Archive of Our Own

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?” Trucy asked as Apollo got out of the car, voice full of concern. “You know we can stay with you,” she said.

“Yeah, you don’t have to be alone for this,” Phoenix added. Apollo just gave a weak smile and shook his head.

“It’s okay, guys,” he said, subconsciously reaching over touch his bracelet. “Klavier’s going to be back soon,” he explained. “I’m going to be fine,” he added. Athena frowned.

“If you’re sure,” she said as Apollo nodded.

“I am,” he said. “Thank you guys for coming though,” he said as he glancing away. “It, uh, it really means a lot,” he admitted.

“Of course,” Trucy said softly as she smiled up at Apollo. “We’re always here for you,” she said.

“And I’ll be sure that Prosecutor Gavin doesn’t get any more cases for a while,” Miles added, voice much softer than Apollo had ever heard.

“And you can take all the time off you need,” Phoenix said.

“Thanks guys, but I’ll be okay,” Apollo said as he smiled weakly at the group. “And I’ll be there for dinner tomorrow, I promise,” he said. With that, the group exchanged goodbyes and ‘merry Christmas’s before the windows were rolled up. With a weak smile, Apollo waved as he watched the red sports car pull away from the apartment complex.

Once the car was out of sight, the defense attorney let his smile drop as he let out a heavy sigh. Turning around, he trudged up the stairs towards his apartment, not bothering to greet the figure following him up the stairs.

“That went a lot better than I expected,” Clay commented as Apollo made his way into the apartment, groaning as he shut the door.

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Apollo grumbled as he made his way towards his room. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to try to pretend to be broken up over someone’s death when they’re acting like an idiot?” He asked as he quickly shrugged his black suit coat off.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you have freaky ghost powers,” Clay said as Apollo changed out of his funeral clothes and into more comfortable clothes.

“I literally told you before the ceremony that you needed to stay away for a little bit,” Apollo pointed out as he made his way out to the living room, Clay walking along beside him.

“Yeah, but since when have I ever listened to you?” Clay asked, earning a snort from Apollo. “You should have expected me to show up,” he said.

“Okay, maybe I should’ve expected it,” Apollo said as he paused, watching as Clay kicked his feet up and started to recline in the air. “But you can’t tell me you expected me to expect that you would be trying to reanimate yourself,” he pointed out. Clay chuckled.

“Hey! I wanted to see if I could start a zombie apocalypse,” he explained. Apollo just sighed.

“Of course,” he mumbled as he shook his head. “You’re just lucky I didn’t out myself,” he said as he looked up at Clay. “If you did, I’d have to exorcise you,” he said with a chuckle. “Actually, maybe I should exorcise you for being an idiot,” he said as he started walking again, ignoring Clay’s sputtering as he made his way to the kitchen.

“H-hey!” Clay exclaimed as Apollo started laughing. “You can’t just threaten to exorcise me and walk away!” He exclaimed with a chuckle as he phased through the wall.

“I just did, Danny Phantom,” Apollo said, earning a laugh from Clay.

“As much as I appreciate the compliment, I’m kinda missing the half alive part,” he said as he jumped up onto the counter.

“Apollo?” A familiar voice called as Apollo reached down and grabbed a pot from the drawer under the stove. “May I come in?”

“Nope!” Clay said immediately, causing Apollo to roll his eyes.

“Of course you can,” Apollo said as he watched a man almost identical to himself flicker into existence. “Hey, dad,” he said as he gave Jove a wave.

“You seem to be adjusting to being dead pretty quickly,” Jove commented as he made his way over towards the table, sitting down as Apollo got to work starting his lunch.

“It’s not as hard as it looks,” Clay said. “It’s pretty easy!” He exclaimed before letting out a yelp as he attempted to lean back, only for his arms to completely phase through the counter, earning a snort from Apollo.

“Really?” Jove asked as he gave Clay an amused look. Clay huffed.

Rolling his eyes at his friend’s antics, Apollo finished filling the pot with water. Grabbing a pack of ramen from the pantry, he quickly put the flavor packet in before he put the pot on the stove and turned it on.

As he waited for the water to boil, the defense attorney watched his father and his friend bicker, the antics causing his thoughts to drift to the moment he learned about Clay’s death.

“Apollo, what have I told you about skipping out on lunches?” Mia asked as she slowly faded into existence next to Apollo’s desk.

“To not to,” Apollo mumbled as he didn’t bother to look up from the file he had been working on. “Hey, do you know where the tax stuff is kept?” He asked as he looked over at Mia. “I want to check something out real quick,” he said.

“I do,” Mia said. “But I’ll only tell you if you promise to eat something afterwards,” she said, a playful glint in her eyes. “And by afterwards, I mean within an hour of now,” she said. Apollo chuckled.

“Lawyers,” he said as he shook his head. “Always so specific,” he said with a grin. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll eat soon, don’t worry,” he said. “I just need to-“

“NO!”

Apollo and Mia both jumped at the sudden noise in the next room. It took Apollo less than a second to place the voice, but when he did, his heart sank.

“C-Clay?” He asked as he walked out into the next room. ‘Please tell me I missed the door opening, please tell me I missed the door opening,’ he thought as he rounded the corner to the main room.

Only to freeze as he saw a semi transparent Clay standing in front of him. 

“‘pollo!” Clay exclaimed as he raced forwards. “You’ve gotta get out of here! The guy could come get yo-“ he cut himself off as he phased through Apollo.

