Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid--Katsura Kotarou x Reader (Gintama)

Chapter 7

The night before the mission, (F/N) found herself wandering the hideout aimlessly. She headed to the roof, seeking fresh air, and found Katsura was already there, bathed in moonlight with a cup of tea in his hands and Elizabeth at his side.

"Katsura-san?" (F/N) said.

He looked up. The moment their eyes met, his cheeks turned pink.

"Ah, (F/N)-chan. How nice of you to—I mean, do you want to...do you want to..."

'He's asking if you'd like to join us,' said Elizabeth's sign.

(F/N) chuckled. "Sure."

She settled herself beside Katsura. The next day, they would no longer be able to sit like that. They would be enemies. (F/N) tried not to dwell on the fact, and focused on the feeling of Katsura's sleeve brushing her arm as he poured the last of the tea into a spare cup. (F/N) wondered if she should scoot away, but he moved first, shifting towards Elizabeth as he handed the cup to her.

"Thank you," (F/N) said. She took a sip. The tea burned a little, but she found it was a nice contrast to the chilly night air, and the equally chilly feeling in her heart.

They sat in silence for several minutes, and (F/N) was fine with that. She liked being able to simply exist without the boundaries of Joui and Shinsengumi, if only for a moment.

"How...how do you feel about the mission tomorrow?" Katsura finally asked.

(F/N) sighed. He finally broke the silence, and it had to be about that.

"I'm a little nervous," she admitted.

Though not for the reasons you think.

"Why are you nervous?" Katsura demanded. "You know I'll protect you!"

"Katsura—"

He put a hand over hers, and she tensed. Did he know he was touching her? She didn't think he did.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile. Why did he have to be such a good person? She would do anything for him, but the Shinsengumi were her family...

Katsura looked down, and noticed their joined hands. He pulled away, his face red as a cherry.

"I—I'm so sorry!"

"It's...it's fine," (F/N) insisted. She stood up, looking for any excuse to leave. Her eyes settled on the empty teapot. "Oh, look! We're out of tea. I'll go make some more!"

She hurried inside, and placed a hand on her chest.

Being with you isn't good for my heart, Katsura. It's not good at all...

~o0o~

"Why did I do that, Elizabeth-dono?" Katsura exclaimed. (F/N) had gone inside, and he couldn't hold his feelings inside, anymore. Why was she so beautiful? He wanted to touch her. He wanted to see her laugh. He wanted to be with her every second of the day, but why?

'I think you're an idiot,' read Elizabeth's sign.

"An idiot?" Katsura questioned. "Why?"

Elizabeth flipped the sign over.

'You're in love with her.'

"In love with her? But that's impossible--"

He hesitated. It was impossible, right? She was his comrade, and he respected her passion and skill. There were no romantic feelings there, were there?

He looked down at his hand, still warm from her touch. Maybe it wasn't so impossible. That would explain why his heart raced, why his cheeks heated up whenever he saw her smile, and why he tripped over his words whenever he was in her presence.

Yes, Katsura realized. Elizabeth was right. He was head over heels in love with her.

~o0o~

When (F/N) returned to the roof with a tray full of tea, Katsura ran towards her at top speed. For a moment, she thought her cover had been blown. Then he grabbed her hands, sending the tea clattering to the ground, and stared at her with a brilliant smile on his face.

"(F/N)-chan!" he exclaimed. "I finally figured it out! I love you!"

I love you...

(F/N)'s heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and time only seemed to slow down as the horrible feeling spread throughout her body. He loved her. He loved her. She loved him. All she wanted was to say 'yes, I love you, too,' and she couldn't.

"I...I'm sorry." She pulled her hands out of his grasp, and took a step back. "I can't. I'm sorry."

His face fell.

"Oh..."

(F/N) turned her back to him so he couldn't see the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He hesitated a moment. "Good luck tomorrow."

Her heart broke.

"Yeah. Good luck..."