Reputations
part 3
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PART THREE
*
* *
It didn’t take long for
people to notice the little surprise in their Tuna Surprise. In a short
while the cafeteria was filled with screams and cursing, and chaos spread all
around. People gagged and vomited as they found BUGS hidden in their meals.
They hurried to run away, screaming, leaving the cafeteria in one horrid mess.
Twenty-two minutes
later, Duo and Heero were sitting in front of the principal’ficefice, awaiting
judgment. Duo was sitting with his hands in his lap, head leaning back against
the wall, still as a rock. He kept looking up at the ceiling, unable to look
Heero in the eye. He had gotten both of them into trouble, and while he was
used to this kind of ‘visit in the principal’s office’, Heero was not. And he
shouldn’t even be here; he had nothing to do with it.
Duo kind of expected
Heero to say something to him, yell at him, accuse him of all this mess,
anything but what he did. He was just sitting there quietly, his head bowed,
and he is deathly silent and unmoving. It was so odd, Duo was used to laugh and
crack nervous jokes with his old ‘fellow troublemakers’, but this time there
was none of that. Heero’s silence made him feel as if he were waiting for his
own execution.
After a long while of
waiting, the door to the principal’s office opened and the formal looking woman
stepped outside.
“Yuy, would you please
come in?” She asked coldly and stepped back into the office.
Duo looked up and watched
Heero walk over to the door. He reached for his hand, and took it in his,
holding him lightly.
10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>“Hey, be strong man,
kay?” He managed to smile, but it faltered.
Heero just pulled his
hand away and walked straight past him, and into the office.
* *
*
“Please, Heero, sit
down.” The principal offered kindly, sitting behind her large desk.
Heero did as asked,
sitting down in the chair in front of her, hands on his lap, fidgeting. He
didn’t dare to look up at her, keeping his head bowed.
After a few silent and
suspenseful moments, the woman got up, sighing. She rounded the desk slowly,
coming to stand in front of Heero. She leaned on the desk, crossing her arms
over her chest, and sighed again. “Heero,” She began sharply and Heero
flinched. “I know you didn’t do it.”
Heero closed his eyes
slowly, his head still bowed. He kept silence, forcing himself not to fidget.
“I know you’re a good
boy. You are an excellent student and you never caused any trouble.” She
studied the silent boy, frowning a little. He wasn’t looking at her, and just
kept staring down at his hands. She sighed again, sitting on on the desk.
“Heero, I may know this, but it’s not enough, do you understand? You were in
charge of that stew, and therefore the blame rests on you.”
Heero swallowed, and
took a sharp breath, trying to clam his nerves down.
The cold woman scowled
as she saw he was not responding. “Lunch Lady Doris is furious. The punishment
for your supposed actions is great.” She was expecting him to say he didn’t do
it, to point out at whom she knew to to blame, but the Japanese boy
kept silent and unmoving. “Heero,” She began again, in a more demanding tone.
“Heero, there’s no reason to throw all you have away, like I said, you are a
great student and an asset to this school, don’t throw it away. We both know
who did this.”
This time, Heero’s head
jerked up, and he glared at her defiantly.
“All you have to do is
tell me, then we can forget this ever happened. I cannot do anything until you
will tell me who did this.”
Heero’s mouth formed a
thin line and he looked away, unwilling to give away this information.
“Heero, you can’t let
Duo get away with this.”
Heero ignored her, still
looking away.
“Heero,”
“I don’t rat on people.”
This time, it was the
principal’s turn to glare at him. She folded her arms over her chest, eyebrows
drawing near. “Do you realize what this mean fou?”ou?” She spat.
“Yes.”
“Fine then!” She called,
pushing herself off the desk. “Then I have no choice but to punish you.” She
snarled, sitting down behind her desk, grabbing a pen and paper. “Since your
uncle in currently out of town, I’ll have to inform him later.”
