I will have an in depth A/N at the end! But let's get into it for anyone still reading :)

I do not own Ace Attorney.

Chapter 9

"I texted Apollo that we're here. Maybe..." Phoenix trailed off as he turned the doorknob, surprised to find the door unlocked. He and Edgeworth entered the manor, carefully closing the door behind them.

"Apollo?" he called as they walked further in. There's no response, just silence. Phoenix shrugged. "Well, they have to be in here somewhere. Besides," he said as they entered the living room. "I've always wanted to...explore a little here." He walked up to the fireplace, staring at the photos of Klavier and Kristoph, and Klavier and Daryan, at varying ages. He felt a twinge at the last one, realizing it couldn't have been taken long before his badge was stripped away, judging by the length of Klavier's hair. He wondered why the glass is shattered on this one.

"I think, Wright, that you're not the only one who wishes that trial never happened," Edgeworth said quietly, correctly interpreting the direction of his gaze and his thoughts. Phoenix shakes off his feelings about that trial.

"Hmm. No photos of Apollo." With that, they turned towards the staircase. "I'm pretty sure Apollo has said his room was upstairs, so I'm assuming all the bedrooms are." They climbed the stairs, wondering what they would find. They opened the door to the first room at the top of the stairs, and both recoiled at the mess inside. Liquor bottles, drug paraphernalia, torn pictures, shattered frames, the mattress lying on the floor.

"...Well, this is clearly not Apollo's room. He's too OCD," Phoenix joked, trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood. They'd known Klavier was struggling, but it's different seeing it laid out in front of you. They backed out of the room, shut the door, and walked down the hall to the next room. Edgeworth opened this door, took a quick look inside and quickly shut it.

"Also not Justice's," he said, grabbing Phoenix's hand to try to lead him away. Phoenix realizes who's room it must be, and turned himself into deadweight so that Edgeworth can't pull him. "Wright..."

"I'm okay," Phoenix said, turning back towards the door. "I just...want to see." He opened the door again, slowly, and looks at the room before walking in. Everything is meticulously clean, and he expected no less from Kristoph. He walked over to the bedside table, staring at the couple photos. One of Kristoph and Klavier, with what Phoenix assumed was their mother and father. Both boys were fairly young in the photo; everyone in the photo was happy, it appeared. Phoenix set the photo down and grabbed the other. He sees with a start that it's Kristoph and Apollo, clearly at Apollo's graduation. It again weirds Phoenix out to see Kristoph smiling genuinely.

Edgeworth cleared his throat softly. "Wright..." Phoenix shook his head and gently placed the photo back down.

"I don't know what I expected," Phoenix said, looking around the room one last time. "A museum of forged evidences, written plots to disbar me?" He chuckled and shrugged, and walked back to the door where Edgeworth is still waiting. "Well, only one room left."

They walk down the hall and push open the last door. Phoenix can immediately tell this is Apollo's room, although neither Apollo nor Klavier is inside.

"Where are they?" Edgeworth asked as they enter the room. Phoenix shrugged again, looking around the room. They had clearly been in the room at some point, he sees both Klavier's jacket and Apollo's jacket from Clay on the chair. There's a couple shelves with law textbooks, and the one wall is covered in pictures. Phoenix goes over to take a look, Edgeworth following. Every photo is Apollo and Kristoph, or Apollo and Clay, or all three of them. Phoenix feels...something, realizing that he never got to meet Clay before his death, knowing that Kristoph had. He wondered vaguely what Clay had thought about Kristoph. He shakes his head, frowning.

"This is what I can't understand," Phoenix said, gesturing to the photos. "Did Apollo really know Kristoph, or was everything he knew just an act? Why did Kristoph take Apollo in anyways? I didn't think Kristoph could feel empathy, I didn't think he cared about anyone, but these photos...did he actually care about Apollo, about Klavier?" He threw his hands up, walking over to bed and sitting down. Edgeworth followed him, sitting down beside him.

"If you want my opinion, Wright...it doesn't really matter anymore. I understand your feelings, Gavin did terrible things to you. However, whatever his motivations, whatever his feelings, they don't matter anymore. He's dead and he will not be coming back to answer them, unless you really want to ask Miss Fey to channel him for you so you can have a heart-to-heart."

"I would NEVER allow any part of him into Maya. Or any spirit medium."

"Then my advice, Wright, would be to get over it and accept that you'll never fully understand Kristoph Gavin."

"I just...I hated seeing Apollo so torn up over someone who could probably be classified as a serial killer," Phoenix admitted. "It crushed me, watching him grieve over Kristoph, coming to the office everyday like a zombie, lying on the couch for hours, not moving, not eating. All for someone who didn't deserve his sympathy, his...love." Phoenix put his hand to his forehead, sighing. "And now here we are, having to rescue Klavier from Kristoph's actions. Klavier would have probably thrown his life away if it hadn't been for Apollo, and for what?" Edgeworth takes Phoenix's hand from his forehead and holds it.

"I say this with all due kindness, Phoenix, but you have to accept that the Gavin you knew and the Gavin that Justice and Klavier knew is not the same. I also do not believe Gavin is the Dark Lord Voldemort, incapable of love. I believe that yes, his actions towards the end can be classified as psychopathic and self-serving, cowardly even, but I honestly believe that at some point, in one way or another, he genuinely cared for, and maybe even loved, the two of them."

"Objection!" Phoenix said weakly, a soft smile pulling on his lips. "That's a contradiction." Edgeworth chuckles, dropping Phoenix's hand and lightly shoving him.

"It may be, but we're not in court and that's life, full of contradictions. Now come," he said, standing up and reaching out his hand for Phoenix, who grabs it. "Let us find our lost boys." They leave the room, pulling the door shut behind them. Before they can get too far, Phoenix grabs Edgeworth's arm.

"A Harry Potter reference? I didn't know you were such a nerd, Miles Edgeworth." Edgeworth grips his elbow, looking off to the side.

"I don't know what you're referring to. If they're not up here, they must be downstairs somewhere. I doubt they'd leave, much less without their jackets. I'm assuming they have a good reason for not showing themselves by now." Phoenix and Edgeworth walked back down the stairs, walking through the kitchen that looked like someone had been trying to clean it recently. They stopped at a set of glass doors that were shut. Phoenix could see guitars hanging on the wall, and a grand piano.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, surprised. "The music room."

"Music room?"

"Apollo's mentioned it before. He comes on Saturdays to clean it. Not recently, obviously, with Klavier here. I would try to get him to hang out with us, have a social life on the weekends, and he would always say 'ok, but I have to clean the music room first.' I didn't ask what he meant, he's always done it since he came to join us at the Agency. I didn't realize it was in...I wonder if Kristoph asked him to..." he trailed off. Edgeworth grabbed his hand again. "Sorry. Anyway, they're probably in here." With that, he turned the knob on the door with his other hand.

Being able to see the room fully now, he could see Apollo's spikes, considerably floppy, on top of the couch. Phoenix realizes they must be asleep to have not heard them traipsing through the house and looks at Edgeworth with a finger to his lips. Edgeworth pursed his lips but nodded, knowing Phoenix wants to try to prank the two unsuspecting lawyers. They crept silently through the room and around the couch, where Phoenix stopped suddenly. He stared open mouthed for a minute before coming to his senses and grabbing his phone.

For all Apollo has been denying being romantically involved, and would certainly keep denying knowing him, he won't be able to deny this photographic evidence of him and Klavier snuggled up on the couch together. Klavier has a loose grip on an acoustic guitar with his head in Apollo's lap. Apollo's head is leaned back against the couch but he has a hand wrapped around Klavier. Phoenix snaps a couple shots and, for good measure so that Apollo can't destroy the evidence, sends one to Athena. He knows Athena will tease Apollo mercilessly, and the thought makes him laugh.

