Morning Song
...
The trial is won, and the truth has finally been brought to light.
The weight of seven heavy years on Simon's shoulders has lifted, but he can't quite comprehend what is going on. His mind is numb and his eyes bleary; he still feels as if, at any moment now, his name will be called and he'll have to shuffle out of the prison cell to his own execution.
But then he feels arms latch themselves around his neck and looks up just in time to see Athena throw herself onto him in pure joy. Even though he can feel the eyes of the entire courtroom lobby on them, Simon can't help but smile, awkwardly patting her back. Her enthusiasm is contagious, he realizes.
"Simon, we did it!" she beams as she pulls away, tears in her eyes.
That evening, they have a celebratory dinner at her apartment. It has been long since Simon has interacted with anyone outside of the courtroom, so he finds himself greatly lacking in social skills. But Athena doesn't seem to mind. She cooks them dinner and they stay up until the early hours of the morning watching sappy romance movies (much to his dismay) and just talking about the last few years.
"You know," she confides in him after a while, "these past seven years have been the worst years of my life."
He silently agrees. They must have been harder on her than on him, though. He can only imagine the pain she must have gone through every single day. As for him, he didn't mind going to his execution as long as Athena was safe. He would have done anything for her sake.
Then the momentary pained look on her face disappears, and she grins. "Well, what matters is that it's all over now!" she says. "I'm just glad you're still by my side."
"You won't be rid of me that easily," he tells her stiffly, but allows himself to smile nevertheless. Athena laughs.
"You know, Simon, you try so hard to be intimidating, but I know that inside you're just a big softie." At once, he opens his mouth to object that he's not a "big softie," but then she snuggles closer to him on the couch. He bolts upright at her touch, his heart pounding.
"Jeez, relax," she says, noticing his discomfort (and embarrassment). "It's just me, after all." Before he can protest, she rests her head on his shoulder and, throwing the blankets over them both, proceeds to tell him stories from her time working at the Wright Anything Agency. He allows her to lean on him with a half-hearted grumble. Listening to her silently, he nods every now and then, but his mind drifts off and he realizes just how lucky he is to be alive right now.
But before long, he jerks back to the present and realizes that Athena has fallen asleep. Her head has fallen to his chest and she's snoring.
Simon thinks about teasing her about it when she wakes up, but instead he simply adjusts his position on the couch to make himself more comfortable, then closes his eyes. He catches a whiff of her hair, citrus and vanilla, and smiles softly, thinking to himself that he's never been happier in his life.