Chapter Text
When Maya slowly rose from the tomb of sleep the following morning, she felt much warmer than she had when she’d woken up in the parlour the other night. That was to be expected, of course; this time, the room hadn’t gotten cold, and she was underneath a nice warm blanket.
What wasn’t to be expected, though, was how dark it was, even under her eyelids.
It wasn’t as though her hair had covered her face; a quick brush of the hand made sure of that. Opening her eyes, she could see absolutely nothing, which was odd, because she hadn’t covered her head with the blanket before going to bed. Stranger still, it definitely did feel like something was resting on her head. Odd
Seeking to move it out of the way, Maya brought her hand in front of her to push it. Instead of the smooth material of the blanket, though, her fingers were met with the soft texture of feathers.
Maya smiled. Fran had covered her with her wing at some point in the night. Whether or not it had been intentional was a mystery, but it was very nice nonetheless.
Slowly and carefully so as not to disturb her, Maya rolled over to take a look at the wing’s owner.
There she lay; sleeping soundly on her stomach. Her head was tucked down a little bit and turned to the side, somewhat like a sleeping goose, except she couldn’t rest her head on her back like they could. Her face was completely relaxed, her mouth open by just a peep. The whole sight was visible by just a sliver of light peering in from in front of her wing, enough to illuminate her head.
She was adorable.
But it was going to have to be a momentary thing; Maya was going to have to wake her up so they could go see Mr. Cell and make sure Fran got back to normal.
“Fran,” Maya whispered. “Time to get up.”
Franziska gave a quiet, displeased whine, without otherwise stirring.
And then she pulled Maya in close with her wing.
Maya’s breath caught at the sudden contact. Her arms, legs, and almost her whole torso were now up against Fran’s.
Not that she minded.
Fran was very warm, which was good; that meant she’d had a comfortable sleep. Her breaths, rhythmic and deep, gently came and went from her nose, which Maya felt puff lightly at the base of her neck. Her arms, perfectly still, were curled up at her chest. It was an image of total peace and quiet. Maya could have laid there forever.
But she was going to have to disturb it.
“Fraaaaaaan,” she cooed.
This seemed to stir something inside Franziska, because all at once there was an infinitesimal shift in her musculature. Bit by bit, her eyelids rose, revealing the beautiful grey irises underneath. Once those eyes recognised what was mere inches away from them, though, they opened wide with surprise; it seemed she’d covered and moved Maya with her wing without knowing it after all.
Maya smiled more warmly than she probably ever had. “Good morning, sunshine.”
Silence.
Then, a shout and a flurry of movement.
Before Maya could tell what had happened, she’d been covered in blanket and Fran was gone, which did feel a little saddening, but it was bound to happen eventually.
“Are you alright?” Maya asked, pulling the blanket off of her head and brushing her hair out of her eyes.
“Fine,” Franziska huffed, apparently out of breath. “I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t realise what I’d done, I must have done it in my sleep-”
“Don’t worry yourself,” Maya semi-teased as she got out of bed, stretching. “Besides, I haven’t been that comfy in ages.”
“I-is that so…? ” Fran stuttered, her face suddenly very red.
There was something about the look on Franziska’s face when she was all flustered that never failed to have Maya smiling cheekily at it.
“Mhm!”
Fran just nodded idly a bit, her gaze drifting off into the distance and becoming something like a thousand-yard stare.
“Well,” Maya began, placing a hand on her companion’s shoulder. “Today’s the big day. You’re probably going to be back to normal now that the expert has had a chance to work on the machine.”
Fran was a little startled at the sudden contact, quickly snapping out of her stare, but she soon understood what was being said. “Yes, indeed. It can’t happen fast enough.”
“How do you feel?”
There was a pause before the reply. “I’m not sure. Relieved, that’s for certain, but also somewhat… I don’t know.”
“That’s fair.” Maya took her hand down. “I’m basically already dressed so I’ll go see if there’s anything to make breakfast with.”
“Don’t bother making anything for me; I want to be at the laboratory as soon as possible.”
That was fairly evident, especially given that she didn’t even wait for Maya to so much as turn around before walking over to her closet, unbuttoning her nightgown all the while.
