Chapter 9- Big Daddy Heero
Heero woke up early the next morning. Although there were two bedrooms in the house, since Audrey was still afraid to sleep in a room alone, he and Audrey had stayed in the same room. Heero didn't mind very much, but he still felt significantly awkward after their earlier encounter.
With the sun just beginning to rise, Heero left Audrey asleep, and headed into town to get gas and a map of the area.
It hardly took a half an hour to finish his errands, and he had just left the small shop when a voice stopped him.
"Are you the man that hit my son?"
Heero froze in place. He had been hoping to get out of town before this particular incident occurred. He turned—his face emotionless as he stared at the person who'd addressed him.
A woman, probably in her late thirties, stood there looking nervous.
"It was self defense." He stated, and then, assuming that the conversation was over turned and walked back to the jeep.
"I…I wasn't accusing you of anything." The woman continued, stepping closer to him. The woman looked as though she were afraid that he might hit her as well.
He turned towards her again, but remained silent wondering why she was still there if not to accuse him of anything.
"I heard how you handled him, and I was wondering if you…if you could help him."
"Help him?" Heero asked. A hint of curiosity and also astonishment worked its way through his usually hard mask.
"You see. He's kind of going through a tough time. His father was killed in the war. They had been very close. He used to be a sweet kid, but after his father died, he has just been angry and violent." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "I…I just can't handle him anymore; no one can. I'm afraid of the things he might do. I know he's not a bad kid, but he's just so lost and angry, and he's been getting into fights recently. He needs help."
"And you think I can help him?"
"You're my last hope. I'm not saying that you have to sit down and talk to him, but could he just stay with you for a while. I know that sooner or later he'll come around and be the good kid I know he can be, but I'm afraid that before that can happen, he'll do something that he can't go back from. I'm not asking you to do this for free, of course. My husband left me a good bit of money."
"Why not send him to a psychiatrist?"
"I've tried. He won't talk to them. I can't think of anything else to do."
Heero thought about her offer and couldn't help but be amused at the absurdity of it. "You want to pay me to beat up your son." He stated in clarification.
"Not to beat him up…per se…more to take him in and…discipline him…put him on the right track."
"Take him in?"
"I wouldn't want him roaming the streets...or in my house after I'd paid someone to 'beat him up.' Did I mention I'd pay you?"
He nodded.
"And…would you be interested?"
"I have to talk it over with someone"
The woman nodded and handed him a phone number. She looked at him pleadingly before hurrying away.
Heero entered the house and headed straight to the bedroom. He was greeted with the sight of Audrey hurriedly scurrying around the room and doing last-minute packing. She didn't even look up at the sound of Heero's entrance, but only quickly mumbled that she was almost ready.
"Stop." Heero ordered, shutting the door quietly and striding toward her.
She obeyed, placed the stack of newly folded clothes onto the bed, and half-turned towards him, casting a confused look in his direction.
"I may have a job." He stated. Audrey remained silent, waiting for details. He didn't provide her with any, but only corrected his statement. "Kind of."
"What do you mean 'kind of?'" She asked.
"Well," He started pulling her duffel bag off of the bed and onto the floor and motioning her to sit in the newly vacated spot. She again obeyed, although, he noticed, with some pain. He stayed silent for a few seconds trying to think of a good way to explain the very odd deal he had been given. He decided to just be blunt. "I hit a kid yesterday."
"WHAT?!" Audrey shouted, and Heero quickly put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from jumping off the bed and motioned for her to let him explain. She glared back but didn't talk. Heero offhandedly noticed, although not for the first time, how she was not as defiant as she had been before she was attacked.
"The kid I hit is some local badass who has been causing trouble around town since his father died. He tried to pick my pocket so I broke his nose." He figured that his explanation was pretty clear.
"Aww. Poor thing." Audrey said, imagining a cute, golden haired five year old living like a street urchin.
Heero rolled his eyes.
"But umm…what is the 'kind of job?'"
"His mother wants to send him to live with me…us…so that I can discipline him."
Audrey imagined a woman bundled in rags trying to sell flowers on a snowy street. "I think it's a great idea." She said standing, although with a slight grimace that only someone who was used to hiding pain would be able to see. Therefore Heero did notice, and it suddenly struck him that he didn't want some punk being around her when she was so fragile.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Heero asked her, hoping that she wasn't serious. He was getting less fond of the idea by the second. "His own mother is afraid of him."
"Well it isn't the kind of work we usually do," She began unpacking again. "but I think that someone needs to help this kid. It might not be that bad."
"So…" He looked around the house before turning his gaze back to her.
