A/N: There's a couple time jumps in here. The first two paragraphs immediately follow the trial from last chapter. Then it skips a few weeks (Apollo POV), and then skips a few more weeks (Klavier POV), and one last time jump after that one (Apollo POV), also a few weeks. The next Klavier POV takes place immediately after Apollo's POV/conversation with Athena. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone too much. These are the only time jumps, I swear.
Disclaimer: I do not own Apollo Justice or Ace Attorney.
Chapter 4
Klavier leaves the courthouse before Apollo and Athena are even done packing up their things. Apollo frowns, staring at the empty prosecutor's bench for a moment before following Athena out the door. He doesn't understand how Klavier can show up looking like he was hit by a truck, clearly unprepared judging by the frantic way he studied the case file in the prosecutor's lobby (yes, okay, he had gone to sneak a peek), and still be such a difficult opponent. Apollo gives him this much: whatever he's doing outside of court hasn't negatively affected his job performance, or at least not so far. At the very least, Klavier can put on a good act. And that's what it comes down to. Apollo is sure all of this is an act. The question was, what exactly was Klavier hiding behind this act of his?
Klavier enters Kristoph's...no, Gavin Manor, and pours himself a generous drink before heaving a sigh of relief as he takes a sip. He did his job and did it well. Maybe not to the full extent of his own personal abilities, but still beyond that of most prosecutors. Nobody had noticed anything, had commented that he seemed odd or anything but normal. He'd presented his arguments and facts clearly, and given Apollo a fair fight. Even Apollo hadn't given him any concerned looks. If nothing seemed amiss to outsiders, well then he could continue as he had been, couldn't he? He only had to remember his personal rules at all times: no press, no letting it interfere with work, no reaching pass out level if he had to work the next day. He'd proven to himself today he could do this and be a prosecutor. It was all the fun of the rock star life that he'd missed when he was actually a rock star. All he had to do was keep the public and his boss from finding out, and stay the hell away from Apollo's accursed bracelet. He would keep facing him in court, nothing more. At least for now. With that thought, Klavier downed the rest of his drink.
Apollo sighed. Klavier was acting TOO normal again. He seemed to have gone back to his old self. On the other hand, there was still something strange about him. He did well in court, it was true, but he seemed to be taking less cases. Prosecutor Edgeworth said he used to prosecute at least one case a week. Nowadays, it seemed like Klavier was ONLY prosecuting cases as often as Apollo was. He'd wondered if Klavier had requested to only face him, but Edgeworth had said he hadn't. Of course, Edgeworth had also added that Klavier was senior enough to choose his cases, and could conceivably be choosing only cases where Apollo was leading defense. What Apollo didn't understand was, if Klavier was doing this, why he was doing it? Why was he choosing to face only Apollo in court, yet no longer spoke to him outside of court? Apollo wondered vaguely if it was because of his bracelet, rubbing his bare wrist. He couldn't even stand to wear his bracelet around Klavier these days, which proved that Klavier was hiding something no matter how much he pretended he was fine. He could only hope that Klavier would ask for help if he needed it, before it got to the point where no one could help him.
Klavier woke up on his floor, groaning. He'd given up trying to make it to his bed, instead moving his mattress to the floor. He must have rolled off at some point, because he was yet again sprawled on the floor. He pulled himself back onto the mattress and pulled his phone off the charger. He grabbed a couple pills from the bottle beside him and dry swallowed them while he waited for it to power on. His phone immediately showed he had 5 missed calls, all from Edgeworth, along with a text. Pick your next case immediately, Gavin, if you want to get paid, it read. Klavier snorted. He didn't need his prosecutor's salary. He had enough from the Gavinners to keep him going for quite some time. He only stayed a prosecutor because...well, actually, he wasn't sure at the moment why he was still prosecuting. He wasn't enjoying it at the moment, he didn't need the money...he dialed a number and the phone was ringing before he even realized what he was about to do.
"Edgeworth speaking."
"Herr Edgeworth, it's Prosecutor Gavin."
"You better have a good excuse for not picking up your phone, Gavin. Are you on your way in to choose your case or not?"
"That is what I wished to speak to you about. I was wondering if I'd be able to take a leave of absence."
"...May I ask why?"
"You offered me a leave a couple months ago, for Kri—for my brother, and I refused at the time. And now Daryan's is coming up and...well, I don't want my work to be affected. I've been trying, but I haven't really been in a right state of mind recently...hence why I was delaying picking a new case."
"I see. I admire your honesty and respect your decision. You may take a leave of absence. Do you know when you'll be coming back?"
"Nein. I'm sorry I...haven't determined that yet."
