[fic] Saiyuki, "PFLAG"
More conversations with eoan went wonderful places.

PFLAG
Saiyuki
Okay, I suck at naming things. XD GOJYO AND DOKUGAKUJI GET DRUNK TOGETHER.


He'd been trying to think of what to say to Dokugakuji when he saw him next. Admittedly, when he saw him next they'd probably be half-heartedly trying to kill each other again, but -- after seeing that--

Well.

He didn't know why the rest of them had gasped when Kougaiji had thrown himself in front of Dokugakuji and collapsed, when Dokugakuji had gathered Kougaiji into his lap and bent right down to his face.

In his case, knowing after the fact that Kougaiji must have whispered a plan to him didn't get rid of the fact that it sure as hell looked like Dokugakuji was kissing him.

He'd had a lot of time to think about that since, all things considered. It was a bit freaky, thinking of his brother as gay, all things considered -- but it wasn't as if the stuff earlier in their life was entirely Dokugakuji's choice, and hell. It happened.

And it's not like Kougaiji was ugly, even if he looked enough like Gojyo himself that -- well, no, Gojyo just wasn't thinking about that.

But what it came down to was that he needed to show his support for Dokugakuji. That, he thought, was going to be an awkward conversation and a half. He nursed his beer thoughtfully. They could cross weapons, and then--

"Gojyo? Sha Gojyo?"

Gojyo blinked up at him, then twitched. "Okay," he said. "That's creepy."

"...Huh?"

Casually, Gojyo let his shakujou appear and slide into his hand. "Here on business?"

"Here because the dragon needed a rest--" Dokugakuji jerked his thumb in the general direction of the front of the inn where, yeah, Gojyo could see a dragon tethered, huh. "--And I wanted a drink."

"Right, yeah," Gojyo said, and relaxed, letting his weapon vanish again. "So, uh." This was awkward. "Long time no see."

"Uh -- Yeah. Kinda."

The uncomfortable silence stretched, Dokugakuji staring at him strangely, a little smile on his mouth as if he wasn't sure what to do with it, and Gojyo sighed, scrubbed his hands through his hair. Right. "Siddown," he said, awkwardly. "I'll buy you a drink."

"What, your leader'll pay up for that sort of thing?"

"Okay, you buy me a drink."

Startled, Dokugakuji laughed and slung himself down into a chair. "Right, right. How about we buy our own drinks."

"Oh, well, if you want to be uncharitable."

***

Three drinks in and he was starting to find his courage. He looked at Dokugakuji.

Dokugakuji blinked back, then grinned. "Something on my face?"

"Hey, man," Gojyo said, abruptly. "I know. I mean. I know. And I'm cool with it."

"Uh. What?"

"Sometimes," Gojyo said, with as much gravity as he could manage through his discomfort. "Sometimes, people bat for the wrong -- uh, no, that's not right -- people bat for the other team. And that's, you know. That's fine, that's natural. Well. Kind of natural. Anyway, what I'm saying is-- If that's that person's choice, hell, more power to them--"

Dokugakuji stared at him. "Wait. What? You and that Cho Hakkai?"

"--What?"

"Because, you know, Yaone and Kou and I, we'd wondered, and Lirin had offered to take bets, but hey, I said it wasn't fair to bet on that sort of thing--"

"What?"

Dokugakuji snorted. "Come on, you know about him, right? I mean, he didn't pay any attention to Yaone. Yaone. We've figured for ages he has to be gay. Didn't know that you and he, though--"

"What? Look -- Look! Just because a guy doesn't go for Yaone doesn't mean that he likes guys," Gojyo stammered, wondering when exactly the conversation had gone out of control. "I mean. I have it on real good authority he likes girls. So--"

"Pfft."

"-- It just means he's stunted or some --" Gojyo scowled. "'Pfft'? What the hell. And we're not talking about Hakkai." He pointed at Dokugakuji. "We're talking about you."

Dokugakuji grinned at him and rested his chin on his hand. "I like Yaone just fine."

