fic: Immaculate Perception (2/3)
Dec. 28th, 2021 12:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Immaculate Perception (2)
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Nahyuta/Ema
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,475
Summary: Ema's got a crush on her boss, but she doesn't want to make a complete fool of herself and tries to subtly figure out if he's the type of monk who has taken a vow of celibacy, with varying results.
Author's note: : I believe the idea for the Klavjet came from the Phoenix Wright kink meme, along with other glorious shared headcanons like: Hannah Fright, the secretary who is privy to a bunch of semi-public hook ups, Godot's lemon of a vehicle, and yes, the Klavjet which Klavier loves.
Apollo rushed in so fast, he didn't even close the door behind him, and nearly knocked over her bag of emergency rations from the bookcase full of science and true crime books on the wall.
Her bed was unmade. She'd left it a mess, and there were crumbs on the floor, as always.
The small apartment came complimentary with her job. She didn't even pay rent. The only problem was the internet out here wasn't that great, and it got awful cold in the winter.
Apollo looked wildly about. "I came as quickly as I could! You said it was an emergency?"
Ema called out from the closet: "It is; I need you to look over my dress options."
"Your--dress options?" Apollo let out a groan. "You called me here for that? I have work to do."
"Oh, don't be a grumpypants. I need. a second opinion, and there's nothing but monks here. This is important."
"You know liking guys doesn't automatically give me magical fashion sense, right?" Apollo said.
"Yeah, I noticed from your suit and hair choices, Mr. Angry Tomato. To say nothing of your taste in men. But what else am I going to do? Ask Ahlbi? Beh'leeb?"
"You could Skype Klavier?" Apollo suggested with a smirk.
Ema peeked out from the closet. She held up one finger, and gave him an enraged look. She grabbed her snackoos and downed several bites before she even dared speak.
"You just gave me a look like you'd fire lasers from your eyes and send me right to hell if you could."
"That was a low blow, Apollo! You know how I feel about Prosecutor Gavin!"
"And you know how I feel about him. Pretty hard not to ever mention him when I'm dating him."
Apollo paused for a moment and a panicked look came over his face.
"Wait, you aren't going to come out half-naked are you? Because I am attracted to women too. And even if I wasn't, that'd be just weird."
"Feh, You wish you'd get an eyeful of this!"
"I really don't," Apollo said.
"No, I'm going to come out in this."
Ema put her hands on her hips. She sure was glad she'd packed that little teal number away, even when she had really limited space and it didn't seem likely like she'd be able to use it anytime soon.
"I wore it to a wedding, but before they finally got married, they had a pretty rough time of it. Somebody was killed, the butler framed them for murder, the whole nine yards. You think it got bad luck on it or something? I don't want to shadow my first date. With my luck, someone would get murdered at it. It's taken so long for me to go on this date with Pros--Nahyuta that I don't want to jinx it."
"You really should be asking Nahyuta this."
"Ugh, you're hopeless! You can see triggers, can't you see bad luck or something?"
Considering that it was tonight, she didn't exactly have a lot of other choices. She couldn't catch her sister on a video call with this amount of time difference.
"I mean, Nahyuta's more about luck than I am," he said.
"Oh, good point," Ema said. She tapped her lower lip with her finger, uncaring that her lipstick would be smeared. She'd reapply it later anyways.
"If you're hoping that I have some magic ability to figure Nahyuta out, just because we're brothers, you're mistaken. I'm just as confused by him half the time as you are," Apollo said.
She gave him a pointed look. "Uh-huh. Really? Didn't you win whole cases on figuring out that someone was lying because they kept picking lint out of their pocket or something?"
"That doesn't work against Nahyuta; I get the beads of pain if I try that."
Ema smirked. "If you're getting the beads of pain, maybe you shouldn't be pulling facts out of your ass. I never get the beads of pain."
"Like that's any surprise? Everything you do makes him want to give you a raise or create entirely new divisions just so he can surprise you with them. Seriously, what are you so worried about? He's seen you jetlagged and lacking snackoos and sleep. He's seen you try and destroy his case. He's not going to mind something like a reused dress--"
He broke off as she flicked a snackoo at him.
*
Ema was regretting her choice in heels, even if they were cute. She kept tapping her foot, and checking her phone. He wouldn't stand her up without even a message, right? Of course, she'd come here early just in case there was something like overzealous guards who thought she was a heathen or something. It was always something in Khura'in.
