Usagi is a bundle of much excitement.
She's planned this moment so perfectly as she sneaks up on him, crumbling a ball of lined paper and she darts toward him.
(And he's so cute, so...Mamoru sitting at the fountain with a book in his hand. And those reading glasses! How can someone so...Mamo-chan be legal? She's so very happy she is, and she wants to hug him always!!!!)
At the closest sneaky-tree to him, she leans a bit out and chucks the wadded ball of paper toward his head.
It's how they first met!
This ball of paper is NOT a test, though. It's a note taking place OF the test!
It says "PRETEND THIS IS A FAILED TEST" in pink ink, with all the sad bunny doodles in the world. (Some are even crying!)
And she's trying so hard not to giggle behind her tree. SO HARD! But she fails and he probably hears her.
So, after enough time for him to uncrinkle the wadded ball, she jumps out. He knew she had a test yesterday. Knew she and he had studied hard for it.
"Just kidding, heehee!"
She prances over to him, hands a folder with the PASSED TEST!!!!!!!!!! inside (just barely but PASSED OH MY GOODNESS!!!!) and presses a sweet smooch on his temple. "Thank you~!"
He's reading, reading, good god Immanuel Kant was a real p--
Mamoru's hit in the head by a crumpled paper, and he catches it automatically once it bounces off, then pauses like a still frame. He glances down at it, closes his book over, frowns, glances around with one eyebrow slowly lifting, and he carefully uncrumples the paper and smooths it out on his knee.
And Mamoru sighs.
"Us--" he starts, but then she giggles and jumps out and he cranes his neck, looking back, eyes wide. "You--"
'Just kidding'? And a kiss on his temple and--
A second later, he's holding the folder and looking at it, and laughs, then slings an arm around her waist and tugs her close. The paper drifts off his knee and he gets up halfway, just long enough to kiss her on the lips before the grin makes it impossible (about half a second, all told), then straightens and picks up book and paper and bookbag. "Well. It's time for a milkshake then, isn't it?"
Things slung where they go, he glances in the folder and makes a 'hm, not bad!' face, and then he hands the folder back to Usagi. Once she takes it, he reaches to take her other hand and lace his fingers through hers. "Let's get out of here."
It's not far from the fountain to the gates, and Mamoru's looking at Usagi as they exit, his expression affectionate; he's paying attention to what she's saying, and not so much his surroundings.
Daisuke Hansuke doesn't know much about these strange, familar but still strange people in his life- but he's been trying to learn by spending time with them and ask questions. Of these things, he's learned the following about Usagi so far: 'Super Nice, Loves Milkshakes, Super Nice, About as Subtle as Brick wall being thrown into a china shop full of alarm clocks, bells and fire alarms and flashing motion sensors.'. SO when Usagi goes something like 'def. don't touch Mamoru'- he's going to do it because SOMETHING is going on there. He's kind hoping he doesn't explode or something.
So he's been thinking how to go about this. He imagines he could just ask. Chiba and friends don't seem very intrested in telling him much at all though. Chiba could always just lie of course. So. He's planning an accident. What kind of accident?! Well... Chiba is there. He sees him right there. He's talking with Usagi. Usagi seems also infauated at the moment- as Chiba also seems caught off guard. Well. He really couldn't ask for a better oppurtunity, right? Ugh. This feels lame. He hates not beliving in trusting people but well.--- desperate circumstances--- desperate methods. Let's goooooooo!
Daisuke runs into a jog. He's in a hurry--- maybe he's late! Sure that's it. He's late to uh.... solicit donations from that bussiness that Chiba and Usagi are JUUUUUST passing. That'll work-------
He sort of runs in a path meant to clip Chiba in a way that DEFINITLY looks like an accident. This may turn into a full on collision easily though. Daisuke isn't trying to think about this too hard and just let this happen. Worse is- two people bump into each other and apologize... right?
She is full of giggles, and preens, and her fingers are through his and her other hand is settled at the interior of his elbow, folder sort of bent around the contours of his ribcage.
"The second best part," because the BEST part was that he was pleased, happy, even, even though it's not the best grade in the world but he knows it's HER best in awhile. "Mama probably won't lock me out of the house!"
