Hey everyone!
First of all, I'm a non-native English speaker, so I'm sorry if there's any mistake.
I was thinking about Hijikata being all happy with a wedding ring, constantly looking at it, and it turned into this fic. It's really just fluff!
I hope you'll enjoy it, see you at the end!
The weight on Hijikata's ring finger was unfamiliar. He was not used to wearing something that restricted him, as small as the thing might be. He couldn't help but run his free fingers over the ring. He tried to restrain himself from doing it, but ever since he'd started wearing it, it was the only thing he could focus on.
It was quite maddening, how he sometimes forgot that it was here, for whatever reason, and the simple brush of his thumb over the cold metal brought it back to his mind like an electric shock.
He forced himself to push it away from his mind, trying to momentarily forget it, because he knew that he wouldn't be able to think about anything else but this otherwise.
It shouldn't affect him that much, shouldn't distract him that easily. But here he was. Helpless against a simple ring of silver.
Kondou was the first to notice it. Not the ring, obviously, he was there at the wedding.
Hijikata had asked him to be his best man, regretting the minute after when Kondou had started crying his heart out, his obvious answer drowned under his emotional babble. He'd been the one to walk Hijikata to the altar, insisting that Toshi needed a paternal figure to bring him there, and he wasn't able to say anything when Hijikata admitted, after a few drinks, that he only had him. Well, more precisely, that he'd only accept it if it was Kondou.
No, Kondou didn't notice the wedding ring at Hijikata's finger. What he noticed, however, was Hijikata's sudden distraction, on top of his new tendency to fidget one hand in particular.
It wasn't really serious, and he knew full well that Hijikata was still in full possession of his faculties, would he suddenly need to be fighting.
So Kondou let it go, didn't have the heart to actually tell him that everyone was looking at him because of his unexpected behaviour, and not so much because of the ring.
Gintoki wasn't initially sure he'd wear the ring on his hand. Constantly, that is. It wasn't really handy, to be honest, the ring pressed between his hand and the wooden sword he wielded so often.
But as he thought about it, he realised that he had nowhere else to wear or leave it. A chain around his neck was out of the question. It was has-been, on top of being uncomfortable, and ugly.
After a few days, it turned out that he didn't feel it that annoying. His grip on the sword was the same, and there was no sore fiction at all.
Without realising it, the ring quickly became a familiar object Gintoki never dissociated himself with. Even in missions where it seemed better for him to be single, the idea of removing his wedding ring slowly vanished from his mind, the option becoming inconceivable.
Kagura was proud of Gintoki. Like a mother was proud of her child, obviously. As if her oldest finally married after having spent years living locked up in his own room doing nothing if not slacking up and reading the Shonen Jump.
This wedding somehow put her back in her role of daughter, Hijikata taking her place of mother without even realising it.
She'd been wary about it, at first, but Hijikata turned out to be a better stepfather than she would have expected. He bought her sukonbu whenever she asked, and was way more lenient when it came to her breaking things in the house.
She knew he wasn't fully comfortable with her – them, actually, Shinpachi too – being constantly around. Seemingly afraid to mess something up with her and it reverberating on his relationship with Gintoki.
Kagura was aware of the power she held between her hands, but never really used it. She'd feel too bad, Hijikata was too nice for her to make him suffer like that. Actually, it wasn't so much about him being too nice. Much more about how his presence affected Gintoki.
Kagura, even though she didn't seem like it, at first sight, was observant. She'd noticed the way Hijikata seemed to never be able to get his hands off his wedding ring ever since their wedding day.
Gintoki was less obvious. He was less nervous, that much was evident. Where Hijikata was jittery, he was lazy. However, he wasn't better than Hijikata when it came to discretion.
Kagura could clearly see his fingers slowly passing over the silver ring when his arm was held pressed against his chest. Just like Hijikata, he was wearing it on his right hand. Kagura had been surprised of his choice.
It wasn't that Gintoki wasn't proud of his wedding, but he surprisingly didn't brag about it right after. If Kagura didn't know him better, she would have thought it was because of shyness. But Gintoki wasn't shy, and even less ashamed of such a thing.
