riverlethe

[riverlethe]

*shoves the unfinished UsaMamo Week 2024 WIP into a drawer that leaves half of it sticking out upon closing*

UsaMamo Week 2025 is upon us!

Join us, won't you?

UsaMamo Week 2025 will be the week of July 28 - August 3! We’re posting these prompts a little later than usual because life / work has gotten away from us. SORRY!

See below for the daily prompts. Almost every day has two prompts to pick from–you are not required to use both. You can do as many or as little day’s prompts as you are inspired to do. We’re accepting any form of creative work–stories, drabbles, poetry, drawings, digital art, webtoons, moodboards, photography, cosplay… whatever medium speaks to you!

Rules:

- Usa/Mamo must be the central pairing

- Any rating is OK as long as you flag / label correctly

- All types of fanwork are accepted

- You can do one prompt or more, there’s no minimum

- Tag a Tumblr post with #usamamoweek2025 and/or @usamamoweek to be reblogged by this account

- Tag #usamamoweek2025 on AO3 as well

If requested, we will share AO3 works on Tumblr

A note on generative AI

This competition is meant for fans by fans. A way for us to share our talents and headcanons and love of this fandom with each other in a supportive atmosphere. We strongly suggest you not use generative AI to create your works for the daily prompts. It means a lot more when it comes from you, not from a program based on an interpreted prompt & using data mined without consent. Trust me, we love every poorly worded sentence written at 11:59p, every disproportionate arm, and every tilted photo. Beauty is in the imperfections. If you do use generative AI, please label and tag your work as that bc transparency matters more than delivering something "perfect".

Have fun!

Daily Prompt List for July 28 - August 3

Day 1: The Journey / Special Occasion

Day 2: Reveals / School Festival

Day 3: “I can explain…” / Flowers

Day 4: Free day

Day 5: Inspired by a Song

Day 6: Sick and/or Injured / [thing] Café

Day 7: Family / One Year Later

[riverlethe]

Oh, man, these words were written AGES ago in my still unfinished Chapter 13 of Once More, with Feeling! during an major editing blitz in which much of the chapter sustained heavy rewrites.

But then I hit a wall and never moved on.

Every time I open the draft, these words mock me.

Rude 🙄

Endymion pressed Beryl’s hand against his cheek.

I'm gonna tag the same people @lilliebellfanfics tagged because they haven't participated yet 😘

(and I'm also not gonna tag the full number because I also don't follow rules)

No pressure 💜 @caelenath @goddessalthena @kaleidodreams @reispinkoveralls

Tagged by @beatriceeagle

writing game: post the last line that you wrote and tag someone for every word in the line.

So, she’d been late.

No pressure tagging: @tinacentury @kasienda @lilliebellfanfics @sailormoonandme

[riverlethe]

This person should be proud! It's amazing!

"Yarnimation" is something I didn't know I needed in my life 💜

12 frames of animation I made using knitting! I spent a long time on this and I’m so pleased with the results, really looking forward to trying more ‘yarnimation’ in the future. Process video out now too! 🐑

[riverlethe]

You are so welcome! 😘

Attack of the marshmallows

During a romantic getaway to Hokkaido...

Usagi wandered into the middle of a territory fight between rival Shima-Enaga. It is disputed whether they were attacking or attempting to befriend her odangos.

She immediately sought refuge against Mamoru's chest, which he obliged.

But he also laughed as she rubbed an imprint of her face into his sternum.

He was put on the couch for his insensitivity that night.

Or at least, he would have been if their room at the inn had had a couch.

Usagi begrudgingly accepted the Shima-Enaga plushie he later bought her because it was just too darn cute.

It tends to find its way onto Mamoru's head when he is banished to the couch for real at home.

🐦 * 🐦 * 🐦

Shout-out to @riverlethe for sharing the video that inspired this.

[riverlethe]

A well-edited Sailor Moon AMV can be a really powerful thing

idk r edits cool tumblr chat

[riverlethe]

This may or may not have contributed to my decision to write Once More, with Feeling.

I wish the anime had explored this more, especially considering how much they have the brainwashed TM helping the senshi instead of really leaning into the evil.

But this is why we have fanfiction 💜

(also, go read @goddessalthena's Divergence, it's great! 💜💜💜)

What the-

It can't be...

Oh, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

[riverlethe]

Y'all hear about Pluto?

That's messed up.

These are all great. Perfect. 💯 On point.

Don't change a thing

psych + textposts bc it was about time i did one

[riverlethe]

Imagine coming home from school to a talking cat spouting some nonsense about you being a legendary warrior whose sacred duty is to protect a nameless, faceless princess from the Dark Kingdom and their monsters, but you have to find her first.

