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wowowwild · 10 months

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Clay and his best friend spend a long weekend in seventh grade camping in the mountains. Some things change, and some things never will.

This is the bag-verse (a regretfully non aa6 inclusive au) Apollo name origin story. He starts off the fic as going by Jason so that's what that's about.

I had the concept for this already but decided to actually write it in time for Claypollo day! (This is way pre-ship but bag-verse is going to include plenty of claypollo in the pollycule.)

Seventh grade was a breeze for Clay Terran. The only problem he had was that his last period was not shared with his best friend, so he’d have to find him everyday after school. Luckily, that wasn’t hard since he was always wearing bright red and easy to pick from the crowd.

"Jason! Jace, did you see what they're doing in Miss Trawley's class?" "With the bugs?" "Yeah! I heard Jessica puked on sight." "That sucks. They probably should have asked if anyone had any aversions beforehand." Clay laughed. "Totally. I'll bet her parents will get her excused from the rest of it, so she'll probably be in our class during science. You know what that means…" he wiggled his eyebrows. "No?" "Dude, she totally has a crush on you!" "She doesn't know me, how can she have a crush on me?" "She thinks you're cute, duh." "I'm not cute…" he grumbled. "You're not really into girls, are you?" "I don't know. I don't have time." "And what are you so busy doing?" "I have to catch up on Case Closed and do the history report." "In that order?" "... Maybe." "Such a slacker." "It's not due for another two weeks! And I know you won't start yours until 3 days before." "History just doesn't do it for me like it does for you. I'm a science guy." "Maybe you can show Jessica how much of a science guy you are when she joins us." "Maybe I will. I think I'd rather get Freddy's attention." "You're too much." "I think I'm the perfect amount." "You would." "You're still coming with my dad and I tomorrow, right?" "Yeah. My moms' said it was cool." "You're going to love it! You can see the stars so well up there. You'd never know from down here that there are so many. We're going to bring the telescope, too. I'll show you Ceres." "And you're sure there won't be other people there?" "There never have been. It's our secret spot." "Good. I know you guys don't care but…" "But you care. And that's fine." "Yeah."

Clay did not envy his friend. Being born all wrong had to be hard.

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It was a long weekend, and long weekends for Clay were spent in the mountains with his dad. His mom had loved the views and being in nature, so they made sure to keep going. It’s what she would have wanted.

They picked Jason up early so they’d have plenty of time to hike to their spot and set up.

“Hey, kiddo. You’re going by Jason, now, right?” “Yes.” “Sounds good. Alex didn’t really suit you anyway.” “That’s what I thought, too.” “Got everything you need?” “I do.” “Great, I think Clay fell asleep, but you can wake him up when you get in.” “Thank you, Mr. Teran.” “No problem, kiddo.”

When Jason hopped in the car he decided not to disturb Clay. He knew his friend wouldn’t mind, but he had some scenic thinking to do first. Once they were on the road it didn’t take long for Clay to wake up with a yawn and a stretch.

“Hey, Jace. Are you ready for the best long weekend ever?” “Yeah, I’m excited to see the stars.” That had been Clay’s main selling point. Whenever he talked about space, Jason couldn’t help but listen. “They’re so bright out there, you can see so many constellations, I’ll point them all out to you.”

They chatted brightly, pausing only to eat, until they reached the base of the mountain.

“Alright, kiddos! Are we ready to go?” “Yeah, let’s go!” Clay cheered. Jason always joined in when his friend got rowdy. “Yeah!” Mr. Terran chuckled. “Alright then, don’t let this old man stop you.” “You’re not old, Mr. Terran. You’re 33. You probably have double what you’ve lived so far left, so that’s pretty young.” “Thanks, Jason, but I’ll let you in on a secret.” “Really?” “Being old is a mindset,” Mr. Terran and Clay said at the same time, though Clay’s tone was significantly more sarcastic. “So you’re old at 33?” “Mom said he was old at 15.” “I was! So don’t be afraid to be old. Now let’s be off, we’re burning daylight!”

It took a couple hours to get up to where they would be camping, mostly because Clay insisted on showing Jason all the best views and Jaason kept spotting little critters the others would have missed. By the fifth salamander Clay was already begging his dad to bring Jason with them more often. Up at the camp site, they still had plenty of time after they set up their two tents.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s eat lunch and then you two can explore while I get things ready for the fire tonight.” “Ok, dad. Jason, when we’re done, I’ve got to show you the clearing. There are lots of rocks to climb and sometimes deer wander in.” “Ok! That sounds like fun.”

