A/N: Hello, and welcome to Chap 6. Big big big thank you to Boldnbright, who has some fantastic Maid Sama stories of her own, you should go read them! And also to my friend Sunny, who shoots down my preposterous hypotheses and keeps me sane. So here's a question: should Misa and Takumi have sex? It seems to me that there are many, many fics of Maid Sama that have them doing the deed. :D Would love to hear your opinions on those, as they would affect the future of this story. I know this is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, so if you aren't comfortable posting in a review, feel free to PM me.
Other plug: I just posted my original fic on Wattpad, called Picking Up the Pieces. It's about a guy who never told his childhood best friend how he truly felt about her, and he gets a second chance when they meet again, many years later. :D Not for minors, though. There are many many explicit scenes in that one. Also, if you are on wattpad, friend me! I'm also isharaine on there.
In the meantime, please enjoy chapter 6 and let me know what you think. Cheers!
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VI.
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True to Ayuzawa's promise, a list of donors, complete with signed pledges and contact information is delivered to the Student Council office the next day. Takumi wasn't there when she dropped it off, which was for the best. But Sawa and Kosugi, the Council Accountant and Secretary, are beside themselves with glee when he enters the room.
"President," Sawa chortles, handing him the papers. "We've tripled the school budget for the cultural festival. Ayuzawa really is the queen of Seika."
He stares at the stack of papers in his hand, his eyes growing larger as he skims over the figures. She achieved what he was only trying to wrap his mind around, and all in less than a day.
"You're lucky Ayuzawa never ran for Student Council President, eh?" Minako Goda, the head of the election committee, smirks at him. She never really did like him, but now her words carry a harsher sting than normal. Giggles echo across the room. Resentment burns in his chest, towards Goda, towards Ayuzawa, and towards all women right now.
"I'm going to meet with the vice principal," Takumi mutters, stomping out. It is much later when he sees the note affixed to the top of the pile, addressed to him. He comes to a full stop in the middle of the hallway, oblivious to the girls walking all around him.
Written tersely on an unassuming sheet of paper torn from a notebook, it says, "As promised, President, no Tora. I'll collect my payment later. - M."
When he looks up again, he meets the vice principal's astonished gaze. "Sir?" Takumi asks, tucking the note in his pocket. "Is something the matter?"
The older man looks distinctly uncomfortable. "No, it's just that I have never seen you smile like that," he blurts out, mopping his shiny pate with a wadded up handkerchief. "No offense or anything, but has anyone ever told you have a pretty smile? You could pass for a girl. You should smile more."
Takumi stares at the older man. "Sir, are you sexually harassing me?"
"No, no, I-" The vice principal squirms under his direct gaze. "You're a boy, of course not!"
"So if I was a girl you would be?" The hallway around them goes still, as students gather to witness the exchange.
"That's not what I- Let's take this to my office," The vice principal growls, grabbing Takumi's upper arm and dragging him away from the eyes of the other students. He knows he should not have provoked the older man, but he is unrepentant.
After an hour of bearing the brunt of the vice principal's rage, an afternoon of surprise tests in Math, Chemistry and PE, two back-to-back meetings with the student council about their new budget, and thirty minutes overseeing the new library setup, by the time the end-of-day bell rings, Takumi is ready to fall over. At this point, he thinks sourly, maybe Ayuzawa should be the president. But though he does not see her all day, the girl occupies a large portion of his thoughts.
Thankfully, he has today off from work, so when he arrives home, he goes straight to bed, exhausted.
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The next day passes in a blur. But it is Friday, the last day before spring break. Even the students on the council are mentally distracted, and the last meeting of the day has them all sitting with eyes glazed over. An exasperated Takumi dismisses them. He has a shift tonight, so he gathers his things and heads to the train station, already running about half an hour late.
It is pouring when he exits the train station. Takumi dashes to work, his mood fouled even further when he gets splashed by a passing vehicle as he waits to cross the street at the same intersection where he almost kissed Ayuzawa. Talk about bad omens, he thinks, mentally thanking the drunk man who had interrupted him. If he had kissed her then… No. No. He shakes his head to clear it, staring at his hands.
Last night, he tucked her hair behind her ear, and it was not the first time. Is he just like Igarashi, unable to keep his hands to himself? Is he staking a claim, unconsciously? But she had hugged him first, and oh, it had been everything he had never thought he wanted.
