#i am filled with the irrational urge to pet

[kstewdeux]

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“Nononononono…”

As Inuyasha collapsed to his knees with his face buried in his hands, Kagome rushed forward while their friends took care of the mushroom demon who’d just shot a cloud of spores right in the half-demons unsuspecting face. The effect had been instant. Stumbling back, Inuyasha visibly became disoriented  allowing the mushroom to make a break for it. For a fungus it was surprisingly agile but Kagome wasn’t concerned about whether it’d get far. She was concerned about the poor half-demon who had proceeded to lose his ever loving mind.

“Inuyasha? Hey. Hey talk to me,” Kagome breathed as she slid to her knees and tried to pry his claws away from his face, “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“Want go home,” he half-sobbed into his hands and he folded himself in half so that his forehead pressed against the ground, “Want ‘Gome.”

Oh boy…Inuyasha had gone bye bye. 

“I’m right here,” Kagome tried to soothe - her hands giving up the pointless attempts to pry him from the ground and instead began coaxing him to lay his head on her lap. It took far too many words of reassurance and what seemed like hours of petting his hair (it was minutes), but Kagome was relieved when he finally complied. Slowly, clumsily and seemingly painfully, he arranged himself against her chest. Letting his weight sag against her while still tearfully pleading for her presence. There were other things mumbled too here and there. Something about things being too loud. World melting. Colors. Nonsensical things that thankfully seemed to be pushed aside to make room for his biggest fear.  Which was apparently being without her.

“Kagome? What’s wrong with him?” Sango’s concerned voice whispered as the slayer stood a safe distance away and the miko sighed.

“I’m not sure. All I know is he’s terrified,” she answered honestly while Inuyasha continued whimpering and trying to become one with her body.

“Some mushroom demons can induce irrational fear from their victims. It’s a defense mechanism,” the slayer offered in an unsure tone, “But the effects are usually weak.”

“That thing had a jewel shard Sango,” Kagome clipped in frustration as she sent her friend a chiding glare, “I think it’s safe to say whatever it did wasn’t weak.”

Licking her lips, Kagome tried to stand so they could move to a safer location but her movement seemed to only terrify the poor man to greater heights.

“Nononononono…”

His hands moved from his face to slam down on her shoulders - his claws inadvertently sinking into her flesh earning an involuntary cry of pain. 

“No. No no,” Inuyasha whimpered before dissolving into full blown sobs but not removing his hands, “I…I’m sorry. I’m s-s-sorry. Don’t go. Don’t go.”

“I’m not going to leave you,” Kagome grunted - trying to fight off the urge to cry out a second time as she reached up to force his hands away causing his embedded claws to drag through her skin. Upon realizing she was being stupid, she stopped trying and took a steadying breath, “Y-you need to l-let go. We’ve got to move somewhere safer, okay? Don’t you want to be safe?”

“Don’t go,” Inuyasha pleaded - his unfocused, wide and tear filled gaze darting haphazardly to her face, “Shit,” his gaze lowered to the blood soaking through her shirt, “Nonononono. I h-hurt you. I h-hurt you. No. Please no.”

“Hey hey hey, eyes up here,” Kagome ordered gently and amber clumsily followed her fingers until their eyes locked, “I am okay. I am not going to leave you. But we have to move. We need to get inside somewhere, okay?”

Cradling his hands against his chest, Inuyasha whined and stiffly shook his head.

“Sango, how long do these reactions usually last?” Miroku’s worried voice suddenly joined in, “Isn’t there something we can do?”

The slayer cringed.

“Well…”

“Inuyasha! No! No! Bad!” Kagome’s panicked voice had the pair’s heads whipping in their direction only to see Inuyasha start dragging his claws down the sides of his face while sobbing uncontrollably, “Don’t make me say it. Don’t make me. Stop it. You need to fight this.”

“Hurtyouhurtyouhurtyou…”

A second later he had face planted on the ground while a rattled and exhausted looking Kagome stared down at him in shock.

“Miroku, go find an inn. Get a room,” Kagome ordered mechanically after a tense moment, “I don’t care how. Scam them. Pay them. Seduce their daughter. Take one for the team. Whatever you need to do.”

Despite herself, Sango choked back a laugh before quickly getting serious. 

“I saw a village a little distance away. I’ll take you there,” she offered and soon it was just Kagome with an Inuyasha who was in the process of trying to claw his way back into her embrace.

“Breathe. Just breathe,” Kagome soothed as the spell lifted and Inuyasha damn near launched back into her body with such force it knocked her onto her back. In seconds he’d arranged himself atop her. Burying his face into her chest while blindly trying to force her arms around his back. A gesture she willingly and quickly adopted. 

“I’ve got you. You’re okay. You’re okay.”

“D-didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whimpered miserably before shocking her when he began pressing little kisses against her sternum, “Don’t leave me. Don’t. I l-love you. C-can’t leave me. Can’t.”

Well, this wasn’t the romantic confession she fantasized about and it probably wasn’t even true. Still, she might as well play along if only to calm him.

“I love you too. You don’t need to be afraid. I will never leave you,” Kagome cooed as she combed her fingers through his hair and tried to pretend this wasn’t a horrifyingly awkward situation, “Just breathe for me, okay? I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe. All you’ve got to worry about is breathing. In. Out. In. And out.”

“In out,” Inuyasha sniffled in between shuddering breaths that bordered on hyperventilation, “Safe. Safe. Safe.”

“Yeah. You’re safe,” Kagome cooed encouragingly, “In. Out. In. Out.”

It felt like a freaking eternity before Sango finally came back for them but thankfully, Inuyasha seemed to be relaxing the more time went on. Even though he still seemed shaken and disoriented, he allowed Kagome to lead him onto Kilala, into the small inn and onto a futon. 

“Stay,” he mumbled tiredly as his eyelids dropped and he shakily laid down on the well worn bedding. His claws absently scratched the fabric as unfocused amber eyes fluttered, “Here. S-stay.”

“Sango is going to bandage me up and then I’ll be right there,” Kagome sighed heavily before wincing when the slayer pried away the fabric plastered against the wound, “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

When he sluggishly blinked at her and his face crumpled, Kagome gave him an understanding and sympathetic smile while Sango cut the fabric away to preserve her modesty. They all had come to an unspoken understanding that moving Kagome out of Inuyasha’s line of vision wouldn’t end well but the wounds needed to be addressed. Kagome was grateful she’d had the foresight to pack extra clothes and extremely fortunate to have brought actual pajamas with her this time. 

“You just nicked me. I’m okay,” she comforted and even though he still looked high, Kagome could tell he didn’t believe her. Especially when one finger moved to clumsily tap at his nose and he gave her a mournful look. Kagome sighed before flinching when Sango applied some antiseptic.

“Why don’t you let Miroku clean up your face?” Kagome offered quietly as she looked to the monk who had been sitting deep in thought but who immediately jumped to attention at the mention of his name, “Would that be okay?”

“You’ll stay though?” Inuyasha mumbled wearily and when Kagome nodded, Inuyasha nodded his consent.

“Make sure he can see me,” Kagome murmured gently as the monk picked up a few bandages and some ointment. Miroku nodded once before moving to set about his task. The next few moments were relatively quiet aside from Inuyasha being much more reactive to having his wounds touched than normal. Little whines escaping him as he winced and subtly tried to move his face away from the alcohol being applied.

“These are deep,” Miroku informed Kagome with a quiet sigh - his hand moving to grab a clean bandage to wipe away the free flowing blood, “I can see bone.”

