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CHARACTERS: olivia (

winces) & sakata gintoki (

naturallywavy)
DATE: some time after the demolition?
WARNINGS: burn injuries? gintoki's mind/mouth?
SUMMARY: someone's in need of some healing

[ not long after things turned south for them (again), olivia has taken to wandering the supposed "scene of the crime." she hadn't been very involved in the fighting, this time around, and for good reason, really, given how drastic things had turned... and so she thought to make up for that by seeking avenues she could help, as much as she could with what minimal abilities she had left.

it's saffron, though, that finds him. the lion cub's head had turned up, nose sniffing at the air as something familiar catches his attention. olivia only had time to glance at him curiously before the lion cub was off, dashing through the rocks and rubble. she calls out after him, careful not to trip or fall over the molten rocks as she struggles to follow after and keep up.

by the time she happens upon them both — gintoki, his body prone and covered in burns, and saffron, sniffing curiously at his toes in an obvious attempt to gauge whether or not this burnt human was food or not — she has only enough breath left to gasp sharply, one hand flying up to cover her gaping mouth. ]

S-Saffron! Shoo!

[ she waves the cub away, who obeys rather reluctantly, and quickly comes up to gintoki's side, one hand carefully pushing back some white curls form his forehead. ]

Mr. Gintoki...? Gintoki, are you okay? Can you hear me?

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[ it really isn't fair at all, but fortunately olivia has enough of a one-track mind in this moment not to think much of it. surely, it makes her expression a little tighter, and though her cheeks burn out of reflex, it's clear she's more annoyed than flustered that he would choose a time like this to joke around.

(because surely it's just a joke. it has to be.) ]

I'm faring a lot better than certain men who think they're more shield and weapon than human.

[ she remembers the way you allowed yourself to be stabbed in order to get closer to her while she'd been possessed, gintoki. she has no doubt that that was a singular event.

she turns her attention to his more glaring wounds, along his arms and where parts of his clothing have burned off. as carefully as she can, she tries to tear through them without disturbing his wounds much, just so she can get a better look. all the while, she prays she has enough magic left to heal them... she's not really sure what she'd do if she didn't. ]

Edited 2016-04-29 15:25 (UTC)

_{[ Luckily for Olivia, he wears one yukata sleeve off and a shirt under the yukata. So, up to his right bicep she is able to see. Most of his wounds are towards his wrists and hands, but there are a few places of injury higher up his arm. The other sleeve of the yukata can be brushed off of his body at the shoulder without tearing, but he won't put up a fight if she wants to tear his sleeve instead.

The shirt under his yukata just has a few small holes in it near the chest area, but he seems to have a pretty good burn peeking from where his collarbone is where a large part of flame hit him there.

Anyway, he doesn't like this serious tone to the situation— since the attention is focused on him— and so he tries joking again: ]}

You sure you won't burn me even more?
_{[ you know.. with how hot you are.........
it's a lame joke..... probably why he doesn't finish it. ]}

[ don't pretend the lameness of the joke stops you...

but anyway, yes, let's say instead of tearing she is simply... unbuttoning (??) the top part of his shirt open so she can get a better look at the wound on his chest. probably best to address that first, since it's near some pretty vital stuff. ]

If that's what you're into, Mr. Gintoki, we can discuss it another time.

[ ????/??/?????? guess gintoki isn't the only one feeling comfortable with the other around here...

ANYWAY she'll hover a hand over his exposed chest now, letting her eyes fall shut as she concentrates. ]

_{[ She's unzipping it, if she can figure it out. The burn is there, nestled between two large but aged scars.
This is.. nice. I mean, as much as he is usually favoring being left alone, he really does enjoy positive attention and the fact he won't be burning anymore. It is annoying to feel.

Gintoki watches her, not wanting to disrupt her. He almost reaches up to push some hair behind her ear— something nice and sweet— just to reciprocate the touch.

He doesn't, though. ]}

Nurse, nurse. Do I get a lollipop for good behavior after this?

[ what even are zippers, man. she winds up unzipping it, but only by accident. in that she attempted to tear the shirt open and wound up just forcing it to unzip instead.

but she appreciates his silence, for however long it lasts. these days, it takes a lot more concentration and energy to heal even a basic cut. so for something as extensive as these burns, she's pouring a lot more of herself into this than she would have normally had to.

by the time the skin itself starts to look a little better, she's already got a sheen of sweat on her brow. ]

I'm not sure how enticing fish-flavored lollipop would be...

