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The first time it happened, she was confused.
All throughout her first trial against Simon since he had been formally released, she swore she could hear the faintest hint of discord in his heart. After the trial was over and she and Apollo had won, she called out to Simon across the hallway. He stopped and stood still for a moment with his back turned, before leaving without a word.
"Huh. Well that was kind of rude," Apollo observed, an eyebrow raised. "Weird. Is he salty because he lost the trial?"
"I don't think so. It's not like him to be upset over something like that." Athena's brows knitted in worry. "It wasn't a lot, but I definitely heard at least some level of discord in his heart during the trial... I hope he's alright."
"Maybe he's just having a bad day," Apollo tried to reassure her, noticing her unease. "It happens. He probably just needs some time to cool off and he'll be fine."
"Yeah... I guess you're probably right."
-----
The second time it happened, she was starting to get frustrated.
"I don't understand. Why is he avoiding me?" Athena asked, bursting through the agency door, dumping her bag unceremoniously onto the couch. "There was even more discord in his heart during the trial today than last time. Does it... does it have to do with me? Did I do something wrong?"
Concern painted Phoenix's face as he looked up from his coffee. "I'm sure it's nothing you did, Athena."
"Then why won't he talk to me?! I could help him, I know I could, if he would just tell me what's wrong..."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll come around with time," Phoenix assured her gently. "He really cares about you, Athena. I have a pretty hard time picturing him just ignoring you forever."
"But if I'm somehow the cause of what's hurting him..."
"I really, really doubt that--" Phoenix's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and his eyes flitted across the message on the screen. "Hey, perfect timing. Trucy and Apollo are headed down to Eldoon's and want us to meet them." He flashed a warm smile, trying to cheer her up. "How about it? A big bowl of salty noodles to clear your head?"
"Well... that does sound really good..." Athena grudgingly conceded.
Phoenix stood up, setting his coffee down. "I had a feeling you might say that," he said with a knowing grin. "Come on. We might even beat them there if we leave now."
Athena nodded, picking up her bag again and pulling it over her shoulder, still not fully convinced but hoping some noodles would help her feel at least a little better. "Thanks, boss."
"You bet. Everything's gonna be okay, Athena."
-----
The third time it happened, everything was not okay.
"Simon!" Athena called after him as he neared the exit door. He stopped, once again refusing to turn from where he stood. "Please. I know you're hiding something from me. If you would just talk to me, I know I could help you! Whatever it is you're going through... you can trust me. Please, Simon."
Simon stood still, hesitating. He drew a breath inward, as if to say something, but stopped himself and shook his head, leaving through the exit.
"Nngh!" Athena held her head in her hands, frustrated, tears pricking at her eyes.
"Athena..." Apollo gently placed a hand on her shoulder, voice laced with worry.
"It keeps getting worse! I could barely even focus during the trial because of how loud Simon's heart was. I don't get it! What is he so conflicted over that he can't even talk to me outside of court?!"
"You were both having a hard time in there, I could tell..." Apollo admitted gingerly.
"Ugh! I don't know what to do, Apollo..."
"Well... first of all, let's get out of this stuffy courthouse," Apollo resolved, doing his damnedest to try to help his friend. "Maybe we'll think of something on the way back to the office. I hate to see you both hurting like this..."
They took the elevator down. No sooner had they stepped outside of the courthouse when Taka swooped in out of nowhere with a piercing screech.
"Aaahhh!" Athena jumped in surprise, holding her hands out in front of her in an attempt to fend off an attack. Instead, she felt the weight of a crumpled up piece of paper fall into her open hand as Taka flew away as quickly as he had appeared.
"Phew..." Apollo sighed in relief upon realizing their faces weren't about to be scratched. "You okay, Athena?"
"Yeah..." Athena answered absent-mindedly, far more focused on the mashed up ball of paper in her hands. She carefully uncrumpled it. It was a little ripped, but she could still make out what was written on it.
"Huh... what is that?" Apollo asked, intrigued.
"It's an address... it looks like his handwriting." Athena's eyes lit up. She turned to Apollo. "You don't think...?!"
"Oh!" Apollo nodded urgently. "He must be ready to talk to you. You should go."
"Right!" Athena took three steps, and then abruptly stopped. "Oh! But the investigation... We still have more work to do before tomorrow..."
"Leave that to me. I'll get Mr. Wright to help, he'll understand." Apollo insisted. "We'll take care of it and update you before the trial tomorrow. Do what you need to do."
