Epilogue: Signing Off

As Inuyasha finished off his signature on the very last page of the court document, he felt a reliving wave of freedom pass through him. He looked to his side to Kagome signing as well, and unreadable expression on her face. She'd been like ever since the phone call in which he told her he was leaving her. Surprisingly, she hadn't yelled. He figured she saw it coming, and accepted things as they were, though he had no doubt she was, in fact, angry about it. It wasn't in her nature to not be.

He looked behind him, to Sesshomaru who sat at the furthest row. Inuyasha smiled when he saw him talking to his little girl Rin, the ball of energy bouncing up and down in the seat next to him. He wasn't positive, but he swore he saw a tiny hint of a smile on his brother at Rin hyperactive antics.

"You know we have to fight for her, right?"

"Huh?" he turned to Kagome, who stared at Sesshomaru and Rin with her arms crossed and that same expression he couldn't figure out.

"Shippo as well. I know you want them, but you know I want them, too. And let me tell you this," She looked at him, a burning determination in her eyes that took him back. "You won't have them. Not as long as I have anything to do with it." She walked away, picking up Rin without even looking at Sesshomaru, and was out the door before he could say anything back.

He shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Crazy Bitch," and continued to his brother, who stood at the doorway of the court waiting for him. Sesshomaru put his arm around his shoulders, making Inuyasha blush and look to the floor to hide it. Surprisingly, Sesshomaru was quit affectionate.

"She looked as though she was in hurry, didn't she?" He asked. Inuyasha sighed, leaning into Sesshomaru.

"It's nothing really." It wouldn't do to have Sesshomaru angry at Kagome as well. Inuyasha was used to it, but his brother tended to be on the more… malicious side of things. "On another note, it seemed like you were you hitting it off really well with Rin, huh?"

Sesshomaru snorted, opening the driver's side of his car. "I have never seen a girl with more unrestrained energy as she has." He glanced at Inuyasha, who stared back with a side-ways grin and a brow lifted, obviously waiting for the rest of his answer. He grinned and continued, "But yes, she was very adorable."

"I knew you had a soft spot for kids, you big puppy." Inuyasha said, grinning and climbing into the passenger seat just as his brother climbed in as well. Sesshomaru just shook his head and stayed silent, staring the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

"I have another kid, you know. His name is Shippo."

"Yes?" He inquired. "What's he like?"

"Well, he's definitely calmer than Rin. But what he lacks in energy he makes up in mischief." He laughed, managing a smile on his brother face. He smiled and turned to look out the window, watching the buildings pass by. He relaxed in his seat and enjoyed the silence and the presence of his brother – or his boyfriend actually, he supposed.

After the playground incident, Sesshomaru had just held. He might've held him for minutes, or maybe hours, he hadn't really been paying attention to time. All he really cared about was how nice it felt to be wrapped up in a whole bunch of Sesshomaru, and why he hadn't thought about doing it before. He would sometimes kiss him on his the top of his head, tentatively, like he wasn't sure how he'd react or like he was unused to giving affection. It made the experience all that much sweeter, in Inuyasha's opinion.

Eventually they got up and left, the ride back to Sesshomaru's apartment quiet, but comfortable. Inuyasha laid against the window glass and watched his brother driving, appreciating the little things about him he'd ignored before. He didn't look from the road to him during the trip but held his hand loosely in his own.

When they got back to the apartment, they sat down in Sesshomaru's room, and talked about –well everything, really.

They talked about how they'd treated each other, and how they felt now, and how they felt about how they felt. Last, they talked about what they were to do now.

"What did you mean?" Sesshomaru had asked softly, his chin resting atop his Inuyasha's head with his arms around his shoulders. Inuyasha looked up, confused.

"About what?"

"About you saying that you "Won't be married"."

"Oh, that," At the mention of it, Inuyasha felt a bit of anxiety rise in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't out of indecision, but rather about what Sesshomaru would say about it. Sure he was up for his divorce and what-not, but maybe Sesshomaru really didn't want to be in relationship with him, and he was making things awkward. But it was true; he meant it when he said he wouldn't be. "I was just saying that… I'm not going to be married for long so… it was okay that we, you know, kissed and stuff."

Oh man, thank God it was dark in that room. If he had to deal with Sesshomaru seeing that bright-ass blush he was sporting he would just die, right then and there.

Sesshomaru was quiet for a bit, and then said, "Do you want to be with me?"

His heart skipping a beat, Inuyasha stayed silent out of shock. How was he supposed to answer that? Was he asking him to be with him, or was he asking if he just wanted to be with him?

"I don't know exactly what you mean," He responded. Once again, silence followed. Goddamn his brother mysterious tendencies.

Then, he was pulled tightly to the others chest, so close he could hear the quiet, quickened heartbeat of his brother. Sesshomaru could be as stoic as he wanted, and fool the cleverest people in the world, but his heart would always betray him.

"Listen," He whispered into his hair, so quiet Inuyasha wouldn't have heard him if not for his heightened hearing. "Do you hear it?"

"Your heart?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I hear it. What about it?"

"… It beats so loud when I'm close to you." Blushing, Inuyasha tried to think of a response, but came up blank. "I don't think it's ever beat like this before, for anyone."

He slid his hand down to his younger brother's lower back, sending spikes of pleasure throughout Inuyasha's spine without meaning to. He turned his head to press his cheek against his crown, sighing and saying, "And I don't think I've ever wanted it so much."

And impossibly, Inuyasha's cheeks got redder, and he thought if he heart pounded any harder he would go into cardiac arrest. Here he was, lying against his brother's chest. His brother, who happened to be Sesshomaru, King of All-Those-Who-Has-Ever-Hated-Him-Ever. Sesshomaru, whose heart now told him otherwise. And although past experience told him to be wary, all he felt was safe and dare say it, he felt loved.

