Chapter Text
The noise of idle chatter and laughter filled Michiru’s ears as she walked down the hallway, school bag over her shoulder and gym bag in her hands. Practice ended early, so after peeling out of her bathing suit and waving her teammate goodbye, Michiru headed to the track to meet Haruka.
As she stepped outside, the summer sun blinded her. She raised her free harm to shade her eyes. Athletes swarmed the drinking fountain in the middle of the pavilion. Some took long sips from their spouts while others crowded around to socialize after practice. Michiru didn’t pay them any attention, because she spotted the only person that mattered.
Haruka had her back to Michiru, bent over the fountain to drink. The track shorts clung to her in a way that Michiru was eternally thankful for; her round, firm ass filled out the shorts while her strong legs were left uncovered. Hints of her stomach and back peeked out where her tank top rode up.
Off to the side, a gaggle of girls were staring at Haruka. They huddled together, cheeks red, whispering to each other. One of them had an envelope in their hands. A love letter. Michiru couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Girls always thought they had a shot with her Haruka.
“Haruka.” Michiru walked over. Once she reached Haruka’s side, she rested her free hand on Haruka’s hip. “I missed you.”
After a last gulp of water, Haruka turned her head. “Michi.”
She stood upright and wiped her mouth with a contented smile. Sweat dripped down her temple and cheek, reddened from the sun and exertion. Lately, she’d started wearing a headband when she ran to keep the hair out of her eyes. It was cute, but Michiru couldn’t wait to take it off and play with Haruka’s hair.
“It’s only been an hour.”
“Are you saying you didn’t miss me?” Michiru tugged Haruka’s tank top down. She wouldn’t let those other girls keep seeing what was hers.
“No.” Haruka leaned down and kissed Michiru’s cheek. “You’re always on my mind.”
Michiru smiled. “Let’s go home.”
“Did you still wanna go for a drive tonight?” Haruka grabbed her bags, sitting at her feet, before grabbing Michiru’s gym bag too.
“Of course.” Michiru curled her hand around Haruka’s bicep.
She could already envision their night together: They’d drive out to the shore together and grab a bite to eat, then they’d drive around until the sunset. At some point Haruka would park and they’d head down to the beach, and they’d take their shoes off and walk into the water. Michiru would enjoy the feel of the waves on her feet while she tasted Haruka on her lips. A perfect night.
Haruka guided them away from the fountain. Smugly, Michiru glanced over to the group of girls as they passed, relishing their jealous expressions.
Towards the main entrance of the school, students still loitered. They passed by groups until they spotted Usagi and her friends talking. Once she saw them, Haruka perked. She guided Michiru over towards the group.
“Hey, Kittens.” Haruka winked. Always with that silly, pet name. Haruka could be so predictable sometimes.
“Good afternoon, girls,” Michiru followed.
Minako was the first to glance over. “Oh, hey! How was your guys’ summer break?” She was still in her volleyball practice uniform, her red bow a little crooked and her hair sweaty and frayed.
“Haruka drove us down to a little resort by the shore… Just the two of us,” Michiru recalled. Just thinking of the trip made her body relax. Imaging them back on the beach, basking in the sun all day. She leaned into Haruka, pressing her side into Haruka’s arm. “It was wonderful.”
“How romantic!” Makoto held a hand to her cheek cheek, flushing. “I’m so jealous.”
A mischievous smile spread across Usagi’s face as she elbowed Makoto. “Hey, you had a pretty romantic summer break trip, too.”
Makoto’s blush darkened and she looked down at her feet. “It wasn’t that romantic.” In a quieter and dreamier tone, she added. “Maybe if we had been alone…”
“You know, it’s been hard to find you, Kitten.” Haruka winked. “We haven’t seen you since…” Haruka’s lips sneered as she recalled the memory. “Since we ran into you at the park.”
