#^ read the red tornado story in the valentines special
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ectonurites · 9 months ago
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banging my fists on the table BUT WHAT ABOUT TRAYA
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the-awkward-outlaw · 4 years ago
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Red Dead Secret Santa
Howdy @mileycyprus-hill​ I’m your secret Santa this year! I hope you like my gift to you! 
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Arthur sits astride his horse, his fingers aching from the cold. He shaked his hand a little, trying to fend off the ever-pressing chill. Even inside these rabbit-fur gloves, the low temperature bites his skin. Not only that, but his toes are chilled, his nose, his neck and ears. The one thing that keeps him warm is the thought of coming home to you and his two children. 
You’ve been Arthur’s anchor for many years now. Even before the gang fell apart, you were his rock. His best decision was to marry you, and his two favorite days were when his children were born. However, despite having a proper home now where you can live a quiet, peaceful, and most of all safe life, Arthur still has his wandering spirit. He definitely doesn’t stay away for as long of periods as when he was just a gang member. Usually he’s only out a couple of days. 
He’d left three days ago to go “hunting with John”. Or that’s what he told you and the kids. In reality, he’d taken a trip down to Blackwater to do some last minute Christmas shopping. He wanted something special for all three of you, and luckily Blackwater, being the large port for trade that it was, provided just that. After he’d done some shopping, he’d continued wandering to hunt for game, mostly as an excuse to you for being gone so long. 
The wind blows hard again, picking up a cloud of the freshly fallen snow and nearly taking his hat. His hand steadies it, securing it back onto his head and keeping him warm. Oh what he wouldn’t give to be in his warm home with the most important things to him. The steady mare beneath him snorts, seeming just as miserable as him. He pats her neck. “Almost home, girl.”
Around him, the iconic sharp mountains south of Valentine appear out of the fog. They’re covered in a beautiful blanket of snow, thanks to the major winter storm that had come through the night before. He looks up at the darkening sky, feeling even colder at the sight of the thick clouds. 
After another hour of riding, Arthur finally reaches the fork in the trail that will lead him home. Just as the snow begins drifting down in fat flakes again, he sees the lights of his cabin. His heart lifts at the sight, thinking about your face. 
When his mare’s in her stall with some food and a blanket on, he heads to the cabin with the gifts tucked away inside the furs in his arms. The moment he opens the door, he hears a squeal. Smiling, he drops his load on the floor and bends down to pick his five year old daughter up. 
“Papa!” she huffs in his face. She pokes his red nose. “Cold, papa.” 
“Yep, I’m cold, darlin’.” 
“I get a blanket, papa,” she says and he puts her down, chuckling as her short legs carry her off. His eyes immediately find you. His entire body warms at the sight of you coming over to him to greet him with a kiss. He returns it enthusiastically, loving the feeling of you in his arms again, right where you belong. 
“Where’s my boah?” he asks gently when you pull away. 
As though on queue, the two year old comes toddling out. He’s carrying his stuffed horse, his eyes the same color as yours nearly hidden under his mop of dirty blond hair. “Pa!” he hollers at seeing Arthur. Once again, he bends down to pick up his son. 
“Hey son. You been good for your mama?”
“Oh I don’t know about that,” you tease, patting Arthur’s back as you go over to the stove to pull dinner off. 
Smiling, Arthur puts his son down and then takes off his winter gear before helping you pull out the dishes. 
“Mm, smells so good, darlin’,” he says, looking at the meal before him. He’s just glad he got home in enough time to eat with his family. “So, how was our little girl?”
You sigh a bit. Your daughter has always been a daddy’s girl and when Arthur leaves, she can be a downright nightmare. She pouts a lot, but the likelihood of her throwing a tantrum multiplies by ten. “She’s… well, you know how she is.” 
Arthur smiles and decides to go and find her. After all, wasn’t she getting him a blanket? He goes to her room that she shares with her brother and finds her laying in bed on her favorite blanket. She instantly grins when she sees him and he knows she’s been waiting for him to come fetch her. 
“Come on, baby. You gonna come eat?”
“I have a blanket, papa.” 
He chuckles and picks her up, her blanket still clutched to her. She instantly lays her head on his chest. He loves how cuddly she is with him. He remembers briefly how when she was about a year old, she’d gotten sick. Both you and him were so scared she’d die, and Arthur spent many nights with her tucked against his chest as he sat in a rocking chair by the fire, trying to keep her alive. Ever since then, she’d been his biggest fan. 
When he walks out with her in his arms, you smile again and the four of you sit down to eat. Arthur silently says a thank you to whomever might be listening that he got home tonight. After all, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. He wouldn’t miss spending it with his family for anything in the world. 
The next day is spent in some chaos. You and Arthur always clean the house from top to bottom during the day of Christmas Eve, hampered by your two kids. Although your daughter tries to help, she’s only five. Plus it’s Christmas, which means she’s more hyper than if you’d let her drink some of your morning coffee. Her brother isn’t much better, and being two he’s as destructive as a tornado. However, you and Arthur manage to keep them mostly in check. It’s still a relief when night comes and you can finally sit down to eat dinner. 
Arthur always catches a wild turkey for Christmas Eve dinner and this year is no exception. If Arthur prides himself on anything, it’s his ability to take care of his family. He sometimes regrets not giving the same attention to Eliza and Isaac when they were alive, but he’s grown a lot since they died. When the gang fell apart, it really shook his world but when you stuck by his side he knew he’d die for you. 
Arthur sits down at the table, sighing as he prepares to carve the turkey. You’ve done your best to create a beautiful dinner; Arthur grabs your hand and tells you it looks wonderful (although he’s sure the potatoes have a little more garlic than needed). Luckily your kids are sitting relatively quiet, although it’s clear they’re jittery. 
After stuffing yourselves, Arthur does what he’s done every year since you began your family and sits down in his chair. His daughter immediately crawls into his lap, a book in her hand. 
“Papa, here’s the book,” she says, handing it to him and then curling into him. He chuckles and opens the book. He reads this every year on Christmas Eve after dinner. You sit in another chair with your son on your lap. He’s clutching his stuffed horse again, but he’s got his wooden cowboy that Arthur made him for Christmas last year. As Arthur begins to read, your son plays with his toys, thankfully quietly. 
You love listening to Arthur read, how the words come alive with his deep tones. You love watching him even more right now with his daughter tucked against him. He’s been such a blessing as a husband. Never have you had to worry about how ends would meet, about food being on the table, about your children’s safety and it’s because of his efforts. 
When Arthur finishes reading, he closes the book and his daughter yawns. “Hey, why you goin’ to sleep? We ain’t done yet, baby. Ya need your Eve gift.” 
Immediately she perks up and hops off his lap. “Papa! Go get it!” 
He chuckles and stands up, and so do you. He kisses you briefly before heading outside into the darkness. It’s traditional for your kids every year to get new pajamas and a new story book before bedtime. 
After a few minutes, he comes back in with two packages, similarly sized. Your daughter immediately squeals with excitement, but your son runs over and grabs his leg. “Pa! Up, up!” He gestures for Arthur to pick him up. 
“A’right, gimme a second, boah. Ya gotta open your present first.” 
He hands the kids their gifts and they immediately rip into them. His daughter giggles when she sees the pretty little night dress of her favorite color, while the boy inspects his new boy’s union suit. He’s young enough to not really understand the tradition yet, so he’s a little disappointed. However, he sees the children’s book and gets excited. Although he can’t read yet, he loves stories. 
After the kids have opened their present, Arthur puts his arm around you. “A’right kids. Who can get dressed in their new pajamas first?” 
Your daughter stands up, giggling madly. “Me! Me!” She books it into her arm, closely followed by her brother, although his stubby legs greatly hamper his speed. 
When the kids are in their room getting dressed, Arthur grabs your shoulders and turns you to face him. He bends down and kisses you deeply. His behavior tells you that, if the kids were already in bed, he’d be laying you down near the fire and making sweet love to you. It’s all you want as well, but too soon the kids’ door opens and your daughter comes bustling out in her new PJ’s, followed by her pouting brother. It’s obvious who finished dressing first. 
Arthur rewards both of them, telling them how good they are. He then tells them it's time to read one of their stories for bed and that the sooner they go to sleep, the sooner they get presents. You follow them all into the kids’ room and watch as Arthur sits down on your son’s bed. His daughter, as always, crawls into his lap as he reads one of their new books. It’s expected when he finishes, they both argue to him to read the other one. If it hadn’t been Christmas Eve, he probably would’ve said no, but tonight’s different. 
