Beginnings: Openings

from the Wayside series
by scribblemoose

"At least we have the door back."

"Yeah. I guess." Gojyo felt a little stab of guilt as he followed Hakkai through the door which had just been fixed, after Banri had demolished it by way of a hello.

"I'm sorry about the umbrellas. I seem to have left them behind." Hakkai took off his raincoat and shook a few drops of rain off it before hanging it neatly on the coathook next to the new door.

Since when were there coathooks? He really hadn't been paying attention lately.

"It's okay. I don't think they would have been worth keeping. You know, I've never really thought of an umbrella as an alternative to a disembowelling knife before."

Hakkai stiffened; he held himself rigid and still in front of Gojyo for a moment, then his shoulders slumped. "I think I'll make some tea," he said eventually, his voice a tense, strained version of its usual polite self. "Would you like some?"

"Nah. I could do with something stronger, thanks."

"Ah. I'm sorry, Gojyo. I think you and your friend cleared us out of alcohol altogether."

"Shit. I could have really used a beer, at least." Gojyo surreptitiously checked the corner behind the bookcase, where he kept his secret stash of sake. Predictably enough, it was gone. Fuck fuck fuck....

"Are you sure I can't change your mind about the tea?"

"Yes, I'm totally fucking sure you can't-" Gojyo caught sight of Hakkai warming a teapot in the tiny kitchen, both hands cradled around the plain china, swirling water inside. "Ah, what the hell." He slumped down at the table, shoving the debris of cans and cigarette packets out of the way to create enough room for his elbows. Rooted around in his pockets until he found his cigarettes, and lit one.

Hakkai brought in the tea, but for once he didn't pause to clear up the table. He poured two cups; put one in front of Gojyo and took his own to the bed, where he sat cross-legged, head drooping a little.

"I'll clean up some tomorrow," Gojyo said. "It's my mess. You shouldn't have to deal with it."

Hakkai didn't answer.

Gojyo finished his cigarette and lit another, drinking his tea down in gulps while Hakkai just sat and sipped his, staring at the floor. He wasn't smiling.

Gojyo didn't feel much like smiling himself. He felt guilty and foolish and hurt.

No change there.

"I'll go to bed, then," said Hakkai. "Good night, Gojyo."

He padded off to the kitchen to wash up his cup and saucer. Gojyo put out his cigarette and got up, stretched and yawned loudly. "I'll come too. No sense in waking you up if I come later. 'Sides, I'm beat."

Hakkai didn't answer, or maybe he just spoke so softly Gojyo didn't hear him.

Gojyo picked up his cup, and a dirty plate for good measure, and followed Hakkai into the kitchen. He was standing by the sink, his back to the door, rinsing things before placing them neatly in the rack to dry.

"You can leave that, if you like. I'll do it."

Hakkai simply reached out for Gojyo's washing up, and Gojyo handed the crockery over without even realising until it was too late, everything efficiently washed and rinsed and dried before Gojyo had gathered his wits enough to say anything.

"Hakkai..."

"Goodnight, Gojyo." Hakkai smiled a friendly little smile and squeezed past him, shoulder brushing shoulder in the narrow kitchen.

"Wait, I..." Hakkai paused, and Gojyo touched his arm, tugged it just above the elbow to turn him around. "I owe you. For tonight."

Shadows flickered in Hakkai's eyes. "No. You don't."

"But-"

"I'm tired, Gojyo. Please excuse me."

"Oh. Sure. I... sure."

Left alone while Hakkai used the bathroom, Gojyo wandered back into the small room that doubled as bedroom and living area. Picked up a couple of beer cans, shaking them absently to see if they were completely empty. They were. He chucked them in the bin. Grimaced at the next clutch, which had apparently been used as ashtrays, then put them in the bin as well. Warming to his task, Gojyo found himself collecting up glasses and bottles and brimming ashtrays and ferrying them to the kitchen. Once the table was clear it made sense to wipe the surface down with a damp cloth. He couldn't be bothered to wash the ashtray, but he did empty it, and had just replaced it in the centre of the clean table next to his cigarettes and lighter when Hakkai returned.

