2337/Post Post Dunking

Post Post Dunking
Date of Scene:	16 February 2025
Location:	Cafe BAKE Neko
Synopsis:	Minako and Usagi come back downstairs.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Minako Aino, Usagi Tsukino
Tinyplot:	The Demise of Bow-chan

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Mamoru Chiba has posed:
When Usagi and Minako come back into the cafe, there's still one boy left at the table, which now has a dry floor-- the be-careful sign has been removed again, and Mamoru's just folded into the corner with a book, his glasses finally clean but a furrow in his brow indicating that he may be reading the same paragraph over and over.

There are two untouched desserts on the table in front of two seats, for Usagi and Minako, and they're the ones that Mako made for the cafe to sell today. Something absurdly cute and delicious.

The only sign Kazuo and Zoisite were ever there is the little handwritten note on the table reserving it for the Tsukino party, signed K.

Minako Aino has posed:
Freshly washed, dried, hairbrushed and changed into an orange and pink dress belonging to Usagi, Minako was at least feeling a little better about herself. It felt odd not having her hair up after so many years of wearing that bow. Maybe it was time to reconsider it again--But no, it really was helpful having her hair away from her face during volleyball, and fighting. Even though she'd revealed how she came to wear the bow to Usagi it was still something she'd decided to own instead of being upset over being tricked by someone.

She still looks a little out of sorts for the lack of it though.

Her gaze instantly seeks out the corner table where Mamoru sits and it's impossible for her to hide that fleeting look of dissapointment when it's only him there. It's immediately glossed over by a confident smile, bright and bubbly and as if nothing at all was bothering her in the first place.

"Oh, are those Makoto's treats? Fantastic, I'm starving!" There's no hesitation in claiming one of the be-treated seats even if her eyes do dart around seeking out if there was a gift bag left behind or not. Either way, her fork is claimed to dig in with gusto and continued forced cheer. "MMm this is great!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
When Usagi comes down with Minako, she's wearing her same clothes as before, sans jacket, but Minako is wearing something new-to-her, an outfit from Usagi's closet. It's been a while - not an overly long, hours and hours wait, but long enough for them to have talked and for Minako to have washed her hair until it shines again.

Usagi had never been especially livid, per se, but she'd been frustrated to the max - and a part of her had been deeply unsettled, because a Shitennou had attacked one of her Senshi. She'd never know how it would have been handled, without her presence, because let's be honest -

After everything, there's no way in the world she sees one of her loved ones on fire and doesn't react instantly. Not after everything.

She'd spent a long time while Minako was in the shower, spraying air freshener to make sure the scent of smoke didn't linger.

When Minako decides to start in on pretending everything is normal, Usagi considers for a single moment, doing the same, and then says, "What happened?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Closing his book, Mamoru sets it on the table and watches as the two come closer, he smiles at Minako and it's warm and small, and-- he doesn't look like he knows what to do with the forced cheer, and the smile gets a little fixed.

Thankfully, there's Usagi.

Unfortunately, there's Usagi's question. He sighs and shuts his eyes for a second. "First off, I didn't remove Zoisite from the situation when the nougat entered the picture..."

He holds his hand out across the table, and then looks at Minako. "Is it all right with you if I replay it for her?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino pauses to blink owlishly over at Mamoru when he starts and pauses. The fork is still in her mouth, bit of Makoto-treat tucked away in her cheek so she's forced to gulp it down so she can speak without having her mouth full. "What's wrong with nougat? Do you know how hard it is to find all chocolate at Valentine's day when you're buying in bulk? I had to diversify!"

The question of replaying it though earns a nod as she realizes what it was that Mamoru's about to do. "Yeah, go ahead. I don't really feel like explaining it." It was true after all. She was feeling guilty for teasing Kazuo about the kiss but she had *thought* they'd worked that out. Up until she realized that apparently Zoisite was feeling an entirely different set of emotions.

The fork is poked listlessly at the remainder of the treat on her plate.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"What's wrong with nougat?!"