"You are the absolute best, Apollo!" Athena sighed in relief, stepping forward and throwing her arms around him in a quick grateful hug. "I owe you one."
"You can take over my toilet cleaning duty for the next week," Apollo remarked with a teasing smile. "Good luck, Athena."
"Thanks, Apollo! I'll see you tomorrow!" Athena gave him a wave and took off in a determined jog.
-----
By the time she had made it to the neighborhood listed in the address, a massive downpour had started, and it wasn't long until she was completely and thoroughly soaked, inwardly cursing herself for not bringing an umbrella. Eventually she located the building, climbed the concrete steps, and found the door with the right number. She rang the doorbell and hugged herself in vain for warmth as she waited for an answer, shivering in the rain.
She was about to ring the bell again when she heard the slow, methodical sliding of a lock and turning of a knob, and was met with a particularly surprised and confused-looking Simon, which in turn confused her. Hadn't he invited her here?
"Ath..." He coughed, regaining some of his composure. "...Cykes-dono."
Athena was almost too cold and wet to be annoyed at the unnecessary formality, or to notice the fact that the discord in his heart was louder than ever. "H-hey, S-S-Simon..." Her teeth were chattering. "I-it's, uh... pretty c-c-cold out here..."
A barely detectable millisecond of panic flashed across Simon's face as he hesitated, but ultimately he closed his eyes as if in defeat, and gave a nod. He stepped aside and opened the door fully, gesturing inside.
"T-thanks, Simon..." Athena stepped into his apartment, hoping she wasn't dripping everywhere too badly but knowing she probably was.
Athena closed the door behind her, and found when she turned around that Simon had disappeared. She stood there, drenched and confused, about to call out for him when he returned with a neatly folded hoodie and sweatpants in his hands, which he held out to her. "Bathroom's that way," he mumbled, motioning to it with his chin. "Use the shower if you need."
Athena blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh..." She took the clothes from him, still shivering. "T-thanks, Simon."
Simon nodded and left for another room, which she took as her cue to head to the bathroom.
She closed the bathroom door behind her and stripped her wet clothes off, eager to take a hot shower. Once she was under the water she let out a sigh of contented relief, warming herself up.
When she turned the water off and stepped out, she caught a look at herself in the foggy mirror and blushed. With how eager she had been to warm up, it hadn't hit her until now that she was naked in Simon's apartment. In the bathroom behind a locked door, yeah, but still. Images flashed through her mind of being naked in other places in his apartment, and of Simon... Her face heated up even more as she tried to physically wave away those thoughts with her hands. 'For god's sake, get a grip, Athena.'
She unfolded Simon's hoodie and sweatpants and pulled them on. As she had expected, they were way too big on her, but by pulling the drawstring high and tight on the pants, she was able to make it work. She picked Widget and her earring up off the sink counter and put them back on too, thanking her lucky stars that Widget was waterproof.
She looked at herself in the mirror again, drying her hair off with a towel. With her hair down and damp and wearing Simon's clothes, something felt strangely and sweetly domestic to her about the whole thing. Her cheeks went pink again.
She was kind of surprised that Simon even owned casual clothes like these. For some reason she'd sort of just always pictured him wearing his surcoat for every occasion. But, she supposed, that probably wouldn't be comfortable for sleeping.
Maybe he slept naked, her brain betrayed her.
She shook her head violently. Her underwear was still too rain-soaked to put back on, and if she kept thinking these kinds of thoughts while wearing Simon's pants without them, she'd have some seriously mortifying explaining to do. 'Stop it, Athena. Pull yourself together.'
She collected herself as best she could and stepped out of the bathroom, padding down the hall to find him in the kitchen, his back facing her. He gestured to the living room with his head without meeting her eyes. "Sit."
"O-okay." Athena found the couch and sat down, not sure what to expect. She looked around the room. So this was the place Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth had helped him procure after he had been released. It was pretty modest, but it was nice. Cozy, she thought.
Simon returned to the living room holding two cups of tea on a tea tray. He set it down in front of her on the coffee table and sat on the couch beside her, careful not to get too close. "Here. It's hot."
"Oh, uh... thank you, Simon." Athena picked up her cup, touched by the gesture. They sipped their tea in awkward silence for a few moments. After another several agonizing seconds, Simon spoke up.
"...How did you get my address?"
"H-huh?" Athena turned to look at him, puzzled. "I thought you... Taka gave it to me, so I thought..."
