It was a hard life that Alawn and his two siblings had.
They were on the streets after being thrown out of the house, all thanks to their snobby little brother. It wasn't Aeron who broke the computer, it wasn't he who smashed the TV, it wasn't Alistair that hurt him; but their parents wouldn't listen. No, because dishonest boys can obviously deny that their older siblings hurt them to protect them, because of fear – they won't listen to the victim because he has been wrongly convicted of the crime of lying.
Arthur would never break the computer! Arthur couldn't possibly smash the TV! Arthur would never lay a finger on anyone! Out you boys go and don't come back! We don't have abusers and vandals in this house!
He saw a man walk the opposite way to him, stuffing his leather wallet into his expensive-looking tailored suit pocket. Bingo; the man looked like he didn't need all that money.
Alawn shouldered his duffle bag a little higher and looked at his feet for a moment, walking towards the man in a distracted manner.
He shouldered the man and quickly snaked his hand into his trouser pocket, taking his wallet and shoving it into the pocket of his own worn jeans, which were much looser than was probably healthy. He wouldn't use the credit cards; he wasn't that bad – he'd just snap them in half and throw them in the bin.
"Watch where you're going!" He spat, barely turning back to the face Alawn; probably something to do with his 'street urchin' look, posh git.
As the man disappeared into the crowd, Alawn gave him a mock salute. Oh well, he could get some food for his brother's now…
Aeron and Alistair both knew what their brother did, but didn't mind in the slightest. It gave them money for food and other basics, and he only ever stole from those who wore expensive clothing and had the smug air of the rich about them.
They only ever took the notes and change, and would never steal money from a credit card; their brother was a devout Methodist and felt bad enough pickpocketing, but he had a talent for it, and it's not like you can get a job without a fixed address, after all.
Their shoes clacked on the polished floor of the supermarket as they went about their shopping – baskets in one hand and their large duffle bags in the other.
Aeron got some two-in-one body wash and shampoo rubbish (95p) while Alistair got medicine for Alawn, truly thanking the Welsh government for free prescriptions.
They got a few more things, but not a lot. With the soap, some vitamins with iron (£1.90 for ninety pills – saves 10p), and a few essentials that Alawn asked them to get (£1 and irrational embarrassment from Aeron); they made their way over to the café to wait for their brother to come with the money.
Alistair stared dejectedly at a piece of clothing that caught his eye, a small frown on his face. It was a sweet little plaid skirt, like those associated with a stereotypical fantasy of a school girl. It was a mix of red and black and would be cut to about mid-thigh on him, and the slight flair would make his hips look wonderful…
"Maybe Alawn will bring extra and you can get it," Aeron ventured. Bless the boy, fifteen and with all the innocence he was born with.
"I don't need it, even if it is nice; my other clothes are fine," Alistair waved away, not wanting to notice the hope that seized his heart. He wanted it. Hell, he was a good person; why couldn't he? Because their abusive dick of a brother got them thrown out?
A sharp whistle cut through the two brother's thoughts, bringing their attention to Alawn, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat that got the cream.
"Would you not do that, it hurts my ears," Alistair sighed; he'd discussed this with the boy a million times and it never made any difference.
Alawn just shrugged, still smirking, and tossed the pilfered wallet over to them.
Alistair opened it and gave a soft wolf-whistle. "They must have been on their way back from the back," He stated, staring in awe at the many notes stuffed into the wallet, "We can get a lot of food and stuff then."
Alawn closed his eyes and nodded, almost sagely; but it was fitting in Alistair's eyes, the boy was a bloody saint.
"Oh! And this!" Aeron chirped, rushing over to the skirt and picking up Alistair's size.
"No, let's not," Alistair protested weakly as the youngest of their little trio put the – beautiful, precious, adorable – skirt in the basket, "I don't need it…"
As he went to put it back, a small hand gripped his own. He looked back at Alawn, the boy's large emerald eyes seeming to sparkle and his lips tugged upwards at one corner.
"You want me to keep it?" He inquired, and Alawn nodded.
"You deserve it," Aeron confirmed, and that was that; he was having it – I don't care that it costs £25.
They got some bread (55p), butter (£1 for something they could actually spread), milk for Alawn's worrying calcium levels (£4.75 for six 1L packages of UHT – saves 65p) and various things that could be eaten without needing to heat them. All in all, it came to £80, but that was alright. They had food, Alistair had a well-deserved indulgence, and there was over £200 left to keep them until next week.
They left the shop after paying for their goods and went downtown to find somewhere to sleep, laughing and joking all the way.
A/N: Basically, Alistair is gender non-conforming, but still uses male pronouns and his name as it is. It's a perfectly legitimate choice on his part, or anyone's btw.
The prices are in here because Alistair is always keeping track of money - it's his thoughts. They're there because it's always going to be a factor in these kids' lives until they can find a way to get an address, then they can get a job, and then they can relax a little; they don't have a safety net at all.
Boring first chapter, I know; but we're just setting the scene here. I promise that there will be more plot, drama, angst and fluff from here on.