He was just reserved. He didn't want to draw unwanted attention on him. He thought that his love life only concerned him, and him only. If not because of his friends, he probably would have been able to wed in complete secret, only showing up one day with a ring on his ring finger, casually.
Sadly for him, Kagura had been the first to know about their engagement. She'd been aware of Hijikata's intent of proposing ever since they'd both talked about it together one night when the silver-aired man had been away.
The Vice-Commander hadn't said anything about it aloud, but Kagura had seen the glint in his eyes, the way it shone like she'd never seen before. She had been quick to make the deduction.
Kagura was glad Hijikata was the one. Gintoki never seemed more relaxed than when he was around, and she loved it. Her earth father deserved it.
Sougo was delighted. Hijikata had never looked dumber.
Honestly, it was too good to be true. Their usually inflexible Vice-Commander acting like a blossoming young girl, smiling softly when his thoughts drifted to a certain someone, his fingers idly tracing the contours of the shining ring on his longest finger.
He was still sharp when it came to avoiding Sougo's pranks (he refused to indulge Hijikata's nonsensical flights of fancy of calling it "attempted murders". If Sougo wanted to kill him, Hijikata would have been six feet under for ages already), must to the teenager's dismay.
It probably was just muscle memory at this point, and Sougo blamed himself for having let this happen. He'd been too lenient, letting Hijikata see his next hits coming, letting him adapt.
Overall, Sougo was the loser in the story. Hijikata kept avoiding his tricks no matter how much time he put into it, and on top of that, he had accepted, after hours of negotiation with Kondou, and for Kondou's pleasure only, to comply to a truce with the Vice-Commander for the time of the wedding.
It had been really hard for Sougo, and no one had seemed to sympathise with him. On top of that, he'd been forced to share the company of the China girl during the entire evening.
Which, something he admitted only to himself, hadn't been that bad. He'd ended up throwing things at drunk guests and making them trip on the dance floor, Kagura outdoing him each time. It'd been fun, especially when they had both formed an alliance in order to make a drunk Gintoki spill his drink on his sweat-drenched not so white anymore shirt.
He'd been pissed, but his drunk brain had quickly deemed it not that much of an important offence, making him focus his attention on something else instead.
It had been a nice wedding, Kondu had been satisfied with it, and Sougo had done his fair share of the work. Now it was time to make up for the lost time and opportunities. And it was actually easier than Sougo had expected.
Somehow, Hijikata had ended up thanking him for not having messed the wedding, not really knowing that Sougo had held himself back only for Kondou's sake.
Now, though, the coast was clear.
The wedding had been a distraction on its own, but the ring? Sougo could feel that the object would provide him a good tons of prank opportunities, and he was finally quite happy with it.
If Hijikata getting married helped him make the man's life a bigger mess, then Sougo considered this wedding a success.
Shinpachi usually was the first one awake at the Yorozuya's Agency, despite being the only one not living on site. Or at least he used to be.
Hijikata had slowly but surely established himself into the small flat, leaving objects in permanent places in such a way that only Shinpachi seemed to be the one to remember that they belonged to the man, and had not been here for ever like most of the furniture around.
Shinpachi quickly learned that Hijikata was an early bird, just like him. And the time he used to spend alone in the living room cleaning while waiting for the other two to wake up, turned into a silent reunion where he and Hijikata found themselves laying around and cooking occasionally.
As much as the boy enjoyed these moments, his favourite part came after.
Hijikata's presence meant that he would start a normal work day, not kilometres away on a mission no one knew about. Which meant that when Gintoki woke up, his first thoughts wouldn't immediately be directed to gloomy suppositions, wondering where his husband had gone and in which state he would be back.
No matter how much he denied it, Gintoki couldn't hide anymore the fact that Hijikata's whereabouts affected him. It was his husband, after all, everyone understood him, but he seemed unable to accept it. He always furiously denied it, and everyone around him had long since stopped trying to reason him.
Shinpachi indeed had a ringside seat to witness the obvious affectionate gestures of the silver-haired man towards his husband every morning.
Gintoki was not a morning person, it was common fact. However, ever since Hijikata had practically moved in, something quite exceptional occurred.
Each morning, as Hijikata sat down to eat the breakfast he'd cooked minutes before, a zombie-like Gintoki emerged from the darkness of their shared bedroom, blanket still wrapped around him, and eyes squinting and glaring at the living room's lightbulb.
