The Coffee Break
UsuixMisaki
“Can I eat that?”
Usui blinked, surprised. She didn’t usually eat any of the food he cooked, for whatever reason. The café was closed now, and everyone else had headed home. Misaki had just done the usual rounds around the restaurant, and finding no one, headed back to the kitchen. She had collapsed into a chair right away, sighing quietly.
He was working on a sundae. It had more mandarin oranges in it than usual. He wanted to get rid of the older leftovers before they started to rot. “I’ll make another one.”
“Geez, just give me that one,” she mumbled, and grabbed the sundae before he could protest. She plopped a spoonful into her mouth leaving a smudge on he cheek. Usui stared.
“You’re going to get a stomach ache,” he said. “Those are made of leftovers.”
She shrugged and continued to eat. “I'm used to eating leftovers.”
He said nothing, and stared at her quietly. She had gotten skinnier, and there were black smudges underneath her eyes. The maid uniform draped over her usually sturdy form loosely. Usui sighed. Didn’t she take up more shifts last week?
Usui took a napkin from the cupboard and softly grabbed her chin, wiping the excess cream from her face. Misaki blushed lightly, but stayed still. He frowned. Either she was finally falling for him, or she was more tired than she let on.
He opened his mouth to ask about why she was working so hard (even though she was always working hard), but closed it quickly. He had to fill her up first. He headed to the fridge to get out some eggs and veggies.
“What are you doing?”
Usui’s face was blank. He dumped the ingredients on the table. He considered telling her he was cooking for her, but quickly changed his mind. She probably wouldn’t eat if he forced her. She was like that. “I’m hungry.”
Misaki blinked, and stared at him, looking him over. He swallowed.
“You’re mad,” she said. “Why?”
He used to think that he could read Misaki’s thoughts like an open book, and she was completely oblivious to his. That used to hold true, but nowadays, she was becoming more observant. Usui turned his head, and didn’t meet her eyes, and concentrated on chopping the veggies. At this point in their “friendship” he was tired of holding back. Maybe she finally noticed that.
“You’re not taking care of yourself,” he replied.
“I am.” He opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off. “Enough.”
He gritted his teeth. Why was she always so stubborn? Why was she so unselfish, never taking care of herself? But then, he thought, if she wasn’t so damn perfect for him he wouldn’t love her.
The smell of the omelet filled the room, and Misaki’s eyes glazed over. She inhaled deeply. Usui refrained from grinning when he heard her stomach growl and saw a light blush tint her cheeks. Friggin’ adorable.
Neither of them spoke until the omelet was done, and a large portion was placed in front of her. Misaki mumbled a thank you and scooped large spoonfuls into her mouth. He frowned again.
He wanted to ask her why she was overworking, but he was scared that she would blow him off and he wouldn’t get an answer out of—
“My mom lost her job,” she said. Half of the plate was finished and he scooped more into her plate, trying to hide his surprise. “That’s what you wanted to know right?”
She met his eyes with a level gaze, and he gulped, breaking the eye contact. It was taking all his control not to do something utterly inappropriate right now. Not like he didn’t mind inappropriate…but she’d probably think he was attacking her when she was weak or something.
He took a deep breath. “If you don’t take care of yourself, how do you expect to take care of your family?”
She blinked, and didn’t meet his eyes, staring at her empty plate with a pensive stare. “I don’t need to take care of myself.”
Usui gripped the countertop and glared at her, opening his mouth before she raised a hand to quiet him.
“Because you take care of me.”
His grip on the marble loosened, and his face was covered in shock. She was blushing deeply but she was looking straight into his eyes.
Then she sneezed. Usui coughed and turned around to get another napkin for her. Before he turned back to her, he had controlled an uncharacteristic blush. “Here.”
“Thanks,” she replied, taking the napkin gratefully. Her nose was tinted pink.
He sighed and observed her. She never ceased to surprise him. Every single time he thought he got her down, understood her behavior, her personality, she would throw something like that at him. It never ceased to make him fall for her over and over again. But…Usui never loss a fight.
“Ayuzawa,” he said after she finished cleaning herself up. “You know I never lied to you before.”
She sniffed and turned to him, confused. “About what?”
He smirked. “About how I love you.”
Misaki didn’t know it, but she had him in the palm of her hand, whether she would admit it or not.
