Usagi wasn’t the sort of person who came up with brilliant, innovative, or even passable ideas. She left those things up to her friends, who tended to be smarter or more creative than she, and she was happy to do it. She enjoyed seeing people she loved succeed; honestly, she probably derived more joy from being an observer rather than a participant.

However, from the moment Minako dipped her head between Usagi’s quivering legs and ran her tongue against the inside of her thigh, Usagi felt like a genius.

She exhaled in pleasure, grasping a handful of Minako’s luxurious hair between her fingers. Minako giggled and pulled back, a wicked grin gracing her lips. “Apparently you’ve been looking forward to this since you got her.”

Usagi’s cheeks burned. “Well… longer, really.”

Minako arched an eyebrow, hooking her fingers into Usagi’s underwear and slowly sliding them down and over her ankles. She gently pushed Usagi’s knees farther apart and said, “Tell me about it.”

“Umm… about what?”

“You watched Rei and I,” Minako said, sliding her hands up Usagi’s legs and pushing her skirt away. Usagi should have felt exposed, even embarrassed, but she was aware of nothing but Minako’s hands and the pounding of her own heart.

“You want to hear about it?”

Minako shrugged. “To satisfy my own curiosity. I’ve never been a voyeur before.” She winked. “Plus, I want to know if we looked hot or ridiculous.”

“Well…” Usagi began carefully. “You definitely didn’t look… ridiculous.”

“Good girl,” Minako praised, stroking Usagi’s knee. “More.”

Part of Usagi wanted to joke that she was the one who was supposed to say that, but she didn’t feel brave enough. So she simply swallowed and did what Minako wanted.

“You wouldn’t tell us what had happened at the sleepover, but I knew it must have been bad. So when you went out to talk to Rei at the hot springs, I waited awhile before I followed you.”

Minako arched an eyebrow, lighting dragging her fingernails over Usagi’s skin. “So you did more than hear us.”

Usagi licked her lips. “I went out there, and I did see you – at first. You were sitting on the edge of the pool, and at first I didn’t know what you were doing. Then I saw the look on your face, and Rei…. Then I understood everything. The fight, and how you were making up.”

Minako leaned closer to the cleft between Usagi’s legs. She blew lightly, ruffling the tuft of blond curls that grew there. Usagi shivered in response and wished she could bring herself to ask or even demand for more contact. “And?”

“I… ducked behind a rock,” Usagi confessed. “I was so embarrassed. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t interrupt, but I was too scared to leave in case you saw me. So I just sat and… listened.”

Suddenly, Minako ran a finger down her labia. It was so light that Usagi could barely feel it, but she still gasped at the unexpected contact. Minako brought her finger into the light, glistening with wetness. She arched an eyebrow and slowly put it in her mouth. She savored the taste, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. Usagi hadn’t realized it was possible to be more turned on, but there it was.

“And then?” Minako asked, using a voice Usagi had only heard directed towards Rei before.

“It sounded amazing,” Usagi whispered, awed at the memory. “I didn’t think… well, that could feel so good, but you sounded like you’d never had anything better.”

“I sounded?” Minako queried, running the finger over her plump lips.

It took Usagi a moment to realize Minako wanted more detail. “You were shouting – screaming. I make noises with Mamoru, but nothing like that. It didn’t seem real. And I felt so… strange. I was surprised, I was even a little creeped out by you guys just… doing it in public like that. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then every time Mamoru did… you know, I just thought of you. At first it made it better. Then worse.”

“And then the mall,” Minako surmised, leaning forward again. “Tell me, did you get there in time to see me do this?”

Usagi cried out at the sensation of Minako slipping her tongue inside of her. Then, when Minako ran it across her damp flesh, she tightened her grip on the other girl’s hair, pulling.

