They were on their way home, a tall paper bag of groceries stuck to each of their arms, when:

"Why how charming to bump into you, Mr. Cho! And you as well, Mr. Sha!"

Erk. Did Gojyo know this little old lady? "Well hullo there, Mrs..."

"Mrs. Zhang, good afternoon," Hakkai came smiling to his rescue. "It's nice to see you, too."

"Uh, yeah," Gojyo grinned, even if the name didn't fit anywhere in his memory. But she seemed like one of them nice folks, anyway, so what did it matter. "How're you doin', Mrs. Zhang?"

"Why I'm doing good, Mr. Sha. Thank you for asking."

From behind the celery stalks sticking out of his bag, Hakkai stretched his neck a bit and took a peek over Mrs. Zhang's shoulder. "Ah, Lei isn't with you?"

"He's not, Mr. Cho. I left him at home with his big sister Mei."

Oh, right. Gojyo smirked to himself; sure he remembered now. Mei, Zhang Mei. With the sultry giggle. This was Mei's mother, yeah.

"I just dropped by the tailor's to get these." Mrs. Zhang patted the paper-wrapped package she held pressed to her bosom. "Lei's new short pants," she revealed. "I had to get him another set, you see -- the pairs I purchased a month ago kept growing a hole in their left pockets! Oh I'm telling you, boys, it doesn't pay to buy bargains."

"A hole in their left pockets?" Hakkai looked for one second like he thought he was being kidded. "Do you mean literally, Mrs. Zhang?"

"Yes! And I mean holes so big your hand can fit in."

What the -- fortunately Gojyo caught himself from guffawing, but a sharp, little noise still managed to honk its way out his nose, anyway. This gained him a little nudge in the side from Hakkai, which did nothing to stop him from asking, "How old's he? The boy?" because really, man, this was some cute shit.

"My son, Mr. Sha? He'll be thirteen next month, why?"

'Figures.' Gojyo shook his head to assure her, "Nothin', just asking." Kids these days, heh. Just, poor old Mrs. Zhang, man, knowing zero shit about growing boys and all that shit.

With a thick, wrinkle-edged smile, Mrs. Zhang wagged a frantic hand before her face and bowed. "Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you two, those look like awfully heavy bags you're carrying. I shall be on my way now. Good day, Mr. Cho, Mr. Sha!"

"A-aa," Hakkai bowed. "Good day, Mrs. Zhang."

"Ta," Gojyo tossed a little nod and grin her way, and would've promptly turned to get going, then, if only the stock-stillness of his companion wasn't easy as hell to notice. He called, "Hakkai?" snapping the guy out of it.

"Ah, yes, Gojyo," Hakkai smiled, "we really should be moving along now," obviously trying to make it look like he hadn't spaced out back there.

Gojyo would've let out a blast of smoke in exasperation had he lit himself a cigarette. How come Hakkai had to shit him at all, anyway? In their barely one year as roommates, there'd been a few times like this when Gojyo could figure something was up with the guy, and he'd be totally right. So, "What's up," he demanded; he really wasn't just asking.

Hakkai paused a heartbeat, a wee quiver of his lip betraying his hesitation. "Ah, it's just... about Mrs. Zhang's son --"

"Hole Boy?" Gojyo had to simper.

"A-aa."

"What about 'im?"

"...He's one of the kids I tutor."

"Ah, really? So?"

The second pause was enough to hint at Hakkai's discomfort. "Well... I've always thought it odd that, that he never takes his left hand out of his pocket."

A coarse burst of cackle rocked Gojyo. "Weheh, now you know why."

"But...those, stares he gives me, from across the table..." Hakkai made his head shake a vehement No, and his shoulders appeared to shudder for a bare moment. Probably he found this all a little disturbing. "That's not right. Lei can't be... he..."

"Hey, man," Gojyo chuckled, "no need breaking your heart over it," because, really, Hakkai ought to start taking shit less seriously. He shifted, and poked his elbow into Hakkai's back. Damn was that stiff. "Look. I mean, he'll prolly outgrow it soon enough, anyways." Though Gojyo wasn't counting on it.

"... Perhaps." Hakkai made the paper bags crinkle in his squeezing arms. "I'll have to talk to him about it, in any case."

"Heh, I bet he'd like that," and Gojyo just couldn't help it anymore, breaking into full tickled laughter. "Hell c'mon, Hakkai, let's get home." He gave Hakkai another poke of his elbow, and then kept snickering to himself the entire walk back to his house. Man, that Hole Boy was a strange one. See, you went for soft, plump chests and soft, silky calves and soft, sweet-smelling hair and all that. You didn't, you just didn't, get hot and get hard for your fellow guys, even if they were good at wifely duties sometimes and had beautiful hands like that of a woman's and a face pretty as all fuck and even if you actually liked them as a person.

...

It was more than two years later that Gojyo would realize Hole Boy to be way ahead of his time when, stumbling into the inn kitchen one day and seeing Hakkai standing before the stove, with the sunbeams squeezing and bursting their way through the window close by, it finally hit him, became clear as fucking day to him, just like that, why anyone could have the hots for his friend. Because all Gojyo wanted to do right then and there, in that tiny, grease-smelling room, giving no fuck whatsoever that Sanzo or Goku could drift in any moment, was crush Hakkai's smile under his starved mouth, and shove Hakkai right against the stove, and grind all of himself against the firm curve of Hakkai's backside while he grabbed the inside of Hakkai's thigh and fondled his way under Hakkai's shirt and curled his tongue against the warm spot behind Hakkai's earlobe.

"Good morning, Gojyo!"

"Yo," Gojyo greeted in return, struggling with a normal grin. His hips steeled themselves against the urge to buck forward, and he made a dash back for the door before Hakkai could look any hotter stirring that pot of stew or whatever.

Straight to the bathroom he bolted, and thinking of Hakkai... and Hakkai's... hole... and how much he'd been longing to get in there... and stay there... all this time... these past three years... all along... Gojyo took a longer time in that stinky can than he needed.

END