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The line for the Ferris wheel was short compared to all of the other attractions they'd been to. This was promising for Apollo’s aching legs, but worrying too, as he couldn't spot Athena anywhere. Each time a couple entered their carriage and Apollo was moved one step closer to the front, his heart did a little dance of despair in his chest. He looked down at Trucy, still bouncing in excitement. He'd promised to go with her in Athena's stead. It was a promise he'd only made because of the other person in the queue with them, a person who Athena had invited to their night out for reasons he couldn't comprehend.
"Be sure to look down when you're at the top, Herr Forehead," said Klavier Gavin with the world's most infuriating smile. "Then you'll be able to see how look to me right now."
"Good thing I love heights then," Apollo retorted.
"Oh, we're up next!" Trucy exclaimed, letting go of Apollo’s hand to point at the ride operator who was motioning them over. "You go first, Apollo."
Apollo entered the carriage and sat down. The interior was a soft pink, with twinkling lights on its ceiling. The cushioned seat was actually very comfy, he could imagine himself falling asleep on it if it were anywhere else.
"And now you," Trucy continued, pushing Klavier into the carriage. Apollo had no time to protest before the ride operator closed the gate. His only consolation was that Klavier looked just as confused.
"Fräulein, what are you—"
"You two have fun working out your problems!" Trucy called out cheerfully, skipping off into the crowd. The ride began to move. Apollo resisted the urge to squeeze his eyes shut and curl into a ball.
"The carnival lights are beautiful from up here," Klavier said, leaning over the railing to look. He hesitated for a moment before turning to Apollo. "Do you know what Trucy's talking about?"
"Nope. No idea."
"Me neither."
The ride crept higher and higher. Apollo kept his gaze focused on the floor. It was a nice floor. Oak wood, well varnished. If it broke, they would both fall to their deaths—
"You're missing the view," Klavier said. Apollo forced himself to look at him. His face was lit in a soft glow by the fairy-lights, creating the illusion of a fire dancing in his eyes. His jacket fluttered in the breeze, but he didn't seem the least bit anxious.
"Oh, uh, I'm just waiting for us to get to the top. That's my favourite part," Apollo replied when he realised he'd been staring for too long.
"Really? It's my favourite, too. Let's hope it'll be worth the wait."
"The wait wasn't that long," Apollo grumbled, crossing his arms. Damn, it was actually pretty cold up here. Why couldn't he have remembered to bring a jacket? Of course Klavier had to outdo him there as well.
"Are you cold?" Klavier asked with that same impeccably friendly tone he'd been using all evening. "I can give you my jacket."
"Wouldn't you be cold then?"
"I'm used to racing around on my motorcycle, this is a mere breeze to me," Klavier said, because of course he had to rub it in. He took off his jacket and held it out to Apollo. "Besides, any excuse to see more of me, ja?"
"I don't want your jacket," Apollo said, leaning away. "Besides, we're halfway through, we'll be out in no time."
Right as they reached the top, the ride stopped and the lights flickered out. From far below, they could hear the ride operator shout something, but their words were caught by the wind.
"I think we're stuck," said Klavier.
"A genius deduction," Apollo snarked, and Klavier looked away. He felt a little pang of guilt, which wasn't fair since Klavier had put him down far more often. Still, bickering right now wouldn't be productive. "I'm going to see if I can message Athena, just so she knows what's going on."
"Okay," Klavier said quietly.
Apollo fumbled around for his phone, wincing as he turned it on and a bright light seared his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted, his heart dropped. "There's no signal. And I, um, I've run out of mobile data," he admitted.
"No worries, we'll just use mine," Klavier said, sounding like his normal self again. As soon as he turned on his phone, a flurry of notification dings filled the carriage. Of course Klavier would have hundreds of people clamouring to speak to him at any given moment. "Oh! Athena has already messaged me. She said she's sorry she missed it, and she asked if you're… doing okay with being up so high. Apollo, are you afraid of heights?"
"I'm not."
"Are you sure? You don't have to—"
"Why don't you ask Athena, since you're such good friends with her now?" Apollo snapped. Klavier's face fell, and even Apollo winced at how harshly his own words had come out.
"I'll, um, I'll tell her we're doing mostly okay, just rattled by the ride being stuck." Klavier said, his voice strangely even. They sat in silence for a minute before another message lit up Klavier's screen. "Ah, she says that Trucy is very sorry, by the way. She didn't know that heights were… a source of discomfort for you."
"Tell her I'm not mad at her. She didn't know."
"Okay. Do you want to message them on my phone?"
"No."
Klavier went quiet. Apollo looked down at his knees. His hands were clenched into fists, and his whole body was tenser than a taut bow-string. When did that happen? He forced himself to take a few deep breaths, forcing his body to relax inch by inch. He expected Klavier to mock him, but he never did. Instead, he waited until Apollo was done to speak.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Klavier asked. Apollo looked up. Klavier was the one avoiding his gaze now, staring intently down at the carnival below. His face was perfectly blank.
