Chapter Text
Tuxedo Mask arrived at the battle seemingly in the nick of time. He gracefully landed on a fire escape and began to survey the scene. It was bitterly cold and the alley that the battle was taking place in was acting as a wind tunnel. He could see Sailor Moon trying to ignore the way the drafts were whipping up her skirt as she faced off against the youma. Bass from the nightclub next door was thumping and the irritation of flickering neon gave the battle below a strobe effect. The youma had the other four senshi bound to each other by its whip, leaving Sailor Moon to fend for herself.
This youma was… interesting? He couldn’t really find the right adjective he’d use to describe this youma. Quite frankly, it looked like some sort of sexual nightmare. Aside from the whip, he couldn’t see any other weapons; however, that historically meant nothing. It was tall. No, “tall” was an understatement. It was gargantuan. And red with long razor-sharp black talons and glowing yellow eyes. It was scantily clad in a cut out unitard that looked to be made of pleather and thigh high black stiletto boots. It had long flowing black hair that rivaled that of Sailor Mars with jagged horns giving it a demonic appearance and he half wondered which general was on duty tonight to have created such an atrocity.
“Dom!” It shouted as it’s whip sent a jolt of electricity to the senshi in its clutches and they screamed in agony. Sailor Moon looked frantically between them and the youma, her eyes flitting around. Probably looking for him.
As if on cue, he saw the youma raise its head to the sky. Its mouth opened and it’s hair defied gravity as it stood on end.
It was priming its attack.
“Sailor Moon, look out!” There was no time for poetry or roses as he leapt from his perch down to where she stood and shoved her out of the way just as the youma finished charging. It puffed out its cheeks and breathed a dense fog right towards his face. He held his cape up in front of himself to offer some feeble semblance of protection. He really hoped he had shoved Sailor Moon far enough away. Who knew what this fog was going to do to him? Would it cause his insides to liquify like the Ebola virus? Would it melt his flesh off his bones? Every single horrible diagnosis he’d read about in his med studies came to the forefront of his mind and he closed his eyes to await the agony he was imminently about to be in.
But nothing happened. Tuxedo Mask heaved a huge sigh of relief as he slowly lowered his cape. All that remained of the “death breath” was a fine mist. Mist that somehow seeped behind his mask. Tuxedo Mask had to resist removing his mask to rub at his eyes. His corneas felt as if they were on fire and he felt as if his eyelids were melted shut..
“Moon Healing Escalation!” He heard Sailor Moon shout her attack and the subsequent cry from the youma signaling its glittery destruction. It was over. He turned to go. He needed to detransform and wash his eyes out.
“Tuxedo Mask!” Sailor Moon shouted from behind him and he froze. “Thank you for your help! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He felt bad for such a curt response. He didn’t turn around but rather bent his knees in preparation of his escape. Without waiting for her reply, he leapt off into the night.
~*~
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*
For once, Mamoru wasn’t awake ahead of his alarm. He hadn’t had his recurring dream last night and his sleep had been fitful. Thank goodness he didn’t have rotations this weekend. Attempting to kick off his bedsheets was a challenge. They clung to him, wrapped around his body like tentacles; only realizing how close he was to the edge of his bed when he tumbled over the side in a heap of Egyptian cotton and aching limbs. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. His head was splitting.
Coffee. He needed coffee.
Normal, well-rested Mamoru would have showered and dressed before even leaving his bedroom. Groggy, exhausted Mamoru shuffled through his living room with his hair sticking up on end and generating enough static electricity to power the city, it seemed, by the way he kept getting shocked as he got even remotely close to anything metal. Clutching his forehead, he staggered into his kitchen where he found his canister that held his coffee beans empty. He nearly cried.
Half an hour later, he was freshly showered and walking to the arcade. While the shower had helped to wake him a little, the sun was still too bright for him and the city noises were too loud. Looking into his satchel, he cursed when he didn’t find his sunglasses. He picked up his pace. He definitely needed some caffeine if the rest of the day was going to continue in this fashion.
The door of the arcade automatically opened and dinged to announce his entrance. The happy chiming and flashing of the arcade games did nothing to brighten his mood. On the contrary, they made his headache worse. Immediately, Motoki met his eyes and waved in greeting. Mamoru smiled weakly as he made his way to the counter and ordered his coffee.
