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When Trucy walks into the office and says with utmost simplicity, “Juniper has a crush on you,” Athena falls out of her chair. She hits the ground tailbone first, and it hurts, but she can’t focus on that. Not when Trucy’s just dropped a huge bomb without batting an eye.
“You can’t be serious.” She rubs her lower back; she’s surely bound to give Mr. Wright a run for his money with the amount of pain she’ll have tomorrow.
“As a heart attack! I ran some papers to the courthouse for Daddy and bumped into her. We talked for a bit, but when I brought you up, she got all blushy and nervous!”
Trucy’s always one to meddle in people’s love lives, and Athena’s just accepted it— enabled it, even, by piling on whenever Trucy teases Apollo about Prosecutor Gavin or her father about Mr. Edgeworth— but Athena regrets that decision now that she’s become the magician’s latest target. Speak of the horned devil, though, he’d be a great excuse to not have this conversation right now. If only he’d hurry up out of the bathroom…
“That’s impossible, Trucy,” she says, trying her best to remain still so as not to betray her disappointment.
“Athena, oh my god. You’re oblivious. You’re almost as bad as Polly.”
Apollo walks into the room with almost divine timing, wearing rubber gloves, carrying a spray bottle of bleach, and looking worse for wear. “What about me?”
“Oh, Polly! You’re right on time! Quick, who does Juniper have a crush on?”
Apollo’s face scrunches in confusion, then into thought. He pulls the gloves off his hands and crosses his arms, looking up. “Uh, I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”
“Okay, let me ask you something different. Do you think Juniper has a crush on Athena?”
Athena stands up to slam her desk. “That’s a leading question! You can’t do that!”
“This isn’t a court of law.” Trucy tips her hat.
“Yeah, well I sure feel like I’m on trial, anyway!”
A impish glint sparks in Apollo’s eyes as he smirks towards Athena. Then, putting the slightest antagonistic emphasis on his words, he says, “Well, now that you mention it, yeah. I could see that. You know, Athena, you really should stop— what was it you called it during your gossip last week? You should really ‘stop denying the truth.’”
Never in Athena’s life has she had to eat her words like this, and she never wants to do it again. Apparently, her regret is visible in her posture and audible in her groan. Apollo immediately drops the act. “Hey, are you alright? I was only joking—”
“It’s fine, Apollo. Don’t worry about it. I… I just…”
“Oh my god,” Trucy gapes. “You have a crush on Juniper!” Apollo’s jaw goes slack, too, and they both look so similar that Athena wonders if they’re secretly related. Trucy beams and links her arm in Apollo’s, spinning them both around in a do-si-do, to the latter’s chagrin. “Athena and Juniper, kissing in a tree—”
“Trucy!” Athena hisses. “Lower your voice, s’il te plaît! Apollo, do something!”
Apollo, the fucker, lets a smile play on his lips as he’s turned around again. “I dunno. I’m having a lot of fun right now. Doesn’t feel so good in the hot seat, does it?”
Athena resigns herself to another few minutes of embarrassment, endured by putting her head in her arms, slumped across her desk. Eventually, Trucy gets bored, praise be, and she skips over to her prop cabinet to practice a new routine. Apollo looks a little dizzy, but he stumbles back into his chair, opens his laptop, and gets to clicking and typing away.
The rest of the morning passes like any other during a slow period at the Agency. Mr. Wright returns from visiting the detention center with a few papers, presumably potential cases that’ll inevitably be the topic of tomorrow’s all-hands meeting. Athena takes her lunch break before Apollo, dropping by the sandwich shop down the block. A bit bored and feeling a bit awkward despite how often she eats there alone, she opens her text thread with Juniper.
“On lunch break at Mitch’s. How’s your day going? Heard you ran into Trucy.”
“I did! Seeing her was a lovely surprise, but I wasn’t expecting her to show up alone.”
