Homeless DM x DK

For my sister MKelly.

2008 – Danny p.o.v

At least the winters are not too bad here. It's not too cold this year so maybe I won't spend a week in hospital because my dumb ass got both hypothermia and pneumonia in the space of three days and they didn't want me to leave until I was completely better. I don't think the lady that was my nurse wanted me to leave at all after she saw I had no home to go too. They made me stay in a shelter, well they didn't make me. I could not leave the hospital until shelter accommodation had been found for me. It all went well until I was being bullied by someone else in the shelter and since he was there longer than I was, nobody believed me until after I had left.

It was a bit too little too late by that point though. I was back on the streets and I was not about to go to the shelter with a tail between my legs to beg for my place back. I was going to tough it out, the way I have done it since I was eighteen but with less money and no way to make money. I was in a band, Lorene Drive. It payed for some clothes and food and I had a bed whenever we were on tour. Which was fairly often, too often for my band mates and we didn't really make much in terms of money. We all mutually decided to quit the band, put it on hold for now. They still don't know I am homeless since we have not really spoken to each other since. Well, I haven't spoken to them at all.

There was a big fight between me and the guys. That is the reason we stopped talking to each other. They didn't blame me for the band breaking up, but they thought that I was a bit stupid for agreeing to all of those warped tours and bar shows. It made us some money, it was better than sitting around and doing nothing. I knew a couple of the guys would have probably preferred sitting around and doing nothing, but I had graduated college meaning I was more broke than normal, and I wanted to use my new found skills for something. Even if we did fail at least I could tell my mom I tried. I don't see myself ever coming off student debt at this point. I am in a vicious cycle of not being able to get employed to get off the streets and stuff.

My biggest regret was selling my guitar. I earned more money when I sang and played. Don't get me wrong, I still earn money, just not as much as I used to. A man has been standing here listening to me sing, usually people just walk on by and toss a few coins in. I looked to him when I finished my song, he was tall, with this amazing curly hair that you could tell he straightens regularly. "Nice singing why is a man like you in a place like this?" he asks, the streets are a dangerous mess and by the way I barely had any clothes left he could tell I am a homeless man. "Got no place to go to, no money to buy one either," I reply, I did quietly thank him for the compliment on my singing. Once you become homeless it's kinda where you stay.

He holds out a $20 note, I look at him with disbelief in my eyes. There is no way he wants me to have this. It is just going to be some cruel joke I know it. He's building up my trust by asking questions and then he will break it down by taking the $20 away from me. "I will come by with some clothes later, enjoy a proper meal tonight please," he tells me, and presses the note into my hand. "You don't have to do this, there are hundred of homeless around. I am not special," I tell him, trying to hand back the note. I was not ungrateful for the money that he was offering but the promise of clean clothes was too much for me. I get that he is trying to be nice to me, but I really did not deserve any of it. I try again to give him back the money.

"But I did nothing to earn this much money. I literally sang for like five minutes," I tell him. I didn't think that five minutes of me singing and it wasn't even my best deserved $20 for food which I was going to probably end up spreading over a few days because I have always been careful with the money that I have earned though my begging. "Well, I have never heard any of the other homeless men around who sing as well as you do. You have talent kid and I'd hate to see it wasted," the man says, he never mentioned his name and I felt bad to ask for it this late into a conversation. We talked a little more before he left. He left and said that he hoped that I was going to be here later so that he could give me the clothes.

I don't want to be mean to the poor man, but I don't think I can stay here for long enough for him to give me the clothes. The police have a tendency to come and find me, give me a coffee because they have seen me so many times at this point and then move me on to somewhere else. They usually do it just after lunch time. It doesn't usually end up being the same cops either, they are all briefed on who I am and to just gently encourage me to move along. I don't fight them even though it would end up being a comfy bed for that night. The criminal record is not really worth it. My chances of getting a job is slim enough right now, I don't need to purposefully ruin it. I was right about being moved on like usual.

"Good afternoon Danny," the lady officer tells me, I had my money all stashed away safe and I accept the coffee from the officer. "Good afternoon officer," I tell her, then she hands me a hot sandwich which I was not expecting, and I was so shocked. "Think we need to start putting some food in your stomach. Don't want you ending up in hospital if we can take care of you a little," she says, I remember this officer from previous encounter. She has always been going above the call of duty for people and I have not been an exception to that. I thank her and then start eating the sandwich she gave me. I will eat this without burning my mouth and then I will probably get moved along to somewhere else.

