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Apollo was vaguely aware that he had skilled hands.
It had first been commented on by Dhurke, a quiet afternoon in Khura'in and Apollo was twiddling with a rock while he watched some frogs hop around.
"You know Apollo," Dhurke had said. "You're pretty dextrous. Where'd you learn that?"
In his memory, Dhurke speaks Khura'inese, a language he practices in the dark to lull himself to sleep, a quiet aching hope to see those he once knew as family.
It aches to think about, so he doesn't and claims to be fine.
The Chords of Steel help to solidify that claim in the eyes of others.
Kristoph Gavin had also noticed.
"I wasn't aware my new intern had such distracted hands," he had heard from in front of him once, a few years ago. He had snapped his head up, almost replying in his deprived language but instead managing to hold it back in favor for a quieter "Pardon me, sir?"
He'd pointed at Apollo's hand, reiterating his point. "You've stopped now, but you were doing coin tricks,"
Apollo had scrunched his brow, confused before understanding with a bashful smile. He twirled the coin around again, letting it roll around his palm and up,down, across and diagonally before letting it rest on the tip of his pinkie. Moments later, it had vanished in the blink of an eye.
He'd held his hand open and shook it around proving he didn't have the coin. "Something I picked up as a kid," Apollo, explaining everything by explaining nothing.
Kristoph's eyes had narrowed almost imperceptibly, and he said nothing more of it. Only sat nearby when he noticed Apollo doing it, intrigued by the expertise with which he disappeared and reappeared small items.
Phoenix Wright hadn't said anything when he noticed, and Apollo hadn't seen his boss/mentor's look of worry and distrust that flickered over his face when he saw Apollo's absent slight of hand tricks.
He saw Apollo preform small miracles in the shape of vanishing coins, or trinkets of new size, and he saw the similarities. He wasn't blind.
He could see the similarities between his employee and daughter, and it unnerved him. So, he stuck to his promised silence, ignoring the coiled guilt he felt when the two siblings interacted, glad for every instance Truck didn't notice the young man's magic.
It wouldn't last forever, and when the truth came out he knew it would explode in his face, but at the same time he could lead himself to believe that it wasn't his place to tell them. That it wasn't his place to drop that bomb.
But when it dropped, things hadn't gone well, and he hadn't told them. Neither had she.
Klavier noticed during court, and it was unfairly distracting.
Apollo stood across from him, for once alone at the defense bench, and he was twirling several coins at once with practiced ease on and around his fingers.
The metal disks danced along his fingers, glittering in a way that seemed to wink at Klavier, as though to say "Look what he'd look like, shining like this. Imagine what he'd wear on his hands. Imagine,"
He hated how easily Apollo was making him lose his cool, as he mulled over the witness's statement, absently fiddling with the coin.
Nobody said anything, they too were mesmerized by the rolling coin and magic tricks he did without thinking.
Were the man smiling away and wearing a cape, he would've sworn he was related to the young magician.
"Here Forehead," he began, leaning forward with a smirk. "Are you aware of what your hand is doing?"
Apollo frowned, stopping and palming the coin into the void of disappeared items. He crossed his arms, and the coin reappeared in the opposite hand, this time being finger polished as Apollo rubbed rythmic circles on the face. "What do you mean, Prosecutor Gavin?" His brows scrunched in confusion. "Does this have to do with the witness testimony?"
Klavier shook his head, flipping his bangs aside for flair. "Not really, Here Forehead. It's just so distracting, you know,"
"You'd know about distracting," Apollo chuckled, gesturing at Klavier's outfit. "If I had worn that to a mock trial I probably would've failed law school for that and that alone,"
Klavier's eyes widened as an image of Apollo wearing his clothes appeared in his mind, lips red and swollen and his shirt barely covering the man sat before him on silken sheets. For an instant, he was transported to a world where Apollo was walking around his apartment, wearing nothing but one of his shirts and jacket and sporting conspicuous bruises all over his legs and chest, markings of an exciting night.
But all of that was gone in an instant and he didn't realize how wide his pupils had blown or the sudden dryness in his throat. He composed himself, if only for a moment.
"Here Forehead," he smirked, shaking his head as he held his hands and arms in a shrug. "How am I to prosecute this case when all I can pay mind to is your talented hands, Liebling?"
He smirked a little wider at Apollo's sudden blush, and quietly wondered how far down it went.
Not quietly enough, as he asked it aloud, one hand over his mouth in contemplation and there was a gasp in the courtroom. He also noticed for a moment that the judge had popcorn but said nothing about it.
"This is worse than Wright and Edgeworth," someone in the gallery whispered behind him.
"Imagine if the Chief Prosecutor said half of what Prosecutor Gavin said!" Another replied.
