#Shinpachi x Etsu

[iba-hime]

Fictober Day 3: Cider-ShinEtsu

"Whoa there, babe," Shinpachi grabbed the glass of alcoholic cider she'd mistakened for non-alcoholic apple cider from her hand as he wrapped his arm around he waist to support her up.

"Shiiiiiiiin~~," She slurred and grabbed his arm to lightly bite it, causing him to flush and look around as he led her out of the party that her co-workers from the prosecutor's office were throwing in honor of fall.

"Dumplin, please," He sighed as Etsu wrapped her arms around his neck as he hoisted her in his arms like a bride.

"Let's go home an' DO STUFF," She hiccuped and promptly passed out in the passenger seat after Shinpachi put her seatbelt on with a grin.

[spider-moon-princess]

Delight

He had to make a decision. He couldn’t go to Ezo with them, not with…her. He wanted to keep her, them, safe from violence, the war, the world. He couldn’t leave her without…a husband. He was torn over his loyalties.

Shinpachi looked up as a sake bottle was placed next to him. “Sano?”

Sanosuke sat next to him on the engawa and poured them a cup each and offered it to him. “What’re you thinking so hard about?” He downed the sake and poured himself another cup.

Shinpachi downed the sake in one gulp and held it out for him to pour more. “Things.”

“Etsu and the baby?”

He stopped in mid-sip and glanced over at his best friend. “…Yeah…” Sighing, he set his cup down and crossed his arm, looking up at the night sky. “I…it’s complicated.”

“Shinpachi, talk to Hijikata-san. We both know what you want to do.”

“But how can I abandon the Shinsengumi? My men?” Shinpachi ran a hand through his hair and hung his head. He felt ashamed that he ever considered leaving the Shinsengumi, and the loyal men that had followed him into battle.

 “The war’s only get harder, more dangerous. It’s no place for Etsu.” Sanosuke sighed. “She’s worth it, isn’t she?”

“Shin?”

The pair looked back to see Etsu come in, her hands on her growing middle. People in the compound were starting to talk about why there was a pregnant woman in the compound. Hijikata had ordered her to stay near the captains’ and Chizuru’s rooms. She wasn’t really allowed to go into the courtyard, so she mostly stayed within Shinpachi’s and Chizuru’s rooms, and Shinpachi felt bad for her.  

"Heya, Honey. How're you feeling?" Shin opened his arms and she immediately went to sit next to him, gratefully leaning against him.

"A little tired, but I'm fine. What are you two talking about?" She glanced over at Sano-san as he stood up to leave.

“Just some guy stuff.” Sanosuke shrugged and ruffled her hair. “Shinpachi, best to do it tonight.”

Shinpachi looked down at his drink and took another gulp. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her even closer, burying his face into her hair. Sano was right. How could he leave her behind? Them? When she was here next to him, what was the point in dying honorably in battle?

“Shin?” Her soft voice brought him out of his head. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothin’, Dumplin’. Hey, I’ll come back with some tea for you, and don’t touch the futon, I’ll set it out when I come back, okay?” His lips brushed against her temple and he took a moment to stare at her face, his resolve strengthening as he looked into her light brown eyes.

--

Hijikata let out a long sigh, but a small smile crossed his lips. “I was wondering when you were coming to tell me.”

“Y-you knew?”

The Vice-Commander let out a bark of laughter and patted his friend’s shoulder. “It was only  a matter of time. Chances like this Shinpachi…they don’t come often. I don’t think you’re meant to continue along this path. Besides, what kind of man abandons his woman with a child?”

Shinpachi bowed deeply. “Thank you, Hijikata-san!” He knew the goodbyes were going to be painful, but in the end, he knew it’d be worth parting from his longtime comrades.

---

“Shin~.”

“Yes, Dumplin’?” Shinpachi poked his head into the room where his wife was sitting in. She had been working on some embroidery. She was almost due, there had been some complications here and there, but she’d managed to pull through. The midwife said there were going to be more struggles when she actually had the baby. He was doing anything and everything in his power to help her as much as he could.

“Could you bring me some tea?” She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something else and gasped, her hands wrapping around her middle.

Shinpachi dropped the broom he was holding and ran over to her. “Etsu!”

“Go get the midwife, Shin!” She gasped and grasped his arm tightly.

Something was so very wrong. He took a moment to squeeze her hand, not wanting to part from her, but he quickly dashed next door where the midwife lived. 

---

Shinpachi grasped her hand and used a rag to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Ya did it, Honey, she’s here!” He kissed her temple and looked over at their daughter.

Etsu looked up at him, lips pursed for a moment, but she quickly gave him a weak smile. “Thank goodness…Shin, tell her I love her.”

Shinpachi squeezed her hand. “You can tell her yourself, Honey, they’re just cleaning her. She’ll be right here in a few moments.” His heart began to ache. This couldn’t be happening.

“I love you, Shinpachi.” Etsu weakly gave his hand a squeeze. A few more tears slipped down her pale cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

His blue eyes widened when her hand grew limp in his and her eyes closed. He could feel his world drain of all color, sound. In this moment, he could only see her and call out to her in a desperate voice as his tears slipped down his cheeks.

The midwife handed him his daughter, wrapped in a blanket. He stared at her. She was so beautiful, but she would never know the sound of her mother’s voice, nor what she looked like, or her gentle embrace. They were all in his memory now.

It was only the two of them now. A father and his daughter.

---

“Papa!” She jumped on her father’s back, covering his eyes with her small hands, giggling as he pretended to be shocked.

“Hey! Why is it so dark?!” He reached behind him and plucked his five year old daughter off his back and placed her in his lap as he shut the book he was reading. His large hand ruffled her black hair and she let out a whine. His blue eyes stared into her blue eyes and he gave her a grin. “Now it’s brighter than the sun now that I can see you, Etsuko!”

“Papa!” She laughed and shook her head. “That’s gross.” She stuck her tongue out and held out a small bouquet of flowers. “I went to the meadow with Sano-ojichan and he helped me pick these for mama.”

Shinpachi stared at the flowers, sadness flickering in his eyes for a few moments before he stood up and placed her on his strong shoulder. “She’s going to love them. Let’s go visit her and you can tell her about the trip you had with Sano when you went to the village last week.”

Etsuko nodded and made sure she was holding on tightly to the flowers so that none were carried away by the wind.

When they arrived to a stone marker, Shinpachi set his daughter down so she could place the flowers on her mother’s grave.

It wasn’t easy. He didn’t know much about raising a kid, but he tackled the task. He had to, for Etsuko’s sake. He wanted her to be happiest and healthiest kid in the world and he told her about her mother all the time so that she knew how much Etsu had loved her even though she’d never met her.

Sano had managed to find him just last year and decided to join them. For that, he was grateful. Etsuko loved her uncle and Shinpachi was glad to have a little time alone to reminisce and miss Etsu by himself. He couldn’t show her how saddened he was to his daughter, but he’d managed to pull through. They’d managed to pull through. Etsu was probably watching them fondly from the heavens.

He hoped they could be a family in the next life too.

----+++----

Yes, Edo Blossoms was being rude to me, so I needed the feels to be let out in some way/shape/form. ANd now we good. Maybe. 

[hidetheremote]

BEAUTIFUL PERSON AWARD ♡✧( ु•⌄• ) once you get this award, you’re supposed to paste it in the ask box of 8 people who deserve it. If you break the chain nothing will happen, but it’s nice to know that someone thinks you’re beautiful inside and out ( ◜◒◝ )♡♥

Etsu giggled, playfully slapping Shinpachi across his big, buff chest. “No, you’re beautiful.”

Shinpachi grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against his chest, and booping her softly on her nose. “No, no. You’re beautiful.”

“Stop it, Honey Bear. You’re beautiful times one hundred.”

“Well, you’re beautiful times infinity,” Shinpachi cooed into Etsu’s ear.

They both were blushing, holding each other tightly while waiting in line to ride the ferris wheel. Shinpachi grazed his lips against hers, softly pecking them.

“I yield, Honey Bear. I yield. We both are beautiful, okay?” Etsu smiled brightly, swinging side to side as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Shinpachi pulled back suddenly, lifting an eyebrow at her.

“You know who IS beautiful?” he asked, lips tugging at the corners into a coy smile.

Etsu flashed him a knowing expression, like she had read his mind.

“IBA!” They shouted at the same time, laughing once they realized they had said the same answer.

“My God, that man is beautiful, huh?” Shinpachi confessed like it was a matter of fact.

“Mm-hmm,” Etsu agreed, nodding fervently.

The line moved up slightly, but they were distracted as they continued to stare at each other. A few people behind them groaned, muttering under their breath for them to move already.

[iba-hime]

Lost Time

There was finally a moment to breathe in the weekend of attending a conference the University of Hakuo had sent him on. It had been busy with historical lectures, a reveal of some artifacts that had been found in the last two years, and a convention where he'd had to mingle with other professors from across the country. He still had another two days before his flight, so he decided to hit up the local bookstores to find some new material for his class and for his pleasure reading.

Shinpachi pushed his glasses up his nose as his finger trailed the spines of books in the mystery section. Nothing was really catching his eye at the moment, so he decided to grab something to drink at the coffee stand in the middle of the bookstore. He stood off to the side, awaiting his drink, letting his eyes scan the the people that were sitting and reading their books.

His blue eyes froze when they came upon a woman, reading the latest book in his favorite mystery series. Her brows were furrowed, and she was leaning forward, as if she were trying to enter the book.

Once his drink came out, he went over to her table, and lightly knocked on the wooden table to grab her attention.

She gasped and dropped her book, taking out her earphones as she looked up, squeaking in surprise as her light brown eyes met his bright blue ones.

Shinpachi quickly bent down to pick up the book she'd dropped and he held it out for her to take. He gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry to startle you..."

"I-it's okay! I-I just startle easily!" Her cheeks turned a rosy pink color as her eyes scanned him.

"This is the latest one, isn't it?"

She nodded eagerly and gingerly took the book back and placed it on the table in front of her.

"I've never met anyone else who knew of this series! What did you think of the ending of the last book?"

She lit up and she began talking excitedly about her thoughts as Shinpachi took a seat across from her.

They spent over an hour chatting about plot points, their favorite parts from the series, and about the characters.

"Y'know, I just came over and didn't even introduce myself, I'm Nagakura Shinpachi, a history professor from University of Hakuo." He extended his hand to her.

"Miura Etsu," She giggled and placed her hand in his to shake it. "I'm a preschool teacher."

"I'm actually from out of town, but I'm here for two more days..." Shinpachi gave her a shy smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "...would you like to have dinner tonight?"

Etsu flushed as she looked down at her shoes for a moment before she looked back up at him. "I-I'd love to, Nagakura-san."

-----

Etsu fiddled with her skirt as she rang the doorbell and checked the house number on her phone, it was this one, right?

When the door opened and her light brown eyes met his, she threw her arms over him and she hugged him tightly. "Honey Bear!"

Shinpachi immediately wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "Honey! What're you doing here?!" They'd been dating over two years, only being able to see each other maybe once a month if they were lucky, but they always sent texts or facetimed each other every evening.

"I'm...moving here, Shin." She flushed and tiptoed to kiss his jaw. "I don't want to be apart anymore...it was a bit of an impulse decision, so I don't have anywhere to stay, but I can find an apart-"

His large hands cupped her cheeks as he pulled her in for a needy kiss. "None of that, Etsu, you're moving in with me, we don't need to be apart."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiin!" Etsu looked up at him with teary eyes and she tightly pressed herself against him. "I love you so much!"

