Work Text:
Apollo sighed, stretching his arms and squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds. He wanted to finish this paperwork before he went home so his weekend would be clear, but that would involve a late night at the office. The Wrights had left and the sun had set quite some time ago so he grabbed his phone to check the time. It was past ten. If he really focused he could probably be done with everything before 2 AM. Just as he set his phone down, it lit up again with a string of text notifications. He picked up his phone again to check it.
KLAVIER GAVIN
Are you free this weekend??
Lunch date? I'll pick the place and it will be a surprise
It's most likely something you've never tried before :)
Apollo smiled down at his phone. It's been a while since they last went on a proper date and trying something new was always fun. Apollo was never very picky anyway, ever since he was young, all that mattered with food was mostly just if it was part of a healthy and balanced diet, and even then he ate plenty of unhealthy foods too. Whatever surprise restaurant Klavier had up his sleeve probably would be nothing to phase him.
APOLLO JUSTICE
Sure, just make sure to tell me what the dress code is
KLAVIER GAVIN
Yes!! I’ll pick you up from your place <3
Now that Apollo officially had weekend plans with his boyfriend, he wanted to ensure it was free from work. So with reinvigorated motivation, he set out to finish his paperwork.
When he finished the last page, he tiredly glanced at his phone and just like he had predicted, it was almost two. Clay used to keep him up later sometimes, but Apollo was beginning to form a Normal Person’s sleep schedule. So he sleepily left the office, entered his apartment, greeted Mikeko, changed out of his work clothes, and collapsed onto his bed.
The next morning, Apollo awoke refreshed. The sun’s rays shone brightly through his blinds, but they were not obtrusive and a cold breeze ruffled the leaves on a tree just outside. He let himself have a slow morning, completely uninhibited by the usual loom of unfinished paperwork. He had a light breakfast and by the time he had finished, Klavier had already sent him an “On my way!”
Apollo searched his closet for something ‘nice but casual’ and settled on a simple red hoodie, band t-shirt, and stylish jeans. Mikeko meowed at him in approval of his outfit choice, then scolded him for not giving him his favorite flavor of wet food. To appease ‘his royal majesty’ Apollo pet the pampered calico behind the ears.
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at the front door. Apollo quickly opened it and let Klavier inside. The prosecutor was dressed in an attractive low-cut purple shirt, black skinny jeans, his usual chain belt, and an overabundance of silver accessories culminating in what the former rock star considered to be a casual outfit.
“Like what you see?” Klavier smirked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the way Apollo not-so-subtly looked at him.
The defense attorney scoffed. “No.”
“Schatz, you wound me.” He leaned forward and kissed Apollo deeply. When they separated, they stared into each other’s eyes. “Want to go to the park and walk from there? It’s still kind of early.”
“Sure,” Apollo replied, holding Klavier’s hand and letting himself be led to his boyfriend’s gaudy purple motorcycle. Riding on it still made him a bit nervous but it did give him an excuse to hug Klavier’s waist so maybe it was worth it.
They dismounted the motorcycle and entwined their fingers as they took a leisurely stroll around the park.
“So you're really not gonna tell me where we're going?” Apollo asked.
Klavier shook his head. “What fun is a surprise if I tell you what it is just before we get there, liebling? Apparently, it's recently opened so I haven’t ever gone there myself but I’ve heard some good things about it. We’re trying something new together, ja?”
“Fine.” The couple began moving toward their mystery destination. The walk was very comfortable with the cool weather and pleasant conversation, it was quite nice. Apollo felt very relaxed and he was quite thoroughly enjoying his day already.
The feeling was short-lived.
Klavier was leading him into a building with a horribly familiar script on the name banner. Apollo stared at letters that he hadn’t seen since he was a young child. The sight of them made his breath hitch. Though he hadn’t seen or spoken the language in such a long time, he found that he could still mostly understand the Khura’inese words spelling out the name of the restaurant.
“Apollo? Are you alright?”
“Huh?” He realized that he had stopped walking and was staring at the restaurant with a strange expression on his face. “O— oh, yeah. I’m fine! It’s just… is this where you are planning on eating?”
“Ja, that was the original plan,” Klavier frowned, looking confused and a little disappointed, “but if you don’t want to we can go somewhere else,” he offered.
