Work Text:
Cute.
"Hot chocolate again?" Clay asked.
The customer blinked those wide, lovely eyes in surprise. "You remember?"
"Of course!" Clay offered his best smile to the customer in front of him. "Hot chocolate's my favorite drink. I remember everyone who gets it." Plus, you're super cute and I thought about you the entire rest of my shift yesterday.
"Everyone?" The customer raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "It's winter. Isn't everyone getting it?"
Clay nodded. "But I still remember! So, is that a 'yes' for today?"
"Oh, right. Um, yes, please." The customer gave a small smile. "And thanks for remembering."
I'll remember your order for the rest of my life.
Clay almost laughed at himself and his dramatics. Sure, the customer was cute and he drank hot chocolate, but Clay didn't actually know anything about him. At least, not yet.
To Clay's delight, the customer (whom he'd begun referring to as Hot Cocoa, because he never ordered anything but hot chocolate, and because it was a cute nickname, dammit) came everyday. Unfortunately, though, Hot Cocoa never spoke as much as he did that day.
Clay tried, of course.
"Hot chocolate?"
"Yes, please. Thank you."
"Anything else?"
"No thanks."
"Not hungry?"
"Not right now."
"Ah, alright."
Clay realized later that he definitely just came off as a pushy salesperson, and he vowed to come up with a better way to start a conversation with Hot Cocoa.
"Hot chocolate again?"
"Yes, please. Thank you."
"How cold is it outside?"
"Um, I don't know. I mean, it's winter?"
Clay wanted to slap himself, but instead he just focused on the way Hot Cocoa seemed a bit nervous whenever Clay went off script and tried to start a conversation. It was adorable, but of course it also meant that Hot Cocoa probably wasn't going to keep talking with him.
And so Clay continued to struggle to talk to Hot Cocoa. Every morning, around eleven o clock, Clay would turn excitedly to the door every time the bell rang, waiting for Hot Cocoa to arrive. Honestly, he didn't know why he was so enraptured by this one customer. He thought maybe there was something about the way his loud voice contrasted with his somewhat nervous words. It was so cute. Or maybe it was how Hot Cocoa was always kind and polite, even if a bit stiff. Or maybe it was just his appearance.
One of Clay's coworkers joked that it was because Hot Cocoa always tipped two dollars.
Clay began to think about Hot Cocoa even when he was off the clock. Whenever he visited the space center, he'd wonder whether Hot Cocoa was a fan of astronomy. At one point, Clay imagined explaining the history behind all of his favorite stars to Hot Cocoa, who, in his mind, listened in absolute awe. When Clay realized just how embarrassing that was, he tried to convince himself that he never imagined that. Still, though, that didn't stop him from watching Hot Cocoa just a bit closer the next day.
Two weeks later, though, Hot Cocoa had ordered a croissant with his favorite drink, and he sat down at the booth nearest the counter, facing Clay but looking down at some papers he'd spread across the table. Clay's heart skipped a couple beats. Hot Cocoa was so damn close, and he didn't seem to be planning to leave anytime soon.
Clay immediately planned to maybe start a conversation while he was refilling the baskets of sugar and such on each table. But he just couldn't think of what to say! Normally, he could hold a casual, cheerful conversation with any customer that walked in. It was a point of pride that many customers asked about him whenever he wasn't there. But now, his brain had gone completely blank.
Clay glanced over at Hot Cocoa again. He had his nose scrunched up in annoyance at his papers. That's bad for my heart, you adorable jerk.
Finally, Clay decided to just go for it. There were no customers in line and his hair was somewhat less tangled than usual. That was always a good sign.
"Work giving you trouble?" Clay realized in a panic that Hot Cocoa might be in university, instead. "Or studying, maybe?"
"Oh!" Hot Cocoa looked up in surprise. "Erm, yeah. Homework."
Clay's brain raced, trying to think of what to say to that, but then Hot Cocoa yawned, running a hand through his carefully gelled hair, messing it up slightly. Clay's eyes drifted to the few strands of hair now framing his face, and with a start, he realized that Hot Cocoa really was so pretty. Hot Cocoa's face began to turn a bit pink, and it was only when he looked down at his papers again that Clay realized he was staring.
"Good- good luck!" Clay managed to sputter out before hurrying along to the next booth, which was thankfully empty.
For the next twenty minutes (Clay timed it), whenever he glanced up for just a second, Hot Cocoa had his eyes fixated on his papers. Clay could've been wrong, of course, but he got the impression that Hot Cocoa was forcing himself not to look up. Probably, not to look at Clay.
Clay spent the rest of the day depressedly watching romantic comedy anime.
The next day, Clay fully expected Hot Cocoa not to come, and as eleven o'clock came and went, the doorbell didn't give its familiar jangle that signaled Hot Cocoa's arrival. (Well, it jangled several other times for other, less important customers, but that wasn't the point Clay's dramatic heart was trying to make.)
But as the clock struck twelve, Hot Cocoa rushed inside, panting slightly out of exhaustion. Clay's eyes widened, and he began glancing around for one of his coworkers to take his place. Hot Cocoa probably didn't want to talk to him after yesterday. Hell, he might've came an hour later in hopes that Clay's shift had ended.
Where is everyone? All of his coworkers seemed to be busy or had mysteriously vanished (slacking off in the back, probably), and Clay couldn't just leave the counter empty, so...
"Good morning!" His grin was a bit strained, he could tell. "Ho-"
"It's noon already," Hot Cocoa said with a somewhat sly smile, surprising Clay. "Oh! Erm, sorry for interrupting." His cheeks, already flushed from the cold and overexertion, reddened further.
"No worries!" Honestly, it was going so much smoother than Clay thought. He knew he should just take Hot Cocoa's order and move on, but... "In my defense, you're late." He struck his best playful pout, as though his heart wasn't thudding at a million miles an hour. Maybe, just maybe, he could get some more conversation out of Hot Cocoa.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Hot Cocoa scratched his head embarrassedly, and Clay forced himself not to stare like he had yesterday. "My cat fell asleep on me while I was studying, and I didn't want to wake him up, so..."
Clay chuckled, mostly out of relief. "I understand, I understand."
"You do?" Hot Cocoa perked up. "Do you have a cat, too?"
"Oh! Oh, no, but I wish I did." Wait, we're actually talking... "What's your cat's name?"
Hot Cocoa smiled widely. "Mikeko. It's sort of a pun in Japanese, but most of my friends just call him 'Mickey' or 'asshole', depending on how he's been behaving recently." His tone made it apparent that he already had that joke memorized. He probably used it whenever he brought up his cat. That's kinda cute, too...
Clay laughed again. "What a coincidence. My friends either call me 'Clay' or 'asshole', too." Oh, shit, that was definitely a dumb joke. Clay, I'm banning you from talking ever again.
But Hot Cocoa burst into laughter, nearly doubling over, and Clay felt strangely proud of himself. "I think I'll stick with 'Clay', thanks."
"That works for me." He said my name he said my name he said my name. "Oh, and your name?"
"Huh?" Hot Cocoa paused his laughter. "Right! My name's Apollo. Uh, I want to say that my friends call me 'asshole' sometimes, too, but they really don't. Sometimes they call me 'nerd', though."
Clay gathered up all his courage. "How about a different nickname, then, Pollo?"
"Oh!" Apollo blinked in surprise. "Yeah, that works."
Pollo Pollo Pollo Pollo Pollo. Clay desperately wanted to keep talking with Apollo, but a jingling sound signaled the arrival of another customer. "So, another hot chocolate, Pollo?"
"Of course," Apollo answered, smiling almost bashfully.
