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He still couldn’t believe they were here. He still couldn’t believe Apollo was from here. Honestly, it was like he was allergic to talking about his personal life. Not that Klavier didn’t relate to a need for privacy, but growing up in a tiny, culturally rich country across the world seemed like something that would have been relevant at some point, or even just a really effective ice breaker.
It didn’t matter now, of course. He was just happy to be sharing the place with Apollo. It was the first time the two of them had been together since he had flown in, and as much as he enjoyed spending time with their shared coworkers and friends, he’d have to be pretty deep in denial not to acknowledge Apollo as the real reason he was there.
A thin layer of awkwardness hung between them. There was so much Klavier wanted to say, but he bit back his feelings with all his strength, refusing to let them bleed into their time together. He didn’t dare do anything that would risk ruining their friendship.
They stopped for a moment, Apollo taking a sip of water and Klavier admiring the landscape. Snow-capped mountains towered over them. Exotic-looking birds soared overhead, gliding on the pleasantly cool breeze. It was undeniably picturesque.
A slap echoed behind Klavier, followed by a surprised, “Ow.” Klavier turned to see Apollo, still facing the other direction, with his hand on his neck. He pulled his hand away, but the insect he had seemingly been trying to swat had escaped, flitting away into the trees. It had left behind a small red mark on his neck, which he gingerly traced a finger over.
“You okay, Herr Forehead?” Klavier asked, trying not to sound as overly concerned as he was.
Apollo nodded, turning towards Klavier. “Yeah, I just got bit by something. I’m…fine…” Something strange flashed in his eyes as he trailed off.
His stare was always piercing, but Klavier couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the intensity of his gaze, especially since he didn’t seem to be planning on breaking eye contact any time soon. He gazed deeply into Klavier’s eyes, and was Klavier imagining things, or had the dark brown of his irises gained a glint of magenta?
If Klavier had been unnerved by Apollo’s eyes, nothing could have prepared him for his smile. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up until he was grinning widely. His expression looked incredibly genuine, too, suddenly overcome with what could only be pure joy.
“Hi,” Apollo said, practically giggling, and from everything Klavier had ever known about Apollo Justice, he did not giggle. Then again, he’d never seen him this unguarded either, not hiding a single bit of the happiness that he was suddenly brimming with.
“Hi?” Klavier said carefully. “Are you sure you’re—“
He stopped with a sharp inhale, because Apollo had just put his arms around him, resting his hands behind Klavier’s neck. “Hi,” he repeated in a singsong tone. He moved forward, pressing into Klavier until he was hugging him fully, his breath warm against his neck. “I love you.”
Klavier made a strangled gasp. Apollo didn’t seem to care, nuzzling into his shoulder.
For a moment, Klavier’s mind was a complete mess, unable to focus on a single thing, because, clearly, the world had gone insane. Once he managed to grasp individual concepts again, the pieces all came together at once. Whatever insect had gotten to Apollo must have done something to him, seeing as his behavior had changed dramatically the second he was bit.
The alarm Klavier was already feeling doubled. The bite had definitely made Apollo delirious. Who knew what other side effects it could have? Klavier forced himself to suppress his feelings and focus on the potential seriousness of the situation. There was no telling what kind of venoms or toxins there were here, especially in a country he knew nothing about.
Regretfully, Klavier pried Apollo away from him, putting just enough space between them for him to press the back of his hand to Apollo’s forehead. Heat radiated from Apollo’s face. Ignoring the previous statement, Klavier said, “You feel warm.”
Apollo leaned into Klavier’s touch. “I feel fine,” he said, eyes half-lidded.
“Either way, let’s get you back to town, ja? Make sure you’re alright,” Klavier said.
“Okay!” Apollo nodded far too quickly, sidling up to Klavier and taking his hand in his. “As long as I get to be with you.” Gott, that was so wrong. Apollo was independent, skeptical, and never agreed with Klavier without putting up a fight. Something was seriously wrong with him.
