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Klavier avoided wearing them in public at all costs, and he avoided wearing them at home around Apollo. Apollo would notice, every once in a while, that when he'd walk into a room, a little flurry of hands and a tuck into a pocket would precede his usual cheery "Hallo!"
The fifteenth time or so, he'd had enough, and leaned over the back of Klavier's chair, pressing his body close up to that of his boyfriend, resting his chin on a muscular shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. Just reading this newspaper. Did you see that..."
"Hmm." He nodded and let Klavier continue, but put his hands on the sides of the man's thighs, working them up, slowly, intimately, as if nothing was wrong, until he came to... "Ah hah."
"Was?"
Playing innocent in German, eh? He slid a hand down into Klavier's pocket and was rewarded with a light shiver. Remember that for later... He carefully pinched the stem of something long and thin between his fingers and worked it out, holding the object in front of Klavier's face. "What are these?"
Klavier could hardly seem to look at them, but he kept his tone light. "Ah, silly, really." He tried to toss his hair back behind his shoulder, but Apollo's form was blocking the way, so he just toyed with it, running the curl between his fingers, pulling and letting it spring back into place again.
"Reading glasses." Apollo's mind could hardly focus on anything but the tug at his wrist and those fingers, pulling and releasing as he spoke.
Apollo pulled the glasses to his own face, peering through the lenses. "Klav, these seem pretty strong." He pulled away, moving to crouch down to the prosecutor's eye level. "How much do you really need them?"
"Not--"
"That's not true."
"I hadn't even started yet."
"Yeah. But it wasn't going to be. How much?" Klavier sighed, his face falling. Even upset, there was a pout his lips fell into that Apollo couldn't help but find a little bit adorable.
He let the strand of hair go, and his body seemed to relax - but slump, too. "A fair bit, really. Any time I'm looking at something nearby."
"Like me?" Apollo grinned.
"Yes, but--"
"But what, what's wrong with them? Let me see you."
Klavier shook his head. "They don't suit me."
Apollo laughed. "Everything suits you. You just have the face for it. I don't know how you do it, but everything works on you."
Klavier looked away again. "These do not. You would not like me in these."
Is this about me? "You can let me be the judge of that." He put on his best no nonsense, now face and tried to slide the glasses over Klavier's brow, but he turned to block the move.
"You cannot."
"Why not?"
A tanned hand came down and hit the table. "You are not to see me like this!"
"Like WHAT, Klavier? Like what? Are we just going to sit here all day while you refuse to tell me?"
Ice-blue eyes snapped up to glare directly into his. "Like my brother."
Apollo nearly dropped the frames on the table in shock. "I'm sorry?"
Klavier took in a deep breath and tried again. "Like... Kristoph."
Hunh. Well, that explained a few things. But first things first... he came back, draped his arms around broad shoulders, and kissed the top of Klavier's head. "I get it."
"You do?"
"Yeah, honestly. I do. But... I don't think you'll ever look like Kristoph to me."
"We used to be confused for twins, Apollo."
"Sure. But it's not what you have." He let go and came around to the other side of the table, taking a seat and placing the glasses between them. "It's how you use it."
"I don't follow."
"These lines here--" he reached out and ran a finger along some light laugh lines along the sides of Klavier's eyes. "How would he get them?"
Klavier seemed to be considering this, so Apollo continued. "How about these?" He traced a groove between a cheek and lips, indulging himself and running it over the bottom half of that pout before taking it back.
"Look, Klavier. I don't know what you look like in these. But can you trust me enough to see them?" He took Klavier's left hand in his right and squeezed the fingers.
"I..."
"I can handle myself. I promise."
"I don't want you to see him... when you see me."
"Hey. You aren't Kristoph. You aren't Kristoph, you hear me? I'm not going to see him because I know you. I know every part of you. And if anyone can see how different you are..." he squeezed again. "I think it's me."
"Hmm."
"Plus you need them to see."
"Heh."
Klavier picked up the frames with his right hand, closed his eyes, and slid them on, raising his head but not opening his eyes again. "Well?"
"You look like Klavier, but asleep."
"Ah."
Apollo felt a tense squeezing back at his hand as Klavier opened his eyes. They sparkled, sad but clear in the morning light coming in through the kitchen window, and Apollo let go of that hand and stood, slamming both palms flat on the table. "I've got it! I know what it is!"
"What? No, Liebchen, I'm sorry, I knew this was a bad idea--"
"Hold it right there. It's not that. I know why you don't look like him."
"Oh?"
"It IS your eyes. You never do that thing he used to do with his."
"Which is?"
"Nothing."
"N... nothing?"
"Nothing! No, don't you get it?? You just... look. You have to practice NOT to show emotions in your eyes, right?"
"But..."
"No, no! Right now, all I see is sad. And worried. And before, there was playful, and happy, and anxious... I think I've seen you do everything with your eyes."
"Except for nothing."
"Except for nothing!"
Apollo came back around and pressed a light kiss to that cheek. Strong hands caught his shoulder, the back of his head, and he helped them guide him into a full, deep kiss, lips lingering at the end together. He giggled and gave a last light press, bumping the glasses with his nose. "You see now?"
Klavier laughed. "I do." He readjusted the bridge of the frames with a finger. "In more ways than one."