How to Tame a Princess
Prompt: Gojyo talks his buddy Goku into asking Sanzo out, so that he himself can have a shot at Sanzo's younger sibling Hakkai.
93/58/T
"He's hot, but I don't know, man, I mean, he kinda looks pissed off." Goku sat on the concrete raiser swinging his legs back and forth bored.
"Oh come on! You know what they say, 'no pain, no gain'. Besides, I know you go for the brooding masochistic type and this one's H.O.T. Tell me you don't want to just…"
"OKAY! Okay! God, you can be so fucking crude sometimes!" Goku slammed a hand over Gojyo's mouth, face beet red and eyes darting around the campus courtyard.
Slumping back onto the steps he glanced over at the frowning blond standing under the oak tree. Genjo Sanzo was definitely hot, but he just screamed 'touch-me-not'. As it was he could practically feel the anger in the slim blond tapped a foot irritated and scowled at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. Gojyo was right though, he was totally Goku's type. Long, lean body, defined muscles, silky hair that glittered, glittered mind you, in the afternoon sun and those eyes… Oh hell, he had to stop thinking about that right this instant or Gojyo was gonna-
"Oh?" Goku groaned as his idiot friend leaned heavily against his back and leered at him. "Looks like I won't have to try and convince you after all. Hehe Even 'little Goku' has taken an interest, eh?"
"Why you son of a…!" He took a deep breath. Punching the redhead in the face wouldn't do any good he reminded himself firmly, Gojyo was like a damn cockroach: impervious to physical attach. "Hey, who the hell's that guy?"
Gojyo glanced over a scraggly mop of brown hair and sucked in a quick breath. Damn it, every time he saw him he forgot to breathe for a moment.
Snow pale skin and deep mahogany hair framed a gently pointed face. Deep set emerald green eyes smoldered behind thin wire framed glasses as a long finger prodded them back up a delicately arched nose. There was a light smile tugging on the full lips and a quick flash of something tempered as the man brushed a stray leaf from his bag and glanced over his shoulder. He could have sworn their eyes met for a heartbeat.
"Seriously! Who the hell does that creep think he is, hanging all over my Sanzo?"
Gojyo dragged the kid back down onto the stairs, using all his weight to pin him in place. "'Your Sanzo?' Chill dude, that's just Hakkai," he groaned.
Goku craned his head back to blink at Gojyo perplexed, "Who's Hakkai?"
"His brother, so relax, won't you?"
Goku sat watching his friend for a pensive moment before a huge, shit-eating grin broke out over his face, "Oh? And how would you know who he was? Got a thing for him or something?" he teased.
Gojyo sighed wistfully and then shook his head as the two men started heading for the Liberal Arts wing together. "Something like that." He mumbled.
"Yo, what's up with you? Normally you'd be all over a person, your tongue half-way down their throat before they could figure out what the hell was happening. Why's this guy different?"
Gojyo ruffled his hair affectionately as he gathered his bag and coke. "It's nothing man, he's just outta my league, that's all."
"That's bull shit! I've never known you to pull out of a fight before." Goku bounced to his feet and gripped the front of his friend's shirt tightly. "What the hell's really going on?" he demanded.
Running a tan hand through his shoulder length hair Gojyo sighed. "I've already tried once before."
"And?"
"And nothing. Your Princess over there about gouged my eyes out for hitting on him."
Frowning Goku turned to watch the retreating backs as they passed under a stone archway. "What did Hakkai say about it?"
Gojyo threw his arms up in exasperation. "He didn't say a damn thing, just dragged that snit away bitching about how it was always Hakkai that was hit on."
"Huh."
Gojyo stopped and stared at his friend's back. That was a tone he hadn't heard in a long time and it kinda made him nervous. "Whadya mean, 'huh'?"
Goku smiled back at him, eyes sparkling in anticipation. "That means for once I'm going to help you get laid. Aren't I nice?" smirking at the dumbfounded expression on the guys face Goku hopped down the stairs and waved over his head. "Gotta get to class, see ya!"