Clay's co-workers were still nowhere to be seen, and Clay hid a grin. "I'll grab it for you, then." Apollo began rummaging through his pocket for money. "Oh, don't worry about it."
"I need to pay, though." Apollo raised an eyebrow questioning.
"Don't need to pay if I don't ring it in!" Clay responded in a sing-song tone. Oh, that was definitely too much.
Apollo just laughed under his breath, though. "Thanks, then. Um, are you sure?"
Clay began preparing the hot chocolate. "I'm sure!" He called over.
Apollo's face, which had only just begun returning to its normal color, turned pink again. "Thanks, Clay."
Shit. Clay immediately averted his eyes to the cup in front of him so he wouldn't blush back. His fingers lingered on the marker on the counter. He didn't really need to mark the order, so…
"To Pollo, from the asshole (the human one)"
Apollo gave a gracious smile as Clay handed the cup to him, and thanked him for the third time. Cute. They said their goodbyes, and Apollo walked away. Clay's polite conversation with the next customer was interrupted by Apollo, now standing near the door, giggling as he looked at the cup.
Clay went through the rest of his day with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
For the next couple of days, Clay and Apollo talked a bit more whenever Apollo visited the café. Usually, they'd talk until another customer showed up, forcing Clay to do his actual job. Those days were the best, and Clay learnt that Apollo was studying at the University of Japanifornia nearby, had a habit of twisting his spikes of hair around his finger whenever he was distracted, and didn't know much about astronomy but seemed eager to learn.
(Clay had brought it up in a moment of weakness, and was absolutely delighted with the results. He almost offered to take Apollo on a date to the space center right then and there, but he panicked and instead just confirmed Apollo's usual order.)
A week later, Apollo ordered another croissant with his hot chocolate, and Clay's heart skipped a beat. "Studying here today?"
Apollo nodded, gesturing to his backpack. "Yeah, it's a lot easier to study without Mikeko trying to eat my textbook."
Clay laughed. "And here I thought you just wanted to spend more time with me."
"That was my other reason." Apollo grinned back, sending Clay's heart into overdrive.
Shit shit shit I think we're actually flirting I'm not ready for this who do you think I am Apollo Lastname? "Good luck with your work, then."
"Thanks!" Apollo hummed to himself softly as he opened his wallet, and Clay realized just how much more at ease Apollo was when talking with him.
So, of course, Clay decided to try talking with Apollo again. Last week he choked, but not this time. He took a deep breath to psyche himself up, and stepped out into the dining area.
“So, how’s it going?”
Apollo rubbed his temples. “I haven’t even started thinking and I’m ready to give up.”
“Maybe you should start thinking, then.” Clay peeked at Apollo’s homework. “Oh! Matrices! What’cha struggling with?”
“Um, finding the determinant. Well, when it’s bigger than two by two, you know?” Apollo scrunched up his nose at his work. “I missed one class and now I have no clue what they’re talking about.”
“Oh! I know this!” Clay could feel his eyes light up as he sat down right next to Apollo. “So, there’s a few methods, but what I think is easiest is putting the matrix in reduced row form, and then you just gotta keep track of the row operations, and then you multiply down the- actually, it would make more sense if I showed you. Shit, wait, I don’t remember how the row operations affect the derivative…” His voice trailed off. “There’s just one thing I don’t remember. Well, you can probably find an explanation online, anyways. Once you know how to do it, it’s pretty easy.” He sighed, finally out of steam and suddenly aware of how much he’d been rambling.
Apollo blinked a bit in surprise. “Um, you in linear algebra, then, I’m guessing?”
“Last year, yeah.” Clay subconsciously began adjusting and readjusting the cap on his head. “Here, you want me to show you what I remember? I should be able to do a few examples, at least. Or, you know, tons of videos online.”
“Oh, I’m really, um,” Apollo began to stumble over his words, “I’m better at learning with someone actually showing me in real life. It’s, uh, why I’m having so much trouble with this. Videos and stuff just aren’t the same. So, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“Sure!” Clay could feel his whole face light up. “I’ll do my best, at least.”
Clay had only made it past the first two steps in the first problem when another customer showed up and he had to dash over to the counter.
“Sorry, sorry!” Clay said, slightly out of breath, as he slid back in the booth next to Apollo. “Hm, it might be hard to actually teach you anything like this, so… My shift ends in an hour and a half, if you wouldn’t mind waiting.”
“I have class then. Um, a bit later?”
The two managed to make plans to meet up at a nearby library at three. After the fifth time Apollo thanked him, Clay had to intervene. “It’s no problem, Apollo, really. What’re friends for?” He studied Apollo’s face carefully, ready to overthink whatever reaction Apollo had, but Apollo just smiled gratefully and began to pack up his things.
At 2:45 on the dot, Clay swung by his work to grab two hot chocolates before heading to the library, which thankfully allowed food and drink in the study rooms. Apollo was already there, his homework and textbook laid out next to two still steaming styrofoam cups.
Clay giggled to himself, announcing his arrival, and Apollo’s head swiveled around. “Oh! We had the same idea, then, didn’t we?”
“Looks like it.” Clay set down his drinks. “Well, I’m fine with drinking two.”
“I just wanted to thank you for helping me,” Apollo explained in a somewhat softer voice than usual.
“Like I said, it’s fine.” He gave Apollo a reassuring smile. “Well, let’s get to working, then.”
Apollo was a quick learner. Not that Clay expected anything less, of course, but within half an hour, Clay had even managed to show Apollo the proofs behind it all (which, admittedly, took an hour of studying his old notes for Clay to understand.)
Apollo stretched back, yawning, still only halfway through his first cup of hot chocolate. “Anything else?”
“Nope! I think you’re all good.” Clay took another sip from his cup. “Although there are other methods, and honestly, I don’t remember those at all.”
Apollo grinned amusedly. “So, I should just hope my professor doesn’t ask about that?”
“Exactly!” Clay thought for a second. “Well, I probably could relearn them pretty easily and teach ‘em to you, if you want to play it safe.”
“Would you really?” Apollo asked, far more interested than Clay would have guessed. “I mean, I could pay you, of course, but it’s just- it would be a lot of help, you know.”
Another chance. “No payment necessary, Pollo. Except maybe another cup of hot chocolate. I promise I won’t bring any next time.”
“Are you sure, though?” Apollo looked hesitant, unsure.
“Eh, it’ll be good for me to knock some of the cobwebs from my brain.” Clay mustered up every bit of courage he had. Their study session up until that point had been all too professional, and he was practically bursting at the seams with adoration. “Besides, it gives us an excuse to hang out again.” He held his breath as he waited for a response.
“Is that what you do with all your friends? Teach them math?” Despite the teasing question, Apollo had blushed faintly at Clay’s comment.
“Only the ones I really like.” Clay immediately grabbed at his hot chocolate and took another sip before anything else could burst out of his mouth. Normally, he was very outgoing with his friends, and had no problem casually telling them how much he (platonically) loved them, but something about Apollo made him analyze and overthink every word he said. It was exhausting, honestly.
Apollo laughed before beginning to pack his stuff up, his head turned so that Clay couldn’t even see his face. “Same time tomorrow, then?”
“Sounds good to me. And you’re coming by the café in the morning, right?”
“Of course. See you then, Clay.” Apollo gave a tiny wave before standing up and leaving the study room.
He called himself my friend. Clay sat there in a daze for a few seconds. Oh, shit! He hurried out of the room and managed to catch up to Apollo before he left the library, thankfully without attracting too much attention. “Hey!” He grabbed at Apollo’s arm to get his attention. “Um, your phone number! You know, in case we change plans or something.”
“Oh!” Apollo exclaimed before realizing just how loud he was and lowering his voice. “Right, good idea. Um, can I have my arm back, so I can get my phone?”
