Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Saiyuki Serial: Beautifully Broken Evolution ❯ 29 Soapland Sanzo ( Chapter 29 )

Author's Notes: I don't own a damn thing here except the smutty thoughts and the fact that they happen in the BBE universe. Rights to the Saiyuki characters, as always, remains with their creator.

 

 

29 SoaplandSanzo

 

~Gojyo~

 

I winced as I struggled to brush my hair and bit my lip trying not to groan in pain. I needed a bath in the worst possible way. Blood, sand, dirt and things I'd rather not even think about were ground into my clothes, skin and hair. But, I couldn't go for a bath and wash my hair until I'd de-tangled said hair and I couldn't do that because I could barely lift my fucking arm. I wasn't gonna bitch about it though. Well, not much bitching. I'd deflected the blow aimed at Sanzo and that was all that mattered. I'd never felt so satisfied to take the head off a youkai.

 

Hakkai said I'd busted a few ribs. I'd also had a lovely gash opened from my elbow to half-way up my shoulder. That one hurt more than the broken ribs when Hakkai was cleaning out whatever crap managed to get in it before he said he could heal it. He'd only been able to close the gash on my arm and partially fix my ribs with chi, but it was more than I thought he should've done, all things considered. We'd all been pretty banged up in that last fight, but to be fair, getting swarmed by a hundred or so youkai hell bent on killing us was a little much at too-fucking-early in the morning. We'd barely rolled out of our blankets before they were all over us like a bad smell. Fighting youkai before even having a chance to take a piss or have coffee or even that first smoke of the day was just so fucking wrong.

 

Sanzo had an impressive bruise that covered half his jaw from a youkai fist and he was limping a little from where another youkai landed a kick just above his knee. Goku got off pretty light with a couple of busted fingers and a swollen and split lip from where a flying rock hit him. Hakkai had taken a metal pipe to the back of his knees and he'd gotten one hell of a goose egg on the back of his head from the pipe-wielding youkai when he'd gone down on hands and knees. It could've been even worse for Hakkai if Hakuryuu hadn't let loose with one of the biggest fire balls I'd ever seen him make. The youkai that hit Hakkai with the pipe was a crispy critter after that.

 

“Gojyo, please don't strain your arm like that. You're going to re-open the wound and I'm very sorry, but I don't have enough chi left to heal you more than I already have.”

 

I was about to snap back at Hakkai until I saw the pinched expression on his face. He was hurting, too, and I'd be a total asshole if I took my frustration out on him. I thought Hakkai might have a concussion but he'd waved away that idea saying he'd know if he was concussed or not. That was complete bullshit. I was betting he knew he was concussed but had done his duty healing us up as much as he could before he reached the puke point. I waited until Hakkai went into the bathroom and cornered Hakuryuu. The flying rat was super possessive over Hakkai lately and I figured I could maybe use that to get Hakkai to rest for the night.

 

“Look, I don't know what your problem is with me lately, but Hakkai took a really hard whack to the head in that fight. He needs to rest and I don't think he'll listen to me but he'll baby you like there's no tomorrow. So make some pathetic noises or some shit and get him into bed and keep him there until morning. I know you understand me and you'll be doing this for Hakkai not me. You think you can do that?”

 

Hakuryuu glanced at me and I swear to god, he was looking down his pointy little snout at me. He snorted and gave me a look that was haughty and lusty at the same. That seriously creeped me out. The damn dragon was taking the whole possessive of Hakkai thing a tad too far. If I wasn't feeling so fucking sore and frustrated and needing his help with Hakkai, I mighta told Hakkai about the weird behaviour of his flying rat. I felt a little on the stupid side to be asking the dragon for help but Hakkai needed to go to bed and stay there and I didn't have any other bright ideas. Not that this idea was particularly bright, but it was all I had at the moment.

 

“You gonna do it or not? I'm not screwing around here. Hakkai needs to stay in bed and rest tonight and we both know he won't fucking do that unless he has a reason to stay in bed. You faking being sick or hurt will do that,” I hissed quietly when I heard Hakkai's footsteps heading back towards the room.

 

Hakuryuu made a warbling sound that was suspiciously like laughter. I ground my teeth together and wondered if I'd taken a knock to the head when I'd thought that trying to get the stupid dragon to help me was a good idea. The door started to open and Hakuryuu gave a keening cry and went limp on the bed. His wings twitched and he made pathetic noises that sounded worse than a kitten crying for its mother. My mouth fell open in shock. Hakkai was across the room like a shot.

 

“What happened, Gojyo?” Hakkai asked with a faint tremor in his voice as his hands ran over Hakuryuu quickly checking for injuries.

