AA headcannon pt 15: Apollo's childhood
• Strangely enough, the only things he remembers of his actual parents are the smell of his dad's hair-gel because he got into it a few times and his mom's singing voice because she was always humming. These memories become fuzzy and distant, but it's why Lamiroir's voice had been so strangely soothing and why he feels the need to put extra hair gel on even though he could accomplish his style with less
• Not that he knows this is why, if you ask him, he'll probably say 'Her voice is familiar, but I can't place it' or for the other, 'it just feels like the right amount'
• Our boy was so slow to develop in the time he was going from foster-home to foster-home that the people that took care of him were legitimately concerned he had other problems going on, so he got taken to the doctor a lot
• When he took his first steps, no one was really there to hold his hands and lead him along so he fell over twice crossing the room to get a toy, but he was determined
• When an older kid tried to take his bracelet from him to tease him, they both quickly discovered that if Apollo was not intending to part with it it would refuse to come off. This thing has a death-grip on little Apollo's wrist and he's just "It comes off when I take it off so it must not like you." >:/
• Believed for a long time that his bracelet liked and didn't like certain people, all based on his own opinions of course because it's his best friend and always has been.
• The main reason Dhurke wanted to adopt is because he ends up not having enough time to play with Nahyuta and is worried his son's going to have social issues later. Plus, he can afford to have another kid, no problem. It might even be fun :)
• When Apollo gets told by Dhurke he's going to be adopting him, he is all starry-eyed and beaming
• It's his turn to go home with someone, and he is sure it's gonna be the best thing ever. Dhurke can only look at him like 'I was here because I needed company for Nahyuta when I go away, and now I'm looking at the most adorable child I've ever seen in my life besides mine, who left this boy??'
• Him and Nahyuta hit it off surprisingly well, but in weird ways. Apollo will see him meditating instead of playing and walk over to sit a little ways away, trying to mimic him and figure out why this is fun instead of immediately judging him like other kids. Nahyuta curiously asks about the bracelet Apollo always wears and respectfully doesn't touch it until he's been given permission to. They're both really careful with each other and it's appreciated
• When Dhurke has to take them to live in the woods, he's very glad he got Apollo. He'd be worried they would get lonely if they didn't get along so well
• It was a whirlwind of confusing feelings getting sent back to America, and it left a bitter hole in Apollo's heart. He didn't understand why his dad just gave him to a foster home across the sea with hardly any warning. It was just him and his wrist-band again, lost and alone. He felt more alone then than he ever did in that new house full of kids than in the woods with just Yuty.
• He was promised Dhurke would come back, but the words were hollow, and he knew it. He turned away any chance at getting adopted by other parents because he couldn't deal with this if it ever happened again, he was okay to just be him
• When he meets Clay and cheers him up, he's a little unsure what to do when the boy keeps pulling him along to go play. Clay seems to really like having him around and who is he to turn down a chance at having a friend, at least?
• Their teachers are always taken aback seeing them play because in class they're so respectful and focused and at recess they are fighting with sticks and screaming
• One wants to go to space and one wants to be an attorney, they're definitely an odd pair, there was no getting around it
• Phoenix Write's name starts appearing in newspapers and Apollo starts reading them. This is the coolest attorney in the world, he hopes he can be half as cool as Wright.
• High school was the last stretch of time before childhood was over and he could go be an adult
• He is so ready for it to end, he sees adulthood as a sense of control he's never had and he desperately want it, he's tired of being swept along by tragedy and loneliness
• Clay's still gonna have his back, though, so he's got that going for him
• His grades are great, he's making all A's, even if he has to study hard in all his free time and do all the extra credit his teachers are willing to give him, his average scores are over 100% and his report cards always say something about 'excellent work ethic'
• Kristoph Gavin, who scouts for new attorneys to mentor, has never visited his school in previous years, but keeps walking in and addressing Apollo directly so he's confused but happy about that. That's a good sign, right?
• Kristoph is, at first, dissapointed his scores are from extra credit and not that he's some kind of genius, but he's testing him anyway just to see if he's got the guts to go with his more than perfect scores
• He passes, much to Kristoph's satisfaction, he does very well and has all the skills he'll need to be useful. Kristoph pays for his college and picks all his classes with the faith the boy will manage.
• "You gotta pick a protege young so you can have that level of control over their career." -Kristoph 'perfectionist' Gavin
• Around that same time Clay is accepted into a college, as well
• They're both sobbing, they've both lost people before and it feels like this is the last time they'll ever see each other
• They promise to write and call, and go their separate ways. They really should have expected it, I mean one wants to go to SPACE, but it's all tears and sniffles and promises to stay in touch
• When he looks back on it, Apollo's childhood is a jarring mess of feeling tossed around by the whims of fate and losing things that are important to him, but if there's anything he's thankful for, it's that he's getting a chance to tie those loose ends up now