"It's fine. Just call me whenever you're ready to come back to work. And Gavin...should you ever need to talk, you have my number. And Justice as well."
"Ja, danke, Herr Edgeworth. I'll keep that in mind."
Apollo enters the agency, stretching and yawning. He gets in and notices nobody else is here yet, judging by the morning paper still propped against the door. He grabs it and sets it on the table, and goes about making coffee. He's used to this routine, being the first in, as Phoenix and Trucy no longer live at the Agency and are late sleepers, and Athena usually goes for a long run before she comes in.
Speaking of Athena, she runs in just as he's pouring his first cup of coffee. He takes in the sight of her, doubled over, panting, hands on her knees for a moment before he shrugs. He's about to sit down when she finally attempts to speak.
"Ah-ah-Apollo," she pants, trying to catch her breath enough to speak. Apollo notices she's holding some type of magazine in her hand, and his stomach sinks. He lets her catches her breath but holds up his hand when she goes to talk again.
"Another one?" is all he asks, holding his hand out for the magazine. She hands it to him and nods.
"Fifth day in a row," she confirms. He crushes the magazine in his hand without even looking at it. He knows what he'll see. Klavier and that buddy of his, Johnny something, drinks in hand, hitting up what seemed to be every bar and club in town. Apollo sighs. He wants to help Klavier but he can tell Klavier has been ignoring him. His calls go unanswered during the day, and if he manages to get Klavier to answer at night it's usually too loud to hear him or Klavier is too drunk to form complete sentences. He heard from Phoenix that Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth said Klavier took some time off from work, so he hasn't seen him in court. Things hadn't been so bad in the time immediately after Klavier's leave of absence, but a week later he was in the tabloids again, along with the previous accusations of drug use. Apollo didn't know what to think anymore. He wanted to help but didn't know what was going through Klavier's head, not to mention they hadn't even spoken properly for weeks.
Athena grabs a piece of toast and some coffee, studying Apollo. She recognizes the look on his face. It's the one she wore from the time she joined the agency until they released Simon. She runs a hand through her ponytail and stares absently at the crumpled picture of Klavier on the magazine cover.
"Apollo?" He looked up at her, a questioning look on his face. "Prosecutor Gavin seemed to be okay for a while. Why did he suddenly leave his job as a prosecutor? Do you think the rumors are true?"
"I...I wish I knew," he replied bitterly. "I don't think he was okay. I don't think he's been okay since the execution, or maybe even before that. I think he's too stubborn to admit how much it hurt for him to lose Kristoph. From an outsider's perspective, Kristoph was a cold blooded murderer who needed to be put down. From a legal standpoint, he committed various, horrifying crimes and needed proper punishment. As a prosecutor, Klavier knows this. He's on the side of the law and justice and knows Kristoph did some horrible things. The problem is, Klavier isn't only a prosecutor. He lost his brother and the only family he had left. It's logical, it's understandable, that he'd be in pain over this. Kristoph raised him for practically half his life. And Kristoph may have done some terrible things, but he still loved Klavier. He kept his room the same even after Klavier moved out. It's probably still the same, actually."
"Apollo, how..." Athena trailed off, unsure how to phrase her question. Apollo understood without words, and gave her the same distant, far away look he wore when he spoke about Clay.
"I forgot, you don't know. Kristoph wasn't just my boss. He took me in when I was sixteen. I'd been in and out of foster homes for a long time, and in and out of trouble, too. He didn't officially adopt me, but he took me in, gave me a home, gave me a family, gave me a future. Or so I thought. He never explained why he took me in, hell I didn't even know he had a brother until the first time I faced Klavier in court, and I know it doesn't excuse the things he did, but he did care for me. And he loved Klavier."
"I'm sorry, Apollo, I didn't know. I didn't realize...but wait. How did you not know about Klavier if you lived with his brother?"
"Kristoph had pictures up, of course. But when I asked him who it was, he just said it was a family member and wouldn't say anything more. And I was forbidden to go in what I now know was Klavier's room. Kristoph could be weird and cold about the strangest things, so I never questioned it. By the time he took me in, Klavier was busy with his band and touring. He spoke to Kristoph on the phone, but both their schedules were terrible and always clashing, I guess, so he never really had time to visit for long, so I never saw him." Athena watched the sad look in his eyes as he reminisced, and gave him a minute of peace before asking her next question.
"And do you think it's true? Do you think Klavier's been doing drugs?"
"...I don't want to. I don't want to believe he'd be so stupid. But it would explain his odd behavior, his sudden departure from the prosecutor's office. I just wish there was someone we could ask, someone who knows Klavier," Apollo said desperately, pacing.
"What happened to his parents?"
"Died in a car crash when Klavier was 10. He doesn't have any other family, at least not in the area."
