Can't Be Saved
Based on the music video by Senses Fail. Aragorn is a football player failing Chemistry and Algebra II. Legolas is assigned to tutor him. The problem is, they don't get along. A/L, rated M to be safe.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Lord of the Rings, I make no profit from any of this, it is a work of fiction and thus I cannot claim any rights to the characters of J.R.R. Tolkien. (I hate doing these – can't people just assume that I don't own this?)
Oh, and the title of this chapter is from a song by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, just so you know.
A/N: If you've watched the music video, you basically know what's going to happen. I'm going further than the video though. This is a slash-fic (like I write anything else) so if you don't like boy-love, don't read. I like constructive criticism, but flames will be mocked and used to roast marshmallows with.
Chapter 2: Face Down
Aragorn signed in on the list at the front desk and sat down by Legolas' stack of books, but the blonde was nowhere to be seen. "Where the hell is he?" he asked himself quietly, pulling out his Chemistry book and notebook.
The second bell rang and Legolas appeared at the door, looking slightly flustered.
"Where were you?" Aragorn asked when Legolas took his seat.
"Nowhere," he said thickly, biting his lower lip between his perfectly white, even teeth.
"Bullshit," Aragorn said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're not starting until you tell me." He was curious as to what had gotten the other boy so worked up.
"Just drop it and open your damn book, Aragorn," Legolas said, voice now flat and void of emotion, emotions that his eyes were giving away.
"No. Tell me," Aragorn pleaded.
Legolas slammed his Chemistry book down, "Just Drop it!" The other occupants of the library looked up, shocked at hearing the usually very reserved boys outburst.
The Librarian shushed him and returned to her computer. Legolas shot the rest of the room an icy glare before taking a deep breath and pulling his notebook from the large stack of books to his right.
Aragorn, eyes wide, opened his book to the proper page and said meekly, "I didn't mean to upset you."
Legolas laughed bitterly. "The hell you did. Do you think I enjoy being thrown around all the time? Do you think I enjoy the constant harassment? The names? Everything else you've done to me over the years?" Legolas paused, head in his hands. "What did I ever do to you?" he asked, voicing his earlier thoughts.
Aragorn found he couldn't answer that question. He never really thought about Legolas' feelings, he was just going along with what everyone expected him to do: bully the freak. It was obviously tearing him apart. "I'm sorry. I know that it's not enough-"
"You're damn right, it's not," Legolas said.
"But I'll lay off," Aragorn finished, hoping that they could start on Chemistry now.
"It's not just you," Legolas whispered so that Aragorn had to strain to hear him. "Now, number two through fifteen ask for the symbol for the elements listed, that's harmless enough."
Aragorn nodded, trying to do the first element, Copper, from memory.
Legolas looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "No, no, Copper is Cu, not Co. Co is Cobalt."
Aragorn scratched out his answer and wrote down another. "That better?" he asked, moving his hand so Legolas could see the new answer.
"Close," Legolas said taking his pencil and erasing Aragorn's answer. "You wrote CU, that's Copper Uranium. It needs to be a capital 'C' and a lowercase 'u'."Aragorn rewrote the answer again and Legolas nodded. "Use the table for now, we'll work on memorizing them later."
Aragorn flipped to the page with the periodic table and tore a small piece of paper from the back of his notebook to mark the spot so he could flip back and forth. He finished the twelve other problems and handed his notebook to Legolas to check it. Legolas set his book (Interview With The Vampire) down and began checking his answers.
Aragorn turned to watch him as he read over the answers, mouthing the elements as he went along.
"Hey, Aragorn!" Haldir whispered, walking over to his table. "We were looking for you."
"Elrond says I need to pass Chemistry if I want to stay on the team," Aragorn explained, noticing how Legolas suddenly tensed next to him.
"That sucks," Haldir said, snapping his gum as he did. "Is he helping you?"
"Yeah," Aragorn confirmed.
"That sucks too," Haldir added before the librarian came over and ushered him out. "See you at lunch," Haldir said to Aragorn as he walked out, back to the weight room.
"How did I do?" Aragorn asked Legolas once Haldir had left and the Librarian when back to her desk, deciding not to question about why Legolas was so uncomfortable around Haldir. He didn't want another outburst.
