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Athena Cykes was a very driven woman.
Sure, she hadn't always been this way, but she'd pushed herself relentlessly to become the best lawyer she could be at the tender age of 18. It had all been in the name of love - the man who'd stolen her heart when she was but a child had taken the fall for a crime he didn't commit in order to protect her.
That was why she believed that this man felt the same about her. He had been willing to give his life for her, from the moment of his arrest to the day he was set free; like the samurai of yore, he had sworn his absolute loyalty to her and told her that she was a precious treasure. Sure, he was ten years her senior and may have also had a thing for her mother, but love always won in the end, right? That was what the UR-1 retrial had told her.
The UR-1 retrial had also told her that it was dangerous to bottle up one's feelings. Athena had seen Apollo confront his doubts head-on that day, and his brave actions had led to the truth being revealed at last; her heart fluttered whenever she thought back to that fateful moment, knowing that both she and Simon would be exonerated while the phantom who had haunted them both for seven long years would be put behind bars.
Apollo was her senior as an attorney, and she also saw him as a mentor of sorts. The best thing to do, then, would be to tell Simon how she felt.
Everything had been arranged perfectly. Athena was to meet Simon at Eldoon's - not his preferred location by any means, but he conceded to her request regardless. A romantic dinner under the starlit sky was bound to bear fruit, no matter how stubborn Simon was.
Athena had complete confidence that nothing would go wrong.
"...A fellow prodigal prosecutor once told me, 'A foolish fool who pursues foolish goals will only make a fool of himself.'"
Athena listened intently to Simon's story, noting the emotions that laid hidden beneath his voice. She was good at feeling people out, thanks to her special hearing; he was more difficult than most, having learned to control his emotions through the study of analytical psychology. Still, she'd developed a knack for reading him, and her confidence hadn't waned since his arrival at the noodle stand.
"Though, I suppose the pronouns would be switched around in this case," Simon mused, and he barked out a harsh laugh. "She spoke of her lover, who had once served under the same master - a cruel master who sought to frame his faithful student. I feel those words may also be applied to a certain dullard."
He glanced over at Athena as he spoke that last word, and one of the emotions in his voice became clearer than ever. He was mocking her.
"What!?" Athena stood up, slamming both hands on the stand as she glared back at Simon. "What do you mean, dullard? And why're you-"
"Silence!" Simon raised his voice, cutting her off as he slammed his own hand on the stand. "A lesser man may have been fooled by your beguiling act, but I am no lesser man. You thought to tell me of the feelings you've harbored since your childhood... did you not?"
Athena narrowed her eyes, struggling to contain the anger that boiled beneath her skin. Somehow, he'd figured out what her plan was - not really that surprising, since he had years of experience on her, but she wasn't about to admit that to him.
"...You're right." Athena slid back into her seat, though she still seethed with annoyance. "But... that means you already know, doesn't it?" She looked away from him. "...How I feel about you."
"What you wish for is little more than a childish dream." Simon's tone became more serious, less mocking. "You are... my mentor's daughter. For her sake, I will protect you to my last breath. However..." He lowered his voice. "You are not and will never be anything more. Cease your senseless struggle, and open your eyes to the truth before you."
Those words cut deeper than any of the "blades" that Simon had ever used in the courtroom. Athena clutched her arm, her anger flooding out as sadness overwhelmed her; her perfect evening had turned into a perfect disaster, all because she had misjudged the man she'd spent seven long years of her life trying to save.
...Did he really only see her as Metis' daughter? Was there nothing more to how he felt about her?
"B-but, Simon..." Athena tried to put some bite into her words, but she ended up just sounding pathetic, even to herself. "You took the blame for my mother's murder... you were willing to face death for my sake - why did you...?"
"...Must I repeat myself?" Simon switched back to his mocking tone. "You are all that remains of Metis in this world. I would bring great shame both to her and myself if I were to allow something untoward to befall you." He paused, and his lips curled into a smirk. "With that said... can you truly say there is no other man your heart yearns for?"
...Where had that come from?