“oooOOOOOOOkay! ” Maya spouted, having maybe stolen a tiny glimpse of Fran’s back and shoulders (which was a very unwise thing to do) underneath her wings, quickly spinning around. She should have expected it, she knew that Franziska had gotten a little more muscular because of the wings,
But…
Holy shit.
“I’ll be in the kitchen! ”
Suddenly, making breakfast even just for herself was a lot more difficult than she’d anticipated.
Given that her mind was now on… other things.
“Are you alright?”
A whole plethora of emotions were fighting for dominance in Franziska’s gut as she stared at the door to Stanley Cell’s laboratory, and simply answering ‘yes’ to Maya’s question would not have adequately explained the myriad of things that were swimming around in her mind.
But explaining it at all was probably impossible, so it would have to suffice.
“Yes.”
She felt a hand enclose her own.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll work this time.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she suddenly blurted without thinking.
Maya seemed confused, and rightly so. “What do you mean?”
“…Never mind.”
It was best to cut it off there.
Because there was no way she could have explained the fact that she was somewhat going to miss being part-animal.
Not the actual aspect of being an animal, that had been consistently horrifying and brought nothing but frustration and strife.
No, she would miss having Maya constantly by her side.
But what could she do?
The thought had occurred to her fairly early on to sabotage the machine either herself or with Cell’s assistance, but she had chosen not to because it would never be a lasting arrangement; it would be found out sooner or later, or they would have to fix the machine anyway so it didn’t appear suspicious.
Of course, she could have simply ripped the bandage off, as they say, and just told Maya how she really felt. They had spent so much time together, even slept in the same bed, surely it at least wouldn’t be wholly out-of-the-blue?
And yet, every time she felt the urge to go ahead and say it, a piercing sort of anxiety hit her in the stomach and her resolve faltered. There was no possible way that a woman who had once been at the receiving end of Franziska’s cruel prosecution could ever reciprocate feelings for her.
Right?
But no matter how she reasoned to herself, her soul felt torn between two contradictory truths. Contradictory because they cancelled each other out.
The first was that Maya could not possibly have felt the way Franziska did about her because of the aforementioned experiences in the courtroom, on top of her own abrasive personality (self-awareness in that matter for Franziska had come far, far too late to make a difference).
But the second was that Maya, in spite of that, had been so, so kind to her. She’d apologised genuinely and profusely for the accident at the machine, had helped her at every opportunity and in every way during their time together, and had perhaps even… flirted with her? Was that what some of her comments and expressions had been? Oh, Franziska von Karma could (and had) recited the entire criminal code of the Federal Republic of Germany from memory, including the local ordinances of her ancestral city of Potsdam, but couldn’t remotely comprehend even the simplest principles of… romance .
Of course, Maya had also laughed very genuinely when that child had used a laser pointer on her at the farm, but she’d apologised for that, too. How much did that mean? What did it mean? Could she still have had, well, feelings even despite that?
Ach.
“You Ms. von Karma?”
Before she knew it, they’d entered the laboratory and someone, a woman, was speaking to her.
“Yes.”
The woman, seated next to the machine, nodded a bit. “I’m Echo Centric. I’ve got good news and bad news for you.”
Franziska’s already turbulent emotions became even more so. “What is it?”
“Well, you see, I think our friend’s tampering has caused even more damage to the machine than it had to begin with,” she explained, jabbing her thumb at the man beside her, who whimpered feebly at her words. “That’s the bad news. The good news is that, one way or another, you’ll be able to come out of here perfectly normal.”
Franziska frowned. “What do you mean ‘one way or another’? And ‘you’ll be able to’?”
“If all goes well, you won’t have to know.” The woman shrugged. “If not, you’ll still be able to be normal until I properly get this thing back up to snuff. If you want, you can wait until then, but I reckon it’ll be a couple weeks yet until I’m sure this thing does as it’s supposed to.”
A few seconds passed as the prosecutor tried to come to a decision. She should have expected that Cell’s tampering would have produced undesirable results; they already had, but what did that imply with regards to what this ‘expert’ was saying now? Especially since she still seemed to believe that, in spite of all that, she would be able to revert the transformation ‘one way or another’.
Should she play it safe and wait a few more weeks? Or should she risk ‘one way or another’?
Her usual modus operandi would have had her choose the former, but she didn’t. The words she’d heard only the day before had started to echo around her head.
It doesn’t hurt to try.
Franziska looked over to Maya. Her expression matched the meaning of the words dancing in her mind.
