Gintama x Reader One Shots

Okita Sougo x Reader: Not Part of the Plan

It was late evening when (F/N) heard a knock on the door. She didn't respond, sitting still on the couch with her knees tucked up to her chest, head slumped forward like a broken bobblehead.

The knock came again, more insistent this time. Then the door swung open, followed closely by a bored-sounding voice.

"(F/N)-chan, I'm letting myself in. Do you have any food?"

(F/N) didn't respond. She remained where she was, sitting in the dark with her face buried in her knees. The TV was playing somewhere in the background, the lights flickering over her body, but she'd long-since lost track of what was playing.

Heavy footfalls echoed through the apartment, growing closer.

"(F/N)-chan!" the voice called. "Are you there? Did you get stuck under the bed again? (F/N)-cha—"

The voice cut off. (F/N) was dimly aware of the shadow standing in her door—brown hair and a boyish face, clad in a Shinsengumi uniform. It was none other than Okita Sougo, her best friend since before she could even remember.

He paused in the doorway only a moment, then came to sit beside her, a hand falling onto her shoulder.

"Hey, talk to me. What happened?"

(F/N) hesitated. She didn't want to say it—especially not to him—but it didn't matter. He'd find out in the morning, one way or another.

"Hijikata and I...broke up."

His fingers dug into her shoulder.

"I see..."

He got to his feet, and turned to the door.

"If you'll excuse me, I have someone I need to kill."

"Sougo, wait!"

She leapt to her feet, but by then, he was already halfway to the door, sword in hand.

"Sougo!" She sprang forward, and grabbed his arm. "Please stop! Hijikata didn't do anything wrong! It was mutual!"

She hated to admit it, but it was true. There hadn't been any fights, or cheating, or any of the other horrible things she saw on TV. All that happened were minor disagreements, awkward silences, a lack of interest and attention when they talked...It hadn't taken long for them to realize the spark had died, and it would be better for both of them if they broke things off for good.

(F/N) had thought it would be better this way—easier—but it wasn't. She couldn't help but mourn the future she thought she'd have, and the longer she'd sat there, alone in her living room with the light from the TV flickering on the walls, the more it hurt.

Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Okita paused. He looked at her, then at the door, and before long, she found herself pulled into his arms, cradled gently against his chest.

"There, there," he said, guiding her back towards the couch. "You'll be fine. Don't cry over him. He doesn't deserve it."

In spite of herself, (F/N) choked back a chuckle. It was hard to believe that even after all this time, he was still holding that grudge. Only, those thoughts reminded her of Hijikata—the day she'd met him, listening to Okita rant about how annoying he was, and watching the way the little boy scowled when she spoke to him. What had she been talking to Hijikata about that day? That's right...

The thought only made her cry harder.

"I'm such an idiot..." she whimpered. "I should've tried harder..."

"You did fine," Okita said, running his fingers through her hair. "You did everything you could."

"But then why did it turn out this way? Why did I have to be so stupid?"

"You're not stupid."

"Yes I am!" She pushed back against his chest, tearing herself away. "I'm stupid and ugly and useless and I never even deserved a guy like him!"

"(F/N)—"

"Shut up! It was all my fault! It was my fault everything went wrong! It was my fault he wasn't happy! All I ever did was drag him down! If only I wasn't such an annoying idiot! Then maybe I could've—"

"(F/N), stop—"

"No, you stop! You don't understand! It's all my fault! It's all my fault, and now—"

Before she could go any further, something soft landed on her lips, swallowing her words.

It took (F/N) a minute to figure out what was going on—why Sougo's face was so close to hers, and what that warmth against her lips really was. When she did, everything screeched to a halt. Why would he do this? Why would Sougo kiss her? Was he just trying to distract her? No, that didn't seem like the sort of thing he would do. But then why would he kiss her? It wasn't like he had feelings for her. They'd known each other since they were kids. He was her best friend. Her best friend who was always by her side, was horribly overprotective, got annoyed every time she discussed her love life with him, and hated it when she talked to other men.

Oh.

All of a sudden, (F/N)'s face flushed red.

When Sougo drew away, there was an awkward silence. (F/N) stood frozen, face like a cherry, desperately trying to reboot her brain. Okita took a step back, scratching the back of his neck, and looking equally unsure of how to proceed. It seemed this hadn't been part of the plan.

After several minutes of excruciating silence, Okita turned to the door.

"...I should go."

"Sougo, wait!"

Before he could leave, she grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him to a halt. He turned around, eyebrows raised, and (F/N) froze. This hadn't been part of the plan, either. She had no idea what she wanted to do, but in the end, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"In a few months...when I'm feeling better, do you want to maybe...go on a date?"

His eyes widened, and a gentle smile came to his face.

"Yeah, sure. I'm looking forward to it."

Author's Note: This can be seen as a sequel/alternate ending to A Big Softie, or as its own thing. Your choice!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story! Thank you so much for reading, and please remember to vote. Thanks!

-Marguerite Partello