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[It was a request Klavier had hoped for--something that would allow a clear, concise answer that Apollo couldn't wrap his doubts around like a snake and squeeze any hope out of them. He smiles, setting his bag down as gently as he'd picked it up, blue eyes practically twinkling in the harsh lighting of the rink. It was late, and to be honest, he was a little tired in his bones from all the skating he'd done. 'Klavier Gavin, YOU get tired?' people would say. As if people were shocked that he was a human with fatigue just like the rest of them.
Something he sort of feels like Apollo thinks, but then again, he was the first person to ever be openly sarcastic to him that wasn't Daryan. How long had it been since he could joke around like that...
Klavier sits down next to his bag, leaning over to start untying the laces to his skates nonchalantly, the smile ever present and his tone as even as ever.]
I would love to.
[And as reassurance, he looks up at him, smiling.]
Not as a judge or a fellow competitor, but just to enjoy seeing someone else on the ice for once.
(apollo’s heart full on soars, enough that he himself feels like he could float off the ground at any time in sheer bliss and he should be ashamed of reacting like a preteen fan, but klavier would love to see him skate. there’s a smile tugging at his lips, and he has to fight to keep the urge down, to not jump in the air and scream yes because when has anyone ever said they’d love to see apollo justice skate? none of the coaches ever sounded so enthusiastic about him, not even kristoph—but that probably should’ve been a sign about his nature, anyway. don’t even let him touch on phoenix wright, there’s still too much bitterness from a raw wound of being used and betrayed
but klavier isn’t them. hell, apollo wants to debate if he’s even human at all, he’s put up with apollo’s attitude with a calm demeanor, done whatever he can to make him feel comfortable and safe (things he hardly ever feels around other skaters these days). that smile goes straight (haha get it) for his heart, beating louder and faster in his chest, and there’s a quiet hope that klavier can’t actually hear it.
apollo sets his own bag down in a hurry, kicking his shoes off and whipping out his red skates before stopping abruptly. klavier wants to watch apollo skate. he wants to watch him skate, and the horror and fear in his heart begins to bubble back up, the crushing anxiety of seeing disappointment on his face, being thoroughly unimpressed and calling off whatever they have tomorrow. he turns back to face klavier, looking far more subdued and tame than the ball of energy he was moments ago, with a shaky and hesitant voice to match.) I’m… I’m um. Not really much to watch. Or look at, really. I-I’m pretty inexperienced…
[Apollo may not have thrown his arms up in celebration physically, but Klavier's known to be able to see the underlying feelings of someone just by looking at them. He couldn't perceive like Apollo, and he certainly couldn't use a magatama to discover psyche-locks, but the happiness bubbling underneath was all but obvious to anyone watching Apollo close enough. And believe him, Klavier was definitely watching close enough. The way his eyebrows rose just a fraction, the way his eyes had that glint that could only be compared to a dog being told he'd done a good job.
Klavier wanted more moments like that. The skating world could use that wide-eyed optimism.
It seems to work, though, with Apollo dropping his bag down and scrambling to put his skates on, Klavier's eyes trained on him affectionately as he finishes removing his. He wants to see Apollo skate, express himself, let himself fall victim to the music. Or bask in the silence, if that's how he skates. Blue eyes daze off, watching his excited, frantic tying of his laces, hand holding his chin and elbow on his knee.
Dazed enough that he almost doesn't catch what Apollo's saying, a soft, confused 'hmm?' slipping between his lips.]
Untapped potential.
That's what I was told when I was freed. Inexperience isn't something to feel intimidated by or angry at. We all are at one point--no one steps out onto the ice and can skate masterfully.
I want to see you grow, Justice. If I wanted to watch a professional skater who did everything correct and lifeless and stoic...I'd watch our old coach.
I want to see you. I want to see every part of you.
