Summary: Klavier and Apollo haven't seen each other for weeks now, ever since Clay's funeral. Both were deeply affected by what recently transpired. Will they ever go back to how things were before? Klapollo. Slight EdgeWright. Post!GS5. Slight spoilers.

Notes: There are SLIGHT spoilers for GS5. Read at your discretion.

Unbeta'd.

Dedicated to WaiiKitsune~

Disclaimer: I do not own Gyakuten Saiban or any of its characters.

Klavier stepped out of the courtroom, exhausted and weary after the intense battle of wits he faced against the Legendary Phoenix Wright. It was the blond's first case against him since he got his badge back, and it was as if he never left. Despite having been disbarred for 7 years, his skills as a lawyer only seemed to improve and it took everything Klavier had to get the guilty verdict, this time without any falsified evidence (not that he knew it was falsified the first time, but he still didn't treat that as a real win).

"Great job out there." He spun around to see Phoenix just exiting the courthouse as well, with Trucy bouncing in excitement close behind. "Took a while but we finally figured out exactly what transpired in that locked room."

Klavier grinned. "Herr Wright, if I didn't know you better, I would say that you were trying to get your client innocent by any means." Phoenix laughed good-naturedly, as if he wasn't just compared to the infamous Professor Means.

"Well, I knew right from the beginning that our client was guilty. What was interesting about this case was the fact that there was very little evidence against them, despite the client being the only suspect that the police had. So naturally I took on the case, even if it was only a request from Edgeworth."

At the mention of Edgeworth, Trucy popped out from behind Phoenix and began talking animatedly. "Oh Daddy you would do anything for Mr. Edgeworth! Today was your off day too but you insisted on taking the case!" Trucy's words caused Phoenix to turn to the side slightly, his face flushing slightly from embarrassment. The two began arguing: Phoenix denying that he only took on the case because Edgeworth asked him to – "I just wanted to make sure our client didn't get away because there wasn't enough evidence!" – and Trucy just grinning with a few odd phrases here and there – "But Daddy you know that anyone could have taken the case! You just insisted because it was Mr. Edgeworth and you didn't want to disappoint him!"

Something that Trucy said caught Klavier's attention. "You mean to say that Herr Wright wasn't the one that was supposed to stand in court today?" Trucy spun around to face the blond, smiling brightly.

"Nope! Polly was supposed to be defending but Daddy gave him paperwork to do instead. You should have seen the look on his face! His hair was drooping and everything!"

"Now Trucy…" Phoenix said in a warning tone, causing Trucy to immediately stop talking. Her grin never disappeared however, instead it only seemed to grow bigger with every passing second.

Klavier frowned. Herr Forehead was the one that was supposed to be defending today? He never heard anything about that; though if he had to guess, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth probably had a part to play in that. But if that's the case…

"So… Herr Forehead didn't come to the trial today?" Klavier asked thoughtfully, glancing back at the courtroom and the number of people filing out. Phoenix brushed his hair back with a sheepish grin before answering.

"With Athena starting to take on her own cases, there was been a buildup of paperwork at the office as of late. So I told him to stay back and finish it up," Phoenix replied, noticing how Klavier appeared to be disappointed that Apollo couldn't make today's trial. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's right, Apollo hasn't taken any new cases lately…"

"Ja. I thought he wanted a break after… after what happened." The blond looked dejected, wishing that his favorite brunet would hurry up and return to the defense. It's already been several weeks since he last saw Apollo, which was during Clay's funeral. From what he heard, Apollo was perfectly fine and going back to his normal day-to-day life. But…

Phoenix stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, he should still be at the office filing paperwork. Maybe you should head to his apartment and wait for him?" Klavier's head shot up at the suggestion.

"Wouldn't I be intruding? I dunno if–" Phoenix raised a hand, stopping Klavier from saying any more. It really was unusual for Klavier to refuse the suggestion of seeing Apollo, and Phoenix was certain that he knew why.