"I think we should do it. We've got nowhere else to be, and I would feel kind of guilty just leaving someone so desperate."
He sighed, letting her know she had won. Mumbling that he would have to teach her how to shoot a gun, he dug the phone number that the woman had given him out of his pocket.
Audrey had just finished arranging the spare room for their new charge when she heard the front door open. Heero had decided that he would continue to sleep in the room with her for reasons that he wasn't entirely clear about. She didn't mind, though. She felt safer when he was around.
The only reason that she had to be unsure of the situation was that the kid might try to sneak out. Heero had rigged homemade alarm systems to the kid's window and bedroom door to ensure that he didn't.
Audrey walked into the main room to greet them.
A rather scruffy looking boy with long curly hair and baggy clothes walked in, a duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. Audrey was startled to realize that the 'kid' Heero had told her about was taller than she was.
Where's the cute five year old? She wondered before brushing her shock and slight uneasiness away. She stepped forward with a smile. "Hi." She said extending her hand. "I'm Audrey."
The boy simply glared at her. He seemed to be more displeased with his situation than he was with her, but the look still frightened her.
Audrey's smile faded and was replaced with a look of anxiety. She was about to take a step back when the boy stumbled forward. The boy whipped around to glare at Heero. Heero had only nudged him, but the boy did not like to be touched--especially by the man who had broken his nose the day before. "Courtesy." Heero said giving the boy a mocking smile. The boy growled, and Heero's face quickly took on his death glare.
The boy took a step back and turned tensely to Audrey whose hand was still raised as she dumbly watched the display. "Jonathan." He said taking her hand and giving it a quick, somewhat rough, shake.
He let go and took a step back.
"Your room's that way." Heero pointed to the spare room. "Make yourself at home."
Jonathan just grunted and stomped off.
"I thought you said he was a kid!" Audrey said staring at Jonathan's retreating figure.
"Fourteen." Heero said with a shrug and then scowled as a loud slam echoed throughout the tiny house.
"He's really...big." She pointed out, still shocked by the fact.
Heero looked puzzled for a second. Jonathan was quite a bit shorter than Heero, but he already had an inch on Audrey. Heero just shrugged again before tearing his eyes away from the door to look at her. His gaze softened as he picked up light scratches still on her face. "Don't let him think he's scaring you. I'm not going to let him hurt you. Stay in control." He stated before walking away.
Before Heero picked Jonathan up, he had found a job at a power plant a few miles outside of the town. He didn't think he could just sit around the house all day long—especially with Jonathan there. The boy was more irritating that Duo at his worst. Of course he wasn't going to leave Jonathan alone with Audrey. He would come to work too. There was benefit in the situation. Jonathan would learn the value of hard work, Audrey would have time to rest and recover, and Heero would have a little extra money in his pocket.
Therefore, the next morning, Jonathan was awoken at 5 am, and when he didn't cooperate, was roughly tossed out of bed and ordered to get dressed. They ate breakfast at 5:15 am, and by 5:30 am, he was sitting in the jeep beside Heero heading out to the power plant, griping the whole way.
"My mom's not paying you to turn me into some work horse." He said leaning grumpily against the door.
"No." Heero said. "She's paying me to teach you a few lessons about life." Heero wasn't entirely sure if he was the best person to be teaching life lessons, but he had accepted a mission, and he would fulfill it the best he could.
"And how will getting a job do that?" He asked sarcastically. "Aren't you supposed to be reading me nursery rhymes or something?"
"The best I can figure, you are a spoiled brat that is used to blowing money you didn't earn. While you live with me, you will earn your money."
"And if I happen to get fired?"
"You don't eat." Heero said. "That attitude is the next thing to go. You will learn how to respect people."
They didn't get back until around six, and they were greeted by the smell of supper.
"Right on time." Audrey said. She placed a large bowl of spaghetti beside a bowl of breadsticks on the already set kitchen table.
Heero sat down and began spooning spaghetti into his plate. He was slightly nervous about how it would taste. During all the time he'd spent with Audrey she had never cooked for him. He didn't want to be rude though, so he tentatively took a bite. To his surprise, it was actually pretty good.
Jonathan plopped himself at the table rudely and reached for the bowl of spaghetti.
"What are you doing?" Heero asked grabbing his arm. This kid really irked him. He'd never before seen anyone quite so uncouth.
"Eating. Supper." Jonathan said as though Heero had mental deficiencies.
Heero narrowed his eyes. Jonathan was trying to get a rise out of him and it was working. He tried to repress his rising anger, but couldn't help being a little mean. "Not this supper." Heero tossed his hand back to him calmly.
Audrey's eyes stayed glued to her food.
