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The first time it happens, Apollo feels a deep, primal fear.
One morning, Athena steps into the Wright Anything Agency's office, and Widget glows a brighter red than Apollo has ever seen. The device's bearer doesn't seem to be upset, but looks can be deceiving - he knows that better than anyone, and he slowly backs away from his co-worker as his eyes fixate on her neck.
"Huh?" Athena stares back at him, and there's no mistaking the confusion in her tone - not what he expected, at all. "What's wrong, Apollo? Why're you staring at me like that?"
"Y-your, uh." Apollo falters, and settles for pointing at her neck. It takes her a moment to catch on, and then her face turns as red as Widget's.
"Oh, um... about that." Athena sounds just as unsure as Apollo now, and it's a bit relieving. "It's, well... it's a glitch, I guess you could say? Widget gets like this around a certain... time..."
She trails off, blushing even harder, and averts her gaze to stare at the floor. Having confirmed that she isn't angry, Apollo allows himself to relax a little, though now he's just curious as to what her issue is.
"A certain... time?" he prompts her... and a feeling of sudden dread runs down his spine. He gets the distinct feeling that he isn't going to like the answer.
Athena takes a few deep breaths, clearly trying to steady herself; her hands curl into fists, and she closes her eyes for a long moment before opening them again, looking directly at her senior co-worker. The look in her eyes is one of... shame.
"...A certain time of the month." Athena's voice is barely audible, and Apollo is sure that if he had her special ears, he would be overwhelmed by her embarrassment. "It's... well, it's that time, and Widget... lets everyone know."
Yeah, he definitely shouldn't have asked. Apollo feels a bit faint, and he moves to seat himself on the nearby sofa so that he doesn't risk hitting his head if he passes out.
A dozen euphemisms for menstruation run through his head - most of them supplied by Clay, of all people, in the past - and he eventually settles for calling it what it is. This is knowledge that he could have lived without, but then again, his whole purpose is to pursue the truth, right? What sort of truth-seeker loses their cool over something like this?
"...Sorry to hear." Apollo settles on an apology at last, a small consolation in the face of this grim knowledge. "And... sorry I made you say it."
He knows that he wouldn't have been able to say something like that with a straight face, or without actually passing out. As it is, he doesn't know if he'll be able to work at his best today, knowing that Athena is-
Well, she might be a bit more trigger-happy than usual, and that's the part Apollo chooses to focus on. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing and accidentally set her off.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Athena insists, and she offers a tentative smile. "You didn't know, so..." She pauses, and takes another deep breath. "...You're fine!"
Apollo's head stops spinning as soon as he hears those words. That's right - he hasn't said anything to anger her yet, so all he needs to do is keep it up. He may not know how to do that, but he's sure he'll figure it out as he goes along.
Flying by the seat of one's pants is the motto of the Wright Anything Agency, after all.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Apollo tries his old routine, and finds that it serves to settle him further - just as it always does. "I'm Apollo Justice, and I'm fine!!!"
That gets a laugh out of Athena, and she grins like an idiot at him... before mirroring his statement. "I'm Athena Cykes, and I'm fine!!!"
Apollo thinks to himself then that Athena is the most beautiful girl he's ever met - both in body and in soul. The thought surprises him, and he looks away, blushing a little as he scratches his head; of course, there's no way she can't tell how he's feeling, but he hopes that she's tactful enough not to press him.
"So... why don't I try something?" Athena grasps Widget in her gloved hand. "If it makes you feel any better, I can take him off for the time being. I only really need him for analyzing testimony, after all, and the trial isn't until later, right?"
That... actually does sound like it would help. Apollo gives a single nod, and watches as Athena pulls her trusty aide off of her neck; her glove follows, and his eyes momentarily fixate on her long, delicate fingers, bare for the first time that he can remember.
...Geez, he's really got it bad for her if he's interested in her fingers.
"Thanks," Apollo murmurs, and he sounds kind of pathetic, at least to his own untrained ears. "You really scared the crap out of me." He snaps his head up as he realizes what he just said. "Er, I-I mean... uh..."
Athena's smile turns gentle, almost reassuring. "I know what you meant. Remember, I can hear your heart." She makes her way over to her desk, and deposits Widget and her glove on it; it's a little unsettling to see the device turned off, with its black face that reminds Apollo of something horrible, but at least he won't be afraid of her anymore.
"Don't worry," Athena continues, as she moves back to the sofa that Apollo is seated on. "If you upset me, I'll let you know right away."
Apollo doesn't doubt that, and for some reason, he likes the sound of it. It's better than being left in the dark - being lied to, and if all else fails, he can always perceive her emotions. She isn't the only one with a special sense, after all.
This is just about the strangest bonding time Apollo has ever had with someone, but he's long since accepted that nothing about his life is normal. He just hopes that Athena won't catch him sneaking peeks at her hair or her hands through the work day.