Apollo was frozen. His eyes were wide in shock as his mind started to process what he was seeing. Clay was there. ‘But Clay’s supposed to be in space,’ Apollo thought. Clay was also somewhat transparent. Just like Mia and Jove.

Just like every ghost he’d ever seen.

“No...” he whispered as he turned to stare at Clay, who was looking at him in horror. It seemed like he’d figured it out as well. “Are you...” Apollo started.

“Am I...” Clay trailed off.

“Dead?” The two said together.

The pair just stared at each other in horror before Apollo suddenly collapsed, legs giving out as he realized what was going on.

“APOLLO!” Clay exclaimed as Apollo pushed himself up to his hands and knees. “Shit, are you okay?!” He asked worriedly. Apollo shook his head as a sob escaped him.

“Hey, hey, shh,” Clay said as Apollo felt the ice cold, ghostly touch of his best friend on his shoulder. He shuddered as he felt Clay’s hand pass through him, more tears falling as he started to hyperventilate as realization suddenly set in.

“Apollo...?” Mia tried, voice gentle. “You should try to take a deep breath,” she said. Nodding slightly, Apollo tried to do what he was told, only for a wail to escape him.

“Apollo?!” Jove asked, voice appearing as he undoubtedly materialized next to him. “Apollo, buddy, what’s wrong?!” He asked as Apollo felt the not there touch of his father on his shoulder. “Oh,” he said suddenly, as if he had just seen Clay. “Oh, oh my god,” he said. Apollo let out another wail.

“Hey, ‘pollo, it’s going to be okay,” Clay said. “I’m still here,” he said. “We can still talk, yeah? I’m not going to leave you,” he said.

“C-Clay!” Apollo exclaimed through sobs.

“Apollo?!” Came the familiar voice of Klavier as something dropped to the floor. Within a few moments, he had his arms wrapped around Apollo. Letting out another wail, Apollo gripped onto his boyfriend like a lifeline. “Apollo, schatzi, what’s wrong?!” He asked.

Before Apollo could respond, Apollo heard the door open. Biting his bottom lip, he attempted to stifle his sobs, only to give up and bury his head into Klavier’s shoulder as Phoenix walked into the room, face somber.

“Apollo... I have some bad news.”

“Water’s boiling,” Clay said as he jumped up onto the counter, jolting Apollo out of his memories.

“Thanks,” Apollo mumbled as he turned the temperature down a little bit before throwing the ramen in, a small sigh escaping him as he did so.

“Something up?” Jove asked as Apollo walked over and grabbed a bowl before returning to the pot. Apollo gave a half hearted shrug.

“Not really,” he said. “Just remembering when I found out that...” he trailed off as he gestured to Clay.

“Hey, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Clay said as Apollo turned the stove off and started dishing his lunch out.

“Yeah, I know,” Apollo said as he put the pot in the sink before making his way to the table. “It’s just...” he trailed off as he watched his father stand up, allowing Clay to take his spot across from Apollo. “I wasn’t expecting to lose you so soon,” he admitted. “I mean, I know we can still talk and interact but... you aren’t physically here. And you’re never going to be physically here again,” he said as he started picking at the food.

“Well, can’t your cousins or whatever they are channel me?” Clay asked as Apollo shoved a forkful of noodles into his mouth. “Then I can be physically here,” he said. Apollo shrugged.

“I guess,” he said as he got another forkful of noodles ready. “But it still won’t be the same,” he said, shoving the fork into his mouth.

“True,” Clay agreed before sighing. “Man. Being dead sucks,” he grumbled as he tried, and failed at flicking a leaf on the flowers that Juniper had sent. According to her, they were supposed to help with grief, but Apollo had his doubts.

“It gets better,” Jove said from his spot on the counter. “Once you figure out how to copy items, it becomes much more fun,” he said. Clay huffed.

“But that is going to take forever!” He whined as Apollo finished up his ramen. “Mom said it took her years to figure it out!” He said as he threw his arms in the air. “Years!” He repeated. Apollo chuckled.

“Then I guess you’re going to be stuck with people watching for a while,” Apollo said as he stood up and put his bowl in the sink. ‘I’ll clean it up later,’ he thought as he grabbed a soda from the fridge and made his way towards the couch.

“But that’s no fun!” Clay complained as he followed Apollo out of the kitchen.

“I thought you loved reality TV,” Apollo said as he sat down on the couch, snorting as Clay kicked his feet back and reclined in the air.

“Reality TV isn’t about real people, ‘pollo,” Clay chastised. “It’s about aliens pretending to be real people,” he said before grinning. “Wait- what if you put the shows on for me?” He asked.

“Uh, no,” Apollo said as he took a drink of his soda. “I am not risking Trucy or Athena thinking I watch reality TV,” he said. Clay groaned.

“But ‘pooooooollooooo!” He whined. “I’m booooooooored!” He continued.

“Too bad,” Apollo said with a chuckle. “It’s not my fault you have terrible taste in TV, Clay,” he said, earning an over-exaggerated gasp from the ghost.

“My taste in TV is amazing!” Clay exclaimed before smirking. “You’re just a weeb,” he said, causing Apollo’s cheeks to heat up slightly.

“Am not,” he said. Then, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll turn on whatever you want this weekend,” he said.

“Really?!” Clay exclaimed as his face lit up.

“Really,” Apollo repeated.

