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“Silence!”

Simon glared at the judge as he interrupted the man’s sentence, angry that His Baldness was about to unnecessarily prolong this trial into another day.  He had everything he needed in order to receive the guilty verdict that he believed the defendant so desperately deserved.  Simon’s gaze darkened, his eyes practically glowing with tranquil rage as he shifted his attention back to his opponent.

“Hmph!  This is the dark age of the law where defense attorneys are not to be trusted!  This is but a plot to gain time for them to fabricate evidence,” he accused.  “How will I sleep tonight…”  He trailed off for a moment, only to smirk and bring his hand to his chin.  “…knowing you will not let the run rise on the mayor’s day of reckoning, Justice-dono?”

Of course, Apollo had immediately objected, claiming that he wouldn’t fabricate any evidence.

“Silence!”  Simon had again shouted his catchphrase, frightening a few more people in the gallery.  “Then prove it by joining me.”  He slammed his hand on the prosecutor’s bench, and offered the defense a sly smile.  “A night in the clink will ensure you will not succumb to temptation!” 

“How about I just promise not to succumb to anything?”  Apollo’s face was sweating a little, and his horns had drooped down to match his expression.  Simon couldn’t help but chuckle a bit to himself – that hairstyle of Justice-dono’s was quite interesting.  He had noticed how it almost seemed to react just as much as Apollo’s face, as if it had a mind of its own.  Very interesting, that one was.  And, despite how much grief Simon had been giving him throughout the trial…he was quite impressive in his own right.

But enough silent admiration for the defense.  He had a trial to win.  “We have both evidence and a confession.  The killer is this yokai before us.  It is beyond dispute.  A guilty verdict is all but-”

And then pain.  Shocking pain had coursed through him that caused Simon’s body to convulse a bit and his hands to twitch on their own.  It had come from his shackles.

Damn that Fool Bright.

He was zapped another time when he tried threatening the detective, and deigned to keep his mouth shut after that.  Although the chains were broken, he knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with the continuing hits of electricity, as much as he wanted to wring Fool Bright’s neck.

When court officially adjourned, he was immediately put into new shackles and handed off to his caretaker.  Fulbright kept going on about how Simon had to “learn to behave” and Simon for once didn’t respond, not wanting to get shocked again.  Most likely, Fool Bright had fitted these new cuffs with the same trick. 

They were walking through the lobby; Simon was just staring ahead and zoning out as Fulbright babbled on and on.  Simon knew the routine: they would get into the police vehicle outside and drive back to the detention center, where he would be return to his cell.  He would need to savor the less than minute of sunlight that he would get while walking from the courthouse to the car. 

“Prosecutor Blackquill!” 

The pair turned; the sound of his name in a very loud voice had cut through Simon’s thoughts like a sharp blade through paper.  Apollo Justice had rushed over to the two of them, first looking at Simon and then at the detective.  He said nothing, and Simon’s patience was wearing thin after everything that had just happened.

“Speak, boy, you’re delaying my return back to my cage.”

“Um,” Apollo stammered, and then addressed his next comment to Fulbright.  “Is it alright if I talk to Prosecutor Blackquill alone for a minute?” 

Fulbright seemed surprised at the request, and hesitated, obviously not wanting to leave his prisoner alone with the much smaller attorney.  But, after some consideration, he yielded, saying that he would stand by the entrance and wait for them to finish.  Simon knew that if he tried anything, he would receive another Jolt of Justice.  Not that he was planning on anything, anyway.  Once Fulbright was out of earshot, Apollo spoke again.

“You’re wrong about defense attorneys fabricating evidence, you know.”

Simon couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Am I?  Considering your two mentors, I would say you’re the one in denial, Justice-dono.”  Deep down, he knew it was a bit harsh and…inaccurate (to say the least) to paint Phoenix Wright with the same brush as Kristoph Gavin, but Simon knew that he had to keep up his charade.  He couldn’t allow himself to be anything other than the twisted samurai.

“Don’t bring them into this,” Apollo said, his voice becoming low, almost as if it was a growl.  Very interesting…Justice-dono definitely had more bite to him than Simon had thought when he had first seen him.  After all, to him, Simon was naught but a murderer, who had threatened him more than once during their courtroom battle.  But still, apparently the topics of Kristoph Gavin and Phoenix Wright were so off-limits that he was willing to take that tone with the hardened criminal.

“Oh?”  Simon took a step closer to Apollo, wanting to overshadow him with his commanding height.  Apollo – again, surprisingly – did not back away.  He did, however, swallow a little; even with all his posturing, he was clearly nervous. 

Good.

“I already told you, I won’t do anything like that.”

“And I already made it clear that I do not believe you,” Simon fired back, a dangerous edge to his voice.  “The temptation will be far too great, especially for you.”  Apollo clenched his teeth, and Simon couldn’t help but wonder, as he leaned back a bit and tilted his head slightly.  “Why do you wish to convince me otherwise?”

