A Date By Any Other Name

From that first night on the couch with Emiya, Ria could no longer fall asleep in her bed alone at night. Trying for at least the first three nights with no success despite prescription sleeping pills which did nothing, long late-night training sessions, baths with essential oils, and the like, she couldn't find the same secure comfort and relaxation she had felt when sleeping half draped over Emiya.

Though he seemed to find it cute that she would shuffle to the edge of the couch, frustrated before telling him she couldn't sleep and asking if she could lay with him, Ria began to worry it was losing its appeal. With no real benefit for him, especially with how cramped it was, she began to feel bad.

The fourth night that changed. Seeing no point in beating around the bush, when it was time to go to bed, Ria changed into pajamas and went straight to the couch where Em had already assumed his nightly position. Deciding they had shared enough nonsexual skinship, she should be able to crawl into her spot next to him; she stood at his hips and leaned down to place her hand onto his chest before carefully leaning over him and inserting her foot into the space between his leg and the cushion.

"A little brazen? Aren't you too old to be sleeping in someone else's bed unsolicited?" His one eye-opening as his arms came to rest behind his head as he allowed her more room but teased her nonetheless.

"It's your fault, you know." Her voice a dejected pout as she squeezed in next to him but didn't lean down to lay on his chest. "You should have just insulted me and let me go to bed, shooing me off with some half-assed apology. Instead, you became an enabler, so you have no one to blame but yourself."

"Is that so? Maybe I should take your bed then and let you sleep on the sofa. My scent should be enough to lull you to sleep in my absence." It was meant as a jab, but Ria instead took it as an invitation.

"Well, if that's the case, why don't we sleep together in my bed. There will be more room." Feeling insecure about her request, she leaned down and snuggled against him, pressing the bridge of her nose against the underside of his chin, which caused him to flush at the intimacy of the gesture.

Having begun to realize that the familiarity of her sleeping body next to him was affecting him in a way she might not want to experience, especially now that she was expressing a more forward desire to be with him in such an intimate way, Emiya realized he needed to put a stop to this one way or another before things got awkward.

"It's not what you want. You are just lonely, and I am being too nice."

"Prude. Fine. See if I care about your comfort again."

He could tell his rejection hurt her but not enough to get up; as soon after she said it, her breathing evened out, and she was deep asleep. Now, left with only one option that would satisfy her sound sleep and remedy his potential distress he began moving her from the couch to her bed each night before returning to the sofa himself.

Though he knew she might be frustrated to wake up alone when she had fallen asleep so happily curled up and warm against him, he hadn't realized how lonely she was at night or how upset she would be about being moved until she started to know when she was being moved in her sleep as she became less and less sleep-deprived. At that point Ria would awake as soon as Emiya slid his hands under her and began to pick her up causing her to whimper and cling to him still half asleep. Sadly that just meant Ria began to wake up on the couch and not in her bed without Emiya in the vicinity at all.

"Damn his sense of propriety." She thought groggily as she woke up slowly gaining coordination in her fingers that would no longer trace over his chest in intricate patterns as she felt his breathing turn into pleasant hums; a feeling she had come to love the feeling of as his ripped chest vibrated underneath her touch first thing in the morning.

Trying to stay in the dream of his soothing presence longer, she began to mimic the usual patterns she drew as they got broader and more intricate on the cushions envisioning him beginning to shift next to her. Sighing when she didn't feel his hand start feeding his fingers through her hair, her hand came to a stop leaving just her thumb running back and forth against the rough fabric.

Sitting up, now beyond the ability to go back to sleep, Ria frowned at the thought of how quickly she had accepted Emiya into her life. Now finding herself searching him out during the day, just wanting to share the same space with him as he was a constant, stable, and reassuring presence, she was forced to realize more and more she didn't want to live without thy feeling any longer.

Surprised at how easily Emiya's presence had started to override her residual feelings for Cú, which had been so strong for so long, Ria

wondered if maybe she had been foolish to hold onto him as tightly as she had for so long. Unsettled by such thoughts, she wasn't sure if they were manifesting because they had been apart so long or if there had never been any substantive moments with Cú due to the majority of their relationship being about sex. Whatever the reason, the memories of Cú that now filled her home had started to dull and become afterthoughts each day Emiya, and she spent together.

Though still in love with Cú on some level, she now began to feel her heart becoming more and more open to the idea of allowing someone else in. It was even more surprising when after almost a month, Emiya suggested they begin to venture out of the house and it made her feel excited.

"So I was thinking you and I could go into the city and do some shopping or see some sites around town for a change. You don't leave the house much, and it would be nice to go out and do something with you." Emiya brought the meal to the table as Ria rolled off the couch he had left her curled upon.

Looking over at him, blinking in evident confusion, she couldn't resist teasing him inquisitively. "That sounds an awful lot like a date. Are you asking me out?"

"That would require me being interested in you on a less professional level." He smirked as he stared at her eating.

"Well, whatever your motives, you are right; it would be nice to have a change of scenery. Let me shower and put on something halfway decent. You should probably change into something more casual as well."

Finishing the rest of the meal quickly, she let him take care of the dishes, heading back to her room to shower and change. Flinging her clothes off in an excited flurry once the door was closed the thought that it was useless to lock the door because Cú would just materialize through it as he wished didn't even cross her mind. Dashing then to the shower, she tried not to feel foolish for her excitement as the water warmed, and she washed rapidly.

He had said it wasn't a date, so it wasn't, but still, she felt excitement similar to

the first time Cú and she had gone out as a couple and not as Master and Servant. Though she had never seen him as anything but her equal, he felt different the moment they both had admitted they shred the same feelings for each other. Now, as she scrubbed herself dry with the towel, she wondered what it might be like to let herself feel that way again, but this time with a man that didn't seem to want her to sate his one desires.

