An older story, but hope you enjoy none the less.

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It had been a long day of over-privileged students complaining about the power going out for a whole hour at the NYU dorms, claiming they could not study with the chaos, therefore they shouldn't have to take the exam which had been on the syllabus since the start of term.

On his way home Collins felt as though everything was happening in slow motion because it was taking forever to reach the train— he was tired and the temptation to contemplate the disparity between the social classes was not helping as he pushed his way through the crowded New York sidewalks. Collins told himself to just take a deep breath and he would be in Alphabet City in no time. After crossing the street, he looked up onto a stoop where a mother was screaming at a tiny brown-haired girl who was in tears, clutching her doll that was missing an arm and a shoe. The woman slapped the little girl in anger shouting "Never again!" and pushed her inside the building. Collins stood for a moment transfixed as he heard shouting up ahead—a girl of no more than sixteen years old was crying and pulling, on what Collins suspected, was her boyfriends arm as he was trying to jerk it away.

Collins couldn't take it anymore. He just kept his gaze down and walked as fast as he could, almost running down into the subway station.

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Angel was slouching in a half-sitting position with her back propped against a big hot pink sparkling pillow. She was reading a book on dreams, and was just contemplating what that purple palm tree in her dream could have meant, when she heard the door of the apartment slam shut. Just as she started to yell—

"Hey baby, in h—" Collins was already in the bedroom dropping his stuff on the floor.

"Honey?" Angel narrowed her eyebrows—

Without a word, Collins leaned forward, wrapped his arms around Angel's hips, put his head on her chest, and closed his eyes. Immediately Angel dropped her book, and began to stroke her lover's hair and back.

"Baby…you okay?" She heard Collins sniffle and saw him screw his face up as though he was about to cry.

"Collins!" Angel pushed him up in a sitting position. "What happened? Are you hurt? Something happened at work?" She was stoking his face and holding onto his waist as he just stared at her silently. Collins took a breath as though he was about to say something and Angel stopped talking.

"How…how is it that people take everything for granted? Their wealth, love, happiness…. children which they waited for during those long nine months?" Angel was a little puzzled; she wasn't sure whether Collins was asking this rhetorically, and what must have brought it on. Collins stopped short when he saw her expression.

"What I mean is that I used to take things for granted too… until, well until you know I found out I had HIV. And I'm just so afraid that one day I'm going to start taking you for granted, and I don't want to because you are everything I want—so intelligent, and God—beautiful… and you make me feel like I own the Universe just when I think about you wanting to be with me. And I want you to know that I will never walk away from you, or let you cry because of me, or—."

But it was too late, because Angel was already crying silent tears.

"You're talking like this as if you don't deserve me, as if I'm somehow better than you—you're the one with the job, and a PhD, and—."

"Angel!" Collins interrupted her, "That means nothing if I hit you, yell at you, or even tell you that you can't wear something so other guys won't look at you. You are the embodiment of everything good in the world, and some people go through a lifetime never knowing or appreciating everything that they have, which for the most part they didn't even earn. And—."

Angel's lips were on his and suddenly all Collins could think about was how soft they were, and how he could no longer think about anything more than himself and Angel on their bed, reaching under each other's shirts. Collins began murmuring in between kisses.

"Not just because you'll have me… not because you're so good to me… I love you because… God… your lips are… I love you because… you're a revolutionary… beautiful in… a sweatshirt… stilettos… socks only— " Angel couldn't help herself, she started laughing and fell back onto the bed taking Collins with her.

"If I ever start mistreating you like that, I want you to kick me out and give me a piece of your brilliant mind." Their foreheads were touching as they faced each other, and Collins continued to stroke her cheek as Angel held onto his waist.

"Well I plan to keep you busy tending to my needs so you won't even have the chance," she smiled.

"I love you, you know that? And we are so lucky to have each other. For as long as you'll have me."

"Collins. As hard as it has been to get it through my head, I really do know that you love me and not just my dresses, or my gender. I wouldn't even know where to begin explaining why I love you so much and get so excited to hear the front door open when you come home. Our home."

Collins smiled widely and kissed her. "Our home."