Chapter 2: Take the gloves off

At last: the chapter all of you have been looking forward to for so long ;). Enjoy!

For those unfamiliar with the term: "Take the gloves off" is a metaphor for "get serious" or "hurry up". In this case it can also mean "don't be so gentle" or being rougher.

In this sentiment: let's get serious!

Warning: mature content!

His mood was over the top when he opened the door and entered. He couldn't suppress a cheeky grin. Just a short look around the room and then he took off his shoes and his wooden sword to place it against the wall. It was nice here. Not the best of course, but it would do. It had a bathroom and a bed and the lights were dimmed. It was just a normal hotel room with a bit of a kinky flair. He would have preferred a Japanese style room, but this had been one of the last rooms available. So he wouldn't complain. He didn't come here for a tour, anyway.

When he turned around, he could see Hijikata uncomfortably closing the door, avoiding direct eye contact. He was as red as a tomato. So cute, Gintoki thought and his grin almost blew up his face. Of course, the proud commander surely never had set foot in a Love Hotel before. Well, apart from the time he had been drugged of course. He was quite shy when it was about love, after all. Gin enjoyed the show. It was just too adorable watching him all flustered like that.

It wasn't like Gin was not nervous. In fact, he was freaking out on the inside and not just because he was so ecstatic. His heart was throbbing a hard beat and his head was swimming. He was so edgy, he didn't know where to start. But he had a lot less shame than the handsome black-haired man when it got to things like this. And he had waited way too long to take things slow now.

Gintoki chuckled and crossed his arms, tilting his head. He wanted to lighten the mood a bit. "Your first time?"

Hijikata grumbled and shot him a fierce look. It was so sexy. "Shut up!"

The chuckle deepened and he closed his eyes. "Don't be like that. I was being considerate."

"Tsk, yeah sure." Hijikata walked past him, his eyes closed as well. He was so tense, it was hard not to notice. "If you're being considerate, then I'm the king of fairies."

Gin observed him carefully and bit his lip. He wanted it as well. Or else he wouldn't have come. So, Gin allowed himself to tease him a little. It helped him overcome his own edginess for a bit. "Don't worry then, king of fairies. It's normal to be nervous around Gin-san, a lot of chicks are. Because I'm handsome."

A grunt and Hijikata shot him another sharp look. He liked him being so grumpy. "You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?"

Funny he would phrase it like that. But first things first. Snickering, Gin eyed him, feeling his pulse strangling him again. He appeared a lot more relaxed than he actually was. "Tell me news, Hijikata-kun."

"Tsk." The police officer looked away and didn't know what to do, it seemed. It was clear he wasn't used to these kind of situations and that his pride got in the way of the things he wanted. Gin wanted to tease him just a little more, to see how he would react. He loved seeing him like that. Plus, he was also a bit unsure of how to do this.

"So, you wanna tell me you've done this plenty of times then?"

"No." Gin stared towards the bed. "I mean, yeah… I had sex once or twice, but… not like this."

No answer, of course. Hijikata was burdening himself with a lot of unnecessary questions, he bet. This could get bothersome. So Gin smiled, still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, eying him. "You're thinking too much."

The man in the dark traditional clothes sighed annoyed and was embarrassed. "Who's the one talking shit here, bastard?"

So he wouldn't make a move, huh? Wow, he was really so unbelievably timid. Guess this truly was his first time.

That was a lot of pressure for the silver-haired samurai. Still, he smiled and started moving. He stopped in front of him, closing most of the distance between them. Hijikata was glancing at him, his eyes sending mixed signals. He looked jittery. It reignited the uncertainty in Gin's heart as well. But he wouldn't give in. He hadn't come that far for this. So he took another step and softly bumped against him, making Hijikata hit the wall. He didn't touch him yet, he was just looking into these insanely beautiful blue eyes.

"Don't worry… I won't make you do anything you don't want to." He said, serious for a change. He didn't want to scare him off, after all. "Gin-san is not that kind of guy…"

Another growl and Hijikata seemed annoyed. Not genuinely of course, but it was his way of dealing with embarrassing situations after all. He didn't struggle, seemed fine with being trapped like that. Instead, he grabbed Gin's hip and pulled him towards himself. "Can't you just shut up already?"

