Ahaha do I write too much for this couple? Sorry /^^/

Disclaimer: I do not own Kaihcou wa Maid-Sama!

Because You Care

Seika High School's Student Council room buzzed with commotion and hard-working students.

Yet one familiar face was missing.

Misaki kept constantly glancing around, expecting him to just pop up out of nowhere and surprise her like he always did, and each time she only felt more and more troubled when he did not. "There's no way he's just gonna show up." She reminded herself. "He hasn't been in school all day."

She thought that Usui's absence would be good for her and allow her to get more work done without his distracting antics. But her plans completely backfired as she realized she had completed even less work than usual when it was time for them to go home. She sighed heavily. "Baka Usui. You mess me up even when you're not here." She mumbled, taking her leave.

She trudged to Maid Latte with her bag slung over her shoulder, head bowed slightly, then quickly straightened up and mentally smacked herself, shouting that she did not miss his company. Idiot! She hissed in her mind. Why would you miss the guy that always stalks you everywhere you go? You have your own shadow, don't you? The walk seemed a lot longer than it normally did without him, and she had to keep shaking her feelings of disappointment away.

At last she walked into the café to be greeted by Subaru, Erika, and, of course, her crazy, hyperactive manager.

"Misaki-chan!" Satsuki called out. "How are you?" she babbled. But before Misaki could even catch the breath to reply, her thirty-year-old manager went on, her cheerful tone changing drastically to one of concern. "Was Usui-kun in school today? He called saying he couldn't help out in the kitchen today because he wasn't feeling well." Her eyes flashed over to the empty table where he normally sat.

"N-No he wasn't in school today." Misaki stammered. "But I didn't know he was sick. I just thought he decided to slack off for a change." Now her golden eyes showed off worry rather than annoyance.

"Oh. I see." Satsuki mumbled. "Well hopefully he'll be better soon. I told him to get better but he said it was nothing serious and that he just wanted to take off to be safe. I'm sorry I made you worry. I'm sure he'll be fine." She smiled, patting the younger girl on the shoulder.

"W-Who's worried about that stupid, outer-space alien?" she mumbled, looking away, her dark bangs shading her eyes. Her manager just smiled sweetly and tried to hold back the moe flowers she felt coming on.

"Well do your best today!" she chirped, suddenly back to her usual, cheery self. She then pranced away and disappeared into the kitchen.

Misaki stayed put for a moment longer before she felt another hand on her shoulder and turned to see Erika and Subaru.

"Like Manager said, he'll be fine." The red-head reassured her and her companion nodded.

"Yeah. You're right." Misaki forced a smile and nodded once. "Thanks you guys." She then pulled away and slipped into the changing room. Dropping her school bag, she changed clothes slowly, as though she had no motivation at all.

What am I doing? She finally snapped herself out of it. I've got better things to do then worry about some pervert.

She sighed one last time before heading off into the café.

The day was drawing to a close and the customers in Maid Latte became fewer and fewer until only a few remained.

Having no more orders to serve, the four maids all sat down at a table to just relax for a moment.

"Misaki-san?" Subaru looked at her friend who was sitting there with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She straightened up, trying to sound convincing.

"Well it seems like you haven't really been on the ball today." Erika added, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes." Her manager put in. "You kept looking over your shoulder like you expected to see someone, and you almost gave customers the wrong orders."

"I…I'm sorry." The president bowed her head in apology.

"N-No don't get me wrong." Satsuki defended. "I'm not mad or anything like that. But you don't seem like you're feeling too well." All three of her fellow co-workers looked at her as though she were an injured fawn on the side of the road.

"I…" Just then, Misaki's cell phone vibrated and she quickly reached into the pocket in her apron and flipped it open. "Hello?" She asked. Then she was shocked to hear the other voice. "U-Usui?" she cried. He must still have my number from the time he staked out my house and constantly called me to make sure I wouldn't fall asleep.

The three other maids shot small, amused smiles at one another; they found it cute how Misaki was now instantly bursting with life again.

"Yo, Prez." His voice sounded like it always did, but she could detect a faint hoarseness in his tone. "I was just wondering if you were free and could stop by."

Misaki froze at hearing his words and panic pulled at her heartstrings that he was really sick enough to need to ask her for help.

"S-Sure. You're at home right? O-Okay. Bye." She hung up her cell phone and turned to look at her fellow workers.

"So how is he?" Satsuki asked eagerly.

"He…He said he wanted me to come over."

There was a brief moment of silence and the other maids had to keep their jaws from dropping. A pink aura enveloped Satsuki as she held back a squeal.

"I-I'm going now." Misaki announced, rushing for the door.