Simon raised an eyebrow in startled confusion. "Taka did?"
"Yeah, he-- hold on." Athena hopped up and ran back to her wet clothes hanging up in the bathroom and fished the crumpled, now wet piece of paper out of her pocket. She brought it back and unfolded it, handing it to him.
"Wh...?! This is..." Simon picked his notebook up off the side table where he'd left it and flipped through it, coming to a stop where it looked like a page had been very messily torn out, bearing what appeared to be talon scratches.
Simon huffed out a sharp breath. "That damned bird..." He shook his head incredulously. "He really ripped this out of his own accord while I wasn't looking."
"Wh--?!" Athena's jaw dropped. "No way! Is Taka really that smart?!"
"He is extremely intelligent. It's not out of the question."
"Wait... so, you really didn't send this, then?"
Simon shook his head. "I'd written it down in my notes when Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth gave me my new address after he'd pulled some strings to help me. I never imagined Taka would tear it out."
Athena was stunned. Simon hadn't sent her the address after all. Well, regardless of who had sent it, she was here now and finally had the chance to talk with him. She'd have to thank Taka later.
"Well, it's... it's nice to talk with you again, Simon. I thought you were avoiding me..."
Simon tensed up, as if he hadn't realized he'd been speaking so much. He turned his head away from her, gripping the couch fabric in his fist where his hand lay next to him. Thunder sounded outside, rain beating harder on the windows.
"You've had so much discord in your heart lately, Simon... especially now. I hear so much fear, and sadness, and... something else I can't quite make out." Athena frowned sadly. She placed her hand on top of his. "Please let me try to help you, Simon. Tell me what's bothering you."
Simon tensed further. "...This is something you can't help me with, Cykes-dono."
"How do you know that if you won't even let me try?"
"It's none of your concern." There was more discord than ever, the emotion she couldn't place even louder now. What was it?
"Simon, if you could just--"
"Athena. Stop."
"Why?! Why can't you just let me help you?"
Simon whirled around to face her. "Because, I--!"
Realization struck Athena like a lightning bolt. Now she could hear what that emotion was. He looked down, frustrated, not finishing his sentence, but he didn't have to. He refused to meet her eyes. He probably realized she'd heard it too.
"Simon..." Athena breathed, her heart pounding. "Are you... Do you have feelings for me...?"
Simon clenched his surcoat in his fists, refusing to answer. Not that he needed to after what she'd heard.
"Hot damn!" Widget chirped, startling them both. Simon looked back up at her abruptly, face twisted in confusion.
Athena's face went bright red as she clamped her hand over Widget, in vain and way too late. "U-um," she coughed, trying to pull herself together. "Simon..." she met his eyes. "...You... didn't want me to know about this...?"
Simon sighed exasperatedly, eyes cast downward again. "...No. I didn't."
"But... why?"
"Why?!" Simon repeated incredulously, facing her again. "Because before, when I thought I was about to die, all I could think of was protecting you. But once I was free, for the first time, I finally had time to think about other things... and curse my infernal brain, suddenly all it could think about whenever I saw you was-- ...and that I..." Simon shook his head, frustrated, cheeks tinged with red. "I promised Metis I'd protect you, and now apparently I can't even do that. You deserve far better than a shameful fool like me. Someone good for you. Someone who doesn't bring back horrible memories of your past."
"Simon..." Athena was stunned. So this was why he hadn't wanted to speak to her. He hadn't wanted her to hear his feelings and find out his secret. But to hear him put himself down like this, especially with the way she felt about him... "First of all, you don't need to protect me anymore. Those days are over. I'm a grown woman and I can protect myself."
Simon met her eyes again, but said nothing.
"Second... I remind me of my past, and I'm stuck with me," she huffed a mirthless laugh. "Honestly, it makes me feel better about it to be close with someone who really understands..."
Simon's expression softened in gentle surprise.
"A-and, third..." Athena placed her hand over his again. She took a deep breath and met his questioning eyes. "Simon, you have no idea how much I want you."
Simon's eyes widened. "...What?"
"Don't get me started on my feelings for you Simon, because I promise I'll go on and on..." Her cheeks flushed, searching his eyes urgently. "I can't think of anyone better for me than you. I don't want anyone else. I think about you, I see you, and it drives me absolutely crazy how much I want to be with you. I think you're such an incredible, caring--"
"Don't forget hot!" Widget chimed in.