Honestly, Apollo didn’t want to go in, but that would raise questions that he did not want to answer. What were the chances that a Khura’inese restaurant opened in LA? And what were the chances that it was this close to where Apollo lived? Apollo didn’t want to be mad. There was no way Klavier could have guessed that this was probably the only restaurant in the entire state of Japanifornia that would get an immediate negative reaction out of him. But on top of everything, Klavier seemed excited about trying this place. Would it be fair to refuse to go in without an explanation?
Klavier was still waiting for a response, so he just shook his head and tried his best to give a natural smile. “No, this place is just fine… I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
Apollo confirmed and the pair entered the building. Immediately, they were greeted by the smell of a mixture of spices that was uncommon here in LA, the walls were all decorated in a Khura’in style with paintings of some common legends and animals. Apollo hadn’t seen anything like this in so long, it reminded him of the little house in the mountains where they could see many of these animals out in the wild, where he could smell that same mixture of spices that was used in many of his old favorite dishes.
A middle-aged woman greeted them with a warm smile. She had the usual red marking on her forehead that most practitioners of Khura’inism had, and wore a simple Khura’inese style top with black pants, along with an apron.
“Table for two?” she asked in accented English so familiar to him. Apollo remembered that after years of keeping up with practicing the Khura’inese language, he realized that his family was never coming back for him. After that, he tried tirelessly to rid himself of any remnants of his Khura’inese accent until finally, his speech was indistinguishable from any child born in LA.
“Yes,” Klavier responded, following the woman as she led them to a small table near a window, giving the space picturesque natural lighting. Really, it was very pretty. Klavier seemed delighted with the romantic atmosphere that this table had, it was supposed to be a date after all. Apollo, on the other hand, tried to suppress that deep pit in his stomach that only seemed to grow the more he looked around the restaurant.
“Here are your menus,” the woman said, a kind smile on her face. She turned to tend to a small family on the other side of the room.
“Do you know anything about Khura’in?” Klavier asked, eyes still focused directly on his menu. “It's a tiny country that’s only been ruled by queens if I'm not mistaken. Have you heard about it?”
“Nothing much, really,” Apollo lied. If he thought about it too much a horrible twisted feeling in his gut would resurface, one which he had been pushing down for so many years, and he would not be letting his past ruin his date with Klavier.
Apollo turned down to read the menu, looking at the names of the dishes and their descriptions. It had a mixture of things he recognized and things that he hadn’t ever eaten before. Many of the rarer ingredients had to be substituted for something easier to come by in an American grocery store. A quiet part of him wondered if this restaurant had those sweet steamed buns that Dhurke used to make when they had something to celebrate. Sadly, it seemed there were hardly any sweet things on the menu.
When the waitress came back, Klavier pointed to a curry and rice dish. After scribbling the selection in her notepad, the woman turned to Apollo. He decided to order a traditional pork stew to warm him up after the cool walk in the California winter.
“Wow!” the woman exclaimed. “Your pronunciation was very good! I haven’t seen anyone from America who can read the Khura’inese words so easily.”
Apollo blinked. He hadn’t thought twice about calling the dish by the name listed on the menu. “I just got lucky, I guess,” Apollo hoped a shrug would add enough believability to his flimsy excuse.
The waitress nodded. “Will that be all then?” After confirmation, she left their table to relay their order to the kitchen.
“So,” Klavier began with a smile, “we’ve both been so busy lately, it's been a while since we’ve gotten to spend time together. How’ve you been? Not overworking yourself, I hope.”
Apollo scoffed, trying to keep his mind off of the past. “Look who’s talking: Mr. I-take-multiple-cases-at-a-time. You shouldn’t overwork yourself either.”
“Ach, that is a bit hypocritical of me I suppose…” he giggled. “But I'm glad we can spend this time together now.” Klavier reached his hand out to hold one of Apollo’s, gently intertwining their fingers on top of the table.
The two of them explained the more interesting details of recent cases they’ve been working on. Apollo tried his best not to zone out of the conversation, but the soft music in the background brought him back to that little hut in the mountains where the soft crackle of a poorly connected radio played in the background of a sleepy afternoon. The golden glow of the sun filtered through the windows as Dhurke would work on something at his desk while Nahyuta and Apollo sat next to each other, working through their reading practice.
