This chapter ended up being really long. Long enough that I decided to split it into two chapters.

And now you know why this update took so long! :D

(Please don't kill me…)

Needless to say, Apollo was a little jittery the next day at work.

He could barely look Phoenix in the eye as he passed him in the reception area; his insular posture and quick, long strides allowed him to imply, rather than actually flat-out say, (Hello, yes, I'm not ditching work, I'm here, ).

He made sure to make it into the safety of his office before Phoenix could say anything, but couldn't completely shake off the interested, questioning look the man gave him as he shut the door.

He would have been content to have worked from his office all day, but he currently had no clients, and when Phoenix poked his head into the room insisting that he help him study for the upcoming bar exam, Apollo had to remind himself that it was technically improper to refuse a request from his employer.

"Hand me the EA-3 files, then please cross-reference this list of names against the victim's regular customers."

Apollo silently and awkwardly pulled a binder off of the shelf. When he handed it to Phoenix, the latter noticed the way Apollo's eyes shifted nervously towards the side.

He raised an eyebrow, "Everything alright?"

"YES!!" Apollo's spine practically popped with how quickly he jerked straight.

Phoenix leaned back in his chair, slightly amused, "Alright, alright. Indoor voice, please, Apollo."

The defense attorney sheepishly handed the documents over. When Phoenix merely smiled as he accepted the papers, Apollo remained wary. He had yet to hear a peep out of his boss about what had happened yesterday—not a single quip, joke, or retort. In fact, he had yet to hear a jab from Phoenix about anything in general, which made Apollo just as tense as anything else.

It was honestly more nerve-wracking than the onslaught of teasing he had been expecting, mostly because he was constantly on edge expecting it, except nothing was being done or said to unwind the tension.

After a moment of intensely considering the files in front of him, Phoenix slowly lifted his head back up, throwing the defense attorney a scrutinizing look, "…Um, Apollo?"

"Y-yes, sir?"

Phoenix frowned, "That cross-reference…?"

Phoenix winced as Apollo, already straight and tense as it was, somehow managed to draw himself up even higher, clutching the papers close to his chest "Oh gosh, I'm sorry! I'll go get that now!"

Phoenix tried very hard not to stare too raptly as Apollo literally spun on the back of one heel to turn towards the door, looking embarrassed as he made his way to reach for the handle.

Phoenix stopped him right as the young man was about to step through the frame, "Sure there isn't anything you want to tell me?"

Apollo looked back at him, mouth twisting and turning in on itself as he chewed through his thoughts.

He rubbed the back of his neck, and for a second Phoenix was reminded of Gumshoe, "Nothing, it's just…well…"

Phoenix just stretched his arms back and placed them behind his head, leaned back and rested a leg on one knee; he didn't say anything, just raised his eyebrows and smiled his usual shit-eating grin, exuding a devil-may-care aura across the distance that said for him, (Well what?)

It made Apollo wonder why he had previously been practically running to do errands for the man, and with a grimace he said, "You're not going to say anything about…you know, yesterday?"

Unexpectedly, Phoenix looked genuinely confused, "I thought I already gave you a stern talking to?"

"Well yes, but…I mean…," Apollo went a shade darker, "you're not going to tease me about it?"

And Phoenix actually laughed at this point, a short, single syllable of sound and mirth, "Come on—I don't tease you that much."

Apollo's shoulders sagged, "It's my impression that you routinely go out of your way to make my life harder than it needs to be."

"Oooh, ouch," the smile on his face clearly indicated Phoenix felt otherwise, "Where's your proof?"

"You bullied me into taking this job."

Phoenix was almost hurt by how quick the response came, but only almost.

"Hey, it's not as if you didn't actually want it."

"You were a completely uncooperative witness during my first trial."

"Everybody likes a bit of drama to spice up the courtroom."

"You didn't even have the grace to tell me that I was using forged evidence."

"Ah," here Phoenix rubbed at his jaw, as if remembering something painful, but chuckling all the same, "Alright, you got me there. I won't say I didn't deserve that one, either."

