Interest

A/N Okay, getting closer to the end, phew. this chapter was longer, obviously - gave myself a bit more time to write it, at the time. Thanks for the comments, and...I don't think there were any questions that needed answering. I think? Take care, ya'll, and have a great week!


Summary: The morning after conception
Theme: food


All the following warnings MAY apply to all chapters, but WILL apply at sometime in the story: MPREG, anal, oral, humor, N/C, H/C, hand job, blow job, WAFF, M/M, Rim, Spanking (mild)

Chapter 19 - Food

There was a certain artistry to a good lie, and Miroku was quite a master of it, if he did say so himself. He was never more grateful for the fact than when he woke up the next morning and Inuyasha asked him ‘what the hell’ happened the night before.

It was all because of Inuyasha’s ridiculously sensitive nose.

The moment Inuyasha woke up, he’d first commented on, and then complained about the potency of, the smell of pregnancy covering Miroku’s body. Miroku supposed he should be thanking the gods for the strong scent of breeding females; that had probably saved him the night before.

But it wasn’t strong enough - it didn’t hide the smell of semen. And when Inuyasha had realized he was scenting recent sex on them both, things had gotten a bit more difficult to deal with.

“Miroku…when the hell did we have sex?! We just…wait, I don’t even remember going to bed. We’d finished eating, and I was looking at you, and you smelled…” Inuyasha’s eyes unfocused. “You smelled like sweat and soft skin…and pregnancy…”

Miroku bit his own tongue to concentrate on something other than Inuyasha’s words. He wasn’t going to react to the rather sensual phrasing, and if he didn’t react, he couldn’t give away details he would rather keep to himself.

Except his curiosity couldn’t keep itself contained for more than a moment.

Had Inuyasha really said soft skin? Did texture have an actual scent? Or was Inuyasha implying that Miroku had soft skin, and it was Miroku’s scent he’d detected? Should Miroku be concerned over the adjective? He wasn’t certain.

There was quite a difference between a predator’s ‘soft’ and the same term applied to a lover. Perhaps…

“Dammit to hell!”

Miroku jumped as Inuyasha turned to glare at him.

“I turned fuckin’ youkai, didn’t I? Dammit all to hell, Miroku! Why didn’t you tell me as soon as I woke up?”

“Nothing happened.” Miroku kept his face as sincere as he could and hoped his cheeks were cool and pale, as they should be. He was rewarded with a growl and a quick yank as Inuyasha leaned over, latched onto his arm, and pulled him over his lap.

It was a humiliatingly familiar position. Miroku couldn’t believe Inuyasha was doing it to him when he wasn’t even youkai!

“Inuyasha, don’t you dare –“ The suikan slid up to the small of his back.

He couldn’t be!

“Inuyasha, I will cut your ears off in your sleep if you so much as-“ There was a soft, warm pressure over the cheeks of his bottom as Inuyasha palmed his backside and Miroku stuttered to a stop. The hanyou’s fingers slid into the crevice and eased apart the two globes, exposing the sensitive bud in between. “What are you doing?!“

“Quiet.” With a small hum, Inuyasha touched the center with a curious finger. Miroku yelped and hit out at him frantically. It was far more humiliating to be in such a position with a friend, rather than his friend’s rather mindless youkai half.

“Inuyasha-!”

“I know you’re gonna lie, houshi. If I wanna know how badly I hurt you, then I can tell I’m gonna have to check it out for myself.”

“I have no intention of lying! Inuyasha, let me up! This is humiliating!” And it was starting to make him aroused, which was even worse! He could feel Inuyasha’s breath against the entrance to his body as the hanyou leaned in to take a closer look. A thumb stroked across the tiny portal.

Miroku’s entire body reacted.

Inuyasha stroked across it again and Miroku kicked frantically to avoid arching back into it. “Inuyasha! S-Stop this!”

There was a long inhale. Miroku thought for a moment Inuyasha was actually going to lick him and he froze against his will. His body would NOT let him move when he might be gifted with a soft, firm tongue licking him there.

