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dawnrider · 4 years

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One shot fluff prompt, I would love to see your take on this. Inuyasha as a single parent taking his adopted son, Shippo (they have more of a big brother/little brother bond) out to the book store to buy manga as he is starting to get into reading them. Spots the very beautiful Kagome (who works there)but is way too shy to go talk to her. After seeing her, he starts taking shippo there every weekend. Observant shippo notices this and encourages inuyasha to ask kagome out.

Ok Anon, I apologize for this taking so long to finish. Side effect of having too many WIPs and this one-shot inspiring a second more than fluffy part that has yet to be written. SOOO… I tweaked it a bit but it will fit your prompt more as the second part develops. I hope you like it!

Watching the red ponytail in front of him bob, Inuyasha tried to breathe shallowly while keeping track of his charge. There were so many people, so many smells, it was hard for him to focus. But he was responsible for Shippou and if he lost him in this crowd, they would probably arrest him… or something. This is all Miroku’s doing anyway, he thought with a scowl. He didn’t mind the kit, really, but the outings on a weekly basis were tough. Inuyasha didn’t deal with people well and Shippou was absolutely a people person. Everyone he met was practically his new best friend! The inuhanyou, on the other hand, often felt like a rock was sitting on his chest when he was in situations where he had to “chat” with people he didn’t know.

“Big Brothers and Big Sisters would be perfect!” Miroku had told him with the enthusiasm of someone knowing their idea would be denied out of hand. He was persistent though, keeping after his friend of over a decade until he finally caved and applied. Inuyasha was honestly a bit surprised they had accepted him. He was a business analyst who spent most of his time in a cubicle avoiding actual direct communication with his coworkers. That’s what email was for! He was stable, no record (surprisingly), and was successful on paper. But he was also boring and a hanyou. Not much to promote him as a child mentor.

Here he was, following a very animated nine-year-old kitsune through the congested streets of the city on “Comic Book Day” to go to the “best bookstore in town.” Not his favorite thing to do, especially on a weekend when it was bound to be busy. On top of it, people kept saying “May the Fourth be with you” and he was starting to feel like an idiot for not understanding why everyone thought the date today was so funny.

Squeezing between a tall man in a costume covered in brown fur and the door frame, Inuyasha scowled as he caught the back of Shippou’s shirt. “Hang on, Runt! I gotta be able to keep track of you.”

“I know, I know! But looook!” he sighed as his green eyes took in all of the books around them. There were large cardboard cutouts everywhere, and people in various levels of costume dress to rival the cutouts. Inuyasha let out a breath and tried to use his calmest tone.

“I know you’re excited, but if I lose you, your foster mom is gonna string me up by my toes.” Shippou snickered, but did settle himself enough to stick close by. Inuyasha felt his heart rate infinitesimally slow. With a close eye on the kid, he navigated the crowd with the goal of bumping into as few people as possible.

