Gintama: Toll (e/5+e)
Mar. 24th, 2011 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
what_we_dreamTitle: Toll (e/5+e) You May Go Blind Staring at the Past, But There Are Always Glasses
Series: Gintama
Pairing: Gin/Zura
Rating: PG-13
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
frauleinfrog <3
Warnings: Graphic war scenes
Summary: The Yorozuya get sent on an exorcism. Unsurprisingly, things do not go smoothly.
Chapter 1: It's Always a Mistake to Turn Around
Chapter 2: Promises Aren't Something You Write Down
Chapter 3: Sorry is a Word That Doesn't Mean Anything
Chapter 4: Holding Onto Each Other Doesn't Always Stop You Falling Apart
Chapter 5: The Heart is for Bleeding
Gintoki’s reading JUMP – or at least staring at it – when the doorbell rings. Shinpachi hurries over to answer it on the astronomical chance that it might be a paying client. Gintoki isn’t actively listening, but he can’t turn his ears off, either.
“Katsura-san! Should you be up? I thought the doctor said at least two weeks of bed rest.”
Gintoki stiffens, and then relaxes again and pulls JUMP up to cover his face.
“Doctors,” says Katsura, in a dismissive tone. “Several have told me to consult a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist! I was not wounded in the head!”
Shinpachi laughs awkwardly.
“Is Leader here?” There’s the sound of Katsura taking his shoes off in the entrance way, as if someone had invited him in.
“No, she’s out with Aneue.”
“Ah, then perhaps you could do me a favour, Shinpachi-kun. I had intended to bring her some sukonbu for her trouble at the mansion, but I was forced to take a different route on account of a group of squad cars checking papers on the main street. Perhaps you could go out and purchase some?” There’s the sound of money being exchanged. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Shinpachi puts his shoes on and steps out, shutting the door behind him.
Zura walks quietly as always, but Gintoki can still sense him approaching. He says nothing. Zura sits down on the end of the couch, cushions sagging under Gintoki’s feet.
Gintoki hasn’t seen Zura for nearly a week, since leaving him at the hospital. He carried Zura there while Zura’s warm blood soaked through the back of his shirt to warm his skin, only half-sure what time he was in and even less sure what the hell he was supposed to feel about the man on his back. The doctor determined, after an operation so long Gintoki nearly went in to do it himself, that no major organs had been significantly damaged and a full recovery was very likely. At which point Gintoki left, before his nerves could strangle him.
He’s not sure that they won’t yet.
“Kagura sent me some nice flowers,” Zura says conversationally. “At least, I believe they were flowers; they had a sign on them saying so. They looked more like some root vegetables run over by a heavy truck, but I have not been to a florist recently. Perhaps there have been significant advances in floral arrangements.”
Gintoki doesn’t say anything.
“Elizabeth has already been caught bringing liquor into the hospital against regulations three times. I thought I should leave before she could risk arrest. She is incapable of understanding incremental warning systems.”
Gintoki says nothing.
“I have heard that the Shinsengumi are imposing new requirements for identification papers. Of course as I have none it is not a problem. But really, I think that it is utterly ridiculous, the number of things that can happen while I am gone for a week.”
Gintoki still says nothing. Katsura reaches over, letting out a quiet breath, and picks the issue of JUMP off his face. “How long are you going to sulk for?”
“I’m not sulking. I’m resting. Put that back. Gin-san needs his sleep.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re a grown man. You sleep too much as it is. Your brain will melt away into mush if you spend any less time using it.”
“You’re the one that needs to worry about that, Zura.”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura.” Zura tosses JUMP onto the coffee table with a complete disregard for the belongings of others. Gintoki sighs, and sits up. The two of them sit beside each other in silence for several seconds, until eventually Gintoki speaks.
“I always thought I would never forget. And I always thought I hadn’t forgotten. And now…”
“Now you know how wrong that was,” says Zura, in the same tone.
“It feels like Hakodate was last week. It nearly killed me the first time.” He looks up at the ceiling, and tries not to hear the screams. “I don’t want to do it again, Zura.”
“You were alone then. Now you have Shinpachi and Kagura, and the rest of the strange zoo you’ve surrounded yourself with. I guess you’ve established a natural habitat.”
“I should be saying that.” Gintoki raises his head and turns to look at Zura, who is staring with fixed concentration at the dark TV on the other side of the room. “Is that all I have?”
Zura looks over, surprised. “Well, you’re an incorrigible lazy slacker, so you’ll never have any money, or a car, or a real job, or an apartment without about 6 rent instalments owing.”
“Is that all?”
“Of course not. You’ll never have a big screen TV, or expensive dental care, or one of those machines that can make toast and coffee at the same time, or –”
“What about a stupid gloomy terrorist who can’t see what’s right in front of his face?”
“I have excellent eyesight, thank you very –” Zura stops abruptly as Gintoki puts a hand on his shoulder and pulls him close, until Gintoki can feel his heartbeat. It feels like it did all those years ago, strong and steady, and he closes his eyes to feel it all the better. Here he isn’t in Edo, or Aomori, or a tiny forgotten village.
Here he is simply with Zura, still beside him despite everything.
“Maybe we didn’t lose everything after all,” says Gintoki.
END
Series: Gintama
Pairing: Gin/Zura
Rating: PG-13
Beta:
frauleinfrog <3Warnings: Graphic war scenes
Summary: The Yorozuya get sent on an exorcism. Unsurprisingly, things do not go smoothly.