By the time he’s done reading, both kids are drifting off. He stands up and lays his daughter in bed, pulls the covers over her and kisses her head. After, he does the same for his son. When he’s done, you go in and say your good nights and give kisses as well. 
After both kids are put down, you and Arthur clean up the house and then lay out the kids’ presents for the morning. Without a doubt, your daughter will come out of her room in the middle of the night to gaze at them to make sure they’ve shown up. You don’t mind though, she never opens them until morning when you and Arthur have woken. 
When everything’s done, Arthur pulls you into a one-armed hug and gives you a squeeze. “Come on, beautiful. We got a long day tomorrow.” 
With a yawn, you nod and let him guide you to your bedroom. Once there, you begin pulling out your nightgown to change. Arthur’s hands are suddenly on you and he’s kissing your shoulder from behind. 
“You ain’t gonna need that now, darlin’. I’m gonna keep you warm all night.” 
Sighing, you let Arthur slip your clothes off and begin touching you. With surprising speed and strength, he picks you up and tosses you onto the bed. Giggling, you watch him crawl over your naked body. With a wicked grin, you can tell exactly what he’s going to do.
“Can I give you my gift early?” he says, but he doesn’t wait for you to respond. Sighing in the pleasure of his touches and kisses, you know it’s going to be a long night. 
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meggz0rz · 6 years ago
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The It Couple - Valentine’s Day Special!
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(art by @file13thetrashcan)
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IT’S BACK, BITCHES
This one is a gift for my beloved friend @ideasthatbuildcities, to thank her for being so wonderful and for supporting my work from the very beginning. So here it is - a special chapter from my very first Inuyasha story, “The It Couple!” If you haven’t read it and you’d like to, you can find it..
HERE!
So without further ado...
THE IT COUPLE VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL!
Or, alternatively: SUPLEXES AND THE POWER OF ‘NOPE’
“Kanna, do we have to?” Kohaku grumbled, thumping his chin onto the table surface and fixing her with his best childish pout. “I never agreed to this.”
His girlfriend took a loud, bubbly sip through her straw and set her now-empty soda down, fixing him with that deathly serious stare over the lenses of her black-rimmed reading spectacles. “Do you hate Inuyasha? Do you hate Kagome?” She leaned forward, her whisper barely audible over the hum of noise in the university food court. “Do you hate your sister?”
What the hell kind of question - “Of course I don’t!”
Her dark eyes narrowed before returning to her enormous textbook. “Alright, then.”
“I just - I mean, it’s Valentine’s Day, Kanna,” Kohaku protested, sliding his hand forward over the table to cover hers, “And it’s our third year together. Shouldn’t we, you know, spend a little time, just the two of us? I was gonna make us a nice dinner, and maybe rent one of your favorite movies and just curl up on the couch…”
“We are perfectly capable of enjoying each other’s company every other day of the year,” Kanna said, not looking up from the text she was perusing but intertwining her fingers with his nonetheless, “Valentine’s Day is a scam invented to sell greeting cards. It’s utterly meaningless. I don’t need a holiday to encourage my affection for you, dearest.” A light squeeze of his hand, though her expression never changed.
Kohaku sighed. Once again, her logic was starting to win out. It always did. It was the thing about her that he admired most, and the thing that most often would drive him to near insanity.
“So we’re stuck babysitting my nieces and those two crazy Takahashi kids, while everyone else gets to go out and have fun?”
Kanna was still reading. Research for a doctoral thesis was always intense, Kohaku knew, but Kanna’s commitment to her academic career was incredible, even by those standards. He waited patiently for her to finish her paragraph, and the silence between them was interrupted only by the irritating squeak of a highlighter dragged across the page, until she finally sat back and looked up at him again, removing her reading glasses.
“You’re welcome to join the others at whatever loud, expensive nightclub they end up at,” she said quietly, and though the statement would have seemed harsh and blunt to any other listening ears, he knew she was just speaking plainly. As she always did. Kanna language. “I made a promise to Kagome. And if everyone broke promises society would crumble and fall. Besides, they have a better home-theatre setup than we do.”
“You literally only said yes for the surround sound and the reclining plush seats.” Kohaku broke into a small smile as the realization dawned on him.
Kanna didn’t return the smile, but if she had it would have honestly terrified him and made him wonder what sort of alternate universe he’d woken up in. “You also seem to be underestimating the benefit of watching small children who go to sleep early in the evening. I still have an entire wing of the house for my own particular use, if you’ll recall.” She looked off in the distance, as if lost in thought. “Kagome bought me custom furniture when I moved in. All black.”
Kohaku felt the heat flush up the back of his neck, and as he reached up to tug at his collar, he realized his hands were trembling.
Kanna noticed the tremor too. “Is that a brain damage tremor or an I-love-Kanna tremor?”
Kohaku snorted with laughter. Only you would say it that way. And I adore you for it. In a world where everyone else shied away from the subject, she would always just ask him about it point-blank.
“Probably both,” he laughed. The tremor slowed and disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“AXEL!”
Kagome paused, frowned, and sat back from her laptop, craning her head over her shoulder. The house had been quiet for a few blessed moments, with Inuyasha in his office answering emails from god-knows-who and the kids playing with their toys very nicely and sweetly. So of course, she’d decided to get some much-needed editing work done before they went out for Valentine’s Day tonight. And of course, quiet in the Takahashi household usually meant something insane was about to happen.
With a heavy sigh and a chuckle to herself, she stood up and followed her husband’s voice down the hallway, around the corner, through the massive living room, and into the kids’ game room.
Mimi was hiding behind the doorway, her twin pigtails hanging sideways as she peeked inside. Kagome smiled to herself and crouched low to whisper in the four-year-old’s ear.
“What happened?”
Mimi turned at the sound of her mother’s voice, her little nose red and sniffly, and just pointed hesitantly, her little cherub face pinched with nervousness. “Daddy’s mad.” 
Kagome ruffled her hair reassuringly and stood to walk past her into the room.
Her precious, beloved son stood there in the center of the room, looking sheepish and a bit glum. And her precious, beloved husband was standing facing the opposite wall, bracing himself upright with a clenched fist, with his eyes screwed shut as he seemed to be trying to calm down.
“Inuyasha?” Kagome said, stepping forward. “What happened?”
At the sight of her, Axel immediately ran forward and threw his arms around her waist, burying his face in her shirt. “We were just playing! I promise, Mom! I didn’t mean to!”
Kagome suppressed a grin, glancing up at Inuyasha meaningfully.
Finally, Inuyasha took a deep breath and spoke. “You didn’t mean to throw your little sister through the air into the wall?” He pointed at the new Mimi-shaped dent just below the window.
Jesus CHRIST. Kagome’s mouth fell open in stunned silence and she glanced back at Mimi, who was still peeking through the doorway. Sure enough, there it was. A huge bruise starting to form on the little girl’s left arm.
Axel, what the hell! She thought it, but she didn’t say it. “Mimi, sweetheart, are you okay?”
Mimi just nodded, her lower lip quivering a little. She wasn’t crying, not really. She’s a tough little firecracker, gotta give her that. Of course, having to try and keep up with the actual tornado that was her older brother had no doubt given her a spine of steel that belied her mere four years of age.
“Axel,” Kagome looked down at her son, who was still plastered around her waist and clearly doing his best to be cute and small and precious, “Why did you throw your sister?” Even saying it out loud sounded ludicrous.
“A question I’d also like the answer to,” growled Inuyasha, folding his arms across his chest and fixing Axel with his patented stern-father face.
“W-We were playing,” Axel said, his voice muffled into Kagome’s stomach. Kagome gently untangled his arms from around her and stepped backward.
“Playing what?” Inuyasha held out his arms, and Mimi rushed forward and scrambled into them. He held out her arm to examine it, turning it over gently. “Does it hurt?” he asked her, his voice low and soft.
Mimi nodded, glancing at Axel with a guilty expression, like she was scared of ratting her beloved big brother out. Inuyasha placed a featherlight kiss over the bruise, then turned back to their older child. “Playing what, Axel?”
“...Pro wrestling.” Axel mumbled the words.