Sometimes Gintoki pretended to read the Jump, but he always somehow ended up closing his eyes at some points. Some days he didn't even try to hide himself, laying his head against Hijikata's shoulder as the man would eat, just basking in each other's presence.
It had taken time to Shinpachi to get used to it, and to get past the impression of disturbing the scene just by his mere presence. But the rare times he had tried to come by after Hijikata's departure for work, or to stay in another room while the man was having breakfast, the Vice-commander had somehow found him during the day and offered to spend some time together.
Shinpachi had realised that his behaviour had led Hijikata to believe that he voluntarily avoided him, which was why the Vice-commander always tried to fix things very quickly.
He had understood that the only way for Hijikata to stop trying to buy him things and get ideas was to simply keep being here during these times.
Now Shinpachi was comfortable with it, simply sitting on the couch opposite to the couple, sipping a cup of tea, reading the newspaper, writing letters to Otsu, or even cleaning up. Though he tried not to sweep the floor, the gesture being understandably annoying to see in the corner of your eye when you were trying to enjoy breakfast.
Anyway, once Hijikata left, with a soft ruffle of Gintoki's perm, the lazy man would get up, and walk back into his bedroom, the "thud" of the door being shut signalling to Shinpachi that Kagura would likely get up in around an hour, and it would get one more for Gintoki to step back into the living room for the second time in the day.
It was a well-oiled routine everyone respected diligently when everything was normal, Hijikata having easily squeezed himself into it, finding a place inside it and deciding to stay permanently.
Hijikata had to admit that he quite easily got used to the ring. He loved it, actually.
He'd been the one to choose the wedding rings since he was the one to propose. He'd chosen silver rings instead of the usually gold ones. The sale assistant had insisted that he at least took a look at the white gold ones, but Hijikata had been adamant about what he wanted. It would be silver and nothing else.
Now he often felt his eyes drifting from their main focus to the gleaming ring, the cold metal a constant reminder of his newly updated dating status. However, his eyes weren't the only one straying to the silver ring.
Women had always somehow been looking at him in everyday life ever since he'd moved to Edo. He had gotten used to it, not really having any choice when even his rude demeanour or indifference hadn't deterred them. If anything, it had amplified it.
The euphoria of the wedding had stunned him too much for Hijikata to even think about hiding his ring, and he had quickly been brought back to his senses on his first day back at work. He could still remember the uneasy feeling he had felt that day, the way he'd sensed eyes lingering on him longer than usual.
He hadn't really thought about it at first, but on the second hour, the streets had filled up, and even more people had started looking at him thoroughly, and he hadn't been able to ignore it. Dozens of women glaring at his ring finger as if it was the most obscene and offensive object they had ever seen in their lives.
The anger, however, quickly turned to curiosity, and nosiness, even. So much that it even became the talk of the week in the entire town. Who could possibly be the – probably young and beautiful lady – who had taken over the Shinsengumi's Vice Commander's heart? Everyone had their little say in the matter, as if his love life was a normal topic to discuss, something everyone cared about.
Old ladies tried to bribe him with cooked meals and handmade stuff to glean some details. Young women tried to use their charms to lure him, as if him being married somehow would make him more likely participate in something he had always rejected. Middle-aged women used their youngest ones to catch his attention and ask them to ask question about the mysterious lady.
And then there was Sougo. The happy bastard, content to be able to answer in place of Hijikata since the man was kind of obliged to keep silent. The Vice-Commander had to grind his teeth for two weeks straight to restrain himself from saying something. His hands aching from keeping his fists tight every time he met Sougo to stop himself from strangling him to death here and now.
On top of that, Gintoki himself had joined Sougo's little game, covering his tracks and adding names to the ever growing list of Hijikata's potentials wives. And assuring himself that Ketsuno Ana's stayed apart from it.
Hijikata still remembered that day where Gintoki had, with a shit-eating grin all over the face, whispered to a group of women, while holding eye-contact with his husband, letting it be understood that the secretive wife was a woman from Yoshiwara. The Vice-Commander still had nightmares about the mess the declaration had led to.
