Chapter Text
At the start of his senior year fall semester at Speedway High School, his wrist had started to sting. Shortly afterward the words appeared on the inner surface of his wrist. They were written in German of all languages.
It didn't surprise Apollo that much, but the soulmate quote was something he both dreaded and anticipated. It had been hard enough adapting to living in Indianapolis his freshman year of high school, but he had made two good friends since then: Clay Terran, and Ema Skye.
Shortly after he had met Clay and they had become best friends, Apollo recalled the slightly reddened words that were on his wrist, but in Korean. He had showed his to the other, but his friend didn't know German.
“You should take German. But I'm warning you that Mr. Gavin is rather strict…”
So Apollo had signed up for the German class, and on the first day had felt his cheeks grow hot when setting eyes on the tall man with an oddly drill shaped hairdo. Next to him sat Ema, who was glancing at the backside of the German teacher with a telltale pink stain on her cheeks. Turning around the blonde haired man pushed up his glasses with one finger and regarded his class. For a second his blue eyes were hidden behind shiny glasses. They swept the class like a hawk surveying its territory before landing on Apollo and Ema sitting in the front row.
Apollo hid his own blush, but Davy Jones in the back of the class noticed it, and smirked. That was when trouble began.
**
Once Apollo knew enough German to decipher his soulmate quote, he hid it under the bracelet he used to wear on his right wrist. Mr. Gavin liked him, Apollo was certain. Nevertheless, the hot flush to his cheeks that came when reading the language aloud made him feel as if the whole class was watching him under some uncomfortable spotlight. Mr. Gavin smiled with his eyes closed, arms folded over his chest.
“That was a good attempt, Justice,” he smoothly congratulated.
Ema started to read next, her command of the language flawless. She had mentioned the only reason she was taking this class was because the chemistry teacher strongly urged it for further study in the field. Once she finished, Mr. Gavin smiled at her politely.
“Nicely done, Fraulein Skye. Now, I want you to all work on pieces of dialogue of your own composure, and read them aloud as I come around to you,” Mr. Gavin instructed.
Apollo rubbed his wrist once more, peering at his marks. He scribbled them down on the paper, daring to bring up their meaning.
“Wischen Sie das Lächeln weg, den deinen Hübsche Gesicht, Gavin!” he muttered under his breath as he had several times before. It didn't help that his German teacher smiled gently as he stood nearby. When had Kristoph Gavin started standing looking over his shoulder like that? Plus, the bell has just rung!
“Nicely done, but I do think you should be careful just what you say to practice, Justice,” Mr. Gavin said smoothly to him. “People may talk. Do you get my drift?”
“Sorry sir! Drift gotten,” Apollo yelped, voice cracking.
In the back of the class Davy Jones smiled cruelly. He whispered to Turner Grey. Apollo saw their smirks and shivered as he finished putting his notebooks into his bag.
“Let's go, Apollo,” Ema interrupted, taking his hand.
“Right. Let's get lunch,” Apollo replied to Ema, forcing a smile. Both walked past the leering guys wearing their letter jackets. The couple gave each other a peck on the cheek for good measure out in the hall.
They walked down the stairs to the central hallways where two cafeterias stood back to back. In the one with stools and foldout tables they passed the freshman and sophomores vying for attention and seats. Around the corner to the carpeted cafeteria they made their way.
“Fraulein Skye, how nice it is to see you,” called out a voice. “Hallo, Herr Forehead…”
“Keep walking. Maybe he won’t notice,” Ema mumbled to Apollo. A few students sat around a table, having already claimed it. Ema stuck her tongue out at the blonde student wearing sunglasses that he pushed up. His hair was the same color as Mr. Gavin’s but was short cropped and shaggy unlike the other.
“Hey, Mr. Eurorocker,” Apollo called back. “Can’t say that I heard your last song because it was so loud I didn’t know it had words.”
“Objection, there was a solo in it…”
“It should have been so low we couldn’t hear it, fop,” Ema taunted him back. Klavier blew a kiss as they entered the cafeteria line.
Klavier Gavin, teenage heartthrob and performer at the turnabout dance Apollo had been asked by Ema to escort her to. He spent most of the time with her by the wall with earplugs in both their ears yelling at each other over the din of the Gavinners.
Apollo knew as most did that it was the younger brother of their German teacher despite the efforts to curtail it. They reached the line where several other students gave them odd looks and others whispered and pointed. Davy Jones and Turner Grey.
“Just don’t look at them,” Apollo whispered, clutching Ema’s hand.
**
The next thing he remembered was shouts, and his own blinding pain from a splitting headache. He heard Ema’s voice through a fog, blurry and indistinct swimming in the darkness. When he opened his eyes, he spotted the remains of pizza and corn lay scattered on the floor. A carton of milk spilled into the tater tots near his nose. One of his cheeks was pressed to the tile floor.
