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Shawn’s week had started pretty normally. He sat behind Cory in classes, chatted up the girls in the halls, joked with Jon about class work. All in all, it had been a good week. He'd even gotten a chance to shoot the shit with his dad for a few minutes at lunch: a rare occurrence at best. Everything was exactly as he'd hoped it would be. That is, until the end of the week.
Once again, Shawn was in Jon's classroom getting settled in when there was a knock at the door. Shawn didn't bother to look; he was just getting started on a book report that was due the next day.
"Stuart, what can I do for you?" Jon asked from the front of the class, gesturing for Minkus to come in.
Minkus stayed at the doorway, however. His eyes were wide and shifting, he seemed to brace himself on the doorframe as though it was hard to stand, and his skin was so much paler than Shawn had ever seen it. Something was horribly wrong.
"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Shawn for a moment?” he asked. “It's really important."
Blinking, Jon looked at Shawn in surprise and with a start Shawn realized that Jon didn't know about Minkus being part of their class in elementary school. For as long as they had been in high school, Minkus had always been in that other section—completely set apart from Shawn and his friends. Jon wouldn't have had any clue that they used to all be a group together at the least, and friends at the most.
Poor guy; no wonder he looked so confused.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like Shawn is in detention or anything...he can come and go as he pleases." Jon shrugged and looked at Shawn for an answer.
Now Minkus seemed surprised. Shawn knew that most people seemed to think he stayed late for detention every day, because no one could imagine Shawn staying by choice.
"Sure, not a problem...I'll be right back." Leaving his books behind, Shawn followed Minkus into the hallway, curious about what could have Minkus calling him out of class like this.
Standing in the hallway waiting for them was Claire Ferguson, and she looked as shaken and pale as Minkus.
"Do you know Claire?" Minkus asked by way of introduction.
"I know of her, but I've never had the pleasure," Shawn answered, taking the girl's hand into his own. "Shawn Hunter. It's lovely to meet you." He kissed the back of her hand.
Rolling his eyes, Minkus stole Claire's hand out of Shawn's. "Yeah, yeah, you can flirt later. Right now, we need to ask a favour."
Eyes shifting from Minkus to Claire and back again, Shawn couldn't even begin to guess what they might need from him. They were both in the advanced classes, both came from fairly affluent neighbourhoods, and both were generally part of a completely different world than he was.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you need."
And that was how Claire ended up at his place. His parents weren't home, so it would work for a few days, at least. Shawn really wasn't sure what Claire was going to do after that.
"So you can sleep here, I guess." He gestured vaguely at his bed. "I can sleep in my parents’ room..."
Nodding, Claire let her backpack slide down to the floor. "It's nice, thank you." She didn't seem any more comfortable with this situation than he did.
"I'm sure you're used to something a bit more comfortable." Shawn felt a bit sickened by the familiar shame that stabbed him. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, after all these years.
"No," Claire was quick to counter. "This is lovely. It's got a warm bed, a roof over my head, and best of all, it's safe." She said the last bit with a trace of wistfulness, as though it was a dream rather than her reality.
Shawn really wasn't sure what to do with a visitor. He only rarely had people over and on the rare occasion when he did, it was always Cory. Usually, he went to other peoples' houses and didn't have to worry about it.
"Uh, I have...some food,” he offered, remembering at least that offering food was considered normal hospitality. “It's some leftovers. Do you want any?"
"Um, sure." Claire left her backpack behind as she followed him out to the kitchen. It was a start, at least.
"So, how do you know Stuart, anyway?" Claire asked between mouthfuls of meatloaf. She was eating as though she hadn't had a meal in days. The colour was starting to come back to her face, and she seemed almost relaxed compared to how jittery she'd been not an hour earlier.
Startled out of his thoughts, Shawn leaned back in his chair and slowly finished chewing his own food. "We were in elementary school together. I guess you could say that we were friends, though we've kind of lost touch these last few years."
Nodding, Claire took another bite. "This is delicious," she said in passing before continuing their conversation. "You two must have been really close. He seemed completely convinced that you would help us...and it's not often you see him trusting people like that. Usually he's a bit of a loner."
Having nothing to say to that, Shawn just shrugged his shoulders a little helplessly. "And you? How did you and Minkus get together?" After the words were out of his mouth, he mentally cringed. They weren't together, he was sure of it. Why would Minkus spend an afternoon making out with a guy like him if he had a girl like her waiting for him.
