- Rating: Teen
- Warnings: none
- Genre: romance, expanded timeline
- Pairing: Cykesquill
summary: The night that the strange trial in the destroyed courtroom finally puts an end to the dark age of the law, Simon Blackquill goes to visit Athena Cykes at her home. After all, he has nowhere else to go.
In the end, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth paid for dinner, and it was sushi rather than noodles. There were drinks in hand, and a large tip was exchanged for staying open a little later than usual to host the rather raucous party.
In the end, though, after midnight, everyone started to acknowledge that it was time to go.
That was when Simon came up alongside Athena, and murmured to her.
“Could I trouble you to speak in private for a little while, Cykes-dono? If not now, perhaps tomorrow morning we could get together.”
To call it a surprise wasn’t quite right–she’d been hoping for the chance to speak to him personally for 7 long years. At least…as a free man and outside of the constant push and pull of court.
But she still jolted a little in surprise out of her reverie, the buzz of relief, exhaustion and a little alcohol still heady in her system.
She nodded slowly, and murmured back. “Of course! I..I’ll tell Phoenix I gotta step out.”
He nodded calmly. It was strange to see him without Taka on his shoulder. The bird technically belonged to the corrections facility, and was currently in their care. Athena had overheard him talking with Miles about how to obtain the bird legally.
“I’ll wait for you outside then. Thank you, Cykes-dono.”
Like a dark spirit, Simon vanished out the door. Likely he’d said his farewells while she was off in her own mind.
Athena took a deep breath before she stood with a flash of a peace sign and a grin.
“Alright everyone! Chief Prosecutor Mr. Edgeworth , sir! Thank you for the sushi! And everyone else….I love you guys, thank you so much!” She grinned widely “…I’ll catch you back at the office, though! I’ve gotta step out! Mr. Wright! Don’t worry, I can make my own way home!”
There was a chorus of goodbyes, and ‘see you back at the office’. Apollo, however, hopped up and sidled toward her.
“Hey, Athena– everything okay?”
Athena nodded with a softening of her over-wide smile.
“Yeah, I promise I’m alright..I mean, as alright as I can be after all that.” Being accused of murder…remembering the truth of her mother’s death…the phantom…Apollo’s investigation…the hostages. All of it both a weight off her shoulders and a heavy mantle of exhaustion that she didn’t want to show. “You know? You’re okay too, right?”
“I’m fine,” Apollo said with a little smile. It wasn’t exactly true– Athena could still feel the pain and loss in his heart. There was another emotion there too. Worry. “Can I ask where you’re off to, though? You know– just in case.”
Just in case something were to happen. Never an impossibility in their circle.
Athena placed her hand on his shoulder with a nod, her brow furrowing with sympathetic worry from the backwash.
“Simon wants to talk to me.” she murmured. “…and I’ve been fighting for the chance to really talk to him again for 7 years…so I’m going to step out and take it. I promise I’ll be okay.”
Apollo nodded.
“Got it.” He was clearly filing away the memory for later. Athena was going to be with Simon– good to know, just in case. “Have a nice rest of your evening, Athena, okay? I’m sorry again…”
Athena grabbed him into a firm hug.
“It’s okay. It hurt, Apollo…but it was all so you could really trust me.” She said genuinely and let go of him with a bright smile “…thanks for wanting to believe in me…and thanks for seeing it through to the end. We’ll talk more about it tomorrow…I think we could use the time to process.”
Apollo nodded, and returned her smile.
“Yeah, you’re probably not wrong about that. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, then.” He favored her with a little salute. “I’m gonna pack up some leftovers and head home.”
With a salute in return, she gave him one more grin “sleep well, Apollo!! Remember your vocal exercises!”
With one last goodbye, she headed out the door. Her smile turned more pensive , her mind gently spinning as she thought through it all– what she should say when she finally talked to the man who’d been trying to save her the entire time she was trying to save him for 7 long years.
The neon blues and purples of the sushi place’s glowing sign left Simon’s dark outfit awash in color as he stood, arms crossed, under it. For a moment it made it look like he’d dyed the bright white streak in his hair.
He waved to her with a lazy gesture.
Athena waved back, walking over to him with a playful grin.
“You know. Maybe you should dye it purple.”
“I beg your pardon?” he asked.
Athena flushed, tugging at her ponytail with a flustered grin.
“…the light hit the white spot in your hair and it l-looked ah. Purple.”
He froze, flustered for a moment, and then tossed his hair with his hand, and laughed heartily.
“Oh I see! Well. Perhaps I should if you think it would flatter me.”
