2612/Am I the last to know

Am I the last to know
Date of Scene:	13 June 2025
Location:	Cafe BAKE Neko
Synopsis:	Makoto catches Masato as he comes home from Tennis practice to ask him if he's been telling people they're going to get married. What a good time to give her that jewelry he bought for her.
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Makoto Kino
Tinyplot:	Black Moon Clan
Tinyplot2:	BMC: Wicked Ride

---

Nephrite has posed:
Tennis practice ran longer than usual, owing to an underclassman with a backswing like a rusty gate. Taking up the helm for the School Club this year hadn't necessarily been his intention, but tied as he was to the Sanjouin Tennis Association, it wasn't an easy thing to sidestep. That involved coaching and cleaning.

With a sigh, he climbed the stairs up to his apartment, sports bag slung by shoulder strap and him in his tennis whites still. Shorts, sweatbanded wrists, polo shirt with the orange trim collar to represent the school. Perhaps the most plain Masato ever really looked, as he pulled hairband free to let his hair loose.

Keys jingled idly in his left hand as he made his way upwards.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Between school, clubs, and the chaos of trying to prep for a wedding when the bride and groom are both mostly MIA, it's been a busy time lately. This afternoon, though, Makoto made sure to extricate herself from her other responsibilities right around the time the tennis club typically lets out.

So when Masato comes in view of his apartment door, she's there, just straightening up from where she's been leaning against the wall. She's had time to change out of her school uniform, trading it for jeans and a sleeveless button-front top in sunny yellow, and she's clearly been waiting for him.

"Hi," she offers, with an apologetic sort of smile. "Sorry about the ambush, but I figured it was the best chance to catch you."

Nephrite has posed:
Looking up, it's clear that he hadn't expected her, and a perk of brow asks the silent question before his brain catches up with him.

"Mako-chan," He slows, approaching his door with a faint brightening, though his eyes are tired and coffee has been fuelling him for most of the week, "You could also try a big net, if you feel adventurous."

Still, he stands there for a moment, looking her over. A sweep of sapphire eyes, before he tilts his head towards the door. "Do you want to come inside?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
The quip gets a little laugh, and Mako shakes her head. "Yeah, but who knows what else I could end up catching? That's how you end up with stray octopus, and I prefer my takoyaki already cooked."

She pauses a moment, catching her hands together behind her back as her eyes follow the tip of his head toward the door. "...If it's not a bad time? I, um, wanted to talk to you." A beat; she blushes faintly. "Obviously. But I can wait downstairs if you want a chance to clean up from practice first."

Nephrite has posed:
"It's fine, I'll make us some drinks..." He took the key to the door with a roll of his shoulder, evidently unbothered. "I had something to show you, anyway."

Pushing inwards, he stood aside and gestured, waiting for her to go through. A small rack was there for shoes. "What did you want to talk about?" He furrows his brows. "Nothing bad, I hope."

Makoto Kino has posed:
At his prompting, Makoto steps in ahead of him, and moves a bit to the side to clear the way while she steps out of her shoes and stashes them on the rack. "Nothing bad," she answers distractedly. "At least - probably not. I ran into New Moon the other day."

Once she's slid her feet into a pair of house slippers, she looks up, green eyes suddenly searching his face. "Did you actually tell New Moon that you and I were going to get married?" she blurts out.

Nephrite has posed:
The door's closed behind, and he's able to set his bag aside and set his own shoes aside, and he's in socks when he leans to put them on the rack. When she looks at him, he gives an absent blink. It takes him a moment, through all this recent chaos, to remember the exact thing he said.

"Oh." A hand raises to rub at his neck, and he tuts. "I suppose I did say something like that, didn't I?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto just kind of looks at him for a moment. A trace of something like incredulity or exasperation creeps into her expression. She takes a deep breath, bringing her hands together fingertip to fingertip in an inverted steeple. "Okay," she says.

She doesn't seem to be containing anger; the look she gives him is more bemused than anything. "I'm going to guess you didn't mean it that seriously or anything," she says. "I mean... we haven't really had much of a chance to talk since we got back from Crystal Tokyo, so..." She's starting to get herself flustered now, and she ducks her head suddenly. "I'm way too good at getting the wrong idea, okay? I didn't want to assume anything."