“Woohoo!” Clay exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. Then, he grinned. “You think I can convince you to play Klavier’s music?” He asked.

“No,” Jove said, cutting Apollo off before he had a chance to speak. “I refuse to listen to any more of that music than necessary,” he said. “And that means I refuse to let Apollo play it,” he added.

“Aw, come on,” Clay grumbled before shooting Apollo a pleading look, earning an amused snort from the brunette.

“Sorry, Clay,” Apollo said. “I gotta listen to my dad,” he said. Clay huffed and crossed his arms.

“Fine,” he grumbled before his eyes widened and a smirk formed on his face. “I’ll just have to tag along on your dates with Klavier,” he said.

“WH-WHAT?!” Apollo exclaimed, face growing hot as he looked at Clay.

“Come on, it’s just a date,” Clay said. “I’ll leave before anything gets steamy,” he said before pausing. “Probably.”

“Clay, I swear to god, if you weren’t dead I’d punch you so goddamn hard,” Apollo growled as he ducked his head in a vain attempt to hide the massive blush he felt forming on his face.

“Aw, come on, ‘pollo!” Clay said with a laugh. “It’ll be fun!” He exclaimed. Apollo just lifted his head and huffed, glaring at Clay.

“No, I’m not going to let you float around during Klavier and I’s dates!” He exclaimed. Clay just chuckled.

“Well, then what about trying to join you and Klavier? See if a ghost can participate in a threesome,” he said with a chuckle.

“CLAY!” Apollo exclaimed, face heating up even more as Clay lost it. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” He hissed.

“I’m... going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Jove said as he visibly shuddered. Apollo huffed.

“See! Dad doesn’t want to hear it either!” He exclaimed. Clay rolled his eyes as he pouted.

“You two are no fun,” he said.

“I just want to keep my sanity,” Jove said before he looked at Apollo. “And part of that is staying away from his boyfriend’s horribly sappy music,” he said, changing the subject with a determined nod.

“Oh, like you didn’t write anything like that for mom,” Apollo said with a grin, snorting as he saw his father’s cheeks flush.

“Ooooh, he got you there!” Clay said with a laugh as Jove crossed his arms and looked away.

“That’s besides the point,” he said, the action once again reminding Apollo how much older he was than his father had been when he died. “My music was actually good,” he said.

“Hey, Klavier has good music,” Apollo said before his perceive ability activated. “Sometimes,” he added as he blinked it away, watching as both his friend and father came back into existence. “He has some really good songs,” he said before grinning. “And don’t think I haven’t heard you humming along a few times,” he said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jove said, trying to keep a straight face before giving up and smiling. “I know I’ve said this a million times, but I’m glad you finally found someone who loves you like you deserve,” he said.

“Hey!” Clay exclaimed as he spun around so he was floating on his stomach. “Was I not enough?” He asked with a mock pout.

“Clay, you are the complete opposite,” Apollo said with a snort. “You’re way too much,” he said. “Way to energetic and lively half the time,” he added with a grin. Clay just let out a bark of laugher as he flipped right side up.

“I mean, the fact that I’m floating kinda cancels out the lively thing,” he said with a snort. Apollo rolled his eyes.

“You know what I mean,” he said before snickering as he started doing random flips. “Now leave, Klav will be over soon and-“

“Apollo?”

The room froze.

“Oh shit,” Clay breathed as the group just turned and looked at Klavier, who looked incredibly concerned. “How long has he been there?!” He exclaimed.

“I don’t know!” Apollo hissed before wincing as Klavier’s face grew even more concerned. “Fuck,” he cursed as he buried his head in his hands. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!” He exclaimed as his eyes started to sting.

“Mausi...” Klavier started as Apollo felt his boyfriend come and sit down next to him, wrapping an arm around him.

“Apollo, you need to take some deep breaths,” Jove said as Apollo felt the ghostly touch of his father’s hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay,” he said.

“He just found me talking to thin air!” Apollo hissed. “How is this going to be okay, dad?!” He asked before wincing at he turned to look up at Klavier who was looking at him with a level of concern Apollo had never seen.

“‘pollo, you need to calm down,” Clay said as Apollo felt the ghostly touch of his friend on his knee. “None of this is going to help,” he said.

“I know, Clay, I know,” Apollo mumbled.

“Apollo...” Klavier trailed off as Apollo winced. “Schatzi, Herr Terran-“

“Is dead,” Apollo said, cutting him off. “I know, I was the defense attorney on his case,” he said. “And his funeral was a few hours ago,” he said. Klavier frowned.

“Ja...” he said. “But-“

“Goddamnit I didn’t want you to know,” Apollo mumbled. “Not yet,” he said.

“Didn’t want me to know what?” Klavier asked. Apollo sighed as he looked up, coming face to face with his father and best friend who just gave him an encouraging look.

“You can do this,” Jove said. “I know you can do this,” he said.

“Yeah!” Clay echoed. “And if he doesn’t believe you, I’ll just haunt him ‘till he does,” he said, earning a snort from Apollo.

“I’m not letting you haunt him,” he said as he shook his head before turning to look at Klavier. “I... I see dead people,” he said before whipping around to glare at Jove who had started laughing. Klavier blinked, face neutral as he seemingly processed the information.

“You... what?” He asked.

“See ghosts,” Apollo repeated before sighing as Klavier just stared at him. “I know, I know, it sounds unbelievable,” he said.

