Title: "Wedding Traditions" (aka Sooper Sekrit Thalia Fic)

Author: Lils

Rating: Hard R? NC-17?

Summary: It's Usagi and Mamoru's wedding. Ami and Zach have a little fun of their own.

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, but I rather like to think they like playing on my 'verse for a while.

Author Note's: This is for Thalia. Because she inspires me to write, to push myself beyond my own boundaries and explore the wonderful world of fiction. Because she is just that awesome. :-)

Later, when people asked her how it had all happened, Ami would not know what to say. Honest to God, she had no idea at all. Which was quite an accomplishment, as she was the Soldier of Knowledge, after all. But point in fact was, she could not for the life of her explain how she had ended up having sex in the supply closet of the hotel hosting Usagi and Mamoru's wedding. Nor how, despite Minako's loud protestations to the contrary, had she allowed herself to get caught while doing it.

Well, not doing it per se – Ami would blush at this point, as was her custom, but for entirely different reasons than what people thought. Oh yes, she was embarrassed beyond belief, but when you were caught with your dress up around your waist, quite literally, one lost the ability to be embarrassed for a while – because they were done by the time Makoto thought to check the suspiciously rattling closet door and cause Ami and Zachary to tumble out of the storage room half-naked and rosy-glowed. But you know, it was the principle of the thing. Ami Mizuno did not sneak around her best friend's wedding to have sex in supply closets, and especially not with recently resurrected past lovers that may or may not have rocked her world. Twice. In less than an hour. With only his hands and tongue and body, and the helpful addition of both their mighty physical agility and skills.

As you can see, Ami Mizuno had just done something very un-Ami Mizuno-like. But honestly, could you blame her? Would you have been able to resist the pull of those magnetic green eyes? Could you have not leaned into that seductive touch, those amazing fingers caressing down the line of your neck and beyond? Zachary made her body sing, explode into heights of pleasure she had only dreamed up until then. So when he suggested an impromptu escapade to the relatively secluded second floor supply closet because hey, the wedding was not for another couple of hours and nobody would miss them for just a tiny bit, what was she supposed to say? Especially when he punctuated his offer with a long, languorous kiss that made her rise up to her tippy-toes and almost purr in response.

It was only supposed to be a little fooling around. Hurried kisses in the dark, perhaps some amount of groping depending on just how much Ami could ignore the shrilling voice inside her head screaming that 'oh my God, there are people out there!', and that should've been the end of it. But then again, Ami sometimes forgot that for a man who had changed his major four times – Astronomy, Math, Biology and then back to Physics – and refused to take over his father's multi-million dollar company because he just didn't feel like running it, Zachary could have an impressive amount of focus when he put his mind to something.

And, as long as we're being honest here, the secret thrill of discovery might have made Ami a little bit reckless. Just the tiniest bit, mind you, but enough to allow Zach to drive her past her own inhibitions and make her forget the party they were meant to be attending entirely, which was the whole reason why their friends began looking for them in the first place. After all, Zachary was one of the best men – one out of four, but in this case, numbers did not make up for his absence – and Ami, in turn, was one of the bridesmaids. Again, one out of four. But if Zach's absence raised some eyebrows, when coupled to Ami's, well, it got some tongues rolling. Search parties were formed, and they spread in almost military fashion through the hotel (Kunzite had a very particular way of directing his troops, be they in battle or simply in the search for a couple of missing friends).

It was their luck, in the end, that it was Makoto who found them. Had it been Minako – or heaven forbid, Rei – they would have never heard the end of it. And if Mako's own perfectly coiffed hair was a little askew, and the strap of her green dress rested well below her shoulder, it meant nothing at all.

"Zach, stop it, someone might see us!"

