Author's Note: I meant to upload this last week, but I was trying to figure out what "free time" was. Happy to know there are still a few of you readers out there! Thanks for continuing to support me! This is definitely one of my favourite feel-good chapters.

And yes, for the anon who asked, I did indeed help with the localization of GK2 (Ace Attorney Investigations 2). What can I say? I love these lawyers. They deserve to be shared with the world!

Lastly, for shameless self-promotion, a friend of mine and I wrote another Ace Attorney one-shot about dorky lawyers learning to drive called Training Wheels which I published earlier today. Check it out if you'd like!

Titration by HawkofNavarre

Chapter 12

Bring Your Boss To School Day

"Do you think you can still make it? Sora and Luna really want you to be there," her sister's voice came through the phone in a worried tone.

Meanwhile, Ema was trying to throw some clothes on as she talked to Lana. It had been a late work day and she was in the locker room of the precinct scrambling to make herself presentable. Unfortunately, her suspect had made a run for it and she'd had to chase him down five blocks before she caught him. The rare occurrence of rain had been present at the time, and judging by the pitter-patter against the windows of the building, it hadn't stopped. Of course that meant Ema had gotten drenched in both water and mud before catching the guy and now she was late for her niece and nephew's kindergarten graduation.

She tossed her soiled lab coat in her locker to deal with it another day and searched desperately for the comb she'd stashed in there. "I'll be on time if I leave in ten minutes, but I'm not sure how reliable the cabs will be in this weather," the detective replied into the speaker-phone as she grabbed the brush from her top locker shelf. "Whatever, though. I'll get there somehow."

"Alright. Just look for me. The man of the house got called in on an emergency," Lana told her.

"Again? Even on their little graduation night?" she asked, wrestling with her tangles.

"You know how it is. He wouldn't go unless it was really important. Besides, he was promised the next three weekends off it he attended to this one," her sister explained. "Anyway, get here as soon as you can. You know where the auditorium is, right?

"If I don't, I'll figure it out," Ema said distractedly. "See you soon."

"Yeah. Stay safe."

She reached out to end the call and promptly returned to her search for something dry to wear. Generally, she considered her vest and capris her uniform for work that was topped off with her lab coat but there was always the chance that she would trek through a dirty crime scene, so she made sure to keep a change of clothes on hand. She quickly tossed on the white blouse she had an a pair of short leggings. Ema spared a moment to glance at her appearance in the mirror on the inside of her locker door. Figuring she looked decent enough, she shut the door and flew out of the locker room.

The detective was in the middle of calling a taxi company when she was approached by the last person wanted to see. Dayton was still in his lab coat, meaning he was putting in a few extra hours today.

"Oh, hey, Ema," he said, eying her in surprise. Obviously he recognized that she was wearing something different than usual. "You look nice."

Despite the feelings of annoyance the mere sight of him stirred within her (which was previously reserved for a certain glimmerous fop), it didn't seem like he'd actually sought her out this time. She tried to suppress any rudeness that was a the tip of the tongue and just accept the compliment. "Thanks. Almost done for the night?"

His expression brightened at the olive branch. "I've got a couple more tests to run on that clothing fiber we picked up this morning. Then I'm done. You look like you're headed something though."

"Yeah, if I can even get there in this weather," she sighed, taking a quick look at her phone. Time sure was ticking by.

"Ah, Miss Skye! There you are!"

Ema blinked, a little astonished to see Klavier suddenly show up. Dayton couldn't hide his frown as the prosecutor jogged up to them, she noted. It looked like her fellow forensic investigator still hadn't developed a greater sense of respect for his boss, even after all this time.

"You weren't at your desk," Klavier stated. "You said you'd be available to go over tomorrow's testimony with me after your shift."

She grimaced, realizing that she had indeed sent him a text with that confirmation. She had double-booked herself for things that were both important and now she was in what she would accurately describe as a "pickle."

"Crap, I'm sorry," Ema groaned as she pinched the area between her eyebrows. Stress was mounting within her quite steadily. "I did say that, but I forgot I actually have a thing to go to for my niece and nephew. It's all the way across town. I'm supposed to meet my sister there."