(although apollo may have the best eyes in the room, they hardly do him any real good if he's not paying attention to what's around him. or who, for that matter. klavier's gazes and daydreams don't register with apollo in the slightest, keeping his own gaze intently focused on his very interesting laces he refuses to lift his eyes from.
worries and fears rushing through his head cause his nerves to bundle and knot up into something nearly impossible to untangle. he didn't have any programs to skate to, and going in without one only workede maybe once in a blue moon. he couldn't just stand here and make himself look like a fool in front of someone who is growing from stranger to idol to love interest.
it's not long that he's left alone with his thoughts, words flowing from klavier's mouth as if it was all fact to him, waxing poetic without a care in the world. something that came naturally, something he did frequently.
apollo's gaze slowly raises up from his skates to klavier's eyes. blue that pierces right into his heart and makes him unable to breathe, stunned into silence. the longer he talks, the redder apollo becomes, mouth falling open as he's left to do nothing but stare.
i want to see every part of you.
and that did it. apollo went from crush to full blown love in a matter of minutes, his face bright red all the way to the very tips of his ears and down his neck. he speaks without meaning to, unable to force his filter into working before his mouth speaks for him.) I'm yours.
[It's not often that Klavier is surprised by something, or if he was, he often hid it quite well underneath an air of coolness. That was just how he was--when you were swamped by press as often as you were, you had to keep your composure for some of the more challenging questions they threw at you, whether you were able to answer them or not. So many were about his personal life, if he had a girlfriend, what he looks for in a partner, if he's single...
But every now and again there's something that comes completely out of left field. And this was one such moment.
It's not that Klavier is shocked it's being said AT him. It's hardly the first time he's heard those words. Except this wasn't from a fan. This was from a new acquaintance he'd immediately taken to much more than he ever could with a simple fan, his heart practically leaping up into his throat. A pink flush rushes to his cheeks, almost visible from where they're standing, and he can feel heat spreading throughout his whole body.
He knows JUST what Apollo just said. But he has to play it cool.]
I'm glad, I don't want to share.
[THAT'S NOT PLAYING IT COOL KLAVIER THAT'S FEEDING RIGHT INTO IT.]
(apollo's own words take time to sink in, his only thoughts how that smile could light up a rink without any help, those eyes that shine with nothing but vibrant love. something he's yearned for ever since he first set off on the ice.
he knows what he said. but it doesn't sink in for some time until he realizes exactly what he said. apollo might as well have confessed to him right then and there, professing his love to a complete stranger with no thoughts of the consequences until it's far too late and he's begging for some kind of natural disaster to occur and give him an out from this awful scenario.
until he hears the answer.
i don't want to share.
his face heats up, renewed and as noticeable as any costume on the ice. eyes grow wide in shock as the words settle in his mind, and it hits him like a truck doing 200 down a freeway.
they're flirting. klavier gavin is truly and honestly flirting with apollo justice, a no name already with a bad rep skater. part of him doesn't want to wake up if this is a dream. the other part is really hoping it's not a dream.
his eyes shift away, embarrassed and nervous, generally just looking like a mess. he rubs his arm as he gathers his courage, taking a shaky breath while giving a sideways glance to klavier.) Can... do you want to make tomorrow a date?
[Flirting, indeed, and Klavier's eyes all but sparkle as he sees the slow but sure dawning realization on Apollo's face. It's subtle, the way his cheeks flush, the way those large brown eyes grow even wider as the gears start to turn in his head.
Cool, yet warm blue eyes can't help but melt even further. This man was as genuine as they came. And honestly, that was one thing he'd grown so homesick of growing up. The innocent days of skating when he could just hold onto his brother's sleeve while they took laps around the rink...the days when skating seemed more like a hobby than an occupation... As he grew older, so did his perception of what people saw in him. It was no longer about if he was having fun. It was connections and scores and points and coaches and paparazzi.
Apollo brought back some of that feeling in him, the feeling that he could take a man out for the day and just skate.
A date, nonetheless. How long had it been since he'd been on an actual date? Even more rare, one he truly wanted to go on?
His head pulls back just slightly, the smile almost splitting his face. And while he keeps most of his composure, he can't help but show his excitement in his tone as he walks over.]
I'd love to.
[Just like that. No teasing or laughing or anything of the sort.