The clearing was pretty big and there were lots of rocks as promised surrounded by a few patches of grass and wildflowers.

“C’mon, Jace! Let’s climb that one!” “That one’s kinda big, Clay.” “Exactly! It’ll give us a great view.”

Clay began scrambling up the rock and Jason tried to follow.

“Clay, are you sure this is ok?” “Course, Jace! Need help?” “N-no, I’ve got it.”

He did manage to get up to the top where there was a flat part. Clay was standing, but Jason chose to sit. It was a bit high up…

“This is my favorite place to see the stars from. We should come back here during the summer. A bit before my birthday, meteor showers come through.” “That’s cool. I’ve never seen any before.”

Clay wasn’t as perceptive as his friend, but he could tell when something was eating at him.

“What’s up?” “I just don’t know if my mom’s will want to keep me that long, so I don’t know where I’ll be. They’re only fostering me for a little while.” “Wherever you are we’ll come get you. You know my email and my dad’s so we can talk even if we can’t see each other all the time like we do now.” “You’ll forget about me after a bit. They always do.” “Well I’m not like the other ones. I’m not letting you go, ever.” “You say that like it’s simple.” “It is. You’re my best friend, Jace. Plus my dad thinks you’re great. Do you know how much trouble I used to get in before I met you?” “I’ve heard it was a lot.” “Sure was. Who else is going to keep me from doing crazy stuff if I don’t keep up with you?” “I’m sure you could find someone else.” “I don’t want someone else. I want my best bud, Jason. Unless this is your way of saying ‘Clay you’re way too annoying please leave me alone.’”

Clay ‘mimicked’ Jason’s voice as far lower than either of their actual voices making Jason laugh.

“Ok first of all, I don’t sound like that, thanks though. And second of all I wouldn’t come up a mountain into the middle of the wilderness with you and your dad to tell you to leave me alone.” “Just checking. So what do you think of my spot?” “You really can see the whole clearing from here.” “You can see better if you stand up.” “I’m good.” “Aw, why not?” “I don’t really like heights.” Clay froze. “You don’t like heights?” “Not particularly.” “Why did you come up here then? We didn’t have to climb anything if you don’t like heights! Is that why you were so nervous at the overlooks? Let me help you down.” Jason smiled. “If you want me to answer your questions you’ve really got to start asking them one at a time.” “Ah, sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?” “It’s not like a huge deal to me. And if you’ve been doing it this long, then theoretically it should be fine. You were really excited to show me this so I wanted to see. And it’s really not a problem if I just sit here. Can’t fall if I’m sitting on a flat rock.” “Oh, ok. Let me know when you want to get down. We can go to the stream that runs by here next… You’re not afraid of water, right?” Clay sat down next to Jason. “Not in a stream.” “Jason.” “I’ll be fine at the river, I just never learned to swim.” “Oh! I can teach you. I’m a very good swimmer.” “I’m pretty sure everyone at school knows that you think you’re a very good swimmer. You need a new pick up line.” Clay burst out laughing. “So what would you suggest, Mr. I’m-too-busy?” “I dunno. But if everyone’s heard it, you need a new one.” “Alright, I’ll think of something and let you know.”

They sat and watched the breeze run through the grass and flowers.

“My mom used to braid the flowers into circles and put them on our heads.” “Do you want to?” “I was never any good at it.” “How hard can it be? I’ve gotten pretty good at braiding, it can’t be too different from hair.”

Jason started his way down and Clay marvelled at how he was one track minded enough to forget his fear of heights when Jason decided he had something to do. It wasn’t all that surprising, he was always like that when he was doing something for someone else. All his anxiety would seem to slip away.

“Hey, wait up!”

Jason found a nice spot with a variety of wildflowers within reach. Obviously the stems weren’t long enough for a singular braid so it must be something like french braiding. The placement of the flowers was also probably important, but he figured he could adjust how they stuck out after the whole thing was done. The real question was how he was supposed to finish it off and get the front to connect with the back. Maybe he could twist the stems and tie it. That was a future Jason problem though. No use worrying about the end if you haven’t even started.

Clay watched Jason pick flowers and wind them together. He made it look so easy. Of course he was muttering to himself the whole time, barely audible and definitely not intelligible. That happened during math, too. Once he got to the end and appraised his work, he motioned for Clay to come next to him.