 

“Errr…”

 

Hakuryuu made retching noises and dark grey, greasy smoke rolled out of his mouth. His whole body shuddered and he curled into a little ball with more of those pathetic sounds coming from him. Hakkai scooped him up and held Hakuryuu close to his chest.

 

“Oh my, he's cold as ice. I had no idea he was ill. I failed…” Hakuryuu coughed and a tiny little flame escaped his lips cutting off Hakkai's words.

 

Hakuryuu started to shiver and burrowed into Hakkai's chest but not before looking straight at me, and I swear to god, winking. I stared at the dragon like an idiot for several seconds before I realized he was faking it and expected me to come up with a reason for his sudden sickness. He was damn lucky I was quick on the uptake and could bluff like a pro.

 

“Maybe that huge fireball he spit out during the fight took a lot out of him and it's like a delayed reaction or something,” I offered as I latched onto the first thing that popped into my head and seemed reasonable.

 

Hakuryuu gave another of his pitiful warbles and nuzzled his face into Hakkai's hair. Hakkai seemed to understand whatever Hakuryuu said and relaxed a tiny fraction. He made a bunch of noises that sounded like the shit the dragon was always making and when Hakuryuu answered back, he relaxed even more. Hakkai could speak Dragon? Since when? There was way weird shit going on here and if Hakkai didn't have a concussion I knew he was pretending not to have, I'd have bullied him into telling me when he'd acquired that little talent.

 

“Yes, yes, of course. That must be it. He needs to rest and get warm. Body heat is probably the best method. I'll get into bed and take him under the covers with me to warm him back up. He should be fine by morning,” Hakkai said with relief in his voice.

 

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” I said, a little confused at how easily Hakkai went with the idea. What the hell did he say to Hakuryuu and what did the dragon answer back? I suppose it didn't matter as long as Hakkai rested.

 

Hakuryuu looked at me over Hakkai's shoulder and I swear the little shit grinned and winked at me again. Damn dragon knew he was freaking me out and he was enjoying it. He'd had me worried for a minute there when he went into his act. Who knew the dragon could understand so well and come up with such a convincing act? I always knew there was more to the flying rat than he let on. Sneaky little bastard. I wondered briefly if there were any other talents Hakuryuu was hiding.

 

“Gojyo, get Sanzo to help you with your hair. You did take those wounds to keep him safe regardless of what he may say to the contrary. He should bear some of the responsibility for helping you until I can get you fully healed. You may tell him I said so, if you think that would help.”

 

A slow grin grew across my lips. I rested my hand lightly on Hakkai's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Hakkai was the best friend a guy could have. Hakuryuu lifted his head and narrowed those beady little eyes at me. I glared back and him and kept my hand on Hakkai's shoulder for a couple of seconds longer just to let the dragon know that moving my hand off Hakkai was my idea and not because the dragon didn't like it.

 

I grabbed up my brush, towel, soap, shampoo and conditioner and headed for Sanzo's room. A fast knock to the door was all the warning Sanzo got before I was stepping over the threshold. The gun cocked and pointed at my chest froze me in my tracks. I guess Sanzo was still a little twitchy. Couldn't blame the guy, really. Getting jumped by a horde of youkai before that first hit of nicotine completely fucks with your day.

 

“What?” Sanzo growled at me, waiting several seconds longer than necessary before putting up his gun.

 

“I need help….” I started.

 

“No shit. I've been saying that since we started on this damn journey,” Sanzo said with a snort around his cigarette.

 

“Ha, ha, mister smart-ass. Sticks and stones may break my bones,” I said with a pause and a seductive look at Sanzo. I waited until I was sure I had his attention. “But whips and chains excite me.”

 

Sanzo coughed on his lungful of smoke and glared at me for a few seconds before the barest of smiles twitched up the corner of his mouth. If I hadn't been watching for it, I would've missed it. He glanced at the stuff in my arms and raised an eyebrow.

 

“I need to brush the knots out of my hair before I can wash it to get all the gunk out of it. I can't raise my arm on the one side because of the gash I took from that youkai's sword. Trying to brush with my other hand is awkward and pulls on my busted ribs.”

 

“And you're telling me all this… why?” Sanzo asked in a bored tone, smoke curling out of his mouth.

 

“Hakkai said since I got the busted ribs and sliced open arm in the name of keeping your head attached to your shoulders, you have to help me. He's busy with Hakuryuu so can't help me. I think he's also concussed but doesn't want to say anything that might make us worry. I'm not stupid enough to ask Goku to help with something like this. I like my hair attached to my head.”

 

Sanzo sighed and made a big production out of finishing his smoke and crushing it out. I wasn't falling for that. I could tell that he liked the idea of getting to play with my hair even if it was kinda on the dirty and disgusting side at the moment. If he really didn't want to do it, not even my saying that Hakkai said he needed to help me would get Sanzo to do something he didn't want to do. I somehow managed not to smile when an absolutely fantastic idea popped into my head. Since Sanzo was willing to be so helpful….

