Title: Mistake
Fandom: Ace Attorney
Prompt: What is her worst flaw [according to you]? What does she think her worst flaw is?
Characters: Athena Cykes, Simon Blackquill
Word Count: 652
Summary: In hindsight, perhaps Simon wasn't the best person to call in her moment of weakness.
Notes: Spirit of Justice spoilers, but not major plot ones. Takes place before the civil trial against you-know-who in Turnabout Revolution.


"The wrong airport?"

Even Simon sounded surprised at this, and Athena flinched in embarrassment, barely clinging to her phone as she spoke. "I know," she gasped desperately, "I know. I'm the worst!"

"How long were you asleep?"

"I- I don't know," she admitted, with some hesitation.

"A security guard woke me up."

"Did you flip him?" he asked. He didn't miss a beat.

"Simon!"

"It's a fair question." On his end of the line, Simon shrugged, though he was unable to hide the teasing smirk in his voice. Athena, who was normally the one with the jovial sense of humor, did not find it nearly as funny; but nevertheless, she conceded the point. Simon continued when she didn't protest. "My next one might be why you decided to call me instead of Wright-dono."

"I already called Wright-dono," she replied, more sharply than intended. He pointedly ignored her mocking use of the honorific. "He . . . got another ride. He's fine."

"Then I fail to see the problem."

Athena groaned in frustration. Of course he didn't get it, and yet—why did she decide to call him of all people, in that moment? She stopped then, presumably to catch her breath. There was no use in rushing anyway—by the time she made it back to Apollo and the others, the day would be over, and so would any of their investigations. "I'm just . . . such an airhead," she croaked miserably.

It wasn't often Athena humbled herself, or admitted her own faults. Since it didn't sound like she was done, Simon didn't say anything to encourage or discourage her.

"I could have double-checked his flight info?" she offered, for starters. "I could have confirmed the airport with him, but I just . . . didn't even think about that. I forgot. Or, I just assumed—and I mean, did I really have to fall asleep? I just can't believe—"

Oh, she was ranting now. Simon had that effect on her, she realized. Choking on her own words, she half-wondered if he'd already hung up on her, but of course, she could still hear him.

"You know, you can stop me any time."

"Oh?" He playfully considered the idea for a second, before the teasing continued. "And why would I do that, when you're right on all counts?" There was a beat, before he added under his breath: "For once."

Athena started to walk again, mouth open in protest. She closed it, opened it, and shut it all over again before words finally came out. "You've never comforted anybody in your whole life, have you?"

She wasn't sure herself whether she'd meant that to be rhetorical, or if she even meant it at all. She certainly didn't intend to come off as callous or accusing, but regardless, Simon's non-answer pretty much told her what she needed to know: "Naturally, I thought that was your job."

". . . It is," she said, as if only just then remembering.

"Do you feel better?"

Athena thought about it. Her face still felt warm from all her running and embarrassment. Her throat was even getting a little sore, and yet she felt lighter somehow, talking openly about the mistake she made. She bit her lip, frustration lingering. "Yes."

"Good," Simon replied. Again, he no longer saw the problem. "Then come home. Eat something and laugh it off, as you always do. Rest, and—"

He stopped abruptly, and she hung on his word. Was he trying to bait her into prompting him for more? If so, it worked.

"And?"

"Don't be late tomorrow."

Athena sighed, but there was a smile behind it. The simplicity of his words was comforting, she supposed, and she had to appreciate that. She shook her head. "Yeah. I'd better not be," she began. Then it was Simon's turn to prompt her. "Because—"

"Because?"

She took a deep breath and twirled Widget in her fingers. "I get the feeling Apollo's going to need me."


A/N: Hey there! Amm here.

This is a project I decided to take on during the month of November 2016 for the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge. As you probably guessed, it will be a series of short stories that are (mostly) unconnected, but all center on Simon Blackquill, Athena Cykes, or both of them together. Each story aims to answer a question posed in the form of a prompt. Since the tone and nature of the questions vary, so will the stories . . . so I hope you enjoy the ride!

I decided to pick something short and light-hearted to start off with. This one flowed fairly naturally and didn't fight me, so hopefully it reads well and puts a smile on your face. Let me know what you think? Comments/reviews are always welcome, positive or negative.

Either way, thanks for reading. 'til next time, and happy holidays!