Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki or the characters.

Summertime flew and before everyone knew it, fall had begun. People abandoned short sleeves for sweaters and hooded jackets for wind breakers. People returned towards the city from their summer homes, and the streets grew busy with business and crime. Christmas was only three months away as the middle of September approached. With the rising theft rates with the upcoming holiday seasons; two detectives were trying to find time to just sit and think over their current dilemma.

Sha Gojyo stared over his messy conjoined desk at his partner and lover, Genjyo Sanzo. Coffee stains painted the red head's desk behind disorganized binders of work materials. Loose pens and paperclips littered the corner on top of the drop box for important case files. Sanzo's desk, across from his own, was much neater in comparison. Everything on the blond's desk had a spot, including a coaster for his coffee, a neat filing rack and his pens sitting pretty in their cup by the stapler. One similar item though they both had, was the single-shot picture frame that held a portrait of both men and Hakkai with Sanzo's father taken a month ago on a visit. Each man gave their version of a smile as the lovers stood next to each other in front of the house with Koumyo draping his arms over Sanzo and Hakkai's shoulders.

Both men stared at each other with narrowed eyes and hunched backs over piles of paperwork. Around them, people moved at a rapid pace, answering calls, drinking coffee and filing reports. Dressed warmly for the cold office, the heater had yet to be fixed as the two well-dressed men continued to stare. A speck of long hair finally fell in front of Gojyo's nose, and he broke the staring contest by looking at it with crossed eyes before moving it behind his ear with a finger.

"We need to think long and hard about this. . . " Gojyo finally said, tapping his desk with his index finger on every word. He sat up straight in his chair, his blue dress shirt now wrinkled from his hunched over position. Sanzo raised an eyebrow as he picked his pen back up.

"What is it with you and the phrase 'long and hard' all the time? Do I look like I haven't been thinking about it ass wipe? Between our case loads, I haven't had time for anything else," He said, purple eyes looking back down at his report. Sha Gojyo narrowed his eyes as he leaned backward and crossed his arms. Blond hair fell over the man's eyes as he watched Sanzo push it back irritably.

"I think you should have taken up Hakkai's offer on that hair cut. You look like you could put that up in a pony tail," the red head pointed at the now long hair on the back of his lover's pale neck. Sanzo grunted and raised his eyes briefly to glare.

"Are you done with that convenience store robbery summary? It needs to be in by five," he said bored. Gojyo's eyes briefly flicked to the clock on the wall before he smiled.

"I got the time! Now could you start thinking about what we're going to do?" The red head said with a frown.

"Gojyo—" Sanzo started to say.

"I mean come on! This has to be special—" the red head went on.

"Sha—" the blond warned, looking around him to make sure he wasn't getting loud.

"It's the first one we're celebrating with him, and its got to be memorable! I mean—"

"Gojyo! I know, now will you—" the blond hissed through his teeth.

"—the sex too! We can't just have the normal sex; we got to go all out! Special birthday sex! Ya know?" the red head finished, waving his hand around in the air. Genjyo Sanzo slapped his forehead when Gojyo announced the last part out loud. Some of their fellows were staring, and some brushed it off. They were used to the pairs weird conversations by now. But . . . Sanzo had to admit that the dumb-ass was right. September was a special month for both men. It was already the fifteenth of the month, and they still had no plans.

Hakkai's birthday was the twenty-first.

This would be the first one they were spending with him since they started their relationship. Work had been busy to the point where both were pulling double shifts due to flu being rampant through the department. Hakkai was supportive the whole time with early breakfasts and late dinners. Their clothes were always laid out the night before and the coffee maker ready to go when they got up. Much like a mother sending her children to school, Hakkai made sure they had everything and straightened their ties before sending them out of the door with full bellies and warm coats.

Both men were lost in thought about the previous week and knew Hakkai's birthday would be the perfect opportunity to repay all the kindness the brunette had given out. Both detectives thanked God that some people were off sick leave, and the series of double shifts had ended. Hopefully, the bags under Hakkai's eyes would go away now.

"Have you been asking him what he wanted to do?" Sanzo asked the other. Gojyo bit his lip and tilted his head.

"Yeah, but he gets all tense and says he'll tell me later. It's weird, like he's . . .Afraid to say what he wants. . . " The red head said in a drifted voice.

