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manyothermusingsofmine · 1 year

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Stage Fright || Drabble

Fandom: Ace Attorney Wordcount: 3861 Warnings: collapsing structure. Idk about anything else, let me know. Summary: A set up stage turns out to not be capable of carrying the weight it should, but why?

---------------------------------------- Athena had legitimately been begging Klavier to tell her when he would next set up a concert around the district court; for she was fascinated by the whole process of how a show like that was put together. And ever since he actually told her about an upcoming concert he was holding, she had been pestering Apollo and Simon both about joining in her excitement over the whole thing.

Especially since it was basically a stone’s throw away from the courthouse.

“So remind me again why we let her strongarm us into this?” Apollo sighed, only to get a shrug from Blackquill as a response.

Probably because neither of them was immune to her puppy dog eyes when she asked for company like she did. They found Klavier, he was discussing something with a tech who left after their conversation together. Athena excitedly greeted him, while Apollo and Simon just kept to themselves for a moment.

“So you will show me everything, right? Tell me what everything does, I’m so curious!”

“Ja, ja, easy does it, Fraulein Sunshine,” Klavier laughed, before gesturing at all of them to come join him on the stage.

While it was basically akin to a tour of the stage, Klavier had no intention of tour guiding them all along. As far as he was concerned, they could stick to whatever interested them the most while he talked about what went into the set up and how he tried to keep everything visually interesting for his fans. Well, as far as it still complied with safety measurements, of course.

Because he wasn’t herding them like cattle, and they probably wouldn’t appreciate that in the first place, Apollo and Athena ended up near the back of the stage looking at the speaker set up and the drum set. Meanwhile Klavier had walked all the way to the front of the stage, looking out on the square where the fans would eventually be. Maybe it needed a little more space, and he was mentally placing some safety measures around the field as well.

The last thing he wanted was to create some kind of stampede in what was going to be a big crowd.

Simon joined him, following his gaze and honestly being lowkey amused at seeing Klavier so deep in thought that the German prosecutor’s hands started to move all by themselves; seeming visualizing the thoughts in his head. Of course, Klavier couldn’t think silently. He didn’t even have to be vocal about it apparently, his hands did the talking for him.

Either way, between the four of them there was shared silence or some minor chatting going on, mostly between Apollo and Athena.

That is, until Athena suddenly went silent as her sensitive ears picked up a sound. A sound she very much did not like hearing; the slightest crackle of wood that was buckling under weight it couldn't handle.

In a quick reaction Athena grabbed hold of the back of Apollo's vest, pulling him back in a hard yank. The noise she heard was quickly increasing in volume as the wood of the stage indeed gave out, taking the drums and a speaker down with it in the chaos; loud enough to probably be heard in the buildings surrounding what happened. Maybe even at the district court.

Because of her hearing she also heard that the heavy lights fixed to the metal frame high above were also starting to sway; and one of them-

"Simon, light, move!"

It was a good thing she was one of the few people on a similar vocal volume as Apollo's chords of steel. Simon took one quick glance at the lights above his head, and then simply responded to her command to move by basically throwing his full bodyweight to his left side- swiftly taking Klavier with him in a dive off the stage as the fixture of a light snapped off and came falling down, making yet another hole in the stage as it crashed straight through the wooden structure.

After that and after the dust had settled, both parties of the four heads counting group either got up, helped each other up, or dusted off their clothes.

"Everyone still in one piece?" Athena called

"Yeah, just some bruises," Klavier called back, "That's kind of the result when you attempt to crowd surf without a crowd."

Simon rolled his eyes at that, easily grabbing onto the other prosecutor and pulling him back to his feet. Heavens above, it would be lovely if Klavier would take something seriously for a change. He looked at him annoyed when Klavier looked over the stage in irritation, and only seemed to have something to say about how setting everything back up would take up so much time.

“I think your bigger concern right now should be the fact that this almost got us and yourself killed,” he dryly remarked, only to be met with an absolute spiteful angry glance. Oh, did he want to play it that way? Sure, he could do that

“Don’t. You. Dare,” Simon growled when Klavier opened his mouth to probably say something in an overdramatic manner. Klavier paused for a moment, before just giving Simon another spiteful look.

“Oh sure. It’s my fault, is it?”

Athena placed herself between both of them and hushed them to deescalate the situation, when some other people in the vicinity came running over to see what had caused the massive crash they had heard. It was then decided between the four of them to just return to the district court, shake off the clearly shaken emotions of everyone, and just get something to drink.

They arrived at the court room and got Apollo, who was most shaken by the whole ordeal, sat down on one of the benches in the lobby. Athena fetched him some water, Simon sat down on another bench nearby and Klavier was furiously texting a whole bunch of people to see what kind of damage control could be done about the stage.

It was at that point that Nevada and Mary popped in; they had heard the sound in the distance and still had no idea of what had been going on.

“What happened?!” was therefor the first thing that left Nevada’s mouth, while Mary just looked around in overwhelmed confusion as to who even needed help.

And before anyone else even had a chance to say anything, Klavier responded as matter-a-factly as he could with

“The stage collapsed; it’s fine.”

Simon just covered his eyes with his hand, letting out a small sigh. Not only would it be great if Klavier would take this thing seriously for the right reasons, but it would also help if he thought every once in a while before opening his damn mouth.

“Fine?!” Nevada yelled, their voice cracking in anger and annoyance at his perceived disinterest in the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Mary simply froze in place, her eyes going wide as saucers as the implications of that dawned upon her. The stage collapsed?

She looked up at Nevada and Klavier who were now apparently arguing back and forth- though she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She couldn’t make out what anyone was saying, her own fear completely paralyzing her for a moment aside from the fact that she was involuntarily shaking.

A moment that left as soon as it came, and when it went in came a barrage of sound as the angry voices of her best friend arguing with her significant other rolled in like a crashing tidal wave. Within seconds her brain felt overwhelmed and overloaded, and they just had to stop arguing, so when their voices increased-

"Will you two knock it off?!"

Mary's voice came out in a loud, sharp bark, stopping both Klavier and Nevada in their arguing with each other. It wasn't like her to snap at either of them, but arguably this situation called for it. At least in her mind it did.

"Arguing like this isn't going to help anyone, people could've gotten seriously hurt, be glad that they didn't," she said, her voice still sharp but at the same time shaking a little.

They just looked at each other for a moment, before Nevada went off to check on Simon. He assured them he was fine aside from a couple of bruises that were, honestly, mostly his own fault. He had to give Klavier that much.

"No, you know what; I'm not dealing with this right now," Klavier said, irritated at what he perceived was everyone suddenly turning against him, his hand gestures emphasized what he was saying. He turned away from the group, walking out even when Mary called his name. Simon just sat there, observing what was going on between the two of them and Nevada, who turned to him for guidance on what to do next. He gestured at them to come over for a moment.

"Can you get me something to drink, my dove?"

They protested for a moment, but he just took their hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

"Please? That would really help."

"Okay..."

He watched them leave, his gaze going past Mary but then returning to her as she let out a slightly hurt huff. And he really didn't mean to, but he let out a chuckle himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked, the tone of her voice still sharp- but now more because she was feeling hurt rather than anything else.

"My apologies, I am not laughing at you. But, well. It is funny, really-"

"What is?"

"How alike the two of you are. Well, you freeze like a deer caught in headlights when something terrifies you, he tries to shrug it off like it is no big deal or hides it behind some kind of quip- none the less; the result is the same, it is pulling up a wall so that you do not have to address what you want or feel-"

"What I want is for two of the people I care about to stop arguing with each other!" Mary interrupted, a certain bite still to her tone

"Oh, is that just it? So you were not going to tell him that the mental image of your partner and your friends getting hurt in the process of an elevated stage crumbling jumpstarted your acrophobia; and that is why you froze and snapped in such an irritable manner instead of asking us if we were okay?"

She had wanted to interrupt him, but the protest died in the back of her throat as he sharply pinpointed exactly what the problem was. She just felt her arms tightening around herself, as a shiver ran down her spine. She took a deep breath to try and keep the burning tears at bay.

"I... hate it when you're right," she admitted, her voice cracking slightly as she didn't even have a witty comeback or way to defend herself to Simon. No, he was absolutely right. They could've been hurt in the crash, or in the tumble everyone took off the stage, and that scared her more than anything. Her hand instinctively shot up to her necklace, clasping onto the heart pendant and moving it along the silver necklace in thought.

She hadn’t even bothered to ask him-

In a smooth and quick motion, she turned on her heels and stalked away, ignoring Simon’s eyes on her until she reached the doorway of the room. She bit on her lower lip, a nagging feeling of being exposed still sitting high in her chest.

"Simon... Stop seeing right through me."

He looked up as she said that over her shoulder, watching her walk away. He shrugged.

"Then stop being as easy to read as an open book," he said to the empty room. It wasn't empty for long, as Nevada showed up with something to drink.

"Where's Mary?"

"Eh, went to talk out the high school romance drama. Just give them a moment, they have some things to sort out between them when it comes to this whole ordeal."

"Did I-"

"No," he assured softly, "you did not make it worse. Thank you for the drink."

She waited for him to grant her verbal permission to enter his office when she knocked on the door, only actually going in when he called out that she could. Well, called out was a big term, more like stated. Mary sighed softly, looking at Klavier in his chair as he was looking through some file or another. She didn't really feel like paying attention to what he was reading, it wasn’t important for the conversation they had to have.

"I figured you'd still be arranging for someone to fix the stage."

"Can't. Apparently forensics wants a look at it; Gumshoe told me so. I'm not allowed to arrange anything of the sort until I have their say so."

He looked up when she didn't respond, tilting his head slightly. Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she mad at him, too? Great, just what he wanted, more people upset at him for things he couldn’t control. And this silence was a very uncomfortable one to boot.

".... Can I help you? Or are you just here to be upset with me some more and agree that this whole thing is my fault?"

"No- don’t put words in my mouth; I'm not here to take anyone's side, I'm-"

She cut herself short, not finishing the reactionary statement she had wanted to make. It wouldn't help and she really didn't want to argue with him on this. But she also wasn't really sure how to put what she was feeling.

Mary just looked at him for a moment, green eyes meeting blue ones in a silent gaze. A sudden wave of vulnerability washed over her, as Simon's words played in the back of her head. She let out a shaky breath, the terror of her phobia mixing with a feeling that hadn't come up in a long while. Her hand shot up to her necklace, grasping onto the pendant once more to move it along the silver necklace.

"When I said people could've gotten hurt, Klavier- That includes you. You could've gotten seriously hurt and I-" that still felt too reactionary and accusatory to her, even if her voice was soft and vulnerable in its hurt demeanor.

"I'm sorry if I made it seem like it didn’t."

He had wanted to say that he wasn't hurt, that it was just a couple of scrapes and bruises that would heal in time, but her apology stunned him into silence. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close; gently pressing his head against her stomach. Their height difference really shifted when he was sitting down and she was standing up.

Though she couldn't really tell who she was actually trying to comfort; just him, herself, or both.

"Are you okay?" she finally asked, her voice still trembling with the remnants of her own fear, "be honest with me. Please."

"... I'll be fine. It's just a few bruises because Simon had to push me off the stage, it could've been much-"

He felt her grip on him tighten a bit when he mentioned the fall off the stage, and only then did the dime drop for him. Right, off the elevated stage. Damn, had he really skipped right over the part where that would be more upsetting to her than to most other people?

"... Oh, Mary. I'm sorry, too" he then said as he realised his own blind spot, leaning down just a little so he could press a kiss to the arm closest to him. He gently broke free from her embrace, only to pull her into his as he wrapped his arms around her and lightly tugged until she was sitting in his lap.

"... I'll talk to Sparky later, okay? I just- they really went for me."

"They're just worried about Simon.."

"I know. But I don't like that they seem to think that I would put my friends at risk like that. I don't- the stage was fine, Mary, the band is more of a collective weight than this group of people was, what with all the instruments we have to bring along as well. I wouldn't risk the band's safety like that, and I wouldn't risk anyone else's like that either."

"... Is that why the forensics want to have a look?"

"I guess? I just want to know if it's some freak accident no one could've predicted, or if I need to drag some engineer or safety inspector into the courtroom for not doing their job properly."

He just held her, her physical presence calming him down even if deep within himself he was still annoyed. If it had been the latter he would make sure that there’d be hell to pay for whoever failed to upkeep the standards. He was absolutely not fucking around about this. Not about something as serious as this, even if he didn’t easily outwardly show it.

“Hey,” he started softly, pulling Mary a little bit closer, “are you okay?”

“Not really, but I will be,” Mary admitted softly.

“I’m just glad you’re not seriously hurt.”

They sat like that for a while until both their emotions had cooled a little. Mary said she really had to turn back to her work even if she would much rather prefer to stay with him; he assured her that they could just pick this back up when they both finished their responsibilities and went home.

After she had returned to her desk, Mary let out a sigh and thought for a moment. It was only then that a small piece of paper shoved under the keyboard of her computer caught her eye, and she freed it from underneath its keyboard prison. She unfolded it, and frowned at the content she was reading. She folded it back up, tucked it into the small pocket on her pants, and got back up to go outside and see the crashed stage for herself.

“Detective Gumshoe, do you have a minute?”

She went towards him in a quick semi jog, stopping in front of him as he just dismissed some officers who had been wrapping the police tape around the scene.

“Oh, hiya, pal. Did sir Gavin send you to check if he can rebuild the stage yet?”

“No, actually,” Mary admitted, nervously wrapping her arms around herself as she thought on how to ask what she wanted to ask.

“Did they.. find anything yet?”

“Ah, sorry pal, I’m not allowed to-“

“Gumshoe,” she pleaded,

“You’re talking to someone who’s legal script is completely based around the sentence “I’m not legally allowed to say that. I’m not asking this to put it on record, or hold it against you, this is purely for my own peace of mind; please tell me they’re just looking into it as a freak accident?”

Gumshoe’s shoulders slumped, and he just gave her a sad expression. While not verbally responding to what she asked, that was absolutely not the non-verbal reaction she had hoped for, and she hugged herself a little tighter.

“Have they at least excluded any other possibility?”

Gumshoe’s shoulders only slumped more, and his expression became even more downtrodden. Mary felt herself take a very shaky breath. She didn’t like the implication of any of that. Sure, it could’ve been a gross negligent oversight which was bad enough, but… could it be even worse?

She looked back up at Gumshoe.

“Hey, pal, if anyone asks-“

“I didn’t hear it from you. We never even spoke about this. I know. Thank you.”

Some hours later when the smoke had cleared and everyone had gone to their respective homes, Mary found herself sitting on the couch in Klavier’s apartment, staring out into space as Klavier was pacing around the room while on a phone call. She didn’t hear what he was saying cause she wasn’t listening, her own thoughts circling around so much that she couldn’t pay attention to anything else. At the very least she assumed he had gotten the all clear to remake the stage, with a better team this time.

After several calls like that, he sat down on the empty couch spot next to her, tossing his head back far enough so that the back of it was resting on the back support of the couch, and he was looking at the ceiling.

“They fucking better send a good team this time around or I’ll actually drag someone’s ass to court,” he grumbled, rolling his head over to the side when she didn’t respond.

“Are you okay? … Mary?”

“Huh, what?” she asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

“You were far gone in your thoughts, babe. Are you okay?”

She just sighed, before leaning in his direction until she was cuddled up on his chest and he put an arm protectively around her.

“I don’t know. Today was a lot.”

“Yeah, that sure is a way to describe it.”

Mary just stuck in her spot, looking out into the room without seeing anything. She remained completely still until the slowing of his breath gave away that he had fallen asleep- probably due to the energy drain the day had been.

She waited a little bit longer until she was sure he was fully asleep, before gently breaking out of his embrace and going to the home recording studio- taking her laptop and her bag with her. She started it up, furiously typing in one of her documents. Some time later, she took out three usb sticks from a pocket in her bag. She started transferring files to each of them, labelling them numerically with a black marker that she also fished out of her bag, before dropping the one labelled ‘2’ in a lower drawer where Klavier kept some supplies like guitar strings.

She popped back out of the studio, taking everything else with her. She covered Klavier with a blanket, before going outside with just her bag with her.

She stood there underneath the starry night sky for a good few moments, when a phone started vibrating very softly. She fished the far more technologically behind flip phone out of her bag from another strangely located pocket, answering the call.

“Yeah?”

“Did that get your attention, Nightingale?”

Her gaze wandered off to the right, as she straightened her back a little.

“Sure did. What do you want?”

“To not discuss this over a phone call. Meet me this Thursday at 10 pm in the park between Grove and Vermilion Avenue. Don’t be late.”

The other end of disconnected. She sighed, ended the call, and tucked everything she had safely away in her bag before going back inside and placing it down somewhere casually as if she had never picked it back up since coming in from work. She sat down on the other couch, looking at Klavier as he slept.

Her gaze simply cast down to the floor after a bit, in a downtrodden manner.

#Drifting writes things

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write-like-wright · 3 years

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Your First Kiss With Them: Prosecutors Edition

A lovely anon requested first kiss headcanons with both defense lawyers and prosecutors, so I'm just gonna do it in two parts.

Miles Edgeworth

It happens spontaneously with Miles.

You'd gone on a few dates already and he always walks you to your door, like the gentleman he is. When it's time to say goodbye, he lingers for a moment, as if unsure how to proceed. He always flakes in the end, leaving you after an awkward hug and a face that matches the colour of his suit.

One day you're just at his place. It's one of those lazy days when you order takeout and sit at home binging Steel Samurai. A funny scene comes on, something that leaves you both in stitches. It's such a sweet thing, seeing him laugh so earnestly, some colour rising to his face. You lean over and press a kiss to his lips almost instinctively and he freezes for a second and so do you once you realise what you'd done. You apologise awkwardly, fearing you'd crossed a line.

"What are you sorry for? I quite liked that," Miles laughs. "At least one of us has enough courage to act."

Franziska von Karma

Happens in the middle of an argument, most likely. Nothing serious, of course. You're just bickering over something silly and Franziska gets a bit too smug with her comebacks. It annoys you to no end, seeing that smarmy grin on her lovely face. You stand there for a second, feeling an overwhelming urge to-

"Why are you glaring at me like that? Just because I'm right doesn't give you the excuse to act like a f-"

Silence. Cut off by a kiss.

She's completely dumbfounded when you part. It takes her a moment to regain her composure.

"Well," she says eventually. "How foolish of you. Trying to win an argument through such underhanded tactics."

You keep on bickering.

She kisses you not two minutes later when she realises her argument makes no sense and you gain the upper hand.

Diego Armando/Godot

It's the classic scenario with him.

He takes you out for a cup of coffee one rainy afternoon. You sit at the coffee shop for hours, talking and laughing, enjoying each other's company. It's dark outside before you even realise it and he offers to walk you home. The conversation keeps flowing on your way to your place and you feel a pang of sadness when it's time to say your goodbyes. You tell him how much you enjoyed your date and he just casually leans in for a kiss that lasts a bit longer than you'd expected. There's no way your neighbours won't gossip about it tomorrow.

Klavier Gavin

He texts you to wear something warm before your date. You're confused but oblige.

Klav shows up on his bike to pick you up and it all makes sense suddenly. "Come on, Schatzi, I'll show you what a real adrenaline rush feels like."

He's true to his word. He drives you around the city, the cool twilight air rushing past you and you feel more alive than ever.

Eventually, he takes you to his favourite spot, a clearing overlooking the entire city. It feels surreal seeing all the city lights intertwine with the stars above. You sit on his bike while he stands in front of you, talking about something or another. It's hard to say who leans in first, but soon enough you're kissing. It's your first kiss together, then the second and third and fourth...

Simon Blackquill

You're just fooling around at his place.

Simon is a massive tease when he drops his twisted persona. He picks little fights and picks on you just to get you worked up. It's a mixture of endearing and annoying.

He puts on some stupid show you're not interested in one bit. Neither is he, but he'd rather tease you about it than change the channel.

"Give me the remote, Simon."

"Come get it, *insert dumb nickname*"

You try and fail spectacularly. It's just play wrestling, but that doesn't change the fact he's twice your size and can pin you down with one-fifth of his weight. Not that you mind.

You're both giggling breathlessly at this point. "Do you yield, miscreant?" He asks in his scariest prosecutor voice. Dumbass. "I yield, I yield! Just let me go!"

"You must pay the toll first," he deadpans, crossing his arms.

"And what is the toll?"

"A kiss, if I recall correctly."

You buy your freedom and he lets you up, handing you the remote and letting you curl up against him on the sofa.

You pay his toll a few more times during the evening.

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

You're very hesitant to kiss Yuti.

He's a monk. You're not even sure it's allowed.

You start wondering if you'd perhaps been misunderstanding your outings. They were clearly dates, you thought, but then again he could merely see them as you acting as his tour guide to introduce him to your culture. You're very torn on the matter.

On your way home from dinner, you pick up some dessert. Nothing fancy, just cupcakes from a local bakery. You eat them at your place while trying to explain the concept of Netflix and chill to him. It's hard to say if he's scandalized or intrigued.

"These are so good! Would you like a taste?" You ask with your mouth full, perhaps overexaggerating your food-induced moaning.

He gives you one of those sweet, gentle looks he's known for. "Certainly," he says, bridging the gap between you, pressing the softest of kisses to your lips. You're confused by his actions but you'd be lying if you said you minded.

"What was that about?"

"Hm? Oh, that was a pick-up line, was it not? I've heard about those. Although I hear that one is usually used with flavoured lipgloss."

"Yuti, I was just offering you some of my cupcakes."

"Oh," he seems a bit embarrassed now. "Do forgive me then."

"I didn't say I minded. But you can't just go around kissing people like that."

"I'll jot that down in my 'How to act like a native' notebook."

Barok van Zieks

(Heavily inspired by my incessant bugging of @bailey-reaper from my main)

It happens during his University days.

Barok approaches you at a gathering, completely red-faced while Klint and Albert snicker within earshot. He asks you to dance with him in the most roundabout way possible, to the point where you're not quite sure what he's asking of you.

You agree and are surprised at how good of a dancer he is in spite of his initial and apparent awkwardness. Must be those long, elegant legs.

He takes you on a stroll after and you end up alone on a balcony. His initial nervous demeanour slowly melts away, although he's still more than a little shy. You chat away and you even get a laugh out of him at some point. It's one of your personal victories.

It's almost midnight when you are interrupted. "Ah, brother, there you are!" Klint van Zieks suddenly joins you on the balcony. His lips curl in a knowing smirk as he turns to greet you. "Mother has sent me to get you aeons ago! I've been looking for you all over. It's time to leave. Say your goodbyes, and be quick." He leaves then, giving you a moment of privacy.

"I-I, hm, I have really enjoyed your company tonight. Thank you for the dance. I fear I must be going now."

"Wait," you say placing your hand on his arm, half expecting him to recoil. He doesn't. You get on your tip-toes and you can still barely reach his face. Thankfully, he's already slouching. You press a quick, chaste kiss to his lips, hoping no one saw you. "Surely, you wouldn't have left me without a kiss goodnight?"

His face is burning now and he swallows. "Pray, forgive the discourtesy. How careless I am. I'll bear it in mind for next time." With that, he turns and leaves you.

Kazuma Asogi

He walks up to you one day right as you're about to head to your next class, looking pensive and excited at once. You know why, you'd heard the news. Kazuma had been selected for the student exchange and you were thrilled for him - no one deserved it more than he did. You just hoped you did a good job of hiding how sad you were to see him leave regardless.

"I can't leave you here without a proper goodbye. Leave your books, come on." He convinces you to skip the rest of your classes and drags you away on an adventure as he calls it.

You spend the day together, joking around, getting food and window shopping. Finally, you settle under the shade of a tree where you usually met up in secret. He babbles away about the law, the British Empire, his plans for the future.

When he runs out of topics to talk about, he goes quiet, dark eyes searching your face. "Do you know why I stole you away today?" Stole? He's so dramatic. You shake your head. "I don't want you to forget me when I'm gone. Remember this day, and me and this." With that, he gently takes your face in his hands and leans in, claiming your lips in a heated kiss. It's so intense, you feel yourself burning under his touch. Tears prickle your eyes when you part. "I hate to so you go," you whisper weakly and he gives you a sad, understanding smile. "I know. I'm so sorry." You pull him into another kiss, lying down on the grass, hidden by the shade of the tree. You're not about to let him forget you either.

#ace attorney #the great ace attorney #dai gyakuten saiban #miles edgeworth #franziska von karma #diego armando #godot #klavier gavin #simon blackquill #nahyuta sahdmadhi #barok van zieks #kazuma asogi #headcanons #x reader #can you tell who my favourites are from this yes you can hi simon barok and kazuma how you doing babes #did i tag everyone i hope so

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4ragon · 3 years

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Any Simon Blackquill thoughts?

Bro you have no idea how many thoughts I have about Simon Blackquill.

I keep saying this, but I used to hate this dude a lot. I went into Dual Destinies with a lot of spoilers, but I hadn’t realized that Simon Blackquill was just a dude convicted of murder?? Prosecuting?? For some reason??? And again, DD was that game that really liked to stretch the limit of my tolerance. I get that they retroactively make it work like they do with every other ‘pushing the limits’ plot twist they’d take away at the last second, but at the time, it was just one more “Oh okay, they’re just going to not care about making sense” to add to the pile. It was stupid! And Simon was a mean asshole, I didn’t get him. I didn’t get why people cared about him. Sure his backstory was sweet but what was the point of what he was doing anyway? I didn’t get it.

And for a while after I finished Dual Destinies, that was kind of it. He was a frustrating presence, and he was boring and bland, and I didn’t care for him.

And then I replayed Dual Destinies with some friends, and I realized: Oh? Wait. This guy is genuinely kind of funny????

Like. Simon Blackquill is really funny. He’s funny! He talks like a fucking ye olde samurai for literally no reason, and the things he says make no sense. He switches rapidly between angry no-nonsense asshole and “Ah Yes Your Baldness That Man Is A Ghost” and then he just up and leaves in the middle of court to go for a walk??? Like. He’s unhinged and weird and I appreciate that.

So that was it, right? He went from Bland and Uninteresting to Funny. Maybe that was enough. Surely there wasn’t more to it than that, right?

Listen. You guys. I think Simon Blackquill is my favorite prosecutor.

He’s got all these layers to him. There’s this angry no-nonsense ruthless prosecutor, who is dangerous and scary, who threatens people who annoy him, who has this short fuse. And then he’s refusing to respect a single person he talks to like some sort of petulant, sulking teenager, calling the judge Your Baldness and lounging backwards at the bench and falling asleep during a very boring testimony. And he laughs at his own jokes even if they’re bad, and he loves that fucking bird so much, getting angry and menacing when someone said “Birdbrain” in a derogatory way. Guys, he was So Stoked To Kill A Whale. And for what??

