#posting secret santa in april cuz i do what i want

[guilty-love]

Shelter

Part 2 of my Secret Santa present for @apodictic-twinkle! Hope you like it <3

April 20th 2026, 05:47 PM Apollo Justice’s apartment

He had never expected his first trial to end like this.

It has already been devastating to Apollo to find his former idol to play the part of the defendant in a trial, to be called a murderer. He could not believe it that Phoenix Wright of all people would murder an innocent traveler, someone he simply played poker with. Killing him over something trivial like a lost game of cards…

But that hadn’t even been the worst part of the trial. His mentor, Kristoph Gavin, had been there, to support Apollo when he needed support, to whisper words in his ear when he felt like losing track of the whole trial. But having Kristoph Gavin around in the courtroom had made things worse and turned everything upside down.

When Apollo has walked out of the courtroom that day he hadn’t known what had happened. How had it ended up with Kristoph Gavin being the culprit? How had it happened that, all of a sudden, he had lost his job?

Of course, those were silly questions. Apollo knew the answers to them. It was thanks to his drive to seek justice that he has uncovered the truth behind the crime, about the dark deeds his boss had done and, as it has to be, he had made sure Kristoph Gavin got what he deserved.

But that didn’t make Apollo feel any better at all.

Even when his idol, Phoenix Wright, stepped over to him to thank him, even when Phoenix offered him a job in his agency – Wright Talent Agency? Really? – Apollo couldn’t bring himself to smile. In the aftermath he didn’t remember anymore what exactly he had said to Phoenix Wright. The only thing he remembered was the feeling of needing to get out of this place, as fast as possible.

He was back in his apartment about two hours after the trial had ended. Usually Apollo tried to be careful with his suit, because as a lawyer you need to look your best when you meet your clients. But after this catastrophe of a first trial all he could think of was getting rid of the stuffy clothes. Especially the jacket which held his attorney’s badge.

He threw it into the corner of his bedroom, not paying any attention to it.

He picked some comfortable clothes from his closet, just a comfy pair of cargo pants and a white shirt. Pulling it over his head ruined his perfectly styled trademark bangs but he couldn’t care less, really. He needed to get his mind off of things, needed to distract himself from what has happened today. He didn’t want to think about it any longer.

He only managed to hit the power-button on his computer to boot it when his phone started ringing, notifying the lawyer that yes, he had received a text message. He really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone – he had talked enough already in the courtroom – but when he read the name ‘Daichi’ on the screen Apollo quickly fumbled with the phone to open the message.

[Daichi:] Hey! Hey hey hey! How is it going, Mister Lawyer?! How was your first trial?!

Apollo sighed. Of course his best friend would want to know how it had been going. He had apologized so many times for not making it, but the current project he was working on at Cosmos Space Center had made it impossible for him.

He really didn’t feel in the mood to talk about things. But he couldn’t just ignore Daichi’s text message now, couldn’t he?

[Apollo:] I won.

He dropped the phone on the surface on the desk again and turned his attention towards his computer, opening the folder that contained all his music. He needed something to take his mind off of things now, something to keep him busy enough to not have him think about this terrible day.

But of course, receiving only a two words message would not satisfy Daichi.

[Daichi:] You won?! That’s amazing! I told you you would be fine, Apollo!

[Daichi:] But then again, you didn’t really answer my question. How was your first trial despite the fact that you have won?

The lawyer groaned. He really really didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew Daichi wouldn’t let go if he didn’t get an honest answer. He’d be worried about Apollo and pester him until he finally got the truth out of him.

[Apollo:] You want to know how it went? It was terrible!

[Apollo:] Not only did I have to defend my idol who was blamed as a murderer in the trial, no.

[Apollo:] Turned out that my boss was the actual culprit! And now they arrested him and I have lost my job!

[Apollo:] And on top of that, I get the feeling that my idol’s daughter has handed me forged evidence, which I can’t proof for certain, but Mister Gavin’s reaction was quite suspicious.

[Apollo:] So yeah, I won, but that victory came with a price I didn’t want to pay.

