DISCLAIMER: If I owned Gundam Wing I wouldn't be sitting here typing like a nancy-fan-girl would I?
A/N: Not much to say this week, except I realised that I hadn't promised not to kill Heero. *grin* But I won't. *downcast look* I will kill someone though. Already planned it. It won't be who you expected it to be....:D:D
Tim walked home, rubbing at his tear-stained face. He didn't feel like a big fifth-grader any more. He felt as tiny and small as the kid he was. He couldn't conquer the world. He couldn't have stopped Adrian from hitting Duo. He was too small to stop his father from beating his mother. He was too small to save his brother from dying. And he couldn't stop the beating he knew was coming when his parents found out about what happened.
Tim stared at the front door of his house. He didn't have to go in. He didn't have to stay there day after day, never getting enough to eat and being beaten. He could roam the streets. It'd be so good! He still wouldn't get enough to eat, but he was used to that. And he wouldn't get beaten.
A hand reached out and grabbed Tim, ripping him from his thoughts.
"Tim!!" It was Adrian, crouching behind one of the overgrown bushes at the front of his house. Ade looked terrible. His face was puffy and red. So were his eyes.
"Ade." Tim acknowledged him.
"Is he alive?" Ade whispered, pulling Tim behind the bushes. Tim nodded.
"Just. Why did you hit him so hard?"
"I don't know! I mean, I didn't hit him hard, but he was hurting me! Look!" Adrian held out his arm. Bloody teeth marks were shown, deep in his skin. "I didn't know what to do. I never normally punch people in the stomach, especially not if they are that small, but I didn't think that........I just didn't think."
"I told him stuff. I said you would be sorry. I told him I was sorry. Don't think he heard."
Adrian looked up from the ground at Tim. "Tim! Your shirt!!" Adrian pointed at all the blood. "Is that....his?"
"Yeah. He started breathing again when I sat him up, but then he started coughing. Then he coughed up blood. Then he vomited blood all over the ground and so I called for help and a teacher called and ambulance."
Adrian's face had gone white. "What about you? Didn't they take you away?"
"No. When the ambulance guy came I asked him if Duo would be okay and he said yes. So I ran away."
"His name was Duo?"
"Yeah."
"What'll we do now Tim?" Another tear leaked out of Adrian's eye and he cursed himself for looking weak. Didn't matter though, because Tim seemed to have been doing the same thing himself. "We can't go back there. I could go to jail. So could you."
Tim thought about running away again.
"And I'm not going home." Ade shook his white-blonde head furiously. "Dad'd kill me." He shivered.
Tim frowned. It wasn't fair. Adrian always had burn marks all over him and his left arm was crooked where it had been broken twice and never set by a doctor. Ade definitely had it worse than him. Tim only got bruises and cuts. Ade got broken bones and hot coffee and cigarette burns. "Neither am I. I'm running away."
Ade looked up quickly and caught the look of determination in Tim's eyes. He hesitated.
'What about your mum Tim? You can't leave her with *him*" Adrian didn't have a mother. She had left them when Ade was three. That's when the beatings had begun.
Tim shrugged. "It's not like I am big enough to protect her when I am there. And maybe she'll get smart and run away too. It's not like she'll miss me anyway. She hates me. The only thing she'll miss is having someone to beat herself. That's what she does when she gets hit. She comes and hits me. Anyway, this is about getting away from all that. We deserve better don't we?"
Ade avoided Tim's eyes. Since he was small, Ade was always kicked and told he deserved every bit of pain that was given to him. Tim believed that Ade really thought that now.
"Don't we?" Tim repeated, trying to make Ade agree. He knew what Adrian thought of himself and he absolutely hated his Ade's father for it.
"Yeah." Ade mumbled.
/Poor Ade. He probably thinks he's running away for his own selfish gain, and not for legitimised reasons. Hell, he probably thinks that running away confirms all his father says about him./ Tim grabbed Ade by the arm. "Let's go."
'What, now?"
'Yeah, when did you think we'd be going?"
"I thought I'd go get changed first or...." Ade realised how stupid that sounded. Like his father would let him out of the house again if he went back. "Where will we go?"
"Away. Anywhere. We'll just start walking. We'll steal food as we go."
This coaxed a smile from Ade. He liked shoplifting. Just for the challenge, mind you.
Ade rubbed the last tears from his cheeks and pulled Tim out to the street with him. "Which way?"
Tim pointed toward the city. "That way."
"Cool."
* * *
Jonothan was pulled from his tired daze when a movement from the hospital bed caught his attention.
Duo was staring at him. "Hey Dad." He said quietly. His voice was croaky.
"Hey, how's my big brave boy?" Jonothan asked his son, hoping his face wasn't blotchy and red, since he had been crying most of the night.