And then you add into the mix the fact that he’s on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.

Like. How much of how he presents himself was a defense mechanism of a scared young man who had to pretend to be a ruthless murderer at all costs? He had to be this violent, scary monster because the moment he stopped was the moment the jig was up, the moment he failed. There was not a person alive who knew that he was innocent, other than Athena and the Phantom, and the fact of the matter is, there was no instance where Simon could let that facade drop even for a second, probably even for himself.

Like he had to have been terrified to let his guard drop with anyone. For one, as a man who was supposed to put criminals in prison, being this ruthless scary monster was probably his biggest defense he had in prison. And conversely he couldn’t even drop the act around people he trusted if he had any hope of convincing them he murdered his mentor in cold blood.

And he was so ready to die for Athena, too. He was so close to his execution. And he had to keep pretending, keep building these walls around his heart just to save one girl from taking the blame. He’s an asshole, and I wonder how much of that was a conscious effort to drive people away? How much of it was him not wanting to hurt people by getting close to them, and how much was him not wanting to hurt himself? I feel like he did desperately want to be saved, wanted to cling to life, was terrified of what was happening, but anything that could possibly give him that hope was also just as quickly going to damn Athena, and he couldn’t even let himself care about that, or about his own personal wellbeing, since after all, he himself was throwing all that away anyway. All he could do was cry in private, letting his tears stain his face but not even caring enough to wipe them away.

I’ve said it before, but the Simon who went to prison and the Simon who was released from prison had to be two different people. He spent so much time becoming the Twisted Samurai and facing his own mortality that so much of who he was had to have been warped and twisted just to survive, just to keep himself together until he could be sacrificed for his mentor’s child.

There’s clearly so much trauma wrapped up in him. And yet there’s still this twisted humor that he thrives on. He fucks with the other inmates by greasing the floors, he asks Apollo if he wants to come back to his prison cell for the night for Some Fucking Reason and then has to write fucking Lines like a middle schooler. He’s trying to squeeze all this humor out of his shitty taste of freedom as he hurls himself off a cliff, while still being an uncooperative asshole to everyone around him.

Shit, dude, I love Simon a lot. I love characters clinging so desperately to these facades they create to protect themselves. I love characters who are so desperately lonely and still lash out to keep people away from them. I love it. I love it so much.

And I love that he’s a little more chill in SoJ. He’s reconnecting with some old friends, eating at restaurants he used to love. He’s still spending time with Athena and growing past the horrible shit he’s been through. And he’s still this smug, uncooperative asshole, butting heads with anyone and everyone he physically can, but there’s no longer that air of “A dying man recklessly wringing everything he can out of the last year of his life,” now he’s just enjoying being an asshole. And you know what? I think he’s earned it.

There was an artbook or something that described pre-prison Simon as polite and reserved. I do like to think there was a mischievous side to him too, especially given the fact that he had someone like Aura as an older sister. But he was just a polite, gentle soul who had to twist himself into something horrible just to get through to the other side. And now he gets to heal and grow, and get a new chance at life that was taken from him for seven years.

Shit. I can’t believe how much I’ve grown to care about this shithead.

#ace attorney #simon blackquill #ace attorney spoilers #i can't believe i've fallen in love with this horrible man with his rat hair and his bird #meta #j

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su-talks-about-things · 3 years

Text

So I finished Ace Attorney 5.

I cried, it was great ;w;

I didn't agree with all the mechanics of the game, cuz some of them felt weird to me. I think they tried to make it easier on you in comparison to the other games but that might just be me 🤔 I don't know, I feel like we were very assisted.

But otherwise I really loved it, just like the others.

I fell in love with Simon Blackquill the second he walked in. It felt weird to love a prosecutor immediately, even though I knew he would act like a prick as they all do. It's normally the other way around, you learn to love them. But what can I say, he came in court, made Dad jokes, had a Dad laugh and a hawk and flipping broke his handcuffs with pure strength and I was done for 🤣

I don't even know what to say lmao, I just wanna get it all out because aaaah the last case gave me emotions. I really liked the big reveal. Even though I had some doubts about it, and I spoiled myself a little bit, it still got me. Athena is a very well-written character (well imo at least). I liked that you could tell that she had trauma, they depicted it pretty well despite the nature of the AA series. Because the game being its quirky silly self, it tends to go more towards the humor and the, idk "childish" aspect of it (which I absolutely adore don't get me wrong, this is mainly why I love these games so bad, there's drama but not too much). But they still made her have like panic attacks and repressed memories and it made sense. It's a bit like Miles with the earthquakes, they still somehow adressed the trauma.

Speaking of Miles, my boy came BACK and man he was hhhhOT. The glasses my dudes, the glasses. I mean I had seen fanarts and everything so I knew but STILL. What a pretty boy. And !!! Okay [spoiler from now on] I guess even though I'm the one playing these games super late lol, but he asked Phœnix to become a lawyer again so he could help Blackquill get out of the mess he was in. And Phœnix accepted. Basically he became a lawyer just for Edgeworth twice. In the same timeline. They are MARRIED YOUR HONOR. I hadn't have so much fun shipping a non-canon ship in a while but those two deliver the good food, let me tell ya.

Pearls came back too !! She was adorable ! She changed but not so much and I love her. She got along with Miles. She was so sweet to Nick. She knows the rest of the team and everything. I swear the found family trope in this game is gonna KILL me someday. I love all the dynamic and possible dynamic they have going on.

Aaaah I don't know what to add, I should have done this as soon as I finished the game but I had to evacuate the feelings. I might come back to that post at some point.

I doubt this post will ever reach someone but if it does and you wanna yell about the game with me feel free to do so !

But for now I'm gonna finish with

Husband ♡

#su talks about things #ace attorney #ace attorney 5 #ace attorney dual destinies #aa spoilers #ace attorney spoilers #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #athena cykes #simon blackquill #narumitsu #wrightworth #i love those games so much #they are all great characters #the bonding is everything #they are family #uwu

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cosmicfurby · 2 years

Note

2, 4, 9, 16, 22 for the ask game :D (feel free to do the ones you want!)

ok buckle up buttercup because this is going to be a LONG one lmao thanks for the questions bae 💕 you know i love talking about them gay lawyers

2 - favorite case

you see this one is already a tricky question to ask me, a renowned indecisive bastard. with a notable exception (turnabout big fuck), i think i have enjoyed all cases for one reason or another, i'm unsurprisingly easy to please. however, if i had to list (LIST not rank) my favorite cases it would go kind of like this:

farewell, my turnabout (a race against time.... your client being guilty...... finding the meaning of the truth......edgeworth returning....... masterpiece)

turnabout memories (playing as mia playing as mia playing as mia playing as mia playing as m-)

bridge to the turnabout (i don't think there are words to describe the fondness i have in my heart for this case and the cathartic conclusion to the trilogy and to mia's story, the TRIBUTE to her and her legacy oh my GOD)

turnabout for tomorrow (i unashamedly loved dual destinies and the ending got me crying like a toddler, so melodramatic and so SAD SO MANY ATHENA/SIMON SIBLING FEELS)

turnabout storyteller (sue me)

twisted karma and his last bow/the resolve of ryunosuke naruhodo (i don't think i need to explain myself with this one, anyone who has played it knows it is a cultural reset and the best thing to happen just ever)

if i had to choose one, though? it would have to be twisted karma/resolve. it genuinely made me lose ALL domestication and go feral. i have said this once and i will say it more times: the great ace attorney is the best videogame of a time

4 - memorable witnesses

i have to name fucking moe the clown here. for lack of a better word, that fuck sure was memorable. i kept insulting that hijo de puta reverting to my native spanish because he made me so MAD and he kept LAUGHING and i hate clowns so Much. his cross examination is my villain origin story

also dahlia inside maya's body pretending to be iris? iconic. that was amazing to see and amazing to figure out

maria gorey 💕💖✨🥰

i always love whenever you have to cross examine someone you know from before, like cross examining simon and apollo during turnabout for tomorrow or van kinks during twisted karma. it's just so different when you actually care a lot about the person on the stand you know

5 - "oh shit" moment

oh there have been plenty! i can remember very vividly the gasp and the "NO" i yelled at the screen when athena's prints were found on the lighter in turnabout for tomorrow, because i would have NEVER guessed the case was heading that way. having athena suddenly be the defendant was an Experience and i loved every second of it

realizing there was only one person who had described the poker cards as blue during turnabout trump made me sit down for a moment. i genuinely thought I got it wrong and would get a penalty when i presented kristoph's profile, i screamed so hard

also i may or may not have gasped so hard all air left my lungs when susato recognized kazuma as the apprentice during the return of the great departed soul, and then the apprentice looked sideways and i saw his profile and it was HIM UGH SO GOOD

16 - a ship i don't get

blackquill and the phantom. like. why?? what??? i really don't understand. mostly because i think if there is a token straight in this franchise that is simon blackquill, but also because i can't see them as a couple. i just can't.

even with aa ships i don't personally agree with, like narumayo (derogatory) or cykesquill (*sounds of me gagging across the ocean*), i can see why people would ship them. nick and maya are best friends and i get that many people would see chemistry where i see sibling-like banter; and sunshine girl/emo grumpy bastard is one of the oldest and most popular ship dynamics for a reason: it works. but with simon and the phantom i don't understand the appeal or why you would even ship them. it absolutely escapes my mind SIMON WAS IMPRISONED FOR A CRIME THE PHANTOM COMMITTED WHYY

22 - plot twist that annoys you

you know what's coming: "apollo is actually trucy's brother" from aa4. i don't really mind they're siblings, not at all, i find it quite cute – however, the way it was done was lazy and badly written. though i can't say it came completely out of left field, because back in the first case you're told that only apollo and trucy are able to perceive, that is the one and only clue leading to the "shocking revelation" that they're both thalassa's kids. such a cheap trick clearly done to tie apollo to the trilogy characters and the plot in some way... he didn't need that! he was fine just the way he was! having your mentor turn out to be a murderer and your childhood idol a double-faced cheeky bastard was enough trauma to fuel apollo through the next games, he didn't need all of *gestures broadly* this

(and some would argue he didn't need his other backstory either but anyway-)

and it could've been so easily done too! just mention apollo was raised in an orphanage. have him mention he wouldn't know anything about having a father because he grew up alone. just anything, something that would plant the seed of "hm, what if" inside our heads. it's a problem with an easy solution but they didn't do it! they decided to just drop it all in the last case and hope the impact of the reveal would mitigate the outrage. so annoying and for what

anyWAY this was long bae i hope you enjoyed it and you got a good glimpse inside of my twisted mind 😩

(i would've liked to have more tgaa here because that game gave me Thoughts but you already know it's my favorite videogame ever so)

#ace attorney #that funny lawyer game #phoenix wright #apollo justice #the great ace attorney #dgs #tgaa #ace attorney dual destinies #ace attorney questions #thank you bae for your involvement in my rant lmao <3

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bevioletskies · 3 years

Text

(i’m caught between) goodbye and i love you

summary: Sometimes, Klavier thinks a little too much about how he never knew the last time he saw Apollo was going to be the last time he saw Apollo. So, when Apollo finally returns home from Khura’in, Klavier finds himself stuck, unsure of when to finally tell Apollo how he feels - especially when it seems like Apollo isn’t quite ready to confess, either.

word count: 16.9k | read on ao3

a/n: For @klapollo-week, day seven of seven (prompt: "catharsis"). All seven of my fics take place in the same continuity! However, each can be read as a stand-alone, with the exception of day seven being a sequel to day five.

Mild spoiler warning for Spirit of Justice; warning for brief mentions of alcohol and one scene where a character has a panic attack. Fic title is from the song (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You by the Carpenters.

“What do you think, Gavin, which do you - hey, Gavin? Are you listening?”

Klavier startled at the sound of Apollo’s voice, too lost in his own thoughts to realize someone had been talking to him. He looked over at Apollo, who was standing underneath one of the courthouse’s most prolific picture windows, practically glowing in the early afternoon sun. Klavier’s breath hitched at the sight. “Ah - my apologies, Herr Forehead, I didn’t catch that. What were you saying?”

“Ema said we should all do something that doesn’t involve murder for once.” Apollo looked up from his phone, wincing. “Er, that is, something that doesn’t involve solving a murder for once. She suggested drinks, though Kay apparently prefers laser tag. As if I don't get enough bumps and bruises from helping Trucy out on weekends.”

“Ah, the life of a magician’s brother,” Klavier teased, smiling easily. “But, wait - do you mean to say Fräulein Detective actually wants to hang out with me? Or are you inviting me? Either way, I find it hard to believe.”

“No one’s more surprised than me,” Apollo drawled. “But seriously, Ema says Kay is making her ask you through me, ‘cos that totally makes sense. Anyway, drinks or laser tag? Or, y’know, both? They’re thinking this weekend since they’re going to some forensics convention next weekend. Did not know those existed. Do you think they give out swag bags full of fingerprint powder?”

“I would advise against it if they did,” Klavier said, chuckling. He then slipped his hands into his pockets, shooting Apollo an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, Forehead, you’ll have to have a good time without me. I have a dentist appointment, some meetings...you know how it is. Maybe next time, ja?”

“Sure, I’ll let you know whenever that is,” Apollo replied with a nonchalant shrug; he sent a quick text, presumably to Ema, then pocketed his phone. “Anyway, I should go find Mr. Wright and head back to the agency. So, uh...see you when I see you, I guess.”

“Auf Wiedersehen, baby,” Klavier said, winking. Apollo rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and striding away, waving Klavier off over his shoulder. “Don’t have too good a time without me, though, ja?” Apollo’s wave instantly turned into a middle finger.

Barely two weeks later, Klavier found himself replaying the rather mundane conversation in his head over and over again as he walked into his superior’s office, his hands shoved into his pockets to hide how hard they were shaking. “Willkommen zurück, Herr Edgeworth. How was your flight? Smooth, I hope.”

“Smoother than what conspired in Khura’in, to be sure,” Edgeworth replied, neatly setting his teacup down in its saucer. “Don’t worry, Prosecutor Gavin, I’m still getting everything in order. I doubt you’ll have much work to do today, bar any last-minute cases coming in.”

“Danke, sir, good to know.” Klavier glanced briefly in the direction of Edgeworth’s custom chessboard, his red knights and blue pawns, just so he wouldn’t have to look at its owner’s steely gaze. “So, er - ”

“Out with it, Prosecutor Gavin,” Edgeworth said, sighing wearily. “I can tell you have something on your mind. I’m afraid I can’t give you the exact details of what happened, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“Ah - ja, I know, I - I was just wondering if…” Klavier hesitated. “...if everyone is...okay. Safe and sound, so to speak.”

Edgeworth’s face softened. “Yes, everyone’s perfectly fine. Wright, Ms. Fey, Ms. Cykes, and Trucy are all fine.”

Klavier blinked. “Wait, but - what about Herr Fore - Herr Justice? What...did he…”

“I should have known that was who you were really curious about,” Edgeworth said knowingly, looking at Klavier over the tops of his glasses. His expression, gentle, almost sympathetic, made Klavier’s stomach churn. “Mr. Justice decided to stay behind in Khura’in indefinitely. He’s looking to help rebuild their legal system from the ground up.”

Klavier felt as if his heart had dropped right through to the floor. “He’s...he’s not coming back?” He could barely hear the sound of his own voice over the rush of his pulse pounding in his ears.

“Eventually, perhaps, but not anytime soon,” Edgeworth replied. “My apologies, Prosecutor Gavin. I know you two were…”

“Close?” Klavier let out a bitter, hollow laugh. “Nein, not at all. We were barely even friends.”

Edgeworth straightened up in his seat, and then, to Klavier’s astonishment, removed his glasses. It was unnerving to see such warmth in his superior’s eyes, especially when he knew Edgeworth didn’t think much of him in the first place. Not after what had happened all those years ago, even though it hadn’t really been him. “Let me amend my previous statement, then. I know you two had a...connection of sorts.”

“Ja, through...through someone I’d rather not talk about.” Klavier cleared his throat. “Danke for letting me know, Herr Edgeworth. It’s...good to see Herr Justice making something of himself.”

“He's definitely an admirable young man,” Edgeworth replied, nodding slowly. “I can see why Wright took a liking to him. I can see why you took a liking to him.”

“Ah, well,” Klavier said, coughing again. “Anyway, I should leave you to it, sir. Have a good rest of your day, ja? I’ll be in my office if anything comes up.”

“Of course.” Edgeworth neatly slid his glasses back on, then turned his attention to his work laptop. “Take care, Prosecutor Gavin.” Nodding at the dismissal, Klavier bowed his head and left Edgeworth’s office, his footsteps noticeably heavier than they’d been when he first entered it. He took a few heaving breaths, then shut himself in his own office and let out a small, silent sob.

_____

“I see you’re moping again, Gavin-dono. Must be a day that ends in ‘y’.”

“Bitte, Herr Blackquill, I’m perfectly fine,” Klavier said, clutching his mug of tea a little tighter than necessary. “My trial yesterday? Perfekt. The weather during my morning run earlier today? Perfekt. The leftovers I brought for lunch today? Perfekt, so long as Herr Payne doesn’t break the microwave again before I get there...I don’t know how he manages to do that on a weekly basis. Anyway, as you can see, I’ve never been better.”

“What a sad testament to your mental state if that were true.” Simon dropped into the seat opposite him, his hands resting on top of the breakroom table, his intense gaze focused on Klavier’s face. Klavier didn’t find him as intimidating as everyone else did, especially not after he’d witnessed Simon sing a drunken duet with Kay, entirely unprompted, at an office holiday party. No amount of threats or glares could get Klavier to delete the video evidence off his backup hard drive. “Luckily for you, it’s entirely false. You’ve been acting strangely for weeks now, and I know the reason why.”

“Do you really?” Klavier sipped his tea. “I thought you didn’t, quote-unquote, ‘care to stick your nose in my absurd affairs’. After all, I’m the silly one of the prosecutor’s office, am I not?” Simon cocked his head slightly, perplexed. “Ah, that Prosecutor Gavin, what an odd one he is. All style and no substance, always speaking in that accent that no one believes is real, always spouting nonsense and song lyrics and little else.”

“Self-hatred doesn’t suit you, so I suggest you cease this pitiful act at once,” Simon said, frowning. “You’re a confident man, Gavin-dono. I’d even say your confidence is fully justified, foppish nature aside. And yet, here you are, torn up over Justice-dono’s absence like a heartbroken teenager.”

“I am not torn up,” Klavier sniffed, setting his mug down with a sharp clunk. “I’m happy to hear that Herr Forehead has found his true calling. A far cry from the loud, nervous rookie he was when we first met. Now, he’s just loud.”

“...hmph. Yes, that piercing voice of his certainly rivals Taka’s,” Simon replied, taking a moment to scratch the underside of his bird’s chin. Klavier didn’t like the way Taka was eyeing his hair; he suspected Taka was fighting against his instincts to make a nest.

“Maybe still a little nervous.” Klavier paused. “I imagine seeing him stand in a Khura’inese court must be quite...something.”

“I didn’t sit here with the intention of listening to you dance around your romantic feelings towards Justice-dono, you know,” Simon informed him. “It’s exhausting and pointless, and a waste of my time.”

Klavier averted his eyes from Simon’s face, finding himself oddly fascinated with a water stain on the opposite wall, right beside the notice board. “Why did you sit here, then?”

“Because...I know a lonely person when I see one.” Simon let the silence linger for a moment; Klavier wasn’t sure which of them favored dramatic pauses more. “Even Athena told me you seemed...not yourself. Though you’ve been performing your prosecutorial duties just fine, she said you were distant...distracted. Is it the lack of companionship, perhaps?”

“You and Herr Edgeworth seem to be under the impression that Forehead and I were friends,” Klavier said evenly, his tone growing increasingly irritated. “The truth is, Herr Blackquill - since you seem unusually interested for someone who barely says two words to me most mornings - that Apollo was my friend, but I wasn’t his. Is that what you wanted to hear? Has your analysis of my psyche scratched your itch?”

Like Edgeworth, Simon’s face almost seemed to soften. “I had no desire to rile you up, but...I see that I’ve done it, anyway. I see that I’ve overstepped. Forgive me, Gavin-dono.” Klavier looked up at him, stunned. Simon merely stood, smoothing out the front of his coat. Even Taka’s expression seemed apologetic. “Find someone to talk to, if you haven’t already; it will do you a world of good. I heard many a story from my fellow prisoners by simply offering to lend an ear. I think you’d find the process of opening up to be quite...illuminating. Freeing, even.”

“I’m sure I would.” Klavier took another sip and said nothing else.

_____

“Mr. Gavin! I thought I saw you in the audience, but I couldn’t believe it!”

Laughing, Klavier held out the bouquet of red roses in his arms for her to take. “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, fräulein, what a perfect way to celebrate your eighteenth. You were as magical as ever, though who would ever expect any less?”

Beaming, Trucy accepted his flowers, then practically launched herself right at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He barely managed to catch her in time. “Thank you so much! Ah, these are so beautiful - and they smell great, too!” She stepped back, taking a generous whiff before exhaling happily. “Hey, do you wanna drop by my dressing room for a sec? I have to go sign autographs and stuff, but I’m sure Athena would love to say hi!”

“Sure,” Klavier agreed. “Lead the way.” He followed Trucy down the backstage corridor, coming to a stop in front of a door with a gold nameplate in the shape of a silk top hat. Klavier involuntarily shuddered; the Gramarye seal had always been a sore spot for him, no matter how many good memories outweighed the bad. Trucy opened the door, revealing that it wasn’t just Athena who was waiting inside, but a whole group of people - Athena, the two Fey women whose names Klavier vaguely remembered from Trucy’s stories, Detective Gumshoe, and an odd, almost sad-looking girl wearing a traditional costume. However, Klavier’s eyes went straight to the two people conversing by Trucy’s dressing table - Phoenix Wright and Vera Misham.

Phoenix turned at the sound of the door opening. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who it was. “This is becoming a real party now, hey, Truce?” he teased, lightly ruffling his daughter’s hair. Trucy stuck her tongue out at him, then went to carefully place Klavier’s flowers among the dozens of others by her costume rack. Phoenix’s expression tightened somewhat. “Prosecutor Gavin, it’s - it’s good to see you. Trucy swore she spotted you in the audience, but I guess my eyes were never as sharp as hers.”

“I know her party is tomorrow, but I wouldn’t dare pass up the chance to watch her birthday extravaganza,” Klavier said smoothly. He felt as if Vera’s eyes were burning holes in the side of his face.

“So you’re Prosecutor Gavin, huh?” The older Fey woman - Maya, if Klavier remembered correctly - sidled right up to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Trucy and Athena have told me all about you. I hear you’re different from the other prosecutors me and Nick had to deal with back in the day!”

The door opened behind Klavier. “Are you talking about us, Maya Fey?” He turned on his heel to see Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma standing in the doorway, both impeccably dressed as always, carrying identical bouquets of white lilies and blue delphinium in their arms.

“Auntie Franzy!” Trucy shrieked, barreling across the room to toss herself into Franziska’s arms, much like she had done to Klavier just moments ago. “Daddy said you weren’t gonna fly in until tomorrow!”

“And miss your performance? I would be a foolishly foolish fool if I did,” Franziska huffed, kissing Trucy on the cheek. “You will receive the rest of our presents tomorrow. I hear your fool of a father refuses to let you wear makeup despite the fact that you’d like to, and I am here to rectify that parenting mistake. You’re eighteen now, after all; you should be able to do as you please.”

“Within reason,” Edgeworth added, shooting Franziska a withering look. “Don’t encourage her too much, Franziska. I think we're all too familiar with Trucy’s...imagination.”

“Miles Edgeworth, how dare you question my - ”

Klavier quickly retreated into a corner of the dressing room as everyone’s voices grew louder and louder; clearly, his presence had been completely forgotten. He spotted the younger Fey woman, Pearl, conversing with the sad-looking girl - Jinxie, he heard her name was - while Maya and Detective Gumshoe chatted happily with Edgeworth and Franziska. Trucy had left to sign autographs for her fans, leaving Phoenix to turn back to Vera, who was still eyeing Klavier warily.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Klavier startled suddenly at the sound of Athena’s voice. He turned to see her perched on the vanity, legs swinging over the edge, smiling at him encouragingly. “You seem a little lost, Prosecutor Gavin. Everything okay?”

Sighing, Klavier leaned against the wall, glancing down at the toes of his Doc Martens. “Don’t tell me Herr Blackquill asked you to keep an eye on me.”

“Hardly!” Athena exclaimed; she almost seemed offended by his insinuation. “You just seem a little...quiet, that’s all.”

“Well…” Klavier looked back up, shooting her a stilted smile. “Everyone here is either someone I don’t know, someone I work with, or someone whose life I ruined. Forgive me for feeling a little...cornered.”

“C’mon, you didn’t ruin their lives,” Athena said, hopping down so she could lightly punch him in the arm. “I heard the whole story from Apollo ages ago, and he says it wasn’t you. He says you were just a…a schachfigur in someone else’s game.”

“A pawn, in other words.” Klavier chuckled despite himself. “Ja, if you want to be generous about it...or if you want to say that I’m easily swayed. Did Herr Forehead really say that?”

“He sure did! He talks about you all the time,” Athena added with an enthusiastic nod. “I mean, you annoy him - a lot - but he’s always mentioning how decent and honest you are. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think, well...nah, probably not.”

“Probably not,” Klavier echoed, trying his best to ignore his racing heart. The last thing he wanted to do was have hope. “Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be sticking around much longer. Don’t want to get in the way.”

“Huh? You’re not getting in the way of anything!” Athena protested. “Are you sure you won’t stay?”

Klavier shook his head, pushing himself off the wall and straightening up, smoothing out the creases in his hoodie. “Nein, I should make an early night of it. I have to meet my personal trainer bright and early, after all. But I’ll see you at Trucy’s party tomorrow, ja?”

Athena hesitated. “Ja, of course,” she chirped, plastering on an uncertain smile. “And hey, if you ever need a running partner, you have my number!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Klavier promised, surprising himself by how true that was. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone running with someone who wasn’t his personal trainer. “Gute Nacht, fräulein.”

“G’night,” Athena said, squeezing his shoulder before letting him go. Nodding, Klavier deftly weaved his way through the crowded dressing room and slipped out the door. A few heads turned his way, but no one seemed interested in saying their goodbyes, nor was he all that interested in offering his own, either. The moment he stepped into the corridor, he heard a startled gasp, a choked breath, that almost made him jump.

“Ach - my apologies, I didn’t mean to - Trucy?”