_{[ Gintoki is on his best behavior— he probably only checked her out once this entire time she's been close to him. His eyes close, a low hum vibrating in his throat as he feels the burn and pain slowly fade away, a soothing, cool feeling flourishing over his injury.

He never understood why people like Olivia wanted to pour all of their effort and energy into him, as he (frustratingly) never gave himself enough credit for the things he did and the people he cared about. Gintoki understands why he does good, but why do others do good? Why did Olivia do such good for him?

Silly man.

His red eyes crack open once its finished, a lopsided smirk teasing on the corner of his lips: ]}

Ah. The second time you've saved my life. You're turning out to be a real doctor, aren't you? Only not the scary kind that want to stick needles up your ass and take your money for it.

_{[ Look how useful you are. He'd be miserable without you. ]}

[ she leans back with a sigh, the hand she'd used to heal gintoki now rising up to wipe the sweat off her brow. her skin feels hot beneath her hand, but she isn't sure if that's from any oncoming fever or the fact they're not too far from where the magma has settled.

the healing was a sloppy job, all things considered. if she was at her usual capacity, she's sure it would have been faster, smoother, and would not have left behind such an ugly scar. as it is, the skin has healed over, but the mark will likely remain — not that his chest is in want of any more scars as it is.

the other burns she will have to tend to after a moment's break; the urge to see to them now is strong, but she recalls sieglinde's voice in the back of her head, warning her against over-exerting herself. indeed, she'd rather not pass out over any stairways again.

so for now she simply sits, and breathes, letting her hands steady her on the ground. her fingers bump against his, and (rather mindfully) they curl in to inch away after a second thought. ]

Your money wouldn't mean much in this world, anyway, [ she responds rather flatly, but the humor is there, even if it's taking some effort out of her to maintain it. he's trying to keep things light, after all. she supposes she can respect that.

she glances around. ]

Where is Sadaharu...?

_{[ Of course he's trying to keep things light— this is a situation involving him, after all. Even though he enjoys attention, he doesn't try to actively seek it like, say, Katsura tries to do.

Gintoki moves, shifting his hand that was bumped to put it right up his nose. Yep. Definitely keeping things light... for now. ]}

Takin' a dump somewhere. I dunno. I don't like looking at that. They're not small, cute, doggy-dumps either. You know, it's a big mess what he does.
_{[ ... Olivia probably doesn't want to think about it.
Gintoki isn't sure, though, where Sadaharu is at or what he is doing— but maybe saying something like this will leave Olivia less worried.

He successfully picks something out of his nose and prompts for flicking it far away from them both before turning his head to look at her. ]}

.. Do you mind?
_{[ wait.. do you mind what.. exactly? He doesn't go further. ]}

[ despite his attempts at levity, there's really no fooling olivia when she's got her attention on you. she can see it in the way everything about his gestures seem forced — like a conscious effort to fall back on old habits, perhaps for the sake of seeking out something familiar.

she frowns, but she decides not to push the matter. she decides to trust that if there were really, really something to worry about here... that maybe they were close enough friends at this point that he'd tell her.

or at the very least not blatantly lie about it. ]

Mind what?

[ she glances towards the distance where he'd flung that booger. ]

Giant doggy poop? [ she knows that's probably not what he means. ] I'd think anyone with a nose would.

Edited 2016-05-05 13:29 (UTC)

_{[ Wow. She really is beginning to think like some people back from his home would.
Gintoki was actually referring to something else. Something else such as: "you don't mind still talking to me even though I rejected you and even though I said getting closer wouldn't be the best idea because I would corrupt you" which might very well would have shifted the conversation on a much heavier scale and even prompt him to sincerely apologize.

For everything.
For being an emotional burden, for being closed up, for being probably a huge problem.

Though, what is said is said, so what does Gintoki do now? He stares at her for a moment, a bit amazed he is having a conversation about Sadaharu's feces with the person who is healing his injuries.

It causes him to smile. Not across the lips, but in his eyes.

He leans back even more against the tree he is sitting under. ]}

Yeah, exactly. I end up having to be the one to take him out, you know. Kagura-chan won't even though he is her's. It's a pain in the ass.

