Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney or any of its properties.

Notes: This was written forever ago and posted to Tumblr. In an attempt to update this account with some things, I decided to post it here. Any foreign words/phrases (German, Italian, any language that isn't English) contained herein are courtesy of Google Translate, so they may not be 100% accurate.

Selective Hearing

one. she was listening to someone else that night

After Clay's death, Apollo found himself staying at the Wright Anything Agency long after it closed for the evening.

He couldn't pin his finger on why, exactly, this happened. He had a large workload, for sure, but he always had, especially since Mr Wright had a bad habit of not finishing his paperwork in a timely manner (meaning Apollo had to help him out with a lot of it), and Trucy had a bad habit of distracting him during the day (a bad habit that Athena had picked up on, as well, despite her own casework). He didn't have any more work now than he did before Clay died, but even so, he found it hard to go home. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his apartment felt somehow emptier and colder, even though Clay had never lived there, while the Anything Agency felt warm and comforting even when he was the only person left in the office. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was something else, but whatever the reason, Apollo wasn't at all surprised to look at the clock on the wall and see that it was already 9:27 p.m.

What did surprise him was the sound of the door creaking open, slowly and cautiously, as though the person entering was afraid of alarming anyone nearby.

Instinctively, Apollo reached for something to arm himself with, his fingers securing around one of Trucy's plastic wands (not the best weapon, but in his time as a lawyer, he'd seen many stranger ones work out). Quietly, he moved along the wall and inched closer to the door, raising the wand above his head. As soon as the intruder rounded the corner he'd have them, and if nothing else, he had the element of surprise on his side. He raised the wand above his head, and—!

"Whoa!" Athena's hands secured around his forearm as he brought the wand down, and in one fluid movement, she spun him around and slammed him against the opposite wall. The air left Apollo's lungs in a gasp, the wand clattering against the floor. Athena's expression was one of mingled shock and concern. "Apollo! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," he rasped, though he had half a mind to point out that he would be a lot more fine if she hadn't slammed him against the wall. Athena seemed to realize this on her own, for she quickly released him and darted back a few steps, looking sheepish. "What are you—" He coughed and cleared his throat, trying to get enough oxygen in his lungs to speak again. For someone who was a little shorter and a lot slimmer than him, she sure knew how to use her weight. "What are you doing here? I thought you were out with . . . Ryan."

Ryan. Athena's boyfriend of the past, what was it now, five months? Nowadays she spent more time out with Ryan than she did at the office, and when she was at the office it was often with him, the two of them curled up on the couch while she regaled him with embellished tales of courtroom drama. Athena spun away from Apollo and darted over to her desk, fumbling through the mess piled on top of it.

"I was, but I forgot my 4DS here and figured I'd swing by to pick it up. I've just gotta unlock that new—ah, here we go!" Athena fished her portable game system out from underneath one of the law textbooks she'd taken down from Mr Wright's shelf but had never opened, and gave it a loud, showy kiss before she slipped it into her bag. "Molto bene! Now my night's set to rock'n'roll!" She gave Apollo a bright grin, and while her smile could usually blind everyone in the room, Apollo couldn't help but feel a little odd at the glum look on Widget's screen. "What about you, Apollo? You can't seriously still be working this late."

"I had a few things I wanted to finish up," he said, and as she frowned in a way that told him she was about to scold him about not loosening up, he asked, "So, you're really going home after this? I thought you would have wanted to spend more time with Ryan. Nine-thirty on a Friday's a bit early to turn in, isn't it?"

The smile finally faded, becoming something a bit more wry as she looked away from him. With her eyes on the floor, Athena began running her long ponytail through her hands, squeezing it periodically to try and ward away the stress.

"We decided to call it quits early tonight," she said. Apollo cleared his throat again to try and keep his voice steady and his heart rate calm. There was no need to get excited—not when he didn't have the full story. Getting ahead of himself always cost him in court, after all.

"Oh? Why's that?"

Athena's lips tilted upward a little more, and she squeezed her hair a little tighter. "He said he loved me."

