- It would be Haruka, because Haruka’s already aching to be something, she’s ready to be a hero and a part of a good thing
- She comes in around the same time as Mako, as things are starting to get a little more serious
- She gets on great with Usagi and Mako and has tension with Rei and Ami, but they make it work
- The fact that Haruka and Mako fill the same sort of charge-in-and-fight role is not lost on Rei and Ami, but they don’t know enough about the Silver Millenium to be sure it’s strange
- Minako does, when she joins up, expecting four girls and getting five
- Her memories of the Outers come easier this time, because she is alarmed and if this is a threat to her princess, she needs to know
- She lets Haruka stay and says nothing, but she keeps an eye on her
- It doesn’t affect the story terribly much until the Talisman arc comes around, because by then Haruka is fairly happy and well-adjusted and part of a seemingly unbreakable team
- Michiru still sees her in her dreams, but she’s untouchable. They’re supposed to have this mission together, but Haruka has no reason to join her
- She fights alone, pushing away the inners as much as she can. She resents them, they have what shes supposed to have.
- THIS ALSO MEANS AS THE DEATH BUSTERS GO THROUGH TARGETING THE INNERS, THEY ACTUALLY FIND A TALISMAN
- Haruka has a team of friends ready to protect her, but it’s Michiru who saves her– she puts it together, knowing they were supposed to be partners, and distracts Eudial by shooting out her own Talisman
- The problem is, as the smoke clears and they know what their mission is, is now Michiru has a Haruka who’s spent a year or so on the Usagi-can-do-anything team, and that Haruka isn’t game for killing a little girl
- Michiru is left to make the hard choices alone (perhaps with Pluto, but Pluto has a strange relationship to the concept of choice)
- The split between the inners and outers becomes even wider than in canon, Michiru and Pluto split off entirely, only coming back when the threat of Galaxia makes their help more important than what they tried to do
Tag: brOTP
I’M ACTUALLY FOLLOWING UP ON THAT VIGILANTE JUSTICE TEAM POST I MADE. THIS WAS WRITTEN ENTIRELY ON MY PHONE BUT I DID IT.
The Night Team, Part 1
1200 words
Mina pressed her back against a
wall as a shadow ghosted through a streetlight. The whole block was empty
besides her and whatever that was.
Everyone knew strange things
happened at night. Everyone knew not to go out if they could avoid it. But she
couldn’t avoid it. Her parents had been screaming again–well, her mother had
been screaming, her father had been taking it silently as he always did– and
she knew that if she opened the front door, the screaming would turn on her.
Mina could handle it, but in recent days the threat had turned from being
grounded to being kicked out, and it was safer to risk a few hours on the dark
streets than sleeping on them.
The shadow rippled through another
street light. Its shape was indistinct but large. Mina couldn’t track its movements
with her eyes. It was close, and then yards away, and then close again. The
working streetlights were too far apart. She pulled her book bag off her
shoulder. It wasn’t much– for once she wished she’d actually brought school
books home– but if she could startle whatever it was, she might be able to run
for it.
She pulled the strap short and
tight in her hand. She’d have one swing, if she was lucky. “Show yourself!
You know you have me corned.”
A shadow came into the nearest
streetlight, and another in the next, on her other side.
“Fuck.”
Fear shot down her stomach and
curled her toes. She had to try something. Bag in had, she charged towards the
further shadow. As the nearer one turned, she pivoted towards it, threw her bag
at what she hoped was its face, and ran past it.
Minako heard them give chase. She
needed to find somewhere– a store, a library, anything that was open. Not much
would be at this hour. There was little sense in enticing people to be out in
the dark. There was no where to go. It was dark street after dark street every
where she turned. It would be a matter of who could run longer and as for as
Mina might have been she wouldn’t bet on winning that one. The thought made her
noticed the ragged measure of her breath. Her heart beat up against the wall of
her chest. Girls like her had died like this. What picture would the paper use?
What picture would her mother give them?
A flash of light came out from an
alley as she passed. “Keep going!” Someone yelled from behind it.
Mina knew the smart thing to do
was keep going, but she stopped to watch as a lanky girl with short hair
sprinted out from the alley with a flashlight. The shadows shrieked in the
beam. Lit from below, they didn’t look like shadows at all– just bulky,
misshapen creatures with fur and teeth and claws. Frightening, still, but not
the same mysterious terror they had been.
One of the monsters charged. Mina
saw immediately it was a mistake. The girl sidestepped, quick as a feather in
the wind, letting momentum bring the monster low and ramming her elbow into the
back of its neck. It crumpled to the ground.
But there was still the second. It
stood back. Watching. Learning.
“Come on,” the girl
taunted cocking her head to the side. “You scared?”
The monster did not take the bait.
“Don’t be stupid,” Mina
said.
The girl snorted. “I’ve been
dealing with these guys for a while. You should have kept running.”
Mina didn’t take her eyes off the
monster.
“No one runs when they
should.” The girl’s fists balled around the baggy ends of her tank top.
The monster’s stance
changed.
Mina braced herself. “Shut up
and get ready.
"What?”
But the monster was already
moving. It zig zagged towards the girl, light on its oversized feet.
Mina launched herself forward,
tackling the girl down just as the monster swiped at her head.
“Stop distracting me!”
“Distracting you? I just
saved your stupid ass. Now move.” She pulled the girl up into a run before
the monster could bear down on them.
“No.” The girl yanked
her arm away. “I don’t run. I fight.” She stood to face the monster
head on, met it hand to hand. She’d lose. She was tall, and even fairly strong
looking, but wiry as hell. She braced with her legs as it pushed her back. She
held her ground better than Mina expected. But then the tension left her legs.
The girl smiled, clearly thinking she was winning.
It’s going to throw
her.
Mina knew better than to shout.
She launched herself quick as she could towards them, though even if she made
it in time she wasn’t sure what she could do.
The monster pulled the girl off
the ground and flung her back.