Heero flinched, whirling
his head to look at her, eyes wide and fearful.
The woman didn’t notice,
and kept on talking. “... but until then, you are banished from the cafeteria.
I am canceling your rights to eat in the cafeteria for the next week, until
your uncle returns.”
Heero’s eyes widened
again, fear, pain and distress shimmering inside dark blue depths. He managed
to keep himself from choking out a whimper, but still he felt like crying. His
face grew hot and his heart clenched painfully. His hands were shaking, so were
his legs, but he managed to look up at the woman. “Miss... please don’t, miss.
Don’t... don’t do that... please? I’ll do anything! I’ll... I’ll... anything,
but please don’t banish me...”
10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>Anger flared in the
woman’s cold eyes and she leaned back in her chair, arms across her chest.
“You’re protecting a trouble maker, Heero. This school does not preach for such
behavior. If you don’t want to give me his name, then you carry out the
punishment instead of him.”
Verdana;mso-hansi-font-family:Verdana'>&qu>"
but... you can’t...”
“And why not?” She dared
him, raising an eyebrow.
Heero looked away, lost
as to what to do or say to lighten his sentence.
The woman sat up in her
large office chair, still glaring at him. “We’ll settle this when your uncle is
back in town, then we will discuss a proper punishment. You may leave now.”
“Miss, don’t tell him,
please. Please don’t tell him...” Heero begged, unconsciously rubbing his bruised
upper arm. He looked at her, lips trembling, eyes filling with tears. “He
doesn’t have to know, miss. I’ll... I’ll stay away from the cafeteria... I
will... I’ll do anything you ask me... please!”
principal replied coldly, getting up and looking down at the trembling Heero.
“Tears will not help you, Yuy. You should learn not to mess with me! No get
out, and take that Maxwell brat with you. He’s off the hook, I hope you’re
happy.”
He wiped his tears with a
trembling hand, and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Head still
bowed, he nodded his goodbye and hurried to leave the office.
Once outside, Heero
walked right past Duo, ignoring him when the braided boy jumped up to his feet
and called after him.
“Heero! Hey! Heero! Wait
up!”
*
* *
It’s been five days
since The Cafeteria Incident. Duo hadn’t spoken with Heero since. He was
surprised when the boy had stepped out of the principal’s office, and he was
not called in after him. They let him off the hook, and all he could figure is
that Heero had taken the blow for him.
He didn’t know how to
feel about that. On one hand, he felt guilty, incredibly guilty, and wanted
nothing but to apologize to Heero. Maybe even say thanks for saving his ass with
this one. But then, on the other hand, he was too busy being worshiped by
others for what everyone knew he did. The fact that he had managed to frame
Heero had made his prank even more special. He was a star now, and most
importantly, a proud member of The Gang. He had proven his deep devotion and
loyalty to Jack, and that promised him a great future, socially speaking. In a
way, what Heero did had helped him get to where he was, and he wondered if he
should go and thank him for it.
But then again, Heero
was hard to catch nowadays. He was avoiding Duo, ignoring him, doing anything
in his power to keep away from him. But Duo was stubborn. He looked for the
other boy during recess, but could never find him. He looked for him during
lunchtime, but he was nowhere near the cafeteria. He would just VANISH
after class.
A few days after The
Incident, Duo found out why. He had found out that Heero’s punishment was that
he was banished from the cafeteria and in addition to that, he had to work during
recess, doing maintenance and stuff. Someone had told him that he had heard a
rumor that said Heero had made a deal with the principal that he will work
during recess and after school, and in return, she will not inform his uncle of
his actions. Duo wondered whero ero had made such a deal. He would rather have
Joanna yelling at him and being pissed for one night, instead of working his
ass off for the school for one whole week!
Today, the fifth day of
Heero’s punishment, they were playing basketball in PE, and it was the last
period for the day. People were anxious to get back home already, and so some
were very cranky as they playThe The blazing summer heat didn’t help either,
and they were all exhausted and thirsty.