"I love you more!" He grinned and helped her bring in her luggage. "Babe, I can't tell you how happy this makes me."

"Then I'm glad I came here with no plan..." She shook her head at herself. Honestly, she couldn't believe how lonely she was after he'd left last week. Before she knew it, she was looking into her lease that was luckily ending, decided to apply for jobs in Shinpachi's area, and she'd packed her bags after buying a plane ticket.

And now here she was.

Shinpachi gave her a tour of his house and he'd offered her the other room, but she shyly admitted that she'd rather be with him in the same one.

After Etsu cleaned up, they settled into bed. His fingers played with her hair and his lips peppered little kisses along her forehead and cheeks.

"Honey Bear!" She giggled and snuggled into him. "We have plenty of time together now!"

"I'm making up for lost time, Dumplin'. All the days and hours I missed since I last saw you."

Etsu closed her eyes and let out a small, content sigh. "We will, Honey Bear. We'll make up for it and more."

[spider-moon-princess]

shinetsu, offer me

COP AU. I had to hold in my screams when I thought of it this little drabble~Prosecutor Etsu x Detective Shinpachi

—–+++—–

Blue eyes shifted from store to store, slightly overwhelmed with all the stores in the mall. Well, duh, it is a mall! Sighing, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked around aimlessly, looking for a suitable store to walk into and find a gift for his girlfriend. It was their sixth month anniversary and he wanted to get her something memorable, special…

Sannosuke, his partner and best friend, was supposed to have come with him, but he had to stay behind at the station.

Shinpachi stopped in front of a store with large windows, bears and other animals that were wearing clothes were on display. He watched children dress their furry friends in all kinds of costumes. He stepped in and rubbed his chin as he looked around, a grin spreading across his face. He had an idea.

—

“Etsu-chan?”

Etsu nearly fell out of her chair as she was startled awake. “O-oh, Shin!” There were papers strewn all over her desk and around the floor near her desk. She ran a hand through her messy dark brown hair and sat up, straightening her blouse. It had been another late night, and she’d lost track of time and fallen asleep. She flushed and quickly wiped the little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. “What’s going on? Why are you here so suddenly?”

Shinpachi rubbed the back of his neck. She must’ve forgotten. Not that he was mad or anything, clearly she was tired and a tad overworked, judging by the dark circles under her eyes. “Dumplin’, did you forget to go home again?” He stepped closer to her desk, hiding the white house-shaped box behind him.

Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and glanced at her phone. Her light brown eyes widened in surprise when she saw the date. “Oh my god, Honey Bear!” She approached him and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so, so sorry! How could I have forgotten our sixth month anniversary!” She groaned and buried her head into his strong chest. “I’m so freaking sorry!”

“Hey, hey, Honey, it’s okay! You’re overloaded with cases this month, we can celebrate when you’re not as stressed.” He gave her a smile and ruffled her hair, kissing her forehead.

“Shinnnnnn,” She whined and clutched his shirt, looking up at him, pouting. “I can’t believe I forgot, Honey Beaaaaaaaaar. I feel awful!” She took a little breath and let out a small sigh. “But I finished my paperwork for this weekend, so I have some spare time.” She straightened the collar of his shirt and kissed his cheek.

“Well…um…I got you a gift for our anniversary gift…” Shin brought the box forward and placed it on her desk.

“Build-a-Bear?” Etsu couldn’t suppress a giggle and tapped his arm. “You’re so cute, Honey Bear.” She eagerly opened the box and pulled out a light brown bear dressed in a police uniform. “Oh my god, Honey Bear! He’s so cute!” She gave it a hug and looked up at her boyfriend. “I love him, he’s just like you!”

Shinpachi’s cheeks reddened and he scratched at his cheek. “Well…I figured you’d like it…plus, when I work nights, he can keep you company and remind you of me…” He reached over to press the bear’s paw.

Etsu gasped when it said “I love you” in her recorded boyfriend’s voice. “You’re too damn cute!” She set the bear down after giving it a hug and grabbed her boyfriend’s cheeks to give him a kiss on the lips. “Honey Bear! I love you so much!”

Shinpachi wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled against her lips. “I love you too, Dumplin’. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Let’s head to my place. I need to take a shower, care to join me?” Etsu wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his jaw. “Hm~? We can start our anniversary there.”

“And we can fall asleep in front of the tv, you could use some sleep. Sleeping in that chair is bad for your back, Honey.” He slid his hands over her back, causing her to shiver slightly.

“Shin,” Etsu kissed him again. “You’re the best ever. I love you so much.”

Shinpachi winked at her and kissed her nose. “Don’t you argue with me, you’re the best thing to happen to me. I love you more.”

Giggling, she pulled away and gathered her bag and the bear, taking his hand in hers. “Let’s get going then, happy anniversary, Honey Bear.”

[iba-hime]

shinetsu for the ultimate ship meme~

Shinpachi x Etsu (YASS)

General:

· Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

· How long will they last? -FOREVER

· How quickly did/will they fall in love? -FAST, probably one meeting did it.

· How was their first kiss? -cute and very tender.

Wedding:

· Who proposed? - Shinpachi

· Who is the best man/men? -Heisuke and Sano

· Who is the braid’s maid(s)? -Depends on the AU

· Who did the most planning? -Etsu

· Who stressed the most? -Etsu

· How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

· Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? -Can’t say who they wouldn’t invite, Etsu doesn’t make many enemies, and she’d convince Shin to let the Oni trio come LOL.

Sex:

· Who is on top? - Most of the time Shin

· Who is the one to instigate things? -it’s pretty even

· How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

· How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

· How long do they normally last? -(What)

· Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? -I’d say yeah…

· How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

· How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - ALL THE CUDDLESNo touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

· How many children will they have naturally? - three to four

· How many children will they adopt? -maybe one or two

· Who gets stuck with the most diapers? -both, Shin is very hands on supportive husband

· Who is the stricter parent? -Shin

· Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? -Etsu (Shin: but they playin a new sport; Etsu: NO, JUMPING OFF THE WALL)

· Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? -Etsu

· Who is the more loved parent? -I’d say they’d favor Etsu a teeeeeny bit more than Shin

· Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings?-both, supportive parents for the win.

· Who cried the most at graduation? -DEF BOTH, and they holding each other while they embarrass their kid.

· Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? -both

Cooking:

· Who does the most cooking? - Etsu

· Who is the most picky in their food choice? -neither, they’ll eat and try new things

· Who does the grocery shopping? -both, they love spending time together doing the little things.

· How often do they bake desserts? -once a week, Etsu loves sweets.

· Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -they both love meat more than salads, but will eat them too.

· Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? -Shin will bring take-out and make it romantic LOL

· Who is more likely to suggest going out? -Shin

· Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? -Shin

Chores:

· Who cleans the room? - both, they help each other

· Who is really against chores? -neither, but Shin will complain more

· Who cleans up after the pets? -both, they love their pup

· Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? -Shin bc he can be a bit lazier

· Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? -Etsu

· Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? -probably Shin bc he dropped it

Misc:

· Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Etsu

· Who takes the dog out for a walk? -together

· How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? -often, Shin helps her put up decorations bc he loves to humor her

· What are their goals for the relationship? -happy, long lasting life together

· Who is most likely to sleep till noon? -Shin

· Who plays the most pranks? -Shin bc he loves messing with Etsu

[spider-moon-princess]

Shin x Etsu. (Give me the floof!) “What’s wrong with my shirt?”

Slightly tweaked the prompt, but it counts, yes? I love writing them in Edo era…

—+++—–

“Ah, Chizuru-chan!”

Chizuru turned, momentarily pausing her sweeping. “Etsu-chan! What a surprise!”

Etsu grinned, stepping over to her, holding up a large bento. “I had the evening off from the restaurant, so I thought I’d come by with some odango! It’s freshly made!”

Chizuru giggled, knowing exactly why her friend had come here. She knew it was supposed to be a bit of a secret, but she was sure that everyone in the Shinsengumi knew about the relationship she had Nagakura-san…the man did not know how to hide the fact that he was in love. “That’s so nice of you! I’m sorry I can’t entertain you. I’ve got more chores to do.”

Etsu shrugged. “I’ll join you..or is Shin here?”

“He and Harada-san are out on patrol right now, and they’ll be back later.” She giggled quietly when she saw Etsu’s face drop in slight disappointment.

“Then I will help you, Chizuru-chan! What do you need help with?”

–

Etsu struggled to hang up the large futon, and it fell on top of her. As she struggled to pull it off of her, she fell tripped over a bucket and landed in a tub of water. She shrieked and managed to pull the futon off her face. Groaning and whining, she picked herself up and looked down at her drenched light blue yukata. Now what was she supposed to do?

“Etsu!”

She turned her head and gave him a sheepish smile. “Heisuke-kun…you’ve caught me at a great time…”

The Eight Division Captain let out a small laugh and hopped down from the engawa to help her up to her feet. “Here, let me help you, I bet this futon is Sano-san’s.”

Etsu sighed and stepped out of the tub, wringing her sleeves out. “What should I do…?”

Heisuke lugged the futon up on the clotheslines and looked back at her. “Oh geez, you’re soaked…You’ll catch a cold if you stay in that yukata.” He placed his hands on his hips and took a moment to think. “I guess you can borrow one of mine, Etsu. It should fit you, I’m just a bit taller than you.”

“I suppose that could work…Chizuru-chan is so much smaller than me.” She giggled and followed after Heisuke down the hall. “Thank you so much, Heisuke-kun.”

Heisuke rummaged through his drawers until he pulled out a yellow yukata, one he rarely wore and only for festivals. It was rare for him to even go, so he wouldn’t miss it. He handed it to her and left the room, standing outside, waiting for her to finish.

She stepped outside and sighed, hanging up her Yukata. Maybe it’ll dry by the time she had to go home.

“Jya, let me help you with the rest of the futons. I don’t know how Chizuru does it.” Heisuke chuckled and held his hand out for her to step down the engawa.

–

“Captain! Are you joining us tonight?”

Shinpachi stretched his arms over his head, shrugging out out of his light blue haori. “Nah, not tonight.”

“Remember, Captain’s got a friend at that dango restaurant.” His subordinates chuckled among themselves, knowing that he was trying to keep it all a secret, but his blissful sighs every time they passed a certain restaurant were giving him away.

Shimada chuckled warmly and whispered quietly. “Nagakura-taichō, I think they’re onto you.”

Shinpachi coughed into his fist. “Well, you boys have fun! I’m going to spend a quiet evening at HQ!” He waved and strolled into the grounds, excited to make his way to his favorite restaurant for dinner. Not that he didn’t like Chizuru-chan’s cooking, but recently, he made any excuse to go see Etsu at her family’s restaurant.

“Etsu!” His blue eyes widened and sparkled with happiness when he saw her sitting on the engawa next to Heisuke.

“Shin!” She immediately stood up and ran over to him, tripping over her sandal, right into his strong arms.

He cupped her cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers, grinning. “I was about to go see you! What are you doing here?”

Her cheeks warmed at his affection and she placed her hands on his arms as she looked into his captivating blue eyes. “I came to see you…”

Shinpachi’s hand found hers and he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Stay for dinner?”

“I’d love to!”

They walked hand in hand after noticing that Heisuke had taken his leave and took their time making their way. Shinpachi let his eyes trail over her, but paused when he noticed the yellow yukata. It was Heisuke’s.

“Uh, Dumpling…” When he stopped walking, Etsu looked over at him with curious light brown eyes.

“Shin? What is it?”

