Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

With hindsight, Apollo thought he should have seen it coming. Over the three months leading up to their split, Klavier had definitely been drawing away. Late nights at the recording studio, secretive phone conversations, cancelling plans at the last moment, and sex that was perfunctory at best, with Apollo more than once having to finish himself off after Klavier had pulled out of him, rolled over and fallen asleep. Apollo had excused everything: he’s tired, he’s stressed with the new album, he’s overworked, it’ll all be over soon enough.

And it was over soon enough, just not in the way Apollo had anticipated.

Apollo had been sipping coffee at the kitchen island in the apartment Klavier had asked him to share with him a year ago, after they had been dating for twelve months. Klavier hadn’t come home last night, messaging Apollo briefly to let him know he was pulling an all-nighter. Apollo was miffed but, again, found himself excusing the poor behaviour. He looked up when the front door opened and Klavier came in.

“Morning, gorgeous,” Apollo smiled. “You must be tired.”

“Yeah.” Klavier looked uncharacteristically serious.

“Is something the matter, Klav?”

“I need to talk to you.”

And that’s when it all came out. Klavier had met someone. A woman. Krystal D’Vasse. A recording artist working at the same studio as Klavier. They’d been seeing each other secretly for the last few months and Klavier was sorry, he was so sorry, but they were in love and Klavier was leaving Apollo and Apollo would have to move out as soon as possible.

Apollo was dumbstruck. Klavier had pursued him for the longest time and had been so happy when Apollo had finally relented and agreed to a date. They had fallen in love, they had talked about being together for the rest of their lives, and now Klavier was leaving him, had been cheating on him. 

“I’ll stay with Krystal for a few days, ja? Give you a chance to move out without me here.” Klavier was wittering on about practicalities as if he hadn’t just ripped Apollo’s heart from his chest and squashed it underfoot. “I’m sorry things have ended this way, but Krystal just… took me by surprise, ja?”

Apollo said nothing. Just stared at Klavier in disbelief. Klavier made a few more ridiculous statements, telling Apollo to message him once he’d moved out and to leave his key on the kitchen island. Apollo just nodded and Klavier left.

Still in shock, Apollo reached for his phone. He would need somewhere to stay until he found an apartment. His first thought was Trucy, but staying with his half-sister meant staying with Nick and Mr Edgeworth too (Apollo had known and worked with Mr Wright to call him Nick now, but his boss's husband still commanded awed reverence). Athena’s place was too small, just a tiny studio, so there was no way he could stay there. The next person to spring to mind was Ema, his best friend who, coincidentally, was now dating and living with Apollo’s foster brother, Nahyuta.

Shortly after the UR-1 retrial had wrapped up two years ago, Nahyuta had arrived in the country on a secondment. The Khura’in legal system had been healed a couple of years before and now the country was up and running again. Following the death of his father - Apollo’s foster father - Nahyuta had decided to come to the States to work there as a prosecutor, having too many bad memories of home. He had developed a working relationship with Ema, which had quickly turned romantic. 

Ema and Yuta would help him out. They had a guest room and plenty of space. Apollo picked up his phone and made the call.

*

It had been a month. A whole four weeks of crying on Ema and Yuta’s sofa, of wondering what he’d done wrong, of having to look at pictures of Klavier and Krystal in every tabloid he unwittingly stumbled across.

One upside of all of this, though, was seeing first hand how much he was loved by his friends and family. Trucy offered to make Klavier ‘disappear’. Apollo had laughed but if he was honest, he wasn’t sure if she was talking about magic or murder. Ema actually did offer murder, saying she could access police firearms and knew how to cover up the crime scientifically. Yuta had brought her some Snackoos after which she made the much more reasonable suggestion of burning all of Klavier’s guitars. Yuta told him that his prayers asked that Klavier be reincarnated as a slug. Nick scowled and told him he'd never liked the man anyway, and that Mr Edgeworth would give him a bunch of really shitty cases for a while. Athena didn’t offer anything. Instead she just went out and started a rumour that Klavier had a micropenis. And then there was Simon, who had never liked Klavier for reasons unknown, and initially offered to slice him open. When Apollo refused the kind offer of dismemberment, he instead somehow got Taka to take a dump on the blonde just as he entered the courthouse every morning for three days straight.

His friends were wonderful, even if most of them were a bit worryingly prone to threats of murder and violence. Apollo wondered what he had done to deserve them. He would do anything for them, which was why - despite really not feeling like it - he was sitting in a bar with Ema, Yuta, Trucy, Athena, and Simon, discussing the arrangements for the upcoming wedding of Chief of Police Dick Gumshoe and his longterm partner, Maggey.

Despite not being, perhaps, the best investigator on the force, Gumshoe was straight as an arrow, loyal, and he cared about people. He had been made Chief of Detectives around a decade ago, mostly by default since he was one of the only detectives left who wasn’t completely corrupt. However, the man had excelled in the management role and had rapidly risen through the ranks, becoming Chief of Police at the same time Mr Edgeworth became Chief Prosecutor. They were a formidable team, and had been rooting out corruption in their respective houses ever since. During this time, Maggey had set up a self-defence school for women. It had become a roaring success and now offered classes right across the city. The two of them had been so busy, they’d not really had time to think about marriage but, now they were both at the top of their respective careers, they had decided to tie the knot with what promised to be the wedding of the year, if not the century.

It was being held in Palermo, Sicily, and was a week of celebration. It felt as if half of the Police Department and Prosecutor’s Office had been invited, as well as the whole of Nick's team, never mind Gumshoe and Maggey’s extensive group of friends and family. Originally, Apollo had been going with Klavier but now he would be going alone and he wasn’t especially looking forward to it.

“Is, erm, is Klavier still going?” Trucy asked shyly.

Apollo shrugged. He assumed so but he didn’t know.

“I believe he is, I’m afraid,” grumbled Simon. “I heard the idiot talking about it to one of the receptionists today.”

All eyes turned to Apollo. “Well, that’ll be fun, won’t it? Having people I don’t even know pitying me because I got dumped for Krystal-With-A-K by Klavier Gavin who’s actually there just being Klavier while I’m single and miserable. Actually, that’s reminded me. I’ll have to organise my flights and hotel room. He was going to do that for us and now… Well…” He heard a sharp exhale from next to him and turned to see Simon glowering. “What’s up with you? It was me he cheated on and dumped.”

Simon shook his head. “I just don’t like him. He has always been my least favourite Gavin which, considering who his brother is, is quite the achievement. The way he has treated you, Justice-dono, has only confirmed for me that the man is little more than a mirage: nice to look at but, ultimately, not to be trusted.”

Apollo smiled weakly. It pained him to admit it, but Simon was right. Athena began to retell the tale of how one of the servers in the courthouse cafeteria had asked if it was true about Klavier’s micropenis and everyone laughed, but Apollo noticed Ema’s sharp eyes glancing at him and then over at Simon, seemingly deep in thought.

*

The following morning, Apollo woke up before Ema and Yuta and went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. While he was waiting for it to filter through, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Simon calling.

It wasn’t unusual for Simon to call him. They had, somewhat unexpectedly, become quite good friends after the prosecutor’s exoneration. They went to the same gym and also discovered a shared love of reading and sci-fi. But Simon did not especially like messaging, preferring to call people when possible.

Apollo answered.

“Morning, Simon. Everything OK?”

“Good morning, Justice-dono. I had been thinking about your predicament regarding Sicily and I wanted to talk to you about it. Would you be free to meet for brunch. Say, in about an hour?”

“Er, sure. Why not?” Apollo was taken aback but, mostly, he was interested to hear what Simon had to say about his ‘predicament.’

“Excellent, Justice-dono.”

After agreeing a place to meet, Apollo hung up, drank his coffee, and went to get dressed. He didn’t know what to expect, but he was certainly intrigued.

Chapter Text

Simon was already there when Apollo arrived. The prosecutor caught his eye as he walked through the door and nodded, indicating that Apollo should join him. It had been a long time since Apollo had found Simon intimidating, so it annoyed him somewhat to see the furtive looks other diners were giving the giant of a man. Apollo felt protective of his friend.

He sat down in the seat opposite and ordered a coffee and pancakes from the tired looking waitress who approached. Simon ordered Eggs Benedict. “So, what did you want to speak to me about?” Apollo asked as the waitress walked away.

“All in good time, Justice-dono. I require some caffeine first.” As if he’d conjured her up, the waitress came back with a cafetière, milk, and sugar, setting it all down on the table for them. Simon poured. “I have thought of a way to solve both of our problems around Chief Gumshoes’s approaching nuptials.”

“I didn’t realise you had a problem…” Apollo was a touch confused.

“Athena has decided that it is not enough for me to have a broad social group, a fulfilling career, a pet, and a range of hobbies and interests. She has decided that I must also have a boyfriend.” Simon’s tone and face told Apollo that he was not particularly fond of this development. “The woman is not to be dissuaded and she has systematically tried to set me up with every possible candidate she stumbles across. A new low was last week when I found myself tricked into a blind date with Hugh O’Conner.”

“That idiot from the Themis case?”

“The very same. I am concerned that, once trapped at a hotel in Sicily, she will find a never-ending string of wedding guests to attempt setting me up with and I will be forced to spend the entire trip attempting to hide myself from her.”

“I can see how that would suck, but… Not to be rude, but I don’t really understand what it has to do with me, Simon?”

“Ah, well, last night you were talking about not relishing the thought of having to be there with Prosecutor Boy Band while you are still single, were you not?”

“Yeah...” Apollo had a feeling he knew where this was going.

“My proposal is that we pretend to be in a relationship between now and the end of the trip. We can ‘break up’ amicably once we are home. That way, you won’t have people feeling sorry for you, and you’ll get to annoy Boy Band. I meanwhile, can have some respite from Athena’s ‘assistance’, and I’ll get to annoy Boy Band. Everyone’s a winner on all fronts.” Apollo stared at Simon as if he had just sprouted an extra head or something. “I am aware this is an unorthodox suggestion and would require some degree of planning in order to execute it believably, but I think it could ensure we both have a more enjoyable time away. And did I mention how much it would piss off your ex?”

Apollo huffed out a small laugh, but was saved from immediately replying by their food arriving. He ate a few fork-fulls of syrupy pancakes and bacon to buy himself a bit of extra time. “I get where you’re coming from but most of the people there are our friends. They’d know we weren’t really together, surely?”

“I don’t think it’s that unbelievable. We’re both single and we enjoy each other’s company, why wouldn’t our mutual acquaintances believe it? We would not need to make a big, formal announcement, just spend some more time together in the next few weeks so that when we want people to realise we’re a ‘couple’, it’s not too much of a leap.”

Apollo considered for a moment. “True. But do you not think it’s a bit childish?”

“It’s very childish, but that does not mean it would not work in our favour.”

Apollo laughed again. “Look, Simon, it’s kind of you to offer this to help me out but I don’t think it’s something I can do.”

Simon looked unfazed. “That’s fair enough, Justice-dono. I do not intend to book my flights and accommodation until later this week, so if you change your mind in the meantime, do let me know.”

*

The rest of their brunch had passed in companionable conversation before they had parted ways. That was two days ago and Apollo was now alone in the Wright-Justice Law Offices. Nick had decided to change the name six months ago when Trucy had got herself a ‘proper’ agent to support her magic career. Since he was changing the name anyway, he offered Apollo the chance to become a named partner in the firm, while promoting Athena to Junior Partner. He had even been talking of taking on a paralegal and an office administrator, since business had been so good.

Right now, Nick was out for lunch with his husband, while Athena was visiting a new client in the detention centre. Apollo was taking the opportunity to catch up on his paperwork when Chief Gumshoe walked in.

“Hi, pal. How are you?”

“Hey, Chief. I’m well, you? How are wedding preparations?

“Busy, pal. But Maggey’s handling the majority so I can’t complain.”

“I’m afraid Nick’s out with Mr Edgeworth at the moment, if it was him you’ve come to see.” Apollo got on well with the Chief of Police, but they weren’t old friends like he was with Nick.

Gumshoe looked awkward for a moment. “It’s actually you I came to see, Apollo.”

“Oh, right? What can I do for you?” Apollo assumed that it must be something to do with a case.

“Well, actually, it’s the wedding. I’m pretty annoyed if I’m honest with you, pal, but there’s nothing I can do now. It’s Prosecutor Gavin.” Apollo’s heart dropped into his stomach. He had a horrible feeling he knew what was coming. “He called Maggey yesterday. Pretty much bullied her into letting him bring a plus-one. She tried to tell him that he was originally coming with you so he didn’t have a plus-one but he gave her some sob story and the long of the short is that he’s bringing his new girlfriend. I wanted to warn you so it wasn’t a horrible surprise for you when you arrived in Sicily in a few weeks.”

Apollo felt sick. Spending the week in the same place as Klavier would have been bad enough. Spending the week seeing him all over Krystal-With-A-K was a million times worse. Now they wouldn’t just pity him, they’d see the leggy, big-breasted red-head and say things like, “I do feel for Apollo but you can see why Klavier left him for her…”

Gumshoe was looking at him with concern. “I’m really, really sorry, Apollo. Did I do the right thing telling you?”

“Yeah, you did. I appreciate it. And you don’t have to apologise. I know how persuasive Klavier can be.” He tried to rally himself a bit, put on a show of bravado for Gumshoe, who made small-talk for a few more minutes before leaving.

When he’d gone, Apollo slumped in his chair.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

FUCK.

This was going to be torture. Maybe he could just not go. But that would be even worse. Then people would know he’d not gone because he couldn’t face them and then he’d not just be pitied, he’d be a coward.

A sudden image of silver eyes, half-hidden behind shaggy black and white bangs flashed into his mind. 

“Did I mention how much it would piss off your ex?”

Apollo dialled Simon’s number before he could change his mind again.

*

Later that evening, Apollo was sitting on the sofa in Simon’s sparse living room, looking at Simon who sprawled out next to him, sipping tea. Taka snoozed softly on a perch behind him.

“So,” began Apollo. “If we’re going to do this, how do we pull it off? The only thing I can think of that’s more humiliating than being there with Klavier and Krystal is people finding out this is a ruse.”

“I don’t think it will be particularly difficult, Justice-dono.”

“Well, there’s the first slip-up. Pretty sure if I was your boyfriend, you’d call me Apollo.”

Simon chuckled. “Fair point, well made… Apollo.”

Apollo felt a jolt somewhere in his stomach, hearing his name in that silken, precise voice. It was the first time, he believed, that Simon had ever used it. It just sounded strange, that was all, he reasoned. A thought suddenly struck him. “And no pet names, please. Klavier gave me enough of them to last a lifetime.”

“I don’t think I have ever given anyone a pet-name in my life. Unless you count ‘Your Baldness’ and ‘Sad Monk’, of course. And I would have you know I would never call a romantic partner something so insulting.” 

“Perfect.” Apollo grinned. “I suppose first order of business is how we make it seem real without having to be all over each other.”

“I’ve given this some thought,” Simon started. “We’re both very private people so I don’t think anyone would think it strange that we’ve not shouted it from the rooftops, especially not with you having not long come out of a relationship. I would propose we simply visibly spend time together a bit more than usual. Just enough to make people suspicious. Then about two weeks before we fly out, I would suggest one of us then asked Gumshoe-dono if we can be seated together at the wedding reception since we are going together. He’ll have it all over the city by nightfall.”

That was very true. “OK but what about, erm, intimacy?” Simon’s eyebrows shot up behind his bangs. “No! Not like that. I mean, you know, public displays of affection. We don’t want to be forcing ourselves to kiss in front of everyone.”

“No. No we don’t,” Simon said carefully, but Apollo felt a slight squeeze from his bracelet. He chose to ignore it, figuring the topic was just making Simon uncomfortable. It was pretty awkward. “I have no issues with the idea of, for instance, putting my arm around you when we are sitting, or holding your hand.”

“I’d be comfortable with that.”

“Good. Again, we’re private people and that is well-known. I don’t imagine people would be expecting elaborate public displays of affection from either of us.” There was a slightly distant look in Simon’s eyes for a moment, but he seemed to recover quickly. “Are you happy for me to book flights and a hotel room for the two of us. I think it will help sell the illusion if we travel together.”

Apollo felt a swoop of butterflies in his stomach. “Hotel room? Singular?”

He saw a faint hint of a blush appear on Simon’s cheeks. “Well, it would look strange if we were not sharing a room.”

“I guess…”

“Of course, I am not suggesting we share a bed. I have looked into the hotel where the wedding will take place and they have family rooms available with two beds. I will book one of those for us.”

