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The sun had barely begun to rise through LA’s early morning smog as the two joggers cut through People Park. Heavy panting broke the silence of the starting day as they passed by the river and made their way to the exit. A sigh heavier than any other breath so far escaped one of the early birds as he came to stop and bent over double, gasping. His companion continued on for a beat before realising she was alone and headed back for him, hopping on the spot when she did.
“C’mon Apollo!” Athena whined, “We haven’t even done a mile yet! You can’t be tired already!”
Apollo Justice tried to glare at her but it was difficult to be intimidating when he was bent over on himself and wheezing up his lungs.
Being forced to exercise in his old high school gym shorts probably wasn’t helping either.
“Well, excuse me,” He huffed, “But some of us got blown up ten days ago and still don’t have full lung capacity yet!”
Evidently, getting caught up in explosions was no excuse for poor stamina as Athena gave him an unimpressed frown.
“If memory serves me right,” She began, “It was you who insisted on getting back in shape after said ‘blowing up’. Most people think you ought to still be in hospital you know.”
She smirked then as if she had won some competition Apollo didn’t know they were having.
This is one game of one-upmanship I definitely don’t want to get involved in, he thought.
“Okay, first of all, I’m fine,” he emphasised, “Second of all, Mr. Wright does not count as ‘most people’. He’s a big worrywart anyway.”
That made her giggle, and her laughter rang loud and clear in the quiet of the park.
Apollo stood up straight then and took several deep breaths. The cold morning air cleared his head and got rid of that dizzy spell that he would never admit to having. The courthouse bombing had taken far more out of him than he was willing to admit. If Apollo was being honest with himself he knew that he had pushed himself too far in the days following the explosion, ignoring both physical and emotional pain in his pursuit of the truth.
It was necessary.
That was what he told himself every day since all of the month’s trials and every night when the aches and pains of his injuries kept him awake until the small hours of the morning.
I had to know what really happened to Clay.
But necessity didn’t do any favours for his burn wounds or fractured ribs, so after that busy day in December it was back to the doctor’s office for a thorough scolding, a plethora of new bandages, and the dictation of a comprehensive recovery regime.
The young attorney had been as surprised as anyone to discover that exercise was on the list, but his nurse at the Hickfield Clinic had been nice enough to explain how light physical activity was more beneficial in the long run than just pure R’N’R.
Of course, running until his lungs gave out and his side cramped up on a chilly January morning probably wasn’t what she meant by ‘light exercise’.
Athena Cykes, evidently, disagreed. As soon as she had heard what the healing process required, his co-worker had begged to be allowed help, practically leaping across the Wright’s dinner table to clasp his hands in an earnest plea. Apollo hadn’t really had a choice in the matter.
So when Athena had showed up at his door at a quarter to six in the morning, all sunshine and sweatbands, he didn’t have the heart to tell her to leave him be and go back to bed. Even without really knowing what her plan for him was, he set off after her, jogging through the quiet city streets.
Which is how he ended up gulping down air in People Park at 6.40 on a Wednesday morning. Athena was still hopping up and down, waiting for him to catch his breath. After a minute she stilled, tilting her head to one side thoughtfully.
“Apollo...” she began warily, “Are we... doing too much? I don’t want you to push yoursel-“
“I’M FINE!”
The old platitude burst from him before he could even think about it, startling the sparrows in the trees above them.
Apollo cringed at his own outburst, and opted to stare at the small birds in flight rather than at the now-silent Athena.
She is only trying to help, she was only concerned for him, he knew that but.
And there was always that ‘but’, that small mixture of self deprecation and pride that swelled in his chest whenever anyone even indicated that they were worried about him.
Apollo had become so accustomed to taking care of himself, and himself alone, that a friend’s concern always set off a nasty little voice at the back of his head whispering, ‘They think you can’t do it, they think you’re pathetic and worthless, that you can’t even look after yourself... and who is to say they’re wrong?’
Ever since Clay’s death, Apollo had been hearing that voice a lot.
