A/N: I had planned to include this in 'If I Could Say What I Want To Say' at first, and I will, but since it's going to take a long time to get there I will now add this as a 'missing piece' instead.

This is how I see them once they all get together!

Shoutout to skyblxssom for all the family feels she has been feeding this fandom with! We all appreciate it so much and this family deserves happiness only!

. . .


Karaoke Family Night... More Like Every Man For Himself


"Finally." Shinpachi practically sighed in awe, staring up at the big, bold sign hanging above their heads.

Because they were finally in Shinpachi's Heaven on Earth. Or as normal humans, and also aliens, referred to:

The karaoke.

For the past week the Yorozuya trio (Shinpachi) had put in enough elbow grease to scrape together the needed money (still Shinpachi) to spend an amazing night having fun at the karaoke (yes, this was definitely all Shinpachi).

The boy's enthusiasm, however, was not exactly shared by the other three who had come along.

Hijikata was, too, staring at the sign. He was mostly indifferent to the situation, but there was almost a sense of uncertainty inside him that he couldn't quite place where it was coming from.

Gintoki and Kagura instead exchanged a look that from an outside perspective could pass off as dreadful.

Shinpachi turned with almost scarily bright glasse- er, eyes to the three. "What are we waiting for standing here? All those songs are not going to sing themselves!" He exclaimed with barely contained energy, practically disappearing inside.

After a moment that lasted only a few seconds instead of an eternity, like two of the three people left in the group hoped, they followed behind the giddy boy, even if Kagura and Gintoki's steps were decidedly slower.

"Is this what you do for fun?" Hijikata asked Gintoki once they found themselves inside one of the private rooms.

Shinpachi was already messing with the microphone and karaoke player, giving the impression of having been here many times before whilst Kagura had plopped down one of the sofas, phone already in hand, most probably calling the reception to bring in more snacks. And again, it also seemed like she had done this many times before.

Gintoki took a seat beside Hijikata on the couch, who had sat next to Kagura, and they were all staring at the boy with various degrees of wariness in their expressions.

"I wish this was actually fun…" Gintoki muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Hijikata was about to open his mouth again, but his next question was interrupted by Shinpachi.

"I. Am. Ready." The boy with glasses announced in the microphone, punctuating each word with a low and slightly too serious voice for what one would normally use before singing a song. It almost sounded as if he was going to war.

Hijikata's eyebrows furrowed in apparent confusion, Gintoki and Kagura gulped nervously. For a moment silence reigned in the room, creating a sudden atmosphere of apprehension.

The Vice-Commander was almost startled when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and turning around he was even more so in finding two big and blue eyes looking at him with… sadness? Pity? Sympathy? He had no idea what that look meant.

"Mayora. Sweet, little, innocent mayora…" Kagura began in a quiet, almost trembling voice. "It was nice meeting you."

Hijikata's confusion was slowly but surely growing. "…What?"

Gintoki rested a hand on his other shoulder, looking at him in the same way. "Thanks for all the parfaits you bought me-"

"You mean the ones you forced me to buy you?"

"-I'll never forget that. It was nice… spending time with you."

Hijikata frowned at them (even if there was a light dust of colour on his cheeks at Gintoki's words, but details, right?)

Just when he was about to ask what these two were talking about they all distinctly heard Shinpachi clear his throat into the microphone.

Hijikata didn't know why, but he had the inkling of a bad feeling creeping up his spine as he watched Gintoki and Kagura's faces slowly morphing into an expression that in the future he would deem as… terrified.

And then Shinpachi opened his mouth.

And it all fell down.

What came out of the boy's mouth when he tried, yes, tried, to sing the first syllable of the song's lyrics was not his voice. It was… it was… well, no one knew what it was.

But it sure was scary.

"YOUR DADDY IS *BEEEEEP*!"

"Holy shit!" Hijikata immediately raised his hands to his ears to protect himself. "W-What is this?!"

"This…" Gintoki yelled above the undefined croaking, his hands also firmly pressed to his ears because he was kidding himself into thinking his eardrums could be saved from the inhuman sound. "…is Shinpachi singing!"

Only then did Hijikata realize… he had forgotten.

He had forgotten the impact that Shinpachi's singing voice had on human and non-human ears.

He thought back to when the Yorozuya had asked him to come along on their 'fun' night out. How could he have overlooked such a pivotal detail in Gintoki's plan?


"Hijikata-San?" Shinpachi began in a cheerful, if not slightly hesitant, voice. "Why don't you join us at the karaoke next week?"

Hijikata had actually been surprised by that request.

Admittedly, it wasn't rare for them to all gather together. But most of their outings could be described as: being in the wrong place at the right time. (sometimes it even involved breaking a few laws and hearing Matsudaira's complaints, or having to file more paperwork the next day). So being asked so upfront was… a little unexpected.

"Yes!" Kagura immediately agreed, tugging on his jacket and jumping up and down in place as if she couldn't control her energy while also doing her best impression of puppy eyes, that in that moment Hijikata thought resembled Gintoki's ones quite a bit when he asked him for a favor. "Please! Please Toshi! Come with us!"

Hijikata had not been aware of Kagura's almost desperate glint in her eyes.