That fateful run-in happened nearly three weeks ago, the weekend before summer break, yet Haruka still fumed whenever she remembered that Usagi and Seiya went on a date. Whenever Haruka spotted Seiya in the hallway at school, or noticed a Three Lights poster on a wall, or heard their song on the radio she got mad, so mad she’d get lines on her forehead. Michiru did her best to ‘help’ Haruka through these moments. Mainly by making out with her. It worked, most of the time.
Usagi had tilted her head, confused. “At the park…? Oh! With Seiya! On our, uh, not- date.” Usagi scratched her cheek with her finger, looking anywhere but her friends.
Said friends were all staring at Usagi with knowing looks on their faces: Minako looked excited for Usagi, Makoto had a slightly disappointed look with her arms crossed, while Ami looked stern.
Haruka and Michiru exchanged a look.
“Did we miss something?” Haruka asked. She turned back to face Usagi, a stern, over protective look in her eyes.
Minako pointed to Usagi. “She had a pretty romantic summer break, too.”
“With Seiya?” Haruka’s sneer had returned, and her bicep tensed under Michiru’s hand. “What happened?”
“He was, like, totally on top of her!” Makoto gushed.
“That was because the door knocked into us!” Usagi pleaded. “We had just been chatting before that!”
“Then why’d you call him a pervert?” Ami asked.
“I-it was just a shock.” Usagi crossed her arms, pouting. “That’s why.”
“He didn’t touch you, did he, Kitten?” Haruka asked. “Guys like that like to get handsy! Flick up girl’s skirts when they’re unsuspecting… Touch their butts. Kou is a wolf, Kitten. Don't trust him.”
The warning had made Usagi turn a bright red. Her eyes were glued to the ground, a guilty look in them. Michiru’s brow rose. Someone had gotten handsy - it seemed.
“He didn’t do any of that!” Usagi stamped her foot. “Can we just talk about something else?”
Ami sighed and adjusted her glasses. “I did have something important to mention. Did everyone hear about the robberies in the area?”
“Robberies?” Usagi asked.
“I heard about them on the radio!” Minako exclaimed.
“I heard the granny that runs the corner store was robbed at knifepoint!” Makoto added.
Haruka frowned and the arm that Michiru had been holding now reached around her waist to pull her close. “That’s concerning… Make sure to stay inside at night - and don’t open the door for just anyone.”
“We’ll be fine.” Usagi waved them off. “We’re Sailor Guardians after all!”
Everyone quickly shushed her. Their eyes darted around the school to make sure no one overheard Usagi spilling their superhero identities to the public.
“Wait…Usagi, isn’t your family out of town tonight?” Ami asked.
“Yeah! Shingo has some special school event and my parents are chaperones, so I have the house all to myself tonight!” Usagi cheered. “I’m thinking I’ll order a pizza and play some video games! And then… why are you all looking at me like that?”
“You’re a goner, Usagi!” Minako grabbed Usagi’s shoulders and shook her. “The robber is gonna see that you’re home alone and then - bam! He breaks in!”
Usagi tilted her head. “We don’t really have anything worth stealing…”
“You! Usagi!” Minako shook her again. “What if he does something awful to you?”
Usagi paled. “Oh no! W-what if he breaks in while I’m busy reading manga? I won’t even notice!”
Haruka was about to speak, but a new voice cut her off.
“I’ll protect you, Bunhead.” Seiya had approached the group, still in his American football gear. His padding made his shoulders and chest look bulky, his green jersey was dirt-stained, and he had a worn helmet tucked under his arm. His hair was a wild, sweaty, unkempt mess, and he had a bright, beaming grin on his face.
“Kou!” Haruka hissed under her breath.
Michiru couldn’t help but smile. Haruka was always so entertaining to watch, especially when she was riled up. Every time Haruka saw Seiya, she’d get so mad. It was adorable. Michiru would never be bored a day in her life as long as Haruka was beside her.
“Protect me?” Usagi turned to face Seiya. “How?”
Seiya got a cocky look in his eye. “By being the world’s best bodyguard, again! I kept you and the little one safe when that monster was on the loose, a robber doesn’t stand a chance!” Monster? World’s best bodyguard? It must’ve been related to their summer break trip.
