Poverty, you don't know the real meaning of it unless you lived it. Poor orphaned children. living in the streets of London. You are somebody or you don't exist. Without a choice or a way out some simply go to a life of crime, at such young ages never leaving it. Starvation and rape and sometimes gangs are what kill the young in this part of London. The darkened hallways of poor sick children, some lost and never found, some simply left by un-wanting parents who were too young to have children, either way they all end the same, lost, broken, becoming a pawn for someone else just for food. Roxas has known this his whole life. He never wanted this life nor would he want someone to have it. He lives this life as anyone should with survival at mind. People walked past most the time avoiding eye contact with them, Roxas's eyes met with many while he lived on the streets with one thought through his mind 'I'm poor you're not, just continue with your life I'm not worth your time' he hated the way they would look at him they felt sorry for him and some would even offer to take him home, he would always say no to these offers they were always funny like that, rather be homeless thank dependent following the one rule of the streets he remembered from being new to it, never let them fool you.
Axel knew when he was going to lose, he and his brother knew when they were beat. Not. They played the game like no other, never accepting defeat. Living on the streets was a hard game in new York, but now they were out with a future hopefully ahead of them, Axel being 18 too late for education now, he needed a job landing a cushy one with some office, he is officially an office man, you know the ones who carry suitcases and has expensive phones of which they are always on in annoying places. His brother joining the Turks, a gang like place, better than a gang his brother would say. 'The Turks are respected agents who help people and help protect the country' he would shout down Axel's ear. Axel hated hearing him say that, the more and more he went to the Turks the less Axel felt close to him. He and Reno not being biological brother, obviously being orphans they adopted each other. They had, had their fair share of love inside the sheets, or wall, or abandoned car, whatever was available. However Axel found Reno to be more like a brother as time went on.
Axel met Roxas in strange circumstances, walking home from work one night after Reno called and said he couldn't pick him up. Axel found he liked to walk sometimes gave him a chance to see what the city was like, the walk only last about an hour. He found himself walking down a street with young children on the floor sleeping on top of newspapers. To Axel this was horrible to see being in this position himself he didn't like to think others had to be in it. He continued his journey trying his best to ignore them when they would try to start conversation, he couldn't help them all. Once rounding the corner he felt safe.
"No please stop" a small voice shouts through obvious tear.
"Oh shut up do you want this money or not" asked a man. Axel hearing this he walked closer, seeing a man pushing a young lad on the wall while pulling at his clothes the boy trying to get away from him but too weak to do so.
"stop squirming so much" the man shouts hitting the poor boy round the head knocking the wind out of him, the boy tries to crawl away. Upon seeing Axel he stares at him, not once calling for help.
"You stupid kid, I was going to be nice a give you this nice tenner" he spoke arrogantly slapping the boy.
"Please" he whimpered, loud enough for everyone to hear but not loud enough for them to think he isn't broken.
"Hey!" Axel shouts loudly the men obviously squirmy men with no backbone since they ran; most likely men that can't get people who can afford to sue them. Axel turned to look at the boy seeing he was no longer awake.
Their meeting was interesting to Axel from the moment he picked Roxas up after he passed out. The boy was uneasy when he awoke in a strange place which was comfy and warm. He sat up seeing a man come in, this man being unlike any other with vibrant red hair and tattoos on his face.
"How are you feeling? I made some hot coco if you want some" Axel offered him something for free a concept he hadn't heard in a long time.
"I'm fine, thank you." He took the coco off the man and drank some.
"What's your name" he asks smiling reassuringly.
"Ro-Roxas" he spoke softly.
"My name is Axel." He told him. From that point he and Roxas lived together.
Picking up dirty t-shirts from the hallway, Roxas tried to keep the house clean, go to the shop for items but still felt that he wasn't doing enough. He tried not to step on toes but sometimes he felt Reno didn't like him being there. Since he'd been living there Reno seemed to cling to Axel by starting their sexual part of their relationship all over again, not that Roxas knew it had stopped for a good year.