Ami's hiss was lost amidst the chatter and bustle around them, people running about as they prepared for the event of the century. Except that to everyone but a select group, this was just another wedding; one Mamoru Chiba to one Usagi Tsukino. If only they knew this was the wedding of their would-be King and Queen, the flower people might've complained a little less, and the hotel staff genuflected a little more. But that was what Rei was for, Ami guessed, watching her friend verbally skin a clumsy waiter alive. Even from this distance, Ami could see the earpiece she wore, attached to a small cell phone that dangled from shapely hips draped in the requisite lavender bridesmaid dress. When Rei had agreed to be Usagis' wedding coordinator, no one had really known what she had been singing up for. But Rei played the part like a pro, ordering everyone about – not a long throw from her usual behavior, in the end – and generally keeping everything sailing smoothly. It was now a little over two hours before the ceremony itself, and in Minako's words, 'time was 'a'knocking'.

Taking advantage of her reminiscence, Zach's hand slipped around her waist again, drawing her back against his body. She swallowed a squeal, unwilling to draw attention to themselves and be caught dolly-dallying. Each of them had been given specific tasks, after all: Ami's was, among other things, to make sure the ice sculptures did not melt under the oppressive heat of the lamps – she sent a trickle of power towards the swans on the corner; they were looking a little wilted – Zach's was to 'stop making a nuisance of himself and go find something other to do than harass the kitchen staff'. Makoto had been quite polite in her dismissal, Ami thought: the vein throbbing on her forehead barely peeked out from under the chef's hat, but it was still a very strong indication that should Zach remain in the kitchen one instant longer, he was going to get very well acquainted with Mako's dough roller.

So, rather than suffer the maiming of her boyfriend, Ami had dragged a smirking Zachary away from the kitchen – who was still licking the wedding cake's frosting off his guilty fingers, at that – and told him to stay with her. Which, of course, had been a whole million times worse. Because now Zachary was harassing her instead, and he could be quite a handful when he wanted to be. "Zach, I mean it," she tried again, brushing off his wandering hands from, well, wandering into improper places. He smiled against her neck, the scent of his cologne wafting all around her: "So do I." As if to make sure she got his point, he pressed against her back, introducing her to a very vocal, very hard part of his anatomy.

Ami could not muffle her cry this time, and Rei turned sharply towards her, murder intent on her eyes. The waiter seized his opportunity, turned tail, and ran away so fast Ami wondered why he didn't leave a smoke trail behind him.

"It's okay, Rei!", Ami called out, feeling herself blush harder than she had in a long, long time. Including that incident with the whipped cream. "I just bumped against the table." Crisis averted, Rei turned back to find the object of her tirade long gone, and stomped off to find someone else to scream at. Zach, meanwhile, snickered as Ami turned around and huffed in indignation.

"You are incorrigible!"

He shrugged, unrepentant. Ami had to hand it to him; he looked devastatingly handsome in a tux, his green tie bringing out the olive tones of his eyes quite nicely. Although, now that she thought of it, just where in the world was his tie? Not only was he not wearing it, but he had unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, exposing his collarbone for all the world to see. And, if Ami had been the kind of girl who did such things, she would've admitted she was quite possessive of that collarbone. In fact, was that the ghost of a hickey she could see on the right side of his neck?

Paling, she reached up and closed the fabric, almost cutting off Zach's air circulation in the process. "Shameless, I tell you. Aren't you the tiniest bit worried about what they may say about—about that?" She motioned towards his neck, knowing he understood full well what she meant. And judging by the sly smile that curled his lips, that had been exactly the effect he was going for. "Not at all. I'm actually quite proud of it."

Ami blushed again. So was she, but hell would freeze over before she voiced that aloud to anyone. Releasing his shirt, she fell back on her heels – strappy heels that were the latest in fashion, according to Minako. Ami had to agree they looked gorgeous, although they were nothing she would've picked out for herself – and sighed. "And just what am I going to do with you?" she asked no one in particular, secretly delighted at his blatant sexuality and how it nicely balanced her instinctual prudishness.

