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Proper hair care was something Klavier took as seriously as his prosecutorial work. Each product was meticulously chosen in order to keep his blonde locks at the softest, shiniest, and healthiest it could possibly be. He had an image to uphold, sure. But even if he wasn’t in constant fear of the paparazzi catching him at the wrong moment, he would still be putting excessive effort into caring for his invaluable hair. It was one of the precious morning rituals he would be practicing until the end of time.
Klavier loved his hair, he truly did.
But as the years went by, it became harder and harder to separate his hair from the one who inspired his signature style.
“Please, Klavier, never cut your hair. You were given a lovely gift,” his brother muttered as he worked out a particularly tough knot in little Klavier’s hair. The eight year old only let his big brother fix the tangles, as his mother was too rough on the sensitive child’s hair.
“What if I want it short? Papa has his short. I like papa’s hair!” Klavier restlessly wiggled in the velvet covered chair.
“Why would you want to ruin such nice hair?” His fingers gently separated the locks into equal sections. “Think about it like this, we can have matching hairstyles!” He cheered, unusually chipper, as he looped the final strands of hair together into a perfect braid. Not a single hair was out of place, just like Kristoph’s own braid that rested on his shoulder. He gestured for the younger brother to follow him to the bathroom mirror. “Look at us, practically identical. One day, when you’re all grown up, the entire legal world will respect you knowing you’re a Gavin.” Kristoph lightly patted the top of Klavier’s head, careful not to ruin his work.
Klavier stared back at his reflection, studying the handiwork. A perfect reflection of his brother. Klavier smiled as pride filled his heart.
Ugh. Couldn’t he go one day without his brain accosting him with reminders of him ?
Klavier stared at the foreign reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Klavier in the mirror. He didn’t have the energy to deal with another day of this mental torment. There had to be some kind of distraction he could use.
On cue, he felt the growl of his empty stomach snap away his train of thought.
Food. Food was a distraction.
He shoved any lingering thoughts into the furthest corner of his mind and made his way into the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes cooking on the stove filled the morning air. Already the distraction was working. He made his way to the stove to greet his wonderful chef.
“Good morning, Schatz,” he purred into his boyfriend’s ear, his voice still deep from just waking up. The smaller man jumped mid pancake flip. He was powerless to stop it as it fell to the ground with a heavy plop. He barely had time to clean the mess before Vongole came strutting in in search of dropped food. Klavier let out a small chuckle as he crouched to pet the golden retriever. “And good morning to you my silly girl!”
“Sorry about that, I wasn’t expecting you to be up already,” Apollo said, as he reached for the fallen pancake. Vongole let out a wine as her surprise snack was rudely ripped away from her.
“I was awakened by the marvelous smell.” Apollo chose to ignore the slight pinch around his wrist. “And oh my, it looks as beautiful as it smells!” Klavier gushed. A red hue adorned Apollo’s face.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” he stammered. “But now that you’re here, I guess, Happy Birthday!” He revealed a neatly stacked plate of pancakes to Klavier. None of them were perfectly circular. In fact, some of them seemed more oblong than what he thought was possible for a stable pancake. Klavier had never seen a more delicious breakfast. Apollo gently grabbed his wrist to guide them to the little, wooden dining table in the corner of the kitchen. Klavier’s eyes beamed as he caught sight of the platters displayed across the table. Bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, and even the expensive jelly he had brought back from his last trip to Germany, were spread across the top like a five star buffet.
“Schatzi,” Klavier whispered as he gently pulled his new found favorite chef into a soft embrace. “You are too good to me.” He placed a light kiss on the other man’s forehead. Apollo’s face lit up a similar shade of red to the aforementioned fancy jelly.
“I-it was nothing. You deserve a nice meal on your birthday.” Even after months of dating, Apollo still blushed and squeaked when Klavier showered him with affection, which happened to be one of Klavier’s favorite pastimes. He knew he would never grow tired of the smile Apollo tried to hide when a quick kiss was pressed to his face. Seeking another opportunity to catch a glimpse of that smile, Klavier planted one more soft peck. This time, to the hands that crafted such a thoughtful breakfast. Apollo, stunned speechless, simply tugged Klavier down to their humble kitchen table. The two fell into comfortable silence as they munched away.