Dropping the towel, she rummaged through her closet for something attractive to wear. After a few frustrating moments, she selected

a pair of flared jeans and a black button-down tank that gave a nice view of her cleavage with the top two buttons undone to expose her collar bones. Layered with a cropped cardigan in case she got cold; she put her hair in a messy bun before dragging on mascara and applying lipgloss. With the last step, swapping out her purse for the smaller one with the chain handle and slipping into her designer sneakers, she headed into the living area.

When her eyes met Emiya's as he leaned against the sofa, she smiled at his outfit-opting for black denim jeans with his usual boots, thick black belt with a silver buckle, and a slim fit white tee. His look of surprise made her blush. "I guess you haven't seen me wear anything but my work clothes." Turning around in a small circle, feeling his eyes drink her in, Ria asked teasingly, "Guess I look okay. Shall we go?"

Nodding, he tore his eyes away before moving to the door and opening it. Motioning for her to exit, Ria smiled coyly at him before doing as he asked, stopping a foot away until he closes the door and stands next to her.

"Where shall we go first?" His question was open and accepting in tone.

"I have a few places in mind."

After a short walk where they kept a respectable distance, the pair ended up at nearly a dozen stores spending most of the day out of the house. Surprised at how much Em enjoyed shopping with her, Ria was embarrassed to find out he loved having her try different styles of clothes on that he had never seen her wear and having her get flustered at his compliments and teasing.

She got him back later by making him try on as many things as her heart could stand, though having had never really paid attention to how attractive he was, she found her focus deviating from the innocent. Seeing him walk out of the fitting room, pulling down his shirts, exposing his beautifully sculpted abs, or zipping up and buckling his pants turned her on more than she cared to admit.

Wasn't she too old to feel like this or be this affected by a man? Though Cú had done an excellent job acclimating her to the gorgeous naked body of a Demi-god, something about the partial exposure of what she knew to be there but couldn't see all of made her core ache. Taking in a deep breath, she hoped Emiya didn't notice her reactions, but that was probably wishful thinking.

When they were finally done shopping, they walked around looking at some famous tourist sites. It was cute to watch how protective Em was over her. Making sure to walk close enough now within the crowded streets that their shoulders were touching, forcing her to let him carry all the bags in his outside hand, even walking up behind her at a crosswalk to gently pull her against him with a hand on her hip it made Ria feel like a kid out with her crush. It didn't matter she wasn't getting the impression he had any interest in her; he wasn't interested in any of the other women that ogled over him either while they walked, making Ria feel self-conscious, insecure, and happy all at the same time.

It was inevitable that her stomach would eventually start growling, signaling the soon end of their adventure. It, of course, ended up picking the worst time to do it.

Having stopped to look out at the city from a nearby bridge, Ria leaned back against Emiya's chest as he caged her in between two strong arms giving her a shoulder to tilt her head into. It was hard to know if he even registered the scenery in front of him as his heart pounded steadily against her back. Focused on the feel of their bodies next to each other, she found breaking the silence that fell comfortably between them daunting. Deciding to take the leap despite her stomach feeling like it was sitting at the top of her throat, she set her lip a moment before speaking.

"I've had a great time today. I'm amazed at how much prettier the city is seeing it with you."

Feeling him shift a little, Ria was nervous that the comment had made him uncomfortable, but his reassuring voice dispelled all that as soon as he spoke.

"Well, I wanted you to be able to enjoy yourself, even if you had to use me like a pack mule." Glancing down at her with a deadpan face, she glanced at him as she turned within the safety of his arms to see that his demeanor was playful.

Giving him a sharp look, she scolded him. "Oh, don't act like half of that isn't yours."

"Half of it is stuff you forced on me. I have no use for any of it."

"Well, you can't walk around naked, and you always look so formal in your gear." Turning back to lean on the railing, her voice became serious. "I worry you aren't comfortable." Tensing a moment, she chewed her lower lip. "Besides, you looked really good in everything you got, though I doubt you could look bad in anything with your body."

Silence fell over the two, which made Ria uncomfortable, so she turned back around and leaned on the railing with her back as she crossed her arms in front of her. When she turned her head to look at him, Emiya was bright red and a little shocked at the compliment.

"It's true, you know. You've been ogled at all day. It made me insecure." Hugging her arms against her chest, she pouted, which caused Emiya to detach himself from the rail and stand very close in front of her.

"Look at me."

Ria tilted her head down and to the side.

"Ria, look at me."

Continuing to stand her ground, he placed his arms on either side of her and bent over to look into her eyes. "Ria."

Hesitantly lifting her eyes to his, she felt her pulse and breathing quicken at how close he was as his beautifully fierce eyes bore into hers.

"I thought you were beautiful the moment you walked out of your room." Lifting a hand he tucked some hair behind her ear that had come loose of her bun, but instead of putting his hand back, his fingers traced her chin, causing Ria to tilt it upwards.

Faces so close she could feel his breath, her eyes wandering from his eyes to his lips as her mind wondered what it would feel like to kiss them. Reaching her hand up and placing it on his cheek, feeling reckless, she decides to give in to temptation. "Em, I want to.."

That's when her stomach growled, and he smiled, trying to hide what she read as possible disappointment.

"You want to eat. Shall we get something? We passed multiple places just walking here."

Clearing her throat, she moved away from the railing, trying to regroup quickly.

"I would rather go home and have you cook. I guess I rather like it." Beginning to walk back the way they came, she never looking back to see the triumphant smirk on Emiya's face.