THE LOUD FELLOW

when you're troubled, just laugh it off, laugh it off.

#kaienmaru: indie sakamoto tatsuma of gintama, as loved by rizu (she/her, 21+). selective & mutuals only. oc & crossover friendly. personals, minors dni.

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“I'M HERE, SHINSUKE~”

normally, he's nothing but happy seeing takasugi use that kiseru. it adds to the man's sensual allure, and in turn he makes the shabby thing looks expensive. however, for some reason, today he finds himself burning with jealousy towards that damn pipe. is it the alcohol? it's a bottle gifted from a client, some foreign liquor that he's never tried before. he can't tell how much of the heat inside him is from the alcohol and how much is from his emotions.

his focus returns to his companion as takasugi raises his hand once more to bring the pipe to his lips. damn it, he wants takasugi's lips on him, too; wants to fill his mouth to the point of overflowing.

but he would have to be significantly more drunk to say that.

so instead, he snatches the kiseru and puts his lips where takasugi's had been not too long ago. a pathetic indirect kiss.

“what kind of space merchant would i be if i'm scared to flirt with danger?” he replies, playful, lingering smoke framing his face, “especially when it comes in such a beautiful packaging.”

takasugi's empty threat pulls a laugh out of him. “aww, what's so wrong with me taking a couple puffs from time to time, especially since i was the one who gave this to you? i'd let you borrow my gun anytime, you know.”

Left in the Kaienmaru's captain quarters is a small box, with a new gun model Tatsuma had apparently been admiring, the second time Takasugi has done such a thing; it's been commissioned to shoot faster rounds, and been made with an even lighter metal, in consideration of any potential strain in his arm. Tucked beside the gun is a holster and a card, with a new calligraphy set underneath it.

The card is anonymous, but the handwriting and contents are more than telling:

"Wasting all your time making letters for Gintoki when he's too lazy to ever write any back is pathetic even for you, don't you think?

You know where I live. Or is a new pen not enough to bribe even a greedy old merchant. You're getting old, though. Better hurry while you can still use one.

Happy birthday——I'll treat you to a bottle of booze and a song, if you can make it back alive. I heard the party your crew is throwing you might get a pretty wild.

So come visit soon, Tatsuma. As much as space might miss you...mine is too quiet without a voice like yours to fill it."

( ... ... .... ♨️ )

Unsigned, sealed, and delivered.

Having the box passed along to Matako and then Mutsu makes it worse, somehow; he has to stew in it from his place in Yoshiwara, and can't even see the bastard's reaction. He's making a fool of himself, perhaps, but it's...worth the risk. With Tatsuma, it's easier to convince himself of that.

After much chainsmoking, he'd changed his mind about adding sunflowers, though——Mutsu didn't include them with his gift box after he realized his lapse of judgement.

( *Except a bouquet was included, after the two women conferred about it privately. )

he sighs dejectedly as the door to his office slides close behind him. apparently, he's been ordered by mutsu to stay in his quarters until the dining hall is done being decorated. he tries to tell the two subordinates escorting him that he doesn't care for such ceremonies. let him help! then they can finish faster and start the party earlier! but they both simply shake their head and reiterates that they have to obey mutsu's command. how come the vice captain's words carry more weight around here? sure, he sneaks out of his obligations sometimes, but he's still the captain of this company and vessel, both in name and in practice!

but the two men plead for him to stay put, so he has no choice but to agree. and now he's confined to his room for the next hour or so.

it's only then that he notices the box and bouquet of sunflowers on his writing desk. someone must have put it in here while he was attending to his duties somewhere else. most likely mutsu, who does have a master key for all the rooms in the kairinmaru, and the gun he finds within the box, one he's been contemplating on purchasing and—more importantly—one that mentioned to her some time back, only lends more weight to his suspicion.

though he is slightly miffed that she chose to snuck into his room instead of just handing it to him directly, for example during his literal birthday party that's happening soon.

however, once he gets to the card that came with it, he immediately realizes his guess is not 100% correct. yes, mutsu most likely was the one who put these gifts in his room, but she's not the one who sent the gifts.

tatsuma would know that handwriting anywhere. he's had more than a decade to familiarize himself with it; seen it on parchments detailing battle strategies, covert mission correspondences, and shopping lists for the market, and later, new year postcards that would come weeks to late because the postal service often has a hard time pinning down his location.

and then there's the content of the card itself: the diction, mention of their mutual friend, the inside jokes... and the invitation at the end.

his body feels warm all over. he brings the paper close, as if the writer's scent would still linger on it, though of course it isn't. but it's a scent that he knows so intimately that his mind is able to easily conjure it up, anyway. his other hand caresses a sunflower's petals, a poor substitute on the thing he actually wants to touch.

he snaps himself out of it after a moment, and goes to pick up the last items remaining in the box, the calligraphy set, and a letter paper. after all, he has an hour to burn and a shinsuke to inform about when his next earth visit will be.