Small Comforts Are Sometimes All You Need
Title: Small Comforts Are Sometimes All You Need
Characters: Gintoki, Zura Katsura
Pairings: Er, technical GinZura?
Word count: 1543!
Rating: F, for fluff
Warnings: Almost my first fic set in an RP setting! That, and I do not know how to Gin-san.
Summary: Katsura has been slowly but surely wearing himself down with work and his stupid inability to rest. Gintoki notices this and he's displeased for various reasons.
Notes: Pam is an evil enabler. Never tell her that you're planning to write something unless you know what you're doing! Also written as a technical present for Pris.
"Oi."
...
"Oi."
... ...
"Oi, Zura."
"Haa...What is it, Gintoki? And it's not Zura, it's Katsura." Katsura stretched as he got up from the sofa he had been sleeping on only moments ago, raising one hand to his mouth as he yawned again.
"What is it? Well, for one, you're taking up all of the space on the sofa. For another, I want to play Death Quest or whatever it is that they call Dragon Quest over here. And for another, aren't you supposed to be leaving for your shift?" Gintoki said as he procceeded to sit down on the sofa that wasn't overlooking the Deathstation.
"It's not time yet. Unlike you, I have my schedule properly planned; I prepare for my patrol duty at twenty minutes to six and I leave my apartment at ten before six," Katsura replied as he combed his hair and checked his clothes to make sure that he looked presentable.
"Yeah? Well look here, you're sleeping on my sofa- emphasis on the 'my'- when I want to use it, I've been trying to wake you up for the past fifty minutes and I think you ought to get that alarm clock in that head of yours checked 'cause it's thirty minutes past six now! And get that head of yours checked too while you're at it because I think your hair is obscuring more than just your sight now," Gintoki replied, glaring at his idiotic friend.
If he had to be honest though, he was just the slightest bit concerned at this turn of events. As much as Katsura was an asshole who constantly borrowed his things without prior permission and randomly sat down anywhere just to piss him off, he just didn't do things like missing half an hour of his work or things like passing out on the sofa (And no, sleeping entailed actually being somewhat conscious. This thing Katsura was doing? He may as well have been wasted on alcohol).
Yeah, he was not just concerned any more so much as being worried. It was certainly not him being nosy or anything, but he'd seen messages on the network from other people telling Katsura to get some rest. Gintoki was pretty sure that Roy Mustang himself had mentioned something along the lines of Katsura having a day off and he certainly never took one off either. Really, what was up with that?
On the other hand, he wasn't about to deny either that things had been busy lately. What with the attacks on Halloween and all, things had become just the slightest bit unsafe and uncool even by Shonen Jump standards- and that Katsura had somehow not pressed Gintoki on the issue of him joining the Watch was yet another issue; didn't he say that that had been his intended purpose when they had become partners over two parfaits? Or did it somehow slip his mind again that they were in this together and that he wasn't the same fugitive at home, fighting alone for what he believed in? Trying to debate on what Katsura might be thinking at any time of the day though was painful, so Gintoki decided that he'd think about it later.
It would be hours later- eight to be precise- when Katsura returned to the apartment. His knocking on the door jarred Gintoki out of his sleep; it had been oddly uncomfortable on the sofa and Gintoki had not wanted to risk Katsura ruining a good night's sleep because he had forgotten the keys again. However, he was annoyed enough at having to stay up so late that he strode towards the door all intent on yelling at the man- But all his thoughts of doing that vanished the moment he saw just how Katsura looked after his overtime stint.
"Zura, you-" Gintoki had to rub his head, at loss for words for once not because the other man had done something stupid but because he looked as if he was going to fall over any minute now. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to just say just that. As much as he appeared to be lazy, having to have done various investigations while working had given Gintoki some perceptive skills that he didn't like to let on and he utilized it now as he recalled that Katsura's overtime shifts had begun only a few days ago.
"You look like you just did a marathon around Death City. What happened?" He finished, wondering if Katsura would even answer as he watched to see if he'd react. There was something in his expression that Gintoki didn't like; besides the exhaustion, there was something else- resignation? "Ah- hey, you know," he began again. "You don't need to talk about what happened. It's not like I need to know; some things should be-"
"I'm fine, Gintoki. I'm just a little tired." But Katsura was still not looking up, still looking pale and above all still being vague about the details. If Gintoki had to play 20 questions on that, he'd nail it by saying that Katsura very definitely did not want to talk about it. And what he said next would confirm that thought. "I'm going to bed." With that, Katsura walked in and he continued to walk in a way that suggested that he wasn't paying attention at all until he was out of sight.
