In the past, dreams did not come often to Hozuki, and when they did they were usually fairly mundane. Nightmares, altogether, he'd stopped having ages ago.

Lately, though, he'd been plagued by dreams that stirred up feelings inside of him that he'd much rather leave alone. The dream he had the night before perhaps wouldn't be called a nightmare, but it was unpleasant. Hakutaku's face appeared to him over and over again, calling his name in varying voices: bitterness, anger, frustration, contempt, and finally the one that shook him the most, a voice he had never heard until that night —

"Hozuki!"

Hozuki's eyes snapped open. He was dazed for a second, before memories of the previous night flooded through his mind. His brows furrowed as hazy images became clearer, enough that he remembered who exactly had initiated their little tryst.

Oh.

How much sake did he have? He remembered King Enma insisting he come along drinking with him since the next day was his day off. Hozuki had gone along with it since he was already in a bit of a mood and thought the alcohol would take the edge off. Apparently, it took too much off, as he'd assaulted Hakutaku as soon as he laid eyes on him.

Ah. Hakutaku.

Hozuki hated him. The man was completely insufferable, shamelessly coming onto women, playing with them, then forgetting all about them to move on to the next girl. He'd go out drinking and get completely wasted so regularly it was practically a hobby for him. It seemed he lived his life for nothing but sex and alcohol and didn't appear to harbour any guilt or shame in the things he did. What was worse was he did all of this with the same face as Hozuki, who didn't want to be even remotely associated with someone like that.

The dreams started out like mundane ones he'd always had, only Hakutaku appeared more often to argue with Hozuki. Hozuki would beat him around a bit, and that was that. It was simple. However this didn't last, and after about a week they began evolving into something different, something Hozuki didn't understand.

Of course, everyone had sex dreams, but Hozuki generally didn't. He wouldn't say he was entirely disinterested in sex, but it really wasn't a priority for him — certainly not in the way it was a priority for Hakutaku, at least. He had a passing interest in women and felt nothing for men, and he wasn't looking for any kind of relationship at the moment. So why did he keep having these dreams?

It went on for quite a while, and the dreams gradually became more explicit. He found himself looking at Hakutaku in a way he hadn't before — the pink curve of his lips, his collarbones peeking out from under his shirt when he bent over, his slim waist, the slip of his tummy when he raised his arms to yawn — it was all very…distracting. Hozuki knew it was just a result of his dreams, however, so he ignored the thoughts and carried on like normal.

It was rather easy at first, but as the dreams increased in frequency Hozuki became more and more frustrated. They were becoming more vivid as well, and Hozuki found himself angry that Hakutaku had gotten into his head, that he couldn't even avoid him anymore by not going to Togenkyo. He was always there, without fail, every night. Hozuki began taking it out on Hakutaku, beating him with more force, inflicting even more pain than before.

His frustration came to a head the night he went drinking with King Enma. He was so sick of seeing Hakutaku, he thought if he drank enough he might be so tired and wasted he wouldn't dream. It was irresponsible, and not something he'd usually do, but Hozuki always found he'd lose himself whenever Hakutaku was involved.

Of course, Hozuki hadn't planned on running into the very man that was the cause of his troubles that night.

Hozuki was on his way home when he'd spotted a familiar face being bashed in by a very large man in an alleyway. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself beating the man to a bloody pulp with his club. After the man ran away, Hozuki turned his attention to the other man, no longer pressed against the wall. He felt a small spark of recognition and swung his club, sending the man backwards, hard against the brick. As he was hitting him, he gazed at the pink curve of his lips and the exposed skin of his collar and chest from his shirt coming undone. He looked at that slim waist, and the irritated face that was about to say something snarky to him. Hozuki knew who this was.

He kissed him anyway.

Hakutaku had resisted at first, struggling against his grip, but it didn't take long for him to relent and kiss Hozuki back with equal passion…which lead to the other events of the evening.

—

Hozuki grimaced as he remembered his actions. He was by no means a lightweight, in fact, until the night before, he wasn't even certain he could become drunk. How much alcohol did it take?

