A/N: This is the story. Klavier and Apollo are engaged, and Klavier wants to introduce his fiancé to his parents. Enjoy.
"Karl?" Irina called her husband from downstairs, "Karl, I need help with setting up the table."
Karlmann walked downstairs, and entered the dining room, grumbling, "What is it, Irina? Why must we set the table?"
"Don't you remember? Our son is visiting, you silly." Irina beamed in excitement.
"Oh...right." The thought of having his son over made him smile a little. It has been a while since Klavier came to visit. "I will help you with the table then."
A few hours later Karlmann was in a nice suit, waiting in the living room, with a glass of wine in his hand. The table was set, and the scent of seafood spread from the kitchen (his wife was an excellent cook). Karlmann impatiently tapped his foot. He was nervous. His son was coming home and bringing a "very special guest". Irina didn't tell him who it was, or why this guest was so special, which made him uneasy. Karlmann wasn't comfortable with meeting new people, especially if they were someone Klavier knew. He remembered when Klavier introduced his best friend, Daryan, for the first time. That boy had the strangest hairstyle, and something about him seemed very off. Years later, he was arrested for thieving. What if the guest is one of those people? Or worse, a new girlfriend. Karlmann never liked any of Klavier's girlfriends. One of them was too loud and chatty, another was too clingy, and quite a few of them were simply irritating. Of course, he never said anything about them to his son. He groaned at the thought, when the doorbell finally rang. 19 o'clock sharp - on time as always.
Irina invited their guests, Klavier and an assumed friend, in, and led them to the living room. Karlmann sat down on the sofa and inspected the scene. Irina sat beside him, while Klavier and his friend sat opposite of them. There was a sudden awkward atmosphere, and dead quiet.
"So..." Klavier broke the silence, "How have the both of you been?"
"Oh, we've been good," Irina smiled, "your father and I decided to renovate the pool."
"Ach ja?" Their son nodded a little, "I guess it was about time."
Klavier's friend sat awkwardly next to their son. He was male, and wore a red vest and suit pants, with the tackiest turquoise tie, and, oh Gott, another one with strange hair. He was brunette, with two little horn-like pieces of hair sticking up. At least, they weren't large enough to poke you in the face. The man had a slightly nervous expression, his hand gripping his other wrist. Was he hiding something?
"Klavier?" Irina asked.
"Ja, Mutter?"
"Why don't you introduce your friend here? Your father and I are very curious."
Klavier stood up and gestured to his friend, "Mutter, Vater, this is Apollo Justice."
Irina smiled, "It is a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Justice."
"Oh, please," the friend gave an awkward chuckle, "call me Apollo. Thank you for allowing me to come over."
Karlmann said nothing. So, this was the "special guest". Just exactly was so special about him? Before he could say anything, the kitchen timer beeped. Time for dinner.
Karlmann and Apollo sat quietly at the dinner table, while Irina and Klavier served the main course. Whenever Klavier passed by Apollo, he seemed to be whispering something in his ear, which caused Apollo to turn pink every time. What could his son possibly be saying? Suspicious, very suspicious.
The four of them finally sat down together and ate. There were still some specs of awkwardness in the room, so Karlmann began to work up the courage to start a conversation. "Klavier, where did you meet your friend?"
"Hm?" Klavier propped his head up, a little surprised at his father's sudden question, "Oh, we worked together on a few cases. You see, Apollo, is a defense attorney."
"Oh, a defense attorney?" This was getting even stranger. He remembered when Klavier first became a prosecuting attorney. He and Kristoph bickered so much, Karlmann and Irina had to kick them out of the house during a meal.
"Yeah..." Apollo joined the conversation with a nervous chuckle, "He was the second prosecutor I have met when I first began defending."
"You must know each other very well."
"Oh ja, very well, Vater," Klavier smiled, "we became very close."
"Colleagues? Becoming close?" Karlmann asked, "Mein Sohn, since when did you merge your professional life with your personal life?"
"My professional life is my personal life." His son frowned.
"Sohn, I have warned you about merging your two lives together, jawohl?"