“…Apollo? Are you still there?” He was snapped back to reality by Klavier’s inquisitive tone. The prosecutor’s eyes softened when Apollo met his gaze. “What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, uh…” Apollo didn’t know what to say. He never talked about growing up in Khura’in, half the time, he was even able to forget most of it and go through his life like it never happened. “It’s nothing, I guess I’m just feeling a little tired,” he deflected.
Before Klavier could press further, their waitress came back and placed their meals in front of them. “Enjoy!” She sweetly smiled before leaving to tend to another table.
After a deep inhale, Klavier sighed. “This smells delicious!” His eyes glittered and he enthusiastically reached for his fork to dig into his curry, humming with great joy as he tasted the food. Apollo found that he was glad Klavier liked it.
Apollo watched his stew for a few seconds as steam rose from the warm-colored broth. The smell indeed was mouthwatering but full of nostalgia for a time long gone. Slowly, he dipped his spoon into it and took the first piping-hot sip of the stew. It was reminiscent of something they cooked during the frigid winter months while they lived in the mountains.
But it was missing something. Apollo reached for the small jar of chili oil that sat on the side of the table up against the wall and scooped a generous amount into his stew.
One time, many years ago, he was playing with Nahyuta in the snow when they heard Datz yell in triumph from somewhere in the woods. He approached the little mountain hut carrying a monstrous wild boar behind him on a rickety sled. Apollo wondered how it didn’t break under the weight of such a creature.
“We’re feasting tonight, kiddos!” He whooped, yelling for Dhurke to come outside and help him prepare the boar for cooking.
Both Nahyuta and Apollo hid inside the hut while the boar got skinned. Even if they knew food was difficult to come by in the winter, it was still sad to see the dead animals. Nahyuta especially was sensitive to the sight of blood.
Soon, the adults entered the hut with heaping bowls of raw pork.
“This one’s enough to feed us for days!” Dhurke beamed, setting down his bowl on the table. “How’s stew sound tonight?”
Everyone cheered in response. Dhurke did the actual cooking part, Datz cut the meat into manageable pieces, and the kids were determined to help with the food preparation too so they dutifully gathered the various vegetables they had and laid them out neatly for them to be cut and added into the stew.
As their dinner simmered, everyone crowded around the fire to warm up, the stew’s heavenly scent wafting throughout the entire hut, making Apollo’s stomach growl.
“It’ll be done soon,” Dhurke informed them as he stirred for what must have been the hundredth time.
Finally, it was declared finished and the end product was carefully ladled into a mismatching set of bowls and placed on their little dinner table. The four of them took their seats and dug into their meal.
“I’m gonna add some extra spice to mine,” Datz declared. “If anyone’s brave enough to try to out-spice me.” It was a challenge, one that everyone accepted. After Datz set down the chili oil, Dhurke immediately picked it up and put a generous amount in his stew. Both Apollo and Nahyuta tried to copy them but were warned not to overdo it.
Apollo struggled to keep his eyes from watering and he began hissing from the burn on his tongue.
“Pfft— HAHAHA! Woah, AJ, you okay there, little buddy? Your face is all red! We told you not to put in too much.”
Dhurke rushed to get Apollo some water and rubbed his back as he gulped it down. “Feel better?”
Apollo nodded, turning to Nahyuta beside him. The older child was doing a much better job of hiding his suffering from the hot sauce but soon his face also became a concerning shade of red. He was given some water too. Datz kept cackling at them, trying and failing to keep his composure long enough to explain that people had to gradually build up their spice tolerance.
Eventually, both of them did. Soon they were able to handle quite a bit of it with their meals without any discomfort.
Apollo was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of Klavier quietly watching him.
“Is it good?” Klavier asked, an impossibly soft expression on his face.
“Huh?”
“You were smiling at your food.”
“O–oh, was I?” Apollo couldn't help the embarrassed flush appearing on his face. He lowered his eyes back down to the table, fidgeting with his spoon. “It just reminds me of home, I guess.”