Clay released his arm. "Shit, sorry."
"It's fine." Apollo began digging through his backpack for his phone. "But, uh, we would've seen each other at the café tomorrow anyways, you know?"
Shit. "Yeah, I didn't exactly think that far ahead."
Luckily, Apollo just gave a soft laugh as he pulled out his phone. "Clearly. Here, put your number in and I'll text you."
"Gotcha." Clay hastily typed his number in and handed the phone back to Apollo. He was suddenly stricken with the urge to see exactly what Apollo would put his contact name as. Just "Clay"? "Clay from the coffee shop"? "Clay math help"? Could Apollo possibly know any other Clay's? Would it be weird for Clay to look over Apollo's shoulder to check?
Yes, definitely, Clay. Don't do that.
A few seconds later, his phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him to a "hey, Apollo here" text from an unknown number. He saved the number with Apollo's name and a chicken emoji, which he thought was pretty adorable.
"All good, then?" Apollo asked.
"All good," Clay confirmed, nodding. "Sorry if I surprised you there."
Apollo shrugged. "I'll live."
Once Clay was at home and had had a few moments to heal from his awkward actions, he decided it was time for the next order of business: texting Apollo. He knew very well how these things went. If he only texted Apollo when they actually were changing plans, then they'd barely ever text at all, and whenever they did, it would be stilted, awkward. But on the other hand, he needed something to actually text Apollo about, or their conversation would be over before it began.
Luckily, the internet would always be there for Clay, and one slightly shameful search for "linear algebra memes" later, Clay had managed to send Apollo a picture of a linear algebra themed manga.
"Does that really exist???"
"apparently lmaooo i know what im getting you for christmas"
"My class will be over by then. >:("
"theres a whole series of them. what are you taking next?"
"Not sure yet."
"D:< decide before christmas"
Clay had to spend longer than he'd like to admit coming down from the high of that one simple text conversation.
The next morning, Clay was practically bouncing in anticipation of seeing Apollo again, not one to be disheartened by his coworkers teasing. Apollo smiled a bit wider upon seeing him, and Clay chattered to him maybe a bit too enthusiastically, but Apollo seemed very easy-going today. Clay desperately hoped that that was because he was growing more comfortable with Clay, or maybe more fond of him. Apollo said "see you later today!" before he gave a little wave as he left the coffee shop, which Clay mimicked before scowling at his laughing coworkers.
Clay got to the library before Apollo this time, about ten minutes before they were actually supposed to meet up, and so he sent a quick text to Apollo, teasing him for being "late". Any reason to text Apollo, he figured, was a good reason.
"I shouldn't have bought you a hot chocolate."
"aw, then we could share"
Clay held his breath as he waited for a response.
"Not if you're gonna be a jerk."
":( im nice now"
"If you say so. Be there in a few. Lots of people waiting for drinks."
":D"
Okay, maybe that last emoji was a bit much. But it was how he felt, after all. He wasn't entirely sure whether Apollo was responding positively or neutrally to his flirting, but he was pretty sure it wasn't negatively, at the very least. It was hard to tell with Apollo's somewhat stiff texting style, but Apollo did seem to go along with it somewhat, and he ended just by telling Clay he'd be there soon.
Putting too much effort into this, Clay.
In his defense, though, he'd never been that good at reading tone in texts. So he was on the lookout, watching the entrance to the library's study room, waiting for Apollo to arrive, hoping that he'd be able to discern Apollo's true emotions from his face.
Apollo's face bore a faint smile as he entered the room, which grew somewhat as Clay greeted him.
He's happy to see me…
Clay wanted to cheer.
Apollo, of course, brought the hot chocolates as promised. "Uh, take this one," he said, awkwardly trying to hand Clay the cup in his right hand while he was on Clay's right side. "Has whipped cream."
Clay grabbed it, his eyes lighting up. "It does?"
"Um, yeah." Apollo set the other cup on the table and slid into the free seat. "You got a bit of whipped cream on your mouth yesterday, so I figured you liked it?"
If Clay hadn't been ecstatic that Apollo remembered such a tiny thing, he might've been embarrassed. "Yeah, you were right." He fought to keep his voice at a reasonable level of enthusiasm, aiming for "pleasantly happy" instead of "ready to shout in joy."
Aside from that little surprise at the beginning, the study session went as expected. Apollo managed to pick up on the concept pretty easily, and Clay felt like he probably didn't even need the help (but still, Clay didn't regret spending an hour reviewing his old notes).
After Apollo completed his third problem in a row without any help, Clay decided to speak up. (As fun as it was watching Apollo's nose crinkle up in thought, Clay was worried he might be caught staring.)
"I think you've got it, Pollo."
"Oh?" Apollo looked at his homework. "Right! I can do that at home. Sorry, Clay."
"It's fine, it's fine." Clay's mind raced, wondering if he could ask Apollo to hang out with him again without seeming weird. 'Can we do math together again tomorrow? I mean this in the most normal way possible.' Nope, no, don't say that.
"So, I was wondering," Apollo thankfully interrupted his train of thought, "you said you took linear algebra last year, right? Are you still in school?"
Something to talk about. "Sorta. I'm taking a gap year, I guess you could call it, in between sophomore and junior years." He grinned a bit sheepishly. "Fantastic planning on my part, I know, but some things came up, and college costs money for some reason, so, yeah, I figure I'll work this year, forget absolutely everything I've learnt already, and regret it next year. Fun, right?" The words themselves sounded bitter, but Clay had become a master at smiling or laughing in between sentences so the explanation would be more lighthearted than it really was.This was an explanation he'd had to give to many curious, well-meaning relatives. He'd gotten used to joking about it to avoid any sort of judgment. It wasn't exactly something he liked talking about at all, but hey, maybe Apollo would laugh at his jokes.
But Apollo just nodded, obviously thinking. "That makes sense, then. Sorry I made you talk about it, Clay."
He apologized…
Clay waved it away, though. "You didn't exactly hold a gun to my head, Pollo. Don't worry about it."
Apollo was silent for a moment, and Clay hastily filled the gap in conversation.
"Besides, I should be thanking you. I mean, if it wasn't for you, I would've forgotten all those other methods of finding the determinant." Clay paused. "Oh, shit, what else did I forget already?" His stomach fell as he realized that the issue he'd been joking about could become an actual problem in the future. Shit you're gonna fail Clay why couldn't you have planned for this no no don't panic in front of Apollo it's fine you'll be able to learn it all before the semester starts and-
"Um, do you want to keep studying with me, then?" Apollo looked tinier than ever, his face cautious and hesitant, although Clay couldn't figure out why. "I mean, I don't know if I can help with the rest of your classes, but at least you won't forget this, right?"
Clay froze, his thoughts thankfully coming to a halt. "Really?"
Apollo just nodded.
"It won't, I don't know, it won't bother you?"
"No way!" Apollo realized how loud his voice was and lowered his volume a couple of notches before speaking again. "I mean, if anything, you'd help me figure some of this stuff out, too. So it'll be a win-win, right?"
Does he just want me to keep helping him with his homework? Apollo certainly didn't seem the type, but Clay couldn't help feeling suspicious.
"Besides, it's like you said yesterday," Apollo began playing with his hair subconsciously, "'it gives us an excuse to hang out again', right?"
Clay wanted to throw his arms around Apollo, and maybe kiss him too, but he managed to control himself. One thing he couldn't suppress, though, was the giant smile that made its way onto his face.
"Thanks, Apollo!"
"It really isn't that big a deal." Apollo suddenly realized what he was doing with his hair, and pulled his hand away awkwardly. "But, you're welcome, of course." He smiled back at Clay, although he certainly couldn't match Clay's enthusiasm.