Gojyo found himself hoping for praise. He had a foolish desire to draw Hakkai's attention to his accomplishment: look, Hakkai, I've been a good boy, see, I can take care of myself....

But he didn't. And Hakkai didn't seem to notice. Just neatly turned back the covers and got into bed. He was wearing those pyjamas, crisp cotton, green like his eyes. Gojyo knew already that he'd smell good. Soap and toothpaste and that clean sort of non-smoker smell. And underneath, the real scent of Hakkai, like earth and blood. Unique.

Gojyo abandoned his handiwork and went to get ready for bed.

Hakkai looked to be asleep when he returned, although he probably wasn't. Gojyo slipped on a pair of loose fitting cut-off sweatpants - his rare concession to nightwear that only ever saw use when he was sleeping with Hakkai, and even then only when he was sober and not after sex - and got into bed. Hakkai shifted a little, already squashed up against the edge.

Gojyo wriggled down under the covers and turned onto his side, head propped on one elbow.

"Hakkai?" he whispered.

Hakkai's eyes blinked open and looked up at him.

"That case, by the door."

"Hmm?"

"You were leaving."

"Ah." He looked tired and unhappy, and guilt writhed in Gojyo's belly.

"If you-"

"Can we perhaps discuss this in the morning, Gojyo? I'm really quite fatigued."

"Oh. Okay."

Reluctantly, Gojyo lowered himself down to rest his head on his pillow. He fidgeted a bit, trying to get comfortable without taking up too much room. Normally he would have just draped himself all over Hakkai, but that didn't seem right. Not tonight.

He tried to remember if he and Banri had done it in this bed. Probably not. He remembered some drunken fumbling up against the wall, and at some point he'd toppled over and they'd messed around on the floor. He'd been too drunk to remember much more. It had felt good, for a while. Just as long as he'd kept the guilt he resented so very much at bay. It helped that he knew Banri would betray him. As if his betrayal of Hakkai was already paid for.

But now, it hurt. It all hurt.

"I'm sorry, Hakkai," he whispered. "I've been a bastard."

Hakkai's eyes flickered open again. He looked a little confused; perhaps he really had been asleep this time.

And then he smiled. Not the usual smile, a real one, the barest twitch of one corner of his mouth that dimpled his cheek and sent a quiver down Gojyo's spine. "Let's leave it in the past," he said in a soft, sleep-fuzzed voice.

Gojyo wanted to ask him to stay, to promise, even. "Thanks." He reached out to squeeze Hakkai's arm. Hakkai patted his hand.

Gojyo gave him a weak sort of a smile, and resolved to lie still, and let Hakkai sleep. He shifted slowly from wide-awake to snoozing himself, and was all but properly asleep when he heard Hakkai sigh.

"'Kai? You 'kay?" he said, with a yawn he couldn't help.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Perhaps I should sleep on the couch..."

"No. I mean unless you want to."

"Well, it might..."

"Or if there's something else I can do to help you sleep..."

Hakkai lay still, his eyes closed.

"Do you still want to leave?" Gojyo asked in a small, choked voice. He watched Hakkai's face, his eyes slowly sliding open but his expression inscrutable. "I'd understand. You know. If you wanted to go. There's not much for you here and now you're better... you could get a good job, start over..."

"You think I'm better?" There was a hard edge to Hakkai's voice that sent a chill to Gojyo's core. "You saw me tonight, what I'm capable of. What I am. I'll never get better, Gojyo."

Gojyo swallowed painfully, his mouth dry, throat tight. "I meant..."

Hakkai rolled over suddenly, taking Gojyo completely by surprise, straddled him and pinned him to the bed by the shoulders. Green eyes glittered down at him.

"Hakkai?"

