Work Text:
“Question.”
Nahyuta glances up from their investigation of luminol-assisted stains, pink glasses sliding forward on their nose. Ema’s got her phone out, eyebrows furled, glasses sitting on her head.
“Answer, but first— is there any particular reason as to why you’re looking at your phone and not the crime scene, Miss Skye?”
“Relax, there is,” Ema huffs as she flips her phone screen around. There’s large text on her screen, centered and in crimson. “Kay wants to know if we’re done with our murder scene yet.”
“Detective Faraday?”
“Yeah— guess her and Blackquill are finishing up before forensics takes their guy back to the morgue.”
“Fun. What’s the question?”
“How hungry are you?” Nahyuta gives her a blank stare. She rolls her eyes. “Stop wearing those glasses, I can’t take you seriously. Lunch?”
“It is about the time most people eat lunch.”
“So…”
“So... I could be swayed for lunch.”
“Awesome. I’ll let her know.”
They pull the glasses off of their face, quirking an eyebrow as she grins at her phone.
“I did not take you as someone who would take pleasure calls during working hours.”
“God, you need to work on phrasing.”
“What?”
“Nothing, you’re just— nevermind.” Ema snatches the glasses from Nahyuta and tucks them into her bag.
“So? Why the personal business?”
“Ever since Kay met the older Blackquill, she’s become a menace, and what I mean by that is that Aura got really into being a mentor figure of sorts. Kay can hack into basically anyone’s phone now, which is way too much power for her. Whenever she wants me to see something, she basically makes it impossible for me to use my phone until I’ve seen it.”
“Seems frustrating.”
“Eh. It’s sweet, in a Kay-kinda way”— Ema taps on her screen before pocketing it— “and it’s only when she really wants me to see something… and, to answer your question, I was gonna take note of the weird bloodstains we saw earlier versus how FUBAR the body is. Phone was the easiest way to do that.”
Nahyuta hums as they walk back over to glance at the body currently being bagged up.
“Wouldn’t have lasted longer than a minute or so with these injuries,” they conclude.
“Yeah. No way of knowing until Kora gives us the details.”
“Dr. Nur does seem to be an excellent technician, yes.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t subject you to her trying to slip you her number.”
“Thank you,” they breathe as they head towards the exit of the building, Ema close behind.
“Y’know, if you just… oh, I dunno, asked out your big ol’ man-crush-every-day focus, then she wouldn’t be trying to pick up on you,” Ema snickers as she smacks Nahyuta’s shoulder.
“That is incredibly unprofessional!”
“Sure, okay, but practically tripping over your tongue the other day in your office when he asked if you’d gotten the updated meeting schedule was professional?”
“It is not illegal to stutter.”
“Yeah, and it sure ain’t illegal to see such a lovestruck smile on your face when he leaves, yet I was hoping it was.”
Their cheeks flush.
“Satorha, not everyone can have your luck.”
Ema rolls her eyes as she tosses her gloves in a trashcan nearby. “Yeah, I know. Not every day a pretty girl slides across your desk while you’re running samples, knocking your keyboard over in the process, just to ask you out to dinner.”
“That’s concerning.”
“Relax, she’s harmless. I took her to meet Lana last month and she loved her.”
“Did she now? You’ll have to send your sister my regards.”
“Already did, she still loves how weirdly formal you are.”
“That’s proper!” they argue.
“Yeah, but she’s my sister!”
“She was the former CP for the office!”
“You literally never worked under her!”
“And she still deserves respect!”
Nahyuta puffs their cheeks out as Ema glares at them.
“You’re literally the biggest dork.”
“I control your paycheck.”
“You wouldn’t cut my salary anyways— I’d annoy you to death, and you’d feel guilty.”
“I might, one of these days.”
“Get in my damn car before I make you walk.”
Ema is serious about her threats. Nahyuta takes her command and follows it, sliding into her passenger seat. She slides in as well, throwing her bag in her back seat.
“Keys?”
“Got ‘em in my pocket, Mom.”
“Just— just checking.”
“I’m an adult.”
“I was not doubting this!”
“I know, it’s just funny to see you get all bent out of shape.”
The second the car starts up, a set of enthusiastic drums blare through the speakers. Ema is scrambling to turn the volume down almost immediately. Her face is red— whether it’s because she’s flustered or angry, Nahyuta doesn’t know.