He leaned forward, capturing her face in his hands and slanting his lips over hers. She had thought it would be an innocent kiss – they were, after all, in the very public, very exposed dining hall. Tables were being set, flower arrangements placed, and the band was practicing a few feet from them – but Zach had other plans: his thumb caressed the edge of her lips and they fell open on their own accord, recognizing the soft pressure as it asked for invitation and gladly welcoming him in. His tongue played with hers, taunting, teasing, cajoling… without even realizing it, Ami drew her hands around his shoulders and clasped them around his neck, butterflies erupting low on her belly as his expert touch all but caused her to self-combust.

"I have an idea or two about that," he murmured against her mouth, but she couldn't really process it at all. Her brain had gone to mush, something it had a habit of doing where Zach was concerned, and she just blinked stupidly at him for a heartbeat or two. He laughed, a deep, rolling, satisfied male laugh: "I love that look. I love that I'm the only one who can put it there." She blushed again, looking down, which left her staring straight at that certain part of him that was still very happy to see her, which made her blush even harder. Honestly, before the day was over, she was going to pass out from blood deprivation to her brain or something.

A polite clearing of throat behind them made Ami whip around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Zach stepped in behind her again, perhaps to hide his reaction or to torment her a little bit more, who knew at this point. But Kevin was standing there, looking all gravelly and poised, and she fought the urge to stand to attention. He looked quite dashing himself, his silver hair falling like a silken curtain against the deep black of his tux. No doubt Mina had had a hand in choosing that cut, because it did positively sinful things to his shoulders and waist; it was tight in the right places, and fell like a second skin on him.

"Rei said to stop messing around and get back to work." Kevin's voice was a nice bass, like chocolate syrup and silken sheets – not that Ami had any experience with those things, especially not in any sinful combination of both – but now it was tinged with annoyance at playing errand boy for the fiery wedding planner. But he knew better than to cross Rei, so here he was, relying her messages. But, wasn't he supposed to be with Mamoru, being the best-best man and all?

Zach asked before she could: "Shouldn't you be keeping our Prince from climbing out a window by now?" As he spoke, one of his hands came to rest on Ami's waist, a simple enough touch, but her skin reacted instantly. Making a fuzz about it would just mean attracting more attention to it, and besides, he seemed content to just hold her, which wasn't dangerous, was it? So she let him do it, and concentrated on Kevin's reply instead: "Minako kicked me out."

Ami blinked. Minako did what?

Kevin continued: "She said she needed some time alone with Mamoru. Something about 'making sure he knows his duties as a newly wedded husband'."

Kevin did a very nice falsetto, truth to be told, and that, coupled with the chided, pouty look on his face made both Ami and Zach explode into a fit of giggles. Their friend's scowl turned even deeper, and crossing his arms around his massive chest, he puffed in frustration: "And here I thought out of all of us, you two would be the ones to understand." Which, of course, did nothing but send them into another fit, and he stomped away sulkily in search for more accommodating listening ears.

When their chuckles had died down enough for them to breathe normally again, Ami brushed the tears away from her eyes and said: "I'd better go save Mamoru, then. Or maybe Minako's already moved on to Usagi, in which case I'd better go pick up the pieces before he—"

Zach stopped her before she could go any further. Taking her hand in his, he dragged her out of the reception hall and towards the stairs, a twinkle Ami was quite familiar with in his eyes. She dug her heels on the carpeted floor, shaking her head: "Zachary, no! Not now, of all places!"

He stopped, brushing his fingers against the sensitive skin of the underside of her wrist. He slid sideways gracefully as a busboy packed with table linens and cutlery went past them, never once breaking eye contact with her. Ami envied that ability of his, to be constantly aware of his surroundings and yet still completely focused on her at the same time. But it made it all the harder to shake off that hold he seemed to have on her, puppet strings attached directly to her heart. He had but to tug on one of them, and she would come. Figuratively and literally, in case you were wondering.

