Lucifer Was an Angel As Well (57000 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth
Summary: A sheltered young artist with a tragic past finds herself caught in the web of dark affection by a beautiful and sinister murderer, and his carefree rockstar brother.
September 05, 2028– 12:25 pm
“…my Guardian Angel is my demon as well. Kristoph Gavin.”
Pearl gasped, and her fingers covered her mouth. The moment seemed to hang in the air if in the wake of an explosion, or the ringing of a bell.
“Oh! Gosh!”
Vera shifted to sit on her bed and reached over to grab the bottle of nail polish she’d recently unpacked, as well as the letter held in her pocket “I’ve been writing back and forth with him for two years or so.”
“Two years, huh? That’s almost right as soon as you woke up, right? Or… do you mean it started before that?” There wasn’t any judgment in Pearl’s voice, but there was curiosity, and she leaned closer with wide eyes.
Vera flushed, looking down with a quiet smile. The fact that Pearl wasn’t judging her; that was a good sign. She’d been so scared to open up to anyone, scared that Kristoph’s frightening reputation would lead to others taking action…in removing her say in the matter.
But it was like as Simon had said– her fear was keeping her from becoming a person in her own right.
“They started coming regularly after I woke up, only a month or so later.” she murmured quietly. “but he’d written me before that, though it was mostly details about the job. He visited me back when I was younger, and took off his mask to talk to me about the Gramarye show and give me my nail polish…but the letters really started after my coma.”
“Gosh,” Pearl repeated. “And he became your guardian angel? What’s he like? I never got the chance to meet him.”
Vera turned the bottle around in her fingers, feeling its smooth crystal against her skin.
“He became my guardian angel. He’s…” she paused for a moment “breathtaking. He’s polite and kind…he writes like a poet, and speaks like an angel.”
Her smile grew wistful, lovesick…she hoped that Pearl hadn’t noticed “He’s been giving me advice since I woke up. What cosmetics are good to use, how to face the world, ways to come out of my shell. He’s wise, and helpful, and is happy to listen and respond when I tell him about things I like or the world around me.”
Her fingers tightened on the bottle. “but he’s also the devil…a demon with a warm smile. He can be calculating, he draws people into his orbit and holds them there…he poisoned multiple people, beat a man to death…but he did so to save others. He saved me from my father, yet he almost killed me.”
She chuckled quietly “he’s a contradiction…but he’s always watched out for me, and I’ll always call him my guardian angel. I’ll always hold him in my heart.”
Pearl listened with rapt attention, her fingers covering her mouth as she watched Vera with wide, dark eyes.
“Wow…I never realized there’d be someone else who could relate.”
Vera’s eyes widened and she looked up to Pearl with her best attempt at a smile “you too, Pearl??”
Vera hadn’t thought there’d be anyone else who could relate either…but suddenly Pearl had her whole attention.
Pearl seemed to feel the spotlight on her, and went scarlet, covering her full face. She nodded embarrassedly, her short, fluffy hair bouncing around her ears.
“I guess you could say I had a guardian angel too– me and Mistress Maya.”
Vera’s fingers went to her lips in surprise , her other hand clutching her nail polish to her chest.
“You and Mistress Maya have a guardian angel too?” She smiled behind her hand. “so you understand…who is it? Did your guardian angel try and kill you too?”
“Not exactly,” Pearl replied, biting her lip for a moment. “But he put a bunch of people in danger and he killed my aunt– Maya’s mom. But it was to protect us.”
“Wow…” Vera leaned forward with interest. The circumstances were only a little different– but to think one of her best friends also held a guardian angel close to her heart. Someone who would, and had, killed for her and her cousin Maya.
The Fey Family’s Guardian Angel…and Vera’s own.
“That’s amazing, Pearl…can I ask who it is?”
She nodded embarrassedly. “Mr. Diego Armando. He only got out of jail a couple of months ago, and now he’s working as a prosecutor again. So, I was kind of hoping…”
Vera blinked.
