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[cigsandbeer]

"Too bad; I'm busy with some shit. I'm only calling you back if you're a pretty woman ♥"

Comments

Re: [Evening, mid-September]

[reformedsinner]

"I trust Sanzo and Goku to take care of themselves," Hakkai says bluntly. "I don't think they'll need my help once we get back. Except perhaps to help catch local bandits, and I'm sure they can find someone else to do that."

But, if it makes Gojyo feel better to know they could call if they needed it....

He shrugs a little. "I've considered... something like a set of keys. That could open doors between where we are and where the other person is. I think that would only be one deal, and asking for them also to send voices like the communicators shouldn't be that big of a change."

He's avoiding the topic of why he had flinched. He knows it's obvious.

Re: [Evening, mid-September]

[cigsandbeer]

That doesn't explain the flinching, no, but Gojyo doesn't have context for any other reason Hakkai might have flinched. He turns back to stare at Hakkai, clearly agitated.

"Uh huh, and you didn't think to lead with that idea?"

Magical keys that would essentially make Sanzo and Goku their next-door neighbours is kind of different from only seeing them on holidays.

Re: [Evening, mid-September]

[reformedsinner]

"I didn't realize it would make that big a difference," Hakkai says, a little stiffly, avoiding Gojyo's gaze. He'd said he wanted a way to travel between their worlds to visit. Holidays was just....

Well, it was just the frequency he'd assumed they would see each other anyway, after the journey was done. Sanzo and Goku have important things to do that have nothing to do with Gojyo and Hakkai. Hakkai has never really liked being Sanzo's on-call enforcer for handling thieves and other temple problems, and doesn't mind the idea of missing those meetings. Goku is old enough not to need arithmetic lessons anymore.

Re: [Evening, mid-September]

[cigsandbeer]

So. Either that's a lie and Hakkai hadn't thought about until Gojyo protested and so scrambled to come up with a more acceptable solution. Or Hakkai is being honest and really is completely fine seeing those two only once in a blue moon. I didn't realise it would make that big a difference indeed.

Gojyo takes a long drag of his cigarette.

"You know," he says after a long moment, "at first I figured: 'he's been here for like two years; it makes sense that some things would be different'. But I really don't even know you anymore."

He turns away. Heads for the door. Without looking back, he raises his cigarette in a wave goodbye.

"Thanks for the beer."

Re: [Evening, mid-September]

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai stays where he is, standing beside the table, for a long, silent moment as Gojyo leaves.

Then, quiet and mechanical, he turns back to clear away the barely-touched beer bottles, and drops them off at the bar for disposal before he also lets himself out.

Perhaps it's better now that he knows.

But... it does hurt.