If Claire noticed his word choice, she gave no sign of it and just carried on with the conversation. "We've been friends for a few years at school. Also his dad works for my dad, and we live on the same block. Usually Stuart's parents are away or aren't very aware of what goes on with him, but we got sloppy last night and his Dad caught me in his room. He went absolutely ballistic and said that if he ever caught me over, he would call my dad to come get me right away..."
She wrapped her arms around her midsection, and there was a faraway look in her eyes. The tension was clearly back in her posture and Shawn was left with the feeling that all the relaxing she had been doing had been completely reversed within seconds.
"It was nearly morning by that point anyway, so I left, but I don't know what happened to Stuart...he looked so sick today and we needed to find alternate arrangements...so..."
Nodding, Shawn took her empty plate off the table. "It's still a bit early yet. Why don't we pop in a movie and then we can go to sleep after."
Thankful for the distraction, she agreed and made her way over to the couch. She didn't even make it through the first 20 minutes before she was sound asleep.
It was an old movie, one he had seen a thousand times and chosen for its comforting content. Shawn didn't think it to be all that big a sacrifice when he switched it off. He grabbed all the blankets off his bed and draped them over her, not wanting to disturb her rest. Then he made his way to his parents’ room with his novel and a notebook. He had a book report to write, after all.
The next morning, Shawn had Claire phone Minkus to come over that day before she went to school. Shawn had decided late the previous night that he might as well phone in sick today. His parents were out of town and he could live without classes for a day or two. He could sleep at home instead of in class for a change.
Claire, of course, couldn't skip school without drawing attention to her situation, but Minkus seemed surprisingly enthused to be avoiding the classroom.
Shawn had a bowl of cereal and watched a daytime TV show before he heard a very quiet knock on the door. Opening it, he found Minkus staring in awe at everything around him. Once again,Shawn was left with the uncomfortable feeling that he had been judged and found lacking.
Without a word, Shawn grabbed Minkus' wrist and pulled him inside. As he tugged, Shawn noticed Minkus flinch slightly. He filed that information away for later; right now, they had to discuss Claire.
Minkus passed the couch and sat at the table, sitting up straight at the edge of his seat. Feeling a bit perturbed, Shawn followed him and sat across the table.
"So, what are we going to do about Claire?” he asked, getting straight to the point. “This can't go on forever. My parents will be home in a few days, and then where will she go?"
Shawn waited for a reaction from Minkus, but was stunned when he saw what it was.
Minkus' face started to grow red, and his eyes became moist. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough and heavy.
“I don't know. I don't know what to do. It was working for a while, but then my stupid Dad had to notice and send her back, and now I don't know what to do for her. I can't protect her anymore."
Everything about Minkus screamed exhaustion. The haggardness of his appearance, the way he seemed to just sink into himself. It made Shawn immensely uncomfortable. This wasn’t a side of him he was used to seeing.
"I know this is going to sound weird coming from me...but shouldn't we go to the police? I mean, her dad is beating the crap out of her to the point where she’s crashing at random people's houses to get away from him.... this is a very, very serious situation."
"Don't you think I know that?" Minkus snapped back. "I'm aware that the situation is serious, believe me. But her dad is the president of the bank; do you really think the police will take the word of nobodies like us over his? I mean, who are we, Shawn? You live in a trailer park, and if I go, my dad will tell the police that I'm crazy and don't know what I'm talking about. And Claire doesn't even want to go to the police. She doesn't want to get her dad in trouble...despite it all, she still loves him. Though, I imagine they won't take her word for it any more than they'll take ours. Face it, that is not an option for us."
"What about Claire's mom?" Shawn could feel the sinking sense of hopeless start to develop in his stomach.
Minkus shook his head. "She's so scared, she's pretending it's not happening. We won't get any help there."
"And your family wouldn't help her? Not even when they heard how serious it is?" Shawn felt like he was grasping at straws now. Minkus seemed to have already gone through these scenarios countless times before.
That startled a bitter laugh out of Minkus. "Are you kidding? My Dad thinks that if her father is hitting her then she must have done something to deserve it. He thinks it's that monster's right to ‘discipline his daughter as he sees fit’...I mean, maybe if he wasn't my dad’s boss, it might have been different, but it is what it is, and we will definitely get no help from them."
