Title: Enemies of the Heart (working title)

Author: Neldluva

Fandom: Samurai Champloo

Rating: R

Pairing: Jin/Mugen

Warnings: yaoi, naughty language, liberties taken with the show's timeline, PWP-ish, ANGST

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to those who created Samurai Champloo ... and made it so delightfully slashy.

Summary: Payday and bathtime! Nothing overly explicit. Except for Mugen's dirty mouth.

"Ah, welcome, welcome!"

The trio stepped into the house, grateful for a rest after their long walk. The man to whom they had been hired to deliver the tapestry was round and short, but very quick and obviously excited.

"What a pleasure! Indeed, what a pleasure! Come in, I insist! So, Auntie hired you three to deliver our family tapestry? Fine choice, fine choice! What a lovely young girl and two fine, upstanding young men!"

"Is he blind?" Mugen muttered to Jin as the man babbled on.

"Be quiet, he's paying us," Jin muttered back.

"Here we are, here we are!" the man exclaimed, pointing at the blank spot on his wall. Taking the tapestry in his hands, he reached up and hung it, stepping back to observe it.

"It's fuckin' ugly," Mugen commented in a whisper.

"Shut up," Fuu said, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow. "You're always so rude!"

"How lovely!" the man said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "This is a treasured family heirloom, and you have delivered it to me. I will pay you handsomely for this, I assure you!"

And so he did. The money certainly wasn't a fortune, but it would allow them to live comfortably for at least a week, providing Mugen didn't drink them out of it and Fuu didn't eat them out of it. With those worries in mind, they gave the money to Jin.

By the time they left the man's house, the sun had set and stars had started to appear in the twilit sky. Fuu yawned widely. "Let's find an inn," she suggested. "I could sleep for a week, and I'd rather do it on a bed!"

At her urging, then, they quickly found an inn and paid for a pair of rooms. As they wandered the hallways, Fuu pinched her nose. "You guys stink," she said. "Go take a bath!"

"I stink?" Mugen asked, lifting an arm and sniffing. "I don't smell nothin'."

Fuu fanned at the air in front of her nose. "Yes, you smell like a stinky old thief who hasn't bathed in a decade. Just please go get a bath?"

Mugen saluted her and gave her a crooked, silent grin. "You know, she did say that you stink too," he pointed out once he and Jin were alone.

"Hmm," Jin murmured, turning on his heel to get to the bathing room of the inn. Mugen followed, his grin growing wider as Jin led the way into the steamy and blissfully empty bath room. Images of Jin naked and wet flashed through his mind, and he licked his lips in anticipation. The rice paper door slid shut behind him, and he pinned Jin against it, enjoying the easy way his mouth opened to the attack.

He should have realized something was up when Jin didn't fight him. He began loosening Jin's clothes, but Jin had him naked first. Then, before they could get to any of the best parts of fucking, Mugen found himself choking and sputtering on bath water.

"Bastard!" he shouted at Jin, shaking himself like a dog. "I could've fucking drowned!"

Jin rolled his eyes as he tied back his sleeves. "Just hold still," he said quietly. "I'm going to make sure you get a decent bath, for once in your life."

Mugen narrowed his eyes and sulked as Jin soaped up his back. "I've had decent baths," he said, disliking the whiny tone his voice took.

"Oh, really? The closest you've been to a bath in weeks is that puddle you stepped in yesterday, and the puddle wasn't even clean. I won't sleep with you again until I get a few layers of this grime off. Up on your knees."

Mugen obeyed, albeit reluctantly, trying not to feel humiliated as Jin soaped and scrubbed between his legs like he was a child. He reflected that, under different circumstances, this could be sexy … but Jin would have to cooperate. That would be difficult to arrange.

He sighed with relief when Jin let him sit again. "Here, wash your legs while I wash your hair," Jin directed, handing him a cake of soap.

Mugen did as he was told, scowling even more when Jin dumped water over his head. "Fuck this, I don't stink that bad!" he growled.

Jin just raised an eyebrow and shook his head, lathering up Mugen's untamed hair. He found it relaxing to bathe Mugen, and he especially liked that the stench was getting washed away. In the weeks since he had met Mugen, he had gotten used to it, but it was still nice not to have to hold his breath when Mugen raised his arms. Plus, it was fun to get Mugen all naked and wet and soapy. His skin was smoother than it looked, and Jin liked the strong feel of his muscles beneath his hands. Mugen's hair, though … that was a different story. It had probably never been washed or combed, and for all Jin knew, Mugen really did have lice.

"You're done," he announced at last, dumping more water over Mugen's head. "Up and out so I can comb your hair."

Mugen grumbled as he stepped out of the tub, cringing as he saw the water that was the approximate color and consistency of mud. Maybe he had been dirtier than he thought. He grabbed a towel and began drying off, sitting down when Jin pressed on his shoulders.

"You don't have to treat me like a fucking kid," he fumed quietly, wincing as Jin's comb tugged at a snarl.

"If it's the only way to get you clean and decent, I believe I do," Jin replied. "It isn't that bad, is it? I have always enjoyed a nice bath."

Mugen yelped as the comb found another tangle. "Damnit, you're going to pull out all my hair!" he cried.

"Stop acting like a child," Jin chided, placing comforting fingers at Mugen's neck and stroking gently. Mugen's combed hair didn't look very different from his uncombed hair, but Jin found he could move his fingers easily through the thick, dark strands. "Much better," he decided out loud, giving Mugen's head a nice pat. "Now it's my turn. Get out and get your clothes cleaned."

"What, you mean I don't get to bathe you?"

Jin's glare silenced further protestations. "Fine, fine, I'm getting out," Mugen grumbled, tying a towel firmly around his waist and gathering his clothes in his arms. "I smell like a fucking flower."

"Out, Mugen."

"I'm out, I'm out." Just before Mugen left, though, he was greeted by a very welcome sight. Jin had dropped his clothes and lowered himself into the bath, recently filled with clean water. Mugen smiled slightly, remembering his dream on the night they had first met of the image of Jin in a tub while the burning building fell apart around them. It was a weird dream, but nice. Just before he slid the door shut behind him, he saw Jin pull at the silk that held his hair back.

To be continued!