The winged prosecutor looked back to Centric. “Let’s try it.”
A nod. “You know the drill by now,” she said, gesturing to the bench before getting to work on the machine.
“Indeed,” Franziska muttered, glancing over at Cell, who winced under her gaze.
By the time she’d gotten behind the bench, her breathing had become very heavy, her heart beating harder and faster than it had when standing there before. She looked over at Maya, who’s encouraging smile was a nice distraction from her newfound stress.
But she didn’t maintain eye contact long.
“Are you ready?” Centric called out, hands over the controls.
Funny; Cell had never bothered to say anything before blasting her with the machine. This woman was at least a little more considerate.
“Yes.”
Another nod, then a push of a button, then blinding light.
The blast this time was hard but quick; the machine did its work far better than it had under Cell’s tutelage. The sensation in her nerves came back much, much faster as well. By the time she’d blinked a couple times, she was back to normal.
Back to normal.
Franziska looked frantically all around herself.
No wings, no tail, no cat ears, no vision problems, no hearing problems, two legs, and (she suspected) no invasive animal instincts.
Nothing.
She was human again.
A deep, heavy sigh escaped her lips as she fell forwards onto the bench, bracing her head in her hands and letting her eyes slip closed. “Finally.”
As relief washed over her, her mind went over all the events of the past days, and all the awful things she had to put up with while part animal. Various modifications to hearing and vision, the inability to locomote correctly, and that horrible, horrible tongue-thing she did whenever she pronounced an S, Z, or TH while she was part-snake. It was all gone. Forever.
“Congratulations!” Maya exclaimed. “It worked!”
“It worked,” Franziska repeated, standing back up to look at her companion of the last four days.
“What do you think you’re gonna miss the most?” Maya asked with one of her now-so-familiar cheeky grins.
“I will miss absolutely nothing about being part-animal.” Franziska chose her words carefully so as not to technically lie; not bringing up anything about the experience as a whole.
Or Maya herself.
“Especially not that revolting thing my tongue would do every time I spoke an SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-”
Terror gripped Franziska as she threw her hands to her mouth.
No. It couldn’t be. She was supposed to be normal again.
Tentatively, Franziska quietly pronounced another S, increasing it in volume bit by bit, and focusing on nothing but.
It was… perfectly ordinary.
What?
“Wait, Fran,” Maya piped up. “This might sound kinda stupid, but… do you remember when you had a cat tail?”
“Of course I do. Why do you ask?”
“Well… try imagining yourself having it again. Remember what that felt like to have one.”
Franziska didn’t like the idea of it, but she did as she was told; maybe Maya had figured out something that she hadn’t. She imagined that accursed tail, swishing idly behind her, poking out from underneath her shirt and waistcoat.
And then she felt it poke out from under her shirt and waistcoat.
The prosecutor shrieked at the sudden sensation, reaching behind to grasp the object. “No… wh- what is this?” She stuttered, staring dazed at the blue fur now in her hands. “H-how?! G-go away!”
It disappeared right in front of her eyes.
“I had a feeling that might happen.”
The prosecutor whipped her head over to the so-called ‘expert’. “What do you mean?!”
“Well, remember how I told you that you’d be coming out of here able to be normal, one way or the other?” She leaned back in her seat. “Well, that was because there’d be one of two possibilities. The first was that you’d be 100% cured. The second was, well…” She gestured to Franziska’s body. “That.”
“You hear that, Fran?!” Maya shouted excitedly. “You’re a shapeshifter! ”
“A… what?! ”
“If you come back in a couple weeks, I’ll be able to fix it, but you can just keep yourself fully human until that happens and you’ll be hunky dory,” Centric picked up.
Franziska thought about her words for a moment, then huffed a sigh. “Very well. I will keep in contact.”
With that, she stepped down from the bench.
“So, I guess this is where we part ways, huh?”
The sudden gravity of Maya’s voice and the meaning of her words struck Franziska very suddenly. It felt as if this moment would never come, like she would be trapped in the cycle of going to Cell, being transformed, and having to spend another day with Maya, all the while yearning to be back to normal.
But now here they were, and Franziska didn’t know what to do except say goodbye.
“Yes, indeed,” she began. “But before you go, I must say this to you.”