Nephrite has posed:
He watched her carefully for a moment. "Mamoru threatened to marry Kazuo first, if New Moon didn't let Usagi-chan out for the wedding. I said if he did that, I'd have to match him and marry you." He clarified dryly.

While he hadn't expressly made a serious declaration at the time, it wasn't entirely a joke. But, they were supposed to be taking things slow, and steady, and feeling them out, and rebuilding trust, and repairing everything that still needed attention between them. Overtly sentimentality or old fashioned practicality aside, Masato was aware of tact and timing, and the very real possibility of sounding crazed.

"You know, if you wanted to get married sooner than later, I'd oblige you. But most people around us would probably accuse us of losing our minds, and I thought you'd at least want to date first."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The explanation startles a half-laugh out of Makoto. It also succeeds in getting her to look up at him again. "Well," she says, "that makes a bit more sense, then. She didn't exactly--"

Her voice dies away when he continues. Her eyes widen, and her face lights up bright pink as - yet again - he catches her off-guard just saying things like that like it's just a matter of fact. "Okay," she breathes out again, in a tone slightly more appropriate to an 'oh my god.'

She brings her hands up to scrub briefly over her face. "...just to make sure... since like I said I am really good at getting the wrong idea... are we, you know. Officially dating now, and I'm just the last person to know?"

Speaking of sounding slightly crazed.

Nephrite has posed:
He smirks a little bit, and scrunches his nose to lean closer. "More or less." He whispers. "Just roll with it and act like you knew all along. I won't tell anyone."

A wink, and his hand touches her arm as he steps around to bring them further into the apartment. Across the living area, open plan with kitchen and dining, there is a bar area and a display with another bonsai. Masato moves towards that table, taking from beside the Chinese Elm two small boxes before shifting towards the bar.

"Unless you want to reject me, of course. But now's your last chance to do that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The breath whuffs out of Makoto in another surprised little half a laugh. "Thanks," she replies, a sparkle of humor coming into her eyes, "but I think it's way too late to save my dignity on this one. Incidentally, New Moon might possibly think I took advantage of you while you were injured now."

She moves along with him away from the entryway and into the apartment proper, looking around as she does. Her eyes linger on the bonsai, but his last comment has her head jolting up sharply. "No, I don't!" she hurries to say. "I just - had to ask. Historically, when I jump to conclusions about a guy, I end up embarrassing myself, so..."

Nephrite has posed:
He slows by the bar to give her an amused, if perhaps slightly impressed look for what New Moon might now think. How scandalous. His brows lift as he sets the boxes down and collects a few glasses.

"Right. I didn't think you would, but a gentleman should ask and I am trying my hand at being one, lately..." A shaker and a few ingredients are gathered from a bar fridge, and set out. "And I like making you blush. Your face matches your earrings."

He nods at the boxes, "Speaking of... I bought you something."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto makes a very exasperated face at him, still blushing, the corners of her mouth tugging irrepressibly upward. "It's not exactly very gentlemanly to make a girl blush on purpose, Masato-kun," she points out with a shake of her head.

He nods to the boxes, and her eyebrows lift curiously as she glances that way and back. "Oh, you did say you wanted to show me something..." She starts to move to where he set the boxes down, then stops herself. "Can I look now?"

Nephrite has posed:
Masato chuckles a little bit, because she's right. He is a menace to her, specifically, and he cannot seem to help himself.

"You can look. They're yours, Mako-chan," He collects some ice from a tray into the shaker, and glances at the boxes as well, "I'd still have given them to you, even if you'd said no."

He feigned a dramatic gesture to his chest. "But my poor heart would've shattered."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The look she gives him is politely skeptical, but she's smiling. "Well," she says, moving to lift one of the two boxes from the bar, "we can't have that, can we?"

She's occupied for a brief interval with opening the box. As she lifts the lid, her breath catches in a tiny gasp.