Suddenly, he tensed up. Why did he just say that? How was he still thinking of Khura’in as home ? Dhurke had left him in America and never came back. They weren't his family anymore. He didn't even particularly want to see them again. He had a life here now, friends, and a new family that he wouldn’t trade away for anything.
Klavier was now looking at him with a slightly shocked expression, eyebrows raised in a silent question. It was no secret that Apollo didn’t like talking about his past; he would always avoid the matter and divert the conversation somewhere else. Klavier never pushed it either. At some point, he noticed the pattern and decided to let Apollo reveal things at his own pace, or not reveal them at all. Apollo also knew, however, that Klavier was immensely curious about it, especially in the way his eyes were glittering with attention right now. Even though it was obvious to Apollo that Klavier was itching to ask about it, he didn’t say anything, making sure it was Apollo initiating that conversation only if he was ready.
“We used to eat stew a lot like this in the wintertime back when I was a kid…” Apollo started. He realized he was still not ready when he had trouble forming the words around the ball in his throat. Especially not while being in a public restaurant where there would be countless strangers to witness the inevitable emotional outburst that would overtake him if he continued.
Klavier nodded slowly. “Nostalgic flavors tend to bring back fond memories, don't they?”
They finished their meals much more silently than they normally did, taking in the atmosphere of the restaurant, the murmur of other conversations, and the clinking of utensils on plates.
Occasionally, they would try to pick up the conversation again, but it would quickly fizzle away. The silence was also comfortable though.
The waitress came back when she noticed their empty plates, asking if they were satisfied with their meals. Apollo replied with a quiet affirmative, while Klavier enthusiastically complimented everything about his dish.
“And would you two want to try something from our dessert menu?” the woman added, showing them a small list of sweet treats.
Klavier turned to Apollo, wondering if they should accept the offer. “Ach, that sounds amazing, but I don't know if I could fit an entire dessert into my stomach! Apollo, would you want to split something with me?”
He was giving Apollo the option to leave right now, and he would have taken it, but one of the items listed called out to him. Apollo nodded.
“Alright, I’ll give you two a moment to decide then.” The woman lifted the empty dishes from their table and left with a smile.
“Many of these things seem so tasty, what do you think we should get?” Klavier asked, eyes scanning the descriptions of each item.
“I kinda wanted to try the dessert buns,” he admitted.
“Oh, yes! That looks good!” Klavier beamed.
They ordered, and only a few minutes later, a plate with two small buns was set on the table. They were still steaming, so the couple let them cool for a few moments.
Then they each picked one up. Apollo was shocked by how soft and fluffy the dough was. Dhurke was never quite able to make it right and they always ended up somewhat chewy or stiff.
Taking a deep breath, Apollo bit into the bun. Immediately the sweet syrupy flavor of the filling spread on his tongue, chunks of apple and berries giving it more texture.
Apollo closed his eyes. He could almost hear Nahyuta talking about an interesting animal fact he read, or Unkle Datz’s loud laughter at his own jokes, or Dad’s Dhurke’s powerful voice as he told them a story while they ate their treats. Nahyuta had always made fun of Apollo for getting the filling all over his face, but they were always so delicious that he never really cared. These buns were always saved for special occasions or celebrations, all his memories associated with them were warm and happy and full of laughter.
That twisted feeling in his gut grew until he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, quickly spilling over no matter his attempts to blink them away. He missed them so much. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself otherwise, their faces would always form in his mind when he thought of family. No matter how long it had been, he found himself dreaming about simpler days up in the mountains, playing with Nahyuta, being comforted by Dhurke, or hanging out with Datz. He resented them for leaving him in America. They promised to come back for him, yet he was still here. Apollo had to stuff the rest of the bun into his mouth to keep himself from making any strange sounds.
Now Klavier seemed worried, halfway through gushing about how delicious the dessert was, he stopped and his soft gaze fell on Apollo, quickly reaching out to comfort him. Warm fingers grazed the back of Apollo’s hand and rubbed them in slow soothing circles, calming him down enough to save him from some embarrassment when the waitress came back with their bill.
They paid for the meal and promptly exited the restaurant, Klavier dutifully keeping his arm locked around Apollo’s until they reached his motorcycle.
