Hi lovelies!
First I want to get this out of the way: this fic is a romance like usual, but it's rated M. That means it's for adults only (so, if you are under 18 do me a huge favor and please please click the back button. I promise I'll still be writing gen to teen rated fics as I write this one so you won't be missing out. Click the back button and let me sleep at night. Thank you dears!).

Also! For those of you who are of-age but don't want to read smut - I totally get ya and I'll check you on the next fic!
For those interested: I don't think this will get any racier than your basic bookstore romance novel. Everyone is of-age and consent is a thing.

Thanking people by name is always weird on a citrus fic, but anyway thanks you know who are you for your help. Hell sure is gonna be fun.

Usagi's decision to attempt to seduce Mamoru Chiba into a one night stand was actually quite out of character, considering the circumstances.

After all, she'd spent the past five years - ever since the final battle with Queen Beryl - trying her utmost best to push her feelings for him aside. After the first few desperate (and, in hindsight, cringe-worthy) attempts to make the skeptical upperclassman believe he was her reborn true love, Usagi had finally conceded it was a hopeless cause.

"Look at this way: would you believe you?" Ami had reasoned, gently.

Luna had been able to return the girls' memories. "Just in case, of course," she'd said, though no further threat to the planet had appeared. Usagi had fallen happily into the warm embrace of her dearest friendships, which at least made giving up Mamoru just slightly less difficult.

Except when he came up in conversation now and then.

"You could try to win him over just as you," Minako encouraged one day. "After all, he fell for you once."

Usagi had sighed, leaning her head on her hand and munching mindlessly on a cookie from the plate in front of her. "He fell for Sailor Moon."

Makoto raised her eyebrows at Ami who shrugged in a 'what are you gonna do'? kind of way.

"You realize you were Sailor Moon, right? You can't be that stupid," Rei had supplied, helpfully.

"Sorta the point, though, isn't it?" Usagi had sighed, falling backward onto Rei's decorative pillows and ignoring the cookie crumbs that scattered about the floor. "Maybe it's best to just leave him alone, in a world where he doesn't have some reborn princess to save, where he doesn't have to keep taking hits for me."

"But-"

"He died in my arms, Rei," Usagi interrupted. "Twice." And the look on her face was enough to make her friends quickly change the subject.

So Usagi went on, pretending with all her might that she was fine with things as they were.

That she was fine with the fact that Mamoru didn't remember their battles as Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon. That he didn't remember that he'd been there with her from the very beginning of it all, fumbling through the whole superhero business together, with nothing between them and the ground but a solid grip and a transformed umbrella. That he didn't know their civilian selves used to tease each other mercilessly in a way that couldn't be flirting, that couldn't have meant anything, except when it did. Except when thinking of the next come-back for 'that jerk Mamoru' kept her up at night instead fear and the way the monsters screamed when the tiara exploded within them. Except when she'd realized he was in trouble and she needed to help. Except when he'd been kidnapped by the Dark Kingdom and suddenly his absence from the streets outside the arcade felt like a gaping wound.

Except when he told her to run away and live her life without him. 'Get a cool new boyfriend, and leave me here to die.'

Sure. Of course. That's fine. Everything is just fine.

Forget the prince, forget that ancient love story that ended in fire and blood. She loved Mamoru, as he was here and now. Even with the blank look of nonrecognition in his eyes the first few times she spoke to him after it all ended.

Still, it didn't take long for her to get burnt out on all her attempts to get him remember, to see her as more than some crazy girl who wouldn't shut up about past lives or tuxedos or the moon.

So she stopped trying. She just let it go. He let it drop too, and they managed to fall into a pattern coexistence that depended on her loving him and doing her best to pretend she didn't.

For years.

It hadn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination (and Usagi had a pretty good imagination) (and also abhorred things that weren't easy). Especially when girlfriends would come in (and very quickly out) of the picture with a vague irregularity. ("He has a type," Minako observed once. Usagi had silenced her with a glare.)