"Yeah, you definitely should. We're gonna have fun." Gintoki added with a grin, even going as far as settling his hands on his shoulders and giving him a light massage. "You always work so hard. It's nice to simply let go and have some fun for once, you know?"

Hijikata was momentarily distracted by Gintoki's closeness and by his warm, strong hands gently working his shoulders and his ability to think rationally. Or think at all.

He also missed the pleading tinge to Gintoki's voice.

Shinpachi and Kagura were looking at him as if his decision to come or not could be compared to Santa Clause bringing them gifts on Christmas and he was starting to feel nervous under such scrutiny.

Thinking about it, Hijikata had no reason to say no.

After all, since he and Gintoki had gotten together- and truth be told even before then- Hijikata had started getting along with the two troublemakers, probably because the brat he had to look after was often in cahoots with the two, and also with their guardian.

And with how much time Gintoki was spending at the barracks with his men (Sougo, Kondo, Yamazaki and a few other rascals at the Shinsengumi), Hijikata thought that he could and that he should try and spend some more time with them.

After all they were, as Gintoki said during his softer moments when there were only Hijikata's ears to hear his sincere words…

Family.

And family was still what Hijikata cherished the most to this day.

In the end he didn't find it difficult to make the decision, even though he tried to pretend there was not a warm feeling occupying the left side of his chest at the moment.

"Sure." He mumbled quietly in the end, looking to the side.

And a second later he found himself on the ground thanks to two teenagers and a grown man who were used to call this kind of assault a 'hug'.

But he missed the relief that passed over Gintoki and Kagura's eyes (and maybe even a glimmer of sadistic streak that if Hijikata had seen he would have been fairly sure the little girl had not acquired only from her caretaker, but also from the time she spent with the brat who tried to kill him on a daily basis).


He should have known.

Oh, how he should have known!

The chickens always come home to roost.

"You traitors!" Hijikata had to shout over Shinpachi's squeaks growing in intensity, matching the heat of his glare directed at the two culprits of this unfortunate circumstance he now found himself in.

"Now, now, don't be mad Oogushi. You'd rather let us here to suffer alone?" Gintoki tried to dulcify him with gentle words and a peaceful smile.

"Yes!" Hijikata yelled without hesitation, throwing his lover's calm out the window.

Gintoki and Kagura exchanged a glance and a nod, because, yes, that was almost exactly what they were doing now.

No one likes to go through Otsuu's album if it comes out of Shinpachi's vocal cords, okay?

It was then that Kagura put a hand over her heart, a forlorn gaze already in place when she whispered the next few words with the level of wiseness and experience a girl her age rarely possessed. "All is fair in love and war."

And then she bolted out of the door as if the room was on fire.

"Every man for himself ahahah! See you later you suckers!"

Hijikata still had to get used to her abrupt changes of personality he witnessed from time to time when he was with them. Not like the Shinsengumi was any better when it came to matters like this one…

The men's mouths hung open after her retreating back.

She had made it out of here. And was now outside, tasting the sweet, polluted air of liberty. Uncaring of the fallen victims she had left behind.

"Damnit! I should have expected it!" Gintoki slammed a hand on the soft cushion of the sofa and watched as his hand jumped up again like it was on a trampoline. "…Especially after the last three times she did this."

Hijikata raised an eyebrow at the man of his dreams. "You're letting her watch too much television."

"Letting her?" Gintoki asked back in disbelief. "She steals the remote and doesn't even let me catch up on the rerun of my favorite telenovela! I still don't know what happened to Pedro and to his wife-suddenly-turned-sister-who-is-definitely-lying!"

Hijikata rolled his eyes in exasperation, mostly because he knew exactly what Gintoki was talking about after having been dragged into his lazy ways… he had to admit though, wasting the day away on a couch with the right kind of show was almost… addicting.

There was a particular night when he forced Gintoki to watch Aliens vs Yakuza with him after being subjected to all the stupid shows the man obliged him to watch far too often for his liking, and that had been a memorable night. Probably because Sougo had scared the hell out of them with his bazooka, pretending to be an alien who had come to kill them, and the two as immersed as they were had thought everything was read and pretended to be the characters from the movie who had to save the world and…

Well, that was a story for another day because now was not time to think about that. Not when he saw, from the door Kagura had left slightly ajar in her betraying leave, some people and part of the staff too starting to leave the risky premises of the establishment.

Shinpachi's voice was too dangerous.

"We have to leave." Hijikata commanded, automatically assuming his Vice-Chief voice in such a critical situation.

"We can't!" Gintoki's voice instead was that of a man who had already been through too much but knew he needed to stay.

Hijikata gripped his yukata, shaking him almost furiously in his attempts at driving through that thick skull that they couldn't endanger their life any longer and had get out of this hell.

Some people might have even called the two dramatic in that moment.

"Why?!"

"Think of Shinpachi's… feelings!" Gintoki grabbed his jacket, pulling him closer until they were face to face, almost nose to nose. "What is he gonna think if he sees us run out of here, huh?! He'll be sad and that sadness is gonna turn in disappointment and that disappointment will ultimately become despair and soon enough he will lose his will to work, to strive to be better, to have any interest anything and to live at all! And soon enough he'll be begging for a few coins at the corner of the street and waste his whole life away because we didn't pay attention to his feelings!" He finished in a rush, his wide eyes made him seem like a mad man as he tried to take in big gulps of breath.

