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He holds it close to his chest, all he’s been through. Aura knows, Athena knows, but the details of his time behind bars and the events leading up to it are offered willingly to no one else; they know him only through the exaggeration that is the Twisted Samurai, through old case reports and stories contorted by a vicious media cycle that saw him as nothing but a monster.
Even those he works with don’t know the full truth. At first, that was accidental – questions about the past went unanswered because he couldn’t find the words, and those who asked filled the gaps in themselves – but now it’s entirely purposeful. If he doesn’t talk about the past he won’t have to acknowledge the weight it forced him to carry, and no one can think any more or less of him than the front he’s kept up for seven years. There’s a comfort in the loneliness, a resemblance to the isolation he became accustomed to over seven years in prison. Solitude has become a friend of sorts, familiar enough that he feels no guilt at pushing most others away.
Most, because there are notable exceptions. Family, of course, and to an extent, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth. Even Prosecutor Gavin somehow isn’t spurned like the others, though Simon can’t say he’s comfortable calling him anything more than an acquaintance.
The most peculiar exception is Maya Fey, introduced to him by Edgeworth with the discovery of a mutual interest in the Steel Samurai franchise.
At first he was hesitant; he doesn’t want to make friends, let alone share such a private interest with someone he doesn’t know. Even Edgeworth only knows he likes it through unfortunate coincidence (a figure accidentally mailed to his office rather than his apartment, silver and red packaging they both recognized too well), so what reason would he have for sharing it with a stranger voluntarily?
But Athena encouraged it, Edgeworth urged him to humor at least one conversation, and against his better judgment, Simon agreed.
It was… surprisingly pleasant.
Maya’s takes are fresh and interesting, her passion for the franchise obvious when her eyes light up as she talks about it. The tension they started with was gone within minutes, as Simon felt himself grow comfortable talking about the historical accuracy of the franchise and debating the next phases of it with her. One humored conversation became several, became routine. She drops by his office now at least twice a week and he lets her. He looks forward to it . They only ever talk about the Steel Samurai, sure, but it’s nice to bond with someone without the expectation that he bares his soul.
And yet, as weeks become months and their strange relationship grows, he can’t help but wonder what might happen if he did. It’s a curiosity he attempts to shove aside for the sake of the loneliness he’s grown used to, and yet it keeps coming back. Were he to step away from the familiarity of isolation, could they become real friends?
Could they become more?
Simon hasn’t had feelings like this for anyone in a long time, and try as he does to deny them, he has to admit that he’s falling for her. She’s bright and so sincere; the exact opposite of him and yet still someone he wants to grow close to. Someone he feels he could share himself with. The way she smiles at him, it makes him think she wouldn’t turn him away like so many others would. No, there’s always such grace in her gaze, never the fear and contempt others hold.
So the next time she visits, Simon finds the courage to open up.
The segue from discussing the recently announced Steel Samurai reboot to talking about personal matters is daunting and awkward, but Maya never makes him feel bad about it. She accepts the change of pace with a warm smile and listens to all he has to say – way more than he ever thought he’d share with someone that isn’t family. It starts slowly, only talk of Taka and those they both know, but gradually becomes deeper as he feels ready to share his experiences in prison and with UR-1. Maya listens to him with such dedicated focus, offering what gentle commentary and assurances she can.
And Simon can’t believe he was ever actually worried about this.
When he brings up why he made the choice to plead guilty, familiarity shines in Maya’s gaze, as though she too knows exactly what it means to sacrifice so much for someone you care about.
“It’s not the same, but…” Maya hesitates, taking a deep breath. “I get it. I sorta did the same thing for my cousin. The position of Master of the Fey Channeling Technique is… it’s a lot. I never actually wanted it, but the pressure’s better on my shoulders than Pearl’s.”
Just as he kept Athena from prison, she keeps her cousin from the weight of a position she isn’t ready for. She’s just as loyal and devoted to her family as he is to his, both at the cost of themselves. Maya reaches for his hand for comfort, her fingers lacing through his. It feels like his heart stops beating.
“She’s still so young,” she continues, “and she deserves to be a kid for a while longer. If she ever wants the position I’ll give it to her, but I want her to have the choice, even if it means I don’t.”
“It’s very good of you to do that for her.”
“It’s only what I should do.”
She squeezes his hand, and he returns it. Her sentiment is one he understands well, one he once thought himself lonely in, but now with her beside him…
The next time she visits, Simon finds the courage to ask her to dinner.