Five in the morning is a time that most people don't particularly want to be awake for, from either side. Too late for most of the late-night people; too early for a lot of the morning people.
So of course Kazuo is awake for it every time he can get. After all, the more people are out cold, the more likely he can actually make it out of the apartment for a run.
If, that is, he can manage to slip out without waking anyone else up.
Sometimes that works.
Sometimes Mamoru joins him-- sometimes his run is later, sometimes he doesn't run. Especially if he was out late with Usagi the night before and then had to do homework, and then conceded to watching a magical girl anime somewhat reluctantly with Unmei while plotting to get Usagi to take that duty over, and then crawled into Zoisite's room late and took advantage of an overly large and overly warm teddybear that has a habit of cuddling him back.
Notably, this morning is one of those.
Today, however, it does not. With some of the drama and action around the apartment lately, is it any wonder that Zoisite has been having issues staying abed? He's not to the point of making coffee yet- an unspoken signal to wake up- but he is poking around the kitchen, stil pajama-ed, with his hair still loosely framing his head.
He'd slipped out with a brief apology for his prince, all restless and unsettled. Making breakfast- or at least getting the stuff together for breakfast was a good way of taking out that restlessness. He yawns blearily as he pokes at the stuff, a slow, cat-green blink as he meditates (perhaps a little too hard) on the food.
For most, it was a nice, calm, relaxing night. And then those with particularly attuned senses would probably -feel- the scream.
It wasn't a vocal scream, in fact, most wouldn't probably even notice it. But it cut through the air like a knife. Just confusion shifting to a sudden sense of despair and pain and a base desire to just -give up and fall apart-. To not even try to fix it, to surrender to the pain and just... let it win.
However, that was just what was felt. What was heard was nothing, aside from a light creaking of a bed that was far, far too soft.
Unmei had been sitting up a moment ago. But now she, or some might say he, was laying on her back and staring at the roof. Getting up, moving, things like that she just... couldn't do. She could feel it. The gem was gone. The window was open, and she was sure Pin was gone too.
Every drop of hope and joy that had slowly been filling her life had fled with it and, now, her mind was weighing the options of going out the window -after it-.
Shock was a bit harsh on the body at an hour like this.
So even though Kunzite is attempting to slip out the door and Zoisite is puttering and they're all very quiet and the apartment is very quiet and Jadeite and Nephrite are definitely dead asleep, the door to Zoisite's room SLAMS OPEN and there are pounding feet in the hall, and Mamoru whooshes past the kitchen Zoi's in--
--he does not yell, does not cry out, does not want to wake anyone who's not awake, does not want to make Unmei panic even further and do something sudden that he can't reverse; instead, his mind's reaching out to the inhabitants of the apartment to see who's where, and he yanks on Kunzite and Zoisite with an emphatic 'Unmei' image and some muted panic to it, and then--
--and then he's stopping at the door of Unmei's guest room. He carefully opens it, not even breaking a sweat, not even breathing heavily, and he feels the draft from the window and he'd already be flipping out and moving to the window himself but he can feel her despair from here and she's not moving. So Mamoru steps in and calls hesitantly, "Unmei? Sweetheart, we're here, what happened--?"
Zoisite is awake and at that door in roughly the time it takes Mamoru to send that message, the laziness in his eyes and posture sharpening into something worried. It takes a great deal to make his Prince panic, after all, and if his Prince is panicking over something in their guest's room--
Well, it doesn't take someone with Mizuno's level of intellect to deduce something very, very wrong is going on. The fiery-haired Shitennou gives the door a look-- as much as he would want to bust in, that might make things worse.
This was not the kind of running that was in the plan. Kazuo's shoes are abandoned in the entry. He's seconds behind Zoisite; Zoi's reactions are quicker -- but only seconds. Pale looming shadow in the other pair's wake.
Unmei Tama blinked and then. "D-don't! Go away! GO AWAY!" she screamed. And her voice sounded a... little different. Fortunately only a little. And she wrapped herself tighter under her blankets, pulling away from the door and getting as close to the wall as she can. Fortunately, that also meant she was further from the window.
Physically she seemed... a little calm. Terrified. But emotionally she was screaming and flailing like a wounded animal. Terrified they'd see her like -this-. That they'd make her stay like -this-. Like they'd stop helping her. That everything had gone wrong. That she would have to go -back-.
From under the covers he might she her shift. And realize going out the window had suddenly gotten a lot more appealing. Namely because her mind was a raging storm and the only thought that seemed to be stabilizing is -I can't be this.'
"Unmei," Mamoru says, keeping all the panic out of his voice, and shortly thereafter, getting it shoved out of his own head: Unmei doesn't need that. "Remember what I told you. Remember." His voice lowers a little as he comes in the room further; he gestures Zoisite past him to block the window, please, and gestures for Kunzite to close the door. Each is accompanied by the brush of his hand against one and the other: she's suicidal. "Kunzite, in a few minutes, I need you to pick some stuff up from the store, okay? Her favorite ice cream, maybe, uh-- a lot of chocolate--"
And all this time, he's moving further into the room, further. Around the end of the bed. "I don't have to look at you to help, if you don't want me to-- can I touch your head? Can you tell me what happened? Will you let us keep helping--?"
And then he's crouched next to the bed. "Or just put your hand out from under the blanket-- let me take your hand--"
The slightly different sound to Unmei's voice has Zoisite tilting his head slightly-- it's something nagging, though he's not quite sure what bothers him about it. Instead, he follows his Prince's direction, curling up in the window with the air of a lazy cat.
"Whatever did happen, we're here," Zoisite agrees, still trying to puzzle out the odd note to Unmei's voice, the subtle change. For all that all of his attention is focused on Unmei, he's keeping his eyes half-lidded, his gaze far less intense than it would be normally.
Unmei Tama shook her head. "No no. Please. J-just go. This isn't... this isn't right. I'm not right. I'm wrong. I'm hideous and ugly a-and a monster and I'm wrong everything is wrong I'm wrong I just... I just..." She was flailing, so, so hard. Odd, there didn't seem to be any gluttony affecting her at all this time.
And that'd probably clue him into what was wrong. Why she was doing so poorly.
And then he said that... And she ran! Towards the window!
And fell out of the bed, wrapped in blankets around the waist and... and they'd be able to see.
Namely because Unmei's body may have been fake before, but it had been designed like a super model's. Now? There were a lot of similar features. But there was no chest and there were a few other things quite apparant about her.
Oh... that'd be it. And he started flailing, trying to get out from the bindings and in a full on -panic-, lashing out at anyone who touched him.
