Apollo Justice liked to consider himself a normal, rational human being, who inexplicably knew some of the strangest people in the world. However, all the time he was spending on this peculiar text message was making him doubt that analysis.

See, getting a text from Klavier wasn't so weird on its own. The two of them often messaged back and forth, talking about music, asking for case advice, and simply checking in. Klavier would send pictures of Vongole. Apollo would return with pictures of Mikeko (and at Trucy's behest, the occasional one of Charley). Despite everything they'd been through together, or perhaps, because of it, they were friends.

But this message seemed out of character. As eccentric as Klavier could be, the Wrights were far weirder people, as far as Apollo was concerned. It all felt bizarre.

Wordlessly, he opened the messenger app on his phone again, trying to determine what to do about it. In the half hour since he'd received it, he hadn't actually done much else. It was a good thing that the Agency didn't have any business at the moment, or someone might have said he was slacking.

...Actually, Phoenix would happily do that any day. Something about the toilet not cleaning itself. God, the Wrights were so weird.

Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose and read the text for the umpteenth time.

"My dearest Forehead. I have a favour to ask of you, and I hope you will be kind enough to grant it. Meet me in the courthouse at midnight. I will tell you everything then. Danke sehr."

It wasn't a normal request. Klavier had needed favours at other points, usually dealing with uncooperative witnesses, or evidence that made absolutely no sense, etcetera etcetera. And hey, if the defendant wasn't Apollo's client, he was happy to provide advice. Klavier would do the same for him when he wasn't prosecuting whatever batshit case Apollo had this month.

But when they needed to meet in person, it was at one of their respective offices, or at a tiny local coffee shop. 'Meet me in the courthouse at midnight' was out of the blue and confusing.

...Fuck it. Trucy and Athena were out getting magic props for Trucy's next show, and Phoenix was allegedly off bothering the Chief Prosecutor. The only eavesdropper in the agency at the moment was Charley. Apollo dialled Klavier's number and sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers.

As the phone rang, Apollo started to wonder if this was some stupid joke. The rest of the agency liked to tease him for taking everything way too seriously all the time. In Apollo's opinion, of course he took everything seriously. He was a lawyer! Wasn't that in the job description?

"Guten tag, Herr Forehead," Klavier's gentle voice startled Apollo out of his reverie. As he scrambled to organize his thoughts, the prosecutor asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Apollo sighed. "I got your text. What's going on with you?"

Klavier replied, "Good, I was beginning to worry she had been lost to the wind. You usually answer me so quickly."

"I usually have my phone on me," Apollo pointed out. He was still tapping his fingers on the desk. It was eating at him. "Are you messing with me? Or do you actually need my help?"

Klavier, to his credit, sounded the same as always, but that didn't stop Apollo's bracelet from tightening around his wrist. "Ach, you wound me, Forehead. You think my request is nothing but a joke?"

Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Prosecutor Gavin, I really don't have time to play games with you. Do you actually want me to come to the courthouse at midnight? Or is this a prank?"

"I am completely serious," Klavier replied. The bracelet was still. "I'll make sure it's easy for you to get inside, ja? It's very important."

God, this was getting weirder and weirder. Apollo sighed deeply. "Fine. But if you're just screwing with me, I'll never help you again."

Klavier's voice was lower than usual when he responded. "I assure you, Forehead. This is a genuine request. And there is nobody else I can ask. So… be there. Bitte."

Nobody else he could ask? Apollo asked, "Is this about a case?"

His bracelet threatened to jump off his wrist when Klavier said, "You could put it like that. Auf Wiedersehen, Forehead. I must be going."

He hung up before Apollo could say goodbye. He rubbed his wrist, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Even over the phone, he could tell that something was up, and he didn't have Athena's super hearing. What a mess.

Apparently, the only way for him to find out what was happening in Klavier's head was to go to the courthouse tonight. He had to admit, it sounded very illegal. Even if the prosecutor was going to make it easy for him to get in after hours, it still wasn't very safe.