“I saw everything,” she gasped. “I caught sight of Rei after you called her, and I followed her. I was just happy I’d found you guys; I didn’t even think you might… but then I saw you dressed like you were, the way you made Rei do what you want.” She stopped, laughing and trying to catch her breath as Minako kept licking her. “You always get people to do what you want.”

Minako brushed her lips against Usagi’s clit with a barely-there kiss. “I’m not the only one with that talent, obviously.”

Usagi arched her back, pushing her hips forward. “Not like you. With Rei, she just… she wanted you so bad. I could see it; anyone could have. Even though she’s stubborn and bull-headed, you still—Ah!”

Minako slipped a single finger inside of her, flicking her tongue against Usagi’s clit over and over again as she pushed in and out.

“You were so beautiful,” Usagi panted. “Well, maybe that’s not the right word, but just seeing you, I… I’d never wondered before. About girls, I mean. Not even with Haruka and Michiru or at the hot springs. I thought it was just on my mind because… well, how often do you walk in on something like that? But everything you did, everything you said…”

Minako added another finger and nibbled on the tiny nub of flesh. Usagi’s hips jerked. She was too over-stimulated; she wouldn’t last much longer.

“I love Mamoru,” she hissed.

Minako pulled away briefly, taking a breath. “But?”

Usagi felt the pressure of her orgasm building as Minako returned to her ministrations. She added a third finger, pushing harder and deeper. Her tongue moved faster, twisting and pressing against places that made Usagi want to keen with pleasure. And then, just before she crested, she spoke one last time.

“I wanted you.”

The orgasm felt like she was breaking. The world erupted in an explosion of color and sound. Her voice sounded foreign to her ears as she cried out. She didn’t feel like she could catch her breath. She yanked on Minako’s hair, and she knew it hurt, but she couldn’t stop. Her blood pounded and her body shook. It felt amazing even though it was painful. She never wanted it to end, but it couldn’t last forever.

The moment subsided like a wave retreating into the ocean. Slowly, Usagi felt as though she could breathe normally again, though her heart continued to race. She came back to herself, focusing on Minako again. Her hair was disheveled, her lipstick smeared, her blouse askew. Usagi still thought she looked gorgeous.

“Was it everything you’d hoped it would be?” Minako teased.

Usagi didn’t know an adequate way to answer. So she grasped Minako’s face between her hands and kissed her, hard, hoping that this way Minako would understand.

Usagi had never kissed a girl before. Well, not on purpose, and she certainly had never been the instigator. She’d never taken the time to pay attention to how it felt before. She hadn’t kissed anyone but Mamoru for years; she hadn’t realized how different it could be. Minako’s lips were so much softer, her face smaller, her cheek wonderfully free of painful stubble. She loved kissing Mamoru, but with him, she knew what to expect. Minako was a mystery.

She never would have expected the tiny moment of hesitation and surprise before Minako gave herself over. Nor had she predicted that once over it, Minako would immediately take another step. Usagi was surprised by the tongue coming into contact with her own and the sharp taste that still lingered there. It should have been disconcerting, but Usagi felt nothing but excitement. She slipped off the couch and knelt before Minako, fumbling clumsily. Somehow, her knee wound up pressed between Minako’s legs. The other girl sighed into her mouth, and took Usagi a moment to register the wetness against her dry flesh.

It seemed Usagi wasn’t the only one wanting.

“Usagi,” Minako said abruptly pulling away. “Wait a minute.”

Usagi froze, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Were you kidding before? About wanting… Well, I could just go, if—"

“No,” Minako cut her off, touching her mouth as if it was foreign to her. “No, I definitely… I just… are you sure you want to?”

Usagi was surprised at how Minako was dancing around the subject. She was always brash, even crude, when their conversations became sexual. Usagi didn’t know what to make of her indirectness. “I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t.”

Minako raised her eyebrows, acknowledging that much. “True, I just mean… Well, you did just say, you love Mamoru, and—"

“Well, I love you too,” Usagi said, giggling.

“That’s different.”