The sounds of jeering could be heard ringing in the young student’s ears. Dressed in red jacket, white shirt and jeans, Apollo lifted his head that rang like a gong. Slowly he pushed up against the floor, trying to climb to his feet. Next to him a female voice mumbled, “Easy Apollo, the teacher’s coming…”
“Does the sissy boy think he can take me?” the student that leaned over him taunted.
“Back off, Davy Jones!” Ema Skye began. She had moved between the threat and her friend she was shakily helping to his feet.
“I'm fine. Ema, go get the teacher,” rasped Apollo, standing once more. His brown eyes met that of the bully.
“So you need a girl to protect you, Nancy boy?”
“Shut up, Turner Grey,” Apollo began. Ema grabbed at the boy’s sleeve in an effort to stop the punch. This gave Apollo the time to rise up and block Davy’s blow with his forearm. Together he and Ema struggled till she was yanked away by another member of their gang.
Ema kneed him in the stomach and swung her backpack at her attacker the same time Apollo drew back his fist and it cracked against Davy’s jaw. He staggered back, landing into the bank of lockers with a rattle. Apollo shouted, “Run Skye!”
Four more youths rounded the corner, their eyes fixing on the two students. Angry shouts echoed in Apollo’s ears just before he was slammed in the gut and crashed into the classroom door. He barely had time to blink at another kick to his backside, and a third to drop him. His instinct was to curl into a ball until they stopped hitting him.
The next blow never came. He heard further shouts from someone just in front of him blocking the light. A voice shouted, “Achtung, back off Herr bully! Shame on you!”
“Stay out of this Gavin!” He heard Turner snap.
“Four to one is hardly fair, ja?” Answered the accented voice, musical with a small lilt.
“One faggot helps another, is it?” Snickered Davy.
“Back off, jerks. Your redneck is showing,” interrupted someone else.
“Daryan and I would agree that all of you should back off, Herr Bigot. This school is a safe zone,” Klavier answered, his voice now at the level of Apollo’s head.
“You heard it. Scram,” Daryan shouted, or who Apollo figured would be Daryan. He recognized the voice and the grey jacket with the shark hood.
“There's still four of us, and two of you fags,” laughed Turner Grey.
Apollo glanced up into clear blue eyes partly obscured by blonde bangs. Klavier cupped his cheek, and brushed his hair aside. “Are you alright, Herr Forehead?”
“I don't need your help,” Apollo coughed, glaring at the leather clad music major. His silver G glinted in the light. “Now they'll really think I'm…”
“Faggot!” Taunted the bully.
“Objection! The men told you to back off,” called out a more powerful voice. “Break it up now! Or do you want two more weeks of detention, Davy Jones?”
“Mr. Wright… nothing's going on. This boy came onto me and…”
Apollo gritted his teeth pushing Klavier away. However, the spiky haired teacher glanced over his shoulder, saying, “Gavin, take him to the nurse. Now.”
Stumbling against his rescuer, Apollo felt blood dripping into his eyes and tasted the iron tang in the back of his throat. Klavier wrapped lean muscular arms around him and steadied Apollo against him so he hobbled on shaky feet. He glimpsed Daryan standing next to the drama teacher, Mr. Wright, whose class he had taken this semester.
“Apollo, let's go. Let Herr Wright handle this,” Klavier gently urged. Apollo saw the safety pin attached to his collar, which matched his own. Shame bubbled up inside him at the feelings that flushed hot against him. He had tried so hard to hide who and what he was.
Ema and he pretended to date just to protect one another. Why did he have to live in Indiana anyhow?
***
On the way to the nurse’s office they passed through the shop area of school. It wasn't far from the music class where he guessed Klavier had been. The leather clad student had his instrument case slung over one shoulder. Apollo’s entire body ached from the pummeling, which was not what he had expected coming out of drama class.
“I didn't ask for your help, nor do I want it,” hissed Apollo, struggling to wriggle away from the others supportive grasp.
“Herr Justice…”
“You hanging all over me… they're going to think I'm…”
“Gay?” Klavier asked gently.
Apollo’s face flushed hotly. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as they arrived in front of the office at the front of the school. That hand grasping his arm he really didn't want to flinch off, but he was worried who else would see. He hissed, “Of course! But a chick magnet like you doesn't have to worry about that does he?”
“I’ve been used to being checked out by the ladies, but when I first met you, I was sure that…” Klavier trailed off. Immediately Apollo felt his wrist stinging once more. It was far more powerful than all the other times. Oh no, it couldn’t be… would fate be so cruel?
“Objection! Wipe that smile off your pretty face Gavin!” Apollo shouted. Immediately Klavier grasped his own wrist, rubbing it. Shock filled his face.
“Apollo… you think I am pretty?” Klavier asked, astonished. That small smile crept over his face which simultaneously delighted and disgusted Apollo.
“Just leave me alone!” Apollo shouted, pushing him away as he broke into a run.
“Hold it! Apollo, we need to talk…” echoed Klavier’s words behind him.