A Quiet Drive
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ace Attorney. The characters, rights, and other stuff, are all owned by Capcom.
A/N: Not sure if anyone actually remembers me, but damn, I haven't written in a long time. It's just another one of those nights where I just decide "Screw it, I need to write again." Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

There were many days where Apollo Justice would come home, exhausted from work. On those days, he would make himself a nice cup of water, and a sturdy chair to sit down on. Today was not a day like that. Today wasn't even a day where Justice went to the Wright Anything Agency. No, he went to the District Court. He had to submit some paperwork, sit through some sort of meeting, go through some files, sign a paper here and there, type something up, and more. Needless to say, it was a boring day, and yet, a frustrating day.

It was around 8:30 in the evening when Apollo exited the District Court. The young defense attorney was exhausted; his coffee had worn off after all. He made his way over to his new car. Usually, he would ride a bike everywhere, but Trucy and Mr. Wright insisted that he'd get a driver's license. Apollo wasn't given much of a choice, or an argument, for that matter. Mr. Wright just said so, and the only reason Trucy added was "it's embarrassing to see you ride around on a bicycle." So Apollo did indeed get a driver's license, and he had been driving for about a month now.

Sighing in relief as he sat down in his car, Apollo inserted his key, and as the car came to life, he drove off with soothing thoughts of his apartment room. He would treat himself to a warm dinner, a relaxing shower, and perhaps some television.

The streets were surprisingly empty, Apollo noted to himself. But he didn't mind. Less risk that he was going to end up in a car accident anyway, the lawyer thought to himself. He simply couldn't wait to get home. Maybe instead of ramen noodles, I'll make myself that nice frozen dinner I've been keeping in the freezer—Oh, damn! Apollo was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to make that turn. And he couldn't go back, considering there was a car right behind him.

Great. Just when I needed the streets to be completely empty. Now I have to take the long way home. Dammit!

Mouthing the word "crap" a few times, Apollo sighed and began driving the long way. Maybe he should've gotten one of those GPS things that everyone else seems to have. He wasn't sure why he didn't have a GPS of his own. Didn't cars nowadays come with the damn machines?!

Whatever, it didn't matter. As the spiky-haired young man continued driving forward, he saw a familiar old stand on the sidewalk. Eldoon's Noodles. It was empty, but it was late, so Eldoon probably left and gone home. Lucky bastard. Still, Apollo couldn't help but smile as he passed by the stand. It reminded him of the case that kicked off his lawyer career. Because of it, not only did he meet Phoenix Wright for the second time, he also met his adoptive daughter, the magic-loving Trucy Wright, and shortly after that, Apollo met Mr. Eldoon himself, the man who sits at his stand all day putting salt in noodles and serving them to the fine citizens of Los Angeles.

But that wasn't all. Because of that case, he also met his oddest client to date; the oddball Wocky Kitaki, as well as his fiancé Alita Tiala. And who could forget his first meeting with the detective Ema Skye? Initially, she was a dismissive gal. Apollo remembered how she didn't think much of him and Trucy at first. To her, he and Trucy were just a bunch of kids playing around. But eventually, they came around, and a very odd friendship sparked. At least, it was odd in Apollo's opinion, and even then, he wasn't even sure if he could call it a friendship.

To be honest, Apollo had a bit of a crush on Ema. It wasn't there at first, but if Apollo had to say where it started, it would probably be sometime after the AJ-4 Case, or the Misham Case, as it's more commonly known as. He didn't know why he was drawn to Ema, because deep down, in the back of his head, there was that little devilish voice telling him that things wouldn't work out, so he never bothered to ask her out. Apollo didn't see a problem with liking confident women who seemed like they had a tight grip and a generous amount of control.

