Chapter Text
It wasn't a dark and stormy night, which really went to illustrate how the weather never knew how to set the mood. Instead there were insects buzzing in the high grass around them and a few bats were dipping low to catch them. The cows that he couldn't see but hear (and smell) were probably glad to get rid of a few of these. He leaned to closer to Klavier.
“Hypothetically speaking – If I were to run for the hills would you follow?” he whispered eyeing the castle looming ahead of them. Maybe vampires just had a thing for grandeur. The marble columns lining the path toward the castle certainly seemed to suggest so and he dreaded to find what was inside. Maybe a life-sized gold statue.
Klavier squeezed his hand. “I think that might be considered rude,” he whispered back, face perfectly placid but the slight hitch in his voice was enough to betray his nerves just like the vice-like grip he had on the parcel in his other hand.
“Okay, but-” Something slapped his back and he yelped, Klavier flinching beside him as he was subjected to the same treatment.
“What are you boys muttering about?” Ema threw her arms around their necks, leaning forward in between and completely ignoring the glare he shot her. “It sounded an awful lot like doom and gloom when you're really just going meet another vampire, one who's not murderous and evil. And you're both Lords, Glimmer.” She raised a pointed eyebrow at Klavier. “So it's not like you have to worry about your social status.”
“Yeah,” Apollo chimed in, ever helpful. “He's only the Alpha Vampire and Klavier's a two-year old baby vampire, they totally are equals.”
Klavier dropped his head on his shoulder, his hair tickling a bit of exposed skin on Apollo's collar and his breath warm ghosting his neck. “You're not helping, you know?”, he said and Apollo reached up to tuck Klavier's bangs behind his ear.
“There's an easy solution to this.” He paused for dramatic effect until Klavier met his gaze and he could pitch his grand plan with all the seriousness it deserved. “We turn back. So sorry, Lord Edgeworth, must've taken the wrong turn, couldn't find your castle. Too bad, so sad.”
Klavier snorted. “As tempting as that sounds – I think it would defeat the purpose of coming here. Unless you know another vampire who is both knowledgeable in running a princedom and can help me with the intricacies of vampirism.” Klavier raised an eyebrow at him before nodding toward their carriage and the animals hitched to it. “And I'm pretty sure these guys would love to get some rest tonight, too.”
So apparently Klavier was coming at him with logic, which didn't bode well for his plan and he almost stuck out his bottom lip in a pout as he considered their horses. Four of them pulling their carriage (and luggage) and three following behind as a gift to their host. (And also to provide sustenance for Klavier because he had to eat something and wasn't going to feed on humans.) They really had earned their oats and hay and a nice bed of straw. Mini blinked at him with his big, dark eyes, ears swiveling towards him and tail swishing. Because attention always had the potential for treats and Mini was nothing if not food motivated.
“I suppose we should say hi,” he sighed. “What's the worst that can happen? They'll throw us in the dungeon?”
Ema buried her elbow in his side and then pushed them forward. “Oh, cheer up. They're just a bunch of softies who will love to have you here.”
And suddenly the gate opened, creaking in an ominous way that the part of Apollo that had earlier complained about the weather could appreciate. A man came out, silhouetted by the light spilling out of the castle, dark and ominous against the brightness behind. He waved at them.
“Hey, pals. Hope you had safe travels,” he greeted them with a cheery smile. “Gotta be exhausting with the sun up this long and all.” Having covered the distance between them in three strides (and how was he this tall?) he extended a hand the size of Apollo's head towards Klavier. “Name's Dick, or Gumshoe if you're prefer, and I'm sure we'll get along great.” He shook hands with Klavier, then Apollo and Ema. “Now come along, everyone's waiting. And don't you worry about your luggage or your ponies, we'll have everything taken care in a minute.”
