Mistletoe, a saiyuki fanfic

:: Mistletoe ::

Gensomaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Gensomaden Saiyuki, which rightfully belongs to Minekura Kazuya. Nor do I own any TV stations, such as FAMP (aka ABC Family) mentioned in the fic. The story has been written for sheer fun, not for profitable purposes.

Rating: R

Pairings: Homura/Goku/Sanzo (and all coupling variations thereof), Gojyo/Hakkai, past Homura/Rinrei, mentioned Kougaiji/Yaone, past/brief Lirin/Goku

Warnings: AU, strong language, shounen ai/yaoi, brief adult situations

Beta-read by: Iapetus

Notes: Rating is mostly due to the language, though partially also because I'm not sure if the lime here is strong enough for an R rating or not.

Merry Christmas. Even in this story, I still appreciate constructive criticism and feedback. This isn't my first time writing a threesome, but this IS the first time it isn't explicitly smutty. X3

Much thanks to Iapetus for the beta-reading.

Even with the invitation dangling in his face, Sanzo still managed to look past it to read the paper. How he could accomplish this was beyond Goku's comprehension, and only added to his frustration.

"Sanzo," he whined, waving the card. "C'mon. It'll be fun!"

That seemed to do it. The blonde's eye twitched in the first sign of irritation. "No."

Goku slumped over the back of the couch, sulking. "Why not?"

Finally looking up, Sanzo scowled. "Because," he said through his teeth. "The last time they did this, it was at Gojyo's place."

Goku remembered. About a year ago, their friends (or as Sanzo stubbornly called them, "acquaintances") had decided to throw a Christmas party to "gather the group." That had been before Gojyo and his boyfriend/lover (they were constantly switching between those terms), Hakkai, had moved in together. As Sanzo had said, the get-together had taken place in Gojyo's old apartment. Naturally, with him in charge, the seasonal celebration had become a little too festive.

As least, the brunette reflected, everyone had left with the knowledge that it wasn't safe to bet against Hakkai in any sort of drinking contest. No doubt Gojyo had used this information to his advantage in the bars and clubs they frequented since then.

Shaking his head, he protested, "It wasn't that bad."

Violet eyes shot him an exasperated look over the man's shoulder. "You left covered in chocolate."

Remnants of a pudding pie, Goku recalled.

"And you left drunk," he reminded the blonde, unable to bite back a smirk. "Besides, I took a shower, and you didn't complain then."

In a move swifter than the brunette could comprehend, Sanzo rolled up the newspaper and delivered a sound smack to his head. Yelping, Goku scrambled out of arm's reach, wincing and rubbing his head. "Geez! What was that for?" he complained.

In reality, he didn't really mind. Meaningless abuse like that was a small price to pay for having Sanzo as a lover.

"We," the man growled. "Are not talking about that."

Goku snorted. "You still liked it."

"You were the one who got screwed into the wall," Sanzo said flatly, pushing himself to his feet. He walked over to the thermostat, pressing a button a few times; Goku guessed he was trying to turn up the heat. For as long as he had known the man, despite their predictably seasonal climate, Sanzo had always had difficulty adjusting to the cold.

As his lover walked into the adjoining kitchen, Goku tilted his head, grinning smugly as he left the couch as well. He crawled on the stool behind the bar counter, resting his elbows on the slightly irregular surface. "But I wasn't the one who followed you in."

Rolling his eyes, Sanzo poured himself a cup of black coffee. "I was drunk."

"And hot." Goku smiled impishly at the blonde's glare. "So you'll go?"

Sanzo didn't answer until he had put two slices of bread into the toaster. Even then, he only responded with a question of his own as he searched for a butter knife. "Who's monitoring?"

Checking the card, the boy said, "Hakkai."

His lover grumbled beneath his breath. "Maybe," he said shortly.

And that, Goku knew, was as good as a yes.

------

When the first thing he heard upon walking into the media control room was Christmas music, Goku thought he'd come to the wrong building.

Sporadic decorations littered the room. Tiny sleigh bells were strung between every other seat, as well as across the sloped ceiling. Red and green ribbons were meticulously tied and pinned to the plush backs of the chairs. Scattered across the walls were paper snowflakes, some as big as Goku's head and other's barely the size of his palm. To top it all off, the creepiest looking Santa Clause bobble heads were nodding and swaying their round bellies at him from the console.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," he groaned.

A snort sounded from the only occupied chair in the room. "You wish," a gruff voice said. "And believe me, so do I."

"Hey, Zenon." Goku draped his damp jacket over the back of his chair before taking a seat, swiveling to face his mentor. The man didn't look back at him, but Goku knew he had the majority of his attention. This work was easy to him; he could afford to divide his concentration. "I didn't think The Boss was into stuff like this."

"The Boss" was the nickname of their manager. There wasn't much going for it in the way of creativity, but Goku had to admit it suited him. He was an amazingly amiable man, even in a crisis, and he possessed an almost terrible charisma that convinced others that they wanted to work with him. Yet even as he drew people, he was picky with who he chose to be on his staff; one result as to why the atmosphere was usually relaxing. He hardly acted like the stereotypical man in charge Goku always saw on TV. That was why the codename worked so well; because it was almost ironic.

A single eye flicked his way, as well as a wry smirk. The expression looked more menacing than it should have, but that was due to fresh bandages wound around Zenon's head and over one eye. Goku didn't know the specifics, but he did know well enough not to press for details. All he was told was that his mentor had stumbled into an unfortunate accident at home causing him to suffer corneal abrasion.

Of course, Goku had no idea what that meant; only that it had something to do with the man's eye.

"Well, The Boss can be a cynically sarcastic sonovabitch when he wants to be," Zenon said. He sat back, finally turning his gaze fully on his intern. "At least the shit doesn't get in the way."

Good point, Goku thought, turning his attention to the monitor. The decorations were sporadic, but also carefully hung so as not to interfere with their job. Even the bobble heads were strategically placed.

"Satan's incarnate?" the brunette wondered.

"Satan himself," Zenon corrected.

Goku found himself grinning again. Coming to his internship after school was very satisfying. He was paid only a fraction of the station's money compared to what his mentor earned, but he knew it was worth it, especially since his income was higher than that of his roommate's. Not only were the people amazingly easy to get along with, commercial advertisement was also in his alley of interested fieldwork. Goku couldn't begin to explain why; he just found the mechanisms more than mildly fascinating, and it was one of the few hobbies he had both the time and patience for.

