When I started writing this chapter, it was summer. Now, it's fall. Man, I need to get my head in the game. By the way, I highly recommend getting vaccinated if you haven't yet and in the meantime, please stay safe and wear a mask in public. Thank you for listening to this public service announcement. I have officially dated this chapter. Back to the story.
Chapter Seventeen – I'm a Prisoner, Come Get Me, Set Me Free
Klavier
I wished I could have immediately flown to mein Apollo's side. Unfortunately, I had a lot of work now that the trial was over. There was still the paperwork and Herr Edgeworth had me working all these other cases as well. Which meant that I could not drop everything and go comfort him. I would have to leave that to Fraulein Trucy at the moment.
It felt like the rest of the day dragged on forever. I kept getting endless phone calls from reporters asking about the case. And then Fraulein Skye told me that they had brought Herr Shmoot in for further questioning, though I doubted we would get anything new from him. Herr Edgeworth came into my office at some point to make sure I was doing ok and honestly I don't remember what I told him.
When it was finally time to call it quits for the day, I was practically rushing out the door. I had sent Apollo at least fifteen texts to make sure he was alright during the brief periods that I had to myself and I never got a single response from him. I had to make sure he wasn't in any type of danger.
I nearly flew down the hallway to where I had parked my bike and I'll admit I may have gone just a tad bit too quickly down the road in my rush. Thankfully, I remembered Apollo's address from our first night together, and I even somehow managed to recall the floor and apartment number.
I was out of breath by the time I finally managed to make it up to his apartment. Taking a moment to gulp in large amounts of air, I straightened, made myself presentable, and knocked on the door.
It seemed to take ages for Apollo to answer the door. It took so long that I started to wonder if he was even home before I suddenly heard movement on the other side of the door. Then it finally opened just a tad and I could see Apollo's beautiful brown eyes peeking out.
"K-Klavier!" He gasped.
"Hello, Apollo," I started to greet him before he suddenly opened the door a bit wider, seized the front of my shirt and dragged me into his apartment. He slammed the door behind him and locked it and I was thrown into darkness for a moment before he clicked on a light.
Any question I might have had about his strange behavior died in my throat when I saw him. He had already looked worse for wear from across the courtroom, but up close I could see the dark circles under his eyes and his hair being less tidy than normal. All of his clothes were loose and his eyes were red. He was completely falling apart.
"A-Apollo, what happened?" I stammered. "What's wrong?"
Apollo didn't answer right away and instead began pacing the room. He had his arms wrapped tightly around himself and his eyes had a haunted look in them.
"Apollo?" I called to him, unsure of what to do.
"I-I don't know what to do, Klavier," he said. "I don't know what to do anymore. I just ruined a man's life and now… I just don't know what to do."
"Y-You were trying to save him, Apollo," I told him gently, taking a step towards him. "You were just doing your job as a defense attorney. That trial could have dragged on much longer if you hadn't spoken up."
"I humiliated him," Apollo growled, whipping around to glare at me. "His wife was in the audience! I just blurted out his secret in front of an audience full of people! All for what? To keep my own dignity? So I could finally rid myself of this entire blasted trial? He was begging me for my help and I let him down!"
He collapsed onto his couch with a groan. I stared down at him with dismay. I honestly didn't know what to say to him. It was heart-breaking to see him like this. So emotionally destroyed by just one case. What had brought him to this?
"Apollo," I said gently, going over and sitting down next to him. "You're being too hard on yourself. Maybe it was a secret that needed to get out. If the killer blackmailed him before, then he could surely do it again with the same secret. But now you have given the killer no ammo. Herr Curity can be free from his grasp."
Apollo, instead of looking reassured just let out a sigh and muttered, "If only that were true," under his breath. I struggled to understand what he meant by that. That had to be true, didn't it? There was no more blackmail. Herr Curity would still have to answer to his own mistakes, but he was no longer a killer.
"You've been working too hard, Apollo," I told him, putting a hand over his. "Why don't I take you back to my place and we can both relax in each other's arms?"
Apollo snapped his head over to look at me with wide, panic-filled eyes.
"N-No!" He exclaimed. "I-I mean… I'd rather just be alone right now, Klav." I stared back at him with surprise. Was Apollo really this torn up about what had happened during the trial? Was there something else going on that he wasn't telling me?
"Ok, we don't have to go back to my place," I reassured him. "But there is no way I am leaving you alone tonight. You're too distraught. You need to relax before you do something you might regret."
