Chapter Text
Alexander had always been told that trouble was simply attracted to him. He disagreed. Alexander was sure that he and trouble had a mutual attraction to each other, and for the most part it was a happy relationship.
He was headed back to his foster family's apartment in a rush. It was already a half hour past his given curfew, and he didn't want to imagine the reaction he would receive when he walked through the door. Alex was tugging off his work hat and apron as he practically jogged down the sidewalk past the high school when he heard the rattle of a chainlink fence, followed by laughter. His pace slowed and eventually reversed as the familiar sound caught his attention.
A group of kids, some of whom he recognized from his classes, had cornered a single individual, who stood with their back pressed to the fence. Alex glanced at his watch, despite the fact that his mind was already made up. He ran towards the group, rounding the corner and practically barking out,
"Hey!" In less than a millisecond, four pairs of eyes were on Alexander. The first one that got over the surprise smirked and approached him,
"Hey look guys, the french freak has a little gay guard dog! Aren't you that homeless orphan kid? Why don't you crawl back to whatever family got stuck with you this week?" Alex frowned at the mediocre insults, convincing himself that they were too poorly constructed to actually bother him,
"I'd love to, Lee, but I'd much rather visit your family. I'm sure they'd appreciate a son who wasn't a massive disappointment, don't you think?" Alex heard the person pressed against the fence snort with laughter, though the others didn't seem so happy with his quip. Another boy approached, this one angrier than the last,
"Listen runt, we'll gladly beat the ever-loving shit out of you tomorrow night, but we've got our hands full with this fucking idiot who doesn't know what he is,"
"I know exactly what I am, Adams!" Spat the person against the fence, with a thick french accent, "And it sure as hell is not a "he" so watch your fucking mouth, connard!" The third kid, who Alex recognized as George Eacker, punched the french kid in the stomach, causing them to double over momentarily. As Adams turned to join the fray, Alex took the opportunity to ram into his back, tackling him to the ground. He could feel the rush of air leaving John's ribcage as he landed heavily on top of him, springing to his feet seconds after bringing him down.
While Adams lay momentarily incapacitated, and Lee stared on in bewilderment, Alexander charged forward, landing a sloppy punch to Eacker's nose. He grimaced, and followed it with a much more precise knee to the crotch, effectively bringing Eacker down. He turned, panting, to face Lee, who simply put his hands up and backed against the wall. Alex nodded briefly before taking the french kid's hand and swiftly leading them away from the premises.
Once he had put enough distance behind them, he glanced back at the person who's wrist he was holding. They were more than a full head taller than himself, with a curly ponytail that only added to their height. Alex suddenly felt self conscious, and let go of their hand.
"I like your skirt," he said, the sentiment concise, but sincere. The french kid smiled,
"Merci. And thank you for helping me. You did not have to--"
"Yes I did. They were attacking you,"
"They could have attacked you. I am sorry you had to listen to their insults. And that Lee called you my gay guard dog,"
"They were highly unoriginal insults anyway. Besides, Lee was wrong,"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm not a gay guard dog," he smirked back at the taller kid, "je suis un chien de garde bi," The french student let out a laugh and Alexander went to speak again just as a run down jeep came screeching to a stop at the curb in front of them.