"Soooo," Emmett drawled as he dropped into the seat next to Brian, startling the latter out of his thoughts. "A little birdie told me that you caved to the Taylor charm."

Brian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, so not in the mood to deal with Emmett's penchant for gossip today of all days; especially as he was still strung taut as a wire due to the last two sexually-charged meetings with the subject at hand.

As it was, he barely got any sleep last night, tossing and turning as he remembered soft skin under his hands and the way Justin's body molded to his. The way he smelled – a hint of sandalwood mixed with citrus and maybe even almonds. The way he tasted when their lips brushed for that fraction of a second – salty mixed with something sweet that he couldn't identify. And fuck, the soft, kittenish sounds he made in the back of his throat when Brian had had his hands on him…

He was getting hard just thinking about it.

Which had been precisely his problem this morning, and why he ran out of his room as if his tail was on fire. Sitting there in his bed, a bed exactly like the one he'd been in last night with Justin, he'd played that scene over and over in his mind until he was hard, aching and leaking pre-come. He'd remembered palming his cock through his jeans and groaning as he'd imagined it was a different hand, one with long, artistic, fingers on it.

God, he hadn't gotten off that fast since he'd first discovered that his dick was his new favorite toy; just the thought of Justin alone was enough to set him off. And that had scared the shit out of him. Because he'd met and fucked plenty of gorgeous men; and even more recently, he had turned several gorgeous men down without a thought or a twinge of regret because he had more important things on his mind.

But this, admittedly beautiful, kid had become like a fever in his blood and he couldn't stop thinking about him no matter how hard he tried.

It was enough to send him running though.

If he had stayed in his room, he'd known that eventually, he would break all the rules he'd made for his last year of school and track the kid down. And then he'd fuck the shit out of him on the nearest horizontal or vertical surface. It didn't really matter as long as he was buried inside that amazing ass.

So, he ran, like the coward he totally admits he is, and arrived much too early for his Ethics Class. But he figured that if he was in a classroom setting, he might just be able to focus on his studies rather than imagining all the things he'd like to do to Justin's ass.

And so far…it had been a complete and utter failure.

He was so fucked; and not in the fun, life affirming way. Yet.

"I'm merely helping him with his art project," Brian said with a bland smile; which, he was helping Justin with that, so it wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh, please," Emmett snorted, dismissing Brian's pat answer with a wave of his hand; it sucked when your friends knew you better than you knew yourself at times. "Don't deny you're obsessed with that cute little tush."

"The 'tush,' as you called it, is admittedly excellent," Brian conceded with a small nod; because it was and he'd be the last to deny it. "And really? Tush? What are we, in grade school? Just call it an ass."

"Well, there is no need to be uncouth," Emmett sniffed haughtily as he pulled out his books and organized his papers on the table.

"Whatever," Brian muttered, rolling his eyes. "As I said, I'm only helping him with a project; if anyone is enamored of an ass, it would be him given that he's using mine as a model."

"Like you weren't drooling over said ass for weeks before he even noticed you," Ted snorted as he sat down on Brian's other side.

Brian grimaced as he recalled that Ted had been present the first time he'd ever seen Justin and witnessed Brian stopping dead in his tracks as he watched that perfect bubble butt bounce its way across the lawn. It had taken Brian a full minute to realize that Ted had been speaking to him after that; not a moment he wanted known to all.

"Theodore?" Brian sneered, casting his friend the evil eye.

"Yes, Brian?" Ted asked by rote, although he surely had to know what was coming by the way he winced.

"Shut up," Brian said, smirking when Ted just nodded in resignation.

Brian looked back at his books, his mind wandering to his current predicament and totally missing the knowing looks being exchanged over his head. So much for finding other things to occupy his mind with; there was no way he could avoid the topic of Justin when Honeycutt was on the trail of juicy gossip.

"You have to admit, he is beautiful," Emmett mused after a few minutes.

"Agreed," Ted nodded; a bit too enthusiastically for Brian's tastes. "If I wasn't dating Blake, and I thought for one second that he'd give me the time of day; I'd fuck him."

Brian scowled, but remained silent.

"And his ass... truly a work of art; like a succulent, ripe peach just waiting to be plucked…" Emmett continued with a low whistle of appreciation.

"And just how would you know anything about his ass," Brian asked, his hackles rising as he stared at the self-proclaimed nelly Queen.

"Took a spin class with him once," Emmett confided, fanning himself in memory. "Saw him in the showers; trust me, I wasn't the only one who couldn't keep my eyes off him. That's how I knew my Drewsie wasn't nearly as straight as he professed himself to be."

Emmett preened for a moment as he thought of his boyfriend, but sobered quickly when he saw Brian's impatient glare cast his way.

"Not that Justin noticed," Emmett snorted. "That boy can be truly oblivious when he wants to be." He paused and then cast a sly smirk towards Brian and Ted. "I did briefly toy with the idea of asking Drew if he wanted to share that glorious, little, bubble butt; but quickly nixed that idea as I am far too jealous to share."

"Wise move," Brian said through clenched teeth, uncertain why he was even bothered by the idea of Justin in his friend's bed.

"I wonder if Blake would…" Ted mused aloud, but quickly trailed off when Brian's head whipped his way.

