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Sebastian's slumped over a too-colourful table, half-heartedly eating over-salted french fries, when someone pulls out the chair opposite him.
"Ach, a rough night for you as well?"
He doesn't even need to look up to figure out who's joined him, and so instead of looking up, he pops another french fry in his mouth.
"Would it help to talk about it, mein Freund?" his new companion asks, voice softer now.
"I think I'm going to lose this case," Sebastian admits, stabbing a french fry into his paper ketchup cup.
"But did you find the truth?"
Sebastian sighs, slumping further. "I don't know. They say you always do, going up against the WAA, but… I can't shake the feeling we're still missing something."
"And that's how we end up at McDonald's at 2am," Klavier sighs. "And unlike you, I do not have the consolation of going up against Herr Forehead and his friends."
"Ugh," Sebastian replies, swirling a french fry in ketchup as he turns the case over and over in his head.
Klavier disappears briefly, returning with his own 2am McDonalds meal, and Sebastian frowns as he uses a fry as a pencil, tracing out the room in ketchup on his tray.
"Oh!" he says suddenly, making Klavier jump. "That's it!"
"You solved it?"
"I think… part of it," Sebastian agrees, staring at his makeshift map. "Okay. Okay. I need to sleep, and then I need to go finish arguing this in court. Are you gonna be okay?"
"Of course," Klavier agrees. "Do what you must."
Re-energized, Sebastian discards his trash and hurries home, scribbling some notes to himself before falling asleep.
2am McDonalds is a favorite amongst Japanifornia's legal practitioners for a reason, after all.
–
Phoenix finds Apollo at the McDonalds near the courthouse in the wake of the latest surprise revelation.
It really shouldn't surprise him, he supposes. Everyone ends up here during rough nights.
If his red-clad coworker was alone, he might have walked over and pulled out the other chair and joined him.
Maybe he would have gotten punched in the face for his troubles, so it's probably best that Apollo is not, in fact, alone.
Luckily, it also answers Phoenix's next question of where Trucy had ended up.
Newfound siblings, though you'd never guess it by the familiarity they're displaying as they both lean over the table to finish what looks like a mild argument.
From the way Trucy sits back in her chair without crossing her arms over her chest, Phoenix knows she's won whatever the argument was.
And from the way she flicks her eyes his way and then immediately up to the ceiling, he knows he's not welcome at their table right now.
That's fair, he decides. He'd kept this secret from them for years now; they're allowed to be mad about it. And since they're together, he doesn't need to worry about either of their safety.
If tomorrow goes as rough as he expects, he's bound to be back here tomorrow anyways, and with that cheerful thought in mind, he heads back out to the waiting red sports car.
–
Athena is surprised to see Simon standing in the doorway of the courthouse McDonalds, to be honest.
He just doesn't seem like the type to frequent fast food places, she thinks.
And maybe he's not, since he's still hovering awkwardly in the doorway.
"Simon!" she calls out, and his gaze snaps immediately to her.
"I'm told," he explains when he's close enough, "that during a rough night, it is tradition for prosecutors to end up here."
"Lawyers too," Athena agrees with a sigh, and she knows without looking that Widget is turning blue.
Simon notices too, from the way his gaze flicks down for the briefest of moments.
"Perhaps you could use a tablemate for your rough night," he supposes. "And in exchange, you can assist me in selecting something off the… menu."
The look he gives the menu hanging over the counter is much the same as the look that would make her groan in dismay in court, knowing she screwed up somewhere.
She suspects the McDonalds menu does not share her dismay, as it continues to shine brightly.
"Fries," she says firmly. "French fries are a must. You can get a milkshake or ice cream to dip them in, if you want."
Simon actually flinches at the very thought, which pulls her out of her sulk long enough to snicker at the look on his face.
"Very well," he says stiffly. "I will get fries. Do you need replenishment of your meal?"
Athena looks down at where she's mostly picked her food into tiny, tiny pieces. "No. I'll just steal some of your fries. Also tradition."
