Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimer. I do not own any of the following characters from Inuyasha, nor Bon Jovi's song: You Give Love a Bad Name. I also don't own any other songs in this fic.

Any opinions in this fic are of the characters, not of me, the writer. Also, I don't speak Portuguese, so if there are any mistranslated words I do apologize.

Sesshomaru had never been one to request special treatment, but it appeared Campus Housing had placed him in a 'handicapable friendly' dorm room anyway. It was a suite style room; he would share a spacious bathroom with one other student. They would also share a bedroom.

He accepted Shikon State because they gave him a full ride, and overlooked his less than stellar senior year highschool GPA. Life happened. His ACT score of 33, however proved he wasn't some brainless mutt. He had fought with the athletic department of Shikon State University to allow him to live off campus, but they mandated that all freshmen live on campus. He hadn't looked forward to living with a bunch of idiots.

He supposed living with just one idiot would be a compromise he would have to deal with. At least he lived in the athlete dorm.

Sesshomaru adjusted his left shoulder, attempting to roll the duffel bag strap towards his neck so it wouldn't fall off. He maneuvered his rolling luggage with his right arm down the hallway. They allowed him to move in a day early so he wouldn't have to deal with him trying to unpack with his disability and deal with all the other Neanderthals moving in.

As if only having one arm was a huge deal. Hadn't anyone seen war veterans, or victims of war torn areas? He wasn't that much of an oddity, and certainly not to be pitied or treated like a leper.

Expecting to be the only one in his dorm room, he let his duffel bag drop with a heavy thud, and let his rolling luggage fall and plucked the key card from his teeth he had been carrying and opened the door cursing under his breath.

"Can't wait to start this fresh hell." Sesshomaru muttered, wincing, his long ash blond hair got snagged by his backpack, again. He bent down to get the duffel bag with his pale hand, his unbound blond hair hung all around him, blocking his vision.

"Good to see you're as excited as I am." A sarcastic, baritone voice flooded the dorm room and Sesshomaru nearly jumped out of his skin as he snapped back up, amber eyes wide.

Standing in front of him was a solidly built, tall guy with black curly hair almost as long as his own. He had bourbon brown eyes that danced vibrantly. Sesshomaru assessed he had to be at least two inches taller than he was, and he was not short at 6'2''. He also had robust, rippling muscles underneath his New Jersey Devils T-shirt. He had to be at least twenty pounds of pure muscle heavier than he as well.

No matter, it's not like he planned on fighting him.

"You're already here." Sesshomaru stated blandly, picking up his belongings from the floor and moving them into the cramped, shared living room. His new roommate sat down, watching something on his laptop.

"How observant. I'm Naoki Kumo, my friends call me Naraku. You can call me Nao." Naoki's deep voice sounded all saccharine and thick like black licorice. Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This, Nao, would be lucky if he used his name at all. He moved wordlessly past his worthless new roommate on the sofa and began to pile his belongings on his bed, which he didn't even get to choose! He had to take the one closest to the door.

This was awful already. The dorm wasn't even white; it was this strange dingy grey.

"You must be Sesshomaru Taisho, the new soccer striker. Too bad for you, no one here in America gives a shit about soccer. Maybe you should have picked a better sport." Was this imbecile Google stalking him? Why was he even still talking to him? Oh, and it wasn't like he hadn't heard that one before. Sesshomaru thanked his dual-citizenship.

"I don't plan on staying in America, especially if you're in it." Sesshomaru shot back, just who did this guy think he was? He heard a rustling of movement and shadowing the doorway, blocking his exit, stood Nao, looking bitter. Whatever.

"Do you even know who I am?" His voice stabbed menacingly and Sesshomaru didn't flinch. This guy obviously thought he was hot shit. He wasn't about to let this meathead intimidate him. He had taken plenty of self-defense classes and was a damn good Capoeira fighter.

"No. And I don't care to know." Sesshomaru's disinterest sunk palpably in the room, this guy must think he is someone who was worthy of notice, but he didn't care.