Hesitating, he released her hand and picked up the sleeve of the yukata. His mouth moved, but no questions came out of it.

“Is there something wrong with my yukata?”

“It’s not yours.” Shinpachi blurted. “It’s Heisuke’s, isn’t it?”

Etsu giggled, finally realizing what he was getting at. He was jealous because she was wearing another man’s clothes. Though, Heisuke was more like a brother figure to her. He was a nice boy, but there were definitely no romantic feelings towards each other. “It is.” She gave him an amused smile, wondering what else he’d say.

“So…uh…why are you wearing it?” Shinpachi’s lips formed a pout and he rubbed the back of his neck, a bit nervous about her answer.

“Shin~,” She tip-toed, cupping his cheeks, turning his head gently to look into her eyes. “My yukata got wet while I was helping Chizuru with some laundry. Heisuke-kun lent me his and helped me with the laundry.” She kissed his nose and smiled at him. “Unless you wanted me to catch a cold…”

“No! Of course not, Dumpling! So, that’s it?” Relief flooded into his eyes and he kissed her forehead.

“Mhm, that’s it.”

He took her hand in his and they made their way to common room where they found the rest of the superior officers there. Etsu immediately went to help Chizuru and Gen-san bring in dinner.

Once everyone had food in front of them, Etsu made her way next to Shinpachi. After a while of amicable chatting with Sano-san and Heisuke-kun, she finally noticed a sharp, jade green-eyed gaze on her. Shifting uncomfortably, she looked over at the source where Okita Souji merely gave her a smirk. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in question, wondering why he was looking at her.

“Etsu-chan,”

Everyone’s attention shifted to the First Division Captain.

“O-Okita-kun?” Etsu exchanged puzzled glances with her Honey Bear before looking back at him.

“Is there a particular reason why you’re wearing Heisuke-kun’s yukata?”

The room was stunned into silence until Heisuke’s protest filled it. “Souji! Her clothes got wet, so lent it to her!”

“Hmm~, wet, Heisuke-kun?”

Etsu rolled her eyes, letting out a small scoff. She’d known Okita Souji long enough to know what he was trying to do. “Okita-kun, whatever you’re doing, it’s not working. Besides, I’ve finished my meal. Thank you for the meal!” She picked up her dishes to take them to the kitchen and Shinpachi followed after her. In the past, a comment like that would’ve flustered her to no end and she’d wind up looking guilty for no reason. Sighing, she set her dishes down after Chizuru had followed the couple and insisted they leave them there since Souji and Heisuke were washing dishes tonight.

They walked in a comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth of each other’s hand as they made their way back to Shinpachi’s room.

Etsu lit a lantern and she squealed when she felt his strong arms wrap around her. He buried his face into the side of her neck and kissed it lightly. “Sh-Shin?” She placed her hands on his and flushed a bright red.

“…C-can I get you out of this yukata, Etsu?”

Pleasant shivers coursed through her, hearing his whisper in her ear. “Th-then what would I wear?”

Shinpachi slipped the yukata down her shoulders and slowly trailed kisses down them. “Your yukata will be dry by the time you have to leave…”

Etsu bit her lip and felt her face redden even more. He was being so…enticing. Didn’t seem like she’d make it home tonight. Well…Her Aunt did joke about her staying out… “Y-you’re really jealous, aren’t you? That I’m wearing Heisuke-kun’s yukata?”

“I’m buying you several yukatas and keeping them here.” He growled as he unraveled her obi. “That way you’ll have one to wear if you ever need one.” Shinpachi slipped his hands inside the yukata, tracing her curves as she helplessly melted into his touch.

“Mmm, sounds like a deal, Shin…” She turned in his embrace and sealed the deal with a kiss.

—+++—-

Tagging: @resshiiram​ @hakuouki-or-hakuoki​  @sabinasanfanfic​ @flower-dragon​ @lescahiersdesable​ @221bbakerstreetirregular​ @meredith-stannards​ @hidetheremote​ @hakuyamazakisensei​ @shell-senji​

Let me know if you want on or off the list!

[spider-moon-princess]

Cuddling prompt, Etsu x Shinpachi, falling asleep 😘

Shinpachi looked over, feeling the sudden weight on his shoulder. “Etsu?” Her head had fallen onto his shoulder while he had been reading an ebook on his tablet, and she’d been playing a JRpg he wasn’t quite familiar with. The controller was still in her hands, but she’d definitely dozed off of on his shoulder. Guess she was going to stay over then. He shut his tablet and gingerly reached over for the controller, pressing start and then triangle when it didn’t work to find the menu to save her game and shut the T.V off.

When he shifted slightly, Etsu snapped up to attention, blinking sleepily at him. His heart was overwhelmed with affection for her and he planted a kiss on her forehead. “I saved your game. Na, let’s go to bed?”

Yawning, she nodded, blinking a few times before she grasped his shirt and followed him to his room. She opened his closet and grabbed his Doctor Strange t-shirt and changed into it as he brushed his teeth. She joined him after and he waited for her to finish brushing her teeth before they both went to his bed.

Etsu snuggled into his bare chest and looked up at him with sleepy eyes and grinned. “I love you, Shin.”

He took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips. “I love you too, Babe.”

It wasn’t too too often they stayed over at each other’s for the night. She imagined this is what it would be like when they got married and moved in together. “Shin,”

“Hm?” Shinpachi’s fingers had made their way into her loose, dark brown locks and was playing with them, which was making her feel more relaxed and sleepier than she was.

“I can’t wait until we get married and spend everyday like this.” Etsu yawned again, closing her eyes. “We’ll get to wake up to each other all the time. I hope you never get sick of me.”

He chuckled a bit and kissed her nose. “Nah, I’d never get sick of you, Honey. I hope you don’t get sick of me though.”

She snorted and opened her eyes just a bit. “Don’t give me any reasons then.” She giggled at his shocked expression.

“Have you been taking lessons in sass from Sano?” Shinpachi nuzzled into her neck and placed a kiss on it.

“Maybe.” Etsu giggled again and patted his cheek. “I can never get enough of you, Honey Bear. I could never get sick of you!”

“Good.” He closed his eyes and focused on the rhythm of her breathing. “’Night, Babe.”

“Goodnight, Shin.” Etsu murmured sleepily, her ear on his heart, listening to it. Her heart was filled with so much bliss and happiness, she couldn’t help but smile as she fell asleep.

[spider-moon-princess]

“You have no idea how much I want you right now.” Shin x Etsu

Normally, Etsu knocked on Shin’s door, but she was paying him a surprise visit. She had conveniently forgot to tell him that it was a half-day. She opened the door, unable to contain her excitement in seeing him. “Sh-”

Her mind stopped completely.

Oh.

Fuck me.

Now.

Her throat was suddenly parched when her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. Her thoughts took a turn for the worse as she continued watching him in silence. She was normally not this…vulgar?

Shinpachi was in his dark green scrubs and his green bandanna, nothing out of the ordinary there.

But.

On his face were a pair of glasses. They’d been dating for almost three years and she’d never seen him wear them before. Ever.

And such a shame that was. She’d been missing out on the finer things of life, seeing Shin in glasses.

Etsu’s feet finally moved towards him, dropping her bag along the way, her hands immediately reaching for his hair to pull him down, her hungry lips meeting his.

He was startled by the sudden greeting, since he’d been absorbed in his work, but he easily settled into the hot kiss. “…Whoa, what a greeting, Etsu.” He looked down at her, his blue eyes meeting her lust-filled brown ones. “What brought this on? Did you miss me?”

“You have no idea how much I want you right now, Nagakura Shinpachi.” Etsu attempted to pull him down for another kiss, but he caught her wrists in time.

“Oi, oi, I’m still on my shift for another half an hour, Etsu!” He grinned, leaning down to hover over her lips. “And what brought this on, Honey?”

She whined in response. “Shinnnnn~, please, take me here and nowwwwww!” Her whole face was red.

It amused him. What’s got her all so hot and bothered? Chuckling, placed a kiss on her forehead. “Babe, I can’t right now, as much as I’d love to. What’s up with you today? You’re not usually so impatient in a public place…”

Etsu chewed on her bottom lip in frustration. “Okay…I’ll meet you at your apartment then, but hurry up!”

Shinpachi released her wrists and waved at her as she stomped out of his office, which made him laugh again. He’d honestly never seen her like this, and she hadn’t answered his question as to what was causing her to act like this.

—

Shinpachi kissed her shoulder. “So, care to tell me what had you all so hot and bothered, Etsu-chan?”

She turned back to look at him and flushed, looking away from him. “…the glasses…”

“Eh?” He blinked in surprise, wondering if he’d heard that correctly. “Did you say ‘glasses,’ Etsu?”

She buried her face into the sheets, which muffled her voice. Lifting her head up, she turned around in his arms to hide her face in his firm and well-toned chest. “Your glasses, Shin! I’d never seen you look and glasses, and oh…Shin…” She almost moaned again, thinking back to the sight of him.

“Glasses? Ah, you saw me with them! I normally only wear them in the office because that’s where I do most of my reading…plus, I look dorky with them.” Shinpachi laughed and nuzzled into her hair. “Wait,” He lifted his head up. “My dorky glasses set you off like that?!”

“God, Shin, you honestly have no idea how hot you looked.” Etsu took a deep breath to calm herself.

“E-EH? Are you serious?! Damn…here I thought I was looking like a nerd…”

“Shin.” Etsu placed her hands on his cheeks and stared right into his bright blue eyes. “Don’t ever wear glasses in front of another female or a male that is interested in men. They’ll go nuts.”

“Noted, babe. You’re the only one I want to go crazy like that.” He laughed and planted a kiss on her lips.

[spider-moon-princess]

Okay, Fictional Kiss Prompt #5: hands on the other person’s back, fingertips pressing under their top, drawing gentle circles against that small strip of bare skin that make them break the kiss with a gasp for Iba and Shiori.

Thank you @resshiiram for Iba and Shiori XD Here’s your prompt. Shiori is one of my OCs, and my lovely friend here gave me the pairing…Modern Cop AU! 

—++—

Officers walked around the station, carrying paperwork or guarding incoming convicts. The doors slammed open as a famed detective arrived with her latest arrest. Cold cyan glared at the man she threw at the officers that came forward to take him. “Just try groping another woman ever again!” She growled as the man ducked his head down, eagerly letting himself be led away by the officers. Her cyan eyes glanced back at her partner, a rather handsome detective with short brown hair that nicely framed his handsome and pretty features. He looked back at her, his head tilting in slight confusion, finishing the sweet bread in his hand.

“Ah, Shiori-san,” He smiled. “We need to write up that report.” He licked the sugar remains on his fingers and she quickly looked away, the man was always eating something sweet, and stormed to her desk. Iba Hachirō followed her and sat across from her in his own desk. He peered up from his computer as she watched her fingers move about on the keyboard, her expression fierce. Chuckling quietly to himself, he grabbed a wet towel from the inside of his desk drawer to wipe his fingers and opened up the shared document she was already working on.

Not long after turning in the report of assault, Shiori would be pressing charges against the man she’d been trying to find. The station had gotten numerous reports of a man that was groping women on two streets, near a bakery that Iba Hachirō only bought danishes from. She’d been hanging out there with her partner, Iba, undercover, to catch him, and today, the perp foolishly had tried to cop a feel of her ass. She’d twisted his arm and kicked him down, and if it weren’t for her more light-hearted partner, she would’ve given his face a few more bruises, maybe even a broken nose. He had stood by for a few moments and brought out the cuffs before Shiori could beat him completely senseless. He had to pluck her off of their perp.