"You should go and talk to him. I'm sure he wants to see you again too. You know him; he's always stubborn about this sort of thing. I doubt he would admit that he misses you, even if he has been moping around the office quite a bit."

Klavier stood in front of the door of Apollo's apartment, his hand already on the doorknob. It wasn't as it this was the first time that he went into the apartment when Apollo wasn't there – heck with it, he has a key to the apartment.

Not long after the Misham case, Klavier and Apollo started dating, much to the amusement of their fellow coworkers. Their relationship was… slow-building, for lack of a better term. Both of them were greatly affected by what happened with Kristoph and found comfort in each other's presence. Before long, they had a steady relationship and were seeing each other daily, whether it was for a quick bite to eat or as opposing sides in court. Klavier visited Apollo so often – "My house is too big for one person while yours is the perfect size for two, Herr Forehead" – that Apollo requested a spare key be made for his apartment. He claimed he did it because Klavier kept "calling me like a homeless fop every time you get off work early", mimicking Ema's way of addressing the former rock star, but Klavier knew better.

Either way, Klavier had the key to Apollo's apartment and used it at his leisure, dropping by at the strangest times. (Course, it wasn't his fault that he happened to decide to talk a walk at 4 AM and just so happened to end up at Apollo's apartment. Honest. If anything, Apollo's expression in the morning was worth the ringing his ears faced afterwards.)

After Clay's funeral, however, he stopped visiting and their daily meetings suddenly stopped. They barely even talked any more, whether it was on the phone or in person. Under any other circumstances, Klavier would have confronted Apollo about this, either by barging into the Wright office or hanging out in his apartment. However, these weren't normal circumstances… for both of them.

"My bracelet could've also reacted to her because she knew she was his killer, too."

"Besides, people sometimes kill for motives we can't even imagine."

Klavier shook his head, trying to chase away memories of Athena's trial. But he couldn't just forget how smug Apollo looked as he presented his theory, as he accused Athena, as he acted like –

"Evidence is everything in court."

"Think you have the concrete proof to knock down my arguments?"

No! Apollo wasn't like that! He wasn't his brother! Apollo may have studied under that… that psychopath but that doesn't mean that he would become him! Klavier gripped the doorknob tightly, biting his bottom lip in anguish. That trial scared him immensely; it was like Apollo was a completely different person. He was no longer the short, dorky defense attorney that he fell in love with. He… He acted just like Kristoph.

Eventually, all of Apollo's doubts were dissolved and he went back to his place on the defense's side but his actions reopened scars, scars that just barely healed.

It was for that reason that Klavier avoided Apollo.

But now… now it was time to face the truth. To face what happened during that trial.

To be together again.

He put the key into the keyhole and turned, hearing a click that signified the door was unlocked. Klavier took a deep breath before turning the handle, opening the door to Apollo's apartment and was greeted with…

"… Hamburgers?" The smell of beef patties was strong in the tiny apartment and it made his stomach growl. Klavier vaguely wondered where such a delicious smell could be coming from because the last time he checked, Apollo didn't cook.

He closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, leaving them by the doorway as he bypassed the living room and headed toward the kitchen. Nothing changed; the apartment looked the same as ever. The only difference was…

"Apollo?"

… that Apollo was standing in the kitchen wearing a bright red apron and holding a spatula.

Apollo spun around at the sound of his name, nearly dropping his spatula when he saw Klavier standing in the entrance to the kitchen. "K-Klavier?! What are you doing here?!" He looked flustered, his face turning a bright red as he realized what Klavier caught him doing. "I-I-I…"

"Apollo… you can cook?!" Klavier stared incredulously at his boyfriend, who was looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Well… I mean… I just started recently and…" Eventually Apollo gave up on explaining and gestured to the small dining table. "D-do you want to try some?" he asked, staring at the stove in obvious embarrassment. Klavier smiled, delighted with the offer, before going over and sitting down in a chair that faced the kitchen. It was quiet for a while; the sizzling of the cooking patties was all that could be heard in the kitchen.

