2021/Your Boyfriend is a Buttmunch...IS HE OKAY

Your Boyfriend is a Buttmunch...IS HE OKAY
Date of Scene:	01 September 2016
Location:	Mizuno Highrise Apartment - Uminari City - Jubaan Avenue South
Synopsis:	Ami gets a visit from a tattling Usagi. Post 'Black is the New Orange.'
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Ami Mizuno

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
The knocking on the Mizuno door isn't the normal cacophony of one Usagi Tsukino, but there's still that touch of urgency.

If a knock had a mood, hers would be frantic of sorts.

On the one hand, her wrist is still recovering, in a splint that's about seventy percent for show. And of course, she's still mad and annoyed and frustrated at Taka-Butt for it.

On the other, She knows the effect cleansing has. She'd had no choice, but she still feels guilty.

(Probably more for Ami's sake than Takashi's. But Takashi's not exactly a friend now, is he? AS MUCH AS SHE TRIES!)

There's some pauses in the knocking, of course. It's hard to wipe one's nose and eyes with a splint, no matter how much it technically isn't completely necessary.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Coming," Ami says, then again, louder, "Coming!" when the insistent knocking doesn't stop. Depression leads to an increase in hospital visits, which means important trauma surgeons like Doctor Mizuno are at the hospital far more than at home.

Which means Ami is home alone, as usual. And her birthday is only a few short days away, yet. She will be wholly unsurprised if her mother has to work all of her birthday, again. Unsurprised, but not upset; she knows that her mother has her best interests at heart.

Besides, 'alone' means she can lounge around in a pair of soft pajama shorts and a camisole, with the windows open and the fans all on high, and put her research notes up on the massive television in the livingroom. 'Alone' means she can think aloud, and not worry about explaining what she's doing to her mother. 'Alone' isn't bad. It's just lonely.

And easily interrupted by blonde-haired princesses knocking at the door.

Ami doesn't even bother taking the notes down off the television. The odds of that frantic knock being anyone but Usagi are low (not the least of which because most people don't have the ability to reach the door without ringing up fromt he lobby, but also because ... well ... have you met Usagi!?), and even if it's not Usagi, the odds of anyone figuring out what the notes (mostly written in literal Moon Language) mean are even more astronomical.

So Ami opens the door, festooned in sky blue with little penguins marching along, her hair a bit messy, her eyes a bit bloodshoot, but an honest smile on her face. "Geeze, so impatient tonight. What Disney movie could possibly be tha--" she cuts off when she realises Usagi is injured, and her eyes widen in surprise.

Ami doesn't even hesitate to activate her visor, even as she gently guides Usagi inside. An inspection shows things aren't too bad (as fractured wrists go). "Usagi-chan ... are you okay!?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Mamoru had told her, after her wailing and him setting and healing her wrist the best he could, that Ami wouldn't be mad at her. Heck, even Kunzite, in a very Kunzite way, reassured her. (Though to be fair, it's getting easier to read him.)

Usagi sniffles as she hovers a bit, because she wants to hug Ami but what if she really is angry?

"H-he was trying to make his own orange but it wasn't in a good way and I was trying to stop him and and I tried to punch his face but he ducked and walls are hard and and but then it was the only thing I could do I know what I said and what you wanted but it was the only thing I could do because he wouldn't stop and I think he's okay but I don't know and I'm so sorry and I hear Zootopia's pretty good I haven't been able to see it yet..."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Convinced that Usagi's not going to die, and that her wrist is healing, Ami banishes the visor, then replays Usagi's words in her mind until she can get to the actual meaning. Grabbing her friend gently by the hand, she leads her to the couch and sits her down.

"If he's okay, then he isn't dead," Ami notes quietly, "which means you didn't break your word to me." Then she turns and heads to the kitchen, to put milk on the stove for cocoa, and to find all the sweets she can muster. "What ... did you do to him?" Ami asks, concernedly.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Ug, but! "But if he didn't stop then I probably woulda had to!" And then Ami would hate her fiveever!

She curls up on the couch, using one of the decorative pillows as equal parts teddy bear and protective barrier. "I yelled at him lots. He was being mean. About not!Jupiter and the breakup and everything and BAH! BAH! I SAY BAH!"

There's not that much venom, despite the volume.

"Oh, you meant..." She sighs. "I just....escalated him when nothing else anyone was doing would get him to stop. I didn't go as full blast though..."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"And good that you did," Ami says, amusedly. "Sounds like he deserved it--not the least of which because we agreed we would reconnoiter on our notes about this lack of orange problem, and make another controlled lab test. He ignored all scientific protocol tonight. What a jerk," she says, then rolls her eyes.

