I will be very honest. This chapter is going to be entirely Nemma content, so… Hooray! But, this chapter is mostly going to be fluff/slice of life so, hopefully, you all enjoy it despite no giant plot implications. This is purely going to focus on Noah and Emma settling into their 'new normal' together as both individuals and as a couple. Enjoy! :)

(Noah's POV)

Okay… what the hell is happening?

I kept looking at this suit that Emma picked out for me just hanging on this hook in the changing stall at this suit shop downtown we were at.

And as much as it was clenching my insides to even look at this thing that I never thought I'd ever wear unironically in a million years, and yet… I need it for a meeting at work because I'm a 'real adult' now.

Ugh….

Well, guess it's official. I've definitely sold out now.

1 hour ago

After I showed Emma around my condo, she kept on 'insisting' that she wanted to 'help me', even though I told her there wasn't really anything to do… several times.

But, that didn't really do anything to stop her since she just started taking clothes from one of my suitcases and hanging them up without even waiting for me to respond. She grabbed another one of my shirts as I kept looking at her with a quirked-up eyebrow.

Eventually, she realized I was giving her a weird look as she questioned, almost mirroring my expression, "What?"

I smirked a little before saying, "I mean, not that I'm necessarily 'complaining' that you're doing this for me, but… you know I can hang up my own stuff, right? I'm not that pathetic."

She just smirked and rolled her eyes before responding, taking a playful yet snarky jab back at me, "Look, I know, but don't judge me and just let me process my girlfriend guilt in my own way here, alright?"

I smirked and said, "Well, technically speaking with you being an 'almost lawyer' here... shouldn't you be the one more theoretically qualified to do 'judging'?"

She shot me a look before smirking and rolling her eyes and shooting back, "I'm just gonna invoke section 13 of the Canadian Charter on every aspect of that one."

We both laughed, her even doing that little snort when she laughs that I always think is kinda… cute.

Dude… I seriously have changed.

Eventually, she pulled me over and just kinda decided for us that we were gonna unpack my clothes. But, whatever, I was probably gonna do that later anyway just to get stuff cleared out of my way in my room.

Especially considering I live with a doofy and furry walking ottoman that unintentionally walks in front of me to trip me up all day… yeah, clearing my luggage out of the way can't hurt.

We kept putting away my stuff until I came across my tux, making me think of something for work.

'Something' I really didn't want to do for work… and for something else I never thought I'd ever do either that was planning for Emma. But, considering I have a mortgage, car, and dog to pay for now… not like I have a choice when it comes to the 'work-related one' at least, I guess?

I was about to put my tux aside when Emma asked, "Here, want me to hang that?"

All I did was shrug before responding, "Eh, it's okay, I was going to put it aside for work. I have a project meeting this Tuesday that's apparently 'jacket required', so I'll just keep it out for that."

I was about to hang my tux on the hook on the back of my bedroom door when I heard Emma say almost immediately, "Wait… you're going to wear a tuxedo to a business meeting?"

I was almost going to waive it off until I realized what her 'tone' sounded like. Almost like she was questioning what I was saying or something.

It was almost in the same tone of questioning I'd give Owen when he says or does something that makes zero sense. Most recently when he told me he impulsively ate the entire cake at the latest Total Drama after-party because he quote 'got too excited'.

I was confused, not getting what the big deal was when I looked back and saw her giving me an equally confused expression back.

Uh… seriously, should I know what's going on right now?

Eventually, I replied, in a confused and slightly hesitant tone, still having zero idea what was going on, "Uh… yes? It's the closest thing I have to a suit so I figured I'd just use the pants and jacket with a button-down shirt and tie that I have somewhere. I only have one black bowtie and one black necktie that came with the suit."

Okay, I still don't understand why Emma was looking at me like I was growing an extra head out of my shoulders right now.

Am I… missing something?

Eventually, she sighed before coming over and taking my tux off my hands before saying, "Noah, you can't wear a tuxedo in a business meeting setting. It's way too formal. You really don't have a regular suit?"

I quirked up an eyebrow, thinking everything she just said was 'news to me', as I responded in a still confused tone, "No, but… does it really matter?"

