So I'm not one to fall into the whole shipping thing, but after playing Dual Destinies, I feel like the whole situation with Juniper and Apollo needs to be addressed. It's too adorable to be ignored, and I actually want them to get together in a future game. So without further ado, I present my little fan scenario of them. Enjoy.
The day after the trial that ended the Dark Age of the Law was a bustling one. Media covered the spectacle by interviewing those involved. From the chief prosecutor with a sense of justice unparalleled to others and the prosecutor who stirred up the Dark Age to the righteous attorneys who helped put it to an end. The attorneys in question were the legendary Phoenix Wright, the voice of hope Apollo Justice, and the revolutionary Athena Cykes of the Wright Anything Agency. The reporters had just finished their interviews and had left the premises to let the heroes relax when there was a knock on the door. "Come in, it's open," Phoenix shouted. The door opened and Athena's childhood friend, Juniper Woods, entered.
"Oh! Junie!" Athena shouted as she glomped the girl she considered to be her best friend. "Hello, Thena. I came to tell you that I was so happy to see you get a not guilty verdict. A-also I wanted to take you out to eat to celebrate. My treat," Juniper finally struggled out through the violent hug. Athena immediately released her tight embrace and shouted, "That sounds like a great idea! I'd love to spend some time with you! I'll go get my coat." Athena turned tail and ran out of the main office. It was this short moment that made Juniper turn to Apollo.
"Hello, Apollo..." she said with a slight blush. Apollo nodded and smiled a large smile. "Hey, Juniper. It was nice of you to come here to spend time with Athena. She may not act it, but she's exhausted from this entire ordeal," Apollo smiled again, "Being with her friend is just what she needs." Juniper smiled and nodded as well. She agreed with him. She wanted to be there for her friend, but another part of her wanted to be here just to see Apollo. She fell for him over the course of their meetings. She wanted to invite Apollo along, but she wanted to be alone with Athena. She would have to face her feelings some day and tell him how she feels. Not today however; today was for Athena.
It wasn't long before Athena returned. "Ready to go?" she asked Juniper, who then nodded. "Have fun and be careful out there, you two," Phoenix said as they were about to head out the door. "Oh! Where are my manners? You two wanna come with?" Athena asked, flashing a carefree smile and a peace sign. Apollo sighed, "Should you really be the one asking us? Juniper is the one paying, after all." Athena clenched her fists and threw arms to her sides. "I know that! I'm not gonna make her pay for you too. You have to pay for yourselves!" Phoenix and Apollo glanced at each other and laughed good hearty laughs. "Sure, we'll come. I'll pay for our meals. Don't order anything outrageous, Apollo," Phoenix said with a smirk. Apollo chuckled then looked at Juniper. "This okay with you, Juniper?" Juniper just nodded and smiled a cute smile. "I don't mind at all."
Upon making it to the restaurant, the friends were all guided to a booth where Athena sat next to Juniper on one side and Apollo next to Phoenix on the other. They each ordered their food and began to diverge into small talk. They talked about Juniper's school life, Phoenix's return as an attorney, Apollo's growth as an attorney, Athena's hopeful beginnings, and lastly, the trial from yesterday. Things were going smoothly and they got their meals and ate with no problems. However, after they all finished and were talking about another get together they should have, two young men walked by the table.
"Hey... Wasn't that girl suspected of murder and a bombing?" one of the men asked.
"Huh? Yeah. But she was found innocent of both crimes," the other responded.
"As if! She was found innocent during the dark age of the law. She could very well be guilty of both!" the first man practically shouted.
Juniper looked down at the floor upon hearing this and began to cough like she always did when she got nervous. People turned and began to stare. Athena clenched her fists and readied to turn around to say something when Phoenix stopped her. "Hold it, Athena. We don't want to cause anymore of a scene than there already is. Let's all just get out of-"
"You two have got some nerve!" Apollo shouted, bolting up from his seat, making the two men jump. "Can't you see she's been through a lot? Also if you're questioning if the verdicts were legitimate, you should look no further than here. Athena got her acquitted of her first charge through honest means and Mr. Wright cleared her the second time. And do you even need convincing that Mr. Wright is honest?" Apollo ranted to the two gawking men, indicating both Athena and Phoenix when he brought them up. "Apollo, relax!" Phoenix said, standing up and grabbing Apollo's shoulders. "No, Mr. Wright! I want them to apologize to Juniper now," he said, shrugging off Phoenix's hands.