Hijikata stared slightly open-mouthed.

"And the worst thing will be… at that point he won't even care if his lenses get broken. Shinpachi's spirit is inside those glasses! Do you understand the importance of this?!"

Hijikata blinked. "…Aren't you exaggerating a little?"

Gintoki pressed their noses together. His voice a mere, horrified whisper. "This is Shinpachi we are talking about."

They both turned at the same time to see the boy pouring all his soul and passion into singing the chorus of Otsu's newest song, completely oblivious to a few of the windows cracking and the screams outside their room. He was so terribly invested in doing what he loved the most.

And Hijikata understood.

…They were doomed.

In his moment of haze filled panic and reluctant acceptance however, it made him smile inside, thinking about how much Gintoki actually cared. He was willing to go as far as putting his eardrums at risk to protect the boy's feelings (even if Hijikata still doubted Shinpachi's reaction would be that drastic in case he left). But it also made his annoyance grow because instead of handling this on his own Gintoki of course had to drag him into this, didn't he?

Annoyance and fondness seemed to go hand in hand whenever he thought about Gintoki, so Hijikata couldn't say he wasn't used to it.

But his capacity to think disconnected from his brain when all of a sudden a shrill, undefined sound pierced the air, so high in pitch the window on the side of the room broke.

Shinpachi had tried to reach a high note in the song.

Hijikata blinked disoriented, he swore there were suddenly three coffee tables in front of him instead of the one he had seen when he first entered. "What… what just happened?"

"Is hearing loss from one ear a thing?" Gintoki asked in a low, unsure voice, blinking rapidly in front of him. He was not faring much better, it seemed. "Because my left ear just stopped working."

Hijikata sighed, resting his head on his folded hands and by that point simply waiting for the end of the night apocalypse.

Gintoki stroked his back comfortingly, although he couldn't help but be secretly pleased that he could at least share this torture with his partner. Even so there was still a small voice in the back of his head gnawing at him and he was feeling something inside that he almost suspected to be guilt.

He had a look around, searching for anything to keep them occupied until the torture finished. But, this karaoke room seemed to not offer any other comfort except for… karaoke.

"Well, we're doomed." He drew to Hijikata's same conclusion.

The Vice-Commander sighed whole-heartedly, this time letting himself fall back on the couch. Now it was the right time to think about what really mattered in his life, what he could not live without and that gave him strength to move forward even during the curve balls that life decided to throw at him.

Like his Mayonnaise.

He wondered if he would ever get to taste the richness of its flavor again after today. Maybe if he came out alive.

Chances were pretty slim.

"But let's look at the bright side here. Everyone ran away before they asked us to pay, so at least it's free." Gintoki continued, holding his head up high. Figuratively speaking because he was sprawled on the sofa worse than Hijikata was.

"Oh, yes, because that is a very bright side to look at." The officer grunted out sarcastically.

Gintoki's optimistic expression slowly became… less optimistic. "Now that I think about it that's not exactly a bright side because I've worked my ass off this past week to pay for this."

Hijikata raised an eyebrow at him.

The samurai shrugged. "Okay, Shinpachi worked his ass off. Kagura kind of did… but I still helped them, you know?"

The men looked at each other, then let out twin sighs, not moving a muscle except for closing their eyes when the 'singing' became too much. Both were hoping they would melt into the soft cushions sooner or later, maybe even get swallowed up. That would certainly be a more pleasing outcome than the current one.

The couch squeaked when Gintoki moved closer. "But hey, there's another bright side."

Hijikata blinked at him tiredly. "And what is?"

"We're together."

He was almost caught off guard. When he fully turned to face Gintoki there was a smile, a genuine one to welcome him and that, coupled with the words was… well, it was sweet.

"So, do you wanna make out now?"

Of course Gintoki had to shatter the sweetness of the moment in this way.

But judging from Shinpachi's high notes -correction, what were supposed to be high notes, Hijikata couldn't blame Gintoki for searching an immediate escape to… that. He honestly had no idea how to refer to the boy's… thing that he did with his voice.

"Is that going to help?" Hijikata asked with his heart pounding in his throat. From the way he did not even berate Gintoki on wanting to lock lips in what should be an inconvenient place to do so the desperation he felt crawling inside him should have been crystal clear.

"Honestly?"

Gintoki's face was almost joyful, automatically bringing his hopes up.

"No."

But then it fell and Hijikata's hopes fell with it.

He held back a groan and hoped a hole would just open up under him let him disappear inside, particularly when Shinpachi tried to hit what were supposed to be the… low notes.

"But I really want to make out with you right now." Gintoki pressed on, the waver in his voice was almost certainly more desperation and need than want. "And it might serve as a distraction from the whale noises?"

"Is that what you call his… low notes?"

"Oh, you're right." Gintoki said apologetically. "That's offensive to whales."

Hijikata shook his head in exasperation, but he seriously took the proposition in consideration, weighing the pros and cons.

