This is probably slightly canon divergent, as I am finishing AA4 and haven't played AA:DD. This takes place between the two games.
Seeing what the great Phoenix Wright had become sure had hit hard in the strong admiration Apollo had for the man. But he also knows that his admiration never fully went away. Sure, he was disappointed with how the man could act at times, but despite all that, his admiration survived somewhere deep in him, protected by the hope that, one day, Mr Wright would get back to what he used to be. That he could see for himself what the man really was when in court behind the defence bench.
He would probably not say aloud that he still looked up to the man in a way. Showing more annoyance towards the carefree way the man often acted and how vague and mysterious he seemed to love being with him. It was genuinely driving him up the walls at times. It was frustrating when he couldn't read him and what he was trying to tell while also hiding half of it.
But he could accept that he still had admiration for the man he had looked up to for so long, especially while studying law. That was something he allowed himself to do. It was probably something anyone would accept him to do actually, himself included. He was certain many already expected or thought he still admired the man (despite the bad public opinion some people still had even after his name was cleared).
Yet, he would deny with his whole being that over his first months working at the Wright Anything Agency this admiration had grown into something more. Something stronger. Something he shouldn't be feeling.
He refuses to accept the way he would get flustered easily with the man (especially when he would praise him) or at least more easily than he would normally do, how his heart would start beating faster at times, how he has had dreams about the man and not always innocents one.
He knew it was very likely futile to actually lie to himself about it, but what could he really do if he decided to accept it fully without repressing it all to the back of his mind? He didn't believe that he had any chance with the older man. What was there realistically for the older man to want with someone nearly a decade his junior? Someone who was technically working for him too.
Apollo could truly not find anything about himself that would attract the man, aside from his looks maybe (but even then, he had no clue what were Wright's tastes or if he was even interested in man). Wright didn't strike him as the kind to run after people younger than him, if he was running after anyone that is.
And so repressing his feeling made him able to enjoy his time at the Wright Anything Agency without making him wish for more (at least, not too loudly in his mind). As much as he could grumble about how Wright was, he still had good times with him.
He cherished the late-night talk when staying at the agency with the man, chatting about past cases or one Apollo had finished himself recently. He had good times going to Trucy's magic show with the man, sharing drinks with him. He could enjoy in a way the times when the older man managed to convince him to play poker, even if it meant teaching him how to play the first couple of times.
It was only after months of working at the Wright Anything Agency that he started to let himself accept a little the feeling he had for the man. He wasn't sure what had made him slowly decide to accept it, even if not fully.
Maybe it was the way the man had clearly warmed up to him. Maybe it was the little flirting he seemed to be doing at times (or maybe it was just normal teasing, he wasn't sure). Maybe it was how the man seemed to trust his capability as a lawyer even when others weren't always sure because of his age and experience. Maybe it was because even while being laid-back and cryptic, the man was still looking out for him and cared for him in a way.
From then on it was over for him. Allowing himself that little bit of acceptance led to himself doing so again and again afterwards. Always a little more here and there, when it truly felt too much for him to say it was only as little as he accepted to let it be. There was always something new that would force him to accept and face his true feelings more.
Before he knew it, he had to accept fully that he had fallen deeply for the man. And a little voice in his head sometimes would tell him that maybe, just maybe he had a slight chance with the man. After all, they had grown closer over the time spent together, maybe if he tried the man would accept it. Maybe what he perceived as flirting was indeed flirting and not simple teasing.
Then prosecutor Edgeworth came back to Japan.
He had already heard Wright talk about him a couple of times, usually when he had a couple of drinks already. It wasn't often that the man would open up about the people he knew and cared for in the past (and very likely still cared about even now). It probably helped that Miles Edgeworth was a prosecutor, hence having a closer connection to them by their work rather than any other friends Wright had.
So the prosecutor had been mentioned a couple of times over time, but few and far between each of the mentions. Yet, after the trial for the jurist system, Apollo felt like he had heard mention of the man a little bit more than before.
Sometimes it was Wright directly mentioning him. Other it was Trucy asking for news about the man or how lunch had been with Edgeworth. Some days his boss would indeed have some "lunch meeting" with someone, a someone that Apollo could only assume to be the prosecutor.
Yet he had never correctly met the man, only a silhouette waiting for Wright at the corner near a red car, a profile just standing outside the door to the agency-apartment as Wright was ready to go out for dinner.
This led to Apollo feeling like the alone time he could have with Wright had been shortened. Something in him felt hurt and jealous about it, wishing he could have back these late-night talks or those lunch out at Eldoon's noodle stand.