He led them inside, everything seeming just as grand as Klavier's place but with one decisive difference: Where there were only a handful of people at Castle Gavin (Kristoph having done his best to keep Klavier isolated right until his not-so-untimely demise) Lord Edgeworth's place had people milling about even at this time of night. Some of them ogling the newcomers with open curiosity, watching from the balustrade and whispering excitedly others going about their business and only sparing them a passing glance. Though unlike the usual crowd when he'd come to a new place there were a lot of smiles directed at them. Someone in yellow was waving. They turned the next corner, leaving the entrance hall and the googly eyed people behind, a few necks stretching as they went and he almost glared. Almost, he had manners after all.
At the end of the hallway was a set of elaborate doors with stylized handles – and oddly enough rope hanging from those handles – that Gumshoe pulled open. A man in a fuchsia suit (and he blamed Klavier for even knowing the name for that color) glanced up from what appeared to be a letter as they entered, another man in a blue standing by the fireplace, gazing out of the window.
“Lord Gavin and Apollo Justice,” Gumshoe announced with a huge smile. “Also Ema, but you already know her.”
“Thank you, Gumshoe. We'll take it from here,” the purple man said and Apollo felt his back straighten on its own accord. So this had to be Lord Edgeworth. He swallowed, felt Klavier stiffen beside him and pressed closer.
Blue turned around then , looking for one moment regal and intimidating with his navy coat and dark hair, and then his face spl i t into the dorkiest smile as he threw his arms wide shouting 'Ema' at the same she went ' Ugh ' and suddenly they were hugging. Or he was trying to strangle her with a full body choke hold while she patted his back, Apollo wasn't entirely sure. Unfazed by Blue's antics Lord Edgeworth himself stood, enveloped in an air of gravitas, bowing slightly and remembering his manners, he returned the gesture. Next to him Klavier did the same with much more elegance, rising smoothly again whereas Apollo was more of a wooden block falling over and then tilting back up.
“Lord Edgeworth,” Klavier intoned, voice as smooth and silky as his hair. “It is on honor to meet you. As a token of gratitude for your invitation we have brought you three of our finest horses and also clothes, made for your family by my personal seamstresses that I hope you'll find to your liking.”
Klavier held out the parcel and Lord Edgeworth inclined his head, accepting it and then remarking on how they welcomed all non-humans here and how their presence and wish to join their community was the greatest gift of all (and by the way Apollo's bracelet rested completely still on his wrist he meant it) but Apollo's attention was elsewhere. The door to his right had opened just the slightest bit, slow enough that it might have been the wind if it weren't for the pair of eyes staring at him. Someone was spying on them and they weren't exactly subtle. He blinked, vaguely aware of Lord Edgeworth saying something about about them meeting the rest of the residents when the door was flung open with a bang and a whirlwind of blue entered the room at an alarming pace, coming to stop way too close to him and leaning right into his face.
“You're him, aren't you?” she said, bright blue eyes sparkling.
And because he was sophisticated and eloquent he went “Uhhh” as he took a step back and bumped into Klavier. A warm hand around his waist, Klavier's solid chest at his back grounded him and he leaned into it as the girl kept him trapped with her intense gaze.
“I'm who?” he ground out, the voice at the back of his head reminding him he might want to try a different tone with who could only be Lord Edgeworth's daughter (unless he had other random teenagers making a habit of bursting into conversations) but then she smiled, pushed her brown bangs behind her ear and took his hands in hers.
“You're Apollo, of course, the other werewolf.” So here's the thing – technically he had heard about Lord Edgeworth's daughter being a werewolf, theoretically known that he wasn't the only one in the world. But to actually meet one? To meet another werewolf? “You're the first ever since I was little,” she continued and he could only nod. Though by little she probably didn't mean a year old which is when he got separated from his pack but still. The sentiment still stood.
“I don't think I've ever met one,” he added, feeling the need to elaborate and the girl let go of him to hold her hands in front of her face in an exaggerated gasp.
“Then it's good you're finally here. I'm Trucy, by the way, and I think we'll be great friends.”
“Apollo,” he said and then had to suppress the urge to slap himself. “But you already knew that.”