"Wake up, Herr Forehead," he laughed. Edgeworth is decidedly uninterested in his subordinate's love life and chooses to sit in an armchair while Phoenix has his fun. They watched as Apollo suddenly snaps awake, staring confusedly at both of them before looking down at the weight in his lap. He seems to come to his senses when he realizes how entangled he and Klavier are. He lifts both of his hands up in surrender.

"I swear, this is NOT what it looks like!' he protested. "We just fell asleep!" By this point, his raised voice has woken Klavier, who groggily sits up, gently placing the guitar on the floor. He takes in the two other occupants of the room and hurriedly protected his left arm from view. He knows that they already know his situation, but there's a difference between knowing and seeing it.

"Yeah, but what were you doing before you fell asleep?" Phoenix asks suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at the two of them. Klavier feels like he must have missed something, not following the conversation. He tunes out the two of them and stares instead at Edgeworth. His boss is certainly not happy, but the expression on his face is not anger or even disappointment. It takes Klavier a moment to realize it's sorrow. It's rare to catch such emotion on Miles Edgeworth's face, and Klavier can't bear to stand it directed at him. He looked away, tuning back into Apollo and Wright's conversation.

"I can't believe you sent that to Athena! I'll never hear the end of it," Apollo is bemoaning. Phoenix smirked at him.

"Well—"

"Well, Mr. Justice," Edgeworth cuts in. "Perhaps if you'd gotten Klavier ready as you promised you would, Wright would not have had such an opportunity." Apollo looked crestfallen, his hair drooping, realizing that Edgeworth is right. Klavier feels a pang of sympathy and a sudden urge to defend Apollo.

"Herr Edgeworth, it is my fault. Apollo told me the plan, and tried to prepare us, but I..." he trailed off, unwilling to go further. He rubs the inner part of his forearm subconsciously, an action Phoenix picks up on.

"You were having a craving," he said quietly, making the connection. He sees now the track marks Klavier had been trying to hide, the shame on his face. Klavier swallowed, dropping his arm and nodding.

"...Yes, I had a craving. Apollo asked if music would help, so we came down here." Phoenix nodded, that sounded reasonable to him. Edgeworth still stares at Klavier intently. He's unsure if he should ask Justice and Wright to leave them for a minute, or question him in front of them. After a couple minutes of silence, he decided to go ahead.

"If Justice hadn't been here, would you have turned to your drugs instead?"

"...Yes." Klavier admitted. He's still looking at the floor in shame.

"If Justice hadn't tracked you down last night, how do you suppose your night would have ended?" Apollo wanted to protest this questioning, but a look from Phoenix keeps him quiet. He grabbed Klavier's hand in support instead. He's been down this road with Klavier already, but he understands the Chief Prosecutor's need to hear it for himself.

"I suppose Johnny and I would have drank more last night, and gone home once we both blacked out."

"You don't think you were already past that point?"

"Nein, not until after Apollo showed up and I...went to the bathroom."

"Where you snorted cocaine."

"...Yes."

"Have you snorted coke before?"

"A few times."

"So, when you went to the bathroom to snort your friend's coke, you knew how much you could ingest without overdosing."

"..."

"Do you not see how other, more terrible things could have happened if Justice hadn't been there? At the very least, someone could have stolen the credit card you used to line up the coke. At worst you could have died of an overdose or been taken advantage of. You've prosecuted these cases, Gavin, you know how things could have turned out. Your celebrity status will not always protect you. It is very dangerous to go around thinking nobody will hurt you because you're Klavier Gavin."

"I know. It was stupid. I was foolish. I have been foolish for a long time now."

"What would have happened today if Justice hadn't shown up last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what were you planning on doing today? The same thing you've been doing for weeks, for months now? Wake up, grab a drink, shoot up your drugs, hang out with Crier and keep drinking and drinking and drinking until your body shuts down for the day?"

"..."

"What I mean is, when we you planning on asking for or getting help?" Klavier looked away finally.

"...I didn't really plan to. I suppose I would have carried on my habits," he admitted unwillingly.

"Do you really want help, or do you feel Justice and I have trapped you into getting help?" Klavier is quiet for a moment and Edgeworth realizes he's terrified to hear the answer.

"If you had asked me this morning, I probably would have said no, I don't want help," Klavier begins honestly, still looking away. "Actually, Apollo did ask me that this morning, and I wasn't sure what I wanted then. I was trapped in grief, in confusion, in anger, making bad decision after bad decision, spiraling out of control. I knew that drinking and drugs made me feel better, like slapping a band-aid on a deep, internal wound, and I convinced myself that was fine. That I was fine." Klavier felt Apollo squeeze the hand he's holding in support and he's squeezes back, grateful for his presence. "Then I saw myself through Apollo's eyes, and I hated what I saw. Yes, I do want help. I want to get better."

Edgeworth nodded, satisfied with that. He also noticed Klavier's free hand shaking now. "Are you having a craving right now?"

"Nein." Klavier said, shaking his head. Edgeworth is close enough to Wright that he hears the chains and lock wrap themselves around Klavier, watching a psycho-lock form for the first time in many years. Wright glances at him but stays quiet, seeming to realize Edgeworth already knows. Edgeworth is more interested in Apollo's reaction, who is frowning at Klavier and fidgeting with his bracelet with his free hand.

"Klavier, this is probably the dumbest place besides court to lie," Apollo interjected. Klavier turned to look at him and his eyes travel downward, noticing Apollo's fidgeting. "Do you forget who's in the room with you?"

Klavier sighed and the lock shattered. "Ja, I'm craving. It's going to get very bad, very quickly, I suspect."

"One more thing. I know you will be disinclined to answer, but I need to know. Have you ever shown up to work under the influence?"

Klavier swallowed hard, nervous. "To the Prosecutor's Office, ja. I was not fucked up but there were times I had taken something before coming in. To court, nein. Never. I spiraled very far, but never that low. I refused to prosecute a case like that." Edgeworth is relieved to see no psyche-locks appear, although the truth is still hard to hear.

"I appreciate your honesty, Gavin, and I understand your circumstances, but that does not excuse you from punishment. Effective immediately, you are hereby suspended from the Prosecutor's Office for 120 days, with pay, and you will remain ineligible to return to work until you complete your 90 day treatment program. The extra thirty days is to allow yourself time to make your grievances, and you are not allowed to isolate yourself during that time. I am sure your friend Mr. Justice will see to it that you are not alone." Apollo nodded as Klavier lets out a sigh of relief, feeling Edgeworth is being much more lenient than he deserves. "No one outside of the four people in this room will know anything about your suspension. I have already drawn up paperwork approving your request for an extended vacation. As for the press...well, for some reason they find me intimidating. They will not pursue you during your treatment, for fear of facing my wrath." Klavier lets that sink in for a minute. He deserved to be fired, he had convinced himself that Edgeworth was going to fire him and yet here Edgeworth was protecting him. He can't help but to release a faint smile.

Phoenix clears his throat, bringing the room's attention to him. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's something I'd like to ask if you're ok answering." Klavier nodded his head so Phoenix continues. "You say you've never been in court wasted, which I believe, but...well, I mean no offense to you, Klavier, but what if it had reached that point? What if you'd decided one morning that you couldn't stand going to work sober? Or forgot you had court that day?" Edgeworth frowns at Phoenix; clearly, that thought hadn't occurred to him. But Klavier cleared his throat and they both see he is almost completely calm.

"The thought had occurred to me, ja, that something could happen. When it became clear that my slips in judgment were becoming more like a relapse with no foreseeable end, I asked myself the same questions. It was hard to get through a court day sober; there was no 'addict' switch to turn on and off. Some days were unbearable, my thoughts unfocused, cravings overwhelming me. I prosecute to reveal the truth, whether that is beneficial to my case or the defense's, and I began to worry that at some point I would forget the truth of a case at hand and send an innocent person to jail. My mind was jumbled and I trusted nobody, least of all myself. And if I couldn't trust myself to reveal the truth, who could I trust?" Realization dawned on Phoenix as Klavier spoke.