He stepped forward. “No one will hurt you if I’m there. Let me take care of you, Bunhead.”
Behind Usagi, her three friends huddled together and whispered as if they were watching a fiery TV drama. Michiru was surprised that even Ami was so animated. Who knew that even the quiet, studious one was under the influential pull of a teen-idol.
When Haruka tried to step forward and intervene, Michiru tugged her back by her tank top. Haruka gave her a betrayed look, but Michiru didn’t relent. All of this was free entertainment, after all.
Usagi was red, her eyes averted. “You were a good bodyguard…” She nervously glanced between her friends and Haruka, taking in the many stares, before looking back to Seiya.”I’d feel really safe if you were there, Seiya. Please come over?”
“You won’t regret it, Bunhead.” Seiya flipped his hair back. “I’m a pretty nice guy, aren’t I?”
“Don’t get too cocky, Kou!” Haruka practically bared her teeth.
“I’m not cocky, Tenoh.” Seiya barely looked in her direction. “I’m just good at what I do. Right, Bunhead?”
“Seiya’s a good bodyguard. I trust him.” Usagi nodded, not meeting Haruka’s eyes.
Haruka was bristling. “Well you shouldn’t!”
Seiya rolled his eyes, the grin faltering. “Why don’t you mind your own business, Tenoh. I didn’t say anything about your stupid headband.”
Haruka’s hands flew up to cover said headband.
“Let Bunhead make her own decisions.” He turned back to Usagi. “See you in a bit, Bunhead. I just need to pack an overnight bag.”
“Okay!”
With a wave, and a victorious smirk sent Haruka’s way, Seiya departed. Usagi began rambling about how she needed to go home and clean up, while her friends mobbed her with questions.
Haruka’s silence was worrying. Michiru glanced over, and found Haruka was biting her lip so hard she was about to draw blood.
“I don’t trust him one bit…” Haruka glared at Seiya’s retreating form, her cheeks burning red. “Michiru, we may need to swing by Kitten’s tonight.”
Michiru held in a sigh. Her romantic evening was ruined, but at least she would get some entertainment out of watching Haruka and Seiya clash.
“Me and Bunhead, Bunhead and me.” Seiya sang to himself as he walked down the empty block. He spun a pair of black sunglasses, previously concealing his idol identity, around his fingers. His overnight bag hung off his shoulders. “With little Chibi Chibi.”
To say he was excited was an understatement, Seiya was ecstatic! After two weeks of avoiding being alone with him, Usagi now wanted him to stay over the night? Operation Make Out with Usagi was back in action! Seiya was ready this time, too. No more getting flustered and out of breath from just a little smooching. He had practiced a lot these past two weeks! Yaten had complained he was ‘loud’ and ‘listening to you slobber on your pillow is gross’, but what did Yaten know?
Plus, since Usagi had been honest with him during their trip, when she admitted how she felt about him, he figured he should be honest with her. Lying to her hurt him. Tonight, Seiya would come clean about being a Sailor Guardian. He had practiced how to say it in the mirror before he left. It would be a lot, but Usagi was open minded. He was sure she’d be over it and kissing him soon enough.
“Here it is.” Seiya looked up at the Tsukino household. “Nice place.” He strode up to the door and rang the doorbell.
From inside, he heard Usagi’s voice call out. “Coming!”
The sound of loud footsteps was interrupted by a crash.
Seiya smiled and shook his head. “Typical, clumsy Bunhead.”
He opened the door and, just as he expected, Usagi was sprawled on the floor. Her chin was pressed against the floorboards while her arms were far out in front of her; one leg was kneeling while the other was straight out behind her. It looked pretty uncomfortable. Behind her, an empty, tipped-over bucket and a puddle of water. She must’ve slipped. Typical Bunhead behavior, alright.
“What, were you doing yoga or something?” Seiya teased as he let himself inside.
“N-No!” Usagi quickly pushed herself up and dusted herself off. “And I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
Seiya shrugged. “If I asked you if you were okay after every little fall, I’d never stop asking.”