“Apollo’s been on toilet cleaning duty, and Mr. Wright was scouting clients at the detention center. No excuse for me though. LOL.”
“Oh. It would’ve been nice to see you too.”
Athena smiles at the message, probably a lot more than she should. It’s just a text, but it’s got her grinning so widely that she catches the clerk smirking knowingly at her in her peripheral vision.
“So, any plans after work?”
“Yeah! Hugh, Myriam, and I are going to Robin’s art exhibit tonight.”
“You didn’t hear about it?”
“No? Should I have?”
“Hm. Not sure. Robin’s been advertising it to everyone at her office, though.”
“You should come!”
“If you’re free, of course.”
Athena isn’t sure that her schedule is clear, but if it wasn’t before, it sure as hell is now.
“Ja! What time?”
“We’re getting dinner at 5, but the exhibit starts at 6.”
“Shit, I think I’ll be stuck at work until 5:30. I can still make the exhibit, though!!”
“Okay!! See you then. :)”
She gets back to the office to find Apollo and Trucy looking on as they both eat familiar bowls of noodles, while Robin chats with Mr. Wright by the coffee maker.
“Yeah, Mr. Edgeworth said you used to be an art student, so we just thought you’d be interested! It starts at S-I-X!”
“Hm. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten in touch with my creative side. Last time I did, people told me to step away from the piano or else.” He pauses for a moment. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”
Robin’s face lifts with enthusiasm. “Yay! It’ll be great, I promise!” It’s then that she sees Athena standing in the door. “Oh, Athena! Hi! Hey, I have an—”
“Art exhibit?” Athena finishes with a chuckle. “Juniper told me. Count me in.” She ignores Trucy and Apollo’s wicked grins and stifled snickers, or tries to, at least.
Robin stays for a couple more minutes before bounding out with a wave. Once the door shuts, Trucy bursts into a cackle, Apollo gets back to his work, shaking his head with a smile, and Mr. Wright, clearly not wanting any part in whatever he thinks is going on, marches straight back into his office.
“So, Juniper told you?” Trucy’s eyebrows waggle. “Is she your date, Athena?”
Athena walks back over to her desk to pile herself on it from the torso up and groans, “Please. Whatever I did to earn your wrath, I’m sorry. Please.”
Apollo walks over, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You alright?”
“No.”
“Athena? Hey.” Like a puppet on strings, she rises from her slump from the base of her neck. Her gaze flits to Apollo, who looks surprisingly serious and supportive. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” She figures there’s no point in trying to lie and sighs, “Have you ever been in love with someone you know you don’t have a chance with?”
Neither Trucy nor Apollo answers, but they share a look and nod of understanding. A long silence follows.
Eventually, Trucy pulls Apollo’s chair over and sits in it next to Athena. “I’m sorry for teasing you about it. You’re right. We went too far… but I did mean what I said, earlier. I think you’re mistaken. She really, really likes you. I’d bet my hat. I’d bet Mr. Hat, too!”
Athena laughs through the tears that she’s trying hard to blink away.
Apollo sits on her desk, looking over his shoulder to meet her eyes and nudging her gently. “You know, you could always just ask her if you’re so unsure.”
She can only shake her head. “No. No way can I do that. I just got her back in my life. I’m not going to risk losing her again.”
“Well, you should let it out somehow. There’s gotta be a way for you to get this off your chest without jeopardizing the friendship,” Trucy says, fiddling with the cuff of her glove. “Just… think on it. And know that we love you!”
“Most of the time,” Apollo tacks on, snorting.
Athena sits up fully to see the confident smiles of her co-workers— no, her family, and she feels like maybe, just maybe, everything will be alright. “Thanks, guys. I love you, too. Most of the time.”
Apollo and Trucy disperse back to their usual spots, leaving Athena to her own devices.
She thinks on Trucy’s suggestion— to find a way to get things off her chest without Juniper ever knowing. She remembers the stacks upon stacks of drafted letters she never sent from Europe.
