Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a normal day in the Edo city, birds chirping early morning and all. The loudest bird that morning that woke everyone up, though, was Kagura.

"SADAHARU!!!" She wept at the top of her lungs, scavenging around the tiny upstairs loft, stomping desperately all over.

The comic book laying on Gintoki's face comically went flying up then back down, bonking Gintoki right on the head as he shot up dazed. "What could ya possibly be yelling about this early in the morning?..." He sighed, disappointed as ever. Shinpachi on the other hand walked into the room, rubbing his tired eyes open --- right before he was knocked back to the ground by a frantic Kagura.

"Sadaharu! I can't find him anywhere!!!" She cried out even more frustrated at the lack of concern from the two half-asleep guys. Shinpachi rubbed the part of his head he bumped while falling, still tired as ever, "Are you sure he isn't outside or something?-"

"NO! He was here earlier before we went to bed but now he's gone! What if something happened to him?!?" Kagura counter attacked.

"Sorichi? So what?~. I'm sure he was tired of hearing you blabber off and went out for a little walk. He'll be back later." Gintoki replied rolling his eyes annoyed, receiving a huge punch on his head afterwards. "Youch..." He welped as a small bump slowly appearing --- tears formed in his eyes.

"It's Sadaharu, not Sorichi! And he can't go on walks alone! What if something like last time happened to him? What if he gets kidnapped by another animal guru like that prince Kaka guy?!" She defended, yelling at a high volume that everybody and their mothers in Edo could hear.

Loud banging came from the floor below them, "Keep it down up there! Some people are trying to sleep, y'know!" Otose banged with the end of a broom, attracting the attention of timid and worried Shinpachi.

"H-hey! Kagura... If you don't stop yelling, or you'll end up scaring Sadaharu away even more!" Shinpachi lied, hoping it would keep her from being any louder than she currently was - which worked for the most part since she began to quiver quietly, tears and snot running down her cheeks. Gintoki sighed, scratching the back of his head and he leaned towards her, a napkin in-between the folds of his fingers.

"Wipe away the snot. It's gross." He muttered as Kagura loudly blew her nose, still sniffling non-stop. Gintoki and Shinpachi shared a quick glance with one another, Shinpachi giving a nod of approval, then Gin sighed, gave a slight nod and began his hardest reassuring pat on Kagura's back.

The last time Kagura thought she almost lost Sadaharu for sure would have been an unpleasant experience for Kagura had Gintoki not been there for the rescue. Now, however, Gin was conflicted. On one hand he didn't want the big fluffy angry ball who unleashed anger by chomping on his head --- but on the other, he didn't want Kagura to go through another interval of grief from the loss of a beloved pet that she had gotten too attached to, too quickly.

"We'll find him no matter what..." Gintoki stated, completely unenthusiastically, picking his nose nonchalantly. This perked the ears of Shinpachi and Kagura. Shinpachi made a shocked look of betrayal.

'This is not how I thought we mutually agreed to comfort her would be!' He thought as he shot daggers to oblivious Gintoki.

Kagura immediately lightened up and tearfully began jumping up and down, joyfully. Shinpachi looked dead inside. Completely out of things to say, his mouth gaped open and his eyebrows furrowed, "...And how do you suppose we do that?"

And that's how the Odd Jobs Gin fam got themselves into that trouble in the first place --- earlier that morning.

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Shinpachi and Gintoki both sighed, their sighing linking as one big groan. All of a sudden, Shinpachi angrily throws punches at Gintoki, who half-heartedly murmur out cries.

"Ow... Ow... Hey what's your deal?" Gin whined, the "Missing Dog" flyers illustrating Sadaharu's picture flying away behind him. He'd tiredly stamped a bunch of flyers on walls and surfaces --- including people.

"Because of your blabbering, were out here in 100 degrees early this morning! For all we know Sadaharu could be in a whole different planet by now!" He irately replied, still throwing punches and jabs.

Gintoki continued walking endlessly, still half asleep as he let out a sigh, "Well, yeah... I mean I didn't like him at all, that Hoshino but still... Kagura isn't going to give up so easily, y'know?"

"ITS SADAHARU!!!" Kagura yelled from 20 feet away, searching recklessly for the big white fluff ball. She'd pick up a trash bin, emptying it --- convinced Sadaharu was in it. Shinpachi, completely defeated, dejectedly demanded, "WHY WOULD SADAHARU BE IN THERE? HE CANT EVEN FIT!"

Kagura and Shinpachi went further and further, angrily bickering like siblings as Gintoki slowly dragged behind. His tired eyes became sparkly and alive as he glanced over at store stack of books display, a new comic book laying right on the front.

"A comic book!" He contentedly beamed, levitating towards it --- about to grab it before another pair of hands got to it first. Gintoki's face fell back into a tired disappointed face. The kid with he comic book gleefully skipped away as Gintoki glared, gritting his teeth, 'What a shitty day today...'.

He scratched he back of his head, his eyes shut closed and his eyebrows twitching angrily. As he turned he bumped into somebody who had been standing behind him. Flustered, he opened his eyes, about to begin apologizing --- "Sorr- Oh. It's you again." He muttered bluntly.

A vein throbbed in Hijikata's forehead, "What do you mean, 'you again', you insolent dead fish eyed flop?!?". Gintoki waved his hands dismissively before resuming his job of hanging flyers, "Yeah, yeah. I'm kinda busy now, so bye." Gintoki replied. He stopped in his tracks completely, almost as if he forgot something. He swiftly turned around, once again facing Hijikata and pulled out a missing flyer, waving it in front of Hijikata before finally slapping it on his forehead.

"If you find Sadaharu, let me know, mkay?~" He urged before continuing on his way. Hijikata gritted his teeth and clenched fists, crumbling the flyer into a ball and hurling it back at the back of Gintoki's head.

"Like hell I will!" He fumed, turning around and lighting a cigarette angrily. As he strolled down the path, he noticed more and more of the flyers of missing Sadaharu which only field his anger even more.

"Those damn Odd Jobs. He muttered angrily.

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Gintoki trudged along the embarkment, posting flyers of Sadaharu but decided to go home and rest for a bit. Before he even reached the stairs of their house, was met with loud crying, banging accompanied by startled cries. Anxious and concerned, he ran up the stairs and flung the sliding door open, "What's wrong? Are you guys alright?!"

There, Kagura was throwing a tantrum on the floor, rolling and thrashing as tears streamed down her face. Shinpachi was right next to her, attempting to calm her down but every now and then would get hit by a frantic Kagura, letting out yelps and cries.

