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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Gintoki sat there pondering on the meaning of life while staring at the abomination of barely recognizable omelet, while Tae sat on the other side of the table eagerly waiting for him to take a spoonful of her gastronomic treat. He tentatively forked it and coal flakes crumbled as he pictured his life would be as soon as this thing touched his mouth.

How did he get in that situation, you ask? Well, it was Otae’s birthday. As usual, he, Shinpachi, and Kagura trooped to the Kodokan Dojo hoping to get free food because it was Otae’s birthday after all. If they get lucky, there might even be Dom Perignon after dinner for the adults to savor.

Tae was already by the door welcoming them when they got to the premises. The two kids ran to her hugging her and telling their anego and aneue their birthday greetings and that they wish her happiness.

He played it cool by strolling towards them at a lazy pace, his arm tucked inside his yukata, a bored look on his face. When he reached them, Shinpachi and Kagura excitedly went inside the house for a hotpot (courtesy of Kyubei) waiting for them.

They stood face to face, her smile never leaving her face. He was to go to her, say happy birthday, and join the others for a hearty delicious meal judging from the nice smell wafting through the house. At least that was his plan. Instead, he surprised himself when his mouth decided to talk on its own.

Instead of telling her his birthday wishes as per the plan, he looked at her straight in the eyes and accidentally blurted out, “I love you…”

A heartbeat passed. Light pink dusted her cheeks. He could feel his ears getting hot, he cleared his throat and belatedly added, “your cooking.”

He read confusion written on her face.

He rubbed his hand on his nape and clarified “Ehem, I love your cooking.”

“Oh that’s it,” she clapped her hands and laughed. “I thought you were falling for me.” Again, that smile. “Come on in Gin-san. I have something prepared for you,” Tae ushered him in the kitchen past the hotpot and the company of the kids, Kyubei and some other people from her work.

His fear materialized, Tae’s dark matter made its way to the dining table for him alone. He heard the laughter from the other side of the room where the edible food was, he had no choice but to suck it up. He did tell Tae he loves her. Uhm, her cooking.

He remembered Zura’s advice that to get out of sticky situations, Zura just creates an even bigger problem that cancels the first one out.

His problem right now is how to get the dark matter in his system without poisoning himself?

Why did he have to go and use her cooking as an excuse for his earlier confession slip of the tongue? Why did his mouth have to run off and blab on its own before his mind can stop it from doing so? And why did he have to heed Zura’s advice?

There were so many whys running on his mind right now but as he looked at Tae sitting across him enjoying her Baagen Dash, one question dominated the others. Why is it that when it’s a girl you’re really into, you can’t do it the usual way?

Chapter Text

“Rest up Otae. You’ve been up all day taking care of the wounded,” he told her after she had removed the dressing of his wound. She placed her hand on his chest to keep him still while lying down on the futon.

In the background, they can still hear the occasional groans of pain from several patients housed in that building complex they were in. The makeshift infirmary the Devas of Kabuki set up was teeming with people in need of medical attention since the war started.

They had tucked Kagura and Shinpachi in the room next door. Hedoro was also helping out by continuously boiling water, pounding medicinal herbs, extracting morphine from opium poppy. He watched the kids go to sleep along with Tae and Gintoki before going back to the kitchen to resume his duties.

“I think we know who better needs to rest between both of us Gin-san. You’ve been on the frontlines since the war started and your previous wounds have opened up,” she chided him.

She removed the bandages on his arm, his torso. The cloth binds were stained with dried blood and sweat. He winced from the movement. She tried to look away from his face, he must be in a lot of pain. When the adrenaline from fighting completely wears off, he must feel like he’d been hit by a truck many times over.

When she had cleaned up his upper body, her fingers ghosted over the scars on his back and on his torso in places she had memorized from seeing them many times over. ‘Another scar, another story,’ she sighed. She got up and retrieved fresh bandages from the cabinet on the corner of the room.

He was staring at her intently. When she looked away, her face told him all the concerns she did not voice out.