"So what're we doing today, Zenon?" he asked, rocking in his seat.

The man grimaced, glancing at a small piece of lined notepad paper taped to the console. "Unfortunately, we have actual work today, kid." He plucked the paper free, scrutinizing the neat handwriting scrawled down it. "There's some damn mini infomercial that needs to be aired on FAMP at least every other hour from noon till eight. People are gonna be sick of it so fast, but that's what The Boss wrote." He rolled his visible eye. "If it wasn't for the fact those things actually attract mass amounts of customers, I doubt this crap would be on here."

"Well, that can't be too hard," the boy reasoned. "I mean, both of us working on it should be able to get it done easily."

Zenon sighed, tapping the list again. "We have more commercials aside from that, plus some premieres."

"Premieres in winter?" Goku groaned. "What; are they all Christmas movies?" Zenon merely nodded, handing him another slip of paper. The brunette stared at it for a long time, grateful he was too comfortable in his seat to fall out of it. "Well... hell."

"Don't bitch to me. You're just the intern. This is my job," Zenon reminded him. "And anyway, you're the one who wanted to get into this."

The boy sighed and sat up straight in his chair. "Only because I can actually focus on this stuff."

"And we all know how hard that is, don't we?" a new voice cut in. Goku started, craning his head to see who the intruder was. He caught a glimpse of Zenon's expression, and it was enough to tell him his mentor had already noticed the newcomer.

Looking quite comfortable in the doorway, Homura arched an eyebrow, his ever-present smirk quirking his lips. Despite his dark, tousled hair, he gave off a very orderly appearance that only seemed to draw people to him even faster. Goku had always thought it was just the suit.

"You," the boy said suddenly, shooting to his feet. "We gotta talk."

Homura blinked without seeming either taken aback or concerned. "About what?"

"This," Goku said, jabbing his thumb behind him. Behind him a jingle sounded, and he knew Zenon had rung one of the teensy sleigh bells for emphasis.

Tilting his head, Homura quickly surveyed the room. The briskness of the action told the boy all he needed to know; he was the one who had -- or had someone else -- put up the ornaments. "Yes. They are decorations."

Rolling his eyes, Goku said, "They're dorky."

The ebon-haired man's lips curved at the corner. "I thought they gave the room character."

Goku snorted. "It'd be a lot cuter without the Christmas music."

Homura seemed to take that into consideration, his eyes rolling slightly toward the ceiling in thought. Slowly, he said, "I see. So it's been overdone?"

"Definitely."

Homura nodded sagely. "Complaint taken into account. But if you expect me to do anything about it, I expect you to help Zenon make serious progress with his work." He tilted his head, seeming more amused than threatening. "After all, it would be a shame if I had to drop your internship."

And that, Goku thought as the man turned to leave, was exactly why Homura was called The Boss.

He wasn't sure how he remembered, but somehow catching a glimpse of Homura's profile set off a reminder in the teen's head. He scrambled for his coat, fumbling in the pockets until he pulled out what he was looking for. Unfortunately, the paper was a bit damp, but...

"Hey, Homura!" Yet another thing he liked about working at the local television center; their manager insisted in a first-name basis when important colleagues weren't around. Goku found this worked very well for him, since he hated formalities.

Homura cocked his head back, blinking as the boy pressed the damp slip of paper into his hand. Without waiting for him to ask, Goku said, "It's an invitation. Hakkai said I could invite a few friends to his Christmas thing next weekend."

Behind him, Zenon remarked dryly, "I thought you were above sucking up to your superiors."

Goku scowled in his direction. "I was gonna ask you, too, you know."

"Couldn't go, even if you were," his mentor replied, refusing to tear his eyes away from the monitors. "I'll be watching the kid."

That's right, Goku remembered. Zenon's wife had just recently given birth to a little boy, and occasionally he had to baby-sit. Honestly, the teen was slightly disappointed; as someone who spent quite a bit of one-on-one time with the man, Goku almost thought of him as more of a friend than a mentor or acquaintance.

His dejection vanished almost instantly when Homura spoke. "If I can make time, I don't see why not," his manager mused, tucking the card into his breast pocket. Then, unexpectedly, he turned an almost wicked smirk on the boy. "Will your roommate be there?"

Goku hesitated to answer, feeling both embarrassed and uneasy. Sometimes it wasn't the best thing in the world to be Sanzo's lover, especially not since he had moved in with the man the second he was of age. Sanzo wasn't wild about the idea of their relationship getting back to certain ears (namely Gojyo's) so they had agreed to do their best to keep it as low-key as possible.

So when Homura had run into them together at Hard Rock Cafe just weeks after Goku had begun his internship, the boy had unthinkingly waved the man over. Unfortunately, Homura had assumed exactly what Sanzo didn't want people to think. Goku had tried to explain that his boss had just been joking, but it had succeeded in putting his lover into a bad mood for quite a while.

Even worse, whenever Homura asked about him, the brunette thought he detected a hint of unusual interest. He knew it was stupid to be jealous, especially since Sanzo hadn't once shown a sign of attraction towards the man, but envy tended to override his common sense.

Forcing a laugh, Goku said, "Geez, you ask about him a lot. Does it matter?"

Homura arched an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "Possibly not. After all, you will be there."

If he had just left then, if he hadn't paused to look up and say what came next, Goku might have dismissed the earlier comment as unimportant. But when the man murmured, "I ought to see what we can do about hanging mistletoe in here," the boy couldn't help but be skeptical.

Shutting the door behind Homura, Goku turned to sit down again. The expression on his mentor's face made him pause; Zenon was giving him an odd look, his visible eye narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

Shaking his head, Zenon swiveled back to the control panel. "Back to work," he said shortly.

Goku rolled his eyes, but obediently sat down and did as he was told. If Homura was behaving strangely, he could think about it later. Right now he had to worry more about the twentieth take of Rudolf's appearance on national television. That was the sort of work that needed his utmost attention.

------

As the car rolled to a stop, a soft spray of snow was thrown into the air. The road and driveway had been cleared and salted, but the weather seemed determined to outdo such deplorable human efforts to keep their pathways safe for driving. Luckily, there was no ice, so the wheels didn't skid.

