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Usually, the Wright Anything Agency was filled with the bustling energy of a rambunctious magician, 2 lawyers who were constantly exhausted, and a ridiculous boss. However, the WAA had only two occupants on this fine Wednesday.
That being one of the two overworked lawyers, the spunky orange-haired, ponytailed lawyer who couldn’t let go of the colour yellow, Athena Cykes, and her rival prosecutor and close associate, Simon Blackquill.
The two were engaged in a somewhat, interesting conversation to say the least.
“You totally are.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Athena. I’m appalled you’d even label me with such a derogatory title.”
“Derogatory title? Come on! A ‘weeb’ is not derogatory! You’re a weeb!”
“Tsk,” Simon walked away from her desk and sat down on the red couch with ominous stains on them, Trucy would always spill all sorts of foods and drinks on that couch, and Phoenix was too frugal to buy a new one.
“Anyways, why are you even here? What do you need?” Athena followed Simon and leaned her stomach on the back of the couch as her arms sprawled out in front of her.
“Well, I found this among my possessions whilst cleaning out my office,” Simon reached into his pocket and pulled out a magatama, Athena’s eyes slightly widened.
“Isn’t that Mr Wright’s- no, his is green, but this one is…blue?” Simon handed it to her so she could look at it.
“How did you get this?”
“I don’t know, if I did know I wouldn’t be here.” Simon glared at Athena, who just shrugged and traced the design of the blue relic with her index finger.
“Hm, strange. Oh well, I’ll just have to give it to Mr Wri-“
“What on earth?!”
The blue magatama began to emit a bright, blinding glow, causing Athena to let go of it and look away. It ended up falling into Simon’s lap.
“Ugh, it’s so bright, ow!” Athena rubbed her eyes as Simon made an exasperated complaint.
”Why would you shove it onto me?!” He picked it up and chucked it on the floor, it didn’t break, thankfully. However, when Athena reopened her eyes to check on the situation…
“WOAH!” She stepped back. Instead of seeing the brooding and grumpy Simon she had grown used to sitting on the stained couch, it was..
“A-Athena? Is that you?!”
“S-Simon?!”
His past self.
___
Simon was in a predicament alright. He was back at the Space Station, but he felt the same, old and tired. He didn’t even know HOW he had somehow teleported to the Space Station, but here he was, wandering the once familiar halls of the station. Being back there, the place where it happened, it sent a chill down his spine.
As he traversed through the halls, he was met with the unpleasant and worrying sound of crying.
He knew who it was that was wailing in the robotics lab, who else could it be but her?
“Hmph, why is she crying?” Simon opened the door to the robotics lab, expecting to see the grown and much taller Athena he had gotten used to, but instead.
“..!” Simon stepped back, it wasn’t her. Well, it was, but it was her younger self. The young Athena stood in the middle of the room, crying her heart out. She was still wearing those heavy and uncomfortable headphones she despised, which was probably the source of her tears.
Suddenly, she looked up and saw Simon. She stopped crying and instead..
“S-Simon..?”
His heart swelled.
“Uh, yes..?”
She giggled, he couldn’t hold back the smile that had found its way on his cheeks. He really had gotten soft after leaving prison.
Athena stumbled over to him, she took in his appearance and titled her head to the side in curiosity. She was obviously confused by his sudden change of appearance.
“…Am I dreaming..?”
Simon paused, of course he knew this wasn’t a dream, but maybe it would be better if she thought it was as to not accidentally confuse her.
“Uh, yes. Yes, this is just a dream.”
“That makes sense, you look really different, Simon.”
He laughed and nodded, “I do, don’t I?” Simon got down to Athena’s level, he couldn’t believe she used to be so tiny.
“Your hair is really long, did you grow it so we could have matching ponytails?”
He was going to respond with, “No, I went to prison for 7 years, actually,” but he didn’t want to end up messing with the timeline, so he refrained.
“…I did.” He watched Athena’s little dark blue eyes light up with joy, it made his heart warm to see her smile again, especially since his last memory of her tiny self was when she was in complete anguish because of the trial.
