Ash (They/Them)

Unrealistic (but hilarious) Headcanon: Apollo and Trucy, despite the huge age gap and their different genders, look terrifyingly similar. The have the same eyes, same facial structure (Apollo's jawline may be slightly sharper, but there's still definitely some softness that he is slightly insecure about), and, when Apollo's hair is down, it looks very similar to Trucy's own bangs. Of course, given their wildly differing personalities and attire, no one has ever confused the two.

Except one person. Phoenix Wright.

It was an otherwise uneventful morning, Apollo's coffee growing cold as he typed frantically on his laptop. He had joined Trucy and Athena on the couch in the Agency's lobby, their chatting softened by the exhaustion of the early morning and serving as pleasant background noise while Apollo worked. He didn't even look up when Mr. Wright arrived, eyes so bleary it was a wonder he was able to see at all. He knew that Mr. Wright had pulled an all-nighter trying to figure out the mystery behind the Agency's latest case, so him coming to work an hour late was understandable.

What was slightly less understandable was when Phoenix leaned over him and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head, a familiar gesture Apollo had often seen him do to Trucy. Except he wasn't Trucy. He was Apollo Justice, and any lingering exhaustion he had felt was long-gone.

Mr. Wright was quick to realize his mistake, his gaze turning to the real Trucy and Athena, who were both looking at the scene with their jaws on the floor. He sheepishly turned to Apollo, apologizing as he turned to give Trucy her intended kiss. The spell was suddenly broken, Apollo's face turning as red as his suit as the girls finally burst out laughing, Athena jokingly asking Mr. Wright for her good morning kiss. He did humor her, pressing a kiss to her temple after Trucy, much to their delight and Apollo's mortification.

He had expected (hoped) for that to be the end of it. But it wasn't.

He could excuse the next few times as a mistake, where Phoenix would ruffle his hair or press his lips to his head or call him "sweetie" or "kiddo". But then it started happening when Apollo knew Mr. Wright was fully aware, where his hair was spiked up and his demeanor nothing like the young magician and where Mr. Wright had already addressed him by his proper name. But still the gestures wouldn't stop, and while Apollo wouldn't say that he hated them (not that he would admit it even with his life on the line), it felt entirely unprofessional and mortifying.

The others were having the time of their lives, especially Phoenix. After all, as I mentioned before, he sees Apollo as a son. While the gestures are teasing, the love and affection behind every action couldn’t be more real.

Heart-Crushing and Awful Headcanon: Apollo admires and respects Mr. Wright immensly (maybe the latter slightly less after their first meeting, given his demeanor, but that rebuilt itself once he got his badge back), but he never fully trusts him. The bloody ace was something that was never brought up again after Apollo's debut, but the resentment lingered, simmering like butter melting in a pan until the bottom was coated black. This lack of trust wasn't obvious, and it certainly wasn't something Apollo advertized, but Mr. Wright is perceptive.

Phoenix desperately wanted to apologize, to explain the actions that he took during that day. He wanted his protege to look up to him and believe in him the same way he believed in his clients. He wanted Apollo to look at him and for there to be none of that lingering hurt that the young man seemed to carry with him everywhere.

He wanted to explain the Card. Or rather, he wanted to explain the Replica.

He wanted to explain how the evidence wasn't used correctly, how it was never meant to be a substitute for the real thing, only a hypothetical. He wanted to explain the misunderstanding, of the failure to explain both on his part and on Trucy's.

(Something he would never, not in a million years, fault her for. She was still so young, despite her maturity, and he never should have involved her in something so dire in the first place. Damn those puppy-dog eyes and her giant heart.)

He wanted to explain how everything had been taken care of, how the current Chief Prosecutor was, for once in his life, lenient, allowing the mistake to be erased from Apollo's record. He wanted to do something, literally anything, to get rid of the guilt the kid obviously still carried from that trial, even if doing so meant giving him reason do doubt his very capabilities as a lawyer.

It would mean transfering the blame from himself to Apollo, who despite his stubborn and confident front still struggled with his own securities and a staggering inferiority complex, and to Trucy, whose smile hides so much pain that it makes him want to cry.

But Phoenix would never put that kind of blame on Apollo, and he would die before his daughter felt even a sliver of the guilt he carried with him everyday. He cared about them both too much. He refused to be selfish.

Maybe one day he would tell Apollo, when the incident was far behind them and the fledgeling lawyer grew into his own. But for now, Apollo's distrust was a burden he was willing to bear. He deserved it, after all.

(This headcanon is from a fic I’ve read that I stupidly forgot to bookmark. If anyone knows what fic it is, I would be so grateful!)

Unrealistic Headcanon that will probably never happen: I mentioned before in a previous ask that I headcanon that Apollo knows how to play piano. It's something he's a bit out of practice with, given how he didn't have as much time to practice with law school and his job under Kristoph Gavin, but he still loves playing. And when he saw the giant piano buried under various stage props and bills, he couldn't resist.

Whenever Trucy and Mr. Wright were gone, Trucy either at school or performing at the Wonder Bar (and wait... is that a pun!?!?) and Mr. Wright doing whatever it was he did during the Seven Year Gap, Apollo would hesitantly make his way towards the piano and play. It became a respite for him during this tumultuous time in his life, with all the confusion of his new job, his confusing interactions with Mr. Wright, and whatever was going on with that glimmerous fop of a prosecutor.

Surprisingly, it's Phoenix who catches him in the act and not Trucy. Apollo is mortified and slightly terrified when he sees Mr. Wright quietly listening, but his embarrased rambling is cut off when he sees Phoenix looking at him with more genuine emotion than he had ever seen. Wright doesn't make any cryptid one-liner or snarky comment, instead simply telling Apollo that he was allowed to use the piano anytime. Obviously, Apollo played much better than he did, and the Agency could use a reprieve from his own amateur playing.

And so Apollo did, occasionally playing when his workload felt too overwhelming or his thoughts were too loud. And every time, without fail, the Agency would fall silent, letting only the beautiful notes linger through the air. Even Trucy and Athena would be without words, saving their teasing about Apollo's hobby for later time.

And every single time, without fail, Mr. Wright would applaud his performance.

Ahhhhhhhh THESE TWO! There's SO MUCH! They're both such broken people who have not given themselves the time and opportunity to heal and they are both horrible messes, but I still love them both regardless.

Thank you so much for the ask!