Another grin and Gin liked being groped like that. So he raised his arms too, seizing him. He couldn't refrain from burying one hand into dark hair and using the other to yank him closer. "If that's what you want… why don't you force me to, then?"

"…Jerk…" The cop snarled, just before he drew him into another kiss. This time, it was even more passionate, a little bit more reckless as well. They were alone now, no judging eyes after all. They could do whatever they wanted.

This thought got Gintoki pretty riled up and caused a lot of blood to flow downwards below his stomach. Oh, how much he had been looking forward to this. He was not so good at holding back, was going for everything now. Hungrily, his tongue was taking all it got. He buried his fingers into dark locks and pressed himself against Hijikata's body. His other hand was drifting, trailing his chest down to his stomach and finally grabbing his butt.

When he felt the officer leaning into it, pressing against him as well, he lost count of time or what he was actually doing. His body was filling up with tension and fever, his head was empty and light and giving in. Drunk from these feelings stirring inside of him, he pushed Hijikata against the wall. His hands began wandering, exploring and everything they felt was adding more fuel to his fire. Their tongues were battling for dominance and the kiss became deeper, more demanding. It was exhilarating. He couldn´t get enough of that.

When their hips pressed against each other, he could feel the guy's erection grinding against his own. Gin couldn't hold back, he moved his hand downwards to touch it. It felt incredible.

For a few more moments, they were able to make out like this before he could hardly think anymore. He wanted to rip his clothes off and fuck him. He hadn't been this horny for quite a while now. The last time had been… well, with Hijikata as well. Though back then, he had been drugged and turned into a playboy.

Suddenly, he felt Hijikata breaking the kiss, pulling his chin up and heaving for air. His blue eyes were unsteady, unfocused, the gaze clouded and aroused. Gin realized, he was gasping as well. They were both pretty agitated, could feel their hammering pulse inside their sore throats. Hijikata's voice was throaty and hushed. He was gulping and pressing against him.

"…How… 're we gonna…"

Do it? The thought pierced his heart and sent a hot tremor through is erection. Hell, he was erotic. It wasn't a question for Gintoki at all. He had known the answer way before, had made up his mind weeks ago. He wanted to go all the way. He had waited so long for all of this, there was no way he would be satisfied with a little hugging and kissing. He wanted to do it with him. No questions asked.

Still, Gin knew what Hijikata was getting at. Who was going to be top and who was going to be bottom? This was an obvious question. Both of them were pretty dominant guys after all. And truth be told, Gin would have loved to be on top. He would have loved to fuck Hijikata senseless. But he also knew that this would be hard on the timid policeman. He was a prideful character after all, whereas Gin had no shame whatsoever and was basically up for everything. He wasn't ashamed of something like that, so him being bottom was the obvious choice. At least for the beginning. He was fine with that. He had decided so weeks ago, after all.

The silver-haired man grinned and kissed him, chewed on his lips and shot him a seductive glance. "I don't mind. …Do whatever you want to do. I'll take on whatever you have to offer."

Hijikata was gulping again and Gin chuckled. Frankly, he was looking forward to it. The strong handsome man topping him wasn´t a bad thought at all. It was essential to him that this mayonnaise freak felt good and comfortable, that he was enjoying it. It was far more important than him insisting on being top. Either way, this was a gigantic step for the policeman. Especially if this was his first time, after all.

Impatiently, Gintoki started to undress the man in front of him. He didn't want to wait any more than necessary. He stripped him of his haori and loosened his obi, while kissing him anew. It took a few seconds before the cop started doing the same with his clothes. Soon, their kimonos lay on the ground and Gin was walking backwards towards the bed, dragging and kissing Hijikata while doing so.

As he hit the bed with his heel, he broke their fiery kiss and dropped backwards to sit on the bed. From here, the view wasn't half as bad. Looking up into Hijikata's aroused face and to his bare chest made his appetite grow. Restraining nothing, Gin kissed his stomach and trailed his tongue downwards to his navel. He felt the cop shiver under it and that encouraged him even more. Brazenly, he grabbed the waistband of his pants and dragged them down. He helped him step out them before he attacked him again, showering his waist with kisses. His fingernails scratched over his trained muscles and the soft skin between his pelvic bones.

