~Usui~

"Usui!" Sakura shrieked. "You found her!"

I nodded, stepping into the well-lit house.

"Thank goodness," said Shizuko said as she adjusted her glasses. "We were so worried. Is she alright?"

I nodded again.

"Yeah. At least, she will be. She's a little…out of it right now," I told them. On the way there, I had decided against telling them that the Prez had in fact encountered the stalker, just like I had been afraid of. It would cause them needless worry, and more questions would follow until I would have to leave or pull out my hair. And leaving Prez just wasn't an option.

"Where was she?" Sakura asked.

"Fell asleep in the park nearby," I invented, praying that there was a park nearby.

Sakura made a face.

"All that worry, and she just fell asleep?"

I hid a smirk.

"Yeah. Is there somewhere she can lay down until she wakes up?"

"Uh, sure. She can have the couch in the living room," Sakura offered, pointing me in the right direction.

"Thanks," I said. "Could you call her mother as well? I'd rather she didn't walk home, and her mom at least needs to know where she is."

Sakura nodded, and both she and Shizuko vanished into another room. As for me, I went in the direction the younger girl had indicated and found a reasonably sized sitting room with a couch, a loveseat, and an overstuffed armchair. I carried Ayuzawa to the couch, sitting down at the far end and laying her across the cushions with her head in my lap. Looking down at her, pale and unconscious due to the effects of the drug, it was hard to imagine the headstrong, fearless, powerful president that I had first fallen in love with, though that one needed to be taken care of every bit as much as this one.

But this Misaki Ayuzawa…She scared me. She looked so delicate and fragile, so completely vulnerable, that she could have been made of glass. Looking down at her, with her black hair tangled in her face, I couldn't see the strong girl that insisted that she had to do everything alone. The one that could throw people twice her size or larger across a room, outrun the best athletes at our school, and in her spare time terrorize boys with her demon glare from hell. All I saw was a small girl, too fragile for the world around her, who needed to be cared for and protected by someone. I

And I was happy to fill that slot. I would always protect Misaki, no matter the costs. I hated that someone had managed to lay a hand on her today and had left her in such a defenseless state. Mostly, I hated the fact that I hadn't been there to prevent it. It had been at Misaki's request—or was demand a more appropriate word?—that I had kept my distance, and the one time I had actually done as she asked, what I feared had indeed come to pass. The stalker had made his attempt on her, and apparently he had nearly succeeded. If it hadn't been for the chief all but forcing a taser on the young girl, she might have been gone.

At least I had found her, though. As I brushed her hair back from her face, combing through it with my fingers, it felt as though a hand of ice that had been gripping my chest had at last released its hold. It was a terrifying moment for me when Sakura called, and I realized that my precious, volatile student council president had gone missing.

"U…sui…"

I blinked and glanced down at her. Misaki had fallen unconscious again after she thanked me, but maybe she'd woken up? No, her eyes were still closed, and she seemed very relaxed. She would never have been relaxed if she was consciously aware of the fact that she was using my lap as a pillow. I smiled.

"Ayuzawa?"

Her brow creased.

"Stupid alien…planet…"

I chuckled, sliding my thumb over her high cheekbone.

"Yes, Ayuzawa," I acknowledged. "I'm a stupid alien stalker from Planet Pheromone. But I'm your stupid alien stalker from Planet Pheromone."

The little wrinkle between her eyebrows eased.

"…Mine…" she sighed, rolling onto her side facing me. Then: "Thank…you."

I tucked her hair behind her ear, then settled my hand on her shoulder and leaned back in the couch. From what I had heard, chloroform took a while to wear off, and while it was apparent Ayuzawa hadn't gotten quite the exposure necessary to knock her out completely, she certainly had enough to addle her brain a bit. So, I probably had a little bit of time to take a nap while Misaki slept off the symptoms. That is, if I could calm my mind enough to get any semblance of sleep.

~Third Person~

Consciousness returned painfully slowly. Misaki had had the worst dream, where Sakura had thrown her a surprise party, but Usui hadn't been there, and for some reason that upset her. She'd gone out for a walk, and had ended up cornered in an alley by a stalker who tried to knock her out with a rag soaked in chloroform. She'd almost lost it when she thought of how stupid Usui would think she was, and managed to tase the stalker before stumbling…somewhere, waiting for Usui to find her like he always did. That had been a dream, right?

Misaki's head felt incredibly fuzzy, and her mouth felt like a hamster had crawled in and nested in it. Her body felt heavy, but after some experimentation, she found that she could move all of her limbs like normal, if a bit more slowly. She cracked open one eye, and found herself looking at about an inch of tanned abdomen peaking from beneath a soft green shirt. She blinked, trying to shake off the aftereffects of being knocked out with chloroform, and let her gaze travel up.