Look, I know nothing about clothes or fashion (mostly because I think it's a waste of time and also that it doesn't deserve to take up space in my head to know any of that), so I had no idea why it even mattered that much.

But, it looked like Emma was quick to get in on explaining it to me as she said, "Noah, in professional business meeting settings, this does matter. Tuxedos are too formal. You need to make sure to have a professional-level outfit for everything from business casual to formal for any variety of events that could come up."

I think she could see my look getting progressively more confused at how she even knew all that as she quickly added matter of fact, "I took an elective class in undergrad about professional preparation and development. So presentation in workplace settings was one of the things we focused on. I thought it would be useful to know how to dress if I ever appear in court for a case someday."

I mean, I don't know why I was questioning it anyway. Like I said, I don't know or care to know about fashion or 'rules' for fashion, because… who cares?

Honestly, it's incredible I even have a tuxedo since my mom made me get fitted for one for my brother John's wedding several years back after I grew out of my old one. Also, my dad insisted on me and my brothers 'owning a tux' instead of renting since he lives in the dark ages.

But, I could see Emma did care as she said, "Look Noah, I'm not questioning your intelligence or anything here, but… I know about this kind of thing. And trust me, when it comes to being in a professional environment, how you dress does actually matter to be successful. Especially now that you have this sort of professional job, you're going to need an actual suit to wear for meetings as appropriate business attire. Even I have both a pant-suit and a skirt-suit for school and internship events. Actually, I know of a really good suit shop around here. It's not too far and they have really nice suits that aren't that expensive. This way you'll be all set for your meeting and anything else going forward. C'mon, I'll even help you pick one out!" Then Emma really didn't even give me any time to respond as she just started pulling me along by my arm toward the front door to head out.

Well, guess this is happening now?

(Emma's POV)

I was sitting just outside the dressing room waiting for Noah to change into the suit that I picked out for him.

Look, I know this seemed kind of spontaneous and usually I wouldn't do anything like this, but… I couldn't pass this up. Sure regular 'fashion trends' are kind of beyond me to an extent and I don't really go shopping that often, but this is something I know I can help Noah with.

Especially since Noah is just getting started at his new job, like I said, I want to make sure I'm as helpful and supportive of him with all this as I can.

Besides, honestly… I'm kind of curious.

I've never seen what Noah looks like in a suit.

Well, you know, outside of that time his sisters showed me that picture of Noah in his tux at his brother John's wedding.

But, one that picture was a while ago, and two… I just really want to see what he looks like dressed a little more 'formal'.

I mean, compared to most guys, Noah's actually pretty… clean and organized in how he presents himself. His slight 'germaphobia' aside, he always keeps himself clean and he always smells nice. Not really 'cologne' or anything since Noah doesn't wear any, but just like a very comforting, clean 'Noah' smell.

I don't really have any other way to describe it other than that even though I'm also aware that it makes zero sense. So, combine that with me picturing him in a suit… I was close to going into another Noah Daze again as I decided to shake my head to clear it and pulled out my phone to check my email in case any of my professors updated anything for my classes.

Or I was doing that to 'distract myself' from another Noah Daze until I heard Noah say in his usual dry tone, "So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a sell-out do you think I look like right now?"

I snorted out a laugh as I smirked, shook my head, and rolled my eyes at his very 'Noah remark'. But, right as I was about to respond, I almost felt my jaw practically unhinge and my eyes almost fell out of my head at what I was seeing.

Well… so much for avoiding a Noah Daze, I guess?

Considering I wasn't ready or prepared for what I was seeing right now.

I swallowed hard as I was internally fighting for any bit of composure I had left to keep myself in the moment.

Okay… okay… okay… calm down. I know this is the first time you've seen him wearing a suit, but… UGH, he looks so hot!

Just everything about him looked so… handsome.

Between the dark blue suit, light blue dress shirt, dark blue tie, and the fact that he also has the short beard now that just adds to his more 'mature look'... I think I've died.

Seriously, if I had seen him dressed like this sooner, I think I would have just lost it and thrown the entire concept of 'taking it slow' out the window a lot sooner.

Seriously, if we weren't out in public right now and we were back at my apartment or his condo… screw it. I'd just throw all my self-control out the window and let whatever happens between us just happen.