“I don’t fall that often!” Usagi bristled. “Anyways, be quiet! I need to wipe this up!” Before Seiya could answer, she had already started mopping up the spill with a cloth.
“I can help, you know.”
“It’s fine! I’ve got it.” Usagi scrubbed the floor, not looking up at him. “You can make yourself comfortable. We can just hang in my room.”
Seiya’s brows rose. Not only was it just the two of them, but they were going to spend time in her room? That was serious. He couldn’t help but grin. Usagi must have been excited for some Seiya-Kou-action.
“Sure.” Seiya stepped over her. “Where’s your room?”
“Upstairs. It’s the door with a bunny sticker.”
“Okay. Holler if you want help.”
“I’ll be fine on my own!”
Seiya ignored her and walked up the stairs. Like she said, her door had a bunny sticker pasted near eye level. It was pretty cute. Maybe Seiya should start calling her Bunny-head. He chuckled at his own, funny idea.
The first thing Seiya noticed was that the room was
pink.
Pink walls, a pink low table, pink curtains, and just pink everything! He walked around the perimeter of the room, eyeing up the bookshelves. In typical Bunhead fashion, they were filled with manga instead of actual books. He crossed the room and looked down at her bed. She had cute, moon-and-bunny patterned blankets. Though they were crumpled, Usagi clearly didn’t make her bed this morning. Next to the bed was a small nightstand. A pile of stuffed animals huddled at the bottom. He knelt down to get a better view. They all were pretty cute and well-loved. Maybe he should buy her one. Or a stuffed star, as a reminder of himself.
He rose up, pondering the idea, when his eyes landed on a picture frame. In the photo, Usagi was smiling brightly with her arms hugging the arm of an older boy. His hands were shoved into his pockets. In contrast to her bright face, he looked subdued and cool. It was hard to see if he was even enjoying himself. This must be
Mamoru.
Distaste filled Seiya’s mouth as he glared down at the picture. There were so many reasons to hate the guy. First, he ignores Usagi’s letters and calls - she was trying her best to hide it, but Seiya had eyes and a working brain. Second, he didn’t even seem happy to be with her! And third… his haircut was stupid.
“You can’t keep a girl waiting forever, you know,” Seiya spat at the photo. Looking at it was making him aggravated, so Seiya flipped the photo down.
“I’ve got cake!” The door opened and Usagi bustled in, holding a tray of cake and tea cups. He barely had a chance to recoil from the picture when she glanced towards him. She paused, looking between him and her stuffed animals. “You’d better not be bullying them.”
Seiya grinned at her and grabbed the plushie from the top of the pile. “Me? A bully? You hurt me, Bunhead.” He hugged the pink, worn bunny to his chest. “Me and Bunny-head here were just getting acquainted. We’re, like, best buddies now.”
Usagi scoffed. “Bunny-head? What a silly name.” She knelt by the table and set the tray down, nose in the air, acting overly confident and mature.
Seiya kissed the top of the stuffed animal's head to hide his pout. “I don’t think it’s a silly name.” Did Usagi really think it was lame? Seiya thought it was cute. He set the plushie down before sauntering over to the table. “So, you brought cake?”
“Yep! I picked it up at the store on the way home.”
Seiya took a seat at an adjacent side of the table. “You didn’t need to go through all that extra effort. Thanks, Bunhead.” Their knees knocked into each other under the table.
Usagi beamed at the praise. “I’m just amazing like that!” She pushed the tray towards him. “Which one do you want?”
Her smile had taken over most of Seiya’s brain power. Smiling made her cheeks puff out in an adorable way, eyes alight with joy she couldn’t hide. A happy flush coated her cheeks. Usagi smiled after talking, still basking in the compliment. She always did this when she smiled; Seiya had noticed these things after watching her smile over and over. He was sure she’d have smile lines permanently etched into her face once she was older.
Did Mamoru even know these details about her smiles? Did he even care? Seiya couldn’t understand why Mamoru wouldn’t appreciate her. He had the best girlfriend in the entire galaxy, yet he couldn’t cherish it? His nose scrunched and his lips curled thinking about it, mood souring.
