Repentance

To say the day had been a shock for Rocko would be an understatement.

For the first time in years, his childhood bully Dingo had once again shown his face. Rocko had been initially terrified at the thought of confronting the man who had made his life a living hell back in Australia. But upon being trained into becoming a "bloodthirsty beast" by Heffer and Filburt, Rocko was determined to face his old enemy in what should have been a fight to the death.

Only it hadn't come to that. When Dingo arrived at his doorstep, the man had changed into a completely different person, gone was the gruff, ruthless bully and in its place was an articulate mellowed out naturalist. Rocko hadn't expected Dingo to make such a radical transformation during his long absence, nor did he expect the other kangaroo to offer him a free punch to the nose. Rocko had initially denied the request, but upon Dingo's assistance had socked him square in his nose.

"I still shouldn't have done it", Rocko lamented to his dog Spunky on the couch. The creme kangaroo was still reluctant to take any satisfaction in one-upping his old foe, he didn't like resorting to violence unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I wanted to show Dingo that I could stand up to him, but upon seeing how he's changed, it feels wrong knowing I punched him", Rocko droned as he looked down at the floor, "I know he asked for it, but I shouldn't have given into the temptation. I should know better by this point, or am I being too much of a pushover?"

The only response Spunky gave was a casual "BAP". Rocko sighed as he leaned back on the sofa, still contemplating over the matter.

"Maybe I can make it up to him…", murmured Rocko, shifting his feet about. It was at that moment when the doorbell rang, Rocko was surprised.

"Who's that? A bit late, isn't it?", The Aussie quizzed as he walked towards the door. He knew Heffer and Filburt would sometimes call in at the most inappropriate of hours, or would expect a cantankerous Mr. Bighead to come barging at the door with yet another mindless complaint. So it was a surprise for Rocko to see who was on the other side when he opened the door.

"Geh! Dingo?!", exclaimed Rocko.

In contrast to how he looked earlier in the day, Dingo now looked quite worse for wear. The violet kangaroo's nose was covered in dried blood, his face, arms, and torso had suffered several scratches and cuts, and there were bruises on the sides of his eyes. Overall; he looked like he'd been through a warzone, Rocko was wondering how he could still be walking straight.

"Hello, dear Rocko", came the gentle reply. It was still surreal for Rocko to hear such a soft, clean voice coming from the formally rough and scratchy school bully he'd once known, so it would take a bit of getting used to.

"Crikey, what happened to you?", asked Rocko with concern.

"Just after I had left your doorstep, two men jumped me from the bushes and gave me this", Dingo pointed to the lacerations on his body. Rocko winced when he realized what might have been the cause of the other kangaroo's injuries.

"Oh dear…Dingo, I'm very sorry, I had no idea they would-", Rocko tried to explain before Dingo cut him off.

"There is no need to apologize, dear fellow", Dingo replied humbly, "much like the punch to my nose, this altercation was a long time coming for my uncouth behavior against you."

"Dingo…no, c'mon, I'll treat you to ya' wounds", Rocko insisted as he led the taller kangaroo into his house.

"You are too kind, my friend", said Dingo as Rocko offered him a seat on the couch before heading to the bathroom to fetch the medical kit, "but really, I am undeserving of your treatment. These marks are one I must wear with humility."

"Please, don't talk like that", replied Rocko as he came back into the living room, "I still feel bad for punching you like I did. Here, let's clean you up…"

Rocko took out the bandages from his kit and then grabbed a wet towel, gently wiping it around the stains around Dingo's nose.

"Much appreciated, my friend…", murmured Dingo, "I only wish I could have been this generous to you all those years ago…"

"Dingo, I know we had our history, but I see you're not the same person you were back in Australia", replied Rocko, "so you don't need to beat yourself down over it…oh…that was probably a poor choice of words."

"Thou did not offend me", Dingo waved modestly, "still, I must live with the offenses I committed in my past to move on with my future…"

"...Dingo…can I ask a question?", asked Rocko.

"But of course, ask me anything, dear friend", replied Dingo.

"Why did you bully me back when we were kids, all till I left for America?", said Rocko, "It's something I've always wondered…"

Dingo sighed as he closed his eyes with a shamefaced expression, "Tis a rather unfortunate series of events…none of it excuses my actions from the past, but to better understand the foolish mind I had back then…"

Dingo's mind went back to the days of his and Rocko's youth, back when he was the meanest kid in the whole school.

"You see, my home life was riddled with nothing but sorrow and altercations…my father was a borderline alcoholic who would throw beer bottles at the slightest inconvenience, my mother had an unhealthy addiction to cannabis. As a result, they would often engage in open and bitter fighting, leaving me and my younger sister little in the way of parental guidance…"

Dingo cringed as he recalled the mental image of his big bulky father in a drunken rage breaking a beer bottle and using the sharp jagged edges as a means of intimidation, as well as his parents shouting at each other in the kitchen, his sister cowering behind the couch while he watched from the entrance to the living room.

"My father would take me under his wing, and it's where I gained my lust for domination over those smaller and weaker than me…he taught me that respect only comes to those who demand it by any means necessary, it was how he won most of his arguments with other people, using fear and violence to get what he wanted. It didn't matter what anyone did so long as they kissed his ring, and unfortunately, being the impressionable boy I was, I ended up fooling in his footsteps…"

There was a pause, Rocko saw a look of genuine sadness in Dingo's eyes…he cleared his throat to get his attention.

"So…that's where you got your inspiration…?", Rocko asked with uncertainty.

