DISCLAIMER: All characters & settings belong to CAPCOM.

10:00AM
October 27, 2028
Wright Anything Agency

After she had spent the past couple of days reunited with her boyfriend, Athena decided to head back to America, three days after Klavier had taken her along to the Kingdom of Khura'in, but this time, Apollo had also come along for the return trip. The pair had planned on finally coming clean about their relationship with their friends, having realized that the people closest to them deserved to know, for these people had also played a part in how Athena and Apollo had come to where they were. Apollo thought appropriate for him to come along, wanting to break the news together with his girlfriend.

Apollo had only intended to stay for one day, returning to the Kingdom on the next day, so they spent most of the flight planning who they were going to see once they landed. They decided that their first destination was to be, of course, the Wright Anything Agency, the place where they had the most explaining to do. Klavier, after all, had used taking a case in Khura'in as a cover story to get Phoenix to give permission for her to be away from the office for a few days.

Having dropped their luggages off in Athena's apartment, the two headed to the Agency, both clad in their usual work clothes but Athena still letting her hair down like she did when they were in Khura'in, something Apollo found to be liking very much. The two finally stood by the door to the office, where they could hear Trucy practicing some magic show routines from inside. Nervous, and unsure of who would knock on the door, the two exchanged glances in the awkward silence.

"You do it?" Apollo asked, gesturing towards the door.

Athena, though, was equally nervous "Why me? You do it!" she hissed.

Apollo then stepped closer to the door and took a couple deep breaths before bringing his hand up to knock at the door.

*knock* *knock*

The few seconds before the door opened with a creak felt exponentially longer for the pair, but when it did, they were greeted by the sight of a very surprised Trucy. The young magician stood there agape, staring at both Apollo and Athena, more so at the former.

Apollo then decided to break the awkward silence "Heya, Trucy." he said with a little wave of his hand

"Polly?" Trucy trailed off, leaning closer to him as if to see if he was real in front of her "Polly!" she leapt at him to give him a big hug, catching him by surprise as they fall on the ground "I've missed you so much!" the young magician then looked behind her into the office "Daddy! Come here! Polly's back! Athena and Apollo are here!" she cried out.

Shortly, Phoenix Wright came out from inside the office, stopping for a moment as he saw both his apprentices by the door. He smiled as he watched Apollo stood up after Trucy got off him. "Welcome back, you two." he then gestured towards inside the office "Come on in."

Apollo and Athena sat on the long couch, Trucy sitting on the edge of it while Phoenix sat back on his chair behind his desk. "I've heard a lot of good things, Apollo, you're doing real great finally running your own law office." Phoenix began "I'm very proud of you."

Apollo was surprised at the sudden compliment that his mentor and former boss had given him "Thank you, Mr. Wright, can't say I've been able to do any of this if it weren't for you." it was something Apollo would always say and mean, he looked up to Phoenix Wright throughout his whole career, and he always felt that he owed his growth as a lawyer to him.

"All I've done is tell you a few words every now and then, Apollo, you did all the growing up on your own." said Phoenix "Besides, you need to keep that momentum up, now that you've got other people looking up to you." Phoenix was of course, referring to the younger attorney sitting beside Apollo. Ever since he had taken in Athena after she had finished her studies in Europe, he made it a point to get both of his apprentices working together, thrusting Apollo into a senior role, allowing him to mature.

"I thought Polly was never going to come back, now being such a bigshot in Khura'in, after all." Trucy pouted, making everyone chuckle "But seriously, I've missed having you around, Polly, the people at the theater have been missing my most hysterical magical assistant." she said, then standing up and put a hand behind her back, making her wooden puppet Mr. Hat appear out of nowhere in a few seconds "That screaming, two-horned guy with the big forehead? Yeah, I miss havin' him around!" said the puppet.

Apollo wanted to take exception to Mr. Hat's description of him, but decided to let it pass for now "Sorry Trucy, I'm not really staying for long. I just came back to talk with you guys about something." he said.

Athena looked at Phoenix with a serious expression "Boss...Apollo and I, wanted to talk to you about something." Phoenix, however, didn't look bothered, which raised a few suspicions from both her and Apollo.

Phoenix sighed before speaking "Right before you two arrived, I was on the phone with Ema and Klavier, telling me how the trip was a set up..." he began, and the manner at how both the younger attorneys' eyes widened at the same time amused him a bit "...and to be honest, I've known how things were for quite a while, but I thought I'd rather hear it from the two of you instead."

Oh gods...they were right... Athena then felt a lump in her throat as their suspicions were confirmed, that Phoenix Wright knew it all along. She couldn't find it in her to start until she felt Apollo holding her hand, she then gave him a nod and a warm smile before she looked back to Phoenix "Boss...Apollo and I, we're in a relationship and uh, we have been for a while now."

Trucy let out an audible gasp, shock written all over her face, shock that then gradually turned into a wide smile, puzzling both Athena and Apollo "Wow! Finally! It's so nice to hear that you're together!" she said before turning to her father "Isn't that right, daddy?" Apollo and Athena both now had the shocked expression that was once Trucy's moments ago.

