this is a fic i wrote for an ace attorney secret santa exchange on tumblr, it ended up being HELLA long and um. probably not very well characterized but anyway. this is for h4rumin, merry late christmas and have a good one!
Franziska von Karma was staring at the screen of her incredibly expensive and slightly incompetent phone. Her expression seemed to be flitting between something a little bit confused and something a little bit touched. Instead of settling on either, her features fixed themselves into a carefully blank mask, and she re-read the text on the bright, delicate glass screen one more time.
hey! do you wanna do lunch? i mean if your not busy, i havent seen you in AGES :(
-Maya
Franziska tried not to curl her lip at the grammar (more specifically, the lack thereof-!) and instead glanced over at the pile of papers on her desk. She chewed her lip lightly and then stopped herself immediately, because such expressions of nervousness were below her and she would be damned if she started the habit now. So her foot began tapping, as she mentally compiled a list of pros and cons of going to lunch with Maya Fey, and it wasn't until she began writing the list down that she decided that yes, she was stalling, and well- the list of pros was certainly quite a bit longer than the cons...
Very well, Maya Fey. I will meet you outside the Prosecutor's Office in precisely half an hour.
She had scarcely sent the message when a new one entered her inbox, and she repressed a little smile at all the exclamation marks.
perfect! see you later!
Maya beamed at her phone screen, tapping away contentedly, and Phoenix was only able to make out an abundance of exclamation marks. After she hit send, she leaned back in her chair and sighed happily.
"What's the good news?" Phoenix asked, one eyebrow raised and a small smile on his face. Maya giggled.
"Good news for your wallet, Nick!" she laughed. "I'm going out to lunch with Franziska."
"Von Karma?" Phoenix squeaked, completely unintentionally. He rubbed at a long healed sore spot on his forehead and cleared his throat.
Maya smiled indulgently (when had she learned to look so condescending?) and patted his shoulder. "Yes, Nick," she said simply. "You know, we have been hanging out." If you could call the two or three visits Franziska had made to Kurain hanging out, she thought. They had been talking on the phone, and the visits had only been a little awkward, but Maya was sure that they were friends now- if they weren't, surely Franziska would have refused her invitation to lunch.
Phoenix just rubbed the back of his head one more time and plopped down into the chair at his desk. He gazed forlornly at the piles of paper on its surface and shot a pleading look at Maya.
"Who's gonna help me with all this?" he asked, letting a teasingly petulant note slip into his voice.
"Quit your whining, Nick." Maya glanced at the clock and grinned, a pink flush colouring her cheeks. "I've gotta go, do you want me to get you something to bring back?"
Phoenix shook his head. "No, who knows how long you'll be gone? I'll grab something later," he breathed the last part dramatically, throwing his hand across his forehead. Maya rolled her eyes and flicked a paperclip at him. "Ow!"
"Bye, Nick!" she laughed over her shoulder, grabbing her coat and walking out the door of the offices and hearing the muffled "Traitor!" behind her. She made her way down the stairs, throwing her coat on once she got the main door, and she stepped out into the crisp air with a smile on her lips and the blush still on her face.
Franziska stood outside the front door of the Prosecutor's Office. She was eyeing the mistletoe over the entrance with a look that could only be described as suspicious, and she scoffed, finally looking away. What a ridiculous tradition.
She heard the flapping of sandals on the sidewalk and turned to see Maya just about skipping up the road. As soon as the brunette caught sight of Franziska she waved enthusiastically, a huge smile lighting up her face. Franziska tried to smile in return, and though it felt as though it came out looking more like a grimace, Maya didn't say a word, stopping in front of the taller girl with sparkling eyes and a cheerful countenance.
"Hi!" she chirped, panting a little from the walk. "Let's go, I'm cold." Maya snatched Franziska's wrist before she could protest, and she turned on her heel, leading Franziska across streets and through traffic until they came up to a neat, clean little hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
"I'm surprised, Maya Fey," Franziska said appreciatively as they walked into the building. "This is a step up from what I expected of you." In retrospect, she supposed that sounded a little rude, but she was never one to mince words, and Maya was still smiling.
"Yeah, I guess you expected me to take you to a burger joint or something," she laughed, maneuvering around tables and booths until she finally sat down in a corner table beside the window. "This place does serve burgers," she added, poking the menu. "But they also have really good chicken caesar wraps."
