You're My Fascination
"It all starts when Maya comments that they both have wide foreheads . . . then someone – Trucy, perhaps? – jokes that with their foreheads, they're a match made in heaven. And though it's merely a joke that everyone laughs off, she can't help but entertain the idea a little in her mind, and he can't even get the idea out of his head." – Apollo/Pearl
A/N: Shipping Apollo/Pearl is my guilty pleasure (a legally 18 years of age Pearl, of course)! I know this ship is a little unconventional, and that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I hope that if you're reading it out of curiosity, or something, that my take on their dynamic may have you like them a little more together! :) Whether you love or hate or are simply indifferent to the pairing, please be sure to let me know in a review or PM or something – I love hearing your thoughts!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is copyright © 2016 Turnabout Writer. All rights reserved.
It all starts when Maya comments that they both have wide foreheads.
The rest of the agency members begin teasing them both for it, starting off with innocent little jokes about how they must use the same sort of forehead polish every morning; though they both know that their friends are joking, it leaves her absolutely red-faced and embarrassed, and him shouting, refuting, in a hoarse, exhausted voice.
But then someone – Trucy, perhaps? – jokes that with their foreheads, they're a match made in heaven.
And though it's merely a joke that everyone laughs off, she can't help but entertain the idea a little in her mind, and he can't even get the damn idea out of his head.
.
She coos at the kitten and strokes its soft fur. "It is merely a kitten, A-Apollo!" Trucy has told her to call him "Polly" multiple of times, and she has in fact tried to address him as Mr. Polly, or even just Mr. Apollo, but she can't bring herself to do so.
"Ach, Pearls! Don't touch its fur! It's a stray! You don't know what disease or germs are on it!"
.
It's one of those days where he is up to his neck in work. He has so much paperwork left to file, note down evidence to submit to the court record, that he doesn't know how long he will be at the office for.
But when she smiles at him, he feels himself begin to unwind slightly, and he lets out a happy, deep breath that he doesn't realize he has been holding.
.
He works so hard, she thinks as she spots him, hunched over in his seat, as he reads over his papers under his desk lamp. He's over-exhausting himself. Did he even have anything to eat?
She suggested to Trucy that they should go to Eldoon's for dinner, which she agreed to readily; and now, she is grateful that they had. Her fingers curl around the fold of the brown paper bag.
She walks over to his desk and places the bag – which holds a small container full of ramen noodles that she had ordered, requesting for Mr. Eldoon to make it with less salt – near its corner, smiling and blushing as she presents him with dinner. He looks up from his paperwork, surprised to see that she has brought him food, but he is immensely grateful and touched by her gesture.
"Thanks, Pearls."
.
He has been starting to call her "Pearls," just like Mr. Nick and Mr. Edgeworth do, and she finds that she likes it, a lot.
.
Her eyes search anxiously for him when she enters the office. She involuntarily exhales in relief when she sees him sitting at his desk. She stares at him across the office of the Wright Anything Agency with shy, but tender eyes, and her thumb trapped between her teeth. He smirks and winks at her, which causes a slight blush to rise to her cheeks.
.
"Y-You want me to give a tour of Kurain Village? For research purposes?" she blinks as she repeats his words.
"Yes. But I also want to take you out for burgers after."
"Um, Apollo . . . I'm a vegetarian."
He smirks at her blush and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning his head down closer to her small form. "Veggie burgers, then," he murmurs.
.
Declaring his intentions for her to Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey is probably more nerve-wracking than his courtroom debut.
Maya threatens to have him haunted by spirits of the dead if he hurts sweet little Pearly in anyway, but then adds a playful wink, which causes Apollo to let out a sigh in relief
But Mr. Wright's promise to make his life a living hell if he hurts Pearls is graver; his words do not sound threatening and his face is solemn, but his tone of voice is ominous and his eyes blaze menacingly in warning, which causes Apollo to shiver.
.
As they sit in the open air hall of Winding Way – she, cross-legged, on the wooden-paned flooring, and he, on the floor, as well, with his back leaning against the railing fence – she explains the history of the Kurain Channeling Technique, and how Mr. Nick was able to use it through her and Mystic Maya during his cases. All the while, he listens to her, enraptured – she thinks he's paying attention to her words, but really, he can't get over the sweet, tinkling sound of her laugh; he loves hearing her soft, mellifluous voice, though, at the moment, he's too lost in it that he's not really listening to her words.
He's going to have to make her repeat these accounts another day.
.
Somehow, they gravitate closer towards each other, slowly but surely, with small, innocent touches in the passing as she continues talking.
.
Her lips are soft, and slightly cooler than his heated ones, parted beneath his. His warm breath mingles with hers, and she leans up on her toes so she can easily slip her fingers into his soft, silky hair. Her cold mouth tastes like the sweet, vanilla ice cream they had after eating their veggie burgers.
.
Apollo releases her with a satisfied smile, but then whispers in her ear that he wants to hear the stories of the legendary defense attorney Phoenix Wright, back in his prime. Her lips feel like they're on fire, and her face feels like they are burning as well, but she is left very confused by his words. She looks at him with a befuddled expression and asks him with her heavy-lidded eyes, Didn't I just do that?