"I already have done something I've regretted," he muttered under his breath, leaning back into the couch. I stared at him for a long moment before leaning over and kissing him gently. I heard his breath catch in his throat, but he didn't fight me.
"You did everything you could," I told him. "Even Herr Wright and Herr Edgeworth had trials that they regret. The important thing is that you got your client off the hook. He will still have to reap what he's sown, but he will be a free man in a short while. You saved an innocent man. Isn't that enough?"
He stared down at the floor for a long moment as he tried to force a smile at me.
"Thanks, Klav," he muttered. "That means a lot to me."
I smiled as well at him before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He slightly relaxed into my touch and kissed me back. We held each other for a long moment before I finally pulled back.
"Now then, what can I do to make you feel better?" I asked him. A shade of pink tinted his face and he looked away.
"You don't have to do anything," he replied.
"I know I don't have to," I said with a frown. "But I want to. Just name it. I'll even do a silly dance in a clown costume if that will cheer you up."
He laughed in reply. It was a genuine laugh, not bitter or forced, and I loved it. I couldn't help but grin when I heard that beautiful laugh, and I laughed alongside him.
"You know, I kind of want to see that now, I'm not gonna lie," he laughed.
"Just find me a clown costume and I'll do it," I replied with a smile. He laughed again. It was so harmonious, his laugh. It sent butterflies fluttering through me. Then he let out a sigh.
"Honestly, I don't know what I want right now," he said, the smile disappearing from his face. "I want to fix what I did, but I just don't know what I can do to fix it." He put his hands to his face and further leaned back into the couch. "I wish there was something I could do."
I frowned and leaned over to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You need to stop worrying about it, Schatz," I said. "Right now, the best thing you can do is get your mind off of things. It's just going to continue to eat away at you if you don't."
He lowered his hands with a sigh. "You're probably right," he muttered.
"I know I'm right," I replied, briefly pressing my face to his. I gave him my best charming smile as I looked at him. "So, I am completely yours to command. What do you want to do to get your mind off of things?"
He smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by my cell phone going off. With a sigh and a "hold on a minute," I pulled it out, checked the Caller ID and answered it.
"Hallo, Sparky," I greeted my bandmate. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong?" He replied. "I was going to ask you the same thing! We're supposed to be at band practice, remember? For our farewell concert? It was your idea, after all." I slapped my forehead.
"Ach! I had completely forgotten!" I said, chastising myself. "But I can't leave now! I'm… in the middle of something important."
"You can leave if you have to," Apollo murmured. "I'll be fine by myself."
I stared in dismay at him as Sparky complained at me on the other end. I couldn't leave Apollo alone, but I couldn't blow off Sparky and the others as well! Then I had an idea and I quickly made up my mind.
"I'll be there in ten, Sparks," I told him. "Don't start without me."
"You better be," Sparky growled in response. "I'm holding you to it." We both hung up.
"Sounds like you have to go," Apollo said with a sad sort of smile.
"Well, that's true, but I was thinking maybe you could come with me," I suggested to him. "It's just practice for the Gavinner's farewell concert. You can get a sneak peek at what we'll be playing, I'll show you my dressing room, and then if anyone asks, I can just say it's a special favor for helping out Sparks."
Apollo looked at me uncertainly, clearly wanting to refuse. I held my breath as he contemplated my offer, and he eventually let out a long sigh.
"I suppose it can't hurt," he replied and I sighed with relief. "Just… give me a minute to get ready. I don't want to go out looking like this."
"Of course," I said with a smile. "Take all the time you need."
I personally thought he always looked amazing, but I was not going to argue with him. Especially when he was finally starting to calm down from the whole ordeal. He slowly got up and shuffled towards his bedroom. He reappeared a few minutes later and what he was wearing took my breath away.
I had never ever seen Apollo dressed so casually before. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a red hoodie, with baggy jeans and sneakers. His hair fell over his eyes so that I hardly recognized him. I absolutely adored it. I had to fight the urge to immediately throw him up against a wall and do him right then and there.
"Wow, you look amazing," I breathed. "I mean, you looked amazing before, but now you're a different kind of amazing!" He blushed at my words and it was so adorable.
"I wouldn't say any of that," he muttered. "I just thought there'd be a harder chance of someone recognizing me if I went casual."
"Well, I think it worked," I replied with a smile. "Now then, shall we get going?"
Apollo replied with a shrug and an "I suppose." He made sure to lock up everything once we stepped out of his apartment. We were about half-way down the stairs when he suddenly stopped and turned to me, a shy look on his face.