“Yuy! You’re up!” The
coach called towards the benches, where a couple of guys were slouching,
drinking water. “C’mon Yuy! Hurry up! You’re in offense! Now!”
Slowly, the boy
complied, getting up and dragging his tired body to the court. He wiped the
sweat off his brow and took a deep breath, already panting after walking the
short distance to his station.
“Ready!?” The coach
yelled at the group.
Heero took his place,
body wavering a little as he d tod to stand up straight. But the heat was too
much, and he was dizzy and tired. He swallowed, but his throat was dry. Again
he wiped the sweat off his brow, using his long sleeved sweatshirt. He narrowed
his eyes, trying to bring his vision back to focus. But the blurry images
remained, and the voices from all around, they seemed nothing but distant
echoes in a dream...
“Go!” The coach screamed
and blew his whistle.
Duo, who was on offense
in the other team, along with Jack and the guys, narrowed his eyes as he
noticed Heero was still standing still as the game began. He had watched him
all lesson long, and he noticed that something was wrong. Heero seemed more
pale than usual. More fragile too, as if a small breeze will cause him to
topple over. He wond wha what was wrong with him.
“Hey! Duo! Head’s up!”
Someone called, passing him the ball.
Duo immediately caught and and began to dribble the ball, approaching the other team’s hop. They
continued playing the game, and all the while Duo noticed how Heero failed to
catch the ball or even notice it was coming his way. It hit him in the back
once, and the boy fell down to the floor. Duo wanted nothing but to come and
help him, as he watched Heero struggle to get up, but he knew he couldn’t.
It was so odd, the way
Heero was playing. Duo had seen him in other PE lessons, and he knew Heero was
good enough in this game, even if he wasn’t always picked out to be on a team.
This exhibition of weakness was unlike him. What could be wrong?
The coach blew his
whistle, signaling the end of the game. “Good game boys, now get your sorry
asses out of here and into the showers!” He called, wrinkling his nose.
A few guys laughed and
went to get their gear.
Duo searched the small
crowd, trying to spot Heero’s slender form among it. He looked back, and saw
him, slowly approaching the benches, struggling to walk straight, as if dizzy
or something. He was reaching out for something, to keep himself from falling,
but there was nothing there, and the boy collapsed down to the floor.
A few laughs were heard.
“The game’s over, Yuy,
you can stop falling now!” Jack called, laughing his heart out as he loaded his
backpack on.
Duo ignored the mocking
laughter, worry stirring up inside of him as he saw that Heero wasn’t moving,
or trying to get up.< sty style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>
“Shit, man, I think
something’s wrong!” Someone whispered from within the group.
“Fng ang asswhole! You
hit him too hard!”
“Wasn’t me! It was Jack
who—“
“Shut up!” Jack roared,
whirling around to glare at him.
“Coach!”
Even before the guys
went to call the coach, Duo was already kneeling down at Heero’s side, slowly and
carefully turning his prone body to lie on his back. He seemed to be
unconscious.
“Heero?” He whispered,
voice shaking. “Heero, can ya hear me?”
The boy moaned in a
response, turning his head aside, face contracting in pain. His hand was
twitching, as if he was trying to move it, but not succeeding.
Ignoring all the alarm
bells in his head, telling him that there were people around, Duo reached down
and took the pale hand in his. “Heero?” He whispered again, voice fearful. He
squeezed the boy’s sweaty hand, reaching up another hand towards the dark mop
of hair falling over Heero’s haggard face.
Again the Japanese boy
moaned, his lips parting as he took in slow and shallow breathes. Duo could
tell that his lips were moving, like he was speaking, but he couldn’t make out
what he was saying. He leaned closer to Heero, his ear merely two inches above
the boy’s face.
“...shower...”
Duo’s eyes widened in
bewilderment.
“...need... shower...”