She’d been married to him now for eight years, so Kagome knew by the minute changes in Inuyasha’s expression when he was about to lose that famous temper of his, so she just gave him her best let-me-handle-this smile and spoke up quickly.
“Did Mimi want to play pro wrestling?”
Axel looked as if that question had never occurred to him. Kagome fought back a sigh and ran a hand through her hair.
“You can’t just throw your sister, kid,” Inuyasha said with narrowed golden eyes.
“I didn’t throw her,” Axel said, “I suplexed her.”
There it was. A quirk of Inuyasha’s eyebrow. A snarl curling at the corner of his lips. Down, boy, Kagome thought, crouching down to stare Axel in the eyes.
“I can’t believe I’m having to tell you this, as old as you are,” she said sternly, “but you are not allowed to play pro wrestling in the house. Or anywhere, unless you’re with your Aunt Ayame and she’s taken you to her dad’s gym again. Understand me?”
Axel gave a petulant glance toward the floor. A glance that looked so familiar that it nearly made Kagome crack up and forget that she was trying to do the mom thing right now. “Yes, Mom,” he mumbled.
“Now apologize to Mimi.”
Axel looked over at his sister, who was still hanging on Inuyasha’s hip. He looked truly downtrodden and regretful, and it made Kagome want to just envelop him in her arms and cuddle him, but no, she couldn’t, because that would undermine her whole speech just now -
“I’m sorry, Mimi.”
Inuyasha’s angry expression finally relaxed into general peevedness.
“If you want,” Axel continued, “You can hit me back.”
Dammit, Axel.
“No one is hitting anybody,” Kagome said, gripping Axel’s shoulder tightly enough so he knew she meant it. “Axel, you’re not hitting Mimi, and Mimi, you don’t hit Axel. Are we clear?”
Mimi nodded. Axel just bit his lip.
“Axel!” Inuyasha said sharply.
“I got it, Dad. I’m sorry.” Axel glanced up at Kagome then, those blue eyes of his shining. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll never do it again.”
By the look on Inuyasha’s face, he was buying it just as much as Kagome was. She sent her husband a wink as she said, “Better not.”
“Well,” Inuyasha grumbled as he pulled off his tee shirt and tossed it onto their bed before reaching for the dress shirt he had laid next to it, “Guess that rules out taking the kids to the park this weekend. All we need is for some fucking paps to see that huge honking bruise on Mimi’s arm and then there’ll be headlines for weeks about possible abuse in our household.”
Kagome didn’t respond for several seconds.
“Baby?” He turned and glanced over his shoulder.
She was standing there at her vanity in her bra and jeans, bracing herself upright with both arms and shaking with silent laughter.
He couldn’t help it; he broke into a confused grin. “What the hell are you laughing about?”
She just laughed harder and doubled over over the table. “He - he suplexed her! He physically picked her up and just - “ She mimicked the move, throwing her arms backward over her head, cackling to herself. “I know, I know, it’s not funny and I shouldn’t be laughing and we’re so lucky she didn’t break her arm, but that mental image of Axel just - “ She covered her mouth with one hand and her bare stomach with the other.
“You are terrible,” he chuckled, turning back to the dress shirt and moving to throw it over his shoulders.
“Not my fault he’s exactly like his dad,” she said, “An idiot.”
“Hmph,” he huffed, reaching for the buttons.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Suddenly, Kagome’s hand was on his chest, and she stood there with a huge grin on her face and ran it up and down over his abs. Her touch was light, caressing. “Let me appreciate.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake - “
“Shh,” she said with mock severity, “I just need a moment. Let me have this.”
“You perv,” he said, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers with a mischievous smirk, “Don’t worry. You can have all you want later tonight.”
Kagome’s smile was bright and dazzling as always, with the dimple on her cheek that he loved so much on full display. “Promise?”
He kissed her, and her arms snaked upward around his neck, pulling him closer with a small, delighted squeak.
“Hey, hey, cut that shit out,” he scolded, knowing he likely had a huge stupid smile on his face and not particularly caring, “You - we- have to get dressed. Miroku and Sango and the twins are due here in a few minutes. I mean, unless you wanna go out like that.”
Kagome glanced down at her bra and jeans ensemble. “Hmm, maybe not,” she said with a smirk, “Alright, alright, I’m getting dressed. But you owe me!”
Everything, he thought, watching her as she darted into the closet.
It was so hard to concentrate on the road. Miroku knew he deserved several medals.
The twins were chattering in baby talk in the backseat (twin talk, Sango called it), they were on their fiftieth reprise of goddamn “Wheels on the Bus” playing on the car stereo, and his gorgeous wife was next to him in the front seat in a very short mini-dress with her immaculate legs on full display. And of course, with his wife being the absolute badass she was, she was in the middle of a phone call with a studio executive, not even batting an eye at the cacophony of noise around her.
Finally, mercifully, they arrived at the Takahashi palace and buzzed through the gate. Another seven or so minutes of unloading the kids, the diaper bags, the snack packs (the one thing he hadn’t been prepared for when he became a father - all the stuff they required wherever they went), all of it.
“Need a hand?” Kagome poked her head out of the front door.
“Of course not,” Miroku said, grinning through the bag strap caught between his teeth, his speech muffled, “We’re experts. King and Queen of Parenting.”
“Hey, Kagome!” Sango had both twin girls by the hand and was gently walking them up toward the door. “Is Kanna here yet?”
“She’s on her way. She and Kohaku left right as you guys did, so it should be any minute.” Kagome bent to pick up Kimmy, the younger of the twins, who as of lately was obsessed with her Aunt Kagome and had already been reaching out for her.
“Thank god,” Miroku said through his gritted teeth, stumbling under the weight of all the bags. Suddenly the ever-wonderful Nazuna also appeared through the open doorway, and she immediately took a few of them off his hands. “And thank you, Nazuna.”
Nazuna grinned and disappeared back into the house.
“Any paps at the gate?” Kagome said, peering off in the direction of the entrance to the property, which was hidden behind the hill. Her smile was a little tighter.
“No,” Sango said, “Why? Expecting some?”
Kagome visibly sighed. “We always get a few whenever Kikyou’s back in the press. She announced her new movie this morning, but then again, you probably knew that. It’s sort of you guys’ jobs to know everything.” She turned and led them into the house, and Nazuna, ever ready and devoted, shut the door behind all of them.
“She should be sending you two royalty checks,” Miroku grumbled, “You’ve single-handedly kept her an object of interest in the public eye for the last eight years.” He let the bags dropped and cracked his shoulder. Man, I’m getting old. Just kill me now.
Sango discreetly elbowed him in the side. “Kagome, if you’d rather not go out tonight, that’s okay, we can just - “
“Hell no!” Kagome said, “Oh, I mean, heck no.” She wrinkled her nose and nuzzled at Kimmy’s face. “I made a promise to myself long ago. I’m going to live my life and be happy. Best revenge is living well, right?”
Miroku reached out and ruffled Kagome’s hair. “You’re so mature, Kagome. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She rolled her eyes.
There was the sound of lumbering footsteps, like a stampede.
Kagome shook her head and laughed. “Well, here comes the cavalry.”
And then they appeared around the corner. Mini Inuyasha and Mini Kagome, he called them.
“Kimmy and Ally are here!” shouted Axel, barrelling toward the crowd of them, and for a heart-stopping instant Miroku had a vision of the kid just failing to stop and knocking them all down like bowling pins, but the boy skidded to a stop in his white cotton socks. His silver-white hair was sticking out all over the place. Mini Inuyasha to the core.
Mimi, the little angel, was clearly doing her best to keep up with her big brother but was defeated by her shorter legs. She grinned up at the adults with pure delight. “Uncle Moku!”
“Hi, sweetheart,” he said, feeling his stone heart just melt as he bent to pick her up for a hug. “How are you?”
“Axel spooplexed me!” She held out her arm excitedly, showing off an ugly bruise running down her arm.
“...He what, now?”
“Long story,” Inuyasha said, appearing from the bedroom hallway in a smart tailored suit. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”
“Uh-huh.” Sango had on her skeptical face.
“Hi, Aunt Sango,” said Axel briefly before turning his attention to Ally, who was still clutching her mother’s hand. “Hi, Ally!”
“Yep, sure,” Miroku grumbled, “Hi, how are you, Axel, my name is Chopped Liver.”
Kagome and Sango giggled, and Miroku turned to glare at them. “Thanks for all the support, ladies, really. Axel, I like your shirt. What does it say?”