Chapter 1: It's Always a Mistake to Turn Around
Chapter 2: Promises Aren't Something You Write Down
Chapter 3: Sorry is a Word That Doesn't Mean Anything
Chapter 4: Holding Onto Each Other Doesn't Always Stop You Falling Apart
Chapter 5: The Heart is for Bleeding
Gintoki’s reading JUMP – or at least staring at it – when the doorbell rings. Shinpachi hurries over to answer it on the astronomical chance that it might be a paying client. Gintoki isn’t actively listening, but he can’t turn his ears off, either.
“Katsura-san! Should you be up? I thought the doctor said at least two weeks of bed rest.”
Gintoki stiffens, and then relaxes again and pulls JUMP up to cover his face.
“Doctors,” says Katsura, in a dismissive tone. “Several have told me to consult a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist! I was not wounded in the head!”
Shinpachi laughs awkwardly.
“Is Leader here?” There’s the sound of Katsura taking his shoes off in the entrance way, as if someone had invited him in.
“No, she’s out with Aneue.”
“Ah, then perhaps you could do me a favour, Shinpachi-kun. I had intended to bring her some sukonbu for her trouble at the mansion, but I was forced to take a different route on account of a group of squad cars checking papers on the main street. Perhaps you could go out and purchase some?” There’s the sound of money being exchanged. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Shinpachi puts his shoes on and steps out, shutting the door behind him.
Zura walks quietly as always, but Gintoki can still sense him approaching. He says nothing. Zura sits down on the end of the couch, cushions sagging under Gintoki’s feet.
Gintoki hasn’t seen Zura for nearly a week, since leaving him at the hospital. He carried Zura there while Zura’s warm blood soaked through the back of his shirt to warm his skin, only half-sure what time he was in and even less sure what the hell he was supposed to feel about the man on his back. The doctor determined, after an operation so long Gintoki nearly went in to do it himself, that no major organs had been significantly damaged and a full recovery was very likely. At which point Gintoki left, before his nerves could strangle him.
He’s not sure that they won’t yet.
“Kagura sent me some nice flowers,” Zura says conversationally. “At least, I believe they were flowers; they had a sign on them saying so. They looked more like some root vegetables run over by a heavy truck, but I have not been to a florist recently. Perhaps there have been significant advances in floral arrangements.”
Gintoki doesn’t say anything.
“Elizabeth has already been caught bringing liquor into the hospital against regulations three times. I thought I should leave before she could risk arrest. She is incapable of understanding incremental warning systems.”
Gintoki says nothing.
“I have heard that the Shinsengumi are imposing new requirements for identification papers. Of course as I have none it is not a problem. But really, I think that it is utterly ridiculous, the number of things that can happen while I am gone for a week.”
Gintoki still says nothing. Katsura reaches over, letting out a quiet breath, and picks the issue of JUMP off his face. “How long are you going to sulk for?”
“I’m not sulking. I’m resting. Put that back. Gin-san needs his sleep.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re a grown man. You sleep too much as it is. Your brain will melt away into mush if you spend any less time using it.”
“You’re the one that needs to worry about that, Zura.”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura.” Zura tosses JUMP onto the coffee table with a complete disregard for the belongings of others. Gintoki sighs, and sits up. The two of them sit beside each other in silence for several seconds, until eventually Gintoki speaks.
“I always thought I would never forget. And I always thought I hadn’t forgotten. And now…”
“Now you know how wrong that was,” says Zura, in the same tone.
“It feels like Hakodate was last week. It nearly killed me the first time.” He looks up at the ceiling, and tries not to hear the screams. “I don’t want to do it again, Zura.”
“You were alone then. Now you have Shinpachi and Kagura, and the rest of the strange zoo you’ve surrounded yourself with. I guess you’ve established a natural habitat.”
“I should be saying that.” Gintoki raises his head and turns to look at Zura, who is staring with fixed concentration at the dark TV on the other side of the room. “Is that all I have?”
Zura looks over, surprised. “Well, you’re an incorrigible lazy slacker, so you’ll never have any money, or a car, or a real job, or an apartment without about 6 rent instalments owing.”
“Is that all?”
“Of course not. You’ll never have a big screen TV, or expensive dental care, or one of those machines that can make toast and coffee at the same time, or –”
“What about a stupid gloomy terrorist who can’t see what’s right in front of his face?”
“I have excellent eyesight, thank you very –” Zura stops abruptly as Gintoki puts a hand on his shoulder and pulls him close, until Gintoki can feel his heartbeat. It feels like it did all those years ago, strong and steady, and he closes his eyes to feel it all the better. Here he isn’t in Edo, or Aomori, or a tiny forgotten village.
Here he is simply with Zura, still beside him despite everything.
“Maybe we didn’t lose everything after all,” says Gintoki.
END
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 03:04 am (UTC)I JUST NEED A FEW MINUTES TO SPUTTER INCOHERENTLY
AND THEN I'LL BE READY FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AGAIN
HHHHAAAAARRGBLEHAHAHFFLBLEEE
no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:04 am (UTC)Appropriate Icon is Appropriate?
Date: 2011-03-25 04:23 am (UTC)Re: Appropriate Icon is Appropriate?
Date: 2011-03-27 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-29 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 02:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-29 02:17 am (UTC)Although I have to say that I had to reread the end of chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5 cause it felt like the mood shifted from panic to seriousness somewhat suddenly...or maybe I was the one panicked, lol
no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 03:37 pm (UTC)I could probably go on, but I'll just leave it at 'really, really good job'. |D; Thanks for such a well-written piece.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-25 09:38 pm (UTC)(I should be at bed now in my time zone.)I like the way you sneaked in romance in this fic. It was realistic and not too much. The pacing was done well too. You gave me a good ride from the present to the past and back to the present again. Very well done.I'm looking forward to your next work (preferable GinZura XD).
no subject
Date: 2011-03-27 03:14 am (UTC)I don't have anything on the burner at the moment, but I'm sure I'll get going on something eventually.