Savior

Daniel hangs upside-down from a tree branch thinking to himself. Was he a tramp? he loved aragorn, but did aragorn genuinely care? If aragorn did care, did daniel demolish that by hanging around miles? did miles have feelings for daniel? It was moments like this when he regretted his birth. He just wanted to be able to love someone without consiquences. he began to speak to himself "why'd this have to happen to me? why in the name of merlin? why can't i just be happy? why can't my sexuality be looked past and people just consider me normal? if our creator loved us all so very much, why did they make the straights ridicule us gays? what did we do wrong? jeez... love is confusing... why do i put my self through this...oh thats right. he stole my heart." tears hit the ground below him. He needed a hero, a savoir. to make it all okay again. he needed his boyfriend to care and not get jealous every time daniel spoke to another male. He needed help.

Casey was wandering through the Forest, as she liked to do when she needed to think, when she came upon Daniel, hanging from a tree branch and crying. Walking up, she said, "Aw, are you ok Daiel? No wait, that was a stupid question. Can I help?" She climbed nimbly up into the tree next to him. "You're so sad and confused and angry. This isn't just Aragorn this time. is it?" she guessed.

He half smiles "you always guess it... its just everything now casey. im at witts end. i have no idea what to do with my life. i just have no point yet. the man i love likes me sure, but theres a woman in his life hed drop me like a hot rock for. and theres another boy who has been sending mixed signals and i cannot respond because aragorn gets over jealous if i even look at this guy now..."

Casey thought for a minute. "I'm not sure how much it's going to help, but maybe you need to talk to Aragorn and find out who he prefers, becaue what he's doing isn't fair to you. He can't get mad at you for looking at another guy if he's running around with Karma. You could either talk and try to fix your relationship with him, try to get him completely committed to you, or you could break up with him and find out if the other guy likes you." She reached down and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I haven't really gone through this, I'm not sure how much any of this will help."

Daniel gives a shaky sigh "maybe im just not supposed to be happy. no matter how hard i try i get hurt in the end... love hurts. its like a kick in the teeth. yet i still love him more than anything. i dont know if that makes me stupid, a hopeless romantic or both. but i love him and he loves me and karma. and karma told me quite clearly, she comes first in gornys life..."

Casey growled low in her throat. "I guess it's true what they say- Karma is a bitch. Don't you ever think you're unworthy of happiness Daniel, you're one of the most deserving people I know. God or Merlin or Buddah or whoever the hell's in charge owes you big time. And you can't help who you love. It's a part of you. But there also may come a time when they don't deserve you anymore. You have to decide if Aragorn's reached that pint with you yet. Is he still worth the pain Daniel? If he's not, I think you need to break it off."

Daniel shakes his head at casey "theres no way in hell im doing that. he deserves another chance. he has no choice to do what he does. its not he loves her more than he loves me, he hhas to.... its not his fault. i cant pretend it is. i promised myself i would always give people the bennefit of the doubt, since nobody ever did that for me." his face is serious. he wasnt going to hurt aragorn. he meant the world to daniel and as daniel had said earlier that week. hed die before he hurt aragorn.

Casey nodded, as serius as he was. "Alright. I know you do love him, a lot." She grinned faintly, and twiddled her fingers in the direction of her brain. "I don't know if I ever told you, but I can sense and influence emotions. So I do know exactly how much you love him. And I also know you're erious about this. I'm glad you're giving him another chance, but if he keeps doing this to you, even if he can't help it, then you might have to take a break from being around him Daniel. To keep yourself sane."