Clay wanted to chatter on and on about how grateful he was, but Apollo luckily stopped him before he began.
"So, erm, what's your major? You know, in case there's any other classes we share?"
"Oh! I'm going for a Bachelor's in astronomy. I think I'm pretty good for most of the science courses I've already taken, but it might be good to refresh my memory."
Apollo's shoulders fell very slightly. "I'm going into law, so I've really only taken the introductory science courses."
Aw. "Wait." Clay's eyebrows knitted together. "Why are you in linear algebra, then?"
Apollo ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. "I needed credits, and I kinda suck at anything creative. I figured I'd take a bunch of extra math courses since they don't have essays." He sighed. "I didn't know about proofs when I thought of that."
Clay hid a laugh. "Well, we can compare your schedule to my transcript once I dig it up, alright?"
"Yeah, sounds good to me."
The two continued talking as they packed up their things, making a plan to meet up once a week. They tossed their empty cups in a trash can, but as Clay reached for the door, something occurred to him. "Oh, are we gonna keep meeting up here?"
Apollo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Just checking." Clay shrugged. He returned his focus to the door in front of him, but Apollo put a finger up, pausing him.
"Actually, would you mind coming to my dorm?" His face turned the slightest bit pink. "I can't drive, and it's a half hour walk from UJ."
Clay stood there, stunned. He's been walking that far for me? "Um, yeah! Of course!" He immediately wanted to slap himself. Tone it down a bit, please. "You should've told me earlier. Hey, you want a ride back?"
Apollo nodded, not looking Clay in the eyes. "If you wouldn't mind." Cute.
"It's totally fine, Pollo." He gave his best reassuring grin.
"Thanks, then." Apollo finally looked back up at Clay, who suddenly had to hide his face by turning around and finally opening the door.
As Clay led Apollo through the parking lot to his car, they fell into casual conversation about the café, and then about the different drinks served there. It was incredibly easygoing, and it was only once the two of them were seated in Clay's car that he remembered just how messy his backseat was. He silently thanked his dad for at least banning him from eating in there. Luckily, Apollo either didn't notice or didn't care.
After he began driving, Clay wondered to himself if he should play music. If he and Apollo shared music tastes, then they'd have more to talk about, and if Apollo was the type to sing in the car, then they'd have fun singing together. If not, though, it would just be awkward for the both of them, and hell, Apollo might judge him on his music taste.
Overthinking again, Clay.
"So, do you really manage to remember everyone who gets hot chocolate?" Apollo asked, breaking Clay out of his thoughts. Right. We were talking about the café.
"Not everyone," Clay admitted sheepishly.
Apollo grinned triumphantly at the confession.
"I do remember most of them, though," Clay added quickly. "Don't go getting a big head, Pollo."
"Wow, now I feel really special. Thanks for that." Despite Apollo's sarcastic words, Clay managed to sneak a look at a smile on his face.
"Aw, don't be that way, Pollo. You're my favorite hot chocolate order-er by far."
Apollo laughed. "Is that a thing?"
"Oh, for sure. I keep a ranking of every person I remember who's ordered hot chocolate, and you got first place for the whipped cream thing."
"I'm honored."
They were silent for a few moments.
"Oh, right." Apollo spoke up. "I should probably warn you that my roommate's kind of an asshole, but we haven't gotten in an actual, physical fight yet, so just don't insult his hair and you'll be fine."
"That just makes me want to insult his hair, and I don't even know what it looks like."
"It looks like-" Apollo cut himself off. "You know what? You can see it for yourself later."
"I can't wait to see it now."
Apollo snorted. "Just don't say anything to his face."
"I'll try my best."
They kept up a steady conversation for a few more minutes before they reached the University of Japanifornia.
"Oh, you can just drop me off here," Apollo said, pointing at the nearby entrance. "I honestly don't know how to get to the dorms by car."
Clay pulled to a stop. "So, something else I should figure out before we meet up again?"
"Probably, yeah. And thanks for driving me." Apollo climbed out of the car.
"Stop thanking me!" Clay called out as Apollo shut the door.
Clay drove the rest of the way home in silence, pondering exactly how their meeting went.
Okay, you definitely embarrassed yourself there, Clay. But he didn't seem to mind, and I think we can definitely be considered friends now. I mean, he invited you over to his dorm! Oh, shit, I'm gonna get to see Mikeko.
He decided that he could be excited about it after all.
Over the next week, he and Apollo chatted amicably whenever they saw each other at the café, which was definitely good. More interestingly, though, his coworker revealed to him that Apollo didn't come by on Mondays, which just so happened to be Clay's day off.
Clay felt a bit of a rush at that news, and he very much wanted to know whether or not it was true. On the other hand, though, if it was true, Apollo might be embarrassed.
So, on Tuesday, he decided to bring it up as casually as he could. "So, I heard you didn't get your hot chocolate yesterday. That true?" Maybe if it sounded like a one-time thing, Apollo would admit to it more readily.
Apollo's face turned the slightest bit pink. "Yeah, my Monday classes are a bit busier than normal, so I haven't been coming by then."
"Ah, okay."
Their conversation carried on as normal, and it was only once Apollo was out the door that Clay remembered that at UJ, every class on a Monday either was an all week class, or was a Monday/Wednesday class. Either way, any classes on Monday would fall on a Wednesday, too. And Apollo had shown up every Wednesday.
Clay wanted so desperately to jump to a certain conclusion, but he forced himself to think of alternatives. He could have other things he just doesn't want to talk to you about, idiot.
They'd decided to meet up on Thursday for their non-library study dates. Apollo had linear algebra on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he reasoned that he would still remember the majority of information he learnt in class.
So, Wednesday night, Apollo texted Clay which dorm room he was in, and Clay found a map online to figure out how to get to the dorm building, as he never ventured over to the dorms before, having lived with his dad while he was going there. Clay considered printing the map out and giving it to Apollo as a teasing joke, but he reasoned that he should become a bit closer to Apollo before teasing him more, so he wouldn't come off as rude.
Thursday afternoon, Clay nervously drove to the university. The ride was way too short, it seemed, and so he found himself parking at the nearest parking garage very quickly. (He already knew how expensive the parking passes were, but he also knew how lax the security guards were. Two years of parking there nearly everyday and he hadn't gotten a single ticket.)
It felt a bit odd being there again, but he ignored that in favor of being anxious about meeting up with Apollo. Of course, he still put on his best grin as he knocked on Apollo's door, and a few seconds later, Apollo pushed the door open and invited him in.
"Daryan's not here right now, thank god. Oh, don't let Mikeko out." Clay supposed Daryan was the infamous roommate.
He shut the door quickly. "So, they let you keep Mikeko here?" He scanned the room for the cat in question, noting that it was much cleaner than dorm rooms always seemed to be in movies. Two beds and a desk between them, along with a few textbooks, papers, and bookbags littering the floor.
"Uh, not exactly." Apollo ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. "I don't exactly have anyone else to take care of him, so I've kinda been hiding him here. Daryan's agreed not to tell as long as I let him have the desk-" he pointed to the desk "-and never touch his 'important music supplies'." Apollo rolled his eyes.
A calico cat appeared from underneath one of the bed's, and after stretching and yawning, he jumped up on the desk and promptly sat on the haphazard pile of papers atop it.
"Erm, is that fine?"
Apollo barely spared a glance. "Yeah. He hates me, not Mikeko. Mickey can do whatever the hell he wants, honestly."
There's a sitcom plot here, Clay thought, but instead he said, "Alright, jerk roommates aside, you ready to study?"