He sighed dreamily. Even while bringing out her fists, she looked stunning.  

“Yo! Hachirō!” A larger man with vivid blue eyes and a green bandanna on his forehead clapped his back, startling him.

“A-ah, Nagakura-san…” He gave him a sheepish smile, as if he’d been caught eating sweets when he wasn’t supposed to.

He leaned down and peered over his shoulder to look at Shiori across from him. “Na, you’re staring more at Shiori-chan more than at your work, Hachirō~.” Shinpachi smirked and squeezed his shoulders.

A little pink dusted Hachirō’s cheeks. He didn’t think anyone was noticed him. “Nagakura-san!” He whispered and stood up, leading him away to the break room. Luckily, his partner was too engrossed in her work, so wasn’t going to miss his presence for a while.

Hachirō poured them both some coffee in mugs and they walked over to the little table that held sugar and various other things to add to their coffee. He liked his with three sugars and cream.

Shinpachi only added a bit of cream and a sugar. “So, when are you going to make a move, Hachirō, my man? You’re so stricken with her.” He chuckled and took a sip from his mug.

“That would be extremely unprofessional of me, Nagakura-san.” He sighed and stared down at the coffee in his mug. “Rather than me,” He noticed that his attention had shifted to the window. They had a good view of people coming into the station. Chuckling, he looked back at the older detective. “When will you make a move on Miura-chan?”

Shinpachi’s cheeks dusted with pink as he waved back at the cheerful girl that was approaching them. “..Not a word, Hachirō.”

“Nagakura-san!” Etsu had signed into the front desk and spotted Nagakura-san and Iba-san from the room. She was actually here at the station on business, but it never hurt to greet others. Besides, Nagakura-san looked rather dashing in his black v-neck and dark jeans. She admired the way the tight shirt fit him, her throat suddenly parched. She turned her head to avoid staring at him too much and noticed the other person present. “Ah, Iba-san’s here too! Hello!” She smiled sheepishly. She’d been excited to see Nagakura-san, she almost forgot that the gorgeous Iba-san was also present.

“O-oh! Etsu-chan! Hey, how’re ya?” Shinpachi admired how pretty she looked in her navy blue pencil skirt, white blouse, black pumps and her brown hair that was up in a bun today. He’d met her a while back when he was working on a case. Not all detectives and prosecutors get along, and he normally clashed heads with some of them, but he definitely had a weakness for the cute ones, especially Etsu. With her, there was more than just interest, but he just hadn’t found the right time to ask her out yet.

Hachirō took this chance to go back to his desk, pouring another cup of coffee for his partner. She took hers black, no sugar. He made his way back to his desk, placing the mug in front of her to interrupt her work.

Her sharp cyan blue eyes shifted over to his handsome face. Her heart did a little flip when he smiled that adorable smile of his.

“Shiori-san, we have a late shift tonight, don’t we?”

“Thank you…” She nodded, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks as she glanced back at her computer screen, lifting her mug by the ear and blowing on it for a few seconds before bringing up to her lips. Perfect. Black coffee just like she liked it. “Iba, we know for sure that Takeda’s gonna be there tonight?”

Hachirō nodded and took out a case file from the locked compartment of his desk. “That’s what Chief Kondō told us, which is why he wants us to stake out tonight.” He furrowed his brows when he saw that look cross over her pretty and soft features. She was planning something. “Shiori-san…We’re there to keep tabs on Takeda tonight, we’re not going to bring him in tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rolling her eyes and drinking the remainder of her coffee, she stood up and grabbed her gun holster and slipped it on over her white button-up shirt. “I’m going down to the range. I want to be ready for tonight.” She grabbed her jacket and didn’t wait up for him.

Entering the range, Shiori’s jaw clenched when she caught sight of the messy auburn haired man, wearing a dark red button-up and black jeans. He smirked , looking over at her, when he set his gun down and took off his red ear muffs. “Did you check the board? I’m still ahead by one arrest.”

Shiori grabbed her blue ear muffs, safety glasses and bullets at the counter before slipping into the stall next to his. “Shut up, Okita. I brought in another one this morning. We’re tied now.” She loaded her gun and glared over at him, noticing that he was also refilling his gun with bullets. The two had a long bet. At the beginning of the year, they’d bet who could make the most arrests by the end of the year. In exchange, the winner gets to ask something of the loser.

“Loser buys lunch?” He cocked the gun and glanced back at her.

“Fine. But you’re buying for all of us, Chinatsu-chan, Iba and me.” Shiori smirked, tightening her ponytail, making sure her long, wavy violet hair was in place, before putting her ear muffs and glasses on.

“I hope your wallet’s open, Shiori-chan.” Green eyes met her cyan eyes, determination and fire in both of them before they turned to wait for the targets to appear.

Hachirō sighed and lightly shook his head as he stepped into the range, going to the counter to grab his equipment. He spotted Chinatsu a few stalls away from the rivals and greeted her pleasantly as he entered the stall next to hers, “Hello, Chinatsu-chan. They’re at it again, aren’t they?”

Chinatsu lowered her purple ear muffs and smiled back at him, nodding. “Seems like it. At least we don’t have to pay for lunch today.” She shrugged and reloaded her gun.

Hachirō chuckled and loaded his gun after putting on his glasses and ear muffs to practice his precise shots. He and Chinatsu had known each other as children, and they’d passed through the academy together as well. They were very good friends, and unbeknownst to them, their partners were watching their friendly chit-chat with envious cyan eyes and green eyes.

They turned back to the targets after they reset.

–

Shiori happily dug into her pasta while a sour Souji grumbled as he stabbed his meatball. “Italian. We could’ve had lunch at the hot dog vendor.”

“I won, I get to choose lunch. You know the rule. Shouldn’t have made the bet if you knew you were going to lose.” Shiori haughtily turned her head to him, taking a large bite of her carbonara pasta. “Delicious. Besides, fucking whine. Last time you won, we went out for fucking steaks. Steaks are way more expensive than pasta dishes.”

“I’m paying for the four of us.” Souji crossed his arms bitterly after eating another meatball.

Iba and Chinatsu sat next to each other, doing their best to ignore the bickering pair and focus on their food, which their partners didn’t take too kindly to.

“Iba, hurry up and finish since we gotta go back to prepare for the stake out.” Shiori took another large bite of her pasta. The faster they finished, the faster they could go check on their equipment on their own.

Hachirō chuckled and wiped his mouth. “I’m done, let’s head out then.” The pair stood up and walked off. Shiori blew a kiss to Souji rather mockingly, which irked him.

Chinatsu stared after the pair and turned back to her partner. “They’re staking out Takeda, aren’t they?”

Souji nodded and sighed. “That’s going to put her so ahead if they actually wind up busting the deal.”

“The Chief’s orders were to just observe.”

“And how many times have we heard that and wound up making the big busts?” Souji smirked, reaching over to wipe some sauce off her lips with his thumb, tasting it for himself. “Hm, the alfredo’s not bad. Might have to go for it next time.”

Chinatsu opened her mouth in shock and a blush spread across her cheeks. “O-Okita-san! What are you doing?!”

“Just tasting the pasta. Why? Would you like a taste of mine?”

She wanted to hide behind her strawberry blonde locks. She stood up, not bothering to finish the last bit of her pasta. “P-pay the check. I’m going to the bathroom.” Chinatsu took rapid steps towards the bathroom.

Souji chuckled in amusement as he took out his wallet.

–

Guns. Check. Bullets. Check. The bugs. Check.

Shiori continued making a mental checklist as she looked over the equipment in the trunk of Iba’s car. His car was a bit more reliable than hers and would be fitting in more with the scenery they’d be going to. Her car was a bit older and had its issues. She didn’t drive much anywhere else besides the station and her apartment, so she didn’t see the need for a new car. They normally used his on stakeouts because it was newer. Guess it paid to be a wealthy politician’s son.

Hachirō slipped next to her, setting bullet proof vests in the trunk. “You forgot these.”

His sudden presence made her heart jump. “Th-thanks.”

“They’re just a precaution. We’re just observing.” He said firmly as he looked at her with his soft, but serious green eyes. Those eyes that just made her forget what the hell she was doing.

“Yeah…I know.” She repeated for the hundredth time that day. Of course, Shiori wasn’t just going to let Takeda go without a fight, and it seemed like her partner was painfully aware of it.

–

Hour five. The sun had already set a long time ago and Shiori was becoming restless just sitting in the driver’s seat. Nothing had happened yet, and she was wondering if the tip had been to throw them off.

She sighed loudly, blowing her violet bangs out of her face as she looked over at Iba, who was taking out another donut hole from the bag he had. With all the sweets he ate, it was no wonder he oozed sweetness.

Shaking her head, Shiori almost slapped herself. Her thoughts like this about her partner were becoming too frequent. Glancing back at him, she nodded to herself. The man was ridiculously good-looking. She’d been told too many times how jealous someone was because she got to work with him so closely.

Guess she was lucky. He was more than just a pretty face. Iba had the skills to back her up in any given situation, and had saved her ass more than just a few times with his quick thinking or sharp shooting skills. He was the calmer of the two. She liked to act more than think about acting, and with a short temper…she often jumped on the gun too quickly.

Her cyan eyes wandered back to him, watching his lips as he licked the sugar off of them. She licked her own and nearly slammed her head into the steering wheel. Just what the hell was she thinking?!

“Shiori-san, are you okay?”

NO. Shiori turned to face him. “Fine. Just irritated that we haven’t seen any sign of Takeda. Chief told us to give up at dawn, didn’t he?”

Hachirō patted her shoulder, smiling gently. “Yeah, but there’s always next time, Shiori-san.”

His touch sent little electric shocks through her, and she quickly shrugged his hand off. “Guess this tip was a fake.”

“Hold on,” Hachirō’s brows creased in confusion as he turned up the volume. The bugs they’d planted before the building was going to be used was picking up some new voices. “Listen.”

Shiori leaned closer to him to listen closer. “The fucker’s there, we have to get him Iba! There’s only like ten of them!”

“Shiori-san! We don’t-” She was already getting out of the car to grab her vest and gun. Hachirō sighed and followed after her after calling for backup. With that, the Chief and Captain would know what was going on.

The pair went around the back, and Hachirō nervously kept his ears open, hoping to hear sirens soon.

“Fuck it, I’m going in, Iba.”

How many times had he heard that phrase before he could stop her? He lingered outside for a few moments, letting her get ahead a bit. He ducked behind a large pile of crates as he heard someone approaching. He heard a gun cock. Someone had definitely seen Shiori go inside.

Shiori crept inside the warehouse, biding her time for backup before she took action. She managed to hide behind a pillar, able to catch what the voices were saying across the warehouse. It was a big deal.

“Shiori-san!”

She was pushed down and heard one gun go off, followed by several. “Iba!” She hissed, staring up at him. He’d tackled her behind a mess of boxes. “What the hell! You gave us away!”

“There was someone following you.” Hachirō scrambled off of her to take his position to shoot from behind the boxes.

“Fuck.” She muttered, peering from behind the boxes. She spotted Takeda, his long, dark purple hair flowing behind him as he made his escape. “Not today, you don’t! Cover me, Iba!” She managed to shoot he hand of a man closest to her to stop the oncoming barrage of bullets.

“Shiori-san!” Hachirō managed to get the next one that was about to shoot at his partner as she darted out to run after their prime target. He managed to walk forward and shoot their hands or arms to force them to stop shooting at them.

“Takeda!” She continued running forward, now outside. He was attempting to make his getaway in a black car. “You’re under arrest!”