And that made Gintoki feel bad. In some way, he was painfully aware that they may have been partners but Katsura was still guarded over so many things, possibly more since their resonance would allow him to read the Meister's thoughts. It was just...dammit Zura, he thought. He had always been a damned workaholic with no sense of humor at all but he'd break down if he continued to pick up the slack for everyone else without allowing even a moment's worth of comfort for himself. Actually, what bugged him was that there was so little he could do for him even being his partner, comrade and off-and-on lifetime friend, but he was forced to admit that there was nothing he could do about it at two in the morning and he had a job to get to tomorrow. Thinking as such, Gintoki headed off to brush his teeth and crash on his bed-
Or he would have but all thoughts of that were held, shoved off and discarded right then when he saw just who had decided to sleep on his bed. "Oi, Zura- you're sleeping on my bed," he muttered, wondering if playing too much Death Quest had affected his vision. He wasn't imagining it, right? Was he somehow imagining that Katsura Kotarou of all people had decided to sleep on his bed, lying on his side, missing the point of a blanket by hugging it and not bothering to remove his socks? Wait, that was just disturbing however he looked at it and that was HIS bed, dammit!
But yet...even from the door, Gintoki could see that Katsura was already sleeping soundly barely a few minutes after he had returned and he looked so peaceful, so different than he had been before. And he should know very well that Katsura rarely had the chance to sleep properly back at home, trading proper sleep for catnaps at most and no sleep at all at worst. He blinked then, but there Katsura was still, now accompanied by some strange snoozing sound. Gintoki groaned then because he knew that Katsura had to have learned that from somewhere and he nearly always picked the worst sources of information ever as his life guides.
Still, he couldn't quite disguise the fact that he was smiling faintly now as he recalled the last time he had seen Katsura sleeping in this patently un-Katsuralike sleeping style. It had been so long ago that they had been carefree children running around, getting punished and then sleeping together in the same room but perhaps that was exactly what had prompted Katsura to search for that comfort again, even if that comfort was small enough to slip through the cracks of reality and their beds had now been replaced by taller ones.
He sighed. "Zura you idiot, what do you think you're doing? You keep talking about how luxury and comfort are the samurai's enemy and yet I see you getting yourself all up in it." Finishing that sentence, Gintoki walked over to his bed to add on to his sentence. "And you're not even doing it right you moron," he mumbled as he gently took the blanket away and covered the sleeping samurai with it. "If you're going to indulge you've got to go the whole mile, wrap yourself up in it even," he added. He supposed he'd deal with sleeping on the other bed; after all, that too was a luxury compared to his former sleeping place and the one before that. "Sleep well," he called out as he left.
"Nngh...it's not Zura, it's Katsura," Katsura mumbled sleepily a good ten minutes after the intended recipient had gone off to sleep and prepare for another long day. But as he drifted off to sleep again, he remembered something else he wanted to add to that sentence.
"Thank you, Gintoki."
Characters: Gintoki, Zura Katsura
Pairings: Er, technical GinZura?
Word count: 1543!
Rating: F, for fluff
Warnings: Almost my first fic set in an RP setting! That, and I do not know how to Gin-san.
Summary: Katsura has been slowly but surely wearing himself down with work and his stupid inability to rest. Gintoki notices this and he's displeased for various reasons.
Notes: Pam is an evil enabler. Never tell her that you're planning to write something unless you know what you're doing! Also written as a technical present for Pris.
"Oi."
...
"Oi."
... ...
"Oi, Zura."
"Haa...What is it, Gintoki? And it's not Zura, it's Katsura." Katsura stretched as he got up from the sofa he had been sleeping on only moments ago, raising one hand to his mouth as he yawned again.
"What is it? Well, for one, you're taking up all of the space on the sofa. For another, I want to play Death Quest or whatever it is that they call Dragon Quest over here. And for another, aren't you supposed to be leaving for your shift?" Gintoki said as he procceeded to sit down on the sofa that wasn't overlooking the Deathstation.
"It's not time yet. Unlike you, I have my schedule properly planned; I prepare for my patrol duty at twenty minutes to six and I leave my apartment at ten before six," Katsura replied as he combed his hair and checked his clothes to make sure that he looked presentable.
"Yeah? Well look here, you're sleeping on my sofa- emphasis on the 'my'- when I want to use it, I've been trying to wake you up for the past fifty minutes and I think you ought to get that alarm clock in that head of yours checked 'cause it's thirty minutes past six now! And get that head of yours checked too while you're at it because I think your hair is obscuring more than just your sight now," Gintoki replied, glaring at his idiotic friend.
If he had to be honest though, he was just the slightest bit concerned at this turn of events. As much as Katsura was an asshole who constantly borrowed his things without prior permission and randomly sat down anywhere just to piss him off, he just didn't do things like missing half an hour of his work or things like passing out on the sofa (And no, sleeping entailed actually being somewhat conscious. This thing Katsura was doing? He may as well have been wasted on alcohol).
Yeah, he was not just concerned any more so much as being worried. It was certainly not him being nosy or anything, but he'd seen messages on the network from other people telling Katsura to get some rest. Gintoki was pretty sure that Roy Mustang himself had mentioned something along the lines of Katsura having a day off and he certainly never took one off either. Really, what was up with that?
