It's been a long-ass week, with Mamoru only briefly able to get away from the crisis at the frat house -- how Unmei lost her shit, got Ami in trouble with Takashi, got other people in trouble with other people, and had to go through dark energy detox. Usagi knows about the Unmei issue. She's rescued him from the apartment a few times, but there hasn't been any interaction -- after all, seeing Usagi and Mamoru anywhere each other makes it clear they're dating, and he's literally already said he's dating Sailor Moon, and Unmei is still technically working for Eclipse, and, well. There's a lot about the situation that's been making him grit his teeth. At least he's not missing school over it anymore.
Today Usagi actually got picked up after school! And handed a motorcycle helmet and leather jacket! And kidnapped to...the beach?
No: an ice cream shop. The bay is out in front of them, cold as it is, and the horizon is an endless thing of sea and sky; the beach has been rained on recently and the sands are flat and cold. But the motorcycle's parked outside and their jackets are hanging by the door and their helmets are on the counter space to their sides. It's once they're settled on stools at the counter looking out the windows, with varyingly giant dishes of ice cream, that Mamoru actually starts talking about it.
Granted, he starts with a mouthful of chocolate ice cream and some whip cream on his nose.
"So we think she's recovered enough for purification today, if you're down for it. I promised her I'd be able to hang on through it, which means you know it won't hurt--" he swallows his mouthful "or maybe just a little-- but I know it's a lot to ask. I mean I know you don't like doing it outside of a fight because it is so rough. But she's doing a lot better."
Usagi's odango are helmet-mussed and her twintails are almost poofy from the wind, but her cheeks are rosy and finally she doesn't have bags under her eyes. (When she hasn't been rescuing Mamoru she's been catching up on sleep from the Ami is Missing debacle.)
She braves a little wiggle at the mountain of ice cream before her, somehow managing not to topple over as one ankle is hooked around her stool bar and the other is stubbornly between Mamoru's shins. After all, she's gonna get as much Contact as she can!
Her shoulders droop a bit. She turns to him and opens her mouth to answer but a giggle cuts her off. Leaning over, she kisses his nose, tongue darting out to steal the whipped cream.
After all, in her book, PDA is just a form of Affection, and she acted before she thought.
"Mmm, Mamo-chan flavored whip cream!"
She takes a bite of her own, so many flavors!
She sighs. "It is. I might cry. You'll hug me if I cry, though, right?"
Because, well, it is rough. It makes her heart hurt almost as much as it makes her 'victim' hurt. And he knows this, and wouldn't ask if it weren't Important. (Or Important to him, but to Usagi that's pretty much the same thing.)
It is a blushing and studiously ignoring the fact that he's blushing Mamoru that straightens a little on his barstool -- and crosses his ankles, trapping Usagi's foot. He rubs his nose off on the back of his hand because it's chilly in here, and chilly outside, and spit-on-nose gets cold fast! --but, the glance he gives in the middle of the Studious Not-Blushing is twinkling.
And then he sticks his spoon in his ice cream dish and leans forward a little, one hand coming up to cup the side of her face and briefly kiss some ice cream off her lips. He pulls back about a second later, but not far; his forehead rests against hers for a moment. "Of course I will. But you also know that leaving dark energy in someone hurts them a lot more in the long run, and you're also sparing them that pain, right? This way it only hurts for as long as the purification takes, and that's if I'm not there healing them through it. And I will be."
His thumb brushes against the top of her cheek, and then his fingertips run lightly back through the bangs and wisps of hair framing her face, and he straightens again. There's that tiny smile that's just for her alone. "And I think you'll like her a lot, now that she's closer to being herself. I hope she can get over her fangirling of Sailor Moon long enough to let you make friends with her." That is amused, the corners of Mamoru's eyes crinkling up.
Usagi doesn't blush and she very much doesn't mind the kiss. After all, it's a kiss! And a kiss with the 'ulterior motive' of ice cream removal is still a kiss!
She hums happily, nuzzling her forehead and nose against his for a moment. Then she sighs, again. "I know." And she asks something she's been worried about. "It doesn't hurt you too much, does it?" She gives him an out on admitting to any pain there, but that's probably more for her sanity than anything.
She leans a bit into the fingertips and if she could she would be purring. Because purr purr.
Then she does blush! "She fangirls over Sailor Moon?" Then she gives him a sly look even through pink cheeks. "Or is that Mamo-chan talking, because he thinks everyone should fangirl over her?"