"Gintoki! Finally you're back!" Shinpachi cried out, leaping away from Kagura and rushing next to Gin.

Looking utterly defeated, Gintoki sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "...What's happening?..."

"SADAHARU IS GONE FOR GOOD! WE LOOKED ALL OVER EDO CITY AND FOUND NOTHING! NOT EVEN A SINGLE CLUE ABOUT HIM!" Kagura wailed, her voice filled with despair.

Although Gintoki knew how much Kagura cared for Sadaharu, he never knew it would get this badly to this extent of a full meltdown. Feeling hopeless, he glanced over to Shinpachi, hoping for some insight but Shinpachi was as lost at what to do as Gin was.

It was silent for a long while (except for Kagura's loud sobbing) as Gintoki pondered. The best he could muster up was, "Listen up." He shouted, gripping Kagura's tear-stained cheeks, leaning in closer towards her before continuing his tirade, "We are Odd Jobs Gin. We don't back down that easily. Our whole mission revolves around us doing odd jobs for our clients, no matter what --- and finding Sadaharu? That's nothing but a job for us. An easy job, at that." He fiercely stated.

It was quiet from then out. Actually quiet. Shinpachi's eyes glimmered with admiration, his warm gaze fixed on Gintoki. 'Thats the samurai spirit I remember!' He thought, grinning and giggling like a schoolgirl. Gintoki remained his stoic demeanor.

Kagura's eyes widened in shock and wiped all her tears away, nodding vigoursly.

"You're right, Gin!" She exclaimed, and the three of them shared a smile.. Kagura then took the hands that Gintoki had used to cup her cheeks and blew her nose into them --- Gintoki freezing and twitching silently.

"Well then, Odd Jobs Gin! Let's get going!" Kagura exclaimed with enthusiasm, as she and Shinpachi dashed out the door and down the stairs. Gintoki still frozen, crouched on the floor, his hands filled with snot.

"EEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!- DAMN IT KAGURA!"

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Gintoki strolled through the city, still sulking from earlier. Since that speech he had, he couldn't seem to find Kagura or Shinpachi and was still at a loss. He walked past the earlier convenience store and huffed angrily, still remembering the lost comic book he lost to that little annoying kid. His eyes twitched as he walked even faster, closing his eyes. 'I really need a drink.' He muttered to himself.

OFF TO OTOSE'S BAR!

To be continued...

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Chapter Text

Gintoki dashed gleefully towards Izakaya's bar. He had yet to see Shinpachi and Kagura that night but rather than being worried, he turned to the solution to all of his current problems: drinking.

With excitement, he slid the door open and began to frantically looked left and right for an open seat but that night was a busy one – for some reason unbeknownst to Gintoki. Unable to find an open seat, he almost gave up until he finally noticed an empty seat. He proudly strutted towards it, slouching down and letting out a huff as he took a seat. Up until now, he had only seen the back of someone's head but the moment he sat, their eyes met — Hijikata?!?

"What the?!?!-" They both exclaimed in disbelief, quickly followed by, "The hell are ya doing here?!"

Both rolled their eyes, huffed, and turned away from eachother, annoyed at the inconvenience. Hijikata began to frantically turn around and search for another seat, which only served to annoy Gintoki even more.

"Hey I dont wanna sit next to you either! Don't have to try and make me feel guilty!" He groaned, exaggerating his disgust.

"It's cuz you smell like cavities and sweets, you mop headed fool!" Hijikata groaned out exaggerating.

"Oh yeah?!? Well at least I dont get bossed around by a crazy gorilla stalker in that dull job of yours!"

"At least I have a job, you free loader!" Hijikata retorted fiercfully.

Their squabble was cut short by an annoyed Otose who stood there with a paper and pen in her hand, blinking obnoxiously, "Are you two rascals done bickering like a couple? Seriously... you're going to scare away all my customers!"

"A couple?!?!" Hijikata choked as Gintoki bursted out laughing, tears forming in his eyes.

"Enough," Otose sighed, her eyebrows twitching at the immaturity, "So, what'll it be, dorks?"

"I'll have a-" Hijikata spoke before being abruptly cut off.

"I'll have 10 parfaits, with a sweet cocktail." Gintoki interjected, smugly glancing at a fuming Hijikata.

Otose nodded as she scribbled down Gintoki's order, turning to Hijikata and nodding, as if to signal him to continue on. "And you?"

Hijikata blushed angrily, feeling embarrassed. He cleared his throat and furrowed his eyebrows, replying with, "Just a large Ramen with extra mayonnaise packets. Also... 2 glasses of sake."

"Coming right up!"

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While waiting for the foods and drinks to arrive, they began a bit of bantering small talk.

"So... why're you here?" Hijikata asked, avoiding eye contact.

Gintoki, a bit taken aback from the suddenness question, smirked smugly at Hijkata's nervousness and put his head in his hands, sighing into them, "Long story..."

Confused, Hijikata was about to reply with a normal response before being interrupted once again by an annoying Gintoki — "But since you insisted in knowing why, I'll tell you the long story. So basically, it all started this morning when Badahari wasn't in his usual spot, sleeping........ blah blah..... blah..." Gin continued on yapping away as Hijikata slowly began to regret ever even asking. He made quick glances at Otose, whom seemed to be taking forever to get their orders.

Despite this, hearing how irritated and worried the situation made Gintoki made something... twist inside of Hijikata... like he had an amazing plan that he could use to his advantage. Like a light bulb was switching in his head. He continued on hearing Gintoki vent about how tough his whole day has been, patting his back ever once in a while to give him fake sympathy to then use against him later on... with his spectacular plan.

His plan, you ask? Get the free loader to do something business for him... for free! In exchange for the whereabouts of Sadaharu! He still hadn't quite decided what work he'd get Gintoki to do... maybe some Shensegumai extra work so he was free more often. Who wouldve known how much the tables have turned later in the chapters...

"So yeah... that's how I ended up here... WITH YOU! THIS MADE MY MOOD EVEN WORSE!" Gintoki sobbed dramatically.

"SHUT UP!" Hijikata yelled out, abruptly punching the top of his head.
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After being served the two of them continued indulging their excitement, pretending the other wasnt there. They exchanged clances occasionally, huffing and rolling their eyes when eye contact was made, disgusted and appalled by the other. Gintoki would down the parfaits as if it were a drink, annoying Hijikata with every clink of the glass. Hijikata would annoy Gintoki with all his slurping and excessive splurting of mayonnaise in his bowl. At some point, he even directly splurged the mayonnaise bottle into his own mouth, causing Gintoki to twitch his eyes angrily.

