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Her cubicle was eight steps and a twist away. Inuyasha was both extremely pleased and terribly annoyed by it. Pleased, because that meant of everyone in the office, Kagome Higurashi would often come and talk to him: a quick conversation here on the way to the coffee machine, a laugh or look of commiseration there as she returned from the printer with a stack full of papers. So close, the two of them were, that Inuyasha had no choice but to look up every time her dumb, squeaky chair made a sound. Because maybe she was getting up. Maybe she was coming to chat. Maybe—
“Oh, hey Kagome. How’s it going today?”
And then, there was Koga. Stupid fucking Koga, with his rugged good looks and piercing blue eyes. He was a tanned god, and Inuyasha despised him as much as he also wanted to figure out if the six-pack his t-shirt alluded to was in fact real. It just wasn’t fair. Because Koga was IT, which meant him going around to speak to staff was considered being proactive. He was a good employee, wasn’t he? Making sure the people of F.A.N.G. had working computers and reliable printing solutions and all that fucking crap.
It was bullshit and Inuyasha could smell it a mile away.
Koga only came to flirt. And his favourite person to flirt with? Kagome.
That asshole.
Which brought him to his second point: why it was so terrible to be just eight steps and a twist away from Kagome Higurashi’s cubicle. Because he had to watch and listen, over and over, the two of them chatting. Getting friendly. Koga was laying it on thick, just as he always was. And Kagome was just being her normal, over-the-top, nice self.
Or was she flirting back with him?
Inuyasha had always been garbage at knowing.
“Careful,” Miroku’s voice floated over from the cubicle next to his. “Your jealousy is flashing neon green all over the place.”
“Fuck off.”
Black hair sprouted from the cubicle wall, Miroku’s handsome face appearing a moment later. His blue eyes sparkled – deep and dark like the sea compared to Koga’s stupid ice-shard hue – and his lips were twisted in a smirk. “I know you don’t mean that,” he said. “It’s just the jealousy talking.”
“I’m not jealous,” Inuyasha hissed, but it was no use. His best friend was already rolling his eyes, exasperated. “It just sucks that stupid Koga can walk around and talk to people all day and it’s considering doing a good job. My Outlook calendar has been messed up for two months and he still hasn’t come by to fix it. It’s been two months!”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have called him a sack of shit, and then given him a sack of fake shit for Secret Santa last Christmas.”
“He’s lucky it wasn’t real,” Inuyasha muttered darkly, aggressively clicking on desktop icons that meant literally nothing. “Besides, that was almost a year ago.”
His friend sighed the sigh of a man who knew what defeat tasted like. Miroku disappeared back behind the cubicle wall, where he belonged.
Inuyasha watched as his computer froze, the ten icons he had clicked all trying to open at the same time and failing. He growled, pressed enter on his keyboard three times and then aggressively moved his mouse around, aimlessly clicking.
The white film of “Not Responding” appeared on the screen. The blue rotating circle of death replaced his mouse’s icon.
“Koga!” Inuyasha yelled. “Koga! My computer is shit!”
“There in a minute,” the brown-haired jerkface called back, sounding like he was in no rush to assist.
Inuyasha’s phone rang. It was his boss.
Today was a hot piece of fucking garbage.
“Here.”
Inuyasha looked up from his Excel spreadsheet, hating the way the numbers were blurring over and over again. It was only ten in the morning, for fuck’s sake. He still had a whole day of this crap. But blurry or not, Kagome’s smiling face was enough to distract him from what she was holding in her hand.
The elixir of life: coffee.
And not that shit from the break room. It was in a mint green cup, which meant it was from the bakery down the street. The one with the delicious croissants that Inuyasha only binged on when he was hung over and dying.
“Oh god. This isn’t a joke, is it?” he whined, and then decidedly hated himself for it.
Kagome shook her head and put the takeaway cup down. “Nope. Just thought you’d like it. You’ve been coming in early everyday the past two weeks, haven’t you?”
It was budget season. So yeah, Inuyasha practically set up camp at his cubicle. “Not that early,” he lied, trying to play it down. He wrapped his hands around the paper cup and almost moaned. Almost. His self-control was crumbling like those stupid, dry cookies in the break room. Hachi was the worst baker in the entire world.
“You should take a break. Go for a walk or something,” Kagome coaxed, so earnest and caring. Inuyasha had the strange feeling that he wanted to cry. Budget season really fucked with him, okay?
“Maybe later,” he said, looking up at her. Her eyes were this amazing dark brown, so dark that they almost looked completely black, though there were tiny flecks of something lighter – not amber, but then what other colour made sense? “How’s your day looking?”
“Eh, alright.” Kagome waved her hand dismissively, that easy smile still in place. “Had to run a few errands for Jaken. You know how it is. At least it meant I could go to Sango’s for a decent cup of coffee.”