“What’s with those shadows under your eyes? Are you tired, Simon?” Simon paused, and his smile faltered for a moment. He couldn’t tell her what they really were, one, because he had gotten them in prison, and two, he’d worry her if he told her how they came to be.
“You could say that.”
“That’s no good Simon! You need to sleep!” Athena grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the disassembly table so he could use it as an “alternative bed,” but he QUICKLY convinced her to NOT use that.
As he guided her to a couch for the two of them to sit on for a bit, a thought occurred. What if he tried to change the future..? This was the perfect time to do so, was it not?
He could warn her, tell her vital information she’d need in order to prevent her mother’s death. That way, she’d live a normal and happy life without having to give up her dreams for him.
___
“You’ve.. you’ve grown so much..” the short black haired samurai stood in front of the taller version of the Athena he knew in complete disbelief. Athena was very confused.
“Am I dreaming?! How are you here?! And where the hell did Simon go!?”
“Um… yes, perhaps you are then? And, I’m right here.” Simon smiled, he couldn’t stop looking over her in what looked like.. pride? Athena was weirded out.
“You’re being strangely nice… oh wait, this is before you go to prison..”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing!” Athena shook her head and hands in a dismissive gesture, the younger Simon just laughed before looking at her ears.
“Where are your headphones?”
“Oh! Uh, I don’t really need them anymore?”
“Does that mean my mentor was able to fix your problem?!” His happiness was incredibly loud, she flinched at the increase in volume. She wasn’t used to Simon being so expressive and.. well, happy.
“Uh, no, I still have that… uh, ‘problem.’”
Athena was overwhelmed by the amount of happiness in Simon’s voice. She was really weirded out. She was so used to Simon’s “tough guy” persona that he had crafted over the years, so the fact that she was face to face with a smiling, happier version again.. it was taking some getting used to..
But, she couldn’t help but smile as well. Seeing him happy like how he was before, it made her happy too.
“You’ve grown so much, I can’t get over how.. how tall you are.” Simon stepped closer to Athena, she remembered him being way taller when she was younger. He placed his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug, which surprised Athena. She rarely received hugs from Simon nowadays.
She wrapped her arms around him as well, hugging him just as tight as he was. She was overwhelmed with emotions right now, she didn’t know what to say or do.
Eventually, Simon pulled back and once again, looked over her in total disbelief.
“You’ve grown into a fine young woman, I’m proud.” Athena strung her fingers through her hair, very flattered and embarrassed, that’s when he finally noticed Widget glowing a bright, vibrant green.
“Is that Widget?!”
“Wait, you know Widget? But I never really wore Widget when I was younger.” Simon stepped closer to take a look at the robot around Athena’s neck, it was now glowing yellow.
“I knew of Widget, your mother told me about Widget and its capabilities,” Simon stepped back to look at Athena, who’s face had fallen a little at the mention of her mother, “Speaking of your mother-“
“Actually! I have something to ask you!” She cut him off before he could ask about her, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Even now, when Present Day Simon would occasionally bring Athena’s mother up into conversation, she’d always break down into tears. She didn’t like talking about her mother, it hurt too much. Besides, she knew she probably shouldn’t mess with the timeline, so she had to avoid any type of conversation about future events.
“A question? Of course.” Simon took a seat on the red stained couch, he had a slight grimace on his face at first, but his attention went back to Athena. She sat down next to him.
“Uh.” In truth, she didn’t know what to ask. She had just blurted it out to change the subject.
“How about I tell you where I’m at in life!” Athena laughed nervously as Simon just blinked incredulously before smiling and nodding, “I’d love to hear about that.”
“Okay.” Athena took a deep breath and began to speak, being careful to not reveal too much information.
___
The urge was strong, especially as he looked down at the young girl who was now huddled in his lap, smiling so innocently. He wanted to protect her, protect her from the travesty that was to happen soon.
…
“Athena..”
“Yes?” She smiled, her grin becoming wider. How could he sit there and do nothing whilst knowing that just in a few months, her life was to change for the worse? He had to protect her, protect everyone, to make sure that it wouldn’t happen.