Apollo had an acute obsession with getting as much physical contact with Klavier as possible, and Klavier’s concern over his health was only growing, so Apollo ended up on Klavier’s back, clinging onto him like a koala. Despite his size, Apollo was well built, but their sheer difference in height meant that he was able to support Apollo’s weight. Deep down in the feelings he was trying desperately to ignore, he was all too happy to carry Apollo for as long as he wanted.
Klavier’s initial plan had been to find the nearest hospital, but not only did he not know where it was, he was immediately greeted by a sea of curious faces when they reached the streets of Khura’in. Apollo barely seemed aware of the attention, snuggling into his neck, but the Apollo Klavier knew would absolutely hate being seen like this. Klavier ducked through alleyways and made his way to the hotel instead, dashing to Ema’s room and frantically rapping on the door.
After a series of persistent knocks, a slightly annoyed Ema eased open the door. Upon seeing Klavier, she immediately tried to slam it again, only stopped by Klavier quickly jamming himself into the doorway. He did his best to position Apollo so he wasn’t squished alongside him. “Wait, Frau Detective, please!” he pleaded.
Ema’s eyes narrowed as she continued to push on the door. “Fuck off. What part of ‘you’re not my boss anymore so I don’t have to talk to you’ don’t you understand?”
Klavier pressed harder against the door, forcing it open enough for Apollo and his state to be visible behind him. “Ignore me, please just help Herr Forehead.”
Ema remained annoyed, but she relaxed her grip on the door, allowing it to open all the way. She raised an eyebrow at Apollo. “What, did you two finally fuck?” Klavier choked, contorting his head to try and see Apollo’s reaction. Thankfully, he seemed as unaware of the world as ever.
“Shhh!! Don’t—He’s right here!” Klavier hissed through gritted teeth.
“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Ema crossed her arms, frowning. “In that case, what exactly is all of this?”
She stepped inside to let Klavier in. He sighed in relief as he stepped over the threshold, making his way to the bed and shifting Apollo off of his back. Apollo clung stubbornly to Klavier, so it took several tries before he actually made it to the bed. He swayed a little, leaning into Klavier’s side as he sat beside him.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Klavier said, not daring to meet Ema’s sharp gaze. “He got bit by this weird looking bug, and he just…” Rather than describing any further, he gestured to all of Apollo, who was still grinning like crazy. “He’s clearly delirious. What if he’s sick?”
Ema scrutinized Apollo for a moment. “Why’d you bring him to me, then? I don’t do biology, much less entomology.”
“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing,” Klavier admitted. “I was going to try to find a doctor, but when we got back into town there were so many people, and,” he cast a look at Apollo, who was cuddling closer into his side, his eyes closed in bliss, “I’m trying to preserve his dignity. Is there anything you can do, bitte?”
“Well, that’s noble,” Ema said dryly. “I’m a forensic scientist, not a doctor,” she grumbled under her breath, but she stepped forward anyway, feeling Apollo’s forehead. He remained pliant as long as he was touching Klavier, letting her examine the mark on his neck. “What did the bug look like?”
“I didn’t get a very good look at it,” Klavier said, straining to remember the brief flash of pink before the bug had fled into the tree line.
He and Ema looked expectantly at Apollo, who shrugged, still smiling. “I don’t know. Everything’s hazy up until now.”
“Memory issues…” Ema muttered, pulling out her phone and starting to type.
“I think it was some kind of beetle? About this size.” Klavier held up his hand to demonstrate, leaving a few centimeters between his fingers. “It was shiny, and I swear it looked pink.”
Ema typed faster, chewing on the inside of her mouth. “You guys are lucky. I think Nahyuta might have mentioned something about a bug like that.” Klavier perked up.