(it's more than he dreamed of, really. apollo justice isn't the sort of person who has moments straight out of a movie (seriously, who's directing this shit, john hughes?), at least not moments that go in his favor. and something like this, a famed and beloved skater showing interest in him, helping him rise from the dregs of his old coach and past regrets, treating him like a normal person.
these things don't just happen to apollo justice. not without some sort of a catch.
and yet, klavier hasn't given any signs of wanting something in return. he doesn't want revenge on apollo, if anything, he's thanking him for taking down his brother as a coach. no one has jumped out and yelled "you've been punk'd", or any such thing. klavier has done nothing but treat apollo with gentle love and compassion.
that first one is the one that's making him come this close to freaking out the most. those blue eyes staring at apollo like he's the entire world right now, causing a blush to spread across his face even more, his heart rate picking up enough that now he might actually go into cardiac arrest.) You have been flirting with me.
(it's said as a revelation, apollo confirming his own facts as he stares up at klavier with eyes wide with surprise. klavier gavin is flirting with him.)
[A guilty smile spreads across his face. Had he been on a witness stand, and had someone the power to see past one's nervous tics, he would have given himself away completely. Fingers brush through his bangs, that smile almost telling enough that he'd been caught in the act (and not really too worried about it, either, honestly--this is Klavier Gavin we're talking about).]
Yes. I have.
[His elbows rest on the railing to the ice rink, staring out onto its glass-like surface and feeling the cold air finally start to sting his cheeks.]
You think it's strange, right? Klavier Gavin, prodigy skater asking out a man he just met. Who just happened to be underneath my brother's tutelage.
Nein.
I don't think it's that strange at all, really...
[His blue eyes cast back to Apollo, much kinder than they were (not that they'd been anything but kind before, but there's a warmth to them now) moments ago.]
(that nervousness is all too visible in apollo's eyes, a hushed gasp slips through his lips as his thoughts were confirmed. not only in klavier's actions, but his words, waxing poetic about how important apollo had become in such a short span of time.
he wanted to argue that. he really did, that he couldn't possibly be that special.
but how klavier stares, no, gazes at him, with eyes that narrow in and make apollo feel as if he's the only one in the world that matters now, that could ever matter to klavier. he's almost overwhelmed in a way, no one has ever praised apollo so openly, given him reason to believe he might actually be important above all else for someone. not since clay, at least.) I... don't think it's strange you asked out someone you just met.
(his eyes don't meet klavier's, too embarrassed and emotional to even think of being able to hold a conversation face to face. his voice is almost a mumble, but with their short distance and emptiness of the rink, klavier could hear him even if his voice was a whisper.) I think it's strange that it's me. I'm not anything special, not compared to the other skaters. They're better skaters, better people, hell, they're just better. Me, I'm just...
(there's a flash of a man with a piercing gaze colder and harsher than any ice, and apollo rubs his arm like just the memory chills him.) I'm average.
[The silence between them is almost suffocating, even Klavier's smile fades enough to cause him to look down at his hands, wringing each finger nervously. It's nothing Apollo did, truly...it's just.
He's heard those words before, and they weren't the words of a skater. They were from someone much colder than the ice itself, pushing his glasses up with two fingers as he observed the way Klavier had skated when he was young. He had to have been...13? Maybe 15. Young enough to believe his brother's every word, but enough to remember just how frigid his tone was.
"You're not average, so do your best not to look it and embarrass us."
His teeth sink into his lip, letting the memory play like the world's worst record before he puts on that brave face once more, smiling out to the rink again.]
You're the first person to talk to me like I'm a person, not a celebrity.
(it may not have been directly cause by him, but apollo can tell he did something wrong enough to cause that discomfort and nervousness on klavier's face. he can't gauge how the conversation is going at this point, too many ups and downs to be truly sure if they're getting along or not. just because klavier agreed to the date doesn't mean he won't lose interest.
and apollo is worried that if he keeps speaking, he will. that he'll lose the one shining star he's managed to find after weeks of mistreatment by those trying to get the story, by other skaters and coaches. thinking about the root cause of it all, who got him here in the first place, that's not something apollo wants to dwell on.
klavier's words ring through loud and clear, snapping apollo out of what was sure to have been him backtracking, erasing everything he just said, and no doubt running out of the rink and hope he never has to deal with the aftermath of possibly hurting klavier.
but instead, he's still welcomed. with more than open arms, klavier welcomes apollo's company, and if apollo had a little more confidence in himself, he'd assume klavier was reaching for it. a blush explodes on his face once more, unable to make eye contact as he struggles for words, any words, to say in the face of that.) You've done the same for me. You're the first person to say that about me.
