Hey, everyone! This is the last week of smutember! I cut it to the wire, didn't I?
For this week, I picked the prompt Weathering the Storm. This one is a bit more detailed than I usually write. I don't know what happened. Lol. But I hope you like it!
Big shout out to FloraOne for hosting this year! You did an amazing job and I really had fun.
And as always, thank you to my amazing beta and bestie, Beej88. She's got a lot of adulting going on right now and she still made time to beta this for me. She also made special fanart just for this fic! You're amazing, girl!
Read on! Hope you enjoy!
oOo
Mamoru drove slowly, squinting as the downpour of rain slammed against his windshield. This damn storm had ruined his night. It came out of nowhere, darkening the skies quickly as they opened up, thunder and lightning crashing around him. He'd been studying in Keio's library when it started, and he'd decided to pack up his things and head home before it got too bad. Had he known it would get like this, he would have just waited the storm out at school.
His brow furrowed as he spotted someone on the sidewalk, jacket huddled tight around them. Who in their right mind would be out walking in this? As he got closer, thunder clapped deafeningly loud around them, and the poor soul jumped hard, ducking, hands flailing over their head in a vain attempt to protect themselves from the noise. That's when he noticed the buns.
Usagi.
His eyes widened, and he immediately pulled the car over, rolling down the windows, brakes practically hissing in protest as he stopped beside her. "Odango!"
He had to yell to be heard over the torrential rain as it hit the pavement, pinging loudly against the metal sheets of his car. She jumped again, startled as she turned to look around, and her expression dropped when her eyes narrowed with the realization that it was him. His heart clenched in his chest, jaw tensing tautly. Although their relationship had definitely improved over the last six years they'd known each other, their fighting turning into more of a playful banter as they'd both gotten older, they still weren't what people would consider "friends," no matter how much he wanted precisely that.
The thought annoyed him, and his tone was harsher than he intended. "What the hell are you doing walking in this storm?" he snapped. "Get in the car."
She rolled her eyes, shoulders tensing, huffing indignantly as she clamped her hands onto her hips with a definite air of defiance. "Right," she yelled back, raising her voice above its usual pitch to be heard over the storm. "Like I would get into a car with you."
Well, that stung a bit. "You'd prefer to get soaked in a storm that scares you rather than let me give you a ride home?"
She opened her mouth, no doubt to hurl a scathing retort back at him. But at that moment, lightning streaked across the sky, followed by another thunderous boom that was so loud it shook his car. Usagi screamed, dropping to her knees as her arms flew back up to cover her head.
Mamoru hissed through his teeth, heart skipping a beat as he leaned forward angrily. "Get in the damn car, Usagi!"
This time she listened, vaulting to her feet, shoes splashing through puddles as she hurriedly ripped open his passenger door and threw herself inside, clumsily stumbling as if she was being chased. She was breathing heavily, and he waited, giving her a chance to calm down a bit before he turned on his signal in preparation to pull away.
When her breathing finally returned to normal, rivulets of water dripping off her, plopping onto his leather seat, her sodden shoes no doubt soaking the floor, he finally pulled away from the curb, slowly.
"What are you doing out in this storm?"
She shivered, lips trembling as the water and cold air in his car gave her a chill. "I was on my way home from Amis. I didn't know it was supposed to rain today," she muttered, keeping her eyes trained out the window.
"You don't check the weather to see if there was a little storm coming, considering how terrified you are of them?" He was trying to lighten the mood and get her mind off of the raging monsoon happening outside. He knew he'd succeeded when her head whipped to him, fire in her eyes.
"First of all," she started, anger lacing her voice, "this is not some little storm! And how do you know I'm scared of storms?"
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "It was clearly very apparent by the way you jumped at the sound of the thunder," he pointed out scathingly. "But even if I hadn't just witnessed that, I might just already know because I have known you for six years now, Odango. I've caught on to a thing or two."
Usagi pressed her trembling lips together tightly, petulantly crossing her arms as she turned her attention back to the window. "Yeah, well, no one asked you," she muttered, and he couldn't help but smile.
"You literally just asked me, Odango."
"Shut up, Mamoru-baka," she stubbornly hissed under her breath.
A streak of lightning shot across the sky, and Usagi squeezed her eyes shut tightly, slinking down in the passenger seat, clamping her hands over her ears, awaiting the thunder that was sure to follow. And follow, it did. A loud crash roared through the air. It sounded close, deafening, and even Mamoru jumped.