Franziska looked around the warmly-lit restaurant. There were a lot of browns and golds, and occasionally a soft red, and though it was nowhere near on par with some on the restaurants she frequented, Franziska supposed that she quite liked this comfortable little establishment. A decent amount of people were scattered all through the room, and the clanking of pans could be heard beyond the kitchen doors. The chatter of soft voices floated up from the occupied tables and everything seemed muted, in the best possible way.
Franziska noticed that Maya was watching her; likely waiting to see what she thought of the restaurant. Franziska furrowed her brow and tapped her finger on the table, and Maya bit her lip. Finally, after she decided she'd left Maya in suspense long enough, Franziska nodded curtly.
"Acceptable," she declared, and that brilliant smile lit up Maya's face again.
"Good!" she exclaimed. "Really good. I'm glad you like it." She beamed at her a moment longer, and then a waiter appeared.
"Good afternoon, ladies," he said amiably. "Would you like anything to drink?"
Franziska scanned the menu quickly. "Red wine, I suppose," she said, not finding anything better. The waiter wrote her choice down and turned to Maya. "And for you?"
Maya puffed her cheeks out in thought. "Hmm..." She squinted at the menu, and Franziska raised an eyebrow, a tiny, amused smile quirking up the corners of her lips. Finally Maya nodded.
"Vanilla milkshake," she said, snapping the menu shut, and before the waiter could ask, she rattled off her order. "And the deep-fried oysters, please, with a side of caesar salad and some tartar sauce." The waiter hurriedly wrote her order down and turned to Franziska.
"Pasta salad," she said. "No side." The waiter jotted down the words pasta s and then nodded at the girls.
"Your orders will be ready in 15 minutes," he said, turning around and heading back to the kitchen.
"15 minutes...?" Franziska asked, turning to Maya. She smiled and shrugged. "I'm used to waiting far longer," the older girl added, and Maya laughed at that.
"It doesn't take long to fry up some oysters, or to make pasta salad, you know," she said matter-of factly, leaning back in her seat to enjoy the wait. "So, tell me about work?"
Maya covered her mouth as she burped and hiccuped at the same time, eyes wide. She giggled then and Franziska sighed.
"Really, Maya Fey, I don't see what's so amusing about-" Maya giggled harder and Franziska stopped, sighing again, though the edge was dulled by the fact that she was smiling.
They were walking back to Wright & Co.- Franziska had insisted she walk Maya back, and the shorter girl had had no objections. The cold air had turned their noses red ages ago, and Maya's cheeks were bright pink as well. Franziska couldn't help but think that she looked wonderful just then, with her sparkling eyes and her flushed cheeks and her happy smile. They strolled in silence, almost leisurely, as though the cold didn't bother them at all, and sooner than Franziska would have liked, they were at the office door.
"Well." Maya turned to Franziska with a soft smile. "Thanks for going to lunch with me," she said sincerely. "I barely see you anymore, you know, so it was nice."
Franziska shifted a little. She wasn't very good at these thing. "Would you...like to do it again?" she asked haltingly, staring at a spot somewhere behind Maya's head.
She didn't notice Maya's eyes flicker upwards, and she didn't notice the brunette reigning in the beginnings of a mischevious grin and turning it instead into a pleased smile.
"Of course!" Maya exclaimed, grabbing Franziska's hands. The taller girl stared down at them in surprise. "How about next Wednesday?"
Franziska looked into those bright, sparkling eyes. "That sounds acceptable," she almost breathed. She cleared her throat. "Next Wednesday, then, Maya Fey." She pointed a finger at her in a mockingly stern manner. "Do not forget."
Maya giggled. "Yes, ma'am." She saluted, and Franziska turned to leave. "Franziska, wait a sec!"
Franziska turned around and was met with a soft peck on her lips. She stood in shock for a moment until Maya pulled away, the flush on her cheeks even brighter than before.
"Mistletoe," she clarified, pointing above the door. She grinned cheekily and waved. "See you next Wednesday!" she yelled before disappearing into the office.
Franziska stood still for a few more moments, before abruptly turning on her heel and marching back to the Prosecutor's Office. She felt as though she was in a daze the whole time, and she didn't break out of it until she spotted the mistletoe above the grand, front entrance.
She gave the mistletoe another look, though this one was much more approving than the glare she had graced it with earlier. Franziska touched a finger to her lips thoughtfully, shaking her head and allowing herself a chuckle.
A ridiculous tradition, indeed.