Time had moved faster than a speeding bullet for young Justin Taylor and his last school days as a boy were rapidly coming to a close. He still had to pinch himself when he thought about all the things he had learned and experienced in the last month or so. There were certainly lessons that he could never have been taught in his high school, at least not unless the teacher was as skilled as Justin's own private tutor...Detective Brian Kinney. Going to regular classes at St James Academy during the day was almost anti-climactic for the young student who already had a perfect 4.0 GPA. He usually spent his time in classes daydreaming of the evenings and weekends that he had been spending in Brian's company.

Yes, the weekend 'dates' with Brian had quickly turned into more frequent visits. After their second weekend jaunt together at Babylon Brian had found himself inviting Justin over during the week to watch a movie (and have sex) and then to attend an art show on a Thursday at the Gay and Lesbian Center (followed up by more sex). That weekend they went out clubbing again. Brian ended up seeing Justin three times during the next week, which was only last week. Now it was the last weekend before graduation. Justin was nervous. He had kept a low profile and his secret life to himself during these last months although he had longed to just shout out to the entire school who he truly was, but now he had just one last chance to make a declaration and the Prom was what he had in mind for the big 'outing'.

Originally he and Daphne had planned to attend the Prom together, as they had most school functions during their young lives, but Justin had a wild notion in his head and he really wanted to pass his idea on to Brian. There was not much time left. Brian was picking him up for what was rapidly becoming a regular weekend night of clubbing together but Justin knew this night would not end like all the others. He just hoped that he wasn't making a big mistake in approaching Brian with his plan. He checked out the outfit he had carefully chosen to make sure it hugged his body in all the right places and emphasized his best features. It was very important that he look his most desirable on this particular evening.

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Brian arrived to pick up Justin right on time. Justin had obviously been waiting for Brian right at the front door because Brian hadn't even put his Jeep into ‘park' before the young man came bounding out of the house and rushed towards the car. Brian enjoyed the view as Justin approached quickly. Justin always looked good to Brian but he was wearing what appeared to be a brand new pair of very tight jeans. They left little of his ample package to the imagination. He wore a royal-blue and purple shirt that shone in the headlights of the Jeep and hugged his skin tightly and he had never looked more beautiful. Brian smiled broadly as Justin jumped into the passenger side.

"Are you ready for some action, Justin?" Brian inquired. "I can promise you that there will be plenty of hot guys ready to fill your dance card with you dressed like that."

"That's the general idea, Brian. Does this mean you approve of my new purchases?"

Brian leaned over and gave Justin a quick peck on the cheek.

"Does that answer your question?"

Without skipping a beat, Justin shot back with, "It's a start."

Brian grinned. "Feeling a little feisty tonight, are we young man?" he asked jokingly.

With that, Brian turned in his seat and pulled Justin over to him. He pulled the blond head back and planted a hot, probing kiss firmly on the delicious lips he had captured. Justin's breath caught in his throat at the onslaught. It didn't take him long to regain his senses and become an eager participant in the heated kiss. Several minutes passed before the two men broke apart. Their lips had darkened from the pressure of the firm lip-lock.

"Now does that answer your question?" Brian repeated.

Justin grinned from ear to ear. "I'll accept that as a ‘yes'," he agreed happily.

"Well then, let's get this night started," Brian declared.

Brian set the car into gear and moved out of the driveway. In seconds they were on their way to the first stop of the night, ‘Woody's'. They were soon sitting comfortably at a table at ‘Woody's' surrounded by their circle of friends. Everyone shared the events of their day. When it came time for Justin to speak, he brought up his upcoming graduation and the news that he had been accepted to PIFA for the fall semester. Emmett choked back a tear and jumped up to wrap his arms around Justin's shoulders.

"I'm so proud of our little schoolboy, aren't you guys?" he asked, scanning the table.

"Of course," commented everyone in turn. Ben, being a teacher, was particularly effusive with his praise of Justin for the hard work he had done to earn such high grades. He went on to praise the school that Justin would be attending in the Fall and mentioned some of the professors he knew there. Talk continued to flow for a bit longer until someone finally mentioned that it was getting late and it was time to hit the dance floor. Everyone agreed with that plan and they all moved out en masse to their next destination, ‘Babylon'.