Franziska took both of Maya’s hands in hers, clasping them all together and shaking them gently. “I offer you my sincerest thanks for your assistance over these difficult days. Your work, encouragement, and company were all of great help to me. It will not be forgotten, and you have earned my highest respect.”
With that, she let go of her hands. Maya just breathed “not a problem”, but her empty expression and open mouth were nothing if not an indication that she was either distracted or confused.
Nonetheless, Franziska was obliged to offer her deepest thanks, and was more than happy to do so; giving one of her trademark curtsies. “Again, thank you very, very much,” she said, head still bowed. After a few seconds, she stood up.
“Goodbye, Maya.”
No.
No!
Maya felt herself be swallowed by paralysing panic. Franziska was walking away. Franziska was walking away.
But what could she do? Nothing. Their time together was up; it was bound to happen eventually, and Maya was glad, very glad, that Fran was finally able to be normal again.
But…
There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to express, but also so much uncertainty. They’d gotten to know each other over the previous days, yes, and they’d gotten somewhat… intimate at times, but it was impossible to know for sure if any of it meant anything, at least to Franziska.
It certainly meant a lot to Maya.
Maybe she should take her own advice.
It doesn’t hurt to try .
…
“Franziska, wait!”
Having only just made it into the hall, Fran turned around as Cell and the expert lady passed by, presumably heading for the elevator. “Yes?”
“I…” Maya’s sudden sprint slowed to a stop as she got within a few feet of Franziska, along with her sentence. “I… I need to tell you something.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Fran didn’t seem angry, but she didn’t seem not angry. It was just a neutral curiosity.
“I… think you deserve to know something.”
Fran raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what would that be?”
“I…” Maya swallowed hard. “I wasn’t completely honest about why I wanted to help you after the accident.”
The prosecutor’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
There was the panic again.
“I mean, I- I still meant what I said!” Maya blurted, throwing her hands up. “I really did want to help you, and I really was and still am sorry for bumping into the machine like I did, but-”
“But? ”
Maya jumped a little as she was cut off. Her mouth began to tremble.
“But what, Maya?” Franziska’s voice was low, angry. It was a horrible sound. “What are you hiding? What ulterior motives did you harbour?” Then, her eyes widened a bit as she let out a gasp. “Maya you… you didn’t… conspire to do that, did you?” She asked, anger briefly replaced by shock.
“N-no! I- I didn-”
“You did, didn’t you?!” Then, it came back in full force. “You did it on purpose! You knew what would happen when you struck the machine! Why, then?! So that Phoenix Wright could take the case and have an easier opponent?!” Her open mouth shook for a moment, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. “I… I trusted you, Maya!” She shouted. “I trusted you with my well-being! I thought you did it out of the kindness of your heart!” She stumbled on the word ‘heart’. “But you were just keeping me distracted!”
“No!” Maya screamed, her eyes beginning to run. “It’s not like that! I… I…”
Franziska was only staring back, now. The look in her eyes… it was one Maya had seen many times, but only in court. It wasn’t the Franziska von Karma she’d come to know over the last four days. It was the one everyone else knew.
The one who didn’t trust her anymore.
“We will see,” she growled, pulling out her cell phone. In an instant, she’d dialled a number and pressed the phone to her ear, not making eye contact. It didn’t take all that long for the phone to be picked up, but the silence in the interim was unbearable.
“Miles!” Franziska barked. “You know about the Cell case, do you not?! Who was the defence attorney?! Tell me now! ” A couple seconds of silence passed. “Was it Phoenix Wright?!”
A few more seconds.
A hard blink. “What do you mean ‘no’?! …… Who was it?! ………”
It was quiet for another moment or so before Franziska, her face now contorted differently than before, mumbled “I see…” into the phone. She then hung up, her gaze slowly drifting over to Maya. Her anger had been washed away by confusion, but her eyes were no more trusting.
Maya couldn’t look at her. “I- I ran into him at the office on that first day when I stayed the night there.” She sniffled, wiping her now drenched face. “He told me he didn’t want to take the case because I had gotten personally involved, though wasn’t the defendant. Wanted to… leave us alone.” Finally, she worked up enough courage to look back at Franziska. “Y-you can call him if you want to hear his side, but…” Maya’s face tensed as a few more drops fell from her chin, quickly being replaced from her eyes in a sudden rush. “I swear I’m telling you the truth… I would never lie to you, or to anyone.”