Athena walks over to the printer, takes a blank sheet, and sits back down. She grabs a pen from the collection she’s gathered over the past few months— some of them are colorful gel pens, others are freebies from banks, restaurants, and the like— but she settles on a ballpoint with soft green ink. Perhaps she can’t say anything to Juniper, but she can write something to jot down her feelings in a familiar format. Out of habit, the words rush out like water from a broken dam.
“Dear Junie,
“It’s been years since I’ve sent you a letter, and I don’t think you’ll ever read this one, but I have some things I need to say. Not to you, but not to anyone, really.
“I love you. I think I always have. I think I always will, no matter how things change.
“I don’t know what else to put here. I’m not a very good writer, but you probably remember that. You always remember stuff. You’re smart like that. Ugh. I’m getting off topic. My point is, I wish I could write you something really pretty that compares you to everything that’s important to you, but honestly? I don’t have the skills for that. I wouldn’t be able to do you justice. I’m a lawyer, not a poet.
“But I’m a lawyer who loves you a lot.
“See, this is why I could never confess to you in person, and why your eyes will never see this letter. I’d just embarrass myself and make things totally awkward.
“Trucy thinks you like me, but I don’t think she’s right, so I’ll swallow these feelings like Eldoon’s salty broth and hope that one day I’ll get over you.
“Fat chance, though. You’re kind, passionate about what you do, and so, so, strong, Junie. You’re beautiful in every way, and every time I think about you, I smile like the world’s biggest idiot and start daydreaming about buying a cottage in the woods together.
“How could I ever get over someone who makes me feel like that?
“I might spend the rest of my life trying to answer that question, but as long as it’s a life where you’re there, even just as a friend, maybe it won’t be so bad.
“I love you, Juniper Woods.
“And in my wildest dreams, you feel the same way.
“Yours,
“Thena”
Athena folds the letter into thirds and leaves it on the corner of her desk, just as she leaves her feelings in a neat box in the furthest corner of her mind.
It’s 5:15.
She starts closing up shop for the day, and Mr. Wright comes out to collect paperwork from Apollo. Trucy organizes the last of the props she’s used in the past few hours, and Mr. Wright says, “Hey, do you mind if I hitch a ride to Robin’s art show?”
Athena fishes her keys out from her pocket. “No problem.”
At 5:30 sharp, they’re sitting in her car, and Athena’s pulling out of the parking garage and into the street when she almost runs over Trucy, Apollo running down the sidewalk to catch her.
“Waiiit! Athenaaa! Take us with youuu!” Trucy’s waving her arms as she yells, as if she thinks she’s going unnoticed.
Athena rolls her eyes, but unlocks her back doors to let them in. “You didn’t have to run in front of my car! Better yet, you could’ve just told us earlier you wanted to come!”
“But it was a last-minute decision! Teenage spontaneity!” Athena registers an evasive tone in Trucy’s voice but decides that she’s had a long enough day already and doesn’t need to unpack whatever Trucy may or may not be hiding.
“For the record,” Apollo drawls as he slides into the back seat after Trucy, “I tried to tell her we could just take the bus.”
They get to the gallery right on time; some people are milling about outside, while others are heading inside at their leisure. Trucy yanks her father along by the wrist, leaving Apollo and Athena in the dust. They share a quick glance, and they follow behind.
The gallery is huge; it’s no wonder Juniper had said everyone knew about it. Athena recognizes a few faces right off the bat. Prosecutor Gavin and Mr. Edgeworth are chatting with the woman of the hour near the table of appetizers, Robin’s arms waving about wildly as both men smile and nod with enthusiasm. She catches sight of Athena, and they share a distant wave, an unspoken promise to greet each other later.