This storm was making Mamoru nervous. He couldn't see two feet past his car, and his wipers couldn't move fast enough to clear the windshield before more rain hit. This was getting dangerous, and Mamoru needed to get off the road. Luckily, his apartment was literally right around the corner. Usagi's apartment, on the other hand…
"Odango...I can't keep driving in this. It's too dangerous." He didn't dare tear his eyes away from the barely visible road in front of them to see what her response was, but from the corner of his eye, he could see her squirm and knew she was more than likely scowling at him. "My apartment is coming up here on the right. We're going to have to ride the storm out there. I can bring you home after."
She didn't answer, but he could hear her swallow past the lump in her throat. He knew this wasn't ideal. He was sure she would probably rather walk home than be stuck with him in his apartment until whenever the storm ended. But an image of her falling to her knees, terror etched into her expression flashed through his mind, and he refused to let her walk home alone in this. She was just going to have to put up with him for a little bit longer.
He pulled into the complex's parking garage and into his normal space. They sat there for a moment, listening to the muffled sound of the rain as it relentlessly pounded against the cement garage.
Mamoru consciously ignored how his heart picked up in pace as he took a deep breath and turned towards her. "Let's get inside."
He held his breath, half convinced that she was going to demand to go home right away, but instead, he was relieved when she nodded curtly and hopped out of the car. He exhaled quietly, raking his fingers through his hair before he followed suit. He noticed as he closed his door that she was staring at the seat she'd been sitting in.
He leaned down to peak in through his driver's side window to see what she was looking at—the seat. The passenger side seat was soaking wet, a very defined imprint of rainwater left in her wake. He stood back to full height, brow furrowed as he peered at her over the top of his car. She was chewing on her bottom lip, and it dawned on him that she was waiting for a verbal lashing.
Though he did tend to tease her mercilessly, the thought didn't sit well with him. "It'll dry," he said instead of the scathing remark he typically would have said.
Her eyes shot back to him in surprise, and she opened her mouth to reply when another loud crack of thunder sounded around them, the echo amplified in the parking garage. She yelped, dropping to the ground, pressing the heels of her palms over her ears. Without thinking, he rushed around the car to her side, leaning down, concerned as he wrapped an arm around her without an ounce of hesitation. She flinched before letting him help her stand. Then she pushed away from him, defiance shining in her blue eyes, and held her head high as he led them inside and to the elevator.
The ride up was silent, neither saying a word, both of them, perhaps a bit childishly, refusing to acknowledge the other's existence in the elevator. The silence was awkward, tense, and internally, Mamoru's head was spinning. Usagi had been to his apartment before because of the random parties Motoki used to throw in his apartment. But they'd never been alone in there before, not one on one.
As they reached his floor and the doors opened, Usagi didn't move, allowing him to go first. As they made it to his apartment, he unlocked the door and quietly stepped aside. She gave him a small nervous smile before taking a step into the genkan. He locked the door behind them and took off his shoes, exchanging them for slippers.
He wasn't used to having women in his apartment, but because of the occasional times when Reika would come over with Motoki, he'd had the good sense to invest in a pair of woman's slippers. He was grateful for that now as Usagi peeled off sopping wet shoes, stared at the slippers for a moment before sliding her feet into them.
He had no idea what he was thinking, but Mamoru led her into the living room and toward his bathroom. "Hold on one second," he said as he rushed to his bedroom. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his Keio University t-shirt, swallowing nervously as he offered them to her. "Why don't you take a shower to warm yourself up. There are towels in the cabinet in there. You can put these on until your clothes dry. The dryer is right over there." He pointed to the laundry room.
She stared at the clothing in his outstretched hand for a moment, and her expression was uncharacteristically guarded as she reached out to take them from him with a nod. After she slipped into the bathroom, Mamoru headed back to the living room, shifting nervously, pacing as he tried his best not to think about the fact that Usagi was currently in his shower, naked.
He shook his head with a self-deprecating snort and went to the kitchen to make some tea as a distraction instead. He was sure a cup of hot tea would also help warm her up, and it would give him something else to focus on other than the running water he could somehow hear more clearly than the driving rain outside.
As he placed the stainless steel kettle that he'd filled with water onto the stove, thunder crashed outside once again, and another round of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the inside of his apartment through the balcony doors. Usagi shrieked from the bathroom, and even though he knew she was perfectly safe, he couldn't help the immediate response he had to her cries as he inhaled sharply, heart racing as he tore back through the living room.
He stopped in front of the bathroom door, hand poised over the door handle before he came to his senses and pulled back quickly as if the doorknob had burned him. "Are you okay?"
It was silent for a moment, and he was inwardly debating the morality issues of going into the bathroom in case she was hurt when she finally responded. "Yeah." There was a shaky tenor in her voice. "I'm okay."
The shower turned off, and he quickly moved away from the door, feeling a little foolish as he headed back into the living room, collapsing onto the couch with a slow, trembling exhale of breath.
