THEPUDZ

PROMPT: APOLLO RETURNS TO TRUCY. (KEEP IN MIND, THIS CHAPTER AND THE LAST ONE ARE LINKED.)

"Daddy! I got some stuff from the market!"

Trucy carried three extremely large paper bags in her arms, walking up the stairs to the office. Phoenix had sent her to grab some food for the agency, a task she usually did for long days at the office. The weather was looking to be sunny and nice. She carried the bags effortlessly up the stairs, almost sprinting as she did so.

It was just another day at the office, really. Phoenix wrote paperwork, Athena was on her way and the morning sun rose over the horizon. The twenty year old magician still had that young, childlike spirit in her, but she had matured a bit. She reached the door of the office, and noticing it was closed, Trucy knocked on the door. "Daddy! I'm outside the door!"

Trucy waited a bit for Phoenix to come and open the door like he normally did, but all she could hear on the other side was Phoenix taking a phone call. "So… You won't scare her, right? She'd be pretty fragile when she sees you…"

Trucy knew Phoenix was taking a call from a client, but it sounded pretty emotional. Trucy would have to open the door herself. She tried to lean all the large paper bags on one arm, using her free arm to open the door.

As soon as the door did open, Trucy lost balance and plummeted into the office, sending the items inside the paper bags sprawling across the floor. "Oh, no! S-sorry, Daddy!"

Phoenix looked over to her daughter as she crawled across the floor to pick up the shopping items. He smiled to himself, before going back to his phone call. Trucy crawled across the floor to pick up the food items. Grape juice for Phoenix, some magic props for her, more paper to print, some nice Snackoos, Athena's orange juice, Apollo's apple juice…

Wait… Apollo's apple juice? Trucy picked up the juice carton, and her expression immediately dropped. Dammit… I still accidentally buy these things two years later… He's gone, Trucy! And he's never coming back…

Two years had gone since Apollo stayed behind in Khura'in. About a month after he stayed behind, Thalassa came to tell Trucy that Apollo was her half-brother. What was supposed to be a nice moment turned into Trucy screaming at her mother for not telling her and then locking herself in her own room. She missed Apollo so damn much, even more then her biological father when he disappeared. Trucy placed the juice carton in the fridge anyway, saving it for when, maybe, Apollo would return someday.

She kneeled before the mini fridge, looking down at the floor with sadness. She heard footsteps outside the agency and assumed it was Athena coming in for the day. Trucy quickly picked up her mood. She had to be the glimmer of hope, the beaming smile for everyone else. Although, for the past two years, Athena's smile slowly dropped.

Trucy opened the door, and beamed a full smile as she did so in order to somehow brighten up Athena's morning. "Morning, Thena! I got some…"

Trucy's eyes slowly widened, and her smile dropped into an unhinged jaw. On the other side of that door was Athena in her work wear. But besides her stood someone else, someone very familiar, very important…

Her big brother, Apollo Justice.

"He came to my apartment just last night. He's here to stay this time, Truce." Athena said happily. Trucy remained staring up at her older brother, not moving or doing… Anything, really.

"I suspect you're gonna hate me, too? I wouldn't blame you." Apollo sighed. Trucy didn't react at all, instead continuing to stare like a toddler. Apollo awkwardly raised his arms up for a hug. Phoenix watched as his daughter saw Apollo for the first time in years. He secretly hoped Trucy would love her all the same.

Slowly, Trucy's lip closed, and started to wobble. Her eyes narrowed, and Apollo knew what was coming. He quickly wrapped both arms around his sister, and then, she started to bawl.

She wrapped both arms around Apollo, gripping his waistcoat and holding onto it as if letting go would make him disappear again. She howled, harder than she ever had in her entire life. Her tears soaked into Apollo's chest. "P-Polly…. I missed you so mu-much…" Trucy sobbed. "D-don't… Ever go again… P-Pleaaaaaase…"

Apollo held his sister closer to him, rubbing her smooth hair. "It's okay, Truce… You won't ever see me leave again. My work in Khura'in is done, and I don't plan on abandoning you again."

Trucy felt great comfort with those words, and her grip tightened on Apollo's waistcoat, but her sobs started getting weaker. "Th-thank yooooou…."

Her howls echoed across her words, but finally, after what seemed like hours, Trucy let go of Apollo, and placed both hands on his chest. She still had tears in her eyes, and some were streaming down her cheeks, but she managed to smile back up at the man.

"A-after all… I've been without an assistant for two years…"