you know what everyone seems pretty enthusiastic in the reviews and I have a history test to procrastinate for. have an early update with some melodrama kidz
"Leftovers?" Apollo suggests, opening the fridge door. He can definitely go for spaghetti again. It isn't like they have a lack of it.
Klavier hums a little, thinking it over. "Ja, sure."
Apollo grabs two plates, scraping the cold pasta onto each evenly. "Have you even eaten anything today?" Klavier may be sick, but that doesn't mean he can ignore basic functions.
As expected, Klavier makes a face. "Have you?"
Apollo sighs, shoving the pasta into the microwave. "Fair point, I guess." Apollo hasn't, not since that toast in the morning. He'd skipped his lunch break to work, and then… news.
The microwave dings, and Apollo takes the pasta out. "Voilà. Dinner for two, courtesy of your expert chef, Apollo Justice."
"Ah, so he's also serving up a side of deadpan." Klavier snarks as he gets up from the couch. He takes his usual spot across from Apollo, who sticks his tongue out before digging into his spaghetti. It's got the weird temperature of reheated food, kind of warm and cold at the same time to settle at a lukewarm. Apollo is a little too hungry to care, though.
Apollo spears a meatball, eating before his stomach can catch up and realize that he's hungry. Today's been a long day, even before the whole Kristoph thing.
Apollo thinks he's still shaking.
Of course, there's a part of Apollo laughing at himself, wondering when the hell he'd gotten so goddamn paranoid. This isn't a movie; Kristoph isn't going to kick down their door with lightning striking in the distance and a swell of dramatic music. Cinematic as his life may seem at times, Kristoph isn't exactly a Hollywood villain.
Even if he's got the flair for it.
It takes a lot not to sigh at the mere situation. Apollo guesses his uncontrollable fear is coming from somewhere. He just doesn't want to be caught up in a scheme, he doesn't want to have his choice and humanity wrested away from him without even knowing. He'd hate to be a pawn to Kristoph.
Apollo sneaks a glance at Klavier, who's eating in the silence. Right. Klavier was forced to be a pawn last time. Klavier hadn't known anything until it was far too late. Now he considers himself responsible for Kristoph's actions, god damn it. Apollo can't help but fear something like that happening to himself, or Trucy, or anyone he cares about.
Or Klavier, again, mentions the unhelpful voice in his head. Apollo tries to mask his sharp inhale with a cough, but it's not subtle enough for Klavier not to stare. Any noise is especially obvious since it's quiet again, silent over their dinner for the second time in two days. Maybe the spaghetti is cursed or something.
Klavier again. Fuck, it's too horrible to consider. Kristoph has an ungodly amount of influence over Klavier, Apollo knows that, and Apollo doesn't put it past Kristoph to use it against Klavier again. Klavier's in an odd place now- he despises Kristoph and what he's done enough that it'd be hard to force him into cooperating again, but he's so crushed after Kristoph's last fiasco that it'd be easy to get into his head, easy to twist Klavier's world to Kristoph's liking.
Apollo shoves a forkful of pasta into his mouth. Hell, it'd be especially easy now that Klavier is visiting Kristoph. They'd had that one monstrously long time together, and with future visits, this would be the perfect time to plan something.
Actually… the fact that Kristoph's broken out so soon after Klavier visited him is suspicious in and of itself…
Apollo swallows, and his fork drops with a clang. Oh no. Oh no no no. Oh fuck no. No, he's not going to accuse his boyfriend of breaking Kristoph out of jail. No. That's… that's ridiculous, that's absurd, Klavier has fucking breakdowns when he thinks about Kristoph, he'd never help Kristoph again. No. That was a stupid thought, and Apollo would be perfectly happy to never think it again. No. No. No.
The unhelpful voice pipes up. But you're a lawyer, it says. This is your job, Apollo. Besides, if he really is innocent, he has nothing to hide, right?
No no no. No thank you, unhelpful voice that Apollo is this close to naming McCarthy. Apollo's not going to burn Klavier at the stake.
He won't blame you. With his past, he'd understand. The voice wheedles. And when'd you start calling your conscience annoying and unhelpful, anyways?
Apollo really hates being a lawyer sometimes. And a moral being altogether.