"You treat me like a woman," Hakkai glared at him, eyes narrowed, hair shockingly dark in contrast with his pale skin. "I'm not a woman, Gojyo. I'm not even a man. I'm-"

"A friend," said Gojyo quickly, and reared up to engage him in a savage kiss before he could argue. Hakkai surrendered to the ploy easily enough. Even kissed him back, but not the tender, cautious kisses Gojyo was used to from him. Hakkai's tongue plunged into his mouth; fingers fisted in Gojyo's hair. Passionate.

"Do you want..." Gojyo frowned up at him.

Hakkai nodded. He was biting his lower lip, reluctant for some reason, maybe even a little confused. But his hips ground into Gojyo's and they were both as hard as iron. Gojyo groped blindly under the bed for the lube and found it. Shoved it under the pillow and set about getting the both of them naked. Foreplay didn't seem to be on the cards; it was as if Hakkai didn't want to be touched at all, flinching from the brush of Gojyo's fingertips against his bare skin even though his cock was stiff and leaking and his kisses were deep and desperate. Gojyo wanted it to be good, like an apology or comfort or at the very least a thank you, but it seemed Hakkai wasn't interested in any of that.

It was Hakkai who stopped the kissing and reached for the lube; prepared himself and then slicked Gojyo's cock, willing to linger there, at least, for more than a perfunctory slapping on of gel. He planted a hand either side of Gojyo's head, seemed all set to impale himself. But his expression was grim and choked sobs were escaping from his throat.

"Hakkai..."

"Forgive me, Gojyo. I find it difficult, after I've been... afterwards. I'm little more than a walking curse and-"

"I don't care what you are," said Gojyo. "Do you want this?" He thrust up a little, just enough to bump the head of his cock against Hakkai's slick hole. Hakkai nodded, bit his lip. "Then it's yours." And Gojyo slid himself inside, firmly gripping Hakkai's hips to pull his body down, holding his breath as he filled Hakkai with his aching flesh.

"You don't care..." Hakkai panted, "...who I-" And he smiled a sad, bitter little smile, even as he began to circle his hips, chasing pleasure. His limiters glinted in the light from the single lamp by the bed.

Shit. That wasn't what he'd meant at all. But Gojyo couldn't find the words to explain properly, and it didn't seem like Hakkai was too likely to listen anyway. So he rocked in a slow and grinding rhythm, letting Hakkai do the work, and let the simple drive for bliss blank his mind.

But still a nagging thought kept returning to him. Something Banri had said. That Hakkai hated youkai even though he was one, and wasn't that what Hakkai had meant when he'd said he was a walking curse, except Banri had called it hypocrisy...

It wasn't hypocrisy. Hakkai made it far more complicated than that. It was more like...

Short of breath now, pumping strongly into Hakkai's body, Gojyo traced his fingers around the gentle curves of Hakkai's ears. The limiters on the left one tingled faintly to his touch and hummed.

"Don't do that," Hakkai muttered.

"Why not?"

"It's... I don't... I'm not..."

"It's who you are, Hakkai."

"It makes me nervous. You saw what I did tonight."

"Yes," said Gojyo. "But you know what? I don't think you'd ever hurt me." He watched the horror appear on Hakkai's face as he closed his fingers over the little metal clips. "I'm a fool when it comes to these things. Always have been." He surged up and covered Hakkai's mouth with his own, kissed him hard enough to distract him for just the vital second it took him to deftly pluck the earcuffs all at once from Hakkai's ear.

"Gojyo, no!" Hakkai flung himself backwards, leaving Gojyo cursing at the sudden burn to his cock as they were unceremoniously uncoupled. Hakkai grabbed for Gojyo's hand but he kept it out of reach, fist tight around the cuffs. "Gojyo, you don't know what..."

And then it was all too late. Hakkai's transformation was swift, quicker than before, maybe because it had only been a few short hours; he threw himself on all fours at Gojyo's side and shuddered into his youkai form, groaning as bones stretched and muscles grew. More beautiful than ever, thought Gojyo as the limiters fell from his hand to clatter on the floor. Hakkai's youkai marking a string of vines that wound around his entire body like a binding, his ears long and elegantly tapered, hair falling thick and dark about his shoulders, thick and dark and his eyes, oh fuck, his eyes, sharp and narrowed and looking at Gojyo as if he were about to...