And there's Mamoru's forceful voice. The one that rings with authority, that brooks no argument, that has the sound of finality and decisions that have been made at a higher level-- the one that has an almost frightening sense of presence to it. "You. Are. A. Girl," he says, and it fills the room, and the crouch is no longer a crouch, but Endymion next to the flailing writhing panicking lashing-out girl-who-looks-like-a-boy and very swiftly scooping her up, weathering the storm and the strikes.
Wherever he can, he's got a hand to her skin, flooding them with gold, flooding her with acceptance and understanding and fierce protective love. "Stop it, Unmei. I said we'd fix this. I SAID WE'D FIX THIS. Please, I know it hurts. I know how wrong it is. I know how wrong it is."
Since Kunzite's closed the door, and Endymion's got hold of Unmei -- no matter how violent she's being about it -- Endymion looks up at Zoisite again. He speaks over the girl if he has to. "Can you quick get some of your clothes for her? I don't think hers will fit. And some makeup? And tell Kunzite to go now, it's going to be okay."
Zoisite nods, eyebrows practically clicking together audibly. That... certainly explains the desire to jump out a window. The flame-haired shitennou doesn't even bother to stand, he just teleports, back in moments with the things he'd need.
"You're not the only person whose true gender is at odds with their body, Unmei-chan," Zoisite agrees softly. "And while I am not trans, myself, I think the fact that there is a term for that disjoint between body and mind, body and spirit, and there are ways to make you look more like your actual self." He's making it a point to keep his voice even-keeled as he offers clothing- some of his more feminine clothing- over.
Unmei Tama punched and slapped at his chest, but there was no desire to hurt there. Just a desire to... well, hurt herself, but not him. And then slowly she began to calm. At least, physically. Internally he could probably feel it. "I... I..." she said softly. "You... you have to fix this. You... you promise... r-right?" he said softly and stared up at him.
There were tears in his eyes, and Mamo would be able to feel the worst of it. Not that she was a he now. But that she -saw herself as a he-. And she wanted to cry. She NEEDED to cry. But boys didn't cry. Boys weren't allowed to cry. And already she could feel herself falling back into who she'd been, suppressing herself. And it scared her. She tried to fight it, but years of instinct and obedience and just accepting it were taking over and dragging her back down and she needed him.
The positive side was, whatever the gem had done to her body, it seemed to have an effect on her male side too. She definitely had a lot of feminine features and complexion. Aside from her chest and a few minor things to give her away, she'd probably pass just fine. But her mind was the worst part right now, dragging her down to despair.
She stared up at him, quivering. "I... I want the pain back. It... it hurt less. I-I don't c-care if I have to b-be hungry all the time or... or do bad things or... or hurt people I-I just want to... I want to be me..." Her body trembled in his arms and she tried to cry. But it wouldn't come out, it refused. She stared up at him with that helpless despair.
"H-help me..."
"I promised," Endymion says firmly, and sinks down onto the edge of the bed, still holding her. He tilts his head a little at Zoisite-- c'mere-- and while one of his hands stays on Unmei's skin, the other reaches to take the first of the items of clothing Zoisite's offering. "We're going to fix this. It might take a few days, but I already asked Sailor Moon to look into getting a copy of the device for a friend, I didn't specify who. And I told her it was for a girl who was born with the wrong body, and she said that that was terrible and she'd do everything she could to help. And Zoisite's right here, and even if Zoisite isn't trans like you, sometimes Zoisite is a girl. And even if I'm not trans either, I'm not always a boy. We get it. It's okay. It's seriously okay, and we're going to fix this--"
As he's talking, he's shifting Unmei to the bed and helping, if she'll let them, Zoisite help her with getting pretty clothes on. "And it's okay to cry, too. I mean, not only are you a girl, but gods-- you should see me cry sometimes, hell. It's okay to be upset. It's okay to have feelings, and to let yourself react to them. Not letting yourself react will just make you sick and hurt you more on the inside. Sometimes I have to yell at Kunzite for that."
Endymion leans in and says with a confidential air, "He's buying you lots of chocolate right now." And then back to the same calm and measured and reasonable voice, "So we're working on a magic solution, and while we work on that, we can also help you look more the way you feel, and we can start looking into where to get you hormone replacement, and reassignment surgery if you want to go that route, and I promise you if you want that I will pay for it, okay? You're a girl, and it's not your fault people have been trying to convince you otherwise your whole life. Here, here's a really pretty skirt, do you like this one? Or want a different one? It's your choice. And we can go shopping later for stuff you want to pick."
Zoisite nods. "I think the word for that is genderfluidity," he says. He's masking the urge to raise an eyebrow at Mamoru over the 'not always a boy'. That's for later. "And sometimes I'm 'neither option'. That's all okay, and so is crying. If anyone tells you differently..." The statement hangs at the end, menacing, protective, and layered with someone told me the same thing, once.
"And until we can get you fixed up with those things, I can teach you how to fix up your face so you look more like yourself, sweetie."
Unmei Tama stared up at him and then, slowly. Very, very slowly, she was starting to calm down. She didn't fight him, in fact, she let him do as he pleased, moving her around like she was some kind of doll. Oddly, that seemed to help her a little bit. It was weird, but it made her feel girlier as they put things in front of her and told her 'pick this' and 'wear this' and 'we'll fix you'. Except they meant they'd fix her in the right way. Actually fix what was wrong with her. Not fix what they thought was wrong with her.
She slowly nodded. "I-I do..." she whispered softly. "I... I want to be me. To be... Unmei. Its... it's pretty. Can... can I have something with... with flowers, though? And... and a bit shorter? Please?" she asked softly, staring at them. "And... and black? And red?" She nodded slowly, her voice cracking a little.
"Please don't... don't let Yuzu see me like this. I don't want her to... I-I don't want her to know. Please. S-she's the only one who's ever wanted me." It was a little scary how much she still believed that. "Don't let her... her know I'm not a... that I..." She stared up at mamo and, slowly, the tears began to fall. "D-don't let me lose her... p-please...."
Endy gives Zoi a quick little half-smile after Unmei states some preferences, and nods; whether Zoisite's sorting through the pile or going off to get some other things, the prince's focus shifts back to Unmei. He helps her pull on whatever of the original pile she does like, and all she can pick up from the skin contact with him is matter-of-factness, is care and concern, is still that protectiveness-- the same as what was echoed in Zoisite's trailed off statement, the same that had been echoed in Kunzite's realization from the other night of what the problem Unmei truly faced was. There's not the faintest hint of judgement in any way, only the driving need to help.
"Whatever Zoi can find-- that'll be what you'll have to make do with until we can go shopping, and then when we do, you can pick whatever you want. Except no princess dresses unless there's actually a prom or something coming up," he teases gently. "And you might actually want to just go shopping with Zoi, or maybe with Zoi and Usagi-- I think you've met her? She understands this kind of problem too. We don't-- we don't actually tolerate intolerance of differences, or bullying. But I legit have no eye for women's fashion, and believe me, Zoi and Usa really, really do."