He invaded her personal space, pushing her back slowly until she felt the cold wood of the stairs railing digging into the small of her back. Strangely, she did not feel cornered or suffocated, just a little – okay, who has she kidding? A lot – aroused. His eyes shone with barely pent up lust, green flames burning in his irises promising her heaven and beyond. Zach leaned into her, warm breath tickling her cheeks, and whispered: "I've been wanting to get you out of that dress since you put it on this morning. Given that it will most likely be hours before I can get my wish, I was wondering if you'd be up for a little—fun."

How on Earth he managed to turn an innocuous word such as 'fun' into a positive buffet of carnal pleasure and delight, Ami could not explain. But she shivered in response, her hand clutching at the sleeve of his shirt reflexively. She was tempted to accept, but as if called forth by her prude side, Jade appeared a few steps above them.

"Have you seen Her Highness?" he asked, blue eyes casting nervous glances all around him, as if Rei might materialize out of thin air. He had the look of a man who's been escaping death for a while, which, considering Rei's no-nonsense 'this-wedding-will-be-the-best-wedding-ever-so-hel p-me-God' attitude, was understandable. Jade was so preoccupied managing his surroundings for the tell-tale click-clacks of Rei's heels that he completely missed Zach's sexually frustrated grunt. Ami patted his arm, thankful and regretful for Jade's (un)timely interruption, and offered: "Last we saw her, she was downstairs railing on the staff."

The blond shook his head, short locks flying about. His blue tie was almost undone, and as he ran a hand through his hair, he said: "That's what she wants you to think. She's everywhere, I tell you, everywhere. And she wants me to help", he added, trembling in revulsion. "I just wanted to celebrate, you know? Drink Zach here under the table, make a drunken embarrassing speech during dinner and have a good time, but noooooo, Rei says I have to make sure the photographer knows everybody's name and I don't even know who the photographer is!"

His voice rose to nearly a wail, attracting onlookers and attention alike. Feeling sorry for him, Ami said: "Well, he's that nice young man with the camera dangling from his neck. I think he was setting up near the dressing room. You might find him there."

Jade crushed her against his chest, causing her to yelp in surprise at the sudden display of gratitude. "Oh Ami, my dear sweet Ami, you've just saved my life!", he announced, planting a big kiss on her lips before bounding away in search of the elusive photographer, completely unaware of the murderous looks Zach was sending his way. Ami might've placated her boyfriend's wrath, except that she was almost certain Jade had groped a feel during the hug. Besides, seeing Zach get all hot and bothered because of her made her feel all kinds of tingly, and that was just the way Jade was; he had meant nothing by it, except that he was a young, healthy male currently evading his girlfriend and she was a beautiful woman he considered a good friend.

It was that tingly feeling that possessed her, perhaps, to turn low-lidded eyes towards Zach and say: "Now, you were saying about having fun…" He was on her faster than lightning, dragging her up the stairs again, barely avoiding running into a perplexed Nate. Before Nathan could even get a word in, Zach threw a "Whatever you have to say, it can wait. I'm going to snog my girlfriend now!" behind his back without breaking his stride. Ami tried to apologize, because even if she was willing to tease Zach the same way he teased her, she was nowhere near ready for him to be broadcasting it to their friends, but by then they had already turned a corner and Nate fell out of sight. Ami sincerely hoped he wouldn't tell anyone. Or follow them. Or both.

Casting a look at the hallway that stretched out before them, full of people running to and fro in preparation for the wedding to come, Zach exhaled loudly in vexation. Ami thought he heard him murmur "What does a man have to do to get some privacy in here?' under his breath, and she was about to suggest that they might as well wait until that night, when Zach triumphantly said: "Aha!"

They made their way four doors down the corridor – Ami even caught a glimpse of Usagi in her wedding gown, and sure enough, Minako was just closing the door and saying "Now, Usagi, let's talk about your wedding night", but Zach wasn't stopping – and before she knew it, he was opening a door labeled 'supply closet' and pushing both of them inside.

