A couple weeks had passed since the drunk incident with Hijikata. Although it was already in the past, Gintoki found his thoughts circling back to it quite often, and he wasn't sure why. He shrugged it off most of the time much like he is now. Sighing, Gintoki stood up from his spot on the couch and stretched, walking up to a sleeping Kagura and poking her forehead.
"Get up. Shinpachi's coming soon and Otose called for us," he said, snorting when Kagura opened her eyes and sleepily glared at him.
"I'm a growing child, you know. I need sleep."
Scoffing at her comment, Gintoki headed towards the front entrance right as Shinpachi walked through it. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a growing boy who needs sleep too, but you don't hear me complaining," he called back.
Shinpachi, only hearing the last portion of Gintoki's comment, laughed. "All you do is complain, Gin-san."
Gintoki waved off Shinpachi and put on his boots. "Can't I get some appreciation around here?"
Kagura jumped up behind Gintoki to put her shoes on as well, a bit more enthusiastic than before. "Sure, when you show us appreciation too."
Shinpachi chuckled and they followed Gintoki out and down the stairs that lead to Otose's shop. Sadaharu was still sound asleep in the house, so they all decided to leave him be. Gintoki rested one arm on the inside of his kimono, using his other hand to run his fingers through his messy hair as they entered the shop. To his complete and utter surprise, three familiar members of the Shinsengumi were already inside, seated at the counter. Sougo, Hijikata, and Yamazaki each had glasses of water in front of them, attention drawn to the door as the members of Yorozuya walked in.
"Hey, now. What's this about?" Gintoki asked, eyes meeting Hijikata's for half a second before diverting to Otose and Tama who stood behind the counter.
"I've got a problem," Otose said, taking a deep drag of her cigarette. Gintoki noticed in his peripheral vision Hijikata pull out a cigarette of his own and light it up. "Correction: We've got a problem."
Interest piqued, Gintoki approached the counter, followed by Shinpachi and Kagura. "A problem?" Shinpachi asked curiously.
Otose nodded and pulled a folded paper out from the inside of her kimono, handing it to Gintoki. He gulped and opened it slowly, only to quickly show a blank expression. He turned the picture around so everyone else could see it as well. It was a picture of a cat. A beautiful white cat sitting upon a plush-looking pillow. Sure it was a cute cat but . . . why?
"Uh?" Gintoki commented, very confused.
"I need you to look for that cat," Otose said without further explanation.
Gintoki sighed and took a seat next to Yamazaki. "That's fine and all, but why are they here then?" he asked, pointing to the three members of the police force seated to his left.
"Insurance. It's a very important cat that belongs to a very important customer. Find the cat, and you'll get your reward. It's simple," said Otose, observing as Tama left her spot beside Otose to go clean around the shop.
Gintoki took Yamazaki's glass and drank from it, earning him a heavy sigh from the man seated beside him. "Back to looking for lost cats, huh."
When Hijikata finally spoke up, Gintoki's heartbeat doubled in speed. It was an extremely unwelcome reaction, and Gintoki did not like it in the slightest. Nothing was different between him and Hijikata, and that's what frustrated him the most. He couldn't understand why even a slight glance from the man sitting furthest from him was enough to make him flustered. Even worse, he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it. Brushing it off, he reluctantly listened to what the Vice-Commander had to say.
"We'll split into three groups and assign different areas of the district to each of us—" however before he could finish, Sougo was already walking out with Kagura, each determined to find the cat before the other did, and Yamazaki headed out with Shinpachi.
Hijikata glanced quickly at Gintoki before putting his cigarette out and standing up, walking towards the door. "Guess that leaves us then," he said, leaning against the doorframe. Gintoki nodded and said a quick goodbye to Otose, following Hijikata's lead. Hijikata set out west, and that's about all Gintoki could figure out.
"Anywhere in particular in mind?" Gintoki asked, strolling aimlessly alongside the officer. Hijikata shrugged and kept his attention facing forward.
"Just keep an eye out for the furball."
Gintoki muttered "Yes, sir," sarcastically under his breath, trying to focus his attention on his surroundings. Come to think of it, it was a good thing they each set out with a member of the Shinsengumi. Neither he nor Shinpachi or Kagura had a cellphone.
Gintoki found himself hyperaware of the minimal distance between his arm and Hijikata's. With the hustle and bustle of Kabuki district, it wasn't unusual for people to walk so close to each other, but he couldn't not think about it. Gintoki couldn't understand his own feelings. So what if that morning two weeks ago he had woken up entangled with the man walking next to him? So what if, thinking back on it, Hijikata's hair felt really soft against his skin and smelled amazing? The bastard wouldn't get out of his mind, and Gintoki was quite fed up.
Hijikata nudged Gintoki's shoulder with his own, looking annoyed. "Are you even looking for the cat?"
Gintoki crossed his arms over his chest, looking away when he felt a damn blush creep up his neck. "Of course I am."
Hijikata huffed once more in annoyance and pulled Gintoki by the wrist into the nearest alley. "Okay, what the hell is your problem?"
Gintoki raised a brow and tried not to let the shock show through in his expression. "What are you talking about?"
Hijikata pulled a cigarette out of the pack hidden in his chest pocket, lighting it with his infamous mayonnaise lighter. "No, seriously. You've been acting weird lately, and it's pissing me off."
Panicking slightly, Gintoki tried to change the topic. "I'm fine. Let's keep looking for the cat. If we find it first, who knows, we might get a bigger reward." He grinned wide as he spoke, but Hijikata saw through it. Why would Hijikata care anyway? Or even notice something was off to begin with. If anyone was an expert at hiding their emotions, it was Gintoki.