Then he reaches up to touch her face, cupping the side of it gently and brushing a thumb over her cheek. "Nobody you tell here will tell Yuzu. Nobody here will out you. I'll always ask you if it's okay before telling anyone-- and I'll tell you which people I know it's safe to tell, if you want to. And Zoi will help you pass to the point that nobody will even think to question it, until we truly get this fixed for you. I think at some point you'll need to tell Yuzu, because relationships need to have trust at their heart. And if you can't trust her to love you if she knew, and she can't trust you not to lie if you have a problem, then that might eventually blow up. But it doesn't have to be now."
Unmei Tama nodded slowly, listening, trying to get through. She actually felt a little disappointed that he said no to the princess dresses. She LIKED princess dresses. But then, she wasn't a princess. She was teetering on the edge. "O-okay. I... I'd like that. Usagi? Y-yeah. I think I saw her... once? While here?" Likely just in passing, but still. "And she's... she seems nice. A bit over emotional, I think." .... Oh, right, SHE was one to talk. And he could feel it, though. Her just... burying everything in. Down. Suppressing her feeling and...
And then he cupped her cheek. And stroked her cheek. And he helped her put on the girly clothes. And it was such the thing you just -did- to a girl that it'd drive a wedge into her. And she'd shatter.
In a good way, for once. She lunged forward and, rather than kissing him, she wrapped her arms around his chest and full on bawled into his chest, the tears flowing down her face in torrents as she held on, sobbing and wailing and sobbing and crying with everything she had, clutching him tightly.
"She's full of sunshine and storms," laughs Endymion, at Unmei's description of Usagi. "She--"
And then he felt the dam about to burst, and that was the only warning he had before he finds himself with his arms full of Unmei, crying her heart out, and this-- this is natural, this isn't prompted by dark energy or an overwhelming outside influence--
--or rather, any besides the ones people face from society in general, from the outside world, from the sins and cruelties of life in a world of people that don't understand what harm words and attitudes can do to the fragile emotions of others.
And his arms fold around her immediately, tight and protective, and there's no hesitation and no stiffening -- only a brief bracing to catch her without falling down before he relaxes and just holds her, stroking her back, the side of his head against the top of hers. He murmurs quiet nonsense things, letting her feel the solidity of him and the vibration of his voice in a comforting timbre. Not once does he tell her to stop, not once is there any shade of discomfort or uneasiness or impatience.
There's only that feeling of safety, of a sunny golden shield for her to hide behind, to cry as long as she needs to so she can get it all out.
Unmei Tama held him and just wailed for what felt like, to her, like hours. To him it probably felt even longer. though it was only about five minutes. But, when it was done, she felt... hollow.
Broken, beaten, abused, exhausted. But... but there was something else. For one, she wasn't alone. She had someone there. Someone who would fix her and ACTUALLY fix her. Who would take care of her and keep her safe. Who wouldn't let -any- of them beat her and force her to be what she wasn't. Who wouldn't send her back to a place where they'd tear her apart so she could be what they said she was. What they wanted her to be.
She slowly pulled away and he could feel it. She wanted to wash her face and-- well, okay, apparently she didn't want to go without him. If he allowed it, she'd hold his hand and drag him to the bathroom, and wipe her face off(or, if he tried, let him clean it off.) Now that she was in proper clothes, and a much better, cleaner face, she'd bury her head into his chest and close her eyes.
"Can... can I have some ice cream now... please? And... and you've been talking to Sailor... Moon then... r-right? Can... can I have her auto graph, too? I... I used to h-have one of the limited edition two foot tall opposable statues of her, you know. M-mom thought it was weird, b-but she thought I just had the hots for her." She smiled and chuckled. "B-but I didn't. I mean, she's cute but... she was so pretty and confident. I just.... i just wanted to... be like her... you know? Like all the magical girls..."
To be honest-- Mamoru is used to girls crying on him. Usually they are Usagi, but not always. He's been best big brother to a bunch of girls for the past couple of years, and it's not about to stop anytime soon. So he's nothing but patient and kind and reassuring, throughout.
And once she pulls away with that desire to wash her face-- she doesn't have to do a lot of tugging. Only once so he's sure she wants him to come with her, and then-- yes, he washes her face for her, one handed with a washcloth, or two-handed, always making sure she doesn't lose contact, doesn't lose that reassurance. He doesn't want her to be without it yet, because who knows how fast she'll make herself believe it was wishful thinking?
So when they're done, he's leaning partly against the wall, letting her hang on, letting her bury her face in his chest again -- the cotton yukata could take the tears anyway, and she might not be the biggest fan of her face there again now that it's chilly and damp, but he doesn't mind any of it.
"You can have ice cream now, or wait until Kazuo gets back with new ice cream and chocolate," he says with a little laugh. "And you can definitely have Sailor Moon's autograph. And she always likes hearing she's pretty and confident, so you should tell her so!" And then he tucks his head back slightly to look down at Unmei, grinning. "And if you happen to like Sailor V, I have literally a garbage bag full of her merch in the back of my closet somewhere that she shoved off on me two years ago, and I had NO idea what to do with it, and STILL don't. Lots of first or limited edition stuff."
"Someone called?" a deeper voice asks, not in the room, but not so far away. Somehow Kazuo managed to fit finding somewhere that's open at five AM in among everything else --
(Let's face it. They do support work for magical girls. Of course he knows where he can find ice cream and chocolate at five in the morning. Especially when he can cheat on the transit. Yes, this is an occasion for cheating.)
(Which means there is ice cream, new ice cream, chocolate, and Sailor V.)
Unmei Tama kind of enjoyed having someone tend to her. it was... comforting. Especially since he was so gentle and kind and called her a her. So often. And she didn't mind that he was a bit wet. He was also safe. And loving. And kind. And... he was so, so much for her. So very much. She didn't even consider kissing him, either. He'd probably feel it, too. He'd managed to completely bypass ANY romantic feelings and go straight into 'dad' mode in her mind. Which likely was a bit annoying for him since he was only, at best, 3 years older than her.
Still, his actual daughter was well into her 500s so it could be worse.
And then he said that. Her eyes actually sparkled. "W-what? FIRST EDITION? Oh my gosh does that include the limited edition transforming wand with water zapper heart cannon of love with removable base?!" she asked, leaning in somehow -closer-. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I-I can't believe it! I used to have a TON of sailor V stuff but when I left home I had to give up all of it and I didn't really have the money to get it here and oh my gosh really you are the best person EVER Mamo!" And then hug. And yes, a happy hug! He found the happy button, merchandise! Quick, buy her toys! Distract her with legos!