"Apollo." Apollo looked up, confused, not making the connection as quickly as Phoenix had. "Edgeworth said you're allowed to choose your cases. You made sure to choose only cases Apollo was leading defense."

Klavier nodded. "Ja. A fail-safe, as I referred to it, although it wasn't really. Something could still conceivably go wrong. But I trusted in Apollo and his investigations, his abilities to cross-examine both witnesses and myself and lead the judge and the courtroom to the truth. I am sorry, Apollo, for putting so much on you without you being aware. It wasn't fair of me to expect you to do your job and help me do mine.

"Herr Wright, I am also sorry. I know you defend your cases in the same way and for the same reasons, but I couldn't bear to face you in court again. I don't believe I've apologized yet for what happened, and the way I treated you that day. The thought of standing opposite you again...I couldn't handle it. I'm sorry, Herr Wright, for getting your badge taken away. I wake up every day wishing I could take back that moment I called Drew Misham into the courtroom. I am truly sorry..."

Phoenix stayed where he was for a moment, reflecting on that moment in the past with Klavier. He will admit to himself there were moments in the past he hated and blamed Klavier for what happened. He sighed, glancing at his badge. Those moments were in the past. Knowing the truth of that day...it's hard to blame a seventeen year old kid for trusting in his big brother. At least he can absolve Klavier of this guilt. He walked over to the couch, sitting on the arm next to Klavier. He very lightly touched his shoulder so that Klavier will look at him.

"Klavier, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm not going to lie, there were days and moments that I did blame you and I hated you for it. I turned away from the world, much like you did, wallowing in self-pity, drinking the days away in that office. Until little Trucy walked through my door and changed my life. You didn't strip me of my badge, Kristoph did that and I did that. I provided evidence without questioning where it came from, I should have been more responsible and tried to get an extension on the case to investigate further. But I didn't. I don't blame you for that, and I don't blame you for calling in Drew Misham. If our positions were reversed, I would have done the same. And I look at Trucy today...she's the same age now that you were then. Would she question something I told her, or Apollo told her? She wouldn't, and she hasn't known us her whole life. How could I blame you for trusting Kristoph? The truth is, Klavier, you gave me the greatest gift I've ever received. You gave me my little girl. The truth is, I haven't blamed you for a long time. So I don't need an apology. And when you're back on your feet, I look forward to facing you in court again." Phoenix gives Klavier's shoulder a squeeze and stood back up, walking back over to Edgeworth. He doesn't miss the gratitude in Apollo's eyes, the relief in Edgeworth's. Klavier stares at the spot Phoenix had been sitting, then eventually looks over at the man himself.

"Danke, Herr Wright. Your words are more than I deserve." The group is quiet, each lost in thought. Klavier is starting to sweat, his muscles aching. He feels Apollo's thumb stroke the hand he's holding and knows Apollo has noticed his discomfort. He'd like nothing more than to lie back down in Apollo's lap and try to sleep through this withdrawal, but he's wide awake and knows he'll soon start feeling worse. He supposes this is why Edgeworth wanted them ready to go, so that he could be in rehab when withdrawals hit him. The thought of packing his things for a rehab stay fills him with dread. Apollo catches his eye and his expression seems to say don't worry, so Klavier won't for now. Edgeworth watched this unspoken exchange happen and feels momentary deja vu. A defense attorney and a prosecutor...this is becoming too common of an occurrence, not that he can talk.

"You're very lucky, Gavin. To have someone you trust wholeheartedly. To have someone who has seen you at your very worst and still wants to be there for you. I hope you realize how lucky you are to have Justice." Phoenix very discreetly slides his hand behind Edgeworth, rubbing his back. "In any case, we have to be leaving soon. Now," he starts, taking a look at Klavier, who's looking worse by the second. "We will not be dropping you off until morning and we have a stop to make before then, as I believe someone promised a visit to a prison inmate." At the mention of that, Apollo puts his hand behind his head, looking sheepish. "I will say that Wright and I will be leaving the room for a few minutes and anything you choose to do in that time is your choice. We will be back in ten minutes, and either way we will be getting ready to leave."

With that, he grabbed Phoenix's wrist and led him back out the door. Apollo and Klavier stared at the two of them until they were out of sight, and then stared at each other, confused. The implication hits Apollo first. He stood up, pulling the bottle of pills from earlier out of his pocket. He slowly placed the bottle on the coffee table. Klavier glanced at it, then looked at Apollo.

"Apollo, what?...oh. My withdrawals are that obvious?" Klavier stared at his arm for a moment, again running his hand down the track marks. He does want to get better, he really, truly does, but he has to admit that taking one more hit...the idea is irresistible. Apollo once again seemed to know what he's thinking, turning to look more at him.

"I believe what you said earlier. I know you want to get better, and I know that will happen regardless of whatever you choose to do in this moment. I will support you either way."

Klavier is quiet, thinking. He wants to prove he is stronger than they're giving him credit for, that he can make it through this day without drugs, but...he didn't know they'd be going to see Daryan. The idea of what's waiting for him there...the fear makes his decision.

Apollo reached over and grabbed the guitar, turning towards the wall it had come from. "I'll just put this back," he said, his back to Klavier, and Klavier realized Apollo was allowing him to make his choice in private. He hesitated for a second, then quietly popped the lid off. He stared into the bottle, calculating. He dumped four into his hand and hesitated for another minute before popping them into his mouth and swallowing them dry. He puts the lid back on and leaned back, watching Apollo carefully put the guitar back on the wall. For a second, he imagined watching Apollo like this every day, and the thought fills him with a temporary warmth, until the pills kick in and all he can feel is every part of his body relaxing. It feels good and Klavier feels guilty about how good it feels. He feels better, more relaxed, more upbeat, but unfortunately not high. And he feels worse for wishing he was high, but the pills won't allow him to feel down for long.

Apollo turned around after replacing the guitar and watches the effects of the pills kick in. Klavier is visibly more relaxed than he's been since Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth showed up. He feels a flicker of sadness watching him, although he hides it from Klavier. He sits back down next to Klavier, who immediately rests his head on Apollo's shoulder. Apollo begins absentmindedly combing his fingers through Klavier's hair, thinking over the events of the past day. Klavier suddenly moves, causing Apollo to jump a little in surprise. He looks at Klavier and sees he's holding out the bottle of pills, waiting for Apollo to take it. Apollo shook his head.

"You may as well keep it for the day. I'm not sure how much longer we have...it might be a long night." He hated the implication that Klavier might need it, but to be honest he'd like a strong drink for himself at this point, knowing they're heading back to see Daryan. He and Daryan have made their peace but the phrase 'dead man walking' keeps popping into Apollo's head and his stomach dropped. Klavier nodded and puts them in his own pocket, not wanting the Chief Prosecutor to see.

As if on cue, Edgeworth and Phoenix walked back into the room at that point. Edgeworth cleared his throat as they walked to stand in front of them, and Apollo realizes how close he and Klavier are sitting. He shuffles slightly further away, blushing, hoping Phoenix didn't catch their proximity. The smirk on his face says he did, but he seemed to be feeling kind enough to refrain from making a comment or a joke.

"Now then, we must be heading out soon. I had to pull some strings to arrange this after hours visit, so we don't have time to waste. Wright and I will clean the rooms down here, while you help get Gavin packed, Justice. Don't worry about toiletries, just get some clothes and maybe some books together. Whatever you bring, Gavin, expect it to be scanned before entering. And you may as well leave your phone behind, it's not allowed."

"Herr Edgeworth, you do not have to clean up after me," Klavier began to protest, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Edgeworth holds his hands up to stop him.