"...oh. This is... it's beautiful." She looks up at him for a moment, green eyes huge, and then back down to the crystal flower necklace where it sparkles in the opened box.

Nephrite has posed:
Despite the bravado, he's watchful, tracking her from the corner of his eye even as he continues making the drinks. It's remarkably important to him that she likes it, that she accepts it, that she doesn't think it's too extravagant-- but Masato ties not to show any of that quiet anxiety. The full moon is in Gemini and they, of two lives, of twin fates tied to that Moon; it could be perfect, or it could be totally wrong, and he has no idea which it will be.

He just wills it to be perfect.

"So are you." He notes with a smaller tone.

Makoto Kino has posed:
She's reluctant to put down the box, even to open the second; cradling the necklace box in one hand, she carefully opens the other one-handed where it sits on the bar. She stills again at the sight of the matching bangle, the petals of the crystal flower sparkling pink and lavender in the gold setting.

Her eyes well with unexpected tears she has to reach up to hastily wipe away. "I... I don't know what to say. Other than, thank you." Her eyes are still a little blurry when she lifts her head to look over at him, but her smile is brilliant enough to match the crystals.

Nephrite has posed:
Masato didn't expect the tears, but they're there. Her smile is bright and she seems happy, and so, it's a good thing. But the power behind her emotion seems clear to him.

He feels it, too, in his own chest. A tightness, and a relief, and something like longing. She's right in front of him, glowing with emotion, smiling at him, and for a moment it wipes everything else in the world away from his thoughts. The past, the future, the Fade, the Moon Wedding. He told her that he wanted to believe that she would be happy, and it is in this moment-- regardless of hopes or boasting-- that he truly believes he might be able to be part of that happiness.

He pauses the process of making their drinks to lean closer over the bar. "Now, you can tell people your boyfriend bought you those. Especially because he accidentally helped rope you into making a entire second cake for a friend's wedding."

Makoto Kino has posed:
He's leaning over the bar and he's right there, so Makoto - holding the box with the necklace in it carefully in close to herself - rises up a little on her toes and leans in across the rest of the space long enough to steal a quick kiss.

She straightens back up immediately, flushed at her own boldness, and grins at him. "You've been forgiven for the second cake," she informs him mock-solemnly.

Nephrite has posed:
He grins back-- it spreads across his lips like a wildfire from the spark of the kiss.

"That's good news... especially knowing that I can kiss you whenever I like, now." Sapphire eyes were sparkling like the jewelry, and he plucked up the shaker. "So much easier than having to wait until the next infirmary visit."

He shakes the cannister with a small laugh.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Laughter bubbles up, surprised and delighted. "Yeah," says Makoto, "absolutely no getting yourself injured in hopes of more kisses, all right? Even if you do need a break."

Letting her forearm rest against the bar, she regards him with affection shading gently into concern. "Which... I got kind of distracted, but that was the other reason I wanted to catch you. You've been working extra hard lately, with all the wedding planning and Mamoru-san mostly being off with Wicked Lady."

Nephrite has posed:
Masato glanced at her pointedly, uncapping the shaker to pour out an orange splash into the glasses.

"Mamoru's told me I'm in the top running for Best Man in the Elysion Wedding, for my troubles," he smirks faintly, cutting a couple of fresh slices off half an orange, "But there's been a lot to do. I don't mind the actual wedding parts, it's... everything else that's been hard."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"He'd better," Mako comments mildly, but then she sighs.

"Everything else... Like the part where Mamoru-san is pretty much stuck with the Black Moon Clan for the duration, and Usagi-chan is totally missing?" It's certainly the part of the whole situation that's stressing her out the most, second cake or no second cake.

Nephrite has posed:
He taps the side of his nose in a telling gesture, and takes a bottle of strawberry-lemonade to add to the glasses. "They're in orbit, by the way. The Black Moon Clan-- and apparently Mamoru, too, when he's off elsewhere with Wicked Lady and New Moon."