Simon's unimpressed look means he doesn't believe her, which also means he's never been here with Kay.
Athena has never actually run a case involving Kay, but she's had her fries stolen multiple times, so she feels like she knows the detective well enough to say that.
It doesn't matter whether he believes her or not, though, because she's going to steal his french fries either way.
It's been a rough night, she tells herself. She deserves it.
She rests her chin on one hand with a sigh, watching Simon order at the counter, and she can already feel her mood improving.
2am McDonalds is the best, she thinks.
–
Kay frowns at the sight of someone unknown sitting in the courthouse McDonalds at 2am.
Who is ever here, except for detectives and prosecutors and defense lawyers? She knows all the prosecutors and all the detectives, and there's no sign of a badge to indicate he's a lawyer.
Intrigued, she gets her fries and drink and plops herself down in the other chair at his table.
"Hi!" she says, more brightly than she feels.
The man looks up and blinks at her. "You don't look like a prosecutor."
"Detective. You?"
"Astronaut," he replies, and grins. "But my best friend's a lawyer," he adds, his expression quickly dimming, "and he's moved halfway across the world."
"So go steal him back," Kay suggests. "If you're his best friend, and you're here, then halfway across the world can't be perfect."
"Halfway across the world needs a lot of help that he can provide," the astronaut says doubtfully. "I'm Clay, by the way."
"Kay Faraday," Kay replies. "And so? Nobody can take all a place's problems on their shoulders. Especially if they don't have a good support network. Where's he gonna go if he has a rough night? Bet there's no 2am McDonalds where he is."
Clay's looking contemplative now, which is better than depressed. "So wait until he has a rough night, and then drag him back here and remind him about his friends?"
Kay shrugs. "It works for me, anytime one of my boyfriends gets down. That, and lots of hugs."
"I can do that," Clay decides, and he even lets Kay nab some of his fries in thanks.
Kay's problems aren't solved, but at least she could help someone else, she thinks.
–
Ema doesn't look up from where her head is resting on the table when she hears the scrape of a seat being pulled out.
"Go away, Gavin," she suggests.
"I'm, um, not Klavier," someone replies, and she sits up reluctantly, casting a detective's eye over her new companion.
No defense badge, definitely not a fellow detective, but vaguely familiar all the same. And on a first name basis with Gavin, for that matter.
Currently active prosecutors, cross-referenced for the correct age range and that she wouldn't recognize on sight, and she arrives at…
"Debeste, right?"
He gives her a bit of a wavery smile. "I prefer Sebastian, actually."
"Let me guess, Mr. Debeste is your father, who was a terrible human being or had a tragic, too early end?"
"The former," Sebastian replies, without losing the smile. "Klavier said you were mean, but I think he meant it in a good way."
"Huh. Well, hopefully he still thinks that tomorrow when he finds out about the new evidence I found in our case."
"Bad?" Sebastian guesses.
"Eh. We're up against the Wright Anything Agency, so… it was bound to happen."
"A familiar story," Sebastian says, with a bit of a laugh. "I was just in here a couple months ago with a similar complaint."
"Did it all work out?" Ema wants to know.
"Of course. If you can't believe in the facts, the science, and the truth, what can you believe in?"
Ema lifts her soft drink in a toast, and drains her cup. "Well, I'd better go make sure everything gets processed properly. Thanks for the help, Sebastian."
She stands, and then pauses, putting a couple things together.
"And tell Kay we're still on for next Thursday," she adds, and Sebastian turns red.
"How did you– you didn't even– we've never met!" Sebastian protests.
"I know Kay and I know Gavin," Ema points out. "From there, it's… what did you say, facts, science, and truth?"
"Ugh," Sebastian says, slumping over the table. "Bye, Detective."
"Bye," Ema agrees, and leaves the McDonalds somehow feeling much lighter than she'd entered.
Truth, science, and the facts, huh?
She can live with that.
–