( No Title )
In Justice We Trust (149799 words) by thesavagesabretooth
With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.
All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.
–
December 25, 6:25 pm
“You probably weren’t expecting to see me again today,” Robert said as he stepped back into the cell.
“Not one bit…but I didn’t expect Agent Ash to walk in with some girl, gawk at me for five minutes and leave without saying a word either.” A wry smile crossed her face. “…it’s a day of surprises.”
“I have another one for you,” he said, shrugging easily. “Consider it some information in return for the information you shared with us.”
Bonsai souls. Bobby couldn’t stop thinking about it in the background. People twisted up and pruned while they’re raised until even their soul is small…
His wave of emotion hit Robert, who tried to shrug it off. Bonsai are very attractive, anyway.
24 attempted to lean forward and onto her hands, only for the short chain on her cuffs to stop her short before her hands could reach her chin. She dropped backwards again with a huff.
“An exchange for the information I gave? That’s…novel…Please…surprise away.”
“It’s about a personal experience I’ve been having,” he explained. “An unusual one. Over the past year, I started hearing voices. A voice, rather. And experienced impulses that I had difficulty controlling.”
They watched her face carefully as they spoke.
24’s expression, to anyone else, would have seemed unchanging in its neutral mask…but Robert knew better than anyone how to spot it. Her pupils constricted, her shoulders squared minutely…a surprised downturn of her lips that was only barely aborted.
She was surprised to hear him say it out loud.
“That’s..odd.” she managed to murmur. “Voices and impulses inside your head would be troublesome to hear…and troublesome to the mission.”
“Extremely troublesome, in fact,” he said. “Many if not all of these impulses were either completely pointless, or entirely counter to the mission. They became more difficult to ignore the longer they went on. They also seemed to develop their own identity.”
Her fingers flexed in the air before they balled into fists, and her gaze broke off his and turned down towards the table. “So what’d you do to the voice? How’d you make it stop?”
He shook his head. “I was not able to do such a thing. Eventually, I stopped trying. Since my capture five days ago, I’ve been evaluated based on this experience by both a psychologist and a spirit medium.”
“No wonder you’ve been so erratic.” 24 mused quietly. She still wouldn’t meet his eyes, and her fidgeting only got worse. It was a dangerous habit for a clandestine asset…but likely a pleasant quirk for a young agent of interpol. “A spirit medium? A psychologist I can understand…”
“There happened to be one on site, and it seemed prudent.” He slid his hands performatively into his pockets. “The voice has, after all, repeatedly claimed to be the ghost of the last man I had killed.”
You know, Robert. For a man who doesn’t have strong emotions or enjoy a lot of things, you sure like putting on a show.
Robert almost smiled. It’s what I know, Bobby.
“Hh… “ the quiet sigh of breath was slight, but present, as was the faint trace of a grimace on 24’s face.
“Scary. Real ghost story stuff.” she murmured blandly “but ghosts are as real as true sympathy.”
Her head tilted to the side “…though we did talk about that earlier, didn’t we?”
“We did indeed. These people believe many strange things.” The edge of his lip quirked just barely upward. “It’s the medium’s professional opinion that my soul is too small, so it’s the perfect space for a ghost to move in. What a funny thing to say, isn’t it?”
“Your soul is too small…so a spirit moved in. Like what–you were a mouse living alone in a huge apartment?” Her voice took on a trace more life for a moment, and there was almost a laugh before it smoothed into the same slight grimace as before. “Do we even have souls?”
Like a mouse living in a huge apartment. I like that metaphor, Robert.
Because it’s as ridiculous as you were.
I think you’re kind of enjoying it.
“It is the medium’s professional opinion that we do. And I witnessed what I have to confess was a fairly convincing demonstration.”
“Well…if souls are real, I have little doubt ours are as small as she says.”She spread her fingers with a bland and empty smile. She paused a moment. “…the young lady. That was the medium? The one who screamed when the door was closing?”
“That’s correct.”
Oh no… did she hear all of us laughing, too?
No, Bobby, the cell is soundproofed.“She seemed nice,” 24 had started to say. “Sorry I…”
The sentence stopped partway through and she shook her head subtly before speaking again.
“So why are you telling me about the size of our souls? You think the voice you’re hearing is Bobby Fulbright? Mr. ‘In Justice We Trust’, the hero of Justitia?” She laughed quietly “You did make a convincing performance while I was observing you from afar.”