Throughout this journey, you find other legendary warriors, and each one is so much better than you right off the bat. As you continue to struggle your way through long battles and late nights fighting scary monsters, not only are some of your teammates not shy about voicing their frustrations surrounding your "incompetence", you have to contend with the handsome college student needling your non-combat weaknesses and insecurities.

You finally learn the identity of the mysterious princess after a heart-wrenching tragedy involving said hot college student, and it was you all along.

And then you remember.

You remember your former kingdom.

You remember being protected by the same guardians you've been struggling alongside for months.

You remember your lost love, the man currently bleeding out in your lap.

You remember your death.

And then you remember that you didn't want to remember.

Thinking a lot about this moment today, and I can't seem to do that without these lyrics playing in my head.

The soundtrack of my childhood. ❤️

[riverlethe]

Chapter 1!

(can you tell I'm still so very excited that G-Rex is posting this story?)

Divergence Update

Chapter One is now up!

Divergence

Summary: In order to rescue a boy she hardly knows, defeat an enemy she's never met, and save a world she'll never truly belong to, Tsukino Usagi must first accept a destiny she never wanted. An introspective re-imagining of season one's final arc told from Usagi’s perspective. What do you do when the sins of a past life come back to haunt you? How do you stay true to yourself when the lines of identity begin to blur? And when it comes to fate, do you ever really have a choice?

Thanks for reading!

[riverlethe]

In honor of Cosmos finally being released on Netflix, I'm reblogging this UsaMamo 2021 story (the second story I ever posted!) set after Stars.

Summary: Usagi struggles in the aftermath of Galaxia and Chaos.

Please enjoy!

Day 2 submission for UsaMamo Week 2021

Theme: Home

Thanks again to @idesofnovember  for hosting!

[riverlethe]

Christmas came early this year!!!!

Go read this!

So, I'm finally doing a thing...

After many moons of tedious, painstaking effort I have finally reached a long awaited goal: I've finished a story. A story I've been wanting to tell for, well, a long time. Having accomplished this monumental task (for me at least) it is now time to YEET it out into the void and turn my beleaguered brain to other tasks.

I am equal parts nervous and excited to finally begin freeing this beast from the deep recesses of my hard drive, but I promised myself I would do so when the time came and the TIME HAS COME.

Without further ado, I present to you:

Divergence

Summary: In order to rescue a boy she hardly knows, defeat an enemy she's never met, and save a world she'll never truly belong to, Tsukino Usagi must first accept a destiny she never wanted. An introspective re-imagining of season one's final arc told from Usagi’s perspective. What do you do when the sins of a past life come back to haunt you? How do you stay true to yourself when the lines of identity begin to blur? And when it comes to fate, do you ever really have a choice?

My thanks to everyone who gives this labour of love a looky-loo, and I hope those of you who choose to take this journey with me (and Usagi) will find it worthwhile.

[riverlethe]

Such a wonderful story <3

Go read this!

A Prince Comes Home (UsaMamo Week Day 2)

My contribution for Day 2 of @usamamoweek 2024, "Meet the Parents", is a companion piece to On This Day, a Prince Was Born, and also subtly references All the King's Children.

Though all three can be read separately, I encourage reading the other two first to experience the full effect of this piece. Both are pretty short.

Lastly, I must credit this stunning artwork by @sugarmint-dreams for inspiring this story by providing the vision of eternity.

~ * ~

Summary:

She hoped he knew, and would always know, how much she loved him, even when he was one day too big or too far for her to hold. — On This Day, a Prince Was Born

[riverlethe]

Love both pics, but the way those flowers stand out against the Omiyage wrapping is just <3 <3 <3

UsaMamo Week Day 2 - Meet the Parents

For this prompt from @usamamoweek I approached it in 2 different ways - an Omiyage (small gift for the host) for Mamoru meeting Usagi's parents and chrysanthemums - traditional for funerals for Usagi "meeting" Mamoru's parents

[riverlethe]

These are all gorgeous! And I'm with G-Rex (@goddessalthena), that 3rd one definitely gives Ever After vibes, and I am HERE for it!

UsaMamo Week Day 1 - Masquerade

This year I unfortunately did not not have as much time to work on images for @usamamoweek BUT I got a few for each day.

I have no idea how to do "First glance" as photos with my personal requirement of not including people in them, so I focused on Masquerade:

[riverlethe]

Mamoru shines in this chapter in only the way he can <3

First in his interactions with Minako, then with Usa. While the rest of us are all:

Mamoru is over there being all reasonable and in-tune with his feelings and what-not (while throwing around insults with Usa for good measure)

I have high hopes for these two idiots <3

UsaMamo Week 2024 - Day 4 - Free Day

I'm late with this one, but better late than never, yes? This themeless installment just so happened to line up with wild card day. Fortuitous, no? A note to those of you who have read my previous posts in this series: I've added a timeline of sorts to the beginning of each chapter in order to make things a little easier to follow as we jump around. Day XX BU (Before Usagi) & AU (After Usagi)

(This is the third part. You can find Ch. 1 & Ch. 2 here.)