Ayuzawa. Is. Engaged. He has no business even thinking about her. What is she doing, flirting so easily with him? The light changes, finally, and Takumi starts across the street.
By the time he arrives at the Butler Cafe, he is now an hour late. "I'm so sorry, boss," he apologizes to Satsumi, rushing into the locker room to change into his police officer costume.
"Don't worry about it," Satsumi replies cheerfully. "You gave me lots of warning that you were running late. Besides, everyone is here to hear the results of the contest. We're fully staffed and then some."
"Wait, you mean someone solved it?" Takumi blurts out, buttoning the uniform shirt.
"Didn't you hear?" Hotaka grins, slapping him on the back. "Someone came in and solved the quiz in fifteen minutes. But there was a second person, too."
"What?" Takumi whirls around, though there is a sneaking suspicion in the pit of his stomach. "But that exam was extra hard. Even I couldn't solve it that quickly. Who was it?"
"You'll have to wait for the results, just like everyone else. Anyway, you're the last one here. I'll announce it in five minutes. It's a full house tonight, and there are a lot of clients who are standing because it is so full. Make sure everyone has a drink when I come out, ok?" Satsumi grins, shoving them both out the door.
Takumi stumbles slightly, surprised to see the cafe a lot dimmer than usual. The only sources of light are the candles on every table, and the tables themselves have been pushed to the side to make room for a small stage. He nods to the three senior girls, and then he feels it- an electric tingle down his spine. He turns, as if pulled by a magnet, to lock eyes with Ayuzawa. She isn't alone. A short boy is flirting with her, dressed in a trendy outfit that screams of money. Of course.
He runs a fingertip up her forearm, leaning in to whisper in her ear. Takumi has to admit that the boy is ridiculously cute, in a bishounen kind of way. That does not stop him from wanting to punch the kid in the face and drag him away from Ayuzawa.
Unaffected, she stares at Takumi, her gold eyes gleaming in the firelight. The boy follows her gaze, scowling at him. Then, he reaches over to tuck her hair behind her ear, the same exact move that Takumi makes. She catches his wrist before he can make contact, shaking her head to stop him. Pouting, the boy retracts his hand. The boy stares at him, then at Ayuzawa, speculation written across his face.
Takumi lowers his head, grabbing a tray and picking up empty glasses. He would be lying to himself if he thought he was unaffected by Ayuzawa. He can't quite understand why he is just like all the other boys, completely in thrall to that woman. Rationally, he knows he and she would never suit, and she is taken. Though, a voice whispers in his head, he has never seen her wear an engagement ring. He shushes it, forcing a smile on his face to greet the customers in his area. He can feel her gaze stabbing into his back.
A spotlight comes on, and the boy saunters to the microphone. A murmur ripples through the crowd. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen," he drawls in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. "Thank you so much for coming to our Cafe."
Takumi narrows his eyes. Wait a minute. Six months of inspecting girls at Seika has fine-tuned his senses and that boy is wearing makeup, he is sure of it. The boy has a delicate jaw, and plump lips, but the most telling thing is his lack of an Adam's apple. No, that boy is in fact, a girl.
"Is that the internet idol Aoi?" A regular client whispers loudly.
"Why, yes," the girl-dressed-as-a-boy onstage beams. Excited whispers break throughout the crowd.
Satsumi appears, grabbing the mic and pushing the youngster out of the spotlight. "Sorry, folks, and good evening. I'm Satsumi Hyodo, the owner of Butler Cafe, and I would like to thank you all for coming and participating in the contest." Wild applause greets his announcement. At a prearranged signal, all the butlers come onstage and stand in a line behind him, bowing deeply. The boss explains the mechanics of the contest, and gives prizes to the people who swept the easier portion of the quiz.
There is a strange anticipation in the air. Takumi's eyes meet Ayuzawa's again. She is wearing her usual poker face, nibbling on her lower lip. Is she nervous?
"I have to say, this was an unusually close contest. Two people almost got the grand prize, so we had to judge the winner based on time. Even then, it was close," Satsumi chuckles into the microphone.
Ayuzawa's phone lights up. She reads it quickly, and her eyebrows knit. She glances around her, as if searching for someone. Takumi frowns. There is something urgent about the way her eyes scan her surroundings.
