The Odds Are...
Disclaimer: Yeah... no? I own Reload 5 now though. If that counts for anything more than $12 less in my wallet...
"Fuck… how do you win every time?" Gojyo's mouth turned downwards in a pout as he slapped his useless cards onto the tabletop.
"I cheat."
"Really?"
"No, but it sounds better than 'I have phenomenally good luck.'"
"It's more believable too." Gojyo groused as he shuffled the deck once more. "I mean, how is it possible for someone to win every time?"
Hakkai just shrugged and accepted the cards Gojyo dealt him. "Are you sure you want to keep playing? You already lost all your spending money, you owe two weeks of dish duty and you have to do laundry at the next town." He asked, a small smile flirting around the corners of his mouth. Of course, Gojyo doing laundry was still safer than Goku or Sanzo.
"Sure… I tell you what, you've been nagging," he paused to wave off Hakkai's protest, "that I need to do something with my hair for weeks. If I lose this next game, you can do whatever you want with it."
Hakkai's small smile turned feral – a look that Gojyo missed, or he would have retracted the bet immediately – for a moment before his mouth straightened and he nodded, "All right, you're on. But no complaining about this afterward."
"Please, the worst you're gonna do is shave it all off. And you like it too much to do that." Gojyo winked and splayed the cards in his hands.
Hakkai averted his gaze to look at his own cards, but colour rose in his cheeks.
The room fell silent except for the sounds of cards being shifted or placed onto the table.
"Dammit!" Gojyo cursed again as he flung his useless, as always, cards away. "The odds are impossible and yet you win every fucking time."
Hakkai grinned. "Time to pay up."
Sliding down low in his chair, Gojyo sulked as he collected the cards. He wasn't that worried, but he liked his hair at the length it was now.
"Sit up straight please, and don't shift about, we wouldn't want to cut more than I intended." Hakkai admonished as he ran a brush gently through Gojyo's hair. Slowly, the knots untangled until it fell in sleek red waves. Laying the brush down, he picked up a small pair of kitchen scissors that he had retrieved with the brush, while Gojyo had been tidying the cards.
Shifting nervously, Gojyo cracked his knuckles as he listened to the faint snip snip of the scissors. Watching strands of red hair float to the ground from the corner of his eyes; his trepidation grew with every piece.
When Hakkai finally laid the scissors down, he relaxed, only to stiffen again when he felt the brunet parting his hair.
"Hakkai…"
"Mm?"
"What are you doing?"
"My prize was to do whatever I wished with your hair, was it not?"
"…"
"And I'm doing what I wish."
Gojyo didn't need to see the other man's face to know the devious smile that was covering his features. Groaning, he waved one hand imperiously, "Fine, whatever. But if that stupid monk and his sidekick see whatever you're doing, you never get to do it again."
"Fair enough." Hakkai continued with what he was doing, separating Gojyo's hair into two even sections, and tying them up with lengths of green ribbon he had purchased in the market one day.
When he was finished, he stepped back so that Gojyo could push his chair back, making his way to the bathroom mirror to look at what Hakkai had done to him.
"Fuck… Hakkai… I look like a girl." The redhead reached up to tug one of the offending ribbons free but had his hand slapped away.
"Leave it, it looks cute. Plus, I won. Are you going to deny me my prize?"
Gojyo turned almost as red as his hair at the cute comment, but refrained from attempting to undo the ribbons. Making his way back to his chair, he flopped into it morosely. "I'm glad you enjoy making me look like an idiot."
"Aaa… that was not my intention." Hakkai chided, following him. When Gojyo had settled, albeit sulkily, in his chair; Hakkai sat directly on his lap. Twining his fingers into the strands of one pigtail, he leaned closer to kiss Gojyo's pouting mouth.
The sound of the door opening and slamming against the inner wall startled them both, and had Gojyo's hand not tightened around Hakkai's waist, the brunet would have fallen to the floor.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"We'll come back…"
The door slammed shut, leaving behind the two stunned men.
"Did…"
"Yes…"
They both blinked, before Gojyo started laughing uproariously. When he finally stopped, he wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Who knew the quickest way to scare off demons was to have a fetish…" Hakkai said thoughtfully, still staring at the door. "Maybe you should start wearing your hair like this permanently Gojyo."
"Cold day in hell." Gojyo replied.
"Bu—"
"No buts. Hell no. You know what high and mighty Sanzo-sama would say if he saw it?"
"Actually, I don't think he would say anything, he'd be laughing too hard." Hakkai pointed out.
"… that's my point. I'm not giving that bastard any ammunition."
"Can I at least put it like this when he's not around?" Hakkai shifted in Gojyo's lap to bite gently at the other's neck. Feeling Gojyo shudder beneath him, he took that as acquiescence.
Next time he would see if he could cheat Gojyo into losing a bet to wear a skirt…
-END-