[ On rare occasions, Gintoki's tendency to sleep in is actually a good thing. Today is one of such days, because it means Katsura has time to prepare a surprise for him (and also to clean up the kitchen which looks like a bomb went off in there by the time he's done baking. (Maybe it did, but he's got a silencer spell now, so it's all good!)). ]
[ Normally, he probably would have just bought a cake. That tends to be both faster and better, what with his limited cooking abilities. But Gintoki had just invited him to live with him, and he wants to put in the extra effort to show his gratitude. ]
[ He's staring at the result a little suspiciously with just half his face visible over the table. It's not terrible, but it's also a far cry from the picture in the baking book. It's really just cake base, whipped cream, jam and strawberries, how hard could it possibly be? And yet somehow it came out taller on one side, with a batter-bubble-turned-lump at the top, and the visible strawberries are smeared with cream because he rearranged them three times. Still, he thinks, it's a respectable effort, and it probably tastes fine. He hopes. ]
[ (He's even pretty sure he didn't add anything he wasn't supposed to, at least not in quantities that would make a difference for either of them. A miracle!) ]
[ He shoves it in the fridge to settle (and to hide it from the ever-growing amount of furry would-be-eaters sharing their space), and heads back to the spare room which is now "his" to get the presents that he'd hauled from his old apartment earlier in the morning (now he can finally return that key, he supposes). ]
[ Then he's tiptoeing to Gintoki's bedroom and setting two neatly wrapped packages down on the side of the bed with available space. The big one contains the ice cream machine he won at an auction over a month ago for this very purpose, which apparently (slowly) makes icecream out of thin air, and the small one hides a dreamcatcher from Riki's shop that's supposed to ward off (most of) nightmares. ]
[ Then Katsura fluffs Gintoki's hair a little and finally settles at an available spot at the foot of the bed himself, apparently intending to stare his best friend awake. He's got a dumb smile (and possibly a smear of cream and/or flour somewhere) on his face. ]
[ For the time being, Gintoki is perfectly content lazing around most of the time here, which obviously also means sleeping in every day. If he doesn't need to be up at a 'reasonable hour', there's no reason to be that, and this place seems very happy to just let them all set their own pace.
Especially if it comes to his birthday, sleeping in is only reasonable.
This fact would make him more annoyed about waking up. In true Gintoki fashion he has absolutely no idea it's his birthday, though, so when Zura's voice breaks through his sleep, he grumbles and rolls over and buries his face in the pillow.
...
Actually, he'd definitely do that even if he did know it's his birthday. ]
For a brief moment, he entertains the ridiculous notion that ignoring Zura will make him go away. That has never really worked, however, so after that bit of grumbling he lifts his head enough to speak. ]
Should never have told you to move in.
[ And he slowly sits up, rubbing a hand over his face for a second before blearily looking at Zura. ]
[ So, there's a few ways this could go, considering that Zura may not have yet gone through the character development of internalizing that his friends still like him (Renho arc). Getting genuinely upset is certainly one of them, right along with declaring something about leaving and then pretending to cry in the bathroom. It seems today he's in a good, self-loving mood, though, because he simply scoffs and folds his arms. ]
[ As he shifts to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, he also finally notices the wrapped packages. They're perhaps not a surprise in themselves now that they find themselves with a more secure income, but that one present is huge, and his eyes visibly widen.
Without a word, he's suddenly on his feet, walking a lap around the present, poking at it, marvelling at the fact that it's actually here in front of him.
[ And Zura's just going to sit there and watch him, smug like a cucumber. Okay, there might be a little smile squeezing its way into his normally blank expression. He's actually pretty proud of his presents! ]
[ His unwrapping is more like tearing, really, and he doesn't take a good look at it until the paper is all gone. Then he turns it over until he sees the name of the thing, at which point his mouth even falls open.
Is this real? Did Zura get him an ice-cream machine?