Franziska’s expression again changed form, her eyes wide and her mouth open. “Y- you mean that?” She whispered.
Maya nodded as quickly as she could. “Of course I do.”
At those words, Franziska’s eyes drifted up, staring emptily. Then, they snapped closed and she fell to her knees, her head bowing.
“Fran?” Maya asked, blinking away a few tears.
“Oh my God…” Franziska choked. “I’m so, so sorry Maya. ” Her hands rose up to cover her face. “I… after all that, I got paranoid…” She began to tremble. “How… How could I be so cruel to you after all I’ve put you through … ? ”
“Fran,” Maya murmured, kneeling down as she brought a hand to Franziska’s shoulder. “I'm the reason we got into this mess anyhow. It’s okay.”
“No it’s not!” She slapped Maya’s hand away, then grabbed at her upper arms. “I… From the day we met, I have been nothing but vile to you. Not a day goes by where I don’t regret my role in your trial.” She hauled in a shuddery breath. “Even now, when I was in need and you reached out to me, I treated you like some inhuman servant.”
“Fran,” Maya tried to assure again. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Yes it is.” She looked up at Maya, her eyes pained. “Because I can’t remember it all. Everything I said to you, everything I did, all the small things that were…” Her head fell down again. “…Not fair. Not kind.” She shuddered a bit. “Not like you are.” A hollow chuckle rattled from within. “Even though I have come to learn these past four days how little things can hurt so much, I never once thought of that when I interacted you.”
“Well, don’t do that anymore and we’re all good!” Maya offered, trying to lend a bit of joviality.
It had no effect. “I assure you, I never, ever will, but… it’s not right. It never will be.” Then, Franziska turned, getting up to walk away. “I’m sorry,” she choked.
In a flash, Maya was hit with a blast of adrenaline, and she locked her hand onto Franziska’s closest wrist, holding on with all her might. Her heart pounding, her ears ringing, and her focus sharp, she blurted out three words:
“I love you.”
Like she had many times before, Franziska froze solid, remaining completely and utterly still for a few moments. But instead of turning back slowly, she threw her head around to make eye contact. Her expression was unreadable. Fear? Shock? Confusion? Dread?
Maya pressed on.
“I love you, Fran.” She pulled Franziska closer, taking both of her hands. The latter’s eyes remained completely transfixed with her own. “I have since the moment I laid eyes on you.” Her head fell low for a moment. “Of course, I knew almost nothing about you back then.” Then, she quickly made eye contact again. “But after I made that stupid mistake and Cell made that suggestion, I realised… I could get to know you, to see what kind of a person you really are.” She couldn’t help but smile. “And then I fell in love even more.”
Her secret now revealed, Maya lifted a hand to lightly pat Franziska’s cheek. “That’s the truth. That’s my ulterior motive.”
Then, something extraordinary happened.
For a few seconds, the two did nothing but stare at each other. After that, the corners of Franziska’s eyes lowered a little, her mouth shuddering a bit, but no words escaped.
And then she began to cry.
As two streams quickly made themselves known on her face, travelling with haste down her neck, her eyes shut. She began to sob heavily, and soon leaned forward against Maya, resting her head against her shoulder and throwing her hands around her back tightly.
Maya, though uncertain what it all meant, quickly returned the embrace as Franziska really began to cry. Her short, staccato sobs gave way to long, loud howls that echoed down the empty hallway. Her arms tightened a little bit.
A minute or two may have passed in this arrangement, but Maya couldn’t be sure; time seemed to become immaterial as soon as they’d made contact.
Then, fighting against her own voice, Franziska began to speak:
“I love you, Maya,” she whimpered, her chest heaving hard. “I love you so much.” Her grip tightened a little further. “You… are the most kind, compassionate, wonderful human being I have ever known.”
To say that Maya smiled at that would be the understatement of the millennium, but that’s just what she did, as well as rock the two of them back and forth, bringing up a hand to caress Fran’s hair.
Yet again, a minute or two may have passed in this arrangement, but Maya couldn’t be sure; time seemed to become immaterial as soon as they’d made contact.
“Thank you, Fran,” she whispered eventually. “But I’ll never be able to return that compliment; I don’t have the words to describe how much you mean to me. Yeah, I know that’s cheesy; get used to it.” She chuckled a little. “You’re a lot better with words than I am.”