Sanzo would have been more grateful, had Goku not ripped free of his seatbelt and attacked him the second he pulled the emergency brake.

Cursing the boy for not letting him at least turn off the engine, Sanzo tried to push him off. "God--damn--it," he growled through each kiss his lover pressed to his mouth. He managed to hold him back long enough to demand, "What are you doing?"

Goku grinned despite having his skull pressed against the roof of the Civic. "Making up for what I ain't getting," he said simply, prying the man's arms apart so he could lower himself for kisses again. Sanzo grunted, trying to wrestle his arms free, but the teen paused to add, "I know you won't let me kiss you at the party, and knowing Gojyo, he's gonna have mistletoe all over the place."

Reluctantly seeing his point, Sanzo gave up on fighting back. This time he responded to each kiss, though it was annoying as hell how brief each one was. When Goku finally pressed their mouths together in a firmer, longer kiss, Sanzo relaxed enough to tangle his fingers in the boy's hair. He made a vague noise in the back of his throat, almost a moan, and bit at his lover's lip. Eagerly, Goku complied and let his mouth fall open as the contact turned even hotter than either of them had intended.

Sanzo dimly noticed the windows were fogging up despite the defroster going at full blast. Then Goku's cold hands were groping under his turtleneck sweater, sliding over his skin as though eager to warm them. At first Sanzo allowed it, even when the brunette purposefully rubbed against places they both knew would elicit a strong reaction.

Once the boy tried going for his jeans, Sanzo gave him a rude shove and opened his side of the car at the same time. He nearly tumbled out, but the near humiliation was worth seeing Goku's stunned expression before he smacked his head against the opposite window.

While the brunette rubbed the back of his skull and uttered a wordless protest, Sanzo pulled the key out of the ignition and himself out of the vehicle. "If I find even a crack on that window, I'm going to kill you," he said, privately amazed how flat and controlled his voice was even as he gasped for air. The puffs emitting from his mouth seemed more like clouds, briefly obscuring his vision with each breath he exhaled.

Now he wanted a cigarette. Without waiting to see if the boy was following, Sanzo slammed his door shut and started toward the cabin. His lighter was out of fluid, so he would have to ask Hakkai if he had any matches inside. He'd be damned if he even thought about borrowing a light from Gojyo.

"Sanzo! Wait up!"

He considered ignoring the boy, but in the end slowed his pace a little. Whether or not he went ahead of Goku, the kid was still going to whine and grate on his nerves. God only knew why he kept putting up with him.

Sanzo remembered the scene in the car just seconds ago, and immediately stopped wondering.

The cabin they were approaching seemed already set up for the holidays. Christmas lights had been strung over nearly every bit of trimming, yet just sparsely enough so it wasn't overdone. Transparent decorations were plastered to the glass of the windows, and beyond that lights glowed warmly. As they approached the door, Sanzo could faintly hear an old Christmas carol playing.

As though realizing it wouldn't be the best idea to latch on to his lover at the moment, Goku shoved his hands into his pockets as they ascended the steps. "Looks nice," he remarked needlessly.

"Yeah." Sanzo didn't even give the boy a backwards glance, rapping his knuckles on the redwood door. Much to his distaste, it was Gojyo who answered-- and with a knowing smirk, no less.

"You guys are late," the man drawled.

Sanzo grimaced; well aware he had more to say. Thankfully, Goku cut him short.

"Gojyo, what'd you do?" The boy sounded both appalled and gleeful as he stepped around the blonde, grabbing a handful of their host's hair. "You look like a tree ornament!"

Indeed, rather than his usual ink-black hair, Gojyo now sported a head of brilliant red tresses. Sanzo snorted softly, though made no comment. Goku had said what he was thinking, anyway.

Twitching, Gojyo immediately began to box the brunette's ears. "Shut up, you brat," he growled. "I lost a bet. That's all!"

Goku yelped and writhed in his captor's grasp, his arms flailing as he tried to pull his head free. "Damn it, Gojyo. Lemme go! Sanzo," he finished in a pathetic whine, even as he managed to escape.

Ignoring his lover, Sanzo folded his arms over his chest. "Lost to Hakkai, even knowing his luck?" he asked cynically.

He had expected a murderous look, a curse, or even some form of muffled embarrassment. Instead, Gojyo caught him off guard simply by leering. "And what about you two, eh? It took you a while to get from the car to the house. Did you get lost in the backseat or something?"

To his side, Goku blinked. "We weren't in the back-- ow!" he exclaimed as Sanzo delivered a sound smack to the back of his head. Really; it shouldn't have taken a genius to figure out what Gojyo was implying.

Ignore them, he decided crossly, pushing past the boy to reach the warmth of the cabin. Before he could get very far, he heard his lover swear violently, almost in a choked voice. He turned to see Gojyo grabbing the boy's shirt.

"Shit, Gojyo! What're you doing?!" Goku screeched.

"Shut up, you idiot," the now-redhead hissed. "I'm just checking to see if Sanzo gave you a hickey-- ow! Fuck you, Blondie!" he swore, letting go of Goku to rub his collar bone.

His knuckles were going to bruise at this rate. Sanzo stepped inside quickly, ignoring the two sulking as he left. Anyway, he had more important things to attend to, like finding something to light a cigarette with.

Inside he saw several familiar faces, though none he had any interest in talking to. For the most part, he was simply there because Goku wanted him to be. If he was going to associate with anyone, it would either be the brat or Hakkai.

As though hearing his thoughts, the aforementioned man stepped out from the kitchen just as Sanzo glanced in that direction. Thanking the deities for this flickering candle of sanity and reprieve, Sanzo made his way over.

------

It seemed to Goku that he had just pulled himself free from evil's clutches when another younger, prettier, and positively female type attacked him.

A familiar squeal sounded. "It's the monkey!"

He didn't turn, anticipating the tackle from behind that nearly pitched him to the floor. He grunted, staggering a bit, before he caught his balance long enough to shoot a grin over his shoulder. "Hey, Lirin." Catlike eyes winked impishly back at him as the girl let go of his neck and slid off his back. Bells jingled with the movement; it didn't take long to see his friend had tied her hair back with a new accessory. "How'd you blackmail your brother into letting you tag along this time?"

