Chapter Text
“Wait, you mean like, you and Ami are together together?” Minako says, too loud, and Makoto ducks her head, tries not to imagine that everyone is staring at them. She doesn’t even dare try to see what Minako’s expression is like, glances instead at Rei, at her own hands, at the table; out through the window onto the street where people are still hurrying back and forth just like usual. Everything is still the same, she tells herself. Although it isn’t.
“Um,” she says, in the general direction of the salt-shaker in the middle of the table. “Yes?”
“Wow,” Minako says, in a tone that could mean absolutely anything. That’s interesting? Give me five minutes until that’s actually sunk in so I can freak out properly about gay cooties? You’re weird?
“I hope you don’t think we’re…” Makoto starts, and isn’t even sure how she’s going to end the sentence. She feels flustered, too warm, and remarkably exposed.
“What, no!” Minako says, too fast. “No way, I love you guys. I’m just a bit, uh,”
“Dense,” Rei finishes for her with cheerful brutality. “We know.” She seems completely unbothered, just raises an eyebrow at Minako and turns back to her drink — but then, Makoto never really felt as worried about Rei. Rei who knows things and sees things and only seems to even notice what other people might consider normal about half the time. She’s going to have to make Rei the best cake ever when she gets home.
“Apparently,” Minako mutters, and now Makoto looks her way almost without meaning to — catches Minako’s sheepish grin and manages a tiny smile back. “Then, well. Um. Congratulations! As the goddess of love I support my friends, obviously!”
“Did you talk to Usagi yet?” Rei asks, quieter but pointed, and Makoto flushes a little. It was years ago, she reminds herself, and they’ve all grown, but she hasn’t quite managed to forget how worried Usagi was that first time, with Haruka; It’s better to like boys.
“I will,” she murmurs.
The look Rei gives her says she sees right through her. “It’ll be fine,” she says, and Makoto finds that she more or less believes her, only a little tentatively.