A/N: Disclaimer: Nope, still isn't mine.
Hello, folks, and welcome to this ... interesting little one-shot. For those of you waiting for an update on Eights and Aces, this isn't even remotely involved with this universe. Dear God, it's actually set in the Saiyuki storyline! See, right now I've got a writer's block on not only that story but all others...I'm amazed I got this out.
This is the story of a spring morning at Hakkai and Gojyo's house. A little while after Hakkai came to live with him, but not much more. They're still feeling each other out, getting used to one another.
Warnings: Mild language, scissors, and hints at 58 but only if you want to look for them. Oh, and you ought to know Hakkai's history, as well as Gojyo's. Otherwise you'll be quite confused.
Reviews always welcome. Enjoy!
...
"Dammit."
His hair was growing out again, long enough to catch in his eyes but too short to be swept into a ponytail. Long enough to tickle his ears but too short to stay behind them. Worse, the way he'd cut it, leaving the top long enough to be played with, meant that the underhairs were far too short for growing out the length of it without looking like a hedgehog. His hair was twice as thick around his skull as it was hanging away from it.
For the fifth time in as many seconds, Gojyo ran his hands through his locks, tugging at them, willing them to grow faster. Pervert or not, this was taking an excruciatingly long time.
"If you pull on it, it'll just fall out," a soft voice admonished from behind him. Gojyo growled. His new housemate was chuckling, trying to hide it, but -laughing- at his predicament. He focused his attention on the image in the bathroom mirror, ignoring Hakkai.
The brunette gave Gojyo a gentle smile. "Why don't you cut it again?"
Gojyo snorted. "I hate it short," he replied, the only decent answer. Hundreds of others were beaten down into silence by the simple phrase.
"At least cut it so it's all the same length," Hakkai tried again, his tone as innocuous as ever. Gojyo knew his constant fussing with his hair was irking his housemate, though, and the comments were as much for Hakkai's sanity as his own. "And pull those pants up - your briefs are showing."
"How do you know they're briefs?" Gojyo called, a grin surfacing as Hakkai left him to his own devices. He hitched his jeans further up his hips, hindered a bit by the humidity left over from his shower. He slicked the wet mass of his hair back so it lay flat against his head, dried his hands, and shrugged, giving up the fight for the moment.
It was a warm day, warm and gentle, bathed in sunshine. The perfect morning for a good, warm shower and relaxing cup of coffee. When Gojyo emerged into the kitchen for this desired component, Hakkai was waiting for him. With scissors.
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Gojyo asked, wide-eyed.
The be-monacled man smiled back at him. He rolled up the sleeves of his collared shirt and replied, "If you did it yourself, it'd be the same horrible job it was last time."
Gojyo frowned, raising a fist. "Hey, now..." he started. Hakkai smiled at him and put his hand over Gojyo's fist. Gojyo, bemusedly beaten, allowed himself to be led and plopped down in a chair. Hakkai lay a towel down on the ground behind his head and patted Gojyo's bare shoulder. The redhead grinned. "You just want to cut my hair, huh?" Gojyo had a fleeting moment of unease, wondering if he should let this man so close to his head with a potentially deadly and obviously sharp tool. The gentle touches were reassurance, though. Hakkai could always make someone trust him, just from that.
"We'll ignore certain cultural significance, Gojyo-san," Hakkai admonished, though his voice held laughter in it. He ran his hands through Gojyo's damp hair, then combed it out. "Oh, my," he murmured.
"What?" Gojyo asked, raising one annoyed eyebrow. "This was -your- idea."
"Well, yes. But I think I see a bald spot right here..." Gojyo jumped as the cold handle of the metal comb was pressed against his bare scalp. He whirled on Hakkai, who smiled innocuously at him, his shoulders trembling only a little. "I couldn't resist. Do sit down, Gojyo-san."
Gojyo shook his head and sat back down. "Very funny. And stop with the honorific."
"Quite sorry," Hakkai murmured back, and Gojyo heard the metallic finality of the first snip of the scissors. Irony struck hard when Gojyo realized exactly -who- was cutting his hair. Because he hadn't done it right the first time. Gojyo wondered, just for a split second, if Hakkai knew, if Hakkai was telling him something. Surely the man wasn't so much of an aesthete as a clean-freak, Gojyo reasoned, glancing at the spotless room, but really...
All thought fled when two cold, soft fingers traced the twin scars on Gojyo's cheek. The scissors had been set on the table, and Hakkai's other hand rested on his shoulder. The infringing fingers gently swooped over his ear and began to draw slow patterns through his hair.
"Don't touch those."
Hakkai's hands didn't stop moving. "Mm? My apologies, Gojyo-san, my hand must have slipped."
Damn, but Hakkai's fingers felt good. Gojyo closed his eyes. "Liar." He felt Hakkai's hands rake through his hair, pulling the top half back into a tail.
"Done." Gojyo stood and brushed past Hakkai, checking himself out in the mirror. The hairs were, indeed, all the same length. Hakkai had done a good job of that, and pulled the top half of his hair back taught, leaving only one strand over his temple free. It crossed his scars. The rest hung loose. He went back to Hakkai, who was shaking out the towel he'd used to catch the clippings, and stood close behind him.
An infraction for an infraction. Gojyo put one hand on Hakkai's shoulder and murmured, "It looks good. Thanks." With the other hand, he traced a pattern over Hakkai's cheek and slowly rubbed his thumb over Hakkai's ear. Over his limiters. The brunette gasped.
"Don't touch those."
So Gojyo moved his hand. Though he couldn't see it, he brushed back the fall of hair that covered Hakkai's bad eye. It was slow and vindictive, exposing him to the sunlight like that. But Hakkai had been sending him a message all morning.
"Don't be so sensitive," Gojyo muttered, mouth close to Hakkai's ear. Close again to his limiters. "Living together means we'll push each others' buttons."
Hakkai stopped shaking out the towel and turned, nearly flush with Gojyo. He folded the towel over his arms and said, "Yes, Gojyo, I suppose that's very true." He walked away before Gojyo could register his statement. And the fact that he'd dropped the '-san.'
The redhead leaned against the doorframe then, staring out into the sunshine. He put his palm over his mouth and could smell Hakkai on it. A few moments later, he realized how desperately he needed a smoke.