Really, she shouldn't be this nervous. It was just a date that would set the course of her entire life. Because she was risking everything she'd built up here.
No biggie.
Technically, she'd already risked everything just coming to this country.
Lanterns lit up the courtyard in a low glow that joined the bright moonlight. It was chilly, for spring. She almost wished she'd brought her coat.
She heard his melodious voice behind her.
"You're early again. That eager?"
The answer was yes, but she didn't want to let on her exact level of thirst. Maybe save that for the second or third date.
"Oh, you know. I wanted to be ready, in case of an emergency."
"An emergency."
"Like...if zombies suddenly attacked. That kind of thing."
"Zombies? Hmm, yes. You must--shoot for the head, correct?"
Maybe marathoning the Walking Dead with him wasn't too bad an idea after all.
"I hope you don't mind something quieter. If we went to a local place, it could get flooded with people. So, I though a compromise would be far better and more peaceful."
Yeah, like she was going to complain about eating in the castle.
"N-no, it's lovely, really."
"Are you nervous?"
"A little bit. It's what I wanted but... I'm risking a friendship and the best boss I ever had and a job. So I'm really aware of that."
"Let me tell you the history of these lanterns. Perhaps that will distract you."
Nahyuta closed his eyes, and spoke in a low, smooth way that Ema could get lost in.
"There was a massive darkness that blotted out the entire sky. I believe it would now be classified as an eclipse. It lasted such a long time, but the Holy Mother lifted up these lanterns and told the people of Khura'in 'the light will return.' It is a symbol of hope now. Often around the depths of winter we light these lanterns to remind us that goodness and warmth will return after all."
"That's really beautiful..."
Nahyuta smiled, and nodded.
"Yes, I think of it often."
He led her to the courtyard, where a table was set with food enough for a feast. Or almost enough to sate her for dinner. She didn't recognize every dish, but she knew with some comfort that Nahyuta would teach her.
Ema broke off as she took a bite of a bit of fruit.
"Mm, what is this fruit? It's very tart--like--"
"Ume," he said.
"Yes, I was just thinking it was like those Japanese plums."
He repeated the name, and the words tasted soft on her tongue.
"It's related to Ume," he said.
"Oo-may?"
"Close, there's a pause."
An apostrophe, of course. She should've known.
She found her shoulders relaxing. It was just like so many moments: layovers, the sound of announcements over the loudspeaker as she at salty fry after salty fry and he found rapture in a cheeseburger.
She smiled. "Am I allowed to ask about your day anymore, or it is classified?"
"Technically some things should be kept quiet, due to being state secrets, but I trust you."
"Trust me, I won't tell the next ambassador top secret things like what you had for lunch," Ema teased.
And it was nice, like this. Sharing days. Like those times in airports, except this time she wasn't facing wall after wall.
Okay, she was sure she would backflip right into a (metaphorical) brick wall when it came to him eventually; it was Nahyuta after all, but at least he'd opened up somewhat. That was certainly progress.
*
After dinner, she pulled off her shoes and carried them. They were cute, sure, but they'd totally get stuck in the covered bridge right in front of the grave of his mother that turned out to be empty. Except for the part where his father's body was eventually found there.
Not exactly lighthearted stuff for their first date.
Ema smoothed her hair back, and took barefoot step after barefoot step over the bridge, and deeper into the garden. The ground was cool, and slightly damp against her feet. The moon was reflected in the water beneath them.
"The moon is so lovely tonight," she said.
"And so are you," he said softly.
"You're not so bad yourself," she said.
She gripped his brocade jacket.
"You know how dates end where I'm from?"
"I've studied some, though I have more to accomplish in my studies," Nahyuta said.
"A kiss," she said.
And sometimes, more than a kiss. But even if Nahyuta was DTF, she was still pretty sure that a monk didn't fuck on the first date.
His lips met hers, and the kiss was a single point of warmth in the chilly night. There had been points where Ema worried that the chemistry between them might fizzle out or be awkward, but she fit against him perfectly. It was a movie magic kind of kiss, a once in a lifetime kiss.
She stayed near, and lingered close. His hair was so impossibly soft against her cheek. And being in his arms felt frankly amazing.
"Are you still afraid?" Nahyuta said softly.
"Of what? Climate change? Totally, I believe in science."
