Chapter Text
Klavier and Apollo’s worlds had been shattered, and then pieced back together, but they both were still unaware of the missing pieces. They didn’t realise how hollow it all was, how something important had been taken from them.
Then came the break in.
Neither of them realised. None had heard the buzz on the news or the whispers on the street. They moved around their own little worlds, barely paying attention to anything, and they both went to work with no crawling feeling of nerves in their belly, no confusion, no earth shattering revelation. That would change.
It was splattered all over the news. If Klavier hadn’t of had kids vibrant cartoons on the television as he got dressed, he would have heard all about it, the breaking news that everyone had heard. If Apollo had looked at the newspapers in the shop around the corner from his apartment where he brought a bottle of water on a whim, he would have seen the headlines screaming about it.
A rogue group had broken into Munin’s Clinic overnight, part of a moral protest again the procedures. They hadn’t killed any of the guards but had injured a few, and there were legal battles that were sure to begin, but it was the intentions of the group that truly mattered.
They had intended to steal the company’s records and planned to leak them to the press with in intention to ruin Munin’s name if they could, but then they found a treasure trove, wholly on accident- the recorded audio of each and every person who had come to Munin for help, and information such as their phone numbers, their email addresses. The leader of the group refused to leave it be. She cancelled the plans to involve the press and had a message sent to each individual person, with two copies of the audio files to people who had both had their memories erased and one if only one person had the memories removed. She could not send them back their memories, but she could do the next best thing- she could tell them part of what they forgot.
Sitting in each person’s email inbox was a brief message- you have been a victim of Munin- and the attachment. Thousands of people woke to these emails. Klavier and Apollo were two of them, stumbling upon them when they arrived at work.
Klavier’s interest was immediately peaked, especially as he didn’t recognise the sender, and he opened it immediately. Apollo, less excited, played Candy Crush on his phone for a few minutes before opening it up. Almost halfway across the city from each other, they found the mysterious message from an unfamiliar source and attached files- Apollo’s recording, and then Klavier’s, sent to both of them.
They both recognised the doctor’s name immediately, and both wanted to be ill.
It took them five and seven minutes to work up the courage to listen- Apollo and Klavier, respectively- but they listened closely, all alone in their offices with their hands covering their mouths and the dawning feeling of horror.
The pieces came together.
-
The audio clicked on, and for a moment, there was only the sound of shuffling- clothes against skin, something heavy rolling across a solid surface, the sound of a low breath. It took a moment for a voice to be heard.
“This is Doctor Ororitz, sitting with client Apollo Justice,” A man’s low voice said, sounding like a true doctor. His voice was clinical, almost bored. “The date is October the 3rd and the time is 10:51.”
There was a moment of silence. Then the sound of a pen scratching against paper. “Are you comfortable telling me about who you wish to erase?”
“Yes.” Apollo’s voice was unmistakeable. He sounded further away from the source of the recording, like he was sitting far on the other side of a long room. “Klavier Gavin.”
“Good. Please begin.”
There was the sound of shifting on the tape again, like Apollo was settling on a chair. “Where do I start?” He huffed out a dead laugh. “There’s a lot to say about Klavier.”
“I can imagine.”
“You won’t,” Apollo hesitated. The audio crackled. “You won’t do anything with this, right? The confidentiality agreement I signed covers something this… special? None of this will be used against him?”
“Not a word of it,” The doctor’s voice promised. “This will be kept completely private. It’s just for our records, as this conversation is necessary for the process. It’ll never seen the light of day unless it truly needs to for whatever reason.” It didn’t sound particularly comforting. It sounded like he had been asked that question often, and he was rattling off the necessary, scripted reply.
There was the sound of a long breath. “Right,” Apollo’s voice was small. He didn’t sound at all assured. The following few moments were filled with silence, only the sound of faint breaths as if Apollo was trying to pull himself together. After that long time, he began. “We weren’t working out. We broke up.”
The doctor said nothing.