“Seiya? Heellllloooo?”
“Oh! Sorry. Thinkin’ about, uh, important idol stuff.” Seiya focused back on the matter at hand. Two delish looking cakes sat on the tray. “I don’t really mind.”
Usagi cast him a suspicious look. “You’re usually not this unassertive.”
“Well, I guess I can just eat them both.” Seiya playfully yanked at the tray, but Usagi clung to it for dear life.
“No! Please! I wanted cake too!”
“I’m just messing with you, Bunhead.” Seiya snickered. “You pick first.”
Usagi quickly grabbed a plate and fork from the tray, clearly not trusting Seiya, and began shoveling down bite after bite. Seiya snickered and grabbed the other plate and fork.
After a few bites, Usagi’s eyes wandered over to his plate, big and pleading. “Can I have a bite?” Her lower lip jutted out as she asked.
Seiya couldn’t say no to that face. He pushed his plate over.
Usagi cheered and took a forkful. “Thanks!”
Talking lulled as Usagi continued to happily eat, and Seiya sipped his tea. Usagi’s cat lurked in the doorway. The same cat Yaten had stolen for the television program. She seemed to be glaring at him. Weird, she didn’t have a problem with him when Yaten borrowed her.
Seiya looked back to Usagi, who had a smudge of cake on the corner of her lip. “You’re so messy, Bunhead.” He reached out and swiped it with his thumb. Pausing for a moment, he glanced at the frosting, before licking it off.
Usagi stopped eating to stare at him, her cheeks bright red. “Seiya! That was - you shouldn’t just do that without asking.”
“Sorry.” Seiya appraised her. Two weeks ago she had grabbed his ass and let him accidentally grind on her, but today touching her lips was too much? He’d respect it, but it was so confusing. “I just thought after break-.”
Usagi shushed him and placed a finger to his lips. “Not now!” For some reason, her eyes drifted back towards her cat.
He raised a brow. “We kinda need to talk about that, Bunhead.”
Usagi’s hands went to her lap and she averted her eyes. “Can we just do it later, Seiya? Not today. Not when we’re totally alone.”
Seiya sighed. He really didn’t understand Earth girls. “I guess.”
If they didn’t talk about it alone, when would they talk about it? In front of her friends? In front of Tenoh? A shudder ran through his spine as he imagined the overbearing butch glaring at him while he tried to talk to Usagi about her feelings. Well, if she didn’t want to talk about it, he had to pivot.
Nervously, he brought a hand up to brush through his bangs. “I did have something else serious to talk to you about, though.” His other hand crept into his pocket, where his Star Yell was tucked away. “We said we shouldn’t keep secrets and…” His cheeks grew red as he nervously trailed off.
Usagi’s eyes flickered between his face and his hand in his pocket. “W-woah! Don’t you think that’s a little soon?”
“What’s a little soon?”
“It’s a lot of commitment! And I’m still trying to figure out what my feelings for you means for-.”
A sludge of cake and frosting splattered on his face and ears, and anything else Usagi said was lost. It was cold and sticky. Shocked and without thinking, Seiya’s hands went to his face. The frosting squished under his palms and some of it dripped down onto his pants. His tongue darted out, licking some of the frosting off his lips. At least it tasted good?
No! What was he thinking? Usagi was just about to say something about her feelings for him! Frustrated, Seiya aggressively wiped his face off. More chunks of cake and icing fell into his lap and onto his shirt. More anger bubbled up because he liked those pants and this shirt! He had dressed up just for Usagi!
Now with his vision clear, he could see the room again. Chibi Chibi stood there giggling, clapping her cake-covered hands together. Usagi looked apologetic behind her little sister. Seiya felt some of his anger dissipate when he saw Chibi Chibi, especially with her smiling like that.
“I’m so sorry! Let me get the shower started!” Usagi sprang up and rushed out of the room, making the cat scatter.
Seiya looked down at Chibi Chibi and sighed. “Not the best time, kiddo.” His hands came up to massage his temples, which only smeared more cake into his hair. “Awful timing, in fact.”