Apollo clutched at the papers pressed against his chest, at a loss for words—this was so weird. Phoenix was being so…so forthright and, and…had he just let Apollo win an argument?

He cleared his throat, "So why aren't you?"

Phoenix tapped his own stack of papers against the wood of the desk, looking like he was nearly done with this exchange and wanted to get back to his work, "Why aren't I what?"

Apollo pouted, "Teasing me about yesterday?"

Phoenix took a moment to gently place the pile in front of him, even-faced, "Hmmm. Well, as much as I like my hobbies, I'm afraid I'm quite busy at the moment with the bar exam coming up in a week."

Apollo started a bit at this, (Oh yeah, the exam is next week.)

It had up until this point completely slipped his mind that the exam was so close.

Phoenix casually propped his chin up in his hand and gave him a smile, "Sorry I don't have the time to come up with witty remarks about your sex life."

And then there were just papers everywhere.

Apollo wasn't even sure how he'd managed to fumble the papers he'd been carrying when all he'd been doing was standing still in one spot, but he was grateful that picking them up off the floor gave him an excuse to not respond to this latest statement, because he was pretty sure there wasn't any way to answer it that wasn't embarrassing. He could feel Phoenix watching him with interest, laughing silently.

"R-right," he hugged the papers close to him again, tighter this time, "I'll just…get these looked at."

Phoenix said warmly, "Yes, you do that."

Apollo coughed and headed clumsily towards the door, trying to avoid eye-contact. Well, that had certainly filled his awkward quota for the day.

He was reaching for the doorknob, when for some reason, a small thought tugged at the back of his mind—no words, just a whim—and he glanced thoughtfully back at Phoenix.

He had stopped paying attention to the defense attorney's exit and was completely enthralled in his work. Apollo watched for a moment, for some reason absorbed in the way the older man bent over the pages, so clearly involved and earnest about his studies. Maybe it was his sense of appreciation for good and honest hard work—maybe it was just nostalgia for the ideals of his youth—but Apollo couldn't help but feel a sort of calm wash over him as he took in the sight of Phoenix being serious about something.

After awhile of this consideration, Apollo said freely, "You're not at all what I expected you to be, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix's head lifted absentmindedly, "Oh?"

Apollo's mouth twitched upwards slightly.

In some ways, this image of Phoenix—of him sitting at his desk and being just so devoted to the cause of justice—was in every way the image of his childhood-hero.

And yet, in every other conceivable way that didn't actually matter, Phoenix was the complete antithesis of what he had expected. That stupid beanie was still sitting snuggly on top of his spikes, as always; the five-o-clock shadow and the hoodie gave off the vague impression of homelessness, or at least an ineptitude to general cleanliness; the bottle resting to his side, although most certainly filled with harmless contents, did nothing to help this image.

Phoenix was without a doubt one of the most infuriating people he could imagine working for.

He was haughty, often purposefully confusing, and he kept the office looking like an entire magicians troupe had taken up residence, instead of the one usual teenaged novice.

He didn't keep the pens stocked. He didn't greet him in the morning with a tilt of the head and a sugary-sweet smile. He cursed openly when Trucy wasn't around, and his posture was unprofessional.

Phoenix was tactless, he was laid-back, he was light-hearted—

He was absolutely everything Kristoph Gavin wasn't.

"But maybe," Apollo broke into a full out smile, soft but wide, "that's not such a bad thing."

At about half past three, right on cue, Apollo heard the bell on the office main entrance jingling, alerting him to the fact that Trucy had arrived. When he didn't see her head poking around his door after a minute or so, he concluded that she had decided to check up on her father first, which meant that he could rest for a couple more minutes before the usual barrage of invasive questions about him and Klavier began. He sighed, rubbed at his temples, and tried to focus on the back log of reports he knew he should've finished a week ago.

Apollo actually felt quite accomplished at the fact that he'd managed to add an extra half inch to his finished pile before Trucy finally popped cheerfully into his office.

