Title: Afterglow

Author: Lisa

Rating: G

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone! It's been a few months, but I'm on vacation for a bit and decided to do a couple updates. Hope you enjoy this mushy one-shot, and please review!

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.

Usagi lifted her right hand above her head and reached as far as the length of her arm allowed, giggling softly as specks of sunlight streaming through the openings of the tree under which she was presently seated dotted her skin with little round pockets of warmth. Summer had always been her favorite season by far—in no small part because her birthday happened to fall during this celebrated season—and it had now finally arrived with a flourish. Even the air, heavy with the recent heat, seemed to taste a touch sweeter, laced with the promise of months of long afternoon picnics, romantic strolls through the gardens, and all the ice cream sundaes the blonde could possibly desire to eat. Usagi dropped her arm back down to her face and sighed contentedly, shading her eyes as she glanced lazily up through the branches of their shady green shelter. Yes, summer was definitely her favorite time of year.

A glance at her silent companion further cemented her present happiness. Mamoru sat with his eyes closed, for once having been convinced by a certain blond not to bring some kind of dense reading material (Usagi's words, not his) with him on their present excursion to the park near his apartment building; though, to Usagi's irritation, not without some grumbling and protestation on his part…the man really needed to relax a little, if she had any say in the matter. The early evening breeze had tossed his hair ever so slightly, enhancing his casually disheveled look. Usagi grinned widely as she drank in the sight beside her, wordlessly thrilling in the way his lips curved almost imperceptibly upward and in the smooth expanse of his forehead, free of any signs of worry or stress. If anyone had told her that the Mamoru she had met over two years ago could be so relaxed and open and…well, vulnerable, she surely would've laughed in that person's face. It was a great triumph, then, that Usagi's perseverance and relentless devotion could culminate in this very moment.

"You're staring again." How she loved the sound of his voice.

"Gomen," she murmured distractedly, her tone betraying the fact that she wasn't the least bit sorry. The waning rays of sunlight hit the top of his head at just the right angle, and she was mesmerized by the unearthly glow surrounding him. "You know I have a problem."

Mamoru grinned before opening his eyes and looking warmly at his tiny angel. Usagi's eyes matched the color of the cloudless sky today, and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked into that limitless expanse of magnificent blue. She was his living reminder that the past didn't have to dictate the future, his sweet, sweet proof that light could overpower dark in the never-ending dance for domination. "Should I be afraid?" He teased, resisting the strong, and admittedly uncharacteristic, urge to kiss the blond senseless on that park bench.

"Very afraid," Usagi chirped lightly, ignoring her burning cheeks as she placed a quick kiss on his unsuspecting temple. Clearly she was not as restrained by the dictates of self-control. But he loved that about Usagi—her spontaneity brought unsuspecting bursts of joy into his life every day.

"Usako…" Maybe it was the sudden rush of endorphins from the feel of her lips against his skin, or the orange-purple light of the setting sun that cast an ethereal glow over her delicate features, or the way she gazed at him, all softness, commitment and candid admiration that would've floored the strongest of men. Perhaps it was the way her fingers gripped his hand, as if the thought of losing some sort of physical contact with him was unbearable. "Aishiteru." It came out a fervent whisper, an overflowing of the emotion that Mamoru had always kept close to the vest out of decades of habit that now erupted freely from their confines.

Usagi trembled, feeling the goosebumps instantly spring across her arms at his unexpected declaration. Her heart was beating so loud and fast now that she was sure he could hear those violent thumps through the thin fabric of her dress. "Mamo-chan?"

"I don't say it often enough," he admitted softly in response, and Usagi found herself drowning in the intensity of his stormy blue eyes. "And that's my fault." In one swift sweep of his arm, she was securely nestled against his shoulder, fighting to pump air into her lungs as his fingers drew small, lazy circles on her upper arm. His face was mere inches from hers as she pressed against him, and she could feel the warm puffs of his breath on her face as he spoke. "But you must know how much you mean to me."

"Why…why do you love me, Mamo-chan?"

Usagi had always wondered what someone like Mamoru could see in someone like her. She had been inexplicably drawn to him since their first accidental meeting—as any girl with eyes would be, really—but hadn't in her wildest fantasies expected him to reciprocate. When fate intertwined their lives together, she had jumped at the opportunity to claim her permanent stake in his life. Throughout all the pain, triumphs, losses, and finally overwhelming relief in the face of lasting peace, however, she had never deluded herself into believing that they both benefitted equally from destiny's strings. Usagi loved him desperately, but it had never made sense that he would be consumed by the same level of frenzied passion for her. This perceived imbalance had been a source of considerable insecurity and jealousy for Usagi over the course of their relationship, something she wasn't proud to admit. Thus prompted her various attempts at seeking his attention and reassurance, trying to cling to someone she was so afraid to lose.

"Usako…" Mamoru ran a nervous hand through his hair, trying to formulate the words that could adequately convey the depth of his feelings, his unwavering devotion to her. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

At Usagi's blank, wide-eyed stare, Mamoru chuckled despite himself. It wasn't all that surprising that she wasn't familiar with English poetry (in fact, he would've more surprised if she had actually understood the reference), but it was a welcome distraction as he fought to gather and sort through his jumbled thoughts.

"How can I put this…" He let out a shaky breath. "Before you, Usako, I…I had no purpose. I had my education and career aspirations, of course, but inside I…I was lost. I was headed down a pitch black path with no light to guide me. Then you barreled into me, Usako, like a ball of sunshine that scorched away the darkness that had been gnawing at me for as long as I could remember. A week after we had first met, I dreamt of you, and for the first time in years, I woke up smiling. And by the way, those dreams haven't stopped since." Here he paused to squeeze her hand affectionately. "I found myself timing my schedule just for the chance to run into you, to have those precious few minutes every morning that would set the tone for the rest of my day. And when I found out, by some miracle, that I was destined to protect you? That you were now tied to me? Usako…you complete me…in ways I've always prayed for and ways I never could've imagined… You're the light that guides my way forward, and I am unbelievably, unrepentantly happy to simply follow, basking in your brilliant afterglow."

"Mamo-chan…" Throwing all caution to the wind and pointedly ignoring the looks of curious passersby, Usagi drew Mamoru to her in one decided movement and pressed her lips desperately against his, showing him in deed what she couldn't in word just how much his speech moved her. He had opened up to her a few times before over the years, yet never had she been given such unfettered access into the very depths of his being. She could taste the saltiness of her tears in their kiss, but she didn't care. In this moment, there was only her Mamo-chan and the searing heat of his lips as they moved in sync with her own.

"Aishiteru, Mamo-chan," she said breathlessly when they finally parted, his too-beautiful features made all the more striking by the final rays of light as the sun dipped below the horizon. She ran her fingertips against his slightly parted lips, thrilling in the affirmation that this man was hers, now and always. "Besides, what good is light without dark anyway?"

Mamoru laughed in surprise at her cheekiness before planting a kiss to the top of her head. "Hai, you're right, Usako."

That was his Usako alright, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

A little summer romance, anyone? Hope you enjoyed this quick read, and please leave me a quick review! Check out my other plotless fluff piece "Perfection" if you're in the mood for more mush (you'll see these two are pretty similar in terms of writing style). :)

This story was written and posted June 2016.