“OK. Well, let me know if you need any of my details for the bookings. And how much I owe you.”

“Do not worry yourself, Apollo.”

“No, I want to pay my share.”

“Honestly, you are doing me a favour by going along with this - and I admit it - ridiculous scheme. I won’t hear of you giving me any money so you may as well drop the subject.” Simon’s face was set and Apollo could see it would be futile to argue.

“Alright. Thank you. At least let me buy you some dinners while we’re there?”

“That is acceptable.”

“Good. Erm, we probably need to come up with a bit of a story about how we got together. People are bound to ask.”

“You are, of course, right. I think it best to keep it simple and believable. How about this? Since your break up we’d spent quite a lot of time together as friends. I realised that I saw you as more than that and asked you out on a date. It went from there but we kept it quiet because we wanted to see how things went first, since we share a mutual group of friends and you had not long got out of a long-term relationship.”

“It feels as if you’ve given this some thought,” Apollo joked. “I’m trying to think of the sort of intrusive questions Athena and Trucy will ask. Where was our first date?”

“Here, at my apartment. I knew you would want to be discreet for the aforementioned reasons. I cooked for you.” 

“What did you cook?”

“Tuscan chicken served with orzo and fresh greens.”

“Sounds delicious.”

“It is. Especially the way I make it.”

“And then what?”

“What do you think would have happened next?”

Apollo thought for a moment. “We took our wine out to your little balcony. I was nervous as hell because I had realised I really liked you. And Klavier always had this way of making me feel like I was lucky to be with him, that I wasn’t… I don’t know… sexy, I guess.” There was a sharp intake of breath from Simon. Apollo continued. “You asked me what was wrong and at first I shrugged it off, but you told me you could tell something was wrong and asked if it was something you had done. So I told you the truth and you were -”

“-I was furious,” Simon interrupted, and it was clear that he wasn’t making this up, he really was angry. “I was furious with Boy Band for making you feel like that and I assured you that I find you incredibly attractive, that anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool and -”

“-And then I kissed you.” Apollo finished.

“You did.” Simon’s voice was quiet. “And I think that is quite enough detail. If Athena and the magician want more information than that, you shall have to report them to Wright-dono for sexual harassment.”

Apollo laughed. “It’s, what? Six weeks until the wedding? They can’t expect much more than that.”

There was a beat and then Simon asked, “Did Boy Band really make you feel that way?”

“He did. I didn’t realise it until after we had broken up, just how bad it got after Klavier started recording again, even before he met Krystal. I mean, the three months he was cheating on me, I noticed something was wrong, but the three or four months before that were shit too. He acted as if the great and powerful Klavier Gavin was doing me a favour by being my boyfriend. And that whole rock god persona began to infiltrate every part of our lives. It was like he couldn’t switch it off. Even in…” Apollo blushed. “Even in bed. He’d be watching himself in the mirror while we were doing it. And he decided that he was only going to top from then on as well. And he didn’t care whether I, um, finished or not. If I did, it was purely by lucky coincidence. Sorry. This is all probably too much information.”

Simon swallowed, a flush high on his cheeks. “It is. But you clearly need to get it off your chest. I’m sorry you had to endure a relationship like that, Apollo. Your ex is an even bigger idiot than I thought.” In what was clearly a desire to lighten the mood, Simon smirked. “Of course, I can assure you that in our fake relationship, the fake sex we’re having is outstanding and you are more than satisfied.”

Apollo let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and Simon gave him a real smile. Apollo caught himself thinking that having Simon as a fake boyfriend for a while might not be too bad.

Chapter Text

Apollo and Simon didn’t waste any time beginning to plant the idea of their ‘relationship’ in people’s minds. A couple of days later, when Simon knew Athena would be in the office, he showed up unannounced.

“Oh, are we going for coffee?” Athena clearly thought she’d forgotten plans.

“Not us, I’m afraid,” was Simon’s reply before he looked over to Apollo’s desk. “Apollo? Are you ready?”

Apollo smiled and grabbed his wallet, pretending not to notice the way Athena was staring. Simon held the door open for him and guided him out with a gentle hand on the small of his back.

A few days later, the same happened again, except this time, just before he let go of the door, Simon intertwined his fingers with Apollo’s, holding his hand until they were out of sight of the building, lest Athena be watching from a window. The feeling of Simon’s long, elegant fingers in between his own shorter, thicker digits, the feel of their palms pressed together, was new and exciting. Klavier had rarely held his hand, and Simon’s were strong and unexpectedly warm. Apollo had to remind himself that this was all part of an act.

The following week, Simon met Apollo in the courthouse. Apollo had been facing off against Gaspen Payne and had, predictably, won. Simon wandered into the defendant’s lobby and, right there in front of Apollo’s client, and Nick and Mr Edgeworth, took both of his hands in his own, and murmured, “Celebratory dinner? Or shall we skip straight to dessert?” His voice was low but the look in his eye left no doubt to anyone what he was suggesting. Apollo just about held himself together. If he didn’t know that was just Simon acting a part, he would be in some real trouble here. They dined at Whet Soba that evening.

Apollo was not to be outdone, however. He became a regular visitor at the prosecutor’s office, more so than he ever was to see Klavier. His ex was taking a sabbatical from law while he worked on his album so there was, at least, no chance of running into him. Sometimes, Apollo would just bring some work with him, along with tea, and sit on the sofa in Simon’s office while the two of them carried out their respective duties in companionable silence. Apollo was seen by enough other prosecutors and police officers during this time to start at least some rumours.

He watched Simon face off against one of Marvin Grossberg’s subordinates in court and approached him in the prosecution lobby afterwards, taking his hand and letting his thumb stroke along the edge of it, while asking Simon not very quietly if he’d like to celebrate back at his place. Simon gave his trademark smirk but also went as red as Apollo had ever seen him.

In the courthouse cafeteria, one of the ladies behind the counter asked Apollo if he and Simon were together. Apollo gave a smile that said nothing and everything at the same time. “Oh good,” came the reply. “Big strapping man like that is just what you need.” Behind him, Apollo heard Simon choke on his own breath.

It seemed then that there were two games going on: trying to trick their friends into believing they were a couple, and trying to embarrass the other as much as possible with their antics. 

The plan had been to ask Gumshoe if they could sit next to each other at the reception a couple of weeks before the wedding. However, it seemed they had created plenty of rumours by themselves. Apollo was researching a past case to shed some light on an upcoming one and he’d been given permission to examine some evidence in the archive at Criminal Affairs. After a thoroughly dull morning rifling through ancient paperwork and fingerprint analyses, he was making his way out when a young officer piped up.

“Mr Justice, the chief was just looking for you. He asked me to let you know he’s in his office.”

Apollo thanked the officer who, despite Apollo only being twenty-five, looked ridiculously youthful, and made his way up to the office of the Chief of Police. 

“Hi, pal, how ya doing?” Dick Gumshoe was personable as ever.

“I’m doing great, how are you?”

“Good, good. Wedding stuff more or less sorted now so we can just relax and look forward to it. Actually, it’s the wedding I wanted to check in with you about.”

“Oh, right?” Secretly Apollo wondered had Klavier now demanded to perform, or to have time to propose to Krystal in the middle of the ceremony. Nothing would surprise him.

“I, erm, heard a few rumours that you and Simon Blackquill have gotten, erm, close, pal. It’s none of my business but Maggey wanted me to check in. You’re already on the same table at the reception and the other dinners and stuff that have been planned. But Maggey wanted to know if you wanted us to adjust the seating plan so you’re next to each other. She didn’t want to presume.” Gumshoe looked awkward, but Apollo didn’t believe for one moment that the curiosity came only from Maggey.

He pretended to be momentarily embarrassed before he said, “Actually, I’d been meaning to ask you about that. It would be great if we could be next to each other, but we don’t want to cause any inconvenience.”

Gumshoe beamed. “No inconvenience at all, pal. We’ll just swap Athena and Blackquill round. Miles will be up at the top table since he’s my best man. Nick will be on your table with you, Blackquill, Trucy, Athena, Detective Skye, Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, Pearls, Maya, and Prosecutor Von Karma.”

“Big tables,” Apollo observed.

“Tell me about it, pal. I just hope there’s not much crime while we’re away. Yours is the only defence law office that’s invited, but there’s a lot of prosecutors and senior police officers attending. Granted, some aren’t coming for the full week, but quite a lot are.”

Apollo chatted to Gumshoe for a little while longer before making his excuses and leaving. As he walked out of the police department, he pulled out his phone to message Simon. 

We’ve convinced everyone!

Well, maybe not everyone. Ema was waiting for him when he arrived back at the apartment that night. They’d agreed that Apollo should continue living there until after the wedding at least. Ema was already in her PJs, as was her habit when she got in after a busy day, sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand. She had already poured one for Apollo, which he accepted gratefully before plonking himself down next to her on the sofa.

“So I’ve been hearing some interesting rumours lately,” she began.

“Oh right?” Apollo feigned ignorance.

“Yeah… That you and Simon are dating, that you can’t keep your hands off each other in the courthouse, that you spend half your time in his office, that he keeps taking you for coffee dates…” Ema looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Well…” Apollo began, but Ema continued.

“Here’s the strange thing though. With all of this ‘dating’ you’ve been doing, Yuta and I haven’t seen even a hint of it. You’ve not gone out with him any evenings or weekends, he’s not come here to see you, and, to the best of my knowledge, you’ve not stayed out with him overnight. It’s almost like these occurrences are only when other people can see…’”

Apollo knew there was no point trying to fool Ema. She was his best friend, she knew him even better than Trucy did. “It was Simon’s idea. Athena’s giving him a hard time, trying to get him to date and he knew I wasn’t looking forward to being the object of everyone’s pity at the wedding. He suggested pretending to be a couple for a few weeks so we could both be not single in Palermo. That way we’d both be left alone and we could ‘break up’ once we’re home.”

Ema chuckled. “I mean, as plans go, it’s not bad. Immature, yes, but you seem to have fooled most people. Obviously, I’m not going to lie to Yuta, but your secret is safe with us.”

“Thanks, Ema.”

“Not a problem, Apollo. But…”

“But what?”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“How would I get hurt? It’s all pretend.”

“Are you sure?”

“Am I sure of what? That I don’t secretly and unbeknownst to myself have feelings for Simon?” Even as he said it, Apollo’s mind flashed to how his stomach flipped the first time Simon said his first name, the feeling he got when Simon held his hand, but he pushed those thoughts down as far as they would go. Best not to complicate things further.

“Well, yeah, in a nutshell,” replied Ema. “But also, are you sure you know how he feels about you as well?”

“Simon Blackquill does not have feelings for me.”

“Really? Because he’s always hated Klavier, even before he was a shit to you. And sometimes he looks at you when you’re not looking at him and it’s… intense. I’m not sure he just sees you as a friend.” Ema looked worried.

“I appreciate your concern, Ema. I really do. And I’m sure Simon would as well. But we’re just friends. We’re not going to hurt each other.”

Ema looked sceptical, but she said no more about it and their evening passed by happily.

Apollo went to bed before Yuta got home, but he heard his and Ema’s muffled voices from the living room and guessed Ema was filling him in. With that in mind, he messaged Simon.

Can’t win ‘em all. Ema and Yuta guessed our ruse, but they’re going to keep quiet about it.

Simon messaged back just as Apollo was dozing off.

Thank you for the heads up, Apollo. It would have been tricky to fool them, to be fair.

Apollo briefly wondered whether to tell Simon about Ema’s suspicions, so that they could laugh about them but, for some reason, he did not want to see Simon deny it, so he kept it to himself.

*

Apollo had left himself entirely in Simon’s hands for their travel plans, largely because Simon would brook no argument from him. All Apollo knew was that their flight was shortly after three in the afternoon and that they had to be at the airport for lunchtime. Simon planned to park at the airport while they were away, and had pre-booked a space, so he offered to pick up Apollo on the way there.

After heaving his case into the trunk Apollo parked himself in the passenger seat next to Simon. “So what’s our flight itinerary?”

“An overnight flight to Rome, a very short layover there, and then a quick flight to Palermo. Long journey, but not too bad.”

“Thanks for organising it all.”

“Not a problem, Apollo. Anything for my boyfriend," Simon smirked and Apollo gave a playful smack to his arm.

Apollo felt decidedly less playful when they checked in at the airport and he discovered that Simon had booked them business class tickets for every single flight.

“Simon, it’s too much. I can’t accept it.”

“I book business class because I need the legroom. I’m hardly going to book that for myself and stick you in economy.”

“But Simon -”

“‘But Simon’ nothing, Apollo. I appreciate your company and want us to fly together. I can afford to book us both into business class so that’s what I’ve done. Please do not mention it again.”

Apollo kept quiet but grumbled to himself until their gate was called. Simon must have spent several thousand dollars on their air fares and he felt as if he were taking advantage of him. But, then, Simon said he wanted to do it so, realistically, what was Apollo to do?

His grumbling ceased somewhat when he saw what business class actually entailed. The seats were enclosed within a sort of pod that offered loads of space, storage and privacy. The seat could lie flat so that he could sleep and he had his own in-flight entertainment system, bedding, noise cancelling headphones, a full amenities kit, and an actual honest-to-God menu with choices for his in-flight meals. There was a retractable privacy screen between his and Simon’s seats that they pulled back so they could see each other, which Apollo now took advantage of. Simon smirked at him.

“You shit,” said Apollo quietly. “I really want to be angry that you booked this but it’s too nice.” A sentiment that was compounded by a pretty Italian air steward handing him a glass of Prosecco.

“To fake us,” toasted Simon softly, raising his glass.

“To fake us,” Apollo responded, taking a sip.

A couple of hours after take off, there was a luxurious, multi-course dinner with absolutely gorgeous Italian food, after which, Apollo and Simon picked a film that they’d watch simultaneously through their seat screens. When the air steward saw what they were doing, she commented on how ‘cute’ they were and Apollo saw Simon blush fiercely. They watched some new-ish sci-fi film that neither had seen before and spent a good half hour after it finished discussing it and drinking tea.

Eventually, Apollo was getting tired. He took himself off to one of the bathrooms with his amenities kit to freshen up a bit and brush his teeth before going back and reclining his seat, making good use of his pillow and blanket. Simon seemed to be doing the same and Apollo wondered if he would pull the privacy screen across but he didn’t. Apollo wasn’t sure if he’d manage to sleep, but the white noise of the plane’s engines and the soft snores of the other travellers soon settled him.

He woke at what appeared to be the next morning, although he had little idea what time zone he was in at that moment. His hand felt odd and he couldn’t work out why until he saw that at some point in the night, he had placed his hand on the table area between his and Simon’s seats. Not particularly strange in itself but, what was odd, was that Simon had reached over and put his own hand over Apollo’s, gripping it softly. He gently extricated himself, not wanting to wake Simon who was snoring softly, grabbed his small backpack and complimentary toiletries, and padded down the aisle to the bathroom.

Making do with what he had, he stripped off, gave himself a quick wash as best he could, changed into clean underwear, and brushed his teeth. His hair was wrecked from sleep but he didn’t have the energy to style it. Instead he ran his fingers through it, releasing it from the gel he used to hold it in place. Softened, it hung in light waves around his ears, his ‘horns’ falling in his face. Comfortable and clean-ish, he made his way back to his seat. Simon was still sleeping.

The air steward made her way over. “Good morning. I hope you slept well?”

“Yes, thank you. Much better than I thought I would.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Breakfast service won’t be for another ninety minutes or so. Can I get you anything in the meantime? Coffee? Tea? A pastry?”

“A coffee would be amazing, thank you. Just black, please.”

The lady walked off to get his drink. When she came back she placed it in front of him and smiled. “If you don’t mind me saying, you and your partner were very sweet last night.”

Apollo blushed. “We were?”

“Sì. We walk through the cabin when passengers are sleeping to check no one needs anything. You had fallen asleep with your hand on the table and, when I was doing my rounds, your partner appeared to be stirring. He was asleep, but he was patting the table like he was looking for something. When he found your hand he held it and then he slept like a baby. It was very sweet.”

“Oh.” Apollo felt himself grow warm.

“I can see I have embarrassed you. Per favore, do not be embarrassed. It’s very lovely to see two people so clearly innamorato.” With that, she moved on and Apollo was left to drink his coffee and try not to explore how it felt that people thought he and Simon were a couple even when they weren’t actively trying to fool them.