A bullet grazed her cheek. They had counted he number of lackeys wrong. There was one more they’d missed. She tried to shoot his arm, but her gun clicked. Her gun was out of bullets. She wouldn’t have time to reload before he took another shot. From the corner of her eye, she could see Takeda smirk and roll up the window of the car.

Before she could brace herself for pain, the man let out a cry and fell to the floor.

“Shiori-san!” Hachirō yelled and gripped her shoulders tightly. They could finally hear sirens in the distance. “Do you know how reckless that was?!”

“Very…I thought we could get him…” She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

He shook her lightly, one of his hands taking her chin so she’d look into his wide eyes. “Shiori-san, you put yourself in too much danger tonight! You were too careless tonight! What would’ve you have done if I wasn’t here?!”

She’d never seen Hachirō lose his composure like this before. “Iba, I’m fine. I knew you’d cover me. I wouldn’t have taken the risk if you weren’t a good shot.”

“Do you trust my ability to shoot so much? If I had missed?!”

“You don’t.”

Hachirō was growing more frustrated by the second. Did she not see her injuries? Many bullets had grazed her arms and face. Even though she was wearing the vest, it didn’t mean it would stop her from receiving a bullet to other fatal parts of her body, like her head. “Shiori-san!” Before he could stop himself, his lips had already crashed onto hers.

Shiori closed her eyes and her fingers wove themselves in his hair, pulling him closer.

When the sirens grew louder, Hachirō reluctantly released her. “We need to get you a medic.” He turned away, embarrassed with himself. He couldn’t believe that he let his emotions get the better of him. He stood by as he heard Captain Hijikata bark orders. He knew a lecture was going to be coming.

“Fucking Kaneko Shiori!” Captain Hijikata’s loud outburst could be heard throughout the warehouse. He stormed towards the pair. “Intel. All you had to do was observe!”

Shiori quietly lined up next to her partner, letting the Captain scold her. She knew she was in the wrong, and though they managed to capture an integral part of the drug ring, Takeda had escaped them.

“Now, go see a fucking medic. Don’t ever do dumb shit like this again, Kaneko.” Captain Hijikata dismissed them.

They both saluted him. “Yes, sir!” She bowed deeply.

Hachirō forced her to get her wounds checked out and bandaged, though she insisted they were mere scratches. He wasn’t hearing any of it, and he was personally taking her home.

After that kiss, she’d wanted to escape from him, but he wasn’t giving her a chance. The car ride to her apartment was a bit of an awkward one. Iba just had to be a gentleman and walk her up to the door. She didn’t want to face him or her feelings right now.

But when she turned back to thank him, her hands automatically reached for his cheeks, her lips meeting his.

She wasn’t going to let him go now.

Shiori managed to unlock the door without breaking their kiss for long. She gasped when she felt his fingertips slip under her tank top and draw small circles on her sensitive skin. “I-Iba…”

He stilled his hands, loosening his grip on her waist. “…About earlier…I’m sorry, Shiori-san…I…”

“Fuck it all, Iba. I want you, hell, I’ll admit it,I like you…” Her cheeks reddened as she looked up at him. “And like hell do you think you’re going to get away tonight.” She growled and tugged him down from the collar of his shirt. 

“E-eh?” Her sudden confession had him both on cloud nine and rather confused. “Shiori-san?” Their kisses had been rather heated, so they were kind of past the point of talking it out….And he felt the same too…He never would’ve imagined it like this. 

“Kiss me again, Iba.”

[spider-moon-princess]

Happiness.

YEP, have fun with this one. BECAUSE I SURE DID(N’T). 

—++— 

“What th’ hell are you still doing here, Etsu? You should’ve gone with Souji and Kondo-san to Osaka!”

Etsu ignored his blood-stained blue haori and tightly wrapped her arms around him, feeling his warmth, listening to his heartbeat. Just feeling his presence, that he was alive.

Shinpachi sighed and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer when he felt her tears on his bare chest. He honestly never knew what to do when a woman cried. “Ma, I’m here now, so…don’t cry…” He took her face in his large hands and wiped away her tears, kissing her forehead. “Na?”

She shook her head and placed her hands on his. “Shin…I was so afraid you weren’t going to come back…I was afraid…” She sobbed and he sighed, pulling her into his strong arms again.

“Do you know who you’re talkin’ to? I’m the Shinsengumi Captain of the Second Division, Nagakura Shinpachi!” He sat down and placed her in his lap. “I don’t go down easy without a fight!”

She managed to giggle at him as he flexed his biceps. “Yes, Shin, you’re right!”

“Shinpachi.”

They turned to hear Sano’s voice coming from outside. “Ah? What is it?”

“Hijikata-san wants to have a meeting about tomorrow’s battle. Shouldn’t take long.”

Shinpachi sighed and tightened his green bandanna, and gave his beloved a grin. “I’ll be right back, Etsu.”

She nodded, sighing a bit, making herself comfortable. Her hands wrapped around her middle, as if she were trying to protect it. No, she had to. She wanted to. She’d visited a doctor with Chizuru earlier in the day and received some news.

Etsu wasn’t sure how or when she should tell Shinpachi. War was breaking out, and if he found out, would he want to leave? Would he make her leave? What would happen?

She stewed for a bit before getting up to set the futon. She had every intention of staying the night with him. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but…the thought of being away from him after such a day…

Her heart had been in her throat all day, anxiety had been eating away at her, wondering if he was coming back. If the others were coming back. Every time she heard sounds of war, she feared the worst.

The shoji door slid open, and she immediately looked up, noticing a very pensive look on his face. His brows were furrowed, thinking deeply about something. He took off his swords and leaned them against the wall. He’d gotten rid of his blood-stained haori and clothes, and even washed off the dried blood.

“…Shin? Is everything okay?”

His bright blue eyes snapped over to her, and he gave her a slight smile. “Of course it is! We just discussed tomorrow’s strategy to run off the Satchō bastards. It’ll be great!” He sat next to her on the futon, wrapping an arm around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck. “It’ll be fine…” He murmured, more to himself than her. He lifted his head and met her lips hungrily, passionately.

“Shin…” She said breathlessly. “I’m not leaving tonight.”

“And I don’t want you to.” He pulled at her obi, eager to meet her skin underneath her light blue kimono. “I want you to stay with me.”

“I love you, Shin. I love you so much.”

–

She helped him into a fresh haori. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them, but something else hung in the air. She didn’t know what it was.

Shinpachi pulled her in for another kiss. “…Etsu,”

Her brown eyes met his blue eyes. “Shin?”

“…I’m just saying this, y’know, in case, but I have no intention of leaving you, but no matter what happens to me, I want you to be happy.”

“You make me happy. You’re my happiness, Shin, so please come back to me. Please.” She begged, pulling him down for another kiss. She couldn’t get enough of him.

“Ah. I will. I promise.”

They walked out to the common room, where everyone was gathered, ready to go. Chizuru stood in the back, hands clutched nervously. Etsu went to stand next to her, looking around the men, discussing final plans. Shinpachi looked so serious, so focused.

Finally, the group disbursed, and Shinpachi went over to her. He grinned at the pair of girls, who both wore worried expressions. “What’s with the long faces? We’re gonna win this!”

Etsu managed to smile back at him. She couldn’t bring it up, not now. She had faith that he’d return to her. When he did, she’d tell him. Nodding, she took his hands when he held them out. He gave them a squeeze, leaning in to give her a sweet kiss.

She watched his broad back as he walked away, already missing him.

–

The whole day, she spent it trying to busy herself with chores, any task she could get her hands on. After the first few times the cannons went off, she stopped jumping at the sound. She continued hoping, praying that everyone would come back. She wanted to tell him.

The sun was setting, and at long last, tired soldiers and captains were filing into the common room.

When Etsu heard noise, she rushed over, a slight wave of relief hitting her when she saw Hiji-san, Sano-san, and Saitō-san file in. Her heart beat faster, palms starting to sweat as she tried to catch sight of the Second Division Captain that was nowhere to be found.

She ran up to Sano-san, fear washing over her, squeezing her heart. “Sano-san!” Her eyes started watering. “Where’s Shin?” She managed to choke out, but by the look on his sad expression, she already knew. “Where’s Shin?!”

Shimada-san and another soldier placed a stretcher on the ground.

Etsu shook her head, rushing over, praying, begging, that we was just injured. “Shin! Shinpachi!”

But he made no movement when she called out to him.

Kneeling down, she grabbed his hand in hers. “Nagakura Shinpachi!”

It was cold.

He was cold.

She touched his face, calling out, screaming his name, hoping he’d open his eyes and give her a grin and a poor joke about his injuries.

Her sobs overtook her, and she buried her face into her hands. “Shinpachi! You promised! You promised me!” Her hands balled up into fists, her nails biting painfully into her palms, but she couldn’t feel it. She could only feel the emptiness of his presence, the painful beat of her own heart, reminding her that she was alive and he was not.

Sanosuke finally walked over to her, gently trying to get her to her feet, but she fought him, saying that she wasn’t going to move. “Etsu,” He sighed quietly. “We don’t have a lot of time. We have to lay him to rest.”

Hijikata Toshizō clenched his fist. Some leader he was. He watched a loved one grieve over a comrade, a friend, a brother. It was on him. Her suffering, their suffering, everyone’s suffering was because of the choice he’d made. If he’d made the choice to retreat, this wouldn’t have happened…But Shinpachi had been prepared for this outcome. He knew the risk, and he had been prepared to lay his life down. They all knew it. She probably wouldn’t understand it, but he couldn’t blame her.

Chizuru finally came forward, wiping her own tears to help Etsu up. “You must rest, Etsu-chan. You know why.” She whispered.

Her friend’s words brought her back to reality. Nodding, she let Sano-san help her up, glancing once more at her beloved.

Sanosuke stayed with Etsu while Chizuru went to make some tea. Etsu, her tears still trickling down her cheeks as she leaned against his shoulder for support. His presence was a bit of comfort. Her hand was in his large one. Neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts.

Chizuru came back with tea and a bit of porridge. “Etsu-chan, you need to eat something.”

She lightly shook her head, taking the cup of tea that her friend offered her.

“Etsu,” Chizuru took a breath. “You need to think about your baby.”

Sanosuke looked a tad surprised and his amber eyes shifted between the women. “…Baby?”

“She is with child. We only found out just yesterday morning.”

“…Did Shinpachi know?” Sanosuke squeezed her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

Shaking her head, she set her tea down. “…I wasn’t able to…I was going to tell him today…but…” She didn’t know what to do. Her beloved was gone. She’d abandoned her family to be with Shinpachi, and there was no way they’d take her back especially with a child. She’d refused to marry the chosen suitor and had run away after she’d fallen in love with Shinpachi. But now…where could she go?

Sanosuke patted her back, a pensive look on his handsome face. “…I have to speak with Hijikata-san. I’ll return in a while. Chizuru, look after her.”

She nodded and continued to try to get her to eat a bit of the porridge she’d brought.

–

Etsu had tired herself out, and had managed to eat a bit, much to Chizuru’s relief. She was resting on the futon for now.

The shoji door slid quietly and Sanosuke stepped into the room, a determined look on his face.

Etsu stirred and sat up slightly when she heard the door open. “Sano-san?”

“Ah, Chizuru, do you think I could have a moment with Etsu?”

“Of course. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Chizuru cleared the tray and took it back to the kitchen with her.

Rubbing her eyes, Etsu blinked a few times and looked at him as he sat next to her. “Sano-san?”

