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The aftermath of the big FINAL is surprisingly calm.
Toushirou had thought that the cleanup after the whole Terminal battle against Utsuro and the Seibouist would be chaotic. In his experience, the days and weeks following any kind of major disaster for Edo had always been busy, verging on hectic. Between the outright fear and organizational power vacuum that had taken over after the Shogun's death and trying to hold the planet together with tape and the sheer force of will of the people as they powered on through the grief, uncertainty and exhaustion after the Liberation Army war, Toushirou wasn't used to having down time after a disaster. But thanks to those past experiences, the people of Edo are barely fazed with the damage and have plenty of resources and far better efficiency compared to two years ago, which allow them all better breathing room.
They've all really grown these past couple of years, huh?
"Welcome, Hijikata-san," the old granny of his favourite eatery greets him with a smile. "Finally off duty I see."
Toushirou dips his head in a bow, smiling back as he takes his usual seat. "A little earlier than I thought though."
"A vacation then?" Granny asks as she putters around behind the counter.
"A day off is practically a vacation for me," he says with a chuckle, tapping the excess ash of his cigarette on the ashtray by his elbow. He then rests his chin on a palm, shrugging. "I'd like to make the best of it."
Granny chuckles, placing a glass of water for him. "Any plans?"
"Not sure."
"Oh, why's that?"
"I think I've mentioned this before," he muses, lips curving into a wry smile. "That it's difficult to find things to do when you're single."
A familiar weight suddenly presses against him as an arm wraps around his shoulders.
"Then how about changing that?" a grinning mouth murmurs against his ear.
Toushirou starts, head turning to find dead-fish eyes staring back at him. "Y-Yorozuya!?"
"My, my," Granny titters, a welcoming smile on her wizened face in seeing another one of her regulars. "Gin-san, it's good to see you."
Yorozuya nods, taking the seat beside him and rests his arms on the table with a lazy smile. "Sorry that I haven't dropped by lately, granny. Been pretty busy."
Normally, he'd scoff at those impossible words coming from the perm of all people but he's seen the Yorozuya quartet running around the city in the restoration effort so he knows that Yorozuya's telling the truth instead of a dull lie. It's a little odd, not seeing Yorozuya wasting away gambling or drinking in broad daylight but Toushirou won't deny that the change is a relief to see. Considering how long they've know each other since the manga began, he's grown aware that it'd been Yorozuya's coping mechanism after all he's been through so to see those shadows dissipating from that lazy gaze puts quite a bit of his worries to rest.
Granny laughs, already setting out their bowls. "The usual, dearies?"
"Please."
"Yup."
As Granny goes around to prepare their meals, he and Yorozuya sit in comfortable silence.
"So, whatcha say?" Elbow on the table and resting the side of his face on a palm, Yorozuya reaches out to brush his knuckles against Toushirou's cheek with a faint smile. "Wanna change our statuses from single to taken?"
Despite the flush on his face, Toushirou doesn't hesitate to lean against the touch and narrows his eyes in confusion. "You're unexpectedly forward about this."
"I have taken to heart on some valuable lessons over the years," Yorozuya quips, shrugging as his hand slides down to rest on Toushirou's own. "And two years is a long time to put a pending relationship in limbo."
Toushirou turns his hand, letting their fingers intertwine. "Relationship?"
"Would you prefer if it stayed just the one night?" Yorozuya questions, head tilted and eyes taking on a worried if pained light
"No," the rebuttal is instant and firm, eyes setting into a glare even as his chest clenches at Yorozuya's expression. "You'd think I would've let you touch me, let alone embrace me if it was just lust or a passing fancy?"
Toushirou has never regretted surrendering himself completely to Yorozuya the night before the moron left Edo two years ago. He'd be damned if he'd ever let Yorozuya think that it was just sex.
It's never been about that, not between them.
Yorozuya's face lightens as the moron laughs. "Your prude ass woulda force me to commit seppuku right on the spot if that'd been the case."
"Exactly." He stares down at the table, letting the muted conversation from other patrons wash over him. Taking a deep breath, he catches Yorozuya's gaze and holds it. "I told ya when we had our drink a few weeks ago that I'm in love with you."
Yorozuya flushes but doesn't look away, nodding. "And I told ya that I'm in love with you back."
"So," he draws the word out, giving Yorozuya's hand an inquiring squeeze. "Is this you asking me out on a date? On my rare day off?"
Yorozuya blinks before broad shoulders relax and the perm smiles as he brings up their interlocked hands to press a kiss to Toushirou's knuckles, red eyes alight. "Yeah, it is."
In the past, he wouldn't have considered a relationship, period. It'd been like that with Mitsuba and for a long while, he thought the same with Yorozuya. But if there's a lesson to be learned in the time he's met the two greatest loves of his life, is that just because he loves someone, doesn't mean he has the right to make decisions for them. He knows now that it's okay to be selfish, to have both.