“What do you think?” “I think Mom’s were a little wider. She must have stuck extra flowers in after, too. But it looks really-”

Jason tossed his first attempt aside and started on another, this time using five strands. It would make sense to add more flowers after if you wanted it to look more full. Now that he’d gotten the hang of it, he made quick work.

“How’s that?” “Yeah, that’s… Mom might as well have made it herself.”

Clay choked up a bit looking at it. It was something so small to miss, but he couldn’t help it. He felt Jason put a hand on his leg, waiting for Clay to indicate what he wanted. Wiping his eyes, he turned to look at the crown once more. He picked it up and placed it on Jason’s head, whose eyes grew wide.

“She would have loved you.”

Jason could feel himself blush and looked away.

“She sounds really nice.” “The nicest.”

Jason started on another flower crown, weaving quickly and carefully. It would sit nicely in Clay’s fluffy hair. When it was done, it looked about the same as the first, and was placed carefully on Clay’s head.

“Thanks, Jace.” Clay leaned against him and Jason returned the gesture. “S’no problem.”

After a bit, Clay righted himself, which was probably a good thing because Jason definitely could have fallen asleep like that.

“Let’s go to the stream before the sun goes down too much. It gets darker faster in the woods with all the trees.” “Ok. Lead the way.”

They stayed at the stream splashing about, finding frogs and fish, and hopping from rock to rock until their stomachs protested the lack of sustenance.

“Let’s see if Dad is making dinner yet.” “Mm, I’m starving.” “I think we brought ravioli. There’s also stuff for s’mores.” “With regular marshmallows, right?” “Yeah? What other kinds are there?” “Well there are flavored kinds, but my moms get the sugar free kind and they’re really bad.” “Ew. Aren’t marshmallows just sugar? How do you replace the sugar in sugar?” “I don’t know but not well.”

Getting back to the camp the boys found Mr. Terran relaxing next to the campfire he’d set up in their absence.

“Ah, you’re back- Oh. Look at that.” “Dad?” “Did you figure out how to make those or did Jason figure it out?” “Oh,” Clay said as they both patted their heads remembering. “Yeah, Jason figured it out.” “Come here, boys.”

They did as told and were both pulled into a hug.

“Now I bet you boys are hungry. Who wants some Chef Boyardee?” “Yes please!” Jason bounced on his toes.

Clay got out the necessary equipment and plopped three cans of ravioli into the pot.

“So I see you went to the clearing.” “Yep! And then I brought Jace to the stream. We caught lots of frogs.” “You should’ve brought them back, we could have cooked some up.” “What?!” “Woah, I forgot about that. You’ve got quite the set of lungs on you. I was just kidding.” “Oh, sorry.” “No need to apologize. From what I’ve been told, outdoors is where you’re supposed to yell.” “Yeah, he sends me out back to yell all the time.” “So how’s school been, Jason?” “It’s fine. We’re doing a history report on Mesopotamia.” “Are we now?” Mr. Terran eyed his son who made a point to stir their dinner. “Do you like history?” “Yeah. I’m doing mine on their laws.” “You’re interested in law?” “Yeah!I learned a lot about it so I could help the other kids and found it really interesting. I’ve been studying a bit of case law in my free time.” “I thought you were watching Case Closed,” Clay said “That too.”

They chatted for a bit until dinner was ready. It was strange for Jason, not that his moms didn’t care or ask him about all this, but they were busy sometimes and he felt like if he bothered them too much they’d send him away. It wasn’t anything they had done, but some of the other places he’d stayed hadn’t been exactly pleasant. With Mr. Terran it was nice. And of course Clay was there which was always a bonus.

Taking the time to sit and eat they could hear the birds and sounds from the nearby river. The trees rustled peacefully and the sun was low in the sky, creating a golden glow.

“I don’t suppose you boys have room for dessert.” “Sure do! Mallow me,” Clay implored. Mr. Terran chuckled. “Here you are.” He passed the bag of supplies. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jason asked Clay. “Umm… Sticks! Stick me.” Jason poked him with it. “Ouch! Hey…” Clay was rubbing his side. Jason laughed. “You told me to!” “Yeah, yeah. May I please have a stick?” “You may.”

Clay had at least five s’mores, he lost count. Jason had a sensible two, as did Mr. Terran. They chatted some more until the sun went completely down.