(Tentative) Title: A Matter of Timing Summary: Aged up, Friends to lovers UsaMamo Non-Senshi AU told in a series of snapshots. Rating: T (for language) Words: 3058

Free Day

Day 491 AU

“I know, I know! I’m late, but you would not believe the day I’ve had.”

Minako looks up at Mamoru with the expression of one who is not amused. "Har har har," she deadpans before smacking the seat of the empty chair beside her. "Sit your ass down, Chiba. You're three rounds behind."

Mamoru smiles and rolls his eyes before stepping aside. "Happy to, but we're going to need another chair." Minako blinks when she notices the woman to his right. “Everyone, this is Yūki Tomoko.” Minako’s eyes zero in on his right hand which is currently hovering directly behind the small of Tomoko’s back. “She’ll be joining us tonight." Minako’s eyes narrow.

All other eyes at the table go wide and a thick, palpable silence descends over the group until a shrill, “Hi, Tomoko-san!” rings out from the back. Mamoru’s eyes fly to the face he’s been dreading/anticipating seeing all week long. Even from a distance he can tell that Usagi’s cheeks are visibly flushed, but that’s more than likely due to the three empty beer bottles in front of her and not the fact that he’s brought a mystery woman to one of their gatherings for the first time since they met. He tells himself that that’s fine. That bringing Tomoko here tonight isn’t about seeing how Usagi reacts.

He figures after downing three or so beers of his own that’ll be easier to believe.

“There’s a free chair over here!” Usagi bellows, waving one arm in a wide arc. Makoto catches the rogue limb with a deft hand before it can hit her in the face. “Let me just—” There’s a screech of metal on tile and about two seconds go by before Mamoru realizes what she’s about to do. He reaches Usagi just in time to stop her from going ass over teakettle when she heaves the empty chair up off the floor. Makoto has frozen halfway out of her seat and is giving him a look that is part astonishment, part admiration. Mamoru shoots her an awkward smile as he settles Usagi back into her chair.

“Oh em gee, she’s so pretty!” Usagi hisses in his ear in the loudest stage whisper known to man.

Mamoru can feel the heat flooding his own cheeks now, but he manages to nod even though all he can think is, ‘Nowhere near as pretty as you are.’

It’s not until he’s carrying the empty chair back to a waiting Tomoko that it occurs to him to wonder why there’s an empty chair at all. Someone must be missing. His brain catalogues all of the faces he’s seen in the time it takes to swing his head back in Usagi’s direction. Makoto’s on her right, Ami’s on her left, and the douchebag is nowhere to be seen.

***

Forty minutes later Mamoru’s still wondering where Usagi’s jag of a boyfriend is. The guy has been glued to her side for months now—four months to be precise—crashing one get-together after another, trying to insert himself into their tightly knit group, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone but Usagi sees him for the pompous gasbag that he is. Mamoru wants to ask someone—mainly Usagi—where the chode is tonight, but he hasn’t had a chance. Bringing Tomoko to their regular group night has caused quite the stir. An eventuality that he had counted on but is now regretting.

The group has been peppering her with questions ever since she sat down and Mamoru can’t get a word in edgewise. Tomoko is completely at ease amidst a sea of inquisitive strangers as he knew she would be. He’s seen her manage raving meth heads in the ER without breaking a sweat, so she’s more than capable of handling this crazy bunch. Tomoko is intelligent, but not pretentious, confident, but not arrogant, witty, but not sarcastic. She is the perfect plus one and Mamoru cannot wait for her to leave.

Tonight is not going at all how he’d planned.

Reika draws Tomoko into a discussion about Cairo—they’re both avid travellers—and Mamoru leans back in his chair and tries to feign interest while keeping his gaze from wandering down the table. He thinks he’s been doing a decent job of the former, not so much of the latter. It might be easier to focus if he didn’t find Usagi staring back at him every second glance. Makoto has cut her off and swapped her to soda but her cheeks are still rosy. He wants to go over there and talk to her but he can’t. Right? That would be rude.

Right?

“You’re staring.”

His gaze slides to the left. Minako is eyeballing him. He doesn’t care. “Where’s—”

“Twat-wad?” Minako answers before he can finish. Her gaze flits to Usagi. “Not here.” That’s all she offers. Hard to say if that’s all she knows. She glances at Tomoko who is laughing at something Motoki has said. “Your date is charming.”