Perhaps the greatest problem was the fact that Apollo always second-guesses himself. Unlike Ema, Apollo wasn't a very confident person. Even in court, he was afraid of speaking any word, though he knew that he obviously couldn't acquit his client with mere silence, so he'd have to speak up, but that was beside the point. The point was that Apollo, never working up the courage to ask her out, decided that maybe it was for the best if he didn't ask her out. Better that than being rejected, and possibly mocked. Apollo would often tell himself that the beautiful detective could do much better than him, and it seemed that the words rung in his ears as true. Just for added effect, he'd occasionally say to himself that maybe Ema wasn't into younger men. After all, he was 22 years old, and she was 25.

THUMP.

Apollo felt himself snap back to reality as he subconsciously jumped up and hit his head on the seat headrest. He sighed again, shaking his head as he continued driving. Apollo vowed that today was not going to be an important day. The day was going to end simply and comfortably. He imagined it was almost like living like a Hobbit; worry-free and comfortable. Then again, he had never actually read any of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, so he wouldn't know much about what living like a Hobbit would be like.

So where was I? Oh, right. Apollo thought as he continued remembering the Kitaki Case. Last but (probably) not least, there was the superstar prosecutor/musician himself, Klavier Gavin. Some people would think that being "friends" with a celebrity like Gavin would be an honor, but it's actually a pain. Though it's nice to have a friend who is sure to back you up if you have financial troubles, the real pain is dealing with Klavier whenever Apollo sees him. However, despite the name-calling (The name "Herr Forehead" got on his nerves a bit at first), and the somewhat arrogant and smug way Klavier acted, Apollo knew there was no real hatred. After all, Justice and Gavin were just two lawyers. One defense attorney and one prosecutor.

Speaking of people named "Gavin" and lawyers, Apollo happened to pass by Gavin Law Offices, headed by Kristoph Gavin, Klavier's older brother, and the so-called "Coolest Defense in the West." Apollo knew this better than anyone else. The damned devil himself never flinched. Words couldn't describe how satisfying it felt to see Kristoph break down and admit that he's beaten. It was an odd thing to think…and yet, Apollo still felt this way.

Apollo remembered his first and only case with Kristoph. Like the Kitaki case, this one would never be forgotten. After all, not only did it mark the first time Apollo defended someone in court, it was also the first time he met the great Phoenix Wright, who has since passed his prime. Or so they say. It was a particularly stressful case, but in the end, it was revealed that Kristoph was the true killer…and now, Gavin Law Offices is now defunct, and has been closed down for a long time.

In moments like these, Apollo was glad he took his work as seriously as he did, or else perhaps more people like Kristoph would be roaming the streets, scot-free. But of course, Apollo would have to remember the people who support him and help him along the way.

As Apollo turned around the corner and continued to drive, he couldn't help but smile a bit. He was a somebody in this world thanks to his friends now. He couldn't have acquitted his clients without them. Trucy would be there to lend support, Klavier would be there to help him find the truth, Phoenix would be there to give some occasional advice, and Ema would assist in picking up evidence.

Damn, lots of familiar places, Apollo thought. As if on cue, something else popped up. It was small, but Apollo could still notice it. Vera's home. Ever since the Misham Case, Vera had returned home and has since begun painting works and selling them to start a life of her own. Not a bad place to make a living, Apollo would think. He suspected that Vera might've liked him, but could never tell, considering how shy she still is. But that was also a reason to suspect.

Even though it was around 8, Apollo decided not to bother Vera. After all, she might be sleeping, or painting her next masterpiece, and he didn't want to be a bother.

After that, however, the rest of the ride home was quiet, and there weren't any other landmarks of interest to interest Apollo. It wasn't long until he reached his apartment room. By then, it was about 8:46 or so. Apollo sighed in deep relief as he sat down in a chair watching the news while the microwave was heating his frozen dinner. While waiting, Apollo even made himself a glass of water as he had promised himself.

It was then that he noticed a package on his table. As he sipped on his water before setting the glass down to examine the package, he saw that it wasn't marked. What, did someone happen to sneak in and plant that there? How would they get in here in the first place?

