SUPER RICH KIDS | PHAN

one.

dan.

"catch, dan!"

dan spun ninety degrees and his hands flew up on impulse, just in time to wrap his slender fingers around a little red ball, indented with a patchwork of lines. he grinned, turning it over in his hand.

"this for me?"

the boy who had thrown it laughed from across the alley, the tinkling sound flooding dan's ears. "no! you're supposed to throw it back!"

dan hummed, tossing the ball between his hands, making a soft thumping sound when it hit his gloved palm. "i don't know, e. this is a pretty nice ball."

earl sneered at him. "what're you gonna do with it? you're too old for toys."

dan raised his eyebrows, tossing the ball again. "what did you just say, toddler?"

earl huffed and stomped his foot against the parched concrete, only further proving dan's point. "i'm nine."

"cool, i'm twenty."

he grinned when his response clearly only increased earl's frustration. he laughed, dropping the ball and striding to him, scooping him up. earl screamed and kicked, his mustard hair flopping in his eyes, but dan just grinned widely, holding him under his arm as if he was a football.

the kid was fairly light, and dan could feel his ribs when he held him like that, all of his baby fat unfortunately long gone. not that dan was all that weighty either, but he had muscles, however scrawny.

dan carried him over to the door - well, piece of cardboard - that made up a sort of separation between the small fort-esque hut they had made out of found curtains and bedposts. after they had gotten kicked out of the last shelter they had put up shop here, in an alley near main street, their sleeping bags tucked into a crook against chipped red brick, beside the dumpsters.

sure, it kind of sucked, but there was hardly ever actually trash in them, and dan had been around worse company than the rats that occasionally came and went. it was definitely livable.

he knocked jokingly before pushing it aside, revealing a young woman brushing an old women's hair with a comb missing quite a few prongs, her frail fingers dragging through the particularity stubborn tangles. she smiled wide when she saw dan and her wavy auburn hair tumbled over her shoulders when she turned to look at him.

"hello ladies," dan said with a giggle as earl poked at his side.

the younger auburn haired girl, katrina, smiled at him. "hey. you have a prisoner?"

"oh yeah," dan replied, squirming away from earl's attacks to his rib cage. "found him outside, scoping out the fort."

katrina smirked and mock-gasped, scooting back from the old woman. "give him here, i'll show him what we do to spies."

earl shrieked and bolted as soon as dan set him down, and katrina scrambled to her feet to chase him. dan laughed, stepping aside and watching them go.

he looked back toward the older woman when her hand moved, motioning him over. he smiled, stepping into the shelter, sitting cross legged on one of the sleeping bags.