On one hand it was completely and irrevocably irresponsible to… kiss in the same room as one of the kids. While said kid was singing his butt off and wanted them to be there to hear him and have a fun time at the karaoke.

On the other hand a distraction from the boy's… noises currently emitting from his vocal cords was like a spiral of hope in their world temporarily turned mad. And well, just eyeing Gintoki's plump lips was making him have certain thoughts, and sure, it may have been only a couple of hours since their last kiss, but now they were right here and Gintoki was looking at him in that way that was so

"Fine."

Could anyone really blame him?

Gintoki didn't need to be told twice, he scrambled on the couch to get to him, the idea of finally having something else to focus on and trying to ignore the scratching inside their ears, possibly not noticing how long it was going to take before their hearing started to deteriorate, was relieving to say the least. And of course he wanted to kiss Hijikata, any time of the day, it was probably concerning how much he always wanted to kiss him, so really, he was killing two birds with a stone here.

Or that was what he was thinking until he found a hand blocking his way to Hijikata's inviting lips.

"Wait."

Gintoki gasped in horror. "You don't want to?"

"…I want to." Hijikata gritted out, ignoring the heat flaring his face. "But not here."

Gintoki frowned, but that was definitely more of a pout. "Oh c'mon, it's not like they've never seen us kiss."

"No thanks to you." Hijikata rasped through clenched teeth, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm not… doing that in front of them."

"Okay, first of all there's only Shinpachi here. And he's the mature one, he understands this kind of thing."

Hijikata gave him a look.

"Seriously, he's even more maturer than me."

"It's 'more mature.'" Hijikata corrected almost absent-mindedly.

"See what I'm talking about?" Gintoki insisted. "Shinpachi would have known this 'cause he's…" He paused to make his point. "Mature."

Hijikata rolled his eyes.

"And it's not like he will even notice."

Hijikata stole a glance at the boy, who was now moving his body to the rhythm of the song and in doing so he accidentally threw off the microphone stand, not even noticing it, far too immersed in his own world.

"…Still."

"Fine." Gintoki relented, but with an almost mischievous grin spreading on his lips. "Prepare to be a ninja then."

"Huh?"

"And to roll like one."

"Wha- oi!" Hijikata didn't have time to ask what Gintoki was talking about because all of a sudden he felt two hands grip him, a whoosh of air and his world literally roll around.

"Oomph!"

Hijikata thought he was the one to grunt, but it had been Gintoki, who was currently lying below him and had pillowed Hijikata's fall with his body. A little more than slightly disoriented the Vice-Chief noticed they were currently behind the couch and tried to hold in his annoyance… couldn't they have walked here instead of just- just- doing whatever this idiot had done?!

"You okay?" Gintoki asked with a little grin, stroking his hand on Hijikata's back affectionately.

"I've been better." He gritted out, lifting himself up to avoid crushing his idiot- yes, his idiot. But it seemed like Gintoki had other plans because he didn't let him get far.

"Don't worry, your silver knight is always here to catch you."

As much as Gintoki was trying to be sweet the implied meaning made Hijikata's eyebrow twitch in irritation. "What am I? The damsel in distress?"

"Wouldn't mind if you were." Gintoki whispered under his breath.

Hijikata pinched his cheek.

"Ow!" Gintoki caught his boyfriend's hand in his before he decided that was not enough and struck again, and put on a charming smile. "Wouldn't mind if I was, either. I don't have a problem playing the damsel in distress for you, my knight in shining armor."

Hijikata rolled his eyes, but the embarrassment was evident when he avoided the direct contact. Gintoki's smile softened, his fingertips slided up Hijikata's wrist, slowly prying open his hand and feeling the warm, rough skin touching his own. Hijikata's eyes were trained on their hands, watching as Gintoki fit his fingers in the spaces between his own, with their chests steadily rising and falling against each other.

There was a hint of red splayed on Hijikata's cheekbones and Gintoki felt his own face heat up, he didn't know if it was because of their closeness, or because of his heart thundering inside his chest, or if he just never would get used to be able to touch him so easily, or because of any other reason for that matter.

But whenever he was with Hijikata he always felt like his lungs could never fill with enough air, and that was still his favorite thing. As if he didn't need oxygen to breathe, but only needed him.

Of course this would be ideal if Shinpachi had not been trying to murder their ears, but at this point he will take what he can get.

"Hey, pretty thing." It was to tease him a little, but he still couldn't stop the tenderness from seeping into his voice.

Hijikata scoffed quietly. "…Shut up."

Gintoki smirked softly, sinking the other hand in Hijikata's hair and rubbing the red of his cheekbone with his thumb. "Make me."

Hijikata bit his lower lip, Gintoki didn't even have time to follow the tantalizing gesture with his eyes because he was already leaning down, shutting him up with a searing kiss. His hands found purchase in his collar, grasping it and trying to pull him against himself, impossibly closer.

And from there on it was a mess of lips, tangled limbs and the soft pull of silky hair, definitely a nice alternative to any distraction they might have thought of as Shinpachi's choice of songs for the night seemed to be never-ending.

"…You're sexy when you kiss me so desperately because we know we're about to die in the next half hour from Shinpachi's inability to sing." Gintoki sighed dazedly as soon as they came up for air.

