Winter Smoke / Hijigin / Gintama / ONESHOT

1. Winter Smoke

It was mid-winter. The days started to grow colder and the snow started to pile up. The clouds covered the suns warmth and the beautiful blue sky. Making the town gray and gloomy.

"It's calm out," Yamazaki said. He stacked books on top of each other and picked them up. "It's like a break for us!" He smiled.

"Sure it's calm out, but don't drop your guard." Hijikata commanded. He fidgeted with the pen with his slender fingers.

"Don't you think it's about time you take a day off?" Yamazaki said as he watched the pen spin in Hijikata's fingers.

"I'll only take days off if Kondo commands me to," Hijikata replied. He yawned after and placed the pen down. "I'm going to patrol the park," he said and he stood up and grabbed his coat and scarf.

Yamazaki sighed and nodded after. Then carried his books to another room. Hijikata walked out after him and went to the front gates. He pulled the gate and walked out onto the streets. He continued to walk down the streets until he made it to the park. Little kids were laughing at each other and held sleds in their arms.

"Let's see who's faster at coming down the hill!" A boy yelled out.

"Yeah!" A little girl yelled out. She seemed to be the youngest sibling of the boy.

More screams of joy from other children yelled after and they all ran up the hill with their sleds. Hijikata sighed and went up to a bench. To be so carefree, he said to himself as he sat down. He lit up a cigarette and watched the children race down the hill. Laughing.

"So cold!" Gintoki groaned. He rubbed his hands together to keep them warm. He was not in a great mood. The store had ran out of the most recent JUMP. He blames Otose for keeping him behind.

"Woohoo!" a little boy yelled. He was on a sled at the bottom. Of the hill. Gintoki watched as many more children came down the hill on their sleds.

"Maybe I should do that with Shinpachi and Kagura," Gintoki said. He looked around the park and saw someone familiar in a black and gold uniform sitting down at a bench, "Oh?"

Hijikata watched the happy children laugh as they sled down the hill. He was about to stand up from the bench until someone spoke to him.

"Yo." said the silver-white haired man. He stood in front of Hijikata waving.

"Yorozuya?" Hijikata said. He remained sitting. "Have you come to bother me? I'm working."

Gintoki tilted his head, "Really? Because to me it looks like your sitting around doing nothing," he laughed.

Hijikata groaned, "So what are you doing?"

"Nothin' much, I was about to head back to the Odd Job Gins." Gintoki replied. He then shoved Hijikata to make more room on the bench and sat down, "Pretty cold out, huh?"

Hijikata made an annoyed face, "If you're so cold, why sit down on the SAME bench as me? You could just head back to your place."

"Nah, I'll stay here." Gintoki said, "I have nothing else better to do so."

Hijikata sighed and continued to watch the little kids sled. He held his cigarette and blew out puffs of smoke.

"That stinks," Gintoki complained. "If you're going to smoke, smoke somewhere else where kids aren't at."

"Deal with it." Hijikata said in an annoyed tone. "Helps me keep focus."

"Well that's a weird way of keeping focus," Gintoki said. He picked his nose and flicked his pinky.

"Now that's gross." Hijikata grinned.

"No, it is not." Gintoki said.

"Yeah, it is."

"Is not."

"IS TO!"

"IS NOT!"

"Stop yelling!" a squeaky voice yelled. "You're both not very mindful."

Gintoki and Hijikata look in front of them. There, a little girl stood in front of them holding thousands of snowballs.

"I could throw these at you if you want," she grinned. "If you both don't keep it down. Me and my friends are playing and you guys are loud."

"Sorry, you can go back and play with them now. I'll shut this idiot up," Hijikata said to the little girl. She smiled and ran away to her friends at the hill.

"Shut me up?" Gintoki chuckled. "Some police officer you are."

"I'll do what ever is right, and shutting you up is." Hijikata said. "I will cut you down."

"Woah, woah, we're not going that far are we?" Gintoki asked. "We're just joking around, right? Calm down."

Hijikata sighed and put out his cigarette. Gintoki scooted away from Hijikata until he couldn't anymore. He looked over at Hijikata and blushed a little. He smacked himself.

"Well, I think it's about time I start going." Gintoki said. He stood up from the seat.

"Heading back to your place?"

"Yeah." Gintoki replied.

Silence.

Hijikata rose his eyebrow, "Go on now." But before Hijikata could say anymore, cold lips touched his. His eyes grew large and felt his chest jump. Then the cold lips departed away from his.
-
"Yorozuya . . . " Hijikata said as his face flustered up. His cheeks and ears turned into a bright shade of red and his cigarette fell out of his hand onto a small pile of snow.

Gintoki backed away and looked at Hijikata. "Just felt like doin' it," he mumbled.

"Yorozu-" but before Hijikata could finish, Gintoki had already started to take off. "Gintoki!"

Gintoki stopped moving and looked behind. Hijikata looked at Gintoki's face. His face was pink. "You said my name." Gintoki said.

"Why'd you . . . ," Hijikata started.

Gintoki looked away and placed his hands in his pocket. "Kiss you?"

Hijikata nodded. His heart still pounded through his chest and his head felt hot.

"Like I said, I just felt like doin' it," Gintoki replied.

"That's not enough of an explanation," Hijikata said. He walked stood from the bench and walked over to Gintoki.

Gintoki backed away, "I said, I just felt like doin' it. It seemed like it was the right mood for it so-"

Hijikata pulled Gintoki in for a hug. "Well, this isn't as comforting as I thought it was." Hijikata said.

Gintoki laughed, "You thought?" and hugged back slightly. His chest tightened. "Not very romantic."

Hijikata let go and looked away from Gintoki's stare. "I've never done this before. Not that I remember."

"No experience?"

"No."

"You're kinda slow." Gintoki smirked. He looked over at the little kids playing in the snow. And looked back at Hijikata. "I've got to get going."

Hijikata remained still, "Yeah . . ." he said quietly.

"If you want . . . ," Gintoki said, "we could meet back here tonight. I'll be back anyways so . . . to buy the most recent JUMP because they restock tonight."

Hijikata relaxed his face, "I'll see if I can make it."

•°•°•°•

Gintoki waved goodbye and walked onto the streets. Hijikata went back to the bench and sat down. He pulled out his cigarette and lit it with his mayonnaise lighter. He put the cigar in his mouth and sighed.

I just got into something troublesome with a troublesome person, Hijikata said to himself and watched the little kids play around in the snow.