“We had sex,” Inuyasha said, his breath soft and hot against Miroku’s body. His voice was flat as he inhaled again. “But…you’re not bleeding. It wasn’t as bad this time, huh? I’m glad, houshi. I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt you again.”

He released Miroku’s cheeks and then paused before he spoke again. His fingers ran over Miroku’s skin cautiously. “Why the hell is your ass all pink? Almost looks like welts but…are you blushing down here?”

Oh dear Buddha. There was no way in this world or the next that Miroku was sharing what had happened.

“I fell down on my backside while I was attempting to flee,” he said, with all appropriate dignity – a very difficult feat when he was still face down on Inuyasha’s lap with his ass bared.

He wished that didn’t have entirely sexual connotations, even within his own mind.

Inuyasha seemed to accept it, however. “Oh. Sorry about that.” He patted Miroku’s cheeks once in a comforting way that was even more humiliating before finally letting Miroku up so that the suikan dropped again to cover the important – the private – parts of his body.

“Don’t do that again, Inuyasha. We may have been intimate, but that does not give you the right to make free with my body!”

Inuyasha stared at Miroku’s face, which felt unbearably hot, and smirked. “You’re freaking embarrassed I looked at your ass?”

“That is not the point.”

Inuyasha’s fangs showed as he grinned. “Sure it is. The lech is shy; who woulda thought. Ha, and you’re blushing! That’s actually fucking cute.”

“I do not blush. And I am most certainly not cute.” Miroku felt like spitting, even more so when Inuyasha just continued chuckling under his breath.

“Heh. You’re a riot, houshi.”

Miroku turned his back on him and started walking back towards Kouga’s.

“Where do you think you’re going, monk?”

“I’m heading back to Kouga’s, obviously.” As fast as he could. Perhaps the wind would cool his cheeks if he built up enough speed.

Inuyasha took hold of his arm and held Miroku in place. “If I’m still going youkai, we ain’t done here.”

Miroku stared at the clawed hand on his arm and noticed two fingers with the claws just growing back in. Realizing they were the same ones that had stroked him intimately the night before, he flushed and yanked free.

He was beyond aggravated, and he was fed up with playing the breeding toy for Inuyasha’s youkai. “Inuyasha, do I still smell pregnant?”

Inuyasha nodded without even a pause to inhale. “The scent’s all over you. It’s very…” Inuyasha licked his lips and looked to the side. “strange.” Inuyasha’s face was tight, and he was clearly not telling the entire truth. Miroku wondered what he really smelled like. Feminine? Disgusting? Nauseating?

Miroku would have to check with Kouga on what his scent was now, as unpalatable as that was.

“If the scent is already on my person, remaining here at the springs seems a waste of time.”

“I’m still goin’ youkai.” As though that settled the argument.

“So we need to talk to Sango, at the very least, and discover why that is, not remain here and increase that possibility that you will lose control of your demon half and then…”

He looked at those two clipped claws again and flushed.

“Hurt you,” Inuyasha finished.

Miroku nodded absently. “Yes. Precisely.”

Although the pleasure was…immense. And as he was feeling no pain at all this morning, the pleasure was most prominent in his mind. But a gentle sexual encounter might not be the case next, so they should go and see what Sango made of their situation.

Inuyasha was already nodding. “I guess you’re right, houshi. But if she thinks we gotta come back here, we’re coming back and no arguments, got it?”

“Of course.” He had no more desire for hours of youkai-induced pleasure than Inuyasha did. The aftermath was more than his backside could handle.

Miroku turned and began walking without another word; he was thankful that Inuyasha followed suit. Silence was best, at a time like this. Miroku didn’t have to think about what had happened, or what might happen, or even what he was doing at all. He could simply absorb the natural world around him in a semblance of walking meditation. It was not something he often had the chance to-

“So, Miroku?”

Miroku continued walking, watching a bird sitting in a nearby tree. “Yes?” His voice wasn’t quite as irritated as he felt.

“How long have you been so nervous about other people seeing your body and all?”