Even covered by his boxer shorts, Hijikata's erection was in plain sight. It pressed itself against the fabric leaving a vague mark. Really, Gin hadn't known he would ever love something like this so much. He would never have guessed, he could be this thrilled by the sight of a man. His mouth almost watered from anticipation and he couldn't refrain from giving it a try. He pulled the dark-haired man closer and kissed him through the fabric. It felt awfully good.

While Gintoki was caressing him through the thin layers of cloth, stroking and biting carefully, he felt a hand diving into his hair, twisting it. He was tense, he could feel it, but the sweet tooth didn't mind it. He couldn't stop touching him. The nails curling into his hair and skull made the feeling even stronger. In fact, he wanted to do more. He wanted to rip his shorts off and taste him. He wanted to know how it would feel. He wanted him to feel good, to moan and tremble. He couldn't hold back anymore. His fingers finally caught under his shorts and attempted to drag them down as well, so he could taste him for good.

Though, before he could get to that, Hijikata's fingers yanked his head backwards. It hurt for a second and Gin bit his lips, looked upwards to see what was going on. Before he could catch a good glance of his face, however, he felt strong hands shoving him down into the sheets. Honestly surprised, the samurai looked at him only to find a panting, severely aroused police officer pushing him into the bed. Hijikata was leaning over him, tugging at his black shirt to open it. So he was taking the lead, after all? Gin grinned satisfied. Had taken him long enough, though. He was fine with it. More than just fine.

When he finally yanked open his shirt, Hijikata turned to Gin's pants next. The man with the red eyes was happy to help him get rid off them. His strawberry boxers followed a moment later. What? He liked them, okay!

Now, the only thing Gin wore was his black shirt half ripped open. He was a bit sad Hijikata had impeded his attempt to give him a blowjob. He genuinely had been looking forward to that. Still, having this heaving bare-chested man hovering above him was no reason to complain. He licked his slightly swollen lips and stared upwards with a craving expression. This guy looked so flushed and agitated, it gave him a real kick.

When he was absolutely sure Hijikata was going for top, he fingered for the things he had managed to get out of his pants before they had landed on the floor. He couldn't suppress another teasing smirk and shoved it into his vision. It was a small tube of lubrication and a condom.

"You know what you gotta do, right?"

Of course, Hijikata was blushing. He loved him for that. The man above him growled softly, annoyed. He snatched it out of his hand and narrowed his eyes. "'Course I do! I'm not an idiot."

Happily, Gintoki beamed at that. God, he had such a mayor crush on this guy. He really didn't mind how they did it, as long as they did it with each other. Instinctively, he spread his legs and pulled him down into another hungry kiss. For a long moment, he trapped him in a fierce crashing of their tongues. Just before they both needed to heave for air, he pulled away and shot the man a promising look.

"Then do it. I won't lay here waiting all night."

He saw Hijikata's face twitching. But before he could say anything else, the dark-haired man kissed him again. This time even fiercer and almost angrily. He wondered if he felt challenged now. Maybe he was pressuring him too much? He couldn't help it. He just really wanted to sleep with him. So he leaned into the kiss with everything he got. His fingers tousled his hair, his legs grazed his and he let his fingers run down his throat to his chest. He wanted him so badly.

A few more times Hijikata showered him with kisses until his mouth started wandering downwards. At first, he placed his lips against Gintoki's throat, sucking on it, then to his collarbone and chest and even further below to his navel. His fingers were following, trailing over his muscular torso and making the silver-haired man shiver. From where he touched, a fever thrived and was dragged downwards with his kisses. When he nudged his hips, Gintoki felt hot inside his stomach and cold inside his head and feet. Oi, oi! Really? Was he really going to…?

He was. And when he curled his lips around it without any kind of warning, Gintoki had to gasp for air. The sensation got worse as he started to move, taking his full length in and curling his tongue around it. Gin's head crushed into the cushion and he moaned loudly.

