General Disclaimer: The author owns none of the Viz/Sunrise/Takahashi IP and makes no money from all of this. Also, please wash your hands and wear a mask in public people.

Quarantine Day 17

Kagome looked into her closet and frowned. Why was this so hard? Inuyasha had seen her every working day for two years, even during Quarantine, but this felt different. This was a date. This was her first time leaving the house in two weeks. This was going to be a disaster if she didn't start getting ready. Inuyasha had said two hours and she really wanted to get a shower and some lunch before heading to the dog park. Finally choosing a pair of dark wash jeans, a cranberry 3/4 sleeve top, and a heavy grey button up sweater she ran for the shower.

Once washed, dressed, and blow-dried Kagome made her way out the door, down the shrine steps, and to the dog park. The park wasn't exactly in the neighborhood, but Kagome was glad for the walk. Her nerves had suddenly decided to go absolutely haywire and she didn't want Inuyasha to think she was nervous. She wasn't. This wasn't a big deal. Sure this was unconventional to start online dating someone you worked with every day, but doing things the normal way round she and Inuyasha might not have started dating at all. If they were dating. She thought they were but maybe she should clarify. Or not? Should she just let this happen?

She was more than a little surprised to see Inuyasha and Achilles already at the park waiting when she arrived; he was late to almost every meeting. The boys both seemed to notice her at the same time and it took all of her self control not to laugh as two sets of white fluffy ears suddenly turned in her direction. She was less successful at stopping the blush that spilled across her cheeks when she saw Inuyasha smile- his fang just barely poking out over his lower lip.

The park wasn't huge by any means but housed a sizable fenced-in off-leash section lined with metal benches. Taking a seat on an empty bench Kagome felt more than a little silly stopping there instead of going one bench further and sitting next to Inuyasha but she would do her best to abide by social distancing rules. Even though she really really wanted to slide up next to him, wrap her arms around his middle and hug the ever loving fluff out of him - Kagome had always been a very touchy-feely person. Luckily she didn't have much time to feel disappointed before Inuyasha sent Achilles over to say hello.

"Ya know, I did suggest we come here so I could see you not him."

She might have sounded more convincing if she had been facing Inuyasha instead of smooshing her face into Achilles incredibly soft fur.

"Yeah right, you see me everyday. You can be honest, you wanted to pet the dog."

Kagome felt her nerves melt away. Maybe this wasn't exactly how she wanted their dates to go, but Inuyasha was clearly still pleased to be spending time with her, his trademark smirk pulling at his lips. Running her hands through Achilles's fur she found that she didn't care if they called it dating or not, as long as they kept doing it.

Quarantine Day 18

Inuyasha sat on a bench in the empty dog park and scowled. It would be his luck that his first relationship in… well in a while anyway, and he wouldn't be able to touch her let alone kiss her. Maybe it was for the best, the first kiss tended to be the breaking point in his experience. A chance for his intended to literally put their money where their mouth was when it came to his demonic features. He kept his claws short and blunt, some people never even noticed them. His hair and eyes were exotic but not off-putting and the ears must have been accepted to even get close enough for a kiss. Hell the fangs had even been what lead to a kiss more than once. But the nose, the nose is what always caught people off guard. The nose was... unexpected. He couldn't hide it with a hat or a different hairstyle. The nose was the strongest, oddest, aspect of his dog heritage that a partner would have to accept. Yes he was a demon dog but still he had a constantly cold, wet nose. The kiss was make or break - and so far it had broken everyone. He'd never had a second date before.

Except, Kagome thought this was a third date didn't she? She called their movie night a date, then yesterday, and now this morning. Huh. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he realized that two of their three dates, and in very quick succession, had been her idea. He really hadn't been expecting this morning's just-passed-sunrise meet-up but Kagome had insisted. Yesterday as they were leaving he mentioned in passing that he had to go to the grocery store for his mother before their regular dinner together. Kagome had asked him if he had a mask and when he explained that most masks didn't fit him, since they looped around the ear, she'd asked to meet up again in the morning so she could give him one. He figured it wouldn't do him any good but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to see and smell her in person.