“...okay, cool.”
“Huh?”
Apollo finally looked his co-worker in the eye and saw her smiling softly at him, none-the-worse for his outburst.
“You’re fine,” Athena repeated, “And I’m fine too. We’re both... going to be fine, right?”
The rush of gratitude that came over Apollo at that moment, both for her words and her attitude, make the January morning seem a hell of a lot warmer than before.
Apollo smiled right back at her.
“I’ll... trust you on that one,” he replied.
There was another moment of soft silence before Athena slammed her fist into an open palm and her grin turned fierce.
“Well then,” she crowed, “Now that our fine-ness has been established! It’s back to running! Vamonos!”
She took off in a flash, and Apollo couldn’t help but chuckle as he tried to keep up.
~~~
Despite said establishment of the duo’s ‘fine-ness’, Apollo still had to ward off Athena’s queries every five minutes with assurances that yes he really was fine, yes he was being honest with her, no he didn’t care what she heard in his voice, put Widget away ‘Thena.
They made to the office building in less than an hour, moving at a pace a bit too fast for him, and too slow for her, and both attorneys were more than a little grateful to see the Agency’s lights shining against the early morning darkness. Apollo insisted on taking the stairs (‘This counts as exercise too y’know,’) and the rookie lawyer skipped ahead of him excitedly. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet by the time he caught up with her at the front door of the Agency.
“Hurry, hurry, I want you to see it!” Athena called.
“See what?” He asked, clutching the new stitch in his side.
She pulled out a shining key and waved it in front of his face.
“This is the first time I’m using my key! I finally got it cut! My very own key to Phoenix Wright’s office! Can you believe it? I feel like such an adult!”
Athena ruined her own image by giggling like the 18-year old she was.
Apollo couldn’t help but smile. As much as a struggle that the morning’s exercise had been, he was glad to be spending time with his new co-worker. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
And he would be lying if he didn’t admit to himself that he had been just as giddy when he had received his own key to the Agency.
Athena opened the door with a flourish and they made their way through the office with zeal.
Despite the hardships of the last month, or perhaps because of them, they stood ready and eager to face the injustices of the world head-on, bright-eyed and beaming with righteousness.
This attitude was not shared by the residents of the little loft apartment above the office rooms.
A solitary grunt invited them in after Athena’s knock and they found their boss and his daughter hunched over the breakfast table in their tiny kitchen. Trucy Wright’s head was bowed as she struggled not to fall asleep onto her plate, while Mr Wright looked as though everything in the world was against him, except the steaming coffee cup cradled in his hands.
“Gooood morning, Wright Anything Agency!!”
They both flinched as Athena bellowed her greeting.
“...Morning, guys.” Apollo hoped he sounded subdued and not like he was trying to hold in a laugh.
Trucy made a soft little noise that could have been a hello or a complaint, then tried to finish her breakfast. Phoenix gave his employees a stern glare that would have been far more effective if he hadn’t been wearing a fluffy white dressing gown. He put down his mug and began to massage his temples.
“It’s too early for me to be dealing with you two,” He complained, “Why are you up so early anyway?”
“We were exercising-” Was as far as Apollo got with his explanation before Athena interrupted.
“What do you mean ‘too early’? There is no such thing!” She proclaimed, “You’ve really got to adjust that attitude, Boss, it’s not healthy.”
Phoenix again tested his glare but with his newest worker standing unfazed and proud, he had to admit defeat.
“Exercising?” He asked turning to Apollo, suspecting that he was going to get this information whether he wanted to or not.
Justice nodded.
“Athena has been helping me get back into shape after... my hospital stay,” He told him.
Everyone noticed the pause.
Phoenix frowned and Trucy finally lifted her head to give him a concerned look. The quiet in the kitchen was no longer the quiet of too-early a morning. It was something far more solemn and stressed. Neither of the Wrights liked remembering the courthouse bombing or the events that came after it. It made it all too easy for them to recall how close they came to losing Apollo for good, both physically and by his own actions.
