Chapter Text
It's a hot summer night and, within the two bedroom apartment that Ema and Kay share, the air conditioner is in the shared open space.
Kay's L-shaped sofa bed has been morphed to its full functionality. Kind of. The extension could be pulled out but couldn't be pulled up from the floor. After a game of rock-paper-scissors, Ema takes the sofa area and Kay takes the pullout. Or 'bottom bunk' as Kay calls it with such joy that Ema wonders why they even played the game because Ema was gunning for 'top bunk' because it has more space.
Ema wiggles her head around, as if doing so would make the cushion behind her mould perfectly with her head like the lovely memory foam pillow she has back in her room. In fact, why hasn't she brought that pillow along? She climbs off the sofa for it.
Kay doesn't say anything until Ema returns from her room. "What did you get?"
"My pillow."
"The body pillow?"
Ema pauses before she heads back to fetch that. Kay knows her too well.
When Ema is satisfied with the comfort of her sleeping space for tonight, Kay speaks up again. "This feels like an actual sleepover, huh?"
"I guess? I never really had a sleepover."
"Me too."
"So how did you feel it's like a sleepover if you never had one?"
"Eh, from watching movies. Though I don't feel like putting makeup on you."
"Nor talk about boys."
"Who says I don't feel like talking about boys?"
Ema's breathing goes out of pattern as she realises: she's never actually asked Kay about her romantic and/or sexual orientation. She assumed that with the several times Kay talks about cute girls that she's also gay.
Should've used a more scientific approach. Though I don't want to treat Kay like a specimen to be examined.
Kay laughs. "Bad joke huh?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't worry. Why don't we talk about past crushes?"
Do I have to?
"I can go first." Oh, good, Ema thinks, maybe she'll be distracted by something else along the way. "I think it's kinda obvious that I crushed on Regina Berry from waaay back then."
"Who's Regina?"
"You know the animal tamer at Berry Big Circus?"
"…Ooh. Right. I remember her."
Kay likes cute blondes?
"Yup. How about you?"
Ema mentally shifts through all the girls and women that Kay may also know so she doesn't have to explain why she had a crush on them. "I don't think you know any of them."
"Oh, a lot of them are from high school or college? None from work?"
"None from work … oh, I guess you know Franziska von Karma."
Kay laughs. "Good taste. Everyone has had a crush on Franny at some point."
Ema mimics Kay's reaction, enjoying the validation. "Yeah, I don't think you know anyone else."
Well you know yourself. But that's different.
"Did any of them also have a crush on you?" Kay asks.
"Dunno. Never asked."
"So you haven't dated before?"
"I have. I … actually didn't like her the way she liked me," Ema mutters with guilt. "I guess I was desperate for a relationship when she asked me out."
"So you've had one girlfriend."
"Yup."
"How long did it last?"
"…Two months."
"Ouch. Sorry about that."
"No, I was the one that broke it off. It was better that way."
"Do you mind saying why?"
Ema would have had minded years ago, but that was years ago so she says, "Felt like she didn't actually see me but an ideal me. Made me feel shitty."
"Oh. That is shitty. She shouldn't have done that."
"I guess so. How about you?"
"Huh? What about me?"
"Have you dated before?"
"Nope. No one asked."
"I would ask."
Fuck. Did I say that out loud?
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"I swear I heard you say…."
Ema gives into Kay's kind voice and goes for it. Get it off her chest. "Perhaps you did. I like you, and don't worry about it if you don't."
When there's silence for too many seconds Ema turns onto her side, away from Kay, and hugs her body pillow tight. "Goodnight."
"...Goodnight."
Ema is the first to wake up. Kay's sleeping soundly and most definitely will not wake up until she's snoozed her alarm several times.
Ema tiptoes around the apartment as she gets ready for work. Luckily for her, to take her mind off what she said last night, work is busy. There's a murder and the fop has taken the case.
There's several messages from Kay but Ema does her best to ignore them as she investigates the crime scene and looks deeper into the evidence she finds. She doesn't notice that night has fallen until she looks at the windows. Her stomach grumbles and Ema gives into it. Whilst she's in queue for a burger at a fast food restaurant that has air conditioning, she decides to finally check her messages and reply to them.