He looks between the box and Zura a few times, and then puts the box on the bed and reaches out a hand for Zura's forehead. ]
[ Zura sputters a little and starts leaning away from that hand... then decides that physical contact is nice, actually, and stays put while Gintoki exagerratedly checks him for fever. ]
It's not Zura, it's Katsura. [ In other words, he's fine. ] If you're worried about money, I didn't exactly buy it. It was more of a lottery kind of situation.
[ Technically it was an auction ICly, but the results were randomized and there is no way he actually managed to place one of the highest two bids, so... that's more or less true? ]
[ Also you're not supposed to tell someone what you paid (or didn't pay) for their presents, but guess these guys are too practical to follow that particular guideline. ]
[ As expected, really. Not like he thought Zura would really have a fever. It's just ... so strange for him, who nags so often about how much food Gintoki eats, to get him an ice cream machine.
If Zura doesn't realise that's why he's so surprised, though, he sure won't bring it up. ]
Right.
[ Right, then.
He'll just pick up the second gift and start unwrapping that. ]
[ While the nagging part is true, upon the rewatch the gorilla has noted that he does actually seem to bring Gintoki sweets quite often. Sure, it might be a ploy to get on his good side and/or entice him to jouishishi activities most of the time, but still! That's almost daily extra sugar! Zura you damn hypocrite. ]
[ In this case it's nothing more than him seeing something he thinks Gintoki would love and then acting on an impulse, pretty much. He can get him nice things sometimes! ]
[ ...he might indeed realize he created a monster sooner or later, though. That and giving up his most powerful bargaining chip, but then, it's not like the jouishishi even exist here, and he can probably find other ways to gently steer Gintoki into desired directions. Maybe. ]
...It made me think of you. [ just casually drops it like it's a perfectly regular thing to tell your bromie, nbd. and apparently that was the main reason he got it? don't worry about it. ]
[ Also don't worry about him leaning forward a bit to put his elbows on his knees and his cheeks in his hands as he watches Gintoki unwrap the other gift. ]
[ Well, it's not the most out there thing Zura could say to a bromie. Gintoki doesn't even seem to notice it, too busy with this present, which he very soon has unwrapped and holds up in front of him with some confusion. ]
[ It's true, he has said some pretty damn wild things to his bromies. Don't worry about it. He was definitely not imagining your smile when you see it on a rosy background or anything. ]
It's called a "dreamcatcher". You hang it up somewhere-- in your bedroom, I suppose-- and it wards off most of your nightmares. Or... "catches" them? It is really more of a "nightmarecatcher" in that case, but that is a little clunky to say, so I am not surprised they did not go with that for the marketing.
[ The expression of confusion shifts to doubt, turning the dreamcatcher this way and that. Could that really work? Doesn't feel like it should work.
Then again, he can also conjure wind and heal small wounds with a thought now, so ... What does he know? ]
Hmm.
[ He doesn't smile or say thank you or anything like that, of course. But he does get off the bed and throws a look around for somewhere to hang it, then steps over to the window to tie it to the curtain pole. The only thing he can do is try it out. ]
[ It shouldn't, but neither should all the things they've been able to do here. All this "magic". At this point, why not try it out? The worst that could happen is it doesn't work. ]
[ Zura does not seem discouraged by that apparent lack of reaction in the slightest -- and maybe he's aware that Gintoki actually finding a place to hang it immediately is an incredible show of appreciation. So he just smiles and claps his hands together like a kindergarten teacher trying to garner excitement for the next activity of the day. ]
So! What would you like to do, Gintoki?
[ He'll even go along with it! Unless it's something too unacceptable, but that's unlikely. Not that that's really anything unusual nowadays. They've been spending quite a lot of time together, each the other's closest connection to home. ]
[ He considers grousing at Gintoki about eating a proper breakfast first, but it is his birthday, and supposedly diabetes can not kill him here, so... perhaps it's fine, for just one day. ]
[ It also makes him happy that he's evidently willing to eat his cooking this time. ]
[ He also suspects there are some (low energy) activities hiding behind that "nothing", so he won't complain about Gintoki's boring plans too much, though he still exhales in that half-amused way that basically says, "Well, what can you do." ]
Very well.