"It is less for your sake, Gavin, and more so the fact that whatever mess you leave, Justice will clean up." Apollo blushed and shrugs, figuring it's not worth arguing the truth. Klavier looked like he still wants to protest but doesn't. "Now, please be ready in an hour."

An hour later, Klavier has a duffel bag packed and they're in Edgeworth's car heading to the state penitentiary. He felt the pills wearing off already, a worrisome thought, and reached into his pocket where he dumped the pills, leaving the bottle behind. He makes sure no one is watching him and pulled three more out, quickly dropping them in his mouth. He sighed, still nervous about this whole thing, still slightly sure that Daryan still hates him. Apollo is sitting next to him in the backseat, absently staring out the window, his right hand stretched out. Klavier subtly grabbed it, wanting comfort, and Apollo squeezed his hand when he turns to look at him. He stayed quiet, though, which Klavier appreciates. He's finding there's a lot he appreciates about Apollo.

It's a quiet trip, and Klavier is startled when he feels Apollo gently shaking him awake. He blinked slowly, not realizing he'd fallen asleep. He's surprised to see Apollo is outside the car, holding out his hand to help Klavier out of his seat.

"Sorry," Apollo said quietly. "But we're here." Klavier nodded and takes Apollo's hand, stepping out of the car not very gracefully and Apollo keeps him steady. The four of them head inside. Edgeworth walked ahead of them, heading for the guard station. Klavier watched him approach and quietly speak to the guard. The guard nodded and calls for another guard, and Edgeworth allowed the rest of them to catch up.

"Wright and I will wait out here. I'm sure you would rather speak to Crescend alone, but you must have one of us accompanying you, along with the guard. I figured you would prefer if Justice went with you." Klavier nodded, so Edgeworth continued. "You will have no more than ten minutes, unfortunately. It's the best I could do last minute, so late in the day. I will come get you when the ten minutes are up. Office Welch will lead you to Crescend's cell." Apollo and Klavier nodded, walking over to the guard who is waiting for them. He silently started walking down the row of cells, so they follow behind quickly.

They reached Daryan's cell, the man himself lying on his cot, facing the wall. Klavier's heart catches in his throat. I did this. For a moment, Klavier isn't sure if he can speak. Apollo notices and nudged him forward.

"Daryan," he said, softer than he meant to. At first he isn't sure Daryan even heard him, but as he opened his mouth to try again louder, Daryan turned around. His eyes glanced over Apollo but then snap onto Klavier. He takes in Klavier's appearance and snorted.

"Klav, you look like absolute shit." An insult off the bat, but Klavier supposed he's just speaking the truth. He does look like shit. Actually, he looked like a drug addict jonesing for another hit. And hearing Daryan speak to him so casually, without malice...Klavier can't help but laugh.

"Danke, your majesty, I got all dressed up for you." His laugh quickly died out, though, remembering where he is and why. Daryan seemed to understand and turned to Apollo.

"Thanks for getting him here."

Apollo nodded. "I'm just going to wait down by the guard," he said, walking over to where the guard is standing a few cells away. He leaned against an empty cell and faces away from them. Klavier turned back to face Daryan, who seemed serious and nervous.

"I heard you've been getting into trouble without me," Daryan said, keeping his voice down to keep the conversation between the two of them. Klavier stayed quiet. "Klavier, we swore that we were done with that shit. Years ago, we swore. Did Johnny pressure you into it?" Klavier shook his head, feeling a spurt of anger.

"Nein, Daryan, I'm sorry I didn't call my NA support partner before I relapsed, he's a little busy in jail." Daryan flinched slightly, looking guilty but refusing to let Klavier off easy.

"You're right, I haven't been there for you. I deserved that. But you have other people, Klav. Why didn't you call Sleeves when the urge hit you?" Klavier doesn't answer, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The last pills he took have definitely worn off. Daryan sighed, seeing Klavier start to sweat, knowing withdrawal will hit him hard soon. "Sorry, man. I just hate seeing you like this. How...how bad did you get? You used to use dilaudid, you went back to that?" Klavier nodded.

"Ja, and oxys and sometimes ecstasy and a few times I snorted coke with Johnny. And I've been drinking pretty much sunup to sundown," he answered truthfully; he doesn't see the point in lying to Daryan.

"Jesus, Klav. I...I'm sorry. I know I'm part of the reason you turned back to that shit, and I hate that. I know I might not have made it clear before, but you're still my best friend, Klav. I hate to see you like this. You're hurtin' already, aren't you?"

"Ja," Klavier said, nodding. "But I'm going back to rehab immediately after this." He sighed. "I never wanted to go back there."

"I wish I could send you letters, at least. I remember reading letters from the outside made it a little more bearable. But I don't have much longer." They're both quiet for a moment, and Klavier glanced at Apollo out of the corner of his eye. Apollo still isn't paying them much attention, giving them privacy, but it reminds Klavier of their conversation earlier.

"Apollo knows something I don't, doesn't he?" he asked simply. "I can't begin to guess at what you told him, though."

"You mean he didn't tell you?"

"Nein. He said it was for you to tell." Daryan looked conflicted, like he doesn't know how to say what he has to say.

"I...well, I told him about the cocoon."

"The Borginian one? He was in the courtroom, he knows about the cocoon."

"No, I mean I told him why...why I took it." Now Klavier looked confused.

"I thought you took it to blackmail the chief justice. Although I still don't understand why. You didn't really need the money." Daryan nodded, looking away from Klavier.

"That was Sleeves' theory. I went along with it because...I thought it would be easier for you. I thought if you thought that I took it to be so selfish that you would hate me, and move on with your life. But you didn't. You didn't hate me, and you didn't move on. I'm sorry, Klav."

"...So why did you take it?" Klavier asked quietly, although his chest is tightening at the answer he's afraid to hear. Daryan finally looked back at him.

"I'm dying, Klav. I took it for me."

It's like the entire world has stopped. Klavier can't hear this, he can't he can't he can't. He covers his ears with his hands, shaking his head. He's starting to feel like he can't breathe, when he suddenly feels a hand on his back. He turned and sees Apollo, who's looking very concerned and saying something he can't hear. Why can't he hear? Apollo reached up and removed Klavier's hands from his ears.

"Klavier. You're ok. It's ok. Breathe." Klavier listened to Apollo, glad his hearing has returned. "Good. You're good. You're ok. Just keep breathing." Klavier nodded, his senses coming back to him.

"Ja, ja, I'm ok." He turned back to Daryan, furious. "Why in the HELL would you fucking STEAL it?" he demanded angrily. Apollo grabbed his arm, so Klavier toned his volume down a bit, not wanting the guard to kick them out. "What the hell were you thinking?'

"I was thinking that I was getting sick with an incurable disease and that stupid cocoon was my only chance. It's not my fault that country keeps them under lock and key, refusing to let them leave."

"We were rock stars, Daryan, we were law enforcement! If you had come to me, I'm sure we could have convinced them to make an exception, or offered to buy it for a ridiculous price. You didn't have to smuggle it, you didn't have to kill anyone."

"...I didn't want to kill LeTouse. I'm sorry, Klav. I was scared, and I've always done real stupid things when I'm scared. When LeTouse confronted me, I tried to explain. But I hadn't admitted out loud before that I had incuritis and the words wouldn't come out. So I panicked. He was getting closer, and my key to getting better was about to be snatched away. Before I knew what was happening, I'd shot him.

I think about it everyday. It's not like I have much else to do in here but think. In that one moment, I'd shot a man. I'd killed him, and I tried to blame it on a kid. What's wrong with me, man?" He sounded close to tears but Daryan's not one to cry, least of all here and in front of people that are not Klavier. But the raw emotion is his voice is enough to make Klavier's anger dissipate. He can suddenly see very clearly Daryan in that moment he shot LeTouse. Fear completely overwhelming him. It doesn't excuse his actions, of course, but for the first time Klavier can see just how sad a situation it is. Something else occurred to him.