"Get a grip, will ya?" He whined like an angry child.

When it came to the drinks, Gintoki slowly caressed his cocktail, drinking it slowly and savoring it, while Hijikata downed all his sake like a complete madman.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours... soon the both of them were too intoxicated to even properly function. They been to slouch and tirelessly continue ordering and eating away.

Gintoki frowned, pushing away Hijkata's elbow from his side of the table. "Quit hogging the table with your elbow! If you got rid of that stupid sword you never use, you wouldn't be taking to much space!" He slurred out drunkingly

"Shut up mop head! Your afro's the one taking all the space!" Hijikata fired back, his face immediately turning bright red.

Thy continued at it, throwing jabs and insults, and pointing fingers. The whole bar sat back and enjoyed the free entertainment, some even mimicking them jokingly. A drunk man suddenly passed by as Gintoki and Hijikata were pointing fingers and leaning towards eachother. The drunk guy accidently bumping into their table caused the two of them to stumble forward, their face which was centimeters apart earlier was now right next to eachother, in an abrupt kiss!

The kiss lasted 5 seconds, no more, no less. Once they realized what was happening, both immediately fell backwards, coughing and gagging. Hijikata was the first to get fired up and start throwing insults, Gintoki got offended and tried explaining himself.

"You... you!- What the hell were you thinking kissing me like that, you pervert?!?" Hijikata cried.

"The hell?!- Me?! That was all you, dude!" Gintoki insisted.

Everyone in the bar saw it happen, but when Gintoki and Hijikata turned around to face them, they quickly continued on with their drinking and eating — making the pair feel even more humiliated.

"Ugh... your mouth reeks of cigarettes and mayonnaise..." Gintoki stated brashly, wiping as much saliva away, recieving punches from Hijikata as a protest.

"Shutttt upppp..." Hijikata groaned out, emphasizing the last bits while crossing his arms. Although the kiss had ended, the pair still had this awkwardness lingering in the air that was not there before. Before, it was a simple enemie rivalry in the air, but now... the stakes were high. The drunkenness in Hijikata had immediately worn out and was replaced with embarrassment. Gintoki on the other hand was still drunk as hell.

'How did things turn out this way... Seriously. Kagura... Shinpachi... that damn Harusadi!!!!' He though to himself while slowly dozing off and falling asleep with his head rested on the table. Hijikata immediately turned red again at the suddenness of Gintoki's actions. Annoyed and flustered, he turned to get up and leave, paying only his bill before Otose stopped him.

"Ahem..." she cleared her throat, crossing her arms while tapping her feet, "I think you're forgetting something..."

Startled and embarrassed, Hijikata turned to where Otose was staring at and immediately became defensive. "The hell?!?- That's none of my business! Go wake him up!"

"My customers are leaving because of that damn drunk leech. Take him with ya, will you?" She berated, making Hijikata feel slightly bad for disturbing her business. He finally gave in and sighed, "Fine..." He replied before turning back towards the careless Gintoki who scored loudly.

He lifted Gintoki by the arm, huffing as he heaved the heavy Gintoki to lean more towards him. With one arm around his waist, and the other holding his arm around his neck, Hijikata walked out of Izakaya's bar and up the stairs towards the loft.

This was gonna be a long night...

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Inside Gintoki's house was dark and quiet and messy from all the ruckus from earlier. Still no sign of Shinpachi or Kagura... or Sadaharu. He threw Gintoki onto the couch but staggered slightly due to the heaviness. Gintoki laid peacefully in an uncomfortable position, half of his body sluggishly dropping from the side as Hijikata lifted it to place horizontally on the couch.

'Damn it... You must be this heavy because of all thr sweets you eat all day, you freeloading bastard...' He though angrily as he tiredly flopped onto him. Being this close to him before never made Hijikata feel this... weird inside. He got up close to Gintoki's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and... cute— WHAT?!?

Hijikata immediately cursed himself for thinking those thoughts and felt like punching sleeping Gintoki but stopped himself. He stayed on top of Gintoki like that a while, processing everything thay happened and hoping that the next day, everything would go back to normal.

"How annoying... how can you act like nothing happened... why am I always the one always flustered?" He muttered to himself, resulting in Gintoki to slightly shift and grumble out a snore.

Hijikata let out a chuckle, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red as he scratched the bridge of his nose. Just at that moment — the door slid open!

"SADAHARU?!" Kagura called out, anticipating a response from the adorable big fur ball. When the lights flickered on, she and Shinpachi were taken aback to see no other than Hijikata... perched on top of Gin-Chan!

"AHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHH!"

The sudden screams startled Gintoki awake as he sprung up, colliding into the Hijikata who was already sitting on top of him. Just as Hijikata was about to stumble off the couch, Gin caught him, and held him close instinctively. With their faces mere inches away from eachother again, their eyes would widen and their faces would turn red. Gintoki's mouth would twitched nervously as he struggled to think of something to say.

"....What are you doing.... in my house?"

"Yeah, what's he doing here?!?!? And what were you two up to just now?!" Kagura yelled, pointing fingers frantically towards them both. Shinpachi's mouth gaped open in shock as he took off his glasses to comedic tone.

What a mess.....

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After the misunderstandings were 'cleared', Hijikata could barely keep it together anymore at the constant teasing by Kagura and Shinpachi.

"Okay well you two... try not to do anything weird here anymore. Me and my baby Sadaharu are here, yknow?!" Kagura whined, rolling her eyes.

"I thought i already told you it was a misunderstanding! Jeez!" Hijikata fired angrily, yelling at Kagura as Shinpachi laughed, making him yell at him too.

Gintoki scratched the back of his head frustrated, "Jeez, I just can't catch a break, can I? I guess that's the cons of being the main character..."

"Gintoki, can you be serious right now?!?"

He'd shrug and sigh, shooing Kagura and Shinpachi away, "Go away, you two. The adults are talking right now."

Kagura protested, frustrated at the change of the main issue at stake — missing Sadaharu. "What about Sadaharu, Gin?!?" She cried out, tears beginning to swell as Gintoki let out an exhausted sigh. He was still very much drunk and at a loss at what to do. All he could do to keep Kagura happy was to... lie again.

"I have a feeling he'll be back soon. Just gimme a sec, I have to talk to... that guy again. We won't give up on Sadaharu! Not yet!"

"THAT GUY?!? ITS HIJIKATA TO YOU." Hijikata yelled from behind the door.

Shinpachi and Kagura turned to one another, their hope being restored once again just like a car being refilled with gas. They nodded enthusiastically towards each other and skipped off into the sunset as the sun began to set.