Leaning against the wall opposite her dressing room door was Trucy, her eyes wide and suspiciously wet. “Oh - Mr. Gavin, d-don’t tell me you’re leaving already!”

“I have a session with my - are you alright, fräulein?” Klavier asked, closing the door behind him, then approaching her slowly, carefully. “You look…”

“ - like I’ve been crying?” Trucy let out a wet laugh, pulling a tissue out of nowhere and hastily wiping her eyes. “Don’t you cry after a big performance, Mr. Gavin? You know, that rush of adrenaline, that boost of energy, that feeling of relief - it’s all a part of being a performer! Especially on a stage as big as this!”

“Natürlich, I’ve absolutely wept tears of joy after a gut show. But this?” Klavier gestured in her direction. “This...it’s something else, isn’t it?”

“I - it’s just…” Trucy sniffled. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”

“Not if you don’t want me to,” Klavier said softly. “Though maybe Herr Wright should hear this another time, too.”

“I don’t wanna bother Daddy,” Trucy said, shaking her head. “Besides, I...I don’t wanna make him feel bad!”

“Bad?” Klavier repeated, confused. “What do you mean?”

Trucy took a moment to blow her nose. Then, she managed a small smile in Klavier’s direction. “It’s stupid, but...when I was in there earlier, and I-I saw all of my friends and family together, I started thinking about...you know. The rest of my family. All of the Gramaryes, all gone.” She sniffled noisily again. “Mommy and Daddy and Grandpa, they - th-they never got to see me grow up. And Uncle Valant, he’s still in prison, a-and - so now it’s just me. Just me. I have to carry on the family legacy, but no one’s here to teach me how!”

Klavier’s eyes widened in shock. “Trucy…”

“But if I tell Daddy - Phoenix, I mean - that I’ve been thinking about Mommy and Daddy, he’s gonna...I just can’t,” Trucy continued, shaking her head vehemently. “If he finds out, he’s gonna feel like...like he failed me. And he didn’t, not one bit, but - when I first started living with him, he said he felt like that all the time. Like he was doing it all wrong.” She swallowed, but her throat seemed to be stuck. “And...I’ve, um, I’ve been thinking about Apollo, too.”

“You were?” Klavier asked, his mouth twisting. “Why?”

“I know I’ve only known him for a few years, but...it feels like I’ve known him forever. Like we were always meant to be best friends, you know?” Trucy was now fiddling with the ends of her cape, avoiding Klavier’s eyes. “It’s my birthday, a-and he’s not here. He called yesterday to say he wouldn’t be able to talk today, so we had a little celebration together, just the two of us. It was nice, but it just...it wasn’t the same.”

“He’ll come back eventually, ja?” Klavier said gently. “You said that was part of his plan.”

“‘Eventually’ is looking further and further away,” Trucy said with a wry smile. “But I-I know I gotta be okay with it. He’s doing really important stuff in Khura’in, after all!” She then nudged him. “You should call him sometime - he’s talked about some really cool cases that I bet you’d be interested in.”

“I doubt he’d want to hear from me, of all people, especially if he’s as busy as he sounds,” Klavier chuckled.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Mr. Gavin,” Trucy teased, elbowing him again. “He only just told me yesterday that he misses you…‘in a weird way’. That’s practically a glowing review, coming from Polly!”

Klavier felt his heartbeat race once more. “Ah, well, then maybe I should consider it. How could I not, when I might get to hear such generous praise myself?” Trucy burst into laughter, her face finally relaxing for the first time since Klavier had approached her.

They lingered in companionable silence for a moment, hearing nothing but their own steadying breaths and the muffled sounds of what seemed like absolute chaos coming from inside Trucy’s dressing room. Klavier wasn’t sure if he wanted to know why it sounded like Franziska was lecturing at least three different people at the same time. “Thanks for hearing me out, Mr. Gavin.”

“Bitte schön, though I’m not sure if I was any help at all,” Klavier admitted.

“Of course you were!” Trucy exclaimed, straightening up. “I feel better now, honest. Just talking about all that stuff really helped, even if I’m still not exactly sure what to do.”

“Hopefully you will soon, ja?” Klavier moved away from the wall, flashing her a genuine smile. “But if you ask me, you’re already doing a wunderschön job of upholding the Gramarye name, and I’m sure if you talk to Herr Wright about how you’re feeling, he’d say the same thing. Don’t be so hard on yourself, fräulein.”

Trucy hesitated. Then, she stepped forward to hug Klavier, holding him a little tighter than last time. He automatically held her closer, too. “See you tomorrow?” she mumbled against his shoulder.

“Of course,” Klavier promised. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

_____

“How is he doing, that defense attorney of yours?”

Klavier looked up from the box he was packing. He found it almost too easy to get distracted in here, to feel a wave of nostalgia crash over him as he packed away the books and toys that once filled his childhood playroom. There were already paint swatches on the wall, a collection of wood stain samples sitting by his feet, but he wasn’t quite ready to see it transformed into something else, for the room to belong to someone other than him. “He’s not mine, Mama, he’s just a friend. And he’s fine, if a little stressed. Er, make that a lot stressed.”

“Doesn’t surprise me.” She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Even just hearing it secondhand, I can tell that boy needs a break.”

“I’ve told him as much,” Klavier said dryly. “We talk most days, you know. He’s just stubborn, won’t listen to anyone - least of all me.”

“If you talk most days, then he must listen to you to some degree, yes?” she pointed out, momentarily crossing the room so she could crack open a window. “How long has he been away now?”

“Almost seven months, I think,” Klavier replied, turning back to what he was doing. “Though we’ve been talking for...around three at this point. If it wasn’t for Trucy, I...I don’t think I would have ever tried. Even now, I feel like I take up too much of his time when he could be going to bed early or doing something more productive.”

“Ah, Klavier.” He looked back up to see his mother had returned to his side; her hand went to the top of his head, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Why is it so hard for you to understand when people care about you, hm? Aside from the screaming fans, I mean.”

“Mama,” Klavier complained, his cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Achtung, it’s nothing like that. All I’m saying is, we were never close to begin with. I’m sure he’d rather talk to Trucy or get his advice from Herr Wright.”

Frowning, she withdrew her hand from Klavier’s hair. “I don’t know what I would say to that man if I were to ever meet him. Where would I even begin?”

“I...ah…” Klavier busied himself with the collection of picture books he’d been rifling through earlier, smiling faintly at the sight of his name scrawled on the inside covers in barely legible chicken scratch. “...I have that same thought, and I see him all the time. I suppose an apology is in order, but...I don’t know if he would even want to hear it.”

“To think Kris ruined far more lives than just the ones he’d taken,” she whispered, slowly sinking down to sit beside him. “To think he’d taken any lives at all, I - ”

“Mama, bitte - ”

“What did we do, Klavier?” she said forlornly, her voice thick with emotion. “Where did we go wrong? What could we have - ”

“Mama, Mama, breathe,” Klavier murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. “It wasn’t your fault, ja? Not yours, not Papa’s. Just his, and...a little bit of mine.”

“Hardly,” she insisted. She then cupped his face in her hands, looking up at him with watery eyes and a bittersweet smile. “Don’t let anyone blame you for what he did, darling, especially not yourself. Promise?”

“Ich verspreche,” Klavier said obediently, tilting his chin down so she could kiss his forehead. She then released him with a satisfied nod, turning back the box she’d been working on earlier; in doing so, she missed the way Klavier’s face fell. He cleared his throat. “So...a crafting room, ja? What kind of projects did you have in mind?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said, humming. “I want to try a few things - cross-stitching, beadwork, paper crafting...we’ll have to see what sticks. If any of them stick.”

“You’re not retired yet, Mama,” Klavier reminded her. “I’m exhausted just listening to you and Papa talk about what you’ve been up to - I don’t know how you do it.”

“You’re exhausted? I’m exhausted just listening to what you’ve been up to,” she teased. “You’re not the only prosecutor in the district, baby, so why do you work like you are? Go out, live a little. Or stay in, I suppose, whatever you prefer.”

“I like being busy,” Klavier said defensively. “And I enjoy my work, you know that.”

“I just wish you enjoyed more than just working, that’s all,” she said, clicking her tongue disapprovingly. “You know what they say - don’t turn your hobbies into a career. But you went ahead and did that anyway, and now you don’t have any hobbies left!”

“I have plenty of hobbies, danke very much,” Klavier chuckled. “Cooking, working out...and I’m not exactly in the music business anymore, so I’d say that’s back to being a hobby, ja?”

“How about friends?” she suggested. “All I hear about is the people who work for you or the people who work with you.”

“That’s just how it goes,” Klavier said with a rueful grimace. “Making friends as an adult...it’s hard. But I mean it, mir geht's gut. You have nothing to worry about, not with me.”

“I know.” She squeezed his shoulder. “But I’m going to worry, anyway.” She then stood, smoothing out the front of her shirt. “We should probably get going with lunch before your papa gets home, yes? We’ll continue with this later.”

“Ja, Mama, natürlich,” Klavier replied, also getting to his feet. He cast one last lingering glance in the direction of the picture books - for it wasn’t just his messy, childish handwriting inside, but Kristoph’s neat cursive as well - before following her out into the hallway.

_____

Time, Klavier mused to himself every so often, never really made sense to him. He liked being on time, of course, he liked the precision of it, especially when it came to music. He was proud of his natural affinity for rhythm, for keeping time. It was why he excelled at piano and guitar lessons at an early age, why the numerous vocal coaches he’d had in his life found him particularly easy to work with. But it always caught him off-guard whenever things seemed to speed up or slow down or even come to a complete standstill whenever they pleased. Twenty-four years of his life, changed, when he learned about his brother’s true nature. Seven years of his band, gone, when his best friend turned out to be a criminal as well. And now, an entire year that felt like five, all because Apollo wasn’t here.

“You should just ask him out already,” Ema had said to him one evening, over drinks. “I know his name is misleading, but he’s just a person, not a god. What’re you so scared of?”

“I’m not fond of wasps or small spaces,” Klavier had drawled, smirking at Ema’s infuriated scowl as he took a sip of his beer. Still, he knew she had a point. As blunt as Apollo could be, Klavier doubted he would be cruel about turning someone down. It also didn’t help that these days, he was starting to get his hopes up, now that he and Apollo talked on a daily basis. He still wasn’t sure how it had happened, aside from Trucy’s encouragement and his own impulses, but he couldn’t be more thrilled that it had.

“Two more months until I’m out of here...I think,” Apollo amended, yawning, his face filling up Klavier’s entire laptop screen. He looked good, Klavier though, even better than usual - during his time in Khura’in, Apollo had gotten more sun; his skin was a few shades darker, his freckles especially more prominent across the bridge of his nose. His hair was longer, too, mostly in the back, and his wardrobe had slowly evolved into an aesthetically pleasing mix of American street style and Khura’inese casualwear. Apollo had also mentioned a few times that he had built up some muscle, especially in his calves and shoulders, now that he had to walk everywhere and carry his fully-loaded bag wherever he went. Klavier tried not to think about how much he was looking forward to seeing it for himself in person.

“You’re sure now?” Klavier asked. “You’ve said that before.”

“Pretty sure,” Apollo said, chuckling. “Nahyuta even bought me a plane ticket, like he can’t wait for me to leave.”

“I’m sure he’ll miss you all the same,” Klavier replied. “And he’s used to flying back and forth, so I doubt you’ll be apart for long.”

“I think I’m gonna miss him, too,” Apollo admitted, tugging on the sleeves of his hoodie. It always gave Klavier a little thrill whenever he saw Apollo wearing it - after all, it was once his, having sent it to Apollo via a care package that Trucy had put together a while ago. Though their upper bodies were comparable in width, Apollo was significantly shorter, which meant the hoodie seemed to completely swallow him up. “It’s weird, looking back on it. How different we were when we were kids - like, both as people and as brothers - and yet...some things never changed. I don’t even know how to explain it, I just...I just know.”

“Something only the two of you can understand, I’m sure,” Klavier said diplomatically. He’d heard many stories about Apollo and Nahyuta’s childhood by now, sometimes accompanied by the occasional mention of Dhurke. Even now, he found it hard to picture; he wasn’t too familiar with Nahyuta, but the thought of him and Apollo chasing each other across mountainous hills or searching for frogs along the riverbanks seemed unlikely, yet it happened all the same. “You have a good relationship with him by now, I take it?”

“Definitely,” Apollo nodded. He then leaned in close to the camera, his voice dropping to an exaggerated whisper. “I’ve even grown on Rayfa, and though she'll never admit it, I think she kinda misses Mr. Wright.”

Klavier laughed. “Charmed her, have you? I’m not surprised. You can be...persuasive when you want to be.”

“You make me sound like a conman,” Apollo snorted, leaning back in his seat. “Give me a little credit, will you?”

“Ja, ja, fair enough,” Klavier said, holding his hands up in surrender. “After all, you did have a client ask you out once. Clearly, you have some natural appeal.”

“It’s happened twice, actually,” Apollo said, shuddering. “I don’t know what I did to make either of ‘em think I was remotely interested, but I shut them down fast.”

“You saved their lives,” Klavier pointed out. “It might be their...misguided way of showing their gratitude. Besides, you’re not half-bad. Some might even say you’re...attractive.”

“And the compliments just keep on rolling in.” Apollo got up from his seat, momentarily blocking the camera as he unplugged his laptop from its charger and carried it over to his bed. He sat cross-legged by his pillows, yawning and stretching luxuriously. “You really know how to make a guy feel special, Gavin.”

“If you’re fishing for praise, Forehead, you only have to ask,” Klavier teased. “Let’s see, should we talk about the impressive way that your voice cracks every so often when you shout, which is all the time? What about the fact that you only seem to own one tie in the most outlandish shade of blue I’ve ever seen? Or how, every single time, without fail, you always push on the courthouse entrance doors despite the fact that they’re clearly marked ‘pull’ - ”

“You are such a dick,” Apollo sighed, shaking his head.

“ - you managed to get food poisoning at two different events for the prosecutor’s office,” Klavier continued; if he wasn’t enjoying himself earlier, he certainly was now. “Ah, remember that time you ripped your pants at a crime scene? Good thing it was a thrift store, ja? But if you ask me, corduroy bell bottoms don’t quite suit you. You don’t have the height for flared hems.”

“...I think you’ve gone just a little off-track here,” Apollo drawled. “Take it back now, Gavin, you were s’posed to be saying nice stuff, remember? Like, tell me I’m good at my job or something.”

“You make the perfekt lawyer,” Klavier said in the most serious tone he could muster, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. “After all, you just love to pick a fight.”

“Don’t think I won’t hang up on you,” Apollo said, yawning again as he half-flopped over onto his side, pillowing his hands beneath his cheek. For what felt like the thousandth time, Klavier found himself wishing he was in Khura’in, too.

“You say that every time, and you’ve never followed through,” Klavier reminded him. “Fine, you want a real compliment, Forehead?”

“That’s what I was asking for,” Apollo mumbled sleepily, his voice muffled.

“I think…” Klavier hesitated. “I think you might be one of my favorite people in the whole world.”

Apollo’s eyes flew open. “Huh? You...y-you really think so?”

“Would I be talking to you all the time if you weren’t?” Klavier chuckled. “How much free time do you think I have on my hands, hm?”

“Yeah, but - b-but still,” Apollo protested weakly. Klavier delighted in the way Apollo’s cheeks reddened, the way his nose scrunched up, the way his brows furrowed in an attempt to look irritated instead of embarrassed. “We only really became friends, like, uh...eight-ish months ago, so…”

“So nichts,” Klavier said derisively. “I say what I mean and I mean what I say, ja?”

Apollo shot him a drowsy smile. “Thanks, Gavin. It’s...actually kinda flattering.” He yawned yet again, curling up on top of his pillows. “Hey, I just remembered - you had your evaluation with Mr. Edgeworth just now, right? How’d that go, did you get three gold stars and an extra cookie to go with your juicebox like you wanted?”

“Call the prosecutor’s office a preschool just one time, all because Herr Debeste decided to bring Ritz crackers to the office potluck, and now you can’t let it go...and move on,” Klavier added, smirking; Apollo lifted a hand to flip him off. “It’s the usual with Herr Edgeworth, really - ‘excellent work, Prosecutor Gavin, nothing new to report’. Whenever I ask him if there’s anything more I can do, any way in which I can improve...I get nothing. It’s like he wants me out of his office as soon as possible.”

“I doubt it,” Apollo said quietly. “I know you keep saying over and over again that he blames you for what happened to Mr. Wright - but he doesn’t. Even if he did at one point, no one does anymore, alright? We know what happened, we know who it was, a-and it wasn’t you.” He propped himself up on his elbow, looking Klavier right in the eye. “Mr. Edgeworth doesn’t have suggestions for you ‘cos...you’re good at what you do. Somehow, you, Mister Euro-Rocker, are the most normal person at the prosecutor’s office. All anyone can accuse you of is, like, self-promotion, grandstanding, and wall slamming. Why do you do that, anyway?”

“I had a kickboxing phase,” Klavier said, laughing wetly. “That was surprisingly touching, Forehead, danke. Don’t we all aspire to be ‘the most normal person’ in any situation, achtung.”

“So you’re saying in some alternate universe, you would leg slam the prosecutor’s bench instead?” Apollo said dryly. “What would that even look like?”

“Gott if I know,” Klavier replied, continuing to laugh. “Anyway, should I let you go now? You look like you’re going to fall asleep at any second.”

“I’m fine.” Apollo slumped back down against his pillows, then let out an exaggerated exhale. “Though I wouldn’t, uh. I wouldn’t complain if you sang me to sleep, either.”

Klavier straightened up in his seat, surprised. “Again? I didn’t think you actually meant it last time, until it worked.”

“Your voice is, y’know...decent,” Apollo said, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards. “I have to listen to it for, like, two hours a day, after all. Going on and on about ‘ah, Herr Forehead, my bike didn’t start again’, or ‘I got a free drink at the courthouse café because the cute barista recognized me, can you believe it’ - oh, and we can’t forget the classic ‘you wouldn’t believe how terrible my hair looks today, I don’t know if I should turn my camera on’ - ”

“I take offense to that last one,” Klavier protested. “You’ve done the exact same thing to me! Remember when there was a thunderstorm - ”

“A Khura’inese thunderstorm, one of the worst the country’s ever seen, versus you having a, quote-unquote, ‘bad hair day’ ‘cos you woke up on the wrong side of the silk pillowcase. Very comparable,” Apollo drawled. “Go on, then, Gavin, give me a lullaby.”

Klavier steeled himself, taking a deep breath. Then, in the throatiest, most operatic voice he could muster, he began to sing. “Guten abend, gut nacht, mit rosen bedacht - ”

“Screw off, you - ” Apollo was doubled over, clutching at his stomach; the sound of his laugh, as cliché as it was, was music to Klavier’s ears. “Shit, I-I can’t even be mad at that one, that was on me. Okay, let’s not do a lullaby, just give me, like...something slow.”

Klavier hummed thoughtfully as he watched Apollo settle back down, drawing his duvet up over his shoulders. “Moon river, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style someday...dream maker, you heart breaker, wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way…” It didn’t take long for Apollo to fall asleep, his breath slowly evening out as he did. He looked peaceful in a way that he never did when he was awake. Smiling to himself, Klavier went to end the call. “Gute Nacht, liebe.”

_____

“For the love of everything, can you please stop bouncing your leg like that?”

“Ah - ” Klavier clamped his hand down onto his thigh, offering her a nervous smile. “My apologies, fräulein, I didn’t realize it was so cold in here. Does Herr Wright have a habit of leaving the air conditioning on? I didn’t think this office even had air conditioning, to be honest.”

Ema side-eyed him derisively; the effect was slightly ruined by the huge bouquet of roses she had sitting in her lap. They were practically tickling her chin. “...cold, right. That’s what’s going on, not the fact that we’re here to surprise Apollo on his way back from the airport.”

Klavier was very tempted to glare back. He liked to think he was an amiable person, but Ema challenged that notion every time they spoke. “Why did you decide to return early, anyway? Was Herr Sahdmadhi getting on your nerves?”

“Oh, please,” Ema snorted. “Sorry, Gavin, you’re still the problem child of the prosecutor’s office to me. No, I left early ‘cos...well, because I could. Besides, I missed this one over here.” She lightly elbowed the person on her other side, who giggled sweetly in response.

“Long-distance suuucks,” Kay agreed, dropping her head onto Ema’s shoulder and shooting her an affectionate grin. “Now that Em’s back for good, we can finally look into getting a place together!”

“Have you started yet?” Klavier asked, curious. “Because my area has a few - ”

“Um, I-I think a taxi just pulled up outside!” Klavier turned to squint through the darkness in the direction of the front window, where Juniper, Vera, and the Fey women were hidden, lifting their heads every so often to peek through the blinds. Thankfully, Vera seemed less nervous around him these days; he hated the thought of making her uncomfortable, especially when there was nothing he could do about it but wait. He’d tried approaching her on the rare occasions they were in the same room together, but more often than not, they both ended up tongue-tied. “I see Thena, and Apollo, and Trucy...oh, there’s Mr. Wright! I think Trucy made him tip the driver extra, heh.”

Klavier’s heart seemed to be in his throat as he, Ema, and Kay crouched down behind Apollo’s desk, while the others went to duck behind Phoenix’s and Athena’s desks as well. It had been so long, so long that he’d nearly forgotten some of the little things that just didn’t quite translate via phone call or video chat - how tall Apollo really was, how loud he could truly be; the way his nose scrunched up when he laughed, or how he absent-mindedly played with his bracelet more often than Klavier suspected he realized himself. He had to stop himself from letting out a hysterical laugh when he remembered how, the last time he saw Apollo in person, he’d flipped Klavier off. How appropriate, Klavier thought somewhat dazedly, shaking his head. And now -

“...huh, so I really did leave my jacket here. Guess it doesn’t matter since I never wore it, anyway. I’m more of a suit vest kinda guy, you know? So, what are we - ” The light flickered on. All at once, the agency seemed to explode with noise as everyone jumped out from behind the desks.

“SURPRISE!” Several party poppers, courtesy of Maya and Kay, went off simultaneously, which only added to the chaos.

“ - argh - what the - ?!”

“Wh-whoa, Polly, watch your head! You almost knocked over Mr. Charley!”

“Forget Charley, I-I almost twisted my ankle just now, shit - ” Apollo managed to find his footing again, half-leaning against the back of the couch to keep himself propped up while he caught his breath, his hand clasped over his presumably racing heart. Klavier could only stare at him, dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open. Ema was side-eyeing him again, but by now, he really didn’t care.

Of course, Klavier had known for a few weeks now that today was the day, but to see Apollo standing - well, somewhat collapsing - in front of him was something else entirely. Clearly, Apollo’s laptop webcam and spotty internet connection hadn’t done him justice, not the healthy glow of his skin, nor the shine of his hair. He was wearing a Khura’inese tunic and joggers with both the sleeves and pant hems rolled up, revealing just how muscular he’d become. However, what intrigued Klavier most of all was the familiar-looking hoodie in Apollo’s arms.

“Hey, stranger,” Ema said, lightly punching Apollo in the shoulder, then unceremoniously shoving the bouquet of roses into his arms despite the fact he was still holding the handle of his rolling luggage bag. He nearly dropped it on his own foot in an attempt to grab the flowers in time. “It’s weird, right? I’m still getting used to, like, mega-grocery stores and smog all over again.”

“Considering I’ve only been inside an airport, a taxi, and the agency so far, I can’t say I’ve had time to adjust, no,” Apollo said dryly. He then frowned. “Er, Ms. Fey, a-are you filming all this?”

Maya grinned almost manically over the top of her phone. “Yup! Blame Trucy and Athena - they wanted to get your reaction on camera, and ooh, you did not disappoint.”

Apollo deflated even further. “...glad I could entertain you all.” He then straightened up, approaching Juniper and Vera first to chat with them amicably while the others fell back to talk amongst themselves. Trucy sidled up next to Klavier with the brightest grin she’d had in months.

“I still can’t believe he’s finally here,” Trucy admitted. “It was starting to feel like he was never coming back, you know?”

“He looks...surprisingly refreshed for someone who’s been sitting on a plane for Gott knows how long,” Klavier chuckled, smoothing out the creases in the front of his shirt. He then shot Trucy a soft smile. “You must be thrilled.”

“Ecstatic!” Trucy chirped, nodding enthusiastically. “There are some tricks Athena just refuses to help with, but I bet Apollo wouldn’t mind if I volunteered him for the job!”

“That’s not the only reason you missed him and you know it,” Klavier said gently.

Trucy’s cheeks reddened; she shot him a sheepish smile. “...I-I may have cried at the airport. It was a total mess, ‘cos me and Athena were crying, and then Apollo started crying, and there was tears and snot everywhere, a-and Daddy got it all on tape, too. He said it was like we were trying to set the record for world’s longest hug!”

“That’s very sweet, fräulein,” Klavier murmured. “I’m sure it was quite the scene.”

“What was quite the scene?” They startled at the sound of a new voice, turning to see Apollo standing before them. The first thing Klavier couldn’t help but think, stupidly enough, was that Apollo looked taller somehow - he seemed to be holding his head higher, his chest prouder, though it also helped that he was wearing a heavy pair of brown leather boots with a thick sole. Klavier’s heart thumped pathetically in his chest at the sight of Apollo’s warm, curious eyes, now fixed on his face in confusion.

“Your reunion, or so I hear,” Klavier said smoothly, taking a few steps closer. His eyes flickered down to Apollo’s arms, half-folded in front of his torso; he was still holding onto the hoodie. “And I see I’ve done a good job of keeping you warm while you were away, Herr Forehead.” He sensed Trucy, Ema, and Kay exchanging bewildered glances behind him.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I got some pretty nice handmade blankets in Khura’in,” Apollo chuckled, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his unstyled hair. Klavier was more used to seeing it without gel than with it at this point, given how most of their video calls had taken place during Apollo’s evenings. “But, uh...thanks. You sure you don’t want it back?”

“Ah, nein, it’s all yours now,” Klavier replied. “But if you’re in need of more clothes that aren’t from the children’s section, I’d be more than happy to provide.”

Apollo snorted, shaking his head. “You’re such a dick.” Then, to just about everyone’s surprise, he took the last few steps to close the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Klavier, burying his face against Klavier’s shoulder with a contented sigh. “...it’s good to see you, Gavin.”

Klavier stood still for a moment, stunned, before returning the hug, holding him tighter than either of them expected, resting his chin on top of Apollo’s head. He smelled faintly of fruit and dirt and sweat, though Klavier didn’t mind one bit. “Ich habe dich vermisst,” he mumbled into Apollo’s hair, letting out a relieved exhale. “I’m glad you’re back.”