All six pairs of eyes couldn't help but notice that the eight of them were walking over to the club in groups of four couples, but no one would have dared to mention to Brian that he was a member of one of those couples. He had stressed many times over the last month that he and Justin were simply good friends but not one of the men had failed to notice that Brian almost never went out alone any more and always had Justin in tow. The fact that he kept calling himself Justin's mentor and teacher didn't disguise the fact that he seemed to have little time for anyone else and treated Justin almost possessively whenever they went out. He didn't protest when Justin danced with other men at the club but he certainly kept his eye on the dancing couple whenever Justin wasn't by his side. The friends might discuss Brian's odd, new behavior among themselves but not one of them had the nerve to point it out to Brian.

That same odd behavior continued on this night. The minute they walked into Babylon Justin was surrounded by a bevy of older studs who seemed quite pleased to have such a prime piece of blond boy-ass now available for hitting on. Brian, of course, continued to receive his own fair share of attention but Justin was a novelty...the newest and brightest of the picks. On top of his rare good looks, the young man was one hell of a dancer and could move with the best of them. He made anyone he was dancing with look even better. Because of this he received plenty of offers to hit the dance floor before the gang could even reach the bar.

Justin smiled broadly at the good-looking brunet who approached him just as they got to the bar and accepted his offer of a dance. The tall fellow pulled Justin out to the floor and the two began gyrating to the beat of Barry Harris' 'Dive in the Pool'. Brian leaned his elbows onto the bar and gave Phil, the bartender, his order which included a beer for Justin. As the cold bottles were placed in front of him, Brian glanced sideways so that he could see part of the dance floor. He spotted Justin and the guy he was with right away. They couldn't be missed since Justin was one of the best dancers on the floor. Brian recognized Justin's dance partner as a guy he had fucked a while back. He couldn't recall much else about the guy. Just another lay as far as Brian was concerned. Brian felt that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach again as he watched the two men moving in time to the music. Probably got that feeling because he hadn't eaten much dinner in his hurry to pick up Justin, he told himself.

The next few hours rushed by as the men enjoyed themselves with dancing, drinking, and as much gossip as they could cram into the evening. Since all the men except for Brian and Justin were in firm, committed relationships now there was no pairing up with other men, but that didn't stop anyone from admiring the well-toned and buff bodies that were on display. Stories were circulated about previous hook-ups pre-commitment days and the men reminded themselves of how happy they were to no longer be on the market, so to speak. Some discussions centered around recent changes in the laws that affected their community and wondered if their home State would ever grow up enough to allow same-sex marriages.

Brian found himself spending a lot of his time watching Justin when the young man wasn't right next to him. He told himself it was his duty to keep an eye on the boy and not let anything happen to him. There was certainly no fear of a violent bashing here inside Babylon but there were other risks for a young man just getting the hang of gay club life. Brian's job, according to himself, was to protect Justin from the predators that would take advantage of a newbie. There had been no further bashings in the last month but Brian still felt it his duty to keep a close watch on what was happening in their world.

The evening was finally winding down when Justin drew Brian to the dance floor for the umpteenth time. He had danced with a lot of the patrons but his primary and favorite partner was Brian, of course. He also had another reason for wanting to get Brian off to himself. He figured he would slowly dance Brian over to the secluded area that was right off the dance floor and under the steps that led to the balcony that overlooked the dance area. There he could spring his question on the unsuspecting Detective.

Brian enjoyed this last dance with Justin. It was a slow number and required close contact. Their bodies melded perfectly as they swayed to the rhythms. Brian could feel the heat rising between them as he drew Justin even closer. Without thinking Brian began to kiss Justin's neck and found himself letting his tongue trail up the neck and towards the outline of Justin's ear. The young man shivered from the delicious feeling that caused tingles in his toes. Little by little their movements became more of a pseudo love-making session than a dance. Brian was so absorbed in the feelings that Justin was arousing in him he didn't even notice when they had moved off the dance floor and actually stopped dancing. He had just placed a very passionate kiss on Justin's lips when he heard the young man speak his name.

"Brian," Justin breathed heavily, "I have something to ask you."