“Alright, this old man is going to get some shut eye. You boys are going to share a tent, but don’t stay up too late, talking, or else you won’t have any energy for swimming tomorrow!” “Thank you, Mr. Terran.” “Aw, call me Loamy. You’re around enough you might as well be my second son, you could even call me ‘Pops’ if you wanted.” “Um, thank you Loamy.” “No problem, kiddo.”

The boys quickly decided they would settle in as well. It was cloudy that night, so they didn’t stay out stargazing. Instead they turned on the electric lantern and talked for far too long about anything and everything.

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The next morning Clay and Jason found themselves tangled up together. That was how most mornings after a sleepover found them. Jason would always have his own place to sleep, but they would both pass out on Clay’s after talking too much.

“Hey, hey Jace.” Clay nudged his friend. “Are you up?” “Nnngh. Too early.” “C’mon, we gotta get up! Dad packed sausage, potatoes, and tomatoes for breakfast today.” “Mmm?” “Yeah? That do it for you?” Clay chuckled. “I like breakfast.” His voice was gravelly from sleep. “C’mon, get dressed. Don’t forget to put on your swimsuit, I’m going to teach you how to swim.” “Ok. Then breakfast.” “Yes, then breakfast.”

The boy stumbled out fully dressed and ready to bother Loamy about breakfast only to find he was already cooking.

“I thought I heard you rustling around in there, so I went ahead and started up breakfast. Might be closer to lunch at this point, though,” he laughed.

Clay looked at his watch and grimaced. 11:45.

“Don’t worry about it. If all you have planned today is swimming then there’s no need to get up early anyway.” “Yeah, I don’t think I could have dragged Jace out any earlier anyway.” Clay grinned. “Clay…” Jason groaned. “Oh, I do recall that you’re not quite a morning person.” “Mm.” “That’s ok! We all have different skills. I couldn’t stay awake late if my life depended on it. One of these times, though, I’m going to watch a movie that starts at 7 PM all the way through.”

Clay laughed and Jason smiled. He’d be able to wake up a little more once they ate and got moving. Breakfast was really good and eaten in comfortable silence.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mr., um, Loamy.” Loamy laughed. “Not a problem. Now you two have fun at the river. Be careful.” “Yes, sir.”

Once they got down to the river, Clay scrambled to get his socks and shoes off then threw off his shirt and jumped in. Jason removed his shoes and made sure not to get anything on his socks before he took them off and put one in each shoe. He brought down another shirt so he could swim in his black one. Clay didn’t care, and his dad didn’t care, but Jason didn’t really like to have to look at his chest, at least not until he could get surgery. He wasn’t particularly busty, but it was there.

Jason found a spot where he could wade in. It might have been a river, but it was wide like a lake and he could barely feel the water flowing. He went out to his stomach before he felt the chill.

“That’s why I jumped. You don’t have to wait to adjust if you throw yourself in.” “But jumping would require me being able to swim.” “Oh, right. Once you get used to the water I can help you.” “Ok…” “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can just hang out by the shore.” “No, I trust you. I can do this.” “That’s the spirit!”

Jason took a moment to compose himself more than anything. He’d nearly drowned in a swimming pool when he was younger and wasn’t keen to repeat the experience. Honestly he probably wouldn’t even be in the water at all if Clay wasn’t there.

“Ok, I think I’m ready.” “Great.” Clay made his way over to Jason but stopped out a bit deeper. “Are you ok coming out to me?” “I’m trans.” “Very funny, Jace.” Clay rolled his eyes but was smiling. “I thought so.”

Jason walked out to where Clay was.

“What now?” “Now you’re going to hold onto my shoulders and practice kicking your legs a bit, just enough to keep you above water.” “You’re sure?” “Mostly.” “Clay…” “Just go for it! I won’t let anything happen to you.” “Ok. I trust you.” Jason did as he was told. “Like this?” “Just like that. Not so bad right?”

And that was when Jason looked at him. Clay blushed at the proximity.

“Right. It’s not so bad.”

Jason was blushing as well. It felt like a slow dance. Especially when Clay started to turn them around.

“So right now you’re treading water. Would you be ok letting go and seeing how you do on your own? I’m still right here, I’m not going anywhere.” “Yeah, ok. I think I can do that.”

When Jason let go he sank a little, but Clay refrained from lunging out to him to see how it would go. He stayed above water.