He would have preferred it if she openly nagged him. Given him a piece of her mind over trivial matters, grilled him with the smallest detail she liked to nitpick. But she was silent when she returned, fresh bandages cradled on her arm. Even her usual smile wasn’t on either. He could not guess what she was thinking.

She kneeled beside him getting ready to change his cloth binds. He tried to sit up and touched her forehead. Any other day he would have been on the receiving end of her uppercut for being so forward and boldly touching her face with his dirty hands. But today, she just sat there immobilized with surprise.

He got one bandage from her hand and gently tied it on her forehead.

“You have a cut on your forehead,” he told her. “And I know you’re the one constantly patching me up but even I can do this much,” he said as he knotted the cloth in place, careful not to tie it too tight nor too loose.

“I’m not fragile Gin-san,” she told him. She sensed there was some gentleness that’s not usually there with the way he looked at her, the way he touched her bandage giving it a once over.

“I know. You have the strength of a gorilla based on experience,” he smirked. She was relieved he can still goof around. She indicated for him to lie down. She quickly dabbed antiseptic on his fresh wounds and changed his bandages.

He watched her work. He knew she was not fragile but he would like to take care of her even just this once.

She was nearly done when Hedoro knocked on the door and asked if he would like to take morphine for pain relief. He refused, probably later. He would like to hold on to this moment with her before his mind is altered by a drug. This moment that will soon be a memory.

The prompt of the story was based on this picture:

Chapter Text

Gin-san had a near-drowning accident. He was feeling hung-over for his binge drinking the night before but he still insisted to come to the beach along with Shinpachi, Kagura, Sadaharu, and Tae. Due to the sweltering heat, the Yorozuya decided to come to the beach to beat the heat.

They found a good spot on the shore. There were not a lot of people because of the fear of sharks when the movie Jaws came out. They started laying out their picnic mat, their food, and their umbrella to shield them from the sun. Gintoki decided to leave the chores to the others and made his way towards the inviting cold water of the sea.

When Shinpachi, Tae, and Kagura had arranged everything, all of them jumped towards the sea. They splashed about, played water games. When they got tired and hungry, the three made their way towards their picnic mat where Sadaharu was patiently waiting. Gintoki stayed on the water for a bit longer.

When the trio had eaten, Kagura walked along the shore looking for shells when she happened to glance towards the sea.

“Shinpachi! Anego! Gin-chan is drowning!” Kagura frantically called their attention when she saw Gin-san flailing about and then failing to resurface in the distance.

Shinpachi quickly swam towards the water and dragged an unconscious Gintoki to the shore. Tae was very worried. “Kagura-chan, call an ambulance,” she instructed the red-haired Yato.

Kagura took a lungful of air then belted out, “AMBULANCE!!!!”

Tae knew it was hopeless, so she turned to Shinpachi who was performing CPR on Gintoki.

“Shinpachi, let me do it. Go and find help,” she practically pushed her brother off Gintoki’s body. Kagura went with Shinpachi.

Tae started to do chest compression on Gintoki. She continued pumping on his chest but to no avail. Gintoki was still unresponsive. Help has yet to arrive.

After 30 compressions, she checked Gintoki’s pulse and breathing. Nothing. Fear started to grip Tae. If she didn’t do something and quick, Gintoki will die. She looked around, it was only them at the beach.

She repeated giving him chest compressions, sweat started to trickle on the side of her face with the amount of force she placed on each pump. She was relieved to feel a pulse on his carotid artery when she placed her index and middle fingers on his neck. It was faint but at least he had started responding. But the problem was he was still not breathing.

She did not have much choice. She remembered her training on first aid. She just had to breathe into Gintoki’s mouth. Between choosing who to give her first kiss to and giving Gintoki a second chance at life, she chose the latter. Her first kiss be damned. And for the record, this was not kissing. It’s called rescue breathing. To save Gin-san.

She quickly made up her mind. She leaned towards his face, placed one hand on his forehead, and the other lifted his chin. She pinched his nostrils, took a deep breath, and placed her mouth over his, giving valuable oxygen as she did so.

