Darren recoiled from picking up the bills, turning to face me.  I could feel the rage thrumming through him. 

"What the fuck was that!" 

"He could've at least handed it to you."  I offered.  His eyes shot daggers at me. 

"No.  I get *that* all the time.  What the fuck were *you* doing?" 

I stopped, suddenly feeling like the enemy.  I didn't have an answer.   

"Fuck, Daniel, I thought you understood."  Questions.  Questions screaming from his eyes.  "Do you know how fucking humiliating that is?  It's bad enough when there's no one around to see it, but you..."  He ran out of words then, settled for slamming a fist against the wall. "Shit!" 

I stepped cautiously closer.  That's when I saw it.  The boy had left a puddle of spunk staining the aged concrete.  The bills had landed right in it.  We both knew it was no accident. 

Darren paced restlessly, raking a hand through his ebony hair, looking like he was fighting tears.  My heart twisted.  I'd known from the beginning there was something fragile in him, something breakable.

He was breaking, right before my eyes.  And I almost broke in sympathy. 

He fought me when I tried to take him in my arms.  But I won.  I held him close, until he stopped trying to brush me off. 

"I'm sorry."   

It was all I could say.  Over and over.  He let a few tears fall, but not for long.  He was too strong for that.  And soon he stopped just letting me hold him and actually held me back. 

"Come back to my hotel with me."  I pleaded softly.  "We don't have to do anything.  I just don't want you on the streets tonight."  I turned his head to look at me.  I knew I was asking a lot.  I couldn't help it.  I wanted to be with him.  "Please." 

He considered me slowly, too many questions clouding his blue eyes.  "Why are you doing this? I'm not worth this.  I'm damaged goods." 

"No."  He winced a little at the ferocity of my voice.  I took a breath, tried to soften my tone.  "No, you're not.  You're so much more than what they think of you."  That innocence, the purity I first saw in him was still there, and at that moment I could see it so clearly. 

"Come with me tonight." 

He met my gaze then, eyes laden with challenge. 

"Ok." His lips quirked upward  "But it'll cost ya."