"Afraid?" Sanzo repeated with a confused face.

"Yeah...So that must mean. . . He's afraid of asking for it, or .. . It's something naughty, and he's embarrassed!" The red head smiled, absolutely delighted. Gojyo smiled like a Cheshire cat as he folded his arms behind his head.

"It must be good if he can't just come out and say it! I'm kind of anxious now to know what it is! Hmm..."

"Think about it later. We have files to take care of," the blond grumbled, straightening his pile. Gojyo smirked at him and didn't remove it from his face. The blond was starting to become annoyed.

"What?" He asked with a clipped tone.

"You aren't. . . Curious?" Gojyo asked. Sanzo stared at him a moment before sighing.

"Of course I am. Even more so because he seems bothered by it. Even so, we need to back off and let him think. You have this aggravating ability to make people angry when you push too hard and want the truth out of someone," the blond mentioned, putting his papers away and taking off his reading glasses.

"Hey, I am a detective! It's how I get information! I can't break certain habits!" The crimson haired said in exasperation.

"I should break your teeth because of the way you pry!" The blond said, turning away. Gojyo frowned as he watched as Sanzo slipped the papers into the filing cabinet by his leg. The blond sat up a moment later and looked hard at him.

"I mean it, leave him alone. When he wants to talk, he'll let us know," the blond finalized. The red head sighed also and held up his hands in surrender.

"Yes sir, I'll remain the quiet observer like always. However, you know Kai, he'd never say anything that bothered him unless it affected us all. He's like that, all that inner turmoil and shit . . . He keeps it to himself in that unhealthy manner of his," the red haired mentioned. Sanzo reluctantly agreed with that statement.

"Yeah he does. . . Like the time, he wanted you to stop using comic book catch phrases when you try to get him in the mood. Even I found that in bad taste, he was just too polite to say anything, but it bothered the fuck out of me...Especially during the initial intercourse," the blond said. Gojyo's mouth dropped open, and he blushed against his already normally tan skin. He sputtered for words at Sanzo's smirk.

"I stopped after the third time it didn't work! And you used to do that annoying humming thing when you started giving head—" the red head was cut off. Sanzo pinned him with a glare so strong it could have peeled the wall paper. He looked around to make sure no one was listening.

They were, by the way, their heads quickly spun back to their tasks.

"We. Are. In. Public!" The fair haired hissed. Gojyo laughed nervously as he gathered his papers.

"All right! Sorry! Blame a guy for bringing something new to the bedroom!" He grumbled as he stood.

"I blame you for everything, in good measures!" The blond said, standing also.

The end of the day came, and both men were relieved to finally get out of there. They drove the hectic streets and busy lanes to finally arrive back at the apartment complex. They shut the doors carrying folders and half cold coffee mugs. They both nodded at the door man and took the elevator to their floor. Sanzo handed Gojyo his mug as he fished into his pocket for the door key. Hakkai always locked the door when he was alone in the apartment.

However, they didn't complain about that one bit, in fact, they often encouraged it.

Getting the door open, both walked in to see Hakkai on the couch.

Asleep.

Having gone in to work early, Hakkai returned home an hour before the two detectives. The smell of cooking meat met their noses as they saw the oven set on a timer. And no doubt the way the brunette had taken care of both the detectives, getting up early and staying up late, he was bound to be exhausted from it all. Gojyo and Sanzo looked at each other and felt a creep of guilt, they both realized that they were truly spoiled by their chocolate haired lover.

The brunette lay on his back, head resting on the arm of the couch. He was dressed in sleep pants and what looked to be a loose long-sleeved shirt. His head was slightly tilted; hair fanned out across the material as he took in slow steady breaths. His chest rose and fell as a magazine lay face down on his stomach, Hakkai's hand on top of it, the other next to his face.

"I'll wake him up. He'll be up all night if we let him sleep like that," Gojyo said, kicking off his shoes. Both removed their jackets and set all their paperwork on the coffee table for later. Gojyo sat on the cushion near Hakkai's chest while Sanzo went to the coffee pot.

"Kai, babe, wake up," Gojyo said, gently pushing the brunette's shoulder. Hakkai's face scrunched up for a moment before he rolled onto his side, the magazine, he had been reading falling to the floor. Instead, Gojyo smiled and brought up a hand to run it through chocolate-colored hair.

