Note: My creativity spontaneously spawned this idea in the middle of the night.
"Wake up…"
"Nrgh…"
"Please wake up… I really need to talk to you about something…"
It was late at night. In the darkened, crowded living room in the Wright Anything Agency, Apollo Justice begrudgingly woke up to the urging of a girl nudging him awake. He could see through his grogginess and night vision that it was Trucy via her shape.
Apollo was having a nice sleep session on the couch. Athena was sleeping over with Simon in Aura's household to keep an eye on the place together. Phoenix was abroad in the far reaches of Asia. So Apollo and Trucy were left to hold the fort down together.
He rubbed his eyes and gave out a huge yawn, and then groaned at her. "Can't this wait until morning, Trucy?"
"No, it can't, Polly," she replied almost instantly. "I've been having nightmares about this for some time. Daddy only knows about this and I'd talk to him about it, normally but you're the only one who I can talk to right now so, please hear me out."
Apollo forced out a yawn once again and felt his way through the darkened room to find the light switch. He made his way to the door which had the light switch next to it and then slowly flicked it on. With one hand, he shielded his eyes from the light since it was going to take some time for his eyes to get used to it.
Once he got used to how lit the room was, he could see normally. Apollo looked over at Trucy and the big-forehead attorney couldn't believe his eyes. She was looking at him somberly with tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. He grew concerned. This had to be something very troublesome.
Apollo walked back to the couch and sat down on the right side. With his left hand, he patted the left side of the couch to signal Trucy to sit down next to him, which she did.
"Alright, tell me what's on your mind."
Trucy stuttered a few moments before being able to say what she wanted Apollo to hear. "Apollo, I've been thinking about what I've gone through my life lately. I never really experienced being a kid."
"Well, you do kinda behave like a kid…" Apollo replied, scratching the back of his head. He really wasn't sure of what she meant by that.
To which she replied, "No, I mean. Like, you know how most kids go to school, go on the playground, and then make sandwiches with their best friends?"
Apollo was still confused at her. He clearly didn't remember doing anything like that with Clay, except for going to school, and playing on playgrounds.
When she saw that Apollo wasn't catching on, she continued with, "I haven't really got to be a kid. I became a professional as early as eight years old. Do you remember the Vera trial? You know, the one where it practically centered on the Gramayres?"
How could he ever forget? "Yes, Trucy. I know what you're talking about. How can I forget a case like that? That bunch had some really rotten luck that really spread."
She rolled her eyes at Apollo at his disrespect to her original family's name, "They are not a bunch! Ugh." Trucy regained her composure. "Anyway… When I met my new daddy for the first time, he told me that I had no living relatives… Not a single one. I imagine since I was still little at the time, I wouldn't get how painful it was to hear something like that at first but now that those words have rung through my head again and again… It's…oh…"
Trucy couldn't stop herself from sobbing. She used both her hands to cover her crying face. Apollo took action, and gently rubbed her back with his left hand. He couldn't think of anything to say but he thought that this would be enough for now.
Trucy wasn't done talking, so she steeled herself together and lifted her head from out of the nest made from her hands. "Apollo, tell me something. I need to know… Do I… For people to be considered family, do I have to be related to them by blood?"
Apollo, with his left hand still rubbing on the young magician's back, thought that it was a question with a simple answer, but he thought that his answer wouldn't be enough.
"It's okay, Apollo… Just please answer me as best as you can," she reassured him, as if she could tell what Apollo was thinking.
It sometimes frightened him with how quick she is to catch on to the habits of people, whether they're nervous or not. So he took a deep breath and spoke his mind with pure honesty. "No, Trucy. It isn't true."
"Huh?"
With his left hand, he gently laid it on her right shoulder and made her turn to face him directly in the eyes. "Trucy, I'll never know what it feels like to not have any blood-related family left. So I can't help you feel better there. But, Trucy, family is also the people who you love with all your heart and trust to be there for you whenever you need them. I'm not going to lie, I thought you were a fishy girl who gave me a fishy card that stunk when I first met you. But as we went through my first trials together and how much you help me, I felt as though I could…trust you to never betray me. You were the one who taught me how to use an ability I didn't even know I had. Since then, my respect for you deepened. And sure, I still think you can be ditzy and childish but I know that you'll come through for me in a pinch whenever I need you."