In fact, it wasn't really that he refused to let his wife's identity be discovered, more than the wife actually refusing to be named. Hijikata did it out of respect for Gintoki, because out of the two, the raven-haired man certainly wasn't the shiest one when it came to showing off their significant other.
They had talked about it, on Gintoki's demand, the silver-haired man being worried that this little game of his could actually really affect Hijikata. He didn't want the man to think that he was ashamed of being the one everyone talked about. It had been a mutual choice to keep each other's identity "secret". It was doomed to be found out sooner or later anyway, but they had decided not to do anything to really let it out. It concerned them and their relatives only, and random people who wanted to know could wait until the curiosity around it had settled down.
Hijikata had been touched by the Gintoki's worry, assuring him that the silver band around his finger was enough of a proof of Gintoki's inexistent shame when it came to him. If Gintoki wanted to have fun this way, then so be it. With some chance, Sougo would find it lame and would give up this angle of attack because of that.
Hijikata didn't really care, because even if people were pressing about his wife's identity, Gintoki's smug smile when he bamboozled the poor women was a strong enough consolation to his dismay.
Gintoki had been caught off guard by Hijikata's marriage proposal. He had never really thought about getting married. At least seriously. Ketsuno Ana's case was an exception.
He'd always wanted to have a family, but he'd never actually actively tried to make one. Somehow, this makeshift family came to him, a granted wish he'd never expressed aloud. It never mattered to him, whether his kids should share his blood. It was better, even, to be able to raise them without them being directly attached to him. Just in case something happened. Just so they couldn't officially be linked back to him.
He didn't need the administration's approval to consider Kagura his kid, just as he didn't need Tae's green light to include Shinpachi in the little circle either. As for Hijikata, he certainly had not waited for the proposal to consider him as such, probably ever since the first time Hijikata had not objected to being called "Toshi" by Kagura, answering to it as if it was his normal nickname.
Gintoki didn't consider this wedding as the thing that definitely sealed his relationship with Hijikata, but he had come to appreciate having now the title of Hijikata Toushirou's husband, as much as having Hijikata considered as Sakata Gintoki's husband.
Though it was not a title Gintoki actually exploited. His mood oscillated between hiding his identity and jeering at Hijikata when old ladies tried to be sneaky, and wanting to parade with his ring shining in the eyes of the world just to remind people of his union. Something he actually never really did.
It was typical Gintoki behaviour. A big mouth in front of everyone, a secret man in private. It wasn't a surprise to see that when it came to love, Gintoki was modest. He hated grand gestures and loud demonstrations. Maybe it was out of reserve, but the silver-haired man rarely talked about his loved ones.
There probably were some remnants of his former life, where everyone seen with him ended up with a target painted in the middle of their head. Professing his love in public still equalled, in his mind, to danger and risks of getting these people killed. Just because he loved them.
Obviously it wasn't the case anymore, but still, Gintoki couldn't get it out of his head. He'd rather die than have anything happen to Hijikata because of him. Gintoki was the only culprit of his crimes, and if someone sought revenge and bloodlust, then he should be the only one to pay for it.
This fear of accidentally dragging Hijikata into something he'd have nothing to do with had almost prevented him from saying yes. Almost. But somehow Gintoki had known the minute Hijikata had got down on one knee – Something the Yorozuya man would never let die down –, that the Vice-Commander would not take this as an excuse. And Gintoki couldn't have possibly lied to the man just to try to protect him from something that may or may not happen at some point in their lives.
Hijikata had been clear enough in his words. 'I won't accept any refusal under the pretence of you trying to protect me. We're flirting with danger so much in our lives already that it's not a piece of paper with both of our name on it that's going to make it any worse.'
He had left the sentence die down, his eyes, fixed on Gintoki's, screaming that he wasn't finished. But it might have been too much for the man to say it out loud. Hijikata sure was more honest with his emotions than Gintoki, but it didn't mean that he was better at expressing it out loud. Or just for expressing it, in fact.
Gintoki, too weak for his own good when it came to Hijikata, had just straight up given up protesting, giving in to the most appealing answer possible. And after all, who was he to deny Hijikata such a thing?
Now, regret was the farthest word possible Gintoki would use to describe his feelings regarding his wedding. He would be lying if he said that seeing Hijikata walk around with a silver ring around his finger wasn't the hottest thing he'd ever seen. To know that he had the very same ring under his clothes, pressed against his chest, made something churn inside his stomach.
