Stories of a Glimmerous Fop, a Twisted Samurai and a Last Rites
@crackmadhi
Fanart and Fanfiction Account of nadiestar. Ace Attorney. Blackmadhi. Klapollo. Wrightworth. And porbably more. Always allowed to just message me or ask questions. I'm happy to share my stuff with you. I'm not taking requests right now.
The door had was shut close and Phoenix was left alone. Athena was gone and so was his daughter and her brother.
He had done it.
After all those years he had finally managed to sabotage himself enough to scare them away.
He let out an airy breath and realized that his pulse started to go up. He would hyperventilate in a few moments.
Panicking he rose up from the kitchen chair and fled to the couch. Just in time he fell down on it and terror blew up inside of him. Trembling, hyperventilating, crying. All came up at once and he had to subdue to it for the time being. He was anything but close to get out of this mess on his own. He had been struggling for so long with himself.
It was time to get somebody to help him. No, not somebody. Edgeworth.
Edgeworth.
Just thinking of his name made his perception change. He gained focus and determination and concentrated to get his breathing back under control. If it got back to normal the rest would steady itself too.
Slowly, very slowly and tediously Phoenix gained control over his breath and calmed down. As he had predicted the crying had stopped as well. Now he was laying on his back on a couch that was older than Trucy and breathed through his mouth because his nose was still full of snot form crying.
He felt tempted to ask why. Why he was like this. Why he felt like this. Why he had made it so far despite everything.
He sat up. Grabbed the phone. Laid it back down.
He needed to blow his nose.
Stood up. Went to the kitchen. Took a tissue. Blew his nose. Stood still for a moment.
He needed water.
Opened the cupboard. Took a glass. Turned to the sink. Filled the glass. Drank it. Realized how dry his throat had been. He would need to drink more. And to eat. He hadnât eaten yet. He had to eat later, he noted in his mind.
But now he needed to get back to his phone. He walked back on auto-pilot and sat down on the couch. He took the phone. His hands were shaking but he was able to open the phone book and select Edgeworthâs contact.
The man was at home. He always took off a few days around Christmas and New Year. Not to relax but to safe himself from horrible memories that always came up in the courthouse around this time.
He would accept the call. Phoenix knew that. He knew that he was not disturbing him. He knew that he would offer help anyway.
Before he could muse if he deserved that, he pressed on call and held the phone to his ear.
One ringâŠ
Two ringsâŠ
Three ring-
âWhat is it Wright?â
With a smile Phoenix looked up to the ceiling. Whatever it was that was up there; it shall be blessed, he thought and answered the Chief Prosecutor.
âI really fucked up this time. And I need your help to fix it.â
Link to the fanfiction on ao3 (more chapters to come!):
It was nice being back in the states. Apollo had gotten the possibility to stay here for three weeks and he was enjoying his time off. It was fun being with the Wrights and Athena. Even if he missed Nahyuta and Rayfa quite a bit.
Right now, he sat on the couch, while scrolling through his phone and Athena and Trucy played chess on the kitchen table. The chess set had been a gift from Edgeworth for Trucy and she loved it to the bits. Apollo could not blame her, it was pretty, and custom made. Also, the pieces were blue and red, which were her favourite colours.
âNooo!â, Athena cried losing the third time in a row.
Widget turned blue and he had to pull himself together to not make a snarky remark. Then suddenly he felt his bracelet tighten. Confused he looked at it and sat up properly. Mr. Wright had entered the room.
He looked gloomy and slowly wandered over to the table. Trucy put the chess board aside and Apollo saw Athena holding her hand over her right ear. So, there was discord in his voice. No news to the lawyer in red, but this was even extreme for him.
âApollo, would you please come to the table? I need to tell you and Trucy something very importantâ, the man exclaimed with a voice devoid of emotion.
The sky was grey, and crows circled over the land, as if they knew that Simon Blackquill was visiting the grave of a fool.
Blackquill barely spared them any recognition. He only stared on the fancy letters on the mouse grey stone. It was an elegant and noble scripture, nothing like the man it was meant for. Yet the words that were engraved on it⊠They were truly a perfect fit. They were what the fool would have liked to say to the samurai pondering over this cold and lifeless stone that wasnât anything like the man out of his memories.
Slowly he got closer and crouched down. His hands were reaching out to the letters and as if he had never done it before, as if he was still reluctant to touch the memorial of the police officer, he softly traced the letters. Every word felt meaningful under his fingers as he quietly mouthed it to feel its sound within his chest.
âThough lovers be lost, love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.â
It was a quote by Dylan Thomas. Blackquill still hadnât bothered to look up the welsh poet. He was worried that the line would have a different meaning, if he would know the context of said line. And he did not want it to mean anything but for them to move forward and love the life and to defy death as long as they could.
Finally, Blackquill was on his knees, head to head with the cold gravestone. He sighed. The therapist had told him that his frequent visits to the graveyard werenât too worrisome. Many people visited their loved oneâs graves frequently even years after they had passed away, and it was understandable that Blackquill was visiting it more in times like this. In times where he desperately wished the fool to reappear in front of him and just point out the obvious evidences that lay in front of him.
âWhat am I to do, Fool Bright? What am I to do?â, the tall prosecutor asked ever so small.
âI swore to find out your true death date at a price that unsettles me down to the bones. I am to blame for that promise but how else can I ever find peace within me again?
âŠ
You wouldnât know either, would you?â
Blackquill bitterly laughed and placed his shaky hands on his thighs. Breathing Blackquill. Remember. Breath.
As he forgot himself, he stared through the stone and lost track of place and time. Everything was blurry around him anyway. It had been for some time now and he started to believe he would lose himself into this wicked sensation.
Pebbles rustled under the soles of heavy shoes. The blur was gone. Blackquill turned his head around. Who had come to end his meeting with the fool?
Five feet four tall. Hands inside pockets of brown pants. Shoulder length long, hazelnut hair, straight with a small roll at the end of them. Intense, coal eyes.
Blackquill needed a second to understand who was standing in front of him. Of course, he did. He had never seen that woman in real life after all. Until this day. Now she was here looking earnest and tired at him, silent as a stone.
Blackquill moved a bit to the left, so she was able to come closer and have her moment with the fool as well. She moved next to him and watched the scripture on the stone with something that resembled longing in her eyes. She did not kneel down like Blackquill did, but somehow, he knew that she was just as close to the fool without doing so. Maybe in a different way but certainly with the same intensity.
A cricket chirped and the crows crawed. Blackquillâs breathing was fairly audible. He had to use his inhaler more frequently these days.
âIt was Anna, wasnât it?â
She hummed and clicked her tongue. They both stared at the name on the stone.
âSimon, right?â
Blackquill nodded and shot her a look from the side. He saw her sighing and taking her hands out of the pockets.
âI like the quote you choseâ, Blackquill told her and finally turned to directly look at her.
âHe would like it. It fits his personality.â
Anna flashed a smile. It felt a bit empty but a part of it seemed sincere.
âIâm glad you do. I think he would want these words for us. Since we both are probably the ones he cared about the most, and he would have wanted to protect the most afterwards.
âŠ
He talked a lot about you.â
For a second Blackquill felt his lip shiver. Then he swallowed heavily and mumbled: âI should have expected as much. After all we used to be rather close onceâŠâ
Blackquill kept quiet for a moment. Anna did not bother to speak up either.
âYou are his cousin. Travel a lot and worked for the force. He told me the facts.
... And that you the only blood-related relative he has left.
...
You meant a lot to him...â
Anna smirked at him. She had not known what kind of man she would meet here. He had often mentioned him, described some of his characteristics but she had never been sure, if he hadnât overpraised him. She had never been sure if Blackquill was actually good guy.
âTrue. He never failed to show me so much.â
She shot him a look and saw uncertainty glimmer in his eyes.
âAnd he means a lot to you, huh?â, she continued and softly tapped on the small bouquet of white carnations that was laying on the grave. âThis is the fifth bouquet in two weeks.
I mean, I wondered before who had been laying flowers on my cousinâs grave but by know I simply could no longer ignore it.â
Blackquill chuckled a bit. Loosely he drove his hand through his hair and pushed out a deep breath. He knew that his hands were trembling again. By now he knew it was from his psychogenic tremor. He would have to wait through it for it would not go away when he wanted it to but only when he forgot about it.
âHe must be on your mind.â
Blackquill shifted back. He pulled up his knees and changed into a more comfortable sitting position. With fascination he pulled on the seams of his jeans and smiled.
âHe is. I donât know why but he is. It came over me like a storm. Embraced me and threw me through the wallsâŠ
But I canât give myself a break now. I canât stop trying. Iâm closer to my goal than I have ever been and Iâm not going to throw my shot awayâŠ
I need to be at my very best, mentally as well as physically.â
âDo you now?â
âYeah.â
The crows hushed for the moment and no cricket made a sound, as Anna Fulbright started to snicker and shoved Blackquill into the side.
âI get it nowâ, she said and turned away from him.
Blackquill gaped at her with his brows risen high.
âYou get what now?â, he said as she was walking away.
Softly her steps stopped. Lazily she turned her head but did not bother to face him fully. Her arms hung down still next to her hips and her breath was steady and strong.
âI get now why he liked you so much.â
Her lips turned up into a, almost non-existent but completely honest smile.
âYou are a good man, Simon. This is why he was willing to go the extra mile for you. Iâll see you soon. I let myself transfer to LA and Iâll start in about a month or so.
But weâll meet sooner, I guess. Since you need to visit his grave so often now, huh?â
She had already turned away as Blackquill nodded as response. Eventually her steps grew quieter and quieter and he was alone again. Alone with Fulbright.
He smiled. He had always been alone with this before. And he was alone yet again. But now he knew that there was under these eight billion people at least one person that suffered just as much as he did.
