Hey there! This is…really not at all what I was expecting it to be. It started as this merry little lemon ((if you see that warning there)) and then instead of being silly Souji went and opened his mouth and…you know, I'll just let you read it. Because despite not being silly, I think it's better off this way.

And hey! A big thank you to Paname for sparking this idea in the first place! :D

And I think you can tell, but just in case, this is loosely based before the war when they are still in headquarters… you can pick which one if you so desire XP

Disclaimer: ::shakes head sadly::

"talking" thinking ((me))

An Unspoken Agreement

"Excuse me," Chizuru said as she slid the door to Hijikata's room open. Hijikata made a sound of acknowledgement as she entered the room, busy writing down a few final thoughts in an undoubtedly important letter. Chizuru carried a sheaf of blank papers over to his desk. "Hijikata-san, I brought you the extra paper you asked for—" She stopped talking as she approached him, confused to see a fresh pile of blank paper neatly stacked in the corner of his writing desk.

Hijikata finished his letter and set his brush down, coming to stand before her. "Thank you," he said, taking the papers from her and dropping them haphazardly onto his desk without a glance. He continued to stare at her, violet gaze piercing straight through her.

Chizuru remained confused and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you need—mmf!" her words ended in a muffled exclamation as Hijikata's lips suddenly engulfed hers, attacking her mouth with unrestrained need and urgency.

"I didn't," Hijikata murmured in between kisses as he pushed her backwards, "But I did need you."

Chizuru couldn't help but respond to Hijikata's overtures, wrapping her arms around his neck even as her mind continued to protest. "But, there's a meeting—"

"Which is more than five minutes away," Hijikata said shortly, having already decided that the time for conversation was over. "That's time enough." He ran out of room to push Chizuru backwards, finally pressing her into the wall, his hand slipping into the top folds of her haori as his rigid arousal made its presence known against her hip.

"Time enough for—Hijikata-san!" she exclaimed in a half-protest, half-moan as his hand found her breast, caressing her roughly. His lips found hers again, nipping her lower lip before pulling back, giving her the look of the 'Demon Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi' that left no room for complaints or objections.

"Drop the –san already," he said shortly before molding the rest of his body flush to hers, free hand persistently working at untying her hakama. Chizuru finally gave in to Hijikata and her body's demands, tugging the tie out of his hair to run her fingers through the silky midnight strands.

"Alright…Hijikata," Chizuru murmured urgently as her body came to life at his touch; Hijikata devoted both hands to the urgent task of untying her hakama. Her own hands pulled apart the front of his haori and yukata, tracing every inch of defined muscle that was made available to her. Her hakama fell to the floor, and Hijikata outlined the shell of her ear with his tongue.

"Jump," he mumbled, and Chizuru freed herself from her hakama by jumping up, wrapping her legs around Hijikata's waist. Hijikata caught her, grasping her thighs and using his body to pin her to the wall, lips trailing down her neck to nip harshly at her collarbone. She gasped as he laved over the angered flesh with his tongue, using his nose to nudge her haori aside further.

"Five minutes," Chizuru said breathily as she reached a hand between their bodies, plucking at the ties of his hakama with one hand. She wasn't sure how she did it, but she was somehow able to loosen his hakama enough to reach inside, shoving the straining tie of his fundoshi out of the way to free him from his clothing. Hijikata let out a groan of pure need as she gripped him firmly, returning his lips to hers while she adjusted her hips, sheathing his arousal in her more-than-willing body—

Voices in the outside hallway caused the pair to freeze, eyes locking as they heard them move closer and closer. The panic grew in Chizuru's brown eyes as Hijikata's gaze sharpened; he could practically hear her mentally screaming There's not enough time; someone's going to see-!