"He wouldn't have, Wright probably tops,"
"What makes you say that?"
"That's the way it is with a lot of those composed types. All high and mighty until someone they like decides to make a move and they just melt,"
"Klav Gav is really trying to get in the defense's pants...."
"Think he throws the cases?"
"I doubt it..."
"Maybe..."
Klavier ignored them, choosing to persue Apollo instead.
"Herr Judge, I believe we've had a long day, and are all a little...wound up, ja?" He smirked at the blushing attorney across from him. "I propose we adjourn court for the day, resume tommorow, and all that,"
"Prosecutor Gavin, this is highly irregular-"
"Ja," he lamented, pouting. "But I really need to convince Here Justice from being so..." His eyes wandered for a moment, he pursed his lips, resisting the urge to lick them. "Much of a distraction,"
The judge shrugged and dismissed court, and almost immediately Klavier grabbed Apollo by one arm and quickly dragged him to the prosecutor's offices, specifically his.
He was lucky that Apollo was so stunned, seeing as otherwise Klavier would've been leaving court with a hard on from the sight of his rival making arguments.
Apollo snapped to his senses as soon as Klavier brought him to his office, blushing furiously once more. "Gavin! What the hell are you thinking?! That was so, so..." He trailed off, embarrassed.
"So what schatz?" Klavier leaned down into Apollo's space. "I do need to speak to you,"
"What?"
Klavier picked up Apollo's hands, massaging the fingers as he brought them to his lips. "They're so distracting when you do that," he murmured, eyes blown wide.
Apollo frowned, confused. "Do...what?
Klavier sighed into Apollo's hands, suddenly aware of the situation.
Here he was, having requested court be adjourned after hitting on the defense, and dragging said attorney from the courtroom to his soundproofed office, blushing from head to toe and he now noticed that he'd locked the door, and that he was crowding Apollo against said door.
He also realized he was almost 30. He was 28 years old, pining for the same man for 4 years, and based off the man's reactions he liked him back, or was interested in sleeping with him.
"Here Forehead, nein, Apollo," he began, the other man's hands still held to his face. "Bitte, have mercy on mein poor heart,"
Apollo bristled, but didn't move away. "What do you mean?"
Klavier sighed against his hands again, pulling them to his clean shaven cheeks and nuzzling them. "Ach, your hands are...how do I say it..." He fumbled for the words. "They're talented. Your hands are dextrous and I cannot help but wonder what you'd do with them,"
Apollo feels pressure against his nails.
"Your nails," he began, a light dusting of pink coating his tan cheeks. "Gott, I want you to claw them down my back," he sighed into Apollo's wrist, all decency thrown out the window.
He took a small step forward, pressing Apollo into the door, who was still with surprise. His bracelet hadn't reacted to anything the tall blonde had said, and it was telling, to say the least.
"Apollo, mein Lieb, please don't do your slight of hand in the courtroom, I can't focus when you do,"
Apollo feels a small kiss on the inside of his wrist.
"Bitte, Liebling. You're such a tease and I can't take it,"
The bracelet is still.
"Prosecutor-" Apollo stops at the rockstar's pained expression. "Klavier," he amended.
The blonde relaxed.
"Do you like me?"
Klavier stills. "Ja,"
The bracelet lightens just a smidge. Apollo wants to leave. Klavier just wants him to sleep with him, he knew it. "No, you don't," Apollo said, keeping his tone level and attempting to pull his hands away.
Klavier holds them still, guilty. "Nein, you're right. I don't like you," he sighed, nuzzling into Apollo's wrists again. "I love you," he amended kissing each one. "Ich lieb dich,"
The bracelet stays still.
"You love me?" Apollo asks, breathless.
Klavier smiles, nodding softly. "Ja, ich lieb dich,"
Apollo chuckled and pushed his hands to interlock behind the prosecutor's head, pulling him down to his level. "What would you do if I kissed you right now?" He asked, cheeks a rosy red.
"I'd rather you kissed me in the safety of my home right now,"
"How come?"
"Because, Apollo," Klavier smirked, resting his forehead against the shorter man's. "I wouldn't be able to hold back for long. Not to mention ever get work done here again,"
Apollo smirked, pressing himself flush against the prosecutor. "Wouldn't that be advantageous to me?" He felt a little pride at the blonde's gasp and sudden blush.
"Apollo, schatz, Liebling, bitte," he gasped, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's waist. "Can I take you home? Now?"
Apollo hummed in contemplation. "Already? What about dinner?"
Klavier shook his head and pressed into the crook of Apollo's neck. "I've waited 4 years Liebling. We can do this out of order,"
Apollo laughed and nodded his consent. "Alright, alright. Take me home,"
And Klavier did just that.