“…Look…Before we charged out, Shinpachi came to me and asked me to look after you if something happened to him. I never could’ve imagined it…but here we are.” Sighing, he took her hand in his. “And I intend to keep that promise I made to Shinpachi. You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”

Etsu looked down, shaking her head. Who could accept a woman with a child?

“Then come with me.”

Her brown eyes widened in surprise. “…Sano-san, I-I can’t…I’m…I…”

“I’m not tellin’ you to devote yourself to me. Just let me care for you and the little one. Let me look after you.” Brown met amber.

“…What about the Shinsengumi?”

Chuckling lightly, he shrugged. “I already spoke to Hijikata-san. I’m retiring. I told him what I intended to do and he just wished me luck.”

“Sano-san…I couldn’t possibly ask you to…do such a thing for me…”

“Etsu, I’m doing it for you and my best friend, my brother. Let me honor his final wish.”

—

Five years later.

 “Shinichi! Oi!” Sanosuke followed after the dark haired boy with bright blue eyes.

Etsu giggled as she finished hanging up the last bit of laundry, watching the tall, red-haired man struggle to chase a speedy five-year old Shinichi. Ever since he’d learned to walk and run, neither could get a moment’s rest. He loved chasing after frogs and all sorts of creatures that both flew and crawled on the ground, much to his mother’s horror. “Shinichi! Come back here!” She walked forward, and he ran right into her arms.

“Mama! A flower for you!” He held out his little palm with a small, white flower.

“It’s lovely, my son, thank you.” She kissed his cheek and the pair looked back at Sanosuke, who was catching his breath. “You’re getting older, Sano.”

He let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. “I let him get ahead of me.” He came forward, enveloping the both of them in his arms.

Etsu brushed her nose against her son’s and set him down, letting him run free once more. The pair stood there, watching him as he crouched down to observe some ants. “He’s growing up more everyday.”

Sanosuke nodded in agreement, taking her hand in his large one. “Ah. That’s for sure.”

They remained silent for a moment.

“He looks like him, doesn’t he?”

“He does.”

Etsu looked back at her husband, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you for everything, Sano…You’re raising Shinichi as your own.”

“He is, as is the one in here.” He placed his hand on her middle.

At first, they comforted each other over Shinpachi’s death. After Shinichi was born, and Sanosuke had held him for the first time, he vowed to him and to Etsu that he would raise the boy as his own.

Slowly, their friendship grew into something more, though it took a while for either to realize it. Sanosuke remained quiet about it, out of respect for his friend and for Etsu.

It took a very long time for her to confess what she felt for Sanosuke, but Shinpachi had told her to be happy. She’d found that happiness with Shinichi and with Harada Sanosuke. He’d been hesitant to accept her feelings, but they were both honest people. They couldn’t deny their feelings for each other, or the attraction.

But there was still a part of her heart that belonged to Shinpachi. If there was another life, she’d want to spend it with him.

[spider-moon-princess]

You get to his Heart through his Stomach!

Sooo, I had to get this out of my system! Lol IDK if anyone was looking forward to more Shinpachi x Etsu, but here’s how they met! I want to keep the Time Travel AU focused more on the Okichi, so here this is! Of course, I will allude to things here and there, but this is more fleshed out lol. 

Time Travel Au

—–++——

She’d been convinced by Heisuke to come out one Friday night to go out drinking with his senpai and other doctors from the hospital. Chizuru-chan, Souji-kun and Hajime-kun would all be there, so she should be okay…

She was always so shy around new people, so she was a little worried.

“Ah, Etsu!” Heisuke waved over to her when he spotted her come in. “Over here!” He was sitting next to two men, a tall red-haired man with amber eyes, and another with reddish-brown hair and captivating blue eyes. Heisuke had made some very attractive friends…

She smiled widely and high-fived Heisuke in greeting. “It’s been a while, Heisuke-kun!” Nonetheless, she was happy to see him, since quite some time had passed. He was in med school now, and she was busy teaching. It had been a while since she’d gone out to have fun.

“Sit, sit, these two are my Senpai, Nagakura Shinpachi,” he gestured to the reddish-brown haired man, his biceps caught her eyes. “And this is Harada Sanosuke.” The red-haired man gave her a wink. “This is my childhood friend, Miura Etsu.”

She flushed and sat next to Heisuke, bowing her head slightly. “It’s nice to meet the both of you.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.” Sanosuke gave her a gentle smile. “Didn’t know Heisuke was hiding a cute girlfriend.”

“We’re not dating!” The pair chorused. People always assumed that they were, and it bothered them since they saw each other as siblings. Their mothers had been best friends since high school, and when Heisuke’s father abandoned him and his mother, they went to live with Etsu and her parents.

Neither of them was showing any signs of lying, so Sanosuke gave it up. Seems like they weren’t interested in each other romantically. “So, Miura-chan, what do you do for a living?” He saw Shinpachi sit up straighter to pay attention from the corner of his eye. There he goes again…

“Ah, I’m an elementary school teacher, I teach first grade!” She smiled brightly. She loved her job, even though the children in her class, her kids, could be a bit of a handful sometimes, she had nothing but patience for them.

Heisuke nodded proudly. “Yeah, she’s a really dedicated teacher!”

“What about the both of you, Harada-san, Nagakura-san?”

“I’m the hospital’s psychologist. I treat patients and the staff.”

“I’m a physical therapist and a nutritionist! I make sure our patients exercise and eat well!” Shinpachi grinned, beaming with pride.

Heisuke snickered. “They look more like delinquents though!”

Sanosuke smacked Heisuke on the back. “Oi, we’ve shed our pasts, don’t go making us look bad in front of Miura-chan!”

“That’s right! Tell ‘im, Sano! We’re good law-abiding citizens that help people!” Shinpachi high-fived Sanosuke.

Etsu giggled a bit at their interaction. It seemed like the three of them were a fun combination. She was having fun talking to Heisuke’s new friends, especially Shinpachi. In turn, he asked her a lot of questions about her kids, which made her rather chatty. Usually, she preferred to listen to get to know people better, but when people touched the subject of her job, she couldn’t shut up about how cute and amazing her kids were. “Ah, I see Chizuru-chan over there, I think I’ll stop by to say hi. I’ll be back.” She stood up, leaving her purse on the seat.

“She’s real cute.” Shinpachi grinned.

“That she is,” Sanosuke chuckled, “You certainly seem interested.”

“Nah-uh, Shinpatsu-san! She’s off limits!” Heisuke gave him a slight glare. Shinpachi wasn’t a bad guy, per se, but he certainly did date around a lot. He had a new girlfriend every few weeks. Etsu was too special to be just a fling.

“What’re ya talking about, Heisuke? It’s her choice to make!” Shinpachi crossed his arms.

“I’m looking out for her!” Heisuke scratched the back of his head, looking over to make sure Etsu was still preoccupied with making small-talk with Chizuru and Souji. “Look,” He sighed. “When we were in high school, Etsu confessed to some idiot. I heard the whole thing from start to finish. He said some…” He swallowed some curses. “…things to her. Horrible things. Since then, she’s been a little afraid to kinda put herself out there. That’s why I don’t want her dating just any guy.” He clenched his fists at the memory.

Sanosuke and Shinpachi remained silent for a few moments.

“You socked him, right?”

Heisuke looked up at Sanosuke and nodded. “Souji came with me. Hajime-kun didn’t help us beat the crap outta him, but he did stop us from completely beating the shit outta him. He wasn’t completely helpless, got a few blows in too.”

“Heisuke, you know me! I treat women with nothing but respect. I’m just lookin’ around for the right girl, that’s why I’m always dating.” Shinpachi looked over at Etsu. “Just her number. I’ll take her out on just one date. I am looking for something serious, ya know.”

Heisuke sighed, knowing what he said was true. “Well, that’s up to her if she wants. If she asks me about you, I’m not gonna play wingman though.”

After she’d gone around to greet everyone, she came back to the table. Shinpachi was the only one remaining there. “Ah, Nagakura-san, where did they go?”

“They got up for some more drinks.” He shrugged, drinking the rest of his beer. “Can I buy you a drink?”

She quickly shook her head. “Oh, no thank you. I’m not much of a drinker.” She had some interesting habits when she was drunk, like biting the person next to her, so she’d rather not drink in a public setting and cause a disturbance.

She and Shinpachi made more conversation, both trying to find out as much as they could about each other before the night ended.

—

“Heisuke-kun?” Etsu knocked on the open door to his shared office. “I brought you, Harada-san and Nagakura-san some lunch…I was hoping we could eat together…”

More like with just Shinpatsu-san. “I’m a little busy, so I’ll eat here, you can ask Sano-san and Shinpatsu-san. They usually hang out in Sano-san’s office for lunch. Thanks, Etsu.” Heisuke grinned, peeking inside his bento, his favorite onigiri! You owe me, Shinpatsu-san.

Etsu wished him luck and skipped to Harada-san’s office, hoping she’d see a certain reddish-brown haired man. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him in his green scrubs, his arms completely exposed for her to admire. Ah, he looked so strong…to be in those arms…what would it feel like?

“Oh? Miura-chan, come in.” Sanosuke welcomed her in. “Lunch again? Thanks, Miura-chan. Eating a home-cooked meal is definitely better than going down to the cafeteria to eat.” He gave her a warm smile. She’d been coming nearly everyday for a month after they’d met.

“It’s no trouble! C-can I ask where Nagakura-san is?” She placed his bento box on his desk.

Sanosuke suspected that this excuse of bringing them lunch was an attempt to woo Shinpachi. Well, he did believe in the saying, “the way to man’s heart is through his stomach.” She was definitely interested in him, but wasn’t confident enough in proclaiming her feelings in an assertive way. She was waiting for Shinpachi to make the first move, but the guy could be kind of dense. He internally sighed, there he goes again, analyzing people and playing matchmaker. “He’s probably at the gym. You can check there.”

Her smile brightened. “Thank you, Harada-san!” She heard him bark another word of thanks before she dashed to the elevator.

Her face ran smack dab into someone’s firm chest. “Oh, watch out there!” She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist to keep her from falling backwards.

Her light brown eyes looked up, meeting blue ones, a blush immediately spread across her face. “N-Nagakura-san!”

“Ah! Etsu-chan!” Shinpachi grinned at her. “Ran right into me, where were you off to in such a hurry?”

“…I brought you lunch. Harada-san and Heisuke-kun are too busy today to eat together today.” Honestly, she wasn’t too disappointed about that.

They wound up going outside to sit on a bench to enjoy their lunch in the nice weather. It was spring, the cherry blossoms were in bloom, the cold weather was subtly disappearing.

“Pita pocket sandwiches?! Etsu-chan, you’re too good to me!” Shinpachi immediately took a bite as soon as it was in his hands. “You’re helping me watch my calorie count too!”

Etsu blushed at his compliments, hiding behind her pink scarf. “I heard from Heisuke-kun that you keep track of what you eat…”

He nodded eagerly. “I’m kinda trying a new thing. I’m making myself go through different diets to recommend to my patients, since there are some that might be allergic or have difficulty of thinking of dishes to eat that fit into their calorie count.” Shinpachi grinned and placed his hand on her head. “Thanks, really, all this month, you’ve given me a different dish to try. I’ve written them down in some of my meal plans for my patients.”

This time, she buried her face in her hands. “Y-you’re welcome, Nagakura-san.” Yet another thing to admire about him, how dedicated he was to helping others. 

Shinpachi took one of her hands in his, pulling it away from her face to stare into her eyes. He took a deep breath. “…So…um, well, I don’t want you getting the wrong idea or anything that it’s just for the food or anything, but I really enjoy talking to you, Etsu.”