“Why? Because we’re not going to get married?” Usagi asked, still laughing. She grasped Minako’s face again, pulling her forward until their foreheads touched. “Minako, you have to admit that our lives aren’t exactly normal.”

“You mean everyone doesn’t run around in ridiculous shoes fighting evil for the betterment of mankind? Who knew?”

“I’m not talking about that. Well, not exactly.” Usagi frowned, trying to think of the best way to say what she meant. “But since we have done that and we’ve been through more than most friendships… I feel like the lines get blurred. Other friends may say they love each other, and I’m sure they do, but it isn’t the same. They haven’t died for one another. I won’t say our love is deeper or better, but it is different.”

“So what you’re saying is…” Minako began, “since we’re not normal friends, it’s okay if we screw around together?” She paused, snorting. “Usagi, that kind of sounds like bullshit.”

Usagi rolled her eyes. “You know I can’t explain myself well. And I talked with Mamo-chan about this, and—"

“Wait, what?!” Minako yelped, leaping away. “Mamoru knows that we’re—"

“Well, I didn’t tell him in so many words,” Usagi admitted. “But he… well, he kind of noticed how I was acting around you, and he called me on it.”

“How have I not noticed this?” Minako wheezed, clutching her chest. She paused. “Oh, wait. We don’t talk.”

Usagi nodded. “And he’s very good at being secretive and mysterious. Anyway, I didn’t wake up this morning and tell him I was coming over to… experiment, I guess, but once he figured it out, he sort of sighed and wondered how long it would take us to....” she gestured at her discarded underwear on the floor.

Minako’s face fell into her palm. “Don’t tell me. Haruka was drunk with you and Mamoru.”

“And also Motoki.”

“That explains the random nosebleeds.”

Usagi shrugged. “Sorry everyone knows the intimate details of your sex life.”

Minako sighed. “I don’t mind people knowing. I’m just sad I couldn’t tell them myself. I love making people uncomfortable.”

“I have noticed that.”

“So, Mamoru doesn’t mind?” Minako asked incredulously.

“Well, the way he figures it, most people would go through this in their teens while they’re dating and everything,” Usagi explained. “Obviously, I didn’t get to do that. So I’m sort of doing it retroactively.”

Minako snorted. “I should find a boyfriend so understanding.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the same,” Usagi pointed out.

“No, but I get bored very easily,” Minako confessed. “I’m guessing he wouldn’t be so understanding if I weren’t a girl?”

Usagi nodded. “Definitely. But that wouldn’t be a problem. No man could ever hold a candle to my Mamo-chan.”

Minako smiled. “You’re kind of adorable, Usagi.”

“If you say so,” Usagi said, scooting forward on the floor. She paused with her face inches away from Minako’s, tilting her head inquisitively. “Everything’s okay on my end… You and Rei?”

“We haven’t really worked out the exclusivity details,” Minako murmured. Usagi saw that she was trying to maintain eye contact, but her eyes kept drifting down to her lips. “And it’s you, which makes all the difference.”

Usagi laughed, inching forward. “You guys are so weird.”

“Not weird,” Minako insisted. “Just different.”

“Whatever you say,” Usagi whispered against Minako’s lips. Then she pushed forward, kissing her again. This time, Minako didn’t even bother to hesitate. She dove in with a determination and ferocity that left Minako’s head spinning. She’d thought kissing a girl would always be gentle, but Minako always had a little bite to her. The kisses were hard and forceful, and although Usagi had already come, she felt heat begin to build between her legs all over again.

“God, the things you do to me,” Usagi muttered, running her hands over Minako’s bare arms.

“Ditto,” Minako hissed, nipping at Usagi’s lower lip with her teeth. Usagi whimpered.

“I want to… again,” Usagi breathed, tipping her head back. Minako hurriedly kissed her exposed throat. “Please.”

“Only if I can join in this time,” Minako said, tugging at the bottom of Usagi’s shirt.