 

“You're gonna have to help me wash up, too.”

 

Sanzo looked at me for several seconds and shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care but I could see interest in his eyes at the idea. He motioned me over and held out his hand for the hair brush. I dumped the bath stuff on the table and moved to sit on the floor between his legs, waiting for whatever it was he was going to do. I knew he liked to play with my hair and enjoyed the feel of it against his skin but I had no idea how rough or gentle he would be de-tangling it. I didn't exactly have high hopes for something gentle. Sanzo just wasn't that kinda guy.

 

I felt the brush of his fingers against the nape of my neck and steeled myself for the hard pulling on the knots in my hair I was sure was coming my way. Instead, all I felt were easy tugs on my hair that were even gentler than what I would have done. It didn't hurt at all when Sanzo worked through the knots. When he started brushing out my tangle-free hair with long, slow strokes, I swear to fucking god, I fell a little more in love with him than I already was. My eyes closed and I made happy noises in my throat. Way before I was ready for him to stop he gave me a hard poke in the shoulder.

 

“We both stink and I'm dead tired after getting woken up so god damn early this morning with that youkai bullshit. Let's go. There's no way in hell I'm getting into a clean bed with blood and crap all over me,” Sanzo said in a husky voice.

 

I blinked my eyes open reluctantly. Damn. Who would've guessed that Sanzo knew what to do with a hair brush? His hairstyle, if you could call it that, always looked liked he'd lost the battle with a comb. Fine, it worked for him in a weird way, but I never woulda thought Sanzo actually knew about the pleasure involved in brushing a lover's hair. I suppose I should've. He's probably the biggest hair whore I've ever met. It did make me a little jealous though to wonder just who's hair he'd enjoyed brushing before mine. I made a mental note to get him to brush my hair again when it was clean so we could wallow in the pleasure of the act properly.

 

I followed Sanzo to the bath and peeled off my clothes, wrinkling my nose at the crud ground into the fabric. I wasn't a clean freak, but they were officially disgusting even by my low standards. I hoped like hell the innkeeper hadn't bullshitted us when she'd said they could wash our clothes for a small fee and have them ready to go the next day. The stuff I'd been wearing was gross and had been the last, sorta clean thing I'd had. Everybody else was in pretty much the same boat as me, too. Even Sanzo's normally clean robes were spattered with blood. There were dark stains on the worn material of his jeans where the blood on his robes had soaked through the fabric.

 

I coulda stood there and stared at Sanzo slowly getting naked for half the damn night, except for the small fact that now that I was aware of how dirty I was, I wanted to be clean. I grit my teeth and hissed a little when I carried a bucket of hot water to a stool. My arm and ribs screamed blue murder at the move and let me know that was a Bad Fucking Idea. I was so close to not feeling disgusting that I was getting anxious and told my arm and ribs to shut the hell up. Besides, I knew Sanzo wouldn't let me sex him within an inch of his life if I had blood and guts on me. He was funny that way. Sanzo must've heard me make some noise when I carried the bucket. He looked at me like I was missing a few brain cells, crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

 

“Idiot. If you can't wash your own damn hair and body, what the fuck made you think you could carry around a bucket of water? You're going to make those injuries worse and Hakkai is going to be disappointed in you and mad at me for letting you be a moron.”

 

I think Sanzo was trying to look stern and pissed off at the same time. The look was totally ruined by the fact that he was standing in front of me bare-assed naked and was completely gorgeous. Even covered in bruises and blood, he looked utterly lickable. My dick totally agreed with my brain on that score and was standing at attention to show how much it liked that idea. Sanzo's gaze drifted over my body. Heat flared to life in his eyes when he saw I was hard and his cock twitched and started to rise to the occasion.

 

Maybe Sanzo wasn't as bothered by me being covered with crud as I'd thought he'd be. He was normally so fussy, prissy almost, about being clean. Score one for the sexy kappa. Not that I wanted to get freaky with all that shit on my skin, but it was good to know that he wouldn't bash my head in if I tried for a victory screw some time in the future before getting cleaned up. At least, I didn't think he would. Probably be fun trying with all that post-fight adrenalin running through our bodies.

 

Sanzo sighed and muttered under his breath about my stupidity and stomped over to where I sat. He looked at the hideous colours blooming on my ribs and clucked his tongue in disgust. His hand reached for my injured arm and I braced myself for him to yank it around. Sanzo wasn't exactly known as the gentlest person in our little group.

 

I was totally floored when he moved my arm gently and ran his finger lightly down the red line that marked the gash I'd taken for him. He was quiet for several seconds before he gripped my chin and turned my head to face him. He stared at me for several seconds in silence before huffing out an annoyed sounding breath.