“Oh! I’ve heard of him…Mr. Edgeworth mentioned him a few times now that he’s back in the field…” She trailed off, a smile on her face as she leaned on her hand. “You were hoping that you could be assigned to him? That’s my dream for my guardian angel too. He’s being allowed to work like Mr. Blackquill had been, and I want to be his detective. If you’re in the same position…maybe talking to Mr. Edgeworth can help?”
“Oh wow!” Pearl grinned widely, finally uncovering her face, and putting her hands in her lap as she fidgeted. “I was hoping you know, but I figured that I just had to let things play out– do you really think you can get assigned to Mr. Kristoph?”
“I’ll put in a good word…” Vera smiled warmly, brushing her fingers over the ‘palm’ of the bottle’s hand. “Because I think you deserve to be assigned to your guardian angel, Pearl…and Miles is a kind man.”
She tilted her head to the side “…I don’t know for certain, but…but I really hope I can. I’ve asked Miles…and told him that I’d do anything to manage it. So I simply have to hope that I excel at the Academy and…and follow my heart.”
“That’s so romantic,” Pearl cooed. “Gosh… thank you so much for telling me about this! I bet it’s something a lot of people don’t know about, right? At least, you seemed awful quiet about it before!”
“Only a few people,” she said with a shy smile. “Mr. Edgeworth found out by reading my angel’s mail– I had to confide in the court psychologist, Mr. Blackquill. Trucy, Klavier, and you. That’s all– I was scared. Scared that if I said something, someone would take him away from me.”
Pearl’s smile brightened even further. “I’m so glad that you trusted me with it. I promise I won’t tell anybody if you don’t want me to.”
Vera ducked her head. “Of course I trust you with it, Pearl– you’re one of my best friends. I– I know you’ll keep my secret, even if I’m trying not to be so secret with it anymore…”
“You’re not trying to be secret about it any more, huh?”
“Mr. Blackquill said…b-basically…that I shouldn’t be afraid. That if I play a role and hide my feelings, I’m more a tool than a person. So I should…make the effort…try to live how I want. And I know exactly what I want.”
Vera looked down at the letter in her hands. She knew more than anything what she wanted. It was a vortex for her thoughts, pulling them all down into the part of her that was still so devoted to her guardian angel.
She wanted to be his– his detective– just as she wanted to be part of his strange ‘family’ with Klavier.
She knew it’d disappoint people she cared about, but Mr. Blackquill was right. Nothing good ever came of pretending to be someone you weren’t.
“Well, you know, that sounds like really good advice,” Pearl said, running her fingers through her short hair. “I’ve kinda been trying to do the same, lately.
She hopped up and scrambled over to her, throwing her arms around her in a hug.
Vera squeaked, snapped out of the mire of her thoughts enough to hug Pearl back.
“oh!! He’s a pretty smart guy when you get to know him…a little frightful though.” She gave Pearl a squeeze “but I can tell…you look great, Pearl. You look happier.”
"Awww, thanks,” Pearl smiled broadly as she squeezed her in return. “I hope that’ll be the case for you too, soon. I think you already do.”
Vera couldn’t help but smile as she held her friend tight. It was true…she already felt lighter. Far from the rotting old house that smelt of acetone and mold, filled with purpose as she set forth on a path she chose for herself …with new connections and old bolstering her along the way.
“And it’ll only get better from here…Detective Fey.”
October 1, 2028– 6:40 pm
The first days of academy were the hardest, when Vera didn’t know where she was going, or quite what was expected of her. She stumbled through those days in a haze of barely restrained panic. Too many new faces mingled with too few comforts to make a cocktail of anxiety that nearly drove the words straight out of her and into the mutism she’d struggled to keep under control.
It was difficult, especially with the sharp tongued drill instructor and the battery of tests and lessons, but it slowly got easier. With the support and commiseration of Pearl Fey, and the arrival of the first of Kristoph’s letters, she could remember what she was fighting for and push on.
Pearl did her best to help, but it was clear that she was struggling, too. Still, they had each other, and even more so she had Kristoph’s letters, which came regular as clockwork, and were deeply interested in how she was faring, and full of encouragement and advice about how to navigate the social realities of the school.