He laced his fingers behind his back and smiled. “I’m convinced of it, yes. And I’m sure that’s why I did such a good job on such a long assignment, which I was put on with the expectation that I would fail. My psychologist says that whether the voice is psychological or supernatural in origin, she thinks it’s– healthy, for me.”
“Your psychologist– the pretty redhead, yeah?” ” she trailed off, and her eyes downcast again. “…we were both put on assignments we were never meant to succeed in, weren’t we? But the voice in your head carried you through. Is that why it’s healthy? Because it helped you survive?”
“Because he helped me survive,” he agreed, “and because he helps me adapt and understand the real world, and the people in it. How they feel, and… how I feel, even.”
Robert! I’m touched!!
Please don’t cry right now, Bobby. Not in front of her…
He couldn’t stop himself from tearing up at the corner of their eyes.
Her shoulders had started to shake.
“They way they feel is…concerning, 1—” she cut off the number and murmured “Mr. Halblicht.” The fidget of her fingers began again as she continued. “I’ve been hearing things too. It started small…”
He stepped near her, and knelt down beside her again. “But it’s getting bigger?”
24 nodded, taking a deep breath.
“Yes. It started with little things, like knowing a waitress’ name at the restaurant. Or the nagging…devotion and respect towards Agent Ash and her circle…a craving for fresh coffee.” She turned to look at him, watching him with her careful gray eyes. “things like that…the knowledge that Kelso would flirt on a crime scene, often with girls. I thought it was just good fortune and good guesswork, but it’s only getting bigger.”
She shifted. “She wanted to cry earlier.”
Bobby rubbed their neck awkwardly as he surged to the front. “I’ll bet she did. It’s a tough situation for a person to be in… Uh. Hi. It’s Bobby.”
24 reacted like a life wire had sparked at her fingertips, and she turned her pinpricked eyes towards him before she swiftly relaxed.
“…” Her head bowed slightly. “…hello, Bobby.” she murmured. “enjoying the spacious apartment?”
He grinned awkwardly at her and wrung his hands together. “Well, you know, I’ve kind of made myself comfortable. Hung up some new curtains, put my feet up. I got unexpectedly kicked out of my last apartment, so… now I’m crashing with this guy!”
She laughed, actually laughed–or perhaps Kelso did, considering the look of muted surprise that crossed her face.
“Ahh…ahhahh..hahh..” she tried to raise a hand to wipe near her eyes, only to be stopped by the cuffs. “Wow. Sounds comfortable.”
Her voice wavered strangely, unsure and thick with the confusion that seemed to break through her otherwise cold and composed affect.
“Well, you know. No roommate situation is perfect,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But we’ve started getting along. He can do stuff I can’t, I can do stuff he can’t, you know?”
24 composed herself, murmuring quietly. “Mutually beneficial.”
She tried to look at him again, not seeming to be aware of the start of tears in the corners of her eyes. “Sam Wan Kelso is an emotional woman…even if she plays it casual and amused. Even right now I can feel her trying to reach out… she’s scared that I’ll try and erase her.”
“You can reassure her that even if she left, she would still exist,” Bobby said gently. “But I think if she wants to stay, that you should keep her. I think you’d be stronger together."
Carefully, he put his hand on hers–theirs.
Her fingers twitched, but swiftly relaxed.
“Stronger together, huh?” A slight twitch flickered across her lips before she smiled Kelso’s lazy little grin “It’s a big apartment but it could use a little TLC, Bobby. I don’t think I…”
Her voice evened out “…she…is keen on leaving. ‘It’s not like my body’s in any shape to return to’ she says. Besides…she’s angry at our handlers, too.”
He squeezed their hand very gently. "I bet. Me too. So let’s bring them to justice together, alright? The four of us– and everyone else.”
“The four of us…” 24 murmured quietly, before she nodded and turned her hand as much as she could to squeeze back “alright, sir. I’m…interested…in what we can do. You’ll have Sam Wan and my help…on a single condition.”
“Name it.”
24 scoffed softly “…she’s been whining for a cup of ‘good black coffee’ for hours”
Bobby grinned and snapped into a peppy salute. “One good black coffee, coming up!”
December 25, 6:40 pm
Halblicht and Simon had remained at the precinct to discuss the case for longer with interpol, while Athena, Apollo, and Pearl had gone back to the hotel.