A little over an hour later, their rather large group of people - made even larger with the addition of Edgeworth and Simon, who had been held up in a work incident that, from the sound of it, was entirely Payne’s fault - found themselves at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, arguing over whether to order more salmon or more unagi while they drank beer, or in Trucy and Pearl’s case, soda. Their table was crowded, to be sure, and it was definitely the loudest in the entire restaurant, but with Edgeworth footing the bill, insisting no expense be spared, their servers didn’t seem to mind too much.

“God, you’re obvious.” Klavier turned to see Ema pointing her chopsticks at him rather threateningly. “Y’know, if you wanted to sit with Apollo, you should’ve just said so instead of sitting here and staring at him like a pining Austen heroine.”

“You really should be careful with those,” Klavier commented, gently pushing her hand away. “And it’s fine, he obviously wants to sit with Trucy and Athena. We have time to chat later, ja?”

Sighing, Ema turned back to her plate, stuffing a piece of tamago into her mouth in the most irritated manner Klavier had ever seen someone eat. “I don’t even know why I’m bothering,” she said, taking a generous gulp of her beer. “Look, Gavin, I - you know I was there, on the other end of things. I saw how...how happy he looked after your phone calls, whenever you sent him a text...all I’m saying is, sitting around and doing nothing like you did before? You really think that’s gonna work?”

“The last thing he needs is for me to bother him while he’s still settling in,” Klavier said diplomatically. “Like I said, we’ll have time to talk...later. Let him breathe, bitte. He literally just got here.”

Ema’s mouth twisted. “I really don’t get you sometimes.” She seemed to be talking more to herself than to Klavier now. “Like, I’m trying to imagine some world in which I don’t tell Kay how I feel about her, and...I can’t do it. It’s physically, emotionally, scientifically impossible. My entire life would be different, you know?”

“With you and Kay, you knew the feeling was mutual from the start, ja?” Klavier glanced across the table, where Apollo was cracking up over some joke Athena had just told. “As for me...I still can’t be sure. Even with what you just said, it’s no guarantee. And I think, for the time being, we’re...we’re glücklich this way. We’re friends. Close friends, even.”

“He talked to you more than everyone else combined,” Ema reminded him. “I only managed to talk to Kay maybe twice a week if we were lucky.” Kay leaned around Ema to nod affirmatively in Klavier’s direction, a stray udon noodle hanging from her mouth. “But whatever, I’m really only telling you for Apollo’s sake. If this was just about you, I guarantee I wouldn’t care.”

“Sure, fräulein, whatever you say,” Klavier chuckled. “So, you were saying something earlier about apartments - ”

“Hey, Gavin.” Once again, Klavier nearly gave himself whiplash at the sound of Apollo’s voice; he wasn’t sure when Apollo had gotten out of his seat and come to their side of the table, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. “Sorry to interrupt, it’s just - can I talk to you for a sec? Outside, maybe?”

“Er - ja, sure.” Klavier shot Ema an apologetic smile, though she’d already gone back to stealing pieces of ginger off of Kay’s plate. He then followed Apollo through the restaurant and out the front door, the two of them coming to a stop on the sidewalk. “What’s this all about, then?”

“Nothing, I just - I needed some air,” Apollo admitted, taking a generous deep breath. “Don’t get me wrong, I-I’m glad to see everyone again, but it’s a little...crowded back there. And loud.”

“Very true,” Klavier agreed, leaning against the exterior wall. “So...I’m surprised you’re still standing. Aren’t you exhausted?”

“Ridiculously so,” Apollo chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll crash in like, a few hours. Mr. Wright’s couch could be a literal rock, and I’ll still be out cold for the next...I dunno, week? Month?”

“You mentioned something about getting an apartment in your old building, ja?” Klavier mused. “When’s that happening?”

“I move in next week...if I’m awake by then, that is,” Apollo added dryly. He then smirked. “You offering to help, Gavin?”

Klavier leaned in close, his own teasing smile playing on his lips. “If you want me, just let me know, Herr Forehead.” He couldn’t help but feel a little thrill go through him when Apollo’s pupils darkened considerably in response.

“I’ll, uh...I’ll keep that in mind,” Apollo replied, chewing his bottom lip thoughtfully. Klavier found himself momentarily distracted by the motion. “Hey, uh - what were you and Ema talking about before I cut in?”

Klavier paused for a little longer than he would've liked. “I...was asking her about her plans to find a new place with Kay. To be honest, I’m surprised it’s only happening now. They’ve been together for years, after all.”

“True, but...if it works for them, I guess,” Apollo shrugged. “Did you guys ever get around to playing laser tag?”

Klavier blinked. “Entschuldigung?”

“Before we left, remember?” Apollo said, biting back a laugh. “Ema told me to ask you if you wanted to do drinks or laser tag, so did you and Kay...y’know, hang out without us? Or have you been waiting for us to get back?”

“Ah, that,” Klavier said, laughing as well. “Nein, we never did get around to it, though we’ve had the occasional drink together. Remember that story I told you a few months ago, the one where she - ”

“ - where she got kicked out of the bar ‘cos she accidentally gave them a fake ID she’d been holding onto as evidence, yeah,” Apollo snorted, shaking his head. “Sounds like something that could literally happen to any of us.” He straightened up, taking a couple of steps back so he could clear his throat. “Anyway, we should hang out after I recover from my inevitable jetlag. Like, the four of us, I mean.”

“Er - right, ja, the four of us,” Klavier nodded, faltering slightly. Apollo looked at him questioningly but didn’t say anything, instead turning his gaze towards the street for a moment, watching the cars and the occasional motorcycle go by. Klavier supposed he was still getting used to all the noise again, or rather, the different kinds of noise. He’d heard the evening sounds of Khura’in through the phone many times, especially when Apollo went for a late-night walk and “brought” Klavier with him for company. It had been relatively peaceful, serene, in a way that California was decidedly not. “Apollo, I...do you want to…maybe we could...”

“Yeah?” Apollo looked up at him, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Klavier coughed. “...never mind. Maybe another time, when you’re not so tired, ja?”

“Oh.” Apollo frowned slightly. “Uh, sure.” He then brightened, gently nudging Klavier’s arm. “Hey, but maybe we can make a thing out of my move-in day, make it a casual housewarming hangout or whatever. You interested?”

“Always,” Klavier said softly, nudging him back. Grinning, Apollo wordlessly beckoned for Klavier to follow him back inside, back to their table. He didn’t need to glance in Ema’s direction to know she looked as disappointed in him as he felt.

_____

“Ach, Klavier. You’re pouting more than your cousin Ingrid, and she’s barely seven years old.”

Klavier looked up from his glass to shoot his father an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, Papa. It’s just - the timing is unfortunate, you know? Er, not that I don’t want to be here. Anja and her new bride look wunderschön, and it’s been so long since we’ve had a wedding in the family - ”

“Now you sound like your Uncle Oskar,” his father chuckled, clapping Klavier good-naturedly on the shoulder. The two of them were standing in what looked and felt like a fairytale, in a sea of blossoming flowers and sparkling lights on a beautiful, crisp Saturday morning. In the distance, Klavier could see his cousin - or was she a second cousin, or a cousin once removed, he could never remember - and her wife posing for their wedding photographer by the park gazebo, while everyone else not-so-patiently waited to be called over for group photographs. All of the younger ones were especially moody, especially the aforementioned Ingrid, who had fallen and scraped her knee mere minutes before the ceremony. The poor girl had refused to let anyone put a bandaid on her, electing to sulk in silent solitude on a park bench instead. “I know you wanted to be with your friends today, but...there will be other days, yes?”

“Ja, ja, ich weiß,” Klavier replied. “Today is Apollo’s little housewarming get-together, it would've been nice to be there. But still, I wouldn’t miss Anja’s wedding for the world.” He then swallowed, glancing down at his feet. “That is, that’s how I felt before we got here. But achtung, now I feel like a caged animal. After all this time, do they really think - ”

“Not one person here thinks you’re going the same way,” his father interjected sharply, his eyes fierce behind his wire-rimmed glasses. “You’re not him. You’re not. But their stares...unfortunately, I don’t think it can be helped.”

“The questions were so simple before,” Klavier muttered. “Remember when I came back for a couple of weeks, between legs of the Gavinners’ European tour, for cousin Leo’s wedding? All anyone wanted to know was - ‘ah, Klavier, how is your band doing? Are you still a prosecutor? When are you getting married?’. And now it’s - it’s ‘what’s going to happen to him now?’ and ‘what exactly is this dark age of the law everyone’s been talking about?’ and ‘did you know the whole time?’. It’s endless, ach.”

“Klavier - ”

“I didn’t ask for my life to revolve around his, okay?” Klavier managed to stop himself before he could shout; instead, his voice came out as a harsh whisper. Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice, carrying on with their conversations while they waited for the newlyweds to call on them. “So if people are going to continue to talk, to stare, then I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to see it. If I can’t have a normal conversation with my family members that aren’t you or Mama, then…” He shook his head; his hand was trembling, his champagne sloshing over the edge of his flute.

Sighing, his father squeezed Klavier’s shoulder a little firmer now. “...I can tell them you have a migraine if you’d like. Or how about a stomach bug? Though maybe a work emergency would sound a little more...dignified.”

Klavier let out a watery chuckle, clasping his hand over his father’s. “Danke, Papa, I appreciate it, but it’s fine. This is Anja’s day, not a day for me to whine and fuss. I can grin and bear it for her, ich verspreche. And I apologize for my...outburst.” His father shot him a sympathetic smile, then turned back to watch the happy couple while they waited for Klavier’s mother to return from the bathroom.

It was nearly two in the morning by the time Klavier collapsed face-first onto his bed, only to sit up in a panic for a moment, thinking he’d just smeared a full face of makeup onto his freshly-washed silk pillowcases, before remembering he’d managed to trudge his way through his skincare routine just moments ago. With a weary groan, he grabbed his phone and sent a quick text message; mere seconds later, his phone began to ring.

“Forehead? I didn’t actually expect you to be up.”

“Mik’s being a literal scaredy-cat about living in a new place, so I’m probably not gonna be able to sleep anytime soon,” Apollo said with a weary sigh. “So, how was the rest of the wedding? All the photos you sent looked incredible!”

“What can I say? Gavins have good taste,” Klavier replied, chuckling. He rolled onto his back, staring up at his ceiling. “It was...perfekt, the epitome of classic fairytale romance, really. The kind of wedding you see in children’s books, you know?”

“Sure.” Apollo’s voice was warm in Klavier’s ear. “Hey - you, uh, you okay? You sound...off.”

“Ja, ja, I’m just tired,” Klavier said, frowning slightly at his outstretched hand. Despite getting them done yesterday, his nails were already starting to chip. “How long did everyone end up staying for?”

“They left a little before midnight,” Apollo replied, yawning. “Trucy has a matinee show tomorrow - or today, I guess - or else she probably would’ve insisted on sleeping over. Would’ve been kinda nice, actually, i-it’s always a little weird being alone in a new place for the first time. Though I guess this makes up for it.”

“What makes up for it?” Klavier asked, confused.

Apollo snorted. “This phone call, you dork. It’s like last year all over again, except we’re finally in the same time zone now.”

“Ah - right,” Klavier said, letting out an awkward laugh. “Ja, this is nice, though...I assume we’re not making this a habit again, are we?”

“Nah, definitely not. But, y’know, every now and then for old time’s sake? I wouldn’t, uh, I wouldn’t mind it.” Klavier shivered. Apollo’s voice had dropped to a low murmur; it almost sounded as if he were in the room with him. Klavier remembered Apollo making a snarky comment or two whenever he caught a glimpse of Klavier’s apartment during their video calls, leaving him to wonder whether Apollo would ever want to see it for himself. “So, you wanna do something next week? I’m still on co-counsel duty until I’m ready to take my own cases again, so my schedule’s not too hectic.”

“What did you have in mind?” Klavier hummed.

“I’m up for whatever - er, within reason,” Apollo added. “It could, well. It could even be just you and me, if you want.”

Klavier’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. “...I think I’d like that, ja. Drinks, maybe? Friday?”

“Yeah, uh - ” Apollo cleared his throat. “ - yeah, sounds good. Text me the time and place whenever, okay? Though I guess we’re probably gonna see each other before then, so.”

“Definitely,” Klavier said quietly, sucking in a breath to stop himself from making a potentially embarrassing noise - a squeak of joy, maybe, or a nervous laugh; either one would be terrible. “Should I let you go, then? We didn’t usually talk this late, even when you were on the other side of the world.”

“Very true,” Apollo said, punctuating Klavier’s point by yawning again. “I think Mik’s finally settled down, anyway.” Then, he seemed to hesitate. “...you sure you’re good, Gavin?”

“Mir geht's gut,” Klavier promised. This time, it felt more like the truth. Though his quiet anger from earlier hadn’t quite dissipated, he was calmer now, more at ease. “Family events just take a lot out of me, that’s all. Inevitable, given how big my extended family is.”

Apollo fell silent for a moment. “Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I, uh...I wouldn’t know.”

“I think it depends on the family,” Klavier admitted. This time, both of them went quiet, contemplating Klavier’s sentiment. “...anyway, let’s not carry on and ruin our sleep schedules, ja? Gute Nacht, Forehead.”

“G’night, Gavin,” Apollo said softly. “Talk to you tomorrow.” Despite the usual raspy quality of Apollo’s voice, not to mention how sharp it could get, Klavier found it immensely comforting at times, its warmth like a thick blanket - or, more accurately, an oversized hoodie. Mere minutes after they hung up, Klavier drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.

_____

Friday, it seemed, was not meant to be. Much to Klavier’s quiet disappointment - though obviously, he understood, given the circumstances - Apollo had to cancel their plans after getting some truly life-changing news.

“I-I don’t even know where to begin,” Apollo had stammered on the phone, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears. “I - she’s my - a-and her eyes - sh-she came to see us, me a-and - ”

“Slow down, Apollo, slow down,” Klavier had said gently. “What’s going on? What happened?”

Apollo had taken a big, shuddering inhale. Then, he spoke again. “...Trucy is my little sister...a-and Lamiroir is...she’s...she’s...she’s Thalassa Gramarye. Our mother.”

The news traveled quickly throughout their social circle; naturally, it was Trucy who told everyone else, while Apollo still seemed to be reeling in shock. No one seemed to know what to say, not with everything they knew about the twists and turns and tragedies of their respective family histories. A week passed, then another, and another, as the two Gramarye siblings took some time off to reunite with their mother. Klavier dropped by the Wright Anything Agency every so often, hoping to see how they were doing, only to find just Phoenix and Athena there.

“Apollo almost punched me...again,” Phoenix had said quietly. If it wasn't for the seriousness of his expression, Klavier would've asked about the first time. “It’s because I knew. I knew a long time ago. And Trucy, she can’t seem to decide whether she’s upset with me or not. Can’t say I blame her, though Thalassa and I had our reasons.”

“I’m sure you did, Herr Wright,” Klavier had replied sincerely, though he didn’t push further. After all, it wasn’t his family drama this time, and as far as he was concerned, knowing what their reasons were wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Phoenix had then paused. “She told me she talked to you, by the way. Trucy, that is.” He let out a hollow laugh. “Even when she didn’t know, it was like...like she already knew. But I shouldn’t be surprised, not with her. Never with her.” Clearing his throat, he shot Klavier a gentle, genuine smile. “Thanks for being there for her, Prosecutor Gavin. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Klavier had promised. “Herr Wright, before I go, I really should say something - ”

“If you’re about to do what I think you’re about to do...there’s no need,” Phoenix had interrupted, though not unkindly. “I’ve said it a few times, but I’ll say it again. Let’s put the past behind us, alright?”

Klavier had been taken aback. “...if you’re sure, then...ja, I hear you.”

Almost four weeks after Thalassa returned to her children’s lives, Klavier finally saw Apollo again, during a brief one-day trial. Once Apollo got his client acquitted, the two of them took a moment to sit on the courthouse steps together in stilted silence. “How is she?” Klavier asked. “How are you?”

“She’s…” Apollo sucked his breath in between his teeth. “...she’s still figuring things out. Remembering stuff. Trying to, uh...trying to learn how to be a mom to two adult children who...who grew up without her. And I dunno if it’s harder for me, o-or for Trucy, because I accepted my whole life that...that my mom just wasn’t around. But Trucy lost her. She knew her, loved her, lost her...and now she’s back. Not that it’s a competition, it’s just…” He managed to give Klavier a small smile. “We’ll be fine. It’s just weird and confusing a-and...but we’re fine. Sorry I’ve been so - ”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Klavier said, gently nudging him. “So, are you going to see her again today?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna drop by for dinner tonight,” Apollo replied. “We’ll hang out again soon, I swear.”

“Don’t worry about me, Forehead. Take care of yourself first, ja?” Klavier chuckled, patting Apollo’s knee. “Anyway, I should get going before the paparazzi catch wind of me. Auf Wiedersehen, baby. Have a good time tonight.” As he was leaving, he took a moment to watch Apollo walk over to the courthouse bike rack to join Trucy, who was patiently waiting for him. The moment she spotted him, she flung her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug, as if they’d been apart for years and not mere minutes.

The days continued to go by without them seeing much of each other, though they did continue to text on a regular basis, even having the occasional late-night phone call or two. Klavier also managed to chat with Trucy when he dropped by the agency one afternoon in the hopes that she would be there.

“I’m okay,” Trucy had told him. “We’re still getting used to it, but it’s definitely one of the best surprises I’ve ever had! I’ve been saying this whole time that Polly’s like a little big brother to me, and now…”

“And now it’s true,” Klavier had remarked, laughing. “I’m happy for all of you, fräulein, truly. And thinking back...what a strange family reunion. All because I invited her to perform with the Gavinners. Er, not to make this about me, of course.”

“Of course,” Trucy had echoed, giggling as well. “You would never do that.”

Klavier had rolled his eyes good-naturedly, which only served to make her laugh even harder. His expression then sobered. “Have you told either of them about...what you told me and Herr Wright?”

“Huh?...o-oh. That.” Trucy had fiddled with the ends of her cape, eyes fixated on the toes of her boots. “No, n-not yet. It’s too early. We only just discovered the truth, why would I ruin that with my silly problems?”

“They’re not silly at all,” Klavier had reassured her. “They’re...I know a little something about family legacy. Carrying a name that belongs to someone else. Talk to them about it when the time is right, ja?”

“I know, I know,” Trucy had mumbled, her voice small. She then perked up, plastering on a false smile that Klavier was all too familiar with. “You should join us someday, Prosecutor Gavin! I’m sure she’d like to see you again, and Polly’s been dying to spend more time with you.”

Klavier felt warm. “Really? Did he say that?”

“Well, not in so many words,” Trucy had said sheepishly. “But we’ve been so busy with Mom lately that neither of us has really had time to hang out with people other than Daddy and Athena, y’know? So...maybe we could do another group dinner or something.”

And so, a little over a month and a half after their canceled plans, Trucy managed to get a smaller group of people together - her, Apollo, Athena, Klavier, Simon, Pearl, Juniper, Ema, and Kay, to be exact - for a rather chaotic visit to their nearest night market. Considering how narrow the pathways were, how packed the food stalls could be, it was hard for them to move as a collective through the crowds.

“We might have an easier time if we split up,” Apollo suggested. “And, uh, as a bonus, people would stop glaring at us for holding up literally every line.” And so, everyone divided themselves into pairs - or a trio, in Athena, Simon, and Juniper’s case - and went on their way.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with Trucy?” Klavier asked once he and Apollo were in line for freshly-made takoyaki.

“Listen, and I say this with love, but I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with someone who isn’t Trucy for once,” Apollo said, chuckling. “Besides, we never got around to getting drinks. So let me pay for, like, a milk tea or something.”

“That’s hardly necessary, but danke,” Klavier said, smiling easily. “So, has it finally sunk in yet? Your newfound big brother status, that is.”

“Thankfully, not that kind of big brother,” Apollo said dryly. “Honestly, it hasn’t been that different. Me and Trucy have always looked out for each other, and...I dunno. We got attached pretty quickly, almost like we, uh...like we knew somehow. Like everything about our relationship made even more sense than before.” He then let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Never mind, that probably sounds really stupid - ”

“Nein, not at all,” Klavier murmured sympathetically.

“I don’t believe in fate or whatever, but...I couldn’t ask for a better sister,” Apollo admitted, his expression softening. “Though to be fair, I can ask said sister to stop dragging me on stage with her. I almost lost my eyebrows more than once, and once is already one time too many!”

“You did say better, not perfect,” Klavier teased, laughing. “So, what do you want to do tonight? Are we just stuffing our faces, or did you want to walk around? That bouncy castle looks sehr interessant.”

“Yeah, sure, if we wanna get kicked out,” Apollo snorted. “And I’m not sure yet, I was just gonna go with whatever everyone else wanted. When I used to come here all the time with...with…” His face fell. “Um. You know. He was so eager to try everything, I-I just let him drag me around. Literally.” Klavier looked away for a moment, unsure of what to say. Apollo then tugged on his sleeve so he would turn back, a small smile on his face. “Hey, c’mon. I’m the one who made it weird, don’t you make it weird, too.”

Klavier chuckled, placing his hand over Apollo’s and squeezing. “Why don’t you lead for a change? I mean it, Forehead, what do you want to do tonight?”

“Honestly? I just wanna eat and drink and laugh at the terrible knock-off merchandise with, uh. With you.” Apollo awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Before Klavier could respond, they’d reached the front of the line; Apollo turned to the merchant with a polite smile. “Hi, can we get one order of takoyaki, please? And can we get the sauces on the side?”

“Sure, that’ll be seven dollars,” the merchant replied. “Is this just for you, or are you sharing with your boyfriend?”

Apollo blinked. “Er, s-sorry?”

“I need to know how many toothpicks to give you,” the merchant said, shooting Apollo a strange look.

“I, uh…” Apollo cleared his throat. Klavier looked at him curiously, unsure if Apollo’s reaction was promising or worrying. “Yeah, we’re sharing.”

Once they received their order, they went to stand a little ways away from the crowd to eat and people-watch in companionable silence. Klavier stole the occasional glance in Apollo’s direction every so often, admiring how good he looked in a bucket hat, denim cutoffs, and of course, the hoodie he’d given him. Other than his signature red suit vest, it seemed to be the item of clothing he wore the most these days. Klavier wondered if it still smelled of his cologne, the cologne that Apollo claimed to hate.

“Gavin?” Apollo raised an eyebrow at him. “Can I, um...can I help you?”

“Ah - entschuldigung, I didn’t mean to stare,” Klavier said, ducking his head in embarrassment. “It just surprises me whenever you wear that, you know? Surely, you have other hoodies.”

“I’ve just gotten used to it, I guess,” Apollo shrugged. “And it’s weird, ‘cos it’s yours, but now I mostly associate it with Khura’in. Like, whenever I went for walks before or after work, this was usually the first thing I grabbed, even when it was too warm for me to wear. Something to hold onto, I s’pose.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Hey - new idea!”

Klavier chuckled at his sudden enthusiasm. “Oh? What’s that?”

“Over there,” Apollo said, gesturing towards the river running alongside the night market. Other market patrons were there as well, eating, talking, and admiring the city skyline. “It’s definitely no Khura’inese scenery, but we could also grab some food and go for a walk, get away from the main crowd and all that.”

“I’d like that,” Klavier replied, popping the last piece of takoyaki into his mouth. “What should we get next, then?”

After much deliberation, the two of them settled on milk tea and crepes, then began walking alongside the river, chatting amicably about nothing in particular while occasionally spotting their friends in the distance. They saw Trucy and Pearl sharing a giant bowl of shaved ice, Ema and Kay marveling at all of the bags for sale - Ema had once mentioned she needed a new one to fit her entire forensics kit - while Athena and Simon were, for some reason, arm-wrestling. Juniper was supervising them with a hint of apprehension in her eyes; Athena appeared to be winning.

As they passed by people going in the opposite direction, Klavier lowered the brim of his cap over his eyes. He felt somewhat nervous, even paranoid, every single time someone looked at him for a little too long. “Not too interested in signing autographs or taking selfies, huh?” Apollo teased when it happened for the fifth time in under twenty minutes. “Nah, I get it. I’m sure it gets pretty exhausting after a while.”

“It’s...it’s not fans I’m worried about,” Klavier confessed, ducking his head once more. “It’s...the opposite, really.”

“Huh?” Apollo’s eyes then widened. “Oh, you mean...o-oh. Has that been happening a lot lately, or…?”

“Just...more than it should,” Klavier said quietly, so quietly that Apollo almost couldn’t hear him over the noise of the night market. “Anyway, I’d rather not get into it. Tell me more about your mother, you said the other day that her memories were coming back to her, ja?”

Apollo eyed him worriedly, but decided not to comment. “Yeah, yeah, uh - mostly stuff about Trucy, and Trucy’s dad, and her time with the troupe. Not so much the before, the me and...and my dad part. It was...I tried asking her, y’know, basic stuff about him. Like what his voice sounded like, what kind of person he was...but it’s all bits and pieces for her. Little tiny things, not significant details. She remembered that he didn’t like spinach and he had a pair of lucky socks, but she wasn’t sure if my voice sounded anything like his, or how they picked my name, or what their first date was. Stuff like that.” He visibly swallowed.

“I’m sure that must have been frustrating for both of you,” Klavier said, humming in sympathy.

“I don’t know what to feel sometimes.” An odd look crossed Apollo’s face then, like he wasn’t sure where his words had come from, but he seemed determined to keep going. “Obviously, I-I’m happy to have her in my life, and to see her doing so well after what she went through, but...it’s not like I had this...this attachment to my dad that she did. And sure, I wanna know more about him, but sometimes, i-it feels like I’m doing it more for her than for me. But that makes me sound like a shitty person, like I-I don’t care about him. Like he doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Klavier went silent for a moment, thinking. It was hard to concentrate when he could hear Apollo’s breath growing increasingly erratic; he so desperately wanted to wrap him up in a hug, though he wasn’t sure if Apollo would want him to. “If you ask me, you sound like a good person who cares about his mother,” he finally said after some time. “And even if your biological father isn’t as important to you as he was to her, he still means something to you. You know that.”

“Do I?” Apollo chuckled wetly, wiping his damp eyes with the sleeve hem of his hoodie. “And Trucy - god, Trucy, sh-she’s…”

“What about her?” Klavier asked, frowning.

“It’s not like either of us likes to think about it, but…” Apollo chewed his bottom lip. “If something happened to Mom, then...well. It’s not like it’s new to us...losing people. When do I get to the point where I can accept it? Where I know...I-I can’t do anything to stop it?” He let out another horrible laugh. “Shit, that sounded so heartless. Th-that’s not what I meant, I - ”

“I know what you meant,” Klavier promised somewhat sadly. “Have you talked to her about it? Or...either of them, really.”