[ He hops off the bed and goes to prepare tea water (though there's every chance that Gintoki will want to chug his disgusting strawberry milk instead, which Katsura steels himself not to protest today). Gintoki will find that a suspiciously ice-cream-machine sized spot has been cleared on the kitchen counter where it would be convenient to have something like that standing on the regular. He sets down a couple of plates and mugs, and then goes to retrieve his cake creation out of the fridge. ]
[ (Yes, there will probably be 27 candles on it. Or one of those big candles that are shaped like numbers.) ]
[ Does Gintoki wonder if said baked good will be laced with laxatives? Of course he does. But he has also decided that if it is, he'll still eat it because it's his birthday and Zura made it. And he will happily put the ice cream machine in that prepared spot, then excitedly mess around with it while Zura sets the table.
As soon as he's got the machine working on some ice cream, he turns back around to see what exactly Zura made. And, well, colour him impressed. ]
[ Now that's true love dedication! Just because of this, the cake will actually turn out to be perfectly harmless and even tasty! Because the beauty of friendship has to be rewarded sometimes. At least one day out of 365. ]
[ It's still a bit askew and the cream and strawberries are smeared in a not very decorative way, but hopefully no one here cares too much about the aesthetics. There's clearly effort put into it! In fact, Zura's pretty proud of it, so he nods. ]
I did. I think it came out quite well.
[ It didn't even somehow turn into fried rice, for one! ]
[ The aesthetics of cake - of desserts in general, really - is sort of important. There's nothing quite like looking at a very beautiful cake or parfait or cupcake. But, no, he doesn't care all that much, especially not when the cream is evenly spread and the strawberries evenly placed.
He doesn't say anything else, but the almost-awe is visible on his face the moment before he goes to grab strawberry milk from the fridge and then sit down at the table. ]
[ Listen, maybe it is, but surely the love it was made with can make up for the lack of it!! ]
[ Zura's still making tea because that's apparently just a breakfast ritual for him at this point, but he says nothing about the strawberry milk. Perhaps his close run-in with Hijikata and his mayonnaise coffee has given some immunity to being unsettled by questionable beverage choices. ]
[ At least something good came out of the catfishing.
After grabbing a glass and putting that and the milk on the table, he sits. While Zura is making tea, though, he'll be good and not blow out the candles or cut into the cake. This patience better be appreciated. ]
[ It's true, that's probably the main benefit of it. He didn't even get any particularly good information out of it. Bummer. ]
[ The patience is indeed appreciated. Honestly, Katsura wasn't even expecting Gintoki to wait for him, but once he catches on that that's indeed what is going on, he'll finish up quickly and take a seat, feeling some sort of way, and it might reflect in how his eyes seem to soften further when he looks at him and nudges the cake knife toward him. Go on, then. ]
Happy birthday~ to~ you--
[ Yeah. He hadn't actually said it until now, and now he's singing it, probably a little off-key. At least it's not long? Happy birthday, Gintoki. ]
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[ Normally, he probably would have just bought a cake. That tends to be both faster and better, what with his limited cooking abilities. But Gintoki had just invited him to live with him, and he wants to put in the extra effort to show his gratitude. ]
[ He's staring at the result a little suspiciously with just half his face visible over the table. It's not terrible, but it's also a far cry from the picture in the baking book. It's really just cake base, whipped cream, jam and strawberries, how hard could it possibly be? And yet somehow it came out taller on one side, with a batter-bubble-turned-lump at the top, and the visible strawberries are smeared with cream because he rearranged them three times. Still, he thinks, it's a respectable effort, and it probably tastes fine. He hopes. ]
[ (He's even pretty sure he didn't add anything he wasn't supposed to, at least not in quantities that would make a difference for either of them. A miracle!) ]
[ He shoves it in the fridge to settle (and to hide it from the ever-growing amount of furry would-be-eaters sharing their space), and heads back to the spare room which is now "his" to get the presents that he'd hauled from his old apartment earlier in the morning (now he can finally return that key, he supposes). ]
[ Then he's tiptoeing to Gintoki's bedroom and setting two neatly wrapped packages down on the side of the bed with available space. The big one contains the ice cream machine he won at an auction over a month ago for this very purpose, which apparently (slowly) makes icecream out of thin air, and the small one hides a dreamcatcher from Riki's shop that's supposed to ward off (most of) nightmares. ]
[ Then Katsura fluffs Gintoki's hair a little and finally settles at an available spot at the foot of the bed himself, apparently intending to stare his best friend awake. He's got a dumb smile (and possibly a smear of cream and/or flour somewhere) on his face. ]
...