He wasn't sure why he was nervous. It was just Usagi here; the same Odango he'd known forever. The same girl he'd just teased yesterday for ordering the same milkshake she always did. To be fair, she'd started it, asking him with an overly dramatic tone of mock concern in her voice because he didn't have a book in his hand.
"Are you sick? Should I call a doctor? Can you diagnose yourself?"
He'd laughed at that one. Because yes, their teasing had become just that. Teasing. And playful banter. And somewhere along the line of their long history together, he'd come to rather enjoy it.
Though sometimes, admittedly, he did wish it was more…
The bathroom door opened, breaking his train of thought. He heard her soft footsteps as she entered the laundry room and the telltale clicks and soft purr of a motor as she started the dryer. When she stepped into the living room, he craned his neck to look up at her. His breath caught in his throat, lips parting in surprise as he did a double-take, his startled gaze sweeping over her. Usagi stood just over the threshold, her posture tense, awkwardly shifting as she bit the corner of her lip like she always did when she was nervous.
And maybe she had a reason to be. She wore only his Keio t-shirt, the sweatpants noticeably missing. He'd handed her a pair of his sweatpants, hadn't he? He snapped his mouth shut, swallowing as the dull heat of a blush crept up his neck. The shirt wasn't much shorter than the skirts she typically wore every day. But for some reason, this time, it was different. These were his clothes. His shirt. And nothing underneath?
Her hair was different, too. Instead of her trademark buns, which obviously didn't hold up well when wet, her locks were braided down her back. He'd never seen her hair in any style but the odangos she usually wore. While he loved her signature hairstyle, despite how much he teased her about them, this new look was intriguing.
He'd completely stopped breathing, and he felt the warmth of a blush fanning across his face. He tried to swallow but found his mouth had gone completely dry.
She cleared her throat, wringing her wrists as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, breathing deeply as if mustering her courage. "The sweatpants were way too big and just kept falling off of me. When I went to put my clothes in the dryer, I saw you had some clean clothes that hadn't been put away yet. So I grabbed a pair of your boxers to wear underneath this. I hope that's okay."
She said it in a matter of fact manner, an indication that she didn't really care if it was okay. It was already done.
He could only nod. It was all he could do. Here was the girl of his dreams, whom he hadn't always had the greatest relationship with, standing in his living room wearing nothing but his shirt and his boxers. He averted his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath as he tried to gain some self-control over his emotions...and his hormones.
When he felt brave enough to turn his gaze back onto her, she was looking around his apartment as though she wasn't sure what to do next.
"I texted Minako to let her know I was here. You know, so she doesn't worry when I don't come home from Ami's." She shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, and all he could manage was another curt nod. Damnit, he just couldn't seem to form any words.
The whistling kettle in the kitchen broke through the tension, and he cleared his throat as she turned to look at him, brows furrowed. "I made some tea," he rasped as he stood. "Would you like some?"
She studied him for a moment as if contemplating his words. Then her lips curved into a soft but tentative smile, one that wasn't customarily directed at him as she nodded enthusiastically. He smiled back, awkwardly waving his hand to indicate that she could sit on the couch before heading into the kitchen to retrieve the beverage.
He stood at the island for a moment, breathing deeply, reminding himself that this was Odango. Odango. Things should not be this uncomfortable. There shouldn't be this much tension. He needed to reign in the situation. Maybe some teasing? A snappy remark? He was spiraling, and he needed to get a hold of himself, bring them back to where they were used to.
With renewed confidence, he carefully grabbed the two mugs of tea, careful not to spill it as he headed back into the living room. She wasn't on the couch like he'd assumed she would be. Instead, she stood at the balcony doors, slender arms tightly wrapped around her body as she watched the rain come down in sheets. He carefully set the mugs down on the coffee table, opting to silently observe her, marveling at the beauty of her silhouette framed in front of the window, like a breathtaking focal point against the backdrop of a raging storm.
Lightning struck across the sky, followed quickly by a thunderous boom. Usagi flinched away from the window, clumsily stumbling back onto the couch where she fell onto the cushion with a terrified yelp. Mamoru fought back a grin, took the seat beside her, reaching over to hand her one of the mugs. She grasped it with a grateful smile, sipping it slowly.
He picked up his own mug, taking a slow, deliberate sip, stalling until he trusted himself to speak again. "You really don't like storms, huh?" He inwardly cringed at the blurted statement. What a stupid thing to say! Of course she didn't like storms! What was wrong with him?
She wasn't fazed, nodding, tilting her neck to the side to stare out the window again. When she turned back towards him, there was a sullen scowl on her face. She gently set her mug on the table. "Please do not make fun of me because of this," she pleaded. "I can't help it."