"Hey Polly!" she gave him her usual pep-filled greeting.

"Afternoon, Trucy," he gave her a tired smile back, rubbing at his report-fatigued eyes with the back of his hand.

"Tired?"

"A little, yeah."

She grinned, "Not surprising, considering yesterday."

Apollo started, already feeling the color in his cheeks, "…what?"

Trucy giggled, "You and Klavier got really friendly in the reception area. I can only imagine what that led to later."

"You weren't supposed to see that!" Apollo's eyes bulged at this point, because he was not having this conversation with a fifteen year old, much less the daughter of his boss, "A-and it did not, uh…" his voice trailed off, "lead to anything of the sort…"

There was more giggling on Trucy's part, "Now now Polly, you don't have to be shy. He's your boyfriend; it's very natural to want to—"

"Geez, Trucy, okay," Apollo started frantically waving his hands in front of his face, "I'm a grown man, and I do not need to hear…the talk from a young girl."

Trucy crossed her arms and pursed, "Hey! I'm not stupid! I'm fifteen you know! I know what sex is!"

Apollo's head hit the desk with a very loud and painful thunk, "Oh my god, Trucy. Can we please not talk about this?"

"Aw, come on, I was just curious…"

"Trucy," and maybe it came out a little harsher than he meant it, because the young girl actually looked taken aback, "What I do—or do not do—in my private life is exactly that: private."

There was a beat of silence as Trucy continued to give him a dear-in-the-headlights look, then awkwardly began toeing the floor, and Apollo actually felt something akin to remorse drop down his stomach, because this was quite possibly the first time since he could remember that Trucy didn't have something in reply to say.

"Um…well, I mean..," he tried to find somewhere to start, but found his mouth stumbling over words.

She rubbed at the back of her neck in a dejected sort of way, "…I didn't know I was bothering you. I'll just…I'll just stop."

Trucy's eyes weren't watering, but if he thought about it, Apollo almost would've preferred tears over the subdued tone that her voice carried, certainly not a whisper or a meek mutter, but a few decibels lower than normal, enough to mark a difference.

When the ensuing quiet was more than just a little awkward, Trucy echoed herself, "…I was just curious."

Apollo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "No, it's okay."

There was more uncomfortable silence, and then Apollo inelegantly offered, "Do you…ah…" (how exactly does one cheer up a teenage girl, again?), "maybe want a hug?...or something…"

When Trucy shuffled side-ways over to his desk without a word, just tucked her chin in and tilted sad, expectant eyes up to look at him, he took it as an affirmation. Sighing through his nose, he got up, and was immediately enveloped around the waist by thin arms. He patted Trucy on the head in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

He decided not to mention that his breathing felt a little constricted at this point.

"It just makes me really happy that Klavier makes you happy, that's all," she said, her words getting swallowed up by the fabric of his vest, "Because you're important to me."

"Gee Trucy, I didn't know you cared so much."

Trucy frowned, squeezing tighter, and Apollo had to switch to shallow breathing as she said, "Of course I care, you big stupid head."

He felt her expression soften against him as her grip suddenly loosened a bit, and she continued, "Before it was just me and Daddy; I don't have any brothers or sisters; my best friend lives all the way up the mountain," Apollo tried very hard to stay his curiosity and not ask, "It's nice having you around the office."

"It's nice being around the office," Apollo said sincerely.

If he regretted saying it, it was only because it made Trucy hug him excessively tight again, "And Klavier does make you happy, right?"

Before he could say anything, she was looking up at him, all wide-eyed and serious, "Because if he turns out like all those other typical rock-stars—if he makes you cry then I'm gonna make him disappear! And I won't bring him back for the final act!"

Apollo actually laughed a little, "Yes, yes, he makes me very happy."

And as he said it, he couldn't help but feel his chest lighten, and he knew he wasn't saying it just to appease Trucy. He was also pretty sure his cheeks were turning slightly pink, but for once he didn't mind.