Right into a figure Mina hadn’t
seen approaching– taller still than the first girl, but built like a tank. Her
hair curled out wild in a ponytail behind her head. A baseball bat clattered to
the street as she fell back under the weight of impact, but once on the ground
she set the first girl to the side with ease and picked it back up.
“Consider this payback for
last time,” she said, her voice deep and reassuring.
The monster started to run, but
not quick enough. The bat gave the second girl reach. Its skull gave a
sickening crunch.
"Thanks,“ said the first
girl, getting up with a wince. "But I had it handled.”
The bigger girl snorted. “You
helped me so I helped you. That’s all there is to it.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Wait a fucking second.”
They both turned to Mina,
bewildered.
“If I’m getting this right,
you both fight these things out here a lot.”
They nodded.
“And you’ve encountered each
other before.”
Nods.
“And you’re still both going
it alone? You’re gonna get killed.”
They both had the decency to look
sheepish.
"Well I–“
"It’s better to not bring
other people into this–”
"She could get hurt–“
"And I do better
alone–”
Mina held up her hands. “Not
having it. You both saved me tonight. Without both of you, I’d probably be dead. And
you–” she pointed at the lanky girl. “Would be dead without the two
of us. So from now on, we’re gonna team up."
”We?“
The two girls looked down at her.
"Oh please. I can’t say as
much for you…”
“Makoto.”
“Makoto, but yo-”
“Haruka.”
"You need someone clever and
observant. A strategist.“
Haruka crossed her arms with a
huff. "And that’s you?”
"Yeah. That thing was
learning as it fought you. I might not be as strong as the two of you, but I
can see what you miss.“
Makoto looked her up and down.
"What’s your name?”
"Minako. You can call me
Mina.“
Her shoulders rose. She scratched
the back of her head and looked to the ground. "You really want to be out
here with me? Er, us?”
Mina shrugged. “What else am
I gonna do at night? Homework?”
Makoto smiled. Even Haruka gave a
small puff of a laugh.
"You know,“ Makoto said,
putting a strong callused hand on Mina’s shoulder, "I think this might
just work out pretty good.”
AU where no one has powers but there are still monsters so Mina, Mako, and Haruka form a vigilante justice crew to take care of them.
And by form a crew I mean Mako and Haruka both started doing it alone because they’re stubborn hero types and Mina encounters them by chance, immediately realizes they need to team up and have some strategy if they’re gonna survive long term, and declares herself team leader before anyone can argue.
They’re all rough and tumble kids society gave up on, but they might just save the city.
Sometimes, even the most dutiful soldiers dream of the impossible
———————————
“Sometimes I think we should just.” Mina took a long drink. “Just hop in your car and leave it all behind.”
“Blaze away like outlaws?” Haruka laughed, and wasn’t quite drunk enough not to feel the strain on her bruised ribs.
Mina sloshed her drink around her bottle in a circle. She had a way of making beer look glamorous, if sometimes also tragic.
“You know who I was before all this? Who I could have been? Could still be if we just–” she gestured widely into the ether. “Don’t we deserve our lives? Our happiness?”
Haruka took a deep drink. “Let’s do it. Jet off at first light, not tell a soul.”
“You’ll do freelance mechanic work at truck stops to keep us going.”
“You’ll pickpocket the truckers and I’ll pretend not to notice where our money really comes from.”
Mina laughed, big and wild. “You’ve gotten too smart. This whole thing is ruining you.”
“We’ll have time to undo it. A simple life will make me simple.”
“We’ll never do any of this,” she indicated their bandages, “again. We’ll never fight, except for your stupid ego, we’ll never deal with damn premonitions of doom. Our future will be ours to make.” She hiccuped. “We won’t have duty, or destiny, or– or /her/.” Mina shook, but not from hiccups. “We won’t have a princess, we won’t have to protect her.” The tears started, big gobby tears that ate their way down her checks. “We won’t have stupid beautiful Usagi, or Rei breathing down our necks, or Mako throwing herself in dangers way, or, or, or any of it.” She wrapped her arms around herself. Haruka pulled her head onto her shoulder and let the tears soak through her shirt. “We’ll be free,” Mina sobbed. “All we have to do is leave.”
“We’ll be free,” Haruka whispered as gentle as she could this tipsy. “We’ll leave in the morning. First thing.”
She rubbed Mina’s back as she cried, offering empty promises until they both fell asleep on the couch.
YES SAM WRITING: Haruka, Love
Haruka has always classified herself as unlovable. With her
mother she was alternately an asset and a burden, but never a beloved child.
(She was absolutely the kid who dreamed her father was a good man who loved
her, but was kept away and one day would swoop in and make up for everything he’d
missed. Her mother was absolutely the woman who squashed that out of her.) Growing
up she never had friends that stuck around, both because many were fair-weather
friends and Haruka’s life rarely had fair weather for long, and because by
nature Haruka felt she had to hide things—her financial situation, her budding
lesbianism, the way girls’ clothes felt so wrong on her body. By the time she
meets Michiru, she can’t believe anyone would love her.
And Michiru doesn’t break that in her. Even as Haruka begins
to believe Michiru loves her, it’s so big and intense that sometimes Haruka
doesn’t feel like it’s about her. There’s desire and attraction and high stakes
and who wouldn’t fall in love when it
might be their last chance to.
It’s years later, in a bar with Mina, that Haruka gets the
tiniest inkling that she’s really worth something. The friendship between them
has developed into something comfortable and constant, and Haruka’s sure any
day now Mina will lose interest. But then she says something that makes Mina
laugh, and Mina sets down her drink and says “God, I love you buddy.” And
Haruka feels it down to her toes. She wants to ask if she means it, but doesn’t,
but it’s not the last time Mina says it and it’s not the last time Mina shows
it, and Haruka comes to the slow and quiet realization that if two people love
her, in two very different ways, that maybe it’s at least a little to do with
her, and she’s maybe not as broken as she’s always believed.
