Sorry this post took a while! Got a lot of IRL stuff going on and things have been a little crazy, will try to update soon, but things probably won't be settling down for another few weeks. Apartment hunting, job interviews, car stuff, etc. etc. Adulting is hard, haha. But next chap is almost done so hopefully the next chapter will be up within a week or so. Thank you all so much for reading. :) Kind of a long chapter, so, hope you enjoy. ^.^


Kristoph was there, staring out the window with his hands folded nearly behind his back. Apollo didn't know what to do. He had no idea why Krisoph was there. Was he going to reprimand him for what he did? Why would he come all the way to the hospital to do that?

Apollo awkwardly cleared his throat, and Kristoph turned his head slightly towards the sound. From the side, if Apollo didn't look to closely, he saw just how similar the two of them looked. It would've been easy for Apollo to mistake him as Klavier, albeit a slightly taller, poised version of him.

Kristoph turned, his glasses glinting in the sunlight beaming through the windows. He walked over to Apollo and Apollo didn't know why but for some reason he wondered if Kristoph was there to smother him with a pillow.

"Mr. Justice," Kristoph greeted.

"H-Hi Mr. Gavin."

"Please, call me Kristoph," he said politely.

I'd rather not. "Okay," Apollo said. "Are you…waiting for Klavier?"

"No," he said. "Klavier should be here shortly. He returned home. He needs to start packing. As much as he'd like to spend the rest of his days sitting here in this hospital, he's got other priorities that need attention."

"Oh. Right. Congrats on the job," he said plainly, ignoring the dull pain that he felt in his chest.

"Klavier is quite unhappy with it."

Apollo shifted slightly. "Moving is hard for anyone," he said.

"Yet he appears much more visibly unhappy this time around," Kristoph said with those scrutinizing eyes.

"Is…Is there something you want, Mr. Gavin?"

Kristoph pushed up his glasses and shook his head. "You, Mr. Justice. You're the reason he doesn't want to leave. He's going to miss you," he said.

"I'll miss him too," Apollo said, immediately regretting it. He was sorry he'd said it. It was true, but he didn't have to say it.

Kristoph looked at him. "Klavier. He smiles more now. And not that carefree smile he puts on for show."

"You notice that sort of thing?" Apollo asked, slightly shocked.

"It's because of you," Kristoph deduced.

Apollo didn't want to know that. He didn't know why he didn't want to know that. But he just went with it.

"I'm kind of a boring guy when you think about it. Don't know what Klavier sees." Apollo couldn't believe he'd just said that to him.

"You'll have to ask him," Kristoph said. It was a tone he'd heard before. The tone of someone who seemed to be aware of something that Apollo wasn't aware of yet. "Anyway, it would appear you saved my brother's life."

Apollo stared at him for what seemed like a long time. He pictured Kristoph being as soft as water at one point in time. "Would you have been sad?" Apollo blurted. "If he'd died. Would you have been sad?" Apollo was sure that Kristoph was going to yell or curse at him or call him downright callous for even suggesting such a thing. But at the same time, it wasn't exactly like he could imagine Kristoph in tears at Klavier's funeral.

Apollo shuddered. Klavier's funeral? He didn't like to think about that. At. All.

Kristoph's mouth twitched. "What sort of man do you think I am, Mr. Justice?" He sounded slightly appalled.

Apollo wanted to backtrack. He didn't know why he'd said that. He thought of Klavier and how the only thing that really seemed to break him was his brother and then the words just flew out of him. "It's just… Klavier… You really affect him. He doesn't like to talk about you. He doesn't even seem sure that you love him." Why was he saying these things? Apollo wanted to shrivel up into a hole.

"I suppose he wouldn't be my brother otherwise." It sounded like there was disdain in Kristoph's voice. "He is too sentimental for his own good."

That made Apollo mad. More mad than he thought he would be. "You're wrong," Apollo said, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. "It makes him stronger. He lives in a mean world and yet none of it has rubbed off on him. How could a guy live without meanness? It's much easier to let it in. But he doesn't. He's not cynical or broody or anything that you'd expect him to be."

Kristoph looked at him pensively.