Apollo swallows again, but there's nothing in his mouth now. His stomach is doing flips. Suddenly, he doesn't feel like stuffing himself with pasta anymore. "Hey, Klavier?"
"Schatz?" Klavier pauses, leaning forwards with his fork dangling from his fingers.
"You know how Kristoph escaped, right?" Stupid question. Apollo just told Klavier, after all. Klavier nods, though, he's going along with it.
"Did…" suddenly, Apollo has to swallow again. His mouth feels unnaturally dry, like there's a towel stuffed in it. "Did you have anything to do with it? His escape?"
The second it's out of his mouth, Apollo feels like a terrible person. Way to go, Apollo. You don't even trust your own boyfriend. You constantly think about Kristoph's effect on Klavier, yet you're the one who can't trust anybody after that trial. Good job there. Nice relationship of mutual trust and respect.
Klavier shakes his head. His eyes are wide. He's looking at Apollo, almost confused at the question. "Nein! Not at all."
There's a squeeze at Apollo's wrist.
All Apollo can hear is his heart pounding, echoing. No. He'd forgotten he was even wearing his bracelet, he wasn't trying to use it, he'd wanted so badly to trust Klavier-
Apollo makes a point of not looking at the bracelet. He doesn't want Klavier to know that it reacted. F-fuck, now he's outright hiding things from Klavier. Although, he's justified, if it really turns out that… Klavier had something to do with Kristoph's escape?! That… no, this is crazy. Apollo can't believe this.
"Ach. You're not using the bracelet on me, are you?" Klavier glances over at the bracelet, and Apollo is caught off guard.
"I-it tightened, Klavier!" Apollo winces the second the words leave his mouth. God damn it. So much for subtly not trusting his boyfriend.
Wait, what? No, he trusts Klavier, something is off here and Klavier can't have helped Kristoph, he can't-
"Your verdammt bracelet is broken, then!" Klavier's eyes are narrowed, fiery in a way Apollo has barely ever seen before. It's certainly a fire that has never been directed at Apollo, that's for sure. Apollo can't help but shiver under the intensity of it, the sheer force and… anger. "Gott, you know that I would never do anything to help my brother now!"
The flames flicker, stooping dangerously low, and Klavier suddenly looks almost... lost. His eyes go wide, his jaw trembles. "Not after what he did to me."
The bracelet stills.
The relief rushes at Apollo, and Apollo suddenly remembers how to breathe again. It feels like a weight has been lifted off of his chest. The bracelet (however broken it may or may not be) can agree with Klavier: that Klavier helping Kristoph is impossible.
Maybe the initial reaction was a fluke. It was probably his wording of the first question- of course Klavier had something to do with Kristoph's escape, Apollo himself did too- they were the reason he was locked up in the first place. That's something to do with it, right? Apollo has probably just hit some weird technicality. His question was pretty broad. And stupid.
Well, now Apollo feels downright terrible. He- oh fuck, he fucking accused his boyfriend of helping a criminal break out of jail. Klavier already feels terrible, Apollo is supposed to be helping him, not treating Klavier as an untrustworthy criminal himself. O-oh fuck, Klavier already blames himself for what Kristoph did, he feels like he should have stopped Kristoph and that it's all his fault, and now Apollo's outright blaming him, this is only going to get worse and it's all Apollo's fault, fuck fuck fuck.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Apollo says quickly, so fast that he's worried Klavier won't be able to hear what he's saying. "I'm sorry, I- Kristoph's escaped, this weekend was just so- fuck, there's no excuse, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry for accusing you."
Klavier sighs, closing his eyes. Of course, he's sick. He's tired. Why did Apollo think this was a good idea, again? "I- I just wish you would trust me, Apollo. After all we've been through."
"I- I do!" Apollo protests, and immediately winces. Right, no one would believe him on that count. Actions speak louder than words. "I- I'm so sorry."
Wait, actions speak louder than words?
Apollo twists his bracelet; trying to ease it over his hand until- there we go. It's off.
Apollo sets it down in between them, on the table. "You know what? I'm not wearing this around the house anymore. I never want it to accidentally go off like that again. I'd never use it on you on purpose, Klavier, because I trust you. I'm really sorry."