"What about his band mates?" Athena questioned. "Well, besides Johnny."
"That's not a bad idea. Hold on, I'll see what comes up on Google," Apollo said, stepping into his and Athena's office to get his laptop. He came back out with it, set it on the table, and powered it on. "Move your coffee away," he told Athena.
"It's not going to spill on your laptop," she said, glaring at him. Nevertheless, she moved it to the cupboard.
"That's what you say but you're still paying me off for this one after you spilled juice on my last one," he pointed out as he opened up a web page. "Do you know any of their names?" he asked her as Google popped up.
"No, just Klavier," she said, shaking her head. "Just search Gavinners first to find their names." It was silent for a few moments as Apollo gathered information. He ended up shaking his head as he was still reading.
"No good, the keyboardist moved to London, and the bassist is staying in Australia with family. And of course Daryan hates me, so even if he wasn't in jail, I don't think he'd want to talk to me...what's this?" he muttered, clicking a news article. "Oh...goddammit, Klavier."
"What is it?"
"Daryan, the second guitarist, the detective that killed the Interpol agent...his execution's coming up. And by coming up, I mean it's next week. Well, that explains Klavier's leave of absence. But I don't think not working is going to distract him from the fact that his best friend is getting executed next week."
"Well, I think you need to talk to Daryan. And soon, obviously."
"I don't know if he'll talk to me. He made it pretty clear he didn't like me."
"Well, of course he didn't like you. You're the one who discovered the truth behind that case that led to him being arrested and found guilty. But if he cares about Prosecutor Gavin at all, he'll talk. He's going to be executed soon and he knows it. No matter what the past, if I was in that situation, I'd still want to help my best friend," Athena pointed out.
"You're right. I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Klavier was getting aggravated, pacing the living room at Gavin Manor. He'd run out of dilaudid and his usual dealer was out of town, the ignorant prick. He'd given Klavier his friend's number and promised he'd supply him this time and be quick on delivery. Klavier usually liked to go pick it up, but apparently this guy did deliveries only. He called the guy an hour ago and he still wasn't here. He had run out last night, and he was trying not to think about how much he was shaking right now. All he had to do was make it until the guy got here. Then everything would be okay again. He went over to the counter and took a swig from the open bottle of vodka. It wasn't helping much with his nerves or the shaking, but it was something. Finally the doorbell rang.
After he paid the guy and got his stuff, Klavier grabbed the bottle of vodka and headed to his room. He paused outside Kristoph's door, seriously debating it for the first time. He made up his mind and sat on the floor. Just a small dose first, just a little bit to stop the shaking. He plunged the needle into his arm and sighed in relief. He let it wash over him for a minute before standing and grabbing the bottle of vodka, heading inside. He opened the door and just stared at the room for a moment. From a glance, Kristoph's room seemed to be the same as he remembered it. The bedroom of his older brother, not a murderer, not a monster. He walked over to the bed and sat down. Neat, tidy. No forged evidences lying around, no plans to kill anyone. Klavier grabbed a photo off the table next to the bed and smiled. It was him and Kristoph, when they were younger, with their parents. Klavier felt a pang in his heart when he realized he was the only one left now, and took a generous sip from the bottle. As he went to set the photo down, he noticed another. He grabbed it and stared at it.
It was a photo of Kristoph. Of Kristoph and Apollo. Apollo looked to be about seventeen in the picture. He was wearing a cap and gown, and he and Kristoph had their arms over the other's shoulders, both smiling. Klavier stared for the longest time, staring at the Apollo in the photograph. Of course, he had forgotten Apollo had stayed with Kristoph for a while. He hadn't actually met Apollo until their first court case. Kristoph had told him about Apollo but hadn't given any other details no matter how much Klavier asked. It was strange, he thought, to see Kristoph so openly happy. He set the picture down and realized something. If Apollo had lived with Kristoph, he must have a room here somewhere. All these weeks he's been here, he's never felt inclined to explore his childhood home, scared of demons of the past and content to contain himself to his old room. Now, he takes his first real look around in years. And he finds it. Just down the hall from his old room is a room that screams Apollo. He's disappointed it took him so long to find it. He stands in the doorway, looking around, soaking up the comfort of being in Apollo's room. This little piece of Apollo, left in Kristoph's home. He's been avoiding Apollo, afraid of being found out, but he misses him terribly, and standing here in his old room helps a little. He takes a walk around the room and can imagine younger Apollo sitting in that chair over there, reading the law textbooks on the shelf next to it, and he smiles thinking about it. One wall is completely covered in photographs, so Klavier walks over to take a look.