And that gave him more comfort than he would have thought it could.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: éè»ąèŁć€ | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nahyuta Sahdmadhi & Yuugami Jin | Simon Blackquill, Garyuu Kyouya | Klavier Gavin & Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Garyuu Kyouya | Klavier Gavin & Yuugami Jin | Simon Blackquill, Odoroki Housuke | Apollo Justice & Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Garyuu Kyouya | Klavier Gavin/Odoroki Housuke | Apollo Justice, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth/Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright
Characters: Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Yuugami Jin | Simon Blackquill, Garyuu Kyouya | Klavier Gavin, Odoroki Housuke | Apollo Justice, Naruhodou Minuki | Trucy Wright, Kidzuki Kokone | Athena Cykes, Minor Characters, Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth
Additional Tags: Developing Friendships, Family Feels, Family Bonding, Conversations, Brotherly Love, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brother-Sister Relationships, a lot of family related themes everywhere, weâll also go and talk about Dhurke, and Aura, Iâm Bad At Tagging, Iâm Not Ashamed, Iâm Bad At Summaries
Series: Part 2 of Stories of a Glimmerous Fop, a Twisted Samurai and a Last Rites Prosecutor, Part 3 of Fix You
Summary:
A new day has broken and the three newly befriended prosecutors go along at their day. Nahyutaâs problematic situation with his brother and family all-together comes up again and eventually he has to face Apollo again, as a very excited Trucy Wright takes over and sponaniously invites the three men into her home.
And so the three prosecutors travel into their chiefâs boyfriends flat, praying that things wonât get akwardâŠ
(Direct continuation to Every good Friendship starts with an Asshole and a Fight
Should be enjoyable without knowing what happened in there^^)
Pandaâ€:
hi Yuta.
listen iâm sorry, but i have been thinking and look i donât want this for youâŠ
iâm a horrible influence and i donât have the energy nor the determination to pretend i could hold this up any longer
i never lied when i said i love you but i canât do this anymore i canât be in this relationship anymore it smothers me and i hate being smothered
for your and my best let it end here no obligation to talk to me any longer, no calls, nothing at your next visit you donât even need to greet me as long as we stay civil about it
my best wishes
simon
I had stared at the message for several minutes. This idiot. He really thought he could get rid of me. Calmly I laid my phone down, stood up and walked up to the high window in my room. He really believed he could just break up with me like this.
Ridiculous. But still, he knew what he was doing to an extent. I could not reach him like this. It had no use to text back, he was a far more skilled writer and I could also not call him, since he would simply decline it. I actually had to wait this out until my next visit to the States, and that was a whole month away.
Seriously, what was he just thinking? Why would he do this? What had I done wrong? I felt sadness and anger rise in my chest and tried to swallow them down. It was no use.
He did not want this, I told myself over and over again. He did love you and he had proven in the past that fact quite persuasively.
And still I felt myself slowly drifting into self-pity and almost saw how my expression lost its calm. It made no sense and I was helpless. I could do nothing to change my situation and I knew that Simon could not be happy about this. I knew he wasnât.
âI didnât want to get too attached. But now itâs too late for that and honestly letting one of you go sounds almost more horrible now than being hurt again. No, it would definitely be worse.â
Determined I put my hurt feelings aside and reminded myself that these were Simonâs own words. That this was what he had just confessed a month ago and I knew that he was suffering. And I would not let him to this to himself. Not again.
Someone knocked at the door. Royally I straightened my back and turned to the door.
âWho is there?â, I asked in khuraâinese pretty sure that it could only be my sister or Apollo who were the only ones who did not introduce themselves straight after knocking.
As expected, it was Apollo who asked me if he could come in. He had still been around in the palace, because of a meeting with some of the council members, but I was still surprised by his sudden appearance. Normally, he would go home on a Friday night and just lay back for some time, after such a demanding week full of work.
I allowed him to enter. His expression was earnest, and his eyebrows knitted together in worry. I sighed. How on earth did he already know about this?
âAre you alright? Klav just wrote me. He had been up for a second to get some water, only to find Simon down sitting in the living room staring at his smartphone and suddenly declaring that he had dumped you?â, Apollo explained as he came closer and finally laid a hand on my shoulder.
âSo, he reallyâŠ?â, he asked after I looked to the side with a painful sting in my heart.
I nodded. âYes. But I donât think he wanted to do this.â
Apollo stretched his arms lazily as he entered the living room. Christmas dinner with the Wrights had been⊠excessively much and he still felt full. So, he gladly had taken Klavierâs offer to stay over with him for the next few days and just lay around and do nothing at all in the manâs house.
Or well, almost nothing, if you know what I meanâŠ
Anyway, Apollo petted his beloved cat that had greeted him. It was nice to feel Mikekoâs fluffy fur, but he was actually on the look out for his boyfriend, who had been yet to be found. With a frown he straightened up and said to his cat: âWell, apparently my quest on finding my prosecutor is far from over. Are you going to accompany me on my noble journey, my honourable feline fellow?â
Mikeko flicked his eyes and looked to the side. That was good enough for Apollo and he went downstairs to the private recording studio. Klav did not use it much these days, or at least no longer in its original purpose. He still played music down there, but he had also installed a home cinema with a projector to watch movies and series.
As Apollo went down the stairs, Mikeko following him closely, he heard an endearing melody play. It was nothing Apollo knew, but he guessed that it was film music. It sounded soft and tinkling and somehow it reminded Apollo of the snow in the mountains. Curiously he entered the room, slowly opening the already a crack open door and glanced around in the room.
With his back turned to the door Klavier sat on the couch watching the projection on the wall. On it a young woman riding on a horse through a wintery forest. She was wearing a simple dress, probably made for a maiden and Apollo got the impression that he was looking at the protagonist of a fairy tale.
Suddenly the music stopped, as the woman got down from her horse and three men in ridiculous clothing appeared on the screen. One of them had a hilarious looking red hat thingy on the head and Apollo could no longer contain his curiosity.
âOkay, what is the deal with this film?â, Apollo asked, flopped down on the couch and stared at the red tights one the red hatted man was wearing.
âWow, thatâs really a horrible fashion style that dude got there. How old is this?â
A bit surprised at Apolloâs sudden appearance Klavier looked at him stiffly. But quickly his surprise faded and with a bright smile and his eyes back on the movie he answered: âMid-seventies, I believe. Itâs a fairy-tale film made in a Czechoslovak and DDR cooperation and kind of a cult Christmas film in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. And some other countries I believe but I donât know for sureâŠ
Oh, and Herr Red-Tights there is the price. The girlâs going to shoot a snowball at him, so heâll miss the deer.â
And there flew a snowball through the screen. One of the men said something snarky in German to the shooter and Apollo raised an eyebrow. Apparently, the three men now decided that they had to chase the girl.
âAh, a classic Aschenbrödel move. I love that girlâ, Klavier commented and smiled at the young woman.
âAa-sh-en-brod- what? Is that her name? How the heck did you pronounce that?â, Apollo asked making a staggered grimace.
Klavier laughed in pity and nipped him in the side.
âAschenbrödel. Donât try to pronounce it again that was horrible. Yeah, itâs her name. Itâs the German version of Cinderella.
The filmâs name is Drei HaselnĂŒsse fĂŒr Aschenbrödel, which translates to âThree Hazelnuts for Cinderellaâ. Sheâll get the three nuts from an old friend of her father, who found them by accident. They are magical and every one of them contains a dress that she needs right then and there.
Itâs a really nice film. Even though I grew up here and my mother did not really maintain any rituals from her homeland, she always watched this film with us around Christmas and I became to like it quite a bit over the years.â
The blue eyes were yet again locked on the screen and followed the three men, who miserably failed to catch the little girl. Intrigued Apollo watched his boyfriendâs expression and slowly laid back. The prosecutor had not been this relaxed in a while and somehow Apollo enjoyed him explaining the dialogue and the story to him. So, he leaned to Klavierâs side, put his arm around his shoulder and watched the movie with him.
And eventually the film found its end. The prince had figured out that Aschenbrödelâs sister was not her and could solve the little riddle she had given him. And so, they were riding over the snowy fields to the castle with the pretty melody from earlier.
The whole thing was actually quiet entertaining Apollo found himself thinking and softly squeezed his boyfriendâs arm.
âThe music was really pretty, and the girl was very expressive. I liked her a lotâ, Apollo reviewed to his wide grinning prosecutor and pecked his cheek.
âMhmâ, Klavier hummed, âthe music is truly great. And the actress is candy for the eye. She is a beauty and her dresses were astounding. They did an awesome job with this film.â
âIt is good for what it is. I canât argue with that. Maybe I should see the whole thing sometimes.â
âYou definitely should! Iâd love to watch it again with you. Maybe I find a subtitle version from it somewhere.
Anyway, what did you like best of it?â
Apollo tapped his forehead in musing and looked up to the ceiling.
âProbably that part where the stepmother fell into the pond with the daughter. That was good. Also, when Ms. Ashen-thingy was snarky with the prince and the stepmother. That was really good.â
Klavier giggled and covered his mouth with his hand.
Apollo winked at him and asked amused: âWhat did you like best about it, though? You must have seen it a hundred times, huh?â
âJa, I did in fact.
Hmm⊠I think itâs the ball scene I like best. Itâs not the thing they filmed best but I like the atmosphere, and they gazing at each other, and the king being clueless and impatient to learn the mystery womanâs identity.
Also, I like all the animal scenes in the film and in general the interactions between Aschenbrödel and the price. Itâs just too cute.â
The ex-rock starâs voice was mellow, and his hand clasped in Apolloâs, as he ended with his analysis Apollo realized. Fondly he tilted his head to the side and softly brushed Klavierâs bangs behind his ear.
âItâs cute how much you like this movieâ, Apollo smiled and kissed Klavier, as he looked at him.
Klavier enjoyed the feeling of Apolloâs peachy lips on his but cautiously broke the kiss of with a smile. He had something else on his mind right now. But â it was not the time for that.
âWell, it is a good movie after all. But not perfect. I mean, there are things I would have liked to see in it but werenât thereâ, Klavier brabbled and looked to the side.
That particular behaviour immediately got Apolloâs attention. Klavier did not tell him something and Apollo now was determined to find out what it was.
âWhat does it lack then?â
The hint of a blush was showing itself on Klavierâs cheeks and he started fumbling around with his bangs.
âAch, well. Itâs a bit cheesy, you see. Promise you wonât laugh, would you?â
Apollo smiled amused and said: âI promise. Now go on! Iâm getting impatient!â
âSchon gut! Iâm telling you already. So, you know normally in fairy-tale movies itâs quite common that you see the happily-ever-after-couple marry on screen. And they donât show that here and it always gets me that we wonât see their wedding.