He shook his head. "I can't help the fact that I love to study, but you make fun of me for that," he argued, the words spilling from his lips before he could stop them.
He slid his eyes shut, frustrated with himself, and how easily he slipped back into old habits. When he risked meeting her gaze, her eyes were wide, filled with indignation, cheeks tinged pink, lips parted on a startled gasp.
"That's different!"
He raised an eyebrow. "How? How is that any different?"
Her mouth opened, then closed, unable to retort as he'd rendered her speechless. She blinked, and he grinned, undeniably pleased by her response. She was flustered, pink-cheeked, and so utterly kissable in her righteous indignation; it reminded him why he couldn't help but push her buttons as he mercilessly teased her.
He opened his mouth to respond when a loud boom rattled the apartment. Though it wasn't unexpected given the relentless ferocity of the storm, Usagi squealed, jumping as she threw herself into his arms without thinking. He grunted softly from the unexpected impact of her body colliding with his, but he was quick to recover, heart racing as he reverently wrapped his arms around her tense, trembling form.
He thought for a moment that she'd pull away from his embrace, but she didn't move, and he swallowed around the lump in his throat as he pulled her more snugly against him. "I won't tease you for this, Usagi," he whispered, pressing his lips into the wispy strands of damp, silken hair. Even when the thunder stopped, he didn't let her go; instead, she tucked her head beneath his chin.
"Thank you," she replied, her voice trembling just above a soft, grateful whisper.
Silence blanketed the room, and his breath hitched when she snuggled in, curling up into a ball on his lap, tucking her head into the hollow of his collarbone as she pressed herself closer. She curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, and he wondered if she could feel the way his heart raced beneath her palms. The only sound permeating the silence of the room was the rain as it pelted against his windows. Without even realizing it, he lifted his hand and began to trace the soft silken tendrils of hair that curled into the braid that trailed down her back.
He'd never felt so comfortable before. Intimately holding her in his arms. This was exactly what he imagined heaven felt like, and he couldn't help but love every second of it. If only it could stay like this forever. But while he'd realized his true feelings for Usagi a long time ago, he knew she didn't feel the same. How could she, after the way he'd treated her?
When they'd first met, he'd been angry, annoyed, irritated by her bright disposition that threatened to pierce through the gloomy sullen greys of his world. Admittedly, he'd been very harsh, and though he'd berated himself endlessly over the years, he couldn't take that back. But maybe...maybe they could start over? Even if he couldn't have her in his arms like this all the time, at least they could be friends?
"Usagi," he breathed, his stomach churning, nerves frayed as he summoned up the courage to say what he'd left unsaid for so long. "Can we...would you want to start over?"
She lifted her head, pulling away, tilting her chin up to look up at him. He instantly missed the warmth of her body pressed against his. "What do you mean?"
Her brow furrowed, confusion etched into the delicate features of her face as she peered up at him. His heart skipped a beat, and he was terrified and hopeful all at once. It was nerve-wracking, and he probably should have pulled away to put some physical distance between them so he could think straight. He didn't drop his arms from around her, though. Not yet.
Sighing, he tore his eyes away from hers, mustering the courage, pushing past his social ineptness to try and put into words what he meant. "We fight all the time," he rasped nervously. "And yeah, it's fun sometimes. But that's not how I wanted this to go."
She tilted her head to the side, gracing him with the adorably confused expression he'd seen on her face more than once, especially when she deemed something he'd said particularly weird or crazy. "How you wanted what to go?"
Reluctantly, he finally pulled away, carefully extracting her from his embrace as he moved to stand. He was opting to put some distance between them. If he was going to finish this, tell her he wanted to be friends and not the frenemies they'd inevitably become, he needed a second to breathe, to collect his thoughts. There was no way he'd be able to manage that with her small form pressed warmly against his.
She watched him, head moving back and forth as her gaze trailed him as he began to pace the floor. "When you first threw that test paper at me, and I made fun of your hair," he started, not daring to look at her, afraid he'd lose his nerve, "...I'm not good at expressing feelings, you know? And you...you were just so beautiful." He glanced at her quickly, unable to resist seeing her reaction. Her eyes widened, startled, but he had to keep going. "And instead of saying something nice like I wanted to, that came out. And you were so angry. I just...our relationship turned into this back and forth fighting all the time. And I don't even know how that happened."
He knew he was babbling, but he couldn't help it. Words were just spilling from his mouth, bypassing whatever filter he possessed before he could even think them. "I mean, we've known each other for six years, and I still can't seem to say the right thing. I think it must be a defense mechanism because it doesn't seem to matter how long I've been in love with you; I just keep spitting out all these insults whenever you're around. I don't mean to. They just come out. And I…"
He froze in his tracks when he heard her gasp, his eyes widening when he realized what he'd just said, what he'd just inadvertently confessed. He whipped his head around so quickly he was sure he'd given himself whiplash to settle his terror-filled gaze onto her. She was shocked, eyes so wide, she was like a little blue-eyed doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Inwardly, he cursed his stupidity. What the hell was wrong with him! How could he have just said that? His breaths were coming in short, panicked, truncated gasps. He was hyperventilating. He needed to get the hell out of there. Now!
