Fantasies 5

Archangel

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/fantasies05.php
Summary: The story of how Daniel became friends with a biker

It wasn't the university that Daniel hadn't liked, it had been living on-campus that had been the problem. Being younger than everyone else by two years, a genius, and a geek, had made him an obvious target. That was why he had moved off-campus nearly three months ago, and overall, he was finding life much better.

It felt good living on his own. For ten years, he had been transferred from foster home to foster home, including his first two years at university because he had been considered too young to live with the other students. However, when he had finally turned eighteen and started living on the university grounds, he didn't find it as liberating as he had thought. The teasing and the pranks made life miserable, and he couldn't even escape it in his room because the bullies would just follow him. Fortunately, he'd only had to endure it for a few months until he had found an apartment that he could live in. It was in a shabby part of town but it was all he could afford on his part-time librarian wage. Actually, money was getting a little thin; maybe he would have to find another part-time job.

It was so freeing to go home and not have anyone else disturb him. Quiet and solitude were things he had in abundance, and he relished that. He was a loner; he never let anyone get close because he didn't want to get hurt. He guarded his heart so that no-one could get in.

His solitude was beginning to be interrupted though. Daniel looked out the bus window and saw the three louts who were loitering outside his apartment building. The men, who were only a little older than him, had started hanging around three weeks ago and like so many bullies before them, had starting picking on him. He tried not to give them anything to feed off but wasn't always successful. His need to protect his books was something the bullies had discovered early on, and now they always tried to get at his books and damage them in some way. Most of them were library books, which made for some embarrassing explanations when he went to work the next day. The others were his university books, including his notes from classes. After the first couple of times, Daniel had started making a copy of his notes and stuffing them in his pockets so that they would be safe. But he knew it was only a matter of time before they would be found too.

He didn't know why everyone tried to bully him... well, actually, he did have an idea why. He was thin and gangly, didn't fight back, and was too smart for his own good. Numerous people had mentioned that last one, making it into a bad thing. But he knew that it wasn't so he didn't stop being smart. An instinct told him that he was going to need that intelligence and lateral thinking later on in life. Unfortunately, that meant that in the here and now, he would have to put up with being different.

Daniel stepped off the bus, hugging his books close. Not that it would do him much good; they would be torn from him straight away. As he walked across the street, trying to ignore the bullies, he failed to see the motorbike parked further down the street, or the big man astride it.

"Hey, look who it is!" the bully with long black hair exclaimed, closing in on Daniel. "It's Book Boy!"

"Hey, Book Boy!" A second one, with blond spiked hair, piped up. "Whatcha got today?" He made a grab for the books.

Daniel turned away and tried to avoid the grab. This meant that instead of the books, the bully was able to grab Daniel's collar. Daniel choked as the bully yanked backwards but he held determinedly onto his books.

"They must be important today," the third one, who was shorter than the other two, observed. Then he snatched one of the books out of Daniel's hold.

Daniel bit his lip, refraining from pleading for the book. Pleading made him look weak. Not that he didn't already look weak but it was the principle of the thing.

"Who the hell is Wallis Budge?" Number Three said as he looked at the book.

Number Two yanked on the collar when Daniel remained silent. "Too afraid to speak?"

"No, just trying to find words that you would understand," Daniel replied sarcastically. Then he regretted it; one should never provoke bullies.

Number One stepped forward and backhanded him. "You looking for a fight?"

Daniel put a hand to his aching jaw, saying nothing.

Number One took advantage of that and ripped the remaining books from Daniel's grasp. Then he threw the books onto the ground. "Anything to say now?"

Daniel was tempted to reply but decided that he was outnumbered; the bullies could do a lot of damage, and he really wanted to remain in one piece.

"It seems Book Boy is also Chicken Boy," Number Three said, shoving Daniel in the chest. Number Two let go and Daniel went sprawling on the ground.

"Daniel? These guys bothering you?" The biker whom Daniel hadn't seen came striding up to the group. He was around six feet tall, two hundred and forty pounds in weight, and there were tattoos on the back of his hands. Long black hair and a black beard completed the scary effect.

"I'm fine," Daniel said automatically, looking up at the biker. Who was he and how did he know his name?