"Yes, but I got too lost in your sweet voice to hear your words."
She giggles and shakes her head at him, pulling him closer to her.
.
Mystic Maya teases her often about finding her own special someone through him – she takes full advantage of Pearl's bashful nature to get back at her for the times she teased her about her special someone.
Pearl can only manage to shoot back, "It must be an acolyte-attorney thing that runs in our blood, then," which causes Maya to puff her reddened cheeks and vehemently deny that she can be counted along Mia and Pearl.
.
She asks him one evening if he thinks she is a freak for being able to channel spirits.
They are in Winding Way again, both sitting together on the hardwood flooring of the outdoor corridor, marveling at the sunset. Apollo, who was originally going to suggest they should capture the horizon with his phone's camera, is astonished by her words. He asks her if someone had said something to her, but she shakes her head and tells him that Mystic Maya, other Kurain mediums, and even she, have been called freaks for their spirit channeling.
"No," he answers firmly, his fingers grasping hers. "Your spirit channeling sets you apart from the others. You aren't a freak, Pearl – you're a fascination." He leans his forehead against hers as he declares, "You're my fascination."
.
Upon listening to Apollo's words, Pearl begins to cry. She buries herself into Apollo's chest as she sobs. No one has ever said this to her before. No one has ever called her or her abilities a fascination before. Is he actually real? Pearl silently prays that this is not a dream and that he is real and will not leave her and disappear.
But her plea is as not inaudible as she thought. Apollo cups her cheeks between his hands and places a lingering kiss on her forehead, whispering soothing assurances that he is not going anywhere against her skin.
.
When Pearl calms down, Apollo tells her that if she's a freak, then he is, too. She, bewildered, sniffles and asks quietly if he can secretly channel spirits. He laughs and pats her head lovingly, and shakes his head.
He then proceeds to tell her about his ability to perceive and how his bracelet comes in handy during trials and investigations as it reacts to lies.
.
She gapes widely as she traces the designs on his bracelet with her finger. "So, y-you have powers, too, then," she murmurs softly.
She had initially assumed that only females like her, Mystic Maya, and Trucy (with her magic tricks) could only have special abilities, but this was the first male she knew who had some sort of mystical ability. If she knew that Apollo – who did not know himself – had inherited the ability to perceive from his mother (and that Trucy had this perceiving ability, as well, as his half-sibling), she would have been amazed.
Instead, she brushes her fingers against his cheek and tells him that he is not a freak, but is a fascination.
.
He doesn't remember how Clay comes up in conversation, but when she tells him that she can channel him if Apollo would like her to, he is initially hesitant. Pearl assures him that she will not pressure him into making a decision now, and that she was simply suggesting it now so he knows that the possibility to talk to Clay is always there.
Tears immediately spring to his eyes at her thoughtfulness, and he nods vehemently, sniffling and wiping away his tears.
.
When she comes to, she sees that a blotchy-faced Apollo is kneeling beside her. He anxiously calls out her name, and she responds, wrenching up and crawling to him. His hoarse voice breaks as he expresses his gratitude and thanks her. She sees that he has been crying, which instantly causes her nose to sting and tears to form in her eyes. Suddenly, he buries his face into her neck and starts to cry again, repeatedly whispering, "Thank you," into the skin of her neckline.
Her chest is heaving as she pants. Her breasts are sore, and her muscles are aching – her body feels exhausted from taking on the physical form of Clay Terran, but she clutches Apollo closer to her chest as he sobs into her purple haori.
.
Her mother had always hated the fact that Pearl would stumble over her words. She loved to boast that her daughter was perfect in every way, yet would always begrudge and spank the little one for a small stammer or two in her words. Other things Morgan Fey would condemn sometimes still haunt Pearl to this day — and she hates how . . . how paralyzing it is, how it affects her so much, given that her mother has been long executed for her crimes.
But when he tells her that he finds her stammers to be very endearing, she forgets all about her wretched, evil mother, and burrows into his arms a little further on the couch of the Wright Anything Agency.
Mr. Wright looks on, with a soft smile on his face.
.
"I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"
Pearl grips onto his hand tightly and takes a deep breath. "I'm Pearl Fey and I'm fine!" she shouts back, a wide grin stretching across her face so far that it hurts her cheeks; the words feel like they're falling off the heavy weight her heart has been carrying for so long, instead of simply falling off her lips.
She turns to face Apollo, whose eyes are closed and face is serene, as they stand in the middle of the grassy fields outside of Kurain Village. She wants to tell him no one has ever made her feel the way he makes her feel; she wants to tell him that she loves him more than she had ever dreamed of loving a "special someone."
You are my fascination, Apollo, she declares internally, hoping that somehow he can read her thoughts and understand her feelings. Her heart skips a beat when, at that moment, he squeezes her palm gently. Though it could be that he just happened to make this gesture right after her thought, she truly believes that he did feel something resonate in his heart from her.
With a sudden feeling of happiness bubbling in her heart, Pearl closes her eyes, too, so that she can concentrate on the gentle breeze that wafts around their faces.