Reputations

Chapter 3

Duo had several bad cuts and numerous bruises that looked like they'd take their own sweet time to heal. I now saw why Duo had planned to be out a couple of days. I wanted to ask him so many questions but I wasn't sure if any of them would be appropriate at this point. I searched my dresser for anything that I thought would fit him. Scowling at myself for not having thought about grabbing some of his own clothes earlier (did he even have a real room?), I put aside a pair of plain black boxers, and a pajama set that was black with red dragons. I gathered them up after putting my dresser back in proper order and proceeded to the bathroom.

It was about a quarter after four and Odin was due back soon. He had left no note today but the chores were already understood. After I deposited the cloth in the bathroom, I was going to get right on it.

I knocked. There was a little splash sound, as though the body in the water had moved a little too suddenly.

"Uhh… yes?" Duo's voice was muffled.

"Uhh, I found a pair of boxers and some pajamas. Would you like me to leave them out here?"

There was an awkward silence.

"If you don't mind, umm, could you, maybe, leave them on the counter in here?"

I gulped. "No problem," I had stated. My mind wanted to add. "Except you're naked in there…"

When I entered, a steam of hot air greeted me. I placed the clothing on the counter as asked and said, "Okay, I'm leaving now."

As I turned the doorknob to leave I heard Duo's voice.

"Thank you, Heero."

I slumped against the bathroom door for a moment. Once I'd felt my blush disappear, I began my chores.

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The door clanking open jumped me out of my daze. I almost finished my chores; I was working on the dishes. Odin sighed and called out in a very tired voice, "Tadaima…"

"Okaeri nasai! Oji-san…" I replied as I finished the dishes and walked over to him. "Do you mind if a friend sleeps over?"

Odin raised an eyebrow. "Heero, you know it's a school day tomorrow. You're not allowed to have friends sleepover until the weekend."

"I know, Uncle Odin, but please? Please make an exception; just this once?"

"Why? Which friend?"

I gulped. This was going to be a long story. "Uncle Odin, do you remember me asking for extra lunch money yesterday?"

"Yeah," Odin nodded in confirmation as he sat down on the couch. I was glad he could tell this was going to take a while.

"Well, do you remember me telling you about that foreigner entering our class a week ago?"

"Yeah. Is it that guy?"

"Let me finish. Well, I started hanging out with him and people came up with these rumors that we were more than friends, you know? So I told him about them but he thought I met that I didn't want to hang out with him anymore because of them so he ran off and I went after him to explain. I sort of followed him to his house but I didn't even make it half way up the yard because I heard all this shouting. Today I followed him home again and… and…" I couldn't finish.

Odin raised his eyebrows. "And? Heero, you have to finish. Did you see something bad?"

I was staring intently at the tiled floor searching for the words. I swallowed the lump that blocked off my vocal cords with difficulty. Then I spoke, "His uncle… his uncle was just leaving when I got there so I was in the bushes. When he left I checked the door and it was locked. But then, his uncle came back so I went around to the side and the curtains were cracked a little so I saw… I saw him. I saw him hit Duo so hard he smashed into the wall. And then he dragged him off, out of my view, and I could hear him sobbing and Solo hitting! I went to the back and the door was open so I let myself in and picked the lock to the door where Duo was. He was chained up and bleeding, Odin! Please! We have to help him! Solo will kill him!"

My uncle was speechless. Really. He sat there with his mouth agape like he couldn't believe his ears. I couldn't either. But that was the world Duo lived in.

"Do… can Duo show anything for this?" Odin asked.

"You mean; can he show you the cuts and bruises? He sure can! They're right in plain site! Duo said he was going to be out of school for a few days. It was probably because he knew what Solo would do to him."

Odin contemplated the situation. "Where is he now?"

I was a little off guard. "Uhh… well…"

Duo chose that moment to come padding out of the bathroom in the slightly oversized pajamas. Odin blinked. Duo's bruise over his left cheek was still very purple.

"Ah, so this is Duo?" Odin asked me.

"Ah, yes. Duo, this is my Uncle Odin. Uncle Odin, Duo."

Duo tensed and made a stiff bow. "Uh… hajimemasu."

Odin nodded back to him and replied the same.

"So, can he?" I asked.

"Of course. But we'll have to have a really big discussion. All of us."

I nodded. If Odin were going to help Duo, he'd need a lot more detailed information. He could then take the first-hand account to the Human and Family Resources Services, where he worked. He could even be Duo's foster guardian. And under Human and Family Resources Services, he would be under the foster guardianship. Foster guardians aren't allowed to have anyone take away the child until a hearing or, in some cases, a court case is filed and carried out. If someone attempts to do so, they can be jailed for ten years, more or less, depending on the severity of method.