"Both of them picked our youngest butler, Taku. A round of applause, please." Takumi squints into the spotlight as the cheers rise to a deafening pitch. Satsumi whacks him on the back and continues. "He designed the quiz himself, so it really is apt that they both picked him. But, because the race was so close, our first runner up gets a prize as well. We have a prize for you, Tora Igarashi. Please come backstage afterwards."
Ayuzawa rises to her feet abruptly, the blood draining out of her face. The scrape of her chair is drowned out by the clapping around her. She turns to leave, pushing through the crowd to head towards the door.
"And the winner is…," Satsumi begins, but Takumi is moving before he can finish, striding offstage to Ayuzawa. The distress in her eyes was real, and he only knows he must find her, to get to the bottom of this. The crowd parts for him; he has his Student Council President face on, and that usually gets it done. She is at the door now, shrugging into her coat as she pushes the handle.
"Misaki Ayuzawa." Her name echoes over the loudspeaker. Startled, she glances back, catching sight of him. To Takumi's shock, her eyes are filled with tears. What is going on? She hurries outside, half-sprinting, half-jogging down the sidewalk into the night with only a slight limp now.
He watches her for a moment, her hood falling back as she leaves him, reminded of the way his mother left. But this is Ayuzawa, and she might be in trouble, he tells himself. "Ayuzawa, wait!" he calls, sprinting down the pavement after her. Shouting an apology to his boss, he chases her across the block, down to a small park, and finds her waiting to cross at an intersection, biting back sobs.
He slows down a few feet away. The naked emotion on her face is more than he has ever seen, compared the usually blank expressions Ayuzawa displays. The costume hat keeps the rain off his face, but he is slowly getting soaked, and so is she.
Sighing, he grabs her hand and steers her to the bus stop to get them both under shelter. She is crying loudly now, covering her eyes with her other hand as heavy sobs wrack her shoulders. As soon as he releases her hand, she drops onto the waiting shed bench, sobbing like a little child.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks, frustrated by his inadequacy. Her sobs are deep and heartbreaking. Lifting a hand, he carefully strokes her hair, which is now tangled and in clumps and dripping wet. "Talk to me."
She shakes her head, burying her face in her hands. On a whim, Takumi pulls her into his arms. It is something he used to do with Sasuke, when they were kids. "Ayuzawa, let me help you," he murmurs into her hair, hugging her tightly. Ignoring the sudden acceleration of his heart rate is difficult, not when holding her like this has all his instincts screaming, 'Yes!' The scent of her, and of the rain on her skin, is quite intoxicating, but all Takumi can do is hold her until the tears subside.
"He knows," she whimpers brokenly against his shoulder, and he can see she is fighting for control. "He knows how I feel about you. I'm sorry for involving you, President. I thought I could protect you."
"Is this about Igarashi?" Takumi asks, trying to understand. His mind is still reeling from her maybe-confession. She sits up, trying to pull away, but he isn't ready to let her go yet. Instead, he cradles her chilled cheeks in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "I need you to explain things to me, Ayuzawa, if I'm involved."
Her lips tremble under his gentleness. "President. I'm sorry." In the streetlights, her eyes are dark, the fire swallowed by the night surrounding them. "Tora is warning me that my family knows."
"Knows what?" Takumi asks, warming her face with his palms. Even bedraggled and exhausted, Ayuzawa is breathtaking. She averts her gaze, colour flooding her face.
"That I like you, President," she confesses, drawing in a deep breath. "He is trying to warn me, that if he can get to you like that, in your place of work, my family will probably try to go after you."
"What?" Takumi drops his hands, a strange rush filling him. Did he just hear her correctly?
Ayuzawa pulls away, her back straight, staring at a point on the ground, her face on fire now. He gazes at her profile, feeling his heart stutter. "Look, I know you hate me, President. I'm not an idiot, and I know my limits. I just thought that I could protect you…," Before she can finish her thought, his fingers are tipping her chin up so she can face him, and his lips are capturing hers. He is just as surprised as she is when his mouth crashes into hers, and it is more than anything he has ever imagined.
Her incredibly plush lips taste of coffee, strawberry lip balm, and a flavour that is uniquely hers. If just her scent makes his head spin, well, kissing her makes Takumi's world grind to a halt. Her breath hitches against his own lips, the slight hesitation warning him to handle this girl with care.