“It hadn’t been working for a while. We’ve both experienced some… trauma. We’ve been battling it out, I guess, kind of taking it out on each other- well, me taking it out on him. I’ve kind of been an asshole about it. He’s been recovering from his problems and I was helping, but…something happened to me, and I clammed up. He says he’s trying to do the same for me, trying to help me recover, but he’s not helping at all. He’s making it worse constantly asking how I’m feeling like I might fall apart at any given second, and it’s just…” His words had come quicker and quicker until he was breathless, and he forced himself to stop, groaning a little in irritation. “He’s not good at picking up social cues. It’s not his fault at all, but he keeps saying stuff that just makes it all worse, the complete wrong thing, and I want it to work out, believe me, I do, but we can’t. We’re been fighting for months. Old stuff is being brought up repeatedly, and we can’t move past the blockage. We agreed on a break up, which didn’t work. A break from our relationship didn’t work either. Now I’m going the whole way. I want him erased.”
There was the sound of a pen, tapping against a solid surface- perhaps a clipboard. “So, you want Mr Gavin erased from your memory because of relationship problems.”
There was a moment of hesitation. “You make it sound stupid when you say it like that.”
“That is not my intention.”
“It is kind of stupid. Neither of us are adult enough to move past one point, especially not me, apparently, so I’m giving it up. I’m throwing him away, and some of the best times of my life spent with him. He’s going to think I don’t care about him anymore. But I have to do it. We can’t continue on like this.”
There was a moment, and then one of them cleared their throat. It was proved to be the doctor when he said, “If I may be so bold, the first thing you asked is whether or not we’ll be using any of this information against Mr Gavin. It sounds to me like you still very much care for him. Maybe this isn’t the right decision- maybe you should talk it though again-“
Both Apollo and Klavier could practically hear Apollo bristling over the recording. “Who are you, my fucking therapist? This isn’t marriage counselling, you’re not trying to get us back together. I want hi- I want this gone. We can’t deal with each other anymore, we can’t talk it through. We’ve tried more times than I can count.”
“I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.” The doctor cleared his throat, once more. He sounded appropriately chastised. “Please, continue. I need to know everything if we can help you move on. Tell us how you met.”
Apollo took a breath, and did. He rambled for a long time, sighed between pauses, and in their offices all alone Apollo could hear himself getting more tired, more defeated until he sounded completely lifeless. He told the doctor about all sorts of personal things- the emotions he felt he would never had said to anyone else, how much he hated his burns and how they made him look, how much he missed Clay, the deepest extent to which he loved Klavier, how he thought Klavier should be able to do better with someone who wasn’t so ruined, could heal and treat him the way he deserved. He went on for a very long time, until he had spent all of his energy.
All the way through, the doctor said nothing and they could hear him occasionally humming, taking notes, and then Apollo finally fell silent for the last time.
The doctor continued taking notes, letting him sit in a stifling silence for almost a full minute before he continued. “You did what I asked? You removed everything to do with Mr Gavin from your home and place of work?”
Apollo let out a sigh, and it shuddered like a dying man’s breath. “Yes.”
“You left the note for your family and friends and workmates asking to do the same?”
“Yeah, yes. I asked them to extend the message to Klavier.I don’t think he’ll let me go easy, but unless he wants to traumatize me by trying to bring back memories I won’t have… he’ll never do something like that.”
“Then we’re ready,” The doctor said.“Mr Justice, are you willing to proceed?”
There was a long moment of silence, before, “Yes.”
The audio finished.
-
Apollo’s heart felt like it rest in his stomach.
All the way across the city he listened to his own recording raptly. He had no doubt in his mind his expression was comedic, with wide eyes and a slack jaw. He was grateful that the others had gone out for breakfast with the promise of bringing him back some- he had neglected to put in headphones, and he would never share something so intimate.
