Days in the Life of a Shinsengumi Freeloader

Author's Note: Here we go, chapter 8. Brace yourself for fluff. Lots and lots of fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama. It belongs to Hideaki Sorachi. So please stop nagging me. D:

The moment she had set foot inside the patrol car, Mitsuba had fallen dead silent. Most of the time, she was cheerful and energetic, never showing any signs of emotional weakness despite everything that she'd been through... however, her anxiety became almost palpable as soon as she took her seat in the car, and if Hijikata wasn't so concerned with keeping them both safe on the way back to headquarters, he would have spent his time worrying about her.

What had caused her to act this way? Had the duel between Sougo and the Yorozuya girl gone sour? Was she upset because of the circumstances surrounding their relationship? Hijikata's mind reeled with questions, but he knew that the answers would have to wait - as much as he hated to admit it.

It was exceedingly rare for the Demonic Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi to display concern; even when he did, it was never a public thing, and only those closest to him knew of his soft side. But he knew that now was not the time to be proud... he had already hurt Mitsuba too many times to count, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her again.

Mitsuba coughed as the car pulled up in front of the Shinsengumi headquarters; Hijikata perked up at this, but she just cleared her throat and shook her head, indicating that it wasn't anything to be too concerned about. Still, he made no effort to conceal his worry... the memories of the time that Mitsuba had almost died were still fresh, and even though she seemed to be recovering well, there was still plenty of cause for concern.

As he stepped out of the car, Hijikata recalled what had happened after that incident - he remembered seeing Mitsuba's shocked and confused face when she first heard of her fiance's plotting, and how she almost relapsed at the news. He remembered visiting her afterward, displaying real emotion for the first time since they first separated, confessing to her everything that he'd tried to keep hidden, afraid that he wouldn't get another chance. Seeing the woman he loved on death's door reminded Hijikata that he was still human... despite all the precautions he had taken for the sake of his duty, he couldn't just ignore those he felt strongly about, and no one was greater proof of that than Mitsuba.

However, it was also Mitsuba that brought Hijikata back to the present; she lost her balance as she stepped out of the car, and the only thing that saved her from falling onto the pavement was his reflexes, honed from training day in and day out. He held her close for a moment, then slid away from her, closed the door for her, and looped an arm around hers to keep her steady.

"Mitsuba," Hijikata addressed her, more firmly this time. "Let's go to your room."

Mitsuba remained silent, though she did nod in acknowledgment; Hijikata breathed a small sigh and hung his head a bit, knowing that it would be best to let her rest a little before attempting conversation. It was clear that the elder Okita's mental state wasn't all that was in disarray... for a moment, Hijikata considered a few possible reasons for a compromised physical state after last night, but just as soon dismissed them as absurd.

After all, her health had improved a lot, so exertion was no longer risky - and, as he believed from the extent of his limited medical knowledge, the other conclusion would have very different symptoms.

When they arrived in her room, Mitsuba stumbled her way over to the center of the room and sat down, taking a few deep breaths. Hijikata closed the door and followed her, though he made sure to keep his distance; he was still worried that she was upset with him.

At last, Mitsuba spoke; her voice was small and timid, far different from her normal demeanor. "...Toushirou? Um... about last night..."

"I'm sorry," Hijikata murmured with a frown; even though it wasn't his fault that they'd done that, he still felt as if he needed to apologize. "...Did I screw up? I..."

"No... it's nothing like that..." Mitsuba took another deep breath, then cleared her throat again. "I... just wanted to say... that it wasn't right of me... to just walk out like that..."

"...Wasn't right of you?" With his fears eased, Hijikata no longer felt uncomfortable near Mitsuba; he shifted toward her and pulled her into a light embrace, running his fingers along her back in a reassuring gesture. "It's not your fault. We didn't have a choice..."

At once, Mitsuba's tension vanished; she snuggled closer to Hijikata, closing her eyes as she nuzzled his chin. "I was worried that you'd be upset with me for leaving you like that... but I... guess I was wrong. Um, sorry that I worried you so much..."

"Tch." Hijikata pulled Mitsuba into his lap, then rested his chin on her shoulder. "As long as you're fine now..."

Mitsuba hummed as she leaned back, her mind at ease; she was still tired, and her lungs had been aggravated a bit by the dust at the Yorozuya office, but at the moment, there was no real threat to her health. Hijikata did not fail to notice that Mitsuba had relaxed, and he tightened his embrace with one arm while using his other hand to play with her hair; it was the sort of moment that they were both longing for after the incident last night.

"...Toushirou?" Mitsuba leaned her head back just enough to plant a kiss on Hijikata's cheek. "Do you remember my promise last night? I think I've won the bet this time..."

"Good," Hijikata mused, as a small smirk tugged at his lips. "Maybe with something to distract him, Sougo'll stop tormenting me..."

Mitsuba nodded once, then giggled. "Oh, I think he will. So long as we keep our... nighttime activities secret, I doubt that he'll have any reason to."

Hijikata said nothing in response; rather, he laid Mitsuba down on the floor and embraced her, eyes closing as he listened to her breathing. Mitsuba glanced back at her lover, a bit surprised by the change in position; however, she relaxed soon after, as it was a comfortable position, and she wanted to rest anyhow.

The situation they were in would be considered less than favorable by most couples, but it was perfect for Hijikata; he hated the idea of losing his edge while he couldn't work, and, if nothing else, this would keep him alert and focused. But still, though one of his problems was taken care of, there were still more to deal with... such as the annoying otaku persona that had sprung up within him, and how it would surface every so often to bother the rest of the Shinsengumi.

If there was one thing that Hijikata was deeply grateful for, it was that, for the most part, Tosshi had remained hidden in Mitsuba's presence. The vice-commander still had no idea why this was the case, but he was not about to start questioning the otaku spirit's motives... with the sort of relationship that they had now, it would be beyond embarrassing if Hijikata lost control of himself to Tosshi while spending time with Mitsuba.

Hijikata's thoughts were interrupted when Mitsuba yawned; with a quiet hum, he rested his head on her shoulder and asked her, "You wanna take a nap?"

"That... would be nice," Mitsuba replied, closing her eyes. "Ah... if you don't mind, could you... stay here with me?"

"...What about Sougo?" Hijikata frowned a bit as he recalled their pact. "If he catches us..."

Mitsuba shook her head. "He'll be busy for a while, I think... and I doubt he'd get upset over something like this. We're still clothed, after all..."

As much as Hijikata wanted to deny Mitsuba's point, he knew that it was better to just give in to her wishes; she could be just as stubborn as her brother at times, and some of her more devious schemes - back when she was still sick - ended in bloody coughing if the other party did not agree. How she had managed to use her illness to persuade people was beyond him, but it worked like nothing else... and he didn't want to see her hurting like that again, especially not because of something he said.

So, instead, he breathed a resigned sigh and took his jacket off, then covered her with it and snuggled up to her again. He had no choice in the matter... and besides, it was nice to just be with her sometimes.

Before long, Mitsuba had drifted off into a sound sleep; though his work ethic dictated otherwise, Hijikata chose to stay with her rather than leaving. Work ethic meant nothing when he was on 'vacation', and there wasn't much else for him to do at this time.

Author's Notes: For some reason, this chapter was really hard to write. I'm not 100% happy with how it came out, but oh well. We haven't had some good old-fashioned HijiMitsu fluff in some time, and I decided that, considering the fact that it's the main ship for this fic, I should rectify that problem.

I'm running a bit low on ideas, but I don't intend to end the fic on this note - if anyone wants to help feed my muse, please PM me or leave a note in your review. Until then, so long!