Chapter Text
The Wright Anything Agency wasn’t exactly the place to be on a Saturday night. While Apollo was sure his more socially active peers like Athena were out on the town at some sort of bar or club, he found himself at the agency late after work finishing up paperwork. Again. For the fifth weekend in a row.
Luckily, Trucy was in the same boat; she had paperwork of her own to do, in the form of algebra worksheets. This was against her will, of course. Her last month had consisted of rigid nightly rehearsals of new material for her Wonder Bar residency, and her grades took a nosedive as a result. Per Miles’ insistence, Phoenix begrudgingly assigned her the cruel fate of being grounded and phone-less for either two weeks or until she finished the pile of missing assignments she was neglecting; whichever came first. And so, Apollo and Trucy found themselves spending their night at a circular wooden table, strewn with loose sheets of paper and embellished with a few of Apollo’s residual coffee rings and Trucy’s eraser dust.
“Pollyyyy,” Trucy groaned, throwing her head down on the table and landing with her cheek squished in defeat. “This sucks.”
Apollo didn’t look up from where his scribbles met the underlying paper. “You’re telling me. This isn’t really the way I thought I’d be spending my weekend.”
“Isn’t this how you always spend your weekends, though?”
Apollo looked up for the first time in nearly an hour to shoot her a narrow glare. “Hey. I know you got banned from making Edgeworth’s glasses disappear, but don’t take it out on me.”
Trucy cringed upon being reminded that her father had robbed her of one of her favorite pastimes. Tragic, really. “I wasn’t trying to be mean, promise. It’s just that whenever I ask if you wanna hang out with me, you’re always busy. I’d drag you out of here if I could, but my dads would kill me.” She let out a pained sigh, and turned her head so her forehead pressed down against the table.
“Well, Trucy, the difference is that I am a lawyer and you are 16 years old. Believe me, there are plenty of things I’d rather be doing with my Saturday. Like…” Apollo stared out into space, trying to rack his brain for a suitable alternative to working overtime and helping a high schooler with her math homework. What did he usually do with his weekends back in law school? As he thought back, he came to the realization that he pretty much spent all of his free time doing what he and Trucy were doing right then; a tedious cocktail of homework and paperwork. “Hm.”
“See?” Trucy sat upright and flicked him square in the forehead. “You should get out of here. At least you have the freedom to leave. It’s not like you don’t have any friends, Apollo.” Trucy smirked. “Maybe you should see what Prosecutor Gavin’s doing,” she proposed in a singsong voice, inching towards his face. Apollo’s cheeks became flushed instantly.
“Prosecutor Gavin!? No way. Are you kidding? He’s probably out doing whatever the fuck celebrity rockstars do on Saturdays. Like, having dinner at Kim Kardashian’s house or something.”
Trucy giggled. “Well, you don’t know until you ask! And besides, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, I’m sure he’d love to have the guy that put his brother and best friend in jail come to hang out with him and Kim Kardashian. I’m sure that’d be a lot of fun for him.” Apollo scoffed, looking down at the table and avoiding Trucy’s eyes.
“Aw, Polly, I know that isn’t how he thinks of you,” Trucy says, attempting to cheer him up. “He wouldn’t have sent that bouquet of flowers to the office on your birthday if he held a grudge like that.” Apollo groaned, recalling the embarrassment of his boss answering the front door and being greeted by a delivery person carrying an absurdly large floral arrangement along with a pink envelope that read To Herr Forehead . He’s sure Phoenix absolutely got the wrong idea.
“I’m sure that was just a formality. You know as well as I do that he does stuff like that for everybody. If I was loaded like him. I bet I’d send birthday gifts to all my acquaintances too.”
“A floral arrangement? You’re telling me you’d send Prosecutor Blackquill a floral arrangement?” Apollo’s eyes widened in horror. “See? Have a little faith in me. If he really didn’t like you, I think I’d be able to pick up on it pretty quickly.” In a futile attempt to focus on her homework, she proceeded to grab her pencil and read over one of her quadratic equation problems, before quickly letting out a resigned sigh and placing it back down.
Apollo was desperate to change the topic, and he’d rather help Trucy through the tedium of sophomore level math than talk to her about his complicated feelings surrounding his rival prosecutor. “Truce, you know Phoenix will get mad if you don’t finish at least this page. Here, let me hel-” Apollo was cut off by a buzzing sensation stemming from his left pant leg, accompanied by a sound signifying an incoming text. He reached down to grab his phone from his pocket. “Huh.”
