My first Mamoru and Usagi short story! Every time I heard this song, I always pictured these two. So I imagined this little scenario that sort of kinda fits with the song. Sort of. I hope you guys enjoy!
Featuring: Mamoru/Usagi (small appearances by the inner senshi via cell phone)
Universe: Modern
Warnings/Ratings: None. Pretty mild here. k+
The song is called Photograph and it's by Ed Sheeran. I don't own the song nor the characters!
Loving can hurt
Loving can hurt sometimes
But it's the only thing that I know
When it gets hard
You know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing that makes us feel alive
Mamoru watched as the sun peaked through his blinds, his eyes following the rays as it hit his work desk. He'd allowed himself to stay in bed for a bit before getting up for the day. It was a rare occurrence when he had "lazy time", as he had dubbed it. Fighting crime as his alter ego had slowly dwindled down, so that rarely took up much of his time nowadays. Now he was normally busy with all his medical schoolwork, or trying to fit in time to talk to Usagi.
Mamoru sighed, running his hand through his unkempt hair. That'd been the hardest. Leaving Usagi for medical school. He knew she'd been happy for him and this wonderful opportunity, but he also knew how she felt living so far away. He struggled with it as well. Being away from her felt like a part of him was missing. His heart gave a little lurch, as it did sometimes when he missed her. Mamoru rolled over towards his nightstand and rummaged around one of the drawers, his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration.
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time's forever frozen still
The girls had given him an album as a going away present. Whenever he felt homesick, he'd flip through the pages and reminisce on all the wonderful memories he'd made with them. He grabbed the album now, laying it on his lap and gently flipping through the pages. A small smile spread across his face as his eyes scanned the photos. His eyes finally landed on the photo he'd been truly searching for. The glossy image showed Usagi and him sitting on a picnic blanket. She was nestled between his legs, her back resting on his chest as his arms encircled around her. He'd been showing her some of the school's he'd been applying to. He thought she had been concentrating on the pamphlets in his hands, but the picture showed Usagi staring proudly at him, her big blue eyes full of love.
Minako had taken the candid photo of them (she'd been pretty proud of it) and the picture had quickly become his favorite. He cherished that little photograph of them. He ran his thumb across the picture, wishing in that moment that he could transport back to that time when he was so blissfully happy with her.
A loud rasping noise startled Mamoru out of his reverie. Who could be knocking on his door? Quickly putting away the album back in the drawer, Mamoru made his way to the door, a little unsure of himself. He was still in his pajama bottoms and his hair most likely resembled a bird's nest. He tried flattening it out by patting it down but gave up when his hair didn't cooperate. He unlocked his door and opened it up slowly, an awkward greeting and smile already forming on his lips.
Instead, a small "oomph" escaped his lips as a bundle of blonde tackled him with a hug.
"Usagi?" He couldn't quite make out his girlfriend in all the craziness. It definitely smelled like her, he thought, as the blonde bundle nuzzled closer to him.
"Mamo!" He heard Usagi say into his chest. He smiled and hugged her closer. After awhile she pulled away, a lopsided grin on her face.
"Usagi, what are you doing here?" He grabbed the luggage she'd neglected outside his door and brought it in.
"Surprise?" Usagi said, her arms outstretched and her shoulders shifted slightly up. Mamoru shook his head, but he couldn't help the smile that betrayed his true feelings.
Usagi pouted up at him. "I just couldn't wait that long again to see you so I bought a plane ticket to surprise you and here I am!"
He chuckled at her. "And the girls were ok with this? Or are they here too?" Mamoru glanced around, waiting for another shout of surprises to ring out.
"Nope, just me! They were fine with it, although some of them had to be convinced I could take care of myself."
"I'm sure I could guess who gave you a hard time." Mamoru laughed at Usagi's face. He embraced her and gave her forehead a quick peck. "Regardless, I'm happy you're here. Let me just get dressed real quick and we can go out and I can show you some cool places we have here."
Usagi pulled away from him, her nose scrunched up in disgust. "Not smelling like this I'm not."
Mamoru just stared at his girlfriend. "What?"
"I feel icky from that long plane ride! You can't shower and it's overnight and it's so long and cramped and you can barely move and did I mention you can't shower or move?"
Mamoru leaned down and sniffed her. "You're right, you smell awful." He laughed as he pulled away, Usagi swatting at his shoulder as he did.
"Big meanie," she huffed out.
Mamoru pecked her quickly on the lips. "Go jump in the shower, stinky butt, and I'll make us some breakfast.
Usagi's stomach chose that moment to announce its presence. Usagi smiled sheepishly. "Breakfast sounds amazing!"
Mamoru watched as she skipped happily around his apartment and then into the bathroom. He went about grabbing all the ingredients he'd need to make her a monstrous breakfast as a thank you for the great surprise. Pancakes, French toast, and omelets would do the trick nicely, he thought happily.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
And if you hurt me
That's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go
Wait for me to come home
Mamoru had been in the middle of measuring out the flour for the pancakes when a shrill ringing broke his concentration. The latest pop song that Usagi was probably fangirling over could be heard blaring through the bathroom door.
"Mamo? Could you get that for me? It's probably the girls. I forgot to call and let them know I arrived safely and I'm not dead somewhere in the middle of some back alley like Rei thinks I am!" Usagi shrieked happily at him.
Mamoru restrained the urge to roll his eyes. He quickly ran to the bathroom and was assaulted by a blast of steam as soon as he opened the door. He rummaged around the pile of clothes on the floor and found Usagi's phone inside the back pocket of her jeans.
"Hello," he said, stepping outside the bathroom and the crazy steam and closing the door behind him.
"Ah, Mamoru. You're either answering Usagi's phone because you finally found her mangled body outside a back alley where Usagi chased a cute looking kitten and met her untimely death or she forgot to give us a call like we asked."