Then a scent caught his nose, a sweet and faintly floral note over a heavier one. Inuyasha and Shippou both started following their sense of smell without realizing it, meandering toward what they eventually recognized as the cafe. It was less crowded there for the moment, and the inuhanyou felt like his lungs could finally fill completely. Something about the combination of scents was soothing in a way he didn’t expect to find in such a crowded place.

~~~~~~

“May the fourth be with you!” The man startled, turning to find her behind the counter of the cafe. He stared blankly at her, struggling with what the appropriate response should be. “You know. Star Wars? The Force?” After a short moment his eyes widened and his mouth formed an oh of understanding. It was probably one of the most adorable things she’d ever seen. He wasn’t much into this stuff, but he was making such an obvious effort for the boy with him. It was sweet, even if he was a bit awkward. “Nathan had to remind me yesterday,” she whispered conspiratorially, nodding in the direction of her manager. He was dressed, not very well, as one of the big superheroes from a more recent movie. The man blinked his strangely colored eyes at her, then let a tiny smirk lift his lips.

“What is that smell?” the boy asked, coming up to the counter, red ponytail quivering as he openly sniffed in her direction. Kagome grinned and pointed to the glass case.

“Just took the almond croissants from the oven. The almond is pretty strong, huh?” The boy nodded emphatically.

“Butter. That was the other smell.”

Kagome blinked, not sure how to reply to the older man’s somewhat random statement. “Um. Yes! There’s quite a bit of butter in them.” She watched him pale, then the tiniest smile on his lips. That’s even cuter than before! she squealed internally. “You can try a sample…”

“I’m Shippou, and that’s my Big Brother, Inuyasha.” The boy paused. “But not like… my real brother, the program, you know?” She grinned in response, giving Inuyasha a quick glance before returning her full attention to the enthusiastic boy directly in front of her. He was eyeing the pastries expectantly, a glitter of hunger in his green eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Shippou and… Inuyasha, was it?” Kagome bit her lip at the adorable blush that rose on his cheeks at having her full attention on him. “You’re both welcome to try some, if you want.” Shippou showed no qualms in accepting the small piece of the sweet, Inuyasha hesitating a moment before stepping forward to let her put some in his palm. “Your cosplay is awesome, by the way,” she said with a glance at his hair and ears. He startled at her words, golden eyes widening and the previous flush returning with a vengeance.

“Oh. He’s not in costume. Inuyasha is a hanyou,” Shippou commented around a mouthful of croissant.

It was Kagome’s turn to pale. “Oh my… I’m sorry, that was so rude of me to assume!”

“Keh. S’alright.” His eyes dropped to the floor and she felt the loss of his gaze like the sun going behind a cloud. The guilt at hurting him like that stuck in her throat and her eyes watered. “Hey, it’s ok, really! D-Don’t cry!” he begged her, stepping up to the counter and waving his empty hand in a stunted attempt to calm her down. “Not many of us around, ya know?” he muttered, giving her a strained smile when she took a calming breath and blew it out slowly.

“Is it ok if I go look at that table?” Shippou asked, breaking them from their staring contest. Inuyasha followed his pointing finger to the table of children’s comic books just on the edge of the tiled floor that outlined the cafe’s space. He nodded, giving the boy a stern look that spoke volumes before leaning back against the counter. “Thanks!”

“He’s very exuberant.”

“You got no idea. He’s all over the place.” His voice turned sad. “Not surprising. Only kitsune in a foster home full of human kids. None of them can keep up with him.”

“That’s great that he’s got you then, isn’t it?” she said softly. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at her, a thoughtful look lowering his brows slightly.

“‘Spose so.”

~~~~~~

Her smile brightening after the previous near meltdown was a balm on his nerves. He did not deal with crying. Not at all. If she had started, he probably would have bolted and the kid would have been called in as abandoned… Stop spiraling, he scolded himself. “How long have you been part of the program?” she asked, moving around behind the counter to clean up little messes here, imaginary spots there. Inuyasha understood the need for movement when one felt uncomfortable.

“A few months. It was my friend’s idea.” He heard her pause. He realized that it might sound like he wasn’t all that interested in this very big responsibility. “I-I wanted to do it. It’s important.”

A beep perked his ears and he glanced back to see Kagome put a pan of something into the small oven on the back counter. “It is very important. Especially for kids who don’t have a lot of positive role models.” There was a repeat clicking sound as she set the timer. “My younger brother was part of the program as a Little Brother when he was in middle school.”

“O-Oh yea?” Inuyasha turned his body a bit so he could catch her gaze while still keeping an eye and ear on the kid. “Are you… are your… Um.”

“My father died when we were pretty young. Souta is six years younger than I am, so he never even knew him.”

“I’m sorry,” he responded a little awkwardly. She shrugged. “Did he feel like it was a good experience?”

“Yea. He’s still in contact with his Big Brother. He was even part of his wedding when he got married a few years ago.” Inuyasha nodded appreciatively. That’s the kind of experience he hoped he could give Shippou. To be someone he could rely on. Just need to figure out how to rely on myself. “It looks like you’re a good fit. He looks up to you, you know?”

Inuyasha blinked, staring at the young boy pouring over a colorful comic book with what looked like dragons on the cover. “You think so?” Shippou must have felt their attention, looking up before holding the paperback up for him to see the cover more clearly, grinning from ear to ear. Inuyasha tossed him a thumbs up and a slight smile.