Most of them are Apollo and Kristoph, and the ones that aren't are of Apollo and another boy that Klavier recognizes is Clay. Apollo is smiling in every picture, unaware that Kristoph would go on to kill people, unaware his best friend would end up murdered before he ever got to space. And that smile of Apollo's is breaking Klavier's heart. He hasn't had one of those smiles in a while now, and he misses it. He misses facing Apollo in court, he misses subtly helping Apollo and Trucy investigate, or nowadays Apollo and Athena. He misses the look on Apollo's face every time he calls him Herr Forehead. He's been spiraling for so long now, he's forgotten what he's missed.
He sits down on Apollo's bed and pulls out his phone. He wonders, for the first time in a while, if it's too late to ask for help. Some part of him recognizes how far he's fallen, that he hasn't been making the best decisions lately. But another part doesn't care, he's having fun, or what feels like fun, for the first time in a long time. So what if he needs more and more in the syringe to get the same effects? So what if he's essentially quit his real job to go spiraling down this rabbit hole? When he's like this, he doesn't think about Kristoph, doesn't think about Daryan, doesn't feel like his life flipped upside down in a matter of months. When he's sober, he remembers everything. Learning what Kristoph had done, meeting Apollo for the first time and hating him, blaming him for taking away his brother, quickly realizing Apollo's not at fault for the crimes Kristoph committed. And just as he finally accepts Kristoph's actions, the whole mess with Daryan happens. And when he feels like he could never possibly feel worse than he did then, the whole truth about Kristoph came out, a truth he'd been suspecting since Kristoph had been arrested for Shadi Smith.
The days after Vera Misham's trial were some of the darkest days in his life. He relapsed and binge drank for a week, preferring to be unconscious and unable to think than to have to deal with Kristoph's and Daryan's sentencing. Apollo helped pull him out of that, although he didn't know it. He dragged Klavier out of his apartment to the park with him and Trucy. And he watched Apollo that day, smiling and laughing with Trucy, and when he looked over at Klavier and smiled at him too, Klavier decided he'd give anything to see that smile on Apollo's face more often. He stopped drinking again that day and got his life back in order before things got out of control. And things were good for a time after that.
Then it was Apollo who was broken, and it was Klavier's turn to fix him. The loss of his best friend hit Apollo hard, and he confessed to Klavier that he didn't think he'd ever be happy again, as he pushed away Wright and Athena and even Trucy. But Klavier stuck by his side, no matter if Apollo didn't want him to. For one terrifying moment, as Apollo accused Athena of murdering Clay, he saw his brother on the stand instead of Apollo. It was the first time it hit him that Kristoph played a bigger part in Apollo's life than he had realized, and he was scared Apollo was too trapped in his anger and fear and grief to find his way back. For a moment, he was worried he had failed Apollo, too. But Apollo had come back around to Wright's side and helped save Athena, and Klavier breathed easier. And when Apollo broke down that night, grieving his best friend, feeling ashamed over his doubt in Athena and the way he spoke to Wright, Klavier was there to pick up the pieces. He was glad Apollo never decided to take up Klavier's way of grieving into a bottle, but Apollo was broken for a long time after that. But time went on, and Apollo began to heal.
He stared at Apollo's contact number for a long time, remembering the conversation he had with Apollo not long before Kristoph's execution. "Thank you, Pros—Klavier. For being there for me, for everything you've done. I know I've not been the best company since...well, for a while now. Thanks for sticking by me, even when I was a complete asshole to you. If you ever need anything, call. I'll always answer, no matter what, no matter the time."
"I'll always answer," repeated over and over in his head as he stared at the number. Could he really do it? He starts to put his finger over the call button, but then he hears them. Daryan and Kristoph are back, screaming insults in his head again, telling him of course Apollo won't help him, telling him he doesn't deserve Apollo's pity. He drops his phone on the floor and covers his ears with his hands, shaking his head violently. He's been so drugged up for so long now that it's kept their voices muffled. But he hasn't taken enough today and they're only getting louder. He desperately grabs the fresh bottle he just got along with a fresh needle. He prepares twice as much as he usually takes into the syringe and plunges it into his arm, feeling relief immediately. He falls back onto Apollo's bed, and his last conscious thought is that the pillows still smell like Apollo.
A/N: Surprisingly, this story is near the end. Should be only a few more if anyone is not a fan of the Kristoph "adopted" Apollo theory. I just always kind of imagined that Kristoph did take him in for some period of time.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted! Thank you to PetiteSaki and LemonSmoothie for your feedback! Seriously, it's greatly appreciated. I haven't written anything for awhile so it makes me feel good. Hugs to you guys
Until next time...hopefully I'll update within the next week. Please keep reading and send a review if you can! :)
-Shayla