"I can smell him on you," Hakkai growled. "That filthy bastard fucked you."

Gojyo tasted panic in his throat and had to force himself to breathe.

"You let him fuck you," Hakkai said, and raised one taloned hand to strike. Gojyo scrabbled back on the bed, clutching helplessly at the sheets.

"You're mine," said Hakkai, and Gojyo knew he was about to die. His couldn't close his eyes, couldn't say a word, just kept remembering the corpses they'd left behind that night and what if he-

But Hakkai didn't slash him open. Didn't kill him. He pressed his mouth to Gojyo's, hard: possession, lust and wanting like Gojyo had never known. Eyes wide open as they kissed, Gojyo could see Hakkai watching him.

And it was Hakkai. It was still Hakkai. And he knew, on some fundamental level, that whatever the fear that coiled deep in his belly told him, Hakkai would never hurt him.

"Yours," he stuttered out, and buried his fingers deep in Hakkai's ragged hair. "Yours," and kissed him back, the panic stilling.

"You shouldn't... have..." and Hakkai scooped him up with one strong arm and buried his face in Gojyo's neck. Teeth closed around the flesh but didn't bite, just pressed deep enough to raise a scant few drops of blood while Hakkai sucked and licked his skin.

"Too late," and Gojyo even managed something of a rueful grin. "Done now."

Talons scraped the surface of his skin, hovered over Gojyo's quivering belly. He was being careful, Gojyo realised. Using every scrap of control to keep from hurting him. Lips and teeth moved down across his chest, tracing the outline of strong muscle. Then his hand was delving lower, skimming over his cock as Gojyo held his breath... beyond... shoving Gojyo's thighs apart... and it was time to feel afraid all over again.

They hadn't done this before. Not even... he'd always been top with Hakkai.

"Wait," he gasped. "Just... wait..." and he fumbled for the lube, found it, flipped the cap and squirted out a palmfull with a shaking hand. His other arm looped around Hakkai's neck and bent him down to kiss as he reached between them to slather Hakkai's cock with gunk.

Hakkai grunted, thrusting into Gojyo's hand. "Now."

"Okay. Just.... okay."

Hakkai raised himself up on one hand while the other hovered over Gojyo's face. Brushed his hair back, almost tenderly. His eyes were a mixture of lust and a wild sort of pleasure, none of Hakkai's usual cast of vague regret and sadness. The steel was there, too. And... something else.

He wasn't gentle.

But Gojyo didn't care. His cock was hard as steel and he wanted to be full and stretched and fucking back. He let Hakkai push inside him in a few brisk stabs.

"I'm going to fuck him out of you," Hakkai growled, shoving in so deep Gojyo felt the ache in places he'd never even been aware of before. "All... out..."

"Fuck, yeah." Gojyo wrapped his legs around Hakkai's back and rocked his hips to take whatever Hakkai saw fit to give him, yelled as Hakkai's razor-sharp teeth closed on his skin and bit, hard this time, long tongue swiping out to taste his blood. Thrusts quick and deep with just enough of a gap in between that neither of them quite got close enough to come.

Gojyo writhed and threw his head back on the pillow with each slam of Hakkai's cock inside him. Speeding up now, Hakkai's iron control worn thin with restraint, and Gojyo was more than ready to come with him. Surprised when long, clawed fingers folded around his cock and gave just a few short strokes before the bliss exploded behind Gojyo's squeezed-shut eyelids and he came. Hard. So hard he almost passed out, his whole body shaking, breath coming in short, painful sobs.

He was still half-gone when Hakkai arched and screamed and burrowed deep inside him, but Gojyo could feel it, really feel it, hot and wet inside him and going on forever. Finally Hakkai pulled out to finish on his chest, long strokes of white across Gojyo's heated skin. Tentatively, Gojyo reached down a hand to touch him, swirled the wet around on Hakkai's swollen flesh.