Kay Faraday
Emmy, are you ok?
Can we talk?
We don't have to if you don't want to
When will you be home? There's leftover dinner if you want it
I'm okay. There's a murder case and the fop is on it so I'll be home late
Don't worry about me
Please take care, k?
Ema's breath catches in her throat at how fast Kay responded. She knows that she can come home and nothing would have changed with her feelings of attraction being out in the open. Kay is like the positive energy to her negative energy. Except that analogy doesn't work when they're both positively charged or negatively charged because they still stay physically close during those moments. So forget the analogy.
She sleeps on the sofa in the well air-conditioned break room with her lab coat and vest being her pillow.
When she wakes up at the crack of dawn, there's a crick in her neck and her mood is worsened when she's forced to witness the fop flirt with the Justice kid during the cross-examination of her testimony. Really, right in front of her snackoos?
At least the kid can't find any contradictions, because there aren't any. The truth is accepted and the verdict is handed down within a day and Ema flounders for her next excuse for not coming home.
Maybe she'll sneak in during lunch time to get several sets of clothes and toiletries. Kay's probably at work.
Kay is not at work. She's at the front door when Ema's out of her room with a duffel bag.
"I'm sure you already know that no one can out sneak The Great Thief, but I thought I'd remind you. You can't out sneak me, Emmy."
"Oh. Hi," Ema says casually. Or as casually as she can with the butterflies in her torso.
Kay grins. "Hey to you, too."
Ema looks at her bag and fiddles with the strap.
"I heard that your case is already solved. Congratulations!"
"Hah, thanks."
"You worked long hours for that, huh?"
Ema stays quiet because the answer is obvious to both; she doesn't need to extend energy to confirm it.
To Kay's credit, she doesn't sigh as if dealing with a reckless child like Lana would have. Ema appreciates that; it's one of the things she adores about Kay. "Why don't we hang out this weekend?" Kay asks, this time with a non-rhetorical question. "I heard there's a new exhibit at the California Science Center so we can go to that."
Ema doesn't need to think about her answer. "Yeah. That'd be nice."
Kay moves away from the door. "Do you actually have to go back to work?"
Ema wonders if she should lie and then ultimately decides, "…No."
"Have you had lunch?"
"No," Ema says whilst finally looking at her roommate's face.
Kay is grinning. "Me either. Let's order in."
The rest of the week passes as usual. It's as if Ema hadn't confessed.
When the weekend finally arrives, Ema slaps on a collared shirt and three-quarter pants. She ditches her lab coat because it is way too hot.
Kay, who usually wears a long sleeved shirt and shorts with a skirt overlay, has a cute summer dress on and Ema does her best not to gape at her when they put on their shoes.
"Want me to drive?" Kay offers, because Ema usually drives the car.
"No, it's okay." Because Ema needs an activity to focus on. She'd rather not get caught staring at Kay's bare shoulders and neckline.
Despite the large number of kids at the Science Center, none of them are screaming as all of them look at one contraption to another.
Ema rocks back and forth as she patiently watches for a one foot tall tornado to form on the platform that is fitted with an air pressure manipulator and is disappointed when only a tiny twirl appears. And that's when she feels a warm body behind her, arms pressed against her stomach and can smell Kay's scent over her shoulder.
Ema can't breathe properly.
What is happening?
"Did I miss the tornado?" Kay asks.
Ema clears her throat. "I don't think there'll be one."
"Oh, bummer." Kay takes her by the hand as they go over to another contraption. Ema cannot focus on reading the inscription of the glowing machine; she can only take in on how clammy Kay's hand is. And how cute Kay is as she's obviously tempted to poke at the device.
Oh, Ema is not risking being blacklisted by this establishment so she snaps, "Don't."
Kay releases her hand and Ema inwardly curses at the loss of the unfamiliar but definitely not unwanted contact. "I wasn't about to do what you think I was going to do."
"Uh huh." Ema looks across at a nearby machine and does her best to direct her attention there. She fails and looks back at Kay and of course she is touching the luminous device. "Well, would you look at that."