“No!” Klavier said quickly, the lie causing the world to come into hyper focus. Blinking his perceive away, he gave Klavier a look. “W-well...” he trailed off. “Schatzi, you’ve gone through a lot in the past few weeks,” he said eventually. “And ghosts aren’t real,” he added.

“Wow, rude,” Clay said as he stuck his tongue out at Klavier. Apollo just groaned.

“Klavier, this has nothing to do with what’s happened,” he said. “It’s-“

“Apollo?” Phoenix asked as there was a knock on the door.

“Fuck,” Apollo cursed as he looked at Klavier. “Just... stay there,” he said as he stood up.

“I take it he found out?” A female voice asked as Mia stepped through the door. Apollo just groaned and nodded before taking a deep breath as he opened the door.

“Hey, Mr. Wri-“ he paused as he looked around. “... why is everyone here?” He asked.

“May we come in?” Miles asked, voice neutral.

“S-sure,” Apollo said. “What’s going on?” He asked as everyone filed in, giving Métis a quick nod in greeting.

“Schatzi...” Klavier trailed off as Apollo’s eyes went wide.

“You told them?!” He hissed as he spun around.

“Oh no,” Jove muttered as a look of horror crossed his face. “Oh, oh this is bad,” he said.

“No fucking shit!” Clay hissed as he went and stood next to Apollo.

“Apollo, don’t be mad at Klavier,” Athena started. “He’s just trying to help,” she said.

“Yeah,” Trucy nodded. “He’s worried about you,” she said.

“We all are,” Phoenix added.

“I-I’m fine,” Apollo said instinctively. “I’m fine, nothing’s wrong,” he said.

“Justice-dono,” Simon started. “Rockstar-dono told us that you seemed to think you were holding a conversation with Terran-dono,” he said.

“That’s cause he was you samurai panda,” Clay snarked, earning a giggle from Métis.

“Of course,” Apollo said. “Of course, of course!” He exclaimed as he buried his head in his hands. “God fucking dammit!” He exclaimed.

“Apollo, you need to calm down,” Mia said.

“It’s not that easy, Chief!” Apollo snapped, reaching up to grab at his hair as he started to hyperventilate.

“Apollo!” Mia snapped, voice harder than before. “You need to breathe!” She exclaimed.

“Dr. Cykes, you’re a psychologist!” Clay exclaimed as Apollo felt a hand on his back.

“Apollo,” Athena said, voice soft. “Apollo, can you please look at me?” She said.

“Please?” Métis added as Apollo felt a ghostly hand rest on his shoulder.

“C-can’t,” Apollo managed to spit out as a sob escaped him. Curling up into a ball, the defense attorney gripped his hair even tighter.

“Wright, what do we do?!” Edgeworth hissed.

“I don’t know!” Phoenix exclaimed.

“Polly, just, take a deep breath!” Trucy exclaimed as Apollo curled up even more. 

“Métis! You need to help him!” Jove cried. 

“I’m trying!” Métis responded, voice full of concern.

“Apollo!” Clay exclaimed as Apollo squeezed his eyes shut.

“Simon, what do we do?!” Athena exclaimed, voice full of fear.

“I think he might be having some kind of break,” Simon responded.

“Schatzi, please!” Klavier begged as Apollo started to dig his nails into his skull.

“Apollo, you need to calm down!” Mia exclaimed.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Apollo screamed. Suddenly, a bolt of pain shot through his head with an intensity unlike anything he had ever felt before.

He was out cold before he had the chance to scream.

Apollo groaned as he slowly came back into consciousness, wincing at the throbbing in his head. “Oww...” he whined softly as he brought his hand up to his head and rubbed at it.

“‘pollo?” Clay said quietly, voice barely audible. Cracking an eye open, Apollo let out a hiss as he quickly closed it. “There’s some extra strength advil and a water on the nightstand,” he said quietly.

“‘mkay,” Apollo mumbled as he carefully reached over to the nightstand and felt around. Once he located the water and the advil, he carefully sat up and grabbed the pills. Putting them in his mouth, he quickly swallowed them down with the water before laying back down.

“Gonna sleep some more?” Clay asked quietly. Apollo nodded. “Alright, I’ll be here when you wake up,” he said.

“Thanks...” Apollo mumbled as he curled up tighter in the blankets and drifted back off to sleep.

When Apollo woke up again, his headache was practically gone, going from something unbearable to something that was only a tad uncomfortable. Blinking his eyes open, the brunette slowly sat up, yawning as he did so.

“Welcome back to consciousness,” Clay said from a corner as Apollo rubbed at his eyes.

“Mmm,” Apollo groaned as he looked over at his friend, who was currently sitting on thin air with a ghostly book in his hands. “Looks like you figured out to grab the spiritual version of objects,” he said as he stretched. “Thought you said it’d take you years,” he said. Clay chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess I overestimated how hard it would be,” he said as he closed the book and set it down. “It still took me long enough, though,” he said. “I figured it out last night,” he said, his words causing Apollo to frown.

“Yeah, it must be nice...” he muttered before he trailed off as he tried to remember how he even got to bed. “Hey, Clay?” He started. “What exactly happened last night?” He asked as he rubbed at his eyes.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Clay asked, tone unusually serious.