Inuyasha frowned. “You’re in marketing. You shouldn’t be running errands for an executive assistant.”
“Executive assistant to the CEO, so I do what I have to,” Kagome replied with a rueful shrug. “I am still technically the new kid.”
“You’ve been here over a year.”
“Sango’s coffee,” was all Kagome said. “Be grateful I got you a cup.”
Inuyasha took a sip. He let the strong flavour coat his tongue, the heat flowing through his chest. It did nothing to calm the stupid butterflies in his stomach. Dumb, goddamn fluttering fuzzy bugs. “Should I feel special?” he snarked, anything to distract him from the sappy shit permeating his thoughts.
Her smile didn’t fade. “I’ll see you later, Inuyasha.”
As she turned away, Inuyasha was torn between elation and confusion. What the hell did any of that even mean? Was it a friendly coffee? Or was it a friendly coffee?
The coffee cup – mint green as it was – didn’t have any answers. Completely useless. This was going to drive him mad.
Inuyasha met Cupid on a Wednesday. Kind of a stupid day, if you asked him. That was probably why no one was.
At first, he thought he was imagining things. It was almost seven in the morning, and he was once again in the office, trying to make the numbers work. He had at least seven Excel spreadsheets open, about a billion tabs, and for some reason none of these fucking formulas were working. Inuyasha had only been at the office for like an hour and already he was done. Done with the day. Done with the family business, like dear god, he should have just run when he had a chance.
And that’s when he saw him. A child was standing in the hallway between cubicles, staring at him. Big, massive green eyes like emeralds and floppy red hair that looked like it had been brushed five times too many. And the freckles. So many freckles.
Did the kid’s parents forget that sunscreen existed?
…Was that a bow and arrow?
“Who the fuck are you?” Inuyasha demanded, standing up from his chair. There was no way a child should have gotten into the office. They had security. Access cards and keys. There was no way—
“You can see me?” the kid exclaimed, big eyes going even wider. Inuyasha hadn’t even thought it was possible.
“Uh, yeah.” What the hell kind of question was that? “How did you get in here?”
“Wow, dude.” The kid grinned then, all teeth. “You must be super desperate if you can see me.”
“The only thing I’m desperate for is your damn parents,” Inuyasha grumbled. He sauntered over, getting more and more confused the closer to the kid he got. What was the child even wearing? It looked like some kind of robe, or what frat guys wore during Halloween parties. Or, really, any kind of party. “Why would they even dress you like this?”
“Dress me like—” The kid looked indignant, crossing his arms. “I dressed myself and I—”
“Sure, you dressed yourself, kid,” Inuyasha repeated, rolling his eyes. “Come on, we’ll bring you to security.”
“Yeah, no, that’s not happening.” The redhead grinned and waved his bow. “See you around, Romeo.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth, an exclamation on his lips, when suddenly there was a poof of pink smoke. It seemed to come from nowhere, and incredulously, Inuyasha couldn’t remember the kid holding anything else. Where had the smoke come from? He reached forward to grab the child, to pull him from whatever crap he activated, but there was nothing.
Nothing.
“What the fuck?” Inuyasha whispered, waving his hand around as the smoke dissipated. There was no child. Nothing there. There was no possible way he went anywhere; Inuyasha would have seen.
…
What the hell kind of witchery was this?
After that, Inuyasha saw the kid everywhere. Just tiny glimpses, and when Inuyasha doubled back or took another look, the redhead was gone. All that lingered was the memory of those glittering green eyes and that stupid, terrible outfit.
He was losing it. There was no other explanation.
“Hey,” Kagome said, sidling up to his cubicle one afternoon. She had a glass of water in hand but Inuyasha had no idea how many cups that’d been. Normally he’d know, but all day he’d been distracted. Between the budget and the spreadsheets and the redhead’s wide grin… What the hell was he going to do?
“Uh, Inuyasha?”
Blinking, he pulled himself from his thoughts. Kagome was frowning at him, worry apparent in her expression. “Sorry, what?” he asked, feeling tendrils of guilt creep up his spine.
She pushed at her bangs, clearing them from her eyes. He’d seen her do that in meetings, or when she was psyching herself up for something. It was a nervous gesture; he recognized it. “Are you okay?” Kagome asked slowly. “You seem…distracted.”
“Just…” Inuyasha couldn’t even lie. He’d spent years at this company wallowing during budget season, but nothing compared to the craziness that was this past week. A whole seven days of a child tormenter, even on his weekend. “Things.” That was it. That was all he had.
Inuyasha groaned and buried his face in his hands.
“Hey, Kagome! Your new monitor came in.”
Of course. Of fucking course. Right on time, there was Koga. His big stupid white smile was almost blaring and his shiny, radiant hair was swinging from his ponytail as he jogged over. Jogged. Not walked, not like a normal person.