Gojyo slowly came back down to earth to find that he was shaking violently; his body was sore and aching in various places, and Hakkai's eyes were closed, a chilling smile creeping onto his lips.

"Mine," his voice rumbled. "Now you're fucking mine."

Hakkai kissed him; one last savage, angry kiss and then he was gone. Gojyo blinked in confusion.

"Hakkai?"

He was standing by the bed, calmly putting on his limiters, slowly changing form. Then he slumped back on the matress, head in trembling hands, his human nakedness making Gojyo ache with its sudden vulnerability.

"'Kai..." Gojyo whispered hoarsely, forcing his limbs to move. He draped himself over Hakkai's back, face buried in his neck.

"I'm sorry," Hakkai said. "You shouldn't have done that. I.... you shouldn't. I shouldn't. Oh God..." His voice so raw and desperate that tears pricked at Gojyo's eyes.

"You didn't hurt me. Shit, Hakkai, it's okay. You didn't..."

"But..."

"It's fine. It's really...."

"I need a glass of... I'll be back." Hakkai tugged himself from Gojyo's arms and padded off towards the kitchen.

Gojyo waited, still in some kind of shock, heard the tap run and splash. He stumbled to the table and snatched up his cigarettes from the table, lit one and sank back on the bed with a long, reassuring sigh of smoke.

He'd got barely half way down the cig when he heard the shower water run. The idea of scalding water was appealing, but he forced himself to wait. Giving Hakkai time alone while he finished his cigarette. Listening to the steady run of water and the familiar clanking of the pipes.

When his cigarette was done and the water was still running, he padded off to the bathroom. He found Hakkai standing under the shower, head uptilted, letting the water play across his face, streaming down his body.

"You alright there? I brought you a towel. Know you don't like puddles on the floor and all that shit."

Hakkai turned, surprised. "Why... thank you, Gojyo. Could you leave it just there? I'll be a moment longer."

"Actually I wondered if you'd mind company."

"Oh. Yes, of course. Be my guest."

Gojyo sensed reluctance but ignored it and stepped into the shower with him. He soaped himself quickly, watching Hakkai surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye, but his friend barely moved, just stood there with the water flowing over his skin, flushed pink from the heat.

Gojyo put a hand firmly on Hakkai's shoulder, and moved closer to rinse himself under the shower head. Hakkai jerked out of his trance, elbow kicking back, fist clenched for an instant before his eyes snapped into focus. "Gojyo…"

"Stop hogging the water," said Gojyo, gently.

Hakkai blinked. "Oh. Of course, I'm sorry." He took a step back, avoiding Gojyo's gaze. "Please."

Gojyo moved into the space, his hand falling from Hakkai's shoulder, fingers trailing down his arm. "Thanks." He took a deep breath, not sure how Hakkai would react, and moved closer still to kiss him.

Hakkai tensed, shivered, but finally relaxed, at least enough to kiss him back. Slender arms wrapped around Gojyo's back, water ran across his shoulders and splashed down the thin gap between their bodies.

"Ah," said Hakkai, his head falling to rest on Gojyo's shoulder. "Thank you, Gojyo."

"My pleasure," said Gojyo, wondering what Hakkai was thanking him for. "You done? Only the water's getting cold and I don't know about you but I'm beat."

Hakkai nodded and smiled, and let Gojyo wrap a towel around his shoulders and lead him back to the bedroom. Gojyo dried his hair off as best he could, and searched around for a comb, without much success.

"Shit. It'll dry funny…" he muttered to himself. "Hate sleeping with wet hair…"

"I used to put Kanan's hair in rags for her sometimes," said Hakkai mildly.

Gojyo located his comb at last, buried behind a cushion on the sofa. "Don't. Even. Think. About it."

Hakkai smiled. His hair was barely damp, of course, it always dried really fast. Funny, to know such things about another person. He was changing the sheets on the bed, methodically tucking corners and plumping pillows, and Gojyo watched him as he combed his hair out, wincing over some of the more persistent tangles.

