Starlight
I'm back with another one-shot dedicated to this pairing. It's an AU that depicts Misaki as a poverty-stricken girl who seduces men for money while Usui is thrust into the role as a detective for the Tokyo police department. Without further ado, please enjoy the story!
The night sky stood an inky canopy of darkness freckled only by the fewest of stars, where just hours ago it had been a blue summer's day. The occasional hoot of a hidden owl was the only sound to permeate the silence until a chorus of slapping footsteps and crunching gravel echoed angrily into the emptiness of the night. A boisterous and mildly intoxicated middle-aged man clad in a pinstripe suit was walking alongside a young and petite black haired teenager whose choice of clothing did not reflect her seventeen years of age. She sported a simple white blouse, a black mini skirt, a leather parka and knee-high striped socks accompanied by a pair of boots. The young girl was subtly flirting with the elderly man- getting frisky with him occasionally and even giving him her consent to cop a feel.
Passers-by threw them quizzical and disparaging looks as they walked past the mismatched couple. No one could be bothered to talk to them, let alone call the police on them so the pair continued their stroll through the desolate streets of Tokyo. The teenage girl, who went by the name of Misaki Ayuzawa kept a calm visage as her eager companion kept on passing suggestive remarks or even throwing her a few lustful glances.
" I'm in for a huge pay day tonight. This old man is filthy rich, judging by the limousine that he got out of at the entrance of the jazz lounge. I might be able to get a greater haul than last night in which I only managed to swipe ten thousand yen from that old banker. These old men are really too gullible for their own good. Not to mention lecherous as well. They get excited by the first pretty young thing in a skirt that walks past them," Misaki thought to herself as they continued walking.
Misaki was part of a group of girls who participated in a game that involved its members flirting with middle-aged men and trying to coerce them out of their money. She had a high success rate due to her unique brand of charm and feisty nature. She usually followed them back to their homes and would slip out after stealing a great deal of cash. She would never engage in any sexual favours with her victims nor would she spend the night with any of them. The maximum that she would go was stripping for them.
A half hour later, she found herself emptying his slacks for loose change and rifling through his drawers for stacks of dollar bills. Her efforts bore fruit as she managed to gather up to forty thousand yen in cold hard cash. The man had told her to wait in his bedroom as he went to get changed in the bathroom but Misaki wasn't planning on obliging him anyway.
" Now to slip out before he not….." she crept to the entrance of the bedroom but she was cut off by a sneer from behind.
" Where do you think you're going, you little wench? Trying to make a run for it before fulfilling your end of the bargain?" the old man snorted and cornered her.
" I wasn't going anywhere, sir. Plus I don't remember making any sort of bargain with you," she smirked and shifted away slowly from the door.
" Oh? I came out to see you stuffing wads of cash into your coat pocket and hoped to at least get some service in return for my generosity but looks like I was wrong. Now, either you come back to me and let me have my way with you or I'm calling the police on you," he said with a salacious smirk as he advanced closer to her.
Misaki started sweating profusely and looked around for a weapon but to no avail. Her lips formed a sly grin as she sauntered up to the smug old man and ran her fingers along the creases on his trousers.
" You're right, mister. It would be wrong of me to take all this money before giving you a little something in return."
She proceeded to kneel down and unbuckle his pants much to his delight. However, just as he closed his eyes to prepare for his transcendence to euphoria, the young woman kneed him in the groin as hard as she could, causing the man to crumple to the floor and yell in pain.
" You little bitch! Wait till I get my hands on you….I'm going to make you suck my…" he was cut off as Misaki hit him on the face with his briefcase.
" I don't think that I'm even legal for that, you bastard. Do that and you're the one going to jail," she muttered before running out of the room. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could as she could hear him giving chase. By the sounds of it, it seemed as if he was armed this time.
" Fuck, if he catches up to me, I'll probably be dead for sure!" she panicked and pushed open the doors of the apartment complex, basking in the pale rays of moonlight that illuminated the quiet streets. Misaki stumbled as she had a little too much to drink in the lounge but she regained her composure and started running. She could hear her victim swearing in three different languages while a feeling of uneasiness swept through her because there was a likelihood that he was going to send his bodyguards after her.
She continued running as far as her legs could take her until she came across a dimly lit shochu and sake bar, which struck her as a terrible place to seek refuge but her emotions got the better of her. She stumbled into the bar and scanned the inside, hoping that there was a quiet corner where she could hide because she was going to be kicked out if the staff caught wind of her age. The blackette quietly slithered through the massive crowd before a waiter stood in front of her and held out his palm.
" Miss, could I take a look at your identification card? We aren't supposed to serve alcohol to anyone below the age of twenty."
Misaki clenched her fists and was about to conjure another lie when a tall, handsome man with spiky blonde hair stepped in and placed a gloved hand on the waiter's shoulder. She's my cousin so don't mind her. My girlfriend must have brought her along tonight," he chuckled as he gave a warning look at the waiter who felt slightly intimidated and immediately left the duo. Misaki attempted to sneak away but the man caught her arm and raised an eyebrow.