She takes another bite of ice cream, the toes of her trapped foot wiggling in her shoe. "Is there anything I should be aware of?" After all, sometimes unexpected power surges are unexpected!
"It doesn't hurt when I heal people," Mamoru tells her with a quiet laugh, glancing at her sidelong. "I mean, I don't take their injuries on me, and there's kind of an anaesthetic effect at work, you've felt it." He digs in his ice cream for a moment, and the corner of his mouth quirks up. "Sometimes I have to make up the difference if it's really really bad for them, but that's only a little bit. And it's really only as bad as stubbing my toe, then. And most of the time escalation's not really really bad-- it was for the guys, but that's because they were super full of dark energy. Most people aren't by the time you get to them."
He doesn't look embarrassed or bothered, just forthright. And then he reaches to briefly lay his fingers against her hand in order to fill in the proof of honesty. "It's not bad at all. So don't worry."
Big spoonful of ice cream, then--! And he almost chokes on it with laughing at Usagi's sly look, then swallows in a hurry. "She really truly does! She was even hoping to meet you when she was first visiting and definitely on the evil side, because she's such a ginormous fangirl. She's been trying to get Kunzite to watch some magical girl show with her when she wants TV, but he basically said hell no and put on documentaries."
Then he smirks. "But I do think everyone should fangirl over my Usako, she's the best."
She considers his answer for a moment, lips pursed as she looks up a bit, tilting her head and humming for a moment. Then his fingers are against hers and she nods. "Okay. I can go with that." Another bite of ice cream!
(Because really, if it hurt him a lot to heal people, she'd like to think she would rather suffer through concussions.)
She giggles a little as he he almost chokes on his ice cream, a hand patting at his back more for effect than anything. Her blush deepens a bit and she can't fight off the tiny smile! "Really?" Then she giggles. "Kunzite not wanting to watch magical girl shows? Pfff. So weird, not like him at all." She is very aware that she can get him to watch almost anything (within reason) and tries to use her powers for good! (For example, trilogies are rarely brought up by her anymore!)
Then she giggles again and hides her further blushes against his shoulder! "Well, I think my Mamo-chan deserves all the fans. He's the best."
"But you're the star," protests the older boy, hand sliding up her back as she leans, and then up into her hair-- and then he tugs lightly on one of her pigtails, grinning. "Usako's ice cream is going to melt. Should we go for a walk with it? I've a list of things I'm supposed to tell you, and you keep making me forget all of them."
Life is hard when you need to talk business with your adorable girlfriend and she keeps cuddling and making you want to forget you have ice cream and that you're in public and that you even have business in the first place. LIFE IS HARD.
He kisses the top of her head anyway, then murmurs, "If we don't go for a walk I won't be able to keep my hands off of you long enough to remember a single one."
Usagi sticks out her tongue. She stands by her belief that Mamoru deserves ALL THE FANGIRLS AND FANBOYS! (So long as they aren't handsy! She'll FITE them!)
Life is hard when you have the most gorgeous boy ever to gorgeous for a boyfriend and you think everyone should adore him but also be STAND BACK MINE! LIFE IS HARD!
Usagi is really glad she doesn't have ice cream in her mouth when he says that. Snorting it out on his clothes would not help things. (Or maybe it would, just not in a fun way!) Her cheeks are red as she nods and tries to look Srs Bzns. "Well, I suppose we can go for a walk." She wiggles her foot free. "At least long enough for you to say the things. Then I'll distract you more."
Mamoru manages to look both smug and alarmed at the same time at Usagi's answer, and slides their ice creams and helmets down the counter so they can get their jackets on -- and he holds Usagi's jacket out for her to slip into. "Well, long enough to finish our ice cream, too, because afterwards, we can go back to the frat house and distract each other-- or maybe I'll just text Kunzite and make sure he's okay with Unmei for a while and we can catch a movie or something and you can distract me all you want. But either way, definitely homework after that," he says regretfully, then pulls on his own jacket and sticks his arm through the raised faceplate of his helmet, so he's got two hands to eat ice cream with.
It's not until they're outside that he goes into it -- and it's chilly enough that at least the ice cream is melting more slowly -- "So first..."
Feet on crunching sand, and then on the barren winter boardwalk with the salty breeze in the air. "I have a friend who needs to be a girl, and got into some trouble over it. She was born shaped like a boy and then made a rotten deal to fix it, and I want to get her out of the rotten deal, but I can't without some kind of magic to replace the rotten-deal magic. And-- so-- I was wondering if there was any way you and Ami and Luna-- or whoever was involved in making Naru's pen-- could make another one, but one that just has one transformation in it. I'm trying to convince her to actually talk to you, but she's really afraid of anyone finding out that she's trans, which is why I can't tell you any more about it. But if you can find out if it's possible in theory, I can take that back to her and maybe she'd be more willing to talk to you. I mean, Sailor Moon you."