It happens at least twice a day, they tend to leave us alone at night because we all need somewhere to rest our heads as well. It is not fair being moved along when the night life is so difficult when you don't have a home. There are intense fights over sleeping spaces sometimes. Usually you sleep where you are and if you move to go to the bathroom or to get yourself a cheap burger from Mc Donald's for your dinner you are screwed. It does feel like people without places are waiting like little rats to scurry onto where you were moments ago to claim the spot as their own. If you try and fight it, you will lose. I have seen people die in fights like these. The police might come and see but they never intervene.

In the end, no one really cares about a homeless man. "Sorry Danny, gotta move you along now," she tells me. I knew this was coming so I nodded and left the place where I set up onto my next place which is where I usually end up spending the night if I get lucky. The officer was grateful that I didn't argue. She doesn't really care about me though, just feels sorry for me. Homeless people die every single day, and no one cares about them. They just get a lonely funeral where maybe one other homeless man shows up. The families of the men, women and even children feel too ashamed to admit that those people where their family members, so the bodies often end up in the morgue unclaimed.

"Hey Danny, you got moved along again?" Fred asks me, he is one of the oldest men around and has taught me everything I know about surviving here. "Yeah, she gave me lunch though which was nice of her," I tell him. The $20 is weighing heavily in my mind, the curly haired man is going to look for me later and I feel bad for him. He is not going to find me there and I didn't really promise him that I would be there when he wanted to come back. I felt blessed that he offered me the clothes though, I could have started looking for a job which is probably why he was going to give them to me. "Yeah Officer Kathryn is really nice," Fred tells me, I never bother learning the officer's names as Fred said he had high hopes of me leaving this lifestyle.

"Yeah she is," I reply, not really wanting to talk much longer. I was definitely intrigued by the curly haired man outside of the café I had chosen to start begging at this morning. Fred covered me with a blanket and rubbed my hair. "You got lots on your mind this time kiddo?" he asks, and I nod. I wish I would have asked for that guy's name. I explain what happened between me and the mysterious man that I saw outside my first begging spot. He listened to everything pretty intently and smiled at me when I finished. "He's not wrong on your singing Danny. You are wasted out here, you could make so much money if you were in a band again," he tells me. I know I would make money, but there is that same cycle with the band. I need to be clean, and I need to have decent clothes to be let into a studio.

"I know, but no band would take me in the state I am in. I know the man offered me clothes, but I was moved along before he could come back with them. Deep down I still think that offer from him was too good to be true," I tell him, I love being honest with Fred. He has so much more life experience than I have, and it means that he will be able to make sense of my thoughts at times when I don't. "I know, but he gave you twenty dollars, right? It's not everyday a man will hand you twenty dollars and promise some clothes. Give him a chance next time you see him," Fred says, he's right though. I have been homeless since I was 17 and in all my years of being homeless no man has come up and gave me $20 like that.

I was suddenly super tired and Fred notices. We had talked about the mysterious man for a little while. I sang a little bit to earn ourselves more money. I wanted to split the money I was given with Fred, but he refused and told me he would only go and buy me food with the money if I was too tired to go myself. I managed to go and get myself a burger and fries with a drink of coke and I still had money left. A lot of money compared with what I had been earning these last few months. I missed the taste of Coke if I was being honest, I chose the cheapest drinks possible when I need them and took the advantage of free water in places. "Get some rest Dan, I'll be on watch tonight," he tells me, I shake my head.

He's a lot older than I am and someone has been out to attack the homeless for a while now. I fear that he will be easy pickings for someone who might be having a rough day. "I'm not that tired, I can take first watch," I tell him, I know deep down I was lying to him. He knows probably that I did the last 3 nights in a row without waking him up for him to take his turn and I could get some rest. "Says the kid who has been awake for over seventy- two hours straight. If you keep burning yourself out like this you will end up in the hospital and then back into a homeless shelter because there is no way they will let you return to this," Fred says, waving at the depressing surrounds we call our home. He was not angry with me though.

He treats me like the son he has never had, he is desperate for me to get my life sorted and myself back into employment and part of that means taking care of myself and not ending up in hospital. I can't really argue with the man. I yawn and he gently encourages me to lay down on the makeshift bed we have in our little shelter. "Goodnight Daniel," he tells me, and I close my eyes. I don't fall asleep straight away, but I don't react to him ruffling my hair which makes him think that I have fallen asleep. "Guardian angels, if you are out there listening to me please give Daniel the chance at life that I never had. Please make sure this kid doesn't spend the rest of his life living like this," Fred says, and I resist the urge to get up and hug the man.