Apollo's heart, which had perked up like a dog eager for treats before, suddenly plummeted down to the bottom of his ribcage, closer to a dog that had been scolded for misbehaving. "Oh." Silence hung thick and heavy between them for a few moments before he forced himself to ask, "Isn't that good?"

Athena was quiet for a moment, her hands slowing before they stilled over her hair, and when she looked back up at him her eyes held the sad, weary look of one who'd expected what she got, even if she hadn't wanted to believe it. "He was lying."

02. she was preoccupied with thoughts of another

"So, when are you going to ask out Junie?"

Apollo's hand jolted so hard that a broad line of ink was drawn halfway up the form he'd been filling out, and he barely resisted a groan at the sight of it. If they had enough money to employ at least one paralegal it wouldn't be a problem, but as it stood, he'd have to fill out the whole thing over again. Such a pain . . .

"Hey! Earth to Apollo!" Athena leaned across his desk from her position in a rolling chair on the other side of it. He gave her a flat look. "You in there? I asked you a question."

"I unfortunately heard you," he said, and crumpled up the ruined form and threw it into the trash. Athena sat back in her chair.

"Jeez, no need to get all grumpy. It's not like you can't do that later. I'm sure Mr Wright will give you an extension if you ask."

"Mr Wright never even gave me a due date in the first place."

"See? So what's the problem?"

"Maybe that I don't want to leave my work to pile up for months like some people?" he said mildly, and as one they looked over at her desk, which now more closely resembled a mountain of paper that just so happened to allow a desk to live beneath it. Athena looked back at him with a shameless stare.

"I don't see what the problem is. Life's more of an adventure when you have to play Jenga with your workload!" Apollo shook his head and reached for a new document, but as he pulled it over to set in front of him, she reached out and slammed her hand on it. "Anyway, enough jabbering. Answer my question!"

"'Jabbering?'" Apollo repeated, and he raised his eyebrows. "Who are you, Prosecutor Blackquill?" Athena scowled at him.

"Apollo. Question. Answer it!"

"Never," he said. "Can I get back to work now?" Athena removed her hand from his paper, but it was only so she could toss both hands in the air.

"Never? You're never going to answer my question? What is with you today? It's just a simple question! There's no need to be so uncooperative!"

"That was my answer," he sighed. "I don't have any plans to ask Juniper out on a date."

"Oh." Athena dropped her hands in her lap and Apollo picked up his pen, but before he could start writing again she exploded. "What? Why? She's totally into you! Like, head over heels, hardcore into you!"

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out when she started knitting the heart-patterned scarves in court," Apollo said, and the back of his neck grew hot with embarrassment. "But I figured I'd just . . . ignore it and let it fizzle out."

"Why?" Athena stressed, and she leaned across his desk again, this time looking more than a little accusatory. "Do you think there's something wrong with Junie? Is she not good enough or something? Because I'll have you know she's the best! Beyond the best! She's the best of the best's best!"

"What? No! There's nothing wrong with Juniper!" Apollo scooted back in his chair, just in case Athena decided to pounce across the desk and shake the answers out of him. "She's really sweet and smart, and even kind of cute—"

"Kind of?"

"Really cute! She's really cute, okay?" Athena seemed to relax a little, and Apollo lowered his hands from their defensive position in front of his chest. "She's a really great girl, but I'm just . . . I'm just not as interested in her as she is in me. I like her, but not like that."

Athena stared at him for a moment, her brow furrowed and her lips pressed together, before she sat back. "You're telling the truth," she said, and before Apollo could point out that, yes, he knew that, she heaved a sigh worthy of Solomon Starbuck. "Aw, man, Junie's going to be so disappointed. I don't know what I'm going to tell her . . ."

"I don't think you have to tell her anything, unless she—wait, did she ask?" Apollo's heart sank, guilt sliding down his back. His answer wouldn't change no matter what Athena said, but thinking that Juniper had actually spoken up and now had to have her hopes broken outright made him feel terrible. Athena shook her head.

