Thanks for the reviews, sweetums. And fyi, there will be no jerky characters in the very end.

In this part, the drama starts to begin. iii has tons of Junipollo and some Claypollo (friendship or ship) feels everywhere. I was crying and then screaming of cute while I wrote it. I like both pairings, friendship and shipping, but Junipollo is just kal;sfjkldasjlf.

Anyway, just so you know, Athena and Juniper aren't going to fight the way you and I fight with our friends. It's so hard to write Juniper like that because she's so gentle, and she's more like a pacifist than any other character in the series, and I can't picture anybody yelling at her because she's... Juniper! Yelling at her would be like kicking a puppy when it's asleep.

With that said, I don't own Ace Attorney.

quiet

(pull your petals in.)

Part Two

i.

Juniper's mind had raced with thoughts of what Apollo had last said, and the next little get together Athena had planned, most likely with the help of Trucy. She didn't get much studying done, to say the least. It was a shame, because she had heard the upcoming test was difficult. But no matter what she did, her mind just slipped out of it.

"You shouldn't let her control you like that."

Juniper had thought it over time and time again. Did he mean that Athena was taking advantage of her? But... Thena wouldn't do such a thing. Sure, she had her moments - where she used her puppy dog look, or maybe manipulated her. But most of the time it wasn't a big deal - and it certainly wasn't now.

Apollo was probably overreacting.

...Right?

ii.

"Didn't you say you had studying to do?"

Why was she not surprised?

"Yes, but I did make a promise to Thena, and I... I can't break it. It would probably crush her, and I don't want to do that."

"But you also made a promise to Hugh and Robin, didn't you?"

Juniper let out a gasp. Yes, she had, but it had been forever since someone had brought it up. They had maybe mentioned it in their group, plus Myriam, but not as much after the case where Ms. Courte had...

...That was a little rude of Apollo. Especially since he had been there and had seen how much the three of them had tried to keep their promise. Juniper didn't know what to say. She didn't look at him, only let out short, shallow breaths and stood there in silence for a few seconds, until Apollo broke it.

"Um... I'm sorry. That was insensitive... I'm just worried."

"It's... it's alright. I know you didn't mean any harm," Juniper started, but Apollo looked less than convinced. He looked very guilty. "Apollo, it's fine. Really. I know that you're only looking out for me."

Juniper's forgiving words probably sounded hollow, but they had been enough to appease Apollo, who was still very confusing.

"But, um... if you don't mind me asking -"

"Junie!"

Thena. She sounded peppy and excited, and bounded up to them full of life and energy. Her smile was big, and she seemed to radiate golden sunlight.

"Hello, Thena," Juniper said, smile lighting up her features.

"I'm glad you could make it!"

"Me too. I... really needed a break from studying."

Studying. Right. That's what Juniper had been doing.

"Okay, look, so I know you need to study and the test is pretty big, but there's this thing tonight that I really need you to -"

"Actually, Juniper and I have plans tonight."

What.

Juniper paled and then blushed. What was Apollo doing?

"Really?" Athena asks, sly as ever. She was still curious though, as if she knew Apollo was hiding something. You could see it in her eyes and by her quirked brow.

"Yeah," Apollo replies, brisk and calm. Juniper is very, very puzzled as to how Apollo could sound so casual about his little white lie.

"Oh, alright," Athena says, winking at Juniper, "It wasn't much of a big deal anyway."

...What? Didn't she plan to beg and plead Juniper beforehand? Athena smiles and walks away, with a face that plainly says 'call me later.' Juniper quickly tries to wipe her blush off her face.

"Apollo, we... we don't have plans tonight."

"You were doing it again."

"What?"

"Look... just bring your stuff by the agency later tonight. I'll help you study."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Yeah. Sure. I promise."

Juniper blushes. It's a very sweet sentiment, especially for her since it's from Apollo, lord of the sun and what not. "Thank you."

iii.

For the most part, Apollo does help her study. Juniper plays with her pigtails multiple times; even though he's staying strange things, especially about Thena, he's still Apollo and he still makes her feel all warm and fuzzy.

She gets a lot more studying done than normal, despite how hard to concentrate it really should be.

"Um... A-apollo? Thank you for helping me study..."

He smiles that pretty smile, kind and gentle. But there's... just something about him when he stops smiling that...

"You really were going to let her do it again."

"By her, do you mean Thena?"

He nods.

"Could you... explain?"

"You let her control you."

She hestitates, "I... don't."

"I watch you. You let her tell you where to go and when to be there, but that's not even the half of it. Sometimes you're like an obediant puppy, obeying her like that."

"I..."

Juniper snaps her mouth shut. Everything suddnely tastes very stale and raw, and she doesn't want to believe that Apollo's right, but he probably is. She has no response for him. He sits there, watching her mull over and digest his words. Juniper goes back to playing with her hair, unable to look him in the eyes with such a serious atmosphere. (Though it would be difficult to no matter the atmosphere.)

"I didn't realize that she was... controlling me. I mean, I guess I knew that I was listening to Athena..."