Sparkle Sparkle It’s a Fic!
My sparklee this year is @tallangrycockatiel, who asked for Mina “helping” Haruka propose. I hope you enjoy it!
It’s Very You
~2K words
AO3 Link
There were times Haruka almost felt smart, or at least knowledgeable.
At the shop, finding the problem with an
engine. Fixing a kid’s bike chain. When she found the best deal at the supermarket,
she felt almost academic, math fell into place and numbers made sense.
But she’d never felt more stupid than in this moment.
Numbers and cuts and prices swam around in the jewelry cases, the over-bright
lighting making everything sparkle, even the price plaques. The salesman looked
down his nose at her. “What is it that you’re looking for?” he asked, as though
she had no business being there. She ought to have cleaned up more, not come
straight from work. She’d changed her shirt, made sure there were no oil stains
on her pants, but the smell gas and smoke clung to her skin and uncombed hair.
But the second the week’s paycheck had landed in her account she’d needed to
come. She couldn’t wait any longer.
“Well, a ring. An engagement ring.”
“Let me know if you have any questions.” He moved away,
keeping his eyes on her until another customer got his attention.
Haruka had a thousand questions, none of which she could ask
him. What is the difference between white
gold and silver and platinum? Why do all the diamonds look so gaudy? What is
a princess cut? Will Michiru like what I
get? Will she say yes? Why won’t anything stay still?
There was only one person she trusted to give her at least
mostly honest answers. She slipped outside to make a call and not fifteen
minutes later, Minako rolled up. She kicked out the stand on her bike and slid
her sunglasses up over her hair and she had never looked more like a hero.
“Trying to save the environment?” Haruka asked with a weak
chuckle.
Mina grinned. “If Rei is gonna chew my ear off all the time
about it, I just have to outdo her. But now buddy, I’m saving so much more than
the ozone layer.” She slung one arm around Haruka’s shoulders. “I’m here to save
you from yourself.” She swung her other arm wide and stared into the distance.
“Mina.”
“Please. Your dramatic lesbian ass has no room to talk,” she
said with an eyeroll, but then she gave her hand a squeeze.
The nice thing was, Haruka supposed, Mina looked like
someone you’d expect to see in a jewelry shop. Maybe not for nice reasons, and
certainly not for true reasons— Mina’s money was all her own, however little
she had—but she looked the part. Her hair was long and silky, her clothes
looked straight out of next month’s magazines. The man behind the counter gave
her a very different look until she looped her arm into Haruka’s.
“So what’s your budget?”
“Well.” Haruka felt her cheeks warm. “Just about two
thousand.”
“Ah just—“ Mina stopped. “Just two thousand?”
“It’s below the average, but—“
“Where did you get two thousand dollars? I know your butch
pride won’t let you touch a cent of the Kaioh millions.”
“I saved. For a while. A couple years.”
Mina let out a low whistle. “Christ. Every time I think you’ve
reached peak sap, there you go, sailing to new heights.”
“It’s important.”
“Oh Haruka.” She rubbed her back between her shoulders. “I
know. We’ll find you a good ring.”
It wasn’t, at the end of the day, the fanciest ring. It hadn’t
even reached the top of Haruka’s budget; prices jumped instead of increasing
gradually. But she’d been able to insure it, and Mina assured her it was nice.
A simple silver band with a single small diamond, set off by two smaller
sapphires.
“She’ll love it, buddy,” Mina assured her in the car after
they’d strapped her bike to the back. “You did good.”
“Yeah?” Haruka let herself relax into her steering wheel,
but the weight of it all still consumed her.
Mina smiled and patted her shoulder. “Yeah. When are you
popping the question?”
Warmth crept up under Haruka’s collar. “Well. I don’t… I’m
not quite sure.”
“You bought the ring without a plan?”
“Not without a plan, I have lots of plans. I just… I just
don’t know what one is right.” Haruka swallowed hard. She’d been trying to plan
for months, but everything felt subpar. “I want it to be perfect.”
Mina snorted. “You’re ridiculous. She’s saying yes no matter
how you ask.”
“That’s not the point!” Haruka glanced over. “Do you really
think so?”
Mina looked up a raised her hands in plea. “God save the
lesbians from themselves. I’m sure the only reason Michiru hasn’t asked you to
just get hitched already is she knows it would wound your fragile butch
sensibilities.”
“You think I waited too long?”
“Christ, Haruka, not the point I’m making. I’m trying to say
she’d marry you in a heartbeat. You’re soulmates or whatever sappy thing you
want to call it. You’re going to ask in some amazing way, and she’s going to
say yes.” She pulled the lever to recline her chair. “And if you’re nervous,
you’re lucky enough to have me here to help.”
“Would you?”
“I’m not about to spend the next sixty years of my life
listening to you brood about how your proposal wasn’t good enough.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
“Buddy, I’ve known you too long to believe that. Now—“ She sat
up and folded her hands over her knees. “Pretend I’m Michiru and we’ve just sat
down after a beautiful moonlight walk on the beach.”
Haruka could picture it—the salt smell of the sea spray
dancing with Michiru’s perfume, the wind floating through Michiru’s hair and
dress. The waves crashing in time with the thump thump thump of Haruka’s racing
heart, Michiru turning to Haruka expectantly and every word, every breath
catching in Haruka’s throat and—
Haruka pulled the car to the side of the road. “I can’t do
this. Nothing I say can be good enough.”
“So we’ll work on it.” Minako tossed her hair. “I have a
plan.”
The shrill of a whistle cut through Minako’s apartment. “Alright
soldiers. Welcome to proposal camp day one.”
Rei crossed her arms. “I didn’t agree to this.”
“And I’m pulling rank as your commander so you don’t have
to.” Mina grinned. “I needed a stand in snooty lesbian, and you fit the bill.”