Hijikata was his husband. Cool. Nothing to brag about. To scream about. No reason to be surprised. Really, it was just a ring, just something that made ladies talk, Hijikata blush, and Gintoki laugh. Nothing more.
'So? What do you have to say about it, Zura?'
'I'm not Zura, I'm Katsura. And I'd say you're right, Leader. I don't think I've ever seen Gintoki this happy in ages. Especially for such a long time'.
'Ah! See! I was right!' Kagura exclaimed.
Shinpachi shook his head, unconvinced. 'Come on, have you ever seen him after a big win at the pachinko?'
'I agree with Shinpachi on this. Gin-san's happier when he's with me!'.
'Ah? I doubt a sadomasochist woman like you would make a man like Dana happy, Sarutobi. He's a sadist at heart, and Hijikata-san is the perfect guinea pig for his desires'.
Both Shinpachi and Kagura pulled faces at Sougo's words, quickly turning back towards Katsura to make him change the topic. Yet he didn't even have the time to say something because someone already interrupted them.
'I wouldn't use the same terms as you, Sougo, but I agree with you on this point, Gintoki's a perfect match for Toshi. It's also the first time I've seen him this happy for such a long period of time'.
As incredible as it might seem, Tae approvingly nodded, visibly agreeing with Kondou. 'I agree with you Kagura-chan, Gintoki has seemed excessively happy lately, and I don' think the wedding has nothing to do with it'.
On the other side of the bar counter, someone tsked. All gazes turned towards the sound, questioningly.
'Don't tell me none of you has noticed the way both of these idiots look at their rings constantly? It's as if they were discovering it each time their eyes fell on it.' Catherine paused, before adding 'I'm pretty sure I've seen Gintoki trip the other night in the front stairs because he looked at his ring while going down the stairs'.
Silence fell upon the room, before Kondou broke it by clearing his throat, making Tae's face scrunch up in disgust. 'Ah, actually, I noticed it too. Toshi glances at it quite often these days. It's…. endearing'.
'Gintoki has the same look in his eyes when he looks at the ring, and it indeed is a good sight, it's almost good enough to make me forget that he actually married a cop. As much as I disapprove of this union for Gintoki, I have to admit it probably is a good thing for him'.
'And thankfully it makes Hijikata an easier target to my rockets'. Sougo said, before falsely correcting himself at the way Kondou disapprovingly looked at him, 'Sadly, I mean'.
'I was sure surprised when I noticed it too. I didn't take Gin-san as the romantic type, but with the way he looks at the ring? I don't think there's any other way to describe it. Before it he used to look lazy, but now he just looks goofy, I'm not sure which one is better for business'.
'I don't think Gin-san's look has anything to do with our job's success, Ane-ue' interjected Shinpachi in defence of his boss.
'Of course, no one would want to hire you if it solely rested upon Gintoki's looks.' Catherine sneered. Otose tsked before throwing a tea towel in the woman's face.
'At least the brat's getting the job done when he's asked to do it, unlike you. You've got glasses to dry, Catherine, go on'.
The amanto grumbled as she moved away from the counter, and not really discreetly, Otose took her place.
'What do you think about it, then, Otose-san?' Shinpachi asked, curious. The woman had been the only one to keep her mouth shut on the actual topic.
The owner of the bar silently put a freshly clean glass down on the counter, gazing in the distance. 'I can't say much about the Vice-Commander, but as for Gintoki… I do have noticed that his steps were lighter'.
No one seemed to really know how to answer to this, but it confirmed what – almost – everyone thought. The wedding had changed something in both men's spirits. In a positive way.
'As for Gintoki's ogling at the ring, I'm pretty sure he's been trying to evaluate the sum Hijikata put into it, just to see how much he could get if he sold it'.
Kagura snickered at the remark, as Tae burst out laughing loudly while Zura and Kondou, with some regret, agreed. Catherine joined Tae in the loud outburst, while Sougo and Sarutobi visibly got in some sort of argument. Or were they just agreeing on something? Everyone quickly looked away, not wanting to indulge in the weird sadists' plans.
