In the fortnight that followed the fatal Misham trial, Apollo allowed himself more rest and recuperation than he could really afford; then again, once Trucy had managed to perfect the arts and secrets that had been bestowed to her by her father, neither him nor Phoenix would really ever have to work again, so he supposed in the long run it wasn't much of a crime. It gave him plenty of time for visiting Vera, who was now getting her health back at home, sleeping in, and attending Trucy's weekly magic show; the latter of which had become the centre of his social life. Trucy's magic attracted people of all ages and personality types – he recognised various members of the audience, including wet university student Wesley... and, less predictably, the defendant in the same case, Wocky Kitaki, who, perhaps understandably, he chose not to approach.

Most notable, however, was the presence of someone whose attendance he would have counted on from the very beginning – Phoenix Wright. He never ceased to enjoy his adoptive daughter's talents, and though the attention he gave her magic was undivided, when the show was finished and Trucy was backstage tidying up, he was good company, and now that the Gramarye case from seven years ago was finally solved, he had turned out to be far more light-hearted than he had appeared before. It was evident from the way he spoke that he was a very intelligent man – frequently, he expressed a distaste for his current job, and Apollo supposed that this was because it wasn't demanding enough for a man of his capabilities – and he had a certain charisma in the way he told stories about his past life as an attorney that was capable of drawing anybody in.

Often, he would begin talking about a case that he had worked on in his younger years, and when Trucy had finished clearing away and freshening up after her performance she would simply join them silently, reluctant to interrupt the charming way in which her Daddy told stories. Commonly, others at the bar would take interest too, and for this reason he often had to miss out certain details about the cases – but this didn't prevent them from being vibrant, funny and engaging.

The final night of Apollo's self-designated free-time before he went back to seeking cases to take up happened to fall on one of Trucy's show nights, and he managed to find himself with at least thirty minutes of one-on-one conversation with Phoenix; as much as he liked Trucy, it was nice to have the man to himself every once in a while. "You know, I don't understand..." Apollo called over the music, hand on his drink as he leaned forward slightly on the table so that his companion could hear him. "I don't understand why you don't try to get your job back... get your life back... now that your name's been cleared of forgery."

Phoenix shook his head. "I've thought about it."

"What?"

"I said I've thought about it. I'm just not sure if it's going to be practical, what with Trucy about to spark off her big magic career. It's not like we're going to need the money, either, especially if you stay with us." He lifted his glass to his lips, but lowered it again before he drank as a thought occurred to him. "You are going to stay with us, aren't you?"

"Well, yes; I was planning on it. If I'm welcome, that is."

"Oh, yes, yes – you're certainly welcome."

For a moment they didn't speak as the music thumped around them, and merely smiled as they hadn't really had the chance to do yet. There'd always been some joke, or something too serious for it; now, however, they could simply look at each other as friends. Apollo hoped they could consider each other that – true, Phoenix was older, but they'd seen the same cases together, and they shared the same sense of humour; and the same permanent place of residence, now, it seemed. They had Trucy in common, too, though so far as Apollo knew for now, he was merely her friend, too. There hadn't been the moment to tell them the truth yet, and Phoenix didn't regret not simply springing it on them. It'd be better to wait.

Interrupting the companionable silence, however, came a blast from the past that turned Apollo as red as his clothes. As much as he doubted that his sexuality would prove to be an issue with either Phoenix or his daughter, he hadn't told either of them about it yet; well, it hadn't come up, and he hadn't seen a reason to bring it up manually. Still, he wasn't entirely sure that now was the time, and so as his ex-boyfriend Ryan approached with the usual wide, characteristic grin on his face, he felt that he'd have given anything to simply sink into his chair and become a part of it. "Apollo! Hi!"

"Hello, Ryan." He accepted the kiss on the cheek almost glumly, though of course he didn't give this away to the man in front of him; he'd certainly grown since the last time they'd seen each other, though that had admittedly been a long time ago, when they were both still at college. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Yeah; could say the same about you. What're you doing here?"

"Trucy – uh, the magician – is my friend. Erm... this is Phoenix, her dad." It was the first time he'd dared to look at Phoenix since Ryan's approach, and he was quite embarrassed by the twinkly expression he saw on the man's face.

"I see." Ryan's eyes raked, humiliatingly unsubtly, over his companion before he offered him his hand. "Ryan Morgan; ex-boyfriend."

"I gathered. Nice to meet you, Ryan." He returned the handshake firmly, Apollo noticed, and not without a hint of amusement. Thankfully, Phoenix was far more socially confident than he was, and managed to deal with the situation far better. "Well, I wouldn't normally turn a friendly face away, but Trucy's going to be out in a minute and then we'll be off, so..."

Thankfully, Ryan took the hint. "That's a shame. Maybe we'll see each other here again sometime... I'll see you later, Apollo." He smiled, and then after a moment added a wink. "I might call you." Mere seconds after he'd gone, Phoenix looked in the opposite direction with an amused glance, and then looked back right at Apollo rather pointedly, though without the slightest trace of irritation.

"Well..."

"He seems nice," prompted Phoenix kindly.

Defeated, Apollo gave in. "Yes, he's very nice. Just... very clingy." He looked up somewhat defiantly, and spoke as if trying to raise himself in his companion's estimations. "I dumped him; not the other way round."

Phoenix laughed. "Alright. But I think you know what I really want to know."

"Look, it wasn't like I was keeping it from you... it's not like it matters, is it?" He paused briefly, but Phoenix didn't say anything, so he carried on, sitting back a little with a tone slightly more despondent than before, his hands set before him on the table. "Or maybe it does matter. I don't know. I guess that's for you to decide."

"Oh, it matters," Phoenix said gamely, looking at the stage as a man walked on with a broom, sweeping up the streamers that Trucy had left behind. For a few moments, Apollo felt oddly crushed, as though the carpet of the future he'd imagined mere moments before had been tugged out from under him; and then something else altogether was tugged out from under him as his heart jolted at the feeling of a discreet hand, completely unexpected, resting gently on top of his. "It matters plenty."

Apollo's eyes flicked between Phoenix's hand and his face for the brief second the former remained where he'd placed it; his face flushed red as it was removed and he spoke as much as Phoenix did – that is to say, not at all. He merely sat in a state of shock until Trucy arrived, twirling in her cape, and then he found that all he possibly could do was pretend that everything was the same as it had been before she'd gone on stage, applauding and smiling as he always did. At the forefront of his mind, however, was the soft feeling of the ex-attorney's hand touching his; the thumb stroking gently across the top of his wrist before it moved away. Phoenix, meanwhile, sat in a state of composed satisfaction; he had suspected, of course, but it wasn't his place to tell the younger man that. He'd told everything he needed to know for now in the space of a few seconds – and then some.