“No, but it...it’s why Trucy wants us to hang out practically every day.” Apollo stopped for a moment, turning to watch Trucy, who was currently shoveling huge spoonfuls of shaved ice and red bean into her mouth, with a fond smile. “She won’t say it, but I-I know her. I can tell what she’s thinking. Even before we found out we were siblings, she seemed...kinda worried that I was gonna leave again. Or that I wasn’t gonna come back in the first place, even when I said I would.”

“Maybe it’s time you have that conversation,” Klavier suggested. “It won’t be a pleasant conversation, but it seems...necessary, ja?”

Apollo exhaled shakily. “Yeah, I know, I know. It’s just...there’s always something. A trial o-or a show or whatever. But, uh, honestly? I just don’t like thinking about it. Like, ever.”

“I don’t blame you,” Klavier admitted, rubbing Apollo’s arm reassuringly. “I wouldn’t want to open myself up to that kind of personal scrutiny, either.” He paused. “I...gave Trucy some similar advice a while back, you know. Advice that I should’ve taken myself, should still be taking myself, but...it’s like they say. Easier said than done.”

“Easier said than done,” Apollo echoed in agreement, sighing.

Another minute or two passed in silence, accompanied by the noisy chatter and whistling winds around them. Apollo seemed to be thinking intensely about something, but with everything they’d talked about, not just now, but over the past year, Klavier couldn’t even begin to guess what it was. Then, he lifted his head to look Klavier right in the eye. “Why did you call me in Khura’in, that first time?”

Klavier’s heart skipped a beat. “...why does it matter?”

“Because...because you’re one of my favorite people, too.” Apollo’s cheeks reddened, though he was clearly trying his best to ignore it. “And I - I wanna know if something happened that day. If...something happened to you.”

“Nothing happened to me,” Klavier said smoothly, trying not to let his dizzying joy at Apollo’s words show. “Trucy suggested I call you sometime, that’s all. Simple as that.”

Apollo’s right hand instantly went to his left wrist. “But that’s not all there is to it, is it?”

“Is this a cross-examination now?” Klavier asked, letting out an uneasy laugh. He turned on his heel and continued to walk. “You’re going to find my tell, are you? My nervous habit? It’s a nice night, Forehead, let’s not spoil it.”

“I just wanna understand you, Klavier.” Klavier stopped dead in his tracks; he could feel Apollo’s eyes on his back. “Look, if it’s such a big secret, or if you just don’t wanna tell me, I-I’ll shut up about it already. But I just - I worry about you sometimes. You’re always so...so calm. And helpful, a-and sweet, and...I get what it’s like to put on a brave face. To pretend that everything’s the way it should be. That’s all I’m saying. So if it really was nothing, then I’ll drop it, okay? I’ll let it go, and move - ”

“I was sitting in my childhood bedroom.” Now he felt lightheaded for a different reason; Klavier dropped his gaze, his body swaying despite the fact he was standing perfectly still. Apollo quickly stepped around him so they were face-to-face, tucking his empty cup under his arm so he could hold Klavier’s shoulders, his still-wet eyes shining with concern. “I was sitting on my bed, staring at the wall, and suddenly, I-I wanted to talk to the one person in the entire world who - who doesn’t want something from me. Who doesn’t want to ask for my autograph, or my connections, or my help, or...or about Kristoph. Who just wants to talk to me for - for - for me.” Before he could stop himself, his eyes were suddenly filling with tears. Klavier clapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from crying out.

Apollo let out a stifled noise. “Ah - Klavier!”

“Mama, a-and Papa, I - they say they can’t - that it - b-but they still mourn him l-like he’s already - already gone,” Klavier managed to say between short, gasping breaths, his heartbeat pounding alarmingly fast in his ears. He desperately clutched at his chest, but he was unable to find his grip. The ground, his surroundings, they all seemed to be spinning around him. “And I-I want to say - ‘I’m still here, y-you have me’ - and they know, but th-they - ”

“Breathe, Klavier, breathe,” Apollo urged. “Look at me, watch me, okay? In...out...in...”

Klavier dropped his cup entirely, desperately clinging onto Apollo’s shoulders, anticipating that his knees were about to give out beneath him. He swallowed a few generous lungfuls of air, trying not to cough or exhale directly in Apollo’s face, all while his eyes were fixated on Apollo’s - large, round, expressive to a fault. The color of melted chocolate, usually, though in the moonlight, more akin to the color of ink. “I’m okay,” Klavier whispered, though tears were still rolling down his cheeks. “Sorry, I - ”

“Don’t apologize,” Apollo said firmly. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to - we don’t - we don’t have to talk about this.”

“Nein, I - I want to tell you.” Klavier cleared his throat, wiping his face on his sleeve; he knew he looked like a mess, he knew that they were in public, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Bitte, will you let me?”

“Yeah, o-of course.” Now it was Apollo's turn to rub his arm comfortingly. “But, uh, I think we should sit. There’s a bench over there, are you good to move?”

Once they managed to sit down, both of them visibly shaking, Apollo placed a trembling hand on Klavier’s knee, nodding for him to try again. “I was trying to say that - that I’ve always been our parents’ favorite. I was more outgoing, more curious, and I think they especially liked that about me.” Klavier’s breath was still shallow; he paused to take another deep, measured breath. “So when I say that...that I feel responsible somehow...that I played a part in his madness, his cruelty...I-I’m not just talking about Zak Gramarye’s trial.”

“You don’t mean…” Apollo sucked in a breath of his own. “You think he resented you, don’t you?”

“I think it’s more like...he never liked getting ignored, passed over, for someone else. For me, for Herr Wright…” Klavier swallowed thickly. “And then I go home to my parents, a-and they promise me it’s not my fault, that I was merely a pawn, but - but I can tell that, deep down, they miss him. They mourn him, like he’s no longer here. They're packing his things, cleaning out his room...trying to pretend he never existed, because it’s easier than living with the truth. But they slip sometimes. All the time, really. Because, at the end of the day...he still means something to them. To me.”

“Klavier,” Apollo said softly, squeezing Klavier’s knee. He seemed unsure of what to say.

“I can try all I want, but there’s no pretending for me,” Klavier continued bitterly, his voice growing stronger, louder. “Do reporters want to ask about my success as a prosecutor or my music career? Nein, they want to ask how it felt to prosecute my own brother and my own bandmate. Do my coworkers want to know how my weekend was or if I’m free to hang out? Nein, they only ask how I’m feeling when I seem less than perfect because it makes them uncomfortable. When I go to family gatherings, do they tease me about my love life or ask me how work is going? Nein, they want to know if he and I really are cut from the same cloth. No one - no one ever really wants to ask me about me. Just me.”

“Klavier - ”

“And I know they try,” Klavier sighed. “And I don’t mean to be...I’m trying not to ask for much. But how do I really know, that when Herr Edgeworth tells me I’m doing a good job, that I really am doing a good job? If Herr Blackquill tells me I seem to be happier these days, does he mean it, o-or is he telling me what he knows I want to hear?” He paused. “How do I...do I trust any of my family members - nein, how do I trust my own judgment...when the one person I grew up with...when he...when the people I-I thought I knew turned out to be...” He shook his head, unable to finish his sentence.

“For what it’s worth...you know I'm in your corner, yeah?” Apollo offered. “You know I won't...that I don't bullshit you. But still, I...I’m so sorry, that’s...that’s terrible. So when you texted me after your cousin’s wedding...”

Klavier nodded resignedly. “Ja, exactly. I don’t...it feels like…” He felt tears forming in his eyes again; he quickly wiped them away before they could fall. “...never mind, it’s stupid. It’s childish, i-it’s selfish, I - ”

“C’mon, don’t be like that.” Apollo gave him a watery, encouraging smile. “What is it?”

Klavier went silent for what felt like hours, his mind racing to find the precise words he wanted to say. “...it feels like I will always care more about someone else than they will ever care about me.”

Another lengthy pause soon followed, one that made Klavier unbearably nervous. For once, Apollo’s usually expressive face was completely inscrutable. Then, Apollo practically threw himself at Klavier, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in close. “Klavier,” he repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time, his voice warm and urgent in Klavier’s ear. “People care about you, okay? You gotta know that. I-I promise, there are people out there who - who care about you more than you think. Like...like me.”

Klavier let out a sobbing, incredulous laugh. “Achtung, Apollo...you do know that I’m in love with you, right?”

Apollo went still. He stared at him, wide-eyed. “You...you are?”

“You mean you really didn’t know?” Klavier could only laugh again, more hopelessly this time; his mouth seemed to be moving faster than his brain. While it usually never happened to him, it seemed like Apollo brought out his honesty more easily than most. He wasn’t sure if that impressed him or terrified him. “With everything that’s been happening between us, you didn’t think - ”

“I-I knew we were getting closer, th-that we were gonna go for drinks, but...I-I thought this was, like. A recent thing for you,” Apollo stammered, still staring at him disbelievingly.

“A recent thing? You mean like your feelings...for me?” Klavier was almost afraid to ask.

“What? No, I - ” Apollo suddenly seemed to realize he still had his arms loosely draped around Klavier’s midsection. He yanked them back like he’d been burned, his cheeks flushed pink. “I mean, yes, yes, d-definitely recent - ”

“Apollo, bitte.” Klavier took Apollo’s hands in his, gently running his thumbs across Apollo’s knuckles. “I know you don’t owe me your honesty, but I’d like to think that after everything I just said, you could afford me just a little bit of it.”

Apollo fell silent, considering. Klavier held his breath in anticipation, heart thumping wildly against his ribcage. Then, Apollo withdrew one hand from Klavier’s grasp, instead lifting it to cup Klavier’s jaw. His eyes were wet once more, his smile impossibly soft. “I hate that you feel like you have to ask for someone else to be honest to you...least of all me,” Apollo murmured. “I-I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine - ”

“But it isn’t!” Apollo interrupted fiercely. “You shouldn’t have to ask for basic decency, especially from someone who’s supposed to care about you. Because - ‘cos god, Klavier, you - you’re - I love you, okay?” Klavier’s mouth fell open, stunned, but no words came out. “I love you and your...your…” Apollo inhaled yet again, taking a moment to think carefully. “You always surprise me, y’know. With how...willing you are to be proven wrong. How open you are to changing your mind. And even though you’re one of the most self-important people I’ve ever met...you still manage to be pretty selfless when it comes down to it. So selfless, that...that...that it worries me sometimes.”

“Worries...you?” Klavier asked, his voice small.

Apollo shot him a shaky smile. “Whether you’re looking out for yourself.”

“I think the last thing anyone could accuse me of is not making something about me,” Klavier said, chuckling wetly. “Take now, for example. We were having such a nice night, until - ”

“ - until you finally got the chance to say what you’ve been wanting to say,” Apollo finished for him. “Just like...like I did. Just now.”

Klavier’s eyes flitted across Apollo’s face, his gaze traveling from his tearful eyes to his parted lips, trying to find a sign, a warning that there was something there other than complete sincerity. When he found nothing, he cracked a grin of his own. “You really love me?”

In lieu of answering, Apollo moved closer, his forehead resting against Klavier’s, their noses barely brushing. Klavier’s breath hitched. Then, Apollo closed the gap between them, kissing him so tenderly, so carefully, that he felt a pleasant shiver go up his spine. Finally. Klavier melted right into him, every muscle in his body seemingly relaxing all at once; he released Apollo’s hand so he could wrap his arms around him, pulling him into his embrace. Apollo was so warm, Klavier thought, his skin surprisingly soft, his lips unsurprisingly rough, not that it lessened Klavier’s joy. Nothing else seemed to matter in that moment, not all the people walking by that could easily see them, not the fact that their friends could probably recognize them if they tried. When they reluctantly broke apart, they realized that they both had tears running down their faces.

“..shit.” Apollo let out a wet laugh, sniffling sharply. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie to pull out a packet of tissues, handing one to Klavier before attempting to take care of himself. “That was, uh - ”

“Perfect,” Klavier declared, his grin so wide, it threatened to split his face open.

“I was gonna say ‘gross’, but okay. Whatever you’re into, I guess,” Apollo teased, turning away momentarily to blow his nose. A comfortable silence fell over them as they took a moment to clean themselves up, to wipe their running noses and watery eyes. “Um, but - Klavier, are you okay? Because, well. That seemed like a lot.”

“Ja, I…” Klavier laughed disbelievingly. “...I feel incredible, actually. Like I’ve managed to...to let go of some of the things I’ve been carrying for a little too long. Even if I didn't do anything but drop them.” He then looked at Apollo. “What about you, liebe? We were talking about you, and then it became about me, and - ”

“That’s how conversations work, Klav,” Apollo reminded him. “And all that...I dunno, guilt, loneliness, whatever you wanna call it? That’s been going on for way too long. But for me, it’s...I-I’m still figuring some stuff out. Something I can deal with once I know, y’know?”

“If you’re sure. But...I’m here if you need me, ja? Always.” Klavier brushed a few loose strands of hair out of Apollo’s eyes, then leaned in to kiss him again. This particular kiss was thankfully less damp. “So, ah...what should we do now?”

“Well...I think all that crying made me dehydrated,” Apollo said half-jokingly. He stood, extending a hand in Klavier’s direction. “Will you finally let me pay for one of your drinks? Please?”

“I guess I can indulge you,” Klavier teased, taking Apollo’s hands and getting to his feet as well. Apollo rolled his eyes but pulled Klavier along nonetheless. Their fingers remained entangled, both of them holding on tight, even when they stepped back into the night market crowd.

_____

A few hours later, they found themselves in the elevator of Klavier’s apartment building, on the way up to his penthouse, grinning giddily at each other like lovesick teenagers. Naturally, the others had been suspicious when Apollo told them they were leaving together. Trucy, Athena, and Kay seemed ready to burst with questions, while Ema and Simon had merely watched them go with raised eyebrows. Still, no one said anything but their goodbyes, something both of them were grateful for.

“You look like you’re thinking really hard over there,” Apollo said, smirking. “You’re not changing your mind, are you?”

“Never,” Klavier replied instantly. Even though he knew Apollo was joking, he wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t. “Not when it comes to you.”

Apollo’s smile softened. “Good. That’s, uh...that’s good. Same here.”

After they’d washed up and settled in, the two of them collapsed onto Klavier’s bed, right on top of his duvet, comfortably exhausted from everything that had been said and done. Apollo was half-curled into Klavier’s side, yawning every so often while he sent off a few text messages, presumably to Trucy and their mother. Klavier had one hand in Apollo’s hair and the other loosely resting on Apollo’s hip, humming and tapping out a rhythm while he waited for Apollo to finish.

“Sorry,” Apollo said, briefly rolling over so he could set his phone down on the bedside table.

“Nein, nein, it’s okay,” Klavier replied. “I don’t know about you, but I’m wide awake. How am I supposed to fall asleep after a night like that, achtung.”

“Yeah, we definitely had, uh...we definitely had a moment back there.” Apollo sounded both embarrassed and pleased. “God, I hope no one saw us. I have zero interest in becoming a trending hashtag before our first date.”

“You don’t consider this our first date?” Klavier asked curiously.

“I prefer my first dates to be drama-free, thanks,” Apollo drawled. Still, his expression was relaxed, somewhat drowsy. “Though I think, in a way...we kinda needed that. Wish it hadn’t happened in public, but hey, we can’t exactly pick our battles.” At Klavier’s responding chuckle, he frowned slightly. “Klav? What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just - mein Gott, I love you.” Klavier rested his forehead against Apollo’s, his smile warm and open. Apollo returned it with one of his own, his hands resting against Klavier’s chest, Klavier’s heartbeat steady beneath his fingertips. “I know we still have a lot to deal with, but...right now? I couldn’t care less. I’m just...I’m so happy.”

Grinning, Apollo shuffled closer, kissing him chastely. They exchanged slow, meandering kisses for a few minutes, fingers lightly pressed into each other’s sides, legs loosely tangled together. “...dork.”

“Your response is supposed to be ‘I love you, too’, liebe,” Klavier hinted, eliciting a delighted laugh from Apollo’s mouth. “But seriously, I mean it. I really do feel...free.”

“Good,” Apollo said affectionately, cupping Klavier’s face with both hands. “Look, I - I know all that stuff you’re feeling isn’t gonna magically go away, just like that, but...if you still need to hear it…” He then turned his head, his lips brushing against Klavier’s ear. “...it wasn’t your fault. It was his, all his. And people legitimately care about you for reasons that have nothing to do with him or your fame or their own motives. So try not to let anyone make you think otherwise, okay?” Klavier shivered. “And I love you, too. Dork.”

“Ach,” Klavier said, sniffling. “You’re going to make me cry again, baby. How dare you call me a dork.” Apollo burst into laughter once more, burying his face in the crook of Klavier’s neck with a satisfied hum. They went quiet for a little while longer, simply holding each other and enjoying the stillness of the night. “I do have...one last little worry, though.”

“Yeah?” Apollo ran his thumb across Klavier’s cheek. “What is it?”

“I...part of me is worried, that…” Klavier paused, taking a moment to choose his words carefully. “After everything we’ve been through...do you really think this is going to work? Or do you think that we just hope that it will?”

“No use in pretending like we know for sure,” Apollo said honestly. “There’s a million things that could go wrong, y’know? We could get into a really bad argument, we could have problems separating work from our personal lives - hell, we might be better off as friends…”

“Ever the optimist, aren’t you?” Klavier teased.

“Oh, hush.” Apollo kissed Klavier to silence him. The two of them became momentarily distracted, wrapped up in each other’s embrace once more. Klavier wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to let Apollo go in the morning, not when they’d both waited this long. “All I’m saying is, as long as we try, then…” Apollo’s kiss-bitten lips then stretched into a fond grin. “...I think we’re gonna do just fine.”

_____

a/n: Welcome to my seventh and final entry for Klapollo Week 2021! Continuity-wise, this is the third of seven fics, but again, there is no need to read the others to follow each fic on its own. However, this fic is best read after day five's, meet me halfway (across the sky), so I would recommend reading that one to fully understand the first half of this fic!

Y'all, I can't believe it's finally over! I feel like I've been working on these fics for ages (and I've fallen behind on others; we'll see if I end up getting two fics out in July like I originally planned), especially this one and day five's. Thank you to the lovelies who organized Klapollo Week, this was super fun to do! I got a little overambitious for sure, but I liked how they turned out. In doing this, I definitely learned that short(er) fics aren't really my thing; I had a good time writing them, but I'm not a concise writer, so I struggled with getting a good balance of plot and details for the fics that were under six thousand words. In fact, I low-key wanna write fuller versions of all of them 😅

If you missed any of the other days, I would love it if you checked them out! My personal favorites are the odd-numbered days, also known as the ones with angst. I'm thinking that sometime next year, I'll write a super long version of meet me halfway (across the sky) where Klavier eventually gets to be with Apollo in Khura'in. Knowing me, that thing will be a monster of fifty-thousand-word proportions. In the meantime, if you're interested in finding out what I'll be posting next, you can filter my fanfiction masterpost by "coming soon"!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Likes and reblogs would be much appreciated. Hoping you’re all safe and healthy and doing well ❤️

#KlapolloWeek2021 #klapollo #kyodoroki #klapollo fic #ace attorney #ace attorney fic #myfic #long post #y'all i'm so pleased with how this one turned out #thank you to everyone who read and commented and shared!!#my ao3 inbox is wild and i will be tackling that sometime this coming week

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cherrysweather · 3 years

Text

Feather Necklace

Simon Blackquill x F!Reader TW: Character death, sad & angry Simon, sad Taka, bad writing 10.825 words total (Of pure trash) ^-- (I think)

It should be sad, but it really isn't; I'm sorry :( (This is the "remake" of my first work "As long as I live")

(I won't link it because it deserves to be forgotten completely)

Enjoy some Blackquill content people <3

“Ok so, are we ready for this?”

“As much as I want to say that I’m ready, I’m not” the woman laughed softly, approaching her friend that was screwing around with the controls of the program

“Weren’t you the one that was waiting for this experiment most?”

“Indeed, but if you’re the one who’s guiding it, I’m afraid that the chances of exploding with the whole laboratory are slightly increased, Aura”

“EXCUSE ME. You’re rude, don’t start behaving like that weeb of your husband” she huffed and almost threw something at her friend

“Remember that he’s also your brother” she laughed and approached the eldest of the two Blackquill siblings with her chair

“Of course, BUT, unlike you, I didn’t choose to spend all my life with him, so you’re the one who got yourself into that mess of a person” she tried to sound as cold as possible, as if to scold her

“Stop it, I’ll get cavities from all this love” she huffed, smiling to herself and looking at Aura from the corner of her eyes not to miss her reaction

“Can you- shut up and think about the experiment!” Aura hit her on the arm as strongly as she could to make her turn and hide the blush that was building on her cheeks “You should be the one guiding it! I don’t even work here anymore!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him” she laughed, trying to stop Aura’s hand from hitting her, adjusting herself on the chair “Now come on, or that directo on two wheels will come to be a pain in the ass”

“You’ll think about him, it’s just your director now” Aura sighed before turning back to the screen and controls before her. She checked everything one last time before giving the ok and starting the engines of a prototype rocket, the same that was in the actual rocket that the center will send to the moon next.

“It seems that nothing has exploded”

“Yet” Aura finished her friend’s phrase, both writing what it seemed and not seemed weird, out of place or completely wrong “If it doesn’t explode by itself I’ll set it on fire” she laughed, throwing herself back against the chair, crossing her hands behind her head and enjoying the show.

“Maybe it is better that you don’t work here anymore, arsonist”

“Hey! Since I came here for the first time I always wanted to set something important on fire” she argued way too seriously

“If you want to do that... I’ll watch from the outside” the other woman gradually lowered her voice to avoid inciting her friend

“So you want to see it too!” she started laughing like a proud child, proud of the trouble she had just caused. Their arguing was interrupted by a sudden roaring sound followed by a slight tremor of the ground

“... I think the engines committed suicide on their own” the not arsonist of the two tried to remain serious, but seeing the look on Aura’s face, cheeks full of air to hold back the laughter, she too burst out laughing, dragging Aura with her. “We should warn the other downstairs, maybe something saved itself?” she slowly got up the chair, stapling the paper where she wrote what went wrong

“Actually, Ms. Blackquill junior, you should warn who has to tidy up everything but” she stopped to point at the clock behind her “You also need to go home; the center will close in two hours but your shift is already over. You should stop working this much, at least these last months before that screaming being is born" she sighed, pointing her friend's belly

“I’m fine this way, if I work until late then I come home destroyed and Simon won’t have to listen to me so much before I collapse” she smiled at her, walking out of the laboratory to find who was watching downstairs and hand them the documents that she and Aura had compiled. Outside, the sun was setting and the woods around the building were starting to look quieter like every day around this moment of the day.

“I think he’s waiting somewhere” Aura pointed outside the window the sky and only after some seconds she understood, seeing the large wings and the tiny bandana around Taka’s neck

“Probably he finished work early”

“Unlike SOMEONE” Aura threw her elbow at her friend’s arm

“He's probably preparing to lecture me about my working hours too, you don't need to put yourself in the middle of it too” she slapped Aura’s arm, looking her badly before breaking in a small smile, not being able to get mad at her. That small smile remained on her face as she followed the raptor around the sky with her eyes, almost slipping down the stairs that, to look at the hawk, she had not noticed.

“I see an idiot at 12 o'clock” Aura raised both her voice and arm when she recognized that bichrome pillar that was his brother "Want me to give those documents? He seems already pissed and I don't want to talk to him in that state" Aura whispered to her friend's ear, trying not to laugh right against it

"If you want to give them in my place, I need to sign them" she hit Aura's forehead with hers, taking a pen from a desk after raising her hand to greet Simon too, smiling at him

"Come on then, sign them" Aura clapped her hands lightly to spur her friend to hurry up

"Turn around" she waited for Aura to turn on her own, having to turn her around on her own, since she remained frozen with a confused look on the face. She used Aura's back as a surface to sign the papers, trying not to push her "Here, you can deliver the documents now" she waiter for Aura to take the documents from her hand with that smile she knew pissed her off from how innocent it looked

"I felt like an object. For the first time in my entire life" she took the documents and didn't even give a second goodbye to her friend before leaving, passing near her brother to hit him, for fun, as a greeting.

Following shortly after, the newest member of their family approached Simon, making space in his folded arm to rest her head on his chest, hugging him. "Good evening handsome, bad day at work?" she looked up at him, her chin pressed against his chest and her fingers playing with the tips of his hair falling off his shoulders He hinted a smile, looking down at her too

"Right now I'm feeling a bit better" he passed a hand over her hair before stopping it and placing his wide palm against her cheek, slowly moving his thumb against it

She closed her eyes in those brief moment in which he moved his thumb on her face "I saw Taka flying around in the woods, since when you leave him so free?"

"If it's around here, I feel enough confident to leave him free" he felt something pinch his chest when he looked at her relaxed face, but before she could question his presumably dark expression, he was already dragging her out the center, holding one of her hands in a grip you could call deadly, but it was kind enough not to hurt her, as if she was about to disappear right in front of his eyes.

"Taka bit me again, he really doesn't like me" the girl giggled softly, passing a hand where the hawk bit her, noticing the red skin

"He just needs time to adjust to your presence, hawks work this way" Simon looked up from the documents he was working on, approaching her "Don't worry, he'll understand too how gentle and caring you are" he moved a lock of her hair behind her ear before gently looking where his pet bit her

"Not that he has to, I understand that you two have been together for years and now there's an intruder in your territory" she tried to hide the demonstration of the warmth she felt on her cheeks by moving her head a lot while talking, making Simon smile

"Come with me, some cold water and a skin cream should prevent a scar or a blood crust" he took her hand in his, bringing her to the bathroom nearby "And don't worry, he will hear me"

Luckily it all changed; the bird that before liked to bit her, was now the one that always found a cozy nest on her lap and allowed her to play with his feathers. One thing she always brings with her is, actually, a necklace that Simon gifted her years ago, of which the pendant is made of some feathers that Taka had lost; the small size and the ruined look, as much as she has always looked after them, marked the age of that object that Simon, for some years now, kept asking her to eliminate, embarrassed by his past gesture but also because he wanted to see a new one around her neck.

"You worked until now, would you be interested in a break? With me?" as soon as Simon tried to sit and finish reviewing some documents, she was already there, trying to stop him from exhausting himself like every other day "With some food? I've also bought a bottle of sake last ti-"

"You can't drink alcohol" he cut her off abruptly, looking towards where she was leaning against the door of his studio

"In fact, I bought it for you" she huffed, and looked at him back, starting a staring contest "Don't make me do it the hard way" she kept looking his eyes, completely entering the studio

"Hard way? You? And what would you do exactly?" he smirked and slowly lowered his head, looking back at his documents.