(he shifts from where he stands, taking those few brave steps to lean against the rail next to klavier, but he keeps a distance of a few feet. can't risk getting too close and losing it all. his head is hung as he stares down at the ice, wondering just when it started that he couldn't smile at the sight of a rink anymore.) Are those seriously our standards? To be treated like people?
[Despite the darkness of that sentence, Klavier says it so lightheartedly, eyes trained on the rink as well. There was a time he was like Apollo, where the very sight of the rink made him sick to his stomach, convinced that he didn't belong on it or that if he so much as pushed off from that wall he'd be doing exactly what Kristoph had wanted him to do...
But that was a hard lesson he had to learn. And his new coach had helped him work through it. Apollo's not so different from him, no matter what the skater might protest, and Klavier just wants to show him the same light he searched for, and help him skate towards that.
Not just out of obligation, or the fact that he feels he has to make up for his brother's wrongdoings.
But he senses the same passion for skating that he does. And that fire should never go out.]
But there's nothing wrong with that, I think. Its actually refreshing, ja?
(even with klavier's tone attempting to lighten the mood, there's still a shadow of gloom on his face. that's the reality of it. apollo's standards have dropped to a new low for him, with the paparazzi only concerned with who he was and who he was associated with, not at all with the person apollo wanted to mold himself into, what kind of skater he wanted to be after this. looks of uncertainty and distrust were given every time he approached a new coach to ask to be trained.
he wonders at what point his standards sunk to just wanting people to not judge him based on his recent past. when he just wanted to be given the smallest chance to prove what he was capable of, to show the world he wasn't a copy of kristoph gavin.
and somewhere along the line, apollo came to the realization that klavier is meeting those standards. that he's going above and beyond to make apollo feel welcome and needed on the ice, he encouraged it, almost as though he wanted to push apollo onto the ice and let him flourish and thrive. when was the last time anyone had done that for him? when was the last time someone cared enough?
shit. this is bad, i'm definitely going to wind up falling in love for this guy.
apollo's blush returns, a light dusting of pink up to his ears, and he forces himself to look away. he's getting too personal, too close, too quickly.) If the end result is you... I don't have any problems with it.
(... well. so much for making some distance. here he is, too shy to even look him in the eye after saying that.)
[Klavier can sense Apollo's uncertainty, and it's not without merit. After all, this is probably the first time anyone's ever stopped to see how he felt about the situation. About what Apollo wanted to do with his life now, as opposed to constant retrospection on the events that took place.
He just wanted to face forward, and everyone wanted to look past him.
A feeling he could understand all too well. Edgeworth was the one who'd told him to never look back once he'd set his mind on a goal. Apollo needed that lesson, too, he mused.
...That gave him an idea.]
That makes me so happy to hear, Justice. [His tone is warm, soothing, even.] So...
(his walls slowly begin to crumble the longer he’s around klavier, the longer they share whatever kind of connection they’ve gained in the past hour. no one has ever cared this much, hell, no one has ever cared at all about apollo’s side of things. it took a complete stranger only asking a few gentle questions, never forcing anything, only ever making a move with apollo’s say so. he so hoped klavier could be the one to bring the walls around apollo’s heart down.
but it has only been an hour or so. whatever bond they share right now needs something more. it needs to be strengthened with trust, a stronger understanding of each other. and trust isn’t something apollo hands out so freely now, certainly not towards strangers that know more about him than he knows about them.
strangers he has a date with, however. that’s a different story. a not-so-stranger with a warm smile and a voice like blankets straight out of the dryer, one still making an effort to give apollo the push and support he needs. those people he may be able to lend his trust to. and, well, the face and flirting certainly didn’t harm anything.
apollo finally turns to face klavier, a hint of a sparkle in his eyes, a blush spreading over his cheeks as he nods, more than enthusiastic about their upcoming date.) I wouldn’t miss it. Not one with you.
