#karisuke

They’d begun the day by going to a local farm and picking out pumpkins. Heisuke had originally chosen a giant one before seeing Kari’s weary look as he hefted it up with surprising ease, and began to carry it over to her. She’d picked out two baby pumpkins, one of them had a large leaf wrapped near the stem. His look of gentle confusion over her adamance on keeping both the pumpkins she’d chosen made her blush. She knew that she was being uncharacteristically stubborn, and as soon as he’d quietly asked, ‘Kari-chan, those are really cute, but I thought we were picking our own pumpkins? I can’t really carve those for you…’ she’d known she had to come clean.

So, head turned away in utter embarrassment and secretly cursing Heisuke for being able to consistently peel off her confident exterior like a bandaid with his sincerity, she’d muttered out her reasonings. One of the little pumpkins, the one with the leaf, well, it’d been spiky enough and shaped just right to match his bangs. The other pumpkin had curled vines on it, and she’d humiliatingly thought it resembled her plaguingly consistent disheveled hair. Kari raised the latte she held up to her cheek thinking about how softly he touched her in that moment, that endearing look in his eyes, and she picked up the pace again. Their coffees sloshed inside the plastic cups as Heisuke still, thankfully, refrained from pulling them to a sudden stop and instead remained quite focused on trying to keep up.

After the pumpkins, they’d grabbed iced lattes, the weather crisp but still warm enough to enjoy a cold drink as long as it was paired with a spiced pumpkin muffin-- warmed to perfection, of course. They stayed at the cafe only long enough to enjoy their muffin, a good decision since Kari got to see the cute flush across Heisuke’s face when she held the muffin up to his lips for him to take a bite… and because she can still feel the way his soft lips caressed her fingers when he took the bite.

As they got closer and closer to their last stop of the day, Kari looked back toward Heisuke. She grinned with excitement, her wild hair flying erratically with the rushing wind. His look of concern quickly morphed into one of enthusiasm when he caught her gaze. His own ponytail whipped behind him and his large teal eyes sparkled at her. She had to look away again to catch her breath, wanting nothing more than to kiss him right then and there, with her heart skipping beats as frantically as their feet flying off the ground, but knowing this place was worth the wait. 

They finally arrived at the end of the hill to a stunning array of fall colors; sunflowers, orange chrysanthemums, rudbeckias, and trees with changing leaves now surrounded them. Kari’s hand slipped from Heisuke’s grip during his shock, and skillfully grabbed both coffees, setting them down amongst a small patch of soft grass. As she straightened up to face him again, Heisuke’s mouth was still wide open as he took in the sight, his chestnut hair and teal irises looked at home here in the autumn views, and his oft-thought ridiculous yellow hoodie was nothing unlike the sun peeking through the treeline, shining brightly amongst the flowers. A fitting metaphor for a man that made Kari smile and made her heart warm as much as he did. 

She carefully brought her hands up to his cheeks, grinning while his eyes found a way to grow wider even still. Her thumb leisurely stoked his cheek as she whispered her question, “How’s the view? Was it worth almost spilling your latte, Heisuke-kun?” 

A smile that could’ve dazzled anyone, from monarchs to gods, shined at Kari. With blush kissed cheeks burning warmly against her hands, she felt the winds whip around them as if they were urging her closer to him. He cautiously removed her hands from his face, leaving them to rest across his shoulders as he pulled her in his arms.