“If you use your hands too it’s a little easier, I’ll show you.” He took a few steps farther out and demonstrated what he meant. Jason copied immediately and seemed to be having an easier time. “It’s not so hard once you get the hang of it.” “See? Then if you want to move you just lean in that direction. Here.” Clay swam backwards a few feet. “Do you want to try swimming out to me? It’s still shallow enough here, I can get you back to shore if you need.” “Ok, I trust you.”

Jason was very nervous. Maybe he should have brought a life vest. Clay would never make fun of him for something like that. But he’d already come this far, what was moving forward a few feet? Ok, Justice. You’re fine. You can do this.

“There you are. I knew you could do it.” “I did. I did it!” He tried to celebrate but sunk a bit further in the water, not being used to it all yet. “Woah, hey, don’t get cocky. You’re still a beginner, but you’ll get there. Do you want to try some more?” “I think I’ll hang out by shore, but you can swim. I just like to sit in the water.” “Are you sure?” “Yep!”

Jason went back the couple of feet and walked himself in to sit in the shallows. He watched Clay swim and occasionally dive down. A couple of times he brought back a snail or a rock that he found at the bottom to show Jason. If it was long enough in between, small fish would be surrounding Jason when Clay got there. They saw a couple deer on the other side of the river and watched them silently until they disappeared back into the forest. Eventually the boys were getting pruney and decided to get out of the water and dry off.

Clay let Jason start with the towel so he could change shirts. It was once he had dried off he realized something. In his haste he’d accidentally flung his shirt into a tree. He tried to jump for it but could just barely hit it with the tips of his fingers. He heard a snort and found Jason trying not to get caught laughing at him. Clay just grinned.

“Jace, you’re taller, can you reach?” “I think so.” He jumped and grabbed Clay’s shirt from the tree. “There.” “Thanks. I’ll return the favor when I’m taller than you.” “Ugh, don’t remind me. I have like two more years of growing, tops.” “Hey, at least you’ll always have me to grab things from the top shelf for you.”

Jason shoved Clay who laughed. They got their shoes on and explored until dinner. That night it was much of the same until the sun started to set.

“Ok, I’ve got the telescope, you have the flashlight?” Clay asked. “Yep.” “We should bring a blanket, too.” “I’ll get one.”

They set off for the clearing in time to set the telescope up before it was too dark to see. Clay pointed some stars and planets out as they appeared, Polaris and Mars being among them. Once it got dark enough, Clay followed through on his promise to show Jason Ceres.

“It looks like the moon.” “It’s a lot smaller than the moon, less than a third of the size.” “What are the bright spots?” “That’s light reflecting off of salts that were in the water that came up.” “There’s water?” “Yep! Most likely in liquid form beneath the surface. Isn’t that cool?!” “Yeah. I thought water was supposed to be rare.” “It is, technically speaking. Several bodies have water, mostly in solid form, but it’s still pretty rare. Liquid water is widely believed to be necessary to the creation of life, but we actually don’t know. Any evidence we have in support of that still only comes from a sample size of one.” “Huh. So all those documentaries about like the ocean or whatever that start off saying water is necessary for life?” “Have no clue what they’re talking about. They could be right, but not because they actually know. Water is necessary for the way carbon based life developed on Earth, but may be entirely unnecessary to other types of life that may or may not be possible.” “Science is way too complicated.” “And law is easy?” “Easier at least.” “No way.” “Well I’ll let you do science and I’ll do law and we won’t have any issues.” “That ‘s fine by me.” “Show me something else.”

Clay was able to find more interesting things to look at until they eventually laid out the blanket and switched to stargazing. Clay knew every constellation and its story, or at least it seemed like he did to Jason. Story after story, Jason took it all in, wondering what life was like for the people who had spun these tales. One in particular caught his attention for another reason. It was innocuous and unremarkable in most capacities, a single sentence with barely anything to it. But to him it felt like coming home.

“Over there is Corvus, Apollo’s bird, riding the hydra.”

Apollo’s bird. His bird.

"That one." "Huh?" "Apollo. I like that one." "You're going to have to be more specific." "Do you think you could call me that?" "Hmm? Sure! Apollo… I think it suits you. It would pair well with your last name and interests, considering he’s the god of law.” “Really?” Apollo rolled over and propped himself up so he could look at Clay proper. “Yeah. He covers the sun, prophecy, lyrical arts, medicine, healing, archery, and is patron of the shepherds and the ideal of male beauty as well.” “That’s a lot of things.” “A lot of people needed him to be a lot of things. I think you’ll be a lot of things too. And I’ll be an astronaut.” “Just an astronaut?” “I like to keep it simple.” “Being an astronaut doesn’t sound very simple.” “Well I’m a simple guy so I’ll simply be an astronaut.” “... That’s not how that works.” “Not with that attitude it isn’t.”

