[Ace Attorney] fic: His Pet Brother Part 4
Title: His Pet Brother Part 4
Fandom: Ace Attorney (AJ era with references to AAI1)
Words: 1,096
Summary: Upon his colleague's recommendation, Kristoph visits a pet shop in Chinatown to acquire a pet dog but somehow returns home with a human instead. No matter how much he condemns himself, he can't bring himself to part with his new brother. He thinks the world of Klavier -- until he breaks the contract.
Notes: I don't recall if I had the timeline right, haha, but AAI1 comes into play here! This was all I ever got around to posting on the kink meme (oops).
Previous Part
His Pet Brother Part 4
As the years passed, Kristoph learned to forget. Life with Klavier required him to learn new things all the time. He had learned to accept Klavier's changes and his entrance into his life. Now, he had to learn to look at Klavier without fear, without remembering that there was a contract hanging over their heads, that breaking any of the rules would mean that Klavier was no longer his brother. He learned to see past that, but the ugly, pulsing scar on the back of his right hand forever reminded him of the danger.
Despite Kristoph's best intentions, he could never entirely lock away his insecurity. He gladly sent Klavier overseas for his studies in law when Klavier approached him with the idea. Distance would help him reevaluate things, or so Kristoph tried telling himself, and Klavier did have the intelligence and the talent to succeed. Days without his energetic and optimistic little brother were quiet, lonely, and frankly very depressing. The silence led Kristoph down meandering paths of self doubt, raising questions he didn't know how to answer. His brother looked up to him because he thought Kristoph was the best, but was Kristoph even that great a lawyer? Or a brother? Did he deserve Klavier's adoration when Kristoph couldn't even be in the same room as Klavier without feeling paranoid?
When Jacques Portsman requested for Kristoph's defense, Kristoph went because he desperately needed something to take his mind off the fact that his brother was returning soon when he still hadn't figured out how to face him. Portsman was more than a mere acquaintance, but Kristoph would hesitate to call him a friend. They had often faced each other across the courtroom, and Portsman would always joke about Kristoph's lack of athletic ability. Kristoph and sports didn't mix, but sports were Portsman's life. Needless to say, Kristoph and Portsman didn't mix all that well either with Portsman's atrocious nails and his insistence on throwing him files instead of handing them over like any other sane person would do. They had been somewhat closer during Kristoph's earlier days of practicing law in Los Angeles, but Kristoph rarely spoke with him now. The only thing Kristoph was absolutely sure about Portsman was the other man's self-centered personality. In Portsman's world, there was only one person, and that person was Portsman himself.
Buddy Faith was Portsman's complete opposite. From Kristoph's limited experience with Buddy Faith, the man had seemed like an ego boost for Portsman. Even when Portsman played basketball with the man, all Buddy Faith ever did was fetch and pass. To think that Portsman now sat behind the glass in the detention center for murdering that very same partner of his was difficult to fathom but not impossible.
Despite his imprisonment, Portsman's hair was still bouncy, and the man himself seemed to be in high spirits. He did not at all look like a man who had lost his best friend. He flashed Kristoph a grin when Kristoph took his seat.
"Kris! I'm so glad you came!" exclaimed Portsman.
Kristoph smiled his friendly lawyer smile. He did not appreciate being called "Kris" by Portsman as if they were the best friends ever, but a client was a client. He had reviewed the case before coming. The prosecution had a fairly solid case against him with Edgeworth's airtight investigation. The most Kristoph could do at this point was help Portsman lessen his sentence.
"Let me ask this directly. Did you murder Buddy Faith?" questioned Kristoph.
Portsman sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You and everyone else all want to know if I offed my poor partner Jim."
"Jim?" asked Kristoph. He had heard Portsman use the name "Jim" before, but he was pretty sure Portsman had been referring to someone else at that time.
"Yes, Jim, that's what I call all my partners. Jim goes with my name the best!" Portsman gave Kristoph a thumbs up. Kristoph folded his arms. This man was delusional. Shortening his name to Kris was bad enough. Portsman had even made up a name out of nowhere for his partner just to satisfy his own ego. He treated his partner like a pet.