“Kay,” she grumbles under her breath as she pushes the ‘skip’ button with more force than she needs to- definitely angry.
“I get this meme,” Nahyuta comments. They are vaguely familiar with the joke of playing Rick Astley unexpectedly. “We have just been rickrolled, I believe.”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s a dick, we know.”
Nahyuta elects not to mention that they find the song very enjoyable as the music changes. The resulting change brings about a new drum beat this time, albeit significantly more upbeat.
“Remind me to threaten her when we get to lunch, yeah?”
“Is something the matter?”
“Car’s stuck on more 80’s pop.”
“...okay?”
“I don’t want to be Walking on Sunshine on my way back from a crime scene.”
“Say it ain’t so.”
Ema shoots them a smirk. Nahyuta grins back.
“A bit more alt-rock for my tastes, but credit where credit’s due. How’d you like Weezer?”
“They were alright. Green Day was pleasant. Their music was fun.”
“Please let me put you through a punk rock phase.”
“No thank you, although the playlist you suggested for that genre was fun. Datz especially liked the songs on their seventh album.”
“Did he like American Idiot?”
“Amara yelled at him because he listened to it for three hours.”
“Hell yeah.” Ema pumps her fist as she weaves around traffic. “He’s got good taste. Always liked that about him.”
“Datz grew up in the underground grunge punk scene. That was where he thrived. Plus, he is always one for protest songs.”
“Your uncle’s way cooler than you.”
“Yes, he is.”
The drive to the restaurant is short-lived. Ema complains loudly with each new song, but she still bobs her head to the beat and hums the melody. Nahyuta doesn’t think that she’s actually upset.
“I never have met your girlfriend,” Nahyuta comments as they both get out of the car.
“Well, that ends today.”
“What’s she like?”
“Think… Datz, but if Datz today got transformed into a teenage girl and then rolled with it until she was in her late 20’s.”
Nahyuta shudders at the thought. “Oh, fun.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“Nah, she’s an experience.”
Nahyuta finds themself fiddling with the cuff of their jacket.
“Is she… y’know…”
“...what— oh, Kay? Nah, you’ll be fine. She’s cool.”
“Is she?”
“I mean, I haven’t told her about me personally, but like— not an issue, really.”
“That fills me with zero confidence.”
Despite driving, Ema can still roll her eyes exceptionally well while keeping her focus on the road.
“It just hasn’t come up!”
“How?”
“Look, I can see how it’s a kinda relevant thing for you, and that’s incredibly valid, but I just… never thought to have that conversation?”
They look at her. The car falls silent for a moment before she groans.
“Okay, so I did think about that conversation, and I was totally going to do it last weekend, but we were on the couch watching some movie that neither of us were really paying attention to, right? I started to try to have that conversation, and she immediately turned right around and asked if we could go to bed early that night because she was really tired— which, out of nowhere! She’d been complaining about having too much energy for the movie, and then she was suddenly exhausted, but I figured it was fine and she just didn’t want to sit through any of the very sudden room emotion change. Anyways, really, it’s not a big deal. Affects not a whole lot.”
“I feel like it does.”
“I’m enjoying not having to explain to my girlfriend that science says gender is bullshit and I want part of it. The science. Not the gender. I’m siding with the science. I got lucky and I’m fine with the pronouns she uses for me— which reminds me,” she says as she quickly glances over at Nahyuta, “you said you were going to do the email. Did you?”
“...kinda?”
“Please explain to me what kinda means, Nahyuta.”
“I emailed the Chief Prosecutor, and he said he supported me and to let him know if I had issues with anyone in the office.”
“Okay, and the office?”
This, Nahyuta flinches at.
“...Nahyuta?”
“I haven’t told anyone yet.”
Ema doesn’t yell, nor does she even get angry. Disappointment, though…
“You said you were going to.”
“I was!”
“What happened?!”
“Prosecutor Gavin came in, and then Debeste, and then by the time I was going to send it, the big meeting was in a few minutes and I really didn’t want to have to face all of my coworkers if it was brought up, because—”
“Because of the confrontation thing?”
“Yes.”
“Fair.”
“So I just… haven’t done it.”
There’s a hand on their shoulder, a quick reassuring squeeze.
“Nobody’s gonna be mad at you for it.”
“I worry, Miss Skye.”
“Hey, cut the last name bull, we’re friends.”
“Apologies.”
“You’re allowed to be worried, but I promise, nobody’ll change their opinions of you.”