She checked for any signs of breathing but he was still unresponsive. She repeated giving him rescue breaths. She placed her head on his chest, then she felt relieved when she finally heard him breathing. He was still unconscious but he’s alive and out of danger.

Just as she let out a sigh of relief, Shinpachi and Kagura came running towards them with the demonic vice commander Hijikata Toshiro in tow.

Hijikata knelt beside Gintoki assessing him for any injuries.

When Gintoki opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the glare of the sun and the silhouette of a person bending over him. He squinted his eyes, tried to focus on the image of an initially blurry view, then his sight adjusted to the light, and the ugly mug of that bastard Hijikata came into focus. After blinking several times, still, the ugly face of Hijikata with a half-lit cigarette dangling from his nicotine-laden mouth filled his line of sight. He turned his face aside only to see the worried gazes of Shinapchi, Kagura, and Tae fall on him.

“Yo,” he lamely croaked out.

The next thing he knew was he was sent back to dreamland by the unrelenting force of Kagura’s punch on his face.

“You perm-head idiot! Making us all worry, yes. We should have just let you be the snack for sharks, yes” he heard her say.

When he has awoken fifteen minutes later, he saw Tae giving statements to the patrolling Shinsengumi officers.

‘Tsk, what a pain in the ass,’ he thought. He was just feeling rather sleepy on the beach when the waves pulled him down. After that, he had no recollection of what happened. When he came around, he was already at the beach with the others making such a great fuss. His throat was dry and his lips seemed parched. When he ran his tongue to wet his lips, he thought he tasted a little bit of strawberry flavor coating his lips.

His first thought was it was Hijikata who brought him back to life. But this lingering taste on his mouth seemed like a stark contrast to who he believed his savior was. Hijikata would probably taste like spoilt mayonnaise. Or if it was indeed Hijikata who gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation, he felt as if he smashed his mouth in a nicotine-laden ashtray. Now thinking about it made him feel like his mouth was a fucking sewer. He needed to drink water. His thoughts don’t connect.

The sun was still up in the sky when the Yorozuya family decided to pack up and call it a day. Everyone wanted to go home and forget about the near-drowning accident of Gintoki. Kagura was helping Tae to pack up their picnic items. Shinpachi and Gintoki loaded their things in the rented car. When they finished, Gintoki glanced at the women. Just then, he saw Tae apply something on her lips to prevent it from getting sunburnt. He saw her pocket it on her bag after.

On the ride back home, he thought he caught a glimpse of a pink lip balm on the pocket of Tae’s bag sitting beside him. Strawberry.

Some days later, Tae stopped by at the Yorozuya. Kagura and Shinpachi were out running errands and Gintoki was lounging on his chair as usual waiting for Ketsuno Ana’s breaking news program. Tae shook her head when she saw the sorry sight before her.

Litters of strawberry milk, parfait, candies, and some other strawberry-flavored sweet stuff were strewn all over the coffee table. Ants started to gather at the corner of the table.

“Gin-san, I know you have a sweet tooth but isn’t these a bit obsessive even for you?” Tae asked as she began picking up cartons of milk and cleaning up the place.

Gintoki placed both of his hands at the back of his head and slouched further on his chair. He gave her that blank stare to mask what he was actually feeling inside. The nerve of this woman to chastise him over strawberry when she was the reason why he started obsessing over the exact strawberry flavor that lingered on his mouth the day he nearly drowned. But even after stuffing his mouth with these far sweeter kinds of stuff, they just cannot compare to the aftertaste that lingered. His eyes kept on wandering on her mouth. He wanted to taste it again. And this woman with the sweetest lips had no idea.

Nope, he cannot give in to another temptation. Several days prior, broke as he was, he gave in to temptation and bought these sweets to satiate his interest in that certain flavor. But no matter how much he consumed, his tastebuds still longed for that flavor. He even bought the same lip balm she saw in Tae’s bag but even that did not nearly taste the same way.