Etsu lowered her other hand and looked up at him, tilting her head in slight confusion. “Nagakura-san?”

“Will you go out with me?”

Blink. Once, twice. What?

Did she hear him correctly?

“…That is if you’re interested! If you don’t wanna go on a date with me, that’s fine too…” He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks dusted with a light pink. “…But I…really like you, ya know…”

“You…like me?”

Shinpachi looked back at her, her light brown eyes were wide. He set his sandwich down and took both of her hands in his. “Of course! I really like you! So…will you go on a date with me this Friday?”

His large hands made hers feel so small…She honestly couldn’t believe what was going on. Why? Why did he like her?

But hell, she was going to go for it. She was interested in him, she liked him too.

Shinpachi grew nervous, the more the silence dragged on.

“…Yes, Friday sounds great, Nagakura-san!” She gave his hands a light squeeze, smiling slightly at him.

Part Two

[spider-moon-princess]

Christmas Drabble SxE

So I know I mentioned I was exhausted and stuff, but all I had to do was edit this, plus it’s late enough as it is LOL Zero spoilers, so feel free to read with no worries! Takes place about a year before Future Souji passes away. 

----+++-------

Christmas music blared from various stores as they passed them by, hand in hand, both bundled up in their warm coats and scarves. Shinpachi was busy looking at her rather than the wares she was distracted by. A grin spread across his face when she turned to look over him, she’d asked him a question, but he hadn’t heard her.

“Shin?” She held pointed at a red plate set on the shelf. “Souji-kun and Chizuru-chan just moved into their new place, I think they could use it, this would be nice, wouldn’t it?”  

“Ah~, I think Chizuru-chan would be more ecstatic about it than Souji.” Shinpachi hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Giggling, she lightly patted the back of his hand. “Shin! We’re shopping! Come on, we have to find presents for everyone!”

“I’m just so excited to spend another Christmas together, Etsu-chan~.” He gave her cheek little kisses, feeling her cheeks warm underneath his lips.

Etsu was thankful the aisle was clear of people. Not that she hated PDA or anything, she loved it, but sometimes he could be a little overwhelming. “Help me choose something else Souji would like then. We’re getting this too.” She pointed at the dish set.

Shinpachi reluctantly released her to grab the heavy box before she could reach for it. “How many more do we have left?”

She dug out her little notebook from her purse to check the uncrossed names, as she crossed out Chizuru’s, only two remained. “Souji-kun and Sano-san.”

“I’ve got Sano covered, I bought him a bottle of his favorite Sake, we can give him that.” He chuckled.

“So, just Souji-kun, huh…” Even though she’d met Souji back in high school, he was a hard person to figure out sometimes. He teased her endlessly, but every now and again he showed how kind he could be.  

“Maa, I guess we could get him and Chizuru-chan a gift certificate to a nice hotel. I remember him saying he wanted to take her somewhere nice after New Year’s since they’re both taking shifts at the hospital that day.”

Etsu nodded. “Then that’s everyone~.”

 The pair walked out of the store, starting to head back through the mall to leave the way they came in.

 A child’s cry made Etsu’s head turn, and she immediately released Shinpachi’s hand. “Oi, Etsu…” He followed her trail to a crying child. She was already kneeling down trying to calm the child.

 “Hey, I’m a teacher, look,” Etsu brought out her ID and showed it to the crying child. “I can help you, what’s your name?”

 The little girl managed to quiet her cries a bit as she inspected the ID Etsu had handed her. “You teach at my friend’s school?”

 Etsu nodded. “Yeah, now let me help you find your parents.”

 “What’s the matter, ‘jou-chan?” Shinpachi knelt beside Etsu.

 “She lost her parents, what’s your name?”

 “Aira,” She rubbed her eyes, her sobs were now little sniffles, and she turned her attention to Shinpachi.

 “Ah, he’s my boyfriend. He’s going to help us find your parents.” Etsu gave her a reassuring smile.

 “I’ll put you on my shoulders and you can look for them as we walk around and ask.” Shinpachi gently ruffled her hair. “How ‘bout it?”

 Aira looked back at Etsu and she nodded. Etsu helped her get on Shinpachi’s shoulders and they started looking around for her parents. They walked around the food court until Aira spotted her mother and father by the smoothie stand where they were calling her name. Aira called out to them and waved. A wave a relief washed through the parents as they ran over to them. They thanked the couple for finding their daughter and Aira waved to them as she left with her parents, holding her father’s hands.

 “You couldn’t let her be, huh.” Shinpachi crossed his arms, grinning over at her.

 “How could I? Imagine if it were our daughter we’d lost, God, I’d feel so-” Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. “I-I didn’t mean that…Well, it’s just hypothetically speaking-I didn’t suggest that…Well….” Her cheeks flushed and she looked down.

 Shinpachi’s cheeks also reddened in response and he took her hand in his. “Well, you’re right…if she’d been my kid, I guess I’d be like those parents…Na, let’s go home and wrap up some presents!”

After making their way out of the mall, they headed to Etsu’s apartment to wrap gifts.

Shinpachi chuckled as he watched her struggle with folding the ends neatly. Surprisingly, he was the better gift wrapper than she was. “They’re gonna tear it open anyways, Honey, I don’t think it matters what the ends look like.”

Pouting, she managed to tape the end to the bottom of the box, and with that, she finished wrapping her half of the gifts. “Yours look much nicer, Honey Bear, I’m jealous~.”

Shinpachi stuck the last piece of tape and finished wrapping his gifts as well. “Practice, plus, I’m pretty good with my hands~.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she flushed, looking away.

 “Shinpachi!” Faking a cough, she stacked the gifts under the tree. She squealed when he pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

 “Na, let’s watch a movie?” He nuzzled his face into her neck.

 “Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing when the movie plays…” She muttered and stood up to set up the movie. “What movie?”

 “Doesn’t matter to me.” Shinpachi stood up to sit on the couch and grabbed the blanket, patting the spot next to him.

 Etsu chose a recommended movie from the list on Netflix and went to sit next to him, but not even ten seconds into the movie, he’d pulled her into a very heated kiss.

 As she had suspected, they didn’t end up watching the movie.

--

It was Christmas Day and everyone was gathered at Kondō-san’s for a meal and gift exchange.

 “Fuckin’ Souji, this was you, wasn’t it?” Hijikata-san held up a book titled, “How to Write Poetry for Dummies.”

 Satomi was behind him, and she giggled quietly, along with a few others.

 “Ara? Hijikata-san, this is a secret santa, you’re not supposed to guess~. You’re supposed to bow your head and say, ‘thank you’ politely.” Souji had the most amused grin on his face, anyone could tell the gift was from him.

 Etsu looked around the noisy living room, carrying a two year old Haru. He tried to reach for the wrapping paper of her unopened gift.

 “Oi, Shinpachi, Etsu-chan sure looks good with a kid in her arms.” Sanosuke nudged him, setting his bottle of sake down from the couple next to him.

 “Yeah…She can’t put them down once she finds a kid.” Shinpachi chuckled wistfully, looking at her making faces at baby Haru who giggled at her funny expressions. She laughed with him and kissed his cheek. “But we’re a long ways off from that.” He chuckled.

 “Best not to rush things, but if I were you, I’d do everything I can to hang onto her. She’s a good girl for you, Shinpachi. She keeps you on your toes and fills in where you’re lacking.” Sanosuke poked his forehead.

 “Oi, Sano! What’re ya sayin’?!”

 Etsu looked over at Shinpachi when she heard his outburst, tilting her head in confusion. He grinned at her in response and she went back to playing with Haru. She hadn’t been paying much attention to everything that was going on around her because she was too busy playing with Haru. Eventually, he fell asleep in her arms, and she stared at him with a gentle smile on her face. She felt so complete at the moment.

 Shinpachi observed her from afar. He was nowhere ready to have kids quite yet, but if the time ever came, he’d want it to be with her. Her gentle smile, everything about her in this moment was beautiful.

 The evening was coming to an end and everyone was making their way out. Etsu handed off Haru to Kondō-san before she and Shinpachi took off.

 “You had a good time?” Shinpachi peered over at her at a stoplight.

 Etsu nodded and sighed. “Yeah…I just sometimes feel a little empty after being with a child…I don’t think I’ve ever told you…but it’s my dream to have four kids and a loving husband. Ah, don’t think I’m pressuring you or anything, it’s just a dream I’ve had. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to make you commit or anything, Shin…” She cut herself off when she realized she was just rambling on.

 Shinpachi parked the car and leaned over to kiss her. “Nah, I know. When we’re ready, we’ll be ready.” He kissed her cheek. “We’re taking our time, right?” He gave her hand a slight squeeze. “Someday…I want to be that husband in your dream, Etsu-chan…” He murmured.

 She flushed and looked over at him. “Shin, me too. I hope so too, I love you.”

[spider-moon-princess]

First Date!

Here’s their first date! I realllyyyy like how this came out, tbh. 

Part One

---++-----

Shinpachi nervously stepped out of his dark green car. He told her he’d pick her up at five for dinner and a movie. He’d asked Heisuke about her favorite foods and movies. He wanted everything to be perfect, she deserved no less. He hesitated in front of her apartment door, taking a deep breath, and finally knocked.

 Etsu smoothed out the front of her navy blue dress that went past her knees. She was a rather modest dresser, which some of her friends teased her for. She opened the door and greeted him with a smile. He was five minutes early, but she’d been ready for a whole hour, a tad nervous. She’d asked Chizuru for advice on how to dress, how to act, what to do, she was so flustered once the reality sunk in that she’d been asked out by Nagakura Shinpachi. She ran over, smoothing out her dress again and opened the door, the sight of pink castilian roses, her favorite flower, greeting her first.

“Yo, Etsu-chan!” Shinpachi peered over the bouquet, grinning slightly, offering her his hand. “Ready to go?”

 Etsu’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, green button-up shirt that clung to his torso, oh-so-nicely, black pants that were fitted, ah, what a sight. Butterflies flapped violently in her stomach. “Yes, Nagakura-san!” She took the roses from him and smelled them slightly. “They’re beautiful! Thank you!” She placed her hand in his, walking down the steps to his car. He opened the passenger car door for her and even fastened her seat belt for her.

When he got in the driver’s seat, she noticed he was a bit stiff. He was just as nervous as she was, she realized. Honestly, maybe she was getting ahead of herself, but she really wanted, hoped, that this relationship was a meaningful one and that it led to something more. Etsu took a little breath, cheeks already tinting pink. “Sh-Shinpachi-kun, please don’t be so nervous, I’m nervous too, but let’s be comfortable and honest with each other.”

Shinpachi’s blue eyes glanced over at her as he started the car, giving her a brilliant smile. “Sounds good, Etsu-chan. We’re here to hang out and get to know each other more, right?”

 Nodding eagerly, she gave him a smile that made his heart do a flip. “Yes!”

 Shinpachi took them to a nice Italian restaurant. He saw her eyes sparkle when she looked at the menu. Heisuke mentioned she loved pastas, so he did some research by asking Sano which restaurants had the best Italian dishes.

 They had a nice meal, talking about their interests, finding that they had several things in common, leading to more date plans in the future without both realizing it. Shinpachi wouldn’t hear about letting her pick up the bill, which she appreciated, but she was going to catch him off guard next time. Shinpachi drove to a movie theater not far from the restaurant.