Axel gave him a look like he was the biggest idiot in the world and held out the shirtfront to display the writing. “It says ‘AC/DC.’”
Well, excuse the hell out of me, mini Inuyasha.
The phone rang, and Nazuna appeared seemingly from out of nowhere to answer it. “Kanna’s here,” she announced, hanging up.
“So their snacks are in the purple - no, the blue bag,” Sango scrolled through her list, brow furrowed in concentration, “and they’re just starting potty training so we’ve got pull-ups, but I’d put them in real diapers before you put them down for the night. The portable playpen has a roll-out mattress, so you can use that, but no pillows, just a thin blanket.”
Leave it to Sango to make a bulleted list for a few hours’ worth of childcare. Inuyasha sent Kagome a smirk across the room, and she smiled back.
Kanna, meanwhile, was listening intently. Or maybe that was just her face. After eight years of knowing the kid, it was still hard to tell.
Inuyasha glanced just behind her at Kohaku, whose nieces were currently latched onto both of his hands and dragging him around the living room while babbling excitedly. He looked tired already. Welcome to my life, kid.
“You’re spending the night, right?” Kagome asked Kanna when Sango finally seemed satisfied that she’d covered everything. “I don’t know how late we’ll be, or if we’ll have to wait for our table - “
“Kagome,” Miroku was at the bar mixing himself a scotch and seltzer, “You’re married to the most famous movie star in the world. If we have to wait for a table, I’m getting new friends to leech off of.”
“Well, anyway,” Kagome sent Miroku a brief look and continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “Your room is all ready to go. Clean sheets, bath towels if you want to shower, et cetera.”
“And no scary movies with the kids awake,” Inuyasha added. That had been a point of contention last time Kanna had babysat.
Kanna turned and fixed him with that unsettling stare. “I’m sorry you think ‘The Crow’ is scary. I thought it was a beautiful love story.”
“It is literally about coming back from the dead to murder people.”
She gave a minute shrug. “You’re the parents.”
“We did it!” Miroku sank into the backseat as if he had lost all feeling in his limbs. “We’re actually going. Nothing went wrong.”
“Don’t jinx it, you idiot!” There was the sound of a gentle smack from the backseat.
“Oooh, do that again.”
“Houshi?”
“Yes, Mrs. Houshi?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha. He was shaking his head and chuckling under his breath as he put the car in gear and started down the driveway.
As they approached, they saw them.
The flashes. Just a few, maybe three or four, but they were going off like crazy.
“Ugh,” Kagome said, running a hand over her face, “I knew it.”
“It’ll be alright, baby,” Inuyasha said, reaching over to brush his hand over her knee, “One of the perks of living the life we do - exclusive hidden entrances.”
She knew the car windows were heavily tinted, that there would be no clear images in any of the ill-gotten photos, but she still found herself instinctively slouching lower as they passed through the gate.
“Who’s performing tonight, anyway?” Kagome asked, looping her fingers around her frosted glass of beer, looking around the crowded club.
It was decorated much like an old-timey nightclub from Hollywood’s golden age, with an enormous dance floor and a stage with a huge brass band.
“Not any metal bands, that’s for sure,” Miroku smirked as he tossed back the last of his whiskey-on-the-rocks. “Sorry, Kagome. How will you ever survive?”
Kagome tossed her napkin at his face from across the table. “Sango, can I kill him and make you a widow?”
Sango was perusing the food menu and didn’t miss a beat. “I just took out extra life insurance on him,” she said, “Give me one more month so it doesn’t look suspicious.”
“Ha!” Miroku scoffed, leaning in to kiss Sango’s cheek, “You’d never do that. You’d miss me too much. Plus you’d have to raise the twins by yourself.”
“A good life insurance payout would finance an awesome nanny.”
Inuyasha snaked an arm around Kagome’s waist and leaned back against the booth. She leaned into him, laying her head gently against his shoulder.
She was so beautiful. And he loved her so goddamn much. And the night was just beginning.
Could anything ever ruin an evening like this? He voiced the thought in his head.
And then there was a small commotion, raising the general volume of the already noisy room. The four of them craned their heads to follow the noise.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sango spat, her brown eyes narrowed with unfiltered rage.
What was that thing Sango said earlier about not jinxing it? Way to go, you absolute moron.
It was the first time they’d seen Kikyou in the flesh in nearly eight years, not counting passing glimpses on red carpets and the constant onslaught of her image all over the television all the time. Miroku and Sango, ever loyal to their most famous and money-making client, had always firmly emphasized to every single event organizer and bigshot that under no circumstances should Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi ever be seated near or forced to interact with Kikyou Higurashi. And it had always worked.
But, of course, fate had a way of fucking with the best-laid plans, right?
“Of all the nightclubs in LA,” Sango hissed, “She picked this one? I call bullshit. This is no coincidence.” She turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, clearly in full protective mode. “Did you tell anyone where we were going tonight?”
“Of course not!” Kagome said.
“We’re not stupid,” Inuyasha muttered, pulling Kagome a little closer.
Miroku, long finished with his own drink, reached over and took a generous sip of Sango’s, a troubled frown on his face.
Kikyou, looking angelic as she always had, waited for her date to pull out her chair before taking a seat, the skirt of her ruby red evening gown billowing around her. She was smiling at all the attention, all the whispers. The Queen, holding court. Some things never fucking change, do they?
“Does she see us?” Kagome said softly. Her black-polished fingers were awkwardly fiddling with her necklace, and she was staring down at the white-clothed table.
“I don’t know,” Inuyasha replied truthfully, then leaned closer to whisper, “Do you wanna go?”
The fidgeting stopped, and her nervous stare hardened into a steely glower. “No,” she said softly, “I don’t know what her goal is, what she’s planning, but she is not ruining my Valentine’s Day.” She sat up a little straighter and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Fuck it.”
Before anyone else could say something, the music flared up, and the entire club broke into applause.
Miroku raised his hand to signal for another round of drinks.
And here I was, about to ask Kagome to dance, Inuyasha thought glumly.
The music was sultry and jazzy. Definitely not Kagome’s usual vibe (not enough leather and studs and screaming high notes), but nice enough for a change. It all felt very fancy, which she realized was an ironic thought for half of one of the wealthiest couples in Hollywood to have. But then again, we’ve always been low-key, I guess. She snuck a glance down at her husband’s brand new Rolex watch. ...Well, relatively so.
She pointedly refused to look over at Kikyou, so she had no idea if Kikyou was looking back.
But then of course, her estranged older sister made it clear that she wanted to dance, and so there was no keeping her out of Kagome’s peripheral.
How did she find out where we were going? Sango’s right; this is no coincidence. Kikyou just announced a new movie this morning, and if there’s one thing she knows, it’s how to get press attention.
Inuyasha seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was, because he watched Kikyou laughingly get spun around by the poor idiot she’d convinced to date her with a very suspicious glare.
“I can’t stand this bullshit,” Sango spat, now well into her third strong drink of the evening.
“You and me both, babe.” Miroku had his mouth full of some overpriced appetizer and was chewing thoughtfully.
Sango set her glass down and placed both palms on the tabletop, as if she could take no more. “Houshi, c’mon,” she muttered, “We’re dancing.”
Miroku swallowed, looking like she’d just told him she was, in fact, an alien from Mars. “Sango, babe, you don’t dance. You’ve insisted that to me about twenty-three thousand, one hundred fifty times since we got married.”
“I dance now,” she hissed, glaring over at the back of Kikyou’s head, “Right now. How else am I gonna trip this bitch and make her wipe out on the dance floor?”
“I love you so much,” Miroku said, throwing down his napkin and following her out of the booth.
Kagome gave a muted smile at Inuyasha, who in return leaned over and kissed her. “You’re still having fun, right?” he murmured, so close she could feel his breath ghosting over her lips, “I know it’s not our normal sort of date night, but I figured once in a blue moon we could be hoity-toity celebrity people, you know?”
“It is fun,” she insisted, brushing his bangs out of his face lovingly. “I promise I’m having a great time.”
He didn’t look certain, and she knew he was worried. It was adorable. He was such a teddy bear underneath it all.
“I was gonna ask you to dance, of course,” he said, flicking his head back toward the dance floor behind them, “but I’m sure you don’t want to open that whole can of worms, right?”