Nearly tripping, Miroku grit his teeth. He still wasn’t looking at Inuyasha. “I am not shy about exposing my body.” Not as much as some, in any case. And if he had been, Inuyasha’s constant stripping would have cured him of it by now.

“Then why were you all red after I checked out your ass?”

“Because I was angry!” Miroku glanced at him and caught the large grin on Inuyasha’s face. “Are you- Are you teasing me?!”

“Didn’t even know you were that easy, damn.” Inuyasha grinned and reached over. He pinched Miroku’s backside underneath the suikan before Miroku realized what he intended.

“Inuyasha! For the love of Buddha-“ He stepped to the side as Inuyasha looked ready to touch him again. “What in the name of all that’s holy has come over you?”

Inuyasha stared a moment and shrugged, still grinning. “Dunno. Just havin’ fun. It’s nice to know that for once ya didn’t get hurt. And like I said…” Inuyasha bridged the distance between them in seconds and stopped when his face was a mere inch away. He grinned as Miroku felt his cheeks heat. “You’re really kinda cute when you’re all embarrassed like this.”

“I am not embarrassed!” This was the beginning of the world turning on its head, Miroku thought, trying not to flush brighter as Inuyasha smirked at him. How could Inuyasha go from self-loathing to…this…in a matter of a day and a half? What was going on?

Something had to be wrong.

“Inuyasha, truly. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, monk. Quit fretting.” Inuyasha gave him some space and stepped back into the grass.

Miroku examined his face. Inuyasha’s ears were perked upright. His body was taut and energized, his eyes bright. He looked healthy and happy.

But Inuyasha was almost never happy, no matter how healthy he was, so…was this a symptom of a new problem? Could something else be wrong?!

“Inuyasha…here, let me feel your head.” He pulled Inuyasha’s head down the small amount needed for their foreheads to meet. “Well, you don’t have a fever…”

“No. No fever,” Inuyasha repeated, staring into Miroku’s eyes. Swallowing loudly, Miroku started to draw away but Inuyasha grasped the back of his head to keep him face to face. “I’m feeling fine, Miroku,” he said softly. “I’m not hurt, you’re not fucking hurt for once, and you smell-“

Inuyasha licked his lips gently and purr-growled. “Damn but you smell nice. Fertile and sexy and…I could freaking eat you up. I like this smell. I like it a whole hell of a lot. Best damn scent I’ve had in freaking years.” He closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, and moaned as he let the air out from his lungs.

When he opened his eyes again, they were covered with a film of crimson.

Miroku gasped, yanking back futilely. Inuyasha’s other hand came around and pulled his hips in, trapping him. Their groins met and Miroku realized that not only was Inuyasha losing control of his youkai, he was completely aroused.

“I-Inuyasha. Please. Calm down.” He moaned himself as Inuyasha ground their cocks together. It felt amazing. But just because Inuyasha hadn’t hurt him last time didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt him this time. “Please.”

He stared at Inuyasha, their hips now melded together…and his stomach growled.

Inuyasha jerked, looking down at Miroku’s belly in surprise, and amber took over his eyes instantly. He let go of Miroku’s hips and his head.

“You didn’t eat a damn thing this morning, did you?”

As though he hadn’t even grabbed him, Miroku realized. Did Inuyasha even realize what he’d been doing?

“Miroku?”

“Ah, no. No, I didn’t eat. I was waiting for Sango.” If Inuyasha wasn’t mentioning what had just happened, Miroku certainly wasn’t jogging his memory. Maybe it was simply a residual youkai reaction. Nothing to worry about.

Of course. Because everything had been going so well lately.

He needed to get to Sango and talk with her right away.

“Dammit, monk, you can’t just skip a meal like that! You have to take better care of yourself.”

“It is merely a missed meal.” Miroku would have continued walking but he didn’t believe his legs were steady enough just yet. His cock was still hard. Swallowing, he attempted to seem as though he were merely content to stand.

“You can’t afford to miss a meal. You’re too damn skinny already. And you’ve had to do a lot of healing lately.” Inuyasha’s ears fell at his own words. “And you smell like a pregnant bitch – so take care of yourself better!”