A few minutes later, Simon woke. “Morning ‘Pollo,” he mumbled, his voice heavy. He was thoroughly sleep-mussed and Apollo couldn’t help but be struck by how handsome he was in these unguarded moments. Simon didn’t waste any time freshening up and getting his own coffee and before long the two of them were chatting away, anticipating the final leg of the journey.

*

Their transfer in Rome had gone without a hitch and one short flight later they had landed in Palermo. They had business class seats on the short flight too but as it was a smaller, internal flight, it just meant more leg room and priority boarding. After making their way through passport control and collecting their luggage, they walked into Arrivals, instantly spotting a driver with a board reading ‘Blackquill’.

“Mi scusi, sono il Signor Blackquill,” Simon addressed the man and Apollo nearly fell over himself hearing smooth Italian in that deep, rich voice.

“I didn’t know you spoke Italian,” he said as they followed the driver out to the car.

“I don’t really. My parents had a holiday home in Tuscany when I was growing up. I picked up enough to get by but I couldn’t hold a full conversation. Do you speak any other languages?”

“Some Khura’inese but that’s it. And I’m very rusty. I’ve not had occasion to speak it since I was a child. I’ve been practicing a bit with Yuta since he came over.”

Conversation lulled as the car drove them to the hotel. It was a half-hour drive that gave Apollo tantalising glimpses of the blue sea, and rustic Sicilian architecture. The driver took a route that skirted the outside edge of the city before turning up into the hills where the hotel was located. The views would be spectacular from up here, presumably why Gumshoe and Maggey had chosen it.

At reception, Apollo got to hear more delicious Italian from Simon (“Buongiorno, ho una prenotazione per Simon Blackquill,”) before they completed their paperwork, received their keys and went up to their room.

The room was simple yet elegant. Crisp white walls and white marbled tiles on the floor. Two large double beds stood side by side, separated by a small nightstand. On the opposite wall was a dresser, topped by a TV, and standing between a wardrobe and a desk-cum-dressing table, which also housed the standard issue hotel kettle with tea and coffee making paraphernalia. There was also a small, well-stocked - and very cheap! - minibar. But the room’s pièce de résistance was the large sliding glass door, that opened on to a small, comfortable balcony that gave views out across the pool area, right over Palermo, and out to the sea. It was exquisite. 

They spent a few minutes making themselves comfortable and unpacking. Simon busied himself with working out how to use the air conditioner, while Apollo went to relieve himself. The en suite was compact, but clean and functional, although he was immensely glad he wasn’t as big as Simon, who was bound to bruise his elbows while showering. 

Back in the room, he discovered Simon had managed to get the air con working, but the room was still hot. He’d left the balcony door open, but pulled the wooden shutters closed, making the room blessedly dim.

“I think, Apollo, that I’ll take a nap for an hour or so. Otherwise I do not believe I will make it through dinner.”

“Same,” smiled Apollo, flopping down on his bed, delighted to find it just the right balance between soft and firm before drifting off.

*

About forty-five minutes later, Apollo woke to the sound of his phone buzzing on the nightstand. It was a message from Ema.

Hey! We’ve arrived. Yuta is flat out but I’m by the pool. You here yet?

Apollo glanced over at Simon. The man was still fast asleep.

We’re here. I’ve just had a nap. Simon’s still out cold but I’ll come down to meet you. Give me 10 mins.

He grabbed some swim shorts and a clean t-shirt and went into the bathroom to change in case Simon woke up. Applying suncream as best he could, he got ready before going back into the bedroom to find his sliders. He nabbed one of the complimentary bottles of water from the side, pulled a beach towel from his bag in case he decided to go for a swim, and quickly scribbled a note to Simon to let him know where he was, leaving it on the nightstand under his phone.

Casting a last look at the sleeping man, he was struck by how difficult it must be for someone with Simon’s history to fall asleep around others, and he felt momentarily touched that his friend trusted him that much. He shook his head to clear the thought. Of course his friend trusted him. And with that, he left to meet Ema.

Chapter Text

Apollo had occasionally thought that if he was straight he would almost certainly be in love with Ema. As it was, he loved her as a best friend without the complication of attraction, but even he could see, objectively, that she was stunning as she lay on a sun lounger in a simple olive green bikini, large sunglasses, and a floppy hat.

“Very glamorous,” he commented as he sat down on the lounger next to hers. 

“Thank you. I thought I’d take the opportunity to not be a frumpy detective for the week.”

“When are you ever frumpy?”

“I wear capri pants with a lab coat to work.”

“Fair point.”

Ema grinned at him. “So, how was travelling with your boyfriend?”

Apollo rolled his eyes fondly and then told her all about the business class seats, the accidental hand-holding in their sleep, and Simon’s linguistic talents.

Ema stared from behind her sunglasses. “And you’re sure you don’t have feelings for each other?” She asked this in a low voice lest anyone overhear.

“Positive,” replied Apollo, not feeling even half as confident as he sounded.

“It’s just, Yuta and I considered upgrading to business class but it was way too expensive. We could just about stretch to premium economy. That’s a lot of money for him to pay for a ‘friend’.”

“I know, but he explained it all and he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.” He decided to change the subject. “Have I got this right? More guests are arriving tomorrow and then it’s the bachelor and bachelorette parties Monday?”

“Yep,” replied Ema. “Tuesday and Thursday are free days. Wednesday’s the legal ceremony and Friday is the ‘fancy’ ceremony. Some guests are leaving Saturday, some Sunday.”

“OK. But we’re not at the legal ceremony?”

“No. The Chief told me that it’s just a few witnesses at the legal ceremony, but we’re all invited to the banquet afterwards, which is here at the hotel.”

“It all seems very complicated.” Apollo was personally thinking that if he ever got married it would be a quick ceremony at the courthouse, followed by a celebratory meal. He didn’t like the thought of all the fuss.

“It is. Apparently that’s down to Maggey’s mum. Maggey and the Chief always wanted a wedding in Sicily, and her mum pushed for it to be this massive event. But it’s lovely nonetheless.”

Apollo silently agreed, looking around at the sun soaked pool area with view out over the city and the sea. He loved the heat of the sun on his body, reminding him of his early years in Khura’in, running over sun drenched hills, swimming in the cool river with Yuta. He stood, asking Ema if she’d like to join him for a swim. They entered the pool, which was deliciously cold against their warm bodies. They swam up and down for a bit, before coming to rest against the rail at the far end, looking out over the majestic view.

“Are you nervous about seeing Klavier and Krystal?” Ema asked.

“I am,” Apollo admitted. “I kind of want to get it over with. Like ripping off a band aid.”

“They’re here somewhere,” said Ema and Apollo felt his stomach drop. “I saw them arrive as Yuta and I were getting into the elevator after checking in.”

“I guess I’ll see them around, then.”

“You’ll be fine, you know. Especially with Simon on your arm.” Apollo suddenly felt warm all over. Ema continued. “Fancy a drink before you go back up?”

They got out of the pool and dried off lightly, letting the sun do the rest. Ema put up the parasol between their loungers while Apollo went to the pool bar to get a couple of bottles of a very nice Italian beer. When in Rome and all that.

*

An hour or so later, Apollo arrived back in their room to find Simon sitting out on the balcony, reading. He looked very peaceful and Apollo almost felt bad for coming back and disturbing him. He realised that from his vantage point, he had probably been able to see Apollo and Ema. He said as much before adding, “You could have joined us.”

“I know, I was quite content here though. I took the liberty of making dinner reservations for us at the hotel restaurant this evening. We have about an hour and a half now though, so we can take our time.”

“Thank you. I’ve been in the pool so I’ll want a shower.”

“Of course. I, too, would like to freshen up. If we’re to be putting on our act, I would not wish people to think you had a slovenly boyfriend.”

Apollo laughed and sat with Simon while he drank some water. They took turns in the bathroom and got dressed for dinner. Apollo was struck by how handsome Simon looked in dark grey chinos and a pale pink linen shirt, sleeves rolled up to show muscular forearms. Apollo felt distinctly underdressed in loose denim shorts that came down to his knees and a fitted white t-shirt that clung to his compact, toned frame. That said, he would have to be deaf to miss the sharp intake of breath from Simon when he saw him. “Is everything OK?” Apollo asked.

“Yes, quite. Your hair just looks very different like that.”

Apollo grinned. It was too hot to cake his hair in gel, so he’d decided to let it hang loose and wavy. “Shall we?” He indicated towards the door since it was almost time for their table. 

“Indeed.” As they left their room, it occurred to Apollo that they could bump into other wedding guests along the way, so he took Simon’s hand to keep up their charade. He felt Simon tense slightly, before returning his touch, gripping his hand tightly.

Arriving at the restaurant, Apollo slowed as he saw Klavier and Krystal at a table just outside the doors to the terrace, and he felt his heart pound in his chest as the waiter led them to their own table, which was also on the terrace, but out towards the edge, so they could see the city lit up in twinkling lights below them. 

It was the first time Apollo had seen Klavier in person since they day he had left and he felt himself tremble slightly as they walked past, but then he felt Simon tracing his thumb over Apollo’s own in a soothing motion and he felt somehow stronger, more confident. Klavier was beautiful as ever, and his companion was head-turningly stunning. Apollo looked straight ahead as he walked past, and he heard the lull in their conversation, felt Klavier’s eyes on him, but he simply held Simon’s hand and kept walking.

At their table, Simon put on a show of being the perfect gentleman. Or maybe it wasn’t a show. He pulled out Apollo’s chair for him, poured him some water, asked for his wine preferences, and ordered a bottle for them in flawless Italian while Apollo perused the menu. 

“What do you fancy?” Simon asked.

Apollo had to bite his tongue as he nearly said you without thinking. Where had that come from? “I’m pretty hungry. What are you having?”

“I’m going the full hog,” chuckled Simon. “Appetiser, first dish, and main course. Possibly dessert too. When in Rome and all that…”

Apollo laughed as Simon echoed his own thought from earlier. "In that case I may order the homemade smoked salmon for my appetiser, the tonarelli carbonara for a first dish, and the fish soup as a main.”

“Sounds delicious,” Simon said quietly. “I will have the aubergine caponata, the tagliatelle with bolognese ragù, and the grilled swordfish. I may order a mixed salad side if you wish to share.”

Apollo agreed and they placed their order, Apollo aware the whole time of dark blue eyes burning into the back of his neck.

*

Over the course of the next two hours, Apollo and Simon ate course after course of delicious, fresh food. By the end, they were both stuffed and couldn’t even contemplate dessert so they ordered a limoncello each instead. While they were waiting for their drinks, Apollo excused himself to use the bathroom.

There were bathrooms for the use of restaurant patrons just outside the main dining room so he did not, thankfully, have to go all the way back to his and Simon’s room. However, when he emerged after relieving himself and washing up, before he could walk back to Simon, he was accosted by Klavier, who appeared to have been waiting for him.

“Guten Abend Liebling,” came the familiar German accent. 

“Less of the ‘Liebling’, Klavier. You don’t get to call me that anymore.” Apollo could hear his own voice simmering with annoyance, even if it was low.

Klavier looked momentarily stung. “My apologies, Apollo. I had hoped things could be more cordial between us, ja?”

“No. They cannot,” Apollo was brusque. “You cheated on me, left me, and kicked me out of our home. I had to get tested for STIs because of you. We’re a long, long way away from cordial.”

Klavier’s face hardened. “Whatever you say, Apollo. I only approached because I wanted to ask what is going on between you and Herr Blackquill. I had heard you were together but I did not believe it until I saw you this evening.”

“We’re together,” Apollo replied, the lie rolling easily off his tongue. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks. I’m very happy.” This last bit was true, at least.

“It seems like you got over me awfully quickly, Apollo. Are you sure your relationship didn’t also overlap with our own?” 

“How dare you?” Apollo’s rage was barely contained. Only the knowledge that they were in public was keeping him from shouting. “I waited at home for you every single night while you were out with her. I made excuse after excuse for you. The only reason I got over you so quickly was because you proved yourself to be such a cunt that it was painfully easy to fall out of love with you. And Simon was there as my friend until I realised that he was so much more than that. And I’m happy, so don’t you dare try to spoil that with nasty insinuations. There was only one cheater in our relationship and it sure as hell was not me.”

Klavier appeared dumbstruck at the sheer amount of venom behind Apollo’s words, but Apollo was not going to take that crap from him. Suddenly, a familiar, comforting voice came from behind him. “Is everything OK Apollo? You were taking a while and our drinks have arrived.”

Apollo turned and saw Simon standing there, glaring at Klavier, his eyes hard, despite the softness of his words. “Everything is fine, Simon. Klavier here was just about to leave me the fuck alone, weren’t you Klavier?”

Klavier scowled and entered the bathroom. Apollo took Simon’s hand and they walked back to their table. “Apologies if I interfered, Apollo.”

“No, thank you for coming over. I think I might have punched him if you didn’t.”

Between sips of the sharp, sweet limoncello, Apollo filled Simon in. “You really called him a cunt?” Simon was laughing so hard tears were coming to his eyes.

“I did. It’s not a word I’ve ever used before. I’m quite proud of myself.” Apollo was laughing as well, now.

“You should be.”

They finished their drinks and decided to retire for the night. There were other guests arriving the next day, including their respective bosses so it probably wouldn’t do to look exhausted.

When they stood, Apollo realised Klavier and Krystal had left already. Despite this, and without really noticing he did it, Apollo took Simon’s hand anyway.

*

Ever since Clay had died, Apollo had suffered periodic nightmares about his friend’s final moments. They were less prolific now than they had been but they still occurred. When he was first with Klavier, the other man had held him through them, comforted him, kissed him, and told him everything would be OK. As time wore on, Klavier was more likely to complain that Apollo had disturbed him with his tossing, turning, and shouting. Apollo had got used to being shaken awake, grumbled at, then left to deal with the cold sweats and tears on his own.

It was surprising, then, as he oscillated between being sleep and almost waking, as he sobbed and cried out Clay’s name in distress, as visions of his dead body screamed through his unconscious mind, that he felt the mattress next to him dip. Strong arms encircled him, and he was just about aware of being pulled close to a warm, firm, body, the smoothness of a soft cotton t-shirt against his cheek. A deep voice rumbled softly, “I’ve got you, Apollo. You’re safe. It’s just a nightmare,” while a large hand rubbed soothing circles on his back. 

Gradually, the dream faded, his tears dried, and he settled into the most restful sleep of his life.

Chapter Text

Apollo woke to the Sunday morning sunlight filtering through the shutters. Not wanting to leave the air conditioning on all night, they had opted to keep the sliding door to the balcony open while locking the shutters. It had meant the room was comfortable overnight without the dry chill of the air con. That said, it was getting warmer now. Apollo was about to get up and switch on the air con when he realised that he was actually wrapped in a pair of strong arms and that there was warm breath on the back of his neck.

What the…?

It suddenly came flooding back. The nightmare. The feeling of being comforted. The soothing voice.

He felt as if he should be embarrassed but instead he just felt… happy, warm, connected. Apollo continued to lie there for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of Simon’s arms around him. It had been so long since someone had just held him.

After a few minutes, he heard a change in Simon’s breathing, felt the other man tense. He allowed Simon a moment or two to recollect the previous evening and then murmured, “Morning, Simon.”

He heard a sharp intake of breath. “Apollo, I am so, so sorry. You were having a nightmare and appeared to be in some distress. I came over to comfort you and intended to move back to my own bed once you seemed alright. I must have fallen asleep. I promise I am not in the habit of climbing into other men’s beds in the middle of the night and dozing off.”

Apollo laughed and turned around, still in Simon’s arms. “It’s fine, Simon. I should be thanking you, really. Those nightmares are horrible and you helped make it disappear. So, really, thank you.” Apollo was suddenly very aware that his face was only inches from Simon’s. He saw Simon swallow.

“You were saying things in your sleep. I heard you mention Clay.”

“Yes. I’ve had the nightmares ever since he died. It used to be nightly, now it’s every once in a while. I suspect the encounter with Klavier probably triggered it.”

Simon nodded. “I occasionally have nightmares about the clink. They usually revolve around me receiving a stay of execution because they’ve decided to swap me with Athena. I haven’t had one in a while now, but they do like to take me by surprise."

“Well, if you have one here, I’ll try to be as good at soothing you as you were me.” Apollo smiled.

Simon’s tongue darted out to lick his lower lip. “I’ve no doubt you would be.” There was a strange energy in the air between them, it positively crackled with possibility. Simon looked as if he were trying to make a decision and Apollo suddenly felt overwhelmed. 

He practically jumped off the bed. “It’s gone really hot in here. I’ll put the air con on, on my way to the bathroom.”