 

“Don't ever do something that stupid again,” Sanzo muttered, pressing his lips to mine in a tender kiss.

 

He let me go and moved away to get the stuff I'd brought with me for the bath. I blinked several times and tried to kick start my brain into working again. That kiss wasn't a regular Sanzo kiss. It was…. I didn't know what it was, but it was different from every other kiss I'd ever gotten from him. Even though there hadn't been any tongue action, it was one of the most boner inducing things he'd ever done to me. There was… stuff implied in that kiss. Stuff I wanted very, very badly from Sanzo. That kiss left me feeling hornier than ever and my stomach suddenly jittery with nerves.

 

Sanzo'd been a little weird since the day we'd played with that steel egg and I couldn't figure it out. The toy had been fun. We'd both enjoyed it and I'd told him I'd let him play with it again. We'd slept wrapped around one another, but he'd been gone in the morning when I woke up. After that, he'd been twitchy around me and snappier than usual with everybody. At least, he was that way until we were alone. Then, he'd be all over me like a wet shirt. Not that I was complaining. Good god, no. I loved it. Something about his attitude about us, and me specifically, just seemed different. I wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or not. With Sanzo, it was almost impossible to tell until he either fucked you to the best damn orgasm of your life or shot you.

 

Sanzo came back to where I sat and told me to close my eyes. I did and yelped in surprise when he dumped the whole bucket of warm water over my head. I squinted through the water running down my face and opened my mouth to tell him that wasn't what I'd meant when I'd said he needed to help me wash up.

 

“Shut up. I'll do this my way or not all, got it?”

 

My mouth snapped closed and I glared at him. I'd been very careful when I'd bathed him when he was sick. I hadn't just dumped a bucket of water over his head and hoped he didn't drown. Okay, fine, so I wouldn't actually drown, but that wasn't the point.

 

“Stop sulking like a little kid. Doing it this way got your hair wet and washed away some of the dirt on your body at the same time. It's efficient.”

 

I snorted softly. I wasn't sulking. He could've at least warned me that he was about to dump all that water over my head. Asshole. I heard a soft pop and smelled strawberries seconds before I felt his fingers start combing through my hair. After the water dumping, I was expecting a fast wash that might have been a little on the rough side, but Sanzo surprised me again by massaging my scalp with strong fingers, working the shampoo into a rich later. My eyes closed and I relaxed, humming my approval.

 

Sanzo shampooed my hair leisurely. I was making all kinds of happy noises, floating in pleasure from his touch. I could feel the heat of his body behind me and, even under the blood and dirt on him; I could smell his own personal scent that I'd grown to like way too damn much. I nearly jumped out of my skin when his soap-slick hands glided over my antenna, soaping them gently. Ten seconds into his little wash job of my antenna, I was panting like a dog in heat and a whine was struggling to break loose. I actually whimpered when he stopped his erotic teasing. I'm sure that little antenna wank wasn't accidental either. He knew damn well what he was doing and I adored him for it.

 

“Keep your eyes closed, Gojyo. I'm going to rinse the shampoo out,” Sanzo said in a low voice in my ear.

 

This time, the water wasn't just poured over my head. Sanzo was careful to keep it off my face, slicking my hair with one hand until my hair squeaked. I heard him open another container and smelled vanilla before he started to work the conditioner into my hair. I swear to god I was seriously considering getting myself injured more often just so I could have the pleasure of Sanzo washing my hair for me. This sensual bit of personal hygiene was definitely making it to my top ten list of Sanzo-induced fetishes.

 

“You leave this on for a little bit before rinsing it out, don't you?” Sanzo asked.

 

I opened my eyes and nodded. Sanzo must've been watching me more often than I thought if he knew I left the conditioner on my hair while I washed up. That was a very interesting piece of information and made me incredibly happy on the inside. The heat of the bathing room or maybe desire had a lovely pink flush in Sanzo's cheeks. He wasn't the only one. I still had a raging hard-on and was hoping like hell that once I was reasonably clean, we could do something about that. Considering that he was sporting a beautiful erection, I was pretty sure he'd be up for the idea.

 

“Keep your ass on that stool. Got it?” Sanzo said in a strict voice. I nodded, my mouth dry with excitement. I loved when he got all bossy in a sexual situation.

 

Sanzo moved away from where I sat and got two more buckets of water and the soap. He ladled a good portion of water over his skin while he stood just out of my reach, a little smirk on his face. He proved he was a cruel man when he started to soap himself up in front of me. I was damn near drooling as he glided soapy hands over his chest, his nipples hardening from my hungry stare and what he was doing to himself. I couldn't look away when his hands slid down his stomach to his groin. He rubbed hands covered in bubbles over his erection and balls making me swallow hard when a tiny sound of pleasure escaped him. I almost lunged from the stool I was sitting on when he turned around, bent over and soaped his legs. Only the look he quickly shot me that promised much more fun kept my ass planted on the stool.