"Yes…looking back on it, I'm not sure if I really believed in his philosophy or if I followed out of fear of what he would do if I didn't…", Dingo lamented, "he had moments of being particularly…violent towards those that opposed him…even his own family…I recall one time when I had snuck a bottle from his collection and when he found out…he lacerated my bottom over a hundred times with his brown leather belt…I suppose because he was the dominant force at home, I wanted to be such somewhere else…school was the next best option as you might expect. I was a taller child which gave me an advantage over the others, as such, I would pick on those who were smaller than me because they were easy targets…"

Rocko knew that sentiment all too well given all the things Dingo had done to him during their childhood…back then, the bully had shown zero remorse for anything he had done to the creme kangaroo, but now, right before Rocko was a man who expressed deep regret for his actions as he continued.

"Seeing as you appeared particularly vulnerable, I thought you were someone who could satisfy my sadistic urges…and so I inflicted the most despicable actions onto thou, and I felt such a thrill of adrenaline belittling this smaller child who couldn't do anything against a taller, stronger person like myself…and I continued for so many years, falling deeper and deeper into a pit of savagery and worthlessness…I was, to put it mildly, a monster…"

Dingo put a hand to his face, Rocko wondered if he was crying. He really didn't know what to say, Dingo's guilt felt genuine and the tone in his voice didn't seem to have a single ounce of malice or deceit in it…so he had to know.

"I see…", Rocko said, putting his hand on the other kangaroo's knee to try and soothe him, "so…how did you get to…this?"

"Well…you see, after you had left for America, I had no one really to look out for…my family life had crumbled beyond repair, my sister had long since been sent to live with my aunt, my father ended up suffering a stroke due to excess drinking, and my mother decided to finally set me straight for rehabilitation…that's where I became one with The Unicorn, a naturalist group who prided in the teachings of peace and tranquility…I was originally hesitant being in such a, quote on quote, 'pansy group of hippies', but eventually was entered into the program and thus became a long journey of healing…I had a lot of time to think about my actions and how horrid I was to you and everyone else I hurt…it was then that I saw the true meaning of life; treating others with kindness and salvation…it is why I came all the way here to see you, to make amends for everything I had done in our past…"

Rocko took a moment to take in everything Dingo had said, he'd never heard the violet kangaroo's side of the story, let alone any reasoning for why he'd been bullied so much by Dingo, but there was some sense of relief knowing that the air had finally been cleared between them. Rocko was just finishing wrapping up Dingo's arm with a bandage as the other man had finished his story.

"Well…truth be told, I wasn't expecting you to be so…profound", said Rocko, "but…at least I know some reason as to why you were rude to me."

"Believe me when I say that my actions were disgusting and even now, I feel unworthy of your forgiveness", Dingo frowned humbly.

"Dingo, I…there's no need fa' that, I want to move past that, so there might be a chance to stay over", replied Rocko, "besides, you've shown me that even a person like yourself is capable of change."

"That is very noble of you", said Dingo, "reminiscent of the teachings passed down to me."

"Personally, I just call it being decent", Rocko replied, "here, let me just get this for you."

Rocko pulled up a footrest for Dingo to prop his feet up and then placed one of the pillows behind his head. Once he was finished, he then went to the kitchen to fetch the other kangaroo a glass of water. Dingo took in stride and gave a breath once he'd consumed his beverage.

"Aaaaaaah…you know, I happen to be feeling much better already, and I haveth you to thank for", Dingo said wistfully.

"Ya' know you don't have to be so formal around me", mused Rocko, "unless that's just ya' new way of speaking."

"Understandable, I developed this new voice over time, but sometmes…ECK!", Dingo coughed, returning to his old voice for a brief moment, "the ol' one sometimes slips in like a flood…AHEM!"

"Well, whichever voice you use, I think it's about time I gave you a proper gift to make up for earlier", said Rocko.

"What art that be-!", Dingo's question was cut off as Rocko wrapped his arms around the violet kangaroo, pulling him into a hug. For a moment, Dingo didn't know what to say, but his expression softened as he lowered his head with a content sigh.

"How's that?", asked Rocko.

"My, my…this feels cathartic, only wish we could have done this sooner", replied Dingo.

"Well, perhaps we can", smiled Rocko, before he blinked and then blushed, "oh dear, that sounded a bit…"

"Hmmhmm, no need to feel flustered", chuckled Dingo, "I have no qualms in offering intimacy in these times."

"Hehe, funny you mention that…", murmured Rocko when he suddenly felt Dingo pulling him back into a hug of his own.

"You know what they say; one good turn deserves another", smiled Dingo. Rocko found the embrace to be rather…comforting…of all the people he knew, he hadn't expected someone like Dingo to be so tender, but felt a sense of warmth within him as his former enemy turned friend held the hug for a few more seconds before releasing the smaller mammal.

"Ya' know…I think I prefer this…", Rocko said.

It was then that Dingo leaned on Rocko's arm, nestled comfortably on it. Rocko gently leaned onto Dingo's shoulder, being careful not to upset any of the marks on it. The two sat in silence for a while, and the peace felt like a breath of fresh air. Soon, Rocko popped the question.

"Um, Dingo, you have a place to stay?", asked the kangaroo.

"Not at the moment, no", came the reply.

"Well…perhaps you could stay over with me…I've got plenty of home", replied Rocko.

"That would be most kind of you…thank you, my dearest", smiled Dingo.

Rocko blushed modestly at this. If you were to ask him if Dingo was taking residence in his house several years ago, the creme mammal would have thought the person saying that was insane. But Rocko had since decided to put the past behind him and Dingo as now he sought to make his guest as comfortable as he could be. To him, this was potentially the start of a long-lasting relationship…the small tender brush he felt at the top of his head solidified it.