Even Portsman seemed to notice Kristoph's distaste. Portsman sat back and dropped his grin. He pursed his lips and amended his statement. "But now that he's dead, I guess the rules don't matter anymore. I can even call him by his name, and it wouldn't matter a single bit."
Kristoph didn't think this nickname business had anything to do with the case, but Portsman's tone made Kristoph stop and reconsider. It was still too early in the conversation to make a judgment, but there was something Portsman had just said that rubbed Kristoph the wrong way. He continued pressing Portsman for more information. Portsman flippantly mused that yes, he could be said to have "killed" this Jim of his. When Kristoph began outlining his plans for Portsman's defense, Portsman bit on his gold medal and slammed his hand on the table.
"Do you have an objection?" asked Kristoph.
"Is that the best you can do?" gritted Portsman. He was sweating buckets, his carefree attitude from before gone without a trace.
Unperturbed, Kristoph answered. "You obviously killed Buddy Faith. The best I can do for you is--"
Portsman cut in before Kristoph could finish. "Do you know why I asked for you?" His eyes flashed with a gleam of desperation. Here was a man who was grasping at straws, or so Kristoph believed. His desperation did not at all sway Kristoph. Portsman should have been glad that Kristoph was even willing to take on his case in the first place.
Kristoph merely pushed his glasses up. "You tell me."
The imprisoned prosecutor raised both of his hands in the air. A smug smile crossed his face. "You're the only one who could ever understand!"
"...What?" Kristoph was beginning to think that Portsman was even more delusional than he had first thought. What was he going on about?
However, Kristoph felt himself tensing for the first time during the conversation. It...couldn't be. It couldn't be.
Portsman continued. "You're the only one who could ever understand that what I did shouldn't be counted as murder."
"What you did was murder through and through," refuted Kristoph immediately, not liking where this was heading.
Portsman shook his head, as if disappointed that Kristoph was too slow to understand what he was talking about. He clarified, "Jim, or I guess I can call him Buddy now that he's dead, isn't even human. And Kris, I know you know best because I introduced you to that petshop. Don't think I haven't noticed that little brother of yours."
to be continued
Fandom: Ace Attorney (AJ era with references to AAI1)
Words: 1,096
Summary: Upon his colleague's recommendation, Kristoph visits a pet shop in Chinatown to acquire a pet dog but somehow returns home with a human instead. No matter how much he condemns himself, he can't bring himself to part with his new brother. He thinks the world of Klavier -- until he breaks the contract.
Notes: I don't recall if I had the timeline right, haha, but AAI1 comes into play here! This was all I ever got around to posting on the kink meme (oops).
Previous Part
His Pet Brother Part 4
As the years passed, Kristoph learned to forget. Life with Klavier required him to learn new things all the time. He had learned to accept Klavier's changes and his entrance into his life. Now, he had to learn to look at Klavier without fear, without remembering that there was a contract hanging over their heads, that breaking any of the rules would mean that Klavier was no longer his brother. He learned to see past that, but the ugly, pulsing scar on the back of his right hand forever reminded him of the danger.
Despite Kristoph's best intentions, he could never entirely lock away his insecurity. He gladly sent Klavier overseas for his studies in law when Klavier approached him with the idea. Distance would help him reevaluate things, or so Kristoph tried telling himself, and Klavier did have the intelligence and the talent to succeed. Days without his energetic and optimistic little brother were quiet, lonely, and frankly very depressing. The silence led Kristoph down meandering paths of self doubt, raising questions he didn't know how to answer. His brother looked up to him because he thought Kristoph was the best, but was Kristoph even that great a lawyer? Or a brother? Did he deserve Klavier's adoration when Kristoph couldn't even be in the same room as Klavier without feeling paranoid?