He stares at her, as if he doesn't believe her. She watches his hand move to his wrist and then he knows. He knows that she's lying, though Juniper's sure she's doing it subconciously.

She coughs, "I... I... can't really help it," she begins, stumbling over words like a broken record, "I mean... Thena's been more like a sister to me and she's... saved me so many times that I've lost count. She's never let me down, but I... I'm not like her. I can't do things like that."

She pauses to cough.

"I guess I was just listening to her because she's my friend and because... I have no other way to prove it except by doing the things she asks of me, since I can't..." she stops with another cough, "show it as well as she can."

Apollo looks upset.

"So... I guess I was just subconciously letting her control me, but I didn't even realize it was that bad or that I was even doing it until you brought it up."

"I'm just worried about you. I had a friend like that. He used to control everything his friends did, and we never... we never stood up to him. He made us lose sleep and do bad things that got us into a lot of trouble."

He looks to the side, and Juniper wants to hold his hand, as if to say it's okay to tell her these kinds of things.

"I never noticed it, either, until someone else brought it up. We had been really close friends for years, and he started to get worried about me."

"Oh."

Juniper gets it, very suddenly. The friend that noticed... "It was Clay, wasn't it? The one who noticed?"

And though she's sure she's not brave enough and that it's too courageous for her, and she'll blush all day and night about it later, she takes his hand in hers.

He nods, slowly and sadly, "But... I wasn't like Clay. He stood up to the boy and... they beat him up."

Juniper squeezes his hand. He squeezes back.

"Clay was a lot like my Athena. He always stood up for me, and I wasn't ever that brave," Apollo takes a breath, "My point is, I... I don't want you to end up like me or the kids who beat up Clay. They were all trained to obey, and then it was like they had no minds of their own, and they couldn't get away because the other boy helped them out by hurting their bullies in return for minions."

Juniper squeezes his hand again. It must have taken a lot of courage to get that out. He doesn't talk about Clay as much as he used to, and never a story like that.

"I promise that... I won't end up like that. I'll make sure that I'm still me," Juniper starts, "And... um, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll talk to Thena tomorrow."

Apollo nods, and then Junipe realizes she still has his hand. For some reason, she suddenly feels brave.

"And... Apollo?"

He looks up.

"I... think that telling me about that was brave enough. You don't have to stand up for people the way Clay did to be brave... And I'm sure that Clay would think you're pretty brave now."

Apollo begins to move so fast that by the time she finishes her sentence, his arms are around her and everything is so warm and comforting.

"You... don't need to worry about me, anyway."

Her words slip out slowly, and with his arms now embracing her, and Juniper's blushing too hard. She wonders if he plans to ever let her go, and then he interrupts her thoughts with words that make her burn.

"Of course I have to worry about you."

iv.

She did make a promise to Apollo. It hurts as she walks up to Athena, because she's not sure how to go about something like this. She can feel her hands grabbing her hair and the feeling in her throat making her want to cough. But there's none of that today.

She has to be brave. Like she promised.

She walks calmly up to Athena, and clears her throat.

"Thena?"

She turns around. Okay, step one complete.

"We... we have to talk."

"Okay!"

They walk out of the hearing distance of those around them. Athena's still relatively happy, and Juniper doesn't know how she's going to get any words out at all.

"Oh! Junie, I have to ask for a favor! Will you come by the agency tonight?"

...Apollo warned you about this, she thinks, but she replies differently.

"What are you doing?"

"Probably nothing important."

So then what's the point? Any other day would be okay, but her big test is tomorrow, and she really does need to study.

"Thena, you know I can't. I have the test and I've been trying to study for days now."

Athena purses her lips.

"Please, Thena, I just need to study."

Athena grumbles, "You had time for Apollo."

"Oh, Thena, please... don't do that. Apollo was helping me study."

Athena says nothing in reply, and her facial expression doesn't change. She still seems relatively upset, as if she's jealous, like Juniper had spent less time with her.

"Thena, you have to stop being so... controlling. I can't do everything you want me to do."

Eep! That... that sounded so rude and horrible and awful and just -

Athena's eyes widen. "What are you talking about?"

Her voice is loud, but she's not shouting.

"I mean that I can't be a puppy on a leash. There are other things I have to do, and I need you to understand that I make promises to other people, too."

Oh dear. She lets out a cough, but makes it sound like she's clearing her throat, though she's sure her chest is shaking and Athena probably knows that this is killing her inside. She can read emotions, and Juniper's too easy to read.

"I know that but I -"

"Thena, I'm sorry... But I... I really do have to study, okay? I can't be... controlled anymore."

Juniper walks off, and the second she gets out of Athena's range of hearing (or as far away as possible because of Athena's super sweet hearing abilities), she begins to cough. That was far too muchand she feels like a big, fat jerk. She really, really needs her medicine.

She doesn't know if she's going home to study, but she does know that she's not going to get anything done when she feels like this.

I want you to know that Juniper's reaction is plausible. She wouldn't feel too great about doing something like that, especially knowing that Athena knows that she's angry, but also very sad and upset about having to do something like this. I don't think Athena would yell because... Juniper, but also because she can read emotions and she can probably tell the emotional storm inside.