Franziska just ‘mmf’ed as her sobbing started to wind down. It would soon be picked up by shivering, however.
“Are you cold?” Maya asked.
Fran said nothing, but it wasn’t difficult to discern that she was.
Then, an old idea came rushing back.
“Do you want that Eskimo kiss now?” Maya half-teased.
Franziska pulled back from Maya’s shoulder to look at her from behind red, puffy eyes. Eyes that, after a moment or two, finally reclaimed a tiny bit of light. “Why not?” She whispered.
With Fran’s approval, a little smile lit Maya’s face as she took hold of Franziska’s head to bring them closer, which seemed to upturn the prosecutor’s mouth a little too. With that, their noses nuzzled each other, the tiny bit of friction produced generating a small amount of heat.
By the time they’d separated, as Maya would soon see, the look in Franziska’s eyes had completely changed. An easy smile adorned her face, and the gaze she fixed on Maya’s eyes was…
Loving.
Then, she brought her own arms up to take Maya’s head in her hands, her touch so gentle it could scarcely be felt. Once close enough, Maya could only watch in awe as Franziska let her eyes close as she lightly planted her lips on the tip of Maya's nose, where they remained for a few moments before backing off and lowering her hands.
“I think that would be more effective, no?”
Oh, the idea that that brought.
The spirit medium couldn’t help but giggle. “Maybe,” she admitted. “But I’ve got an even better idea.”
All it took was a second or two of the right kind of eye contact to ensure that Franziska knew exactly what she meant. A second or two more, and the movement of the latter’s hands and eyelids conveyed her interest in this ‘idea’.
Maya’s first kiss was… indescribable.
Fran’s face was very warm for obvious reasons, but she soon realised that all of her was warm as well.
Not just temperature-wise. That kind of warmth, the kind she knew she’d only experience with Franziska, that was indescribable.
She was soft, too. Her gentle, soothing touch. Her smooth, silky hair. Her plush, inviting lips.
Maya always wondered what it would be like, but this was nothing like it. She could only wonder how a woman as beautiful as Franziska von Karma could tolerate such a person as Maya Fey, but she wasn’t about to complain.
Eventually, the two separated.
Maya, feeling the need for a little assistance with balance, put a hand to her head. “Wow ,” she murmured. “I was right all along.”
Franziska, who also appeared to be a bit stunned, took a moment to absorb Maya’s words. “Right about what?”
Maya giggled, running an index finger along the seam of Fran’s mouth. “Not only do you have the most gorgeous lips in the world, but the most kissable.”
Franziska frowned. “You could only know that if you kissed every single human being on the planet who has ever lived. Also, what do you mean by ‘I was right all along’?… How long have you speculated on this?”
Yet again, Maya couldn’t help but giggle. “Since the day I saw you saunter into the courtroom for the first time.”
Franziska’s eyebrow raised. “I don’t ‘saunter’ anywhere.”
“Oh, cut the crap, Fran. You know what I mean,” Maya half-teased.
Eyebrows still more or less in position, Franziska narrowed her eyelids. “No, I don’t.”
Maya grinned. “C’mon. That cocky smile? That confident, wide-swaying walk? That piercing gaze?” She turned her head to the side, closing her eyes and raising her eyebrows, fanning at her face with her hand. “I was liable to come down with a case of the vapuhs!” She explained in a stereotypical Southern accent.
“Thankfully, you had the fear of death to keep you awake,” Franziska deadpanned.
She giggled again. “True, but lemme tell ya; the longer that trial went on and the more I was sure that Nick had it in the bag,” she began, lightly grasping the sides of Franziska’s head. “The more I wanted to just leap over and tackle you to the floor right there in the courtroom, before all the other ladies ogling down from the gallery did.”
The prosecutor gulped. “That would not have ended well for either of us,” she pointed out.
“You’re right.” Maya grinned deviously. “So we’ve got a lot to make up for.”
For a moment, Fran was still, but eventually, one side of her mouth upturned. “I agree.”
“Mmmm, there’s that cocky grin I love so much,” Maya hummed, a finger underneath Fran’s chin pulling them back together.
Indeed, some degree of ‘making’ was accomplished then. However, whether or not to follow it up with the word ‘up’ or ‘out’ will be left to the reader’s interpretation.