Klavier's hand makes a beeline for Apollo's, thumb running over the skin sans bracelet. Apollo shivers. It feels weird without it, almost like he's naked, but… he'd rather not have mishaps like this. Ever.
"Danke." Klavier says in a hushed voice. "I- it's fine, Apollo. I know that you trust me. It's been stressful lately, ja?"
Apollo breathes in. Ok, good. He'd been panicking, for a moment there. At least Klavier is alright. Klavier is alright, they're alright, everything is alright.
Apollo returns Klavier's smile, and they go back to their pasta.
"So what happened at work today?" Klavier asks. Apollo silently agrees to not mention what just happened.
"Ah, y'know. The usual." Apollo doesn't mention Kristoph. "Mr. Edgeworth stopped by. He says hi, and that he wants his star prosecutor back."
Klavier laughs. "I'm flattered. Any new cases?"
"Yeah, a really weird one. It's giving that one you did two months ago a run for its money." Apollo says.
Klavier snickers. "Which one I did two months ago?"
Apollo joins into his laughter. Yeah, between the two of them and their weird cases, they could write a book. Not a very logical or reasonable book, but a book. Klavalice in Wonderland.
"The really weird one? With the French model and the butterflies?" It was really weird, now that Apollo was remembering it.
"Ach, that one, ja." Klavier smiles. "Ja, there are some really weird ones we take."
Apollo breathes a mental sigh of relief. They're falling into their usual pattern of casual conversation, comfortable and open and friendly. Klavier doesn't hold anything against Apollo- thank heaven, or Valhalla, or whatever. Apollo's just grateful, as they talk through dinner, jumping from cases to people at work (they always complain about the Paynes, it's a tradition at this point) and when Mr. Wright and Edgeworth are going to get married ("How long have they been engaged, again?" asks Klavier). It's easy, simple, and Apollo's feeling a hell of a lot better by the time dinner's over.
"Ach, schatz?" Klavier asks, standing up to put away his plate, and Apollo looks up.
"You… won't mind if I take the couch tonight, will you?" Klavier looks a little nervous. "I don't want to get you sick, too."
"Yeah, no problem!" Apollo says instantly, and Klavier nods, leaving his plate on the counter above the dishwasher.
It takes a moment for Apollo's thoughts to catch up to the situation. Wait… Gah. This'll make the inevitable nightmares worse, if Apollo isn't there to comfort Klavier.
Of course, Apollo thinks cynically, staring at Klavier's retreating back, that might just be the point. The unhelpful voice is back, and it doesn't have anything nice to say.
He thinks you don't trust him, the voice says. He literally tried to break up with you a few nights ago; you've only been becoming more of a mess since Kristoph escaped.
Apollo swallows. That was different! Klavier wasn't himself when he tried to break up with Apollo, he was scared and panicked. He didn't really want to break up with Apollo, he just didn't want Apollo to be trapped unhappily- and Apollo's not unhappy with Klavier, he would give up anything for Klavier to be safe and happy and Apollo's for their whole lives.
Still. Apollo gets up, putting his and Klaviers' dishes into the dishwasher. This whole situation reeks of a fracture in his and Klavier's relationship, and Apollo doesn't like it. Of course, the voice says that it's his fault, and that him not trusting Klavier was the last straw. Apollo tells it to shut the fuck up. Everything will be fine. Klavier doesn't hate Apollo; Klavier's not even acting like anything is wrong. Klavier is obviously just being his usual idiot selfless self trying to limit Apollo's exposure to germs by sleeping alone tonight.
…yeah, as a last ditch attempt, this sounds stupider when Apollo puts it into words. Between missing work, Kristoph potentially coming for revenge, and now relationship issues with Klavier, it just feels like everything in Apollo's life is crashing down on his head, bludgeoning him all at once.
Apollo closes his eyes, breathing slowly. He can do this. He has to. Mr. Wright, Trucy, his client, Klavier… they're all depending on him going on, not obsessing over little details like this. This was probably just a bad day. A bad week, more like, where it feels like he could be fired, distrusted and left, or brutally murdered at any second. Whee.
After that cheerful thought, Apollo thinks he's ready to start working on his murder case.
dude ok with the aa6 marriage thing? it's totally miles? narumitsu is going canon and I am ready I am pumped this has nothing to do with anything but narumitsu guys