“Because it is hard to find the truth when the person you’re working with doesn’t trust you.  …Even if that person is a criminal.”  Apollo added in that last bit under his breath, but it was still audible to Simon. 

“We are not working together, Justice-dono,” Simon replied.  “We are opponents on a battlefield; one of us will emerge victorious over the other’s bloodied corpse.’”

“No…defense attorneys and prosecutors work together to find the truth.  We both have the same goal, don’t we?”

He definitely was a student of Phoenix Wright’s, and that sentiment even echoed Simon’s boss, Miles Edgeworth.  It was difficult not to admire Apollo in that moment, speaking with such conviction and with a certain fire in his eyes that Simon knew he once had prior to his imprisonment.

And, in his core, Simon agreed with him.

But he couldn’t just let that show.

“Perhaps, but as I said…this is the dark age of the law.  Defense attorneys fabricate evidence.  You are no exception, Justice-dono.”

He turned to leave, to get back to Fulbright, but Apollo reached out and grabbed his arm.  Both men were surprised by the action – Apollo apparently hadn’t meant to do that, and he released Simon as quickly as he had touched him.  “What can I do to show you that you’re wrong?”

Simon laughed.  “I already told you.  A night with me in my cell.  That way I can keep an eye on you, and make sure you aren’t tempted.”

Apollo stiffened, not liking the fact that Simon’s conditions hadn’t changed.  It wasn’t a very noticeable reaction, but Simon easily caught it, and shrugged.

“You don’t have to, of course.  Cowards look for easy ways out.”

“You don’t think I will?”  Good, Simon thought.  Apollo had taken the obvious bait.

“No, I don’t.”

“Dare me to.”

Simon raised an eyebrow.  That was somewhat of a childish reply, wasn’t it?  But the serious and daring expression on Apollo’s face and the determination in his eyes belied the nature of his somewhat juvenile response.  

Fine, he wanted to play that game?  So be it.

Simon took a step closer to Apollo again, leaning down so that their faces were much closer together.  He deliberately contorted his mouth into a wicked grin, eyes somewhat wild with the thought of a competent challenger. 

“Very well, Justice-dono.  I dare you: stay in my cell with me tonight.”

And even though Simon could tell that Apollo was nervous and scared under his darkened gaze, he was impressed when he heard the attorney’s answer.

“Fine.”

-----

It was getting late, and Apollo still hadn’t arrived yet.  Simon wasn’t holding his breath – despite how sure of himself Apollo had been, actually going through with something like this wasn’t something Simon was expecting him to do.  And if he didn’t?  Well, that would just be more fodder for Simon to use in the next trial, wouldn’t it?

But then, he heard footsteps, and soon Apollo Justice was standing in front of his cell.

“Are you sure about this, Mr. Justice?”  The officer who had been escorting him pulled out the keys to Simon’s door, but hesitated.

“Yes.  I already cleared it, so open the cell.”

Clearly, the officer was not on board with this plan, but did as he was told.  Apollo stepped through, and the door was shut and locked behind him. 

Simon raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed that Apollo had actually shown up.  Before addressing his guest, Simon turned his attention to the officer, who was hanging around.

“You there.”  The officer straightened, and Simon continued.  “Leave us.  Justice-dono and I don’t need a babysitter.”

“B-But-”

“Enough,” Simon shouted, causing the officer to shrink back.  Heh, he was clearly a new recruit.  What short straw did he draw to have to be the one to face down Simon Blackquill on this night?  “My caretaker has left, has he not?  If he does not believe he needs to watch me during this time, then he clearly does not believe anyone else needs to either.”

Apollo watched as the officer – after thinking about it for a few seconds – just mumbled out an agreement and rushed away, wanting to be as far from the twisted samurai as possible.

They were left alone.

Simon’s cell was detached from others – because he was a working prosecutor, he had been moved so that he had his own room away from the noise and bustle of the rest of the prison.  It was nice to have the quiet while he was working, but it did get terribly lonely at times, not that he would admit that out loud to anyone.  So, having Apollo here was a nice change of pace.

“I’m surprised you came, Justice-dono.  You clearly have more courage than most others.”

“Yeah well…like I said, I want you to trust me when we’re in court.  If this is what I have to do, then it’s worth it.”  Unbeknownst to Simon, the guards had given Apollo a small remote button, which would sound the alarm and cause a team to rush over to the cell immediately; he was told to use it if he felt threatened at all.  He kept it safely in his pocket for now.

“We’ll see how you feel in a few hours.  It is not exactly a cozy home in here, after all.”  Simon turned, stretching out his hands.  “This is all there is, so the tour would be rather short, wouldn’t you agree?”  He laughed, and because his back was turned, Apollo felt safe in rolling his eyes at the samurai’s poor sense of humor. 

Apollo walked over to the one bed and paused.  “May I sit?”