*

Gumshoe and Maggey had apparently arrived on the previous Wednesday as they had to be in Sicily a week before their legal ceremony. Apollo had seen neither hide nor hair of them the day before, however, because they had been busy with arrangements. Today, though, the majority of the other guests were arriving, so the happy couple were there at the hotel to greet them. Apollo and Simon bumped into them over breakfast and they mentioned they’d be spending the day at the pool in order to see as many people as possible.

Apollo and Simon decided to head there themselves, especially after Apollo told Simon that there was table football, table tennis, and a pool table in the games room on that level. Simon was naturally competitive and the idea of being able to trounce a variety of his friends and colleagues at various games was highly appealing.

The two of them were soon joined at the pool by Ema and Yuta. Yuta and Simon had something of a love-hate relationship. They got on better now than when they first met, but they still referred to each other as Sad Monk and Sad Panda, and they often bickered like an old married couple. Yuta was as competitive as Simon and so was quick to take him up on his challenge of pool.

“That’s the last we’ll see of them for a while,” chuckled Ema.

Over the course of the day, more and more familiar faces arrived. First was Athena and Pearl who had opted to travel together from home. The two had formed a close friendship since their first meeting, each a positive influence on the other. Next were a few people from the prosecutor’s office and the police department that Apollo recognised but did not know well. Simon and Yuta reemerged from the games room not long after this, Simon only being a little smug about wiping the floor with Yuta. The next to arrive were Maya and Franziska Von Karma-Fey. They had flown in from Germany where they were currently living. Nick and Trucy arrived next, trailed by Mr Edgeworth, who was talking away on his phone in fluent Italian.

“He’s making sure all the arrangements are in place for Dick’s bachelor party tomorrow,” explained Nick. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to get roped into ‘helping out’ so I’m going to spend a lot of the day standing behind your boyfriend, Polly. He’s tall enough to hide me.”

Apollo blanked for a split second before realising Nick was talking about Simon. He laughed. “I might hide with you.”

As if to illustrate his point, Klavier and Krystal chose that very moment to arrive at the pool. There were quite a few at the prosecutor’s office who didn’t care that Klavier was a certified piece of shit and he instantly attracted company. Krystal, however, looked nervous, her eyes darting from person to person as she fidgeted with her hands. Apollo tried not to notice how many people were whispering and pointing, he tried not to notice the two detectives who laughed and indiscreetly commented, “Well, he clearly has a thing for prosecutors,” and he even tried not to noticed the way that, when Klavier saw him, he pulled Krystal closer and kissed her neck, but he couldn’t not notice these things and it was becoming overwhelming.

Simon had been chatting to Ms Von Karma but, all of a sudden, he was next to Apollo, putting his arm round his shoulder and holding him close. He glanced up at Simon and gave him a small, grateful smile. “I’ve got you,” Simon murmured, just loudly enough for Apollo to hear. He allowed himself to relax into the touch of his fake boyfriend, hoping that tomorrow’s bachelor party wouldn’t be too trying.

*

Breakfast at the hotel was delicious, a buffet of pastries, hot breakfast foods, cured meats, cheeses, fruit, yogurt and anything else you could imagine. Apollo and Simon had actually come down early this morning in order to take full advantage of it. They sat on the terrace in the same spot they’d had dinner on the day they arrived, lingering over the best coffee Apollo had ever tasted. Drinking coffee in the morning sunshine with Simon felt like such a treat that Apollo didn’t even have to pretend to look the happiest he had ever felt.

“Do you happen to know the plan for today, Apollo?” Simon queried, sucking on the tip of his thumb to catch a stray flake of pastry from his millefoglie. Apollo found himself oddly captivated by the action.

“Er, um, yes,” he stammered out, hoping he wasn’t staring. “All of the guys need to be in reception for ten. There are some minibuses meeting us to take us down to Mondello where we’re meeting the party yacht.”

“Then an afternoon of sun, sea, and inebriation?”

“According to Nick, that’s the plan. I doubt that’s what Mr Edgeworth thinks. Apparently there’s karaoke, pool, bowling and a bunch of other activities.”

Simon chuckled. “Stag parties are not really my idea of a good time. It takes a lot for me to get drunk and it’s no fun being the most sober person in the group.”

“It takes too little to get me drunk,” Apollo retorted. “I’ll be limiting myself. I’m not exactly looking forward to being in a confined space with Klavier. The last thing I need is to be wasted.” 

Simon grimaced. “You will be fine. I don’t plan on leaving you alone with him at any point.”

Apollo felt somewhat reassured. 

*

Naturally, since Mr Edgeworth had planned them, the logistics went off without a hitch. They boarded their minibuses on time (Nick snuck on with Apollo, Simon and Yuta rather than getting in the front one with his husband and Gumshoe), arrived at Mondello on time, boarded the yacht quickly and efficiently, listened to the boring-but-necessary safety spiel, and then set sail on time.

That was a couple of hours ago and most of the men present were on their way to being very drunk, especially the groom. Everyone seemed to be wearing t-shirts and swim shorts, but there was a shocking lack of sun hats. Apollo supposed there would be a fair few very sore heads the next day. 

So far, Apollo had dodged Klavier, but, as he expected, his luck could not last all day. On his way back from a quick trip to the bathroom, he saw Klavier approach Simon. Curious, Apollo moved closer to hear.

“What do you want, Prosecutor Boy Band?” Simon was apparently not in the mood to humour him.

“I was just wondering, Herr Blackquill, what your intentions towards Apollo are?”

Simon raised an eyebrow. “Well I certainly don’t intend to cheat on him and leave him, if that’s what you mean. Not that it has anything to do with you anymore.”

Apollo couldn’t see Klavier’s face but he heard him scoff. “You’re so naïve, Blackquill. You know you’re a stopgap for Apollo, don’t you? If I ever decide to take him back, he’ll ditch you the second I click my fingers.”

Apollo saw Simon’s face contort with anger and he thought it best he intervene before Simon decided to throw Klavier overboard and land himself back in prison. He strode over purposefully. “You’re the one who’s naïve, Klavier, if you believe that.” Klavier spun round to face him, clearly irritated that he had been overheard. “For starters I would never, and I can’t stress this enough, ever go back to you. That ship has sailed. Secondly, I’d be an idiot if I did because Simon is ten times the man you are.”

Klavier didn’t even give a reply. He just turned on his heel and stormed off to another part of the boat. Simon was staring at Apollo with surprise. “I must say, I’m flattered.”

“It’s true.” He dropped his voice to just above a whisper. “Even if we’re not really together, it would be an idiot who left you for him.”

Simon swallowed and looked as if he might say something in response, but at that moment, Nick approached and asked Apollo if he could have a word. Simon excused himself to visit the bar and left the two of them alone.

“I saw Gavin over here,” explained Nick. “I wanted to check you were OK.”

“I am, but thanks. He’s just trying to stir up trouble. I know his games now so they won’t work on me.” Apollo was surprised to find that he meant it.

“That’s good to hear,” said Nick. “And how about Simon, how are things going with him?”

Apollo felt a little bad having to fib here. “It’s still new, but it’s going well. We just, kind of, work. I’m happy. He makes me happy.” That wasn’t too much of a fib, he supposed.

“I’m glad, Polly. You deserve to be happy,” smiled Nick. “I know I’m not that much older than you, but because of your relationship to Trucy, and because I’ve had the privilege of watching you grow as a lawyer, I do look at you as a, sort of, bonus kid. It’s important to me that you’re happy.”

Apollo didn’t quite know what to say to that, he felt quite emotional. It meant a lot. He knew if he spoke, he’d choke up, so he smiled, eyes slightly wet. Nick seemed to understand. 

*

Simon had returned from the bar with a round of four drinks, and Yuta. They joined Apollo and Nick and found a place to sit at the back of the room.

Apollo remembered when he first came to the States and he was paired up with his foster parents - who he ended up living with until even after he had aged out - Jamal and Maryam Qadir. They had a huge extended family and used to take Apollo along to big gatherings. At these events there was always what Maryam fondly referred to as ‘the naughty boy’s table’. Apollo was never put there as he was one of life’s rule-followers, but several of Jamal and Maryam’s nephews ended up there with regularity. Apollo was put in mind of this table now, as he, Simon, Yuta, and Nick sat slightly away from everyone else, at the back, making fun of some of their more inebriated friends and colleagues.

At least, that was the case until the karaoke started. Apollo knew what would happen immediately, as Klavier never missed a chance to show off. Indeed, the German was the first up, choosing a very long Meatloaf number. He was going to be singing for at least ten minutes and Apollo was not in any mood to sit through it.

Simon seemed to read his thoughts. “Anyone fancy a dip in the sea?”

Apollo and the others readily agreed and they snuck out to the deck, letting a member of the yacht’s crew know what they were doing, as per the safety instructions. Since they were all in swim shorts, they just had to strip out of their t-shirts, kick off their sliders, and jump in.

The sea was warm and calm and it sparkled in the sunshine in a way that was mesmerising. Apollo felt at peace here. Or, at least, he did until Simon swung a gigantic arm round and swept what felt like a tidal wave of seawater over Apollo’s head. Apollo retaliated straight away. He wasn’t a giant of a man like Simon, but he was strong and he managed to give his ‘boyfriend’ a significant dowsing. This sparked something of a battle, which Yuta and Nick eagerly joined in with until the four of them were drenched, tired out, and laughing uncontrollably. Apollo had forgotten all about Klavier, his mind too full of Simon and their friends. 

Eventually, Nick said, “I should probably climb back aboard. Miles is managing everything by himself and it’s probably not great that I snuck away.”

The other three decided to get back on board with him, sitting on the sun-drenched deck to dry off. Apollo’s eyes were drawn to Simon. His ponytail was drying out in the sun, curling up into its natural waves, shimmering with salt crystals. Drips of water ran down his chest and Apollo found him following them with his eyes, glancing over firm, chiselled muscles that rippled as he moved. It wasn’t as if he’d never seen Simon’s naked chest before. They were sharing a room and, back home, they went to the same gym. But this was definitely the first time he’d seen Simon’s body glistening with water from the Tyrrhenian Sea as he leaned back on his elbows, closed his eyes and set his face toward the sun.

It hit different. 

He looked away and immediately saw Yuta smirking at him, eyebrow raised. Apollo looked down at his knees, flustered. He could appreciate Simon as an attractive man without it meaning anything, couldn’t he? 

*

The rest of the bachelor party passed without major incident. Most of the group were pretty wasted and Mr Edgeworth had given up any hope of getting the security deposit back, but Chief Gumshoe seemed to have had a good time which was, Apollo reasoned, the important thing. As the yacht docked, they were met once again by the small fleet of minibuses. This time, Mr Edgeworth opted to travel with Nick, Yuta, Simon, and Apollo.

“I have no desire to be in a minibus with any of the others when they start throwing up,” he grimaced. “You four seem reasonably sober.”

“Nice, Miles. You could have said that you want to travel with me, your husband, who you love dearly, but no. Just because we’re not wasted.” Nick sounded hurt but he was smirking as he spoke.

“Not just because you’re not wasted, then.” Mr Edgeworth was soft and he was looking at Nick with such fondness that Apollo felt as if he was intruding on a private moment.

When their minibus pulled up at the hotel, the night was still young, but it had been a long day and Apollo had no desire to head to the hotel bar which was where the rest of the group were heading. “I think I’ll go back to our room. I need a shower. I feel as if I stink of suncream and salt.”

“Same here,” Simon nodded.

“I am going to find Ema,” Yuta chimed in. “She should be back from the bachelorette now.”

Mr Edgeworth and Nick looked at each other. “Fancy ordering some room service pizza?” Nick asked.

Mr Edgeworth laid his head on his husband’s shoulder and almost sobbed with gratitude. “Yes. The food on that yacht was virtually inedible.”

They all headed back to their rooms. On the way, Simon and Apollo agreed that room service pizza sounded like an excellent idea for after their showers. Simon hit the bathroom first, emerging a short time later refreshed and wearing his sleep shorts, with a towel slung around his neck.

“Shall I order the pizzas while you shower?”

“Great idea.” Apollo glanced at the menu. “Could I get the Napoli, please?”

“Of course. I think I might order the Capricciosa.”

Apollo went through to the bathroom. Showering took a little longer than he anticipated. He had to wash his hair twice to get all of the dried sea salt out of it. Once out of the shower he realised he’d forgotten to bring his pyjama shorts in with him. He didn’t much want to go back out into the room in just a towel, but then he spied the standard issue fluffy white robes that came with the room. He pulled one on. It was miles too big, but it was better than nothing.

When he went back through to the room, he discovered their pizzas had arrived. Simon was waiting for him to start so he decided to eat in his robe and then change into his shorts. They sat on the balcony, chatting amicably and eating. When they were nearly finished, Apollo realised that Simon had fallen silent. He looked over at him to see he had paused with pizza part way to his mouth, his eyes staring at Apollo, but definitely south of his face. Apollo looked down and realised his robe had fallen open. He wasn’t indecently exposing himself, but he wasn’t far off. The robe hung on either side of his leg, revealing everything right up to his upper thigh. Not saying anything, Apollo closed the robe over. Simon appeared to reboot, not saying anything either, but carrying on eating. 

After that, the atmosphere between them felt charged, even after Apollo changed into his shorts and they read their books while drinking a glass of wine, there was a tension in the air. Apollo hoped it would be gone by morning.

*

Apollo was sitting naked on the edge of his bed. It was somehow the hotel bed and his bed at Ema’s place both at the same time. But that wasn’t his main concern right now. What was really intriguing him was the fact that there were lips wrapped around his cock. He was looking up at the ceiling, he daren’t look down. What if it was Klavier? He didn’t want that. He reached down to the man’s head, entwining his fingers in the long hair he found there, ready to pull him away. But the hair wasn’t the smooth, silky straight hair he associated with Klavier, it was thicker, coarser, wavier. 

His fingers tensed as he realised this, pulling the hair sharply. The man between his legs let out a deep groan that vibrated around Apollo’s dick. He knew that voice. He looked down to see Simon bobbing up and down on his erection, his talented tongue lathing the underside while he gave just the perfect amount of suction.

Apollo was incredibly turned on.

And so, it seemed, was Simon, who was letting out the most delicious moans.

Apollo decided not to question it, gave himself over to the sensation. He realised he was close. “So good for me, Simon. So perfect with your lips around me,” he half cried.

Simon looked up at this, their eyes meeting. Simon’s normally silver irises had darkened to flint, blown out with lust. That was the last straw for Apollo, who came down Simon’s throat with a deep grunt and then - 

Apollo sat bolt upright in bed, panting. His shorts were sticking to him uncomfortably and he realised, with no small degree of embarrassment, that he had had a wet dream. Not just that, he’d had a wet dream about Simon giving him an absolutely mind-blowing blow job. He glanced over at the other man, who was fast asleep and snoring in his own bed. Apollo was thankful for small mercies. At least if he’d been talking in his sleep, Simon won’t have heard him.

As quietly as he could, Apollo got out of bed and grabbed a clean pair of shorts before going into the bathroom to clean up and change. He stared at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t had a wet dream since he was a teenager. And now one about Simon of all people? He supposed it wasn’t that strange. They were here together, in close proximity, after all. They were acting like a couple most of the time. It wasn’t that surprising.

Satisfied, he returned to bed and hoped he could get back to sleep.

No such luck.

Just as he got comfy, Simon rolled over noisily in his own bed, letting out a low moan. Apollo didn’t pay it much heed until Simon moaned again and then mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “Right there, Oh, fuck, that feels good.” Apollo closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t listen to his friend have a sex dream.

But he had little choice. Simon continued to grunt and moan, mumbling the odd incoherent sentence until the noises became choked and he groaned out, “Oh, shit. Oh, God. You’re making me come Apollo.” This was followed by the unmistakable sounds of a climax, but Apollo was no longer paying attention. He was too busy listening to the repeated replays his mind was giving him of Simon calling out his name as he came.

Fuck.

He realised that Simon was waking up. Apollo hastily pretended to be asleep. 

“Oh, fuck. Not again,” he heard Simon mutter.

Again? This has happened before?

He kept his pretence up of being asleep. “At least he’s asleep,” Simon muttered again, sounding relieved.

Apollo then heard the sounds of Simon making a very similar trip to the bathroom to the one he had made himself not long before. A short time later, Simon returned, climbing into bed and clearly trying to get back to sleep. Apollo rolled over to face away from him. 

Had they both had wet dreams about each other? It certainly sounded that way.

