tv entirely too loud. Inuyasha had never been so glad that he'd bought his ridiculously expensive surround sound stereo system as he was right then. At the library he had to wear headphones all the time to focus on his work and not get distracted by his gossipy coworkers, the complaining patrons, and the always shouting small children at Kagome's desk.
He settled down on the floor with his laptop on the coffee table. He would have been more comfortable on the couch, but this way Achilles could sit next to him and be in frame without crushing him. His screen blinked to life and Kagome's voice filled his apartment.
"Hey Achilles!" she waved at the pooch, "oh, and you too, Inuyasha."
"That's not very nice," he successfully fought down the smirk that threatened to break out on his face.
She shrugged and soldiered on. "I just wanted to do a quick check-in and see if you hit any early snags that I can help you with before you get in too deep."
"Nope, pretty straight forward so far. I've made it through the first three terms and should have another one done by the end of the day." He reached over and scratched Achilles's head. He didn't miss the way Kagome smiled when the dog flipped his tongue out of his mouth.
"Well, then it looks like we both survived another meeting that could have been an email," she said.
"Not exactly a crisis," he tried to sound casual and not at all like it was nice to talk to another person for the first time in two days. "I'll give you a ring tomorrow though because I want to go through which books you consider sight word books versus general early readers. How does noon sound?"
He heard her clicking and her eyes scanned across the screen. Was she actually checking her calendar?
"I can't do noon, is three too late?" she asked.
"What else could you possibly be doing?"
"I do a Facebook live story time for early elementary at 1pm and I want the time to prep and then do the reading. After, I edit the recording and put it in the library's YouTune channel." She held up a brightly colored hardcover. "We're reading Beakle!" She was absolutely vibrating with excitement.
He noticed the book she was holding didn't have any of the library's distinctive stickers.
"Is that your copy?" he asked her.
Instead of answering he saw her stand and the picture wobbled as she walked with the laptop to the other end of what he thought was an office but could now tell was her bedroom. She walked up to a bookcase a solid foot taller than her. It was packed with picture books, stuffies of classic literary characters, and a framed photo of who he assumed was a young Kagome and…
"Is that Stephen King!?" He was shocked, Kagome couldn't be more than 14 in the photo. He never would have pegged the floral cardigan wearing, nursery rhyme singing, "can someone please come move this spider", walking stereotype as a horror fan.
"Yeah I met him at a book signing! I was so nervous I forgot how to spell my name when he asked," she blushed at the memory. "I've never been good around celebrities."
Huh, Kagome had layers, who'd have guessed?
Quarantine Day 9
Kagome had learned some of Inuyasha's norms by now. They emailed every day about the project but he still sent her video requests most days. It seemed like his eye rolling, scoffs, and ear twitching were his preferred methods of communication. She also learned that he always had music going, always. Most of the time it was instrumental, but she had started to realize any time the songs did have lyrics they were never in English. The first time she noticed was the day before yesterday when she recognized the FMA: Brotherhood collection of closing themes. Then yesterday she was pretty confident it was French. Now, while she should have been listening to him talk about Early Years Science key words, she was entirely distracted by a distinctly Norwegian sound pumping through his speakers.
She cut off whatever he was saying when she suddenly asked "How many languages do you speak?"
His mouth was still open, half formed to whatever word he was going to say. It took him a moment to snap his jaw shut and register what she'd asked.
"Just English. Why, do you want to go through the Spanish collection too?"
"No no no, your music," she pointed behind him as if the sound could take physical form. "You had Japanese and French and now Norwegian but never English. Why not?"
"That's a stupid question. If you recognize it does that mean you speak Norwegian?"
Kagome looked him straight in the eye and said "Eg skal be for deg, min sønn."
Inuyasha quickly went from looking dumbfounded to frustrated. "That's a line from the song that's playing, dummy. You could have at least picked a different song from the album."
She smirked but refused to be offended. "Fine so I also don't speak Norwegian but I've never met anyone who even knew Kaizers Orchestra, let alone had them in their regular rotation. Why all the foreign languages anyway?"
He swiveled his ears around, taking her eyes away from his and to the top of his head. "I hear everything at work. Music helps me focus but if the lyrics are in English I have a bad habit of accidentally typing them out instead of the word I mean."
"I had no idea your hearing was that good. Wait," realization poured over Kagome like cold water. Inuyasha's desk was immediately behind hers on the other side of the fairly thin wall that seperated the Children's section from the technical services cubicles. "Oh my God no wonder you hate me. You have to hear all my programs and the music and screaming kids. I never even thought about it!"
Instead of looking angry or smug, Inuyasha looked confused at her statement.
"I don't hate you, I've never hated you."
"You never talked to me."
"I don't talk to anyone."
"My kids must be so loud for you though."
"That's what kids do, it's not a big deal."
"So, you don't hate me?"
"Never did."
"Oh. Well, thanks. I never hated you either- just for the record."