"I don't hate you," Apollo said, "I just…"
"Dislike me?" Klavier supplied. "Would rather be around anyone except me?" His voice shook, and Apollo realised with mounting horror that he was trying not to cry. "It's because I look like my brother, isn't it?"
"Wait, what? Who said anything about him?"
"I knew I was selfish, trying to become friends with you after that. People have always joked about how similar we look, and there I go trying to make friends with you of all people."
"This has nothing to do with your brother, I promise," Apollo said, almost pleading. He had no idea how they'd ended up here, but that at least was the truth. "You look similar, yes, but not the same. And even if you did, you're completely different people. He doesn't even cross my mind when I look at you."
"So it's just something about me, then?" Klavier asked, turning to look at him again. "You could have just told me."
"No, no, it's not… look, can you just give me a second to sort out the words in my head?"
Klavier nodded. Apollo squeezed his eyes shut and thought. He'd learned a lot more about Klavier in the last minute than he'd expected to learn in a lifetime, but he couldn't focus on that right now. Trucy's words came back up in his mind. Right, they needed to talk out their problems. Klavier had just been incredibly vulnerable with him and, no matter what he thought about the man, Apollo knew it was his turn to give some vulnerability back.
"I don't hate you, or even dislike you," he said. "I just don't enjoy how you always think you're better than me."
"What?" Klavier spluttered, sounding as confused as Apollo had a moment ago, "What have I done to make you think that?"
"Do you want a list?"
"Yes, actually!"
"Well, what about when you sent us those tickets to your concert, just so we could see how great of a musician you were? Or how you always make fun of my appearance? Or how you offered me your jacket a bit ago just so you could show off about how you go motorcycling all of the time?"
"I sent you those tickets because I wanted to get to know you and Trucy better, it was nothing to do with showing off! And I gave you my jacket because you looked cold, that was all!"
"You didn't answer about the forehead thing," Apollo protested, if only because Klavier's response to his other two points had made far too much sense. Klavier groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"I've really made a mess of this, haven't I? Apollo, I wasn't trying to make fun of you. I actually think your forehead is very cute."
What.
"I'm… I'm sorry?"
Klavier finally looked at him then, and his confident smile didn't match the despair in his eyes. "I must have been making you so uncomfortable," he said cheerfully. "I was projecting my desire for closeness onto you, assuming you felt the same way. I'll be more careful in future. And I'll leave you alone from now on."
No. No, this was all wrong. It didn't make any sense. What would Klavier possibly like about him? Klavier already had everything, Klavier was perfect—
"I understand what Trucy meant now!" Apollo declared, making Klavier jump. "Some of it, anyway. I've been projecting onto you, too."
"You have?"
"You're… you're really cool, Klavier. You make everything look effortless, everybody loves you, you really seem to have your whole life together, you know? I think I put you on a pedestal. And once I'd done that, it became impossible to accept that someone like you would be interested in someone like me. So I told myself that you were only really interested in one-upping me."
"You really think so little of yourself?" Klavier asked.
"I… I guess so. I didn't even realise that until now. But that's not an excuse. I shouldn't have taken out my insecurities on you, I'm sorry. You're actually really nice, and I don't want you to go away. Um, unless you want to, which would be very understandable considering how much of an ass I've been—"
Klavier laughed fondly, and the sound of it made Apollo's heart soar. "So we are both sorry, that is something we have in common. What now?"
"We could start over?"
"What do you mean?"
"We obviously already know each other, but we've been making things up about each other as well. So, maybe we could talk properly this time. And be honest with each other."
"I like the sound of that," Klavier said. "Then, may I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Have you been slowly freezing over there this whole time? Because you've been shivering non-stop."
"Oh, so I have! Could I sit next to you?" Apollo asked. "Um, unless that's weird?"
"If it is, I'd rather be weird than let you freeze to death." Klavier huffed, budging up in his seat so that Apollo could fit. Apollo gratefully squeezed in next to him, and Klavier draped his coat around his shoulders. "So, stranger, what brings you to this fine Ferris wheel?"
"Oh, nothing much, just the actions of a scheming child. I can't complain too much, though, I've met some lovely people up here."
"How odd, me too!"
They looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. The lights flickered back on and the Ferris wheel began to move once more. Apollo let out a squeak of terror as their carriage lurched into motion, and Klavier frowned.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
The urge to snap that he didn't need help swelled in his chest. Apollo let the thought pass by. "Actually, is it okay if you hold my hand? It, um, it helps ground me."
Far from ridiculing him, Klavier looked delighted that there was something he could do. He took Apollo's hand, and Apollo gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. I'm going to close my eyes now."
"I'll tell you when we're about to reach the end," Klavier said.
They made it back down in no time at all.