"That's why your shoulder was injured, wasn't it? You've shot that gun of yours hundreds of times and never hurt yourself before. You didn't want to shoot him."

"...no, I didn't. Once I came to and saw what I'd done, I knew it was all over. But then after the second set, the kid started attacking me with questions. I hate to say it, but I panicked again. That's when I made the split second decision to blame it on him, and set up that stupid stunt during the third set and after the show with the body. It was stupid. I was stupid. I deserved to be punished. I did all this to keep myself from dying but honestly...I deserve to die."

Apollo has been quiet the whole time, his back to Daryan, keeping an eye on Klavier, but at this he glanced at Daryan. He doesn't see one hint of the arrogant, selfish bastard he'd originally met. The bracelet on his wrist hasn't tightened once, and Apollo realizes he's not lying. And he realizes Daryan isn't telling the truth to try to get sympathy and save his skin. This...this is a part of Daryan meant only for Klavier. The one person in the world he doesn't have to act around. His best friend.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit sooner," Klavier apologized, regretful.

"I didn't want you to know. I was afraid of what the information would do to you, given our past. Although I guess my actions led you down that path anyways."

"Nein," Klavier said, shaking his head. "It was my choice. A bad one, ja, but one I made. The two of us, we're full of bad choices." He held his arm out, sticking his hand through the bars. "But that's why we're best friends, ja?" Daryan stared at his hand for a minute then grabs it, smiling.

"Always."

"Prosecutor Gavin, I'd remember the rules of no touching the next time you visit." Klavier jumped, quickly backing away from the cell. He turned to see Edgeworth approaching with a woman who held out her hand to Apollo. "I don't think we've met. You're Wright's kid, right?" Apollo took her hand and shook it, but scowled.

"I'm not his kid, I just work for him. Apollo Justice."

"Lana Skye."

"Miss Skye is the Chief of Police," Edgeworth explained at Apollo's curious expression.

"Wait a minute," Apollo says, putting a finger to his forehead. "Skye...are you related to Ema?"

"Ema is my sister. Welch," she called down to the guard, and he walks over to them. "If you could please open the cell and detain the prisoner please." He followed her instructions, opening the bars of the cell and handcuffing Daryan behind his back before walking both of them out of the cell. "If you'll all please follow me to Interrogation Room 2." She began walking down the hall with Edgeworth beside her, Daryan following with the guard holding on, guiding him. Apollo and Klavier stared at each other for a moment, confused, before jogging to catch up with the group. They entered the interrogation room and Daryan's handcuffs are removed. Welch moves to stand in front of the door, keeping a close eye on Daryan who has sat in the suspect seat. Lana sits across from him, pulling a file out of her bag. Edgeworth goes to stand in front of the two-way mirror, so Apollo and Klavier follow his lead.

"Now," she said, opening the file. "You were charged with the assisted smuggling of a Borginian Cocoon, the murder of Interpol agent Romein LeTouse, and obstruction of justice. Your sentence was the death penalty, to be carried out in a few days time."

"Yeah, that's right," Daryan responded, unsure about whatever is happening.

"You recently received an unscheduled medical examination, complete with blood work, correct?"

"Yeah, this morning. So what?"

"This examination, along with documents from your previous physician, confirmed a tip received from the Chief Prosecutor that you suffer from Incuritis. Is this correct?" She looked up at him, staring intently. He nodded, still confused.

"Yes. I have Incuritis. Death penalty or not, I'd be dead in a couple years. Sooner, if it progresses faster." Lana nods, frowning.

"Why did you not testify as to this in court?"

"I didn't see a point. Like I said, death penalty, disease, one way or another I was dying. I thought this way it would be easier for Klavier to move on with his life." Daryan sees something flicker in Lana's eyes at this.

"I see. Can you tell me about the day of the incident now? The full truth this time." And so, Daryan tells his story again. When he's done, Lana is quiet for some time.

"Thank you. I had guessed at the truth after hearing what you said to Mr. Justice the other day. I would like you to know that everything that has been said here has been recorded and will be presented to the Chief Justice immediately. However, he has already been presented the documents of your condition and together we have approved a change in sentencing. Effective immediately, the death sentence passed upon you is revoked. You will be assigned a new court date, at which time the killing of Romein LeTouse will be re-determined to be either murder in the second degree or voluntary manslaughter. You have the right to select a new attorney, or have one chosen for you by the state. You will receive your new sentence at that time."

"Wait, so...what?"

"Well, you're not getting out, but you are released from the death penalty."

"But...how?" Daryan is flabbergasted, unable to believe what he's hearing.

"Miles Edgeworth is an old friend of mine, as well as my former subordinate, so when he came to me with a tip that you have Incuritis I began to investigate immediately."

"But...how did you know?" he asked, looking over at Edgeworth...and locks eyes with Apollo. "Never mind. But...like I said, I'm still dying. I'll still die here in prison."

"Actually...your treatment will begin tomorrow. Someone was kind enough to offer the Borginian government a very large sum of money in exchange for a cure made from the cocoon. It should be arriving tomorrow morning. You'll find you have a full life ahead of you, Mr. Crescend. Once you serve your time, that is." Daryan is struck silent. The enormity of the situation hits him. He's not going to die. Not by the chair, not by a firing squad, and not from some stupid disease. He felt a genuine smile pulling on his lips, although he's pretty curious to know who paid such an extravagant fee for him. It can't have been Klavier, he didn't know Daryan was sick until twenty minutes ago. He shrugged it off. He'd love to thank whoever it is, but they clearly wanted to remain anonymous.

Klavier approached them, holding his left arm with his right, looking nervously between Lana and Edgeworth, and Edgeworth realized he's not sure who to defer to. He seemed to make up his mind, staring at Lana uncertainly.

"Er, Fraulein Skye?" Lana seemed to know what he wants to ask before he can spit it out. She glances at her watch, then cuts him off.

"Edgeworth and I will be back in five minutes. Welch will be posted immediately outside the door. The two-way mirror is not activated, but the cameras are on if you decide to try something funny, which I would recommend you not do. He isn't handcuffed, you know." With that, the three of them exited the room, leaving Klavier, Apollo, and Daryan in the room alone, all of them looking dumbfounded. Apollo felt Klavier move beside him, and looked over just in time to watch him run at Daryan. They don't hug often, but something about the situation seemed to call for it. Both of them are crying tears of relief and laughing, everything seeming to hit them at once. Apollo backed up and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smiling for the pair of reunited friends. He pulled out his cell phone and snapped a quick picture. It's a private moment, but this is for Klavier's eyes only.

Klavier and Daryan step back from each other, laughing at their tear-streaked faces, arms still around the other's waist. "Thank you, man," Daryan said finally. Apollo noted this is a Daryan he's never seen before, a genuinely happy Daryan. "Now you gotta focus on yourself for a little bit. The first couple weeks will be rough, you know that, but you need to get better again. Do that for me?" Klavier nodded, and Apollo internally sighed in relief.

"Ja, of course. I...well, I don't wish rehab on you but I do wish you'd be by my side again."

"Sorry, Klav, no can do, but I do promise to write. Every week, or maybe every day," he said, shrugging. "I kind of have a lot of free time on my hands right now."

"It's not the same, he's not you, but I think I'll have Johnny this time at least, so I won't be completely alone."

"Johnny? Johnny Crier? No fucking way. Crier's actually cleaning himself up and going to rehab?" Daryan is completely surprised by this information. Klavier nodded, smiling, and jerked his head towards Apollo.

"Ja, apparently something about his conversation with Herr Forehead inspired him to finally get help." Daryan is taken aback again, doubly surprised, but then smirked.