"Um… you didn't ride your motorcycle here… did you?" He asked. I grinned at him.
"Of course I did," I replied. "I had to get here as quickly as possible, after all."
He blushed and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like "fuck" under his breath as I took his hand and continued leading him towards the entrance of the building. Thankfully, I still had the extra helmet for him, though it took him several minutes before he could actually climb onto my hog. I smiled to myself as I felt his arms wrap tightly around my waist (I loved that feeling!) and I was sure to drive slowly as I took off down the street.
His breathing was still wildly out of control by the time we got to the Sunshine Coliseum, but started to slow once I found a parking spot. I kept a sharp eye out as Apollo shakily got off my hog and stored the helmet away. Then I led the way towards the building, or, more appropriately, the backstage entrance.
"We're a little late, but hopefully no one will notice you coming in," I told him.
"Weren't you going to be having your farewell concert at the Arena?" Apollo asked as we made our way down one of the corridors towards the stage.
"We were," I replied. "But we decided to move it here since the Arena is still a crime scene. Plus, this place is bigger and tickets to the concert were quickly sold out. This way, we'll get to say good-bye to more of our fans."
"What about Daryan?" Apollo asked after a moment of hesitation. This caught me off guard and I nearly stumbled over my own feet.
"Wh-What about Daryan?" I repeated.
"He's still in jail, right?" He said, staring at the ground. "Are you going to replace him, or are you just not going to have a second guitar?"
"Well, there's always the third option," I joked. "Put him in a distracting amount of chains and have thirty guns trained on him at all times." He burst out laughing at that and I giggled alongside him. It was nice to see him smile again. I was afraid I was never going to hear that beautiful laugh ever again. "No, we're having a guest guitarist playing with us."
"That's good," he said in a much quieter voice.
We reached the stage where the rest of the band was waiting for me. Aside from Sparky and I, there was also Jeremiah Keyes on the bass and our guest player, Isabelle Donna, whom I felt was going to be a great, burning star one day.
"Where have you been?" Jeremiah asked with a frown. "You know we can't start without you! We've been standing around for nearly half an hour!"
"I had important business to take care of," I told them. "You know how hectic it can be after a case. There's so much paperwork and interviews and such."
Sparky and Jeremiah muttered their agreements, knowing exactly what that was like, and they thankfully didn't notice Apollo breaking away to go sit in the audience. I stared after him for a moment before picking up my guitar and joining the rest of the band on stage.
"We'll do a quick run-through of the entire set, starting with the second half," I told them. "Now, are you ready? Because it's time to rock!"
The hall slowly but steadily filled with the sound of music. I squinted through the bright lights towards the blackness of the empty floor, and I could barely make out the shape of Apollo in the back, watching us. I couldn't make out his expression, and I hoped he was enjoying himself and not thinking about… other things.
I could occasionally see him raise his fingers to his ears when we got to our particularly loud songs, and I couldn't help but smile. I knew Apollo didn't like our music, but the fact that he was here anyway made my heart swell. I had to have us practice the second set, because I didn't want the surprise I had for him to be spoiled until the actual concert. Besides, the second half was the half that dear Isabelle was struggling the most, and we wanted her to be perfect by the time the concert began.
Thankfully, everything was coming along nicely and by the time we were finished playing through our set list, I felt we were ready for the concert. I apologized to my bandmates once again for showing up late, then I made my way towards the back of the house where mein Schatzi waited for me.
"So, what did you think, Schatzi?" I asked him with a smile.
"You know, it's a lot better when there aren't thousands of girls screaming in your ears," he said and I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Thanks for bringing me," he added. I couldn't help but lean over and give him a gentle kiss.
"Anytime, Schatz," I replied. "But the night is not over yet. Let me show you my dressing room! I get my own private one this time."
He let out a sigh. "Yeah, why not," he replied. I grinned and took his hand, eager to show him my world and desperate to get the bad taste of the disastrous trial out of my mouth. And I was determined to get him to forget his part in it, no matter what.
I'm going to end this chapter right here because I desperately need to get another chapter out and the next part I want to be in Apollo's point of view. So yeah, hope you didn't feel like you were waiting too long for this.
I've finished writing my novel and editing it, and I've been sending it out to agents to look over. That's been taking up a lot of my time, as well as work and the rest of my life, which is why it's taken a while to update my stuff. And I've recently been obsessed with Danganronpa, which has not helped.
Anyway, hopefully I'll get the next chapter out a little faster because I actually know what's going to happen in it. Until then, stay safe, everyone!