Narrowing her eyes at the arguably alarmist statement, Kagome set her jaw and waited to gauge Inuyasha’s reaction before responding. Thankfully though the poor half-demon seemed too out of it to register what was being said.

“Just be clean it best you can,” Kagome murmured back as calmly as she could and for a brief moment, a sliver of amber glanced in her direction. For an even briefer moment, his lips kicked up into a lazy half-smirk before Inuyasha jerked slightly and tried to lean his shredded cheek away from the monk’s attention. A second later and his hand shot up to grip the monk’s wrist.

“Inuyasha the sooner he’s done, the sooner I can come over there,” Kagome tried to chide him and surprisingly, Inuyasha let go with a heavy sigh.

“S’cold,” he mumbled wearily as one eye cracked open to look at her, “Stings.”

“Yeah, well, that means its working,” Kagome offered before gasping softly and wincing when the slayer put in a stitch without warning her first.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t think,” the slayer apologized as her freehand rubbed the miko’s upper arm, “You only really need two or three. The rest will heal naturally.”

The two uninjured parties continued working in comfortable silence while Shippo remained in the corner being unusually quiet and well behaved. The entire experience had been jarring enough for the adults but for a child? Kagome sighed and offered the poor baby a reassuring smile that he hesitantly returned. She honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Shippo had nightmares for weeks if not months. 

“That should do it,” Miroku sighed as he sat back on his heels and glanced towards the door, “I imagine I should go meet with the innkeeper regarding payment.”

“You haven’t already paid?” Kagome asked dryly and there was something about the duller than usual twinkle in his violet eyes that made her uneasy.

“Alas I have not and it would be a shame to leave the innkeeper’s daughter waiting any longer,” the monk hummed casually as he got to his feet.

“You’re not serious?” Sango breathed - her hand jerking in surprise and as a result, pulling the stitch she was on a little too tight. Kagome hissed and whipped her head around to glare.

“Sango!”

“Sorry.”

“Of course not. I simply want to pay in advance for a few more nights of room and board. These events have been trying and I imagine Inuyasha will need more time than usual to recover,” Miroku acquiesced as he got to his feet, “I’m hurt you think so little of me. Especially when I was instructed to do whatever was needed. Would it have been wrong to seduce a homely little woman to secure lodgings?”

Sango scowled as she glanced up from her work.

“Yes.”

Head? Pounding. Face? On fire. Stomach? Churning. Floor? Spinning. Time of day? Night. Clarity of mind? To be determined. Desire to move or ask questions? None.

Sluggishly opening his amber eyes, Inuyasha found himself having to focus his gaze on a beautiful heart shaped face that lay mere inches from his own. Maybe not everything had happened only in his mind. The trees and ground melting had been. Everyone’s eyeballs being replaced by black empty holes and the flesh melting off their bones hadn’t been either. The sound of screams and the repetitive squelch of a knife being removed from a wound had clearly been fake. No smells other than rancid decay. He might as well have been blind and deaf. That actually would have been preferable.

But, in the midst of all the chaos, one hazy memory stuck out to him like a sore thumb.

She’d said she loved him back. He honestly didn’t remember saying it first but that must have happened. Kagome said she loved him. And she wasn’t the type to say something like that and not mean it.

“Love you,” Inuyasha mumbled barely louder than a whisper - a giant wave of relief washing over him as he finally felt safe enough to say those words out loud. Up until now the risk has been too great. Kagome had always made it clear she was going to leave him after the quest was complete. Always. From her constant fixation on returning to her world to her casual comments about looking forward to a life of normalcy. And she was always mad about Kikyo which was understandable.

Inuyasha’s ears drooped and his stomach churned. Relief quickly turning to regret. That would explain a lot. Kikyo and his actions regarding the aforesaid dead woman made him hate himself why wouldn’t it make her hate him? To forever worry about being the backup option? No one would chose that kind of life no matter how much they might love someone. And when she said that she loved him, he’d been insane so maybe she didn’t mean it. Maybe she thought it would calm him down and figured he wouldn’t remember what she said do it wouldn’t hurt.

Jaw trembling slightly, a single finger moved to trace her jaw and then tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. Even if he knew how to explain his actions, which he didn’t, the harm had been done. She might trust him with her life but she’d never trust him with her heart. It might kill him but…but maybe he needed to stop interfering when other guys tried to win her over. Guys who deserved her because god knows he didn’t.

When she showed signs that he might’ve woken her up, Inuyasha closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Plausible deniability seemed the way to go. Act like he remembered nothing. That would make what he probably should do less complicated. He should let her go. Kagome had a nasty habit of being miserable or getting hurt just to make his life better.

His plan would’ve worked if Kagome’s fingers hadn’t gently touched the smooth piece of skin where his human ear should’ve been. A highly sensitive piece that caused his whole body to react when stimulated. Despite himself, his breath caught and he jerked.

Couldn’t very well pretend to have slept through that. Dammit.

“Sorry,” Kagome whispered affectionately as Inuyasha reluctantly opened his eyes and met her apologetic gaze, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

And just like that his traitorous jaw started trembling at sight of what looked like  love in her eyes. It hurt to look at her. It hurt to take in their position. It hurt because he knew what he had to do and how badly he wanted things to be less complicated. How badly he wanted what she said to be true.

“Hey hey hey. It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Kagome immediately transitioned into soothe the insane person mode - her hand cupping the side of his neck while her thumb gently caressed the base of his jaw, “Just breathe.”

“Get off,” Inuyasha huffed hoarsely as he lightly batted away her hand, “I’m fine woman.”

“It’s okay to be weak sometimes. You can admit that you’re hurting,” Kagome murmured softly.

“M’not weak,” Inuyasha corrected gruffly. What Kagome found odd about that statement was that Inuyasha looked close to tears when he said it and more damning, he was staying right where he was.

“I know you’re not,” Kagome promised with a soft sigh as she reached up and once again placed her hand against his neck. Her thumb gently stroked the base of his jaw. He didn’t push her away.

“How about this? You had a hard day. It’s okay to say you had a hard day,” Kagome amended and despite himself, Inuyasha subtly learned towards her touch.

“Don’t remember most of it,” he admitted quietly before clearing his throat and adding, “Feels like I clawed my face off though.”

“You tried but you weren’t successful,” Kagome teased wearily and Inuyasha nodded once while averting his eyes. The base of his neck still resting securely in her palm. This was the moment of truth he supposed. See what she said. How she acted. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing. Maybe she hadn’t said she loved him and he hallucinated the whole thing just like he hallucinated a whole slew of other equally messed up things.

Inhaling deeply to calm his nerves, Inuyasha’s eyes flew wide open in horror as one extremely important and horrifying detail hit him square in the senses.

“I hurt you?!” Inuyasha hissed angrily as he recoiled and scrambled to sit up, “Where?”

“Inuyasha, it’s really not that bad,” Kagome insisted as she pushed herself up and the bandages that had been hiding beneath the hem of her shirt momentarily peeked out. The poor miko watched as Inuyasha zoned out for a moment clearly trying to find some recollection but he was visibly still under the effects of the powder. His skin still clammy. His eyes somewhat unfocused. The fact that he hadn’t noticed she was injured until now was also a major hint that he hadn’t fully recovered.

What a mess.

“L-let me see how bad it is,” he finally managed as he moved with less than his usual grace to kneel behind her, “I-I need to see.”