“On the 7th-“
Simon stopped himself. He realised what he was doing, it was unfair. As much as he hated it, he’d have to let this innocent little girl go through the traumas that were waiting for her.
“On the what?” She kept looking up at him with those eyes, it was heartbreaking.
He cleared his throat, “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Simon smiled, in an attempt to reassure the young girl.
Athena had most likely detected the sadness in his voice, because she suddenly moved closer to hug him. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist and buried her face into his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him.
He hugged her back, he realised how much he had missed her hugs. Why hadn’t he hugged Athena more often? Especially since she could really use one nowadays. He settled for other ways to show his affection, like threatening Wright-dono or taking her to Whet Noodle to eat together, but maybe what Athena really wanted most was a hug from him.
Now that the little girl was in his arms, safe, the realisation that her life was about to change dramatically hit him. The tiny child who was sitting so comfortably in his lap, who was hugging him with so much strength to try to quell his aching heart, was going to suffer. There was nothing he could do to protect her, no way for him to stop it. He had to let the events unfold.
“Simon..” he looked at her face when she unburied it, tears were streaming down her tiny cheeks. He panicked, and quickly held her tighter.
“W-What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” The young Athena sniffled and hiccuped before locking eyes with him,
“Because you are..”
___
“You’re a defence attorney?! Really?!” The young samurai practically flew out of his chair and looked at Athena, who was donning a smug grin, one that resembled Simon from her timeline.
“Yup, and I’m only 18.”
He nearly stumbled over at that. Simon quickly regained his composure and grabbed her hands, holding them firmly in his. She was expecting his hands to be warmer, more warm than the Simon she knew, but his hands were the same warmth without a slight difference in temperature.
“I’m so proud of you, this is amazing!” Simon was beaming with excitement and pride, Athena sheepishly smiled, he had been complimenting her and praising her left right and centre. She’d kill to have present day Simon praise her like how his past self was.
“So this means I get to rival you in court?”
Athena stopped smiling, snd that was when she realised what was going to happen to him.
“Uh, yeah, kinda..”
“Oh, this is the best news ever!” He tugged on her hands more, “this is exceptional news, Athena. I can’t wait.”
His voice had no discord in it, the only thing she could hear was pure, unbridled joy for her, for them. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. How could she tell him that his life would change, that he would sacrifice everything for her?
Her heart ached, and her tears threatened to fall. That’s when she realised, maybe she could.. still save him..
Yes! That was it! She could save him, she could tell him to not come to the Space Station that day, but that would be too obvious, it would disrupt the timeline. She had to save him in a way that wouldn’t drastically change the future. Athena decided to convince him, to convince him to prioritise himself over her. If he did that, then he wouldn’t try to pin the blame on himself to “save Athena.”
“Simon.”
“Yes?” He smiled at her, she was still getting used to seeing Simon smile again, she realised just how much she missed it.
“You’d prioritise yourself over me, right?” She tugged his hands, looking into his eyes with a pleading look of desperation. This was her chance to save him before he needed saving.
“What are you even saying? Of course I wouldn’t.”
“What..?” Athena’s grip loosened, before she tightened it after finding the determination to keep convincing him. She had to do this.
”No! You should-“
“Athena,” while still holding her hands, he bowed down in front of her, “it’s my lifelong duty to protect you. You are my mentor’s most beloved treasure, which makes you mine as well.” His head stayed lowered, so he didn’t see the tears that had started pouring from Athena’s eyes.
“Y-you can’t. Simon..”
“It is my honour-bound duty to protect you, even if it costs me my life. I would never prioritise myself over you, ever.”
When Simon looked up, he finally noticed the young woman’s tears that had erupted. He was confused, but most importantly, he was concerned.
“Athena?!” He wiped the tears from her face, as Athena brought her hands up to her own face to wipe them as well.
“Simon, why?! Why won’t you just.. let me help you.”
Athena sniffled as Simon brushed away the last stray tears before resting his hand on her head, stroking her hair gently as a way to soothe her.