The boy repeated feebly, his voice barely a whisper. His mouth slowly formed
the words, and he opened his eyes partly, glazed blue orbs staring up at Duo in
. “I. “I have to... now... or... I... have... to. . .”
“Shhh... it’s okay.” Duo
soothed him, again running his hand through Heero’s sweaty dark bangs. “Don’t
speak. I’ll get you to the nurse.”
“I... no. . . sho--wer.
. .” The boy tried once last time, and then gave up. His eyes closed and his
hand went limp, his head tilting aside in unconsciousness.
“COACH!” Duo yelled,
whirling around to the gym’s door. “COOOOOOOOACH!!!”
*
* *
Duo stood aside
nervously as the school nurse examined Heero. He was standing in the school’s
small infirmary, after the coach and he had brought Heero in. All the students
and the teaching staff were on their way home, and so was the nurse, until Duo
shouted at her that she must helpro Nro NOW!
So they laid Heero on a
makeshift bed, which was more like a bunch of mattresses on top of each other,
in the nurse’s office. The nurse, a young woman of twenty something, switched
all the lights back on and began to examine her unconscious patient. She had
already determined that he had twisted his ankle in the fall, and right now,
Duo was watching as she took his blood pressure, after already done with other
things. Once she finishshe she folded the device and set it aside, sighing.
Duo tensed a little as
he watched her pull Heero’s shirt up, and feel his stomach. Done with that, she
sighed again, shaking her head. She turned back to Duo, eyes worried.
“Wha---what is it?” Duo
managed to choke, voice worried.
“Duo, do you know when
Heero had last ate?”
Ate?! Duo remained still
as a rock, too shocked to answer. He thought he managed to shake his head, but
he wasn’t sure. His body was too numb as one more piece was added to his
puzzle.
The nurse sighed deeply
and went to sit behind her desk, scribbling down a few notes. “It seems that
Heero has not eaten in days.” She informed him quietly, still writing. “He had
probably collapsed from fatigue. Dehydration and malnutrition had taken their
toll on him.”na'>
“Is he—is he going to be
all right?”
The nurse set her pen
down and looked up at Duo sternly. “He needs to go to a hospital, where they
can administrate an IV and give him the er ter treatment. I can’t do that
here.”
“Then why aren’t you
calling them!?”
Again the nurse sighed,
leaning back in her chair, her fingers playing with her pen as she spoke.
“Unfortunately, Heero does not have any insurance. The hospital will not take
him.”
“WHAT?!” Duo burst,
nearly jumping up at her. “What the fuck do you mean ‘not take him’?! He needs
help!”
“He needs money first.”
Duo froze, eyes wide.
“He doesn’t have any money?!” He turned around, sending a gaze towards Heero’s
still figure lying on the bed.
“We need to call his
uncle, only he can take care of it.” The nurse concluded, picking up the phone.
cla class=MsoBodyText dir=LTR style='line-height:12.0pt'>“But he’s not home!” Duo
stomped his foot on the floor in frustration.
“Then we’ll get him
here.” The nurse answered, flipping through her phonebook.
“...no...”
Duo whirled around as he
heard the weak voice whisper from behind. He ran towards the bed. “Heero?
Heero!” He grabbed the boy’s limp hand, squeezing it lightly. “Heero, you’re
awake!” He called happily, grinning like an idiot.
“No... call...ing...”
Heero begged quietly, shaking his head from side to side, his eyes still
closed. “P...lease./spa/span>
“I’m sorry, Heero.” The
nurse’s voice came from behind him, and Duo wondered why she sounded so
sorrowful. “But I have to call.”
Heero whimpered, his
head coming still.
Duo could hear the nurse
dialing and he looked down at Heero, whose eyes were slowly fluttering open. He
felt his heart clench painfully as he was faced with the fear and anguish
reflected in Heero’s ocean blue eyes. He couldn’t help it, and he reached a
hand to stroke the boy’s soft cheek. “Shh... don’t worry, it’ll be fine...”