He leaned his head back and pecked the older demon on the jaw, smiling up at him. Smiling back, Sesshomaru leaned his head down and kissed him back, warm and gentle, on the lips. They kissed again, and some more, and they stayed like that through most of the night until Sesshomaru remembered they had work in the morning. Then, they just snuggled together- yes, snuggled, he was man enough to admit that- under the sheets until they both fell under the waves of sleep.

And that was that, really- neither one had to say what they both had established with their actions. Believe it or not, sometimes, actions really do speak louder than words.

Inuyasha looked over to Sesshomaru, who seemingly was only focused on the road but held his hand in his own, running a thumb over his skin. He watched his lips, reminiscing about how soft they were on his own. He could almost feel it, and his lips tingled with the ghost of it. Pursing his lips together, he debated how irritated Sesshomaru would be if he were to lean over and latch himself onto that white, perfect neck of his. His decision: Fuck it, I do what I want.

He leaned over and pressed his lips onto his pulse, eliciting a gasp from Sesshomaru. He half-heartedly tried to push against Inuyasha's chest while simultaneously trying to stay on the road. "Love, stop, I'm trying to drive."

Instead of stopping, Inuyasha continued his kissing upward on every bit of skin he could get too. "You just called me love."

"Yes, I know, now please, stop,"

"Nevah."

"Inuya-,"

"Just let me, 'kay?" He kissed his cheek, and nuzzled his nose into it. "I just- Just let me." Sesshomaru hesitated, but lowered his arm back to the wheel, silently giving his permission to touch him as he please, a privilege many people didn't get.

Inuyasha leaned further over to him, one hand resting on a thigh, and the other brushing hair away from Sesshomaru's ear. For a brief moment he studied how straight and pointed it was, and then brought the lobe into his mouth. Sesshomaru tensed and gripped the steering wheel tight, his jaw flexing trying to keep from making any noise. For once, Inuyasha felt he had more power over Sesshomaru, and that made everything that much more pleasing.

His mouth busy with the ear, his hand ran along the length of his thigh and back again, marveling in how his brother's breathe became that much shallower.

"Inuyasha, I really need to focus on driving before I kill us both," Sesshomaru whispered, desperately clinging to his composure. And as expected, Inuyasha completely ignored him and decided to take a step further, and push his hand between the others legs and against his crouch. His palm was met with a surprisingly large bulge.

"Wow, if I had known I could get you this excited before I would have-," He was thrown back into the passenger's seat by a sudden lurch in the car as Sesshomaru made a dramatic turn. Looking out the window he saw the familiar apartment complex his brother lived in.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me we were- hello?" He turned to the driver's seat, but it was empty. While trying to figure where Sesshomaru was and how he'd gotten out so fast, he missed the sound of his own door opening and was yanked out by said demon and dragged to their apartment door.

Sesshomaru pressed Inuyasha up against their door, leaning in close enough to lick his nose if he so chose. "You're about to learn a very valuable lesson in why you don't mess with your elders in a moving vehicle, little brother."

Laying in their bed a good two hours later, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha was comfortably snuggled together, content and naked and watching the first Harry Potter movie to make the moment that much more magical.

Sesshomaru kissed along Inuyasha's, something that Inuyasha found he quiet enjoyed. Everything felt so right then, they needn't even say anything at all but the quiet between them spoke of everything they felt. And if the silent recognition of peace wasn't enough, he could've definitely told by how gentle and loving Sesshomaru had been with him.

One would figure that Sesshomaru wouldn't have known what he was doing, thinking he was a virgin because of his lack of people skills. Oh, how wrong those people were. How very, very wrong. As a matter of fact, Inuyasha was the nervous one, having never been with a guy before. He thought he'd fuck something up and Sesshomaru would be completely disgusted with him and everything would suck. But soon into it couldn't even remember his own name, much less his self-consciousness.

And it turned out he hadn't needed to worry; Sesshomaru made sure all he needed to do was grip tight and hang on for the ride.

Distracted by his thoughts and the hypnotic kissing to his jaw, He almost didn't hear Sesshomaru ask, "So, when's the next court date?"

"What are you- You know about the…," All though he was curious, he couldn't bring himself to say it. The Idea of it was painful enough to think about it without bringing it into verbal form.

"Yes I know," He replied quietly, his expression blank as usual, but softness apparent in his eyes. "You have kids, so of course there would be one."

Sighing, Inuyasha turned back to the TV, looking but not really seeing. "I don't know I- I just want to forget about it."

Seeing Inuyasha so upset was similar to a physical wound, and so Sesshomaru placed a finger underneath Inuyasha's chin and turned his head to where he could only look at him. "Don't worry, we'll get through it together. You have nothing to worry about; I'll be here by you side, every step of the way for you okay? So don't worry."

Looking dead into his eyes, Inuyasha could only truth and sincerity in them, and his heart warmed at the idea that he legitimately cared so much, even about kids that weren't even his own. With a light humor he asked, "When did Mr. Cold-ass start caring about other people but himself, huh?"

Sesshomaru gave a genuine smile, kissed his nose and said, "Since you, Love."

Smiling back and returning the kiss, Inuyasha replied, "Yeah, I love you, too."

AN: last chapter~! DAMN was that a cheesy ending. But I hope it was alright, and you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing (most of) it : ) I'm pretty proud of how this story came out, overall, and I'm so thankful to those of you of reviewed, or followed and even just read, silently giving me a thumbs up from the other side of the screen.

I'm not sure if I'll write a sequel yet; Sequels are never as good the first ones and I don't want people to get annoyed with it. But I will if you guys want me to. But I also have some other Fanfics I probably should focus on more, so those come first.

Thanks again to everyone, and have a happy early Halloween/Samhain~!