Sure, at this point we're pretty much almost at that point already, but I still wanted to stick to the plan to make sure our first time together is absolutely planned out perfectly.

However, I realized that I spent too much time just staring like a total idiot since Noah's expression faltered to a look of mildly weirded out yet concerned confusion by my lack of response… and probably because staring at him also wasn't helping my case either.

I tried to recover quickly as I finally collected myself enough to say, "Noah… wow, you look… great."

That's an understatement. He looks insanely hot right now.

But, I didn't want to flat-out tell him that to avoid inflating his ego.

However, it looked like I didn't need to say anymore as Noah's eyes went wide and his expression almost contorted in disbelief as he questioned, almost not believing what I said, "Wait, seriously?"

I didn't want to chance 'losing ground' while I had it to 'make my case' as I elaborated, "Yes, 'seriously'. Noah, I'm not even kidding. You look really good."

Now that I was standing closer to him, I felt like I really was being true to my word here on exactly how 'good' he looked.

Luckily Noah kind of unintentionally snapped me out of it as I quirked up an eyebrow before saying, looking down at himself, "Really? I thought the tie really would've clinched the 'sellout look' for me."

Seriously?... SERIOUSLY?! What part of this does he think I'm joking about right now?! Does he seriously have no idea how hot he looks right now dressed like this?!

Besides, I really didn't even get why he was this against wearing a suit. Considering he wears a button-up shirt and vest pretty much every day, then why is a suit so out there for him?

Look, I know I've only known Noah for a little less than a year at this point and have been dating him the majority of that time, but that doesn't mean I haven't picked up on his usual fashion choices. Or 'choice' since he pretty much wears the same exact thing every single day.

Every day, Noah wears either cargo shorts or long cargo pants (depending on the season) and then he always puts on his 'layers' in a very particular order.

Trust me, whenever he spent the night at my apartment, I'd see the exact order he gets dressed in. After he takes off his t-shirt that he sleeps in, he puts on a sleeveless undershirt, then puts a long-sleeve undershirt on over that and rolls up the sleeves, then he puts on a short-sleeve button-up shirt over that, and then he pulls a vest on over everything.

I remembered one time asking 'jokingly' if he ever wears anything else and he just shrugged and said verbatim, "Eh, not really. It's just part of my routine so I don't have to waste any of my time thinking about getting dressed."

But, it wasn't until I thought back to when I watched his early reality TV stuff from Total Drama Island to meeting him on the race and… I'm honestly pretty sure he still even wears the exact same clothes as when he was 16… every… single… day.

Again, not that I'm claiming to be a 'fashion expert' here, but… I think my boyfriend might need a slight intervention when it comes to his clothes.

I mean, not saying I want to change his 'look' or anything! Honestly, there's something about him always wearing his button-up shirts and vests that just screams 'Noah'.

But, maybe now that he seems to be 'moving forward' into a new and more mature phase of his life, maybe I can try to help him modify his 'look' just so little to reflect that too.

Not a lot! But, maybe just a little... tweak.

Noah was still looking at me like he didn't believe anything I was saying until I suddenly got an idea. Maybe the suit isn't enough to convince him, but maybe something one step below it might?

He kept looking at me in confusion as I said, "Uh, here, just give me a sec."

Right then I went over to this clearance wrack where I saw a couple of semi-casual button-up vests hanging, that immediately screamed 'Noah' to me when I passed by them as we walked in.

I mean, maybe he'll hate it, but… it's worth a shot to try, right?

I even grabbed a couple of relaxed-fit men's dress pants to really back up my case (despite me secretly wishing he would wear pants that were a little more 'form-fitting' since he has a nice butt that he does absolutely nothing with to show it off).

But hey, I'm studying law, and part of being a lawyer is persuasion.

In this case, trying to get my boyfriend to at least try new clothes to further back up how great he looks in them to get him to try something different.

I got back to Noah, who still was just standing there in unsure confusion about whatever I was doing.

But, still trying to continue my positive reinforcement in my argument, I smiled and took the dark blue vest I picked out and said, "Here, give me your jacket and put this on."