He sighs "my sanity isnt the problem here. its everyone else. noody gets it. one day all of those idiots who mocked me, will work for me. itsa serious thing casey. if you mock the one guy who has a brain bigger than a chick pea, he will one day grow up and best you and youll be in the parking lot, washing his lamberguini" then a snap was heard on danni's side of the branch, the one hed chosen was not as strong as he thought, it had been hollowed out by some creature, then it broke causing him to free fall, about to hit the ground. he was done for

Casey laughed a bit. "Yeah, that 's what I used to comfort myself with at my old school. I wouldn't let them touch my car though, they might- OH SHIT, DANIEL!" Casey swore and whipped out her wand as Daniel plummeted towards the ground. "Wingaurdium Leviosa!" she screamed, stopping him only about an inch from the ground. She slumped against the tree trunk, relieved, and let him gently down onto the ground. Leaning her head back against the trunk and closing her eyes, she put a hand to her racing heart. "Godric. Do me a favor? Next time, check the branch before you sit on it," she mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

Aragorn hadn't been anywhere around, though he'd been looking around for a while to see what he could do while he was skipping out on classes that he didn't need anymore. He'd been walking around the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest when he'd caught sight of Daniel and Casey. Of course they would be out here, where he would be unlucky enough to find them.

He snarled and mentally slapped himself, running into the woods and starting to run behind them. He wasn't too keen on running into Casey, with what had been happening with Daniel and he. He would have gone on but Daniel's branch was breaking. He hissed and leaped from the trees, aiming to catch him but instead missing the chance as Casey used her quick wits to save him instead.

Daniels eyes widen in panic and he nods up at casey, he glances at aragorn who sort of bolted from nowhere, as if on cue. He forces a smile "hey gorny...what uhm brings you out here?" he is trying to cover up his ungraceful move there but it was sadly impossible. He sighs "if i scared you im sorry...."

Casey opened her eyes to see Aragorn suddenly in the clearing. Her face turned cool and impassive and she jumped down a couple branches and onto the ground. "Hello Aragorn. Glad you showed up." She leaned against a tree with her arms folded. "I think you have a bit of explaining to do."

Aragorn shrugged and looks around, "I guess I'm just running around getting some exercise. Better than sitting in a classroom." And then he looked at Daniel again with a hard expression, "You should be more careful, Daniel. I don't want to find out that you died when I didn't get the chance to save you." He was a little stony, on the edge with Casey around.

His gaze flashed up at her, expressionless even as his anger grew, "Excuse me?"

Daniel shrinks back slightly. He did not want to see his best friend and boyfriend fight. He knew he was the cause of gornys anger and that made it ten times worse. He nods timidly not wanting to speak and enrage him more. He wanted aragorn to be happy and that was that. he didn't care what it took. He'd jump off a cliff if he had to.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "You heard me. I want to know why you're doing this to Danni. Even if you can't help it, it still makes me mad because you're hurting him. You should be the one protecting him Aragorn!" She was yelling now, but she didn't care. "Why have I found him crying several times because of you? Why did I have to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay because you weren't there to do it?" She let every little thing that she'd felt while thiking about this situation pour out. "You know what, no. This isn't about me, this is about you and Danni. You two sort it out. I'm leaving." She turned on her heel and stalked off. She'd probably regret that later, but right no she was too mad to care.

"I don't know, Casey, maybe because you need your nose in everyone else's business!" Aragorn snarled at her, eyes burning. He'd apologize later, even if he didn't really mean it. He didn't bother responding to the rest of it, since she was a waste of his time right now anyways. If something was wrong, Daniel needed to be the one to say it, not Casey.

He looked at Daniel irritably, "You two sure talk about me a lot huh?"

Daniel sighs "only when she brings up a conversation... i am mostly just talking to myself what she comes along... gorn i really am sorry and i would do anything to make it up to you... i love you. you know that. i dont deserve you. you make me so happy and i'd trust you with my life." he swallows the lump in his throat. he'd cry later if nesessary.

"Does she realise that I'm not actually doing anything? I've barely been around Karma," Aragorn said steadily, eyes still blazing with anger at Casey's ridiculous butting in. He slowly took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, closing his eyes as he forced himself to calm down.