 “I’ve already got the tickets to the movie, so let’s grab popcorn.” As they walked up to the counter, their hands were already linked, a natural action for both of them. It made Etsu giddy with delight, feeling his strong hand in hers. They got their tickets scanned and were let in to get concessions.

 Shinpachi ordered two drinks and a medium popcorn, and before he could get his wallet out, Etsu had already handed the cashier her card to pay. She winked at him. “I work too, Shinpachi-kun.”

 He chuckled and they both made their way to their seats.

 Etsu had forgotten to ask what movie they would be seeing. She’d been too happy looking down at their hands to notice which theater they entered.

 During the previews, they managed to eat most of the popcorn, both realizing a little too late. They laughed about it and held hands again, waiting for the movie to finally start.

 As the Marvel opening credits rolled, she gasped and looked over at him. “A Marvel movie?!” She whispered excitedly. She honestly would’ve never imagined she would be going to see a Marvel movie on a first date.

 Shinpachi nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. Heisuke had suggested, no implored him, to take her to see the most recent Marvel movie because they were her favorites. Heisuke had remembered that Etsu had mentioned she had yet to go see it in theaters. He’d been to busy lately to go with her, and she didn’t want to go alone. Judging by her reactions to every scene, he watched her more than he did the movie, he was extremely glad he listened to Heisuke.

 When they exited the theater, she was bursting with energy and reactions.

 “And-and that one part where Captain-!” She flapped her arms in excitement. Etsu looked back at Shinpachi, suddenly quieting down, blushing slightly. “Ah…I’m sorry! I got so excited!” She’d been told by her family members that she sometimes she was too excitable after a movie. She couldn’t help it, she’d felt so many emotions during a movie.

 Shinpachi felt his heart overflow with affection for this girl, and pulled her into his arms to kiss her forehead. “No, don’t be sorry. Show me all of your reactions, tell me everything you’re thinking,” He grinned, cupping her warm face to look into her large light brown eyes, “I want to hear it all.”

 “Y-you do?” She placed her hands on his.

 Nodding, he released her and took her hand. “Yep, so just continue being yourself. Don’t hide anything.”

 “Th-then the same to you! Don’t hide anything from me either, okay?”

 ---

Shinpachi parked the car in front of her apartment building to walk her up to her door. “So…Do you want to go out again?”

 Etsu smiled, tip-toeing and gently pulled his cheek down to her lips, giving him a small peck. “I’d love to. I’d also loved it if we could text or call each other…”

 Shinpachi quickly pulled out his phone. “I don’t play those teen games of ‘if I call quickly I’m desperate,’ okay?”

 “Me neither. I don’t see the point. We agreed to be honest with each other, remember?” She called her phone and lifted it, showing off her Overwatch Mercy case.

“Is that Mercy?” Shinpachi pointed at her phone.

“Do you play?”

 “Hell yes I do! When I have I have time! Heisuke and I like playing more than Sano.” Shinpachi grinned. “I tank, Heisuke usually plays DPS. PC, right?”

 She gave him a high-five. “Yes! Yeah, he’s my favorite Reaper to play with!” She grinned. “But he gets reckless when he pockets me, since I make him first priority to resurrect and heal.” She giggled. Yet another thing they had in common. Well, a couple that games together, stays together.

 “Let’s play tonight! I’ll log right on when I get home! You play with mic, don’t you?”

 “That’s the only way to play!” Etsu’s fingers worked quickly on the screen of her phone. “Here’s my battle tag!” She was so excited, their date didn’t have to end right now.

 “Great! I’ll talk to you in a bit then!” Shinpachi gave her hands a squeeze and her forehead another kiss.

 --

 They had played late into the night, queuing up in arcade, playing different modes and just having fun. She and Shinpachi had agreed to have lunch a few times a week, since the school she worked at wasn’t very far. On the nights they couldn’t have dinner together, they played Overwatch together. They grew closer with each passing date, day that they spent together. They’d settled into a routine of this for three months.

 One weekend morning, Shinpachi went over to her apartment so that they could play in person. This would be his first time inside her place, a pretty big step for the both of them.

 He waited patiently after he’d knocked. As soon as she opened the door, he could smell something delicious cooking, chicken noodle soup? Either way, he knew he was going to enjoy it. Shinpachi leaned down to peck her in greeting. “Smells good, what’s cookin’, good lookin’?” He winked at her, earning a giggle from her.

 “Chicken noodle soup~. You’re still on that one diet you told me about.” She admired him as he passed by her to come in. Today, he was wearing a gray Reinheardt shirt and jeans. God, she loved his strong thighs, she thought as she watch him stride into her living room.

 Shinpachi looked back at her, she was wearing tight jeans and a black Mercy shirt. “Yep~, you remembered!”

 “Let’s start queuing up. I want my gold Cadaceus staff this season!” She led him to her dining room table for him to set up his laptop. Hers was already set up, a black gaming laptop with various stickers from her favorite fandoms, her Mercy mouse shone yellow as she brought her laptop back to life. Her gaming headset, black headphones with blue outlines were off to the side already.

 “Hell yes, baby. If I’m Rein, there’ll be plenty of chances for you to earn healing points!” He took her hand and kissed the back of it as he waited for his laptop to start up.

They spent a few hours like this, screaming profanities at the enemy team when either one of them got killed.

 “These bastards! Gangin’ up on my Honey like that!”

 “Ahhhh! I’m so sorry, Honey Bear! I couldn’t rez you!”

 When matches ended, they bad-mouthed the players on both teams, their own and the enemy team. They laughed at their own silly comments and inside jokes about the characters in the game.

 “Break time~…” Etsu stood up, her legs rather stiff from sitting so long.

 “Soup and a movie?” Shinpachi suggested, following her to the kitchen.

 She nodded. “Go turn on the PS4 and choose something on Netflix. I’ll be right there.” She served the bowls of soup and went to place them on the coffee table in front of the TV before going back for two glasses of water. She settled next to him, and he started the movie. “Civil War?”

 “It’s your favorite.” He smiled, picking up his soup.

 Once they’d finished, leaving the empty bowls in front of them, Shinpachi had pulled her into his lap, every so often, nuzzling into her neck or shoulder, causing her to giggle. She’d probably seen this movie so many times, but she reacted as if she were watching it for the first time, and he loved that about her. “I love you.” He murmured quietly into her ear.

 Etsu blinked, looking back at him, suddenly losing interest in the movie, wondering if she’d heard correctly. “Eh?”

 “I love you, Etsu.” Shinpachi kissed her softly. He was a little startled when he felt tears roll down her cheeks. “Wh-what’s the matter?”

 She shook her head, giving him a smile, wiping her tears away. “I’m just so happy…I love you too, Shinpachi.”

 Shinpachi sighed a little, wiping her tears away. “Geez, you startled me there, Etsu…I thought I did something to hurt you!” He had learned that she was a bit of a crybaby. She couldn’t hold back her tears whenever there was a sad or emotional scene in a movie, game or book. He didn’t mind, he thought it was adorable.

 Shaking her head again, she wrapped her arms around him. “No…I just never thought anyone would say that to me. I love you so much!” Truthfully, she’d wanted to say it, but she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable if he didn’t feel the same. She knew that they’d someday be able to say it comfortably, but it caught her off guard. Nonetheless, she was so happy, her heart overfilling with warmth and love for this man.  

 Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll be saying a lot, so be prepared!”

[iba-hime]

for the ship meme: Etsu x Kazama; Etsu x Shinpachi; and Iba x Shiori x Souji ;-)

KazaTsu Here

ShinEtsu

*Sigh* Here’s the Sammich…Iba x Shiori x Souji

By some miracle Shiori decides “fuck it, I want both,” and this is what happens.

General:

· Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

· How long will they last? -Hard to say….LOL

· How quickly did/will they fall in love? -Iba at first sight, Shiori couldn’t make up her mind until they confronted them and she said BOTH, and Souji, it took him a while to admit it, until he saw Iba making moves.

· How was their first kiss? -(How would this work?) Um, Shiori probably instigated something. Or maybe Souji. (THIS IS COMPLICATED)

Sex: (*SCREAMS*)

· Who is on top? - HOW DOES THIS WORK. (Shiori’s a switch(?), Souji tops(??), I think Iba would fill in the gap(???))

· Who is the one to instigate things? -Probably Souji or Shiori tbh

· How healthy is their sex life? - (HOW DO I MEASURE THIS, UM IT’S GOOD? WAIT, UM HEALTHY????) Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

· How kinky are they? - (WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK MY HEAD) Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

· How long do they normally last? -(TBH IM NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE???)

· Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? -I’d say so…?

· How rough are they in bed? - *SCREECH* Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

· How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Cooking:

· Who does the most cooking? - Iba, hands down

· Who is the most picky in their food choice? -Souji

· Who does the grocery shopping? -Iba and he drags Shiori for some alone time, but Souji ends up tagging along

· How often do they bake desserts? -at least three times a week bc Iba is a sweet boi

· Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -Shiori and Souji love meat more, Iba’s both

· Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? -Iba, occasionally Souji

· Who is more likely to suggest going out? -Souji probably bc Iba made something he didn’t like

· Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? -Souji

Chores:

· Who cleans the room? - all three

· Who is really against chores? -maybe Souji

· Who cleans up after the pets? -Iba

· Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? -Souji

· Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? -Shiori, (BC OMG PEOPLE)

· Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? -Iba bc he a lucky boi

Misc:

· Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Shiori

· Who takes the dog out for a walk? -Iba

· How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? -not often, but Iba will put stuff up for fun.

· What are their goals for the relationship? -(I honestly don’t know tbh LOL)

· Who is most likely to sleep till noon? -Souji

· Who plays the most pranks? -Souji

[spider-moon-princess]

Masterlist

⚫ Souji Time Travel AU

Part 1 Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6 Part 7 Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11   Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21  Part 22

⚫ Time Travel Shinpachi x Etsu

Part 1  Part 2 Part 3 Part 4  Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Christmas Drabble

⚫ Time Travel AU Spinoffs

The Tale of Toshizō the Cat -by @sabinasanfanfic

Hijikata’s Aftermath

⚫ Souji Time Travel Prompts

Little Toshi’s Arrival  Skipping Class  That isn’t your shirt  Cupcakes  Last Cuddle

⚫Eevee Answers Prompts! (Drabbles)

OkiChi: I told you not to fall in love with me  Come Here  You look amazing

HijiChi: Are you Serious?

⚫ Fictober 2018

⚫ Edo-ShinxEtsu

Happiness  Yellow Yukata  Delight  Happiness+Delight  Hairpin

⚫ Random Shin x Etsu Drabbles

A Lot  

⚫ COP AU

Offer Me-A Gift   Batman v Superman

⚫ Modern AU Vampire Dream

⚫ Knight!Souji x Princess!Etsu  Part 2

⚫ Shameless Hakuouki Harem pt 1

⚫ Hakuouki Kindergarten Pt 1 

⚫ Iba x Shiori

Victorian AU Part One  Part Two  Part Three

What You Mean To Me

Look at me, ILY

COP AU Drabbles

KissPrompt 5  Fight Me  The F Word  Lying  My World  Ribbon  Missing Out  W&H

MAFIA AU

Invite Me  Shiori’s Heart  Opposite Worlds  Acceptance  Addicted  Bliss

Pirate AU Ch1  Ch2  Ch3 Ch4  Ch5

⚫ Iba x Etsu

Love at first sight

⚫ Saito x Shiori

Iced Coffee  

⚫ Hijikata x Shiori

Ashes

⚫ Ryōma x Shiori

  Sea

⚫ Others

Twenty Mins-ToshiSami  Temporary Partner-Yamazaki  Double DateF