 

Sanzo turned around to face me and I waited for him to rinse the soap off. He didn't and instead walked up to me. He quickly ladled water over my body before lathering up the soap and rubbing his hands over my shoulders and arms. He moved behind me and soaped my back making me squirm a little when his hands swept over my ass and teased a finger down the crack. His lips brushed my ear in a light kiss and I shivered in pure delight. I loved it when Sanzo got all creative and this was shaping up to be even better than what I'd thought was going to be a quick screw in a bath house.

 

He pressed his chest to my upper back, carefully avoiding my busted ribs, and rubbed his body back and forth against mine. I groaned softly and my cock throbbed. Sanzo was seductive as hell when he wasn't trying to be. If he actually put effort into it… A low moan sounded from me. His hands came forward to slide over my chest, teasing my nipples. He whispered dirty words into my ear, telling me in glorious, graphic detail what he wanted to do to me. My brain went on a coffee break and left all the thinking to my dick, which was more than fine since sex and seduction was its speciality. I had my hand around my cock, starting to stroke myself without even thinking about it only to have Sanzo grip my wrist and tug my hand away.

 

“No. That's not what's going to happen here,” Sanzo said in a firm voice as he pulled away from me.

 

I whined. I couldn't help it. Sanzo was sexier than hell and had already turned my brain to mush. He'd aroused me by playing with my hair and antenna. He'd cranked my desire even higher when he'd played with himself while washing his body. He'd whispered hot, lewd things into my ear making me harder than hell and then he had to go and be all bossy, too. How the fuck was I supposed to not touch myself?

 

Sanzo moved around to my front and knelt at my feet. He washed my legs and feet, spending an almost criminal amount of time making sure my inner thighs were clean but not once touching my balls or cock. I was close to hyperventilating from the amount of times I sucked in my breath and held it, sure he was going to touch me where I wanted, no needed, it most. Of course, he didn't let so much as a finger nail touch either my cock or balls. God I loved it when Sanzo got all kinky with me.

 

I was sure I'd died and gone to heaven when Sanzo straddled my legs and let his soapy body rub sensually against mine. I had no idea in hell where he'd gotten this bright little thought from, but damn if I wasn't the happiest camper on the planet over it. The inside of his thighs brushed against the outside of mine and the hard little nubs of his nipples dragged lightly against my chest. I started to moan again only to have it swallowed by Sanzo when he covered my lips with his in a heady kiss that made my cock twitch with excitement. I whimpered when he circled his hips and his perfect, tight ass brushed back and forth over the head of my cock. I could feel my demon song for him climbing its way up my throat. I wanted to make Sanzo feel as good as he was making me feel. I wanted to blow his mind but I promised him I wouldn't use my youkai powers on him without his permission. Who the hell knew it'd be so hard to keep my word?

 

Sanzo sat in my lap, his dick pressed between our bellies, my cock resting against the crack of his ass. He ground his hips down, making me grip his ass and try to thrust my hips up. Little things like the ache in my ribs and the twinge in my arm faded away when compared to the feelings Sanzo fired in my blood. Sanzo broke the kiss and brought his hands up to hold my face, his expression intense and a little smug.

 

“You want to sing for me, don't you?” he asked in a raspy voice, a wicked smirk on his face. His hips still moved in tiny, tormenting circles, grinding his dick against my stomach and making me nearly pant with excitement.

 

I nodded. I didn't trust myself to actually open my mouth. Chances were that the song would escape me when I didn't mean it too. It was times like this that I wished I had more knowledge about my demon side than I did. Since that time we'd played with the steel egg, nearly every time I got into Sanzo's pants or he got into mine, the urge to sing to him got stronger. I was starting to think that it was because I loved him so damn much and wanted him to feel pleasure and be happy with me. Shit, I'd had no idea he'd noticed how hard I was working to keep my damn mouth shut. Sanzo never paid attention to crap like that. At least he never had before. I felt a twinge of nerves when I wondered what else he happened to notice.

 

“Since I always get a stronger orgasm when you sing for me, go ahead,” Sanzo said as he stopped with the circle movements and started to move his hips up and down a little making my cock slide along the crack of his ass.

 

Fuck but I loved this kinky kind of foreplay with him. I groaned when he gripped my cock and rubbed the head back and forth against his hole, teasing me with the possibility of sinking into his heat. His song burst from my throat when my cock slid smoothly up his ass in one stroke. He closed his eyes, a shiver working over his body as he made the hottest fucking sound I'd ever heard from him. I tried to get a grip on his hips to start him moving but his body was still slick with soap. He let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes, smirking a little at me when I tried to thrust up and couldn't do a damn thing because I was sitting on the stool and had no leverage. Sanzo may have been the one riding my cock but he was definitely the one in charge of this session. He was pushing every one of my buttons hard and I loved every second of it.