Inuyasha hated him. He hated him so, so, so much.
“Hey Koga,” Kagome greeted easily. “That was fast.”
The other man laughed, the sound rich and fun. The literal complete opposite of what Inuyasha was at that moment. His voice was whiny and sad and exhausted. “That’s why it’s good to have a friend in IT.”
A friend. Inuyasha couldn’t help but snort. Yeah, right.
“Did you want me to set it up? I’ll need your help to make sure I don’t ruin anything on your desk.” Koga smiled that heart-swooning smile. Inuyasha wanted to throw up.
“Sure, thanks.” Kagome gave Inuyasha a quick smile before following stupid Koga those eight damn steps back to her cubicle.
Quietly, Inuyasha smacked his head against his desk. What the hell was that? ‘Just things?’ ‘Just things?’ How much more of an asshole could he become? There was no way in hell that Kagome liked him, or was at least interested in him the way that he was in her. Not with performances like that.
“Dude. I’ve seen second graders flirt better than you.”
Motherfucker—
Spinning around, Inuyasha came face-to-face with him. Him. The child with the red hair and green eyes and stupid robe and the bow and arrows. Like, what the hell was up with that?
Maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe Sesshomaru was finally trying to get rid of him for good, and drugging him was the way to go.
No, that didn’t make sense.
The redhead sat down on the floor in the cubicle, leaning against the printer Inuyasha had smuggled in years ago. His legs were crossed and his head was propped up on one arm, the picture of innocence. That was, if you ignored his gaze. He was lazily examining Inuyasha, as if he could tell from a single look exactly how mentally unstable he’d become. There was nothing childlike about that, and it wasn’t a good feeling. “I’ll be honest,” the kid started, “you look rough.”
“I look rough?” Inuyasha hissed, crouching down in his seat. “You aren’t even real!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The kid grabbed one of his arrows and jabbed, poking him in the shin. The pain was sharp and sudden, but it was a blessing. That was real pain. That had hurt.
The kid was…real?
“Yup, I’m real. Close your mouth, it’s unattractive.” The kid grinned then. “Trust me, I would know.”
Inuyasha snapped. “Who are you? And why the hell have you been following me? How do you keep disappearing? And— And— Where are your fucking parents?”
“Dude—”
“Don’t call me ‘dude,’” Inuyasha retorted.
The redhead rolled his eyes. “Whatever you want, Romeo. The name is Shippo and I’m a Cupid. No, not human. A Cupid. I poof around and make you all fall in love.” He said the last bit with a drawl, fingers fluttering for emphasis. “And apparently you can see me. You’re like the Loch Ness Monster.”
He was like the…? Inuyasha shook his head, hard. The kid – Shippo – was still there, looking unimpressed.
Blinking. Blinking then. Inuyasha aggressively blinked his eyes.
Nope. Still there.
“You’re a little sad for a human, aren’t you?” Shippo asked, sighing. “Figures. The first human to see a Cupid in like a bajillion years and it’s you. I knew of the legend, but like I said, you were more of a Loch Ness Monster.”
“Cupid,” Inuyasha said slowly, unable to believe it. “You’re Cupid.”
“I’m a Cupid,” the kid corrected, waggling his finger. “Inaccurate lore, but that’s to be expected. Most things in your old books are a bit inaccurate, if not completely wrong.”
So there were more of them, and they went around making people fall in love, just like the redhead said. Wow. Just… Wow. Without realizing it, Inuyasha’s gaze landed on the cubicle eight steps and a twist away. The top of her head was visible because she was standing, but Koga was still there, probably doing manly, nerdy things that Inuyasha hated with a passion.
“Hey, Inuyasha, can you print this for me?”
Miroku’s familiar voice startled him from his thoughts, actually making him jump from his chair. It took a moment to realize that his best friend was peering at him from over the cubicle wall, blue eyes wide and expectant. In his hand was a USB drive. Right, he wanted Inuyasha to print a file, which was right by—
Oh god.
Whirling around, Inuyasha looked back to the place the Cupid once was, but where before there was floppy red hair, now there was nothing. No bow and arrows. No dancing green eyes.
Just the printer.
“Man, are you okay? You look pale,” Miroku suggested, actual concern laced in his words. “You’re not getting sick, are you?”
“No,” Inuyasha replied, grabbing the USB drive and ducking back down as fast as possible. “I’m fine. I’ll print your stuff.”
He thought that would be the end of it, but it was clearly not when his friend actually stepped out of his own cubicle to impede into Inuyasha’s. Miroku’s handsome face was all concerned lines and earnest eyes. It was pretty easy to see why the guy pulled so often.
Then again, it made for a much funnier time watching Miroku try and fail to seduce Sango the coffee shop owner every few days when they dared to venture over.