"O-oi! Goku, wait, Goku! SHIT!" Gojyo paled at the thought of his love life in the kids' hands. Goku wasn't known for his brains, but he did have a wicked sharp mind when it came to getting what he wanted.
Sinking to the ground he shuddered. He had a very bad feeling about this.
XXXXXXX
"This sucks." Sanzo growled out between clenched teeth.
"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." Hakkai quipped from beside him, political Science book open and highlighter clicking annoyingly.
"Thurber, huh?"
"Would you prefer Brault? Among creatures born into chaos, a majority will imagine an order, a minority will question the order, and the rest will be pronounced insane."
"Well you'd know about that, wouldn't you?" Sanzo replied snidely, grinding his palm into his eye beneath his reading glasses.
"What is with you today? You've been edgy since lunch. You're not ill are you?"
"Would you stop that? You're not mom."
Hakkai frowned at his brother and sniffed indignantly. "Thank God for small miracles."
"Just shut up, if I get bitched out one more time by the Prof. because of you I swear…"
"Genjo Sanzo! I'm sorry, did I mistakenly walk into Sophomore Idiocy or is this still Political Science 10A?"
"For fucks' sake…" Sanzo groaned and slumped down into his chair as Professor Jen Ni tore into him. He scowled at the pleasant smile Hakkai turned to the front and contemplated the practical matter of fratricide.
XXXXXXX
"You know you owe me for that." Hakkai asked pleasantly as he handed over the iced coffee.
"What? The drink?" Sanzo furrowed his brow across the desk.
"For reminding Professor Jen Ni that Political Science would not be Political Science without the advent of Politics, and there for the advent of Philosophical discourse. Since that is the case, your argument that Democracy is obviously flawed because it allows for a variety of opinions based on emotion and religious subtext whereas Tyranny is the ultimate form of Political harmony because you cannot have a debate with only yourself."
"Hn. You always were a crafty bastard. Totally took after Dad."
"That, I'll take as a compliment. Speaking of…we never finished our discussion earlier. What's put you in such a snit that you leave me to do your battles for you?"
"I'm not dropping to that assholes' level. You can do it. You like arguing anyways."
"It's called debate, Genjo. I do not argue." Hakkai puffed out his chest indignantly at the course bark of laughter he got for that.
"Bull. You live to argue. I don't think you're happy unless someone's in near tears trying to out maneuver you in word play."
"Genjo…"
"Stop. You know I hate that name."
"Well it seems stupid to call you 'Sanzo.'"
"Not like it matters, it's not your name after all."
"Enough." Hakkai's eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because we don't have the same last name doesn't mean you can tell me what to do."
Sanzo snorted, "The hell it doesn't. We've got the same mother, don't think that makes it alright for you to question me or my motives; I'm still your older brother."
"By ten months! I don't see how that qualifies you to be my conscious." Hakkai fumed, slapping his hands on the desk he stood woodenly.
"Someone has to or you'd have gone off with the first reject that glanced at you-like that redheaded mutt last year. You think Dad will be please when you bring someone like that home?" he scoffed and tossed the empty coffee can into a waste basket. Leaning back in his chair he looked his brother up and down.
"You have absolutely no taste in men or women. That first girl you brought home was absolutely psychotic. Fucking suicide was too good for her. And then that guy…what was his name, the one with the purple streak in his hair? Please! Your taste leaves something to be desired of."
"At least I'm not into old men!" Hakkai snapped back angrily, eyes flashing stormily as he threw his book into his bag. "You think I didn't notice? You think you Shui were just so discreet? Hell, even Dad and the servants knew! How long have you been screwing our tutor Genjo? A year, two? Since we were kids!"
"Shut the fuck up, Hakkai, before I get mad!"
"Really? And just what will you do to me, nii-san?" he sneered, lip curling in disgust as he slipped back into their mother's tongue. "What can you possibly do to me? You haven't been able to land a punch on me since we were eight!"