"Anyway...yeah...um...do you want something to drink?" he stuttered, his mind reduced to a completely blank slate riddled with terror. "I'm going to go make us some tea." He turned on his heels, practically running to the kitchen, knowing damn well he'd already made them both tea earlier. It was still sitting on the coffee table! But he needed an out. And it didn't matter how much time he'd spent with his nose buried in books, or how intelligent he liked to think that he was, at that moment, he couldn't think of anything else.
He left her there on the couch, wide-eyed, as he rushed out of the room. He only stopped when he leaned against the counter across from the island, raking both hands through his hair, ducking his head, feeling foolish, miserable, and filled with frustration. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it! What had he done? He'd ruined everything.
His internal rant of self-deprecation came to a screeching halt when he heard her soft footsteps enter the kitchen; he stopped breathing as he slowly looked up. He didn't have to wonder; he knew he looked like a wreck, pale, regretful, on the verge of passing out. He frowned, though, shocked to see how determined she looked. He'd expected anger, revulsion, anything. But not the serious look that was on her face right now.
She was uncharacteristically graceful as she moved to stand in front of him. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. All he could do was wait. Wait for her to explode on him? To laugh in his face? Maybe demand an explanation? But she stood still, staring at him. The tension in the air was so thick; he could cut through it with a knife.
Finally, she licked her lips and took a step toward him, her hand reaching out to gently touch his chest. They both watched her hand, and he swallowed around the lump in his throat. As her fingers dragged up his chest, joined by the other one at the back of his neck, his breath caught. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, and she slowly pulled him down towards her.
He felt her breath fan warmly across his lips, and he couldn't help but whisper out the one thing he'd wanted to call her for as long as he could remember.
"Usako."
She paused, hesitating, and he was terrified he'd just ruined whatever was about to happen. She stared into his eyes, and her face lit up brightly as her lips curved into that brilliant, signature smile that was so purely Usagi it took his breath away. She launched herself onto the tips of her toes, crashing her lips onto his.
He responded immediately, unwilling to let this moment slip away from him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her against him as her arms encircled his neck. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss as her tongue trailed across his bottom lip. He gave her access, moaning into her mouth as his tongue tenderly caressed hers.
She pushed herself closer, pressing her body against his as their kiss heated up. He backed her up to the island, pushing himself off the counter to follow those perfect lips of hers. She tightened her grip around him as he hauled her up onto the island, her legs spreading slightly, allowing him space to stand between them, never breaking their intense lip-lock.
Her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt, making quick work of them one by one before she yanked his shirt from his pants. She pushed the fabric open, running the tips of her fingers over his chest. He groaned in response, running his hands up her sides, slipping them beneath the seam of her shirt to trace across her belly. She whimpered into his mouth, her hands tightening in his hair.
He grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and she lifted herself slightly so he could pull it up and over her head, finally breaking their kiss. He halted because, of course, she wasn't wearing a bra. It was currently drying. She sat on his island, completely topless, her perfect, beautiful breasts bare for him to see.
He couldn't breathe. And he was getting incredibly hard.
She smiled, biting the corner of her lip in the sexiest way he'd ever seen. She brought her hands to his chest, gripping him by his open shirt to pull him back to attack his lips again. But at the last second, as their breaths tangled together, he backed away, taking a step toward the counter behind him. She frowned in confusion.
"Usako…"
"Do you...do you not want this?" Her expression fell, eyes glistening with a perceived rejection that immediately broke his heart.
"No!" he yelled with wide eyes, his shaking hands held in front of him. "I mean, yes! I do. I do want this. Just… I just don't want you to feel pressured or…"
"Pressured?" Confusion laced her voice, and he sighed.
"Yeah. You're vulnerable because of the storm, and I don't want to take advantage of you." He took another step back, needing to put some distance between them before he gave in and pulled her back into his arms. Instead, he looked away, avoiding the possibility of overstepping her boundaries by gawking at the perfection of her bare chest.
She smiled, using her hands to help herself slide off the table. "Taking advantage?" She giggled, her grin widening. "I'm in love with you too, nerd."
His breath caught in his throat, and he froze. "Wh-what?"
"Mamoru... we're both to blame for the way that our relationship has played out so far. I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you since the second I laid eyes on you." She said it so matter of factly like she was telling him the weather report.