" Not even a word of thanks? I think I might have saved you from getting escorted home by the police. What's a beautiful woman like you doing in a place like this anyway?"
She wriggled loose from his grip and shot him a glare. " Thanks, mister," she spat. " And it's none of your business." She turned to leave when the golden haired man caught her arm and raised a single eyebrow, eliciting a snort of laughter from the young woman. " No offence, but you look very sleazy with that mask and why the heck are you wearing sunglasses in a bar, at this hour? Did another girl give you a black eye for touching her without consent?" she remarked sarcastically as she gestured to his gloved hand resting on her shoulder. He dropped his hand and shrugged.
" Probably not because it's usually the girl who initiates physical contact instead of me. That aside, who is chasing after you? You didn't stumble in here by accident," he said calmly and sipped his cup of sake. Misaki grit her teeth and forced a smile. " Don't be ridiculous, pervert. I intended to stop by and grab a mocktail- it's a non-alcoholic beverage so I'm not breaking any laws."
He looked amused at the stubborn girl and gave a small shrug. " I never said that I had any intention of ruining your Friday night. Well, I'll be going back to my seat now if you're so adamant against answering my questions." Misaki huffed and prepared to leave when she caught a glimpse of the man who was after her. He was barking and gesticulating to his companions who seemed to look in her direction. Fear gripped her and she couldn't risk sneaking out through the back door either. She had no other option so she sauntered back to the blonde man, who was engrossed in his book and sat on his lap innocently. He removed his sunglasses to reveal a pair of orbs that were the glimmering color of emerald, sparkling in the light of the morning sun like a fresh sheen of morning dew. He gave a small smirk and gave her a cheeky squeeze on her bum which elicited a yelp from her.
She blushed furiously and felt like strangling him but instead, gave him a coquettish grin and closed his book with a finger. " I couldn't help but notice how sexy you look from the side," she hummed as he raised an eyebrow and slowly pushed her off his lap. "And I couldn't help but notice that my hunch had been right all along. You do have someone after you," he gave a kind smile and paid the bartender. She grit her teeth but maintained her flirtatious manner.
"Don't be such a wet blanket. Surely, you wouldn't mind hanging out with a girl like me? I promise that I can be a lot of fun, mister," she leaned in as her hot breath tickled his nose. He remained silent and studied her face before letting a chuckle escape his lips. He was about to reply when the men burst into the bar, wielding firearms. The boss stepped forward and scanned the room while taking another drag from his cigarette.
" I'm looking for a black-haired girl about seventeen years of age. We will leave quietly once she's returned to us because that little wench stole my valuables. Don't try to deny it. We know that she's here because a passer-by tipped us off." Usui turned back to Misaki with a smug look on his face but was stunned when she cupped his face with her hands and closed the distance between them with a kiss. " If you help me make it out of this bar alive, you'll get to do whatever you want with me. I don't have any money so that's all I can offer to you," she half-pleaded as he could see the fear in her eyes.
" You can offer so much more but we'll discuss your payment afterwards, miss..?"
" You can call me Misaki," she gave a small smile as Usui pushed her inside the kitchen. " I'm Usui, but for now, just remain silent and I'll give the signal in five minutes," he replied.
Usui coolly strolled up to the men and looked apologetically at them." I'm afraid that this girl already went home with another guy. You should hurry down the road because they just left not too long ago." The boss eyed him suspiciously and signaled one of the henchmen to enter the kitchen but Misaki didn't waste any time as she tripped him and began beating him senseless with a saucepan.
Usui sighed in annoyance and took them all out in a single minute. " You couldn't even listen to simple instructions? I was trying to avoid making a scene because I didn't want to scare away the customers." Misaki emerged from the kitchen looking relieved as she dropped the saucepan on the floor and extended her hand.
"Not bad for a perverted weirdo. I'm surprise as to how you took out those guys in just three moves. Are you some sort of martial arts sensei or something? You sure looked the part just now," she squinted and tried to pull down his mask. He caught her hand and pinned her against the wall. " So Misaki, the deal was that you would let me do anything to you tonight, wasn't it?" he muttered in a low voice which caused the heat to rise to her cheeks. She licked her lips in nervousness and nodded slowly before extending her leg and giving him a light kick between the legs. He tightened his grip on her and winced before chuckling again.
" I guess that's one way of letting me know what you've been thinking about for the past hour," he nibbled her ear as she bit back a gasp and slapped him hard across the face.
" Don't come near me, you pervert or I'll scream for help!" she growled as Usui rubbed his cheek and shook his head.
" Misa-chan, you're a woman of integrity right? I wasn't joking when I said that I expected you to honour your word. In our line of work, I guess you could call me crazy for trusting an oral agreement without a secured return."