“That can of worms was never fully closed in the first place,” Kagome said, once again letting herself settle against his shoulder, “I don’t know if it ever will be. Things are rarely ever that simple in the real world. Life isn’t a blockbuster movie.”
Inuyasha seemed to have no real reply to that, because he just kissed the top of her head and raised his glass to take another sip.
And for some reason, when Kagome saw the glum expression on his face that he was trying so desperately to hide for her sake, she felt her resolve turn to steel once again.
She nudged him, and he nearly choked on an ice cube.
“Oops, sorry!” She couldn’t help the laugh as she reached up with a napkin to wipe the whiskey off his chin.
“What gives?” he grumbled, “Trying to kill me, I see.”
“No, I don’t have any extra life insurance on you. Well, actually, the one policy we do have is more than enough. I could live for the rest of my days quite comfortably. Hey, let’s go dance!”
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious, let’s fucking do it.”
Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow at her. He wasn’t buying what she was selling, clearly. “You know she’s going to see us and try to make a thing of it,” he said slowly, “Why give her the opportunity?”
“I have a plan. One that doesn’t involve tripping her, as tempting as Sango’s idea was.”
“Babe, I know you’re on a mission from Satan right now,” Miroku said softly into her ear, “but could you at least stop with that terrifying expression on your face? And also maybe look at me instead, so we can enjoy our romantic dance and you won’t keep stomping all over my feet with those spike heels.”
Sango blinked away from where she was glaring daggers at Kikyou over Miroku’s shoulder and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m just marking the territory here.”
“That makes it sound like you’re a dog going to the - “
“Houshi?”
“Yes, Mrs. Houshi?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay, but you’re getting twirled in three, two, one…”
“Wait, what?” Sango stumbled as he sent her spinning under his arm. “Houshi, cut it out, I’m trying to be intimidating here!” She caught herself roughly using his arms to brace herself and resumed her death glare over his shoulder. “Oh, good, she saw me. I want her to know we know she knows we’re here.”
“Run that last sentence by me again?” Miroku sighed, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on his wife’s temple.
“I said I want her to know we know she knows - oh, never mind.” Sango’s mind was clearly elsewhere, but she still leaned forward for another kiss even as she kept her eyes on Kikyou across the dance floor. It’s my animal magnetism, Miroku thought with a smirk. She can’t resist me even now. I am a god among men.
Before Miroku had the chance to whisper something filthy into her ear, her grip on his shoulder suddenly tightened painfully. “Hoooooly shit,” she whispered, pressing her cheek to his, “Kagome and Inuyasha are coming to dance.”
“This should be good.”
“How is this possibly good?”
“Maybe Kagome will punch her like she punched you that one time.”
From his vantage point he could see her ears turn a little pink. “You promised you’d never mention that again, asshole.”
“You know I love you, right?” he laughed.
“I know, dammit. You still suck, though.”
Kagome and Inuyasha had taken a place next to them, in full view of Kikyou. Sango glanced across the floor again, and she could swear she saw Kikyou’s eyes light up even as she pretended to be entirely focused on the poor bastard she’d conned into thinking she was a nice person.
“You guys know she sees you, right?” Sango whispered at them.
“Who cares,” said Kagome dreamily, gazing up at her much-taller husband as he pulled her closer.
“Let her see,” Inuyasha said, clearly on the same page.
Sure enough, Kikyou was starting to be more obvious as she kept her eyes on the couple, even craning her neck around to avoid breaking the gaze a few times.
“What’s she doing?” Miroku asked, still facing away from the entire scene.
“She’s sweating,” Sango said, “She can’t stand it.”
“Ten-four. Okay, twirling again, three, two - “
“Houshi, not again - “
“One!”
“Dammit, you are the worst when I’m trying to concentrate!”
The song ended, and all the dancers on the floor paused to applaud the band, who took a brief bow and waved their thanks before breaking into a faster, swing-style number.
It seemed Kikyou was relishing the growing whispers and points from the rest of the clubgoers, and the opportunity was too hard to pass up, so she steered her poor date closer. Close enough to where they were dancing right beside Kagome and Inuyasha.
The targets in question, however, were pointedly ignoring her. They were spinning around quickly, Kagome’s movements a little clumsy and inexperienced, Inuyasha being the stalwart teacher and helping her through it. They were laughing and happy and clearly lost in each other’s eyes. It was a true Hallmark moment. The stuff of greeting cards and terribly-plotted Christmas movies.
“They are so fucking cute, by the way,” she whispered into Miroku’s ear.
“You say that all the time.”
“It’s true, though. Oh, god, here she goes.” Sango couldn’t help it, she stopped still and quit her imitation of dancing altogether.
There was a thumping sound as Miroku stumbled. “Really, Sango?”
“Shhhh!” She held tightly onto him.
“Kagome?”
Kagome fought back the snort of laughter. Here we go. She sent Inuyasha a wink, and he smirked.
They both kept dancing, and Inuyasha twirled her around to face Kikyou for just a moment before spinning her back inward toward him.
Kikyou stood there, exuding an aura of meek kindness and humility, clasping her hands in front of her with an overjoyed smile on her face.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, blinking innocently, “I’ve missed you.”
Kagome didn’t answer, just kept looking up into her husband’s face with a fond smile.
“I get asked about you two all the time.” Kikyou kept plugging away. “I always tell people that I’m so happy for you both. And for your two kids. I’d love to meet them someday.”
There was an angry flash in Inuyasha’s eyes at the mention of Axel and Mimi, and Kagome quelled it by leaning up to kiss him. Then she craned her neck to glance at Kikyou.
“Nope!” she said brightly.
Kikyou’s smiling facade slipped only briefly before she recovered. “Are we really going to keep this going forever, Kagome? Mom wouldn’t be happy that you’re being so unforgiving. No matter what, we’re still family.”
Kagome grinned even wider. “Nope!”
Inuyasha pressed his lips together to keep from laughing as he pulled her closer again.
Kikyou’s smile faded for real this time. “I just want a relationship with you two, whatever it might be. And with your beautiful children.”
Of course you do. You want to play the doting aunt, the martyr of a failed relationship who was magnanimous enough to bury the hatchet. In full view of the paparazzi cameras, of course.
“Nope!”
“So it’s like that.” Kikyou apparently was going to try for the pity route now. She closed her eyes sadly, heaving a gentle sigh. “Well, I can at least give you my number, and you can call me if you ever change your mind.”
Inuyasha pulled Kagome over the crook of his arm and dipped her low, leaning over her body to come face-to-face with Kikyou. The first time they’d been face-to-face since...well, Kagome couldn’t remember, but it was definitely before she and Inuyasha had gotten married eight years ago.
He gave Kikyou his best, most charming smile, the smile that Kagome had witnessed firsthand sending a crowd of fangirls into shrieks and fainting spells. Kikyou’s sadness faded immediately, as her public moods seemed to do all too often, and she smiled warmly back.
Can’t appeal to me so you’re gonna try my husband instead. Classy.
Inuyasha kept the smile going for another few seconds, and then opened his mouth to speak. Kikyou seemed to visibly hold her breath, sure that her charms were working.
“Nope.” And the smile widened into a perhaps-overly-satisfied grin.
The hopeful, beaming look on Kikyou’s lovely face once again was wiped away. All the friendly facade was gone, and her face pinched in anger.
“Fine. Enjoy your life with my husband, Kagome.”
Inuyasha gave an exaggerated expression of confusion as he looked down at Kagome. “Um,” he called after Kikyou’s quickly retreating back, “I’m her husband.” He touched the tip of his finger to Kagome’s nose, and she burst into laughter. He followed suit, still looking bewildered.
“No, but really,” he said through his laughter, looking down at her from his far greater height, “I did marry you, right? I’m not just dreaming, or high, or drunk, or - “
“You married me,” Kagome said with a loving smile.
“Thank god. She just called me her fucking husband and I thought maybe all of the last eight years had been some sort of weird perfect dream.”
“She wanted the movie star,” Kagome said, leaning up to kiss him, “I wanted the man.”
“Sango, babe, you gotta stand up, I can’t hold you up much longer!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - “
Oh god, Miroku thought, struggling to pull his wife to her feet as she doubled over in loud, obnoxious laughter, they broke her. She broke.
“I’m gonna be so sore in the morning,” Kagome whispered as she gently kicked off her high heels, “How you manage to walk around in these every day will always mystify me, Sango.”