“Man, you look like shit.” Motoki said as he placed a mug in front of him and filled it with bitter elixir.
“Thanks.” Mamoru mumbled as he removed a text book from his satchel.
“No really, you okay?”
“I just didn’t sleep well is all.”
The entrance dinged again and Mamoru didn’t need to turn around to figure out who had entered. He never could figure out why, but he always had a sixth sense for when Usagi was near. He supposed it was due to his feelings morphing over the past three years from irritation to a fondness for the bubbly blonde. That hadn’t stopped him from teasing her though. She was just too cute when she was mad. The way her nose scrunched up like a tiny bunny, her eyes narrowed at him, her fists clenched at her sides as she attempted to make herself taller…
If he were being completely honest with himself, he’d admit (internally) that he was very much in love with her. The way she brought light and happiness into every room she entered, the way her hair reflected the sun, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed… everything about her was the epitome of perfection. They were too different. She’d never want a curmudgeon like him.
“Ah, Usagi-chan!” Motoki greeted her as she skipped over to them and hopped up onto the stool next to him. “How are you today?”
“Good morning, Motoki-onii-san!” Usagi grinned as she spun on the stool, her pigtails swirling around her like ribbons.
“What can I get for you?”
“Milkshake, please!”
“Strawberry with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry?”
“You spoil me!” She batted her eyelashes as Motoki turned away to make her order.
“Good morning to you too, Odango.” Mamoru didn’t even look up from his coffee cup. It was already half empty and he was going to need another very soon.
“Is it? I couldn’t tell by the way you were brooding over there.” He could feel her rolling her eyes as he took another sip.
“Yeah? Well, maybe you’re right.”
“You… you… ba– wait… I am? Are you okay?” She scooted closer and touched his arm. He was saved from having to answer her by Motoki arriving with her milkshake. “Yum! Thanks, Toki!”
His vision began to blur at the edges .
He watched her pluck the cherry off the mountain of whipped cream. He furrowed his brow as she peeked at him surreptitiously out of the corner of her eye. She held the cherry by the stem in her delicate fingers and placed it between her teeth. She pulled the stem off with a quick yank and nudged it into her mouth with the tip of her tongue. Once she finished chewing, she turned to face him, crossing one slender leg over the other, and placed the cherry stem into her mouth. He watched, slack jawed, as she contorted her mouth and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling as if in deep thought. Seconds later, she pulled the stem from her mouth. It was in a perfect knot.
”Hellooooo!” Usagi was waving her hand in front of his face while, behind her, Motoki bit his lip in amusement. “What are you looking at, baka?”
Mamoru blinked. The cherry was still atop the untouched milkshake. He cleared his throat and attempted a quick recovery to save face. “It’s 10am… in February. Isn’t it a little too early and a little too cold for ice cream?”
Usagi looked at him as if he had killed her cat. “It’s never too early for ice cream!”
“Whatever you say, Odango.” He chuckled as he reached over and plucked the cherry off of her milkshake and popped it into his mouth.
“Hey! I was saving that!” Her voice was indignant and adorable. “Why don’t you just order your own milkshake?” She huffed as she took a spoonful of whipped cream and chocolate sauce and ate it. His eyes narrowed as they were unable to focus on anything other than some chocolate sauce left on the corner of her mouth.
“Nah,” he smirked down at her. “I just wanted a taste.”
Before his mind could catch up with his body, Mamoru found himself using his thumb to wipe away the errant bit of chocolate sauce. Bringing the offending digit to his mouth, he sucked on the pad of his thumb before lightly licking it clean. Resisting the urge to close his eyes in bliss, he instead smirked at her shocked expression, swiveled off the stool, and rose to his full height.
“See you around, Odango.” He picked up his satchel and strode confidently out of the arcade, leaving a stunned Motoki and Usagi in his wake. Once outside and a safe distance from potentially prying eyes, he took a deep breath of frigid February air, blinked, and rubbed at his eyes a few times. The coldness rushed through his body, chilling his bones, and bringing him back to himself. ‘What the hell was that all about?’ Glancing back at the arcade, he shook his head and headed for the library. ‘Maybe I need to cut back on the caffeine.’