"O-of course not!" Athena snapped back, the flame in her heart reignited by the sudden change in subject. "You're the only man I've ever..."
She trailed off, and the flame dimmed as images of the UR-1 retrial flashed through her head. On one side, a gloomy man with a twisted psyche, his wrists in shackles... and on the other side, a man wrapped in bandages, wearing an eyepatch and carrying the jacket of his deceased best friend-
There was no way that was the case. Sure, Apollo was a great friend, but that was all he was... right?
...Why did Athena feel so unsure of herself all of a sudden?
"...I fear I may lower myself to your level if I remain here any longer." Simon stood and turned away, glancing back only once. "If you truly desire my attention so desperately, then prove that you will not make me a fool with your mere presence."
As he walked off, Athena buried her face in her hands, trying not to cry. He was wrong - she would find a way to prove it to him, one way or another, and then he'd be the fool between them... but first, she needed to work through the pain of rejection.
It was only after Athena had partially overcome her dark emotions that she realized her remaining noodles had been spilled and that Simon had left her to pay the bill. Love was a truly cruel thing sometimes.
Athena dreaded the prospect of going to work the next morning.
After everything that could have possibly gone wrong did, she'd cried herself to sleep, and had to force herself out of bed when she woke up. She skipped breakfast, and only put in a token effort to make herself presentable before she headed over to the office. When she arrived, her hand hovered over the doorknob, but she didn't open the door right away - she knew that Apollo waited on the other side.
She took a few deep breaths to steel herself, and then entered the office at last. She spotted her senior co-worker at his desk... and no one else.
Great.
"Morning, Athena." Apollo raised his hand in greeting, but didn't turn away from whatever he was working on. A minor blessing - maybe Athena could delay this conversation a bit longer.
"Good morning, Apollo!" Athena made an effort to appear her usual self as she glanced around the room again. "Where are Mr. Wright and Trucy?"
"Investigating," Apollo answered her, again without looking back. "Mr. Wright took on a new case before you got here. He told me to stay here and handle the paperwork." There was a distinct undertone of annoyance in his voice, and Athena could hardly blame him for feeling that way.
"I'll help out!" Athena made her way over to Apollo's desk, peering over his shoulder at the papers he was working on. From the look of things, this didn't seem to be a homicide case - a rarity for the agency, but work was work, and maybe things would be more clear-cut than usual.
"...Athena." Apollo glanced over at his colleague at last, and the concern on his face was plain as day. "What's wrong?"
Athena flinched at the sound of his voice - he'd seen right through her. "Huh? With me?" Still, she tried to conceal her anxiety. "What makes you think something's wrong with me? I'm fine!"
Her heart skipped a beat when she used his catchphrase. To be honest, she didn't know what was wrong with her - she didn't have the first clue why she dreaded having this conversation with Apollo so much.
"You're clearly not fine." Apollo stood up, rubbing the wrist that bore his bracelet. "...Did something happen last night?"
Athena recalled the fact that she'd told Apollo about her planned date with Simon. She wished that she wasn't such an enormous idiot.
"...Yeah." Athena reminded herself that lying to Apollo was just about impossible. "Simon said that he only protected me because I'm his mentor's daughter... and that my feelings for him were childish."
Recalling that exchange made the same anger from before bubble up inside her - yet she couldn't bring herself to raise her voice. There was some sort of dissonance in her emotions that she didn't understand.
Not exactly a good image for a psychologist.
"Well, he's clearly not interested." Apollo, on the other hand, had no issue with making his own frustration clear - why was he so upset? "What do you plan to do from here?"
"I'm not going to give up," Athena insisted, clenching her hands into fists. "I'll make him understand that he's just being a big jerk! My feelings are not childish!"
"Athena..." Apollo crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at her. "Normally, I'd encourage you, but you of all people should know that it's hopeless. Prosecutor Blackquill doesn't see you that way. He probably still thinks of you as a scared little girl trying desperately to defend him in the courtroom."
That statement stung, but Athena had to admit that Apollo had a point. Still, something felt off - why was he trying to discourage her, and what was with that anger in his voice?
