route_1065 | We are anything but unremarkable

Entry tags:

We are anything but unremarkable

Who: Johan and Kay
Where: Goldenrod City
When: Thursday, September 30
Summary: Revenge of the Date.
Rating: PG-13, but since it's these two, who even knows if it'll get that high.
Log:

It was cold, and she was without her muffler, because Kay was now certain that one didn't wear mufflers on dates. And this wasn't a practice date, according to Johan-- which was something she'd been trying to understand ever since he'd asked her. Sure, they'd had fun on the first one, but that had been practice for 777 (and she was beginning to wonder if that would even happen), so what was this for?

Kay didn't know, but she didn't make a habit of dwelling on things that she didn't need to dwell on, and she wasn't about to start now. Fun with her friend was fun with her friend, and if fun meant letting her hair down (as Kaito had recommended) and actually finding a decent non-white dress (she'd learned) and potentially freezing, then she'd do it! This was but a minor trial of adversity!

... No, Kay, it was a date, not a challenge. She could picture Mr. Edgeworth shaking his head at his assistant's competitive mindset already.

Once again she stood outside, though the urge to return inside where it was at least twenty degrees warmer was growing stronger by the moment. Maybe she should have at least grabbed a jacket... not that this was going to bother Johan, having attended school in Glacier Central (darn him).

"Round Two, huh?" she muttered to herself, and stretched up on her toes. "This should be fun!"

And she meant it.

Leaving her man-hating Crobat behind in the inn would probably be of some help, too.

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Had Johan not been a more polite person, and had he not been paying attention to her, he might have looked around to see if Kay's sparkles were reflecting off of anything else around them, and if anyone else could see it. He hadn't gotten to see this side of Kay often, but when it came out, it was as plain as day to see what was going on in her head.

... Mental note. Get Kay an evolution stone if there was any money left over from the TMs and whatnot.

"Yeah, staying here sounds like a good idea," Johan finally replied, a knowing grin on his face in response to the bright sparkles still, well, sparkling around them. It was so... Kay, and it was rather warming to know he was there to see it. Warming? Whatever that meant. "So let's stay here for as long as we want then!"

The sparkles (nonexistent or not) faded in favor of a warmer grin. She liked traveling as much as anybody, but sometimes it was nice to just take your time and enjoy all of the sights (and treasures) that a city like Goldenrod had to offer.

And if it wasn't twenty degrees colder than she was used to, that would have been nice, too. Why did this always happen? Why couldn't the weather cooperate with warm temperatures when she decided to wear something other than her usual outfit? At least she still had her muffler then, even if wearing a skirt never helped her legs.

"Sounds like a plan to me, too." It was belated, but there nonetheless, and she pressed herself a little closer against him. Hey, if Johan was there, he might as well share the warmth.

"Eh?" He couldn't help but swivel around just a bit to look at her as she pressed herself against him. It wasn't that, and perhaps this statement should just go without saying at this point in their relationship, he wasn't used to Kay being close to him, quite the contrary as it happened.

Was it the dress? But he knew he'd seen her in a dress before - their first date was more than enough testament to that. Even so, having Kay in a dress (as opposed to Kay) pressed against him was a pleasant feeling. Pleasant enough that his "doofy" grin, one that to Kay might just be starting to grow infamous, started to form as he returned her pushing to completely close the distance between them by wrapping his arm around her and tugging her closer.

"How about this plan?" he asked teasingly, nodding towards her shoulders, now under his arm.

That was the nice thing about having a partner, Kay decided. They were there to follow-up on things without having to be prompted. She'd done Mr. Edgeworth the same favor by finishing his lines for him, but he'd never seemed to appreciate it. On the contrary, he seemed offended that she was "stealing" them, which only served to amuse her.

But unlike the prosecutor, she appreciated Johan's timely response quite a bit. Not only had she gotten warmer just by moving closer, but with his arm there, she was guaranteed to stay warm! That, and it was just... nice. Very nice.

... She was going to lose her train of thought if she got derailed by how nice this was.

"Weeeeeell..." Kay purposely dragged out the word, matching the playful tone of his voice with her own. "I like this one, too. You really do make a great heater!"

"A great heater?" He raised an eyebrow at that, and in the back of his mind, noted that his earlier suspicion had now been confirmed by her desire to have a heater of some kind. That aside, however, he was more concerned with the fact that she had laid out something such as that, and now it was his turn to lay down his own hand and take the prize. Whatever the prize in this case was, anyway - victory most likely.