Had he blinked? His eyes were burning. He forced himself to blink and take a deep breath before he passed out. His heart skipped a beat, hope blossoming a little in the cavity of his chest. "You have?"
Usagi nodded, her eyes bright and breathtakingly gorgeous. "But I was so young; I didn't know what it was. I just knew I had feelings that I wasn't used to. They freaked me out. So instead of trying to figure out what they were, I just ignored them and leaned into all of our fighting."
He was speechless. He could never have imagined in his wildest fantasies that Usagi Tsukino would be standing in his kitchen, wearing nothing but a pair of his black boxers with roses on them, confessing that she'd been in love with him since they'd met. It was surreal, and he felt like he was watching all of it from outside of his body.
"How about we start over?" she asked, sticking out her petite hand between them. "Hi. I'm Tsukino Usagi, and I'm in love with you." She grinned, patiently waiting for him to respond.
After staring at her outreached hand for a moment, stunned with disbelief, he slowly extended his own. As he took her hand in his, shaking it slowly, he drew his eyes back to hers. "Hi. I'm Chiba Mamoru. And I'm definitely in love with you, too."
She broke out into a huge toothy grin. "Good! Now that we've settled that..." Using their still joined hands, she jerked him forward. He dropped one hand to grasp her waist, pulling her against him as his other hand clutched her cheek, tilting her head slightly to deepen their kiss.
As she pushed herself against his body, her arms slipping around his neck, she moaned. She walked backward, leading them out of the kitchen. He took the lead, walking her across the living room, refusing to pull away from her lips. She stumbled a few times, giggling every time she tripped over her own feet. He couldn't help but smile, his lips still pressed to hers, the craziness of how this night was turning out, making him feel more lighthearted than he'd ever felt.
When she tripped again, this time almost falling backward, he caught her, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her tight against him as he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him and held on as he walked them both across the apartment and into his bedroom. Now that she wasn't tripping over every little thing, she tilted her head, deepening their kiss, and ground her hips into his. He stumbled, jutting a hand out to catch himself on the wall of the hallway as he groaned into her mouth. She giggled, and he couldn't help but smirk against her lips as he continued into the bedroom.
He threw her onto the bed, and she laughed as she bounced a bit. Still grinning, he climbed on top of her, holding himself above her with a hand on each side of her head. She stopped laughing, a beautiful smile still spread across her perfect, always kissable lips as she stared up at him.
He took a moment just to look at her. Here she was, a vision he'd only dared to dream about before, splayed out before him in all of the glorious, curved perfection that he'd spent years secretly memorizing. This time, when thunder clapped in the distance as the storm finally made its way out of Minato, she didn't jump, entirely at ease beneath him.
But he couldn't help but pause again. Three hours ago, they were still frenemies, perfectly content to fight with each other daily. Now she was beneath him in his bed. "Usagi…" he hesitated, his smile dropping slightly, "...are we moving too fast? We don't have to do this."
But her smile only widened reassuringly, and she reached up to cup his cheek. "Mamo-chan," she purred, and his heart fluttered at the sound of the new endearment on her lips. "I've been waiting for this for longer than you can imagine." She leaned up slightly, placing a kiss onto his shoulder. "I've literally dreamed about this." The next kiss was pressed into the crook of his neck, and his eyes slid shut as he suppressed the moan bubbling up in his throat. "I don't want to stop," she whispered, kissing his jaw next. "I want to go," she kissed the corner of his mouth, "all night." She paused, and he opened his eyes to peer down at her. Her smile had slipped from her mouth, replaced by an intense look of longing that took his breath away. "Make love to me, Mamo-chan," she breathed.
His mind went blank, every thought, every ounce of hesitation pulled from his head, and he immediately crushed his lips onto hers. She moaned, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him down onto her. He settled between her legs, his tongue sliding against hers, and she grabbed at his shirt, pushing it the rest of the way off and tossing it to the side.
Then her hands went to his belt, fumbling as she struggled to get it undone. He dropped a hand to trace down her side, and she grunted in frustration, yanking at the offending buckle. He chuckled and pulled away, climbing off the bed to stand. She immediately sat up, watching intently as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans.
He could feel the butterflies twisting and twirling through his stomach as her eyes raked over his body. This wasn't his first time with a woman. But this was his first time with her, and he wanted to do it right.
She stared, her pink tongue popping out to lick her enticing lips as he nervously pulled off his jeans. She moved to sit up on her knees, crawling to the side of the bed. Her small hands reached back out, running over the muscles in his chest and over his abs.
"I've always wanted to do this to you," she moaned before leaning over to trail her tongue from his navel to his collarbone. His breath quickened, and he could feel himself getting unbearably hard in his boxers. "You taste delicious," she grinned up at him.