Apollo nodded, and promptly began quizzing Clay on what he remembered about eigenvectors and eigenvalues. He remembered what exactly they were, which was the difficult part of the lesson. He just couldn't remember exactly how to find them, and as Apollo showed him the formulas, it all fell into place fairly easily.
"So, erm, can you explain it again? What they actually are? My professor didn't exactly make that clear." Apollo was absent-mindedly playing with a tag on his blanket (they were sitting on Apollo's bed rather than at the desk, as per Daryan's rules).
Clay nodded, eager to help Apollo, but then thought twice about it. "Actually, it's a lot easier seeing it visually. My professor showed us this one video that made it pretty easy to understand." He dug out his phone. "What's your wifi password?"
"I forget. The dorm leaders have it or something, but-" Apollo shrugged. "We can just use my laptop." The laptop was next to Clay, on the end of the bed, and Apollo promptly reached right over Clay to grab it, getting so close that his hair almost brushed against Clay's face.
Clay froze for a few seconds.
"So, do you remember who posted it, or should I just search up 'eigenvectors'?"
Right. Math.
"Yeah, I remember the channel." Clay rattled off the name and helped Apollo navigate to the video in question. The video was just as helpful as Clay hoped, luckily.
The rest of the study session went fairly easily, mostly Apollo complaining about "how on earth could this be helpful?" and Clay subsequently making jokes about his plans to be an astronaut. The look on Apollo's face, torn between amusement and exasperation, cemented itself in Clay's brain. I might have a new favorite type of humor.
After the fifth or so complaint, though, Clay finally convinced Apollo to just give in and watch the rest of the video for answers. Apollo watched it, somewhat sheepishly, before beginning to work on his homework. Clay didn't have any homework, of course, so instead he glanced over Apollo's shoulder occasionally as he doodled a cartoon-y space scene on the side of his notes.
Apollo noticed Clay's awkward silence after a few minutes. "Oh! Uh, do you wanna practice with some of these problems, too?"
"You're giving me homework, Pollo? I thought we were friends." Clay sighed dramatically. "Betrayal."
"So is that a 'no', then?" Apollo teasingly asked, one eyebrow raised.
Clay huffed. "Just give me one, please."
Apollo obliged, and they spent the next twenty minutes working on practice problems until finally they decided they understood the subject well enough and sat back to relax.
"So, I've been wondering," Apollo started, "you said you're majoring in astronomy?"
"Yes! I plan on going into space one day, and, well, that's the first step!" Clay could never hide his unending enthusiasm whenever he talked about space.
"Really? To space?"
Shit shit shit. Clay's whole life, only one or two people had taken his ambition seriously. Everyone else suggested he aim "just a bit lower," but Clay knew he never could. From the age of six, he introduced himself by saying "I'm Clay Terran, and I'm gonna go to space!" Around fifth grade, he'd stopped that, but it was still just as true and just as important to him.
The number of friends he'd lost because they didn't take his dream seriously was more than he could count.
Clay couldn't move properly for a few seconds, couldn't look up at Apollo's face, but he could speak a few words. "Yeah, Apollo. To space."
"That's incredible, Clay!" Apollo's voice was genuine, not mocking or sarcastic in any way, and when Clay looked up at his face, he was smiling widely. Relief flowed through Clay's veins. He could have kissed Apollo right then and there.
But instead he began rambling about space, about his plan to work at the nearby Gyaxa space center, how he'd befriended so many of the scientists and astronauts there already, and how one day he'd be up there, Pollo, really.
And Apollo listened. He didn't interrupt, didn't look away, didn't even play with his hair like he did whenever he was distracted. No, he just listened to Clay talk, absolutely absorbed, his face just as bright as Clay's.
"The Gyaxa space center?" Apollo asked, once Clay had finally run out of things to say. "That's pretty close by, right?" Clay nodded eagerly. "I don't think I've been there before."
"I'll take you there sometime soon, then, okay?" Clay was so happy, so joyful after Apollo had listened to him, that he couldn't help but offer. And, well, he wanted to be the one to show Apollo around, to tell him the history of the place. He could feel his fingers twitching in anticipation at the thought of Apollo looking at every exhibit, listening to Clay again, absolutely fascinated.
"Okay!" Apollo was smiling, nodding. "That sounds incredible, honestly. You said they have actual rockets there?"
He remembered what I said.
Clay was walking on air for days.
The first week of December was exam week for Apollo, so the last week of November, he spent nearly every free moment at the café studying. "Daryan's been annoying as hell recently," he explained. Clay didn't doubt it. He'd met the guy, and almost got punched when he inadvertently snorted at his hair. If it hadn't been for Daryan's friend, whose blond hair was only slightly less laughable, Clay would've been nursing a broken nose for sure.
That Thursday, they studied together again. Clay was well aware that he didn't actually need to go, since Apollo hadn't learnt any new material, but he insisted to Apollo that he wanted to help him study. Apollo protested for a moment or two, but then declared that he was too tired to argue.
Clay brought two cups of hot chocolate with him that day. Apollo deserved it.
"Thank you," Apollo said gratefully, stifling a yawn.
"'Course, Pollo. No problem." Clay tried to hide the concern in his voice. Apollo seemed to be so much more tired than earlier that day. "Hey, when was the last time you slept?"
"Last night, Clay. Honestly." Apollo then yawned in the middle of a sip of hot chocolate and began coughing, making Clay panic.
Once Apollo had waved away all of Clay's concerns, they got down to studying. Clay quizzed Apollo on vocabulary, which Apollo knew his professor was a stickler for, and then the two began solving problems separately and consulting the other for help occasionally.
Nearly two hours later, Clay thought they were coming to an end, having covered every section that would be on the exam, but Apollo asked if Clay could stay just a bit longer to help him study for his physics exam.
"I know it's just the introductory class, but I'm really not that good at physics," Apollo explained sheepishly. "See, I took it in high school, and my teacher wasn't-"
"You don't have to explain, Pollo. I'll help," Clay interrupted. He didn't like cutting Apollo off, but Apollo had an apparent tendency to ramble when he was tired, and he'd already gone off on a tangent about how he adopted Mikeko. It was fascinating, for sure, but he'd done it mid-problem and forgot what he was doing, forcing them to start that problem over from the beginning.
"Thanks." Apollo smiled gratefully at him, not even noticing the interruption.
"Of course." Clay, of course, didn't mind helping, especially with something he'd studied often. He got to explain a few concepts to Apollo, and seeing Apollo's face light up whenever he understood something was always a joy.
Clay ran his eyes over the paper, looking for something he hadn't asked yet. Ah well, he won't mind a repeat. "Coulomb's law, Pollo?" He looked up for an answer.
Apollo, eyes closed, breathing very slowly, was evidently not going to answer. He'd had his arms wrapped around his closed textbook, clutching it tightly to his chest, and his chin was just an inch away from resting on it. It was probably uncomfortable as hell, but it was also adorable.
Clay tried not to stare too much as he decided what to do next. Apollo had been exhausted all week, and if Clay woke him up, he'd be stubborn enough to try to study half asleep, with or without Clay there.
Only one thing to do, then.
Before he could actually do anything, though, Apollo's head drifted slightly to the left, then to the right, then…
Apollo was leaning his head against Clay's shoulder.
Clay sharply inhaled, then immediately checked to make sure Apollo hadn't woken up over that small noise. He hadn't. Once Clay was sure, he began to take quieter, slower breaths, almost needing to remind himself that he needed air. Apollo was so warm and cute and Clay could feel his face beginning to burn up.
He only let himself be flustered for a moment, though, before reminding himself he should get out of there and let Apollo sleep.