Kay grins. "The sign says it's interactive. Look, it's changing colors." She takes Ema's hand to guide it there as if to prove that she's not the only one that can make the machine react that way.
Ema doesn't give a damn about why the contraption does what it does; she wonders if Kay is going to let go of her hand any time soon.
She doesn't.
When they near the exit, there's a cafe there and that's when the noise from the kids start to happen. Ema cringes at their loud excitement. Kay must've taken the reaction that Ema isn't liking the really long queue — and, to be fair, Ema doesn't like it — because she says, "Probably quicker to get food outside?"
"Yeah."
They stop by the gift shop along the way and their hands are separated. In Ema's peripherals Kay is darting from one area to another whilst Ema herself takes a good look at the knick knacks in the boxes that are shallowly dented at the top. There are tiny containers filled with slime of various colours, and squishy balls that look like viruses with their many tails. She picks up three balls, one blue, one pink and a green, squishes them for a bit and then shows them to Kay — who's currently fascinated by a hand imprint made from pins pressed against a glass pane — and gets her attention.
Kay takes the blue one and squishes it with one hand. "Oh, this feels nice. Are you getting these?"
"Thinking about it. They're not oily too so I don't feel like washing my hands afterwards."
"Can we share?"
"Sure."
"Then I'll pay for them."
"Huh? You don't have to."
"I want to," Kay says with a wink and something in Ema's chest flutters a bit.
Oh my god this feels like a date.
Ema hovers behind Kay at the counter, and when Kay's done paying she pushes the green ball into Ema's hands and grins. "I don't think we need a bag for these, huh?"
Ema squishes the ball and gives a small smile back. "Yeah, we don't."
Kay takes Ema's free hand and pulls them away from the counter. "What do you feel like eating?"
Still not used to the hand holding — Ema swears they never held hands this often before — she shrugs. "Whatever you feel like eating."
"Hmm … why not sushi?"
"Sushi's good."
They get a booth far away from the entrance, because a few people at the front are smoking and Ema doesn't like the smell of tobacco. On the electronic menu, Ema does her usual order of California rolls and Kay goes through the side dish section for a long time before she places her order. Soon, a small bowl with unfamiliar contents is placed at their table and Kay takes a piece with her chopsticks and quickly consumes it.
"That hits the spot." Kay licks her lips and Ema refocuses her main point of sight to her forehead. "Ever had wasabi octopus?"
"What? No. What's it like?"
Kay captures a piece and, instead of moving it to her mouth, moves it towards Ema's. "Wanna have a try?"
Ema is self-conscious of her surroundings as she accepts what's offered. She centralises her thoughts into the new flavours and textures in her mouth. A bit slimy and chewy, but also crunchy, and there's a nice kick of heat.
"How is it?" Kay asks.
"It's good." Ema quickly picks up a piece to consume another one, because she doesn't think she can survive this supposed hangout if Kay keeps feeding her like this.
"Cool. You can help me finish it because I didn't think they'd give me that much."
Ema quietly listens to Kay's stories of her last trip to Japan to visit her maternal grandparents, nodding at the right places and doing her best not to count the number of times Kay's cute smile is targeted towards her.
Not a date.
When they're home and have taken their shoes off at the entrance to replace them with indoor slippers, Ema finally speaks. "So I'm probably overthinking this … nevermind."
"No, tell me. I feel like you've been distracted most of the day. It's not work, is it?"
Ema cringes at how Kay noticed. She hopes that didn't ruin their date— hangout. "No, it's not work."
"So you can tell me?"
Ema takes a deep breath, looks at how far her room is, and lets it out when she deems that it's a reasonable distance away for an escape plan to be a success. "This felt like a date for me. I know you said it's a hangout. Like I said, I'm overthinking so don't—."
"Emmy. It felt like a date for me too."
"Huh?" Ema meets Kay's serious eyes.
"I haven't been on a date before. But it really felt like one. Are you okay with it if it is one?"
"Uh, yeah." Definitely! What the fuck?
"I don't know how I feel for you. The past several days, I've been trying to figure it out and—will you be patient with me as I keep trying?"
