Thanks so much for the reviews + favorites! This chapter has a bit of implied sex - nothing explicit, I promise - they just talk about it, and the scene ends before anything actually happens. If you're uncomfortable reading, though, stop reading after "The kiss continued where it left off", and skip over to "Usagi woke to her phone buzzing quietly".

Enjoy!

"Bye, Mamo-chan!" Usagi pecked Mamoru on the cheek before turning to leave, waving at him. "It was nice meeting you, Zoisite!"

"Bye, Usa." Mamoru grinned as Zoisite waved behind him. Once she closed the door, Usagi blew a kiss at Mamoru through the glass window, smiling and waving one last time as he pretended to catch the kiss. As soon as she left, Zoisite turned to Mamoru, who was grabbing a new pair of lab gloves. The two were the only ones left in the lab ever since Mamoru returned from his lunch date with Usagi, and the lab was silent except for the hum of the fan behind the fume hood.

"So...Usagi?"

"Mhm."

"How long were you going to wait until you told Beryl?"

Mamoru groaned and turned to his colleague as he pulled his gloves on, his eyes narrowed. "Did Kunzite put you up to this?"

"No, not this time," the long-haired man shook his head, turning back to the fume hood, "I'm asking this by myself."

"Zoisite-"

"Mamoru, you should've seen the way she was looking at Usagi - it was like a mountain lion staring at its prey."

Mamoru barked out a laugh, but Zoisite's serious glare immediately silenced him. He rolled his eyes at his friend and turned to grab a Pasteur pipette from the supplies table. "Zoisite, I don't think she'd actually do anything. You were there, she said I was like 'the older brother she never had'."

"Do you even know women, Mamoru?"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, picking up a rubber bulb. "Do you?"

Zoisite pointed at him. "Touché. What I mean is do you even know if her intentions are good? I mean, the woman practically reeks of evil."

Mamoru sighed and walked over to the fume hood. "She likes being in charge - that doesn't mean she's evil, Zoi."

"Yeah, you see the good in everyone."

The taller man frowned as he snapped the rubber bulb onto the pipette, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Beryl is most likely plotting the destruction of your and Usagi's relationship, and you'd think she's throwing you a birthday party."

The lab was silent again, the fume hood fan loudly blowing a few filter papers off the wall. Mamoru stood still as he stared at his colleague, his face shocked. Zoisite sighed and faced the taller man, uncertain.

"Look, Mamoru. You know how easily jealous she gets - even if she says she doesn't like you like that, that doesn't mean she feels that way," the shorter man shrugged, "Beryl gets upset when you don't let her lead on an experiment, even if she said that she doesn't want to."

"But she-"

"Do whatever you wanna do, okay?" Zoisite grabbed the pipette from Mamoru's hand, pointing at him with his free hand, "We're not going to stop you. Just be careful - you don't want to lose Usagi's trust."

"I won't."

"Mamoru-"
"I won't. Beryl wouldn't do something that bad - you don't know her as well as I do."

The shorter man threw his hands up in the air, dropping the pipette into a beaker of acid before storming away, "Ugh, fine, don't listen to me! Don't come crying to me when Kunzite finds out!"

Worry flooded through Mamoru immediately. "Zoi, wait!"

The long-haired man stopped, but didn't turn.

"Do you honestly think…" Mamoru hesitated, unsure of how to ask, "...do you honestly think she could hurt her? Usa's innocent in all this, she doesn't need to be involved."

Zoisite sighed. "You should still tell her about it. If you don't, then eventually she'll be up to her knees in this shit."

It wasn't until a quiet Sunday afternoon that Mamoru found himself wanting to talk about it, the situation at hand, the problem.

Beryl.

Mamoru was going through online flashcards for his medical terminology class while Usagi lounged comfortably on his bed. Magazines and candy bars littered the bed by her ponytails as she leaned back on the pillows, her legs crossed as she flipped through a small comic book. The glare of Mamoru's laptop was giving him a slight headache, and he took it as a sign to finally tell Usagi about Beryl.

