[CLOSED] Sometimes you're so lazy that your place is pristine because you don't do anything

[permboy]

WHO: Sakata Gintoki, Katsura Kotarou, Lan Sizhui
WHAT: Sizhui lost a water pistol fight so now he has to clean Gintoki's place for a month
WHEN: Late June - July
WHERE: Gin's apartment
WARNINGS: Lowkey NSFW warning for the threeway thread??? (Nothing explicit, just the d-word.)

Comments

FIRST DAY - Sizhui

[permboy]

[ It's approaching three in the afternoon. Gintoki has actually been awake since around 10, has even had lunch, and he's fed the dog ...

Whom he is now crouching in front of it, one finger raised. ]

Listen, Sadaharu. I told him you bite, but I know you can be a good dog and behave very nicely and I don't want you to chase off my cleaner, okay? You shed everywhere, okay? It's the least you can do. Deal?

[ Sadaharu's response is, of course, to jump up and bite that finger. ]

[deferences]

[as the time draws nearer, sizhui gathers up everything he'll need and starts heading toward gintoki's apartment, a little pep in his step as he goes. he takes his time walking because he knows he doesn't have to be there until three, but for whatever reason, he's excited to be going. (it's the dog, that's definitely part of it.)

most people would probably be disappointed to have lost, but he's still totally fine with it, even though it means cleaning someone else's apartment for a month. mostly, he's hoping that gintoki isn't as messy as he's thinking. why does he think that, anyway? he isn't sure, it's just an assumption that he's making.

once sizhui reaches his destination, he stands patiently for a few moments outside the door, waiting until exactly three before he raises a hand and knocks, the arm lowering to tuck behind his back afterward.]

[permboy]

[ For the minute or two before Sizhui knocks he just stays there, letting Sadaharu chew on his finger for a bit. Maybe if he lets him get some of the biting out of his system, he won't do it to their guest.

After pulling his finger free, and gently baps the dog on the nose. ]

If you don't bite, I'll give you treats.

[ He gets a yip in response, which hopefully means Sadaharu has understood everything and agrees to the terms, and then he goes to open the door. ]

Yo.

[ The greeting comes with a sort of lazy salute, and he steps aside.

Given that he's still very new, it's probably not surprising that the apartment looks basically the same as any starter apartment. It's going to basically stay this way, though. He's always been pretty minimalist and never bought much for his home back in Edo, so he has no real intention of making any changes here either. It's also definitely not as messy as Sizhui fears. In fact, at first glance, it's practically pristine.

Once he looks more closely, he'll find white dog hairs on the couch and mixed with the dust in the corners, and there are definitely some boogers and bits of ear wax about but that's more difficult to see. In the bathroom he'll find tooth paste stains on the sink and other stains in the toilet. There's not even clutter on the floor, owing to said minimalist nature. Honestly, he'll have an easy time of it. ]

[deferences]

[here's hoping sadaharu doesn't decide to chew on him. sizhui won't complain much, since he does really love animals that much, but he might make it a little more difficult to clean.

at least he'll be bringing treats to share with the pup, so that may also help keep him from chewing too much.

once the door opens, sizhui's free hand lifts to wave in return, a small smile quirking his lips at the edges when he responds,] Hello again. [then he steps inside, sparing a glance around at their surroundings to take in the apartment. it's not nearly as messy as he'd thought and there's some relief in that; it isn't completely spotless though, either.

yes, this will be nice and easy, he thinks, and once he's finished, he can spend some time getting to know gintoki a little better.]

I brought some snacks for your dog. I hope that's okay?

[and he holds out the fabric bag he's carrying that's got plastic baggies full of fresh apple slices and green beans.] I didn't have any proper dog treats this time, so I hope these will do.

[permboy]

Ah, good.

[ That's some good thinking. It'll keep Sadaharu's mouth occupied.

He closes the door. The dog, meanwhile, is sitting in the middle of the room staring at Sizhui pretty intently. Almost like he's an actual guard dog. ]

I don't usually give him fruits and veggies as treats, but he'll eat them.

[deferences]

[perhaps the dog's staring should be intimidating? it's hard to be afraid of him when he's so small, however, and sizhui can't help smiling a little wider at the animal.]

As long as he'll eat them. I'll make sure to bring something better next time.

[something like homemade dog treats would be better, he would believe. until then, sadaharu will have to settle for healthy stuff, which sizhui's going to dig out. with the apples in hand, he opens the bag and removes a slice, moving a couple of steps closer to the dog then crouching down.]