And how much did it cost? Hozuki wondered. He had to take that into account when doing his bookkeeping. Had King Enma paid for it?

Hozuki's head hurt. He closed his eyes and decided he would deal with all of that later, making a mental note to give King Enma some payback for allowing him to drink himself into that state. For the moment, Hozuki wanted nothing more than a night of dreamless sleep.

—

Hozuki woke up the next day at 5:00 am sharp. That would give him plenty of time to get dressed, go to Togenkyo, pick up King Enma's order at the pharmacy, and leave without having to see Hakutaku. He'd called the shop the day before, thankfully received by Momotaro, and asked if he could stop by before opening hours.

Hozuki wasn't sure how to feel. Perhaps some would call this cowardice, perhaps he would too. It didn't matter. He just knew he couldn't look Hakutaku in the eyes after what happened the night before last, or at least he didn't want to. Not for now anyway, not until he sorted things out in his mind. He assumed Hakutaku wouldn't want to see him either, so it worked out for both of them this way.

After dressing, Hozuki grabbed a taxi and headed to Hakutaku's shop in Togenkyo. Momotaro was obviously tired when he opened the door, but greeted Hozuki politely, and went to fetch the medicine the demon had come to collect.

Hozuki found himself glancing at the door leading to Hakutaku and Momotaro's living space, wondering if Hakutaku would hear the noise from the shop and come out.

Time passed.

He didn't.

"Here you go. Busy day today?" Momotaro asked, handing the paper bag to Hozuki.

With a job like his, Hozuki was always busy, but truth be told, today had a lighter load than most. He couldn't tell Momotaro that, though, of course.

"Yes. I wanted to squeeze this into my schedule while still allowing time for my other obligations. Thank you for accommodating."

"It's no problem." Momotaro lead Hozuki to the exit, and Hozuki took one last glance at the door to Hakutaku's home before stepping outside into the pale morning light.

—

"You certainly did a number on me yesterday, Hozuki!" King Enma said when Hozuki returned. "If I knew you gave back massages like that, I wouldn't have asked you!"

Hozuki took the pain medicine out of the bag he was holding and offered it to Enma. "Would you like me to apply it?"

"Please, no, I can do it myself!" Enma said, fear apparent in his voice. "I would almost guess you were angry at me, Hozuki."

"What reason would I have to be angry?" Hozuki asked, tone characteristically unreadable. "Though if you'd allow me, if there is any of that ointment left after you're done, I would like to use some. I've had a splitting headache since the night I went out drinking with you; I think next time, I'll bring someone along who can stop me from drinking to that extent." His tone wasn't overtly accusatory, but Enma understood.

Enma waved his hands around frantically. "Oh, Hozuki, I'm sorry I didn't stop you from drinking so much sake! It's just you usually don't indulge yourself very much, I thought I would let you enjoy your night without nagging." Enma looked at the ground sheepishly. "To be frank, you looked like you needed it. I don't know what's going on with you, you're so serious and reserved, but lately you've seemed a bit on edge. I figured one night of heavy drinking wouldn't hurt you."

Hozuki paused. Was his frustration that apparent? Hozuki was an expert in stoicism, normally nobody could tell what he was thinking. He was a bit irritated that his feelings had been so visible. Had anyone else noticed?

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything obvious," Enma continued, as if reading Hozuki's mind. "I think I could tell because we work so closely. It didn't affect your work at all, but you shouldn't neglect your health either. Please tell me if you need to take a few days off."

Hozuki nodded. "I'm fine, but thank you for your concern."

He was fine. He just needed to make sure he didn't get too distracted.

—

Hozuki seems distracted, was the thought on everybody's mind. It was a rare sight to see, the ever-so-diligent and conscientious Hozuki forgetting things, bumping into things, and doing things wrong. The look on his face never betrayed his thoughts, but his actions were telling enough — something else was on his mind.