"…Yea." Ema's voice cracks and she clears her throat and wets her lips. "If you find that you don't feel the same way I do, promise we'll stay friends."
"I promise."
"And if that's the case you'd better tell me. I can get over it."
Kay opens her mouth as if she has a long rebuttal but then just says, "Okay."
Ema plays with the green ball, unsure of what to do now.
"Wanna continue our date?" Kay asks.
"Sure."
"Wanna watch Captain Saipan?"
"You have Captain Saipan?"
"Yeah. I downloaded it a while ago when you mentioned how popular it is in Europe. Thought it'd be interesting."
"Oh, it's great." Ema happily ignores her room and dumps her bag on the sofa. Kay goes into her own room and comes out to plug in a retrieved USB into their TV. She then sits on the sofa, so close to Ema, that if either of them decides to put her arm against the other's shoulders, it'll be a success.
In the air conditioned space Ema enjoys Kay's body heat as she explains from time to time the allure of Captain Saipan and the various reasons on how it captured the whole of Europe, from kids to adults. And when Kay rests her head against Ema's head, Ema breathes in Kay's scent and marvels at how the whole thing is so homey. And she'd like to have this every day if she could.
Fuck, I actually love her.
Ema stares at the outskirts of the TV. She can handle a crush; it's easy to get over crushes.
Sometimes she wonders what could've been with her first love: a girl, who unlike her classmates, was attentive and very affectionate to her in their senior year of high school. She's sure her feelings weren't unrequited but they never approached the topic. They've lost contact. It's been eight years.
So, scientifically speaking, it's going to take at least that much to get over this love if Kay finds out she has no romantic feelings for her.
Ema's eyes burn and she wills them to dry up. Kay promises they'll still be in contact, still be friends even.
"Emmy?"
"Hmm?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah." Ema then remembers that one usually asks the other the same thing. "You?"
"I'm more than okay." Kay takes Ema's hand and she runs her thumb between the area of Ema's own thumb and forefinger. It's very soothing. "I wanna take you out on another date."
"Let me handle it."
"Yeah?" Kay takes her phone out to check her schedule. "Next weekend?"
Ema knows exactly where to take Kay. It can be done on a work night and she can't wait for their next date. The place is open on Thursday and Friday nights, except on those nights Kay has parkour classes on, so she asks, "You free this Thursday?"
"Yeah."
"I'll take you out then."
"Should I meet you back here? And at what time?"
"I'll meet you at the front of the precinct. At 6? I can drive us to work too."
"Cool."
Ema looks back at the TV. "Cute dress, by the way."
"Aww, thank you. Oh, is there specific attire for where we're going?"
"No, we can wear work clothes."
The place that hosts escape rooms is used for all sorts of functions and by all sorts of people, and Ema has chosen a two to four player choice: escaping a bank with the prize money.
Ema can see how Kay holds back from picking the locks. She can't blame her, she's holding back from dusting pin pads for prints so she can figure out all the possible combinations and then further narrow them down via social engineering. But that won't work here; it will lessen the fun because it'll feel like they're still working as a thief and/or detective. They just have to focus on finding all the clues and escape the room Mr Edgeworth style. And because they're doing this style, Ema can't help but impersonate him at times.
"Eureka! Hmph, the location of the key is now obvious."
Kay holds her stomach as she laughs. Ema's ego has been inflated since Kay's first reaction of mirth at her impersonations, so she's kept going.
"I'm having total flashbacks of investigating with him, what, ten years ago?" Kay cackles.
"Aw, has it been that long? I can't wait to work with him again. But it's going to be hard now that he's chief prosecutor…." She remembers Lana not interacting directly with detectives as much when she held the position.
"Maybe I can convince him to be a permanent advisor for the Yatagarasu."
"Hasn't he always been an advisor?"
"Sporadically. It's like an unofficial casual contract with him. I gotta offer him a permanent one. Or maybe I can get Franny to do it."
"She's going to hate you if you do that."
"Aw, I'm too adorable to be hated. She's never whipped me once."