“She’s not my date.”

“Does she know that?”

“Yes.”

Minako drops the side-eye and looks him full in the face. Mamoru holds her gaze. After a few beats she raises an eyebrow and leans back in her chair before turning her eyes to Usagi. “Hmm…” she hums. “Interesting.” That’s all she says, but Mamoru knows that’s not all she’s thinking.

***

Tomoko joins him at the bar twenty minutes later. “Now that is a chatty crew.” Mamoru offers her an apologetic look but she just laughs. “They’re really nice. I never would have guessed a nerd like you would have such cool friends.” This isn’t the first time he’s heard this, and he doesn’t really know what to say so he just shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “I don’t get it though, I thought you brought me here to appease a jealous boyfriend. Where’s Mr. Insecure?”

“MIA, apparently,” Mamoru answers, stealing another glance at Usagi. She’s hugging Ami and trying to coax her into staying for one more round. Usagi knows Ami won’t stay because she’s got an early morning and she’s the most responsible one in their group, but she’s asking anyway because she knows it makes Ami feel loved. Usagi is amazing like that.

“Damn, you’re in deep. No wonder he’s jealous.”

Mamoru jerks to attention to find Tomoko studying him with wide, sympathetic eyes. He opens his mouth to speak then realizes there’s nothing he can say so he just sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Tomoko laughs and pats his arm. “I won’t tell you it gets easier because I know how much it sucks, but who knows? He didn’t show tonight. Maybe your luck is about to change.”

“I don’t believe in luck.”

“Well then, I guess you’re fucked.” Mamoru nearly spits out his beer. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand then gives Tomoko a questioning look. She crosses her arms. “If you really don’t think luck is going to lend a hand, then you better stop watching from the sidelines and get in the game. You’ve brought me here to play defence when you should be on offence.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Offence?”

“Who cares if the boyfriend is jealous? It’s her attention you’re after,” Tomoko tells him, nodding her head at Usagi. “You want me to help you get it?”

They stand shoulder to shoulder as Mamoru considers her offer. Ami is finally parting from the group, but Usagi is insisting on walking her all the way to the door. Usagi never lets anyone leave without at least two goodbye hugs. Everyone complains about it but she never seems to care, and she always gets her hugs. No matter how much they grouse about it they all humour her. Because they love her. How could they not? She wears her heart on her sleeve. There’s not a false bone in her body.

Mamoru turns to the bar and sets his empty bottle on the polished wood. “Thanks, but I’m not interested in playing games.”

“Then why did you bring me?”

Mamoru sighs. “I told you. He doesn’t like me. He thinks I’m a threat.”

“Yeah, but why do you care what he thinks?”

“I don’t. I could care less what he thinks.”

“Then what—”

“He’s a jackass, but for some reason beyond my comprehension he seems to make her happy. Except for when he’s sulking like a petulant child.” Mamoru takes a breath and flattens his palms against the bar. “I didn’t bring you to spare his feelings, I brought you to spare hers.”

Tomoko lays a hand on top of his and quirks her mouth in a half smile. He tries to mirror the expression but his heart just isn’t in it. The harsh sound of shattering glass makes them both jump and whirl around. Usagi is standing in front of them and her feet are surrounded by shards of broken glass. She stares at the pair of them like a deer in the headlights for two, maybe three beats, then her face turns beet red and a string of barely intelligible apologies—and several curses—spout from her lips as she drops into a crouch. Mamoru and Tomoko cry out in unison when Usagi reaches for the glass, but they’re too late. The damage is done, blood is already seeping from her left palm, and everyone is springing into action.

A waiter is rushing up with a broom, Tomoko is asking the bartender for a first aid kit, and a chorus of voices are crying out in concern. Mamoru is only vaguely aware of all this though because ninety nine percent of his focus is on Usagi. He scoops her up from the floor and into his arms before she has time to fully register the injury. It seems like the natural thing to do; he doesn’t want her to step on any of the glass, and as he makes his way to the restrooms it simply never occurs to him to bother putting her down. It’s possible she’s protesting, but he’s too busy deflecting the group and telling Tomoko to bring the first aid kit to the ladies’ room to listen. It’s not until he gets inside and sets Usagi down on the counter next to the sink that Mamoru realizes how fast his heart is beating. He’s pretty sure it’s not because of the extra cardio.

He takes a breath and looks at Usagi. “Are you okay?”

She blinks up at him with those wide blue eyes of hers. “Yeah,” she says but her voice is shaky.