Phoenix nodded and a smile slowly crept on his lips "It is, although I am quite surprised at the way you haven't told us this at all before." he said. "How long have you two been together?"

"10 months..." Apollo trailed off, still unable to find the words to respond "We thought you would disapprove, Mr. Wright, given that both Athena and I are co-workers and all." Athena nodded along.

"While it's true that personal relationships between co-workers are normally looked down on, I don't think I can even find something to disapprove of in this case." Phoenix said in disbelief "You two have such a great dynamic working together, and to top it all off, you're very close friends, which makes it easier for both of you to work together in the first place."

Hearing Phoenix's words, Athena felt like a huge load was taken off of her, like she was finally able to let go of something she'd been holding in for quite a while "I don't know, boss, we thought it would appear like a distraction for both of us, this relationship of ours..."

Phoenix put a hand on his chin "You know, when you put it that way, I don't think it would've made a difference." he began "Your relationship becoming a distraction is something only you two can control, and if it was, then it still would've been one, whether or not you've told me about it."

Apollo and Athena fell silent. They were both feeling relieved beyond anything, but at the same time, they were so overwhelmed that they didn't know what to say next. Yeah, they've finally come clean, but the reception was far from anything that they had ever expected it to be. Trucy then took this moment to poke a little fun in teasing the pair.

"Daddy, I think you forgot to mention that they were already quite obvious." the young magician teased, causing both of them to blush. "Like, way obvious even before we left Polly in Khura'in."

Way to hammer the point home, Trucy. Athena couldn't help but remember how both Ema and Klavier said the same thing, and it honestly annoyed her a bit.

"Trucy was always saying that best friends don't tease each other as much as you two do." said Phoenix "She was actually pretty adamant that you two were actually dating behind our backs, guess she was right, after all." he then looked towards his daughter, who tipped her magician's hat while sticking her tongue out.

"Boss...Trucy..." Athena began, sounding a bit uneasy "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about this a lot earlier." she said.

Apollo followed "There were times we really wanted to, but I guess our fears always got the better of us."

Phoenix nodded, acknowledging the pair's apologies "I appreciate your consideration, but I don't think anyone would have a problem with it, least of all Trucy and I." he said "Yes, we're co-workers, but beyond that, we are all friends, and as both your boss and your friend, I want you to know that we're happy for you." his eyes then focused on his daughter, who was still on the edge of the sofa beside Athena and Apollo "Ain't that right, Trucy?"

"Yep!" the girl cheerfully said, then standing up to move in front of Phoenix's desk "Now that Polly and Athena are here, you can pay up on that little bet by treating us to lunch!"

Phoenix's expression, which had been serene up until this point, quickly turned to one of utter fear. "W-what!? Right now!?" he cried out.

Apollo and Athena exchanged confused glances, something Trucy noticed as he looked towards Athena "You see, ever since you left three days ago, daddy and I were betting on Polly coming with you when you came back here. He bet on Polly not coming with you, so obviously, he lost, and our wager was treating the loser out for lunch."

Phoenix had the jaw-dropped expression he frequently displayed in court as he looked in his wallet, but looking at his daughter and his two young apprentices laughing with glee, he couldn't help but share the warm mood. He knew that this was something that had bothered Apollo and Athena for a long time, and finally having them know about it, he felt like the pair could finally move forward.

"Right. What do you guys say we go out for lunch? It's been a while since we went out with Apollo around."

"This is your treat, right Daddy?"

"Of course. With or without the bet."

2:00PM
October 27, 2028
Blackquill Residence

After having lunch with Phoenix and Trucy, Apollo and Athena decided to pay a visit to Simon Blackquill, although the latter was initally hesitant out of fear of meeting his end either by the prosecutor just cutting him down right then and there, or by having Taka, Simon's pet hawk, claw his head out; Athena still managed to convince him to come along.

Simon lived in a medium-sized house not too far from the Cosmos Space Center, a house he once shared with his sister, Aura, who was still serving time in prison for the hostage taking incident the year before. It took a little therapy session from Athena to calm Apollo down again once they've finally reached the front door, but once he was okay, the pair was greeted by the prosecutor, who was surprised to see Apollo. Taka, meanwhile, greeted his old friend Apollo by flying around his head, immediately spooking the attorney.

The atmosphere was tense when Athena finally decided to tell Simon about her and Apollo's relationship and how they've tried to keep it hush from their friends. Apollo, meanwhile, was rendered speechless by the sight of the hawk staring at him from the prosecutor's shoulder like he was prey, and in the awkward silence that followed, he felt like he was shortly going to become one.

"Justice-dono..." Simon spoke up, instantly getting Apollo's attention, the attorney unconsciously trying to perceive any movement from his shoulder that would send Taka straight towards him "...I highly respect you and all, but forgive me for asking, just what in the world possessed you to even get the idea of dating this spring chick of an attorney!?" he asked, laughing hysterically as he spoke, Taka barely managing to stay perched on his shoulder.