And then, she remembers, probably because of a certain tip of his chin or quirk of his lips, that she had something in her pocket for him. "Oh! Also!" She roots around for it. "When I brought the rug by, right? I took something I knew belonged to another person, but it actually belongs to you! I didn't steal it, promise! I had the intentions of giving it back, but Things and Stuff, so...um..."
She's pulling a certain pocket watch out.
And also, too, she's in her own little Mamo-centric world. Because, well, Mamo-chan.
"So, here! I'm sorry if you were looking for it!"
"Oh--? Oh!" says Mamoru, blinking through his glasses at Usagi and then brightening. "I was wondering wh--"
WHAM
A half second later, and Mamoru's dropped his books and reflexively taken the impact rolling. He flings his arms around Usagi when he realizes she's going down, too, so he can at least keep her head from hitting the pavement, but there's another body involved that he's not prepared for and then
nothing makes sense
except everything does, because this has happened before. All Mamoru can do is shove an elbow at whoever's touching him that isn't Usagi, blindly, because he's not seeing what's around him right now; shove and hope it was an accident instead of an attack, and apologize for shoving later--
But what Daisuke sees in that instant of contact, when his hand or head or whatever is touching Mamoru's hand or head or whatever? It's not sight, not really. It's like being there, living through Mamoru's eyes, Mamoru's hands, Mamoru's ears...
The monstrous redhead in the impossible purple gown, with the somehow prehensile hair and the face grimacing like a demon's, approaches at speed, bearing down with an enormous bastard sword held high in both clawed hands. But the most important person in the world-- there's an awareness that she's just behind you and to one side, and though your sword is held up to block, the monster-woman is too strong. Hand stinging from the loss of the sword, you instantly step in front of the attack, and the bastard sword cuts through your chest, and the world goes white with pain.
You're very small; you can't see over the windowsill. Strong hands lift you up, and you can feel the love and loyalty like a never-gone balm to your insides, and you laugh delightedly. The windowsill is weathered wood, but it's warm inside, and your breath fogs the glass. Wiping it away, melting some of the frost with a small brown hand, you can finally see out and the world is blanketed in soft white snow.
Tall and gangly for a young teenager, not yet grown into your hands and feet, you gravely open a door while someone talks endlessly behind you about utilities and services and all mod cons. You're not listening. Stepping inside, you put a hand to the wall, and feel nothing. You reach across the small space and turn on a light, and the place you step into is spacious and airy, with pleasing symmetrical lines, a hardwood floor, white walls, black fixtures. "It'll do," you say, and you try to forget the small dark room shared with children who stay away from you.
Daisuke Hansuke had held a hand out because he was off target, he ends up touching Mamoru's arm in an attempt to slow himself down and this doesn't work---- he gets flung, and there's a big clatter- ugh. He didn't mean to hit this hard-really. Not at all. Is he hurt? He feels like that's a bad thing to have happened---- a very bad t------
Whatever Mamoru 'feeds' Daisuke, Mamoru gets a similar feeling---
You are yelling at someone. This man looks official in some fancy sense of the word. "/I don't /trust her//". You're told to calm down- that everything will be alright, that you're over-reacting. You feel patronized. You are not used to feeling this way, you are used to your advice being taken with some sort of weight and you feel this person should care- but they won't trust you on this point. You turn around and you see people staring--and gossping and you leave- some sort of weird snake staff in hand, you 'dissapear' mid stride into a modest room of strange decor.....
There's yelling at a dinner table. Two elderly invididuals, a more younger male, a younger female, a younger child next to you. You feel shame- you are being yelld and pointed at. "/A veternarian!? This will be the laughing stock of this family!/" yells the older male. The younger female seems to agree- so does the elderly female. You feel like you kind of want to crawl into a box somewhere. "We'll." says the older male. "I think it's a lovely idea. It's different and intresting." he says. You feel sudden and hard slightly relif- as the yelling begins to turn onto the male , who seems to take it in expectant stride....
An older man in a robe grabs your hand and begins to tug you hard through a small village. There appears to be two figures with him that could be interperted as 'guards'. He seems upset. "What did I tell you about taking the Rod and escaping!?" he seethes a little. "But Papa....." you say. He sighs and stops. His tone softens a little. "I know you want to help, but when you're older. Alright?..." he reassures you....
She's going down.
As always, he's protecting her, keeping her safe, even though it's not really as dangerous a situation as they're normally in.