 

“Maybe I should just stay like this and see if you can get me off with just your song. I think you can if you really put your mind to it. Sound like a plan, Gojyo?” Sanzo panted while rocking his hips the tiniest bit.

 

Oh god, he was going to kill me in the best way I could think of. His body was hot and tight around my cock. The musky, aroused smell of him was thick in my nose. His dick was rubbing against my belly like hot, wet satin and his eyes…. Fuck, his eyes were filled with lust and pleasure that I was giving him. They glittered like jewels and for the briefest of seconds; I could've sworn I saw something else there. Something I wanted with all my heart. My throat tightened briefly and my heart hammered in my chest. My song wavered a little before surging out of me stronger than ever.

 

I lost control at the emotion I was positive I saw in Sanzo's eyes.

 

Sanzo cried out softly, his eyes widening in surprise as everything I felt for him poured out into the song. His fingers dug into my shoulders and he pressed his body tight to mine. I couldn't do a damn thing about the tone of the song, so I struggled to hold back the words. If he heard the words, he'd run and I'd never catch him. It was too soon for him to hear that I loved him with everything I had. I'd lose him for sure and I didn't think I could, or wanted to, survive that.

 

I could feel his heart pounding against his chest and hear his breath rasping in his throat. His hips started to move in a fast, jerky rhythm and he clung tight to me. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as tight as he was holding me. The song started to rise and fall in rhythm with the motion of his hips. It took me a few minutes to realize that everything we were doing was synchronizing. Sanzo breathed out and I breathed in. He'd moan in pleasure and I'd groan in harmony. Even our hearts seemed to beating in counterpoint to each other. I felt the tension in Sanzo wind tighter and knew he was close. I was right there with him, waiting for him to step off the edge and into pleasure. I needed to feel him let go before I could.

 

“Come for me, Sanzo, please” I managed to pant softly in his ear.

 

“Fuck,” Sanzo groaned, his hold on me getting even tighter as he ground his ass down on my lap.

 

His cock pulsed between our bellies and I couldn't help the sound of absolute pleasure I made. The muscles in his ass squeezed me hard, dragging me over the edge with him. Sanzo breathed little whimpers of pleasure into my ear, turning me on even more and having the effect of drawing out my orgasm. My song for him hit the equivalent of an audio orgasm before wobbling off into nothing. Sanzo went limp in my arms, his head resting on my shoulder and contented noises trickling out of his mouth. His lips brushed softly against my throat and I shivered with pleasure when his tongue flicked along my skin. Damn, he was amazing.

 

As I came down off my high of sex with Sanzo, I became aware of just how fucking much my ribs and arm hurt and hoped like hell I hadn't done more damage. Not that it really would've mattered. I'd have to be dead to refuse Sanzo and I'm not even sure that I wouldn't try to come back to the living for one more shot at getting into his pants.

 

“That was… that was the perfect way to end a day that started off so shitty. I love it when you get ideas, Sanzo. Feel free to try out any more that come your way on me,” I said between light kisses to his temple, cheeks and lips.

 

Sanzo smirked a little and lifted himself off me with a regretful sigh. I watched him bend over with a satisfied smile. He had a damn fine ass. He picked up one of the buckets, turned and dumped it over my head. I sputtered and swore at him, swiping wet hair out of my face in time to see him repeat the process on himself. He raised an eyebrow at the glare I gave him.

 

“What? You were covered in soap and conditioner. That was the most efficient way to rinse you off. For a water sprite, you're a big fucking baby about getting wet.”

 

“Sanzo, you don't just dump a bucket of water on somebody and not expect them to say something. Especially right after fantastic sex. Besides, I was enjoying a nice, post-orgasm glow until you damn near drowned me.”

 

“Quit your bitching. The water was warm not cold,” Sanzo said over his shoulder as he dried himself off and wrapped a towel around his waist before gathering up the bath things.

 

“It doesn't matter, Sanzo. You don't do shit like that to your lover seconds after some of the best, mind-blowing sex you've ever had. That's not how you show you care about your lover's comfort.”

 

Red flooded Sanzo's cheeks and he narrowed his eyes at me. Shit, I think I just pissed him off. I ran my words though my head and groaned mentally. Yep, that was prime piss-off-Sanzo material. Nothing good ever came from pointing out Sanzo's short-comings. Obviously the blood in my cock hadn't made its way back to my brain yet or I wouldn't have said something so stupid. I had a point about the water thing, but…. I sighed. Damage control time.