"Sanzo!"
Two sets of angry eyes snapped to the doorway. Goku stood there huffing; he'd heard the fight all the way down in the courtyard and come running. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but standing there now with the entire classroom staring at him, he wasn't so sure.
Sanzo glowered at the kid, "Who the fuck are you?" he spat.
"Ah, um, I think we need to get you out of here. Come on!" Goku raced into the room, somehow managed to grab Sanzo's backpack and his arm and bodily dragged him through the hallway amid a murmur of whispered inquiries and laughing students.
XXXXXXX
"Oi! Let me go you little freak! Who the hell are you anyways?"
Goku grinned back at him Cheshire like. "Goku!"
"What are you, three? I said let me go!" Dammit, the brat was stronger than he looked.
"Nah-uh, you're not going anywhere all angry like that. Come on, I know the perfect thing to cool you down."
Sanzo grimaced, the kid was unrelentingly chipper as he bodily dragged Sanzo through the courtyard and towards the gym. Sanzo felt his temper flair, felt his fingers clench and ball into a fist. This was all Hakkai's fault and if the damned meddling midget ever let him loose he was going to beat them both senseless!
"Here we are!" Goku proclaimed happily.
Sanzo glanced around the gym and groaned. This guy was an even bigger idiot than his brother.
"What the hell'd you bring me here for?" he snapped testily as his bag and jacket were tossed onto the bleachers.
Goku nodded to the mats laid out of the floor as he pulled his shirt over his head and toed off his worn sneakers. "You need a good fight. I'm tough, so you can take it out on me."
"Huh? What are you, an idiot?"
"No, I'm Goku and you're Sanzo. You can't fight with your brother, right? Well I'm not him. I don't care about your family or your past or anything. I'm here and I won't run away. So come on. Try to hit…if you can." Goku taunted him but his eyes were serious as he walked across the mats.
He stretched his arms above his head, the compact muscles shifting beneath deeply tanned golden skin. He took a low stance in the corner, arm outstretched and curled his fingers, beckoning.
Sanzo smiled.
He gripped Goku's collar, flipping him over his hip, anticipating the hard impact of the smaller man against the mat…and found himself blinking up into golden eyes confused. Goku leaned back and helped him to his feet.
He dodged a backhanded fist to the stomach, rolled to the far corner and came up into a round house, the snap of his ankle fierce and furious. Goku blocked with crossed arms, grinning like a kid at Christmas and retaliated with a foot sweep that left him crouched a few feet away. Digging his nails into the blue vinyl of the mat he pushed off hard, flipping himself up into a handstand for a blink of the eye before he came crashing down on top of the startled kid.
Laying there, the two sucked ragged breaths into pain laced lungs. Goku crowed, wrenching an amused smile from Sanzo. His fingers dug into Sanzo's hips, sweat slicked skin sliding against each other as Goku leaned up and brushed their lips together. "Feel better?" he murmured tiredly, flopping back against the mats and draping an arm over his eyes.
"What the…?"
"I've got this friend. He's an idiot and a perv, but we grew up together and have been through a lot of shit, so he's kinda like a big brother to me. When he told me he liked a guy, I was like, what the hell? Where'd that come from? It took a while, but I finally realized he didn't stop being my best friend just because he liked a guy. He didn't stop being family. So you know, it doesn't really matter what happened between you two, or what you said. He's still your brother, right?"
Goku cracked an eye at Sanzo and smiled wistfully. "It doesn't matter what it was about, because it's really just the two of you and, well…I probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with, but I can kinda understand where you're coming from. Look, if you ever need to vent some frustration…I'm here; you can talk to me about it."
Sanzo snorted at that as he stood up and helped the kid to his feet.
"Or we can just spar. You're not bad."
"You're a masochist, aren't you?"
"Nah, I just like you." Goku beamed at him as he grabbed a couple of towels off a shelf and tossed him one.