Wow, he hadn't been expecting that. Seemed the demonic Vice Commander was not so timid after all. He was quite good to be honest. As Gin glanced down, he could see him doing it. This view was even more arousing. His mouth, his tongue, the warmth and the tingling of his hair on his skin when he got down was simply amazing. He felt a shiver run through his bones and groaned softly in response.

As Hijikata sucked harder, his breath stalled and he pushed the palm of his hand into his eye, biting his lip.

It was the moment he felt his hands moving. First, his fingers were just grazing his inner thighs, then deeper, even deeper until they met sensitive skin. Gintoki gulped and felt nervous all of the sudden. His heart was beating like crazy and shot small electric waves down his stomach. He was looking down and buried his hand in the sheets expectantly. But it was not until Hijikata put his first finger in, that he dug his nails into the bed.

He was very cautious and gentle, he could feel that. And under the sensation of his lips around his erection, he could barely feel his finger. Still, he couldn't suppress a long, sensitive moan, as he pushed inside and started moving along his prostate. Seemed like this guy really did know what he was doing. Gin pressed his eyes shut and heaved for air, losing track of reality.

The edginess was growing and all of the sudden, he felt weak and defenseless. He hadn't expected it to feel this way. This was completely different from what he had imagined it to be. He felt just a little scared, though he knew he didn't have to. Everything was going to be alright.

"…Everything okay?" the black-haired man asked, looking at him from between his thighs.

Gintoki bit his lips once more and nodded, glanced down and swallowed. "Yeah… don't worry…."

The cop nodded, too and sunk down again, tasting him while stroking him from the inside. It was a strange feeling, but he liked it. He wasn't ashamed. But he wouldn't tell him he had prepared for this, either. In fact, Gin had used the time Hijikata had been away to… well "practice". He had tried it many times, had tried to get used to the feeling and the pain and the pleasure. It had hurt at first, but with time he had gotten a hang of it, even found a way he could enjoy it. It was because of this, he wasn't that scared of what was going to come. He knew it would feel good.

It took a few moments until he hit the right spot. Together with his tongue on his erection, this felt insanely good. Gintoki winced and bit his own finger, closing his eyes. His breath tumbled and his voice shivered.

"…there… was… good."

He could feel him looking at him. It was a sexy thought and he licked over his lip. Then, Hijikata tried again and seemed to have found his sweet spot. As he grazed it, Gintoki cringed and suppressed a loud moan. His head was whirling for a few seconds and he felt his chest grow tight. Oh dear… He wanted more.

"…Toshirou…" It was the very first time he called him by his first name. It felt odd, but he liked it. He glared down, his glance clouded by lust. "...one more…"

Seemed like he gave the man with the black hair a hard time. He hesitated for a moment until he added a second finger. Promptly, Gintoki was moaning louder, throwing his head backwards. Two were definitely another level. It felt so tight and maxed out already. But he knew two was barely enough to prepare him for what was to come. He bit his lips harder and bore with it, until Hijikata found the spot again. Then, it was actually quite decent, even pretty pleasant.

He wheezed when his fingers scissored and his head bowed down up to where it hit his throat. Hissing, Gin grabbed Hijikata's scalp and buried his fingers in his hair. He was completely out of breath now and could feel how he lost control. He wanted more, he wanted him. Damn it, couldn't he hurry the hell up?

"...one… more…" he whispered miserably, begging almost.

He didn't notice Hijikata's hesitation. He couldn't feel what was going on inside of him and how flustered he was. It was plain obvious he wanted to take things slower; that he was unsure of whether this was right. But it seemed he swallowed the doubts as well as he swallowed Gin whole the next minute, when he did as he was told.

Gintoki's moaning was brash and breathless now. He was moving around, his hands burying in the sheets or in his own hair or between his teeth. It still hurt a bit here and then, but the sensation felt very close to what he was aiming for. He felt so full of him, knew he was getting closer to an orgasm. When his fingers spread again, his back was arching and he was making a rather high-pitched sound. He started trembling and couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't.

"S-stop!" He soughed and yanked at Toushirou's hair to pull him up. The man seemed surprised, almost panicky. He stared at him with a guilty expression, but before he could have opened his mouth to say anything stupid, Gin was propping himself up and dragging him into a hungry kiss. The dark-haired man was so befuddled, he couldn't even kiss him back. The embrace, however, lasted only a moment until Gin broke it apart and gasped for air, hissing at him.

