A quiet day in a law office.
Maybe that wasn't something that would seem remarkable to most people, but for Apollo Justice, it was a change he'd been all too happy to settle back into, after such a long time spent away from it, and instead under the ever-increasing pressure of a workload that never seemed to end.
He'd spent eleven months living in the Kingdom of Khura'in, doing all he could to assist in rebuilding the kingdom's formerly broken and corrupt justice system. Much of that time had been spent on his own, either holed up in his office as he tried to keep his veritable mountain of case files from becoming totally unmanageable, or scouring a crime scene for any information he could use. At other times, he'd at least been able to enjoy the company of rookie defence lawyers looking to learn from him, or even his good friend Ema Skye, whose prowess in forensics work made her a regular visitor to Khura'in as well.
At last, he'd seen fit to bid the kingdom farewell, leaving the Justice Law Offices in the hands of its growing staff, and with a great mixture of emotions swirling in his mind, he'd returned home, packing his limited possessions and boarding a flight back to Los Angeles.
That had been about a month and a half ago. Apollo had enjoyed a warm welcome back to his familiar workplace of the Wright Anything Agency, his friends and co-workers all just as glad to see him home as he was to return.
Apollo now wore a finely-tailored suit, very similar in design to the one he had worn before his time in Khura'in, but that would have come with a price tag roughly ten times more demanding, had it not been given to him as a gift from the kingdom's royal family.
His slightly battered attorney's badge once again sat pinned to his chest, now accompanied by a certain additional badge, pinned just below the first. The badge once belonging to Dhurke Sahdmadhi was a memento Apollo saw fit to keep on his person for as long as he could possibly keep it intact, reminding him of the many events he'd gone through in nearly a year's time spent in Khura'in.
His attire was not the only thing to have visibly changed about him; his brown hair was still slicked backward in the same way as ever, but he had allowed it to grow out longer in his time away, and it now reached down to around his shoulders, kept neatly in check there, instead.
For all the ways Apollo himself might have changed, however, he was glad to find the Wright Anything Agency and its familiar occupants nearly identical to how he'd last seen them. Neither Phoenix nor Trucy Wright looked any different, still wearing the same tried-and-true outfits for the courtroom and the stage, respectively, and Athena Cykes still kept the same predominantly yellow outfit, along with her red hair tied into its incredibly long ponytail.
This familiarity was an indescribably calming thing for Apollo to experience. He wouldn't claim that he hadn't enjoyed his time in Khura'in, but he had missed home badly, and was beyond glad to return to it.
Apollo shook his head, finally stirring from his thoughts. He was sitting at his desk, his pen loose in his grip as he looked down at a few odd documents he'd been poring over. He had drifted away into his recollections for a few minutes at least, and now his eyes trailed across the paper, trying to recall where he'd been last.
He heard a noise from the floor above, moving toward the stairs leading down. There was an apartment on the three-floor building's top level, where his employer, Phoenix Wright lived, along with his daughter, Trucy. Mr. Wright was currently out of the office, making a stop at the courthouse to collect a number of files relating to a recent case he'd undertaken. Apollo's junior co-worker, Athena Cykes, was currently out as well, picking up lunch for herself and the rest of the office's occupants. So, with the other options eliminated, the person coming down the stairs now could only be the unflinchingly cheerful magician Trucy.
Apollo looked up curiously. He'd heard Trucy's footsteps descending the stairs, but then they'd stopped, like she had halted on the opposite side of the door that the staircase sat behind. What was she doing?
As Apollo suspected, Trucy Wright was standing at the base of the staircase leading up to the apartment, just before the door back into the office.
Rather than the bright smile Trucy normally wore, her face was currently marked with a look of distinct uncertainty.
She had one hand reaching partway out to the door handle, hovering there as she hesitated. What was she going to say…?
Trucy had, for some time now, been grappling with some very personal, private feelings. She didn't quite know how to handle them on her own, but she knew there was someone she could trust to help talk her through these uncertainties, who was just past this door.