[ Okay, this is taking too long. ]
Gintoki.
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Especially if it comes to his birthday, sleeping in is only reasonable.
This fact would make him more annoyed about waking up. In true Gintoki fashion he has absolutely no idea it's his birthday, though, so when Zura's voice breaks through his sleep, he grumbles and rolls over and buries his face in the pillow.
...
Actually, he'd definitely do that even if he did know it's his birthday. ]
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[ His expression falls into the usual vacant stare. ]
Gintoki. [ more insistently. ]
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For a brief moment, he entertains the ridiculous notion that ignoring Zura will make him go away. That has never really worked, however, so after that bit of grumbling he lifts his head enough to speak. ]
Should never have told you to move in.
[ And he slowly sits up, rubbing a hand over his face for a second before blearily looking at Zura. ]
What?
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No takesie-backsies.
[ YOU'RE STUCK WITH HIM NOW, GINTOKI. ]
[ Anyway. ]
[ He stares at him for a moment longer. ]
It is your birthday. [ pointedly. ]
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[ It is? Well, he was totally not paying attention.
With that information, and as he wakes up bit by bit, he sees ... something white on Zura's face. What is that? Flour? Where did it--?
Blink blink. ]
Did you ... bake something?
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...Maybe.
[ How did he know?! Well, he supposes Gintoki can probably smell that sweet scent of cake lingering in the air, or something. ]
I suppose you will have to get up to find out.
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Without a word, he's suddenly on his feet, walking a lap around the present, poking at it, marvelling at the fact that it's actually here in front of him.
Then he starts unwrapping it. ]
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Is this real? Did Zura get him an ice-cream machine?
He looks between the box and Zura a few times, and then puts the box on the bed and reaches out a hand for Zura's forehead. ]
You feeling okay, Zura?
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It's not Zura, it's Katsura. [ In other words, he's fine. ] If you're worried about money, I didn't exactly buy it. It was more of a lottery kind of situation.
[ Technically it was an auction ICly, but the results were randomized and there is no way he actually managed to place one of the highest two bids, so... that's more or less true? ]
[ Also you're not supposed to tell someone what you paid (or didn't pay) for their presents, but guess these guys are too practical to follow that particular guideline. ]
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[ As expected, really. Not like he thought Zura would really have a fever. It's just ... so strange for him, who nags so often about how much food Gintoki eats, to get him an ice cream machine.
If Zura doesn't realise that's why he's so surprised, though, he sure won't bring it up. ]
Right.
[ Right, then.
He'll just pick up the second gift and start unwrapping that. ]
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[ In this case it's nothing more than him seeing something he thinks Gintoki would love and then acting on an impulse, pretty much. He can get him nice things sometimes! ]
[ ...he might indeed realize he created a monster sooner or later, though. That and giving up his most powerful bargaining chip, but then, it's not like the jouishishi even exist here, and he can probably find other ways to gently steer Gintoki into desired directions. Maybe. ]
...It made me think of you. [ just casually drops it like it's a perfectly regular thing to tell your bromie, nbd. and apparently that was the main reason he got it? don't worry about it. ]
[ Also don't worry about him leaning forward a bit to put his elbows on his knees and his cheeks in his hands as he watches Gintoki unwrap the other gift. ]
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What's this?
