---Daniel's POV---

I'm ashamed to say that after our little conversation in the diner, I had been avoiding Colton like the plague. He didn't do anything wrong but after his inquiry of my sexuality things had become...weird.

I sighed deeply and blew my hair out of my face, scowling at the greasy strands. Curse the fact that Colton's smile made my heart stutter and tumble over itself before my stomach would tighten awkwardly.

That man was simply too much for me! I mean, all he had to do was flash one of his gorgeous smiles and I was a puddle of sticky goo at his feet. Especially after I had revealed that I've never been in a relationship before and didn't have a clue to what I was doing emotionally wise.

A gust of wind made me shiver as I blinked against the harsh drift, narrowing my eyes to protect them against the sand that harshly slapped in my face. Moistening my lips, I sighed deeply and lowered my head, continuing to trudge forwards.

It's been four days since I've popped my head up in the town. Four days since Colton had bought me breakfast and looked at me with those intense eyes of his.

"Will you stop it?" I scolded myself, not wanting to think about the gorgeous officer for now. I stumbled against the wind as it picked up speed, howling in my ears and pulling at my clothes and hair with invisible fingers.

Soon enough, it would rain and judging from the near purple clouds, thunder and lightning might come to play as well. I shivered and picked up the pace, glancing at my feet to check with Bruce.

He hasn't ventured from my side for a second, always sticking close and looking up at me. The past days had been rather tough on me and I barely had the strength to lift my feet so I had to shuffle my way through the forest, leaning against Bruce as I did.

Stressing out over what is and what could be was giving me a headache, not to mention more seizures so I simply shrugged and accepted that whatever was going to happen, I'd stand by and watch before judging it.

"Shit, it's cold." I shivered, leaning against a tree and looking around for some form of shelter. I could already hear the distant rumbling in the air through the quiet forest. Every other critter was smart enough to flee to their dens; only Bruce and I were still out.

Another bone-wreaking shiver coursed through my body as my teeth clicked together. Damn, I wasn't going to make it to town before the storm was going to fully hit. My eyes flitted through the forest before landing on a fallen tree.

I quickly glanced up, making sure that there weren't any dead branches or widow-maker around. Those could fall out of the tree during the storm and if I was standing underneath it, I'd be dead.

Deeming the surrounding trees safe, I quickly stumbled towards the tree, grinning shakily when Bruce was two steps ahead of me and viciously pawing at the dirt underneath, digging a small hole.

Falling on my knees, I quickly helped and clawed in the dirt until we had a small indentation with the roots holding the rest safely above. I huddled in the hole, curling up and pulling Bruce with me so we were both dry for nature's temper tantrum that was ready to explode.

The first drops of rain started to trickle down and I felt a pinch of fear in my stomach at the first flash that sparked through the air. The electricity crackled in the air before it lashed out with a resounding boom, illuminating the forest for a split second before it grew pitch black again.

Bruce whimpered slightly, cuddling closer in my arms. "Sorry boy, I'm just too much of a coward to have returned sooner to town. Maybe Colton is right; I'm letting my proud get in the way with my survival."

The Stafford snorted at that and shook his head as if replying before he whimpered again. I hugged him and draped my jacket over him as best as I could, sharing in body heat. He gave me a thankful lick before he huffed and laid his paw on my shoulders, closing his eyes with a yawn.

"Yeah, I'm tired too."

He let out a groan and kept his eyes closed, making me smile tiredly, exhaling slowly and looking at the world outside. I was cold, I stank and I was caked in mud and filth. Gods, I could really use a bath.

I started to think to myself, not yet willing to go to sleep. Even while being cold and hungry, there was one thing I missed more than anything else.

Company and comfort.

Bruce was great and he did help me with my loneliness but...it's not the same. I wanted to have someone to talk to, to trust with all my insecurities and secrets, someone to lean onto when I was on my worst and someone to celebrate with when I was on a roll.

A pair of jade eyes flashed through my mind and I closed my eyes with a low groan.