She waited some seconds before shaking her head and approach him "You wanted it" she pushed his chair away from the desk, moving him slowly because of her low strength compared to his weight; she tried to open his arms but he fought back, doing his best to keep them closed before giving up to please her, watching what she had in mind. She looked at him, searching for a comfortable position and how to achieve it, standing beside his legs before sitting on his lap; sitting in a really gentle way.

"Oh- Oh heck. You're not so light anymore you know" he caught his breath again before hugging her waist with both his arms, softly smiling at her and using her shoulder as a support for his chin

"E-EXCUSE YOU" she hit him in the hardest way she could on his arm "You're telling me I'm fat?! You-"

"Can I- Can I talk?!" he laughed, taking her hands in his to stop her hits "You're the same, it's this, thing, that gives you more weight" he pointed her belly

"Oh right, that thing that appears to be your daughter" she looked at her with an offended look, following his hand with the eyes as it moved

"Our, you're the one who's baking her" he slowly passed his hand on her abdomen, searching for some movement before being surprised by her laughs

"I'm baking her? I like it!" she gently hit his jaw with her shoulder "She's a little bread loaf" she poked Simon's hand that was on her stomach before trying to cover it with her own

"An unusually calm bread loaf" he laid his head on her chest, moving his hand in small moves to better feel the almost unnoticeable pushes the tiny being inside her was giving to the belly

"Yeah, she's pretty calm these days" a chuckle escaped her lips

"Certainly not like her mother" he dodged the hit she intended for his head, resting his back flat against his chair to create stillness before breaking it, taking her in his arms and going to the living room, placing her gently on the couch, not without her complaints "You wanted a break? I hope you're happy now" he took off his coat and jacket, checking the food for Taka and placing it near his branch to allow him to eat

"I'll be happy when you eat something, as if I don't know you enough to know that you don't even watch food since this morning" she slowly got up from the couch again, heading to the kitchen "So, my dear, we have: some cooked white rice, fruit, lots of fruit, there are also some leftovers of Athena's biscuits. What do you want?" she set the table with a bit of everything, taking also the sake she promised him

"You should also eat more and stop thinking only about me when you hav-"

"Oh myy, stop lecturing me" she cut him off, stopping in time his lecture at birth "I just try to compensate for your bad habits" she handed him some rice when he sat down, smiling at him to diffuse the tension between them

"... You should learn to take care of yourself first, before thinking about other people" he ate something to keep his calm before looking up again, slowly breathing and placing down his plate

"Listen, you have been insisting on this thing for days now; care to explain what do you want to say? It's bad that I care for your health knowing that it wasn't your priority for seven years?"

"It's also been four years now since I came back or am I wrong? This care of yours for others becomes bad when you prefer to ignore your health, hoping that somehow your body will heal by itself"

"What are y-"

"And don't start treating me like an idiot, I saw the medical reports you kept preciously hidden; hidden to whom you promised to say everything long ago, I don't know if you even remember" his look on her was reproachful but he didn't have the courage, the mental strength to inflict on her the frustration that had accumulated in him in those days, the fear, the pain, the sadness he refused to show "When were you going to tell me? A stone’s throw from the grave? When you’d collapse to death and I’d have to drag you to the hospital without having any idea what was going on with you?"

She fell into total silence, her eyes refused to look anywhere but the floor, her brain was processing everything that was going on and searched for words that weren't "Sorry" "Simon, please listen" she fell silent, expecting to be interrupted by Simon, but he remained silent, watching her and waiting for her to find the right words to express herself.

That. That look of horror in Simon's eyes was what punched her right in the chest, forcing her to rest her back against the chair for some seconds to feel something supporting her to not panic completely "I- I don't know why I didn't tell you, I didn't want to bother you to-" she fought to keep inside the sobs that cut her words. She got up, searching some water to regain her composure before her chest was pressed against Simon's, her arm held by the grip of one of his hand, took right before she could go and greet the floor

"Stay still, you're trembling" he kept her near his chest, feeling her breath heave more and more every second

"I was scared..."

Without looking at her, he gently pushed her until her back rested against the wall, his arm hugged her body, his hand kept her head against his chest, his face hidden in her hair.

She placed her hands on his chest, placing her ear where his heart was, finding comfort in his heartbeat "S-Simon, I'm sorry" she kept trembling, and slowly a pool of tears collected on his shirt

"Calm down, remain there, it's warm" he could feel it too, her tears warmed her face, his chest, her fingers, her hair, but inside they were both freezing, a deathly cold that easily annihilated each word they were trying to speak.

She searched protection in his neck, breathing his scent and trying to calm down, murmuring sorry after sorry, feeling the guilt hit her head.

From how hard he clenched his fists, his nails almost seemed to pierce the skin of his palm, his knuckles bone-white from how much he was keeping inside everything to be her rock and shelter in that crucial moment. He then slowly moved his hand, hiding more his face in her hair when again, his skin felt the warmth of her belly; she ended up crying even more, moving her hands on his back to have a better grip on him and not allowing him to disappear

"Simon.." she fearfully looked up at him, but his face was well hidden between her long locks of hair, as he permitted himself to shed one single tear

"I'm here, you're not alone in this" he talked just above her ear to make sure she was the only one hearing

The hold they had on each other recounted many stories, all the stories that in seven years they could not tell each other.

The thin then thick layer of sweat that covered both their bodies, their heavy breaths, the burning yet pleasant feeling on his back, the ache in her wrists that made her feel at home, protected, with him at her side.

"You're not going anywhere anymore, for a looong time" she slowed said, quietly chuckling and caressing Simon's nape with her fingers, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, enjoying every single movement of Simon's hands on her body.

He hid his nose in the crook of her neck, bathing his senses in the perfume he missed so much but was too reluctant to admit, too caught up with that feeling -too nostalgic for him- of her fingers slowly untangling the knots in his hair, now much longer than she remembers it. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither will you" he surrounded her waist with his arm, improvising a probable wrestling move to reverse them and find himself on top of her, resting on her chest and playing with that old necklace she still wore

"You could've avoided that" she laughed with the little breath that Simon's graceful fall on her had left her, taking advantage of their new position to frame his face with her hands, slowly passing her thumbs on the dark signs under his eyes, smiling as his face relaxed under her touch.

He took her almost threat literally when not even two full years later, he gave Taka the tiny box containing the ring she still wore, the two of them framed in the pink of the cherry blossoms, his face full of uneasiness and pure panic, properly hidden under his poker face. His ways of doing so clumsy about anything involved exposing his feelings was one of the things that won her over in the first place that distant day when he asked her out for the first time; seeing them again that day was everything she could ask.

She continued to flip page after page, following sometimes the rhythm of the slow songs that the old stereo played, stopping sometimes to better look at those pictures that caught her eye, mostly the ones where there was a little Simon. She looked away for more than a second after at least half an hour when she felt her shirt being pulled from underneath, resting her gaze on that little head full of raven hair that emerged from the small shelter she had made with what was one of Simon's haori "Not hungry anymore?" she passed her finger on her round cheeks, taking her wail as an answer and moving her away from her chest. She made her daughter comfortable on her lap and brought back the photo album to her "You've become so much bigger, I don't know where to put you anymore" she chuckled touching the baby's nose as she tried to mutter "here", patting her mother's knees "Look, in this photo daddy was around your age, he was such a handsome boy was he?" she knew that her daughter was understanding, but just couldn't answer properly, so she just kept talking to her, telling her some stories that her aunt told her about her dad when he was little. At some point, her daughter stole the album from her hands to see the pictures in herself; she took the opportunity to rearrange her clothes, checking how the skin of her lower abdomen was doing, bad of course...

Her mind was brought back to reality when a tiny hand touched the scar on her stomach "Hm? What? You got out of there you know" she tickled that tiny hand with her fingers, sitting back next to her when she tried to run from the tease. She combed her hair with her hand, each time with more and more pressure until the little one fell again with her head on her lap "Today you were bad at mom's work, anything to say in your defense?" but all the baby could do was yawning and try to move her hand away from her head, something that made the older woman smile, leaving her daughter alone to let her rest.

The newfound peace was once again disturbed when a certain noisy hawk entered the door "I'm home" that serious voice preceded the sound of Simon's footsteps headed for the living room

"Yeah, could've guessed that" she laughed quietly, pulling her head back against the couch to look at him

"How are you feeling?" he reached down to kiss her forehead before giving attention to her lips too.

She captured his neck with her arms before he could walk away "Beside the constant stomach cramps and some dizziness, I'm healthy as a fish" she smiled, taking some of his hair in her hands and giving small kisses around his lips

"If you put on your IV once in a while, maybe you’d feel even better" he scolded her sighing, trying to detach her arms from around his neck

"If I have to stay with her, I prefer not to put it" she placed a hand on her daughter's head, keeping her eyes on his "And besides, it's cumbersome and useless at this point" she titled her head, looking away from him, feeling on her skin the cold and serious look he was giving her

"Don't even say it as a joke" he sighed, freeing himself from her arm before walking away.

She remained silent, looking at the cloudy sky of that evening for some seconds before slowly sliding away from under the sleeping form of her daughter "Not joking" she whispered to herself before reaching, staggering a little, her husband "Aura came to check on us this afternoon and brought me some albums with photos of when you two were younger" she smiled softly, helping him to take off his coat and jacket, placing them on the table chair. The only answer she received from him was his embarrassed face and his tries to hide it in all its redness "Don't worry, your daughter too agrees on the fact that you were handsome even when you were the one wearing the diaper" she placed her hands on his tie, bursting out laughing as their eyes met "Don't give me that look! You were such an handsome baby! Your eyes were as sharp as now and I love that" she kissed the tip of his nose as she removed his tie from his neck

"If those albums fall in my hands, they're gone. I'm telling you" he huffed, unbuttoning the first buttons of his shirt to let that feeling of warmth in his face dissipate

"Don't you dare! I want to do a whole family photo album, so I need those too" she hugged again his neck, hanging with a little extra weight when her legs suddenly gave up "So when she grows up, she'll have some physical memories too" she said, pointing to the sofa with her head

"These ideas only come to you" he held her on her feet, keeping her chest against his and resting his cheek on top of her head

"But you can't say they're bad" she giggled, slipping a hand into his shirt and unbuttoning another of its buttons

"You want to undress me?" he stared her hand, passing a pair of fingers on it.

She smiled foolishly, rubbing her face on his chest to hide the warmness that she felt before she, too, began to stare at her own hand "It wouldn't be a bad show" she tightened the grip that she had on his neck, making him lower again a little towards her

"You're acting like you've never seen me naked" he sighed, smiling softly to her dumbness before hitting her forehead with his fingers.

She looked at him badly, making an offended face before hiding in the folds of his shirts. She pushed his neck further towards her until he had to step forward to avoid falling, ending up dragging him to the center of the living room "Do you remember when we used to dance here? When you came back to work at a decent time?"

"When you dragged me against my will to try clumsy steps with background music you would say; I remember that"

"That's the same thing for my ears" she punched him and just stayed where she was, breathing slowly to calm the pain she was feeling in her stomach. She looked up again when she felt his arms tighten around her, intent on moving her slowly in a rocking movement

"Can you move or does it hurts too much?" he took the hand that was on his neck in his, keeping the other on her lower back.

She laughed quietly, squeezing his hand and standing well "First you say that you don't like dancing-"

"Let's do it while you can" he smiled and moved her, following the music that kept going from before

"Such a tsundere" she came even closer to him, keeping his hand tightly in hers.

"If I had known that having a typical Japanese wedding would have led to having to wear ten layers of kimono, I probably would have said no when you asked" she fixed her obi one more time, checking if her hair was in place

"But you indeed looked good all in white" he helped her tighten the obi, keeping staring at her "Even if you still have that old and overused thing that ruins your dr-"

"You on the other hand, haven't changed your pallette even today" she cut him nonchalantly and looked at him, fixing his haori, touching with her fingers the two tiny crests of his family embroidered on it

"That's a fundamental trait of my character" he took her by the arm and walked where the guests were

"Then the fact that you got your hair done today is totally out of your character" she played with the braid full of flowers that fell on his back, sticking to his arm "But it suits you a lot" she smiled satisfied when she saw red tips building in his cheeks

"Maybe, but all these flowers make it too fancy for my liking" he tried to sidetrack the conversation, looking away from hers so as not to let her enjoy his shyness.

She stopped insisting, keeping tight his hand in hers as they walked again where all the others were "Well, I must say that if I have to find one positive thing in all of this, seeing Aura in a kimono is probably the best thing I could ever ask in my life" she whispered to him when her eyes met the almost completely drunk figure of Aura dressed in a colorful kimono

"Yeah, sorry for that" Simon sighed and covered his eyes with his hand

"Come on! She's trying to avoid thinking that her beloved little brother is leaving her for another woman" she nudged him and looked at him with an annoying smirk

"Don't make it worse please" he walked with her out on the balcony, looking at the sky before whistling and pull out an arm, waiting for a pair of delicate claws to clasp his wrist "You're the only that understand me" he scratched Taka's neck, smiling softly when the smaller hand of his wife tried to pet him too "You're too short"

"No! You're the one who's too tall! And you might as well put your arm down you know!" she tried to pull it down, failing miserably

"Maybe it's finally time to change that thing around your neck" he noticed, pointing to the necklace that, even today, she kept wearing "Na-ah, I will only change it when it becomes dust on my hands" she used his moment of distraction to pat too Taka's soft feathers, watching again that simple-looking but full of meaning ring on her finger.

Still today, after nearly two full years, that ring continued to adorn her finger; she hid more and more in his shirt until she placed her ear precisely over his heart, listening carefully to each of its beats

"You okay?" he passed a hand on her face, bringing his face close to her to place a brief kiss on her head

"What was the name of the colored coat I wore for our wedding?" she tried to remember all the times Simon told her, but couldn't remember

"Uchikake" he said it slowly, so that she could understand it "Why you ask?"

"I was thinking that it was really beautiful. I should still have it somewhere in the closet" she closed her eyes, hoping that thinking about those memories, would send her back and live them again

"If you want, one day we could dress as we were that day, just to relive the emotion" he some of her hair locks, playing with them

"One day?" she slowly looked up at him, but it only quickened the climb of her tears to the eyes "You know, if I hadn’t tried to get closer to you after those seven years, when you got out of prison, we probably wouldn’t be here at this point; if I had been away I would have avoided that you suffered again" she squeezed his shirt in her hand, sighing loudly to mask the returning feeling of tears. Last year was the first and last time she cried for herself, knowing she had no right to be sad when she knew she was leaving Simon all alone, again.

"If you hadn’t come back, I would have come, I wouldn’t have left you so easily" he hit her head and placed his palm on her eyes, pushing her head downwards "If you hadn’t come back to catching me, yeah, we probably wouldn’t be here right now, but now there wouldn’t even be that evil thing" he took off his hand from her face to let her see where he was pointing

"Can you please stop calling her a thing?!" she took his hands off her, backing away and wiping the wetness around her eyes with her arm

"You're the only one who takes it so badly" he remained near her, seeing her legs more unstable than normal

"You know, for your information, your daughter is a person too" she gave him a killer look, ready to throw anything at him

"In my eyes, as of now, she's a round being who does nothing but eat, sleep and cry all day" he smiled at his own words as he strived to remain serious as he spoke "And other things that are not very nice anyway" he dodged the bottle she threw at him, trying to catch it before it fell; trying.

The sound of the plastic that crashed on the ground was followed shortly after by some incomprehensible complaints "It's your fault, just so you know" he stopped her and threw her like a sack on a chair before going towards the couch and search that little being that who could make such loud sounds "Are we done here?" he took her from the legs, tickling her to not let her cry too much

"Come here, hurry" she waited already with her arms wide open "Have you heard what this evil bichrome man said? Mh? What is daddy saying about you?" she took her in her arms and hid her in her neck cavity "Can you stop saying these things?" she pouted at him while calming the baby

"These are just pieces of evidence of my incapacity as a father" he sighed and looked back at her, keeping his impassive face

"Oh really? In my eyes these actions only show that you're good at this, you know how to joke with her" she gave him a proud smile to let him understand she was sincere

"And you see this as a posit-"

"Look! The more I look at her the more I realize that she might not have taken anything from my genes" she interrupted his words, standing up in front of him and showing the baby's face to him "Her eyes are exactly like yours; sharp, grey and absolutely beautiful; her hair is black, but she has some shades of Aura's purple in it and being pale is a family thing, I guess" she tilted her head to see Simon's face as she talked, smiling softly at him

"Maybe she’ll have something of yours growing, something about your personality or she'll change her features during growth" he poked the round cheeks he had in front of him

"I hope for you both no, you want another liar in your family?" she laughed confused, passing a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't answer but just sighed, taking her arm and moving onto the couch "You're not on your feet anymore, come and sit" he sat her comfortably on him and hugged her tightly, hiding his nose in her locks, now much shorter than last year but still welcoming.

She quietly beat her foot to the beat of the music, looking around the large hall full of people, looking for familiar faces

"Why you're here all alone? You could at least sit somewhere" the familiar raven-haired boy approached her with a simple glass of something in his hands

"I'm still new here, so I'd rather stay alone for now" she smiled turning towards the young prosecutor "What about you? You're not with your sister?" she looked around her to see that extravagant hairstyle that she always has

"She's talking to Cykes-dono, so I left them alone" he slowly sipped his drink "You want to take something to drink too?" he pointed with his glass towards the table full of every kind of drinks

"I'll pass, for now I would like to stay sober” she sharpened her ears to the music, finally hearing something danceable

“Instead, would you like to dance?” she came closer to him and grabbed his jacket

“No? I don’t know how to dance at all” he laughed uncomfortably, trying to stop her hand from dragging him

“Me neither, we just go there and have some fun” she poked him with her shoulder to convince him

“Pleeease” she took his glass from his hands and hid it behind her back

“Just this one” she didn’t even wait for his answer before dragging him towards the empty space in the middle of the hall, placing his glass on the first table in her way, letting some hair get in front of her face to hide her blush before turning to him again, smiling softly.

The face he held for all the time they danced brought a smile and a quiet giggle to the woman’s mouth

“What are you laughing about?” Simon, took her hair away from her face, looking down at her

“Nothing nothing, I was just rethinking of some memories, and I remembered the first time we danced together; do you remember?” she placed her head on his shoulder, trying to keep her look upwards

“That time when you nearly fell on your own feet to keep me dancing? Yeah, I remember” he laughed too to the memory, moving his hand under her chin to keep her face

“Remember me more, anything it comes to your mind”

“But you already know my whole life by heart, you were there for the most” her eyes closed for some seconds, letting her relax in his hold

“…Who’s gonna tell me, then?” his fingers closed more around her face, looking at every single of her features with the saddest eyes he ever had in his life

She forced her eyes to open again to look at him, hugging his wrist with her slim, white and freezing fingers, a touch that gave him all the comfort he needed

“Hurry up or the stars will fall without you” she huffed, trying not to raise her voice too much

“Sorry sorry” Simon huffed too, climbing the last steps of the staircase to the outdoor terrace

“The sky is pure black tonight” she was already looking through her telescope, searching for even one shooting star

“Nothing?” he stretched his body and rubbed his eyes, ready to fall asleep at any moment

“Not yet” she checked her clock, before quickly returning to look at the sky

“If my calculations are right, ten minutes maximum and the first ones should start to appear”

“Repeat again why these stars are so interesting?” he shook his head from exhaustion and leaned his back against the wall

“Because! Today they should be of many different colors instead of always white!” she hit him, falsely offended by his disinterest, pointing towards the sky once again out of nowhere.

Her memory listed all the constellations she could recognize from what little she saw

“See? You’re good at remembering all the laws, the details of a case, the lessons of Dr. Cykes, and I’m good at remembering the constellations” she laughed at herself before looking at him, catching right behind him a reddish shooting star

“THERE!” her voice came out before she could control the volume, covering her mouth with both hands right after that

“There’s another and another one there” Simon tried not to laugh at her unwanted scream and just looked at the stars that fell in front of his eyes

“What do people say about shooting stars?” his back pulled away from the wall and approached her, tilting his head

“It’s said that a wish you express under a shooting star comes true and other things that date back to the era of Christ and-“

His hand took hers, stopping her words while he still looked at the now colorful sky

“How likely is the wish to come true?”

“I-It’s just a stupid belief, don’t tell me you believe it please” she shook her head and looked too at the sky

“Let’s see right now if I’ll start to believe in it” he pulled her towards him from the hands, waiting for her to turn her head his way before approaching her lips with his, giving her some seconds to pull away but finalizing his intention when she did not move, savoring every little feeling the sensation of her soft lips on his gave him.

As soon as the connection broke, he turned his face sideways to hide the tremendous blush on all his face

“Maybe I could give the stars a try for my next trials”.

“Of all the things, that’s what you had to remember?” he giggled slowly, rubbing his blushed cheek against the crown of her head

“That was probably the cutest thing you ever did” she touched his uncovered cheek, warming her hand thanks to Simon’s warmth

“Most embarrassing, you meant” he cocked a smile when he felt her elbow hit, try to hit, his ribs

“You don’t even realize how romantic you can be” she raised her hand and showed him the silver around her ring finger

“I think you don’t remember well enough”

“Just some more steps, trust me and don’t open your eyes”

“Not that I have a choice by now” she kept her hand on Simon’s to better understand where he was leading her.

All she could feel was the damp grass under her feet, the sweet spring breeze against her ankles, uncovered by the thin fabric of her yukata.

She could hear the distant beating of Taka’s wings as he flew around them; if she tried to open her eyes, they were greeted by the black of Simon’s palms.

All she could do was following his footsteps behind her.

“Ok, when you want to, you can open your eyes” he slowly took his hands off her face in case she had already opened them.

She peeked from one eye to see where they were before looking better with both of her eyes.

In front of her was probably the tallest cherry tree she has ever seen, full of tiny, pink flowers both on the branches and between the thin blades of grass that took a more orange hue thanks to the light of the sunset; nestled between two external roots was a colorful cloth that prevented a basket from being in contact with the wet of the grass.

She turned towards him with a surprised smile, placing her hands against his arms to hold on to something as she came near his face with hers

“Thank you, this is sweet” she murmured against his cheek, sliding her hand all the way from his arm to his nape to hug him.

He hugged her back for a few seconds, before using his arms around her to pick her up and carry her where they were awaited; he knew perfectly that they weren’t going to move anywhere soon if he waited for her to move first.

He could feel her mouth against his skin, kissing it softly, curving in excited and grateful smiles, brushing against the skin under his ear.

He almost threw her to the ground when they arrived, quickly passing his hand wherever he could still feel her passage as if it annoyed him before sitting next to her, huffing.

“So? You have something important to tell me?” she pressed her arm against his, looking at his impassible face as he took something out of the basket, offering it to her

“I may have brought you here just to see the cherry blossoms” he shrugged her off his arm, looking at her to enjoy both her pout and the contrasting happy eyes as she ate what he gave her

“As if I don’t know you, Blackquill” she tried to mimic his face, failing in seriousness because of her full mouth

“Don’t, call me that” he hit her elbow to make her food fall, sighing quietly as she tried to pick it up.

They just remained there, enjoying their presence in that ordinary silence that spoke more of hundreds of words.

Simon was never good with socializing, vocalizing his emotions; the only time he considered himself good with words was when he’s working, in a courtroom or an interrogation room.

She had to get used to his being, trying to help him improve, but when his emotions were too strong, he just closes himself.

He closes all the doors to his heart locked, with chains and locks by any external intruder –an art he learned and mastered in not even seven years of his life- .

“Am I pregnant and I still don’t know about it?” she tilted his head, approaching her face to his with a confused look that covered her true one, worried, as she tried to throw down those doors even now.

He nearly choked on his food at her words, looking even more confused than her

“How do I know if you don’t even know first?”

“Then do you want to tell me what’s wrong? At least before the sun goes down?” she gently brushed her finger against his nose, smiling at him to try to make him laugh

“Nothing serious, really. I-I just need to understand how to phrase it” he took her wrist and slowly moved her hand from his face

“Sooo, it is serious if it’s giving you problems” she giggled as she took something else from the basket

“Do you think Taka will enjoy something too?” she stood up and walked into a much-opened space, looking at the sky to see where Taka was

“Wait-” he tried to stop her before she stood, still managing to make her turn by calling her

“What? I took a piece of meat without too much flavoring; he can eat this” she warned before he could start with his usual lecture

“No, that’s not it” he sat up straighter, placing his hand on his knee as if to get up.

In his mind hundreds and hundreds of thought ran back and forth, his brain was trying his best not to melt, until he fell back, letting her call Taka

“Be careful when he catches your arm” he rested his back against the tree, gripping tightly his sleeve to relieve tension, to prepare himself

“Don’t pierce my arm pleease” as soon as Taka rested on her arm, she patted his head before giving him the piece of meat she took earlier

“Hey prosecutor man, when were you going to show me this new bandana?” her fingers touched the soft material of it, passing one of them slowly into the space between the feathery neck and the fabric

“You’re even more handsome than before; this color suits you” she scratched his feathers, giggling softly as he brushed his face against her hand.

She already started to walk back towards Simon when she noticed something dangling from Taka’s bandana

“You also gave him a pendant? Can I see it?” she shifted her eyes from Simon to Taka as she asked one question, then the other, taking the little box-like pendant tied to Taka’s bandana between her fingers.

She focused to untie the knot that probably Simon did, then moving the hawk on her shoulder to better observe it

“Don’t worry, I’ll give it right back” she gently hit his beak with her nail to have his attention

“What is it, Simon? Can I open it?” she opened the second after she asked, not even waiting for an answer that probably would never have arrived.

It was simple, shiny like a freshly cleaned panel of glass. On the surface, a lot of details framed a tiny, clear gem placed in opposition to the engraving of Simon’s family crest that he always wore, one way or another.

She reluctantly lifted her eyes from the ring, scared that it would disappear in front of her, to look at Simon who was still sitting on the ground, but had looked up to offer her one of those barely hinted smiles that were full of all kinds of emotions, those unconstrained smiles that she loved so much seeing.