"No, not exactly. But it's everything else she said, you know? Doesn't take ears like mine to tell what she was hoping to hear every time she asked how you were doing." Athena laced her fingers together and stretched her arms up over her head, and Apollo frowned as he looked down at his form again. "Are you sure you don't like her like that, Apollo? Really, super sure? So sure you won't even go out for coffee even just once sure?"

"Yes, I'm really, absolutely sure. You did hear me the first time, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, you know I did. But it's just weird to me. I really thought she was your type."

Apollo cleared his throat, and straightened the papers in front of him as an excuse not to have to look at her, the back of his neck feeling hot. "Guess you thought wrong on that one," he said, as casually as he could manage. "I like . . . you know, other girls." Smooth, Justice.

"Hm. Yeah, I guess." Apollo looked up to see that, for all her hyper-sensitive hearing, Athena wasn't really listening to him anymore. Instead, she toyed with the crescent moon earring hanging from her ear as she looked up at the ceiling. "Well, there's nothing for it, then. I'll just have to find a way to help ease Junie out of the crush she has on you—maybe find her a different boyfriend, someone better. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good—wait, shouldn't be too hard?" Apollo frowned, trying very hard not to let the offense he felt enter his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Athena leaped up from her chair, and smacked one fist into her palm. "Yeah, that's it! The perfect plan! I'll just find Junie a super awesome boyfriend, and she'll forget about you in no time! Thanks, Apollo!"

With that, Athena sprinted from the room and flew through the door with such force that it slammed behind her. Apollo's scowl darkened, and he glowered at the new form he had to fill out as if it had caused his sour mood.

"Yeah, no problem," he grumbled. "Hope you have fun finding someone who's better than me."

03. she lacked the context to understand what she was hearing

Apollo had decided long ago that there were some people in life that were destined to get under his skin whether they tried to or not. For instance, although his eighth grade biology teacher had been a perfectly reasonable woman, everything about her had grated on Apollo's last nerve from the first day to the last, from the way she used the word "right" as a verbal pause to the way she constantly pushed her hair out of her face, rather than just tying it back. It wasn't often that Apollo encountered a person that annoyed him like that, but when he did, they were likely to make themselves a near constant nuisance unless he made a conscious effort to stay away from them. Fortunately, the Wright Anything Agency was usually the perfect place to avoid such people. Unfortunately, sometimes they still came to visit.

"What are you doing here, Prosecutor Gavin?" Apollo did his best to keep the exasperation out of his voice, but it was a challenge, especially as Klavier wore the same teasing smirk that he always used around Apollo—one that Apollo was positive Klavier knew bugged him like no other. "Is this about a case? If so, I'm sorry, but we haven't heard anything about it."

"Pretty presumptuous to assume you haven't heard anything about it when I haven't even said what it is yet, isn't it, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked. Apollo rolled his eyes and looked back to the law book he was reading, gritting his teeth when Klavier began snapping his fingers to a beat that only he could hear. "But no, I'm not here for a case. I'm waiting for my date."

"Date?" Apollo looked up with a confused frown, but at that moment Athena burst out of the bathroom, fixing one last clip into her long bangs.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! My hair was being a monster today." She beamed a bared-tooth grin at Klavier as she came to a stop in front of him, her hands on her hips, and Apollo felt his own mouth drop open. "Ready to go?"

"As ever, fräulein. Shoes might be a good thing to wear though, ja?"

Athena laughed and ducked around her desk, swooping her shoes up in one fluid motion. "Natürlich! Give me two quick seconds and we'll be out the door in a flash!"

As Athena pulled on her shoes, Apollo finally regained enough motor function to shut his mouth, and he yanked his eyes back down to the book on his lap. It was pointless; there was no way he could concentrate on legal philosophy when Athena and Klavier were still in the room, apparently preparing to go out on a date. When did that happen? And why were they leaving now? It was only two in the afternoon!