Lirin was one of the only female friends he had in high school. While Goku knew several girls -- they seemed eager to make friends with him, given his open and fun-loving nature -- he hardly considered any of them close friends. Even though she was two years younger than him, Lirin was an exception; for good reason, too. Aside from their physical appearances, they could have passed for siblings.

In response to his question, the girl stuck her tongue out. "I didn't have to blackmail anyone today."

The brunette tilted his head, grinning. "So you found a bargaining chip."

Lirin matched his smile, though it was more wolfish. "Her name's Yaone. I know for a fact Kougaiji's had a crush on her for a real long time." Green eyes flickered to the side, and when Goku followed her gaze, he could see the aforementioned older brother standing just meters away. Kougaiji looked back skeptically. Clearly he couldn't hear their conversation, but still found the interaction suspicious.

Goku turned his attention back to Lirin. "Anyway," the girl continued, lowering her voice. "She's been coming over a lot lately. Kougaiji says it's to help him with Physics, but I'm betting there's more to it than that."

That basically meant she had been spying on them for a while. Goku sagely held his tongue, nodding for her to continue.

Lirin grinned. "So, I just decided to make friends with Yaone. I thought it'd come in handy, and this is just the first time I've convinced him he can get closer to her thanks to me." She was positively preening at this point, looking exceedingly proud of herself.

Goku had a teasing insult on the tip of his tongue, but it was lost before it could leave his mouth. The mingling scents of cinnamon, ginger, and freshly baked dough reached his nose.

"Are there any gingersnaps?" he asked instead, grabbing Lirin's wrist and sniffing the air. "I think I smell some..."

The girl rolled her eyes, but led him into the next room. Against two of the walls were long tables of food. One had more healthy treats, but it was the furthest one he was targeting. The display of cookies and candies was tantalizing. Mouth watering, Goku eagerly bounded over and promptly grabbed the first treat he saw, biting into it.

"Yes," he crowed, his mouth still half full. "I knew it!"

"Gross! You're spraying food," Lirin cried, though seconds later she was munching and talking at the same time as well.

Their conversation lapsed into the usual talk about teachers, people they knew from school, Lirin's home life, and just about everything but what was really on Goku's mind. As he listened to her tell him about her latest antics (usually at home, since he tended to get the full details of her in-school activities during lunch on the weekdays), Goku's thoughts were meandering toward and around only one person.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a particular blonde enter the room. Trying not to let his observations look obvious, Goku managed to keep a good portion of his concentration on what was coming out of Lirin's mouth. Still, he couldn't help but remember what had happened in the car-- and how, if Sanzo wasn't such a bastard at times, they could have done a little more than heavy kissing and light groping.

He could still feel it; the sensation of Sanzo's skin under his fingers. He was gripping a foam cup at the moment, sipping some instant hot cocoa as he nodded at appropriate intervals in Lirin's chatter. But in his mind, he was back in the cramped front seat, his skin tingling with a pleasant heat as he pushed his tongue into the welcoming mouth beneath him. The man's sweater was coarse against the back of his hand, but the firm abs beneath his touch practically rippled. He could recall how Sanzo had shivered slightly, almost imperceptibly, and with his eyes closed it was something he had to see rather than feel. That was what had him so worked up right then.

A firm hand on his shoulder startled the teen out of his daydreaming.

"You know," a familiar amused voice said, "it is quite rude to ignore someone who is talking to you."

Goku grinned broadly, turning to face the man. "Homura! You made it."

"That I did," the man agreed, looking over the boy's head and smirking. "Hello, there."

"Hey," Lirin greeted, shooting the brunette an exasperated look. Goku returned it with a sheepish smile. She blinked, and then a devious looked crossed her face as she stepped up, smiling too sweetly. "Since Goku's all flustered, you must be Homura. I'm Lirin."

"What?!"

Ignoring the boy's outburst, Homura cocked an eyebrow. As though sensing the girl's ploy, he said calmly, "Flustered, hm? Is that what he's like when I'm brought up?"

"No," Goku said, bristling. At the same time, Lirin nodded vigorously.

"I see," Homura said sagely. "In that case, perhaps I should mingle with other people so he can retain his dignity."

"Nice meeting you," Lirin called after him, waving. When the man was out of earshot, she put her hands on her hips. "And that is what you get for ignoring me."

The brunette scowled. "I don't get flustered when I talk about him."

She simply smirked, seeming very pleased with herself. "Whatever you say."

Goku sighed.

"That does remind me, though," Lirin said after a momentary pause. "I wanna make Sanzo jealous."

The boy blinked. "What?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Goku blinked again, this time grimacing as well. Lirin was quite possibly his best girl friend, partially because of how alike they were, and also because it had been thanks to her he had ever said anything to Sanzo about liking the man. About three years ago, they had tried dating. That had fallen flat; since both had felt too awkward knowing it was a more-than-friends thing. After the one date they had mutually agreed to never try it again-- and, due to his talking so much, Lirin had caught the hint that Goku was really interested in a college boy he had met by chance.

But during that date, since it was practically obligatory, they had also tried kissing. Wisely, neither had mentioned it to Kougaiji (Goku liked his head where it was) but it hadn't done anything for either of them. It wasn't that Lirin was necessarily a bad kisser; Goku hadn't been much better at the time. Simply, it was that both preferred their friendly contact to go no further intimately than the occasional hug (or tackle, in Lirin's case).

Yet even as the idea of kissing her made him uneasy, Goku had to admit it would probably be interesting to see what would happen. Sanzo wasn't likely to kill either of them in public, but he was also the twitchy type...

"Okay," he finally relented. "But not on the mouth."

Lirin tilted her head, and then shrugged. "Sure." She pointed up, speaking loudly. "Besides, there's mistletoe up there anyway."

Goku looked back, frowning when he saw nothing but ceiling. "What're you--" Without waiting for him to realize the trap, Lirin leaned forward and promptly kissed the corner of his mouth.

She didn't pull back right away, grabbing the front of his shirt and whispering gleefully into his ear, "Don't look now, but your boyfriend's looking really jealous."

Trying not to shudder and give away the game, Goku muttered back, "Is he twitching?"

"If you mean the thing he does with his eye, then yeah." Lirin snickered, finally letting go of him and drawing back. "He'll prolly kill you later."

Killing usually meant he was going to be punished through sex, so Goku decided he didn't mind. In fact, he could almost willingly kiss Lirin for practically ensuring that.

