a/n: series of prompts i wrote for gintsu week on tumblr, please enjoy, also please excuse the sappy title
1. Sugar
He's addicted to the old-fashioned sweets of odango topped with sticky syrup, but he can appreciate the modern inventions of the choco-berry parfait. Yoshiwara has always been a haven for indulgences, and they've adapted quickly once the sky has opened their roof. It's not half a coincidence that he can spot a certain blonde walking down on the streets at noon while he's in the middle of finishing such a sugary treat. The two share a quick glance before they break it off, hiding their smiles once their backs are turned.
2. Star Gazing
Shoyou-sensei had taught him and his brothers the patterns of constellations in the sky lest they become lost in the countryside. When Tsukuyo admitted that she'd never truly seen a constellation due to the light pollution festering above Yoshiwara's rooftop, he suggested that she take a drive on his motorcycle. She's hesitant but when she sees his smile fading away, she quickly agrees.
The view from the countryside is beautiful, and he tells her of a merchant warrior he once fought with in the war who is now busy scooping up stars. She drinks in his words and listens to the stories of a samurai who's lived several lives in one.
3. Reliance
Both of them are so proud and would rather die before asking someone for help. Her duty is to protect the woman she loves and to shelter the helpless, for she was blessed with physical strength to fight injustice.
His duty is to protect the inhabitants of Kabuki-chou, a burden that feels less like a chore the longer he lives. Though he insists constantly that it's not her job to take care of everyone she sees, he finds it impossible to follow his own advice.
4. Scars
She runs a hand across his back - a gesture allowed only by those granted special permission. He trusts her, even though they've had their moments where he's ended up in a lot of pain. There is a history of fights in them; sword nicks and stab wounds, old scars... Rather than being ugly, she sees that they reveal a past full of wars he's survived. She's fascinated when her fingers dip down to one that tells of his encounter with Jiraia.
Her body, too, has a history of its own. They are both warriors, condemned to a life full of ugly violence. But they can only move ahead, forgetting their past momentarily as they focus on the present.
5. Pain
He says "Not yet," and she understands perfectly well what he means. The conversation continues, but Tsukuyo doesn't hear anything that she can't predict coming a mile away. He knows his time has come to an end, that the Shiroyasha is dead and can never reappear, but he still has loose ends. He means Takasugi, of course, and apparently even the Old Jouishishi to deal with. But she's familiar with this tale. It's like she's the Other Woman and he's every guy that's ever claimed he's going to leave his wife, just not yet. Soon, baby, soon. Tsukuyo swore to herself long ago that she'd never let a man play her for a fool, and she won't. Not even if that man is Sakata Gintoki.
So she leaves him, mostly because this was how it was supposed to be in the first place; after all, the Courtesan of Death isn't supposed to settle for a man. Her duty is to protect her domain. And her heart firmly rests with Yoshiwara.
6. Gestures
If he is busy on a foreign planet, wrecking havoc on a new government and fighting aliens more powerful than Hosen, she pretends that he is nonexistent and that things are going swimmingly fine back on Earth. Still, she cannot resist buying the latest issue of Shonen Jump every week just in case he complains about missing chapters in One Park or Gintaman when he returns to Kabuki-chou.
7. Fragrance
When he comes back to Yoshiwara with more scars and an apology, she blows strawberry-flavored smoke in the opposite direction.
"You said you'd be happy blowing poison smoke in my face once in a while," he says, his eyes lowered. She waits for him before he admits, "I'd hope you'd be able to do more than that."
She lowers her kiseru, her lashes fluttering under the pink-colored fumes. "I never asked for your permission," she replies, and seals her lips over his.