She was moving closer to where he was seated. Just a bit more, she’s so damn near. He can practically smell her perfume. When she got around to his table gathering the litter on his desk, he hauled his ass out of the chair and gave her a quick peck. She was surprised, as he was on himself. He was a grown-ass man and he acted out on his urges. Damn, Tae must be thinking he’s a dirty pervert now. He might as well be given what he just did, but only when it comes to her. Shit! What was he thinking? And yes, he confirmed that on her lips it was finally the same sweet taste he had at the beach.

It felt like forever, but when he finally looked at her, her hands flew to her mouth.

When she recovered after a heartbeat, she grabbed his collar, “Gin-san, if you wanted to kiss me at least do it right.”

And right he did. He did it for her first proper kiss, her second, her third until they both lost count, savoring the sweetest strawberry taste he ever had.

Chapter Text

He slowly opened his eyes.

He was awakened from the room suddenly freezing.

He made a mental note to fix the draft coming from the window of their room.

He tilted his head to look at the woman sleeping beside him.

Her back was facing him.

Her brown tresses spread on the pillow.

He shifted so that he was lying on his side close to her.

He felt her shiver a little from the abrupt absence of his warmth from where his body used to be.

She snuggled closer as he wrapped his arms around her stomach pulling her towards him.

He arranged the duvet so they were both fully covered.

She stirred a little when she felt Gintoki shift on their bed, only to pull her impossibly closer.

His torso rested against her back.

Lying close to each other, Tae felt Gintoki's heart steadily beating.

She sighed contentedly.

He had to admit, he liked their way of staying warm and fuzzy especially on cold mornings.

Chapter Text

A short story for Gintae
Because I love them.

Cold as ice, his hands fumbled through the
Door of the jewelry shop.
Even though he was broke. And madly in love with a chick whom he brought back from hell.

Funny that he'll be spending his money on a ring. Should've asked
Gengai to concoct a solid ring for
Her. At least he planned to buy her an expensive ring. How thoughtful of him.
It's the thought that counts.
Just when he was second-guessing his decision when he saw the expensive price tag, he saw
Kagura leading her giant dog on a walk outside the shop. If she ever
Looked this way and saw him, she will know what he was up to. And he'll never hear the end of it.
"Man, are u gonna buy that ring?" Another idiot in love asked eyeing the ring in his hand.
Next thing he knew, he was paying for the ring. Finders keepers. He went home.

Opening and closing his palm around the box in his pocket, he was sweating buckets due to jittery nerves.
Proposing had never been up his alley.
Quivering, his hands reached again inside his pocket. Many thoughts were
Running on his mind. Will she like it? Will she take him? He wanted his proposal to be a
Secret for the meantime. At least if he will be rejected by that uncute woman,
The whole of Edo did not need to know.
Until then, he just had to hold onto the ring longer and rehearse what he had to say. He buried the box under his stash of sweets and quickly dashed to the comfort room. When he got back, Sadaharu was licking his face looking satisfied, food wrappers were strewn on the floor. Kagura and Shinpachi were nowhere in sight. And the box oh no, that very important box that held his fate was tossed away. All that remained was the box with no
Visible ring inside. He was nearly losing his mind when Zura stopped by, saving his sanity. A quick trip to the vet clinic confirmed his worst suspicions.
When they got the
X-ray back, sure enough the ring is in Sadaharu's gut.
"You know what you have to do," the vet told them.
Zura coaxed the giant mutt to poop and when he did, they found the ring. They quickly washed the ring and prayed to the gods that all goes well.

And in the end, it was all worth it. She said yes.

Chapter Text

 There’s a superbug going around making everyone sick and the shogun ordered the people to stay at home and limit mobility. The Yorozuya’s jobs requests had gone down and all they need to do was sit tightly at home. Kagura had been teaching tricks to Sadaharu like throwing bricks at the Shinsengumi when they come patrolling the streets. Gin-san didn’t stop her since he wanted to see them scared shitless.                        