"Hey, Apollo." Apollo looked up to see Athena looking at him, her shoes on and her purse slung over her shoulder. "If Mr Wright comes back today, could you tell him I'll finish up those case reports first thing tomorrow morning? Oh, and tell Trucy I'll help her with her history paper tomorrow, too! Maybe tomorrow afternoon sometime."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," Apollo said flatly. "We're closed on Saturdays, remember?" Athena laughed, and Klavier's smirk grew. Apollo set his jaw.

"Yeah, I totally knew that! Perfect! Then I'll take care of everything on Monday. No sweat! Thanks, Apollo!"

"Yeah, no problem." Apollo muttered. As they turned to leave, he asked before he could help himself, "Where are you two going, anyway? I didn't even know you were . . . together."

"Well, it was kind of a sudden thing. I only found out about it yesterday." Athena grinned, and it didn't take eyes like Apollo's to tell that see that she was practically quivering with excitement. "I e-mailed Klavier after the case at Themis Academy to thank him for his help, and we got to talking—not about anything important, just about how we were doing and all that. But yesterday he told me that he scored backstage passes to Def Märch—you know, that really amazing grunge rock band from Japan? He got two passes to their concert tonight and he asked if I wanted to go, and I asked if Orla the orca was super cute, and here we are!" Athena's grin was so wide it practically split her face in two. "Pretty awesome, right? Whoever knew being friends with an international rock star could come in handy like this?"

"Yeah," Apollo said, without enthusiasm, looking back down at the thick book on his lap. "It sounds really great." Trust Klavier Gavin to be able to pull something like that off.

Silence followed his words for a second, and then: "Apollo . . . is that . . . jealousy I hear in your voice?"

Apollo's head snapped up, his eyes wide, and he saw that although Athena was frowning at him in concern, Klavier's thoughtful expression slowly shifted into a devious grin. "W-What? No! What would I have to be jealous of?"

"Well, we didn't exactly invite you to go, did we?" Athena put her hands on her hips and canted her weight to one side. "And you've known Klavier longer than I have, too . . . you know, if you really wanted my ticket, I wouldn't mind letting you go instead."

Apollo relaxed, sighing in relief that he hadn't been that easy to hear through, and sank back against the couch cushions. "No, thanks," he said. "I've got better things to do with my time than sit through a rock concert with that . . . glimmerous fop over there."

"'Glimmerous fop?'" Klavier repeated, as Athena choked back laughter. Instead of feeling insulted, Klavier's laughed outright. "Now you sound like the fräulein detective. Perhaps we should have made this a double date?"

"Pass," Apollo said flatly, and if anything, his failed insult (oh, how he wished he could have thought up something better on the spot) only made things worse. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Ja, ja, of course. Shall we go?" Klavier put his hand on the small of Athena's back, and she nodded, though as she looked over at Apollo her smile subsided a little.

"Are you sure you don't want to go, Apollo? You still sound really upset, and it really does sound a lot like jealousy . . ."

"Believe me, fräulein," Klavier said, before Apollo could answer. "You're not the one Herr Forehead is jealous of."

At that, Athena's frown deepened, but—seeing as how Klavier didn't seem inclined to elaborate and Apollo was too busy being furious at Klavier to explain himself—she let Klavier gently guide her to the door, pausing only to give Apollo a small wave before she headed out. Klavier, meanwhile, paused only long enough to give Apollo a cheeky wink before he followed her, and it took all of Apollo's self control not to chuck his book at Klavier's smug face. Instead, once the door to the Wright Anything Agency shut behind them, Apollo tossed his book on the floor and buried his face in one of the sofa pillows, letting out a muffled scream.

He was fine. He was fine. He was Apollo Justice and he was fine! But the next time they faced each other in court, Klavier wouldn't be. Of that, Apollo was certain.

04. she was so caught up in the moment she only heard the basic gist

"What was I supposed to do?!" the witness screamed. Across the room, Prosecutor Blackquill gave him a glare that could melt steel. "Juliet was the only woman I ever loved, and she was dead! They killed her! Their—their stupid laws, and all of that stupid fighting—she died because of them!"

