Chapter Text
Klavier let the last note ring out. Klavier doesn’t quite remember why he came to his childhood home. He wanted to flee paparazzi, but it was probably more of a story that former rockstar Klavier Gavin returns to his childhood home on the two year anniversary of putting his brother in jail. Klavier turned the page and started playing some old show tune from a musical he didn’t know. He just wanted to play.
This piano bench held so much of his childhood. He didn’t have friends as a kid. He studied and played music. The only thing loud enough to drown out the tension when Ma and Pa were mad. The first time he ever sat here was when Kri-
His fingers faltered as he remembered his brother. It didn’t matter if no one was around to see it.
“I’m back!” Apollo slammed the door, “Sorry for being loud! Keep playing!”
Well, almost no one.
Apollo had gone out to get groceries, Klavier had invited him to his old childhood home under the guise of a free vacation. In reality he just wanted to get out of Los Tokyo, take a breather.
Klavier got up from the piano bench. While playing served a good distraction. Herr Forehead, was a better one.
Klavier found Apollo unpacking an assortment of cheeses, “Hey Prosecutor Gavin, did you know they don’t have Kraft mac and cheese in Germany? Probably since you live here…,” Apollo looked nervous, “You missed out as a kid. Was that rude? Probably…Oh my god! I’m so sorry Prosecutor Gavin!”
“First Schatzi, it’s fine. Next, I didn’t know about Kraft mac and cheese, so I lived in ignorant bliss. Finally, please call me Klavier.”
“Oh! Sorry Klavier,” Apollo did an awkward finger gun, “I found this out when I was in the store. I was so lost. It's a lot different from back home, but I thought since I was feeling home sick I should find something I wanted to eat. I decided on mac and cheese, since I’ve been eating that since I was a kid,” Klavier noticed that Apollo had started unpacking the bags as he was rambling, “but I couldn’t find any, I searched for twenty minutes. No dice. After that, I decided to call Mr.Wright.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but what about asking a store employee?”
“Oh, um…” Apollo started fiddling with his bracelet. Klavier felt a lump of guilt in his stomach. He hadn’t meant to make Apollo uncomfortable, “I-I was scared to ask an employee.”
Klavier tried to shake off the feeling, “Oh! Most people speak english here, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s comforting…,” Apollo trailed off, he looked deep in thought for a moment until his head popped up, “Oh right! I called Mr.Wright and he was like, ‘Apollo? What do you need so urgently. I thought you were on vacation.’ and I said, ‘I’m actually in Germany, and I’m getting groceries, but there's no mac and cheese, can you help?’ then I heard some shuffling and then,” Apollo paused, the box of macaroni in hand, and slapped each word for emphasis as he yelled, “The! Chief! Prosecutor! Was on! The! Phone!”
Klavier laughed. Apollo had brushed off his nerves. Getting Apollo to talk was exciting, he put so much emotion behind every word, and Klavier loved it. He was effortlessly genuine. Apollo barely thought before he spoke, he was so…alive. How could he ever have worked for Him…
No stop Klavier you're supposed to relax.
“How am I supposed to respond to that! ‘Oh hi man in control of the entire legal system! I'm a dumbass who can’t read German and is lost in a grocery store! I’m looking for something that reminds me of home, because this is my first time in Europe ever, and the first time i’ve left the country in over a decade. Can you help me find the mac and cheese?’ anyways he sounded groggy, which was weird, because it's the afternoon-,” As Apollo put the cheese in the refrigerator he paused. He ran to the grocery bag and pulled at his phone. Klavier looked confused as Apollo quickly typed something out, “Oh my god...it was three AM when I called them. I forgot time zones exist! That’s it! I’m a goner! I’ll never face a respectable prosecutor again, they’ll all be mean and bad at their jobs!”
“Oh, so I’m nice and good at my job,”
“Don’t toy with me Gavin. I’m mourning my future career.”
Good, Apollo seemed much more comfortable just talking, even if it was mostly one sided, “after you woke the chief prosecutor up?”
“Don’t remind me,” Apollo rolled his eyes, “I was like ‘Hi……I’m trying to find the mac and cheese.’ I swear to god I could feel his glare from across the atlantic. He sighed and then went, ‘Apollo,’ I thought it was weird that he called me Apollo…now I know why, ‘There is no mac and cheese in Germany’ Which the way he said ‘mac and cheese’ made it sound like he was better than me! I know for a fact that man has had mac and cheese and loved it! It's the food of the people!” Apollo looked to Klavier pausing his rant, “Don’t tell him I said that, because if my career isn’t screwed by the Chief Prosecutor it will definitely be screwed by his mad boyfriend, alternatively my boss.” Apollo pulled out a six pack of grape juice boxes, “So after that I decided that I was gonna make mac and cheese the old fashioned way. I got the stuff to make mac and cheese and we are going to have a cheesy dinner,” Apollo stabbed the straw into the poor juice box. He pulled out a pack of white T-shirts, and threw it to Klavier, “I also got you a couple more shirts, I still can’t believe you have no alternative clothes to your weird ‘rocker style’,”
Klavier laughed as Apollo sat across from him on a bar stool, “Like you're so fashionable, you are just wearing oversized novelty hawaiian shirts and jeans! They envelope you. You look ten.”