Gabriel helped the young man to his feet. "Did you get those books I wanted?" He saw the thugs start to back off a little at that comment; bikers had a reputation around these parts, and Gabriel was using that to his advantage. He had been observing the bullying over the past couple of days and had decided to intervene this time.

"Uh... yes." Daniel didn't know what was going on but he was willing to play along with it. He saw the name on the back of the leather jacket - 'Archangel' - and mentally shook his head. That had to just be a coincidence.

"Good." Gabriel turned to the bullies. "Are you still here?" He noted the uncertain looks the boys gave each other, and decided he was losing his touch if they hadn't already disappeared. He cracked his knuckles slowly. "Well?"

Daniel watched with relief as the bullies ran away. "Thank you," he said to the biker as he started picking up his books. They didn't seem to be badly damaged this time.

"No problem. If they bother you again, let me know." Gabriel picked up the book one of the bullies had discarded and handed it to Daniel.

"Thanks," Daniel repeated as he accepted the book. "But I can look after myself." He had been doing so for a long time.

"Right." Gabriel was skeptical about that; the kid looked like a stiff breeze would push him over. "Listen, the missus always cooks too much food. How 'bout you come up and join us?" He started towards the building.

"You live here?" Daniel had never seen the man around before; he would have remembered if he had.

"Upstairs. Come on." When Daniel just remained standing there, Gabriel gestured impatiently at him. "What are you waiting for?"

"Um, I-I don't know who you are, or how you know my name." Daniel clutched his books to his chest, a little worried. Had the man been spying on him?

"Gabriel." The biker held out his hand for Daniel to shake. After Daniel had tentatively done so, Gabriel continued. "You know my wife, Donna."

The name rang a bell, and Daniel recalled the short, blonde woman he had talked to a few days ago. "She's your wife?" Donna hadn't seemed the biker kind.

Gabriel glared at him. "What's so strange about that?" He had scared many with that look but the young man didn't even blink.

"Nothing." Daniel realised that he had been quite tactless. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, that's okay, kid." Gabriel immediately forgave him; it was hard not to. "Come on."

This time Daniel fell into step behind Gabriel. On the way up, he inquired, "Did you choose the name 'Archangel'?" The coincidence was very interesting.

"Actually, a mate of mine suggested it." Gabriel liked it better than his given name.

"The archangel Gabriel is connected to Daniel in the Bible," the young man informed him with a quick smile.

"How about that," Gabriel mused. That was indeed a coincidence. He generally didn't believe in such things as fate but in this instance, he found it possible. He opened the door to the apartment and called out, "Donna! We've got company!"

A blonde head appeared, poking out from a doorway. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw the guest. "Daniel!" She disappeared for a second then reappeared, brushing her flour-covered hands on her apron. "What are you doing here?" She went forward and enveloped him in a hug, pretending not to notice the way he tensed up.

"I invited him for dinner," Gabriel stated, taking off his leather jacket and throwing it onto the couch. "Stop fussing over him, woman."

"I'll fuss if I want to." Donna wasn't the least bit intimidated by her husband. "Put those books down over here, Daniel. You must be getting tired of carrying them." She gestured to a nearby table.

"Thank you," Daniel responded shyly. He put the books down then turned back to face the woman, uncertain how he should act.

"Can you cook?" Donna asked. When she received a tentative nod in return, she continued, "Gabe here is useless in the kitchen. Come and help me. You can tell me all about yourself."

Daniel quietly followed her into the kitchen, not wanting to be impolite but he didn't want to talk about himself. However, as Donna talked, he felt that she was genuinely interested in him and not just prying into his life. He found himself opening up a little, telling her about what he was studying, and where he grew up.

"Did you know that Daniel grew up in Egypt?" Donna asked her husband as she and Daniel took food into the dining area. "And he's studying to be an archaeologist like his parents, and he can speak over a dozen languages?" She sounded awed.

"Sounds like he's got too much time on his hands," Gabriel commented while absorbing the information. Not only was the kid scrawny, but he was a genius as well; no wonder he was a target. "Ever ridden a motorbike, Daniel?"

"No, I-I haven't." No-one had ever bothered to teach him.

"In that case, you can ride with me," the biker offered. "Give you a break from all that studying."