Heero closed his eyes
under the gentle touch, leaning his head into the soft palm that was caressing
him. He let out a small whimper, a shiver running down his body. He let himself
forget about all that was around him, and just focused on the gentle touch, the
warm and strong hand holding his own... it wasn’t long before he fell back into
deep slumber.
*
* *
Three hours later, Duo
was sitting by Heero’s bed, soaking a small cloth in cold water. The school was
now completely abandoned; even the nurse went home, leaving Duo and Heero alone
with the janitor to keep an eye on him. But the guy was busy cleaning and
closing everything up, and so Duo and Heero were all alone in the dimly lighted
office.
It was dark outside, but
it was still very hot, especially inside the small and cramped office. Duo had
taken the liberty to take Heero’s long shirt off, for the poor boy was sweating
like hell. He had run the cool cloth over Heero’s pale and sweaty face, doing
his best to keep the boy comfortable while they waited. Heero hadn’t woken up
yet, and a heavy silence hung in the room.
After throwing the cloth
into the bowl of water, Duo got up and walked to the far edge of the bed. He
mumbled a small apology as he took Heero’s shoes and socks off, wrinkling his
nose at the smell. He may not be a doctor or something, but it wasn’t too hard
to recognize the sprained ankle. It was swollen to a size of an apple!
After rolling Heero’s
trousers up a bit, Duo took the cloth out of the water, and placed it gently on
the swollen ankle. Heero moaned silently at the cool assault, but didn’t wake.
Duo released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and looked down at his
work. He took his time at just staring at Heero’s delicate ankles. Like his
wrists, they were der der and frai qua quality that Duo found very appealing.
He had once read this poem, which spoke about this woman and her gentle ankle,
but he never got what was the big deal about something like an ankle. Now, he thought
he knew. There was something very soft, very gentle, and almost feminine, about
Heero’s ankles. Duo found it very attractive.
He held his breath and
reached down a hand, tracing it gently up and down Heero’s slender ankle. A
smile tugged at his lips at the touch of Heero’s warm and soft skin. He was
rather hairless, which made the pale leg seem even more appealing to him.
Heero’s lips parted ever
so slightly, and he moaned quietly, tilting his head aside. Duo continued to
caress the soft flesh, slowly, gently, looking up at Heero’s face in
fascination. He studied his flushed cheeks, the small drops of sweat trickling
on his temples, and his lips, soft and tempting pink, slightly parted as he
breathed. A word snuck up to Duo’s head, and this time, unlike many other
times, he let it stay there.
Beautiful.
Heero was beautiful.
But why was he so
afraid? What went on with him?
Duo’s hand retreated and
he slumped back into his chair, burying his face in his palms. He thought about
all the ‘symptoms’ Heero displayed, and came up with only one conclusion, based
on his own experience. But it didn’t add up!
He thought that because
Heero seemed to shower only at school, once a week after PE, when no one is
around, he mustn’t shower at home. And he washes his uniforms at school too,
and doesn’t have anything else to wear but them, so he mustn’t have any other
things at home. And now, when he didn’t eat for five days, ever since he was
banished from the cafeteria, so this must mean he doesn’t eat at home. Add to that
list that Heero does not have any insurance, or money to go to a hospital, Duo
could reach only one conclusion- that he didn’t HAVE a home. That he lived on
the streets, much like he did when he was young.
But that wasn’t
possible! He had an uncle! Everybody said that he did! The nurse just called
the guy, so he can’t be someone Heero had made up to cover for his poor status.
And the welts! He saw welts on Heero’s back. And other injuries as well, ones
he could almost guaranty that Jack and The Gang did not cause. And the way
Heero was always afraid... afraid of something, no – someone- else but
Jack and his boys. It had to mean SOMETHING!