So all in all, the announcement of her plan to offer to spend the night with Mamoru, no-strings-attached (the plan which was certain to completely undo all the progress she had made in the arena of not being a heartbroken mess) wasn't exactly met with enthusiasm from her friends.

"Are you fucking crazy?"

To say the least.

"No, Rei," Usagi snapped, and then paused, considering. "Okay, maybe a little."

"What are you gonna do, fuck his memories back?" Minako said, expression changing from shock to grudging respect as she spoke.

"No!" Usagi flushed at Minako's choice of words. "Jeeze, what… no, that's not. It has nothing to do with that."

"Then what?" Rei challenged. "What good could possibly come of this?"

Minako smirked and whispered something to Makoto who raised her eyebrows chidingly even while biting back a giggle. Usagi pretended not to notice.

"Okay, Usagi," Minako said, turning serious, "I'm all for one night stands-"

Rei threw her a disapproving look. "You are 19, how many one night stands could you have possibly had?"

"Anyway," Minako said, ignoring Rei, "I'm usually all for this sort of thing, but I'm worried that-"

"Is this because he's leaving?" Ami interrupted, looking at Usagi with dawning understanding.

Usagi's quiet nod was completely overridden by the other girls' surprised reactions.

"Leaving? Where?" Makoto asked, taken aback.

"America."

"For how long?" Minako leaned forward, brows knitting.

"I don't know. How long is med school?" Usagi sighed, leaning back.

Ami put her hand on Usagi's shoulder. "It may be just a year long fellowship," she said, "I only heard from Motoki and I was fuzzy on the details. Did you want me to ask him?"

"No, it doesn't matter," Usagi said. "One year, three, seven, forever - it doesn't make a difference. Once he's gone from the arcade and cafe, and doesn't hang out with Motoki or study with Ami every so often, well, that's it. That's our connection. I'll never see him again and I'm- stop looking at me like that you guys I'm fine. I've come to terms with it."

"But won't this... idea of yours just throw your heart right back into that blender?" Makoto asked, to the nods of the others.

Usagi sighed, running her fingers through the ends of her pigtails, not looking at her friends. "My heart has been in a blender at high speeds since middle school," she finally admitted, softly. "This can't make it worse. I just want to have something before I say goodbye to him forever. A memory. Like this one thing no one else can claim, I guess."

"Your V-card," Minako nodded knowingly, taking obvious glee at the term "V" even as everyone else cringed and Usagi made a face.

"Virginity is a social construct created by the patriarchy," Rei tutted, pulling her soda toward her, "Just so you know."

"Not if it's related to emotions," Makoto said, not unkindly.

"I don't even c-" Usagi huffed, her bangs lifting from her forehead with an exasperated breath. "I knew you guys wouldn't understand."

"I get it," Minako said. "The man is hot and you want to hit that. It's your right, after all. What with everything you've been through you should totally get something out of it."

"Minako, I'm not sure it's as simple as all that," Ami said.

Usagi gave a half shrug. "She's not wrong."

"What makes you so sure he'll even go for it?" Rei pointed out and Usagi shrugged again.

"Nothing. I don't. I mean, the point is I'm gonna try to make him want to say yes," she said. Then paused, lost in thought for a moment.

Truth was, she had no earthly idea how any of this was going to go. Mamoru was certainly friendly toward her, in his own way. Although he teased her, still, they'd both grown up enough it was less antagonistic and more just the way they related to each other. They'd talked enough that she'd definitely call them, well, if not 'friends' then at least 'people on friendly terms with each other'. He'd even confided in her about his parents, although she'd already known from before. But none of that lead her to any clues on how'd he react to her proposal...

"I'm in." Minako's voice cut into Usagi's thoughts like a hot knife through butter.

"In?" Usagi looked a bit concerned. "What do you mean by i-"

"Operation Turn Usagi Into a Sex Goddess No one Can Possibly Turn Down is a go!"

Four faces turned to Minako in horror.

