Hey!
First of all, I'm a non-native English speaker, so there might be some mistakes!
It's just something short for my man's birthday! Happy Birthday to one of the best characters ever!
Enjoy!
Gintoki had not chosen his name. It was normal, after all, kids usually didn't choose their name.
Gintoki didn't choose his birth date either, it was normal, kids usually didn't choose their birth date. Well, what was different with Gintoki was that someone had actually chosen his birth date. Someone had dutifully selected the 10th of October and decided that it suited Gintoki, and would become the most important day of his life. Well, Gintoki didn't really see it as such, the most important date of his life, that is, but still.
Because of this, Gintoki made an effort to always celebrate his birthday. It was not just a way to honour Shouyou and the fact that the man had gone to the extent of giving him the right to have a special day because Gintoki didn't have one before meeting him. No, it was also a way to celebrate the fact that, after all these years, he was still alive. Still standing, and making the most (or the least, it depended on the point of view) of this life he'd been gifted.
Every time October got closer and his birthday approached, Gintoki was filled with a sense of melancholy. Knowing that, this year again, he would not be able to celebrate his birthday with his sensei.
Yet, the closer the 10th got, the more this feeling faded. Because it wouldn't do, to spend this day mulling, regretting past mistakes and things that, in another world, could have been.
In the first few days of his life with Shouyou, Gintoki spent his birthdays with only Sensei. The older man gave him trinkets he'd found on the road during their walks, and fed him with significantly nicer food than usual. Gintoki never failed to fall asleep with a smile on his face these days.
It was rougher during his soldier years. He had been alone a few times, eating stolen chocolates in the mud, far away from his comrades in the camp. But he also spent some birthdays alongside Zura, Takasugi and Sakamoto. They would play card games and Gintoki would win suspiciously more than in the usual times. It was not to his displeasure.
The birthdays at the end of the war were the toughest, though. He was alone for the most part, and the thoughts of Shouyou were only gruesome, haunting. Still, he always tried to eat something nicer, to steal something from a big shop, or to bribe a prison guard to bring him something sweet.
Gintoki would have liked to say that he didn't have any sort of preferred birthday, but it would have been lying. Not that he wasn't comfortable with doing so, the perm-head having mastered the art of lying. No, simply, his birthday would always be associated with Shouyou, and a birthday without him would always be a heartache for Gintoki during the first light of the day.
But Gintoki had gotten used to it, the heartache lasting only the time needed for Gintoki to adjust his eyes to the light of the room, and already the pain would be relegated to the back of his mind, dull, so dull compared to the other feelings.
So each new birthday was his favourite now, the new one always outperforming the last one. Just like today, for instance.
Tables had been arranged in a U-shape at Tae's club, Gintoki sitting in a big padded chair, at the head. This way, it was easy to talk to anyone in the room without having to move, though you'd have to share the conversation with everyone else around. Hijikata was on his left, while Kagura was on his right.
It was the first time he had actually let the kids organise his birthday party, Gintoki always being scared of it being too much, of the kids overdoing it and actually kind of going too far. Gintoki liked big parties, but his birthday was something he cherished, and he usually didn't have the same mindset as for the other celebrations.
But he shouldn't have worried. The kids knew him enough to understand him even when he didn't explicitly state things. So the party was just like anything he could have wanted.
All the people he loved, gathered in one room, interacting with each other, far from conflicts and their worries. Miraculously, the Shinsengumi and Zura had agreed to a truce for tonight, Kondo and Zura actually talking animatedly at the other end of the table, far from most people. From where he sat, Gintoki couldn't see any Uno cards on the table, but he knew it wasn't far off. Maybe he would, exceptionally, join them for a game later, when they would both be too drunk, so Gintoki would actually have a chance to win.
Tsukuyo was here as well, her presence being nothing short of a miracle. She didn't like to be dragged away from Yoshiwara for too long, but the kids seemed to have bribed her with something Gintoki didn't even know existed. Gintoki didn't need to know that the mere mention of his birthday to her, and the fact that her presence would make him happy, had been enough to convince Tsukuyo to come.
The blonde woman was talking with Tama, both women visibly bonding over their habit of bullying the men around the table, Tsukuyo being no doubt a bad influence for the droid. It was cute to see them laugh openly like that.
There weren't a lot of people, but already Gintoki's attention was diverted from his guests by Hijikata's hand lightly patting his thigh, making him turn his head.
Gintoki looked at him questioningly, and Hijikata shook his head, a discreet smile on his lips. 'What are you thinking about?' the raven-haired man asked softly.
'Oh, nothing much. About the fact that Sougo has been so well-behaved tonight that I'm pretty sure he has prepared something ahead and it's about to explode any minute now.' Gintoki answered, shrugging.
'Nah, it's your birthday, not mine. He likes you, so your birthday party probably isn't on his hit list.' –He paused, eyeing his boss– 'Wouldn't be surprised if Kondo's Uno turned out to be rigged, though. I bet Sougo would love a reason to arrest Zura right now.'
Gintoki snorted, scooting closer to his boyfriend. 'That's why I gave my Uno cards to Zura earlier.'
Hijikata's eyes widened as he realised that Gintoki had actually anticipated Sougo's antics. They chuckled together, thinking about how they had to go to ridiculous lengths to actually ensure that their relatives wouldn't brawl.
Nosy as ever, Kagura tried to stick her nose into the discussion, Gintoki pushing her away with his hand on her face.
'Ew, you're dirtying me with your palm covered in sugar! Stop that!' She shouted, flailing.
Instead of ignoring her like he would usually do, Gintoki complied, pushing his hand away and leaning towards her. 'Oï, Kagura, why don't you try to go and see the old hag, huh? Ask her when we'll actually get to the dessert, I know she won't answer if I ask her.'
Kagura huffed, obviously waiting to see what she could actually get in return from doing the favour. It came in the form of Hijikata, leaning over Gintoki, and offering her 'I'll give you half of my slice in return, deal?'
Kagura beamed, shaking her head enthusiastically as she went over to Otose.
Gintoki turned towards Hijikata, a confused frown on his face. 'Didn't you say that you were to give your slice to me?'
Hijikata snorted. 'Calm down, you sugar freak, she gets one half, you'll get the other.'
Gintoki didn't try to pretend to be upset for long, a small smile forming on his face. 'Alright, I'll accept it, but only if you give me your full slice next year.'
Hijikata rolled his eyes. 'Try to eat this year's birthday cake before talking about the next one, guzzler.' There was no doubt that Hijikata would give his slice of cake to Gintoki the next year, and the following ones as well.
Smiling, Gintoki looked at the room full of people he loved, all smiling and laughing together, and his thoughts strayed to his sensei. Giving him a birthday had been the best gift the man could have given him, and Gintoki would always try to make the most of it. He'd done it alone, during the toughest times, so doing it now wouldn't be hard. With his friends and his family by his side, Gintoki's birthdays would always be a success.
Happy Birthday Gintoki!
It actually started bittersweet and I realised that I couldn't just write something sad for Gintoki's birthday. The man is suffering enough already any other day!
Also, kinda funny to see that it's also Reigen Arataka's birthday, it seems like 10/10 is crooks day!
Anyway, don't hesitate to leave favs and reviews, it's always nice to read them and motivates me to write more!