“I’m not—“
“Michiru isn’t—“
Mina blew her whistle again. “No sass. I trained you better
than this.” She pointed at Haruka. “You need to find the right way to propose.
We’re going to roleplay scenarios until you find the right one.”
“I’m not sure—“
Mina blew the whistle.
“Okay.”
“Scenario one. Dinner.” Mina shuffled them into chairs on
either side of a TV tray. “Now. I know my dear butch puddle, and I’m vetoing
any ring-in-a-drink or food thing. It would go to the wrong table, and you
would cry for a month.”
Haruka’s stomach sank as she realized the logic. It had been
an idea, a leading idea, and it was bad. Were all her ideas wrong?
“Now. Imagine. You’ve just finished eating. The waiter has
not yet brought the check—“
“That’s important,” Rei cut in, “because they may waive the
bill for the occasion.”
“Thank you Madame Cheapskate. Now. You’re in candlelight, you’ve
just eaten a nice meal, the ring is in your pocket. Go.”
Haruka looked across the tiny table at Rei. Her heart raced
even as she tried to focus on how different she was from Michiru. “I… I um. I
have something to ask you.”
“Shoot.”
Mina cleared her throat.
Rei huffed. “Fine. What is it, love?”
“Well. There’s something important I want to ask.”
“Yes, you said.” Rei crossed her arms. “What is it? …Dear.
What is it, dear?”
“I… I love you very much. And I will love you forever. So
what I want to say is—what I want to ask is…” Haruka swallowed hard. “Will you
marry me?”
“No.”
Tears welled up in Haruka’s eyes. “No?” It was Rei, but Rei
knew Michiru. Rei knew what Michiru would want, probably, and it wasn’t this.
Mina blew the whistle. “Penalty to the snooty lesbian.
Unrealistic answer.”
“Oh please. I’m not saying yes to anything less than
perfect.”
“Not you. Michiru.”
Rei tapped her fingers on the table. “If the point is to teach her how to propose, then she’s not
going to learn unless we’re hard on her.”
“That is not the point.” Mina put her face in her hands. “You’re
dismissed. I have a better idea.”
By the time Haruka had dried her eyes, Rei was curled on the
couch and Mina had changed outfits. It took Haruka a moment to process the
pants, the button-down, the way her hair was pinned up…
“Oh no. Mina…”
“No no.” Mina gestured widely. “Right now, I am Haruka. And
you—“ She hooked a string of fake pearls around Haruka’s neck—“are Michiru. And
I, Haruka Tennoh, most romantic of noodles, have just taken you out to a nice
dinner, and now am inviting you on a walk about town.” She offered Haruka her
elbow. Haruka took it in her best attempt at a lady-like fashion.
Mina led her around the couch. “Did you enjoy dinner, my
love?”
“Um. Yes.”
“Good good. The moon is beautiful, just like you.” Mina
touched Haruka’s nose. Haruka grimaced. “There’s been something on my mind
lately, you know.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Indeed, my beautiful mermaid flower. I think we’re ready to
take the next step in our lives.” Mina threw herself down on one knee. Haruka
tried to remember if she every called Michiru a beautiful mermaid flower. It
sounded ridiculous. Maybe she was ridiculous, maybe the whole thing was
ridiculous.
“Will you marry me?”
Rei snorted from the couch.
“What now, flame brains?”
“It all seems very unromantic. Stiff.”
Mina stood up. “And how would you do it?”
Rei snatched up the ring box and dragged Minako by the wrist
over to the TV stand. She slammed the box down. “Well?”
Mina burst out laughing. “It’s very you, for sure.”
“You’d marry me if I asked.” Rei’s face flushed red.
“Then I’m lucky you’ll never ask, aren’t I?”
“Guys.” Haruka grabbed the ring and stuffed it back in her
pocket. “I think I’m good. I’m going home.”
“You got a plan, buddy?”
“Yeah,” Haruka lied. “I got a plan.”
She got in her car feeling even less sure than she had at
the beginning. Rei had been right; everything was artificial. Haruka couldn’t
propose the way Rei had, but something in it rang truer than the rest. It wasn’t
fireworks spelling out the question and it wasn’t a band swelling at the perfect
moment, it wasn’t even a planned evening. It had been Rei, pure and simple. And
right.
Haruka mulled it over on the drive. There had to be a right
way. Not asking wasn’t an option. Waiting didn’t even feel like an option. She’d
waited for the ring. She could wait for a thousand other things, or she could
be through with waiting. She could do it now. She could. She would.
She stopped at a corner store for some roses. When she got
home, Michiru was already there, reading on the couch with her legs curled
under her. She rose an eyebrow and smiled over her book at the flowers. “What
occasion have you found today?”
Haruka smiled back. The words caught in her throat, again,
but she’d push through this time. She snuggled into Michiru and let her look at
the flowers. “Do you like them?”
“They’re lovely, Haruka.”
“And this?” She pulled the ring box from her pocket to open
before Michiru’s eyes. “Do you like it?”
“Haruka,” Michiru said in a gasp. She reached up to the
ring, her hand stopping just short.
“Michiru.” Haruka’s heart raced. “Will you marry me?”
“Oh Haruka. Yes.”
Michiru pulled her in to kiss.
Haruka broke into tears the moment their lips touched. “Do
you mean it?”
“Nothing would make me so happy as having you as my wife.”
“I want to be your wife.” Haruka pulled her close. “I’m
going to be your wife.” She slipped the ring onto Michiru’s finger. It slipped
around, a little too big. Haruka had not thought to check Michiru’s size.
“It’s perfect.”
Haruka looked down. “I tried.”
Michiru pulled her face back up and wiped her tears. “Haruka,
love, I couldn’t be happier.”
Minako and Haruka, “Everything’s going to be fine” YOU COULD MAKE THIS ONE ANGSTY IF YOU WANT
Even though I’m only getting to it now, the angst possibilities for this have been swimming in my head since you sent this.