Hijikata frowned at him, still trying to catch his breath. "…What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know." Gintoki answered in all honesty. "His singing is so bad it just made my brain stop processing whatever's coming out of my mouth."

"Wait. You mean your brain to mouth connection usually works?" Hijikata's insult was playful if the quirk of his lips was anything to go by.

And Gintoki smirked back. "That's below the belt, Toshi."

Hijikata didn't have the time to snort because his mouth was once again occupied by Gintoki's.


Shinpachi was finally done.

It was clear because for one, the ear-splitting voice had ceased echoing through the now deserted walls of the establishment. And two, he was laying on the floor like a man who had had far too many drinks and was done with the life he had led up to that point. Even if he instead was just a teen who had sang his butt off to all the songs of the singer he is obsessed in love with until the early hours of the morning.

The boy was somewhere between the drunken scale of the slurring phase and the legless one, still able to maffle some half-broken words in between these phases.

Kagura, of course, came back as soon as it was safe enough, pretending to have been here the whole time so Shinpachi's hopes would not get crushed, sharing Gintoki's same thoughts on this.

After this Hijikata was still unsure if the two of them were strategically careful or simply stupidly dramatic.

While for the two samurai, they had gotten a little lost… in their task. But Gintoki had made sure they came out from behind the couch every five minutes to just… smile and wave and pretend to be engrossed in Shinpachi's 'performance'. And surprisingly it had worked.

Hijikata now eyed the 'drunk' boy. "Is he… okay?"

"Yeah, this is just Shinpachi's way of getting shit-faced." Gintoki waved a dismissive hand, apparently used to the situation too. "Can you believe he gets like this without a drop of alcohol in his bloodstream?"

Hijikata stared at Shinpachi laying on the floor, glasses askew on his face, smiling, or maybe frowning, giggling and moving like a fish out of water from time to time. "…I don't know how to answer that."

"Okay. You take him. I take her." Gintoki all but demanded as he crouched down and let Kagura hop on. Because whenever Shinpachi got so 'karaoke drunk' he couldn't even stand up on his own, she refused to have to use her own legs instead of being carried like him. And also because on karaoke night she usually scurried off somewhere to eat so much she could barely walk afterwards.

Hijikata eyed him warily. "Wait, why am I the one who has to take him? He's heavier."

The silver samurai's eyes were glassy, distant as he remembered the torture he had been put through. "…Because you came less damaged out of this conflict."

Hijikata wanted to point out that Gintoki did not exactly seem damaged when he tried to take off his vest. But he couldn't exactly accuse him of the action in front of the half-comatose kids now. And, well… it wasn't like Hijikata had tried to stop him either, instead aiding him in the process, also taking off Gintoki's yukata and- he stopped before he started, once again, thinking about things he should not be thinking about.

The Vice-Commander sighed for probably the umpteenth time. "…If you say so."

He awkwardly tried to take hold of the uncooperative boy, but seeing Gintoki straining to haul Kagura up made him feel a little smug because he thought that maybe he was the one who was faring a bit better. Who knew how much the girl had eaten in the time she was gone? And she had seemed pretty hungry too.

They noticed quite a few broken windows as they made their way out of the building, but Gintoki and Kagura seemed to pay no heed to it and Hijikata didn't want to be the one to care about the troubles they had once again caused, he didn't have the strength for that at the moment, so he simply decided to ignore it for now.

"Otsuu-Chaaan… my looove…" Shinpachi was incoherently jabbering in his shoulder, but not singing anymore, thankfully for their and everyone else's ears.

Hijikata tried to suppress a shiver as he recalled the horrifying noises he had been forced to hear that night. He didn't know if hearing Shinpachi sing was worse than having to face Sougo's relentless bazooka.

Honestly, it was a draw.

That was probably why Sougo and Shinpachi had come to be such good friends. In Sougo's opinion, at least. Shinpachi was probably just bearing the thought of having Sougo as a 'friend'.

"It's just a phase, it will pass." Gintoki said offhandedly, nodding in Shinpachi's direction who was now rambling about someone's mother being an XX.

"Keep telling yourself that." Hijikata grumbled under his breath, not having it in him to deny Gintoki of that statement, and not wanting to shatter his hopes that one day the boy might stop singing altogether and their ears would be safe and sound.

When Shinpachi cut himself off abruptly Hijikata was almost startled by the kid's direct question. "Hijikata-San?"

"…Yeah?"

"I told you… I was a good singer." The boy mumbled, sounding like a child who had just won his first football game and wanted his parents to be proud of him.

Gintoki barely hid a snort and Hijikata glared at him, but he was also trying to ask for help with his eyes because he didn't know how to answer that. His lover gave him an easy, whole-hearted smile and nodded towards Shinpachi's direction with an open expression. And that was enough to ease Hijikata of the slight tension that had taken over him.

It was almost unfair how simple it was for them to understand each other with a shared look.

Hijikata guessed that parents were usually proud of their children when they accomplished something, right? So that meant he… should be too? He didn't even know why he was thinking of himself as a parent and Shinpachi as a kid who played some sport, but tiredness didn't make him dwell too much on this either.