"He doesn't want to be like you," Apollo continued. Again, without thinking. Klavier would probably never want to speak to him again after hearing that Apollo had said all of this to his brother.

Kristoph's mouth twitched again. "Good."

"Good?"

Kristoph resumed his stance over by the window. "If he hates me, that will make everything easier for him."

"But he doesn't. He doesn't hate you. He wants to understand you. You're the only thing he wants to understand, I think," Apollo said, not realizing how upset he was getting.

"You're very animated about my brother," Kristoph said with a raised eyebrow.

Apollo clammed up for a moment, mentally calming himself down. "All the secrets in the universe, and you're the only one he wants to understand."

Apollo didn't know if his words had any effect, but Kristoph stayed silent for a long time. "I see." Kristoph turned to Apollo. "Thank you, Mr. Justice."

"F-For what?"

"For saving my brother's life. Think of me what you will, but I came here to express my gratitude."

"Everyone keeps doing that. You don't have to thank me."

"In any case, I should be off." Kristoph made for the door, then paused, turning to Apollo once more. "We encounter many events in our lives, Mr. Justice. All of us. Not any of the simple. Klavier and I have dealt with them in different ways."

"He's not going to stop. Caring about you," Apollo said. "That should mean something to you."

Kristoph twitched again. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Justice," He said, and then he walked out, leaving Apollo to wonder if that entire exchange had really happened.

Shortly after Kristoph left, Apollo's surgeon came in. He came in every day, to see how Apollo was doing. This time, though, he was there to answer all of Apollo's questions. Which was good, since he had lots of them. If the doctor noticed that Apollo was still shaken, he didn't mention it, which was good.

"So I have pins in my legs?" Apollo asked when the doctor settled into the hospital room.

"Yes."

"Permanently?"

"Yes."

"And you won't have to go in again?"

"Hope not," the doctor said. "Can I tell you something, Apollo?" He added. "I'm surprised at how well you held up during the operation. And I'm surprised how well you're doing now. It's amazing, really."

Apollo shrugged. He didn't feel so amazing. "When am I going to stop feeling like crap?"

"In no time."

"No time? Am I going to be hurting and itching for eight weeks?"

"It'll get better."

"Sure. And how come, if the legs were broken below the knee, my casts are above the knee?"

"I just want to keep you still for two or three weeks," the doctor started. Two or three weeks.. "I don't want you to be bending. Might hurt yourself again. After a few weeks, I'll change your casts. Then you'll be able to bend your legs."

"A few weeks?"

"We'll give it three weeks."

"Three weeks without bending my legs?"

"It's not such a long time."

"It's summer," Apollo deadpanned. It's summer, and Klavier is leaving and I can't bend my legs. Klavier would be gone by the time Apollo had fully healed.

"And then I'll get you to a physical therapist."

Apollo took a breath. "And this?" He said, aiming his arm cast at him. Apollo was getting really depressed.

"That fracture wasn't so bad. It'll be off in a month."

"A month? Geez."

Apollo wanted to cry. Mostly he was mad and frustrated and he knew that the doctor was going to tell him that he needed to be patient. And that's exactly what he said.

"You just need to be patient. You'll be good as new. You're strong. You're young. You have healthy bones. I have every reason to believe that you're going to heal very nicely."

Very nicely. Patient. Great.

The doctor checked the feeling in Apollo's toes, had him breathe, had him follow his fingers with his left eye, then his right eye. "You know," he said. "that's a helluva thing you did for your friend. Klavier, was it?"

Apollo sighed. "Look, I wish people would stop talking about that."

He looked at Apollo. He had this look on his face. "You could have wound up parapalegic. Or worse."

"Worse?"

"You could have been killed, Apollo."

Killed. Okay. "People keep saying that. Look, I'm alive."

"You don't much like being a hero, do you?"

And then the words flowed out and Apollo couldn't stop them. "I told Klavier I didn't do it on purpose. Everyone thought that was funny. But it wasn't a joke. I don't even remember diving towards him. It wasn't as if I said to myself, I'm going to save my friend, Klavier. It wasn't like that. It was just a reflex, you know? Like when someone hits your funny bone below the knee. Your leg just jerks. That's how it was. It just happened."