Apollo’s last thought before sleep reclaimed him, was that this was starting to feel inordinately complicated.

Chapter Text

The sun blazed down on the piazza as Apollo sipped his wine. Today was a free day and Apollo and Simon had agreed to spend it exploring Palermo with Nick, Trucy, Mr Edgeworth and Athena. They had spent the morning being tourists, visiting Palermo Cathedral and The Fountain of Shame, before finding their way to a beautiful piazza lined with the parasol-shaded tables of a variety of restaurants and cafés. They had stopped at one for a leisurely lunch and Apollo had just polished off an enormous serving of pasta alla Norma.

The rest of the group were chatting away, Athena and Mr Edgeworth swapping stories of living in Europe, Trucy demonstrating a magic trick to Simon, while Nick looked on with pride.

Things had been awkward with Simon that morning. Apollo was haunted by images of the other man between his thighs, by the sounds of his moans as he had cried out in his sleep, by the sudden realisation that he was incredibly attracted to his pretend boyfriend. He assumed Simon was in a similar predicament, and the two had barely spoken unless strictly necessary, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. 

Of course, they couldn’t keep that up as everyone would think they’d had an argument or something, and Apollo didn’t want to add fake fights to his fake relationship. That said, he also categorically did not want to speak to Simon about this. He had been wondering how to go about this when, as they climbed out of the hotel shuttle bus that took them to the city centre, Simon took his hand in his own. He could still detect tension in the lines of the other man’s mouth, but where their hands connected felt as if it were radiating a warmth to rival the sun itself. As the morning wore on, they seemed to relax more in each other’s company and, whenever they let go of each other’s hand to take a photograph or get money from their wallets, Apollo missed Simon’s touch in the way he would miss a limb. It was becoming less and less difficult to pretend.

During lunch, Simon had even offered him a taste of  his involtini di pesce spade, feeding it to him from his fork as if they really were a couple, instigating a bout of mimed vomiting from Athena. Apollo couldn’t find it within himself to care.

“Are there anymore tourist traps you wish to drag us to, Athena?” Simon asked after watching one last demonstration from Trucy. He casually draped his arm over the back of Apollo’s chair, gently stroking the tips of his fingers up and down Apollo’s upper arm, causing him to shiver.

Athena stuck out her tongue. “No. Although I would like to visit some of the markets.”

It was agreed, then, that they’d explore the city’s markets for a while before going to meet the hotel’s shuttle bus once more. Mr Edgeworth insisted on footing the bill for lunch (Simon attempted to protest, Nick told him that this was a fight even the Twisted Samurai wouldn’t be able to win) and then they were gathering their things, ready to explore.

As they left the piazza in the direction of a market recommended by their waitress, Apollo felt Simon’s fingers intertwine with his own and he felt… content.

*

The market was a nice change of pace. Apollo laughed as Athena and Trucy bought every bit of tat they could find. He himself bought a painting of what was roughly the view from the hotel pool: the hillside, the rooftops of Palermo, and the sea. The Wright-Justice Law Offices would be moving to new premises in a few months and Apollo would have his own honest-to-God office. He decided the painting would look right at home on his new wall. At the same stall, he saw a painting of a striking bird. He asked the stall-holder, who spoke some English, what it was.

“Eleonora Falcon,” the man replied. “They have - how you say? - siti di nidificazione… nesting places in Sicilia.”

“Grazi,” Apollo smiled and promptly bought it, slipping it into the bag next to his own canvas. He couldn't stretch to business class air fares, but he could buy this. He found Simon, eyeing a gelato shop at the edge of the market and suggested they get one each to pass the time while the others finished shopping. Simon didn’t need telling twice, ordering a scoop of lemon for himself, and pistachio for Apollo. 

“Cinque euro per favore,” grinned the man behind the counter.  Simon handed the cones to Apollo while he took out his wallet to pay and Apollo just couldn’t resist. As Simon reached out to take his own gelato back, Apollo looked him dead in the eye and deliberately took a long, slow lick of it before handing it over relishing in the bittersweet flavour of the cold lemon. “You cheeky fucker,” Simon laughed, although Apollo noticed a faint blush appear high on the other man’s cheeks, realising belatedly just how suggestive his action was.

Deciding to style it out so that Simon wouldn’t see just how embarrassed he now was himself, he wiggled his eyebrows and said, “What? My boyfriend doesn’t want to share his ice cream with me?” He cast his eyes downwards in mock sadness, chewing slightly on his lower lip. He heard Simon’s breath hitch.

“Sharing, I believe, goes both ways. So does that mean I can also sample yours?” Simon’s voice seemed lower than normal and although he wasn’t saying anything obviously suggestive, it felt to Apollo like he was saying something utterly filthy.

“I’ll take it under consideration,” he smirked. Moving to a bench near the gelato shop and sitting down. Simon took a seat next to him and they ate quietly for a moment, Apollo seeing the rest of their party heading on over.

“Not fair, getting ice cream without us!” Trucy exclaimed.

“Polly and Simon are allowed to do things together, Truce,” chuckled Nick, before taking out his own wallet and going to order more gelato.

At that moment Simon took advantage of Apollo being distracted to lean across and help himself to some of the defence attorney’s ice cream. “Hey!” Apollo chastised, pulling it out of reach. Simon retaliated, attempting to pin Apollo to the bench in order to steal some, but Apollo pulled himself free and, instead, wiped his ice cream across the end of Simon’s nose, beaming at him.

Simon laughed and scooped the blob of green gelato up and popped it into his mouth. Apollo tried to ignore what the sight of that was doing to his lower abdomen. The taller man shrugged and said, “At least I got some in the end, one way or another.” Apollo felt his face flush at the double entendre.

They were still sitting very close together from where Simon had attempted to pin Apollo, faces not far apart. Apollo found his mind wandering to how easy it would be to kiss Simon right now, to taste the remnants of gelato on his lips and tongue. He saw Simon’s eyes dip to his own lips and he wondered if he was having a similar thought. 

I could kiss him. No one would think anything of it since we’re meant to be a couple. We can talk about it later but right now I really want to k-

“You two are such a cute couple.” Athena broke the moment. “When you first got together I wasn’t sure, but you’re really adorable.” 

Simon bristled at being referred to as 'adorable' and began to say something about not being a fluffy bunny rabbit, but all Apollo could think was that Athena fucking Cykes - she of the hearing discord in voices, of being able to hear the truth in people’s hearts - genuinely believed them to be a couple.

She wasn’t hearing any discord from either of them.

*

The rest of the day passed peacefully, but Apollo couldn’t shake the thought that if anyone should be able to discern their chicanery, it was Athena. If he was truly honest with himself, he knew he was now harbouring more than just friendly feelings for his fake boyfriend which probably explained why Athena wasn’t able to get a read off him, but what about Simon? Should Athena not be able to detect that all was not as it seemed there? Unless… 

But Apollo couldn’t give himself too much time to think about that. They were meeting Ema and Yuta for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel so, when the shuttle bus brought them back, they had to get ready. Simon had showered first, having wanted to wash his hair, and he had then sat out on the balcony, allowing the early evening heat to dry it for him. Apollo was just fixing his own hair when Simon came back in, hair mostly dry.

He stood next to Apollo at the mirror and began scooping his long, wild hair up so that he could tie it back in his trademark ponytail. He tilted his head slightly to help him catch all of the thick tresses and Apollo felt his brain short circuit at the sight of Simon’s bare neck stretched out, tendons prominent, his hand smoothing over the skin there to catch a stray wave. It was the most innocuous of actions, but it hit something primitive in Apollo’s hindbrain. In his mind’s eye he could see himself kissing and sucking that taut skin, biting down, leaving Simon with marks that everyone could see.

He shook himself before Simon could notice his slightly glazed expression and flushed cheeks. Fuck, I really need to get a grip.

*

They met Yuta and Ema in the hotel reception and walked over to the restaurant, which was slightly further uphill, blessing them once again with beautiful views. Apollo and Simon were still a little full from their large lunch, and Ema and Yuta were not feeling super hungry, so they ordered a selection of appetisers to share, along with a carafe of wine. It was a relaxed, slow-paced meal and just what they all felt they needed.

Apollo told Ema all about their Palermo sightseeing, while Ema said that she and Yuta had spent the day at the pool and she had never felt so relaxed. Meanwhile, Simon and Yuta bickered good-naturedly, Simon squeezing Apollo’s hand when he was saying something he knew would particularly wind-up his Khura’inese colleague.

They were debating whether or not to order dessert, when Simon excused himself to go to the bathroom. As soon as he was out of earshot, Ema and Yuta both turned to Apollo.

“Can you clear something up for me, Apollo?” Ema asked.

“Sure,” replied Apollo, a little confused.

“Simon knows that we know, right?”

“You mean about our… ruse? Yeah he knows you know.”

Yuta chimed in. “And there’s no one in this restaurant who’s a wedding guest, yes?”

Apollo glanced round, unsure of where this was going. “No, I can’t see anyone we know.”

“OK,” Ema was smirking now. “So riddle me this, Romeo. If there’s no need to keep up your ‘ruse’ here with us, why have you and Simon been holding hands since we left the hotel?”

“We haven’t,” Apollo responded, but even as he said it he knew Ema was right.

“You have, Apollo.” Yuta gave him an emphatic look. “You’ve only let go of each other to eat and go to the bathroom.”

Apollo was spared from replying by Simon’s return. Almost immediately, the taller man reached for Apollo’s hand, and Apollo felt that same comforting sensation of things just being right. He saw Ema smirk into her wine glass while Yuta cast a meaningful look at their joined fingers, but Simon seemed oblivious as he perused the dessert menu.

This doesn’t mean anything, right? We’ve just got so used to holding hands in public on this trip that we do it automatically. There’s no significance to it.

But when Simon let go of his hand to eat his Diplomatico, Apollo felt a sense of loss.

Oh, fuck a duck, I’m in trouble.

*

On the walk back to the hotel, Apollo was hyperaware of Simon’s hand in his own, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He’d never experienced this feeling, this sensation of just fitting, before - not even with Klavier. Especially not with Klavier. 

But this was all pretend, wasn’t it? So what did it mean? Did Simon feel it too? Or was he just caught up in his role? Apollo didn’t want to run the risk of making things awkward when they still had several more days of sharing a room. Perhaps when they returned home he might test the waters.

Back at the hotel, they bid Ema and Yuta goodnight and returned to their room. Apollo realised he had left his bag from the market on his bed and began to move it. 

“I meant to ask,” began Simon. “What did you get for yourself today? I was with Wright-dono when you were making your purchase.”

“Oh, just a picture for my new office wall. A painting.” Apollo paused, wondering if this would help his increasingly difficult situation or not. He decided to press on anyway. “Actually, you’ve just reminded me, I bought you a gift.”

“You did not have to buy me a gift, Apollo.” Simon’s soft expressing belied his words.

“You bought business class plane tickets. The least I can do is get you a gift.”

Apollo pulled the painting of the Eleonora Falcon from the bag and handed it to Simon. “They nest in Sicily,” he explained. “It’s probably a stupid gift. If you don’t like it you don’t have to hang it up or anything.”

Simon, however, was smiling. “Apollo, this is beautiful, and very thoughtful. Thank you. I will hang it in my apartment when we arrive home.”

Apollo felt his chest fill with warmth at the thought of the painting he bought for Simon hanging on he other man’s apartment wall. The idea of something being in Simon’s dwelling that permanently tied it to Apollo was… thrilling somehow.

I definitely need to speak to him when we get back.

Chapter Text

The next day was the date of Maggey and Gumshoe’s legal ceremony. It was only being attended by immediate family and a couple of very close friends, but there was to be a banquet back at the hotel later in the afternoon. The morning, then, was free, so Apollo suggested to Simon that they spend it at the pool, to which Simon readily agreed. Apollo was anxious not to spend the day alone with Simon doing anything that could be considered a ‘date’. After his various realisations the previous day, he didn’t quite trust himself to wander lazily around Palermo hand in hand with a man who he was definitely attracted to and, very possibly, had feelings for.

The pool was busy that morning. Ema and Athena were splashing about with Trucy since Nick and Mr Edgeworth were attending the ceremony, while the Von Karma-Feys were relaxing with Pearls and Yuta in the shade. Most of the other wedding guests not at the ceremony had clearly also decided to head down there, and it was abuzz with activity. Apollo and Simon had grabbed two sun beds next to each other, separated by a parasol and a small table. Apollo loved the sun and wasted little time yanking off his t-shirt, slathering suncream over himself and relaxing with a book. Simon, with his fair skin, however, kept covered with sunscreen and a tee as he flicked through his own novel of choice. 

When Apollo glanced up from his book, he noticed that Klavier and Krystal had positioned themselves almost directly opposite them, just across the pool. Krystal was busy writing away in a notebook, earbuds in, but Klavier kept staring at Apollo over the top of his magazine. He seemed to be arching his back and manoeuvring himself to show off his body, in tiny swimming trunks, to best effect, flicking his hair and desperately trying to get Apollo’s attention.

I don’t want to have to deal with this shit.

He rolled on to his front so that he was facing away from Klavier, letting his head hang slightly over the bed so he could still see his book. 

“Did you put sunscreen on your back, Apollo?” Simon’s voice enquired.

Apollo turned his head to look at him, strikingly silhouetted by the dazzling morning sun. “Oh, crap, no. I forgot.” He began to move to get up but Simon simply waved a hand at him to stop.

“Allow me,” the other man said, grabbing the bottle from Apollo’s small backpack. 

Apollo barely had a moment to register what was happening before Simon knelt by his sun bed, and strong, slightly calloused hands began to rub the lotion into his back. He began at Apollo’s neck and slowly worked his way down, thoroughly coating every bare inch of Apollo’s back. Simon’s touch was warm, soft, sensual, and Apollo was grateful he was lying on his front because his dick was beginning to show interest as those hands moved lower. As Simon’s fingers reached the waistband of his swim shorts, Apollo had to bite hard on his lip to stop himself groaning out loud.

This is fucking torture. He hasn’t got a clue what this is doing to me.

“There,” said Simon after what felt like an eternity. His voice was low, almost wounded.. “You’re covered now.”

“Thank you,” Apollo said quietly in response. He hoped his own voice didn’t give away how affected he was.

He lay that way for the next half hour or so, giving himself plenty of time to calm down. He was just starting to think about going for a swim when he heard Simon mutter, “That fucking clown.”

Apollo rolled over once more and propped himself up on his elbows. Sure enough, Klavier had just climbed out of the pool and was making a huge show of swishing his wet hair, letting the sunlight make the water on his body glisten. Eventually he sat down, draping a towel over his shoulders and trying to get Krystal’s attention. Apollo couldn’t quite see, but he thought he saw the young woman roll her eyes.

Suddenly, Simon stood up. “I think I’ll go for a swim,” he informed Apollo pleasantly. With that he stripped off his own t-shirt, giving everyone gathered a view of his Adonis-like body, especially as he reached up to twist his ponytail into a bun. Next came a flawless dive into the pool before he began to swim lengths in such a smooth elegant way that he barely caused a ripple. There was a rise in mutterings as people commented on just how sublime the prosecutor looked.

“I didn’t know he looked like that under his clothes.”

“Thank the Lord for prison gyms.”

“Apollo Justice is a lucky kid. First Gavin and now him.”

Apollo was aware, somewhere in his peripheral vision, of Klavier scowling at being outshone, but really he only had eyes for Simon. He was practically overcome with lust, wondering what it would be like to be held in those strong arms, to explore what was between those tree-trunk thighs, to fuck such a powerful man into the mattress.

He was pulled from such thoughts by the man himself swimming to the edge of the pool and pushing himself up so that he could see Apollo. “Fancy joining me?”

Funnily enough, Apollo found himself in need of cooling off. He smiled, nodded his head and dived in.

*

It was practically early evening by the time the banquet began in a beautiful garden space separated from the pool area by high hedges.. As promised by Gumshoe, Apollo was on a large table with Simon, Nick, Trucy, Ema, Yuta, Athena, Pearls, Maya and Franziska. Mr Edgeworth was up at the top table on one side of Gumshoe, who couldn’t stop beaming at his now-wife. Maggey was positively glowing. Of course, the big wedding ceremony was still to come in a couple of days, but they were legally wed now and that was certainly worth celebrating.

The dress code for today’s banquet had been smart yet relaxed so Apollo had opted to wear muted pink-red chinos and a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up in his signature style, and top buttons open. Simon had picked a similar outfit: black linen trousers and a matching shirt. Apollo couldn’t help sneaking glances at the other man’s exposed collarbone, fighting the urge to lick it.