"What?" Jonathan said incredulously. "Why not? I ate breakfast. And lunch."
"Both of which were necessary for you to perform on the job. You are no longer at work. Remember our little talk this morning." Heero told him.
Jonathan growled. "I haven't gotten paid yet!" He said. "Am I just not supposed to eat till Friday? It's not like she works." He pointed to Audrey who tried to make herself a little smaller and less visible.
"She cooked." Heero stated. "But I'll make you a deal. If you wash the dishes, you can eat."
"That's bullshit!" He yelled standing.
"Have a nice night then." Heero said calmly. He spooned a little more spaghetti into his plate in hopes of changing his mind.
Jonathan was determined not to give in. "Fine." He said, and stomped to his room. "I'LL STARVE!" With that, he slammed himself into his room. Heero's eye twitched as the sound reverberated through the room, but he continued to eat. He had finished within a few minutes, and after putting his plate in the sink, went to take a shower.
Audrey was left in the kitchen to pick up the leftovers and clean up. Standing at the sink, she hadn't heard Jonathan's approach over the sound of the running water, and so she was surprised enough to jump when he appeared right beside her.
"Heero said…" Audrey started, but Jonathan interrupted her.
"Fuck Heero."
Audrey was momentarily stunned by his language, but then shook her head and stepped toward him. "You really should listen. We're only trying to help you."
He narrowed his eyes at her before yanking the refrigerator door open. He came out with the leftover spaghetti. "You're not trying to help me." He growled pulling a drawer open to find a fork. It was the wrong drawer. Audrey knew what he was looking for and so slowly moved to stand in front of the utensil drawer. Stay in control. Heero's words echoed in her head.
She frowned at him as he continued to look around for something to eat with. Finally, he came to a stop in front of Audrey.
Audrey just stared at him without moving. Control. She took a deep breath. "Look! I know you're angry and confused. But you need to remember that other people are hurting too. Everyone was affected by the war. Not only you."
What is up with these people? He thought, hunger adding to his already bad mood. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" He yelled shoving her out of the way.
Across the house, the shower cut off, but neither of them heard it.
Audrey moved to stand in front of him, and snatched the spaghetti out of his hand. "Like your mother." She said. "How do you think she feels that so soon after losing her husband, her son has become some street punk who—"
Jonathan growled and pulled his arm back, his hand balled into a fist. He didn't intend to hit her—just to scare her a little.
The motion wasn't interpreted that way.
Audrey's eyes widened in terror, and she stumbled back a step squinting her eyes shut.
Terror froze her mind, and a second later, the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the room. Curiously, though she felt no pain.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Heero, with hair still dripping wet and only a pair of pajama pants on. A complete death glare, one that touched every feature of his face and even had an effect on his breathing was directed at Jonathan. Jonathan himself was bleeding from his nose, his arm in Heero's iron grip.
Heero cast a momentary glance at Audrey, and his features softened a bit upon seeing that she was unharmed.
He turned back to Jonathan, his glare in full force again. "You want to hit somebody?" He asked, his voice a lot calmer than his face. He'd had just about enough of this kid, and the idea that he would try to hurt Audrey had him seeing red. He tugged Jonathan toward the front door. "Come on. You can try to hit me." With that, they both disappeared outside.
They came in a few minutes later, Heero looking stoic. Jonathan had a black eye forming and was nursing his stomach. He sent a glare to Audrey, who had, after finishing with the dishes, decided to try to read her book. She hadn't read a single sentence since they'd left, only sat on the couch staring at the pages.
Jonathan turned to look at Heero, who gave him an expectant look. With a disgusted growl, he turned back to Audrey.
"I'm sorry." He said almost sincerely, before tearing off to his room and slamming the door.
Heero strode over to the door and wrenched it open. "Slam that door again!" He growled sending a glare to Jonathan whose face was buried in his pillow.
After shutting the door, Heero came back over and collapsed at the other end of the couch. He turned the TV on and stared blankly at the screen. It was obvious to Audrey that he wasn't watching it.
"Um thanks." Audrey said after a few minutes of silence. She just couldn't read right now. "For…you know…and the apology too. That was a nice touch."
Heero nodded distractedly and the room lapsed back into silence. Both were lost in their own thoughts. "I can send him back." He said finally without looking at her.
Audrey blinked. He was willing to give up on a "mission" for her sake. The thought was oddly touching, but she wouldn't stand for it. "No." She said. "I don't think he'll do it again." Her voice sounded surer than she felt.
Heero finally looked at her, for the first time since he'd come back in. "He won't." He said. Clicking off the TV, he stood and strode to the bedroom.