Masato clicked his tongue at that. "Did not enjoy learning that. Didn't even surprise me, is the real grind of it. I figured they'd be about somewhere, and sitting pretty in their giant evil-fuelled mothership makes sense. But knowing that Mamoru is up in space-- with an eyeliner moon on his forehead-- on the grace of Wicked Lady... Maybe Usagi-chan is there too, maybe she's somewhere only Wicked Lady knows. But I don't know."

He set the drink before her, a gentle gradient of orange to pink, effervescent citrus and summery with the orange slice on top. "That's the cherry on top of a stressful sundae, really."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto nods in sympathetic understanding. The news about Mamoru, and maybe Usagi as well, being in orbit prompts a grimace. "It's scary," she agrees quietly. "They're on this tightrope, and so many things could go wrong while they're out of our reach..."

She finally sets down the jewelry box with the necklace, lining it back up next to the one with the bangle. "I sent some bentos back with New Moon," she notes. "It was all I could really do. New Moon tried recruiting me, but she didn't try very hard - for one thing, if I go with them, they'd have to get someone else to make the cakes. But there's a part of me that feels guilty about it. If I'd said yes, I could at least be there to help look out for Usagi-chan." Her eyes are soft as she looks at him across the bar. "And I'm only responsible for one thing. You're juggling all this different stuff."

There's a pause as she picks up the glass he set down for her, takes a moment to admire the gradiated colors. "This is pretty," she adds. "Thank you."

Nephrite has posed:
Masato smiles at her, and it's a little tired, but it's charmed. He cannot cook like she can, but he makes a good beverege, he thinks.

"I was ready to dye my hair pink and tag along with Mamoru, if I had to," he admits, "But I know he needs me here, on the outside, to help... steer all of this. Besides, I would've been made to take up Dark Energy, and I can't afford to risk that now. So, the best thing I can do is keep things on track. Even if it's hard to act like nothing is amiss."

His gaze falls to his own drink and the corner of his mouth ticks into a grimace. "This wedding is our best shot to get them back, before anything terrible happens. And when we do, things should be... just right. They've all been through a lot. Especially Chibiusa."

A short sigh left him, and he shook his head. "Also, I might actually fall to pieces if you did go. I'd have to follow you. We couldn't do that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
She takes a sip of her drink, making an appreciative sound at the first taste of citrus and strawberry. "--Definitely can't have that," she says, smiling a little. "So, no pink hair dye for either of us. We'll just have to make sure that this whole plan goes off the way it's supposed to. Then Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san can have a beautiful wedding, Chibiusa-chan can have a nice birthday, and we can sleep for a week and let someone else do the dishes. Metaphorically speaking. I doubt the Black Moon Clan will let us have a whole week off, but we can hope, right?"

Nephrite has posed:
"Sleep-- Gods, that's so familiar. I feel like I've heard of that before..." Masato lifts his drink only now that she has started on hers, and takes a sip of comforting refreshment. "If it makes you feel any better, Ami-chan sent New Moon off with Usagi-chan's homework, so I think your bentos will be much appreciated."

He glossed over Ami's worries and sadness. Makoto knew her friend well enough, and felt similarly enough, to imagine that particular grief. This was the love language of Mercury.

"We should book a room in a nice beachside hotel and laze around in the sand all day. You can wear a swimsuit, and get room service. And I can flex for you. Maybe kick a volleyball youma into the sea." He was wistful.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Homework--oh, no, poor Usagi-chan." Mako says it with a fond laugh. "Ami-chan's notes will be sure to catch her up with our class, but she won't be happy about it." Yes, Makoto knows both of her friends well: Ami's care, and Usagi's feelings about schoolwork.

She takes another sip from her glass, sympathetic eyes following him affectionately over the rim.

"That sounds like fun," she says. "Maybe we can beat the crap out of Demande and Death Phantom while there's still enough summer break left? It could happen."

Nephrite has posed:
"The thought of us taking out all of this frustration on those bastards really does make me feel better," Masato smiles at her, "Like a spa day. But more violent."

His finger taps glass, and he's simply watching her with a small smirk-- almost smug on his handsome face. But undeniably enjoying the pleasure of looking at her.

"Maybe in between the sand and sun, there'll be time for a storm or two."