“Pretty sure,” she giggled.

“Kagome! Are the sugar cookies ready for the decorating event?” The pair startled from their comfortable lean on the counter at the male voice that sliced through the murmur of voices inside the shop.

“Oh! Yes. They’re all cooled, Nathan.” Kagome pointed to the short rack of large cookie trays with nearly two dozen square cookies on them. He could smell the vanilla and sugar from where he stood. “I’m sorry, I have to get the tables set up.” Inuyasha nodded, but felt a bit deflated at the lost chance to keep talking with her. He actually liked talking with her. It was honestly the first time he’d had that thought during conversation with a stranger. A girl, at that!

“Keh.” He paused. “D-Do you need help?”

Kagome looked a little surprised, then smiled. “That would actually be great.” He checked in with Shippou, who was still flipping through comics, and got a waved hand and a sly grin in response. Inuyasha chose not to rise to the bait in that grin, jumping back in to keep Kagome from dropping a very large folding table on her foot.

The pair of them continued to chat as he deftly unfolded the table, helping Kagome move the cafe tables around so they could fit more chairs into the small space. It was easy talking with her, he noted, much more so than he ever would have imagined. She was patient with his hesitations, never laughed when he said something slightly off. Inuyasha barely felt the time fly by. When children started gathering at the tables, most younger than Shippou, he almost wanted to shoo them away. “Inuyasha…”

“Yea, I know. I should get the kid home.”

“No. Well… If you have to.” He took in her scent, surprised by the disappointment coloring it. Did she… not want him to leave? “There’s another event for young readers next week, if you have another outing with Shippou.”

“I… Yea, I’ll bring it up to him.” Inuyasha leveled her with a serious look for a moment. “You’ll be here then too?” The smile she gave him nearly stopped his heart. She was so beautiful… and kind and sweet and… and… “G-Good. Maybe we’ll see you then.” She nodded. “Save a couple of those almond things for us, alright? I’ll remember to bring cash next time.” He turned to look for Shippou again, taking a breath to settle his heart.

“Inuyasha, wait!” He stopped, spinning on his heel at her urgent call. She nearly collided with his chest in an effort to catch him. Inuyasha reached out to capture her elbows, not wanting her to tip backward. “Take one for the road?” she breathed, her dark eyes drawing him in. Her scent overpowered anything else in the cafe, even the previously overwhelming almond. Inuyasha found himself studying the way her personal fragrance tickled his senses, the feel of her soft skin against his fingertips. They both took a slightly shuddering breath, frozen in their half-embrace.

“Cool! You gonna split that with me, Inuyasha?” Shippou’s voice shocked them apart so fast, Kagome almost did stumble. The hanyou finally noticed the partially wrapped almond croissant in her hands between them, which had been at severe risk of being squashed a moment before. He smiled awkwardly, then accepted the pastry and softly thanked her. He moved off with Shippou bouncing beside him in anticipation of his half. “We’re so coming back here, aren’t we?” he asked when he finally had his piece and they were making their way back toward the public parking garage. Inuyasha shrugged, trying - and failing - to be nonchalant. “Yea, I thought so. You toooootally love her,” he cackled.

“W-What?! No!” Inuyasha balked at the bold statement. The kitsune kit was absolutely in his element, giggling and taunting him as he skipped down the sidewalk. “Hey Runt, that’s not funny. Grown ups don’t just…” He hesitated, not because he wasn’t sure of the right explanation, but because it was hitting him that it was not an entirely off accusation.

“Fall in love at first sight?” Shippou crowed with glee. Inuyasha snarled and snatched him up into a light headlock. Shippou only delighted in the playful back and forth, Inuyasha unable to sternly refute the kit’s words. What he did know was that they would be visiting the bookstore the following weekend. And likely the one after that, as long as Kagome was working again. Might pick up a reading habit, he thought as they got into his car, half the pastry stuck in his mouth as he put on his seat belt. There are worse things.

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I posted without tags the first and had to edit from memory!

#Anon Fluff Prompt #Anonymous #Dawnrider Fanfiction #Inuyasha one shot

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