Athena scrambled to clamp her hand over Widget again and kept it there this time, face burning a similar shade to Simon's. "Ahem. ...I-I can't stop thinking about you, Simon. And to hear you say that you feel the same as I do... you have no idea how unbelievably happy that makes me."
Simon was absolutely stunned. "...Athena..."
"So please, Simon..." she scooted closer to him, shifting to sit on her knees on his couch, facing him. "God, please..."
"You... Athena." Simon swallowed roughly. "...Are you truly sure... you want me?"
Athena nodded vigorously. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
"Kiss me already!" Widget chirped, muffled by Athena's hand as she hastily pulled it off of her neck and shoved it under the couch cushions.
Unsteadily, in disbelief, he took her hands in his own and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and letting out the shortest exhale that sang out to her in joy, relief, desire, and, still the tiniest bit of fear. Athena wanted to take all of his fear away.
Neither were quite sure which one of them ended up closing the gap, but when their lips finally met, it was like nothing else mattered. Athena cupped his face in her hands and ran them upward, dragging her fingers through his hair. Simon's hands caressed her back, holding her so tight, as if she'd vanish into thin air if he let go.
Things got intense quickly, and Athena scrambled up onto his lap, straddling him, taking care not to break their heated kiss. All at once she became very aware of physically just how much he was enjoying this, and a bolt of heat shot straight through to her abdomen. She was pretty sure that if she pressed that crumpled paper from before against her face right now it would burst into flame, water be damned.
Fingers still combing through his hair, she dared to grind herself against his excitement, eliciting a deep rumble of approval from him against her lips. Encouraged, she ground harder, finding where his hair was tied and gently loosening it, letting it fall unrestrained around his shoulders.
"Nnngh... A-Athena," Simon panted, breaking the kiss for a moment to look her intently in the eyes. "If this is going where I think it might be, then... there's something I should warn you about first..."
Athena frowned in concern. There was that fear again. "Simon...?"
"It-- ...Curses." He muttered under his breath, breaking eye contact with her. "It makes me feel like a damned fool to admit at this juncture, but... nrgh. I've never actually..." he trailed off.
Oh. "Wait. Never as in... never?" How could that be when he was the most desirable person on the face of the planet?
"I was always too preoccupied with my studies, then with law, and until recently I was... well. You know." He shook his head, exhaling. "Never had time for such things."
"Simon..." Athena breathed in awe, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "...I'll be your first if you'll be mine."
Simon's eyes met hers again in surprise. "You never... in Europe?"
"I was too busy working my tail off to become a lawyer so I could save you," she poked him in the chest, grinning, trying to keep things light-hearted to keep her own overflow of emotions at bay. "And I did it. And as luck would have it, I'm already on the pill to treat a condition, so now that we both finally have the time..." She cupped his cheek in her hand, caressing it with her thumb, hardly believing she was actually saying this to him right now. "I really, really want this... if you do."
Simon nodded urgently, capturing her lips in another fervent kiss. She couldn't help the tears of joy that finally broke free and rolled unbidden down her cheeks as she feverishly kissed him back. Once she'd assured a startled and concerned Simon that they were happy tears, he kissed her again, shrugging out of his surcoat.
Athena eagerly worked at his tie and buttons, pushing them aside to reveal his bare toned chest, which her fingers were more than happy to explore as he fully removed himself from the layers of fabric and tossed them aside, shirtless. He ran his hands up under her hoodie, meeting bare skin, which sent a shiver through to her core. His hands were warmer than she thought they'd be.
His fingers traveled further upward, tracing across her nipples, giving her goosebumps and making her sigh contentedly. She lifted her arms up, inviting him to pull the hoodie up off of her, which he did gently with great care, as if handling a sacred relic.
Thunder roared outside as she felt herself bared to the air. She was vaguely aware of how erect her nipples were, despite the fact that she wasn't feeling cold anymore. Simon bowed his head and brought a kiss to one of them, smiling for the first time in weeks. "Radiant," he hummed as she let out a shivering sigh. "Beautiful."
"Simon... a-ahh," she gasped as he dragged his tongue against her nipple, establishing a direct current between her legs. She rutted shamelessly against his lap, against hardness which had only grown thicker and more tantalizing. She loved the sound it earned her from him. She wanted to hear more of them.
Smiling mischievously, she brought her lips to his neck and sucked on the skin, darting her tongue out to taste it. "A-aaghh..." Simon moaned filthily, letting his head fall back in pleasure. She hadn't expected him to be so vocal – she loved it. She continued rutting needily against him, nibbling at his neck, relishing in every sound. He thrust back up against her, lighting up a new hunger inside of her.