When did I turn into such a horny mess?

All that being said, Simon didn’t seem to be impervious to Apollo, either. He had caught the taller man looking at him more than once, and he had become amusingly flustered when some of the sauce from the appetiser got caught on the corner of Apollo’s mouth and the defence attorney used the tip of his tongue to remove it. 

All in all, it had been a beautiful meal with course after course of exquisite Sicilian dishes over several hours but, as the evening wore on and they took a break before dessert, Apollo began to feel uncomfortable. The problem was, predictably, Klavier, who was sitting with Krystal just one table away. He was being loud and obnoxious and making a real show of just how in love and sexually active he and Krystal were. Barely a moment went by without him pulling her close and kissing her aggressively. 

This would probably be OK in and of itself, but Klavier kept making a point of glancing at Apollo until pretty much everyone knew that he was doing this to… what? Get Apollo’s attention? Make a fool of him? Get under his skin? Apollo wasn’t sure, but he did know that people were starting to look at him, whisper about him, trying to see if he would rise to it, lose his temper.

“I wouldn’t stand for this if I were Justice.”

“Gavin certainly seems happy. I wonder if he left because Justice is a prude?”

“Justice must be mortified.”

It was painful. Apollo hated being centre of attention like this, hated it. He hated people gossiping about him, speculating about what had happened between him and Klavier. He was beginning to feel hot, uncomfortable, flustered. His breathing was quickening and he knew he was on the verge of a panic attack, which was all he needed right now. He had been keeping his eyes fixed on his plate, but now he looked up at Simon, hoping to communicate that he needed to get out of here, but when his own brown eyes met silver ones, he was taken by surprise by the sheer intensity in them.

Simon was looking at him with concern. He could see how this was affecting him, how he was on the edge of crumbling. One large pale hand reached out and cupped Apollo’s cheek, thumb stroking along his cheekbone, grounding him. “Breathe, Apollo. I’ve got you,” was all that Simon said, just loud enough for him alone to hear, and then, before Apollo could quite register what was happening, the other man leaned down and kissed him full on the mouth.

Apollo felt himself freeze for what must have been a fraction of a second. Simon’s lips were warm against his own, the firm pressure steadying him in the moment. And then, suddenly, he was kissing Simon back, his own hand sliding up to the back of the other man’s neck, tangling itself in his hair. He didn’t care that they were in public, he didn’t care that they were at a table with all of their friends, all he cared about was the feel of Simon’s mouth against his, and releasing all of that pent up lust and emotion he’d been feeling since Simon first suggested this ridiculous charade. He wanted to slide his tongue into Simon’s mouth, bite his lower lip, begin trailing kisses down that elegant throat. He knew they would have to keep it reasonably PG though, so he settled for intensity, pouring every last thing he’d felt over the last few weeks into one kiss.

It was the most electrifying kiss of Apollo’s life.

Eventually, the necessity of breathing won out and they pulled apart, reluctantly letting go of each other, breathing hard. Simon’s expression was unreadable. No one was paying attention to them.

They all think we’re together already, after all.

Well, almost all of them. He glanced at Ema and Yuta who were both looking at him with infuriatingly knowing smirks. Ema mouthed something that looked suspiciously like “I told you so,” but Apollo couldn’t really find it within himself to care. The gossips who had been whispering about him earlier had changed subject. Clearly, he wasn’t that interesting when he seemed happy. Klavier was glowering at his plate and Krystal must have gone to use the bathroom or something because she was no longer there.

He returned his gaze to Simon, who was staring fixedly at his own knees. Apollo tried to reach for his hand, but the servers chose that moment to bring out dessert. Everyone cooed over the delicious, refreshing granita, but Apollo was more interested in Simon, who had suddenly gone stiff and formal and wasn’t quite meeting Apollo’s eyes. 

Apollo began to worry. What if Simon had just intended it to be a quick peck to distract people and he had gone and read too much into it? Had he just gone and ruined everything? But, no. Simon had definitely been kissing him. He hadn’t tried to pull away.

What’s going on?

All of sudden, Simon stood and excused himself before heading back inside the hotel. At first Apollo thought he had perhaps gone to the bathroom but, when he failed to return, realised that was not the case. Wondering if Simon had returned to their room, Apollo decided to go and look. They needed to talk about this - whatever this was - because Apollo was invested now and he needed to know how Simon felt. He didn’t want to give Simon a chance to overthink this. Excusing himself, he followed the other man inside.

*

The elevators were busy so Apollo decided to take the stairs. To do this he had to go up a level to reception, and then take a different set to his room. As he passed the small cluster of high-backed armchairs in the reception area, he heard the distinct sound of someone crying. Apollo wanted to speak to Simon, he really did, but he was not someone who could leave a person crying alone.

He did, however, nearly rethink this personal policy when he peered round one of the armchairs to find Krystal curled up there, sobbing into a handkerchief. Apollo was struck by how pretty she was. Not the full-glam beauty that seemed to be part of her stage persona, but a real girl-next-door prettiness that felt much more appealing and approachable. She looked up from beneath her glossy red waves.

“It’s Apollo, isn’t it?” Her voice came out small, shaky, like she thought Apollo was about to lay into her.

Apollo nodded. “We’ve not really met properly, have we? You’re Krystal, yeah?”

The young woman nodded. “I must be the last person you want to see.”

“Not really. That would be Klavier.”

Krystal huffed out a small laugh. “Ditto.”

Apollo sat down in the chair opposite. “You don’t have to talk to me. You can just sit here and cry until you feel better if you want. But if you do want to talk, I’m a good listener.”

“I’m a horrible person, Apollo.” She let out another honking sob.

“I’m not sure you are.” Apollo was surprised at the words escaping his lips, even more surprised to find he meant them.

“You have no reason to believe me but I promise, I didn’t know Klavier was in a relationship until we’d already been seeing each other for two months. We were introduced by our record label and he pursued me. I was flattered, and starstruck. I was stupid and naïve. When I found out he was with you, I should have ended it, but I thought I was in love.” She took a deep breath, steeling herself. “When I found out abut you, Klavier told me he was unhappy, that you were on the verge of breaking up anyway, and I wanted to believe him. But, really? Really I should never have stayed, knowing someone would get hurt because of me.”

Apollo listened to this in silence. He could tell it was the truth, and it pretty much lined up with what he had suspected the whole time. But Krystal wasn’t the one who should be feeling guilty. Not really. “You didn’t hurt me, though.” Krystal looked up curiously at this. “This is the first time we’ve so much as met. You owed me nothing, you still owe me nothing. Klavier was the one who owed me his loyalty, his respect. He’s the one who hurt me, not you.”

Krystal gave a small smile. “I still wish I’d done things differently. I should have left when I found out he was a cheat. And now he’s here, treating me like some kind of trophy. Like a prop. How can I trust him?”

“I wish I could tell you that,” sighed Apollo. “Personally, I couldn’t be with someone I didn’t trust. You have to decide whether or not you can.”

“I think he’s been using me.” This came out almost as a whisper. “I think he’s trying to use me to get himself more press attention, put him in front of a younger audience. I hate being a singer. Really, I’m a songwriter. All I want to do is write songs for others. When I told him I was thinking of retiring from singing to do this, he got mad and asked what would be the point of us being together if I wasn’t a celerity anymore. But I feel as if it’s too late. As if I’ve made my bed and now I have to lie in it.”

“I don’t think it’s ever too late to be happy,” Apollo mused, thinking about Simon.

Krystal seemed to sense what he meant. “You and your boyfriend - Simon, is it? - you always look so happy together. When he looks at you, you can see so clearly how much he cares. I wish I could have that with someone.”

Apollo felt a pang when she spoke of Simon’s feelings for him. Would she still say that if she’d seen him avoiding eye contact after their kiss? But he also noted how she said that she wished she could be happy with ‘someone,’ not Klavier. “Simon makes me very happy,” he said, truthfully. “And if it wasn’t for Klavier leaving me, I never would have found him. I’m a firm believer that everything works out for the best in the end. Maybe being with Klavier, learning these lessons, has just been a step on the road for both of us.”

Krystal nodded. “I think I know what I need to do. How soon do you think I can get a flight home? I don’t want to cause a scene.”

Apollo felt for the woman. She was here without any friends, without anyone she knew apart from Klavier, and she was going to leave him. She was taking a big, scary step all alone and that didn’t sit right with Apollo. So he sat with Krystal while she booked a flight on her phone. There was one in just over three hours so, while she went to get her things from the room she shared with Klavier, Apollo asked the receptionist to order a car to take Krystal to the airport. Then he sat back down with a clear view of the elevators. Krystal had given him her number and asked him to call if he saw Klavier heading up but, luckily, Klavier must have been having too much fun outside. Half an hour later, Krystal was back down, ready for her flight.

“Thank you, Apollo. Really. I don’t deserve this kindness from you.”

“You made a sketchy choice. Doesn’t make you a bad person.” Apollo shrugged.

“I’ll call Klavier once I’m getting ready to board. I don’t think he’ll come after me but… just in case.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” His thoughts returned to Simon. “Look, I have to go back up to my room for something. Are you OK waiting for your car here? It should only be a few more minutes, and the receptionist is there if Klavier shows up.”

“Of course. You’ve done so much.” She gave him a weak smile. “I think maybe if things had been different, we could have been friends.”

Apollo found himself smiling. “We still could be,” he said, and he really meant it. They said their goodbyes and Apollo took the elevator back to his floor. As he got out, he sent Krystal a quick message on the number she gave him. “Let me know when you land back home so I know you’re safe.”

A thumbs-up emoji came through almost immediately.

Apollo took a deep breath. That was done, now time to see Simon.

Perhaps, though it just wasn’t meant to be. Apollo let himself into their room, only to hear the sound of deep, even breaths. Simon was fast asleep on his bed and he looked so peaceful that Apollo couldn’t bring himself to wake him.

Conversation would have to wait until morning.

Chapter Text

Apollo woke the next morning to the smell of coffee, meaning Simon was already up and about.  He lay with his eyes closed for a moment, collecting his thoughts. 

What do I know?

I know I’ve been developing feelings for weeks.

I know I’m attracted to him.

I know I see him as more than a friend.

I know that kiss was spectacular.

What am I unsure of?

I’m unsure how he feels about me.

What does the evidence tell me?

That kiss, the glances, the hand-holding, the flirting, the sex dream… It’s all beyond what we need to do to pretend to be a couple. It suggests that maybe Simon has feelings for me too.

Is it worth the risk to our friendship?

Apollo let his eyes crack open. The balcony door was open and he could see Simon sitting out there, drinking his coffee, deep in thought. He was beautiful.

Yes. Yes, it’s worth it.

Apollo got out of bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself, splash his face, and brush his teeth. On his way back through the room, he saw Simon had left coffee in the pot for him, so he took a moment to pour himself a cup.

“Thanks for the coffee,” he said as he walked on to the balcony, sitting in the vacant seat. Simon glanced at him, a flush appearing on his cheeks. He nodded, looking awkward. “Look,” began Apollo. “I think we should talk about that kiss.”

Simon instantly blanched, his words coming out in a rush. “Apollo, I owe you an apology. You said at the start of this that you did not want us to be that intimate and I transgressed that boundary. When you were distressed yesterday, I wanted to ground you and did not know how while still looking like your boyfriend. I should not have done what I did as I fear I have added to your distress. I am so incredibly sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

Apollo listened to all this in amazement. Did Simon really not get it? “You misunderstand me, Simon. I don’t want you to apologise for kissing me. I want you to do it again.”

Simon stared at him, stunned, mouth hanging open slightly. “What?” Apparently, when surprised, he lost his trademark eloquence.

“Practically since we started this, since I heard you say my given name for the first time, I’ve been slowly developing feelings for you. And the more time we’ve spent together, the stronger they’ve got, the more I want us to be real, not just an act. And I’m not sure, but I think maybe you feel the same. So if you do, I’d really like for us to kiss again, for real this time.”

As he spoke, Apollo kept his eyes trained on Simon’s face. He saw his eyes widen, the colour return to his cheeks, his mouth twist into a brilliant smile. For a moment, he thought Simon might say something in the affirmative, but words seemed to fail him. Instead, the taller man leaned across the small gap between their seats and pressed his lips against Apollo’s.

There was no hesitation this time. Apollo kissed back immediately, tangling his fingers in Simon’s hair, pressing his tongue into the heat of the other man’s welcoming mouth. He felt Simon’s tongue slide along his own, felt a hand on his waist, another at the back of his head, heard a deep, low moan that vibrated against him and made his dick twitch. The hand on his waist moved lower, cupping the top of his ass, and now it was Apollo’s turn to moan, a desperate sound that would have embarrassed him under any other circumstances. 

Simon’s lips slid away from Apollo’s mouth, travelled down to his jaw, his throat, nipping at the sensitive skin there.

“Shall we move this inside?” Apollo gasped out, realising that people at the pool would probably be able to see and hear them.

Simon pulled away and looked at him from under his bangs, his gaze hungry. “You will hear no argument from me.” They stood up and Apollo was gratified to see evidence of the effect he was having on Simon in the not insignificant tent in his shorts. Apollo licked his lips and Simon smirked. “All in good time. I have no desire to rush this.”

“Me neither.”

They moved indoors. Apollo went to the door to the room, opening it and hanging the Do Not Disturb sign, Simon pulling the sliding balcony door shut and drawing the thin curtains. Then they stood, facing each other, from opposite ends of the room. Simon began to slowly walk towards Apollo, stopping at the end of Apollo’s bed. “Before we go any further, Apollo, I need to check that this isn’t a passing fancy, something fleeting. I value our friendship and as much as I want you, I would not sacrifice it for a mere fling.”

Apollo smirked and walked towards Simon. Hearing Simon say he wanted him was an aphrodisiac like nothing he’d experienced before. But it was more than that, more than sex and, like Simon, Apollo would not risk his heart on a vacation fuck. “Neither would I. I want you so much, in every way possible.” He was close to Simon now. He turned him slightly and pushed so that the taller man was sitting at the edge of the bed. Apollo clambered up until he was straddling Simon’s lap, knees resting on the sheets at either side. He pressed a chaste kiss against warm lips before drawing back and saying softly, “I’m all in.”

Their eyes met. Simon let out a low whine and pulled Apollo in for a bruising kiss, one hand at the back of his head, tangling in Apollo’s un-gelled hair, the other on his hip, playing with the hem of his t-shirt. Apollo tangled his hands into Simon’s hair, pulling slightly, causing the other man to let out an a positively indecent moan. Apollo took advantage of Simon’s open mouth and pushed his tongue in, feeling his abdominals clench as he felt the other man suck on it. He pulled back, catching Simon’s lower lip between his teeth, enjoying the way this made Simon buck up against him.

Simon’s hands moved and the next thing Apollo knew, his t-shirt was being pulled up over his head and tossed across the room, followed swiftly by Simon’s own. “Do you have any idea how mad you’ve been driving me?” Simon growled out between wet, open-mouthed kisses to Apollo’s neck. “You’ve barely had a top on since we got here. I’ve had to hold myself back so much.”

Apollo grunted as he felt his dick twitch in his shorts. “Hold back from doing what?”

Simon didn’t answer. Instead, he bit down on Apollo’s collarbone and flipped them so Apollo was flat on his back on the bed, Simon bracing his arms on either side of his head. He lowered his head and kissed his way down Apollo’s sternum, before moving his lips to one of Apollo’s small, dusky nipples, running his hot tongue over it and then blowing gently on it, making Apollo gasp. His nipples had always been sensitive and, based on the way Simon was now alternating between sucking and licking, the prosecutor was exceptionally good with his mouth. He absolutely went to town on Apollo’s chest: sucking, biting, and licking his nipple until it bordered on oversensitive and stood erect and red. Simon pulled back, seemingly pleased with his handiwork, and repeated his actions on the other one. Apollo, meanwhile, twisted his fingers into Simon’s hair, arched his back, moaned, gasped and cried out. It had been so, so long since a partner had lavished this much sexual attention on him. It made Apollo feel special, adored, loved, even. 

As soon as the L-word crossed his mind, his first thought was: It’s way too early to think like that.

However, at that moment, Simon scraped his teeth over Apollo’s hardened nipple and instead his thoughts switched to: I could probably come from this alone.

Except, he didn’t want to. He wanted to last quite a bit longer. He used the fingers in Simon’s hair to pull the man back up, his lips leaving Apollo’s chest with a lewd pop. Simon looked at him questioningly. “I don’t want to come yet. And if you carried on, I was definitely going to come.”