"And that's -- wait, you like Yaone?"

"Mmm."

A long silence fell. Gojyo cleared his throat. "Well, this is awkward," he muttered into his beer. "So you're not into men?"

"Said I was into Yaone."

"Well hell," Gojyo said, rubbing his face with a hand and laughing awkwardly. "Got a light?"

"Don't smoke. We need fire, we ask Kou."

"He kinda goes overboard with the fire thing. Blowing up things and shit. Setting people on fire."

"Never shook that habit, huh?"

Gojyo pondered the beer currently in front of him. It was his fifth, he was pretty sure. "...Setting people on fire or smoking?"

"...Smoking."

"Just checking."

Dokugakuji chuckled. "Mind, you hang around with those guys, you're crazy enough to do just about anything."

"Thanks."

"Any time."

Another long silence fell. Gojyo thought back to the fight and what had really, really looked like a kiss. "...So you're not with Kougaiji?"

Dokugakuji shifted uneasily. "Been with him six years."

"I mean like. With, with..."

Another long silence. Dokugakuji chuckled again, but it sounded a little forced. "Well, the guy loves his mom."

"Yeah, so?"

"....No, I mean. Loves his mom."

Gojyo stared, a bit dumbfounded. Was it his luck or something? "Oh," he managed, uncomfortably.

"Yeah."

That couldn't be comfortable for Dokugakuji, all things considered. "Shit," Gojyo said, uselessly.

"Keeps him busy," Dokugakuji said.

Gojyo decided to press his advantage. He leaned forward. "But if he didn't. Would you?"

"What the hell is this, a cross-examination?"

"C'mon. Would you do him?"

Dokugakuji shoved him and ordered another beer for them both. "Okay. Maybe. If he didn't, but he does, so it doesn't matter, does it? Hell, Gojyo--" He looked almost sulky, but after a moment the grin returned. "...And your Hakkai?"

"He's not mine... I told you that!"

Dokugakuji mimicked Gojyo's voice. "But if he was. Would you?"

Gojyo pondered his drink, watching the foam on the surface. "...Guy loves his sister."

Another awkward pause. "Oh. Huh."

"...She's kinda dead," Gojyo added, and hoped his cheeks weren't actually flushing. That would be just uncool.

"...S'okay. Kou's is a hunk of rock."

"What, his sister? She looked fine last time we--"

"No, doofus. His mother."

"Aaaaaaah." He downed the beer. Good beer. Comforting beer. "So the mom's not actually in the way, huh."

Dokugakuji appeared to be studying the flying dragon out the window. "Or the sister, is that it?"

"But the point is," Gojyo said. "The point is--"

"The point is, we need more beer," Dokugakuji concluded.

Gojyo nodded firmly. "That is an excellent point," he agreed.

***

Three hours later, the conversation had deteriorated somewhat.

"...So then I gave him to the crazy evil doctor. You?"

"Sewed 'im up myself."

"What? Gojyo," Dokugakuji began. "I didn't know you knew how to sew."

"I didn't."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Hell."

Gojyo scowled at him. "Shut up! It worked! So, what. You gave him to the doctor. What happened then?"

"...Eh, he went crazy, started killing people, then your monkey showed up and knocked sense into him. What about yours?"

"Had already been crazy and killing people. Went off to die, went a bit more nuts, ripped his eye out, then the monkey showed up and knocked some sense into 'im."

Dokugakuji laughed a little harder than the comment actually called for. "Good monkey you got."

"The best."

"..."

"Never tell him I said that."

Dokugakuji grinned at him drunkenly. "I'm tellin' him."

"You are not."

"Am so."

"I'll tell your Kougaiji you like him," Gojyo said grimly.

Suddenly taken aback, Dokugakuji stopped laughing and eyed him. "You know he wouldn't listen to you, right?"

"Sure he would."