Minako is perfect as the body double, because Usagi asked them in tandem with her, both of their voices ringing out, even if Minako has more to say. Usagi's going to actually brain someone with a salt shaker if it turns out Minako was set on fire over candy.

Someone might turn out to be Zoisite.

She extends her hand to Mamoru, and that feeling is ever present, in their contact - that she will protect her girls, and if Zoisite just set Minako on fire -

(and there are flashes, of everything fire has been, Sunbreaker setting her on fire, Mamoru in the hospital covered in burns, Molly in the hospital - a pang of grief because Molly is gone - Koan, spreading fire at a museum with Chibiusa, fire, which has been everything that hurts, used against her friend)

- for the sake of some candies, she will absolutely throw things at him, never mind if Mamoru loves him.

There's a flash of her conversation with Minako, but she forcibly partions that away. Nope. Not for Mamoru to see, that was private.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"It's always the last ones left in assortments!" Mamoru says defensively. "The only thing worse than nougat is that mushy coconut stuff. Or cherry cordials. But," he finishes, "it was gift candy and he was exceptionally rude and I'll kick him over that for sure. But that's what I mean. I should have stopped him when he was rude instead of leaving him to face what I knew was coming..." He takes a breath, and ah. Yeah.

"It's-- easier to show, yeah," says Mamoru quietly, apologetically. His gaze shifts away from Minako's listless poking, and guilt twists in his stomach over his uncontrolled laughter earlier. "I'm sorry," he says then, serious and subdued. He takes his glasses off. "For laughing. And for not stopping it somehow. I'm-- you have no idea how sorry I am one of my boys raised a hand against you. Usako handled the threat level with surgical accuracy, and Kazuo is... honestly, probably working out with him what made him lose control like that. And not gonna lie," he adds, turning back to Usagi before they clasp hands, "I think he could use a couple of pints of happy juice. I didn't sense any dark energy, but that doesn't mean it isn't building."

But then there's contact, and Mamoru laces his fingers through Usagi's, and--

Yes is in his head, and one hundred percent agreement, and guilt, and the traces of shame, and: I will not protect them from you, and they don't want me to. And also--

There's a sense of brittle grief for Zoisite, but it's pushed away for now; there's the fleeting brush of his contact with Zoisite from earlier, when his guardian was worried about him. There's a flash of a conversation with Kazuo, the image of Tamaki saying 'it's a date! ^_^' and Kazuo instantly looking mulishly annoyed.

It's followed by the image of the metaphorical icicles from Kazuo as Mina talked about her first kiss, and a flash of what Zoisite sounded like, the gut twist there, the well of emotion behind the 'oh'.

There's his clapping a hand over his mouth because of bad reaction time due to disbelief; there's him starting to call out to Kazuo to put it out; there's hot chocolate. There's Zoisite staring in a sort of numb awful shock, himself. There's all of it.

There's all of it, unrolling, with Mamoru's emotions and point of view ingrained into the forwarded perception.

Minako Aino has posed:
"But Zoisite likes Kazuo and I should have been aware enough of his emotions to realize that," Minako adds with another petulant stab to the dessert. It didn't look very delicious right now. It was all kind of smushed together in a way though would make Makoto glare at her if she were around. It'd still taste great though, probably! "And I shouldn't have teased Kazuo abou the kiss incident."

The rest of the treat is scooped up and eaten in a few quick, messy bites, which leaves her free to push the plate away. Perfect to empty the spot on the table that she then THUNKS her head down on just a bit harder than intended. "Ow." She keeps her head down. Only to roll it to the side to peer from beneath her bangs at Mamoru.

"Pretty sure that's why he freaked out. Unless he's just always a giant jerk in general." A pause and she adds, "It's okay, Mamoru-kun. It's not the first time I've had issues with boys." Just the first time she's been set on fi--wait no. "Usually they turn out to be youma, though."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"I always eat the nougats with the real chocolates," Usagi says, and her tone is certainly mystified - she actually likes nougat. In homemade candies, but also in things like the full-sized Snickers bars that Setsuna gave out, with their overly sweet American fake-chocolate goodness. "But - yeah. Being rude about receiving some obligation chocolate is kind of petty."