“Your assurances have been noted.”
“I mean, at least you always have Datz to fall back on?”
They nod.
“Right. I do.”
“And Apollo.”
“And Apollo,” they repeat.
“Rayfa was only angry because you didn’t tell her when you first introduced yourself to her, and Amara seemed… well, actually, I dunno how she seemed. I can’t read her.”
“Ditto.”
“So, net, that’s a few people, and me, that have your back.”
“Datz especially.”
“Yeah… we should never introduce them, by the way.”
“Hm?”
“Your uncle, and Kay.”
“Noted. I’ll add that to my list of people he can never meet.”
The talk dies off again as Ema parks.
“So… lunch,” Nahyuta offers. “With Kay.”
“Right! Lunch with Kay!”
“Should be fun.”
“It should. Somehow, she wrangled Simon into driving the two of ‘em here, and they’re both waiting for us. You’ll be fine, don’t worry, she’s easy-going.”
“Wait, you never said—”
“Relax, you’ll be fine.”
Ema has to practically push Nahyuta towards the restaurant— panic and nerves have frozen them solid.
“I’m suddenly remembering other engagements that I cannot detail if asked to do such.”
“You’re a baby, you can eat lunch with the guy you’re crushing on.”
“Yes, but I’d rather not! What if it ends poorly?!”
“He won’t kill you! Holy shit, who are you, Apollo? Literally the man’s harmless.”
“I know that, Miss Skye, we do work together, I just really do not think that now is the greatest time to be eating lunch together.”
“Look, even if you looked like shit— which, somehow, you never do— they also just came from a crime scene? Pretty sure nobody’s gonna be too picky. Plus, if he’s mean, I’ll poison him. Maybe.”
Nahyuta shoots her a disappointed look as Ema opens the door and gestures for them to walk in.
“In.”
It isn’t hard to catch sight of Blackquill and his related detective— he’s looking pensively at a menu while a woman in magenta and navy stares at her phone, foot tapping.
“Geez, tap any more and you’re gonna owe these people new tile, Kay,” Ema calls out as she brushes past Nahyuta. Kay— or, at least, who Nahyuta assumes is Kay, given context— glances up from her phone and immediately adopts a wide grin as she rushes forward and lifts Ema into the air.
“You’re here!”
“Calm down, will you? You saw me this morning, you’re like a depressed dog.”
“Yeah, but that was like hours ago!”
“Mmm, okay, I’ll allow that,” Ema says as Kay puts her down. “Kay, this is Nahyuta Sahdmadhi.”
“So you’re who steals my girlfriend to a foreign country every few months or so!”
Nahyuta stiffens at the suddenly serious tone in the woman’s voice. Ema’s never mentioned her partner being upset about it— have they perhaps caught her in a poor mood?
“I’m… sorry?”
“Nah, don’t be! Just wanted ta’ make you sweat!”
There’s an enthusiastic hand being shoved their way. Nahyuta takes it gently.
“Kay, don’t rustle the Sad Monk’s feathers so early on into lunch. Our waitress hasn’t even taken our drink order yet,” Simon says before Nahyuta can offer a greeting. “Unless you’d like to spend the meal watching Ema’s work partner squirm uncomfortably at every raised tone.”
“I wasn’t gonna freak ‘em out that badly!”
“Why do I doubt that?” Ema sighs as she nudges Nahyuta forward towards the table.
“I imagine it’s because you live with her. I’ve only the unfortunate burden of working with her. You, on the other hand, have her the rest of the day.”
Much to Nahyuta’s dismay, the table is a booth, and they’re trapped between Ema and the wall. Simon, across from them, is similarly trapped, but he seems much more at ease with it. He seemingly has no issue in engaging in idle conversation with the two detectives at the table about whatever comes to mind as they inspect the menu.
“So, anything fun with your murder?” Simon asks. Nahyuta drops their menu down slightly— he’s looking to Ema.
“Unexplained blood stains, body would’ve had a minute roughly of living time. Thinking that there might have been either another injured party, or some crime scene staging,” she responds immediately. “Luminol makes it look like a Jackson Pollock painting.”
“It isn’t that graphic,” Nahyuta argues.
“There’s still a lot of stuff.”
“True.”
“What about you two— anything fun on your end?”
