“This was not what I expected when you tore me away from my books.
Clang.
,,Don’t give me that look. Those aren’t necessarily made for children.
Clang.
,,You’re slow…”
Then a hard whack with the edge of Toyako’s tilt adressed to Levi’s front. A coming blast Levi prematurely dealt with that it managed to disrupt Levi’s footing, sending pain throughout that faulty ankle.
Levi cursed under his breath.
“So slow,” Gintoki antagonised, “I can read and kick your ass at the same time.”
But the following retribution came too soon for Gintoki to apprehend. The next thing he knew he was thrown into the air with a nasty landing on his back smashing the edge of a building line. The taste of liquid rust in his mouth followed right after.
Straightening his back, the muffled groan turned into a yell, “I COULD HAVE DIED. I COULD HAVE FALLEN AND DIED FROM THE HEIGHT IF YOU THREW ME PAST THE FENCE!”
Vocally unresponsive by nature, Levi ignored his employee’s protest, swiping the sole of his boots after its contact earlier as if it got transmitted by any unwanted filth. Levi didn’t give the other man another chance to spill a single syllable of protest as he lunged for Gintoki’s face before an abrupt stop where the blade stilled an inch from Gintoki’s chest.
His blood went cold. “D-did– you… Are you trying to kill me?”
Levi retreated his blade casually to render Gintoki’s defence to a drop before striking once again.
But Gintoki was quick to flash out of the way and gave Levi a back strike. “Asshole boss is not favoured. This is a form of abuse. I demand higher salary.”
Their swords clashed a couple more time when the silver haired man found an opening and blasted Levi’s sword away from his hand.
“1-1.” Gintoki sneered. “You’re particularly persistent.” And a flow of taunts was hard to deny when you were the winner. “Is your ankle hurting? Is the young master need tending? Are my hits too hard for you to handle?”
Levi seethed in response.
The sword was back in his hand before he delivered another blow that Gintoki managed evade. He could hear the concrete cracking in his stead.
# # #
Half an hour passed, the sun stung more as time went by. Both men heaving short breaths as they go.
“It’s not good, the way you are now.” The comment was out of nowhere, but not quite unexpected. Anyone who fought him knew this was not the extent of his speed and strength. “Because you’re hurt, I know. But the reason you were hurt in the first place has got something to with your circumstances, am I right?”
Levi didn’t bother answering.
Levi’s pressure came harder than the previous one.
“They’re distracting you.”
Levi aimed for Gintoki’s chest.
The blade was closing in on Gintoki’s eye when a stranger’s swinging steel got in the way.
“Interesting conversation there. Mind if I join?”
A third party came violently with a clear intention on severing Levi’s head right off the neck, which did not come to pass, against all odds, with Levi being distracted by Gintoki’s onslaught. Levi yanked himself away just in time aside from the strands of his hair being the only victims.
Dressed fully in black, the offender was none other than Ninomae Jūichi.
Lowering his weapon, Gintoki stared back and forth between Levi and Ninomae. Unwittingly wary of the area Ninomae was targeting, Levi covered it with his left palm. Levi’s was being defensive–, Levi was actually caught by surprise. That ankle was more of a bother in a fight than Levi was letting on, Gintoki came to realise.
Ninomae tweaked a friendly smile to show. Two fingers wiping the side surface of his deadly steel, “Hey, Captain,” then to the Silver Hair, “… and you.”
“Joy.” Gintoki retorted. “The hell are you doing?”
“You said Captain was distracted, so I went testing it for myself. With my sword. Slashing left and right to proof he’s not distracted.” Ninomae shifted his attention back to Levi. “Now, was I right, Captain?”
“Literally. What the fuck.” Gintoki slipped the bokutō back into the tie on his left waistband, spacing himself out from the two.
“Why the imminent surprise, you knew I was back,” spoken to particularly no one, Gintoki reckoned it was adressed more to Levi than to anyone else. The fact that this brat didn’t shift to a language Levi would understand was irrelevant.
The man of interest, in particular, had made no other move but to relax his muscles. His sword wielding hand wasn’t loosening up, though.
Ninomae kept on his prior facade. “Why so defensive, you know I’m not here to hurt you.”
That is exactly what you were doing, this son of a bitch.
For the first time since the sparring started, Levi formed a sentence, albeit short, but it was still a sentence, “What is it? Get on with it.”
Denying the invitation, Ninomae seemingly vanished from where he stood with his godspeed and went for Levi’s neck.
Reading Ninomae’s movement, Levi countered the assault with his elbow to Ninomae’s jaw just as quick.
Unbending at first, Ninomae’s wrist hung around Levi’s ankle to bring the adult into an joined impact along with him.
It was only a split of second but Gintoki watched Levi being dragged into a disadvantage with his half-functioning joint. Levi was definitely not happy as his other foot retaliated in advance and slammed Ninomae’s shoulder against the ground. Hard. Enough to decorate colourful bruises all around and make Ninomae not being able to use his left arm for a little while.
“I said down, you inscrutable fuck.”
To no surprise, Ninomae seemed pleased to earn a scolding. If it had been a real fight, the penthouse wouldn’t stand and went into ruin.
“Ow ow ow owwwww… it hurts, Captain…” Half laughing, Ninomae tried to get up to no avail with Levi’s foot still locking him in his defeat.
The Captain added more pressure in annoyance.
“He said ‘It hurts.’” Gintoki swooped in, translating on a whim when nobody asked, fanning himself with his fingers from the scorching heat while giving a look at Ninomae, “And clearly he wants you to speak english or he’ll break your shoulder, probably.”
Despite being injured, the pinned-down teenager was still sporting a wide, innocent joy across his face as if not knowing any wrong in this world. It made no difference however Levi regarded him as long as he had Levi’s attention.
