Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

While most of the city faded to sleep, certain places were finally waking up. Neon signs and fairy lights shone bright outside of blacked out windows late into a thursday night. “Teaze” was spelled out in block letters, illuminated on a colorful background high in the air. No other description was necessary, anyone entering the building already knew why they were there. Immediately after taking the first step inside, it was another world – the underwhelming exterior was well compensated for. Glitter perpetually floated in the air, landing on a piece of fabric or the floor only to be launched back into movement. Nothing stayed in one place for long. The harsh beat pounding over the speakers guided the flow of motion. Hips swung to the rhythm and eyes followed behind. Guests shifted in response to conceal or sometimes present their arousal, while also providing a steady stream of ones to the performers on any of the stages scattered around the darkened room.

One particular dancer, occupying a platform toward the far end of the club, had drawn quite the crowd. The tight fitting leggings, which left very little to the imagination, and the choker around his neck were standard for the club, but the man's physique was unique. Rather than sharply defined angles and a square face that the other men sported, his stomach was soft with a firm layer of muscle hiding beneath the surface. His rounded cheeks and short stature gave him an appearance closer to the women at the club which drew in its own brand on perverts. He did not linger on that thought long, preferring to focus on his dancing instead and losing himself in the performance. The script in his head was perfectly constructed to cater to his audience.

Grab the pole, both hands. Leg out, drop. Slowly... Pelvis forward and head back. Wink at the vague figure obscured by the lights. Accept money. Make a show of it.

That was alway the most important part: Showmanship. Everyone wanted to feel special, as if they were receiving something unique, so that’s what he gave them. All it took was a lingering glance in one direction or a purposeful outreach of his hand to another. Nothing more than a mockery of intimacy.

Trail fingers across body. Thigh to hip, brush past crotch. Across waistband; expose more skin. Hand to chest: Pinch nipple and moan. Back down, lean against pole. Hand on cock – stroke through clothes.

He let out a pleased sigh as he hardened visibly and used the same hand that had been on his body take the bills held out to him, lingering there for a moment before returning to the dance.

The charade of seduction continued for another half hour before he was given the green light to return to the dressing room and go home for the night. Falling into his chair, he took a moment to breath and picked up the name tag on his desk – "Artemis" – letting out a small laugh. Naming himself after the twin of his namesake seemed to be fair enough for his secret life. Maybe he could convince people that he was his own twin.

Sitting away from prying eyes allowed him to push away his stage persona and simply be Apollo Justice. He glanced at the bucket by his feet which collected his earning. It was worth exploiting his body and the perverse nature of people in order to not have to compromise his morals in the courtroom. He had the freedom to pick and choose the cases he took, only accepting those in which he could trust his clients’ innocence.

Before counting his income from the night, Apollo needed to change into more comfortable clothes. He grabbed his backpack and dragged himself to one of the dressing room stalls. Though most of the dancers chose to change in the main room, Apollo appreciated the option to have some sense of privacy. After slipping out of the second skin, he pulled on briefs, black jeans, and a red hoodie that were already covered in glitter from many trips in and out of the building. The outfit had become his regular for coming and going, being kept in his backpack with the hope to keep the atmosphere of the club off of the rest of his clothes. Finally, he put on his bracelet. A sense of relief washed over him at having the familiar weight back on his wrist. He pulled his sleeve over the metal; it was the only item he brought with him that would link his two worlds together, but he could not bear to be without it.

The thought of his jobs overlapping sent a shudder through his spine. Apollo did not even want to imagine what would happen if anyone from his day life discovered his second job. Thoughts of a certain prosecutor invaded his mind, but as with every other time, he shoved them away. Klavier was never going to find out, therefore he had nothing to think about. The fear lingered anyway.

Fighting back yawns, Apollo sorted out his money so it would fit in his bag to take to the bank the next day. Once he finished he was ready to leave. Despite being past midnight, he insisted on biking home. Many of his coworkers had offered him rides over the past couple months he had been working, but he found it easier to just make his own way back to his house.

Locking his bike and unlocking his doors, he was tempted to go straight to his room and fall into bed. However, resisting that urge, Apollo wandered into his kitchen and let the bag fall from his shoulder. Mikeko sat on the counter by his bowl and meowed, it was over half empty, which, according the cat, meant it could no longer be eaten out of.

“Really?” Apollo shook his head at the animal, grabbing the bag of food from it’s place and refilling the bowl, “Better?”

Mikeko ignored his questioning in favor of eating.

“I’ll never understand you” Apollo muttered as he ran a hand along the cat’s back a couple times before finding something for himself. He pulled open his cupboard, grabbed an energy bar, and shoved it into his mouth. It was not enough to count as dinner but since he did not want to eat at all it seemed like a fair compromise. Finally, he picked up one of the bottles from the 24 pack of water he had yet to put away and headed to his room, chugging as he went. Gracelessly, he stripped out of the clothes he was wearing and tossed them in the corner to be dealt with later. When he finally made it to his bed, he flopped down on his stomach and pulled the blanket over his body; he was asleep moments later.

-

A screeching noise brought Apollo back to consciousness. It was far too loud to be acceptable at – he cracked his eyes open to see his clock – 5:00am on a Friday morning. He could have slept for another two hours before having to get up. The incessant ringing finally faded out and he breathed a sigh of relief, but 30 seconds later it started up again. Finally, he sought the source of the noise: of course, it was his phone. He must have forgotten to turn on Do Not Disturb in his exhaustion the night before. The caller ID lit up the screen: Teaze. Suddenly he was more awake and slightly panicked – they never called him, especially not the morning after a shift. Fumbling for the answer button, Apollo shouted out a greeting.

"Good morning!"

"No need t'yell, Arty. I just turned the music off and was enjoying the quiet." Apollo recognized the voice as Dan Singer, owner of Teaze and his boss.

"Sorry sir" he spoke forcibly softer. After a short silence he continued, "Is there something you need, sir?"

"Arty, Art, Artemis. I need a big favor from ya, dear" Dan's voice was pitched up, and Apollo had a feeling he was not going to like the request. "I need you to work tonight."

"I-" Apollo started before being cut off.

"Now before ya say anyth'n, I know ya don't work'n Fridays, but damn if I ain't desperate. Jacky hurt his knee earlier, Trev 'nd Robber 're on their honeymoon, and Al's doin' second shift. I can't open up tonight without a guy! We can't be no male female club without no guys. 'M beggin' here, Arty! Jus’ six to mid this one time." His voice got more and more frantic as his speech went on and was beginning to grate on Apollo's ears.

"Yeah, I'll do it." He replied more to get his boss to stop talking than having any desire to go in. The cheer from his phone required Apollo to pull the wretched device from his ear.

"Thank ya' Thank ya' Arty. Ya' saved me!" Was the last thing he heard before the line went dead.

A long sigh escaped his lips as Apollo set down his phone. He wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep, but it was not worth it. Instead, he dragged himself from bed and into the bathroom. He twisted the knob on the shower all the way to the hottest setting, waiting for it to warm up as he emptied his bladder and brushed his teeth. Finally he turned it back down to a comfortable temperature and stepped in.

As soon at the water hit his back, he let out a small breathy moan – showering was his favorite part of the morning. Scrubbing the sweat and glitter from his body was a ritual that prepared him for the day of unexpected occurrences which were common at the Wright Anything Agency. The warmth loosened his tired muscles and he reached his arms above his head sighing at the stretch. He stood under the stream for a few minutes, taking full advantage of having extra time to enjoy the sensation before finally grabbing the shampoo.

With clean body and wet hair, Apollo shut off the stream of water and grabbed a towel. When he was dry enough, he wrapped it around his waist and faced his reflection in the mirror – chords of Steel were next. His voice needed to be pumped for trial that day, it had been another multi-trial case and he was prepared to wrap it up.

“I’m Apollo Justice, and I’m fine!” The words were loud, but lacked confidence. Sometimes it still felt silly – even to himself. He repeated the statement, with as much energy as he could muster, shaking the sleep from his voice. Each repetition woke him up more, until he stood tall on the balls of his feet, hands clenched in fists, and eyes squeezed shut as he forced sound out.

Moving back to his room, Apollo loosened the towel from his waist and dressed himself in his usual work attire. He checked to make sure there were no tears or stains he had missed, and exited the room.

With an hour still left before he had to leave, Apollo made himself breakfast. Sausage and scrambled eggs would be enough to compensate for the lack of a meal the night before. He took the opportunity to sit at his neglected table to eat for once, after clearing a space between papers and empty water bottles that had claimed the surface as a home,

When the food on his plate was gone, Apollo leaned back slightly in his chair, thinking about work that night. Fridays and Saturdays were more involved than the rest of the week. The club opened up the main stage and back rooms for the weekends. Rather than staying to his own platform and pole, he would be expected to do a 15 minute show on the main stage at one of the hour marks and then spend half of the shift on the floor to be hired for private dances. Of course, the security team was doubled for those nights which was comforting. Knowing that the team would back him up if he needed it along with the panic buttons installed in each of the private rooms were the only reason he even agreed to be available for single shows.

He saved the rest of those thoughts for later. His food was finished and his hair had dried enough to style it. He stretched as he stood up, and shuffled to the bathroom. The idea of having his own signature look was appealing, even if it got his a lot of strange glances and comments – at least it was his own. He found himself quite attached to the look since the first time he pushed the spikes up so they would hang onto his face; Clay had told him once that he was the only one in the world that could make it work. He said that if Apollo was going to have to deal with locks of hair that refused to lay flat, he might as well embrace it, so he had gotten in the habit of spiking up the front rather than letting it fall awkwardly on top of his head.

It was still too early to leave, he wandered around the house for a few moments before coming across where Mikeko had curled up for his morning nap. Apollo flopped down by the cat who cracked his eyes open for a moment to look at him before falling back shut. He poked the cat with his hair, who batted the spikes away lazily.

“I’ll stop pestering you” Apollo laughed pulling his head back, scratching under Mikeko’s chin a few time before leaving the cat be.

Glancing at his phone, he figured it wouldn't be too bar if he left then. He slipped his socks and shoes on, grabbed his bag with the files he had brought home with him and was off.

“I’ll win this case just for you, babe” He called to the cat who had probably already fallen back asleep. Sometimes, he was glad he lived alone, it would be an adventure to try to explain to a roommate the way he talked to his pet.

He peddled through the city, avoiding cars that did not seem to realize that they had to share the road with bicycles, before arriving at the office. His hair maintained its form under his helmet, horns springing up naturally when it was removed. He locked the bike next to Mr. Wright’s outside and entered.Trucy was waiting for him in the front room as she always was and greeted him with a smile.

"Morning, Polly!" She chirped out, "You’re early."

“Yeah” He sighed, and drifted over to his desk dropping into the seat, “I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep” It was not a lie. He knew better than to try to get anything past her. The two of them shared a gift from their mother, and while he had his bracelet to help him out, she could still spot a nervous tick in a heartbeat; It was always better to stick to as much of the truth as he could share.

“Are you ready for today?” Trucy bounced onto her toes and back down in excitement.

He smiled back, for once it seemed as if they knew exactly what had happened. It should not have been such a unique experience to feel prepared, "We have this one in the bag."

“Prosecutor Gavin won’t know what hit him!” She smacked a fist against her palm for dramatic effect.

“We aren’t gonna beat him up, Truce,” Apollo laughed.

“Of course not! Then who would you face off against in a star crossed court battle”

Apollo blushed, cursing the involuntary reaction to what Trucy was implying, “We’re just trying to get to the truth of the matter – no forbidden romance.” Apollo corrected, before trying to change the subject, “You watch too much tv.”

“You gotta admit your feelings eventually!”

Apollo just shook his head and turned to face the desk, pointedly ignoring the loaded comment. For once, she let him get away with it and disappeared into the kitchenette in the office. He let his mind drift for a while. Despite the rough start, Apollo was confident that the day was going to be a good one; plus, working a Friday would mean extra money for that weekend. Maybe he would even go see a movie with Clay on Saturday. As drifted through ideas of what to do to make the weekend great, Phoenix broke his focus.

“Mornin’ Apollo,” He greeted.

“Good morning, Mr Wright!” He spun in his chair to face his boss, who was still in his pajamas, coffee mug clenched with both hands, “What can I do for you?”

“We’ve got a new hire. She’s gonna be comin’ ‘round Monday to shadow you and check this place out. That alright?”

It took a moment for the words to process in his mind, “And she’s a lawyer, right?” He had learned not to assume things like that after his first day at the Agency.

“Yes, Apollo. She’s a lawyer. She was studying Psychology in Europe for a while. She just passed the bar exam and is ready to settle down. I think she’s a good fit.” Phoenix listed, “She’ll be staying with us through the next case we take, and I’m counting on you to show her the ropes.”

“Yes sir!” Apollo nodded, displaying a confidence he did not feel. He had barely been a lawyer for a year and now he was supposed to mentor some new recruit. No way that went well, but knowing Phoenix he really did not have a choice in the matter.

“Great.” Phoenix gave him a smile before disappearing into the back room he had adapted into a bedroom.

As soon as he left, Trucy returned, “Ready to go?”

“Of course” He responded

"Bye daddy!" Trucy called back into the office, getting an incomprehensible shout back they headed out.

The two walked over to the detention center to talk with their client one last time before moving to the courthouse to- hopefully- get a "not guilty" verdict.

Chapter Text

From the moment court was called into session, Klavier was smiling. When he poked a hole in any of the opposing counsel's theories, he showed an amused grin at seeing them fumble for a solution, and when Apollo caught the witness in a contradiction, his mouth twisted up in pride of the man opposite him fighting against every argument Klavier flung his way. Even when the Judge announced the verdict declaring the defendant "not guilty," a satisfied smirk came over his features. Standing across from Apollo was his favorite place to be. The expressive reactions made for an exciting clashing of wits; neither of them clung to dishonest points for the sake of appearances. No matter how the day ended, it was a victory for everyone involved, although the culprit they had accused probably would not agree.

"Congratulations, Herr Forehead, on another stunning performance," Klavier said when he saw Apollo on his way out of the courthouse. The words were genuine, but a mocking undertone seemed to come naturally whenever they spoke. He had to admit that the response it provoked only endeared him more to Klavier, even though it was not out loud.

First Apollo would blush and smile bashfully, embarrassed, before finding something particularly interesting on the ground to stare at. Then his brows would furrow as he let out an indignant noise. Finally, he would win some competition with himself and raise his chin high to meet Klavier’s eyes.

“Hello, Prosecutor Gavin!” he forced out at the same time Trucy sung a similar greeting.

“Ah, Fräulein Wright, I hope you’re doing well.” He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

No matter how many times he greeted her in that manner, her face would always split into a grin and a giggle escaped her lips. “Of course!”

“Wunderbar!” Klavier smiled and looked back to Apollo. “Would you care to join me for a late lunch?”

“N-no, that’s not necessary. We need to get back to the agency. Mr. Wright is expecting us,” Apollo excused himself.

“Ja. Of course. Maybe another time,” He tried to keep his expression from faltering. Hurt pinged in his chest at the refusal. Even though he had come to expect it, he could not help hoping that one day they would agree. Sometimes he wondered if Apollo even considered him a friend. “I’ll be on my way.” He gave them a parting grin which faded as soon as he turned away.

Everytime he tried to talk to him, he felt like a teenager trying to impress his first crush, or at least that’s what he imagined it would be like. His life had always been too hectic for crushes. The closest he had even felt to love was what he had with Daryan; it was hard to know anymore. After everything that had happened the year before, all that he could really remember was betrayal. He resisted the urge to mess with his rings as he made his way to the prosecutor parking area and straddled his hog.

The trial went on long enough that he opted to push returning to the prosecutor's office until after the weekend — he deserved it. As he zipped through the streets on his way to his penthouse apartment, his mind fell into thought about Apollo. Unless he actively worked against it, his brain seemed to default to thinking about him. Sometimes he dreamed that maybe, even a few moments of Apollo’s time would be dedicated to thoughts of Klavier. The idea that he might think of him outside of when they were in court together was enticing; it would only be fair, considering how much of Klavier’s thoughts were taken by him. Sometimes it drove him crazy how much Apollo had come to mean to him in their short acquaintance, especially since his feelings did not seem to be mutual. His mind twisted the thoughts around, hope falling into a pit of despair.

As he pulled into the parking garage for his apartment, he sighed. Klavier had never been anything but an inconvenience to Apollo anyway. He swung his leg back over his bike. Familiar thoughts haunted him as his mind reminded him that he had no chance with the object of his affections.

Apollo probably hates me. He locked his bike, It's not like I've given him any reason not to. and pocketed the key. I wish he didn't.

While trying to shake himself out of the rut, Klavier wandered inside. He nodded to the doorman and flashed his best smile, which dropped as soon as walked past. He stepped into the elevator to take him up 24 floors, to the top level. The ride was long enough to give his brain freedom to taunt him again. He tried to focus on the numbers, rather than his own thoughts.

1...2...3...4...

He saved me, but to him it was never about me. He would probably yell at me for even considering the idea that he gave me more than a second thought when pursuing the truth.

...7...8...

He is the only one that could relate to me. The one person who might be able to remember the good person my brother was, but he won't even give me the time of day.

...15...16...

I wish Apollo were here. I wish maybe I could be important to him.

...21...22...

I don't want to be alone.

Finally it was his stop, and Klavier was relieved to get off and enter his home. He ignored the rumbling in his stomach in favor of an immediate distraction and picked his favorite guitar off the wall before dropping onto the plush couch. His eyes dropped closed as he took a moment to force himself into the present. All his effort went into tuning the instrument by ear, listening closely until the strings rang true. Finally, he could let his fingers play whatever sounds possessed them. It was calming. The sounds of the acoustic filled the room, and Klavier could feel himself getting lost in it. Old Gavinners songs mixed with new melodies, flowing together with ease. Memories danced around him close enough for the familiarity to warm him while floating to far out of range to hurt him. In his own personal bubble, nothing could get to him. Music was his safe space. It was always there to bring him home, even when the rest of the world abandoned him, and hold him when there was no one else to pull him close. It had become his dearest friend, his shield, and his strength.

His heart felt lighter as he played to the empty space — nothing else mattered. Even when the sound faded out and Klavier set his instrument aside, his mind left him at peace. He leaned back into the couch, allowing his muscles to relax as the cushions cradled his body. For just a little while, he could revel in the moment to himself.

He must have dozed off lying there. By the time he woke up, no light shone through his window, and his stomach growled insistently. Forced up by hunger, Klavier placed the guitar back to its proper position and found his way to the kitchen. Despite the excessive amount of food that he kept in his pristine kitchen at all times, he opted to pull out cold pizza from the night before. It was too much effort to find anything more substantial at that moment; it was enough for then.

Biting into the pizza, he sat himself back on his couch and plucked a novel off the side table: Rock and Roses; it was probably the only habit that he would be embarrassed to admit. There, he could live out a world where he got the one thing he wanted most. Luckily for him, there were an abundance of stories featuring rock stars and the ones who brought them down to earth. It was a time old trope that he would desperately dream of making his reality. The one he was currently on was about a singer who had broken up her band after her boyfriend and drummer cheated on her with the guitarist. At the beginning, she considered dropping out of the industry completely; she’d barely left her house for almost a month. Friends would stop by to comfort her, and gifts from fans would sit ignored in her kitchen, but slowly they stopped coming. The world gave up on her, and she abandoned them. One of her neighbors would stop by every week, leaving a short note and something small to eat in a box outside her door. She could guess who it was, but assumed they would stop with everything else.

Klavier’s mind easily layered himself and Apollo on top of the story. Himself hiding away after Daryan’s arrest, only taking cases he was required to and never lingering too long. He didn’t want to see anyone or do anything. He didn’t even have Kristoph to comfort him in his own detached way. At that moment, he was completely and utterly alone. Despite everything, however, Apollo was there. Whenever he got a new case, he would get a text wishing him luck, and no matter whether he won or lost, a message would be there waiting for him. Every once in awhile, he would see a flash of that red vest or powder blue magician’s cape, but they never exchanged more than pleasantries before moving on like ships passing in the night. Until the next trial where he faced directly against him. The murder of a painter that would soon expose the darkest side of his brother’s heart and shatter his barely healing one.

The two in the story finally met face to face, when a fire broke out in her apartment building. Her neighbor invited her to stay with him when she had nowhere else to go, like Apollo came to Klavier’s rescue when the last sliver of hope faded out. Klavier relived the moment where he realized he needed Apollo, and the fictional heroine was hit with her love for the hero, but that was where the similarities ended. In the fantasy, the girl gets the guy, they make love, and happily ever after. In reality, Apollo comforted him and supported him, but nothing more that friendship had emerged.
Yet the temptation to lose himself in fantasy was strong, pulling him into a world where they would spend their lives together, and while they would face some struggles, in the end they would be happy together. No matter how much he wanted more, he would keep himself under lock and key. To have Apollo at all in his life meant to much to risk losing him over some silly feelings.

Klavier sighed and shook his head, setting the book back on the table. He was in deep, and wasn’t helping himself get his mind off of him. That was part of the appeal of his plans for that night.

Every other Friday, he dressed down and found himself at one of the more low-key gentlemen's clubs in the area. Most would probably be ashamed to admit it, but Klavier found no shame in the experience. Meaningless sexual escapades were not something that appealed to him. Between the danger of the press and the insincerity he felt in his actions, it never seemed worthwhile. However, he still enjoyed indulging himself in the club. The movement of the dancers enthralled him. Between the appreciation of the performance aspect of the club shows and the effect that the sensual motions had on his body, Klavier was always drawn back for another night. A pleased sigh escaped his lips at the memory of previous weeks. Never had it failed to provide a pleasant distraction, if nothing else.

Pushing his body upward, he made his way to the bathroom. He pulled his hair from it's usual spiral and trapped it in a loose ponytail on the back of his head. He stripped out of the rest of his usual court clothing and redressed in dark grey jeans and a maroon v-neck, which was soft against his skin. Finally, before heading out, he chose an old, worn hoodie, slid it on, and walked back to the elevator.

The ride back down was much smoother than going up, anticipation for the coming hours coursing through his veins.

Once he exited the building, he pulled the hood up and entered his black Porsche, opting not to take his hog for the sake of discretion. He never wanted to have to deal with tabloid stories of "Klavier Gavin's scandalous night out."

The clock in his car read 7:52 when he pulled into the backlot of the club. It was just enough time to catch one of their hourly shows. This was familiar, yet still felt as exciting as the first time. He nodded to the guard by the entrance as he moved into the darkness. The beat overtook him, and his eyes adjusted to the changing lights when he walked past the threshold of the club. It took a moment before he could see well enough to take in his surroundings. Three platforms were strategically placed around the area, surrounded by people both sitting and standing, each hosting a beautiful woman dancing around a pole fixed there. Sultry looks were traded for money, and intentionally designed garments teased for what might come next. Klavier could not deny the appeal, but still hoped to find someone closer to his current interest. He held hope that it meant whoever the male performer for the night was preparing to come onto the main stage.

Klavier took one of the unoccupied seats lined up in front, figuring it was close enough to time the it was worthwhile to wait there. Situating himself to the left side of center stage, Klavier relaxed into the plastic chair.

Right as the clock turned to 8:00, the stage lights transitioned to a subtle orange with a white spotlight, the atmospheric thrumming of bass faded, being taken over by a jazzy tune with electronic undertones. As first few notes of the song faded in, a voice crackled over the speaker, introducing the dancer.

“We’ve got us a special treat you tonight! For t’third time ever, Artemis ‘s takin’ the main stage! Y’knows, maybe if ya ask nice enough, he’ll show off again soon!”

Artemis strutted into view as the music began picked up. He was a man Klavier had never seen there before, or at least he didn’t think he had, and while he couldn’t make out a lot of details of the dancer’s face, something felt familiar, although it was impossible to place. He was shorter than any male performer that Klavier could remember, his face was rounded and his hair was brunette with bangs falling into his face and red glitter combed into it. Following the bassline of the song, he stepped into the spotlight swinging his hips and letting a devious gaze glide over every member of the crowd. Just the look was enough to warm the entire room.

The new position also brought his features out of the shadow so Klavier could memorize every detail. His makeup was warlike: crimson smeared across his face, eyes highlighted by a deep liner, and lips colored with cherry gloss. The rest of the his body was decorated in the same way: bright red fabric draped over his shoulders, held loosely by a chain around his neck, and billowing out with each shift movement. A cream vest fit snug across his torso cut so that a light dusting of hair could be seen traveling down his stomach before disappearing under a gladiator skirt. Each piece was accented with gold to catch the light and draw Klavier’s gaze down his body. Matching lycra shorts peaked out from underneath as a promise. Leather cuffs rested on his wrists, metal adornments glinting as his hands drifted across his concealed skin. His entire body followed the motion, rolling in a fast but fluid dance before finally grabbing the pole, letting his body fall around it so Klavier could see him from every angle and stopped with his back to him. He looked over his shoulder with a sly grin as he undid a clasp and the cape fell to the ground, exposing small but full shoulders and making it easier to see the way his muscles flexed under the tighter clothes. Already, Klavier was enthralled with the view and wondered what else this man was hiding under all that fabric.

Whistles and hollers came from all around him as Artemis kicked the cloth away with a booted foot and ground his ass against the metal. The stiff pleats of his skirt pushed to the side, so the flesh pressed and shifted against the solid pole. He dipped down into a deep squat and slid up again, running a hand across his front barely out of view. With encouragement from the audience he repeated the motion a few more time before reaching his hands above his head, hoisting his body of the ground and twisting midair to swing around and face the crowd.

Dropping down to the ground, Artemis spread his legs and ran his hand over his inner thigh, grabbing himself through his shorts, and moaning as his cock visibly took interest, before continuing to trail his his fingers up. He popped the bottom button on his vest as he rose back to his full height. He toyed with the second one, pulling that one open teasingly slow before fisting his hand in it and ripping it off right as the music picked up.

Heart pounding, Klavier shifted in his seat, trying to adjust his posture to accommodate his growing arousal. The sight before him had stepped straight out of his fantasies. He bit his lip and let money slip from his wallet onto the stage to join the growing pile circling the dancer. He studied Artemis’ newly exposed chest: his skin was tantalizingly smooth, the definition of the muscle hiding under his surface highlighted by colored stage lights. Klavier wondered what it would be like to touch, to feel him tense and squirm underneath him as he explored his body, to hold him as he lost himself in the throes of passion. He gripped his thigh trying to pull himself back to reality.

Now, Artemis crawled up onto the pole, leaning his body down backwards so his weight was supported fully by his thighs and core, stretching his hands out towards the crowd, eliciting renewed excitement as his skirt lifted displaying his tight shorts, which accentuated the outline of his cock, then reached below him to grab the pole below him, so he could thrust his hips out, humping the air. His eyes were closed, and his mouth opened in something that could be interpreted as exertion or pleasure, though Klavier would guess the former. The sheer strength and agility it took was almost as attractive of the motion itself. His weight shifted enough that he could slide his hand back up, grabbing one the pleats of the skirt and tore the whole thing off, throwing it to the side and finally revealing the entirety of the skimpy shorts, now the only thing providing him a sense of modesty. He fucking the air, letting the audience watch as his cock shifted under the light fabric. Finally bringing himself back against the pole, he released it from his thighs and twisted his body to land on his feet.

His eyes wandered over his audience before catching on a group of girls on the side opposite of Klavier. With confident steps he knelt down in front of them, but Klavier could have sworn he saw a flash of unease cross Artemis’ face as hesitantly, one of the girls tucked a dollar bill a little too far into his clothes. Others from the audience reached for him, and he traveled across the stage taking what each of them had to offer while purposefully giving them a closer look at his body and even a chance for small touches. He worked his way closer to Klavier, who was perfectly still. Warmth pounded through his veins at the potential to get more familiar with this new dancer. Every movement of his body flowed with practiced ease. Occasionally, he would flinch slightly or falter when something unexpected happened, but always caught it before it would be apparent to anyone who hadn’t experienced the same thing before.

The energy over the crowd felt far away as Klavier watched his every move. The closer Artemis got to him, the less Klavier registered from his surroundings. He was sure the music was still playing and the crowd still cheered, but none of it mattered. He pulled out a stack of singles, tossing them in the air above Artemis as he approached. The bills twirled and danced in the air as they fluttered down around the dancer. Artemis’ eyes visibly widened as he stared up at the money, but he didn’t slow, rather he took Klavier’s hand and pressed his lips against the back; it was reminiscent of what Klavier had done to Trucy earlier that day. For a flash of a second, it seemed as if the man before him could be Apollo, but before he had a chance to take a second look, the moment was over. Artemis had turned away, returning to center stage —it was just wishful thinking anyway.

From that moment, Klavier knew that he was not going to be going home that evening without seeing more of the dancer. Without taking his eyes from the stage, he waved over one the workers who had been winding through the crowd and asked how he could get a private show. She took his name and told him to come to the bar after the stage show was finished. Klavier nodded.

He turned back to the stage, and for another 12 minutes, he watched Artemis' erotic movements. He fantasized about the idea of having the dancer all to himself, having him in his bed or pretty much anywhere he could feel that body rather than being limited to sight alone. He wondered how much of the confidence he displayed on stage was an act, and could imagine him looking stunning in absolutely anything. Soon enough, he would get to see him up close and properly examine every inch of his skin, saving it in his memory for as long as he could keep it.

For ten minutes after that, he was lectured on the dos and don'ts of private sessions.

Do: be respectful, tell the dancer what you are interested in, tip.

Don’t: ask personal questions, touch without express permission, threaten the dancer, et cetera.

