Chapter Text
August 20th, 2022
8:00 AM
Klavier Gavin’s Apartment
Bedroom
Apollo groaned as a shrill series of beeps dragged him out of sleep, shoving his boyfriend’s shoulder a bit.
“Klavier, turn that thing off...”
Klavier groaned, then turned over and picked up his phone, turning off the alarm.
“Sorry, Schatz...” He smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Guten Morgen, though.”
“No, it’s not morning, it’s too early...”
His boyfriend chuckled, then kissed his cheek, followed by his jaw.
“Come on, Apollo, it’s time to wake up and face the day...”
“I’ll face it at nine, lemme sleep...” Apollo protested, though he was keeping his eyes open just a tiny bit.
Klavier sighed, then smirked, his hand moving to Apollo’s hip under the covers.
“Perhaps I’ll just have to resort to some creative measures to wake you up...”
Apollo shivered, suddenly realizing they were both still completely naked under the blanket thanks to last night’s events.
I mean, it wasn’t the first time we did that, but still...
“K-Klavier...”
His boyfriend kissed him, moving to get on top of him. His hands moved to his chest, tracing lines over the scars there. Apollo flushed, then tangled his hands in Klavier’s hair as he deepened the kiss, rolling his hips against Klavier’s and eliciting a moan from him.
“A-Apollo... Schatz, c-can I-?”
“Y-You better. You’re the one that insisted on getting me all riled up...”
Klavier grinned, kissing him firmly as his hands started straying downward. Apollo moved to wrap his arms around his neck just as Klavier’s cell phone rang.
Apollo groaned.
“How many alarms did you set?”
“Just the one, someone’s calling me.”
“Please tell me you’re gonna let it go to voicemail.”
“Well, I’m kind of using my mouth for more fun things right now...”
Apollo blushed all the way to the roots of his hair and down to his collarbone, but he grinned as Klavier resumed kissing him, tilting his head a bit for better access.
Then the phone rang again.
“Oh, come on!”
Klavier sighed, pulling away and getting on his knees.
“It’s probably Detective Fulbright or your papa with a case...” He reached over, answering the phone. “Hello? This is Prosecutor-! Trucy? Trucy, slow down, I can’t understand you.”
“My sister?”
“Y-Yes, he’s here with me, and I won’t tell you what we were-! Okay, okay, bad joke, sorry! Just... okay, I hear you, give me a second!”
Klavier sighed, handing the phone to Apollo.
“It’s for you.”
Apollo blinked, sitting up and taking the phone from his boyfriend.
“Sis?”
“P-Polly! It’s a disaster!”
“A disaster...? Truce, I swear, if this is about, like, the Iron Samurai getting cancelled or something-!”
“The Iron Samurai is fine, butthead! But it’s a lot worse than that!”
“Can it wait? I was kind of in the middle of something...”
“First of all, ew, and second... s-second...”
He heard sniffling, and Apollo’s heart dropped.
“T-Trucy, are you crying? What’s wrong? Do you need me to beat someone up? Just give me a name and I’ll-!”
“P-Polly, it’s... it’s Daddy...”
“Dad? What happened to Dad, is he in the hospital again?”
“N-No, he’s... he’s in the detention center.”
“... Trucy, Dad’s a lawyer. That’s where he goes to meet clients.”
“He’s not visiting! He’s being held there!”
His heart stopped.
“Wh... What?”
“Polly... Daddy got arrested. They... they think he killed someone...”
Apollo nearly dropped the phone, his eyes going wide as all the air in his lungs escaped at once.
“They think he... T-Trucy, what happened?”
“I... I... P-Polly, I’m scared...”
“Sis, hey, just breathe, alright? Is Papa with you?”
“H-He’s talking with the police department right now... he’s really upset, a-and he’s saying it’s impossible for Daddy to have done it, but there’s a witness, a-and evidence, and-!”
“Trucy. Where are you?”
“The detention center... Daddy’s in questioning right now, I don’t know what to do...”
“Okay. Hold on, alright? I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.”
“I-I love you too...”
Apollo said goodbye to his sister, then hung up.
“Where are my pants?”
“Uh, the living room, I think... Schatz, what happened?”