First, he considered the book. It couldn't possibly be comfortable, but he wasn't sure he could remove it without Apollo waking up. Just to give it a shot, he carefully reached over with his free hand. He hesitated. There was barely any surface area on the book not covered by Apollo. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to grab it.
Clay sighed.
Next order of business was getting off of that bed without waking Apollo up. Hopefully. He scooted to the side a few inches, away from his slumbering friend, but Apollo's head stayed on his arm the entire time. Clay wanted to slap himself on the head at how obvious that was. Instead, he tried shifting forward just a bit, testing if Apollo would lean forward with him.
Safe.
He carefully stood from the side of the bed while slowly moving his hand from behind Apollo’s back to his head. Clay’s other hand lifted Apollo’s legs onto the bed. All he prayed for was that he wouldn't wake up. Thankfully, he was right.
Apollo almost sunk into the pillow, and his arms released the textbook to Clay’s surprise, and his hands were too full to prevent the thud of the book against the floor. Clay bit his lip. College is a nightmare, and textbooks have emptied my wallet and my dreams.
He then realized that he was just inches away from Apollo’s face.
Did his nose always have freckles on it?
“Clay?”
Clay automatically shut his eyes, as though that would make it all go away. He couldn't help but freeze, one hand still under Apollo's head and one under his legs. Shit. Drawing a slow breath in, he slowly opened his eyes.
Apollo's eyes were mostly closed, obviously still half asleep. He didn't even seem to notice that Clay was so, so close, or at least, he didn't mind the contact.
Clay didn't move. Maybe if he falls asleep again, I can finally get my hands back and leave.
"Clay?" Apollo repeated, voice thick with sleep. He strained to look up a few inches at Clay's face.
"Yes?" Clay spoke as softly as he could, trying not to blush under Apollo's gaze.
Apollo didn't reply, though. Instead, he clumsily shot his arms out and wrapped them around Clay's torso.
Oh god.
Apollo sighed and his eyes drifted shut again.
I can't do this.
Clay's face was burning up. His hands were beginning to go numb, and Apollo's arms were so warm against his body. He barely even registered the way his legs were starting to cramp.
This is too comfortable. Clay closed his eyes for a second and took a slow breath, trying to regain control of his thoughts. He's asleep right now, Clay. You should leave as soon as you can, even if you have to wake him up. Clay opened his eyes again, looking back down at Apollo's peaceful face. Scratch that last part. I can't wake him up like this.
Clay slowly slid his hands out from under Apollo, who immediately snuggled his head further into his pillow. After opening and closing his slightly stiff fingers a few times, Clay set to work on his next task. This is the risky part. He reached behind his back and grabbed the hands that were holding him so tightly, and unwrapped Apollo's arms. He had to tangle and untangle himself, but he managed to set Apollo's arms on the bed next to him.
Apollo mumbled something in his sleep, making Clay jump. He hoped desperately that Apollo wouldn't wake up again.
"Clay?" Apollo finally managed to form a coherent word, although his eyes were still closed. He lifted his arms back up and began slowly moving them through the air, apparently searching for Clay again.
Clay managed to wobble backwards on his unsteady legs, and Apollo gave up soon enough. Sighing in relief, Clay watched as Apollo pulled his arms back in, relaxing.
Boundaries, Clay.
Clay stood up and grabbed his things as quickly as he could. He locked the door behind him, and as soon as it was shut tight, he held very still for a few moments. His heart was pounding away much faster than was healthy, and his cheeks were still stained red.
And I don't even blush that easily… Is this how Apollo feels all the time? Well, at least he looks adorable when he blushes.
The whole ride home, Clay imagined Apollo's possible reactions to Clay blushing. It was embarrassing, for sure, but it was safer than his thoughts drifting back to that sleeping, peaceful face.
Clay spent the first couple of hours of his shift the next day anxiously waiting for Apollo to come. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to look Apollo in the face, not after the way Apollo had tried so hard to cuddle with him, even if he was half asleep at the time. And Apollo got embarrassed far more easily than him, so he couldn't even imagine how Apollo felt about now.
The possibility that Apollo wouldn't even show up that day plagued him for hours. He had to find extra things to clean, supplies to restock way ahead of schedule, just to keep his mind busy.
"Hey, Clay!"
Clay shot up at the sound of Apollo's voice. He'd been organizing everything underneath the counter, which he knew perfectly well was a pointless task, because someone or other would reorganize it to be how they prefer later.
"Oh, Apollo! I didn't hear you come in. Anything to eat today?" Clay could feel his cheeks warm up just looking at Apollo's face. Apollo seemed far more awake than the day before. In fact, he was smiling brightly at Clay like he'd done practically every day before that week.
"Nah, not today." Apollo paused for a moment as Clay punched his usual order in. "Um, thanks for helping me study last night. Really."
Oh god. We're talking about this.
"No problem, Pollo." Clay tried his hardest not to think about how soft and tired Apollo's voice was the day before.
"And sorry for falling asleep on you." Apollo scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, but otherwise seemed entirely unaffected by his actions yesterday.
"It's fine!" Clay, on the other hand, had to look away from Apollo to regain his composure. "Oh! Wait." He's using that as a general phrase, isn't he? That is a thing people say, right? So then, he probably doesn't remember… Clay tried not to look too relieved. "Yeah, it's okay, Pollo."
Apollo looked somewhat confused at his reaction, but didn't say anything about it. "Oh, and thanks for letting me sleep. I definitely needed it."
Yeah, you definitely did. "No problem, Pollo." Clay finally managed to meet Apollo's eyes. "Did you finish studying for the physics final?"
"Not entirely. Would you mind…?" He trailed off.
"Of course!" Clay glanced at the clock. "You don't have any classes for the rest of today, right?"
Apollo blinked. Is it that surprising that I know his schedule? "Yeah. I was planning on studying here all afternoon."
"Then after my shift ends, I'll help you study, okay?" I don't have anything after this, right?
"Thanks, Clay."
Apollo got his drink and sat down at his usual booth, studying on his own while he waited. Clay couldn't tear his eyes away. His manager couldn't even complain because he'd already cleaned a million things that no one else wanted to touch. That didn't stop his co-workers from mercilessly teasing him, though. If he can hear them from there, I'm gonna fight them all.
If Apollo did hear them, he didn't say anything when Clay slid into the booth two and a half hours later with two fresh cups of hot chocolate. They studied until their hot chocolates were finished and Clay had quizzed Apollo on everything in the study guide three or four times.
"Thanks again, Clay," Apollo said on the ride home, because Clay had, of course, offered.
"You don't need to keep thanking me, really. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah, we are." The contentment in Apollo's voice was a far cry from earlier that week. Apollo was so stressed out back then. The thought that he'd helped Apollo relax that much made Clay smile like a fool for the rest of the drive.
The next Monday morning, Clay decided to text Apollo.
"good luck pollo!!! ur gonna kick ass, i just know it"
Apollo replied nearly an hour later.
"I definitely just failed my first exam. Poison tomorrow's hot chocolate for me?"
":("
Every day that week, Clay texted Apollo an encouraging message, and whenever Apollo swung by the café, he groaned about whatever exam he had just finished. Clay began giving him a free croissant or roll with his hot chocolate. He knew very well just how easy it was to forget to eat during exam week.
Apollo texted Clay Friday night.
"I'm finally fucking free."
"yahoo!"
"I want to fall into a coma for a few years."
"id miss you :("
"Fine. I'll power nap for a few days and then we can hang out. Space center maybe?"
Clay's breath hitched. He read the message over and over again. Was Apollo asking him out on… a date? Apollo said "hang out," which was on the more platonic side, but he'd gone out of his way to invite Clay somewhere right after Clay had blatantly flirted with him. Or… Whatever exactly that was. Clay had meant it as a joking sort of comment, but now he had to overthink that entire conversation.
