a/n: i was so surprised at how much love i got for my last story, so thank you guys SO MUCH for that! god this one took my SOUL to write — I had to start over with different topics about three or four times because I just wasn't satisfied with the way they were turning out. BUT I LIKE THIS ONE so please enjoy 3
Apollo Justice didn't consider himself a romantic person.
When he was young, he didn't really know how to act around girls. Of course he would never treat a girl any differently than anyone else, but when it came to, well, romantic pursuits, he just didn't know how to act. His hands would get all clammy and his bracelet would tighten around his wrist, heart pounding at an alarmingly rhythmic rate. He would usually have to dismiss himself before saying much, something that embarrassed him throughout his childhood.
As he grew older, Apollo really avoided confronting girls about his feelings altogether. If there were a female that particularly attracted his interest, he would stuff the feeling down, remembering those awkward moments of his adolescence. It wasn't like he had much time for that kind of thing anyway. Defending clients was more than a full-time job – throwing a love life in there would just be straight-up murder.
After years of dodging relationships, Apollo began to naturally dilute his feelings until he wasn't even sure he was having them anymore. He would throw himself into his work or tackle a new project, and soon a crush became a splash lost in the sea of his life.
Until the tidal wave called Athena Cykes crashed upon the shore.
At first, he wasn't sure how to feel about her. Apollo prided himself with being calm and collected, and she was so outgoing, so spacey. She was so passionate about everything that she did, and often he would catch himself being so blasé that he was bored by the tedious life he led. Apollo didn't fit with Athena, and yet they worked so well together on cases that even Phoenix remarked on how easily they played off of each other at the defense bench. He remembered Trucy giving him a knowing look in that moment, but he simply huffed it off and told her not to get any ideas.
But it ended up being true. Athena was so much of everything that he was not, that when he found himself wasting away days thinking about the way she brushed her hair out of her face when she was looking intently down at a stack of paperwork or the way her eyes would ignite with an unstoppable sort of drive when she found a contradiction in court, he was scared enough to keep himself up at night. How was this possible? What happened to not letting emotions get in the way of the job at hand? What would become of him?
Originally, he'd let his confidence overcome him. He'd gotten out of predicaments worse than this, albeit not as internal, and he would certainly do it again. Apollo Justice wasn't anything if he wasn't fine.
But he failed to account for Athena's innate hearing abilities.
The newest member of their agency became increasingly more aware of his actions as time went on. His mind would rustle up fragments of memory where her smile was particularly vibrant or her demeanor increasingly enchanting, or relive moments between them again and again and again. He guessed she would turn to ask him a question, only for it to not ever be answered. She would then ask what was wrong, only for him to snap out of it and assure her that everything was all right.
Sometimes she would pry, asking if he wanted to go over a quick therapy session with her to find out if everything was okay, but Apollo would insist that he was fine and that nothing was wrong, just like he had said. She would pout a little, but he would stand firm in his decision long enough for her to back down with a dejected sign and a slump into her office chair.
It wasn't until one rainy afternoon during the recess for a case that everything came to a head. Apollo was seated on a bench out in the Courtroom Lobby, taking a quick breather to reflect on what had happened in the case so far. Athena had taken off to discuss an important piece of evidence with the defendant, but promised she would be back soon.
He shouldn't have let himself have a moment. The defense attorney had slid his eyes closed, his ears slightly picking up the droning sound of the down pour outside the courthouse doors. He remembered standing before the court that day, desperate for answers, hoping that what he feared wasn't true. He remembered looking at Athena, whose wide, frightened eyes peered into the dark recesses of his soul like a looking glass - his bracelet caught a death grip on his wrist and he struggled down a gulp to ignore it. The eye patch he wore across his face felt like a symbol of betrayal, although really it was quite the opposite.
And yet, through all the words he spoke in that session, Athena still forgave him. And the well-deserved slap across the face she'd given him was only a sign that the relationship between them would last forever.
Apollo was snapped back into reality by the faint beeping sounds of Widget, the AI that Athena carried around with her around her neck. He glanced over at the yellow-clad lawyer, now staring intently at him, and sat up straight. The brunette lawyer cleared his throat and leaned over before politely asking what she was working on.
"You." She replied, typing in a couple more numbers. "I can't take it anymore! I'm going to figure out what's wrong with you right now!"
Oh no.
Apollo's hands went up in defense.
"No, really Athena, you don't need to do that! I'm fine!" he explained hurriedly, his voice laced with anxiety.