Sighing, he tried to cut off any apprehension at the pass. “I swear I’m okay. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me. Bud, you’re pale as shit. You look miserable.” His friend actually dared to reach out and flick one of his ears, the asshole. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t like lying, not to Miroku. As much as they had started out as colleagues, Miroku had proven himself as a friend again and again. But what was he going to say? He was imaging a redheaded kid that wasn’t so imaginary and apparently Cupid? Wait – sorry – a Cupid.
Holy hell.
“Just…stressed,” Inuyasha finished with lamely. It wasn’t exactly a lie – budget season was murder on him every year – but it wasn’t the main problem. “Work and…” How was he going to say it? Glancing over at Kagome, Inuyasha sighed again.
“You have it bad,” Miroku murmured, shaking his head. “Why don’t you just ask her out? She clearly likes you, too.”
“You’re delusional,” he replied immediately, the conversation they had almost by rote now. “She’s that nice to everyone.”
“Not to me!”
“You grabbed her ass on the first day of meeting her. You’re not exactly a shining example of someone to be nice to.”
Miroku groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I didn’t know she was going to work here! We met her at the damn coffee shop!”
“And aren’t you trying to get with Sango, or…?”
“Jealousy, Inuyasha. It can be powerful.”
Snorting, he rolled his eyes. “She charges you double every time you so much as breathe in that store.”
“True love is worth it.”
“You’re a moron.”
It was Miroku’s turn to sigh. “Yeah. It’s kind of a problem.”
A week later, and things were better. The budgets were all finally submitted – though whether Sesshomaru approved of them or not was another story – and Inuyasha could come to work at a relatively normal hour. He could leave at a normal hour too, which meant that on one Monday evening when he was packing up, he slowed down the moment he noticed Kagome rise.
She was also leaving.
Thank god.
It seemed like the past seven days had just been constant missed chances with her. Times that didn’t line up – she had meetings or he had calls – and even her relatively often coffee breaks hadn’t been at good times for them to talk.
This was his opportunity.
So Inuyasha took several minutes clicking and unclicking his pen before he put it down by his keyboard. He then straightened the mouse, tapped on a few keys for the hell of it, and then tucked in his chair.
There.
When he looked up, Kagome was standing on the other side of his cubicle, clearly watching him with a smile on her face. “Didn’t know you liked to be so neat,” she commented lightly, raising a brow.
“Budget season changes you,” he replied, cracking his knuckles.
She looked him up and down, and Inuyasha didn’t know what to do about it or even what it meant. He grabbed his briefcase and headed towards the elevator, trying not to panic about the fact that Kagome was beside him, following along like this was something they did every day.
It was not, in fact, something they did every day. Maybe once every two months.
“Any plans for the holidays?” Kagome asked suddenly, breaking the silence as they waited for the elevator to arrive. “I thought I heard a rumour that Sesshomaru was going to shut the place down for the week.”
Inuyasha snorted. Highly unlikely. “Probably just a day or two, but I honestly don’t know shit.”
“Aren’t you…?” The hesitation was normal; Inuyasha expected it because this was far from being the first time this question was asked. “Aren’t you brothers?”
“Half,” he answered, knowing that the irritation in his voice was audible from a mile away. “Doesn’t mean I know shit, trust me.”
That actually made her frown, which wasn’t the expression Inuyasha wanted her to have as they descended to the lobby. It should have been a fun conversation, something memorable that would make her like him more. Not depressing family shit.
“It’s not a family business?”
“Nope.” Inuyasha shrugged. “Well, we both work here. But technically, I was here first.”
Kagome smiled. “How is that even possible?”
“Sesshomaru’s an asshole, that’s how.” Inuyasha spared a glance her way, pleased at how she was trying to hide her grin behind her hand. “Well, you would know. You report to him too, don’t you?”
“I’m not supposed to.” But that was all the answer both of them needed. “Are you going to the holiday party, then? If the rumour that we’re shutting down work for the holidays is false, maybe it’s also false that he’s coming.”
Despite claiming to hate everyone, Sesshomaru normally arrived for a solid twenty minutes before disappearing, leaving Inuyasha with the corporate card to pay for everything. “Yeah,” he murmured, wondering just how high he could rack up the drinks bill without getting sneered at. “Will you?”
“Definitely.” Huddling into her jacket, Kagome buried her chin into her scarf until he could only see her dark brown eyes. It was only then that he realized they were talking outside, the ground clean of snow but the threat of it in the clouds. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“For sure,” Inuyasha replied, wanting to say more – to keep her there, to ask her to go somewhere, anything – but unable to figure it out in time. Kagome was already waving and walking away.
“Dude, you suck.”
Inuyasha sighed deeply. He really didn’t need this.
“How hard is it to ask someone out?”