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Something he sort of feels like Apollo thinks, but then again, he was the first person to ever be openly sarcastic to him that wasn't Daryan. How long had it been since he could joke around like that...
Klavier sits down next to his bag, leaning over to start untying the laces to his skates nonchalantly, the smile ever present and his tone as even as ever.]
I would love to.
[And as reassurance, he looks up at him, smiling.]
Not as a judge or a fellow competitor, but just to enjoy seeing someone else on the ice for once.
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but klavier isn’t them. hell, apollo wants to debate if he’s even human at all, he’s put up with apollo’s attitude with a calm demeanor, done whatever he can to make him feel comfortable and safe (things he hardly ever feels around other skaters these days). that smile goes straight (haha get it) for his heart, beating louder and faster in his chest, and there’s a quiet hope that klavier can’t actually hear it.
apollo sets his own bag down in a hurry, kicking his shoes off and whipping out his red skates before stopping abruptly. klavier wants to watch apollo skate. he wants to watch him skate, and the horror and fear in his heart begins to bubble back up, the crushing anxiety of seeing disappointment on his face, being thoroughly unimpressed and calling off whatever they have tomorrow. he turns back to face klavier, looking far more subdued and tame than the ball of energy he was moments ago, with a shaky and hesitant voice to match.) I’m… I’m um. Not really much to watch. Or look at, really. I-I’m pretty inexperienced…
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Klavier wanted more moments like that. The skating world could use that wide-eyed optimism.
It seems to work, though, with Apollo dropping his bag down and scrambling to put his skates on, Klavier's eyes trained on him affectionately as he finishes removing his. He wants to see Apollo skate, express himself, let himself fall victim to the music. Or bask in the silence, if that's how he skates. Blue eyes daze off, watching his excited, frantic tying of his laces, hand holding his chin and elbow on his knee.
Dazed enough that he almost doesn't catch what Apollo's saying, a soft, confused 'hmm?' slipping between his lips.]
Untapped potential.
That's what I was told when I was freed. Inexperience isn't something to feel intimidated by or angry at. We all are at one point--no one steps out onto the ice and can skate masterfully.
I want to see you grow, Justice. If I wanted to watch a professional skater who did everything correct and lifeless and stoic...I'd watch our old coach.
I want to see you. I want to see every part of you.
[Like that butt.]
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worries and fears rushing through his head cause his nerves to bundle and knot up into something nearly impossible to untangle. he didn't have any programs to skate to, and going in without one only workede maybe once in a blue moon. he couldn't just stand here and make himself look like a fool in front of someone who is growing from stranger to idol to love interest.
it's not long that he's left alone with his thoughts, words flowing from klavier's mouth as if it was all fact to him, waxing poetic without a care in the world. something that came naturally, something he did frequently.
apollo's gaze slowly raises up from his skates to klavier's eyes. blue that pierces right into his heart and makes him unable to breathe, stunned into silence. the longer he talks, the redder apollo becomes, mouth falling open as he's left to do nothing but stare.
i want to see every part of you.
and that did it. apollo went from crush to full blown love in a matter of minutes, his face bright red all the way to the very tips of his ears and down his neck. he speaks without meaning to, unable to force his filter into working before his mouth speaks for him.) I'm yours.
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But every now and again there's something that comes completely out of left field. And this was one such moment.
It's not that Klavier is shocked it's being said AT him. It's hardly the first time he's heard those words. Except this wasn't from a fan. This was from a new acquaintance he'd immediately taken to much more than he ever could with a simple fan, his heart practically leaping up into his throat. A pink flush rushes to his cheeks, almost visible from where they're standing, and he can feel heat spreading throughout his whole body.
He knows JUST what Apollo just said. But he has to play it cool.]
I'm glad, I don't want to share.
[THAT'S NOT PLAYING IT COOL KLAVIER THAT'S FEEDING RIGHT INTO IT.]