Heero’s light moan
distracted Duo from his thinking, preventing him from reaching any conclusions
at the moment. He sat up and turned to face the bed. He smiled down at Heero as
he saw the boy was slowly waking up.
Heero blinked a few
times, trying to adjust his vision to the dim light. He arched an eyebrow in
puzzlement as he saw Duo’s face hovering above him. What was Duo still doing
here? Why didn’t he go home?
“Heya Hee-chan!” Dcallcalled, jumping up to his feet, taking Heero’s hand in his. “Boy, I was
beginning to think you’d NEVER wake up!”
He waited all this
while? Heero wondered, slowly closing his eyes.
“Man, are ya hungry?
Nurse Chappell said I have ta feed ya a little. You up to it?”
Nurse? Feed? Up to it???
What had happened?
Suddenly, Heero gasped
and his eyes snapped open in fear. “Jay!” He choked out, trying to push himself
up.
“Hey! Hey! Easy there
man!” Duo called, trying to force Heero gently back to the bed.
“I have to go!” He
blurted out, struggling to sit up.
“Hey! Hey! You’re not
going anywhere with that ankle!” Duo reproached, putting two hands on each of
Heero’s shoulders, guiding him back down. “You lie down and I’ll get you some
food.”
“No! I have to. . .“
Heero tried again, but he was too tired to talk. He rested his head back on the
soft pillow, closing his eyes. He had used what little energy he had gathered
by trying to get up.
Heero sighed as he heard
Duo walk out of the room. He forced his eyes to open and looked down at his
body. His ankle, which was still throbbing painfully, was covered with a cool
cloth, which eased the pain a bit. He was surprised to find that he was wearing
no shirt, and his bruised ribs were clearly showing. He bit down his lower lip,
looking away in shame and embarrassment. Duo had seen the bruises, again...
What is he going to think of him? No one must know... he didn’t want them to
know... especially not Duo...
He had thought that
maybe Duo and he could become friends, and did his best to try and be nice and
sociable with him. That was until Duo had pulled that stunt. He didn’t tell on
Duo, because he knew it wasn’t right. He had grown to consider Duo his friend
in the few days they worked together, and he didn’t want to get the boy into
trouble. He was used to getting punished, so what’s another bruise to his
growing collection?
He thought that maybe
Duo would appreciate what he had done for him; not that he was looking for
appreciation, that’s not why he did it, but it would have been nice to get it.
But Duo getting off the hook had only increased his popularity. He couldn’t get
anywhere near the braided boy, and he was sure Duo didn’t want him to
get near. Duo had probably just acted nice to him, because that’s the way he is
with people. But when he didn’t have to be only with him, he ignored him. So
what the hell was he doing here now, taking care of him?!
“There ya go!” Duo called
as he bounced happily back into the room. “I got you a double cheese, extra
lattés, garlic flavored sandwich!” He frowned, coming to stand by Heero's bed.
“Hm, doesn’t sound that yummy when I say it that way, but I promise you, thisndwindwich rocks! I mean, it better, it’s the most expensive one in the machine,
eh?” He chuckled at his own joke, but soon came quiet as he saw Heero was not
responding. The Japanese boy was just lying there, with his head facing the
window, ignoring Duo completely.
Duo sighed and slumped
down into his chair. “Hey, Hee-chan, ya there?”
“Why are you here?”
Heero suddenly asked.
Duo frowned. “What do
you mean? I brought you food.”
“No,” Heero sighed,
turning to look him in the eye. “Why here, with me?”
For a few moments, Duo was
completely speechless. He was unable to look away from Heero’s intense gaze,
and he swallowed, putting the sandwich down. “Because... because I’m sorry and
I... I’m your friend.” He managed to stutter.
“My friend?” Heero
asked, voice suddenly cold.
“Well... yea--- yeah.