As far as Trucy was concerned, Apollo was as good as a brother to her. They'd gotten along swimmingly since the first day they began working together, back when she was fifteen, and Apollo was a rookie attorney, freshly disillusioned of his idealistic outlook on the start to his career. Trucy could - and quite often would - tease Apollo about his habits in his work, and the way his personality often clashed with the people he worked and interacted with, but she knew that at the end of the day, there was practically no one else in the world she could trust with her worries but him. Her adoptive father was someone else she was usually glad to confide in, and she had a short list of others as well, but right now, Apollo was the only person she felt ready to speak with in regards to the feelings currently bothering her.
She took a breath, steeling her nerves, and opened the door to the office. To her surprise, Apollo was already looking over in her direction.
"Hey, Trucy!" he greeted her. "You're all finished up there?"
She smiled, glad that at least one person in this room was having a calm and relaxing day.
"Hey, Polly!" was Trucy's reply. A couple of years ago, Apollo might have been bothered by the nickname, but these days, it didn't make him so much as blink. "Yeah, I'm done! Um… Athena's not back with lunch yet, right…?"
Apollo shook his head. He was watching Trucy's expression carefully, feeling curious. "Nope. You know her, though - probably got distracted on the jog back from Eldoon's. I don't think she'll take too long."
To his surprise, Trucy looked relieved by Athena's absence. Now that he properly looked, the girl seemed anxious. That was an unusual look for her.
"Um…" she said, her voice lowering a bit, "Polly? Can I talk to you for a bit?"
Apollo pushed back in his seat, giving a little smile.
"Sure thing. What's up?" he answered.
Looking grateful, Trucy approached his desk.
"Th-thanks, Polly." Trucy said. Apollo had seen her nervous before, but she wasn't normally this obvious about it. "I really appreciate it. I know I sometimes make things kinda tough for you around here, and you're so patient, I-… um…"
Apollo waited for a place to respond. Trucy definitely appeared much more on-edge than he was used to seeing. He had a history of listening to Trucy's problems when she needed someone to talk to. Even if he didn't always have any decent advice for her, Trucy was always thankful just to have someone she could trust with her thoughts and feelings.
"… I really needed Athena out of the office." Trucy went on, making him more curious. "Th-that sounds kind of bad, doesn't it? I didn't mean it to…"
"Hey, it's OK." Apollo interjected gently. "… Out of curiosity, though, what's wrong with Athena being here? Are you two having an argument or something? I hadn't noticed anything."
"N-no, it isn't anything bad…" Trucy said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Apollo thought he might have spotted a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "I just mean that I don't want her to-… um…" She trailed off again. Apollo watched, sympathetic. Whatever this conversation was about, Trucy was clearly having a lot of trouble explaining it. He wondered if even Trucy herself knew quite what she wanted to say. He was bracing himself for anything potentially shocking.
"Athena's really good with personal problems, too." he remarked. "Not that I mind talking with you, but why's this conversation in particular off limits to her?"
Trucy hesitated, and this time, Apollo was certain he could see a faint blush on her cheeks, even as she lowered her head a bit from his view, staring at his desk instead. She mumbled something, then took a moment to clear her throat and straighten up again.
"… You know how when you were in Khura'in, I got Athena to help me out with my magic practices?" she prompted him. He nodded, giving a quiet laugh.
"Yep. You should've seen Athena's face the first time I talked to her online after she started doing that. I think she was actually scared of you for a little while." he said. "She kept asking how I survived being your assistant for so long."
Trucy laughed as well, but it sounded distinctly hollow.
"… Hey, Truce? You OK?" Apollo asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you clam up this much. And I kinda doubt that you came down here just to give me a performance report about Athena's work as your assistant. What's up, really?"
Trucy was awkwardly fiddling with her gloves again, as she often did when feeling uncertain. Apollo heard her take in a steadying breath.
"So… I don't ever really talk about going on dates, do I?" she asked him. Apollo was surprised once again by the question. Trucy was eighteen years old. Almost nineteen, actually. For as long as he'd known her, she'd always strived to be a very professional young lady, doing her substantial part to keep the Wright Anything Agency running smoothly day-to-day. "Have you ever wondered why?" she asked further.