“Well... I was chatting with you and dad while waiting for Klavier to get back,” Apollo said. “And then...” he trailed off as his eyes went wide, memories hitting him like a stack of bricks. “Oh my god,” he said, panic starting to grip him. “They know,” he whispered as his breathing picked up. Immediately, Clay was next to him.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he said quickly. “Take a deep breath, everything is okay,” he said. “Mia cleared everything up,” he said, the mention of Mia causing Apollo to frown in confusion.

“Chief?” He asked. “How? What ha-“ he cut himself off with a hiss as his head throbbed. ‘Okay, headache still exists,’ he thought.

“It might be best for the others to tell you what happened. I don’t really understand it myself,” Clay admitted as Apollo reached over and opened the drawer to the night stand. Grabbing a bottle of Advil, he quickly opened it and downed two of the pills.

“Okay...” Apollo admitted after he had swallowed, a confused look on his face. “This is... weird,” he mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes again. Then, without much warning, his stomach finally decided to speak up.

“Oh, right,” Clay said. “You should probably go get something to eat,” he said. “You’ve been out for a while,” he said. Apollo frowned.

“What do you mean?” He asked as he reached over and grabbed his phone. “Yeah, it’s only seven,” he said. “That’s like... what? Seven hours? Six hours?” He asked. Clay just raised an eyebrow.

“Check the date,” he said simply.

“It’s December 25th,” Apollo said simply before he blinked. “Wait, December 25th?” He asked, eyes wide.

“You’ve been out for a while,” Clay said. “I believe it was thirty hours,” he said before chuckling as Apollo gaped. “You should go get some food,” he said. Apollo was about to ask what the heck had happened, but another growl from his stomach made him shove that question away. He was going to eat first.

Sliding out of bed, Apollo quietly made his way towards the door, not bothering to get changed. Opening the door, the defense attorney started shuffling towards the kitchen, only to pause.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Trucy exclaimed as she looked over at Apollo, smile on her face. “I’d hug you, but Mikeko has taken over my lap,” she said with a giggle.

“Oh, Apollo!” Athena chirped as she looked up from her phone. “Looks like you finally decided to rejoin the world of the living,” she said with a chuckle.

“Apollo!” Jove exclaimed, standing up from the ghostly copy of the dining room table he had had produced. He quickly made his way towards Apollo, wrapping him in a ghostly hug of sorts. “You’re okay,” he muttered.

“I told you he would be,” Métis said with a smile from her spot across from where Jove had been sitting. Jove rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “You’re a doctor, I get it,” he said. “It’s good to see you awake, sunray,” he said.

“Prosecutor Gavin, Prosecutor Blackquill, Papa, and Daddy went back to Papa’s house to grab dinner for everyone,” Trucy said, drawing Apollo’s attention away from the ghosts. “They should be back really soon,” she said.

“Yeah,” Athena before chuckling as Apollo’s stomach growled. “You’ll get first dibs, don’t worry,” she said.

“Uh... what are you doing here?” Apollo asked once he was able to start making sense of everything.

“It’s Christmas!” Trucy chirped. “Remember how you promised you’d celebrate Christmas with us?” She asked. 

“Well, yeah, but-“

“Well, since you were out cold we figured we’d celebrate it with you,” Athena said. “Clay gave us permission,” she said. Apollo froze.

“Wh-what?” He said, subconsciously looking over at where Clay was.

“Told you they’d explain it better,” Clay said.

“Wait, did Clay not tell you?” Trucy asked, eyes wide in confusion. “I thought Auntie Mia said she’d tell him to tell you when you woke up,” she said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up a second,” Apollo said as he held a hand up. “Clay told you?” He said. Athena nodded. “How?” He asked.

“Auntie Mia talked to him before being channeled by Pearl,” Trucy said.

“She relayed it for me,” Clay said.

“And Chief told us that Clay said we could hang out here until you were awake,” Athena said before snapping. “Oh, before I forget- feel free to chat with any of the ghosts that are around,” she said.

“I... what?” Apollo said. “You actually believe me now?” He asked. “You believe I can see ghosts?” He asked. Trucy giggled softly.

“Kind of hard not to when you see them for yourself,” she said. Apollo went to roll his eyes, but before he could, something hit him.

“My perceive didn’t activate...” he mumbled as he looked down at his bracelet in total awe. “You’re not lying,” he whispered as he looked up at Trucy. “How?!” He exclaimed. “How did you see them?!” He all but demanded.

“Well-“

“Guess who brought dinner!” Phoenix said as the door to the apartment opened. Turning to look at the entrance, Apollo watched as Phoenix looked over at them. “Well look who’s awake!” He said with a chuckle.

“Apollo’s awake?!” Klavier exclaimed as he looked inside the best he could from the doorway.

“Y-yeah,” Apollo said before the scent of food hit him. His stomach rumbled immediately as his mouth started to water. Miles chuckled softly as he started towards the kitchen, following after his husband.

“Sounds like we came at a good time,” he said as he disappeared from sight and set something down, the comment causing Apollo’s cheeks to start to heat up. “I seems like someone is hungry,” he said.

“I don’t know why,” Simon said sarcastically as he followed Miles and Phoenix into the kitchen. “I mean, he’s only missed five meals,” Simon said.

“He says that like you eat three meals a day,” Clay said as the two watched Klavier scramble to the kitchen, passing by Miles and Simon who were both coming out of the kitchen.

“Oh, shut up,” Apollo grumbled as he felt the blush start to spread across his entire face. Then, his stomach grumbled again. “Clay if you say anything...” he growled as he started towards his kitchen, not bothering to wait for anyone else.

