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T.Y.O.M. Chapter 10: Valentine's Day Special
Pairing: Miroku x Kagome
Pretend this isn’t a late Valentine’s Day update, it’s a celebratory double digit chapter!
You know how they say Valentine’s Day is a day for couples, chocolate and just… love? Well that’s utter bullshit. Kagome huffed, eyes focusing on nothing in particular as she picked at the edges of the heart-shaped package in her lap. She didn’t have the ‘A-OK’ to go home yet and she didn’t have the half dog demon who said it to poison. She suspected that Kikyo was nearby but just let it go, nothing screamed romance like another ‘lovers’ quarrel’ when he sneaks off to see another girl on the official day of ‘romance’--well the modern day of romance actually. What a waste of Honmei-choco…
Without a moment to spare, she tore open the tediously tied ribbon and held a small piece of chocolate to her mouth, taking her time to savor the hours of burning fingers and her empty piggy bank back home as it melted slightly onto her fingers as well as on her tongue.
“What assortment of your future’s confection do you have today, Kagome-sama?”
She jumped--almost choking on the smallest darned piece of chocolate--when her eyes met his purple glimmering eyes that didn’t miss the slightest shift of her skirt.
“Nothing for your pervy mouth!”
“Surely you don’t mean that, Kagome-sama…” he gasped albeit slightly mockingly as he rocked back and forth on his heels, making no move with the silent question of her allowance of his presence. She looked at him. He looked at her. Nothing happened for a good couple of seconds and he sighed good naturedly, turning slightly back the direction of their temporary camp. Probably too far…?
“Do you promise to sit like a good boy and speak when you’re spoken to?”
“I can’t not when given instructions like I’m some mischievous child… Though, your words are quite… stirring.”
“Just shaddup and promise, ya’ bag of testosterone.”
Miroku held his arms out in a weak display of surrender and plopped down next to the defensive female, “Yes, yes. Cross my eyes and hope to cry.”
“It’s ‘cross my heart and hope to die.’”
He hummed. Making a mental note? She followed his stray, curious eyes toward the opened present in her lap. Well, there’s no point in eating it alone.
“It’s Honmei-choco.”
“Honmei... choco?”
“Yeah, chocolate that’s usually given by women to men they like in a romantic sense on Valentine’s day. They can be pretty expensive, and painful if they’re homemade.”
“Hmm. If I remember correctly, ‘Valentime’s’ day is for love and lovers? And you bought...” He looked down at the cute, cartoon-ish bandaids on her fingers, “No, made them for Inuyasha...?”
“Yeah.”
Kagome’s answer was bitter but she covered it up with a generous shove of the mentioned chocolates in her mouth and the closed and still-full gift box thrown in the distance.
“I’ll… pick that up later.”
“We can always burn it for the campfire, if that’ll make you feel better.”
He plucked one of the chocolates from her hands, earning an indignant squawk from Kagome’s stuffed mouth, and nibbled on it, looking far more wise than a man with a glittering, pink dyed piece of chocolate should look. It was fairly sweet, if not slightly burnt. There was a sudden burst of liquid in his mouth and that was when the heat bit his tongue. With a not-so-subtle yelp, Miroku’s face exploded in pink as if fire entered his defenseless bloodstream.
“Oh my god!” At once, Kagome choked on her own chocolate and collapsed back into the grass in a dangerous outburst of laughter.
“I can not believe your luck, Miroku-sama! You actually got that one!”
Breathing was hard. Eyes watering, he started coughing and collapsed beside her for a completely different reason as his eyes swirled. Man, he must’ve looked pitiful. Kagome tried to get up and reach for her bag but the giggles wouldn’t stop.
“Hahahaaa… Holy shit. I can’t sto--,” her breathing became ragged as she forced her trembling form to rip her bag open,” That… hahah… was meant as a prank! Oh shit, your face!”
“Please… laugh after you’re done killing me, Kagome--...sama!”
“Hold on--.”
She let out another burst of laughter before handing him a bottle of water. He downed it in one go, spilling at least a third of it onto his robes, before returning any semblance of his composure. She grinned at him cheekily only for him to turn his chin away with a soft pout. What a rare turn of events.
