My Demons

Chapter 36: Second Chance

A/N: So I'm an idiot. I truly thought that I uploaded this the beginning of last week and I just found out today that I didn't. Oops!! So sorry! Here it is, for real this time! Sorry it's kind of on the short side. The next one should be longer!

Chapter 36: Second Chance (Part 1)

For the first time in over a month, I wasn't plagued with the same hellish nightmare that haunted me for 11 years. In fact, I honestly felt like the whole thing was over... almost. There were still a few loose ends that I needed to tie up before I could actually move on and leave everything behind for good.

It felt amazing waking up like almost a completely new person. What made it even better was that Misaki was still curled up on my chest. It was a total shock that he came to bed with me in the first place. The fact that he stayed with me all night and into the late morning was astounding. This boy surprised me every day.

I did not at all expect him to take the news about my past so well. It filled me with such joy last night when he accepted all of me. As the memories came flooding back into my sleepy mind, the same sense of happiness overwhelmed my heart. This boy was more than I ever could have asked for and more. I honestly didn't know what I would do without him by my side.

"I love you, Usagi-san."

He had finally confessed his true feelings to me last night. My heart swelled and skipped a beat as I replayed his words in my mind. A small smile tugged at my lips. When he said that, I honestly thought that I could die happy right then.

The bed was too comfortable with Misaki snuggled against my chest, so I didn't bother moving to get up for a long time. I waited until he began to stir himself awake. As he shuffled around and his eyes fluttered, I continued to hold him close to me. It took him a few moments to fully wake up and realize his surroundings. Once he saw that he was curled up to me in my bed, a dark blush appeared on his cheeks. He squirmed out of my grasp and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Ahh, g-good morning, Usagi-san!" he stuttered without turning around to face me. "S-Sorry I fell asleep in here last night!"

I smiled, remembering how he explained to me last night that he still found it embarrassing to be intimate with me. I knew that his feisty nature and embarrassment couldn't change overnight, but deep down I had been hoping that what happened last night would change his attitude toward me completely. It was kind of a letdown to see that he was still pretty much the same as before, but I had to be patient. It was extremely cute though how he tried to act differently afterwards by climbing into bed with me. The fact that he was simply making the effort to make me feel better meant more to me than anything else.

"Misaki... Thank you."

"Huh? What?"

Rather than answer, I pulled myself up and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, resting my head on top of his. He tensed up a bit, but didn't pull away. My heart was racing in my chest and I thought for sure he could feel the thumping of the beats on his back.

"I d-didn't do anything," he said softly.

"You came to bed to comfort me. You accepted me last night. Do you still accept me now?"

"I-Idiot. I have to go take a shower."

With that, he wiggled out of my grasp again and quickly walked out of the room. Was he just embarrassed again? Or maybe he didn't really accept me? Had he lied last night for some reason? Or did he think about it and realize that I really was a monster?

Now that I thought about it... he did accept me without any hesitation. He came back to me immediately even though I had abruptly left him a month ago. Didn't that hurt him? It certainly had, considered how upset he was and what Takahiro told me. He even slapped me when I found him on the bridge last night. He was upset and angry. So why did he come back without putting up a fight?