“So?” her voice cracked, slipping out of her control, having the need to understand what he meant with this gesture

“ “So?” What? As if I gift you these things daily” he used all his energy to hide how much he was enjoying her expressions

She threw herself on him, pressing on purpose her knee against his stomach

“Instead of killing me, can I speak?” he tried to laugh with the limited air that she left him

“Will you marry me? Will you tolerate me as long as your lungs take air?” he spoke against her hair, taking the box from her hand, gently spreading her fingers to take it

“I’ve been tolerating you for years now” she composed herself before looking up, smiling when she felt his hand take hers

“Yes- Yes, I’ll gladly do that” she tried not to cry openly as the metal slowly brushed against the skin of her ring finger

“I hope you realize the trouble you’re getting yourself into” he tapped his shoulder, gesturing Taka to climb it, to involve him

“You should have warned me a decade ago” she squinted and gripped Simon’s hand as strong as possible, letting the tears that were hidden in her eyes fall

“You have a point, but if I did I wouldn't have had any benefit out of it” he hugged her head with his chin, pushing it towards his chest.

His rough thumb slowly stroked her now decorated hand; she emitted heat from every pore, the adrenaline still ran in her body and that made her hand a bit sweaty, but warm to the right.

They were in the same positions now; his chin on her head, her hand wrapped in his fingers, Taka on the couch’s backrest.

The feelings were what changed; her hand, ice, her breath, slow and irregular, his cheek, cold from the now dried tears, both their hearts, heavy and facing everything but reality.

Only her lap remained warm, short raven hair spread all over it and tiny hands that tried to grab the two adults’ shirts to sit up.

“You two should go to sleep now, we can continue tomorrow, maybe before I go to work” he forced his lips to form a smile as he looked at her, noting her eyes full of exhaustion

“I could sleep for a while, yes” she got off him, clinging to his shoulders to make up for her lack of strength “And you could change your clothes, I feel uncomfortable just by looking at you” she looked at him, not even trying to hide her smile

“Easy to talk with Simon’s shirt on huh?” he took the hand-sized girl out of the two in his arms before forcing the oldest on his shoulder, bringing both of them to their bedroom

“It certainly is more comfortable than your work shirts” she tapped her hand against his back, trying to free herself, and she was indeed satisfied when he dropped her like a sack of potatoes on the mattress “Do you always treat corpses like this?” she rolled until her face smeared on Simon’s pillow

“Most of the time even worse than this” he used his daughter’s hand to hit her head, pushing it towards the pillow by making the little one lay on it

“Not breathing-“ she tried to grab her daughter to move her before freeing her face, making the baby laugh with her annoyed snort

“You’re just like your father,-”

“If you’re a corpse, you’re not supposed to breath” he looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he was already undressing

“Then just the time you change and I’m back to being one” her eyes locked with his and she smiled, looking down at her baby who imitated her position, now both looking at Simon

“See how beautiful your dad is?” she whispered so as not to be heard by Simon, tickling the baby’s neck to make her giggle

“I feel observed” he smiled to himself as he slowly chose what to wear

“Oh well sorry you very edgy, shy, handsome, young man” she kept staring at him some more before turning to give him some privacy.

She started tickling her daughter again, taking from her nightstand the stuffed hawk they kept there for when they made her sleep with them

“Is this better than the real one?” she poked her cheeks with the toy’s beak, smiling when her tiny hands hugged the soft replica

“The real one is there, looking rather offended in my opinion” Simon pointed the branch near the bed even if neither of the two were looking at him

“I would give him some attention if I were you”

“He’s just like you, too. I’m surrounded” she tried to imitate Simon’s whistle to call Taka to her, placing her hand on the headboard to indicate him where to lean

“When you’ll learn not to hit her, she can play with you too” she scratched his neck, passing her fingers between his feathers, then to the ones around her neck.

She searched for the hook of the necklace to take it off, combing the ruined feathers with her nails

“It is finally time to throw it away?” he joined her on the soft bed, brushing his nose against her nape before searching a point that made her shiver where to press his lips on

“Never, ever. When I can no longer express my opinion, you can do whatever you want with it” she shivered as she felt his lips against her skin, trying to get away from him

“What do you want me to do with it?” he continued to cover her skin with butterfly kisses, catching her thigh to not let her run away

“I would like to keep it, but it would be a waste; you could give it to her when she grows up or yes, you can throw it too” she put her fingers between his hair, messing it up as also her lower body shivered

“I’ll think about it” he touched the feathers too, noticing how they were ruined

“Can I at least change these? Taka is losing a lot of feathers recently”

“If they ruin badly, I shall allow it” she touched her nose and tried to turn to face him.

“Shouldn’t she sleep?” he picked their daughter in his arms before sitting up to give her space to get comfortable

“She slept before you came back, I don’t know if she will now” she yawned and found a comfortable place on Simon’s lap, resting her head on his shoulder

“But I probably will. Tomorrow a new engineer comes to help us with the next probe at the center” she forced her eyes to remain open, taking in the sight of Simon trying to make the little one sleep, slowly rocking her

“You should stay home. You’re getting worse and you should rest” he took her hair off her face with his free hand, getting the evidence he needed to confirm what he was saying: the eye bags under her eyes were darker every day more, her skin was almost as pale as his, her hairline was constantly covered with a thin layer of sweat and against his skin, hers was cold, dry, dead.

She looked and felt like she was already a corpse, a corpse he never had wanted to see.

“At this point is useless to rest, this last period is worth spending it doing something rather than staying at home, on the couch, filling myself with medicines” she tried her best to keep her head straight, fighting against pain, unusual sleepiness, physical fatigue.

“Would you- please, stay awake as long as you can” he put his hand under her chin to lift her face towards his, kissing her forehead.

This sweet gesture made her smile again, hugging his cheek with her palm softly

“I’ll try” she moved his bangs from his eyes “Pardon me” she took his ponytail, searching his hair tie and freeing his hair from it

“What are you doing” he sighed, suffering what she was doing anyway as their daughter slowly fell asleep

“Fixing your bangs. You should cut them, your eyes are covered and it is really a crime” she collected the hair on his forehead, tieing it in a really small ponytail, holding back her laughter at the result

“I don’t even want to see myself” he sighed harder, focusing only on loaf in his arms

“Why! Your eyes are visible like this!”

“If you care so much you can cut it for me, I don’t know how to do it” he took her face and pushed her off him, again on the mattress “In law classes, they don’t teach you how to be a hairstyler, too” he untangled some knots from his now-free hair, taking off the tie from his bangs, styling it so that it did not cover his eyes

“Neither in space engineering” she hugged her pillow and closed her eyes, feeling them as dry as a desert

“Hey,” he lowered once again near her, carefully laying the fully asleep baby between them

“Do you want to sleep?” he passed a hand on her hair, taking away the locks that kept falling from her head

“That wouldn’t hurt you know” she looked at him, keeping her eyes closed for more seconds when she blinked

“If I fall asleep, please, don’t wake me up, we’ll see tomorrow, ok?” she smiled once again, extending a hand towards his face and placing it on his cheek

“Remember me to bring back to Aura the albums she brought me today” she nodded as if she was listening to herself, but slowly her brain started to turn off

“Yes, after work I’ll come to pick you up and we can go together” he was convinced in what he was saying, but something gripped tightly his chest

“I’ll wait for you then” whatever she was saying now, was nearly an incomprehensible murmur, her eyes were closed and her hand fell on their daughter’s head.

He remained there, all he could do was staring at her, her chest that slowly rose and fell, her face that showed peace, but under it lied everything she truly felt: anger, sadness, guilt and fear.

She was tired of those feelings, all that she wanted was to enjoy the little time she knew she had left with her family.

Even if she didn’t saw him at the moment, she could imagine Simon’s face, what he was feeling, too.

She didn’t want to ruin his life like this.

He already suffered in his life and this, leaving him alone out of nowhere with a child to raise all by himself when he was the one against the idea of children. What convinced him to even try in the first place was the assurance that he wouldn’t be alone in properly raising a child, she promised it to him. But now?

“Simon” she shook his arm to be sure he was listening to her, not sure of how her voice sounded

“I’m here” he took her hand to let her know he was listening, moving closer to her

“.I’..m sorry” she tried to re-open her eyes again to sound more sincere in her apology “You know that… I love you” she forced herself to sound as clear as she could, squinting and trying to open her eyes

“Don’t force yourself by saying stupid things. You have nothing to be sorry about and-“

“Saying that I love you is a stupid thing?” she looked at him confused and with tears all over her eye

He passed his thumbs on her cheeks to wipe those tears, stopping for a second to look her in the eyes

“Of course not. You did everything for me and I still don’t know how to thank you properly. You helped me when I came back, you tolerated me all these years and also officially linked yourself to the mess that I am and- and you gifted me this, you gave me a reason to keep moving forward” he passed his thumb on her rings before resting both their hands, still connected, on their daughter’s belly.

Her eyes closed again but she was listening to every single word, every single crack or tremor of his voice, the sound of his breath becoming irregular. The words she wanted to speak died in her throat and all she managed to do successfully was smiling, offering him a smile that could maybe comfort him, that could give voice to the apologies she wanted to scream, to the regret and sadness that were eating her from the inside.

“Now sleep, you deserve some rest. You’re strong, don’t forget it” he covered her eyes with his palm and gently pressed his lips against hers, smiling softly when he felt her attempt to answer to his kiss, pushing her lower face against his “And I love you too, you can’t even imagine how much. I’ll never stop doing it, remember it.” He reluctantly took his hand off her face, noticing even more tears on it, trying to wipe them again with his trembling fingers.

He knew what was happening, but at the same time, he didn’t know, didn’t want to know.

His eyes searched comfort looking up, where Taka still was on the headboard; him too, was asleep. Loneliness, this feeling Simon knows too well and that he knows it will come to visit him more often from now on. His eyes closed and before he knew it, he fell asleep too; both his hands were against a cold feeling that, as he lost more and more consciousness, started to feel warm again.

- Same time, same sound every single morning. He could already hear giggles and fire sounds from the kitchen, so he just sat to slam his palm against the alarm to shut it off.

It didn’t.

Even if his palm was still on it, the alarm continued to ring. He had to shook his head to be back, the newfound feeling of warmth in his chest kicked away by the sudden cold. He stood and walked to the door, opening it and seeing only the first lights of the morning light up the way to the kitchen, hearing anything but silence. He looked back confused and that’s when he remembered; he remembered that his wife was dying, but just now realized that what yesterday was future, now is present.

She laid there, in her side of the bed; her whole body but the face covered with simple blankets, her facial features molded with peace, calm, relief. Everything was framed by her hair and covered with the reddish lights of the sunrise that highlighted details that only confirmed her departed state: her lips were now tinted with a slight violet, her eyes were slightly opened and the little that was visible was completely dull, not a single muscle was tense and her skin took a greenish tone.

He forced himself to confirm what he was seeing, gently caressing her cheeks, jawline and lastly her neck, searching for anything else than a block of pure ice.

Useless.

The sun outside seemed to know what was happening: the sun, now full of light and free of any cover slowly continued to rise, probably not noticing the expanse of clouds that awaited him to hide him, keep him away from the world.

Before she could wake up, he brought the unaware raven head away from there; even if she probably couldn’t understand, she didn’t deserve to even look at her mother’s dead body. He was still trying to understand, to process everything, but his brain did all it could to reject everything that was happening, to deny it; that’s probably why, when he returned to their shared room, he felt a punch right in the gut seeing Taka that tried to wake her up, beating his head against hers.

She didn’t move a single inch when he was out and Taka’s usual tease to wake her up wasn’t working.

“Taka” a concise movement of his chin made the hawk understand to leave her alone, taking his place beside her, fearful of touching her again and perceive again the feeling of touching a grave, touching death. “We need to give the albums back to Aura and- today the engineer at the center” he tried to catch her attention, shaking her face with a little too much vigor, but nothing seemed to move her “Or, you still have to remind me of our first date, of when our daughter was-“ the end of the phrase died as his fist instinctively met the wall nearby, as one single tear accidentally fell from his eye.

His feet moved on their own and made him walk out of there, out of where he was already promising himself to remain. He rested his back against the wall, slamming his head against it too to stop any strong emotion to take control of his body.

His fingers moved his bangs from his eyes to fully understands if he was still sleeping; unluckily not.

His thighs rested flat against the floor, his back slowly sliding down to accompany them and before he could punch the wall down, he focused on the heavy pocket of his pants, pulling out of it the necklace she entrusted to him. Looking at it now, it looked newer than it actually was; yesterday the feathers looked old and ruined, but now he saw them as fresh and immaculate.

He laughed to himself and brought the cheap pendant to his lips, finally understanding what she saw in something he made only for her, brushing once again the feathers of it.

---

A short message for you all ;v;

#ace attorney #simon blackquill #simon blackquill x reader #angst #aura blackquill #x reader but not even that much

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queenlua · 3 years

Text

i realized that Simon Blackquill and Kristoph Gavin canonically overlap their prison terms for like 20 months

and then i went into a fugue state and just wrote a bunch of ridiculously self-indulgent Kristoph And Simon Sniping At Each Other. enjoy

************************************

They bring the new prisoner in while Kristoph's enjoying his afternoon tea.

He tries to be discreet as he watches, stealing little glances between sips, watching over the top of the book he's reading. The new prisoner looks rough, and roughed up, with a long bruise marring his jawline, and his long hair arrayed in tatters. But he hardly looks beaten, walking with huge strides that the guards have to jog to keep up with. When one of the guards unlocks the cell directly across from Kristoph's, and the other moves to shove the man in, he dodges the shove with an enormous shrugging motion that, bizarrely, sends the guard cowering backwards. Then the man laughs, and walks into the cell of his own accord.

One the guards leave, Kristoph realizes there's a bird with him. With the prisoner, there in the cell. The sight's so improbable that for a moment Kristoph thinks it's some medieval bit of grotesque: a hungry bird left to peck the man's eyes out, or to nip at his toes when he tries to sleep. But it must be a pet, Kristoph realizes at length, watching how it clings to its shoulder, and then how it clacks across the floor, and walks close around the man's feet. O thin men of Haddam...

The man doesn't acknowledge Kristoph—doesn't even turn around to look at him, just stands in the center of his cell and stares at the wall.

Strange. But Kristoph's seen stranger.

When Kristoph's watched long enough, he clears his throat. "So. What did you do to get yourself locked up here?"

Here, meaning, the solitary cell block, far from the rest of the prison. He knows better than to expect someone to confess to their real crime outright.

The other man turns and stares long enough that Kristoph assumes he's going to be one of those tedious, taciturn types who speak only in grunts and two-word sentences. Then: "Some new fellows arrived a few days ago. Apparently they didn't care to break bread with a former prosecutor."

"Ah. So you're here for your own protection."

"No," the man says with a savage smile. "For theirs."

Kristoph looks closer. The bruise on his cheek is a slight thing; and the ragged cut of his hair, upon closer inspection, appears to be some sort of fashion choice.

The man is still smiling. You should see the other guy.

And, improbably, that's the moment Kristoph realizes he knows this man. The hair's different, the frame heavier, but the long face and those dark eyes are much the same. A man he remembers from melodramatic headlines some years ago, prosecutor confesses to cold-blooded murder: "You're Simon Blackquill."

The other man nods. "And you're Kristoph Gavin."

Kristoph stiffens.

Simon smiles again. "The Macnamara case. I never forget a face."

Yes. Blackquill did prosecute that one, didn't he. Kristoph doesn't care for the way the man's eyes are glittering, now. He can't quite remember how that case played out; it's been years. He smiles blandly and says nothing.

At ease now, Simon leans back in his little chair, hands behind his head as he scrutinizes Kristoph's abode—what he can see of it, at least. Taxidermy. Flowers. A violin. "Interesting," he decides at length. "And what about yourself? How were you brought to—" he reads a plaque "—Solitary Cell 13?"

"Oh, by request." When Blackquill raises a brow, Kristoph laughs: "Please. I'd hardly fit in with the riffraff down there in the main block."

Simon smiles thinly. There's an evaluative glimmer in his eyes, hawk and man staring at Kristoph as one. At last he says, mildly as though discussing the weather: "I should think a murderer would fit in quite well with his fellow murderers."

Oh. So he knows. Kristoph scowls. "So you're not an illiterate. Which paper reported on it?"

"None that I read," Simon says with a smirk. "I only had a hunch. Which you so kindly confirmed."

The arrogant little worm. Kristoph's right hand clenches around his teacup, unbidden. How he'd do anything to wipe the smug look off this man's face, how he'd like to—no, he reminds himself. Patience. He relaxes his hold on the cup, sets it back down primly. They have nothing but time, after all, and at the very least that time now promises to be more interesting.

************************************

At two o'clock each day, the guard shift changes; Peterson and Mendez walk out, and Flynn walks in. Faithful Flynn, who brings Kristoph fresh loose-leaf tea each day, who brought him the water boiler and the teapot to fix them properly. Who's been receiving striking little bonuses in his bank account for the past six months.

Each day, Simon watches Kristoph drink, his expression inscrutable. The man's too much like his bird, Kristoph thinks. Too at ease staring and sitting still. He imagines the effect would serve him well in the courtroom, but here it's just tedious. Doesn't the man have something to read?

Still. After a few days of wordless stares, Kristoph whispers some instructions to his man. Flynn bites his lip. He doesn't like it. He does it anyway—finagling with the cell locks in a way that almost doesn't look like he's unlocking the things, then wandering down the corridor to very firmly look the other way.

"Would you care for some tea?" Kristoph calls across the hall to Simon, gesturing grandly at the little table and chairs he has set up.

Simon stares. "I haven't the taste for it."

"Come over to visit, at least. Your door's unlocked."

Simon scowls at that, like Kristoph has just confirmed something Simon already knew and didn't like.

"What, are you concerned about breaking some... rule? I assure you Flynn here is quite discreet." Kristoph nods at the guard he's been paying off for the past six months.

A flicker of contempt passes over Simon's face—Kristoph sees it, and is fascinated to see it. Even in prison, Simon must still have his precious little principles. He'd known the DA's office to have its share of honor-bound fools. He hadn't expected that spirit to survive in here.

"Come here," Simon says.

"What?"

"Bring your tea over here instead." Simon smiles apologetically. "I can't abandon Taka, you see. He screeches most piteously when we are parted."

Bring the damn bird over here, then, Kristoph thinks, then thinks better of it, because that creature probably molts or defecates or tears up furniture. No.

And besides—it's not about the bird, is it? That's just the excuse. He simply doesn't want to be the one to move.

They could stare at each other, see who caves first. But that could well end in stalemate, which is a far less desirable income to Kristoph than even his own concession, so—he stands, abruptly enough that Simon startles. He crosses the corridor, tea tray balanced perfectly in his left hand, opens both doors and closes them both neatly behind him.

Simon stands, relinquishing the dinky little chair he'd been sitting on with a gesture: "Please." Kristoph looks around for a place to set the tea tray—the only spot's a desk that's nailed into the wall, an awkward distance from the bed where Simon's sitting now. But it will have to do.

Simon doesn't drink the tea. But they talk a little. Trivialities. A book Simon is reading. Some chess puzzle Kristoph is working on.

The bird doesn't take his eyes off Kristoph the whole time.

************************************

The tea becomes a regular occurrence. Always in Simon's cell, and Simon never drinks a drop.

"It's not poisoned, you know," Kristoph says once. Simon's only answer is a grunt.

Kristoph tolerates it—the brusqueness, the lapses into silence, the random glares—because he knows full well it will fade with time. Cannot help but fade with time. In the solitary block there's no one else to see, nothing else to do; they all take their exercise and their meals on their own. Who else can he talk to, have as a... friend?

Maybe Simon knows it, too. Because when Kristoph tries to touch him—in passing, during a conversation—Simon responds by grabbing him by the waist and hurling him onto the floor.

It happens so quickly Kristoph only barely has time to process it. One moment he's managed to get an actual chortle out of Simon, and he's reaching out to graze the man's cheek—then, the next, his head's cracked against something hard, his vision's streaked with violent darkness, and there's a sandaled foot pressing against ribcage.

He hears a quick flurry of footsteps and a metallic fumbling. Flynn, to the rescue. "Stay back," Kristoph wheezes, still lying on his back. "I'm fine."

Simon casts the guard a look of such blistering contempt that Kristoph's certain the man will be provoked, certain he's going to shout for help and rush in to wrestle Simon to the floor and make some huge tedious scene, from which Kristoph will have to claw back what little privileges and entertainments he's secured for himself, an utterly untenable waste—

But, no. The guard stays put. At length, Simon removes his foot, and Kristoph sits slowly, achingly upright. Simon's fists are clenched at his sides; he rather looks like he'd enjoy any excuse to punch. “Simon," he manages at last. "I thought we were friends.”

“Did you,” Simon says, flat as the back end of a blade.

"I was only going to wipe away a bit of dirt," he says, reaching out again—Simon flinches away, before Kristoph can touch, eyes narrowed to slits.

"No. You weren't."

Kristoph sighs as though talking to an unruly teenager. "Really, Simon, you must admit you're at least being a bit touchy—"

"You don't remember how you lost the Macnamara case, do you?" He doesn't give Kristoph a chance to answer. "These little tricks of yours, all these little manipulations—I mastered them first." Then he tilts his head upward, looking the guard dead in the eye. "I think it's about time for Mr. Flynn's shift to end. Don't you?"

Mr. Flynn stammers. And, so help him, if Flynn answers to anyone other than Kristoph he will wring the man's neck personally. "Flynn," Kristoph announces sharply, "I'll be returning now."

"I bet you will," Simon mutters, smirking.

"Yessir," Flynn says.

"I'll be back later," Kristoph says, with forced brightness, but Taka ruffles every feather on his body in answer.

#fanfiction #if you're reading this like: hey lua where is this train going #i don't know man. i legit don't #could be going to darkfic town #could be going to just a bunch of ridiculous petty sniping in a competition neither of them actually know the rules for #the characterizations could drift until everything is total nonsense #anyway once again i succeed in avoiding my main WIP by starting another... thing?#was kind of a fun exercise to see how much i could get done in one sitting #this was like ~4hr speedpaint

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synnefo-nefeli · 3 years

Text

Working on a WIP scene for Heard Your Heart Beating, my Klapollo friends to lovers post AA5, slow-burn fic

___

//Come fix your prosecutor// read Athena’s text. Apollo groaned wondering what Klavier could have done in the hour Klavier had spent at the WAA.

He adjusted his tie in the mirror of his locker, checked to make sure that he no longer looked sweaty from his ride over from court, and shoved his cycling outfit into his locker along with his helmet.

He could hear laughing on the other side of the office’s front door so that was a good sign, he hoped, as he swiped his keycard through the lock.

“Herr Forehead has finally arrived from his battle with the courts!” Klavier beamed at him with the smile that Apollo was now coming to call “on-stage-mode”. Klavier was sitting on the sofa next to Athena, coffee cups and tea biscuits between them on the table.

He could hear Mr. Wright bustling in the office kitchenette.

“I am back,” Apollo announced, “...and I survived Blackquill-“

“Oh, is that the reason you biked back? Simon didn’t offer to give you a lift?” Athena laughed, “how mean. He needs to learn to leave it in the courtroom.”

Apollo rolled his eyes, “Probably, but I am sure it has more to do with him needing to go down to the precinct and yell at the poor detective who sent him into court with an outdated autopsy report...also, what would I have done with my bike? I don’t want to ruin the guy’s new car by stashing it in the back seat.”

Mr. Wright arrived from the kitchen, fresh pot of coffee in hand, “Wow. A defense attorney having an updated report instead of the prosecution? Never thought I’d see the day...”

Apollo flopped on the couch opposite Athena and Klavier, “Hey. Miracles do happen...and considering all of our court win-streak, we shouldn’t be too surprised that they exist.”

“Here. Here.” Klavier said amiably into his coffee looking as if he was about to attempt to change the subject. Oh, Klavier wasn’t getting away from whatever occurred before Apollo arrived so easily,

“So... what’s this about me needing to fix ‘my prosecutor’?”

Klavier made an amused expression, “Ah, is that what I am called? Well I am honored to be Herr Justice’s”

Athena rolled her eyes, “Oh stop with the charm-“ she looked at Apollo, “he doesn’t want you to know that he’s never been to the Tragic Kingdom”

Apollo stared at Klavier, “Seriously?” which earned Klavier a playful elbow to the ribs from Athena, “Told you he would react like that”

Klavier sighed, “Is it really that big of a deal? Not going to a children’s amuse-“

“HOLD IT!” Apollo didn’t care that everyone about him flinched (“Indoor voice, Polly, jeeze”, Mr. Wright muttered”), “Disneyland is for everyone,” Apollo breathed, “you seriously haven’t gone? Ever? I mean...it’s only in Anaheim. That’s less than an hour without traffic from here-“

Mr. Wright handed Apollo a cup of coffee, “It’s been a while since ‘Mr. Disney Adult’’s shown his face at the office.”

“You say that as if you don’t have an annual pass too, Mr. Wright.”

Klavier appeared lost in the conversation; it was refreshing to see Mr. Tall, Blonde and Unflappable looking out of his depth, “Is it really a big deal that I haven’t?”

“Mm...not so much,” Mr. Wright said before Apollo could object, “well it wouldn’t be a big deal if you were hanging out with someone else, but I mean considering that you two have been spending a lot of time outside of court together, I think it’s more shocking that Apollo *hasn’t* dragged you down there already.

“You act like I go there all the time-“

“Says the person who has scheduled himself to come in late on days where there are morning annual passholder events,” Athena mused, “or how about the time you, Clay and Trucy, just decided to go to Disneyland after work because you wanted corndogs for dinner”

Across from him Klavier made a face, as if silently saying “Corndogs for dinner? Really? What are you, five?”.

Apollo met ‘his prosecutor’s’ eyes, “Those corndogs are legendary, and the only ones I’ll eat,” he rebutted, not caring that Klavier hadn’t actually said anything.

“He has a point there,” agreed Mr. Wright, “so I guess the big question is- how long before Klavier gets pulled into driving Apollo down to Anaheim?”

Klavier looked around the room at all of the other attorneys as if expecting for someone to tell him suddenly that this was all an act. Apollo meanwhile was mentally running through his calendar to figure out when he would have time to properly take Klavier to the park. There was so much to do at work-not to mention, he would have to prep Klavier for his first park visit.

“Do you like amusement parks?” Apollo asked Klavier.

The blonde man simply shrugged, “I’ve only been to a few in my life. Mein family wasn’t really into things like theme parks; didn’t see the value in them as entertainment. And when I moved here, I just didn’t go-“

“Not even grad-night?” Athena asked, “Junie told me that’s what the student council is setting up for the seniors. It’s tradition. Heck, every high school in Southern California does a school trip there at least once.”

Klavier shrugged, “I graduated early, remember? I guess I could have gone to the ceremony with the class that was graduating that year, but I wanted to get mein badge so I went home as soon as I could to pass the bar in Germany.”

“There’s one in France!”

Klavier sighed, “If I asked to do anything outside of museums and cultural experiences while we were in France, I would have been left in Germany.”