“Nah,” Kay sighs as she deflates. “Strangled to death. Parents out of town, won’t be back until the weekend. Family friend playing check up has an alibi in a dinner reservation that checks out. Window was open— officers get to go talk to high schoolers about a party.”
“Fun. Teenagers,” Ema scoffs.
“Are teenagers particularly awful to deal with?”
There are two sets of eyes staring at Nahyuta. The sudden attention makes their stomach drop.
“Did… did I misspeak?”
“You’re joking, right?” Kay asks.
“No?”
“Hey, other side of the table?” Ema asks, almost condescendingly. “Khura’inese rebellion. Rebel leader’s kid.”
There are two soft “oh”s, and then both sets of eyes are no longer as intently trained on Nahyuta.
“Yes, Nahyuta, teenagers tend to be wild and unrestrained,” Simon explains.
“Unless you ask Aura— apparently Simon was a book nerd.”
“And Aura was busy setting things on fire, Kay.”
“And it was cool! Seriously!”
The conversation drops back to both detectives and Simon. Nahyuta returns their attention to the menu— the restaurant the four at is one they haven’t been to, and the menu seems promising.
There’s an interruption in chat from the table’s waitress, who quickly takes their drink orders before rushing elsewhere.
“So…”
Nahyuta looks at Ema, who’s giving her girlfriend a pointed look. They’ve the vague impression that they’ve missed something, some key piece of conversation.
“Oh, yeah! So— Nahyuta, I realize that, like— we don’t know each other at all!”
“Brilliant observation, Kay. I’ve no doubts you passed your quizzes to become a detective with flying colors,” Simon snarks.
“Oh, shoosh,” she scolds as she smacks his arm with a considerably loud smack, “you’re one to talk. You didn’t even introduce us!”
“Apologies, I didn’t realize I had been promoted to official introduction host on the drive over.”
“Killjoy!”
“That’s actually my middle name. Simon Killjoy Blackquill.”
“Anyways, ignoring him, I don’t really know you, and you don’t really know me, and Ema and Simon know each other but not great, so introductions!”
“Introductions?” they echo.
“Yep!”
Nobody starts. Kay deflates.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go, since apparently this is going to be a Kay Faraday Production with me as the host. Name and a fun fact. That’s easy. Everyone got a fun fact who isn’t Simon?”
“And why does Hot Gothic get a pass?” Ema asks. Kay high fives her.
“Nice. Simon isn’t fun, so he has to do a Boring Fact.”
“I can be fun.”
“Yeah, sure. We’ll see. Anyways, hi, I’m Kay Faraday, I like long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, heist movies that are actually good, and I’m the world’s sneakiest asexual.”
Nahyuta catches Ema’s face go from acceptance to realization.
“Wait— hold on, I’m next,” she interrupts as Simon opens his mouth. His hands go up, a nonverbal “go for it”.
“Floor’s yours, I guess.”
“Cool. I’m Ema, my fun fact is that they still only have two options for gender on the application for forensics and adding a third box labelled science was not allowed so I guess I’m female for legal convenience, which also means she/her pronouns are incredibly begrudgingly allowed but they/them is better, also did I misread the room the other night when I was trying to come out to you and you thought I was going to bring something else up?”
“You were what?”
“Yeah, I was—”
“My name is Simon Blackquill,” Simon interrupts, “my gender is male only because I’ve no preference either way, my viewpoint on sex is no thank you, and my boring fact is that I’m only in law because, while psychology is very interesting, I’ve yet to see any lawyer have to deal with the replicability crisis at length, which makes it an attractive alternative for that sole reason.”
His interruption serves as a very great break to Kay and Ema’s sudden connection over what, evidently, was a large amount of miscommunication.
Not that Nahyuta cares, though. They’re more focused on the lawyer across from them.
“And what if you’re tasked with dealing with it at length?” they question.
“If there’s some asinine reason as to why I am plagued with it, then I suppose I’m fucked.”
The candidness of the statement has Nahyuta giggling behind their hand. Ema turns towards him and levels him with an unimpressed eyebrow raised.
“What, you’re going to quit? Where do you go next? Barista at Starbucks?”
“Ema, please, don’t be ridiculous,” he scolds. “They’d never hire me there, I’d intimidate the mid-suburban white women who refuse to address their privileges in society and think that workers in retail and the food service industry give you a free pass to be scum.”
“Simon working at a Starbucks and reading off someone’s macchiato order would kill me,” Kay laughs.