“If I show you, you can’t run,” Kagome mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder and Inuyasha’s stomach dropped. That meant it was even worse than what he was imagining and she knew it too.

“J-just show…”

“I’m just saying…”Kagome continued with a shuddering sigh before seeming to come to a decision and adding, “If you wanted to get rid of me, you shouldn’t have said you love me. You’re stuck with me now. You run. I‘ll follow.”

Inuyasha suddenly found his chest rather tight even as a mournful little smile played on his lips and a remote part of him squealed in joy. Here was his choice. Pretend to not remember. Tell her she heard wrong. Or own up to it and risk losing the life he’d managed to find.

“I hurt you,” he finally mumbled - conflicted as shit on what to do and deciding that statement summed up his current thoughts in a vague yet truthful way which would buy him some time. Much to his utter loathing, Kagome turned more fully and gave him an understanding loving smile.

“Never intentionally,” Kagome replied cryptically - allowing him to take that response in whatever way he wanted. Because it was true. Yes, he hurt her but that was more her taking a situation personally that just wasn’t personal. Kikyo was first. They’d been engaged. It had been, what, a day when she first came on the scene? Of course Inuyasha - the loyal to a fault Inuyasha - wasn’t going to give up on Kikyo. How things had ended wasn’t exactly consensual but it sure as hell was traumatizing. And Kikyo didn’t exactly give Inuyasha room to grieve or heal. Half the time she was trying to win him back and the other half she was trying to murder him and/or everyone he cared about. In all honesty, given everything, Inuyasha was handling the completely unfair and painful ordeal with much more grace and composure than he got credit for.

“C-can we talk? Outside?” Inuyasha finally asked in a very tense voice as his ear purposefully flicked towards the others to indicate one or all of them were now listening.

Kagome nodded once before grabbing the coarse cotton blanket they’d been provided and wrapping it around her shoulders. It was so late outside no one would be up to observe them but that didn’t mean she wanted to be wearing soft pajama shorts out in public. Following Inuyasha to the door, Kagome tried to remain calm and collected when he gestured for her to step out and then closing the door behind them.

One heartbeat went by before Inuyasha scooped her up and launched atop the roof where he gently set her down and awkwardly sat down directly in front of her. The slant making her almost loom over him. A setup she figured was probably intentional. Inuyasha always had an excellent situational awareness.

“Didn’t want someone to see , ya know, up there…” Inuyasha muttered as a blush appeared in between the bandages still plastered on his cheeks and he pointedly looked at her bare legs, “Those pants are just short, ya know?”

Kagome nodded and muttered a soft ‘thank you.’

“So…so I remember some things,” Inuyasha began in a resigned tone - his attention and fingers focused on the thatch roof, “Not a lot but…I remember you saying that you loved me back. Which means I told you how I feel.”

Kagome nodded once and amber eyes flicked up to her face before averting again. Honestly Kagome wasn’t sure why she expected him to elaborate more. The awkward tense silence that followed his observation was extremely uncomfortable and it became painfully clear he had expected her to take that ball and run with it.

“I’m just saying we both know,” he tried again - his fingers plucking up a few pieces of loose straw which he stared at like it was the most captivating thing in the world, “It’s out there now.”

“How do you feel about that?” Kagome finally asked and Inuyasha gave her a quick withering glare.

“How do you feel about that?” he parroted back with a frustrated huff - his fingers still plucking at the fraying roof, “You’re the one who…who loves an asshole who literally almost too your neck off today. Who kills people. A ‘two-timer’ so you tell your friends. Can’t read. Can’t write. Just…”

“A very loyal, damningly forgiving, soft man who uses anger and insults to cover up all the trauma,” Kagome finished for him and Inuyasha winced at the description.

“M’not soft.”

Kagome smirked at the partial denial.

“Yes you are,” she cooed before laughing softly and starting her own laundry list, “How about you? You’re in love with someone who slams you to the ground whenever you do something they don’t like and sometimes for no reason. Who bad mouths you to people who can’t understand the situation. Calls you names behind your back. Who makes you feel bad for things outside of your control.”

Inuyasha shifted his weight but did seem to perk up slightly.

“S-so neither of us are perfect,” he concluded hesitantly, “Is that your point?”

Kagome nodded once and smiled.

“That, for all our faults, we still love each other,” Kagome offered before adding with a short hum, “You’re my happy place. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Smiling faintly at that confession, Inuyasha swallowed thickly and let out a controlled breath.

“So. So...”

“So...what?” Kagome parroted back with a soft laugh and Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

“So, if we start something, I got some conditions.”

Glancing up, Inuyasha saw Kagome raise a single eyebrow which he took to mean she was amenable to hearing what he had to say.

“Y-you can’t l-leave when the quest is over,” he demanded quietly - his fingers still playing with the thatch, “You’ll need to stay here.”

“I figured that much,” Kagome hummed, “It would be too hard for you to move to my world. You belong here. And I do too.”

A moment passed.

“I c-can’t stop going to see Kikyo when she calls. I do owe her a lot,” Inuyasha added wearily - his ears plastering against his skull, “But I’ll choose you i-if you chose me. Won’t let a-anything happen and I’ll make my choice known.”

“I can live with that,” Kagome agreed and Inuyasha finally raised his eyes to give her his full attention.

“If we do this, I want you to stop entertaining Koga and the Hojo dipshits. I want you to be very clear about the fact you’re taken. I’m gunna do the same so…so I think that’s fair to ask,” Inuyasha demanded shakily. Kagome nodded her acceptance of this condition.

A moment went by and then Inuyasha had one final request that had Kagome blanching.

“I need…I would like if we got your mom and grandfather to approve me courting you,” Inuyasha added nervously, “I don’t want any surprises.”

“They aren’t going to say no,” Kagome pointed out with a reassuring smile, “They adore you.”

“They don’t adore me. They accept that you have a task and that I come with it. They accept that we’re friends,” Inuyasha corrected wearily, “That’s not the same as having me court you. I want them to approve that.”

“And…if they don’t?” Kagome asked - not at all afraid of that possibility but curious what his plan would be nonetheless.

“Then what happens’ll be up to you,” Inuyasha offered - his eyes once again finding the thatch roof very interesting, “And I’ll accept whatever you decide.”

Frowning slightly at this calm, strangely formal Inuyasha, Kagome couldn’t quite place why this freakish behavior seemed familiar. Like…like dejavú or something. It just felt like she’d seen this type of behavior from him before. Like…like dejavú or something. What was weird is that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she’d never heard him talk like this before. Never seen him act like this. Maybe it was something in his tone? Or body language?

“Hold on a minute,” Kagome finally huffed as one aspect of his plan suddenly hit a raw nerve, “My mom says no and you‘d just back down?! You wouldn’t fight for me?!”

Inuyasha recoiled out of surprise and stared in confusion tinged with horror.

“Wha-”

“I can’t believe you!” Kagome hissed angrily, “You’ll argue over anything and you wouldn’t even tell my mom she’s wrong?!”

Inuyasha simply stared - too stunned to really formulate a good defense.

So he told the truth.

“W-well I want them to like me,” he finally managed to stutter out, “Can’t really tell them to fuck off.”

Kagome set her jaw and narrowed her eyes.

“Why not?”

“W-why not?” Inuyasha managed to repeat, “B-because it’s your mom?”

“Inuyasha, I see you fight tooth and nail to defend…” Kagome almost almost mentioned Kikyo but changed course, “A lot of people but you won’t fight to be with me? You won’t defend yourself?”