He had no memory of making the recording, but the voice was certainly him. If it wasn’t for Munin’s reputation, he would have thought it was an elaborate hoax. There were too many questions burning, eating him up from the inside, and he knew the next audio clip would either answer them or let them breed, becoming hundreds more. He almost didn’t want to listen, knowing that this Klavier would have wiped his own memory in retaliation, and Apollo knew he wouldn’t be able to bear listening to the man, the stranger talking about him and who they used to be.
He wondered if Klavier was listening with him, wherever he was.
Klavier was, and his heart was aching. He sat there and listened to Apollo speak of what was meant to be private, his words sweet and yet harsh, words like I love him and I want him gone. It hurt to hear them, and he was confused, not recognising the voice but knowing in just moments he would be hearing himself speak of love turned sour.
He couldn’t believe that either of them had gone to Munin. It was surreal, knowing that days of his life had been taken away from him, with his consent.
Neither of them could quite believe it.
They both had to steel themselves before they both opened up Klavier’s, with trembling hands.
-
The audio started quicker this time. There was almost no hesitation before the doctor spoke, and there was the tapping of a foot against the floor, quick and agitated. It went to an unbroken rhythm.
“This is Doctor Ory, sitting with client,” The doctor hesitated over her words, only for a split second, but it was immediately noticeable. “Klavier Gavin. The date is October 9th, and the time is 3:24.” There was a beat. “We don’t usually do these without appointment- you’re a special case- so please bear with me. We may have to make this quick.”
“Great. I don’t care.” Klavier’s voice was loud, and his anger was clear. “Let’s just get it done.”
A little caught off guard, Ory was silent for a moment. The only sound was the noise of the foot. It sounded like heavy boots. “Alright. Are you comfortable telling me about who you wish to erase?”
“Ja. Apollo Justice. My boyfriend-” He stopped and cleared his throat, catching himself. “My apologies. My ex-boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Ory spoke, very slowly. “I see. Please begin.”
“We broke up,” Klavier began. His voice was low and scratchy, like he had been singing or shouting the entire night before. He had to clear his throat several times as he spoke, and the sound of the foot against the floor never ceased. “A little over a week ago. We had been arguing for a long time, never moving past the same old arguments. We broke up once but we couldn’t deal with it, and got back together not long afterwards. I love him, and I know he loves- knew he loved me.” The sound of the foot stopped for only a moment, catching itself before continuing just as loud and fast as before. “We tried going on a break and that was even worse. We made a go of things again and I thought we wouldn’t be arguing for much longer, knowing that we couldn’t go on without each other without coming crawling back, but-”
“Um, your foot-” The doctor sounded deeply confused.
“Stimming,” He interrupted her, voice cracking like a bolt of lightning, and the sounds of his foot didn’t cease. If anything, they became harder, smacking against what sounded like a tiled floor. “Look, we had a big fight. We broke up for good and I found out he erased his memory of me. It doesn’t matter past that. I want Apollo out of my head for good. I can’t deal with it.”
Ory clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and there was the clicking of a computer mouse. “By my records, Mr Justice had his memory erased less than a week ago. Maybe with time-“
“I can’t,” Klavier’s voice broke for one awful moment, and his throat sounded shredded. The doctor immediately fell silent, letting him talk. “I can’t carry on with my life remembering the way he looked when he didn’t know me. I have to get it taken away. I have to.”
He stopped talking for a second, and then he said in a very soft voice, “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I want to forget that I love him.”
The doctor let out a long breath, and there was some more clicking, even some typing. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more for the process,” She told him, and her voice was pitched low and gentle, like she was talking to a fearful child. “I’m going to need some intimate details of your life if I’m going to remove them, alright?”
“Alright,” Klavier said after a beat, and he hiccupped. “Alright, what do you want to know?”
“Tell me how you met,” Ory suggested, and he did.
Once he got started, not even she could stop him. He rambled on for twenty minutes about Apollo, about their meeting and Herr Forehead and how Apollo had taken to calling him gilopollas, about his brother and his bandmate, how Apollo had sat down beside him after State vs Misham and not said a word, but held his hand tight when his shoulders began to shake.
