AN: Hello, everyone! This is my foray back into fanfiction. I can't promise it'll be consistent, but I hope you enjoy this one-shot.

About Time

How deep is your love, how deep is your love

I really need to know

Cause we're—

Kouga grimaced as he took the shot, willing himself to ignore the god awful singing in the background. He hated karaoke. How did his coworkers convince him to come to this stupid work event?

"You're here because you love us and you owe us a good time after all the shit we put up with these past two months," Ginta said, as if reading Kouga's mind.

"Yeah," Hakkakku added, sidling up to Kouga's other side with two shots in hand. He passed a shot to Kouga, adding, "but more alcohol will help drown out the singing."

Kouga sighed, grabbing the shot from Hakkakku's hand.

"There are big ships, and there are small ships," Ginta began, "but the best ships are friendships!"

Kouga rolled his eyes and took the shots with his friends. Even after all the hard work they had put into finish up the account, they were still giant pains in the ass. He relaxed his jaw and turned to survey the room.

Fuck. He saw—

"Kagome!" Ginta and Hakkakku shouted in greeting, grinning and elbowing Kouga in the ribs.

Ginta continued, "It feels like we haven't seen you in weeks. How ya been?"

Kagome felt a blush rise up but willed it away. "I've been busy, guys. Just doing the work thing. How about you two?"

Kouga noticed the pains she took to not look him in the eye and smirked. Ever since their all-too-brief encounter by the mistletoe at the holiday party, she had been avoiding him. For once, he hadn't outright tried to pursue the woman of his interest—a sure sign that he actually liked her. Instead, he had been…strategizing. "Yeah, strategizing. Or a nice way say chickening out," Kouga thought to himself, darkly.

He turned his body away from the bar and towards Kagome. "Oh you know," Kouga said casually, "Closing deals, making money, getting out of sticky situations."

At this, Kagome blushed. "Well, damn." She thought to herself, "He definitely noticed my reaction under the mistletoe." She paused and tilted her head, wondering, "Why hasn't he done anything since then? It's been three weeks."

Kouga's smirk broadened, noticing Kagome's face shift from embarrassment to thoughtfulness.

Ginta and Hakkakku glanced between the two of them, noticing the shift in atmosphere. "Well guys," Ginta began, "We're going to uhhh…"

"Pick a song for karaoke!" Hakkakku supplied, quickly.

"Yes. That is what we are going to do. Pick a song. So we have to leave," Ginta added. Neither Kagome nor Kouga said anything. While Kagome was lost in thought, Kouga mentally willed the guys to read his mind. "Just fucking leave already!"

Hakkakku winked before he grabbed Ginta's sleeve, pulling him away from the two. "Okay, see ya!" He added.

After a brief pause, Kouga motioned for Kagome to take a seat at the bar. "It seems like you're…lost in thought," he said, enjoying her rising discomfort.

Kagome leveled a glare at him but accepted his offer. Hopping into the seat, she turned to the bartender. "Whiskey ginger, please."

"Put it on my tab," Kouga interjected.

"That's not necessary—" Kagome began.

"Oh but it is. As I seem to recall we were getting pretty close at that holiday party, until someone barged in," Kouga added, raising an eyebrow.

Kagome wanted to hit her head against the bar. "You know that Inuyasha is just a coworker to me. He barely reaches the level of friend! I have no idea why he was looking for me that night or why he was so pissed off to see us…" Kagome trailed off, feeling a flush form on her face. The bartender slid the drink to her and she gratefully took a sip.

Kouga raised his other eyebrow, "That dick likes you, Kagome," he said flatly.

Kagome choked on her drink. Patting her back gently to help her get the alcohol out, Kouga added, "I don't know how you're so blind that you can't see it. In fact," he muttered, "you seem to be blind about a lot of things."

Clearly her throat and wiping her eyes, Kagome asked in a raspy voice, "What do you mean, blind?"

"Well that asshole clearly likes you. He can't stop looking at you whenever you're in the room, he always brings you coffee, he picks your idea over others…you know, crush stuff," Kouga stated.

"What if I'm just a good employee? Maybe I have a confident presence that commands people's attention? Hmm? Did you ever think of that?" Kagome asked.

Kouga gave her a flat look. "He doesn't just stare at your face, Kagome."