The drive back to Apollo’s apartment was quiet and he worried that maybe Klavier was uncomfortable with what had happened at the restaurant. He never pushed Apollo to speak about his past but it was never so relevant before now. It had never visibly affected him this much in a long time.
Apollo let Klavier into his home and when he closed the door, immediately he was enveloped by a tight hug. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to put you in an uncomfortable situation.”
Apollo shook his head. “You couldn't have known; it's not like I ever talked about it,” he could barely choke out the words through the ball in his throat, clinging to Klavier’s shirt like it was the only thing keeping him from drowning.
Klavier hummed in acknowledgment and guided him to the couch without letting any space come between them, somehow holding Apollo even closer when they sat down. He didn’t say anything, only cuddled him into a sense of comfort and safety.
In the back of his mind, Apollo itched to call Clay. He was the only one in Apollo’s life who knew anything about his past, the only one who had been close to him long enough to be aware of it. Apollo used to vent to him every time his feelings threatened to overwhelm him, and Clay would always be a great comfort. He would listen to Apollo, get angry with him, hold him through sadness, or distract him from depressing thoughts. Clay was always so reassuring. But Clay was gone now, and Klavier was right here.
“Dhurke used to cook for us; he always made delicious traditional Khura’inese meals with the ingredients we were able to find. The food at the restaurant just reminded me so much of them,” he mumbled, pressing his forehead against Klavier’s chest.
“Dhurke?” Klavier asked, softly running his hand through Apollo’s hair. “Who is that?”
“You know that I grew up in foster care…” Apollo started, almost in a whisper.
Klavier nodded slowly. That much he had known, in the brief moment near the beginning of their relationship where they discussed potentially meeting each other’s family.
Apollo took a deep breath. “Well… I, uh… I actually grew up in Khura’in. All my earliest memories are from there.”
Klavier blinked in surprise. “You’re… Khura’inese?”
“No,” Apollo clarified. “It’s kind of a long story.”
Klavier waited, not saying a word, wondering if he would continue.
“Apparently, my parents were taking a trip to Khura’in when I was a baby. I was with my dad when he died in a fire and no one knew where my mom was, so Dhurke took me in. He was like my—” he stopped himself before he said it. He had promised himself long ago that he would never refer to Dhurke as his father ever again. “He raised me like I was his son. He had this positive attitude that always made me feel that everything would turn out okay and that we could achieve anything. He was the leader of a rebel group. The government was after him because they thought that he killed the queen and he was speaking out against the new one, so we had to live in the mountains.”
Klavier gasped. “You lived isolated in the mountains!?”
Apollo nodded. “The earliest memories I have are of me and Nahyuta chasing each other in the forest around the little hut. Nahyuta is Dhurke’s actual son. He was like my big brother. We used to always play together, get into silly fights about nothing important, and get into lots of trouble. He was really good with nature and I was always so jealous that the wild animals would let him pet them. He said they didn’t like me because I was too loud.” Klavier giggled softly at that.
Klavier ruminated on the information with a thoughtful expression. “So it was just the three of you then? Or what about that rebel group you mentioned?”
“Usually it was just the three of us, but there was also Datz, an old friend of Dhurke’s and also his right hand in the rebel group. He was always cracking up at his own jokes or at literally anything that happened. I don't even know how it was possible to laugh that much. He would be gone for weeks or months at a time, helping Dhurke with organizing the rebelión and recruiting people who were sympathetic to their cause. Honestly, I don't remember much of that, all I remember is that Datz would sometimes come back with gifts for me and Nahyuta.”
Klavier hummed, running his hands across Apollo in a protective, soothing embrace. “Do you miss them?”
“No,” Apollo answered reflexively, hardly thinking about the question. As soon as he said it though, he backtracked. “At least… I don't want to.”
“Why not?” Klavier frowned.
“They abandoned me. Shipped me off to the other side of the world where I had nothing or no one!” His face became flushed with anger and tears stung his eyes again. “Dhurke promised to come back but he never did! He just left and never turned back…” His throat tightened and he began choking out sobs that shook his whole body.
Klavier’s arms tightened around him. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like for you to be left all alone when you were so young.”
They sat in silence for a long time, Klavier humming a soothing tune against the top of Apollo’s head.