"W-Wait Misaki-chan! Aren't you going to change? And your bag-" the manager called after her.

"I'm sorry. I'll wash my dress tonight and stop by for my bag tomorrow!" she replied over her shoulder before disappearing into the warm evening.

Erika, Subaru and Satsuki were silent for a moment, before the two younger girls began murmuring to each other and giggling and the thirty-year-old finally burst out in a squeal, flowers filling the air.

Meanwhile, Misaki dashed down the sidewalks and across the streets that she knew led the way to Usui's apartment. All she could do was pray that no other Seika High students were out at the time and could potentially see her dressed as a maid. But she made it to the building unopposed and entered as quickly as though she were being tailed by a pack of wolves.

When she finally made to to Usui's room, she knocked on the door twice.

"U…Usui…" she panted heavily, worn out from her mad dash. She counted four frantic heartbeats before the door opened to reveal Usui, dressed in long pants and a white robe.

"Prez…" his emerald eyes were wide with surprise. "That was fast. Did you run all the way here?" He asked.

"K…Kinda…" she wheezed, hunched over. The boy smirked amusedly.

"Why don't you come in?" he offered. But without waiting for a reply, he grasped her wrist and led her inside, closing the door behind him.

"So why…why did you need me to come?" Misaki asked, just beginning to get her breath back.

But he completely avoided her question. "Misa-chan." His tone was deep and she looked up at him. "You shouldn't be running around town at night in that outfit." He scowled darkly. "What if something had happened to you?"

"Well nothing did." She huffed in an attempt to make him feel better. "I'm not a child."

"Yes, but you are a girl." He retorted.

"So what? That makes me easier to rape?" She crossed her arms, glaring up at him.

Usui returned her glare with a look a hundred times more fierce and she took a step back.

Without a word, he pushed her onto the couch and pinned her wrists above her head with one hand. He sat on the edge, looking down at her with a cold stare that made her heart come screeching to a halt. She lost her voice and all ability to move and could only stare up at him, her irises flashing with fright.

Then, Usui leaned down over her from where he sat and buried his face between her neck and shoulder. Misaki swallowed hard, her breathing ragged and her pulse painfully loud.

"Don't…" she heard his voice, now less threatening than before. Then he lifted his head and pulled back, looking down at her again with unreadable eyes and a tortured smile. His free hand gently brushed her cheek and she flinched slightly. "Don't…ever say that word." His tone suddenly became pleading and Misaki fought to find her voice again but did not get the chance.

Swiftly, he stood, pulling her wrists along with him and making her stand beside him as though she were some puppet. He embraced her tightly. "I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you, Ayuzawa." He murmured helplessly.

She let herself relax against him before after a few moments, they gently broke apart.

"Have you been eating properly?" she asked as though she had just walked in the door and nothing else had ever happened.

Usui was grateful that she was willing to drop the subject.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, acting like a grade-schooler speaking to his teacher.

She gave him a long stare. "Somehow I don't believe you." She concluded.

"And somehow I know that Ayuzawa is wrong because I know what I did and didn't do today and I did eat." He smirked. "I do work as a chef at the café, you know." His explanation was legitimate enough and Misaki nodded.

"Alright. So I repeat my question. Why did you want me to come over?"

"Ah, ah, ahh." He shook his head from side to side with a smirk. "I never asked for you to come over, Ayuzawa. I asked you to stop by." He corrected.

She looked up at him, puzzled.

"What are you talking about?" she gave him a skeptical look.

"You see, if you only intended to stop by, you would have just asked how I was doing and then left when I gave you my answer. You never even would have come inside. The second you stepped into this room, you technically came over to my place. Do you get it?" he asked.

"I think you're retarded." She diagnosed. He chuckled.

"But do you know why you decided to come over and stay as long as you did?" he wondered.

"I'll bite." She decided, interested now. "Why?"

Usui smirked and moved closer to her again, but Misaki forced herself to stay put and not back away.

"It's because you care." He told her.

The girl blinked up at him once before managing to collect all her thoughts.

"Of course I care!" she cried. "How can I not? I mean you're always there with me no matter what I'm doing. You always help me out and you're always worrying about me. You care about me being alone at night and…" she could not stop the onslaught of words from tumbling off her tongue. Her voice wavered at the end as she trailed off, her eyes brimming with tears as she realized just how much he meant to her.

"Okay, okay. Calm down." He soothed stepping up and pulling her into a hug. "I get it, Ayuzawa. I get it." He smiled. Her shoulders trembled slightly and she buried her face into his chest, a sniff or a hiccup escaping her every now and then despite her efforts to subdue them.