_{[ Gintoki will get to the apology, though. But this moment is too pleasant for him because it reminds him of home. ]}

Edited 2016-05-05 18:59 (UTC)

[ there are a lot of things being unsaid here, but for once olivia is not sure if it is entirely a bad thing. where she would have otherwise insisted on truth or sincerity, in this moment she finds the levity... not quite refreshing — perhaps more necessary.

her body aches from exertion, and her mind is still spinning from the dizzy fear that had overwhelmed her upon seeing his prone body, thinking the worst.

besides... olivia had always been very good at pretending. ]

Isn't it more of a pain for Sadaharu? [ in the ass, that is... ]

He's the one that has to push it all out.

Ah, it's usually kind of mushy. I'm not sure how it'll be since he's here and will be eating.. _{[ man, what will Sadaharu be eating? Usually they just give him dog feed like a normal dog, but.. ]} whatever is easy to come by.

Don't really wanna think about it. Guess I don't have to clean up after him since no loud neighbors are around. _{[ Everybody lives so close together back in Edo. ]}

_{[ He looks over at Olivia, taking in a small note of the bead of sweat on her brow and how tired she looks. She could probably be healing other people who need it; not him. ]}

Take it easy.

[ her gaze flickers back towards him at his last words, the mild surprise evident in the slight widening of her eyes. the sweat remains, but at least her breathing has calmed into something more manageable, not quite so heavy in the steady rise and fall of her chest.

it really is unfair, she thinks. how kind he still is. ]

...I will when you do.

[ she drops her gaze again, giving the burns on his arms a pointed look. another few minutes, she thinks. another few minutes, and then she can heal them, too. ]

Ugh.

_{[ Did you hear that, Olivia? That's the exasperated sound of an exhausted, grown man-child. He scratches his head, ruffling up his silver hair. The irritated noises proceed: ]}
Gyaa, gyaa, gyaa, gyaa.. I guess we've cornered each other, haven't we? Tch. It's really irritating. Has anybody told you how irritating you can be?
_{[ Though, before she can really retort with anything: ]}

It's a lot like me. _{[ We are both caring for others, but in a different way. ]}
Guess we have no other option here. Either we both exert ourselves or we both watch ourselves. Which will it be?
_{[ With that, he extends his pinky to her. Doesn't this seem familiar? Though, his pinky curls tightly, as if he is having a second thought: ]}

That is.. if you think you are willing to make another promise with me. I'm willing to make one with you.
_{[ read: are you strong enough to make another promise to him? Doesn't this mean they're getting even closer? And if so, isn't that a bit dangerous for two people who probably shouldn't get closer to one another?

Choices, Olivia. ]}

Edited 2016-05-07 03:05 (UTC)

[ it is quite exasperating, isn't it, gintoki? to care so much for someone who doesn't seem willing to extend that same kind of care for themselves.

it's with an air of smugness that she glances away when he calls her irritating, the feeling of it just pulling lightly at the corner of her lips. where she normally would have withered at hearing such a thing come from him, now she can only find pride in having evoked such a reaction. now you see, she thinks. now it's fair.

but he pulls her gaze and attention back to him as easily as the moon controls the waves, and before she knows it, she is left staring at a raised pinky, feeling an awful sense of deja vu.

she feels a little like laughing.

when made to choose between her mind and her heart, it wasn't really a choice at all.

she lifts up her own pinky, resolutely locking it with his.

in the end, she will always go with her heart. ]

Do you even have to ask...

[ for better or for worse. ]

_{[ Gintoki's eyes grow fond at how easily she twists her pinky with his, then speaks softly: ]}
If you exert yourself, I'll exert yourself.
If you watch yourself, I'll watch myself.
Don't let anything like me, or yourself, prevent you from touching the heavens.

_{[ He's not going to worry about you worrying about him, and he hopes you feel the same way. You do what you have to do, and he'll do what he has to do.