“Can you believe it?” Makoto whispered into the hallway phone. Her hand cupped her mouth, keeping her voice from drifting, while she glanced towards Rei’s open door.
Minako and Ami sat by Rei’s low table. Ami had her nose in a book, but she wasn’t paying much attention to the pages; her eyes kept drifting up to a gushing Minako. Theory after theory of what could happen between Seiya and Usagi tonight spilled from her mouth.
“Knowing Seiya? Yes, I can believe it.” Taiki’s smooth, lovely voice came out of the receiver. The phone at the shrine was old, but the crackle of the audio didn’t diminish the effect his voice had on her. “He’s so impulsive.”
After Usagi left, the girls had split up, rushing home to change (and shower in Minako’s case) and pack overnight bags. They had convened at the shrine, where they interrupted Rei mid-archery practice. She hadn’t bothered to stop until they told her about the bodyguard situation, which made her arrow miss the target entirely. She rushed off to the shower to get out of her sweaty shrine maiden clothes.
“Usagi is, too. Keeping her out of trouble is really hard sometimes.” Makoto tried to sound stern but couldn’t keep the affection out of her voice. Her thoughts drifted back to before summer break, nearly a month ago, when her life changed forever. When they went on that cooking show with Taiki. “You’ve seen what a mess she can make first-hand.” A giggle escaped her lips.
Taiki’s soft chuckle made Makoto’s heart skip a beat. “Did you know that the studio has her on a ‘no-entry’ list now? I saw it when I went back for some post-production paperwork.” He laughed again, but Makoto could hear as he tried to muffle it.
“I can believe it, she totally wrecked the place.” Makoto hummed.
Taiki’s laugh had changed her. While all the Three Lights had been so attractive and eye-catching, Makoto hadn’t had much of a preference between them. Seiya was athletic, just like her old crush. Yaten was so stylish - just like that guy she used to like. While Taiki had been smart and clever, which reminded Makoto of her old, hot upperclassmen. All of them had made her heart flutter.
That day at the cooking show, though, everything changed. Watching the stoic and composed Taiki bent in half and clutching his sides with the biggest smile Makoto had ever seen made Makoto’s heart flutter. Later that day, when Makoto laid in bed, all she could think about was finding a way so Taiki would smile and laugh like that because of her.
“But, back to the sleepover. Mina already decided that we’re going over to crash the party…Maybe you guys should come over, too?”
Taiki sighed on the other end. “Yaten and I were planning on it. Seiya isn’t a bad guy, but we were worried he’d do something stupid without supervision.”
“Guess we’ll all be their chaperones,” Makoto said, exasperated. “But I am happy to spend more time with you. Maybe we could, um, have some alone time tonight.”
Taiki was silent for a moment. “I’d love to,” he said in a low voice.
Makoto’s insides felt like jelly. Her stomach turned and twisted like a towel being wrung out. A lump formed in her throat while she tried to think of a response. Her fingers drummed against the telephone and her knees knocked together.
“Mako?”
“Mako?” Rei’s voice echoed from behind her. When Makoto spun to face Rei, she was staring with her hands on her hips. Her hair was still damp but she had changed into her outfit for the evening. “Who are you calling?”
“J-Just, uh, I um - I had promised someone I’d um -” Makoto remembered Taiki was still waiting for a reply. “I can’t wait! Bye!” She slammed the phone back into the mount on the wall and turned to Rei.. “Uh, it was a telemarketer.”
Rei stared at her. The scrutinizing gaze made Makoto squirm and avert her eyes. Despite being a good head taller, Makoto felt like a little specimen under a magnifying glass as Rei’s nose scrunched and her lips curled. She sighed. “You can just say it was Taiki.”
Makoto turned red. “How’d you know?”
Rei grinned before turning towards her room. “I’m a psychic, remember?”
“Yeah a psychic, not a mind reader…” Makoto pouted, following Rei inside.