Then for 20 more minutes, he sat in the small room, waiting for the dancer to change and prepare himself to join him. His leg bounced anxiously as he sat alone. Despite his many visits, Klavier had never paid for anything one on one. He had no idea what to expect. What if he let his mouth run? Or his voice betrayed him and said something stupid or horrible?

When he was on stage, Klavier knew the crowd was there for him. They wanted for him to sing and show off for them. It was easy to earn the affection of people who already adored him. However in that room, he was just a person. No easy facade to hide behind or crew to cover for him. He dreamed that one day, the opinions of other people would matter to him as little as he pretended, but it was just him and some stranger who, hopefully, had no idea who he was. That sent a wave of nausea through him. What if Artemis was a fan? Klavier didn’t think he could handle someone who might recognize him. This was a bad idea, and he knew it. Why had he gotten so wrapped up in a moment that he had forgotten the vow to anonymity that he had made to himself?

In the middle of considering simply leaving, the click of the door brought him to attention.

"So I'm sure you've already been over the rules, but I'm gonna go over them one more time for good measure." The dancer spoke with a voice that was all business, but Klavier got hung up on the sound of the voice rather than the man's words. He knew that voice, "So, first thing: no touching. If you do-"

The words stopped as Artemis turned to face Klavier, his cheeks reddening a deeper shade than the makeup around his eyes.

"Prosecutor Gavin-!" Artemis took a step back, pushing his back against the table he had been setting up.

There was only one person who would call him that when they were alone together in private room at a strip club. Klavier was tempted not to look up and pretend this was not actually happening. Of all the people who could have potentially walked into that room, of course it was the one whom he had come to distract himself from. With a deep breath, he masked his emotions, carefully controlling his reaction, then looked up and greeted Apollo with the most casual voice he could muster.

"Herr Forehead, what a lovely surprise."

Chapter Text

A shiver ran through his body at the excessive air conditioning that usually worked to combat the extra body heat produced in the room. The world moved around them; the air shined as particles caught the light while being blown about the space. The wooden seat Klavier had chosen creaked and settled, adjusting to the weight. Even the table that held the speakers rumbled due to the bass pounding through the walls of the club. Yet, Apollo could not even flinch, despite his instincts telling him to do a thousand different things: run and deny everything, push through and ignore the fact the man sharing his space doubled as his rival prosecutor, break down and beg for a vow of silence, or kick the man out and refuse to accept the occurrence of his current situation. All seemed like equally possible reactions at the time.

Silence hung heavy between them while Apollo's mind moved at a mile a minute. This was his worst nightmare, one he had pushed away time and time again with claims of, "It will never happen" and "I’m Just being paranoid." Now, Klavier Gavin was right in front of him, having paid for "Artemis" to dance provocatively on or near him. He grabbed his wrist instinctively; despite not wearing his bracelet, he swear he felt it tighten. He closed his eyes to prevent them from honing in on Klavier. Any acknowledgement of the reality he found himself in was too much. He didn’t want to think about what was happening. Even acknowledging it seemed to be more than he could handle at the moment. The beginning of tears threatened to form behind his eyelids, and questions flashed wildly in his head. Why was he here? Had he watched him on stage and decided to torment him personally? Did he pay money just to laugh at him to his face. Would he tell everyone at the courthouse? They’d mock him for it or pity him. It was hard to breath.

Focus. I can’t break down here.

Keeping his face neutral, he tried to reason with himself. Klavier understood the value of privacy. Why was he acting like he was some high school bully rather than something close to a friend? Maybe this wouldn’t be as big of a deal as he was fearing. Maybe it would be okay. It could be okay. He repeated it to himself.

Talking himself up, he finally met Klavier’s gaze, but couldn’t find a word to say. Overcoming the immediate shock and anxiety, he could see the tension in his body without even intentionally perceiving anything. Panic shone through Klavier’s eyes as he curled in on himself, despite the attempts to cling to his usual confidence. It didn’t make sense. Why was Klavier so scared? Apollo opened his mouth to speak, but Klavier beat him to it.

Breaking eye contact, he began "I could just g-"

"No!" Apollo shouted back as a knee-jerk reaction. Any hesitation he had felt initially fell away when Klavier made the proposition to leave. Despite considering the same option moments before, he felt defensive. Was Klavier disappointed? Did he not think that Apollo would be worthwhile? All of the sudden, he had something to prove. No matter what happened outside of this room, Klavier would have to understood that he had pride in his work even if he couldn’t let anyone know. He had paid in advance to spend time with Artemis, so that’s what he would get, no matter how little he might think of Apollo.

"N-no?" Klavier stuttered out in a voice Apollo had only heard in the courtroom when evidence was presented to cast doubt on his confident theories.

"I can't keep you here, just like you can't force me to stay," Apollo started, watching carefully as his features shifted from surprise to confusion. "But you paid for this time, so unless you want to leave, I plan to go through with it."

"I don’t want to make you uncomfortable" Klavier muttered. The tone was foreign to Apollo; never had he heard such genuine sounds from him. No meaningless flirting or rockstar persona, just a man concerned with his wellbeing.

"This is my job, and I choose for myself what I’m comfortable with." Although the consideration of his feelings was appreciated, it was not what he asked, "So, yes or no. Do you want this?"

Klavier nodded. In another world, this would have been a dream come true, but it was hard to continue when he knew this wasn’t what Apollo wanted. Klavier didn’t want to be another client or an awkward memory, but a selfish voice pushed him forward. To get anything from Apollo was better than just imagining. Or that’s what he told himself at least. He could pretend, just for the moment, that maybe Apollo felt something back or even that somehow sharing this secret would bring them closer together. Nothing more than fantasies, but he clung to them even as an alarm in the back of his brain screamed that this was wrong. Internally, he was divided, but he agreed anyway, unsure whether it was hard to tell if excitement or anxiety cause the increased beating in his chest.

"Now remember: I'm not Apollo tonight. I'm Artemis, and you’ll respect that." He spoke with no room for argument, detached from reality. His thoughts hid behind a mask of professionality as he rattled out a speech he had likely given multiple times. Probably to multiple men sitting in the same place as him.

"No grabbing. One time and you will get a warning, add a second and our session will come to an immediate end with no refunds.” Apollo must think less of him than he ever could have before. No turning back, though. If this was the last time Apollo – or Artemis – would look at him with any sort of affection in his eyes, then he would go out with a bang. “If you find yourself in need of them, there are towels in the cabinet to your right, and if you would like me to stop, say the word. Understand?"

“Yes,” Klavier replied with a nod, hoping his voice came out with more confidence than he felt.He could say stop, leave now with his dignity, but every time he considered the option he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. The thoughts circled in his head as another bout of silence hung between them. Anything from outside the room had long faded from his consciousness. All that remained was him and Artemis, the only sound between them being the quiet shuffling of Artemis fiddling with the iPod docked in the room.

He gave into the temptation to examine the sight before him. While Apollo looked beautiful across from him in the courtroom, the sight before him was divine. The shine coating his body gave him an ethereal glow, and his hair was strategically styled to be unkempt and fluffy. With his full back exposed to him, Klavier finally got a closer look at everything he had been appreciating from afar not long before. All of his body was tanned and smooth except for small dimples on his hips that begged for Klavier's hands, though he knew better than to give in to the temptation. His eyes continued wandering down Artemis’ body, and he tried to pull himself away from reality and give in to the moment. Despite how attached he was to Apollo, as he had said, this was Artemis. If he said it was alright, then Klavier should take him at his word and let himself truly appreciate the sight. The sparkling leggings he had changed into hugged the firm muscle of his ass. He worked to memorize the view before Artemis faced him again, and he tried to pretend he was not enticed by his backside.

After hitting a button so the lights dimmed and the music began, Artemis walked toward his guest with confidence, moving his body so the dusting of glitter along his body glistened. His hips swung effortlessly to the music as he got closer, looking at Klavier through thick lashes. The predatory gaze struck deep into his soul. Klavier swallowed. He could feel the blood rush south as arousal overcame the thoughts that previously occupied his mind. His hands clenched into balls at either side of his legs, and he was determined to keep them there while he was hypnotized by the motion.

Everything was slowed down compared to the earlier show. As he got closer, Artemis reached out and grabbed the pole that stood between the two of them and stroked the cool metal with the tips of his fingers, before taking it in his hand giving Klavier a devious grin and wink, hoisting himself up and twirling around it. He dropped down, facing away from Klavier and pushing his back out, grinding it against the pole. His ass shifted under the pressure. Klavier could imagine how it would feel in his hands, firm but giving beautifully under his grip as he would pull Artemis closer.

Each movement drew him further into the fantasy, almost fully detaching himself from the implications of reality. Artemis bent forward and dipped down, shoving his ass up before the rest of the body followed. Finally he grabbed the pole with a hand and hooked an ankle around it swinging himself around it to face Klavier again. Dark eyes peeked out from under hooded lids looking him up and down sending a fresh wave of arousal through him.

Watching Klavier intently, Artemis let his head and shoulders fall back against the pole as his hips bucked forward. One hand held the pole behind him as another drifted up his thighs, spreading them and presenting himself to Klavier’s prying gaze. He grabbed his crotch, and rubbed against his length, making a show of touching himself and pushing up against his palm. Klavier’s eyes flitted between that demanding look and teasing hand. Everything about the man before him was perfection, from the way he moved to the small sounds that could only barely be heard over the music. He wondered if it was part of the show or a genuine noise, hoping for the latter. One of Klavier’s hands shifted to rest on his own thigh, tightening enough to ground himself as Artemis shoved his body off the pole and closed the gap between the two of them. He was close enough Klavier that could reach out and touch him, if only he was allowed. A knee came to rest on the bench next to him as Artemis’s chest filled his vision. He could see beads of sweat on his skin and feel the warmth radiating off of him. He was certain Artemis could feel his own breath on his skin.

Suddenly, his heart jumped into his throat when Artemis’s other leg settled on the other side of his hips. Both hands disappeared behind Klavier’s head as he hovered right above his crotch. There was so much around him that fought for his attention. Artemis rolled his entire body so he barely brushed against Klavier, sending sparks through his body at every point of contact. He gasped and immediately blushed. Artemis didn’t relent, continuing the dance, grinding against the air while his hand drifted towards Klavier’s, picking it up and guiding it to his hip to rest there. Klaviers eyes shot up in surprise, staring up at Artemis who put on a coyish mask while his eyes kept their devious glint, but he froze internally.

No.

That wasn’t right. Nothing was what he wanted. The face matched the one he had been in love with for so long, but the expression was twisted from what he had fallen for. The alarms in his heads returned twice as loud, and his breath picked up to a panicked pace. Artemis hadn’t noticed anything, and Klavier couldn’t make his body work right.

“S-st-” he tried, but the sound was drowned out by the music. Too much. He couldn’t. Too loud.

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want Artemis. He hated the stupid mask keeping him from Apollo. He was stuck in nothing but a twisted perversion of his dreams. Klavier wanted Apollo. Klavier wanted the man who cared about people, who succumbed to his emotions but stood by his beliefs. When he dreamed about the day he might get to see Apollo so close, it was because Apollo wanted to be with him, not under obligation of being professional. Nothing was okay.

“No!” Klavier jolted up, knocking Apollo onto the tile floor in the process.

"Shit!" Apollo yelped as he landed his butt, suppressing a pained groan before screaming, "What the fuck was that?!"

Klavier stared at him, panicked eyes realizing what he had done, and he cursed inwardly, not sure how to explain himself. A blush covered his whole body, erection still obvious in his pants, and clothing disheveled. Unwelcome tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He floundered, opening his mouth as if to speak only to close it again.

“Well?” Apollo insisted, pushing himself up off the ground. His tone was clipped and demanding, but Klavier couldn't tell what hid underneath.

Klavier shrank back, willing himself not to cry.

“I–” He tried to find the words. “It’s– no. I can’t. It’s just wrong.”

“Wrong? Really? So,” Apollo’s voice was quiet, his face blank as he spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully. “You’ve sat there for almost two full songs only to throw me on the ground when I get close because it’s wrong?”

“No! I mean...Yes? I just couldn’t take it anymore! You, but not, but wrong! Not when you’re-”

“If you’re gonna make some snide comment about my job, leave,” he said, eyes looking for something in Klavier’s face

"Fuck– It isn't about you. It’s me. I shouldn’t be here, this isn't right. I can't sit here so close to my, well, my everything! But then it’s just so– and have it twisted and...and wrong!" Klavier rambled, barely acknowledging the interruption. His body trembled as he tried to explain what was going through his mind all at once, hoping maybe Apollo could understand.

"I don't even know what that means! What? I’m not good enough? Whatd’ya want from me?" Apollo's voice rose an octave as it sped up. “I'm not some toy you turn on and off again! Since the second you walked in here, you’ve been hiding something! Why’d you even fucking come here? A cruel joke? You saw me and thought it might be fun? Just–” Apollo stopped himself, taking a breath “What did I do wrong?"

"It's not you...I–” Klavier stopped himself short, scared of confessing his feelings in the heat of the moment.

“What then?” Apollo scoffed in disbelief. “It's you? Are you embarrassed? Do you not want me to go spreading around that the great rock-star prosecutor – whatever – hired the lowly defense attorney stripper–"

“Stop!” Klaviers hand pressed against his ears, shaking his head, desperate to be anywhere else

“Than give me something!” Verging on complete hysterics, Apollo took a step forward, pushing himself onto his toes, face inches from Klavier’s, hoping for anything, “You’re mumbling gibberish and being vague! Fucking admit it, get out, do something! I don’t care anymore!”

“No! I–I can’t!” He tried to plead with his eyes for Apollo not to press anymore, only to find a similar desperate look on Apollo’s face.
“You can’t? Nice.” Apollo scoffed, falling back on his heels, tears finally running down his cheeks as they both stared. “You’re neck deep into the one thing I didn’t want anyone to know, but don’t even have the balls to tell me what the fuck is going on. Class act, Gavin. You can go now.” Apollo pursed his lips and looked away.

Klavier watched as Apollo fought with himself. He wished he could help. He wished he could do anything. Instead he just stood there, listening to the music that still poured between them. He couldn’t leave. Not like this, but it was too late for any excuse, “It’s hard to explain.”

Apollo was silent.

“It really is my problem. And none of what you think.” Klavier forced himself to continue, looking for any sign that his words made it to Apollo. “You’re important to me”

That got a stir of curiosity from Apollo.

“And I may have already ruined everything, which is the last thing I want. I got scared. I thought you might–” Klavier shook his head. This wasn’t about Apollo. “I couldn’t sit there, not if it didn’t mean anything, not–”

Apollo finally turned to face him again. His eyes flitted over Klavier’s body as if looking for something he couldn’t find in his posture. “Then why did you even pay for this?”

“I didn’t know it was you,” he admitted. “I saw you on that stage, and–well, I don’t know” Klavier glanced to the side at the end of his confession, and Apollo’s eye narrowed.

“What don’t you know?” he questioned, and Klavier suddenly felt sympathy for every witness Apollo had cross-examined.

“Please don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?” Apollo clenched his jaw and let out an exasperated sigh, “You know what? Nevermind. If you don’t wanna tell me then I’ll make it easy for you.” Without saying anything else, Apollo spun on his heel and walked from the room, not faltering in his step even when Klavier called after him.

Standing alone in the center of the room as the last song of the playlist faded out, everything felt final. Staring at his feet, he watched his tears drip to the ground. “I love you,” he whispered to the emptiness around him, huffing out a self-deprecating laugh and falling back onto the bench again, not quite able to make himself leave, wondering what he could have done differently.

In another world he would have just told Apollo how he felt. Apollo would love him back and they would go home together in each other’s arms, but that was just the plot of another stupid cheesy novel that he would escape into.

Apollo’s entire body shook as he stood outside the room, trying to understand what had happened.

“Arty! Are you alright?” One of the security team approached him where they were usually stationed at the end of the hall that held the rooms. His concern was evident.

Apollo startled, calming when he recognized Toby. He was the only one who used that nickname anyway. While most of the security kept their distance, doing their jobs and going home, Toby always made an extra effort to get to know the dancers and ensure nothing was going wrong, “Oh! Y–yeah. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We thought we heard yelling,” Toby said, not seeming convinced.

“It’s nothing, Kl–our guest and I had some differing opinions. It’s settled,” Apollo insisted, able to get a little bit more control over his emotions as he fell back into work mode. He couldn’t afford to be so distracted.

“Want me to put the fear of God into him? So he won’t go making any more trouble for you?” Toby asked. He had always had a protective streak, especially for Apollo. It was comforting but unnecessary.

“No. It’s alright, Bee.” Apollo forced out a smile. “I just need a few minutes before going back out on the floor”

“Of course, take your time.” Toby glanced to the room with disdain. “Still should probably get him outta there”

Apollo nodded before heading back towards the dressing room, pausing at the door long enough to watch Toby open the door to the room, say something, and head back to his post. Moments later, Klavier emerged and Apollo regretted looking. He looked so broken, and Apollo’s chest tightened. It felt like an invasion of privacy to see such unfiltered sadness on his face that weighed down his entire body. A weight settled in his stomach, but Apollo had to stand by his actions. Time would pass. They could talk another day and work it out somewhere more suitable. At least that’s what he told himself as he let the door fall shut behind him with an unsettling finality.

He slumped down into his chair, ass still pained from the earlier fall. He checked his face in the mirror. He looked worlds better than he felt, makeup still perfectly in place despite crying. His hair was wild, but not far from the way it was usually styled.

“Wrong” is what Klavier kept saying. “You, but wrong.”

Staring at the confident mockery of his own face, he could understand the sentiment, but he wasn’t supposed to be Apollo. So why did it matter? He dropped his forehead to the table. Klavier was nothing but an enigma every time. Every time he tried to have a normal conversation with him, he ended up confused. He put on such a good show, but any time he tried to say anything about himself, Apollo’s bracelet clamped down like a vice on his wrist, and he would be overwhelmed, trying to figure out anything in specific that caused it. Apollo wanted nothing more to be allowed past those walls Klavier had built so high and be with the man he had seen glimpses of, rather than the one that was only okay because he had to be.

He fought back tears. This was not the place for that. He was a professional and had a job to do. He forced his body up on unwilling legs, stretching and carefully locking up his concerns as he threw himself into the work. He counted to ten in his head, took a deep breath, put on his best face, and walked out into the main room, ready for anything the night would throw at him.

Chapter Text

If he didn’t open his eyes, then it wasn’t Monday yet. At least that's what he told himself as he laid in bed, his alarm clock screaming at him to move. He reached aimlessly for it, pressing the snooze button, hoping to push off the inevitable and go back to wallowing in his own guilt and self pity.

He knew better.

He knew nothing would change just lying there.He wished he could just stay in one place for long enough for his bed to swallow him up and fade into nothingness...but his mind wouldn't stop screaming at him. The longer he laid there waiting to be able to move, the louder that voice in his head that knew what he needed to do became.

Get up.

Get ready for work.

Force himself through the day.

Turn on his phone and talk to Klavier like a reasonable adult.

There were a million things he should do, but none of them seemed possible. He stared at the back of his eyelids wondering how he was even supposed to move. Old words of wisdom from Clay echoed in the back of his mind.

”It’s inertia, Apollo!” Clay had said as they were walking back from class one day.

“I don’t know what inertia has to do with me not wanting to study” Apollo laughed.

“One of Newton's laws. Things resist a change in motion. While you’re staying still, you’ll just keep not doing anything. You don’t expect that rock to just randomly fly from the ground. Why would it? But,” Clay cut himself off and stepped forward, kicking the rock into the air and watching as it jumped forward, bouncing off the ground and skittering to a halt far in front of them. “Once it’s in the air, it just wants to keep moving forward. The air and the ground are gonna try to stop it and push it back, but the rock has momentum and is just going to keep going. If it could, it would fly forever and never stop. Right now, you have to keep giving yourself little pushes to keep the world from stopping you, cause if you let it win and you come to a standstill, then it’ll only be that much harder to start again.”

“Did you just compare me to a rock?” Apollo asked in mock offense, and Clay bumped a shoulder against him.

“You know what I mean.” He looked over with a playful scowl

“Yeah, yeah. You and your motivational physics,” Apollo smiled.

That’s where Apollo was. He had stopped, and all the usual things he would do to push himself forward didn’t seem like enough.

He wished he could talk to Clay. He always had the weirdest way of saying things, but he always made sense of the world. Apollo knew what he would say anyway: “just do it, the horrible things are less scary in the past than the future. At least he’d know.”

Instead, all weekend he laid in bed, phone off and shoved in his drawer, ignoring everything and everyone. It wasn’t like anyone was expecting him to call, he elected to ignore any calls from work until his next shift, Clay had already told him that he had a training retreat that weekend, and there was no way he would even consider calling Klavier, because what would he even say? So, rather than face any of the problems in his life, he had decided to hide. Despite everything, his mind still flip-flopped about what to do as the time passed around him.

He wasn’t mad at Klavier, but he had no desire to go back to that conversation. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he was scared of what could happen. There was comfort in denial. Besides, Klavier was stubborn. If he wanted to say anything to Apollo, he would find a way. He would figure it out, and if he didn’t, Apollo guessed it was just another person who faded from his life. Everyone left anyway. It’s not like he and Klavier were close. But then why was it so upsetting to think that Klavier might think less of him. He’s been objectified and catcalled for month after month, yet the idea that Klavier might think any different of him was enough to bring tears to his eyes. He wasn’t ashamed of his job, but he didn’t want Klavier to be ashamed of him. He mattered, and Apollo didn’t know why.

Several times he debated opening his phone, asking Klavier to talk. Explaining himself, hope maybe he wasn’t disgusted by him. The fear kept him from it. Kept him from listening to Klavier say he was wrong. That damn word kept hanging in his mind. What did it matter? What did any of it matter?

Apollo shoved his head into his pillow and screamed. He was sick of it. He was sick of wondering, but he was scared to know. He wanted to make it better, but didn’t wanna get hurt.

It had worked when Apollo was just trying to help Klavier, when they shared the same pain and Apollo could be a support, but now Apollo was the problem. Klavier was the problem. It wasn’t some unity, but an argument.

There was that pain again, his chest tightening as he toyed with the idea that Klavier might hate him. Why the thought of facing anyone else in court seemed unbearable. He needed Klavier in his life. He wanted Klavier right there to hug him. To say he understood, but Klavier didn’t. Klavier couldn’t. He wouldn’t. And now, the idea of seeing one of the few people he had really started to trust was horrifying.

What was he supposed to do?
Apollo smacked his hand down against the bed. He didn't have time to breakdown again. He'd been through this same damn train of thought a thousand times over the last two days.

He needed to get ready. He needed to work. He needed his brain on track.

“I’m Apollo Justice, and I'm fucking fine,” he muttered into the pillow. That wasn't true. He was far from fine, but he couldn't admit that. “I’m Apollo, and I have to be fine.”

There was a familiarity in the routine. He shoved himself up from the bed, using every ounce of focus and will. He’d never missed a day of work before. This wouldn't stop him. He didn't even know what this was. He wished his thoughts made sense — that Klavier made sense. He hated not knowing.

He channeled the stressed energy to push himself forward and into the bathroom, shoving off his shorts. Today was no different that every other day, and he was going to treat it like that. That's what he needed.

He’d shower and dress and eat and work. He’d continue working on digitizing all Phoenix’s old case notes, so they could be found in the future. He tried to direct his thoughts to what he knew needed to be done that day as he got ready to shower. He’d made it through Phoenix’s very first cases before getting wrapped up in the most recent trial, and had found himself fascinated by seeing the stories of the Phoenix Wright he had idolized as child. Seeing the thoughts and insecurities he had felt as a rookie were relieving. To look at all the dead ends and hopeless chances he took out of desperation rather than confidence. To read the stories of his old mentor and how he saw her in his assistant, Maya Fey. To learn the details of his history with Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth. He lingered on the thoughts, wondering what other things he would learn about his boss, as he read through Phoenix’s side of the story. If he remembered correctly, the next trial Phoenix dealt with was the one where he and Ema had met. He wondered what she was like when she was younger, if she was still the Ema he knew or if she had been easier on Phoenix than she ever was on him or Klavier.

Apollo frowned. Everything came back to Klavier. He shook his head and turned on the shower. He was not going back to those thoughts.

He pushed his mind back to his own work. Trucy had a show on Wednesday that he was probably going to be dragged into. She was always convincing, and now that she had decided it could be counted as sibling bonding, it was impossible to escape.

He stepped under the hot water, hissing and jumping out of the spray as he realized he forgot to turn the temperature to something more reasonable than boiling hot. He pushed his body to the side of the stall as he waiting for the water to cool before stepping back and letting it flow over his body. Despite the warmth and the inherent pleasantness of washing his body for the first time during the weekend, each action was a chore. The shampoo got in his eye, and the conditioner wouldn't wash out of his hair; he accidentally poured body wash down the drain and almost slipped twice, with each event reinforcing the idea that he should just go straight back to bed and give up on the day. He fought with himself, trying to convince his own brain that it wasn’t an option. He finished his shower, the heat making him dizzy, and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like shit. Dark bags hung heavy under his eyes. His hair, weighed down by water, drooped into his face. His shoulders sagged, and his expression was completely blank.

“I am fine,” he lied to his face.

“I’m fine.”

Tears formed in his eyes and he looked down away. No matter how much he fought back the tears, they fell into the sink. He banged his fist on the porcelain.

“I’m fucking fine!” he tried desperately through the sobs that escaped his throat. Why was everything so damn hard? He was already exhausted. He fought hopelessly to seal the cracks in his carefully built walls. “I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m fine!” he screamed through blurry vision. His knuckles were white, and he was barely supporting himself. His breathing was ragged as he tried to catch his breath, cycling through any coping mechanisms he knew.

“I’m not fine,” he panted, finally falling to his knees on the linoleum.

Apollo sighed and forced himself to breath. He couldn’t stop. He pushed himself up onto shaky legs and glared at the figure in the mirror with forced determination. “I’m Apollo Justice, and I’m fine.”

He didn’t even bother considering breakfast. Instead, he grabbed what he needed and biked to work, the movement hellish on his unused muscles. He pedaled despite everything that told him he couldn’t do it. To spite some unseen mastermind, desperate to ruin his life. He filled himself with anger to prove to himself and everyone who would doubt him wrong. No matter what the world saw, he was fine. He’d been through too much to let a fight with some colleague — not even a colleague — hold him back.

He was winded by the time he got to work, but kept moving. He shoved his lock through the spokes of the wheel and around the rack, before clicking it shut and drawing himself up to his full height. He would get through it. He could claim a rough morning when Trucy was sure to ask. It was true. It was horrible working in an office of lie detectors. So, never one to be late no matter what, Apollo put on his work face and walked into the office.

He paused when he wasn’t met with a familiar greeting or hug as usual. Trucy wasn’t even in the main room at all. He looked around, going to peek in the back room to see if anyone was there, but on the way, he heard voices from the kitchen. He followed the sound, trying to make out the conversation.

“He’s not here yet!” Trucy seemed worried. That was unlike her. Curiosity getting the better of him, Apollo peeked into the room. Trucy was standing in the middle of the room, a mix between worry and irritation etched into her face, as she tried to express her concern to Phoenix, who sat fully dressed in his new blue suit and vest that he had received as a gift for re-passing the bar from Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.

“Truce, it’ll be fine. It’s only 8:50. He’s not supposed to be here until 9,” Phoenix waved her off as he sipped his coffee and continued leafing through some file he was reading.

“He’s always here early.” Trucy huffed and stomped her foot in a way that only a 16 year old could get away with doing. “And he hasn’t been answering his phone. Apollo always answers his phone.”

Apollo felt a wave of guilt flow through his body. He hadn’t considered that anyone from work would call him. They never called him. Suddenly he was a lot more concerned, what had gotten Trucy so worked up that involved him?

His mind raced between thoughts. Had Klavier already told everyone about the club? What would they do about that anyway?

His heart sped up. It wasn’t a breach of his contract to work somewhere else, although the job he’d picked was under the table. No one there even knew his real name. That didn’t make it anything they would have to worry about. Were they concerned for their reputation? That had never mattered much to Phoenix. His entire hope was that work would distract him from the weekend, rather than the weekend affecting his work.

“Give him time, maybe something happened,” Phoenix tried to placate his daughter.

“But why didn’t he call? Why isn’t he answering his phone? It’s Prosecutor Gavin!” Trucy threw her arms in the air.

“Prosecutor Gavin?” Apollo asked, finally calling attention to himself. If Klavier had told them, the only thing he could do was face the music.

“Polly! You’re here!” She ran over and hugged him. “Where have you been? We’ve been calling you all weekend!” Her body relaxed as she spoke, a little bit of the worry fading from her now that Apollo was there.

“What’s going on?” Apollo was confused. He wished at least one thing would make sense that day.

“Don’t you know?!” Trucy asked, staring up at him in disbelief.

“Know what?” Apollo tried again, hoping Trucy would tell him what got her so worked up.

“Prosecutor Gavin’s been arrested!” She watched his face as she told him, waiting for him to break out of his stunned silence.

“WHAT?!” Apollo shrieked as his brain processed the information, heart rate spiking, caught between shock and dread. Of any possibility that had flowed through his thoughts within the last minute, that didn’t even cross his mind.

“You really don't know?” Trucy pulled him over to the main computer and wiggled the mouse so the screen lit up, pulling open the browser to some news article.

Rock star, prosecutor and murderer? stood out in purple letters across the page.

As he scrolled, he could feel a rush of anxiety sweep through his body.

Klavier Gavin was arrested outside of a gentlemen’s club called Teaze late Saturday night on the charge of second degree murder. He’d been found in hysterics outside the club shortly after the police had been called and immediately charged.