"She used to say it was better in a braid when it was wet," Hakkai said. "Stopped it getting in knots during the night."

Gojyo snorted. "I can tell you now, I have no intention whatever of putting my hair in pigtails."

"It's your hair, of course," said Hakkai in his usual maddening way. Back to normal, almost, the same old Hakkai.

Except that he'd never be the same again.

Hakkai rummaged around and found his pyjamas, or the top at least, and slipped it on as he climbed into bed. Gojyo hesitated for a moment; it all seemed unreal, what had happened before, even though his body ached from more than just the beating he'd had earlier, and in all sorts of new and interesting places. Still. To see Hakkai sitting there, smoothing the sheet over his lap, neat and immaculate, so very much in control, and yet....

Gojyo knelt hard on the bed with one bare knee, his weight dipping the mattress and tipping Hakkai towards him. Leaned over him, damp hair swishing over Hakkai's face. "Just get it into your head," he said, "you didn't hurt me. I wanted it."

Hakkai opened his mouth, and shut it again, and blinked.

"Gojyo, I..."

"Shut up and shove over. Let a man get into bed."

Hakkai obeyed mutely, pulling the covers back to help. Gojyo slid in beside him, draping one leg over Hakkai's thighs, one arm over his waist. He fidgeted around some, tossing his head until his hair was spread over the pillow in the vague hope it might dry somewhere close to manageable.

That got a smile out of Hakkai, at least.

The sheets felt nice, clean and warm against his naked, freshly-washed skin. He caught Hakkai's gaze and smiled back; for a while they just looked into each others' eyes. Really looked. Like Gojyo couldn't remember having done for a very long time.

"Why?" said Hakkai eventually. "Why did you..."

"I wanted to."

Irritation twitched across Hakkai's face. "Was it a sexual thing?"

"It felt pretty sexual to me." Gojyo knew that he was leering. Couldn't help it.

"No, I mean... a fetish."

"You asking me if I've got a thing for youkai? Shit, Hakkai. You really think..."

Hakkai had the good grace to look a little uncomfortable, at least.

"No," Gojyo said, firmly. "It's not a kink. It's you. I wanted to... with you."

"But..."

"I don't have a problem with it." His voice was quiet, serious. "Neither should you. It's who you are, Hakkai. I like who you are."

Hakkai swallowed painfully, ran his tongue over dry lips.

"Banri may be a total bastard," said Gojyo, "but he was right about one thing. There's nothing wrong with being youkai. There's nothing wrong with being anything. Looking down on people and thinking you're better than them, that's wrong. Not the other shit."

"I wasn't born that way." Hakkai's voice small and rough and wanting to cry.

"So? You weren't born with a big dick and a tongue that can tie cherry-stalks, but I'm kinda pleased you got them now."

A little splutter of laughter escaped from Hakkai's throat; his fingers closed in Gojyo's hair, twisting damp strands and stroking his scalp. "Actually, it's interesting about tongue flexibility and genetic..."

"Don't ruin my theories." Gojyo kissed him, a swift brush of lips at first but Hakkai gasped and made the tiniest of moves to follow him when he moved away. Wanting it. So Gojyo went back and kissed him properly, soft and long and wet and tongues and little noises.

When he stopped Hakkai gave a little disappointed-sounding "oh!" and touched Gojyo's lips with his fingers. They shook a bit when Gojyo swirled his tongue around to lick them. Hakkai watched his fingers disappear into Gojyo's mouth. Transfixed, a tiny, happy smile on his face.

"You're so hot," Gojyo murmured. "So damn hot."

Hakkai looked up to meet his gaze, an unspoken question in his eyes.

"Both ways," Gojyo supplied. Hakkai fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable, but Gojyo wasn't having any of that. He trailed his fingertips softly over Hakkai's skin, tracing a pattern over his shoulder, across his chest. "Those markings...." and down his belly, skirting round the scar, "... and who'd have thought..." lower, across one hip and down... "they'd go all around here too." Hakkai's cock was stiff and damp at the tip. It twitched in Gojyo's palm.