And then there was chocolate and she was sitting and munching and ice cream cone and... after a bit, she was staring at it... one hand was still wrapping tightly around one of theirs, kun or mamos, either one who wanted. "... So... you'll... get me the... the replacement, right? Do... do you know where... Pin went?" she asked softly, looking up. "Do you know how he got out?'
The minute Kazuo'd arrived, Mamoru'd flashed a faintly sparkling look at him -- like, 'well, it may not have been A Run but hopefully you took advantage of it and ran' affectionately teasing look -- and then it was really very much just a matter of making sure there's contact even when Unmei's using both her hands for munching. "I have noooo idea what's in that bag, but you can definitely have all of it. I'll dig it out in a few, probably once Zoi's back from the makeup run. Your complexions aren't that similar, so he probably went out getting stuff that'd complement your coloration..."
He's eating ice cream, too, to be perfectly honest. For breakfast. He's not going to school today; he'd taken a moment after Kunzite got there to go let Jadeite and Nephrite know and ask them to take his homework in for him and get a fresh batch.
"Definitely getting you the replacement. I might have to go into a little more detail than you'd originally wanted me to, but I promise that I won't put you in danger with any of it." A beat. "Um... Pin. Is that the pin you threw in the elevator? Kazuo stuck it in a room somewhere..." A beat, and Mamoru's eyes widen. "He?? We stuck a dude in a closet??"
"We stuck an evil, snarling, betraying little monstrosity in a closet," Kazuo corrects, clinical and even. "I considered walling it off or trapping it in place and impaling it, but I expected you'd be more upset over ether of those. I haven't had time to examine the thing yet. Maybe it figured out a way to get at the hinges."
Unmei Tama stared at him like... "You two are the most awesome people ever." Nom nom nom. On the up side... she barely ate half a cone before she just... put it down. "... Honestly... I'm... not really that hungry now. Anymore," she muttered. "Is... that okay? If I don't finish?" Oddly, she looked to... Kun? For the okay? Well, it was obvious who she thought the -head- adult of the house was.
Then looked back to mamo. "Okay. I... I'll trust you... okay? DOn't... please... don't..." She gave his hand another squeeze. "Don't lie to me..." Not 'don't let me down' or 'don't fail me' or... any of that. Just a beg for him not to lie to her. To not... toy with her feelings. She trusted him. A lot. And she needed him, desperately, to come through for her on this. Possibly more than she'd ever needed anything before.
No. Definitely more than she ever needed anything before.
"Having the... the gluttony wasn't... so... bad.... I think... compared to this... But if you can fix it. I... I can be strong for a little bit... okay?"
At Kazuo's description, Mamoru makes a kind of grimacey 'ooh' face, then nods firmly. "That's fine to stick in a closet. I seriously just thought it was a full-of-dark energy object..." and then he trails off, and the corner of his mouth twitches a little at Unmei's asking permission of Kazuo to not finish.
Then her emotions are roiling and she looks at him with that face, and squeezes his hand again, and asks him not to lie to her--
"I won't lie to you," he says firmly. "I will never tell you anything I don't believe is true, and I'll warn you if something's going to take a while -- like the device, it might take a few days, it might take a week. But I will get you something so that you don't hate just existing, and Zoisite already said he'd teach you how to do the right makeup, and Zoi can also teach you how to walk if that's not something you've worked out the balance for yet. And there might be limitations on the device-- I know the one that I used only worked for twenty-four hours and then I had to do the incantation again, but I could-- and did-- do it every day and it didn't put any kind of strain on me magically. But like I said for that-- in the meantime we can also look into doctors for changing your non-magical body, and use the magic over that as you're in progress. Is that-- is that okay?"
And for the record, Mamoru Chiba was probably born making dad jokes, so.
That look to Kunzite for the okay is bounced to Mamoru, which ... results in Kunzite catching that mouth-twitch. Kazuo does not, quite, cough.
"That's all right," he agrees to Unmei. "As long as you remember to clean up. One of us will wash the dishes, though." Because washing dishes while clinging is not ... all that viable. One needs both hands.
And then the conversation filters back to the more serious side, and Kunzite hesitates -- doesn't say anything. And puts a hand on Unmei's other shoulder, the side opposite Mamoru. It's a familiar weight, after the last few days.
Unmei Tama nodded. "Pin is probably full of dark energy. and he's a jerk face." She then paused. "But..." She stared at the table. "He... was... there for me. For a while. When... when no one else was. Even before I came here. when... when I lived back there. In my old life..." Her hand tightened on Mamo's hand. "... He was there even when no one else was. I don't think... I would have had the courage to escape if not for him. And... I wouldn't be here, either." Then, though.
"But if he took the gem from me. I'll do far worse than flushing him down a toilet. I swear. I'll make him pay for... for this. H-how could he do this to me? A-aren't mascots supposed to support their girls?"
She nodded. "O-oh, that's fine. The... the gem wasn't supposed to k-keep me as a girl indefinitely e-either. But.. I-I kept it on because I... I needed it," she mumbled, sniffling. "When can I see a doctor about that, Mamo?" she asked, looking back to him. "I-I wanna as soon as possible. I... I think I can wait a week. As long as I don't have to wait any longer than that, okay? Please?" And then her eyes lowered again.
"And... and I can tell Yuzu... once I'm... me again. Not... like this, please. I don't want her to ever see me like this... I don't want anyone to see me like this..."
Mamoru's silent about Pin being there for Unmei-- Kazuo's got more experience with the ways things full of dark energy can seem like they want to help--
--he just keeps holding Unmei's hand. "Not all mascots," he says, one corner of his mouth turning down. "Remember when we were all telling you not to make deals with a white rat-rabbit thing for power? Kyubey's a mascot I guess but he's the one that gets all those girls in trouble in the first place, and he doesn't help them get out of it. Mascots can be good or bad just like people."
But then Unmei's explaining a little about the gem, and the black-haired prince's eyes soften. "First we need to get you a boy's false papers, I think. It'll probably be easier if we do it in another country, because I think you might be able to pass for a young-looking eighteen, but there's no passing for twenty-- and it's going to take a lot of visits to that doctor, and the transition itself takes a while because it's rough on your system. But we can start looking into it today, while Moon is working on getting you the device. Once we've got papers and a country sorted out, we can find a doctor and go make the first visit."
A beat. "Um-- what country are you from? The two easiest for us to get to are Canada and France, and you can look age of majority in either..."
Another beat, and he's grimacing a little. "And, um. The doctor'll need to see you like this. But it'll be okay, because it'll be to help you, and it's their job. I'll make sure they're a good doctor."