“Anyway,” Athena said, “If you’re going to hang with Polly, you’re going to have to go to the parks eventually-“

Apollo felt his cheeks heat, “I mean if that’s not what you like to do for fun, you don’t have to-“

“Oh please,” Mr. Wright interrupted, “I can confidently bet that you’ve been sitting here this entire time planning a trip for him.”

Apollo crossed his arms and sat back in defeat as Athena continued to regale Klavier with anecdotes of the WAA’s trips to the parks as well as Apollo’s impromptu visits,

“Has he shown you his pin collection yet?” Athena said in a tone that was too close to the tone she liked to use whenever she teased Apollo about his and Klavier relationship not being as platonic as Apollo made them seem.

//As if she doesn’t know the actual truth// Apollo grumbled, “Okay enough. Klavier already knows I am a nerd- he doesn’t need any more evidence about it”

“Ach you’re always cool, Herr Forehead,” Klavier smiled again in “on-stage mode”, which made Apollo decide that he needed to show Klavier what he was missing.

“When’s your birthday?” Apollo blurted.

Athena groaned, “Oh my god, Apollo, haven’t you heard of Wikipedia?”

“I like that Herr Forehead doesn’t feel the need to research me, it makes a rock god like me feel practically human,” Klavier teased and then with an amiable grin, “May 23rd.

However-I told you that on Valentine’s Day, don’t you remember?” He said a little too suggestively for Apollo’s comfort,

“I’m hurt that you don’t remember… and here I thought things that were shared during sleepovers were sacred,” he added a pout for good measure.

Out of the corner of his eye, Apollo saw Athena not-so-subtly pull out of her phone to text something, most certainly to Trucy.

Great, he was not going to know peace from either of them for the foreseeable future.

Although, Apollo appreciated that Athena had the grace to attempt to hide her grin.

Whether or not Klavier was aware of what was happening next to him, Klavier only sipped at his coffee.

“So in three weeks. Great, guess what we’re doing to celebrate your 26th birthday,” Apollo announced.

“It’s on a workday.”

“Take off.”

“Don’t you have to work?” Klavier asked

Apollo turned to Mr. Wright, “Mr. Wright, may I have the 23rd off?”

“Of course. Just put it on the calendar.”

Apollo, having won the debate, smiled smugly at Klavier, “Get ready, we have a lot to do before then.”

Klavier looked genuinely confused, “Like what?!”

He was about to ask what Klavier’s favorite Disney movie was, but then Athena’s phone buzzed, “Simon’s here- he needs help bringing up the food...and Trucy says she wants to also go to Disneyland for Klavier’s birthday, I think that’s a good idea; what do you think, boss?,”

Before Apollo could say anything about Athena or Trucy inviting themselves, Mr. Wright smiled and said,

“You know what- unless something pressing comes up and Trucy doesn’t have any projects or tests at school, I think the agency needs a mental health day. Maybe Miles and Prosecutor Blackquill need one too,” he remarked walking towards his office in order to most likely call his fiancé.

Finally alone- sort of. At least until Athena and Prosecutor Blackquill came upstairs with the food. But still, alone enough to enjoy Klavier silently trying to figure out what the hell just happened...or Apollo would have enjoyed Klavier’s genuinely flummoxed expression, except that he remembered how Klavier, despite his celebrity status, didn’t like to draw attention too himself unless it was in court or on stage- and especially not in public.

It was the reason Klavier hadn’t shown up to Clay’s funeral after all. He looked at Klavier feeling guilty for putting his friend on the spot,

“Sorry, if you don’t want to- we don’t have to-“

“Nein, nein,” Klavier said with his genuine smile, “you all are so passionate about it, now I have to experience it”

“Are you sure? I didn’t even ask if that’s how you wanted to spend your birthday-I just kinda got caught up in it.”

Klavier shrugged, “Honestly, considering that I usually spent the last few dragged to stuffy VIP lounges of clubs I wasn’t interested in, with people who, as it turned out, cared less about me- I think this may be a gut change of pace.”

Well that made him feel better...and a bit sad for Klavier, “I’ll make sure you have a good time and we won’t be overwhelmed. A lot of celebrities go to Disneyland, and they don’t get mobbed- people are pretty respectful of celebrities having their time in the parks.”

“You sound as if you are familiar.”

“Clay...worked there for a summer, celebrities would come all the time as park guests. And aside from maybe helping a celebrity escape a crowd, they don’t give anyone special treatment unless they’ve paid for a guided tour-“

“Oh- are we not doing that, Herr Forehead?”

Apollo snorted,“Hell no, you’re going to stand in line for Space Mountain like the rest of us plebes.” Also I’m not about to suggest we spend $800 an hour for a theme park tour...

Klavier’s laugh was enough to make Apollo feel better and better about commandeering Klavier’s birthday. He was going to look forward to these next few weeks in getting Klavier ready for his first time at the park. The thought of movie nights made Apollo feel a bit warm inside. Warm in a way that he hadn’t felt since Klavier had comforted him during his own birthday.

The office door opened, Athena holding it open so that Simon could come through with the large box that contained their takeout dinners. Apollo braced himself for any barbed words from Athena’s prosecutor; considering how the day’s court proceedings had gone, Apollo expected some amount of sour grapes. Instead Simon ignore Apollo and incredulously regarded his co-worker with,

“You’ve seriously never been to Disneyland, Gavin-dono?”

***

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colourful-void · 3 years

Text

Everything I Know About Apollo Justice before I play Apollo Justice, Part 2.

Well now that I’ve played through investigations 1+2 and have gotten a few more spoilers, this needs revisions. Here’s the original post if you haven’t read it yet!

Disclaimer: lot of guesses could be wrong, please don’t correct me if they are, trying to avoid spoilers. this is just for fun and for me to laugh at when im done.

feel free to ask questions in the comments!

Apollo Justice: - 5′5, roughly the same height as me =) - 20 i think, maybe a bit younger? younger than phoenix was in the first game - sad (they’re all sad) - defense attorney (in training?) - don’t know a lot about him actually - is at least friends with phoenix, maybe being mentored by him, maybe he only knows phoenix cause he’s friends with trucy - trucy calls him polly i think which is adorable

Trucy Wright: - listen i know nothing about her but i already love her - her design is so cute - so freaking cute - she’s magicccc!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - i think she’s like 17 - related to phoenix in some way but i’m not sure how and it just gets more confusing the more i think about it she’s gotta be like a cousin or something

Athena Cykes: - i think i know less about athena now actually - she looks really cool though - i heard she might be a psychologist?? maybe not???? - i think she has a pet robot and if not she deserves one - still not sure if she’s a lawyer tho - could not tell you any of her relationships but i hope she has lots of friends =)

Simon Blackquill or Blackwell someone corrected me and I forgot I’m sorry - 80% sure he’s a prosocutor - this is the guy that probably has a sword

The girl with purple hair: - she seems cool - maybe she likes birds - i hope theres lots of her i like her braid

Gavin: - cool hair - has a guitar - may or may not have a brother - a bunch of people ship him with Apollo so thats a thing, maybe they know each other - probably a prosocutor

Phoenix: - he’s sad now - loses his badge, unclear if he gets it back - wright and co law offices gets renamed to wright anything agency so maybe he did that or maybe it was trucy - had to have talked to ema at some point to get that button from her unless they’re mass produced or something - is he playable? i do not know - someone in the crunchyroll comment section refered to him as hobo phoenix and i don’t know if thats standard or just something this one comment calls him but ill mention it anyway

Maya: I’m really concerned about Maya okay I’ve heard a lot about all the other characters but not about Maya so I’m worried she won’t be there or she got murdered or something and that would be really bad. I like Maya a lot she better be there. Also haven’t heard a lot about pearl...

Other Characters:

- So that gold hair person i talked about last time, that was sebastian. I don’t know if he’ll be in the other games (i hope so he just started getting character development) but yeah that was him. - im certain that clown girl commited murder - if ema doesn’t come back i will be sad - I doubt kay will be there but it would make me really happy if she was - franziska? pls come back

Other Info: - i thought the apollo justice games were in like,,, 2045 but it’s only 2025 i think. - i think edgeworth is in the 5th game - the meiji era game is a spin off, which at least makes the timeline more clear i was so ready to accept that time travel was just a thing - dual destinies is rated m for some reason so im preparing for trucy or apollo to just get like,, murdered or something i don’t know but i think it’ll be dark

and that’s all i’ve got for now!! planning to start playing on friday, see ya then!

#ace attorney #apollo justice #trucy wright #athena cykes #simon blackquill #it's blackquill i guess #phoenix wright #maya fey #cant tag gavin if i dont know his name sry blacklist gang

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maki0725 · 4 years

Text

I’ve finished the 10th part! Though it’s only one-third...?

I’m planning to rewrite and post on AO3 the parts I’ve posted here.

***************************************

This morning Simon wakes up at a time that is barely morning. He can also see where he is. There are only two days left for the New Year holidays, including today. He feels relieved and a little lonely that he can safely return to his daily life from the day and night reversal. He drank a decent amount last night, and he noticed that both the 720ml bottle and the 1.8l bottle were empty. He isn’t sure how much he drank, but if Gavin stopped drinking, he would have done so, so maybe half and half? There is a myth that good sake does not cause a hangover, but for the amount he drank, he did not have a hangover and is fine. He even remember taking a bath again before going to bed and looking at the night view from the jacuzzi.

"Good morning"

Upon entering the living room, Gavin is sitting at the same kitchen counter as yesterday. Perhaps he is still wearing sleepwear today, he wears a black fluffy hoodie that looks like a sheep on a white T-shirt and wears long pants made of the same material as the hoodie. Music is playing from somewhere.

"……Good morning"

"Eh⁉︎"

Gavin makes his eyes round.

"What"

"Blackquill, do you say “good morning” in the morning?"

"What do you think of me?"

Indeed, it is true that he hesitated for a moment to return the greeting. However, there is no other way to reply.

"I didn’t think you are a normal person."

"I’m sorry to be normal"

"It's not bad .... Yeah, you used to look nice"

"You have always been flashy."

Simon and Gavin became prosecutors at the same time. However, they had barely talked. Gavin became a star as soon as he became a prosecutor, and he spent very little time at the prosecutor's office. On the other hand, Simon studied psychology in addition to work and visited the Space Center frequently, and had no time to interact with the fellow prosecutors, and did not want to do so particularly.

The impressions of each other are nothing more than a distant view. Gavin’s first court was a legend in a sense, but Simon abandoned everything in this world before hearing his impressions in person.

The music that is playing seems to be part of a radio show, with a disc jockey talking about what's called the "ideal New Year."

"Do you want to have something? I don’t have anything special ......"

The New Year's dishes prepared by Gavin were almost eaten yesterday. he offers Simon some bread and side dishes that Gavin bought for himself while new year shopping.

"Can I get them?"

"Yeah, it's better to eat them together. Is it okay for you to have bread from New Year?"

"I'll eat anything"

Even if he was at home, he doesn’t think he had something special. He thinks that at best he puts grilled meat on rice bowl. If he wanted to, he might have prepared Zoni.

"What's this lever?"

"It's a pork rillette. It's delicious when applied to baguettes. I want to have a glass of wine, but I think I should stop it."

There is also a big table, but breakfast is served at the bar counter, which could be used for light meals. Water is prepared on the counter, and Gavin says that Simon can have whichever he likes, carbonated water and ordinary ones, but both are in unfamiliar glass bottles that seem to be imported. He pours it into a glass and drinks it and it certainly tastes good.

French and Italian dishes that he doesn’t usually eat——according to Gavin’s explanation——-are the main ones, but they are all good.

The room is air-conditioned, and Gavin is wearing a T-shirt with his hoodie off.

The hair is lightly tied up and has gold lagging hair on the nape.

"What's wrong?"

"No .... what do you do your hair?"

It is more like an excuse to look at his hair than a serious question, but he used to have short hair in Simon’s memory.

"Are you talking about having it cut? ... Well, sometimes I think I'll cut it, but somehow it's just as it is. It would be hard if yours was so long?"

"I'm used to it"

Certainly there is annoyance. Sometimes his sister and Athena tell him to cut it, but he let them pass. He originally doesn’t care about the appearance, but somehow he doesn’t feel like cutting it until the phantom case is over. However, he doesn’t know what can be said to have been solved and whether he can know that. Perhaps he can never square it forever.

He can't say the story up to that point right now, and from the perspective of Gavin,Simon would remain silent. But he doesn’t seem to care.

"I think it's about time that your laundry is ready, so I'm going to see it."

With that said, he stood up after cleaning up the empty dishes.

"I feel bad. I'll clean it up."

"Thank you, you just need to put everything in the dishwasher .... can you see that there?"

It is his first time to use a dishwasher. There is plenty of room to put tableware for two people at appropriate intervals. His sister's house also had a dishwasher, but the one installed here is much larger. A situation like a home party may also be envisioned. Of course, there is no such thing at his own home. He never even wanted it.

He doesn’t think that the amount of tableware they used now is enough to require a machine. However, neither sponge nor detergent is found in the sink. Perhaps the landlord has no time to wash the dishes. Together with laundry service, it seems like a really reasonable choice.

"Thank you for cleaning up, your clothes has been ready"

Fang Ryu is back with a bag of cleaned clothes.

"Thank you"

He receives a bag from Gavin. Once he changes your clothes, it's a good time to leave here.

After returning to the guest room, he takes out the cleaned clothes and changes. He has been wearing the same since he ordered it when he became a prosecutor, but he doesn’t care about it. When he went to the store that his grandfather used to go to make this outfit, this surcoat was added according to his sister's advice, "Because you're young, don't be fooled." After he bought it, he remember being frustrated when he was told that she didn’t think he really bought it.

He puts on all his clothes and returns to the living room with his luggage. Gavin also changed into a black hoodie and casual cargo pants.

"Shall I drive you home? Where is your house?"

Simon’s home is the official residence of the prosecutor's office. It is very old, the facilities are outdated and there are few residents. However, it is large enough and the location is good. In addition to those, the rent is also cheap. Isn't it less than a tenth of this house? If it were for rent.

He just walked home from here just a week ago, and he doesn’t feel the necessity of a ride. However, he is also reluctant to refuse Gavin’s kindness.

As he crawls around, he can hear the radio talking that was left unattended.

"Then I'll introduce you to an email,'My unforgettable New Year is a hot spring trip. Soak in the hot springs slowly, forget about your daily fatigue, and eat delicious food ... Oh, I want to go there again!" Hey hot spring, ... "

"I haven't been to a hot spring at all ... You seem to like it."

Asked by Gavin. Of course he likes hot springs, but he hasn’t been to soaking relaxed after his release. At best, it's a public bath, and bathing here is the most luxurious.

When he tells him that, Gavin makes his eyes round. Then he laughs as if he came up with something.

"If you like, we’re going to go now? I think we can go in 2 hours one way."

"Is it okay?"

"of course!"

The blue eyes smiles like a child.

They take the highway from the city center and head south. Maybe it's because of Simon’s feelings, but he feels that all the cars that come and go are looking at their car. More than being an eye-catching luxury car, it seems that the reason is driving like a moving road traffic law that never exceeds the speed limit. It's not be tailgated, but he feels like they are overtaken by almost every car.

"You are so square......"

"I'm not slow, everyone is too fast."

Gavin shrugs. They are riding a two-seater sports car, not the day before yesterday's large car. The manufacturer is different, but this is also a German car.

"If you drive at the speed limit with this car, it will stand out."

"I'm used to it"

It is said that this car has been a favorite car for many years. Perhaps because the height of the car was relatively low, it seemed that the feel of the road surface was more vivid than the large car the day before yesterday, but all of them were comfortable to sit in, unlike police cars and convoy cars.

The car goes through a winding road in the city center like a racing game course and enters a wide road. Simon finds that he crosses the river on the prefectural border. After running for a while from there, the proportion of green in the field of vision gradually increases. In spite of the difference of the direction, he remembers when he was attending the Space Center. He remembers picking his sister up several times in her car.

Simon is not very familiar with high-speed nets, so the road is left to Gavin. He doesn’t use car navigation, but he doesn’t get lost. The main roads seem to be in his head.

It seems that this car also has a high-quality stereo, and various music is played, from songs that also Simon is familiar with to songs that he doesn’t know at all. The conversation is choppy, but the music and engine sounds complements it nicely.

The car goes down the freeway well before the destination, passes through a short toll road, and then enters the general road. There is still a distance to the famous hot spring area where he said he would go here, but it seems that Gavin intentionally chose that route. Shortly after getting off the highway, the car comes to the road by the sea. On the road that runs right next to the coast, he can see the sea unobstructed from the left side where he is sitting.

"Is this road good? You can see Mt. Fuji too."

Exactly, the silhouette of a snow-capped mountain is floating in front of him. Simon is told that they can open the roof of the car, but he refuses because he wants to avoid making it stand out any more. Gavin seems to be more cautious, but today he wears a black baseball cap and sunglasses, so at first glance almost anyone may not be able to tell who he is.

He asks a reflexive question to a pop song that came from a car stereo.

"Is this your song?"

The voices seem to be very similar. It is an English song, and he doesn’t think it is Japanese singer at all, but that was the case at that time. Only about 10 days ago, when he sang just for Simon.

"Yeah, it's a popular duo in the 80's. This is a pretty hit song."

Gavin smiles when Simon tells him that he thought it was his voice.

"Is his voice similar to mine? It was often said. I've covered this song, but it's still not as good as the real thing."

"Don’t you play your " real "song?"

He casually asks the question that comes to his mind. He isn’t confident that he could hear all the songs played today, but it didn't seem like they were.

"Um ... you mean the Gavinners’ song, right?"

There seems to be a slight tension in his voice.

"I can’t hear it yet .... Daryan’s guitar. I'm sorry."

Thinking about it, it is a matter of course. The gentle tone rather reveals the hidden sadness.

"I’m sorry"

"... Don't worry. I have too many things like this. If you can't talk about my family, my band, or my friends, it’s natural to be estranged. I don’t feel like meeting my friends, so it's okay. "

Oh, I'm not saying you're not a friend, Gavin laughs. Simon, who has never had a close friend, can answer nothing.

Simon wonders how much Daryan Crescend was to him. He can’t imagine.

Looking out the window, the winter sea just below the road is shining in the sunlight.

"Isn't this beautiful? It's a lot of inspiration."

"Is that so"

Simon, who had never thought of creating something, doesn’t quite understand it, but that's what artists are.

Even though it's midwinter, he can see some people who seem to be surfing.

When he says that there are some whimsical people Gavin laughs and says that he used to come.

"There used to be a villa owned by my family, near here."

This is close to the historically famous summer resort. There’s no wonder that the Gavins have one of the villas.

The car breaks from the road by the sea and heads north, gradually entering the deep green mountains. There is a target hot spring area a little further away. The sports car, which probably doesn’t perform at half its performance because it is owned by Gavin is still heading for its destination with a solid run. After getting off the highway and climbing up and down the winding mountain road, Gavin’s car arrived at the hot spring facility in the mountains.

"I came here for shooting a long time ago, and I liked it so I came by myself a few times, but it's the first time I've come with someone."

It may be unconscious, but Gavin seems to be really good at catching the hearts of others. There are few people who don't feel good because they think they are treated specially by Klavier Gavin. However, it may be that only the minority are around him right now.

"The view from the large communal bath is nice, but the melting hot water is nice."

"That's good"

Each person has a different taste of hot springs, but the quality of the hot spring cannot be surrendered for Simon. That point seems to get along with Gavin.

"And it’s always empty"

"That’s good, but you don't know how long you can come here."

"Let's contribute a little"

They pass through the gate while cracking jokes. After completing the one-day bathing procedure at the reception, they head to the dressing room immediately. In addition to the large communal bath, there’s the private family bath for free if it is vacant, so there is an entrance to the family bath in the middle of the corridor leading to the large communal bath, but there seem to be other guests so the bill in use is hung.

In the spacious dressing room, there is only one young man in addition to Simon and Gavin. Perhaps he’s already up, he is wearing clothes at a distance.

Simon himself didn't mind taking off his clothes in front of others because of his unfortunate experience in prison, but what about Gavin? When Simon glances at him, Gavin had taken off his clothes at an amazing speed. He may be accustomed to changing clothes in public.

"Then, I’m ahead!"

He quickly has become naked and heads for the entrance to the bathhouse with his towel in his hand. Simon took a long time to unbutton and has only taken off his upper body clothes.

Suddenly, Simon feels a strange look. He is sensitive to disturbing signs, though it doesn't seem to be aimed at him. He immediately confirms another customer. He holds his smartphone in a strange way and points it at Gavin. A thick index finger touches the edge of the screen, and a faint shutter sound is heard between the fingers holding the speaker so that it is difficult to hold.

His body moves before he thinks. He grabs the wrist of a young man looking shy and twists it up.

"Ah ..."

A smartphone falls on a floor lined with bamboo and makes a dull noise.

"……What's wrong?"

Gavin, who noticed the uneasy air, asks.

"Get dressed"

"......!”

Gavin takes a breath.

"Fully"

"Got it"

Simon turns to the voyeur and looks down at his horrified face. The eyes behind the glasses with a white round face are almost crying.

"Oh, oh ..."

He picks up the smartphone while feeling the soft touch of the man's wrist with one hand. Looking at it, the camera is still running, and he can see the image just taken at the bottom left of the screen.

"Which do you like a broken phone or the police? I let you choose”

".......”

"Wait, "

Gavin, who has worn all his clothes, approaches and touches Simon’s back. A quiet voice echoes.

"I can't make you a criminal."

"Well, then the police are the only ones."

"Wait a minute. Can you show me that smartphone?"

Gavin picks up a smartphone that has fallen to the floor.

"I'll check it. Okay?"

Gavin glances at the man who nods and quickly checks the photo folder from the camera app that is still running. Simon can’t see the contents from where he is, but Gavin has a rugged expression from beginning to end.

"You seem not to have done camera voyeurism except me."

"I haven't done it! That devil has just inserted ... y-you are so beautiful ..."

The man is desperate. He may have felt the possibility of being overlooked.

"Sure, it's not in the image folder on this smartphone. But ... I can't confirm this alone. There may be other smartphones and cameras. I'll contact the front desk and the police. ProsecutorBlackquill, can you bring him for me?"

The man's pale face gets dyed in despair.

When Simon, the current criminal arrester, has finished preparing the record and leaves the office at the back of the reception, Gavin, who had already been interviewed, is sitting on the bench in the corridor. He’s wearing a cap over his eyes. Considering that it is a customer business, there are no police officials in the public eye. On-site verification was also processed quickly and neatly. The time is already close to the evening.

"Sorry, the day has been ruined ..."

"It's not your fault."

What is bad at all is the voyeur demon.

"There was nothing in the image folder that seemed to be a voyeur other than me. It may be true that the devil was inserted. You see, I'm beautiful."

Gavin jokingly says, but Simon doesn’t laugh. Gavin smiles bitterly.

"So it wouldn't have been a hassle if I pretended not to see it."

"You can't do it, right?"

"... I don't know. I might have missed it in the past. But in Diane's case ... I helped the smuggling because of my abuse of authority, so I haven't been able to do it flexibly since then."

Gavin laughs powerlessly, saying that the detectives may hate him because I can only do stiff things according to the rules.

"Isn't it just more victims if you missed him now?"

The bitter memory of missing the phantom revives in the Simon’s heart. Had he had a little more courage, the future could have been completely different.

"You haven't done anything wrong. Be proud."

"Yeah ... you helped me repeatedly. I'm sorry, it's no longer a hot spring."

Suddenly, Simon notices a guide to a family bath. Luckily it's free. He grabbed Gavin’s arm and lets him stand, and pushes him in half forcibly.

"Is it safe here?"

Gavin rolls his eyes. Usually, it's not a place where friends would enter. However, this is probably the best in terms of security.

"I'll wash your back”

Winking seemingly annoying, Gavin puts his luggage down and puts a "in use" tag on the door.

By the time they leave the hot spring facility, the sun has completely set. Police vehicles have also left.

"By the way, I feel hungry."

It's been a while since they ate breakfast in the morning. Simon couldn't afford to feel hungry because of his unscheduled work, but he feels that his appetite suddenly grows, probably because of the sense of security that he has settled down. It may be time to eat.

"I have a restaurant I wanted to go to, can you go out with me? Of course I’ll treat."

"No, I’ll pay"

Simon was served such a gorgeous New Year dishes, and if he didn’t pay for only one meal there would be a mark against him. He can't imagine what kind of restaurant it is, but it seems that even if the cash he has isn’t enough, it wouldn't exceed the limit of the credit card he rarely use.

Gavin searches for something on his smartphone, says, "I think this is good," and then enters something in the car navigation system. He probably hasn’t been there because he says"I want to go".

They return from the hot springs in the mountains to the suburbs. There aren't many cars on New Year's night. Gavin seems not to have made a reservation, but is there a store in such a place that they can go to suddenly in the New Year?

"Oh, there is"

At the end of Gavin’s line of sight is conveyor belt sushi.

After parking the car in the parking lot, they sit at the table. This kind of restaurant is often crowded, but fortunately they were able to sit down immediately.

Gavin looks curiously looking at the sushi that comes around and the seasonal menu that is posted. He is s also surprised to be able to order his favorite sushi on the touch panel. He gets also excited about the system where the bullet train runs on the upper part of the lane and delivers the ordered items, which would be a production for children.

Simon has been taken to the conveyor belt sushi by Athena several times, so he has a rough idea of how it works. It's usually the same in different stores (He has never seen the bullet train.).

Gavin takes some of the standard items that have come around, challenges individual orders, and then checks the limited items on the touch panel. Suddenly, he seems to have an idea.

"This looks delicious. Can we share one for each?"

“…………!”

"Oh, was it a violation of manners? Excuse me”

"No, I don't think so, it's a good idea."

He has just felt a little too intimate. It's possible between family members, but he has never shared one pair of sushi even with Athena, but rather she took a plate or emptied it, and as soon as she ate it, she took the next plate or received her order. When her best friend was present, she said she didn't know if she could eat a plate, and Athena cheerfully declared, "I'll eat half!", and as a result, they shared a pair of sushi one for each.

"I was wondering if we could share in such a casual place, but I don't know much about this, so it would be helpful if you could tell me if something was wrong"

What kind of position do you think you are in the line that you should not do that other than me?

"It's not strange, if you don't mind it one another, there’s no problem”

"Then, can I order the monkfish livers?"

Gavin squints happily when he sees Simon nodding. It’s not bad to share a small happiness of about 100 yen per plate.

*********************************************

Washing one’s back is not sexual at all, it’s a kind of communication like grandpa and grandson(or seniors and juniors, there is a clear distinction between the seniors and the juniors even if the age difference is a little.).

#klavier gavin #klavquill #simon blackquill

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