Unconventional Confessions
by nekomegami_chan
They were chasing the setting sun. Squinting against the bloody red and orange light blazing on the horizon ahead, Gojyo noted the weary determination in the set of Hakkai's shoulders, the tense muscles in the back of his neck. They were all tired, sore from half-healed wounds, the exertion of battle, and the hours spent crammed into the jeep as it rattled over unpaved roads.
Gojyo licked chapped lips and slid a hand through his hair, only to let the wind whip it back into his eyes. It was days like this when he missed the little house at the edge of the woods back at Chang'an, leftovers from dinner cooling in the fridge, a hand of poker, a cold beer, and Hakkai sitting across the table from him, asking politely if he'd like to call or fold. Gojyo smiled to himself; more and more it seemed that his thoughts always came back to Hakkai. Hakkai, who had been the green-eyed stranger without a name, the man who had died, the man who had come back, the man who had stayed. The memories evoked such affection and gratitude in him that Gojyo felt uncomfortable and almost self-conscious, even though Hakkai's attention was firmly on the uneven road ahead, and Sanzo and Goku were fast asleep.
Gojyo leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of Hakkai's seat, just beside the other man's shoulder. He was close enough that the little hairs on the back of Hakkai's neck tickled his nose in the breeze created by Jeep's passing.
"If you're tired, you should sleep," Hakkai said, his voice pitched low so as not to disturb the others. "I'll wake you when we make it to the next town."
"Nah, I'm alright."
Companionable silence fell between them again, and another kilometer passed before Gojyo worked up the courage to whisper the words that had been burning on his tongue for so long, "I love you."
Hakkai's hands gripped Jeep's steering wheel, and their eyes met in the rear-view mirror. But before Hakkai could respond, Gojyo had slipped his arms on either side of the seat to wrap around Hakkai's waist. He nuzzled closer and added, "I really mean it. I'm not just saying that because you let me wrap my lips around your cock last night."
Slowly, Hakkai reached down to cover Gojyo's larger calloused hands where they met just above his navel, and gave a gentle squeeze. "Gojyo," he breathed.
"Yeah?"
Their gazes locked in the mirror again, and Gojyo watched Hakkai's face melt into a genuinely happy smile, and when he spoke, Gojyo knew it was the truth. "I love you, too."