Usui was leaning back against a sofa, his Adam's apple and chin jutting out because of the way his head fell back against the top of the couch. His lips were parted slightly, and his brilliant emerald eyes were closed. His tousled gold hair shifted slightly every time he took a breath or released one. One of his hands lay beneath her head, and the other had probably rested on her shoulder, but had slipped down her back when he fell asleep. Her head was resting on…was resting on…

What was Usui doing on her couch? And why was she using his lap as a pillow? Was she still dreaming? No, no, dreams were supposed to be unconscious desires, or the ones that a person refused to acknowledge. And she certainly didn't want to be with Usui like that. Right? But then, if she wasn't dreaming anymore, what was Usui doing there? Had he come in with her last night after all, and when for some reason she had crashed out on the couch, he just sat down and moved her head to his thigh?

Finally sense returned to her, telling her that whatever had led up to this, the situation was most definitely real, and she leapt up, her face flushing scarlet. She meant to land on her feet on the floor, but complete control of her limbs clearly had yet to return, and she stumbled, falling backwards. In a flash, suddenly Usui was right beside her, catching her in his arms, his bright green gaze fixed on her with a look of intense concern.

"Don't push yourself, Prez," he said softly, pulling her close to his chest. "You've had a hell of a day."

So that's it, she thought, rather numbly. It…wasn't a dream. That really happened. Which means…

"That was…real?" Misaki mumbled, her tongue feeling as though it had sprouted a layer of fur. "It wasn't a…a dream?"

Usui looked down at her with a gaze so sympathetic that she felt a lump lodge in her throat. Instead of shoving him away like she normally would have done, Misaki's hands curled in the front of his shirt, and she leaned into him, taking comfort from his warm and steady presence.

"No, Ayuzawa," Usui answered softly, cradling the back her head right at the nape of her neck and wrapping his other arm around her waist. "No, it wasn't a dream."

"So…that man…"

Usui tightened his embrace.

"Yeah. He was the stalker that's been going around. But the police arrested him."

"Guess you wanna say I told you so, right?" she grumbled.

Usui chuckled.

"No, Ayuzawa," he answered her. "I don't think I've ever said that to you."

"Hmph."

"Say, Ayuzawa?" the blonde said after a moment.

"Mm?"

"How did you manage to stay conscious?" he wondered. "Chloroform is supposed to be really potent stuff. Doctors and dentists used to put some on a rag and put it near their patients to put them to sleep. It worked in a few minutes like that. Right up against your face, how did you not pass out?"

He couldn't see Misaki's blush, but he could sure feel it. Her face heated up against his neck, until it felt like it was burning him.

"I—I don't know," she said unconvincingly.

Usui leaned away from her so that he could see the expression on her face. She was determinedly avoiding his gaze, her cheeks so bright red they might not ever fully fade back to normal.

"Ayuzawa?" he said, half amused, half concerned.

"…I guess…" she muttered, glancing at him and then hastily looking away. "You."

"Me?" Usui echoed. "But I wasn't there."

She snorted.

"I just…I just remember…I dunno, I guess I expected you would show up, because you always do. And then I thought, God, he'll think I'm an idiot for getting stuck in this situation. That—er—gave me the willpower to stay sort of awake."

Usui blinked. The thought…of him had given Ayuzawa the strength she had needed to fight back? He doubted she realized exactly what that meant to him, or indeed the full extent of what she had said at all. That it was only because she had thought of him that she had mustered the willpower to fight off unconsciousness induced by a powerful chemical.

"Sorry."

"Eh—what?" Usui said, shaking off his own thoughts. Misaki was looking up at him, actually meeting his gaze even though her cheeks were still red.

"I'm sorry, Usui," she sighed.

"What for?" he asked in surprise.

"For not listening to you, and making you come to my rescue again."

"I'll always come to your rescue, Prez," he chuckled. "As many times as you need it. I promise."

"And," she continued like she hadn't heard him. Usui frowned. What else was there? "And for…for the things I said. I was always so mean to you, and it wasn't fair. I mean, you're annoying, and you always will be, but a lot of the things I accused you of were no fair, and…I'm sorry."

That had been bothering her all day. Usui hadn't come to the party, though Sakura had invited him, and it could only be because of the things she had said to him last night in a fit of petty irritation. He had finally lost his carefully calm demeanor, which told her how seriously she may have messed up. When he didn't come to the party, she wondered if maybe that time she really had gone too far, and pushed him away for real.

Usui's lips curved up in a smile, and he pulled Misaki tightly to his chest, leaning his cheek against her temple.

"I'm not angry with you, Prez," he told her. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should never have railed at you the way I did. But I accept your apology."