Inuyasha seemed to shrink somewhat at that instead of bristling like she was hoping he would.

“It’s your mom though,” Inuyasha mumbled awkwardly by way of explanation.

“So you’d just give up then? That’s your plan?” Kagome concluded, “I love you. You say you love me but my mom says no so screw me then. I’m not worth it. Love only goes so far.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Inuyasha finally snapped as he straightened up and glared, “If this,” he gestured aggressively between them, “Works out then, you know, there’ll be marriage and babies and I want...”

Eyes widening in full blown horror, Inuyasha’s mouth moved silently for a moment while what was exposed on his bandage covered face turned scarlet.

“Know what? This whole thing is stupid,” he finally huffed as he scooped her up without warning and jumped down, “Fuck you and your mom and your stupid…”

“Inuyasha, I’m just saying I want you to fight for me,” Kagome sighed heavily as he deposited her and made to storm off, “Just as hard as I will fight for you. If they say no, I’m not going to accept that as an answer. I don’t want you to either.”

He paused and was quiet for a moment before slowly turning back towards her.

“I don’t want to have to…” he finally ground out after a long moment, “I don’t want to…to have to fight for this. You are the easiest thing in my life. Being with you, even as a friend, is the only easy thing. They say no and then being around you gets hard.”

“But you want to risk making it hard anyway?”

For the longest time he stared at her, the cogs working furiously behind his eyes as he visibly tried to choose his words carefully.

“Because I don’t want to start this, know what it’s like and then…” began slowly before sighing heavily and running his heel along the dirt, “Just dammit Kagome most people are going to want to kill you if they find out we’re together. You know that, right? Your family, you…you don’t know how much it means to me that you guys act like I’m…”

“Normal,” Kagome supplied and Inuyasha nodded before huffing.

“Well, okay, yeah, you guys noticed the ears and shit but you were never afraid of me. Never thought I was evil,” Inuyasha groaned before gesturing at the inn door, “Everyone else in that room tried to kill or hurt me the first time we met. Everyone I have ever cared about assumed the worst. Well, okay, except Mother but even then it was just in different ways and...and...”

Kagome waited patiently for him to finish his explanation. It was nice hearing his thoughts for once instead of having to guess. Which was probably due more to the residual effects of mushroom spores than anything but, hey, silver linings.

“Point being,” Inuyasha huffed as he ran his sleeve beneath his runny nose, “I don’t want to find out I’m wrong. Don’t want to find out your family hated me all this time. I will fight for you. I will but…I don’t want…I don’t...”

Groaning softly, Inuyasha was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight and felt absolutely exhausted for some reason. It was a wonder he was managing to stay upright. He ran his sleeve over his face a few times to clear his blurry vision but the action only seemed to make his disorientation worse.

Cringing, Kagome saw him suddenly go pale then green. His body swaying slightly and his eyes fluttering closed like he was fighting off nausea.

“Come here,” she murmured affectionately and Inuyasha slowly shook his head.

“D-don’t…don’t feel r-right,” he breathed as his hand moved to pinch his temple. A moment then two and his knees felt like they were going to give out.

“I n-need down,” he mumbled as he began to crumple before letting out a miserable groan when he felt Kagome’s body steadying him.

“F-fucking mushroom,” he breathed - his stomach clenching like vomit was mere seconds away.

“Come on,” Kagome whispered encouragingly as she slid open the door and lead him inside, “Come on. Let’s lay down, huh?”

Nodding weakly, Inuyasha collapsed onto the futon the second he felt it beneath his feet and curled into a ball. A blanket was draped over his body and he felt a warm hand lift his face. A second later his sore cheek was on something soft. One boneless arm was being moved and then he knew no more.

It must’ve been hours later that he woke up to the sound of a heartbeat in his ears and the feel of steady breathing beneath his cheek. A soothing warmth ran along the length of his torso. Magic fingers massaged his scalp. It was a wonderful way to wake up truth be told even if the blanket was scratchy against his bare..

Inuyasha tensed as he realized his outer garments were missing. More than that, he was completely topless. And why was his hair wet?!

“What the fu…”

“You’re finally awake,” Kagome cooed before flexing the arm tucked beneath his neck to keep him in place, “Stay still.”

“Why am I naked?!” Inuyasha breathed anxiously as he easily broke her grip and stared down at his bare chest - thankful that he at least still had on his under garments.

“You’re not naked. You just had some spores on your clothes. Sango’s washing them now,” Kagome explained calmly, “Sango said from what she knows those spores make baby mushrooms and each stage of development causes different reactions. I think when you rubbed your face you got exposed all over again.”

Amber eyes blinked at her for a moment. 

“But you’re fine?” he asked wearily and Kagome nodded.

“Just lucky I guess.”

“Well that's bullshit,” Inuyasha groaned before shocking Kagome by plopping back down and burying his very red face in the crook of her neck.

“How long was I out?” he mumbled against her skin and Kagome hesistantly began stroking his bare shoulder earning a slight shiver.

“Most of the day,” she offered and Inuyasha let out a long irritated sigh.

“I fucking hate mushrooms,” he mumbled under his breath as he snuggled closer, “Poisoning little bastards.”

Kagome smiled and leaned her cheek onto his hair. It would seem as though he’d accepted his fate. They were together and both of them had already decided it would be forever. It felt odd to say but as inappropriate as this position was, it felt natural. Not awkward. Not exciting or new.

“Head hurts,” he suddenly sighed - his nose tilting up to nuzzle her jaw, “You got some of those modern herbs with you?”

Kagome smiled and nodded against his hair.

“Good. Might need ‘em,” he mumbled tiredly - his breath evening out and his mind begging him to black out again, “M’tired.”

Biting her lip to hide her smile, Kagome saw Miroku nod in the doorway like his suspicions were confirmed before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Throughout the day, their friends had come to check on them and even watch over Inuyasha while the miko necessarily relieved herself. Miroku had a theory as to why Inuyasha was so dead to the world and had a hypothesis about how the poor half-demon would feel today.

Hungover. Apparently the monk was unfortunately very familiar with the feeling.

“I’ll protect you. All you need to worry about is getting better,” Kagome promised. Inuyasha let out what sounded like a long sigh of relief then snickered.

“Keh. Like I need protecting,” he teased half-heartedly before hooking his leg over hers and settling down.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Inuyasha was back to normal. Face healed. Mind much clearer. Gruff abrasive personality securely back in place. But there was something different in his interactions with the miko that the others found…inappropriate but welcome. It wasn’t exactly surprising to witness how soft Inuyasha could be but it was still odd. Then again Inuyasha had about as much social awareness and knowledge of norms as a pin worm and what he did understand he ignored so…

Well it was just weird. How he was acting was weird.

The little nuzzles he gave her when they weren’t around strangers. The kisses on her cheek. Pulling the miko into his lap and curling up against her at night.  Weird and uncomfortable but kinda understandable. Maybe. Not really at all . It was so unlike anything they’d come to expect from him there were serious concerns that that mushroom had caused permanent brain damage.

Whether or not Inuyasha had broken his brain, two weeks and a devastatingly easy transition into borderline married couple behavior later they were back in the modern era. Kagome watched as Inuyasha took a shuddering breath before marching up to her mom and, bowing low, requesting an audience.

Five minutes later and he was rushing back with a grin on his face. His arms pulling her into a tight embrace as he snickered to himself.

“She said yes. Jokes on you. You’re stuck with me now.”