The times they were in quarantine, he had been drinking liquor and consuming glucose at an alarming rate. All his stash had been downed to the last drop. Kagura had like a year-supply of sukonbu so she had no problem. About twice during the lockdown, Otose brought them nutritional food. He was broke like Madao. He sighed, he slid further on his seat covering his face with a JUMP manga while Kagura showed Sadaharu the pictures of the tax robbers he was supposed to play fetch with. “The difference is Sadaharu will do the throwing, the tax robbers will do the running, aru,” Kagura explained followed by an evil laugh. Sounded just about right for those bastards.

He yawned loudly. He had already memorized all the cracks and the cobwebs on the ceiling of their office and in his room from staring at them all day. Somehow, this quarantine had left him to do some personal reflection since there’s not much to do to keep his mind occupied. Their income was on a new record of an all-time low. Even Otose had stopped harassing him for his rent.

“Good boy Sadaharu,” he heard Kagura praise her giant dog. This was followed by a soft thud with Kagura giving the dog belly rubs.

If Shinpachi-kun was here, they would have heard an earful of his yapping already. Like how it is bad to throw bricks to Shinsengumi officers, “Tax robbers!” he and Kagura would chime in, and then there will be an endless tirade of Megane-kun going on about how they should not call people mean names. He looked up at the ceiling once again. The cobwebs wouldn’t be there if the three of them were here. Plus Sadaharu. And that uncute woman. Heh.

He got up and went to his desk. His eyes scanned the items on the table and rested on a picture frame with four of their goofy faces sun-kissed at the beach, Sadaharu nearly blocked half the picture.

He wondered about how Shinpachi-kun and his sister had been doing. It was time to examine some things he had been pushing to the back of his mind for quite some time now. He remembered it started with him going to bed in his sober moments, all is peaceful and quiet. His previous injury on his torso throbbing a dull ache. Despite the skin looking patched up, his body was never the same after a fight. He remembered being weak and bloody, and Otae’s worried face while she frantically applied pressure to his injury to control the bleeding. She’d been by their side through thick and thin.

He put his arm on the back of his head then laid back on his chair, feet on the table. It’s been quite some time since he’s known Otae. There were many nights he had hung around the club she was working at, his money trickling down his throat while she poured him Don Perignon laughing at all the lame jokes he spurted out. Some nights he just walks her home especially when she had a little too much liquor to drink. Sometimes they even had to go somewhere else when the club had already closed. Or just hanging out in each other’s houses grating on each other’s nerves. He chuckled.

Maybe they hang out too much that’s why there were rumors from different people [1] going about him and Otae comforting each other when they were lonely. Even Sofa-kun was throwing shade at him and Otae when he commented that the only things enjoyable in the pitch-dark are sleep and sex while the scene conveniently panned to him, Otae, and a futon. What does How did that brat know anyway?

He was deep in his thoughts when he was jolted awake with the breaking news. He did not notice Kagura had turned on the tv. The shogun had eased up a little of the restrictions imposed.  Starting tomorrow, citizens can now go out for essential activities and for some recreational activities provided that minimum health standards would be observed.

Wow, after weeks of being cooped up in the house, he can finally stretch his muscles. He knew his first stop would be the Kodokan Dojo. Say some things to rile Pachi-kun. He did miss his incessant nagging.

His thoughts went back to the rumors between him and Otae stirring their town. He did not particularly care what anyone thought of him, to be honest. But what about Otae, he knew she heard things too. Should they let them keep talking, or should they put a stop to those rumors?

He’d been to the Shimura dojo a thousand times but tomorrow is different. He was getting all nervous just thinking about it. Because tomorrow, he was going to ask Otae to really give the people something to talk about.  What would she say if he asked her that they’d make those rumors true?

Chapter Text

There he was slumped on the floor of Otae’s house after he narrowly escaped a mob of yakuza, he managed to anger at the pachinko parlor when they found out he was conning them for extra cash. His injuries were not that serious. It was embarrassing to admit but those weren’t even from the angry yakuza out for his blood. In his haste to shake them off, he stumbled on a stupid brick lying on the ground. A nasty bruise on his left eye and a cut on his cheek were from when he kissed the ground. He gingerly touched his cut on the cheek and it stung. He shook his head and ruffled his perm hair. His hang-over from the night before was gone.