At last, her sniffing ceased and she pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Usui said nothing and gently ruffled her hair.

"I should…" the girl attempted to speak, but her voice faltered and she had to try again. "I should go home now." She declared, taking a step toward the door.

"Oh no you don't." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "If you think I was worried about you before, I'm never letting you go back at this hour."

Misaki spun around to look at a clock on the wall that read nearly 10:30.

"Wh-Wh-How…How long was I here?" she yelped. She turned back to look at him begging with her eyes to let her return home, but their silent conversation ended quickly as he shook his head. She sighed. "Well I guess you're really not letting me go back."

"Nope."

"And there's no way I'd let you walk me home either."

"But I could. I'm not sick anymore." He offered.

"No." she flat out denied him. But she knew where all this was leading and she felt better that he had offered to walk her home instead of just telling her she had to spend the night in his apartment.

"So then…" Usui looked down at her. "It looks like Prez is staying here tonight." He decided.

"Y…Yeah." She mumbled. "I-I should call my mom." She reached into her apron but then remembered getting Usui's call at Maid Latte and how she had left it on the table and rushed out.

"Aw crap." She cursed.

"What? You were in such a hurry to see me that, not only did you neglect to change out of your work clothes but you also left your cell there?" he taunted. She looked away. "Well then just use my phone." He offered, pointing to where it sat on a table near the couch.

"Thanks." She went over to call her mother and Usui sat down on the floor, leaning back against the couch until Misaki returned. "I told her I was staying at a friend's house." She informed him. "So…I wasn't lying…" she trailed off bashfully.

He smiled. "Well I think I'm going to sleep now then." He stood up, turned off the lights and then went back to the floor.

Misaki just stood there, unsure of what to do. At last she sat down beside him and leaned against the couch as well, tilting her head back and closing her eyes with a sigh.

"Misa-chan?" Usui asked.

"What is it?"

"What are you doing?"

"I-Is this not okay?" she fretted. "Well first of all, I mean, why aren't you sleeping in your room?"

"Because I'd never be able to sleep knowing that Misa-chan was out here by herself." He told her. "That is, unless…" he moved closer in the darkness. "You'd want to sleep with me-"

"NO THANK YOU!" she shouted, pushing him away. "And don't say things in such a sketchy way!" she huffed.

"I thought so." He chortled. "But then, Misa-chan can sleep on the couch and I'll sleep here."

She could see him smile in the moonlight that washed through the windows.

"No way. You should sleep on the couch because you're sick."

"I told you I'm not sick anymore. That was just a passing flu." He reassured. "I want Ayuzawa to sleep there and be comfortable."

"First of all you are probably still a bit sick. Second, could you pick something to call me and stick with it? And third, why would I sleep on the couch? So you could do perverted things to me as I slept? Or crawl in next to me?" she gave him a doubtful stare, crossing her arms over her chest again in that cute way of hers.

"No. Like I said I just want Ayuzawa to be comfortable. You're my guest."

"Yes but I wasn't sick enough to skip both school and work today." She countered.

"Like I told Manager, that was just a precaution." He explained.

"Let me put it this way." She switched her motive a bit. "Either you sleep on the couch, or I'm going home."

She thought she had him there.

"But what if I want to sleep on the floor?"

He saw right through her.

"Ah-…well then…I guess its fine. But I don't want to either." She said stubbornly.

"Fine." Usui sighed. "I give up. You win." He shook his head again yet smiled, not knowing how she always managed to win him over like that.

Slowly, he got to his feet before lying down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, the girl only an arm's length away.

"Good." Misaki nodded, her tone triumphant.

"But are you comfortable?"

"Yes I'm fine." She assured. "Now let's get some sleep." She suggested.

"Alright." He agreed.

Misaki leaned back again, her head resting lightly on the cushion of the couch. She closed her eyes and let out a long, exhausted sigh, as she tried to nod off into the world of slumber.

But just as she was about to lose consciousness, she felt Usui's arm wrap loosely around her neck and collarbones. But she did not care; in fact, she rather enjoyed falling asleep under his touch.

Usui laid awake a little longer than she did, listening to her soft breathing and just staring up at nothing.

At last he, turned onto his side quietly and moved his palm up from her shoulder onto her cheek, turning her head gently.

He kissed her on the lips and Misaki's eyes cracked open a bit, as though she was not fully aware of what had just happened.

"Good night, Misa-chan." Usui whispered as he finally pulled away.

"Mm…night…Usui…" she breathed, her eyelids falling shut once again.

Together they drifted off into a sound sleep, but not before worrying greatly about the other.

And why did they worry so much?

Because they cared.

A/N: As always, hope ya liked it! ^^

Please review!