Title: To kiss or not to kiss…?
Author: kira
Rating: Adult, but more like older teen
Characters: Jakotsu, Renkotsu
Genre, AU/Canon, etc.: general, pre-canon timeline
Words: 1000
Summary: A walk home takes an unexpected turn for Renkotsu and Jakotsu…
Warnings: none

Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen for reading this over for me.

888

They were on their way home from a solo mission, when Renkotsu's wish that the cross-dresser would shut up came true. The fire-breather was tired of hearing about their leader's prowess in the futon for what seemed like most of the way home, but the sudden silence was even more nerve-wracking. Glancing to the left, assured him that Jakotsu was still there, walking beside him. A few paces later and another look in the cross-dresser's direction, and Renkotsu saw the younger man was lost in thought. Probably imagining all sorts of disgusting things… The fire-breather mentally sighed. As long as it keeps him quiet, who am I to complain?

As they walked along, Renkotsu decided against his better judgment to ask Jakotsu what he was thinking. Looking over to his left, the older man found himself gazing into the eyes of his comrade-in-arms. The fire-breather felt his cheeks heating up when Jakotsu's expression softened into a sweet smile. Renkotsu nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Damn, he's beautiful! Why didn't I notice it before…? Frowning, he adjusted the weight of his shoulder cannon.

"You okay, Ren?"

"Yeah…"

"You sure? You're not wounded are you?" The cross-dresser's eyes were full of concern.

"No, and before you ask, the burn on my thumb doesn't hurt anymore." Renkotsu looked away, embarrassed. "Uh… thank you for ummm, kissing it and making it better," he said dryly.

Jakotsu giggled into his sleeve. Lowering his hand, he glanced up coyly at his taller companion. I wish I could have kissed more than just your thumb, Ren… I know I love Aniki-chan with all my heart, but I wonder what it would be like to have fun with you in the futon. I've seen you in the bathhouse and I did like what I saw… and besides, Aniki-chan never worries about me when a pretty girl catches his eye… He pouted.

The fire-breather heaved a long suffering sigh that sounded suspiciously like a groan. "What's the matter?"

The cross-dresser shrugged. "Nothing…" And everything! I want you, Ren! I want to feel what it's like to be wrapped in those strong arms of yours… Jakotsu sighed. Taste you… touch you… feel your rough hands on my skin… Lost in his own little world, he was several paces ahead of Renkotsu before he realized the fire-breather had stopped. "Ren…?" Jakotsu turned around to face him.

"Yeah?" The fire-breather said. He started walking again, stopping only when he was face to face with his comrade-in-arms, whom he thought of as the bane of his existence. And yet, when he stared into Jakotsu's eyes he felt an unexpected longing. If he was not afraid of the repercussions, Renkotsu was sure he would be hauling the cross-dresser off the road into the relative privacy of the forest undergrowth that lined it for a bit of fun. And judging by the look in Jakotsu's eye, he could see the cross-dresser was feeling the same thing. He set his shoulder cannon down.

Jakotsu smiled impishly at him, a hint of hopefulness in his eyes. If Renkotsu wanted to act upon their desires, then he was willing to go along with him. As far as the cross-dresser was concerned, Bankotsu did not have to know a thing. Besides, he knew how to mollify his lover. He sure the fire-breather would keep quiet about it out fear of their leader beating the hell out of him, so all was good in Jakotsu's mind. If only he could figure out the right thing to do or say to seduce the so far resistant fire-breather into a quick bit of fun.

Renkotsu swallowed, his hand moving to cup the cross-dresser's cheek as if it had a mind of its own. It felt soft and smooth like a woman's and the fire-breather found himself chuckling at the way Jakotsu rubbed his face ever so slightly against his palm. So you want it just as badly, hunh? The trouble is, I don't know if we should act on it… If Ban were to find out… He mentally shuddered at the thought of their leader extracting his revenge over what he considered his territory. The funny thing was, Bankotsu often asked the cross-dresser to prostitute himself if they needed some information on a mission and there was no other way to obtain it. But Kami-sama help any of them who even looked like they wanted to do more than sit and carry on a friendly conversation with Jakotsu.

As if he were sensing what was going through Renkotsu's head, the cross-dresser sighed softly when the fire-breather pulled his hand away. He wondered if it had anything to do with Bankotsu's private talk with the former monk before they had left. Frowning disappointedly, Jakotsu turned to go.

"Wait!" Renkotsu said, more forcibly than he intended as he grabbed the startled cross-dresser's arm. Pulling the younger man towards him, he took Jakotsu's face in his hands, and leaning in, he kissed him tenderly, almost chastely on the mouth.

The cross-dresser, taking full advantage of the situation, snaked his arms around the fire-breather, pulling him close, and kissing him long and hard. When he opened his mouth to protest, the cross-dresser seized the moment and slid his tongue into the warm confines of the older man's mouth. He paused; nearly breaking the kiss, as Renkotsu tasted of cheap sake and some other bitter substance akin to tobacco, although the fire-breather was not known for indulging in smoking. Mentally shrugging, Jakotsu instead, continued to explore the older man's mouth with his tongue, before breaking the kiss. What surprised him the most was Renkotsu leaning in to kiss him again, and this time it was the fire-breather, whose tongue danced inside the cross-dresser's mouth.

They broke the kiss, stepping back from each other.

"This never happened, Jak, got it?" Renkotsu said. He leaned over to get his cannon.

The cross-dresser nodded, and smiling impishly, he said, "Let's go!" as he hurried down the road towards home.