He clasped both hands to her face, pulling her closer to crush his lips to hers. Her hands moved to his waist, pulling him tight against her, his hardness pushing into her belly. She slid a hand into his boxers and around his cock, running her fingers up and down.
He inhaled sharply, and she grinned against his lips. He knew she was watching as his face scrunched up, his head dipping to her shoulder as she stroked him. She kissed his shoulder again, then moved to his neck, her delicate hand not slowing as she caressed him.
He grunted, pushing her backward back on to the bed, her hand slipping from him. He attacked her lips again as he climbed on top of her, and her fingers tangled in the hairs at the nape of his neck.
He trailed his lips down her jawline, then to her neck, stopping to suck and nip at a particular part that made her groan. Her fingers clenched in his hair, holding him to her as he moved downwards.
He reached her breast, taking a second to gaze at them before taking them both in his hands, running his thumb over her nipples until they hardened beneath his fingertips. She moaned, and he watched as her eyes slid shut when he took one between his lips, sucking gently. He massaged the other with his hand as his tongue flicked over her nipple, relishing the way her breathing sped up, and she unconsciously ground her hips up into him.
Then he switched breasts, giving the same treatment to the other. He continued his way down, lapping at her skin as he made his way toward her belly button. Her eyes opened, and she watched him, her eyes locked onto his whenever he looked up at her.
It was hard to tear his eyes away from his, finding the lust and passion in them captivating. But he broke away to gaze down at the boxers she wore. He continued down, bypassing the boxers to kiss the inside of her thigh, where cloth met skin. She sighed in contentment as his lips moved all the way down to her ankle at an agonizingly slow pace. She shifted beneath him when he moved to her other ankle, slowly making his way back up the other side.
When he made it back to her hips, he softly grabbed the waistline of the rose-covered boxers between his fingers. He looked back to her face, and she smiled, lifting her hips enough for him to pull them down and off, not even bothering to look at where they fell on the ground. He didn't care. All that mattered was this breathtaking beauty in front of him, her legs spread for him, wet and waiting, as she stared at him with all the trust in the world.
He leaned down, his eyes locked with hers again, and stuck out his tongue, trailing up her slit. Usagi hissed, her back arching slightly with pleasure. It made his heart race and licked her again slowly. She moaned, her voice egging him on, and he used his hands to hold open her thighs, watching her closely as he moved his tongue to her clit.
Her body twitched beneath him as he searched her clit for that one spot. He'd done plenty of research on the female body and how to please it. Theoretically, he knew exactly what to do. Putting it into practice was a little different.
But find it, he did, and he grinned when her whole body arched off the bed, and she cried out. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she held him against her. He released her right thigh, bringing his hand up between them, and slowly pushing one finger in. He groaned into her at how incredibly tight she was around his finger as he started moving it in and out.
Her moaning got louder, and he flicked her clit again with his tongue. Her hips started moving on their own against his face, and he smiled as he inserted another finger. She gasped, widening her legs, and he picked up the pace, speeding up his fingers as they pumped in and out of her.
He felt her muscles start to tighten around his fingers and knew that meant she was close. So he latched his lips around her clit and sucked. Her whole body tensed, and she arched off the bed and cried out.
He gently pulled his fingers out as she collapsed on the bed, panting as she stared up at the ceiling. He moved off of her and discarded his boxers, throwing them to the side as he watched her breathing start to normalize.
He sat on his knees between her legs and reached over, opening his bedside table and pulling out a condom. He'd bought the box a while ago, wanting always to be prepared. It was only missing one condom, the one he'd used his first time with a girl after a party thrown at his house. Although Mamoru's first time wasn't with who he wanted, he'd make up for that now by making this the best time instead of the first.
He slipped the condom on, rolling it down his throbbing member, and looked up to notice her watching him intently. He smiled and reached a hand out, running his finger across her clit again, making sure to work her back up. She moaned, her eyes sliding shut with pleasure.
When her back started to arch again, and her gloss started to coat his fingers again, he pulled away, earning him a groan in protest. He moved over her, hovering above her, one hand beside her head to hold himself up. The other hand, he used to line himself up against her.
He looked into her eyes, giving her one final opportunity to stop him from going any further; one more chance to pull away. But her eyes showed only love as they looked up at him. She smiled, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek.
"Mamo-chan," she moaned, thrusting her hips toward him. "Please."
It was all he needed to hear. He pushed in slowly, her tightness consuming him as he let her adjust. He watched her eyes, entranced, and pulled out, thrusting back in slowly. She cried out, her hands gripping his shoulders, and leaned forward to press his lips to hers. He slanted his lips, deepening their kiss as he started a slow, steady pace.