Kagome rolled her eyes.

[sunsethwa]

compulsion, n;

an irrational need or irresistible urge to perform some action, often despite negative consequences

pt. 4 / ? [ prev / next / masterlist ]

 A/N: We all need a little taste of demon!san, even in seonghwa fics – sidenote I changed from writing in present to past, because I seem to always do that automatically smh

Word Count: 2k

TW: angst, heights, demonic antics?

The apartment was rustic, but surprisingly bright considering who owned it – it was quite artistic actually, lots of large paintings hung up on the brick walls and furniture that looked like it belonged in the 50s. It blended together well with the modern kitchen and its glass counter tops as well as the giant flat screen in the living room.

“You demon’s have a lot of money?” You turned towards Seonghwa and raised an eyebrow, questioning. His lips stretched, revealing a grin of perfect, white teeth – then chuckled a bit.

“I’ve been around for a while; I have my ways.” He said, guardedly. You huffed and walked over to the window that was the furthest inside of the apartment. The building was one of the highest in the whole city, and you were currently on the 20th floor out of 40. It was more than high enough to spark a slight fear but being inside it didn’t bother you that much.

“One needs a place to pull back and relax you know. Being a night creature, I need to fill the passing daytime.” Seonghwa added, standing next to you with his arms crossed over his chest. You turned your face towards him, wanting to start questioning him again, but something prohibited you from doing so,  as if your words were physically held back.

“Brother! You’re home! You’ll never believe what I did last night-“ A voice was heard from behind and the two of you turned at an instant. Your eyes widened at the sight of the silver haired man who had tortured you days ago. You unwillingly backed up, the back of your head hitting the window with a hard thump. Your hand instantly flew to the growing pain from the crash and you couldn’t help but crouching down to collect yourself.

“What did I say about coming here without my permission?” Seonghwa asked the silver one, his position untouched since the other entered the room. You looked up, seeing the man walk slowly towards you, picking up an apple from the fruit bowl on the coffee table along the way. He threw it back and forth in his hands a few times before taking a large bite out of it. You noticed a stripe of juice from the fruit seeping from the corner of his mouth, which he quickly wiped away with hand. His stare was placed on Seonghwa only, his brows furrowing slightly as if confused.

“But we’re brothers, aren’t we – shouldn’t we be allowed in each other’s homes? There must be some kind of code on that, don’t you think?” He said, his tone sly and low.

“San, you know I am not fond of you being here.” Seonghwa said, reminding you of the silver’s name. Neither of them moved nor spoke again for a while, and you were still frozen on the floor, scared to do anything in this moment. San suddenly turned his face towards you, his stone like expression changing into a smirk.

“What are you doing down there, honey? Get up.” He told you and you slowly arose into a standing position. A few seconds after you hear San laugh.

“Ahah! I make your pet nervous; can I borrow it?” You had failed to notice how much you were fidgeting and constantly trying to avoid San’s stare, keeping your eyes on the floor. You felt a firm hand on your shoulder, the grip so hard that you hissed.

“No, they’re not my pet. They’re a human I’m researching.” Seonghwa said coldly, pulling you with him past San towards one of the doors in the apartment. Once he shoved you through it, he closed on you before you could protest and you heard the lock being turned from the outside. In a sudden panic, you started knocking on the door, telling Seonghwa to let you out.

“I’ll be right back; I just need to take care of some things.” He said unsympathetically. You tried to protest, shouting that he couldn’t just leave you there. You heard a couple of footsteps, then nothing. Turning around, you took in the room you had been locked inside of. It was decorated nicely like the living area, except this one was filled with a single bed, a small tv, a desk and a small fridge. Curious, you checked the fridge – it was filled with enough food to last for days. Then, you noticed another door inside the room – this one opened and led to a bathroom.

“Damn, this demon surely has done this before.” You mumbled to yourself as you plopped down on the bed. There was no one you could call for help, your bag being left in the hallway as you entered the place. Right now, you were just happy that the room had a window, so it didn’t feel completely enclosed. There was no use trying to escape through it though, as the drop was straight down from there. For now, all you could do was to wait and hope Seonghwa would actually return soon as he said. You found the remote to the tv, turning it on to distract yourself from the situation. Soon, you found your eyes getting tired, suddenly falling into a deep sleep.

 …

 You wake up to a repeated banging noise a while later, unsure of how long you’ve been knocked out or where you were. When reality hit you, you sighed as you took in the darkness of the room, realising night-time had come. The tv had turned off by itself, so the little light illuminating the room came from the moon outside the window; except that it was flickering, covered by some kind of silhouette. The banging occurred again, making you shift, facing the source. You once again wanted to crawl into a corner because there, outside the window, was San somehow hanging onto the side of the tall building with no difficulty whatsoever. When he saw that you had noticed him, his eyes flashed to black for a second as he was smiling at you, then they returned to their normal state before he was pointing down at the window handle. You knew it was a bad idea, but you slowly walked over to the window and opened it wide. San quickly hopped in, landing right in front of you, only inches apart from your body.

“I thought you might not like being locked up like this, so I came to help you out.” He said, his smile so innocent that he almost looked naive. You tried to take a few steps back from him, but he quickly grabbed your arm.

“Or did you not want my help?” His face was so close to yours that you could feel his breath on your skin, shivering at how warm it was. His expression was completely different now, entirely serious and almost vicious. Scared of what would happen if you declined, you swallowed and nodded quickly. His grip let go of you and his sweet smile returned. He walked up to the door and swayed his finger in front of the lock before opening the door.

“After you.” He suggested, almost bowing slightly as he held the door open for you to exit.

“If you could do that, why did you come through the window?” You asked him, making him chuckle slightly.

“Ah oh that, well, Seonghwa doesn’t exactly – allow me to open his front door from the outside, so, the window is usually my way in.” He kept on grinning playfully and wrapped an arm around your waist, guiding you out of the apartment. Following you into the elevator, he pressed the button of the very top floor, making you question his intentions.

“Where are you taking me?” You questioned, feeling your insides boil in fear of this man considering his past actions.

“Well, to see how pretty the city is at night, you silly.” He said, his hand tightening around you, pulling you closer to him. You could swear that if his hands had been directly on your skin, they would have left burn marks because of how hot they were.

 Once you had reached the top, San changed his grip on you, instead intertwining his fingers with yours and pulling you out onto the roof of the building. You found yourself fascinated by all the illuminating city lights, yet completely dizzy from how high up you were, causing your feet to stop at a standstill. When San noticed your halt, he quickly turned and stared at you.

“What’s the matter? You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?” He asked you with a pout. Your eyes landed on his quickly, but soon flickered away from him, not wanting to show your fear.

“Awww.” He let out, his hand returning to your waist and half pushing, half pulling you closer to the edge. Soon, you were standing right at the end of the building, only a fence barely reaching your thighs and San’s grip keeping you from falling off.

“Look, darling. Look down for me, won’t you?” His tone was sweet and gentle, and somewhat endearing, yet, you refused to shift your stare, terrified of what was below. When you didn’t obey, he grabbed the back of your shirt with his free hand and shoved your body into a 90 degree angle. You were now facing straight down, the cars on the roads below looking like mere ants from this height. Impulsively, you closed your eyes, trying to fight San’s grip and pull yourself back up, but to no use.

“I said- Look!” His voice was not gentle anymore, his words were sung almost as a growl, making him feel animalistic. You opened your eyes back up, noticing tears falling straight down as you did. Feeling your chest heaving for breath, you tried to collect yourself, but to no use.