“Look, kid—”
“It’s Shippo, you douche-wagon, it’s not that hard.” The redhead stepped up beside him and poked him rather aggressively with the tip of an arrow. “And I’m not a kid.”
Inuyasha huffed. “You look like one.”
Shippo grinned then, but it was far from boyish. He twirled, some weird footwork that brought him closer to the road. “No one can actually see me though, so what do my looks even matter?” He nocked an arrow, tongue sticking out in concentration as he drew.
“Wait a moment, you’re not fucking sending an arrow flying—” In a blink, it was gone. There was nothing but a sort of glittering shine, and then the arrow disappeared, flying into the distance too far for him to see. “What did you just do?” he demanded.
Shippo glared at him with those big, green eyes. No one had ever looked more unimpressed in his life. “Made someone fall in love, obviously. I’m a Cupid, remember? Kind of part of the job description.”
“Who?” Inuyasha stepped closer, trying to see into the distance. There were a number of people walking on the sidewalk, some standing at the lights. Was it any of them?
“Can’t tell you,” Shippo replied easily. “Cupid-Human confidentiality.”
“Cupid-human— What?”
The redhead rolled his eyes. “I can’t say, dude! It goes against the code.”
“What code? There’s a code?”
“Obviously!” Shippo spun his bow around like it was nothing more than a toy, bored. “Never strike someone Destined. Never strike those already Struck. Never tell of the Work. And yadda, yadda, yadda. It’s kind of boring and I’ve mostly forgotten it. It was a long time ago when I learned it.”
“What does Destined mean? Like soulmates?” Inuyasha couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “That’s a thing?”
“La la la, I have no idea, I shouldn’t have told you in the first place!” Shippo spun around with a flourish. “Bye, Romeo!”
“No, wait!” Inuyasha called out, reaching to try and grab him before he disappeared into thin air like he always did. “You’re a Cupid. You make people fall in love, right?”
Shippo gave him an incredulous expression, something that was so far beyond the unimpressed look that it simply couldn’t be quantified.
“Well, why can’t you shoot Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, thinking about it. “When we’re talking or something, so I’m the first person she sees. Then I’ll know for sure, right?”
“Are you dumb?” Shippo exclaimed, voice practically a squeak in his indignation. “That’s not how that works!”
“Well you’re not telling me how it works so how am I supposed to know?”
“You’re not!” Shippo smacked a hand against his forehead. “Stupid, desperate Romeo, oh my goodness, why me?” he whined. “Inuyasha, dude, look. It’s not the first person you see, it’s who I intend for you to fall in love with. And I can’t just shoot anyone. There’s a…a sort of aura? I can’t explain it in human-terms. But it’s a way to identify if someone is ready, you know? For their forever kind of love. Some people aren’t. Some people never get there. Some people don’t want one. Shooting someone without an aura is one of the rules!”
“You have too many rules!”
“And you’re yelling at no one since no one else can see me!”
That last part registered a beat too late. Blinking, horrified, Inuyasha looked around at the very wide berth everyone was rightfully giving him. Oh god, and in front of his workplace too.
“Fuck,” he cursed, hating himself.
“Language! I’m a child,” Shippo chastised, and then burst into a poof of smoke with the echo of his laughter haunting him.
Inuyasha took a deep breath and steeled himself. He could do this.
One step. Two. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, twist—
“Hey, Kagome?”
The black-haired beauty spun around in her chair, dark brown eyes wide as she took him in. She looked surprised to see him there. Inuyasha couldn’t blame her for that; he could count on one hand the number of times he went to her desk, rather than the other way around. It just always seemed so…weird coming from him.
But he could feel Miroku’s blue eyes boring a hole into his back, so Inuyasha sucked it up and tried on a smile. It felt a little crooked, but it was the best he had.
“Hi! Is everything okay?” Kagome asked, tone as delighted as it always was when she spoke with someone.
“Oh, yeah, no, there’s nothing wrong.” Inuyasha shrugged to be casual and wondered if it just came off as awkward. “I just…wanted to see what you were doing on Friday?” Hell, he could feel his heart pounding in his hands. His hands! This was just ridiculous. He hurried on, refusing to look at her just in case she was getting the wrong idea. “I mean, Miroku is trying to convince Sango from the coffee shop to go out for drinks, but she won’t go on a date with him. But with friends, she would. And he has no friends so I figured we could help him out.”
Kagome huffed out a laugh. “You’re friends with him.”
“That’s only because I don’t want him to feel bad,” Inuyasha corrected.
“Ah, got it.” She smiled a little, leaning back in her chair like she had all the time in the world to talk to him. If only that was the case. “Which bar?”
“Not a clue.”
“Time?”
Inuyasha should have thought this through like five-million-times better than he had. “We’ll probably head over right after work?”