With the milk warming up, Ami brings the sweets to Usagi and then sits down beside her, wrapping the blonde in an obviously much-needed hug. "If he won't stop, and you have to kill him, then just message me. We have communicators for a reason," Ami points out gently. "And I can bend subspace to get there quickly. I will come, Usagi-chan. No matter what. You don't need to bear that burden, with him. But any time you feel the need to escalate him for being an idiot, you have my blessing to go right ahead."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"You guys did? Ug, what a dummy."

Usagi is quick to curl up against Ami, snuggling in and cuddling close. Mamoru was right. (Of course he was right.)

She sniffles and nods, wiping her nose against her splint. "Ow. Okay. And you'll let him know? Not sure he'd believe it coming from me."

Heck, she's pretty sure Takashi has her on some secret list of Don't Trust With Ten Foot Poles. Which, of course, kind of stings.

Her nose flares. "I smell chocolate."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"No, I'm not going to let him know," Ami says with a faint chuckle. "That would put a strain on our relationship that I just don't want to deal with. Besides, he knows the score. Sometimes, we're going to fight. Next time, maybe I'm going to have to put him on ice. It doesn't matter. Just don't kill him," she begs. "As long as he's alive, there's a chance I can still save him. As long as he doesn't go too far ... he's worth it. I just need more time. I need to figure him out."

Ami glances towards the kitchen, then back to Usagi, then grins. "Chocolate's on the stove. It'll be ready in five minutes."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Right. Stress is bad in a relationship. So either she'll have to let him know or...

Either way, that'll be stressful.

And of course, though she knows that getting Ami there would be quick and easy, what if there's no way to contact her? What if something happens and she can't, and the only way she can stop him is to break a promise?

Oh well, that's her own stress, she supposes. Ami does a lot already, holds too much weight on her shoulders, so one less would probably help.

The chocolate is a very welcome distraction. She wails. "Five whole minutes? How will I survive!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami laughs and leans forward to pick up a chocolate and green tea kitkat from the table. She unwraps it, breaks it in half, then offers half to Usagi--as if she's going to feed it directly into her friend's mouth. "You," she says quietly, "are incorrigible. You can wait five whole minutes. I've put a load of sweets out for you already. And if we weren't lacking an important member of the six-color spectrum, I would suggest we watch Zootopia tonight. But I th ink we should save it for after we've got orange back."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And of course, she chomps on the treat like a baby bird in the nest. Nomnom!

She settles back with her bit of chocolate and woes. "Ug, and the main guy is a fox, and what if his fur is affected? But Ami-chan, the main girl is a bunny! A bunny! Cop! That's just too!! I mean!!"

A happy little sigh for movies to come!

But then she falls quiet for a bit.

"Some of the stuff he said was right, though. I mean...not the...I didn't try to break you two up. I hope you know that? And even though she wasn't my Jupiter, I still loved her? But..."

She sighs and breaks her bit of the kitkat into pieces, not eating it. "I think I got so mad because he was right. About the whole...I mean, why should he trust me? I got everyone killed and couldn't even finish the fight without...spiritual assistance."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Fox? Fu--oh she means the movie. Ami sniffs amusedly at Usagi, cuddles her closely, then kisses her cheek. "He's wrong," Ami says. "You didn't get everyone killed up there. That was Beryl's doing. And my failure to predict things. And besides, no one is actually dead, so you didn't technically get anyone killed up there." She's just going to ignore that whole resurrection thing. Nope, never happened. Nice long nap.

"And he doesn't trust me, either," Ami points out. "Not because he shouldn't trust you or me, but because he's an idiot. You don't need Takashi Agera's trust. I'm going to beat it into him until he realises he's an idiot."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usai sighs. She's not sure how she feels about all that. What's really her, and what are Takashi's words in her mind right now? She doesn't know. "It wasn't you. I know that."

That's about all she knows about it right now, and at the moment, that's the most important, right? At leats in the way that helps keep her brain temporarily sane.

And then she's scowling. And harrumphing. "But if he doesn't trust you."

To an extent, she'd always trusted Mamoru, even then. Even then, while she didn't trust him not to break her heart or make her cry, because he did that just by breathing, she trusted he would not kill her. The only time that trust was gone had been when he was, and bright red eyes that still fueled nightmares were all that was left.

And of course, at this point she realizes that she's clinging hard to what doesn't feel like sandpaper and barbed wired anymore, and loosens her grip, no matter how mental it may be.

"Ami-chan..." Her voice is soft. "I know you can save him. But if him trusting you means you're a you that isn't you..."

She looks up at Ami, trying to hide how terrified she is. "If all there is for awhile is a trust that he won't kill you or you won't kill him...because anything else is not you, could you...accept that?"

