Fic snippet: Stray Dog, G
Aug. 6th, 2008 03:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
louiseluxShort fic for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
2metaldog, who asked for Jien/Banri 'testing boundaries'. This is set post journey, so it's really Doku rather than Jien:
There was some loser hanging around at Gojyo and Hakkai's place, sitting silently out on the porch with cigarettes and beer. He was youkai and he had a long fresh scar down the side of his arm, five long furrows like someone had taken a set of claws to him. Doku mostly ignored him, because it was weird enough being here in the first place without having to make small talk with Gojyo's friends.
"Dinner is ready, Dokugakuji-san," Hakkai said. "Please, sit."
"Um, thanks."
Hakkai cooked enough food to kill a man. Maybe he was trying to do just that, Doku thought, watching them both out of the corner of his eye. At one point, Gojyo squeezed Hakkai's knee under the table, like he thought no one was going to notice. What an idiot, Doku thought, fondly, and carried on slurping his noodles. The guy outside didn't come in and Gojyo didn't say anything. Hakkai glanced several times at the door.
"How is Lord Kougaiji?" Hakkai said.
"Okay, you know. Better than before."
"Well, I'm glad."
"Yeah," Gojyo added, catching Doku's eye. "That was a bad deal."
Rasetsunyo had turned to so much black dust, after being sealed for so long. Gyokumen's magic had poisoned her frozen body. Staring down at his nearly empty bowl, his stomach tightened as he remembered Kou's face.
"Uh, think I'm gonna get some fresh air," he said, and pushed his chair back.
Gojyo stood too, fast and alert, like he'd been waiting for something to go wrong, or for Doku to leap up and leave. He'd put some fat and muscle on his skinny bones since Doku had seen him last, at Houtou, and he looked stronger. Glowing, nearly. "What? Are you going?"
"Gojyo—" Hakkai said, gently, and caught his sleeve. "It's fine."
"Nah, it's nothing," Doku said, and he reached over the table and cupped Gojyo's jaw with one hand and patted. Gojyo's eyes went wide, like a kid. "Calm down."
The guy outside was leaning back against the stone wall of the house, his stick-like legs stuck out into the dust. Doku looked at him for a second, then sat down next to him.
"There's food," he said, after a few minutes. "A lot of it."
"Yeah, I know."
They watched a mangy dog trot past. It was carrying a long yellowed bone in its mouth. The guy bent his head and worked on his cigarette until blue clouds came puffing out.
"You could have some," Jien said.
"I'm not going in there, are you nuts?"
Doku scratched his chin and slid a glance at him. "He ain't that scary, once you get to know him," he said. "And my brother's fine. He doesn't bite."
The guy turned to look. His eyes were scornful. "Yeah, whatever. Look at my friggin' arm."
"The scars are healing well." It looked like it'd been treated professionally.
Banri shrugged. "So, you're his big brother? Jien, right?"
Dokugakuji paused. No one had called him that for years. In fact, Gojyo was the last person, on that last day together. He looked over his shoulder at the little house, with its propped-open door and table-full of food, scrubbed floors and tidy rooms – a family house. It was a whole new world inside there.
"No. I'm Dokugakuji now. You can call me that."
"It fucks me off when people change their names and think they can start all over again. Uh. I'm Banri."
"Sorry, man. It worked for me."
He half wanted to ask this man what his story was, although he could guess a lot of it. Banri was lucky not to be dead-- although possibly he was crazy. The claw marks weren't so good though, and he thought he could guess who'd caused them. He wondered when exactly Gojyo had got into the habit of picking up strays. He smiled to himself and earned a scowl from Banri.
He didn't ask Banri anything. From inside, he heard some muttering.
"Banri-san, the food's getting cold," Hakkai called, after a few moments, in a careful soft voice. "Would you like some?"
"You should go in and eat," Doku said, and nudged him with his elbow. "It's good."
"Do I look like that big a loser?" Banri took another cigarette from his pack and lit it with a sharp flick of his lighter. "Don't even answer that. You don't even look like him."
"Different mothers."
"Oh yeah." Banri snapped his lighter shut and hunched down over his cigarette. "He told me about that stuff. Sucks."
Doku waited for questions and was relieved when they didn't come. He stood and brushed off his jeans. "I'm going back in, so— You want to come in with me?"
Banri was shaky on his legs, like he hadn't been well for a long time. The bones of his elbow dug into Doku's palm as he helped him along. Banri shook as he moved and he tightened his hand on Doku's arm like he was an old man.
"You're more alike than you look, okay," was all he said.
Doku laughed, and thought about Kou and Yaone and Lirin, and how much he wanted to get home. "Oh, yeah. I think we are."
2metaldog, who asked for Jien/Banri 'testing boundaries'. This is set post journey, so it's really Doku rather than Jien:There was some loser hanging around at Gojyo and Hakkai's place, sitting silently out on the porch with cigarettes and beer. He was youkai and he had a long fresh scar down the side of his arm, five long furrows like someone had taken a set of claws to him. Doku mostly ignored him, because it was weird enough being here in the first place without having to make small talk with Gojyo's friends.
"Dinner is ready, Dokugakuji-san," Hakkai said. "Please, sit."
"Um, thanks."
Hakkai cooked enough food to kill a man. Maybe he was trying to do just that, Doku thought, watching them both out of the corner of his eye. At one point, Gojyo squeezed Hakkai's knee under the table, like he thought no one was going to notice. What an idiot, Doku thought, fondly, and carried on slurping his noodles. The guy outside didn't come in and Gojyo didn't say anything. Hakkai glanced several times at the door.
