Title: I am the DJ
Author: The Emcee
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Barry Rabe/Roddy Geiger, Monroe/Nick Burkhardt
Summary: Roddy Geiger is a violin prodigy who is the subject of constant torment by his peers. Barry Rabe is a young man who barely escapes his run in with the law. When their worlds collide, things change. But change is a good thing, right?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, actors, or the fandom. I also don't own the song I am the DJ by the Neon Trees nor do I own the Neon Trees. Unfortunately. Damn.
A/N: This is my first Grimm fic, so be gentle. R&R. Enjoy!
I am the DJ
I am the DJ
And you are the record that I play.
And when I scratch the surface
Does it still make you nervous?
I am the DJ
And you're still my favorite mistake.
So when you get that feeling,
Keep dancing, keep dancing.
…
Roddy Geiger had always been a loner.
Ever since before he could remember, it had always been his dad and him. He had no siblings and no one lived close by, so there were no other kids for him to socialize with. Not that any of the kids would play with him anyway; people avoided him and his dad because of his dad's profession. Being poor didn't help either. But he didn't mind it, not all of the time. And he wasn't entirely alone; the rats were a constant presence and they listened better than any of the teachers at school did. Even when he was discovered as a violin prodigy, people always saw the problem child, the rat, before they saw the musician, if they even bothered to look that far. It didn't help that Roddy was always on defense; he had to be because that protected him. From all of the taunts and jibes; from all of those who looked down on him because of what his dad did; and from those who hated him because of his talent.
Being a Reinigen, Roddy was at the bottom of the Wesen food chain, so he took a lot of shit from his fellow teenage Wesen. But even the normal humans, who had no idea of what he actually was, gave him hell and more so than the Wesen teens. So, naturally, he kept his distance from the other teens. At least, he had until he met Sarah. Sarah was pretty, smart, and a musician just like him. They had a lot in common, and he thought that he loved her and that she loved him. Boy, had he been mistaken. She had shown Roddy her true colors when she chose Carter, the biggest douche bag alive, over him. That had been a low blow. But then Carter and his friends set him up and got him suspended; now that was definitely a low blow. After all that had happened afterwards had left Roddy feeling worn out and drained and with no one to turn to. Well, almost no one.
His dad was locked up, still recovering from his injuries and from trying to escape, so the only real family Roddy had known wasn't there for him. But there was that Blutbad, Monroe, who he had considered going to about a lot of things. Or the Grimm, but he was still way too uncomfortable for a heart to heart with the unusual detective. He could go to either one, but he still didn't know them or trust them and they didn't know him, not very well anyway. No one really knew him and part of him liked that. Another part of him hated that and hated being alone, but Roddy tried his best to ignore that part of himself. The last thing he needed was for his defense to falter. Besides, he was better off on his own.
…
Money could not buy happiness, but it could buy the best defense team around.
Barry Rabe should have been relieved and happy. He should have been celebrating with his friends, but he wasn't. Between his mom being in the hospital, probation, and making up the work for missing school, there wasn't any real purpose for him to celebrate or be happy. Sure, he probably should have considered himself lucky. His mom was still alive. Instead of going to prison for attempted homicide, he had probation. His dad didn't hate him or his mom, so his home life hadn't suffered that much. But even with all of that going for him, Barry still didn't feel lucky.
Guilt was the strongest emotion he felt. Guilt for getting into so much trouble, guilt for making the pit that nearly killed his mom, and guilt for putting his dad through hell and back. Anger was another one; at himself, his friends, his parents, and those two morons who broke into his house. Barry also felt lost. What was he going to do now? He couldn't turn a blind eye to what had happened because it'd forever be on his record; one of the biggest downfalls of being tried as an adult was that it was a stain that he'd never be able to wipe clean. And with his mom still in the hospital and his dad working all of the time, it was only natural for him to feel lost and alone.
Barry pulled into the school parking lot feeling apprehensive and uncomfortable. He didn't used to feel that way, but a lot had changed in such a short amount of time. With a heavy sigh, Barry grabbed his bag and got out of his car. There weren't too many students around; it was still early and Barry had wanted to get inside without too much hassle. The day ahead was going to be full of enough stares and whispers; he didn't need them before school even started. As he made his way towards the front doors, Barry heard loud voices arguing and he paused. Looking at his reflection in the glass, Barry focused, listening to the fighting, smelling all of the scents around him. Before he could even think it through, he turned and headed towards the arguing.
Making his way towards the left side of the building, Barry didn't know exactly what he was doing or why, but he couldn't really think straight at the moment and he really couldn't bring himself to care. And then he spotted them. Four guys in all, none of them very big or muscular, but three of them had forced the fourth against the wall of the school. The blonde kid was making all of the squawking, throwing taunts and insults like they were going out of style, and that was when Barry really looked at the guy being tormented. He knew right off the bat that the kid was a Reinigen; the smell was obvious. Barry also knew that he was in the orchestra, but he didn't know his name. That didn't stop him though.
"Hey," he spoke loud and clear enough that they all heard him and they turned to look at him. "What are you doing?"
The three who were ganging up on the rat may not have known what he really way, but they knew who he was. Their bodies tensed, their eyes widened, but all Barry could do was stare at each of them in turn before his eyes settled on their prey. Now, he knew what Barry was and who he was, Silence rained down upon them before the blonde scowled and picked up his violin case.
"Let's get outta here." He and his buddies left. Barry watched them go before he turned back to the Reinigen. The smaller boy was shaking, but he scowled and put on a brave face.
"I didn't need your help." He grabbed his bag and glared at Barry. The Jagerbar just quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Didn't look that way to me." The smaller teen made his way past Barry and towards the school. Barry followed him.
"I had everything under control." He was still shaking, but Barry didn't tell him that.
"Clearly." Barry followed him through the front doors. "Why were they picking on you, anyway?" The other's scowl deepened.
"Because Carter hates that I'm better than him even though I'm not from a well-to-do family. His cronies just go with the flow." Barry's brow furrowed.
"There are a lot of kids here from well-to-do families. It's not that rare for this school." The smaller boy just shook his head.
"Thanks for reminding me." The Reinigen entered a classroom and left Barry on his own to report to the office.