Never one to back down from a challenge, Hijikata tightened his grip around Chizuru and stepped away from the wall, ignoring the pleasure rocketing through him from the movement as he slid open the nearby door of his closet, pressing them both snuggly inside and dragging her hakama in after them with his foot. As soon as he slid the door shut the door to his room slid open. "Hijikata-san, it's time to—wha? Where'd he go?" They heard Heisuke's confused voice come from the vicinity of the front of the room. "He was just here…"

"He's probably there already," Sanosuke's voice followed, and the door slid shut before their voices started fading away. Hijikata didn't miss a beat, grinding Chizuru's hips down onto his as he thrust upward at a rapid clip. Their near discovery only served to make Chizuru feel hotter, and she held onto his shoulders tightly, doing her best to keep up with him as she kissed him passionately, desperately—

Hijikata tore his lips away from hers, leaving more love bites on her collarbone as his speed increased, arms tensing as he pushed his strength to the limit. "One minute, Chizuru," he ground out, clenching his teeth as he resisted his release, moving his hips faster and faster as he willed Chizuru to go with him.

"Hiji…kata," she panted, canting her hips further forward so his next thrust hit something deep inside her that caused her entire body to spasm in pleasure. She sealed her mouth back over his as her climax overcame her, letting out a strangled moan against his lips. Hijikata bit her lip when he felt her release, unable to hold himself back any longer as his arms locked around her, holding her tightly in place as he pounded into her, spending himself inside her. He took a shaky step back, sending clothes falling from a shelf as he leaned against it partially before breaking apart from her lips, breathing hard. She stared deeply into his eyes for a second, catching her breath. She then gave him one more desperate kiss before she unwound herself from him, sliding down his body to stand on the floor.

"They're probably waiting for you," she said, as she started to right his clothes, "You should hurry."

"I have a mind to keep them waiting," Hijikata said huskily, catching her cheek in his hand, fiery violet gaze searing hers.

"You know that wouldn't be a good idea," she said, and he sighed, looking away.

"You're right," he allowed, "…for now, at least." He opened the closet door, turning away from her as he stepped out, reaching down to pick up his hair tie. "I'll go on ahead then."

"And I'll go make some tea," Chizuru replied, reaching down for her hakama. Hijikata fixed his hair and strode to the door, about to open it when Chizuru called out for him.

"Hijikata?" she said, and he turned, grinning slightly at the cute way she blushingly held her hakama about her waist. "…Come to me tonight?" she asked quietly, only barely meeting his gaze.

Hijikata's grin turned into a warm and tender smile. "Alright," he said before he opened the door, stepping outside.

-((10 Minutes Later))-

"Excuse me," Chizuru said as she slid open the door to the meeting room, carrying a tray laden with hot tea for the captains inside. She silently moved about the room, trying not to interrupt as she knelt down by each group to hand out the drinks. She handed one to Hijikata, who nodded in thanks as he casually continued speaking. Chizuru continued her task, silently congratulating herself for not blushing a million different shades of red in that small moment—

"Chizuru-chan, what's wrong?" Souji asked suddenly, breaking the current flow of conversation as he stared at Chizuru, who was kneeling beside Saito, leaning over to hand Souji his tea. She paused in the act of leaning back, brows knitting together in confusion as he continued, gesturing at her collarbone. "You have what looks to be a very nasty bruise there. Did you fall?"

Chizuru (and the rest of the Shinsengumi) followed his gaze to her collarbone; leaning forward had loosened her collar, exposing one of her new love bites from Hijikata's earlier treatment. Her face bloomed into sudden color as she reared back, sputtering and standing with the empty tray. "Y-Yes, Okita-san, I-I did fall, a little while earlier," she said vaguely, backpedaling towards the door, "But I'm fine, really! Nothing to worry about!" She could see the amusement growing in his eyes as she blustered out her explanation, and before he could say anything more she disappeared out the door, mortified.

Hijikata covered his eyes with a hand as Souji continued to voice his "concern." "I hope she's okay," Souji continued worriedly, his every word dripping with sarcasm and overdramatics. "What do you think, Hijikata-san?"

Hijikata held back a sigh. He knew that his captains weren't stupid, and he was fairly certain that they'd been aware of his current relations with Chizuru for quite some time. However, it had turned into a sort of unspoken agreement not to talk about it, for Chizuru's sake.

That is, until now. "I think that it's none of your business, Souji," he said, eyes flashing as he dared him to continue.

Souji sighed. "True," he allowed. "But someone should probably check on her to make sure she's okay."

"I'll check on her," Hijikata said automatically in a tone that effectively ended the discussion. "Later."

Souji dropped all pretense as he grinned slyly. "I'm sure you will."