The door closed with a 'snick', and the surprising silence that followed was almost loud. They were in almost complete darkness, a bare sliver of light coming into the room from under the door, and Ami fumbled about for a switch. Strong hands caught hers, and brought her close against Zach's warm body.

"No," he said, burying his face on the tender spot where her neck met her shoulder, "leave it."

She had a dozen reasons why she'd really rather turn the lights on – not the least of which was what if they tripped over something? – but Zach embraced her and whispered against her skin: "I won't let you fall."

She melted against him instantly, the tenderness of his voice breaking away her barriers faster than anything else could. He was still hard, and the fabric of his tuxedo trousers left little to her imagination… and she had a very active imagination, if you must know. He grabbed her hips, grinding against her, and she let out a small moan. The darkness around them acted as a dampening field, making her quickly forget there were quite a lot of people out there in the hall, including her princess and her three best friends. Instead, she responded by tilting her face up – at least she thought it was up; it was a little hard to tell with the lack of illumination and all – and he captured her lips with his in a searing kiss.

His fingers threaded through her hair, short as it was, and encountered the pearl pins that held her do up. He took them out, letting them clutter to the floor, which should've made her stop. Really, it should've, because those things were expensive and very beautiful, and any minute now, she was going to stop kissing him and bend down to pick them up. Yes, any minute now.

Zach did that thing with his fingers, that twirl and tug that 99% of the time caused her bra to fall off her body (the remaining 1% was when she was wearing her Senshi outfit. For some reason, it was harder to get off that her usual clothes. She didn't mind—they had a lot of fun peeling it off layer by layer), and she felt the clasps at her back give out. But since she was still wearing her dress, her bra didn't go anywhere, although her breasts did jiggle nicely out of their confinements when he lifted her off her feet and pressed her against the stack of shelves behind her. At least she thought they were shelves, judging by the rattle of wood and metal as she settled upon them.

He went back to her skin, kissing, nibbling, touching, licking. Ami arched against him, needing his body as much as he needed hers, wondering just where was all of this wanton behavior coming from. She had heard of weddings doing strange things to people, but this was taking it a little far, wasn't it? Before she could answer herself – and really, why was she talking to herself anyway? – Zach grabbed hold of the skirts of her dress and pulled up. She half-heartedly tried to stop him, almost out of habit than will, but he silenced her protests with more kisses.

"You looked so damn beautiful out there," he muttered, and Ami could almost see him, eyes warm and glittery, features softened from their usual smirk into something so delicate and precious she really wished she could lay eyes on him just to bask in it. "So. Damn. Beautiful," he repeated, punctuating each word with a kiss to her forehead, her lips, her neck. Unable to muster up the energy to even pretend she wanted him to stop, Ami cupped his face, feeling her way by touch. Darkness aroused her other senses, smell, touch, taste and hearing, to the point where she could feel his every breath, his every pant, to the very depths of her core.

His left hand found its way under the skirts and against her hot skin, sliding up slowly, ever so slowly, until they encountered something unexpected midway up her thigh. He paused, brushed his fingers against the silk, and Ami shivered delicately when he did. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked her, voice gone hoarse in lust.

Ami blushed a little, pleased at his reaction. "It was supposed to be a surprise for tonight. Minako got us all garters for, you know, that thing where the groom pulls it down with his teeth?" That was as far as she got before Zach groaned passionately, and went down to his knees before her. Or so she felt him do, his hair brushing against her exposed thighs and his hands keeping her legs spread as she reflexively tried to close them.

"Zach!" she sputtered, her fingers entangling with his, "What are you doing?"

He planted soft kisses on the inside of her thighs, thumbs brushing soothing patterns on her skin. "Shhh, baby. It's okay." She trusted him implicitly, there was no question about that, but… this? Here? Now?

He sensed her discomfort, and Ami could tell he was looking up into her eyes. She could picture him there, kneeling between her legs, eyes upturned to hers, hair disheveled from their earlier explorations. It sent a jolt of desire through her, which tripled in intensity when he asked: "Will you let me do this for you?" Ami battled her own insecurities, her own fears and desires, but in the end, there was no doubt as to who won. She wanted this, she wanted him, and the thrill of knowing her family, her friends, were just a door or two down the hall made it all the more explosive.

