Terrible Idea Theater proudly presents...

[erogappa]

Who: Gojyo and Hakkai
What: Drinking. Telling secrets. Fighting?
When: the 5th of November
Where: Kinyobi Bar
Warnings: Almost certainly there will be self-harm talk, xenophobic slurs, and discussion of murder.



Sharak's gone. Sharak's gone, and Tsuzuki and Ayumu are probably not speaking to him anymore (probably: he doesn't want to call them to confirm it), and Hakkai's not who he thought he was.

He may have been wrong about everything. But without Sharak here, and still on the fence about Dokugakuji, that just leaves Hakkai to answer his questions.

Hakkai might lie to him again, but Gojyo's pretty sure he's found a solution to that problem.

Ring ring, Hakkai.

Comments

[reformedsinner]

The phone rings. The phone rings, and Hakkai, halfway through scrolling down today's entries on the BBS, flicks a glance at the caller ID, and drops it onto Bon, who's lolling on his feet and biting through a large bone of uncertain origin.

The dog tries to roll over, and Hakkai, after an intense few seconds spent diving for the still-ringing phone in an ocean of thick, moving fur, rescues it and picks up the call with a reflexive stab of his thumb.

He's having second thoughts before he even lifts it to his ear. But --

Well. He hadn't expected Gojyo to be the one to call him.

He's not making the least effort to hide the wariness in his tone as he says, "Hello?"

Later, while Gojyo showers

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai has no idea what he's doing at all. It's a strangely freeing sensation, and, of course, also terrifying. The bathroom door shuts behind Gojyo, and he flees for the kitchen to check on dinner, because unlike the fact that Gojyo had accepted his invitation, cooking makes rational scientific sense.

The star anise and cinnamon are perfuming the air in the kitchen by now, over the richer scents of pork fat and cooking wine; he inhales deeply, and crouches to pull out a pot and start some rice.

He'd really expected Gojyo to say no. As awful as all their conversations have been, he can't imagine why Gojyo hadn't; and he's still afraid, deep down. He's not a brave man. In most situations, he's just a fearless one, and that is very different.

And yet, cowardice now would be the death of Gojyo as surely as it would have been if he hadn't let Sanzo shoot the seed out of his heart. There's no single bullet for this thorny problem, but if Hakkai doesn't face the need for action, it will prove just as deadly in the end.

Rice is too easy to prepare. He turns to chopping cabbage for a side salad.

Dinner from hell, table for four

[reformedsinner]

[Gojyo'd said he'd be down in a minute; Ken and Chikusa should be showing up at some point. The table is set, the pork butt is carved, and -- even if there's a guest to dinner -- Hakkai has pointedly avoided putting out any alcohol. Water glasses at each plate will be enough.

He's not going to play any games with anything that loosens inhibitions, not when he can feel Gojyo's pained roil of feelings on one side, and the flickers of seething resentment from Chikusa on the other.

And then there are his own feelings, of course. He's planning to ignore those.

Hopefully, the others will be down soon, and he won't have to ignore them for long. He sits heavily in his own chair, elbows on the table, arms crossed as he watches the steam curl up from the serving dishes.]