"Alright, I think this is the last load!" Phoenix called, taking his kid's backpacks out of the back of the family SUV and handing it to them. "What do you guys wanna do first?"
"I wanna build a snowman!" Trucy responded gleefully, moving her feet in small circles to enjoy the pleasant crunching sound of snow underneath her boots.
"I say we do a snowball fight." Apollo said.
"Aww, no fair. I always lose." Trucy replied.
"Not if we team up against Daddy and Papa." Apollo whispered, giving Trucy a nudge that caused her to giggle.
"Well, first things first, we should get your things up to your rooms." Edgeworth said, holding the door open for them. "They'll be up the stairs and down the hall."
"What is this place again, Papa?"
"It's a distant relative's of mine." Edgeworth answered. "They thought, since we live so far away from the snow, we might like to have a white Christmas for a change. And because they're vacationing, we'll have the whole place to ourselves."
"That was nice of them." Phoenix said, taking the rear as the family hiked up the stairs.
"Yes, if you like the cold."
"Well, I love the cold!" Trucy said.
"Me too!" Apollo agreed.
"What about you, Daddy?"
"Well...let's say after a certain case involving a burning bridge, I have a few mixed feelings." Phoenix said as they reached the spare bedroom.
"Woah, you crossed a burning bridge?!"
"I did!"
"Cooool." Trucy said in awe, as she dug in her backpack in search of Mr. Hat.
"No, not cool. Dangerous! Very dangerous. He nearly gave your Papa a heart attack." Edgeworth replied sternly.
"And how is that different from any other day?"
"Very funny, Apollo."
"What? I'm right." He said to Trucy, who answered with a discreet nod.
"I think you guys are all set up." Phoenix said, straightening the quilt on one of the beds. "Go have fun, just be back before dinner, okay?"
"And come get us if you need anything."
"Okay!" Apollo and Trucy responded in unison, flying back down the stairs to put their winter gear back on. Just as Apollo finished helping Trucy tuck in her scarf, there was a knock at the door.
"Can you get that, kids?" Edgeworth called from upstairs.
Apollo turned the heavy knob to reveal...
"Mr. Gavin?!"
"Hello, Apollo! Trucy! Fancy running into you two here."
"W-What are you doing here?"
"My brother and I are staying right next door, and he noticed your father's car in the driveway. We figured we'd come by and say hello." Kristoph Gavin replied. Klavier stood behind him, wearing a cheery Santa hat.
"Oh! W...well, hi!"
"Hi, Apollo. Hi, fraulien!" Klavier waved genially from behind his brother's back.
"Who is it, guys?" Phoenix called from upstairs.
"It's Apollo's teacher and his cru-"
"Friend! Ah, my teacher and one of my friends." Apollo interjected, blushing furiously and raising his eyebrows at Trucy.
"Oh! Kristoph Gavin. What a pleasant surprise." Said Edgeworth as he walked down the stairs.
"Hello, Miles. You've met my younger brother, Klavier?"
"I don't believe I have."
"Ah...Klavier and I have Mr. Gavin's chemistry class together." Apollo said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I see. My son doesn't give you any trouble, does he?"
"Papa!"
"Oh, not at all. Apollo is one of my best students! I'm quite fond of him."
"That's good to hear. Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
"Polly and I were just about to have a snowball fight, if you wanted to join us, Klavier!"
"Ooh, okay! What do you say, fraulien? You and me against Herr Forehead?"
"Oh, no! Polly promised he'd be on my side!"
"That I did. Sorry, Klav. Two against one?"
"Oh, it's on! Achtung!"
Several hours later, Apollo and Klavier walked back inside with wet clothes, rosy cheeks, and wide smiles. Trucy had fallen asleep on Apollo's shoulder as he was carrying her up to the house.
"You're so lucky to have a little sibling. And one that you're so close to, too."
"Yeah, Trucy's great. She's one of my best friends. I don't know what I'd do without her."
"I wish my brother and I were like that. He treats me like a student, even when we're at home."
"Oh, Klav. I'm sorry. That's gotta be rough."
"It is what it is." Klavier shrugged.
"I'm gonna go put her to bed. I'll be right back, okay?"
"Alright."
Apollo went up the stairs and laid Trucy down in one of the beds, carefully slipping her coat and boots off and tucking the blankets around her.
"She's out like a light." He said as he joined Klavier back at the threshold. "Thanks for playing with her, I'm sure she loved it."
"I enjoyed it, too. Your family is so sweet. And...you're not too bad, yourself."
Apollo felt the heat rising to his cheeks.
"T-thanks."
He looked up at the ceiling to avoid meeting his eyes, and instead found...
"Mistletoe. Pretty romantic, ja?" Klavier said with a teasing grin.
"Y-yeah."
"May I?"
Apollo could only give a wide-eyed nod, anything else and his heart would burst out of his chest.
Klavier brought his lips to his. They were soft and sweet, and tasted of the peppermint sticks they shared on the walk home. Apollo deepened the kiss and brought his hand to Klavier's cheek, until they were interrupted by a brief interlude of giggling from upstairs.
"Trucy!" Apollo called, bringing a hand to his burning face.
"I didn't see anything!"
"You're darn right you didn't. J-just don't tell Daddy and Papa, please?"
"My lips are sealed." She responded, turning the corner back to their bedroom.
Klavier chuckled to himself before reaching over to squeeze Apollo's hand.
"Merry Christmas, Apollo." He said, with one last kiss to his cheek before closing the door behind him.