The cold was worse than usual in Ezo.
How much worse? The amount of snow outside made it impossible to step outside, so everyone had to stay indoors for the day. There wasn't much work to be done in these conditions, but Chizuru was not surprised that Hijikata found some way to overwork himself despite that. And that was after "forgetting" to blow out the candle last night again.
Well, she was having none of it. She would grab the pen from his hand and sweep all the papers off his desk if need be. He would take a break today, whether he liked it or not. If he didn't listen, she would have no choice but to remind him that she was an Edo girl.
With those thoughts in mind, she nodded confidently, picked up the tray, and headed for his office.
She stopped in front of the door and called out,"Hijikata-san."
Pressing her ear to the door, she heard the sound of pages being turned, followed by his response: "Come in."
As soon as she entered the room and closed the door behind her, she turned to him with her mouth open to lecture him…
…and she closed her mouth when she saw what he was doing.
He was working on something, just not paperwork. The papers she expected to find him filling out had already been completed and put to the side. His gaze was focused on the book on his desk, a faint smile decorating his face as he wrote in it. He looked so relaxed and happy that she giggled at the sight.
His head snapped up. He looked at her with wide eyes for a moment, then smiled and sighed."What? Is the sight of me not doing work that shocking and amusing?" He grimaced and lifted a hand to interrupt her when her lips twitched."Don't answer that." With a headshake, he returned to writing in the book.
Chizuru gazed at him fondly as she approached, placing the tray on the desk and pouring a cup of tea for him. He muttered his gratitude when she placed the cup next to him.
"What are you writing?" She asked, pouring a cup for herself.
Hijikata stiffened, the slightest and briefest blush coloring his cheeks. This just made her more curious, though she did not push the issue. After a moment, he glanced at her, put his pen down, and pushed the book toward her while picking up his cup to take a sip. He watched her the entire time as she examined the object.
Chizuru blinked."Is this…haiku?" The same collection Souji used to steal?
Hijikata met her gaze and nodded. His smile was sad, an indication that he was remembering the old days as well."I thought I'd never see this again, but turns out it was close by this whole time. I didn't have much to do today, so I figured I'd try my hand at it again." He lowered his eyes."It feels nice to remember."
"I understand the feeling," Chizuru said quietly. She felt like that about her journal.
Silence settled over them until Hijikata broke it with a snort. Chizuru gave him a questioning look. He inclined his head.
"Souji would have loved to steal this and run around reciting it for everyone to hear," he said, gesturing to the book."Saito would ask what the meaning of each poem is. And everyone else would be laughing their asses off while I chased the brat."
Giggling, Chizuru hummed in agreement. They exchanged smiles, then Hijikata looked to window. The silence returned.
Chizuru turned and walked to the divan to sit down. She sipped her tea and shifted slightly in her seat. While the room was warm and the tea equally so, the freezing weather outside was still effective. She tried to distract herself by getting lost in her thoughts.
She was snapped back into reality when the tray was placed on the table in front of her by Hijikata, who walked back to his desk to get his book. He sat down next to her, which was pleasantly surprising enough on its own, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She gasped as her ear rested over his heart.
"Hijikata-san," she murmured. Pleasant tingles ran down her spine as he caressed her back with his fingertips, and she blushed as she cuddled further against him.
She completely forgot about the cold as he held the haiku book so both of them could silently read the poetry together, enjoying one another's warmth and the bittersweet memories.