And then there it was: a real, fangy smile spread across Inuyasha's face. It was beautiful.
Quarantine Day 14
Inuyasha lived alone in his hallway styled 600 square foot apartment. He'd always lived alone. Even as a kid when he technically lived with his mom he was home alone half the time while she worked two jobs. As soon as he turned 18 he moved out, refusing to be a burden anymore. He never minded living alone, he preferred it. He had a roommate once, for six of the worst months of his life, and he swore never again.
Since he lived alone he didn't think quarantine would bother him; he never had any company anyway. Even his weekly visits with his mother were exclusively at her place since she was allergic to dogs- an irony she found hilarious and Inuyasha saw as one more example of the universe being a dick specifically to him. But by day five he realized just how much passive socializing he did per day. Coworkers, the overly chatty barista at the shop on the corner, hell even the lady with the yellow lab at the dog park; it may only be a few words per person but they added up. He never in his life would admit it out loud, but he was feeling lonely instead of just alone.
However, it still sounded a whole hell lot better than being at Kagome's house.
When they first started video calling she was always put together as if she was at work: her room was always clean, and there was never any background noise. As the calls became more frequent he noticed her slipping into a more casual Friday look and occasionally she would have to get up and answer a knock at her door. Now, though, it seems her family had completely abandoned any concept of giving Kagome professional space as surely as Kagome had abandoned her hair straightener. Honestly he prefered her wild and fluffy hair. He wasn't as much a fan of her grandfather who glared at him every time he came in. Or her brother who shouted every time he spoke.
"I'm sorry about that," she said after the second interruption, "they can keep themselves relatively quiet and on the other side of the house during business hours but as soon at 5 hits all bets are off."
He shrugged, actively choosing not to comment on the fact that they had been chatting for over three hours now, which is how they had left business hours - and apparently etiquette- long behind them.
"No skin off my ass. You must need a break though?"
She dramatically dropped her head into her hands.
"You have no idea. It would be so nice to just have some normal 100% not work related social time. Go to a movie or out to dinner. I know I can leave the house but walking around the park alone is almost creepy, like I'm waiting for the first zombie to arrive."
Inuyasha's ears dropped for a second. He knew an opportunity when he saw one, despite most people's assumptions he did understand social norms. He actively chose to ignore them is all. If he wanted to spend more time with her without the pretext of their project now was his time to act. Unless she was just speaking generally. She always took his calls, even when they weren’t scheduled, so he knew she at least liked talking to him a little. And she had said she didn't hate him. And over video it's not like he had to worry about her feeling his claws for the first time.
"Well, we can't go out to eat, but if you want I've got no plans for tomorrow night. We can stream a movie, if you want?"
She blushed. Holy shit she was adorable.
"Are you asking me to Netflix and chill Inuyasha?"
Now it was his turn to blush. "Since we're on the opposite side of town more like Amazon Prime and a Distinct Lack of Sexy Time".
"Hulu but No Woohoo?"
"Woohoo, what are you 90?"
"I needed a rhyme!"
He "keh'd" at her, worried if he tried to say anything else his nervousness would become too obvious. She hadn't answered him yet.
Finally she smiled at him. "I would love to not go on a date with you."
Quarantine Day 15
Why did she call it a date? Was it a date? She was just teasing when she called it Netflix and Chill, but then he kept it going and he blushed and she couldn't stop herself. Of course she wanted it to be a date but was it weird to start dating a coworker via Google Hangouts? Was he just bored? She probably should have asked any of these questions yesterday instead of accepting his invitation and then slamming her laptop shut so she could squeal like some teenager.
As soon as the work day was over she’d rushed to take a shower and have a quick dinner. She’d told her mother she would be watching a movie with friends and asked her to keep grandpa from waltzing into her room. Her mom probably guessed it was a male friend from the blush Kagome couldn’t keep away but she was nice enough not to mention it. Her brother was another story and she’d had to threaten him with grievous bodily harm if he came within three feet of her door. Someday she really, really needed to consider moving out. How could she invite Inuyasha here knowing her grandfather would glare all through dinner and her brother would tease him? She sighed, one step at a time. First, movie not-date. Second, survive the apocalypse and then she could worry about bringing a boy home for the first time.
Kagome stood in front of her bathroom mirror and frowned. If this was a date she would go all out with a full face of make-up, hair curled, and nails done. If this wasn't a date, just hanging out, she'd skip all the make-up, choose a brightly colored cardigan, and wear her puppy-print slip on shoes. Now? Now she had no idea. She decided to split the difference. Leaving her thick black hair down and fluffy she quickly brushed on some mascara and slid her favorite shiney neutral-pink lipstick across her mouth. Returning to her room she slid a black tank top over her head and slipped into a short sleeve green cardigan. She didn't have to wait long before the tell tale chirp of the video invite came through the laptop speakers.