“My dad’s been arrested on suspicion of murder.” Apollo told him as he got out of bed, walking over and pulling some clothes out of the drawer that had been designated as his last month.
“Wh-What?! H-Herr Wright is... that’s not possible!”
“I know. Trucy’s at the detention center scared out of her mind, and Papa is yelling at detectives to get their heads out of their asses. I’m going over there to find out what the fuck is going on and help her calm down.”
Klavier got out of bed.
“I’m going with you.”
“Klavier, you’re a-!”
“A prosecutor, ja, but that does not matter now. Herr Wright is more than just my boyfriend’s dad or my boss’ husband, he is... he is one of the people that helped me get away from my abuser.”
Apollo felt his expression soften a bit.
“Klav...”
“I owe Herr Wright a great deal, Apollo. I may even owe him my life... and I know he’d never kill anyone, no matter the circumstances. I want to help.”
After a moment, Apollo nodded.
“Okay. How fast can you do your hair?”
Klavier grinned.
“Race you.” He stated, then ran to the bathroom.
“Wh- Hey!”
August 20th, 2022
9:19 AM
Detention Center
Visitor’s Room
“Polly!”
Trucy all but tackled him in a hug, shaking in his arms. Apollo hushed her softly, rubbing her back.
“It’s okay, sis, I’m here... have you been here a long time?”
“P-Papa dropped me off before he went to yell at Mr. Chief...”
“Oh, Trucy... where’s Dad?”
“Right here, Apollo.”
Apollo’s chest ached when he turned to look at his father. His dad had a sad smile on his face, his tie loose and his waistcoat undone, and his jacket was missing. Even his spiky hair seemed a little droopy.
“Dad...”
“S’been a while since I was on this side of the glass. It’s actually a lot nicer than it used to be, it’s not so bad.”
“D-Daddy...” Trucy whimpered, her eyes teary.
“O-Oh, no, sweetie, no, I...” His dad had a shit-eating grin now. “Sorry, I guess now’s not the best time for jokes...”
Apollo sighed, pulling out the chair on his side of the glass and taking a seat.
“Dad... what happened?”
“Well, about seven this morning, a couple of detectives came knocking on our door with an arrest warrant with my name on it. I got handcuffed- still not a fun experience, by the way- dragged into a police car, then got driven here. I just got out of questioning...”
“Wait, this happened at seven? Trucy didn’t call til eight-!”
“I called you right when it happened! I was trying to call you for like an hour, then I figured that you probably slept over at Klavier’s and so I called him, and he actually picked up because he’s a normal person that keeps his phone nearby!”
Klavier blushed all the way to the roots of his hair.
“U-Uh...”
Apollo rolled his eyes.
Come on, it’s not like my parents don’t know, I couldn’t exactly hide it from them when I came home the morning after we first did it.
His dad laughed uncomfortably, clearly not wanting to continue this conversational thread.
“Why did they arrest you?”
“Well, there’s a witness that claims to have seen me do it, and my prints are on the murder weapon.”
“What?! Dad...”
“Apollo, look at me. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hire anyone to kill anyone. I’m not an accomplice in any way, shape, or form.”
His bracelet didn’t react, and Apollo let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank god... but then, why did do they think you did it?”
“Because I saw the victim right around when he was killed.” He hesitated. “And... I do have a hypothetical motive to want the guy dead...”
Apollo blinked.
“What motive could you possibly have to want someone to be dead? Manfred Von Karma, Damon Gant, and Matt Engarde were all executed years ago, Kristoph’s still in Germany, and Dahlia... well, if she’s anywhere, she’s in hell. I can’t think of anyone else you hate enough to want them dead.”
“I didn’t exactly hate him, but... the victim’s name is Shadi Enigmar.”
“Shadi Enigmar...?”
“That was his real name... but the name he was better known by was Zak Gramarye.”
Apollo’s heart stopped.
“Z-Zak... Gramarye? You mean...”
“Yeah. The victim is Trucy’s real dad.”
“No he’s not!” Trucy yelled, stamping her foot. “Daddy, you’re my real dad, and so is Papa! That man... that man hasn’t been my dad since the minute he made me help him run away!”
“Trucy...”
Trucy looked furious, and tears were streaming down her face.