"There's a difference between someone who wants to help you to do your best," Kazuo says quietly, "and someone who wants to use you to serve their own purposes. Pin proved which he was some time ago." Say, when he admitted he was working for Eclipse -- no, the one she'd recognize, that he knows of, is when Pin outed her.
He glances aside at Mamoru, then, and adds, "I've been doing a little of the research in spare time, just in case. There are some decent clinics you might start with." That are conveniently not in Japan, but not around the world, either. And that make a policy of not asking too many questions, which is how they picked up the experience to be decent clinics to begin with.
And some of them even actually care.
Unmei Tama looked crest fallen then. "I... I could take that long?" she asked softly, staring at him. "But... but you're powerful a-and stuff. I thought you could make things go... faster," she mumbled. "Are you going to get fake papers for... ummm... Unmei, too? I'm not sure Eclipse will support the ones they have now. Err... and I'm from America, but I was pretending to be Italian. I now know English, Italian and Japanese." Odd, she didn't even have an accent. "Canada is nice. I hear they're like, colder versions of us." Then he said that.
"F-fine. But I want a... a girl doctor... okay? And if she's mean, I'm telling her to 'andare succhiare un uovo," she said in italian, harumphing. To go suck an egg, for those who knew it.
Her eyes lit up. "R-really? so... I-I can go to one today then, r-right?" she asked, staring up at them with wide eyes.
Mamoru's eyes light up at Kunzite's statement-- and then he reaches up with his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "Well, depending on what countries the clinics are in, might be able to get you correctly-gendered papers anyway, so that your name can be Unmei. I would suggest... not Tama."
He bursts out laughing at what Unmei says in Italian-- "I have no idea what that means, but I'm sure Zoi would appreciate the hell out of it." He glances at Kunzite, then back at Unmei. "Getting you the device may take up to a week. Getting you papers and an appointment at a clinic-- if it's out of the country, maybe within the week...?" Another look at the white-haired Shitennou, shaking his head. "Where are the clinics? Am I going to have to lean on Blue for transit?" Okay that's a grimace.
"We're definitely going to have to look out of the country; Japan has inexperienced surgeons and a tendency toward distinctly negative postsurgical outcomes. Thailand, on the other hand, has a reputation in the field for a reason; there are several excellent possibilities there," Kazuo answers. "I can't guarantee finding a female doctor, though, let alone a female surgeon. And I don't know what their waiting lists are like." Not to mention that question about papers. But that piece of dodginess isn't his problem. Mamoru's. Maybe Zoisite's.
Unmei Tama nodded, looking to him. "R-right. Not Tama. I guess I'd need a new last name if I'm escaping Eclipse anyway, huh? How about--" And then froze. Her cheeks burned with the intensity of the sun. The first thought that came to her mind? Chiba. The second? Takeba. Oh gosh.
And now she was trying to think of anotheranyothernamereallyitcouldbeanythingohmygoshwhycan'tshethinkofone?! Oh, he could feeeeeel the panic. But at least it was a GOOD, well, BETTER, panic than the previous ones. Just of embarassment. She laid her head down on the table and covered her face with her non-holding-mamo's-hand. "J-just... just surprise me."
Yeah, she'd be happy if they'd just bury her hear at the table. Just toss bags of flour on her until she stops moving.
--Mamoru's blushing too, all of a sudden, and he looks pained.
While Unmei's wishing the floor would swallow her, he says -- and she can feel his sincere regret and concern -- "Chiba's a fairly common surname, but people will ask if we're related, and -- if either of us says no, it might hurt, and if either of us says yes... I'm an orphan, Un-chan. I have no living blood relatives, and there's been rather a lot of scrutiny over the years, because I'm also a trust fund baby. It would get looked into, and Eclipse would find you, and might be sore over everything, and would make life a living hell for both of us."
He lets a breath out through his teeth, then glances at Kazuo, and reaches his other hand to brush against the white-haired man's for a second.
"Otherwise I would be happy to share mine. Do you want a Japanese family name, or a foreign one?"
Kazuo's tone is only a little dry, this time, in his own turn. "And believe me," he says, "you don't want to risk being related to my father."
(The idea that a family name might not be related to a koseki bypasses him entirely. The same way that the entire topic did before Mamoru's contact.)
The important thing is that Mamoru's question is allowed to stand.
Unmei Tama blinked a few times. "W-wait, you can read my MIND?!" Aaaaand of course her mind went to dark places. Such as people in varying states of undress and special dress, her cheeks turned redder and she tried to think of anything else, including the idea 'think think think' and then her mind went back to where she was, lucked in her room, trapped, alone.
Sitting on her bed, legs together, hands on her knees, cowering as her mother yelled and screamed and--
She tore her hand from his. "A-anything. Just... just call me anything. Not... not american. Any name. I-I'm good with whatever and... and i know and... and you don't... you don't need to lie. I'm not... okay? I'm not the kind of person someone would... would want in their family. I... i know I'm an embarrassment..."
There's a flurry of fabric as Zoisite returns. There may be a good bit piled in front of Unmei, and Zoisite definitely has some shopping bags handy, both from clothing stores and makeup boutiques alike. It's almost a mockery of Mamoru's 'until they can go shopping' comment, because it seems very much as if Zoisite has gone shopping.
He might also, quite possibly be in posession of enough chocolate-covered strawberries for all of them.
"I can show you some pointers for makeup in a few," he says, sedately, settling close but not crowding her personal space, either. He offers a chocolate-covered strawberry with one hand, while grabbing for one for himself.
The second Unmei's startlement and first words register, Mamoru brings up his psychic walls with a slam, and the feeling of his calm and vast golden Presence, and her ability to feel his reactions, immediately cuts off -- it's like holding the hand of someone actually normal.
When she tears her hand from his, he stiffens and something in his face shuts down--
--but his voice is still calm and reasonable and kind, if faintly irritated. "I don't think you understand how legal families work here, Un-chan. I'm not the kind of person anyone normal would want in their family, here. I am an orphan, which means that I have bad blood. My only attractive feature is my wealth, and because a fair amount of it was paid by the state to the orphanage in which I was brought up, they were uninterested in clearing any of the multitude of paths to adoption that might have been available-- unlikely to be used, but available-- otherwise. That was a blessing, because who would want to belong to a family that only wanted them for their money?"