Blue, who up until that point had been smother-hugging Ema, stepped toward them, bringing with him the uncomfortable realization that he'd kind of been ignoring Lord Edgeworth welcoming them to his home. Ignoring. Lord Edgeworth, because aristocrats loved it when commoners did that. Now granted, he'd shown a lot more disrespect to Klavier who was also a Lord but who was Klavier above all and oh god, Lord Edgeworth had his eyebrows raised. They were going to get kicked out three minutes after getting here because he had an attention span of minus four.
Anyway, Blue cleared his throat, hopefully to end his misery. “Truce has been talking our ears off about you, you know? Ever since guys sent that letter so I hope you'll get along.” So no pressure, cool. “You can call me Phoenix by the way.”
Phoenix – and they were already on first name basis with Lord Edgeworth's husband and he tucked that one neatly away to freak out about later – clasped his shoulder, his hand unexpectedly warm even th r ough the fabric of his coat – and squeezed lightly.
“You're allowed to breathe,” he said, humor tinting his voice and Apollo sucked in a gasp of air. So much for playing it cool. At least the first time he met Klavier he was too concussed to worry about his status or lack thereof and generally not making himself look like a fool. Now he was acutely aware of everything. Especially the fact that Phoenix and Trucy were sporting the exact same mischievous smile as if they were enjoying his agony. His eyes narrowed. They probably were. Trucy clapped her hands together, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“So now that we've all introduced ourselves how about I give you a tour of the place?” she said looking at Phoenix with big pleading eyes and there was definitely conversation happening there because Phoenix sighed, scratching his head and glanced at Lord Edgeworth. Who pointedly folded his arms and cleared his throat.
“Trucy, our guests had a long journey,” he said and she (and to some extend Phoenix) looked sheepish. “I am sure this can wait until tomorrow.”
Klavier's hand left his waist as he bowed to Trucy. “If your fathers agree we would love for you to show us around once we've had a chance to rest. As it is I wouldn't dare to keep a young lady up past her bedtime.” Apollo tried to keep his face straight, given how it was already in the middle of the night and long past any reasonable bedtime but then again bedtime was relative when you were living with a vampire. He and Klavier never got up before noon – a compromise for both of their sleep schedules.
Trucy made a face, a little pout that tugged on her lips, before her smile was back in full force. “Then I at least have to show you to your rooms, right Papa?”
Lord Edgeworth, as far as Apollo was a judge of these things – and he really, really wasn't having been an orphan since he was ten – was torn between indulging his daughter and enforcing the don't bother our guests when they just got here rule. Her puppy eyes were rather impressive.
“Alright,” Lord Edgeworth sighed and Trucy whooped, bouncing ahead and then turning on her heel, positively vibrating with energy.
“Come on, Polly, Klavier – I can call you Klavier right?” Klavier nodded as Apollo bristled, because how come he didn't get asked about the nickname, but Trucy forged on. “You two are in one of the northern guest rooms, like everyone who's not a big fan of sunlight. And daddy said Miss Ema's staying in her usual room.”
“Which is where I'll be going now before anyone else comes to hug me,” Ema stated, giving them a little wave. “So long Glimmer, Shorty, dorks. Nice meeting you, Trucy.” With a yawn and stretching her arms above her head she pushed passed them, disappearing through the door they came through.
Phoenix snorted. “As irreverent as ever, I see. Well then, Lord Dork, will you be joining us or ...?” He trailed off with a glance at the letter Lord Edgeworth had been reading.
Not that Apollo was watching their display of domesticity or anything but he swore he saw Lord Edgeworth roll his eyes. And by the way Klavier looked at him with big eyes, he also was carefully not paying attention to Lord Dork and his husband.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I don't do it now it'll just be a worse headache tomorrow. If you'll excuse me-” He bowed slightly. “Lord Gavin, Mr. Justice, I'll leave you in Trucy's capable hands. For fifteen minutes, Trucy.” There was a pointed look.