Ema swiped a few times and brightened, presenting her phone screen to Klavier. On it was a series of bullet points in her notes app, bracketed by sarcastic comments, as well as a picture of an iridescent pink bug. “It’s a native Khura’inese insect. Kind of uncommon to see one, but Nahyuta brought it up because it’s so unique. Khura’inese people tell stories about it to their kids, they call it the matchmaker bug.” Klavier’s eyes widened. “I don’t remember the specifics, but I know it messes with some neurotransmitters. When someone gets bit, they fall in love with the first person they see.”
Klavier blanched, looking back and forth between Ema and Apollo in a panic. “What?!” he gasped. “That can’t…How…” Klavier’s cheeks burned, heat spreading through his face and down his neck. Apollo was unaffected, leaning peacefully on Klavier.
“I know. Trust me, I’m not enjoying third-wheeling,” Ema groaned. “Again, not a doctor, but it’s supposed to wear off after a couple days.” Klavier’s breath hitched, but Ema didn’t acknowledge it.
“Until then, he’ll be all over you. Other than a low-grade fever, which I think is going away, by the way, that’s the only real symptom. And be careful with him!” She jabbed an accusatory finger at Klavier. “He’s probably going to be super sensitive to rejection, so you better not hurt him.”
“I won’t! I mean, I’ll try my best?” Klavier said quickly. He cradled his head in his hands, dizzy. His face was on fire now. The reality of the situation weighed heavily on his shoulders. “Fraulein, what do I do…”
“Get out of my room, for starters,” Ema said flatly.
Once they had been kicked out, Klavier considered trying to get to a doctor once more, but feeling Apollo’s no longer warm forehead revealed that Ema had been right about the fever going down. Apollo pressed his face against Klavier’s hand, and Klavier immediately pulled it back, flustered.
Okay, that problem was solved. Now what was he supposed to do?
It was honestly humiliating how swiftly and intensely Klavier’s face flushed with every touch from Apollo. This time, it was the simple act of Apollo entwining his hand with Klavier’s, rubbing his thumb over one of Klavier’s rings. He beamed at Klavier as if he was his whole world.
The hallway was spinning. Klavier broke apart his and Apollo’s hands. Apollo moved to reconnect them, still unbothered, but Klavier took a step back before he could. “I need to get some air,” he breathed.
Apollo stepped towards him. Klavier backed up further. “I—I’m sorry, I can’t—I’ll see you later.” Klavier stumbled away, heading for the stairs.
He only had to climb one flight of stairs before he reached the roof. A faint smell of cigarettes lingered in the air, making him reminisce on the brief time he had smoked before committing to a career in singing. He took deep breaths, looking out at the sprawling city. The sun was setting now, lighting the tops of the buildings and casting shadows across the maze of market stalls.
Before, Klavier had had a goal to keep him distracted. Without anything else to focus on and the person he loved more than anything showering him with affection, he was short-circuiting. It just wasn’t fair having to endure the attention when he knew it was false. It was nothing more than a chemical reaction from some stupid insect.
Klavier wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finally caught his breath. Chest still tight, he made his way downstairs, intending to go back to his own room and make sure he looked presentable.
He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Apollo, who, to his surprise, had not moved from the hallway. He was huddled on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest and his head bowed.
“Herr Forehead?” Klavier called, rushing to his side. He placed a hand on Apollo’s shoulder, causing him to uncurl a little.
With Apollo’s face now visible, Klavier’s heart sank. He wore a fatigued expression, his eyes lacking their usual shine. He smiled at Klavier’s arrival, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Hey,” he said softly.
“What happened?” Klavier wrapped an arm around Apollo.
Apollo shrugged. “Dunno. I just started feeling empty all of a sudden.” Even as he spoke, the light slowly returned to his eyes. “I missed you. Thank you for coming back.”
A pang of guilt struck Klavier’s chest. How could he have forgotten Ema’s warning so quickly? No wonder there were side effects.
Determined, Klavier pulled Apollo into a proper hug. Right now, he needed to prioritize Apollo’s well-being, regardless of his own feelings. “I’m sorry. I won’t leave you again.” Apollo squeezed back, humming contently.