Slipping his fingers into her hair, he cradles her head, angling her just so, to taste her and swallow her little breaths, her broken whimpers. He can taste her tears as well, the salty tang contrasting with her addictive sweetness. "President," she whispers, bewildered and awed and stealing whatever sanity he has left with her use of his title. Leaning his forehead against hers, Takumi knows now that what he feels for her is larger than anything he has every felt in his life.
She trembles under his hands. "But you hate me," she states again, as if she cannot believe it. He has no choice, really, but to kiss her again, to dispel all the hesitation and doubt and anxiety in Ayuzawa's voice. So even the queen of Seika can be insecure, he muses, though he has to admit that she may have some basis to think that.
She is softer this time, sweeter, if that were possible, Takumi thinks as he slants his mouth over hers. There is a tug on his neck; he doesn't need to look down to know that her hands are curled into fists around his shirt, pulling him even closer. She makes a little moan when he nibbles on her bottom lip. Delighted by his discovery, he does it again, rubbing a spot in the hollow beneath her ears with the pad of her thumb. She goes boneless in his arms, kissing him back just as urgently.
"A-hem." A voice interrupts them. Takumi jumps to his feet, automatically placing himself between Ayuzawa and whomever it is. A little disoriented, it takes him a second to recognize Igarashi, who is dressed casually and clutching a white umbrella. "Much as I would love to stay and watch the show, President Usui, I have to talk to our darling Misa."
Guilt swamps him. Did Igarashi witness their kiss? He turns to glance at her, over his shoulder, unsure of how to proceed. As far as he knows, they are engaged. Now Takumi is even more confused as she refuses to meet his eyes.
Ayuzawa steps out from behind him, head held high. "I'm here, Tora."
How is she so composed, when Takumi feels like his entire world has shifted? The only sign of their kiss is in the brightness of her cheeks, and the wildness of her hair. She gives no sign of any emotion, not even when Igarashi shrugs out of his jacket and drapes it around her shoulders. "Tsk, tsk, you're all soaked through. We have to go. Your father's secretary is on his way to this area, since they heard about your little imbroglio," he scolds, pulling her hood up over her hair in an almost maternal move. "I've got the car. It would be best to lie low, till the whispers die down. I'll tell them you were with me."
Takumi's hands are balled into fists of frustration against his own helplessness. "Will someone please explain to me what is going on?"
Igarashi smiles blandly at him. "No, I don't believe we will. But it's best to keep your mouth shut, about Misa, and about everything. Otherwise, it would be a shame if something happened to that cafe, or to your family. Do you understand, President?" A sense of betrayal grips Takumi, as he glares at the girl who just rocked his world. She had promised not to tell anyone about his circumstances, but here her fiance is, threatening to harm him with the secret he entrusted to her.
"Stop it, Tora," Ayuzawa's voice is low. "Do not threaten him. He will not talk." She averts her eyes, teeth sinking into her lower lip. Good Lord, Takumi had just nibbled on that same lip. Savagely, he hopes she can taste him. He hopes she feels guilt over telling Igarashi his secret. Even as he thinks this, he knows that he cannot hold this against her. The anxiety in her eyes worries him.
"Goodnight, President." She bows her head in his direction, pulling Igarashi's coat tighter over her shoulders. She looks like a little kid wearing her older brother's clothes.
"You idiot, you're too trusting," the blond scolds her as they walk away, ruffling her hair affectionately. "You know he could go to the media, and then your grandfather would really blow up." What kind of relationship do those two have?
"Ayuzawa," Takumi calls after her. She turns to face him, her eyes sad. "I don't hate you." The tiny smile that lifts the corner of her lips is enough to make the bottom drop out of his stomach. She nods, her cheeks glowing.
"I agree, if your kiss was anything to go by," Igarashi drawls, winking at him. "Oh, and maybe you should go back to work. Your boss seemed a tad concerned, President Usui. Nice costume, by the way." With that, they disappear into the expensive black car parked at the curb, leaving him alone at the bus stop.
Takumi sinks back on the cold metal bench, still trying to understand what just happened. With a muffled curse, he pounds the seat beside him with his fist, welcoming the pain that radiates up his arm.
"Good job, Usui," another voice quips, and the girl-dressed-as-a-boy from earlier steps out from behind the bus stop wall. "I had heard you have a way with women, but oh boy. You knocked that one out of the park. Straight into someone else's arms."