Klavier told her about how he kissed Apollo for the first time, desperate and ashamed with the taste of shitty booze on his tongue but Apollo had only held him close and told him it was okay, it was alright, and in that moment Klavier thought that it would be.
Klavier couldn’t listen to the whole thing. He clicked off there with shaking hands, and sat back in his chair, putting his hands over his face. There were tears running down his cheeks, and his chest was tight. He couldn’t breathe, and his foot was drumming against the floor.
Apollo listened on, in awe. He couldn’t move a muscle. He listened to Klavier praising his adoptive mother for raising such a wonderful son, talking about kindness and forgiveness, all the terrible things he had seen happen that Apollo didn’t deserve, how he had wanted children with him, a big family so he could forget about everything he left behind. He poured his heart out, baring it so it could be torn from his chest.
The breath Klavier took at the end of it all was weak and shuddering, like he had begun to cry at some point through his words. The doctor’s quiet offer of a tissue only confirmed it, and Apollo’s heart hurt.
The doctor gave him a moment to recover before getting back to business. “I’m ready now, Mr Gavin. Thank you. That seemed… difficult. I know this may be complicated, as this is a surprise meeting for me, but have you removed everything to do with Mr Justice from your home and place of work?”
Klavier sniffed, and huffed. “I have already. Everything’s gone.”
“You left a note for your family and friends and workmates asking to do the same?”
“I don’t have family, or barely any friends.” He sounded distressingly matter of fact about it, and Apollo himself was close to tears.
The doctor hesitated. “But we have to-“
“I don’t care.” He interrupted, the anger returning in a matter of moments. “Can we get this over and done with?”
Apollo wondered if she thought about protesting. He couldn’t tell through the audio, but she seemed to make no effort. “Then we’re ready,” She said.“Mr Gavin, are you willing to go ahead with the procedure?”
“Yes,” Klavier said immediately, and a chair’s legs scrapped across the floor as someone stood up, eager. “Please.”
The audio finished.
Both Apollo and Klavier sat back in their chairs and thought about the world, thrown on its axis.
-
Apollo didn’t bother waiting for the Agency members to return. He had to think alone for a while.
He left most of his things at the Agency, including his work. It had piled up on him yet again, but he wasn’t going to get anything done, not today. Not after what he had found out about. He took his wallet and his phone and wandered with no destination. The day was mild so everyone was out and about, hard at work or busy doing nothing particular, taking advantage of the dull day while they still could.
As he went about the city he heard the whispers and the laughter about what had happened to Munin. The news had spread far, and he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Wright had heard. Apollo found himself wondering how many people woke to the news that their life was not all as it seemed. He wondered where Klavier was now, and if he should look for him, or if Klavier was already searching.
He wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to come face to face with him. He wanted to know more, to know what he had cut from his own mind, but he didn’t want to meet with the man he loved.
So caught up in his own thoughts with a strong despite to be alone, eventually Apollo wasn’t surprised to find himself on a train to a familiar destination. He had not been to that place in a very long time- as far as he could remember. The compartment was filled with people, all with the same idea of going to the beach, but hopefully Apollo would be left alone in ‘his’ section of the sand.
There was a newspaper, in parts on the table in front of him. The headline was screaming about the Munin leak, about how hundreds of people had woken to find their audio recordings waiting for them. Apollo didn’t touch it, he didn’t dare, and stared out of the window for the entire journey.
After an hour, Apollo’s phone began ringing off the hook- missed calls from Wright and Athena, texts from them that Apollo didn’t bother to read and voicemails he deleted without a second thought. He silenced his phone and ignored how it vibrated in his pocket for a long time. He would have to deal with it later and he was sure Wright would be furious, but for now he wanted to be alone. He needed the time to think.