“How do you feel, Polly?” Trucy asked softly, “You had a check-up yesterday, didn’t you?”
He smiled brightly, more to reassure her than anything. He hated this. Hated how everyone seemed determined to handle him like he could break at any minute, especially when it was his assistant. Doctor’s orders or not, he was determined to get his bandages off as soon as possible.
“Pretty good, actually. I’m definitely getting stronger; they told me the bandages can probably come off soon.” He lied, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
A wish made in vain. Nobody can lie to Trucy Wright, and even without her powers of perception her father was still frowning at him. Apollo also hated how bad of a liar he was. He opened his mouth to speak at the same time as Mr. Wright, and who knows what discussion might have followed if it weren’t for Athena.
Bubbling, bright Athena who had earned a psychology degree before she turned eighteen and who heard the true voices of people’s hearts made a dismissive sound and elbowed her senior in the ribs.
“Yeah right! You couldn’t even make it a whole mile!” She laughed.
And just like that, the tension was gone.
Casual jibes were (much to Apollo’s regret) par for the course in the office, and how quickly Athena picked up on that both worried him and made him ponder how much she putting that psych degree to good use.
Glancing at Mr. Wright who was finally smiling a little bit at her, Apollo guessed he was probably wondering the same thing.
“How far did you guys get?” Trucy asked, propping her chin on her hands and grinning.
“We started off at Apollo’s place and took the long way through the park.”
“You only got through the park?” Trucy’s grin got wider, “I bet Polly tried to show off and go further right?”
“Hey!” The young attorney gave her a glare, “We agreed to take it easy before we set off. I would have gone for longer if Athena had said yes! And for your information, I was fine!”
Athena leaned toward Trucy and spoke in a stage whisper.
“He had to stop three times, and that was when we were only warming up,” She hissed.
The young magician burst into laughter and Athena soon joined her. As Apollo blustered and protested over their heads, Phoenix stood up and left the table.
“Have you two eaten by the way?” He asked as he passed them.
Athena whirled around and grinned.
“I brought oranges!” She claimed in a voice that would make one think she had solved world hunger.
“So... no?” He turned to Apollo hoping for an answer that involved less bold declarations.
“We ate them before we left,” the younger man explained, still flushed with annoyance.
Phoenix nodded and headed toward the bathroom.
“There are leftover pancakes in the microwave if you’re interested,” He yawned then closed the door softly after him.
The pair sat down at the table and discussed the merits of breakfast.
“Pancakes are awfully starchy,” Athena argued.
“We’ll need the energy for the day,” Apollo countered.
“You might be exercising for strength but some of us are more health-conscious,” She complained.
“For Pete’s sake, you’re eighteen. What are you worrying about that kind of stuff for?” He wondered.
They would have kept at it all morning if Trucy had not have hopped up and press the start button on the small machine.
“Daddy wants you ready and raring to go,” She told them, turning back around, “So you better eat every scrap!”
She skipped past them and paused in the doorway, grinning.
“Besides, Daddy’s pancakes are the best!”
Exit magician, stage right.
The young attorneys finally settled down and relaxed as the microwave hummed harmoniously with the purr of the shower one room over. Apollo took in another deep breath. All in all, it had been a good morning. Despite the jokes and his appearance he really was getting better. It was a slow process;he still started at loud noises, and grief still weighed heavy in his chest but piece by piece things were coming together again. And as much as he was loath to admit it, having everyone in the office around to tease and lend a quiet hand helped.
A ding indicated the food was ready and Apollo sprang out of his seat to get plates.
Pancakes also helped.
As biased as Trucy was, even he had to admit that Mr. Wright’s pancakes really were the best. The steaming stack was divided in half and they tucked in with gusto. They had both underestimated their own appetites and spent the next few moments in silence, enjoying the home-cooked meal.
“Y’know what’s weird?” Athena finally said after swallowing.
Apollo shook his head, his mouth still full.