“Y-You didn’t kill him, Daddy! Even if he wasn’t a good person, even if he left me all alone... you wouldn’t kill anyone!”
“I know, honey, and I didn’t. All I did was talk to him for a little while, and then I went home.”
No reaction... he’s definitely telling the truth. Still, I wonder...
“What did you talk to him about, Dad?”
His dad blinked, and somehow Apollo knew he’d be getting a face full of locks if he’d had a magatama.
“I... I’m sorry, Apollo. I’m afraid I can’t tell you that...”
“Dad...”
His dad sighed, then slipped a piece of paper under the glass.
“Here. This is a list of defense attorneys in the area. Marvin Grossberg’s retired, but there are some good lawyers left in his firm, and that’s only if Ray can’t-!”
“Dad!” Apollo shouted, slamming his hands on the desk as he stood up. His dad blinked, surprised.
“Yes?”
“L... Let me do it!”
“... Come again?”
Apollo swallowed hard, steeling his nerve.
“Let... let me be your attorney! I’ll defend you!”
His dad stared at him, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
“Apollo... you’re only eighteen years old.”
“So? Grandma was my age when she won her first case in Georgia!”
“The trial’s tomorrow.”
“Like we’ve ever had a lot of time to investigate!”
“You’re my son.”
“They let you and Papa face off in court two years ago, and you’re married!”
“You’ve literally never had a case.”
“I’ve been on, like, all but three of yours! Dad, please. I... I don’t trust anyone else to do this.”
“Apollo...” He sighed. “Okay.”
Apollo blinked, then grinned hugely.
“R-Really?!”
“On one condition. Ask Ray to be your co-counsel.”
“R-Right, that’s reasonable!” Once his dad gave him his letter of request, Apollo got out of his chair. “Don’t worry, Dad, just leave it to me! I’ll get you out of here in no time!”
He started to head for the door to the main lobby.
“Uh, Apollo, don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”
“Huh? I can’t think of any-!” He blinked, then grinned sheepishly. “I... forgot to ask about the murder weapon, crime scene, and time of death, didn’t I...?”
His dad sighed, hanging his head a bit.
“Maybe they should just hang me out in the prison yard this afternoon and save everyone some time-!”
“Daddy!”
“Joke! It was just a joke, I was joking!”
August 20th, 2022
10:44 AM
Edgeworth Law Offices
“You want me to what?”
Apollo swallowed, gripping at his pants.
“I need you to be my co-counsel for my dad’s trial tomorrow. H-He won’t let me take the case otherwise...”
“Okay, first, you didn’t actually tell me what Nicky’s on trial for. You know that, right?”
“O-Oh, um, sorry... they think he murdered Trucy’s real-!”
Trucy made an angry sound.
“Her... biological father, Zak Gramarye, last night.”
Ray blinked, then sighed.
“Kid, you’re really taking a murder case right off the bat?”
“M-My dad did, and he’s only ever lost one case! And I can’t sit around and do nothing, I... please, Ray?”
Ray studied his expression for a minute, then smiled.
“Okay, Apollo. I’ll stand with you in court tomorrow.”
Apollo let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Ray...”
“You’re sure about this, though? First cases are never easy, and it’s your dad...”
“I-I know he’s innocent!”
“He probably is, Nicky couldn’t harm a fly, but it’s still up to you to prove it while the prosecution flings accusations at your dad.” He glanced up at Klavier. “No offense.”
“None taken, although I’m not prosecuting this one regardless.”
“Eh? But you and Polly always said you’d face off for Polly’s first trial...”
“Yeah, I’m disappointed too, but I can’t prosecute Herr Wright.”
“I guess it would be kinda hard to prosecute the guy who’s married to your boss, and is also your boyfriend’s dad...”
Klavier sighed.
“It’s not just that. Herr Wright... four years ago, he was one of the people who helped me get away from someone who was hurting me. I could never prosecute him, because I could never make myself believe that he was guilty.”
“I see... well, still, it’s gonna be tough, Apollo.”
Apollo sighed.
“I know. But... I have to believe in my client, right?”
Ray grinned, then held out his hand for Apollo to shake, which he did.