An understatement is allowed, given they all know how it turned out.

Usagi has scooped her own Makoto dessert towards her, but she's waiting until the worst is said, before she takes a bite - Makoto snacks deserve better than her worst worries when she takes a bite, after all!

"Maybe he could use a few pints, but I'll have to ask him. Even if it's him, it's got to be his choice." After all - usually, she asks, and she tries not to purify those who haven't asked, unless it's a fight, because things are different in a fight. Zoisite has not pushed his way back to enemy, just to - frustration.

And then her hand is in his, his memory of it all, his view, washing over her.

I know you wouldn't, and I don't want you to have to stand aside. Because he loves his boys and they love him and she wants him to be whole, and he can't be without them, even when they're kind of dicks -

The whole thing lasts seconds, flashes of images, and worries, mulish annoyance from Kazuo in a flash of Tamaki being cheerfully oblivious, icicles from Kazuo as Minako reveals something embarrassing, Zoisite - Zoisite being hurt, because he likes the same boy that Minako does, and probably ached to find out he might be with someone else.

There is a flash of frustration, not hidden from Mamoru, at how conjoined they all are, and at the same time a flash of sympathy, because she is herself an incredibly jealous, possessive person, followed by a third flash, of and yet I never set anyone on fire!' -

There's her love, and her affection for him, and yes, there's a sense that she's disappointed, but that disappointment is already softening, soothing, because she never doubted that he would defend her girls (there is the sense-memory of the worst day of their lives, on the Moon, watching the Earth burn), no there was never any doubt, but there was frustration at what almost seemed like a closing of ranks.

There's her own annoyance with herself, for not coming over sooner, not stopping it before it could happen, all because she'd thought correctly that being at the Kazuo Lovers Not-Anonymous table sounded like a disaster.

There's a thought so swiftly buried that he only catches the faintest whisper of, sometimes, I almost -

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
And then there is pulling back, not releasing her hand, because she doesn't want him feeling rejected, but paying full attention to what Minako has to say.

"Maybe you could have paid more attention to his feelings," she agrees, "But he should have more self-control than my kid brother. Shingo doesn't have magic, and he could have hurt you... so he's going to have to work on that."

This time she does dig into her treat, scooping up a full quarter of it and savoring it, letting it melt on her tongue, as Mamoru will feel, through their connection, her own sadness for Minako, her own grim belief that Kazuo would never in a million years pick Minako now, not when it would Zoisite, wounded, unstable, needing him, Zoisite.

Kazuo is kind and thoughtful and intentional, all the time, and she can't see him making Minako his priority when there's Zoisite there. She's pre-mourning a friend who hasn't even been rejected yet, and he'll feel her sorrow for Minako, and another hint of the conversation that she's keeping from him for Minako's privacy -

destined to never find anyone or be happy with anyone

- just the snippet impression of Minako's voice, helpless and stripped down and trying to be okay, and not.

And that's what she's focused on. Her sadness for her friend. Her sadness for her friend's embarrassment, her humiliation, because she tried to do something nice and Zoisite took it personally when it wasn't even about him, and once again, she can't trust, can't let her guard down, and she wants to, because Mamoru loves them, and yet, and yet, and yet -

It's all so complicated, all the time, even something as simple as Valentine's chocolate, and there's a touch of resentful sorrow about that, already dissolving under the acceptance that this is what life is like. This is what she chose, when she chose him, and she will never regret that.

Even if one of his monkeys broke out of the circus and flipped one of her monkeys off the tightrope.

"It's not okay," she says, "Well - no, the chocolates and the kissing and the embarrassment, you should probably apologize to Kazuo about that, and... clear the air. But the rest of it - I'm going to have to talk to him myself."

There can really be no doubt who the himself is.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru follows along, agreeing here, cringing there, accepting yes, he did this, they did this, they are like this... but then it wasn't a closing of ranks thinks Mamoru, startled into clear words in their heads. A flash, Mina frozen in front of laughing boy and angry boy and frozen boy, humiliated, and a surge of protectiveness from when he stopped laughing: don't let the boys look at her anymore. Get her away. Yes good Usagi is, yes good oh god. Kunzite has always loved Zoisite like this.

