Survival Of The Fittest

Daniel's sudden yell after getting his words in a jumble actually scared the crap out of Aion. He felt his heart racing like crazy and he swore under his own breath. He didn't think that Daniel would react like that. At all. He had just basically confessed to an old crush on Daniel and his stomach actually did a nervous flip-flop.

"Daniel, look. I really was in love with you and-" He got cut off when he heard Aion saying his name and then Wendy was speaking up as well. "....Shit, I'm so sorry, Daniel."

He glanced over Wendy and he actually gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Wendy. Never meant for things to get out of hand like this. Really. I didn't want to start a fight right now."

"Wendy please," Daniel muttered. He shook his head. Fighting wouldn't do him any good. Talking wouldn't do him any good. Nothing fucking did any good and-

And he wasn't convinced Aion was ever in love with him, like, didn't he still hate Daniel for hating him? What, exactly, flipped that specific switch at that specific party? Something he said, raw hedonism, or...? He grasped for answers, and found none.

"I don't believe it! I..." he gasped, and put his hand over his mouth, and cast his eyes down. The snow and rock greeted him, before he had to close his eyes fully.

In some ways, it'd be better if Aion was lying, because like, if it were true? Daniel had spent so much time clinging to a petty grudge, which he knew was petty, which he knew was no longer justified, towards someone who loved him.

Aion then looked back at Daniel and he noticed that Daniel seemed to be making some strange movements. Did he really freak Daniel out with his confession? He never thought that he would get Daniel into a frazzled state like this. How could he of all people have this kind of affect on anyone? Especially Daniel.

"Daniel...?"

He took a step closer to him.

"Hey, are you okay...?" He was actually concerned that he had broke him or something like that.

He wished Aion never met him. He wished the Earth would split and force them away from each other. Everything Daniel touched broke. (What's one more, in the name of getting Aion to leave him alone? Touch the weak spot and he will flinch and hiss and never consider looking your way again.)

In a small voice, he asked, "Do you just latch onto any guy who parties like your brother did?"

Aion found himself freezing up on the spot. It almost felt like he couldn't breathe. Just hearing that question. It really hurt him. It wasn't fair when people would throw Dillan back in his face. He never thought that Daniel would even say that. Why, why, why...? He never thought that his heart would be burning so badly.

"....the fuck...?" He said quietly at first.

Then his face screwed up into a scowl of anger and he stomped right up to Daniel, feeling himself wanted to pay Daniel back. He didn't know why.

He just wanted the hurt to go away.

"WHAT THE FUCK, YOU ASSHOLE?!"

He gave Daniel a shove against his chest. He didn't care. His temper was taking control.

Daniel stumbled back. He put his foot back, and it slipped until it skidded against a patch of rock. Just enough to stabilize himself. If only Aion had just left, if only Daniel had just left, if only... There he was, saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, and probably about to get beaten up for it, just like what Fitz did, and maybe not stopping where Fitz did, so said the animal brain.

He gritted his teeth. He shoved back, into Aion's shoulder and chest.

Aion knew that his temper had boiled over for a second and he never meant it. God, it was always an excuse... Using his own family to justify his anger issues. He should have just talked to Daniel. He had wanted to be honest with him about everything. All the stupid shit that he had done around Daniel. He wanted Daniel to think he was the bad guy.... He never wanted to be a broken person. But he was and he-

He felt Daniel shoving him back and he was actually slipping a lot more than Daniel had from his own shove. He reached out to Daniel and he grabbed onto his arm tightly, trying to keep himself up.

His other hand was flailing around a little, getting shaped into a fist without Aion even thinking about it. All he wanted to do, was not to fall.

Daniel gasped as he felt fingers around his forearm, his arms recoiling into his body. His eyes widened. He caught sight of Aion's fist. He was right, he was right, he fucked it all up beyond repair and if he didn't act now he was going to die, going to-

One hand landed on the side of Aion's face, one on his chest again, and pushed with all his body. His boot slid back onto the ice, then slid further. The momentum pulled Daniel with it, as did gravity.

They were both falling now. When he realized that, Daniel's eyes closed instinctively.

"Fuc-"

Aion felt himself actually slipping up more and his feet had finally betrayed them. He felt himself still holding onto Daniel out of pure fear and he wasn't falling on his own now. He couldn't even let out a noise when he felt himself landing onto the snow and-

CRACK!!

....Pain.

The side of his head was hurting like hell. His head felt like it had been hit by a truck.