He turned his back on him and leaned the stub of his left arm down on his duffel back as leverage to unzip its contents. He started to get out his bedding when he felt a strong hand yank back his left shoulder back hard. Sesshomaru let loose a swing which was caught in Nao's other hand.

"I'm a defense-man, ice hockey enforcer. You're going to have to be a lot better than that to land a hit on me." Sesshomaru glared at the man, how dare he? He started it! Sesshomaru refused to let his anger surface, so he played ice hockey did he?

"Let go of me, peasant. You reek." He didn't really, he actually smelled pretty damn good, like he was wearing nice cologne. But Sesshomaru was no moron, he also smelled the dank odor of pot somewhere in the room.

Drugs were something Sesshomaru knew a lot about, especially cocaine and heroin. However, pharmaceuticals and the rave scene were more his speed. That's exactly what he needed, drop some molly, maybe snort a Vicodin and go out tonight. Maybe even some coke.

"Of course Ice Princess, wouldn't want you to come down to my level." Nao chuckled darkly, like he had him all figured out. His dark eyes roved over his body and it sent chills up his spine.

"I would think, of the both of us, you're the Ice Princess. Figure skater." Sesshomaru responded placidly and Nao just laughed again, turning away, all black curls and sure steps.

"This is going to be fun, I'll be living with someone who is more frigid than the ice I carve my skates into." Sesshomaru couldn't ascertain if it was a threat or not. He didn't care. He finished, with some difficulty, tugging the sheets on his bed one-handedly, and put most of his clothes away without further interruption until a knock broke the muddled growling, angry music of Nao's computer.

"Naraku! Open up!" One voice. "Are you seriously rooming with Captain Hook?" Another voice. "We're all gonna go get mangled!" Sesshomaru heard Nao open the door. Captain Hook. Hardy har har, like he hadn't heard that one before. He didn't even use a prosthesis much, mostly out of pride. He was saving up for a Bebionic hand he may get over the summer. For now, he had the typical hook one, but rarely used it.

"Idiots, I don't want to hear you say shit like that about him again. He is in the other room, Bankotsu. Just wait outside, I'll get my phone and the j's" Sesshomaru quirked his eyebrow, had Nao defended him somewhat? Like he cared what his friends thought, or needed his defense.

"Oh wow, so he moved in early too huh? I heard he is a real asshole." The third voice sounded. Oh, they really had no idea.

"If he's an asshole he is currently in good company. Let's go Jakotsu." He heard Nao retort and Sesshomaru let loose a hidden smirk, at least this Nao had a sense of humor. He didn't hear anyone else say anything and after some more shuffling he heard the door close again.

It was late now, he had the address in his phone for the warehouse rave. He grabbed his poi, his molly, and texted Kagurah, the artist he knew from his high school who also went to his university. She was tolerable and liked to hoop. He summoned an Uber, taking his Infiniti would be horrifyingly bad idea.

It was time to get absolutely mind-bendingly, euphorically numb. Super Chapado: twisted.

***

The first two months of college had not been what Sesshomaru expected socially.

He had managed to secure a starting spot on the soccer team, which was basically unheard of for a freshman forward. But he was a year older than most of them, and he was fast and his footwork was unmatched. The only other person on the team near him in skill was their left wing, Kouga King. He had slanted green eyes and long black hair, but always wore his in a ponytail, and he didn't take care of it like he should. Like Nao did.

He was alright, a bit arrogant and Sesshomaru knew arrogant. He and Kouga worked together on the field incredibly. Together they put up some impressive goals. They were, surprisingly, so far 7-1, leading their division. Sesshomaru was surprised at that considering the rest of their team was trash, aside from their sweeper, Miroku. He was certainly better than their keeper, Hiten.

Nao never let him live it down that his hockey team was undefeated and his soccer team wasn't. Sesshomaru just rolled his eyes at his provocations, he wasn't easily baited.