"Duo?" Odin began, "I work for Human and Family Resources Services. Heero has told me that you need help. I want to help you. However, I can't help you if you don't want help. If you want help, I need you to tell me, with as much detail as possible, about what your uncle did to you. I know it can be difficult to talk about it, but I really want to help you, and if you really want help, then you need to tell me. I can put him away with what you tell me."

Duo stood there, at the top of the stairs, with his hands and legs together. He looked almost like he was ashamed. I felt my heart ping with pain. How could he be ashamed? It was his uncle that should have been ashamed. Not Duo.

"Duo?" I called softly. He looked up at me slowly, as if I might hit him. I sighed. "Duo, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Your uncle hurt you. Do… Did you want him to hurt you?"

Duo's face turned pained. I sighed again and went over to him. I put my hands on his shoulders and gave him a smile.

"I don't want you to feel hurt inside. Inside us is ours. It's what we alone have. No matter how similar it may be to everyone else, it will never be identical, our hearts especially. No one should ever have hold over our hearts, our desires, or our will, our minds, without our permission. We aren't human after that. We're puppets with someone else controlling our destinies, our fates. Duo, you are human. You have a heart and mind. Did you want Solo to hurt you?"

Duo was crying now. At some point in my little speech, he began to. He sniffed and said through the tears, "He made me feel so guilty. 'Your parents forced you on me, the least you could do is clean the house,' he'd say. But then it turned into doing the dishes, and doing the laundry, and cooking and I became his slave. And when I didn't do a significant job, he'd hit me or lock me up or even starve me. I became, as you said, a puppet. However, after a while, he just seemed to want to hit me anyways. Nothing I did seemed to be enough. He works for some traveling corporation so he usually isn't home. But when he is, he's usually cruel to me. I am his punching bag, his stress reliever."

Odin sighed in belief. He had to deal with these sorts of stories everyday. "What about your parents?"

"My parents… know nothing of it. We lived on L2. They saved up enough money to send me here to get an education. But it was all they could do. I haven't spoken to them since. That was… about a month ago."

"How long has this been going on?"

"About the same. Maybe a little less."

"So, as soon as you got to your uncle's house he imposed upon you?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…" Odin had shut his eyes to think about the situation. "Heero."

"Yes," I answered.

"Tomorrow is Thursday, right?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow, Duo will come with me to work. Do you want to go? Or, would Duo like you to come? I will make an exception this one time seeing as how this is a serious and sensitive situation, especially to your own friend."

I looked at Duo who had looked at me. Then, I smiled.

"Yes, Uncle Odin, I want to go."

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That night, Duo had had the best meal I think he's ever had. He ate until he honestly was full. I laughed and cheered him on. I was glad that he was so happy and comfortable around us. He just kept saying 'Are you sure it's all right?' like he was asking permission to eat. We scolded him and told him it was most definitely all right.

Afterwards, we were working on the sleeping arrangements.

"You can have my bed," I said.

"I can't do that! It's your bed and this is your house! I couldn't kick you out of your own bed! I won't have it!"

I smiled in spite of myself and said, "Okay. Let's compromise."

Duo blushed a little. "How?"

"How about…" now it was my turn to blush a little, "you and I share the bed. That way, you won't be 'kicking' me out of my bed and I won't have you sleeping on the floor."

Duo blushed a little more. "Is that okay?"

"Yep. Does that work?"

"Okay…"

I crawled into my bed and scooted over to the right of it. Patting the side next to me, I motioned for Duo to come sleep by me. He was still blushing and it made him so cute as he walked over to my bed and tugged at the covers. He shuffled into them and lay down. I reached over him to tug the bedside lamp's chain and shut it off. The room went dark except for a faint glow from my desk area—a sort of nightlight. I lied on my back, my hands clutching the hem of the sheet and quilt. Duo, from what I could tell, was in the same position I was in.

"Hey Heero-san?" his faint voice called.

"Just call me Heero," I replied.

I couldn't see it, but I hoped he was blushing.

"H-Heero. Thank you. I really mean it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much."

I smiled and rolled over to my side to face him.

"No problem."

--Tsuzuku--

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Hello one and all yet again! Can you believe it took me so long to finally write another chapter for this? Well, if you were me you could. But you're not. Oh well. I'm working on four other stories right now. This is the fifth. What I'd like to do is go on and off with this story and Fukai Ai Ninen ((Deep Love Second Year) by yours truly). As soon as I finish these two I can continue on Tsuki no Hikari by me, and finish redoing Hohoemi by me. After I finish Hohoemi I can start writing The Trinity & Xandra Saga by me. (Anything (by me) can be found on or my website.) As you can see, my plate is over filled! Please be patient with me! I promise to start moving this story along more! >(

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