A FIC WITH MY SON? I'M IN! The fic is short and soft, because for this time I said no to the angst!
The Gift of Spring
🌷Pairing: Okita x Goddess of Nature!reader. The reader is teen!
The morning in which Okita arrives ― a flash of blue under the clear sky, the sound of a happy run, and a serene laugh ―, all one hundred of your cats begin to meow joyfully since dawn, stretching in every corner of the house and surrounding you with their tails straight in the air, eyes wide open with anticipation and a concert of purring, paws caressing your robe and claws gently scratching just to get your attention.
«What is happening? I already know that spring has arrived, you don’t have to tell me; and no, unfortunately I’m busy this morning, I can’t play with you», you murmur as you caress them one by one and at the same time try to fix your hair, huffing every time you look in the mirror and discarding another one dress ― adolescence is the worst, I can’t wait for this century to end, I can’t stand it anymore… and look here! Another pimple! ―, and eventually giving again all your attention to the felines, more and more restless and eager to get out into the open air. Strangely, however, this morning they don’t disperse into the garden as soon as you open the door, but follow you like lambs as you walk among meadows and valleys, scattering seeds, buds and corollas everywhere, and meanwhile they play together, making even more noise than usual. Keeping an eye on them and one on the vegetation you give birth to and the animals you attract with it, between one task and another you also discover one of the monumental gardens that can be found throughout Valhalla; and here you breathe as you take a moment to rest, and a hint of shame arises in your heart at the thought of what you are about to do. Anyway.
Some of your cats stop to watch you as you sit on one of the benches and your hands fill with all the flowers a deity could imagine, which end up twisted into large and long garlands, and you turn your head away, knowing how much your furry friends are judging you; but it can’t be otherwise, you think. «I know you don’t like nymphs, on the other hand I wouldn’t like being chased either because they want to steal my whiskers!, but… but they have all the remedies I need and promised to teach me their secrets of beauty… a few crowns of their favorite flowers as an exchange gift won’t be the end of the world.»
«I shouldn’t, you’re right. I’ll just do a few, then I’ll take you guys somewhere to play and we’ll go fishing too.»
You smile, murmuring a “forgive me” that only you can hear; then your hands begin to create and create, without brakes and for minutes and minutes more, so that everything can end as soon as possible and you feel less guilty, even if you know well that it won’t be like this, and―
«Nyaaaah? How many cats are there?»
You freeze as soon as you hear the sound of a young and carefree voice approaching, and you turn your head towards the entrance to the garden; just the time to see someone running inside it, and some of your cats vanish, as if sucked by a figure that passes through the paths with the speed of a tornado. Your eyes widen, your hands clench and you jump up, your legs ready to spring… when suddenly you hear the meow of the felines not far from you: a happy sound, full of enthusiasm and satisfaction, the same one that comes from their chests and throats when you stroke their fur and cuddle them in your arms. Is it possible that…?
You just need to take a few steps and go around a hedge, and a young man with a beautiful blue and white haori appears in your sight. Crouched on the ground with his legs crossed, his arms are literally crawling with your cats: they go everywhere, jump into his lap and onto his shoulders, catch his ponytail, nibble his fingers and hide in the sleeves of his haori, and he laughs like a child: laughters so innocent, so sweet, that you can’t help but be moved by the scene.
The boy raises his head as soon as you start to get closer, somehow sensing your footsteps that don’t make any noise, and when he sees you he opens his mouth wide and smiles. «Hello, good morning. You are a goddess, right? Your flower crowns are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen!»
You remain silent for a moment, then nod, blushing a little and lowering your eyes. «Yes-yes, I am a goddess. I… I can do better than flower crowns, believe me… and they’re not much of a thing, after all…»
The young man continues to pet the cats with one hand, then extends the other towards you, without haste, and points to the garland you still have between your fingers. «No? So can I take this?»
«Do-do you really want it? But it’s nothing special. Well, fine, it’s yours.» You hesitate for a moment, then hand it to him, so dazed by the events and words of this young human that you no longer even think about what you are doing ― nor you lose yourself in contemplating the fact you should have nothing to do with a mortal: that was never important to you.
The young man thanks with a nod, then turns the cherry blossoms that fall on his palms between his fingers; and only then do you realize, and your gaze is drawn to the swords put next to his legs. «You are a samurai…»
«Oh yes, you’re right, I am!», replies the boy, smiling again. «I am Okita Soji, captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi!»
«Yes! Haven’t you ever heard of us?» Upon noticing your gaze, Okita chuckles, then pats the ground next to him. And you just can’t resist that friendly gesture; and as you sit by his side, suddenly nymphs, crowns, beauty secrets, insecurities and fears move further and further away, like a ghost that has no reason to stay any longer.
«A goddess should always be honored with gifts; and she has already given me her crown, so I can only tell her a story, and hope that it will be enough to repay her kindness.»
Your eyes light up. «It will be, I have no doubt! And otherwise… otherwise, I will ask you for another story, and another one, until I am satisfied.»
The handshake you give each other to seal the agreement is firm and gentle at the same time; and in the folds of your robe, a single pink tulip sways in the breeze, taking in all the light of the early sun and wondering what this morning will bring.
🌷 Cherry blossoms have always been linked to the figure of the samurai. In the Chiruran Shinsengumi Requiem manga, where the figure of Okita Soji is shown for the first time as we see him in RoR, Okita and his companions are defined as “the last cherry blossoms that will not bear fruit.”
🌷 Pink tulip: “Beginning of a love story”