"Its morning already? Gosh..." Gintoki said, emotionless. His eyes had eye bags beneath them and he began to grow white hairs over night!... Although they weren't very noticeable with the rest of his silver hairs camouflaging them.

"What? What did ya wanna talk to me about?" Hijikata asked annoyed. He skillfully pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and was in the action of lighting it before his hand was gripped by a gloomy Gintoki. Startled, he'd let go of his cigarette, dropping it the ground.

"Eh?-" He muttered.

"HIJIKATA!!! PLEASE HELP ME! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! I CANT GO ANOTHER DAY WITHOUT PEACE AND QUIET, I CANT!" Gintoki begged, snot and tears running down his face.

Shocked, Hijkata's eyes would twitch as his eyebrows furrowed in cumonfusion, "You're... asking me... for help?..." He asked seriously before bursting out in laughter, making Gintoki feel even more humiliated.

"Fine then! I didn't even need your help anyway..." He muttered to himself, letting go of Hijkata's cold hands and sulking away off to the table, retrieving the missing posters of Sadaharu. "Back to work I suppose..." He stated brashly.

Flustered and slightly finding the situation amusing, Hijikata stopped Gintoki.

"Fine. I'll help." He replied.

Gintoki was amused to hear this and immediately jumped up and down, before composing himself once again and clearing his throat, nonchalantly replying with "Ah, is that so? Cool I guess."

His coldness immediately frustrated Hijikata as he hit Gintoki's head. "A little more thanks would be appreciated, yknow?!?"

"Ow, ow! Fine, thank you... Hijikata."

Suddenly the room turned hot and it was hard to breath... Hijkata's face turned red as he squinted and looked away. Gintoki had said his name plenty of time before this but for some reason — this one time made him feel all warm and soft inside. Hearing Gin call his name in a sincere way made him feel like a teenage girl again — and not to mention the previous kiss that was shared between the two of them. Gintoki also probably felt the sudden shift in mood since he quickly changed the topic.

"Ahem... so... since you guys are the Shensegumai and deal with hunting down a lot of criminals... I was thinking you could possible hunt down Gadaharu... not as a criminal yknow- just as a missing person!"

Hijikata nodded. 'This should be easy enoigh' he thought to himself. He paused, rethinking his previous thoughts of having Gintoki do something in return for Sadaharu and suddenly — a new.. and more better idea came into his mind!

"I'll do it... only if you give something in return." Hijikata croaked out nervously, avoiding eye contact.

Dumbfounded, Gintoki scratched the back of his tilted head. 'What could I possibly give in return? Money's already tight as it is! Gosh...' He thought dramatically to himself, making sure Hijikata saw his dramatic facial expressions

"I know, I know... you dont have anything to give me since you're just a damn freeloader"

"HEY THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS THINKING!"

"So... is it a deal?" Hijikata inquired, his confidence slightly wavering.

"...Hmph. I suppose it is." Gintoki replied enthusiastically, extending his hand out for a hand shake, glad that Sadaharu will be safe and sound at home soon enough and peace will be restored in the house.

A cunning grin spread across Hijkata's face, his expression growing rather dark as he heaved a sigh of excitement.

Deal's on, Gin... No turning back now!

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Meanwhile, somewhere off in the off skirts if the Edo city, a big fluffy ball wobbles around, hungry and sad... SADAHARU?!?... So close yet so far...

Nearby passerby walk past Sadaharu, confused but not too concerned.

"Honey, look at that thing! Is that a cloud?" A young lady asked, pointing over at Sadaharu.

The young man would simply glance and shrug, "... Meh! What's for dinner, hon?"

And so lonely Sadaharu continues on his journey back home. 'What the heck was I thinking running away from home?...' Is what he'd probably be thinking to himself.

What'll happen next?!? Who knows! Tune in for the next chapter this Thursday! Follow Sadaharu's journey around Edo City! 🐾

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Chapter Text

Breaking his promise with Kagura, Gintoki continued sleeping in, exhausted and still dead inside. He dreamed about…. Hijikata?!?

In this ‘dream’... more like a nightmare… Hijikata had putten a dog collar on him — both in a metaphoric way and a literal way. He flaunted a contract in front of his face menacingly, using it as a way to control Gintoki.

Gintoki yelped while jumping up again, gasping for air as sweat drops fell from his forehead. “The hell
was that?!?” He asked out loud — still confuzzled. He got up from the couch and reached to the table for some leftover strawberry milk but instead of a strawberry milk sitting on the table…. A contract was there! The same contract Hijikata had been flaunting in his face, demeaningly. As if he’d just seen a ghost, Gintoki slowly reached out his hand to closely inspect the contract. There it was, his fingerprint and signature on the contract;

‘Be my personalized houseboy in exchange for a safe Sadaharu’ was scribbled at the top with Hijikata’s neat writing. Bit by bit, the previous night had
slowly begun to sink in for Gintoki and he realized just what he agreed to with Hijikata while still drunk.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Gintoki cried out while kneeling with his hands bent, the contract crumbled in his fists.

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Gintoki stormed into the Shinsegumai angrily despite being stopped by the guards on duty outside that late morning. He pushed through the doors and other Shinsegumai people angrily, despite being up against 7 other men, he defeated them and ended up in front of the well respected Hijikata who sat at the end of the table, sipping his coffee as if he’d been expecting Gintoki.
“I’ve been expecting you.” He nonchalantly spoke.

“Cut the crap! There's no way in hell I’ll agree to ever be your little minion!” Gintoki yelled, pointing fingers. Usually it was Hijikata who always gets flustered and frustrated easily but this time, Hijikata was as chill as an icecube. His eerie calmness creeped Gintoki out — on top of the fact that out of all of the possible things to agree on in exchange for help for looking for Sadaharu, he chose to make Gintoki a mere butler?!?! Gintoki was too full of
pride to ever give up so easily but he knew that he had little to no choice. That is why Hijikata was so laid back. HE ALREADY WON!

“You don’t seem to have any choice, do you?” Hijikata stated calmly while slurping his coffee, dismissing Gintoki’s glares stabbing at him.

“You do want to find Sadaharu, don’t you?” On one hand, finding Sadaharu would be the solution to this whole situation as Kagura wouldn’t freak out 24/7 anymore and then Shinpachi wouldn’t have to keep switching back and forth between holding a grudge and admiring his role model. Everything and everyone in the Odd Job’s Gin house would go back to normal — even if that annoying sadistic big white furball was there, too. But on the other hand, Gintoki wasn’t able to admit defeat so easily — especially not for Hijikata. Closely inspecting Gintoki’s confliction, Hijikata couldn’t help but feel proud of himself.

