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To call the last week chaotic would be a vast understatement. It would be akin to saying that he was kinda popular and frauleins found him mildly interesting.
The upheaval was overall a net positive for Klavier, most things considered. The criminal was captured, a friend was free from prison, no frauleins were wrongly arrested, and the space station was able to go ahead with the launch safely.
But there was one very important thing that he lost. A single thing that had disappeared and made it impossible for him to enjoy this.
Apollo’s smile.
Everything happened so fast, Klavier had been prosecuting a trial of his own. By the time he had been caught up to speed, Apollo had already been through so much. He had lost his best friend, and had been injured, and the trial had already come to a close.
Apollo was always a grumpy person. He was pessimistic, and spent his life looking for reasons to argue more often than he did reasons to smile. Though when he smiled, it lit up the entire room.
He recognized what this was well. It was the same smile he saw in the mirror after Kris was arrested. It was empty, and any joy in it was fleeting at best.
Apollo needed him.
The year they had been more than enough to know that Apollo was impossible to deal with when he wasn’t feeling well. Cooperative wasn’t a word anyone would use to describe him when he was sick. He would do his best to hide away from the world once he was told to go home and rest.
But Apollo had been there for him after Kris’ second arrest. What kind of person, let alone boyfriend would Klavier be if he left him to fend for himself under these conditions?
So he extended an offer to stay at his place a few nights while he got back on his feet. He had been injured after all. It was something that Klavier said, knowing that this was going to be something Klavier was going to have to fight him on. Apollo never did anything easy.
To Klavier’s horror, he agreed. No fight at all.
It had been three days since Apollo came over, and his normally loud and feisty schatzi was silent nearly the entire time. He barely ate when Klavier brought him food, and only really got up to use the bathroom or when Klavier helped him replace his bandages.
He wanted to do more, but Klavier knew he had to get all of this out before Klavier could help. What Apollo was going through was a very different sorrow than Klavier went through. He could still go and visit Daryan and Kris any time he wanted. Not that he ever wanted to, but he could. Klavier had gotten goodbyes.
Apollo, on the other hand, had lost a dear friend suddenly. There were no dramatic betrayals, no doubt cast on years long relationships. No warning, just suddenly he wasn’t in his life anymore, and he wouldn’t be able to get the same closure Klavier did.
Anything Apollo needed, Klavier would get for him. No questions asked. He had given him his phone number, and made sure Apollo’s phone was in arm’s reach and charged.
So far he hadn’t texted him, or anything. He hadn’t done much other than mumble to odd “not hungry”. Had the situation not been so dire, Klavier would’ve teased him about finally learning how to have an indoor voice.
Not that he had an issue with it in the first place, it was one of Klavier’s favourite parts about him. But teasing was still one of his favourite things to do to him. He got so adorably flustered.
Which made seeing him now even harder to watch. That fire that made him him was just… gone. It left him as suddenly as his friend had.
Klavier wished he could do more, but for now all he could do was make sure he was eating some and be here for him. It was frustratingly little.
But he couldn’t worry about him all day.
Well he would, but idly doing nothing about it wouldn’t do anything for anyone. What he needed to do was play something and unwind a little.
Granted, it wouldn’t be as loud as he would like, but he wouldn’t be able to look at himself again if he had upset Apollo more while he was like this. His hypocritical feelings on loud have been well documented, and Klavier doubted that he would change his mind while he’s at his lowest.
Contrary to popular belief, Klavier could play soft. He didn’t often, because why be quiet when you can be, as Apollo has so eloquently put it, “brain-rattlingly” loud. He had more than the one acoustic guitar, and he could sit in his bed, phone on his lap, and play.
He couldn’t have been playing for too long, before there was a quiet knock and the door slowly opened. Apollo stood there, still nervously holding onto the doorknob, looking at his feet and not saying anything.
“Ach, was I too loud? I can play later if you want,” he said, setting his guitar aside.
“No, I…” Apollo started, his voice a little croaky as it trailed off. “I think I’m lonely?”
Now might not’ve been the time, but getting this much trust from Apollo made him feel so important. Vulnerability was something never something Apollo ever showed, and even now he had been numbly claiming that he was fine. For him to come here and be honest about how he’s feeling was a lot.
It was maybe something to be worried about, but this was something that Klavier could help him with. He wouldn’t be the person he no doubt wanted, but he’d be someone.
“Oh, you can come sit with me then, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, you can just sit,” Klavier said, patting the spot next to him.
“Thanks…” He shuffled over, and plopped down next to him. It took a second before he gathered the courage to lean his head on his shoulder. “Can you keep playing? It’s nice when it’s quiet.”
He carefully picked it back up, being mindful not to jostle him and his already injured brain more than he could help.
He played for a little while, and he couldn’t tell if Apollo had fallen asleep or not. He was quiet, but that’s also just how he’s been lately.
“Y’know…” Apollo spoke up, still barely more than a mumble. “when Clay’s mom died, when we were kids… I got him to do Chords of Steel with me.”
His past was something he kept close to his chest. Of all the adorable facts Apollo had dropped on him, details of his past were hard to come by. Now wouldn’t be the time to fish for more details, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Oh? So does that mean you want to do your Chords of Steel with me?” he asked, though he couldn’t imagine it would be great for his voice, a few times should be okay.
“Not yet… but when I’m feeling better, can we?”
He kissed his forehead, already thinking of things to help with his throat afterwards. “Ja, but don’t push yourself too much. There’s no rush. I’m sure your office will be just as slow as before when you get back.”
He could see the faintest smile on Apollo’s lips. That was a victory of its own. “Thanks, Klavier.”
“Any time, Schatzi.”