Yes. I’m your friend.” He was beginning to feel very uncomfortable under the
cold glare Heero was sending him. He forced himself to breathe, for it was so
hard to do that under that gaze. “Heero,” He began softly, reaching for the
boy’s hand.
But Heero quickly pulled
away.
“I didn’t eat for a
week, Duo!” He yelled, pushing Duo’s hand aside. “I was cleaning the toilets
while you and your friends were chatting along in lunchtime! Is that the
kind of friend I am to you!?”
“No! No! Heero! That’s
not what I...” Duo tried to explain, tears filling his eyes. “I didn’t mean for
you to take the blame for that stunt!” He called, wiping away the tears with
his sleeve. “I didn’t know you were gonna—“
“What did you suppose I
would do, huh!? If I would have told on you, I would get beat up by your
friends! Or didn’t you consider that when you pulled that stunt behind my
back!?”
Duo flinched, bowing his
head in shame.
“Maybe you would
have told on me, Duo, but I would never do that, not to you and not to anyone
else.”
“Well you should!” Duo
burst, jumping off his seat. “If you do that, maybe Jack and the guys will be
taken care of! Did you think abohat,hat, huh?!”
Heero rolled his eyes
and snorted, looking away. “Do you think what they do to me really matters?
It’s nothing compared to—“ He stopped himself, clamping his mouth shut. He then
whirled around face Duo, wild blue eyes glaring at him accusingly. “I thought
you were my friend, I really did. I thought that maybe you... maybe we could...
that you’ll...” He was crying now, tears sliding down his cheeks, his quick and
restrained sobs preventing him from speaking any further. “I wanted you to... I
thought... URGH!” He suddenly called, throwing a hand over his eyes, looking
away. “I guess I thought wrong, ne?” He chuckled bitterly, sniffing his nose,
trying to stop the tears. “Baka ne... honto ni baka ne...”
Duo kept his head bowed,
unable to look at Heero. He was feeling so sorry now, so full of guilt; he had
no idea how to make up for it.
“You better leave now,
Duo.” Heero’s broken voice spoke after a long while. “You don’t have to stick
around me anymore.”
But he did know how to
make up for it! He did! He’ll make it up to Heero. He will.
“I’m not leaving.”
Heero snorted, hand
still over his eyes. “I said leave!”
Verdana'>
This time, Heero didn’t
answer.
They kept silent for a
long while, only the sound of Duo’s harsh breaths accompanying their stubborn
silence.
A few moments of that
and then Duo threw himself back at the chair, snatching the sandwich off the
table. He tore up the wrag vig violently, making a hell lot more noise than
needed.
Heero peered out through
his arm, wanting to know what Duo was doing. He gasped quietly as he saw Duo
taking a piece out of the sandwich and handing it to him. He pulled his arm
down slowly, still gaping at Duo.
“Chappell said you have
ta eat.” Duo explained silently, his eyes begging Heero to take his offer.
Feeling the empty black
hole that was his stomach respond by twitching painfully, Heero reached
sh
shaking hand to take the offered piece. He took it hesitantly from Duo and
brought it slowly to his mouth. That only served in increasing his appetite by
tenfold, and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. He hurried to sit up and
grab the sandwich from Duo’s hand.
Duo chuckled at the
display. “Easy there, boy. Take it slowly. It’s not good to eat this much all
at once. Makes yer stomach swollen and all.”
Heero looked up at him
in question, surprised at what he had said. It sounded as though he spoke from
experience.
“What do you do on
weekends?” Duo dared to ask when Heero walfwalfway through his sandwich.
Heero shrugged.
“You just don’t eat?!”
Duo marveled, shocked.
Heero kept silent,
concentrating only on his meal, not daring to look up at Duo.
“And on holidays? What
then?”
“Jay sends me to camps.”
Heero answered quickly, taking another large bite from his sandwich. “It’s like
summer school. They got three meals a day there.”
