The Oneshots

Don't judge me (AprilXMurphy)

Murphy had been reading off some case files when he heard a knock on the door. "Hey Murph." The man at the door greeted with some documents in his hands.
"Cross." Serge Cross was a fellow Judge and coworker at the department of Justice. The two had known each other for more than a decade. Murphy considered Serge to be one of his few friends in the whole department but the fact that he showed up unannounced meant he needed a favor.

"I got a case for you."
"For me? And why are you the one bringing it forward."
"It was my case but I have to deal with an emergency out of town soon. I read the details and figured you'd be the man for the job."
Murphy rolled his eyes at the attempt to butter him up. He probably handed the case over to him because everyone else had refused to take on extra work during the holiday season. Without looking at Cross he took the documents from his outstretched hands.

"What's the situation?"
"Some celebrity influencer is facing multiple lawsuits regarding a makeup collaboration gone wrong."
Murphy was indifferent as he signed some documents. It didn't sound that serious. So he hummed as he kept working. Lately he'd been piling up his work so that he wouldn't have any reason to go home where his wife Siobhan was waiting to yell in his ears and complain.

"seems there's been a contamination issue with a line of blushes they endorsed. People are calling it "facial chlamydia." He had never heard of it.

"Facial chlamydia. Creative."

"Well, it's a high-profile case. The fans are furious, and the lawsuits are piling up. I feel kinda bad for the girl."

"Yeah well, maybe she should've done her due diligence and made sure the collaboration went smoothly. These influencer cases are becoming more and more frequent. If only these kids would stop cutting corners in the hopes to make a quick buck. Now I have to deal with another egotistical kid on my docket." Murphy said pointedly as he signed off some more documents. He finally understood why Cross passed this case over to him. The other judge likely didn't want to deal with a ditzy person that had an inflated sense of self.

"You should probably read it before you say more. I think you're going to regret your words. Especially considering your past association with this influencer..."

Murphy raised an eyebrow and stared at cross puzzled. "My association with an influencer? What are you talking about?"

"April Fooze is the defendant." Murphy dropped the pen that was in his hand as he blinked in shock. He hadn't heard her name in years. He could already feel the regret bubbling in his chest. Ignoring his friend's eyes he skimmed the file he had brought in.

"I've already read it. It's not looking good for her. Thousands of people have had side effects due to her negligence. Chemical burns, bumps, blisters, bleeding. The works. The evidence is overwhelming." Murphy closed his eyes as he grappled with the information. It was a simple case. Negligence led to the contaminated batches. Usually he'd do his work. Agree that they were guilty and move on with his life. Doing so this time didn't feel right. He could feel an oncoming headache as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Siobhan is supposed to be the prosecutor for this case." Murphy could feel his headache worsen. Siobhan would be ruthless if she was leading the prosecution. His wife knew that he and April shared a history and she hated the singer for it. When she'd caught him listening to her vinyl she'd flipped out. The woman ensured that his April Fooze merchandise collection was thrown into the fireplace. He could feel the drawer against his leg burning him. That was where he hid his CG chain and his April Fooze doll. His last remaining item that was related to her.

Murphy sighed deeply and scratched his chin in thought. His head was spinning with thoughts and anxiety about the situation. He would have to go from being her trusted legal representative who helped her get away with murder, a secret that wasn't even disclosed to the gang, to being the one to declare that she was guilty.

Murphy needed a smoke break.

"I managed to give it to someone else. Still, she'll probably be found guilty. There's no just reality that the verdict says she's innocent." Judge Cross said as he watched his shaken friend. The turmoil was evident on his face, which was saying a lot because even while he and Siobhan were constantly clashing and fighting he still managed to be calm and collected.

"Who's her legal representative? Locksely?" Cross shrugged at the question.
"Some new guy. He's doing it pro bono. I doubt she can afford a good lawyer. The economy is shit and apparently she was involved in a crypto scam or something. Either way, she lost millions from that. It's been pretty rough for the girl." Murphy remembered something in the headlines about that. He never found the opportunity to look into it because everything April Fooze was banned from the house. The last time he'd looked into her whereabouts he'd learnt that she'd gone to Kansas Japan with Uchiha Jones.

Murphy pulled out his other phone that he used to communicate with CG. Most of the gang had gone to Guatemala but he'd hoped that Locksley still had his number.

"Who are you calling?" Cross was ignored as the other Judge held the phone to his ear.
"Locks. I need your assistance. Call me back." Cross refrained from commenting on what his friend was doing. He'd expected it. That's why he'd given him the case. It was ethically wrong. They could get disbarred for it if they got caught, they could get in hot water for Judicial Misconduct but he had to bend his moral compass for this one occasion.

Cross thought back to the time they went out for drinks years ago. His friend drunkenly confessed to getting married to quell some rumors about him dating Rosa Garcia. The man drank like a fish and had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol so Cross was unsure if Murphy remembered it or not but he'd also mentioned that he only chose Siobhan because Fooze had been unavailable.

Even if he wouldn't share it, Serge knew that the only reason Murphy didn't join his gang in Guatemala was because the influencer didn't go with them. His friend left the city for a little while but he had soon returned as if there was a siren's song that kept calling him and anchoring him to a burning Los Santos. It was as if he was haunted by the past that he kept reaching for but could barely grasp onto the ghost of the unattainable woman.

He watched as Murphy read the case file. This had clearly shocked him. Cross contemplated leaving his friend to mull over the situation but he knew Braun well. He would be needed soon. Murphy was the CG lawyer for a reason. He was considered a part of the gang, even having his own chain. He'd helped the city's biggest criminals avoid jail over and over again. Helped them get away with terrorism, murder, drug trafficking and more. It was why he wasn't very well liked by the other judges and employees at City hall. So Serge wasn't surprised when Murphy looked up at him with a pleading look of determination.

"I need a favor."
•••

This has been my personal favorite ship since the Joe arc. I have a terrible cold but this is something small that I managed to write for now. I somewhat regret making the siren and the Raven so detailed in such a way that I need several charts and a physical timeline of events. It makes it hard to just write something quickly and post. Thank you all for your patience.