"Goddamnit… hurry up already… and take the gloves off…"

He possibly couldn't have told him anything that would have made him look more bewildered. The black-haired man was staring at him with an unbelieving expression, panting and gasping. Gintoki didn't have any patience for that. He wanted this man to fuck him already.

"…condom… now…"

It was an order and Gin meant it that way. He had no time for Hijikata's self-doubts. If this idiot couldn't see how toey he made him, it was his own fault. He wouldn't make it any more clear than that.

It still took a few seconds before he reacted. He gulped and seemed a little taken aback by Gin's brashness. Still, he fumbled for the condom and tore it open. Gin didn't exactly know why, but watching him rolling it down his cock was extremely hot. Gin bit his swollen lip and grabbed himself, slowly stroking in anticipation. He wanted to kiss him, but that would probably just distract him. So instead, he lifted his hips and spread his legs for him.

When the cop finally got into position, Gin shivered. He felt one of his hands pressing his leg down and the other grazing his thigh. And then he felt his hot muscle pressing against him, only slowly going deeper and deeper.

It was a sensation that both hurt and felt intoxicating.

Gin heaved for the scarce air and groaned. His fingers clutched to Toushirou's arm propping him up in the bed, while the other continued to stroke his own erection. The sensation let the pain grow weaker and the pleasure greater. The man on top was still going at snail's pace, moving very gently. It drove him crazy, but he couldn't change that now. It took a few thrusts to make him get used to the feeling, a few more until he hit the right spot. Gintoki's moaning got loud and rapturous now. He shuddered and tightened the grip around his manhood. With every thrust he trembled and the lust engraved itself into his skin, his bones. If felt good. It really felt fucking good.

He wheezed when Toushirou finally picked up pace. He could hear his slightly louder and tumbling breath and allowed himself to take a peak. When he saw the attractive officer leaning over him with his eyes closed and his head flushed, he felt his pulse going out of control. He whispered his name and dug his fingernails inside the parts of his skin he could reach. He felt himself getting lost in ecstasy. He would never have guessed, it would feel like this.

Whenever Hijikata lost his pace or the spot, Gintoki helped him find it again, pressing himself against him, propping him up and arching his back. He wound up pulling back his own leg to give him more space and the way it felt by doing that was even more intense. The silver-haired man was a mess now, wheezing and puffing and convulsing under him. Gasping and moaning, he was encouraging him to keep on going. He couldn't stop trembling and his head was spinning so much, he didn't know what was up and down anymore. He couldn't take this any longer. He was at his limit.

When he felt Toushirou hit the right spot over and over again, he didn't know what was happening. All of the sudden, his back arched and he cried out, digging his nails into the next thing he could find. The sensation of a hot shiver rampaged through his skin and left him shaking. After that, an icy cold was lulling his fingertips and toes, contracting his muscles and pulling everything up and down to the middle of his body. It only lasted a few seconds until a hot shower engulfed him, making him break down in a wet sweat.

Not knowing whether he felt hot or cold anymore, Gintoki was heaving for air, moaning and wincing. He felt tremors rocking through his body and his hand getting wet from everything he had bottled up so long. It honestly felt incredible.

He didn't realize until a few desperate breaths later that his partner had stopped moving. Feeling dangerously light headed, Gin opened his eyes to look at him. The first thing, he could see from inside his misty gaze was his own belly. It was slick and wet and still quivering. Something dripped on it from above and it took him another few seconds before he realized it was blood. Instinctively, he got up to look at his face. Hijikata was staring at him disbelievingly, his eyes though full of lust also clouded with surprise. A small trail of blood was dripping out of his nose.

And all of the sudden, Gintoki had to chortle. He couldn't take it anymore, he was bubbling over with laughter, rocking and convulsing. Tears came into his eyes and he held his stomach. Hijikata's erection still deep inside of him made this movement also quite stimulating.

He could feel how befuddled this made his partner. He was staring down at him with no clue whatsoever and he was blushing. His eyes half closed, still chuckling, Gin finally raised his hand to brush the blood away.