Two pretty, manicured fingers pinched a chip and guided it to a fat plump lip. Akane watched, somewhat enviously, as Reiko bit into it. Her eyes lit up at the new flavor, before she started shoveling handfuls into her mouth, all of her grace thrown to the side. A few crumbs fell off her lips and onto the ledger on her desk. Akane snapped back into focus - Reiko was avoiding her work! Again!
“Reiko! This is serious!” Akane slapped the desk. She had come over with more reports on potential true star seed holders and ended up getting distracted by the view. With each strike, the papers jostled within the manila folder. “You need to find a true star seed soo! Master Galaxia won’t tolerate any more delays!”
Reiko licked her lips. Watching her tongue caress her lips made Akane’s throat catch for a moment. Reiko glanced up at her, smiling. Most of Reiko’s smiles were with a closed mouth and closed eyes; Sometimes her lips pressed tightly when she forced a smile to HR or a disliked coworker, but that tightness wasn’t there. It was small and genuine - the kind of smile Akane had been getting used to.
“Oh, I think I’ll be fine.” Reiko tapped her chin with a single finger. “After all, we’re both doing equally terribly!”
At the mention of her own failures, Akane bristled. Abandoning her post in a nearby solar system to slum it up at Ginga TV on Earth did mean she was failing to meet her quotas. Each week the inbox filled with messages from HR and the boss telling her to refocus. Akane would be fine though. But Reiko? Without Nezu, Reiko was the most junior employee, the most expendable. Akane’s throat clenched - for different reasons than before - when she pictured the boss dropping the metaphorical axe on Reiko.
“Yeah, but the boss has been breathing down your neck!” Akane stomped her foot. “If you don’t produce results soon, you’re done for!”
“Oh, I definitely will,” Reiko hummed.
“What?”
“The boss called me in today. For a chat.” Reiko twirled her hair. “She said my ineptitude is affecting both Earth and your assignment.”
A cold sweat had taken over Akane. “What!? Even more of a reason to focus!” Guilt overwhelmed her. Her birthday trip had cost Reiko so much. She chewed her bottom lip. “I’ll keep looking for more targets, you need to-.”
She was stopped by Reiko’s hand on her arm. Reiko brought Akane’s gloved hand to her mouth, placing a kiss on the knuckle. Her eyes never left Akane’s. Now Akane’s heart was thumping from fear and love.
“Don’t worry, I picked out a good target for tonight, love.” Reiko smiled up at her, but it wasn’t her kind smile this time. This smile exposed her sharp teeth. “Come with me?”
The folder slipped from Akane’s hands. “Y-yeah.”
Walking down Usagi’s street, the rest of the girls talked, but Makoto was still focused on Taiki’s promise of spending more time with each other. Replaying his low voice in her head just brought her back to summer break. To her super-duper, confidential secret.
Under the setting summer sun, looking down at a special flower, Taiki had taken Makoto’s hand and kissed her! He spouted off some poetry afterwards, but Makoto had been too dizzy and bubbly to remember any of it. All she could remember was the way his voice dropped when he leaned back in. Just thinking of it made her ears fiery red. It only got worse as Minako kept describing, in detail, all the kissing Seiya and Usagi must be doing right now.
“Luna would not let them do that!” Ami’s scandalized cry pulled Makoto from her daydreams.
Poor Ami’s face was beet red. Rei looked exasperated, shaking her head, though her cheeks were also tinted red.
Minako had a wry grin on her face. “What? All I said is bunnies have high sex drives, so it’d make sense if-.”
Rei slapped a hand over her mouth. “Stop talking, Minako.”
“You say some weird things sometimes, Mina,” Makoto said uneasily. “Usagi wouldn’t do that to Mamoru.”
Rei looked like she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth shut. Ami’s shoulders were tense as she tried to calm down from Minako’s out-of-pocket comments. They continued down the block until they were outside of Usagi’s house.
“Behave yourself, Mina. Let’s not say anything weird in front of them.” Makoto patted Minako’s shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Minako waved Makoto off and rang the doorbell.
Loud steps clattered from the other side. “Coming!” The door swung open, revealing a frazzled-looking Usagi. Her hair was messy and her shirt askew. “Oh? Hey everyone! What are you doing here?”