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It's called a "dreamcatcher". You hang it up somewhere-- in your bedroom, I suppose-- and it wards off most of your nightmares. Or... "catches" them? It is really more of a "nightmarecatcher" in that case, but that is a little clunky to say, so I am not surprised they did not go with that for the marketing.
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Then again, he can also conjure wind and heal small wounds with a thought now, so ... What does he know? ]
Hmm.
[ He doesn't smile or say thank you or anything like that, of course. But he does get off the bed and throws a look around for somewhere to hang it, then steps over to the window to tie it to the curtain pole. The only thing he can do is try it out. ]
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[ Zura does not seem discouraged by that apparent lack of reaction in the slightest -- and maybe he's aware that Gintoki actually finding a place to hang it immediately is an incredible show of appreciation. So he just smiles and claps his hands together like a kindergarten teacher trying to garner excitement for the next activity of the day. ]
So! What would you like to do, Gintoki?
[ He'll even go along with it! Unless it's something too unacceptable, but that's unlikely. Not that that's really anything unusual nowadays. They've been spending quite a lot of time together, each the other's closest connection to home. ]
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[ Cuddle Sadaharu, watch soaps, play UNO ... It'll be a perfect day.
But, first, he's going to pick up the ice cream machine to go and find somewhere to put it. ]
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[ It also makes him happy that he's evidently willing to eat his cooking this time. ]
[ He also suspects there are some (low energy) activities hiding behind that "nothing", so he won't complain about Gintoki's boring plans too much, though he still exhales in that half-amused way that basically says, "Well, what can you do." ]
Very well.
[ He hops off the bed and goes to prepare tea water (though there's every chance that Gintoki will want to chug his disgusting strawberry milk instead, which Katsura steels himself not to protest today). Gintoki will find that a suspiciously ice-cream-machine sized spot has been cleared on the kitchen counter where it would be convenient to have something like that standing on the regular. He sets down a couple of plates and mugs, and then goes to retrieve his cake creation out of the fridge. ]
[ (Yes, there will probably be 27 candles on it. Or one of those big candles that are shaped like numbers.) ]
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and Zura made it. And he will happily put the ice cream machine in that prepared spot, then excitedly mess around with it while Zura sets the table.As soon as he's got the machine working on some ice cream, he turns back around to see what exactly Zura made. And, well, colour him impressed. ]
You actually made a cake?
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true lovededication! Just because of this, the cake will actually turn out to be perfectly harmless and even tasty! Because the beauty of friendship has to be rewarded sometimes. At least one day out of 365. ][ It's still a bit askew and the cream and strawberries are smeared in a not very decorative way, but hopefully no one here cares too much about the aesthetics. There's clearly effort put into it! In fact, Zura's pretty proud of it, so he nods. ]
I did. I think it came out quite well.
[ It didn't even somehow turn into fried rice, for one! ]
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He doesn't say anything else, but the almost-awe is visible on his face the moment before he goes to grab strawberry milk from the fridge and then sit down at the table. ]
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[ Zura's still making tea because that's apparently just a breakfast ritual for him at this point, but he says nothing about the strawberry milk. Perhaps his close run-in with Hijikata and his mayonnaise coffee has given some immunity to being unsettled by questionable beverage choices. ]
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After grabbing a glass and putting that and the milk on the table, he sits. While Zura is making tea, though, he'll be good and not blow out the candles or cut into the cake. This patience better be appreciated. ]
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[ The patience is indeed appreciated. Honestly, Katsura wasn't even expecting Gintoki to wait for him, but once he catches on that that's indeed what is going on, he'll finish up quickly and take a seat, feeling some sort of way, and it might reflect in how his eyes seem to soften further when he looks at him and nudges the cake knife toward him. Go on, then. ]
Happy birthday~ to~ you--
[ Yeah. He hadn't actually said it until now, and now he's singing it, probably a little off-key. At least it's not long? Happy birthday, Gintoki. ]
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