“I always had a feeling we’d work together someday... kinda sucks that this is the situation, but what can you do?”
“I guess... so, now what?”
“Divide and conquer. You go drop off that letter of request and investigate the crime scene, I’ll look into Gramarye’s history and try to find other suspects.”
“R-Right. Thanks, Ray!”
August 20th, 2022
11:21 AM
Police Station
Criminal Affairs Department
The police station was abuzz with activity, with people shouting across the room and papers scattered on the floor. Apollo had to duck to avoid getting smacked in the head with what looked like a bottle of fingerprinting powder.
Gonna take a wild guess and say Papa’s running them ragged to find evidence to clear Dad...
“Let’s see... you know, I don’t know who the lead detective on this one is...”
“Do you think it’s Detective Fulbright?”
“No, he’s on a different case. Something about smuggling and a singer from Borginia.” Klavier explained. “I think Detective Crescend’s on that case, too...”
Apollo sighed in relief.
“Thank god... but then who-?”
“Look, Detective Skye, I get that you wanted to be assigned to forensics, but that’s no reason to keep tossing Snackoos at-!”
Ka-tonk!
“She Snackoo’d him...” Trucy murmured.
“Oh, Chief Gumshoe, good, I was wondering if you could tell me-!” Apollo blinked, then jerked back a bit. “E-Ema?!”
“Apollo? Trucy? Glimmerous fop that Apollo had a crush on?”
Klavier grinned.
“Aw, love, you had a crush on me? How embarrassing.”
“... We’ve been dating for almost four years.”
“Still.”
Ema gagged.
“Man, I really thought your tastes would get better with age...”
Apollo rolled his eyes, then turned to Gumshoe.
“Hey, Chief Gumshoe? Do you know who the lead detective for the investigation of my dad’s case is? I need to give them his letter of request.”
Gumshoe looked apologetic, then gestured at Ema.
“Well, it looks like you’ve already met...”
Apollo blinked.
“W... Wait, what?! Ema, I thought you wanted to be a forensic-!”
Ka-tonk!
She Snackoo’d me...
“Word of advice, pal, don’t mention the job around Detective Skye...” Gumshoe blinked. “Hey, wait, pal, why do you have a letter of request from Mr. Wright?”
“I’m rather curious about that myself.”
“Papa!” Trucy cried, running to their papa and hugging him around the waist.
Gumshoe saluted.
“Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, sir!”
“Chief Gumshoe, I saw you twenty minutes ago. You do not have to salute me every single time we see each other.”
Gumshoe cringed.
“S-Sorry, sir...”
Man, Papa must really be in a sour mood if he’s actually calling Gumshoe out on saluting him all the time...
“So how goes the search for a prosecutor?” Ema asked before stuffing more snacks in her mouth.
His papa sighed.
“Not well, I’m afraid. Prosecutor Gavin has already cited a conflict of interest regarding... a past case, Prosecutor Blackquill laughed until he realized I was serious, then cited a conflict of interest regarding my husband defending him before stating he had to feed Taka and running off, Prosecutor Von Karma hung up on me, Prosecutor Debeste actually yelled ‘nonspecific excuse’ before bolting, then came back ten minutes later to cite a conflict of interest regarding... another past case, and I haven’t been able to find either of the Payne brothers all day.”
I never realized my dad helped like, half the prosecutor’s office in some way.
“What happens if you can’t find someone without a conflict of interest who’s available, Papa?”
“Well, normally it would fall to the Chief Prosecutor to take any cases that lower prosecutors can’t.”
“What?!”
“B-But Papa-!”
“I’m not finished. My conflict of interest here is even more blatant than most, so I’ve recused myself from prosecuting this case.”
Both Apollo and Trucy let out sighs of relief.
“So if you can’t do it, and everyone else has a conflict of interest, what happens then?”
“There is a foreign prosecutor I have yet to ask, but assuming he says no, then the case will be decided in the defendant’s favor automatically.” His papa frowned. “But getting back to my question, why do you have Phoenix’s letter of request, Apollo?”
Apollo’s grin was a mixture of excited and nervous.
“Dad’s letting me defend him.”
His papa blinked.
“... Pardon?”
“Well, he made me get Ray to agree to be my co-counsel first, but it’s still my first case!”