The car ride was quiet, with Pearl sleepy, and Apollo and Clay’s emotions finally calmed to something less than a raging tumult. The anger had finally settled to a low, keening anxiety.
Athena took to looking out the window when the light conversation turned into a complete lull, reflecting back over the day so far…from the startling conversations, the confirmation of ghosts and multiple possessions, to the long and heartfelt conversation with her mother. Her own emotions weighed heavily on her in a way she couldn’t really comprehend.
So she sat with them, reliving the moment her mother told her she was proud of the woman she became in her mind as she turned over the many twists her life had taken until this point…
Apollo was on a timeline. They had a dead Interpol agent in custody sharing a body and mind with her killer. Her mother was ‘asleep’ in death and not ready to move on to heaven or a new life…
And Simon and Halblicht had repaired their relationship. Things had changed so much, yet in some ways they seemed to be returning to normal. At least there was that. A merry Christmas could be had…maybe she’d buy herself a slice of cake.
When they got back to the hotel, Athena’s first order of business was taking Pearl to her room to rest. Apollo had followed along with them.
“Thanks, Miss Athena,” Pearl said as they stood at the door. She flashed a bright, if tired smile, to all of them. Athena could tell that she was honestly happy, even with how wrung out she was. “And you too Mr. Apollo. And company. I’m gonna call up some room service and call it a night.”
“That sounds like a pretty relaxing Christmas to me!” Athena chuckled gently with a bright smile. “Rest up okay? And thanks for all your help, you did great!”
“Thanks!” she giggled and saluted. “You guys have a great rest of Christmas too, okay?”
Apollo gave a slow thumbs up. “Will do, kid. Hey– do me a favor and tell Trucy I’d like to talk to her. If not tonight, tomorrow.”
“Promise!”
There was a little round of hugs and thank yous again, and Pearl slipped into her hotel room.
Athena put her hands on her hips.
“Alright. That’s that…which means I need to figure out how we’re gonna spend the rest of the night.” She tilted her head to the side “…my usual Christmas tradition’s kinda shot, but I’m sure we’ll find something.”
“If you’re looking for an offer, we could grab some dinner,” Apollo– or could it be Clay?– offered. Athena had a lot more trouble distinguishing the two of them than she did Bobby and Robert, despite the fact that she had known Apollo at least for much longer. “Unless you were planning on waiting until Prosecutor Blackquill gets back.”
“…I mean, I was hoping to talk with him tonight, yeah..” She started brushing her fingers through her ponytail, and chuckled. “But he’s probably gonna be busy for a while between the Interpol business and other matters…and I don’t think Ema would be pleased if she walked in on me eating a cake by myself and watching old sci-fi movies and historical dramas…given that she probably just wants to collapse for the night.”
She smiled “..honestly I’d love some dinner?”
“Let’s get some dinner, then, Athena.” He slapped her companionably on the shoulder. “Even if I have more on my mind than when we usually do. Twice as much, even.”
The attempt at humor was genuine, but it only barely masked his internal confusion.
Athena laughed.
“I think you’ve been hanging around the Blackquills and my mother too much, guys…you’ve already picked up the sense of humor.” She stuck her tongue out “hopefully it doesn’t make ordering extra annoying, huh?”
“As if you get to pick on me for hanging out too much with a Blackquill,” he teased back.
“I do, because …” She thought for a minute before she grinned. “because I can.”
“Anyway…” He huffed a laugh and waved for her to follow him down the hall as he started working. “I wouldn’t worry about the food thing, honestly. It never even occurred to me…”
She followed alongside him with a curious tilt of her head. “Really? I think having two people in there would make choosing a meal…you know…complicated.”
“Apollo and I mostly like the same foods,” he answered. “His tastes are maybe a little broader than mine because of all the time he spent in uh–”
Clay seemed to suddenly realize that he was the one doing the talking, and trailed off as Athena felt his embarrassment spike.
Athena tilted her head to the side.
“Hmm? Hey Clay.” She stretched, arching her back as she walked down the hall, “don’t worry…don’t get too embarrassed, okay?”
He glanced over at her with an apologetic smile. “It’s hard not to. I’m not supposed to be here, you know? Talking out of Apollo’s mouth– admitting that I’m here– it feels like breaking a taboo.”
Athena nodded.