The lilt in his voice at the end definitely made it sound like a question. Kagome raised her eyebrows at him, inquiring.
“We’ll head out right after work,” Inuyasha confirmed, because why the hell not. If that wasn’t Miroku’s plan, then his best friend could suck it. He should have given Inuyasha way more details because this whole conversation was getting more embarrassing by the minute. “Well, I have things to do. This was great. See you later.” He tapped on her cubicle wall three times like an idiot, and then ran away.
Shippo was sitting on the bathroom counter.
“Not a fucking word,” Inuyasha spat, turning on the tap to splash his burning face with water.
“Oh, Romeo,” the Cupid murmured, sounding almost sad. It was such a stark difference than the usual banter that it made Inuyasha look up.
There was nothing there but smoke.
Friday came around and Inuyasha dealt with it the way most mature adults dealt with anything: avoidance and denial. He worked his butt off and made the tweaks Sesshomaru demanded from him on the budget. He got approval to hire an assistant in the new year and managed to prank Jaken into getting nearly fired. All in all, it wasn’t a bad week.
The familiar squeaking of a chair caught his attention, and then Inuyasha could see Kagome standing, turning until she was—
Facing him. And smiling.
Oh god.
“You’re making that face again,” Miroku said, startling Inuyasha. His friend was leaning over the cubicle wall, grinning. “Oh, to be in love.”
“You’re obsessed with Sango, don’t start,” Inuyasha grumbled. He closed down his files – whoops, never finished that P&L draft – and then shut off his computer. Whatever, Monday was the start of a new week. He’d be productive then.
“Yes, but I own my obsession,” Miroku explained. He was apparently already tucked away in his jacket, ready to go. “You, on the other hand, pretend there is no obsession. It’s lazy.”
“What’s lazy?” Kagome asked, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.
“Miroku’s hygiene,” Inuyasha answered sweetly, smirking. “We ready to go? Is Sango actually coming?”
“She said she would!” Miroku frowned though, fishing out his phone. “Do you think she won’t?”
Kagome patted him on the arm, laughing. “I talked with her last night. She’s coming.”
“You talked to her?” Miroku exclaimed, blue eyes coming alight. “Last night? Isn’t the shop closed?”
“At six, yeah, but we had dinner.” Kagome gave him a weird look. “You know Sango and I have been friends since grade school, right?”
The look on Miroku’s face was hilarious enough that Inuyasha snickered, shouldering his way past his best friend to head towards the elevator. Guess that ass grab from Kagome’s first day really was going to ruin him.
The bar that was chosen was only a block away, but highly popular amongst the corporate crowd. Their workplace was situated in the heart of the financial district, so Friday night drinking was a common theme everywhere. Miroku had at least been smart enough to make a reservation, which was useful considering the bar barely had enough room for a little host podium to greet guests, never mind a waiting crowd. There were actually a few groups huddling outside, waiting and unprepared.
They were put in a booth in the middle of the bar, televisions all around them playing different sporting games. Inuyasha paid absolutely no mind to anything athletic, but Miroku had thought the casual atmosphere would make chatting easier.
It was very loud though, so maybe not.
“Have you ever been here before?” Kagome asked, sliding into the seat next to him. Inuyasha’s mind froze at that for a good few seconds until he realized that of course she would sit beside him. Sango was coming and the point was for her and Miroku to do their…flirting thing. Or Miroku would flirt and Sango would look exasperated.
He generally didn’t understand it.
“Never,” Inuyasha replied, shaking his head. “This isn’t really my thing.”
“Drinking?”
He snorted. “Crowds.”
The answer made her frown a little. “But you’re always so good in them.”
Inuyasha blinked at her. “What?”
“Like last year’s holiday party,” Kagome continued, seemingly concerned, “when everyone was trying to figure out the company’s direction, but Sesshomaru had left so you had to field everyone’s questions. You did a good job with everyone.”
That was…
There were so many parts of that to process. Kagome had only been a very recent hire. For her to have even paid attention to him, when they barely knew each other— No, he couldn’t fathom it. But then, she had to have paid attention because she remembered him answering all of those questions when Sesshomaru had been a Grade A dick and vanished with a flourish after announcing the company was potentially downsizing, Happy Holidays!
Yeah. Inuyasha had never wanted to kill his half-brother more.
“Oh,” he said lamely, not really able to say much else. What could he even say? I pay attention to you, too.
No.
Kagome smiled at him then, before turning her attention to Miroku. His best friend was easily ignoring them, staring at the door and waiting. “She’s coming, I promise.”
“Okay,” Miroku said, but he didn’t look away from the door.
“I didn’t realize you liked her so much.”
“God, how could you have missed him waxing poetic about her in the office? He sings about her all the time,” Inuyasha complained, lip curling when his friend only grinned at him. “And you’re a terrible singer.”
