Disclaimer: I don't own Junjou Romantica

As Hiroki looked around the bar, he spotted a good looking man drinking by himself. He was tall, blond, and looked like he had some European blood in him. Under normal circumstances, Hiroki would've approached any potential customer, but he recognized this one. And there was no way in hell he was going to go home with this bastard again. This guy was a pure sadist. He had not mentioned anything to Hiroki about his BDSM kinks during their negotiation (the prostitution business was actually very elaborate), which pissed Hiroki off to the fullest. He expected all his customers to follow the rules, which meant they had to come clean about what they wanted so they could be charged the right amount. And Hiroki definitely did not receive enough for all his services.

Oh great, he's looking at me. Well, you sick bastard, you better be prepared to pay me fortune if you think I'd even strip for you. I have some dignity left… okay, well maybe not compared to other people, but in this business I will be treated with respect! I earn every single yen through dedication and hard work.

Oh shut up, said another voice in his head. Dedication and hard work don't exist in this field.

But this stuff isn't easy… I mean, it takes a lot of commitment... right?

Hiroki could have kicked himself. Why the hell was he thinking such low thoughts? His occupation was nothing to be proud of. Irritated and slightly embarrassed, he got up to leave. Business had been good that day, so there wasn't any need for him to hang around. He exited the bar into the chilly outdoors. He pulled his jacket tighter around him. It was almost midnight, and the streets were nearly empty. There were only a couple of streetlights to help guide the way. The young man walked slowly, trying not to step on the cracks in the sidewalk. It was a childish thing to do, and maybe a little OCD, but it helped keep his mind off of things.

"Tadao-kun," said a voice behind Hiroki. "Fancy seeing you again."

Hiroki turned around. Go away, you stupid cheapskate. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I just want to talk. Or do I have to pay you for that as well?" The taller man laughed, putting his arm around the brunet. Seeing the scowl on Hiroki's face, he laughed even harder. "I'm just teasing. Anyway, I should apologize for ripping you off that night. But we did have such a wonderful time, so can't you just forgive me?"

"I'm already over that. But I have no interest in escorting you again."

"Hmm? But I should at least make it up to you. I'll let you stay over tonight." He smiled an unkind smile, and patted Hiroki's crotch. The smaller man felt his anger boiling. Although he had done many humiliating things in the bedroom, his pride would not let him be taken so easily. Normally, he just charged more to sleep with jerks, but this was different.

"Get the hell away from me," Hiroki hissed, jerking away from the arm around his shoulder. "Don't think I'm going to let you fuck me whenever you ask."

"Oh?" The blond raised an eyebrow. "But that's what you do, isn't it? You're a slut. That's all you're good for."

Hiroki tensed. Those words had been spoken to him before… by the man who ruined his life. "I'm giving you one last chance. Get the fuck away from me." On the inside, he wasn't so confident. He wasn't exactly the strongest person, and he wasn't the healthiest right now either due to his cup ramen diet.

"Or what?" the other slapped Hiroki so hard that he fell to the ground. He kneed the brunet in the face, causing his nose to start bleeding.

Hiroki pressed his sleeve lightly into his nose, trying to stop the flow of blood. He got to his feet, staggered, and fell back down. The next thing he knew, he was being half carried, half dragged down the sidewalk. Still a bit dazed, he could feel his legs scraping against the floor and his pants tearing. His abuser had been saying something the whole time, but he only caught, "Really, Tadao-kun. This could have all been avoided if you had been a good slut in the first place. Well, let's go get your pretty face cleaned up." There was a brief pause. "Then we can do something a bit more worthwhile."

"Fuck… you," gasped Hiroki. His legs felt like they were on fire. He tried to pry the blond's fingers off of him, only to be released for a second and met with a kick to the stomach. He felt his arm being twisted, adding to the amount of discomfort he was feeling.

"Aargh!" The brunet gritted his teeth in pain. His vision was getting fuzzy, but he was determined not to pass out. All he could think about was how mentally deranged this guy was, and the cruelty of humans. There had been a couple cars that drove past, but no one bothered to help him. Maybe they hadn't seen them because of the darkness, but Hiroki felt that wasn't the case. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the snap of a bone and the pain that was sure to follow. Then all of a sudden, the pressure on his arm was gone, leaving just the loss of breath and the throbbing in his head. Hiroki opened his eyes and looked up to see a giant towering above him. From what he could see, the male seemed to be very young, still probably a student. Hiroki's client was on the ground, coughing. The giant kneeled down beside him.

"Why are you assaulting this man?" His eyes were unforgiving.

"What? This is none of your business."