"No. No, it's not," Usagi hurriedly removed herself from the booth, squirming past an annoyed Rei in a tangle of arms and legs. "I'm sorry I said anything!"

"When are you gonna put the wheels into motion for this dastardly deed?"

"Don't ever use the word 'deed' to refer to sex in my hearing again, Minako," Rei said through grit teeth. Ami nodded her agreement.

Usagi shook her head, "I... I was just kidding! Ha ha! What a joker, ol' me."

"Uh-huh," Minako deadpanned.

"Bye," Usagi rolled her eyes and turned to leave when a warm hand curled around her wrist.

"Usagi," Makoto said, and smiled, warmth in her soft green eyes. "We are here for you. No matter what happens. If you go through with it, if it helps, if it makes it worse, whatever happens. Come to us to cry, okay?"

"No details, though," Rei shook her head and Minako gave her a look that obviously said she expected the exact opposite.

Usagi couldn't help a small smile, the first genuine one she'd given for days.

"Thanks, guys."

Three weeks later

"Jeeze, take off your clothes."

Usagi frowned and turned toward her doorway. "Excuse you, Mina-P?"

"Luna told Artemis you said you were sleeping over Rei's tonight," Minako said, meaningfully. "We know that's not true," she whispered, raising a brow. "So I came over as soon as I could, to save you from leaving the house in some stupid get-up that you read about in a magazine and heaven knows I was right." She shook a finger in the air. "That ridiculous outfit you have on. Take it off. Now."

Usagi looked at her clothing - revealing and shiny - and pouted a little, "I got this in Shibuya," she muttered and Minako tsk'ed, walking in and closing the door behind her.

"And back to Shibuya it goes, as soon as you get changed into this," the taller blonde said, tossing a bag at Usagi.

Usagi pulled the fabric out of the bag. "Your blue dress from middle school?" Usagi held it up. "It's too small."

"Nope. It's perfect on you. Just a little tight in the chest and short on the leg. And are we planning a seduction, or not?" Ignoring Usagi's blush and sputtering ("We?!"), Minako started poking through the bottles and tubes on Usagi's dresser. "Trust me on the dress length. Mamoru's a leg guy."

"How'd you know?" she shot a sharp look at Minako before pulling the dress over her head.

"Because I'm observant." She lowered her voice, "And he is not as subtle as he thinks he is." Turning back to Usagi, Minako held an obviously newly purchased tube of lipstick out accusingly. "Red? Really? And it's not even a 24 hour one, in what universe is that a good idea? You tryin' to stain everything he owns?"

"Hey I just bought that!" Usagi protested, but Minako just tossed her a small pot of Usagi's favorite pink strawberry lip balm.

"Wear this instead. Really, this is just common sense," Minako said.

Brushing her hands down the front of the dress, Usagi examined herself in the mirror and frowned approvingly. The dress did cling a bit to her chest, giving her the illusion of actual breasts. Minako was right - it was awfully short. But short skirts had never been an issue for Usagi, nearly every day between April and October that wasn't a school day saw her in a mini skirt.

"You want to look like you," Minako said, swirling a soft brush into some powder foundation before gently applying to Usagi's face. "I know, because otherwise you'd just use the disguise pen to be some sexy co-ed."

A smile pulled at Usagi's lips, "Yeah."

"But you with some killer sexy underwear, right?"

"Well, yeah."

Minako grinned. "I trust you there."

Usagi pondered her reflection, pulling on a strand of hair curling by her ear. Minako's support was actually... really comforting. She was nervous as all hell. 'He's leaving anyway, what's the worst that could happen?' she told herself, careful not to imagine Mamoru calling the police on her, or knocking on his door only for it to be answered by his actual date for the evening, or being laughed back out onto the street the second she made her intentions known.

"Think I should change my hair?" she asked, listing her head to the side.

Minako actually laughed out loud before she said, "Absolutely not, you adorable idiot."

Before she left, Minako gave her a tight hug and a box of condoms. "Good luck," she winked.

"I'll need it!" Usagi answered back.