"Mr Monty! Control yourself!" the Judge cried, but the witness seemed unable to hear him. Instead, leaning forward on the witness stand, he locked eyes with Apollo, his expression manic and pleading.

"You have to understand—you have to understand me! You have to know—"

"Witness," Prosecutor Blackquill growled, but the witness didn't hear him.

"Mr Justice, if it was you—if it was if you, if someone had—if someone had murdered Ms. Cykes, then how would you have felt? What would you have done?"

So many things could have—should have happened in that moment. Had he been outside of himself, had he been seated in the gallery, Apollo would have bet money on Prosecutor Blackquill drawing his sword to silence Mr Monty for good (or at least for the duration of the trial), or the Judge calling for order, or the gallery erupting into whispers and murmurs and noise. Instead, the courtroom was mostly quiet, and Apollo could feel the eyes of almost everyone in it on him. It could have only been a few seconds—a heartbeat or two, or three—but the seconds felt more like minutes stretched into hours, cold sweat dripping down his back, the muscles in his arms aching for how tightly he had his fists clenched. If someone had murdered Athena . . . if she was dead, if he—if he came to the Agency one day to find her dead body lying in the middle of the floor, or went to her apartment to see why she never showed up to work, or stumbled across her cooling corpse at a crime scene . . . if he never got a chance to tell her how he—to talk to her, to really talk to her about all the things that mattered, and if he never got a chance to see her again, to hear her laugh, to roll his eyes as she made him sit through yet another viewing of the Swashbuckler Spectacular, then he . . . then he . . .

". . . I . . . I don't know," he answered, and the words sounded weak to his ears—cracked and quiet, an embarrassment to all the Chords of Steel training he went through every morning. He cleared his throat. "If someone killed Athena, I . . . I wouldn't take it very well." To say the least, anyway.

"That's right," Athena said from beside him, her voice far stronger than his. She leaned forward on the bench, both hands pressed against the smooth wood. "Of course he wouldn't take it very well! Who would? I hear Apollo loud and clear, and I feel the exact same way!"

"Y-You do?" This came out much louder, almost like a shocked yelp than a proper question, most likely due to the way his heart had jumped against the back of his throat. Athena looked over at him with a firm nod and a bright smile.

"Of course I do. You mean the world to me, Apollo—we're partners! I'd completely lose it if someone killed you!" As Apollo's heart started pounding a euphoric beat in his chest, Athena turned back to Mr Monty. "I feel the same way about Simon, and Mr. Wright, and Trucy, too! I couldn't handle it if any of you died!" Oh. "But that doesn't justify murder! Nothing does! I know how much you cared for Ms Capaletta, Mr Monty, but that doesn't lessen your crime of murder one bit!"

It made sense, really. No longer listening to the rest of the trial, Apollo leaned against the bench, a little wry smile on his face. She thought that he was just speaking from a space as her partner—as her friend. And he was, to a degree; just because he wanted something more didn't mean that he didn't care for her as his co-counsel, or as her friend. She was his best friend, in fact, especially now that Clay was . . .

But it didn't matter. Whatever he wanted, however he really felt, Athena didn't feel the same way. She viewed him as her co-counsel and friend, and no more. Still . . . as the Judge gave their client a Not Guilty verdict and the bailiff moved forward to place Romeo Monty in custody, Apollo's smile turned less wry, and much more warm, happiness causing his heart to flutter in a way that had nothing to do with their victory.

Athena viewed him as a friend, sure, but she put him on the same level as Simon Blackquill and Mr Wright. And considering how much she respected and cared about them, that was pretty high praise coming from one Athena Cykes.

All in all, even if she didn't return his feelings in exactly the same way, Apollo considered himself to be a pretty lucky guy.

05. she thought he was a pretty good actor

"We'll just have to wait until she gets off work to talk to her," Apollo said, frowning at the restaurant doors as Athena turned to frown at him. "That, or catch her before she goes into work tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Athena put her hands on her hips and canted her weight to one side. "I know she'll be busy given that she's a waitress and all, but this is the best way to pull her aside for a few questions about the case. If we're her customers, she can't exactly ignore us, can she?"