"Not to worry! I can give you a ride and we can work in the car, ja?" he suggested casually, snapping his fingers.

Dayton stared at her expectantly, as if he believed she would turn their boss down. She was going to disappoint him if that was what he thought. In these conditions, she was grateful to be offered a ride by pretty much anyone. Of course, getting her work done while in the car was just a bonus.

"Let's do it. I don't have time to waste," she replied before she grabbed his wrist and began dragging him out of the hall. She took a moment to look back at Dayton's reaction, his bruised ego practically showing on his face. "Have a good night, Dayton."

Meanwhile, Klavier looked slightly stunned, but followed her without protest. She didn't let go of him until they reached the building's exit. She pushed open the door to the parking lot with a relieved sigh.

"Well, that's one way to multitask," Ema said, her voice echoing throughout the lot. "Review my testimony, get to the kids on time, and dropped Dayton yet another massive hint that I'm not interested. Busy day."

"Is that what that was? Ach, I must admit, I feel a bit used." He chuckled, but she sensed an undertone of uneasiness in his voice.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Not at all," was his answer as he absently rubbed at his wrist—the same one she'd grabbed onto earlier. Her attention to detail was nothing compared to Apollo's or Trucy's, but she definitely caught that. As for what it meant, she wasn't sure.

Ema didn't pursue that line of thought, however, and simply got into Klavier's car. "You know, Trucy once suggested that I pretend to date someone to get him off my back. It seemed like a really juvenile idea, but I guess feigning interest in another man isn't much more mature," she continued, trying to smooth out the conversation.

He hummed in disinterest and entered the driver's seat. "So it's across town, ja? That doesn't leave us with a lot of time, so we should get started."

Klavier kept his eyes forward while pulling out of the spot and Ema glanced at him curiously. He was being so weird about this whole discussion. She couldn't see what could possibly be bothering him. The detective let it go and focused on tomorrow's testimony. If something really were nagging at him, she was confident that he trusted her enough to tell her.

The cross-examination prep went by quickly as it always did; when there was something picking on every tiny detail that came out of your mouth, it didn't leave a lot of time for one to be bored. Over the years, Ema had gotten a lot better in phrasing and wording in court, but it didn't mean she wasn't still learning. By the time they reached her destination, Klavier had only finished grilling her through about half of her full statement. It wasn't the most open and shut case so it came as no surprise to her that he wanted to be thorough with this one.

"Damn, ten minutes before it starts and we're not even close to done yet," she said as she looked at her watch.

"We can meet a bit early tomorrow to cover the major parts of the last half, but I will otherwise rely on your expertise to get us through the cross-examination," he replied as he parallel parked close to the school.

Ema bit her bottom lip, not wanting to be even a little bit unprepared for their day in court. "Well...if you're not busy, you can come in with me and when the ceremony's over, we can go back to the office and finish up. I'm sure my sister won't mind if you're here."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "You want me to go to an event with your sister, niece and nephew?"

"What's the big deal?"

"That almost sounds like a tenth date, fräulein."

She rolled her eyes. "We're colleagues who see each other more than we sleep. I think our level of involvement is a moot point," the detective drawled. "So?"

Klavier responded by shutting off the engine. "Exactly what are we here for?" he asked as he leaned over to open the glove compartment. He pulled out a neatly rolled up dark green cloth which he unrolled to reveal a long sleeve shirt. His hands were fiddling with his shirt buttons when she looked away, realizing he was changing.

"Lana's twins are having their kindergarten graduation."

"Ah, so a special occasion for the children."

She shrugged despite no knowing if he was even looking at her. "I think they want kids to look forward to coming back." She turned her head back as she responded—a little more than she intended and caught an eyeful of Klavier's chest. Clearly if there was anything Klavier still made time for, it was to keep well-groomed. Such was the way of the fop, although in this case, Ema really didn't mind. Her face heat up at the thought.

"Well, then I'm glad I keep a change of clothes. Stealing the attention off children is something I'd prefer not to do," he said, this time opening the center console to pull out a black baseball cap and a pair of aviators. With the ease of a hair stylist, he twisted his braid onto the back of his head and pulled the cap on. Sliding the sunglasses into place, he turned to her. "Am I not dashing, mein detektiv?"