"Usa?"

She didn't move, her eyes still scanning the contents of her comic book. "Mmm?"

"I think we...need to talk."

Usagi blinked and sat up, staring at Mamoru from her position perched up on his bed. "About what?"

Mamoru sighed, turning from his desk. "I, uh, think that there's something that you should know."
Usagi raised an eyebrow.

"About Beryl."

"Oh, your lab partner!" Usagi fell back onto the bed, resting against the cushions. She grabbed a magazine and idly turned through the pages. "She was really beautiful, her hair was like the ultimate fabulous goal - Minako would probably agree with me. It kinda reminded me of this one model I found in this magazine...lemme see..."

"Usa, this is kind of important." Mamoru sighed and closed his laptop, getting up from his chair. Kunzite had given him hell ever since he heard from Zoisite that Beryl had met Usagi, giving him an earful with numerous "are you even worried for her safety"s and "are you out of your mind"s. It had given the physics major quite a lot to think about, and, two midterms and a final paper later, he came to the conclusion to tell her about Beryl.

"Usa," he sat down next to her on the bed, resting his hand on her shoulder, "I think you should be careful with her."
Usagi frowned and cast the magazine aside, half-throwing it onto the already-growing pile near the pillows. "Why?"

"Beryl and I have...a complicated relationship."

Usagi's frown deepened and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Did you guys date?"

"No, no!" Mamoru shook his head, taking Usagi's hands in his. "We met last year during orientation, and talked a few times over the summer. We ended up working in the same lab together, and studied for classes together." Mamoru scratched the back of his head. "In the middle of our second semester, though, she told me she really liked me, and I kinda…."

"Kinda….?" Usagi leaned in, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"I told her I didn't feel the same way."

"Mhm?"

"And she said that was fine, but my friends- I feel as if she's up to no good given her….characteristics."

"Mmm…..characteristics as in she thinks vanilla is better than chocolate?" Usagi laughed.

Mamoru ran a hand through his hair, now feeling stressful. "I- what? Usa, this is serious."

"Okay, okay!" The blond nodded, propping her elbows up on her knees. "That is quite a situation. Did you explicitly tell her that you weren't interested?"

"Yeah."

"Mmm…" Usagi took Mamoru's hands in hers again. "Very interesting, Mr. Chiba."

"I just don't want her to hurt us, or you, you know?" Mamoru shifted slightly, his grip on Usagi's hands tightening, "I think that she's really capable of that. She's very headstrong, and-"

"Is she a black belt?" Usagi cut in.

"What? No, she isn't."

"Then I'll be fine!" Usagi laughed softly, poking her boyfriend on the nose. "I also have super strong Makoto to protect mel! Don't worry-"

"Usa, this is important!" Mamoru interrupted her, pulling his hands away, "You have to understand- Beryl could actually do some serious damage!"

Usagi frowned, crossing her arms. "Mamo-chan, she's like an ex-girlfriend who you just so happen to still see on a day-to-day basis - I'm sorry that I don't see what's wrong with that!"

Mamoru let out a small growl, getting up from the bed and shaking his head. "Why don't you take anything seriously? Is everything just a big game to you, Usa?"

"What?!" Usagi demanded, and stood up on the other side of the bed, pointing an accusing finger at her boyfriend. "I may take things lightheartedly, but that just prevents me from becoming a tightwad always worrying about every little thing!"

"This isn't a little thing!" Mamoru half-yelled, "This is serious, she could actually do something to you, and I don't want that to happen!"

"Why do you care so much?!" Usagi asked, her own voice rising. "Just a few days ago you had no problem with me meeting her! How do I know you're just trying to keep me apart from her because-"

"Because what?"

Usagi shook her head. "Forget it." She turned and picked up her bag, which was lying by the side of Mamoru's bed. She started stuffing her magazines and candy bars inside angrily. "I need to go."

