When Welles had suggested Freya take up a hobby to help her relax and improve her focus, Brendan had been totally supportive.

He still wasn't sure how 'totally supportive' translated into him taking tai chi classes alongside Freya, but, well. This was their seventh Saturday together, and as he stroked his hands down the imaginary peacock's tail, he had to admit it wasn't as kooky as he'd thought it would be. While the exercise wasn't hard physically, it made him move his body in ways he wasn't used to, and the last couple sessions he'd started to notice the mental aspects that had been touted so strongly. The annoying little voice in his head, the one that rumbled over every little mistake he'd made and kept piping up with the things he still had to do, had shut up, at least while he was moving through the forms.

He really wasn't getting to that calm mental space today, though. Brendan licked his lips and snuck a quick glance to his right. Emmett was in his usual place, clingy T-shirt outlining the glide of his shoulder blades as he flowed through the motions more smoothly than Brendan could manage. He'd cut his hair since last week. It wasn't short-short, the hair in back still curling over his nape, but now there was a strip of pale skin showing above the neck of his shirt.

Brendan's hand brushed up against someone. He pulled up short, realizing he'd lost track of the steps as the form drew to a close. Freya smirked at him in the mirror. He stuck out his tongue, but that only made her smile wider, right before she composed herself into a perfect student as Pat led them into the farewell. Brendan hurriedly mumbled out the words, even though the class was already breaking up around them.

"Just go for it," Freya whispered, laying her hand on his arm. Brendan narrowed his eyes at her, but she smiled and gave him a quick squeeze. Affection warmed him all the way to his toes. Not too long ago he would have been totally creeped out, knowing how much she knew about him, but not anymore. After all they'd been through together in the past year, he trusted her, and he was pretty sure she trusted him, too. And it was kind of nice, knowing that she knew how screwed up he was and still put up with him.

That made what he was contemplating even scarier, somehow. Emmett didn't have any clue how screwed up he was. Brendan didn't really want him to know, either, except...he kind of did. They'd fallen into an easy conversation that very first class, chatting like old friends, and every class since then it had been just as easy between them. Brendan really wanted more of that. And Freya had given him the thumbs up. He could do this. Then again, telepathy wasn't everything. She could have misinterpreted a passing thought, or--

Freya shoved him between the shoulder blades. Hard.

"I'm going, I'm going," he said, taking a step forward to emphasize his resolve. Freya giggled, but Brendan ignored her, too focused on what was in front of him. Emmett was sitting along the wall at the back of the classroom, where everyone dumped their stuff before each session. He had one sock and shoe on, but his other sock was dangling between his hands as he stared at it, like he couldn't figure out which end to put over his toes.

"Deep thoughts?"

"Oh, hey," Emmett said, flashing Brendan a smile. He quickly tugged on the sock and shoved his foot in his shoe. He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. "No, I was just lost in la-la land. How's it going?"

"Good. Real good. Good session today," Brendan said, then tried not to cringe at his lameness. His brain always got trapped in loops when he was nervous, spitting out nonsense that made him look stupid. But Emmett wasn't looking at him like he was brain dead, so Brendan figured he'd better try to get his invitation out before he lost the power of speech altogether. "Hey, look. I was wondering if you might want to grab some lunch? There's this great Italian place..." Brendan trailed off, not needing to hear the answer. Not with the way Emmett's face had frozen.

Kinda like a perp who's just figured out Freya knows everything and is contemplating how to make it through the door.

"Or not," Brendan said, forcing a smile onto his face. "It was just a thought."

"No, no! It's a good thought," Emmett said quickly. He reached out, curling his fingers around Brendan's wrist. Just a light touch, but Brendan could feel the strength dormant in his hand. "It's just that I can't. I have to pick up a snake from Animal Control and take it back to the reserve."

"Oh," Brendan said, yo-yoing between relief and disappointment. "Hey, no problem. Maybe some other time."

"Definitely." Emmett smiled, and Brendan's stomach started wriggling in a way that didn't have anything to do with lunch. Then Emmett's smile faded away, his brow drawing tight with thought, and Brendan had to tell himself to stay cool. "Unless... I know it's probably not your idea of a great, uh, lunch, but you could come with me. I'll give you a quick tour of the place, then we can grab something afterwards."

Brendan felt like his grin was eating his face. "That sounds perfect."

"Are you sure? It's a fairly long drive, and if you have other plans for today--"

"Nope, no plans," Brendan said, then regretted it as soon as he realized that probably made him sound like a complete loser. "Nothing on a deadline, anyway."

"Oh, well good."

They might have stood there forever, smiling at each other ridiculously, but then Freya cleared her throat. "Keys, Brendan?"

"Oh, right," he said. As he handed them over, he wondered if she was prescient as well as telepathic. She'd insisted they ride together this morning, and now that was saving him the hassle of worrying about his car. "Thanks."

