Work Text:
Humid but nice Florida. R.J. is eating a quick breakfast while trying to feel busy. Katherine's busy putting dishes away and organizing papers. Mel is at work and already dropped Sofia off.
He's typing away some emails when he feels Katherine staring at him.
Not looking up from his work he asks, "What's up, you're staring."
She looks from him to his phone.
"What I can't stare?" Hips on the counter she crosses her arms.
Laughing a little he says, "Not the way you're staring now."
He can slowly see the wheels in her head turning and regrets calling her out.
"Well, since you wanna know. What's going on with you and Emi? I thought you and Trudy were like happening. Mel said she saw you guys in the morgue-"
Putting his hands up he pleads, "Katherine really? The morgue?"
"Yes, the morgue R.J. There was something. Also the obvious fact you didn't invite Trudy and."
"Well, sorry I didn't invite someone I don't even really know to my conditional release party."
Holding up a finger to stop him from talking, she continues.
"Don't think I'm finished. Emi was talking with your dad? Also the secret drinks you guys had the other day? The ones where you guys were pretty close on the couch
"How do you?-
Wish. We weren't even sitting close."
Scoffing, she continues.
"Yes Wish. I'd have to be dead in order not to meddle after this."
"Or," holding up his finger. "You could just not meddle. Why is Mel involved in this?"
"Because she's my wife, and honestly I think she wants to know too. Don't try changing the subject. Answer the question "
"Well to be honest I don't even really-"
R.J.'s phone rings.
It's Emi
Clearing his throat he stands up.
"I'm gonna take this outside."
Straining her head she sees the E.O and yells "Tell Emi I said Hi!"
He gives her a look and goes outside.
It's not even midday yet.
Answering the phone he says, "If you're calling to tell me you've been framed again, I'm busy."
-"Good morning to you too."
He grins. "What's up?"
-"So. Hypothetically speaking, how good are you at moving furniture?
"Depends, am I getting paid extra for this?"
-"I'm offering you an exclusive one time deal."
"I take cash and checks."
-"I'm serious. I need to move some things out of the house. I'm staying at the hotel again while I look for an apartment. "
"Oh." He pauses for a good second.
-"You know, if your busy you really don't have to. I can wait for Lucas to get back."
"No." clearing his throat he continues. "What time?"
-"You don't have to some right now if you have things planned you know."
"Emi. What time?"
-"Whenever you're free, really I'll be fine."
"Give me fifteen minute, twenty tops."
-"R.J. you-"
He hung up before she could finish complaining. Or insisting she doesn't need help.
Walking back into the kitchen Katherine is waiting with a smug look.
"Let me guess," sipping her coffee. "You're gonna leave and…" She trails off.
Finishing her sentence, "And help her move some stuff. Very normal tasks."
"Doesn't she have a really buff brother that you beat up to help her?"
He gives her a look and starts walking out the door without answering her.
Right before the door closes she yells out "Don't break her heart!"
R.J. gets there to find Emi sitting on a half packed suitcase.
Literally sitting on it.
She was wresting with the zipper. She was not winning.
"You need a hand?"
"No," pushing down as much as she can. The sipper refuses to budge. "I have a system."
"Clearly. And is the system working?" That one earns him a glare.
He puts his keys away and crouches down to her level.
"Hi." Huffing she blows hair out of her face.
"Move over." He gestures.
Getting up she stares him down. Moving out of the way she says, "Look you can try but-"
The smirk of a man who knew what he was doing.
Zip
"You were saying?
"I hate you. You know that right."
"No you don't." God that smile would kill her.
She looks at him a little too long for him to notice it was intentional.
"Don't get too comfortable. We have a long way to go."
He stands, grabbing the suitcase with him.
"Too late for that."
After an hour packing random stuff into boxes, they started loading it into his truck.
Then that took another hour because she had way to much stuff.
Driving he can tell she's on edge. The way she can't look at him when he asks her something.
"Hey. You know, if anything happens my trailer is always open to you."
The looks she gave him was enough said.
"No offense but you'd be the last last resort for me."
"What? Come on, I moved farther from the sinkhole."
Laughing she looks back out the window.
The hotel room is smaller than he remembered with all the boxes. No way she was just going to live with a bunch of boxes.
Emi walks in, drops her purse on the bed, and looks around.
"Well. This is gonna be fun."
R.J. sets down the boxes.
"You've got a bed, a bathroom, and a TV that gets more channels than I can count."
"Well, when you put it that way."
They both laugh, and for a moment it's like the world around them slows to a stop.
Then Emi notices something. He had already carried in all six boxes, plus some suitcases, and arranged her bags by the closet.
"What are you doing?"
He looks around confused.
"Moving you into a glamorous hotel room?" Gesturing around the packed room.
"Not just that, you organized it."
"You had a box labeled kitchen with bathroom stuff."
"But the bathroom is gonna be my kitchen."
"Okay no." Going towards the boxes, he points out, "You had bedroom box with kitchenware. I panicked okay!"
She laughs so hard she has to sit down.
He gets nervous and walks around, inspecting the room once again.
And without thinking, he walks over and straightens the crooked lamp.
She watches him,
"You know you could've just left me with the boxes."
He looks at her with a look. "And why would I do that?"
"Because you didn't have to do all this"
Giving him a look she asks, "so, why are you?"
He shrugs, fiddling with some box lid, "You asked me to help."
"And that's all it took?"
"Well, you asked nicely. And I'm expecting accommodation."
She throws a pillow at him.
He catches it, of course.
"Violence? In a hotel? Emi, I though we were better than this."
"Yeah well if you keep that up, you're not getting anything from me."
Him looking lost, she finishes. "And I mean anything."
That one leaves him dumbfounded as she walks to open some suitcases of her clothes.
Everything is unpacked. Boxes are unfolded and flattened. Her clothes are hung and folded.
And somehow he convinced her to eat on the bed. Eating the greasiest fast food he had picked up.
"Wow you got a lot done while I was done." He sits down next her where she's laid out, phone forgotten in her hand.
Grabbing the bag from him she responds, "Yeah well without you nagging me turns out I can get a lot done."
Not breaking eye contact he grabs the bag and starts to move it out of her reach.
"Okay that is just so not fair." She starts sitting up moving towards him.
Standing and rounding the bed.
Openly eating her fries he says, "Should've thought of that before you insulted me."
His hands still reaching into the bag when she closes the distance.
"R.J."
"Emi"
The bag is the only thing separating them.
"What are we doing her Emi?" He puts the bag down.
his forehead against hers. Her hands come up to his shoulders. She feels his hand on her waist.
"I don't know," Their lips are a breath apart.
"But I don't want to stop."
"And here I thought I was doing this for free."
"Shut up." And that's the last thing she could get out before he closed the distance.
She smashes her lips more to his, the same way he had done before. And all she could think was
R.J. R.J R.J.
He moves his hand lets them both fall next to the forgotten bag of food.