I mean, look at them! They are so perfect together and their wedding would be beautiful, especially with this music and the dresses and â Hey you promised you would not laugh!â, Klavier whined and hit Apollo in the upper arm as the latter one had started to giggle.
Defensively Apollo lifted his arms to protect himself from other attack of the prosecutor and said still laughing: âOh come on Klav! Iâm not making fun of you! Youâre just too pure and a hopelessly romantic. I love it.â
And with that he caught his boyfriendâs hands and kissed the blondâs cheek. And there Klavier felt his heart rate speed up. He lost himself in Apolloâs grand brown eyes and realized that a spurt of courage was welling up inside of his chest. He blinked confused for several times, ignoring Apolloâs slightly worried look, and then suddenly knew that he was about to say something that he had not planned to say until tomorrow.
âUhm, itâs â itâs okayâ, Klavier said putting his hands in his lap and relaxing his shoulders a bit.
âKlavâŠ? Are you okay? I really did not want to offend you and Iâm sorry if I did. Iâll be more considerate in the future.â
Klavier cracked a smile and took Apolloâs hand to calm him.
âNo, no. Itâs alright. I knew that youâre not the romantic type, so I guess weddings are rather⊠silly to you.â
Apollo furrowed his eyebrows and subconsciously shook his head as he heard that. With conviction he said: âThatâs simply not true!â
At that Klavier raised his eyebrows in disbelief and Apollo puffed his cheeks as a response.
âIâm sorry but I know few people that are even less romantic than you, Schatz.â
âWell, okayâ, the red lawyer said and threw his arm in the air, âIâm not really romantic, true that. But I donât think that weddings are silly. I mean, maybe a little, but they lead to marriage and thatâs something pretty awesome. I mean it can be really awesome, if the right people-â âLike usâ
âWhat was that?â
âNothing! Go on!â That had not been smooth Klavier Gavin. Not at all.
Apollo squinted his eyes and slowly continued: âAnd as I said, if the right people find each other and are willing to work together, then marriage can be something great.
So, and now what did you say and why are you talking about weddings?â
âWould you believe me if Iâd tell you that the lack of the wedding scene in the movie just railed me up a lot?â, Klavier tried with a hopeful grin.
Deadpanned Apollo lifted his wrist and pointed to the golden bracelet. Dammit. Klavier let out a tired huff and scratched his neck, while shyly glancing at his boyfriend.
âI have been thinking-â
âThatâs never a good starter.â
âOh, just let me finish! I have been thinking about marrying and stuff.
I know itâs completely inappropriate right now, you being in Khuraâin and staying there for the time being, me being here and us being together for not even a year at this point, but Iâm still thinking about it.
Ich liebe dich ĂŒber alles, and I appreciate our time together more that I can explain â He started fumbling with his rings and glanced up between them and Apollo â I believe in us and I do not want to let go of you ever again.
The idea of planning a ceremony for the two of us, celebrating our future life together with all our friends, it sounds so appealing and perfect to me. But I know I overdo it and I canât just phantasies about it, since it is your choice as well and I feel silly for it and-â
âYou were thinking about our wedding?â, Apollo stopped him.
Klavier looked at him and cautiously nodded: âYes, I did.â
Apollo remained silent for solid twenty seconds. Then he opened his mouth a few times without making a sound. And then he finally managed to say: âYou feel silly because you think that I do not like weddings and you want one? I â Where is this coming from? And why did you not just ask, if I am against marriage? I mean itâs not like I would leave you because of this questionââ
âThen you could imagine marrying me?â, Klavier said with hopeful puppy-dog-eyes.
âYeah, one day, sure. I love you and I want to be with you just as much as you do, so you donât need to worry about it any longer. But why were you worrying about it in the first place? We were nowhere near wedding stuff the last time we talked about us, right? Or was I oblivious again? Oh, please tell me I did not miss something important!â
A bit forceful Klavier squeezed Apolloâs upper arm and told him: âNo, no! You overlooked nothing. Itâs â itâs just been on my mind lately. Because of Herr Edgeworthâs wedding plans with your ex-boss and the movie, I guess.
But it didnât leave me. The thought stayed with me and I really started thinking about it and started to plan some stuff and now â He let go of Apollo and stood up to walk in circles and scratch his forehead in disbelief â that planning was for naught.
I feel so childish right now.â
Klavier walked over to a drawer, where he usually put notes and music sheets and all the stuff he was working on and opened it. Apollo could not see what he was taking out of it, but it did not bother him anyway. He was way too focused on making sense out of Klavierâs words and said: âWait, I donât get it. You planned to ask me about my opinion of marrying? Why would you want to plan that?â
And with that Klavier turned and stared and Apollo with a blank face. Had he⊠had he actually not understood that Klavier wasâŠ
âNo, I planned to propose to you, Herr Forehead.â
With a sigh Klavier looked to the floor and did not notice how Apollo stood up and started to walk over to him.
âI mean, I now I know that you are not against it, but not now, what is fine. I mean, I would not have wanted to get married now that you are thousands of miles away, but I really had a plan laid out for tomorrow with a nice dinner at home, because I would not want to pressure you with other people watching us in public, so I could ask you, if you want to marry meâ - âYesâ - âI had a song prepared, a menu. I had even written some possible things for saying to youâ â âYESâ â âBut now this is just embarrassing and ââ
Violently Apollo cupped Klavierâs cheeks to make the man finally stop monologuing. Confused Klavier looked at him, not sure what was just happening. His boyfriend was smiling widely, something awfully shiny glimmering in his eyes. Wait. Had he â While he had been talking â
âKlavier, youâre as fucking dense as I am!â, Apollo laughed and saw Klavierâs eyes lighting up. âI said yes! Yes, I wanna fucking marry you, you idiot!â
After several moments and some soft and slightly misguided kisses on various parts on everything above the neck Klavier had found himself saying: âBut I thought you werenât ready for marriage right away? You just said one day, didnât you?â
Apollo laughed and answered, while caressing Klavierâs arm gently: âYeah, but you said it yourself. We are not going to get married as long as Iâm in Khuraâin. I know it will take a while until I come back, and when it the time comes, Iâll be ready. Weâll be ready. And Holy Mother, I did not think Iâd be so fucking excited to know that this day would be coming.â
They laughed and let their foreheads touch. Eventually Apollo laid back and raised his eyebrows teasingly.
âFor somebody who had planned everything for proposing to me, you forgot a pretty important part.â
âAnd that is?â, Klavier asked playfully shocked.
âThe ring, genius.â
And there it was. The so much dreaded smirk of Klavier Gavin. Slowly, he lifted his left hand and Apollo spotted a small, black box.
âWhat did you think did I get out of the drawer, mein Sonnenschein?â, Klavier teased and opened the box.
âAre you gonna put it on me or do I need to stare at it until it hops on my finger?â
Klavier chuckled, took the ring out of the box and grabbed Apolloâs hand. With a amused huff he slid the golden ring on Apolloâs finger and whispered lovingly: âYouâre absolutely terrible, Apollo Justice and I love it.â
Courtroom No. 7. A wicked place truly. It had brought great despair to Phoenix and had been the show place for the beginning of the dark age of the law. Yes, it had also been the stage for the unjustifiably cruel UR-1 case. The courtroom where Blackquill had put on his show and had taken the blame for a crime he never committed.
As chief prosecutor I knew about that. I also knew that the man avoided said courtroom as well as he could. He would always ask, if another courtroom was available, as soon as No. 7 was assigned as the courtroom for one of his cases. But he never complained if he had to fight in there. Of course, he did not, he was a professional after all.Â
But sadly, professionalism did not protect us from emotions or trauma. And Blackquill had learnt that the hard way two months ago, as he broke down and finally realized that it was time to get help. He was on the right track now but there was still a long way ahead of him, as far as I knew, and I could only hope that he knew that too.Â
Anyway, when I heard Gavin grumble about Blackquillâs wish to be left alone in the break room, I had a weird feeling. The black-haired man had been oddly quiet during the meeting we had today and that wish I had heard from Gavin, made me even more uncomfortable.
So, it came to this. It was almost 7 PM, I had followed this obscure whim and had gone to the courtroom No. 7. I stood in the entrance and stared into the shady room. The man was there but did not notice me. His back was turned towards me and I saw him staring at the defendantâs seat on the defence side. He must have sat there ages ago.
I observed the manâs broad shoulders with concern. They were heavy with sorrow and pain. His stance full of doubt and fright. Both hidden with a mask of coolness and sarcasm. I knew the mask as if it had been an old friend. Or maybe more of a drug.
I let out a sigh and put myself in motion. Earnestly I wandered towards the man until I stood directly behind him and cleared my throat. I had no intention in startling the man more than necessary.
Promptly Blackquill flinched and turned around in a haze. I had almost the feeling that he was ready to fight off an attacker but quickly he realized that I was nobody he had to be afraid of. Still, he was tense, what was not that surprising considering the fact that he was caught by his superior in a courtroom after work hours.Â
I looked up to him, waiting for some sort of explanation or justification of why he was here, but the man remained silent.
In the shady light it was hard to see but I could make out the unsteadiness in his eyes. I felt pity raise up inside of my stomach. The fear of punishment. It had no place in my mind right now.Â
I exhaled slowly and turned my face to the defendantâs seat. I put on a smile, the one I used to lecture Kay quite often, and side eyed the tall prosecutor next to me.Â
âItâs terribly cold on that chair, isnât it?â
Nahyuta had a twenty hours long journey behind himself, when he finally landed in LA. He was tired, a bit hungry and irritable, but tried his best to remain civil. And with the knowledge that Simon and Klavier were going to get him at the airport he actually managed to achieve to do so much.
After endless waiting at the baggage reclaim and the nerve-wrecking procedure at the customs, he finally got out and immediately searched the for the blond and the black-haired among the crowed. Luckily his panda was just as tall as ever and he had soon found them standing near a pillar.
âHi!â, he greeted them with glimmering eyes as he walked towards them.