She could imagine him, some nights quite vividly, smiling at him with his angelic expression as he told her how to survive the rigors of the police academy…telling her that she could and would make it out the other side.
It was advice she shared with Pearl, and before she knew it, the routine began to set in. Like a magic trick, the days became easier. Her body got stronger in increments, the faces around her became a little less frightening. It never became easy– she and Pearl still faltered of course, but Vera found herself smiling more and more through every target practice and protocol test.
Her guardian was her main source of strength, but her brother, too, checked in on her every day. And by the time a month had gone by they had a long chat history on her phone. He’d taken to wishing her good night every night as a reminder of when to go to bed– and when he was late with them, she knew it was because he was out late, and had started partying early.
Every time a late text came, she would playfully chide her ‘big brother’ in the morning…and every time she asked him how the hangover was going. She missed him very much, and part of her wanted to be out there with him experiencing the overwhelming feeling of the club– but he inspired her to keep going. Every message was another morale boost to push her through another day. Her Guardian Angel, and her big brother looking out for her as she pushed forward.
At some point, she’d found the time and materials to try showing Pearl how to make a stuffed animal…something that had soon become a bit of a mistake when some of the other recruits found out. It had become a little bit of a business for her– mostly to cover the costs of materials and trips to the store, as well as the time spent not doing homework– and it was a point of pride how many of the police academy students, many of whom were big, tough young men– had commissioned a plushie from her.
This exchange had apparently put her guardian angel’s mind at ease. Her potential bullying, and tactics to avoid it or cope with it, had been a common thread in his letters early in the month. But once she’d settled in and started spreading her little toys, his worry had eased. He’d congratulated her on managing such a feat.
She still felt proud when she put needle to fabric– the congratulations ringing in her head as she worked on the first art projects to make her happy in a long time. The concerns of bullying evaporated…and she even began making friends with people she’d have never even imagined meeting only two years before.
Friends, appreciation for her art, a best friend by her side…and the joy of her weekly letters and good night texts. In almost no time at all, the Police Academy had gone from a frightful, confusing nightmare to an experience she wanted to remember forever.
She was in the middle of work on a plushie when she got a text from Klavier.
She set aside the plushie, poking the needle into a small cushion before reaching to her end table to flip it open and take a look.
Hey fraulein! Hope you’re having a good evening! I have some personal news.
Personal news– that probably meant it wasn’t an update about Kristoph or anything like that.
She balanced herself against the wall behind her, knees drawn up as she texted back.
Good news I hope…thinking of coming to visit?
His reply came quickly.
I would love to. But only if I can see you tonight? I have to go out of the country suddenly.Her eyes widened as she read it
Absolutely, if you can! You’re really leaving the country? Is it for another one of those commercials?He’d shown her a little while back a commercial he filmed in Cauli at some point– complete with the story of a stolen guitar and a bunch of silly sounding investigation.
No, it is on a rescue mission! If you’re available, I’ll pick you up and tell you in person.
Vera stared at the phone for a moment, her brow furrowing as she read that again.
Rescue mission, big brother? Alright. Alright. I’ll get ready, the academy’s out of session for the moment anyway. I can finish this plush later.
Pearl was out of the dorm at the moment so she quickly sketched out a little note for her in her pad.
‘Be back in a bit, Pearl! Klavier wants to talk to me, I’ll tell you all the gossip later’ she wrote, signing it with a little sketch of herself giving her a thumbs up.
Klavier’s reply came back. Meet you at the front in 15 minutes, liebling.She typed in return. I’ll be right out. Just have to change out of my uniform!
October 1, 2028– 6:55 pm
Klavier leaned across the seats to push the door of his lilac painted convertible open for Vera as she came out of the academy. The weather was still warm enough for him to have the top down.
Vera gave him a wave as she hurried over and hopped into the seat with a smile. She settled into the seat, and smoothed out the pale white shirt bearing the LAPD Academy’s logo , before zipping up her light coat.
When she finished, she looked over at him with a cheerful smile “…it’s good to actually see you, big brother.”