...This was going to drive him crazy for the next eight hours, wasn't it? Apollo grit his teeth and pressed his head down on his desk, wondering if it was too late to call Klavier back and tell him that there was no way in hell he was doing this.

At that moment, the front door swung open. Apollo didn't have to look up to know that Trucy was the one skipping inside; he could recognize the sound of her boots hitting the carpet anywhere.

"Hey, Polly! Wow, someone's exhausted."

Apollo raised his head off the desk, his lips turning up at the sight of her. She lightly bopped im on the head with a large magic staff. "Hey, Truce. You find everything you needed?"

Trucy beamed. "Yeah! Athena did such a great job. We're gonna blow people's minds at my next show!"

"I can't wait to see it," Apollo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you'll knock 'em dead out there."

Trucy frowned slightly, worry crossing her face. "Polly? You're acting funny. Did something happen while we were gone? New crazy case?"

"No, no case," Apollo said, which was true if only because he had no idea what Klavier wanted with him. "I'm just stressed over something."

Trucy put her hands on her hips. "You know you can't fool me, mister."

Apollo really fucking hated working in an office full of living lie detectors. Seriously, what the hell were the odds of that? He wondered if he could get away with a half truth. "Prosecutor Gavin's bugging me for advice again. I'm just nervous it'll turn into another fiasco."

Trucy nodded sympathetically. "Ooh, I bet. I still can't believe how important those frozen chickens ended up being for his case."

Apollo groaned. "Please don't remind me. I still have nightmares about being detained by that security guard."

Trucy giggled. It seemed that her suspicions had been entirely diverted, but one could never be too careful. Apollo was well aware of the girl's ability to mask how she was really feeling.

At that moment, Athena walked in with a large box, and Trucy ran over to help her with it. Apollo prayed that she wouldn't pry about the conversation, because the second she heard discord in his voice, it was over.

He glanced at his phone. Apollo sighed, grabbed it, and set alarms for the evening. Whatever Klavier wanted with him, it had better be worth it.

Apollo got to the courthouse at five minutes to midnight. He locked up his bike at the rack and went up the steps, heart pounding in his chest. He'd spent the entire trip there trying to change his own mind and turn around, but it looked like he was seeing this mess through to the end. Go figure.

He pushed the doors open, surprised when they actually opened for him. Had Klavier unlocked them, or was this some kind of security risk? He tried not to think about the implications of that as he went inside.

Only the emergency lights on the walls were on. The rest of the building was bathed in darkness, preventing him from seeing if someone was lurking in the shadows.

Apollo reached for his phone and opened the messenger app.

"I'm here. Where are you?"

"Courtroom no. 3."

That was where State versus Misham had been held. Apollo was getting an acrid feeling of rot in his throat. With Klavier, something like that wasn't a coincidence. What the hell had he dragged himself into?

Apollo put his phone away and made his way through the dark halls, leaning on the walls the whole way. When he finally did reach Courtroom no. 3, the rot in his throat had become churning in his stomach as well. No actual court case had ever made him this nervous.

Klavier was waiting inside, standing at the Prosecutor's bench. That did not make the situation any better.

"What the hell is going on?" was not what he wanted the first words out of his mouth to be, but it was too late. He got closer to Klavier, trying to get a good look at him. It was still dark in here, but he could see that the blond was ever so slightly disheveled.

Klavier tilted his head back, allowing hair to fall over his eyes. "It is, in a sense, a case. Won't you stand at your bench, Forehead?"

Apollo rubbed his forehead. If it wasn't for how sad the man's voice seemed, he'd wonder aloud if this was supposed to be Klavier Gavin's magic show. Instead, he crossed to the defence bench, squinting in the dark.

"Something has been bothering me these past few weeks," Klavier said quietly, still not looking in his direction. "It has consumed me to the point that I cannot sleep at night. I need someone to help me resolve this, and you are the only one I can ask."

Apollo frowned. "You mentioned that before. I'll do what I can, but… seriously, why the courthouse? How did you even pull this off? I didn't have to dodge security on the way."