His voice gets a little tighter, and it's a good thing Zoisite's come in, because Zoisite is someone that Mamoru can shift ever so slightly to touch without the threat to Unmei of his accidentally making contact with her again. "And then there's the fact that until I started getting close to the people who would become my family, two years ago, no one wanted to touch me. I wasn't always very good at walling myself off, but I got better at it-- and it's much easier to be the one doing the avoiding than to have people pull away and look at me as a freak." He shifts a little and finds Zoisite's hand, lacing his fingers through the smaller teenager's. "I have a family here, now. None of us are related. None of us share blood. None of that matters. So don't-- don't you dare accuse me of lying to you after I promised I wouldn't. After all of this, how can you think you'd be an embarrassment? I-- I know it's hard for you to believe, because you've been so hurt-- but please, Un-chan. Please have a little more faith than that."
There's a pause.
"And Kazuo's father is kind of a dick. He doesn't mean to be, but he is."
The contact with Zoisite seems, at least, to have made him relax a little more, and the last sentence is accompanied by something that's a little bit like a laugh-- but he's still giving Unmei space, so that she doesn't have to be in danger of touching him accidentally, no matter that his walls are up. "So. We'll work on paperwork. We'll think of a name. Zoi can-- now might be a good time for the makeup, and-- and the clothes that you just got, Zoi, maybe you can help her with them--? And I can go find that bag of Sailor V merch."
He starts to stand up, letting go Zoisite's hand with a tiny reassuring brush of his mind against the fire of the other boy's: I just need a few minutes to calm down. The echo of that feeling is communicated to Kazuo by the look on Mamoru's face, and by a fainter -- the cooler and more distant -- touch of emotion across the soul's link.
"Kazuo's father," Kazuo adds with no apparent irritation or emotional load in his tone or expression, "has thought of his son as an intolerable embarrassment since I committed the grave sin of defending myself when a couple of my cousins tried to kick my face in. I was eight. They weren't." He rises as well; touches fingertips to Mamoru's and Zoisite's joined hands briefly. The contact's cleared again when Kazuo adds, "I'm still on his koseki. You don't want to be there. None of my family are."
And then he's reaching for the dishes, from Mamoru's ice cream first and Unmei's after, clearing them and taking them off to the sink to keep them from intruding on any possible makeup. And perhaps to get himself out of the way of any possible makeup.
Unmei Tama stared at him. And listened.
And listened. And then... Then he said that. All of that. And realization dawned on her face. "I... Mamo... I..." She stared up at him and then wiped her eyes. She reached out to take his hand, then pulled back. Would he even want to touch her now? She'd always been afraid he'd reject her. And now she rejected him. And now that calming presense in her mind was gone and she felt her own thoughts going a bit haywire. Externally, though, she just kind of stared at him, her own mask starting to reform without his energy to guide her.
Finally, she spoke up. "But... you're so... nice. How could no one want you? I mean, you're... amazing and... wonderful and..." She gulped and shook her head. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't... I just didn't want you to see... that. It's not... I..." well, he told her that, she should tell her thing, right?
It was scary, how did she tell him that? And then... he was going to go and get-- She lunged forward and took his hand, the panic rising in her. "My... family didn't really... want me. No one did. At least not... me. Mom wanted someone smarter and... better. Someone who wasn't... like this. Dad... just didn't really... care about me. He just did what mom said."
She'd take a slow, deep breath. "I... I thought... I didn't... I don't know how things work here. B-but back there, if you were different, you were bad. W-when I first started feeling like this... I lost my friends, m-my family, n-no one wanted to... to have anything to do with me until I... I started pretending it was gone. It was just a phase. I... I didn't want you to... to see what... what happened. But... but I don't w-want you to stop... being there. Either. It's... it's less scary when you're there a-and you're holding me a-and telling me it'll be okay a-and I'm sorry i panicked please don't leave me," she begged. Despite the words she used, her body language and tone were a lot less 'girl friend about to be dumped' and more 'frightened child asking for a parent not to punish them for breaking an ancient heirloom.' Though he could tug his hand away if need be, her grip had been tighter at first, but was weakening with every word.
Zoisite kisses his Prince's knuckles, green eyes half-lidded and dangerous. "Kazuo's own father is at least a known quantity. All we know about mine is that..." Zoisite stumbles a little, nuzzling against Mamoru's hand for a moment and taking a deep breath before continuing. "I have some serious issues around the idea of people aren't going to want me around and I am easily replaced." The words burn, burn like a swallow of raw alcohol, and sound about as pleasant coming out. But Unmei is in pain, and her pain is similar to his, in a lot of ways.
"There's a saying that gets thrown around in some countries, where some people take it one way and some the other: Il sangue non e acqua. Blood is thicker than water. Some people take it to mean 'blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb', which is how I choose to take it. If those who provided you with the 'water of the womb' are trying to get rid of you, even if you don't say it to their faces, tell them to take a long hike, and find people who refuse to do that to you." Zoisite offers his free hand, a very slow and telegraphed reach for her shoulder, to put a hand on it, if she lets him.
There's a little more relaxation at Kazuo's casual touch on Mamoru and Zoisite's hands, and a faint smile at Zoisite's kissing of his knuckles and basically scent-marking of his hand, but still he's begun to pull away--
--and then Unmei catches at him while he lingers. He doesn't pull his hand away, he doesn't pull away from her; he doesn't visibly react to anything that Kazuo or Zoisite has shared, nor to what Unmei is saying, not immediately. The prince's face is schooled to be pleasantly and kindly unrevealing.
But then she's panicking, and his eyes close and he squeezes her hand, letting the walls down again -- she can tell that he's hurt and trying to suppress it for her sake, that he's still in the process of making the words stick and reason away the hurt, that he's not perfect. That he's also a broken teenager, just further along the path of putting himself back together than she is. And from what the other two boys have said-- so are they.
Under it, there is still the calm solidity of his own sense of self, of his connection to the earth, of his unshakable belief that no matter how bad things get they can be fixed if one works at it. There is still the understanding and the unconditional acceptance of the core of who Unmei is, and the belief in her importance.
"It'll be okay, Un-chan," he says softly. "But if I'm going to be able to be the most help to you, I need a few minutes by myself to let my heart catch up with my head. I'll be back really soon. I'm not mad at you and I'm not going anywhere. Be Italian with Zoi for a little bit, and when I get back I'll have a Hefty bag full of so much Sailor V."
He doesn't let go her hand, but he's not squeezing it anymore; he's willing to wait for her to let go of her own accord. And she can tell-- she can tell from the way he's holding himself, from the way he feels, that he's not hiding from her-- she can tell that while she recovers best with people, when he's overwhelmed he recovers best alone.
Unmei Tama stared at him and, for a long while, it seemed she wouldn't let go.