But every time he would feel like this, a voice in him would go 'but why should he make time for you in the first place? you are just his employee, he passes time with you because you are already here'. And this made sense to him. What was there to really enjoy with him? aside from teasing him since he was so reactive. Mr Edgeworth had to be more interesting to talk with, even more as someone he had known for a long while.
Then he started suspecting that maybe their relationship wasn't just friendly. Some old rumours (even if not many believed it) were insinuating that maybe there had been something between the ace attorney and the devil prosecutor. Apollo had never believed in them, but he was slowly starting to wonder if maybe there were some truth behind them.
Then again, it went back to the little things he would notice. The way Trucy was so casually referring to the man by his first name. The look in Wright's eyes when he would talk about the man, something settling in his eyes that never happened when he talked about anyone else. The too fancy and delicate looking teacup that had joined the small collection of mugs in the kitchen cupboard even though none of them really drank tea nor used anything that delicate. The way Wright always seemed more relaxed and more open when he was standing next to the man (and that was noticed from looking from afar).
Hints and clues were piling up to slowly tell him that the two men were very likely lovers. The more he started to be convinced about it, the more he started to put some distance between himself and Wright. Damage control he would call it, for the inevitable crash and break of his heart when he will find the ultimate evidence of the romantic relationship between Wright and Edgeworth.
Hopefully, his attempt was subtle enough and not too obvious (especially since he knew he couldn't be as poker face as his boss, quite the contrary). Really all he needed to do, to avoid getting too close or even thinking about all this too much to the point where he wants to cry, was busying himself with work. He was also scared that if Wright were to find out about his feelings, maybe he wouldn't be able to keep working for him.
He started trying to reorganise every file and paperwork in the office when he had no client (with Wright's permission and a "good luck with that Polly"). This alone should be enough to busy himself, it was to wonder if the man had ever tried to keep the place organised.
When he wasn't doing this he was trying to find clients, visiting the detention centre to see if someone, anyone, needed a defence attorney. The guards working there probably recognised him really well by now.
He even started helping Trucy with some of her tricks, at least when it didn't seem like it would hurt him. When he didn't need to work on a case he would go and watch her shows, helping her out if needed.
Really, anything to keep himself busy so he wouldn't necessarily have the time to let his thoughts wander to a certain duo. This always left even less chance for Wright to really interact with him outside of work-related reasons (that is, when the man wasn't busy himself or out on some very-likely dates).
This is probably why he was now, after weeks of busying himself with work as if he would die otherwise, so exhausted both physically and mentally. He had just finished a case where it had been a hassle to prove his client's innocence. Maybe he could take a day off and allow Trucy to make him do whatever she wants to do for the day. Maybe he could sleep for a whole day too.
The coffee he had just made himself was probably not going to help the fatigue he was feeling nor the headache he had. Even if a day off seemed good, he still had some paperwork to finish filling after his trial. His day of work should have been finished a while ago now, but he may or may not have had a small crying session after his trial due to the stress and his unrequited love for his boss that would never be returned ('very professional Justice, very professional of you').
Had it not been for that he would very likely have already finished for the day, but he would lie if he said it didn't help to make him feel a little better. but he assumed staying a bit longer to finish his paper should be alright since Trucy had a show tonight and his boss was out on a date. Good thing no one was there, his eyes were probably still red from crying.
He sighed as he drank some coffee, massaged his temple, got out of the kitchen and was ready to get back to his desk. He was stopped in his action when he heard the door being swung open. He froze when he saw what was at the door.
Mr Edgeworth with his arms thrown around Wright's neck, kissing him as the door was being clumsily closed by the other man.
Apollo was panicked for a moment, unsure what to do with that sudden and unexpected (and uncomfortable) situation. It was probably not expected that someone was still at the office at this hour.
He supposed now he had his hard evidence that the two of them were indeed in a romantic relationship. It was hard to argue against that. It also made his chest hurt too.
He was about to retreat to the kitchen, thinking he could try faking going out of it for the first time once they had finished their little kissing session. Yet his plan was destroyed when Edgeworth seemed to notice him from the corner of his eyes, quickly stepping away from Wright, clearing his throat awkwardly. Wright looked confused, only to follow where his lover was trying to subtly point to.
"Oh, hey Polly," Wright said, clearly trying to sound as laid-back as usual, "Didn't expect you to stay late again".
Now it would be too late for him to duck back into the kitchen and hide. He would only look weird and maybe make the situation even more awkward.