After a few more breaths he feels calm enough to take a look at her hand. The wound doesn’t seem very deep, he needs to clean it to be sure, but it doesn’t appear to need stitches. He raises his eyes to her pale face and shakes his head. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to touch broken glass?”

Usagi looks instantly repentant which makes him regret the gentle rebuke. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

“What? Don’t apologize,” he tells her, reaching over to turn the faucet on, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I ruined your moment.”

The quiet comment throws him off balance and he shoots her a puzzled look. “What moment?”

Usagi peers up at him from beneath her lashes and Mamoru’s heart skips a beat, but his question goes unanswered because Tomoko arrives with the first aid kit. Mamoru sees Usagi’s immediate blush but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it because there are more important things to focus on. He gets to work cleaning the wound. Tomoko offers to assist but makes no comment when he insists on tending to the injury himself. After they agree that stitches aren’t necessary—Usagi looks particularly relieved to hear this news—Mamoru dresses the wound. Usagi has been unusually quiet throughout. Mamoru chalks it up to shock.

“Looks like you’ve got this under control,” Tomoko says. Mamoru pretends not to notice the edge of amusement in her tone. “I’ve got an early shift tomorrow so I’m going to take off.” She flashes Usagi a genuine smile. “It was nice to meet you, Usagi. Take care of that hand.”

Usagi nods and offers her a shy smile in return. “Nice to meet you too, Tomoko. I hope you’ll come again. I promise not to bleed next time.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Mamoru says dryly.

Usagi shoots him a quelling look. “Quiet, you.” Mamoru smiles.

Tomoko laughs at the pair of them then turns and heads for the door. She lifts her hand in a casual wave and calls, “See you at the hospital, Chiba,” without turning back, and then she’s gone.

It’s just the two of them again.

Usagi gazes at the bathroom door for several moments before turning her eyes to Mamoru. A faint blush lights her cheeks when she finds him watching her. This small reaction kindles a glow of warmth inside his chest.

“Tomoko seems really nice,” Usagi says. Her voice is soft and sweet and maybe just a little bit timid. It’s not like her to be shy.

“She is,” Mamoru agrees, taking a small step closer to her.

“And smart,” she adds, raising her chin to hold his gaze.

Mamoru nods and places his right hand on the edge of the counter a scant few inches next to her left thigh.

Usagi swallows. “And she’s a doctor.”

He smiles. “Yes, she is all of these things.”

“You two look good together.” Mamoru looks past her, to their reflection in the mirror. He knows he’s biased, but he thinks they look good together. He wonders what Usagi saw when she was watching him with Tomoko. What she was feeling. Was it anything like how he feels when he sees her with—

“Usagi, where’s Hideyo?”

Her smiles dims and she looks away. There’s an excruciating pause during which Mamoru holds his breath, and then Usagi says the three words he’s been longing to hear for four long months. “We broke up.” It takes every ounce of Mamoru’s considerable self control to swallow the whoop of delight that bubbles up in his throat. Usagi stares down at her bandaged hand and mumbles, “Don’t tell Minako. I’m not ready to hear ‘I told you so’ yet.”

It’s not easy to force his features into a sympathetic expression when he’s feeling nothing short of ecstatic, but Mamoru understands that this breakup must be painful for her so he focuses on that and the urge to dance a jig begins to fade. “What happened?” Translation: how did the asshat fuck it up again?

Usagi’s gaze flits to his face then back to her hand. “I don’t…really want to talk about it.”

“All right.” He doesn’t really want to talk about it either. Sayonara, shithead.

“I just…” Maybe she does want to talk about it. “I think I made a mistake getting back together with him, and I’m mad at myself for being so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, Usagi.”

“No, just hopeless.”

The bitter reply hangs in the air between them, reminding Mamoru that if anyone in this bathroom is stupid, it’s him. He cups her shoulders in his hands and waits for her to look up before he speaks. “I should never have said that. I was out of line.”

Usagi shakes her head from side to side and leans forward into his grip just a little. “You were being honest with me, just like Minako was. That’s what real friends do. They tell each other the truth, even when it’s hard. I want you to keep telling me the truth.”

‘Okay, I love you.’

He gives her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Okay, I will.”

“Even when I don’t want to hear it?”

He nods. “Even when you don’t want to hear it.”

‘I hope you will though.’

“Good.”

Usagi smiles and Mamoru experiences a flash of perfect awareness. A window has opened. A perfect moment of opportunity, and there’s no telling how fleeting it might be. He’s had a number of chances like this before and he’s squandered each and every one of them. He promised himself it wouldn’t happen again. That when the time came, he’d be ready. The secret he’s long been harbouring unfurls in his chest and suddenly it’s too massive to contain. It rises up in his throat, sails along his tongue, and presses against his lips, begging to be set free.