He scooped his arm around her happily, and looked her over. “It’s good to see you too, little sister! You look like you’ve grown a bit already, ja?”
He was in a familiar outfit, with a pair of sunglasses balanced on his head.
Vera had indeed grown– it’d been a month at the academy, training day in and day out. When she’d entered, she’d been frail, barely recovered from the poison two years before. But now after it all she’d gained a little more muscle definition– stamina, only a bit, but enough that it still surprised her. It surprised her even more that he noticed.
She flushed, nuzzling under his arm “A little bit. It’s all the pushups they’ve got me doing. Still pretty cute though.”
“Very cute, fraulein, very cute! No amount of pushups is going to change that.” He pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic. “It makes me aware of how long it’s been since I’ve seen you in person, that’s all. And right after I resolved to keep up, ja?”
She leaned more solidly against him, “It’s been a while…but I know you’ve been busy, and I’ve been basically working nonstop. Besides, you’ve been texting me every night!”
She didn’t blame him, she knew she was lucky enough to get this moment to slip away from her studies, her drill instructor, her new friends– all of them even for a little bit. Not to mention his own packed schedule.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t getting a little desperate for his physical company.
“Missed you though..“
"Missed you too, liebling,” he said, smiling at her in the rearview as they pulled onto the freeway. Vera felt the wind whipping through her hair as they drove. “Hoping this trip won’t be too long so I can come see you again soon.”
She chuckled quietly as she tucked her hair away from her face.
“I’d like that…especially if you told me all about it. A shame you can’t take me with you…where are you going, anyway? You said a rescue mission right? That’s…” She looked for the right word before she settled on “alarming.”
“It is alarming, isn’t it?” he shook his head. “I’ll be honest, I was pretty alarmed. You know how we haven’t seen Apollo Justice in a few months, fraulein?”
He pulled her closer as he drove, his hand warm on her, and she could feel that he was a little tense.
Vera nodded quietly, resting her head against his shoulder with a catlike nuzzle. “…It’s true, I haven’t even heard from him in a while…I think the last time I saw him was for a movie night a while back..”
“Apparently it’s because he’s been in Khura’in for four months! Apparently he’s gone to live in the mountains and become a monk! Ha! what do you think of that, little sister?”
He pulled off the highway and cruised into the parking lot of a small ice cream shop, on one of the last open days of its season.
Vera stared at him for a moment, tilting her head up with a puzzled frown.
“Mr…Mr. Justice became a monk? I…I can’t believe that. He’d be a terrible monk…he’s so emotional!”
The whole thing was so absurd, it had to have been a joke. Apollo Justice…he’d saved her back during her murder trial. With his booming , clear voice, he spoke out for someone so few had done for before and cleared her of suspicion in time for her to fight off the poison in her veins.
A man like that vanishing and becoming a monk boggled belief…especially without a word to anyone. “You’re joking around right, big brother?”
“I am not joking around even a little, fraulein! Well, a monk may be a slight exaggeration. He’s gone to become the only lawyer in a country of monks, as far as I have heard.”
He parked the car and hopped out– offering her his hand to help her up.
Vera took his hand and slipped to her feet with a click of her short heels on the ground.
“….the only lawyer in a country of mo—” She paused as the name finally sunk in. “wait…Khura’in…that’s the country that just had that massive revolution, right?”
“Ja, fraulein, that’s the one.” He pulled her against his chest, and cupped her jaw with one hand. “Terrible, don’t you think?”
Vera leaned against his chest. When she nodded, she felt the pleasant sensation of his fingertips against her jawline.
“Awful, big brother…what if he gets hurt, or worse? Is the revolution at least over?”
“That’s one of many things I’m worried about, liebling,” he said, leaning close and nuzzling his cheek on hers. “So I am going to bring him back.”
She cherished the feeling of his cheek against hers, hugging him a little tighter.
“please…I wish I could come, I really do…I miss him too, Klavier! I thought he..he had just gotten too busy to visit anymore.”