Of course she didn't buy it. "I can hear the discord in your heart, Apollo. There's something that you're not telling me. You just sit there for hours on end and your heart rate spikes up for no reason at all!"
Somehow he thought that continuing his attempt to dissuade her would work.
"Listen, Athena, I'm just fine! Don't worry about me…!" He chuckled nervously, but Widget caught him even before he finished speaking.
"The amount of fear in your voice when you said that is extremely abnormal." She mused, glancing up at him for a split second. "It's okay, you can tell me! What are you scared about?"
He panicked.
"I'm fine, Athena, really. I was just thinking about something and I -"
"What were you thinking about? I don't know many people whose hearts sound like that when they are just thinking."
Every moment passed continuing to talk about this made his palms begin to sweat. Apollo could feel his mind start racing, exactly like it had when he was a child.
"A-Athena," he stammered. "Just let it go. I'm fine now, okay?"
"But the Mood Matrix says -"
All of a sudden, the truth, the truth that he had never wanted to come out – not here, not now, not possibly ever – sprung to his mind. His lips trembled for a moment. Should he let this escape? They were in the middle of a big trial and they both needed all their focus on the case at hand lest they get a guilty verdict, but the thought would not dispel itself.
"Apollo…? His partner continued. "Your heart is doing the thing again…!"
"I can't tell you how upset I was with myself."
The relief began to flow through him, like he had be stuck with a tranquilizer dart. He looked up to catch Athena's confused expression and wear a sad smile.
"The eye patch didn't help me much. I could still see every one of your tells. That bothered me more than you could ever imagine. I would gouge out my eyes if it would stop me from perceiving that thing you do with your earring when you're nervous."
Athena's expression became solemn as Widget's whispered "BYE BYE" felt like he was leaving them to their moment.
Apollo felt unconsciously for his bracelet as he let out a nervous chuckle.
"But after you were proven innocent, the amount of simultaneous guilt and relief was something I'd never felt before. I've never at once felt so at peace, but at the same time, so extremely terrible. To this day, I wish you would have punched me. It probably would have made me feel better."
Athena's upper lip twitched into something reminiscent of a perplexed smirk.
"You're the reason I've been acting so strangely, Athena – sometimes I'll become so immersed in just the idea of you that I'm afraid my thoughts might swallow me up. I can't help but love the way you're so forgiving and so headstrong about your beliefs. I don't know anyone that would stick with someone after they accused them for murder…"
The bailiff, short and stocky, cleared his throat before yelling into the large room. "THE RECESS HAS CONCLUDED. WILL EVERYONE PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO THE COURTROOM -"
"HOLD ON A MINUTE!" Athena cried out in a mildly frustrated tone, not taking her eyes off of her partner for a split second. She paused afterward, carefully playing with the ponytail that perched itself on the side of her head. "Go ahead, Apollo."
"I actually really admire you," he continued, the words flowing freely out of him now, "I've never met anyone so driven. The fire in your eyes when you stand at the defense bench…your enthusiasm inspires me every day. I can't wait to see how you'll grow and improve. I just hope I'll be right next to you while it happens."
He watched her face darken a shade or two as she slowly raised a hand to either side of her face.
"I guess what I'm trying to say, Athena, is that…no matter how skilled I was at stuffing down my feelings, I don't think I'll ever be able to escape my feelings for you."
There they were. The words that he felt had been kept captive inside him for years. And he felt such relief because of it. Like he had just boarded a rocket and launched out into space like Mr. Starbuck.
Athena's eyes, wide and blue as ever, stared deeply into his, as if searching for some kind of sign. She stood slowly, hands tightly clasped to either side of her face.
"No…no hint of sarcasm…and your heart," she stepped in close as he stood as well. "It's beating so quickly, but…you mean it…!"
Apollo could feel the tips of his ears burn red as he nodded.
Her mouth opened into the widest, most genuine smile he'd ever seen, quickly taking hold of his hands with hers as she let go of a dreamy sigh.
"Apollo, I -"
"ATHENA CYKES AND APOLLO JUSTICE, YOU ARE NEEDED IN COURTROOM NUMBER FOUR." Came the bailiff's booming voice.
The girl's ponytail swished as she quickly turned her head to glance from the courtroom doors to her partner.
"We're gonna have to talk about this later." He could tell from her voice that he was disappointed, but he made sure to smile for her.
"It's okay." He squeezed her hands affectionately. "We have plenty of time."
Athena nodded and guided him towards the doors with one of her hands still entwined with his, the other swinging casually at her side.
"Apollo?" she inquired as the two of them re-entered the courtroom.
"Yes?"
"Your hands are really sweaty."