—-
In the back of her mind, Haruka had always known herself to
be one of the weaker fighters of the team. She didn’t think things through, she
sometimes let her emotions get the best of her, she had her speed and the
powers granted to her as a sailor soldier and that was it. She’d always known
if someone was going to get taken down in battle, it would be her.
Maybe that was why her brain refused to believe this was
happening. Mina was going to get up again any second now. She was fine. Another
second, and she’d bounce up with a smile and give a monster hell for
landing a hit. She was just being dramatic, or it was a tactic, let them think
they’d started to overwhelm the girls, and then ha! Haruka blasted monsters
back and waited for the ha!
It still didn’t come.
She fought her way over. Her mind offered increasingly
absurd reasoning. Maybe it was a terrible little prank, and Mina would bring it
up next time Haruka said no to barhopping or karaoke or skinny dipping. Maybe
Mina had dropped an earring, down between the rocks, and wanted to find it
before coming back up. Maybe. Maybe.
Haruka ran a monster through and looked down the little
cliff. The rocks were splashed with red. An accident of nature, surely. And
Mina’s uniform… but her eyes were still open, moving. They found Haruka’s.
She slid down carefully.
“Hey buddy.” Mina’s voice garbled a little at the end. Blood
seeped from her lips. “You gotta help me get up, I can’t—“ She coughed. “I
can’t move my legs, there’s something on them.”
Her legs bore only cuts and bruises. Haruka swallowed hard.
“I… I can’t. There… there are doctors coming, they’ll know how to move you.”
She pressed her lips together. When had doctors ever come for them? Ami, she
should have said Ami.
“No, I can’t wait, we have to fight.” Mina’s hands struggled
to find purchase, something to pull herself up with. “Usagi’s out there, she’s
gonna—“
“It’s okay, we won. The monsters are gone.” Haruka prayed
none would come find them. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Haruka took her hand. The blood hadn’t stopped, she
should have called for Ami, why hadn’t she?
“Usagi’s fine?”
“Barely a scratch on her.” Maybe it wasn’t a lie, Haruka
hadn’t seen her in what felt like ages.
“And Rei?”
“Rei’s too stubborn to get hurt.”
Mina’s mouth turned up at the corners, but her breathing
grew shaky. “And me?”
Haruka lay down next to her and brushed her hair and blood
away from her face. “You’re gonna be okay. I need you to be okay.”
“I don’t know if I can, buddy.” Her eyes lost their focus on
Haruka’s. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
Haruka held her close. Maybe the pressure would stop the
blood, just long enough for someone to find them. “It’s okay, I’m here.” The
blood was warm as it soaked into her uniform; she could feel Mina’s pulse in
it. “I’m here.”
“I love you, buddy.”
“I love you, too. So much.” Haruka bit her tongue to hold
back her tears. “Now don’t talk, save your energy. Someone’s going to be here
soon.”
The brotp with I’ll never unsee that
The good news: I did this one here 😀
The bad news: I took a week to tell you this. I’m so sorry.
Haruka and MIna and literally ANY OF THEM, but also “I can’t unsee that”
I WENT ROOMMATE AU FOR THIS I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND.
—-
On Mina’s road to stardom, she took the little blessings
amid the muck of long greasy days and rich patrons who never tipped. Today, her
blessing was being told to go home early. Granted, it was less because her
manager had taken pity on her and much more because her performance as the
exuberant, ever-gracious waitress had begun to crack under the weight of “Table
for fifteen” and “I said well-done not burnt,” but that didn’t matter. She had
a Friday night to do real Friday night things for once. The plan was to stop
off at home to change, maybe grab Haruka if she wasn’t busy, and hit the town.
And judging by the singing Minako heard as she put her key
in the door, Haruka was indeed not busy.
She didn’t notice Minako come in. Her laptop was on the
couch, the end credits of Titanic playing across the screen. Haruka had
apparently abandoned her blanket-nest in against the other sofa arm, now in the
middle of a dramatic dance as she sang along with Celine Dion. Her face was
still tear-streaked. She’d dug out a t-shirt that must have been nearly twenty
years old, her hand pressed against Kate Winslet’s face as she clutched her
heart.
“Whatcha doin’, buddy?”
Haruka froze for a full bar, then dove to shut her laptop. “Nothing!
Nothing. You saw nothing.”
“Ohoho, buddy, I can’t unsee that.”
Haruka crossed her arms over her chest, unable to hide the
design completely. “You’re never home this early.”
“Yeah, it’s a treat. God, do you do this every Friday?”
“No! Of course not!” But Haruka withered under her gaze. “Sometimes
Mako comes over and we watch movies together.”
“Oh buddy. My sweet, delicate friend. We’re going out
tonight, and I’m going to get you laid.”
“But I’m tired, today at the shop—“
“Please, if you’re tired, it’s because you just cried for
three straight hours.” Minako dragged her to her bedroom. “Now, pick out your
butchly best, and I’ll find us a nice gay bar.”
ALRIGHT. Here it is, 3500 words of pure sap. Originally I started this for Doc’s giveaway, but it quickly became something I wrote so entirely for myself that now it’s not.
Anyway, yes, Harumichi wedding, Haruka/Mina/Mako brot3, some Reinako leanings. Many butch tears. AO3 Link
A Wedding, For Real
Haruka knew herself well enough that she’d decided on points
in the wedding when it was appropriate to cry—a little when Michiru came down
the aisle, a bit more (a lot) during the
vows, but not so much that she could not speak. At the reception, when Mina
gave a speech that would undoubtedly be a little snide at times but would end
up being just heartfelt enough. During her first dance with her wife, but only
a few tears towards the end.
This was none of those times.
This was barely two hours before the ceremony was due to
start, in the hotel room she’d slept in to keep with the tradition of not
seeing the bride. She was half in her suit, sitting on the edge of the bed. She
should have been fully in her suit, hair done, shoes tied, ready to sprint out
the door the moment Mina arrived with the car. But instead Mina found her as
she was, unable to stop crying long enough to tie her tie. Fear raked its claws
through her empty stomach and made her whole body shake.