Rei looked her up and down, arms crossed. “First, there’s a robber on the loose. You should’ve checked the peephole before just opening the door. Second, why do you look like that?”
Usagi huffed. “I look like this because I had to run around cleaning for Seiya!”
“Riiighhhtttt,” Minako drawled, looking Usagi up and down with an eager grin. “So, where is Seiya?”
“Ah - well, when we were in my room earlier-.”
“In your room?” Ami gasped.
“Oh my god! What were you two doing in there?” Minako flapped her hands. “Were you-.” She stopped mid sentence and puckered up to the air, crossing her arms over her body to pretend to feel someone up.
Rei gagged. “Minako, stop!”
Ami was hiding her face behind her hands again.
Makoto stared at Usagi. “Usagi…you two didn’t…?” She couldn’t finish the thought. Usagi would never cheat on Mamoru! Her princess was loyal.
Usagi glared back at Minako. “No! It wasn’t like that! We were eating cake!”
All of them gave Usagi a stern look.
“Okay! I was the one eating most of the cake, but still!”
Minako giggled. “Oh Usagi was eating some cake alright.” She nudged Rei, who looked like she wanted to go home already.
“A-Anyways,” Makoto piped up, hoping to get them back on track, “we figured we’d join the sleepover. The more the merrier, right?”
No one except Minako seemed to share the sentiment right now.
Usagi nodded. “Well, come on inside, then.”
“Hey, Bunhead!” Seiya’s voice came from down the hall. A wave of anticipation overtook the girls as he rounded the corner, in just a towel! “Did you bring my bag down? I need my clothes.” Once he finally glanced over near the door, his face turned red. He tried to play it off and smirk, but his face betrayed him. “H-Hey ladies! Didn’t know you were coming over!”
Makoto tilted her chin up, but couldn’t help but eye Seiya’s chest and shoulders. Ami covered her eyes, but her fingers were spread. Minako hadn’t even bothered to avert her eyes. Usagi tilted her head down, like she was staring at the floor, but her eyes drifted up too. Rei shook her head, exasperated, looking firmly at the ground.
“Seiya!” Chibi Chibi waddled out from the living room, tugging at his towel to get his attention.
A mix of anxious, excited, and scandalized gasps filled the room.
Seiya barely grabbed the towel in time. “Chibi Chibi! Bad timing! Again!” His head swiveled to Usagi, a panicked look in his eye.
“Your bag is still in my room! Just go change!”
Seiya bolted for the stairs. The noise of Usagi’s door slamming shut rang through the house. Usagi let out a relieved sigh and tried her best to look stern as she addressed Chibi Chibi.
“You can’t do that, Chibi Chibi.” She scooped the toddler into her arms.
Makoto laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Kids are always making trouble, aren’t they?” She patted Chibi Chibi’s head.
Usagi grumbled something under her breath. Seeing the eager look on Minako’s face made Makoto want to divert attention away from poor Usagi. Clearly Usagi and Seiya hadn’t done anything!
“We should get started on dinner!” Makoto said before anyone else could speak.
“I was just gonna order pizza…”
Minako patted Usagi’s back. “Come on, Usagi! You gotta impress Seiya! He wouldn’t want some crummy delivery pizza. Mamoru wouldn’t settle for pizza, so neither would Seiya!”
At the mention of Mamoru, Usagi ducked her head again. “Seiya would like pizza, though…” She glanced up at the group. “We were just gonna play video games and watch movies tonight. You guys don’t really need to stay.”
“Well I’m not here to protect you from Seiya,” Rei placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the other girls. “ I’m here to protect you from a potential robber. Usagi has a guy friend, it’s not a big deal. Can we focus on what’s important?”
Rei was right - they were getting all crowded in Usagi’s business. Another wave of guilt washed over Makoto when she remembered that Yaten and Taiki would be joining them soon enough.
Rei took the silence as an affirmative. “Great. Let’s make some dinner. I don’t really want pizza tonight.”