“I’m a joy. You should be— There she is!” Miroku leapt from the booth, nearly crashing into a server on the way. Kagome laughed and followed him out, apologizing to the man trying to rebalance his drink tray. Inuyasha watched them both go, torn between following and waiting.
“Ask her out.”
Inuyasha sighed. Not now.
Shippo was glaring at him, sitting where Kagome once was with an expression of disdain. “You’re better than this.”
“How would you know?” Inuyasha asked.
“Because I’m a Cupid and I know these things.” Shippo stood up and peered over the booth, where Kagome was currently hugging her friend. “Don’t you think she likes you?”
“As a friend? Sure.” Inuyasha shrugged. “But she’s nice to everyone.”
“She doesn’t go to bars with everyone,” Shippo stated, unimpressed. “Especially not that IT guy.”
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about Koga?”
“Because you whine about him like a five year-old schoolgirl with a crush.” Shippo sighed like his eternal life was that damn hard. “If I didn’t know better…”
“You’re the worst.” Inuyasha watched his friends from afar, talking and trapped in one of the corners by the door as a large group passed them. “Hey, do me a favour and shoot Kagome with your arrow. Help me out."
"You’re an idiot.”
“That’s not a no.”
“Ask her out yourself, you coward.”
“Now who’s the idiot?”
Shippo glared at him. “Still you.”
“Fuck off.”
There was a throat clearing, not two feet away. Inuyasha groaned internally as he looked around to see a young girl standing at their table, clearly their server. She looked incredibly uncomfortable. “Should I…come back?”
And Shippo was gone, of course he was. Not that their server had probably even seen the Cupid in the first place. “Maybe in a minute, yeah,” he answered, watching her disappear as fast as possible. He groaned into his hands, took a breath, and then pasted on a pleasant enough expression when his friends came back to the table.
He could do this. Be normal and friendly. He could charm Kagome.
It would be fine.
It would not be fine.
Inuyasha smacked his head down on his desk and tried to pretend he wasn’t at work. Not even the weekend could fully erase his fears.
Miroku shook his head at him. “You’re being obsessive.”
“That’s you, not me,” Inuyasha shot back, not raising his head.
“You were fine.”
“I barely spoke.”
He could feel his friend rolling his eyes. “You’re not exactly a big talker. Isn’t it better that you’re yourself?”
“How will Kagome like me if I don’t talk?”
Miroku sighed. “By being yourself?” he repeated.
“That’s stupid.”
As expected, his best friend ducked back behind his cubicle wall, done with him. Well, it was for the best anyways. Mondays were terrible enough for their existence. Now he could wallow on his own, just like he’d done all of Saturday and Sunday while watching TV and ordering takeout.
“Wow, if only I knew you could be paid for sleeping at your desk, I would have done it a long time ago.”
At this, Inuyasha did groan. This day could not get any worse. “Go away, Koga.”
“What’s up, mutt? Sesshomaru ask you to do something for once?”
Picking his head up from his desk, Inuyasha glared, wishing that he could kill the wolf demon with it. “Back off. Like you’re one to talk.”
“Me?” Koga laughed. “I’m the busiest person here.”
“The busiest gossiper who prances around the office talking to only the women and refuses to do any actual work, you mean.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes and flicked at his mouse, forcing the screensaver to disappear. “Oh, and it’s been ten weeks since I put in my IT request, or have you yet to learn to read?”
Koga grinned, vicious. “I think that particular request was deleted.”
“Good thing Sesshomaru was CC’d on it then,” Inuyasha smirked back. He opened up the IT browser and started a new one. “Let me try this again. Maybe I’ll even add it to my meeting with him.”
The wolf demon narrowed his blue eyes. Damn, but they were so nice. Inuyasha hated him a little bit more. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would.” Inuyasha’s finger hovered over his mouse. “Now go away.”
“Asshole,” Koga muttered, crossing his arms before attempting to spin away. ‘Attempting’ was the key word because he ended up bumping right into Kagome, who was carrying two cups of coffee and spilled most of one in the ensuing crash. “Oh no, Kagome! Are you okay?”
Kagome held the cups out, grimacing. “I guess.”
“Let me get you a new coffee,” Koga offered, already taking a step back.
“That one was actually for Inuyasha,” she replied. “Since he’s been working so hard. It’s been a bit of a mess for him since his Outlook calendar keeps crashing and still hasn’t been fixed.” She gave the half-demon a smile, and Inuyasha swore his heart stopped. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Koga could only blink at her. Kagome, to her credit, didn’t pay him any mind. She hadn’t sounded mean throughout her little speech, and Inuyasha wondered if it was some kind of witchcraft. Because while it had been firm, and pointed, and clearly disappointed, she’d come across far too well for Koga to have taken offense.