 

“That came out wrong. Look, I know you care about me, Sanzo,” I started.

 

He shot a startled look at me and actually took a step back. He looked a little confused and a whole lot of scared. What the hell was going on in his head now? Crap. I was making it worse. Maybe I took a crack to the skull and hadn't realized it. Sanzo whirled on his heel and left the room like his ass was on fire. I called after him to wait, but he ignored me. A heavy sigh left me.

 

Great move, moron.

 

I muttered to myself about running my mouth without my brain being engaged as I balled up our dirty clothes and walked back to Sanzo's room. I held my breath a little when I put my hand on the knob and turned it, not sure if Sanzo would lock me out or not. My stomach fluttered with relief when the knob turned easily under my hand. Sanzo was sitting on the window ledge smoking. He'd put on a loose pair of pants that looked suspiciously like Hakkai's pj bottoms and I was attacked by the most insane bit of jealousy that Sanzo was wearing some other guy's pj's and not mine. Never mind the fact that I hadn't worn anything to sleep in since I was twelve. I dropped the dirty clothes on the floor and approached Sanzo cautiously. Just because I didn't see his gun didn't mean it wasn't near him. I didn't want to add gun shot to my current list of injuries.

 

“Sanzo?” I called softly.

 

He ignored me and continued to smoke, staring out the window. I was trying to be patient and understanding. I was trying to give him room to slowly get used to the idea that we could have something really good between us. I could wait for things with the fucking patience of a saint when I wanted them badly enough, and I'd never wanted anything as badly as I wanted Sanzo's love.

 

But….

 

Everybody has a breaking point and I think I'd about reached mine. Sanzo'd been running hot and cold for over two weeks now. Some days I felt like we were making real progress and becoming closer. Others… I swear my guts clenched when it felt like he was regretting agreeing to be my lover and having a real relationship with me. I'd always thought it was dumb when I'd hear people say their heart hurt when they were rejected by the person they loved, but I now knew what they meant when Sanzo seemed to close himself off and push me away; like he was doing now.

 

I knew what I wanted from Sanzo but I had no freaking clue what he wanted from me. I thought I used to know. I thought he wanted somebody to love him for who he really was inside. I did and probably always would no matter what happened between us. Unlike some people, I couldn't turn my emotions off and on like a fucking switch.

 

I gripped his shoulder, intending to yank him around to get his attention. He jumped like a startled cat, dropping his nearly finished smoke and slamming his back tight into the corner of the window hard enough to make the frame rattle. I wasn't sure which shocked me more, the confused expression on his face or the fact that I didn't have a gun stuck up my nose at the sudden move. He jerked his eyes to mine for a few seconds before he darted his gaze around, looking for an escape route.

 

He hadn't been ignoring me. He'd been lost in his own head, thinking. Confusion was in his eyes along with fragile hope and that emotion I'd seen earlier when we were playing around in the bath. I could recognize love in somebody's eyes when I saw it and I was seeing it now. I'd even seen the exact same expression Sanzo wore now when I'd looked in a mirror for the first time after realizing that I loved Sanzo with my whole heart. To feel that way about somebody was damn fucking scary for me. I could only imagine how the idea probably terrified Sanzo.

 

I pulled him from the window and hugged him tight to me. My ribs and arm told me that was a stupid move but I did it anyway. Sanzo always responded better to the physical than words. He held himself stiffly in my arms for a few seconds before pushing against me to let him go. I refused, instead burying my face in his still damp hair and rubbing a hand up and down his back. Half the time, dealing with Sanzo was like trying to gentle a wild animal and I knew the odds were split fifty-fifty between my getting bitten and having him arch into my hand. God, the things I do for love.

 

“Jab me again in the ribs like that and you're gonna have to be the one to explain to Hakkai how my ribs got busted again,” I said quietly with a little teasing in my voice.

 

Sanzo snorted but stopped trying to get me to let him go. I kept running my hands over his bare back in soothing circles and waited for him to relax, saying nothing more. Eventually, most of the stiffness drained away from him and he leaned into me a little. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. Sanzo's urge to run was gone; at least for now. I swayed a bit with him held snugly in my arms, a soft hum winding from my throat. Sanzo let out a shuddery breath and the last bit of tension slipped from him.

 

We stayed like that for a little while longer before he pushed gently against my chest. I let him go this time, confident I'd managed to side track his little panic attack at feeling emotions he was probably experiencing for the first time in his life. Fuck, if he reacted this badly to his own emotions, it was going to take a lot longer than I thought before he'd be ready to hear about mine. I could wait though. I'd seen my prize for patience in his eyes.

 

I moved to the bed and sat down, suddenly tired beyond belief. Wrangling Sanzo without looking like that's what I was doing and tip-toeing around the minefield of his emotions was exhausting. Sanzo stood with his back to me, staring out the window again. He leaned his hands against the sill and pressed his forehead against the glass.