Audrey decided to leave him alone for a while. She sat and stared at the two doors for a few minutes just trying to clear her head. The idea that Jonathan would hit her had shaken her up a bit, but she figured that she had probably pushed him too far. She felt sorry for the boy. He needed help more than he realized, and she had probably just made it worse.
Jonathan lay in bed thinking about what Audrey had told him. Deep down when he had been getting into fights, and stealing and vandalizing things, he had known that his mother disapproved. He just hadn't really considered that he had been causing her more pain by doing the things he did. He looked over at the picture of their entire family, taken a few months before his father was killed, and it suddenly struck him how much his father would disapprove of the things he'd been doing.
Suddenly, there was a light knock on his door, and Audrey poked her head in. "Want some ice?" She asked holding up a towel with the ice presumably wrapped in it.
He just stared at her, surprised that she wanted to help him.
She just stood in the doorway, looking afraid to take another step inside. Neither moved or spoke for a few seconds, and then Audrey placed the ice on the dresser beside the door and quickly left.
Jonathan stared at the ice for a while. We're only trying to help you. He recalled her saying.
With a tired sigh, he got up to get the ice.
Audrey went straight back into her and Heero's room, got her clothes, and headed to the shower. Heero had been staring at his computer screen when she'd come in, and although he'd intended to ignore her, he'd noticed that she was slightly nervous. He'd shut down his laptop, but continued to sit and stare at his computer until he heard water running in the bathroom. Then he'd stood and quietly made his way to Jonathan's room.
Without knocking, he walked in. He'd intended to just check to see if he was there and then turn on the alarms, but he noticed that Jonathan had a towel with presumably ice in it on his eye.
"Where'd you get that?" He asked.
"What, the ice?" Jonathan said with a chuckle. He was lying on his back, and didn't bother moving to look at Heero. "From your girl. I think she has the hots for me."
"I thought I told you to leave her alone." Heero said darkly.
"She brought it to me." He said. "By the way…nice piece of meat you got there."
"That includes comments." Heero said. "And for your information, she is not my girl."
He put his hand on the doorknob.
"You were a soldier weren't you?" Jonathan said suddenly, disgust was clear in his voice.
"I was." Heero didn't move.
"And you think that makes you better than me." He sat up now, glaring at Heero. "Better than everyone. YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST GO AROUND HURTING PEOPLE, THAT BEING A SOLDIER GIVES YOU A LICENSE TO DO THAT?!"
Heero took a step forward before saying calmly. "I'm better than you, not because I was a soldier, but because I have respect for people and their lives. I didn't kill for the fun of it. It was because I had to, so people like you could have the freedom to be spoiled."
"Spoiled?" Jonathan was suddenly standing, and the ice was on the floor. "My father was killed by people like you! For all I know, you could have done it, and you have the nerve to act like I should be grateful to you for something?"
"We all had losses." Heero said. "Your father knew the risks, but he also knew that he was fighting for a cause. You...you who should believe that he died for something, have completely given up on trying to have a better life. That's what he died for, and you're throwing it away." Heero turned toward the door and cast one last look at Jonathan. "Go to sleep." He said. He punched in the code that activated the alarms, and then left.
Heero headed back to his room and collapsed in his bed with a sigh. He didn't even bother turning the light on. "My father was killed by people like you!" Heero ran a hand over his face.
Have I really destroyed that many lives? He thought. How many children have lost a parent because of me?
"…you think that makes you better than me…that you can just go around hurting people…"
How on earth can I tell that boy how to live, when I played a part in destroying his life? He rolled over on his stomach.
The door opened quietly, and he heard Audrey's light footsteps as she walked in. "You shouldn't listen to him." She said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"You heard that?" Heero mumbled into his pillow.
Audrey's lamp clicked on, and she heard her bed squeak as she sat on it. "He was yelling pretty loud."
Heero just grunted.
"What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. You're not responsible for anything that's happened to him. You're not responsible for the war. You were trained to do something and you followed orders. You fought with honor for the good of mankind. If anything, he should be grateful to you because he's alive right now. He's just an angry kid, and the most you can do for him is to help him get back on track." Her bed squeaked again, and the lamp clicked off. "G'night." She mumbled sleepily.
Heero remained silent. He felt slightly better after her little speech, but there was still a lot on his mind. He knew that she was right about him having to help Jonathan, but he wasn't sure if he could do it. He seemed to just be making the kid angrier.
His mind swirled and warred against itself for hours before he finally succumbed to sleep.
Whoo! I finally updated. I hope you all enjoyed that. Thanks to AngelicRoses,SylverSecret, moogle in paradaisu, and ANBUszechuane for reviewing.
Reviews always welcome.