Because while she had always trusted Mamoru, there had been a time then that becoming someone he could trust, no matter how little of herself survived the transition, had been so incredibly tempting. If not for her family, her friends, things oculd have ended up so very different.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami reaches up to pet Usagi's hair gently as Uasgi starts in on her questions about trust. She listens as the question draws on, until it reaches the end. Luckily, she's saved by the timer, because that is a hard question to answer. Ami disentangles herself and slides back towards the kitchen, an uncertain expression on her face.

The milk chocolatey goodness gets poured; little marshmallows for one cup and the other gets a bit of whipped cream. Then she sighs and stares down at the two mugs, not moving for a few moments.

But she can't draw it out too long. Ami lifts both mugs and heads towards the livingroom. She still hasn't spoken when she sits down next to Usagi and places the mugs on the table carefully. Then she leans back and finally, with a soft sigh, she admits, "I think ... I think I can accept it. I've been tempted to lie to him; to pretend to become the girl he wants me to be, so that I can convince him that way. But I'm worried that it would back fire. That I'd screw up, or lose my powers, or ... I don't know. I just don't know." She shakes her head, then says, "I don't want to become that, Usagi-chan."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi taks her cup and stares at the tiny marshmellows.

"It's easy. To want that. Or to want...to not to pretend." She looks at Ami out of the corner of her eye. "But you have to remember during those times, okay? About your Mama, Papa, about Shi--about the people who love you." She gives a large and wide toothy grin, hoping to cover the near slip of the truth. "Like me!"

She nods, and shrugs, and once again her marshmellows are facinating.

"Hey, Ami-chan? I love you. You know? And...if. If. If it comes to it. If I have to. If you get in over your head...I will bring you out. I will...even if you hate me after, I will bring you to you again, okay? So you won't be lost forever. If it happens. Which I don't think it will, but."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami winces and looks away from Usagi. It's clear the blonde is really talking about herself, but even so: reminding her of her father is never helpful with Ami. In this case, so close to her birthday and yet another broken promise, it only serves to drive the wound in a little deeper.

She sighs and closes her eyes, then puts her head on Usagi's shoulder.

A faint squeeze of the blonde's knee, but Ami doesn't say anything else. He's not come any of the years since he left. Sure, he wrote her a letter promising to be there again this year. But he won't. She shouldn't get her hopes up. She shouldn't let it get to her. But it certainly isn't the reason not to go be the evil queen Takashi wants her to be.

So instead she focuses on her mother, and on the love of the girl next to her. It's warm, and bright, and brilliant, and comforting. And it's enough. "I know you would," she finally says. "But it ... I'm not going to let him do that to me. I'm not ... I'm going to stay good, Usagi-chan. You need Sailor Mercury. I won 't let him take her away."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
If Usagi knew what was going through Ami's head, she'd harrumph again and say what a fool her father is.

But she doesn't, because she's too past-focused right now.

Still, Ami's assurances has Usai beaming. Bright eyes and a brilliant smile. "Good. I mean, I know. But, you're a dummy butt. It's not Mercury I need, Ami-chan. Well, okay, she is. But it's only because you're Mercury."

She shifts and moves until she's on her knees next to Ami, eyes completely focused on her. "I mean it. I love my Ami-chan. She is the best Ami-chan there is in the entire world. Even if she gets an A- in Chem, she'd still be the bestest because she's my Ami-chan. The fact that she's also my Mercury just means I'm doubly blessed in this life."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami blushes a little at Usagi's affections. She ducks her head and leans forward to retrieve her mug and sip from it, desperately not looking at the burning appearance from Usagi. "I um. I'm not going to get an A- in Chem," Ami says quietly. "A--actually, though, I should talk to you about what I am planning to do. You have a right to know. And ... to tell me not to if you want me not to."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi snorts and rolls her eyes. "Of course you're not. You're Ami-chan! But if you did, or lower, you'd always be my Ami-chan! See?"

And then, as Ami continues, Usagi perches tere, head tilted to one side.

So far she hasn't felt the need to veto any decision made. And of course, the fact that she could felt weird. "What's the plan? I promise to listen lots! And try to understand! And if I think it's poopoo, you can tell me why it isn't because it probably isn't!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"There's one thing Takashi has said," Ami explains, leaning back a little and turning to face Usagi. Okay, maybe that puts their faces a little too close, but Ami doesn't back away.

Instead, she bites her lip and continues to explain, "He ... he keeps pointing out that I don't belong in middle school. That I should be in college. That ... I'm smarter htan where I am. I'm holding myself back. And he's not ... wrong. He's not wrong."