Apollo laughed. Maybe things could be that simple. A lot of people said being a boy wasn’t simple either, but he thought it was simple enough.

“Ok. You’ll simply be an astronaut and I’ll simply be a lot of things.” “That’ll be fun. We should live together.” “Obviously.” “We can get an apartment for college and then when I’m a rich and famous astronaut we can get a house. Maybe a dog.” “I like cats better.” “We can get a cat too. If we get them at the same time they can be friends so they won’t be lonely when we’re out.” “That would be nice. We should have a big yard and lots of rooms.” “Yeah! And at least one balcony, and we have to be able to get on the roof to see the stars.” “Our bedrooms should be next to each other. We should get a bath that’s giant and we can swim in.” “Oh! And we could have an arcade.” “And a library. And the kitchen has to be nice.” “You’ll have to cook. Everything I don’t burn tastes bad.” “You can get better. I’ll teach you.” “I appreciate the optimism.” “You’ll get better or you'll starve.” “Seems I’m destined for an early grave.” “Clay!” “I’m kidding. You can teach me how to cook that rice thing your moms make.” “With the chicken?” “With the cinnamon.” “Clay, you can’t live off of rice pudding.” “I can try.” Apollo sighed. “I can teach you how to make it, but you’re learning other recipes, too.” “Fine by me.”

They looked at the stars a while longer, Clay occasionally mentioning something about them which would lead them off on tangents. After they both nearly fell asleep, they packed up and returned to the tent where they passed out in their day clothes, not bothering with blankets.

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When the boys woke up, Loamy was off somewhere, probably having hiked up to see the sunrise. That was one of his favorite things to do. Clay walked over to a tree and began inspecting it.

“What are you looking for?” “I’m looking for… I think it’s… Aha! Here, my mom and da carved their names into this tree, see? I thought we should do it too.” “Really?” “Yeah! Unless you don’t want to. I know you might change your name again, so if you don’t want this one written in stone… or tree, you don’t have to.” “No, I think this is the one. I can’t explain it, but it feels right.” “Ok! Then here we go. Clay and Apollo.”

Clay found a knife and carved his name in a bit lower than where his parents had done it, then passed the knife to Apollo. When they were done they took a look at their handiwork. Their names would be there as long as the tree was, quite possibly long after they themselves were gone. Clay and Apollo.

“You boys are up early this morning!” “Gah!” “Oops, I think you startled Apollo.”

Nice one Clay. Seamless introduction.

“Jason not work out?” “I found something better.” “Well I’m glad. You know I had a friend once. She identified with the gender she had been given, but when she was 18, she changed her name. I asked her why and she told me that a name should feel like home. Every time someone you care about says your name it should feel like coming home. I didn’t quite get it at first, but after a while I realized she was right. So no matter how many names you’ve been through, it’s important to find the right one.”

Like coming home. That’s exactly what he’d thought when he heard Clay say it.

“That’s how I feel about this one.” “I’m glad. So how do you boys feel about pop tarts?” “Oh, what kind?” Clay asked. “Let’s see. Hot fudge sundae?” “Those ones are the best!” He nodded vigorously. “Yeah those ones are good. Sometimes Lisa will give me hers in the morning.” “Gee, Pollo, how come you get to have two girls with massive crushes on you?” “What?! They don’t either. She just does it cause we’re friends and she prefers strawberry.” “There’s no way that’s true.”

After breakfast, they packed up the site, but had a couple hours before they had to head back down the mountain. Loamy stuck around the site and relaxed while Clay and Apollo went back to the stream to see who could catch the most salamanders.

Heading back down the mountain was as lively as going up, filled with laughter and shenanigans. On the ride back they watched Shrek on the portable player they kept in the car. Apollo’s moms were out when he got dropped off, but that was fine. They were probably shopping sales. A saying Apollo had heard often was ‘Never pay full price for anything.’ and as far as he had seen it was good advice. Clay waved him goodbye with the promise of seeing him Monday and then they were gone. Apollo approached the small whiteboard on the outside of his door and erased ‘Jason’, replacing it with ‘Apollo’.

#i didn't know anything about aa6 until bag-verse was well underway and then it was too late rip #ace attorney #apollo justice #clay terran #claypollo #ace's fic #bag-verse

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