Hijikata squinted as he took a drag of his cigarette. "You're lying." He approached Gintoki slowly, blowing the cigarette smoke out to the side. He noted that for every step he took forward, Gintoki slowly inched backwards. Hijikata decided to stop and noticed Gintoki stop as well.
Gintoki had no clue what was going through Hijikata's mind; all he knew is that bright blue eyes were piercing his own, and it made him uncomfortable. Maybe "uncomfortable" wasn't the right word. Uneasy? Wary?
Hijikata brought a hand up as if he were going to touch Gintoki's face, carefully gauging Gintoki's reaction. "Why did you flinch?"
Gintoki let out the breath he wasn't aware he was even holding and shrugged. "Maybe because you're in my personal space?"
Truth be told, Gintoki's heart was damn near beating out of his chest. Hijikata's stare was unrelenting and unwavering. Not once did his eyes lose their intensity. It was as if he were trying to see into the depths of Gintoki's soul, and Gintoki wasn't sure how to feel about that.
What he certainly didn't anticipate was Hijikata closing the distance between the two of them, lips brushing against Gintoki's. As shocked as he was, he took great notice in the softness of Hijikata's lips and how perfectly they fit against his own. Gintoki could smell the cigarette smoke emanating from Hijikata mixed with his own natural, musky scent. He liked it. He could only stand with his eyes open until Hijikata pulled back a few seconds later, coughing to cover his embarrassment. Hijikata averted his gaze, and Gintoki could physically tell he was growing uneasy due to the questionable silence. It was almost cute the way Hijikata put up this tough front but was so easily embarrassed.
"Let's just ignore that then and keep looking for the cat," Hijikata said, cheeks flushed deep red as he headed for the alley's exit.
Gintoki wasn't sure what possessed him to grab Hijikata's shoulder before he could walk away, but he did. "Wait . . . Why?" he asked, completely clueless, awe audible in his voice.
Hijikata shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette. A very long one. "Dunno."
The whole situation was . . . awkward. What was Gintoki supposed to do now? How does this type of thing even work? How did he even feel about Hijikata? His mind raced with questions, but on the outside he remained silent, hand still grasping Hijikata's shoulder. What was the next step?
A generic ringtone sounding from Hijikata's phone snapped them both out of their individual trains of thought. Hijikata jumped slightly but answered it on the second ring. Gintoki only heard a few hmms and ahhs before the conversation ended.
Hijikata placed his phone back in his pocket and turned to face Gintoki, managing to maintain his composure. "Sougo found the cat. Or so he claims. There was a lot of yelling from Kagura in the background. Anyway, we're all meeting back up at Otose's."
Gintoki hadn't realized quite how much time had passed. The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky in beautiful streaks of pinks and oranges. The streets were no longer packed with people, but Gintoki and Hijikata ended up walking about as close together as they were before. Neither of them spoke, each too buried in their own thoughts, but now the silence wasn't uncomfortable. At least it didn't feel that way to Gintoki. To anyone else, it just looked like two good friends walking down the street, but Gintoki didn't know what the hell they were now. It wasn't too late for them to forget the kiss and go back to being good friends, but Gintoki wasn't entirely sure he wanted that—or if Hijikata did.
As they approached Otose's shop, the sun set even further. They stepped through the front entrance, a bit surprised when they only saw Tama inside.
"Where is everyone?" Gintoki asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Yeah, Sougo called and said they found the cat," Hijikata added on, taking one last drag of his cigarette before putting it out.
Tama shook her head, her green braid swinging from side to side as she wiped down one of the tables. "Nobody has shown back up here. Okita-san called and said they were going to take the cat back to its owner. I presume they're in the middle of doing that."
"Ah, thanks," Gintoki said nodding to Tama before stepping out and heading towards the stairs that lead up to his apartment-office. Hijikata followed behind for lack of anything better to do. Sougo probably had the car and who knew what Yamazaki was doing.
The two of them stepped inside and left their shoes at the door. Gintoki laid out across the couch and turned on the TV, feeling the same awkward tension as before when Hijikata wordlessly took a seat on the couch across from him. As soon as Gintoki opened his mouth to say something, Hijikata did as well, beating him to it.
"Maybe this is weird but—" he began, seemingly struggling to find the right words to say. Gintoki sat up when Hijikata walked over to him and sat beside him. Neither Gintoki nor Hijikata had ever been decent at expressing their feelings and thoughts through words, so instead of trying to force himself to say some cringeworthy words that wouldn't feel right, Hijikata peered into Gintoki's eyes once more. Gintoki knew he shouldn't have been surprised at the intensity of Hijikata's gaze, but it always made his breath catch in his throat.
Gintoki returned his gaze with just as much intensity, barely registering when he felt Hijikata's hand grasp the back of his neck and pull him forward. For the second time that day, their lips met, but this time Gintoki closed his eyes and returned the kiss. Instinctively, he brought one hand up to cup Hijikata's jaw, thumb gently caressing over the light stubble he felt. Gintoki's chest tightened when he felt Hijikata's fingernails gently dig into the skin at the nape of his neck. He shivered and ran his tongue along Hijikata's bottom lip, deepening the kiss. After a few seconds, Gintoki felt Hijikata's hand slide upwards, fingers tangling into his already unruly hair.
They pulled away not long after, each slightly breathless. Gintoki's cheeks held a pink tint once he realized he was still cupping Hijikata's jaw. Hijikata sat back against the couch, but his smile did not go unnoticed by Gintoki. Neither of them was entirely sure what to do by that point, so they settled for continuing to watch the television, pretending their hearts weren't beating uncontrollably when their hands eventually met and their fingers laced together. Even if just for a few seconds, they both could forget their responsibilities and enjoy each other's company.