Match by Sereia

Chapter 1

Prompt: Discord Drabble Nights May 2022 - Match

Inspiration: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" by Mel Carter

Parallel / Separate

Kagome tried to come up with a parallel between fighting youkai and running a kissing booth, but her mind was blank.

She'd known what she was signing up for, and the charity benefited struggling families, but she couldn't help thinking that being reduced to handing out kisses for money was demeaning of someone who'd basically saved the world from destruction.

Sighing, she separated the bills in her collection for the fifth time. "Isn't this kind of thing a little archaic? I thought only high schoolers did things like this."

"Still talking to yourself, miko?"

Kagome jumped, not realizing she wasn't alone, a smile breaking out on her face. "Sesshoumaru!"

Resemble / Contrast

He barely resembled his old self, his glamour firmly in place, and though she saw the necessity for it, she was always surprised by the contract of his human features.

He'd grown out of his role of assassin, the amber eyes of a predator now a muddied hazel to match his darker hair. He still wore it long, but it only reached the middle of his back and was always neatly clipped at the back of his neck.

She yearned for the days when it flowed over his shoulders like moonlight. Without his markings, he no longer stood out amongst the masses.

Similar / Independent

Which was why she walked right past him the first time they met.

It wasn't until she'd heard him chuckle, the sound so similar to something she'd forgotten—suppressed—that she'd given him a second glance.

Before promptly tackling him to the ground.

Some independent woman she turned out to be. She'd thought she'd left it all behind her, had healed and moved on after the well had closed, but one glimpse of him had her stammering like a teenager all over again.

She was surprised he hadn't melted her on the spot. But he had changed as well, was softer somehow, and he understood her need for physical reassurance.

Allied / Opposed

How they'd been so opposed in the past, she'd never know.

Clad in a fuchsia dress shirt and dark slacks, Sesshoumaru leaned against the booth, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. "You have allied yourself with a charitable cause this time, miko."

She grinned at him. "Don't I always?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Houjou-kun's MLM does not count. We left before it finished. Besides," she motioned to the rest of the booths, "this is way more fun than sitting through someone drone on about how dirt from different countries can heal your soul."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, and Kagome softened at the unfiltered emotion.

Synchronous / Diverge

The crowd was synchronous as they shifted around them, almost moving as one entity between the booths.

"So why are you here?" she asked, hoping her excitement wasn't as evident as it felt.

"Why else?" He held up a crisp bill in between his fingers. "I have come to support your cause."

"By paying ten times the asking price?" She tried to laugh it off, but the butterflies in her stomach were persistent, diverging down her limbs as he placed the money in her hand.

A single shrug was his only response. "Money matters little. My investors are keen to help as well."

Comparable / Unique

This wasn't anything special. She'd kissed him before.

Albeit, it had been on the cheek and comparable to a sign of affection through friendship.

But as she reached for him, thumbs brushing across invisible stripes, Kagome found herself pushing her luck.

When else would she be given this unique opportunity? He was paying for a real kiss, anyway.

Her lips brushed against his, and she could feel him pull back but refused to let him, slanting her head and deepening the kiss when he gasped.

The noise of the crowd fell away as the taste of chocolate and summer rain burst onto her tongue.

Kindred / Contradict

She'd like to think they were kindred spirits, bound to their roles because of power and duty—that she could change as much as he had over the last 500 years.

That he could somehow want her as much as she wanted him.

His cold exterior was such a contradiction to the warmth he was creating within her at that moment, toes curling as she continued to take her fill.

Kagome felt him falter, the wood of the booth creaking as he grabbed for purchase, and she told herself she wouldn't make a big deal of it after.

He looked positively feral when she finally pulled back.

United / Diverse

They both struggled to breathe, the timing of their gasps united. Kagome recovered first, managing to swallow before plastering a smile on her face. "Thank you for your contribution."

He regarded her intently, swirls of amber breaking through the glamour, and she began to fidget, wondering if she'd just ruined the friendship they'd created in this time.

"Did all your patrons receive the same kiss?"

The words were low, potent, and she swallowed again, her throat feeling tight.

Why had she thought this was a good idea? They were too diverse, even now. And yet, even as she felt herself waver, Kagome squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze.

Alike / Different

"And if they did?"

Her words hung between them, and she watched his face carefully, looking for the telltale signs she'd come to expect.

There was nothing.

The mask of the Western Lord was firmly in place, his expression quite alike the warlord she'd met in his father's tomb. And suddenly, she knew.

This is what he'd look like if she hadn't fallen through the well; if their lives had not intersected, they would both be on very different paths.

The thought terrified her.

"I'm joking!" She scrambled around the booth, grabbing onto him with both hands. "Of course not! There's no way I'd—"

Match

The mask cracked a moment before he lowered his head, one hand spread wide on her back, the other buried in her hair, and he pulled her close.

She only hesitated a moment before her hands slid up his chest, arms snaking around his neck. It was even better when he was kissing her back. Their bodies were plastered together, tongues and auras mingling, and only the need for air had her pulling back.

"I'm not supposed to give out freebies."

He chuckled, then kissed her again, Kagome going up on tiptoe to match the intensity. "Then this will be an expensive endeavour, as you will not be kissing anyone else today."

"They've only been pecks! Like what Souta's daughter gives you after you sneak her treats!"

"Irrelevant. You have teased me enough; I cannot be held accountable for my actions should you push me that far."

The fact that he was admitting to being jealous had her reaching for him again, whispers of how she would make it up to him later pacifying him long enough for her to finish her shift.

But only after she'd promised him that she'd never be in charge of that particular booth again.