She brushed her hair back, in a nervous gesture, with her other hand. "Of course, you mean about us. Well... Look, loving anyone is a little bit scary, because there's always a risk that everything will go wrong, and I know all about things going wrong. But I've never been so sure of anything. You're definitely worth the risk."
"I mean--" She cleared her throat. Had she technically just dropped a paraphrase of 'I love you' on the first date? Just when she thought she'd been doing kind of okay, with no foot in mouth moments, she'd had to pull the Ted Mosby of moves.
He pulled her close. And somehow it was more intimate than a kiss. She let her shoes drop, uncaring if they got wet with dew, just so she could get a better grip.
"The truth is, I chose the lanterns because they reminded me of you. When I was at my darkest point, you gave me hope," he said softly.
She thought for a moment, he might kiss her lips again, in that toe-curlingly passionate way, but instead he kissed the top of her head and stepped away.
"I have to rise early tomorrow for court," he said. His voice was slightly apologetic. And as much as she wanted to night to continue, she couldn't exactly fault him for trying to work out that backlog of cases that Ga'ran had wrecked.
He'd only just managed to sneak this date in between all his official stuff. And of course, being Nahyuta, he couldn't bring himself to stop being a prosecutor, even if he now was Prince Regent, too.
"So..I am afraid that this night must come to an end for now."
Ema gave him a sad smile. What was she supposed to say? He wasn't even gone yet and she already kind of missed him? That definitely wasn't something to admit on the first date.
"Goodnight, Detective Ema Skye. I am looking forward to be able to see you again. Even though my schedule must be adjusted to fit in another of these dates, I will pour through my appointments to find a way to--as they would say--fit you in."
Yeah, he could fit her in any time.
Of course he wouldn't be the type of guy to go all the way on the first date. But, Ema liked this kind of anticipation. He gave her one last smile before he turned and disappeared in the moonlight.
Ema slumped against the door the moment it closed. God, just a kiss and it felt like she needed a cigarette--and she didn't even smoke.
Ema hummed to herself as she headed back to change into her pajamas. The moon was full, and so was her heart. Full of possibilities and yes, something quite like a growing love.
*
Ema usually took a lunch at a slightly different time than everyone else, just to avoid potentially awkward situations.
As for staff rooms, it was certainly different. For one, the refrigerator was a new addition. The table was low in the middle of a room filled with murals of butterflies and past religious saints and martyrs of Khura'inism.
This time, however, Apollo joined her.
"Long time no see, stranger," she said.
"Heh," he gave her a skeptical look.
"What brings you here? You wouldn't be interrupting my lunch to ask for reports, would you?"
"Of course not," Apollo said. Except, he'd looked about the same way when Nahyuta dismantled the wild theories he pulled out of nowhere that somehow always turned out to be the real twist in the story when all was said and done.
"Good, because you're not getting it until I'm not hungry anymore. I get a little cranky when I haven't eaten."
Apollo gave her a skeptical look. "Only when you're hungry?"
She flicked a Snackoo at him. However, Apollo dodged it this time. Apparently he was getting better at this.
Apollo leaned against the wall. There were crumbs on the floor; Ema was, as always, coming back for a second helping of food. Ema sat, cross-legged with another bag of Snackoos on her lap.
"You know, when I told Klavier what happened, he was really hyped. He started writing a song for your wedding."
"My wedding? Honestly, it was a first date. Don't get me wrong, I had a great first date, but still. It's going to take a while before it's anywhere near preparing for that."
"Give him time and he'll make a wedding album. He's already going on about how nice it would be to be family with you."
Ema's hatedom with Prosecutor Gavin was remarkably one-sided. He would chuckle off her anger, which only made her more angry. And it grew into a cycle of Prosecutor Gavin going into guitar solos and throwing gratuitous German and her throwing snack food.
All in all he had the utter gall to be a nice and decent guy. At least, she realized that now.
Back then, it'd been a case of hating him because he took down Phoenix. Except that the whole thing had actually been plotted away by Klavier's evil brother. But that was only the beginning. Even after all that, Ema had realized he was her Patrice. Prosecutor Gavin couldn't even eat crackers without Ema getting annoyed.
Ema got up so suddenly, her bag fell out of her lap. At least there was nothing but crumbs left. "Wait, he proposed? You didn't even tell me?"
Apollo blushed, and pushed his spiky brown hair back.
"Not exactly. He's been like this...Teasing, sort of. You know how he is."