“Plus, according to Athena, green really isn’t my color. It’d clash with my attire. How awful.”
That has Nahyuta laughing, as well as the rest of the table. Simon seems proud of himself— there’s a pleasant grin on the man’s face that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. It’s a good look on him.
“Please let me put you in green,” Kay begs.
“Absolutely not. I have a reputation to keep, and I don’t feel like getting comments on a change in attire.”
“He is Simon Blackquill for a reason, Miss Faraday.”
Simon barks out a harsh laugh in response.
“Disgusting joke,” he scolds, although the comment holds no real weight in frustration. If anything, he sounds more amused than not.
“You’re up, Nahyuta! Best for last!”
Right. Introductions.
“Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. The Western gender binary is a mess and also something I stopped subscribing to right about age 12— conveniently enough, Khura’in recognizes a culturally significant third gender beyond male and female, so I at least don’t have to jump through hoops overseas. My fun fact is that chickens only have about twenty-four taste buds. Humans have a number of them somewhere around about nine thousand.”
“Why… do you know that?”
Nahyuta doesn’t feel like admitting that they know this because Datz told them at age 5 when they were upset that a neighborhood chicken had never gotten to have ice cream before. They also don’t feel like admitting that this fact made them incredibly sad that chickens could not enjoy ice cream.
“Read it in an article years ago,” they lie instead.
“Sad Monk, what pronouns would you prefer to be used for you?”
“Huh?”
Simon is looking at them intently. “Your pronouns. Am I correct in assuming you’d rather be referred to by something other than what you’ve used in the office?”
“They/them. Please.”
“Noted. I thought to ask the other day, but ultimately decided it was best for you to come forward yourself versus me voicing my suspicions.”
They cock their head.
“Suspicions?”
“It’s come up in conversation with Athena, among other things.”
“Other things?” Kay asks. “Spill spill spill, I wanna know what secret squirrel stuff you two talk about.”
“We talk about many things.”
“Like?”
“Like the fact that you’re a pain to work with.”
The resulting pout from Kay is humorous.
“Blackquill, on a scale from the fop to Payne, how much fruit flavor do we have on the other side of the table?” Ema asks.
“That’s a roundabout way to ask about romantic orientation.”
“And you still understood it. I’m curious, and want to know.”
Simon shrugs.
“I don’t have a preference.”
“No?”
“No. Emotions are complicated and recognizing and identifying them has never been my strong suit. That is part of what Athena and I talk about.”
“You talk to your little sister about your feelings.”
“She can hear them well, and I trust her insight. Plus, it’s nice getting to engage in idle chatter with her.”
Ema hums.
Nahyuta thinks she’s about to say something else, but their waitress stops by with drinks, effectively nailing the thought to the wall. The woman is pleasant, apologizing for the wait as she hands everyone at the table their drinks and takes their orders.
There is about a minute of calm silence before it’s broken once more.
“So now that we’ve all come out and done our assorted introductions…”
Nahyuta glances over at Ema. There’s a tone in her voice that makes them suddenly nervous, despite the fact that she hasn’t done anything to warrant the emotion.
They hum their curiosity anyways.
Ema points at Simon, finger almost accusatory.
“Nahyuta won’t shut up about how pretty they think you are, and since you’re probably talking to Athena anyways to figure your own shit out? One of you is asking the other person out before we leave this restaurant, so help me to whatever deity feels graceful enough to listen.”
Nahyuta makes the mistake of sipping their tea as she speaks. It makes them choke as they stare at her, suddenly panicked.
“Ema—”
“Is that so? Is the Last Rites Prosecutor themself going soft for a man who escaped his own tolling bells? And to call me pretty to boot?”
“Satorha, you’re a blight, and upon your death you shall find yourself in a hell so putrid that to speak of it here would surely ruin the day.”
“How about I find myself upon your front door Saturday, say around 6, to take you to dinner? Would you let me prove myself that I wouldn’t ruin your evening?”
“I— yes, that sounds— that sounds amenable.”
Nahyuta tries to ignore how red their face is as they sip at their tea again, chest tense with nerves. Simon flashes a quick smile at them. The gesture doesn’t deserve to be as calming as it is. His cheeks are tinged slightly pink, too. It’s cute.
“That… was surprisingly really proactive and sweet of you, Ema!” Kay decides, sounding almost proud. “What made you—”
“If I had to watch Nahyuta make excuses any more about why they couldn’t talk to him and say shit and look at him like a lovestruck idiot whenever he left, I would’ve sawed my eyeballs out.”