“I kinda get that. It feels…I dunno, invasive? LIke you’re telling a secret that you weren’t supposed to?” She rubbed her neck “but I think it’s fine you’re here. Good , even…and I’m gonna treat you like anyone else, sharing a body or no, okay? Just uh…if I don’t notice right away, forgive me. It’s much easier with Robert and Bobby. They’re a little obvious.”
“That makes sense,” he nodded. She could feel a spike of anger at the mention of Robert, but it was small, and confused with other feelings. “It’s kind of nice in a way. Confirmation on something we always knew– how alike we are.”
They made their way down toward the dining room, and even though there were few people around, his voice dropped even lower.
“You two really are close, aren’t you?” Athena asked with a smile. “I used to always see you around the Cosmos center with one another…It’s nice to know you stayed close…stayed similar like that.”
They chuckled softly. “Yeah, we stayed very close. We were a big part of each other’s lives ever since we met.”
In the restaurant, they waved Athena to a table far in the corner.
Athena followed eagerly…she wasn’t exactly looking to be the center of the restaurant’s attention, so the corner table suited her fine.
“Which was back in jr. High School, right?”
“Yeah. We were maybe 12, you know? So it’s been most of our lives.” They settled down uncomfortably in the chair across from her. It would have been clear to Athena how anxious they were even without her special talents.
“Most of your lives is right.” Athena smiled at them, leaning on her hand. “…it’s good that you’ve got a friend like that. The both of you…me and Junie were like that once before I ah, vanished.”
She brushed her hair over her ear “Hey, Clay. Like I said to Apollo, if you ever have anything on your mind, you can talk about it with me, no judgment.”
He leaned on his hands and shrugged. “I appreciate that. I mean, we’ve still got each other, in a way, but… it’s different. The way it’s different hurts, you know?”
“Because you can’t be there physically for one another anymore? You were close, but now you’re…well. Close in a different way?”
“We are,” he nodded. “It’s funny, it’s already sometimes hard to tell where one of us ends and the other one begins, until we happen on one of those little points of difference that makes it obvious. We’ve been thinking… talking about that, since hearing…. the news.”
“About how you’re going to grow…together?” Athena asked, “if you don’t leave?”
They nodded. “Yeah. That. Kind of a heavy thing, huh?”
“Incredibly heavy.” Athena agreed as she brushed her fingers through her hair with a concerned hum. “Especially with it being on an unsure timetable with a pretty permanent deadline.”
“Yeah,” he breathed. She watched him lay his hands flat on the table. His fingers were trembling. “Knowing that it’s real… that ghosts… that souls exist… it helps. It seems like we could… move on. I could get reincarnated or whatever. Maybe have another shot at going to space. But… we’d probably never see each other again.”
Their voice was thick, the sorrow in it heavy and obvious, pulsating in and out with anxiety.
Athena listened quietly, before she reached out and placed her hand atop his.
“And that gives you both anxiety…hurts you both to think about, right?” She smiled weakly at him. “It’s both a comfort and a pain at the same time. Ghosts are real…you’re real, but the idea of moving on and missing one another is hard to face, yeah?”
Clay nodded, running his fingers nervously through their hair. “It’s scary. It hurts. If I left, right now, and came back– he’d be 24 years older than me. If he recognized me. If I recognized him. If his life still had room for me. If we hadn’t both changed beyond–”
Tears had beaded up in their eyes and spilled over across their cheeks. Clay stopped talking abruptly, and Athena watched them put their arms around themselves tightly again.
“Hey, hey hey, no–” when they spoke again Athena knew it was Apollo. “Of course we’d know each other…”
Athena bit her lip, her hands folding together on the tabletop. She’d reached out to try putting a comforting hand on their shoulder, but when they moved to hug themselves, it faltered and rested on the tabletop instead.
“You two really do love one another,don’t you?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Guess the secret’s out,” Apollo murmured. He sniffled and wiped their eyes, grabbing a napkin to mop up the tears. “Sorry, Athena. We’re a mess.”
Athena’s eyes were welling up with sympathetic tears “it’s okay..I mean…it..it’s been a hell of a week Apollo. Sorry…I, I could tell whenever you talked about him. I just didn’t want to say…”
“Yeah.” He took a shuddering breath and tried to still their tears. He gave her a wan smile, his sadness tinged with embarrassment. “Probably wasn’t as subtle as I should have been the last week or so. Did a good job keeping it out of the office though, I guess. Trucy was shocked when I told her.”