“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Mina sat down on the bed next to her
and rubbed her back. “I thought you’d have been ready for hours and bouncing
off the walls.”
Haruka gave a nasally laugh. “I thought so too. It just…”
She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose. “How impossible this all is hit
me. It can’t really be happening.”
She wiped at her face with the tissue but Mina grabbed her
hands. “Stop, you’re going to irritate your skin with that.” She ducked into
the bathroom and returned with a towel. “Now, gently. You don’t want red marks
today. Tell me what you mean.”
Haruka pressed the towel onto her face, gave a heaving sob,
and left it there. “Part of me always thought this would never happen for me.”
“What, marriage? Haruka, you’ve had secret wedding mood
boards saved on your computer for as long as I’ve known you. Not that I’ve
looked through your files or anything.”
“That’s different,” said Haruka, ignoring the rest for now.
“That’s like, when you’re little and you imagine yourself as a superhero. It
doesn’t matter how bad you want it, it can’t ever come true.”
“Buddy, I don’t know how to tell you this, but we are, in
fact, superheroes.”
“That’s not the point. I’m trying to say it didn’t matter
how much I wanted this, it was never going to happen. And now, it seems like it
is, and I…” She hiccupped, gasped for breath. “And I, I feel scared something’s
going to come take it away. That it’s all going to disappear somehow.”
“Oh Haruka.” Mina hugged her tight. “Listen carefully,
because I’m only going to be this sappy once. Someone was always going to love
you. You’re a terrible sappy dork, but you’re a lovable sappy. So even if our
shitty destiny hadn’t thrown Michiru in you path, you’d have found happiness with
a love of your life and wound up here anyway. But,” Mina pulled away and looked
Haruka hard in the eyes. “Destiny did throw Michiru in your path. And whatever
else I say about the squidly princess, she loves you more than anything in the
world, and believe me when I say nothing is capable of stopping her.”
Haruka sniffled. “You think so?”
Minako rolled her eyes. “What, do you want receipts?” She
sighed. “Just, trust me. I’m the goddess of love, after all, I know this stuff.
And,” she took Haruka’s shoulders firmly in her hands, “I absolutely would not
let this wedding happen if I wasn’t absolutely sure she loves you with
everything she has. Got it?”
“But—“
“No buts.” Mina brushed away the last of the tears with a
gentle swipe of her thumb. “You’re getting married.
We have to get you ready.”
Mina tied her tie—Harukas hands still shook– and helped
with her hair and even coaxed her into a little makeup. “Just to hide the
redness. You’ll need it even more later, I’m sure. And it’s waterproof.” Haruka couldn’t even
say she was sure she would cry again before they got there, so she saw some
wisdom in wearing it.
They arrived at the ceremony hall not nearly as early as
Haruka had planned, but still squarely on time. The fear did not subside when
she saw the aisle set up, or the people beginning to trickle in. It, in fact,
got a whole lot worse.
“What the hell, Mina, did you sneak her out for a last
minute bachelor party last night?” Mako stopped fussing with the flowers to put
her hands on her hips and frown at Mina.
“Do I look that bad?”
Mako’s eyes widened. “No, no. You don’t look bad at all.
Just. You’re a bit pale. And you’re not happy.”
Haruka felt her lip start to wobble.
“Oh no. No no no, you’re fine.” Mako scrambled around for
comfort. “You look good, very handsome, I promise. You just… You’re just…
missing your boutonniere! That’s all!” She pulled the plastic box from her
handbag and ripped the flower out of it. She stuck it to Haruka’s lapel and
pinned it to her chest.
Or, more accurately, through her chest.
“Mako. You got skin there.”
“Oh fuck.” One of
Michiru’s aunts turned in her seats to give them a scandalized scowl. Mako
grabbed Haruka’s arm. “There’s a bathroom over here, come on.”
Mina took hold of Haruka’s other hand. “Don’t pull it out
yet, we don’t have time to wash blood out of you shirt.”
“Maybe it’s a sign.”
“IT’S NOT A SIGN.”
Mako cocked her head.
“She’s afraid the wedding’s not going to happen,” Mina stage
whispered.
“Oh, it’s going to happen. I did not arrange several
thousand flowers and bake that ridiculous cake for you to call it off now.”
Mako’s grip tightened on her arm. “You are going to marry Michiru if I have to
carry you down the aisle myself. Also,” she continued, voice lightening, “You
love each other. You’re living the dream. Why on earth would you not get
married?”
“It’s some cosmic joke,” Haruka said as Mina kicked open the
bathroom door and began yanking out a very liberal amount of paper towels. “I
think I’m living the dream, but I’m
actually living a dream. And I’m
going to wake up and see all the reasons this can’t be real for me, or she’s
gonna wake up, and—“
Mako slammed her hand down on Haruka’s shoulder. “Stop. How
do you think Michiru would feel if she knew you doubted her love?”
“…Mad?”
“She’d be sad! Has she not been good enough to you? Has she
given you a reason to question her?”
“No, of course not.”
“So there you go.”
“Okay,” Mina said, with what must have been twenty crumpled
paper towels in hand. “I need you to hold her suit open.”
“Right.” Mako loosened her tie and began undoing her
buttons.
“Wait, what? Guys, I can do this myself.”
“Haruka, today is not a day to leave you to your own
devices.” Mina leaned in close. “Now I’m going to count down from five, and on
one, I’m going to pull out the pin, and you’re going to pull that side of her
shirt away immediately after. Got it? The timing is very important.”
“Roger that.”
“Five… four… three… two… one…”
They moved in perfect sync, as though all their years as
soldiers led to this moment. There was not a single second that Haruka’s
clothes were exposed to the open pin wound. Mina pressed the paper towels
firmly on her chest.