"How is Lord Kougaiji?" Hakkai said.
"Okay, you know. Better than before."
"Well, I'm glad."
"Yeah," Gojyo added, catching Doku's eye. "That was a bad deal."
Rasetsunyo had turned to so much black dust, after being sealed for so long. Gyokumen's magic had poisoned her frozen body. Staring down at his nearly empty bowl, his stomach tightened as he remembered Kou's face.
"Uh, think I'm gonna get some fresh air," he said, and pushed his chair back.
Gojyo stood too, fast and alert, like he'd been waiting for something to go wrong, or for Doku to leap up and leave. He'd put some fat and muscle on his skinny bones since Doku had seen him last, at Houtou, and he looked stronger. Glowing, nearly. "What? Are you going?"
"Gojyo—" Hakkai said, gently, and caught his sleeve. "It's fine."
"Nah, it's nothing," Doku said, and he reached over the table and cupped Gojyo's jaw with one hand and patted. Gojyo's eyes went wide, like a kid. "Calm down."
The guy outside was leaning back against the stone wall of the house, his stick-like legs stuck out into the dust. Doku looked at him for a second, then sat down next to him.
"There's food," he said, after a few minutes. "A lot of it."
"Yeah, I know."
They watched a mangy dog trot past. It was carrying a long yellowed bone in its mouth. The guy bent his head and worked on his cigarette until blue clouds came puffing out.
"You could have some," Jien said.
"I'm not going in there, are you nuts?"
Doku scratched his chin and slid a glance at him. "He ain't that scary, once you get to know him," he said. "And my brother's fine. He doesn't bite."
The guy turned to look. His eyes were scornful. "Yeah, whatever. Look at my friggin' arm."
"The scars are healing well." It looked like it'd been treated professionally.
Banri shrugged. "So, you're his big brother? Jien, right?"
Dokugakuji paused. No one had called him that for years. In fact, Gojyo was the last person, on that last day together. He looked over his shoulder at the little house, with its propped-open door and table-full of food, scrubbed floors and tidy rooms – a family house. It was a whole new world inside there.
"No. I'm Dokugakuji now. You can call me that."
"It fucks me off when people change their names and think they can start all over again. Uh. I'm Banri."
"Sorry, man. It worked for me."
He half wanted to ask this man what his story was, although he could guess a lot of it. Banri was lucky not to be dead-- although possibly he was crazy. The claw marks weren't so good though, and he thought he could guess who'd caused them. He wondered when exactly Gojyo had got into the habit of picking up strays. He smiled to himself and earned a scowl from Banri.
He didn't ask Banri anything. From inside, he heard some muttering.
"Banri-san, the food's getting cold," Hakkai called, after a few moments, in a careful soft voice. "Would you like some?"
"You should go in and eat," Doku said, and nudged him with his elbow. "It's good."
"Do I look like that big a loser?" Banri took another cigarette from his pack and lit it with a sharp flick of his lighter. "Don't even answer that. You don't even look like him."
"Different mothers."
"Oh yeah." Banri snapped his lighter shut and hunched down over his cigarette. "He told me about that stuff. Sucks."
Doku waited for questions and was relieved when they didn't come. He stood and brushed off his jeans. "I'm going back in, so— You want to come in with me?"
Banri was shaky on his legs, like he hadn't been well for a long time. The bones of his elbow dug into Doku's palm as he helped him along. Banri shook as he moved and he tightened his hand on Doku's arm like he was an old man.
"You're more alike than you look, okay," was all he said.
Doku laughed, and thought about Kou and Yaone and Lirin, and how much he wanted to get home. "Oh, yeah. I think we are."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 02:45 pm (UTC)You kinda want to dust him off and hug at the same time you wanna punch him. Or maybe I'm weird.
I like that Doku and Gojyo share the habit of picking up strays here. Thank you for the lovely little fic.
Damn. I was supposed to give you ideas not make Plot Roaches(tm) scuttle out of the dark corners of my mind.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 02:49 pm (UTC)...It's the heat, I blame the heat, it's making me talk crazy-talk. But yes! This was so good, and sad, and refreshing, and managed to wash away the taste of the horrible romance novel I forced myself to read last night.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:50 pm (UTC)I am SO chuffed I managed to blot out the bad romance. I read your posts about it and it sounded truly the pits of doom.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:52 pm (UTC)Thank you :D
no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 04:32 pm (UTC)I love how much is unsaid, and yet plain from what is, said about what's going on here - especially in Hakkai's restrained but generous hospitality toward Banri, and Banri's "professionally treated" arm.
That Gojyo, finding himself at last with plenty of what he needs, has set about sharing it - doesn't surprise me at all. No wonder his brother thinks he's "glowing"!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:54 pm (UTC)Gojyo, finding himself at last with plenty of what he needs, has set about sharing it
Aww, I love how you put that. Yeah, that is pretty much it.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-06 07:13 pm (UTC)And as always, Doku and Gojyo make me wibble horribly. They're so sweet, both of them. And I love your Banri voice.
Now, of course, I'm desperate to know the circumstances that led to Banri turning up at Gojyo's place (and exactly how close Hakkai came to killing him!). Could you be persuaded to write a prequel to this, perhaps? *bats eyes hopefully*
no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:55 pm (UTC)Ohh, Doku and Gojyo. I know, they make me feel exactly the same - they way they are still brothers, even after everything that has happened. I want to keep giving them happy endings together.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-09 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-21 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-11 12:55 am (UTC)Seems to be a family trait.
Loved this snippet: it's like a little snapshot of their lives after the journey, and it's so good to see them all whole and/or mending.