Then, finally, her hand slid away. "H-hurry back. Please." Then turned to Zoi. "R-right. I know how to do make up. I ummmm... ummm... Y-Yuzu took me. Out. It was... one of the first things we did together. She... she helped me... learn how to be a proper girl and..." She looked so crest fallen. "I would have never even known about this place if not for her. She invited me and... we even..." She chewed on her lower lip. "i... I don't really get what that means? I just... mom was..." She held her hands in her lap and gave a little sigh. "... Parents fucking suck, don't they?" she finally said. At least she waited until Mamo was OUT of the room before saying it. She had a little bit of subtlety. Well, it was out there now, so... "I tried, you know? I tried so, so hard to be what they wanted. I tried to make myself care about the important things, the 'right' things. But every time i saw a girl I was more attracted to what she was wearing, than who was wearing it. A-and then they'd try to get me involved in sports like... like wrestling or... or foot ball or boxing and then they'd get mad because I didn't do very well in them and I didn't WANT to do well in them and I'd want to be the cheer leaders more than the fighters and I just... why do parents have to always be so selfish?"
Zoisite shrugs. "Honestly the best insult I can think of for people like that is that they're not worth considering. They spend so much time trying to make their kid into what they want, I think it would burn them badly to even consider that the kid they tried to smash into pieces and mold into something they wanted just... don't bother thinking of them, most of the time." He glances at Unmei, frowning ever so slightly. It's not disapproval, but it's thoughtful.
"I can teach you to do your makeup so most people won't realize you're wearing more than, say, eyeliner, but you'll still look feminine, though." He hooks the handle of one of his bags of goodies and offers it to Unmei. It's clothes. "And-- one thing you can do for yourself, right now? You're framing everything they said that hurt you as 'the right things'. Try talking about it- or thinking about it- more as 'I tried to care about what they wanted me to care about'? The more you talk like what they wanted was 'correct', the more you convince yourself of it, and... it kind of hurts to hear you say that."
Unmei Tama blinked and then took the clothes and...
Oh my gosh her face lit up. In a way that'd seemed so odd a bit ago. "Okay!" she said, before running off. She came back a few minutes later and... "How do I look?" she asked sheepishly.
Well, she'd need a bit of help. she was less curvy, for one. And exhibiting Amu levels of flatness. "How... do I look?"
Well, she'd chose an aggresively short skirt, a tank top that kind of sunk down across her shoulders, probably a cute choker/arm bands if he got them. "Well?" She was so DEFINITELY Yuzu's girl friend, she looked like she belonged at one of her shows in the crowd. With a touch of make up, well, nobody would know.
Best of all, she looked confident. HAPPY with what she was. As if she was doing the right thing. "And... I'll try, okay? I'll... be honest. I didn't know people like you existed. I thought everyone was ike... back home. But the more time I spend here. The more I'm just... with you people... the more I think they were wrong."
Zoisite's expression softens, and he digs in one of the other bags, offering a bra and some cup-padding with neither excessive interest nor disdain. "If you think you're a little on the smallish side and might fit into things better with, you know, a chest, or not having one feels... wrong to you? I got you some things, and I think they're in your band size." Almost as if he does this stuff daily. And honestly, sometimes he does, because gender fluidity is a thing, and being able to shapeshift is a self-admitted cheat. (And being able to confuse magic-breaking foes by looking similar enough under a shapeshift is hilarious.)
"Yeah-- that's... really all we're asking for, any of us. This is who you are, and whatever names those crusty old dandruff flakes gave you is the lie. So just... spend time away from them. Some people joke that before you seek any treatment for depression or some other things, first make sure you aren't surrounded by assholes. I wouldn't go that far, but it sounds like your genetic donors qualify as assholes." His smile is a crooked little thing, wryly amused because he could so easily be speaking about his own mostly-forgotten parents.
Unmei Tama nodded, taking them and holding them as if they were holy relics. She ran off, and soon returned and... "I'm still smaller than i was, but i suppose this works too. You know, I saw myself in the mirror, I was looking good," she said with a smile. She then sat by him and... "So, do I look hot? Like, if you weren't gay, would you have asked me out?" she asked, with a kind of... 'praise me!' look towards him. Oh yeah, a nice little bucket of worms right there.
She then brushed her hair back. "... You know... I... I think I could even face..." She trailed off... then shook her head. And sighed. "What... if Yuzu finds out and she.... and she doesn't... want... me... any more?" she asked softly, her hands lowering to wrap around her stomach.
"I-I mean... I'm hardly... I'm not the best girl in the world. She says she's bi but... but I'm more like... somewhere in between, now. But she says she was a guy in a past life, too, and..." She knocked on the counter a few times, anxiously. "I-I think if i told her and she liked me still I'd be the happiest ever b-but if I told her and she didn't I'm not sure I could handle it. I-I mean, it's not like there's a list of people who find me worth... youk now. Dating. I mean, there's a few creepy guys but like..."
She groaned and lowered her head. "She... likes me for... me. You know? She took the time to get to know me, to help me, even when I did bad things and... and I don't want someone else..."
Zoisite splutters at the gay comment. "I think I might fall more on the 'bisexual', or more likely, 'pansexual' side of things, and-- you do look good, though you need your makeup done." He ruffles her hair, gently, so he doesn't upset it much. At the hesitance over Yuzu, he wraps an arm around her. "If she likes you for you I think she would appreciate the honesty more than anything, and not want to see you suffering, even if..." Zoisite sighs a little.
"Even if it means the romantic relationship is on hold because of issues with physical attraction. I'm not going to lie and say that someone who is only attracted to people who are cisgendered- biologically and emotionally matching- would still be into you, because lying would be crueler than pointing out that for some people, that just... is not what they are willing to pursue in romantic relationships. But if she likes you for you, even if the romance goes away, I think a strong friendship will remain, and be stronger because you were honest. I am... lucky, very lucky, that I am with people who understand that my gender expression is 'here, there, and everywhere' and still find me attractive for it. There are non-creeps who will see your body as something to work with, too."
Zoisite picks up Unmei's newly-bought makeup with that same small, crooked smile. "But everything doesn't have to be taken care of right now. Put one foot in front of the other. Getting you as comfortable in your skin as you can be is priority number one."
Unmei Tama nodded and listened. "Oh. Well, still. okay, doll me up," she said, then...
She blinked a few times. "I... guess. I don't know how she'll.... feel in the end. I lied to her. I told her i was dying. Not I just... wished I had been. And..."
She sighed. "I can't... date now. Not like this. I'm not even sure I could bear to let her touch me like this. Not her. She's... she's too perfect for... for me now and I..." She took another deep breath. "And I think I love her. She's so amazing, you know? S-she even said we could have an open relationship, i could find a boy, too, if I wanted." NO SHE DIDN'T THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING! "B-because I wanted to try new things and she's my senior and super awesome and cool a-and she takes me out and spoils me and... and treats me like a girl and..."
"I don't know if i could bear having her treat me like a boy..."
