Trouble Me Pt. 1
For a couple of kids barely into their double digits, they sure get in all sorts of trouble, or so they've been told by their teachers. While most of it is in good fun, kids are nasty in their own way. Adults think children are innocent and do no wrong, but they're wrong. Kids don't think before they speak, and they do things without care for consequences.
Gintoki and he just happen to be a little too easily provoked and the boss bully in their neighbourhood just happens to be a self-important middle schooler who has no shame about picking on fifth graders half their size.
Not for the first time, the two of them end up in the school's infirmary. For the first time, it's bad enough that they have to go to the hospital. Well, Gintoki at least is, Hijikata thinks bitterly.
They're seated side-by-side in front of the nurse's work station as she bustles between the phone on the wall and the binder of paperwork on her desk. Gintoki fidgets in his chair, leg bouncing anxiously. Hijikata grips the corner of Gintoki's sleeve, "Don't."
Gintoki sighs, "I won't. Let go."
He doesn't let go. Gintoki doesn't ask again.
"Yes, Gintoki-kun will need stitches in his left shoulder. Please come as soon as possible," the nurse mutters into the phone, probably to Shouyou. "No, I don't know what the situation was or who the other kids were. We will have to save that conversation for afterwards.
Toshirou-kun is more or less intact, but I will need to give Hijikata-san a call also.
Yes, I will see you soon. Goodbye."
The nurse hangs the phone up, turns around to give the two of them a quick once over and then picks the phone up again. Hijikata's hand fists at Gintoki's sleeve.
"Don't say anything," Gintoki whispers, tugging gently at his sleeve to get Hijikata's attention.
Hijikata side-eyes Gintoki as delicately as he can manage with a bruised eye. "Why?"
"I'll do the talking."
He drops his gaze. He doesn't want to lie to his brother, but right now he can't seem to care with the word "stitches" echoing around his head. He nods, not wanting to argue at the moment.
"I'm sleepy."
"Okay."
"Lend me your shoulder."
"Okay."
He scoots his chair closer towards Gintoki.
"Wake me up when Shouyou's here."
"Okay."
Gintoki buries his face into the hood of his white pullover, staining it with mud and blood. Over a head of silver curls, Hijikata catches a glimpse of the bloody gauze under Gintoki's collar. He can hear the nurse speaking to his brother in the background, but at this point he's become numb to the trouble he's going to be in. This whole day was just "trouble" and he grew numb to threat of it by the fifth time he's heard it.
It doesn't even take five minutes and Gintoki's already drooling into his hood. Hijikata looks away to stare at the door.