Glaring at Miroku’s negligent shrug, Inuyasha muttered under his breath. “Bet no one else’s breeding bitches are this much trouble.”

Miroku’s eyebrow went up before he could stop it. “Have you lost your senses? I am an adult, I am male, and I am not pregnant. I can make my own choices, including when I eat.” Miroku glared at him “And I am certainly no one’s…bitch.”

“Yeah, well, fuck that.” Miroku couldn’t help gaping. He backed up as Inuyasha took an angry step towards him. “My youkai thinks you supposed to be MY bitch right? And we want it to think you’re breeding, yeah?”

Cursing to himself, Miroku nodded reluctantly. He didn’t know where it was going, but he was nearly positive he wasn’t going to like it.

“Then you’ll damn well take care of yourself or I’m beating your ass, houshi! What, you think youkai impregnate their mates and then just leave ‘em to fend for themselves?”

“I-I hadn’t thought on it.” Beat his ass? Was he remembering something from last night?

“Well, we don’t! We fucking take care of ‘em. No matter that they’re acting like dumb idiots and not eating when they should, even though they’re so skinny you almost can’t see ‘em if they turned sideways!”

“I-“

“So you sit your ass down, houshi, and I’ll get you some food.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me.”

Had he lost his wits entirely? This day made no sense at all! “Inuyasha, we’re less than an hour’s walk from Sango and Kouga’s. It would be much more efficient to simply go there and-“

Miroku yelled as Inuyasha suddenly picked him up and plunked him down next to a tree. “Stay there. That’s too long to wait for food; I’ll get you something faster.”

With an irritated grunt, Miroku tried to get up and was pushed back onto his ass – which was still a little tender. He bit back a pained whine. “Inuyasha. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Stay here, Miroku. Don’t piss me off. You’re not here when I get back, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I can guarantee you’re not gonna like it. So just shut the hell up and wait while I get something to eat.” Inuyasha turned to go.

There was no way Miroku was sitting here so close to Sango’s and waiting for sustenance from Inuyasha.

“Inuyasha, I can’t believe you think I’m going to-“

“Stay. Here. Houshi.” Inuyasha’s eyes glazed red as he growled the words and Miroku pressed back against the tree.

He didn’t move from the spot until Inuyasha came back.

He was very tempted, however, an hour later when Inuyasha had gone off to get food AGAIN, and they still hadn’t reached Sango’s. They’d already had the mushrooms and berries Inuyasha had found the first time, they’d eaten, they’d walked, and then for some unfathomable reason, Inuyasha had decided that it was time for food once again.

No waiting, no opinions from Miroku accepted, and no logic to his actions at all. Dear Buddha, it was as though he were trying to fatten Miroku up for the slaughter.

But when Inuyasha’s eyes had reddened, without Miroku even arguing, Miroku had collapsed like wet paper and simply nodded while he waited. He’d waited to grumble to himself until Inuyasha had already departed.

He was a complete coward – he knew it – but at least he was a coward whose ass wasn’t being spanked, and possibly violated, by an angry youkai. Miroku much preferred the youkai who’d made love to him just once a night. And since he couldn’t determine how to get that particular reaction, he’d have to wait.

And eat his food, he supposed. It was a good thing he was actually a bit hungrier than normal this morning.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The gods had comically perverse senses of humor. Miroku was certain that was how he, a relatively pious monk, could end up it in this situation. Plastered against Inuyasha’s side as the hanyou kept him anchored there, listening to Sango, he couldn’t think of anything else that explained how every day, he was discovering some new way that things could go wrong.

Such as the food.

Miroku sighed as Inuyasha picked up another sliver of meat. He grabbed it from Inuyasha’s hand before the hanyou stuffed it into his mouth. He hadn’t been as quick since they’d returned to Kouga’s and he was not going to put up with the barely restrained giggles from Sango as Inuyasha shoved food into his mouth.