The story went on with vague detailed and a supposed witness account of the arrest. There was a picture of Klavier sitting with his head tucked into his knees, hood off and wild blond hair flying around his face. Wild claims filled the comment section. Some saying Klavier had been heading down this road since the conviction of his bandmate and brother months prior. Others insisted that it had to have been an accident. Some theorized it was a crime of passion after he had fallen in love with a dancer at the club. Apollo tried to shake off that last theory. Only a handful of people believed that Klavier could be innocent. It was sickening.

Apollo shook. There was too much conjecture and too many unknowns. He had no idea whether or not to believe a word on the page. Everything aside, he needed to talk to Klavier. He froze. How could he talk to Klavier? Was there anything he could even do? He needed to know what was going on. But he didn’t know how.

“I’ve gotta go.” Apollo panicked and pulled out of Trucy’s grasp.

“I’m coming wit-” she tried to interject.

“No! You can’t,” Apollo cut her off, hurried. “I need to talk to him alone”

“Why, Polly? What’s going on?” Trucy seemed even more concerned than before, grabbing onto his arm.

“I just do!” Apollo shouted. “Fuck! I’m sorry.” He scrunched his face in regret, knowing he would get an earful from Mr. Wright for cursing in front of Trucy. “Please let me go. I’ll explain later. I promise.” Apollo pulled his arm away from her and made his way to the door, opening it to come face to face with a girl who must have been a couple years younger than him.

“Oh, hi! This is the Wright Anything Agency, right?”

Apollo took a step back, stunned silent, before Phoenix emerged from the kitchen. “Ah, Ms. Cykes, right on time.”

“Whats going on?” Apollo held the bite back from his tone, hiding the urgency from his voice.

“Apollo, meet our newest hire, Ms. Athena Cykes. Do you remember me telling you about her on Friday?”

Apollo searched his mind for the memory. It seemed so unimportant compared to everything else that happened that day. Too many thoughts fought for control over his mind while he tried to come up with a response. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay?” Athena asked, looking almost as pained as she was concerned.

“Apollo was just heading out on a case,” Phoenix covered for him. “He was a little antsy and was going to go on ahead, but now that you’re here, you two can go together”

“Mr. Wright?” Apollo shouted in betrayal. “I-”

“C’mon, Apollo, you should get to the detention center soon, if you wanna talk to Gavin before his trial.”

Apollo wanted to debate it, but damn if Phoenix wasn’t right. He needed to get going, “Fine, alright. I’m going. Come on, I guess.”

Apollo walked out the door. Forcing himself to hold off worrying about everything he was messing up. He needed to focus. Right now, all he needed to understand was what was going on. There were too many questions and almost no answers. He needed to know where he stood.

“So, who’s this Gavin guy? He our client?” Athena prodded, but Apollo could feel something off with the way she asked. She was nervous. Apollo wasn’t paying enough attention to figure out what was going on. Instead, he found himself stuck in his own mind, keeping a fast pace.

“He’s a prosecutor, and my friend,” Apollo clarified, trying not to be rude to his new coworker. “This isn’t anything official, and I’m sorry you’re getting dragged into it. I need to talk to him and find out what’s going on.” He paused. “It’s complicated.”

“He’s important to you,” Athena responded cryptically.

“Yeah, I guess so. We’ve been through a lot,” Apollo agreed.

“I understand” Athena seemed distant as she spoke, lost in a memory far away. Some day Apollo would have to ask about that.

“Do you mind if i talk to him alone?” Apollo asked when they arrived at the building, hoping that too much of his desperation hadn’t leaked into his voice. Athena nodded with another one of those understanding looks, and Apollo sighed a “thank you” before dashing into the building.

-

Four days ago, Klavier would have cared a lot more about sitting in a holding cell in the detention center. He would have fought tooth and nail to claim his innocence, but at that moment, he was just numb. A cell seemed no worse than being stuck in his own home — actually, it was almost better. At least he could open his eyes without thinking about Apollo. When he breathed, his nose was met with the smell of dust, rather than fabric softener; here, he could pretend nothing mattered. The weight in his chest could be attributed to being accused of murder rather than heartbreak.

He sighed. That was a lie. Everything was a lie.

Leaning forward to rest his head against his knees, Klavier tried to push back another wave of sorrow. In truth, all he wanted was to talk to Apollo, even if he confirmed every fear resting in the back of his mind, at least Klavier could stop hoping. Then, he could know for sure that he messed everything up with the only person he still had left. A choked laugh ripped from his throat. That desire was what got him here in the first place. All he wanted was to talk to Apollo; each moment was clear in his mind, yet nothing felt real.

Driving to the club in the same clothes he had worn for two days, high on hope that the reason Apollo had yet to answer his calls or texts was some big misunderstanding. Maybe his phone broke. Maybe he’s been busy at the club and couldn’t find the time. Any answer would be better than the idea that Apollo was ignoring him.

Searching the dark room through shifting lights for the sight of that familiar figure, he found only desperation. Maybe he would be there later. The owner would know. He was grasping at straws, but he needed something.

He entered the office to be told that Artemis was not supposed to be in until days later. He has to be lying. His composure slipped.

He rested his hand on some ornate statue on the man's desk for support as he begged.

Something. Anything. Help.

His heart ached, and the only cure was Apollo. Memory of emotion washed over his — anger, fear, sadness — but events made less sense. Somehow he had made it outside.

He could remember sitting on the concrete, his face contorted as tears forced their way from his eyes, hopelessness settled deep in his bones as his body shook. He had known he needed to go, to get home before someone recognized him and made a bigger mess of the situation, but he couldn’t bring himself to move anymore. It was hard to say how long he’d been frozen there before a detective came. From there, the memories blurred together, nothing more than stray thoughts came to mind when he tried to recall. He could remember being grateful that it wasn’t Ema booking him. He wasn’t sure if he could face anyone he knew, especially someone who already hated him. It seemed everyone hated him, so it didn’t really matter.

A sharp clang on his cell door brought his attention to the present. When he looked toward the entrance, a guard jerked his head indicated for him to get up. “Visitor,” was the only explanation he got.

Klavier turned his head back to the floor, ignoring the guard who smacked the door again.

“No more of the diva act, Gavin,” the man said. “You got a visitor. Now get up, and stop wasting my time.”

As he stood, Klavier wondered if the guard hated him too. He stuck his hands through the slot in the door so they could place the cuffs on his wrists, before the door opened, and he stepped through. The guard guided him through the small maze of hallway. Everything around him was so familiar, but new. Usually, he would navigate the building on his own to meet with the accused, but now it was his turn to be met with. All the control he usually had was stripped away, but even with that realization, he couldn’t bring himself to care. His body felt hollow, and his legs moved out of instinct rather than intent. They could be leading him to the end, and still nothing would change.

He didn’t ask who had come, unsure if he wanted to know. The only person he wanted to see was the one he was the most terrified of. Fear gnawed at his mind. While he wanted desperately to hide behind some sort of mask, he couldn’t conjure the energy. His breath came harder as they neared the door to the visitation room. No matter who was on the other side of that door, Klavier knew he was horribly unprepared.

He let out a shaky sigh as the guard opened the door. He couldn’t bring himself to step over the threshold, so he was pushed. Stumbling in, all the air left his lungs. He stopped short when he saw Apollo through the glass, not sure if it was the best- or worst-case scenario. His cuffs were removed, and the guard took his place by the door. He was vulnerable here. He grabbed at his chest, reaching for his usual necklace. His hand clenching into a fist when he couldn’t find the smooth metal. He was alone, with only himself to depend on.

“Prosecutor Gavin?” came Apollo’s tentative voice through the glass. It was unnerving to hear him so quiet.

Klavier’s stomach twisted in knots. He had been so desperate to talk to Apollo, but when he sat on the other side of the window, suddenly he had nothing to say. Apollo was such a good person, of course he would come see him once he had been arrested. Klavier looked for somewhere to hide in the bare room.

“Klavier?” Apollo tried again. That stung. Never before had Apollo called him that without Klavier’s insistence. Now it felt like pity, and it carved a fresh wound in his already weak mind.

“What?” The word sounded harsh with the effort he put in to conceal his emotions.

“I-” Apollo cut himself off, hands shifting out of sight, but Klavier would guess he was rubbing at his wrist again. “Are you okay?”

A bitter laugh bubbled up in his throat. “What do you think?” He wanted to curse his own voice for how cruel he sounded even to his own ear.

“Sorry,” Apollo muttered as he recoiled, some sort of debate going on in his brain.

They sat in silence after that. For everyone that had ever told him to quiet down, he wished they could see this moment. While there was no sound between them, the moment stretched on, painful. He wanted to scream, if only just for the sake of noise, but there was nothing to say.

“Will you tell me what happened?” Apollo was the one to finally break the silence between them.

A hint of relief edged into his mind. Maybe he could make it work. He didn’t want to fight Apollo. No matter what emotions flashed through his mind, this was Apollo; the man who was always there to pick him up and set him straight. Despite any role he played in leading Klavier to the club that night, he was probably the only one he trusted. He finally brought his eyes up to look at him. Everything about him was off: his sleeves were rolled up unevenly, and the buttons of his dress shirt had been misbuttoned, even the perfect horns that he sported were drooping with stray hairs loosely falling against his forehead...

But what he couldn’t help lingering on was his eyes. Dark bags had formed since the last time they saw each other, faded tear streaks ran across his cheeks, and his eyebrows were drawn together as he focused on Klavier. “What do you wanna know?”

“Why were you there?” Apollo asked, choosing his words carefully.

“That seems like an obvious answer, Herr Forehead.” Klavier hid behind the nickname, trying to provide some semblance of normalcy in a situation that was far from it. “I was looking for you. I was worried when you hadn’t contacted me.” He tried to force a casual tone, he didn’t need Apollo knowing quite how broken he had been when he sought him out.

“What did you do there?” Apollo tiptoed around the question he was certainly wondering.

“I didn’t kill anyone, if that’s what you’re asking,” Klavier answered, straightforward as he could manage.

“I know — I mean, I figured, but why do they think you did?” As he stuttered the response, Apollo couldn’t hide the relief he clearly felt.

“I couldn’t say. I don’t even know who I supposedly killed. I’m sure they charged me, but it all blended together after a while.” Klavier wrinkled his nose at his own incompetence.

Apollo’s face scrunched up in thought before he nodded. “What do you remember?”

“I went to the club. Looked around a bit. I asked when you worked. Then I left,” Klavier recounted simply.

“That’s it?” A skeptical look passed over Apollo’s features.

“Ja. Well, I stuck around outside for a while before they arrested me,” Klavier admitted. He couldn’t lie to Apollo, but he could simplify the story.

“Why?”

“I wasn’t ready to go home.” He cursed inwardly. They were getting close to dangerous territory.

“Why not?”

“Ach, please don’t ask that, bitte.” It was hard enough to talk about the night without breaking down again. The more his feelings got involved, the less he could hold everything together.

Hesitant, Apollo nodded, “For now, at least.”

“Danke,” he breathed out.

“I- one more question.” Apollo paused, as if he didn’t want to ask. Nerves jolted through Klavier’s mind as he prepared for whatever was coming next. “Does anyone else know I work there?”

“Nein. I don’t think so. I asked for Artemis.”

Apollo sighed. “Don’t tell them.” He looked at Klavier with pleading eyes until he nodded.

“I won’t.”

They lapsed into another silence for a few moments, both teeming with unasked questions. Klavier wrapped his hair around a finger, not sure what he should do. It was not the time or place to discuss whatever must have changed between them, yet it was all he could think about. Occasionally Apollo would open his mouth, as if he was going to speak, but closed it immediately. However, neither of them made a move to leave.

Tears began to form in Apollo’s eyes, and all Klavier wanted to do was wipe them away. He might have cried himself if he could; rather, he just watched as the water ran down Apollo’s cheeks and dripped onto his shirt.

“Sorry,” Apollo choked out, rubbing his hands against his face trying to stop himself. “Please let me fix this.”

Klavier wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “Fix what?”

“Everything. Let me prove that you aren’t guilty, then whatever is going on,” Apollo paused, “between us.”

The words caused a pause in Klavier’s brain. “What is between us?”

“I don’t know yet. I will, I promise.” Apollo stared directly at Klavier as he said the words, trying to convey something he didn’t understand through a look, before mumbling something more under his breath that Klavier couldn’t make out.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Klavier didn’t feel confident in the words, but at least a glimmer of hope sparked in his chest that maybe they would still be friends at least.

“Your trial’s in two hours, and you haven’t requested an attorney,” Apollo changed the subject. “Let me do this. We can figure this out, I promise.”

“Okay,” Klavier breathed, His words inspired a certainty that he hadn’t felt for too long.
“Ja. Please defend me, Herr Forehead.”

“You’re gonna be fine, Prosecutor Gavin,” Apollo stated, sounding as if Klavier had given him the best news of his life.

“If you say so.” Klavier found his lips quirking up in a small smile. It felt good to have Apollo on his side. For the first time since Saturday morning, Klavier almost felt as if things could be okay.

“You gotta say it too,” Apollo said. His entire demeanor had shifted. Determination took over his features.

“I’m gonna be fine?” Klavier asked, not quite sure what Apollo expected of him. While a weight had been lifted from his shoulders knowing that he hadn’t been abandoned, he still was carrying more than he could handle on his own.

“No, no. Like this: I’m Apollo Justice, and I’m fine!” His voice raised enough to almost hurt Klavier’s ears. He had never been so close to the legendary Chords of Steel, and it was even more startling than from the other side of the courtroom. “Now you do it.”

“I’m not sure I want to.” Klavier blushed slightly. Drawing such attention to himself without hiding behind a stage persona was definitely not something he made a habit of.

“It helps!” Apollo insisted, his voice still louder than an average speaking volume, “Repeat after me. I’m Apollo Jus-”

“Ach, I’ll do it! Just spare my ears,” Klavier interrupted him lightheartedly. He had missed this feeling. Taking two breaths, he started. “I’m Klavier Gavin and-” He shook his head. “Do I have to?” The lightest blush dusted across his cheeks.

“C’mon, Prosecutor Gavin!” Apollo’s voice had definitely been reinvigorated after the exercise.

Klavier nodded. “Okay, okay.”

He sighed and took another deep breath. “I’m Klavier Gavin, and I’m fine!” he shouted at the glass between him and Apollo.

“That’s good! Again,” Apollo cheered.

“Again, really?” Klavier asked in disbelief.

“Yeah!”

“I’m Klavier Gavin, and I’m fine?”

“Again”

“I’m Klavier Gavin, and I’m fine!” he repeated yet another time.

“That’s right!” Apollo grinned, his hands resting on the flat surface between them as he leaned forward until his face was almost pressed to the glass.

As embarrassing as he felt, Klavier could admit to himself that he at least felt more confident than an hour before. “We’ll be fine,” he confirmed.

“I have to prepare for the trial now. Don’t worry Prosecutor Gavin, everyone knows you’re innocent, I just have to prove it.”

Klavier smiled and nodded. If Apollo believed in him, then maybe it really would be alright.

Chapter Text

Determination flowed through every vein in his body as Apollo went outside. The nervous energy that had built through the morning finally had an outlet. He knew Klavier was innocent, now all he had to do was prove it while not exposing his own secrets. He’d been up against the impossible before; this was no different. Klavier needed him, and he would not disappoint.

“How’d it go with your friend?” Athena’s voice came from a bench outside the detention center.

“Good,” Apollo said, smiling as his brain really wrapped around the fact that seeing Klavier actually did go well, “We have a case. Officially now.”

“Awesome!” Athena hopped up from her seat, “So where are we off to now?”

“The scene of the crime.” Apollo started walking as he spoke. “We don’t have much time”

Athena jogged a couple steps to catch up to him, “And what’s the scene of the crime?”

“A-” Apollo paused for a moment, “Strip club.”

He hoped Athena would attribute his hesitance with some sort of awkwardness rather than a secret. He needed to treat this like any other case, whether it was or not. There were too many questions he would not be able to answer.

“Ooo, a strip club. Sounds like fun,” Athena grinned. “Let’s go!”

-

By the time the two of them arrived at the club, they had barely an hour to gather as much information as they could. The building was mostly empty except for a couple of officers milling about and a larger man standing by the doors. Apollo wasn't sure he wanted to try his luck to get past him.

“What are you waiting for Apollo?” Athena asked, nudging him. “We gotta get in there!”

“Yeah, but I don't recognize the detective,” Apollo hissed back. “If it was Ema, she might let us in. But who knows with this guy!”

“Hey!” a booming voice barked, making Apollo jump.

“Don’t turn around now,” Athena stage whispered. “I think he’s seen us.”

Despite Athena’s advice, Apollo spun around to see nothing more than the man’s chest. He looked up, physically intimidated. “Hello!”

“What are you two up to, sneaking around a crime scene?” he said, face stern.

“I-” Apollo gulped, “I’m an attorney`”

He was cut off by a sharp laugh, “Good one, Pal!” Somehow the grin that came over his face was no more comforting than the scowl.

“He’s telling the truth!” Athena stepped up and grabbed the badge on her lapel, presenting it for the detective. “And we’re defending-!” Athena stopped short, her face falling fast as she looked at Apollo. “Who are we defending?”

“Prosecutor Gavin! Klavier.” Apollo stepped up, Athena’s outburst spurring him forward. “I know it’s last minute, but we need to get in there.”

“You don’t look like any defense attorneys I know,” the detective laughed. “Now run along, you don’t wanna be upsetting the head detective now do you?” he said, pride evident in his voice as he announced the title.

“Head detective? Why do they have such an important person guarding a crime scene?” Athena asked. Apollo was tempted to object to her wasting time, but held his tongue, hoping she knew what she was doing. Despite everything, Phoenix wouldn’t have sent her out with him if she didn’t have some sort of talent.

“This is a very special case, kid. Not often do we get a prosecutor accused of murder, and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth would only trust his right hand man, Dick Gumshoe, to make sure that no hooligans cause any unnecessary trouble. So you won’t be getting nothing outta me!” Gumshoe preened.

“A prosecutor accused of murder has got to be a big deal.” Athena gave him her full attention. “There must be a lot of evidence for you guys to accuse one of your own.”

“It’s a sad day, but we got our guy. Not even Phoenix Wright could turn this one around.” He boasted, “Witnesses, fingerprints, open, shut. Nothing to it!”

“Surely you even know why he did it,” Athena whispered conspiratorially to him as Apollo watched the two of them talk. If it weren’t for the way Athena fiddled with the strange necklace she wore, Apollo would have thought she was perfectly genuine. It was unnerving to see how smoothly she got information out of the detective by playing on his emotions once she got into the rhythm.

“Well of course I do!” Gumshoe replied, his voice lowering as if telling her the secrets of the universe. “He came here every week, y’know.”

“Really?” Athena grinned at the scandal of it all. “I wonder what sent him over the edge like that...”

“He’s in love with one of the dancers, can you believe it? He was there looking for a guy, but he wasn’t there and he just snapped! Killed this other dancer, Jacket or something. Bashed him right over the head with a paperweight! He always seemed like such a nice guy, but I guess something like this has been bound to happen since...well, you know about his brother”

“He is nothing like his brother,” Apollo spit. Apollo felt sick at they way they gossiped, he rubbed his wrist idly. It all felt too personal. How was he supposed to do this if he couldn’t keep his head? He breathed deep as he tried to get himself in order fully aware that the two of them were staring at him, “Prosecutor Gavin is innocent, and we are going to prove it.”

“Well, pal, good luck with that, but you aren’t gonna get anything from me!” Gumshoe said, with that serious look coming back over his face “Now get a move on! This is still a crime scene!”

Apollo nodded and thanked him before walking away, planning to try the employee entrance and hope there wasn’t someone there as well standing guard. He turned to speak to Athena and noticed she wasn’t behind him. A few minutes passed before she joined him.

“What was that all about?” Athena sent him a glare, “We could have gotten more information if you played along”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Apollo shook his head. Why of all cases did he have to have a shadow for this one? He wasn’t sure it would be any better working with Trucy, but at least he wouldn’t have to answer as many questions.

“You don’t wanna talk about anything!” a voice accused, causing Apollo to jump

“What the hell!?” Apollo whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Athena blushed and looked away.

“Was that you?”

“Kinda.” Athena crossed her arms over her body, “I was thinking it.”

“What does that mean?” Apollo asked, his eyes drawn to a shifting expression on Athena’s necklace.

“That’s just Widget. Sometimes it says what I’m thinking. I can’t stop it.” Athena fiddled with the robotic pendant.

“That’s,” Apollo tried to figure out how he planned to end that sentence, “Interesting”

“It was a gift from my mother,” Athena smiled weakly, sounding far away.

“Sorry,” Apollo sighed, not sure what to say “I know I’m supposed to be guiding this, but there are some circumstances to this case that I can’t discuss. It won’t be a problem. Right now, just tell me what you learned while we try to find a way inside. I’m sure there is something in the back.”

He fell back into thought as Athena relayed the information she had gained and nodded along. The victim was a dancer at the club named Jack. Apollo recognized the name, though they had never formally met. Jack worked exclusively on the weekends, while Apollo avoided them as much as possible. He was found dead in the Dan Singer’s office shortly after he called the police. As far as the police were concerned, Klavier did it as a crime of passion. They had set up interviews with all the dancers, but couldn’t get ahold of the one Klavier had been looking for. Apollo gritted his teeth as Athena described Artemis, resisting the urge to disclose information he shouldn’t know.

“...It still leaves the question. How’re we going to get into the scene? We gotta find something to give us the upper hand today. They have a lot of evidence against your friend,” Athena finished off her recap.

“You couldn’t get the detective to let us in?” Apollo joked, trying to find a safe subject while leading the two of them to the door reserved for dancers.

“Ah, no,” Athena shook her head. “I don’t think he even realized how much information he gave me”

“How did a guy like that become the lead detective.” Apollo mused aloud.

“Don’t be rude. I’m sure he earned it!” Athena defended him before admitting, “I doubt he really thinks before he talks though.”

“I guess it does help us out, or rather tells us how hard this is going to be. They have a lot against Prosecutor Gavin.” Apollo sighed as they arrived at the door. He pulled the handle, knowing it wouldn't open from the outside without a key.

“Where does this door go?” Athena asked.

“It looks like it goes into the club. I mean, this is the same building.” Apollo stared at the keypad on the door, debating what to do. If he put in the code in front of Athena, she would definitely know something was up, but it seemed to be his only option at that point. While he stared and weighed his options, Apollo was surprised by a hand on his shoulder.

“Please talk to me?” Athena asked from behind him.

“What do you mean?” Apollo spun and stared at her. His hand still rested on the keypad by the door. He was already so jumpy, and there was no way this was gonna last.

“This whole time you’ve been afraid of something. I can hear it in your voice every time you talk,” Athena explained, meeting his eyes with a look Apollo couldn’t fully distinguish. The blue on her necklace had darkened and the face changed to a frown.

Apollo broke eye contact and stared at the ground, his mind still focused on the door rather than Athena. He wondered if he could open it before she realized it had been locked. He could worry about his guilt over how he was treating her when they had more time. “This isn’t the best time to be having a heart to heart.”

“Apollo, please.” Athena was just short of begging, and she stepped closer. “I can help you, just tell me what’s going on.”

“Klavier is my friend,” Apollo admitted as he felt along the keypad to try and enter the code without Athena noticing. He glanced up at Athena who was looking at him expectantly. “Things didn’t go well the last time we talked, and then I blew him off. I didn’t even know he had been arrested until not even a minute before you showed up.”

Apollo paused as he managed to get the lock disarmed and twisted the handle. “There is so much just up in the air right now.”

“You love him, don’t you?” that voice interrupted as Athena grabbed the pendant around her neck.

“I’m sorry, that just slipped out,” Athena tried to cover for the unasked for input.

Apollo’s entire body tensed at the statement. His grip on the door tight as he held it barely open. “I don’t know, but I won’t be able to find out while he’s locked up in there,” he said before pressing the door open. “Let’s keep moving.”

He walked in before she could respond, taking a deep breath as he looked around the dressing room. He didn’t belong here in the day. Somehow, he felt more exposed standing in the employee entrance fully clothed in his work attire than shaking his ass for strangers. He tried to calm his racing heart as he looked around, taking everything in.

When the door fell shut behind Athena, the room fell into darkness. No windows allowed the outside world to leak in. The only light came from from a door leading to the main room that had been propped open.

“I can’t see a thing,” came Athena’s voice. “There’s gotta be a switch around here somewhere.”

“Yeah, somewhere,” Apollo agreed, feeling along the wall, eyes barely adjusting to the low light.

He wasn’t sure where the switch was himself. When the lights flicked on, he figured it safe to assume that Athena had found it. The room was no different than any other day. The space was open, with large fans placed strategically around the room to compensate for the usual body heat that permeated the air. Small desks were lined up towards one side of the room in two rows for each dancer, and a kitchenette nestled itself into the corner with a round table sitting in the middle of it. On the other side of a screen that divided the room were stalls lined up for changing, while racks of costume pieces were scattered around the area.

“Much better!” Athena said as her eyes readjusted to the lighting, “Now we can get to investigating! We’ll start on each end and meet in the middle.”

Apollo nodded.

She began to wander around the room, investigating each of the stations given to the dancers, looking at the vanity mirrors set up, and examining the nameplates and personal touches on each one. Apollo poked his head into what he pretended he didn't know was the costume closet. Although for something called a closet it was rather large. There were racks of clothes shoved up against the right and left walls, loosely separated by gender and an oversized shoe rack in the back. There wasn't anything Apollo could imagine would help their case, but he needed to at least put on a decent act of curiosity. Through the doorway he watched as Athena drew closer to his desk. There wasn't anything there, that would give him away. Actually there wasn't anything there at all beyond what was strictly necessary to getting ready for the night. He held back a gasp as she picked up Artemis's name tag and tried to look busy when she turned to him.

“Hey Apollo, check this out!” Athena called, “This guy’s name is Artemis. What do you think the odds are that we’d find another person named after a Greek god?”

“Huh. That- yeah, that’s pretty weird,” Apollo conceded with a nervous chuckle.

He missed the odd look Athena gave him, as he busied himself looking for anything that wasn't Athena's questioning face in the partitioned off dressing area.

The two continued for a couple minutes, making comments both to themselves and each other about anything that might caught their attention. Back stage for a strip club was everything, but not as much as Athena could have imagined. There were promotional posters all over the walls and shelves overflowing with props and wigs. Rather quickly she and Apollo both reached the center of the room.

“Find out anything interesting?” Athena asked when they met up.

Apollo shook his head. “A whole lot of nothing."

“We should probably get a move on. Find the actual scene of the crime and everything.”

“You're right, lets keep moving,” Apollo agreed as he headed towards the lighted doorway and into the main room. Never had he seen it so empty.

“Wow! This place is huge!” Athena said. She stretched her arms as she spun around, examining every detail.

“I mean. There are are a lot of people who come here. Got to have a place for all of them to be,” Apollo explained, while internally he was also amazed by how much bigger the place seemed compared to his usual hours of occupation.

Even though overall the club hadn't changed. Something about seeing it in the light of day felt foreign. Light filtered in through the skylights, illuminating the gaudy pink and silver decorations that Apollo had never taken the time to notice. All the small stages had been rolled to the side, and chairs stacked in rows against the wall left the center of the floor barren except for the layer of glitter that had embedded itself into it.

“Yeah, but wow!” Athena’s eyes flickered through all the sights. “I’d never be able to go to any sort of club. They're way too loud, but I bet this place looks amazing at night.”

“I'm pretty sure when it's open, no one is looking at the walls,” Apollo smiled as he spoke, but kept moving across the room.

“Oh. Right,” Athena laughed nervously. “So according to the detective, the actual murder took place in the owner's office. We should probably focus there but..." She trailed off, looking around before continuing, "first we have to figure out which room that is.”

As she looked around, Athena realized Apollo was already heading to a door in the farthest corner of the room. She jumped into a small jog to catch up with him.

“You think this is the room?” she asked as he pushed open the door to reveal what certainly looked like it could be an office. “Whoa! How'd you know?”

“Lucky guess?”

“No way! There were a thousand other doors I would have picked before this one. I didn’t even see it!” Athena interrupted herself with a gasp, “Oh my god!”

“What?” Apollo asked, hoping she had found something

“I can’t believe it!” Athena moved closer to him, her face twisted into one of revelation

“What?” Apollo repeated, fully facing her

“You!” She paused

Apollo’s entire body tensed. Had she figured it out? He forced his breath out in a steady rhythm. Time slowed around him. Perfect first day with a new coworker. He sighed heavily, bracing himself for the accusation.

“You go here!” Widget finished for her.

“I don’t know why you’re so embarrassed. There’s no shame in it, really. I’m sure the girls all look very nice. The guys too,” Athena rambled as Apollo processed what she was saying.

He recoiled in surprise blush covering his face. “No! That’s not-”

“I mean it’s not really my scene,” she continued. “Besides I’d rather spend an evening with my girlfriend than in a noisy place, but you do you and all. But it makes sense now why you were so weird about coming here and all that anxiety in your voice.”

Apollo placed his hands on her shoulders to get her attention. “Athena, stop. Fine, I’m familiar with this place. Just don’t tell anyone, alright? We have to focus. We don’t have much time.”

“Yeah, of course. I want us to be partners in this. I might just be a rookie, but I know what I’m doing.” Athena spoke with a determination that was encouraging.

“Let’s look around then.” Apollo smiled at her before finally taking in the whole of the room. He hadn’t been in there since signing his contract months before with Dan, but it hadn’t changed much.