Ema snickered. His disguise was good enough to throw people off his identity, but he did indeed still look quite attractive. He was going to draw a lot of eyes regardless of how well he was covered. "Just get out of the car."

The prosecutor had discarded all his jewellery in his car as well except for his earrings. Without all the shiny bling, he didn't stand out nearly as much which was helpful in getting them to the school's auditorium. Nobody stopped them in the hallway, allowing Ema to navigate through the building without difficulty.

Being that the kindergarten classes weren't that big, the auditorium was much less populated than any normal graduation would be. The lights were already dimmed although the event hadn't started yet. The chatter of parents surrounded them as they entered the room, Ema seeking her sister in what she was certain would be a very sensible outfit. It only took a moment to spot Lana's brown hair amongst the crowd once she led Klavier over to the spot by the right aisle of the center seats.

"Lana!" she called out, scurrying past her sister into the next seat. Klavier took the spot on her other side.

"You're right on time! It's about to start," Lana, dressed in a sensible grey blazer and pencil skirt, replied as she pulled Ema into a quick embrace.

"I brought a guest. Hope you don't mind," the detective leaned back a little to give her sister a better visual. Klavier waved and lowered his shades slightly.

Lana gasped. "Prosecutor Gavin?"

Ema shushed her hastily, looking around cautiously to see if anyone had heard. Fortunately, it seemed that everyone was too caught up in their own conversations to have paid attention. "Jeez, he could've left all the bling on if you were just going to announce his presence to the world," she hissed in annoyance.

Lana simply looked irritated by the comment, but avoided saying anything. Instead the former chief prosecutor just smoothed out her blazer and acknowledged her guest. "Mr. Gavin, I'm glad you could join us, although I admit I'm a little confused as to why."

"We've got a testimony to run through later," Ema explained, waving it off.

"I do apologize for intruding on a family event, Fräulein Skye," Klavier added politely.

"Oh no, you aren't intruding at all. It's just a little thing the kids probably won't remember when they're older, but it's important to them right now," the private investigator stated with assurance. "Besides, you may as well be family with all the time I hear you've been spending with my little sister."

Ema's jaw dropped in mortification. Of course her sister had to make romantic implications with a straight face. "Lana, could you not—"

"Well, Ema is a very valuable detective," Klavier interrupted her smoothly. "I would be foolish not to employ those skills."

"You have good taste then," Lana replied.

They began to speak over her and Ema realized in discomfort that she had dissolved from the conversation. Lana had never actually met Klavier before, only knowing him through reputation and vice versa, but they seemed to be getting along swimmingly. Growing up as orphans, her sister had always been more of the straight-laced, serious type, the exact opposite of everything Klavier Gavin embodied. Heck, he was always so laidback when they were solving murder cases, even if he took the work seriously. Lana had been akin to a prosecutor like Miles Edgeworth, and yet somehow both of those people seemed totally fine with Klavier. Ema just found that odd, considering her own initial dislike for the man.

Soon enough, the curtains opened to reveal a podium in the middle of the stage. The principal approached it and began a brief speech on why they were all there today. Honestly, Ema thought a kindergarten graduation was a bit silly, but Sora and Luna had been really excited for it. If it made her niece and nephew happy, then it was good enough for her.

There were only about 50 kids in the event, which was great for them considering their last name was much closer to the end of the alphabet. About fifteen minutes passed before she saw Luna walk across stage. Despite how unnecessary this graduation seemed, the detective thought it was worth it with the way her niece was beaming as she walked confidently towards the principal. She looked like a mini clone of Lana. Her twin, Sora, shuffled out after. He'd always been much shier of the two, but he even looked quite proud of himself, even as clumsy steps carried him across. They both were given a piece of paper, probably some certificate saying they had completed their first year of school. Ema cheered exuberantly for them all the while.

The whole thing didn't take more than 40 minutes and all the parents began filing out of the room in search of their children. The lights came up, but most of the looks they received were really because Klavier was wearing sunglasses in the building. Nobody seemed to recognize him without all the hair and chains, apparently.