He let out a small groan.

"D...Dan...?" He mumbled softly.

He wasn't falling anymore, though. No pain, just that grip on his arm, weaker now. He opened his eyes, and saw blood slowly seeping through the snow. Daniel slowly took his hand away from Aion's face, and saw it was flowing from where the snow - no, the rock - met Aion's bandages. The old cut from the first day, split open, further than before.

Daniel wasn't hurt. Aion cushioned his fall.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, nonononono..."

He scrambled off, freeing himself from Aion's grasp, and reached for his bag. His fingers were shaking from the cold, his breath ragged and running against the frost.

Aion blinked.

Then he blinked again.

His head was not getting better. Where was Amos...?

He felt his eyes getting a bit blurry with tears and he actually felt a bit panicked. Why had Daniel been panicking...? Why did it felt so cold? More colder than normal.

He wanted to call out to Daniel, scared that he had left him. Oh, Daniel was right. He had latched onto him at that party....

He tried to move his head up a bit, hissing in pain.

"A....Amos...? Amos?!" His words were a bit slurred and he coughed a little.

Daniel put himself back at Aion's side, first aid kit in tow. He knelt in the bloody snow next to Aion, and tilted his head so that they could face each other. He leaned down a bit, and told Aion, "I-it's okay. You'll be okay. We- we got you."

He brought the new bandages out, and started to undo the old. Clean the wound, redress it... just because he broke this, doesn't mean he couldn't fix this.

"You'll be okay," Daniel reassured, as he pulled the bandages away, revealing ever more of the wound, ever more blood. He winced, and drew in a breath, choked a bit on a sob when he let it out. "You'll... be..."

It all happened so fast. Aion shoved Daniel. Daniel shoved Aion. They fell. And now, Aion was bleeding. Wendy just stood there, mouth agape in shock. All she could do now was watch this hopeless scene unfold.

"W-what?" He said as they continued. Wendy's objection to the whole thing was discarded, it felt like, cause the fight seemed to stop and then did not stop, and they kept fighting more and more until they got physical with each other-

And suddenly, Aion's on his back with his injured head against the ground. Daniel above him, holding onto him.

Oh nononononononono

"Aion!"

Amos rushed forward, almost jumping across the snow to reach him. The blood became more apparent when he got closer, and he could not hide the shakes that invaded his hands as he reached out for his boyfriend, one for his hand and the other towards his face.

"I'm here, man! I'm here, please, just, keep your head still and don't close your eyes!" His voice shot up in pitch; seeing him like this made his gut curl in on itself, and he wanted to vomit upon seeing the blood.

"Whatever you do, don't close your eyes!" His voice was soft, trembling underneath the words that struggled to come out, his eyes as wide as dinner plates trying to keep his eyes on his face.

"Please..."

Aion could hear Daniel trying his best to reassure him that he was going to be okay and Aion knew that it was a lie. But a lie that he wanted to believe so badly. He felt like he wanted to reassure the boy who was panicking over his injury and taking off his bandages to take care of the wound. The side of his face was feeling wet with what he assumed was blood coming out of the more opened up injury. Aion had never been this badly hurt before. Sure, he had gotten into fights in the past, but... but....

....

What was he thinking about again...?

He blinked more slowly when he felt Amos grabbing onto his hand and he noticed that Amos was trying to make him focus on his face. He didn't want to die like this. But he couldn't say that to them. Because he knew that his body and his brain was starting to give up on him. Even his heart was beating at a slower pace than it should be.

"...Sor...s...sorry..."

Was all that he could wheeze out of his mouth weakly.

He tried to squeeze Amos' hand, but he could barely move his numb fingers.

Amos' words were becoming muffled to him, his tears were trailing more down his face slowly and he felt himself smile sadly.

He had just wanted to make things right with Daniel and he failed badly. He wanted to tell Daniel that they were both so freaking stupid and then they could have just laughed about how the past for them shouldn't have mattered. He wanted to stay with Amos and to be a good boyfriend, but he would get a chance to do that. He wanted to give Amos a million kisses and have the both of them reunite with Chester. God, he wished that he had gotten a chance to talk to Perante and maybe... Just maybe.... things would have been okay for a while longer.

"W.... wan...wanted to... fix... f-fix...."

His eyelids were drooping a little and he went quiet for a moment. Before letting out a quieter choke of a sob.

He wanted to be at home with his little brother.

He just.... wanted.... to not be....

....Broken.

AION RHODES - DECEASED