“You’re a terrible singer.”

Usagi’s mouth drops open as Mamoru stares blankly into the mirror behind her head. A complete fucking moron wearing his face stares back at him. It’s unclear who, out of the three of them, is more shocked by what he’s just said.

“Shut up!” Usagi snaps, eyes sparking with indignation. She swats his chest with her uninjured hand for good measure. “I am not!”

Mamoru looks down at her and part of him wants to die. To just curl up into a ball right here and wait for death to claim him. But another part of him can’t help but notice how impossibly, unreasonably, irresistibly cute the girl in front of him is. That part of him thinks maybe it’s worth sticking around. You know, to see what she does next. He could go either way, but…

Usagi thrusts a self-righteous finger in his face. “I’ll have you know that some people really like my singing! I’ve been compared to Adele.”

Mamoru blinks. “Human people?”

“Shut up!” Usagi huffs as she hops down from the counter. “What do you know? Listening to you sing karaoke is like listening to an ox strangling a goat.” She sticks her nose up in the air and stomps off.

Mamoru stares after her in bafflement for a beat before jogging to catch up. He reaches the door and pulls it open in time for her to sweep through without missing a step. “An ox strangling a—what does that even mean?”

He’s gonna stick around. It’s definitely worth it. She’s definitely worth it. He wants to see what happens next. He’s got a good feeling that it’s going to be amazing. He can’t wait.

Today wasn’t the day. It wasn’t the right time. He wasn’t ready.

But he will be. One day soon, he will be.

***

Thanks again for reading! ❤️ NGL, three prompts was about three prompts more than I thought I'd write a week ago, but it's a welcome surprise.

Be sure to follow @usamamoweek for all of this year's content!

Many thanks to our awesome hosts @random-mailbox and @lilliebellfanfics for making this event possible. 😘😘

[riverlethe]

That both chapters started with Minako's excuses for being late are just perfect and so on-brand for her.

I love the way you capture these characters and their interactions. Even in an AU, their mannerisms are so very canon and very believable <3 Especially Usa giving her jerk of an ex-boyfriend a second chance, as frustrating as that is for us (and Mamoru and Minako, but especially Mamoru and us!)

UsaMamo Week 2024 - Day 2 - Second Chance

I stayed up way too late trying to get this written for today, but I had fun doing it, so Imma say, "Worth it!" #NoRagrets (This is the second part. Check out Ch. 1.)

(Tentative) Title: A Matter of Timing Summary: Aged up, Friends to lovers UsaMamo Non-Senshi AU told in a series of snapshots. Rating: T (once again for language) Words: 2245

Second Chance

Day 367 AU

“I know, I know! I’m late, but you would not believe the day I’ve had. The studio’s AC broke down and I had to straddle a motorcycle for three straight hours wearing nothing but a g-string. It feels like someone took a cheese grater to my inner thighs. I need a beer and a tub of Vaseline.”

Minako waddles up to their table and drops down into one of the two empty seats with all the grace of a hippo.

“Beer we can do,” Makoto replies, sliding an open bottle down the table. “You’re on your own with the Vaseline.”

Minako catches the bottle and downs a hefty swig straight away before glancing at the vacant seat next to her. After scanning the assembled faces she curses and slams the bottle back down before reaching into her purse and digging out her phone. “I can’t believe she isn’t here yet. She fucking promised me…” She scrolls through a string of texts as glances are exchanged then chucks the phone on the table with a disgusted sigh. “She says she’ll be here in ten.”

“You’re half an hour late,” Motoki chides her. “Give Usagi a break.”

“I’m not pissed that she’s late,” Minako responds, wrapping her fingers around her beer bottle. “I’m pissed about why she’s late.”

“Why’s she late?” Makoto asks.

Minako glances at Rei, who raises her eyes to the ceiling before shrugging a shoulder. It’s unusual for Minako to appear hesitant, and while the subject of Usagi already has Mamoru on alert, he tenses when Minako’s gaze swings in his direction. Her eyes return to her phone before she announces, “She’s back with her ex.”

Mamoru almost chokes on his beer. Almost. He manages to swallow the mouthful, but it burns all the way down. A chorus of boos break out around the table. It’s possible someone even hisses. Hard to say. The roaring in his ears is making it a tad difficult to hear right now. But he wants to hear what everyone is saying, needs to hear it, so he ignores what’s going on inside him and focuses on what’s going on around him instead.

“I told her it was a terrible idea,” Minako says. “That there were at least a million better options out there,” her eyes slide to Mamoru during a subtle pause, “but she wouldn’t listen. I love her, but the girl is blind.”

“How did she even hook up with him again? I thought he went to Indonesia with the side piece.”