Simon uncrossed his arms, but his calm expression did not change. What a stoic man he was. Klavier on the other hand started waving the second he spotted the prince and quickly took him into his arms as he had reached them. The friendliness of this man was more than welcomed by Nahyuta. It was something he often missed in Khuraâin.
âWelcome back. How was the flight? You had a two hours delay, right?â, Simon started to converse with him and took the luggage right of his hand, as he started walking towards the airport carpark.
For once the other two were able to keep up with him and followed him quickly. Nahyuta rolled his eyes at the delay and said: âYou tell me. It was a rough flight but nothing too bad. I had had way worse flight experience than that.
But Iâm tired, nevertheless. Flying gets to you the older you become.â
Simon raised an eyebrow and Klavier laughed at that statement.
âIâm feeling antique when a twenty-six-year-old talks about being oldâ, Simon snorted and made Klavier laughing even harder.
âOh, but are you not ancient, my panda? Thirty is quiet the age, isnât it?â, the monk teased and smirked smittenly
Simon huffed at that and turned his head away. He was quick to retort for once, Nahyuta noticed warily. But he had no time to brood about it as Klavier involved him in a conversation right away. He wanted to know if Apollo was doing okay and he and Nahyuta had been able to solve that strange case about the red nun.
Nahyuta answered his questions briefly and did not go into detail. He was simply too tired to face Klavierâs full-fledged enthusiasm. Still he was glad that he was talking to him. The man always managed to make him feel welcomed. As if he had arrived home.
Technicians, Magicians and Princesses make the Best Sisters
Saturday, 17 March 2029
âKlavier, would you be so kind a get the panda?â, Nahyuta asked the rock star as he put down the plate with pancakes on the table.
Klavier obliged and went into Simon's room. He found the man laying on his back under about four different kinds of blankets. He attempted to go over to him and remove them with a quick movement, as the tall man sat up himself and eyed the rock star suspiciously.
âNever try to wake me up like this againâ, Simon stated coldly as he stood up and stretched his arms.
"You're no fun", Klavier pouted and followed Simon into the kitchen.
As they came to the table Simon was rather surprised to see what the monk had managed to make out of the few things that had been left in his fridge.
âThe eggs yolk should still be liquid. If you want it well-done, I'll cook it some more, but now sit down and take some pancakesâ, the monk ordered him to sit down.
Surprised, but definitely smiling, the man sat down and took a pancake out of the plate while amusedly shaking his head. Discreetly he watched Klavier doing the same with a lot more yawning. Nahyuta on the other hand was quite lively, as he energetically started to cut his fried eggs. He was definitely a morning person and somebody who loved to eat.
A brief laugh escaped Simon's lips and earned him a pointed look from Nahyuta. The man rose his eyebrows and then asked him: âWhat's funny?â
Simon shook his head and took honey from the middle of the table.
âNothing. Only that there's somebody here, who's even less of a morning person than I am.â
Softly Simon pointed with the knife in his hand to Klavier's direction, who had almost dropped a piece of sugar into the marmalade glass. Nahyuta only raised his eyebrows at the sight of this and did not even bother to comment on Simonâs observation. Klavierâs clumsiness in the morning spoke for itself.
The conversation died down after that for a bit. The three men simply ate in silence and just enjoyed their own company. They all also had their own little sorrows and problems that occupied their minds and kept them from talking anymore.
Well, until Klavierâs sleepy switch suddenly switched and he straight out asked the samurai: âHow did you get us into your bed, anyway? I donât remember how we got there at all.â
âYou canât recall thatâ, Simon responded flatly, âbecause you were asleep. Neither of you reacted when I picked you up and carried you into my room. You both slept like stones.â
âWhat?â, the blond asked unbelievingly.
âDonât act so surprisedâ, Simon mumbled and handed the monk the soy sauce he had pointed at.
âNeither of you is really heavy and Iâm by all means anything but weak. As you may recall I was able to break my shackles. And I could do it again, if I was required to do so.â
âWellâ, Nahyuta interfered while holding his hand in front of his mouth and then swallowed the food he had just been chewing, âitâs still quite troublesome to lift people our height. Iâm six feet tall and Klavier is probably about the same.
And I honestly canât believe that you could have broken your shackles. They are made out steel and are able to hold back guys that are twice as wide as you. Youâre just bluffing.â
Simon laid his fork down and mildly annoyed stared at the monk, while Klavier observed both of them curiously. In a way he found it amusing to see Simon so pissed and Nahyuta being so unreasonably bold.
âI could lift you and this chair without breaking a sweat, feather weight. And I have no need of bluffing about these things. Klavier saw me breaking them and your brother can tell you the same. I did break my shackles and I do not care for your baseless assumptions.â
Nahyutaâs eyes had widen slightly by that statement and he searched for confirmation in Klavier. The blond nodded agreeing with Simonâs word and gave the monk a sympathising smile. As Nahyuta then violently turned back in Simonâs direction in utter disbelief Klavier almost started laughing out loud. He had even more difficulties to contain himself, as he looked at Simonâs less than under impressed expression while he was demonstratively sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
âSeriously? You are not shitting me right now?â, the monk said slowly realizing that Simon in fact might be telling the truth.
Now Simon actually started to chuckle. Seeing the man like this was just too amusing. He straightened up in his chair and then quickly stood up. Swiftly he stepped over to Nahyuta, carefully but quickly pulled back his chair and lifted the man up, just as he had done it the other night.
Nahyuta did not react at all out of shock, but only stared at him in bewilderment. The man had not been bluffing. He actually was able to pick him up easily and hold him simply in bridal style. And suddenly it dawned the man how they must look like right now and felt the blood rushing into his face.
Deliberately, Nahyuta put his hand on his collar bone and turned his face away from Simonâs chest. Slightly faltering but still composed enough he raised his voice and told the samurai with the shit-eating grin on his mouth: âI see⊠You have proven your point and elaborated why Iâm wrong. Would you now please let me down? I do not appreciate being hold like a damsel in distress.â
Carefully the samurai let Nahyuta down. While he was at it, he explained: âActually I havenât really proven my point. You are indeed very light, and I think most people would be able to pick you up. To prove my point, Iâd have to also pick up the chair and probably put a 25 pounds weight on it. And even then, it would not be that impressive.â
Huffily Nahyuta straightened the wrinkles in the foolish sweatpants and mumbled offended: âIâm not a lightweight. 149 pounds are perfectly fine for a guy my height and frame. You have no idea.â
âHow much do you weight?! Iâm barely 2 inches taller than you and am almost 60 pounds heavier! Are you eating enough?â, Simon asked Nahyuta with big eyes.
Surprised Nahyuta met Simonâs gaze and found real concern in the samuraiâs eyes. Oh my, the man somehow reminded him of his always troubled mother. That was a bit unsettling.
âCool down Simon. His weightâs fine. And you should not take yourself as a standard for weight. You are a huge guy with a lot of muscles and are like three times as broad as he is.
And anyway, itâs a bad idea to compare weight. Itâs really unhealthyâ, Klavier interfered coolly.
The other two gave him a suspicious look. That tone definitely intended something more than Klavier had just said. Silently both men decided to let it drop. It might be a better idea not compare weight in front of Klavier again. It seemed to make him uncomfortable.
So Nahyuta went back at his place on the table and waited with speaking until Simon had sat down as well. When the tall man finally had settled down again, Nahyuta offhandedly told him: âI eat regularly an enough. Iâm just constantly on the move and I rarely got the time to eat long dinners. And if it wasnât for that I probably would be rather chubby. I put on weight pretty fast.â
As Nahyuta said that last sentence, he made a sour face.
Simon barked a laugh and Klavier knitted his eyebrows together in doubt. A chubby Nahyuta did not sound very likely. Both of them could hardly believe that he could be something else than a thin leech but how were they supposed to talk back? Neither of them knew if Nahyuta had indeed once been a bit fatter than today.
âWell, I donât know if thatâs true, but Iâll have to take your word for itâ, Simon said amused and took the soy sauce.
âAnyway, it would probably look nice on you. I mean, you manage to look kinda cute in my old clothes, so a few pounds more canât possibly hurt you that much.â
Flabbergast Nahyuta stared at the samurai. This was the very last thing he had expected to hear from him. No, this kind of compliment, form a man who had despised him only a day earlier, this was not something Nahyuta had expected in his day.
He was so taken aback that he did not even manage to say something as Simon stood up and went into his room to let his hawk inside, who had been crying vehemently.
With Simon gone Klavier pulled on the monks t-shirt and told him quietly: âHeâs saying such things often. It comes very unexpected at first, but youâll get used to it.
Itâs actually really nice to get compliments from him. He always means what he says there.â
âLifeâs too short to not say what you mean. Itâs worse to regret saying nothing than saying the wrong thing. Itâs what my sister preached all day long and by now I have to admit sheâs not completely wrong with that statementâ, Simon said as he came back to the table.
Finally, Nahyuta had got his composure back and observed how the tall man sat back down. His tone was different than before. It was just a small difference in his voice, but he could definitely spot the change, even though he could not say what it was about. Curiously he watched the samurai continuing eating calmly.
His left hand was shaking a little and he did not look up to them, even though he clearly knew that Nahyuta and Klavier were watching him.
âIt slipped my mind that you had an older sister. What was her name again? Something with A wasnât it?â, Nahyuta inquired while waving around with his fork and watching the ceiling.
âAuraâ Simonâs answer was quick. The grip around the fork became tighter.
âSheâs-â
âIâm aware. You do not need to inform me. I had the chance to look at the records of the retrial of UR-1, when I came to the States.â
Nahyuta had saved Simon from talking about his sisterâs crime. He did not want to torture the samurai with the story. There was no need for more cruelty.
Meanwhile Simon had turned away from the other men. He felt the stinging pain in his lungs and had no intention to show them this. Slowly he then closed his eyes and counted to ten. It was not the most efficient way to deal with this but the subtlest, and around these four keen eyes he needed to be as subtle as possible.
As soon as he could, he turned back to the others and continued eating pretending as if nothing had happened at all. Playing it down had always worked best for him. In a way. Somehow.