"Mmmnn... I want to see all of you, Simon..." she hummed against his neck.
Simon huffed out a playful laugh, smirking. "As you wish."
Athena climbed off of his lap as he readjusted, turning to sit his back against the arm of the couch, facing her with a grin. She eagerly undid his belt, pulling it aside as she slid his zipper down along with the rest of his pants, leaving him in a black pair of boxer-briefs that didn't leave very much to the imagination. She bit her lip in arousal, palming him through the fabric, eliciting a growling, appreciative groan.
Taking a breath and trying to steady her nervous hands, she pulled the fabric down, releasing his twitching cock to the air with an absolutely sinful sproing. If she hadn't ruined Simon's sweatpants before, she was pretty sure she had now. Hopefully the night they were about to have would make it up to him.
"Damn, Simon..." Athena breathed, awestruck. He was bigger than she'd imagined he'd be. She couldn't believe she was getting to see him like this. She reached out and wrapped her hand around his length, giving it an experimental stroke.
"Nnngh..." Simon moaned hoarsely. He involuntarily twitched, bucking up into her hand. This only encouraged her, caressing the tip of the head with her thumb, spreading around the bead of precum that had formed there as she stroked him intently. She wondered how he tasted.
Leaning her head down toward his aching want, she licked a long, wet line from the base of him all the way to the tip, eliciting another deliciously filthy moan from his lips. She took the head into her mouth and he gasped a ragged breath. "A-Athena..." Never before had her name sounded so perfectly obscene.
She had no idea what she was doing, but judging by his reactions she figured she had to at least be doing something right. Still stroking the rest of it with her other hand, she took in as much as she could and bobbed her head, her eyes looking up at his face and enjoying watching it contort in pleasure as he appreciatively cried out.
He ran his fingers through her hair, stopping her gently. "E-enough... if you keep that up I'll end up embarrassing myself," he panted.
Athena released him from her mouth with a pop, grinning. She loved what this was doing to him. She wanted him to touch her now.
She sat up on her knees, taking his hands and guiding them to her waistband. With hands that only shook a miniscule amount, he untied the drawstring and easily slid his sweatpants down and off of her.
Heart pounding in equal parts nerves and excitement, she sat back, parting her legs to give him easier access to where she'd been craving to feel him. Pupils blown wide in adoration, he agonizingly slowly dragged a finger up from her entrance to her clit, collecting a generous amount of her arousal. Looking into her eyes and fixing her with a mischievous smile, he brought his finger to his lips and licked it clean. Her breath caught in her throat. Her face was on fire. She had never been so aroused.
"Mmm..." Simon smirked playfully. She could hear in his heart that he was nervous even though he was trying to play it cool, which only endeared him to her more. "Delightful."
He bent down, breath ghosting against her excitement, looking up at her questioningly. She nodded. "P-please..."
Simon took a long, languid lick up her folds, stopping to flick at her clit. "A-aaahh... Yes, Simon..." she breathed, throwing her head back in pleasure.
Her moans of encouragement got louder as he worked her with his tongue. His inexperience was apparent, but this was still very much working for her – he must have read some stuff on the internet.
"Fffffuck, Simon..." Athena whined in approval as he slipped a finger inside to add to her bliss. Simon hummed a pleased laugh against her clit, which rumbled into her core and drove her insane.
It was so, so tempting for her to just let him make her cum like this, but she didn't want to be finished yet. "Simon-- a-aahh-- ...I-I want you... inside... p-please..."
Simon sat up, his mouth and chin slick with her arousal. He nodded, meeting her eyes with an intense seriousness. "You're sure?"
"Yes..." Athena sat up with him, draping her arms around his neck, kissing him needily, tasting herself on him. "God, please, Simon..."
Simon nodded, pulling her up onto his lap. She could feel his heart pounding. "Tell me immediately if anything hurts. We can stop at any point if you need."
Athena nodded. "Same goes for you." She had never felt more ready for anything in her life. She lifted herself up, positioning him against her entrance, and slowly, effortlessly sank down, inch by delicious inch, until skin met skin. "O-ohhhh..." she moaned, awestruck.
"N-nnnnghh..." Simon choked out hoarsely, voice dripping in arousal.
She started moving, and it was like being on another planet. Thunder roared outside as she rode him feverishly against the soundtrack of the rain.