Grabbing a gingersnap, the girl promised she'd find him later and hurried off. Glancing around, the boy only saw a handful of people in the room-- one of them being Sanzo. Suddenly worried the man might be too angry to follow through with the usual ritual of "punishment," Goku decided to make peace before anything started. He stuffed a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth, scanning the table until he found what he was looking for. He snatched it up, and then walked over to the man.

When Sanzo noticed the boy heading his way, he turned and started for the sliding glass door. Unperturbed, Goku followed, hesitating a few steps away from his lover.

Sanzo cracked the door open. Seeming undisturbed by the cold, he pulled out a lighter -- most likely borrowed -- and a cigarette.

"You know, you're gonna get cancer an' die soon," the brunette said.

"All people are cancerous anyway," the blonde muttered offhandedly. Violet eyes flickered Goku's way, but he didn't turn to face him.

Shrugging, Goku stepped forward and leaned against the glass. "I really like snow."

"What the hell do you want?"

The boy blinked, and then grinned as he held out a cookie. "Look. Cinnamon and no chocolate."

Sanzo seemed taken aback. Quickly recovering his composure, he said flatly, "So?"

"I know it's your favorite," Goku teased, waving it. "C'mon, Sanzo... it's not like you hafta worry about getting fat or something."

Rolling his eyes, Sanzo took the offered dessert. "You're an idiot." Despite the words, he bit into it.

Goku found it almost comical at how skeptical the man looked at first, but then Sanzo relaxed and finished the treat off at his leisure. His shoulders relaxed, and the boy nearly sighed in relief. He was safe-- at least, for now.

"Hey." Sanzo didn't move to acknowledge him, but Goku was fairly sure he was listening. "We are gonna finish what he started earlier, right?"

The man shot him a sideways look. "You mean what you started." The brunette shrugged, and his lover grunted softly, looking back out the window. He opened his mouth to answer, but Goku never got to hear it.

"Goku."

The boy started, briefly noting the displeasure coloring Sanzo's face before he saw why. "Ah... Homura," he said nervously, glancing at his lover again. Right then, all he could remember was his manager's inquiry a couple weeks ago.

Oh, great, he groaned inwardly. He's after Sanzo already...

"You disappoint me," Homura remarked, folding his arms over his chest.

Unsure if he heard right, Goku blinked. "Huh?"

"You have been standing under mistletoe for nearly five minutes," the man said, arching an eyebrow to emphasize his astonishment. "And still you have done nothing."

He was wary after Lirin's trick, but chanced a look up anyway. What he saw made him frown; there was something hanging there, but...

"Um... Homura," he said slowly. "That's lettuce."

"So it is," the man agreed. Then, without warning, he grasped Goku's chin, tilted his head down ever so slightly, and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

The brunette didn't know how to react. Physically, he made a muffled squeak and his eyes widened to the point they hurt. But mentally, his mind was completely blank, and emotionally he was surprised... and, strangely enough, that was it. He couldn't force himself to object to the advancement.

Homura took his time pulling back, and even then it was only an inch or so. He smirked, tapping Goku on the nose. "Merry early Christmas," he murmured.

Dazed, the boy stared at the man as he stepped back. He rubbed his nose absently, struggling to dredge up some sort of verbal reaction. Anything he might have said was cut short as a sudden sharp pain swelled on the back of his skull.

"Ow!" he yelped, whirling to glare at his lover. "Damn it, Sanzo! That's where I hit my head earlier."

Icily, the man shot back, "Good. I was aiming for that."

Goku bristled. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing."

Flushing, the boy tried to lower his voice. He didn't want to offend his manager, and for more than one reason. "It's not like I asked him to do it!"

Sanzo growled back, though likely downplayed his voice only so they wouldn't attract too much attention. "Like how you didn't ask your other friend to kiss you?"

Goku twitched. Already he was regretting asking Homura -- and Sanzo -- to come. "What's the big deal?! You know we're not like that."

"Ah, but are we?" Homura cut in.

Cringing, the brunette turned to face him. "Are you trying to make it worse?"

The man arched an eyebrow. "Make what worse? You two aren't an item, so I simply assumed what I did was fair play. Unless," he continued, raising his voice slightly as Goku tried to protest. "There's something you're not telling anyone?"

Damn. Homura had them both there. From Sanzo's disquieting silence, it was likely he had realized the trap as well.

"He's my roommate," Sanzo finally said, his voice dark. Startled, the boy turned to ask what he was doing, but the man didn't even look at him. He scowled over his shoulder. "I don't need him hooking up with anyone he might bring home."

As Goku tried to hide his face with his hand, he wondered if it was possible to die from humiliation. If so, he wished some deity would hurry up and stop his pulse right there. The situation was only going to get worse from here; it always did.

Beside him, Homura shrugged. "If that is your only concern, I can assure you I am considerate enough to find better locations." He then turned his attention to Goku, his smirk gone, but his eyes curious and vaguely smug at the same time. "Didn't you enjoy that?"

The boy winced. Why did Homura have to be so blunt during times like this? He desperately tried to think of an evasive answer, but could come up with none.

Unfortunately, that only made Sanzo even tenser. The man gave Goku a rough shove, ordering, "Get in the car. We're leaving."

Goku made a wordless sound of protest, and then paled when Homura spoke. "Leaving so soon? Might I offer a parting gift as well, then?" The corner of his mouth was curved upward again, sending off alarms in the boy's head. If he let Homura kiss him again, Sanzo would be furious. When his lover was truly angry, he could be rash and unpredictable. The consequences would definitely be worse than the man simply refusing any sexual advances.

All that passed through Goku's head in a split second. He ducked to the side at the last possible moment, and at first he thought he wouldn't make it. Then he saw the wicked glimmer in the man's eye, and the slight hesitancy in his reach that allowed the boy to slip free. Too late, Goku realized he had done exactly what Homura had wanted. He watched as the man easily took advantage of the situation to move in and kiss Sanzo.

Goku couldn't help it; he gawked, once again not certain how to react. It was one thing for Homura to do it to him, but to Sanzo as well...

Sanzo seemed equally stunned. His cigarette fell from his grip, and thankfully rolled out the still open sliding glass door. Seconds ticked by, and at last the blonde seemed to get a hold of himself again. His hands shot out, connecting with Homura's chest as he rudely shoved the man back. As though not wanting a fight, Homura surprisingly backed off.