"You don't really get what's going on do you?" He asked slowly, staring at the ground as he rolled his shoulders and stared down at the ground with an almost sad expression. He shook his head, "Danni, I told you about the love thing. I don't love anyone the way I should." He took another deep breath, "I know that you love me, and I know who you think I love. I know who Casey assumes I love when she doesn't use that creepy little telepathy thing she has to see just who I love. I love no one, but myself."

It was a lie, but it was a good lie. He did love someone, but she had disappeared sometime before the third term had ended. And Daniel was his attempt at finding other love, sort of like a rebound. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again, "Doing anything for me would entitle giving every last breath to try to please me until the point where you have nothing and no one that is left and then watching as I walk away, having my fill of whatever you've given me." He paused and smirked at Daniel, "I'm a leech when it comes to people. I'll suck out your very happiness, feed on it and then let you shrivel up and die. Not even an innocent like you is too good for me to feed off of. Even if I'm not a vampire like your Aunt, I'll still feed off of your life."

Daniel stifles a laugh off aragorns words. How could aragorn be any more of a leach than his family already was. "i guess i understand. someone hurt you and you think you cannot love and im willing to accept that, but as for you not thinking i can handle giving you everything... i can and im willing to. from this point on just tell me what you need and youll have it. i am willing to do whatever it takes gorny."

Aragorn narrowed his eyes slowly, "You don't get it do you? I don't want you! You're nothing but a worthless, squirming pile of filth." Gorn didn't know what was overcoming him, why was he being so cruel to this innocent kid? He couldn't stop the anger and the hatred that flowed through him, not at Daniel but at himself, at Pixie, and at Karma. Why was this so hard to control?!

Daniel almost forgot to breathe. He wouldn't allow himself to cry now. He wouldnt but he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces at gorns words. One more person that didn't want him. His brother didn't want him, his father didn't want him and now aragorn didn't want him. Danni takes a deep breath and gives the man he'd once adored and short nod. "alright gor- Aragorn.... i apologize for wasting your time. hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me...." he knew the second he hugged miles he'd regret it. at least before that moment gorn pretended and humored him. now daniel was right back where he'd started, outcast, alone, and the punchline to a joke. He wanted to walk away nut he was frozen where he stood.

Casey had calmed down and was about to go back and apologize to Aragorn and Danni for being so mad and stomping off. She was getting close when she heard Aragorn say, "You're nothing but a worthless, squirming pile of filth." Instantly, her vision was tinted red by so much anger that it was almost suffocating. She'd felt this way before and she'd always gone down swinging.

Casey stormed into the clearing, her face a mask of rage. She barely heard what Danni said to Aragorn. She grabbed the Ravenclaw's hair from behind and yanked him down, bending him backwards and throwing him off balance. "You little piece of shit," she whispered. "I was coming back to apologize fo being rude, and I hear you calling Danni a worthless pile of filth? After all he's gone through for you? I do not and will not regret anything I'm about to do." She slammed her hand down on Aragorn's face, breaking his nose and letting him crumple to the ground. She glared at him with loathing. "You deserve worse you little worm, but I'm not going to give it to you. Come on Danni." She grabbed Danni's arm and pulled him with her away from Aragorn, who was bleeding on the ground, her ears alert for any sign of retaliation.

Danni slowly pulls out his wand and flicks it, healing aragorns nose. Nobody deserved to suffer for him. maybe aragorn was right. he was filth... aragorn had opened his eyes. he deserved thanks, not pain. It took this long. Danni was mad at himself for putting the poor boy through all of this. his voice is a sad whisper "im sorry, thanks for everything you did for me aragorn. you deserve to enjoy your life. i just dragged you behind. your words were right and i could never thank you enough."

Casey looked at Danni incredulously. "You're thanking him? For treating you like you don't matter? He's wrong you know. You do matter, even if not to him. You're one of my best friends, and do you think that Lyssa doesn't care, or Alex, or Jamie, or even Tianna? Your friends still love you Danni, and to us, you definitely matter."