"Just a reflex? It just happened?"

"Exactly."

"And you're responsible for none of that?"

"It was just one of those things."

"Just one of those things?"

"Yeah."

The doctor straightened up, finishing with his check-up. "Listen, son, I know you don't think of yourself as being brave or courageous or any of those things. Of course you don't."

"I'm just a regular guy," Apollo said.

"Yeah, that's just how you see yourself. But, you pushed your friend out of the way of an oncoming car. You did that, Apollo, and you didn't think about yourself or what would happen to you. You did that because that's who you are. I'd think about that if I were you."

"What for?"

"Just think about it," the doctor said.

"I'm not sure I want to do all that thinking," Apollo said warily.

"Okay. Just so you know, Apollo. I think you're a very rare young man. That's what I think."

"I told you, Doc, it was just a reflex."

The doctor grinned at him and put his hand on Apollo's shoulder. "I know your kind, Apollo. I'm on to you." Apollo didn't know exactly what he meant by that. But he was smiling.

Just as he said that, Klavier walked into the room. He had a bag slung over his left shoulder, and he looked exhausted. When he saw the doctor he paused.

"Oh. I can come back," he said, already starting to slink out of the room.

The doctor smiled. "No need. I'm done here. Think about what I said, Apollo." He walked out of the room and left Klavier and Apollo alone.

Klavier looked, well, not so good. He tried to pretend it didn't hurt him to look at Apollo but Klavier wasn't good at hiding all of the things he felt. Apollo didn't know what to say. There's nothing to forgive you for, Klavier. Smile. It's over. It's okay.

Klavier placed his bag onto one of the chairs and made a strained noise. "How's your arm?" Apollo asked.

"It's fine."

"And your face?" Apollo said.

"I like looking at it."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "I'm glad this experience has humbled you."

Klavier laughed. Apollo liked hearing him laugh. It made things seem normal. A part of Apollo thought things would never be normal again.

"I was going to come by earlier, but I had to start packing." The sadness was back in his voice.

"Yeah, I know," Apollo said. Klavier looked at him in confusion. "Oh. Um… Your brother stopped by."

Klavier blinked wordlessly. He didn't tell Klavier?

"My brother came to visit you?" Klavier echoed.

Apollo nodded. "He wanted to thank me."

"I see," Klavier said coolly. "How are you feeling?"

"Um. I'm fine. Don't you want to know what else he said?"

"Nein," Klavier said, though his tone betrayed his words.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?"

"There's nothing to tell," Klavier said.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Klavier sighed and smiled a sad smile. "Persistent, aren't you?"

"I've been told that's part of my charm," Apollo said.

"By who?"

"All my many, many friends. I'm quite a popular guy, you know," Apollo said with a teasing sense of cynicism.

Klavier laughed at that. "I admire it. Your persistence. Most people don't like to push it. I used to prefer it that way."

"And now?"

"I like your persistence," Klavier sighed, like it was a bad thing. Apollo liked that he liked his persistence. "Why do you want to know, anyway?" Klavier had so many secrets. And all Apollo wanted to do was discover them. He wondered if it would take a lifetime.

A lifetime of discovering Klavier's secrets. Now wouldn't that be something.

He couldn't very well say any of that to him, though. For one, it was weird. Apollo shook the thought off. A lifetime was a long time, anyway. "I don't know," Apollo shrugged. "Weren't you the one who said we had to talk about what we're like? That seems like a pretty big part."

Klavier chuckled, and it sounded oddly ironic. "You're not wrong there. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

"I'll be here," Apollo said, though he wasn't sure if that was even true. It wasn't like he could see into the future. "I didn't run, remember?" Apollo smiled, trying to infuse some lightheartedness into the conversation.

"This is a different type of rain, Apollo," Klavier said solemnly. He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Of course. Things were different now.

Apollo smiled a tight-lipped, serious smile. Good going, Apollo. He shifted in his hospital bed a bit, groaning a bit in the process.

Klavier instantly caught on to it. "Does it still hurt a lot?"

Apollo shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes all I can think about is my legs. I just want to yank the casts off, and…I don't know."