“No, it was Thailand.”

“I remember her saying India—”

“Who cares? The douchebag is obviously back. I thought Usagi was done with him.”

“People make mistakes. Maybe he’s learned from his.”

“Yeah right, Ami. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

“Agreed,” Minako says, nodding at Makoto then finishing her beer. “People don’t change.” She pushes back her chair with a screech and sets the empty bottle on the table before standing. “I’m gonna need something stronger to get through tonight. Be right back.”

She heads for the bar and before he realizes what he’s doing, Mamoru is up out of his seat and hot on her heels. “What the fuck, Minako?” he utters in a low whisper moments after sidling up to her at the bar. “She’s back with—”

Minako silences him with a raised hand and orders several bottles of sake for the table from the bartender before whirling to face Mamoru, fire in her eyes. “I told you, didn’t I?” Mamoru rears back on his heels. “I told you to stop fucking around and ask her out, but you didn’t listen. Now look what’s happened. You’re both idiots.” Her scorching gaze moves past his face to a new target and he watches her scorn fizzle into disappointment. “Complete fucking idiots.”

Minako brushes past him as she leaves and he turns to call after her but the words die on his lips when he spots Usagi. He hasn’t seen her in nearly a month and the sight of her is like water to a thirsty man. She’s weaving her way through the crowded izakaya, making a valiant effort to reach their table without tripping and failing miserably. Were she a regular carbon based life form this would be a problem, but Usagi is made of rubber and sunshine—exact ratio to be determined—and is thankfully indestructible. She stumbles up to their table in one of her colourful outfits, eyes shining, cheeks flushed, hair mussed, and Mamoru’s heart can’t decide if it wants to shrivel or burst.

Back with her ex. How? When? Why?

A hand claps down on his shoulder and he drags his eyes away from the object of his affection/misery to look at Motoki. Mamoru hasn’t noticed his friend’s approach but the sympathetic expression on his face makes Mamoru queasy. “Tough break, bud,” Motoki says, giving his shoulder a consoling squeeze. “Told you not to wa—”

“Don’t say it,” Mamoru interjects through gritted teeth. His gaze travels back to Usagi just as she emerges from one of Makoto’s bear hugs. Her eyes meet his and light up in the way they always do, the way he’s convinced himself is unique to him. Now he’s not so sure. She smiles and waves and he lifts the half empty beer he forgot he was holding and nods, hoping he’s smiling back. Then, resisting the gravitational pull to fall into her orbit, he turns away and faces the bar.

Motoki turns with him. Probably out of solidarity. “By all accounts the guy is a total dick. My money says he’ll be out of the picture again soon.”

“Any guy who would dump Usagi is clearly a moron,” Mamoru concedes, “but it’s hard to believe anyone could be stupid enough to mess it up twice.”

“Sweet sentiment, but that’s the love goggles talking. Cynical, unbiased Mamoru knows exactly how stupid people can be.” Mamoru swallows a mouthful of beer and scoffs. Motoki pats him on the back. “Look, she’s giving the dude a second chance but he’ll blow it. Just make sure you don’t do the same when the window opens again.”

“Window,” Mamoru mutters. “It’s not like she had some bright neon sign on her forehead that said ‘Open for busi—’”

“Usagi!” Motoki exclaims, throwing his arms wide and jabbing Mamoru with a well placed elbow in the process. “Good to see you, kid. Get in here!”

Mamoru jerks upright and swivels around as Motoki enfolds Usagi in an enthusiastic hug. She squeals and giggles as he rears back and pulls her up off the ground. Mamoru isn’t jealous. He knows Motoki is like a brother to Usagi. He knows Motoki is in a committed relationship with Reika. He knows Motoki is just fucking with him now because any hug longer than five seconds is excessive.

Usagi’s feet return to the floor and Mamoru eases his grip on his beer bottle. Motoki says he’s heading back to the table and throws a playful wink over his shoulder that only Mamoru sees. It’s not until Usagi asks, “What’s wrong?” that Mamoru realizes he is scowling.

“Oh,” he says, shaking his head to reset his brain, “nothing. Hi.” He smiles and she smiles back and for a moment he forgets everything that has occurred in the last ten minutes and he can relax. Then the moment passes and he remembers and things get awkward. “How…are you?”

Usagi quirks her head and squinches her right eye during his lengthy pause but makes no comment on it. “I’m good,” she answers, her tone chipper. “How about you?” She nods to his beer. “Finally got a night off?”

He’s been on surgical rotation the past couple months so he’s been working a lot of nights, but he’s on to peds now, so he’s getting reacquainted with seeing the sun and sleeping in his own bed again. He’d even been flirting with the possibility of doing other activities in said bed with the diminutive blond standing in front of him until Minako dropped her bombshell and destroyed his hopes. So yeah, he’s got the night off, but fat lot of good that’s doing him.