He'd never really thought much about it before, but now that Apollo considered the question, he had to admit that he couldn't really remember any instances of Trucy talking about her own romantic interests at all. She and her best friend Pearl Fey certainly had an extensive history of trying to play matchmaker to many of their friends and family, but Trucy had always stayed quiet about her own potential love life, now that Apollo thought on it.
"See, I used to talk with Pearly, or Jinxie about it sometimes," Trucy went on, "But, well… after a while, I stopped. Jinxie always gets super nervous, but that's not really the reason. I just-… ugh, I'm rambling…"
"It's OK." Apollo offered, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, so take however long you need."
"Thanks…" Trucy said, a grateful smile briefly lighting her face. She paused, seeming to think her next few words over before she spoke up again. She settled both of her hands on the corner of the desk, meeting Apollo's eye. She was slightly biting at her lower lip. "See, Polly, I… I'm gay."
A loud creak sounded in the quiet room as Apollo flinched in his chair. He cursed in his head, regretting the obvious reaction of surprise, and worrying that it might have seemed insensitive. His eyebrows had sprung upward quite intensely as well, feeling like they'd nearly vacated his face entirely. He certainly wasn't uncomfortable or bothered in any way by hearing Trucy's confession, but it was still quite a surprise to hear. By the sound of it, this was something Trucy hadn't ever admitted to anyone yet, and he wouldn't have expected to be the first person she decided to trust with the confession. There was her father, or Pearl, who had been her best friend since they were children…
"U-uh…" He cursed to himself again. Why was this hard to respond to? "S-sorry to seem so shocked." he said. "… I guess I just wouldn't have thought you'd tell me that first, before anybody else."
Trucy's grateful smile returned. "Well, I'm pretty sure Daddy won't be upset at all when I tell him, but I wanted you to hear it first, since you're so… u-um… w-well, you're really good friends with Athena, too, and she's really the whole reason I wanted to talk…"
Trucy was trailing off again, but Apollo was beginning to think he might be figuring out the basis for this conversation.
(So, she wanted to talk about Athena, but only with me, because… I think I get it.)
"You're gonna wreck your gloves if you keep tugging on them like that." he remarked. Trucy gave a quiet laugh, relaxing her hands. "Sounds like you've still got something big on your mind, so let's hear it." he encouraged her.
"Thanks." Trucy repeated. "So… while you were away, Athena usually helped me out with my practices, and she even came up on stage with me for a few shows… she was always super helpful, even when I knew I was pushing her too hard. I felt really bad, because she's already got so much work to do here, especially while she was picking up the stuff you usually did, but I didn't have anyone else to ask, so I just kept going back to her. I apologized a few times for making her do so much, because I could tell it was hard on her, but she never turned down helping me out as long as she had the time for it. Just apologizing never really felt like enough for how many favours she did for me, but maybe I'm just lucky that she's such a good friend, like you are. Athena gets kinda snippy when she's impatient, but she's never like that with me. She's always so patient, and no matter how badly I push her when I need help, she's always ready to back me up if she can, and she's gotten so good at being my assistant, too - she's really funny and energetic on-stage, she's even helped me improve a few of my tricks! I don't know if she really likes having to go onto the actual stage with me, but she's never complained to me about it, and I know the crowd likes her. But why wouldn't they, right? She picks out great outfits, and she's so pretty in them…"
Apollo was beginning to wonder if Trucy was in danger of running out of breath and collapsing. He was almost entirely sure that he knew where this conversation was going, now. Trucy caught his eye, and seemed to realize something. She laughed.
"Rambling again, huh…?" she remarked, partly to him, but also to herself.
"Sounds like you're about ready to get to the point, though." Apollo said. "Am I right?"
Trucy grinned, then stepped around his desk and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. He smiled back, returning the gesture.
"You're the best, Apollo…!" she said, audibly relieved to finally be getting all these thoughts out to someone. She stepped back, adjusting a stray lock of her brown hair and straightening out the top hat she loved to wear. "Um… y-yeah, if you couldn't tell yet… I think I've got a crush on Athena. Like, a super-huge one."