He wanted this to last; wanted to stay like this forever. But her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him deeper into her, and he grunted as he unintentionally jerked into her. She moaned, encouraging him to speed up.
With both hands on either side of her head for leverage, he pushed into her as her hips moved to meet his, bucking hard against him. Her arms wrapped around his torso, her hands tracing his back as he moved, and he complied with her directions. Faster. Harder.
Mamoru grabbed her right leg, untangling it from around his hip and hauling it up to her chest. The new position sent him in deeper, and she cried out when he hit a certain spot. He grunted, feeling the pressure building up inside of him, knowing it wouldn't be much longer before he came. From the way she was moaning, slamming her hips into his, he knew she wasn't far behind.
He reached a hand down, pushing his thumb against her clit and rubbing. He watched intently as her mouth dropped open, and she stiffened beneath him. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she tightened around him, his name on her lips, her nails in his back.
The sight of her coming undone beneath him was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
A few more well-placed thrusts into her tight center sent him over the edge, and he roared in her ear as he came. His forearms barely held him from crushing her as he collapsed on top of her, his foreheads buried in the crook of her neck. The only sounds in the apartment came from their heavy breathing, and in the back of his mind, he noted that the storm must have finally passed as he didn't hear that at all anymore.
She kissed his shoulder, and he lifted his head to look down at her flushed, smiling, perfectly heart-shaped face. "That was amazing," she cooed, her hand caressing his cheek.
"You're amazing." He couldn't seem to get rid of the smile that he was pretty sure was now permanently plastered to his face.
She grinned, giggling softly. "We are amazing," she corrected. He leaned down, crushing his lips to hers in a long hard kiss.
After a moment, he pulled away, rolling out and off of her, earning him a groan of protest. He grinned and took off the condom, throwing it into the small trash can beside the bed. He grabbed the blankets, wiggling it from underneath the both of them so they could get under them. When he laid back down, Usagi turned, curling into his arms.
They lay like that, her head tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped around her. She was warm and soft, and he couldn't believe this had actually happened; that she was in his bed, in his arms, had told him she loved him.
This was not what he was expecting to happen when he'd left the library at Keio earlier, trying to avoid the oncoming storm.
Usagi pulled away, and he immediately missed her warmth. She sat up quickly, the blanket falling to her waist, her chest once again bare, and she looked to the window, frowning. "The storm is gone."
His heart dropped. Would she want to leave now? Maybe he'd been a distraction from her fear, and now that the downpour was over, she was ready to get back to the apartment she shared with Minako.
Mamoru propped himself up with one elbow and looked up at her. "Do you want me to take you home?"
Her head whipped to him, confusion written all over her face. "Do you want me to go home?"
"No." He didn't hesitate in responding, because no, he didn't want her to go home. He didn't want her to leave. Not when he'd just got her.
Her confusion morphed into a sigh of relief, and she grinned. "Good. Because I was serious about going all night."
He broke into a laugh, the tension and fear immediately disintegrating. This woman was amazing. She leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. While she was distracted, he brought a hand up, tickling her side. She dropped to the bed in a fit of giggles, her messy, braided hair sticking out in all directions around her.
He moved back on top of her, pressing his lips to hers. She moaned softly, wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. She ground her hips into him, making him hard almost immediately.
But he stopped, pulling away and halting her movements. There was one final thing he needed to do. "Usako," he breathed, "will you go out with me?"
She giggled, her cheeks flushing a beautiful shade of red. "I've been waiting six years to hear that. I thought you'd never ask." She leaned up, pressing her lips to his. Then she pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. "Yes, baka. I'll go out with you."
He grinned, unable to suppress his happiness as he captured her lips again, this time kissing her hard and deep. She chuckled into his mouth, and he pulled away, giving her a confused smile. "What's so funny?"
Her grin was mischievous as she giggled again. "Think of the shock we'll get when everyone finds out tomorrow.
"If we even see anyone tomorrow," he said playfully, delighted by the sparkle in her eyes.
She frowned in confusion. "Why wouldn't we see anyone tomorrow?"
He smirked, raising an eyebrow. "You plan to go all night. I say we just stay in this bed all day tomorrow, too."
Her eyes slid shut for a moment as she moaned. "Mmm, I love that idea." She circled her arms back around his neck, pulling him down on her and crushing her lips to his.
That damn storm made his night.
oOo
And that wraps up Smutember! Thank you again to FloraOne for hosting this wonderful month. Thank you to all the other writers and artists who participated! Thank you to my best friend and beta, Beej88! And THANK YOU to all you beautiful, beautiful readers! Without you, this wouldn't be near as much fun.
I have something new in the works so keep your eyes peeled.
Stay safe everyone! And don't forget, reviews are love!