"Aber, Vater-"
"Kein 'aber'."
"Karl! Klavier!" Irina interrupted their debate before it could go any further, "We have a guest, and it is rude to fight over the dinner table. Please calm down. We will have dessert in a minute."
Klavier sat back in his chair, looking down a little ashamed, "Entschuldigung, Mutter." He glanced at Apollo, "And sorry, Apollo."
Karlmann picked at his food, and ate the rest of his meal in silence. He made a fool out of himself. How embarrassing. He stood up, "I am no longer hungry. I shall be going to sleep now."
Irina looked up at him, surprised, "Karl? Are you sure? Don't you want dessert, my dear?"
He shook his head, "Nein, I am tired. Gute Nacht," and without a word, he headed upstairs.
Karlmann dressed into his nightclothes and slid into bed, waiting for his wife to come upstairs. After what felt like hours, she entered the bedroom and rested right next to him, hand on his chest. "You missed quite a lovely dessert."
"I don't care," he mumbled.
"It was your favorite, Bienenstich."
Karlmann sighed, "Shame."
"What's wrong?" Irina asked with a concerned expression on her face.
"Nothing is wrong." He rolled on his side, not facing his wife.
"Karlmann...tell me, please?" She scooted closer to him, hugging him.
"I made a fool out of myself."
"What? How?"
"I have embarrassed myself in front of our guest."
Irina chuckled, "Oh, you mean when you and Klavier were fighting? Karl, you take things way too seriously sometimes."
"And you take things way too loosely sometimes."
"We even each other out."
Karlmann shrugged, "I guess so."
"Hey," Irina lightly nudged his shoulder, "look at me."
He shifted himself back on his back, and looked at his wife's face, "Ja?"
"It's okay to feel embarrassed."
"Says the social one between us two."
"I can help you with your social skills." Irina winked, and stroked her husband's cheek. Even after many years being married, he was still the same shy man she had met at the fashion show.
"Whatever you say," Karlmann was doubtful. He has tried to be social before, and it only ended up in chaos.
"Oh, and another thing," Irina smiled.
"Was?"
She leaned in closer and gave him a kiss, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Klavier came to visit the next day, which was surprising because usually his son left the next morning. He seemed a little jittery, and... nervous? That was definitely new, coming from Klavier.
Klavier asked for both of his parents to sit down. He took a few deep breaths, "Mutter, Vater, I have not exactly been honest with you."
"What? Why?" Irina asked, worried.
"You see...Apollo is not my friend."
Karlmann's eyes opened wide in surprise. Why did he take him with him to visit? What other reason could there be?
Irina gasped, "But, sweetheart, you said you two were close."
"Ja, I did say we were close, but I never said we were friends." Klavier waved his finger in the air. He was right, he never did say they were friends, if Karlmann could recall the night correctly.
"But, then what are you two then? Close colleagues?" Irina asked in confusion.
"We are, closer than close," Klavier sat down, and stared directly at his parents with the most serious face, "Mutter, Vater, Apollo is my fiancé. We want to get married, but before we can do that, I must ask for your blessing."
Irina gasped in surprised and looked at her husband, who was in shock. His son was...engaged to a man? A colleague? This did explain the constant whispers and blushing at dinner last night. But to give his blessing to a man he just met? By the serious look his son gave him, he knew he was not joking. He could tell in his eyes, that this man meant the world to him. Never has he seen that in his son. When he was with his girlfriends, he never seemed quite as attached to them, like he knew they were not going to last long. Now here he was, engaged, to a man.
"Before I can permit this relationship to go any further," Karlmann replied, "I must ask you one question."
"What is it, Vater?" Klavier perked up.
"Sohn, are you truly willing to marry Apollo? Will marrying him make you happy?"
Klavier nodded, "I am not a man to tell lies, und Vater, Apollo is my happiness."
"Well then, Irina, what do you think?" Karlmann took his wife's hand and looked at her, she nodded. He returned his attention back to his son, and gave him a small nod, "We give your our blessing."