“Uh…”
All at once, the couple stopped what they were doing, freezing completely still. Franziska whipped her head around to identify the source of the voice, but Maya only had to look up a little.
The two scientists had returned. Cell looked horrified. Centric looked amused.
“Hi,” Maya said in a half-dazed murmur.
Cell merely sputtered incoherently.
“The lab over there is empty,” Centric pointed out with a wave of the hand. “It’s not locked either. Just put some tape on the window or something and lock the door behind you.” She then kept on walking, passing the couple on her way. “But don’t be too loud; I’ve got work to do.” With a wink and a grin, she’d disappeared into Cell’s lab. Cell himself quickly followed suit, having decided not to question anything that was happening before him.
Franziska groaned, bracing her elbows on her knees and resting her face in her hands. “We’ve only been in this… condition for five minutes and already it’s causing trouble.”
Maya couldn’t help but laugh. “What, you don’t want to be seen with me?”
“No, of course not.” Franziska paused. “I just don’t want to be seen… well…” Grabbing Maya’s hand, she stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Maya purred below half-hooded eyes.
“Control yourself,” Fran ordered as she dragged Maya to the elevator.
“Around you? Impossible.”
Indeed, she didn’t even wait until the elevator doors were closed.
It took them quite a while to get back to the ground floor.
“Would you mind if I stayed one more night with you?” Maya asked as the chauffeur brought them up Franziska’s driveway once again.
“Of course not; what’s mine is yours,” was her reply as she got out of the vehicle.
“Thanks, Fran.”
It was nice to have somewhere nearby that was nice and cosy after the day they’d had; they’d gone back to the bistro to have a proper lunch, and afterwards, Maya discovered how much Franziska enjoyed strolling through the woods, which they did in People Park for several hours.
But now it was time for bed.
“You are welcome anytime, my dear.”
“Aww, thank you.”
“It’s nothing; you should never be too far from a warm bed in which to sleep-”
“Not just that, silly.” Maya gave Fran a little peck on the cheek. “I kinda like the old fashioned pet names.”
“Really?” Franziska’s brow came up a little. “I thought you would have preferred something more modern.”
“Up until about ten seconds ago, I would have.” Another little peck. “But now that I think about it, I think it’s a little more romantic, especially coming from you.”
“So you don’t mind?”
Maya nuzzled the nape of Fran’s neck a bit. “On the contrary.”
Franziska grinned a little as she unlocked the door to the house. “Very well, my love.”
Maya could help but chuckle as the door swung open. “Y’know, since you’re technically a shapeshifter, you can be whatever you want, but why not just… stay that way?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can be normal when you’re working and in public, but then you could have a little bit of fun when you’re on your off days! Just tell Ms. Centric that you don’t need her to fix for you.”
“The machine will be fixed regardless, especially if Cell is to carry on with his research,” Franziska pointed out, closing the door. “As for remaining a shapeshifter.” She stared straight ahead for a few moments. “No, I do not want that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want anything to happen by mistake, and I’m not exactly as enthusiastic about it as you seem to be.”
“Aww, man,” Maya pouted. “Ah, well. It’s up to you. I’ll miss flying with you, though.”
“Well… we can perhaps fit in one more flight before I’m cured,” Fran said, crossing her arms. “…Or two.”
“Great!” Maya exclaimed. “Can you wrap me up in your wing like you did last night?”
“No.”
“Aww.” Maya’s head drooped. When it came back up, her frown was greatly exaggerated. “But I was so comfy,” she explained, wrapping herself in her arms and shaking side to side a little.
“No, Maya.”
“Okaaaaaaaaaay,” Maya caved, starting to let down her hair. “But would you mind lending me some clothes? I’ve worn this outfit for the last two days and nights. I think it’s starting to stink.”
Franziska closed her eyes in thought for a moment, arms still crossed. “I have some loose clothing I wear for certain kinds of exercise that you can wear, but I’m afraid that’s the most I can offer.”
“I was wondering what some of that stuff was. It didn’t seem like the kind of clothing you normally wear.”
“You… did my laundry?”
Maya blinked. “Of course I did. Didn’t you notice all the new clothes? I did tell you I was doing house-cleaning.”
“Well, I…” She looked away. “I have a maid. I’m used to that sort of thing, though I didn’t call her to come in the last few days.” Looking back to Maya, she smiled. It was a tiny, sheepish little smile that Maya had never seen before, and it was adorable. “Thank you.”