"Alright, that's enough," Brian hissed, opening his notebook with a snap. "Leave the boy alone; he doesn't need to be corrupted by the likes of you horny queers."

"But he does by you?" Emmett asked, an arch smile on his face.

Brian glared at Emmett for several long moments and then turned toward the front of the room, not even bothering to dignify that with an answer as the professor walked in.

"Oh, honey; you've got it so bad," Emmett said to the table at large, garnering a snicker from Ted and a scowl from Brian. "I'm going to enjoy your fall from grace."

"Fuck off, Honeycutt," Brian sneered, and then quickly flipped his textbook open to the desired page.

"Don't call me, Honeycutt," Emmett muttered, but Brian just ignored it as he chose to focus on his class rather than perfect, blond boy asses.

… … … … …

"I can't believe you dumped me for that twink last night," Michael groused as he threw himself on the couch next to Brian.

Brian just scowled and ignored him for a few moments as he scanned the lounge once more, his eyes catching on the occasional blond head, but it was never the blond that he wanted to find. And that only made his scowl deepen as he couldn't believe that it had come down to this and Brian Kinney was actually chasing down a man; but after what he'd heard at lunch, Justin had been prominently on his mind and he had to do something or go mad with curiosity.

The world must have tipped on its axis.

Not that he'd ever admit that last part out loud. If his friends ever heard that he was waiting in the student lounge of Michael's building for Justin, well…between Michael's whining and Honeycutt's crowing, he'd never hear the end of it. Even Ted would be hard pressed not to do a little gloating if he were to find out.

And that was so not happening.

"Oh, get over it Mikey," Brian snapped when the whining reached epic levels.

Christ on a stick, why the fuck did he have to come to this campus? He both blessed and cursed the day Deb won that lottery. Blessed as she was set for life thanks to his skill in investing, but cursed because she he had plenty of disposable income and there was no one she liked to indulge more than Mikey. Personally, he was beginning to think that she just paid for Michael's college to keep him busy while she traveled the world with Vic.

"It's not like we were doing anything of interest. I was about to leave anyways," he continued casting a glance towards the elevators and scanning the room once more.

"Well, I hope fucking him was worth it," Michael spat, his arms crossed over his chest. "Since now, I'm likely to fail this test because you cut out early."

More like because you're too fucking lazy to actually pay attention or do any of the required work. The only reason you haven't been kicked out is because of Mommy's fat wallet and you managed to do the bare minimum in requirements, he thought snidely. He knew better than to express it aloud though. Deb may love him and may be helping him with the college expenses not covered by his scholarship, but she would still call him up and bitch him out if Mikey went whining to her about Brian's behavior.

As soon as he was through with school and paid everything back though, Mikey would need to find another patsy because he was done with it.

"Not that it's any of your business," Brian said, what little patience he had rapidly dwindling. "But I haven't had him. Yet. We're working on a project together. And if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, to go to the math center and ask for a fucking tutor. I don't have the time to bail your ass out every time you have a fucking quiz."

"But, Brian," Michael whined, tugging on his arm as if that would get him to budge. "You're my best friend; and best friends help each other…"

And Christ, if he had a dollar for every time he'd heard that phrase, he'd be richer than Midas; or well, richer than Deb at least.

"Yes, I'm your best friend," Brian snapped, yanking his arm away. "Nowhere in that statement does it imply that I'm your fucking nursemaid. If you want someone to hold your hand through college, call your Mommy. I'm sure Deb would love to relive her wild youth with you. You could go to keggers together. It would be an oh-so-sweet mother-son bonding moment."

Sorry Deb, but there is only so much one could stand before they broke.

"Fuck you, Brian," Michael spat, his eyes flashing

"Yeah, never gonna happen, Mikey," Brian said, internally shuddering at the mere thought because God no; if he was ever drunk and high enough to give in to that, he'd never get rid of the little parasite. "Listen; are you listening? Do us both a favor and go to the fucking math center and deal with this shit on your own. I have too much on my plate to pull your ass out of the fire again."

"Oh, but you'll help that twink with his work?" Michael belligerently asked, spittle flying out of his mouth to land on the sofa between them; and thank God it didn't land on him.

"What can I say, Mikey," Brian drawled, at this point just goading his friend and daring him to go run to Deb. "When a cutie, with a bubble butt like that, asks you to pose nude for him, you jump at the chance. Maybe then, you might get laid and I wouldn't have to listen to yet another rousing round with Rosie Fucking Palms."

"Whatever," Michael muttered, throwing himself back into his seat to pout. Brian just grinned to himself as he knew Michael would back down as he usually did on these occasions. He really didn't want to admit to Deb that he was only passing because Dean David had a hard on for Michael.

Looking away from Michael, Brian scanned the room, his heart picking up in tempo as he spied a familiar mop of blonde hair, and then crashing down as he realized that the body that went with said hair was rapidly making its way out the opposite door.

"Fuck," Brian swore under his breath, jumping to his feet in an instant.

"What?" Michael sneered, still pouting like the overgrown two-year-old he is.

"I just missed him! Again! Thanks a lot, Michael." Brian said, scowling at the other man for all he was worth before turning on his heel.

Brian swiftly crossed the room and made his way out the door, blatantly ignoring Michael's cries for attention behind him.