Blood & Chocolate

Chapter 6: This Was Not My Plan

Every day I write the book
And how the story changes,
The people come and go
The feelings stay the same
Not My Plan – Ben Jelen


CLICK.

Smoke curled into the air as Gojyo pulled a drag off of his cigarette, his free hand lazily tracing along the ribs of the sated body pillowed next to him. He clamped the stick at the corner of his mouth and let his hand rest behind his head as he continued the constant gentle motion back and forth. His fingertips grazed a soft spot of flesh and felt the lithe body stir, its golden head turning to press its face into his chest.

“Stop that,” it protested with a small smile. “Tickles.” Sanzo lifted his head just enough for dancing violet eyes to meet the kappa's. Gojyo smiled and placed his palm against the pale skin and continued to rub gently back and forth until the priest settled against him again.

The redhead sighed with contentment and pulled another drag of his smoke. It was strange to him, how the course of his days in the past two weeks had charged these quiet moments, as if every action he made within the course of a few hours made him look forward to this. He began to hum that same song he had heard the monkey sing so many times, it's okay to laugh, or yell, or cry, just live.

“Mmm,” slurred the blond, smiling lazily. “Goku used to sing that.”

“Yeah,” Gojyo replied absently. Just live.

Gojyo dropped a kiss on the golden head and was rewarded with a low hum against his chest. It was effortless, to say the least. Gojyo never treated Sanzo any different than he had from the day he met him, and vice versa. He couldn't recall waking up one morning with the intent of luring the blond into his bed, but it had happened. When had the lines blurred between acquaintances, travelling companions, roommates, friends, lovers until they meshed into an endless flow, he wondered.

So, how did they come to this arrangement? Was it part of the dance, and what would happen should the music stop, leaving them nothing but silence?

“You know, bouzu...”

“Hn.”

“Whatever this is,” the redhead began softly, “for me, it's not because of-”

“Sleep, kappa,” Sanzo commanded gently, cutting the hanyou off.

Gojyo stubbed out his cigarette carefully in the ashtray on his nightstand and settled against his pillow. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around the blond a little tighter before drifting off to sleep. As he dreamed, he saw a golden light before him, and Goku, smiling brightly.


------


“All done, Mrs. Utsumi,” Gojyo announced as he cleaned up his workstation, the last of the newly installed bookshelves finished in the back of the old woman's bookshop. He sauntered up to the front counter where she was thanking her customer before they headed out into the sunlit street. He leaned against the wood and stretched lightly before resting his chin on his hand.

“Thank you so much, Gojyo-kun! They are really beautiful,” replied Mrs. Utsumi. “You know, my daughter is in town this week, and she's still available.”

“I'm flattered, Mrs. Utsumi,” Gojyo pretended to blush, “I'm sure she's beautiful, but I'm not really on the market right now, so to speak.”

“Alright, then. Don't say I didn't at least let you know. Let's see,” she replied as she opened up the till, looking up when a customer entered, the bell above the door tinkling softly. “Sumimasen, Gojyo-kun. Ah, Kouryuu!” she greeted the man who hovered in the entryway as she closed the till. Gojyo looked up and locked eyes with Sanzo, quirking an eyebrow. “I have those books you requested, let me go get them out of the back,” she added as she scurried to the back room.

Kouryuu? Gojyo mouthed silently to Sanzo.

Not now, the blond mouthed back.

“Here we are!” Mrs. Utsumi exclaimed as she appeared again at the counter, handing the priest three books. “Anything else for you today, dear?”

“Today's paper if you please,” he replied politely as he snuck another glance at Gojyo. He handed her the payment and she placed his purchase in a paper bag before turning back to the hanyou.

“And, here you are as well,” she smiled as she handed Gojyo a generous amount of cash for his hard work, “and don't forget what I told you about my Miyaku.” The redhead heard the monk leave the store.

“I won't,” he said with a smile and a small bow as he caught the closing door with his palm. “Say hi to her for me!” Sanzo really didn't have that much of a head start on him, and he caught up with the monk fairly quickly, throwing an arm lazily across the priest's shoulders.

“Care to have a drink, Sanzo-sama?” he asked, giving the puppy-dog eyes routine. “My treat?”

“Tch.” The local pub was only a few doors down. It was nothing fancy, but it sold cheap beer and decent local sake. The two pulled up stools at the bar, Gojyo flagging the bartender as Sanzo placed his bag beneath his own seat.

“So, you've been in the bookshop more than once, I see.”

“Hn,” Sanzo said with disinterest. He pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and pressed it between his lips. “Gotta light?” Gojyo drew a stick of his own from his pack and his zippo from his pocket. He lit both cigarettes as the bartender set down frosty mugs of beer in front of them. As the redhead brought his mug to his lips, he felt a hand on his shoulder and took a glance sideways.

“Hitomi,” he greeted warmly. “What's up, man?”

“Not much,” the sandy-haired man replied with a sly grin. “Haven't seen you around lately.”

“What can I say,” Gojyo said silkily. “I've been a little... distracted.”

“Oh?” Hitomi leaned in closer. “Don't tell me you've gotten yourself distracted by someone?” The redhead chanced a quick glance at the blond beside him, whose aura became tense and rigid.

“Eh, you might say that,” he replied. “You're not jealous, are you, Hitomi?”

“Hmmm, maybe a little. You going to come to the parlor later?”

“Probably not. I'll try to stop by next week, if I can.” Gojyo saw money hit the counter next to him and felt the warm presence leave his side. He stood, finished his beer, pocketed the cash and left a larger bill in its stead. “Good seeing you, man,” he added, clapping Hitomi's shoulder before heading towards the door.

“Yeah, watch out for that leash, dude,” Hitomi called after him.

Sanzo was already out of sight by the time Gojyo stepped out onto the street. He briskly walked down the dusty road trying to catch up with the monk, barely catching the front door of the small house before it closed.

“Oi, what was that about?” Gojyo asked. Sanzo turned and met his eyes with an icy glare.

“Shouldn't I ask you that?” he countered evenly.

“I got off of work, ran into you, and thought it would be nice to go out for a beer,” the redhead replied. "There something wrong with that?"

“Tch,” Sanzo snorted. “You got off of work and decided to take me out on a date, only to dangle me in front of someone else? ” Gojyo fell silent. Is that what it was? It had never occurred to him that it may have appeared as such. “I'm not a toy. I'm not some fucking woman, kappa.”

“I never said you were!” Gojyo countered indignantly. “I just...”

“You just, what exactly? Am I one of them to you?” The kappa couldn't find his voice. Sanzo wasn't one of his conquests; he learned that sometime between sushi and the two-week old unwashed linens. He just didn't know the right way of saying it. He averted his gaze, too proud to admit that he was falling for the bouzu, falling hard. He didn't look up until he heard the spare bedroom door shut.

Gojyo didn't eat dinner that night. He left his bedroom door cracked, like he did every night, but for the first time in over two weeks, he slept alone.

I know I stand in line until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me
And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like "I love you"
Something Stupid – Frank & Nancy Sinatra