Duo felt a painful pang
in his heart, remembering the days when he had marveled at getting three meals
a day. It felt like heaven, after living so long in the streets. The food in
the orphanage wasn’t that great, but it was better than nothing. Plus, it was
THREE times a day! He felt so bad to see another person, especially this
particular one, treat this seemingly common fact as something special.
“Who’s Jay?” He dared
another question, feeling guilty as he saw Heero wince at the question. “You
said it before, when you wanted to leave.”
“He’s my uncle.” Heero
answered simply, mouth full. He swallowed and then began to pick on the small
piece that was left of the sandwich.
“Oh.” Duo let out,
unsure how to continue, so he just let it out directly. “He's the one who hurts
you?”
This time Heero really flinched,
dropping the sandwich. He bowed his head, looking down at his bruised body. He
did not answer, but he didn’t have to either. It was too damn obvious not to
notice. Duo was sure he had his answer now. He knew what was wrong with Heero.
“You can get help, ya
know.” He continued silently, carefully choosing his words.
10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>“It’s none of your
business.” Heero spat, looking up at him angrily.
“It’s not right, what he
does to you.” Duo insisted.Verdana'>
“Just shut up, all
right?! Shut! Up!”
“Heero,” He tried again,
reaching his hand towards the boy.
away. “I don’t need your sympathy, you hear?! I don’t need it!”
“But Heero, you can’t
just—“
“Mind your own business,
okay!? Just butt off!”
“I was only trying to—“
“Fuck off!”
“I will not!”
“Boys!”
Both boys whirled around
to face the door, where the voice had come from. The old janitor was standing
there, leaning one hand against the doorframe. “C’mon, time ta go. There’s this
guy waiting far ya.” He gestured at Heero with his head. “Says you should
hurry, the car’s running.” He turned to look at Duo. “Got one waitin’ far ya
too, boy. The broad looks kinda angry, ya better hurry too.”
Duo rolled his eyes and
groaned. “Christ, just what I need now... an angry Joanna!” He hit himself in
the head, already picturing her pissed off face. He didn’t notice Heero, who
had already put his shirt back on, and was now struggling to get up. The boy
collapsed and Duo had to catch him before he hit the floor.
“C’mon, I’ll help ya to
the car.” Duo said with a sigh, helping Heero stand up straight.
Despite their earlier
argument, Heero let Duo help him. He felt Duo sneak a hand around his waist and
he put his own arm around Duo’s shoulder. He bounced on one foot, supported by
Duo, until they reached a few feet from a large, black, Lincoln. Then Heero
stopped and turned to face Duo.
“I can handle it from
here. Thank you.”
Duo was too shocked by
the sight of the car to really respond, so Heero just detached himself from the
boy and slowly limped towards the car. Before he go, hi, his hand on the door’s
handle, he stopped and turned to look at Duo, blue eyes shimmering in the dark.
He then turned and climbed back into the car.
why aren’t you calling them!?”
Heero does not have any insurance. The hospital will not take him.”
What the fuck do you mean ‘not take him’?! He needs help!”
needs money first.”
doesn’t have any money?!”
need to call his uncle, only he can take care of it.”
No money! Ch! Right! And
he supposed they just stole that car! Something was VERY wrong about
this picture. Very VERY wrong indeed.
“Duo Maxwell, you drag
your ass down here now! You got some explaining to do!” Joanna’s angry voice
called from somewhere back, and Duo lowelowed, forcing himself to turn and face
her. But just before he did, he managed to sneak a peek at the driver of the
black Lincoln as it drove past him. He only managed to get a quick glance, of
an old man, bearded and dressed formally, wearing thick glasses that gave him a
very stern look. He was sg sog something, angrily it seemed, while he drove,
but he didn’t look back. If he had looked back, he would have been able to see
what Dud sed seen: Heero looking out longingly through the window, waving Duo a
small goodbye.
Verdana'>
Part 4
mso-hansi-font-family:Verdana'>
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