Mamoru felt a sudden pang of guilt. Usagi had a right to leave - they could both blow off some steam before either of them said anything stupid, but need took over reason and he turned towards her. "No, tell me what you were going to say, Usa."

She shook her head as she reached for the bedroom door. "It's nothing. Have a good night."

"Usa-"
"Mamo-chan, it's nothing! It's stupid!" Usagi opened the door, turning away.

"How can it be stupid?" Mamoru demanded, his voice breaking a bit as he followed her, "If you're saying it, I guarantee it won't be stupid."

"Just forget about it, okay?" Usagi was already halfway across the living room, not stopping to look at him. "I don't want to give you any more trouble when you're already worrying about this Beryl situation."

Mamoru's mind was a scrambled mess. Usagi was already reaching for the main doorknob, adjusting her bag strap across her shoulder. She seemed so downcast, so sad- had he done that to her?

She was going to leave. All because he had waited so long to tell her about this, about his messed up life. His mind flipped back and forth between blaming himself for not telling her earlier and wondering if Beryl was even capable of doing such damage.

Usagi's back was facing him, and he could hear the click of the doorknob turning as she grasped it and pulled it back, and-

"I'm only worried about Beryl because she's dangerous and I'm in love with you!"

Both Usagi and Mamoru froze. It took a few seconds for Mamoru to understand that he had said that, and that neither of them had actually said that word - "the 'L' word" as Zoisite liked to call it - before just then. He gulped and backed away, feeling as if his stomach had dropped fifty feet.

It wasn't like he was lying. Every moment with Usagi had been wonderful and carefree - not particularly in a bad way, but he felt happy when he was with her. He looked forward to seeing her, and her smile brightened every moment they had together, despite the situation.

And now she was staring at him, and Mamoru felt like he did something wrong.

"I-I-"

"You….what?" Usagi asked, stepping forward. Her bright blue eyes were wide in shock, and Mamoru wasn't sure if he was to repeat the same thing he said or lie.

He chose lie. "She's a dangerous woman and I, uh, am worried for your safety."

"No, no," Usagi was suddenly in front of him, reaching for him, "Mamo-chan, you love me?"

"I'm an idiot." Mamoru gulped again. "Did I say the magic words too early?"

Tears welled up in Usagi's eyes and she sniffled quietly, pulling him close to her. "I don't think so."

"Oh."

Usagi hugged Mamoru tightly, her tears staining his shirt. Mamoru didn't care, but he was a bit concerned as her reaction wasn't one he was expecting. "Usa?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Usagi shook her head, glancing up at him. Her cheeks were a rosy red as tears continued to stream across them, and she laughed quietly. "I should've taken this more seriously, but I-I'm sorry I just can't see her as...dangerous."

"I might just be overreacting." Mamoru shrugged, and wiped one of her tears with his thumb. He could feel his own eyes welling up slightly, and he shook his head. "Kunzite and Zoisite told me to be careful, and to tell you about her."

"Well, I appreciate it." Usagi giggled, and rested her hands on his face. "Look, you're crying, too."

"Urg, I know," Mamoru laughed and tried to lift up his glasses to wipe them away, but Usagi distracted him with a kiss. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, pulling him down a bit, but kept the other on his cheek. Mamoru shifted slightly, resting his hands on her hips to bring her closer. He felt her one of her hands trail up to his head, her fingers running through his hair, and he let out a content sigh, smiling as he kissed her.

"I love you." Mamoru repeated.

Her reply came back like a soft whisper and Mamoru almost missed it. "I love you too."

The physics major pulled back from Usagi. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, now I'm the idiot." Usagi laughed, and Mamoru kissed her forehead.

"I think it's great - we can be two idiots in love."

Usagi grinned. "Nothing wrong with that."

The kiss continued where it left off, but Usagi became more handsy, her fingers pulling at Mamoru's shirt or running through his hair. Mamoru gently pulled her hands down, his breath just as quick as her own. He stared at her for a moment, his heart beating quickly, and then pointed at her.