She thought she had schooled her features, but as soon as his webcam came online she knew she was grinning like an idiot. He'd let his hair down, the thick silver strands catching the light from his screen. He'd even ditched the giant frumpy hoodie and had just a plain red t-shirt. She decided right then and there that it should be a crime to hide his body under all those layers he usually wore.
"Hi," she was so proud of herself for keeping her voice even in that moment. "So, what're we watching?"
He smirked and sent her the Netflix Party link. "The perfect film: comedy, adventure, romance, and excellent 2000s CG monsters."
She clicked the link and settled herself against a small mountain of pillows on her bed. As the opening sequence played across her screen she was staring awestruck at his image in the corner. She knew she hadn't told him The Mummy was her favorite movie and yet here they were. Yeah, this was definitely a date.
Quarantine Day 17
Routine, it was going to be Inuyasha's saving grace in all of this uncertainty. Sure, a lot of things in his routine were out the window now, but he could try. He still woke up at 7:30 every morning and took Achilles for a run. He still kept a solid 9-5 work time and after that refused to answer any work emails. He'd even given Kagome his cell number so they could keep taking without him having to break this rule. No other reason. He also added their daily Hangout session into his new normal. Just so he could keep a normal work day. No other reason. Routine must be maintained and that meant Sunday was baking day.
He was just setting a timer for his second proof when his laptop chirped. He quickly brushed the flour from his shirt and pulled his hair out of it's high ponytail. Accepting the video call he maneuvered his laptop away from the mess he'd made.
Kagome's smile immediately greeted him as she excitedly scanned her screen. "Ooh a new room! What are we doing?"
"Making bread."
Her smile faltered, "Oh God you are depressed."
"Oi!" he barked at her, " I've been baking since before the world went to shit thanks very much."
She didn't look convinced, "Uh huh, sure."
He sighed deeply and picked up his laptop, carrying it around his kitchen. He'd actually chosen this apartment because, despite the fact it was a studio, it had a reasonable counter spread, full size range, and a decent number of cabinets. Immediately apparent was the standmixer and cooling rack, claiming a sizable amount of counter real estate. He walked to the other end of the room and opened one of the cabinets and held the laptop close enough that she could read the package labels of half a dozen different flours, three different sugars, and a box of yeast packs. When he set the computer back on the counter he saw her arms crossed in a fake pout.
“Fine, I stand corrected. So why don't you ever share?”
Inuyasha considered how to answer. He could give his usual snarky answer about not liking his coworkers enough to share, but he found he didn’t want to shut down Kagome’s easy conversation. He didn’t talk about his mother, but if he did really like Kagome now was as good a time as any to bring her up.
“I do, just not at work. I have dinner with my mom every Monday, she cooks and I bake. We were broke as shit growing up so we made everything from scratch. I’ve been baking since I was about 7.” He patted his stand mixer almost lovingly, “Got a lot easier when I saved up for one of these bad boys a few years ago.”
"Now I'm all jealous of how amazing your house must smell."
He tapped the side of his nose and said "This thing is a major baking help. Makes cooking harder because I hate the smell of most spices, but I can tell when bread and cakes and stuff are ready."
"Wow, I had no idea your nose was that sensitive. Must make crowds hard though, even I can't stand the great unwashed masses."
He smirked, happy to brag about his superior senses. "Not the same. To you it's just one mass of BO but to me I can tell them all apart from each other. Everyone has a different scent and so yeah some folks do just stink but honestly I have a harder time one on one with someone wearing too much cologne than a mass of people."
"No perfume on dates, duly noted."
He felt color creep across his cheeks. "Plural, huh? Feeling confident there?"
"However many as it takes til you let me touch your ears," she said with a wink.
Inuyasha self-consciously reached his hand up to the aforementioned appendage. "That's three at least, I'm not that easy."
"Well we've got one down, and I've got an idea for a second… if you're interested that is."
"I might be, depends on what it is." Lies, he'd agree if it was to go stand inside an active volcano.
"Well, you take Achilles out for a walk every day right?"
On cue, the giant white fuzzball came rushing into the kitchen looking between Kagome and Inuyasha with an inquisitive “boof”.
Kagome waved at the dog then continued, "Well there's a dog park by my house. I thought maybe we could go together? Fresh air, large swaths of personal space...maybe some fetch?"
Now Achilles refused to be left out of the conversation and started barking insistently.
"Achilles thinks it's a great idea," Kagome hedged.
"You speak dog now?" Inuyasha asked, his brow popping up into his bangs.
"I do actually"-- the confident way she held his gaze filled his belly with a warm, comforting feeling. The moment was broken when Achilles reminded him he was very keen on the idea and would like to go, preferably now.
Inuyasha cleared his throat, giving himself a moment so his answer wouldn’t be too eager. “Two hours work for you? I need this to proof and bake before I head out.”
“It’s a date.”
And this time there was no question, no rushing away-- just a huge grin and one very happy dog.