She followed his directions as detailed, nodding and doing her best to follow along. ".... I want to tell her so bad, but i'm so scared she won't be like you guys..."
Zoisite gently puts a finger under Unmei's chin and looks at her, green eyes burning with intensity and focus. "You do not need a romantic relationship to define you, or to be worth something. You do not need someone else to approve of you, to be you." He doesn't sound angry, but his tone is... intense, and sharp-edged, and lethally serious. "They are nice to have, but don't make the mistake of thinking they are required to have." After a moment, he lets her chin go and starts heading toward the bathroom with the very good lighting for makeup.
"I'd definitely apologize for lying, but-- get it out of your head that once people hear that you have a male body but female soul, people are automatically going to treat you like a man. People who do that are either uneducated and can learn better, or ass-hats who know they are hurting people and continue to hurt people intentionally."
Unmei Tama blinked and stared at him. "Then... h-how do you... do it? How do you... be you... if every... every single person out there tells you that you aren't you? They... they tell you you can n-never be you? How do you... how do you know.... how do you still be you?" she asked softly, staring up at him. "I'm... I'm not... like you guys. I'm not stronger. I know if... if I had to go back... I'd fall apart again. I'd be... -him- again." She said him like it was some kind of monster. An evil, wicked creature that slaughtered children and drank the blood of the innocent.
"Is it... really like that, here? Will people treat me like a girl once they... know?" She chewed on her lower lip. "They won't... beat me up... or... or shave my head o-or tear my clothes or... any of that?"
"I tell them to go shove a cactus in an uncomfortable place, if not out loud, then in my head. I think about how petty, and small, and sad their lives must be, that they think their disapproval can cut me, and I only let the approval of people who really care matter. It's not about needing to be in love- it's back to that same thing with your genetic relations. Having really good friends who support you is more important."
Zoisite carefully runs the back of his hand over Unmei's hair. "If you told some people, they'd either want to stab people on your behalf and get super protective, or cry, or drag you out clothes shopping. I mean... they deal with me frequently, and I'm more what people would call 'genderfluid'. There are days where what appeals to me the most is being incredibly feminine, and going to school sucks because my day to day identity is a very glam boy. If people can deal with me being all over the place... you're at least a known quantity. You're not a girl today, you just are a girl, full stop."
Unmei Tama blinked and then... burst into a small giggle fit. "Oh, I would pay big money to watch you say that to my mom." She then blinked. "Having... really... good friends?" she asked softly. "... Am... am I your guy's... friend now?" she asked softly. Her hands tightening around her stomach. "Or... am... I just.... a project you're... helping?" she asked softly. "I-I mean, I'm good either way! I-I mean, if... if you just want a project... t-that's fine. As long as I can keep staying here and... and stuff..."
And his hand through her hair made her close her eyes a little bit, and smile. "Yuzu does that. She gets... very protective of me. When... bad things happen to me. I love it. It feels... nice having someone who wants to keep you safe, you know? And... and I love it when we went out clothes shopping. I... i think I'd like to go clothes shopping with you, too." She then blinked and... "I... I'm sorry. That's... it sucks having to go to school as... something you're not. If... if it helps, I-I think you're one of the prettiest boys or girls i've ever seen!" Then blinked. "Though, all the people here are really pretty. I swear..."
"I'd do it, too. Mamoru once had to more or less call me off of making a private investigator cry because she came to snoop on us, and I didn't even say anything overtly mean to her." He smirks a little, and hugs her. "You're not a project, you're definitely a friend. Stop putting yourself down, it hurts the people who care about you, you know?"
"Then Yuzu might be the kind of person who is worth keeping around, if she keeps her head about this." He gently kisses her forehead, then starts going to work on her face, carefully murmuring the underlying logic behind things like using a shade of lipstick close to your natural lip color, but subtly pinker or redder, of things like grooming and shaping eyebrows and using contouring to subtly encourage a specific face-shape with essentially tricks of the light, without overdoing it.
There's purposeful rustling back from where Mamoru disappeared to, and there he is in the doorway to the hall, holding -- as promised -- a literal Hefty bag full of Stuff. "Yeah, you're our friend," Mamoru says firmly. And then he says with a crooked smile as he comes in, "And you can stay here as long as you need to to get you back on your feet, and for us to set up a place nearby for you to have your own address, but in the interest of not lying-- as many girls as come stay here for a while, this is actually my and the Shitennou's frat house, and you're a really nice girl, and you probably wouldn't feel very good about some of the asshole guy shenanigans we get up to here when no one's staying over. But even then, you'll still be able to visit as much as you want, and stay over sometimes. Because that's what friends get to do."
To take any and all possible sting out of those words, Mamoru's already come over far enough to drop his free hand on top of Unmei's head, and there's the reassuring wash of gold, of true affection, of protectiveness and honesty and a hint of amusement -- mostly at the expense of himself and his guys. "Not even Kyouko lives here, and she is Shitennou. I mean, she has a little sister who definitely doesn't belong living in a frat house-- but even if this is a safe space, it's definitely also a guy space."
Then he leeeeans over the back of the couch next to Unmei, lifting the bag overhead and then carefully setting it down on the floor by her feet.
Unmei Tama stared a few seconds, and smiled. "I wish I'd had friends like you guys growing up, then. I... I'll stop, okay? Or... try to." And then a kiss! Her cheeks turned bright red and she squirmed. He gave her all the tips and she absorbed them, nodding and listening firmly. "R-right. And..."
And then Mamo. She grinned even more. But then he kept going. And her eyes widened. "W-what? You're going to k-kick me out?" No no no, that's NOT what he said! "What? NO! I-I don't mind! I don't mind w-what ever antics you guys get into, o-or if sometimes you're a bit of an ass hole, o-or if you guys have wild parties or strippers or a-any of that! Or... or even if you guys like, I don't know, whatever you guys do! I-I'll be fine! Really! I-I'll deal with it! I-I might even join in on some of it!" Pause. "Not... not the stripper stuff. Though."
"Huh? What's--" And glimmer eyes and "OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH!" And she was on the ground and going through it and was suddenly a five year old girl on christmas morning. "It's a SAILOR V MAGIC ZAPPING WAND WITH HEART SHOOTER ATTACHMENT!" ... Don't judge her.
Zoisite cackles a little. "If nothing else, my place is probably more amenable until you get calm enough to get a place of your own." While she will need her own place, even if it's just a few floors down, right now she's probably delicate enough that the security of friends is better.
Zoisite moves over to lean against his Prince, eyes half-lidded with lazy-cat amusement at Unmei's enthusiasm. There's a thread of older-brother protectiveness somewhere in there, especially given how many of Unmei's issues resonate with his own, but... well, just like he told her.
One step at a time.