The past few years on the street were troublesome, especially with my seizures. It wasn't rare for me to feel a seizure coming up in the middle of a busy street, only to wake up and realize that everyone was walking around me. Nobody gave a shit for the homeless kid that was convulsing on the floor. The only kindness us homeless would get was of our own people. We took care of our own.

I remembered when I was still a kid and hadn't found Bruce yet. During a trek through the city, I had searched for a sleeping place underneath a bridge, only to fall down and roll into the water when a seizure snuck up on me.

When I came too, an older male was busy undressing and wrapping his clothes around my shivering body. The man had risked his own life by diving into the water with his lip leg to save my own. He had smiled and patted me on the head before gently asking me where my parents were.

I had sobbed and curled into his jacket, crying that they abandoned me because I had epilepsy and that I had run out of the system to avoid all the groping hands of the wanna be daddies and big brothers.

He had hugged me to his chest and told me his story, how he had been once a wealthy businessman but ended up on the street by believing the wrong people and trusting on a corrupt family to help him back up.

After that night, the man, Cameron, had shown me the ropes of life on the street and taught me what to do and what to avoid. He brought me to the best spots where you had a chance to get more than a bit of pocket change and pointed out places where to safely sleep at night.

Cameron had always laughed and shrugged issues away, telling me to look at life with optimism. Things would change for the best if you believed in them. Eventually we had parted, but not after the old man had supplied me with half of his money, a meager five dollars and had given me a few of his spare clothes as well.

Someday I wondered how the old man was faring but I've never found him again. He had always complained that the concrete floors were growing to harsh on his brittle old bones. Every time I thought back of him, there was that twitch of fear yet acceptance in my heart that maybe Cameron passed away on the street.

It was strange that even on a busy street, nobody would look twice at a homeless guy, even if they were in dire need of help. My mind drifted to the times where I spent ours on the cold concrete with a cardboard sign, pleading for money.

Nobody even thought of giving me a sideways glance as they went about their busy lives. The people I had clung to when I was nearly starving even had to guts to say that they didn't have time nor money to spare before they flicked me off and left me, their thick wallets bulging out of their back pocket.

Maybe that's why I'm so hesitant to give Colton a chance.

I hummed tiredly and closed my eyes before cuddling closer to Bruce and falling asleep with a small smile on my lips at the thought of Colton.

---Colton's POV---

My fingers were twitching as my eyes constantly darted from the computer screen to the rain tapping against the window. Another fork of lightning flashed through the sky, making me winch before I pushed off my seat and groaned, rubbing a hand over my head.

"Its no use Colton, we don't have a clue where he is." Earl smiled apologetically over his own computer before glancing out of the window with sympathy. "I'm sure he'll be fine, he's been through this and more."

He jolted in his seat when my fist slammed against the window still. "That's just it, he shouldn't be used to this shit!" I growled, glaring out of the window at the storm that soaked everything in its path.

"He's somewhere out there in the woods Colton, or even in another city. Who knows where Daniel wanders off to when he disappears?" Earl tried to sooth but it only irked me. What if he laid in the woods unconscious? What if one of his seizures went wrong and he smacked his head on a rock?

So many 'What if's' were threatening to rob me of my sanity. It just didn't feel right to sit here, nice and warm knowingly that Daniel was out there in the cold. I paced and glared at the darkening sky, the lightning forking through it before I snatched my jacket off my seat and stomped out of the office, making my way towards my car.

The rain was rushing down, making quite a racket as I hopped in the car and quickly drove towards town.  The wipers were swiping busily as I peered through the rain before stopping at the first house in sight.

The others might feel okay with waiting for Daniel to come out of hiding, but I was going to ask the villagers if they've spotted him around. Because if it was up to me, Daniel's day as a homeless man were over.

Next time we see a homeless person on the street asking for pocket change? Please remember they're human, just like us and got dealt a shitty card by fate. They could be us, we could be them.