Silence hung amongst the three for agonizingly long moments. Finally, Goku got his jaw to work again, though his voice was quiet and hoarse. "So why didn't you move right away, Sanzo?"

His lover glared at him murderously. Then, without a word, he spun on his heel and stalked off into the next room. Feeling at a loss, Goku turned to Homura.

The man was strangely quiet, a contemplative look settled into his finely chiseled features. He spoke quietly. "If you need me, I will be outside."

Goku nodded, having nothing to say to that. Once Homura was gone, he heaved a sigh and tangled his fingers in his hair. What was supposed to be having fun with a few friends had somehow turned disastrous. At this point, he didn't dare try speaking to Sanzo. Knowing him, he would need at least an hour to cool down completely.

With that in mind, he slipped out the door.

The cabin resided near a crest in the mountain. Banks of snow rose and fell all throughout the area. At the moment, no white flakes were falling from the sky, but the air was still frigid. Within minutes, Goku was already regretting he hadn't thought of bringing his gloves. There were a couple pairs back in the car, but Sanzo had probably locked it, and asking for the key was out of the question.

Huffing, the boy kicked up a cloud of snow. The act didn't make him feel any better, so he kicked again. This time he paused to watch the spray fly outward, and somehow the sight was oddly pacifying. The flakes were so loosely packed together. They could easily fall apart, with even the slightest disturbance. Sheer force could make them stay together, but it would have to come from outside help.

Goku didn't want his and Sanzo's relationship to be reduced to that.

Rounding a cluster of bushes, he finally sighted the man he was looking for. Exhaling heavily, he plodded over to where Homura was standing.

"You suck," he muttered, cupping his hands together and breathing into them. The warmth was only temporary. "Why'd you have to come so far out here?"

Solemnly, Homura replied, "So I could kill you without anyone hearing your struggles."

It wasn't a great joke, but Goku found himself smiling anyway. "Well, it's really cold."

"I apologize."

His tone was serious; unusually so. Unsettled, the boy glanced up at him. All he could see was Homura's profile, but it was enough. The man's eyes were fixed into the distance, his mouth set but not tense. He looked strangely... sad. Regretful.

Quietly, Goku said, "It's okay. You know. What you did."

Homura's answer surprised him. "I know. I expect Sanzo will bounce back in a short while, and I didn't think you would stay angry at me."

"I wasn't angry," Goku admitted. Not at him, anyway.

Homura's lips twitched. "Even better, then." He finally pivoted to face the boy, his hands pushed into his coat pockets. "You both are very resilient. I like that."

The brunette shook his head in disbelief. "That can't be why you kissed us."

"Far from it," the man assured him.

"Then... why?"

The thoughtful expression returned to Homura's face. This time the sadness kept its distance, but a glimmer of something Goku didn't quite recognize reflected in his eyes.

"Five years ago," the man finally said. "Someone very precious to me moved away. She was not quite old enough to move out on her own, so she did not come live with me, no matter how much we both wanted it." A wry smile twisted his lips. "I'm afraid her parents didn't much care for me."

Goku frowned. He couldn't imagine someone disliking Homura; it seemed impossible with his natural charisma. "Why not?"

Homura ignored the question. "Two weeks after the move, she died. It was an unfortunate accident at her school. The stairs were slick, and as a prank someone had removed the warning sign. She was late to class, and at the stairs she slipped and hit her head. The official reports say she died instantly."

The brunette cringed. Unfortunately, he had a somewhat vivid imagination. In his mind, a faceless, nameless girl with her head split open floated around, almost as though to haunt him.

"I found out a year after she had left," Homura continued, closing his eyes. His brow was creased with thin lines of pain. "She had left me her address but not her phone number. She didn't know it at the time. When I could finally visit, her parents told me, 'If you want to find Rinrei, look in the graveyard.' I did not understand at first, until I found it and saw no one there."

Silence followed the end of his story. It felt incomplete, but Goku was afraid to push for details. At last, he swallowed and looked away. A single flake drifted down; it seemed it was going to start snowing again.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"As am I," Homura murmured. Then his voice grew firmer. "But I do not want your pity, or anyone else's."

Goku looked back at him, meeting his eyes without meaning to. "Then... why'd you tell me?"

"Because that is the root of all my pain," the man said. "I want you to see it; feel it; touch it. I want to share it with you, because you are nothing like her, and that soothes me."

Shivering, Goku breathed on his bare hands again. "What about Sanzo?"

"An enigma," Homura admitted, smirking. "But somehow I feel pulled toward him. He is fascinating. You feel it too, do you not?" He reached out, tangling his cold fingers in the boy's hair to tilt his head back. Lowering his voice, he said, "The irresistible tugging on your soul, that says if you do not move in, someone else will take what you deserve and worked so hard to win. The voice that tells you despite his talk, there is something there."

Unnerved that he had hit the boy's emotions so squarely, Goku spoke with a slight tremor. "But he's mine, Homura. I can't take him if he's mine."

"No," the man agreed. "But since you were young, people have always taught you to share."

The brunette laughed weakly. "That'd be weird."

"Perhaps. But I am willing to try." With that, Homura tilted his head down and captured the boy's lips in a warming kiss.

Goku froze at first, and then found himself relaxing. He responded hesitantly, a small purr escaping as Homura's hand trailed from his hair down to his neck. It was over within seconds, and the boy was startled to find that he was okay with just that and nothing more intense.

Bi-colored eyes peered down at him, warm but still with their ever-present spark of mischief. "Still cold?" he inquired. Goku nodded a bit too eagerly, and Homura chuckled. He grasped the boy's frozen hands, bringing them to his own sides. The brunette felt the faint contours of muscle through the man's sweatshirt, and the sensation made him shiver. At the same time he remembered how Sanzo felt, and a pang of guilt stabbed through him.

The emotion was forgotten as Homura twined the boy's arms around him, coming to rest them on his spine. Goku managed a faint smile, and he rested his forehead against the man's chest. Neither spoke, quietly enjoying the feeling of warmth radiating from the other.

Around them, snow continued to fall into a thick blanket. Goku had no intention of moving for quite a while.