Hijikata had little experience when it came to this, if Sougo could even be considered as such. He supposed, in a way, the boy was his experience through parenthood, even if he had never really given Hijikata a reason to be proud.

Well, that was not completely true, Hijikata had to admit that Sougo had his moments too. But they were definitely overshadowed by the fact that the boy never gave up in his efforts to take his place, and his life. But if Hijikata had to be honest, had it not been him on the receiving end of said attacks, that might have been an admirable quality in the boy. Striving to always be better and reach your aim was always a positive trait in someone, right?

So maybe this was what Shinpachi was doing too, trying to better himself in this passion of his… right? Even if to get better at singing he had a long, long, loooooooooong road ahead of him. Very long. Did he already mention how long the road was? However Hijikata didn't need to tell him that now.

"A… good singer. Sure." He said in the end, thinking that this might be what the boy was looking for.

Gintoki and Kagura snickered and Hijikata narrowed his eyes at them, but both were smiling at him in a way that meant he had said the right thing. He quickly looked away before he got caught up in the moment and did something foolish like smiling back at them. He thought he had embarrassed himself enough already for the night. Or day. Since the sun was just beginning to peek out and all.

But when Shinpachi's arms tightened around his neck and he whispered a small 'thank you' Hijikata practically stopped breathing and searched for Gintoki's eyes, who were looking back at him with full on adoration. Never mind, Hijikata was feeling so much embarrassment in that moment he was probably suffering from the second-hand kind, too, but fuck, if that wasn't a reason to make him happy then he didn't know what was.

"Hijikata-San?" Shinpachi continued, his voice got quieter now and his reticence from when he had first asked him to join was showing.

"…Yes?"

"…Will you come to another karaoke night?"

Hijikata almost stopped in his tracks this time, it seemed like the kid would just keep shocking him with his questions. And when he looked for his lover's eyes, like he had learned to do, to ask what step should he take next he found Kagura grinning at him, and Gintoki smiling that kind of smile that made Hijikata fall even more than he wanted to admit to himself.

Almost unconsciously he was smiling back at them.

"Of course." He answered without hesitation this time.

Because the truth was that he would go through another one hundred nights risking to bust an eardrum if it meant that they spent time together, carry the kids back to Gintoki's place, tease each other, smile and simply… have fun. Because, in the end, this night could almost be considered fun. And Hijikata he never been so comfortable with anyone else that didn't belong to the Shinsengumi, he thought this was worth it.

Gintoki was the one surprised by his affirmation, pausing to stare at Hijikata with wonder in his eyes. With determinate steps he walked towards him and for the second time that night took hold of his hand. Before Hijikata could utter a single word he was already leaning down and…

Gintoki kissed the back of his hand.

Just like that, in the middle of the deserted streets with the kids still definitely awake on their backs, Gintoki was showing him how he could make his whole world stop spinning with a spontaneous gesture of affection.

Needless to say Hijikata's heart went along for the ride and the race of its beat drew all the blood to his face, making him flush in 0.00001 seconds. Kagura was already snorting and even Shinpachi was giggling quietly into his shoulder, but what was infuriatingly embarrassing was the shape of a smile pressed to his hand.

"Gin-Chan is such a sap!" Kagura exclaimed with a far too energetic voice for someone who had been going in hibernation from the large quantity of food she had gobbled down.

"You said 'romantic' wrong." Gintoki correctedher. "And shut up." He continued with an unperturbed smile on his face, not even bothering anymore with the two laughing kids. And he did not let go of Hijikata's hand, instead he shamelessly grasped it in his own as he began to walk again, even going as far as to intertwine their fingers.

Hijikata's emotions were strewn about his head in messy and distorted waves, fighting to choose one that would prevail.

But in a moment of panic-induced-clarity realization struck him. He was not the type to be messed with, not without messing back. Give that to his competitive side that decided to make itself known in the most inconvenient times, or to his stubbornness that was present, well, whenever, no matter if it was convenient for him or not.

Hijikata squeezed his hand around Gintoki's, almost putting too much force behind the hold, which earned him the attention of the other man. He had the kind of malicious smirk playing on his lips that Gintoki would be proud of, if it had not been intended for him.

With his heart slamming against his ribcage Hijikata inhaled sharply, mentally preparing himself for the fatigue of uttering what would be Gintoki's downfall, the weight of it was crushing his tongue, not wanting to get out. But he had to do it. The man deserved it after all he had put him through.

And thus, it only took one word for Hijikata to win this round:

"Honey."

The effect was instantaneous.

Gintoki's face drained of colour at first, only to explode in the most vivid shade of red Hijikata had ever had the chance to witness. He clutched at his chest with both hands, falling on one knee in what was undoubtedly shock painting his face, barely able to breathe.

Shinpachi and Kagura had stopped too, staring at the scene like spectators who clapped or booed at the right joke.

And then they cracked up, widening Hijikata's smirk further.

"You…" Gintoki gasped, betrayal was clearly written all over his face.

Hijikata almost felt bad for pressing on one of Gintoki's weak spots. Almost.

"You can't do that to me!" The curly man accused with a threatening finger in his direction, unfortunately for him the effect was being ruined by his still reddened face, reason for Hijikata's growing satisfaction.