Despite his best efforts, Nao had started to grow on him. Their social circles didn't cross much, which Sesshomaru had actually expected. Nao mostly rolled with a popular fraternity on campus. There were constantly new people coming by his room. He didn't know why he didn't pledge their asinine frat and just move out of his room and in with one of the frat guys on campus, leaving him in much wanted solitude.

Sesshomaru's friends, by contrast, consisted of a few people he tolerated. Which was fine by him. He had made friends with his fellow soccer team players, but he didn't associate much with them, aside from Kouga, outside of their team.

Rin was a 'hippie-dippy' type who astonishingly didn't grate on his nerves with her ever sunny disposition. He met her in his mandatory entry level biology class, her major was Botany. She wanted to study flowers or something nauseatingly sweet like that. He, however truly enjoyed her company, she would go out with him to raves and spin hoops.

The 'tortured artist', Kagura, had more tattoos than he cared to count or map on her body. He rather liked her sarcasm and her constant use of "yo". Her major was, of course, Art History, and she could paint better than most of the artists whose work graced museums in his opinion. She and Rin were close, but Kagura definitely had a more cynical world view.

Jaken was a short guy, who had really good molly, mescaline, and other pill hook ups. His major was Political Science. He was pretty sharp; however, he came to Sesshomaru's defense a bit too easily in his opinion. Sesshomaru knew he wasn't a popular guy and really didn't need Jaken to bark back at any cur who voiced a negative opinion of him.

Lastly were the Iraqi twins, Ahmed and Ujab. They were always up to something which got them the name 'Double Trouble'. They were usually fairly hilarious. He swore they had this crazy twin sense where they knew what the other was thinking. Ahmed was a chemistry major and Ujab was a Computer Science major. More than once Sesshomaru had to darkly remind some racist dirtbags they weren't some 'ragheaded terrorists' studying chemistry and computers to make bombs.

And by remind, he belted a few neck-bearded frat boys across their fat faces in the middle of the quad. No one dared report him, a disabled soccer striker standing up against racist circle-jerkers screamed media target.

"And this graph shows…." Sesshomaru had zoned out of the lecture. It didn't matter, it was an easy class, one he could pass with his eyes closed. He probably just should have skipped it. He didn't even want to major in International Business Management but it was his father's dream for him…

"Earth to Iceman." Sesshomaru glared next to him. Another thing he didn't expect, the nickname Iceman stuck and that Nao was the same major he was, and of course in most of his classes.

He got the name when his least favorite American holiday, Halloween occurred. Actually, Sesshomaru hated most holidays. Halloween he had tolerated before the accident, now everyone just assumed he'd be a pirate or some sort of zombie for Halloween. How. Fucking. Original.

However, Nao stated since he was fourteen he had always gone as Maverick from Top Gun for Halloween. He even had a flight suit. What an obsessive freak show. Nao invited his friends to a huge Halloween party. And they all nagged him, especially Rin, into wearing a costume. Rin said she would force him to be her Samurai Lord to her Geisha if he didn't think of something else. Hell. No.

So, Nao bought him an Iceman flight jumpsuit and he joined the freak show. At least they won the beer-pong tournament. Sesshomaru still couldn't think of a worse movie than Top Gun, maybe Titanic.

Yet, why Nao insisted on sitting next to him in class while they lived with each other was something Sesshomaru had not begun to understand.

Nao leaned over to him, his whiskey colored eyes sent most women into orbit along with his sly grins. His black curly hair was damp and halfway tied back. He smelled really good, like coconut, probably his conditioner. His muscles were particularly on display today under his purple 'Sun's out Guns out' beater. He probably went to the gym right before class.

Sesshomaru always went late at night to practice his Capoeira in peace, either that or he ran. He didn't lift much; it was too much hassle to do the forms correctly without his left arm. Any muscle mass he had was strictly from practicing Capoeira.