Something in Minkus' words and tone piqued Shawn's attention. If he’d had a spider sense, it would definitely have been tingling. The wince at the doorway came back to mind in an instant and an unpleasant suspicion started to form.
"Minkus...are you all right?" Shawn asked, leaning forward over the table to get a good look at Minkus' face. It seemed clear, aside from the fatigue...no sign of injury.
Minkus' face closed off, and he regarded Shawn with the same sort of suspicious scrutiny. "I'm fine, why?"
"Claire was concerned about you. She said she didn't know what happened after she left but that you looked awful the next time she saw you." He didn't break the eye contact, refusing to back down from this battle of wills that had quite suddenly developed between them. "You winced when I pulled you through the door, you're sitting stiffly, and you opted to skip school rather than deal with a whole day of classes...you also just said that your dad considers Claire being beat up to be a valid form of discipline."
He was laying out all the cards on the table. Either Minkus would tell him what happened, or he would clam up further and storm out of there. Either way, Shawn would get an answer.
The staring continued for another few seconds that seemed to stretch out forever. Minkus swallowed a few times, but he clearly couldn't think of anything to say in the face of Shawn's arguments.
Finally, Minkus looked away. Shawn would have almost felt triumphant if this whole thing hadn't left him with a constant nauseous feeling. "It's nothing, I can handle it."
"What exactly is ‘it’?" Shawn was feeling an overwhelming urge to go to this rich person neighbourhood and start punching people. This was fucking ridiculous.
Minkus sighed, forcing his shoulders to relax. "He hit me a few times with his belt."
"Does everyone in your neighbourhood beat on their kids?" Shawn demanded, appalled. Standing up to pace, Shawn just boggled at the insanity of the situation.
"Look, it's not the same thing at all. My father never gets physical unless it's a punishment. I knew I was breaking the rules by having Claire there, and I was willing to accept the consequences for that." Minkus stood too, following Shawn through the small space. "With Claire's dad, it's different. He gets drunk and roughs her up for absolutely no reason. It happens almost every night. This—" He gestured vaguely towards his back. "This was something I deserved, and a very rare occurrence. I mean, let's be honest here, it's not like I get in trouble a lot."
Shawn paused his movement to turn and look a Minkus. It was a searching look; Shawn was trying desperately to measure out the truthfulness of what Minkus was saying.
"I want to see."
Looking away, Minkus sighed. "It's really not that big of a deal."
"I want to see, or I bring all of this to Feeny and Turner and everyone else that I can get to listen to me." Shawn refused to budge on this.
"You know that would make things so much worse...for me, for her, for everyone involved. " Minkus pleaded.
Shawn nodded, setting his jaw. "Yeah. So let me see."
Throwing an absolutely exasperated look that was pure Minkus in his direction, the other boy finally turned and lifted his shirt slightly to show fading red strips across his lower back. "See? Nothing to worry about."
His gut telling him to keep pushing, Shawn walked over and lifted the shirt higher, ignoring Minkus barking his name in outraged protest.
On Minkus' lower back the marks were starting to fade, but higher up, criss-crosssing across his shoulder blades, were still some very raw welts. Some had started to pale a bit, but others were still a vibrant red that wouldn't settle for some time yet. Bruises were clearly forming under some of the marks, most of which were dark blue without showing any sign of healing or changing colour. There were also spots where the marks seem to have also gotten cut, then scabbed, only to have been broken open again, and tiny specks of blood were gathering over the marks in those places . The whole thing made Shawn want to throw up.
"It was the belt buckle that caused the cuts....if you were wondering." Minkus said, his voice cold and flat as though he had completely detached himself from everything around him.
Nodding even though Minkus couldn't see him, Shawn lowered the shirt back into place. "I can see why you didn't want to sit at a desk all day."
Minkus snorted at that, and seemed to settle back into himself now that the marks were hidden again. "Yeah well, one day off won't kill me."
Shawn nodded again. "I'll take care of Claire," he promised, trying to will Minkus to feel the sincerity in those words, and how much this promise meant to him. "You take care of yourself for a bit, and I'll make sure Claire is safe...I promise."
If Minkus was at all skeptical about Shawn's words or how seriously Shawn was taking all this, he didn't voice it. Instead, he just nodded his thanks and walked out, leaving Shawn feeling more lost than he had ever felt in his life.