"No, but look at the sign." Apollo pointed to a large sign taped to the door, tacky pink hearts drawn all over it. "It's a special event for Valentines Day—couples only. We won't even get seated, much less a chance to talk to her."

"Says who?" Athena said, and as Apollo opened his mouth to explain in greater detail why they couldn't get in (a challenge, he was sure, due to the fact that he knew she'd sense the irritation in his voice), she reached over and took him by the hand, lacing her fingers through his. "They want a couple? We'll give them a couple. Let's do it!"

As usual, Athena gave him no time to voice any protests. Instead, she all but dragged him to the door of the restaurant, pushing open the door and yanking him inside before the door could smack him. The lighting in the restaurant was dim, and carried the thick scent of flowers mixed with grilled food. The hostess stand was decked out in the same tacky hearts the sign on the door had been, with a few cardboard cutouts of Cupid for good measure. Athena made a beeline straight for it, never once letting go of his hand.

"Table for two, please!" she said, loudly enough to attract not only the attention of the hostess, but of a couple sitting in a booth just beyond the hostess stand. Apollo waved sheepishly at them as they shook their heads and went back to their meal, and wondered if this was how others felt whenever they accompanied him places. Maybe he should tone it down a notch. "You've got a couples special going on right now, right?"

"We certainly do," the hostess said, and she smiled a plastic smile that told Apollo she didn't believe them at all. "Are you two here together?"

"Of course we are!" Athena said, sounding indignant. She held up their clasped hands like she was presenting evidence. "This is our first Valentines Day together."

"We haven't been together very long," Apollo said, figuring that it was best to chime in to help make their act more convincing. The more seconds that ticked by, though, the more it started to sink in that he and Athena were holding hands, and that they were trying to get a hostess to believe that they were celebrating Valentines Day together, and . . . "We only started dating a little while ago, though we've known each other much longer than that . . ."

"We're lawyers," Athena said brightly, and she swung their linked hands between them. Apollo couldn't help it; he grinned. "We work at the Wright Anything Agency. Maybe you've heard of us? We've solved a whole bunch of cases."

"Individually and together," Apollo said. "We really work the best when we're together."

"Totally. We're unbeatable!"

"A perfect match. There's no one I'd rather have by my side."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way, either."

"Well," the hostess said, and by this point her smile was much more genuine, her cheeks flushed a bit pink and her eyes bright. "I certainly haven't seen a couple as enthusiastic as the pair of you in here today. I suppose you take all that energy to the courtroom with you, don't you?"

"You bet!" Athena said, and the hostess laughed.

"I'll have to come see one of your trials sometime. Come this way; I'll lead you to your table."

Athena continued to hold his hand all the way to their booth, and it wasn't until they slid into the seats across from each other that she finally released him, her hands falling on the table. Apollo's hand felt strangely empty now that she'd drawn hers away, and he grabbed his bundle of cutlery in a weak attempt to make the empty feeling go away.

"Told you it would work," Athena said smugly, and Apollo—suddenly reminded that it was all an act and feeling stupid for letting himself get carried away—nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I don't know why I didn't think of that. Good work, Athena."

"You did a pretty good job yourself," she said, and she unwrapped her own cutlery, using the fork and knife to drum a little beat into the table. "Seriously, that was some of the best bluffing I've ever heard. You almost convinced me that you had a crush on me. Where'd you learn to act like that?"

"Well, uh, you know. I did some theater in school. And if you hang around Mr Wright long enough, you learn to bluff with the best of them." Athena grinned.

"Guess I'll just have to practice more, then, if I want to get as good at bluffing as you and Mr Wright. Luckily, we've got the whole afternoon! After all, we can't really drop the act until we leave here, right?"

It wasn't right. It was only going to end in more disappointment. But as their waitress—and witness—started over to take their drink order, Apollo set his cutlery bundle down and reached across the table to take her hand again.

"Right," he said, and he returned Athena's grin as he gave her hand a little squeeze. "Let's make the most of it."