“I think you did a pretty good job, even if it’s sad you felt you had to..” Athena gave him a sympathetic grin. “I could only tell because I could hear the emotions in your voice…it’s no wonder Trucy was taken by surprise.”
“Yeah,” he nodded again. “Can’t hide anything from you, huh, Athena? Thanks for being understanding.”
“It’s my blessing and my curse.” she chuckled quietly before she shook her head. “…I get it. I understand it…love is complicated, especially when souls, the living and the dead are entwined…it’s only natural to feel difficult emotions at this time..” ”
“I don’t know what we’re gonna do, Athena. The idea of letting go is so hard. But Clay keeps worrying about ‘ruining’ me, or ‘taking over my life’. ”
“Are you worried he’ll ‘ruin you’ or take over your life?” Athena asked as she leaned on her hands. “Either way…you have time. A year, at least, to try and sort through your feelings on it. You can take a little time to process this.”
“I’m not worried about it at all,” he said. His voice was shaking and he dabbed at his eyes with the wet napkin again. “I know you probably don’t have a lot of experience with love yet, Athena, but sometimes when you’re together, there’s a moment when you’re close– laying in bed, or watching the stars, or just holding each other– and it feels like there’s absolutely nothing separating the two of you at all. I think… maybe it would be like that. Forever.”
He twisted the abused napkin back and forth in his fingers as he spoke.
Tears rolled down Athena’s face as she stifled a soft hiccup…both the backwash of Apollo’s emotions, and the description tugging at the strange beat of her heart.
It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking how much they loved one another.
It was true, she didn’t have much experience with love…not direct experience, not yet…but she could understand the sentiment as it pounded in her chest.
“Beautiful.” She whispered “that’s…that’s beautiful, Apollo…m-maybe it would be.”
He bobbed his head bashfully and gave her a teary smile. “Thanks, Athena. A-anyway, you’re right. No matter what happens, we have time. It’s not something that’s going to happen or not right now.”
“Exactly.” She sniffed again, and wiped at her eyes. “For now…just try to relax knowing you’ve got one another in there..and…and take it one step at a time. I’m gonna support you with everything I’ve got…”
“It means a lot.” He reached across the table for her hand this time. “I feel like we… sure learned a lot in the last couple of hours.”
She took his hand and gave it a firm squeeze “We did, a whole heck of a lot, really…ghosts, my mother, Kelso, you and Clay…we actually met Miss Mia, the legend of the office…”
“We sure did,” he said, squeezing her hand back in turn. “I feel like I can see the impact she had on the boss, just from those few minutes. But…”
“But…?” Athena tilted her head to the side.
He shook his head, hand still entwined with hers. He murmured quietly. “What she said about them– the spies, the ‘assets’– that was…. pretty fucked up.”
Athena nodded slowly.
“Y-yeah.” she bit her lip “I’ll be honest that’s basically what I was getting too…what was done to them, it was done to make them as little of a person someone could be before they simply perished. It’s…it’s no surprise it makes them perfect hosts for sharing space with a spirit.”
Her voice cracked softly, hushed and low so nobody could hear but them. “They’re tragic…genuine victims in all this…I got the sense when I talked to Robert for the first time…and then later saw that interview with 24…”
“We’re still angry,” they said. “I don’t know if we’re ever not going to be but– the idea that they literally had their souls broken by what they went through? I don’t– I can’t even comprehend it. You can tell the Ph– you can tell Halblicht that he doesn’t have to worry about us coming after her again or anything. Especially since he’s got the real Fulbright in there breathing down his neck.”
“I’ll tell him..” Athena squeezed his hand as more tears began to drop down her already tear-streaked face. Her breath shuddered. “I can’t blame you for being angry, he took a lot from you but.. It was bad enough when I thought it was just his mind that was broken…but these people are pruning and shattering souls to …to make weapons they can point and shoot. There’s no justice in that…no possible excuse they could make to justify it. It’s…it’s inhuman.”
She sniffed “…I like Robert, Apollo. I’m sorry, but he…I want to see him become a person in his own right, and for Bobby to help him find balance.”
Their hand trembled against hers, but they squeezed her hand again.
“I can’t say I get it, Athena, but, I guess that’s good. Maybe it’ll help make sure no one else suffers the way we did because of him. And hopefully we can get to the top of the chain, and shut the whole thing down.”
Athena nodded.