It was nearly a week later when he darkened Minkus' door again. Claire had settled in well with her Aunt, Shawn had gone to the police and Claire's dad was in rehab. Everything was wrapped up in a neat little package, except one thing.
After ringing the doorbell, Shawn waited outside for a long stretch before a man opened the door. He looked similar enough to Minkus that you couldn't mistake the relation, but he looked so different at the same time. His whole demeanor was open and friendly, accepting... even describable as ‘charming.’ Shawn had a hard time picturing this man beating his own son with a belt. No wonder Minkus had such a hard time telling people; Shawn had seen proof, and even he found it hard to picture this man doing it.
"Hi, I'm here to see Min-...Stuart?" Shawn said, remembering a moment too late that he was probably the only one who refers to Minkus by his last name.
The man seemed a bit quizzical, but still let Shawn inside. "Stuart is in the den, I believe." He led Shawn down the hall and opened the door to the right.
Minkus was curled up on a chair in the corner reading under the light of a standing lamp in the otherwise dark room.
"Stuart, I've told you a thousand times. Turn on a light in here. Your eyes are just going to get worse if you keep skulking around in the dark." Mr Minkus' voice had taken on an edge of harsh coldness when he spoke directly to his son. It made Shawn wonder if Minkus ever got to meet the man who had opened the door. Flicking the light on, Minkus' dad made his way out of the room, leaving the two of them in silence.
Minkus squinted at the sudden burst of light in the room, but otherwise didn't even acknowledge that his dad had been there at all. Putting his book down, he looked at Shawn expectantly, as though waiting for Shawn to define the nature of this visit, or perhaps just wondering what would bring Shawn here on a Wednesday afternoon.
Not really sure what else to do, Shawn sat in the twin chair across from Minkus. It was the only other chair in the room. "So, I wanted to give you an update on Claire," Shawn started awkwardly. "She's living with her aunt in—"
"Vermont, I know." Minkus finished for him, crossing his arms across his chest. The gestured seemed more a move toward comfort than defensiveness. "She called me when she got there...."
"Yeah, well. Her dad is getting some help and she's happy." Shawn internally kicked himself. of course she would call him. As far as he could tell, he was her only friend...besides Shawn now, and Cory and Topanga.
Minkus nodded. "Thank you for helping her...." He trailed off, looking anywhere but at Shawn. "You did far more than I was able to do."
Shawn was struck by the horrible feeling that Minkus had been beating himself up from the moment he left Claire in Shawn's care. "You had to take care of your own stuff," Shawn justified. "Claire knows that you did your absolute best for her, and she's safe now...isn't that what matters?"
Shrugging, Minkus sank a little deeper in his chair.
"Speaking of you taking care of yourself... how’s your back?" Shawn asked, leaning forward.
That got an eye roll out of Minkus, but it seemed to snap him out of his self-hating pity party. "It's fine,” he said pointedly.
"I want to see." Shawn had the words ready on his tongue before Minkus had even finished speaking. Minkus liked to hide the things that bothered him, so Shawn couldn't take his word for how ‘fine’ he was.
Minkus just stared at him for a moment, as though evaluating whether resisting would be worth the scene Shawn would cause. Ultimately, he gave in quietly, turned in his chair and lifted the back of his shirt up to his neck.
The welts had mostly healed, leaving no marks behind besides the palest red hints here and there. The bruises were a yellow shade now and would likely disappear entirely within a day or two, and the cuts had healed entirely, leaving red scars but otherwise no damage.
Shawn reached out to touch the marks, only to be thwarted by Minkus shoving his shirt down quickly.
"Not while my parents are home,” he said simply, turning again so his back was against the chair.
Feeling slightly stung, Shawn pulled his hand back and crossed his arms. "I don't know what you thought I was going to do..." he huffed indignantly.
Minkus laughed at him. It was a small chuckle, but a chuckle nonetheless.
Shawn grinned in response, feeling a bit better for being able to make Minkus laugh. "Well, I'm so glad I could amuse you, even if you won't let me do anything else."
Shaking his head, Minkus gave Shawn a sidelong look. "Come back on Friday, and I might let you do something else."
That got Shawn's attention. "Your parents won't be home?"
"No, they're never home on weekends." Minkus said, offering no other information on the topic.
Maybe he should have pried a little more, but Shawn just left it alone.