The two men exchanged looks and bowed towards Juniper. "We're very sorry," they said in unison and then bolted from the restaurant. Apollo sat back down and sighed. "Apollo, what was tha-" Athena began before getting cut off by Apollo, "I'm fine! Er... It's fine. They were talking bad about Juniper. I couldn't just sit here."
Juniper glanced up at Apollo, blushed, then went into another coughing fit. "Excuse *cough cough* excuse me..." Juniper managed to get out before jumping from her seat and running to the terrace outside the restaurant. "Wait, Junie!" Athena shouted after her, but it was no use. She was already out of the door. "It's okay, Athena. I think she just needs some time alone," Apollo said, his eyes closed, deep in thought. Phoenix and Athena glanced at each other and then sat uncomfortable for a few minutes while onlookers talked about what had just happened. After a few minutes, Athena glanced back at the terrace where she saw Juniper standing, staring off into the distance. "Maybe I should go talk to her... Wait! Here's a better idea! Apollo, you go talk to her!" Athena said with a wry smile. Apollo looked over confused, "Huh? Why?" Athena crossed her arms and stated, "You're the one that did something earlier, so do something now."
Apollo shook his head, but said, "Yeah, you're right. I probably made her uncomfortable. I'll go talk to her." He got up and headed towards the terrace. Athena turned towards Phoenix and chuckled gleefully, clapping her hands. "What are you so happy about?" Phoenix asked puzzled. "Oh, c'mon, Boss? Don't you think what Apollo did was romantic? It's no secret that Junie has a crush on him too. Tonight is just perfect for them!" Phoenix stared after Apollo, "Well it seems it's a secret to him. I don't even think he realized what he did." Athena chuckled, "He's a brilliant attorney, but he lacks common sense in a few areas, huh?" Phoenix and Athena shared a good laugh.
Apollo slid the door to the terrace open, causing Juniper to turn around. "Oh. Hello, Apollo," she said turning back around to hide her blush. "Hey, Juniper. Um... Listen. About in there. I'm sorry. For both what those guys said and how I acted," Apollo stumbled out. Juniper turned around again, confused this time. "Why would you apologize for what you did?" she cocked her head while asking this question. Apollo cleared his throat. "Well... You know... I may have embarrassed you and stuff... I did kind of make them publically apologize and all that." Juniper smiled and said, "Don't apologize. I like what you did. It... It was really sweet." As she said this, she looked to the ground and blushed heavily. Apollo blushed as well and looked to his side to try and hide it. "Yeah?" was all he could manage. "Yeah," Juniper said. It was a moment of silence between the two. During that time, Apollo walked up to the railing beside Juniper and leaned over it. "The city's beautiful tonight, huh?" he asked. "Yes," Juniper answered looking out towards the city.
"I like you more this way, Apollo," Juniper said. Apollo glanced over at her. "Huh?" he asked. "How you were during that last trial. The way you accused Thena. And how you went head to head with Mr. Wright. It was scary. You were different. Too different," she finally choked out. Apollo leaned over the railing again, "I know. I was scared too. I knew what I was doing and I had my thoughts that wouldn't leave my brain. I wanted to trust Athena, but couldn't find a way to do so. It ended up turning me against my greatest friends... I'm glad Mr. Wright was there to slap some sense into me. Because of that, I'm fine now," Apollo said, sincerely. "You are fine now. And I want you to stay fine," Juniper said quietly with another blush. "I think I will. If you help me," he said. Juniper gasped silently and looked towards Apollo to meet him looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away, turning bright red. "How can I help?" Juniper asked. Apollo chuckled and said, "Easy. Watch over me and make sure I can always trust my friends. I understand you need doubts in order to have trust, but too much can ruin friendships. I trust you, Juniper, that's why I'm asking you to do this." Juniper didn't say anything. She just smiled and then nodded happily.
After a few more minutes, Apollo sighed and turned to towards to the restaurant. "Well, it's getting pretty late. Let's head back inside. I'm sure, Mr. Wright and Athena are tired of waiting for us now. C'mon, Juniper," Apollo said with a smile as he walked towards the sliding doors. "Apollo!" Juniper shouted, making him stop and turn. Juniper stood there, looking at him with tears streaming down her face. Tears of utter joy and happiness. She walked up to him and gave him a hug. During the hug, she whispered something to him. Something Apollo would never forget:
"Call me Junie."