“I’d certainly flatter you over it.” she grinned, before she finally let go of her hair. “…it’s nice to see you laughing again, Simon. Like…outside of court I mean.”
“It’s nice to laugh again, outside of court. I have no reason to hide my delight in that respect,” he smiled, that thin slice of smile. “And its nice to see you again too– outside of court.”
Athena ducked her head dramatically to hide her flush, her smile lopsided and flustered “I can imagine…it’s been a long, long 7 years.”
She bit her lip “…I know it’s been a long day, would you like to come to my apartment, or did you have something in mind?”
He chuckled in the back of his throat.
“I have neither transportation– nor somewhere particular to stay. Though Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth has graciously offered to pay for my hotel, should I need one.”
“That’s nice of him.” Athena chuckled. “but…I..I think I’d really like to show you my place, yeah? It’s bound to be more comfortable than a hotel. Probably. It is a bit small, though.”
“It would be too rude of me to turn down your hospitality if you offer it, Cykes-dono,” he smiled. “Besides, it must be larger than a cell.”
“Ah, but you don’t know how bad rent’s gotten since you’ve been locked up, Mr. Simon!” She wagged her finger, before she giggled quietly. “Lemme hail a cab. I’d say we should run there, but it’s gotten kinda late and it’s been…it’s been a day.”
“It’s been a hell of a day,” he agreed. “Though if you said to run there I’d do it.”
They didn’t run there, though, and the cab was there inside of a couple of minutes, which they spent chatting lightly about the food, and waving to the others as they took off on their own way.
With a last wave to Juniper as she passed them by, one of the last out of the sushi bar, Athena hopped into the cab and told the cabbie her address.
“So, when you see it…try not to tease me about it being a mess. I haven’t had time to clean up yet.”
Simon chuckled.
“Well, I expect you didn’t have time in between being locked up in the clink, and standing at trial.”
Athena laughed “they don’t exactly give you bail or home-visits to clean the sink, it’s true.”
“No, no they don’t,” he shook his head. “It’ll be a pain to get all of my things out of storage. Whenever that happens.”
As the cab rumbled through the night, Athena made a muscle.
“I’m stronger than I look! You can count on me to help, Simon! Promise.” She grinned “I’ll carry all your boxes at once if you ask me to!”
“I’m not sure how few boxes you think I have, but I still wouldn’t ask that of you, Cykes-dono.” he smiled and shook his head. “Your offer is appreciated though.”
“If I piled them up it’d be fine. But if you insist, I’ll still help the normal way” she winked before she leaned back into the seat, “you can call me Athena, if you want…outside of the courtroom.”
“Would you prefer that?”
Athena flushed, rubbing the back of her neck.
“geeze… I mean…” Cykes-dono made her sound like her mother. “I’m pretty used to it from you, that’s true…”
“Things don’t stay the same forever, I suppose. Look at today.”
The cab pulled to a stop in front of Athena’s place.
Athena nodded firmly.
“You’re completely right…today’s just proof that everything changes…even things people thought never could.” She glanced at the cabbie, before she paid the fare. “Remember your promise about the apartment, okay? I’m getting flustered now!”
Simon laughed and shook his head.
“Well, I promise I won’t say anything about it, alright?”
He slid gracefully out of the cab and offered her his gloved hand.
Athena took it with a giggle, before she walked a little closer to him. Her apartment was in a small, cramped part of town– squat apartments lined the street with rusty iron balconies and terracotta roofs, four to a block in a square formation with number plates on the doors.
“Good, I don’t wanna have to give testimony about how little time I’ve had to clean and face your scathing rebuttals.”
“It’s been a long day. If I want to grill you on the state of your apartment I’ll at least save it for tomorrow.”
“Over coffee.” She said as she led him to the door on the second floor, fumbling for her keys. They were still wrapped in the plastic evidence bags from when they’d been confiscated during her arrest. She grumbled as she tried tearing them open. “I can take it if it’s over coffee.”
“Over coffee sounds nice. I haven’t had a real cup of coffee in ages.” He loomed over her like a shadow from behind.
She tore the package with her teeth, before taking her keys and opening the door with a glance at him over her shoulder.
“They didn’t give you coffee in prison?” she asked, aghast. “…or was it just that bad.”
“It was terrible. Like an evil mockery of coffee.”
She pushed the door open to welcome him inside with a grimace.
“..okay, I picked up some skills from my schooling oversees…one of them is making really good coffee. I import the beans and everything.”
“Is that so? I’ll look forward to enjoying your coffee then, Cykes-dono.” He strode into her apartment and glanced around casually. Athena could feel both his amusement, and mild apprehension.