In the middle of this happy cacophony, two men stepped foot into the snack house, incognito. Gintoki paused, frowning at the sight of everyone gathered around the counter, laughing and talking as if Katsura wasn't currently the most wanted terrorist in all Edo, and Kondou and Sougo weren't Shinsengumi's members.
He was forced to look away when a familiar voice addressed him 'Gintoki-sama, it is good to see you back. Please come take a seat, this way', Tama said in her monotone voice.
Hijikata greeted her with a slight nod of the head, following Gintoki to the far end of the counter. Tama had showed them the leftmost side of the room, opposite to their small group of friends, not really knowing whether they'd want to sit with them or seek a little privacy.
Hijikata beat Gintoki in speed, deciding where they would sit, somewhere between their friends and the end of the counter. Gintoki shot him a heatless glare but otherwise complied swiftly.
For some reason, their friends didn't turn towards them, and it didn't bother them. They didn't really came here for privacy, but it was nice to have some in such ways sometimes, to just be two random men in public space, and not the Shinsengumi's Vice-Commander and the Yorozuya. Their appearances betrayed their identity, but in Otose's snack house, no one cared about them. About it.
The light was dim, and the laughter had died down on their right. Otose appeared in the corner of their eyes, already pouring drinks without addressing them a single word. She deftly slid both glasses across the counter with one hand, holding one cigarette with the other. Hijikata politely thanked her, while Gintoki scrunched up his eyes in a suspicious look towards her and the group. Otose huffed but said nothing, leaving to serve other patrons.
Discreetly, the small group sent looks towards the couple, pricking up their ears to try to get a grasp of what they were saying. But Otose seemed to have none of it, as she shooed them away. 'If you're not planning on ordering anything else, you might as well leave'. She turned towards Kondou and Sougo 'Don't you have any terrorist to stop, you two?'
All eyes turned towards Katsura who pretended to be oblivious. Otose sighed, but added 'Do as you wish, but don't bother them' she pointedly looked at Sougo, 'wait another time for that thing you keep under your pocket, brat'.
The Shinsengumi's 1st Division Commander groaned, but still complied, taking his hand out of his coat pocket, and jumping away from his stool. 'I'm going to annoy Yamazaki', he said as he was leaving.
Sarutobi was the second to leave, faking puking as she said 'I'm not staying here to watch Gin-san cheat on me with such an ugly mutt, bye'. No one made a move to stop her.
Kagura, Shinpachi, Tae and Kondou didn't move, ordering something to Catharine who grudgingly complied. They talked quietly, not trying to listen anymore, but content with staying at a normal level.
On their left, Hijikata's eyes were glued to Gintoki's forehead, and the latter noticed it.
'Do I have something on my face, Oogushi-kun?', he asked.
Without answering, Hijikata reached out, adjusting Gintoki's bang sticking to his forehead, before pulling his hand away, letting it fall to his side.
Unbothered by the gesture, Gintoki turned his eyes back to his drink. They didn't talk about anything important, something Gintoki had seen in an ad in one of the magazines he'd found in the konbini, Hijikata nodding along from time to time to show that he was listening.
Under the bottom of the stools, Gintoki's hand brushed against Hijikata's. Hot skin met the surface of cool metal, and calloused fingers closed around coarse ones. In the darkness of the room, Hijikata and Gintoki's eyes seemed to gleam like silver under neon lights.
The end!
I've been fixated on the idea of Hijikata and Gintoki's relationship being in the light of the public eye, and I already had the idea of Hijikata being obsessed with the sight of a silver ring on his finger, so I'm glad I finally found the time to write this and combine both ideas!
It doesn't exactly look like what I had in mind, but I like it well enough. It actually only took me one month to write it, I thought it would take longer, so I'm quite happy with it!
It was hard to actually write everyone's perspective in there, I'm really much more comfortable with Hijikata's. And, as you can see, I couldn't help but make Gintoki's POV a tad bit gloomy, it's really hard not to. So I hope the characters weren't too out of character!
I think I finally can make a break from these two's relationship haha, I'm going to try and write about other things since it seems I don't have any new idea like this one for now. But who knows, they're usually never really far.
Anyway, don't hesitate to leave kudos, and to comment, it always makes me really happy to read them!