“I apologize for the lack of options,” Klavier mumbled as Apollo stepped into the kitchen, eyes going wide at the sheer amount of food in the kitchen.

“Jesus, how many options does this guy think counts as enough?!” Clay exclaimed.

“It’s not exactly what we were planning on making,” Phoenix said as he finished uncovering everything. “But I think we did a good job,” he said as he gestured to the giant stack of burgers he had uncovered.

“He is definitely my sister’s friend,” Mia said as she materialized next to Apollo.

“What do you mean, Chief?” Apollo asked before subconsciously wincing as he realized that he was talking to ghosts around others.

“Oh, hey, Chief!” Phoenix said as he waved in a direction that Mia was decidedly not. Mia chuckled.

“Ah, Phoenix...” she said, a fond smile on her face. “But I say that because my sister definitely has a philosophy of ‘when in doubt, make burgers’,” she said. 

“I mean, it’s not a bad idea,” Clay said as Apollo started towards the pile of burgers, grabbing a paper plate before grabbing a burger. “Although I think ramen may be a better emergency food,” he mumbled to himself.

“Of course you would,” Apollo muttered as he quickly made his way to the rest of the things of food. It was a weird mishmash of Christmas dinner foods like mashed potatoes and deviled eggs and more relaxed food like burgers and fries, but Apollo didn’t mind. It was food and god was he hungry.

Once he had filled his plate up, Apollo glanced back at Klavier, who gave him a nod and a smile. “I’ll be out there soon,” he said.

“Okay,” Apollo said before he scrambled out into the living room and sat down next to small Christmas tree he had up.

“You sure you can eat all of that?” Athena teased as Apollo started scarfing the meal down, barely pausing to flip her off as he continued to eat.

“Looks like Polly’s back!” Trucy exclaimed with a giggle.

“Fuck off,” Apollo grumbled, shoving yet another bite of food into his mouth.

“Wow, you really were hungry,” Klavier said as he sat down next to Apollo, his own plate of food in his hands.

“You should slow down,” Métis said, voice soft. “You’ll make yourself sick,” she said before shooting a glance at Simon, who had just stood up and had started to walk towards the kitchen. “Trust me, I’ve seen it before,” she said. Apollo paused.

“Yes, Dr. Cykes,” he mumbled before something clicked. “Wait, wait, wait- what do you mean you’ve seen it before?” He asked.

“Ooooh, are you talking to a ghost?” Trucy asked, eyes wide with excitement. Then, she paused as Phoenix handed her a plate of food. “Thank you, daddy!” She chirped happily.

“Ah... just ask Simon about what happened the first time I took him to Whet Soba,” Métis said, a warm smile on her face.

“Who are you talking to?” Athena asked curiously. Apollo smiled.

“Your mom,” he said, smile widening as Athena’s eyes went wide.

“She better not be telling any embarrassing stories,” She mumbled before she hummed in thought. “So... do the ghosts like... float or something?” She asked curiously.

“They can,” Apollo said as he snuggled into Klavier’s side. “Most of them prefer to at least pretend their walking,” he said as Clay smirked at him and kicked his feet up.

“And by most, I mean the ones who aren’t trying to drive me insane,” Apollo added as he glared at Clay.

“Huh...” Athena said. “That’s cool,” she said. “So, who all is here right now?” She asked. Apollo’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘That’s... not exactly a question I was expecting,’ he thought before shaking his head slightly. “Well, Chief, er, Mia Fey is in the kitchen,” he started. “Your mom is actually leaning against the couch behind you,” he continued as he pointed to where Métis was.

“Dad is...” he trailed off as he glanced around. “Dad?” He said, a bit louder this time.

“Yeah?” Jove said, head phasing through the kitchen wall. “Is something wrong?” He asked.

“Oh, no- nothing’s wrong,” Apollo said quickly. “I’m just telling ‘thena where you all are,” he said, watching at Simon emerged from the kitchen, two plates in hand. “My dad’s over in the kitchen,” he said as he gave Simon a nod.

“Here,” Simon said as he sat down next to Athena. “I got you food,” he said. Athena’s eyes lit up.

“Aw, thank you!” She said as she quickly grabbed the plate and started digging in.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention your dad,” Klavier said as Apollo took a quick break to shove another few forkfuls of food into his mouth. “What’s his name?” He asked.

“Jove,” Apollo said. “Jove Justice,” he added after a second before he smiled at Klavier. “You would have liked him,” he said. “He was a musician,” he said. Klavier’s eyes went wide.

“He was?!” He exclaimed, excitement shining in his eyes. “Do you have any of his music?” He asked. Apollo winced.

“Not really,” he said. “It, uh, it was caught in a fire,” he said.

“That’s terrible...” Klavier mumbled, glancing up at Miles as he entered the room. “Who else is around?” He asked curiously.

“Well, there’s Clay, who is currently floating upside down and going in circles with the fan,” Apollo said as he shot Clay a glare.

“Is my first daddy around?” Trucy asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“No,” Apollo said. “My dad and I refuse to let him near you,” he said. “He had his chance to look after you when he was alive, and he screwed that up,” he all but growled. His anger subsided rather quickly though, as Trucy sighed.

“I know...” she mumbled before she visibly brightened. “What about my mom?” She asked, the question causing Apollo to wince.

“W-well...” he trailed off. ‘How the hell do I explain that?!’ He thought.