Maya returned the expression, patting Fran a bit on the back. “No sweat.” She turned. “Now let’s get to bed; I’m looking forward to this.”
She could easily have been mistaken, but Maya could have sworn she heard a tiny snort from behind as she entered the bedroom. “Yes, let’s.”
After some digging around in the dresser where Maya had stashed Fran’s workout clothes, she took to the bathroom to change. By the time she’d come back out, Franziska was already in bed and the only light on was the one on the bedside table.
“You sure you won’t change your mind about cuddling me with your wings?” Maya asked, slipping under the covers.
“…No,” Fran grumbled.
“Party pooper.” With that, she turned off the light. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
“Maya. ”
Just as she was about to slip into unconsciousness, Fran’s low voice ensured that that didn’t happen. She stirred a little. “Yeah? ” She whispered back.
“I can’t sleep.”
Groping blindly for a moment, Maya turned the light back on before rolling back to face her partner, who was face-down in her pillow. “Need to use the bathroom?”
“No.”
“Hungry? Want me to make you something to eat?”
“No, thank you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“…I don’t know. I just can’t sleep.”
Hmm. What to do about that?
…
“I know,” Maya said, throwing off the covers.
“What are you doing?” Fran grumbled, rolling over.
“You’ll see.”
The sudden light from the TV, along with that of Fran’s laptop, was like looking straight into a nuclear blast. Once they adjusted and she’d hooked up the computer, Maya began to search YouTube.
“You don’t need to help me anymore, Maya; I’m a perfectly normal and functioning human being again.”
“I know,” Maya responded, not looking away from the task at hand. “Who said I didn’t want to do this out of the kindness of my heart?” She teased.
Once she looked back, Maya caught a most unusual expression on Franziska’s face. It wasn’t quite smiling, and there was something strained about it. She then shook her head lightly. “I’ll never be able to repay your kindness, Maya Fey. Not in a lifetime.”
Maya put a hand to her chest. “Whoa, Fran,” she murmured. “Don’t hit me in the feels so hard like that all of a sudden.”
“I’m… sorry.” Franziska’s eyes dropped to the blanket on top of her. “But I mean it.”
Maya smiled. Fran seemed to have this funny way of taking anything and making it something genuine and sweet about her. Maybe she had some repaying of her own to do. With a light pat on Fran’s shoulder as she walked over with the laptop, Maya had an idea:
“Well, let’s stick together as long as we can so you can have that chance.”
Fran actually chuckled a little at that, and her smile fully developed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Once Maya was settled back under the covers, including allowing her head to rest against Fran’s, she hit play on the episode of Mighty Machines that she’d queued up; At the Quarry.
By the time it and a few more had passed, Maya had come to appreciate why Fran enjoyed that silly old kids’ show so much.
“Ready for sleep yet?” She hummed as another episode came to a close.
Fran nodded, her eyes almost closed.
But when Maya moved to leave the covers so she could turn the TV off, suddenly there was a hand at her chest and Franziska was looking at her.
“I’ll get it.”
“No no, it’s okay-”
“Shhh.”
Though Maya had tried to get up (she had set up the TV, she may as well be the one to turn it off), Franziska held her down, bringing the index finger of her other hand to Maya’s forehead, rubbing gently in a little circle. “Rest that beautiful head of yours, for a change.”
It isn’t exactly every day that one hears someone refer to someone else’s head as ‘beautiful’, but the compliment was nothing if not appreciated.
With that, Fran got up, put the laptop away, turned off the TV, and came back to bed. In that time, Maya had decided to do as she was told, rolling over to get comfortable under the covers. By the time she was lying still, Franziska had finished what she was doing and had also slipped into bed.
Then, there was an unusual sound; a sort of rustling and shifting.
But Maya was only left to wonder what it was for a moment.
Because soon, the blanket had been lifted off of her, and a gentle, feathered wing had wrapped around her, pulling her against Fran.
Maya had never felt so warm and cosy. Not even that morning could compare.
Because there was something between them now that wasn’t there before, and that counted for a great deal.
Maya snuggled against her lover, her face just inches away from the back of Fran’s head. “Goodnight, hon.”
She felt a leg move over to touch her own.
“Goodnight, my beloved.”