#i'm sure ema skye is GREAT but she seems way too normal

[aceprosecuties]

(I'm here for potential angst) Imagine an AU where Apollo keeps working under Kristoph for a few years (pretending the whole Defend Phoenix thing doesn't happen) and it's kind of toxic. And Clay still ends up being murdered at the space station. Then of course the year after Nahyuta shows up to prosecute a case. Imagine Nahyuta just seeing Apollo in this state.

(All the other details with Simon Athena, or anything with the Wright agency are complicated and I didn’t think that far ahead) Just Nahyuta seeing Apollo, who’s resentment probably has risen due to Kristoph, still looking up to Kristoph. Nahyuta inside reaction (because he can’t actually show it)

UH NONNIE ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK ME inthebestwayofcourse

I’ve definitely thought about Apollo being under Kristoph’s wing and everything - since Apollo does have a heart for the truth and for justice (lol puns), it takes some crafty manipulation on Kristoph’s part to mold him into his perfect protege.  He lays the groundwork, whispering about corrupt prosecutors and how they will do anything to get a conviction…but Apollo still wants to think the best of the system.  Unfortunately, Kristoph is great at making his words sound sweet and they’re almost addictive as people lose more and more faith in the courts; they claw through Apollo’s brain and viciously battle against his own sense of justice and truth, chipping away at his defenses until he finds Kristoph’s voice melding with his own in his head.  He doesn’t recognize how manipulative Kristoph is being; he just sees it as a mentor teaching his beloved protege his personal ideals.   

But the resistance remains, Kristoph knows.  It remains and it takes a final push to snuff out any remaining fires that tie Apollo to his old self.  He waits until the opportune moment.  He waits…and Clay’s death gives him the open door he has been waiting for.  Clay’s killer is never found, and Apollo finds only comfort in Kristoph, who reminds him that the truth is elusive.  In this world of corruption, the only way to survive is to make your own truth.  If the evidence does not show what you know to be true, then you make it so. 

And for their next case, Kristoph finds a piece of evidence that would have let their client off the hook…and he destroys it, waiting for Apollo to come to him for his “connections.” 

How delightful when he does, and they create the truth in their own way. 

—-

(SO UH CUT FOR NAHYUTA’S THOUGHTS AND STUFF NOW also I’m tired so I’m sorry if this is just bad I got carried away aha)

Ema Skye had mentioned Nahyuta’s opponent was going to be Apollo Justice, but Nahyuta had been expecting a completely different person.  The Apollo he knew was earnest and determined and had a passionate fire that he believed could never be extinguished.  Not like his own - Nahyuta always believed that if their positions had been reversed, Apollo would have figured out a way to get out from under Ga’ran’s thumb and save his family.  Nahyuta was too weak to do that.  

So who was this man standing across from him in court? 

Sure, he had the same face as Apollo…the same ridiculous hair he remembered form when they were kids, but…this was not the Apollo he knew.  

That Apollo had fire.  This one…this man…was ice.  

He repeated the phrase ‘evidence is everything in court’ with a sickeningly faux-innocent smile as he showed pieces of evidence that Nahyuta knew deep down should not have existed…but he had no way to prove that.  Whenever Nahyuta spoke about the evils of defense attorneys - to keep up appearances with Ga’ran’s spies of course - Apollo countered not with a defense of his profession, but with cold polite insults in return.  

He was softer in his voice, even.  Since when had he learned to speak at a normal volume…?  It was unsettling, especially since there was always some…darkness behind it.  As if an evil aura had suffocated and quieted him. 

Nahyuta knew better than to go up to Apollo after the trial.  They were supposed to be strangers, with no history between them.  But he did watch him.  He watched as a blond man with glasses approached Apollo, smiling that same cold smile that Apollo had used in court.  He watched the man put his arm around Apollo, probably congratulating him on his victory, but that grip looked…tight.  Possessive.  Like Apollo was a treasure no one else was meant to touch or dirty with their sullen fingers.  

To Nahyuta’s dismay…Apollo didn’t notice.  In fact, he seemed happier in this man’s clutches than he had throughout the entire trial. 

And Nahyuta watched them walk away.  He wanted to call after Apollo, to wretch him from that demon’s hands and reignite the fire he always believed would never go out.  

He almost did. 

Almost. 

Instead he stood there, appearing emotionless.  Unable to move because he too had a demon’s claws holding him, ripping his soul to shreds piece by piece. 

He had always believed Apollo to be beyond her reach. 

But how foolish of him to assume only one devil existed in this world…and how arrogant he was to underestimate their power.

He prayed to the Holy Mother to watch over Apollo, knowing full well that she did would not be able to find him amidst such evil.