Noah continued to quirk up an eyebrow and give me a skeptically confused look, still seeming completely in the dark about what was happening, as he rolled out in a matching tone of voice, "Oooookay?"

He slid off the jacket and traded off with me for the vest as he put it on and buttoned it up. It was more of a business casual men's vest that I could definitely see him wearing even outside of his days when he has to go into work, like even just us going on one of our usual dinner and a movie dates like usual would definitely work for this.

Although probably with more of the casual pants though.

After he buttoned up the vest, he just kind of looked at me.

Well, until he looked down at himself again as I prompted vaguely, wanting his opinion, "So?"

It still didn't seem like he was getting the point if what I was getting at as he maintained his skeptical confusion with a tone that matched, "So… what about it? Is there a trick question involved in this that I'm not getting?"

I felt my entire being pretty much dropping as I was getting progressively more frustrated, almost taking all my restraint not to facepalm myself.

Well, until a light bulb went off for me as I said, "Here, one more thing." I tried to make the look even more casual as I walked up to him and unbuttoned the sleeves on his dress shirt before cuffing them up to almost his elbows.

"There," I said with a satisfied smirk and turning him to face a nearby mirror. I was about to elaborate and ask him what he thought until my expression almost dropped again, this time for a different reason.

Very different reason.

Okay, the suit is one thing, but… I think I created my own personal 'Achilles Heel' right now without meaning to. My mouth went bone dry and my eyes felt like they were going to almost fall out of my head again.

What have I done?

I mean, I'm not complaining! Really not complaining, but… UGH, he looks so hot...

But, I was really trying to 'keep it together' and decided to constructively 'lawyer' a bit as I started, "Look Noah, I know this kind of thing isn't your thing… well, not really my thing either honestly, but that's beside the point I'm trying to make here. Point is, Noah… I'm really proud of you for everything you're doing right now. I know you're still not completely sold on your job and everything, but I can tell you're trying to get used to everything, and… you know I just want you to succeed too, right? So, I know you probably think me helping you pick out suits and clothes right now is pointless and stupid, but this is just me trying to show you I want to help support you here. You don't have to take any of this advice, but take it from me here… I think you look really good right now."

I even tried to seal my point as I grabbed his hands and held them between us without even thinking.

Even though there was a part of me that couldn't believe everything I just admitted to him right now, there was also nothing I just said that was in any way not true.

Because as much as Noah's been taking on 'changes' recently, so have I in a way the more I think about it.

After my relationship with Jake and how it ended, I spent the last couple of years thinking that dating, boys, and just 'people' in general were a total waste of my time and only got in my way… and then Noah happened.

Up until I met him and opened up to him as much as I have even after the race, I didn't realize how much I really did close myself off.

Noah, in a way, really helped me 'get myself back'. My mentality, my relationship with my sister, and my outlook on romance and dating all shifted back to what it used to be and even to places I never expected because of him.

So, in short, I really want to be there to help Noah after how much he 'helped me'.

And I know it's still kind of early on for us, but… I think I can honestly say that I'm definitely in love with him at this point.

Finally, I was pulled out of whatever mental dimension I got stuck in as I felt Noah close his hands back around mine as he said, "Well… you're right. This isn't my 'thing'. Really isn't 'my thing'... but, I think I could kinda get used to this."

My eyes went wide as I looked up and saw him with a slight smile. I kept just looking at him, still processing this whole situation, until I slowly smiled a little back at him.

Later that night

(Noah's POV)

I'm not going to lie here… definitely not gonna complain!

Or not entirely complaining.

After I got my suit and other stuff, Emma helped me take out Casper for a long walk to exhaust him just to make sure he wasn't going to be a lot later. We just finished unpacking the rest of my stuff before ordering takeout and watching a movie.

I was laying back on my couch with Emma sitting between my legs and resting with her back and head against my chest, making me instinctively wrap my arms around her as I rested my chin on top of her head.

Just taking it in.

Well, that and ignoring the movie Emma started since I was 'pretending' to watch it with her.

Britannic.

Almost as if on cue with my thoughts, I could hear the slight smile in her voice as she said out loud to herself, "I love this movie."

I absolutely despise this movie.

Seriously, I have no idea why I even brought this up in front of her during the race.