His head ached from all that running. The alcohol in his veins could not keep up. He felt dizzy from the sudden strenuous activity. He found himself wandering near the Shimura residence. Good thing it was Otae’s day off that day. How did he know? He might be sort of keeping tabs on her to not get on her bad side during her red days. He found out it was an effective way to prolong his lifespan by about 10 more years. To 10 more years of sugar and booze.

He groaned. His head is spinning. Where is that woman? He could have easily gone to Otose and bothered that baba and Catherine. But he didn’t. Blame it on his feet's muscle memory. He nearly dozed off when he heard rustling sounds.

It was Otae carrying her first aid kit. Her mouth was set in a thin line. He knew that gesture when he was about to hear an earful of her nagging. She had crossed their distance and was already on his side, she was so near he can smell her shampoo. But his focus was on her lips suddenly, he found them very interesting.

She not-so-gently tilted his face to the side so she can better assess his wounds. “Don’t you have anything better to do other than participate in a brawl?” To save face, the story he went with was his encounter with the yakuza and not that stupid brick.

She was relieved to see they were only skin deep. Kagura and Shinpachi would’ve had a field day when they saw how Gin-san looked like a panda right now with that bruise on his eye. She chuckled, but her words died on her throat when she saw how Gin-san was shamelessly staring at her. He was gazing at her with that fondness she only ever saw when he’s with the Yorozuya and when he thought nobody’s looking, and with the intensity usually reserved when he’s out protecting people he cared for with his wooden sword. He looked so serious.

Her heart began pounding hard on her chest. She’d been alone with Gin-san many times in his vulnerable state but she always attributed her racing heartbeat to nerves when she’s patching him up. This time felt different somehow. It’s just Gin-san though. Maybe she should go see a doctor. Her heart was beating fast and loud she feared he could hear it too.

She felt the atmosphere around them shift, so she not so gently dabbed the antiseptic on his face in an attempt to snap him out of his “trance.” She hoped that will break the uncomfortable atmosphere around them. She knew she was pretty and charming, qualities that make her the top girl in the cabaret she was working at. But still, she thought it was strange to see Gin-san practically dazed by her mere countenance when they see each other at their worst or their best on the regular.

“Ouch, I know you have gorilla strength but can’t you at least be gentle with my handsome face,” Gin-san barked at her and moved his face away putting some much-needed distance between them so Tae can regain her sanity. She did not realize she was holding her breath. Thankfully, whatever sexual tension between them had simmered down. His eyes reverted to his usual deadpan look.

She glared at him before she continued treating the wounds on his face. It required yet another invasion of space. She avoided looking at him now, preferring to just haphazardly dab the iodine before hurriedly placing everything on her box. Just when she was about to move away, Gin-san caught her wrist. His instinct was right, her pulse was racing. Could it be that she too…?

When he caught her wrist, her balance was off and she crashed into him. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Gin-san’s face slowly moved in on hers, giving her time to flee for what was coming. She closed her eyes and felt Gin-san’s lips land squarely on her mouth. When he felt no resistance from her, he proceeded to move his lips against hers slowly, her hands moving on their own to wrap them around his neck. The bottles of the first aid kit rolled every which way and were forgotten.

They were gasping for air when they broke the kiss. Tae was leaning too far into Gin-san she was almost straddling his lap. Gin-san was looking at her intently, his pupils dilated making the crimson in his eyes stand out. Had she just activated a serious mode Gin-san? She had no time to process with her logical brain what just happened when he tilted his head and swooped in for another kiss. She was returning as much as he was giving. Hmm, never knew Gin-san was a great teacher. Her fingers weaved through his hair while he cupped her face. He still reeked a bit of alcohol and needed showering, yet his hair felt soft to the touch. She wondered how could it feel so soft between her hands.