“With his help, and…and Miss Kelso, or 24’s help? I think we can manage…we have to.” She smiled nervously at him as her fingers gave his hand a tight squeeze. “He won’t hurt anyone else…and neither will that horrible organization by the time we’re done with them.”
“Good. That’s all we can ask. And you’ll have our help to do it.”
She smiled at them.
“Thanks guys. I care about you a lot. So…let’s help one another till the bitter end.” She snapped a salute. “Nobody’s a match for us!”
December 25, 7:15 pm
When they were done at the precinct, to Halblict’s surprise, Simon had declined a ride back to the hotel from Agent Badd and called a taxi himself instead.
“I’m hungry,” he growled. “And I’d prefer to avoid the hotel restaurant tonight. Besides…”
Simon gave them an appraising look, with a sly smile on his face.
Robert had no idea what he might be thinking. “Besides?”
“We’ve never been on a proper date– have we? And no– the aquarium doesn’t quite count.”
The sudden rush of joy and excitement from Bobby practically knocked Robert over in their shared mental space as he rushed forward.
“A date, Simon?” Bobby grinned, leaning shoulder to shoulder with him with stars in his eyes as they walked out of the precinct.. “You don’t think… that’ll be a problem?”
Simon leaned against the exterior of the building just outside the reach of the streetlamps as he waited for their taxi to arrive, and Bobby went to lean beside him, cocking his head curiously.
“I don’t see why it would be?” Simon shrugged. “We don’t have any pressing reason to get back to the hotel immediately.”
Bobby shifted uncomfortably. “Ah, I more meant…”
I can’t believe you’re still uncomfortable with this, Bobby.
I know it doesn’t make a difference to you, Robert, but I was raised to believe it wasn’t done, you know? It’s looked down on for a man and another man to be… seen being intimate.
And I was trained to understand that homosexual desire was a significant, if taboo reality, and how to use that behavior to my advantage. Do you believe that either of the things we were taught are correct?
Well…I mean…
“Meant what, Fool Bright?” Simon snapped, and for a second Bobby thought that he had somehow overheard his internal conversation, before he remembered where he’d trailed off.
He flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen out with me, sir? Given that we’re both men?”
Simon scoffed loudly, and Taka made a startled noise on his arm. “Bobby, you being a man isn’t even in the top three reasons to be embarrassed to be seen out with you.”
Bobby flushed even brighter. “Sir…”
He’s got you there, doesn’t he?
Simon leaned over, shoulder to shoulder with the two of them. “I’m joking, detective. Obviously I’m not embarrassed to be around you. Do I strike you as a man who has any shame whatsoever?"
Bobby laughed softly. "I don’t know how to answer that, sir,” he said, nervously wringing his hands together.
“The answer is that I am not, detective. I don’t give a damn what speculation or assumptions people make about me, right or wrong. What matters to me is who I am, not how people perceive me. But if the two of you would prefer not to be perceived, I suppose I can accommodate you.”
Bobby could tell that Simon wasn’t pleased with the idea, and while he was feeling ashamed of it, Robert rushed past him.
“No.” Robert’s voice was thick with firm insistence that Bobby rarely felt from him, and he put his arm around Simon.
Simon raised his eyebrow, his lips drawn. “Robert?” he hesitated.
He nodded. “Yes, it’s me. Bobby was raised with a lot of shame around homosexual relationships. I have no such compunction, as you might expect. So I’m not interested in changing your preferred behavior.”
Simon leaned back against him, but frowned. “I’d rather not make Bobby uncomfortable, either.”
“I’m not uncomfortable, per se,” Bobby murmured. His fingers ran up and down Simon’s arm as he fidgeted. “I just don’t have any experience with openly dating.”
It’s not as if I have any experience with it either, Bobby.
“Well, it’s easy enough to ask your preference then,” Simon huffed. “Would you like to have experience openly dating, or would you prefer to preserve your reputation?”
He flushed hotly. “It’s not as if I really have one to preserve anyway. It’s not like my parents are going to find out or something. So… if you don’t mind being open with me, sir, then that’s what I’d like to do.”
“Good!” Simon grinned and leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Let’s have a scandal, then.”
He seems excited about it, doesn’t he, Bobby?
I think he thinks it’s romantic…
Is it?
Bobby smiled, and agreed out loud. “It is pretty romantic.”
“I’m thrilled that you agree.”
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