Athena just pulled him into a hug, he hugged her tighter. She had missed this, missed hugging Simon. Even though she was still hugging “Simon,” it wasn’t the Simon she knew.
She’d missed his warm hugs a lot.
____
“Oh,” Simon wiped his cheek, and sure enough, there was a tiny little tear droplet resting on the tip of his finger. He wiped it away on his long cloak and looked down at the young girl who was sobbing. He had nearly forgotten just how empathetic Athena was because of how much time he’d spent away from her.
“Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry.”
“You’re lying.”
He mentally facepalmed himself, how could he have forgotten about her hearing? Not to mention, it was even stronger because she was younger. Even with the headphones dampening most discord, she could still pick up on it.
“I am.” He sighed, thinking of how to explain it to her without being found out for lying. She was a tough nut to crack.
“I’m just thinking about something sad.”
“Like what?”
He has also forgotten just how blunt and pushy the young girl could be, she never knew when to stop or hold back.
“Something sad that would make you sad, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
”…I guess..”
But he knew the art of manipulation, it was child’s play to get her to cease her interrogation. Athena obliged and dropped it, satisfied enough. She wiped away her tears, before she felt Simon’s hand wipe her cheek too.
“Your hands are warm, just like they always are.” Athena looked up at him and smiled, he couldn’t hold back his smile either. “Thats good to know.”
He brushed her cheek, something he used to do all the time when she was younger. Athena closed her eyes and relaxed, until she opened her eyes and looked downwards.
“….Simon?”
“Yes?”
“So.. I know I’m dreaming right now, but.. why do you look so different?”
He stayed quiet for a bit, thinking over his answer he’d give. He pretty much had free rein over what he could tell her, due to the fact that she was under the notion that it was just a dream.
“Because I’m from the future.”
Athena sat up, wide eyed and.. excited.
“What?! The future?! Really?!” She pressed him for more information, bombarding him with question after question. He laughed and began “answering” them.
“What am I like in the future?!”
“You’ll have to see for yourself.”
But he was being purposefully avoidant, which got on Athena’s nerves. She pouted every time he successfully dodged her questions, and with every pout she’d make, Simon’s smile would grow wider. His cheeks were starting to hurt, he really hadn’t smiled in ages, huh?
Suddenly, the lighthearted energy around them dissipated, and the air became constricting and serious.
“Does Mom finally love me?”
His smile stopped growing and instead shrunk into a frown. His eyes lost its joy and he looked down at her, hoping she had just been joking. He didn’t have her sensitive hearing to tell when someone was lying or not, but even he could tell that she meant every word she said. She truly was worried that her mother hated her.
“…She always has, Athena.” He moved his hand to rest on top of the little girl’s head and brushed his fingers through her hair.
“Are you sure?” His heart ached even more.
“I’m very sure. There’s no need to worry.”
“Mom just experiments on me and stuff.”
“She wants to help you.”
“I just want Mom to love me.”
“She does.” Simon pulled the little girl into another hug, she really needed one. No child should ever be thinking this way, it hurt his heart and soul to hear the words coming out of her mouth.
“You love me at least, right Simon?”
His eyes widened for a moment, before they relaxed and he replied in a sincere tone;
“Of course I do.”
____
She knew it was time for Simon to head back to his timeline, and even though she was kind of sad to see him go, she was excited to see her own Simon again.
“Take care of yourself, okay, Athena?”
“Of course I will, and I have been, Thank you very much!” Athena grinned, which earned a hearty chuckle from Simon.
“Make sure you take good care of little me! Extra care of her.. and spend lots of time with her, while you still can..” Widget flashed a deep blue as Athena hugged her arm.
Simon picked up on the slight hint that the two of them may be separated at some point in their life, which caused him to ask something.
“Will- In the event that you and I are separated, in my timeline I mean..”
“We.. will see each other again, yes?”
Athena looked up at him, silently cursing him for asking such a sad question as she could feel the tears spring to her eyes, but she smiled and nodded.