Soon, his hands were caressing her arms. Ever the gentleman (this is dubious lol), his hands just stayed on her upper half for now. It will be exciting to peel off her layers one by one in due time. But best to keep the pace slow for now. He did not even know what they are to each other now. Do they need to label their relationship? They had crossed the line, he definitely did.  He could not get enough of her sweetness, his hands started brushing the sides of her waist before he was pushed all too suddenly and unexpectedly. It all happened so fast he hardly had any time to process how his face kissed the floor for the 2^nd time that day.

One moment he was kissing a gorgeous lady, next he was strongly pushed to the floor. He grumpily detached himself from the floor, “What the hell Otae?!”

She was by his side in an instant, “Are you okay? I am sorry Gin-san, I’m just ticklish on that part,” she said as she helped him get up. He tried to place his hand on her waist when she laughingly swatted his hand but she did not push him again.

“Was it good for you as it was for me?” His face was serious.

He looked at her to see her blushing. She turned her face away and mumbled, “It was sweet.” She played with the hem of her clothes, “But I wish you were sober.”

He grabbed her shoulders to force her to look at him. “Woman, you’re driving me crazy [1],” he placed her hand on the left side of his chest “here.” Tae felt the unmistakable pounding of his chest. Just like hers.

“You’re so dumb [1],” she smiled fondly as she was enveloped in his hug. “And you badly need a shower,” her voice was muffled.

“Join me?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively when she looked up and scrunched her nose in disgust.

“Look at me like that any longer and I’ll smack you over the head with a 2x4 [2].”

Chapter Text

He lightly stroked Tae’s neck with the tips of his fingers. There’s no way in hell he’d let her go that easily not after what she did to him getting him all hot and bothered.

“Gin-san,” she managed to croak.

No. He will have to return her favor. The look on her face was priceless. Who’s the boss now, he thought smugly. His fingers started lightly wandering on her neck, just above her collar. He stroked her sensitive skin before planting a kiss on the area. She cannot help but make a small sound and shiver.

“Found it,” Gin-san wickedly smiled before nipping her skin with his teeth. It stung a bit, but there was even more pleasure. He immediately licked the area to soothe it. Then she felt the pressure of his lips on her neck. The good-for-nothing samurai was giving her hickeys. She was mildly turned on annoyed that he easily found and claimed another area of her skin. That and the way he used her words back to her.

She supposed it was his retaliation for her earlier actions.  Moments ago, she found Gin-san’s sweet spot when she nibbled on his earlobe while caressing his nape. She felt the way his body reacted to her touch and heard him stifle a groan. “Found it,” she whispered. And then she let go.  She nearly laughed out loud with the stupefied expression on his face. It felt good to hold power over him. Over his body, just like that. But his gaze on her changed and suddenly she found herself trapped in his arms.

A loud knock and Kagura’s voice interrupted them. “Anego! Gin-chan! Are you finished yet? Do you need me to help aru,” she shouted from the other side of the door. She thought her anego was treating Gin-san’s injuries so they needed a room. Originally, it was the case but Tae cannot remember how it ended like this.

“We’re almost finished, Kagura-chan,” Tae found her voice and answered back. It would be bad if Kagura and Shinpachi walked in on them in a compromising position. She pushed Gin-san but he did not budge.

“No, we are not,” Gin-san said as he still held her and looked her straight in the eyes. Tae panicked and resorted to elbowing him when they heard more voices from the other side of the door.

She immediately jumped away from him and tried to look presentable. Tae quickly gazed at the mirror only to realize it was obvious what they had been up to. Her neck was reddening and Gin-san’s marks were blooming like flowers on her skin. Tae shot Gin-san an irritated look while her hand was clamped on her neck.

“What?” Gin-san asked when he sensed Tae’s murderous glare.

“Shin-chan will see and we’ll both be in trouble,” she yelled- whispered. He seemed not to comprehend the risky situation they were in.

“You enjoyed it though,” he shot back. Why would she try to hide his mouth’s works of art?

Tae mentally faced palmed. Why did he have to have a single functioning brain cell now of all times?