Athena clearly wasn't even remotely amused, as she stood up, glaring menacingly at the laughing Simon, Widget colored bright red with an angry face "Just what the hell do you mean by that, Simon!?" her frustration only grew as Simon stopped to look at her, turned his back to them and started stifling his laughter, his shuddering shoulders giving it away "Simon!" she cried out.

This time, the prosecutor calmed down, sitting on the sofa in front of the one they were sitting on "My apologies. I jest, but I just can't believe you two came all the way here just to tell me this, especially you, Justice-dono, I know you've been very busy in the Kingdom of Khura'in lately, so it really was a surprise to see you here today."

"Well, Athena was actually with me in Khura'in since three days ago, and we decided that to finally tell everyone." said Apollo

"That's why we're here, Simon." added Athena, who was still a bit grumpy over Simon making fun of her yet again, however the next words he said caught her off-guard.

"I appreciate you coming all the way to let me know." Simon then smiled, which surprised both Athena and Apollo, as it was a genuine smile, nothing like the sarcastic smirks they got used to seeing from him in court "I'm sure Dr. Cykes would be happy to know that her daughter ended up with someone like you, Justice-dono, as am I, a lesser man would've tasted my blade and be feasted on by Taka by now."

Apollo was glad to know that he had Simon Blackquill's approval, because as intimidating as his presence was in court, he was doubly so whenever it concerned Athena, as the prosecutor had grown to treat Athena like a younger sister. If there was another person besides Phoenix Wright that he could count on to watch over Athena, Apollo knew it was Simon Blackquill.

"However..." Simon began in a serious tone "...if in any way, you make this spring chick cry, my blade will be the next and the last thing you'll ever feel."

This time, Apollo felt a lot more confident "I know, and I won't, I promise."

"Good." the prosecutor replied, contented with Apollo's answer.

"You know, Simon, you should really stop treating me like a kid now..." Athena said, a bit flustered at how Simon was being protective of her "I don't think my brother would even go that far if I ever had one." she muttered

"You're still just a kid, Athena, but at least now I know there's someone else looking out for you." Simon nodded towards Apollo, who just smiled in response.

2:30PM
October 27, 2028
Gourd Lake Nature Park

After the two had finished with Simon, they walked towards Gourd Lake, planning to take a little break before they move on to seeing their other friends. While there, Apollo bought an orange-flavored twin popsicles for both of them. The two sat on a bench just under the shade of the tall trees of the park, the view overlooking the lake, when Athena starting bringing up one time that they had gone to the lake.

"Hey Pollo, remember when we took a swan boat out here once?" she asked, taking a bite of her half of the popsicle

Apollo nodded "Yeah, at first I didn't know what got into you, wanting to take a swan boat out in the lake at night."

The brunette laughed as she remembered a particular detail "The boatkeeper was giving us weird looks when we asked if we could rent in the evening." she then pointed at the horizon on the far end of the lake "What he didn't know was because the city had started clearing the forest on that side, the view was unbelievable."

"Never knew the moon looked so bright in an open sky until that night." said Apollo, looking up at the clear, blue sky "Hard to forget, that one." he then started to blush a bit, much to Athena's amusement.

"Still, the most memorable bit of that night was when finally I kissed a certain fellow." she said, the same blush tinting her cheeks

Apollo rolled his eyes "You are the most hopelessly romantic person I've ever known." he said, then leaning in closer to Athena to give her a kiss on the cheek "Still pretty cute, though."

"And you are the most adorable dork I've ever known." Athena then returned the favor by giving Apollo a quick peck on the cheek, along with swiftly stealing his half of the twin popsicle and putting it in her mouth. "Still pretty slow, though."

Apollo quickly reached out to try and get his half back, but Athena was just a little too quick for him "Hey! That's cheating!"

"Gotta think and react fast, Apollo." Athena chimed as she finished Apollo's popsicle, she then looked to see that he was glaring at her "Oh...was that too much?"

Apollo didn't say anything, nor did he stop glaring at her, and when Athena became a little worried and started to reach a hand to his face, he quickly flashed a naughty grin before grabbing the hand she had reached out and quickly pulling her close, meeting her with a sudden kiss. He could feel Athena stiffen against him for a moment before she returned the kiss.

As they pulled away, the two stared at each other for a moment before they both broke out laughing loudly, startling a few of the people that were with them in the park. Apollo then pulled Athena into his arms, holding her as they both looked back towards the lake.

"You know, Tiger, I feel like I'm gonna miss this a lot more." he said "I'm afraid I'm gonna be looking for you every time I wake up."

Athena, leaning on Apollo's shoulder, looked up at him "Then let's make a deal."

Apollo raised his eyebrows "What do you have in mind?"

"Either you come home for Christmas, or I go over to Khura'in to celebrate it with you." she said, poking at his cheek. "How's that sound?"

Apollo smiled and nodded "Good plan." he then leaned his head towards her, catching the familiar scent of her perfume as he did "Hey, Thena, since I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, why don't we come back here tonight?"

"After we meet with Junie and the rest of our friends?" Athena looked up at him curiously "Sure thing, but why exactly?"

"Let's just say I want to relive that swan boat ride one more time." Apollo said, smiling as he looked down at her "Besides, I heard we're getting a full moon tonight."