He was so lost in thought it ended up being Achilles who first noticed Kagome's approach. Sounding a soft "boof" as Kagome entered the off leash section, Inuyasha let him go as soon as the gate was closed. Kagome immediately dropped down to his level, greeting the giant fluff monster for enthusiastic head scratches. She stood back up and walked over to "her" bench, setting a go-mug and her giant yellow tote bag of a purse next to her. She had Achilles sit and rummaged through her bag, eventually pulling out a small canvas sack and a second travel mug. She put the mug into the small bag and held the straps out in front of Achilles' snout. He took it between his teeth and was sent back to Inuyasha.

Taking the mug out, Inuyasha was surprised to also see a pile of red cloth in the bottom of the bag. Pulling it out, he unfolded a bright red flannel facemask. It wasn't square like most of them, but curved up and around the nose, designed to hug nearer the cheekbones. The stitches were small and tight but uneven enough to make it clear it was done by hand. The four extra-long ties would easily reach up to the crown of his head by his ponytail where they wouldn't slip down due to his lack of human ears. He held it to his face to check the sizing and his knees almost buckled. After the hours spent holding, folding, and stitching Kagome's natural oils were rubbed into every inch of fabric. Her scent was so deeply embedded Inuyasha hoped it would never wash out. His demon instantly latched onto the smell and he knew in fifty years he'd still be able to pick her out of a crowd.

"You made this? When?"

"Last night, I found a tutorial online and thankfully my mom has a very well stocked sewing kit."

"Kagome you really didn't have to. I'm a half-demon, even if I got sick it wouldn't be that bad."

She shrugged, apparently really thinking spending her whole night sewing a custom mask for him was no big deal, "Better safe than sorry." She took another sip of tea and then continued, "It ties on like the nurses in M*A*S*H so it shouldn't rub against your ears at all."

He couldn't keep his face straight as he heard that. What an absolute dork. "Who pays that much attention to the fake nurse masks on a show that's been off the air for longer than you've been alive?"

She rolled her eyes - he loved how she looked when he teased her about her old lady tastes- and started to mime the way to tie the ties. He knew they were supposed to be social distancing, he knew it would be better to just work out how to tie it on his own. But damn it who knew how long quarantine was gonna last or when another legitimate opportunity to touch her would present itself? Decision made, he raised his brow at her, clearly showing mock confusion.

"I'm not following, I think you need to show me."

He more than half expected her to fight him, or ask that he send the mask back and she's put it on herself. His whole body hummed when instead she blushed and came to take a seat on his bench - their six feet apart down to barely six inches. She took the fabric out of his hands, her fingers dragging across his palm. His breath caught in his chest as she leaned in, hands moving toward his ponytail. He gently claimed them, bringing them into his chest, his thumb nervously caressing her knuckles. He wanted to be clear, telegraph every move so she could stop at any time. He wasn't gonna ambush-

His train of thought came to a screeching halt as her lips came crashing into his. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't even blink as he stared wide eyed at Kagome's closed lids. His brain finally caught up with the moment when he felt her tongue prod against him, patiently asking for entrance. He tilted his dead to give her better access, his cold wet nose pushing against her cheek. He felt her smile into the kiss. Maybe this wouldn't be a deal breaker after all.

Quarantine Day 21

Inuyasha was a lot of things: blunt, funny, a great listener, and as Kagome was learning, highly competitive. When she made him the mask she was honestly just being kind. To thank her for the mask he'd brought her a gigantic bouquet of daisies, delivered by Achilles. As wonderful as their kiss had been, they both knew it was smarter and safer to stay at their respective benches going forward. So yesterday to thank Achilles for playing courier, Kagome had brought him a new ball. But bringing the ball seemed to have inadvertently started a volley of tokens of affection. Which was why today she found a giant iced green tea latte on her bench when she arrived at the park for their date.