“Got it, Papa,” she chirped. “Twenty minutes, tops.” And then she dragged Phoenix out of the door, the one she'd entered through before Lord Edgeworth could get another word in. He and Klavier followed, his hand sliding into Klavier's with ease and their fingers intertwining. Klavier's thumb brushed the back of his hand and Apollo looked up to see him smile. That went well, he seemed to say and Apollo squeezed back. It wasn't the total disaster he had expected. And they didn't even get chased off the premises. Mirroring Klavier's smile he bumped their shoulders together and trailed after Trucy's skipping form and Phoenix' more relaxed, almost slouched shape ahead of them.
Their room wasn't exactly close as it turned it, and who would have expected that, given that the castle entrance faced south and Trucy just told them they'd be staying in the northern part. So they were getting the abbreviated tour (including the location of bathrooms and the kitchen, should they need something), which was nice, but it was also late and he'd spent way too much time on the road in a carriage, or outside a carriage and suddenly there was the possibility of a bed looming in the near future and he very nearly asked if they were there yet. As he suppressed a yawn he thought he saw Phoenix smirk at him and straightened again. No rest for the wicked or apparently poor little werewolves.
When they had finally made it to their room he waited exactly three seconds after Phoenix and Trucy had left before he collapsed into their bed head first. It was stupidly soft and he wasn't complaining. With the stress of the meeting behind him his body reminded him of the weeks of traveling and missed sleep.
Klavier said something but he didn't hear him. He was in bed heaven and wasn't leaving, no matter what his way too pretty vampire boyfriend wanted. There was probably a pillow with his name on it under here if he could only remember how to move his limbs. Eh. Pillows were probably overrated. A hand caressed his neck, moving up into his hair and then back down and he turned his head enough that he could crack an eye open at Klavier. Also wasn't smothering himself in their blanket anymore but that was just a minor side effect.
“Tired?”
“Hmm,” he grunted because why use words when Klavier understood him just fine without.
“You should at least change out of your suit.”
Apollo rolled onto his back and, reaching up to grasp Klavier's hand, kissed his palm. “If this is your attempt to get into my pants it's not going to work”, he said and Klavier rolled his eyes, pulling his hand back to reach for their luggage. Which was rude. All the eye rolling was his job and maybe Ema's.
“Come on, you can sleep in a second,” Klavier was rooting around in their bags and Apollo went through the Herculean effort of rolling onto his side to watch. Klavier had shrugged off his coat and his shirt was clinging to his frame in all the right places and if Apollo didn't have trouble keeping his eyes open right now he'd have… suggestions.
“What about you?” he asked instead.
Klavier paused, seemingly considering the question, hand still buried in the depths of a chest. “I think I'll call it an early night, too. We did have a long journey.”
Apollo blinked, really just blinked for one second, but when he opened his eyes again Klavier was kneeling in front of him, holding out his nightshirt and giving him that I-think-you're-adorable-but-won't-say-it-because-you'll-disagree-smile. He furrowed his brows. He was not adorable, he was a werewolf and people feared him!
Klavier bit his lip as if to say sure and flapped the shirt at him. “Are planning on changing or… ?” He tilted his head at Apollo, all wide-eyed innocence that couldn't fully hide his obvious mirth and Apollo glared. Also added a huff for good measure before grabbing the proffered garment and peeling his suit off. Tomorrow he'd have to remember not to leave his clothes lying on the ground but tomorrow was far away and their bed wasn't. And since the shirt was cold against his skin as he crawled under the covers, he waited for Klavier to follow, promptly using his chest as his pillow. Having fed just before they got here Klavier was nice and warm, a two-legged furnace, really, and he intended to make use of it. An arm found its way around his waist and then a hand came to play with his hair, fingers carding through it and along his scalp and he snuggled closer. His eyes were heavy and so was his body and he drifted off to sleep to the sound of Klavier humming a lullaby.
He dreamed of green forests and white walls, soft blankets and a horse, no, a pony eating an apple out of his hand.