She felt a pang of compunction but she clenched her fists and swung a punch in his direction. " Don't you start lecturing me about my line of work! You have no idea how it feels like to trade away your dignity for a measly few hundred dollars a night!" she yelled as he calmly caught her fist and pulled her towards him.
Usui stroked her long black hair and pulled her into his chest. The warmth of being with another human being and being happy made her want solace even more. A single tear slid down from her warm, butterscotch eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed its way down her pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that has been held inside of her for all this time but still she did not make a sound.
" My mother is in the hospital and this is the only way for me to pay for her treatment and medication on such a short notice. Damn, why am I even bothering to tell you this? I hate you for doing this to me. I must look like a total mess to you now," she mumbled and broke free from his grip. He gave a small smile and took her hand. "No questions asked now, Misa-chan but I'll be happy to hear all about it afterwards."
She dried her eyes and heaved a sigh. " Do I really have to spend another hour with you? Geez, I think I'm already up to my limit with you," she cracked a wry smile as he pulled a face and handed her a napkin to dry her eyes.
He backed away from her and led her out of the bar. " I intend to keep you up all night so I hope you're prepared," he shot her a glance as she blushed once more.
"Keep me up all night? This pervert is literally begging to get castrated by me," she thought to herself.
She expected him to bring her back to his house and bolt the door ala sleazy rapist style but he led her to the edge of a hill, overlooking a lake which was shimmering under the moonlight. Her eyes widened as she took in the breath-taking view in front of her. Sequin-silver stars like the scattered embers of a dying fire winked down at her, illuminating the atramentous curtain of sky. She sat down next to him and let her mind wander as she stared mindlessly at the night sky. They illuminated the darkness and her fears crumbled to dust beneath her feet. The words, the lies, the hatred, the failures-they now lingered at a distance.
" You could spend all night looking at them right? I told you that I would keep you up all night," he laughed as she was jolted from her reverie. "This spot is amazing….I could spend countless nights just lying on the grass and gazing at them." She sat up and hugged her legs as she tugged his jacket gently.
" Hmm?"
" I just wanted to thank you for helping me back there and for making my night a great one. There isn't much going on for me and sometimes, I just wish that someone could show me how to enjoy the beautiful things in life," she stared into the vast distance.
" I never did get the chance to interrogate you to find out the reason behind the target on your back. Rich heiress? Long-lost princess? Cultural sacrifice?" he drawled.
Misaki heaved a small sigh and skimmed a pebble. " I'm sort of a thief because my job is to seduce men and steal their valuables once we enter their houses. I mean sex with the target is prohibited but I know a couple of girls who actually went through with it because they were caught or threatened. It's a dangerous job," she lamented.
Usui remained silent and let her immerse in her thoughts as he felt like sympathizing with the young woman as well.
" We'll leave the details for later but to shed some light on myself, I work as a detective for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Before you jump to conclusions, I was not going undercover at a bar…that's rather overdone in the movies, wouldn't you agree?" he laughed.
She nodded and it finally clicked why he was dressed in such a manner at a place like that. No other words were exchanged between the two people as a relaxing silence hung in the air. The silence was comfortable, a silence between two complicated individuals. They enjoyed the warmth of companionship, rather than the noise of chattering incessantly as they lay on their backs, watching the stars above them.
Usui was the first to break the silence and he turned over to face her. " I hope I didn't take your first kiss away from you back at the bar," he grinned lazily at her. She snorted and flicked a pebble at him. " Don't be stupid. It wasn't even a proper kiss because I didn't touch your lips as your mask was in the way."
" Why do you even wear a mask? Are you disfigured or something?" she asked bluntly much to his chagrin.
" I'm not even going to answer your question because we aren't even going to be seeing each other anymore once this night is over," he yawned and closed his eyes. He felt her soft fingers pull down his mask slightly, just enough to expose his lips to the cool breeze.
She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and he resisted the urge to pin her to the ground and smother her with kisses of his own. " I was right. You're such an ugly man," she whispered huskily and left a trail of kisses along his jaw which caused his breathing to quicken. " If you keep that up, I really will take you up on that offer," he whispered back and turned over.
The fiery young woman rolled her eyes and went back to watching the stars. She wasn't supposed to be entranced by this handsome stranger's charm. She was supposed to be out in the city, seducing guys and taking their wallets. Instead, she was enjoying her Thursday night like any regular teenage girl. They laid under the stars, which were like a beautiful, surreal blanket above their heads. She stole a glance at his sleeping figure before smiling to herself. "I could feel his heartbeat against the back of my head, and could hear the soft breaths of him by my side. That's when it hit her: Sometimes we are like stars- we fall to make someone's wish come true."
A/N I just wrote this one-shot on a whim because a draft of the story had been sitting in my hard drive for ages. Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated and if you guys would like me to continue, leave some suggestions or mention it in your reviews. I hope that you enjoyed the story and see you again soon.