Trucy placed a hand over her mouth in shock. "P-Polly! You really mean that?" She knew Apollo wasn't much for words so this was a rare thing for her to witness.
He crossed his arms at her and gave a reassuring sunny look at her. "Of course I mean it! Mr. Wright was lucky to have you when he was going through a dark time in his life. And we all feel lucky to have you around to greet us whenever we walk through that door. When business is running slow with our law agency, you keep us afloat with your magic shows. You're one of us, no matter how different you may be!"
"Thank you, Polly."
Trucy scooted close to Apollo and gave him a hug. It only made Apollo feel happier to have her around. He couldn't lie to himself; he loved Trucy and he knew she loved him, too.
As they separated, however, Trucy had another question escape from her throat. "I just have one request, from you, Polly…"
"Anything you want, as long as you're not going to sing that old song again."
Trucy giggled a bit, knowing what he meant which was asking him to become her new assistant. "Actually, it's different. I was asking you if you could…"
"…Yes?"
"Would you… Be my brother?"
Apollo blinked twice at surprise at her. "Wh-What? What brought this up?"
Trucy gave out a pouty face as she put both hands on her hips. "Well, to be honest, I envy Athena with how she gets to assist you on the bench! Doesn't she realize that I used to be your assistant and taught you everything you know about perceiving the truth? I'm also a little embarrassed to say that I'm a little jealous of how you and her get along."
"Heh… Heh…" So this is what it's about? Jealousy for his attention? She really does think like a kid. He couldn't help himself from laughing out loud several times at Trucy for how she put that. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha-Ow!" He was interrupted by a punch to the stomach from Trucy. "Was that even…necessary…?"
"You don't ever laugh at girls when they're angry!" Trucy scolded at him.
Apollo coughed twice before replying to her. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Trucy. Anyway, of course I'll be your brother! As a matter of fact… You kinda already are like my sister."
"E-Eh? Really, Polly?" Trucy didn't really understand what Apollo was saying.
He nodded. "Yup. Now that you mentioned your family… I remember something about a photograph of your mother, Thalassa Gramarye from Mr. Wright."
She cocked her head to one side. "What about it?"
Apollo's expression suddenly became serious. He was trending over some hot waters here. "Well, you see… She had on these bracelets. Both of them look exactly like my own…"
Trucy shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a coincidence, Apollo. Don't get ahead of yourself." "He's taking the new brother thing way too serious."
"Impossible."
"E-Eh!?"
Apollo lowered his gaze with a smirk. "Mr. Wright said that there are only two bracelets like that in the world during his investigation. Also, Trucy, your perception ability is something of genetics. It's something only those of the Gramayre bloodline can have. Since it turns out I have this ability to, and no one else does…"
Trucy gasped aloud and felt more tears rising to the surface of her eyes. "A-Amazing… S-So… Th-That means that you and I really are…"
Apollo gave out a hollow laugh. What a joy it would be if they really were brother and sister. "It really does seem very likely but there's still so much we do not know from Mr. Wright. I feel like he's hiding things from us again, just like the days when he didn't have his attorney's badge. Don't get me wrong… It would be amazing if you were really my sister, but… I'd hate to think that Mr. Wright might tell me I was wrong, you know?"
"W-Well… Why wouldn't he tell us this, if he's hiding it, then?!" Trucy asked with smoldering anger.
"Maybe… Maybe he's waiting until the right time to tell us. But wow, looking back on that case and rethinking the facts, it makes me think that it's a definite possibility that we are siblings..."
She leered at him. "What are you talking about, Polly? You just said you'd be my brother a second ago!"
"H-Huh?" He felt confused at her.
Trucy felt pumped and ready to go take on the world. "Yeah! If it turns out we're not related by blood, so what? You're still my family, like you just said, right?! I've got you and you got me and that's why I'm able to smile! Because you're with me!"
Again, he gave out a hollow laugh at her. Ah, how she's quirky as always. "You're right. Hey. Let's keep this our secret, okay, Trucy? This never happened." Apollo lifted his right pinky towards her.
"Yay! A pinkie promise! I always wanted to do one of these! I love you, Apollo!"
With a wide smile on each of their faces, they entangled their right pinkies together making their first promise as brother and sister. As they looked straight at each other with their pinkies intertwining, they each shared a joyous laughter.
"I'm still not going to be her assistant, though." Apollo thought in his mind.