Klavier gradually adjusted to Apollo’s affectionate state throughout the evening, as much as he could manage, at least. Apollo may not have been in his right mind, but he was still as kind and understanding as ever, respecting Klavier’s requests to tone down the physical contact when possible. It pained Klavier to turn down his touch, but the guilt was overwhelming otherwise. Indulging the touch felt like taking advantage of Apollo, and refusing it like hurting him. He tried his best to strike a balance.
Things went surprisingly smooth until the time came to go to sleep. After Apollo’s depressed reaction earlier, Klavier knew he couldn’t leave him for too long, much less overnight, so there they were, lying side by side in Klavier’s bed.
Still obeying Klavier’s boundaries, Apollo had left some space between them, his hand draped over Klavier’s. He had fallen asleep first, much to Klavier’s relief. Apollo had never seen him in such a casual state, his hair messy and the makeup washed off his face. It was vain of him to care, sure, but he did care.
Apollo had slipped on one of Klavier’s t-shirts, having cited a preference for sleeping in oversized shirts from when he had binded his chest. Klavier tried his best not to obsess over the image of Apollo wearing his clothes. He ordinarily slept shirtless, but he had on a shirt as well, a flimsy barrier against the sheer intimacy of the scene.
Klavier couldn’t help but take in every feature on Apollo’s sleeping face. He had never seen him this peaceful. Apollo gently breathed in and out, his un-gelled hair sticking up in different directions and his normally furrowed brow relaxed. Klavier could count every freckle across the bridge of his nose. Eventually, exhaustion overcame nerves and sleep overtook him.
Klavier had set an early alarm, making sure to get up before Apollo. He was halfway through applying his eyeliner when two arms snaked around his middle. He flinched, the pencil streaking across his eyelid. “Hallo,” Klavier mumbled, wiping the stray line away.
Living alongside Apollo like this, doing everything together, felt incredibly domestic. In many ways, things weren’t that different from the day before, just with less time spent in public and more time preventing Apollo from embarrassing himself too much.
They were back in Klavier’s room when his luck ran out. The two of them were cuddling together on the bed, Apollo’s arm slung over Klavier’s stomach. Klavier stared at the ceiling. The visiting group had made dinner plans that night, something he had been putting off dealing with. Now, he searched for a way to attend without affecting Apollo’s reputation. Cancelling altogether was appealing, but it would be suspicious if both he and Apollo didn’t show up.
“Hey Apollo, are you guys ready?” Athena Cykes’ voice rang out from the doorway, and Klavier froze.
There was no time to react—she had already opened the door. Had he left it ajar? How absentminded was he right now? Apollo must have texted her that he was here. Klavier cursed his lack of foresight.
“If you’re not, I can—oh my god.” Athena gaped, staring wide-eyed at the two of them. She clumsily covered her eyes, backing up. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t—I had no idea—I didn’t see anything!!”
Athena retreated into the hallway, and Klavier’s vocal chords finally decided to work again. “Frau Cykes, wait!” he called, running after her with Apollo glued to his side. “This isn’t what it looks like, I swear—!”
As they rounded the corner, Klavier found himself face to face with Ema and Prosecutor Sahdmadhi. He swallowed, suddenly very aware of Apollo’s hand in his, and the warmth in his side as he leaned against him. Sahdmadhi stared at them in shock, while Ema pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Herr Sahdmadhi. Frau Detective,” Klavier said weakly.
Somehow, Klavier made it out of the interaction without being murdered. Ema made it much harder by waiting as long as possible before corroborating the bug issue, but once she caved, the air was cleared. That didn’t stop Sahdmadhi from staring daggers into Klavier for the entire walk to the restaurant. At least Athena was satisfied with the explanation.
Despite the circumstances, Klavier was impressed with the place. It was a hole-in-the-wall, only known by locals and small enough to be cozy without being uncomfortable. Klavier was relieved at the size, as it limited the prying eyes on Apollo.