How could he say politely that he liked studying? Not that it would matter; Gabriel would forget about the offer in a few days anyway, and Daniel would be left alone again. "Thank you," was what he ended up saying.

"Don't bully him into it," Donna said, observing Daniel's facial language. "There's nothing wrong with studying."

"I didn't say there was, woman."

"You implied it."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did." Donna scowled at her husband, then turned her attention back to Daniel, who was looking worried. "Don't mind us, love. Feel free to say no to Gabe if he wants to take you for a ride. He may look tough but inside he's a teddy bear."

Gabriel shook his head. "Now what you'd say that for? Are you trying to ruin my reputation?"

"I, uh, kind of guessed that," Daniel said quietly, smiling briefly at Donna. He wasn't really scared of this man, despite his appearance and demeanour.

Donna smiled back, her heart just melting. This kid was so sweet; how could anyone have not taken him in? She made up her mind to fuss over him as much as possible; Daniel didn't look like he smiled very much, and she wanted to make him happy. "In that case, feel free to argue with him as well."

Daniel smiled to himself as Donna and Gabriel got into another argument. He liked these two and found himself wanting them to be his friends. After all, there was a difference between choosing to be alone and wanting to be alone.

~~~

"So from that day on, we adopted him," Gabriel said as he sat in Jack's living room. He looked at Daniel curled up contentedly by Jack's side, and knew that the young man was happy. From the little he knew from Daniel's infrequent letters, happiness wasn't something the kid had received much of until he had hooked up with Jack. For that fact, Gabriel was pleased because if anyone deserved happiness, it was Daniel, and Gabriel had never been judgmental about how people found happiness. "I taught him how to ride a motorbike, and he taught me to see life differently."

"He does that a lot, doesn't he?" Jack stated, hugging Daniel close. He could totally sympathise with Gabriel on that point. "It's downright infuriating though."

"Tell me about it," Gabriel laughed. "He's always right too."

"I know. I found that out the hard way," Jack laughed along with the man. "And if you get him started on mythology..."

"You have to be prepared for a long lecture," Gabriel finished for him. "Even as a kid, he could go for hours on the one topic." He grinned at Daniel, who was scowling at him. "Fortunately the wife has more patience than I do, and she always listened to his theories back then. At least he's filled out a bit. You should have seen him back then."

"I can imagine. What do you think of the haircut?" Jack ruffled the short hair.

Daniel sighed, tolerating the affectionate touch. "He nagged me for ages to get it cut and when I did, he complained that it was too short. He still complains."

"How can I mess up your hair if it's too short?" Jack said as if this was perfectly logical. "You should have seen the number of stares he received when people could finally see his face. I still have to beat the women off with a stick."

"It suits you, Daniel. It makes you look more your age." Gabriel knew the man to be in his mid-thirties but he still looked much younger than that. "When I met him," he said to Jack, "he looked about twelve."

"Still does," Jack said with a grin, catching the elbow Daniel tried to dig into his ribs.

"Gabe, do you want another drink?" Daniel asked, deciding he had heard enough about himself for the moment.

"Please." Gabriel waited until Daniel had left the room before quietly asking Jack, "You love him?"

"How could I not?" Jack replied, serious now. "He's been through so much and yet he always bounces back. Still wears those rose-coloured glasses too - doesn't ever believe that he could be in danger."

"I take it that's where the grey hair came from," Gabriel said, looking at Jack's hair.

"I didn't have any grey hair before I met Daniel. He has a knack for finding trouble," Jack replied ruefully. "You got off easy." Gabriel was only a few years older than him but his black hair was unmarred by silver.

Gabriel grinned. "I'm glad Daniel's got you to look after him. He would never admit it but he needs someone to protect him from the world."

Jack nodded in agreement. "I don't always do a great job of that but he's still here, so that's something."

Daniel coming back into the living room interrupted their conversation. He handed the two men their beers, then settled down next to Jack again, and listened to them talk. After weeks of nagging from Jack, Daniel had finally invited Gabriel round to talk about how they had met, and he was pleased that the two men were getting along. And now that Jack's curiosity was satisfied, Daniel would be able to get on with the task of planning the next fantasy. After all, he needed to get Jack back for that loincloth...

Next: Ride