half demon half human all dumbass

Sakura watched him carefully as he frilled and winced, his attitude key in her decision if she really would tend to his injuries. To be fair, they had not had a great introduction, so his response was completely fair and in no way insulted her. She hadn’t worked her butt off to not be a little intimidating. But his Kiba like response made her feel nostalgic for her old friend back home. 

She slowly blinked at him eventually, a wry smile forming on the corners of her lips. “I never said you were. And I’ve seen worse. I’ve seen real monsters.” She said simply, setting her clip board down and finally fully entering the room, not hesitating to walk right up to him and peer at his broken nose. 

“However I will admit you got me good. It’s been a while since I had a good enough spar. Let alone where someone could have beaten me in hand to hand. My strength usually gives me enough of an edge.” Sakura openly praised, her time to cool off in a jail cell allowing her to be humbled by her former opponent. 

“It seems like you have just as much a habit for trouble as I do. If that nose isn’t set you wont be able to smell a skunk slapped on your face.” She reached out, palm open to cup his chin if he allowed her, giving him a smile. 

It was a testament to his own growth that he simply huffed, nodding as Haruno spoke to him. The talk of her own strength made him smirk, perhaps a little cocky, but hey, his pride was two-fold. 

“Not often I get my ass sent flying by a human,” he complimented. “I could sense it was some kinda...I dunno, magic, energy, or somethin’ powerin’ you up. Caught me by surprise too with that kinda control. Knew a couple demons three times our age, and they couldn’t do that kinda subtle shit.” 

He leaned forward at her offered palm, plopping his chin in her grip and sighed with a grimace. It was gonna hurt like hell, but whatever. 

“Spar, huh? Feh, that was a killshot, woman!” His glare was only slightly genuine, but between the banter, the fact that he was still alive, and--and her words--

You’re not a monster.

--well, he wasn’t as pissed as he could have been. 

♚ :  Head scratches

Kagome had gotten at his ears a couple times. 

Not seriously, though. A couple of careful but forceful tweaks when she was making a point to sell his good nature off, sometimes a yank to get his attention when she needed, desperately, to make a point. Never painful, never, and never in the cruel ways other humans had before in his life. 

Still, it was different from here and now. Lounging in her dwelling with some nonsense movie playing on the television box, him on the floor and her legs hanging over his shoulders like he was a glorified footrest. He would have snarled at her to get off, but her fingers were carefully combing through his hair, weaving in his now near constant braids with Larkspur’s ribbons, nails scratching carefully at his scalp. 

Inuyasha was not a man to melt into a puddle. He was barely a man; he was a male, half demon, tough, and always on the alert. Except for now, when his best friend had welcomed him into her home, and her fingers were gently scratching at the base of his ears. 

25. tender kiss

He’d only kissed two women in the whole of his life. 

The first time he’d kissed Kikyo, he’d imagined a life with her that--while it meant living a lie, giving up the parts of him that made him feel good and strong, meant staying a weak human man and feeling as miserable as a new moon for ever and ever--was going to be a peaceful one. He’d be accepted in the village, if not scowled at for tarnishing their once powerful priestess, and Kikyo would be able to live as a normal woman.

With Kagome, he’d been trying--in vain--to give her some comfort with Hanahaki. He’d been trying to cull the flowers in her chest, be the man she needed, protect her like he always had. And, well--he still had the phantom pains in his throat to remind him of how well that worked. 

Still, though. It was a kiss of comfort nonetheless, and he couldn’t say he regretted it, even if it just made a worse mess. In the aftermath of the Joke’s rampage, Inuyasha had his precious friend bundled up in his arms and lap and up in a tree--like old times--and pressed a tender kiss against the crown of her head. 

His eyes crossed to look at the tip of Larkspur’s finger as it smooshed against his nose. He craned his back with a snort, eyes scrunched as he sneezed once, then twice into the crook of his arm; much like a confused dog. 

(Larkspur might have even noticed that his nose was...oddly cool in comparison to the rest of his skin.)

22. hair kiss

“Feh...” 

Inuyasha obligingly stooped to allow Larkspur to shelter him from the rain. It wasn’t...necessarily effective. With the height difference, half his ass was sticking out in the rain anyway, and the back half of his hair was soaked through. But it kept his ears dry, so, that was fine enough...

...And, this close--he could reassure himself with her scent without her none the wiser. So. Any of his complaints were simply for complaining’s sake; he had no hard feelings either way. 

“Stupid human body,” Inuyasha grumbled, staring down at his stupid human hands. “Stupid Wonderland, makin’ it all so random--” 

He wouldn’t have minded trudging out in the rain, honestly. He had his leather jacket on, and honestly, the walk between cities would be enough to clear his head. But nooo, the stupid rain had to start up just as he was about to leave the bus shelter. 

A flash of pink caught his eye. He glanced over and pressed himself back against the glass. FUCK FUCK FUCK NOT YOU--

Because...she was.

He attacked her from behind, scoring lines of blood-red paint over her shoulder.