"It's all my fault," Klavier whispered. Apollo hated that thing in his voice.

"Listen," Apollo said, unable to stop his exasperation from leaking into his voice. "This whole thing is not your fault, okay, Klav?" Klav? That was new. Klavier seemed to notice it too, because he raised a curious eyebrow, though he didn't comment on it. "Let's just move on. You don't have to thank me or feel guilty. You didn't do anything wrong. Let's not talk about the accident or anything. Consider it a rule. Okay?" He thought of the doctor's words. Apollo could tell that Klavier was thinking. He hoped that Klavier would see that he was being serious.

"Okay."

"Okay. No more," Apollo said seriously. It didn't matter. Things were already different. Apollo could tell. Klavier still looked guilty.

Klavier took out his songwriting book.

"You're going to write songs now?" Apollo said, incredulous.

"Nein. I just thought that maybe you'd want to look at some of the songs I've written."

"Okay…" Apollo said, straining to sit up. He pushed the button on the bed so that he could do so.

Klavier handed him the book. Apollo started to open it.

"You can look at it after I leave."

Apollo held a question on his face, and Klavier caught it. "You have rules. I have rules, too," Klavier said with a teasing smile.

It was good to laugh. Apollo wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh until he was healed or until he became someone else. The great thing about laughing and the great thing about laughing with Klavier was that it made Apollo forget about the strange and awful feeling in his legs. Even if it was only for a minute.

Klavier stayed for a bit and talked about something that had happened on the way there. Apollo wasn't sure. He didn't really listen to the story. It was enough just to hear the sound of Klavier's voice. It was like listening to a song. Apollo kept thinking of the bird with the broken wing. He hadn't even brought up the courage to ask about what happened to the bird, and he couldn't do so now because he'd just finished telling Klavier that he didn't want to talk about the accident.

When he finally left, Apollo stared at his notebook. He'd never led anybody look at his songs. And now he was showing them to him. To Apollo. To little, unimportant Apollo.

Apollo knew that he was only letting him see his work because he was grateful.

Apollo hated all of that gratitude.

Klavier felt like he owed Apollo something. Apollo didn't want that. Not that. He wasn't doing it because he wanted to. And that made Apollo upset.

Apollo took his songwriting book and flung it across the room.

It was just Apollo's luck that Mr. Wright was walking into the room just as Klavier's book hit the wall.

"What was that about?"

Apollo didn't say anything.

Mr. Wright moved and picked up the sketch pad. He sat down, and Apollo could see that he was going to open it.

"Don't open it," Apollo said.

Mr. Wright stopped. "Why?"

"Klavier doesn't like to show people his songs."

"Only you?"

"…I guess so."

"Then why did you throw it across the room?"

"I don't know," Apollo said. Apollo felt angry and sad and he wanted to scream that he wasn't fine. He wasn't sure what he was angry at. And he wasn't sure what he was sad about. Klavier? The situation? His casts?

Mostly, though, he was tired. Tired of Klavier's face looking riddled with guilt. He wasn't sure if he would ever see Klavier's face without it. It would always be there, behind his eyes. And Apollo didn't like that. The book felt heavy in his hands.

Mr. Wright sighed. He'd never heard Mr. Wright sigh so loudly. He stood, putting the notebook lightly on the chair. Good. Apollo didn't want it near him.

"Apollo," he said, in a tone that sounded suspiciously like he was about to be lectured. "I know you don't want to talk about this, but I think-"

"I don't," Apollo said. "I…I'm sorry, Mr. Wright. But I really don't want to talk about it."

"I know this is hard, Apollo, but keeping everything bottled up inside you is just going to make you explode later."

"I don't look forward to the day, but if it has to be that way…" Apollo said stubbornly with a shrug.

"Apollo," Mr. Wright said, unfazed. "Talking about it will help. Trust me."

"Talking doesn't help everybody," Apollo said quietly.

"You know, there's something that Ms. Fey always tells me. The worst of times is when you have to put on your biggest smile," Mr. Wright said. Right. Ms. Mia Fey. Apollo hadn't really had much of a chance to speak to her whenever he worked.