"Enough, Souji," Saito said forcefully before Hijikata could respond and further escalate the situation. Souji raised both hands in mock surrender, and the meeting continued as usual with no further incidents. Afterwards, Hijikata held Souji back from the group as the rest filed out of the room.

"Yes?" Souji said once the two were alone.

"Apologize to Chizuru," Hijikata said without preamble; it was not a request either. Souji put a hand to his heart in mock surprise.

"What? And admit to Chizuru that the entire Shinsengumi knows about you two? I don't think you really want me to do that," he said, starting to head out the door. Hijikata stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I do," Hijikata said, gaze intense as he continued, "but…it's not really the best time," he admitted, looking away.

"That's strange," Souji commented offhandedly, "We risk our lives every day, and you think it's a bad time to be open and cherish the one you care about? Sounds like it's the perfect time to me," he said before breaking away and heading out the door. Hijikata paused, frozen in place as the reality of what Souji said washed over him.

"Dammit," Hijikata muttered as he left the room, "That little shit is right."

-((That Night))-

Chizuru lay quietly curled up in her futon, listening to the sounds of the night as she waited for Hijikata. Her thoughts were troubled as she tossed and turned, restless in both mind and body. Okita-san knows, she thought, and she knew without question that her hypothesis was true. She knew that glint in his eye, and there could be no denying the truth anymore. The question was, what to do about it? They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret for the good of the Shinsengumi, to avoid posing needless difficulties for the rest of the captains to worry about in potential life-threatening situations. She was already enough of a hindrance as it was, in her opinion. She didn't want to be a source of contention or distress. But if Souji knew…it's not like he would willingly keep a secret. What should they—

Her racing thoughts ground to a halt as her door quietly slid open, and she turned to see Hijikata standing above her, framed in moonlight. He reached out to her, and she sat up, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. He kept hold of her hand. "Hijika—"

"The captains know," he said bluntly, and whatever she was about to say died in her throat.

"Everyone knows?" Chizuru said incredulously, "And here I was worrying about Okita-san…What should we—"

Chizuru squeaked as Hijikata tugged on her hand, pulling her roughly against him as his hands wrapped around her waist. "I'm not upset about it," Hijikata said in her ear with quiet sincerity, and despite her worries Chizuru couldn't help but relax in his secure embrace.

"But…Everyone—"

"Will learn to deal with it," Hijikata finished for her, his grip tightening. "Here's the truth of it: I need you Chizuru, and I think it's time that we stopped sneaking around. I could die tomorrow out on rounds; is it so bad to want to be able to give you a kiss goodbye? To want to call you to my room without pretense? To want to wipe that smug smirk off Souji's face the next time he's being a smartass towards you?" Chizuru giggled. "I know that it will probably cause some problems, but we'll overcome them: you, me, and everyone together. You're too important to me; there's no other option. Understood?"

Chizuru couldn't hold back a smile of pure happiness. When Hijikata put it that way, it sounded so simple. She already trusted him with her body, life, and future: why not trust him in this? She pulled back enough to meet his intense expression. "Is that an order?" she asked, standing on her tiptoes to bring her lips closer to his.

A spark of mischief appeared in Hijikata's eyes. "Do you want it to be?"

Still not tall enough, Chizuru brought her kisses to Hijikata's jawline, her attentions rapidly becoming more insistent. "I'd rather you order me to do something else…"

Hijikata chuckled, dipping his head down to catch her lips in a proper kiss. "So no more sneaking?" he asked seriously once he pulled away.

Chizuru nodded. "No more sneaking. Now, why don't you make yourself more comfortable, Vice-Commander? You look like you've had a trying day…"

Hijikata smirked, bringing his lips back to hers as he shut the door with a soft whoosh. From the shadows in the garden, a pair of emerald eyes glittered in amusement, as if privy to some great secret that no one else knew.

"Good choice, Hijikata-san," Souji said to himself as he leisurely walked back to his own room, "Good choice."

-((The End!))-

So yeah, short with fluffiness! I really enjoy writing Souji, even when he's being a complete and utter asshole. But hey, he cares! In his own Souji way. Teeheee.

If you're a fan of Happy Ending, know that Chikage's story is coming….I just don't have an idea yet. -_-

Please please please let me know what you think! I love reviews!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou