WARNINGS: ...None, really. :) Safe fic regarding the relationship of Cho Hakkai and Sha Gojyo (cause they so sexy.) Inspired by Dido's Thank You. I posted the lyrics, but you should most definitely listen to the song sometime.
If you know the song and lyrics, feel free to scroll past the italicized stuff to reach the story:)
My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why I drank too much last night, got bills to pay, I want to thank you Push the door, I'm home at last I want to thank you
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'd all be grey,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it's not so bad,
it's not so bad
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today,
I'm late for work again
And even if I'm there, they'll all imply
that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it's not so bad,
it's not so bad and
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
and I'm soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn't have a clue
Because you're near me and
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
-Thank You by Dido
THANK YOU
Hakkai didn't hate the rain itself; not the life-giving, cool drops of water that gave company to the lonely. He didn't particularly hate fighting out in it, or getting caught up in it when they were a little too far from a hotel. He could heal people in it, he could kill youkai in it... The rain itself wasn't what he hated.
It was the noise it made when all else was silent in the dead of the night.
The incessant buzzing of drops pouring onto the ground, on roofs, on empty carts, when the streets were empty and when everybody was asleep. When there weren't people to heal or youkai to fight or card games to play and all he could do was lay awake in the night and listen to that buzzing. And try to fight off memories of a night when that noise consumed him and drove him insane to the point that it took a thousand lives and a deep gut-wound to ground him again.
Hakkai hated rainy nights with a deepness only shown through the mad insanity that haunted his emerald eyes when his anger showed its vicious fangs. He couldn't fall asleep with that noise outside his window, and if it started during his slumber, he woke up. This hadn't changed in six years, though it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the first two years he had lived with Gojyo. During their journey west, Hakkai often found company with Sanzo as well, who hated rainy nights as much, if not more so, than the brunette.
Now, however, it was the year after they had gotten home. It had taken awhile to settle back into their normal lives after being on the road and in constant danger for so long. Hakkai couldn't stop cleaning, (though that might have had something to do with Gojyo forgetting to empty out the fridge before they left for three years) and the redhead had immediately sought out a job, if only to keep him busy while he adjusted back into the easy way of life that didn't include bloodthirsty youkai, gods, or any of that. Hakkai had taken up tutoring again, as the children in their town missed him and it was something for him to do as well, even if taking care of Gojyo was a full-time job in of itself.
The house was spotless, everything was organized, the ingredients for dinner already mostly planned out, and everything looked nice. But Hakkai hated it, because it left him with nothing to do. He had woken up around three in the morning, as the first drop of rain had fallen on the dirt path outside his window, and since then had busied himself with making their small house look perfect.
Now, about seven in the morning, he found himself staring fixedly on the wooden top of the table, the tea in the blue mug beside him long cold. He had his hands clasped between his legs, elbows resting by his sides and rain humming outside. Emerald eyes were studying the tabletop and the various marks that decorated it; unnameable stains, cigarette burns, even the occasional groove from a sharp object like a knife or glass. He had long finished cleaning and had attempted to reread one of his favorite novels, but didn't have the heart, or concentration, to focus on the words before him. He resolutely refused to look out the window and the dismal world beyond, but even if he had it wouldn't matter. The glass was fogged up by the morning rain, hiding the colorless realm the water had given them.
Hakkai sighed and sat back, eyes falling to the murky brown liquid in his cup as the wooden chair creaked under his thin frame. He felt like his mind was straining against itself, teetering on the edge of insanity. Oddly enough, the brunette felt no sense of pride that, just a few years ago, he wouldn't even get out of bed on rainy nights. Those were the times he had decided to sit and stew in memories, relentlessly wondering why he couldn't save her, what he had done wrong, why such a bright and beautiful woman chose such a ghastly end... why he was still alive. But Gojyo had helped him through those times, always finding some reason to stick by Hakkai's side, showing him that he wasn't alone, but even more than that, that he was Hakkai now, and should start acting like it.
Emerald eyes suddenly glanced up at the picture that hung over the window by the table. It was no accident the frame was there; Gojyo had placed it with the thought that Hakkai often looked out this window when it was raining, as it was the largest one and faced directly into the dark woods. The half-breed had found a camera while helping Hakkai clean out the cobweb-ridden corners of his home, then promptly grabbed the brunette and dragged him to his chest as he snapped the picture. The frame was simple and black, the picture inside showing a slightly-blurry image of a surprised Hakkai and a grinning Gojyo, his arm hanging over the other's shoulder to dangle in front of his chest.
After staring at it for a moment, Hakkai let his lips curve into a slight smile as his eyes dropped. Thank you...
A moment later the brunette stood up, walked over to the door, and grabbed his coat. There was still some supplies he needed to get to finish tonight's dinner, as well as tomorrow's lunch. Might as well go instead of just sitting around the house. His long black coat fell around his thighs over his simple cream turtleneck and jeans that clung to his thin hips. Hakkai grabbed a black umbrella out of their stand, opened the door, and stepped out into the rain. He quickly opened the umbrella and held it up to protect himself, gazing out at the tear-stricken, grey world beyond the doorway. A few drops of rain fell on his shoulder, surprising him a little. Emerald eyes found the hole in the black umbrella though, and he couldn't help the faint smile that came to his lips.
Of course.
Shutting the door behind him, he quickly set out, hoping to beat the morning rush to the market.
"Shit!" Gojyo swore vehemently, tossing the small clock at the wall, only to have it fall short and clatter loudly to the floor. He threw back the sheet, swung his legs off the edge of the bed, then stood up... only to have to sit right back down again, clutching at his aching head. Whatever that bar tender had given him last night sucked. It tasted bad, made Gojyo act like a moron, and even, as far as he could remember, shove Hakkai when the brunette had come to the bar to remind the redhead he had to work early in the morning and should have been home hours ago.
Good thing he loves me, Gojyo grumbled mentally, staggering to his feet before stumbling into a hot shower. He hung his head back, feeling the long scarlet strands brush the middle of his bare back as the steam helped clear his head a bit. He had gotten worse hangovers... this was one that started out like a bitch, but then faded pretty fast through the day, thank god. Gojyo scowled as he grabbed the shampoo and squirted a generous amount into the palm of his hand, wondering why Hakkai hadn't woken him up. He was already almost an hour late and was going to get shit from his boss. Which was just great anyway, as all the guys there constantly tease Gojyo that he wasn't gonna last the day through the job.
Fuck them. I've been at this a month already and haven't gotten fired. He rubbed the sweet-smelling lather through his hair vigorously before washing it out and grabbing the conditioner. Yet.
As he went back to their room and pulled on a pair of black pants, the red boxers still in there from last night, Gojyo caught a glimpse of the window. After the initial puzzlement at the grey world outside, he realized that it was raining, and probably had been for hours. Scarlet eyes glanced around, noting the impeccable tidiness of the room and just knowing the rest of the house would be just like it. Gojyo grabbed a white beater and pulled it on, guessing his wayward lover was probably at the market since he wasn't cleaning. His anger at Hakkai for not waking him up faded, as the half-breed would rather lose his job than have the brunette lose his sanity to the mind-numbing noise of the rain.
Instead of drying his long hair, Gojyo opted to simply tie it back into a ponytail, then throw a white bandanna on over it, remembering the first time he'd worn it; after he'd cut off all his hair. After Gonou had died.
Grabbing his black jacket and a couple bucks out of the glass cookie jar on the kitchen counter, he too disappeared out the door and into the shrouded mess the rain had made of the day.
Gojyo yawned loudly as he slipped under the dripping overhang of the stand, trading the lady who owned it a dollar for a bright green apple. As he bit into the crisp fruit, he felt he got the better end of the bargain.
Drenched for hours and slathered in mud, the half-breed leaned back against the wooden side and tried to eat quickly. The river on the outskirts of the town was threatening to flood if the rain carried on too much longer, so Gojyo was down at the back with a bunch of the other townsmen trying to construct a quick dam. Scarlet eyes cast a questioning glance up at the sky he could see outside his small shelter, but the dull grey sky looked as if it was offering no quarter or mercy. Since it was lunch, the men were taking turns running into town or going home to grab a quick bite, as they all needed their energy for this fight. After Gojyo quickly finished his lunch, he had to return immediately the river. Truth be told, it would take a lot of flooding for the water to ever reach the town, but they couldn't be too careful, especially with the weather looking so ominous.
Gojyo was amazed the market could be so busy through the messy, foggy rain. But then again his lover was out there somewhere, finishing up the shopping. He supposed every other person out here had their own reasons as well that would not be deterred by the falling water.
Chucking the apple core out onto the street, which was no more than sloppy mud at this point, the half-breed quickly retied his sopping bandana and moved to step back out in the rain. He was itching like something possessed for a cigarette, but his pack had been lost during the construction of the dam a long time ago. Even if it hadn't been, the cancer sticks would have been too wet to light anyway, so it wasn't a terrible loss in any case.
As Gojyo weaved through the crowd and rain, he felt like something was crushing him. The responsibility of the dam was really huge for a man used to living a punk's life, where money was made quick and easy. The journey west hadn't even felt so huge, but then again, he had only gone because Hakkai went, the brunette bound to the Three Aspects after they pardoned him years ago, but he never felt seriously devoted to the pain in the ass mission.
This however... this was his home. His and Hakkai's and all the people he knew lived here. Men he played cards with, women he teased, children he saw hanging around Hakkai...These people were all depending on the dam to work, and Gojyo had to take the entire ordeal very seriously, which he was very bad at.
He suddenly straightened and glanced over, through a stand that was selling a variety of gourds, thinking he had seen...
There. A flash of emerald and a surprised glance that followed. Gojyo curled his lips into a seductive smirk he knew drove Hakkai wild, watching with smug triumph as the brunette tighten his arm subtly around the brown paper bag there. A scarlet eye winked and Hakkai's face melted into a genuine smile even as his eyes mirrored worry at how wet, muddy, and cold Gojyo was. The redhead just shook his head with a smile that said he was glad Hakkai was out and about, even in this awful weather, and all the other could do was smile.
Then the moment was over, the two men carried away by the crowd and rush of water. Gojyo grinned a little, turning to jog back to the site the dam was being constructed at, knowing he was expected.
Thank you.
When he got home later, Heaven awaited him in the form of a smile, a soft towel, and hot cup of coffee. Wet clothes were disposed of and warm ones were happily donned, dirty towels quickly piling up in the hamper. Kisses and loose hugs were exchanged, as was the normal greeting.
"How was your day?"
"Really good, actually. Yours?"
"The same."