He is a very spiritual person I have known that from day one. He prays at least twice a day. I don't get why he prays so much as nothing really comes from it. When I told him that he wasn't angry that I didn't believe. He told me that if he asked God enough times one time he will listen and do something. I admire his faith and his strong will. He did say once he usually prays for me to have a sign that this period of being homeless is over. He told me while we were talking earlier that he thinks this mysterious man might be my ticket into getting out of homelessness. It would be pretty amazing if it was and I would have to pay him back as thanks for believing in me when I don't even believe in myself right now. It is so hard to think that I can do something when society dictates to me regularly that I am the scum of the planet even though I had no say in where I ended up.

2009 – Danny p.o.v

This day one year ago I met Matt, the mysterious man who would have such a huge impact on my life. He keeps coming back and giving me $20 each time he sees me. I did get the clothes the next day and I explained about the other place that I go to after I get moved by the police. It makes sure that if he doesn't see me outside of the café that he knows I didn't just leave him. Fred still believes one day soon I will be free from this homeless life. I keep asking him teasingly if God has told him yet, only to be shoved over before we both start laughing. At least he knows I am only teasing the beliefs he has, and I never mean any malice behind my words. This morning I am back at the café and I wonder if I am going to see Matt again. I hope so.

I was happy to see Matt, but the happiness quickly changed when I saw the look on his face. I pat the spot on the ground next to me after we make eye contact. Luckily for me he didn't take it in a creepy way and sat down next to me. "What's up Matt? I have never seen you this sad before," I ask him. I feel like over the last year we have become good friends and I don't like it when my friends are sad for any reason. "We are seriously considering kicking our lead singer out of the band, but we have a tour to go on this month and we can't be a singer down," he tells me, I have heard all about the troubles they have had with Aron over the band's short lifetime. Matt has not been keeping it to himself when he is with me.

It is a good thing though; I am a good listener. "I know, it sucks when one of your band is an asshole. I've been there myself and then kinda ended up here because the band has been put on hold for a year," I tell him. I finally feel confident enough that I can reveal this sort of information to him. He looks at me, and it was like I could see cogs turning in his brain. "Wait you were in a band? I guess it makes sense with your vocal talents," he tells me. I used his phone to find the music that we made, there a couple of videos on you tube somewhere too. "Yeah have been since before I left high school. We took on a too rough schedule for our young age and it blew up in our faces. I did start being homeless with a guitar, but I had to sell it before it got stolen," I tell him.

It did feel good having this conversation with him. I feel like Fred will be telling me I told you so if something comes of this. I try not to cringe while Matt plays my music whilst looking at me with a mixture of shock and awe. Especially when it got to the part of So Easy where I start screaming. Then he looks at me. "I have a spare room in my apartment, I am sure once I tell the guys about you, we can get you set up with some things and an in-date passport if you need one. This might be crazy but if we do kick Aron out, you would be the perfect fit," he tells me, and my jaw probably dropped to the floor. This is my ticket out of here, I am not homeless anymore if I accept this offer. He looks at me with a huge smile.

"This is huge Matt, if you really want a guy like me to live with you then sure," I tell him. I smile, I need to thank Fred for encouraging me to get up this morning. "Of course, I want you to live with me Danny, I can't let a piece of perfection like you waste away here," he tells me, and I blush a little bit. I take his hand when he gets up and we say goodbye to Fred, who gave me an I told you so kind of look when Matt announced he was taking me away from the homeless life. Matt gives him the $20 he was going to give to me until he discovered just how my singing was. Tonight, is going to be the best sleep I have ever had since turning 17. I will be in a clean bed for once and I will be clean. I don't think that Matt will protest if I take a hot shower when we get back. He calls his friend asking if he hand those bags of small clothes he was throwing out while we walk to his apartment.

"Jorel has said he'll bring his old clothes and some of George's to tide you over until we get you some new clothes. Don't worry no one can tell that they might be hand me downs. They have been kept well," Matt tells me, and I smile. I can't really talk right now; I was too overwhelmed by the generosity of Matt and his bandmates already even though I have not met the rest of the band yet. I was thinking now I have a home to get a job at the café I was outside of if I explain that I am no longer homeless and now actively looking for employment. I want to start paying Matt back for the opportunity he has given me even though I know I will get the talk that he was not giving me the opportunity for any other reason than he was doing it for kindness.