On the other hand, he wasn't about to deny either that things had been busy lately. What with the attacks on Halloween and all, things had become just the slightest bit unsafe and uncool even by Shonen Jump standards- and that Katsura had somehow not pressed Gintoki on the issue of him joining the Watch was yet another issue; didn't he say that that had been his intended purpose when they had become partners over two parfaits? Or did it somehow slip his mind again that they were in this together and that he wasn't the same fugitive at home, fighting alone for what he believed in? Trying to debate on what Katsura might be thinking at any time of the day though was painful, so Gintoki decided that he'd think about it later.
It would be hours later- eight to be precise- when Katsura returned to the apartment. His knocking on the door jarred Gintoki out of his sleep; it had been oddly uncomfortable on the sofa and Gintoki had not wanted to risk Katsura ruining a good night's sleep because he had forgotten the keys again. However, he was annoyed enough at having to stay up so late that he strode towards the door all intent on yelling at the man- But all his thoughts of doing that vanished the moment he saw just how Katsura looked after his overtime stint.
"Zura, you-" Gintoki had to rub his head, at loss for words for once not because the other man had done something stupid but because he looked as if he was going to fall over any minute now. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to just say just that. As much as he appeared to be lazy, having to have done various investigations while working had given Gintoki some perceptive skills that he didn't like to let on and he utilized it now as he recalled that Katsura's overtime shifts had begun only a few days ago.
"You look like you just did a marathon around Death City. What happened?" He finished, wondering if Katsura would even answer as he watched to see if he'd react. There was something in his expression that Gintoki didn't like; besides the exhaustion, there was something else- resignation? "Ah- hey, you know," he began again. "You don't need to talk about what happened. It's not like I need to know; some things should be-"
"I'm fine, Gintoki. I'm just a little tired." But Katsura was still not looking up, still looking pale and above all still being vague about the details. If Gintoki had to play 20 questions on that, he'd nail it by saying that Katsura very definitely did not want to talk about it. And what he said next would confirm that thought. "I'm going to bed." With that, Katsura walked in and he continued to walk in a way that suggested that he wasn't paying attention at all until he was out of sight.
And that made Gintoki feel bad. In some way, he was painfully aware that they may have been partners but Katsura was still guarded over so many things, possibly more since their resonance would allow him to read the Meister's thoughts. It was just...dammit Zura, he thought. He had always been a damned workaholic with no sense of humor at all but he'd break down if he continued to pick up the slack for everyone else without allowing even a moment's worth of comfort for himself. Actually, what bugged him was that there was so little he could do for him even being his partner, comrade and off-and-on lifetime friend, but he was forced to admit that there was nothing he could do about it at two in the morning and he had a job to get to tomorrow. Thinking as such, Gintoki headed off to brush his teeth and crash on his bed-
Or he would have but all thoughts of that were held, shoved off and discarded right then when he saw just who had decided to sleep on his bed. "Oi, Zura- you're sleeping on my bed," he muttered, wondering if playing too much Death Quest had affected his vision. He wasn't imagining it, right? Was he somehow imagining that Katsura Kotarou of all people had decided to sleep on his bed, lying on his side, missing the point of a blanket by hugging it and not bothering to remove his socks? Wait, that was just disturbing however he looked at it and that was HIS bed, dammit!
But yet...even from the door, Gintoki could see that Katsura was already sleeping soundly barely a few minutes after he had returned and he looked so peaceful, so different than he had been before. And he should know very well that Katsura rarely had the chance to sleep properly back at home, trading proper sleep for catnaps at most and no sleep at all at worst. He blinked then, but there Katsura was still, now accompanied by some strange snoozing sound. Gintoki groaned then because he knew that Katsura had to have learned that from somewhere and he nearly always picked the worst sources of information ever as his life guides.
Still, he couldn't quite disguise the fact that he was smiling faintly now as he recalled the last time he had seen Katsura sleeping in this patently un-Katsuralike sleeping style. It had been so long ago that they had been carefree children running around, getting punished and then sleeping together in the same room but perhaps that was exactly what had prompted Katsura to search for that comfort again, even if that comfort was small enough to slip through the cracks of reality and their beds had now been replaced by taller ones.
He sighed. "Zura you idiot, what do you think you're doing? You keep talking about how luxury and comfort are the samurai's enemy and yet I see you getting yourself all up in it." Finishing that sentence, Gintoki walked over to his bed to add on to his sentence. "And you're not even doing it right you moron," he mumbled as he gently took the blanket away and covered the sleeping samurai with it. "If you're going to indulge you've got to go the whole mile, wrap yourself up in it even," he added. He supposed he'd deal with sleeping on the other bed; after all, that too was a luxury compared to his former sleeping place and the one before that. "Sleep well," he called out as he left.
"Nngh...it's not Zura, it's Katsura," Katsura mumbled sleepily a good ten minutes after the intended recipient had gone off to sleep and prepare for another long day. But as he drifted off to sleep again, he remembered something else he wanted to add to that sentence.
"Thank you, Gintoki."