He had no idea what Nao lifted, but it had to be serious because he went through protein powder and creatine like he had multiple people living inside him. How he wasn't fat Sesshomaru had no idea since Nao was basically a carnivore, except he didn't eat chicken, which was totally bizarre. Who doesn't eat chicken if you eat other meats? He said he didn't eat anything with feathers. So odd.

He was like some huge mystery; most things he did made little sense to Sesshomaru. He put hot sauce on everything, even peanut butter sandwiches. He hated any spoilers to movies, even ones he had no intent on watching. Nao had the absolute worst taste in music he had ever heard. He preferred Rin's 'give peace a chance' marshmallow fluff to Nao's scream-o, growling, baseless death metal.

Rotting Christ? Seriously.

They both, however, loved horror movies. Nao also had some pretty crazy tattoos. He had a pretty big one of a spider on his right calf, the four aces: Ace of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades fanned out on his left calf. He also had a huge well-executed blue octopus on his right shoulder. Lastly he had the quote from 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas': 'Too weird to Live, too Rare to Die' across his chest in script.

It seemed appropriate, he was a weird, rare dude.

Sesshomaru, himself, had three tattoos. One was a joke. He had "cut below the dotted line" above his left stump. Nao lost his mind he laughed so hard when he saw it. The other tattoo he had was a blue crescent moon with a sword vertically though it on his back. Nao asked him when he was going to add the howling wolf, or a dreamcatcher like some hipster chick and Sesshomaru may have smoked some of his weed for that one.

His last one was in Portuguese across his shoulders, it was "aconteça o que acontecer, acontece." 'Whatever happens, happens'. He got it after the accident too. It was a poor attempt at trying to absolve him of the guilt of killing his father.

Nao also had a huge, strange burn across his back. They both had their scars, it seemed.

On the occasions they partied together they made a scary good beer pong team. Hence 'Team Top Gun.' of course he was 'Iceman'. When they weren't partying, he would also watch Nao lose over and over to his hockey cronies in video games. Sesshomaru used to like to play them, but playing them now was a hassle. Nao had broken more controllers than he could count, but he always replaced them. Nao was abysmal at all video games except puzzle games.

Nao also would keep insisting he should come see him play one of his hockey games, even though it was clear his teammates hated him and Sesshomaru hated crowds unless properly lit on MDMA.

"You live with me. Why do you insist on sitting next to me?" Sesshomaru growled in a low whisper. Couldn't he just be on his phone like most other people in this class? Nao just leaned in closer and smiled a white toothed grin, his teeth were perfect too. Sesshomaru now smelled his cologne, he wouldn't be able to smell that without thinking of him. He ruined Gucci Guilty for him.

"Because pestering you keeps me from falling asleep, and no girls have snapped me their tits yet today to distract me." Sesshomaru almost rolled his eyes. He did not exist as Nao's source of amusement, contrary to what he thought. He also didn't need to hear about his various 'sexploits.' Nao had girls chasing after him constantly. He had walked in more than once to see one bouncing on his balls, screeching like a cat in heat.

Nao swore he had simply forgotten to text Sesshomaru to warn him, but he knew Nao better than that. He wanted to make him jealous, of what he wasn't sure. Nao obviously thought he wasn't getting laid, which was false. He just didn't bring his conquests back to his room and did not prefer the frat mattresses Nao brought home, regardless of gender.

"What a shame your flavor of week hasn't given you her free sample yet." Sesshomaru drawled out and Nao cackled which got him a stern glare from the professor. Nao punched him lightly on the arm, Sesshomaru permitted it because he wasn't about to make a scene in a hundred-person lecture hall.

"Don't actually use your sense of humor too much Iceman, you might burn it out. Or worse yet lose your ever so stoic personality that drives chicks nuts." Nao referred to the idiot sorority girls who would pester Nao about him.

He doubted any of those girls would actually proposition him. If any did they would probably just stare at his arm stump. They probably thought, like many girls and guys before, that just because he was missing an arm that he was someone who needed to be coddled through sex. Sesshomaru planned a retort when his phone buzzed. He looked down at it, frowning, he wasn't expecting to hear from Rin about the rave till later.