When Nahyuta cleared his throat Simon simply glanced at him. The monk took it as a permission to speak and said: âI did not want to touch a nerve, Simon. Excuse my intrusiveness.â
Simon smirked at him. Neither Klavier nor Nahyuta could determine if it was an honest one or one that was there to make them feel better. Anyway, the samurai licked his lips and told the monk nonchalantly: âLook, actually I donât mind talking about her. I just hate it that she sacrificed so much for me. I did not ask for it and she endangered herself and others with her actions.
⊠Why did you even read my case file? It shouldnât be too interesting for you.â
âFor one I was interested in the case and the international spy, and other than that I wanted to learn about the circumstances in which Clay died. I did not know the man, but he was close to Apollo and I wanted to understand his pain as good as I could.
I talked with him about it, but he was never really ready to talk about the incident itself. And⊠I had the urge to learn more without bothering Apollo any longer. Then I remembered the case file and read it after asking him if he was fine with it.
Thatâs why I know about your sister. I did not stalk you or look up your past more than that. Same goes for Klavier, if you were worried about itâ, Nahyuta explained and shot Simon a cautious look.
Simon just shrugged and said to him: âGlad to know that youâre not a stalker. And if thatâs the only thing you read about Aura, then you probably have a horrible impression of her.â
âI canât say that she appeared very friendly in the files. Would that be different normally?â
Simon chuckled and shook his head. Nahyuta recognized a small glint of amusement in the otherâs eyes and understood that this time the samuraiâs cheer was sincere.
âNah, sheâs horrible all the time. Snarky and standoffish. And an annoyingly smart robotic nerd. And arguing with her is real pain in the ass. Sheâs way too stubborn, thatâs why she never stopped trying to talk me out of it.
And as I did not give in, she took a different route. An extreme one, but that had to be expected. She never was one to half ass things.â
He sighed and shot both men a short look before taking another bite of his pancake. Neither of them felt entitled to say something. Nahyuta remained silent, because he believed that he had no right to say something, since he did not know Simon well enough and Klavier held back because he did not know what to say to Simonâs situation. It had never crossed the rock starâs mind that Simon was thinking about his sisterâs choices. He had never realized that it might bother him, even if it actually was a rather obvious thought.
Eventually Nahyuta cleared his throat and slowly laid his fork and knife down. He still was unsure if it was appropriate for him to voice his thoughts, but he felt the need to say them, nevertheless. Patiently, he waited for Simon to look at him and as the black-haired finally met his gaze, Nahyuta graced him with a smile and said: âYou donât flatter her a lot with your words, reverse panda. But your tone tells a different story.
You are missing the woman, arenât you? There is no shame in longing for your family. I can understand that very well myself.â
Simon only hinted a smile and brushed it off right away.
âSheâs the only blood family I have left. And I â I owe her a lot. I was able to become a prosecutor because of her. And she did a lot of other things she never had to doâŠ
It was way more than you can ask of a sibling. Way more than you could ask of a parent even. And still⊠She just did it.
What doesnât mean that sheâs a good person. Because sheâs not. But she gave up a lot for me and taught me plenty things. She cared about me, even when I had stopped to care. And I appreciate it.
And yes, I miss her. Often. But I know that sheâll come back, so there is no need for me to brood about it anymore. Iâll get to see her again, and that is more than I ever could have hoped forâ, Simon explained his eyes filled with determination and his back being straight and strong.
For a moment Nahyuta forgot that he was in the states, sitting on a wooden chair in the living room of an apartment from a man he barely knew. He only saw this human being sitting in front of him with so many emotionâs hiding behind his eyes and a strange, gentle passion buzzing in his words. He reminded him of something. A flash of green eyes and the tone of unruliness resonated in his ears.
A nostalgic smile stole its way on Nahyutaâs lips and the man muttered still lost in his memories: âHow could she not try and save this potential? I would - I have done the same⊠I would always do it again.â
Surprised both Simon and Klavier looked at the monk and quickly exchanged a look. Where had that been coming from?
âPardon?â, Simon asked gently and nudged Nahyuta to the side.
The man flinched a little but quickly composed himself. He realized that his thoughts must have drifted off and that he might have actually said what had been going on in his mind. Well, it had happened, but it was not too bad. He had not said a thing heâd be ashamed of.
âOh, I just thought loudly. I can understand your sisterâs choice quite well. You must be truly important to her, judging your words. And because of that she would have wanted to keep you as safe as possible. Protect you as well as she could. And so, she took the only way she could think off.
You might think of it as extreme and maybe even foolish, but Iâd go just as far to protect my family. Because I know how horrible it is to lose a brother. And I do anything to stop that from happening again. I wonât let him get hurt anymore.â
With the last phrase Nahyuta had shot Klavier a meaningful look. Nobody was allowed to hurt Apollo, no matter how kind or good they normally were. If the rock star just dared to make his brother cry, Klavier would suffer the consequences.
The blond gulped quite stressed, and Simon had a flash back to the trial he had seen Nahyuta fighting in. The man was truly intimidating, despite his regal behaviour and innocent face. He admittedly like that spunk.
He grinned and told the monk while shaking his head: âRayfa and Justice must be glad to call you their brother, then. You went far to keep your sister safe and do a lot now to give Justice the recognition he deserves. You should be a really proud brother.â
With that Simon stood up and put his empty play to the sink. He went back and started to take the empty plates of the table and quietly noted that Nahyuta had eaten half of the pancakes himself. This guy truly loved it to eat.
At once Nahyuta stood right next behind him with his empty glass and the raspberry jam, which he put back in the fridge.
âJust put it down here, Iâll wash it-â
âYou wonât do the dishes on your own this timeâ, Nahyuta stated with tone that did not accept any further arguments.
Defeated Simon gave in and said Nahyuta to grab a towel to dry the cutlery he had washed. Klavier ended up helping as well, as he put away the stuff Nahyuta had dried and it was rather crowded in Simonâs small kitchen.
Simon got the feeling that he would not get rid of this foolish monk and loud rock star anytime soon. And somehow, he was not as annoyed by it as he wanted to be.
It was already evening, and I was still stuck in the traffic, as Apollo called me and asked if I was on my way home. He wanted to know, if he should warm up our food already or if he should wait some more.
I told him that he could start, since I was almost at my turn and even though traffic was bad, I would soon be home. Then we hung up and I started humming a melody.
This day had been fucking stressful up until now. I had to present two cases in court and the latter one was absolutely nerve-wrecking. Not because it was a hard case, no. The main witness just could not shut up and it was almost impossible to get them to stop talking again. Even the judge was getting annoyed by it and had to ask for their removal.
But now the night was finally dawning, and I got to see my sun again. My sun, who just called me to ask if he should make me dinner. I felt a smile forming on my lips and quickly glanced at the silver ring on my left ring finger. It was still new and shiny. And I still felt the sweet contentment rushing through my veins when I looked at it.
I really longed to see my husband again and apparently for once life time was kind to me as it flew by and I reached my destination a bit earlier than expected. Quickly I went inside and straight into the kitchen, where I was hit with quite the sight.
Apollo Justice, the owner of the small law firm Justice & Co. and former official legal council for the reconstruction of the khuraâinese legal system, was standing on a kitchen counter, while our lovely cat Mikeko sat on a cupboard and unimpressed stared down at him. He meowed at him and Apollo mumbled something angrily in khuraâinese. Cautiously he stretched and tried to reach the fluffy animal but exactly as he had almost got hold of him, Mikeko simply took a step back and started peacefully licking his pawn as if he was mocking him.
I had to bite my lip in order to keep myself from laughing. This was absolutely hilarious. It got even better as I realized that Vongole was also in the kitchen and stood behind Apollo down on the floor watching him closely like I did.
He let out a little bark and immediately my red lawyer growled frustratedly: âOh can you do it better, Clams? Can you? Then please, do it yourself! Go on! Get this stubborn creature down here!â
And at that I could no longer contain myself and started laughing. That caused Apollo to stumble and he almost lost balance. Immediately I run over to him and supported him by holding his legs still, so he would not fall down.
As soon as he was no longer in danger of falling down, he turned around and told me loudly with a beet red face: âFuck you? What the hell is your business with sneaking up on me and then giving me a heart attack? I almost died!â
Before I could say anything, Mikeko jumped down from the cupboard on the counter, quickly slid around Apolloâs legs, and finally jumped down on the floor ignoring my existence while gracefully exiting the room.
Both of us looked after the cat in bewilderment. This animal had the same vibe as the âThen perishâ meme. He was godlike.
Anyway, I took a step back and as Apollo very carefully sat down, I told him: âWell, to my defence I was quite overwhelmed with the scene, which was unfolding in front of me. It was kinda bizarre and your backside is also very much distracting.â
I winked at him and he puffed his adorably pink cheeks. But suddenly he cracked a smile and shook his head. He took my hands and drew circles with his thumb on their back.
I had the urge to lean on him and lay my head on his shoulders. At first, I tried to resist, but as Apollo drew me closer and grabbed me around shoulders, I gave in and buried my head in his shoulders. It was nice being in a lower position than Apollo for once. Leaning on my sweet small partner was really comforting.
And then an alarm clock went off and the little man slid down from the counter in order to get our lasagne out of the oven. I let out a tired huff and set up the table. Apollo followed soon with the lasagne and a bottle of red wine together with two glasses.
âOh wowâ, I said in as I stemmed my hands in my hips. âWhatâs there to celebrate? Have I forgotten something? Or am I in trouble or both?â
He only shot me a slightly offended look and answered while filling my glass: âCanât I just drink some wine with my husband? And also, you look like you had a shitty day, so I wanted to make this evening a bit nicer for you.â
âCan you call me husband again? It sounds like music in my tender earsâ, I pledged and stepped close to him.
A sneaky smile appeared on his lips and softly touched his shoulders and let my hands wander down to his chest. His face came closer to me and he whispered smoothly: âMy husband. Iâm going to drink some wine with my handsome husband, Klavier Gavin. Did that make you happy?â
âVery much soâ, I replied and pressed a small kiss on his lips.
We parted again, toasted on us, drank our wine and started eating our lasagne. He asked me about my day and I could get some steam off. Then he told me about how his new intern Tam had managed to get into a heated discussion about musicals with an over fifty years old man. Said man had come into their office for a defence request for his son who had been accused of identity theft and had been in a horrible mood before the kid had started talking with him.