“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” Sango whispered back, though Kagome didn’t miss the happy sigh she gave when her bare feet were planted firmly on the tile floor.
“What time is it, Inuyasha?” Kagome leaned back into her husband’s chest, now once again a full head shorter than him.
He checked his Rolex. “Three am.”
“Everyone’s probably asleep, then. I’m sure Kanna and Kohaku are too. I guess it all went alright here?”
Inuyasha smirked as he glanced around the dimly-lit living room. “I don’t see anything on fire,” he said, “Small victories.”
“I’m beat,” Miroku mumbled, “Where are you putting us up for the night?”
“East wing, anywhere,” Kagome replied. “Find a bedroom. They’re all ready to go.”
“Why you people need this many rooms in a house with five people in it, I’ll never know.”
“So we can host freeloaders like you,” Inuyasha retorted, his hand reaching around Kagome’s shoulder to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Ah, that’s fair.” Miroku slipped an arm around Sango’s waist and bent to lift her in his arms, bridal-style. She clearly wasn’t ready for it and let out a squeak of surprise, fighting him off. “Ow, Sango, ow, ow, please stop, my back isn’t what it used to be and you’re making this harder - “
“Put me down, Houshi! What the hell are you thinking?” Sango was obviously still trying very hard to whisper.
“It’s Valentine’s Day. Gotta be all romantic and shit. Gotta seduce you. Are you seduced yet?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake - “
“Just let me do this, please. If I put you down now it’ll be like I gave up.”
“...Fine.”
Kagome bit her lip, fighting back even more laughter as Sango gave an embarrassed little half-wave over Miroku’s shoulder, and they disappeared down the hallway.
“He knows how big our house is, right?” Kagome leaned back and whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
“He’ll remember in a few seconds.” Inuyasha flashed that trademark smirk of his once again. “Well, now I feel like I should carry you to our bedroom. Because it’s farther. And I want to win.”
Kagome snorted. “Let’s do it.”
He bent to lift her, but she shrugged out of his grasp and ducked around behind him, jumping onto his back and linking her arms around his shoulders.
“I know I always say this,” he said with a laugh as they started down the hall toward the master bedroom, “but I’m so glad you’re a shrimp of a human being.”
They passed through the threshold and closed the door, and then he paused, facing their bed with her still linked around his back. Kagome was just about to try and lower herself into a standing position when suddenly, Inuyasha bent forward at the waist, using his hands to flip her over his head and onto the bedspread. “SUPLEX!”
Kagome shrieked with laughter as she landed in an unceremonious heap on the soft bed covers. “Now I know where Axel gets it! It wasn’t Ayame corrupting him at all, it was his dad the whole time!”
Inuyasha smirked at her devilishly as he slid onto the bed after her, crouching over her, his lips just brushing hers. “At least I didn’t throw you into a wall.”
“If you did I would destroy you.”
“Oh, I’m scared.”
“I’m serious,” she said, leaning up to give him a kiss even as she was still shaking with laughter, “I’m talking scorched earth. Not even a body to bury.”
He took her face in both hands and pulled her in to deepen the kiss, and she tangled her fingers in his long silvery hair.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kiddo,” he murmured when they parted to catch their breath.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jerkface.”
“Dad,” Axel said at breakfast the next morning, “Did the Purry-tans really kill a lot of witches?”
The crowded breakfast table all paused mid-bite, except for Kanna, naturally, and Inuyasha nearly choked into his morning coffee.
“The who, honey?” Kagome asked, gently brushing an affectionate hand over her son’s hair.
“The Purry-tans. Like in the movie.”
Inuyasha gave a pointed gaze down to the other end of the table, where Kanna was on her third bowl of Froot Loops cereal and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Miroku and Sango and Kagome all exchanged wide-eyed glances.
“What movie?” Inuyasha asked, still giving Kanna the stare-down of the century.
“‘The Crucible,’” Kanna replied matter-of-factly, “You said nothing scary, so I went with educational instead.”
“Aren’t people shown being executed in that movie?”
“Yes,” Kanna said, as next to her, Kohaku looked about ready to slide under the table in mortification, “Just as they were in the historical record.”
“So it really did happen?” Axel asked insistently. “It seems like an awful way to die.”
“It was indeed,” Kanna answered him. “A great injustice, in my opinion.”
Inuyasha planted both elbows on the table and smushed his hands over his face, mumbling something that sounded like “God dammit, Kanna.”
“What did you say, Dad?”
“N-Nothing. Finish your breakfast, kid.”
THAT’S IT! Hope you like it Lia! <3 Also tagging @dyaz-stories because she also was a very faithful and amazing follower of this story. I don’t know who else to tag because honestly I don’t actually know if any of the rest of y’all have read it lol OH ALSO @cstorm86 I SAW THAT YOU READ IT TOO
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jouska-the-deer · 7 years ago
Text
A Bit Much, Part 2
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Here’s part 2, and part 3 should be posted very soon. 
Part 1: Amy helps Shadow decorate his house for Valentine’s Day.
Part 2: Sonic spends the afternoon with Amy.
Part 3: Sonic spends the evening with Shadow.
With a delighted squee, Amy ran up to her door, answering the knock she just heard. She swung the door open, revealing Sonic standing on the other side.
Before any conversation was made, Sonic got a look at Amy’s outfit for the day. She wore a long frilly red dress with matching high heels, a red headband similar to her usual one only this one was decorated with fake roses, and long white gloves instead of her usual short ones.
“Woah. You look really good.”
“Thank you!”
Sonic blushed, handing her a bouquet of handpicked flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Amy.”
“Thank you so much! And, Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Sonic.”
They leaned down, sharing a brief kiss before Amy stepped back into her house.
“One moment. I have to put these down and grab something.”
“No problem.”
With that, Amy rushed into her house, arriving back in seconds. She expectantly held a card out for Sonic to grab, her heart racing as he took it from her.
“I made it myself- well, I bought a blank card and decorated it- but still. I hope you love it!”
Just glancing at the card showed the time and effort that went into making it look beautiful. The most noticeable thing on the front was the huge red heart in the center, with golden colored cursive spelling out “Happy Valentine’s Day, Sonic”. Looking a little closer revealed all the small details in the background, including a bunch of little hearts and roses drawn in patterns that made up larger hearts. Intricate patterns of hearts made up the edges of the card, giving it an almost professional feel.
As Sonic opened the card, he noticed that the pattern of hearts around the border of the card were the same on the inside. There wasn’t a bunch of hearts and roses drawn in the background though. Instead, there was a neatly written poem spanning both sides of the card interior. Sonic began to read it, knowing that Amy definitely worked hard on it and wanted him to.
Thank you for the unending love
You make me feel each day
Even if you’re not next to me
I feel it anyway
The past was often filled with me
Trying to be your bride
You never could evade my hugs
No matter how you tried
Today I know it was unkind
To stick to you like glue
But after decent time and space
You let me close to you
And then before I knew
You came to love me too
Sonic couldn’t help but blush bright red as he read the poem. He was only halfway through it, and he could already feel his heart pounding.
Thank you for all the time you spent
Making my life so fun
The adventures you’ve given me
Beat any vacation
There were some days I doubted that
You’d come back in one piece
As time passed and we got closer
Those worries didn’t cease.
But here you are still by my side
Despite all that you fight
Smiling the way you always do
Ridding me of most fright
Each day and every night
Keeping my spirits bright
Helping me feel alright
When Sonic looked up from the card, he noticed Amy blushing as well. She was looking away bashfully, but once she glanced at Sonic and saw he was done reading, she gave him a hopeful smile.
“Do you… like it?”
Sonic returned the smile.
“I loved it.” He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Amy and pulling her into a hug. “And, I love you.”
Amy hugged him back, sighing happily. “I love you too.”
They held each other for a brief moment, enjoying the contact a few more seconds before stepping back.
Sonic glanced down at the poem in his hand again.
“This is even better than the one you wrote last year.”
“I hoped so. I’ve been practicing so that the poems I give you are even better.”
“I can tell.”
“Thank you.”
For a second, Amy giggled happily at the compliment, before jumping at something she was forgetting about.
“Wait! I’ve got stuff for us to do today!” Immediately, Amy grabbed Sonic’s free can and began pulling him somewhere. “Come on!”
Sonic chuckled, putting the card safely into his hammerspace.