Under normal circumstances a latte might not seem like much, but she knew the only location of this particular chain that was still open was over 3 miles away. With no car and transit running holiday schedules it had been weeks since she'd indulged in the icey delight. She'd chugged half of it, and shuddered from the completely worth it brain freeze, before finally asking him about it.

"You don't have a car- did you really run all the way there?"

"Nah, I have a friend who owes me a favor so he got it and dropped it off here for me."

"You wasted a blank IOU on me?"

"Did you like it?"

She shook the cup, the ice the only thing left.

"Clearly."

"Then I didn't waste it."

Quarantine Day 24

Kagome was a total dork. Despite actually being a few years younger than him, Inuyasha couldn't help but tease her about her old lady taste in… well in everything. She watched 80s sitcoms, owned a cardigan in every color, was very stupidly picky about her tea, and clutched onto physical media like a lifeline. As he looked at the very dorky and yet incredibly sweet gift in his hand he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Did he even have a CD player anymore?

"Have you heard that one before?"

Her excited question came rolling off her lips and it was clear she wanted to talk about it whether he knew it or not. He'd owned the album years ago, but when he switched exclusively to streaming hadn't heard it since. He had wondered why all of t.A.T.u.'s music except this album was on Spotify, but never really cared enough to look into it. Apparently, Kagome had. As he listened to her talk, nodding at all the right times and keeping Achilles occupied so as not to disturb Kagome's rambling he realized: he really needed to up his gift game.

Quarantine Day 27

Quarantine sucked. It sucked and then it found ways to suck more. As Kagome sat in her room and pouted she never thought there would come a day when she would be upset at sleeping in til 9am but here she was. It'd been a wonderful week of waking up early to go to the dog park with Inuyasha - they'd sit and talk about anything and nothing and just enjoy actually getting to be in each other's company again after two weeks of total social isolation. And now the parks were closed.

Frick fracketty frick.

Kagome was pulled from her wallowing when her cellphone rang, a picture of Inuyasha she'd taken filling up her home screen. She could already feel her mood improve as she slid her finger across to accept the call.

"Hey babe," they'd recently reached the 'pet name' stage and she'd been circling through "babe" "hun" and one time "snuggle butt" just to try it out. She wouldn't be using that one again. "Whatcha up to?"

"Well, morning run didn't take as long as it has been recently so I had some time to make cinnamon rolls. First time making them but they seem to have come out okay."

"You called me just to taunt me with carbs I can't have? You're so cruel!"

"I'm gonna make you eat those words "

"Tease."

"Open your window whiney pants."

Kagome blinked twice before his instructions finally filtered through her brain. Why her window? She stood from the bed and pulled aside the curtains and had to fight down her squeal. Throwing the window open with a bang she leaned herself out and down as far as she could.

"How did you know where I live?" Okay maybe not the first thing she should have shouted to her boyfriend who was standing on the lawn under her window with a box she was seriously hoping was filled with fresh baked deliciousness.

"The same way everyone in Tokyo finds Higurashi shrine...I Googled it." He shook his phone at her for dramatic emphasis, clearing thinking it was a stupid question.

"Give me a second, I'll meet you at the door." She was just about to pull herself back into her room when he called out for her to stop.

"No need, half demon remember?" He bent his knees and Kagome was sure her eyes were going to pop out of her head. He leaped up to the ledge of the roof for the first floor and pushed himself up again to land completely silently on the flat section of the roof under her second floor window. It was positively ethereal, watching him leap through the air and land without a sound, his hair spilling around him the only proof he'd jumped at all. She hadn't even heard his shoes hit the roof - which is when she looked and saw he wasn't actually wearing any. She was about to ask him about it when the smell of cinnamon smacked her in the face and her stomach gave a very unlady like growl. Right, she hadn't had breakfast yet. Come to think of it, she was still in her pajamas, hair a wreck, and no make-up. She let out a loud "eep" and dropped out of the window onto her bedroom floor.

"Gimme a sec" she shouted out the window, scrambling to reach her robe that was laying across the foot of the bed.

"Why?"

"I'm a mess!"