The rumbling and the rattling of the train soothed him, enough for him to close his eyes and attempt to relax as the train took him closer to his destination. He leant his head against the back of his seat, and waited. He was not disturbed the entire journey, not even by the person who should have come through and checked tickets. Usually he would have been irritated- the tickets were expensive, after all- but for now, he was grateful for the isolation.
Klavier’s voice was still running through his head, all the things he said still fresh in Apollo’s mind. Will it ever stop, he wondered, and he thought he already knew the answer.
I’m Apollo Justice, he told himself, firmly, and I’m fine.
It didn’t work as well as it used to.
-
It was high tide by the time Apollo leant over the railings, the water rushing up to greet him and covering the sand. The sky was clear and the sun was bright, and it would have been a perfect day for the beach. Trucy would have loved it, Apollo knew. He would make it up to her by taking her another weekend. They would be able to sit and relax in the quiet- they hadn’t had an opportunity to do so in a while.
He was almost alone today. Close by and on the small stretch of beach there was a man with his dog, walking slowly across the sand with the waves occasionally lapping at his bare feet. His dog was more of a blur, a dark little dot and it crashed into the waves and jumped around, delighted at its freedom. It almost made Apollo smile. There was someone else much further up the path, a dark figure that slowly grew closer, and Apollo paid them no heed. Neither person would bother him.
He was sure they all had more important things to do, better things to worry about. Apollo distantly wondered if maybe either of them had received a message from Munin, or perhaps knew someone who did, but he pushed the thought aside. They probably would have been with their families or friends in that case, not running away like Apollo was.
He ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. What a hot mess he had turned out to be.
The sound of Klavier’s foot ran alongside his heartbeat. He drummed the pattern into the metal of the railing. Now I’m going the whole way. I want him erased.
His relationship with Klavier must have gone south quickly if he had decided that Munin was the best option. Apollo never thought he would find himself in such a position, but clearly his past self must have been desperate. He wondered just what had happened between them, and no matter how hard he tried to recall Klavier’s face, all he could remember was the sound of his hiccupping on the tape. It broke his heart to hear, but Apollo knew he didn’t know a damn thing about him.
He stood there for very long time, just thinking about the path his life was following. He supposed at least he couldn’t say it was a boring one. Apollo laughed to himself, weakly, and wondered what other surprises would come and rip the world out from under his feet. He didn’t think he would be able to handle many more.
Apollo looked out to the beach again. The water had come even closer. The man with the dog had long since passed him by without a single glance. He was close to a dot in the distance now, the dog running at his feet. Apollo turned his head, and saw the man on the path was close. He was moving very slowly, like he had no cares in the world, but his expression showed the opposite. He was staring at his feet, hands shoved into his purple jacket, and Apollo could practically see the thick grey raincloud pouring over his head. The man seemed to be having a worse day than Apollo was, and Apollo’s mouth twisted with sympathy.
He looked away, before the man could see him staring, but it seemed he didn’t have to bother- the man’s shoes appeared to be the most fascinating thing in the world. Apollo wanted to reach out and stop him, ask if he was okay, but the desire to be alone overpowered his desire to help. Instead, he kept his head down, and waited for the man to pass by.
He didn’t. Apollo toyed with his bracelet, letting his slip along his wrist, and the man’s footsteps slowed even more. He barely noticed at first, just waiting for him to move on, but the footfalls stopped right behind him, and Apollo swore inwardly. He wasn’t in the mood for company, but he was never one to tell people to fuck off, right to their face. He supposed he would have to endure. He prepared himself for a minute or two of awkward, one sided conversation, and waited for the man to speak.
Sure enough, Apollo could hear him stepping up closer, stopping right behind him. Apollo hunched his shoulders, and hoped he would go away quickly.
He didn’t.
“Are you alright?” The man asked, and Apollo abruptly balked.
He knew that voice. He had heard it before- not for long, but long enough to leave a lasting impression. He thought of sniffling, of hiccupping, and his heart halted in his chest. It froze there for what felt like forever, and Apollo’s fingers curled tightly around the railing.