Hozuki tried his best to focus on the tasks at hand, but often found himself spacing out — something he never, ever did. Everything managed to be completed of course, but not with the efficiency that was characteristic of the demon. Nobody dared to ask him what was wrong, but they all kept a concerned eye on their superior.

Finally, after lunch, Oko found Hozuki in a spare moment.

"Hozuki, do you need to rest today? I know you're the reason things run so smoothly around here, but I don't think the place will fall apart if you're gone for a day. I've never seen you like this before; if you're sick you should care for your health first and foremost."

"Thank you, Oko, but I'm feeling fine." Hozuki replied coolly.

Oko furrowed her brows, a worried expression on her face. Hozuki could tell Oko was genuinely concerned, and though his first instinct was to politely brush her off, he found himself sighing and giving in.

"...I've been having strange dreams lately. They're making it difficult for me to focus on work."

"Oh dear," Oko said, "What kind of dreams?"

Hozuki paused. He certainly couldn't tell anyone the type of dreams he was having, and definitely not to a lady. It wasn't appropriate.

"Dreams that make me uncomfortable," Hozuki replied, keeping his description as vague as possible. "They…make me feel a certain way I'm not used to. They're very vivid, to the point where they feel almost real. They frustrate and confuse me."

Oko rested her hand under her chin and looked down in thought. "Maybe it's about something you're avoiding? If it makes you uncomfortable and you don't face it in waking life, it may show up in your dreams. Something you're afraid of, perhaps?" She looked up at Hozuki, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Or contrarily, something you desire?"

They were silent for a moment before Hozuki spoke.

"...Thank you, Oko. I'll keep that in mind."

"Of course. I hope you feel better, Hozuki." Oko gave him a gentle smile before walking off.

Once she was gone, Hozuki sighed.

Thank you, Oko, but that may have made things worse.

—

At the end of the day, Hozuki found himself unable to sleep, preoccupied with thoughts of his conversation with Oko.

Did Hozuki…desire Hakutaku? The very thought was appalling to him. Hozuki had nothing against those who were attracted to the same sex, but he had never desired a man before and Hakutaku, in particular, was the last person he'd ever imagine seeing that way.

His mind, however, clearly had other ideas if those dreams were anything to go by.

Though it wasn't just within the dreams either. For a while now Hozuki knew he had been looking at Hakutaku differently than he had before.

In just what way was I looking at him?

Truthfully, Hozuki wasn't disgusted by that night. Or he was, a little bit, but only with himself and the fact that he'd slept with someone he despised. Everything else about it had felt…good. Hakutaku's soft lips and tongue, the heat of his body pressed against his, Hozuki's name spilling from his lips over and over like a mantra, begging for more…

Oh.

He was hard.

Hozuki sighed. He didn't touch himself often, and when he did it was mostly because he had to; he wasn't completely taken over by lust the way a certain white beast was. This seemed to be a good opportunity to test his theory, however, so Hozuki decided to go along with it.

Reaching lower to grasp his length in his hand, Hozuki began thinking of that night with Hakutaku. He remembered Hakutaku's mouth, their lips pressed together and tongues intertwining as Hakutaku let out little gasps of pleasure at Hozuki's knee grinding into his crotch. He imagined taking him right then and there, pressing Hakutaku against the wall and fucking him where anyone could walk by. Girls could spot them and see the immortal casanova moaning wildly in his hands, tears in his eyes partly due to embarrassment and partly from pleasure. Would Hakutaku stop him in that scenario? Or would he find himself so lost in pleasure that he couldn't bring himself to?

Hozuki picked up the pace, his breathing becoming more ragged. He brought himself back to his memory of Hakutaku's room. How Hakutaku had stretched himself open for him, had taken him so well. How he grasped Hozuki in desperation, clawing at his back. The way his mouth opened in an O as he moaned and came.

Hozuki shuddered and came in his hand. His mind blanked for a minute before he came down from his high and the reality of the situation hit him.

This is the way I was looking at Hakutaku.

Hozuki stared at his ceiling, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this tired. At least he was certain of one thing, however — there was no way he could visit Hakutaku's shop again.