Klavier chuckled, but it didn't contain any mirth. "I called in some favours. It is not a problem, ja? We will face no trouble."

Well, fine. Even if Apollo didn't totally get it yet, that slightly eased the tension in his stomach. "Okay. What's this case? It has to be something big if it's consumed you."

"Ach, right to the point with you. The case itself was resolved more than a year ago. State versus Misham," Klavier began, snapping his fingers rhythmically. Apollo's nerves returned. "But I came to a realization recently."

Apollo could already see where this was going. "It's about Kristoph, isn't it?"

Klavier forced a smile. "Isn't that always the case, Herr Forehead? Ja, my brother is set on haunting me forever, it seems."

Kristoph was set to be executed within the next year. Premeditated murder perpetrated by poison was an offence that warranted capital punishment, and it was not the only strike on Kristoph's record. Apollo did not like thinking about it.

Klavier tilted his head back again. "I am going to lay out my thoughts, and you are either going to tell me I am crazy, or help me prove it. Please, Apollo. I am desperate."

This did reek of desperation, but considering he came all the way here for it, he really was going to hear the man out. He nodded. "Okay. You can… give your opening statement?"

Klavier's chuckle was brief. "Of course. The prosecution is ready to rock. In the spring of 2019, Kristoph Gavin obtained atroquinine to poison Drew and Vera Misham. The question is… how?"

That seemed like an easy question. Apollo replied, "He tainted the Gramarye stamp and the nail polish. Testing solution proved positive."

Klavier shook his head. "That is not what I meant. How did Kris obtain atroquinine in the first place, is what I am trying to figure out. It is not easy to come by."

"I don't know that much about it," Apollo admitted, "It's slow acting and fatal at two micrograms. That's why Vera was in so much danger."

Klavier said, "That is all correct. But there are plenty of potent poisons. Why not potassium cyanide? Or rat poison? Something that could not be traced to him so quickly?"

Deep in Apollo's chest was the answer, and one that Klavier probably wouldn't like. He had worked with both Gavins, and there was a way they were very much alike, hair and face aside. They were both extreme perfectionists. He couldn't prove this, but wasn't it possible that Kristoph thought only atroquinine could do the job correctly? It was awful to think.

...Wait, this wasn't a real trial. He didn't need solid proof. "Kristoph's a perfectionist. Maybe he didn't think anything else would be good enough."

"Ach, I suppose so. You noticed how he gets too?" Klavier asked.

"I worked for him for a year. It'd be really hard not to," Apollo pointed out. Though it was a long time ago now, he remembered his stint at Gavin Law Offices all too well. He was Kristoph's only employee, and thus, always had his full attention. The man's standards were high, and Apollo hadn't always been able to meet them as a rookie. He distantly recalled one afternoon where he misfiled one of Kristoph's cases, and paid for it severely.

He still had the marks on his knuckles. They didn't hurt anymore, at least.

"But that still leaves me in the dark," Klavier said suddenly. Apollo jumped, hoping the man hadn't been talking while his brain drifted off. He thought about making a quip about turning on the lights in here, but decided it was in poor taste. He was getting used to it anyways.

Apollo tapped his forehead. "It's odd. You said it's hard to come by?"

Klavier nodded. "Extremely. How well do you remember State versus Tobaye, Forehead?"

"I think Machi would be pretty upset if I forgot his case," Apollo said, tilting his head. "What does this have to do with what we were talking about?"

Klavier kept going, playing with his hair, as though he'd meticulously prepared all this on a shiny PowerPoint. Actually, scratch that. He'd definitely done that. "Then I trust you remember the cocoon that Herr Pixie and Daryan smuggled into the country?"

Apollo folded his arms. "It was the only thing that could save the Chief Justice's son. I feel like you lost me somewhere along the way."

"The cocoons… also produce a very potent poison, which is why their export is illegal," Klavier replied gravely. He absently looked to the side as the weight of his words sunk in.

"Atroquinine comes from Borginian cocoons. That's what you're saying," Apollo said. His mouth was starting to feel dry from the unsaid implications of it all.