It was an email from his step-mother, Izayoi. Sesshomaru froze. He read the email. He willed his hand not to shake.

Subject: Re:119: Estate Case.

'The judge ruled in my favor. Inuyasha is set to inherit all shares and sole ownership of Tessaiga Enterprises when he turns of age. Mr. Totosai will send you all the paperwork and ruling, to have it notarized and signed. Consider your funding from here on cut. Only your money market account, your ROTH IRA, and savings account will remain yours, as well as the Infiniti and the Mazda Rx-7. Aside from finalizing this, please do not contact us any further.

-Izayoi Taisho'

All color drained from Sesshomaru's face as he almost dropped his phone in shock. Bokuseno had finally lost his case. He had forgotten the results were today, why he didn't know. Maybe because Nao woke him up with a super soaker and he retaliated by smacking him a few times with his own hockey stick. He told Bokuseno he couldn't make it, but apparently his presence wasn't needed in Orange County for the Judge's ruling.

He knew it was coming. His blood ran like ice water through his veins anyway.

He had been fighting this war of attrition for a little more than two years. It's why he started college a year late, at nineteen. Izayoi had endless time and ample money to throw at the best lawyers she could find. No one was better at Estate law than the Attorneys of Myoga and Totosai in Orange County. He just didn't think he would lose everything. The estate, the company, the stocks, his home. Izayoi won everything, he lost it all. His chest iced over. He hated the cold.

The bottom fell out of his stomach and he wanted to curl up and disappear, or lash out and kill someone. Maybe he would just burn his home to the ground.

"No." It really wasn't his home. Not since the accident.

***

Sirens. Damn the sirens, can they just turn the damn things off?! Why does everything hurt so much?! Why am I upside down? Is the Skyline upside down? This is a lot of blood. This is a lot of glass. The Skyline is definitely totaled. My whole body feels like it's on fire. Or maybe I'm just covered in acid?! I can't hardly see anything. My eyes are stinging. Fuck this.

Santo Deus, is that my arm?! It's completely pulverized. That can't be right…

Where were they?! The highway? The 405? Where was father? Was this all his fault, did he kill father? Sesshomaru looked across the car, his father was no longer in it. In fact, he was on the pavement, a crumpled, mangled mess of flesh and bone.

He had gone straight through the windshield.

***

Sesshomaru's chest began to clench, and he felt short of breath all of the sudden. His lungs seized up as if in a vice. His eyes widened and pupils constricted. His hand trembled either in rage, despair or the isolating realization he had been completely disowned. Hypothermia. He had hypothermia.

Of all the times! He didn't even have his Xanax, Ativan, or his Valium on him. Shit!

"Hey…Sho…you good man?" He thought he heard Nao, but his voice sounded a bit too high, and concerned, which Nao never was. Sesshomaru swallowed, he would not lose his cool here. He grabbed his notebook, then the pen, then the book, and shoved them all haphazardly into his bag. Not his style at all but he would deal with the mess later.

He had to get out.

He threw his phone into his bag last, and grabbed the keys to his Infiniti.

He needed a special fix. Jaken would still be in class, but he knew someone who wouldn't be, some random person introduced to him through snapchat. He was probably some dangerous scumbag but he didn't care.

Sesshomaru, fast as light, flew out of his seat, not bothering to apologize to the professor and all but sprinted out of the classroom. His head spun. He was done. He lost everything. He had no home. No belongings beyond what was in his dorm room.

He literally had nothing.

He didn't even have enough money to appeal the case again. Even if he sold the Infiniti it wouldn't be enough to keep Bokuseno. No way in hell was he selling his father's old blue Rx-7, he even named her a Portuguese name: Tereza Senda, Ten for short. He would keep that car even if he couldn't drive stick anymore.

His whole body lanced with jolts of zapping, muscle clenching, lightning. Where was his car? It had to be somewhere. He clicked the keyless entry but accidently hit the alarm. His car, predictably in the handicap spot, exactly where he left it, began to flash its lights and horn blared.