He gives Usagi a sidelong look. "The rest of it is basically the White Flower, Hannah's linker core, Alexis being a vampire, the Clow Cards, Sailor Earth, and then some really rando stuff Kunzite is tracking."
Usagi slides into her coat held out by her very gentlemanly boyfriend lucky her!!! before waffling a moment at the helmet and ice cream bowl. For a moment she woefully pictures herself either wearing the helmet or eating her ice cream with no hands before she perks up and mimics Mamoru.
She woes a bit at the idea of homework, but is Very Happy at the prospect of Mamoru Time! "There's a couple movies I've already seen that I like. I can totally distract you while watching those!" Under her breath! "Mweeheeheeeee."
She eats her ice cream as he speaks, glad for the thick stockings on her legs even as they're not enough to keep out all of the bite. School uniforms are brutal for a gal's wintery needs.
She taps the plastic spoon against her lips in thought. "It's...probably possible? Luna'd know better." She pauses so she can balance her ice cream and type a note into her phone so she can remember to ask Luna.
She sighs. "It's sad she was born with the wrong bits. We'll try to help her!" A goal! A mission! Possible new friends! Yay!
Then she rolls her eyes Very, Very Hard. "Uggg. I still adore her, but I'm very not happy with Hannah right now. She's being a butt. I haven't heard from Sailor Earth in awhile. She may be annoyed I got all grr when she tried to say you were doing stuff on purpose. What else is he tracking?"
"Good good. And-- yeah. It's really hard to be happy with Hannah right now," Mamoru agrees after downing another big bite of ice cream; mostly he saunters along contentedly beside her. "She knows how unhappy I am with her; I went with Kunzite to visit her in the hospital before Sakura handed over a fistful of magic, and this time, he lectured and I healed her only just enough that she wasn't in danger and wouldn't be maimed." He's a little quieter, there, looking studiously into his ice cream. "That was hard. I don't like leaving people in pain. But if she can't promise me she won't just go out and do it again..."
Then Mamoru's glance up and aside to Usagi is a little sharp, concerned. "She talked to you? About me? I told her-- I told her, she could come talk to me, to us, and make her case on neutral ground-- and she didn't, and hasn't, and has been laying low, and if there were any truth to what she was saying, like if she did come from another dimension or timeline, like Homura did? Then she would keep moving, she wouldn't just stop. So if you see her again, activate your tracker, or call me and I'll bring backup."
His jaw works for a moment, and he takes a deep, settling breath. "Um. He was saying something about youmas that show up in crowds and kill people, and another killer space plant, and Madison Perry's active again and the White Flower is an active intelligent witch again instead of a grief seed... we're going to have trouble with Eclipse sooner or later, I have to talk to them but again, I wanted to make sure that Unmei was stable and purified before we started trying to deal with them... and Takashi's been stealing some of Sakura's cards, but you knew about that."
She hugs against his arm at his sadness over having left that way. "I know. But you did heal her, even if it wasn't all the way. I bet a lot of people wouldn't even do that."
She jumps a little at that look before hunching over a bit, and then she remembers, scoffs, rolls her eyes, and pushes his shoulder a little. "I did. It was when you were knee-deep in text books. It was public and at the crown, and Luna has the whole thing on tape because no body could make it. According to her, this is where she's supposed to be. But her story didn't make sense, so I don't know." She goes a touch quiet for a moment before looking at him out of the corner of her eye. In a really, really small voice, she admitted, "She kept calling me 'Bunny.'"
She jerks to a stop, horrified and sad both. "People are getting killed? But usually they just want energy..." She looks back toward the general direction of her school. So many hours in a day wasted, and for what.
Mamoru relaxes a little bit. "Oh, I thought she talked to you again..." And then he moves his ice cream to the hand with the helmet on the elbow, and his freed-up arm slips out of Usagi's hug in order to wrap around her. "You should punch her if she calls you that again. That's my name for you," he teases. "I tell people off if they call me Mamo-chan and they're not you, or a cat, or five--"
But then Usagi's jerking to a stop, and brought up short, Mamoru pulls her in closer. "Hey. We should get more details on it from Kunzite before we start getting depressed, okay? School is important. A normal life -- when you can get it -- is important." It's almost like he read her mind.