... When had he switched from Duel Monster analogies to poker ones? Lack of dueling was really getting to his head, wasn't it?

"Is that all I am?" Johan continued, waggling his eyebrows and pushing out his just a lip, to offer the best teasing-slash-hurt expression he could muster. Blinking a little, as if trying to fight off tears, he shook his head and looked away - of course, looking away as he was, he made no move to separate from her. Now that would be just silly. "At least... I have some use to you...!!"

"Hey--!" Kay's automatic response died in her throat when she got a better look at his face (even though he'd turned away). He was teasing her again by pulling that Kicked Puppy face! Well, not this time. She wasn't going to be fooled by that face!

With a determined expression, she worked a hand free and used that to grasp his chin and turn it back in her direction. If he was going to tease her, she was going to retaliate!

She conveniently forgot that she had teased him first. Trivial details, really.

"You're Johan," she said simply, lips lifted in her usual smile. "The best partner, heater, and you make a good pillow when you sit still long enough. Oh, but I guess you're a good nurse, too. And lady magnet. And directionally-impaired."

... Was that how she was going to play? Well, two could play at that game, and Johan was confident in that fact. For now though, he planned on playing her game for just a little bit and see where it got him - she was certainly dressed the part for it, he couldn't help but note.

"Speaking of lady magnets..." Johan dropped the look and, now that she had brought him back towards her again, grinned widely at her and pulled her as close as humanly possible with his arm - her arm on his chin be damned. "You know, I'm not sure if you've noticed, Kay, but you're dressed like a lady today. And I've got you stuck to me like a magnet, now don't I?"

... Exactly where he was going with that, Johan wasn't sure, but he hadn't thought that far ahead. He would act first, then ask questions later.

Dressed like a lady, huh? So was he saying she wasn't a lady normally? Kay's more feminine side protested this wholeheartedly, even if it was true. Kind of. So maybe she was a tomboy, but still!

She would have said something, but discovering that there was practically no space between them was making it hard to focus on being as indignant as she should have been. She did release his chin, which... she hoped counted for something.

Well. First things first, she wasn't going to back down now, and she lifted her head to stare into Johan's eyes. "The clothes don't make the girl," she reminded him. "And I'm immune, remember? Sorry, Johan, you're out of luck."

While Johan hadn't meant what Kay was thinking at all, he was far from being knowledgable or experienced in this area, as just about anyone could tell you; so intentions aside, he remained mostly oblivious to the great offense he had bestowed upon Kay just then. That was probably for the best, in any case.

He tilted his head just slightly as she let his chin go, and some part of him... somewhere that many would think didn't even exist, protested that, but otherwise Johan didn't mind - Kay clearly had something to say, and who was he to interrupt his partner when it was her turn?

"Hehe, I know..." He shook his head, managing to break from Kay's determined gaze, and glanced ahead. Realizing they weren't too far from their destination, started walking again and continued with a tone that, while just as teasing as always, spoke of mystery. "But maybe it's not me that's out of luck, eh?"

Who said he didn't have his moments of insight?

... If only he knew whether or not he was actually being insightful.

"No," she informed him solemnly, though her pace hadn't faltered in keeping up with his slightly longer strides. "I'm pretty sure it's you." She was immune to his charms-- to any charms used on her, and not just his. If Johan without a shirt had surprised her, it was because he just looked scrawny the rest of the time! Anyone would have been surprised to see their friend like that! And so what if sometimes it was hard to think when he was close to her? That could have meant anything. Practically snuggling could be platonic. And if ever did fall for someone, she would...

Kay's eyebrows furrowed just slightly. She'd support him, of course, but there was some part of her just didn't like the idea. But why? They were friends, and if Kaito hadn't gone suggesting some weird things about the two of them--

I guess I'm not as immune as I thought...

Where had she... had she said that at some point? She didn't think she had, but the thought itself gave her a sense of deja vu.

She'd since fallen silent, just thinking. Before Kaito had said something, she'd probably realized it back in Azalea. If it really was true, anyway. Just how long had she been fighting against it?

And what was she going to do about it?