One of the chairs that sat in front desks, was laying on it’s side, while the other was shoved away. Dan’s desk was still covered with all sorts of odds and ends. Trash and decorations littered the surface to a point that there was barely a place for his computer to sit, but the front of had everything shoved back, leaving enough space for some to sit. A couple other spots were oddly empty, but he guessed it was evidence collected by the officers before them.

“Apollo, over here,” Athena called from the corner of the room. He joined her where she stood by a knocked over lamp and a dent in the wall.

“There must have been a struggle of some sort. The lamp fell. I guess it makes sense,” Apollo said, not sure what the significance was, but made a mental note of it anyway.

“Yeah, but it also doesn't. Why'd it fall towards the struggle and hit the wall there,” She pointed out, “ If someone knocked into it, then wouldn't it have hit the wall behind it. Plus, look. The bulb isn't broken.”

Apollo nodded. She had a point there was definitely something weird with the scene. “I have no clue what this means, but anything helps.”

Athena’s mouth turned up in a proud grin before she continued looking around. “There’s blood over there.”

Walking over to where she pointed, Apollo knelt down by the stain. “I’d bet this was where the body was.”

“Seems like a safe guess,” Athena agreed as she walked past him to a door. “Do you know where this goes?”

“Hm?” Apollo looked up, “No idea. I haven’t really been in here.”

“I’m going to check it out,” she said, before opening the door and disappearing into a dimly lit hallway, the door closing behind her.

Apollo continued to look around the room, noting anything that might be of use to them. He rifled through the papers on the desk. Most of them seemed to be about finances that he couldn't understand, but as he was looking a rather unassuming folder fell to the ground. Apollo opened it and thumbed through the papers. Even at a glance Apollo could tell it wasn't Dan's. There was discharge paperwork from the local hospital as well as care instructions, and Jack's name was on every page. It gave a plausible explanation as to why Jack had even come into the club that night. If it hadn't already been taken it from the scene, it was fair game from Apollo to hold onto it for the time being.

Looking around again, he spotted a camera placed in one the upper corners of the room and wondered if there might be anything useful images. As he thought about how he would manage to get them, he was surprised by a bang on the door Athena had gone through.

“Apollo it’s not opening!” Athena yelled as the door handle wiggled. “Apollo! Hurry!”

He stood quickly and opened up the door, “Are you-”

He was cut off by Athena running into him.

“Come on! We gotta go.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the office as footsteps followed after him.

When they made it outside of the club, both were panting heavily. “What was that?”

“At the end of that hall is a security room. The officers there were not very happy with me being there,” Athena explained.

“Oh,” Apollo breathed out.

“I don’t think we are going to get back in there.” Athena looked apologetic.

“We should get back to the courtroom anyway. The trial starts in..” he checked his phone, “10 minutes! Let’s go!”

Chapter Text

Apollo pulled out his phone as he and Athena made it into the defendant’s lobby. They had arrived with a minute to spare before the trial was set to begin. A part of Apollo was upset that they didn’t have a chance to talk with Klavier before they had to make their way behind the proper bench. However the rest of him was glad to put off finding the words to say to him. All of his attention had to be in finding the truth rather than whatever emotional uncertainty was building in the back of his mind.

Athena kept calling it love, but the word made him flinch. There was no way. If anything it was a strong professional respect and admiration. Love was never part of the equation or at least that was what he kept telling himself. For the thousandth time he shoved the thoughts away. This wasn’t the time. It was never the time.

Taking a calming breath, Apollo closed his eyes and placed both his hands on the bench to ground himself. Right here, right now, all he needed to focus on was proving the truth, and that’s what he would do.

“Here comes Justice.” He smiled to himself as he muttered the phrase under his breath. That’s what he was here for. No matter the situation or defendant, justice was the goal.

Athena snickered next to him, but before he could ask what she was laughing at the judge banged his gavel and called court into session.

“The prosecution is ready.”

The accented voice drew Apollo’s attention to the opposing bench. A woman stood not much taller than he did, but her stance exuded confidence. Apollo shrunk under her gaze.

“The defense is–” scared, was Apollo’s first instinct to respond with, but after an elbow to the ribs from Athena he yelped out, “Ready!”

He rubbed his side and gave Athena a look somewhere between annoyance and thankfulness.

“Mr. Justice, I believe we have discussed before the proper volume level for a courtroom,” the judge chided, shaking his head.

“Ah! Yes, your honor!” Apollo blushed. He was more than used to being told to quiet down, but he couldn’t avoid embarrassment every time it happened, especially when he could see Athena recoiling from the sound.

“If you are done with such foolishness, we have a certain matter to attend to,” the prosecutor cut in, arms crossed as she sent a sharp look to the defense team.

“Oh! Of course, Prosecutor von Karma!” The judge seemed to brace himself as he spoke, giving her his full attention.

Apollo froze internally, as he heard the name. Von Karma. His mind jumped straight to that legendary trial, where Mr. Wright faced off against Manfred von Karma and won in the end with a dangerous bluff. He’d just finished digitizing the files from that case a few days earlier and could probably still recite the details from memory if needed. He had more trouble remembering who the other von Karma was. He recognized the face and could recall the occasional mention of her by Mr. Wright or Chief Prosecutor Miles, but beyond that he was out of his depth.

“You’re opening statement, please,” the judge continued.

“We have a traitor in our midst, today,” she started, pointing a finger at the defendant’s seat, where Prosecutor Gavin sat staring at his hands on his laps, twisting them together. “One of our own has killed a man. It is my job to see to that he faces the consequences, and I will do so perfectly.”

Apollo clenched both his hands into fists on the bench, holding himself back from objecting on behalf of Prosecutor Gavin’s honor. He had to treat this like any other case. Even more than that he had to make sure to be a role model for Athena.

“I see,” the judge nodded. “Call your first witness.”

As they waited for the witness to take the stand, Apollo turned to Athena, “This is your first time standing behind the bench, right?”

“Yeah,” Athena confirmed, hands on her hips and looking more prepared that Apollo felt.

“Alright. We’re going to hear our first testimony. I’m going to need you to keep your ears open for a contradiction. We’re the only thing standing between Prosecutor Gavin and a wrongful conviction.” Apollo tried to force certainty into his voice.

“State your name and occupation.” Prosecutor von Karma's voice brought them back to the present time.

The detective from the crime scene stood behind the witness stand, looking far less confident under the gaze of the prosecutor. His shoulders were pulled up and his arms straight down by his side, looking more like a highschooler giving a book report than a detective at a trial.

“Yes, sir!” he barked. “The name’s Dick Gumshoe, and I’m the head detective in charge of investigating the murder of Jack Offman.”

“And what conclusions have your team come to?” Prosecutor von Karma prompted.

“There is absolutely no doubt that the defendant did it.” Detective Gumshoe’s hand rubbed against the back of his neck before he caught himself and shoved his arm back into its strict posture, glancing over at Prosecutor von Karma.

“Now, Scruffy. Walk us through the crime,” she instructed, leaning over the prosecutor's bench.

“Well, it took place late Saturday evening at a–” Detective Gumshoe paused to clear his throat before mumbling the rest, “a gentleman’s club–”

The crack of a whip cut through the courtroom. Apollo startled and Athena doubled over covering her ears.

“Speak up!” Prosecutor von Karma commanded, still holding the whip out pointing at Detective Gumshoe with it, who seemed relatively unfazed; his posture was more tense but there was no other sign that anything had just happened besides the mark left of the witness stand.

“Yes sir!” Detective Gumshoe gave her a salute before preparing to start over.

“Objection!” Apollo interrupted, glancing at Athena who was starting to recover from the sudden sound out of the corner of his eye. “What was that!? She can’t have that in here, can she?”

“Tsk, tsk,” Prosecutor von Karma shook her head, “Know your place.”

“What?” Apollo recoiled, “That’s–!”

He looked almost desperately between the judge, Athena, and even Detective Gumshoe, hoping for someone to back him up.

Athena looked back at him, almost sympathetically. And whispered, “Don’t you know who that is?”

“Yes?” Apollo’s brow furrowed. “Of course I know who she is!”

“Then you should know that this is kinda her thing. I watched some of her trials in Germany. Just be happy she doesn’t actually whip people anymore,” Athena said, giving him a sad smile

“If the defense would cease their useless chatter, we shall return to the night of the crime,” Prosecutor von Karma said, pulling their attention back to the trial at hand.

“Ah. yes. Detective Gumshoe, please continue to describe the night of the crime,” the judge finally cut in.

“Alrighty.” Detective Gumshoe started again. “Saturday night, the victim, Jack Offman, was murdered in the office of a gentlemen’s club called Teaze.”

“A gentlemen’s club,” the judge nodded, looking almost wistful. “Sounds nice. Probably big fireplaces and poetry reading.”

“That’s not–” Apollo started shaking his head, not sure if he wanted to be the one to say anything

The judge looked around the room taking in the uncertainty of everyone’s faces. “What?”

Shaking her head, Prosecutor von Karma grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling something down before handing it to a bailiff who delivered it to the judge. As he read the note placed in front of him, his face shifted from confusion to understanding before nodding.

“I see,” was all he said on the subject. “Detective Gumshoe, please continue your testimony.”

“Yes, your honor! Please look at these maps.” Detective Gumshoe pulled out a folder from his coat and flipped it open to a top view map of the club and a diagram of the owner's office as well as bringing it up on the screens so the entire court could see what he was referring to.

“You can see the body was found here by the desk,” He moved forward to point at the screen.

“And the cause of death?”

The detached language immediately rubbed Apollo the wrong way. Both of them must have known Prosecutor Gavin, they would have worked together at some point. How was it that they so easily blamed him for the murder? Apollo looked over at him and forced himself to take a breath. He couldn’t get Klavier acquitted if he acted on emotion alone. He needed more information. He had to listen.

“Hit over the head with a blunt object, specifically this...” Detective Gumshoe presented a bag with a moderately sized statue. Apollo recognized it immediately from Dan’s desk. It was a tacky decoration, but Dan had defended “the history of the piece” when asked why he kept it around.

“Ah!” the judge chimed in. “That brings back memories! It’s been almost ten years since I saw a statue like this!”

“It’s the same one that Butz guy used to kill his girlfriend!” Detective Gumshoe grinned, looking far happier than someone ever should when talking about a murder.

Apollo wracked his brain trying to figure out why that name sounded familiar. Butz. Oh! It was one of Mr. Wright’s friends, right? That statute had be used to murder Cindy Stone, but if he remembered correctly, Butz hadn’t been the murderer. Mr. Wright had gotten him acquitted. Apollo wondered what he would say when he learned that the weapon in this case was the same as the one used in his very first case.

The whip cracked through the courtroom again. “Fools! Enough with this foolish foolery! There are important matters to be addressed!”

“Y– Yes sir!” Detective Gumshoe jumped to attention.

“Now. Tell us about the murder,” Prosecutor von Karma commanded

“Right! He was hit over the head from the front once and then again from the back. He died from the second blow. There was a struggle beforehand, but in the end, the defendant fell...”

“Hold it!” Apollo called. “Why do you say that there was a struggle?”

Detective Gumshoe smiled, fully prepared for the question. “Simple, pal. His wrist was broken, and he knocked over a lamp when he was first attacked.”

“Hm. That seems like quite the indication of the struggle,” the judge agreed.

“Could the wrist have been a preexisting injury?” Apollo pushed further.

“No, you see, Mr. Offman suffered a knee injury during one of his dances Thursday evening due to a...” Detective Gumshoe shuffled his papers around to show a document, “an ‘improper dismount’ and had a full physical Saturday afternoon. All the rest of him was still in perfect condition at that time.”

Of course Apollo knew about the injury. It was the thing that dragged him into the club last Friday and set everything else in motion. For good measure, he examined the medical report. It matched with everything he read in the papers he found at the crime and indeed stated that Jack had no issues, besides a sprain in his knee.

“So there was a struggle, what next?” Prosecutor von Karma asked.

“We got a call at 11:58 on the dot–”

“Hold it!” Apollo interrupted again, “And by ‘we’ you mean the officers at the police station?”

Detective Gumshoe’s face screwed up in irritation before he responded “Yeah, pal! Who else would I be talking about?”

“We’ve barely begun and the defense is grasping at straws,” Prosecutor von Karma said. From across the courtroom, Apollo could see her shaking her head.

He took a breath and continued, “So who was it that called?”

“If you would stop interrupting me, I’d tell you!” the detective grumbled.

“Scruffy, continue!”

“The call came from the owner of the club. The body was in his office anyway,” he explained with easily renewed enthusiasm. “The first officers arrived on the scene at 12:01 a.m. to meet with the owner.”

“That’s really fast,” Athena said to herself, and Apollo couldn’t help but agree.

“Hold it! You arrived at the scene of the crime in three minutes?” he asked

“Two minutes and 23 seconds actually! Fastest response time in the district.” Detective Gumshoe lifted his chin with pride, “It’s how we get our guy!”

Apollo opened his mouth, trying to think of a further line of questioning and found himself stuck.

“Very impressive,” the judge nodded.

“Now, tell us about the arrest of Prosecutor Gavin,” Prosecutor von Karma prompted.

Apollo steeled himself for the next part of the testimony. He wrote down all of the details he had learned. There was still so much about the case that he didn’t know, but the only option was to continue forward and figure it out as he went.

“See here, as soon as we arrived on the scene, we met with the owner in his office, while the rest of the club was shutting down,” Detective Gumshoe began. “He was quite shaken at the time, having just witnessed a murder before his very eyes.”

“Hold it! The owner saw the murder happen?” Apollo leaned forward, hands braced on the bench.

“Of course he did! It happened in his office,” Detective Gumshoe huffed back

“Why do you keep asking for clarification like that?” Athena asked Apollo

“Cross-Examination 101, Athena, press every detail that you can. Witnesses rarely tell you everything on their own, and you never know when they’ll give you the clues you need.”

Athene wasn’t completely convinced but nodded anyway,

Apollo turned back to Detective Gumshoe. “And he told you that it was Prosecutor Gavin who murdered the victim?”

“So impatient, Mr. Justice,” Prosecutor von Karma accented each syllable as she addressed him. “I’m certain Detective Gumshoe was getting to that.”

“Yeah, pal!”

“Please, tell us what the witness said.”

“All he could talk about was ‘the blondie’ who barged into his office.”

“Hold it! This "blondie" is definitely Prosecutor Gavin?” Apollo asked

“Definitely.”

“There were certainly other blonde patrons at the club that night, how are you so certain it was him?”

“We had other evidence,” Detective Gumshoe answered simply. “Photographs, to be specific.”

“Photographs!?” Apollo jolted.

“Yes, Mr. Justice,” Prosecutor von Karma enunciated every syllable as she addressed him, “There are cameras positioned around the club to keep an eye on any patrons that might be cause for concern. Each one is marked on the map. None of the footage is saved, but there is security watching them at all times to save the faces of anyone or anything suspicious.The prosecution would like to present these photographs of the defendant to the court.”

She laid out two pictures in front of her. The first showed a man entering the office wearing a grey pullover sweatshirt with the hood up. A few blond strands visible. Apollo bit back an objection as to proof that the person was Prosecutor Gavin as he looked at the second picture. Prosecutor Gavin was staring directly at the camera, his eyes widened with obvious panic and his mouth parted slightly. The hood was down and his hair fell from a messy bun into his face.

Apollo chanced a look at Prosecutor Gavin who was pointedly not looking at the screen, preferring to focus on messing with his bangs. His chest tightened at the sight.

“These photographs were taken when the defendant entered and left the office,” Detective Gumshoe added.

“Objection!” Apollo pointed to the camera that was marked to be inside Dan’s office. “You have images from outside of the office, but what about this camera!”

“Tsk tsk,” Prosecutor von Karma shook her head with a cocky smile that left Apollo immediately on edge. “That camera does not work, if it did, we would be showing you the moment the defendant struck the victim.”

“So, there were three people in the room at the time of the murder: the defendant, the victim, and the owner,” the Judge recapped. “It sounds like we should talk to this Dan Singer, then.”

“Indeed. He is prepared to take the stand and testify,” Prosecutor von Karma said.

“Bring forward the next witness.”

Apollo took the moment to address Athena. “Alright, this gets real here. The detective’s testimony is just a warmup compared to whatever is coming next. Witnesses are never easy on us.”

“Howdy, m’sweets.” Dan’s voice had every eye on the courtroom directed towards him, and his entire look made sure no one’s gaze left. A deep blue blazer sat over a white shirt that would have looked almost reasonable if it weren’t for the bright orange, pants and sunglasses he wore. Dark curls hung into his face, as he stared out across the courtroom

“Mr. Singer, was it? You are the owner of the club, correct?” the judge asked.

“Yesserri!” He dragged the word out with a wide grin. “E’rything I got is in Teaze.”

“Very interesting.” The judge looked thoughtful for a moment, “Have you considered poetry reading nights?”

“Dancing to poetry? Hm...hm? Oh!” Dan’s face brightened as he looked him. “You might be onto something yer honor!”

“Ah! Of–”

“Enough!” Prosecutor von Karma snapped her whip against the judges stand. “If you have forgotten, we are here for a reason. Witness! Your testimony.”

“Yes, Ms. Prosecuta! I’ll tell ya exactly what happened!” Dan spoke with such a wide grin.

“It’s hard to believe he witnessed a murder,” Athena commented

He’s always like that Apollo responded in his head, while verbally he agreed, “Definitely, but don’t get distracted by his enthusiasm.”

“Boy, did we have quite the show on Saturday!” he started “I was just sitting in my office, doing my thing...”

“What was ‘your thing’ that you were doing?” Apollo asked.

“I’s– “ Dan started.

“Objection! Irrelevance! What the witness was doing is not the concern of this trial,” Prosecutor von Karma shook her head.

“Sustained, please keep your questions to relevant information,” the judge agreed.

“Of course, your honor.” Apollo deflated slightly, trying to think if there was something else to ask

After a pause, Prosecutor von Karma asked, “Would the defense like to stall further?”

“Yes! Er, not stall, but another question,” Apollo stumbled over his words.

“What would you like to ask about, Mr. Justice,” the judge conceded.

“The time. What time was this?”

For the first time, Dan looked towards the defenses bench. His face shifted as he met Apollo’s eyes. A glint of familiarity somewhere below the surface caused his entire body to tense. He was almost certain Dan wouldn’t recognize him. They had barely met each other face to face since Artemis had begun working at the club, but the fear was still there.

The moment past and Dan responded, “It was a bit before midnight. Rubes was prepping for her big show.”

“How long before midnight?”

“I dunno that! Before midnight!”

“That is enough of that!” Prosecutor von Karma cut off the conversation, “Continue with your testimony”

“Well I was sitting there,” Dan picked up where he had left off, “and THWACK! My door flies open and that blond boy barges in screaming at me.”

“What did he say?” Apollo asked.

“I’m gettin’ there!” Dan yelled, “You’re in such a hurry! Calm down.”

Prosecutor von Karma shook her head, “Mr. Justice, let the witness speak”

“Yes, your honor.” Apollo shook his head, there wasn’t anything good to press, but there was so little he knew.

“So, as I was sayin’, he’s all like ‘where is he’ and I ask ‘im. I ask ‘im ‘who?’ cause I’m a reasonable man and he’s looking for Art’mis!” Dan threw his arms in the air, as if it was the most unbelievable thing he could be say.

“Hold it!” Apollo called, trying to seem as genuine as possible while asking what was certainly on everyone’s mind. “Who is Artemis?”

“He’s one of the boys! Small fella, but damn if he can’t move like the best! Fan favorite, that boy. Doesn’t take advantage of what he’s got.”

“What he’s got?” the judge asked, and Apollo crossed his arms over his chest, trying to conceal his reaction to whatever was coming next.

“His moves! His ass! Kid’s got an ass you’d bounce a quarter off!” Dan acted out the words as he described them. “He could be a headliner, but won’t work the good nights, got some other shit or whatever.”

A blush certainly covered Apollo’s entire face as he watched his boss talk about him to a room of strangers. He tried to remember that none of them knew that this was him as he contemplated his response.

“And what does this ... Artemis have to do with Prosecutor Gavin?” He tried to direct the conversation away from his butt.

“I ain’t got the damndest, but that who he’d been coming in for.” Dan shook his head, something akin to disappointment on his features. “Tobes knows. Good soul was worried for me when he saw blondie run out.”

Apollo’s stomach dropped as Dan mentioned Toby. Of anyone in the club he was the most likely to recognize him.

“What do you do next?”

“I tell ‘im he ain’t there, but he freaks! Start a’waving his arms around and getting louder!” Dan jumped up, and banged his hands on the table, his voice reflecting what he was describing Prosecutor Gavin to be.

“This man’s emotions are all over the place,” Athena muttered.

“How are you deciphering emotion from any of this?” Apollo shook his head, even when he was lying, he had trouble understanding exactly what he was lying about. He had too many ticks and embellishments in his storytelling that most days it gave Apollo a headache.

“I can hear his heart.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve always been able to do it. I can hear what someone is feeling. I have Widgit here to help show it to other people. I’ll show you sometime.”

“Then Jacky–” Dan continued, not noticing the conversation going on at the defenses bench, “poor ol’ Jackel walks in and he hits ‘im! Chases ‘im down and BAM! Hit’s ‘im again!”

“Hold it! How long after the victim entered the room did you say this happened?”

“Immediately! Blondie saw ‘im and freaked! Grabbed my treasured thinker– Oh! It’s terrible, terrible to think about!” Dan pressed his face into his hands in distress.

It didn’t seem right, but Apollo couldn’t pin point anything in particular wrong either, “He’s got to be lying about something, doesn’t he? There’s no way.”

“His emotions are way off, Apollo,” Athena sighed, toying with widget again. “He’s perfectly calm.”

“Calm?!” Apollo yelled, immediately lowering his voice as he got strange looks from the gallery, before pointing at the witness stand and continuing, “You’re telling me that he is calm right now?”

“Well, outside he isn’t, but his heart is perfectly content. There is more going on here than we know, and that is exactly what this guy wants.”

“Are you prepared to admit defeat?” Prosecutor von Karma grinned.

“It does seem like this is a fairly straightforward case,” the judge agreed.

“No! I have one more question for the witness!” Apollo claimed, without any substance behind it.

“Alright, what would you like to ask?” the judge prompted him. “I would warn you against wasting the court's time, however.”

Apollo frowned and took a deep breath. Of course he only had one shot. Of course everyone thought Prosecutor Gavin was guilty. He had to make this count or he might fail Prosecutor Gavin before he had a chance to prove what was really happening.

“You say Prosecutor Gavin ‘freaked,’ what exactly did he do?”

“What I said! Freaked! Flipped! Jacky walked in and suddenly he was on the ground!”

“Objection! Why are we still listening to this charade of justice. The defense has no argument, just wild questioning with no basis”

“No!” Apollo began.

“Then what, might I ask, are you proposing?”

“Dan Singer! You didn’t actually witness the moment of the crime? Did you? You say he was hit as soon as he entered the room, except his body was found in the far corner of the room. What really happened!” Apollo called, pointing an accusatory finger at Dan.

“What!?” Dan jumped back from the stand, his hands covering his face, “I saw it! I saw it all!”

“Than tell us exactly what happened!” Apollo slammed his hands on the bench in front of him.

“I–” Dan deflated on the stand, his shoulders drooped, as he stared at his hands. “It happened so fast”

“Tell us what you saw! Not what you think happened, only what you saw with your own eyes!”

“I did see ’t!” He jumped to his own defense. “Saw it all!”

“If you saw it all! Why didn’t you do anything?” Apollo pushed further.

Dan’s face twisted into something new, and his voice lowered as he stared at Apollo, “I messed up, ‘kay? I didn’t see it all, but I saw blondey hit him!”

“He's nervous,” Athena mumbled to Apollo who nodded

“Explain that then! Why didn’t you see everything, and what did you see?” Apollo’s eyes bored into the witness. It still felt wrong to be cross examining his boss, but Dan had always been a bit of a wildcard since they day he hired “Artemis.” He wanted to believe he was a good guy, but the truth would trump any hope he had.

The judged eyes flicked between Apollo and the witness before making his decision. “I believe we have enough reason for one more testimony. Mr. Singer, please tell us exactly in detail about witnessing the murder.”

“I ain’t proud of this, but I ran away! Right through the door in my office! Scarey man, that one is.” Dan glanced around the room, tapping his fingers on the witness stand. While Apollo could see the tension in his body, but it was impossible to tell exactly what was causing it.

“And by, ‘that one’ you are referring to the defendant?” Apollo clarified, trying to figure out what exactly was setting Dan on edge.

“Sure am! You’d a been scared too if you saw ‘im!”

“That’s weird,” Athena said, rubbing behind her ear, “His heart holds no sense of fear. At least not when talking about Prosecutor Gavin.”

“He’s scared of something, but he’s lying about what,” Apollo confirmed with her before returning his attention to the witness, “So you were scared, but where did you run to?”

“The hall, behind my office! I thought he was gonna attack me!”

“If you were so certain he was dangerous, why didn’t you call the cops sooner?” Apollo asked. A sick feeling came over him every time he even implies that Prosecutor Gavin might have been the culprit. His mind rejected the idea.

“I was gonna! I swear I was! But I didn’t have m’phone!”

“Objection! If we look at the map, the hallway mentioned leads directly to the security room. Phone or not. Why didn’t you go there?”

A look that was almost a pout crossed Dan’s face as he sassed out a response, “Ain’t hindsight twenty-twenty, kid?”

“What does that mean?” Apollo asked, wishing for even one straight answer.

“I didn't think about it!” Dan spat out before composing himself again, “I ran, but ‘fore I could do anything I saw ‘m. That man attacked my Jacky.”

“Hold it!” Apollo called. “If you were in the hallway, how did you see into the room?”

“The door wasn't all closed. I could see everything!”

“Let me get this straight.” Apollo read off the notes he had been taking, “You ran away because you were scared of the defendant, looked into the room from the hallway, and then watched the victim get murdered?”

Dan nodded and added, “That’s exactly it! He didn’t back down, even when Jacky begged ‘im to stop!”

“And at this moment, you did nothing?”

“I couldn’t! I woulda done something!”

As Dan spoke Apollo’s bracelet reacted. There was nothing more than a slight pinch, but it was there. “Hold it! Repeat that.”

“Repeat what?” Dan asked

“Your statement.”

“Objection!” Prosecutor von Karma interjected pointing at Apollo with her whip, “This is a foolish waste of time!”

“Objection! The witness is hiding something, and I will prove it!” Apollo slammed his hands on the table. This might be his only chance to turn the trial in his favor.

“You may continue, Mr Justice,” The judge conceded, “But! If this yields nothing, I will be forced to penalize you.”

Apollo nodded before turning back to the witness, “What exactly couldn’t you do?”

“Anything! I couldn’t stop it–”

Time slowed around Apollo as he focused in on what Dan was saying. Something was not genuine and he needed to figure out what it was. There was no margin of error.

“Everything happened so fast!”

Apollo scanned his whole body, looking for any sort of tell. Dan had a habit of moving his body wildly as he spoke and it was difficult to determine which shift was the one he was looking for.

“I wanted to!”

As Dan’s hands rested down, to rest on the stand, Apollo saw it: his middle finger twitched against the wood, his knuckles whitening under the pressure.

“Gotcha!” Apollo called as he pointed.

Dan recoiled, “What?”

“You can’t help tensing your hands when you lie.” Apollo crossed his arms with a smirk. “So, please tell the court why exactly you didn’t want to help the victim.”

“I did! I wanted to! I couldn’t!” Bracing himself on the stand, Dan jumped up and down. Apollo could still see the twitch as he denied it.

“Stop lying!” Apollo shook his head, making use of his chords of steel to hold the attention of the entire court as he stared down the witness.

Right as Dan’s lips parted as if he was going to answer, that whip cracked through the courtroom, “Enough with this foolish notion of intent! I will not allow you to badger my witness any longer.”

“Objection!” Athena called from Apollo’s side, “The defendant is lying!”

Dan managed to get a word in this time and said, "I ain't no lyin' liar miss missy!"

The judge shook his head ignoring the witness' outburst, “Overruled, unless you have proof, I must penalize you.”

Apollo sighed. This was hopeless. He let his eyes wander over to Prosecutor Gavin, waiting for whatever fate that the judge would impose upon him with his ruling, and his heart sunk. Just a few hours earlier, he had seen a glimmer of hope cross his face, but looking at him sitting in the defendant's chair with blank features and an empty stare weighed on Apollo’s heart.

He knew that Dan was lying and had proof enough for himself, yet nothing to show the court. He couldn’t let Prosecutor Gavin down. He’d already taken too many things from Prosecutor Gavin over the years: his brother, his best friend, his band. No matter how much he denied it, Apollo knew that Klavier’s life had gotten significantly worse since the two of them had met, and if he failed now, Klavier will have lost his freedom.

“Come on, Apollo.” Athena bumped Apollo to get his attention. “We can’t give up yet!”

“Yeah. All we have to do is figure out what really happened with half the facts. Easy.”

“No joking, Apollo. You’re the one who told me to keep my eyes and ears open. You have to focus too!” Athena said, putting her hands on her hips, “We know Prosecutor Gavin’s innocent, so there has to be something in this trial that’ll prove it.”

“You’re right,” Apollo nodded as he turned to her and forced a smile onto his face, remembering the advice Mr. Wright had given him. “Thanks.”

“Mr. Singer,” Prosecutor von Karma’s voice brought them back to focusing on the trial. “Please, finish your testimony so we can end foolishness”

“Yessir!”

“After you witnessed the murder, what did you do?”

