Closed Minds

[madimpossibledreamer]

Trivia: Tennant’s mom was from Hong Kong.
I actually have the music and have yet to experience the game (but want to someday).  No spoilers please.

Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU Unexpected Evidence series
Summary: Apollo discovers something unexpected when Klavier attends one of Trucy's shows.
Word Count: 1579
Rating: Teen
Warning: sexism, transphobia, and homophobia directed at the main characters

        Apollo hadn’t expected to see Klavier at Trucy’s show, but then, thinking about it, he does actually seem fairly invested in his fans, so maybe it’s not all that surprising after all.  Unfortunately, the Wonder Bar (which the prosecutor keeps taking great delight in saying like he finds it funny; he’s so weird sometimes) had hired a new bouncer, and some of the other newcomers aren’t quite as harmless.
        They actually had the gall to wolf-whistle when Trucy took out her magic panties, and while she’s doing a good job not showing how much that’s bothering her like the professional she is, Apollo’s blood is boiling.  She’s clearly underage, but the new bouncer doesn’t seem to care, and the bartender is clearly keeping her head down, too.  He suspects they probably said something really creepy to her when they were first getting their drinks.
        Clay is pretty good about keeping them out of fights.  “Astronauts and lawyers can’t go slugging people like we used to,” he’d say.  But if he were here, they’d have already started a fist-fight, and the police would probably already have been called.  During one of the breaks the person sitting next to Apollo leaves, and Klavier comes to sit next to him, something he quickly identifies as seeking comfort, because he is just as bothered but just like Trucy is pretending he is not.  Apollo’s never seen him fiddle with his rings this much before.
        Apollo leans over to mutter in Klavier’s ear (not to try to see who he’s texting; that’d be rude, and it’s not like he can make out much anyway given that he seems to be doing it in German).  “You wouldn’t be able to lend me that chain as a weapon, would you?”
        The prosecutor’s shocked but brilliant smile says that possibly confessing to a hypothetical future assault wasn’t the wrong move, after all.  “Nein, more’s the pity.  Though I am thinking of asking the bartender what they said und asking if she wants to press charges.  Schweinehunde," he mutters under his breath, and he doesn't have to translate that one for Apollo to know it's not complimentary.
        It’s clear they’re growing increasingly drunk, since they aggressively volunteer themselves to help with Trucy’s act when she asks and then belligerently badger her why she picked someone else when she wisely declines. 
        They don’t actually make a move until the next break, though.  The singer who will replace Trucy when her act finishes actually comes to escort her off the stage, and it’s clear she’s worried.  Apollo glances over at them—seven guys, big and burly, and sure, his height might help a little when it comes to things like avoiding a hold or ducking under a punch, but he can’t take seven guys by himself, and even if Klavier helps, it’d still be dicey.  If the lug of a bouncer would actually come in and help, it’d be different, but if he hasn’t stepped in at ‘rowdy’, he’s unlikely to do so at ‘actual bar fight’.  A lot of the other patrons have left or are growing increasingly uncomfortable, although some don’t seem to notice or care, the jerks.
        “I’ll return shortly,” Klavier promises, and Apollo stands to let him by as he heads to the restroom.  Sure, it’s not the best timing, but it’s understandable, given that he’s been drinking a decent amount.
        It’s not until the group of assholes follows a few minutes later that Apollo’s blood runs cold, and he practically bowls over one of the other patrons as he follows them as fast as he can.
        He’s too late to stop them from cornering Klavier, or to hear whatever they slur at the prosecutor, only the murmur of voices.  He does, however, hear Klavier say quite clearly, “I’d rather not,” accent stronger than normal.
        “Hey, shitstains.  I think you’ve bullied enough people for tonight.”  He’d almost feel embarrassed at the shocked relief on Klavier’s face at him swearing, given that the man has never seen this side of him, but there’s no time for that.
        “What, we poaching your boyfriend?  Don’t think we didn’t see you two acting all lovey-dovey.”  The sloppy kissing sounds the guy makes are all the more repugnant coming from him. 
        “Do the world a favor and die.  It’d celebs like him that’re brainwashing the kids!” another screams, and then time slows down and he’s picking out every single little detail about how they’re moving and he smiles like a wolf.