"Yeah, trial today went on longer than expected because of stubborn witnesses" he explained, making his way to his desk in a way that hopefully did not look too stiff, "I was finishing up organising my papers".
After his answer, an awkward silence fell onto the room. Wright looked as if he was expecting him to tell him more about today's trial (like he would usually do), while Edgeworth looked around a little, probably unsure what to say after what just happened.
"Oh yeah," Wright said, as if he had just remembered something, "I think you two never officially met", he smiled. "Miles, this is Apollo Justice, the only employee at my agency" he presented, Apollo rolling his eyes at the way he said it, at least he presented his actual name and not only the nickname they had given him.
"Please to meet you" Edgeworth politely stated, "I have heard good words about your work" he commented. Apollo offered a small smile at the words, it did feel nice that his work was being recognised by others.
"And I am sure you already know him, Miles Edgeworth, prosecutor and also a childhood friend of mine", he stated. The younger man didn't need his bracelet to know this was a lie. 'Sorry Mr Wright, but I don't think people kiss like this when they are just childhood friends'.
Still, despite how his heart felt like it was being squeezed the same way his wrist was, he kept a smile on his lips. "A pleasure to meet you, I've also heard a lot about you too," he said, a slight silence falling again, only for him to remember just what kind of words had been running about the prosecutor even to this day and when he was studying. "I-I mean good words too! I hope I can also be as hard-working as you are".
'Good job Justice, can't you be clear from the start' he asked himself as he passed his nervous hand in his hair, looking down at the paper on his desk. 'I should probably leave so they can have their alone time'.
He started picking up his papers, putting his briefcase on his desk ready to take them with him. He could always finish them tomorrow or once he was home. Right now he felt like he wanted the ground to eat him or he would start crying again (but this time he wouldn't have the privacy of the bathroom).
He was probably not succeeding in looking alright and ready to go home happy to finally sleep, because soon enough he heard "Polly, is everything alright?". The leftover redness and puffiness of his eyes were probably not helping him look alright.
'No, I have now confirmed that the man I love is already taken by better than I could ever be' he thought to himself. Yet he looked back up towards the couple, forcing a smile on his lips, "Of course everything is alright Mr Wright" he lied, feeling the uncomfortable dug of his bracelet around his arm, "I am just a little bit tired after today's trial, that's all". This was nearly not a lie, he was indeed tired.
"Apollo" he tensed when he heard his name being used in such a serious tone instead of the familiar nickname, "is everything really alright?".
Then he felt it, the feeling of something invisible weighing on him followed by this impression of suffocating a little. If it was not for him looking up at Wright, seeing him fidget with something in his pocket, he would think he was having a panic attack or something.
Of course, the man would use the magatama on him. This made Apollo a little bit angry and desperate to run away as quickly as possible. Why was it that every time the man used it on him it was always for things like this? Truly working with people who were basically walking lie detectors was tiring sometimes (although he knew how ironic the complaint was when he was also one).
He took a deep breath, the uneasy feeling brought by the effect of the magatama was not something he really enjoyed. 'I wonder how many locks there are' he thought to himself, having some vague knowledge about the item. By the look of slowly understanding settling on Edgeworth's face, the man was also catching up on why Wright sounded suddenly so serious.
Yet there wasn't much Apollo could do aside from lie. It wasn't like he was going to admit right then and there that he was in love with Wright. Even less right in front of his lover. This was just recipe for disaster.
So he tried to plaster a smile on his face, trying to play dumb as he went back to placing all his things in his briefcase. "Of course, why would you think something is wrong?" he asked, cursing mentally the discomfort coming from his bracelet seemingly trying to cut off his own hand because of his lies.
"You seem troubled since we arrived a moment ago" while making out was probably left out of his statement. Apollo felt like many would try to leave them some space, although maybe they wouldn't look as troubled as him ('gosh I hope I don't look about to cry again' he thought to himself).
"I was just finished with work" he lied again, he still had things to do thanks to his crying session, "So I was going home anyway".
"If you were going home then why did you make yourself a cup of coffee?"
"Who says I just made it? Maybe I just went to check something in the kitchen and took my old and cold coffee with me" he reply in a tone a bit more snappy than he expected it to be.
"Apollo I can see the steam from here…"
"Okay, I did make a new cup of coffee, but I have a massive headache" and a broken heart "So I decided that I should go home instead".