“It’s, what, sixty seconds of pressure that stops the
bleeding?”
“We could do two minutes, to be safe. And then I think I
have some band aids in my purse.”
“Good. You get a gold star for preparedness.”
“I’ve got a Tide pen too so…” She examined Haruka’s shirt
carefully. “If any did get on here, it might be fixable.”
“What are you
three doing?”
Rei stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her sleek blue
bridesmaid dress. Haruka became keenly aware that she was half naked in a
public restroom being fondled by a wad of paper towels.
“We’ve got it under control, Rei don’t worry,” Mina said
over her shoulder. “And may I say you look—“
“You may not.” Her heels clicked on the tile as she
approached. “Michiru had a feeling I should come early, and boy was she right.”
“Is she calling it off? Did she send you to call it off?”
Rei stared at Haruka for a long moment, and then she rounded
on Mina. “Did you get her drunk? Did you bring her drunk to her wedding? Mina I
swear—“
“Why does everyone keep blaming me? She’s a sober butch with
a lot of feelings, lay off! This is a huge deal and she’s scared.”
Rei huffed. “I can’t deal with either of you. Mako, explain
to me what is going on here.”
“Well, Haruka is scared the wedding won’t happen, and I
tried to cheer her up by pinning on her boutonniere. But I, uh, pinned a bit
too much, so now we’re here to make sure she doesn’t get blood stains on her
clothes.”
Rei’s face went completely blank for several seconds. Then
she reached over and lifted Mina’s hand, revealing absolutely no blood on any
of the twenty paper towels or on Haruka’s chest.
“Oh,” Mako and Mina chorused.
Rei breathed heavily through her nose. “I’m going to turn
around now, and you’re going to get her dressed. Then I’ll pin on her
boutonniere.”
“Good plan, my beautiful princess of passion.”
“Shut it. Maybe if you used your brain for something more
than those atrocious pet names, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Mina pouted as she re-tied Haruka’s tie. “I guess that’s
fair. And boobs are covered, so you can look.”
“Listen, Rei,” Haruka said as she approached her lapel with
careful hands. “Don’t tell Michiru I’m asking, but, you know her really well.
Is she having any doubts? Does she really want to get married?”
Rei successfully pinned it and looked up. “Do you want
complete honesty?”
“Yes?”
“Michiru doesn’t really care about getting married.”
Mako gasped. A large lump formed in Haruka’s throat.
“She never thought about it much, it wasn’t something she
dreamed about as a child or anything. And it is first and foremost a financial
and social transaction, it’s not actually romantic—“
“Rei.”
“Fine, that last part is me, not her. But the rest is true. A
wedding isn’t something she cares much about. But she cares about you. And she,
for reasons unknown to me, wants to be with you forever. So she’s going to
marry you, because it’s important to you, and because, maybe, you make it feel
a little important to her. You make it seem like it is a bit romantic and sweet
and not just a contract originally intended to give men ownership of women.”
Haruka wiped away a tear. Mina sidled up to Rei. “Do I hear
some genuine feelings pouring from your mouth?”
“I was talking about Michiru’s feelings, not mine.”
Mina grinned. “You think marriage can be sweet sometimes.
You’re not as impenetrable as you want me to think.”
“Oh, shut up.” Rei looked at her phone for the time. “It’s
almost time for Michiru to get here, you should get in position.” She started
out the door, but then stopped. “You guys… you remembered the rings, right?”
A whole new wave of fear crashed over Haruka. She’d been too
preoccupied to check with Mina. They couldn’t get married without rings, this
what it, she’d worried about the wrong thing—
“Right here.” Mina reached into her bra and pulled out the
little ring box.
“That’s where you’re keeping them?” Rei scowled.
“Hey, if I can feel them against my skin, I know for sure
exactly where they are. And no one’s going to be reaching in there today,
unless you’ve been so moved by the atmosphere of love…”
“I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
Haruka sniffled and pulled Mina into a hug. “Thank you for
remembering them.”
Mina patted her back. “Don’t you worry, buddy, I’ve got in
handled. You’re marriage license is here too. In my bag, not my boobs. Didn’t
want it to get wrinkled.”
Haruka laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Haruka turned to Mako. “You too. You did all the real work
for this.”
Mako blushed and shoved Haruka’s shoulder. “Not all of it.
The planning was all you.”
“I guess so.” Haruka’s eyes watered again, but she smiled.
“Guys… I’m getting married today.”
“There’s the Haruka we’ve been waiting for!” They both
tackled her with a group hug. “But, specifically, you’re getting married in a few minutes. We should get out
there.”
They each took one of her hands and led her to the front of
the hall. Haruka’s breath caught as she saw all their guests in their seats,
all the flowers lining the aisle. The officiator smiled gently at her as she
took her place. “It looks to be a very beautiful ceremony,” he said.
“Thank you.” She turned back to Mina and Mako. “Do I look alright?
Is my hair good? Tie straight?”
“I think your tie is gay, actually, is that alright?”
“Mina.”
“You look great, buddy.”
“Very handsome.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Okay.” Haruka wiped her
hands on her pants. “Do you still have the rings?”
“Yes. I still think it’s a pity you didn’t go with a ring
bear though.”
“That wasn’t even funny the first time,” Mako said.
“It was a little funny. Haruka thought it was funny, didn’t
you?”
“No.”
“You’re a dirty dirty liar.”
Haruka chuckled, and just then the music started.
They’d opted for a small wedding party, mostly to keep
Michiru’s family from making a fuss over who was included. Setsuna came down
the aisle first, her stately figure giving the hall a weight it had lacked
before. Every perfectly measured step she took seemed to say, this is a day I will mark in time. This
celebration is a duty I take as seriously as any other.
Rei’s steps were different. Rei’s steps were short, halting,
resisting the approach to the three dumbasses at the front even though she’d
rehearsed the perfect wedding walk. Her smile was plastered on and she
pointedly avoided eye contact with any of them.