"Kai," he repeated again.

"Hmm...Goku...I told you to stop that..." Hakkai suddenly mumbled. Gojyo raised an eyebrow at the half awake man. Eventually, Hakkai blinked his eyes open and looked around. His eyes landed on Gojyo's face, which looked amused at him.

"Hm? Gojyo? What time is it?" He asked, sitting up and yawning. Gojyo wrapped an arm around Hakkai's waist and kissed his cheek.

"It's a little after six, I think you were dreaming though, something about Goku?"

Hakkai looked at him in confusion until he blinked.

"Oh? Was I? Yes, Goku would always bounce on my bed when he was younger to wake me up," Hakkai shrugged and leaned into the kiss on his cheek. Gojyo chuckled against the skin as he pulled back to smirk at the brunette.

"If you want me to make your bed bounce, I have a few ideas," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Hakkai blushed and playfully pushed Gojyo away as he stood from the couch.

"I bet you do. By the way, one of the legs on the bed is not fixed in place. I think all our . . . Activities, is causing the screw to come detached," the brunette smiled nervously. Sanzo snorted from the coffee island.

"Gojyo's screw came loose a long time ago," the blond mentioned, taking a sip from his mug.

"Fuck you too," Gojyo said, holding up his middle finger from the couch. Hakkai shook his head as he smoothed down his slept kempt hair. He stilled a moment later when he saw his magazine laying on the floor. He stood still for a moment as he briefly heard Gojyo and Sanzo toss a few more insults at one another. Hakkai bent over carefully in order to reach for his magazine. Gojyo noticed his slow movement and frowned.

"You okay Kai?" Gojyo asked suddenly. Hakkai gave a twitch which had Gojyo a little concerned. Finally, Hakkai moved again, picking up his magazine in which the cover was hidden against Hakkai's chest.

"I'm fine, just a little stiff from the couch," he smiled, but his voice was tight. He watched as the brunette walked over to his computer desk, and casually slipped the magazine into one of the drawers. Sanzo was watching from the island, sharp eyes taking in ever nervous stride.

"Hakkai?" The blond suddenly spoke. Hakkai smoothed his bangs out of his face as his green eyes looked to Sanzo.

"Yes?" He asked with a tilted head. The blond opened his mouth as if to say something but shut it a moment later. Instead, he took a drink from his mug.

"What did you want for your birthday?" He asked instead. Hakkai's face went blank as the apartment filled with silence. The brunette blinked, coming out of his thoughts as he chose instead to look out of the apartment windows.

"Oh uh. . .We don't need to do anything special really. I mean, I've never done anything. . . Kougaiji managed to take some time off, and we went to dinner last year, but I don't see him getting out of work this year," the brunette shrugged. It had been a while since he had seen his friend, and he frowned at the memory. Kougaiji didn't want to come to the apartment much anymore. Since Sanzo and Gojyo moved in, he had all but avoided all three of them when they were together. It hurt Hakkai to know that his friend didn't want to be around his other lovers. He'd at least hoped that the other redhead would have played nice or wanted to hang out with them. It might've been too painful for him, seeing Hakkai with the other two. However, that didn't mean he should totally separate himself from his childhood friend. The thought itself saddened Hakkai; he loved Kougaiji, but not on an intimate level on which the other redhead wanted. Shaking his head he turned around back toward Sanzo.

"Man, we should go to a bar. I know this nice place up town by the shopping district. You'd like it, is not full of those ass holes that usually come across already drunk and doing stupid shit. You can sit down and have dinner, even enjoy a show," Gojyo suggested. Hakkai tilted his head in thought and reached up to scratch his cheek.

"That sounds pretty fun; I've never been to a comedy show," he smiled. Gojyo gave him a wide grin and jumped up from the couch.

"Then it settled! I'll make the reservations tomorrow. You'll have a blast man!" He winked. Hakkai smiled softly and watched the red head go to the bedroom to change into his evening clothes. His smile dropped a moment later as he chewed at his bottom lip. He stopped chewing on his lip though when he remembered that Sanzo was in the room, and that his blond lover was very observant. He smiled brightly and walked over to the stove, checking on dinner. Sanzo continued to watch over his mug, deep in his own thoughts.

TBC