“I panicked! I jumped back when he hit ’im and the door closed on me!” All the nervousness in his body seemed to fade away as he continued with his story. “I was locked in the hallway!”

“Hold it! You were locked in the hallway?”

“Course I was! The doors in m’office are locked from the outside! There’re lotta crazies coming by”

“Objection! If both of your doors are locked, how did the defendant and the victim get in without you letting them?”

“‘cause I was expecting Jacky!”

“So you were expecting the victim in your office that night?”

“Ain’t that what I just said?”

“Yes, but–” Apollo wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but he noted it anyway in case it came up later on. “Alright”

Prosecutor von Karma shook her head, “If the defense would cease with the pointless remarks, shall we let our witness continue.

“Yes, Mr. Singer. Go on,” the judge agreed.

“I had t’go to the security room to get a key, and that’s when Tobes found me. He’s all worried about what he saw. Says blondie’s a bad egg.” Dan stretched out the last two words for emphasis.

“Hold it! A ‘bad egg’?” Apollo asked

“He ain’t a good person! He’d been harassing my poor Arty just the night ‘fore!” Dan brushed an imaginary tear from his eye.

Apollo willed his body not to panic as adrenaline flowed through his veins. Of course he’d recognize Prosecutor Gavin. They’d fought the night before the murder, but it wasn’t harassment. He tried to recall the details of of his conversation with Toby after that disaster of a dance. He was fairly certain he had told him that there was nothing to worry about, but Toby was always the protective type. Should he have said something more? Something better? Had Apollo looked so messed up that Toby had just decided the worst.

Hie heart sped up. What exactly did Toby think had happened in that room? His hand curled into a fist and vision wavered as he tried to keep in control of his own thoughts and emotions. Was this really all his fault? Everything seemed to come back to Artemis. If it weren’t for him, Klavier would have had a perfectly nice night and weekend. He would be spending the day prosecuting actual criminals instead of sitting in the defendant's chair.

He could hear Athena’s voice calling his name from his side, but it sounded so far away. Maybe even Klavier said something. He needed to focus. Count to ten. Breathe deep. Ground himself. Anything. He couldn’t panic there and then. Klavier needed him.

“I’m fine,” he tried to croak out, aware of the entire room’s eyes on him. He stared down at his hands when he felt a tear roll down from his cheek to his skin. The air got thinner around him. He could hear the judge bang his gavel and call a recess, but his body was locked in place. He couldn’t fail here. He couldn’t break down. He tried to object, but no sound came out.

When was the last time he had taken a full breath?

Before he could figure out the answer to that, the world went black, and his legs crumpled beneath him.

Chapter Text

The owner of the club was talking, certainly sealing Klavier’s fate with testimony while his mind floated idly away. He had spent the entire time examining everything but his circumstances.

Nothing matters anyway.

No matter what he did, nothing would change. How naive had he been to believe that it could. The idea of jurists and reform seemed like a dream of a world where he could move forward. Instead he was here and knew how this would play out. The defense and prosecution would argue, witnesses would scream, the judge would comment, and a verdict would be declared.

Is anything real?

All that was left for Klavier to do was wait. Everyone else would talk for him, just like it had been his entire life. All he was worth is what the people around him made him into. He’d always been a better puppet than person.

Do I exist?

Physically, he was certainly sitting there in the courtroom. He could feel the chair press awkwardly against his back, and hear testimonies and objections from all across the room. The air around him was cold while his body was uncomfortably warm. His foot tapped against the ground to a steady beat against his will.

There was so much he knew was happening, but it was not actually happening to him. Trying to examine his surroundings was like looking through the wrong end of binoculars. The more he tried to focus on one thing, the further away it got.

He tucked his hair behind his ear only for it to fall back into his face.

Why is it always in my eyes?

It had been over a year since he cut it last. He didn’t know what he would do with it if he were to change it. Maybe his long hair had cursed him. He kept it styled like Kristoph’s so now he’s become him. Klavier would always be in that shadow, judged for his brothers crimes. Maybe it was fitting for him to be arrested. Then they would be reunited in jail on the charge of murder and he would live out the rest of his life under Kristoph’s control. That way he at least had someone else he could blame besides himself.

He thought about that night: A haze of color, blurred people, and clashing sounds, but he ignored it all to search for Apollo.

It was stupid.

What was I even trying to accomplish?

It was an illusion to think he had any power over his own life.

Everyone had something planned for him.

But he just couldn’t care anymore.

What did it matter anyway?

What would it prove?

Nothing at all.

Klavier closed his eyes and let himself float away. There wasn’t anything to do despite worry, so he left his future in the hands of the court. It was freeing to give in. It was easy. Time was certainly passing around him, but it made no difference.

“GOTCHA!!”

Apollo’s voice?

It was comforting.

Apollo still believed.

He believed in Klavier.

Why was he so trusting?

It wasn't for Klavier.

It couldn't be.

After all the

Silence.

What was it?

Was the trial going?

Why was everything so quiet?

He twirled his ring around his finger, feeling the smooth metal against his skin as he tried to ground himself. Breathe.

A voice. Whose?

“Mr. Justice?”

Focus.

“Apollo?” This time, the judge’s voice cut through the haze over his mind. Something was happening. Panic pulled him into the present. What was wrong with Apollo?

Klavier finally looked up, immediately narrowing his gaze on him. Apollo stood stock still: staring forward, drained of color, shoulders shaking slightly. His hands were laid flat against the bench in front of him, to hold him up. Klavier bolted upright, momentum carrying him to his feet.

“Sit down, Gavin.” The bailiff grunted, but Klavier ignored him. Still unsure what exactly he was doing, still two steps behind his body, still in the wrong place, his watched across the courtroom.

Apollo’s mouth opened slightly but he said nothing. His eyes were unfocused and his body slouched further, barely conscious.

The judge shook his head and banged his gavel. A second after the recess was called, Klavier was already moving, dashing toward Apollo. He was halfway across the courtroom before Apollo folded into himself. A girl Klavier didn’t recognize – was she behind the bench the whole time? – grabbed him before he hit the ground.

As he ran, Klavier debated whether it would be faster to try and vault over the defense bench, but immediately rejected the idea.. What little sense he had left guided him around so he could kneel next to where Apollo lay in the girl’s arms.

“Herr Forehead!” Klavier cried as Apollo’s eyes opened halfway still dazed, “Are you okay?”

Apollo stared past him, blinking a couple time. His chapped lips parted without responding.

Klavier turned to the girl and asked, “What happened?”

“I don't know.” She said, shaking her head, “He's been stressed all morning, but he won't tell me anything. His emotions have been all over the place.”

“Let's get him somewhere to lay down…”

Klavier waited for the girl to nod before he lifted Apollo up, one arm around his back as the other under his knees and carried him out to the lobby, laying him on the couch. He sat down as well, maneuvering Apollo so his head rested on Klavier’s lap.

“I'm going to get water.” The girl said, before darting off and leaving the two of them alone.

Klavier nodded and looked down at Apollo, still barely conscious and distinctly dazed. He pushed some hair that had escaped Apollo’s usually so carefully gelled style back behind his ear, reveling at being able to be so close to him, feeling his soft skin under his fingers. He could have sworn he saw Apollo’s lip turned up into a small smile.

Klavier’s heart swelled as he took in every detail of his face. At the moment he could almost pretend they were somewhere else, as if anything – everything – was different. He could dream that they were at his apartment, and Apollo was just napping. Maybe, in another world, he could freely run his hands through his hair and even lean down to kiss him. In that world Apollo would wake up and smile up at Klavier. He’d reach out and touch Klavier’s cheek and smile.

They could wake up together in the mornings, hold each other until the last moment when they had to get up and prepare for work side by side. Weekend mornings Klavier could wake up early and make breakfast in the kitchen. Apollo would rise to the smell of bacon and waffles, and join him in the kitchen. He’s be half asleep but insist on helping, because of course he forgot to put the coffee on. They’d walk, spin, dance around each other, stealing kisses with one eye on the stove.

“I love you,” Klavier whispered, as if speaking any louder would disturb whatever tentative friendship they had settled into over the course of the morning, not sure if he wanted Apollo to hear him.

Apollo blinked, his eyes trying to focus onto Klavier’s face, “Prosecutor Gavin?”

“Ja, Herr Forehead. It’s me.” Klavier tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. Every time Apollo referred to him in such a professional manner, Klavier could feel himself being kept at arm's length, “What happened in there”

“It was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Apollo pushed himself into a sitting position, further from Klavier, “Where’s Athena?”

“Das Fraulein? She went to get you some water,” Klavier answered, silently mourning the loss of Apollo’s weight on his lap.

Apollo nodded, before leaning his shoulder against Klavier’s with a sigh and pressing his hands against his eyes, “What are you doing here?”

Heart picking up from such casual contact, Klavier answered, “I was worried about you.”

“I only fainted,” Apollo said simply, one hand falling from his face to rest next to Klavier’s palm.

Klavier wanted more than anything to take that hand into his own, but purposefully ignored it and asked, “Why though?”

He could feel Apollo shrug next to him.

“I don’t want to defend me if it’s hurting you” Klavier continued, “It’s my fault anyway. It’s my guilt on trial here. You’re innocent.”

“I can’t let them stand there and say you’re guilty,” Apollo insisted. He looked down, hair coming dangerously close to poking Klavier in the face, before adding, “It’s my fault.”

As Klavier tried to think of something to say in response, the girl – Athena, as Apollo called her – returned with a cup of water, “Oh! You’re sitting up. Good job.”

“I was so worried!” That necklace she wore spoke. Klavier noted it as something to ask about later.

Apollo sent her a smile and nodded before taking the cup she handed him, “Thank you.”

Apollo wrapped both his hands around the cup and sipped the water as Athena turned to Klavier, whose fingers were curling shut.

“And this is the legendary Prosecutor Gavin?”

“Ach, I wouldn’t say legendary,” Klavier looked down, trying to find his stage persona to hide behind.

Athena wrapped her hand around that necklace, a deep blue shone between her fingers. She gave him a knowingly sad smile, “You’re definitely pretty cool.”

“Thank you,” Klavier put on his best smile in response, and stood up reaching his hand out to her, “You can call me Klavier, and what is your name?”

“Athena! Athena Cykes!” If she noticed something off with him, she kept quiet about it. Instead she shook his hand, leaning in slightly to take a closer look at his face, “You look familiar.”

“Well, I am an international rockstar,” Klavier grinned, falling so easily into the act he knew so well. He leaned forward slightly as he took his hand back, hyperaware of his appearance at that moment. His jewlery had all been taken from him when he was arrested, his hair was tied back into what could loosely be described as a bun, “Have you ever heard of the Gavinners?”

A thoughtful look crossed Athena’s face before she shook her head and shrugged, “I don’t think so.”

“I see,” Klavier didn’t let his voice falter, but he could swear he saw Athena flinch. She nodded before turning her attention back to Apollo.

She sat down on Apollo’s other side and asked, “Are you going to be okay to go back in in ten minutes?”

“Yeah, I’m fine right now,” Apollo said, with no conviction behind his words, and Athena’s brow furrowed.

“No you aren’t. People don’t pass out because they’re fine,” Athena shook her head, before a thoughtful look crossed her face. “I’m going to call Mr. Wright–”

“No!” Apollo’s eyes shot open, “I can handle this. I’m fine”

Athena hesitated, obviously debating something internally before Klavier cut in, “You’re an attorney too, correct?”

“Yeah,” Athena said, nodding as if to reassure herself as well as him.

“Please defend me.” Klavier met her eyes as he spoke.

“What!? You can’t do that!” Apollo tried to stand, immediately losing his balance. Klavier surged forward to catch him before he collapsed again. His arms were around Apollo’s waist to support his weight, but it didn’t deter Apollo’s gritted “I have to do this!”

Klavier looked down to respond. Their eyes met, and for the first time, Klavier realized that Apollo was crying. When did that start? How can that end? “All you have to do is take care of yourself. I’ve made my decision, assuming Fraulein Cykes agrees.”

“You can’t,” Apollo reiterated, before turning to Athena to back him up.

“I’m sorry, Apollo.” The words seemed to physically pain her, “Prosecutor Gavin is right. You can’t even stand. You need a hospital more than a courtroom.”

A look of betrayal crossed Apollo’s face as he bit back any further response. He pushed Klavier away, suddenly insistent, and staggered away from them both. Sheer force of will was the only thing keeping him upright.

Klavier and Athena shared a look, as if trying to silently figure out what to do. She ran her tongue against her teeth, as if she had known the answer the whole time, but was waiting for him to arrive at it. He failed her.

“Go after him,” Athena instructed, “I’ll let the judge know what’s going on.”

Klavier nodded before following after Apollo, trying to figure out where he had gone. He couldn’t have gotten too far, but Klavier couldn’t see him anywhere. He poked his head into every doorway, including the supply closet before eventually arriving at the court bathroom, and finally finding Apollo leaning against the wall by the sinks.

“There you are,” He sighed, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. What would he have done if Apollo was gone?

“Leave me alone,” Apollo refused to look at him, “You’ve already fired me, what more could you want?”

“I didn’t fire you! I just can’t watch you hurt yourself for my sake,” Klavier defended himself. “Have you even looked in a mirror today?”

“I know, I’m a mess.” Apollo let out a bitter laugh, “Firing your defense attorney last minute, aren’t you worried I’ll turn out like my old boss?”

As soon as the word were out of his mouth Apollo’s eyes widened and his mouth clamped shut. It was too late though. The outburst hung between the two of them. Apollo braced himself for Klavier’s reply, yet Klavier couldn’t find a response. As Apollo’s words fully processed, the seemingly bottomless silence they were trapped in deepened further. Part of him wanted to be angry at the fact Apollo was bringing Kristoph into this at all when Klavier tried to keep him as far from his thoughts as possible, but his heart hurt as it hit him how much Apollo still saw himself as well in Kristoph’s shadow.

Klavier balled his hand into a fist, trying to control his emotions. Why was it that every time he tried to talk to Apollo they ended up sitting in heavy silence? Nothing was the right thing to say.

“I’m sorry,” Apollo mumbled, “You don’t need to be dealing with all my problems right now. Athena’s smart. Mr. Wright wouldn’t have hired her if she wasn’t. Besides.... She doesn’t have a conflict of interest.”

Klavier considered arguing, but nodded instead, a heavy feeling in his stomach. He wanted to comfort Apollo somehow, sit down next to him and have a chat that ends in teary laughter, but had no idea how. Instead, he asked one more time.

“What happened in there?”

Apollo blinked, staring at the spot between Klavier’s shoes. “I realized this was all my fault.”

“It’s not–” Klavier started, but paused when Apollo shook his head, looking somewhere behind Klavier’s head rather than at him.

“It is. I talked to Toby after I left you in that room.” Apollo swallowed nervously, unsure how to acknowledge what happened Friday night out loud, “I didn’t say anything, but he must’ve made his own conclusions. If it had been any other dancer at that club, nothing would have happened.”

Klavier swallowed a scoff, but not his rebuttal. “You can argue that all day, but the same goes for me. If I hadn’t gone to the club, if I had chose another dancer, if I had been a mature adult and not let my emotions get the best of me, if made one of a thousand different choices we wouldn’t be here,” he paused before admitting, “I don't want to make things worse for you.”

“I just want to fix this,” Apollo hiccuped, tears falling from his eyes that still refused to meet Klavier’s, “Why is it all so fucking hard.”

“I don't know.” Klavier sighed. He was well aware of the fact that they had a time limit for their current conversation, already too short and abbreviated further by the search. There was so much to say. “We’ll talk after the trial today, about all of it. Alright?”

Apollo nodded slightly, but none of the anxiety eased from his body. Rather it worsened. His gaze shifted to the ground and his fingers fiddled with his hair.

“What’s wrong?” Klavier asked, wondering if he just said the entirely wrong thing, “We do have to talk about this.”

“Yeah. I know,” Apollo agreed to that easily, “I’m just sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Klavier could feel his heartbeat pick up again, not sure if he wanted to know what Apollo was talking about.

“I’m about to make this a lot more complicated, but I have to know in case I don’t get another chance,” Apollo said.

He took a deep breath and finally looked directly at Klavier before wrapping a hand around the back of his neck and bringing his face closer. Klavier realized what was happening as he felt Apollo’s lips on his own. His eyes went wide as Apollo’s fell closed.

Time froze in that moment as Klavier responded to the kiss. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Apollo’s waist and moving his lips against his. Just for that second, everything was perfect. He could forget his worries and their circumstance, ignore what this might mean for the future, and just hold on to the feeling.

When Apollo pulled away, Klavier held himself back from chasing his lips. His mouth bent into a small smile as he took in Apollo’s expression. Those eyes examined Klavier for a reaction, while his tear streaked cheeks were tinted red and his lips parted slightly.

“I’m sorry,” Apollo said as he came back to himself, “I shouldn’t have done that. I should have asked, or said something.”

“No! I– um…” Klavier’s words faded out as he tried to think of the right thing to say, “I enjoyed it?”

Apollo’s blush darkened as he looked away, “Yeah. I did too.”

“I guess that’s on the list of things to talk about,” Klavier said, trying to keep things as light as he could.

“Yeah.” Apollo nodded. “I’m gonna– I’ll be watching the rest of the trial.”

“I should be getting back there,” Klavier admitted.

Apollo paused a moment before pressing another kiss to Klavier’s cheek and said, “Good luck!”

Before Klavier could respond, Apollo scampered out of the room. He watched him leave before touching his fingers to his lips, trying to remind himself that that really just happened.

Chapter Text

Athena glanced over at Klavier and gave him a nod and thumbs up, which he returned hesitantly. It would be obvious to anyone who looked closely the lack of confidence either of them held in their hearts, “Ready?”

“Of course,” Klavier said.

“And you’re sure you’re okay to be here?” She asked, “You aren’t looking the best either, and I don’t need two people passing out on on me today.”

“I’ll be fine,” Klavier confirmed, “And while I may not be a defense attorney, I want to help. No one should have to stand alone for their first trial.”

Athena quirked an eyebrow as she began to wonder if anything that he said was completely genuine and not laced with pain. Every time he spoke, she had to brace herself in hopes of not recoiling. She’d heard the news about his brother the year before, juxtaposed with images of his rockstar smile, but to hear all suffering he carried with him hurt.

“It’s time we reconvene for the trail of Klavier Gavin.” The judge looked out over the courtroom before focusing in on the defense team, “How is Mr. Justice doing?”

“Better, your honor,” Athena answered, “However, still not fit for the courtroom, so I will be taking over in his place.”

“Yes, of course,” the judge nodded, “With no further delay, Mr. Singer–”

“Objection! You’re going to let that foolish traitor stand behind the bench?” Franziska asked, gesturing at Klavier who tensed.

“What does it matter if he sits there or stands here?” Athena immediately came to his rescue. She had been prepared for the objection since Klavier had offered to help her out.

There was no way she was going to lose here. Not again. She wasn’t a kid anymore. Last time she had stood in courtroom like this she had been brushed aside and ignored, and she couldn’t protect the one person who was still there for her. So even if Apollo wasn’t able to defend Klavier himself, she would do it for him.

“I must admit, while it is rather uncouth to have a defendant stand by his defense, if she allows it then I must as well,” The judge sided with them.

Klavier and Athena let out twin sighs. It may have been a small victory, but their first battle was won. Now it was time to keep fighting through a thousand more.

“Now if there are no further objections, let us resume the cross examination of Mr. Dan Singer,” The Judge continued on, turning the attention of the room to the witness stand, “Please continue.”

“Course, Mister Judge,” Dan chirped in that nasally voice of his, “As I was sayin’ Jacky walked in while that there blondy was a screaming about my Arty and he hit ‘im!”

“Wait a second! If the defendant hit him as soon as he walked in, then why didn’t the victim run away?” Athena cut in.

“How’d I know what the boy thought?” Dan grabbed the stand with both hands, “Why don’tya ask ‘im instead?!”

“Uh,” Athena paused, sending an unsure glance at Klavier before she said, “The victim is dead, Mr. Singer.”

“Right right, Offman was offed ‘nd all,” he responded offhand, “Guess his reason’s a mystery to us all.”

Athena deflated with a sigh, wondering if she should say something, “So if he didn’t run away, then what exactly did he do?”

“He ran! Tried t’get away from that guy!” Dan glared at Klavier.

“But why further into the room instead of out?” Athena muttered to herself.

“That might be a question to answer in the future,” Klavier advised, “If I’ve learned anything from watching Herr Forehead in the courtroom, it is to learn as much as you can. A contradiction will always come to light.”

“We haven’t gotten anywhere,” Athena sighed burying her face in her hands., “It’s been ten seconds and I’m already in over my head.”

“Fraulein Cykes,” Klavier grabbed her shoulders and met her eyes, “Court is nothing more but a performance, and behind this bench you can not falter. Your act is one of confidence and determination, you gotta show the court how hard you can rock.”

He ended the statement with a wide grin. The determination in his voice inspiring her to take a deep breath and square her shoulders. She met his smile and said, “You’re right.”

“Ja, ja!” He said.

Despite the emotion lurking underneath everything he said, Klavier was still trying his best. It was endearing to see him fighting for a purpose rather than moping around all morning for his own fate. Athena was tempted to laugh. It had been a long time since she’d seen two men both desperately in love yet so oblivious to themselves and each other.

“Hey! Y’punks! I came all out ‘ere ta’testify for your trial and y’all justa chat chat chating all over there?” Dan called to them.

“You fools are being awfully rude to our witness,” Franziska shook her head in disappointment, “Let’s listen to to what Mr. Singer here has to say, shall we?”

“Yes! Of course!” Athena stood at attention looking away from Klavier, “Please continue Mr. Singer!”

“Thank you li’l lady!” Dan said with a toothy grin, “ As I was saying! After he hit ‘im I ran away! Though my back door!”

“Hold it! Why through the back door?” Athena asked.

“I was scared! I told you ‘nd your buddy early! Unlock your ears!” He stared at her.

Klavier interrupted, “Witness, answer the questions without the excess commentary.”

“What? You talkin’ to me like that! Murderer!” Dan spit out at him, “Y’think you can just tell me what to do!”

A flash of distress crossed Klavier’s face, but it passed quickly enough Athena almost wondered if she imagined it. Instead he simply put his hand on his hips and looked back at him, “Any possible guilt has yet to be determined.”

Athena opened her mouth to add something but before she could, Dan cut her off.

“You’re guilty! I’m sick of this dance!” Dan cried, “ ‘m Done!

“Mr. Singer. Please calm down.” The judge asked, “Mr. Gavin is correct. This will go much smoother if you answer each question as simply as possible.”

Dan pouted and crossed his arms, still glaring at Klavier, “Fine,” He gritted out.

“Finish your testimony, please,” the judge instructed.

“Fine,” He repeated, “I saw ‘im hit ‘im, he killed ‘im, I ran, ‘nd Toby helped me. That’s it. That’s all.”

“Hold it!” Athena crossed her arms, “ ‘that’s all?’ How can anyone trust your testimony if you won’t actually give us the details here?”

“Perhaps Mr. Singer is tired of repeating the same information for you foolish defense attorneys,” Franziska shook her head.

“If the witness would just tell us what he saw clearly,” Athena said with a heavy sigh.

“Stop making shit up!” Widget chimed in before Athena could try to stop it, grabbing the pendant.

“Ms. Cykes, please control yourself in this courtroom,” the judge shook his head as he admonished her.

“Of course! I’m sorry, sir,” Athena shrunk back.

“What was that?” Klavier whispered to her.

“That’s Widget. It helps me understand people’s emotions, but sometimes it just says what I’m thinking instead,” she tried to explain as simply as possible, while trying to keep her thoughts on track to keep Widgets outburst under control before she ended up getting a penalty for it.

Klavier looked uncertain, “Understand people’s emotions?”

“Yeah,” Athena nodded pulling up the holographic screen to try and show the him, “You see, I just–”

The whip cracked in the courtroom and Athena winced. It was too loud, and every strike sent a sharp pain through her head. Her face scrunched up in displeasure as she tried to keep herself from saying something that might further deplete Prosecutor von Karma patience. Next to her, Klavier held his hands pressed up to his own ears for a moment, before forcing them back down to the bench and shaking off the sound.

“I almost wish she’d hit me rather than destroy my eardrums,” he muttered.

“Enough!” Prosecutor von Karma’s voice, rather than her whip, cut through the courtroom, “If you are done with such pointless chatter, shall we finish?”

“Yes, Ms. Cykes, please finish your cross examination of the witness,” the judge agreed.

Athena nodded, “Of course, Mr Singer. I just have one last question for you. It’s about these photographs.”

“The photographs?” He mimicked, “What about ‘em?”

.”They’re different! This first one, it’s a rectangle, but the second one is a square!” Athena said, pulling out the two images to prove her point.

“Yes, I believe we all are familiar with basic shapes,” Franziska commented.

“Indeed, I mastered all of the shapes many years ago– from my circles to my hexagons,” the judge added, “Is there any significance to this observation?”

“Well, if they were taken from the same camera, it would figure that they would be the same size, but the fact that images are different implies that they’ve been cropped down,” Athena explained, crossing her arms with a confident smirk.

“Objection! And if the images have been cropped, what difference would it make?” Franziska leaned over the desk resting her chin on her hand, “It shows what it needs to.”

Athena looked down at the bench for a second before forcing herself to meet Prosecutor von Karma’s gaze. Despite the panic building in her mind, she would not submit to a simple question. She didn’t have an answer. She knew why, but in that moment the words flew from her. Everything rested on her shoulders and she was scared. Any mistake could mean failing again.

“Context makes the case, does it not?” Klavier said looking at Athena, snapping her out of the anxious loops her brain was getting sucked into.

“Yeah– Yeah!” Athena nodded, sending him a grateful smile before building on his point, “Especially with such critical evidence. If there is something else going on in this photo, it could change the entire case!”

“Hmm,” The judge nodded, “I suppose that is possible.”

“The defense requests the full photograph!” Athena stood proud,

Prosecutor von Karma crossed her arms and scowled, “Nothing will come of it!”

“We need all of the facts,” Athena insisted.

“We will grant the defense’s request,” The judge said before calling a bailiff over.

Athena took the opportunity to look at Klavier, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Klavier raised a questioning eyebrow..

“Helping me out there. With the picture,” Athena clarified.

Klavier flashed a smile and shook is head, “It was nothing, fraulein. I’m just here to back you up. You’re the star today, ja?”

“Yeah! That’s right,” Athena lifted her head, staring straight forward repeating his words from earlier, “It’s my show now.”

“That’s the spirit!” Klavier grinned next to her, excitement clear in his voice. Something about him reminded Athena of an excited puppy, eager to help but not sure what he was even trying to do. Honestly, it was just nice to have someone who believed in her.

“We will be receiving the photograph shortly,” The judge announced, “In the meantime, I believe the prosecution has another witness to bring forth.”

“We do,” Prosecutor von Karma confirmed, “Toby Astar, the head of security at the club.”

“Please call him to the stand.”

“Gladly.”

Athena watched as the man entered the room. Compared to their last witness, there was nothing special about him. He wore a black crew neck shirt and jeans and had brown hair pulled back into what could barely be called a ponytail. The only thing that ever caught Athena’s eye was a few specks of glitter glinting as he took his place behind the witness stand.

“Howdy y’all,” He said, looking around the courtroom.

“Howdy!” Athena replied with a smile.

“Howdy,” Klavier said, in such a way that Athena wasn’t certain if it was a question or him mimicking the greeting.

“Are you finished?” Prosecutor von Karma tapped her fingers against her forearm, an ominous prelude to another whipcrack. When no one responded, she faced the witness. “Please state your full name for the record.”

“Toby Astar. Just Toby, mind you. Not Tobias or Tobert or any other clever name you might think it’s short for,” Toby stated, a serious expression crossing his face before he continued, “I’m in charge of keeping our dancers safe and any unruly patrons away.”

The judge hummed, “And by unruly patrons, you mean the defendant?”

“Exactly,” Toby nodded, “That man was always a bit of a shady character. He came fairly regularly and tipped well, but he was always hiding.”

“Would you please testify to the court about the defendant's prior visits to the club.”

“Objection! Irrelevance!” Athena injected, “Do you plan to slander the defendant’s name with the fact that he didn’t want to be seen in a strip club? You are aware of his celebrity status?”

As she spoke, she really hoped Klavier wasn’t exaggerating when he introduced himself.

“We are all aware of the fame of Klavier Gavin and his former band, however that has no bearing on the matter at hand. This is not slander, simply facts,” Franziska said, “Five minutes ago, were you not the one who stated that context is everything?”

Athena deflated. Having her own words thrown back in her face was never pleasant, but she had to stand her ground. “The theory is that the defendant was upset over one dancer in particular. Any experience he had at the club that was not related to the dancer–” Athena flipped through Apollo’s notes trying to find the dancer’s name. It seemed odd that he didn’t write it down anywhere, “Anything not related to that dancer is irrelevant as context to this case.”

“Ms. Cykes does have a point,” The judge looked thoughtful.

Prosecutor von Karma’s face screwed in disapproval as she glared at Athena. Her words were terse as she spoke, “Then the witness will testify to every interaction that the witness had with this dancer.”

“Name’s Artemis,” Toby said.

“What was that?” Prosecutor von Karma faced him.

“The dancer. Name’s Artemis,” Toby repeated. The emotions in his heart were all over the place as he gritted out the words. He was sad and Athena couldn’t help but wonder why.

“That is his stage name, correct?” Prosecutor von Karma prompted.

Toby stared at her. He put his hands on his hips as if trying to make him small frame bigger as he replied, “It’s the only name I know. Nobody knows his outside name– He never said, and we respect that.”