There was a pause once she arrived, followed by a swelling
of the music. Every guest rose and turned to the entrance.
Outside the sun was bright, and for a moment Haruka could
only see Michiru’s figure fuzzily outlined in the light. Her appearance came
into focus slowly. First, her hands, curved around the gauzy base of her
bouquet. Then, her dress, the simple cap sleeves, the fitted bodice, the way it
flowed from her waist to the ground to make it look like she glided instead of
walked. Her hair was done in a loose up-do, with several curls left to frame
her face. And her face… Haruka allowed herself her anticipated tears. Michiru looked
more beautiful than Haruka had ever seen her, which should have been impossible
but wasn’t. Her smile was soft and cheeks flushed. When their eyes met, Haruka
saw that hers looked a little glassy. She bit her tongue to keep from crying too
hard. Somehow, she’d never expected any tears from Michiru in all this.
Mina rubbed her arm gently. “She loves you, buddy,” she
whispered.
Haruka wiped her eyes as Michiru handed her flowers off to
Rei. She couldn’t focus on what the officiant was saying. Michiru was here,
this was real, she would really be her wife. It was so wonderfully impossible
that she could barely remember how to breathe.
“Now, the brides have written their own wedding vows.
Haruka, Michiru, please face each other and hold hands. Haruka, please speak
your vows.”
Somehow, the simple act of touching on this most important
of days rendered her speechless for several long seconds. Michiru’s hands, held
in hers like they had been countless times, reached in to touch her heart. She closed
her eyes.
“You know,” she said, instead of the opening she’d written for
her vows. “I woke up this morning so afraid that this wasn’t really happening.
That there had been some giant mistake, and I couldn’t really be lucky enough
to be marrying you. But I guess, somehow, I am.” She stroked her thumb over
Michiru’s knuckles. “I never would have believed that someone so incredible
could love me. You’ve saved my life so many times and in so many ways. And now
we get to make a life. Together. I wish I could promise you that I’ll be the
best spouse ever, but I probably won’t be. I’m going to get cookie crumbs in the
bed sheets and fall asleep during your favorite French flims, even if I try
really hard to care about them.” An appreciative chuckle rose from their
guests. “But there are some things I can promise, and I’d like to do that now.”
She took a breath. “I promise to love you, always, for the rest of my life, and
probably longer. I promise to care for you when you’re sick, or tired, or just
want me there. I promise to be your home, your warmth, your family. I promise
that while I’ll never be perfect, I’ll never stop trying.”
“You are perfect, Haruka.”
Haruka laughed as tears started falling. “I don’t think you’re
supposed to say anything yet, Michi.” She took a breath. “But most of all, I
promise to do everything I can to make you every bit as happy as you make me.”
The officiant smiled and tilted his head. “Now, Michiru,
please speak your vows.”
“This may or may not surprise many people here, but
sometimes, I am a cynic. I never believed in love, or marriage, or real
happiness. Not until I met you.” She looked into Haruka’s eyes. Her smile was
sure but a little wobbly at the edges. “You are my proof that there’s good in
the word. You are my light in the darkness. You are my one and only, who I will
love for the rest of my life. I will do everything in my power to make you the
happiest woman alive, Haruka.”
Haruka smiled and tried not to sob. “I already am.”
“Now who’s speaking out of turn?”
She blushed. “Sorry.”
“I will be by your side through hell, through tragedy,
through anything life throws at us. And I will love you, even when I cannot
love myself. This I promise you.”
“Will the best woman please bring forward the rings.”
“Sure, but first, the best woman will bring forward some
tissues.” The guests laughed as Mina dabbed at Haruka’s face with a handkerchief.
Her own cheeks were damp. She handed over the rings and returned to her place.
“Haruka, place your ring on Michiru’s finger and repeat
after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.” She slid the band onto Michiru’s
finger. It fit in place like it was always meant to be there, like Michiru’s
hands had been waiting to bear a symbol of her relationship to Haruka.
“Michiru.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.” They matched, now. Haruka
laced her fingers into Michiru’s, ring hand against ring hand.
“Then with the power vested in me, I pronounce you wedded
wives. You may now kiss.”
Haruka leaned down, Michiru’s hand still in hers. It was a
kiss like any other, except it wasn’t—she was kissing her wife. Her wife tasted sweeter than her girlfriend, than her fiancé.
Haruka’s heart felt full and light at the same time.
The music played again, and Rei handed Michiru back her bouquet.
As they walked down the aisle, Haruka couldn’t stop beaming. “You’re my wife,”
she whispered.
“And you’re mine.”
The moment they stepped outside and out of sight of the
guests, Michiru pulled her down into a deep kiss.
“Hey, nerds, the officiant is going to be out in a moment so
we can sign the marriage license, save this for tonight.”
Haruka laughed and pulled Mina into a headlock. “Who are you
calling a nerd?”
“Did you see how much you were crying? Huge, soppy nerd.”
“Ara, I seem to recall your eyes weren’t dry the whole time.”
“You definitely sniffled a bit,” Mako added with an elbow nudge.
“Yeah, well so did Rei.”
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s not,” Setsuna said.
“Ladies, are you ready?” The officiant laid out the license
for them. Haruka signed first, hand only shaking a little. Michiru went next,
more steady, and then their witnesses.
Haruka hugged Michiru from behind. “I’m not dreaming, am I?
You’re my wife?”
“I know dreams quite well, Haruka. This is not one of them.”
She kissed Haruka’s hand just below her wedding band. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Photo time!” Mina half dove into them and snapped a selfie
with her phone. “First pic with the marrieds being gross, aw yeah.”
“The real photographer’s over there,” Setsuna pointed out. “We
may not want to keep her waiting.”
“I guess not.” Haruka kissed Michiru’s cheek. “We’ll have tonight.”
“Actually, my love,” she said, taking her wife’s hand, “I do
believe we’ll have forever.”
SittingOverHereDreaming 