"Who are you?" he asks irritably, running a hand over his face. It still smells like her hair.
"Seriously?" The kid rolls her eyes at him. "I'm Aoi. Didn't you hear?"
"Aoi? Nope." Wearily he rises to his feet.
"Satsumi Hoda is my uncle," the brat smirks at him. "So what are you going to do, now that President Igarashi has swept your girlfriend away?"
"None of your business," he mutters, raking a hand through his damp hair. The girl falls into step beside him, hands clasped behind her back.
"I could have stolen her from you, too. She wasn't ugly," the kid muses.
"Last I heard, Ayuzawa wasn't into girls," Takumi snaps, walking faster towards the restaurant. The kid is caught off-guard by his statement, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk.
With the instincts of an older sibling, Takumi throws out a hand to break her fall. She is a lot lighter than her clothes imply, but once he grips her arm it is fairly obvious that Aoi is a girl. With a screech she regains her balance, her face flaming.
"How did you know I was a girl?" she hisses. "Did you watch me in the changing rooms?"
His temper snaps. "Look, kid, anyone with eyes can see you are a girl. You have no Adam's apple, your voice is too high, and anyone with eyes can see you're a girl. I don't have time for this. What do you need from me?" he yells at the wide-eyed youngster. "Are you even old enough to be out at this time of the night?"
The girl narrows her eyes at him. Now he remembers why he hates girls and women. There is too much drama. "Don't take your bad mood out on me, Usui," she snarls, shoving him so hard he takes two steps back. "Uncle just wanted me to check on you and make sure you were coming back."
With that, she sprints back towards the cafe. Great, another one. With a sigh, he heads back, leaning his head back to get more of the cool spring rain on his face.
Takumi is instantly mobbed when he enters the door, by starry-eyed customers gushing over him and Ayuzawa. He finds out afterwards that Satsumi had explained to the audience that Takumi and Ayuzawa were in fact, dating, and that Ayuzawa had studied extra-hard just to win the contest. Takumi apologizes on his knees to Satsumi once they are in the employee area, but his romantic of a boss just waves him off, giggling about young love.
Aoi stomps inside, cutting him a glare, but she swiftly subsides when Satsumi tells her that her parents are nearby. She emerges from the changing room dressed in a posh school uniform, while Takumi is taking out the garbage. "Wait a minute, is that a Miyabigaoka uniform?" he blurts out, taken aback by the drastic change.
"So what?" the girl snaps, stomping past him with her nose in the air. "How do you think I know President Igarashi?" Takumi is tempted to throw the bag of garbage at her, oh, he is so tempted to, but there's no point antagonizing the boss's niece. He trudges to the door, kicking it open. "Do you like me, Usui, you loli? I'm in middle school, so leave me alone," she calls out from the other end of the hallway.
Takumi closes his eyes and prays for patience, counting to ten slowly. He just wants this day to be over. Thankfully, Satsumi shows up with the girl's parents, taking her away. Once all the work is done, he apologizes again to his coworkers, and heads home.
The lights in his house are off when he gets home. Sasuke must be asleep, he figures, creeping upstairs. But he sees the figure of his dad, sitting in the dark, and the strong smell of alcohol hits him.
"Naomi?" his father slurs, trying to get up off the floor. "Naomi? Is that you?"
"Dad, it's me, Takumi," he mutters, kicking off his shoes. The TV blares in the other room.
"Takumi," his father sobs like a little child, clutching his knee. "Takumi, I'm so sorry for being a failure. I'm a failure as a dad. You deserve better than me."
"Dad, let's get you to bed," he sighs, helping his dad rise up. There is no reasoning when his father is in this state.
"That's why she left, you know. She left because of me. I'm so sorry, Takumi. Tell Sasuke I'm sorry too, but you are the eldest. I feel most ashamed to face you, " Shin Usui groans, gripping his shoulders weakly. A year ago, maybe two, the grip would have hurt, but now it is the weak clutch of a man given to alcohol, ever since the loss of his wife. "You are the man of the house now," he coughs. Silently, Takumi escorts his father to bed, tucking him in like a small child. "Women are useless," he adds, his eyes already closing. "Don't ever fall in love, son. We Usui men are cursed when it comes to women."
Too late for that, Takumi thinks, his chest aching.
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