“I’m looking, I’m looking.” You let out with sobs, praying that he wouldn’t just let go of his grip of you and push you off.

“What the fuck are you doing?” A familiar voice was heard a from the other side of the roof. Quickly, you were ripped out of San’s hands and discarded on the ground like a piece of trash. You looked up through your tear-filled eyes to see Seonghwa lift San off the ground by his collar.

“I told you that they weren’t yours to play with, didn’t I?” He said.

“Y-yes, you did.” You could see San’s face scrunching up with his words, and you found yourself wondering if the other was hurting him.

“You’ve used up all your chances now, boy. If you cross me one more time, I’ll make sure to get your bond broken.” He warned the silver one.

“That’s not your decision to make!” San exclaimed, hissing at the pain of raising his voice soon after.

“But you know I can get it done, don’t you, huh?” Seonghwa cautioned, his voice so low that you could barely hear it. San nodded as quickly as you had only 10 minutes earlier, and Seonghwa finally let him down, whereas the first escaped faster than the speed of light.

 Seonghwa turned his attention towards you, his face stern, but reaching out his hand for you to take.

“I think it’s best you stay with me tonight.” He told you as you took his hand, getting back on your feet, balance still wobbly from the earlier events.

“Why?” You asked.

“Something tells me San is in a rush of bloodlust and I cannot keep you alive if you’re somewhere he can get inside.”

“You might need to put locks on your windows then.” You reminded him of how San had gotten inside in the first place.

“Consider it taken care of. Come on now.” He let go of your hand and just waved you in the direction of the elevator. You gladly followed – the company of any other demon was an upgrade from San’s – or at least that was what you hoped.

[sterekloveaffairs]

Heaven-sent - Castiel

Author: sterekloveaffairs

Characters: Castiel x reader (platonic), Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Warnings: fluff, period talk (if that is a warning), sister!reader

Word Count: 2.211

It was one of those days. I believe many women know what I am talking about. And no, this isn’t going to be a whiny girl stuff rant, us ladies can actually handle most of the unfairness that is thrown into our faces every day, but sometimes it is just a little bit too much. I mean, I’m pretty content being a woman, even when mother nature so kindly delivers her monthly gift. It’s a bit annoying sometimes, but usually I can just do whatever I had planned, at least if I accept the nagging ache in my lower stomach. But today… no, today I couldn’t. Every once in a while, mother nature would give me an extra special heavy-duty delivery, one with immense backpain, very sensitive boobs and a face that suddenly breaks out in acne Pompeii style. One where I will not just eat food but literally inhale every edible thing that fits into my mouth, where Sam and Dean can do nothing right and where I will start crying hysterically right after cursing them to hell. And aaaaaall of this is continuously accompanied by Cramps™. Yes, with a capital C and their own freaking trademark. Because they are vicious, every woman knows them and nothing can quite compare to them. They are the Cramps among cramps, the ones that can’t be helped with a hot water bottle and that have you curled up on your bed, dizzy and nauseous with pain.

And I was having one of those days. I felt bloated and sick, and I didn’t help myself by shoving all the chocolate in my proximity in my mouth. I knew it when I woke up in the middle of the night, curled into a ball and gasping for air as the muscles in my stomach contracted. I glanced at the clock and I nearly burst into tears when I saw it was only twenty past four. For a few seconds, I was very confused by both the pain and my very emotional reaction, but then it hit me. Oh… I tried going back to sleep, but I gave up on that plan around six, knowing I’d only piss myself off even more. I went to the kitchen, the smell of coffee telling me that Sam had already returned from his morning run. I grunted when I saw that the pot was nearly empty, and I resisted the strong urge to throw the machine on the floor. My brother looked up at me, smiling like he always did.

“Good morning Y/N,” he said. I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him.

“It would be if someone had left just one cup of coffee for the other people that live here.” Yes, very unfair, I know, no need to tell me that.

“What’s going on?” Sam asked and even without looking I knew he had a frown on his face.

“Just leave me alone,” I grumbled. I crossed my arms and dug my fingers into my sides, hoping I could will away the cramps by hurting them even more than they were hurting me. It didn’t work.

“Jeez, I know you’re not a morning person, but this is bad even for you. You’re worse than Dean right now.”

“Put that on a certificate for me and give me a ribbon or something,” I snapped. I decided I didn’t want coffee anymore and I turned back towards the door when I froze in my steps, seeing Dean look at me from the hallway. He was radiating that older brother authority he only used with me when he felt that I was crossing the line.

“Sis, if you’re not ready to be up, just stay in bed,” he said.

“You think I wouldn’t have done that if I could actually sleep?”

“Careful, Dean, the claws are out,” Sam said with a huff. I couldn’t deal with it. Seriously, why were they both being so damn annoying? I stomped past Dean, bumped my shoulder into his and immediately regretted it when I only hurt myself. I was so goddamn weak right now, how was it that even the slightest touch had me nearly doubling over in pain? It sucks being a woman!

“Leave me alone!” I shouted before slamming the door of my room shut behind me.

 It was only a few minutes later that there was a knock on the door. I knew it was Sam. Dean wouldn’t be as forgiving, he’d wait for me to come out and tell him what’s wrong. And Sam’s knocks were different from Dean’s.

“No!” I yelled, curled up under my blankets, my arms wrapped around my stomach and my pillow over my head. I could hear the door open, and the smell of coffee accompanied my brother’s footsteps.

“I said no,” I said softly, without moving a muscle. The pain was only barely manageable, I was afraid to move and send myself into another pain wave. I could feel Sam sit down on my bed behind me and heard him put down a cup on the night stand. He lifted the pillow and showed me the hot water bottle in his hand.

“You think I don’t know why you’re cranky? Or even up at this time for that matter.” He put the pillow aside and leaned over me to place the hot water bottle under my hands. He knew me so well. He was being so nice. And by Chuck I had been yelling at him over something stupid only minutes ago.

“I’m so sorry, Sam.” My lower lip trembled, and I felt miserable. This wasn’t me. I was never the irrational, emotional breakdown type, so I tried my best to hold in the tears that had absolutely no fucking reason to be there! I lost my composure when Sam started rubbing my back, and I turned around to my other side to burry my face in his thigh, my hands still clutching the warmth to my stomach.

“They must be really bad this time.”

“I don’t know what’s happening, Sam, they’ve never been this bad,” I sobbed. He kept on rubbing my back, and I just kept crying. The only thing I accomplished getting with that, was a headache. So yeah, great.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the fluttering of wings in the room, and I tried to stop crying. I don’t think Castiel has ever seen so much as a tear roll down my face, so this must be quite unusual for him.

“Dean told me you were here,” I heard him say, the tremble of his gruff voice sounding delightfully familiar and safe.

“Hi Cas,” Sam said while still rubbing my back, his second hand now resting on my head and petting my hair.

“Why are you upset, Y/N? Did something happen? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Cas, don’t worry about it.” Sam chuckled when he heard my muffled voice.

“But-“

“I’ll explain later, Cas,” Sam interrupted him before gently pushing my head off his lap.

“I’ve got stuff to do, little one, try to sleep a bit.” He pulled my blanket a bit higher and gently escorted (read: pushed) Castiel, who was still muttering expressions of confusion, out through the door. Believe it or not, but the heat actually helped a bit, and so did the smell of the coffee. It felt cosy and familiar, and eventually I dosed off.