Halfway through their meal, Prosecutor Sahdmadhi spoke up. “May I speak with you for a moment, Prosecutor Gavin?” Klavier swallowed and nodded. Apollo protested when he rose from his seat, and he made a mental note not to take too long.
The two of them stopped outside the entrance. Sahdmadhi crossed his arms. “Detective Skye has informed you of the nature of Apollo’s condition, yes?” Klavier nodded again. Sahdmadhi‘s expression turned severe. “I trust that you will take good care of him, then. Do not hurt him.” He punctuated it with a glare, turning his request into a threat. Klavier shivered.
“I won’t, I promise,” Klavier said, raising his hands in defense. What was with everyone doubting his character over this? He wasn’t that much of a dick. “I’m making sure he’s alright. Uh, as best as I can, anyway.”
Sahdmadhi dipped his head, still glaring. “Do not break that promise.”
That night, Klavier repeated the routine from the previous evening, climbing under the covers after Apollo had passed out and selfishly admiring him before doing the same.
He was awoken by light streaming in through the gaps in the curtains, which made him realize that he had forgotten to set an alarm. He shielded his eyes and fumbled for his phone to check the time.
Beside him, Apollo stirred. He rubbed his eyes and blinked blearily.
“Morgen, Herr Forehead,” Klavier murmured.
“Wha…” Apollo glanced around in confusion. Upon seeing Klavier, his eyes flew open, stretching wider than could have been comfortable. Too late, Klavier realized that he had shed the hazy expression he had worn for the past two days, back to full alertness. Apollo shot up into a sitting position. “What—?! Klavier?! What’s going on?!”
Rising so that he was sitting as well, Klavier reached out a hand, moving slowly and carefully. “How much do you remember?” he asked.
Apollo frowned. “It’s kind of a blur, but I think it’s coming back to me.” He stayed silent for a moment, looking pensive, then stiffened. “No…no. Please tell me that thing that bit me wasn’t a matchmaker bug.”
“Ah, so you already know about it,” Klavier said. Thinking back, that did line up with what Ema had said about Khura’inese residents.
Unfortunately, his implied confirmation only seemed to multiply Apollo’s stress. Was he shaking? “Oh god, this can’t be happening.” He threw off the covers and leaped out of bed, staring around the room like a cornered animal. The sheer horror on his face took Klavier aback.
Apollo opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it before any words came out. He grabbed the few belongings he had brought with him from the nightstand and raced out the door in a flash.
“Herr Forehead, wait, please!” Klavier begged, running after him. He was really getting tired of chasing people. This one hurt the most by far.
While Klavier was able to keep pace with Apollo for a bit, he slowed, letting Apollo escape him. If he didn’t want to be there, the last thing he wanted was to force him. It was the exact opposite extreme of the past two days, and it stung twice as much.
Klavier was reluctant to do anything for the rest of the morning. He managed to get himself outside, wandering down a side street filled with shops. He hoped futilely that leaving the oppressive box of the hotel room would help get his mind off things.
His hopes were immediately dashed when he came across a stall covered in depictions of matchmaker bugs, adorning everything from vases to beads. Before he could storm away, he locked eyes with the seller, who gave him an artificially huge smile. “Hap’piraki! May I interest you in some handmade Khura’inese pottery?.” She gestured to the pottery wheel that she was currently spinning.
“Ach, I will have to decline,” Klavier said, awkwardly adjusting his collar. “I’m afraid I haven’t had the best experience with your subject matter,” he admitted. A random Khura’inese vendor probably wasn’t the best person to be airing out his problems to, but he also probably wouldn’t ever see her again, so he might as well go for it.
The woman nodded in sympathy, stopping the wheel and smoothing out a spot in the piece she was working on. “I am sorry to hear that, sir. It is sadly quite common. Did your beloved not return your love?”
Well, there was no going back now. “My…beloved was the one bitten,” Klavier explained.
“Sadly, a lack of reaction is a common outcome,” the woman said solemnly.