“You have some polite manners, Justice-dono.  I appreciate that,” Simon said, while gesturing with his hand to indicate that it was alright.  Apollo sat down, and Simon followed suit.  An uncomfortable silence passed between them for a time, before Apollo spoke again.

“Have you always felt this way about defense attorneys, Prosecutor Blackquill?”

“…No.  It was a necessary adjustment to my previous philosophy, however, after the dark age of the law had begun.”

“Which you started.”

“Which your mentor technically started,” Simon shot back defensively.  “I just…added to it, I suppose.”  He shrugged, wanting to appear nonchalant despite the fact that anytime he thought about Metis Cykes and her death he could feel his chest tighten in sadness.

“Hmm…when you killed your mentor?”

“That’s right.”

Apollo didn’t respond, but Simon noticed him grab onto his wrist.  The bracelet…Simon glared.  “Do not dare use that parlor trick on me, Justice-dono.  You will not like the result.”

“It isn’t a parlor trick,” Apollo exclaimed, but still let go of his wrist. 

“It has no scientific backing, and no one can attest to or explain your ‘ability’ but yourself.  Sounds like a trick to me,” Simon said, laughing a little.  He really didn’t care if he hurt Apollo’s delicate sensibilities right now; he wouldn’t allow that dirty tactic to be used on him currently and he definitely wouldn’t allow it to be used while they were in court. 

“But it is just-”

“Silence!”  Simon shouted, and stood up again.  He walked to lean over Apollo threateningly, again putting their faces way too close to each other as he had earlier in the courthouse, but Apollo still did not back down from his challenge.  He leaned back slightly, and Simon had leaned forward; his hands were on the edge of the mattress, on either side of Apollo’s body.  “I will not allow you to pick apart my words with your falsities, Justice-dono.”  He had to make sure Apollo wouldn’t figure out his secret – that he didn’t kill Metis.  Until the Phantom was found, no one could know. 

If he was to protect Athena…he had to make sure his truth stayed hidden within the depths of his heart.

“I won’t, Prosecutor Blackquill.  But one day, I’ll make you understand that my ability has value,” Apollo responded, his voice full of principle.  Simon smirked, and brought one of hands to Apollo’s face.  He traced his index finger along the attorney’s jawline, before gently grabbing hold of Apollo’s chin and tilting his head further upwards. 

“Heh, I’m not an easy man to persuade, Justice-dono.  You will need to bring your sharpest sword to cut me down.  Are you able to handle that?”

Apollo continued to astound him, grabbing onto Simon’s tie and gently pulling him in more, to that their noses were almost touching.  It was a battle of wills, at this point, and Simon felt an excited chill run down his spine.  When was the last time he had such a thrilling opponent?

“You’d be surprised at how much I can handle, Prosecutor Blackquill.”

Simon let out a satisfied groan, moving in so that his lips hovered over Apollo’s.  This had taken a turn he hadn’t expected, but well…he wasn’t going to be the one to back down.

“Then show me, Justice-dono…I dare you,” he whispered, his voice low and laced with some level of seduction he hadn’t realized he was still capable of.  He added in that latter part, remembering full well how Apollo had responded so fervently to his challenge earlier today.  Perhaps he would elicit a similar reaction?

Apollo – still so interesting – replied by pulling Simon in hard, thereby crushing their lips together.  Simon had to mentally stop himself from making a surprised noise, as he hadn’t expected such force.  What on earth was Justice-dono even thinking?  Was this really the same attorney who had seemed to cower before him when he had broken his shackles in the courtroom earlier? 

Truly, Simon had underestimated him.

What a worthy adversary, this Apollo Justice was.

Simon’s mouth fell open, allowing Apollo’s tongue to rub against his own in a hungry, almost desperate kiss.  Apollo moved so that he was on his knees on the bed, kneeling upright so that he was more level with Simon.  The hand that wasn’t still clutching onto the samurai’s tie found its way to the back of Simon’s head, staying there to keep him from breaking apart.  Not that Simon would.  With Apollo now sitting taller than he was before, Simon was able to straighten his back a little, allowing him to release the mattress from his grip.  His arms went around Apollo’s waist to hold the attorney against him tightly.

Simon’s mind was beginning to get a little hazy – the feeling of Apollo’s chest against his own, and his tongue in his mouth was becoming more exciting than he had originally intended.  He couldn’t stop it – a soft moan escaped him, and he could feel Apollo’s lips curl up into a smile before the man had pulled back.

It was somewhat abrupt, and Simon knew his face was red by the way Apollo was confidently smirking at him, the way he would do in court when he had uncovered a theory that would turn his case around.  The prosecutor blinked a few times, trying to uncloud his mind from the more lecherous thoughts that were now rummaging around.

“Like I said, you’d be surprised to know just how much I can handle.”

Simon chuckled.

“You’re quite an interesting man, Apollo Justice.”

He was excited to see more of him.