Usagi leaned back so Minako could pull it over her head. Her hot skin broke out into goosebumps now that it was exposed to the cold air. She didn’t resist when Minako yanked her back, her lips seeking out the curve of Usagi’s neck. Usagi began fumbling with the buttons on Minako’s shirt.

“I want to,” Usagi breathed, struggling with the flimsy fabric. “But I haven’t… I don’t know if I’ll be any—"

“Don’t worry,” Minako assured her, helping her with the last button and peeling her shirt off. “With me, it’s not exactly rocket science.”

Usagi still didn’t feel sure and hoped Minako didn’t notice the way her hands were shaking. She busied them by stroking Minako’s smooth back and burying them in her hair again. She felt Minako’s fingers tracing the line of her collarbone. Then her fingernails scratched at the front of Usagi’s bra, tracing a small circle. Her nipple hardened instantly.

Usagi felt as though she was losing herself in the movement and sensation. She scarcely remembered making the decision to slide Minako’s bra straps down over her shoulders, tugging the garment down until her breasts were spilling out of the cups, dusky pink circles peeking out over the lace edge. She surprised them both when she pushed Minako to the floor and took one of them in her mouth.

Minako moaned loudly, pulling on a pigtail. “See? I’m easy,” she joked.

Before Usagi could think of what to say, Minako had unhooked Usagi’s bra. Minako discarded it roughly and then covered both of Usagi’s considerably smaller breasts with her palms. Usagi sighed into Minako’s skin.

Minako gently massaged the twin mounds of flesh. “You like that?”

Usagi could only nod.

When Minako suddenly changed tactics and pinched Usagi’s nipples, she didn’t have to ask. Usagi’s yelp was answer enough. She laughed, rolling them between her thumb and forefinger. “I’ve thought of this before you know,” she confessed. “I never thought you’d be so…” she struggled for the words.

“What?”

“Aggressive,” Minako concluded. Her teeth flashed and she pushed up, rolling Usagi onto her back. She pushed her hands above her head, holding her wrists with one hand while she removed her bra with the other. She dragged that hand down Usagi’s side, slipping it beneath her leg and pulling it up. She sighed as she straddled Usagi’s thigh, thrusting her hips. “I thought I’d have to work much harder to seduce you.”

By way of response, Usagi yanked Minako down on top of her. She kissed her with no small amount of desperation, their bodies flush and rubbing against one another. Minako continued to rut against her leg, moaning into her mouth. Usagi understood that Minako was trying to make this easier for her, and while Usagi was grateful, it’s not what she wanted.

She moved her leg away, ignoring Minako’s whine of loss. Then she brought herself back up to her knees, bringing Minako along with her. Without pausing to analyze what she was doing or if she’d be any good at it, she slipped her hand beneath Minako’s skirt, pushed past her underwear, and sought out the hot, slick flesh.

Minako sighed in pleasure, leaning her head on Usagi’s shoulder. She raked the skin with her teeth and then mimicked Usagi’s movements, sliding her fingers in and against her body.

They stroked and teased, pushed inside and pulled away, rubbed and flicked and twisted. Every movement brought pleasure accompanied by a gasp, a moan, a curse. Usagi’s fingers were inexpert, but she followed Minako’s lead and found the other blonde had no cause to complain. And then, as if they had timed it perfectly, they both climaxed in the same instant, Usagi shuddering and gasping, Minako writhing and crying aloud. It was beautiful ecstacy.

When they were done, Usagi and Minako both laid down on the hard floor. They were now aware of how uncomfortable it was, but spent, they couldn’t bring themselves to find a better resting place. Usagi curled into Minako’s side, tucking her head in the crook of her elbow. Minako wrapped her arms around Usagi, kissing the top of her head.

Realizing she likely sounded like an idiot, Usagi said, “Thank you, Minako. That was… amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” Minako said. Usagi could hear the smile in her voice. “What are friends for?”