"I told the kids I'd wait for them outside their classroom, so we should head over," Lana said as she stood.

"Luna and Sora, was it?" the prosecutor asked, Ema nodding in response. "They're adorable."

"Thank you," Lana replied, leading them out of the auditorium and towards their destination. "Do you think you'll ever have kids, Mr. Gavin?"

Klavier looked surprised by the question. "I honestly hadn't thought about it."

"Well, you're at that age where you probably want to consider it," she advised without missing a beat. "Ema wants two or three."

"Or none," Ema interjected, frustrated by her sister's continued implications.

However awkward Klavier had been with her earlier, he appeared to take Lana's comments in stride. "Nein, nein, Ema, there's no need to deny it. You don't think it would be cute to have your own little scientists running around the lab?"

Little scientists...? The image of a tiny blonde in a lab coat with pink glasses running up to her with a beaker in hand. Her brother, a little older and a brunette came scurrying up behind her with concern, taking the beaker from her and placing it on the table. Advising his sibling to watch carefully, he drew a substance into a pipette and began slowly dropping the liquid into the glass. Their mother stood nearby, smiling fondly.

Ema shook her head abruptly, returning to reality. Was she seriously imaging her potential offspring with blonde hair? This was all Lana's fault. "I've got lab assistants to do that. There's nothing 'cute' about it."

"You're right. Little rock star babies would be cuter," Lana remarked casually. Ema wanted to throw herself in a locker. Even subtlety was no longer something she was allowed to have.

This time, Klavier said nothing. Again he avoided eye contact and responded with a soft hum. It looked like her sister had managed to get under his skin as well.

The two children they'd come here to see come into sight soon thereafter. Luna sprinted up to her mother for a hug while Sora lagged behind.

"Mommy, we did it!" the young girl shouted as she unlatched herself from Lana's body. She waved around the piece of paper she'd received on the stage. "See? This says I did all of kindergarten!"

"Me too," Sora piped up with a little smile, standing behind his sister.

"And I'm very proud of both of you," Lana said as she ruffled the hair of her children.

"Aunty Ema, you came too!" Luna chirped happily.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world." Ema flicked her niece on the nose. "Now there's someone I'd like you two to meet," she started, gesturing to Klavier next to her. "This is my friend Mr. Gavin. He's a lawyer, just like your mom was."

The hall was relatively empty, save for a few parents and their children who were on their way out. Klavier didn't seem to think he would be recognized, so he took off his aviators to greet the kids.

"Hello. I saw you both walk across the stage. You should feel proud of yourselves. Finishing your first year of school is quite the accomplishment," he told them, kneeling down to their level.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Gavin," Sora said very quietly and very politely.

Luna, however, took a different approach. "Oh, you're that guy I see on TV all the time! The really handsome one! Are you a prince?"

Klavier blinked in amusement. "Nein, Miss Luna. I'm just a lawyer. I don't think I would like being a prince very much."

The girl nodded sagely. "I wouldn't wanna be a princess either. Mommy says the desire to be a princess is just a social construct created by society to make money off the dreams of young girls."

Ema shot a look at her sister who seemed embarrassed. Obviously Luna had caught her mother ranting about the latest princess trend at some point.

"Is that what you think too?" Klavier asked her with a grin.

"We don't know what it means, but it sounds bad," her nephew admitted for his twin.

"Yeah, and mom was really mad about it," Luna added.

"Well, if not a princess, what would you like to be?"

Luna launched into a long spiel about how she was going to be a doctor and even Sora began to chime in about his current plans of becoming an astronaut one day. Kids...they were so outgoing and accepting. They didn't even question Klavier's presence.

"I've got to go over manners with Luna again," Lana sighed. Her daughter really hadn't picked up a lot of her personality. "It's lucky that Gavin doesn't care much for formalities."

Ema shrugged, through continued to watch her boss chat animatedly with her niece and nephew. "I called him a glimmerous fop for years and he didn't try to get me fired."

"You're right. It's all ended up in your favour."

The detective let out an audible sigh. "Lana, really? You've been pushing this all night," she whined.