"It sounds like he's doing that 'just kidding...unless?' thing," Ema said. "So, you're really getting hitched."
From behind her, she heard an oh-so-familiar voice. "Congratulations. I will gladly welcome your husband to our family."
Ema craned her neck to see Nahyuta right behind her."W-what? How long were you listening?"
He gave her an enigmatic smile. "Long enough."
Ema blushed and buried her face in her hands. "For the record, it's Apollo's fault, blame him. I didn't say a-anything of the sort."
Apollo sputtered. "I was just telling you what Klavier said."
"I find the gesture rather refreshing. Perhaps there will be forgiveness in the future?"
"Not likely," Ema said huffily.
"Hmmm, time will tell." Nahyuta gave Ema a smile, one she gladly returned.
"Oh, that reminds me. Klavier left something for you when he visited."
Well, so much for that smile. Ema grimaced.
"Don't tell me he's sending me his next EP again. He said it was 'fire' so I threw it in the incinerator where it belonged," Ema said.
Apollo smirked, like he'd just pulled out the evidence to destroy her case.
"You say that like you didn't have The Gavinners first album on repeat until it was filled with scratches," Apollo said.
Ema clutched her bag of snacks tight, and frowned.
"I was a teenager! No one said I had good taste back then! Actually, I was super into science and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth back then, so I guess I did have good taste. At least in everything but music."
It was a surprisingly large box. Ema shook it, but it sounded--soft? Of course, it could just be packing. Though she couldn't think of a single thing that Klavier freaking Gavin would think to send to her. Nothing clattered. It was surprisingly soft sounding. Maybe it was Snackoos?
Ugh, she hoped it wasn't snackoos. She'd have to start hating him less if he fed her junk food addiction.
She started to tear at the top."How did he get this here so fast? They don't have overseas two-day shipping."
"He delivered it personally on his private plane last night."
"And then he just left?"
Apollo blushed and tugged at his collar. "He stayed the night."
Ema finally got the tape off and pulled off the tissue paper. It felt as if her soul left her body as she looked down what was in her hand.
You know, if souls weren't scientifically unproven things, that was.
She didn't even know they made snackoo flavored condoms.
And there were tons in this box. Maybe even thousands. It was enough condoms to probably last her a very long time. Well, depending on how lively Nahyuta was. Technically, it meant she didn't have to figure out overseas shipping, or make a trip to Zheng Fa because the local market didn't sell this particular type of birth control.
Who knows, maybe the powdered yak horn really did work wonders, but Ema really preferred modern science when it came to not getting pregnant.
And technically, it was actually very helpful in finding out just how DTF Nahyuta actually was. Technically, he'd even made a grand gesture, because knowing Ema, she'd probably just go fuck it, he's a monk anyways.
It didn't make her hate Prosecutor Gavin in this moment any less.
Was this his way of telling her to 'get fucked'? Nah, knowing Prosecutor Gavin, there was probably a card in there like To my most lively detective: best wishes on your honeymoon, have a rockin' time, Klavier Gavin.
"I am going to hit him with the entire bag of Snackoos next time," Ema said in a very low voice.
"It makes sense that he said 'when he said 'it's better that I'm overseas when she opens it,'" Apollo said.
Damn. At this rate, she was going to have to invent some snackoo missile that could hit the fop's smug condom-sending face across the ocean.
It wasn't enough that he sent her condoms. No, she had to open them right in front of Nahyuta.
Maybe he didn't know what they were? Ema looked hopefully back, but nope, no luck. He looked far too amused to be confused.
"Are you free tonight, Ema? I managed to....reschedule certain things to allow a few hours free."
Honestly, if he'd asked her to sit in the DMV for hours with him, she would've said yes. Already her day had improved tenfold.
"For you? Always," Ema said.
"If you're not using them--"
"I'm using them! I'm not sharing, either."
"That's fine, he dropped off a package at my house, too," Apollo said coolly. "I was going to say, don't throw them away. I'm sure they could be...donated."
"Donate to what? Your fuckfest?"
"The Khura'inese version of Planned Parenthood that's being built," Apollo said.
"Oh yeah, I remember that. It was going to be called No Bey'beies, right?"
"Something like that," Apollo said.
"Wait, does he buy condoms by the thousands? Wait, what am I saying? Of course he does," Ema said.
"Try not to murder him when he comes back next time," Apollo said.
