Pairing: Phoenix/Maya
Prompt: Sleepover
Word Count: 1,256
Rating: T (just to be safe lmao)

You can just assume this is some AU where Phoenix isn't disbarred and doesn't adopt Trucy (or perhaps she's just off at a friend's house having her own sleepover.)


"Nick! Don't forget we need to go to the pharmacy before our sleepover tonight!"

Phoenix cringes as Maya practically yells that across the defendant's lobby. The pharmacy?! Why did she call it the pharmacy? Yes you can pick up prescriptions in the pharmacy section of the store she's talking about, but they're not going there for prescriptions or anything else you would find in that section! People are already turning to look at him. He even sees one woman turn to another and whisper something that sounds suspiciously like "I knew it". The bailiff then catches his eye and grins wickedly, giving him a thumbs up in the process. Phoenix just looks away uncomfortably as Maya leads him out of the lobby, painfully aware of her hand on his arm and the stares they're both getting.

At the "pharmacy", which is really more of a large chain grocery store, where they're buying candy and other assorted things, Maya yet again announces to the world their plans for the night while they're standing at the cash register about to pay.

"Oh, Nick! I almost forgot I need to get some of that jelly stuff for our sleepover! That makes it so much easier."

The cashier looks up at him with a raised eyebrow. Maya runs back down the aisles to find what she's looking for — jello, not jelly. It's easier to buy it in packages than to make her own apparently. The cashier has a look on her face like she's judging him. He can't even imagine what she's thinking Maya is talking about.

He stands there awkwardly while he waits for Maya, saying nothing. The awkward silence is deafening. He's relieved when Maya finally returns, with packages of jello cups. The cashier looks a little surprised, but checks them out without any further problems.

He hates the word 'sleepover'. Saying they're having a 'sleepover' seems so juvenile, but Maya insists because she knows it bothers him. He's a 27 year old man, and 27 year old men do not have sleepovers with their 20 year old assistants. Besides, their relationship is complicated and he knows what people think when Maya says things like that.

The thing is… sometimes they're half right. They've never gone all the way, not like all the dirty minded people around him seem to think, but there have been nights spent cuddling, kissing, caressing. They even made it to his bed once, but Maya decided she wasn't ready. He was actually sort of glad; once his mind was clear enough to think of anything else he wasn't sure he wanted to go that far yet either. They spent the night there in each other's arms anyway.

The next morning it was slightly awkward, and they told each other it was weird and they wouldn't do it again and that it would be better to remain friends. But it did happen again. And again, and again, and again.

He's sure it'll happen tonight too, and finds himself actually looking forward to it. It's nice to have someone to hold, someone you know cares about you and who you care about just as much. But it's no one else's business besides their own. Is it so bad that he wants their private affairs kept private?

When they make it back to his apartment with their shopping bags, Maya dumps everything on the kitchen table and immediately starts unpacking things. He stands behind her and watches her work. She knows better than him where things go in his own apartment. Without her everything would probably be shoved into one cupboard, but she has it all organized, so he lets her take care of it.

When she starts reaching above her, trying to put a box of cereal away in one of the upper cupboards, he steps forward and takes it from her, easily reaching the cupboard and putting it away for her. She looks at him and pouts. "I could've done that."

"I know. I wanted to help."

She smiles and reaches out to squeeze his hand. He captures it in his and she raises an eyebrow. "Maya… What have I calmly and politely asked you not to do anymore?" he says seriously.

"Huh?" She looks like she genuinely doesn't understand. "Was I going to put the cereal in the wrong spot?"

"No. Listen, stop telling people we have 'sleepovers'," he says, still calm as can be. "It sounds weird, do you realize that?"

"But that's what they are!" she protests.

He points his objection finger at her. "You know they're not! Not anymore at least. And everyone else knows it too because you announce it in random places whenever we have plans! Do you know what people think when you say we have to go to the pharmacy before a sleepover?"

"…What?"

He leans down closer to her. "They think you need to buy condoms."

"Ni-ick!"

"I'm serious! You never notice the way people look at us but I do! People know!"

"We don't even do that…" she mumbles. "So they don't know anything."

He sighs. "Please, just stop it. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Is there a problem with people thinking you and me are in that kind of relationship?"

"N-No. But is it so bad to want our private life kept private?"

"Fine," she says. "No more sleepover talk, at least in front of other people."

"Thank you." She starts smiling for seemingly no reason, and it's starting to make him anxious. "Why are you smiling, Maya?"

"I was just thinking, it's a good thing you don't mind if people know we're in that kind of relationship."

"Why is that?"

"I've been thinking… Every single time I come over we eventually start making out like crazy even though we always tell each other we won't. And well, why not? I want to, Nick. So why not just let this happen? Whatever it is."

"Well… okay."

She looks up, surprised at how quickly he agreed. "Really?"

He lifts his arm to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah, really."

She grins and jumps forward to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she can kiss him. "Wanna see something funny?" she asks once she's pulled away.

"Okay?"

She unwraps herself from his arms and goes back to their grocery bags to dig through them. She smirks over at him. "After what you said, it's sort of funny that I bought these today." She snickers and yanks a box of condoms from the bag.

He can only stare at her, speechless. "When… How? I didn't see those when I was paying."

"I have my ways."

"You didn't shoplift them did you?!"

"No!"

He looks relieved, then slightly amused. "So… Why did you buy a box of condoms, Maya? I do have some, you know."

"Who knows how old those are!" she exclaims.

"Hey! They're not expired yet!"

She laughs and sets the box back on the table, then steps into his arms again. He instinctively wraps his around her. "I think I'm finally ready, so I thought I'd buy them just so we have them… Just in case. We don't have to use them right away though… Let's just see what happens," she says.

He leans down to kiss the top of her head. "Yeah. How about we start a movie?"

She nods and smiles pleasantly, then sprints out of his arms and into the living room. "I get to pick!"

Phoenix groans and follows after her. "You always pick."