"Welcome to your new home. I know it is not much, but I hope you enjoy living here," Matt tells me, it was better than the apartment I was given for a month before I was evicted because someone made a false claim against me to the landlord. "Are you kidding me? This place is luxury compared to other places I have been," I tell him. I was overjoyed at the thought of sleeping in a comfy bed tonight and not worrying about all my belongings being stolen. It might be a rough night though; my body will be so used to waking up to take watch that I might keep doing it without meaning too. "I'm going to have a shower okay?" I ask him, and he hands me a towel and some fresh clothes as well as a razor because I was due a shave.

"Go for it, buddy, I will be in the living room when you are done," he tells me. I nod and head to the bathroom and wait for the shower to warm up. While I was in the shower freshening myself up, I could not hesitate to sing to any song that came into my head. I knew Matt could hear me and he hopefully enjoys the concert. I was done within half an hour and man I felt so good afterwards. I haven't been this clean in a while and it was the best feeling. I go to join Matt on the couch and I naturally snuggle up to him. "Hey definitely think that you should become our lead singer if we kick Aron out. Your voice fits in so well with the rest of us," he tells me, and then plays some of Hollywood Undead's songs from their album.

He played a few and after a couple of listens I sang some of Aron's parts so Matt could get a clearer idea of how well my voice might or might not fit in with the rest of them. Matt told me all about the band so that I could get an idea of what everyone was like as people and what their roles in the band are. Matt is the drummer of the band and has a few vocal roles in the songs, but not many compared with the other guys and he says that he does not really mind that right now. "Oh yeah, now I am one hundred percent confident that you should be the lead singer," Matt says, and then there is a knock on the door which startled me. I was not used to doors, that was another thing Matt was discovering.

"I think it's Jorel. He said he was gathering the clothes up and coming along to drop them off and to meet you. The most important think he wanted you to know was that he will not push you if you are not comfortable with it. He understands that this will be hard to get used to," Matt tells me. It does kinda feel weird, I wonder how much Jorel knows about me from Matt. I know that he probably knows that until an hour ago I was homeless. "Okay, I am fine with that," I tell him, and he lets Jorel in. I was nervous, but I know both males will help me feel comfortable here. "Hey Jay, thanks for bringing the clothes, poor guy has nothing right now," Matt says, as he accepts the bag of clothes from the other guy.

I gave Jorel a shy wave and nothing else because I was incredibly nervous. Jorel sat down on a chair and I stayed close to Matt as the older men talk to each other. "George says he has this old phone he was going to sell, but he wants Danny to have it instead so we can help him get all set up with everything," Jorel tells me. I was feeling even more overwhelmed with the generosity of these men. I was not expecting to have a roof over my head and clothes to wear and a phone. "That's good, I think that if we continue down our path with Aron and we do kick him out we have a pretty good replacement sitting next to me," Matt says, and I just wanted to hide from all of the compliments. People are not usually this nice to me, they are usually nice for a moment and then horrible afterwards.

"Yeah, maybe let's let the guy settle in first. This must be a lot for him to go from being homeless for so long to having all this stuff," Jorel says, voicing my thoughts which was nice. At least they have some understanding of what is going on. I wasn't sure how long I have been homeless at this point. 7 years now, I think. "Of course, I know that Danny needs a lot of settling in time and we will give him that. We have to give Aron another chance anyways. The management will not let us fire him unless he does not bother to show up to the Vatos Locos tour," Matt says, and I slowly feel myself being able to relax next to Matt. He does know how long I have been homeless as we have had a couple of discussions in the last year on my record of being in shelters and on the streets.

"It's okay, I am the type of guy who doesn't take long to adapt to the situation around him. I will be fine by the end of the week and I don't mind tagging along to rehearsals or whatever so you guys can hear me sing. Would like to get a job in the meantime though just to help pay my share of living here," I tell them, I know for a fact I have not discussed anything regarding payment with Matt. He probably doesn't expect anything in return for giving me a roof over my head. "I'm not expecting you to pay any share of the bills so soon Danny. Just settle in first and see what jobs are on offer before starting to talk about that," Matt tells me, just as I was expecting him to say. It is nice to not worry about that though.

At the same time, I hate it I am worried that people will look on and think that I am just a homeless man sponging off Matt. Heck even I feel like that right now, it is a bit weird that this man who has only known me for a year is so eager to let me live with him and not pay the bills for now. I do know I have no money to my name right now and that will be an issue, but over the next week I will be searching for a job and helping pay Matt back whether he likes it or not. "I know, but it feels a little strange having a home knowing that bills are a thing," I tell him, struggling to let him know how I feel about it. Jorel was trying to figure it out, but I know that I had verbally fucked that one up quite a bit. "I get it, when you did have a home bills were always on your mind thinking how you can earn enough money to cover them all right?" Jorel asks, and I nod.

