AN: Posted some tumblr prompts and received some asks in return. Prompt: "I fucking love you" "hang up, and tell me this when you're sober"
Rated MA on here because of the use of language.
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Five hundred years was a long time. There were some mortals he could forget within the hour- within the very minute of meeting them and saying farewell. Few were as enduring in his memory as Kagome Higurashi.
So when they reconnected that random, fateful day in Tokyo- when she looked at him and yearned for all the things Time had denied her- Sesshoumaru had spoken her name with clarity, certainty.
"Kagome."
She'd broken into a tearful smile.
He knew she mourned. She longed for the Bone Eater's Well to open and reunite her with her friends. Inuyasha.
But the well remained shut. It would always be shut- for she'd never returned to the past as far as he could recall.
Sesshoumaru exhausted every story he knew about the past. He told her of Inuyasha's marriage, and her friend's accomplishments. Slowly, that fragile thing inside her partially healed, mended by imagination- by the knowledge that they'd lived happy lives.
After recounting such tales, Sesshoumaru had figured they'd grow bored of each other. The newness- the novelty of reconnecting would wear off.
But it didn't.
She was pleasant company to be around. Charming, quick-witted, occasionally sharp-tongued, teasing and angry. He liked that side of her too- for it made his blood sing, recalling distant battle cries and sacred arrows.
So while he usually had little patience for foolish mortals, he picked up his phone that night when she called- despite knowing she'd been invited on a night out with her college friends, and that usually resulted in one thing;
"Noooo I'm TELLING you, Seshh-ou-maruuu!" she slurred down the line. "I'm not even drunk! I can walk in a straight line- watch!"
There was a notable pause as he assumed she'd performed a demonstration he couldn't see from the luxury of his penthouse.
Kagome made a few grunts of effort. "Mkay, well I almost made it- and that counts!"
Sesshoumaru's lips twitched, adjusting the phone against his ear as he took a seat. "Very impressive. Do you need me to pick you up?"
"Noooo!" she whined down the line. "I can walk home just fine by myself- hehe. I just showed you my mad walking skills."
"So you did," he gravely acknowledged, loosening his tie and opening his shirt collar with a slight smile. He could hear her progress- heels clicking, occasionally dragging. He stayed on the phone with her for a long while, talking about nothing in particular. It made her feel safe, speaking to him. Or at least, she'd told him that once.
Sesshoumaru's ear twitched upon detecting the jangling of keys as she wrestled with her apartment door. "I take it you are home safe."
"Yup~ it's all good!"
"Remember to hydrate yourself with water before you pass out, miko," he drawled, leaning his head against the back of his armchair.
"Mkay," a breathy giggle fanned into his hearing. Sesshoumaru's lashes fell half-shut. He expected she'd collapse onto her bed soon. Sure enough, there was a heavy 'thump!' noise from the other end of the phone. As suspected, a sleepy exhale reached him through the receiver.
Sesshoumaru figured he'd hang up in a moment-
"I fucking love you," Kagome sighed.
The Daiyoukai stiffened. Logic and propriety briefly fell away, and for just a moment his heart thundered, warmth touching his chest. But then it was swiftly soured by the bitter tang of their circumstances. He smirked jadedly, "oh really?"
"Mhm, like a lot," she drawled, voice slightly muffled by her pillow. "I want- I want to hold you. Touch your stupid, pretty hair. Bite your cute butt…"
"Excuse me?"
"I said I wanna lick you!" she slurred.
Sesshoumaru made a sound between a laugh and a cough, stifling it behind his hand. "As do many others. I do not begrudge you for that. But such things do not mean you love me, miko."
"Wanna...wake up with you. Every day. Stupid, dumb demon," her voice wobbled. "Why don't you believe me?"
Sensing genuine distress in her tone, pale fingers tightened around the phone. "Hang up, and tell me this when you're sober," he said softly. "Perhaps then, I might."
Silence.
Sesshoumaru's hearing strained, only to pick up the faint sounds of Kagome's breathing, having fallen asleep.
Lowering the phone, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and hung up. "You foolish woman," he uttered, a long-fingered hand passing over his weary face. She'd forget everything she'd said by tomorrow. The usual story whenever she indulged in a drink.
"You... cruel woman."