[Apollo:] And I really don’t want to think about it anymore or talk about it. I just need some time for myself…

Apollo knew he was being unfair. He was angry and hurt and scared and he had held it together so well until now. Had managed to appear brave and strong in front of Phoenix Wright, when he had offered him a job, had even managed to crack a smile when people had talked to him. He had kept it together on his way home but being home, in his own apartment, all by himself he couldn’t keep up the façade any longer.

He knew that he was being unfair to Daichi, who wasn’t even around, to get Apollo’s bad mood shoved into his face. But the lawyer couldn’t help it.

He sobbed, pressing the phone against his chest, squeezing his eyes shut. He just needed time to think. Needed time to breathe. He had been so happy about his job as a lawyer, so happy to finally earn his own money, to be successful in something he loved. And now that happiness lay in pieces in front of him.

Daichi did not write back that day and Apollo was grateful but also sad about that.

 April 21st 2026, 10:59 AM Apollo Justice’s apartment

The next day, Apollo slept in. He needed the rest, feeling exhausted from the day before like he had been running a marathon, only to collapse once he reached the goal. He didn’t manage to move once he woke up, just stayed under the warm blankets, staring at the ceiling. Usually his mind would be racing, would be working nonstop, letting him think about all the things he had to get done that day, the appointments that were due.

But that morning, Apollo’s mind drew a blank.

He took his phone after a while to look at the time. It was already quite late and he should get up eventually, to have some breakfast. Or brunch. It was definitely no longer time for breakfast. He noticed, with a mild surprise, that Daichi hadn’t written him. Of course, Apollo had asked for some time for himself but Daichi usually wasn’t the kind of person who would simply accept that and let it go.

Maybe work kept him busy?

Apollo sighed and lowered his phone again, going back to staring at the ceiling, forcing his mind to do what it always did. Thinking about the next steps.

He had no job. Which was bad. He needed a job to earn money, to keep his small apartment. To buy food and things he needed to live. To upgrade his music equipment. But at least he had his attorney’s badge and he won his first case. So he got something good to put in his survey. On the other hand, his former boss and mentor had turned out to be a criminal. That was bad. Terribly bad.

It could mess up everything he had worked towards so hard, could ruin his whole career.

He couldn’t let that stop him. But at the same time, Apollo felt drained. He needed a break. He needed help. But he hated asking for help. He didn’t even know who he could ask for help.

The ringing of the doorbell woke him from his trance. At first, he thought he had only imagined the sound. When the doorbell rang again he knew that no, he hadn’t just imagined things. Someone wanted to see him.

It took Apollo two more rings to get out of bed and walk over to the door to open up. He was amazed how stubborn the person outside was. As if they knew exactly that Apollo was home. He wondered who it would be. The post man? Nah, that guy usually left after trying once. Sometimes he tried twice, but never more than that. A neighbor who needed something from him? But what could they need? Sugar? He hadn’t taken a package for anyone lately, so no, that couldn’t be it.

In the end, the only way to find out who it was was for him to open the door.

“Daichi?”

Apollo cursed himself for sounding surprised. He really should have expected his best friend to show up at the steps of his door. After all, Daichi was that kind of person. He would leave you alone if you asked for it for a few hours only to crash at your place the next day, his arms loaded with bags of-

“…what do you have in those bags?”

“Breakfast, of course!”

Daichi didn’t wait for Apollo to ask him inside. He simply shoved his best friend aside gently, by nudging him with his shoulder, and walked into the living room without asking. There, on the small coffee table he dropped the groceries he had brought – bagels and croissants and sandwiches and cookies and, most important, two steaming cups of coffee.

“You didn’t tell me that you’d come over”, Apollo noted, his voice still exhausted from the day before. He closed the front door and followed Daichi into the living room, sinking onto the floor in front of the coffee table that was loaded with a mountain of food.

“Yeah, cuz you wouldn’t have let me in if I did.”

It was a bold statement but Apollo ducked slightly. Daichi knew that he was right about his guess and Apollo knew it too. If Daichi would have announced himself Apollo would have told him to stay away and probably even wouldn’t have opened the door at all.

