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“Blah. I just think the worst part of this whole process is waiting so long for absolutely everything,” Apollo said into his phone, lying on his back and tossing a ball into the air repeatedly – because not even a conversation with Clay fucking Terran could alleviate his restlessness. “A few months after graduating before I could take the bar, then I passed the bar but couldn’t get sworn in for another month for no reason, and now I have to wait an indeterminate length of time before they can get my badge to me! They expect us to handle trials the day after receiving a client, so why the hell can’t they have the badges ready in time for the swearing-in?”
On the other end of the line, Clay was peppering each half-pause in Apollo’s frantic ramble with a supportive “Mhm” or “Yeah.”
“And you know, I had been so excited for the swearing-in, I thought it would be this huge event and I’d brought tissues in my pocket in case I cried, but it was basically nothing! Just a few minutes of… ‘Repeat after me: I swear to blah blah blah blah blah’ and I recited some promises word for word and then I was told to go home. I mean, I realize it’s important, but it was still kind of a catastrophe for me.”
“Is it that important?” Clay said, finally getting in a complete sentence.
“Of course it is!” Apollo snatched the ball from the air and shook it angrily, because he couldn’t throw it at Clay in response to such an offensive question. “It’s a necessary part of the process! There has to be some guidelines for us to work by! Otherwise it’d just… be anarchy in the courts!”
“Heh.” Clay seemed amused. “But I dunno. If it was that important, they’d have let you invite a guest other than your sponsor. I think the fact that I couldn’t come should have been your warning.”
Apollo tossed the ball up so hard that it bounced off the ceiling and nearly came back down on his face. “Maybe. And honestly, I think Mr. Gavin got more enjoyment out of sponsoring me during the ceremony than I got out of participating in it. He seems pretty excited to see me actually go into court and not just do all his paperwork.”
“Hm.”
Apollo rotated the ball in his hand a few times. “Clay… do you mean that? Do you wish you had gotten to go see me be sworn in that badly?”
“I don’t know about badly,” Clay’s voice replied, with a lilt that suggested more disappointment than he was trying to show. “It would have been nice, though. You’ve worked awfully hard for that badge. And I… you know, I was really happy to get coffee and everything for you while you were studying for the bar, but I got to see just how much you wanted it. I’m really proud of you. I just wanted to be there for your crowning.”
Oh, Clay. That’s so sweet, I could…
Apollo began dribbling the ball into the air with his fingers, which were now filled with fear and excitement and ecstasy at the thought that his brain had nearly allowed to escape his lips.
If only he actually could kiss Clay.
On Apollo’s first of many all-nighters in preparation for the bar, Clay had arrived not only with coffee but with blank note cards and several CDs’ worth of instrumental music. Subsequently, Clay fell asleep on Apollo’s couch, and as Apollo watched him, an interlocutory thought arrived and was so loud that it threatened to rob Apollo of all his study time. The only thing Apollo could do to chase it off was to turn it into an idea. A plan – one that, almost two months later at the moment of this energetic phone call, could be getting put into motion any time now.
“Well, that’s okay,” Apollo said. “As soon as this darn badge arrives, I’ll be heading right over and showing it to you. You’ll be the first person to see what I look like as a real lawyer. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds good,” Clay said. “As long as I get to buy you dinner in celebration.”
“It’s a date.”
Clay chuckled, the sound of his laughter making Apollo’s heart do a somersault. “Good. Okay, but, I gotta run. I have some things to do. I’ll text you, though, ‘kay? Good talking to you.”
“You, too, Clay. See you later.”
Click.
Apollo clutched his phone to his chest and tossed the ball to the floor beside him.
That wasn’t a joke, Clay.
*********
Finally.
Finally finally finally Apollo had his badge. He rushed into his room and tried to simultaneously change into courtroom-appropriate attire and order a cab to GYAXA. Two days had passed since the phone call with Clay, and if Apollo’d been made to wait much longer he might have burst at the seams. Finally finally finally.
He noted his new ID number (29003) and slipped his badge into an envelope – he couldn’t put it on yet, Clay HAD to be the first to see him wearing it.
He had to make sure he looked perfect. He’d already decided he couldn’t run or bike to GYAXA; he couldn’t be a sweaty mess when… all of this went down. He slipped into the bathroom, double checking his hair, his teeth, his tie, the alignment of his pants, everything.
Apollo Justice was a real lawyer now.
Finally.
The waiting was no longer in terms of months, weeks, or indeterminate days. It was mere minutes for the cab to arrive and minutes more for it to drop him off. His heart pounded commandingly and his bracelet seemed to hold his wrist like a vice, but he supposed he could tolerate a final wait of minutes.
“Good luck,” the driver said as Apollo stepped out of the car in front of GYAXA. Apollo hadn’t been conscious of telling the driver anything of his plans (maybe the driver had picked up on something from the energy Apollo was exhibiting). On the other hand, he had barely been conscious of getting in the car in the first place. Apollo Justice was a real lawyer, and that was potentially going to be the second-best piece of news from his day.
Apollo half-stumbled through the front door, immediately scanning the inside of the building for…
“Ponco!”