We talk a little longer before Jorel leaves and Matt says it is a good time for us both to have some dinner. This will be my first homecooked decent meal for a long while. It has been 3 years since I was last living in sheltered accommodation, and I could get meals like that. I felt like since I lived on the streets I was not entitled to the food and I never asked if it was okay. In hindsight I probably should have asked anyway, it is clear for them to see until now that I was homeless genuinely and the food would have helped. I was told that they can't say no, but I was too afraid to ask about it. I am a little fearful of rejection despite being rejected several times throughout my adulthood so far. I'm developing a crush on the man who saved my life, but I feel like that is all it will ever be. Just a little crush.

I watch Matt cooking dinner as I felt too awkward to be in the living room by myself. I don't see this as being my home just yet, but then again today has been non-stop craziness from the minute I woke up. "Hey Danny, it's okay to come watch me. I know this is probably very strange right now," Matt says, when he notices that I am in the room. I wasn't creepily staring at him or anything I was just watching what he was doing and trying to figure out what is being cooked for dinner. I think it is fried chicken and rice tonight. That is a good meal though, I have not eaten rice in years. Matt is a good cook; I have never smelled food this good before. He chuckles when he hears my stomach growl. "Good thing I am making dinner then hey Danny?" he teases, and I smile.

"Yeah, haven't eaten anything all day, so I am pretty hungry right now," I admit. I was used to this though. Some days my only meals would be those that the officer gives me at lunch time before I get moved along. I won't move from the second place, so I don't get dinner unless Fred forces me to eat something. "Dang, you should have eaten something earlier Danny. You could have told me when I saw you, I would have bought you lunch," he tells me, and I act on the urge to hug the older man. I made him feel sad about it and that was not meant to happen. "I am kinda used to not eating, it wouldn't have occurred to me to mention that I haven't eaten yet," I tell him, I don't want to make it his responsibility to make sure that I eat.

"Okay you will probably eat a lot more now you are with me. I won't remind you because you're an adult now but maybe seeing me eat will encourage you. You can help yourself whenever you feel hungry," Matt tells me. That is nice of him. I will probably slowly get an appetite increase as I get used to eating 3 meals a day like I am supposed to. It has been a long time since I ate three meals on a regular basis. It is going to be weird to get used to it while I discover how to be a normal functioning human being with a job. It is going to take a lot to get used to, but I know I am going to be a lot happier. Matt did hug me back briefly and I left him alone to carry on cooking our dinner. I smile at him when he plates up our dinner. I am so grateful for what he is doing for me.

"Enjoy your meal Danny," he tells me, and he gets us both a drink. I thanked him at least 3 times during our meal. He laughed after the second one because I was adorable in his eyes apparently. I have no idea why though. After dinner, it was movie time and boy was I excited for that. I have not watched a movie in so long. I cuddle up to Matt while we watch the films. I was enjoying how comfortable I am with Matt despite me only living with him for about 5 hours now. It felt like we have known each other for years and years when we haven't but it felt natural. It felt right to be with Matt like this and if we ever date it will be amazing. "How are you feeling now?" he asks me, and I smile at him. "I'm feeling good," I tell him.

"That's good Danny. Let me know if you need anything," he tells me. We spent three hours watching movies together before I told him that I was too tired to keep going. He thought that I was going to tell him earlier than I did that I was tired. He took me on a tour of the apartment and the spare room which is now becoming my bedroom. Tomorrow we will get some more things to decorate this room and change it from a spare room into a more personal one. I climbed into bed and enjoyed the marshmallow feeling of the bed when I lay down for the first time. Matt smiled at the look on my face. I was already drifting off to sleep. This bed is the most comfortable bed that I have ever slept in in my entire life.

"Goodnight Danny," he tells me, and I have enough energy to say goodnight back before I fell asleep under the covers. I do agree with Matt that today has been the best yet the weirdest day I am likely to experience. I am sure life is looking up for me now. I am going to have a plan where I save some money whilst I earn my own and pay the bills that I can attempt to buy Fred a little apartment as a thank you for believing that I am going to leave the homeless life when other people would just leave me to die. He has saved my life and I do owe him for that even though he will also deny that. He just sees me as the son he never had and he wants me to have the things that he was not able to enjoy.

And that is the end of another one shot, hope you enjoyed. If you don't like what you just read then why are you here?

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