Mishap

by scribblemoose

"Hey, Gojyo."

Gojyo looked up from the manga he was reading. He saw Goku out of the corner of his eye; he was sprawled over the edge of the bed on his back, head upside-down, frowning.

"What, meatbuns-for-brains?"

"Your hair. You got a knot in it."

"You don't think I'm gonna fall for that one, do ya?"

"Seriously. It's like a big red hairy blob. Think there's somethin' in it."

Gojyo yelped as Goku tugged on his hair. "Fuck off! There's nothing in my-"

"Think it might be chewing-gum," Goku said.

Sanzo's newspaper rustled, but he didn't look up.

"What the fuck?!" Gojyo's fingers scrabbled around in his hair until he found a tell-tale lump amidst the soft, silky strands. Shit, the Monkey was right. Chewing gum. "Sanzo," he growled.

The newspaper snapped and resettled. Sanzo couldn't stop himself glancing in Gojyo's direction, though. Just enough that Gojyo could pick up a glimmer of something in his eyes.

Gojyo flung his manga down on the floor and stood up in one swift, angry movement. Sanzo's paper came down.

"Uh," said Goku, looking nervously from one to the other of them. "I think I'll go help Hakkai in the laundry. Bye!"

Gojyo waved distantly, not taking his eyes from Sanzo for a second.

"So," said Sanzo, calmly, "what makes you think any of this is my fault?"

Gojyo crossed the room in three clean strides, grabbed Sanzo by a fistful of shirt and yanked him to his feet. "This morning. When we struck camp. In the woods. Remember?"

Sanzo irritably knocked Gojyo's hand away from his person. "I have no idea what you're-"

Gojyo's grin was a little nasty. "Don't tell me you didn't have gum. I tasted it, remember?"

That struck heat in Sanzo's eyes. His fingers curled around Gojyo's wrist, soft precaution. "I don't-"

"Tasted it," Gojyo continued. "Just once. Then you spat it out and..."

"... stuck it on the tree."

"Yeah. Fucking idiot. Right by my head."

"You could've dodged it, Moron. Want me to cut it out for you?" Sanzo sneered at him.

"Not a chance. But you'll hold a mirror so I can fucking do it."

Sanzo shrugged, nearest he came to an apology. He stood very still, and held the mirror, while Gojyo surveyed the damage. Not too bad, fortunately: Sanzo preferred those itty-bitty squares of gum that came in little boxes, not the big sticks Banri used to chew in bunches of two or three and leave liberally around the place. And it was low down, where, if Gojyo was honest, the ends were due a trim anyhow.

He produced a razor blade from his pack, and once again Sanzo held the mirror while he very, very carefully cut the nasty little lump out of his hair. It left a spiteful tangle behind, though. Still glaring at Sanzo, Gojyo retrieved his brush.

"I suppose it'll grow back," he said.

"For fuck's sake, don't be such a baby," said Sanzo, and grabbed the brush, shoving Gojyo down onto the chair. Before Gojyo really worked out what was happening, Sanzo had started to brush. Stroking his hair in long, even sweeps from root to tip, strong but surprisingly gentle.

Gojyo's temper faded to nothing, and suddenly he just wanted to purr.

"You distracted me," said Sanzo. "Looked so fucking good up against that tree."

Gojyo relaxed into a broad smile, his hair flowing like water over Sanzo's fingers.

"I'll live," he said. "Another eighty strokes and it'll be good as new."

Sanzo just kept brushing.

~owari~