After a second of hesitancy, Misaki slid her arms around his waist in a return of his embrace, laying her cheek against his warm torso. It was embarrassing, and it was stupid, and it was completely out of character for her, but wrapped up in his arms, Misaki felt very safe, like there was nothing in the world that could hurt her as long as Usui stayed right there. For all of the grief she gave him, she trusted that he would always come through for her, because she had never been given any reason to truly doubt that. After all, despite him finally growing frustrated enough for his calm demeanor to snap, he had still come to her rescue right when she needed him. Misaki had a feeling he always would, whether she particularly wanted it or not.

Usui was pleasantly surprised when Ayuzawa returned his hug with her slender arms. The feel of her slim, warm body wrapped in his arms gave him a feeling of rightness, like with her beside him, he was complete in a way he had not been when he was alone. He'd always been alone, with no true family that cared about him enough to spend any amount of time bonding with him. There was really no one at his school he felt he could really connect with on a deep enough level to make it worth the frustration. To no longer have to be that solitary figure was a strange idea for him, but one he welcomed, if it was Ayuzawa who would change that.

"Usui?" Misaki said slowly, leaning back and looking around. "Where are we? This isn't my house."

Usui shook his head.

"I brought you back to Sakura's. She and Shizuko are asleep in her room."

"And…why did you stay here?" she asked.

He gave her a smile.

"Because I was worried about you. I was going to see how you were when you woke up before I left. I was just starting to doze off when you woke up."

"Oh. Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's fine, Ayuzawa," he assured her.

A moment of silence passed, and Misaki leaned against him, her hands folded between their chests. In response he wrapped his hands around her waist.

"Thank you, Usui," she said softly.

"For what?"

"For being there for me. Even when I wish you weren't."

Usui laughed.

"You're welcome. You're not getting rid of me, Ayuzawa. No matter how hard you try."

She snorted.

"I think I got the memo," she said haughtily.

Usui just laughed.

"Yet, you still try."

She huffed but said nothing. Her tall blonde hero smirked and pulled away from her, his amusement growing when he saw the surprised look in her amber eyes. He took her hands and led her to the couch, making her sit down. He then pressed a gentle kiss to her fingers.

"I've convinced myself that you're fine," he laughed, straightening up a letting her hands fall into her lap. "I'll see you at school, Prez."

He turned as if to leave. Before Misaki knew how, her hand had shot out and caught the hem of his sleeve

"Usui, wait."

He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, mildly surprised. Her scarlet face was focused on the floor.

"Could—could you—er—"

"Ayuzawa," he prompted.

"Stay?" she blurted.

Usui's lips curled up in a smile.

"Sure," he said softly, returning to his seat on the sofa.

Refusing to look at him, Misaki curled up on the couch cushions, once more using is thigh as a pillow for her head. Usui barely held back a chuckle at her furious blush, instead stroking his fingers along the side of her face tenderly and watching the color darken. With a mischievous but sincere shine in his emerald eyes, he leaned down and pressed a soft, gentle kiss on her temple.

"Hey!" she snapped, eyes flashing open to glare at him, though she didn't move otherwise. "What do you think you're doing?"

A bout of quiet laughter finally escaped the green-eyed boy.

"Nothing, Ayuzawa," he chuckled, stroking her hair out of her face fondly. "Nothing at all."

"Hmph," she snorted, but closed her eyes. Usui moved his hand down to her waist; his other hand slid beneath Misaki's neck.

"You should go to sleep," Usui noted. "You've still got a few hours before the sun's up."

"Shut up," she grumbled. "Take your own advice."

"Of course, Master," he chuckled. Far from becoming incensed like he had expected, the Prez just gave an aggravated sigh and nestled herself a little more comfortably at Usui's side. With a smile, Usui leaned back and allowed his mind to rest.

~….~

Usui called in sick for Ayuzawa the next day, stubbornly insisting that it was best if she let her body rest until she was fully recovered. She tried to tell him that she was fine, but he refused to listen, saying that she was hardly the best impartial judge to decide the state of her wellbeing, because she never thought overly highly of herself. Her retort had been to say, rather snootily, that Usui was hardly impartial. He admitted easily—even proudly—that she was right, and he was not even the slightest bit impartial when it came to her. But that was because he cared for her, and he was not about to let her put her body under any amount of strain until he was one hundred percent certain that she was back to normal.

He took her home and told her mom that she had contracted a slight stomach flu, ignoring her venomous glare, and left her in her mother's care with a cheery farewell.

No one would have guessed anything special might have transpired between the two of them when Monday came around. She was still the rather cranky student council president, with no aftereffects of being knocked out by chloroform. He was still her perverted alien stalker from Planet Pheromone.

But between them, they had a stronger, private understanding of one another.