Damned sirens!

He fumbled with the keyless entry, almost dropping it and managed to silence his car. Ok. Well at least he found the car. He got into his pristine white Infiniti Q60 with tan leather interior. Top trim level available. He threw his bag into the passenger floorboard and slammed the coupe door. He willed his lungs to breathe. In and out, just like that jackass therapist said once. In and Out. Dentro e fora, dentro e fora.

It's not going to be ok, but when had it ever been? His whole body shivered. He had to have hypothermia.

Sesshomaru, collapsed over the leather steering wheel let out a shuttering wheeze. He pounded his one fist on the dashboard of his sports coupe.

It wasn't fair. Inuyasha didn't even want to run their father's company. He didn't even know how to spell the word business! All he did was play CS:GO, knock up that whiney slag Kagome, skip high school, and piss their father's money away on the stupidest shit like drones, his lawyer fees for that one DUI at sixteen, and a fake sword collection.

He rummaged through his bag carelessly, getting his phone and taking a photo of his tachometer. He typed the caption, 'I need to redline tonight.' He knew he would get a snap back.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Like I care. Não tô nem aí. I don't need them." Sesshomaru's voice fell like a cinderblock off a sky scraper. He threw on his seat belt, cranked the ignition to his Infiniti, hearing the engine roar like a dragon. He punched the automatic gearshift into reverse, and grabbed the steering knob he had installed special on the Infiniti to reverse out. He outfitted the Infiniti as well with a pedal for turn signals and windshield wipers. He also installed a cool air intake, special rear sway bar, and a supercharger.

The tires squealed and smoked on the pavement as he tore out of the parking lot, racing by a confused Nao standing on the sidewalk. Sesshomaru didn't see him standing there, hand out shouting at him. He didn't really see anything, including the red light he ran.

***

Sesshomaru soon after got his mescaline fix, and it was so good he didn't return to campus for three days. He drank, hit some mediocre cocaine, and dropped some other designer drugs he didn't know anything about. He ended up halfway across the city, in someone's basement with liquid laundry detergent painted all over him from a forgettable black-light party.

He didn't even know where he put his phone during those glorious seventy-two hours. He hoped his car wasn't towed. He had to ask five different dudes passed out in the house if they had seen the Infiniti. Sesshomaru had no idea where he last drove it. One creep finally remembered they left it at a head shop across down. He had some scuzzy smelling guy call an Uber for him, luckily he had money on him and paid the guy back.

He was fairly sure no one remembered who he was in the basement. Anonymity was for the best. Apparently he had told the basement guys his name was 'Iceman'. What. The. Hell.

The elation ended as soon as he got back. He found his phone under his car seat. Thirty-three missed calls, who knew how many texts or whatever. What did these people care anyway? They didn't know the first thing about him. He erased them all. He then called his coach, Coach Taijya, who chewed him out, as he should have.

Luckily he had only missed two soccer practices, but he was still suspended for tomorrow's game. It was an easy game he knew no scouts would be at. He didn't care about it.

He sent a snap of his tachometer again to his hook up with the caption 'don't snap me, I'll snap you.' He didn't need this shady dealer blowing up his phone too.

He arrived back in his dorm room. He needed sleep and his vitamins, or something. He couldn't quite remember if he had slept properly. No. he had. At one point he definitely woke up under a playground swing set, in the middle of the night, nude. He was under a sleeping bag with some purple haired guy he didn't remember having sex with, but there was a used condom next to them so he guessed he had.

He was rather proud of himself, he wasn't sore so he had to have pitched. The guy wasn't bad looking though he couldn't remember his name, nor remember if he had made any concessions or remarks about his arm. Just the kind of sex he could roll with.

He picked the keycard from his teeth with his hand, unlocked the door and opened it to find Ahmed and Ujab both shouting at Nao.

Super. Just what he needed.

Yelling.