"Let's just say he should get better at dodging," Ema said.
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Nahyuta/Ema
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,475
Summary: Ema's got a crush on her boss, but she doesn't want to make a complete fool of herself and tries to subtly figure out if he's the type of monk who has taken a vow of celibacy, with varying results.
Author's note: : I believe the idea for the Klavjet came from the Phoenix Wright kink meme, along with other glorious shared headcanons like: Hannah Fright, the secretary who is privy to a bunch of semi-public hook ups, Godot's lemon of a vehicle, and yes, the Klavjet which Klavier loves.
Apollo rushed in so fast, he didn't even close the door behind him, and nearly knocked over her bag of emergency rations from the bookcase full of science and true crime books on the wall.
Her bed was unmade. She'd left it a mess, and there were crumbs on the floor, as always.
The small apartment came complimentary with her job. She didn't even pay rent. The only problem was the internet out here wasn't that great, and it got awful cold in the winter.
Apollo looked wildly about. "I came as quickly as I could! You said it was an emergency?"
Ema called out from the closet: "It is; I need you to look over my dress options."
"Your--dress options?" Apollo let out a groan. "You called me here for that? I have work to do."
"Oh, don't be a grumpypants. I need. a second opinion, and there's nothing but monks here. This is important."
"You know liking guys doesn't automatically give me magical fashion sense, right?" Apollo said.
"Yeah, I noticed from your suit and hair choices, Mr. Angry Tomato. To say nothing of your taste in men. But what else am I going to do? Ask Ahlbi? Beh'leeb?"
"You could Skype Klavier?" Apollo suggested with a smirk.
Ema peeked out from the closet. She held up one finger, and gave him an enraged look. She grabbed her snackoos and downed several bites before she even dared speak.
"You just gave me a look like you'd fire lasers from your eyes and send me right to hell if you could."
"That was a low blow, Apollo! You know how I feel about Prosecutor Gavin!"
"And you know how I feel about him. Pretty hard not to ever mention him when I'm dating him."
Apollo paused for a moment and a panicked look came over his face.
"Wait, you aren't going to come out half-naked are you? Because I am attracted to women too. And even if I wasn't, that'd be just weird."
"Feh, You wish you'd get an eyeful of this!"
"I really don't," Apollo said.
"No, I'm going to come out in this."
Ema put her hands on her hips. She sure was glad she'd packed that little teal number away, even when she had really limited space and it didn't seem likely like she'd be able to use it anytime soon.
"I wore it to a wedding, but before they finally got married, they had a pretty rough time of it. Somebody was killed, the butler framed them for murder, the whole nine yards. You think it got bad luck on it or something? I don't want to shadow my first date. With my luck, someone would get murdered at it. It's taken so long for me to go on this date with Pros--Nahyuta that I don't want to jinx it."
"You really should be asking Nahyuta this."
"Ugh, you're hopeless! You can see triggers, can't you see bad luck or something?"
Considering that it was tonight, she didn't exactly have a lot of other choices. She couldn't catch her sister on a video call with this amount of time difference.
"I mean, Nahyuta's more about luck than I am," he said.
"Oh, good point," Ema said. She tapped her lower lip with her finger, uncaring that her lipstick would be smeared. She'd reapply it later anyways.
"If you're hoping that I have some magic ability to figure Nahyuta out, just because we're brothers, you're mistaken. I'm just as confused by him half the time as you are," Apollo said.
She gave him a pointed look. "Uh-huh. Really? Didn't you win whole cases on figuring out that someone was lying because they kept picking lint out of their pocket or something?"
"That doesn't work against Nahyuta; I get the beads of pain if I try that."
Ema smirked. "If you're getting the beads of pain, maybe you shouldn't be pulling facts out of your ass. I never get the beads of pain."
"Like that's any surprise? Everything you do makes him want to give you a raise or create entirely new divisions just so he can surprise you with them. Seriously, what are you so worried about? He's seen you jetlagged and lacking snackoos and sleep. He's seen you try and destroy his case. He's not going to mind something like a reused dress--"
He broke off as she flicked a snackoo at him.
*
Ema was regretting her choice in heels, even if they were cute. She kept tapping her foot, and checking her phone. He wouldn't stand her up without even a message, right? Of course, she'd come here early just in case there was something like overzealous guards who thought she was a heathen or something. It was always something in Khura'in.