"Well, Sleeves, look like you're just fixing all the Gavinners. The ultimate fanboy, putting the band back together again." The expression on his face sobered quickly, and he stepped closer to Apollo. "In all seriousness...thanks, man. For convincing Johnny to go to rehab. For asking the Chief Prosecutor for a favor for me. But mostly, thanks for keeping your word and helping Klav." He held his hand out, and Apollo shook it. "I can never repay you for that."

"Thanks for not being an asshole when I came to you a few days ago."

"Actually...I have another favor to ask." He pulled back, looking unsure. "She said I get a retrial, that I could choose a new attorney...look, you don't owe me anything and I know I was kind of a jerk to you in the past, so I'm not expecting you to—"

Apollo cuts him off. "I'll take your case, if that's what you're trying to ask." Daryan looked surprised and relieved at the same time.

"I don't like this feeling like I owe you big time but...well, you're a great attorney Slee—I mean, Apollo. And you know my case." Apollo waved him off.

"Klavier would have asked me to take your case anyway. And I don't work for free, although I suppose I'll give you the friends and family discount," he said, winking. "And Sleeves is fine. It's better than Herr Forehead, honestly."

"Hey!" Klavier protested. Daryan and Apollo both laughed.

"In all seriousness, thank you. I truly owe you a life debt." He stepped back, eying Apollo and Klavier's close proximity, noting how comfortable they seem to be. He smirked again. "And by the way, you guys make the cutest couple," he said, laughing when Klavier blushes and Apollo turns as red as his vest. "Keep taking care of him," he said to Apollo before Apollo can protest.

Just then the door opened, and Edgeworth and Lana stepped just inside the doorway. "I wish I could give you a longer reunion, but it's late and he needs to get back into his cell." Klavier nodded, turning back to Daryan and holding out his arms again. Daryan stepped in for one final hug, and they hold onto each other tightly for a moment, knowing they won't see each other again for at least three months.

"You promise you'll write?" Klavier asked Daryan quietly. They stepped back from each other and Daryan nodded.

"Of course. Sleeves will let me know where you are." Apollo nodded at this, and Klavier grabbed his arm gratefully. "Take care of yourself, Klav." He slapped Klavier on the back, nodding at Apollo, and walked over to Lana, holding his wrists out to be handcuffed. Welch stepped in front and cuffed him, silent as ever, and begins the walk back down the hall.

"Pleasure seeing you, Edgeworth," Lana said, shaking his hand. "Don't be a stranger. Ema would love to have you over for dinner." She left the room chuckling, following Daryan and the guard back down the hallway. Edgeworth gives her a glare that she doesn't see, then sighed.

"Well, we better be heading out. We still have a bit of a drive to the treatment center. Wright's waiting in the car, undoubtedly blasting the air conditioning." They started walking, Edgeworth shutting the door to the interrogation room behind them. Klavier comes to an abrupt stop outside the public bathroom near the guard station.

"You mind if I use the facilities, Herr Edgeworth?" Edgeworth shook his head.

"No, but straight to the car when you're done. Justice, if you also have to use them, I suggest you do so now."

"I don't," Apollo said, shaking his head. "But I'll wait here for you, Klavier." Nodding, Edgeworth turned and continued to the door.

Klavier headed into the bathroom, making sure the door has shut behind him. He walked over to one of the sinks, gripping it hard as he leaned his head over it. He stared into it, watching sweat drip down off his face, watching his hands tremble. He pulled out his remaining pills, counting them. Six. Too many. Three should be enough to get me through the rest of this trip. With this thought, he suddenly looked up at himself in the mirror. He stared into a face he can barely recognize anymore, wondering what's happened to him that he's contemplating taking drugs in a prison with the Chief of Police somewhere in the building. He clenched the pills in his fist, suddenly angry. He doesn't want to be like this anymore, he's promised Apollo, and Daryan, and his boss. He promised to get better, he doesn't need this last high. Before he can think about it, he takes his fist and punches the mirror, not even registering pain when the mirror shattered. He just doesn't want to look at his face anymore.

Apollo must have heard the commotion and come inside, because he's suddenly next to him. "Klavier! What—" he stopped, noticing the shards of glass and Klavier's bloodied fist. "Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing paper towels from the dispenser. He stopped in front of Klavier as Klavier turned his fist over, carefully opening it to reveal the pills he's holding. "Oh," is all Apollo says, his face turning from worrying to questioning.

"I didn't take any," Klavier said, still not moving. "I wanted to, to get through the rest of the ride, to get one last high but...I realized how stupid and selfish I was being," he spat, disgusted with himself. "I wasn't lying, I don't want to be that person anymore, I don't want to be controlled by drugs any longer." As he says this, he turned his palm, letting the pills fall off his hand and into the drain of the sink. He turned the water on, watching the pills flush down the drain. He chuckled bitterly. "If only I could flush away my addiction so easily." He brings his hand close to his face, examining it. "I couldn't even recognize my reflection." Apollo suddenly understood what happened. He guided Klavier to the next sink, away from the glass. Klavier leaned back against the sink, still staring at his hand.

"Here, let me." Apollo grabbed his hand gently, carefully examining both sides for any fragments of glass. Finding none, he wets the paper towels and gently wipes Klavier's palm. The blood has trickled onto this side but there are no actual cuts. Once he has the palm cleaned off he turns Klavier's hand over. He reaches for fresh paper towels, glancing at Klavier as he does so. Klavier seemed to be lost in his thoughts, his face still set in an angry expression. Apollo began to gently dab at the cuts on his knuckles, trying to be careful, but Klavier still lets out a small hiss. He doesn't say anything, though, so Apollo continued cleaning his hand off. Once most of the blood is gone, he grabs another paper towel and wraps it over Klavier's hand.

"You know," he said, breaking the silence. "You need to give yourself a break. Nobody can break away from addiction in one day. It's going to take work, but you're already taking great strides. Someone else would have taken those pills, would have taken the high, but you chose not to. Not because you thought I wouldn't like it, or Mr. Edgeworth, but because you didn't want to. Once a child prodigy, always a child prodigy I suppose." At this, Klavier let out a weak smile. "Hold this on tight, I don't want to hold it too tight and hurt you." Klavier grabbed hold of the makeshift bandage Apollo has made with the paper towels and pressed down. With both his hands free, Apollo turned Klavier around to face one of the unbroken mirrors.

"I don't know, I still see Klavier Gavin," he said, shrugging, an arm around Klavier's shoulder. "Maybe some people think he's a glimmerous fop, but I think he's pretty great." Klavier finally relaxes a little and smiled.

"Danke, Apollo. Truly, for everything you've done for me."

"I told you, Klavier, that I'd always be there for you." Klavier's heart bursts with gratitude towards Apollo, and maybe something else, but before he can react the door to the bathroom opens.

"Okay, lovebirds, what's the—oh," Phoenix says as he enters, taking in the shattered mirror and Klavier's wrapped hand. Apollo turns towards Phoenix, keeping Klavier behind him.

"It's so much dumber than you think, Mr. Wright. Klavier tripped over my big dumb feet and hit the mirror," he said, lying easily. Klavier tries not to show it but internally, he's extremely surprised. Apollo is keeping quiet about the pills and lying to his boss. He also feels extremely guilty knowing he's the reason Apollo is lying.

Phoenix doesn't buy this story at all, but the expressions on both boys faces keep him from pushing further. "Well, I'll make sure Lana sends the bill to you," is all he says. "I'm pretty sure Edgeworth has a first aid kit in his car," he said, turning and exiting the bathroom, clearly intending for them to follow. Apollo does immediately, but Klavier turned and takes one last look in the mirror. It is still hard to see himself like this, but he sees Apollo is right. Klavier Gavin is still in there. He takes his uninjured hand and uses it to comb his hair a bit. He wants to style his hair, but his right hand is proving to be a hindrance.

