TXT: Told her. Incidentally, I am apparently a stalker now.
The strawberry blond is snickering to himself as he walks home, still amused by Ami's (entirely accurate) accusation. He had been stalking her, though not to the degree she'd accused him of. Honestly, there were lines even he wouldn't cross, and even some that wouldn't be thought of as lines to be crossed that he avoided. It's more amusing to think about her accusations than the idea of what he would have done about Kenji knowing one of Usagi's alternate identities, in the past. That... and, well, he'd more than hinted that he wanted something for doing this. He'd left it up to his Prince's discretion, partly because the idea of seeing what his Prince would come up with was equally amusing.
He toes off his shoes as he enters one of the apartments, still chortling occasionally.
And then there's his Prince's voice, off to the left, in the direction of the kitchenette space attached to this particular apartment. (Seriously Mamoru's considering making a map.) "You're in a good mood," he says with no small amount of relief, and the resonance of Zoisite's own smugness echoing in his pleased tone of voice. "Maybe," he says, sticking his mussed head out the door, "I should save your bribes for when you're cranky. They're pretty good."
He's looking a lot more tan than he had been for months and months -- recovery from the Dark Kingdom didn't last long into the sunny season until Fiore had him indoors for approximately ever, and it's only the past month and a half or so that he's actually been getting back up to speed on how active he'd always been before. The sun, of course, loves him to pieces.
His hair's a mess, though, sticking up every which way. He needs a haircut again-- but there's nothing wrong with his teasing grin as he ducks back in the kitchen. "Go occupy a couch like it's Wall Street and I'll bring it out."
The comment about saving the bribe for when he's cranky gets a brief flash of lost-kitten green eyes in response. "Well, I didn't get yelled at, though apparently I have a habit of delivering important information and being annoying, simultaneously." This is perversely amusing to him, so of course he's in a decent mood. There's a brief, appraising look- he's definitely happy that Mamoru is looking better than he has in a very long time, and it's one of those things that Zoisite isn't quite ready to take for granted at the moment. At the semi-informal command, Zoisite nods--
--and does nothing so pedestrian as walk to the couch. Nope, he teleports to just over it, and then sprawls out comfortably. He knew that the encounter with Ami could have gone several ways, but perhaps choosing the pool for the encounter was the best of all available options. He shifts and wriggles into a more comfortable position, shifting a few throw pillows around, a crooked smile on his face even now.
It's like a positive feedback loop. Zoisite's pleased, which makes Mamoru pleased, which makes Zoisite even happier, which makes Mamoru even happier--
The flare of power from the other room does make the prince roll his eyes a little, and when he comes out of the kitchen to the sight of magic sakura petals vanishing in a nonexistent wind, he sticks his tongue out at Zoisite. "Look," he says, holding a plate of something high up enough that Zoi, sprawled on the couch, can't see what's on it, "just because you don't get motionsick from teleporting..."
It's a heatless grouse, still more evidence that Endy's in fine form. "So I take it it went really well, huh? She doesn't want to turn you into shark chum anymore?" he asks, setting the plate down on the coffeetable.
And holy goddamn, he wasn't kidding about the bribe. It's not one of Makoto's, but it obviously did not come from a supermarket, either. It's a miniature cake -- maybe two and a half servings if you want to be skimpy with them, but given the decadence of the thing, it's not designed for something so miserly as serving size. Devil's food and dark chocolate ganache with raspberry filling between the layers, and fresh raspberries and curled shavings of white chocolate as garnish.
"That's half of it, the other half's sheet music and it's in the other room. First, I didn't know if you'd want coffee, tea, milk, or Kahlua with that, so--"
Zoisite shrugs a little at the grouse. "Different talents for different people, my dear prince." He can't do half of what Endymion can. He does perk at the sight of the plate, trying to crane to see it without leaving the couch or even pushing up too much. He gives a melodramatic sigh when his efforts are in vain, the perfect incarnation of defeated dignity.
"Well, I think she's still fairly annoyed, but I wouldn't say shark chum. I think it helps that I was bringing an actual important message." And he's self-aware to know damn well that whatever annoyance he caused her, he richly deserves. That thought, however, goes careening merrily out the window like a Precure discovering her first superjump, as Zoisite lays eyes on the cake on the table. There may also be noises no sane man admits to making.
Of course, Zoisite makes those noises and practically sparkles. In lieu of answering the question, he practically attack-hugs Mamoru. Part of it is just the thought- he'd left the bribe open-ended as a curiosity, seeing what he would be surprised with. This has been repaid entirely, and he really couldn't be happier. Hooray positive feedback loops! "Milk would probably go best with it, though."
Attack hugged!! INCOMING ZOISITE--!!
Mamoru catches him, laughing, and squeezes back. "Okay, milk it is~" he says cheerily, not on his LIFE commenting on the squeal. Just sort of filing it away in his mental cabinet of adorable sounds.
There is already a fork there, but god knows, Zoisite may need to say 'Aaron Burr' over the phone in the next ten seconds, so as soon as Zoi's back with his feet on the floor, the black-haired boy vanishes back into the kitchen. "You never know what she'll consider important, is the problem I end up having. Or whether whatever I've done to tick her off last ends up being more annoying than the information is valuable," he calls back, then comes out with the glass of milk. He puts it down on the table, then -- still talking -- goes out another door to rustle around a little bit. "Anyway thank you. I know she was awful to you before. I haven't been able to figure out what's going on in her head in a long time... but if you enjoy annoying her after all, maybe you want the job of Official Mercury Ringmaster, I don't know. She say anything about what the ramifications might be of Tsukino-san finding out?"
This last question comes as Endymion swans back in with a sheet of paper, scribbled-on with a simple melody line. That gets put on the coffee table next to the cake and milk before he comes around to sprawl on the couch next to Zoi.