“How about we let him finish eating,” Phoenix suggested, cutting Apollo off before he had to scramble to figure something out. Nodding his thanks, Apollo quickly went back to eating. Once he was done however, he glanced up at Simon.

“So, I’ve got a question, Prosecutor Blackquill,” he said. “What happened when Dr. Cykes took you to the Whet Noodle for the first time,?” He asked before chuckling as he watched Simon’s face turn a bright shade of red.

“... how did you hear about that?” Simon asked eventually.

“Dr. Cykes told me to ask you,” Apollo said as he looked over at Métis, who was giggling at Simon. Simon huffed as he looked away.

“Well then, she can tell you what happened,” he said before he angrily took a bite of his burger, the action reminding Apollo of the way Ema would eat snackoos.

“He ate like four bowls and then threw up,” Athena said before quickly ducking down to dodge the halfhearted swipe that Simon had aimed at her.

“You say that like you didn’t do that the first time we took you to Eldoon’s,” Phoenix said, chuckling as widget turned a bright pink.

“Th-that’s different!” Athena exclaimed, causing everyone else to chuckle. Leaning into Klavier even more than he already was, Apollo smiled. It was really nice to see everyone so relaxed for once. 

‘Actually... speaking of relaxed...’ Apollo’s thoughts trailed off as he cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “So, uh, I hate to interrupt but... what exactly happened yesterday?” He asked. “All I remember is you guys learning I could speak to ghosts and then... nothing,” he said. “Like... all I can remember is you guys coming in and saying you knew I was talking to Clay,” he said. The room went quiet as everyone started to look at each other.

“Well, you had quite the panic attack,” Phoenix said eventually. “Once we came in and told you we were worried about you, you completely shut down,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Athena said. “You collapsed and everything,” she said. “It was pretty scary,” she admitted as she glanced away, widget turning a familiar shade of dark blue.

“O-oh...” Apollo said as he glanced away. Putting his empty plate down, he started messing around with his bracelet. “I, uh, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, fingers tracing along the well worn pattern. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“No, no, no, there’s no need for you to be sorry,” Klavier said as he pulled Apollo closer. “If anything, I should be apologizing,” he mumbled. “If I had just believed you-“

“Klav, I just lost my best friend and you found me talking to thin air as if it were him,” Apollo started, cutting Klavier off.

“Which it was,” Clay said, the interruption causing Apollo to look up and glare at him.

“And then I told you I could speak to ghosts,” Apollo continued. “There’s no reason for you to apologize,” he said. “I would’ve thought that you had gone crazy if I had seen you like that,” he said before shaking his head. “A-anyways, what happened after I panicked?” He asked.

“Well...” Trucy trailed off as she looked away in thought. “It’s kinda hard to explain, but, you yelled at us to leave you alone,” she said. “And then there was this huge pulse of bright red light that erupted from you,” she continued.

“After the pulse, we were able to see Mr. Terran, Ms. Fey, a man who I believe to be your father, and Dr. Cykes,” Miles said. “We were not able to see them for very long, however it was long enough for us to watch them rush to your side,” he explained.

“We couldn’t hear them,” Athena said, jumping in before Miles could continue speaking. “But they were obviously talking to you,” she said. “Once they faded away, Prosecutor Gavin picked you up and took you to your room,” she said. “We were all kind of stunned for a little bit,” she admitted.

“Once Rockstar-dono had returned, we discussed what our next course of action should be,” Simon said, continuing from where Athena had left off. “We came to the decision that it would be best to stay here for a while,” he said.

“It was a unanimous decision, by the way,” Athena said, earning a glare from Simon.

“After that, I ended up calling one of my friends, who has the ability to channel spirits,” Phoenix said. “She channeled Chief, and Chief explained everything to us,” he said. “And she told us that your friend said we could stay until you kicked us out,” he finished. Glancing up at Mia, Apollo watched as the spirit nodded, confirming the story.

Leaning back into his boyfriend, the defense attorney stared at the wall as he processed what he had just learned. Not only did the group believe him, they believed him because he managed to make the ghosts the hung around him visible to them. ‘Since when have I ever had that kind of power?!’ He thought.

“I... wow,” Apollo said eventually, eyes still wide. “That’s... I never knew I could do that,” he admitted. “All I knew I could do was see and speak to ghosts!” He explained.

“Speaking of what you can and can’t do,”  Phoenix started. “If you don’t mind me asking... what exactly let’s you talk to ghosts?” He asked. “Is it the bracelet?” He asked.

“Well, kind of,” Apollo said as he ran his fingers along the bracelet. “It lets me focus my power in a way where I can see and speak to them,” he said before he chuckled softly. “I know Chief knows this, but I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, Mr. Wright,” he continued as he looked back up. “I’m a Fey,” he said. “My great-great grandmother on my dad’s side was part of the main family line,” he said.

“Wait, you’re a Fey?” Phoenix repeated, earning a nod from Apollo.

“Oh! So you’re related to Auntie Maya!” Trucy exclaimed before frowning. “But... I’ve never seen a male Fey before...” she said. Phoenix nodded.

“Yeah, Chief and Maya told me only the women have a connection to spirits,” he said before his eyes went wide. “Wait, are you-“

“No,” Apollo said quickly. “I’m the first male Fey who has had a connection to spirits in centuries,” he said before glancing at Trucy. “My dad and Chief think that the Gramarye blood canceled out whatever inhibited males from being able to be connected to the spirits,” he said, smirking as the room froze.