"Yeah, because you like him," her sister stated as if it were obvious, "and he likes you. Otherwise he wouldn't be here."

"It's for work," Ema grumbled stubbornly.

Lana rolled her eyes. "You can't honestly tell me you don't know how this looks. You invited a man to come meet your family. You made the implications all on your own."

"He knows it's for work too."

"So you're lying to yourself and playing with his feelings."

"Lana."

"Don't be angry at the truth."

She wasn't angry, per se, but really quite flustered by her sister's argument. It was similar to what she'd discussed with Klavier earlier, brushing it off as work. That had been easy to do before Lana slipped into her head again. She'd brought Klavier to a family event and that Lana's initial impression of the whole thing was the same as her boss's shook her confidence a bit. Ema's decision that she didn't want to pursue any sort of romantic relationship with Klavier had been rock solid until now. In her mind, her reasons were reasons, not rationalizations.

"Just figure out what you want, because I'm telling you how this looks from an outside perspective," Lana said.

An outside perspective...she hadn't heard anything from anyone else. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. She did know what she wanted, and Klavier seemed content to continue with their relationship the way it was.

Besides, watching him interact with Luna and Sora, Ema didn't question her decision to bring Klavier with her. Sora, who was usually very quiet, seemed to be quite engaged in the conversation he was having with his sister and the prosecutor. Luna was far more outgoing, but Klavier didn't seem to be thrown off by her straightforward and blunt demeanour. It was a heartwarming sight. The kids really liked him and were getting along with him well.

"Alright, you two. Aunt Ema and Mr. Gavin need to work, so we are going to meet dad for ice cream, okay?" Lana told them, breaking up the conversation. "Thank them for coming. It was very difficult for them to get here in this weather."

"Thank you, Aunty Ema! Can you come with us for ice cream next time?" Luna asked with a hopeful glance.

"And—and maybe you can bring Mr. Gavin too," her brother suggested a bit timidly.

Ema smiled at them. "I can't say no to ice cream. As for Mr. Gavin, we'll have to see. He's a busy man."

"I'll be sure to clear my schedule," Klavier replied with all of his usual charm. Luna and Sora were both clearly smitten.

They said their farewells and headed back to the car. A mother of one of the children had been staring at Klavier for a few seconds outside the school and Ema had to remind him to put his sunglasses on.

"So, green, huh?" Ema asked him a little playfully.

Klavier looked down at his shirt. "It's a colour I don't wear a lot and is therefore perfect for a disguise," he answered good-naturedly.

"You're dressed like a normal person. That's the disguise," she scoffed.

He chuckled as they reached the car, unlocking the door with his key fob. "Well, not many people have seen me outside my work clothes."

Not many people have seen you half naked either, she thought briefly, stuffing that image way, way further back into her mind. She would not allow herself to daydream about attractive prosecutors that she worked with.

"Meeting your family was nice," he commented as they got into the car.

"My sister's always thought you were a good prosecutor, even when I hated you for Mr. Wright's disbarment," Ema responded. "You got along well enough with the kids though."

"Children are simple. They just want to be respected," Klavier told her. He took off the hat he had been wearing and his braid tumbled down, looking a little bit frazzled from being hidden away.

"And did you? Or did you lie to them?" she asked bluntly.

"Lie?"

"About 'clearing your schedule,'" Ema elaborated.

He sighed. If there was ever a time that he seemed genuinely upset about something, it was right now. "I don't know, Ema. This was a one-time thing for work, ja?"

It had been a relatively light-hearted night, but the combination of Lana's perception and her own question was generating a lot of tension. She knew he couldn't have answered that question any other way without being rude and Lana's kids were smart enough to catch on to any sort of ambiguity immediately. Ema didn't know what she'd expected in asking. His answer almost seemed like a bait for her to say something different, but she had no other reason for him to come see the twins.

"Yeah, of course it was," she finally agreed, not knowing what else to say.

"So then shall we get to work?" Klavier quickly changed the subject as he started his car. His demeanour was cool, like the discussion hadn't bothered him at all, but the awkward tension in the air remained.

Work. Her only reason. "Yeah, I guess we should."