“I’ve got a better idea.” With one quick movement, Sonic scooped Amy into his arms and held her bridal style. “Just tell me where to go and we’ll get there in no time.”
Blushing deeply, it took Amy a moment before she could reply.
“O-Okay.”
“This is it. Just stop over there.”
Sonic slowed to a halt in front of a pleasant little cafe that appeared well decorated for the holiday. Valentine’s Day balloons were tied to the outdoor tables and chairs, and each table had a bouquet of fake roses in the center. Carefully, Sonic set Amy down.
“This place looks pretty nice,” Sonic commented.
“Yep! Perfect for a romantic date with the person you love~”
Once again, Sonic couldn’t help but blush, scratching his quills as Amy lead him forward. Quickly, Sonic jogged in front of her, holding the door open.
“Aww. Thank you.”
“No problem, Amy.”
It wasn’t long before they were seated at a table for two near the front windows, with each of them ordering a drink before their waiter walked off to help the other customers.
The meals they each had were well presented and tasted nice, well worth the small amount of time they had to wait for their food to be finished. While they were eating, Sonic couldn’t help but notice how Amy kept looking at him dreamily, but he didn’t appear to mind. He continued to eat his food happily while Amy did the same.
Wit their meals now finished, Amy nervously looked at Sonic.
“Hey, Sonic?”
“Yeah?”
She looked away, her cheeks turning bright red.
“Um, would you like to…” After a few breaths, she forced herself to look at him. “...Share a milkshake with me?”
Sonic blushed just as hard, clearing his throat as his heart raced.
“Well, uh, okay- I mean, sure- I mean, I’d be cool with it. Uh, yeah.”
Amy squeed loudly in excitement before covering her mouth, letting out a more contained giggle of joy after. Sonic smiled as Amy grabbed the dessert menu.
When the milkshake was finally delivered to the table, it was about what Sonic was expecting when he heard Amy order the “Endless Love, Valentine’s Day Milkshake Special.” It was definitely a strawberry flavored shake, and he could see chocolate stripes running down the sides of the glass it came in. The milkshake was topped with plenty of whipped cream, and covered in tiny heart-shaped sprinkles. Two straws were sticking out of the top, one facing Sonic and the other facing Amy.
Amy leaned in to sip the milkshake, giving Sonic a look that told him she really wanted him to do so as well. He too leaned forward, taking a sip of the shake as she did.
For a brief moment, Sonic thought about how good the milkshake actually tasted, before his nose bumped into Amy’s and he was pulled out of his thoughts. They both blushed. Amy backed up and looked away while Sonic sat up rigidly in his chair. Sonic then noticed Amy starting to giggle, facing him after a moment.
“I love you.”
Sonic relaxed a little bit, giving Amy a smile.
“I love you too.”
A short moment later, they both went back to sipping the milkshake together. Their noses touched for a second time, but only Amy backed away that time. She smiled bashfully with her lips hovering near the staw, her eyes drifting away. Her attention was caught when Sonic leaned forward more, purposely bumping his nose against hers. Amy couldn’t help but giggle, nuzzling her nose against Sonic’s. Shortly after, he nuzzled back, causing Amy to feel even happier. They continued to share their milkshake.
Sonic set Amy down again, looking up at the building she led him to.
“A movie theater, huh? So, what’re we seeing?”
Both him and Amy began walking in.
“The Violet Nightgown. It’s a captivating love story about an adventurous pilot who crash lands in a small farm town after getting caught in a dangerous storm. As she repairs her plane, she falls in love with a beautiful farmer who warns her of a curse on the town. Everyone who stays there for more than a week is forced to stay there forever. As her days there get closer to seven, she’s forced to choose between staying with the woman she’s grown to love, or flying away and continuing her life of adventure.”
Sonic smirked. “It sounds like you’re quoting the trailer or something.”
They both stopped at the ticket counter.
“That’s because I am.” Amy then turned to the person behind the counter. “Two for The Violet Nightgown, please.”
Once they got their tickets, food, and beverages, they walked into the theatre and found a good place to sit. It was a good thing that they managed to arrive pretty early because it wasn’t long before many other couples walked into the theater as well. After sitting through a seemingly endless barrage of commercials and trailers, the movie finally started.
Not too long into watching the movie, Sonic noticed that he kinda related to the protagonist, a thin white snowshoe hare named Cirrus. She was cool, adventurous, and loved flying around in her plane. It didn’t have a cool name like ‘The Tornado’ or anything, but that didn’t really matter too much. He watched the opening shot of her flying through the air enjoying the wind, until a weird storm starts and a bolt of lightning hits her plane, causing it to crash into a farm town. A little bit later, a strong yellow silkie chicken helps her out of the wreckage, introducing herself as Fennel and asking Cirrus if she was alright. The look they gave each other made it very obvious that they were already falling in love, and Sonic reacted by awkwardly looking away from the cheesy moment of them staring into each other's eyes. He glanced at Amy, who seemed to be eating the moment up. Slowly, Sonic turned his attention back to the screen.
A bit further into the movie, Cirrus was walking around outside at night, despite the warnings that Fennel gave to her earlier. She was investigating some weird noises she heard and saw a bunch of ghosts roaming around the town. Cirrus then noticed one ghost that looked a little different from the others. Instead of a mostly featureless ghost, it was clearly the ghost of a middle-aged mouse woman who wore a violet nightgown. Sonic figured she must be important to the story if what she was wearing was the title of the movie. The ghost ended up chasing after Cirrus, but she managed to escape and run into Fennel’s house where she was staying. This led Fennel romantically comforting Cirrus, which made Sonic awkwardly look away again. Amy still appeared to be enjoying the movie though, which made Sonic smile.
An idea then popped into his head. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around Amy’s shoulders, briefly getting her attention. Despite the low light, Sonic could tell Amy was blushing, but the smile she wore showed him how happy she was about the situation. She leaned against him, letting out a sigh of content as they continued to watch the movie.
Sonic could feel the end of the movie getting closer. Cirrus and Fennel were speaking to an old townsperson, who was telling the story about the woman in the violet nightgown. It turns out that her name was Alison, and she lived in the town before the curse was cast. She was childhood friends with the mayor’s son, a red rooster named Rhubarb, until he left the town in his adulthood to follow his dreams. Alison would have followed Rhubarb, but she had children she had to take care of in the town. Many years later after her children grew up, he came back to spend some time with his father, also spending time with Alison again. At the end of the week though, Alison learned he’d only be there a week and chased after him on the last day at night still in her nightgown. She was too late and he was already way out of town. The old townsperson then said that everyone suspects she cursed the town, because, after that, she screamed about not letting anyone else leave and locked herself in her basement, never to be seen alive again. After hearing that, Fennel informed Cirrus that she knows where Alison’s old house is, and Cirrus says they should check it out. It was very obvious that Sonic was more invested, as he was listening more carefully to what was going on.
A catchy pop song played as the credits rolled, prompting everyone to get out of their seats. As Amy and Sonic walked out of the theater, Amy started a conversation.
“So, what did you think?”
“I thought it was pretty good. How about you?”
“I loved it! You could really feel how much Cirrus and Fennel loved each other throughout the entire movie!”
“Uh… yeah…”
“What was your favorite part?”
Sonic took a brief second to think about it.
“Probably the part where Fennel breaks down the basement door to get to Alison.”
“Really? I think my favorite part was when Cirrus took Fennel on the plane ride out of town at the end. It was so romantic!”
Sonic and Amy threw their empty drinks and food containers in the trash and stepped out of the theater. They both stopped just outside the theater out of the way of the entry doors. An idea came to Sonic as he thought about what Amy said.
“Hmm… How would you like it if I took you for a ride in the Tornado?” Sonic looked off into the distance while thinking out loud. “It’s at Tails’ place right now so we’d have to pick it up, and we wouldn’t have too much time in the air before I’d have to land and bring you home so I can go off to Shadow’s place… uh…”
He glanced back at Amy, her eyes shimmering with excitement and smile one of the brightest he’s ever seen. “So… is that a ‘yes’?”
Amy let out a squeal of delight and rushed toward Sonic, hugging him tightly. Sonic hugged her back with a smile, letting out a small chuckle.
“Alright.” For the third time that day, Sonic scooped her up in his arms. “Let’s go!” He rushed forward, hearing Amy giggle helplessly as he went to pick up the Tornado.
“So how’s this for a romantic Valentine’s Day experience?”