"Have fun," she said, winking at him before she bounded out the door. Brendan shook his head, then set about putting his own socks and shoes on.

"Ready?" Emmett asked, holding the door open.

"You bet." Brendan was pretty sure it wasn't his clumsiness that caused their shoulders to bump together as he stepped through, and another ounce of his tension seeped away.

"Are you sure that thing is safe in there?" Brendan asked as the rattle skittered again, creating a tinny echo in the metal cage.

Emmett snorted. "It's fine for the time being. The real fun happens when we transfer it to its new home."

"Right." Brendan had faced down plenty of dangerous situations in the past, but he was starting to wonder what he'd gotten himself into. "Sounds like a blast."

Emmett laughed straight-out this time. He tugged on the bungee cord securing the cage in place one more time, then climbed out of the back of the truck. "I was kidding. Don't worry, I've done this a million times."

"A million, huh?"

"Well, maybe not quite that many," Emmett said as they climbed into the cab of the truck. Then he shook his head. "I wish I could say this is the first time I'd picked up a rattler that someone was keeping as a pet, but..."

"You know, I've seen a lot of dumb things in my job, have heard about more, but I have to say that ranks right up there."

"Humans can be amazingly stupid," Emmett agreed as he started up the truck. "I guess that's why I'm better with snakes than people."

"Oh, I don't know. You seem pretty good with people to me," Brendan said. Emmett glanced over at him, and his soft, pleased smile made Brendan want to loosen the tie he wasn't wearing. He cleared his throat and Emmett looked back to the road. "So, I thought you said you've only been doing this for a couple years."

Emmett shook his head. "No, I meant I've only been in the area a few years. My former facility decided that I was a little too high risk for their insurance. There was this incident in Philadelphia, you see, and even though I was just brought in to take care of the situation, they got skittish."

"Ouch," Brendan said. "Not cool."

Emmett shrugged. "It's turned out for the best. I mean yeah, I was pretty pissed at the time, and I thought I was going to have to scrap the whole project there for a while, but now I've got better funding and more room."

"Cool." Brendan hesitated, but he couldn't not ask. "So what kind of research do you do that's so dangerous? Is it just that you're dealing with poisonous snakes?"

Emmett took a deep breath, but he didn't say anything right away. "I'm trying to develop a universal antivenin. It's something that has huge life-saving potential worldwide. But to do that, I need to work with really big specimens."

"I see," Brendan said, although he really didn't. It wasn't like public zoos didn't keep really big snakes, after all.

Emmett snorted like he could see into Brendan's thoughts as easily as Freya did. "You'll understand better when we get there."

Brendan let it go, and their conversation eased into other topics. Freya, and the little Brendan could share about his work. Pat, their tai chi instructor. The Yankees and the Mets and even the Miami Dolphins, for some reason. The subject didn't matter as much as the fact that they were talking as easily as they had during those snatched bits of conversation before and after classes. Emmett kept sneaking glances at him. Brendan would have been more concerned about his driving, except his own eyes never left Emmett's face long enough to take in the road.

"We're here," Emmett said. They'd turned down an asphalt-paved road that led directly to a squat complex of buildings. Or maybe it was all one building that spread out over the grounds; Brendan couldn't tell for sure. It wasn't all that much to look at--cinder-block walls painted tan and a low sheet-metal roof.

"Normally I'd have to use the loading dock in back," Emmett continued as he pulled into one of the three parking spots in front. "But since it's just the one snake, it'll be a lot less hassle to go in the front. If you don't mind holding the door for me?"

"I think I can handle that."

The front door turned out to be passcoded, which made Brendan's curiosity flare up again. He reined it in, leaning one shoulder against the door while Emmett returned for the rattler. Whatever questions he had, they'd be answered soon enough. Or so Emmett had promised.

His imagination was sorely disappointed by the room that Emmett led him to. Not that the lab wasn't cool. The room was big, with several levels descending towards the center like an auditorium. Instead of seats, though, the space was filled with hundreds of aquariums. Or terrariums, he supposed, since most of them contained land-dwelling snakes. Brendan spotted a few actual aquariums at the far side of the room, though he couldn't tell if they held snakes or fish.

"This will just take a minute," Emmett said. Brendan turned around to find him with the rattler's cage open, the snake itself out and dangling from the end of a hooked stick. Adrenaline poured into Brendan. He took a step forward before his rational brain kicked in and told him that there wasn't any protecting for him to do. Emmett knew what he was doing--and the best thing Brendan could do was stay out of the way.

"There," Emmett said, plopping the snake into its waiting tank. He secured the lid, hung the stick on the wall, and turned to Brendan with a smile. The whole operation had taken less than Emmett's promised minute. Thirty seconds at most. "You ready to see something really big?"

The shock of seeing the rattler out of its cage must have sent Brendan completely into his reptilian brain, because it was all he could do to keep his gaze away from Emmett's crotch.