“Oh.” The pride is gone.
“That’s weak,” Simon scoffs.
“Yeah, goth boy?”
“If you think that is bad, Kay regularly blares 80's pop in the car and has more than once become so distracted gushing about her girlfriend that she has almost gotten into a wreck.”
Kay crosses her arm, mouth open as she looks at him with an almost comical amount of mock indignation.
“Excuse you! Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a good song to have love for your girlfriend to!”
“Kay, I may not be a girl, nor am I Cyndi Lauper, but do you know what I think girls might not want? Explaining to Edgeworth-dono why we're going to be late with preliminary reports on crime scenes because you rear-ended someone. Girls Do Not Want Car Accidents And Extra Reports.”
“Yeah… as someone who’s girl-alligned, can confirm I don’t want car accidents and extra reports. Please don’t crash into anyone while you’re gushing— which reminds me! You’re on my shit list!”
“What’d I do now?”
“You rickrolled me in my own damn car.”
Kay grins sheepishly. “Oh, right. That was a good one.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“You love me, though.”
“Yeah, yeah, but only because if I didn’t, you’d break into my apartment and sticky note every damn surface on a regular basis until I yelled at you to stop.”
“They’d all be sticky notes with hearts, though!”
“That doesn’t make it any better, Kay.”
Nahyuta tunes out of their bickering quickly. Their phone buzzing is much more interesting- the body has made it back successfully to the coroner’s office, as evidenced by the cordial email from one of Dr. Nur’s medical assistants. There’s a short back-and-forth as Nahyuta fills the man in on the crime scene.
Lunch interrupts any further work.
Specifically, Ema smacking their wrist and clearing her throat as they look up, startled, interrupts any further work. Their waitress is holding a plate in her hands— they apologize profusely as they set their phone aside and she sets their plate in front of them.
Kay proves herself to be fascinating to listen to. It doesn’t take Nahyuta long to get sucked into a conversation about foreign crime scenes while scarfing down food— she’s apparently done some unofficial work with Interpol. They can practically feel the affectionate eye roll as Nahyuta asks her questions in greater detail. It goes unsaid that they’ve got an interest in the organization. If someone were to ask, of course, Nahyuta would willingly admit that they would have loved to have been a part of Interpol’s international prosecutor system properly.
“Kay,” Simon interrupts, while the woman herself is mid-story about unofficial work she did before Cohdopia’s reunion as a country in 2019, “while this is fascinating to hear, officers just tracked down some new evidence.”
“So?”
If looks could kill.
“So, we need to go. Apologies, Skye-dono, Sad Monk, for skipping out on you. Lunch is on me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Ignore Nahyuta,” Ema says quickly, “free food is free food. Thanks, Prosecutor Blackquill.”
“Ugh, do we have to go now?” Kay whines.
“Yes. Plain and simple.”
Nahyuta watches as Kay begrudgingly slides out of her seat. Ema does the same, pulling her girlfriend into a hug and affectionately insulting her.
“Prosecutor Blackquill?”
Simon turns his head as he slides out of his seat, eyebrow quirked.
“Yes?”
“Can I see your phone for a second? If you’re heading out, there’s something that you might find useful in your future endeavors.”
There’s slight confusion on the man’s face, but he hands his phone over anyways.
“What…?” Ema trails off, equally confused as Nahyuta taps on the man’s screen briefly before handing it back to him.
“And just what surely important thing have you left for me, Sad Monk?”
“My number— surely you don’t plan on floundering around Los Angeles looking for me this weekend, do you?”
The amused chuckle and smirk that comes from Simon is worth the slight shake in their hands.
“Well played. Kay, the car.”
Kay offers a wave as she bounds after Simon.
“Who the hell are you and what did you do with my semi-boss?” Ema asks as the two leave.
“Satorha,” they huff, cheeks pink.
“Look at you! Giving your number out all smooth like a damn professional! I’m impressed!”
“Finish your food, we still have work to do.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay, but seriously. Good job on getting a date.”
“And to you too, for finally coming out.”
Ema sighs.
“Yeah, yeah, it was overdue for both of us.”
“It was in fact.”
There’s silence as the two take opposite sides of the now-vacated booth.
“...so, how long before you two are making out in the office, Nahyuta?”
“Your next performance review is getting terrible marks.”