 It was a few hours later when I woke up to Castiel sitting on my bed.

“Jesus f- Cas!” I sat up in the bed, or at least I tried to, because when I was halfway there, I gave up thanks to a new wave of nausea flooding my body. I fell onto my side again, grabbing the hot water bottle and feeling just the tiniest bit of disappointment when I felt that it was cold.

“Hello, Y/N, I’m sorry to startle you.” He then turned towards me, gave me a curious look.

“Sam told me what’s wrong with you.”

“Nothing is wrong with me!”

“He also said you might still be cranky.”

“I’m not-“ I took a deep breath, and I was really trying to not eat him alive. Yes, I was still cranky, I was still in pain and now I was hungry too! “Why are you here, Cas?”

“I was fascinated. I can sense your physical pain, it’s kind of radiating throughout your soul, it feels… intense.”

“Well, tell me something I don’t know.”

“Like what?”

“It’s a figure of speech, Cas.”

“Oh.” Cas looked at his hands, then back at me and back at his hands. He was thinking. And with Castiel, that could be something really good or something really bad.

“Where does it hurt the most?” He then asked, very seriously, and I smiled when he gave me a worried look.

“Doesn’t matter, Cas, nothing you can do about it.”

“Nothing at all?” I picked up the hot water bottle and gave it to him.

“Well, if you could fill that with hot water, it should help me for about 15 minutes, 20 if I’m lucky. It won’t do much, but it’s something.” Cas took the rubber container from my hand and looked at it as if it was a hand of god.

“So heat helps?”

“It sooths muscles, so yeah, it does a little, until it cools down.” I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop my dizziness and nausea, but I opened them again when I heard Cas drop the hot water bottle on the floor. I raised my eyebrows at him.

“I thought it would be louder. And bouncier,” he then said. Right. His insatiable need to experiment and test things and see for himself. Although I admired that in him and it was usually much appreciated and refreshing, it annoyed the hell out of me right now.

“Sure, go on ahead and don’t fill it up then, I’ll just suffer here like I usually do,” I snapped. I immediately regretted it, especially when I saw the sad twinkle in his eyes. I felt as if I had kicked a golden retriever puppy…

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked sincerely.

“No, Cas, of course not,” I said, “I’m just being a complete bitch and you don’t deserve that and neither do Sam and Dean and I know that no one is doing anything but I can’t stop it I just feel like such a horrible person!” I wiped my tears away and moaned when I felt a few bumps on my cheeks. “And now I’m getting zits like a freaking thirteen-year-old and I’m dizzy and hungry and nauseous at the same time and it’s so unfair!!” Cas was obviously a bit overwhelmed with my little fit, but eventually he put his hand on my shoulder, stroking gently but his eyes still wide in shock.

“Can I try to heal you?” He then said.

“I’m not hurt, Cas, this is normal,” I scowled, “but thanks anyway. Sorry for being such a bitch to you.”

“That’s alright. A lot of animals get restless and aggressive when they’re in pain, humans are no different. I just wish I could help you.” He then looked down at the hot water bottle on the floor and seemed to remember my earlier request, “I’ll fill that up for you, the heat will help.” I curled myself up onto my side again, turning my back to Castiel.

“Don’t bother, it won’t help for long, you’ll spend more time getting it ready,” I said, completely exhausted and still more emotional than I had ever seen myself.

“But… I want to help.” I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder, but another sting of pain stopped me halfway there. I clutched my stomach, and Cas reached out his hands. They were warm, and when I looked down, I saw the faint glow that had become so familiar.

“Cas, what are you doing?”

“I’m using my grace to heat up my hands. Does it work?” Weirdly enough, it did. It was soothing, comforting, and it definitely eased the pain.

“Yeah… yeah, it does.”

“Good.” Cas leaned down on the bed, replacing his hand on my stomach and the other on my lower back. The warmth was unbelievable, and I smiled softly.

“I will stay here with you as long as you need me. I don’t want you to suffer.” With that, he put his head down behind my shoulder and whispered to me to try and sleep. He didn’t hesitate, when he sensed the cramps got worse, he increased the heat with his grace, and he kept on spooning me. I nearly started crying again, because really, how nice of a thing is that to do? Castiel may not have been human, but at the same time he was more human than anyone I had ever known. He was kind and caring, and possibly the best friend I had ever had. And he was right, when he was taking care of the pain, it wasn’t all that hard for me to doze off again. I leaned back in his embrace, the warm glow soothing my body, and right before I closed my eyes, I murmured:

“Castiel, you truly are heaven-sent.”

[audreycritter]

You said I should ask and I am because all of a sudden I need Bruce, Dev, and Damian in the form of flash fic. Thank you dear. ❤️

mostly fluff for you, dawn, because i owe you :)

Scientific Study (AO3 Link)

Bruce Wayne came home from work too late to do anything other than head straight to the dining room. He found Alfred alone, putting a covered platter on the table and only two place settings arranged on the placemats.

“Where is everyone?” Bruce asked, meaning mostly Damian and Cass but also any of the nearly dozen people that were prone to showing up throughout the day and staying for dinner. He pulled his chair out and sat down.

Alfred served both of them before taking the other chair and answering with a question.

“Would you prefer the full report or the abbreviated version?”

“Abbreviated,” Bruce answered, wishing he’d taken the time to change out of his suit and tie.

“Busy,” Alfred said succinctly, with a straight face.

“Maybe less abbreviated,” Bruce acknowledged with a wry nod.

“The elder boys all had plans amongst themselves; Miss Cassandra is substitute teaching a dance class; Miss Stephanie is attending an evening lecture for extra credit. Master Damian is in the library with Kiran. They requested dinner on trays.”

“Hn,” Bruce said, chewing. He swallowed. “What are they working on?”

“I believe Master Damian’s freshman research project presentation is the focus of their efforts,” Alfred said. “Beyond that, you’d have to ask them.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes. It was absolutely certain that Alfred both knew the topic of Damian’s project and was intentionally denying him the information. He sighed.

“What are your plans for tonight?”

“I thought a bottle of wine and joyriding were in order,” Alfred said calmly, sipping water.

“Take a fake ID if you do. I’d like to avoid a scandal,” Bruce said, stabbing a mouthful of salad with his fork.

“If you insist, Master Bruce,” Alfred said with a tone of resignation.

A few minutes later, Bruce stood.

“I’m going to go see what Damian is up to,” he announced. “I can take care of my plate, Al. Take the night off.”

“Very well,” Alfred nodded his head and settled back into his seat. “I won’t argue.”

Bruce stopped long enough in the kitchen to put his used dishes in the dishwasher and then he headed for the library. Damian had barely mentioned the presentation even though Bruce knew, or assumed, it had been taking a lot of his time and thought.

As a rule, school was not Damian’s favorite place, but when it came to visibility of any kind, the boy tended to be precise and thorough– he never wanted to look stupid or ill-prepared. Bruce himself couldn’t remember how much he’d cared about the yearly presentation, only that he had cared some. One of Gotham Academy’s methods for producing high-achieving students had been for decades now to require a formal, year-long research project for each year of high school and the presentation was the first pitch to get the approval of the teachers’ board.

Bruce was fairly certain his presentations were still tucked away in a box somewhere, kept no doubt by Alfred. The older man tended not to be exceptionally sentimental but carefully catalogued and saved anything deemed important.

As he approached the library, he could hear conversation muffled through the nearly-shut door and it took him a moment to place the language as Urdu. He knocked, lightly, and pushed the door open without waiting. Alfred the cat nudged past his ankles and out into the hall.