Ponco turned on her wheels upon hearing her name and rolled toward Apollo. He stood silently for a moment while she worked to recognize his face.
“Hello, Mr. Justice!” she said at last.
“Do you know where Clay is?” Apollo asked.
Ponco crossed her arms. “Mr. Terran should be in a meeting. He’s learning about the systems on the HAT-2 vessel!”
“That’s fun,” Apollo said. “Do you know when he’ll be done?”
Her head swiveled about her neck a few times, back and forth. “I expect he’ll be out in six minutes. Should I tell him you want to see him when he gets out?”
“Yeah, do that,” Apollo said. A few more short minutes of waiting.
“Okay!” Ponco turned and started for her lift to the second floor of the facility.
“Hey, wait a sec, Ponco,” Apollo said.
She turned back to him, looking a bit puzzled. “What is it, Mr. Justice?”
“I just want you to know, I’m officially a lawyer now!”
“That’s great news! I’m happy to hear it!” Ponco spun in place and tossed her arms in the air in celebration. As Apollo expected, she didn’t really understand, but she could tell that it was something he was excited about, so she mirrored his enthusiasm.
“One more thing before you go get Clay,” Apollo said. “I have… something I’m planning on doing, but I’m kind of nervous about it. It’s… risky. It might turn out really well, or it might be awful. Do you think I should go for it?”
Ponco’s screen turned to a grimace as she brought her hands to her face. “Give me a moment while I try to understand your question,” she said.
After a few seconds she looked back up at him with a neutral expression. “At GYAXA we believe in the importance of following your dreams. We reach for the stars here every day, and we believe that all of humankind should, too! Have I answered your question, Mr. Justice?”
Apollo smiled. Reach for the stars, eh? “Yes. Thank you, Ponco.”
“I’m so glad I could be helpful to you!” Ponco once again offered her celebratory dance. “I will go wait for Mr. Terran now.”
She wheeled off. Apollo walked towards a relatively unimportant wall and reached in his pocket. He was going to be ready as soon as Clay arrived, and not even a passerby would see his badge first.
Apollo counted the seconds as he stared at the wall. Finally, he was getting some payoff for his patience. Finally, he was a real lawyer, and finally…
“What’s eating at you, Justice?”
Apollo smiled, not looking at the source of the voice. “Oh, just had to show you something.”
“Well, in spite of my demeanor I’m beside myself with anticipation, so you’d better show me soon,” Clay said.
Apollo turned to Clay, pristine new badge now pinned to his lapel. He was sure his grin was the widest, goofiest thing ever. “Well?” he said. “How do I look?”
Clay brought one hand to the side of his face. “Gosh… You…” His smile permeated the whole surface of his face. He might have been the only person in the world at that moment whose grin was wider than Apollo’s. “You look like… you look ready to take on the whole world, Apollo. I’m… I’m really proud of you!”
“Oh no, Clay…” Apollo took a step toward him. “You can’t cry on me now.”
It was too late. A couple of tears had already escaped. “I can’t NOT cry,” Clay said. “You… this… it’s just… it all feels so right! And it makes me feel so privileged to have gotten to see this process from start to finish. I’m…”
As Clay trailed off, Apollo reached up with one hand and wiped a tear from his cheek. As he did so, Clay looked surprised, and attentive, and still profoundly elated.
It was now or never.
Apollo leaned onto his toes and hastily pressed his lips onto Clay’s.
Clay reeled in surprise for a beat. Then Apollo felt Clay’s lips purse around his in turn.
Lucky guess, Apollo told himself. And a very good plan. Their kiss continued for priceless seconds, Apollo dangling his elbows from the tops of Clay’s shoulders, dimly conscious of others in the space center staring at them but thoroughly not caring.
Clay broke away, but barely separated his face from Apollo’s. “I’m taking this to mean that I should treat you to a movie in addition to dinner.”
“You can take that however you like,” Apollo hummed. “As long as we hash this out in more detail later.”
“Deal,” Clay said, closing the negotiation with another kiss, which was fast becoming Apollo’s new favorite thing. “And… thanks, for being so quick about this.”
“Quick?” Apollo unloaded his arms from Clay. “What do you mean by ‘quick’?”
Clay gave a timid smile. “I only just realized how big of a crush I had on you while you were talking to me on the phone the other day about waiting for your badge. But you’ve acted so quickly that I barely had to stress about it at all.”
Apollo could feel himself blanching.
“Clay Terran, you great big cheater.” Apollo almost swatted him on the shoulder. “You’re unbelievable. I’ve been at this for months, almost a year, and now I find out you barely set foot into the hellscape of pining?” He crossed his arms. “I’m never talking to you again.”
“I’ll take you to the comic store after the movie and buy you whatever you want there.”
“Nevermind. We’re back on.”
Apollo turned slowly for the door, and Clay hooked his hand in Apollo’s arm. Apollo had trouble holding down his grin. This was about as well as anybody could be doing, he figured.
Sure, being defense attorney number twenty-nine thousand and three was already one of the most important things in the world to Apollo. But there was only one Clay Terran.