'Alive. I hurt." Duo talked through the breathing respirator. His tiny body took up less than half of the bed. Various tubes were attached to him. Jonothan moved his chair next to Duo's head and pushed the hair back from his forehead.
"Well, get better soon babe, Nate misses you."
"Yeah, who's face will he lick now? You and Aunty Clare are just too tall." Duo smiled. Jonothan smiled back. Duo had spent most of his childhood in pain. He had lost his mother and he had just gotten the crap beaten out of him. Yet he was such a happy and loving person he could never help but be himself.
"Dad?"
"Yes Duo?"
"What's going to happen to the boys?"
"Boys? There was more than one? The ambulance officer said only one boy was there when they arrived. How many were there Duo?"
"Two."
"Did they.....Duo, what happened?"
"Didn't he tell them?"
"No. He ran away. They went to his home and he wasn't there."
"That was Tim. He didn't hit me. The other boy did. I didn't get beaten up Dad. I just got hit once. They're not going to get in lots of trouble are they?"
Jonothan frowned. The boys had hurt his son but his son didn't want them to get in trouble. What could he do then? And why didn't Duo want them to get in trouble?
"I don't know Duo. Tell me, why did the other boy hit you?"
"That was my fault. They took my money. Actually, only one of them did. I think his name was....Ade? Or something. That's what Tim said anyway. He had white hair. I asked him for the money back and he laughed and he came up real close to me so I bit him." Duo said this very matter-of-factly and Jonothan tried not to laugh. "But I held on and I felt his blood in my mouth and he looked real shocked and he couldn't get me off so he hit me. Tim said he did it because he wasn't very clever and did stupid things when he was scared. So it wasn't his fault. I liked Tim anyway. He rubbed my back when I coughed. Just like you do."
Jonothan smiled. He was glad his son was so forgiving. "I'll tell the teachers what you said happened and maybe they won't get in lots of trouble."
"I shouldn't have bit him. I think I...really hurt....him." Duo's voice slowed and he fell asleep.
/He really hurt you Duo..../ Jonothan thought. Dr. Andrews had seen Duo the night before. Unless he had a very expensive operation, Duo was going to die within the next few years.
* * *
TBC
A/N: Yeah, but he will get the op right? Of course ;) Alright, the usual...10 reviews at least to continue, though I have been getting more, which is GREAT, it gives me more motivation. Remember, if you want more take the time to review.
Hehe, some people have been saying that I am demanding *grin* Of course! Am I not in the position to be demanding? For I am in control, this is my head, my imagination and my fingers typing this story :D
A/N: Not much to say this week, except I realised that I hadn't promised not to kill Heero. *grin* But I won't. *downcast look* I will kill someone though. Already planned it. It won't be who you expected it to be....:D:D
Tim walked home, rubbing at his tear-stained face. He didn't feel like a big fifth-grader any more. He felt as tiny and small as the kid he was. He couldn't conquer the world. He couldn't have stopped Adrian from hitting Duo. He was too small to stop his father from beating his mother. He was too small to save his brother from dying. And he couldn't stop the beating he knew was coming when his parents found out about what happened.
Tim stared at the front door of his house. He didn't have to go in. He didn't have to stay there day after day, never getting enough to eat and being beaten. He could roam the streets. It'd be so good! He still wouldn't get enough to eat, but he was used to that. And he wouldn't get beaten.
A hand reached out and grabbed Tim, ripping him from his thoughts.
"Tim!!" It was Adrian, crouching behind one of the overgrown bushes at the front of his house. Ade looked terrible. His face was puffy and red. So were his eyes.
"Ade." Tim acknowledged him.
"Is he alive?" Ade whispered, pulling Tim behind the bushes. Tim nodded.
"Just. Why did you hit him so hard?"
"I don't know! I mean, I didn't hit him hard, but he was hurting me! Look!" Adrian held out his arm. Bloody teeth marks were shown, deep in his skin. "I didn't know what to do. I never normally punch people in the stomach, especially not if they are that small, but I didn't think that........I just didn't think."
"I told him stuff. I said you would be sorry. I told him I was sorry. Don't think he heard."
Adrian looked up from the ground at Tim. "Tim! Your shirt!!" Adrian pointed at all the blood. "Is that....his?"
"Yeah. He started breathing again when I sat him up, but then he started coughing. Then he coughed up blood. Then he vomited blood all over the ground and so I called for help and a teacher called and ambulance."
Adrian's face had gone white. "What about you? Didn't they take you away?"
"No. When the ambulance guy came I asked him if Duo would be okay and he said yes. So I ran away."
"His name was Duo?"
"Yeah."
"What'll we do now Tim?" Another tear leaked out of Adrian's eye and he cursed himself for looking weak. Didn't matter though, because Tim seemed to have been doing the same thing himself. "We can't go back there. I could go to jail. So could you."
Tim thought about running away again.
