Gintoki stands at the top of a hill, the night wind carding fingers through his messy hair and his eyes fixed on the glimmer of stars in the tar sky. There's a grin spreading across his face that he can't seem to stop.
Kagura is laughing, the sound like wind chimes in the breeze, and Shinpachi is calling to them both - his words are being carried away by the wind, but that doesn't matter because Gintoki can hear the smile in his voice.
They had plans to watch the meteor shower from the roof of their apartment, but at the last minute someone had called the Yorozuya with a job. Gintoki had volunteered to go on his own, so that the brats could watch it anyway, but Kagura had clenched her fists and Shinpachi had clenched his jaw, and they'd followed because "we need to watch it together, Gin-chan, it won't be any fun otherwise!"
So they're here, barely a mile from where they finished their job, at the top of a deserted hill, and it's cold and windy and the stupid brats are going to catch colds, Gintoki is almost certain; and he'll have to watch over them all day and bring them soup and they'll probably infect him with their germs. But for now Kagura is laughing, stretching her arms out and spinning in circles across the hill, and Shinpachi has a smile stretching across his entire face - and it's worth it; no matter how much Gintoki will deny it later, it's worth all this and more.
He drops to the ground, leaning back on his arms. Damp grass prickles at his palms and he grins, ignoring the sky to watch Kagura and Shinpachi dance across the hill. They're laughing, pointing out stars and shouting wishes, and their eyes are shining brighter than any shooting star ever could.
There's a huff of air behind him and a sudden warmth at his back. Gintoki blinks and turns to see Sadaharu curled like a giant pillow behind him - he grins, shifting back to lean against the dog's furry side and lacing his fingers behind his head. Kagura and Shinpachi drop by his sides, and before he can get a word out Kagura is nestled against his right and Shinpachi is fitting comfortably along the lines of his left, solid and warm.
Something warm and soft rises in the pit of his belly and Gintoki swallows a smile.
"Make a wish, Gin-chan, make a wish!"
"Hahh? Only children believe in wishes, brats."
"That's mean!" Kagura slams a fist into Gintoki's chest, punch pulled so it doesn't do more than sting.
"Aa, I don't need a wish. They never come true, anyway."
"Oh yeah?" Shinpachi slides a look over at him, bright sparks of mischief in his eyes. He raises his hand and points one finger at a falling star. "I wish that Gin-san would make a wish."
"Oi, oi, don't waste a wish on stupid things like that, dammit-"
"Come on, Gin-chan, don't be mean! Make Shinpachi's wish come true!"
"Haah? Why'd I gotta do something like that?"
"Look, Gin-chan, there's another star, make a wish, hurry up, hurry up-"
"Gin-san, don't be mean, don't make it a wasted star-"
"Ahhh, you noisy brats! Fine, fine, I wish for parfait for breakfast tomorrow, alright? Geez, you troublesome little-" Shinpachi and Kagura are laughing, leaning against sides, ribs rising and falling in gasping delighted breaths (and they're such children, they're so young and innocent and warm and happy and it makes Gintoki feel like he's drowning, in something warm and tender and so fiercely defensive it makes his chest ache). "What?" he asks, irritation in his voice because he's not going to come across as soft, dammit.
"Gin-san, you said that wishes don't come true." Shinpachi slumps against Gintoki, shoulders shaking, still giggling breathlessly.
"Haa? They don't, what are you-"
"But Gin-chan, you made Shinpachi's wish come true!" Kagura beams, a big wide grin that shows all her teeth and makes her eyes dance like blue fire.
"That doesn't count, dammit!"
"Why not? It was a wish, right? It came true, right?" Shinpachi grins at him, brown eyes wide and shining, a grin taking over his whole face. "Why wouldn't it count?"
Gintoki blinks, looking up at the sky, then he slumps against Sadaharu, shoulders drooping in resignation. A smile begins to stretch across his face and he huffs out a sigh. "Brats," he says, and Kagura laughs, snuggling into his side as Shinpachi grins and presses closer.
For reasons he doesn't know - maybe because the night sky reminds him of a certain space-loving idiot, maybe because nostalgia is rising bittersweet against his tongue - he finds himself pointing out constellations to the two children by his sides, naming the stars and connecting the dots and grinning absurdly wide when Kagura gives up on 'those stupid messy pictures' and begins making constellations of her own - "that's one's Sadaharu, that's Sadaharu number two, that one's the mop, that's the sukonbu-"
"What the hell is the sukonbu? And why the hell are there two Sadaharus, dammit, those things look completely different!"
"Sadaharu's a dog and Sadaharu number two was a beetle, Gin-chan, don't you remember?"
In between yammering about her newly-named constellations and shouting wishes at passing stars, Kagura falls asleep against Gintoki's ribs. Shinpachi nods off shortly after, head thumping gently against the side of Gintoki's chest.
Gintoki smiles and there's that ache again, that warm tender defensive ache that makes him want to wrap his arms around these children and hold them close and shield them from all the horrors of the world. He wants to freeze time like this, just like this, with two children warm and solid and happy by his sides and the gentle breaths of a giant dog making thick fur rise and fall against his back.
He falls asleep and the last thing he sees is a pinprick of light falling though the sky.
-x-
The next morning he wakes with Kagura shoving a parfait at his face and Shinpachi laughing, loud and bright.
"Gin-chan, look, look, wishes do come true-"
"Told you so, Gin-san!"
"Brats, you were the ones who went and bought it! It doesn't count, dammit!" But there's warmth gathering in his chest and filling his lungs, making it hard to breathe. (Trying so hard to make him believe in wishes, these brats, these damn brats-)
"Of course it counts," Shinpachi says, grinning. "No one said we couldn't be the ones making the wishes come true."
Kagura beams, and there's a piece of sukonbu clamped between her teeth, her eyes a perfect match to the blue sky. "Gin-chan, come on."
Gintoki huffs out a breath, mouth curling into a smile, and takes the parfait from her.
(This has never been about fate or higher powers. This has always been about taking your life into your own hands and making your own wishes come true.)
Kagura throws herself onto the grass beside him, beaming at Sadaharu and rubbing her hands through thick white fur. Shinpachi drops beside Gintoki, drawing his knees to his chest and smiling with all the radiance of the sun-
-and the stars have long stopped falling, but Gintoki grins and looks up at the sky.
He makes a wish.
-x-
A/N: I hope you liked this! Please drop me a review to lemme know what you think, it would really make my day! Just one minute to make me happy for the rest of the day, isn't that cool? (And if it sucks it'd be great to know why! I'll try my best to improve!)
Yep so basically this will be a series of little fics done for tumblr asks etc! Prompts are welcome, feel free to PM me or leave your idea in a review or drop me an ask on tumblr (I'm the UnidentifiedPie wherever I go)!
Ahhh well thanks for reading, people! God bless! Have a great day!