Hugh and Myriam, recognizable more by their uniform and box, respectively, are slowly making their way around the exhibit with a man wearing a uniform like Hugh’s and another with a wide-brimmed fedora, pausing to look at each work before taking a few paces to the next. At one point, Myriam punches at her box; Hugh practically runs off, the other man in blue chasing him. The man with the hat just shrugs and walks to the next painting.
Finally, her eyes catch on a face that’s familiar, friendly, and alone. Simon stands in the corner, arms crossed, looking like he’d rather be anywhere than here. She doesn’t hesitate to bound over to him.
“Simon! Simon! Earth to grump!”
Once she catches his attention, his posture noticeably relaxes, but the usual scowl is still slapped across his features. “Athena? What are you doing here?”
“Junie invited me! She said Robin was really excited about tonight, so I figured I’d come support her. Any friend of Junie’s is a friend of mine, y’know?” She fiddles with her earring in thought. “Hey, come to think of it, what are you doing here?”
He scoffs. “Well, that friend of yours decided to pester everyone in the office to come see her work… though I suppose it’s not half bad, actually. There’s also a lovely Japanese narrative scene two rooms over.” He tilts his head to gesture in the direction of the hallway.
Athena smirks. “Huh. Didn’t take you for the artsy type.”
“Should I be offended?”
Athena doubles over, cackling. “I don’t know, should you?” As she collects herself, she takes another cursory look around the room. “Uh, speaking of Junie…”
“She was headed to the rooftop, last I saw. According to this pamphlet,” he says, pulling one from his surcoat, “they have a lantern exhibit where the flames are the result of different burning metals. A nice atmosphere for a quiet moment, I imagine.” Listening closely, Athena can hear something insinuating in his voice. She stays silent, keeping eye contact. Simon is good after seven years of honing his prison poker face, but months of working with Apollo, Trucy, and Mr. Wright has taught her the value of tells. She notices his quick, almost guilty glance downward.
“You know, don’t you?”
For once, Simon looks remorseful, as if he wishes he could tell her otherwise. “I do.”
“Who told you?”
She can hear the defensiveness that follows, but it’s honest. “Nobody. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Who else knows?”
“Right now? Just Apollo and Trucy, as far as I know… please don’t tell anyone.”
“I haven’t, and I don’t plan on it.” He smiles, though, and it’s so soft that Athena would think it more characteristic of him all those years ago. It’s only tinged with a bit of grief as he adds, “After all, I know how to keep a secret.”
Athena can’t help but launch herself into Simon’s arms, and to her surprise, he doesn’t immediately push her off. “Thank you,” she muffles into his chest. “For everything. Again.”
“You can let go now,” he grits out. “I have an image to protect.”
She pulls away. “Alright, alright. I…” her smile falls, “ugh. I should go. Even if I can’t tell her how I feel, I should at least go say hi.”
“That you should.” He brings a hand to his chin. “Good luck, Athena.”
Athena’s a bit suspicious when she makes it up to the roof to see Juniper standing next to Apollo, both of them resting their forearms on the concrete half-wall, smiling, and chatting. For a moment, she considers making a run for it back to the main gallery, but Apollo notices her, jumping backwards.
“Ah! Athena, I— um, you know what? I think I’m gonna head back downstairs. I’m, uh. Hungry. And Trucy’s probably waiting for me. Or maybe— uh, ever mind. See ya.” He scurries away, an awkward grimace on his face. Juniper’s mouth is open just a touch, just enough to steel Athena’s nerves as her feet carry her over.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Juniper’s voice is soft and gentle, like the gentle warm breeze that’s moving her hair, but there’s a tightness to it. The lanterns that Simon mentioned are strung between poles weighed down by sandbags, lighting the open air with brilliant hues of magenta, orange, blue, and purple. There are a variety of wire and metal frameworks strewn about, in shapes ranging from abstract rectangles to ocean waves. All Athena can focus on, though, is Juniper’s furtive glances in her direction before she finally speaks again.
“All these exhibits are really nice, huh?”
