I FORGOT TO POST THIS HERE

From a tumblr prompt: "I need you to pretend we're dating…"
Canon. SuperS.

The title is from My Best Friend's Girlfriend by the Cars just to be silly

"I need you to pretend we're dating…"

"Ha ha, what?" Usagi asked, giggling behind her hand - still, after all these years, unable to stop a blush from creeping up on her cheeks. (But at this point, it was mostly habit).

"Just for one party," Motoki said, looking around the arcade while he lowered his voice. "My cousins are visiting from out of town, and they have not let up on 'finding me a new girl' since Reika and I decided to just be friends and… maybe if they see I'm with someone, they'll go back home happy and stop trying to set me up. I'll give you a week's worth of free game tokens as a thank you."

"But, Motoki, I'm dating your best friend?" Usagi reminded him.

"I know," he said, "that's why it's perfect. I mean, I'd ask Minako or something but… I don't want things to actually get complicated."

"Hmm, good point," Usagi frowned and nodded. "What does Mamo-chan think, though?"

She swiveled in her seat just in time to catch Mamoru's eyeroll. "I think that I want zero part of this idiocy," he said.

And Motoki grinned. "That sounds like tacit approval to me!"

Mamoru gave Usagi a warning glance. "Fake dating didn't exactly work out for Naru-chan," he reminded her, quietly.

"That was the enemy," she whispered, as he leaned down to put his empty coffee mug on the countertop. "This is Motoki. It'll be fiiiine."

He shrugged.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, almost eagerly, imagining him going to Mos Burger and downing his sorrows in hundreds of milk shakes like Umino had done when his girlfriend Naru had agreed to a fake dating scheme. After all, Mamoru knew Usagi used to have a crush on Motoki, maybe he was worried… but her hopes were dashed when he just smirked at her.

"Nah, I'm not really dying to fake date Motoki," he said, ignoring her scowl.

He waved at Motoki and then pulled slightly on one of Usagi's pigtails. "Later, Usako."

'Oh well,' Usagi thought. 'I get to go to a house party and a week's worth of free game tokens. Guess this could be worse.'

The party was fun. A wide range of guests, plenty of food, and Motoki's cousins from Kanazawa seemed to buy Motoki's whole 'my girlfriend, Usagi' thing pretty readily, which surprised Usagi, who was used to a suspicious side-eye or a condescending 'sure you are' nod whenever she was introduced as Mamoru's girlfriend when out and about.

"It's weird," Usagi said to Mamoru later, leaning from behind on the back of the chair he was sitting on, "I know I don't hold a candle to Reika… oooh maybe that's why, though. They figure I'm a rebound girl?"

"Yeah, I don't know," Mamoru said, shrugging. "Probably."

She hit his arm.

"Ugh, this where you are supposed to say something about how I'm totally gorgeous and completely believable as Motoki's new flame," she whined.

"That doesn't sound like an appropriate thing to say to my best friend's girlfriend," he teased as he stood to refill his glass.

Usagi made a face at his back as he walked away.

"Don't get along with Mamoru?" One of Motoki's cousins asked, as he walked up to Usagi with Motoki in tow.

"Don't worry," Motoki said, putting an arm around Usagi's shoulders with a wink, "he grows on you."

"Is it just me, or is this an incredibly dull party," Mamoru said to Unazuki as he got more punch.

Unazuki giggled. "This is the funnest party my brother has had in a long time," she said.

As if proving her point, uproarious laughter floated over from the group around Motoki and Usagi. Usagi was shaking her head, obviously embarrassed by something, but laughing as well as she reached for some chips, throwing one lightly at Motoki who tried to catch it in his mouth – and failed.

"C'mon," Unazuki said to Mamoru, walking over to stand next to her brother.

"Mamoru, isn't Motoki's new girlfriend great?" one of the cousins said, making Usagi beam smugly.

"Honestly, you two are so perfect for each other," another girl said to Motoki. "I mean, both so joke-y and fun-loving."

"You even look good together!"

"And their personalities match so well!"