"Is that so...?" Kay's change from tease to serious didn't go unnoticed, and with that in mind, Johan decided to let the subject drop. Her expression, now that of a frown, was something else he noticed, and it was clear that his comment had put her through the ringer to... some extent. It was rare she simmered down to get so thoughtful like that - it would take an inconsiderate monster to not notice that. ... Or at least someone other than Johan.

... Well, in any case. some might want to press the topic, seeing as it was an important one, and one that potentially affected and, at the very least, concerned both of them - Johan, however, had a much bigger concern: Kay's current lack of smile, and he knew that he was ever within a mile of a Kay without a smile, it was up to him to fix the situation. He could think about this later, once she was smiling and laughing and telling him about the nurses (the nurses that surely weren't half as bad as she claimed) again. There was time, and to that end, the less time she spent with that expression, the better.

Some might say he needed to get his priorities in order, but Johan thought he had them lined up just right.

"Hey, Kay," Johan started quietly, looking down at her tentatively, making sure to get her attention before going headlong into breaking her train of thought. He nodded ahead of them, towards the building they had been steadily approaching from the start - the tallest one in all of Goldenrod, no less - and turned back to her. "Look."

"Huh?" Abruptly jarred from her thoughts - probably a good thing - Kay shook her head to clear it completely and looked up.

... And up.

... ... And up.

If anyone knew Kay, it was that it took very little to make her happy, or get her enthusiasm up to almost dangerous levels. And right now, gazing up at what had to be the tallest building in the city (which meant a whole lot of stairs to ascend without a decent rope ladder), she was thrilled and enthusiastic-- and looking at Johan as if Christmas had just arrived early.

"Johan," she breathed, tugging at his sleeve. "Can you imagine what kind of entrance you could make from that?? Even the Jammin' Ninja never had something that high!!"

As soon as Johan saw Kay's expression, he knew that this had been the right choice for their first stop. She lit up like a candle, and he was almost tempted to wrap himself around her just to keep her from bolting away from him - though he didn't think she would really do that.

... Probably.

"Hehehe, I can! And better yet-- Maybe you'll be able to show me sometime..." he paused, a wide grin coming to him, then began leading her towards the building. "But the only way to really figure it out is to get up there, isn't it?"

Kay nodded happily, more than willing to let him pull her along. She hadn't been up that high in quite some time, if... at all, now that she thought about it. But she did love heights, and it was all she could do not to take the lead herself. She'd let Johan take charge this time.

"Up there first, and we can work on entrances later," she agreed.

"If you'll be able to wait that long," Johan added for her, just a bit of tease returning to his voice now. He was sure that Kay would be able to wait to test whatever she wanted to do for now, at the very least until they got to see the view anyway. Pulling her over to him again, he slowed his pace to a more leisurely one and finished walking over to the building.

"Are you ready?" He already knew the answer, of course, but the object of a date wasn't to get somewhere, it was to have fun, to enjoy yourself. That much he had figured out from the last one, despite how it had turned out a few times - and he was having fun seeing Kay's reaction to all of this.

"Ready!" She emphasized this with a sharp salute, fitting herself against him as he pulled her over. She was getting used to this, even if she couldn't do her typical joyous running... but somehow, it really wasn't that bad. So long as he didn't have too much of a calming effect on her, anyway.

At the very least, she could wait "that long". Or try to. That was calm enough.

"Then let's go!"

By the time Johan waved to the man at the front door (who he really hadn't met upon first arriving to Goldenrod and getting more lost than a fish in a desert. really, that hadn't happened. at all. the man wasn't giving him an approving nod either-- why was, er, wasn't he doing that? how odd.) cheerfully, his wide, face-splitting grin had returned in full and was more present than ever. He wasn't sure if there was an elevator or not, but one way or another, they were going to get to the top.

For the moment, though, he was simply leading Kay inside.

"I hope you don't think this is all I've got in store for you, though," Johan added, giving Kay a wink as he stepped onto a real floor, as opposed to the sidewalks and roads of the outside. "I've built up a huge tab of things I want to do for you, and I'm only just getting started today."

And while he really hadn't meticulously planned the entire day out, like perhaps he sounded like he had, he fully intended to make good on his word all the same. It was going to be the best date ever.

... At least, maybe until the next one.

"A tab?" Kay snorted at that, unable to resist a grin of her own (and completely missing that approving nod from earlier). "That makes it sound like you owe me! And I don't think thieves rack up favors all that much." Most of the favors she'd done had been before she'd learned about the Yatagarasu, anyway, and even the ones done after hadn't had anything to do with being a thief.