"You have Magnesium twice," he said, handing Aragorn his notebook back, the number ten answer already erased.
"That's because it was on there twice," Aragorn explained.
"No it wasn't. Ten is asking for Manganese, not Magnesium."
Aragorn looked and sure enough, Legolas was right. "Oh, I see it now." He changed the answer and began on the next part, taking the symbols and writing out the element name. He looked up at Legolas when he was done to see that he was already looking over his answers.
"Good. Now the next part asks for Group names. That's in Section 2."
Aragorn finished up the preview and found that it was getting easier as he went along.
"It's not so hard, is it?" Legolas asked as Aragorn closed his book.
"It isn't if you're smart," Aragorn noted.
"Then you're smart, it didn't take you very long to do that. Do you want to work on Algebra now?"
Aragorn sighed heavily. "Not really, but I guess I have to."
Legolas took Aragorn's Algebra notebook and set it between them and explained the difference between writing a Linear function in Slope-Intercept form and Point-Slope form.
Aragorn finished his homework just as the bell for lunch rang. The two of them gathered up their books and Aragorn left the table before he noticed Legolas hadn't moved yet. He's afraid I'm going to push him again, Aragorn thought, ashamed of himself for tormenting Legolas for so long.
"Sit with me at lunch?" Aragorn offered.
Legolas hesitated before answering. "What would your friends think? I'm not exactly 'Mr. Popularity', you know."
"So?" Aragorn asked, shrugging one shoulder.
"I don't think it's such a good idea. Just because you said you'd lay off doesn't mean your friends will," he said. Besides, Haldir sits at your table and I can't take much more of him, he added silently.
"Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me," Aragorn said, heading for his locker.
Legolas nodded, following Aragorn to the Sophomore hallway and to his own locker at the opposite end. He put his books in the bottom of his locker and pulled his lunch out of his book bag before his locker was closed by someone standing next to him. It was Haldir, leaning against the locker, hands in his pockets. "What do you want?" Legolas asked, bracing himself for whatever Haldir decided to do to him.
Haldir didn't answer, but took Legolas' lunch from his hand and began to dig through it. He took all but an apple which he handed back to Legolas with a wink.
"Thanks," he said before walking away.
Legolas sighed and slid down to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees, his apple resting on the ground next to him. He used to be so nice, until my father- he cut off his train of though with a quick shake of his head.
"What are you doing on the floor?" someone asked, standing over him.
Legolas looked up and saw Faramir looking at him, his head tilted to get a better look at the boy on the floor.
"Nothing," he replied, standing up after he grabbed his apple. He turned to walk away but was stopped when the raven-haired boy grabbed his arm. "What did Haldir do to you?" he asked.
"Just took my lunch, that's all," Legolas answered bitterly.
"Well, come on, you can share mine. I've got plenty," Faramir suggested, not waiting for an answer from Legolas before dragging him off to the cafeteria. Even though he was a freshman, Faramir was pretty strong, although Legolas didn't exactly try to get away. Faramir led him to the very table he was trying to avoid, the football table. Thankfully, he was seated at the opposite end from Haldir and Aragorn. He sat down next to Farmir who was pulling out enough food to feed and army. How can he eat so much and stay so thin?
"Here," Faramir said, "take what you want. My dad is trying to bulk me up, but I'm not built like him and Boromir."
"Thanks," Legolas said quietly, taking one of Faramir's three sandwiches and a bag of pretzles.
They talked the rest of the period ad by the end, Legolas decided that he liked Faramir a lot more than his older brother Boromir.
The bell rang and Legolas started to head for Algebra II but was stopped when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into the restroom.
A/N: So, poor Legolas is going to really get it in the next chapter then it starts to get better for him. Just so ya'll know. Oh, and I've got a couple shout-outs to do.
Emily: Here's your chapter, darling. Don't worry, I promise I won't torture Legolas forever. When you're at the bottom, the only place you can go is up. Unfortunately, he's not at the bottom just yet.
Kaylee716: Don't worry, I love Aragorn too, He'll get nicer and smarter pretty soon. So... what kinds of 'special talents' where you thinking of? I'm curious.