Kagome gasped, thankful she hadn't taken another drink. "Excuse me?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

Kouga rolled his eyes. "I just don't know how you're so damn oblivious. You have to have had guys hit on you and check you out. You're twenty-fucking-six."

It was Kagome's turn to roll her eyes. "Guys aren't exactly interested in dating... this," she motioned up and down her body.

Kouga nearly choked. She thought guys weren't interested in her? Because of her body? "Fuck, she's more unaware than I thought," he said to himself.

"Kagome, you innocent girl," Kouga began, grinning. He noticed Kagome's expression shift; a glare was forming. "I can assure you, the men are definitely interested in…that," Mimicking her, he motioned up and down her body.

With still-narrowed eyes, Kagome took a moment to consider what he said. She then flipped her hair over a shoulder, as if dismissing what he said. "Nah," she remarked.

Kouga was rarely surprised, but this quick dismissal was definitely startling. He then smirked, turning his body towards Kagome's. With absolutely no subtlety, he asked, "Do you, maybe, need someone to demonstrate just how interesting you are?"

Kagome surprised him, squaring her shoulders to face his and responding, "Are you up for the challenge?"

Startled, he shifted back in his seat.

"Just what I thought," Kagome said, primly. She turned her attention back to her drink and knocked it back. "You don't have the balls."

Turning to the bartender, she raised her now-empty glass and motioned for a refill.

Kouga was stunned. Was she propositioning him? Was he missing out on his chance? Kagome glanced at his expression and added, "You didn't do anything at the holiday party, so I bet you wouldn't do anything now."

Grabbing her newly refreshed drink from the bartender, she began to slide off the barstool, saying, "I'll see you around—"

The surprise of being nose-to-chest with Kouga made her stop. She hadn't realized that he had gotten out of his seat as well. Tilting her head up to look him in the eyes, she was surprised to see the resolve and determination plainly written on his face.

"Kouga?" She began, questioningly. His hand on her waist cut her off, effectively stopping the blood flow from her brain to her mouth.

"You think," Kouga began quietly, a hint of a smirk on his face, "That I don't have the balls to make a move?"

Kagome was beginning to regret her decision to speak so boldly. "Well," she stammered, "it's just that—"

"You know, if that fuckface hadn't gotten in the way that night, I don't think we'd be in this… let's say, predicament… right now." He was fully smirking at this point, reveling in both her discomfort and excitement.

"Oh?" She questioned, voice low, "What would have happened?"

Kouga slid his other hand into Kagome's hair and brought his face tauntingly close to hers. "This," he whispered. He brushed his lips across hers, gauging her reaction before deepening the kiss. Almost instantaneously she responded, pressing her body against his and tilting her mouth to allow him better access. She felt her body relax as she leaned into the kiss, wanting more but feeling slightly self-conscious about their very public display of affection.

Hearing hoots, hollers, and cheers, they broke apart to survey the room and noticed the many people clapping and shouting their approval.

"About damn time!" Ginta yelled, as he and Hakkakku high-fived.

"Yeah, about time," Kagome added quietly.

Kouga turned to her, surprised. "How long have you been waiting for this to happen?" he teased.

"Oh, just a year or so," she said quickly, smiling up at him. "And you said I was the oblivious one." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, grabbing her purse and moving towards the exit.

She only made it a few feet before she paused, squaring her shoulders and steeling herself. She turned to look at him. "Well," she asked, trying to sound casual, "Are you coming? Or will I have to keep waiting?"

Kouga scrambled to gather his things and jogged to catch up to her, ignoring the renewed hoots and hollers. He slipped an arm around Kagome's waist. He bent down and looked her in the eyes before quietly whispered, "Abso-fucking-lutely not."

A shiver went down her spine. This sounded promising.

Straightening, he said in a louder voice, "My woman will never be kept waiting again."

Kagome rolled her eyes and walked through the door Kouga impatiently held open for her, "Goodness, what have I gotten myself into?"

Kouga smirked, surveying the rest of the karaoke bar from the doorway. "Never again," he thought to himself, allowing the door to close. He caught up to Kagome as she began to walk to her apartment.

He was all in.

AN: Thank you for reading! Please let me know your thoughts and if you think I should continue down the path of a Kouga-Kagome pairing with a multi-chapter story!