Familial Impact
An Evangelion/Marmalade Boy spamfic
By Lara
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{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form.}
"Meiko, I'd like you to meet my younger brother, Gendo Rokubungi."
Meiko smiled and bowed to Gendo. "Pleased to meet you."
Gendo smiled crookedly, wondering how his brother managed to bag such a cute girl. As far as he was concerned, his older brother was a complete geek, going into teaching and then real estate.
"I don't know why you'd want to stay here, Little Brother. Won't this cramp your style with the women?" Shinichi joked.
Still grinning, Gendo shook his head, his glasses sliding down his nose a little. He pushed them up with one finger before speaking. "I'm not really worried about it. Things will happen in their own time. No need to force them."
"When did you get so sensible? You disappoint me." Shinichi slapped Gendo on the back. "Come on. I'll show you the guest room."
The two retreated down the hall, while Meiko went to continue with the dishes. She would have to ask Shinichi later why he and his brother had different family names.
Gendo tossed his stuff on the floor next to the desk. "You've got a nice place. Must be cozy living here with..."
"Meiko."
"Yeah. She seems like a nice little wife."
Shinichi nodded. "She is. How long do you plan on staying here?"
Gendo frowned. "Until I get a job and I'm deemed 'responsible'. What a bunch of crap."
"Things were that bad?" Shinichi asked, opening the closet to reveal the bedding.
He shrugged. "I never thought so, but the court said it was being lenient by letting me come here. It was just a bar fight..."
"Another one? What's with you, Gendo? Why don't you settle down?"
"I've got nothing to settle down to. Kyoto seems like a waste of time if they're going to be all over my case for being a regular college student. What's the point?"
Looking critically at his brother, Shinichi nodded. "I think being here's going to help. I bet I can get you back to Kyoto in no time."
"No way. You're not getting me to go back. Bunch of hypocrites is what they are," Gendo snorted.
Smiling, Shinichi patted Gendo on the shoulder. "Just you wait, Little Brother."
Sighing Gendo shook his head. "So what's with the name change?" he asked suddenly.
"I was wondering when you'd get to that. I was actually rather surprised when I got the call."
"Resentful?"
Chuckling, Shinichi shook his head. "Not yet. When you're in rough times, you can count on me. I just changed my name because... Well, it's kind of hard to explain." He shifted uncomfortably. "Why don't you settle in, and I'll tell you the whole story some other time. Meiko'll have dinner started soon."
"Great. I'm starved."
"And the bath's free." The older brother grinned. "I think you need it after your time in custody."
*** "Shini..." Gendo paused in front of his brother's door. The noises coming from behind it were... intriguing. He put his ear lightly to the surface of the door and listened with interest.
*** "Hey, Little Brother. What are you up to?"
Gendo looked to his brother leaning in the doorway, and removed his headphones. "Nothing much. Something wrong?"
"On the contrary. You interested in knowing why I changed my name?" There was an odd look on his face, partially secretive, sort of playful, a trace of seriousness there. Though his eyes were hidden behind his glasses as the sunlight reflected off them, they had a dangerous gleam to them.
Also, Gendo noticed his brother wearing a pair of white gloves, which seemed extraordinarily odd. "Sure. What is..."
"Come on." Shinichi moved from the doorway and down the hall.
Gendo followed quickly, not sure at all about his brother's strange behavior. "Shinichi, I don't get what you're being so secretive about," he said as his brother disappeared into his own room.
Gendo's breath caught in his throat as he stopped in the doorway. "Shinichi..."
"I did it for the family, Gendo. Just in case... To protect the family honor."
Meiko made muffled noises, the ball gag in her mouth preventing her from speaking.
"No one will know. Meiko and I, we're already outcasts, but could you imagine if this ever got out?"
Gendo could only imagine one thing and continued to stare at his brother's wife, hung from the ceiling in an elaborate leather harness. His eyes met hers, but instead of the fear he expected to find, there was a dark, manic glee in them.
"No one gets hurt this way, Gendo. No one knows. Except you."
While Gendo was staring, Shinichi took off the loose shirt and sweatpants he had been wearing to reveal some sort of leather/rubber/vinyl ensemble underneath.
"We're different, Gendo, but we're happy. You could be happy too. You don't need to get into bar fights, or even go out drinking. You just need to find a different channel for your feelings."
One part of Gendo wanted to flee in terror at his brother's perversion, but another wanted to dive in whole- heartedly. The internal struggle raged for a moment before Gendo slowly shook his head. "I... can't. It's... I can't."
Shinichi nodded knowingly. "It's okay, Gendo. Just as long as you don't tell anyone, it won't be an issue here. You're still my brother, and that's not going to change because of what I've told you."
Gendo nodded absently, still staring at the nude and bound Meiko.
"You could... watch, if you wanted."
As if on cue, Meiko began to struggle against her bonds.
"Just a moment, Love. Let him make up his mind," Shinichi said, running one white-gloved hand up her naked thigh.
Now trembling, Gendo turned and fled the room.
*** Gendo emerged from his room slowly. Breakfast was cooking, and the smell was irresistible.
"Sleep well?" Shinichi asked as he walked by, surprising Gendo and making him jump.
"Um, sure."
"Great. Meiko says breakfast in fifteen minutes. You don't want to miss out."
Gendo nodded then retreated back into his room. So it seemed his brother was not bothered at all by his refusal. It was just so strange because his older brother had always been so... perfect. To discover he was some freaky child...
But what difference did it make? Meiko was obviously going along with it. That look in her eye... Gendo wouldn't have been surprised to discover she had initiated it.
He dressed slowly, not sure just how he should act. It would have been easiest to just be like the others and pretend nothing had happened. But it was hard to act like he hadn't seen Meiko, so young, hanging there at his brother's mercy.
Shuddering, he waited for a bit after he was dressed to try and clear the images from his mind.
"Good morning. I hope you slept well." Meiko smiled brightly at him and set a bowl of rice down.
"Yeah, just fine. I hope you..." He realized the absurdity of saying the same thing back, considering...
"Just fine. So Ken tells me you went to Kyoto. What did you study?" she asked pleasantly, not missing a beat.
"Oh, well I was in engineering, but..." He shrugged, embarrassed by his forced withdrawal from the semester.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes in life; it's what you do after that that's really important." She smiled again, and Gendo smiled back.
"Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you," Shinichi said, sitting down at the table. "She could have gone into any program she wanted at the university." He winked at Meiko, who giggled in return.
Gendo nodded, the smile on his face thoughtful, then began to eat with gusto.
*** It was late, later than he should have been up. Yet, Gendo had remained wide awake ever since he had retired to his room for the night. He just couldn't get to sleep. His older brother's happiness gnawed at him, held up to his own guilt for comparison...
He wasn't ashamed of getting in the fight; he was far more ashamed of getting caught, along with the public humiliation. But his brother was happy.
His brother wasn't a struggling college student though. His brother had a cozy life, with his nice wife, and his easy job.
He had none of that.
He wanted to be happy.
Getting out of bed, dressed in his pajamas, he left his room. He stood in front of his brother's door, the sounds coming from behind it again, and lifted his hand to it.
"I'm not running away from this," he said aloud. "I want to be happy too."
He knocked lightly, then opened the door and entered...
[End]
Updated 6-10-99