'Fine...' Gintoki thought to himself. 'If im going to be his stupid little kitten, I'll make sure im the worst kitten possible.' And that's how Gintoki decided to make Hijikata regret ever thinking he could control Gintoki's wild personality.

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Gintoki sulked at home all day, frustrated with life and the sacrifices he had to make for that stupid bit fur ball who'd always bite him. As he laid on the couch, his comic book resting open on his chest, Kagura and Shinpachi arrived once again.

"Seriously?!? The hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be helping us find Sadaharu!" Shinpachi yelled angrily. Zooming towards the couch, punching and annoying an already annoyed Gintoki.

Finally having enough, Gintoki suddenly exploded, "Are you two kidding me! Do you know just how much i sacrificed for your sakes?!? My manly pride... its all over because of that stupid Hijikata and stupid Jarichi!"

"Its Sadaharu, not Jarichi!"

"Whatever!"

Just then, loud banging could be heard from the door. A devastated Kagura pensively trotted towards it and slid it open — "What'dya want? Not interested right now."

"Were the Shinsegumai. Were here to take witness statements from the family of missing Sadaharu. Is it alright if we come in?" Okita asked. Hearing this sudden news, Gintoki sprung from the couch and peered out the door, trying to see who else was at the door. Another silhouette stood behind Okita — it was Hijikata! Gin unconsioucly smiled at the good news, grateful that at least Hijikata had kept his word.

Confused, Shinpachi and Kagura shared glances before shrugging and letting them in.

As the two new guests settled in, Hijikata couldn't help but make a rude remark, resulting in an angry response — which nevertheless ended with another bickering match between the two.

"What a mess here. Does nobody clean around here?" Hijikata asked crudely.

Gintoki’s glared as his eyebrows twitched, gritting his teeth as he replied with, "Oh yeah cuz you're so much better, right? Be my guest and clean it all up."

The two glared at eachother even after the bickering had ended and the 3 of them gave their statements about the day Sadaharu went missing.

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Kagura:

"Wellllllll.... it was a normal day. The night before, I had put Sadaharu to sleep after feeding him some delicious pickled seaweed and giving him a bath. I remember just how cute he was, wagging his little tail. He was so hungry, he bit my whole arm — haha! Well anyways, I woke up the next day and he wasn't there! He usually always comes to me in the morning and squishes me while im under my blanket making it hard for me to breathe! He's so affectionate!.... B-but all of a sudden! He wasn'tthere anymore! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH SADAHARU! PLEASE FIND HIM!"

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Shinpachi:

"I didn't even realize he was gone until Kagura randomly started yelling so early in the morning. I guess the night before he seemed a little off... he had stolen a few items around the house and slept next to a well packed hobo-bag. I didn't think much about it... wait — was he trying to run away?!? I didn't see it that way but what if Sadaharu was trying to go on his own path of honor? KAGURA, I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU!"

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Gintoki:

"No clue. All I remember is that morning was going particularly good as I was able to sleep in a bit more since there were no loud footsteps that shook the whole house. If it weren't for Kagura, I wouldn't have hitten a new record for how long I slept in in this past month. How did he look like? I guess he had like... blue fur or something? I don't remember. Please do find Gohiharu soon for the sake of my sanity."

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"Hmmm..." Okita thought long and hard, his eyebrows furrowing as he jotted down notes on his notepad. "Thi isn't going to be easy but I'll need the full cooperation of you three, alright? We'll bring Sadaharu back to you in no time."

Shinpachi and Kagura stared in awe and admiration as they cheered and clapped once Okita finished his speech. "Yaaaah! We'll have Sadaharu back in no time! Let's go, lets go, lets go!" Kagura and Shinpachi cheered as they ran out the sliding door, leaving Hijikata, Gintoki, and Okita alone back.

As Okita headed towards the door, he realized Hijikata had been a little to quiet than usual and that he wasn't following behind. He slowly turned around and stared at the two who sat next to eachother on the couch. Gintoki's expression growing rather cold and worried. Hijikata’s filled with pleasure.

"Hijikata?" Okita asked.

"You go on without me. I'm going to have a little word with Gin here." Hijikata quickly shooed away, leaving Okita with zero questions as he happily strolled away. Gintoki's eyes pleaded for Okita not to leave but Okita was to oblivious to take a hint.

"Now it's just me and you..." Hijikata stated.

"Uh-huh."

"........."

"... Hiji-?" Gintoki was cut short as Hijikata immediately surprised Gintoki with a list of items slapped onto his face.

Bursting into laughter, tears fell from Hijikata’s face as Gintoki's became dumbfounded.

"That's payback for last time! HAHAHAHAHAA" Hijikata laughed as Gintoki turned angry and flustered, ripping the paper from his face and crumbling it into a ball and then heading it straight into Hijikata’s open mouth, causing him to choke on it.

"That's what you get, you mayonnaise bastard!"

After everything had calmed down a bit, Hijikata left with no more paper, grabbed Gintoki's hand and scribbled down a list of items for Gintoki to buy. The list included: Eggs, 10 bottles of mayonnaise, noodles, sake, coffee beans, and cigarettes.

Gintoki read the list included disbelief. He navigated from the list on his hand to the grinning Hijikata.

"Go be a good errand boy and buy me those." He managed to croak out while giggling, laying back into the couch with his arms sprouted across it.

"LIKE HELL I WILL! I DONT DO ERRANDS FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

"HEY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?" Hijikata shouted back, caught off guard by Gintoki's disobedience before clearing his throat and smiling once again, "What was Kagura's dogs name again? Sadaharu? Oh yeah, him! Do you want me to call off the search team?"

"... Fine... I'll go get it." Gintoki gave in, getting up from the couch, his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed. He walked away, towards the door, and went off to the store to buy the items on the list. Of course, he wasn't going to be so kind to let Hijikata off so easily. 'Like hell I'd actually buy shit for that lazy, corrupted Shinsegumai guy. And yet he calls me the freeloader?!?' He thought angrily, walking with his fists clenched.

On his way to the store, he noticed a big white fur ball. At first he didn't pay it any mind and continued on walking but immediately stopped in his tracks, slowly turning towards it. Although he originally forgot about Sadaharu and what he even looked like, vivid memories of the horrifying creature engulfing his head into his mouth popped up into his head and he loudly pointed to the big white fur ball.

