Your Boyfriend Told Me You Were Single

Hey!
First of all, I'm a non-native English speaker, so I'm sorry if there's any mistake.

So this drabble was supposed to be a part of my fic "Anger With No Management" but I realised, once rereading it, that it just seemed out of place. But I still enjoyed it enough to publish it, so here it is! I hope it'll be interesting to read!

See you at the end!

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Gintoki and Hijikata didn't hold hands.

It was childish, something little kids did to not get lost while they walked. It was something teenagers did to show everyone that they were indeed very much dating. It was something young couples did because they could never get too far from one another at the beginning of their relationship.

Gintoki and Hijikata didn't do holding hands. Never did, not even in their early weeks.

Of course, they were different from kids, teenagers, and lovebirds. They were two grown men with responsibilities on their shoulders and a reputation to keep up.

They never hid their relationship once they started dating, but they never really screamed it everywhere either. Their hands brushed on rare occasions, in winter festivals when people were too busy looking at Christmas lights. After fights when enemies and allies were too busy tending at their wounds to look around. Or in the comfort of Otose's snack house where only their friends visited.

Gintoki knew that it was good for business, to keep the illusion of his celibacy linger. He was good looking, and old ladies loved it. Loved him with his chest covered in sweat while he was mowing their lawn. Loved him when he flirted back with them, taking it as a sign that they had preserved their allure of yesteryear, while he knew that this would increase his chances of getting a higher pay.

Gintoki liked to flirt, it was great, though sometimes he didn't like it that much, making him feel like he was doing some kind of other, less appropriate, job. Not that he had anything against it, but this was not a domain he'd really like to get into. Not when he actually had two kids in charge, who loved to seek for him anywhere he went, even when he specifically ordered them not to. And especially not now that he was not single anymore and it seemed more serious than anything he'd had before.

Hijikata had found that his status of single man also had, somehow, its perks in his job. See, when your actual alias was The Demonic Vice-Commander, civilians tended to fear you, and he did nothing to soften his austere appearance. His piercing blue eyes, in particular, were intimidating.

However, he had learned, upon arriving in the capital, that these eyes were also an asset in the conquest of civilian's trust. Women loved it. His blue eyes, his v-haircut. The way he wore his uniform, and the appeal of the cigarette between his lips.

He was less aware than Gintoki of how he looked, but he knew that women gawked at him in the streets. Which meant that they knew him, and enjoyed his presence, instead of running away. Individually, Hijikata didn't give a shit about acceptance and appealing to people, but to the Shinsengumi, it was vital. If people started to hate the heads of their squad, then it meant that they'd lost their support, and operating in town would become harder.

Support from the masses was crucial for the Shinsengumi, just like it was for their principal opponents, the Joui terrorists. It was a constant battle they engaged in, often making them put themselves in ridiculous situations that Hijikata specially abhorred. They were Katsura's favourite, obviously.

Still, him being single maintained the illusion of approachability around him, while his uniform was enough to provide both trust and a thrill of danger people loved that much.

On paper, being single was a win-win thing for both men.

However, they were not, and they acted accordingly most of the time. Gintoki refusing the offers of many in exchange for money, and Hijikata declining offers from dignitaries in high places to join them in suspicious parties. Maybe formalising their relationship would prevent them from these annoying recurrences, but they knew that doing so would also bring a plethora of issues they were not ready to face yet. As long as it worked this way, they would not change a thing/they were not changing anything.

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So!

I hope that you liked it. I don't really know what to think of it, maybe it's dumb, but I enjoyed writing it.

I just think that outside of the potential homophobia they could experience if they were out and openly dating, there'd especially be even more disadvantages in their work life than if they were single, so I really wanted to explore it!

Anyway, please leave some kudos and comments, it always makes me so happy to read them!!