When Jacques Portsman requested for Kristoph's defense, Kristoph went because he desperately needed something to take his mind off the fact that his brother was returning soon when he still hadn't figured out how to face him. Portsman was more than a mere acquaintance, but Kristoph would hesitate to call him a friend. They had often faced each other across the courtroom, and Portsman would always joke about Kristoph's lack of athletic ability. Kristoph and sports didn't mix, but sports were Portsman's life. Needless to say, Kristoph and Portsman didn't mix all that well either with Portsman's atrocious nails and his insistence on throwing him files instead of handing them over like any other sane person would do. They had been somewhat closer during Kristoph's earlier days of practicing law in Los Angeles, but Kristoph rarely spoke with him now. The only thing Kristoph was absolutely sure about Portsman was the other man's self-centered personality. In Portsman's world, there was only one person, and that person was Portsman himself.
Buddy Faith was Portsman's complete opposite. From Kristoph's limited experience with Buddy Faith, the man had seemed like an ego boost for Portsman. Even when Portsman played basketball with the man, all Buddy Faith ever did was fetch and pass. To think that Portsman now sat behind the glass in the detention center for murdering that very same partner of his was difficult to fathom but not impossible.
Despite his imprisonment, Portsman's hair was still bouncy, and the man himself seemed to be in high spirits. He did not at all look like a man who had lost his best friend. He flashed Kristoph a grin when Kristoph took his seat.
"Kris! I'm so glad you came!" exclaimed Portsman.
Kristoph smiled his friendly lawyer smile. He did not appreciate being called "Kris" by Portsman as if they were the best friends ever, but a client was a client. He had reviewed the case before coming. The prosecution had a fairly solid case against him with Edgeworth's airtight investigation. The most Kristoph could do at this point was help Portsman lessen his sentence.
"Let me ask this directly. Did you murder Buddy Faith?" questioned Kristoph.
Portsman sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You and everyone else all want to know if I offed my poor partner Jim."
"Jim?" asked Kristoph. He had heard Portsman use the name "Jim" before, but he was pretty sure Portsman had been referring to someone else at that time.
"Yes, Jim, that's what I call all my partners. Jim goes with my name the best!" Portsman gave Kristoph a thumbs up. Kristoph folded his arms. This man was delusional. Shortening his name to Kris was bad enough. Portsman had even made up a name out of nowhere for his partner just to satisfy his own ego. He treated his partner like a pet.
Even Portsman seemed to notice Kristoph's distaste. Portsman sat back and dropped his grin. He pursed his lips and amended his statement. "But now that he's dead, I guess the rules don't matter anymore. I can even call him by his name, and it wouldn't matter a single bit."
Kristoph didn't think this nickname business had anything to do with the case, but Portsman's tone made Kristoph stop and reconsider. It was still too early in the conversation to make a judgment, but there was something Portsman had just said that rubbed Kristoph the wrong way. He continued pressing Portsman for more information. Portsman flippantly mused that yes, he could be said to have "killed" this Jim of his. When Kristoph began outlining his plans for Portsman's defense, Portsman bit on his gold medal and slammed his hand on the table.
"Do you have an objection?" asked Kristoph.
"Is that the best you can do?" gritted Portsman. He was sweating buckets, his carefree attitude from before gone without a trace.
Unperturbed, Kristoph answered. "You obviously killed Buddy Faith. The best I can do for you is--"
Portsman cut in before Kristoph could finish. "Do you know why I asked for you?" His eyes flashed with a gleam of desperation. Here was a man who was grasping at straws, or so Kristoph believed. His desperation did not at all sway Kristoph. Portsman should have been glad that Kristoph was even willing to take on his case in the first place.
Kristoph merely pushed his glasses up. "You tell me."
The imprisoned prosecutor raised both of his hands in the air. A smug smile crossed his face. "You're the only one who could ever understand!"
"...What?" Kristoph was beginning to think that Portsman was even more delusional than he had first thought. What was he going on about?
However, Kristoph felt himself tensing for the first time during the conversation. It...couldn't be. It couldn't be.
Portsman continued. "You're the only one who could ever understand that what I did shouldn't be counted as murder."
"What you did was murder through and through," refuted Kristoph immediately, not liking where this was heading.
Portsman shook his head, as if disappointed that Kristoph was too slow to understand what he was talking about. He clarified, "Jim, or I guess I can call him Buddy now that he's dead, isn't even human. And Kris, I know you know best because I introduced you to that petshop. Don't think I haven't noticed that little brother of yours."
to be continued