As Apollo opened the box, he saw a letter inside and a picture. Looking at the letter first, he began to read it to himself:

Dear Polly,

Thought you might've liked this. It's just a simple picture of you, me, and Ema from the other week. I think you need this. You don't really keep anything on your nightstand. Oh, and if you're wondering how I got in here, let's just say it's magic.

Sincerely,
Trucy

As Apollo raised an eyebrow and set the letter down, he picked up the picture and looked at it. Now he remembered. The other week, at the Wright Anything Agency, while Apollo was working, Ema had stopped by to ask Mr. Wright something, only to see that he was at the Borscht Bowl Club with Trucy, so the two of them drove over, because apparently, Ema couldn't wait. When they did arrive at the club, the question, Apollo couldn't remember what it was, quickly turned into a full-on conversation while Apollo watched Trucy do her little magic tricks.

One thing led to another in the conversation apparently, and then Phoenix ended up taking a picture on his phone with Apollo, Trucy, and Ema. Apollo was surprised to find the picture here. He had totally forgotten about those events.

And Apollo couldn't help but smile at it. It was a cheerful picture. The image pretty much summed up his life; the defense attorney himself didn't like having pictures taken, and was visibly uncomfortable in the picture, while Ema smiled moderately, and Trucy, eyes wide, smiled that cheerful smile she always had.

The microwave had finished heating up Apollo's dinner long ago, but he didn't notice. Instead, he walked into his bedroom and laid the picture onto his nightstand. Looking at the picture for a few more seconds, he chuckled lightly to himself a bit, coming to a realization.

"You know…" He said to himself, "Life's short. I should live it knowing I did everything I could instead of living with regrets." And with that, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Ema Skye's number. At this point, Apollo wanted to get this off his chest, and he found it convenient that Ema was actually a big night owl.

He didn't know what he was doing. Asking Ema out would be the craziest thing ever, and yet…he knew friends like Ema were important to him. So why was he risking his pride and possibly jeopardizing his friendship? He didn't know. He honestly didn't know. But there he was, holding his phone close to his ear. Perhaps the emotions that he bottled up that…burst from the bottle. And maybe that picture had something to do with it?

It didn't take long for Ema to answer the call. On the other side, Apollo could hear the woman answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ema. It's me, Apollo!" He said, instantly feeling like a fool. He knew Ema didn't like talking much unless it had to do with science. At least, that's how it went in person. If Ema decided to interrupt the conversation just so she could eat her Snackoos, then this would be the first time on the phone.

"Hey, Apollo. Do you need something?" She asked, getting to the point.

"I was just wondering…err…" Apollo stammered a bit, but managed to get the words in before things got awkward, "Do you have any plans Saturday night?"

"No, I'm free. Why do you ask?" She said. Ema seemed oblivious to what Apollo was implying, though he assumed that she was teasing him and wanted to hear him say the words.

"I just wanted to...y'know, ask you out to dinner. You know the Italian place that just opened up a few weeks back?"

"Yeah. I'd love to eat there," Ema said. Apollo had to say; she didn't sound all that enthusiastic about the date, but then again, Ema never sounded enthusiastic about anything to be honest. Except science. But yes still meant yes.

"Alright. Sounds great. I'll pick you up at 6?"

"See you soon," she simply said, before hanging up.

Apollo felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. In the good way. He had to resist doing some kind of stupid dance in joy like those kids from that one show about the 1970's. And then he realized one important thing…

"…My dinner's still in the microwave…" Apollo said to himself.

So yeah! I return to the wonderful world of writing with this. Did you like it? I actually didn't intend for this to be an Apollo/Ema at first, but it happened. Besides, there's not enough Apollo/Ema anyway. To be honest, Klema doesn't make any sense to me, considering Ema doesn't like Klavier at all. Someone could explain it to me if they want. Anyway, yeah. I had to do research up the ass, considering I had forgotten a lot about Ace Attorney, and according to the Wikia, yes. Apollo really does ride a bike. Anyway, please review! I hope you liked this fic.