“W-wait...” Trucy started. “D-did you say ‘Gramarye’?” She asked. Apollo nodded.

“I did,” he said as he glanced up at Jove, who was smiling down at him. “I am a Gramarye,” he said. “My father was a man named Jove Justice,” he started. “My mother? Thalassa Gramarye,” he said before he reached up to cover his ears.

It almost did something to deafen the sound of Trucy’s squeal.

“YOU’RE MY BROTHER?!” Trucy exclaimed as she shoved her paper plate and Mikeko at Phoenix before she tackled Apollo into a hug, earning an annoyed ‘meow’ from the calico.

“H-half brother,” Apollo said as he Trucy started hugging him. “Y-you’re choking me,” he muttered, sighing in relief as the magician’s group lessened.

“How long have you known this?!” Trucy demanded as she sat back. “Did anyone else know?!” She asked.

“Hm... I think my dad told me that he suspected we were siblings soon after the end of the Kitaki trial,” Apollo said before he glanced over at Phoenix. “As for whether or not anyone else knew...” he trailed off.

“Your mother contacted me after the Jurist Trial,” Phoenix said eventually. Trucy froze.

“Sh-she... what?” She asked as she looked at Phoenix. “She contacted you?” She asked. Phoenix nodded. “B-but she’s dead!” She exclaimed before looking at Apollo. “R-right?” She asked. Apollo shook his head.

“No, our mom is alive,” he said. “According to my dad, the accident left her with amnesia and took away her vision,” he said. Phoenix nodded.

“She contacted me soon after she regained her memories,” he said. “She asked me not to tell you two about her, as she thought she didn’t deserve to be in your life,” he explained.

“What?!” Trucy exclaimed. “That’s bullshit!” She cursed. “Of course I want her in my life!” She exclaimed before looking down sadly. “I can’t believe she thinks I don’t want her around...” she said.

“You should call her,” Jove suggested. “Klavier has her number,” he said.

“Oh, right!” Apollo said before he turned to look at Klavier, who was just watching the situation in awe. “Klav, can I borrow your phone please?” He asked.

“Huh? Why?” Klavier asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. “Wouldn’t Herr Wright’s phone have her number?” He asked as he handed the phone to Apollo. Apollo nodded as he took the phone.

“Yeah, but you have her number too,” he said as he quickly made his way to contacts. “You did a concert with her once,” he added as he quickly scrolled to the ‘L’s. As Apollo clicked on Lamoir’s name and put the phone on speaker, Klavier’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, you don’t mean-“

“Hello?” Came Thalassa’s voice through the speaker. “Prosecutor Gavin?” She asked. Apollo chuckled.

“Apollo Justice, actually,” he said before he glanced over at Trucy, who was looking at the phone in shock.

“O-oh! Mr. Justice!” Thalassa said. “Is there something wrong?” She asked.

“Oh, no,” Apollo said before he took a deep breath. ‘This is it,’ he thought. “My sister wanted to tell you something,” he said. “Mom,” he added after a second.

“MOMMY!” Trucy exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she quickly snatched the phone from Apollo. “I-I, y-you’re...” she trailed off as a sob escaped her. “Y-you’re alive!” She said. Thalassa didn’t respond, and Apollo could tell she was probably in shock.

“Y-yes,” she said eventually, voice cracking with barely restrained tears. “I-I am,” she said.

“Thalassa...” Jove whispered as he looked at the phone.

“You can go see her if you want, dad,” Apollo said quietly as he gave his dad a smile. Jove just nodded before he completely faded out of existence.

“I-I missed you!” Trucy said, voice cracking. “Wh-why did you think I-I wouldn’t want to s-see you?!” She asked. 

“Oh, honey,” Thalassa said. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had to leave Mr. Wright,” she said before pausing. “When did he tell you?” She asked. Apollo chuckled.

“Actually, I told her,” he said. “Dad told me that Trucy and I were siblings,” he said. Thalassa gasped.

“J-Jove?” She asked. “H-he’s alive?” She asked, the sheer amount of hope in her voice causing Apollo to wince.

“No, he’s dead,” he said quickly. “It’s... a long story,” he said.

“Polly sees dead people!” Trucy chirped.

“Wh-what?” Thalassa asked.

“Yeah... I can see ghosts,” Apollo said. “Okay, here. How about you come over to my place and we can explain everything,” he said.

“Okay,” Thalassa said. Apollo smiled.

“Okay, so we’ll see you soon?” He asked once he had given her his address.

“Yes,” Thalassa said. “I’ll be there as soon as possible,” she said.

“Good,” Apollo said. “Then we’ll see you soon... mom,” he said.

“I love you!” Trucy added.

“I love you too, Trucy... Apollo,” Thalassa said before hanging up.

As Apollo handed the phone back to Klavier, he took the opportunity to survey the apartment. While it had gone dead quiet at the revelation that Apollo and Trucy were siblings, Apollo couldn’t help but feel like it was livelier than ever. Between the members of the agency and the three prosecutors, the room was already pretty full. But then you add in the ghosts that were floating around, and it was a bit crowded.

Apollo didn’t mind though. It was nice. He was surrounded by family. A family who knew the secret he’d been hiding for his whole life and believed him. With a content sigh, he leaned against Klavier, chest light as the weight of both secrets he had been carrying around faded.

And for once, he didn’t bother to stifle his laughter when Clay joked about haunting everyone.