 

“I didn't undo Hakkai's healing, did I?” Sanzo asked in a gruff voice.

 

The barest of smiles twitched my lips. Sanzo did care. I knew he did. He just wasn't very good at showing it. I needed to remember that before I put my big mouth in motion.

 

“Nah, I'm made of tougher stuff than that. But, you know, I wouldn't turn down a little priestly comforting. Soothe the soul and all that shit.”

 

Sanzo snorted and pushed himself away from the window. He grabbed his smokes off the table and made a little detour along the way to the bed for mine and my lighter. Instead of tossing my pack at me, he handed it to me and even lit my smoke for me. I smiled at him and patted the mattress beside me. He was trying even if it was in small clumsy steps. Those baby steps were better than nothing at all in my book.

 

We smoked in silence, touching from shoulder to ankle. I finished my smoke before Sanzo and waited for him to butt out so I could drag him into my arms and snuggle. He surprised me when he finished his smoke, lay down on the bed and tugged me down against him, my head on his chest. He began working his hands gently through my damp hair, finger-combing the knots from it. My eyes closed and I sighed softly in pleasure. Oh yeah, Sanzo cared a hell of a lot and that made me incredibly happy. It was damn hard to keep everything I felt for him in check but I knew that eventually I'd get to tell him I loved him and he wouldn't run from me in a panic. I felt my brain start to shut down from the exhaustion of the day and the relaxing touch of Sanzo's hands in my hair and let it happen. I was where I wanted to be so a little sleep sounded like the best fucking idea ever.

 

I woke up to the warm tingle of Hakkai's chi moving over my ribs. I could tell right away that I was alone in the bed, Sanzo gone gods only knew where. I could hear birds singing and when I opened my eyes, the room was light enough for me to guess that it was probably early morning.

 

“I'm sorry, Gojyo. I didn't think I'd wake you up and wanted to take advantage of working on you without having you squirm around. I was mostly done anyway. Sanzo asked me to check on you and make sure that you didn't re-break your ribs, and when I saw you were sleeping so deeply, I thought healing you the rest of the way would be a good thing to do while you were asleep,” Hakkai said with a genuine smile.

 

I scrubbed a hand over my face, covering the small smile of pure happiness I got at the news that Sanzo had asked Hakkai to check on me. Yep, Sanzo definitely cared.

 

“Thanks, Hakkai. Hey, is Hakuryuu okay? He looked pretty shaky last night. Did that body heat thing work to warm him back up?” I was asking just to keep the cover story going. I knew Hakuryuu was fine.

 

Hakkai's head snapped up and he blushed a deep red. His eyes darted around the room and he wouldn't meet my gaze. What the hell? I really need to corner him and ask what the fuck was going on with him.

 

“Yes, yes it did. He's much better now, thank you for asking, Gojyo,” Hakkai said as he rose to his feet. He gave me a sharp nod and quickly left the room.

 

Okay, that was officially weird behaviour even for Hakkai. I bumped up the need to talk to Hakkai on my to-do list. Pretty soon, Sanzo and Goku were gonna start noticing, if they hadn't already. I just needed to catch Hakkai alone so we could talk privately, something I hadn't been able to do in a while. I stood and stretched cautiously, grinning when I didn't even feel the slightest twinge in my ribs or arm. Damn, Hakkai was good at what he did. I scratched my head and grimaced a little at the tangle my hair was. I knew better than to go to bed with damp hair. My grin came back when I thought about asking Sanzo to help me with brushing the knots out.

 

I snagged my smokes from the table and lit one on my way to my bag for my hair brush. Even if I really, really wanted Sanzo to brush my hair again, there was no way in hell I was gonna set foot outside the room with my hair looking as bad as I thought it did. I opened my bag and nearly dropped my smoke in surprise.

 

There was a flower placed on my brush.

 

A closer look showed me the flower wasn't real, but made of paper. I'd gotten another origami gift. Warmth spread through me. I was pretty sure this time that the present was from Sanzo because of where it was placed and I really couldn't see Hakkai leaving it for me this time. The flower had six outer petals of white and yellow, cup-shaped petals in the middle on a skinny, dark green stem. I'd seen these kinds of flowers before in New Year decorations but couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why Sanzo'd given me one. There had to be a reason. Sanzo didn't do shit just because.

 

I traced my finger over the delicately folded creation and smiled. Sanzo cared big time even if he wasn't ready to admit that to himself, never mind me. From stuff he'd said and what I'd overheard, he never gave people gifts, but he was giving me origami. At least I was pretty sure it was him.

 

Now, I just had to try and figure out what the hell he was trying to tell me with these origami gifts and I'd be all set.