“Mr. Wright always has leftovers,” She continued, “The other night when I was leaving, he gave me this big container of fried rice, said he wouldn’t use it. And this definitely isn’t the first breakfast I’ve had here. Is it just me or- What?”
Athena shot her co-worker an offended look as he began to laugh.
“What? What did I say?”
Apollo waved a hand in front of his face and apologised.
“Sorry, it’s just- You don’t still think these are leftovers do you?”
Athena tilted her head to one side, confused. Apollo chuckled again. For someone who could read the mood of a moment in an instant and defused a tense situation not five minutes ago, ‘Thena could still be awfully slow sometimes.
“If you are going to work for Phoenix Wright, there is something you have to understand,” Apollo explained slowly, “He’s a big softie. But. He shows this in the weirdest of ways. I mean, the guy will make you work all night to figure out an insignificant contradiction in a minor witness’ testimony, but he’ll make sure to put a blanket on your shoulders when you fall asleep at your desk.”
Athena was giggling now, mostly at the image of her senior unconscious in a mountain of case-files.
“No, seriously!” Justice continued, “One time, it was my day off, and it is pouring rain, I mean it’s a typhoon outside. But Trucy sounded so frantic on the phone so I get to the office as quick as I can only to find out that Mr. Wright is nit-picking at a piece of paperwork I didn’t file right or something. Like he ever did paperwork properly when he started as a lawyer! I’ve heard rumours he has never even read all those law books on his shelves.”
Athena was outright guffawing now and trying not to choke on her food.
“Anyway, I’m pretty mad at all the fuss but as soon that’s sorted out, I find myself being offered a good meal, a hot shower and a couch to sleep on because the damn weather is too bad to go back out in! I’m telling you, he’s going to keep doing stuff like this. The fact that you’re only two years older than Trucy doesn’t help either.”
When she calmed down, she sat back in her seat to ponder all of this information. Athena Cykes had expected a lot when she joined the Wright Anything Agency. She expected to work hard; she expected to be pushed to the best of her abilities; she expected to learn and grow both as an attorney and as a person. What she had never expected was to find friends, to find people who had seen the deepest, darkest parts of her heart and brought her into the light.
Phoenix Wright was, rather than the imposing, confident figure she had expected, one of the warmest people she had ever met (And rather less sure of himself than she would have thought). And she would be lying if she said she hadn’t noticed all the little things he, his daughter and Apollo had done to make her feel at home, especially Apollo who wanted so badly to trust in her even when every instinct screamed that he shouldn't. The three of them had been nothing but loving since she had come into their lives.
But psychologists will be psychologists and as grateful as she was, she had to know the reason behind it all.
“Why do think the boss does these things for us?” She finally asked.
Apollo opened his mouth to answer when a soft chuckle came from the doorway.
“Guess it’s like Apollo said, I’m a big softie.”
Phoenix stood leaning against the doorway, now fully awake and dressed in his shirt and suit trousers. A towel hung around his neck to catch any drips that fell from his damp hair. His employees both jumped and then blushed at being caught so he laughed again.
“Besides, you’re a young person in a foreign country being thrown back into some very difficult work. I want you to be comfortable here. The whole reason I started in law was to help people, y’know. You done with these?”
Phoenix scooped up their empty plates and took them to the sink to wash up.
“So what about me?” Apollo asked warily.
“You barely look after yourself as is,” Phoenix snorted, “Someone has to do it.”
Apollo exploded into a tirade which included several ‘I’m fine’s’ and one ‘At least I didn’t forget how to shave for seven years!’. Mr. Wright flicked soap bubbles at him.
Athena couldn’t but smile at the scene. She expected a lot, both from herself and others. But for all the scenarios she had imagined, a little voice deep in her heart whispered that what she had got was the best one. When their bickering subsided, Mr. Wright suggested they change out of their exercise clothes.
“And be quick; work to do, lives to save, ideals to uphold, you know the drill.”
Apollo nodded and stretched, feeling better by the minute. His co-worker grabbed his wrist and pulled him onward to the dawning day.
“Yessir! Los geht’s!”