The first thought that ran through Atsuko's mind was that she just had the greatest nights sleep that she's had since she was 14, and even then she had to use sleep aid. And why wouldn't she have slept well when her Knight in Shining Armor was her pillow? She still clearly remembered how after placing the blanket over Shizuo, he just looked so peaceful for the first time since she met him, that she decided to sit next to him, maybe falling asleep next to some guy that she had met only a few times before wasn't the wisest idea she's ever had, but Atsuko just felt that Shizuo wouldn't try anything.
Suddenly she felt shifting under her signaling that her Knight was awake, as well. After a moment the shifting stopped and a low guttural groan was heard.I guess he isn't much of a morning person. She felt a weight that she hadn't noticed before be taken from her shoulder, making her lose some of the warmth the tall blond man beside her gave. Apparently during the night sometime he had wrapped his arm around her, and with this realization, Atsuko blushed, that was the sweetest gesture she had ever gotten from a man.
"Er, Atsuko, are you awake?" Shizuo whispered, nudging her with his elbow and breaking Atsuko's moment of heart fluttering happiness.
"Yeah, what time is it, though?" Atsuko asked, still not opening her eyes, and burrowing further into Shizuo's side, trying to get warm again.
"Five-thirty, uh, do you need to get up?" Shizuo seemed to get warmer when she snuggled closer, and his voice was still just a whisper.
"No, just go back to sleep, it's too early to do anything, and can you please share some of the blanket, the heater in this unit doesn't exactly work, you know?" Atsuko said, turning her head back into Shizuo, and he obliged, pulling the blanket up a bit to her chin before putting his arm back where it was when he was sleeping, though he did it hesitantly, like he was expecting her to move away from his touch. Instead of backing away, Atsuko sighed and smiled, and soon she felt Shizuo relax beside her.
One thing that did bother Atsuko, though, was the way her heart was beating, almost like she had just run a marathon, when she was just sleeping. She felt like she got this way whenever Shizuo looked her in the eye, but it was worse now that she was in his arms, with him reciprocating the cuddle. Wait, is that what we're doing? Cuddling? But only couples cuddle! Atsuko felt like she was about to have a panic attack by the suddenly suffocating embrace. She began to take deeper breaths to calm herself down, she didn't want Shizuo to know what was going on inside her head.
Atsuko had a sudden memory of when she lived with her parents. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and it was long before Hideaki was born. She was 12 at the time, and her parents still didn't know what they were doing, she was just waiting until she could leave. When she asked her father why he married and had her, he told her that he was and still is blinded by love for her mother. He said that he didn't think that having a child would make that big of a difference in his life, but it did, and he regretted ever getting married. A year later he Atsuko found him hanging by his belt from the ceiling fan in her room, a letter addressed to her, telling her he was sorry and that he wished that his heart could keep beating for her, even though it stopped beating for her mother a long time ago, that love isn't forever, but fleeting. A year after that, Atsuko left for Ikebukoro. She worked, went to school, and went home. She didn't have a social life, never conversed with anyone, and couldn't sleep through the night. When she was seventeen she got a letter from her a hospital from the same town where she lived with her family, her mother and her boyfriend had gotten into a car crash while he was drinking and yelling at her. He took his eyes off the road for only a moment when it happened. Both died in the hospital, but just they managed to cut a baby from her mother, a baby boy. As the only living relative of the infant, Atsuko was granted custody, but was under constant watch by people who would take the baby away from her. But Atsuko cared for her baby brother as a mother; she even gave him his name, with the last name of her father, Hideaki Ogawa.
To this day, however, love frightened her, but she fought for it, to keep it. Her maternal love for Hideaki was what kept her going when times were tough, and now her blossoming feelings for Shizuo were making her realize that when her father's letter said that his love for her mother ran out, he meant that it wasn't real love. She believed love could never run out, and if her father had known this, then he wouldn't have killed himself. And if she was beginning to think that what that flutter in her heart were the stirrings of romance, than she would be open to it, but it wouldn't consume her. And she wouldn't jump up to say right away that it was love. No one can learn to love someone like that just so suddenly, they just mistook infatuation for love.
With this in mind, she decided this would be far from the last time Shizuo stayed for dinner. Maybe he would want the same as her. Atsuko hoped beyond hope that he would, and that he would be the one to initiate the next meeting, and possibly call it a date, not just hanging out.
She had no idea how long she had been thinking over her new found feelings until she heard sprinting coming closer and a small weight landed on her and Shizuo with and loud laugh.
"Morning, Atsukoooo! Morning, Shizuoooo!" Hideaki yelled. Atsuko felt that being this broth eyed and bushy tailed in the morning should be outlawed, but maybe that was the lack of coffee in her system talking.
"Good morning, Hideaki, now can you please get off? I'm sure Shizuo doesn't appreciate your usual morning greeting," Atsuko said, getting out of Shizuo's embrace and stretching her sore muscles, and instantly missing his warmth.
When Shizuo heard his name he woke for the second time that morning and gave a mumbled response, a slight frown coming over again. But when his eyes opened to see Atsuko with Hideaki wrapped in her arms, both with identical grins on, and he smiled in response. To Atsuko this was the best Hallmark moment she'd ever experienced; this would definitely have to happen more, for as long as Shizuo would make her heart flutter, he would have a spot on her couch any night.
AN: So, I gave a little insight into Atsuko's past, how she came to be the one to care for her brother, and a little bit into why she never really has people over. This isn't my favorite chapter that I've done… But I would still love to thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited/added this story to their alerts. To those who have commented, it means so much to me, really, and to be honest, they're the reasons that I haven't taken this story down out of shame and lack of confidence. So thank you TMNTLittleTomboy, The Lifeless girl, theVERYCONFUSEDgirl, and (Claire). Please, I love to read everyone's reviews, and I would love any suggestions for the story or any requests for a new one (please no yaoi/yuri-I suck at writing those) So…thank you so much!