7:39 Klavier: Guten abend, Herr Forehead
“Who is it?” Trucy inquired.
“It’s Prosecutor Gavin. Weird.”
At that point, Trucy completely abandoned the notion of getting her work done on time. She had a feeling that this would prove to be infinitely more interesting. “Well, what did he say?”
7:40 Apollo: Hey, what’s up
7:40 Klavier: Ah, gut, youre awake
7:41 Klavier: I feared my musings would end up falling upon deaf ears
Apollo groaned and placed his phone face down onto the table. “Nothing important. I don’t know what the fuck he’s talking about. Anyways, let’s get back to your homework.” Apollo, using both his hands, motioned to the pile of papers that lay scrambled before him. “I can do all this another time.”
Trucy’s face suddenly lit up. If Apollo hadn’t been so tired from the week he just barely made it through, he would have noticed Trucy looking at him with the smile she only wore when she was in the process of devising a plan to once again place him in an uncomfortable situation for her entertainment. “Hey, can I use the calculator app on your phone? I don’t have mine with me ‘cause my dads enjoy watching me suffer, and I need it for this problem.”
Apollo, much like an unassuming fish stumbling upon a worm on a metal hook, took the bait. “Sure, knock yourself out.” He slid his phone across the table, and stood up from his chair. “I’m gonna go make some more coffee. Looks like it’s gonna be a long night.”
7:43 Klavier: Did I lose you?
7:43 Klavier: Ach, I suppose it was too good to be true…
7:44 Apollo: Sorry I was in the bathroom
7:44 Apollo: Whats going on?
7:45 Klavier: Ah, my dearest apologies. I hope your foray to the restroom went well. As I found myself accompanied solely by the glow of the moonlight, I simply found myself wondering what my favorite defense attorney is doing on this fine evening.
Trucy grinned, her thumbs moving on their own. This was all going just according to her plan.
7:45 Apollo: Nothing muchh ;)
7:45 Apollo: Wbu pretty boy
As Apollo stood pouring milk into a cup of instant coffee fresh from the Wright Anything Agency Keurig, he couldn’t help but notice Trucy’s futile attempt at stifling a giggle from across the room. “That math problem sounds awfully funny,” he remarked, concentrating on stirring his coffee.
7:45 Klavier: My, Herr Forehead, I must say I’m quite surprised to see you behave like this
7:46 Klavier: Might you have had one too many to drink?
7:46 Apollo: Haghhaghaaha
7:46 Apollo: Im sooo drunk
7:46 Apollo: Klavierrrrrr😭😭😭😭😭😭
With that, the small chuckles evolved into a louder bout of laughter. As Apollo turned in confusion of what part of the quadratic formula was so humorous, he was, much to his surprise, not greeted by the sight of her crunching numbers. The truth was much more sinister; she was on the messaging app.
“TRUCY!” Apollo dropped his spoon, splashing coffee across the countertop, and instantly dashed towards the table where his phone was held hostage. Trucy dropped the phone, her laughter elevating to nearly hysterical wheezes. Apollo swooped it up and ran as far across the room as he could in fear of Trucy attempting to steal back her precious cargo.
7:47 Apollo: TRUYC
7:47 Apollo: TRUCY TOOKKGJNMY PHONE
7:47 Apollo: TRYCHK TOOK YM PHONE
7:47 Apollo: THAT SWAHSNT ME
7:47 Apollo: Ohhhhhhhhhh my god
7:47 Apollo: I am so sorry
7:47 Apollo: Oh my god
Apollo placed the phone back onto the table and began pacing back and forth across the room. “Trucy, why the fuck would you do that? Oh my god. Ohhhh my god. I can never see him again. How am I supposed to ever show my face to him again? What am I gonna do if I run into him at the courthouse? I hope you realize what you’ve done. I might as well just quit now. Jesus, Trucy, why-”
Trucy took a deep breath through to regain her composure, then pouted. “But I didn’t do anything wrong! I just spoke like I was you. You do think he’s pretty, don’t you?” She tauntingly batted her eyelashes at him.
“NO! I do not! I do not think Klavier Gavin is pretty! What’s gotten into you?” Apollo squeezed his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Trucy smirked, raising her eyebrows. “What?”
“...You know you can’t lie to me, right?” Trucy couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, despite her best efforts to keep it together. Much to Apollo’s dismay, she seemed to find this all incredibly entertaining. I have to get grounded more often, she thought to herself.