Athena barks out, perhaps a bit too strongly, “Yeah! Apparently, these lanterns are colored by different burning metals.”
“Wow,” Juniper says; her voice is a bit hollow, but suddenly, her face steels with a timid but unshakable resolve. After a longer than comfortable moment, she says, “Um, I need to ask you about something.”
“S-sure. What is it?”
Juniper reaches into the pocket of her corduroy dress and pulls out a paper, folded into thirds.
Athena’s heart stops when she catches a glimpse of green ink.
“L-look, I can explain—” Athena stops halfway through her sentence. “I…” She trails off, deciding her energy would be better spent bracing for the inevitable awkwardness and rejection.
Juniper’s head moves back on her neck, a bit confused. “Trucy gave this to me earlier and insisted I see it, but then Apollo dragged me up here right after and begged me not to read it until I talked to you. I figured maybe you could explain why they’re both so hung up on this…”
Athena’s brain, thankfully back to at least partial function, fills in the gaps for her, leading her to three very important conclusions:
- Trucy Wright is a conniving, scheming little instigator, and Athena’s gonna get her back for it.
- Apollo Justice is a goddamn saint, and she owes him bigtime. Maybe she’ll even stop with the teasing about Prosecutor Gavin. Keyword, maybe. But she’s heavily leaning towards quitting it.
- Juniper hasn’t read the letter, and Athena can still save her dignity.
Athena reaches for the letter in Juniper’s hand; she hands it over without issue. Athena opens it, and sure enough, the words she prayed would never be seen by anyone are scrawled across the paper in almost illegible handwriting that can only ever be deciphered by Simon, Mr. Wright, and the woman standing in front of her right now.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Do you need to sit down?” Juniper leans in a bit, and Athena’s heart stammers in her chest.
“Uh, yeah. That… might be a good idea.”
They take a seat on the concrete of a planter that hosts a bed of impeccably tended moss, and in a moment of courage, Athena makes a choice. She hands the letter back to Juniper, and with a nod of her head says, “Go ahead. Um, it’s probably gonna sound a bit crazy, but… well, you’ll see.” Juniper moves to read it, but she’s stopped by Athena one more time— just one more thing, she promises herself. “Wait.”
“Hm?” Juniper’s looking concerned now, her dark eyes pooling with worry and her face drawn into the more serious expression that Athena knows is a cover for her fear.
“Just promise me one thing, Junie. No matter what’s in there, promise me you won’t hate me.”
Juniper giggles, but it’s shaky. Apprehensive, even. “I could never hate you. I’m sure it’s nothing too bad.” She gives a reassuring smile as her eyes begin to dart over the page, but that smile falls into yet another gape. Athena doesn’t dare move or say a word; the situation is too precarious, too tense, both of them barreling towards the moment that Juniper’s done reading and they both have to deal with the aftermath.
That moment comes sooner than Athena wishes it did. Juniper closes the letter, looks down, and says, “Oh.”
Athena’s world falls apart around her; at first, it’s just small splinters here and there, but as the silence stretches on, those splinters turn to shards and those shards turn to whole pieces and oh, god, what has she done—
Juniper’s lips are on hers, completely derailing that train of thought. She tastes of mint and honey, probably from tea at dinner, and breaks away after what feels like an eternity, reaching for deep but incredibly thin breaths. “For what it’s worth, you’re a much better writer than you think.” Athena’s jaw drops and Juniper nearly doubles over giggling. She stretches a hand to Athena’s chin, gently patting it up and closed. “C’mon, Thena, if we’re going to do that again, I’d rather you not catch flies.”
Athena nearly passes out; she thinks she’s dreaming, but it still hurts a bit when her nails dig into her arm. This is really happening, and she wouldn’t believe it were it not for the sweet trace of happiness on Juniper’s face as she tilts her head.
“Junie, I—” She’s stopped by Juniper’s gloved hands taking her own, her expression pulled back into sincerity.