When they emerged from Gin-san’s room with Gin-san nonchalantly poking his nose, Shinpachi immediately noticed the band-aid on his sister’s neck.

“Are you hurt Aneue?” Shinpachi was immediately by Tae’s side inspecting her. She swatted him away.

“Oh no, I just got bitten by a pesky mosquito. It’s no big deal, really!” Tae smiled and when she smiled that way, it meant no further discussions were allowed.

Beneath Gin-san’s calm exterior, his head was in turmoil. I’ve been many things… but a mosquito!? That’s quite a stretch huh!?

He turned his attention to Shinpachi.  “Where’s the pie I told you to make?”

Shinpachi, annoyed that this lazy bum was alone with his aneue in a room, suspected something was going on. “I did not make a pie for three reasons [1].”

“One, because I do not have any pie ingredients. Two, because I don’t actually know how to make a pie.” He paused clearly waiting.

Gin-san asked warily, “And three?”

“Because I am not your bitch [2],” Shinpachi said, clearly pleased with himself.

“Shin-chan,” Tae admonished him.

But in his mind, every small victory counts. He will not just hand over his aneue so easily, especially to the likes of Gin-chan. If anything, Gin-chan must try harder.

Chapter Text

Gintoki rushed to Otose’s snack house in an attempt to shake off an angry mob of yakuza he just encountered a while back at the pachinko parlor. Good thing that just like in the movies, he managed to lose them.

Catherine glared at him, “We are not yet open lazy perm head.”

“What are you doing here at this time, Gintoki?” Otose blew a smoke while her palms were outstretched towards Gin. “Are you gonna pay your overdue rent?”

“Not now, baba!” Gintoki rushed behind the counter to hide. His heartbeat pumped twice as much blood, making him feel dizzy with the combo effect of all the running and adrenaline surge. His head perked up when the doors to the shop opened moments after he just caught his breath. He was mentally preparing himself to fight head-to-head with the mobsters.

Instead, the door revealed a beautiful Otae carrying a wine bottle as a present for Otose. Outside, the street echoed with the bustling rhythm of Edo. Otae proceeded to close the door behind her leaving the chaos outside. Looking at Otae, Gintoki strangely felt an unexpected calm wash over him. And it was not just relief that it was her instead of the mobsters.

Tama, who was quietly cleaning the corner of the shop, noticed the subtle change in Gintoki’s demeanor. Tama filed it under his data: Gintoki-sama’s heartbeat slows down in the presence of someone special. Being with someone you care about can have a calming effect on the body, potentially leading to a lower heart rate. It's a physiological response to feelings of comfort and security.

Chapter Text

Gintoki ran out of a restaurant holding Tae's arm not caring who saw them like this. A few steps away, Tae wrestled her arm out of Gintoki's clutches.

Tae: For the nth time, that wasn't a date! You ruined my lunch with Obiwan!

Gintoki: Well, you ruined my date with Tsukuyo.

Tae: Wow! A date! How so?

She cocked an eyebrow at him while she crossed both her arms over her chest. She was familiar with Gin-san's insane antics but kidnapping her when she hadn't even had a bite of food was too much! He better have good reason to do so or her fist will do the talking.

Gintoki: She was saying she likes me but then my thoughts strayed from what she was saying because I  saw you walk in arm in arm with that Obiwan!

Tae: And what do I have to do with anything between you and Tsukky?

Gintoki: Because you ruined my train of thought! One moment I was thinking nicely of how to turn her down and then you came barging in and ruining my thoughts juts like that.

Tae: How is it my fault that you are such a scatterbrain?!

Gintoki: *No answer. Just looking at Tae intensely*

When Gintoki did not retort with anything, it dawned on her what he meant. But she just had to be sure.

Tae: Wait, are you complaining or are you confessing?

Gintoki: Tsk, uncute woman. What else would it be?

Huffing, he walked ahead of her and let her digest his words. He could not believe how dense Otae can be sometimes. Perhaps he need to spell it out more clearly.