"Idiot." Sanzo groused as they got cleaned up and headed back towards the quad. The kid was weird; who the hell would say all that to a perfect stranger?
'I'm here and I won't run away.'
Was that what had really set him off-the thought that he'd be left alone? Is that why he tried keeping Hakkai on such a short leash, bound to his side like a dog? He glanced at Goku's open face and felt himself start to relax. The guy was definitely weird, but maybe he needed someone like that in his life. Someone he could fight with and laugh with and…
Well, that was enough for now. He'd deal with the rest of it tomorrow. He wasn't going to change overnight and he was pretty sure Goku was going to annoy the hell out of him, but it was a start. They couldn't expect miracles after all.
Sanzo snorted as he slumped down against the oak tree, Goku curling up beside him staring at the blue sky high above and chattering away about these awesome orange paper planes he use to make as a kid. It was kind of nice, thinking about someone other than his brother for once. Hakkai…oh hell, they weren't kids anymore. Hakkai could protect himself and try living his own life for a change.
It was probably time he did the same.
XXXXXXX
Hakkai stood in the classroom blinking until a tall, lanky figure casually slouched against the door and smiled at him warmly. Hakkai felt his cheeks blush as he gathered the last of his things and walked briskly to the door.
Gojyo kept his eyes on Hakkai as they walked through the hallway together. He felt his lips twitch up into a contented smile as their shoulders brushed and taking a chance, lightly flung an arm over stiff shoulders, his fingertips gently brushing back and forth.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.
"He's just…" Hakkai sighed and leaned a bit more against Gojyo's side, "He's always like this. Ever since Mother died he's been angry."
"And he takes it out on you. It can't continue, Hakkai." Gojyo brushed back long bangs from mossy eyes and smiled sadly. "My offer still stands you know. You could come to my place."
Hakkai smiled wistfully. "He's still my brother, Gojyo. Truthfully, I'm not sure he'd survive if I left."
"And your old-man doesn't approve of guys like me, huh? You think this will ever work? It's already been a year."
"I hope so. I really do, but for now…" Hakkai pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck as they came out into the courtyard. He knew something would have to give and soon or he'd end up destroying what remained of their family, but still, it was so hard to keep up the pretense. He admired his brother's detachment; his ability to give into his emotions and just do what he wanted.
Sanzo always seemed to come out on top, whatever the circumstances and it pissed him off. Why did he always have to sacrifice his wishes for everyone else? Like Gojyo, he'd met the man a year ago at a café across from campus and they'd instantly hit it off. It was like all the pressure he was under melted away under the crass jokes and easy friendship. Things progressed quickly from there.
Until Sanzo caught them, that is. He thought they'd been quiet enough sneaking into his room. Why they hadn't gone to Gojyo's apartment again he couldn't remember, but he hadn't even heard his door open. He'd been splayed out on his bed, naked but for his socks, Gojyo pounding deep within him, his fingernails shredding the sheet and Gojyo's fiery hair in his mouth.
His brother's voice ended things very quickly.
He'd threatened to tell their father who really could have cared less about Hakkai's sex life, except for the fact that having a gay son would end his political career. Hakkai grimaced at the memory. How ironic that Sanzo was even more in the closet than their old man.
"Hey."
"Hmm…"
"Would you look at that? Who the hell'd think the chimp'd actually manage it?"
Hakkai followed Gojyo's finger towards the oak tree. Sitting there quietly were Sanzo and Goku, the former leaning against the rough bark, his head tilted back and eyes closed while one hand stroked through Goku's thick brown hair. The younger man was stretched out in the grass, head pillowed on Sanzo's knee and gracing the blond with a look so full of awe and admiration Hakkai had to turn away.
He felt red eyes on him as he took the initiative and laced their fingers together boldly. "I think you're right, Gojyo. It's time I lived my own life." He glanced at the startled face and laughed sweetly, reaching up to pull Gojyo down until he could kiss him hotly on the mouth. "It's time we both did."
He smiled as he walked away.
~Fin.