Or at least that glance.
"No, no. Just the once." She snuggles against him, careful to balance helment and ice cream, and looks up at him with wide eyes. "So it does mean that? I wasn't sure!" She thinks for a moment and nods. "Yes. I will punch her. Maybe. Or at least give her my Angry Face."
For a moment she snuggles in deeper with her fingers clenching tight at his poor jacket. After a moment she nods and pulls back with a sniffle but her eyes are dry. (Better than she would have done a year and a half ago! Maturity! How steep your cost...) "Okay. Yeah." She smiles at him so he knows she's okay!
Clearing her throat, she tilts her head. "I guess it'd be too much to home that some of those are related. When y ou find out more from Kunzite, you'll let me know if I can help with anything, right?"
There's another kiss to the top of Usagi's head, and then Mamoru straightens a little more and finishes the last unmelted bit of his ice cream. Then the paper cup and spoon go in a bin at the side of the boardwalk they're on, and he lifts his eyebrows at Usagi with a little smile. "You don't want to come find out more from Kunzite with me?"
She's quick to finish her own ice cream. A bit too quick. With a hiss, her thumb presses up in her mouth and for a moment she's battling against an evil ice cream headache monster!
Once it's gone, she straightens up with a much happier grin as she chucks the cup in the bin. "I could? I could! Yes!"
Free of spillable desserts, her arms are at least a bit more free to give him a quick Usagi sized hug before pulling back. "Is this a Now thing or After I've Distracted You thing?"
Laughing, Mamoru catches the hug and tilts back to lift her off her feet, swinging her around once before putting her down. "This is an After Distractions And A Movie thing," he says, grinning crookedly. "I promised, didn't I? Now, you were saying there are some you've seen-- they're still in the theatre? I haven't been inside one in ages..."
There is, of course, a very happy and excited little squeal at the spin. And then a softer squeal and a foot-bounce. "Oh yay!"
She mentally goes through her mind the list of movies she's seen that should still be in theater before her eyes widen and she looks at him with a very sly, very devious grin. "Why, yes, Mamo-chan. Movies are still shown in theaters. Heeheehee." She's quick to guard her sides from pokings!
And her eyes are still laughing. "You have a choice between sappy romantic, sad romantic with a happyish ending, animated, of I think Doctor Strange is still out at the IMAX."
There is a HUFF. But no poking! Just crossed arms and a lifted chin for a moment. Then Usagi's tall, tall boyfriend leans down and says, very low next to her ear, "Well-- Doctor Strange might be too interesting to me, so any of the others, your pick-- I'm pretty sure the idea here isn't 'pay attention to the movie'..."
...and while he has her distracted, that's when he suddenly starts tickling her sides.
Of course her guard goes down, because he's being all leaning over and whispery and it always does things to her knees--
And she likely gets accidental revenge with her shriek as she wiggles! "Ack! No no! Stop!" So many giggles!
And he doesn't get time t o stop even if he wanted before she's seeking another revenge! Of course, her own tickles are likely half-assed because its hard to counter strike while defending!
And that is how someone ends up getting hit with a helmeted elbow, and there's more shrieking and maybe some yelling, and eventually-- there is--
--Mamoru literally lifting Usagi way up in the air over his head and walking back toward the motorcycle, carrying her legit at arm's length because it's safer that way. "So which theatre?" he calls skyward.
And Usagi's arms spread out like she's flying because she's suddenly TALL and the odds of him dropping her are impossible because it's Mamoru! Safety! "The one just down the street!"
And then she gasps and looks down at him, her expression very serious all of a sudden. "Can we get popcorn?"
"I don't think I can afford popcorn right now, I just bought Google," Mamoru says even more seriously, looking up and up at Usagi looking down at him. And then the corner of his mouth twitches. "Yes. Yes, we can get popcorn."
It'll only be a moment before they're locking helmets to the bike, and then a time shorter still before they're jamming into literally whichever movie's the closest to the beginning with a giant tub of popcorn with disgusterous movie butter all over it and a stack of napkins almost as tall as Usagi is because Mamoru really doesn't want movie butter on the motorcycle leathers -- so fussy -- and he has just enough time to text some kind of ETA for easily-worried guardians before distractions abound.
For a moment, her eyes do widen because she is pretty gullible. Then she rolls her eyes. "Well, you'd have access to all those cats, so I can see why." She claps her hand and cheers! Popcorn!
And its not until the lights dim, phones are put away, and while there's still more butter in the bucket than there are on her fingers and hands, she pounces.