“I— I didn’t want to say anything that would get in your way, especially after that whole mess a few months ago at Themis, and then your trial. You were doing everything you could to fight for what was right, and all I could think about was how different we’d grown to be. All I could think about was you.” She chuckles, and it’s a self-deprecating thing. “I guess things haven’t changed as much as I thought. I still get butterflies when I see you. You're still the brave one, though, giving me the courage to do all sorts of things.”
“Like kissing me again?” Widget says through its pixelated filter, only for Athena to slap a hand over her chest in horror.
Juniper thumbs at Athena’s lapels and pulls her close with a warm smile. “Something like that.”
A week later, Athena’s still riding a high when the mailman drops by the Agency. “Guess what day it is!” Trucy yells, her voice echoing throughout the small office. “Payday!”
Mr. Wright passes by, dropping another stack of paperwork on the coffee table with a groan. “Trucy, I really don’t get why you feel the need to mail our paystubs from the office right back to the office. On top of that, I’m your dad, and we live upstairs. You could just give it to me when we get home.”
Trucy pouts. “Aw, but that’d be no fun! Besides, part of my check goes towards stamps, anyway!” She parades around the room like always.
“One for Mr. Apollo Justice!” She drops an envelope on his desk, to his begrudging satisfaction.
“One for Ms. Athena Cykes!” Athena watches as her own paltry paycheck falls in front of her. Trucy leans in and whispers with guilt, “I threw in an extra two dollars. I really am sorry. I thought you meant to give that letter to Juniper and forgot it.”
Athena just shakes her head with a laugh. “Consider everyone lucky that it worked out.” It’s a warning to never try that again, sure, but it’s also a “Thank you.”
Trucy, seemingly satisfied with the resolution of the conflict, goes back to her act. “One for Mr. Phoenix Best-Daddy-in-the-World Wright!” Mr. Wright looks incredibly pleased with himself, looking on with a doting smile as his daughter hands over an envelope.
“And one for Trucy Wright, magical girl extraordinaire!” She takes a bow, Apollo indulging her with a golf clap. She pilfers through the rest of the mail, whispering “Junk, spam, spam— ooh, 20% off at Eldoon’s this week— wait, huh?” Her face scrunches in bewilderment as she pulls an envelope out from the stack, distinct in the fact it’s a canary yellow, and holds it up in front of her.
Mr. Wright looks over her shoulder, presumably reading the address line. “Hey, Athena, you’ve got mail.”
Athena gets up and grabs the envelope with a quick “Thanks,” walking back to her desk to open it. Mr. Wright and Trucy are still eyeing her intently, and Apollo is stealing a cursory glance in her direction every few seconds.
The handwriting is all too familiar with its elegant connections and shaky tails.
“Dear Thena,
“I know it’s been years since I’ve written you back, but it’s rude to ignore someone who’s spent time penning a letter to you. I hope I’m not offensively late.
“I had a really great time with you at the art show last week, even if we spent more time looking at each other than the exhibits. Robin doesn’t seem to mind, though— she’s just happy for us. Hugh and Myriam rolled their eyes and said it was about time when I told them what happened. Can’t win them all, I suppose.
“I meant what I said, Athena, and in case I didn’t make it clear, I love you, too. You’re a force to be reckoned with, both in and out of court, and you’re exactly the type of person I like having in my corner, whether it’s defending me from murder charges or sitting with me on a beautifully lit rooftop and just talking.
“I guess the art show was, technically speaking, our first date, but I’d really like for us to have another one. Does a picnic this weekend sound good? No need to write back. A text will make my day just the same.
“All my love,
“Juniper
“P.S: Not now, but maybe one day— yes on the cottage. A garden, too?”
Athena picks up her phone with a smile on her face and Juniper on her mind, but when Trucy and Apollo try to sneak a peek at the contents of the letter, she insists it’s for her eyes only.