Neither Trucy nor Apollo knew it, but around two minutes before this latest remark from Trucy, Athena herself had arrived back in the building. She'd made her way up the short staircase leading to the second floor, where the office was, four bowls of takeout noodles in hand, and had then paused at the door to the office itself, hearing a conversation taking place on the other side. With her hypersensitive hearing, there might as well have not even been a wall in the way. She'd been ready to walk inside, announcing that she'd arrived bearing lunch for everyone, but stopped when she heard her name mentioned several times over. For just a moment, she'd felt a twinge of irritation at hearing Apollo joke about her past complaints to him, but the feeling had quickly faded as she heard more of the conversation.
… She wasn't eavesdropping, she just… couldn't help but overhear. Literally; it was nearly impossible for her to prevent herself hearing what was being said, given her heightened sense of hearing.
The other thing to catch her attention was the way Trucy sounded. Most of the time, her magician friend was confident and cheerful, her years on the stage having trained her well to impress any audience she needed to. Now, however, she sounded anxious and emotional on a level Athena wasn't sure she'd ever heard before. Mixed feelings were audibly bubbling forth in her voice that made Athena extremely hesitant to walk into the office and interrupt things. She didn't want to risk damaging what sounded like a rather fragile emotional state Trucy was in.
The longer Athena sat and listened to the conversation, though, the closer her own mood drifted toward matching Trucy's. She'd never heard her friend speak so earnestly, or with such passion about another person before, and within a minute, Athena was sitting on the floor of the hall just outside the door, the sealed bowls of noodles resting next to her as one of her hands shook slightly against the floor, and the other stayed firmly clamped shut over the talkative A.I. computer she wore on her necklace. The last thing she needed right now was Widget blurting out her own thoughts and giving away her presence.
She was pretty sure that she was blushing like mad, barely able to handle what she was hearing. Even from the opposite side of a solid wall, she could hear every last hint of emotion in Trucy's voice, and the only possible way she could describe her friend's tone was "hopelessly lovesick". That alone might have already been impactful toward her on a normal day, but by all appearances, she, Athena Cykes, was the reason that Trucy sounded the way she did now.
It was embarrassing to recognize that she was currently huddled against the wall, feeling like a teenager under the overpowering sway of her own hormones. She was twenty!
She heard Apollo speak up again.
"Sounds like you're about ready to get to the point, though. Am I right?"
There was a brief pause.
"You're the best, Apollo…!" … Um… y-yeah, if you couldn't tell yet… I think I've got a crush on Athena. Like, a super-huge one."
That nearly pushed Athena right over the edge. She heard a familiar digitized voice speaking up, and only just reacted in time, burying Widget beneath both of her folded arms to silence his outburst.
"So, are you planning to ask her out?" Apollo's voice inquired. "I doubt she'd be too upset hearing that from you."
Damn him. Who did that jerk Apollo think he was, anyway? He had no right to-
"W-well, I really, really want to, but… I just don't know how I should ask her!" was Trucy's response.
(Go in and say yes. Go in and say yes!)
Athena hid her face, her shoulders shaking a bit. What was she supposed to do? If she just barged in now, as much as she wanted to, Trucy might be too embarrassed to even respond to her! Would it be better to just compose herself and go inside once the conversation was over?
Apollo was talking again.
"… know she really likes movies, and she's always talking about wanting to try that one cheesecake restaurant…"
Athena had to once more bite back the urge to run inside and interrupt. The sound of Trucy's voice had made it clear as day that she wanted to impress her crush more than anything else right now, but if Athena was honest, she would've agreed to go on a date with Trucy to just about anywhere. Just being able to tell how intense the younger girl's feelings were was good enough for her.
[I'd even say yes to microwaved-]
Athena flailed, scrambling to keep Widget quiet again before her presence could be noticed.
-THUMP-
She winced, stifling a groan of pain. She'd just slammed her left elbow against the wall by accident, and a sharp sting of discomfort was already shooting up the length of her arm.
The conversation inside the office abruptly stopped, and Athena's heart nearly did as well. She heard footsteps approaching, and she scrambled to her feet. For a second or two, she tried to run to the stairs and get out of sight, but she froze up at the sound of the door being opened. She'd forgotten to pick up the noodles, so they were still just sitting there on the floor, and there was no time to go back…
Frozen there at the top of the staircase, she stood with her head reeled backward, both palms covering her severely red face.