Wait. Not now.
He grabbed his phone and typed furiously.
":D monday good for you?"
"If I've woken up by then, yeah."
Clay honestly didn't expect to see Apollo at the café the next morning, but there he was, right on time.
"Pollo!" Clay couldn't help but smile a bit more excitedly than he should've. "So, you managed to wake up?"
"Regrettably." Apollo yawned, and Clay couldn't help but remember a particular study session. "Oh, um, I got the results of my first exam back."
Clay's heartbeat quickened. He didn't even know what class the exam was for, but he wanted Apollo to do well so badly. "And?"
"I passed! Low B, but still."
"That's great!" Clay exclaimed. "If this counter wasn't in the way, I swear I'd hug you right now."
"We don't even know about the rest of my exams!" Apollo protested, smiling.
"Sure, sure, but I know you did great on them all." Clay meant what he said. He'd seen how hard Apollo had been working the past month, and especially the past week. Of course, Clay couldn't help Apollo study for his law classes, but he'd seen Apollo reading his textbooks and scribbling away in a few notebooks for hours and hours that week. Apollo was so hardworking and passionate. It was incredible.
"If you say so." Apollo shook his head.
They chatted a bit more, and as Apollo left, he claimed that he was going to go home and immediately fall asleep again.
The next morning, Apollo came in again and they talked like usual. Another one of his exams was graded, and after some questioning, he eventually admitted that he got the highest grade in the class. He didn't want to brag, but he was clearly very proud of himself. Clay was proud of him, too, and rather proud of his own skills when he snuck Apollo a few cookies without anyone noticing.
"By the way, Pollo, you still up for the space center tomorrow?" Clay tried to bring it up as casually as he could before Apollo left.
"Yeah! Erm, can you give me a ride?"
"Of course, Pollo. What time?"
"Eleven, maybe?"
"Sounds good to me!"
Clay had purposefully asked Apollo face to face so he could see Apollo's reaction to it, hoping to figure out if he thought it was a date. But Apollo had been glowing the entire conversation over his good grade, and so Clay learnt nothing at all. He'd regret that later, for sure, but for now? Clay just appreciated how happy Apollo was.
But, as predicted, he spent nearly an hour the next morning pacing around the house, only stopping when his dad asked him why he was so wound up. He then dedicated an hour to cleaning out his car instead. Finally, the clock struck 10:45. Clay donned his favorite Gyaxa jacket and left.
Apollo was waiting on a bench outside the dorm building. "It's a jungle inside," he explained as he slid in the car seat. "Daryan and his band have been really annoying since exams ended."
"You mean, more than usual?"
Their conversation during the car ride was casual, normal, as though Clay's thoughts weren't racing the entire time.
"Wanna get some hot chocolates first? It's on the way." Would it make it more date-ish if I paid for his?
"Oh, sure!"
Clay had planned on paying for both of their hot chocolates before Apollo could protest against it, but his plan was thwarted by his sudden realization that Apollo's jacket sleeves were slightly too long and covered his hands. That's adorable… He didn't realize what had happened until Apollo was pressing a steaming hot cup into his hands.
Oh… Clay was grateful the chilly weather had already reddened his cheeks.
The space center parking lot was pretty empty. Most people preferred to visit on the weekend. Clay told Apollo that, and Apollo nodded, saying that he didn't like crowds that much.
There wasn't even a line inside, and so before Clay could even take the first sip of his drink, they were in the space center, and Apollo was looking around in wonder.
"So, where should we go first? You're the expert, after all."
Clay considered it. "Do you wanna go from best to worst? Or the other way around? Actually, I'd feel guilty calling any of the exhibits the 'worst.'" He paused, and Apollo poorly hid a smile at that statement. "How about we just go to what's closest?"
"Sounds good to me. Lead the way, Clay."
First off were the spinning tables. They were a personal favorite of Clay's, even though they were decidedly less scientific than the rest of the space center.
"It's like the spinning teacup rides at the fair, you know? Wanna try?" Maybe something fun will help me calm down.
"Erm… Sure." Apollo nodded. "We should probably set these on a different table, though." He held up his hot chocolate.
"Ah, good point."
Luckily, there were plenty of free tables, so they set their cups on one and sat down at another.
"You don't get nauseous easily, do you?" Clay asked, partially to make sure Apollo would be okay, and partially in an attempt to intimidate him.
"Only when I'm nervous."
"Are you nervous now?"
"Just a little."
And before Clay could overthink that statement too much, Apollo began spinning the table rapidly, making it feel as though they were flying. Clay let out a shout of surprise before joining him, trying to speed it up even faster.
For nearly a minute and a half, the thrill of adrenaline pounded through his body before finally Apollo stopped spinning, and Clay followed suit. They let the table slow down to a stop. Apollo was pink faced from the exertion and wide eyed in excitement, absolutely shining with joy. Clay had no doubts that he looked just as ecstatic. Something about the spinning tables could turn anyone into a child again.
"Now here's the fun part." Clay stood up and immediately began wobbling dangerously, needing to put his arms out just to keep his balance. He couldn't even care if he looked ridiculous in front of Apollo.
To his surprise, though, Apollo stood up right after Clay instead of waiting for the room to stop spinning around him. "Holy shi-!" A slightly blurry Apollo almost collapsed right in front of Clay, but he thankfully managed to steady himself by grabbing onto Clay's jacket sleeve. The two stood there for a moment or two until they could safely stand. Apollo sheepishly let go of Clay's jacket. "So, is that what it's like going into orbit?"
"Well, it's like that, but with the possibility of death looming over your head."
"I mean, I definitely felt that, too."
"Then you got the full experience." Clay snorted in laughter. "Really, though, I don't think they have any sort of rocket launch simulator. They do have these zero gravity chairs-" he pointed at them "-but I think they're only used on the weekend, when there's more people. An attendant needs to stay by, so maybe another time for that one."
Apollo nodded. He didn't seem to notice how much the ride had messed up his hairstyle, and Clay didn't point it out.
"The next room is the space museum, with everything from the HAT-1 launch. Wanna see?" Clay tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. It was his favorite room by far, and it was a miracle that Clay wasn't hopping from one foot to another like a child.
"Of course!"
Oh thank goodness.
Clay led him to the space museum, which had a few visitors observing the rocket or reading the plaques on the displays. Still, though, it was far emptier than usual. Clay then shifted his eyes to Apollo, who was staring up at the rocket in awe.
"So, is that- is that the actual rocket?" Apollo asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him.
"Oh, no. That's just a replica. The real rocket is in pieces in space somewhere. Have you seen the movie about it?" Clay, honestly, could probably recite the movie word for word.
"Oh, yeah, I have. I almost forgot about it." Apollo looked at Clay. "So, um, why do you want to go into space if it's so dangerous?"
Clay thought about it. People had often asked him things like "how do you think you'll manage to become an astronaut?" and "can't you stick to something more realistic?" Yet, he couldn't remember the last time someone had simply asked him "why?"
"Well, I mean, that's a bit complicated. Like, why do you want to become a defense attorney?" Clay asked instead of answering.
"To help people, of course," Apollo stated, as though it were obvious.
Clay nodded. "Yeah, but if you just want to help people, there's so many other things you could do. So why go to all the trouble of getting a law degree and passing the bar and everything?"