"This isn't the worst of times. And I don't really feel like smiling," Apollo said. He was being difficult, and he knew it. But he was tired. And he didn't want to deal with Mr. Wright's attempt at being paternal.

"How do you know if you don't try?"

Apollo fake-smiled. "I got nothing."

Mr. Wright laughed. "Give it some time." Still, Mr. Wright looked like he really wanted to help Apollo feel better. He was trying. Which was more than Apollo was doing.

Apollo sighed. "My…My best friend and I…" Apollo started. He didn't know why he was even saying this. "We had this thing where we would should 'I'm fine!' at the top of our lungs whenever things weren't fine. I guess it's kind of like that."

"Yeah. I would say so."

"Except, I don't feel fine. And I can't even muster up the voice to yell that I am," Apollo said. "I hate this. And I can't say that I hate this because then Klavier will feel even more guilty."

Mr. Wright smiled. "You care about him a lot, huh?"

Not this again.

"He's leaving. In a few weeks," Apollo said. Mr. Wright looked at him in surprise.

"He is?"

"His brother got a job as a visiting professor."

A look of understanding washed over Mr. Wright's face. "Is that why you're so upset?"

"Wh-What? Why would that be why I'm upset?" Apollo said.

Mr. Wright smiled.

"I'm upset because I'm sitting here in this hospital room going crazy," Apollo continued. "You're smiling like there's something else to it. There's not. That's it," Apollo huffed hot-headedly.

"I just want to say one thing, Apollo."

"I think you already have."

Mr. Wright shook his head. He was so patient with him. It was almost annoying to Apollo. Almost. "We're all fighting our own private wars, Apollo. I know that you're fighting one right now. Trust me. I've been there."

Apollo wanted to ask and Mr. Wright looked like he wanted Apollo to ask. But he just couldn't. He didn't want to know. Knowing would make things worse. "Listen, Mr. Wright, I appreciate what you're doing, but I'm fine."

"You just said earlier that you weren't fine. Sounds like a contradiction, don't you think?" Mr. Wright said with a knowing smile.

"…I'll be fine. Is that better?" Apollo said darkly.

"Not really. But it'll have to do for now."

Apollo searched for a change of subject. Any change of subject. "Where's Trucy?" Apollo finally said. "I didn't know we had money for a babysitter," he quipped before he could stop himself. He half-expected Mr. Wright to take back his offer to adopt him.

To Apollo's surprise, Mr. Wright snorted with laughter at Apollo's quip. "She's with Miles. He's taking her to some Steel Samurai movie. Though I think it's more for him than her."

Miles? Where had Apollo heard that name before? "Is that that friend you grew up with? The prosecutor?" Apollo asked. He vaguely remembered a few mentions of him, though in the four months he'd been there, Apollo had never met the man himself.

Mr. Wright smiled. "Yeah. A friend." He sounded like he had his own personal inside joke.

Apollo looked at him oddly. But before he could say anything, Mr. Wright spoke up. "Anyway, just think about what I said. I've got to go meet up with a client, but I'll be back a little later. Trucy wants to see you for a bit. She's got some new magic tricks she wants to show you."

"That girl loves magic."

"We could all use a little magic in our lives. Anyway. Try and get some rest," Mr. Wright said. "I can bring you some work from the office if you get too bored."

Apollo's face fell. "You just told me to try and get some rest."

Mr. Wright laughed. "I'm only kidding, Apollo… I'll wait until you're home for that."

"Gee. Thanks," Apollo said sarcastically.

Another smile. "Should be back in around four hours or so." Mr. Wright started for the exit.

"Mr. Wright…?"

"You can call me Phoenix, you know."

"I know, I just…" He couldn't exactly call him Dad. Now that would be weird. But calling him by his first name also felt weird. Apollo shook his head. "Thanks. For taking me in. And…everything, I guess."

Mr. Wright-Phoenix-smiled. "I don't believe I was mistaken in doing so. And no need to thank me."

There was something in Phoenix's eyes. Wisdom, maybe? Apollo wasn't sure.

Phoenix patted Apollo's shoulder. "Like I said, Apollo. We all fight our own private wars. Just make sure you're not fighting yours in the wrong way."