To be clear this was not his fault, Gintoki's personality might have started wiping off on him, just a little, from how much time they passed with one another. Or maybe Hijikata had always had this malicious vein in him, but had only discovered it with the help of Gintoki. Who knew?

"You started first." Hijikata accused back calmly.

"Because it's fun seeing you flustered!"

Hijikata lost his calm. "If it's fun for you then why shouldn't it be fun for me too!?"

"Because it doesn't work like that!"

"And how the fuck does it work!?"

"You're supposed to have cute reactions!"

"W-Why am I the one supposed to have cute reactions!?"

"'Cause you're the cute one in this relationship!" Gintoki finally gave his fool-proof explanation.

Hijikata staggered, gripping at his chest as if not only had he received the worst insult, but also a deadly hit. "…You don't mean that."

His eyes dared to defy him. "Oh, but I do."

"Well then, if I am the cute one…" Hijikata emphasized the disgusting word (no he didn't hate it, it was mostly for show) as a look of superiority crossed his face. "…why are you blushing right now?"

He had done it.

He had thrown gasoline to the fire and was now left to watch it burn. Literally and figuratively because Gintoki's blush intensified, and so did the fire behind his eyes.

The air stilled and shifted, every muscle in their bodies alight with tension. Even the kids' laughter slowly decreased in volume, until there was nothing but the sound of silence echoing in their ears. And someone snoring.

Gintoki hung his head, his soft, silver curls fell over his face, shielding his expression from curious eyes. To others it may seem as if the aggravated man had been seriously offended.

But not to Hijikata, he was waiting instead for him to snap.

Unexpectedly, Gintoki's chuckles filled the air, freezing the presents. When he lifted his head his ruby eyes were gleaming in the sunlight, seemingly on fire. His dangerous smirk, reserved for him only, spiked a rush of adrenaline through Hijikata's veins.

"Oh, babe. You're going down for this."

And when Gintoki leapt to his feet Hijikata was already running.

He made sure to tighten the grip on Shinpachi, least the kid fall off in their competition, and turned around only for a split second to see the other samurai was hot on his feet.

Hijikata strained his muscles to run faster, any sign of fatigue forgotten as his wish to beat Gintoki now prevailed over anything else.

Sometimes they did this, when they had to make a difficult stupid decision and couldn't choose, or when they couldn't agree on something, or sometimes just to challenge each other. They started competitions, which mostly involved anything and everything.

Couples were supposed to have fun, right? This was how they had fun.

"You can't escape from me!" Gintoki's voice was getting closer, automatically making goosebumps broke out all over his skin.

Even if Hijikata was running, he certainly had no wish to escape from him…

The thought almost made him to lose his footing and the heat to his face was not exactly caused by the sudden sprint. He huffed to himself and shook his head, choosing to ignore it for the moment.

"Go Gin-Chan!" Kagura's voice could also be heard behind them, cheering for her guardian.

"Hijikata-San! You can beat him!" Shinpachi instead was rooting for him.

There was a reason why Shinpachi was his favourite, after all.

What? Parents are allowed to choose a favorite kid, okay? Okay.

The two teens were making faces at each other, coming up with the most ridiculous expressions, a few of them Hijikata had often seen from his lover's own repertoire.

"Oi, oi, what are we? Your pokemons?" Gintoki grumbled playfully, straining his muscles to try and surpass his rival, not exactly an easy feat given Hijikata's speed and the weight currently shouting insults at them on his own back.

They would usually be at par, but a night spent with Shinpachi's (in)ability to sing would take a toll on anyone. Even on Hijikata. And he knew because there had been a lot of competitive stupid races between the two of them about the most important idiotic reasons they had found to challenge each other with. And this time, probably the only one, Gintoki could say that both of them had already been tired from working. Apparently he was a little more so since, let's be honest here, he wasn't exactly used to work.

Hijikata hid a snort at his boyfriend's words and pushed harder on his feet, suddenly swerving to his right to take a shortcut that would to get him there first.

"Oi! Not fair!" Gintoki's grunt was more distant this time and Hijikata internally smirked at the slight margin of advantage he had gained over him.

"Everything is fair in love and war!" Shinpachi called out for him.

Hijikata nodded, feeling a sense of deja-vù. "Nice one."

"Thanks." Shinpachi grinned, 'sobering up' a little.

But Hijikata's muscles were already getting sore, probably due to the fact that he had worked a full day on top of having been kept awake for almost the whole night rather than lack of stamina, still, he was holding his ground.

Unfortunately Gintoki was far too good at keeping up with him and Hijikata still wondered how the samurai could keep up, and sometimes surpass, his speed in moments like these.

It was confusing because during these kind of races Gintoki almost had more wins than him, but when that one and only time Hijikata had suggested to go for a running in the morning the man had started sobbing pathetically and begged him not to put him through such a torture. He deadpanned thinking about how they had to stop after half a mile because Gintoki was practically dying on the side of the road. He had had, to buy him three parfaits to get himself out of the 'silent treatement' because Gintoki had been upset with him for making him jog.

Hijikata was jerked out of his musings when he felt a hand close around his jacket. He spun around to see Gintoki's attractive grinning face come in view.