"We'll be right there, Mr. Wright, I promise," he heard Apollo say. He's still struggling with his hair when Apollo comes up behind him again. He put a hand on Klaviers' hands and gently pushed them away. He then slowly turned Klavier around.

"I don't know how to do whatever it is you usually do to your hair, but I'm not bad with a braid if you'd like." Klavier nodded and Apollo begins to work. His tongue poked out a little as he concentrates, which just makes him even more adorable to Klavier. His fingers move effortlessly, and Klavier wondered how exactly he acquired this skill. They're both silent until Apollo finished.

Klavier turned back to the mirror, admiring Apollo's work. "Danke, Apollo. I look more like myself...although I also look like Katniss Everdeen." Apollo's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Trucy may have seen The Hunger Games on TV and begged me to do her hair like that. Well, threatened is more accurate, especially after Mr. Wright refused." Klavier laughed, and it felt easy and genuine. He pictured Apollo in his office watching hair braiding tutorials on YouTube.

"I like it. Just give me a bow and arrow, ja?" Apollo smiled at seeing Klavier in good spirits. It seemed like it had been so long since he last saw him smile so genuinely. He put an arm around his waist, pointing at the door with the other.

"Shall we, Girl on Fire?" he teased. "Mr. Edgeworth will probably have an aneurysm soon." Klavier shoved him playfully.

"Herr Edgeworth probably suffers an aneurysm everyday thanks to Herr Wright," he joked as they leave the bathroom behind.

"Mr. Wright isn't THAT bad," Apollo protested. He's quiet for a second, thinking. "Okay, maybe you're right," he conceded. Klavier is still laughing as they approach Edgeworth's car. The two older men are standing by the trunk, watching their younger charges. Klavier and Apollo sober when they see them. Klavier tensed, sure he's in trouble again as Edgeworth stared at his hand. Edgeworth instead doesn't say anything, turning around and opening his trunk.

"I hear you need a little patching up," he said, turning back around with a first aid kit in his hand. He hands it to Apollo. "Justice, I trust you can handle this. We'll be in the car," is all he says before he and Phoenix turn and get back into the car. Apollo opened the kit, getting to work. He carefully cleans and disinfects Klavier's right hand. It stings a little but Klavier shrugged it off. Apollo then covered both sides of his hand in gauze, and began to wrap his hand. When he finished, Klavier flexed his hand slightly, testing it. It's already beginning to feel better.

"Danke. Apollo truly, I cannot say it enough." Apollo is quiet, looking at Klavier with an expression he can't quite read. Emotions stirs in Klavier, and he's surprised to recognize it's longing. Desire. He surprises both of them and reached out his left hand, gently touching Apollo's face. It's different this time, when he's not drunk or high, and he preferred this. Apollo grabbed Klavier's hand with his right, slowly pulling it away from his face. Klavier's not sure if this is ok, but he wants it and he thinks Apollo wants it, and he's leaning down and Apollo is leaning up...

...When the horn of the car honks.

"Can we make it there before sunrise, please?" Phoenix shouted from the front seat of the car. Klavier and Apollo jump back, Apollo reaching up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly, his face turning red.

"Just finishing up, Mr. Wright!" he shouted back. He turned back to look at Klavier, his face still the cutest shade of red.

"I guess we'll have to wait, ja?" Klavier is really flushed now, from both the heat of the moment and the withdrawals. He tries to wipe the sweat off his face inconspicuously, but of course Apollo notices. Apollo reached into his pocket, pulling out an actual, honest-to-God handkerchief. When Klavier takes it, Apollo put the back of his hand on Klavier's forehead.

"You're burning up!" he exclaimed. Klavier nodded, wiping his face with Apollo's handkerchief.

"Withdrawals are really kicking in. We should get there before it gets worse." Apollo reached up and shuts the trunk of the car, and both get back into the car's backseat. Klavier sits in the middle seat, buckling the lap band, and lays his head on Apollo's shoulder. He doesn't really care what Wright and Edgeworth think, the withdrawals are hitting him bad and he could use the small bit of comfort of Apollo's arm around his shoulder. The withdrawals are starting to get worse, it feels like the flu he had last year multiplied by one hundred. His whole body was starting to ache. Apollo gently grabbed his handkerchief from Klavier with his free hand and wiped more sweat off his face.

"You'll be ok," he whispered. "We'll be there soon." Klavier nodded, his teeth now chattering.

"Cold now," he makes out, his body beginning to shiver. Apollo puts his other arm around Klavier, pulling him close. Phoenix glanced at them through the rear-view mirror. It would be another cute photo opportunity, if Klavier wasn't in so much pain and looking like he was going to die any moment. He turned towards Edgeworth, who is focused on the road and not his backseat.

"How far is it?" Phoenix asked quietly. Edgeworth hears the worry in his voice and takes a minute to look in the mirror himself, before turning his attention back to the road.

"About an hour, unfortunately."

The rest of the ride is agonizing for Klavier. Apollo alternates between wiping sweat off Klavier when he's too warm, to holding him close when he's freezing. He appreciated Mr. Wright not commenting on his admittedly tender actions, but he's beginning to figure out Mr. Wright's been, well, right all along about his and Klavier's feelings towards each other. But now is certainly not the time.

They finally pull up to the rehab center, but Apollo doesn't have a chance to see much of the outside. Klavier, who had been laying with his head on Apollo's lap, feels a sudden spike of nausea before he pushed open Apollo's door in the nick of time, leaning over and vomiting outside the car. Apollo finds himself once again holding back Klavier's hair, reaching for a tissue Mr. Edgeworth hands him with his other hand. Klavier's heaving finally stopped, and Apollo pulled him back into the car.

"You're okay," he said softly, using the tissue to wipe Klavier's mouth. Klavier's only response is a moan of pain and fever. The door on Klavier's side opened, and Apollo sees Mr. Wright leaning in.

Phoenix grabbed Klavier's legs and pulled them out of the car. Going out Apollo's side is now out of the question and Phoenix can tell Klavier isn't capable of getting out on his own at the moment. Once his legs are on the ground, he pulls Klavier's upper body to his chest, carefully pulling him out of the car and supporting his full weight.

"Ok, kid, you're alright," he said reassuringly as he turned Klavier around, slinging an arm around his waist to keep him up while he waits for Apollo to get out of the car. Just as Apollo gets out, Phoenix hears Klavier mutter the word sick in time to put some distance between them. Klavier fell to his knees, vomiting once again. He felt Apollo kneel next to him, grabbing his hair out of the way and rubbing his back soothingly.

He finally has nothing left to give and dry heaved a couple more times before it finally ended. He felt Apollo wipe his mouth again before pulling him to his chest, speaking words of comfort that Klavier is unable to concentrate on at the moment. He wrapped his arms around Apollo, shaking, as he felt the full weight of his withdrawals.

Apollo sees Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth speaking quietly next to the open trunk, Klavier's duffel bag in Mr. Edgeworth's hands. Mr. Wright, seeing Klavier's spectacular display has ended, nods in Apollo's direction. Mr. Edgeworth follows Mr. Wright's gaze and nodded, shutting the trunk. The two of them walked over to where Apollo and Klavier are still kneeling on the ground, Klavier still clutching Apollo like a lifeline. Mr. Wright knelt down next to Apollo.

"We're going to go ahead and get Klavier checked in, and let them know he's going to need full medical assistance once you guys get in. He won't be allowed visitors while he detoxes; he has to do that on his own. Once he gets through that, he'll be allowed visitation and phone calls, which we'll get the details for before we leave today. If you guys aren't inside in the next five minutes, we're going to send medics out here." With that, Phoenix stood up and walked over to Edgeworth, who was waiting by the hood of the car.

"Mr. Wright," Apollo called after him softly. Phoenix turned around with a questioning look. "Thank you. Both of you." Phoenix smiled and nodded, turning back around to walk with Edgeworth into the building. Once both of them had gone in, Apollo's attention snapped back to Klavier.