"No," Dokugakuji said. "He wouldn't. He's look at you like you were as stupid as you are, and he'd say, he'd say something like, 'Dokugaku is my swordsman.' Because. See. That's Kou. Right there."

"Yeah," Gojyo said, grimly. "And then I'd say, 'if by sword, you mean cock.'"

"You wouldn't."

"So would."

"He'd kill you."

"He could try."

"I'd kill you."

Gojyo staggered upright drunkenly. "You could try!"

"...Or we could drink more beer."

"Beer sounds good," Gojyo agreed, and slumped bonelessly into his seat.

"You're still cute," Dokugakuji said, with a sigh.

"I am so not drunk enough to hear that."

***

"So. You and glasses-guy, you're not seeing each other -- got anyone else in your life?"

Gojyo jabbed a thumb at his chest and hit it a little hard. Hissing, he shook his hand. "The long-legged handsome lady-killer Sha Gojyo-sama never lacks for company!"

"Really?'

"...I haven't had sex in almost a year."

"Really? But you were having sex before that?"

Gojyo glared. "Yeah."

"...With women?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"So, wait. Do you like girls or guys?" Dokugakuji peered at him.

Gojyo bristled. "Girls. GIRLS!"

"Can't blame your older bro' for asking."

"Watch me," Gojyo muttered, sulkily.

***

The world was blurring and Gojyo was starting to sink down. That counter was sure comfy. Yep. Definitely comfy.

"Ah. Gojyo? Yo. Gojyo..."

"Nnnrgh, what?"

"Yanno, they're annoying bastards," Dokugakuji said. "And they'll probably shoot you up or kill you or hang you high before we even get a chance to, but you know. I'm glad you've got 'em."

"Mmph. What?"

"You're fucking crazy for staying with them," Dokugakuji said, softly. "But your reasons -- Yeah, I can see why."

"The fuck are you talking about. I never knew you were a soppy drunk."

Dokugakuji's hand came down on Gojyo's head and ruffled his hair. Gojyo tried swatting at it, but couldn't quite raise his arm enough. "You know," Dokugakuji said. "Over the years, I've wondered what I'd say if I ever saw ya again. What could I say that was enough?"

"You're getting serious," Gojyo muttered, eyes closing. "Stop it."

"No can do. ...As I got used to those guys around me, I wanted to see you again, just to say, look. I'm not sorry. And I'm living a life I want. Life I'm living for myself. Wanted to say something like that."

"You too, huh."

"What?"

"Nothing," Gojyo said, and let the alcohol pull him out of the conversation before he said too much.

***

He woke to Hakkai shaking him and the agony of sunlight, and groaned.

"--jyo? Oh, you're awake, finally."

"Mmphg."

"Sanzo is ready to go," Hakkai said. He shook his head, lips pursed. "Did you really drink all night?"

Gojyo squinted at him. "Water," he rasped.

"Yes, yes. I got extra. They're with Jeep."

"Help," he moaned.

Hakkai sighed and slung an arm under Gojyo's, helping him up. "I've got you. Let's just -- Gojyo?"

"MMngh?"

"Where's your hand?"

"...Just keeping myself up."

"Oh, I see."

"Nah, Hakkai?"

"What?"

Gojyo tried to get his feet under him. "Sometimes I understand. You. Why it matters. Someone like that. Not the same, because I'm not a pervert like you. But you know. Sometimes. So don't think I don't get it. I do. Where's that water?"

Hakkai's brows raised. "Are you still drunk?"

"...Something like that."

"Well," Hakkai said. "Let's get you outside." Gojyo almost slipped, and he caught him tighter around the waist. "I've got you," he repeated to him, and Gojyo grinned, faintly, at nothing.

***

"Dokugakuji?"

"Yaone."

"You were late."

"Had some stuff to take care of."

Her concern smoothed away and she smiled instead. "Welcome back," she said. "Kougaiji-sama was just sitting down to breakfast, but he insisted we wait for you."

"Yeah?" Dokugakuji squeezed her side and smiled. "Let's not keep the man waiting, then."