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he knows what he said. but it doesn't sink in for some time until he realizes exactly what he said. apollo might as well have confessed to him right then and there, professing his love to a complete stranger with no thoughts of the consequences until it's far too late and he's begging for some kind of natural disaster to occur and give him an out from this awful scenario.
until he hears the answer.
i don't want to share.
his face heats up, renewed and as noticeable as any costume on the ice. eyes grow wide in shock as the words settle in his mind, and it hits him like a truck doing 200 down a freeway.
they're flirting. klavier gavin is truly and honestly flirting with apollo justice, a no name already with a bad rep skater. part of him doesn't want to wake up if this is a dream. the other part is really hoping it's not a dream.
his eyes shift away, embarrassed and nervous, generally just looking like a mess. he rubs his arm as he gathers his courage, taking a shaky breath while giving a sideways glance to klavier.) Can... do you want to make tomorrow a date?
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Cool, yet warm blue eyes can't help but melt even further. This man was as genuine as they came. And honestly, that was one thing he'd grown so homesick of growing up. The innocent days of skating when he could just hold onto his brother's sleeve while they took laps around the rink...the days when skating seemed more like a hobby than an occupation... As he grew older, so did his perception of what people saw in him. It was no longer about if he was having fun. It was connections and scores and points and coaches and paparazzi.
Apollo brought back some of that feeling in him, the feeling that he could take a man out for the day and just skate.
A date, nonetheless. How long had it been since he'd been on an actual date? Even more rare, one he truly wanted to go on?
His head pulls back just slightly, the smile almost splitting his face. And while he keeps most of his composure, he can't help but show his excitement in his tone as he walks over.]
I'd love to.
[Just like that. No teasing or laughing or anything of the sort.
A genuine 'yes'.]
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these things don't just happen to apollo justice. not without some sort of a catch.
and yet, klavier hasn't given any signs of wanting something in return. he doesn't want revenge on apollo, if anything, he's thanking him for taking down his brother as a coach. no one has jumped out and yelled "you've been punk'd", or any such thing. klavier has done nothing but treat apollo with gentle love and compassion.
that first one is the one that's making him come this close to freaking out the most. those blue eyes staring at apollo like he's the entire world right now, causing a blush to spread across his face even more, his heart rate picking up enough that now he might actually go into cardiac arrest.) You have been flirting with me.
(it's said as a revelation, apollo confirming his own facts as he stares up at klavier with eyes wide with surprise. klavier gavin is flirting with him.)
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[A guilty smile spreads across his face. Had he been on a witness stand, and had someone the power to see past one's nervous tics, he would have given himself away completely. Fingers brush through his bangs, that smile almost telling enough that he'd been caught in the act (and not really too worried about it, either, honestly--this is Klavier Gavin we're talking about).]
Yes. I have.
[His elbows rest on the railing to the ice rink, staring out onto its glass-like surface and feeling the cold air finally start to sting his cheeks.]
You think it's strange, right? Klavier Gavin, prodigy skater asking out a man he just met. Who just happened to be underneath my brother's tutelage.
Nein.
I don't think it's that strange at all, really...
[His blue eyes cast back to Apollo, much kinder than they were (not that they'd been anything but kind before, but there's a warmth to them now) moments ago.]
I finally might have someone who understands me.
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he wanted to argue that. he really did, that he couldn't possibly be that special.
but how klavier stares, no, gazes at him, with eyes that narrow in and make apollo feel as if he's the only one in the world that matters now, that could ever matter to klavier. he's almost overwhelmed in a way, no one has ever praised apollo so openly, given him reason to believe he might actually be important above all else for someone. not since clay, at least.) I... don't think it's strange you asked out someone you just met.
(his eyes don't meet klavier's, too embarrassed and emotional to even think of being able to hold a conversation face to face. his voice is almost a mumble, but with their short distance and emptiness of the rink, klavier could hear him even if his voice was a whisper.) I think it's strange that it's me. I'm not anything special, not compared to the other skaters. They're better skaters, better people, hell, they're just better. Me, I'm just...
(there's a flash of a man with a piercing gaze colder and harsher than any ice, and apollo rubs his arm like just the memory chills him.) I'm average.