Apollo’s head whipped around and he stared at the person who looked like a stranger, and his face much have been a picture. The man pulled away, looking startled. Apollo could see by the look in his eyes the man didn’t know him at all, and frankly looked very alarmed at such a reaction.
“Oh my god,” Apollo could barely speak, and his voice came out oddly squeaky. He would be amazed if Klavier, oh god Klavier would recognise his voice at all. “It’s you.”
What were the chances?
Klavier continued to look very surprised and slightly afraid for a few long moments, and the two stared at each other like they were the strangest thing they had ever seen. Apollo’s mouth was moving uselessly, trying to say oh my god, what the fuck, how did you find me, but nothing was emerging. Apollo thought it might have been for the best.
“I’m sorry,” Klavier eventually said, his voice so familiar but his face sparking no recognition at all. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
We have, you idiot, he considered saying, but he didn’t want to make their ‘first’ meeting any worse than he already felt it was going to be. Apollo shook his head, ripping his hands away from the rail and reaching up to touch his temples. He could feel the headache coming on. “You’re Klavier,” He told him. “I’m Apollo. Apollo Justice.”
Klavier’s expression tried to do many different things at once. He clearly recognised his voice. Apollo might have laughed once, but in the severity of the situation he couldn’t do a single thing. He could only watch as Klavier recoiled, his eyes filling with surprise and recognition, before sharpening with pain, and then trying to shut himself down before he could give anything away, shoving all of the intense emotion where he prayed Apollo couldn’t see it. Klavier took a swift step away, stepping out of Apollo’s reach, and his eyes were empty of everything. Apollo could see how his hands were quivering. He doubted that Klavier even noticed.
“I,” Klavier began, and he had to clear his throat firmly. His voice trembled. “I didn’t think we would meet like this.”
“Me neither,” Apollo told him, and that was it. He had no idea what else to say. He looked at Klavier, trying to look straight into his eyes but Klavier dropped his gaze, staring at Apollo’s knees. He swallowed, hands still shaking.
The sounds of the waves and the gulls in the sky were deafeningly loud now, and Apollo’s heart had kick-started itself, beginning to drum along against his ribs. It pounded so hard it hurt. The blood was rushing in his ears and he felt very strongly not none of this was real, that he would wake up and his life would resume as normal-
But he knew that wasn’t true. It wasn’t a dream. This was real.
“The awful things I did to you,” Apollo said, very quietly. The guilt was like a lump of clay settling into his stomach, thick in his throat. “I made you cry, you were so upset-”
Klavier shook his head, wildly. He never once looked at Apollo’s face. “I have to go,” He said, forcefully, as if trying to convince himself. “I have to, I’ve got to go-” He stepped backwards, one hand coming up to hide his face and Apollo knew the mask was cracking, falling apart into pieces and he couldn’t let him go-
“Wait,” Apollo called out to him before he could move any further. “Wait, please, I can’t-“
“I can’t!” Klavier said, voice suddenly loud. Apollo was glad they were alone. “I can’t, you wiped me for a reason and I won’t hound you, I can’t traumatise you.” He made a wounded noise, trying to shake the thoughts away. His stim ring gleamed under the sunlight.
“I know I wiped you,” Apollo knew this was stupid, his past self would no doubt be screaming for him to back away and let him go, but he couldn’t let it happen, let this chance slip from his fingers. After everything, even with a lengthy gap in his memories, he wanted to know what he had removed, even if it hurt him in the end. He was willing to bet it would, but he hardly cared. “I know it might be better this way, but I was a selfish asshole. The stuff I said, the things I did- it’s long past forgiveness.”
Klavier pulled his hands away, almost peeking between them, and his eyes are wide. The mask was gone now, and he looked hurt, like someone he trusted had slipped a blade in-between his ribs. He looked between Apollo’s eyes, and Apollo couldn’t remember why he did that. He couldn’t remember anything about this man at all. “I made you wipe me,” He said. “I’m angry, god I’m angry, but we’re both to blame.” He took another, smaller step backwards. “This is wrong. I should go, we shouldn’t have met like this.”
