happilyeverbeginning | he's down on his luck / he's down on his knees (scrooge x poe)

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he's down on his luck / he's down on his knees (scrooge x poe)

This hadn't been the best plan, but for Poe De Spell, it was the only plan he had. He'd lost track of how long it'd been since that fateful day he ran away in the middle of the night, in a desperate escape to get away from his parent's clutches. The arranged marriage had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

What a sight he must be now, he mused. The high-class fashion he was once so proud of was basically in tatters. He had long since run out of the money he could use - he didn't bring his credit cards, that would have made for easy tracking. Anything he had managed to take had now been sold just so he could eat and maybe find a roof to sleep under, but even that wasn't made to be forever.

Where did one find work when your grades were bribed to As? Who did you trust, when his parents had a bounty on his head?

He did keep his phone, but it was off. If he turned it on, his parents would find him. But it was a last chance deal - if truly all else failed, he'd use it. He prayed it never came to that. Even if it meant selling the last thing he had - himself.

He sat on the side of the road, ignoring his stomach growling for the umpteenth time, eyes distant and not really staring at anything.

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"No, there's a difference."

Scrooge walked back into the stall, still speaking through the curtain.

"Recycling means you take something, break it down into its components to make something new. Like turning old newspapers into new paper." He took a moment to pop his head through the neck hole. "Upcycling is when you take something that already exists and use it in a new way. I got hired on temporarily to help a picker who'd hurt his back. He sold this old claw tub to one of these upcycling shops. The next week? The owner had made a tub chair out of it."

Scrooge looked himself over. It was a red suede jacket with darker red patches on the sleeves. His beak actually twitched with pleasure at it. He'd always liked the color red. He stepped out to show Poe.

Poe had to force himself to listen instead of giving in to temptation and droning it out. It sounded boring, but it was probably very important, and probably part of his new life. So he nodded along and "mm-hmm"ed where appropriate.

But for the next fashion show? Poe was wide awake. He stared, then grinned, walking in another circle around Scrooge, his fingers in a square like a camera or a phone. "Yes, yes, yes! I love it. It's you. Red suits you so perfectly, it's almost dangerous. Not too bright to be a sore thumb, but the hues will make you appealing against all the browns and grays you'll be with on a day to day basis."

He stepped back to admire his handiwork. "Forget the rest, they can't possibly be better than that."

"It is a nice jacket. And it wouldn't get destroyed on the job," Scrooge said. He took it off, turning it to look at the price. He grimaced. "But the price..."

"It's one luxury." Poe snatched the jacket away from Scrooge before he had the dreadful idea of returning it. "Think of it as an investment to your future! Forget stock options, this is your door to a better future!"

Scrooge doubted it and he cringed as he imagined the price tag again. Still, he had agreed to one item. (He should've set a price limit.)

"Fine. Let's get you sorted out then we'll go."

Poe beamed, pleased he'd gotten his way. "Fortunately, when you're born with a face as amazing as mine, even rags shine." He flounced off to take his chosen items to try on - simplicity in every way. Pants, shirt, only the necessities.

Scrooge was legitimately impressed by Poe. He picked practical but nice-looking things. There were a couple of things that had to be put back on the rack, but that was only because their money was limited and Scrooge pointed out that unless Poe wanted him to put the jacket back, they needed to stay in-budget.

Poe wanted Scrooge to keep the jacket - he deserved eye candy after all his suffering! So in the end, saving money won out. Satisfied, he joined Scrooge in heading to the counter.

"So I spent less than I'm used to, and you spent more than you're used to, and yet, we both survived. Wondrous."

The cashier totaled up their purchases while Scrooge sighed and counted out the money. He handed it over, internally cringing as he did so.

"Aye, we did. Will miracles never cease."

He thanked the young woman, taking the bag of their clothes and walking back out to the truck.

Poe flashed the young woman a flirty smile, complimenting her gorgeous hair, before following Scrooge out. They may need to shop there again, so building a good reputation could help out.

"Where to now?"

"Now we need to scope out the area to see what jobs are available. Along with seeing about the local gym."

"... You work out?" Hello, interest meter up.

"Aye, but largely you need a gym membership to get access to the showers. I usually get up early, do a small workout, and then clean myself up for work."

"Oh, right. I was wondering about getting a bath..." A sigh. Hot long bubble baths were a thing of the past. "But that will have to do."

"The alternative is the local homeless shelter, and I wouldn't recommend it," Scrooge stated bluntly.

"... I've been there a few times." Poe admitted, eyes away once he was back in the truck. "Not a lot of friendly faces, to put it mildly."

Scrooge nodded his head. "Aye. I've been to a few myself when it was too cold even in the truck. Freezing to death wouldn't help my family."

"It is a comfort to know you have your limits." It was difficult to tell if Poe was being sarcastic or not.

Scrooge snorted. "I take my responsibilities seriously."

His face perked up as they reached a strip mall, spying a sign for a temp agency. He pulled into the parking lot.

"So, what's this place? What are we doing now?" What other wonders of the commoner world was he about to experience?

"Now we get to go in, introduce ourselves, get asked some questions about our skills, and get put into the system to see if anything matches up. If it looks like they don't have much, we'll probably have to move on to the next town."

"... Hm. Skills." Poe said slowly, trying to think. He'd really have to be quick on his feet with bull-shitting and word loopholes. "Let's hope we're as lucky here as we were to get that jacket."

Scrooge didn't get out of the truck, looking towards Poe. "...Let's go over what you can do."

What could he do? Poe was confident about his looks and... that was about it. Years of his parents buying his way through school told him that his worth as a person was meaningless. He was just a body that held the Spell name, so it never mattered what he could accomplish on his own. After running away from home, anything he'd probably learned from school had likely been diminished if not eradicated.

His self-confidence was shredded to ribbons. He was having an honest to goodness difficult time thinking of why anyone would want him.

"I don't... I don't know." he said very quietly.

Scrooge watched Poe struggle and felt his heart twist in sympathy.

"What were your hobbies before? Did you make crafts, do art...?"

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