Usagi is still waiting for him to answer. He takes a sip of beer because his mouth has gone dry and finally says, “Yup.”

She gives him an odd look, which makes perfect sense because he’s not himself right now and he’s incapable of hiding that fact. “Right,” she says, stuffing her hands into the tiny pockets of her bright pink polka dot shorts and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Well…good. I’m gonna head back to the table. Meet you th—”

“I hear you’re back with your ex.” Mamoru doesn’t mean to say it. It just kind of…spews forth from his lips. Like vomit. Funnily enough the sentence leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Also like vomit.

Usagi can’t hide her surprise. He’s never known her to have much of a poker face, and her eyes dart to Minako for a moment before returning to him. “Yeah…I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” She looks a little sheepish when she admits it, which makes him feel like an asshole. It also makes him feel irrationally angry because she shouldn’t be ashamed to be with someone. She should be proud, excited, over the moon. He should say something positive. They’re friends, and friends are supposed to encourage each other, even when they’re internally seething with jealousy and regret.

“How did this happen?” Not quite the positive statement he was going for, but it’s a good deal better than the majority of thoughts running through his head at the moment.

She looks down at her shoes—which are also polka dotted—and hunches her shoulders. “Oh, well, I guess he, umm, texted me a couple weeks ago. Said he wanted to talk, so we met for coffee…” She’s looking everywhere but his face now and Mamoru’s too focused on what she’s saying to question why she won’t look him in the eye. “One thing led to another…you know how it goes.”

Mamoru doesn’t know. Not in the slightest. He can count the number of exes he has on one hand and what’s more he can barely remember their names. He doesn’t have time for dating. Scratch that. He doesn’t make time for dating, but if he did he wouldn’t waste it on someone whose name he couldn’t even remember. And certainly not on someone who had betrayed him.

“Mmhmm…” is all he can manage to get out in reply. It’s hard to talk when he’s clenching his teeth so tightly.

Usagi’s gaze flicks up to his face before she turns to look at their table. The group is chatting and laughing together. Mamoru wishes he was over there instead. He wishes he was working tonight. He wishes he wasn’t such a coward. Minako looks up from the table and sees the two of them together. Her expression darkens. Both he and Usagi look away at the same time, and Mamoru wonders if they both saw something they didn’t like in that assessing blue gaze.

Usagi sighs and pulls her hands out of her pockets then stares down at them. “I’m guessing you know this already, but Minako thinks I’m making a mistake. She says I’m being naïve, that people can’t change.” When she finally looks up and meets his gaze her eyes are full of uncertainty. “What do you think?”

‘I think you should dump him and go out with me.’

If Mamoru had even an ounce of courage in his body—either liquid or real—he would say that out loud. Instead, as has been the case so many times over the past year, he plays it safe. “I think you have a very big heart and he’s lucky to have you.”

When Usagi says nothing for several long beats Mamoru tries to read her expression. Her lower lip pulls in the slightest amount, almost like she’s about to bite it and something flickers in her eyes. He wants to believe it’s disappointment, but Motoki would say that’s just the love goggles blinding him. Eventually her mouth twists up in a smirk and she pivots next to him and bumps him with her hip. Because of their height difference it hits him mid thigh. “Nice dodge.”

Mamoru forces a laugh and clutches his beer to his chest to keep himself from wrapping his arm around her and never letting go. “A year ago you told me you were a hopeless romantic. I guess it’s true.” The comment is meant to be playful, but as soon as he says it he knows it sounds like a judgement. Because it is.

Judging by Usagi’s flinch, she knows it too.

She steps away and when she looks at him with a bruised expression Mamoru wants to sink into the floor. “Maybe it was,” she says, “but not anymore. I believe people can grow if they really want to. I think that makes me hopeful, not hopeless. Sometimes you have to be willing to take a chance in order to be happy. ‘Fortune favours the bold’ so I’m gonna be bold.” She dips her head and starts to head back to the table before turning back and offering him a smile that doesn’t fully reach her eyes. “It’s good to see you, Mamoru. I missed you.”

***

Thanks again for reading! ❤️ I have no clue how many pieces are in this puzzle (or how they all fit together for that matter) but I'm excited to find out. 😅

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Many thanks to our awesome hosts @random-mailbox and @lilliebellfanfics for making this event possible. 😘😘

[riverlethe]

250 posts!

Knowing myself and my SM writer friends, it feels 1000% appropriate that my 250th post was reblogging a @lilliebellfanfics smutty story.

Go Team!!!