"They... do?" Hakkai was looking at him with huge round eyes, clearly astonished.

"Yeah. Didn't you ever look?"

"I never even thought about it. I've usually got my mind on other things when it... happens."

"Well, they do. It's very sexy." Gojyo trailed his index finger in a spiral around Hakkai's cock. "Exotic."

"Ah..." Hakkai was blushing a bit, much to Gojyo's delight.

"Besides." He nuzzled into Hakkai's neck, nudged an earlobe with his nose. "You have the cutest little youkai ears. So sweet and," he paused to lick around the curve of Hakkai's ear, "pointy."

Hakkai made a strangled sort of noise.

"Touch me back," Gojyo whispered. "See how hard you made me."

The fingers that reached between their bodies were trembling, tentative, as if they'd never touched Gojyo there before. But they knew all his favourite spots; the bit at the root where his cock joined his body; the ridge around the head; the tiny knot of flesh where his foreskin was attached; the little dimple at the top, already pooling with liquid. Gojyo gasped and bit his lip and looped his fingers around Hakkai's dick and began to stroke.

"You're beautiful," Hakkai murmured, and Gojyo squeezed his eyes tight shut. "I-"

"I know," Gojyo said lightly. "I'm irresistible. It's not fair, really." He cracked one eye open, just to check, and caught Hakkai's smile.

"Is that-"

"Oh shit, yeah. You?"

Hakkai nodded, and began to rock into Gojyo's fist.

"I don't want you to leave," Gojyo said.

The corner of Hakkai's mouth twitched.

"I was thinking..." Gojyo's hips started to move, his cock yearning for Hakkai's attention. "Tomorrow we could go to Chang'An, get that stiff-ass Sanzo and the idiot monkey to take us out for dinner."

"They do owe us money."

"Huh?"

"We may not have meant to, but we actually did exactly what Sanzo asked us to do. If he was willing to pay us before...."

A grin spread across Gojyo's face. He gave Hakkai's cock an affectionate squeeze. Made him gasp. "You're a lot sneakier than you look, you know that?"

Hakkai's mouth twitched again.

"Don't go."

Hakkai twisted his stroke to palm the head of Gojyo's cock. "We'll have to agree a story. I don't think Sanzo needs to know everything, do you?"

"Probably not. It would only bother that nasty little blond head of his... oh..."

"Let me do the talking, Gojyo."

"Hey, are you saying that I... can't...." But the twist of Hakkai's hand was too delicious, and the pulse of Hakkai's cock in his palm was too strong, and Gojyo's breath was coming in short, ragged gasps that didn't leave much room for speech.

"Oh..." Hakkai murmured.

"Mmm...."

Gojyo rested his forehead on Hakkai's; Hakkai's spare hand folded around damp strands of crimson hair.

"'Kai...."

"Uh... yes...?"

"Please... stay."

And Hakkai smiled, and pressed his mouth briefly to Gojyo's. "I'll stay."

Gojyo whimpered and with his eyes wide open and looking into Hakkai's he came, crying out with every spurt, his whole body shuddering release.

Hakkai's orgasm was, all in all, a quieter affair; Gojyo kissed him as his own pleasure waned and the touch of tongues was all it took. Hakkai sighed and pulsed and his eyes were wet and his lips trembling, fluttering under Gojyo's, his fingers suddenly clasped tight in Gojyo's hair.

They lay there for a while, catching their breath, Gojyo still lost in Hakkai's soft green gaze. Thinking, as he gulped in air and let the aftershocks of pleasure ripple through his body, how spectacularly stupid he'd nearly been.

"Tissues," Hakkai murmured. "There should be some around here somewh-"

"No tissues," said Gojyo. "For once I'm gonna clear up my own mess."

And he slid under the clean white sheets to do just that.

~owari~

Illustration by Moonriddler Mim