Mamoru chuckled. "It's nice to talk to you too, Rei."
"We're all on the line, actually. Thanks to Ames genius way with technology," Mamoru heard Minako's sunny voice come through.
"It's really not that difficult, Minako. There's a huge button that says add another caller right there."
"Oh whatever. Some of us just can't be bothered with trivial matters."
Mamoru bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing. He forgot how much he missed the other girls. He kept silent as Rei joined in the squabble.
"ANYWAYS," Makoto's booming voice drowned out the other three girls, "we were just checking up on Usa, making sure she arrived safely into your care. We'll let you go and facetime you guys later to catch up. I know you must be busy cooking her up something tasty for breakfast."
"How'd you know?" Mamoru asked dubiously.
He heard Makoto scoff. "Please. Airplane food could only last about two hours in that girl's stomach."
"Does anything last in her stomach? Girl's a black hole," Rei mumbled.
"Ah…we've taken enough of your time Mamoru. You guys take care and we'll catch up with you later."
"Thanks Ami. Mako, Rei, Minako, it's always a pleasure. You girls take care!" Mamoru heard a chorus of well wishes and goodbyes before he hung up Usagi's phone.
As he tried shutting the case, a few things fell to the floor. Leave it to Usagi to haphazardly throw things into her wallet/case combo. It was a miracle she hadn't lost anything important yet. He began to pick up her cards and i.d. when a folded up picture caught his attention. Mamoru unfolded it, scanning the image curiously. It was the same picture he'd been looking at just before Usagi's big entrance. The picture was worn out in places where Usagi had folded it and unfolded it so many times. The edges had been worn through and it had lost its shine with so many finger print smudges scattered around.
Mamoru laughed to himself a little. He could tell how much she adored the picture, just like he did, regardless how banged up hers was compared to his. He put away the picture in its hiding spot and placed her phone on his table, an idea forming in his mind.
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
You can fit me
Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen
Next to your heartbeat where I should be
Keep it deep within your soul
And if you hurt me
Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go
When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street
Hearing you whisper through the phone,
"Wait for me to come home."
Usagi stepped out of the shower, the steam curling around her body as she reached for a towel. She quickly dried herself off, not wanting to leave a mess for Mamoru. Unlike her, he was quite the neat freak. She stepped out of the bathroom, shivering a little when the cooler air of the apartment hit her still damp skin. It was eerily silent and Usagi took a few hesitant steps towards the kitchen.
"Mamo?" She called out softly, glancing around. Her eyes landed on the table sprawled out with an abundance of food. Momentarily forgetting about the whereabouts of Mamoru, Usagi made a beeline for the table. Her eyes took it all in as she took a huge whiff of it. It smelt absolutely delicious. There were certain items she couldn't even name, but was excited to dig into. She started reaching for the pancakes when a white note, tucked underneath the maple syrup, caught her eye. She gently tugged at it, being careful to not get the sticky liquid all over the place. Usagi smiled as she read it.
Dear Usagi,
Had to run out and grab a few things. Hope you enjoy breakfast! Go ahead and dig in without me.
Love, Mamoru
P.S. Change into clothes before eating! I don't want a wet Usagi on my chairs!
Usagi had been in the process of shoveling another French toast into her mouth when she heard Mamoru open the door. She quickly chewed as she bounded towards him. She had begrudgingly changed into clothes before digging into the wonderful food.
"Mamo! Breakfast was scrumptious! You really outdid yourself this time. Mako will totally be jealous when I tell her how good you've gotten!" She went in for a kiss, bracing herself on Mamoru's chest and stretching to the tips of her toes. Mamoru smiled and quickly pecked her.
Usagi pouted. "I want more kisses!" She knew she sounded whiny, but she'd traveled so far to see him and she deserved more than just a peck.
Mamoru's eyes crinkled up, as his smile grew bigger. "Just a second, love. I promise to give you a million kisses. But first," he paused, his voice sounding serious. His eyes still sparkled mischievously and it sent a small shiver of anticipation up Usagi's spine. "You must close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Usagi scrutinized him, trying to find any signs of what he was up to, but Mamoru had always been hard to read. Sighing in resignation, Usagi complied. She heard him fumbling around with something and then felt his hands graze hers before a small, cold object replaced it.
Puzzled, Usagi opened her eyes. Usagi gasped as she brought the golden star necklace closer for inspection. She realized it was a locket as she pushed the little trinket and it popped open. Inside was her favorite picture of them. The one she secretly carried around with her at all times. Usagi felt the sting of tears as she looked up at Mamoru. She couldn't make out his expression through the fuzziness her tears were causing.
"Do you like it?" He asked softly.
Usagi choked back a sob, a nasty sound escaping her lips as she tried to answer. She sounded like a blubbering idiot, not at all sexy. She probably looked a mess; tear streaked cheeks and mascara running. Her nose definitely had boogers spewing out. She sniffled, trying to gain control of her emotions and traitorous nose.
"I love it," she finally got out, her voice sounding scratchy even to her own ears. Mamoru smiled beautifully at her. He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.
He took the locket from her. "Let me," he murmured, slipping the locket over her head and clasping it on. It fell perfectly between her chest, nestled near her heart. He leaned in close, his forehead resting perfectly against hers.
"I love you," he whispered. He kissed her and she felt his hand run to her lower back, bringing her closer to him. She happily pressed against him, kissing him back.
Usagi pulled away after awhile and nuzzled into his chest. She could hear his heart beating strongly through his shirt. "I love you too, Mamo."
I want to say this was shorter than normal! Progress! Hope you guys enjoyed this little story! Let me know what you think in the comments and once again, if you have any requests hit me up!