After a while, Klavier spoke, his arm resting on the table and his other arm propped up to support his head. "So… how have you been, Herr Forehead?" he asked, trying to initiate some conversation. Apollo didn't answer, flipping patties in the pan to avoid answering right away.

"I've… I'm fine." But Klavier knew that he was everything but fine. Apollo was holding the spatula a bit too tightly and he was visibly shaking; he didn't need Apollo's abilities or bracelet to notice that. However, Klavier knew from experience that if he prodded, Apollo wouldn't say anything. It wasn't long before the brunet gave in and spoke.

"I… Clay is gone. I… still can't completely accept it, but I've come to terms with it. It still makes me upset that he's gone… and that he wasn't able to fulfill his dream. But I have to live on, for the both of us." He grimaced, lowering the spatula as he continued talking. "What I can't get over is how I… I accused Athena – my own coworker – of murdering him…! The evidence might have pointed to her but she… She did nothing wrong! I didn't believe in her innocence and… I can't believe that she forgave me that easily… I can't even forgive myself…" His voice dwindled away until only the sizzling from the stove could be heard once more. Klavier watched in silence, slightly shocked. He knew that Apollo probably felt guilty about what occurred during the trial, but he wasn't aware just how guilty Apollo felt.

Klavier stood up and walked over to Apollo, noticing how the shorter flinched as he wrapped his arms around his waist. He buried his face into Apollo's shoulder, feeling the latter shake from guilt. How could he ever think that Apollo was like him? Apollo was Apollo, that much was clear. He may have acted like his brother, but he wasn't him. Apollo would never be him.

The blond felt guilty that he left Apollo to deal with his feelings by himself; it was obvious that he was trying to carry the burden alone. That would explain why Klavier stopped hearing from him as well. What kind of boyfriend was he, to avoid him for so long just because of the way he was acting? Apollo was hurting at the time, he was grieving, he was doing what he could to find the truth.

If only Apollo understood that.

"It wasn't your fault. We all have made mistakes before. If it wasn't for you, Herr Wright probably couldn't point out the possibility of another escape route. Your actions helped declare her innocent. And you figured out who killed him in the end, right?" His voice was slightly muffled by Apollo's shoulder but that didn't matter. Klavier straightened and spun Apollo around to face him, staring straight into his teary eyes. "I'll admit that for a while… I was scared. Your actions scared me and I thought that you were acting like… but now I know. You were putting all your efforts to finding the truth, to dispelling the doubt inside of you. You did what you could, even if there were better options. Even with all that happened, I'm sure…

… I'm sure Clay would be proud."

And the floodgates opened. Tears started falling and Apollo buried his face into Klavier's chest, not caring if he got Klavier's clothes dirty. Quiet sobs racked his body as he wrapped his free arm around the blond's waist and fisted his clothes tightly. Klavier ran a hand through Apollo's hair comfortingly, the other wrapped around the brunet's shoulders as he watched Apollo finally release the burden and guilt he'd been holding in the whole time.

It was a while before Apollo calmed and was able to speak again. "… thank you Klavier."

"… You do realize that you should check on the food now?"

"OH SHOOT!" Apollo shouted, putting his Chords of Steel to good use as he spun back around to check on the patties.

Klavier chuckled, happy that Apollo was back to normal… or at least as normal as he could be for the meantime. It would be a while before he fully recovered from Clay's death, but Klavier would be there to help him every step of the way.

Luckily the patties weren't burned and the two were able to enjoy a delicious meal of hamburgers. (Klavier was definitely making Apollo cook for him again. Perhaps breakfast the next day. They had some catching up to do, after all.)

A/N: I… did the best I could. Probably not the best work I ever done but I tried. I hope that I kept them in-character and explained their worries well enough.

Anyways, WaiiKitsune I hope you enjoyed this piece! I… also hope that I did Klapollo justice… (hehe) … and didn't destroy too many headcanons.

(By the way… I swear that when I first started this the idea was that Apollo was cooking and it was domestic fluff. I SWEAR. Angst just… snuck in…)

Until next time!

Ciao Ciao~

Pikachu

Published 7 September 2014