Silver tongued prince of the courtroom and the stage, Klavier never found himself at a loss for what to say. Ever. Words flowed from his lips at his leisure, giving him the ability to charm his way through life and love without issue.

So why was it that he was now silent, unable to find the right words?

The shattered image of a man stood before him, his face twisted so that it was unrecognizable, and he was staring daggers into Klavier's skull. Klavier stared back, his mouth slightly parted, but only silence escaped his lips and then the man was gone, taken away by faceless officers. He stood there, the silence choking him, his head racing, his heart pounding-

"Klavier?"

He whipped his head around, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding in. Looking down, he saw that his fingernails had punctured his palms and he hastily shoved his bloody hands in his pockets and turned to face Apollo. He was a little surprised that the lawyer had come over to his bench. Most of the crowd had already dispersed, and even the judge had taken his leave. Klavier's eyes traveled to the defense's bench, where he saw that Trucy, too, had left.

He saw the concern in Apollo's eyes and was shocked to see that it was genuine.

And his words came flooding back to him all at once, all for this short man that cared.

"Herr Forehe- Apollo. Do you need something?" he asked, unable to stop his hands from shaking within his pockets. He wanted desperately to fiddle with his rings or his hair, or something, anything to take his mind off what had just happened.

Apollo cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable, but stayed his ground and said, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

The silence was deafening. They were the only two people left in the courtroom, and although it was a large space, it felt so, so small, and Klavier felt even smaller. His vision began to blur, and he slumped against the bench in an attempt to stay upright. He was about to pass out when he felt hands lifting him up to a standing position. Even after he'd pulled himself together somewhat, the hands did not leave.

"You're not okay."

On any other day, he wouldn't have dared to show this amount of vulnerability to someone like Apollo Justice, who had nervously bluffed his way through every trial he'd taken on. Apollo Justice, who had marred his perfect win record. Apollo Justice, who had ripped up the facade his brother had been hiding behind all this time, the facade that Klavier had seen glimpses through but had used every ounce of his being to forget.

But this was now, and Apollo was here, and he was holding him, and nothing else really mattered anymore.

He steadied himself slowly, his breathing becoming more natural, and it was then that he noticed how close their faces were. Apollo's eyes didn't leave his, but the slightest flush was rising in his cheeks. Without thinking, Klavier tilted his head a bit and leaned forward, hearing Apollo give a sharp intake of breath, and-

"Apollo! What's taking so long? Everyone's waiting out...side?" The court room doors swung open and Trucy ran inside, stopping in her tracks when she saw them.

Apollo, his face redder than his suit, untangled himself from Klavier and moved backward so fast that he nearly tripped over the prosecutor's bench. This sudden jolt back to reality sparked something in Klavier, and he shook his hair out of his face, adopting his usual grin and turning to face Trucy. "Apologies, Fräulein. We were just discussing aspects of the case."

Trucy gave him a funny look, then linked her arm in Apollo's. "Well, are you coming, Mr. Gavin? We're going to celebrate!" The odd look turned into one of elation.

He shook his head, brushing his hair out of his face again. "I had best be on my way, actually. Auf Wiedersehen, Fräulein and Apo...Herr Forehead."

Trucy shrugged and left with Apollo, the latter not looking back once. Klavier gave a deep breath out, and, shoving the past two hours into the back of his memory, held his head high and left the courtroom, donning a cocky grin when he reached the groupies awaiting him outside the courthouse.

It wasn't until later, at his apartment, that he cracked open a bottle of wine and let himself cry.