"Oh totally!" Unazuki jumped into the conversation with a mischievous smile.

Mamoru rolled his eyes and walked away, but one of the girls followed him. "Hey, don't worry," she said, kindly. "I know you don't really like Motoki's girlfriend, but, hey, you only have to see her when you're with Motoki right?"

"What makes you think I don't like her?" he asked and she blinked, surprised.

"Well, you've been kinda sulky around her. And honestly, I'm not surprised, my brothers and I were just talking about how we can't think of anyone less compatible with someone like Usagi than you." She laughed, waving her hand as if her observation was so obvious as to be laughable.

"Excuse me," he said, trying (and failing) to keep the annoyance out of his voice as he begged out of the conversation for the second time that day. He managed to find a solitary corner and worked on not sulking.

"Are you okay? You look mad." The familiar voice washed over him with something like relief. Usagi touched his arm and he smiled at her.

"It's a lot less fun for me when you are someone else's date," he admitted.

She grinned up at him and the relief bubbled away to joy. "Same," she said, after looking around and giggling with him like they were sharing a secret. "Motoki's nice but he's no you."

"Really? Even though you two are the 'perfect couple'," Mamoru said, "So fun-loving and hilarious."

Usagi giggled again, tugging at his sleeve. "Mamo-chan is plenty fun," she said, looking up him in surprise. "I'm happiest when I'm with you." Then she blushed a little at the admission, lowering her gaze. Mamoru realized he was smiling – really smiling- for the first time that night.

"Dude, I think Mamoru's, like, making a play for your girl?"

Motoki tried not to roll his eyes, directing his thoughts to the couple talking in the corner. 'Jeeze you guys it was one party. Four measly hours to stay away from each other but noooooo.' Granted, it shouldn't have surprised him, he knew. Even before they were dating, Usagi couldn't enter the darn arcade before Mamoru was less than a foot away from her, talking about her hairstyle or grades or giving unsolicited advice. He had it bad, even then.

"Uh, hmm," Motoki finally said, realizing his cousin was waiting for a reaction. "Well… gosh, if Usagi leaves me for Mamoru I'll be… just crushed." He nodded sadly, "Probably will need to take a long break from dating in general."

He looked over at his best friend again, wondering if Mamoru even realized how close he and Usagi were standing to each other, or that his hand was absentmindedly running through the ends of her pigtails while they talked, or that her fingertips were resting on the back of his hand.

"Oh, yeah, man I get it," his cousin said, nodding sagely. "Women. Right?"

"Right," Motoki said, hiding a smile with a sip of punch.

A few minutes later Motoki sauntered up to where Usagi and Mamoru stood. "Hi," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Hey, Motoki!" Usagi smiled.

"You don't get the tokens anymore," Motoki told her and her smile faded as confusion settled over her features.

"Why not?"

"Because my best friend stealing my girlfriend wasn't part of tonight's plans," he said, sounding more amused than really angry.

Usagi opened her mouth to explain how she could salvage this, but Mamoru's arm settled tightly around her shoulders before she could speak.

"I'm so sorry, Motoki," he said, "We didn't mean for it to happen, it just did."

Usagi looked up at her boyfriend in interested surprise.

Motoki heaved a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. "My own best friend."

"I'm so sorry," Usagi said, with mock sadness, settling into the warmth of Mamoru's familiar embrace. "I can't help it, I love him too much to stay away."

Mamoru choked a little, blushing in a way that made Motoki have to struggle not to burst out laughing.

"You'll get over me someday," Usagi added, the twinkle in her eye betraying her sad expression.

"Just get out of here," Motoki grumbled, rolling his eyes. "And leave me to explain all this."

"Sorry," Mamoru said under his breath as he passed Motoki, clapping him on the shoulder.

Motoki watched them leave, shaking his head.

"It's really your own fault," Unazuki observed, helpfully. "Also, dad was never gonna let you give Usagi freakin' Tsukino a week's worth of free tokens, she's like half his income."

This time, Motoki did laugh.