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He's heard those words before, and they weren't the words of a skater. They were from someone much colder than the ice itself, pushing his glasses up with two fingers as he observed the way Klavier had skated when he was young. He had to have been...13? Maybe 15. Young enough to believe his brother's every word, but enough to remember just how frigid his tone was.
"You're not average, so do your best not to look it and embarrass us."
His teeth sink into his lip, letting the memory play like the world's worst record before he puts on that brave face once more, smiling out to the rink again.]
You're the first person to talk to me like I'm a person, not a celebrity.
You are anything BUT average in my eyes.
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and apollo is worried that if he keeps speaking, he will. that he'll lose the one shining star he's managed to find after weeks of mistreatment by those trying to get the story, by other skaters and coaches. thinking about the root cause of it all, who got him here in the first place, that's not something apollo wants to dwell on.
klavier's words ring through loud and clear, snapping apollo out of what was sure to have been him backtracking, erasing everything he just said, and no doubt running out of the rink and hope he never has to deal with the aftermath of possibly hurting klavier.
but instead, he's still welcomed. with more than open arms, klavier welcomes apollo's company, and if apollo had a little more confidence in himself, he'd assume klavier was reaching for it. a blush explodes on his face once more, unable to make eye contact as he struggles for words, any words, to say in the face of that.) You've done the same for me. You're the first person to say that about me.
(he shifts from where he stands, taking those few brave steps to lean against the rail next to klavier, but he keeps a distance of a few feet. can't risk getting too close and losing it all. his head is hung as he stares down at the ice, wondering just when it started that he couldn't smile at the sight of a rink anymore.) Are those seriously our standards? To be treated like people?
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[Despite the darkness of that sentence, Klavier says it so lightheartedly, eyes trained on the rink as well. There was a time he was like Apollo, where the very sight of the rink made him sick to his stomach, convinced that he didn't belong on it or that if he so much as pushed off from that wall he'd be doing exactly what Kristoph had wanted him to do...
But that was a hard lesson he had to learn. And his new coach had helped him work through it. Apollo's not so different from him, no matter what the skater might protest, and Klavier just wants to show him the same light he searched for, and help him skate towards that.
Not just out of obligation, or the fact that he feels he has to make up for his brother's wrongdoings.
But he senses the same passion for skating that he does. And that fire should never go out.]
But there's nothing wrong with that, I think. Its actually refreshing, ja?
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he wonders at what point his standards sunk to just wanting people to not judge him based on his recent past. when he just wanted to be given the smallest chance to prove what he was capable of, to show the world he wasn't a copy of kristoph gavin.
and somewhere along the line, apollo came to the realization that klavier is meeting those standards. that he's going above and beyond to make apollo feel welcome and needed on the ice, he encouraged it, almost as though he wanted to push apollo onto the ice and let him flourish and thrive. when was the last time anyone had done that for him? when was the last time someone cared enough?
shit. this is bad, i'm definitely going to wind up falling in love for this guy.
apollo's blush returns, a light dusting of pink up to his ears, and he forces himself to look away. he's getting too personal, too close, too quickly.) If the end result is you... I don't have any problems with it.
(... well. so much for making some distance. here he is, too shy to even look him in the eye after saying that.)
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He just wanted to face forward, and everyone wanted to look past him.
A feeling he could understand all too well. Edgeworth was the one who'd told him to never look back once he'd set his mind on a goal. Apollo needed that lesson, too, he mused.
...That gave him an idea.]
That makes me so happy to hear, Justice. [His tone is warm, soothing, even.] So...
We're still on for our date, then?
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but it has only been an hour or so. whatever bond they share right now needs something more. it needs to be strengthened with trust, a stronger understanding of each other. and trust isn’t something apollo hands out so freely now, certainly not towards strangers that know more about him than he knows about them.
strangers he has a date with, however. that’s a different story. a not-so-stranger with a warm smile and a voice like blankets straight out of the dryer, one still making an effort to give apollo the push and support he needs. those people he may be able to lend his trust to. and, well, the face and flirting certainly didn’t harm anything.
apollo finally turns to face klavier, a hint of a sparkle in his eyes, a blush spreading over his cheeks as he nods, more than enthusiastic about their upcoming date.) I wouldn’t miss it. Not one with you.