Really, she shouldn't be this nervous. It was just a date that would set the course of her entire life. Because she was risking everything she'd built up here.
No biggie.
Technically, she'd already risked everything just coming to this country.
Lanterns lit up the courtyard in a low glow that joined the bright moonlight. It was chilly, for spring. She almost wished she'd brought her coat.
She heard his melodious voice behind her.
"You're early again. That eager?"
The answer was yes, but she didn't want to let on her exact level of thirst. Maybe save that for the second or third date.
"Oh, you know. I wanted to be ready, in case of an emergency."
"An emergency."
"Like...if zombies suddenly attacked. That kind of thing."
"Zombies? Hmm, yes. You must--shoot for the head, correct?"
Maybe marathoning the Walking Dead with him wasn't too bad an idea after all.
"I hope you don't mind something quieter. If we went to a local place, it could get flooded with people. So, I though a compromise would be far better and more peaceful."
Yeah, like she was going to complain about eating in the castle.
"N-no, it's lovely, really."
"Are you nervous?"
"A little bit. It's what I wanted but... I'm risking a friendship and the best boss I ever had and a job. So I'm really aware of that."
"Let me tell you the history of these lanterns. Perhaps that will distract you."
Nahyuta closed his eyes, and spoke in a low, smooth way that Ema could get lost in.
"There was a massive darkness that blotted out the entire sky. I believe it would now be classified as an eclipse. It lasted such a long time, but the Holy Mother lifted up these lanterns and told the people of Khura'in 'the light will return.' It is a symbol of hope now. Often around the depths of winter we light these lanterns to remind us that goodness and warmth will return after all."
"That's really beautiful..."
Nahyuta smiled, and nodded.
"Yes, I think of it often."
He led her to the courtyard, where a table was set with food enough for a feast. Or almost enough to sate her for dinner. She didn't recognize every dish, but she knew with some comfort that Nahyuta would teach her.
Ema broke off as she took a bite of a bit of fruit.
"Mm, what is this fruit? It's very tart--like--"
"Ume," he said.
"Yes, I was just thinking it was like those Japanese plums."
He repeated the name, and the words tasted soft on her tongue.
"It's related to Ume," he said.
"Oo-may?"
"Close, there's a pause."
An apostrophe, of course. She should've known.
She found her shoulders relaxing. It was just like so many moments: layovers, the sound of announcements over the loudspeaker as she at salty fry after salty fry and he found rapture in a cheeseburger.
She smiled. "Am I allowed to ask about your day anymore, or it is classified?"
"Technically some things should be kept quiet, due to being state secrets, but I trust you."
"Trust me, I won't tell the next ambassador top secret things like what you had for lunch," Ema teased.
And it was nice, like this. Sharing days. Like those times in airports, except this time she wasn't facing wall after wall.
Okay, she was sure she would backflip right into a (metaphorical) brick wall when it came to him eventually; it was Nahyuta after all, but at least he'd opened up somewhat. That was certainly progress.
*
After dinner, she pulled off her shoes and carried them. They were cute, sure, but they'd totally get stuck in the covered bridge right in front of the grave of his mother that turned out to be empty. Except for the part where his father's body was eventually found there.
Not exactly lighthearted stuff for their first date.
Ema smoothed her hair back, and took barefoot step after barefoot step over the bridge, and deeper into the garden. The ground was cool, and slightly damp against her feet. The moon was reflected in the water beneath them.
"The moon is so lovely tonight," she said.
"And so are you," he said softly.
"You're not so bad yourself," she said.
She gripped his brocade jacket.
"You know how dates end where I'm from?"
"I've studied some, though I have more to accomplish in my studies," Nahyuta said.
"A kiss," she said.
And sometimes, more than a kiss. But even if Nahyuta was DTF, she was still pretty sure that a monk didn't fuck on the first date.
His lips met hers, and the kiss was a single point of warmth in the chilly night. There had been points where Ema worried that the chemistry between them might fizzle out or be awkward, but she fit against him perfectly. It was a movie magic kind of kiss, a once in a lifetime kiss.
She stayed near, and lingered close. His hair was so impossibly soft against her cheek. And being in his arms felt frankly amazing.
"Are you still afraid?" Nahyuta said softly.
"Of what? Climate change? Totally, I believe in science."