"Do you…?"

"Yes."

Mamoru frowned. "You didn't even let me finish."

"You didn't have to."

The taller of the two hesitated slightly and Usagi backed away, glancing up at him. "Unless you don't want to."

Mamoru scratched the back of his head. "I, uh….haven't exactly done this before."

Usagi blinked before nodding, her smile warm. "Neither have I."

"You're alright with this, then?" Mamoru asked, gesturing to nothing in particular, "This whole, uh-"

"Mamoru Chiba, physics major with a pre-med focus, second year," Usagi laughed, "can't say the word 'sex'?"

Mamoru flushed a bit. "Can we get back to where we were kissing, please?"

Usagi shrugged, gesturing to the entire living room. "As much as I'd like to stay here, I don't think we can afford to scar Kunzite."

After a quick glance at his roommate's empty bedroom, Mamoru grinned. "Meet you in my room, then?."

"Deal."

Mamoru quickly ran into Kunzite's room, half-yanking open the bedside drawer. He grabbed a condom and headed back to his bedroom, almost slamming the door behind him.

Usagi woke to her phone buzzing quietly on Mamoru's nightstand. Flailing around blindly, she grabbed the small pink device and slid past the lock screen, pressing the "1" on her messaging app.

-Would you like to hang out this Saturday?

I know a new ice cream shop opened a few blocks down of Central Ave. We can walk there.

Usagi smiled and shifted slightly so as to not wake up her sleeping boyfriend, whose arms were around her bare waist.

-hey! i'd LOVE to, what time?

Her phone buzzed almost immediately. -Whenever you're free.

"Mmph," Mamoru mumbled, his mouth now on her neck, "Who's texting you?"

"Why?" Usagi asked, smiling as she glanced back at him, "Are you going to distract me?"

Mamoru grinned at her, running his hands through her hair, which was now slightly disheveled and free from its' usual bun-and-ponytail hairstyle. "Given what we just did, um, yes."

Usagi laughed and ruffled Mamoru's equally messy hair with one hand as she used her other to type out her reply.

-how about 3? i think it'd be perfect weather then if we're walking :p

-Sounds great. See you then, Usagi.

-ttyl Beryl! :)

Usagi locked her phone and set it aside, snuggling deeper into the covers towards Mamoru. "That was nice."

"That was very nice." Mamoru agreed, beaming as he pushed a long strand of her hair away from her face. "You're so beautiful, Usa."

Usagi blushed lightly, her grin widening. "You're quite the handsome one yourself."

"Should I say the magic words again?"

"No, silly," Usagi poked his nose, sticking out her tongue, "You'll ruin the magic of them. Unlike your glasses, the words have a limited amount of magic to them."

"Who on Earth told you that?" Mamoru asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter. Now shh, we both need our melatonin, remember?"

"You're a melatonin." Mamoru said in a mock-high voice, and Usagi pushed him gently, laughing.

"Rude."

The two kissed before returning to their snuggling positions, sleep recurring to the both of them. Usagi quickly glanced back at her phone, hoping that because she had agreed to meet up with Beryl, nothing bad would happen. Beryl had ran after her after she left Mamoru's lab a few days ago, suggesting that they hang out some time and exchange numbers. Usagi was more than open to the idea, wanting to become close friends with Mamoru's lab partner. She was going to mention it to Mamoru when they met up, but they had such a huge fight about it that now she was sure something was wrong with Beryl.

But she was a human - she would be open to talking and discussing things, right? Whatever feelings Beryl had towards her, Usagi was sure that nothing couldn't be fixed with a long talk and some ice cream.

She shook her head and turned back to Mamoru, who was dozing off beside her. She leaned in and kissed her boyfriend's forehead, pulling the covers over both of them. Usagi could worry about Beryl later. All that mattered now was that she loved her Mamo-chan, and he loved her back.