"… Oh-… uh, hey!" Apollo called out a moment later.
With an aggravated sigh, Athena slowly turned around, hoping that the blush she could feel persisting on her face wasn't too obvious. Her hopes were shattered instantly as she spotted not just one, but two familiar faces at the office door. Trucy was sticking her head out the door as well, her wide-eyed expression frozen and unreadable.
Apollo moved first, stooping to the floor to pick up the bowls of noodles, then retreating into the office with them. Trucy moved out of his way, stepping out into the hall. The door softly closed behind her.
A prolonged moment of silence followed. Athena couldn't seem to decide whether she wanted to maintain or forcibly break eye contact with Trucy, who was still barely moving.
Then, the magician spoke up. Or, she tried to, at the very least.
"U-umm… were you-… A-Athena, did you hear-…"
Athena suddenly felt terrible, unable to ignore the obvious discomfort in Trucy's voice. She hastily darted forward from the stairs, standing directly in front of her friend and gently setting a hand on her shoulder. Her palm was shaking a bit.
Trucy's own hand moved upward almost automatically, coming to rest on top of Athena's wrist. Her face was flushed a deep red, and she looked like she wanted to hide under a rock and never speak again, rather than say anything else.
Starting to feel genuine, physical pain in reaction to the intensely awkward silence hanging over the hall, Athena gave a forced laugh, and finally spoke up for herself.
"Y'know, I always worried that Simon might go all overprotective on me if any guys ever asked me out." she said. "I, uh… I don't think he'll be too grumpy if it's you, though."
There was another pause, and then Trucy laughed, her high voice piercing the relative quiet of the hall. The laughter was soft at first, then picked up until she was hunching over on the spot. When she calmed down, she looked directly up at Athena, tears visibly shining in her eyes.
"Y-yeah, and Daddy trusts you, so I don't think I'll have to worry about how he'll react, either." she said, her voice quavering even as she audibly tried to keep it steady.
Athena heard a sharp intake of breath.
"U-um… so, Athena…? If I wanted to ask you to-"
Athena acted on impulse. She wasn't sure it was a good idea, or even why she'd gotten it in the first place, but she interrupted Trucy's question by taking a grip on her other shoulder as well and leaning slightly downward to press her lips to Trucy's. The magician made a startled noise as her words were cut off, and Athena nearly felt her rapidly beating heart stop entirely at the outpouring of emotion she could detect from even that soft exclamation. She felt two gloved hands settling against the back of her head, Trucy's fingers burying themselves in her red hair. At last, she seemed to be relaxing.
...
The pair stayed there together for a few seconds before Athena finally pulled back, a feeling of disbelief creeping across her mind. She could barely believe she'd been that bold.
"S-so, tomorrow, then…?" she stammered. "A-Anywhere's good with me."
Trucy laughed again, the sound causing Athena's heart to melt all over again.
Another sound made the pair look over in the direction of the stairs. A door closed, and then footsteps sounded on the stairs, a familiar haircut coming into view.
"Oh… hey, you two."
Trucy's father and Athena's boss, Phoenix Wright, was standing on the second-to-last step, looking curiously at them.
"Is everything OK?" he asked. "Why are you out here?"
Athena wasn't sure of what to say, but to her relief, Trucy answered for her. A bright smile on her face, Trucy responded, "Oh, nothing's wrong, Daddy! Athena just got back with lunch. Oh, and I'm gonna be going on a date with her tomorrow, so I might need some advice on what to wear, OK? Now c'mon, I'm starving!"
Athena couldn't help but laugh as she followed Trucy back into the office, leaving Phoenix standing on the stairs in silence. His expression had been calm until he'd heard his daughter's very last couple of remarks, at which point it immediately froze up in a hilarious look of confusion.
Trucy opened the door to reveal Apollo arranging the four noodle bowls on the centre table. He visibly jumped as another voice broke the silence.
"H-hang on, WHAT!?"
So, I wouldn't have expected to return to writing for this kind of reason, but this pairing has really started to grow on me in recent times. I hope you enjoyed this little fic! I knocked it out in a couple of hours, so it might be a little rough. Please leave a review, if you feel so inclined!