Brilliant. She was brilliant.
A cup of coffee at his desk later – Koga had brought it, put in way too much sugar, but whatever – and Inuyasha couldn’t help but stare at the top of her head. Eight steps and a twist away. Could he do it? Could he ask her?
“You should do it,” Shippo singsonged, appearing at his elbow. He grinned cheekily at him. “Come on, Romeo.”
“Leave me alone,” Inuyasha hissed back, but his golden gaze strayed right back to her.
Maybe…
He was still staring at her when he heard the squeak of her chair. Kagome was getting up and putting on her jacket. It seemed a little odd because it wasn’t lunch or even the end of the work day, but maybe she had a meeting. Maybe on the way back from it she’d go to Sango’s coffee shop and get more coffee.
All that did was serve to remind him of every little thing that Kagome did for him. All of the small gestures and the way she noticed him, smiled at him.
For a wild moment, all the half-demon felt was a confidence that hadn’t previously been there.
“Oh man,” Shippo whispered, awe-struck. “It’s happening.”
But he barely paid the words any mind. Kagome passed his desk with a quick wave, but Inuyasha had much more to say. More to do. He got up from his desk and rushed towards her, too late because the elevator doors were already closing—
Kagome’s arm shot out and Inuyasha smirked at her as he slid into the space. “Thanks,” he said, a little bit breathless. “Where are you going?”
“Jaken needs me to pick up something for Sesshomaru. Some sort of package? It kind of sounds creepy—”
“You shouldn’t be doing that.” Inuyasha frowned. “You’re not Jaken’s assistant.”
“New girl, remember?” she answered wryly.
Inuyasha’s confidence didn’t falter. “I’m going to talk to Sesshomaru about that.”
“Oh god, no.”
“Yes.”
Kagome shook her head at him, but the smile was still there. “Are you…okay? You seem different.”
“No, I just— No. I’m good. I’d want—” Inuyasha scowled and looked up at the elevator’s ceiling. There was a grate at the top and… Was that a green eye staring at him?
“I will stop this elevator,” Shippo hissed.
“Inuyasha? Are you okay?” Kagome asked again, and this time she actually sounded worried.
“I’m—” Inuyasha dragged his gaze away to the only thing that mattered. He looked at Kagome, took a breath, and—
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
“For the love of everything, are you kidding me?” Shippo screamed.
It wasn’t anything he could explain. Inuyasha couldn’t stop himself from laughing as he reached out for Kagome’s wrist. She wasn’t going anywhere, despite the elevator having stopped, and wasn’t that the only indicator he really needed? Shaking his head, Inuyasha asked, as clearly as he could, “Did you want to go to dinner with me?”
The concerned expression faded away into a smile, that slowly crooked upwards more and more until it was a full-on grin. The elevator doors closed and they continued back up towards some other floor. Neither of them cared, least of all Inuyasha. “Just us?” she clarified, biting her lip, and damn, was that tempting.
“Just us,” Inuyasha replied. It took every ounce of him to not ask if that was alright, because a part of him still didn’t think this was actually real.
“That would be great.” Kagome stepped in a little closer, and maybe it was the look in her eyes, or maybe it was just the way she seemed so completely as ease with him. Inuyasha leaned in a little, his golden eyes watching for any sign of hesitance before slowly, so slowly, kissing her.
“Good job, Romeo,” Inuyasha heard, but he was far, far too busy kissing Kagome, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her in closer—
The elevator dinged, forcing the two away from each other as the doors opened and some random people stepped on. Inuyasha grinned at the ceiling, Shippo nowhere in sight, and Kagome laughed a little to herself. His hand still held tight to her wrist.
“Want to come with me to pick up whatever it is Jaken needs?” Kagome asked suddenly.
“Yeah,” Inuyasha answered, punching the button for their floor. “Let me just get my coat.”
Shippo could feel the winter wind push at his hair, but the cold didn’t get to him. He sighed as he watched Inuyasha and Kagome go, hand in hand as they walked down the street. Disgustingly romantic.
“Who knew Destined couples could be so dramatic?” Soten, a fellow Cupid, said from beside him. “Humans are dumb.”
“Yeah,” the redhead agreed. He tightened his grip on his bow before twirling it around. “But they’re kind of endearing, too.” The wind shifted and just like that he could feel it. He spun around, arrow in his hand faster than he could consciously make the decision to grab it. It was nocked within the blink of an eye, aimed squarely at the chest of one Sango Houko, who was nervously debating whether she should enter the office or not.
She wanted to talk to Kagome, who had already left. She’d talk to Miroku instead.
“Jeez, you get all the crazy ones,” Soten muttered, watching with a keen eye.
Shippo grinned, pleased anyways. He knew exactly how their story would go. “At least this one can’t see me.”
And he let the arrow fly.