When Apollo’s crying quieted, Klavier spoke up again, quiet and a bit uncertain. “For what it's worth, I’m glad you came to America because that’s how I was able to meet you.”
Apollo huffed, a small smile breaking through his sorrows. Apollo liked his life now. He loved being a defense attorney despite it being hard work; he loved the Wright Anything Agency, Trucy, Athena, Phoenix; he loved Klavier; and he loved meeting so many interesting people even if they sometimes made his life more difficult. He had a family now, a lot less defined and structured than average, but he wouldn’t trade it away for anything. “I’m also glad I was able to meet you,” he tilted his head up to see Klavier watching him with the most loving expression in his eyes.
“Thank you for opening up to me,” he said, leaning down to kiss Apollo on the forehead. “I am still very sorry about the restaurant though, I shouldn’t have brought you somewhere that would stir up so much pain for you.”
“No!” Apollo sat up and came up to eye level with his boyfriend. “You don't get to feel sorry about that! It’s not your fault for not knowing something I literally never talk about! Plus, I think I needed that. I honestly feel a lot better now, after talking about it.”
“Ach, Herr Forehead, but I feel like I need to make it up to you!” Klavier was smiling now, his tone a bit more playful.
Mikeko trotted into the room, letting out a questioning meow.
“See! Even your cat blames me!”
Apollo sighed, though a smirk still managed to break through his feigned annoyance. “If you really wanna make it up to me…” he dramatically tapped on his chin for extra effect, “we should watch some old sci-fi shows while cuddling in my room.”
“Of course!” Klavier giggled. “I’d be more than delighted, schatz!”
Watching old sci-fi shows while cuddling in Apollo’s bedroom very quickly devolved into a make-out session that had no signs of slowing down. Apollo climbed over Klavier’s lap and left a trail of kisses from his face and down to his collar.
Klavier, in response, dipped his hands under Apollo’s shirt, running them all over Apollo’s bare back and fidgeting with the waistline of the pants.
“Oh!” Apollo gasped, pulling his lips off Klavier's skin.
Klavier whined at the sudden cold air against his neck. “Is something wrong, liebling?”
There was a strange glint in Apollo’s eye as he stood up. “Now that you know about my past, there is one more thing I can tell you.”
“Hm?” Klavier tried to raise himself from the bed but Apollo motioned for him to stay seated.
“You asked me about my tattoo once,” Apollo started.
Klavier’s eyes widened, remembering a faded black symbol stamped on Apollo’s left butt cheek. Klavier had asked about it soon after he first noticed it, but he never got an answer and the subject was changed. Eventually, he formed the theory that Apollo had gotten it in a fit of rebellion during his late teen years and that he was too embarrassed to talk about it.
“It was the symbol of the rebel group that Dhurke ran: the Defiant Dragons. It's the only thing I have from that time in my life, but it's kinda embarrassing.”
“I guess I'll have to inspect it to form an opinion about it,” Klavier said slowly, making sure to watch his boyfriend’s reaction.
Apollo blushed and chuckled. “Of course you do.” He found his way onto Klavier’s lap again but made no move to remove his clothing.
It took a long time before the tattoo crossed their minds again, but Klavier did study it when it was finally revealed. It was clearly very old, with the edges of the line work bleeding into the surrounding skin. Through the fuzziness, the image was still clear: a serpent-like dragon curled around itself.
Klavier traced along the dragon’s body with the light brush of his finger. “Would you ever want to see them again?”
“I’m not sure,” Apollo mumbled, turning to face his boyfriend. “No? It's just been so long that I don't know if we’d even recognize each other. I don't know if I can ever stop being angry whenever they cross my mind. I hardly ever even think about them lately. But there are times, like today I guess, when I miss them so much.”
A beautiful smile crossed Klavier’s lips. “Well, whatever happens, just know that I will be by your side if you wish.”
“Oh stop being so sappy!” Apollo reprimanded, averting his eyes.
“I don't think so, Herr Forehead. I care about you, so you’re going to have to deal with my wonderful declarations of unending love.”
Apollo rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling. He felt his gut make a strange somersault inside him, though unlike earlier, it was from giddy joy and a secure feeling of belonging and trust. “I love you too, thanks Klav.” Their faces grew closer until they were kissing again.