"You looked fine from down there."

"But not up close! I haven't even brushed my hair yet." She stood, robe secured, and was met by a hanyou looking in her window. She "eeped" again and began quickly carding her fingers through her hair to give it some semblance of order. Inuyasha set the box on her bedside table and moved to sit back out on the roof.

"You look beautiful, now eat before they get cold."

Kagome felt herself blush, but chose to believe him. She brought her desk chair over to the window so she was facing him and put the box in her lap. They smelled heavenly and she knew in that moment that she really needed to up her gift game if she was gonna win this thing.

Quarantine Day 29

How had they not thought of this before? Sure, it was a little awkward the first time when he'd just appeared unannounced, but now it was their newest normal and he was really, really enjoying it. One unexpected benefit to this new visiting arrangement: meeting Kagome's family. During their Zoom meetings and Netflix Party dates Kagome hadn't really introduced him more than giving his name. Now that he was actually there and Kagome couldn't enforce the divide by closing her laptop in a huff he'd met everyone. Her brother, who was even louder in person, her grandfather, who still glared at him, and her mother, who was possibly the nicest woman he'd ever met. Even more than his own, if only because she didn't end every other sentence with a hint at wanting puppy eared grandchildren. Yeah, Kagome wouldn't be meeting Izayoi anytime soon if he could help it. He loved his mother, he really did, but the last thing he wanted was her scaring off Kagome by talking about stuff like that too early. He wanted to enjoy this, even with all the pandemic weirdness. Once the world went back to normal, he would be proud to introduce his mother to this amazing young woman currently talking about her new YouTube storytime idea. But for the moment he was more than happy to keep her as just his.

He was so focused on Kagome's adorable chatter he didn't even hear Mama Higurashi coming up the steps. Her sudden knock on the door caught Kagome off guard too, but what confused Inyasha was that she blushed. She excused herself from the window and met her mother at the door, carefully accepting a large tupperware container before shutting the door again. She carried the container with her to the window and he could hear liquid sloshing around inside it.

"What was that?"

"Well, I know you can't really stay for dinner, but I thought it might feel more like an actual dinner date if we had the same meal. So I made an extra portion of ramen for you- but Mama insisted on letting it simmer an extra half hour before giving it to you." She sat the bowl on the windowsill then moved back towards the closet, letting him come and collect his dinner without breaking social distancing.

"You really didn't have to do that," he said, opening the bowl and taking a long deep breath, savoring the aroma of the fresh soup. He looked down and studied the ingredients: slices of beef, bright green veggies, and irregular wavy noodles. "Holy crap are these handmade noodles?"

"You're not the only one who knows how to make dough, ya know."

Oh yeah, he was really going to need to up his game.

Quarantine Day 30

She wasn't going to scream she wasn't going to scream she wasn't going to scream. Damn, Inuyasha might have actually won their unofficial "token of affections" game. When he dropped a small paper bag onto her windowsill she was expecting cookies or maybe some chocolates. She was absolutely not expecting If It Bleeds, the newest hardcover from Stephen King that had only come out two days ago. She'd ordered it of course but the delivery was delayed and the local bookstore was sold out. She looked at him, he was failing horribly at hiding the pride in his face as she made a fool of herself, giggling over his gift. She finally took a moment and calmed down enough to ask him her burning question.

"Another IOU?"

"I introduced him to his wife, so yeah, they've stacked up."

She sat at her window, wishing desperately that she could pull him in for a kiss and maybe a couple of other things as a thank you. She looked down at the book in her hands and smiled again. Yeah, he'd definitely won their "gift off" competition.

This time.

-x-

And that's the end folks :) Thank you so much to everyone who was so excited for / encouraged me to make this second chapter!

As a special treat to myself I did make a NC-17 companion piece one-shot that I'm editing at the moment but will post soon as Part 2 of the Quarantine Series. I know that the fan base for fluff and smut isn't always the same so it will be a separate fic upload.

Want updates, behind the scenes, and general fangirling? Find me on Tumblr : superpixie42