Here you go, [and he offers the fruit, making sure to keep his fingers as out of the way as possible.]

[permboy]

[ Since Gintoki let Sizhui in and also seems relaxed enough, Sadaharu decides there must be no danger at all. So he stands and walks over to sniff the treat. If it had been meat, it would already be gone, Gintoki knows that much. But the dog quickly opens his mouth and takes it in a moment.

Gintoki watches while absent-mindedly wiping his own bloodied finger off on his black shirt. ]

Good boy, Sadaharu.

[deferences]

[once the apple is taken, sizhui withdraws, giving sadaharu time to chew and swallow before he takes another apple slice from the bag and holds it out, too.

from the corner of his eye, he watches gintoki wipe his finger off, an eyebrow lifting with consideration as he turns to look at him. was that blood that he saw? what happened? his immediate thought is to spring into action and heal gintoki's hand, but he hesitates for now, instead figuring it better to ask how he got injured before jumping to conclusions.]

Are you okay?

SECOND DAY - Katsura + Sizhui

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[ Since Gintoki has told Sizhui - and reassured him it's really fine - that he'll leave the door unlocked and Sizhui can just come in and do the cleaning whenever he wants in the afternoon, he can do what he wants! This day, that means he decides to take an afternoon nap on the couch.

Sadaharu is pretty quick to join him at the foot of the couch too. It's actually cute. ]

[bombdemon]

[ That's the danger of unlocked doors, isn't it? Anybody can come in. (Unless Gintoki actually let Katsura make a copy of his key in return, in which case it's really just happy coincidence that he was busy the day before. Today, however, he's got the afternoon free, which means...) ]

[ He's settled on the floor, sitting neatly on his heels in front of the end of the couch that Gintoki is using as a pillow. Both of his hands are busy petting and kneading Gintoki's hair, in the same manner as one would fluff a fat, fuzzy cat. ]

[ He's even got his paw mode blush on, expression soft and content like he's having the absolute time of his life. ]

[deferences]

[sizhui's still getting used to the idea of simply waltzing into someone else's apartment, but since gintoki insisted, he's slowly but surely letting himself not worry about it as much; he's there to clean and maybe spend some time hanging out afterward, but otherwise? it isn't like he's invading someone's space of his own volition.

coming into the apartment today, however, he's surprised to see another person there. he hesitates, eyebrows lifting with consideration, his head tilting sideways as he silently watches the other man petting gintoki's hair.

he opens his mouth, closes, opens it again and finally asks,] Does he know that you're here? [and playing with his hair, nonetheless.]

[bombdemon]

[ oh. well, Katsura isn't exactly expecting anyone to waltz in either, but it's not like it's uncommon for people to flock toward Gintoki. it's probably a new friend he's made here, which actually makes him smile a little. they didn't ask to be brought here, but that's no reason to become isolated and miserable. ]

[ while he's pondering all that, he's staring right at Sizhui's face, unblinking, seemingly frozen in time except for his hands that, in fact, continue the fluffing. ]

Good morning. [ is he selectively ignoring the very reasonable question? yes. ] Gintoki is still asleep. Would you like some tea?

[deferences]

[it's a little unsettling, being stared at like that, but sizhui holds his ground, seemingly unfazed by it. he does switch the bag he's holding to his opposite hand and tilts his head in the other direction, still contemplating whether or not he should wake gintoki to alert him to katsura's presence in his home.

—but then katsura greets him and sizhui's shoulders relax marginally. clearly, the guy is a normal visitor or else he would've probably tried to make a run for it? the fact that he knows gintoki's name is a little bit more relieving as well, so.]

Ah... sure. Tea sounds nice. [his expression softens then, a small smile lifting his lips at the edges despite how katsura is obviously avoiding his question. might as well introduce himself, right?] My name is Sizhui.

[permboy]

[ Although Gintoki will deny it, having Katsura pet his hair like that has served to lull him into an even deeper sleep than he was in before that. He probably would have stayed asleep a lot longer, too, if the door hadn't opened and a still pretty unfamiliar voice reached his ears. It still takes a couple of seconds, so Katsura has time to get his offer of tea in before Gintoki yawns and blinks his eyes open and ...

Those are hands in his hair.

He sits up abruptly, turns in his seat and aims a foot at Zura's face. ]

The hell are you doing, Zura?! You can't just come in here unannounced and pet my hair, damn it!