Apollo himself had been out, when the guy had first entered the office, because of he had been called to a crime scene for another case and only met the man as he came back, while his lovely intern was cheerfully describing the hidden meaning of âWickedâ to the eagerly listening man in his early fifties.
Apollo had only ever praise for the young woman. With her fiercely gentle nature she was quite a strange character, who was absolutely intriguing. And so, they had won a new client in no time even though Apollo had not been there to meet him first.
âFrau Abelen truly is a treasure, isnât she?â, I said to Apollo after he had ended his story.
âShe sure is. And sheâs also really talented at defending to be honest. I have taken her to court with me several times and sheâs a complete natural. Sharp mind and an insightful point of view. One day sheâll make a great lawyerâ, he told me as excitement glimmered in his eyes.
Quickly he had stood up and put the lasagne bowl on the counter. I took our used plates and wandered over to him, carefully putting the plates next to the bowl and then hugged my man from behind.
âOf course, sheâll be great! She will have learnt form the greatest lawyer after allâ, I whispered in his ears and got a slightly embarrassed laugh in return.
He wiggled himself out of my hug and turned around, so he could see me. Nonchalantly he laid his arms around my neck, tilted his head to the side and smiled at me.
âWhat is it with you today? Youâre always rather smooth but this is fucking brilliant. Do you want something from me? Something involving our bed room? Hm? You little horny rock star?â
Well, now, that was simply unfair. He had no idea how attractive he was when he started talking like this with that sort of smirk and that voice. And complimenting me at the same time. Dear god, this man was the end of me.
I leaned in for a kiss, closed my eyes and felt how Apolloâs lips came closer and â
âMeowâ
Confused we turned our faces towards the counter and discovered a very judging cat starring at us from inside the lasagne bowl. I felt my jaw drop, while Apollo simply raised his eyebrows, as we watched how Mikeko came out of the bowl, stretched and then jumped down from the counter and yet again left the room as gracefully as an Olympia ice skater.
âThis cat is the ultimate trollâ, I huffed under my breath as I made a step towards the kitchen in order to get some towels for the tomato stains the horrible cat just had left.
Yet I did not get further than that because Apollo broke down laughing in tears, what I observed in cluelessness. As the laughing continued, I got worried and asked a bit lost: âWhat exactly is so funny about this?â
I saw how Apollo attempted reply, but it took him quite some time before he was able to calm down enough to answer me.
âAh, sorry, but â I â well there was just an image popping up in my mind of a fantasy troll Mikeko with the quest of cock-blocking us and it seemed so fucking ridiculous to me at the moment.â
I blinked several times before I actually registered what the man just had told me and needed several more seconds before I understood what he had said. And then I started laughing violently myself, what led to Apollo starting to laugh again. What made me laugh even harder and made it way more difficult to stop laughing again.
I did not even know why I laughed in the first place. The image was not really that funny, but somehow it was the most hilarious thing when I had heard Apollo say it. And it still was hilarious when we stopped laughing and started to clean up the mess Mikeko had caused. Vongole even helped us as he liked up some of the tomato trail the naughty cat had left behind.
When we were finally finished, I let myself drop on the sofa in the living room and stared at the pictures on the coffee table. It was one of Apollo and me on our first date, several with Simon, Nahyuta, Apollo and me in it, some of Trucy, Thalassa, Athena and Herr Wright and also one of Rayfa. I leaned forward and took the one up where Simon sat on said coffee table, made peace sign and I was sitting in front of him on the floor, smiling brightly.
I decided we needed more pictures. There were too little of Kay, Sebastian and Frau Skye. I wanted to see more of them. They belonged into this household.
A black-white ball of fluffy hair appeared in front of me. I smiled and fondled the spaniel half-breed behind his ears. Ultimately, he laid down on my feet and I got the chance to lay back again.
Peacefully I sat there, humming a melody for a new song in my head. Life was good. Even kind right now. I appreciated that.
I heard Apollo come closer, a purring mass in his arms. I opened my eyes and saw how he sat down next to me with the cat on his lap. Mikeko slept peacefully just as Vongole did and I gave Apollo an amused look.
Then I reached over to the cat, petted him and told Apollo: âBoth of them might be trolls from time to time. But I would not want to live without them anymore.â
âNeither would Iâ, Apollo agreed and kissed my cheek.
âThey are just as much part of this family as you and I are.â
Nahyuta calmly sat on the couch in Simonâs living room and read one of his manga. It was about a military division called âPumpkin Scissorsâ and was a rather old story with an odd style. Still it entertained the man and he had a good time reading it.
The front door suddenly got unlocked and Simon came in. He had come back from the grocery store and went straight into the kitchen to put away the food he had bought. Then he sat down next to his partner, leaned at his side, closed his eyes while Nahyuta continued reading and they relaxed like this quietly for some minutes.
Then Nahyuta felt Simon moving away and looked up from his book. A strange vibe came of his boyfriend and slowly he put down the manga and waited for the man to start speaking about what was going on.
âIâve got a question for youâ, Simon began seriously.
Sceptically Nahyuta frowned at his partner. He kept his mouth shut waiting for him to go on talking.
âYou might have realized that in the two last weeks started sometimes referring to you with they/them pronouns from time to time.â
He paused for a second awaiting a reaction that never came.
âYou reacted pretty well on that. I had the impression that you even liked it.
And if that observation was correct, Iâd like to know if you would like me to exclusively use they/them pronouns for you. Also, I could start using gender neutral terms for you, if you would like that better than masculine ones.â
Nahyuta said nothing. His expression was motionless and his look still. He was frozen in this moment.
Then out of nowhere Nahyutaâs mimic grew solemnly dark. He exhaled a wavering breath and looked right up in Simonâs eyes. He was prepared to fight.
âSimon, we will not talk about this. I know where you are heading with this and Iâm not going to fall for it.â
Confused and mildly concerned Simon eyed his friend up. Nahyuta believed that he had a hidden agenda, that he wanted to trick him? Should he not know that he would never do such a thing to him?
âI do not want to trick you into something, but if you donât want to talk about it, we donât have toâ, Simon tried to calm him down and brought some distance between himself and Nahyuta to show that he was not trying to invade his personal space.
But that did nothing to clam Nahyuta down. On the contrary it led to him being even more defensive.
âSo, youâre not? Do you actually understand what you just insinuated? Do you? You just said that I would be unhappy being called he or him. You just assumed I was dysphoric about that. What I am not. I do not have dysphoria and you do not try to convince me from anything else, got that?â
Simon gaped at him. This had not been what he had said, but obviously what Nahyuta had read in his words. Immediately he had talked about dysphoria, a word Simon had never used in Nahyutaâs presence and he had never heard him use it either. It must have been on his mind. Which was not a good thing at all.
Before Simon could try and calm him down Nahyuta continued to rant as he stood up and stiffly walked in circles: âAlso there is no need for something like gender neutral terms. You know that I am a man, so you can treat me as such.
No need for ridiculous other terms. None at all. Absolutely not.â
âIf you say one more time you donât care about gender-neutral words, I might even believe itâ, Simon let slip up.
Shocked he covered his mouth and saw an equally shocked Nahyuta staring back at him. They stared at each other in complete silence, Simon unable to mumble an excuse, Nahyuta frozen in his movements.
Finally, Nahyuta gulped heavily and broke eye contact with the samurai. Weakly he touched his forehead and sighed painfully. It was so easy to look through him, huh?
Frantically, Simon jumped up and walked over to him. Apologizingly, he started saying to Nahyuta: âIâm so sorry. That was not called for or appropriate. I should not have said it and will not let it happen aga-â
Everything was a mess. It had been two days since Blackquillâs trial and the press was still buzzing around everywhere around the prosecutionâs office. Edgeworth did his best to keep them away from the other staff, but it was a hopeless task. They tried to get a statement out of anybody involved in the case, and since they could not get hold on anybody on the defence side, nor the Blackquill siblings, they tried to get at least a statement from the prosecution.
Luckily enough I was not involved in this mess for once. It has been a horrible last year and I had taken some time off since ⊠his trial and felt pretty okay with the pressâ presence at the time. At least when I managed to get into my office.
And today they had apparently decided that they wanted to make it especially hard for us to get in, since it was almost impossible to get into the prosecutorâs car park and some of them actually had the nerve demanding me to get the chief prosecutor. I did not say a word, left them behind and went up into my office. There was a lot of paper work to do and probably a lot more to come.
âProsecutor Gavin?â
I jumped in my chair but immediately composed myself as I realized that the chief stood in my door frame.
With a winning smile I answered: âYes, sir? Is there something you want me to do?â
He eyed me up and huffed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
âIâd like to ask you to take a break. It is two PM and I am positive you havenât eaten yetâ, Edgeworth said disapprovingly.
I gaped at him and wanted to disagree. But before I could do so I stopped myself and nodded. His eyes were tired and the wrinkles on his forehead deeper than usual. The press must have been stressing him out and he probably had a hard time convincing the council to employ Blackquill again.
Really, I did not envy him for his position and I was grateful what he did for the office. He tried to bring the truth back into the legal system and I was happy to work for him. It only made sense to me to give in for once.
The man disappeared then, and I stood up and stretched a bit. I would go into the break room and get myself something out of the vending machine or something, I decided and took my phone and my purse with me. I was walking down the hall checking my social media as I got a call.
My heart fluttered in disbelieve and froze on the spot. It could not beâŠ
Herr ForeheadâŠ
Why of all times would he choose to call me now?
For a second anxiety run through my veins and I thought about ignoring the call. But Herr Forehead would not call me if it was something insignificant. Even less during my worktime. This was something important and I pushed accept.
âHello Herr Forehead! What can I do for you?â
For some seconds the line remained silent and I was afraid he had already hung up.
âEhm â he coughed huskily â hi Prosecutor Gavin. I â um â Sorry to call you during work. I wanted to ask you for a favour.â
His hesitation threw me off. This was not something he did normally, and it made me nervous. Had something even worse happened? Dear god, what else had come for this poor guy?