"Wow… you're really perverted, you know?"

Seemed like the cop hadn't even realized his nose was bleeding. Visibly embarrassed, he cussed and used the back of his hand to wipe it away.

"S-sorry…"

Gin was staring at him with a crooked smile. God, he loved him. He really did. He couldn't refrain from teasing him just a little.

"Honestly… getting a nosebleed from this? What are you? Sixteen?"

"Tsk… shut up…" He looked away, ashamed. "…Didn't expect you to come already…"

"Heeh…" He smiled and felt his cock inside of him, throbbing with every heartbeat. He found that so sexy. "Right… sorry… should have said something…" Licking his dry lips, he wrapped his legs around his hip and drew him closer. "…You didn't come yet, right?"

"…No…" It was so soft, so shy, so undemanding, Gintoki's heart skipped a beat.

"Then, why don't we change that, hm?"

He could feel him trembling under his words. Because he was still hesitant, Gin started moving his hips to show him he was serious. Toushirou only needed a few more seconds until he took the lead again. It felt a little different now. Still good, though also a little bit more shallow. However, he was so soft down there that he didn't mind. This time, he took the chance to observe his lover while doing it. He looked unbelievably sexy. The way his muscles moved, the way his face contorted, the soft, shy moaning dripping out of his mouth. It sent the arousal right back into his bones, throwing him onto the ground. He really couldn't believe this was happening. That the prideful demonic Vice Chief would go so far, for him. His heart seemed close to burst of happiness. He was so lucky.

It took a few minutes until he experienced what it sounded like to hear him come. He was so timid, so quiet, so erotic, it was unbelievable. Exhausted, he gasped for air and leaned over him, searching for support in the soft cushions of the bed. Gintoki pulled him down and started kissing him. He could still feel him convulsing inside of him and it made him grow even harder. But right now, he only wanted to kiss him, to feel his body heat, to stroke his face and neck and back. His puffing was loud in his ear and his breath smelled of himself. He savored every last bit of it, kissing and caressing his tongue and his throat.

Toushirou seemed pretty beaten right now. He still remained on top of him, embracing him now, nuzzling the crook of his neck and placing soft pecks on his skin. He was inhaling his scent as well and the realization made Gintoki shudder. Really, this man was so gentle; he really felt out of place. He wasn´t made of glass, for Pete's sake. It was truly an odd sensation to be treated this tenderly, with this much love. It felt strange and honestly, it also crept him out a little bit. So much attention made him nervous and he couldn´t cope with that.

Both men cuddled like that for a few minutes until they were able to get a hold of themselves. Gin was feeling sweaty and hot, but the damn air conditioning made him shiver. He let his fingers run through dark hair and chuckled, staring up into his lovely relaxed face.

"Well… that was nice…"

"Ha…" Hijikata whispered, wearied. "…yeah…"

Gin's heart was overflowing with happiness and he snickered once more. "Not bad for a cop like yourself. And here I though you were just good looks."

"Uh…" it was plain obvious, he was too tired to play their usual bickering game now. The silver-haired man didn't mind. He would let him rest for a bit.

"…Mind if I take a shower?"

His blue eyes opened and he shot him a short glance. "…sure…"

Biting his lip, Gintoki nodded and rolled over. He winked at him. His mouth and hand still had a few bloodstains on them. "You should go, too, once I'm finished."

"…okay…"

The water pouring down his bare skin was hot, giving him a chill. It helped him regain consciousness. Crouching on the tiles, Hijikata held his head, covered his eyes. His heart was beating fast and his head was overheating. Only slowly, he grasped the whole dimension of what had happened.

They had fucking done iiiit!

Blushing and internally screaming, he buried his face in his hands und let his head drop. Damn it! They really had done it! He still couldn't get over that fact. It was one thing imagining it to happen, but it was a whole different thing actually doing it. He was so agitated, he didn't know how to deal with all these feelings.

The memory of Gintoki groaning under him was still hard to swallow and he felt his erection returning. God, he had been hot. Even in his wildest dreams, he would have never guessed this guy would be such a passionate bottom. It was fucking sexy. It had turned him into a shaking mess. And on top of that calling him Toushirou. Damn it! He told himself to be cool.

