Satisfaction (Challenge #60, Comfort Food; the Sanzo Ikkou; G)
Title: Satisfaction
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: very mild m/m
Pairing(s): teeny 58
Spoilers: Hints about Reload 10
Notes: written for saiyuki_time, Challenge #60, Comfort Food; time allowed: 60 minutes; time taken: 65 minutes
Summary: After their first good meal since the massive battle with the Master of the Muten Sutra, everyone's feeling a little more lively
The inn would have been no more than a piss-stop in the first months of their journey West, but right now, Gojyo thought, it was all they could have hoped: it was clean, had decent beds, and served piles and piles of edible food.
The table was cluttered with bowls and platters and cups and bottles. Spicy chunks of chicken roasted on skewers, fried mutton meatballs, beef and vegetable turnovers, eggplant stewed with onions and spices, a vegetable stew with cubes of something that wasn't tofu but kind of tasted like it, crispy bread cakes, and a huge mound of hand-made noodles topped with chopped vegetables and ground lamb. He'd had a good serving of everything, Hakkai had eaten at least a taste of each dish, and even Sanzo had put away a plateful of food.
And Goku, of course, was still eating like there was no tomorrow, earning himself a happy smile from the short dame with the talented hands who was stretching out more noodle dough in the open kitchen.
It was enough to make a man feel more than halfway alive again. Of course, the excellent beer helped. He slipped one hand onto Hakkai's knee, under the table, and squeezed. Hakkai woke up from the trance that the beef turnovers seemed to have induced (he had one half-dissected in his plate and had been staring at it for the past several minutes - probably trying to guess exactly what was in it) and flashed him a half-melting, half-scolding glance, but he spoke to Goku: "It's so good to see you enjoying your food, Goku."
Sanzo looked up from lighting a cigarette and frowned. "He always eats like that."
"Well, actually, Sanzo, he hasn't eaten nearly this well for the last several weeks."
Hakkai had his polite-poison smile on. Gojyo grinned to himself. They'd all been so beat up and hungry over the last few days, no one had even mentioned Sanzo's absence. Hakkai must be feeling a lot better.
Sanzo stared at Hakkai a moment, eye to eye. Hakkai's smile widened and showed a few more teeth. And to Gojyo's surprise, Sanzo just grunted, took another drag on his smoke, and leaned back in his chair. "Goku. More food?"
Goku had just finished his latest plateful of noodles. His eyes widened. "Umm. I could eat that last turnover. And maybe some dessert?"
"Pfffft. Why am I not surprised? Hakkai, see what they have for dessert."
The kid who'd been waiting tables returned a couple of minutes later with a dish of doughy little balls in hot, spicy-smelling syrup, with sesame seeds. Sanzo ignored them, Hakkai had a couple, Gojyo tried a few, and Goku tucked away two bowls in just under five minutes. He sat back in his chair and patted his belly tenderly with both hands. "Mmmmm. those were great! Just what I wanted!"
Gojyo sputtered, nearly spitting out a mouthful of beer, and then snickered. "Aww, c'mon, Monkey! You've never eaten food like this in your life! Whaddaya mean, 'just what you wanted'?"
For a minute, Goku looked like he was going to take the bait. He leaned forward, slapped both hands on the tabletop, and drew in a deep breath. Gojyo could almost hear the words Don't call me Monkey, ya stupid kappa!
But what came out instead was: "I'll tell ya what I mean. It was good, right? And we're all here, together, eatin' it, right? An' we're all almost better. That's what I mean. That's 'just what I wanted.'"
And Goku crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Gojyo. He hardly even looked mad. For a minute, Gojyo just looked at him.
Then he grinned and grabbed Goku's empty cup. "OK, man, you got a point there."
"Hey! Why've you got my cup?"
Gojyo was filling it from his beer bottle. "Here. You're right, we're all still here. That calls for a toast."
Hakkai raised his wine cup, and Gojyo his much-depleted beer bottle. Goku offered his brimming cup carefully, his golden eyes huge, and looked at Sanzo. "Morons," muttered Sanzo, but he held out his own bottle where they could reach it. Glass and pottery clinked.
"To our departed fellow travelers," said Hakkai.
"To us - the bastards ain't got us yet!" said Gojyo.
"To bein' together - to friends," said Goku.
"We're friends now? Huh," said Sanzo, and shook his head. "C'mon, drink up. I'm sure Gojyo will take that beer back if you don't want it, Goku."
Goku gulped down a mouthful and made a face. Gojyo laughed at him, tossed back the remains of his beer, and lit a cigarette. Sanzo's face flickered for a moment behind his beer bottle - he almost looked amused. Hakkai picked up the bowl of dumplings in syrup and offered it to Goku. "These will take the taste away."
Goku took them, but then he set them down and manfully drank his entire cupful of cold, dark, bitter beer. Only then did he stuff his mouth once more with the sweet, soft morsels. "Mmmmm, yeah ... exactly what I wanted!"