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Apollo watched the thunderstorm rage on through the window as he wrapped Clay’s jacket around him tight. A couple weeks ago, he had helped Clay’s dad clean out Clay’s apartment, and his dad just sent him a box of Clay memorabilia, like pictures of him and Clay together and stuff like that. Apollo had been working up the courage to open it all day, and he was finally ready.
He sat on the couch with the box on his lap. Mikeko sat next to him, eying the box with wonder. He chuckled and gave Mikeko a couple head pets before tearing the box open. Apollo inspected lingered on each item, waves of happy memories flooding his mind and nearly making him cry. He carefully laid each of them down on the coffee table. It was when he got to the last item at the bottom of the box that his breath hitched and he froze.
It was an old red hoodie. Specifically Apollo’s hoodie. Clay had stolen it from him years ago. With trembling hands, Apollo lifted up the hoodie. It still had that salsa stain from when he and Clay went to a Mexican restaurant and watched movies together instead of going to homecoming.
Apollo shook and clutched the hoodie close to his chest as silent tears started to fall. Clay had always seemed to wear it when Apollo needed comfort or support the most, saying that it showed his love for him. Especially when he was regressed; that was when he needed comfort the most. Apollo was going through a lot and had a lot of issues back then, but Clay was always there for him. Whether that be as a distraction or as a shoulder to cry on, Clay was a rock in an otherwise violent sea.
Clay was gone now. He couldn’t change that. But the empty feeling that had dominated the last few weeks seemed to dissipate ever so slightly. Apollo could feel Clay there with him, like his spirit was in the hoodie, telling him to keep going. To not stop for his sake. That he would always be with him, watching him from the stars.
That he loved him. More than anything else in the universe.
The thunderstorm outside started to cease, and the clouds started to part to reveal the moon and stars. Apollo smiled as he gazed at the moon, still clutching the hoodie tight.