Now days Roxas tried to just help out around the house, Axel and Reno came home and leave their clothes in their rush to get undressed Roxas felt like a burden, he didn't have the choice however. He'd been living with them for nearly a year now.
"Hi Roxas" Reno voice enters the room, Roxas made breakfast again. Lately Roxas felt as though Axel and Reno kept him around as a slave, they just had him make dinner when all they did was eat got to work and fuck. Reno started drinking the coffee Roxas made once again.
"Morning" Axel says walking in.
"Hey" Roxas responds.
"Hey you" Reno smirks; this particular smirk is one that Roxas knows as sex in the kitchen while kicking Roxas into the living room. He grabbed his cup and his plate as Reno kissed Axel passionately. Axel landed on the tabled with Reno on top of him.
"Ahhh, Reno. Roxas is in here" he says that every time and every time Reno kicks him out the room. Today was no different.
"No he was just leaving right Roxas" he started staring at Roxas who nodded.
"Ahhh Reno!" hearing Axel's lovely voice coming in the room. The thing is ever since Axel saved Roxas, he's had feeling for him. Hoping things would proceed until he found him and Reno had a thing. Roxas finished his food and got dressed; he had a guy who paid him for services, in normal cleaning manners as well as sexual manners. Axel didn't know it was both he thought it was a normal cleaning job for this one guy. Once he was finished getting dressed in his and Axel's room, he still didn't see why he shared a room with Axel he was never in it.
"Bye" he says pointlessly knowing neither of them would hear him.
Now Roxas doesn't mean to be ungrateful, he just feels like he isn't cared about even after that small glimpse of hope they gave him. He feels just as trapped as before only difference this time is he has to hear the man he loves go at it with someone who hates him.
This particular day at work his boss wanted his companionship, this man doesn't be mean, he was gentle with Roxas he just didn't love him; he wouldn't do this job if he had someone worth being faithful too. Once he was finished his boss gave him extra saying he was especially good today. Giving Roxas a phone and telling him a new part of his job is many different hours, Roxas didn't have much of a choice since this man pays very well. Once back at the apartment he puts his stuff down, goes shopping and brings the groceries back. Axel came back early today, usually stays overtime. Reno calls saying he isn't coming home tonight so Axel decided not to stay overtime. He looked over to the kitchen and sees Roxas putting shopping away he smiles lightly moving to help him. Later that night Axel takes a seat in his bedroom Roxas walking in after having a shower didn't realise Axel was in the room. Roxas had gotten used to Axel no being in the room so he didn't need to hide his body, with his cuts a bruises from all the times he whored himself out while living here. He took the towel off his shoulders and wiped his hair down. Suddenly arms came around thankfully he had boxers, and then suddenly he remembered that he wasn't wearing anything so Axel could see is bruises.
"Who hurt you" Axel asks.
"No one" he lied badly.
"Who was it?" Axel demands, Roxas tried getting dressed Axel grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, too close and Roxas crumbles and kisses him passionately. Once he moved away he expected Axel to at least kiss him back, but he grabs him and throws him into the hallway then grabs a bag and throws his clothes into it throwing it out the door Roxas pulled on a top and began crying. Axel picked him up by his arm and threw him out the front door along with his stuff.
"Don't come back until you're ready to tell me the truth" he shouts shutting the door in Roxas's face. Putting on his shoes and shorts he began walking with his stuff, soon after it begins to rain. He stopped in an all too familiar alley. The months flew by and Roxas began to get back into the routine of being on the streets. Being on the streets were cruel and hard, sometimes you got away sometimes you don't. Some people were never meant to leave the streets, some were meant to die here. Roxas believes he was one of them. Neither Axel nor Reno bothered Roxas for months. He saw Axel and Reno walking down the street a blonde woman clinging to Reno and Axel walking with them. Their eyes met but nothing more, because once again the all too familiar feeling of 'I'm poor you're not, just continue with your life I'm not worth your time' but this time it only hurt more to realise how foolish he was to forget the one rule of the streets, never let them fool you. Until you have truly been in poverty you will never be able to understand it, you can write about it research it but unless you lived it you won't understand it. Roxas has known this his whole life, nothing was new to him anymore now.