Since it was dark, Zach never saw her nod, but he did feel her relax and smiled gratefully. "Thank you," he told her, in a tone reserved for petitioners worshipping their gods. And wasn't that what he was doing, a small part of Ami rationalized, worshipping at the altar of her femininity? She only got as far as that before the rest of her brain politely informed her she was going to have to stop listening to Minako. But by then, Zach's warm breath was tickling her legs, and she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out. Her skirts pooled at her waist, her heels hanging from his shoulders, she felt Zach's teeth close on the silk of the garter and pull. The fabric barely slid an inch down her thigh, but oh, what a delicious inch it was…

One of her hands still entangled with his, she squeezed it for all she was worth, fighting the urge to rise off the shelf to aid him, lest she end up sprawled all over the floor. She whimpered when he tugged again, the combination of his hands, his mouth, his breath so near and yet so very far away from where she really wanted them driving her mad.

"That's it, baby," she heard him whisper, as he released the garter to kiss her leg again, "let me hear you scream."

It was bed-talk the likes of which they rarely used. And it inflamed Ami further, because she knew she must keep silent lest they be discovered. But dear God, if he didn't start moving soon she was going to scream, because she wanted—she craved—no, she needed this. She bit her lip almost to the point of blood as Zach continued tugging the garter off her thigh with his teeth, inch by delightful inch, until she was hairsbreadth short of snapping off the wooden shelf under her hand. He finished with a flourish, and came up to stand between her legs again, which this time they closed firmly around his waist, securing him where she wanted him the most.

He groaned, and Ami felt the garter still between his fingers when he brushed her arms. He was trembling on the edge of insanity, she knew, because so was she. But even so, consumed as he was with lust and desire, he stopped and asked, because that's just how much he loved her. And because she loved him just as much, she told him all kinds of yes.

Zach cupped her bottom, lifting her off the shelf again, and Ami tumbled into him easily. They fell back against the door, kissing, groping, trashing, seeking each other bodies with desperation. Ami forced his shirt open, the twinkling of buttons bouncing off the floor a distant sound and kissed her way down his neck, knowing exactly how he liked it. He was murmuring words under his breath, words in a language long dead and a name she hadn't used in a lifetime, and she purred under his touch. She fumbled with his zipper, but he deposited her down on the floor, and turned her around before she could finish.

"What are you—" was as far as she got before he pulled her dress up and thrust into her. She didn't fight the mewl that escaped her this time, letting it fall from lips swollen from his kisses as she braced herself against the door. It was hard, fast and rough, and Ami loved every single minute of it. Her fingernails scrapped the linoleum, his trousers chafed against her skin, and she didn't care. He grunted, his breath warm against the back of her neck, chanting her name over and over and over again, a prayer, a plea, a hymn.

She came undone first, dragging him along with her, both spiraling out of control as he ground into her one last time. The world exploded into a cacophony of light and sound, the air heated with the force of their lovemaking.

When Ami came to, she was in his arms, and she could see his face cast in the light-blue glow of the pulsing sigil on her forehead. She looked up, although it was impossible for her to see the Mercury symbol imprinted on her skin, but she could feel it warm and pulsating in rhythm with their combined heartbeat.

"Wow", was all she could say, higher brain function still non-functional, "that's never happened before." Zach smiled, softly planting a kiss right on the sigil – causing her to shiver. Ok, so the thing didn't just glow, it also was an erogenous zone? – and replied: "I take it you liked it too, then?" Ami blushed a little, although judging by what had just happened it was kind of a moot point, and nodded. His smile turned even wider, and he brought his hand up; from his fingers dangled her garter, and he waved it about like a much coveted prize.