Apollo’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared daggers into Trucy’s eyes, picking his words carefully. “You know what? I-”
Their attention was then diverted to the chime of Apollo’s phone yet again. A new message presented itself on his lockscreen.
7:48 Klavier: Hahaha, I figured that was a likely possibility. Send Fraulein Magician my regards
7:48 Klavier: How about this: I’m willing to never mention the fact that you called me pretty again and completely forget it ever happened if you join me for dinner tonight. How does that sound?
Trucy and Apollo stared at the phone, then back at each other. Both silently looked into each other’s eyes, unsure of what to say or do. At the same time, they both made a break for the phone, Trucy’s hand reaching it first and Apollo’s slamming on top of it. She grabbed it and held it to her chest.
Apollo spoke in broken sentences through deep breaths. “Trucy. Trucy. Listen to me. You cannot send. Anything. Please. I am begging you.” His hands fell to his knees.
“I won’t! I promise. Not without your permission, of course. But I really think you should go. Think about it. Would you rather just sit here and do the same paperwork you always do and then go home and think about how you should’ve taken the opportunity to go out with the guy you obviously have a crush on?”
Apollo shook his hands in front of him. “Yes! That sounds amazing right about now! I’d like that very much, actually! Now, please give me my-”
“Polly.” Apollo looked towards the floor. “Look at me.” He begrudgingly raised his eyes to meet hers. “We both know that you like him.” Apollo started to open his mouth to object, but Trucy swiftly cut him off. “Don’t- Don’t even. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. Promise.” Apollo’s eyes fell towards the floor once again as he nodded. “I think you know as well as I do that if you don’t take him up on it, you’re gonna regret it. I don’t really think you’re the type to make the first move, and if you say no, he may just give up entirely.”
“But what if he’s just being friendly?” Apollo could not even begin to consider the possibility of multi platinum recording artist Klavier Gavin making a pass at a rookie defense attorney who incarcerated the two people closest to him.
“Well, if he’s just being friendly, then you get to enjoy a nice dinner with a friend! That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Trucy smiled at him, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She then proceeded to put the phone back on the table. “Here. I won’t make you say anything you don’t want to.”
Apollo sighed, pensive in thought. After a few moments of contemplation and a good dozen mental I’m Fines, he grabbed the phone and began typing out a message before the rational part of his brain could stop his fingers.
7:53 Apollo: Okay fine
7:53 Apollo: I’m not riding on your motorcycle though
7:53 Apollo: And please dont take me somewhere super fancy or something
7:53 Klavier: Wunderbar!
7:53 Klavier: And do not fret, Herr Forehead, I’ll send an uber to the agency
7:53 Klavier: I imagine you’re still there filling out paperwork at this hour, ja?
7:53 Apollo: Yeah I am
7:53 Klavier: Is an 8:00 pickup time convenient for you? I’ll meet you at the restaurant.
7:54 Apollo: Yeah, that works
7:54 Klavier: Wunderbar! I’ll see you then.
Apollo put his phone down and groaned. “God, what did I just do,” he said as he put his head in his hands.
Trucy responded by quickly embracing him in her arms, then letting go and grabbing his shoulders. “You did it! I’m so proud of you, Polly!” She lightly shook them as she spoke.
Trucy’s words of encouragement and praise weren’t enough to get him out of the state of pani he had lowered himself into. He sat back down in the chair he previously occupied. “I’m starting to think this is a bad idea. What if things get weird? I hate it when things get weird.”
“Polly, it’ll be fine. Klavier flirts with you all the time, doesn’t he? It’ll be just like investigating a crime scene. Except instead of being at a crime scene, he’s taking you out on a date. That doesn’t seem so bad, now, does it?” As she talked, she organized Apollo’s paperwork into a neat pile for him, as he was pretty much incapacitated at that moment.
“Trucy, I don’t even know where we’re going. What if it’s a restaurant I don’t like, and I end up not eating anything and just staring at the table and nodding along to whatever he says? Or what if everything’s, like, 400 dollars and I can’t order anything? Or maybe it-” Once again, he was interrupted by a message from Klavier.
8:01 Klavier: It seems your ride has arrived, Herr Forehead
“Fuck, I gotta go.” Apollo scrambled to put his overcoat on as he gathered his keys and his wallet and made for the front door. “Bye, Trucy. Thanks, I guess, for… I don’t really know what I should be thanking you for. But thanks.”
Trucy gave him one last hug before he left. “You got this, Polly! Text m- oh, I forgot. Text my dad, I’ll steal his phone!”