(There is Darien desperately trying to talk to Kazuo before Zoisite could, because Zoisite loves Kunzite, and Kunzite loves Zoisite, and Darien did not want Kazuo touched. There is Dark Endymion sending out that last enormous blast of dark energy at Zoisite in the thorn-filled Time-Space Barrier, and Mamoru collapsing sobbing in Usagi's arms after four days of torture and Kunzite leaving them to find Zoisite, because at that moment, Zoisite needed him more. And Mamoru hadn't been jealous. Zoisite has always loved Kunzite like this.)

(There's something very young and very old, from when Endymion was young, that's wistful in his head: before he found the other Shitennou, he had Kunzite only, and neither of their attentions were split. But they were children, and they loved each other, but not like that.)

(But... Kunzite always loved Zoisite always loved Kunzite always loved Zoisite--)

Then everything turns into everything else, the everything of Minako's everything, and Usagi's sadness, and Mamoru quietly boxes up his on tumbling jangle of emotions for later sorting. Complicated. Later. Minako now.

"Mmm. I need to talk to all of them. And we need to talk about it first, what each of us is going to say. I'm thinking uncomfortable things--" he hasn't let go and his emotions are a growing tornado in that box even if his face is mild and wry, looking from Usagi to Minako, "and I need to get them down before I lose them."

His hand trails away from Usagi's as Mamoru stands up, zipping the hoodie under his jacket and picking up his book. "It's not at all okay, and you don't have to forgive him. He was a dick and he's going to get told off in a lot of ways, but that doesn't make it all right."

Minako Aino has posed:
"I never said what he did was okay," Minako corrects as she peels herself up from the table to sit up straight. As she does her eyes move toward Mamoru with a light shake of her head. "I was just accepting your apology. He owes me a new ribbon at the *very* least, and he can choke on the nougat for all I care right now." A little bit of heat comes into her tone there to hide the hurt she was likely feeling.

For a moment she remains puffed up only to let out a very, very long breath. Not a sigh, just an exhalation used to help center and calm herself a bit. Getting overly upset right now when they were all trying to resolve the situation about someone else losing their cool didn't really seem like a good idea.

"Well." A glance is cast to the elevator in the back a single time. "Usagi, are you going to stay around?" She hadn't decided to leave YET but if Mamoru was planning to go off, that meant Usagi might go with him, and that meant she had a few options. Sitting around petting Artemis or leave.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Mamoru shares his thoughts - and in words, his only real thought, and there's her instant - it's not that there's apology, but rather, there's a sense of appreciation, that he felt that flash, and there's a shared sense of having that same feeling, and she's glad they were on the same page, and there's the sense of her outside looking in, not being sure what was being said, and only, when the fire came into play, understanding -

And there's the understanding, from Mamoru, the recognition that Zoisite loves Kunzite and Kunzite loves Zoisite and there's definitely still her own sadness for Minako, over that, because she probably won't get what she wants, but there's also a sense of -

Reassurance for Mamoru, maybe, that she doesn't resent that, and she's not holding it against them, and that she isn't upset with him, and that yes, she is realizing now, its a bedrock -

But yes. Complicated. And as he separates their hands, she sends him the thought of - take your time.

"We," she says, decisively, looking at Minako, "are going to go out for ice cream. There's a really good spot close by that does lots of flavors and all the toppings. Or, if you're not feeling cold, there's a little cafe that has enough macaron flavors for us to drown in."

Underlying it: there is no option where she leaves Minako here alone.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's a little shine to Mamoru's eyes behind his glasses before the light briefly obscures them, and then he's ducking his head and smiling, eyes hidden by his hair for a moment as he comes around the table to lean down and kiss Usagi.

Very brief kiss.

And then a brief hand on Minako's shoulder, warm.

And he's out the door, Anko dropping off a cat run onto his shoulders as he passes by underneath.