Klavier's laugh sounded like he was barely holding himself together. "You see my point, ja? In December 2018, a shipment of cocoons ended up on the American black market."

Apollo tapped his fingers on the defence bench. "Okay, but that doesn't completely add up. I mean, Kristoph was all about his image. It was so precise and calculated. Would he really risk getting involved with the black market?"

He could already see the problem with his statement. It wasn't 'would Kristoph obtain a cocoon on the black market?' it was 'how did Kristoph get the cocoon without tarnishing his reputation?' It was making him feel sick again.

Klavier's voice was low. "It does not seem that way, nein. I believe he must have had a supplier. Someone on the inside he could make a deal with… probably for an obscene amount of money."

Kristoph had paid a hundred thousand dollars for a forged diary page. Money did not seem to be an issue for him. Apollo said, "This is just… crazy. Kristoph never seemed like that kind of person when I worked for him."

"Kris never seemed like a murderer to me either," Klavier said bitterly, "And yet, he is one. Who would have thought?"

Apollo looked down at the marks on his knuckles again. The misfiling hadn't been the only time Kristoph's temper had suddenly flared up. There were more lines on his back and shoulders. All easily explained away by a clumsy legal aid with too much energy on his hands.

He'd never told anyone what Kristoph did. In the moment, it had seemed like he deserved it, and after the fact, Apollo didn't think it would have been worth it to try and add assault charges to his ex-mentor's record. It couldn't be proved where the scars came from anyways. Kristoph was careful, even in his anger.

"You think someone smuggled a cocoon for Kristoph," Apollo said slowly, trying not to think about the past. He was here to observe this in objective terms. All of this wasn't about him, it was about Klavier.

Klavier's hands drifted up to his bangs, and Apollo felt his bracelet buzz, ever so slightly., "You already know what I'm going to say. I've looked at the flight records. Daryan was in Borginia when the large cocoon shipment hit the black market, and I've always felt that State versus Tobaye was not his first gig."

Apollo took a deep breath. "Crescend was Kristoph's supplier nine years ago. That's your accusation."

"Do you understand why it has kept me up at night, Forehead?" Klavier replied. His smile was like something out of a horror movie, and he was shaking considerably. Like he was at the end of his rope. "Now, bitte. Prove me wrong."

Apollo raised a brow and said, "I thought you asked me here to help you solve this."

Klavier said, "I need you and your impossible turnabouts. I need you to take this rock solid case and crack it open, and tell me that I've finally gone crazy."

"I'll do whatever I can, Klavier," Apollo said, digging his nails into the bench. "But you said before that you wanted the truth, right?"

Klavier tilted his head back. "This is why you are the only person I could ask. I know you'll pull the truth from the ground whether I like it or not, ja?"

At this point, he was known for that, wasn't he? Apollo recounted what he's heard, trying to figure out where to start. "Let's see. Do you have any evidence that Crescend was involved with the smuggling nine years ago? Aside from him coincidentally being in Borginia."

Klavier glanced down. It looked like he was trying to read documents. "I do not. He was working on the force back then, but that is not proof of much."

"But he would have been seventeen then!" Apollo responded.

"Ja? I prosecuted my first case at seventeen," Klavier replied easily, like they weren't both painfully aware of said case. "You know, the Gavinners did not always have my name attached to it. Our shitty little concept was always that we came from all walks of law enforcement."

Apollo said, "Even with that in mind, that still doesn't prove that Crescend was involved. Did Kristoph even know him?"

Klavier thought for a moment. "They had met twice, to my knowledge. I always had the impression they did not like each other very much. But that was to be expected with how different they were… Kris always told me Daryan was a terrible influence on me."

Apollo's bracelet felt tight, but that sounded like typical Kristoph. It wasn't conclusive either way, though. All the evidence before them was circumstantial. Apollo ran through ideas in his head, looking for another angle. "I don't suppose you've actually tried asking them."

"I haven't seen Kris in half a year, and I intend to keep it that way," Klavier said, sighing. His fingers drifted up to his bangs again. "And Daryan has refused all my attempts to visit."