“Are you certain this isn’t a symptom of something else?” Miroku’s question, not his first by a long stretch, had Kouga rolling his eyes.

“Didn’t she just say it wasn’t?” Inuyasha growled at Kouga again and the wolf growled back. “Oh calm down, dog-breath. I ain’t threatening your bitch.”

“Will everyone cease calling me that!”

Kouga smirked at him, and then yelped as Sango smacked him in the head. “Sango!”

“Don’t call him such names, then.”

“But he smells like one! How the hell am I supposed to remember he’s a guy if he smells like a freaking woman?”

“By using your eyes?” Miroku grumbled under his breath as he snatched another morsel from Inuyasha’s hand, inches from his own lips.

“Look, monk, the mongrel and I use our noses as much as our eyes, more sometimes, and my nose is telling me that I’m looking at a girl. A pregnant girl. It’s messing with my head, I gotta tell you.”

Sango smiled “Although at least it seems to have worked. I’m so happy Kagome’s wish aided you both. That is, if it’s true that Inuyasha hasn’t…hurt you, since the pools.”

“No.” Except for a spanking, but that was his secret ‘til the grave. “But his eyes, and the food-“

Kouga interrupted. “She already told you, monk. That’s what mates do when their women are breeding.”

“But this is the third meal in two hours!”

“Well then you better damn well eat and put some meat on your bones, and maybe I’ll stop,” Inuyasha said, drawing his arm from Miroku’s while he took a bite of his own food. His face was a little red, but his eyes weren’t.

“Inuyasha, my weight is not the issue.”

Sango cleared her throat. “It is for a pregnant woman, Miroku. If a woman is too thin, it can become difficult for her later on, especially if she hasn’t gained enough weight by the end.”

“Yeah.” Kouga smirked again. “Any idiot knows that.”

“But I’m not a pregnant woman!!”

Kouga jerked his thumb at Inuyasha. “You better hope his youkai still thinks you are, or you’re gonna go back to hourly ass-fucking. And if he needs to feed you constantly for him to reinforce the idea that you’re pregnant and need to be taken care of…you really wanna stop him?”

Miroku slumped against the log next to him. “No,” he whispered.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and handed him a bit of food. Miroku took it without a word and poked it into his mouth.

Sango smiled tentatively. “It’s not so bad, is it? Better than you getting’ hurt, eh?”

Miroku nodded once, chewing. “You’ve got to stop, though. I’m too full.”

“I’ll try, but I ain’t promising anything. I just…I see you there, and your scent is everywhere, and you’re so skinny and…”

“He has to feed you,” Sango finished softly. “Truly, Miroku, I can’t tell you how many ookami have become pregnant since I’ve come here, and they’re mates all act like this. It drives the women crazy, but they truly can’t help it. It’s more instinct than not.” She stared at Inuyasha thoughtfully. “Which might be why Inuyasha’s youkai takes over a bit at such times.”

Miroku couldn’t talk for a moment. He was trying to understand, he truly was, but it was difficult. Inuyasha had latched on to Miroku as a potential mate due to instinct. He screwed him blind, constantly, due to instinct. He’d probably spanked his still-sore ass from instinct. And now he was feeding Miroku due to instinct, too?

Miroku understood the urge to mate and create a pack. He even appreciated the sex, when it didn’t hurt. But he couldn’t help wish for something between them that was more than ‘instinct.’ Their friendship was more than that, he supposed. But… it was….

He couldn’t put the feeling into words. Something simply felt missing. If it were all instinct- that was wrong, somehow.

“Do you have any idea how long it should last?” Miroku finally asked, when no one else seemed inclined to speak and fill up the silence.

“I’ve no idea, houshi-sama. With the jewel…I imagine it will last as long as it is needed.”

Inuyasha grunted and got to his feet. “Well, that’s that, then.”

Miroku stared up at him, struck suddenly by how the light reflected off the paleness of his chest.

“What’re you staring for? Get up, monk, we gotta get going.”

“Pardon?”