As they go down, as he takes the brunt of the fall because Mamoru, she clutches the watch to her chest, keeping it safe. (She's done so until now, even if her idea of safe recently has been almost forgetting where it was (in her pillow case, found it when washing bedsheets).
They land and the worst she gets is pavement barking her knee and elbow.
She is used to having attacks of the Klutz. She is used to falling and walking away with scraped knees and elbows. But this!
She looks up, and when she realizes who had bumped into them, Daisuke is on the receiving end of a look similar to what youma's often last see before they're dusted. Similar to her 'You ate my cake' glare. But it's even...more because Mamo-chan. It's an instinctual glower born of protectiveness, and its gone when she realizes what she was doing because, hey, accident.
She sits up so Mamoru could move or breathe or whatever and her hand flutters against his cheek. "Are you okay?"
Mamoru takes a deep breath and looks...
...aggravated. Shortly thereafter, just cranky. He hauls himself up sitting, straightening his half-fallen-off glasses and then checking his arm. Sleeve's torn. Hand's got roadburn. Bruises, but whatever. He glances over to see who crashed into them, then sighs a little-- but Usagi's touching his face, and he doesn't even realize he tilts his head into her hand slightly. She gets the smallest of smiles, and then he hauls himself to his feet and holds out a hand to Usagi to help her up. "I'm fine. You okay?"
Listening to her answer, looking up at her for it, he slides his bookbag over so it's not in the path of foot traffic, then crouches next to Daisuke, checking him for signs of having hit his head or for signs of panicking or bewilderment because of something he may or may not have even seen. "And are you okay?"
Daisuke Hansuke is in his Verone uniform. He's often .... usually never wearing anything else because it's generally classy and he also lives in the dorms there nowadays. Some needs to infuse Daisuke with fashion sense probably. He blinks a bit. Well. That was....intresting. So that's why Usagi didn't want any touching. Okay. Luckily, this manages to make him looked shocked enough that it probably helps his accident alibi. He looks up. Oh----oh!? Shit!? Did he hit Usagi!? Nooo! now he feels really bad. Amazinnnnnngly worse than when he was planning this accident.
"Is everyone okay?" he asks a little rubbing a spot on his side a bit. "I'm okay---ah!? I was late... I'm so sorry---" he grits his teeth a little. Should he even....ask about the thing just now? Maybe he can in a round about way.
He taps his head a bit carefully, because maybe that was the fault of a bump on the nogging. "I think I hit myself a little hard there. I think I hallucinated something. Maybe." he says. He mumbles. "Kind felt weird..." he says.
He tries to push himself up off the ground because he's (mostly) okay. He'll accept help if it's offered. Oh god, is Usagi /glaring at him/. This makes him have an 'aiiie!?' face for a moment. "S..sorry." he manages to say to her. He sort of bows. "Please forgive me!?" he asks. He at least seems genuinely sorry.
Usagi does, of course, accept Mamoru's help up. Once standing, she lightly grazes her fingers down his back (heehee, back muscles) as she follows his attention to Daisuke.
She sighs and holds out her hand, helping him the rest of the way up. (She may also be bracing herself against Mamoru, because, well, gravity is Not Her Friend.)
She offers him a small smile. "Fifty milkshakes. Each. At least!"
She's not serious.
Oh, who are we kidding, she's Usagi.
She never jokes about milkshakes.
"Usa..." Mamoru says, giving her a sidelong look as he gets up; it's not quite chiding, but it's in the vicinity.
He's brushing the grit off his hands and, casually, the abrasions with them; be brushes off his clothes and bends to scoop his bookbag back up.
Then the terribly tall boy with the generally serious face regards Daisuke. "Not your fault. And yes, I'm sorry about that. What did you see?"
Daisuke Hansuke blinks. "Not my fault?" he asks as he blinks.
"Um...I guess? It might not make much sense?" he says as he taps his chin. "Some sort of demon in a gown and I have this sword. I guess protecting someone? Then there's pain. Um... some sort of snow scape? through a window? But someone has to pick me up to see it. Feels kinda neat and friendly...like...? Maybe something more than that..." he furrows his brow. "Then someone's showing me around an apartment and there's a kind of weird sense of relif?" he asks. That seems to be the way he interpts the last one. Relief from---being away from something like that. Yeah. Most of those are quick. "Erm---did you see that too? What was that then?" he mumbles.
