*my best guess at Hijikata’s thoughts right before he said this*
I want her to smile, to make her smile again. I want to chuckle at her attempts to calm my rage with her fierce determination. She’s the strong and steady tree, staying rooted while wishing for the protection of the cherry blossoms. One day, the last of my blooms will be carried away in the wind. One day, I won’t be here to wipe away those tears… but today I can. Today, I can reassure her of my love for her, and help her prepare for the life ahead of us. She’ll be the wife of a warrior, of a samurai, of a commander, of a chief, she’ll be the most beautiful wife and I will honor the privilege of calling her mine. She is an Edo woman through and through. She is the only woman to have ever challenged me, and she has won. My heart is hers. I’m in love with her. Oh, Yukimura, these tears just aren’t stopping anytime soon, huh?
I looked at her breathtaking face and opened my mouth to let out words I can only hope will allow her a glimpse of my truest desires.
“If you don’t get a thicker skin, there’s no way you’ll be able to handle being married to a warrior.”
“I’d Spill My Latte For You”
OC-tober 10.01.19
Kari (OC) x Heisuke [aka Karisuke]
Key Words: Fluff, Autumn, Cozy Autumn Days
Length: 844 words
A cool fall breeze tickled Kari’s flushed cheek as she pulled Heisuke along the gravel path.
“K-Kari-chan! Hey, I’m going to spill my coffee at this pace!” Heisuke huffed, holding tightly to Kari’s hand amongst the large trees painted in reds and oranges. The familiar smell of coffee mixed with the earthy scents of fall, and all Kari could think about was showing Heisuke a beautiful October afternoon. He’d been feeling the gloom of shortened days and waning summer sunshine, but autumn was Kari’s favorite season and she craved to lift his spirits by showing him some of what fall had to offer.
They’d begun the day by going to a local farm and picking out pumpkins. Heisuke had originally chosen a giant one before seeing Kari’s weary look as he hefted it up with surprising ease, and began to carry it over to her. She’d picked out two baby pumpkins, one of them had a large leaf wrapped near the stem. His look of gentle confusion over her adamance on keeping both the pumpkins she’d chosen made her blush. She knew that she was being uncharacteristically stubborn, and as soon as he’d quietly asked, ‘Kari-chan, those are really cute, but I thought we were picking our own pumpkins? I can’t really carve those for you…’ she’d known she had to come clean.
So, head turned away in utter embarrassment and secretly cursing Heisuke for being able to consistently peel off her confident exterior like a bandaid with his sincerity, she’d muttered out her reasonings. One of the little pumpkins, the one with the leaf, well, it’d been spiky enough and shaped just right to match his bangs. The other pumpkin had curled vines on it, and she’d humiliatingly thought it resembled her plaguingly consistent disheveled hair. Kari raised the latte she held up to her cheek thinking about how softly he touched her in that moment, that endearing look in his eyes, and she picked up the pace again. Their coffees sloshed inside the plastic cups as Heisuke still, thankfully, refrained from pulling them to a sudden stop and instead remained quite focused on trying to keep up.
After the pumpkins, they’d grabbed iced lattes, the weather crisp but still warm enough to enjoy a cold drink as long as it was paired with a spiced pumpkin muffin-- warmed to perfection, of course. They stayed at the cafe only long enough to enjoy their muffin, a good decision since Kari got to see the cute flush across Heisuke’s face when she held the muffin up to his lips for him to take a bite… and because she can still feel the way his soft lips caressed her fingers when he took the bite.
As they got closer and closer to their last stop of the day, Kari looked back toward Heisuke. She grinned with excitement, her wild hair flying erratically with the rushing wind. His look of concern quickly morphed into one of enthusiasm when he caught her gaze. His own ponytail whipped behind him and his large teal eyes sparkled at her. She had to look away again to catch her breath, wanting nothing more than to kiss him right then and there, with her heart skipping beats as frantically as their feet flying off the ground, but knowing this place was worth the wait.