She brushed her hair back, in a nervous gesture, with her other hand. "Of course, you mean about us. Well... Look, loving anyone is a little bit scary, because there's always a risk that everything will go wrong, and I know all about things going wrong. But I've never been so sure of anything. You're definitely worth the risk."
"I mean--" She cleared her throat. Had she technically just dropped a paraphrase of 'I love you' on the first date? Just when she thought she'd been doing kind of okay, with no foot in mouth moments, she'd had to pull the Ted Mosby of moves.
He pulled her close. And somehow it was more intimate than a kiss. She let her shoes drop, uncaring if they got wet with dew, just so she could get a better grip.
"The truth is, I chose the lanterns because they reminded me of you. When I was at my darkest point, you gave me hope," he said softly.
She thought for a moment, he might kiss her lips again, in that toe-curlingly passionate way, but instead he kissed the top of her head and stepped away.
"I have to rise early tomorrow for court," he said. His voice was slightly apologetic. And as much as she wanted to night to continue, she couldn't exactly fault him for trying to work out that backlog of cases that Ga'ran had wrecked.
He'd only just managed to sneak this date in between all his official stuff. And of course, being Nahyuta, he couldn't bring himself to stop being a prosecutor, even if he now was Prince Regent, too.
"So..I am afraid that this night must come to an end for now."
Ema gave him a sad smile. What was she supposed to say? He wasn't even gone yet and she already kind of missed him? That definitely wasn't something to admit on the first date.
"Goodnight, Detective Ema Skye. I am looking forward to be able to see you again. Even though my schedule must be adjusted to fit in another of these dates, I will pour through my appointments to find a way to--as they would say--fit you in."
Yeah, he could fit her in any time.
Of course he wouldn't be the type of guy to go all the way on the first date. But, Ema liked this kind of anticipation. He gave her one last smile before he turned and disappeared in the moonlight.
Ema slumped against the door the moment it closed. God, just a kiss and it felt like she needed a cigarette--and she didn't even smoke.
Ema hummed to herself as she headed back to change into her pajamas. The moon was full, and so was her heart. Full of possibilities and yes, something quite like a growing love.
*
Ema usually took a lunch at a slightly different time than everyone else, just to avoid potentially awkward situations.
As for staff rooms, it was certainly different. For one, the refrigerator was a new addition. The table was low in the middle of a room filled with murals of butterflies and past religious saints and martyrs of Khura'inism.
This time, however, Apollo joined her.
"Long time no see, stranger," she said.
"Heh," he gave her a skeptical look.
"What brings you here? You wouldn't be interrupting my lunch to ask for reports, would you?"
"Of course not," Apollo said. Except, he'd looked about the same way when Nahyuta dismantled the wild theories he pulled out of nowhere that somehow always turned out to be the real twist in the story when all was said and done.
"Good, because you're not getting it until I'm not hungry anymore. I get a little cranky when I haven't eaten."
Apollo gave her a skeptical look. "Only when you're hungry?"
She flicked a Snackoo at him. However, Apollo dodged it this time. Apparently he was getting better at this.
Apollo leaned against the wall. There were crumbs on the floor; Ema was, as always, coming back for a second helping of food. Ema sat, cross-legged with another bag of Snackoos on her lap.
"You know, when I told Klavier what happened, he was really hyped. He started writing a song for your wedding."
"My wedding? Honestly, it was a first date. Don't get me wrong, I had a great first date, but still. It's going to take a while before it's anywhere near preparing for that."
"Give him time and he'll make a wedding album. He's already going on about how nice it would be to be family with you."
Ema's hatedom with Prosecutor Gavin was remarkably one-sided. He would chuckle off her anger, which only made her more angry. And it grew into a cycle of Prosecutor Gavin going into guitar solos and throwing gratuitous German and her throwing snack food.
All in all he had the utter gall to be a nice and decent guy. At least, she realized that now.
Back then, it'd been a case of hating him because he took down Phoenix. Except that the whole thing had actually been plotted away by Klavier's evil brother. But that was only the beginning. Even after all that, Ema had realized he was her Patrice. Prosecutor Gavin couldn't even eat crackers without Ema getting annoyed.
Ema got up so suddenly, her bag fell out of her lap. At least there was nothing but crumbs left. "Wait, he proposed? You didn't even tell me?"
Apollo blushed, and pushed his spiky brown hair back.
"Not exactly. He's been like this...Teasing, sort of. You know how he is."