------

The ride home was quiet, and Sanzo was tense. He knew he should relax his hold on the steering wheel, but couldn't bring himself to. In the passenger's seat, Goku was unusually quiet. Not that the boy talked 24/7, but he usually fidgeted and toyed with the radio stations, particularly after a fight. This time he did neither, and every time Sanzo glanced at him from the corner of his eye, the brunette was staring out the window.

His reflection annoyed the hell out of Sanzo. He wanted to smack that dreamy look off his lover's face. Worst of all, he could guess what Goku was thinking about. Something had happened between Homura and him after he had left.

Sanzo cursed himself for acting rashly. More so, he damned both of them for acting like idiots.

He tried not to wonder how long this had been going on.

Finally, as they turned onto the city highway, Goku spoke. "Are you mad?"

The blonde took his eyes off the road for a moment. Goku had turned around, but he wasn't looking at him. The boy stared at his hands, his expression frightfully blank.

Sanzo decided not to spare him. Anger swelled up, flattening his voice. "Yes."

"I didn't ask him to kiss me, you know."

He knew. That didn't make him feel any better, though. Sanzo opted for silence, his lips thinning as he stared out the window.

Beside him, Goku sighed. The teen shifted in his seat. "He likes you a lot, you know."

"So what?" Sanzo asked irritably. As if he hadn't known that. He'd had the feeling Homura had been eyeing them both since day one, and that only pissed him off even more.

"Well... you know..." Goku shifted again, and from the corner of his eye, Sanzo saw him bite his lip. "He just... you know... he says he feels like he's drawn to you."

"So what?" Sanzo repeated. He didn't like where this conversation was going, but he couldn't think of anything that would shut Goku up. At least, not for more than a few minutes. He didn't want to give the boy time to think.

The highway gave way into a city street. Sanzo flicked on his turn signal, catching another glimpse of his lover as he checked his rear view mirror. He tried to ignore the fact that Goku's depressed demeanor hurt. In his preoccupied state, the man turned too soon, nearly bumping a car coming up behind him. A horn blared, and he swore loudly in retaliation.

The curse seemed to do it; Goku shut up for a good two minutes. At the second red light, however, he spoke again.

"I just think all three of us could give it a shot... you know?" he finished weakly.

Sanzo scowled. "No. I don't know. And if you don't stop saying 'you know,' I'm going to beat your head into the goddamn door until you don't know anything."

To his surprise, Goku laughed. It was a bit strained, but had a note of genuine relief. As though hearing Sanzo's silent question, the boy said, "That's good... you're threatening me again. That means we're gonna be okay."

Startled by the boy's revelation, Sanzo said nothing. The car fell silent again, but this time the atmosphere wasn't as intense.

And Goku seemed to be right. Hours later, after taking a shower, Sanzo found himself bombarded with needful kisses. He was torn between responding and smacking the brat; he was still in his towel, and that wasn't going to last long with his lover pressing him against the wall. In the end he kissed back, with more passion that he had neither intended nor expected. Somehow they ended up on the floor of their room, just inches from the bed, but neither were inclined to move there.

It was strange that night. Goku was far more serious and intent than Sanzo could ever remember him being, and he went frustratingly slow. Even when the blonde tried to urge him onward, his lover would use his greater strength to keep them going at the pace he chose. Sometimes it was absolutely annoying going out with someone younger, smaller, and more childish, yet still stronger than himself.

Even stranger, when he gasped out a name he hadn't intended, Goku merely smiled.

------

Sheeted in snow, the city looked far more ethereal. For years he had hated winter for doing that, but in the most recent few months he had found his animosity for such things lessening. In the past, he hadn't liked anything that had seemed heavenly; after all, it had been the higher beings who had taken his precious one away. Why should he love anything related to them?

Perhaps he was maturing, the man reflected as he made his way down the crowded sidewalks. After all, he had recently gone from hating heavenly things to simply not caring if something was that way or not. Maybe because it had started by his attraction toward two very unheavenly people...

Homura checked his watch, more for the date than the time. Already it was mid-December. In a couple months he would have to pay her a visit. This one would be different from the last... at least, he was half-hoping it would be. He was sure Rinrei would understand and forgive him, but if all his efforts turned out to be for naught, he doubted he would be able to forgive himself.

Had he been paying more attention, the rushed footsteps would have tipped him off. Instead, the man was caught off guard as a small form tackled from him behind. Lanky arms wound around his torso, and only then did the attacker give him a muffled, "Found you!"

Homura halted where he was. "You have an odd way of greeting people."

"Feel special," Goku retorted without loosening his hold. "There're only two other people I do this to."

The man pretended to think. "Hm... may I take a guess and say Sanzo and Lirin?"

The boy finally let go, allowing Homura to turn to face him. Puzzlement was evident in the brunette's voice. "How d'you know about Lirin?"

Homura arched an eyebrow. "I met her at your friend's party."

Goku blinked before a sheepish look crossed his face. "Oh... right." He bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning. "Man, I've been lookin' for you all day! Is today your day off?"

"A rare occasion," Homura agreed. "If I keep this up, I may lose my job."

"Nah, they wouldn't dare." The boy shot him a knowing smirk. "You're too valuable, especially with how you rope people in."

Homura scoffed. "You make my job sound horrible."

"You're the one with a way with words," Goku pointed out. "Not me. Anyway, it's really cold. Wanna come get some coffee with me?"

Homura cocked his head to the side, unable to hold back a smirk. "You, drinking coffee. The image seems too odd."

The brunette flushed slightly and muttered, "Well, Starbucks also has good hot chocolate... anyway!" He grabbed the man by the wrist, dragging him off without giving time for him to respond. "C'mon, it's seriously cold!"

If he wanted to, Homura knew he could break free. But he was curious, and so he decided to humor the boy. "All right. But I am not treating you."

Goku mumbled something that sounded like, "Cheapskate." Amused, the man pretended he hadn't heard.

Inside the cafe was far warmer than the frigidity on the sidewalks. Taking a glimpse around, Homura noted that all of the smaller tables were taken. Thankfully, just as he looked, a small group gathered their belongings and left. That opened up a table in a snug corner of the room. While Goku waited to order a drink, Homura decided to sit down.

Frost and white spray paint decorated the window beside him in a charming imitation of a snow-covered field. The decoration made it difficult to see his reflection, but people outside could see him easily. He only noticed this because several passersby -- mostly women -- would do a double take as they walked by. Though he wasn't vain, Homura had to admit he could understand why.

