I loved writing this story, but I've improved a lot since I wrote it! (It didn't help that I wrote most of this story on my tablet, since I didn't have a laptop at the time.) Since this is one of my favorite stories, I'm going to revise it a little. This story helped me find my writing style- humor, fluff, and a touch of ANGST, accented with glorious dramatic irony. I love this story because it was totally me, not me writing to the whims of my fans. Not that I don't love you guys, but I write best from my own heart, not yours.
From now on, my author's notes are going to be great quotes about/by the Gavins, unless I have something of value to say. Just a note (no pun intended), the timeline is really difficult. I'll explain it later, when I'm feeling less lazy. XD
"…Kristoph! We were supposed to face each other in that trial! A fair fight, brother to brother! I deserved that much!" ~Klavier Gavin, Turnabout Succession
(O)
Kristoph Gavin hated mini-golf.
It might have had to do with the fact that the clubs weren't made for lefties- it was always extremely difficult to putt-putt with the rounded end. It might have had to do with how boring it was to walk around, lightly tap a small ball, and walk around some more. It might have had to do with the fact that he always hit the ball too hard, often watching it plop into the artificially colored water.
But whatever the reason, Kristoph wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.
The strong, independent 7th grader sat at his desk, reading a law textbook. His middle school didn't offer a law class, but he had eagerly agreed to do an older friend's homework in order to learn about it before then. He was reading about foreign law systems, and his distaste for what the book called the "Jurist System" caused his face to contort with disgust.
"Whatcha reading?" A blond kindergartener poked his face up above Kristoph's book. Kristoph jumped. "Hahaha, did I scare you?"
"No, Klavier. Big boys don't get scared."
"Oh." He paused to think for a moment. "Then why do you sleep with a night light?"
"B-because I don't want to trip over anything if I need to leave the room."
"Oh." The small child's blue eyes lit up as he remembered why he had come. "Will you take me putt putting, Kris?"
"No."
"But it's my birthday tomorrow!" The blue eyes melted into those awful puppy dog eyes, and Kristoph refused to look into them.
"Then I'll take you tomorrow."
"No you won't! You have a play date with Lucas then!" Kristoph stiffened.
"I don't have play dates. I hang out. And how did you hear about that?"
"I heard you talking on the phone about it," he answered innocently, though Kristoph knew he was far from it. The little guy knows what he's doing, all right.
"Why do you want to go so badly?"
"Because I wanna play with you."
"Hang out." Knowing Klavier, it would be hours until he was left alone. Besides, it wasn't like any mature middle school kids would go putt putting, so nobody would be able to make fun of him. "All right, fine," he sighed.
"Yaaay!" The small blond child squealed. "Come on, Kris! Let's go now!"
"But Kris-"
"Now!"
(O)
No leftie clubs? Check. Ridiculously boring? Check. Now all that could go wrong is for his ball to go flying across the course and hit some kid.
Kristoph watched his brother smack around his purple ball (Kristoph was sure he would outgrow the girly color eventually), as Klavier quickly began to lose his temper.
"Stupid ball! Just go in!"
"Klavier, it's just a game. There's no need to get worked up."
"But I wanna be good like you!" Kristoph smiled, though for unsentimental reasons- only someone as naive as his brother could call him good at mini-golf.
"Here, let me help," Kristoph said, standing behind his brother. What could possibly go wrong? He gently guided Klavier's shaky hands to swing in a straight line a few times. "Try to keep it as straight as you can." The little boy nodded. He wore a look of intense concentration as he swung the club back and forth. Finally, he hit the ball. Kristoph stifled a laugh as it went completely off course- only to gasp as it bounced off the wall and into the hole.
"I did it! I did it!" He jumped up and down, dropping his club. Lucky shot.
"That was very cool, Klavier." The little boy looked up at him with a bright smile, seeming very proud of himself.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Ooh, let's go to the next one!" Oh, right. There's seventeen more holes of this.
"Argh! It didn't go in!" He shouted before Kristoph even reached the next course.
"That's okay. Practice makes perfect."
"Can you help me again?"
"Fine." Kristoph guided his little hands in a straight line, hoping his brother didn't actually expect it to make that much of a difference. To Kristoph's surprise, the ball went perfectly straight, and made a plunk as it fell into the hole.
"Wow, you did it again!" Kristoph exclaimed. He blushed, trying to regain his composure. Come on, Kristoph, you're a middle schooler. You aren't some little kid.
"Woahhh! Kristoph, you're amazing! Ok, it's your turn now."
Kristoph carefully aimed towards the hole. When he hit the ball, however, the ball jumped off the course and into the fountain.
"Kristoph, how'd ya do that? You're so strong!" It seemed as if his brother would praise him for anything at this point.
As they moved from course to course, Klavier got better and better, easily shooting hole in ones while Kristoph continued to struggle, claiming that he was trying to go easy on his brother. As they approached hole 17, Klavier turned to his brother.
"Kris, will you go hard on me this time? Please?"
"Oh, fine." Kristoph knew that this shot had to be perfect, or his little brother would be very upset. He looked at the water behind the course, and told himself to ease up a bit- he was not going to go back to the information center to get a fourth ball. I just have to hit it straight, right? Just lightly go back and forth... Keep it straight... He aimed carefully, and swung the ball. The ball did go straight... into the air, pelting his little brother in the stomach. The young child fell backwards into the fountain. His eyes welled up with tears, and he began wailing. Kristoph ran up to the edge of the water. "Klavier! Are you ok?" He was answered by more wailing. I suppose I'm expected to get myself wet trying to rescue him. He stepped in the water, scooping up the child and abandoning his fourth ball into the artificial sapphire depths. The sopping wet young boy buried his head into Kristoph's chest, still crying.
My ball flew across the course and hit some kid? Check.
"Kristoph... When I said to go hard on me, I meant to do as good as you could, not to make the ball go hard at me!"
"Klavier... I'm sorry, that was an accident." Klavier looked up at him with wide, teary blue eyes. "Would you like to hear a secret?"
"Uh huh."
"I wasn't going easy on you. You're much better than me."
"I knew it!" His brother smiled, weakly.
"Let's go home."
"But we still haven't done the last hole!" he whined.
"Klavier, you were sobbing two seconds ago. I think we should just go home."
"No! I'm all better!" Klavier wormed his way out of Kristoph's grip and stood up. "Come on!"
"I don't have a ball. If you really want to do the last hole, you can do it by yourself."
Klavier looked up at him sweetly. "Will you help me?"
"...All right." For the third time, Kristoph gently rocked his brother's hand back and forth. Stepping back, he watched as the ball went perfectly straight, and into the 1 point hole. Buzzers went off, and everyone nearby stared. An employee walked up to the two.
"Congratulations! You've won another round for free! Isn't that exciting?" a peppy girl asked.
"Yaaaaayyy! I get to play with Kris more!" Klavier exclaimed.
"Klavier..."
"Woo hoo!"
"..Klavier."
"Come on!"
"...Objection!"