Well, probably because it was the only 'romance movie' I ever watched since I always hated romance/romcom movies and just wanted to impress her. They're just so brainless, inane, and stupid on a level that I don't even want to begin to describe.

And this movie is the absolute worst.

Although I wasn't lying to Emma when I said I've seen it 700 times, considering I grew up with 3 older sisters who babysat me constantly and forced me to watch it with them because they were obsessed with it. Or mostly they just thought the main dude in this movie was 'hot' or something.

Either way, I despise it.

The main girl in this movie has the personality of a wet newspaper and the main guy is dumber than the combined IQ's of all my brothers, and that includes my brother Ben bringing down the average since has about as many brain cells in his head as he has fingers.

And I feel like that's even being generous honestly.

But, for real and just pointing this out, the dude in this movie could have scooted his ass over on that metal door to let them both live instead of just letting himself sink to the bottom of the ocean. I think that was the only thing my sisters agreed with me on when it came to this movie.

But, at this point, what can I say?

Emma seems like she's having a good time and at least now we can be alone without anyone else interrupting us and killing the mood harder than one of Owen's apocalyptic-level farts.

Sure we have Casper passed out on his back in front of the TV and airing out his crotch toward the ceiling that wasn't exactly a 'mood setter', but… again, not gonna complain!

I've got my own place now, I've got the hottest girl alive as my girlfriend, and… who knows?

Maybe I won't mind my job as much as I thought?

Sure, coding for a company like this isn't exactly what I want to do, but so far it beats being tormented by a sociopathic pretty boy on international TV for hardly any money, right?

At least I know what to expect since my job is ridiculously easy for me and I don't have to worry about being thrown out of a disgusting plane, thrown into a disgusting lake, or getting bed bug bites from disgusting communal bunk beds.

So, yeah, can't really complain!

Again, I know nothing 'earth-shattering' happened in this chapter, but I do hope you enjoyed the wholesome Nemma content I created here. I feel like I may have said this before, but part of the reason why I love this ship so much is because of how surprisingly wholesome it is. :) I know there are many TD fans who share this same opinion, but if there was one thing I wasn't expecting, it's for one of the most wholesome ships in the show to be one that involves Noah. But, as the same time and at least to me, it just kinda works. Like even putting Noah and Emma's romance aside, their relationship really helped Noah and Emma improve other aspects of their lives to be more open and selfless. That's why I made this fic highlight how both Noah and Emma help each other improve themselves respectively. Noah helped Emma become a little more relaxed and helped her emotionally open up in order to be a better girlfriend, older sister, and just overall better person. Whereas Emma helped Noah learn to care for others more and helped him grow and mature as a person in order to move on with his life from constantly failing on reality TV. This is what I wanted to continue to highlight about the two of them in this chapter with Emma wanting to do whatever she can to be supportive of Noah as he takes on his first real adult job and Noah being more willing to try new things outside of his 'normal' to make Emma happy. Relationships are about give and take and I really wanted to make sure I captured that here with Noah and Emma. :) Also, I hope you liked my Noah head cannons here when it came to Noah's takes on fashion and romance movies. Despite 'cartoon logic' of characters always wearing the same clothes and TD being no exception, I could genuinely see Noah in real life being the kind of person to wear the exact same types of clothes every day out of his own laziness and genuinely not caring enough to think about what he needs to wear. And then I also hope you liked my perspective with Noah on a particular romance movie 'about that couple on a sinking ship' that he mentioned in "Maori or Less". At first, I thought this was VERY random and made no sense since I sooner believed Noah falling for Emma like he did FAR more than him admitting he likes any romance movie (much less admit to watching one 700 times) since I could see him finding movies like that being way too 'brainless' for his taste. But, then a headcanon formed! Lol. XD So, I made the idea that the reason Noah watched it was because he was kind of forced into watching it when his sisters would babysit him as a kid. Just a fun headcanon that I hope you enjoyed along with Noah silently picking apart the movie and all its flaws in a very 'Noah-way' like he always does best. So sorry to all the diehard fans of 'this movie' whom I may have offended. Apologies! Lol. XD Anyway, thank you so much for reading and constructive feedback is always very much appreciated.

Stay classy and hope you all are well!

Dexter1995