By noon, the couple had only made a dent in the breakfast buffet. Apollo had timidly apologized for going overboard, but Klavier quickly stopped him. He was not a stranger to meal prep, and all of that food could last them at least three more breakfasts. That alone was a birthday gift he was happy to receive. After everything was properly stored away, the two retreated to the couch, mindlessly watching a cooking show while they basked in each other's presence. Klavier had almost forgotten what was plaguing him just a few hours ago.
Almost.
A sudden buzz snapped the two out of the domestic haze they had slipped into. Apollo scrambled to find his phone buried in the couch cushions. A message flashed across his screen as the alarm continued to sound.
“Oh crap, we have to go soon.” Klavier furrowed his brow, tilting his head slightly as he met Apollo’s eyes. “Trucy had a surprise for you back at the agency, remember?”
Truthfully, Klavier had forgotten all about the promise Trucy had made just last week. Between his anxiety creeping up on him and the surprise breakfast, it had completely slipped his mind that they had any other plans today. His energy had already been low to start with today, and his mind was not as focused as he wished it would be. All he wanted was to do was stay in his lover’s embrace all day, letting any lingering anxieties get washed away by fingers combing through his hair. But, Trucy was a dear friend. He slowly remembered the big puppy dog eyes she had given when asking him to visit on his birthday. And really, who could resist those puppy dog eyes? Reluctantly, he lifted himself out of the embrace.
“Let me go get ready first, ja?” Apollo nodded as Klavier retreated back to the bathroom.
Even on a day all about him, he still wanted to look his best. Not just for Apollo’s eyes, but also for himself. He couldn’t deny how empowered he felt when he crafted together a perfect outfit. Even when running errands, he still spent an hour piecing together his wardrobe for picking out bell peppers. And of course, he always had to style his hair-
His hair.
His hair.
Suddenly, Klavier was back to where he was just hours ago. Staring at an image in the mirror. Not himself, this couldn’t have been him. And yet, there was a pair of sharp blue eyes, brown skin, and blond hair. Long, flowing, golden blond hair. Hair that hung in loose curls, framing his face. A face that was just like-
“Klavier?” A voice snapped him out of...whatever that was. Unimportant, he figured. What was more pressing now was Apollo standing in the doorway to the bathroom with a slight frown. He had changed from his pajamas to a casual jeans, t-shirt, and sweatshirt ensemble. He must have gotten ready quickly , Klavier thought. He was just in the kitchen a minute ago.
“Klavier?” he called again. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, schatzi! ‘I’m fine’ as you say.” He forced out a chuckle, a poor attempt at distracting the other man. An attempt that he knew was in vain the instant the words left his mouth. Apollo’s eyes narrowed as he fiddled with the bracelet dangling on his wrist.
“You’ve been standing there for a while.”
“Ach, can’t take your eyes off me, can you?” Klavier chuckled with a strategically placed wink. Apollo immediately mumbled a string of nonsense. Deflection successful.
“N-no, you know what I mean. You seem out of it today.” Deflection failed.
“Like I said, everything’s fine.”
“Was it the food? You know you can tell me if you don’t like my cooking.” Klavier finally stepped away from the mirror to wrap Apollo in his arms. Apollo tensed at the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed into the embrace.
“Mein liebling, that was the greatest breakfast I could ever imagine,” Klavier crooned, running his hand down Apollo’s back. Apollo gave a small, affectionate hum back.
“Then please be honest with me,” he said firmly. He gently pushed himself out of the embrace and took Klavier’s trembling hands in his. When had they started shaking? Klavier couldn’t remember. “You play with your hands when you’re nervous.”
Klavier looked down at their joined hands. His were larger, but the endless warmth that radiated from Apollo’s hands always encapsulated his own. It was such a small, yet addicting feeling. His boyfriend had always known just how to make Klavier feel safe. But, today was supposed to be a happy day. He needed to be happy. There was no room for his stupid internal dialogue to bring them both down.
