Starry Night

Just a tiny fic for Hijikata's birthday! I got the idea in bed this week, starring at the phosphorescent stars on my ceiling while thinking about what I could write to celebrate Hijikata's birthday! Hope you'll enjoy it! ★

_________________________________

There's breeze, it's not strong enough to mess his hair up or make him shiver, but it's strong enough to make the paper from their sandwiches crinkle and rustle in their hold.

Gintoki curses as he's forced to hastily get up, running after the piece of wrapping that slipped through his greasy fingers and is now being blown away.

Hijikata watches him from where he's sitting, smiling softly at the scene.

The sight is so inherently Gintoki that it pulls on the strings of his heart, makes him put away the scene in the corner of his mind dedicated to heart-warming memories he thinks about when melancholy gets the best of him.

For now, though, he watches Gintoki walk back slowly, triumphantly, proud of himself from having caught rubbish he'd let fly away in the first place.

Hijikata does not fail to notice that, when he sits back down, Gintoki scoots closer to him. Hijikata won't complain.

Sitting on the riverbank, the sound of running water from the river below is soft, but loud enough to mute the buzzing coming from the city. They'd wandered to the riverbank after having strolled through the city centre in search of tranquillity, finally choosing to sit on the dewy ground to eat.

It's not pitch-black, and it allows Hijikata to look at Gintoki's profile as he picks up his sandwich, taking an excessive bite, red bean paste dripping down his mouth.

Mindlessly, Hijikata reaches out the smudge with his thumb, swiping it and bringing it to his lips.

Gintoki does not stop munching as he watches him, his eyes crinkling at the corner as he smiles at Hijikata.

It makes Hijikata's heart lurch, and he wants to kiss him right here and there, his mouth full to be damned. He doesn't.

Instead, he resumes eating, enjoying his own mayonnaise-filled sandwich. With a contented sigh, he looks up at the sky.

The stars are visible, tonight.

It has been a while since Hijikata has taken the time to take a break and truly appreciate a night like this. It's been so long he realises he had almost forgotten how beautiful the tiny lighted dots carpeting the sky were.

Hijikata can see the moon, too. She's silvery, a colour he has grown fond of recently, for some unexplainable reason. It isn't unexplainable, but Hijikata simply refuses to acknowledge it.

He takes the last bite of his sandwich and lies down on the grass, gaze still lost in the stars.

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Gintoki move.

The silver-haired man waves at the empty paper in his hand, looking sheepish as he says 'It isn't much..'

'No, no, it's great,' Hijikata stops him, shakes his head as he looks at the other man. 'It's already much more than I had expected, actually.' He snorts. 'I was planning on staying in the barracks and finish paperwork until the crack of dawn, anyway. I much prefer to be here.' 'with you' is left unsaid, but both men hear it anyway.

Gintoki's smile is soft, genuinely pleased by Hijikata's words. He laces their fingers together. 'Well, then, since you were already planning on staying awake all night long, what do you say we stay up to catch the sunrise?' He asks.

'I wouldn't want anything else.' Hijikata answers, squeezing Gintoki's fingers in return.