"YOU! SADAHARU?!?" He shouted while running towards it, jumping and holding on to it as he jumped on top. Suddenly he fell to the ground, face first. There was no Sadaharu. There was nothing there. The endless night of no sleep had finally caught up to Gin.

"... I just really cant catch a break.." Gintoki mumbled while holding his bleeding nose, his dead fish eyes showing zero amount of emotion behind them. Just then, at the most comedic moment — it had started to form clouds directly above Gintoki, rain pour down onto him, frizzing his mop head and turning it back into its original fluffy afro shape.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

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Somewhere out there, with Sadaharu....

An old man casually cruised down the country side of the Edo city. He used a crutch and bent over while walking around. A very thirsty Sadaharu walked in the opposite direction of him, catching the attention of the half blind old man.

"Hey you..."

Sadaharu stopped, his ears perking as he tilted his head a bit to the side.

"Grandson? When did you come back to visit me?" The old man asked as he slowly walked towards the confused Sadaharu. Too tired to try and fight or eat the old fragile man, Sadaharu laid as the old man pet him warmly.

"Ohh my grandson has gotten so skinny lately. Has my daughter not been feeding you properly? My dear... not good. Let's get you home again, little one."

And just like that, the delinquent Sadaharu had been adopted by a confused but kindhearted lonely old man! How sweet! Stay tuned for more!

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(„• ֊ •„)
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Chapter Text

Its been less than an hour since Gin had actually started working under Hijikata’s wing and he already hated every last second of it. He was disrupted early in the morning to get.... mayonnaise... for no other than Hijikata since he realized he had run out early that morning for breakfast.

He grogily walked into the store so early that morning, and lurked around the candy area of it before Hijikata’s angry face popped up in his mind....

"GET MY DAMN MAYONNAISE BEFORE MY BREAKFEAST GORS COLD YOU DIABETIC MOP HEAD!"

He picked his nose and swooshing the thought bubble away, sighing reluctantly and turning towards the condiments section, picking out the smallest, most tiniest bottle of mayonnaise as a protest to Hijikata.

Walking back home, bag with a tiny mayonnaise bottle, Gintoki found himself slightly worried about what Hijikata might say to him the second he walked into his home. Those thoughts were quickly replaced with angry ones as the mere thought of being overworked about what that lowly mayonnaise obsessed Hijikata made Gintoki frustrated.

Gintoki froze. 'Ah shit!!! I can't take this anymore!' He thought out loud to himself and he dropped the bag with the tiny mayonnaise bottle and ran back to the store, tears and snot coming out of his face. He sprinted back to the store and picked out the biggest crates of mayonnaise, struggling to carry them back to his house, where Hijikata awaited him with breakfast that GINTOKI had made FOR HIJIKATA!!!! Which was a first.

As he arrived home with the gallons of mayonnaise, Hijikata stood there at the entrance, tapping his feet angrily with a cigarette lit in his mouth.

"About damn time. What took you so damn long?!? I was starving!" Hijikata groaned, pointing angrily at a panting Gintoki.

"Damn it, do you know how heavy this damn crate is?!? You try carrying it around!" Gintoki protested.

"Fine! I will" Hijikata grunted before easily picking the crate of mayonnaise up like it was a toy. He carried it within his arms, carefully taking it to the kitchen counter and placing it down, unboxing it as Gin stood in place, appalled. As one last jab to his heart, Hijikata muttered, "Make me another omelet. This one's too cold."

Gin punched the air, grunting angrily without saying a word as to not get scolded again. He heaved a sigh and slumped his head and shoulders down in defeat.

"...Okay..." He replied solemnly.

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After the meal, Hijikata laid on the couch with a toothpick in his mouth, his eyes relaxed. Gintoki worked tirelessly, cleaning the dishes, his eyes filled with despair. Suddenly he stopped and sprung up, running towards the couch where Hijikata laid peacefully. He pointed and began to shout, before pausing timidly at the relaxed Hijikata who was now glaring daggers at him.

"Have something to say, Gintoki?" He asked coldly.

"Y-yeah! You!--- Why're you laying in someone else's home like its your own?!? Why am I doing all this for.... you?!?"

There was a pause. Silence in the room. Hijikata got up slowly, coming face-to-face with Gintoki, who was already cowardly faltering backwards. Hijikata took his toothpick out of his mouth, throwing it at Gintoki's feet, before putting his hands in his pocket, pulling out a crumbled piece of paper, and unfolding it. He stared at the picture before smirking and flaunting it in front of Gintoki's face. It was Sadaharu's missing paper!

"Are you sure?" Hijikata asked crudely.

Flustered and agitated, Gintoki's jaw fell before he closed his eyes, accepting fate. 'Its not forever... Sadaharu will be back soon. He must!' He thought before re-opening his eyes and staring lifelessly back at Hijikata, his dead fish eyes showing zero amount of emotion.

"I apologize for my outburst!!!" He burst out frantically as Hijikata continued staring angrily at him, punching and kicking him.

Hijikata groaned as he checked the time, realizing it was time for work again. He heaved before turning slowly towards at the bruised crouching Gintoki on the ground , rubbing the swollen bump on his head. He rubbed his chin and thought for a second, "I'll be back." He said before calmly walking out of the loft, leaving Gintoki astounded.

A while back he came back as Gintoki had relaxed on the couch, fast asleep. His eyebrows twitched as he punched Gintoki in the same swollen area, waking him up abruptly, the quarreling beginning again.

"I got you this." Hijikata confessed as the cigarette in his mouth bobbed up and down. He handed a bag to Gintoki, avoiding eye contact and Gintoki's eyebrows his eyebrows, confused. He reluctantly took the bag from Hijikata, wondering if a bomb was in it.

"A THANK YOU WOULD BE NICE!" Hijikata cried angrily.

"Whatever." Gintoki replied as he opened the bag up, confused at what he was seeing. He pulled out a neatly folded outfit. The Shensegumai uniform?!?

"Oh hell no! I'm not wearing this—" He began to protest before being beat again on the head. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he pouted and began to undress, quickly putting the uniform on as Hijikata stared intensely.

After the uniform was fully on, he stood awkwardly straining the back of his head as Hijikata burst out laughing.

"YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS IN THAT!" Hijikata choked while laughing. Gintoki couldn't even get mad or disagree. All he could do was blush and furrow his eyebrows angrily, upset at the taunting.

Hijikata stopped laughing and stared closer at Gintoki, the ends of his lips curling into a sly smile.

"You know?..." Hijikata began talking in a sincere tone, "You should really start acting like a proper officer. It's no good wearing that uniform if you can't be as cool and coordinated as the Shensegumai."

"SHAT UP!" Gintoki yelled back in retaliation, finally losing his last straw. As he was about to lash out, Hijikata pulled him closer to himself, resulting in Gintoki to slightly shift backwards in shock. Now, they were both just inches apart from eachother. Hijikata’s hands felt around Gintoki's body and uniform, fixing any unkempt or wrinkly parts. He fixed the collar area of Gintoki's uniform, his hands in place even after fixing it, leaving an awkward tense moment between the two.

"Hmm... I guess you don't look too bad in it." Hijikata confessed without a care in the world, taking Gintoki by surprise. Given no other explanation Gintoki was left astounded and puzzled and also very much angry at how belittled that sentence made him feel.

Hijikata turned and headed towards the door, signaling for Gintoki to follow close behind him. "You cant only dress up like a little girl. To be a real Shensegumai, you must be trained the by best of the best — me."

Gintoki's eyes twitched angrily as he bit back his tongue. Whatever he was going to say definitely would've caused him more harm than good... but his pride was already waring down.

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At the Shensegumai HQ, Gintoki was a real popular attraction. Everyone gathered round to see the new member — Gintoki Sakata. Most laughed. Others made silly comments. Lots of taunting occurred which made Gintoki feel even more helpless.

"Hey, since you're just a noobie, you serve the tea for us!" Someone suggested, and from there many others agreed and nodded. And so, like that... Gintoki was serving tea to everyone. But of course, his horrible stance and movements in the unusually tight uniform made him drip tea everywhere — which caused even more humiliation.

"Oh stop it you guys, leave him alone. He's only a newbie." Okita snarkily spoke. More whispers and giggles.

"What do we even do with him?"

"Why'd Hijikata bring... him?"

"Cough, cough, lazy mop head, cough, cough — who said that?!?"

Gintoki's face started to boil with anger as he twitched nervously, not knowing if he could contain his boiling anger anymore. He knew, however, that lashing out could possibly mean losing the chance of finding Sadaharu. Speaking of Sadaharu, where was Kagura and Shinpachi? It's been such a long time since he's seen his 'children' and he couldn't help but wonder if they were doing alright. Hijikata stared intensely at Gintoki who seemed to be pondering off in his own mind.

"Hm... Well since we are currently looking hard for Sadaharu and we have no guard dog to properly guard the Shinsegumai as we tirelessly continue our search, why dont we get a new guard dog? One that closely resembles Sadaharu..." Okita suggested. At first nobody understood what he was getting at before he had to spell it out.

"Gintoki. I mean Gintoki." He clarified annoyed that nobody got what he was putting down.

Gintoki and Hijikata spat out their tea but for two different reasons.

"THAT'S AN AMAZING IDEA!" Hijikata enthusiastically yelled.

"THAT'S A HORRIBLE IDEA!" Gintoki sobbed.

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Gintoki sat outside with a leash on his neck, sitting in a crouching stance, wearing dog ears and a white sweater. He had finally defended himself from this horrible humiliation, cursing and biting as they all tried putting the leash on him but he unfortunately lost, crouching there like a complete loser.

Kagura skipped past, looking everywhere longingly for her long lost dearest pet dog, Sadaharu. As she walked past, she locked eyes with Gintoki — pause. She lifted her hand and pointed while furrowing her eyebrows, confused.

"That's not Sadaharu! He's uglier than the real Sadaharu..." She observed and judged as Gintoki glared, barking back at her as she skipped away.

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While still at his duty post outside, substituting as Sadaharu, Hijikata walks out and observes the tired Gintoki.

"It's lunch. You're the one getting lunch for all of us today, errand boy." Hijikata smiled.

Gintoki groaned tiredly, "Whats next, you want me to lick your boots clean?

Hijikata deadpans, thinking hardly — "Not a bad idea."

This cued for Gintoki to protest against the humiliation as he began to bite at Hijikata like a dog, shocking and flustering Hijikata as he tried kicking him off.

"WEIRDO! GET OFF ME!!!" Hijikata scrumpt, falling backwards as Gintoki was on top of him, acting like a rabid dog.

After finally getting Gintoki under control, Hijikata decided to accompany Gintoki in retrieving their lunch for them. Hijikata walked a few paces ahead, hands shoved deep in his pockets, cigarette dangling from his lips.
Behind him, Gintoki staggered under the weight of three bulging grocery bags, wobbling like an old man with arthritis.

“Oi, Vice-Chief,” Gintoki groaned, the bags cutting into his forearms. “This isn’t a search party for Sadaharu. This is unpaid child labor. I didn’t sign up to be your housewife.”

“You’re not even qualified for that,” Hijikata said flatly, not bothering to glance back. He blew out smoke. “Housewives don’t whine this much.”

“Listen here, mayonnaise freak—”

“Pet.” Hijikata’s voice sharpened, just enough for Gintoki to falter. “Use the right word.”

Gintoki’s jaw dropped. “You’ve gotta be kidding me—”

A group of townsfolk passed by, whispering. ‘Vice-Chief Hijikata really is a strict master.’ ‘That silver-haired guy must be his underling…’

Gintoki’s cheeks burned. Hijikata smirked without turning around. The bastard was enjoying this.

He fell to the ground of the Shensegumai HQ, exhausted at the amount of work he was being forced to do today. This was the most productive he's been his whole life. He laid, glad it was finally over. He expected them to be kind enough to actually offer him some food after all his diligent work but he assumed wrong — he was left scrapes of their leftovers.

Tears swelled in his eyes as he sniffled tearfully, "SHOULDNT YOU GUYS BE GOING OUT TO LOOK FOR SADAHARU?!? I'M HERE DOING ALL THIS FOR YOUR COOPERATION!"

"Patience, Gintoki. We can't gl out searching on an empty stomach." Okita protested, gambling down his lunch in front of a hungry Gintoki.

Hijikata smiled at Gintoki's angry face. He decided to finally stand up for Gintoki. After all, he did make a promise.

"Guys, get going already. Enough laying around on your butts, go find Sadaharu!" Hijikata demanded, forcing everyone to run out of the HQ and get back to work. It was now only Gintoki and Hijikata in the HQ.

"As for you... you'll be accompanying me on my patrol." Hijikata stated, unboxing his lunch. "Hand me some mayonnaise, will you, dog?"

Gintoki twitched as he grabbed the humongous bottle of mayonnaise, walking towards where Hijikata was seated. He suddenly 'tripped' on nothing, squirting the mayonnaise all over Hijikata. Gintoki smiled, his pride returning.

"Oops." He squirmed.

"OOPS?!? THATS ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!? LOOK AT THE MESS YOU'VE MADE!!!" Hijikata fired angrily at him, dripping in mayonnaise head to toe.

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After a change of clothes and a shower, the two walked out for their patrol time that evening.

"Light my cigarette, you buffoon. And do it right this time." Hijikata croaked, still frustrated from earlier.

Hijikata lit the cigarette, fidgeting awkwardly with the lighter, making Hijikata flinch as the lighter almost lit his hair on fire.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, MOP HEAD?!?" He whined like a little kid.

"No, Hijikata. I'm lighting your cigarette." He replied solemnly.

Hijikata sighed before taking a puff of his cigarette. He stopped and tagged his finger at Gintoki like he was a dog, scolding him. "Its Vice-Chief Hijikata to you."

"... Hijikata."

"Vice-Chief Hijikata!"

"..... V.... Vi- Hijikata."

"GOSH YOU'RE UNBEARABLE."

They argued loudly out on the streets, catching the attention and stares of many pedestrians outside.

As they walked down the street, Gintoki picked his nose, rolling his eyes annoyed, "Is this all you do? Walk around acting all high and mighty?" Gintoki asked crudely, lingering behind a few steps from Hijikata, expecting a few punches thrown at him.

Instead, Hijikata chuckled while walking, his hands still in his pockets. "Says the lazy mop head. You should learn a thing or two from me. I'll be glad to teach you the ways of the Shensegumai."

Gintoki scratched the back of his head, blinking a few times as he stared dead panned at Hijikata, shrugging.

"Whatever."

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The darkness of the light were illuminated by the bright lanterns glowing a yellow hue on the two.

Hijikata stands confidently with his sword by his side, facing Gintoki who contrasted his own stance. Gintoki stood with his hands in his pocket and his shoulders slouched, still tired from the long day. He yawns, tears swelling in his eyes.

"Man, when's it going to be bed time? I'm exhausted." He whined.

"How can a warrior talk about sleeping when we haven't even started any real work?"

"What have we been doing the whole day? That was some real drooling work."

"That was nothing compared to what we'll be doing now. Get ready, you lazy old mop head!" Hijiata scolded angrily.

Gintoki sighed. They weren't getting anywhere. Was Sadaharu still even in the same universe as them?!?

The patrol dragged on. Every so often, Hijikata corrected him:

“Stand straighter.”

“Eyes up.”

“Quit dragging your feet. You sound like an old tanuki begging for scraps.”

Gin groaned, over-exaggerating his posture into a stiff march. He threw his hand up in a mock salute and goose-stepped beside Hijikata. “Jawohl, Vice-Chief! Ready to sacrifice my life for mayonnaise and cigarettes, sir!”

“Cut it out.” Hijikata grabbed his wrist mid-step, yanking him back before he tripped on the curb.

For a moment, they were close. Too close. Gin froze, feeling the roughness of Hijikata’s grip, the heat of his body despite the night chill. Lantern light flickered, catching the sharp edge of Hijikata’s jaw, the glint of his eyes.

“You really can’t follow the simplest orders, can you?” Hijikata muttered. His tone wasn’t angry—just… low. Quiet.

Gin swallowed, heart lurching annoyingly hard. He jerked his hand free. “Oi, oi, don’t touch me like that. People’ll get the wrong idea.”

Hijikata smirked, cigarette glowing as he took a drag. “What idea? That you finally learned to listen?”

Gin spun away, ears red. The hell’s wrong with him? The hell’s wrong with me?!

Hijikata smirked, pulling out a cigarette and pressing it against his own mouth. He gestured towards it, "Light it for me, will you, pet?"

Gintoki furrowed his eyebrows, annoyed. He skillfully pulled out a lighter, flicked it open, and pointed it towards the cigarette, the fire illuminating their close faces in the darkness.

"What? You've become so lazy that now you rely on me to light it?" He muttered annoyed.

"Enough with the commentary. Just light it." Hijikata groaned.

Gintoki grumbled, dragged himself up, and leaned close — closer than he meant to — until the cigarette brushed against his lips as he tried to balance Hijikata’s lighter. For a heartbeat, their faces were inches apart.

The flame sparked. The cigarette lit. Hijikata exhaled, smoke curling between them as his eyes finally lifted.

“You’re useful when you keep your mouth shut.”

Gintoki’s ears burned. He shoved the lighter back at him and spun around, muttering: “The hell kind of freak enjoys making another man light his smokes…”

Hijikata’s smirk said it all.

The awkwardness of the situation died out as Gintoki turned around and began walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Home." Gintoki replied without turning.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" He questioned, more threatening than a sincere question — causing Gintoki to pause and sigh, exaggerating his frustration.

"GOSH! When can I go home and sleep?!?" He whined.

"You'll be staying at the HQ... with me." Hijikata confessed, shocking Gintoki as his jaw dropped. Their faces turned red with embarrassment as the mere thought of them sleeping together popped in their minds.

"WHY SHOULD I?!?-" But it was too late. The background shifted back to the Shinsegumai HQ barracks. Gintoki stood confused as Hijikata sat on his futon. "Well? What're you waiting for?"

"... Where's my futon?"

"Your futon? Why on earth would you have a futon? Just sleep on the floor, you mop head. Your big fluffy hair is a good enough pillow." Hijikata nonchalantly replied.

"There's no way I'm sleeping on the floor! Scooch over!" He yelled as he dropped down to the futon, fighting over space in it with Hijikata.

"Gosh, why am I even sleeping here with you. What're you, my babysitter? Should I tuck you into bed, to, Hijikata?" Gintoki whines deadpanly. Hijikata glares at him angrily.

"I'm being nice sharing my futon with you. Don't take it for granted. Dog's sleep outside, yknow?" Hijikata states coldly.

The two settle down in the futon, Gintoki taking up most of the space. Hijikata jabs at his back, resulting in more banters and angry yelps.

"Move! Get off my side!" Hijikata whines, resulting in Gintoki to grunt angrily, shoving himself onto Hijikata even more.

"I don't want to be sleeping on your stinky futon in the first place, dipshit!"

How tiring and long this night shared between them was going to be!

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So sorry for not posting more regularly than I promised! Because emof this, I've decided to make 2 drafts per week so I can get ready to post them on Saturday's or Sunday's! I didn't expect chemistry to be this tuff this week... 💔😕 whyd it suddenly go from easy to hard in the span of 2 weeks. I promise I'll post more! Writing Gintama fanfics are the highlights of my week :D thank you for reading