“I thought the thing with the orca was your first case.”
“No, that was Dad’s case, I was just co-counsel.”
And I still can’t believe Papa agreed to let him defend an orca from a murder charge. Or that Blackquill went along with it. Or that it turned out there was more than one orca. Or the penguin, or the heart attack... I... still don’t completely understand that case...
“You’re... you’re going to defend your father from a murder charge for your first case?”
“Isn’t that a pretty blatant conflict of interest?” Ema asked, though her tone implied she didn’t care.
His papa shook his head.
“Unlike prosecutors, defense attorneys are employed by a firm or by themselves. They answer to the bar association, yes, but they aren’t forbidden from taking on friends or family as clients. There’s nothing keeping Apollo from defending his own father... however... Apollo, are you sure about this? You are only eighteen years old.”
“So? Grandma was eighteen at the time of her first trial! A trial she won!”
“Apollo...”
“Trust me, Papa, I know what I’m doing! Just leave it to me, I’ll fix this! I’ll find the truth!”
After a moment, his papa smiled.
“Alright, but... be careful, alright?” He sighed. “I suppose I should go ask the visiting prosecutor now...”
“U-Um, Papa...? Can I stay with you...?” Trucy’s necklace chain was in her mouth, and she was looking at the floor.
“Of course, sweetpea. Good luck, Apollo.”
“Thanks, Papa! I won’t let you down!”
His papa nodded, then walked out, holding his sister’s hand tightly.
“Alright...” He held out his dad’s letter of request. “Here, Ema.”
“Kay, sure, I’ll get this over to the prosecutor. Whenever Edgeworth gets someone to say yes.”
Apollo smiled, then sighed, walking towards the door.
“Well... I guess the next thing to do would be to-!”
“Schatz, look out-!”
Klavier warned him too late, and Apollo ended up walking right into someone. He landed on his butt, groaning a bit. A woman’s voice said something to him, and he looked up.
His heart stopped when he saw who it was.
“Y-You’re...”
She spoke again, and Apollo realized that she was probably trying to ask him if he was alright.
“O-Oh, um, I’m fine... er... does she understand English?”
He heard a familiar laugh.
“Just a tiny bit, but that’s enough for this champion of justice!”
Apollo resisted the urge to groan as he stood up.
“Detective Fulbright, good to see you again.”
Fulbright beamed, then frowned.
“I heard about your father... the defense attorney, I mean, not Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.”
Apollo sighed.
“I’m working on it...” He glanced at the woman, feeling more than a little starstruck. “Um... why is... well, why is-?”
“Why is Lamiroir, the Siren of the Ballad, gracing us with her noble presence, you ask?”
Lamiroir said something to the other, very tall man next to her.
“Lamiroir says ‘You are too kind, Detective.’”
“Oh, it’s not kindness if it’s true, Mr. LeTouse! Anyway, Lamiroir is a very important witness in the smuggling-!”
“Hey! Fulbright, those details are top-secret!”
Fulbright flinched, then started pushing his fingers together with a downtrodden look.
“S-Sorry, Chief Gumshoe...” He saluted. “It won’t happen again, sir!”
Gumshoe sighed.
“That’s what you said last time, pal... well, Lamiroir’s a busy lady, so you’d better get going.”
“R-Right! In justice we trust!”
“Yeah, yeah, in justice we trust, now scoot!”
As Lamiroir walked away, her scarf slipped down her arm, revealing something gold, shiny, and familiar around her wrist for just a split second. Apollo’s heart stopped, and he glanced at his own wrist.
That bracelet... it looks just like...
“Schatz? Are you okay?”
Apollo blinked, shaking his head.
“I... I just...”
His boyfriend grinned.
“Starstruck, are we? Perhaps I should ask Lamiroir to collaborate with me on my next album.”
Apollo rolled his eyes.
“Considering Lamiroir’s usual stuff, it’d probably be better than the loud noise you usually record.”
“Wh-! Hey, the Gavinners are an award-goldmine! I took you to the Grammys once!”
He laughed, but the sight of the bracelet still nagged at his mind.
Her bracelet... it couldn’t be. It looks just like mine, but... Lamiroir couldn’t be... could she?