It was then that Brian realized that Justin was no longer dancing with him and was trying to ask a question. Brian shook his head to clear his mind so he could concentrate. He proceeded to give Justin his full attention.

"You can ask me anything, kid. You know that."

"I...ahhh....I don't know about that. This is kind of big. I mean, I'll understand if you say ‘no', but I'm kind of hoping you won't."

"You won't know unless you ask Justin....so ask me," Brian ordered.

"Okay...here goes nothing," he began. "I was just wondering if you would like to go to my Prom with me." Justin hurried on, afraid to give Brian a chance to answer. "I mean I know it's just a silly kid thing but it would mean a lot to me. I've never come out to anybody there except Daphne and I would love to leave that place with a bang. Let the whole place know that people like me exist and are sitting right next to them in classes. It would be a way of making a statement. I mean you wouldn't have to stay long, but just maybe have one dance with me or something like that?"

It was more a question than a statement. Justin knew it would probably stir up a hornet's nest at St James which prided itself on its old-fashioned family values which certainly didn't include having LGBT students or teachers...at least not openly. He didn't care. This was his last chance to be himself at the school he had attended from his first year on. He just wanted them to know that they hadn't kept him from being himself despite some of the mistreatment he had suffered at the hands of a few students and even teachers who had suspected who he was all along. He even wanted to stand up for those teachers (and he suspected there were more than a few of them) who were living their lives in the shadows right that minute because of the fear of losing their jobs. Going to the Prom with Brian wouldn't really change anything in and of itself but it would be a first move and maybe some student who was braver than him would take it further the next year.

Justin waited breathlessly for Brian's reaction. Brian stood with his mouth wide open. What in the world was Justin thinking of, he wondered to himself. He was a cop and he certainly had no business escorting a barely-legal young teen to his high school Senior Prom as a date. Was the boy going mad? He opened his mouth to spit out...'Hell no', but instead he found himself pulling Justin into an embrace. A minute later he released the young man and looked him square in the face.

"I understand where you're coming from Justin...I really do. I was a teen once too and I know what it is like to be the butt of jokes and treated differently by those who think they know who you are, but what you are suggesting is crazy. It's asking for trouble. I know some of your fellow students already suspect that you're gay and they've given you a hard time before. You just want to give them all one last 'Fuck You' and be done with it, but something like this can have lasting repercussions. You never know how some folks will react. Hell, they might even try to cause you to lose your admittance to PIFA. Who knows what they would do? It is probably best to let sleeping dogs lie. Just go to the Prom with your best friend and have fun and then wave goodbye to those days and start living your life in exactly the way you want. The best revenge against folks like that is to be the biggest and best fucking success you can in your own life, not cramming who you are down their throats. Do you get my point, Justin?"

Justin understood but he felt disappointment. He was proud of his friendship with Brian and he would have loved to show the man off to his friends, acquaintances and enemies alike at St James. Maybe there was even a tiny part of him that would have enjoyed the embarrassment such a move would have caused his dad who had attended St James himself and liked to brag about his quality private education to anyone who listened. All in all, Justin thought it would be a great way to start his adult life off, but he respected Brian's opinion so he dropped the idea then and there. What was not meant to be was not worth worrying over. The men kissed again and soon after left the club after saying goodbye to their friends.

The drive home was quiet as each man was lost in his own private thoughts. Justin still felt the excitement of his last childhood school days. Who knew? Maybe he would ask Billy Simpson to dance at the Prom. Everyone knew Billy was gay, even though it was never acknowledged openly. The poor kid had been far more harassed than Justin all these years because he was quite effeminate in nature, unlike Justin who was quite masculine. He always attended school events with his twin sister, Jillian, so he would probably be at this last dance too. Justin wondered if the kid would accept his invitation for a dance. Meanwhile Brian was asking himself why he was being so cautious. He rather liked the image of seeing all the gaping mouths that his dancing with Justin at the Prom would cause. But it was too late to change his mind now. Besides, it probably was the right thing to do...refusing the invitation. He certainly didn't want to cause young Justin any problems that might come back to haunt him. But what an intriguing idea the gorgeous blond had come up with, Brian said to himself.

To be continued...............