        Time for them to go down.
        Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the time to get much more than just a few hits in, ducking under, around, and otherwise evading anything they throw at them.  It’s strange to use his ability to perceive in this way, but nice, too.  He has the sense to freeze when the voice shouts, “Police!”
        One of them gets in a jab to his cheek that will probably bruise a lot.  Maybe he should ask the former rock star how makeup works, just in case he gets a client anytime soon.  Then again, with how this is all going, his next client might be himself, if these wastes of space get the bright idea to try to sue them.  Gavin’s nose is bleeding, but he doesn’t look upset about that at all.  The rest start whining about how Klavier and Apollo started it.
        Klavier just smiles sunnily through the blood.  “Your timing, as always, is wunderbar.”
        “Ah, a compliment from a famous musician.  Be still my beating heart.”  The classily dressed English woman is fond, amused, and Apollo could have sworn he’s seen her before.  “You’re just lucky I’m still in the country finishing the last touches on the Interpol training course.”
        “O-objection!  I’d still help out, pal!” Gumshoe says, before grinning.  “Always wanted to try that out.  Mr. Edgeworth always looks like he’s having fun yelling objection all the time.”
        The other detectives start reading them their rights, even though they aren’t really cooperating.
        “This is a setup!” one of them yells.
        The prosecutor accepts the handkerchief for his nose, wincing a little.  “I suppose you didn’t notice the camera,” he mumbles through the stuffiness, pointing a thumb at the camera in the hallway.  He waits until the thugs are all dragged out before leaning against the wall.
        “You okay?”  Apollo might have yelled a little too loud, but the adrenaline’s still pumping.
        Klavier waves him off.  “Ja, ja, it’s not broken, luckily for my looks.  Just a little light-headed.”
        The English woman raises an eyebrow.  “I’m actually surprised you drank.”
        “I’m Apollo Justice,” he introduces himself, sick of being clueless, and isn’t sure he likes the way she definitely recognizes that name.
        “Commissioner Lu Tennant.  Former Gavinner.  Yes, Klavier’s talked a lot about you, and don’t worry, it was all good things.”  From the way Klavier ducks his head, hiding in the handkerchief, he’s as embarrassed as Apollo feels.  “We’ll have someone look at that nose, just to make sure, and you’ll probably need to give a statement if either of you or those bigots want to sue.  If you were wondering, the bouncer was probably friends with them, since he didn’t want to let us in.”
        “You should probably also talk to the bartender.  And maybe Trucy Wright, and we should really let Mr. Wright or Mr. Edgeworth know because they need to come pick her up…”  It had been simple.  Deal with the jerks.  Suddenly it’s complicated again.  There’s so much that has to be done, and he just…
        “I think we can manage that,” she tells him with a smile, and, well, it could have turned out a lot worse, so he’ll take this as another victory.
        Now that he’s not in danger anymore, he can think about some of it.  Like how they’d known who Klavier was and targeted him specifically, once they weren’t going to get easy harassment out of women and got tired of waiting.  Like what the taunt he didn’t hear probably was, and how that means that the prosecutor might be non-straight and European, thanks annoying song Trucy probably learned just because of Prosecutor Gavin.  Not that, uh, that’s specifically relevant to him, other than the fact that it means he won’t be weird about it when he finds out Apollo’s gay.  Maybe he’ll actually come out and tell him, one of these days.  Sure, Mr. Wright isn’t straight either (bi or something like it, probably, judging he’s seen how the man acts around the Chief Prosecutor and he’s seen the transcripts of the first State v. Wright), but it’s hard to talk to him.  Like, he purposefully goes out of his way to make conversation difficult, partly, Apollo suspects, because most of the time he doesn’t want to talk, but still.  It’d be nice to have someone else to talk about this stuff (he doesn’t want to annoy Clay, and anyway his best friend is busy, a lot) and it’s nice knowing more about Klavier, because the more he learns, the more he knows Klavier isn’t just like his brother, and he also isn’t at all like the person Kristoph made him out to be.  (All right, so yeah, he probably should’ve realized, the first time they met, but also he was busy thinking about how Mr. Wright had cost him his job by putting him in a position to do the right thing and also was used to thinking about Kristoph’s family in the abstract.)