Trust Me! (Masaomi Kida x OC)

Chapter 12

It was late. Far too late.

I wasn't supposed to be at the hospital this late, as visiting hours were officially over. Hell, Mikado and Anri were sensible enough to leave. I wasn't, though. I just went to the front desk, signed myself out, and then slipped back to the wards again. Maybe it'd take them longer to find out I was here that way.

I hadn't left Masaomi's side for a second, except for when he was getting checked on by the doctors. Other than that, I just sat there, holding his hand, watching him tensely and waiting for him to wake up.

When the door of the hospital room slid open, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I'd been expecting it. Instead of reacting, I merely leaned back in my chair, releasing Masaomi's hand onto the bed.

"You must be Aida," A girl's voice said next to me. I looked up at her.

"And you must be Saki." I responded, smiling slightly. "It's nice to meet you, finally. This bonehead never bothered to have the two of us meet."

"Heh, yeah."

I sighed softly through my nose, looking at the opposite wall. "You know... for the longest time, I thought, 'hey, maybe he'll like me back'. And then he started dating you, and..." I laughed slightly. "I had this ridiculous idea that there was a love triangle between us, but really... it was more like a line. You and him, connected like you were supposed to be. And then I was this stray little dot off on the side. Eventually, I got that. But, it's him, yknow? I cared more about him being happy with his life than mine. Because that's what love is, right? Putting their needs before yours?" I stood, facing Saki and holding out my hand. "Thank you for being there for him."

She reached out and shook my hand. "And thank you for patching him so many times... I don't really know what he would've done without you." She paused. "You know, I don't think you're quite as disconnected as you think. He came to visit me... and he's changed. I don't really know which one of us is the one he's fallen for now." She gave me a sad little smile. "And you're right... it's really more about his happiness, isn't it?"

A mutual understanding, that was good. I didn't hate her, even if I was a little jealous, and I could tell she felt the same way.

I looked at him and sighed again. "I'll leave, if you want. I wouldn't want to pressure the guy into making a decision after everything that went down tonight... Even if I told him I'd stay..."

"No, you can stay. If you really want to leave, wait until he starts waking up. I don't mind."

"Thanks, Saki."

I took my seat again and she sat down at the foot of Masaomi's bed. Neither of us spoke for a long time, until Masaomi finally stirred and groaned a little.

I stood, looking over Masaomi once more before walking to the door. "Goodbye, Saki." With that, I left.

I left him behind.

Well, not really, I didn't get very far. I was quietly creeping through the hallways, trying to avoid any nurses that were working the night shift, when I heard footsteps behind me. I'd gotten pretty far away at that point, but I was nowhere near an exit. I turned, afraid a nurse had found me, but it was Saki.

She stood there for a moment, looking at me, before smiling. "Guess it's not me."

"Oh?" I walked closer. "I... I'm sorry, Saki."

"It's okay... I think I kind of figured this would happen. Be careful with him. You might've noticed he's a bit of a handful."

I laughed slightly. "Okay. Thanks. Saki, I'm glad I got to meet you. I think if we'd known each other longer, we could've been friends."

"Probably," she agreed. "Well... see you." With that, she walked past me and then walked into a hospital room, shutting the door behind her.

As for me, I walked back to Masaomi's room, where I found him awake and grinning weakly at me.

"Hey," He said quietly. I walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Hey, dummy." I responded, smiling a bit. I reached out tentatively and set my hand on his. Almost as though he hadn't thought about it, he wrapped his fingers through mine. Hopefully, it was dark enough that he wouldn't be able to see my cheeks flaming up. "How're you feeling?"

"Sore, but better than earlier. I'm glad you're not hurt, Aida... y-you're not hurt, right?"

"Heh, no. I'm fine. Just a couple bruises, that's all." I looked down at my lap, trying to think of what to say. "Masaomi, I'm... sorry... I'm so sorry... I should've just helped you... but... I just yelled instead..."

No, don't cry... You've cried too much in the last few days, you can't just cry now!

It didn't matter. Tears dripped down my cheeks and into my lap, spattering across my skirt. "I-I'm really sorry..."

"Why the hell are you apologizing?"

"Huh?" I looked over at him, confused. Masaomi chuckled, reaching up and wiping my tears away a little clumsily with his free hand.

"I come into your house, yell at you, and you somehow think it's your fault? You sure I'm the dumb one?"

"Sh-Shut up, you know you're the dumb one here."

"Yeah... I suppose I am."

"Masaomi?"

"What?"

"I..." I hesitated. Was I going to actually say it?

After all this time, after three and a half years, was I finally going to tell him?

"Masaomi, I love you." I blurted out. "And I have for a long time. I've been waiting for you to notice, but you're so oblivious you never did."

He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head, sighing dramatically. "And here I thought you were smart. Aida, seriously? How have you not noticed that I'm in love with you too?"

"You flirt with every goddamn girl you see, how should I figure that out?" I retorted, smirking a little. Inside, though, my heart was hammering against my chest.

"Fair enough."

I laughed a bit under my breath, before leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. Something I'd wanted to do for such a long, long time. He blushed, but grinned like the dork that he was.

"Masaomi... I saw a lot tonight. I saw a side of you that I don't think I've ever seen before." I said softly. "But I'm... I'm glad that I did. I didn't think I would be, but I am. I always felt like I was seeing different sides of you, like you were a different person each time. The one from school, the one in the Yellow Scarves, the one I was healing... I think I get it now, though... it's all you. All of it. So, I fell in love with a dumb, adorable, stupid-as-hell ex-gang leader... and that's who you are. Not the one from school. Not the gang leader. Just... you. And I love you, I really do."

"There you go again with the long tangents," Masaomi smiled. "Why'd you say I was stupid twice though?"

"It's such an important flaw I felt like I needed to say it twice," I smirked.

"Well, it does seem to be my fatal flaw, doesn't it?"

"If you know that, then why don't you fix it?" I asked. In answer, Masaomi suddenly reached his arms out and pulled me down so that I was laying on top of him, him hugging me to his chest.

"Can't I have one flaw?" He mumbled into my hair as I readjusted myself to be more comfortable. "Picky woman..."

"Shut up..." I muttered, loosely wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his shoulder.

"You..." Masaomi paused, almost as though he was a little nervous. "You really love me...?"

"Trust me, dummy. I do."