Klavier glanced at the ground. “Ne, that was what made it so hard. He acted as if he was in love with me.”
The woman clasped her hands together with a loud clap, startling Klavier. She beamed at him. “Well then, why are you sad? That means that he loves you as well!”
Klavier gawked at her. “Huh?” he said intelligently.
“Are you not aware?” She waved a hand across her sea of pottery. “I am knowledgeable about this bug, as you can see. I have always loved the romances it inspires. When one is bitten, they will show the love they already had for another, all secrets gone.”
Klavier covered his mouth. “Oh Gott…” He stumbled backward, taking off in the direction of the hotel, though not before shouting back over his shoulder, “Danke, danke schoen—thank you!!”
The woman waved him off. “Good luck with your beloved!”
Klavier rushed back to the hotel, intent on finding Athena and finding out where Apollo was from her. Space be damned, he was getting to Apollo as soon as he possibly could. He would’ve taken Ema or even Prosecutor Sahdmadhi at that point, as long as they had so much as a hint of where he was.
His wish was granted tenfold when he got to his floor and ended up face to face with Apollo himself. Apollo’s face paled. He clutched a folded shirt to his chest, which, upon further inspection, Klavier realized was his own, the one that Apollo had slept in the night before.
“Shit. Um. Hey,” Apollo mumbled, pushing the shirt into Klavier’s hands. “I was just coming to give this back.” He turned to leave, but Klavier grabbed his arm. He had never cared less about a shirt.
Grasping for the right words to say, Klavier blurted, “That bug’s venom, it—it made you act differently.”
Apollo swallowed. “Yes,” he said reluctantly.
“And that only happens if you already have feelings?” Klavier continued.
Apollo’s face contorted in shame. Klavier wanted nothing more than to kiss every inch of it away. “Yes,” Apollo repeated, quieter this time.
The excitement was almost too much to handle. Klavier still couldn’t believe this was happening. “So that means that you…?”
“Please don’t make me say it,” Apollo whispered. “I’m so sorry, Klavier, I—“
“I’m in love with you!”
Apollo stopped, staring wide-eyed at Klavier, who was grinning like a madman. “Herr Forehead—Apollo. I love you. I have for so long.” He slowly brushed a hand against Apollo’s cheek. “Ever since you were bitten, I was trying so hard not to mess things up between us, because I thought what you were feeling was fake. I had no idea it was the real thing.”
“You…love me?” Apollo said hoarsely, his eyes shining. Now that Klavier had a better look at Apollo, he could see that they had returned to their usual brown. It was the most beautiful sight in the world.
“Yes!” Klavier cradled Apollo’s face in both hands, feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes.
Apollo threw his arms around Klavier’s neck. “Oh my god…” He smiled widely, and unlike before, it was perfectly and utterly genuine, not marred by the haze caused by the bite. “I can’t believe…!” He surged forward, hugging Klavier tight, which Klavier returned. “I thought you were going to hate me forever after all of this.”
Klavier shook his head against Apollo’s shoulder. “Gott, no, I could never hate you. I’m so happy, Herr Forehead!”
They kept the embrace going for as long as possible. Klavier couldn’t care less about the occasional hotel patron who passed them by.
They did eventually have to rejoin the rest of the world, and with that came opinions from everyone else for a second time. Athena bounced up and down, excitedly congratulating Apollo over and over. An embarrassed Apollo admitted that she had figured out his feelings for Klavier—as had most people they knew, they discovered. In fact, it seemed Klavier had been the last person to find out. Ema rolled her eyes and left almost immediately after being told, but she did give Apollo a celebratory grin.
Prosecutor Sadhmadhi was an entirely different story. Klavier realized with a start what he had actually meant the night before. When he and Apollo ran into Sahdmadhi later that day, Klavier felt a chill run down his spine, cowering under Sahdmadhi’s intense gaze as he eyed their entwined hands judgmentally. Apollo just laughed, and as intimidated as Klavier was, he couldn’t help but smile.