“Another time I’m going to see if I can do that, make you come just with nipple play.” Simon was breathing hard and was clearly incredibly turned on, tracing his fingers lightly over Apollo’s abdominals.

“I’ll insist on it,” smiled Apollo. “But first…” Apollo pushed Simon’s shoulders, flipping them once again. Simon stared up an him from under messy bangs, a gaze that could only be described as smouldering. “But now it’s my turn.”

He leaned down to kiss Simon slowly, softly, sensually, before allowing his lips to travel along his jawline, and down to his throat, where he grazed his teeth over the pale skin there and then sucked hard, leaving a satisfyingly purple bruise in his wake. “Was that OK? I should have asked.” Klavier had complained endlessly if Apollo left marks. 

Simon looked at him as if he were crazy. “Being marked by you? Fucking hell, Apollo, of course it’s OK. I’m partial to the idea of everyone knowing I’m spoken for.”

Apollo was not normally a possessive partner, but hearing Simon saying that just hit somewhere primal and he sucked another mark onto that perfect skin, and another, and another, until Simon’s throat was littered with bruises and Simon was panting. Apollo stared down at him with half-lidded eyes. “I got a bit distracted there. I’ll get back to what I intended now.”

With that, he kissed his way down Simon’s chest and stomach, until he reached the waistband of his shorts. They were the shorts he slept in and, like Apollo, it looked as if he wore nothing underneath them, if the huge tent in them was anything to go by. He hooked his fingers under the elasticated waist, and glanced up at Simon who was propped up on his elbows for a better view. “Another time, I’m going to take it really slow and tease you until you’re begging me to swallow you down. But today I’m feeling impatient so…”

He swiftly pulled down Simon’s shorts, watching hungrily as the man’s pink cock, sprung free. He was already wet and glistening, and Apollo noted that he was definitely longer than what he was normally used to, although not quite as thick as Apollo’s own. He licked his lips and lowered his head, swirling his tongue lightly around Simon’s tip, eliciting a gasp from the other man. He let out his own low moan as he tasted the salty bitter tang of the other man’s pre-come, opened his mouth wider and sunk down, taking in as much as he could, pressing his tongue against the underside. Simon cried out and reached a hand down to the back of Apollo’s head. Apollo waited to be pushed down, forced to gag the way Klavier had liked, but it never happened. Simon simply rested his hand on Apollo, doing nothing more than seeking contact. 

“Jesus Christ, Apollo. You’re good at that,” Simon groaned. Apollo moaned himself at the praise. He had pulled back a little, teasing the head with his tongue while he brought and hand up to play with Simon’s balls. He cast his eyes up to look at the other man. Simon was lying back against the sheets, covered in a sheen of sweat. His bangs were damp and sticking to him, his ponytail fanned out to the side. The hand that wasn’t touching Apollo was twisted into the sheets above his head, his eyes screwed shut in ecstasy. Apollo couldn’t believe how beautiful he was, or that it was him who was having this effect on the other man. He sunk down once more, hollowing out his cheeks to create suction while letting his tongue tease the sensitive underside of Simon’s cock.

All of a sudden, the hand in his hair tightened its grip and he was unceremoniously pulled away from Simon’s dick. He knelt up and Simon sat. “Apologies,” began Simon. “You are very good at that and I do not wish to come until you're inside me.”

Apollo felt as if something in his brain had short circuited. He had become so conditioned to always bottoming thanks to Klavier and the weirdly heteronormative approach to sex that he had taken during the latter half of their relationship, that Apollo had just assumed that he would bottom here too. Not that he was averse to that, he was open to the idea of a multitude of sex acts with the man currently laid out in front of him, but he was naturally a switch and constantly bottoming had become quite unfulfilling, especially due to the fact that Klavier wanted him to bottom because he associated it with submission and femininity. Apollo had not been into it. And now here was this devastatingly handsome man, saying he wanted to come on Apollo’s cock…

Apollo realised he was staring when Simon suddenly backtracked. “I mean… Apologies… I should not have assumed. My tastes are flexible. I’m happy to top if that’s what you prefer.”

“No!” Apollo’s voice came out louder than he intended. “I mean, yes. I mean, of course I want to top. And bottom, next time maybe. My tastes are also flexible, as you put it. It’s just been a long time since anyone wanted me to top. It took me by surprise, that’s all.”

Simon gazed at him fondly, with understanding. “I want you. Any way you would let me have you. I’m interested in you, not how you make me feel about myself. OK?” Apollo nodded mutely, his breath coming hard. “Good. Now fuck me into this mattress, Justice.”

Confidence renewed, Apollo hopped off the bed to grab lube from his bag. He caught Simon’s knowing gaze. “What? I thought I might have some alone time...” His brain suddenly caught up. “Oh. But for that reason I didn’t bring condoms. Do you have any?”

Simon flopped back against the pillows, facepalming. “No, no I don’t. For the same reason. Bollocks.” Apollo was about to say that it was OK, that there was plenty else they could do, but then Simon fixed him with a look that could melt ice. “I’m not saying this to pressure you, Apollo. If you would prefer to wait until we have condoms, that’s fine. But I’ll just put it out there that I’m clean. I’ve not had a partner since, well, since a few months after my release. I’ve been tested since then and nothing was flagged.”

Apollo slipped out of his own shorts and climbed back on to the bed, pushing Simon’s legs apart and sliding himself between them. “Is that right, Mr Blackquill?” He saw Simon visibly swallow at that. “Because I got tested after my last… relationship, so I know I’m clean too. So, if you’re sure…”

“Sure that I want to feel you come inside me? Yes. I am.”

Apollo had to grip the base of his own cock to stop himself spontaneously coming there and then. Simon’s voice was low, sultry, and so goddamn sexy, he could have read Apollo’s grocery list and made it sound like dirty talk. After some deep, steadying breaths, he opened the lube and squirted some onto his fingers, letting it warm. Using his other hand to guide Simon’s legs back, he traced a finger round the tight ring of muscle between the other man’s taut ass cheeks, enjoying the way Simon shuddered and hitched his breath. “Good,” said Apollo, his voice more confident than he felt. “Because I’m looking forward to finding out what you feel like wrapped around me.” Without further ado, Apollo pushed a thick digit into Simon, relishing the deep, laboured groan that escaped him.

Simon was hot and tight and, apparently, very sensitive. He arched his back off the bed, while the hand that wasn’t holding back one of his legs twisted in the sheets. “Fuck,” he bit out between clenched teeth. 

“That’s the idea, Simon,” Apollo cheekily replied as he added another finger and began to stretch Simon open, teasing his prostate. 

“Get on with it then.” There was no bite to the other man's words though. In fact, he was looking at him with such fondness that Apollo felt almost exposed. 

“Patience is a virtue,” teased Apollo, pressing a third finger in, as Simon cried out.

“I sat in prison for seven years for a crime I didn’t commit in the hopes of luring out the real culprit. Don’t talk to me about patience.” Simon’s wit was quick but there was none of the razor-sharpness he used in court. Instead his tone was one of banter, of bravado, of not wanting to show just how desperate to be fucked by Apollo he actually was.

Apollo stretched his fingers wider in response, before pressing right up against that bundle of nerves and making Simon’s eyes roll back. “In that case you should be able to hold out just fine…”

“Apollo Justice, if you don’t fuck me right now I’ll -” Apollo’s movements were swift. He pulled his fingers out and before Simon could even register their loss, he had slicked up his cock and began pressing it into that still-tight ring of muscle. Simon was panting, gripping his own cock in an effort to not come too soon, allowing Apollo to pull one of his legs over his shoulder, while the other wrapped around the shorter man’s middle, drawing him in. Apollo held on to Simon’s hips, pushing in slowing until he was fully seated, sweat dripping down his brow with the effort of not going too fast. He had forgotten how amazing it felt to be inside someone, to be trusted like this. 

He felt Simon relax, heard him choke out “Move, please,” and began to thrust his hips. The sensation of Simon tight around him was overwhelming in the best possible way. He picked up his pace, chasing the feeling, desperate to bring the other man to orgasm. He knew he’d hit Simon’s prostate when the other man let out a noise that was practically inhuman and clenched around him.

“I don’t think I can last long,” Apollo panted, apologetically.

“And you think I can? I’ve been on the edge since we kissed. Yesterday.”

To say Apollo was flattered was  an understatement. That he could have this kind of effect on a man like Simon was pretty fucking sexy if he was being honest. He sped up, targeting the man's prostate each time. “Come for me then, Simon.”

One particularly brutal thrust latter and he felt Simon’s muscles begin to spasm around him. “Oh, fuck! Oh! Ah! Apollo, I’m… Apollo!” Simon was rendered incoherent as he shot come all over his own stomach, dick untouched. And if that sight didn’t tip Apollo over the edge, then the way Simon clenched down on him certainly did. 

“Shit! Fuck! Simon!” Words failed him, replaced by drawn out moans as he emptied himself into Simon, coming harder than he ever had before in his life.

When he came back to himself, Apollo found himself sprawled on top of Simon, the other man catching his breath.

What if he regrets it? What if he’s not interested in this going any further?

“Stop thinking so loud,” Simon smiled softly. “If you’re worried I regret what we’ve just done, my only regret is that, at thirty, I have to wait a little while before I can go again.”

Apollo laughed. “Don’t worry. I think I’d like to clean up a bit first, anyway.”

After a few more minutes of cuddling, they took it in turns using the small bathroom and they collapsed back into bed. It was only late morning but they were both feeling sated and sleepy. Without words, Apollo felt himself wrapped in Simon’s arms and they snuggled together, drifting off into a contented sleep.

Chapter Text

Apollo woke a couple of hours later feeling pleasantly achey from exertion and enjoying the warmth of Simon’s strong arms wrapped around him, the press of his firm chest against his back, the feel of their legs tangled together beneath the sheets. He luxuriated in the sensation of being so completely held for a few minutes until he felt a shift in Simon’s muscles, signalling that he too was waking. Apollo didn’t want to risk awkwardness having opportunity to seep in, so he twisted himself round to fact the other man, beaming at the sight of Simon’s sleepy, just-awoken face.

“Hi,” he murmured softly, hoping Simon could see just how happy he was.

“Hi,” came Simon’s reply, leaning in to kiss Apollo gently.

“Still no regrets?”

“Not a single one.”

“Are we going to try this then? Us? For real this time, I mean.” Apollo didn’t know why he was so nervous. It was clear that they were equally into each other. But still, risking your feelings was always a bit scary.

Simon breathed what sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. “I would like that. A lot.”

“Me too.” Apollo hoped his grin wasn’t as goofy as it felt. He didn’t remember when he was last down this bad. It definitely wasn’t with Klavier, even when things had been good between them. Simon wasn’t Klavier though, far from it, and Apollo could feel himself falling deep and hard already.

They gazed at each other for a few moments, neither daring to move in case they broke some kind of spell. But Apollo couldn’t resist for long. He leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against Simon’s. It was a chaste kiss, but that didn’t last for more than a few moments as their tongues quickly found each other and they began to make out passionately. Hands roamed, tongues entwined, and then Simon rolled on top and bit down on Apollo’s bottom lip, drawing a deep moan from him and causing him to push his growing erection against the other man.

Simon gasped. “I’ve been dreaming about this for weeks, Apollo.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Every night, there you are. It’s been torturing me, wanting you so much, having you so close, not being able to have you.” This was all said against Apollo’s jaw as Simon landed kiss after kiss there.

“You have me now,” gasped out Apollo. “I want you to fuck me. Please.” 

Simon drew back slightly. “Are you sure? I know in the past you maybe haven’t had the best experience. I wouldn’t wish to…”

“You’re right,” Apollo interrupted, panting. “But I trust you to treat me well. To make it good for me. For both of us. So yeah, I’m sure.”

Simon sucked in a sharp breath as Apollo told him he trusted him and Apollo had barely finished speaking when Simon swept him into a deep kiss. It was sloppy, messy, ungainly but they each poured everything they felt into it, rutting against each other until Simon moved down and began kissing Apollo’s neck, sucking, licking and biting until Apollo was as littered with as many marks as he was. Apollo did not mind this in the slightest.

“Fuck, Simon. I want everyone to see I’m yours,” he choked out. This made Simon whine and Apollo felt pride bloom in his chest that he could make such a man make such a noise. 

Simon reached down and palmed Apollo through the thin sleep shorts he had put back on after his shower. Apollo was very aware there was a damp spot where his cock was freely leaking pre-come. “Look at you,” Simon murmured, voice sultry. “Wet for me already.” 

If Apollo had any blood remaining in any other part of his body, it all rushed straight for his dick at that. He let out a loud moan. “Jesus Christ, Simon. You can’t just say things like that in that voice.”

Simon smirked. “Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you.”

With that, he removed both his and Apollo’s shorts and grabbed the lube from where they’d discarded it on the nightstand. As Simon slicked his fingers, Apollo spread his legs and pulled them back, shamelessly presenting himself for the other man. He wanted this so much. “So needy for me…” Simon observed, giving him a devastating, rakish grin, before hooking Apollo’s ankles over his broad shoulders, simultaneously taking his cock into his mouth as he slid a slick finger into his ass.

Apollo keened. 

This was too much.

This was not enough.

He tried to communicate all of this by curling his fingers into Simon’s hair and pulling. He had no idea if it was effective, but Simon seemed to like it, if the pleased hum he made around Apollo’s dick was anything to go by. Simon pushed a second finger into Apollo and began to alternate between pumping in and out to hit his prostate, and gently stretching him open. Meanwhile, he bobbed his head up and down on Apollo’s cock taking as much of him in as he could manage. Apollo’s world narrowed to those two points of pleasure as he writhed and moaned on the bed until… 

“Simon! I don’t want to finish yet.” 

Simon stopped everything immediately, letting his mouth come away from Apollo, and gently removing his fingers. Apollo watched as he reached for the lube once more and began to slick himself. “I want you so much,” Apollo whimpered, knowing he sounded desperate but not giving a single shit. He cried out as he felt the blunt head of Simon’s cock push past that tight ring of muscle, moaned as he felt the drag of Simon inside him. “Fuck!”

“I want you too, Apollo. So, so much.” Simon punctuated his words with gentle thrusts of his hips, while Apollo wrapped his legs around his waist, pulling him closer. “You’re so good for me, letting me do this, taking me so well.” Simon’s voice had pitched even lower, and Apollo soaked up the praise.

Suddenly, Simon hit his prostate and Apollo nearly arched off the bed, letting a loud moan reverberate around the room. “Fuck, Simon, right there!”

“Yeah? You like that?” Simon smirked once more, angling himself just right and beginning to pound into Apollo again and again, hitting that bundle of nerves each time. Apollo was seeing stars. Somewhere, he was aware of a hand wrapping around him and stroking him once, twice, three times and then he was coming seemingly uncontrollably and endlessly. He felt heat inside of him and heard Simon grunt and call out his name, and then… quiet.

They lay together for what might have been minutes or hours, Apollo enjoying the way his body felt all tingly. He’d not had an experience bottoming like that in a long, long time, had never been with such a generous, considerate partner… ever.

After a some time, though, he realised he was beginning to feel sticky and uncomfortable. “I think I need another shower,” he laughed. 

Simon chuckled. “Me too. You go first, and then should we order some room service? I’m famished, but not much inclined to leave this room.”

Apollo agreed.

*

Some time later, they were both clean, fed, and lounging on the mattress. They were both naked, neither seeing much point to putting shorts on again. Simon had answered the door to room service in nothing but a towel, causing, Apollo believed, the poor bellboy to almost have an aneurysm. But now all that covered each of them was the thin, silky white sheet, pooled around their waists as they lay together, facing each other, tired, full, and relaxed.

Apollo hadn’t quite realised that he must be gazing adoringly at Simon until Simon said, somewhat shyly, “I’m not sure anyone has ever looked at me like that. If they have, I can’t remember when it was.”

“I can’t believe that.”

Simon huffed a self-deprecating chuckle. “Believe it. I was twenty-one when I went into the clink. Until then I had devoted my life to study and to work. Relationships had been… fleeting, to say the least. Then I had seven years behind bars and I categorically did not make myself available for liaisons of any sort with anyone there. When I was released, I had a series of dates and one-night stands but that was short-lived. Once that was out of my system, and I realised that, ah, that I would prefer to be in a proper relationship, I decided to see if the right person came along.”

