Post by Loppiainen on Dec 1, 2011 2:27:01 GMT -5
So, when I write oneshots at 1:00 in the morning, they end up being really choppy. But I liked the concept too much to leave it alone, so... Here you go.
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They don't really have anything. All they have is each other, and that, Paul says, isn't going to buy them supper.
He doesn't mean to sound ungrateful, honestly. But with the way that they live, there isn't much to be grateful for. The most they've got is a few bank notes here and there that people have dropped at their feet out of pity.
Paul hates that people have to pity them. It makes him feel inferior, and he doesn't like being inferior.
Damian, on the other hand, loves it when people make donations. It lets him know that at least someone cares about the Poor Homeless Boys By the Shop. It also gives him hope that maybe- just maybe- he'll have a decent meal that day.
But Paul still scowls whenever someone drops a penny or two in their jar. It's not the money itself that he's scowling at, it's the look on the passerby's face. It's always an expression that says something like "You poor creatures! Here, have a few pennies for food!"
Because obviously, five pence is enough to buy a meal.
Please, Paul thinks to himself, five pence couldn't buy a stick of gum.
The hardships aren't limited to finances. Weather plays a part in their misfortune, as well. Of course, considering their location, that's a given.
It rains far too often for their liking. Thunderstorms in particular are absolutely awful. Paul and Damian usually end up huddled underneath the awning of the Shop; little Damian curled up in Paul's arms, shivering from the freezing rain and whimpering at the loud thunder.
It truly is a sad sight to behold.
Living on the street isn't all bad, Damian insists. On the bright side, they can roam freely. If they don't like the area they're in one day, they can just move to another.
Plus, if Damian finds a stray cat, Paul let's him keep it until it decides to leave, at which point Damian accepts the feline's departure and simply waits for another to come by.
There aren't any responsibilities, either. No school, no work, no people to bother pleasing...
All they need to worry about is each other.
Because that's all that they have.
----------
They don't really have anything. All they have is each other, and that, Paul says, isn't going to buy them supper.
He doesn't mean to sound ungrateful, honestly. But with the way that they live, there isn't much to be grateful for. The most they've got is a few bank notes here and there that people have dropped at their feet out of pity.
Paul hates that people have to pity them. It makes him feel inferior, and he doesn't like being inferior.
Damian, on the other hand, loves it when people make donations. It lets him know that at least someone cares about the Poor Homeless Boys By the Shop. It also gives him hope that maybe- just maybe- he'll have a decent meal that day.
But Paul still scowls whenever someone drops a penny or two in their jar. It's not the money itself that he's scowling at, it's the look on the passerby's face. It's always an expression that says something like "You poor creatures! Here, have a few pennies for food!"
Because obviously, five pence is enough to buy a meal.
Please, Paul thinks to himself, five pence couldn't buy a stick of gum.
The hardships aren't limited to finances. Weather plays a part in their misfortune, as well. Of course, considering their location, that's a given.
It rains far too often for their liking. Thunderstorms in particular are absolutely awful. Paul and Damian usually end up huddled underneath the awning of the Shop; little Damian curled up in Paul's arms, shivering from the freezing rain and whimpering at the loud thunder.
It truly is a sad sight to behold.
Living on the street isn't all bad, Damian insists. On the bright side, they can roam freely. If they don't like the area they're in one day, they can just move to another.
Plus, if Damian finds a stray cat, Paul let's him keep it until it decides to leave, at which point Damian accepts the feline's departure and simply waits for another to come by.
There aren't any responsibilities, either. No school, no work, no people to bother pleasing...
All they need to worry about is each other.
Because that's all that they have.