“I thought so too, liebling,” he sighed. “or that he didn’t want to see me, you know? Which I suppose still might be the case. But I don’t care. I’m bringing him back, ja? I’d bring you with me if you didn’t have school.”
She nodded against his hand with a quiet sniffle.
“Bad timing…if it’d been a few months ago, I coulda helped…but I’m too far into training to drop out now.” Her body pressed into his as she leaned up to meet his eyes. “so please make sure you bring him back safe and sound, big brother. I’ll train hard while you’re away…but please text when you can?”
“Promise, liebling. Though I hear the place has notoriously bad reception. But I will make the most valiant effort.”
He pulled her in the rest of the way, and pressed his lips to hers.
Vera kissed him fondly, standing on tip toes with her arms looped around his chest to part her lips in a passionate , warm kiss.
It would be sad to lose the nightly conversations…and to lose even the scant outings with him while he was gone…but…
She understood. Apollo Justice was someone dear to him, dear to her too in his own way, and he’d vanished to somewhere far, far away without a word. Someone had to go and make sure he was okay…to bring him home.
He held her close as he kissed her, and stroked his fingers through her hair for a moment, as they stood near the car.
When he released her, he smiled. “Come on fraulein, I’ll treat you to some ice cream and you can help me make a list of things to pack. I’d forget my own head if it wasn’t attached.”
Vera nodded with a smile of her own.
“You would, wouldn’t you? I know how you can be when you get worked up, big brother.” She offered her hand to him with a wink. “…let me do at least that for you before you go. My memory for detail has got to be good for something.”
“I am in your debt, little sister,” he teased. And he tugged her away.
It seemed that after this, for the next little while it would just be her, Pearl, and her guardian angel’s letters.
October 1, 2028– 7:45 pm
When Vera returned to her dorm, her head full of thoughts– Pearl was back, and practically ambushed her at the door.
“Oh wow, you are never going to believe what is up with Trucy!”
“Ahhhh!!” Vera squeaked, her heart rate briefly spiking in her chest before she managed to calm herself with a tilt of her head. “she’s got a new magic show?”
“Nope!” Pearl draped herself around Vera’s shoulders and pulled her into a half hug. “She’s going out of the country! I’m missing another trip to Khura’in!”
Vera leaned against her, her arm halfway around her by the time the second half of Pearl’s sentence sunk in.
“…w-wait…she’s going where again, Pearl?”
“Khura’in! Oh, you probably don’t know where that is, huh? It’s in the mountains, kind of close to Zheng Fa actually…”
“I…” Vera bit her lip. “I know where it is…I just can’t b-believe she’s going there too!”
“Oh?” Pearl cocked her head looking at her curiously as she hung off of her.
Vera tilted her head to the side so they gently bonked together. “…big brother Klavier said that he…he’s going to Khura’in too. Which is why he won’t be able to visit me for a while.”
“Ohh! Oh! She didn’t mention Klavier but that makes so much sense!” Pearl nodded. “She said she was going to go get Apollo back to the country!”
Vera bit her nail before she stopped herself with a visceral shudder and the memory of the poison.
“So they’re going together…because that’s what Klavier said he was going to do. He was going to bring Apollo home to us so he doesn’t…v-vanish and become a monk. Or a lawyer for monks.”
‘Wow, now I’m even more jealous,“ Pearl pouted, sticking her tongue out. "But we’re so busy with school there’s no way we could go.”
“M-me too.” Vera sighed. “I told him I wished I could go, you know? But there’s no way with school. If we dropped out now, we’d have to start from scratch….if they even accepted us again.”
“Yeah. And there’s no way we’re going to give up on our dreams, right? So we’ll have to cheer Trucy and Mr. Klavier on from here!”
Vera nodded, bumping her head against Pearl’s with a gentle smile.
“and when they come back…we’ll have to catch them up on all the fun they missed out on…and show them our shiny new badges, of course.”
Pearl grinned widely. “Honestly, that’s going to be my favorite part. Well, and seeing Trucy again of course.”
“Of course,” Vera laughed quietly into her hand. “Same for seeing Klavier for me…I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised by how far we’ll have come.”