"You're harassing this innocent man. I saw you. You approached him first. Now, I have no intention of hurting you any more than I need to, but please know that I will not hesitate to call the cops."

"Don't get cocky, bastard." The blond swung at the other, missing by a couple inches. The taller man grabbed him by his shirt and threw him against a car. He slugged him in the stomach with all his strength, packing anger into the punch. He pummeled the smaller man continuously until his face was covered with blood and bruised. The student nailed him in the jaw one last time, and watched him fall to the floor.

"I hope you learned something from this," said the giant, standing over the injured man. He crouched down to meet him at eye level and gestured towards Hiroki. "Please don't bother him again."

The blond didn't reply. Instead, he spit in the giant's face, and started hobbling towards his car.

Hiroki looked at the ground in shame, feeling guilty that he witnessed that whole fight without doing anything. He muttered, "Thanks."

"It's no problem." Hiroki's savior wiped the spit off his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"May I ask your name? I'm Kusama Nowaki." The dark haired man smiled.

"Uh... Iwasaki Tadao." Hiroki had meant to tell him his real name, but habit forced him to act otherwise. Besides, normal people didn't go around giving their names to random strangers.

Nowaki helped him off the floor. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Tadao-san. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I gotta go." Hiroki turned to leave. He didn't know why he wasn't being more grateful to the person who had saved him, but he just felt like he needed to be alone. He heard Nowaki calling after him, but he ignored the voice and kept walking. Once he was out of sight, he caught a taxi back to his apartment.

Meanwhile, Nowaki was standing in the very same spot, examining the wallet the brunet left behind. He decided to look for an address so he could return it. Upon searching, he came across his driver's license, which displayed all the general information. What caught Nowaki's eye wasn't the address, but the name.

Kamijou…Hiroki?

The student chuckled. What a cute name. I guess I'll call him Hiro-san from now on.

Even in the comforts of his own bed, Hiroki felt restless. He was trying to sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about Nowaki. It had been so dark, but he still remembered his blue eyes. They were so full of kindness and concern. They weren't filled with lust or greediness like so many others Hiroki had seen. In fact, he hadn't seen those kinds of eyes since… his parents. He didn't want to think about them. Or anyone else from his past. Everything was just too painful to remember…

Hiroki was back in the dark basement. He wore nothing but an oversized shirt he had found in one of the boxes. His body was covered with bruises and scratches. The boy lay curled up on the bed, lacking the energy to cry. He flinched at the sound of the door creaking open, dreading what could happen next. Hiroki's captor descended the steps, entering his field of view. The man carried a glass of water in his hand.

"Hiroki, I have something for you."

The boy hesitantly sat up, eyeing the glass of water. His thirst was threatening to take over, and he desperately needed something to drink. But when he came face-to-face with the man, he was not handed the glass.

His captor spoke softly. "I'll give you this, in exchange for something else."

Hiroki managed to croak out one word. "What?"

"You know what I want." As if to give the boy a clue, he licked his lips.

Hiroki knew all too well what it was, but he felt like his throat would fall apart if he tried. It was already so sore and much too dry. "I-I can't. It hurts too much." He was expecting to be forced into it by some kind of beating or punishment, but there was nothing of the sort. Instead, he received a bone chilling response.

"I'm sorry, Hiroki. That is not the right answer." The man started to walk away with the glass in hand.

"Wait, no!" Hiroki cried out hoarsely. But he was ignored. "Please, come back! I'm sorry!"

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, then the shutting of the basement door. The young teen started to sob. He didn't expect it to be possible since he was so dehydrated, but the tears fell freely. Strangely, there was another sensation too, but he had to focus to figure out what it was. A hand was gently patting his head. Hiroki looked to his left and saw a tall man smiling sympathetically at him. "It's okay. Everything's going to be all right."

Although Hiroki had no idea who this stranger was, he felt comforted. It was the first pleasant feeling he had experienced in weeks. So he leaned against the other and cried. It almost felt nice to cry, now that there was someone there with him. When a strong arm wrapped around him, he truly felt like everything was going to be okay.

When Hiroki woke from his dream, he was surprised. Instead of feeling afraid or being unable to move like ususal, he felt… content. Almost like a normal person waking up on a normal day.

Wait, was that…? No, it can't be. But it was. That was Nowaki in my dream! Oh damn, I must be going crazy. I don't even know him. He just did me a little favor. That's all. But…it felt nice. His touch.

He mentally slapped himself. Snap out of it, idiot. And get moving. You have to work today. And although he was completely aware of this fact, he couldn't help closing his eyes for a minute, recalling the touch of Nowaki's hand.

A/N: Hey guys! So here's Nowaki, just like I promised. I hope you guys liked this chapter and please review/favorite!

~Persephone