Finally, Goku took a seat beside him. Following the man's gaze, he said quietly, "Good thing Sanzo isn't here..."

Homura arched an eyebrow. "Would he be angry again?"

Hastily, Goku changed the subject. "Anyway, I just wanted to... talk to you." He fidgeted in his seat; a clear sign of nervousness. Homura had a feeling he knew what was coming, so he waited patiently as Goku steeled himself.

"So I've been thinkin'," the brunette said slowly. "And... I've decided I like you. I really do."

Homura considered his words. He understood what the boy was saying, and decided now was not the best of times to tease him about it. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, musing.

"All right," the man finally said. "And what does Sanzo think of that?"

"We talked," Goku said evasively. He took a sip from his paper cup, then made a face as he forced down a swallow. Homura couldn't hold back a smile; just like a child, Goku insisted on drinking his cocoa before it cooled down.

He knew very well that the brunette didn't want to be pressed for details. It was tempting to; especially considering it was obvious the boy was hiding something. Again, Homura had a sneaking suspicion about what it was, but he didn't dare push his luck at this point.

Instead, it was he who changed the subject. Goku eagerly accepted it, and they fell into a comfortable conversation. Nearly everything under the sun could be talked about now-- everything but Sanzo and his involvement or lack thereof. The topics strayed every now and then, but Homura managed to keep most of it on work, informing the boy what he should expect when he came in the next day.

He was so preoccupied that he almost completely dismissed a strange movement from the corner of his eye. Without pausing in his sentence, the man glanced to the side. The corner of his lips curved when a chair was pulled out, and an irritable-seeming Sanzo sat down across from him.

"Hello," Homura greeted, effectively ending his and Goku's conversation. The boy seemed fine with that; he sat back and tested his finally cooled down cocoa.

Sanzo didn't reply right away. He stared at Goku, frowning, and then turned his gaze back to Homura.

"If you screw this up, I'm going to kill you," the blonde stated flatly.

When he looked at Goku, the boy was practically beaming. Realizing the threat was Sanzo's way of giving consent, Homura nodded.

"That seems fair enough." Catching Goku's eye, the man gave him a subtle wink that only made the brunette grin even wider.

At the other end of the table, Sanzo rolled his eyes.

------

Aside from his breathing, the only sound audible in the apartment was the clack of fingers on a keyboard. Violet eyes narrowed at the screen; he had just written himself into a wall. Sanzo sat back on the couch, glaring at the laptop as though it had tricked him into typing up ten full pages of nonsense.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath. Then, without warning, a strong hand grabbed his chin from behind, tilting his head back. Above him, a hand waved a leaf of lettuce playfully. Sanzo's brow twitched.

"Busy?" Homura asked innocently. His wicked smile gave away his act, though Sanzo hadn't been fooled for an instant.

"Yes," he retorted. He then took a moment to curse Goku for talking him into letting this arrogant bastard move in with them. Sharing wasn't one of Sanzo's strong suits, even if his other two lovers didn't seem to have any problems.

Damn brat, he thought, scowling. How the hell had he let Goku convince him this was a good idea?

As though reading his thoughts, Homura's smile turned into a smirk. He leaned down, pressing his mouth to the blonde's firmly. Sanzo hesitated for an instant, and that was all the time he needed to think, Oh, yeah. That's how. Despite his better judgment, he responded; which was difficult to do in his position.

Only one week, and already both of them knew how to break him down better than anyone. It was almost as though Goku had told Homura about every one of Sanzo's weak spots-- and really, that idea wasn't implausible. He was going to murder them both someday; smother them with pillows like Homura was practically smothering him right now. Except this kind was better, because while it was difficult for him to breath, it was hot and exciting and welcome.

Damn them.

With Homura's hand under his chin, it was hard for Sanzo to pull away. Even so, the other man knew when to back off, but he only did so when the blonde was sure he was going to pass out from the lack of air. Even worse, Sanzo needed to take a few moments to catch his breath as Homura snickered and finally released him.

"You seemed rather cranky," the ebon-haired man remarked with a leer. "Perhaps you need more sleep."

Thankfully, he had regained enough air for two words. "Fuck you."

And just his luck, that was when the door opened and Goku bounced into the apartment, grinning. "Can I help?" he asked, kicking off his boots. Though he wasn't looking at either of them, it was obvious he was aiming the question at Homura.

The addressed man shrugged. "The more the merrier, as they say."

"Well, I'm cold," Goku announced, shivering as he peeled off his thick winter jacket. "It's not even snowing and it's, what, two degrees out? It's crazy!"

"Indeed," Sanzo muttered, though he wasn't thinking about the weather.

The boy didn't appear to hear, because he didn't question Sanzo's comment. Either that or the irony had gone right over his head. Whichever the case, Goku settled himself on the couch's armrest. He bounced excitedly, seeming ready to burst as he spoke.

"Hey, hey-- it's Christmas Eve!" He grinned widely. "And Sanzo and I always make it tradition to open one present on Christmas Eve!"

Sanzo snorted, glancing back at Homura. "Don't listen to him. We do not. And don't you shush me," he snapped when the boy hissed at him.

Homura chuckled, ruffling Goku's hair. The boy actually yipped, as though he were a puppy.

What the hell...? Sanzo thought in disbelief. Sometimes that brat was more animal than human.

"Whether that's tradition now or not," the ebon-haired man said, "I think it's a good idea." He tugged on Sanzo's hair, tilting his head back again. Just as Sanzo decided he was going to bite the other man's hand off, Homura continued, "You both will get one present tonight, and another tomorrow night."

Goku perked up, tilting his head. "Why tomorrow night?"

Rather than answer, Homura smirked. "I'm going to take a shower, in any case," he said calmly. As he left, he playfully smacked Sanzo upside the head, earning another, "Fuck you!" from the irate blonde.

Goku blinked, lowering his voice as Homura locked himself in the bathroom. "Does he mean what I think he does?"

Despite himself, Sanzo's lips twitched. He turned back to his laptop, staring at his essay without really seeing it. Everything was completely crazy now, at times even in chaos, but still... it wasn't as bad as he'd feared. At least, for now it wasn't.

"Probably," he agreed. "He probably does."