Franziska appeared wildly unimpressed with the testimony. “So, you are telling us you employed a man without a legal name? Do you know anything about this Artemis?”

“I know what I need to know. Our dealings are all up front,” Toby said, refusing to break eye contact.

“Alright,” Prosecutor von Karma did not back down even as she chose to drop that point, “Please testify to the court about the defendant and Artemis.”

Toby nodded and said, “I gotta start by saying that none of this is Arty’s fault.”

“Hold it!” Athena called, “How can you say that?”

“Because I know my Arty! All he’s guilty of is attracting that creep,” Toby crossed his arms and stared straight forward. Athena wasn’t sure if that was more or less insulting.

“Opinions are not what we are interested in. Keep your testimony to the facts,” Franziska instructed.

Toby scowled. “It ain’t an opinion.”

“Please continue with your testimony,” Franziska slammed her hand on the bench, losing her patience.

“That’s what I’m doing,” Toby said, “That man and Artemis met entirely once, but once was enough.”

“Only once?” Athena asked, “You said that the defendant was a regular patron. Isn’t it possible they ran into each other before?”

“No. It was only once.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Arty works a strange schedule, Every week he says the days he’s free – I think he he has another job – but one of his other things was no Fridays or Saturdays,” Toby explained, “Never understood why. Said the crowds made him nervous, but... “ Toby shook his head, “Anyway. This guy only came in on Fridays. Same time every week. Like clockwork.”

“So how did the two of them end up meeting?” Athena asked.

“Well I was getting there before you interrupted, Ms. Lawyer,” Toby drawled, locking eyes with her for a moment, before looking away again, “This most recent Friday, Dan had called Artemis in to work. Jack was supposed to work that night, but you heard about his knee.”

“He sprained it, correct?”

“Exactly that, and lucky for us Arty agreed to come in.” A fond note crept into his voice for a moment, “He never lets us down.”

“So did the defendant actually interact with Artemis on Friday evening?”

“Did more than ‘interact’. He got a private dance.” Toby’s neutral tone was betrayed by anger festering in his heart.

“A private dance?” Athena asked Klavier, rather than the witness.

“Ja, I did,” Outwardly, Klavier put up a front of embarrassment. He looked off to the side, messing with his bangs and drumming his fingers on the bench, but as with the witness, his heart said something different: Fear and sadness.

Toby continued speaking, almost over them. “He definitely did,” Hints of anger leaked into his words, “And something happened in that room.”

“What is that ‘something’ that happened?” Athena prompted when Toby fell silent.

“Don’t know,” Toby stared at Klavier as he spoke, as if he had asked the question, “Arty wouldn’t tell me, but he wasn’t the same afterwards.”

“Would the defendant care to comment as to what happened?” The judge asked.

“No, your honor,” Klavier shook his head, “It was a private matter with no bearing on this trial.”

“No bearing on this trial,” Toby mimicked and laughed, “No bearing on this trial? He’s in the middle of everything and none of you even care what happened to him!”

“Hold it! What proof do you have that something happened?” Athena asked, not giving herself the chance to second guess what she was saying.

“I talked to him after it happened. He puts up a good front, but he was looking roughed up and I heard the two of them fighting from down the hall,” Toby explained, “He finished the night and disappeared.”

“Wait,” Klavier’s eyes narrowed in at him, “What do you mean ‘disappeared?”

Toby crossed his arms as his he tried to conceal whatever he was feeling, “Artemis hasn’t contacted anyone since that night. His phone goes straight to voicemail and he’s not texting back.”

The courtroom burst into murmurs at that statement. Athena felt a wave of panic wash through her as she noticed Klavier tensing beside her as well. No one had mentioned that the dancer had gone missing. If brought up even more questions that she scribbled in with Apollo’s notes.

Klavier had gone to the club to find Artemis that night. Had he known he was missing already? Did he have some connection to the dancer that he never mentioned? Doubt invaded her thoughts as she glanced at Klavier out of the corner of her eye. There was something he was hiding for her and she had to hope that it wasn’t that he was actually guilty. That thought sent a rush of guilt through her. Apollo had seemed so certain of Klavier’s innocence, but Athena couldn’t help but wonder if that was because of his obvious feelings toward the man or because he saw something that Athena couldn’t. Klavier didn’t seem like a murderer, but…

She shook off that train of thought. No matter what happened, she had to trust her client. That was her job. She knew firsthand that evidence could be twisted and that some people lied for the most noble of reasons. It was the entire reason she became a defense attorney: To make sure no one would go away for a crime they didn’t commit. Not again. It was up to her to find the truth and until the moment that the judge banged his gavel and declared a verdict she would fight for Klavier’s sake. She would fight as if it were Juniper on that stand, as if she had another chance to protect Simon.

“I’m not weak,” Widget said, and for once Athena was grateful for the noise around her that no one heard.

The bang of the judge’s gavel quieted the room as he called for order, “Mr. Astar, you mean to tell us that Artemis has gone missing?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Toby’s face twisted into a scowl as he looked away from the defense bench entirely.

“Mr. Astar?” Athena tried to get his attention again, her voice coming out significantly gentler than it has been all day, “What sort of relationship did you have with Artemis?”

“Objection!” Franziska interrupted, “While the missing dancer is a concern, this is not the time to question the witness on his personal relationships.”

“Objection! Every time the witness mentions Artemis, his heart cries out in pain!”

“His heart?” Franziska shook her head, “What is this nonsense?”

“Ah, ja. What exactly do you mean?” Klavier asked, words carefully clipped. Athena could have sworn she heard his anger.

“Well,” she started, “That’s what I have Widget here for. It helps me show all of you exactly what I hear. You see–” She pulled up the holographic screen in front of her, “ – As Mr. Astar testified, I was able to input the way his heart reacted to his words to widget for you all to be able to see.”

“Hm,” The judge leaned forward, “His heart's reactions....”

“Objection! Surely you aren’t going to allow such biased and irrational claims from the defense?” Franziska drew back and crossed her arms, tapping impatiently.

“I’ll have you know widget is highly scientific and unbiased,” Athena’s face screwed up in irritation, “Let me show you.”

She tapped a few things on the screen, pulling up the mood matrix before turning so the entire courtroom could see the screen. It was ready now. “Mr. Astar, please repeat the information you just gave the court.”

Toby glanced at the judge, who nodded, before he began his testimony. “Arty left work that night there after his run in with that guy.”

His words appeared on the screen as he spoke, a few of the faces in the corners blinked on and off before the red light lit up brighter than the rest.

“See,” Athena started, “When Mr. Astar said the words ‘that guy,’ referring to the defendant, his heart held significant anger, which triggered the angry face.”

“Yes, Ms. Cykes. We do have eyes, but the question is how do you expect us to believe anything this ‘widget’ says?” Franziska’s fingers twitched in a way that Athena didn’t like– she would have to explain fast.

“While I might be new to the courtroom, but for the last 7 years of my life I have been studying behavioral psychology using this technology my mother left me,” Athena took a deep breath as she prepared herself, “Widget can provide insight into this case we can get nowhere else.”

“Tell me this one last thing, Ms. Cykes,” Franziska remained unconvinced, “What insight would we get from prying into an innocent witness’s private emotions?”

“Well…” Athena gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a reason better than, ‘Maybe I’ll figure something out while asking.’

Prosecutor von Karma seemed amused at the obvious flounder. “Well what, Ms. Cykes?”

“Wipe that smug grin off your face!”

“You are not helping,” Athena hissed at the device.

“Would you care to repeat that?” Prosecutor von Karma asked.

Athena shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

“I must agree with the prosecution here,” the judge finally chmed in, “If you can not provide the court with a purpose behind this line of questioning, I’m afraid I will have to deny you’re inquiries into Mr. Astar’s relationship with the dancer.”

Athena bit the inside of her cheek, rolling it between her teeth as she tried not to falter. Klavier showed no sign of bailing her out this time– in fact, he had refused to even acknowledge what was happening. There was something going on here, but she couldn’t tell what without questioning the witness further.

She opened her mouth, but said nothing before snapping it shut and nodding.

“Now that that is out of the way, Mr. Astar, please continue with your testimony,” Franziska said, with that irritating confidence.

“Thank you, Ms. Vee-Kay,” Toby nodded, “Just tell me what you need to know.”

“Let’s talk about the night of the murder now.”

“Of course. It started out like any other night. I was in my little security room keeping an eye on the cameras and make sure nothing was going awry.”

“Is there anything in particular you are looking for?”

“There are a lot of things to look for. Body language is important, along with knowing all our regulars and troublemakers,” Toby explained quickly, as if this was a question he had been asked before, “And then you gotta watch the dancers. They put on a good show, but I can always tell when one of them wants someone gone.”

“While looking at all of this, you still noticed the defendant?” Athena asked. Her skepticism bled into her voice. It didn’t seem possible for one person to look at all those cameras marked on the map.

Toby answered her proudly, standing tall. “Of course! While one monitor cycles through the different feeds, I have another that stays focused on the main entrance. It has a sensor to make sure I see everyone who walks through those door.”

“So that’s when you saw the defendant enter the club?” Athena confirmed.

Toby nodded as he went back to the serious and almost sad expression of his. “I saw him as soon as he walked in. Made sure to keep an eye on him.”

“Hold it!” Athena interrupted, “If you were watching him the whole time, why were the only photos you saved ones of him entering and leaving Mr. Singer’s office?”

The counter came immediately. “Who said those were the only photos?”

“Well, uh..” Athena paused, “Are there more photos?”

Toby scoffed. “Of course there are. I’m nothing if not thorough, Ms. Attorney,” He glanced at Klavier, “I’m not going to let that man get away with hurting any of mine.”

Klavier’s grip tightened on his sleeve as he tried to keep himself from shaking. He wasn’t looking away anymore, however. His expression was unreadable as he watched Toby. He was about to say something when a bailiff entered the courtroom and approached the judge. He handed him a flashdrive and the two exchanged a few words before the man left again.

“More photos indeed!” the judge said, as he plugged in the drive and called Athena closer to hand her a wireless mouse, “Ms. Cykes, these are all the photo’s recorded from when the defendant entered the club until the the police arrived. All are full images.”

“Thank you,” Athena smiled at him, pulling up the folder and looking through the images, “Mr. Astar, if you would look at the screen please. Are these indeed all the photos you took? Is anything missing?”

His eyes bounced between the thumbnails quick “Nothing missing, as far as I can tell. No ma’am.”

“Alright. As I bring up each of these photos I would like you to explain everything you saw that night.” Athena instructed, bringing up the first image. It was of what she presumed to be the clubs entrance. Klavier had clearly just entered and was staring off away from the camera with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, sunglasses hooked on the collar and hood up.

Toby didn’t hesitate to explain. “This’s when I first saw the guy. Didn’t know it was him immediately, but anyone wearing a hood up at a club like this is a red flag.”

“So did you take this photo because it was the defendant or because of the hoodie?”

“Objection!” Prosecutor von Karma called, “The witness’s motives are not the matter in question.”

“True, true,” the judge nodded along, “Please keep your questions relevant.”

Athena sighed, “Alright, so what happened next?”

She clicked forward to the next image. This one was further out and taken from a different angle. Klavier wasn’t initially noticeable as he stared across the club, and it took Athena a moment to find him.

“He just stood there,” Toby shrugged, “Stood there so long I almost called someone to go deal with him in person. But right as I switched on my mic, he moved.”

“And here?” Athena clicked through to the next image. This camera appeared to be behind the bar, facing the patrons, and it showed Klavier standing with both hands resting against the surface. He seemed to be talking to a dark haired man – presumably an employee, since his back was fully turned – but whatever Klavier was saying seemed to be important. Athena could swear there were tears in his eyes.

The Klavier in the courtroom looked pointedly away from the one onscreen, keeping his eyes trained on Toby instead. His face gave away nothing about what he was thinking and it was starting to get on Athena’s nerves. Ever since Artemis had become the subject of conversation again he seemed to have disconnected with the entire proceeding.

“That’s him talking to Mr. Kit, our bartender,” Toby explained, “The conversation barely lasted a minute.”

Another image showed the man pointing off to the side and the one after was first image that was presented earlier on in the trial.

“And straight to Mr. Dan’s office! I knew something was wrong but I had to wait,” Toby frowned.

“Hold it! Why did you have to wait?” Athena asked, “If you were suspicious why not investigate immediately?”

Toby crossed his arms as he pursed his lips, “Policy, plenty of scoundrels visit Mr. Dan. He’d tell me if he needed anything.”

“And how would he do that? His camera is broken.”

“He has a panic button under his desk. If Mr. Dan needed me, he would have hit it.”

“Hold it! If he had a panic button, why didn’t he push it when he was supposedly so scared of the defendant?”

“I can answer that for you.” Prosecutor von Karma cut in, “In our investigation we found the button to have been disconnected. The cables were pulled away. Even if he had tried to hit it, and evidence exists that he did, it was unable to alert the security room.”

“That would suggest premeditation,” Klavier commented under his breath. Athena jumped slightly. Klavier still had that dazed look in his eyes, and his heart cried out in a jumble of emotion even Athena had trouble discerning. His gaze drifted off to stare into the gallery.

“What?” She asked, trying to figure out what he was staring at.

“That's why it was never brought up. It’s implausible for them to be able to spin a story about me disarming the panic button while maintaining that I committed murder in a fit of rage,” Klavier said.

Something in his voice changed. No forced positivity or cheer, but for the first time he sounded like he was scared of a guilty verdict. Scanning the gallery Athena spotted those brunette hair horns all the way in the back and it was easy to guess why. Despite it, she smiled to herself. The two of them were a little bit hopeless, but after this trial was over and Klavier was proven innocent, she hoped the two of them could find their happy ending.

“Herr Forehead always had a way of knowing which details I didn’t have an explanation for. It’s what allowed him to prove the truth beyond any doubt,” Happiness shone through Klavier’s voice.

Athena nodded. She wondered if that was how she sounded whenever she talked about Junie. Actually she was pretty sure the smile that crossed her face even thinking about her girlfriend matched the one slowly taking over Klavier’s face. She followed it to his eyes, which jarringly reminded her of his fear. Athena shook her head. This was not the time to daydream.

She had to focus.

Turning to face the defendant again, Athena said “Tell us more about this panic button. You put a lot of trust in it, so why didn’t you know it was broken?”

“It was working during the security checks,” Toby defended, “We knew the camera was broken, so we made sure to test the button regularly. We get a fair amount of unsavory patronage just due to the nature of the business. Those wires disconnecting had to have been recent.”

“When was the last time you had tested the button?” Athena asked.

Toby looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, “Late Friday! Mr. Dan had done a surprise of the button! Said he wanted to check if I was paying attention. Smart man, on top of everything all the time.

“So sometimes that weekend, someone disconnected the wires?”

“Must’ve,” Toby shrugged, “But it doesn’t really matter in the end.”

Athena scrunched up her face.“Doesn’t matter?”

“It’s an irrelevant coincidence,” Prosecutor von Karma explained, “The button was broken, which left to Mr. Astar unable to come to Mr. Singer’s aide. It would be foolish to assume that it has anything to do with the events of that night without evidence.”

“I guess,” Athena conceded, scribbling it down in her notes anyway. Franziska was right. No evidence exists in the record about the button. However, her explanation failed to convince Athena that no evidence existed at all.

“Well, shall we move on?” The judge asked, “We still have yet to see the picture you were so adamant would be helpful.”

“Yes! Of course,” Athena grabbed the mouse again and clicked forward to the next image.

“That’s when Jackel walks in and Mr. Murder goes running out,” Toby narrated.

“Jackel?” Athena asked, giving him an odd look.

“The victim,” Toby clarified. When he got no response he continued, “Jack...Offman.”

Athena laughed under her breath, and Klavier nudged her. “What’s so funny?”

“He’s embarrassed to say the victim's name,” She giggled, “You’d think someone works at strip club wouldn’t get so easily flustered.”

“Fraulein Cykes, have you looked at the image you just pulled up?” Klavier asked her, suddenly completely serious.

After a moment’s pause, Athena faced the screen again. The image was barely different than what was presented earlier on. Klavier’s face was less centered in the image. However, now it was possible to see in the open door he had been exiting. It took a while for her to realize what exactly it was that had gotten Klavier’s attention.

Barely in view of the camera was a leg clad in black pants, standing right inside the door. She stared at the image for a while, double and triple checking with herself that there was nothing else that it could be before she took a deep breath.

“Objection!” She called out, interrupting the conversation that had continued around her as she had stared, “Mr. Astar. You claim at the moment this image was taken, the victim was already dead, correct?”

“Well of course,” Toby confirmed.

Athena nodded and continued, “And we head earlier from Mr. Singer that at this time, he was already out in the hallway.”

“We all heard him say as much many times,” Prosecutor von Karma stared her down.

“If all three people in the room were accounted for at the time this image was taken–” Athena pointed at the screen– “Who is this standing right here?”

The courtroom erupted into chaos and Prosecutor von Karma immediately cracked her whip, not even giving the judge a chance to bang his gavel before she objected.

“The victim was still in the room, Ms. Cykes, it would be fair enough to reason that he could be seen even while dead.” There was a calm certainty to her tone, but Athena could hear the insincerity of her heart.

Klavier grinned as he chimed in, “That’s a stretch even for you, Fraulein Prosecutor.”

Prosecutor von Karma’s grip tightened on her whip, hand twitching as she barely restrained lashing out against him. “Klavier Gavin. You are a mockery and a fool. I will tolerate such demeaning comments no longer. Say your piece or be silent, don’t forget you are nothing but a defendant here.”

“Ach, Fr–”

The whip cracked again and Klavier shut his mouth.

“Objection! Whatever you have against the defendant is irrelevant,” Athena slammed her hands on the bench, bringing the court’s attention back to the image by zooming in on the leg, “You tried to claim the this leg belongs to the victim, but it is clear from the image that the person is standing upright.”

“That does seem to be the case,” the judge agreed simply.

Athena pressed on. “If the victim was already dead at this point, how would he be standing up?”

The judge’s face lit up in understanding, “Oh my! That does seem to be the contradiction.”

For the first time that day Prosecutor von Karma was beginning to lose her composure, “Another person.” She gritted out.

“The only other person in the room was Mr. Singer, who had left before the murder took place,” Athena finally had the upper hand, and she was not going to let it go to waste, “There are only 3 possible explanations: 1. The victim was alive when the defendant left the room, 2. Mr. Singer lying in his testimony, or 3. There was another person in that room!”

“There must be another explanation!” Toby cried, his emotions flaring, “No one else was there and Dan wouldn’t lie! He– ” A harsh hand pointed at Klavier, “ – had to have done it!”

The court worked itself into whispers, and Toby seemed to remember himself. He crossed his arms as the noise faded out, a blush coming onto his face.

The judge shook his head, “Word alone isn’t enough. We need to get to the bottom of this.”

“Objection!” Prosecutor von Karma’s anger was apparent in her voice, “How can you prove to this courtroom that that is even a leg?”

It was the most desperate attempt of an objection Athena had seen. She looked to the judge, waiting for him to overrule the objection, but it didn’t come. Instead. he looked thoughtful. He wasn’t actually considering it, was he? She glanced at the image again. There was no way that was anything but a leg! She tried the mouse, hoping to pull up another image, but that was the last.

The judge hummed, “It is quite the vague image… Ms. Cykes, do you have any proof that this is indeed a leg?”

“Look at it!” Widgit cried, its mechanical voice matching what Athena felt so clearly she didn’t bother to shush it.

“What else could it be?” Athena asked, “There is nothing else in that office that could look like that.”

The judge got that thoughtful look in his eye again and Athena was trying desperately to avoid banging her head on the bench. Klavier rested a hand on her shoulder and sent her a comforting smile. She wondered for a moment if every trial was this biased, but her heart already knew the answer.

“Your honor,” she took a deep breath as she prepared to continue, “I would like to hear what the witness has to say about this image.”

“The witness?” the judge’s brow furrowed.

Athena nodded, “he was the one who took the photo, he could give us more insight into it, and whether or not this would indeed be a leg.”

“That does make sense,” the judge nodded in agreement, “Proceed with your cross examination.”

“Thank you.” Athena turned again to face Toby, “How did you take this photo?”

“How did i?” Toby gave her an incredulous look, “The same way I took every other photo. I saved the frames as they were captured by the camera.”

“So you were still in the security room when the defendant was leaving the room?” Athena pressed.

He nodded, eyeing Athena suspiciously.

“So what did you do immediately after that?”

Toby spoke slowly, one arm wrapped around himself as he stared at the wall behind the defense’s bench. “I watched him. Had to make sure he wasn’t gonna cause any more trouble.”

“But you did not take any more pictures?”

“I was ready to, but he didn’t do anything. He just left, muttering to himself or something. Mr. Kit tried to get his attention but he ignored him.” Toby shook his head, as if this was an insult.

“And after that?”

“I don’t know what he did. We don’t–”

“Hold it! Not what the defendant was doing, Mr. Astar. What were you doing?”

“Oh!” Toby looked down, “I kept watching until Mr. Dan showed up in a panic.”

“Objection!” Athena yelled before she realized she was speaking, “Mr. Singer came to you?”

Toby looked confused. “Yeah, of course. I said earlier – I don’t go to Dan without the alarm,”

Hands on her hips, Athena turned to the judge and said, “Your honor, this is a clear contradiction to Mr. Singer’s testimony!”

The judge looked surprised but nodded nevertheless, “Do you have an explanation for this Mr. Astar?”

“I– I don’t know.” Toby paused, looking around. His fingers drummed against the stand and his other hand gripped tighter on his arm, “I didn't leave my room until he came, promise. I can’t. That’s against the rules. It’s against the rules.”

His emotions spiked, but Athena couldn’t stop there. “Tell me, Mr. Astar. How long after the defendant left did Mr. Singer arrive?”

“I didn’t. I didn’t go to his office.” He repeated, “I waited for him to come to me. That’s what I’m supposed to do–”

Klavier opened his mouth to interrupt, but Athena caught him and slapped a hand over his mouth. She gave him a look to hopefully convince him to stay quiet. His eyebrows drew together, but he seemed to get the message.

“Mr. Astar,” Athena said, gently, “Toby?”

Toby watched his fingers as his different expressions crossed his face, “Don’t go spreading rumors that I don’t do my job!”

“Of course not, Toby. We believe you,” Athena tried to keep her voice calm as more panic leaked into Toby’s.

“Good, good. It’s the truth,” He nodded to himself, still not looking away from his hand. This was it.

“Can you just answer one more question for me?” Athena asked. When Toby nodded, she continued, “How long was it before Mr. Singer arrived?”

“Two.” Toby answered immediately, nodding to himself, “Two songs and Dan came in.”

“Two songs?” Athena mimicked as a question.

“Ruby was dancing. I have to keep track. I gotta know everything. She was on her fifth song of an eleven song set. She’d started late because Brandy didn’t announce it, so I had to have Mr. Kit do it. Bad night all ‘round.” Toby kept talking, spilling details that barely made any sense, “Two songs passed before Mr. Dan walked in.”

Athena took the notes diligently. “And about how long is that in minutes?”

“About five minutes. Or more like 6 or 7, but five is an estimate. Six might be better though.” Toby rambled on as murmurs came over the court.

The judge banged his gavel, “There were 5 minutes between the time Mr. Gavin had left the club and Mr. Singer arrived in the security room. I wonder what happened during that time.”

Athena glanced over at the prosecution’s bench, wondering if Prosecutor von Karma was waiting with some objection, but instead she just found her glaring with gritted teeth and taking out her stress on the handle of her whip.

“This case might not be quite as clear as the court originally believed,” the judge continued, “It would be impossible to declare a verdict as is. After more investigation from both parties, we will reconvene tomorrow at 11am.”

“This is not over, Athena Cykes,” prosecutor von Karma said before turning on her heel and walking from the room.

Athena let out a breath as everyone filtered from the room, letting out a bit of the panic she had been holding back for the entire trial. “I can’t believe I did that.”

Her face broke out in a grin as she perked back up and threw her arms around Klavier, who stumbled slightly under her embrace.

“It’s a bit to early to celebrate.”

At the sound of his voice, Athena turned to see Apollo coming to join them from the stands. “Small victories Apollo. It’s something to celebrate.”

“I’ll celebrate when Prosecutor Gavin is cleared.” Fear still controlled his heart as he looked over at Klavier, “But at least now we have more time.”

“Little victories, I’m telling you,” Athena released Klavier to wrap an arm around Apollo, pulling away when he tensed.

“Yeah,” Apollo conceded, “Do you think i could talk to Prosecutor Gavin one more time? Alone?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Athena took a step back, a little disappointed at the lack of response about how she had done on her first day, “At some point you’re gonna have to let me actually be here when you talk to our client.”

“Thank you, Athena,” Apollo gave her a small smile, “I’ll explain everything to you soon. I promise.”

Athena returned the smile and left the two of them for another private discussion.

Chapter Text

Apollo felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he watched Athena leave. While he had his reasons to lie, it still left a poor taste in his mouth. He considered telling her, but even he wasn’t sure if he actually would. With the way the trial was going, he was scared that the detail would come out either way and it would be better to have at least some control over the flow of information.

“Herr Forehead,” Klavier interrupted his thoughts, “Are you alright?”

“Oh! Yeah, Yeah!” Apollo turned to face him, “How long do you think you have before they take you back to the detention center?”

Klavier glanced at the bailiffs standing by the door waiting for him. “In theory I should be going now, but it looks like they’re going to give us a minute.”

Apollo nodded, “I’ll make this quick then.”

He took a breath before he continued, steeling himself. The time and place was less than stellar but he had had a lot of time to think during the trial. He had trouble holding himself back once he had decided on the proper course of action. He knew exactly what he needed to do.

“Prosecutor Gavin – Klavier,” Apollo looked straight into his eyes, “I want to tell you exactly how I feel.”

Klavier took a surprised step back, “How you feel?”

A moment passed, but the words wouldn’t come out of Apollo’s mouth.

“How you feel about what?” Klavier asked.

“You,” Apollo breathed, “I care about you.”

He cursed his voice for coming out in an squeak and his face for turning that all too common shade of red. He rufused to look away from Klavier. Nothing around them was certain at the moment, but at least Apollo knew how he felt. For that moment it was something to hold onto.

The tension between them thickened the longer they stood. “Please say something?”

“You care? Like– “ Klavier glanced around the room before leaning closer and whispering, “Like a friend, or?”

Apollo’s hands turned to fists as he mentally tried to psych himself up.He could feel himself tear up slightly and cursed his emotions. With one more deep breath, he prepared himself to just say it.

“I’m pretty sure, I–” He paused, “I– I think I love you!”

Apollo slapped a hand over his own mouth, unable to believe he actually managed to say it. He held his breath as he waited for Klavier to respond.

“Gavin!” The bailiff called as Klavier opened his mouth, “Get over here already! You can chat when you’re back in the detention center. We don’t have all day!”

“Apollo, I–”

“Gavin! Don’t make us make you!” The bailiff said again.

A second joined in approaching the two of them, “Come on!”

“Please come see me,” Klavier said as he walked away, a desperate look in his eyes. “Please!”

Apollo nodded, wishing that he had any idea how to feel. It seemed like Klavier was going to return his feelings, but the darkest part of his mind insisted that Klavier was just dragging this out only to reject him in the end. At that moment all he could do was wait. Well, there was more than just waiting. He still needed to talk to Athena and get to the detention center.

Right. Athena. He still had no clue what he was going to tell her or even how that conversation would go. The day had just been one impossible decision after another. He was on a roll, so it was only fair for him to take the dive and tell her. Nodding to himself in ditermination, he made his way out of the courtroom.

It was easy to spot her in the bright yellow getup and made a beeline to her. A wave of adrenaline washed over him as he got closer. This would be the first time he would tell someone of his other profession and it was terrifying. He took a deep breath to try and pretend he could calm his nerves as he got within arms reach of her.

“Athena we need to talk,” He rested grabbed the back of the bench she sat on, staring at her before realizing how intimidating he must look.

She jumped up, here eyes wide as she looked at him, “What?”

He recoiled, but didn’t give himself a chance to think before he kept talking, “I need to tell you something.”

He was certain the urgency in his voice was apparent. While he didn’t want to worry Athena, he did need to tell her as quickly as possible everything that was going on before he chickened out. He motioned for her to follow him as he left the courtroom. He didn’t look back, but could still here her behind him as they made it past the front steps and out into the open air. Still he didn’t stop, instead he made it to People Park before turning to face her.

Finally he took in her expression. Nerves invaded her entire posture as she toyed with her necklace, but he didn’t need to see the color to know that he was worrying her. He kept repeating the fact that he needed to get this done in his head as he froze. He’d already confession one of his biggest secrects today. This one should be much easier yet he still couldn’t find the words.

“Apollo?’ Athena asked pausing to give him time to respond before continuing with her questions, “What’s wrong, is it about Klavier?”

“No. No. It’s not about that,” Apollo hesitited, “I’m–”

Apollo took another breath.

“You know Artemis?” he started.

“Yes?”

“That’s me.”

Chapter Text

Apollo waited less than patiently for Athena to overcome her stunned silence, but the blank look on her face refused to pass. It wasn’t good for his anxiety, and he’d already passed out once today.

When she did respond, her words were slow and measured. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Apollo gulped, "I figured you needed to know. Since you're leading this now, I guess." He scratched the back of his head, closing his eyes so he didn’t have to look at her as he spoke. “Surprise?”

"Operative word NOW!” She tilted her voice up, but kept otherwise emotionally schooled, “Why not at the club, or when stood behind the bench, or literally any other point in time? This is important information Apollo!"