"Well, I'm not a little girl anymore!" Athena refused to give in - when it came to this, she just couldn't. "So what if he's-"
Quite suddenly, Apollo grabbed her by the shoulders with both hands, interrupting her from what she was trying to say. She looked up at him, and any further arguments died on her tongue when she saw his expression - she may not have had his special eyes, but she didn't need them to see how agitated he was. Even the sound of his breathing carried the agonizing discord in his heart.
"Stop talking about him."
With those words, Athena realized just what Apollo's pain stemmed from. He was jealous - he'd been in love with her all this time, and while he'd tried his hardest to be a supportive friend, there was a point at which he couldn't handle the pressure anymore. That wasn't just anger in his eyes, it was a naked yearning that she somehow hadn't noticed before, and she felt ashamed of herself for looking away from his feelings.
At the very least, she should have asked him how he felt... no, that didn't feel right. Her thoughts flickered back to the UR-1 retrial once again, those two images that had seemed to bind her fate-
Of course. That was what Simon had been trying to tell her. How could she have been so stupid?
"...I'm sorry." Athena took a deep breath to steady herself. "I should've been more considerate of your feelings..."
She leaned in to kiss Apollo, intending it as a test - but all her doubts flooded away when her lips met his, even those she hadn't realized she had. It almost felt like the test of faith he'd put her through back then, the way she'd been swayed by the past and blinded to the truth that was right in front of her; there was another man she wanted, and he had held himself back for her sake.
The kiss didn't last long. Apollo was too surprised to reciprocate, and as Athena pulled away from him, she noted that his envy had drained away, replaced by confusion... and just the slightest bit of joy.
"...Athena?" He spoke her name in a gentle tone, quieter than she thought him capable of. It was almost as if he'd planned to do the same thing to her, but-
Her heart swelled at that thought, and she wanted to berate herself for what she'd inadvertently done to the wonderful man who stood before her.
"I guess he was right, after all," Athena murmured, more to herself than anything; then, she reached a hand up to grasp Apollo's wrist, just below his bracelet. "Thank you for being so patient with me. You're... really a great guy, you know...?"
She felt suddenly overwhelmed, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She'd almost made a huge mistake- she nearly flinched when he lifted his other hand from her shoulder and brushed a finger under one of her eyes, pushing those unshed tears out as he leaned in to touch his nose to hers.
"I've always wanted to do that," Apollo confessed, and he sounded a little embarrassed - but there was no mistaking the happiness in his voice. "...And I should be the one apologizing. I thought that after then, I..."
...Since this wasn't about trust, he hadn't bothered to confront his feelings like he had during the UR-1 retrial. If Athena were to guess, maybe he'd just felt selfish for having those feelings in the first place.
"You were just trying to be considerate." Athena wasn't going to allow Apollo to hurt himself over this - he'd already suffered enough in his life. "It doesn't matter now, right? We're..." Now it was her turn to feel embarrassed. "...I guess we're a thing now, then..."
The look of shock that flashed across Apollo's face faded just as soon as it came, leaving him adorably flustered. "...I-I guess so, huh...?" He lowered his hand back to her shoulder, and subtly glanced away from her. "This... this doesn't have to change anything, right?"
"Non, non." Athena shook her head. "It changes everything. From here on out, I expect you to greet me with a kiss when I come into work every morning."
It was intended as a joke, but Apollo looked like he'd seriously considered it for a moment - then he switched back to his usual self, staring incredulously at her. "That is the most ridiculous thing you've ever said. And you've said a lot of ridiculous things since I've known you."
"Well, maybe we can make it a little more private?" Athena winked at him in response. "Come on over to my place the next time you're free. I'll make it worth your while..."
The look on Apollo's face just then was the most beautiful thing Athena had ever witnessed. She knew now that she had made the right decision - it was in a rather unexpected place, but she'd found mutual love, after all.
The only thing that remained was to tell Simon the good news, and Athena was sure that he would be far happier than if she'd continued to fruitlessly pursue him.