#thinking about kaze hikaru again *sigh*

[yuushiiblog]

Sei and Souji in modern au ♡

[thetimetravelinglady]

OkiSei go for ice cream

Here is that little fic I mentioned last night.   It’s just a short one, but I’m putting it under a cut so followers who are not here for Kaze Hikaru won’t be bothered by it.  To those who are KH fans, I hope you enjoy.  Special thanks to @peggaboo for the prompt.

They had been standing in line for a half hour and Sei was getting bored.

“This had better be some good ice cream, Okita-sensei,” she grumbled as she wiped sweat from her brow.

Unlike Sei, her captain was still in a cheerful mood.  “I’ve been told this is the best place to get ice cream in Kyoto.  Besides, what’s the hurry?  It’s our day off.”

Sei sighed.  Yes, it was their day off.  A day she had hoped to use to get some much needed housekeeping done.  But when Okita had popped into the troop hall and invited her to join him to get ice cream on what felt like the hottest day of the summer, how could she say no?

“Yes, but it’s more than a little out of the way from our usual routes.��� In fact, they were far out of their regular stomping grounds, making Sei wonder how Okita had found out this place.  “Oh, and it’s also hot as bal-”

Okita nudged her side.  “Goodness, Kamiya, what a mouth you’ve developed.  You’ve been spending too much time with Hijikata.”  But he chuckled and it was obvious that he found the comparison between his friends amusing, though Sei had no desire to become like the older officer.

The line inched forward and they shuffled ever closer to the front door of the ice cream shop.  When they had first arrived, the line was out the door and snaked down the sidewalk and Sei had suggested that they come back another day.  Okita had pouted like a toddler and Sei had quickly admitted surrender.  

So here they were, standing under the oppressive summer heat, waiting in line for what Sei hoped would be some damn good ice cream.

“We’re almost to the door now,” Okita noted cheerfully.  “So it won’t be much longer.”

Sei nodded and wiped sweat from her forehead… again.  “I hope so.”

“Besides, if the line is this long, then it must be great ice cream,”  Okita said with a grin.  As usual, with his mind on sweets, there wasn’t much that could dampen his mood.

Hot and sweaty as she was, Sei could help but admire her friend’s positive attitude.  Very little seemed to ever hold him down for long and there were times that she wished she could let go of her own worries as easily.  But there was much that weighed on her and she sometimes found it hard to lift them off her shoulders.

Okita’s phone buzzed as they shuffled forward again.  He reached into his shorts’ pocket and pulled out the phone and glanced at the screen.  A wide grin broke out on his face.

“What is it?” Sei asked curiously.  

He held out the phone to show her what he was looking at.  “My sister’s new baby.  He’s just so cute!”

Sure enough, he was a darling infant, so small and soft, with dimples and tiny fingers.  Sei couldn’t help but smile.  “He’s adorable.  Tell your sister congrats for me.”

He nodded as he took back his phone and rapidly typed.  There was a soft look in his eye that made something in Sei’s chest almost ache.  “I wish you could meet my family.  They would love you.”

Sei was glad that it was hot and that she was already sweaty because she couldn’t help but flush at his words.  That was the kind of thing one would say to their girlfriend, not their assistant.  It reminded her, yet again, of the strange position she was in and of the things that she sometimes wished for.  How different it would be if she was the sort of girl that Okita could bring home to meet his sisters and family.

“Okita…”

“Oh, look!  The line’s moving again.  Now we’ll be inside in the air conditioning.”

Sure enough, the queue had surged forward enough for them to finally make it through the front doors of the shop.  The cool blast of air was deliciously refreshing on Sei’s skin and it smelled sweet enough to make her sigh happily.

It was busy in the shop.  There wasn’t a single empty table to be seen.  But at least the line in here was short and there were plenty of staff hopping about behind the counter.  A large board overhead listed the flavors, more than two dozen of them.

“What are you going to get?” Sei asked and glanced at Okita.

His mouth was hanging open, his eyes round and almost sparkling.  “I’ve never seen so many flavors!”

Kid in a candy store. Sei mused to herself and turned her own attention back to the board.