"I think I'm going to keep this, then. It'll be something worth showing to Mamoru, who's gonna have to do this in front of all of those people today…" Ami squealed in horror, lunging for the silken wrap, but he was too fast. They fell against the door again, rattling it against its hinges as they fought for dominance. Ami shifted on his lap, moving this way and that as he unsuccessfully tried to get the garter from his longer arms. She thought she almost had it when Zach's hands dropped back to her waist, immobilizing her as she felt stirrings of passion begin anew. "Careful, little snowflake, because I'm ready, willing, and if you give me a couple of minutes, more than able to do this again."

Although the glow from her sigil had all but died down, plunging them back into darkness, Ami caught a glimpse of his wicked smile, and of course, blushed again.

That's when they heard Makoto's voice. They looked at each other, panic rising between them, but the Soldier of Thunder was faster than they were and the door opened and Ami and Zach tumbled out in a mess of skirts, mops, and a broom or two.

Ami could just have died when she saw Mako's knowing look as her friend called out: "Found them!" Mortification reached new heights when behind Makoto came Nate, an even more knowing look on his face. Silence stretched out impossibly long, the force of Ami's blush and embarrassment enough to light up a whole city block, until Zach cleared his throat and said: "Well. What do you know. Fancy meeting you here."

Ami cast him a homicidal glance, although she was as much to blame for their current position as she was. Thank God her dress had fallen down to cover her legs, lest she introduce Nate to parts of her he had no business meeting. As she turned to look back at the smirking brunettes standing before them, she saw Zach calmly put her garter into the pocket of his pants, and then discreetly rearrange himself with the same move. That brought a small giggle to her lips that was soon joined by Makoto's contralto laugh and Nathan's hearty chuckle.

She took the hand Mako offered her and rose, dusting her dress and brushing off the wrinkles from the fabric. Her bra was still undone, but that was going to have to wait. "Come on, girl. Usagi was looking for you," Makoto said, and casting one last glance towards Nate and Zach, dragged Ami along. She looked back too, caught Zach blowing a kiss at her, and smiled. She was never going to hear the end of this, she knew, but oh, it had been so worth it…

Mako was silent as they moved down the hallway and past a corner or two and into the nearest restroom, where Ami cleaned herself up as best she could. However, as they neared Usagi's bridal room, Makoto cocked an eyebrow and pointedly said: "You do know you're going to have to share details, right?" Ami didn't think she had it in her, but her cheeks colored again. And then she nodded slowly. Makoto beamed at her, hands on her hips, and for the first time Ami noticed her friend's make-up was a little messed up. She quickly added one plus one and came up with 'oh my!', and raised her own eyebrow in response.

"What can I say, Ami? You beat us to it, it seems," Makoto admitted, a comely pink glossing her cheeks. The door before them burst open before Ami could reply, and a flurry of pink and white and blonde emerged. Usagi was all decked in her wedding dress, yards and yards of the whitest of fabrics Ami had ever seen, and she gasped as breath was squeezed out of her when Usagi hugged her for all she was worth: "There you are! Oh my God, I was getting so worried, and nobody could find you and I sent Mamoru out to look for you, but he couldn't come in to see me because it's bad luck if the groom sees the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony and oh my God, I'm getting married and you're here and I'm so happy and—"

The tirade continued as both Makoto and Ami were ushered into the room where Rei and Minako were already waiting, five longtime friends coming together in celebration of something they had waited two lifetimes for.

Needless to say it was a lovely ceremony. Nobody tripped – not even Usagi, carrying the bridal train behind her with elegance and poise reminiscent of the Queen she would one day become – fainted or forgot their lines. All of the girls cried, though. And after the ceremony, after they had all made their way into the dinning hall and Rei announced it was time for the bouquet and garter tradition, Ami and Zach shared a private little smile.

It didn't surprise Makoto that Ami caught the bouquet and Zach the garter. Mamoru had, after all, really good aim.

TBC...

AN: I plan to write one of these for each couple. Shenanigans galore!