( closed )

[winces]

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?

Comments

[naturallywavy]

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.
<sub>[ 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. ]</sub>

[winces]

[ 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. ]

[naturallywavy]

_{[ 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.

<sub>[ 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. ]</sub>

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

[winces]

[ 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. ]

[naturallywavy]

'Course you got promoted. You did such a great job.
<sub>[ 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. ]</sub>

—Sorry.

<sub>[ 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. ]</sub>

[winces]

[ 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.

[naturallywavy]

<sub>[ 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. ]</sub>

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. ]}

[winces]

[ 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. ]