He tsked. "Not this time."

Hijikata came to a sudden halt, catching Gintoki off guard and consequently making him lose his balance. He took hold of his arm, enough to stabilize him so he wouldn't go spiraling down on his- and Kagura's- face. But before he could stop himself he was lightly pushing him back, enough to have a head start.

In his defence Gintoki usually did much worse to win.

"Oh c'mon!"

Hijikata almost grinned at the complaints coming from behind him, not letting his sore legs slow him down. Not now.

"You were too merciful with our enemies. They don't deserve your forgiveness." Shinpachi spoke up in a clear, and frankly dark, voice. "What they truly deserve is… to be crushed by you."

And just like with Kagura, Hijikata still had to get used to Shinpachi's change of mood, definitely more rare but probably more dangerous than hers. And Hijikata had the distinct impression that he knew exactly where this side of the boy came from, but it had nothing to do with Gintoki this time.

"You're spending too much time with Sougo." He muttered under his breath.

"What?" Shinpachi asked in picture perfect innocence.

"…Nothing."

Hijikata almost missed the way Gintoki was gradually erasing the slight distance between them and he couldn't help but agree with all those times that Otose kept calling the silver haired man a cockroach.

Shinpachi had noticed too, if the scream by his ear was anything to go by. "Hijikata-San! They're getting closer!"

"Don't worry about it." Hijikata reassured the kid, after all the night had been as hard for them as it had been for him, Shinpachi could barely stand up on his own. He thought it would make him happy if they won. He also had to admit that competitiveness was a trait they both shared… well, all the four of them shared.

"Gin-Chan! Beat that mayo head!" Kagura was growling, now practically beside him.

Hijikata's eyebrow twitched. "Oi! Who did you just call mayo head?!"

She sniggered, much like Gintoki, but Hijikata couldn't focus on that. Not when they were about to surpass him.

He gritted his teeth, repeating to himself he could do this. Gathering all the strength and willpower he had left inside he pushed himself harder and made for a mad dash towards victory. He was rewarded when, soon after, he saw Otose's bar in the distance.

"Haha! Eat our dirt losers!" Shinpachi mocked them, even going as far as showing them a gesture with his middle finger that was not exactly what one would expect out of him.

"Don't you think he's spending too much time with Soichiro-Kun?" Gintoki asked a little puzzled, but still strangely proud of the boy.

Kagura shrugged in answer.

While they were talking Hijikata was getting closer to his win, he could almost taste the victory, all he had to do was just go up the stairs and he would be at the door first.

"Not so fast, Toshi-Kun."

Hijikata's breath hitched in his throat. When had Gintoki even…

But he shouldn't be surprised since Gintoki was known for his surprise-factor.

It was a challenge, with both of them trudging up the stairs and there were definitely more attempts at tripping the other than it was necessary, or fair, and not only from the two of them. But by some sort of miracle Hijikata managed to reach the last step.

Pushing himself to the limit Hijikata reached for the door when Gintoki did too, but by a mere inch he was the first to touch it. He and Shinpachi had won.

Gintoki grabbed his collar, spinning him around and Hijikata quickly put a hand on his chest, knowing that Gintoki's promise, or threat, to pay would not only result in the usual tickling attack, judging from the way he was looking at him. Hijikata's eyes lowered to his lips, almost feeling their soft weight on his own.

But they couldn't right now.

"Time out!" He couldn't help the shit-eating grin though, because he now had the rights to brag about it for the next twenty-four hours… and yes, Gintoki's personality had definitely rubbed off on him. But just a little bit.

His lover stared at him for an interminable amount of seconds, Hijikata could almost read the thoughts that quickly passed over his mind, deciding on what to do. In the end it seemed they had come to the same conclusion because Gintoki let him go, huffing in resignation, even if they both knew he was not going to drop this anytime soon.

"Fine."

They let the kids climb down their backs and both took a moment to finally catch their breath.

"You did good today." Shinpachi patted him on his head, reminding Hijikata of a child complimenting his father who had won something for him. Or just a kid praising his dog. He preferred the first option.

Still bent down, Hijikata slowly lifted one arm among the dumbfounded expressions. Then he looked up at the boy and raised a thumb up as a sign of their 'victory.'

Shinpachi's eyes sparkled behind his glasses, giving way to a huge, innocent grin as he raised his own thumb up.

Gintoki and Kagura exchanged a smile. Which turned into snickers. Soon enough those became full-blown laughter and they found themselves cackling. And Hijikata had a smile on his face he could not hide, not anymore.

Because no matter how much he told himself to resist, his heart had already lost the battle.

But, he had to admit, this was a battle he didn't mind losing.

"Oh, and next time-" Gintoki's voice was loud over their cackles, and his smirk was tinted with that sadistic streak that Hijikata found so unfairly attractive.

"-we are bringing some friends."

The other three tilted their heads in confusion. "Huh?"


. . .

A/N: CAN WE ALL APPRECIATE SHINPACHI TOGETHER?! HE DESERVES THE LOVE!

And yes. There is a second part, because of course I have to include Sougo, Otae and the other precious members of this enlarged and dysfunctional family in here.