She might not have been angry enough to show it, but she was definitely annoyed. That’s fair, he probably deserved worse, and yet.

"Because no one else knows! Not Mr. Wright, or anyone at Teaze. Prosecutor Gavin only found out because he hired me for a private dance and then the second he figured it out he threw me on the ground!" Apollo's voice was raising along with Athena’s eyebrows, grating against his own ears. He took a deep, composing breath. “I was scared. I am scared. You called me out to my face about it.”

Athena didn’t say anything when he paused. Apollo went from staring past her head to her hands, in her lap, though they seemed to want to go elsewhere. He took another breath. “I thought, y’know, it could stay secret. I was hoping to make it through, but now the whole court is one step away from knowing every way that I exist and I don’t… want that. People are going to look at me differently. Harder.”

Athena’s face softened as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Apollo.”

Apollo pressed his palms against his eyes. When things were happening, it was possible to force his attention on something other than the urge to cry, but everything was as done as it could be right now. Holding himself together was getting harder by the second. A reassuring hand touched his back hesitantly, but he didn’t flinch away.

“I appreciate you telling me,” Athena said, rubbing kind circles into him, “but I’m gonna need to know everything that’s happened before we go talk to Klavier.”

Apollo nodded, noting the emphasis on the 'we' – he probably wouldn't have been able to get away with ditching her a third time regardless, but he supposed at that point he didn't have to. Relief bloomed through him at the realization that he wouldn't be alone through the rest of this, and it filled him with energy enough to look her in the face.

“Walk and talk?”

She grinned. “Efficiency. Love it.”

The trip to the detention center was short, but it gave him enough time to explain his involvement. He explained his money issues and how unprofitable it was to work for Mr. Wright, even though it was important work – please stop making that face, Athena, it’s fine. Then he brought up meeting Toby at a different, irrelevant bar and being introduced to Dan. He told her all about the agreement he had with them and his less-than-expected friendship with Toby.

“People like to take advantage of the new kid,” Apollo said, “but Toby had my back probably from the second I met him.”

He talked and talked, telling her things that most people maybe knew a quarter of, going off on small tangents here and there – Did you know Toby used to be a dancer too? or Ruby is a goddess at makeup. I swear she's a miracle worker. and I never really trusted Dan. I knew he was shady – who lets someone work without even a name?– but this is too much.

Apollo got around to Klavier’s visit and the following weekend soon enough, and by the time they arrived at their destination Athena knew as much as he could think to tell her, except–

"There is one last thing you should know," he said, stopping just before the door.

Athena broke stride, to avoid running into him or the door. When Apollo failed to elaborate, she picked up the slack. "About the case?"

"... Related."

He was being vague again and he knew it. After everything he told Athena, he really shouldn't be embarrassed, and the fact itself was truly unavoidable. She's find out in ten seconds anyway, he was sure, even if he managed to weasel his way out of this silence he just created. When he finally continued, Apollo couldn’t get it out fast enough.

"I kinda kissed Prosecutor Gavin during the recess and I might have told him I might love him before he was brought back here?"

Done. He yanked open the door without waiting, and got a good few strides in before she recovered enough to catch up. Athena called after him, and continued trying to engage as she followed, but whatever else she was gonna say got cut off by the sight of Klavier already waiting for them. She straightened and took the seat in front of the window like a true professional.

"You made it!" Klavier smiled. It was definitely forced, but compared to the last time they had met, it seemed downright jolly.

"Of course! We wouldn't just leave you hanging." Athena chirped. Her confidence levels had gone up too, or so it seemed. "Besides, there's something important we have to talk about."

"That's right,” Apollo started, leaning one hand on the back of Athena’s chair, “We still have to figure out how we're gonna get the charges clear. Everything's in the prosecution's hands right now.” To Athena, he said, “Really, we need to–"

Athena wagged her finger at him. "Before that!"

"What."

Apollo couldn’t help but gawk. He had never been cut off so cheerfully in his life, and Prosecutor Gavin makes a living of doing exactly that. Athena glanced carefully between both of their expressions before deciding to clarify. "There’s something we need to take care of before keeping on with this case."

Klavier did not recover smoothly, but it was close enough. "I'm afraid I must agree with Herr Forehead. What could we possibly need to do first? You aren’t dumping me, are–“

“Of course not,” Apollo interrupted the stupid question quickly, and Klavier seemed to be grateful for it.

Athena stood up from the chair with a flourish, turning sideways between them. "You two need to talk."

Those words sparked realisation for both of them. Apollo moved first.

"I'm! Not sure what you mean," Apollo lied poorly and fronted that he didn’t realize Athena meant for him to take the seat even worse.

"You are av-oid-ing your feel-ings,” Athena stated, syllables long and unclipped. She wasn’t giving him an easy out, or an out at all. “You can't play dumb, Apollo."

She’s right, but Apollo still shook his head and sputtered, “We can't worry about this right now. There’s still stuff to do!”

“Like what?”

Athena challenged him boldly, with not a hint of sarcasm in the question. She was confident in the absolute that she wouldn’t lose to any excuse Apollo managed to fish up.

“Mr. Wright... will be worried about us!”

She wanted to laugh, he could see it, but she held it back between her teeth. “Y’know, for a human lie detector, you are a terrible liar!”

“Those aren't the same thing...”

Apollo was getting frustrated, and they both knew it. Athena had been here five minutes and was sick of watching them dance on the edge of talking, maybe she has some kind of point, but Apollo allowed his defeated silence to do the talking.

“Wanna try again?”

Apollo glanced towards the glass, but Klavier didn’t seem up to helping. “... No.”

“And you didn't even deny it was a lie, either. Mr. Wright is fine.” Athena grinned, victorious, “There’s nothing left to do tonight. While you two were apparently fumbling around each other during recess, I overheard that detective grumbling about having to make sure nothing touches the crime scene. Us included.”

Apollo’s shoulders sunk as he gave in. “Alright.”

“Wonderful!” Athena clapped, “Now, have a seat, and let’s get emotionally honest!”

She stared Apollo into the chair instantly before turning to Klavier, and it occurred to Apollo suddenly that she’d been aware of his continued silence the whole time. He had drawn into himself again, somewhere deep in thought.

“Klavier?” She prompted, gently.

“How old are you?”

Athena snorted goodnaturedly, politely ducking the generic rude to ask a lady bit. “Nineteen, mister Prodigy–” she caught Klavier’s uneasy smile, but she wasn’t done. “I’m barred in three countries and also have a degree in psychology I'm interested in using.”

“Oh?” Klavier cocked his head, “Which countries? Have I been?”

“You’re stalling, Klavier.”

Exactly one beat passed.

“I am, aren’t I. It’s not how I wanted to do this, but,” he breathed out an insincere laugh, “Let’s rock.”

“Perfect!” She had to keep her own energy up to drag these two through the process, standing sideways so she could see them both, and they could see her. Now that they had agreed, she could meddle ethically. “Now. This only will work if you both are completely open. You don't have to tell me absolutely everything, but you can't leave out things that you know are important.”

Anxiety washed over Klavier’s features as he turned to find Apollo’s gaze, “I–”

“She knows,” Apollo answered the question before Klavier could get the words out, “I told her on the way over. As much as I could.”

Klavier’s teeth worried at his bottom lip, but he nodded. The scene was set.

“So, Klavier, I’d like to hear what you have to say?” Athena left the question open enough that Klavier could answer as he pleased. He had one false start, and then another. Apollo opened his mouth but Klavier suddenly brought his hands down on the counter.

“It’s private!” Klavier was pulling back – both emotionally and physically. He stared suddenly at his lap, where his outbursting hands ended up, “Can’t I just talk to Herr Forehead?”

Athena gave him a sympathetic look, but shook her head. She was aware she was butting in on personal matters, but the two of them sure as hell hadn’t managed to actually have a conversation before this. One more push. If Klavier refused, he refused, but she had complete confidence that if she left them alone then they’d just keep up the same old dance.

“Why not?” Klavier furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, almost like normal.

“Do you want the short answer?” She waited patiently for Klavier to wave her ahead. “You two are useless with your own feelings.” They objected, but she persisted, one hand tapping her earring and the other loosely by her side. “I can't force you to talk to me or each other, but I wanna help. The only reason you two aren’t still dancing around each other is that everything’s exploded in your face.”

“Is it that obvious?” Klavier mumbled. His embarrassment showed just how on the nose she was. Apollo didn't have anything to say for them.

“Honestly? Yeah, but I’ve also spent my whole life around behavioral sciences, so...” Athena conceded by trailing off, “And everything I’ve learned tells me that if you don't do this now, you’ll mutually pretend this never happened and go right back to doing the watercooler tango.”

Apollo muttered something about them working across town from one another, but was silenced by Athena looking upon him with her plain, unguarded Therapist Gaze.

Klavier didn’t catch it, too busy nodding along with Athena. “You’re right.”

He didn't elaborate beyond that for a few moments and they sat in a tense silence, before Athena caught his eyes, “Why don't you start.”

“Um, alright.” Klavier still hesitated, but to Apollo’s surprise, he found himself being suddenly addressed. “I go to that club to forget you, Herr Forehead–” he cut himself off with a laugh, that sounded to Athena more like a pained sob– “So maybe I could spend the night looking at other people and not give in to call you at 3am and tell you I love you.”

“What!?” Apollo recoiled in his surprise. If the chair hadn’t had a back, he would have gone sprawling.

Klavier hid behind his bangs and confessed, “I've loved you for a long time, Apollo. It feels like all my life.”

Apollo leaned all the way forward, to the counter, trying in vain to un-twist the disbelief from his face-- not that it mattered, Klavier was looking anywhere but at him. “I– How?”

“Why are you surprised?”

“You’re, well,” Apollo fumbled for the right words, settling for a gesture, “you’re you!”

“I try not to be,” Klavier mumbled with another one of those painful laughs, “I don't like myself very much, Herr Forehead.”

Apollo reeled at the confession, struggled to slot the pieces together in his head before understanding finally crossed his face. He moved as if to reach out to Klavier, but stopped himself midmotion, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s life,” Klavier waved him off, glanced the other way, trying to get rid of the conversation as fast as he could, “I’m managing.”

That was a lie, and Athena was sure Apollo knew it too, but he caught her eye for a second and she supposed it was a matter for another day. Athena clapped her hands together to pull everyone out of the heavy silence that was taking over.

“You were talking about going to the club?” She prompted, hoping Klavier would follow.

“Ah! Yes.” He lit up at the opportunity to talk about something safer, but his face quickly clouded. “I wanna make it clear. I didn't know Apollo worked at that club when I went. I wasn't looking for him. I was just trying to get away.”

Apollo stuffed the brief urge to self deprecate in a can as Klavier shook his head. “I didn't even know it was him until after I booked a private dance. Though I feel now like it should have been obvious.”

“I don't think it’s obvious. None of those people who know ‘Artemis’ have recognized Apollo all day.” Athena tapped thoughtfully again at her earring. She’d never seen Artemis, but did Apollo really seem the type?

“I guess you're right,” Klavier said, shifting his eyes finally to Apollo, “Seeing you up close did about 80% of it.”

80%. A courtroom is huge That’s manageable. “What was the rest?”

“How many strangers– not to mention strippers– do you think call me Prosecutor Gavin?”

That got a laugh out of Apollo, “Of all the people I’ve met in my entire life, you're the first and only to address me as ‘forehead’, so we’ll call it even.”

Klavier smiled, “What can I say, I wanna be special.”

Apollo lowered his voice before continuing seriously, “You are.”

“I– Thank you. I'm glad.”

Athena was going to say something, but Klavier took a deep breath instead, “but that made it all the harder – watching you dance that is. The longer I was there, the worse I felt. Until I just – I don't know – freaked out.”

“You knocked me on my ass!” Apollo interjected, as if he expected him to have forgotten.

Klavier had the good sense look guilty about it, “Sorry.”

“You never told me what the fuck that was about!”

Klavier lifted his hands, palms out. “I didn't mean to throw you off, I swear. It was just so real, but it… wasn't you. I love you so much and the idea of it being some, what? Professional courtesy? I don’t know. It hurt.”

Klavier faltered for a second but Apollo waited, wide eyed. He couldn't have interrupted if he’d wanted to.

“To feel you so close,” Klavier said, “and not be able to have all of you. I couldn't. If I ever got to do something like that with you, I want it to be as your boyfriend – as someone who loves you and you love back and want to be with.”

He was crying, before he was done, and lapsed into silence again. Apollo waited until Athena nudged him into gathering a thought.

“You know. You were the last person I wanted to figure it out.” Apollo started, and nearly stopped when it made Klavier flinch, but too late to go back on it now, “Honestly I think I knew longer than I realized that I love you. I didn’t actually realize it until this weekend and even right now it doesn’t seem like it could be real.”

“What do you mean.” Klavier would have seemed calm if he wasn’t spinning his rings loud enough to be heard through the glass. Apollo figured he’d come out and say it.

“I don’t know what love is, or all that. Not… really?” He was aware of Athena shifting a little, turning towards him more, “Everyone always says-- I always thought-- I’d know? But it didn’t really click in my mind.”

Klavier’s eyes shone. Did not. Past tense. He didn’t interrupt.

“Except now, I guess? I think... I do.”

This was becoming very difficult very quickly. Athena’s hand found the circles on his back again, but she didn’t rush him, either. Can’t one of them make him say it? Please?

Apollo didn't realize he was crying until he caught his reflection in the glare. “Fuck,” he said, suddenly, “I hate this fucking glass.”

Athena faltered, and Klavier froze.

“I told you I cared about you, but that’s not enough. I don’t think that’s all.”

The hope returned to Klavier’s face in an instant. He dared to prompt, breathing out a, “No?”

“No.” Apollo took one more deep breath. “I love you, Klavier.”

Athena smiled– That’s Apollo’s court voice lighting up Klavier like the moon. Determined, solid, I’m fine.

“Ah. Gott.” The smile radiated genuine happiness like heat, “I love you too.”

There was a pause before Klavier started again. “Damn this glass to hell. I want to kiss you.”

Apollo scooted the chair forward to press his hand against the window. Klavier reciprocated hard enough to get a mild hey from the guard that was promptly ignored.

“I’m sorry. I should have said something on Friday.” Klavier tapped his pinky, ring clicking sharply against the window. “We wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I don’t think so,” Athena said, brightly, “Someone definitely got murdered.”

“First thing you’ll learn,” Apollo’s free hand pointed at her through the joking air, “That’s just the story of our lives.”

An entire box of memories rebelled against Athena’s careful repression, but she wrangled them down uneasily. “Yup! Haha.”

If he noticed something off about her response, Apollo didn’t call her on it.

“Fraulein Cykes, what time is it?”

“Hunh? Oh. 5:58.”

Klavier blinked. “Did you even check?”

“I’m a good guesser,” Athena smiled knowingly, giving Klavier a chance to question her further before she cut in curiously, “Why?”

Apollo groaned and answered for him, “We’re getting close to overstaying our welcome, is why.”

“Visiting hours are ending.”

The guard’s voice, from the corner, startled them apart.

“We have two minutes,” Athena rejoined, flatly. The guard set his jaw at her but didn’t comment further.

Two minutes. Klavier pursed his lips, sighed. “I really don't want to spend another night in here.”

“It’ll be the last one,” Apollo said, in his court voice.

Athena found herself smiling, before she could realize that was odd. She met them-- men, myths, legends in the file of the first jurist system verdict-- today, and yet she’s in with them for the penny and the pound. How quickly they became a three-man team.

“Definitely!” she chirped, and by the way they both startled, they had forgotten she was there. Typical lovebirds.

“Thank you-- Both of you.”

Klavier smiled, even as he saw the lawyers look over his shoulder at the approaching guard.

“Visiting hours are over.”

Athena had nothing to say to him, so she focused entirely on Klavier’s determined nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ja?”

Apollo managed a wave and a nod, matched enthusiastically by Athena until Klavier was led away in full. Without him there, the interrogation room quickly grew claustrophobic for Athena’s taste. “Back to the Agency?”

The temptation to go home was strong, but paperwork called. “Yeah.”

Inwardly, Athena missed her girlfriend. Outwardly, she has a lawyering job to keep.

Unlike the trip here, Apollo kept his thoughts to himself, as most of them were questions with uncertain answers. What was gonna happen to his job at the club? Could he make it through another day of court under the radar? What-- after the not guilty verdict they are definitely going to get-- was going to happen when him and Klavier end up face to face again? Who, of all people, actually killed Jack?

He realized suddenly he could be talking to Athena about the case, and just as suddenly, that they had arrived at their office. This sudden self awareness was coupled with the weight of a teenager hanging off his neck, yelling in his ear.

“Polly! Are you okay!”

Her concern rang genuinely in his ears, but as he stumbled backwards into Athen, he felt justified in his annoyed, “No!”

“Oh.” Trucy faltered for just a second, probably locking eyes over his shoulder. “Hi!”

“Hey?”

Athena managed not to fall against the staggering weight of her coworkers, but keeping the question out of her voice seemed a bit too much.

“I'm Trucy Wright!”

Apollo found the moment to be smarmy. “I know.”

“Ssshhh,” Trucy put her tiptoes on the floor so she could extend her arm.

“Athena Cykes,” Apollo felt their handshake over his shoulder. “I’m new here.”

“Yeah!”

He could feel the tangent coming, and he wasn't interested in carrying Trucy for half an hour. “Can we please enter our office now.”

“I guess?” She muttered as she got off of Apollo, stepping back into the habitual mess of the WAA. “But you’re not off the hook, mister.”

“Oh? About what.”

Athena followed Apollo to his desk, appraising the scattered paperwork and knickknacks on it with equal interest. She decided to pretend to not notice the energy in this room, full of--

“Daddy said you fainted in court today!”

“And he’s right.” Apollo raised his eyebrows, shifting gears nearly visibly, “But I’m fine. It’s cool.”

Trucy stomped, standing in front of the desk. “It is definitely not cool What happened?”

She’s right. It was very not cool, but Apollo put on a disinterested face about it. “Dunno.”

“Bullshit!”

Apollo didn’t look up from the open folders, looking for something. “Are we going to have to start using the sweat jar again?”

“Why do you have a swear jar?” Athena cackled.

“Because Trucy,” Apollo pointed at her, as if there was another, “likes to say bullshit.”

“You can say bullshit!”

“I,” He looked at her finally, having successfully diverted the conversation and found the file he wanted, “have graduated high school.”

Apollo sat down in his office chair, victorious. Athena could feel the ebb in the conversation as her opportunity.

“I’m gonna let the boss know we’re here.”

“Okay!” Trucy chirped, as Athena passed easily out of the room, then her face grew serious again. “Don’t lie to me, brother mine.”

“About?”

“You’re avoiding the subject!”

The fact that this is the second time today Apollo’s been told that exact phrase didn’t fail to embarrass him. He hooked a hand around the back of his neck. “Yeah?”

“Stop that!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t like it.”

Apollo took stock mentally of the things he could bear to lay bare the second time today and found the list very wanting. He considered an excuse. “I–”

“Don’t! You’re acting weird all day, and then you faint, and now you’re hiding something!”

She pouted, her magic eyes trained on him still. He was foolish to have tried. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m worried about you. Let me help.”

“I know. I can’t.”

“Bull– God, Polly, you can! Please don’t do this by yourself.”

“I’m feeling a lot better now, I promise,” Apollo paused, weighing his options, “Athena and Prosecutor Gavin–"

Her eyes narrowed on him before they blew wide open, Trucy’s hands flying to the sides of her face. “Oh! My God!”

“Oh my God?” Athena announced herself as she wandered back into the room, to her own new desk. “What’s up?”

“Polly asked Klavier out! And didn't tell me! Oh my God!”

“How the hell did you know that?!” A grin cracked Trucy’s face, and Apollo pointed at her again, “Don't say magic, I'm serious!”

“Magic!”

“Ughhhhh.”

“I can’t believe you told him! Withoooout me!”

“Have they really been like that long?”

Trucy swung her entire body around to face Athena, “Yeah, yeaaaars! It's the worst! Klavier's written like four songs about him!”

“He has not–”

Trucy ignored him, ticking them off on her fingers, “Ex Parte, Mitigation of Circumstance, Boyfriend (of the Court)--”

“That’s…” Athena hesitated, looking for words, “awfully blunt, Apollo.”

“And, also, My Boyfriend Is The Prosecution’s Witness.”

“Apollo!”

Apollo couldn’t do much but huff. “That one is not about me.”

“He namedrops ‘Herr Forehead’, please, next question.”

Athena just stared at Apollo, trying to pick her jaw up off the ground. “He namedropped you!?”

Trucy smirked, “On a multiplatinum single.”

“Apollo!”

“What!” Apollo crossed his arms over his chest, doing a perfect impression of Trucy when she was pouting, “Leave me alone! It’s all settled out, right? It’s fine.”

“It is definitely not fine!” Trucy whirled again, cape flaring, “Because I don’t know the details! Spill.”

“Trucy, c’mon, I’m tired.”

“You’re tired?! I’ve been waiting for this for ages!”

“Okay. Fine,” Apollo shoved away from his desk, stretching as he stood, “What if, we have a movie night this weekend, and I tell you all about it then.”

“That’s ages away, Polly, have a heart!”

She wedged herself between him and doing literally anything but sitting back down.

“One free question.”

It was the standard compromise between them, and Trucy rolled on the balls of her feet as she bounced between potential options. Just as quickly, she settled. “Did you kiss him?”

The blush rose to Apollo’s cheeks almost before he processed it. No way around that one. “Yes.”

“And?!” Trucy was really trying to blow out his eardrums today it seemed.

Her eyes shone, but the heat on Apollo’s neck opposed them. “And, I kissed him, and, that’s the answer.”

“But the how! The why! The when?”

Apollo snapped his fingers. “That is more than one question. I’m paid up.”

“You’re the worst!”

“I could cancel movie night.”

“And that would make you worse than the worst brother on the face of the planet, thanks!”

Athena watched them volley with all the gusto of someone who knows nothing about tennis, until something made her stumble. “Brother?”

Trucy waved a hand, acknowledging but ignoring. “Polly.”

Apollo shuffled his stuff into his bag. “If you ask me any more questions I won’t tell you anything ever.”

“Then,” she said, with all the excitement of someone ready to stick their tongue out, “ I’ll ask Klavier. He has kissed and he will tell.”

“You’re right, but, unfortunately, he’s in jail right now. Try again tomorrow.” The candidness of the heavy statement threw them both off their game, and Apollo regretted it instantly. Sure, the future might not be a hundred percent certain, and could end up being dark and terrible, but--

Athena managed to pick up the slack. “Brother?” she repeated, slightly more insistent.

“Yeah, me and Trucy are siblings. Newly? New siblings.”

“I help Polly and Daddy out with cases, and keep food on the table via,” she wiggled her fingers in the air, “mystical means unknown.”

“... Daddy.”

“I’m Trucy Wright, ace magician and legal assistant! Remember?”

Apollo caught Trucy’s elbow before she could summon Mr. Hat, mostly because, with the way she was standing, it would hit him in the face. Athena was still phased.

“Does that make Mr. Wright your--” She was addressing him.

“No! No,” Apollo raised his hands to stop the train of thought.

Trucy swung to hit him instead, gently in the shoulder. “Don’t sound so offended, Polly, jeez.”

“The dad is my boss, and that’s it.”

“The boss is my dad!” Trucy rocked back and forth on her heels, “And, also, I’m adopted. Legally. He’s just here for a paycheck.”

“If Mr. Wright ever paid me, maybe--”

Athena laughed, despite the hidden weight of the last joke. “It seems like you've known each other forever.”

“We’re new to this whole ‘sibling’ thing? We didn’t know until, like last year?” Apollo clicked his tongue at the thought of, eventually, telling his Life Story. A problem for future him. “Yeah.”

“Anywayyyy,” Trucy ducked by Apollo, so she could sit in his chair, “Don’t make that face! I give you a 98% chance of success tomorrow.”

“What face?”

She did what must have been imitating him, but hopefully not. “That one!”

“And the last 2%?” Athena asked, packing up her own bag.

“That's the Trucy magic! Take me along and you'll win for sure.”

“Absolutely not.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before she started spinning. “Boo! No fair.”

“Nope. Are you coming with me?”

The desk chair stopped. Trucy's backpack suddenly appeared in her lap. “I guess! Athena?”

“Athena?” The question had caught her off guard. “Athena what?”

“Are you coming with us?” Trucy hiked her bag onto her shoulders. “How do you go home?”

“I have to go to the train station. Going that way?”

Apollo smiled. “Yeah, for the most part. Let's go.”

“Wait, what about the boss?”

“Oh, don't worry about Daddy. Uncle Miles will probably be by for him later.”

If Athena noticed Apollo flinch, she didn't say anything, and they left talking about something else completely. Apollo enjoyed the company, despite the fact it forced him to push his bike alongside them rather than ride up until the last lonely stretch home, when the thought of going up suddenly terrified him on levels he didn’t completely understand.

His mind wandered to his cell phone, still abandoned in his nightstand. It was undoubtedly filled with work messages for Apollo, much less club calls for the missing Artemis. Both of those things had to be dealt with by someone. He stood outside his own door, filled with the overwhelming desire to be anywhere else. Unfortunate.

He unlocked the door and walked inside. “I'm home,” he called, but no cat appeared to greet him. “Mikekoooo.”

Apollo wandered into his kitchen, filling the food and water bowls. Mikeko remained hidden, probably asleep somewhere, but investigating that mystery was far more attractive than anything else.

“Mikekoooooo…”

His apartment was not very big. The cat turned up all too soon, asleep in a pile of clothes on the bedroom floor. The nightstand loomed heavy in the corner with responsibility. Apollo laid down on the floor instead. Mikeko opened one eye at him.

“I'm tired,” Apollo said, reaching out to scratch the cat’s chin, “Today felt a year long.”

Mikeko grumbled, pressing his head into Apollo's hand.

“Aw, did you miss me?” he asked, immediately rearranging his entire schedule to hang out and pet his cat forever. Athena can handle the case, he can get a new ph-- “Ow!”

Already, Mikeko had gotten bored. He swatted at Apollo's hand to the full extent of the claw, which was the opposite of what he needed actually.

“Alright, alright, I'm going.”

The cat left without satisfying his intense bloodlust, probably to hunt down a more interesting toy. Apollo stood and stared hard at the drawer when he got to it. This was going to suck.

Before he could chicken out, Apollo fished his phone out from the drawer, flopping on the bed instead of the floor. He held down the power button until it came alive in his hand. Then, he set it down and watched.

A long moment of silence as Trucy smiled up from his lock screen, from behind that traitor cat. He nearly had the time to be relieved, before the notifications started to hit-- and when they did, they hit all at once. Missed calls, voicemails, texts rolled in so fast the alerts couldn’t finish without being interrupted by the next and the next and the next and God, since when do people fucking text him! Except for Trucy and Mr. Wright and the club and he really shouldn't have left it alone this long.

Apollo flipped his phone facedown on the covers. No. He refused to deal with any of that. Each new message tone is an individual failure, and wouldn't just shut up. How many of these are someone (Klavier) begging for his very time sensitive help? Idiot had his phone in a drawer!

Even when they stopped, he couldn't bring himself to look. The picture of Klavier outside the club haunted him-- to see all those visceral emotions distilled into words? And Apollo has to see it, he owes Klavier at least a read before he deletes it all. This overwhelming dread was just a direct consequence of ignoring every single responsibility he had at once. It takes skill to bite the big one that bad, doesn't it?

He got distracted, somewhere between self loathing and the wall. His ringtone jumped him out of it, and into an entirely new problem. Somebody was calling.

Apollo hesitated before batting his phone over-- fast, as if it would burn him. Toby. Maybe if he wasn’t too boring for contact photos, a picture of his friend would have been enough to guilt him into picking up. The ominous blank of Toby's name on the screen, however…

He stared, tried to get over it, but no. Toby works at the club. He'd be looking for Artemis. Probably not even as a work thing. Toby had been nice from the very start-- Helping him settle in, coaching him in the fine art of gyrating for money. Never wronged him once, in any way, and here Apollo was, letting him think Artemis was… what. Nobody knows! The overwhelming feeling of worrying someone settled hard in his chest, right back to the spot it had been all week.

Would Artemis ever call Toby back? Or would he fade into obscurity, one or two “whatever happened to”s asked every once in a while, another dancer that just moved on without a word. The likelihood of it sickened him. Does Teaze mean so little?

The voicemail Toby left rocked the phone again. Apollo finally grabbed it. Time to face the music.

30 missed calls, 13 voicemails, 188 texts.

Terror seized him. The numbers…. Easiest first. Here goes nothing.

Apollo scrolled through the missed calls, more to clear the notification than anything else. Not much he could do with those.

The texts came next, much the same. Most of them were from Klavier, in an increasingly panicked stream-of-consciousness word hell. Apologies rolled into nonsense explanations of nothing bled into twisted confessions of love-- Apollo had to pause there, and imagine what would be happening now if he hadn't been bullied into emotional honesty by a teenager. Yikes. He skipped the next few messages quickly (altogether a collected sorry for sending so many messages) before he reached the begging.

tell me yure ok

Over and over again. Not once did it occur to him Klavier might have been worried about his safety. How much would one message have costed Apollo, really? Fuck. The rest, riddled with typos and thick with something, descended into nonsense. Apollo took a deep breath, and supposed it could have been worse, somehow, maybe. He decided not to think about it, and instead addressed the other message threads.

A couple of time sensitive messages from Trucy, taken care of, if way later. One from Mr. Wright, telling him he'd be partnered with Athena Cykes on his next case, and one from an unknown number that declared itself Athena's, which he saved. Easy.