Damian was sitting on the floor with a sketch pad, surrounded by different drawing pencils and erasers. Titus and Malcolm were asleep on the couch, and Bruce frowned but didn’t tell them to get down.

“Hullo, mate,” Dev said cheerfully, from his spot on the rug across from Damian. He had a stack of brain scans on one side and thick bundles of stapled paper on the other, and was sitting cross-legged trimming pieces of colored paper. A trifold board was propped, open, against the desk.

“How’d you get roped into this?” Bruce asked Dev, standing next to Damian so he could peer down at the sketch blooming across the page under Damian’s rapidly moving charcoal pencil.

“Roped?” Dev sounded offended, but only mildly. “I was invited. I’m here as a professional adviser.”

Bruce looked at the square of pink cardstock Dev was cutting with orange kitchen scissors.

“Professional advisor,” Bruce repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“I am conducting a study on the psychophysiological benefits of pet ownership,” Damian said without looking up or pausing in his work. The shape emerging was the profile of a dog. “I asked Dr. Devabhaktuni to assist me.”

Bruce, for a moment, felt a pang of irrational jealousy. Damian hadn’t even told him what projects he had considered, much less asked for help, and he wondered if it was his own fault for making himself or appearing unavailable.

“Bloody hell, but your school is posh,” Dev said, half to Bruce and half to Damian, while turning a right angle with the scissors. “We’d a science fair when I was in secondary and I think I did something about sugar content in fizzy drinks.”

“That seems unnecessary,” Damian said, switching pencils. “The content is labeled.”

“Honestly, I didn’t care much. I just liked being at school the extra hours. And it was an excuse to talk my mum into buying me Fanta,” Dev said with a shrug.

Damian stopped and looked up at him.

“You liked school?”

“It was bloody better than being at home,” Dev said casually, as if it was an easy thing to say. Bruce had known him long enough to know that Dev often sounded nonchalant about things that meant a great deal to admit; he didn’t know if Damian was aware of this. Damian was good at reading bodies but often missed social tone.

Bruce knew what that felt like.

“I hate school,” Damian said, resuming his sketching. Bruce sat down on the floor with them and loosened his tie. He leaned back against the couch and scratched Titus behind the ears when the dog edged his head closer to Bruce’s.

“It’s a sodding good thing I didn’t,” Dev said, switching out pieces of paper for an uncut one. “I went for over twenty years. And now I’ve the skills to trim shapes.” He grinned at Bruce and handed him a stack of cardstock. “Backing squares. Can you manage helping?”

“Maybe. Let’s find out,” Bruce said, sitting up and taking the offered paper and extra pair of scissors.

“Did she buy you the Fanta?” Damian asked in the lull that followed, the scratch of pencil and the snip of scissors filling the quiet library.

“And five others. It was brilliant. I wish it’d worked more than once.”

“Father,” Damian said, looking directly at Bruce for the first time since Bruce had entered the room. Bruce glanced up from the square he was cutting freehand. “How was your day at work?”

“No, Damian.”

“That does not answer my inquiry about your day, which was a polite–”

“Work was fine. The answer is no,” Bruce said firmly, biting back a smile. For someone so intelligent, Damian was still glaringly obvious sometimes.

Damian frowned and looked down at his sketch.

“I didn’t ask.”

“You don’t have to. I know what you were thinking.”

“We have plenty of space,” Damian protested. “I take more than adequate care of Titus and Malcolm.”

“No,” Bruce said again.

“I had nothing to do with this bloody scheming,” Dev said with a note of alarm. “Just in case I was falling under suspicion.”

“It would be beneficial for research,” Damian insisted. A normal child might whine or beg, but Damian resumed sketching and took on an authoritative tone, as if he assumed the upper hand in the discussion.

Bruce resisted the urge to sigh. He didn’t want this to turn into an argument but he also didn’t want Damian to feel unrestricted or without boundaries. He’d come a long way in the past few years but he still needed restraint.

“You could volunteer at the shelter,” Dev said, picking up the brain scan images and flipping through them. Bruce was not the kind of man to shoot off grateful looks but he hoped the slight nod he gave conveyed it enough.

“Tt,” Damian said.

Titus put his paw on the back of Bruce’s head and Bruce turned around and patted his belly. Damian sighed.

“I suppose that would be more beneficial to a greater number of animals,” he conceded.

“Call tomorrow,” Bruce said, turning back to the paper squares. He looked at the last one he’d cut. “I don’t think I’ve done this since Jay was in school.”

Years ago, that wouldn’t have been something he could bring himself to say. Even recognizing that made it feel like a difficult admission.

“What did Zombie Boy research, then?” Dev asked, as if actually curious. “He’s been sending me snarky doctor jokes for weeks now. I’d love to have some material to throw back at him.”

“Social studies project,” Bruce said. “He didn’t want to ask for help but he had a cold and kept falling asleep on the floor.”

“Weak,” Damian commented without much bitterness, more from habit Bruce thought than actual derision.

“Oi, there,” Dev said with a laugh. “Sodding big attitude from someone still small enough for children’s Tylenol.”

Bruce chuckled and reached out to tousle Damian’s hair. He half expected Damian to duck away, but he didn’t.

“Thank you both for your assistance,” Damian said stiffly, lifting the sketchpad to study the dog he’d drawn.

“It’s good,” Bruce said, looking at it with him. Damian turned quickly to look at him and there was a faint flush on his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he said again, less stiffly but far more quietly.

Dev set a brain scan image next to Damian.

“C’mon then,” he said. “You sodding promised. My office walls are far too bare.”

“What if I need a break?” Damian asked, flipping the page in the sketchpad.

“I’m merciless and demanding,” Dev answered easily. Bruce snorted and Dev ignored him.

“What’s your rate for commissions?” Bruce asked seriously. He was pleased to see the tiny quirk of a smile tugging on Damian’s face.

“I don’t know if you can afford it,” Damian answered.

“Too bad,” Bruce sighed, an exaggerated noise.

“It’ll have to be a gift,” Damian said.

Bruce nodded.

“When you have time,” he said. “School first.”

“Tt,” Damian answered, sounding amused.

“He doesn’t speak for me, mate,” Dev said, stretching out on his back on the floor. “I don’t care about your education.”

“Tea?” Alfred asked, poking his head into the room.

“I thought I told you to take the night off,” Bruce replied, turning. Alfred was in khaki slacks and a tweed jacket and a tam instead of his usual suit.

“Tea is not work,” Alfred said. “And I’m off to pick up Miss Cassandra soon.”

“Damian and I will go,” Bruce said, straightening the stack of squares with a tap against his knee. “Stay and have tea with Dev.”

“You’re just full of making bloody decisions for everyone else, aren’t you?” Dev asked without lifting his head.

“Yes,” Bruce agreed. “Any objections?”

“None here,” Alfred said. “Kiran?”

“I will go,” Damian said to Bruce, “but only if I am suitably bribed to leave my work.”

“Milkshakes?” Bruce suggested.

“Dr. Devabhaktuni, I will finish your sketch tonight,” Damian said, lining up his pencils and sliding them into a wooden case.

“Fair enough, mate,” Dev said amiably. “Tea sounds lovely.”

Bruce stood and both dogs whined. He patted them once each and the put both pairs of scissors on the desk.

“Extra whipped cream,” Damian said, his tone broaching no argument.

“Of course,” Bruce said. “Let’s go.”