"It sounds like he's doing that 'just kidding...unless?' thing," Ema said. "So, you're really getting hitched."
From behind her, she heard an oh-so-familiar voice. "Congratulations. I will gladly welcome your husband to our family."
Ema craned her neck to see Nahyuta right behind her."W-what? How long were you listening?"
He gave her an enigmatic smile. "Long enough."
Ema blushed and buried her face in her hands. "For the record, it's Apollo's fault, blame him. I didn't say a-anything of the sort."
Apollo sputtered. "I was just telling you what Klavier said."
"I find the gesture rather refreshing. Perhaps there will be forgiveness in the future?"
"Not likely," Ema said huffily.
"Hmmm, time will tell." Nahyuta gave Ema a smile, one she gladly returned.
"Oh, that reminds me. Klavier left something for you when he visited."
Well, so much for that smile. Ema grimaced.
"Don't tell me he's sending me his next EP again. He said it was 'fire' so I threw it in the incinerator where it belonged," Ema said.
Apollo smirked, like he'd just pulled out the evidence to destroy her case.
"You say that like you didn't have The Gavinners first album on repeat until it was filled with scratches," Apollo said.
Ema clutched her bag of snacks tight, and frowned.
"I was a teenager! No one said I had good taste back then! Actually, I was super into science and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth back then, so I guess I did have good taste. At least in everything but music."
It was a surprisingly large box. Ema shook it, but it sounded--soft? Of course, it could just be packing. Though she couldn't think of a single thing that Klavier freaking Gavin would think to send to her. Nothing clattered. It was surprisingly soft sounding. Maybe it was Snackoos?
Ugh, she hoped it wasn't snackoos. She'd have to start hating him less if he fed her junk food addiction.
She started to tear at the top."How did he get this here so fast? They don't have overseas two-day shipping."
"He delivered it personally on his private plane last night."
"And then he just left?"
Apollo blushed and tugged at his collar. "He stayed the night."
Ema finally got the tape off and pulled off the tissue paper. It felt as if her soul left her body as she looked down what was in her hand.
You know, if souls weren't scientifically unproven things, that was.
She didn't even know they made snackoo flavored condoms.
And there were tons in this box. Maybe even thousands. It was enough condoms to probably last her a very long time. Well, depending on how lively Nahyuta was. Technically, it meant she didn't have to figure out overseas shipping, or make a trip to Zheng Fa because the local market didn't sell this particular type of birth control.
Who knows, maybe the powdered yak horn really did work wonders, but Ema really preferred modern science when it came to not getting pregnant.
And technically, it was actually very helpful in finding out just how DTF Nahyuta actually was. Technically, he'd even made a grand gesture, because knowing Ema, she'd probably just go fuck it, he's a monk anyways.
It didn't make her hate Prosecutor Gavin in this moment any less.
Was this his way of telling her to 'get fucked'? Nah, knowing Prosecutor Gavin, there was probably a card in there like To my most lively detective: best wishes on your honeymoon, have a rockin' time, Klavier Gavin.
"I am going to hit him with the entire bag of Snackoos next time," Ema said in a very low voice.
"It makes sense that he said 'when he said 'it's better that I'm overseas when she opens it,'" Apollo said.
Damn. At this rate, she was going to have to invent some snackoo missile that could hit the fop's smug condom-sending face across the ocean.
It wasn't enough that he sent her condoms. No, she had to open them right in front of Nahyuta.
Maybe he didn't know what they were? Ema looked hopefully back, but nope, no luck. He looked far too amused to be confused.
"Are you free tonight, Ema? I managed to....reschedule certain things to allow a few hours free."
Honestly, if he'd asked her to sit in the DMV for hours with him, she would've said yes. Already her day had improved tenfold.
"For you? Always," Ema said.
"If you're not using them--"
"I'm using them! I'm not sharing, either."
"That's fine, he dropped off a package at my house, too," Apollo said coolly. "I was going to say, don't throw them away. I'm sure they could be...donated."
"Donate to what? Your fuckfest?"
"The Khura'inese version of Planned Parenthood that's being built," Apollo said.
"Oh yeah, I remember that. It was going to be called No Bey'beies, right?"
"Something like that," Apollo said.
"Wait, does he buy condoms by the thousands? Wait, what am I saying? Of course he does," Ema said.
"Try not to murder him when he comes back next time," Apollo said.
"Let's just say he should get better at dodging," Ema said.