âPlease do. Iâd love to help, if it lies in my possibilities.â
âOkay. Itâs something personal, though.â
â⊠Ja? What would that be?â
I heard a long, exhausted sigh.
âDoes your invitation for a drink still stand?â
âŠ
âI could need someone to talk, Gavin. I canât burden anyone in the agency and my best friend is dead now. I need to get some stuff out of the system even though I know itâs egoistical of me to ask you this.â
âI - I â Itâs not egoistical, not after everything that happened to you in the past few days. But â why me? I â we â we havenât talked in a long time and I cannot be as close to you as Frau Gramarye or Herr Wright are and ââ
âNo, maybe not. But I trust you more than them. And the Wrightâs are still pretty shaken up because of the kidnapping thingy. It took her harder than she pretended at first.
Also, thereâs something I donât want them to know but â well â I get when youâre too busy. It must be hell in the prosecutorâs office right now. I just wanted to ask ââ
âIâll be done at six. Where shall I pick you up?â
âEh, I live near the agency, so you could pick me up there? Maybe not with your hog?â
I laughed lightly. âI sure can do that. I guess you would prefer it if weâd go to a place where we had some privacy, korrekt?â
âYeah. That would be good.â
âVery well. Do you like Indian food? I know a very good place where we should not be bothered at all. Would that be alright?â
âPerfect. It sounds perfect, Gavinâ, he said with a clearly relieved voice. I almost saw him running his hand down his face and giving me a grateful look.
âThat pleases me to hear. Until later!â, I laugh and put my silly feelings aside.
Before I could hang up he suddenly said: âThank you. You do not know what this means to me.â
The words died in my throat and Apollo hung up. I was sweating uncontrollably. This man was the death of me. Why on earth did I have to fall for him exactly?
I was on my way to the agency. A playlist was running through the speakers in my car, but I did not really listen. Music had failed to bring me joy. It did not work anymore. Not since the trial. Nothing really worked since it happened. Apparently, that was how it was for now.
Surprised I noticed the moon. The sun was still up but apparently our lovely guardian of the night had decided to come out early. I felt something soothing vibrating from it and always glanced back up to it.
A piano began to play. It sounded like raindrops.
Remember all the things we wanted
Now all the memories they're haunted
We were always meant to say goodbye
Even with our face held high
It never would have worked out right
We were never meant for do or die
I didn't want us to burn out, I
I didn't come here to hurt you, now I can't stop
I want you to know
It doesn't matter
Where we take this road
But someone's gotta go
And I want you to know
You couldn't have loved me better
But I want you to move on
So I'm already gone
Looking at you makes it harder
But I know that you'll find another
Doesn't always make you want to cry
It started with the perfect kiss then
We could feel the poison set in
Perfect couldn't keep this love alive
Know that I love you so
I love you enough to let you go
⊠Already Gone, the cover by Sleeping At Last. I had heard it as a teen once or twice, but it had never quite touched me like thisâŠ
I was probably just overly emotional. Usually neither the moon nor a sad break up song cover would make me this sentimental. But usually I also did not have a âdateâ with Apollo Justice, so I kind of knew why I felt like this.
Finally, I saw the Agency and in front of it the lawyer in a red hoodie. I pulled over and he entered immediately. He said âhiâ hastily and shot me a tired smile.
Quickly I returned the smile and drove off. I had turned down the music and now heard the man breathing regularly. He looked out the window and watched the other cars moving along. When we held at a flash light, he looked up to the sky. I glanced over to him and saw the moonâs light reflected in his grand brown eyes. The colour was dazzling.
I gulped and asked him how Frau Cykes was holding up. He answered me casually that she was doing pretty fine, as far as he knew. He had not seen her today and only shortly yesterday, since she was preoccupied with helping Herr Blackquill finding a new place to live.
We chattered a bit about the two and I told him I was quite curious how it would turn out to work with him. He laughed at it and said that it would be fine.
We sat down, and I ordered us something to drink. He also let me choose our meal as he told me he had no problem with spicy food and that he liked Indian cuisine quite a lot. Then the conversation died down. He stared out of the window watching how the night came over the city and the lights started to get turned on.
The waiter brought our drinks, we thanked them and then Apollo exhaled deeply. He searched for my gaze and cracked a forlorn smile. I mimicked his expression sadly and waited for him to speak. There was no need to rush and he should have all the time he needed.
âYou knowâ, he began and looked outside the window, âsometimes I think I should already be used to this. It sounds stupid, you donât need to tell me, but I honestly think from time to time that I should have seen this coming.
Iâve had enough experiences with murder, accidents and that jazz to know what could happen. And stillâŠ
This⊠this really hurt more than I thought it could. I didnât think that this would be possibleâŠâ
I did no longer hear the people talking around us. I only saw Apollo and the pain in his face, the brows knitted together in helplessness and his teeth gritted together forming a aching grin.
âHe must have been an extraordinary friend to youâ, I said and leaned forward. I folded my hands on the table and looked at him focused.
He turned at me. Next to the pain now a glint of curiosity and surprise shone in his eyes. Still he put them aside and took his opportunity to tell me more.
âHe was. He really was. Iâve known him since middle school. After his mom died he was sent to the same orphanage as I and we grew to an unstoppable team.
I havenât had such a friend in a long time and heâs always been there. No matter what. Heâs always been there. When people told me, I couldnât go to law school, he sat down with me and helped me learn, while I helped him train for the astronaut program. When the orphanage did no longer look out for us, we got active ourselves and got an apartment on our own. When I had my first trial, when I lost my job, when I was tired of all this shit, heâs always been there.
âŠ
And now heâs gone. Just woosh. Gone. Itâs so surreal. Just a week ago we had talked about how great it would be when heâd be on the moon and now⊠Now heâs buried in the ground.
I know that it will just go on, that my life will continue⊠But without him⊠it feels so⊠pointless, I guess?
Dunno. It just sucks, I guess.â
I remained quiet. Half of the things he just told me I had not known about him before. Nothing about him being an orphan, nothing of the bullies, even though I suspected that one, nothing of all of this.
I felt the urge in my guts to take him in my arms, to never let him go again and protect him from all harms. But just one look at those fiery brown eyes and I remembered what a force of nature just was sitting in front of me. This man was a fighter and he did not to be protected. He could do that himself perfectly well.
What he did need was an open ear that did not judge and support. And somehow, I realized that I could give him just that.
âI canât begin to imagine your pain. Losing someone like that⊠No, thereâs no justification, no real explanation for such a tragedy.
You must feel so lost without himâ, I said trying not to sound too pitying.
Again, he shoots me that look. Now his smile was faded, and his shoulders slumped.
âYeah⊠I really donât know what to do⊠But you see â he wouldnât want that. Heâd want me to move on, enjoy my life and all that shit.
We always were charging towards the future, just our goals in mind. There never was any use in crying over the past.
But now I want to hold on to these memories. I need to remember all these things, because there is no more Clay, who could remember them for me. If I forget, the only thing of him that still existed in this world, would be gone as well.â
He breaks off and takes a drink. This was truly the most clueless I had him ever seen. And it terrified me. Apollo Justice should never â never â look like this. This was something I could not bear to see any longer.
So, I raised my voice to speak: âThere is no need to decide between these two options, my dearest Herr Forehead.
You certainly should go on with your life and try to make the best out of it, but there is no need for you to let go of your friend. Just because heâs dead doesnât mean he isnât here anymore. As you said yourself, his memories live on in your head, and you can share these. Like that your friend can live on in our hearts and can guide and accompany you on your way.
His spirit will be with you no matter what, even though itâs not much. But maybe itâs more than one would expect. And maybe that would be enoughâŠâ
The man mustered me puzzledly. Maybe my advice was no good? Maybe I had somehow offended him? I bit my lip in distress and leaned back in my chair trying to distance myself from Apollo.
Yet when I did that he suddenly started to grin quite entertained and shook his head at my gesture. Something about his demeanour had softened, I could not put my finger on it quite yet.
âThatâs the advice I get from a rock star? I did not expect such wisdom from a man whoâs writing mostly niche justice related love songsâ, he throws at my face with a teasing grin.
âHallo? My fans loved that stuff and there lies a lot of thoughts in my lyrics, ja? Do not belittle my sense of poetry. Itâs responsible for half of my success!â
âAnd the other half is there because of your silly good looks? I donât know Prosecutor Gavin, but maybe you havenât quite understood why your audience loves you so much.â
Did he just flirt with me? Oh my god, did he? Was that flirting?
âAnyway, itâs a pretty good advice. Clay would have liked it⊠You two probably would have hit it off right away. He always was someone, who loved that positive thinking stuff and he actually liked rock music quite a bit.â
âReally? Then maybe we would have got along⊠Itâs a pity we canât find that out anymoreâŠâ
â⊠YeahâŠ
In a way you reminded me of him when we started seeing each other more often on the crime scenes⊠In good way, I mean.â
âHow so?â, I asked and took a sip of my drink.
âWell, uhm⊠the way you portray yourself, all this casualness and the whole good guy vibe you give off, he had something similar. Just goofier, which made him a lot more entertaining to watch. Sorry.
But still it was different⊠Like â He did not try to shine. He wasnât eager to impress or something. He had more of a happy-go-lucky nature, even though he could be very persistent when it came to his goals and passions.
You on the other hand⊠Itâs not like you try to impress, itâs more like you want the people to believe youâre very laid back and relaxed all the time. Which is a big fat lie by the way. You have like zero chill, donât even try to deny it, Iâve seen how you get when things donât work out the way you want them to.
Not that youâre controlling or boring. Youâre just way more perfectionistic than Clay was and plan a lot more than he did. Whatâs actually a good thing. At least I like that.
But in the core, you seem to be a pretty excitable guy. All the energy you give into your music and especially in prosecuting is astounding. Youâre absolutely into this stuff and I admire the enthusiasm.
And thatâs definitely something you two share. Enthusiasm. A damn load of it.â
I had no idea how to respond to that. When exactly did he have the chance to figure me out? Before I could think longer about it our food came, and we stopped talking for some time. Eventually we started to discuss our meals and I came to realize that Apollo was able to eat really hot dishes, which surprised me. And then and when he threw some comments about Clayâs favourite meals in. Every time he smiled a nostalgic smile and it killed me seeing him like this.