“Mr.Wright gave me these and you know it!” Klavier laughed at Apollo. Despite his teasing Apollo looked nice in the giant shirt and baggy jeans. Seeing Apollo in a t-shirt and sweatpants at the airport was the first time Klavier had seen him in something other than his trademark suit. He looked…comfortable.
“Where do you keep the pots and knives?” Apollo was looking around, “I also need a bowl.”
Klavier pulled out Apollo’s materials and put them on the counter, “Anyway I could help Koch Apollo?”
“What does ‘Koch’ mean? Is it some insult?” Apollo picked a knife and pointed it at Klavier, “Your German charms don’t work on me Gavin!” Apollo started filling the pot with water.
Klavier frowned. He didn’t mean to make it sound like he was insulting him, “Ah, tschul-sorry Apollo it just means chef.”
“Oh! Sorry…I didn’t mean to be rude. I usually ask Mr.Wright when you come up with some weird new nickname. Most of the time I get an answer. I think he asks Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth,” Apollo paused, his expression full of dread, and then shook his head, “It’s fine Apollo…nobody hates you. You’re fine,” Apollo started mumbling.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, sorry. Sometimes I can get a bit anxious. It’s like my brain telling me that I inconvenienced people for no reason, and every one hates me. I just shake it off and remind myself I’m fine.”
Klavier decided to drop it. He certainly knew what it was like to think people hated you. I mean if Apollo knew what ‘Schatz-’ Oh no, “You do that to all my nicknames?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah…Why?”
“Oh, no reason Sch-Apollo” Klavier started combing through his bangs. Breaking eye contact with Apollo.
Apollo looked sad when he made eye contact, he was rubbing his bracelet, “One name when I asked Mr.Wright refused to give me the answer. Schatzi,” Apollo looked up to Klavier. His gaze was intense. His brow lifted like something had clicked, and took Klavier’s hand away from his bangs. He held Klavier’s hand and made eye contact as he smiled, “but he said it was good.”
Klavier felt his heart stop. Apollo Justice was going to be the death of him. He was positive.
“Let's get cracking on this mac and cheese, yeah?”
“Ja.”
Apollo looked like a natural in the kitchen. As soon as Klavier handed him the materials Apollo got to work, “Macaroni…” Klavier didn’t think he noticed he was mumbling to himself.
“Macaroni!” Klavier handed him the box. Apollo poured the box in.
“Cheese…”
“Cheese!” Apollo started cutting the cheese blocks
“This would go a lot faster if you also cut up a block.”
“Of course Schatzi! I could never say no to you,” Klavier winked as Apollo passed him some cheese with an eye roll. They diced the cheese, and Apollo strained the noodles. Together they finished the mac and cheese and let it sit in the oven.
“We should have mac and cheese soon,” Apollo set a timer and sat on one of the bar stools, “I’ve been talking about myself this whole time. How are you? I heard the piano.”
“I was…” Klavier couldn’t tell him ‘oh I was trying to remember a time where I wasn’t terrified of my brother and failed miserably’ but he couldn’t lie either “Reminiscing on when I first learned,”
Apollo looked down at the table and started fiddling with the salt shaker, “It sounded nice,” He looked up nervous, “Klavier.”
“Ah…,” Klavier could feel his cheeks heat. He needed to get his mind right, “thanks...That means a lot coming from you,” Klavier deflected, “I mean since you won’t admit you like my music,”
“Look, Loud noises startle me okay?”
“Oh? Does your Chords of steel not count!”
“No, It doesn’t,” As Apollo joked a timer went off on his phone, “That should be dinner,”
Apollo opened the oven and Klavier was greeted with a heavenly scent, “That looks amazing Schatzi!”
“Oh,” Apollo looked away shy, “Thanks, Though I might have made too much,”
Klavier looked at the dish. It looked like it was made for ten instead of the two sitting at the table, “Well, You’ll need it if you want to grow big and tall,”
Klavier laughed at Apollo’s eye roll. He suddenly got an idea, “One moment,” Klavier rushed to the fridge and took out a bottle of chilled champagne, “To Herr Forehead growing big and strong,” He poured two fluets.
Apollo raised his brow, “Really?”
“C’mon it’s free champagne on a free vacation!”
Apollo clinked his glass against Klavier’s, “To free champagne and vacations,” His smile twitched as he ended, “and me growing big and strong,”