The noises Simon was making were more beautiful than anything she had ever heard. The fear was finally gone, and in its place were only overwhelming happiness, desire, and love. He sounded so, so good, driving her crazy like this.
"Aaahhh...! S-Simon..."
Simon matched her rhythm, thrusting up into her, and she thought she might lose her mind. "H-hhhh... Yes, Athena..."
Athena reached down and rubbed her clit with two fingers. It wouldn't be long at all at this rate.
The sky outside the window lit up. Thunder crashed loudly.
"Nnnnrghh... I-I'm going to..."
"Fuck, yes, cum inside me Simon..."
That did it. Simon stiffened, parting his lips in a silent cry as his body shuddered, his voice catching up with him and releasing the absolute most beautiful sound she had ever heard. She could listen to him like that forever. Athena's release came right behind his, deliciously tumbling over the edge as she cried out his name.
Neither of them were sure how much time passed afterward, blissfully wrapped in each other's arms, catching their breath, listening to the storm outside. It was Athena who finally spoke up.
"...Holy shit."
Simon laughed, a true, genuine laugh that she hadn't heard in a long time. "My sentiments exactly."
"Simon... that was incredible..."
Simon kissed her forehead so tenderly that she thought she might cry. "You are incredible."
Athena planted a kiss on his lips again, beaming. "Somehow I just knew you were secretly a hopeless romantic," she teased.
"Don't tell anyone," Simon said with a playful smirk. "You'll ruin my image."
Athena nestled against him happily, as they watched the rain in comfortable silence.
"It's really coming down."
"Yes... It isn't supposed to let up until tomorrow." Simon grinned openly, teasing her. "What a shame. It looks like you'll have to stay here for a while longer."
"Oh no, whatever shall I do?" Athena giggled, kissing him again.
"You could join me in the shower," Simon rumbled against her neck, peppering it with kisses.
"Mmmm... I suppose I wouldn't mind taking another one," she laughed playfully.
Showering with Simon, she found, was much more enjoyable than showering alone. They were still too spent for much more than touching, but she was quite certain she would never get tired of the way his hands felt exploring her; of the way his skin flushed under her touch.
In his bed that night, holding him close, breathing in his calming scent, feeling safe and happier than she'd ever been in his arms as they drifted off to sleep, the only thing she could hear in his slow, gentle breathing was overwhelming love.
-----
The next morning her clothes were finally dry, and when they arrived at the courthouse together, Apollo was already there. He gave a smile and a wave, making his way towards them.
Simon took Athena's hand, meeting her eyes with a mischievous, conspiratorial glint, and in one swift motion, dipped her down low as if they were in some old Hollywood movie and kissed her passionately.
Her surprise quickly gave way to impish delight. She hadn't figured Simon to be one for PDA, and she was pretty sure he wasn't, and was purely just doing this to get a rise out of Apollo. When he lifted her back up and broke the kiss, she could see it had clearly worked – Apollo had stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw on the floor.
"I'll see you in the courtroom, love," Simon made a show of murmuring sensually against her ear, loud enough for Apollo to hear, before turning and making his way to the prosecutor's lobby.
Athena couldn't keep the huge stupid grin off her face. She decided to keep playing along with what Simon had started and act as though everything was completely normal. "Morning, Apollo! Is that the evidence from your investigation with Mr. Wright yesterday?" She took the folder he was holding from him and flipped through it as he stood there in shock. "Thanks again for doing that for me, I really owe you both!"
Jaw still hanging open, Apollo sputtered in disbelief for a few moments before finding his words again. "Wh--... b--... h--... I-I'll say!" he squeaked indignantly. "Just what were you doing yesterday while Mr. Wright and I were covering for you?!"
"We were working things out," Athena glanced up from the folder mischievously. "Everything's okay now."
"Y--... Clearly!" Apollo's face flushed as he gathered the implications. He shook his head in an attempt to shake off his shock. "Well... I'm glad the two of you are okay now, anyway. We'll wait until after the trial to discuss how long you can take over my toilet cleaning duties in exchange for me not telling Mr. Wright what you were up to during work hours."
Athena smiled in relief, grateful that Apollo was such a good sport. "Thanks, Apollo. You're a real friend."
"Yeah, I am, and don't you forget it," Apollo muttered teasingly as they entered the defense lobby. They finished going over the case and catching Athena up on what she had missed just in time for the bailiff to call them into the courtroom.
Taka was rewarded later that day with copious amounts of treats.