Apollo didn’t need his bracelet to know that Simon wasn’t giving him the full truth about realising that he wanted to be in a relationship. Everything about his tone indicated that he was, well, not lying per se, but he wasn’t saying everything that was on his mind. Normally, Apollo would let something like this slide, but he didn’t want to embark on a new relationship with truths unspoken. He studied Simon quietly for a moment, before remembering an occasion, several weeks ago, when the man had triggered his bracelet It had been when they were planning out how their rouse would work.

“We don’t want to be forcing ourselves to kiss in front of everyone.”

“No. No we don’t.”

Apollo wondered if that meant what he thought it did. “Simon… I can tell you’re holding something back. I might be assuming way too much here but… Did you have feelings for me back then?”

Simon looked stricken, as if Apollo had just given voice to something unspeakable. “I don’t know how to answer that honestly without sounding like a creep.”

Apollo reached out and ran a finger along the smooth, firm line of Simon’s jaw. “I don’t think you’re a creep, I couldn’t think that. But I do value honesty. Especially if we’re together.”

Simon took a deep breath. “It sounds like something out of a godawful romance novel, but I’ve wanted you since the first time I stood opposite you in court.”

That’s almost two-and-a-half years. All this time?

“I walked into court that day, not having felt so much as a flicker of attraction for anyone in more than seven years, and there you were. You were all big brown eyes, and broad shoulders, and such an earnest desire to expose the truth. I wanted.”

Apollo had had no idea. In fact, if anything, during that time he had firmly believed that, at best, Simon hated him or, at worst, wanted him dead. The idea that the man had been harbouring an attraction for him even has they battled it out in court was… gratifying. Especially when coupled with the silver fire that burned in Simon’s eyes right now.

“I couldn’t deal with wanting someone as much as I wanted you. Not when I was going to be executed very soon. But you kept getting blown up and knocked out… I was worried at one point that I might outlive you. It was hard to keep you out of my thoughts. Especially not when you had the audacity to help clear my name.” Simon smiled softly at this. Apollo, not wanting to interrupt the other man’s train of thought, kept quiet. “And then I was free, and you were no longer my opposition but my friend. My friend who, Athena reliably informed me, was gay. And suddenly I was hopeful that maybe there was a chance you would be interested in me too.

“But you were grieving your friend and I was not in the right place for a relationship. So I went on some dates, had some hook-ups, worked out all of those nerves and that frustration after seven years of nothing. And then you started seeing Prosecutor Boy Band and you seemed so happy together. I decided to be content with being your friend - and I have been - but I also decided not to date unless I found someone I liked as much as you - which I didn’t.

“When you and Boy Band broke up, I was incensed. I could not understand why he would hurt you in that way, why he would want anyone who was not you. I confess, I did wonder then if there would be any opportunity for us in the future, but I valued you too highly as my friend to risk it. When I asked you to take part in this subterfuge with me, I did not expect things to turn out the way they did. I did not approach you thinking I could use it as an excuse to get closer to you or to ‘engineer’ something between us. I genuinely wanted to help you out, and get Athena off my back. I had no ulterior motive. But I’m glad things have worked out the way that they have. That is, if you do not now think I am a pathetic mess, pining after you for such a long time.”

Apollo listened to the entirety of this speech with rapt attention. This was a confession-and-a-half. To discover he had been the focus of such a devoted attraction for so long without ever realising it was intoxicating. 

“Of course I don’t think you’re pathetic, Simon. That’s… Thank you, for telling me all of that. I… I can’t pretend I was attracted to you the whole time. But almost as soon as we began this act, I began to feel something for you. The first time you called me Apollo, I was a gonner. I just wish I’d never got together with Klavier. We could have been together like this for so much longer.”

“Maybe not. The last two years, I’ve had a lot of therapy, I’ve done my best to recover from all of the trauma of UR-1. If we’d have got together two years ago, I don’t think I could have made it work.”

Apollo nodded, seeing the truth of Simon’s words. “Maybe so. And, if I’m being honest, Klavier and I danced around each other for a long time before we got together. If we’d never tried, I might have always asked ‘what if?’ But now… Now I can give you my full attention.”

Simon gave that rakish grin once more. “I’m glad to hear it.”

*

After that conversation, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to kiss.

It felt like the most unnatural thing in the world to stop.

So they continued, making out on the bed like two teenagers, not trying to push things along, just enjoying the feel of each other’s lips, the taste of each other’s tongue. It felt so intimate, so beautiful, Apollo couldn’t get enough.

As time went on, hands began to wander, and Apollo soon found his on Simon’s ass, manoeuvring him so that their neglected erections pressed together, two sets of hips rocking to make a lazy rhythm, lips and tongues still sliding over each other increasingly filthily, deep moans passing back and forth between them.

Apollo knew he was close, knew that he wanted them to finish together. He reached down and wrapped his hand around the two of them, quickly finding a steady motion that echoed the movement of their hips. He felt one of Simon’s hands join him and Apollo thought that this might be the single most erotic moment of his life, making out with this beautiful man while they gave each other a simultaneous hand job. 

They came within seconds of each other, hips stuttering, come splashing, hands continuing to move until oversensitivity set in. Then they were pressing their foreheads together, kissing chastely, swapping warm breaths.

Simon pulled away first, getting a wash cloth from the bathroom and cleaning both of them up before climbing back under the sheet. Apollo rested his head on the other man’s broad chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and wondering if perhaps it wasn’t too early for the L-word after all, before falling into a deep, restful sleep.

Chapter Text

Waking the next morning, the day of Gumshoe and Maggey’s actual wedding, was sublime. They had both moved at some point in the night and Apollo was now on his back, Simon on his side next to him with Apollo’s arm around him. Simon was curled around Apollo, hand resting on his chest, face nuzzled into his neck. Apollo could get used to this, even if Simon’s hair was currently tickling his ear. 

I’m so in love with him.

The thought should have had him running scared but… No. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. Yesterday had been amazing. Not just the sex either - although that was, frankly, spectacular. It had felt like a meeting of minds, a relationship between equals, something built on trust, not just lust. Apollo felt as if he might just be the luckiest man alive right now.

And also the hungriest.

As wonderful as yesterday was, he could not ignore the reality that he had only eaten one meal. The rest of the day had been talking, fucking, and sleeping, and his stomach was now complaining.

“I contemplated instigating another round, but I am as hungry as you sound. As irresistible as you are, the breakfast buffet is even more so right now.” This was murmured softly and sleepily into the side of Apollo’s neck as Simon stirred. 

Apollo chuckled and he could feel Simon smiling against his skin. “Agreed. I’d like to eat all of the food before I even begin to think about anything else.”

Within half an hour, they were sitting at their usual breakfast table, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. They had loaded up their plates with as much food as they could carry and had fallen very quickly into their routine of hand-holding again. But now there was soft eye contact, feet touching beneath the table, and thumbs tracing patterns over each other’s knuckles. It all just felt right. 

Except for one thing.

“Bollocks, we forgot to get coffee,” Simon groaned.

“I’ll go,” replied Apollo, standing up and heading over to the counter at the side of the room where you could self-serve hot drinks. He set a cup into one of the machines and keyed in Simon’s order.

“Yuta tried to knock on your door yesterday,” came a cheeky voice behind him. Ema.

Apollo flushed. “He did?”

“He did. We hadn’t seen you all day and I’d gone for a lie down as I’d had a bit too much sun. He was wondering if you were up for a drink or something, but he heard noises. I don’t think he’ll ever be the same again.”

The machine beeped to signal Simon’s coffee was ready. Apollo swapped the mug out for his own and put in his own order. “I don’t know what you mean,” he smirked, turning to look at Ema. 

“I bet you don’t,” the detective laughed. “So it’s real now?”

“It’s real. I’m happy. We both are. And Simon will be especially happy that he’s traumatised Yuta.”

Ema giggled. “He’ll get over it.” The coffee machine beeped again. “You go back to loverboy and I’ll see you at the wedding later.”

Grabbing the cups, Apollo bid Ema farewell and returned to Simon, whose face positively lit up when he saw him.

As they ate, they discussed their plans for attending the wedding later that day. “It’s not until three,” Apollo mused. “It’s here in the hotel too, so we probably don’t need to get ready until… one-thirty?”

“That sounds reasonable,” was Simon’s reply. “In that case, would you like to take a walk after breakfast? Not far. It’s just that we could probably both do with some fresh air after yesterday.”

Apollo grinned. “That sounds good. Although I wouldn’t object if we got back to our room a little early…”

“No?” Simon’s smirk and the suggestive look in his eyes could spark kindling.

After they had eaten, the intention was to go straight on their walk, but as they neared Reception, Apollo realised he had left his sunglasses in their room. Simon had just seen Athena and was exchanging pleasantries, so Apollo excused himself and rode the elevator upstairs to the room they shared.

As he rounded the corner, however, he began to sincerely regret his decision to get his sunglasses. Klavier was standing outside his door, waiting. When he saw Apollo, he broke into his trademark dazzling grin.

“Guten Morgen, Apollo, Liebling.” Time was, Apollo would have melted, hearing Klavier address him in that soft-spoken German. Now though, now he recognised it as part of the act.

“What do you want, Klavier?”

Klavier’s eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. He had obviously expected an easier time of it. That was something Apollo was not prepared to concede to him though. 

“Schatz, I am so, so incredibly sorry for everything I’ve put you through. Krystal was a mistake. Seeing you here with Herr Blackquill has made me realise how big of an idiot I was, letting you go. So I broke up with Krystal and I’m ready to take you back.” 

Apollo stared blankly for a moment. Klavier could not be serious, could he? 

“First of all, Klavier, I know for a fact that you did not break up with Krystal, she broke up with you. So let’s not pretend you realised anything.”

“Apollo -”

“No, I’m talking, Klavier.” Apollo felt the same rush he got in court when he was taking down a lying witness. “Secondly, you’re ready to take me back? What? I’m just sitting around waiting for you, am I? Thirdly, and most importantly, I’m with Simon and I don’t want you.”

Klavier’s face turned stony. “Das kannst du doch nicht alles ernst meinen, Apollo. You can’t be serious. You’d stay with that fucking Krähe rather than get back together with me?”

Apollo was furious. Klavier could say whatever about him but he had no right to insult Simon. “Let’s get one thing straight, Klavier, I’d rather be with one of the fucking Payne brothers than with you. There are invertebrates that would make better boyfriends. But Simon is amazing. He’s shown me what a proper relationship looks like, one between equals, something you never were able to do.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Apollo.” Klavier was scowling. He looked more like his brother than he ever had before.

“No, you’re the ridiculous one, thinking I could ever trust or love you again,” shot back Apollo. “I trust Simon. I love Simon.”

“Sie werden es bereuen.” With that, Klavier turned on his heel and left.

Apollo sagged against the wall. That had been tough.

“Did you mean that?” Apollo started as a familiar deep voice came from nearby. 

Oh shit, did he hear all of that?

Apollo looked. Simon stood in the corridor, a slightly dazed expression on his face. “Did you? Mean it?” He repeated, stepping towards Apollo. 

“Which bit?” Apollo knew which bit, but he needed to stall for time. He was terrified he was going to scare Simon away by falling too hard, too fast.

“All of it really. But particularly the part where you said you love me.” Simon’s voice was soft, but Apollo could detect the tremor in it. But he could also see something in Simon’s eyes and he recognised it instantly: hope.

It gave him the reassurance that perhaps this would not be unwelcome.

“I meant it. I love you,” he breathed. 

Simon was so close now. Apollo watched as the taller man took a deep, steadying breath and swooped down, pulling Apollo to him in a hungry kiss. Apollo felt strong hands on this thighs and then he was being lifted, pinned between Simon and the wall, legs around his waist. Simon pulled back slightly, just enough to murmur, “I love you too,” against Apollo’s lips.

“Still want to go for that walk?” Apollo asked wickedly, feeling the growing hardness in Simon’s trousers pressing against him.

“Fuck the walk. If we make it to the damn wedding it’ll be nothing short of a miracle.” And then Apollo felt Simon turning, still carrying him, fumbling for his room key. And then they were tumbling through the door, Simon just about having the presence of mind to put the Do Not Disturb sign in place, before kicking the door shut behind them and stumbling over to the nearest bed with Apollo still in his arms. They landed in an inelegant heap on the mattress, Apollo ending up on top, caging Simon in, his arms braced either side of the taller man’s handsome face. 

Kind of naïve of me to believe I could do anything other than fall in love with him.

“Boy Band wants you back then?” Simon smirked between kisses.

“He’s only human,” Apollo grinned devilishly, licking a long, slow stripe from Simon’s collarbone to his jaw. 

Simon exhaled, the breath leaving him with a low moan. “You were not tempted?”

Apollo pulled back so that he could look straight into those silver eyes. “Not even for a second. I realised I was in love with you yesterday but, if I’m being honest with myself, it’s been building for considerably longer. I never expected any of this when I first agreed to your plan. But I wouldn’t change it.”

Simon reached up a hand and tenderly brushed Apollo’s hair out of his eyes. “Me neither. Although if I’m being honest, I do not quite know how long I’ve been in love with you for. Only that I realised it when I first held your hand.”

“The second time we went for coffee?”

“You remembered?”

“Of course I did.”

The look on Simon’s face at that moment was a curious blend of surprise, adoration, gratification, and hunger. Apollo wanted. Desperately.

He leaned down and kissed Simon, attempting to convey everything he was feeling with just the touch of his lips. Simon responded by returning the kiss with fervour. 

After that, the morning passed by in something of a haze.

Increasingly desperate kisses.

Clothes discarded.

More kisses.

Simon panting, “Please, Apollo, I need to feel you.”

Apollo slowly preparing the other man, teasing him open with one, two, then three slick fingers.

Simon becoming impatient and pushing Apollo over on to his back, sitting astride him, lowering himself down on to Apollo’s cock.

Groaning at the tight heat of Simon wrapped around him, the vision of him above Apollo, head thrown back in his own ecstasy.

The feel of Simon’s hips under his fingers.

The keening noise Simon made when Apollo began to thrust roughly up into him.

The stuttering cry that tore from Simon’s throat as he came across Apollo’s stomach and chest.

Simon clenching hard around him, forcibly pulling Apollo’s own orgasm from him.

Breathless whispers of, “I love you,” exchanged like promises.

Collapsing in a tangle of limbs, not caring about the mess, just needing to hold each other.

*

Of course, they dozed off, and of course they overslept. Waking at two-fifteen covered in sweat and come, and panicking as they realised they needed to be clean, dressed, and downstairs in less than forty-five minutes. 

Two incredibly quick showers later, they were dressed in comfortable linen suits with, open-collar shirts, rushing downstairs, hair still slightly damp. Ema quirked an eyebrow at them as they took their seats in the garden, decorated beautifully for the ceremony, with about two minutes to spare.

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes affectionately as she took in their appearance.

“I’m not even a little bit sorry,” came Apollo’s retort.

Simon alone had the good grace to look a little embarrassed, but he took Apollo’s hand in his own, nonetheless.

The ceremony was beautiful. Strictly speaking, of course, Gumshoe and Maggey were already officially married, but this was the ceremony and Apollo thought the two of them couldn’t look happier as they said their vows, exchanged rings and, of course, kissed. After the ceremony, everyone was moved to the pool for champagne while the garden was reconfigured for the reception and Gumshoe and Maggey posed for photographs. 

After that short interlude, it was back to the garden to sit down to dinner. At the same table as Wednesday night, Apollo couldn’t help but be reminded of the way Simon had kissed him, and a quick glance at the man in question - and the way he was looking fixedly at Apollo’s lips - told him that Simon’s mind was similarly engaged. 

Course after course of traditional Sicilian dishes was brought out to them, and the wine flowed freely. Speeches followed, and then it was time for the first dance. Apollo rested his head on Simon’s shoulder as they watched Gumshoe and Maggey sway together.

I could see us doing this one day.

The thought surprised him - he had never given marriage much thought before - but it was not unwelcome. He smiled to himself.

As other couples joined the dance floor, Simon excused himself, returning a moment later with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Fancy joining me for a drink?”

Apollo smiled and followed Simon back to their room, where they sat together on the floor of the balcony using towels and pillows to make it more comfortable, sipping the bubbles, and watching as fireworks lit up the sky above them. When Simon leaned in to kiss Apollo, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to lean back and pull Simon on top of him, for them to begin removing layers, for them to make love while the sky sparkled. 

It was only later, when Simon lay next to him in bed, sound asleep, and Apollo was beginning to drift off, that he realised: Klavier hadn’t even been at the wedding in the end anyway.