Klavier broke away from the warmth and turned back to the vanity. It was well past time to get ready. He had to do something about his hair. He fumbled as he searched the vanity for his flat iron and hastily plugged it in. He set it to what he assumed was the right temperature. His eyes didn’t want to focus.
“Klavier, you're not making a good case for yourself.”
“Schatz, for the last time I am fine. You don’t need to worry about me.” Klavier didn’t even look up to speak, far too occupied trying to remember his routine he should know by heart. Straighten, curl, style. Straighten, curl-how long was this iron going to take to heat up?
“I just want to make sure I didn’t do something wrong.”
“No, no, never you! It wasn’t you!” Klavier could feel his breath coming up short. Straighten, the iron should be hot enough now. He slammed the iron shut around his hair, only sectioning it off down the middle.
“So you admit something did happen.”
“Please, Apollo, I just need to get ready. We’re already late.”
“Klavier, I think-“
“I really don’t have time for your courtroom tactics right now.”
“But your-“
“We are going to have a lovely day, with lovely people!”
“Klav-“
“And nothing is going to ruin that!”
The sizzle of the iron punctuated his words. It finally snapped him out of his spiral just in time to see the charred clump of hair at his feet. Both men went completely silent.
And that’s what sent the flood of tears out of control.
“H-hey, it’s okay!” Apollo immediately rushed to his side. Once the iron was unplugged and safely put away, he cupped Klavier’s face. Tender thumbs attempted to wipe away the onslaught of tears.
Klavier tried desperately to stop. Suck it up, a voice said. Look what you did to yourself. How embarrassing. But, the force of emotion all rushing out was choking him. Stop it stop it stop it stop it -
Strong, stable arms reached under his knees and back, and hoisted him up in the air. The sudden move finally slowed the waterfalls pouring down his face.
“Come on big guy, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable,” Apollo said with the softest smile on his face. That was enough to bring the tears back. He felt himself being carried out of the bathroom and onto the bed. Once placed in the sheets, Apollo joined him at his side and guided Klavier’s head towards his chest. Klavier continued to sob into his shirt that would definitely need to be washed now.
Apollo was never good with words outside the courtroom. Always floundering and turning the sweetest shade of red when he was confronted with any strong emotion. But, he more than made up for it in action. Klavier was the more touchy of the two, but Apollo knew just the right touches to make Klavier melt against him.
Apollo lightly brushed his fingers through the hair that started this whole mess. One half of it was untouched, just as wavy and soft as usual. The other half reminded them all too much of some crime scenes they had both witnessed before. Charred ends ruined the golden color Klavier had spent years perfecting. The hair burned clean off perfectly straight. How ironic for the one perfect thing today to be the cause of so much grief.
Apollo held Klavier until his crying slowed down, which took almost half an hour. Klavier didn’t even realize he had that many tears to cry until he was being suffocated by them. When he had mostly calmed down, Apollo placed a hand under his chin and carefully pushed his gaze to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry for pushing you,” he whispered.
“It’s okay. I know you mean well,” Klavier sighed.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Klavier took a deep breath, it felt like his first true taste of oxygen in forever. He had already bared his entire soul to him moments ago, there was nothing left to lose at this point.
“I haven’t felt like myself in a while.” Apollo tilted his head at that, beckoning for him to elaborate. Klavier slumped against his chest. The stability and warmth of his partner beneath him gradually eased his racing mind. “We’ve always looked so much alike.” Apollo tensed beneath him, but he continued. “Some people would mistake us for twins when I got older. I used to feel pride in our similarities. Like, because I resembled him so much, that meant I was worthy of the heights he was reaching. Did you know I was a little rebel in middle school?” Klavier chuckled, which elicited a laugh from Apollo.
“No way, Mr. ‘Never dares to go one mile over the speed limit’ was a rule breaker?” There was that blinding smile again. It never failed to make Klavier giddy. Especially knowing he caused it.