And as Yorozuya watches him with reserved anticipation, Toushirou knows now that it's more than okay to finally take that leap of faith.
"Then," he says after a beat, tone warm and with barely concealed excitement. "It's a date."
It's rare to see Yorozuya light up about something other than sweets and Jump but somehow, Toushirou's lucky enough to see the sugarfreak with a radiant grin as he lets out a joyful whoop. "Hell yeah!"
When their meals slide over to them, they say their thanks and grace before breaking into their lunch with shoulders pressed warmly together as they take bites in between their usual bickering. They laugh, argue which of their dishes is superior (his Hijikata special, obviously) and trade insults with barely contained smiles, staying close throughout the whole meal and it feels both charged and completely relaxed— the same as it has always been yet somehow more.
"Seriously, don't you know that since times long past, rice goes great with sweets?" Yorozuya drawls out with a smirk, chopsticks pointed at him. "Like anpan and cakes."
Toushirou scoffs, arms folded with a mirroring smirk. "Don't you know that a sophisticated palate requires contrasting flavours to bring out a dish's distinctions? Like adding salt or tartness brings out the original flavour. In other words, a ton of mayonnaise."
"Don't compare my Uji-Gintoki don to your dog food." Yorozuya brings up a morsel of that unholy sweet rice, smug. "This is a historic dish created by the Sandwich Shogun who was too lazy to eat dinner and dessert separately."
"Oh yeah?" he brings up a morsel of his own meal with a bitten back smile. "Well, mine was created by General Barbarosa, who grew tired of eating rice and mayo separately and created this divine dish."
"Alright then!" Yorozuya leans close, bringing his chopsticks up against Toushirou's mouth. "Shall we compare which tastes better: my Uji-Gintoki don or your Dog Food special?"
Following his cue, Toushirou does the same for Yorozuya. "Bring it on!"
Chopsticks are shoved into opposite mouths and with a swallow, their faces contort in disgust.
"Gross!"
Over the counter, Granny bursts out laughing and immediately after, he and Yorozuya join her. Seeing the other samurai at ease after all that's happened has Toushirou feeling just a little bolder and he closes in to kiss the corner of Yorozuya's mouth and licks a dollop of mayo from the other's lips.
Laughter cutting off, Yorozuya turns to stare at him with wide red eyes before he grins and dives in to kiss Toushirou full on the mouth.
He only has a moment to savour the kiss before they're forced to break away with a gag when the mix taste of their dishes caught up to them.
"At least drink your water before you kiss me, dumbass!"
"Me!? It's your fault that ya look so damn kissable, asshole!"
"Hah!?"
After paying for the meal, they leave the eatery with full stomachs and promises to come back on a later date, waving goodbye to Granny before stepping out onto the bustling road of Edo. Fidgeting, he wonders what they should do now and tries to remember how a date should go. He doubts anything he once did with Matsudaira's daughter would apply to him and Yorozu—
Wait, is he allowed to finally call the perm by his name now?
His eyes flick over to Yoro— Gintoki and while he spots the usual dead-fish expression on the samurai's face, the man seems to be just as nervous and fidgety as he is. Gintoki's scratching the back of his head in an absent-minded way, like he's simply trying to give his hand something to do while he tries to work out whatever that's inside that twisted brain of his.
He's not alone in this.
That reminder settles the butterflies in his stomach and Toushirou reaches out, taking Gintoki's hand into his own and meeting the perm halfway just as Gintoki did moments ago.
"C'mon, sugarfreak," he says over a smile that's more confident than he really feels. "We've still got the whole day to our date."
Gintoki blinks before he smiles back, sliding their hands together until their fingers intertwine. "Damn right we do, mayora."
What follows is a series of shenanigans that makes him feel an odd sense of deja vu and exasperated fondness.
They go to a cinema first, bickering about what movie they wanna watch until they agree on My Neighbour Pedoro IV before sniping at each other's popcorn toppings (mayo for him and a village's worth of caramel for Gintoki). Midway of the trailer screenings though, some asshat makes a fuss for the movie to start already and just as he's about to arrest the idiot for disturbing the peace or join the brawl started by a mob of angry movie audience with Gintoki, the asshat that started the whole fuss is suddenly thrown into the movie screen by Hedoro, who scares everyone into submission and ends the chaos in the theater. Terrified as he is (not that he'd admit it aloud), Toushirou's grateful that they can finally watch the movie in peace whilst comfortably tucked against Gintoki's side when the perm not so subtly used the yawn and arm around shoulders move on him.
He's not charmed by the cheesy move, okay!?
(He is)
"Holy shit, your face looks like a puffer fish!" Gintoki later howls with laughter across from him while they wait for their meal at the cinema diner, sliding the tissue container to him.