The bracelet tightened around his wrist yet again. Apollo winced, and did his best to focus on Klavier. This wasn't a coincidence, or a result of general nerves. There was something he was trying to keep hidden, something below the surface. He placed his fingers on the bracelet, then asked, "Could you repeat what you just said?"

Klavier nodded, though he looked confused. "I haven't seen Kris in half a year, and I intend to keep it that way. And Daryan has refused all my attempts to visit."

Klavier started to play with his hair as soon as he said 'Daryan.'

Gotcha.

"You're keeping something from me," Apollo said, tapping his bracelet. "I don't know if you're intentionally lying or not, but… you have a certain tell."

Klavier's smile was empty. "Ja, Forehead? I should have known that I wasn't immune to your little magic trick. Go on, what's my nervous tic?"

Apollo said, "Whenever you say Crescend's name, you start running your fingers through your hair. And only then, too. Something about him in particular is making you tense."

Klavier sighed and covered his face with his hand. "I suppose my shark still causes me trouble, even after all this time."

Apollo cocked his head. "Your shark? What are you—"

Klavier shrugged off part of his jacket, exposing a mark on his shoulder. Even with Apollo's eyesight, it was tricky to see at this distance, so he left the bench and approached him. Up close, it looked like bite scars. His voice was low and rough. "I made armbands very popular by constantly covering this up. Daryan… Would use me as an outlet for his anger, every now and again. Nothing that could be easily seen, of course."

Apollo silently held up his own battered knuckles. Klavier gently took hold of his hands and looked down at the injuries with a soft, fearful curiosity. Apollo murmured, "Kristoph left more proof, but I'd have to take off my shirt, and we're already in a dark courtroom in the middle of the night. People would talk."

"People do little else," Klavier said gently. He opened his arms, and after a moment of hesitation, Apollo hugged him. The taller man rested his chin on his head, and the two stood silently in the courtroom.

Still in Klavier's embrace, Apollo whispered, "I don't have the answers. I don't think I have enough to prove one way or another what happened nine years ago."

Klavier gently stroked Apollo's hair. "I am not upset, Forehead. Thank you for listening to the woeful ramblings of a washed up rockstar."

The nickname felt more tender and affectionate than it had on its previous uses. Apollo's eyes stung, but judging by how Klavier was shaking, he wasn't the only one being brought to tears.

"We should get out of here," Apollo said, "It's… really really late. And I'm expected at the office first thing in the morning."

Klavier replied, "I agree, and I am sorry for keeping your from the sweet embrace of dreams. But I do not think I can go home in good conscience tonight."

Apollo pulled out of his arms. "Then you can come with me. Crash on my couch. If you can't sleep, I've got a bunch of DVDs."

Klavier looked stunned at the invitation. "I… Are you certain? I've already imposed on you long enough with this stunt."

Apollo smiled wearily and tugged on his arm. "Come on. You can play with Mikeko."

The two men exited the courthouse slowly, stumbling into a wall here and there. When they got outside, Apollo took a moment to embrace the light of the moon and the city street lamps. It was still dark, but much easier to see.

"Apollo?" Klavier said suddenly. His eyes were a little bit red. "Thank you. For everything."

Apollo blinked. "You already said that. It's not a big deal, really. More than anything, I want to know that you'll be safe until morning."

Klavier laughed. "I don't just mean for tonight. I mean for all you've done for me. You may find it hard to believe… but I do not have many friends."

"Well, you've got the whole agency on your side. And aren't you friends with Prosecutor Blackquill now?" Apollo replied.

Klavier hummed softly. "That is not quite what I meant. Rather… I am very glad that you were the one by my side throughout it all. I could not have made it without you."

Apollo smiled. "I could say the same to you. If you hadn't been willing to help me along, I'm sure I would've been completely lost."

"It is lucky that fate brought us together, ja?" Klavier said. There was a small twinkle in his eyes, one that hadn't been present earlier in the night. Even if it was only a little bit, he seemed to be feeling better than before.

Apollo took his hand. "I'm glad I met you too."