He looks at Usa and gives a wave while he talks. Sure. Fifty milkshakes.
Usagi's eyes roll a bit. "Fine. I saw just kidding. ...Mostly."
Hmph. Maybe she can get away with twenty-five...?
Her eyebrows furrow together in confusion. This is more directed at Mamoru than Daisuke. "Is this what Homura-chan was talking about?"
She feels out of her depth now!
She opens her mouth to ask more questions, then clicks her teeth when her jaws snap close.
The expression Mamoru's got on his face is a little distant, guarded. "No, I didn't see them." He glances at Usagi, and his eyebrows go up. "Homerun spilled the beans, did she? Yeah, it's what she was talking about. Happened to her when I was at the hospital that time you were pretending to be a nurse."
Then he shrugs at Daisuke. "I'm an X-File, basically. Untrained psychic. I don't really like talking about it, and I try really hard to avoid touch. It's usually unpleasant for everyone involved. As long as you're all right, though, don't let me keep you; you seemed to be in an awful hurry."
Daisuke Hansuke brushes himself off, makes sure he looks presentable and---ugh he doesn't. Not anymore. Luckily, he wasn't REALLY going anywhere. Right? Oh crap, better not tell them that! "Well. I was." he grumbles a little angrily- though it seems directed inwards- "Ah!? Yeah. I was." he says less angrily. "But I'm kinda in pain now so I outta go take care of that and try again later. I was trying to catch a shop owner before they left but--- late by now." he says with a sigh.
He bows to the two. "Still. If there's anything you two need or want later---I'll help. I feel really bad about bumping into you two like that!" he says. Also, you know. He owes Usagi fifty milkeshakes because that tiny hand motion TOTALLY was an agreement to fifty milkshakes, right?
Usagi's eyes widen a bit softly.
That must...really suck.
But still, she shifts in place a bit as thought she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Well, she vaguely said something?" Her lips quirked up at the nurse thing. "I made a good nurse. I would have fluffed your pillows and gotten you stuff all day if I hadn't been...outed." Or, you know, scared away.
She hasn't really stopped touching his cheek. Her hands still at his explanation, but continued after. Besides, she hasn't gotten any weird feedback, so maybe?
"Does that mean I'm an X-File, too? And if you are, you're the fun episode one, not the ones I had to hide behind Papa during. Which was most of them."
She offers a slight smile to Daisuke. Of course, her slight smile is normal people beaming. Because, you know, Usagi. "I hope you feel better!"
Mamoru sighs, reaching up to push his hair out of his face. "Give me your hand; I'll take care of it, and you'll have time to get there. Nothing untoward, I promise, I have warning."
This time when there's contact, there's no slam of Mind's Eye Theatre (not, it should be noted, Camarilla LARPing): there's only a dim golden glow in the waning daylight and a slow spread of peace and warmth. The peace is the stillness of a quiet summer day in the sun in an open field, the welcoming secret seclusion of a green-dappled glade in a primeval forest next to a bubbling brook, the cosiness of a warm hearth in a carefully sealed winter home, half-buried in turf.
It's a distraction from the pain Daisuke'd been feeling.
When Mamoru lets go, the feeling stops, but the injuries are no longer there-- Daisuke is good as new. "There, go ahead-- you can probably catch them still if you go straight there." He smiles slightly again, then reaches for Usagi's hand once more and nods to the purple-haired boy. "Be more careful," he says as he starts walking again.
Daisuke Hansuke blinks and holds out his hand and-----well that's a really serene feeling, in fact he seems to get lost in it for a moment and let's his mind wander, and by the time it's done and over- he feels a lot better and not like he has a bruise on his ass near where the thigh is so he'd have to hobble into an alley to do the healy thing himself. Wait. Chiba can heal? That's....
He just shakes his head. "Yeah I better hurry. Thank you Chiba-san." is all he can spare before he---actually ran into the store.
Well. Might aswell why he's here, right? Worse he can get is a 'No'.
She watches their joined hand with crease in her eyebrow.
Warning?
Does he have to have this...whatever every time he touches her?
Is he never relaxed?
She hugs his arm throughout, even as they're walking away, fingers tight in his.
She'll ask him.
Maybe in a few minutes or more, but for now.
She'll cling with the ignorance afforded her.