Still, the smell of the feast Daichi has brought and the steaming cup of coffee made Apollo’s stomach growl. He hadn’t eaten anything the day before either, because he had felt sick to the stomach. Now his body started to crave food – and even more important, caffeine.

“We don’t need to talk”, Daichi suddenly announced, which surprised Apollo. “I read the newspaper. Guess I have a certain idea of what was going on. Heavy stuff, really. But that’s why I am here. You need some good distraction and I brought something help you getting distracted.”

Apollo glanced at Daichi, wondering what his friend had brought over that was supposed to help him feeling better. He reached out to take on of the steaming cups, warming his cool fingers on it. He took a sip, slowly because the drink was still hot, before he finally asked.

“And what exactly did you bring?”

Daichi pulled a little device from the pocket of his jacket, grinning happily. It wasn’t big, only about two and a half inches long, fully silver and with the logo of GYAXA on it. It took Apollo a moment to recognize what it was, but when he did he frowned in confusion: “A flash drive?”

“It’s a new song I have been working on!”

Apollo lowered his cup, frowning even more. He knew very well what Daichi meant when he said he had been working on a song. And he probably brought it to make another collaboration, like they had in the past, before he had become Kristoph Gavin’s pupil.

“Daichi, you know that I have no time for music…”

“Why not?” Apollo’s mouth shut when Daichi suddenly interrupted him. He stared at his best friend, confused. Why not? Did he really ask why not?

Before Apollo could answer, Daichi continued talking: “Listen, I know that you are in a shitty situation. And I know that you are not fine. I can see it in your face.” Apollo lowered his gaze, feeling called out. “But that’s okay. What had happened yesterday was terrible! Neither of us thought that your first trial would be so… so difficult! Chaotic! Hey, and if you feel like crying, cry! If you feel like yelling, yell! But let me try to help you. You need to get your mind off of things first before you can start feeling better. So let’s work on this song together, okay? I really need you. I have been working on this for weeks but it’s still not the way I want it to be. Because I can’t do this alone. I need my partner for this. I need Otoroki.”

Apollo let out a deep sigh, which turned into a soft chuckle.

“You always know how to get me, huh?” He shook his head. His body felt still weak, from the exhaustion and the lack of food, but his mind started to buzz again. He could feel the excitement coming back, the eagerness to create something, not alone but together with Daichi.

“Fine then. Let’s finish that new song of yours. But first –breakfast!”

 June 15th 2016, 08:58 AM Wright & Co. Law Office

Apollo swallowed. He stood in front of the door to the Wright Talent Agency and knew that he should be knocking. In fact, he had been standing in front of the door for the last thirty minutes, but whenever he raised his hand to knock fear washed over him.

For the fourth time now Apollo lowered his hand again and took a deep, slow breath.

“I’m Apollo Justice and I’m fine.” He muttered. “I’m Apollo Justice and I’m fine.”

He raised his hand, but this time not because he wanted to knock on the door. He pulled out his phone, unlocking it and checking his text messages. There weren’t really any interesting messages, nothing new that could help him distract himself a little longer from stepping inside that office – or agency – and announce that yes, he was willing to take up the offer Phoenix Wright had proposed to him.

He wanted to put the phone back into the pocket again when his eyes caught sight of Daichi’s message he had sent that morning. He had read it already several times and whenever he did it brought a smile to his lips.

He clicked onto the message to read it, one last time.

[Daichi:] Heads up, Apollo! You can do it! You are Apollo Justice and you are fine! Now go and get that new job of yours! Trust me, it will be worth the trip!

His enthusiasm was contagious, it always had been. Daichi had been a good friend, since the first day they had met. But especially during the last two months, after losing his job and losing the will to go on it had been thanks to Daichi that Apollo had managed to get out of his slump.

They had hung out together, spent a lot of time together. Daichi and Apollo. Terranica and Otoroki.

Apollo took another deep breath and put the phone back into the pocket. He straightened his back and tensed his shoulders before raising his hand and stepping inside the office, towards a new and unknown future.