There were several for Artemis, all from Toby. Apollo couldn't help but smile at the flawless syntax-grammar-punctuation that literally no one, including Toby in real life, could ever manage. The guilt at, again, not responding to Did you get home safely? but Apollo deserved it well enough. Dan needs to talk to you.

“I'm sure he does,” Apollo muttered to himself. That's the end of that.

Regretfully, he opened his calling app again. Only the voicemails remained. The earliest was from Klavier, all the way back on Saturday, and so were the five that followed. He resolved to deal with them last.

The first one that wasn't from him was from Dan, and not particularly long. Apollo hit play and speaker in succession.

”Arty Arty Arty,” Dan was decidedly winded, yet was still speaking a mile a minute, “You gotta be careful, Arty! Some whackjob came looking for ya!” Away from the phone, Dan yelled for Toby, probably from clear across the hallway. “I dunno what his deal was. I called the cops though, so, dunno how much you hafta worry yet. Yer ol’ pal Dan didn’t tell him nothin’. We gotta talk though. Toby! Geddover--”

The message cut off, leaving Apollo to imagine the sharp click of Dan slamming his cheap flip-phone shut. Something about it all rubbed him the wrong way-- The timestamp came up as 11:59, supposedly right after Dan called the police. There was no mention of Klavier supposedly killing anyone, but if only that were proof in itself. Still, Apollo saved the message before moving on. Next was Trucy, on Sunday.

”-ickup pickup pickup-- Polly! Why aren’t you answering me! Prosecutor Gavin was arrested! We have to help him! Text me!”

Dealt with. Apollo deleted it, and its three progressively angrier sisters. After them followed Dan again, using far too many words to say the police wanted to talk to him-- step off, donut patrol, I'm callin’-- followed by a disgruntled message from that detective telling him about the same, pal, we need you at the station. As if.

The newest message, from about twenty minutes ago, was Toby's. The guilty feeling slammed into Apollo again, redoubled-- he had actively ignored that one, not a casualty of dumping his phone at all. Toby's concern nearly overpowered his voice, which was all too small and withdrawn. Apollo halflistened to the short message twice, cursing his cowardice. Toby isn't stupid. The phone had rung, which means he probably knows he was ignored. Apollo dropped his head into his free hand. Ugh.

The only thing that could possibly be worse than this is whatever the six messages from Saturday night had to say, so he decided to dive right in.

The first was six seconds of absolute silence. Apollo deleted it and moved on. The second one showed to be longer but started the same-- an ominous, dead pause. Apollo nearly deleted it before Klavier's breath hit.

“Apollo. I'm sorry.” Not Herr Forehead, and what Apollo wouldn't have given in that moment to fix it. Klavier didn't even sound like himself. “I guess the fact that this didn't even ring really means you're just done with me. Gott! I know I should just leave you alone but I can't. I can't! I keep going-- I keep telling myself I'm gonna stop but I don't. I keep sending texts because I don't know what else to do and now I-- I guess I'm calling, to hear your voice.”

Klavier interrupted himself with a strained laugh. “ ‘Thank you for calling. I seem to be away from my phone right now.’. How professional.” A pause that Apollo could feel the nervous smile in. “It's very you.”

A brief silence.

“I wanted to hear your voice, and now I'm here. I don't want to hang up. I don't want to be alone. But I guess you do.”

Klavier hesitated before hanging up, which made everything almost worse. Apollo couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. They'd move past it, right? What else could he do but press forward, into more words he didn't want to hear?

“I need to talk even if you don't. I don't care if you're sick of it, fuck, I don't know if you're even looking at your texts or listening to this shit or whatever. For all I know you've blocked my number, and what then? Would it let me talk into your mailbox forever? Would I know?”

Klavier kept talking, disjointed ramblings and disconnected thoughts until it all cut off abruptly. That was the third one. Halfway there. Next.

The fourth message might have picked up where the third left off, or maybe he had kept talking through the length of his voicemail message. He was becoming less and less comprehensible. The end of the message devolved into sobs.

Apollo clenched his jaw. Two left. Next.

The voice was Klavier, except not at all. He was perfectly calm, composed into a single sentence.

“I don't know if you’ve listened to the messages before this, but delete them-- I'm sorry to bother you.”

Apollo set his phone down, near where his heart had dropped. Of everything, that was the worst. Klavier retreated, again, like the worst of times, because of Apollo fucking Justice. That voice was the only one in the world he never wanted to hear again.

Sarurday night closed with another long message-- so long that Apollo nearly deleted it out of hand. What's the point in worrying, right? He hit the delete button These messages aren't what matter, the verdict is what matters, the future is what matters.

Even so, the confirmation screen haunted him, like the contents of this voicemail would if he didn't listen to it now. He backed out of the delete menu and hit play instead, closing his eyes against it.

“I can't deal with this,” The cool tone was gone, Klavier was out of breath, and further away from his phone, maybe. “I'm coming to see you.”

Coming to see him? A car door slammed. Did Klavier mean at the club? Apollo sat up straight, suddenly staring his phone down.

“I don't care if you hate me,” Klavier nearly yelled over his own footsteps, “But I just wanna see you so you can say it to my face.”

Heavy bass Apollo would recognize anywhere suddenly started bleeding into the call audio. Klavier just walked into Teaze right before the murder and left a frickin voicemail. Suddenly exactly what he had to say was less important. Apollo focused on the rustling of the crowd.

“I don't know if you're even here. I don't know. I don't know….”

It was a full minute before Klavier spoke again, and when he did, it wasn't to him. Apollo wondered if he had forgotten about the phone.

“Ap– ah! Art– Is he here? Artemis. Is Artemis here?” Klavier stumbled desperately over the words.

“Sorry?” The response was faint against the ambiance, and Apollo had to strain to catch it. “What can I do for you?”

“I'm looking for a dancer.”

The chuckle came through clearly. “I'm more helpful when you're looking for a drink.”

“Artemis.”

“Don't know her.”

“Guy.”

The voice got testy, louder, as if its source moved in. “Sorry? Don't know him, but honestly dude, if you're not here for booze, get gone. I'm alone back here, I gotta get moving.”

“I need to find him.”

“Well,” said the bartender, a finer edge to the words, “You can ask security about it when they boot your ass outta here, kay?”

“Please,” Klavier sounded a lot of something, “Just tell me who I can ask.”

“Seriously dude? I've got a fucking job to do here! If you’re that desperate, I dunnooooo,” Apollo could here the cruelty bleeding in on the edges, especially in the tricky laugh that followed, “Go knock on that door, yeah, you see it? That one. And fucking wait right there.”

The bartender laughed him off again, and worse, but Klavier didn't respond. The rustling started up again in time to Apollo's pounding heart, until it didn't. The message ended, just before the crucial moment. Was that seriously it!?

Apollo flopped backwards on the bed, hands over his face. It was too much and not enough, all at once. Someday he’ll get a nice, simple, straightforward murder that he isn't personally involved in. Not today. He needed answers and he'd have to think for them, long and hard.

The clues were there. Apollo scooped his phone back up, staring hard at the message before pressing play again.

Chapter Text

Apollo managed to pull himself out of bed and was halfway to the office before the first hints of "bright and early" hit the sky. He was early for work. Even going his slowest, he was too early for work, and it still didn't feel like enough time. Today was his last chance to scrape enough evidence out of that miserable club to save Klavier— no, Apollo mentally corrected himself, their last chance. Between him and Athena, they'd have to be enough. They didn't have a choice, they must and they could pull this off.

Somehow, he wasn't the first to the Agency. The door opened quietly to admit him, and walking in he saw… no one, until he tried to walk around the card table that was pretending to be his desk. Hiding behind the towers of paperwork that had accumulated over the last week was Trucy, scribbling away.

She hadn't noticed him yet. The logistics of the trick must be troubling her, or so Apollo presumed. Hopefully she hadn't been drafted into trial-by-fire notary school. Even if she had, that was his spot.

"Good morning, Truce."

It caught her attention. She looked up, smiling at half-focus. "Morning, Polly! Ready to kick ass today?"

He raised his eyebrows, if only to hold his stern expression.

"What!"

Despite everything, not smiling was hard. "What."

"What! I'm allowed to say ass!"

"Someone's defensive for acting within their legal rights."

Trucy realized she was being teased with all the grace of someone who hated it. That was unusual. The trick must really be troubling her. "Do you need something, or?"

The honest answer was a cup of coffee and a casebreaking piece of evidence, neither of which he could ask for without Trucy poking fun back at him.

"Yeah. Is Athena in yet?"

"Nope!" She chirped, obviously having forgiven him for whatever offense he'd given her and smiling genuinely now. "You're early."

"You're also early?"

"Blame Daddy."

Trucy cut her eyes towards the bathroom-hallway, where Phoenix had apparently been lurking. At being caught, he straightened his shoulders and made his formal entrance.

"Mornin'."

He nodded at Apollo, which got him a "Good morning, Mr Wright!" in nearly-shouted response. To Phoenix's credit, he wasn't phased by volume in the slightest anymore, instead casting his eyes around the room.

"It seems Miss Cykes is making a habit of being late, not very professional, I'd say."

"It's still early, daddy!" In the scolding defense of the Agency's newest employee, Trucy stood and put her hands on her hips, "Just 'cause Polly gets everywhere fifteen minutes early doesn't mean 'thena has to!"

Apollo couldn't help adding, "Besides, your timecard wouldn't look so sharp if not for your teenage daughter dragging you out of bed."

"Alright, alright," Phoenix held up his hands, chuckling to accompany his surrender, "I know when I've lost. Are you ready to go, Trucy?"

"Yep!"

She brushed by Apollo almost before he had the time to be confused, but Phoenix noticed the look and addressed it as he shrugged his coat on. "Trucy and I have a case of our own to look into today, so you and Miss Cykes have to get along without us."

The urge to notify Phoenix that he wasn't helping them anyway was almost overwhelming until Apollo remembered he was talking to his boss. Instead he replied, "Something new?"

"Mm, probably. They were kinda vague about it. Something about crows committing a murder."

"A murder of crows isn't illegal, y'know."

Apollo cracked a smile at his own joke. Trucy, by her father's side, started to shake his arm gently.

"HA! I told you that one was funny, daddy!"

Phoenix shook his head, obviously suppressing his own grin. "This is more than just a group of crows, unfortunately. The prosecution is saying that the birds managed to stab a man to death. With intent."

They all briefly exchanged stares, waiting in vain for a punchline to come from somewhere.

"We've been getting more and more of… these, this kind of request, after the whole orca thing." Trucy bounced and wobbled on the balls of her feet, tugging Phoenix's sleeve again, "You gotta talk to Uncle Miles about his people!"

"I did! I am! Always!"

At risk of opening another can of worms… "His people?"

"I don't know where Miles gets them! Apparently his newest hotshot underling wrote some kind of manifesto or something about the intelligence of birds!" Phoenix grew more exasperated as the ridiculous terms of their employment became more explicit. "But I'm not going to let them send those birds to jail! Do they even have jail for birds?"

"Cages?"

"Daddy, they're waiting on us!"

Trucy pulled Phoenix out the door so quickly he barely had time to toss the keys behind him. "Lock up!"

Distantly, Apollo caught a "Bye, Polly!" but he was alone in the office. He crossed to the now-closed door to pick up the keyring from where it landed.

"Birds, hunh…"

Maybe he'd ended up with the sane rival after all.

Apollo circled back to his chair to wait for Athena. There was nothing left to do but overthink the dark corners of the case. They definitely needed to talk to the bartender about that night and see what kind of statement they could get, plus hopefully they could get more information from Toby, too. There was no doubt that things hadn't gone according to Dan's testimony, but what actually happened remained a mystery.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, so of course the door swung open a minute later, allowing Athena's voice to cut through the room.

"Good morning everyone!"

She was practically singing. Apollo waved in greeting from behind his stacks of paperwork until she saw him and walked over.

"Hi!"

"Morning, Athena. Are you ready for today?"

"Absolutely!" Much like her employer before her, she peered nonsubtly around the room, "But where's the Boss? Shouldn't we say bye before we go?"

"He and Trucy are out fighting for bird rights."

The ease of his reply put such a furrow in Athena's brow he could swear even Widget was making a face. "I can't tell if you're serious or not."

"I only speak in truths." Apollo meant to elaborate, but his eye caught the bag Athena was carrying. "What's all that for?"

"I'm going to a concert tonight!" She patted it against her side. "It has clothes and stuff. I figured since the trial runs so late, I'll probably have to run afterwards, you know?"

"Why do you have to change?"

Athena blinked. "It's a concert."

"... Yeah?"

"You wouldn't go to a concert in work clothes, would you?"

Apollo didn't have a retort that Athena wouldn't make fun of him for, so he thought it fit to change the subject.

"We should get to work now, then."

"I— Okay. Yeah. Alright." Athena bit her tongue to stop whatever else she had to say on the subject of fashion, and wrapped her hand around Widget fast enough that it muffled whatever insult the robot had to throw. "What's our game plan?"

Apollo stood and stretched. "You're leading this. It's your call."

Of course, if she didn't say 'Let's head to the club, now!' he would have some polite advice to give as her senior. Instead he found her looking at him with… pity?

"Do you want to get breakfast?"

"What? No!"

And just as quickly one of the side pockets on her bag was unzipped, and something was produced and passed to him. The bright yellow label announced it as, "A protein bar."

Athena crossed her arms. "I can hear your stomach all the way over here!"

He had, indeed, skipped eating.

"... Unless you want eggs? I could go for eg—"

"Thank you, Athena."

"Good. Good."

With that, Athena sat-leaned on Apollo's not-a-desk, apparently neither noticing nor caring it was essentially a folding table with a powerstrip and a toddler's weight of paperwork on it. The legs gently threatened to buckle under her added pressure, saved only by the fact that Athena was too tall to not still have one foot solidly on the ground.

"Hey!"

Apollo frantically tried to save his towers of shame from an early demise, but there was too much, and for the moment, they were too still to touch. Athena was managing a careful stasis entirely by accident. Why was she sitting? They had somewhere to be.

She was absorbed in thought, gently tapping one finger against her lips. Which would have been fine, had she not also decided to lean back with her weight on her other hand. Ominously, the papers whispered.

"Do we have a real lead?" She asked him, as if Apollo wasn't distracted.

"What do you mean?"

"Something that actually tells us who to talk to. There has to be—"

"Oh!" The mental order of events told him to shoo Athena off his creaking desk first, but he resisted. His phone, now in his hand, was more important. "We do!"

"WE DO?!"

She twisted with such force her ponytail dusted several loose papers from their places. Apollo fiddled with his phone, half-open half-closed in one hand. "We do. This is from when Klavier went to the club, right before he supposedly murdered Jack… Ignore. The first part."

He could feel Athena's eyes on him, but focused himself entirely on pressing play and bracing for it.

"I can't deal with this."

In the corner of Apollo's vision, Athena winced at Klavier's tone and then glared at the cause. Apollo hopefully made a face that communicated, if nothing else, how little he could do about it now.

"Keep listening."

He felt compelled to ask her, considering the pained expression that was quickly taking over her entire body. Apollo barely paid attention, since he'd listened it to death last night— he could quote it front to back if he tried, and managed to not fall into despair.

When Klavier approached the bar— loud, muffled noise— Apollo turned his volume up as high as it would go.

"I'm looking for a dancer."

"Yeah? I'm more helpful when you're looking for a drink."

'Bartender?' Athena mouthed, not wanting to miss a sound. Apollo nodded. Who else could it be? It had to be.

"If you're not here for booze, get gone. I'm alone back here, I gotta get moving.”

“I need to find him.”

“Well, you can ask security about it when they boot your ass outta here, ‘kay?”

“Please.”

Klavier sounded a lot of something. Apollo tightened his grip on the phone, not least of all because Athena looked ready to snap it shut.

“Just tell me who I can ask.”

“Seriously, dude? I've got a fucking job to do here! If you’re that desperate, I dunno, go knock on that door, yeah, you see it? That one. And fucking wait right there.”

The message cut off after four more agonizing seconds of the tinny club music. The second it stopped, Athena started.

"That dude's a dick! Do you know how hilariously stupid this is? I can't believe this is our lives. I'm going to kill him, don't defend me it'll be a loss, oh my GOD his tips must be SHIT—"

Realizing she wasn't going to stop spitting any time soon, Apollo weighed his options and elected to interrupt here. There was the true answer and there would be a carefully deployed half-truth.

"I'd guess most people are too distracted to notice?" Maybe it was because he'd been burning nonstop for twelve hours, but his level of pissed at the bartender was waning. "Drunk people are notorious for having loose grips on their money anyway. So."

Athena threw her hands in the air, nearly made a very large mess, and settled for crossing them instead. "Yeah! Well! I hope this ruins his career!"

"We have Prosecutor Gavin's career to worry about first."

"Oh! Right!" She visibly switched gears, pep and determination back at the forefront. "It's time to find this asshole and make him explain why he's such a dick!"

"Uh… Maybe not in those words, but yeah."

"Then let's go!" Athena hopped off the table, bringing an entire case file down with her. It scattered as it hit the ground, and Athena had the good sense to at least look like she felt bad about it. "After I pick this up!"

Apollo let out a sigh as he stooped down to help her. In an ideal world, he would have already digitized this file, and there would have been no mess to be made… Though it could have been avoided just as easily had Athena sat in a real chair.

Far less neat than it was before, the casefile was reassembled and left in the center of Apollo's desk for further review.

"Now," Athena struck a pose, "We're off!"

Apollo absolutely failed to match her enthusiasm, but he followed her march to the door anyway. He remembered to lock up before they started their trip to the club in companionable silence.

If Trucy were with them, she'd poke fun. The sudden quiet was unusual for both of them, though, to be fair, they were set to spend the majority of the day talking. To Apollo's additional benefit, the lull gave him the opportunity to eat the protein bar Athena had handed him earlier. It was kind of sticky and tasted like peanut butter. The raw definition of hubris was taking it on without a drink, but Apollo had managed to finish it before his phone started ringing.

It was Teaze.

Apollo stopped in his tracks, and Athena followed suit. It confused her, but he couldn't explain it— Apollo was too busy cursing his mistake. He should have left his phone at home, again, where it would have kicked this call straight to voicemail.

No, the traitorous thing was ringing.

Next to him, Athena fidgeted gently. "Answer it?"

Apollo bit his lip, and half-shook his head when he realized that wasn't a clear answer. He tilted the face of it towards her. She could read the ID from where she'd stopped, but just to underscore the point.

"Apollo, ohmigod. You have to pick up."

"And say what!"

Athena shrugged, one hand upturned by her face. Not, I don't know, but, you'd find out.

"No! What if they want to see me?"

He could see the words hit her, and if Apollo's life was depending on her empathy, he'd be dead.

"See them?" she started, and nothing good could follow, "See them! You're a genius! That is such a good plan, why didn't we— You have to see them!"

"Athena, what the fuck does that mean."

"Go to the club. As Artemis."

Her eyes glinted, fixed between his gaping mouth and the phone that was still ringing.

"WHAT?! No way in hell! What would I say about where I've been?! And that’s just for starters? No, it's too much risk for literally no reward."

"But there's so much reward. Mr. Singer and that Toby guy hate Klavier! They're not going to talk to his lawyers. But they'd loosen their lips to catch Artemis up first thing."

"We are Klavier's lawyers. What if they recognize me?" Apollo's problems took the opportunity to multiply, "And what about the cops, or that detective, or— " He paused to shudder, " — Franziska von Karma?"

That would be the end for him.

The phone screen turned off, came back on. Whoever had been calling was calling again. Athena raised her eyebrows.

"What's that detective's name?"

"What?"

"Exactly. You barely know any of these people, plus, I'm here to run interference! If you so much as have to make eye contact with any of them I'll be disappointed in myself!"

The carefree peace sign she threw was almost insulting to the sinking feeling in Apollo's chest. "And if someone tries to make me testify?"

"Refuse."

"Really. Refuse? Are you serious?"

The lawyer in her took the reigns. "In order to force you to testify, they'd need to arrest you. They have no grounds to do so. Ergo, yes, you refuse."

She was speaking quickly now, so he'd answer the phone. If Athena thought Apollo was running out of arguments, she was right. He was really going to lose this one, wasn't he.

"It'll be fine. Trust me."

He took a deep breath to concede the defeat, before he realized the fatal flaw in the plan.

"I can't dress." Saying it was equal measures relief and terror, "I can't go back home for clothes, I can't fix my hair, and Artemis always has a full face of makeup. No way. No how. No time!"

The way she stared at him was scary. "Don't you have one of those lockers? You can do hair and makeup there..." The scary eyes trailed up to his hair antennae, "... Barring some minor modifications now."

He'd be insulted if he had the time, or if she wasn't right. Hell if he was acknowledging it now. "And my clothes?"

She drummed her fingers on her bag, brow clouded for just a moment before, "Are you wearing an undershirt?"

"Yeah?"

Athena's face brightened. Oh. He probably should have lied.

"Then," she said, once again tapping at her concert bag, "You can wear my clothes! My jeans will definitely fit you. For sure."

He was nearly out of excuses to not do this and it was getting really annoying. "Shoes."

"Shoes?" She blinked. "Shoes. Shoes… Oh! Don't they have costume pieces at the club? We can borrow, just for today."

We, she says, waving her hand as if this isn't both of his livelihoods. "I'm really going to have to do this, aren't I."

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

The genuineness in the question threw Apollo off. Of course Athena was right, and of course she knew it. No matter how terrifying a pain it was to him, Apollo knew it too— There was far more he could investigate as Artemis. Now that the words had been said, there was no other plan they could follow.

"I don't."

Athena grinned.. "That's exactly what I thought! Now call the club back and announce your stunning return!"

In disgust, Apollo looked at his phone. It was displaying two missed calls from just now, along with the five hundred of them from the weekend past. He turned his back and walked a few paces away before he redialed.

It was a good decision. The other side picked up immediately.

"Arty!! Where'veya been."

Two seconds in and Dan was already making demands. Apollo winced, but kept his voice as natural as he could manage. "Been a crazy weekend, sir. My phone went missing halfway through, too."

"I ga-run-tee ya it's been crazier here, kid."

"Oh yeah?" Apollo wished he'd had the foresight to record this call, in case Dan said something important, but hopefully it was nothing he wouldn't repeat. "What's going on?"

"Jacky, y'know, Jacky, the Jackal, that Jacky?" Dan paused for what Apollo knew was dramatics, "Well! He was murdered a couplea' days back!"

"Oh, no!"

Apollo tried to sound surprised. Luckily for him, Dan didn't seem to notice the fact that he failed.

"You'd better believe it! In my very own office!" Dan gossiped easily, "And you'll never guess who did it!"

"You already know?"

"And you ask me if I know. 'Course I know! I know everything that happens in m'office!"

Dan's pride disgusted Apollo on new levels. “Who?”

“Well, if you were a bit patient I’d tell ya!” Dan shouted. Apollo knew from experience that, if this were a normal phone call, Dan would be shouting directly at the hula girl statue on his desk like her name was Artemis. Unfortunately, she’d probably been put into evidence with other murder scene miscelleny. Dan kept talking, in somewhere that probably wasn’t his office. “It was that blond boy, your trouble-causer from Friday! Wit’ the private dance an’ all!”

Apollo was at a loss for how to respond. A little tinny Bullshit! erupted from his companion a few paces away, but Dan was already busy filling the space with words.

“I dunno what possessed him to kill our dear Jacky, but ‘e did it!”

The disaster potential pressed against Apollo’s chest. Dan would continue filling this space with words until he was stopped. “Ah—” He couldn’t interrupt fast enough, “Um, excuse me, sir, but what does this have to do with me?”

The moment of deadly calm settled.

“‘Scuse me, Arty! Am I takin’ up too much of your precious time, now?” Dan huffed. Apollo had fucked up. “Just wanted to let ya know about all the fine details you’ve missed since ya saw fit to start ignorin’ yer place of employ.”

“Sorry, sir. My phone’s being difficult, still.”

Briefly he debated crinkling the protein bar wrapper by the speaker, but it wasn’t necessary. His words alone were enough to pull him out of the nosedive.

“Oh! Alrighty then!” Dan’s tone brightened back to usual, “Com’n to Teaze early today and I’ll give ya all the rest of it, before your shift should be good enough. We’re openin’ back up and we need ya!”

Apollo coughed to cover his choke. “Sorry, what?”

“I said, we’re open tonight, and it’s Tuesday. Ain’t that your usual schedule.”

“I mean, yes, sir, but,” During this conversation he was not a lawyer, but expressing his problem like a normal person was difficult, “Isn’t there an investigation going on?”

“Well, yeah, right now, but it’ll all be done’n’finished by the time your crowd rolls around,” Dan sounded horrifically unconcerned, “Jailed company excluded, o’course. Don’t you worry. Everybody’s workin’ real hard to get us good to go!”

“Ah, I understand,” Apollo said, even though he didn’t.

“Aww, that’s the good head I know on those shoulders!” When Dan paused, Apollo took a breath to steel himself. “An, well, them coppers need ya too, Arty! They wanna be sure they know what’s what ‘fore they nail blondie’s coffin!”

It wasn’t enough. Apollo flinched. “I can come in now if you need.”

He had no intention of talking to the police, but a way in was a way in. He was doing this.

“Oh I could kiss ya’ Arty! Now’s just perfect! Make sure ya find me first! Or, Tobes!” Dan’s voice came from a little further when he said, “Ey, Tobes! Guess who I got on the line!” A pause. “It’s Arty! He’s comin’ by! Oh, now? Alright.”

There was the telltale jostling of the phone changing hands before an out of breath Toby came on the line.

“Arty! You’re here! Goodness, I was so worried. Arty…”

“I am so sorry, Bee,” The hurt in Toby’s voice made Apollo feel bad. This was the other reason he didn’t want to come back as Artemis— ghosting was one thing, but having to address the emotional toll it took on someone he cared about was... hard.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Toby’s voice was smaller than Apollo had ever heard it be before, which doubled how bad he felt. He hardly knew what to say to that.

“I’m alright, and I’m coming by the club. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He could practically see Toby nodding, “I’ll, uh, give ya back t’Dan.”

He’d meant to say bye properly, but Apollo was too slow about it.

“Alright now, Arty, make it here on the quick alright!”

The gentle tone from his phone announced that was all the goodbye he’d get from Dan. He’d been hung up on.

Apollo took a deep breath before he turned around and caught Athena in an eavesdropping pose. She was where he’d left her, but hunched over like… well. No way. He rejoined her, and she straightened up.

“Your plan won out after all,” he said, as if this wouldn’t absolutely suck, “What’s next.”

“Next!” She glanced around at the storefronts, “We have to find somewhere for you to change.”

He pinched his forehead, where a headache was mounting. “There’s a coffee shop across from the club.”

In all actuality, there were several places that would probably work, but if he was going to risk life and limb, he was going to be properly caffeinated while doing it. Athena clapped her hands. “Perfect!”

She started to lead the way, smiling, and Apollo could only hope she remembered where she was going. It was only a little bit away, she’d be— no, she stopped, stepped aside to allow him to pass. Okay. That was fine, too.

Because she was behind him for the couple of blocks their journey took, he didn’t see her rummaging around in her bag until she was something out. The pair of frayed skinny jeans scared Apollo to look at, much less put on his body.

“I’m gonna get a drink, you want anything?”

“It’s too late to back out of this.”

“Oh, way too late. Is that a no?” They crossed the threshold together.

“An iced coffee is fine.”

He walked directly towards the bathroom at the back and did his best to not think about it. His best was not good.

There was something uncomfortably exposing about changing clothes in a public bathroom, even though this one was a single stall. A sense of wrongness washed over him as he worked off his vest and shirt. Once his pants followed, the sight of himself in simply a white undershirt and briefs looked downright obscene. He examined the pants he was given, holding them up to his waist. They’d fit. Curse everything about him, they would fit decently well, and they were so far out of his usual league they were perfect for Artemis, too.

No. He set them down gently on the counter while he dealt with his hair first, pulling it down. Naturally, it fell directly into his face, and there was nothing he could do about it without the stuff in his locker across the street. This would be hellish if that were his only problem. He was out of excuses.

The struggle to pull the tight denim over his hips was a battle he won and the zipper was its own war, but trying to force the button closed was a lost cause. Artemis would have bought jeans like this on purpose. Apollo gave up.

Was he really going to go out like this? He was double fucked if anyone recognized him. Athena was already going to remember this forever, and even that alone would be personally mortifying until the end of time.

Before he had too much time to despair, he slipped on his work shoes, hung the excess clothing over his shoulder, and went back out to meet up with Athena. She was standing by the counter, presumably waiting for their drinks, and looked him up and down when she noticed him approaching. Apollo wasn’t sure if he was anxious or grateful that he couldn’t read her face, and since she didn’t comment, either, Apollo elected to follow suit. They stood a moment in silence, until she held out her hand.

“Stuff?”

“Oh.”

His clothes— about as neatly rolled as they could be— were tucked away easily in the bag from whence the jeans came. This really was happening.

A tired-looking likely-underpaid barista turned around. If he’d noticed what Apollo had looked like walking in, his face betrayed nothing as he called out to the room, “Triple-shot cappuccino, and an iced coffee.”

Athena turned on her toes, giving the barista a cheery, “Thank you!” as she grabbed both drinks and handed Apollo his. “Shall we?”

Apollo nodded to the question, sipping his drink as he headed to the door. Once it closed behind them, he breathed out a halfhearted, “Let’s get this over with.”

“C’mon, Arty,” she teased, walking backwards to face him, “you gotta get into character!”

Apollo rubbed his hand over his face and groaned. “Let’s just get this over with."