Title: Godsends
Characters: Sanzo, Goku
Timeline: b/f the Journey
Summary: Certain rumors circulate in the temple.
A/n: I switch povs in the middle, because this thing seemed to write itself.
There's a certain rumor going around the corridors of Chang'an temple that the most holy priest Genjyo Sanzo…isn't as "pure" as he ought to be. Especially when his young (underage!) charge can be seen walking away from Genjyo Sanzo's room come some days with nothing more than some flimsy shorts!
They do not approach Genjyo Sanzo on these matters because it is too indecent and wrong. Some monks, however—the nosier kind—are brave enough to try and corner Priest Genjyo Sanzo and talk about such…matters. After all, he is a young man, it is only natural for a young man to…vent, especially when his…ventilation is walking around in shorts that shouldn't be worn anywhere near a monastery, much less in it!
The brave ones however, always very quickly lose their nerve as they see Genjyo Sanzo steamroll through the corridors, a most angered look on his pleasant features as he glares at anyone who dares come within several feet of him. He curses quite loudly and no one tell him that such language shouldn't be used by one so esteemed that he has a red pathway to the gods dotted on his forehead.
"You stupid, feeble-brained, fucking chimp. Get your ass over here now!"
Suddenly his young charge is running out of wherever it was he had been hiding—the wrath of this priest can cause such a reaction—with food in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Hey Sanzo."
Impudence.
This child obviously doesn't know his place and many of the monks have been sorely tempted to pull him aside and explain to him that he shouldn't address Genjyo Sanzo so cavalierly. However any such attempts to get near the boy is always thwarted by his most excellence, since Genjyo Sanzo doesn't let them anywhere near the boy either.
Genjyo Sanzo grabs the child by the arm and takes off in the direction of his quarters, harisen in hand as he openly hits him in the head and yells that his inkwell is not to used without his permission and certainly not be used to draw up pictures of sunshine and hills and pretty flowers and puppies.
They do not understand why such a child—he is sixteen years and still such a child—is not thrown out on his backside by the great, most holy, and promising Genjyo Sanzo.
So to explain this mystery, rumors have taken root.
………….
Sanzo, who is more than familiar with these rumors has found himself strangely welcoming to them, as some of the priests in the temple do not come near him because of such rumors, although it has its ups and downs as many of the other nosy priests have tried to sequester him for individual advice columns.
When that happens, he neither denies nor agrees with the rumors, because it is much more beneficial for him this way.
For instance.
In about two seconds there will be a congressional of monks crowding outside his door in preparation to ask for his advice, and his evening prayer, and all breeds of irritating request.
"Oi, saru get up." He demands, and Goku who's been lying on the ground and reading the comics section of his newspaper, stands up and looks at Sanzo curiously.
Show time.
Sanzo, pressing his palm to Goku's throat pushes him up against the door--the very same door that separates him from the annoying priests--with a loud thud and Goku's startled cry.
All murmuring desists behind the door and it gets dreadfully quiet.
Sanzo, waiting for such a cue, cracks his knuckles and walks into Goku's personal space. He leans down slightly, and Goku is looking up at him with those impossibly golden eyes, his mouth a little open as Sanzo comes closer.
Sanzo puts his hands on Goku's sides, right in the inside bend of each elbow…
And then he commences to tickle him senseless.
"Ow…haha…Sanzo, not there!"
"That hurts!"
"Stop, stop." Goku sounds breathless and he squirms and thumps against the door when Sanzo forces him back by the light hold on his throat.
"Sanzo!" Goku screeches and it's just the right pitch to sound…
The dreadful quiet has now become distracted whistling and scuffing sandals as each monk beats a fast retreat from the door, their business with Sanzo no longer that important.
Sanzo is laughing on the inside.
When he finishes with Goku and the boy pushes him away grumpily, talking about he just had lunch and it hurts his stomach when Sanzo plays tickle fight with him like that, Sanzo gives the tired old excuse—since he's used this method countless times before—that he looked like he needed the exercise. He then goes onto kick the boy out of his room with another excuse that it's getting late and Goku has yet to take his bath.
Sanzo is still laughing on the inside when Goku runs out of his room and heeds his normal request to leave behind his shirt and pants for "laundry purposes." Never mind that Goku is just helping the cause—Sanzo's cause—by walking out there and being seen by many a monk in his underwear, and driving a further wedge between the proper and duty bound mass and himself.
Rumors, eh?
They should be called godsends.
End.