"And I'm not going home." Ade shook his white-blonde head furiously. "Dad'd kill me." He shivered.
Tim frowned. It wasn't fair. Adrian always had burn marks all over him and his left arm was crooked where it had been broken twice and never set by a doctor. Ade definitely had it worse than him. Tim only got bruises and cuts. Ade got broken bones and hot coffee and cigarette burns. "Neither am I. I'm running away."
Ade looked up quickly and caught the look of determination in Tim's eyes. He hesitated.
'What about your mum Tim? You can't leave her with *him*" Adrian didn't have a mother. She had left them when Ade was three. That's when the beatings had begun.
Tim shrugged. "It's not like I am big enough to protect her when I am there. And maybe she'll get smart and run away too. It's not like she'll miss me anyway. She hates me. The only thing she'll miss is having someone to beat herself. That's what she does when she gets hit. She comes and hits me. Anyway, this is about getting away from all that. We deserve better don't we?"
Ade avoided Tim's eyes. Since he was small, Ade was always kicked and told he deserved every bit of pain that was given to him. Tim believed that Ade really thought that now.
"Don't we?" Tim repeated, trying to make Ade agree. He knew what Adrian thought of himself and he absolutely hated his Ade's father for it.
"Yeah." Ade mumbled.
/Poor Ade. He probably thinks he's running away for his own selfish gain, and not for legitimised reasons. Hell, he probably thinks that running away confirms all his father says about him./ Tim grabbed Ade by the arm. "Let's go."
'What, now?"
'Yeah, when did you think we'd be going?"
"I thought I'd go get changed first or...." Ade realised how stupid that sounded. Like his father would let him out of the house again if he went back. "Where will we go?"
"Away. Anywhere. We'll just start walking. We'll steal food as we go."
This coaxed a smile from Ade. He liked shoplifting. Just for the challenge, mind you.
Ade rubbed the last tears from his cheeks and pulled Tim out to the street with him. "Which way?"
Tim pointed toward the city. "That way."
"Cool."
* * *
Jonothan was pulled from his tired daze when a movement from the hospital bed caught his attention.
Duo was staring at him. "Hey Dad." He said quietly. His voice was croaky.
"Hey, how's my big brave boy?" Jonothan asked his son, hoping his face wasn't blotchy and red, since he had been crying most of the night.
'Alive. I hurt." Duo talked through the breathing respirator. His tiny body took up less than half of the bed. Various tubes were attached to him. Jonothan moved his chair next to Duo's head and pushed the hair back from his forehead.
"Well, get better soon babe, Nate misses you."
"Yeah, who's face will he lick now? You and Aunty Clare are just too tall." Duo smiled. Jonothan smiled back. Duo had spent most of his childhood in pain. He had lost his mother and he had just gotten the crap beaten out of him. Yet he was such a happy and loving person he could never help but be himself.
"Dad?"
"Yes Duo?"
"What's going to happen to the boys?"
"Boys? There was more than one? The ambulance officer said only one boy was there when they arrived. How many were there Duo?"
"Two."
"Did they.....Duo, what happened?"
"Didn't he tell them?"
"No. He ran away. They went to his home and he wasn't there."
"That was Tim. He didn't hit me. The other boy did. I didn't get beaten up Dad. I just got hit once. They're not going to get in lots of trouble are they?"
Jonothan frowned. The boys had hurt his son but his son didn't want them to get in trouble. What could he do then? And why didn't Duo want them to get in trouble?
"I don't know Duo. Tell me, why did the other boy hit you?"
"That was my fault. They took my money. Actually, only one of them did. I think his name was....Ade? Or something. That's what Tim said anyway. He had white hair. I asked him for the money back and he laughed and he came up real close to me so I bit him." Duo said this very matter-of-factly and Jonothan tried not to laugh. "But I held on and I felt his blood in my mouth and he looked real shocked and he couldn't get me off so he hit me. Tim said he did it because he wasn't very clever and did stupid things when he was scared. So it wasn't his fault. I liked Tim anyway. He rubbed my back when I coughed. Just like you do."
Jonothan smiled. He was glad his son was so forgiving. "I'll tell the teachers what you said happened and maybe they won't get in lots of trouble."
"I shouldn't have bit him. I think I...really hurt....him." Duo's voice slowed and he fell asleep.
/He really hurt you Duo..../ Jonothan thought. Dr. Andrews had seen Duo the night before. Unless he had a very expensive operation, Duo was going to die within the next few years.
* * *
TBC
A/N: Yeah, but he will get the op right? Of course ;) Alright, the usual...10 reviews at least to continue, though I have been getting more, which is GREAT, it gives me more motivation. Remember, if you want more take the time to review.
Hehe, some people have been saying that I am demanding *grin* Of course! Am I not in the position to be demanding? For I am in control, this is my head, my imagination and my fingers typing this story :D