"Klavier," he said quietly. "Can you stand?" Klavier doesn't give any kind of reaction that he's even heard Apollo, and Apollo sighed. He carefully slipped out of Klavier's death grip, putting his own hands on Klavier's waist to pull him up. They stand slowly, Apollo careful to not let go of Klavier. Klavier comes to slightly, putting an arm over Apollo's shoulders for balance.

"Where are you?" Apollo wondered aloud, not expecting an answer. He leaned Klavier against the car, wanting to wipe off any dirt or debris on their pants. Klavier gripped the passengers side mirror with one hand, still holding onto Apollo loosely with his other. His whole body still ached, but he was at least starting to focus again.

"I'm at the day I started using again," he said quietly. Apollo was suddenly still, hearing Klavier respond. He looked into Klavier's face, but Klavier seemed a million miles away. "I was struggling. Long before I heard any voices, I was struggling. I didn't know what to do. I knew what I shouldn't do. Going into court started to...it felt hard. Every time I looked at the stand, I saw Daryan. I saw Kristoph. Kristoph wasn't even dead yet, but his ghost was already haunting me. I felt like I was drowning.

"You asked me how I was doing, and I lied to you. I went and paced the floor at Gavin Manor, but at that point, it was already too late. I knew what I was doing there, why I had went there. I told myself I was trying to find closure, but I knew. I went there for the drugs. For the escape. I drank Kristoph's liquor like it was going out of style, and I tried to tell myself that was enough. That I didn't need the drugs. That I didn't have to be this person. I picked up my phone. I tried to call you, but my hands wouldn't cooperate. Every day since then, I've wondered. If I called you then, would we be here now? Everyday, I wish I would have been strong enough to call you.

"But I didn't. I moved the bed and went for the loose floorboard. I knew Kristoph wouldn't have found it. I wrapped my belt around my arm...my phone started to ring. I ignored your call. I remembered being terrified you would choose Wright over me. Why wouldn't you? My brother destroyed your life as much as he did mine, but Wright was there to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile I was falling apart, but I didn't deserve to have anyone put me back together. I shot up, for the first time in years, and it felt wonderful. I didn't want to admit it. I don't want to admit it. How good it felt. My sobriety, wiped out in that one second. I told myself that was it, I didn't need anymore. Now I was lying to you and to myself. What's wrong with me?" Klavier is shaking still, and crying at the memory. Apollo pulled him in without hesitation.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Klavier. You've beaten this before, and I know you will do it again. I think you know as well as I do that addiction never really leaves you. You fight it, you fight for your sobriety, everyday. That takes a lot of energy. You haven't had to do that during a time like this before, without your brother, without your best friend, without the two people who would understand best of all.

I think you know how well I understand. I know what it's like to have a habit you're ashamed of. I also know that I would never choose Mr. Wright over you. Mr. Wright would never ask me to do that, first of all. I'm not sure how things would be different if you had reached out to me that first night, if things would have been different. The could-haves, should-haves, would-haves, they don't really matter. What matters is what did happen. You just admitted you'd already been struggling for a while at that point. That doesn't make you weak, Klavier, it makes you human. Humans make mistakes, humans fuck up. We fall down and then get back up and learn from our mistakes and we keep going. And that's what you need to do now." Apollo still has Klavier in a fierce hug, Klavier's arms wrapped tightly around him for both physical and emotional support. Over Klavier's shoulders, Apollo sees Mr. Wright poke his head out the door. Apollo held up a finger and Mr. Wright nodded, turning back inside.

"We have to get inside. They're waiting for you." Klavier nodded against Apollo's chest.

"I'm scared," he admitted. "Detox is...it's going to be torture." He felt Apollo nod.

"It is going to be tough. But I have faith in you, Klavier. You've gotten through it before and you can do it again. And once you do, I'll be able to come and visit at least. You're going to be okay."

Klavier pulled back from Apollo and stared at him. He felt a rush of love and gratitude in that moment, and realized they'd have something to talk about at another time. For now he gently took Apollo's face in one hand, and Apollo repeated the action. A noise in the distance broke the moment. Apollo pulled his hand away from Klavier's face, holding it out. Klavier grabbed it, and the two of them walked together, slowly, to the doors of the rehab center. Every movement seemed to cause Klavier pain, so Apollo let them stop at the door.

"Are you okay?" he asked Klavier, concerned. Klavier was leaning on the railing, bent over and clutching his stomach. He doesn't answer, moaning in pain instead. Apollo slung Klavier's arm back over his shoulder, bending over and picked him up, awkwardly bridal style. He pushed the door open, feeling grateful it's a push and not a pull door, and walked ungracefully over to the front desk where Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth were waiting. The receptionist at the desk jumped up immediately. She spoke something into the phone that Apollo didn't hear, focused on Klavier. He was aware on some level that Mr. Edgeworth was also asking him something but he ignored him, setting Klavier down on one of the posh waiting room chairs. He knelt down in front of him.

"Klavier, can you hear me?" he asked frantically. Klavier grabbed his hand, giving him a weak squeeze.

"Apollo...I'm sorry. I never wanted you to see me like this."

"I don't care. You've seen me at my worst, I can handle you at yours. I just hate that you're in so much pain."

"Nothing to do but ride it out." Apollo sees the medics approaching and knows they don't have much time. He lowered his voice even more, to keep their words between them.

"I'll be waiting for you," Apollo promised quietly, brushing stray hairs off Klavier's face. "The second they say I can come, I'll be here."

"You promise?" Apollo smiled faintly and grabbed Klavier's hand so that Klavier's hand was between both of his own.

"Of course. I promise. Promise me you'll work hard, that you'll get better."

"I promise."

"I think these guys want to take you to the medic wing," Apollo said, shrugging his shoulder in the direction of the medics that are waiting awkwardly beside them. "You and Johnny look after each other. Write your big comeback single if you want." Klavier chuckled faintly at that. Apollo stood, gently pulling Klavier up with him. Klavier seemed a little more steady but gratefully took a seat in the wheelchair the medics had brought with them. He grabbed at Apollo's hand before Apollo moved out of the way.

"I...I think we should talk when I'm clean." Apollo smiled at that, squeezing Klavier's hand.

"I look forward to it."

A/N: Thanks to anyone still sticking with me. This is pretty much the end, maybe just an epilogue left. I was working 2 jobs and in school, and I didn't have a lot of time to myself for a long time. Now I have a lot of time on my hands thanks to COVID, which was actually helpful to getting this finished. I was laughing when I remembered I said that it was slash if you squint. I should have known I was going to change that, but I started writing this years ago. I know some will disagree with my portrayal of Daryan, but I really wanted to humanize him more and make him more likeable. His appearance in the game felt weird; they described him as Klavier's right hand man but made him seem like such a jerk. I hoped to portray him in a better light while "explaining" his actions in the game. The same with Kristoph. Many will see him as Phoenix sees him, a monster, a psychopath, but Klavier is his family. Quite often, family members of serial killers are unaware of the situation. That is why, though, I left Kristoph's portrayal less defined, so you can judge him as you see fit. Did he really love Klavier and Apollo? Who will ever know for sure?

I also used poetic justice with the criminal justice system there and Klavier checking into rehab. I'm sure it wouldn't be so easy to get a criminal sentence changed, but for the sake of the story I'm pretending it is lol. Please leave any constructive criticism/reviews/etc. I'll be sure to get the epilogue up soon! I'm also (I hate to say it preemptively) working on a story that delves into Apollo's lines of "I know what it's like to have a habit you're ashamed of" and "you've seen me at my very worst".

Anyways, stay safe everyone! Hopefully we get through this quickly. I'm in NY but not NYC, so I could have a lot of free time on my hands for a while.

Thanks again for reading!

Shayla