Toushirou blows his nose into a tissue, balls it up and lobs it at the perm's head with a pout. "It was a brilliant movie, dammit! And you're no better! Ya got snot all over your face!"
"It ain't my fault the movie's a tearjerker!"
Considering the chaos in the cinema before, they agree to wash the day's grime away at a public bath once their bellies are full. Oddly enough (or not, considering it's them after all), they somehow find themselves trying to one up each other in the sauna.
"Hey, enough already," he mutters with a smirk, sweating like a pig and wipes his chin. "You'll collapse in dehydration if you stay any longer. Unlike me though, since I'm totally fine."
Gintoki scoffs beside him, arms crossed and back straight. "I'm not that weak. Besides, your smirk's twitching like crazy. You need a drink of water, doncha? Unlike me, since I'm totally fine."
"No, I'm more okay than you are," he grumbles.
Red eyes narrow at him in a glare. "No, my okay is better than your okay."
They've been at it for quite awhile now, leaving them the only occupants in the room and Toushirou swears it's like deja vu. Dammit, why is that?
"That's what you say, but I know you're struggling." Toushirou smirks, chin resting on a palm. "I can see right through you."
Gintoki clicks his tongue. "Don't be ridiculous. I love saunas! I love the heat!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! In fact—" Without warning, Gintoki's demonour changes from petulant and childish into something dangerous and seductive. Before Toushirou can react, he's suddenly tugged right onto Gintoki's lap as familiar hands hold him by the hips while Gintoki smirks suggestively up at him. "Should we raise the temperature in here? I like it hot, you see."
Cheeks heating up that has nothing to do with the steam, Toushirou bonks the perm on the head with a huff. "We're not havin' sex in a sauna, permhead."
"Aw, not interested in seeing paradise?" Gintoki whines, staring up at him with a petulant frown.
Chuckling, he gestures between their sweat covered bodies and the place they're in. "Not like this, I ain't."
"Point. And since you're a romantic..." Gintoki trails off, voice teasing.
Toushirou shrugs with a shy blush, balancing his hands on broad shoulders. "Got a problem with that?"
"Nope." Gintoki softens, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a private smile. "I'd rather we take our time anyway."
Heart thumping in happiness, he gives Gintoki a brief peck before jerking his head to the door. "Race ya?"
"You're on!"
After they've cleaned, bathed and relaxed on those massage chairs -whilst arguing who won the race (which Toushirou swears up and down that he did)- they walk out of the public bath, hand in hand under the moonlight of Edo's night sky.
"What happens now?" he asks, voice barely above a whisper as to not disturb the comfortable silence.
"Dunno, but I'd rather not go to a love hotel though." Gintoki peers at him. "My place, maybe? Kagura's been spending a lot of time with her old man and crazy brother lately so we got the place to ourselves."
His eye twitches. "That's not what I meant, pervert!"
"But you were thinking about it~!"
"I'm-! Don't change the subject!"
Gintoki grins, devilish. "I'm not."
In a whirlwind of motion, he's bracketed against the wall outside of the Odd Job's apartment.
Wait, when the hell did they get here!?
"Yoro— mmph!"
It's familiar, the press of Gintoki's lips against his own and he sighs softly, content as Gintoki guides them inside to then backs him up against the wall by the genkan. His head falls back, gasping for air, and Gintoki presses his lips against the exposed column of his neck and the maddening drumming of his pulse. Toushirou's hands dive into Gintoki's curls, fingers carding and tugging as he holds Gintoki close while teeth graze his skin and Toushirou moans, his entire body responding to the touch.
Gintoki sighs and buries his face in Toushirou's neck, whispering a touch helplessly. "I was bein' honest. I've got no fuckin' clue what I'm doing but I love you and I want this with you."
"Like I'm any better?" Toushirou murmurs once he catches his breath, holding Gintoki close and rocking him a little. "I'm just an idiot who's in love with you and wants to be with you."
Playful red eyes peer at him, anticipation clear in that lazy gaze. "And spend all your vacations with me?"
"If I must," Toushirou grouses out, just as playful before he softens. "Neither of us are alone, y'know."
"...true."
"So...?"
Toushirou can feel Gintoki taking a deep breath, watching the other as Gintoki pulls back slightly until they can clearly see each other's faces again. There's a determined light to his eyes and it has Toushirou believing that even if neither of them has a clue what they're doing, they'll find a way through it somehow.
"Let's figure it out together," Gintoki decides, closing in to whisper against his mouth with a smile, a sweet twist of lips. "You in, Toushirou?"
While the future's uncertain, at least Toushirou knows that he won't be spending his day offs or go on vacations single anymore.
"I'm in, Gintoki," he murmurs, smiling back and reels his lover back in. "I'm in."
They'll both make sure of that.