Amy giggled, leaning forward from her seat in the back of the Tornado and giving Sonic a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s perfect.”
“Sweet!”
Sitting back down properly, Amy enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing through her quills, as did Sonic. He looked around, enjoying the sea of green below him and the sound of air rushing by. He sighed contently, quietly saying to himself, “this is more like it.”
“What?” Amy sounded concerned.
“Huh?”
Sonic jumped, trying to keep his composure in the pilot's seat.
“What did you say?”
“N-Nothing!” Sonic was already terrible at lying, but the thought of making Amy upset at that moment didn’t help.
“It sounded like-”
“It doesn’t matter! Alright?” he interrupted desperately. “Just uh, keep having fun up here.”
“Sonic…”
He let out a whine, knowing that he wasn’t getting out of this.
“It sounded like you said, ‘this is more like it.’ Did you?”
Sonic sighed. “Uh, yeah…”
“So… you didn’t enjoy everything we did today?” There was a clear amount of sadness in her voice.
“No! No. It’s just…” Sonic ears folded back as he hunched down a little in his seat. “I’m just… not really into super romantic stuff…”
“Oh… I just thought that, you know, since you looked all happy while we did romantic stuff together in the past, that you liked it.”
“Well, I like kissing and holding hands and stuff like that, but… romantic movies, poems, and meals… just aren’t really my thing.”
“Oh…”
“Hey uh, I still had fun today. Don’t think that I didn’t.”
“But… how could you? You said you didn’t like that stuff?”
“Well, I don’t really. But, seeing you enjoy yourself, it makes me really happy.”
“Still, you really should’ve told me sooner. I wouldn’t have dragged you into everything if I knew you wouldn’t really like it.”
“Hey, I did like some of it. The poem was sweet, and the food tasted good, and the movie was pretty cool… when it wasn’t being cheesy. I’m glad we did all that stuff. I still had fun, even if I wouldn’t normally like that kind of stuff. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, though.”
“It’s okay.”
“Let’s just enjoy the rest of the time we have together, alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for all the fun today, Amy.”
“It was my pleasure, Sonic. And, thank you for the plane ride.”
“No problem.”
Sonic stood with Amy in the entryway to her house, holding hands with her as they smiled together. Gently, Sonic reached to Amy’s waist as she reached to his back, drawing each other closer until only a small gap was between them. Their eyes drifted shut, slowly leaning forward and closing the gap, letting their lips connect in a soft kiss. Sonic released a soft breath through his nose, melting against Amy’s loving touch and pulling her closer. After their lips parted, they continued to hold each other in a calm embrace, enjoying the last few moments they had together that day.
“You know,” Amy spoke softly, “I wouldn’t mind doing stuff like this next Valentine’s Day.” She sighed contently. “It may not be a huge celebration, but, it’s still really nice.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
They gave each other a gentle squeeze before letting go, smiling as their eyes met again.
“See you later.”
“Bye, Sonic.”
With that, Sonic gave Amy one last kiss and ran off to Shadow’s house.
Amy closed the door slowly, hearing it click shut. As she turned around and began walking toward her living room, a weird feeling kept gnawing at her, like she was forgetting something important. She sat down on her couch, trying to figure out what was wrong. The realization hit her like a truck.
“Shadow!”
She immediately got up, pacing around her house in a panic.
“I made him do a bunch of super romantic stuff for Sonic, and neither of them are going to enjoy any of it!”
She quickly pulled out her phone, planning to call Shadow before Sonic got there and rectify the situation. As she got to the contacts page, she remembered something else.
“I FORGOT TO ASK FOR HIS NUMBER AGAIN!”
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recentanimenews · 8 years ago
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Bookshelf Briefs 1/9/17
Cells at Work!, Vol. 2 | By Akane Shimizu | Kodansha Comics – Given that this is about anthropomorphic blood cells, it can sometimes be a surprise when the series packs an emotional and weighty punch. But that is, after all, the purpose of the anthropomorphism—Red Blood Cell and White Blood Cell are memorable because of their eccentricities and human foibles. Here we learn they’re apparently also forgotten childhood friends… sort of. There’s also discussion of Eosinophil, which is more specialized and therefore less powerful against things a normal White Blood Cell can do, and a surprisingly poignant treatment of a cancer cell, which is after all only trying to survive. A good second volume, and I like these cells. Are there ship wars yet? – Sean Gaffney
He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 9 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – The pieces begin to fall into place in this, the penultimate volume of He’s My Only Vampire. Unfortunately, Kana is thrust almost entirely into the background, despite a couple of revelations about her past (well, one is not entirely confirmed, but the hinting is so heavy-handed, it might as well be), as the looming confrontation between Aki and Eriya means the hunt for stigma is ramping up. Aki currently has three with a fourth at his disposal, once Jin deems the time is right, but Eriya soon claims his second. The cliffhanger ending involves the manifestation of the final stigma as well as a diary of significance. So far, this is hanging together better than Kiss of the Rose Princess, even if it isn’t 100% coherent. I’ll definitely be reading the conclusion! – Michelle Smith
Honey So Sweet, Vol. 5 | By Amu Meguro | VIZ Media – There are no fewer than five great big beaming smiles in this volume. Nao and Taiga plan to have a solo date on Christmas, but their friends quickly co-opt the evening for a party. This, in turn, leads to Nao meeting Taiga’s mom, who doesn’t seem to like her much, and then sleeping over and forgetting to notify Sou, who is very upset. Even though there is much going on here that is sweet and sunny—my favorite moment is actually Yashiro giving Valentine’s Day chocolates to Misaki—I actually really liked seeing Nao get angry for once and vow to be rebellious, and then seeing Tai lose his patience with the whole situation and intervene to get Nao and Sou reconciled. Like they themselves conclude in the story, it makes you closer with someone when you can be honest how you feel. And I honestly adore this series. – Michelle Smith
The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 5 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – My relief at the novels having caught up to the spinoff didn’t last long, as this volume of Miyuki’s adventures breezed through the third book in only 70 pages or so, leaving the rest of the plot as part of book four, not out here until April. So I’m spoiled by the spinoff again. There’s some good stuff here, in amongst the setup for the next volume or two. Shizuku in particular benefits in this book, becoming more than Honoka’s fiend and deadpan support and gaining character and awesome moments in her own right. As for Miyuki herself, I suspect she’s damaged by the aforementioned setup, as she doesn’t do quite as much here. Still good stuff. – Sean Gaffney
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 5 | By HaccaWorks* and nanao | Yen Press – Well, the story is certainly moving swiftly along! So swiftly, in fact, that the final four volumes of this series are certain to be action-packed. In this particular installment, we learn a little more about the meal, as well as the fact that Yue’s small and cute fox companion, Kurogitsune, is due a meal of his own and potentially thinks that Yue seems pretty tasty. Yue, for his part, is feeling disinclined to partake of a meal if it means one of his friends will disappear and is seeking a way out of the obligation, but the head honcho of the shrine aims to take the decision out of his hands and kidnaps Tsubaki when he has the opportunity. All sorts of forces are at play now, and I can definitely see the potential for a straight-through reread once the ninth and final volume finally arrives. – Michelle Smith
One-Punch Man, Vol. 10 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – Tornado of Terror is on the cover, and she gets a significant chunk of the book as well. And you can see why—more than any of the other female characters we’ve seen in the series, she’s a match for Saitama, possibly as she’s also a lot like Saitama—she gets a lot of simplified faces, emotionless stares, and superdeformed art just as he does. Her sister also gets a nice chapter showing how difficult it can be to not worry about others when you’re constantly striving to get stronger than your betters. Among all that, the further adventures of Garo don’t pack quite as much of a punch—indeed, Saitama takes him out handily as always. This continues to be top-tier shonen and top-tier shonen parody. – Sean Gaffney
Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 4 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – I was right that the second years were unable to beat out the first years, who are of course the protagonists so have the writer on their side. That said, I wasn’t expecting so nasty a finish, as they end up giving themselves significant injuries that will take them out of the action for some time. As for Onoda, he’s near his limits, and close to failing, but he gets another reward to give him even more speed—cleats—and that proves to be all the difference. So now we’re ready for the tournament itself, which promises to be grueling, and which features a flashback to the last one, which ended badly for all parties concerned. Is revenge in the offing? Excellent sports manga. – Sean Gaffney
By: Michelle Smith
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