“It’s true! Teen angst, hormones, and all that. Kris was a straight A honors student, and little Klavier wanted a piece of the attention,” his smile started to fall. “He was the one who encouraged me to pursue law. Helped me get into Themis, even helped secure me scholarships. He told me that our similarity made us powerful. Told me never to cut my hair, because…because-” a sob escaped his throat. Apollo had him in a hug in an instant. He let him cry until his head hurt. “It’s just hair! This is stupid, I’m so sorry-” Klavier’s ramblings were cut off by a short kiss placed on top of his head.
“It’s not stupid. Hair is important to a lot of people. It’s like an extension of you. Especially for you.” Apollo twirled the charred ends between his fingers, careful not to pull on it. “Tell you what,” he sat upright so he could look at Klavier’s face. “Why don’t we fix this up before we leave. Perfect excuse to try something new.”
“I doubt my stylist has time for a last minute appointment, even for my birthday.”
“I was thinking I could do it,” Apollo replied bashfully. Klavier raised his eyebrows at the offer. “Only if you want me to, of course! I know you have like a fifty step hair routine in the morning, and I don’t want to mess it up somehow, even though it’s already pretty messed up but it’s salvage-” this time it was Klavier’s turn to stop him with a kiss on the cheek. He felt his boyfriend’s skin burning under his lips. How sweet , he thought.
“I would love that,” Klavier sealed his confirmation with a kiss on his hand. Those wonderful, little hands that he adored so much. What an honor it would be for his hair to be cut by those hands. Apollo gave an enthusiastic nod and led Klavier back to the bathroom.
Apollo sat him in a chair in front of the mirror before going to fetch his tools. Klavier finally got a good look at the damage. That iron had burned off a good six inches of hair. Looking at the remains still made his heart sting. Knowing he was in the loving hands of his boyfriend today was enough to ease the pain. His eyes were still red, and dried tear tracks lined blotchy skin. He couldn’t help but giggle at how much of a mess he was. Thank God he hadn’t put on makeup yet.
A blur of yellow fluff came barreling through the door and right to Klavier.
“Ach, down girl, down!” Klavier laughed. He was no match for the flurry of kisses Vongole attacked his face with. With no choice but to give in, he made sure to give good scratches behind her ears.
“I hope you don’t mind that the pets wanted to join us. I think they missed you.” In came Apollo with shears and towels in hand, followed by their little calico.
“Hallo Herr Kätzchen!” He made sure to give a good scratch to Mikeko as well. In true kitty fashion, he took his spot at Klavier’s feet. Vongole seemed to get jealous and planted her face onto his lap. What a smart dog, she knew just how to get all the affection she wanted from her dads.
Apollo was quick to start cutting. When he asked how short he wanted to go, Klavier struggled to imagine himself with shorter hair. The last time he cut his hair short was over seven years ago, and he didn’t need to be reminded of that period in his life. He settled on snipping two inches, just enough to get the burned ends off.
Apollo was heartachingly gentle with him. He made sure every gesture and touch was comfortable for Klavier before doing anything. He frequently checked in on him during the process. There wasn’t much chatter aside from that. The two fell into peaceful silence asApollo focused. Mikeko and Vongole both ended up dozing next to Klavier’s feet.
The sense of dread that had barged in on what should be Klavier’s happy day had finally started to dissipate. He felt the tension in his shoulders release as more hair was cut off. He finally felt safe.
Before he knew it, it was finished.
Klavier looked in the mirror once more. While he was no professional, Apollo made clean and even cuts that erased any evidence of his accident just that morning. It fell just slightly past his shoulders. Not long like he had kept it as an adult, and not short like how it was when he was a teenager. This new hair fell right in the middle. It was strange to Klavier, seeing his signature rockstar hairstyle replaced for something different. When he looked at himself in the mirror this time, he didn’t see the brother who controlled him for almost a decade. He didn’t see the arrogant teenager desperate for attention. He saw himself. This was Klavier.
He caught a glimpse of Apollo’s face in the reflection. His eyes were scrunched in a pained expression, almost like he was waiting for him to tell him off.
Instead, Klavier tugged Apollo down to his level and kissed him with all the gratitude and affection he could infuse into it.
“It’s perfect. Danke, mein Liebling."