Ema wants to point out that she hasn't had that experience either, and she doesn't find herself adorable. But she can foresee Kay providing a rebuttal if she voices that aloud and they only have 30 minutes left to escape. She finds the key from the deduced location and passes it to Kay. "Is it just me or does that look like the key for the exit?"
Kay has a good look at the key. "Nope, I think you're right." She darts towards the exit, Ema closely behind her, and inserts the key and twists the knob easily. The timer stops at 29:39.
A staff member is at the door, ushering them out. "Congratulations! You've broken the record!"
"Really?! Yay!"
Ema melts from the sheer adorable joy Kay is emanating.
"Would you like us to take a commemorative photo?" asks the staff.
"Can we get copies?"
"Of course. You just have to provide us your number and we'll send you a link to download them."
There's signs and other props they can borrow for the photo. Ema takes a sign that says 'success', and Kay takes the 'best teammates' sign. As they pose, Ema can distinctly feel a charged energy between them but it disappears after the photos are taken and they move out of frame.
"Thanks for taking me there," Kay says after they exit the establishment. "That was really fun!"
"You’re welcome. I'm glad you did. Find it fun, I mean."
Kay stands in a way as if she's in flight or fight mode, but she then asks, "Where are we going for dinner?"
"Anywhere around here, I guess. I didn’t know what we'd feel like eating."
"How about that Italian restaurant over there?"
"Oh, pasta sounds really good."
"I'm in the mood for pizza but you don't really finish your food so can I steal some pasta?"
Ema laughs. "Sure."
It hasn't reached peak dinner time yet so they're soon seated at a table and the waiter takes their drink orders.
"A beer for me," Ema says, knowing she shouldn't be consuming alcohol or it'd interfere with her medication but she's getting nervous and she needs something.
"What kind?"
Ema looks down at the various types on the menu and points at the cheapest one. The waiter nods.
"I'll have the same as her," Kay says. And that surprises Ema because Kay shouldn't be consuming alcohol too.
"Can I see your IDs?" The waiter asks.
Kay rummages through her bag for hers and presents it so Ema sighs and does the same.
"Oh, you’re both Japanese?"
Ema blinks at the unexpected question, and then looks at her driver licence and realises her Japanese middle name is on there. She guesses Kay's driver licence shows the same.
Kay nods. "Yeah."
The waiter then says something and Ema belatedly realises he's switched to Japanese and — did he say something about 'drinks'? They've already ordered their drinks. Ema stares at Kay helplessly, whose expression mirrors hers.
The waiter apologises after the awkward silence, takes their food orders and leaves.
"That's never happened to me before," Ema says. "A random guy speaking in Japanese to me." Possibly because her Scottish genes have allowed her to go through life passing as white.
"Not the first time for me. Though now I wanna learn it properly so I'm prepared next time."
"Whom are you gonna practise it with?"
"My grandparents and, if you're interested, you?"
Ema thinks about it. Lana has told her that they were fluent in the language when their mother was alive. But she passed away when Ema was six; it's been two decades and in those years she didn't really need to use it so she lost almost all knowledge of it. "I'll be too busy studying for the forensics exam, so no."
"Oh yeah." Kay says it in a way that sounds as if she's forgotten the studies they already partake in whilst also working full-time. "I got my bar exam too. What a bummer."
As Kay has predicted, Ema cannot finish her pasta. But Kay's pizza serving has made her too full to eat the leftovers so they request a box to go.
In the car home, the charged energy reappears and Ema is reminded of her analogy of magnetic attraction between them.
It's when they have brushed their teeth and about to go to their individual beds with smiles that Kay takes Ema's hand, and Kay is now so very close and Ema decides she's going to ditch the analogy because Kay is actually pressing her mouth against hers. Before Ema concludes that Kay is definitely kissing her, Kay pulls back.
Ema clears her throat. "Does the kiss mean the date is a success?"
Kay stares and then breaks into a grin. "If that's how you're measuring it, are you saying last week's date wasn't a success?"
"No! It definitely was!"
The grin disappears and the mouth straightens into something serious. "Then show me."
"… As in, kiss you?"