"But if this is just the start," she added, and her grin only got broader, "I can't wait for the rest of it!"

"Hmmmm... Maybe not. But you're a lot more to me than just a thief," Johan nodded a little, to emphasize that. Thief she was, thief he was to be once he sorted some things out, but if he was to describe Kay, he would have many more words to use than just "thief" - whether she liked it or not. ... She did have one point, though. "I guess 'owe' isn't the best word... But maybe it's just as good a word anyway. I do owe a lot to you, and I've said time and time again I'd make it up; it's about time I got started on that, isn't it?"

Johan laughed a little, shaking his head in amusement. That was Kay for you. "Hehehe, I hope you can wait a little, or else we'll go right by this before we know it...!"

She looked at him thoughtfully, and one eyebrow raised as she did so. She didn't think he owed her anything. He'd been there from the start, after all. She didn't want him thinking he was in her debt at all. Crow, of course, was different, because she could dangle that over his head whenever he started to tease her too much.

Kay drew back a bit, pressing a finger to Johan's chest and shaking her head. "Paid in full," she informed him seriously. "You were there when I needed you most." She withdrew the finger after a few seconds, rocked back on her heels, and stretched her arms above her head, all seriousness gone. "As for waiting, I'll steal the patience for it. I guess."

"Ah...?" Johan was taken off guard now, not so much because Kay was turning him down (he really hadn't thought much on what her thoughts were on all of this), but... He hadn't thought he'd made up for everything she'd done. Had he? Confusion was clear on his face, but from what she said, he'd done what he wanted already, and no more was necessary.

... He could still do things for her anyway, though, couldn't he? He'd just have to lose his opening line - though it was a lot more than an "opening line" as far as Johan was concerned, but it appeared either way, the point was moot now. ... But that was for another time, and it was perhaps another subject entirely. She was being serious, and his fondness of doing things for her aside, she deserved seriousness in return.

"... I understand," he told her finally, and while that wasn't quite true, his reasons for it not being so were irrelevant. What she said made sense and, before he knew it, he was losing the serious look as fast as she had to pull her into a quick hug. "Now, you guess? Then I guess that'll have to be good enough."

Now this was more familiar, and Kay was more than happy to return the hug. What she'd always liked about him was that, no matter the situation, at the heart of it-- Johan was still Johan. Even if this was a date, it didn't change things between them all that much.

Or maybe things between them had changed, just too subtly for her to notice it. She hadn't always felt that twinge in her chest whenever he looked sad or upset, and she didn't know when that had started happening.

"Then, since we're finished with guessing games..." She reluctantly pulled back. "We're going up now, right?"

"There's no stopping you, is there?" He asked, already knowing the answer full well. For the most part, if Kay wanted to get somewhere or do something, rain or shine, she would do it. Smiling at her as she plled away, he just nodded, and with that nod, began to lead her towards the elevator. He knew it didn't go all the way up, but it would be good enough.

"Say, have you ever been in a building this high before?" Johan questioned after a moment, as he pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

"This high? Close, but no." Kay stepped into the elevator once the doors had opened, pulling Johan in after her and leaning against the wall. "Even though I've been in a lot of buildings, the really high ones are probably all in New York. Even higher than this one, but I bet you anything this is one of the biggest in this world!"

Of course, there was no way to say that for sure, but with all the traveling still ahead of them, who knew? She'd see for herself at some point, and until then, she could enjoy the ones she was seeing here and now.

Johan grinned quirkily to himself at that, and for once during this date, it wasn't about anything in particular Kay had done or said, not technically; but rather, for a moment, he was granting himself the little joy of hearing someone else say the name of a place that was familiar to him. Not that the Mystic Kindgom of Shiningshine didn't sound like a great place, of course not, but after being here for these few months, he was beginning to wonder...

"Hehehe, I see! Then we'll have to enjoy it for all it's worth, won't we?" Johan nodded seriously to this statement, though he was still grinning. He leaned forward to push the button for the highest possible floor and turned back to Kay, his thoughts from a moment earlier returning. "You know, Kay, I was in New York once-- For a duel, I mean, I go to lots of places for those. But I didn't get to check out many of the buildings... Think you can show me around someday?"

Sure, it sounded like she had never been there before herself, but hopefully the implications of what Johan was saying were clear enough.

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