They finally arrived at the end of the hill to a stunning array of fall colors; sunflowers, orange chrysanthemums, rudbeckias, and trees with changing leaves now surrounded them. Kari’s hand slipped from Heisuke’s grip during his shock, and skillfully grabbed both coffees, setting them down amongst a small patch of soft grass. As she straightened up to face him again, Heisuke’s mouth was still wide open as he took in the sight, his chestnut hair and teal irises looked at home here in the autumn views, and his oft-thought ridiculous yellow hoodie was nothing unlike the sun peeking through the treeline, shining brightly amongst the flowers. A fitting metaphor for a man that made Kari smile and made her heart warm as much as he did.
She carefully brought her hands up to his cheeks, grinning while his eyes found a way to grow wider even still. Her thumb leisurely stoked his cheek as she whispered her question, “How’s the view? Was it worth almost spilling your latte, Heisuke-kun?”
A smile that could’ve dazzled anyone, from monarchs to gods, shined at Kari. With blush kissed cheeks burning warmly against her hands, she felt the winds whip around them as if they were urging her closer to him. He cautiously removed her hands from his face, leaving them to rest across his shoulders as he pulled her in his arms.
Never the smoothest, Heisuke murmured, “I-I’d spill my latte on purpose if it meant I could see you like this again…” and slowly, like a leaf falling from a tree, Heisuke and Kari leaned into each other. And on this cool autumn day in October, their lips met and they lost themselves within the cozy passions of fall.
(oc fanfic for Hakuoki, picture from Okita’s route in Edo Blossoms)
Main pair: Souji Okita & Yukimura
Other characters: Hajime Saito, Heisuke Toudou
Warnings: strong language, minor violence
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Souji Okita casually leans his head against the wall. He is seated with his arms behind him and his legs spread out in front of him. Sitting next to him in the corner of the room is Hajime. Hajime Saito casts a sharp glance when he notices Souji’s stare. A slow, arrogant smile creeps onto Souji’s face.
“She’s beautiful, eh?” Souji says through his coy grin.
“That is not what I was thinking.” Hajime states with his usual quick staccato.
Souji frowns, his face morphing into a pout of sorts.
“What, you think she isn’t beautiful? Your talents with iai aren’t enough to avoid death by my hand if you piss me off, you understand?” Souji’s face resembled a glare now, fire stoking in the back of his eyes as he studies Saito’s face carefully.
“Souji, I decline to answer that,” Hajime says as he raises from the floor and walks away from Souji and towards the door. He knew Okita better than most, and was aware that he had been backed into a corner in which no response would’ve pleased his friend.
“Eh, you scare Saito away? What’d ya say this time?” Heisuke Toudou’s cheerful teasing caught Souji’s attention as he turned to stare up at him.
Souji’s expression changed again, his cutting glare turning back into his usual taunting smile as he said, “Toudou, wouldn’t you agree that Yukimura is beautiful?” Souji’s eyes watched as Heisuke casually searched the room for Yukimura, a gentle smile graced his youthful face as he found her in the crowd. Souji’s eyes narrowed, and his smile became more vicious as he waited for a response.
Heisuke’s eyes closed and a large, excited smile covered his face as he turned his head to face Souji, “Ya, she totally is, man!”
In less than a second after Heisuke’s sentence ending, Okita’s blade shaved off the baby hairs along Heisuke’s neck as it pointed to an artery.
Heisuke’s eyes grew wide, “oh, yah? No other man’s allowed to agree she’s beautiful now, asshole? Rather than pulling this shit on me, you might wanna tell that to the jerk next to her at the bar.” Heisuke’s chin lifted in the direction of Yukimura.
Souji’s eyes began burning with passion as he found the man in question. He sheathed his sword as he began to walk towards the bar, his boots projecting a quiet but steady clack with every step.