"I doubt you suddenly developed a headache while making the coffee, why make one if you knew you were going home" Wright insisted, followed by a quiet "Wright" from Edgeworth, probably trying to warn him to stop.
"Well sorry for wasting coffee then, I'll buy some more next time I go get groceries," he said, trying to deflect as he finished throwing his thing into his briefcase.
"The coffee isn't the problem" he heard Wright sigh, "Apollo, I can see your bracelet clearly" he pointed out, causing the young man to cover it with his other hand without thinking "And I can tell you must have cried recently". Apollo wanted to swear and hide away, really why couldn't the man just drop it?
"Really what's wrong? You look like something devastating happened" it was probably close to that.
"I said everything is fine!" Apollo yelled back by accident, slamming his briefcase shut. He winced when he felt his finger being pinched a little, looking down to look at it. It didn't look bad, thankfully a misplaced ticker file had blocked the case from closing fully, which would have very likely hurt.
This time it was Edgeworth who asked if he was alright, obviously about his hand rather than what his lover was seeking. "It's nothing, just a little pinch" he replied quickly before taking a deep breath, then correctly and more gently closing his briefcase. He looked back up at Wright, not ready to stay for him to try and pry away the truth like he would a witness in court.
"Everything is alright, I am just tired after working so much lately, I think I just need a break… sorry for yelling" he replied, still clearly lying. He was ready to bet there were probably still locks. He didn't wait for an answer for this either, ignoring the unease from the magatama that had suddenly lifted up, instead, he made his way to the door.
Wright moved to block his way, only for his partner to stop him, a firmer "Pheonix" making him take his eyes off of the younger man, looking a bit surprised. Maybe the prosecutor had picked up on his distress and growing anxiety about the situation, about how he wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. He couldn't be sure exactly why Edgeworth was stopping him, but he was thankful for the help.
"Good Night Mr Wright," he said, not looking back up at him, "Good night Mr Edgeworth" he added more politely with a nod towards the man. He turned around, a shaky hand tightening around the handle of his briefcase. "I'll be out now, please enjoy your date" he added before quickly getting out the door.
He ignored his name being called out again, running down the flights of stairs to the main entrance to the building. He ignored his bike, running past it, feeling like taking the time to unlock it would leave enough time for Wright to catch up to him.
'As if he would run after you when he has Edgeworth to stay with' something in him thought, making him feel even worst. He didn't stop his sprinting until he knew he was a couple of blocks away, only then stopping to catch his breath, briefcase on the ground as he crouched down against the wall.
He was still shaking, unsure if it was from the sudden sprint, the confrontation with his boss, his feeling nearly being found out or his broken heart finally catching on to him fully after confirming his doubts. He felt like he needed to stay crouched down like this until he was sure he wouldn't just start crying right then and there in the middle of the sidewalk.
He flinched a little when he heard a slightly confused "Polly?" coming from his left, only to look up when he realised the voice wasn't the one he expected.
Trucy was quickly coming to join him, a slightly worried look on her face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, making him look away. 'Not again…'.
He tried standing up again, needing help from the wall since his legs felt a little wobbly under him after the excessive and sudden effort. "Yes," he still lied even though he knew very well nothing about him was showing such, even without Trucy's own perceiving powers. He looks probably even more tired and exhausted than he did after the trial, very likely about to cry and as if he had just run away to save his life.
Yet the girl probably caught onto him really not wanting to talk about it. Maybe it was the look of desperation on his face screaming "please don't ask more!". She instead grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently, going back a little to her more cheery attitude. "I was going back to see if you were still there" she smiled, "I would need someone's help tonight" she then added.
Apollo honestly wished he could just go back home, but at the same time, he knew that if he did he would only cry all night until he fell asleep. If he followed her at least there were chances for him to think about something else (for now) and have something to eat too instead of forgetting to do so.
He sighed, massaging his temple again, before nodding. It was probably not going to help his headache, but he felt like the distraction was very much needed. "Alright, just let me stop at a drug store first so I can get something for my headache" he accepted.
With that Trucy smiled fully again, pulling him in direction of the bar she was going to perform at, saying she knew a store on the way.
This was the original idea I had, I won't lie am not sure where am going with this so hopefully I don't run out of steam when it comes time to finish this up.
This was supposed to be a one-shot idea with a happy end for Polly, then I ended up writing 4k words just for than one original idea I had. Guess now I need to figure out how the end is supposed to happen
I also went a little freeform with the magatama, since we only know its effect on the user, I thought it could be nice to play on "What if the people being interrogated with it felt it unknowingly?".