Inuyasha gestured to Sango and Kouga, ignoring the rest of the pack. “No reason to be hanging around here any more. No one else is gonna be of any help, that’s for damn sure.” He stared at Kouga hard as he spoke.

“I’d rather spend the night. It’s already early afternoon.” Miroku would at least like some others around in case Inuyasha looked close to losing control. They’d been useless last time, but now that Sango knew sex was a possibility, perhaps she could help stave the youkai’s possession off.

“Yeah, I know what time it is. So we’d better get goin’ if we want to make any progress.”

“Inuyasha, I’d planned to spend at least a month here.” Before he knew what was happening, that is. Now…perhaps a day or two.

“Yeah, well, that’s not gonna fuckin’ happen. Kouga’s too much of an ass to be near that long without trying to kill him off.”

“Yeah, you’re no flower of goodness yourself, dog-breath.”

“Fuck you.”

“Hell no. Why don’t you fuck Miroku instead.”

Miroku wanted to slap him harder than Sango did. “Kouga!”

“C’mon, monk. We’re gettin’ out of here before I kill the flea bag. I still like Sango too much to do that to her.”

Miroku grumbled, and groused, but when more arguments did nothing but irritate them both, he let himself be helped to his feet. Sango brought over a small fur kilt she’d had made while they’d been gone.

“At least you can be a bit more decently covered,” she said, smiling as she handed it to him. She turned her back to let him put it on. Miroku was lifting up the trailing flaps of the suikan when Inuyasha grabbed his arm.

“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

“I’m dressing.”

“Not here you’re not!”

“Inuyasha, what is the difficulty with dressing here? We’re all men here…”

“Exactly.”

“And what is that cryptic statement supposed to imply?”

“You of all people know exactly what the problem is when men are watchin’ someone get dressed. You used to do it all the fuckin’ time.”

“I used to watch women.” Inuyasha was going to drive him to an early grave, even without the youkai getting involved.

“Yeah, well… It’s the same thing.” Inuyasha glowered, arms crossed.

“It is nothing of the kind!”

“You can get dressed in the freakin’ cave or you can wait until we’re alone. That’s it.”

“Inuyasha! Buddha’s mercy, you are-“

“Take it or leave it, monk.”

Miroku fumed a moment and then turned abruptly to the nearest cave. He stood glaring as Inuyasha tossed the inhabitants out on their ears, disbelieving.

Ridiculous. He wasn’t putting on a bit more covering in the most efficient manner because Inuyasha wouldn’t allow it.

Allow, as though he were the daimyo of the cave. The hanyou was starting to act like his youkai half even when he wasn’t overtaken by it now! Grumbling, Miroku quickly pulled on the fur over his bottom half, taking off the suikan and tossing it to Inuyasha at the entrance of the cave. Miroku poked him with his staff as he exited.

“That was completely unnecessary, you realize.”

“They were waiting to look at your ass.”

That was either disturbing or flattering. And Miroku knew it was also completely untrue. “Even if they were, it makes no difference.”

“Sure as hell does! No one’s looking at my-“ Inuyasha cut himself off and stared at Miroku intently before he turned away. “Just shut up and say goodbye to Sango. We’re not staying here. Too many strange youkai. And Kouga’s an ass. I don’t trust him.”

Miroku wasn’t certain what Inuyasha had been about to say, but that might be for the best. He didn’t want to know how much control ‘instinct’ had over his friend – he didn’t want to be thought of as a female, period.

Kouga obviously knew it, too, based on what he said as they finally managed to make their way from the caves. Standing on the trail above them, Kouga taunted them once they were far enough away to be safe.

“Have fun with your upcoming baby, you two!”

“Shut up!” Inuyasha yelled back.

“Don’t stay up too late having make up sex or anything, either!”

“Fuck you!”

“Like I said, do the monk instead!”

Inuyasha made an obscene gesture with his claws as they rounded the corner and lost sight of the pack. Miroku echoed his sentiments.

This was going to be a long trip back.

“Miroku, are you sure you’re not hungry again? You’re so freakin’ skinny, it ain’t healthy.”

A long, LONG trip back.