His hand drops and he rolls his palms upward, revealing the burns on his arms again. ]}

Doctor, I'll be ready for this whenever you are.
_{[ okay so he's a little bit demanding. ]}

[ and what if, asks her heart, what if that thing preventing me if the very heavens itself.

silly girl, her mind rebuts, you have no business dancing in the skies anyway. ]

I didn't realize I was promoted, [ she says around a swallowed sigh. light, airy. back to before.

quietly, she passes a hand over the wounds, turning her attention to the present once more.

you do what you have to do. he'll do what he has to do. ]

'Course you got promoted. You did such a great job.
_{[ Gintoki, that's not how you become a doctor. YOU DON'T GET PROMOTED.. well, whatever.
As she heals up the burns on his arms, he allows her to do so in silence. Gintoki isn't sure what goes into healing somebody's injuries, but he's certain that him talking isn't going to really help.

His skin cools, slowly, gradually— the injury fading, but not quite disappearing. When he feels like it's fine for him to speak, he does, though his voice is hushed. ]}

—Sorry.

_{[ You should know what he's apologizing for. Even now, this entire scenario is making his stomach twist. He doesn't like communication, his mind often distant when it comes to his own feelings and emotions.. probably because they are too busy being tuned in with everyone else.
He didn't have an upbringing where he could invest in much intimacy with people until the war where he made a close-knit of friends.

He was quite the mess when it came to actually talking about how he felt about things, so he hopes just a simple sorry is fine, sorry Olivia. ]}

[ for better or for worse, she perfectly understands what he means this time. maybe it's the way he says it now, or the way he'd grown still and silent (quite unlike him) right before it. maybe it's her own hopeful heart, projecting and wishing. maybe it's just been a long time coming.

her hands still over him, as does her breath. she doesn't look back up at him, because she knows she can't, that if she does she'll lose any resolve she's slowly trying to gather up.

it isn't fair, she thinks. that he should make it so hard for her to let go.

but it isn't any fairer, she knows, to hold him back with her weight. ]

...Me too.

[ for not listening to him. for holding on when she shouldn't have. for thinking things could change and making him feel guilty when they don't.

for everything they could have had and could have been.

for ruining a friendship with all her silly what ifs.

she doesn't cry, but only because she knows it would make him uncomfortable if she did.

instead, she gives his healed arms a gentle pat, and musters up what strength she has left in her smile. ]

There you are. All better.

_{[ It's an odd feeling process. Gintoki has never had something like this happen to him before. Usually he took the pain with him and recovered on his own— it took people to sometimes guard him to make sure he wasn't going to get out and get himself hurt again. A perfect example of that is when Kagura and Shinpachi were trying to finish a job for him, hunting for an assassin and a deadly blade. They knew he would try to protect them when he was in no condition to, and so Shinpachi's sister had to sit by his side.

He doesn't know what to do when something like this happens. Do you still rest? Is your injury okay to touch now? Do you say thank you? He doesn't know.
Though, he guesses that thank you would be the right thing to do. It's so hard to not cross the stupid boundary he set up between them— so very hard. Gintoki cares so much, but doesn't like people to know that. After all they've been through, though, he should.

—cross that boundary.
Will it hurt in the end?

Gintoki makes some sound of discontentment, obviously torn about the thoughts flowing in his mind. It's brief, though. Olivia may only see it if she pays close attention to him. Despite this, though, his rough hands slide around her as he pulls her into an embrace, one palm lifting to cup the back of her head.

Was it too much? Should he stop overthinking all of this? Why was it so important to keep distant? Did it have to be that way?
It didn't, but if it didn't, that could risk her getting hurt, which would break his promise.

What a mess.
They should really open up and talk about this, but.. how? Did he have to? Ugh.

Even so, his firm hold tightens. Gintoki could hug and hold, but it was very seldom that he expressed it. ]}

It's your turn to take it easy, now.
_{[ He's been sitting here, relaxing, while you exert yourself. Take it easy— it's okay to take it easy in his arms if you'll allow it. ]}

[ she doesn't fight the pull, even though she knows she should. all too easily, her body leans in, folds against his newly-healed chest and lays there, pliant and unmoving.

it's a little funny; she hadn't been the one near the fire, yet it still feels like she got burned.

back and forth, back and forth. push and pull, push and pull. no and yes, yes and no, and maybe.

she stifles a sigh against his chest, eyes drawn shut, and yet it wasn't the strain of the magic that's suddenly got her very, very tired. ]

...Good night, Mr. Fruit.

[ will it hurt in the end?

silly boy — it already does. ]

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gently matches icons because i'm trash

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