We ended eating rather quickly and after Apollo declared that he really wasnât too hungry anymore, I asked for the bill and we went out.
Neither of us really wanted to go home and we decided to go for a walk in the park nearby. We passed by a small pond and Apollo stopped. He looked up to the moon, who still was standing high in the sky.
âClay was a very special man. One you could trust.â
He turned towards me and looked right into my eyes. Even though he had to look up I felt like I was standing below him.
âThatâs why several people trusted him with their deepest secrets. And now they died with him. Again, these people have to carry their secretsâ burden on their ownâŠ
Once⊠a child, a boy to be precise, told him something⊠about his past.â
He paused. He looked down on his feet. A wave of heat, almost rage, but too frustrated radiated from him. Then he gazed up again. Calmly locking his eyes with the moon.
âThe boy had been born in the States. But his parents went away, to a country far away in Asia. A country with high mountains and strange religious rituals.
It was beautiful, but a coup had been planned and the queen was killed as someone set the palace on fire. In that fire the boyâs father gave his life. He had been there because he had befriended with the king.
His son had been with him and the mother was lost in the chaos. The boy never knew what happened to herâŠ
The king took the little baby boy and fled because he had been accused to have set the fire and was now wanted dead. So, he ran away now, with his and the late queenâs son and the baby boy.
He raised them together as brothers. They grew close in their little hut in the wilderness, far away from the city. They swore to look out for each other, whatever might come. Both wanted to help their father to clear his name and bring justice into the country.
But one day their father decided that it was time for the boy to go back into the states. He was not safe in their country and had nothing to do with the revolution that was raging in their land. So, he sent a small maybe ten-year-old boy back into the States. He told him that heâd take him back, as soon as the situation had calmed downâŠ
But he never came. He never saw his brother again. He was left alone in a country he didnât know but now was his home.
Sure, at first some people, who had fled the country because they were wanted followers of the revolution, had taken him in, but after some time they had flee again and he was brought into an orphanage.
⊠And there was where he and Clay ultimately landed. Where they became friends for lifeâŠ
âŠâ
ââŠâ
ââŠâ
âIâŠ
Might I ask you something?â
I felt tears glistering in my eyes and my voice was breaking helplessly. I could not believe I really was crying, while Apollo was the one who was hurting so much. Who had gone through such misery. Not knowing his parents, being sent away by the oneâs who had looked after him and lost every friend on that journey.
And I was the one who was crying now, while he looked at me in pity.
âSure. Ask what you want.â
âWas the brother older or younger than â than the boy?â
Confusion showed in his eyes at first. Then realization hit him, and he turned to the side to hide the pained grimace forming on his face.
âHe was a bit older than him. But he would still be a bit younger than youâŠ
His name is Nahyuta. He used to be very kind and patient. A bit of a know-it-all and really proud of his parents. Maybe a bit unsure of himself, although he was really smart and as well read as he could be.
He was an awesome brotherâŠâ
We fell in silence. He did not look at me for some time and let me calm down.
âItâs fine. Itâs a kinda sad story.â
I laughed bitterly.
âBut itâs not mine. Iâm not the one who should be shaken up by it. This is not about me and ââ
âIâve lived with this for my whole life. Itâs shitty but itâs my reality. I canât imagine having a different life even though all of this sucked.
You on the other hand had a different life. You can compare it to a different reality that might have been better or worse. Itâs fine, youâre shaken up by it.â
I nodded with my head hanging low and met his gaze. He looked relieved, as if a stone had fallen from his heart.
Apparently, I had actually managed to help him process a bit. At least I had been able to do so much.
âIâve never asked â but⊠how are you doing regarding Kristoph? I mean, I had Clay to help me through it and in the end, he wasnât that important to me. But he is your brother. He must have meant something to you. Probably still does.
Are you okay with it?â, Apollo asked me sincerely with an emotional expression.
I felt my pulse speed up a bit, but somehow, I remained unusually calm. For once his name did not startle me so badly as it normally did.
âItâs -â, I began with a voice that did not sound like mine, âitâs alright. The punishment he was given, was accurate and I think he gets what he deserved.
So, I canât really say that Iâm mad about it. Maybe sad and confused from time to time? I donât know⊠Itâs still hard to realize that he is actually a murderer, a sociopath evenâŠâ
âHmmâŠâ
He looked to the ground and moved some pebble around with his foot. It looked a bit like he was drawing something, and I watched it as if I was hypnotized. It had something calming to it.
âSorry, that I didnât try to help you⊠You really could have needed support right after everything.â
ââŠ
Itâs alright. You didnât know me and there were other people that needed your attention more than I did, Herr Forehead.â
âMaybe⊠Still, that doesnât mean you didnât need any help.â
âTrue.â
âKnow what? Letâs make a deal! From now on, weâll do this more often and just have a good talk. Both of us could need this kind of outlet, donât we?â
I hesitated.
âYouâre not wrong there⊠I â Yeah, we might as well try it, right?â
âRight! So, itâs a deal?â
âYeah, itâs a deal.â
âCool. You should probably call me Apollo then, even when your nick names for me are quite charming.â
I laughed and lightly hit him on his upper arm.
âAs you wish, Apollo. Iâm Klavier then for you.â
âNice⊠Iâve always wanted a friend who was called after an instrumentâ, he joked and hit me back.
We did not speak for some minutes after that. We just stood there in the moonâs blue light in front of this tranquil little pond. The reflection of the nightâs guardian wavered in the water and I imagined to have seen a smile in its mirage.
It was Saturday evening. In four days Nahyuta and Apollo would fly back to Khuraâin and Klavier had decided that they should make a little celebration before they would leave on Tuesday.
This was why Nahyuta sat at a table with Ema, Kay and Athena, who were vividly discussing the most useful self-defence techniques. In the background he heard Apollo, Sebastian, and Klavier discuss about something related to music, while Pearl and Trucy were talking about Trucyâs last show. He was quite amused by womenâs discussion and was content to sit with them.
Yet he knew that he had to do something important this evening. And he had to do it tonight or he would not do it at all. His stomach started turning as soon as he just thought of it but there was no way leading around this.
Finally, Nahyuta heard Klavier going into the kitchen and excused himself and followed the man quickly. As he entered the room, Klavier was standing in front of the fridge and took out some bottles of soda. Nahyuta walked over to him and waited until he was noticed by the blond.
âDo you need something?â, Klavier asked sensing that the monk wanted something particular.
Nahyuta smiled serenely and looked out of the window. He really did not want to do this.
âSimon went upstairs some time ago, correct?â
Klavier froze and blinked quizzingly for some seconds. Then he suddenly understood where Nahyuta was going. The boldness of that move surprised him quite a bit.
âYeah. You know him. Too many people and too much talking. I told him he could rest in the guest roomâ, he now told the prince quickly. âDo you want to⊠to tell him now?â
There was no hint of hesitation or fear in Nahyutaâs eyes, when Klavier had asked him this. But somehow the rock star still felt something strange radiating from the other man. He knew that Nahyuta always tried to keep it cool and acted so untouchable and divine, because it was part of his defence mechanism and an act for the khuraâinese court, but in reality, he was quite a sensitive person, who wanted nothing more than to be accepted.
Due to this, Klavier had a hard time believing Nahyuta as he answered calmly: âYes, I do. I already told you I would tell him, after Iâd collected my thoughts. Now my thoughts are collected and Iâm ready to tell him. Itâs just easy like that.â
âNo, Nahyuta itâs not. I know how afraid I was when Apollo and I talked about our feelings for each other for the first time. I was simply terrified and convinced that Iâd die on the spot.
But Iâm not stopping you by any means. Go and tell him. Take your time, Iâll make sure nobody is going to disturb you two.â
Nahyuta nodded as he tried to ignore the whole first part of Klavierâs words. He was already afraid enough without thinking of a mortified Klavier.
âThank you for your help. But I donât think it will take to longâ, Nahyuta now said and started walking towards the door leading to the corridor upstairs.
âIf you say so⊠Still, good luck with this!â, Klavier told his friend as he exited the room.
Loss. Loss. Loss. It was the one thing that followed me everywhere. The only constant I had ever known.
When I was three, my dad left for the Iraq War. A year later he was reported dead. It was the only time I did not cry after losing someone.
In the following five years my mother started dying. She coughed and coughed and two weeks before Aura turned eighteen she stopped forever. I was nine and I did not sleep for longer than five hours in one go since then.
I got older and when I turned sixteen Aura took me to her work place, the Space Center, where I met her colleague and my future mentor Metis Cykes and her lovely daughter Athena.
As I became a prosecutor at the age of twenty, I met the young police officer Robert âBobbyâ Fullbright. He was ecstatic to work with me and made me feel welcome in a work space, where everybody was questioning my worth and usefulness. A place where the law and justice were about to break after the disbarment of a defence legend.
I thought I could help. I could catch the Phantom on my own, restore the reputation of the prosecutor office.
The Phantom did not let me.
At the age of twenty-one I lost my mentor, my freedom and innocence, my credibility, my profession and passion and the love of my sister and Athena.
At least that was what I believed back then. Yet I was given a chance to at least unite one last time with my work as a prosecutor. I was twenty-eight and I was a dead man walking. I had no hope left for salvation. Secretly, I might have longed for it, but I had no strength left to wish for it any longer.
I did not count on the grieving hater of my sister, the desperate rage of Justice and the loving courage of Athena. And I did not take to account that Phoenix Wrightâs bottomless faith in his clients and the unshakable will to peruse to truth of Miles Edgeworth would work in my favour.
Neither did I think that Fulbright, the man who had continued to come and talk with me, had been dead for more than two years. I did not understand how I had not noticed it, how I had been tricked, how he could had been dragged into this.
Three years, even a bit more, had passed since they freed me. I got used to the freedom and the separation from my sister. I got better. People knew more about me, I opened upâŠ
But still⊠Fulbright was not leaving me. I reached the point, where I could see that Metis death was not my fault, but why, why had I not noticed sooner that I was no longer talking with the real Fulbright? What had I missed?
It hurt. It hurt so much. So much I still have not talked about the man with anyone. Anybody else, but him.
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