“Of course we will, after all, we’re bound to one another.” Athena threw her hand out in a peace sign as she stood there confidently, Simon was reassured of his worries.
“That’s all that matters to me. No matter what awaits for me, all I hope is for your happiness and safety.”
“S-stop! You’ll make me cry again.. geez, you’re so sappy..” Athena brushed away a stray tear as the black-haired prosecutor laughed, “Sorry, Sorry.”
Athena looked down at the blue magatama, and just like she did before, she stroked the design with her index finger, lighting it up.
“I’ll see you soon, Athena.” Simon smiled at her, and she smiled back while waving, “Bye, Simon! Please, take care.”
...
Athena sat in silence, before going limp on the couch due to exhaustion.
And now she waited for her Simon to return.
____
He didn’t want to leave her with nothing, he wanted to find a way to protect her somehow. If she had to go through the tragic events that was the UR-1 incident, then so be it. However, he wished to impart her with some knowledge, something that could possibly help her.
Something he wished he could’ve said to her all those years ago.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Hm?” She hummed and looked up at Simon, confused.
“It was never your fault, and it never will be your fault.”
“What was? Huh?”
“Athena, you are enough, just the way you are. Please, remember that. You are good enough.”
“…” Athena sat there in silence, he wanted to say more, however he could sense that he was running out of time.
“…Okay, I’ll do that, for you.”
She hopped off his lap and watched him get up, his heart was sullen at the thought of what was to come, but he did what he could.
“Am I waking up?” Athena looked up at him, he nodded.
“It seems like you are, I’ll see you soon, but differently.” Athena gave him one last hug, he treasured the last moments he had with her.
“Bye, Bye, Simon.”
“…”
“Goodbye, Athena.”
He gave her one last squeeze before her found himself back in the familiar office of the Wright Anything Agency.
“Gah, I’m becoming too soft,” he said, as he wiped away yet another tear.
___
Another bright glow shone into the room, startling Athena. She jolted up from her spot on the couch only to spot Simon, the normal one, standing there with his arms crossed. He looked crestfallen.
“So… where did you go to?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Simon took a spot next to Athena as she propped herself up on the couch to sit in a better position.
“I got visited by past you.”
“And I visited younger you.”
“Oh.”
The both of them were quiet, until Athena finally spoke again,
“…Thank you for everything you’ve done, Simon.”
“Hmph.” He crossed his arms and laid back on the couch, “there’s no need to thank me again, I only did what I had to do.” He looked away from her, Athena sighed. She leaned on the armrest of the couch and turned her body away from Simon.
The two of them were lost in thoughts, each one wanting to show their appreciation and care for each other but not knowing how to.
Suddenly, she heard the creaking of the couch, and before she knew it, she was being hugged by Simon. She was shocked at first, but then, she wrapped her arms around him and returned his hug.
It was the first time he’d hugged her in ages, it felt good to be hugged by him and not his past self. Athena laughed to mask her tears that fell down her face, she’d done a lot of crying today.
“I’m so happy.”
”Your past self kept hugging me and praising me, which was really nice, but it wasn’t from you.”
“I was incredibly soft on you back then, huh?”
“You really were, and I bet you were all soft on little me when you saw her, weren’t you?”
“Hmph, how could I not be?”
“Simon’s an ol’ softie now~”
Simon pulled back from the hug and glared at her, Athena quickly pulled him back knowing that this would be the only time she’d ever get a hug from him.
…
sniffle
“…Cykes-dono, are you crying again?”
“S-Shut up, Simon!” She sniffled again, and for the first time in a while, he smiled. He remembered the feeling of holding a smaller version of Athena in his arms just moments prior, and now he was holding her older self. Even though he couldn’t protect her as a kid, he’d protect her now even if she wasn’t a little kid anymore.
“I expect more hugs from you now on.”
“No.”
“Bitch.”
Athena secretly smiled, she could tell that wasn’t what his heart wanted. His heart right now was a flurry of green, an entire rainforest of pure green.
She’d just have to be the one to invite the hugs then. Athena didn’t mind.
She was just glad to have her old friend back.