When Kay nods, Ema steps in and gently kisses her. She keeps her eyes open, so she can examine Kay's reaction, but they're so close together that she only knows that Kay's eyes are closed. And then she feels Kay's smile against her mouth and that movement shifts their lips together just right. Ema diminishes her sight to focus on deepening the intimate touch.
Ema pulls back first this time, and she admires Kay's flushed face.
"Wow," Kay breathes.
Ema loudly agrees.
"Um, I guess we'd better go to sleep if we want to wake up on time."
"Yeah."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Ema can't sleep. All she can think about are the kisses.
When she wakes up for the umpteen time — she's lost count — she huffs and decides to start the day. Surprisingly, Kay is already awake and is making coffee in the kitchen. Ema goes to refresh in the bathroom before she heads there.
"You didn't sleep well?" Kay asks.
"Yeah."
"Kept thinking about our amazing kisses?"
"Uh huh."
Kay's teasing grin morphs into a small smile. "Me too." She quickly drops a kiss on Ema's lips, then passes her a hot mug of coffee, a teaspoon and a bottle of creamer. "I can get used to this."
Ema mechanically pours a dollop of creamer, stirs a bit and then takes a huge sip. The scent and taste washes over her and she attempts to use more than a few words. "Yeah, I can definitely get used to this." After another sip, Ema realises something. "Wait, does that mean we're girlfriends now?"
Kay chokes, because she was in the middle of washing down her morning doses of amphetamine and lamotrigine, and when she's finally succeeded in clearing her airways, gapes at Ema.
"You okay?" Ema asks.
Kay coughs in reply at first and then, "Yeah. Uh, I guess we're girlfriends?"
"You guess?"
"I don't know how dating and relationships work outside of movies." Kay looks at Ema and Ema wonders if she's deciphering the expression correctly as longing, and then Kay continues. "But I want to keep kissing you."
Ema is correct then. Maybe. "Just to confirm: you're still figuring out how you feel for me, right?"
Kay nods.
Date 1: Still figuring out feelings. Cuddling but no kiss.
Date 2: Status on feelings unchanged. No cuddling but there were kisses.
Date 3: ?
"Should we go on—"
"I just realized something," Kay says and then she changes the line, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Ah, no. You first."
"Okay. So. I promised that we are to stay friends if this doesn't work out right? What are the conditions for you to, uh, 'get over it'?"
Ema's throat is tight. And Kay continues, "I'm not saying this right. I don't mean that I want you to get over it right now. I … actually, I don't know where I'm going with this. Let me restart."
Ema nods and makes a valiant act of finishing her coffee. When she finally puts the mug down, Kay asks, "What happens if I do like you but you don't like me anymore?"
"Oh." Ema glances at Kay's concerned face and then looks down at her empty mug. "You don't have to worry about that. Scenario. Uh. It'll be a while for me to get over you."
"What's a 'while'?" Kay asks quietly.
"…Maybe some years," Ema says even more quietly. And the truth being spoken aloud really hurt.
"I didn't hear that."
Ema presses the heel of her palms against shut eyes. "I really don't want to say that again."
"Okay. Um. Sorry, that was unfair of me to ask you."
"…No, I would've asked the same thing if I were in your shoes."
"Oh."
Ema meekly looks up. "What's the percentage of you liking me back? Scientifically speaking."
Kay worries her bottom lip. "I think …" She looks down at her phone and then says, "85 percent."
"I'm not sure if you're telling me your phone's battery status or answering my question."
"My battery helped me find the number. It just went down to 84 right in front of me, but I'm 95 percent sure I like you more than a friend."
Ema laughs at how the percentage increased so fast. "I like those odds."
"Speaking of odd, how about a third date?"
"A third date is good."
"Cool! What were you gonna say before I interrupted you back then?"
"Huh?" Ema tries to backtrack. "When?"
"When you asked me about my feelings but then I was thinking of that situation that I apparently shouldn't worry about."
Ema takes her time to process Kay's run-on sentence with what little sleep she's on. "Oh! It was to ask for another date. I guess we eventually got around to it."
"Yeah, we did."
Ema watches Kay lean forward to kiss her and, when Kay steps back, she fervently hopes that she doesn't need to get over this love.