She swallows, looks away briefly, then back, "So next month I'm going to take a test ... an entrance exam for Tokyo University. If I pass, I can start taking courses. Real courses, Usagi-chan. Not just a few on the side like Takashi does. I'd still have to attend middle school and high school; I have to take every test you do, and do all the same homework. I'd just ... only be there a few days a week instead of every day. The other days I'd be going to college."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi listened intently. She absorbed the words, figured out meanings, calculated what it all meant. She took in account her personal feelings (NOT EVEYR DAY WITH AMI-CHAN?!) along with her worries (WHAT IF SHE WORKS HERSELF TOO HARD?!) and at the end there was only one reaction she had.

With a squeal, Usai launches at Ami in a giggly, tight hug. "Ami-chan, taking college classes?! For reals?!"

She pulls back, hands all a flutter over her friend's hair and shoulders. "Ohhhh, I was hoping! You're sometimes just so bored in class even when you try not to be!" And then, a serious face. Well, more a concerned face. "Just...okay, I hear they can be tough, okay? And this is only a suggestion! You probably know better than me anyway!" She chews her lip and wrings her hand. "If you take a semester and its very stressful for you...would it be possible for you to take...less classes the next? I just don't want to see you all ulcery is all! And I do think you could easily do a bajillionty classes!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami manages, at the very last possible instant, to get her mug of cocoa out of the way of the flying Usagi attack. She nearly spills it, but doesn't--not quite. There may be ice involved. Gently she sets hte mug back down, then wraps Usagi in a return hug.

"You're okay with this!?" Ami asks, as if she's completely surprised. "I mean. I mean yes. Yes, I can choose to take as many classes as I want, and if it doesn't work out they're not going to think poorly of me if I don't return for another semester and instead focus on my regular schooling. Most of them would prefer it, honestly. I'm violating a lot of tradition, here."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi has a giggle and a pillow upside Ami's head. "Okay with this?! Ami-chan, duh! You're like almost as smart as Mamo-chan!" Which, of course, should be extremely high praise, considering her extreme bias toward her honey's intelligence.

"I mean, you read very smart books like quantum whosits for funsies! You watch documentaries about space and physics for funsies! Of course I'm okay with this! I'm very happy and very supporty okay with this!"

There's more hand flutters and hair soothings. "I mean, of course I'm gonna miss you dreaful the days you're not in scool. But I could just text you during lunch!"

Then she's scoffing. "Tradition smadrition. You're going to be amazing. And when I'm still figuring out if I wanna learn under water basket weaving or child development, you're gonna have like a billion degrees."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami squeaks and covers her head with her arms, protecting her from the pillow attack. Oh but it's the words that cut through deeper. "Almost as smart?!" she asks, then grabs a pillow to whap Usagi back with it. "I'm way smarter than your dumb boyfriend! He's just got a few years ahead of me!"

Ami grins, then says, "This will let me catch him up. I want to make a difference, Usagi. I want to help people. Do some ground breaking research that betters the world, or be a doctor that saves lives. I don't know what, yet. But I don't want to sit in school another five years when I could be doing it now. Helping people now. And .. I'm going to miss you. So much. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this before I met you. I wasn't brave enough. I wasn't ... ambitious enough, I guess. So ... so thank you. Really. A lot."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A squeal! "I am biased, Ami-chan! Biased! You may be smarter, but I won't see it because biassssssed!" (At lesat she's aware of this!)

She oofs at the pillow and fwaps again! "And Mamo-chan's smarter than your dumb boyfriend if nothing else!"

And then her eyes are all glittery and there's no pillow. "Ami-cha. I'll still see you some days, and call you the others. I'll text you so much you may be tempted to change numbers! But please don't do that if it really gets that bad I'll behave!"

Her hands are on either side of Ami's face as she leans in to touch foreheads. "This, Ami-chan? It's you. All you. All I can take credit for is helping you see."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami shrieks as she's hit by another pillow attack, but then her face is being gently gripped and she doesn't have a chacne to retaliate. She doesn't lean away from that embrace or nearness; instead she seeems to lean into it. But she doesn't keep her eyes open; they close as she leans against Usagi, and a slow smile spreads across her features.

"I hope I don't mess it up," Ami says quietly, instead of arguing with Usagi about who's responsible. "I'm terrified of this, Usagi-chan. But I'm not backing down. I want it. I want it a lot."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Good. Sometimes the best things in life are the scariest. You won't mess it up. And when the time comes for you to take a break when you won't, I'll come by with the Disney movies!"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami opens her eyes again, then puts her arms around Usagi's neck and hugs her tightly. She puts her nose on Usagi's shoulder and smiles, hugs again, then lets her go. "So ... you do realise you're not Makoto, right?" she teases gently. "You really don't want to be punching walls, sweetie."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Conversation on another topic, Usagi sighs woefully at her hand. "If I didn't, I do now. If I were Mako-chan, the wall would be dust."