In all the time he had been away, Hijikata had thought about their reunion dozens of times. He had always imagined Gintoki to be bottom, so he was glad he had agreed to that. But even in his nightly fantasies, this guy hadn't been that outgoing. Being so impatient, so demanding, begging him to go faster… it was more than his gentle heart could bear. The thought made his nose bloody again and he was ashamed of that. God damn it!

Hastily, he scrubbed his body clean and rubbed shampoo into his hair. He would never admit that he had been doing all kinds of research while he had been away. It was still embarrassing for him, but he had wanted to do things right with him. He couldn´t stand the idea of hurting Gintoki or himself. So, he had used every free minute to read. Articles, books, websites, everything that could help him get the hang of it. It hadn't been often, he had had this kind of chance. He was still paranoid about Sougo and if that guy would have found out what he was doing… heavens forbid.

While the shampoo was pouring downwards and was sucked in by the drain, Hijikata tried to calm down. He was so nervous now. What was going to happen? Were they like… a couple now? Should he talk about that? Shouldn't he? Was Gintoki happy? Was this just a one-night-stand? Urgh, he didn't know anymore.

It took a lot of courage to finally get out of the bath again. He was wearing a plain blue Yukata now and had a towel wrapped around his neck to prevent his dripping hair from drenching the clothes. When he looked towards the bed, he saw the silver-haired man waiting with a cheeky grin glued to his lips. Naked. Hijikata closed his eyes and blushed, but came closer either way. Honestly, this bastard had no shame whatsoever.

"Well, hello there~!"

"You're begging to catch a cold." Was the only thing the cop replied as he sat down next to him, trying not to stare too much.

"Ah, don't be like that, Hijikata-kun!" Gin chuckled. "You wanna tell me you dislike this view?"

Lowly grumbling, he ignored him and got under the covers instead. "No. Just that you're an idiot."

"Maybe I am." He chortled and the next thing he knew, Gin was cuddling up to him, slipping under his sheets. "But then again, you like me that way."

Hijikata's heart skipped a beat and he reddened even more, looking away. "Don't recall, I ever said that."

"Maybe you didn't…" the silver-haired man snuggled up to his chest and kissed his throat. "…but it's true anyway."

"Tsk…" This guy really had no shame. Clinging to him like that, damn it. His arms twitched a bit, but after a few moments, he was finally able to bent it enough so he could wrap his arm around his back. He pushed him against his torso and closed his eyes in protest.

Gin snickered dirtily and placed another kiss on his chest. He felt so warm and comfortable, he couldn't believe it.

"Struggle all you want, Oogushi-kun… I know it's true."

"Shut up." He growled and was thankful, though still suspicious, when he did. Gintoki's head lay comfortably on his chest and his hair was still a bit wet. He smelled nice and his body heat and closeness made Hijikata feel a bit queasy. He wondered if this guy could feel his tumbling pulse. He wondered if he realized how nervous he still was. The officer wanted to caress him, to let his fingers run through his hair, but ultimately he was too shy. He wasn't good at showing affection. He was a real klutz when it came to that.

Hijikata wasted a few minutes pondering, another few until he found the courage to speak his mind. He needed to make sure, he needed the answer. Were they dating now? Or what? What was this guy thinking? He needed to know!

"…S-so… Gin… Gintoki…" he whispered, his voice shaking. "...are we… like…"

He waited for a sign, anything. Like a sleepy "hmm?" or even a thorny comment. Anything to make sure he was listening. But nothing came and when Hijikata tried to check, he realized Gin's breath was quite calm. In fact, it seemed, he had fallen asleep. Befuddled, the man looked down and susurrated.

"…Gintoki?"

When he still got no reply, he knew he was sleeping for good. He felt really stupid now. His face flushed, he tightened the grip around him and stroked his cheek. Damn this guy. He really was something. Snoring off like that.

He would give him an earful when he woke up again.

Annotations:

Having a nosebleed is a common folklore tale in Japan meaning someone is extremely aroused. It's a comic relief and meant that way ;).

Next update will be on Monday, 25th April.