There were all of the standard flavors, of course, but then at least half a dozen she’d never heard before.  She and Okita were silent as they both attempted to sorts through all of the choices.  Fortunately, Sei quickly made up her mind to get a cone with one scoop of cherry and one scoop of peach.  Okita ordered two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a chocolate dipped waffle cone.

When Sei pulled out her wallet, he gently pushed her hand away.  “My treat.”  She opened her mouth to argue, but Okita shook his head.  He reached out and softly patted her head.  “It’s my thanks for coming out with me.”

Sei cocked her head, frowning slightly.  “Of course I came with you.”

“I mean, you didn’t have to though.  It’s not for work.”  He shrugged and paid the cashier.

Caught off guard by the sudden lump in her throat, Sei just gazed at Okita for a long moment.  He turned and grinned at her, seemingly unaware of the fact that she could feel her pulse somewhere near her tonsils.

“Come on, let’s find a bench in the park or something.  It’s too crowded in here.”  He wheeled her about, even as he took a bite of ice cream and made a delighted noise that caused Sei to blush.  “Oh gosh, this is amazing.”

Sei carefully licked the top scoop and almost had to close her eyes.  This was definitely the best ice cream she’d ever eaten in Kyoto.  

As they stepped back out onto the sidewalk and headed away from the shop, Okita grinned brightly and lightly poked at her ribs.  “What did I tell you?  Think it was worth it now?”

She smiled, despite trying to keep her expression cool.  “I admit this is some pretty good ice cream.”

Okita hummed happily to himself as they made their way to a small park a few blocks away.  They found an empty bench to sit on under the shade of a large maple tree, reveling in the relative cool of the shade.

“This is how summer days should be spent,” he sighed.  

“Boiling in one’s own skin?” Sei quipped.  She was none too fond of the sticky summer months of Kyoto.  Spring seemed to be the best time of year to her:  the flowers in bloom, the city at its prettiest, and warm days without the humidity of the next season.

Her friend laughed.  “Are you sure that’s not just your hotheadedness getting the better of you?”

Sei gave a decisive huff and stuffed her mouth with ice cream to keep herself from speaking.  Despite her silence, Okita continued grinning.

“You’re too easy to rile up, Kamiya.  Just like…”

“I know, I know.  Just like Hijikata-sensei.”  She rolled her eyes.  

They were silent for a few minutes, as they each enjoyed their cones.  Sei was trying hard to not let it drip onto her shorts and risk getting sticky.  Okita seemed to have little regard, just licking his fingers as the ice cream sometimes dribbled onto him.

As usual, Sei was comfortable with the quiet between them.  It was the of the things she liked best about her friendship with Okita.  There was not always a need to fill every silence.  It was very easy for them to be comfortable and take simple pleasure just from the presence of the other.  Even after the ice cream was gone, they stayed there on the bench and watched other people pass by.

It was during this lull that Okita’s hand brushed against Sei’s.  She felt as if an electric current ran up her arm and through her heart.  Before she could second guess that maybe she had just imagined the touch, Okita reached out again and laced his fingers through hers.

“Okita?” Sei cocked her head questioningly.

He glanced over at her with a softer smile than before, almost a shy expression.  “I just… I’d like to hold your hand for a little while if that’s alright.”

She nodded and the lump in her throat from not long before returned.  “Mhmm.”

A gentle squeeze and he faced forward again.  “I’m glad to spend my days with you, both on and off duty.”

“As am I,” Sei managed to reply.

When Okita spoke next, his voice had dropped to almost a murmur and Sei had to listen very carefully.  “Maybe, if you like, we could come back and do this again on another day off?”

“Visit the ice cream store?”

Sei could have sworn that she saw his ears turn pink and his throat bob slightly before he answered, “Yes.  But mostly… this.  Spending time with you.   Just you.”

For a moment, she wasn’t certain that she had heard him right, but from the expectant look in Okita’s eyes, she knew she’d heard him right.  She smiled warmly at him.

“I think we could arrange something.”

Okita swept her hand up, fingers still laced with his, until his lips lightly brushed across her knuckles.  “Then it’s one more reason to look forward to our days off.”