"That's all worth it, though!" Apollo crossed his arms. "The legal system in this country has so many problems, like, do you even know how many prosecutors use their power to prevent important evidence from being presented in court? And how many defense attorneys have turned to forging evidence? Defendants are never listened to, and, hell, there's been three prosecutors arrested for murder in this city alone! It's all so messed up, and I want to become a defense attorney to help fix it all! Or at the very least, to find the truth in individual trials. It's- it's not as big as reforming a legal system, but if I can save just one person, then it's all worth it!" Apollo took a breath for air. "Oh. Erm." His cheeks turned pink. "I think I see what you mean. Kind of a big question."
Huh?
Clay had been so absorbed in watching Apollo talk that he'd entirely forgotten what was going on.
Pay attention, idiot.
"Yeah, for sure," Clay agreed, hoping that sounded natural. "That- that whole thing about the legal system was really interesting. I didn't know there was so much behind it all."
Apollo smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Uh, thanks. Honestly, I could probably go on about it forever."
"I'd listen to it all," Clay said before he could stop himself.
"You don't need to do that!" Apollo responded quickly.
I can either tell him how much I like listening to him talk, or I can try to play it off. Clay took a breath, readying himself.
"I mean it, Pollo. It was really interesting, and I'd lo- like to hear you talk more about it."
"Oh." Apollo dropped his gaze to the ground, and Clay feared he said something wrong, but he looked back up after a moment. "Um, if you want to talk about space, I'd love to listen to it, too."
Did he hear my slip up?
Does he mean it?
Is he blushing?
Clay was ready to tell Apollo everything right then and there, but he suddenly became aware that they were the only people talking, and the few others there could certainly hear every word they were saying. Wait, but what about…? He lowered his voice to almost a whisper and leaned in to Apollo. "Hey, Pollo. Do you want to hear about the stars, then? There's a planetarium on the sixth floor."
After a moment of hesitation during which Apollo's face fell almost imperceptibly, he answered. His voice was lowered to match Clay's. "Yeah, sounds good to me."
Clay nodded and led him to the elevator, not even caring that he didn't have a chance to tell Apollo everything he knew about space travel. The presence of his heart in his throat made it hard to think about anything besides what he was about to do, and the man beside him.
Oh, god, abort mission, abort mission.
But Apollo had already pressed the button to the sixth floor. They rode in silence. Awkward, uncomfortable silence. Clay barely noticed a thing, too focused on replaying the past couple of moments in his head. That way Apollo had looked disappointed for a split second after Clay suggested they go to the planetarium… What did that mean?
The ding of the elevator thankfully ripped Clay out of his thoughts. I'm Clay Terran and I'm fine! He stepped out of the harsh brightness of the elevator and into the darkness of the planetarium. No one else was there, just like he'd hoped, and the night sky surrounding them was beautiful. It would be perfect.
"Oh!" Apollo sounded pleasantly surprised. "I didn't think it would be so realistic."
Clay nodded. There was a lot he could've said about how the sky depicted above them was identical to how it would appear that night, and how complicated of a setup it was, and how Clay had often come to this room when he was younger whenever he needed some quiet time.
Instead, Clay looked up at the stars for inspiration. He hadn't actually planned what to say, and all he could think was that he needed to find the perfect words. Maybe a story about a constellation, or an interesting fact about stars…
Shit. In all his nerves, everything eluded Clay.
No. You're fine. He took a deep breath, and then another. You don't need to do all that, Clay. Just tell him.
Apollo had already walked ahead of him and was sitting on one of the many empty chairs, still absorbed in the beauty of the stars. Clay sat next to him.
"So, tell me about the stars." Apollo finally turned to Clay, face illuminated very slightly by the tiny lights shining in the sky. Beautiful.
"Hey, can I tell you about something else instead?" Clay's voice sounded far too awkward. He cleared his throat.
"What?" Apollo looked back up for just a second. "I… Okay."
Clay fixed his eyes on Apollo's face, then at the ceiling, and then somewhere in between. Apollo's hair was a mess. He hadn't fixed it since they spun on the table together. No, they were too busy laughing and talking together for Apollo to even think about his hair. For a few minutes, Apollo had been so carefree and relaxed. It was a far cry from how stiff and awkward he had been to Clay when he first began coming to the café. They'd grown that much closer in barely two months…
Clay loved Apollo. Maybe it was hasty, and maybe it was stupid to realize that just moments before confessing, but it was no longer just admiration or infatuation. Every tiny thing he learnt about Apollo just made him want to get even closer. The passion he'd shown when talking about law stole Clay's breath away. He wanted to do so much to help people. Hell, he'd helped Clay out plenty already. Not just with math, but by truly believing in him when he talked about his dream.
Apollo's eyes began to dart around nervously, and Clay realized he hadn't spoken. Without thinking, he brushed his hand through Apollo's hair, trying to make it lay flat, just the way Apollo liked.
"I really think I love you, Apollo."
Clay closed his eyes for just a second. He'd wanted to tell Apollo everything he'd been thinking, every reason Clay loved him, but none of his feelings, so bright and loud inside him, could translate to words.
I hope that'll be enough.
When he opened his eyes again, Apollo had one hand in his hair, as though he were trying to fix it, but his hand wasn't moving. His face was entirely still, too, mouth slightly ajar and eyes widened.
"I mean, I honestly do think I love you." Clay couldn't stop himself from repeating almost the exact same words. "I…" There had to be something else he could say.
But he wouldn’t get to say it. Apollo put a hand behind Clay's head and pulled him forward, kissing him without any warning.
Wait.
Wait.
Oh my god.
Clay kissed him back. One of his hands was on Apollo's cheek, and the other found its way to Apollo's shoulder. His fist curled into Apollo's jacket as he tasted Apollo's lips, still sweet from the hot chocolate. His eyes were clenched shut so tightly he could almost see stars, although he didn't realize until they'd pulled apart.
"Um," Apollo said hesitantly, and Clay finally opened his eyes. "That was definitely fine, right?"
"What?" Clay was having a very hard time thinking properly, still absorbed in the galaxies he saw when Apollo had kissed him.
"I mean, you wanted that too, right?" Apollo asked.
"Yes! I- of course I did, Pollo, I mean, I…" Clay almost laughed. "Shit, please just kiss me again."
Apollo almost glowed at the statement. Sure, the constellations lit up the ceiling, but Apollo? Apollo’s eyes conveyed a joy that outshone the stars themselves.
"Okay," Apollo answered, still so close that Clay could feel his soft breath against his cheek.
And he pulled Clay in again, slower this time, more careful. Clay watched Apollo's face come closer to his, his eyes coming closer into focus, becoming even more beautiful. When their lips met, Apollo closed his eyes and Clay missed the sight, but the taste of hot chocolate, sweeter than any he'd had before, was nearly as good.
A few days later, Clay discovered that he could no longer taste hot chocolate without imagining Apollo's lips on his, Apollo's hand in his hair.
"Hey, can I have a sip?" Apollo asked, drawing Clay out of his memory. The two were on a date to celebrate because Apollo had passed all of his exams, although honestly, they looked for any reason to spend time together.
"Hm?"
Apollo was pointing at Clay's cup of hot chocolate.
"You could've gotten your own." Clay playfully held the cup closer to himself. Apollo had ordered coffee that day, which surprised him.
"I didn't want a whole cup, though." Apollo crossed his arms. "I don't usually drink hot chocolate that much."
"What?" Clay's eyebrows shot up. "No, you-"
"I don't drink it that much," Apollo repeated. "It's my favorite drink, but I usually save it for special moments, like… That first day I went to the café, I got a perfect score on a test, and I wanted to treat myself."
"Oh." Clay nodded. "Wait, what about the other times?"
Apollo stared at him. "Clay."
"What?"
"That was for you, idiot." Apollo rolled his eyes, but he was blushing at the confession as well.
"Wait, you…" A grin spread across Clay's face. "Really?"
Apollo kissed him instead of answering.