[ Sadaharu, meanwhile, remembers that Sizhui has given him treats! He's on his feet too, and trots up to Sizhui with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It's almost like this sort of thing happens all the time. ]

1/?

[bombdemon]

A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sizhui-dono. I'm--

[ huh. suddenly he's sensing danger. or is it just the fact that Gintoki is suddenly very still under his skilled hands? his fingers finally come to a stop-- ]

2/3

[bombdemon]

[ oof. ]

3/3

[bombdemon]

It's not Zura, it's Katsura. [ muffled by the foot in his face. ] My apologies. I thought it was Sadaharu-dono.

[ yeah right. an honest mistake that could happen to anybody ]

[ finally shoving the foot (and leg) to the side with a small annoyed huff before getting up to his feet. ]

I will prepare the tea, then.

[deferences]

[oh ouch, that looks like it's going to leave a mark . . . but hey, at least his earlier assumption was sort of correct? katsura wasn't supposed to be petting gintoki's hair like that, even though it was pretty cute to see.]

An honest mistake. [he'll voice that for you, katsura, although he is unable to keep from smiling a little wider at their antics.

whenever sadaharu comes over to him, sizhui wastes no time crouching down and reaching to scratch the dog's ears, a soft laugh escaping him.] You're ready for your treats, aren't you? [which sizhui's going to get out in just a moment, but first:] Thank you, Katsura. I hope you are okay.

EARLY AUGUST - Sizhui

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[ Finally, he's got his dog back properly. Despite everything on his mind since the trials and the weird cold, he hasn't forgotten it. As his only connection to the Yorozuya he loves, Sadaharu is like a lifeline, and the first thing he did was put his hands on both sides of that big head and lean forward forehead to forehead.

It wouldn't have been surprising for Sadaharu to bite him for it, but he's a very clever dog. Maybe he could tell he needed it.

Whenever Sizhui arrives, he will hear some shouting as soon as he opens the door. ]

No, no, wait-- WAIT, YOU STUPID MUTT! YOU'RE NOT LAP-SIZED ANY--

[ And that gets cut off by a sort of strangled scream.

Gintoki was just minding his own damn business on the couch, and for that he gets to be squished under a now much larger Sadaharu. ]

[deferences]

[sizhui has gotten so used to coming over to gintoki's, he's almost at the point where he's wondering what he's going to do whenever his cleaning time is up. maybe gintoki would be alright with just hanging out? that would be nice, too.

when he comes in through the door today, he's greeted with shouting and that immediately has him stepping further inside, shutting the door behind him before he rushes toward gintoki's voice, only to see—

well, to see him being squished underneath a massive sadaharu.

his eyes widen in surprise, he opens his mouth to say something, hesitates, shakes his head then moves forward to help gintoki out. with both arms, he moves just right and pushes the dog up and off the other man, holding him with an ease that probably isn't normal for a regular human, but he's still managing it alright.]

Come on, Sadaharu, you can't squish your owner.

[permboy]

[ Wow, okay, Sizhui??? Are you a yato?

Gintoki gapes with surprise as he watches it, because even though he is definitely hurting that is far more noteworthy than Sadaharu causing him pain. Sadaharu seems way less surprised, though, and just barks and wags his tail. ]

Th-thank you.

[deferences]

[no, he's just a normal guy with some crazy arm strength.

his attention flicks from sadaharu to gintoki, his gaze examining him for any injuries, but he seems okay for the most part, aside from being crushed, which he imagines comes with its own pain. he carefully guides sadaharu to sit, hoping that he'll stay when he motions for him to.]

You're welcome. Are you okay?

[permboy]

[ Sadaharu will sit, because he knows tricks and he remembers that Sizhui has always brought treats.

He takes a deep breath, and covers his face with both hands. Maybe this really was a mistake. ]

Yes, but maybe I won't be able to have children ...

[ It's not that bad. ]

[deferences]

Good boy, [he says to sadaharu, gently rubbing his hands across the large dog's chest for now. eventually, he will break out the treats, but he wants to make sure that gintoki doesn't need any medical attention.

sizhui's brow furrows at that, he shakes his head then figures he might as well just make light of the situation.]

I didn't know you were planning on having children.

[it's a joke. a badly delivered one, but a joke, nevertheless.]

[permboy]

[ It's a terrible joke, but he snorts anyway. ]

Ah, well, guess I'm just attached to the option.

[ He very carefully gets up, just to see that his legs work, and once that's confirmed he immediately sits down again. ]