“I don’t want you to,” Apollo openly admitted. It was giving him the worst migraine of his life, but he knew what he wanted. “But it’s your choice. I said some awful things to you, and I know I don’t want to hurt you again.”
Klavier huffed out the weakest laugh Apollo had ever heard. “Well, at least you’re admitting you’re an asshole. Probably better than when you just got me wiped instead of talking to me.”
Apollo flinched at his tone, but then offered him a tentative smile. It felt sickly. “I get like that sometimes.”
He watched as Klavier ran a hand through his hair, lowering his gaze for a moment. He could almost see the gears grinding in his head. He didn’t say anything- he didn’t want Klavier to think he was pressuring him, even if he wanted Klavier to stay. He wanted, anticipation building as the other man thought. It would be so easy for him to walk away, and if Klavier didn’t want him to Apollo wouldn’t follow. He would live with regret for the rest of his days, but he would go back to the Agency and push it out of his head as best he could. He owed Klavier the dignity of choice.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Klavier eventually said, looking back at him. His lips were turned down and his brows were furrowed, and Apollo wondered how many times he had seen that expression before. “In fact, this is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
Apollo had to nod, even while his heart was still trying to burst its way out of his chest. “If you want to walk away, I won’t stop you.”
Klavier’s hands went to his ring, but his fingertips brushed against it. He didn’t fiddle with or toy with the metal. He smiled, softly. “We’ll fuck it up again,” He warned him, even as he took a step closer.
“Maybe,” Apollo agreed. “I suppose we could find out.”
Klavier huffed out another laugh, and crossed his arms against his chest. His stance was still distant, unfriendly, but his smile promised a change- something new, perhaps something positive. It gave Apollo hope he hadn’t felt in months. “We shouldn’t talk here even if we are alone,” He said, eyes running across the beach. Apollo agreed. The talk they were bound to have wasn’t fit for the public. “We should get out of here.”
We, Apollo heard, and his smile stretched almost from ear to ear. “You want to talk to me?”
Klavier’s brows shot up. “That’s what I said, ja?” He leaned forward a little, down as if to hear Apollo better. “Or did you forget?”
Apollo exhaled heavily through his nose at that, wincing, and Klavier pulled a face. “Too soon?” He asked.
“Way too soon,” He agreed, and Klavier backed away again.
“Sorry. That’s how I deal with things. I make jokes out of them.” He reached up to touch the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. “Maybe I shouldn’t make jokes about things that only happened a few hours ago.”
“Maybe,” Apollo nodded again, still a little sore- but if they were going to work this out, they needed to let it ago. They couldn’t both be defensive if they were going to sort the mess out. “If it goes well, you can make as many terrible jokes about it as you like. Upset all the people who knew us.”
Klavier barked out a laugh, and even he looked surprised by how loud and genuine it sounded. “Is that a promise?” He asked, upon recovery.
“It’s a promise.”
The two of them smiled at each other, still on edge and still shy, and most importantly still reeling, but Klavier hooked his thumb in the direction he came. “I have a, uh,” He paused for a moment. “A vehicle with me. If you’re willing, we could always go grab some food, maybe talk a little over drinks? If it gets too serious, maybe we can go to my apartment.”
Apollo looked at him. “A vehicle?”
Klavier hesitated for a split second before nodding. “Ja.”
Apollo’s bracelet didn’t react. Klavier wasn’t exactly lying, but he was hiding something. Apollo supposed if he wanted to talk this out, he would have to go along with whatever surprise was waiting for him. He hoped like hell it wasn’t a motorbike. “That sounds like a good plan,” He agreed, and Klavier’s responding smile was sweet.
There was something missing.
But maybe, with a little luck and hard work, they could build it back up.