“I’m sorry, Miroku-sama. I really didn’t mean to laugh…”
Her voice was like it was directed toward crying babies or stupid hanyous. He didn’t turn, even hunching further into himself with crossed arms in sleeves. She paused and took in his posture. It wasn’t serious, which made her grin wider.
“Oh Miroku-sama, come on. I’m really sorry, you know I didn’t mean it…”
She grabbed at his sleeve with an exaggerated pout, dragging out each ‘o’ a tinge too sweetly.
“... I know... better,” his voice was already hoarse, which almost broke her fragile sense of composure, before he mumbled again, “But as a man, I can’t help but feel embarrassed for making that mistake.”
“Yeah, it’s a just-in-case if he was a jerk about it...”
His eyes dragged to meet hers with a cheesy smile as he found something. Without a reply, he drew in closer. Her smile slowly dropped into a small ‘o’ shape. Oh lord, his eyelashes are long. Ba-dump. His fingers brushed against her cheek, picking up something on the outer line of her lips, as her breath hitched. He leaned back into a more tolerable distance to show her the offending piece of chocolate.
“I’m assuming this one isn’t pranked?”
She only gaped her mouth open and closed as he plopped the stray piece of chocolate into his mouth.
“Very good, Kagome-sama. Thank you graciously for sharing some with me.”
“No problem.”
There was a slight pause to his jaw, chocolate no doubt melting in his hesitation.
“What is it?”
“Is… is it impolite to eat love chocolate meant for another person?”
She glanced at his slightly furrowed brows, a little touched by his consideration, and shook her head.
“Nah, you look like you’re enjoying it.”
He stared into her eyes and she into his before his eyes crinkled at the corners. Another moment of misleading communication...?
“Well, if it isn’t any trouble, could I have some more? Preferably not laced with fire from the pits of hell?”
“Oh. Yeah! Sure, hold on, let me go get the gift box.” She rose up from the grass with a gleeful expression, bending slightly for a tastefully sinful view of her patting the dust off her skirt, and rushed to get the forgotten gift box. He hummed at the sight. Red is a surprisingly bashful color. She came back, slightly out of breath, and opened the roughly dented box. The display was a rather messy pile of loose chocolate paper wrappers and carved chocolates but there was no mistaking the time and effort she put into it. It took a little bit of silence and blue-to-purple eye contact before he noticed her nudging the box toward him.
“You know, I was imagining more of a mouth-to-mouth or a little hand-fed… uhhhh---Ok! I apologize,” Miroku held his arms up in surrender at her scornful expression, ”I sincerely didn’t mean it, please don’t throw the box at me and waste the chocolate, Kagome-sama!”
Kagome just huffed and held the box closer to him. Without missing a beat in fear of the already-fragile atmosphere, he plopped a safer-looking light brown chocolate into his mouth and closed his eyes at the pleasant feel of it melting into his mouth. He dared to sneak a peek at his suddenly-silent companion, slowing to chew more thoughtfully at her lost expression. She really wanted to please him. Stupid, blind dog. Something twinged in him at the thought but he knew better.
“Kagome-sama.”
Her name got her attention and he turned to fully face her, hands encircling hers over the box.
“If it’s any consolation, as friend to friend, these were made wonderfully and I am glad to be the person you share it with---even if I wasn’t your ideal choice.”
She was quiet, words stuck on the beads and warmth pressing into her bandaged hands, and the frozen upturn of her lips grew into something more shy.
“You’d be a lot of people’s ideal choice in my school.”
Kagome dared to send him a cheeky glance, diffusing the intimate scene once again, and he rose up to her challenge with a jut of his chin and a charming twitch of his eyebrows, “Is that so?”
She nodded, hair bouncing, “For sure!”
“Then, would they be willing to bear my children?”
She snorted and didn’t say a word, he figured that to be the answer.
“Their parents would probably kill you if you asked that. In the Future, couples don’t usually think about children until at least 25 or something!”
“Strange.”
“Strange, indeed. Anyways, I’m here to eat my feelings out and then reward myself with a well-deserved nap. So no more chit-chat!”
Miroku looked like he had more to say and, after a moment of contemplation, she sighed softly and held a single finger up, “One question.”
“One question, it is!”
He smiled at her antics and smoothed down his robes, “Would you allow me to join you?”
“Sure, why not?”
There was no hesitation.
Intro | Chapter 9 | Chapter 11