"I meant my snake," Emmett said quickly, his blue eyes wide and his cheeks pinking. "I mean, Betty."

"You named your snake Betty?" Brendan asked, unable to help himself. He'd never seen Emmett flustered before, which only added to his playful mood. "Isn't that a little...feminine?"

Emmett rolled his eyes, but a smile played at his lips. "It was either that or Burtha," he said. "As in 'big'."

"Of course."

Emmett finally laughed. "Come on. I know you're dying to know."

They wound their way through the tanks to the far side of the room and another locked door. This one had a palm scanner as well as a passcode. Almost as secure as the NSA, he couldn't help thinking. The door opened with a small electronic click, and Emmett ushered him in.

The room was big, bigger than the one they'd just left, filled floor to ceiling with living green, and stepping into it was like stepping into a jungle. Sweltering humidity completed the illusion, a little too well for comfort. Brendan tugged at his T-shirt, reminded of the time he'd been stranded in Houston during a heat wave.

"Here she comes," Emmett said quietly.

Brendan scanned the foliage in front of him, but he didn't see anything. He looked over at the pool to his right, wondering if maybe it was an aquatic creature, but the surface was unbroken. "Where?"

Emmett reached out and tipped Brendan's chin up.

Brendan swallowed hard. Betty was big, all right. Half as tall as he was--at least--and as big around as a beef steer. He couldn't see where she ended. But her beginning was hard to miss, her massive head arrowing right at them, and Brendan couldn't believe he'd overlooked her. He just hadn't imagined any living thing could be that big.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Emmett asked, affection clear in his voice. Betty flicked her tongue out, testing the air around them, and Brendan had to remind himself to stay still.

"Definitely amazing," he said. And she was, with those glittering red scales and her gem-like eyes. A beautiful, amazing predator, big enough to swallow him in a gulp or two, and here she was, as calm as a lazy cat in the sun. Brendan looked over at Emmett, impressed by the man all over again. "You raised her?"

Emmett nodded. "From the egg. She's a scarlet queen boa, largest species of snake on Earth. Although they don't usually get this big in the wild."

"Wow. And you use her in your research?"

"To produce the antivenin. I feed her envenomed food and she produces antibodies." Emmett reached out as Betty glided towards the pool, lightly stroking her back. He dropped his hand and grinned at Brendan. "So, ready for lunch?"

"Sure," Brendan said, even though he was so wired he probably wouldn't eat a thing. He followed Emmett back out, waiting while the door resealed. When Emmett turned around, their gazes met and locked. This close, he could see how dilated Emmett's pupils were. Could see how shiny his lip was from the nervous dart of his tongue.

Just go for it. He could hear Freya's voice as clearly as if she were standing beside him. He knew he shouldn't, not right now, but he was high on awe and arousal, and as sure of the situation as he'd ever been.

Brendan went for it.

Emmett gasped, undoubtedly startled by Brendan's move, but then he opened his mouth wider, turning the kiss heated before Brendan could even start to have second thoughts. When they finally broke apart, Brendan was breathless with want.

"You know," he said, voice cracking a little, "on second thought, I'm not in too big of a hurry for lunch."

Emmett leaned in for another kiss, drawing Brendan's lower lip between his.. "No, I'm not really thinking food, myself."

Brendan dipped his head again, hungry for as much of Emmett as he could get, but Emmett stepped back. "I've got a futon in my office," he said. "I mean, if you want to..."

"Definitely," Brendan said. Then he made a show of looking around the big, open space of the lab, filled with all those creatures. "I just thought you might have a thing for exhibitionism."

Emmett snorted. "Hardly." He circled Brendan's wrist with his fingers, just like he'd done that morning, and drew him towards the opposite side of the room. Brendan turned his hand over so that their hands met palm to palm, fingers tangling together. He would have been embarrassed at the junior-highness of the move, but Emmett's grasp was as firm as his own.

Emmett's office was small compared to the rest of the facility, although still big enough for a large desk, a couple of bookcases, and a futon spread out at the rear. Part of his brain catalogued the piles of folders and journals on top of the desk and the textbooks crowding the shelves, but it was the bed that had his attention. The bed, and Emmett settling down on the edge of the mattress to take off his shoes. It was seeing his sock in his hand again that made Brendan realize how fast everything was happening.

"I don't," Brendan started, but he stalled out when Emmett looked up at him like a spooked rabbit. He wasn't the only one nervous about this thing between them, apparently. He sighed and sat down on the futon, so close to Emmett that they were touching from shoulder to knee. "Look, I'm not very good at this kind of thing. I just meant that, uh, I want to spend a lot more time with you. So if this is moving too quickly..."

Emmett struck as fast as one of his snakes, twisting to pin Brendan to the bed. "I want to spend more time with you, too," he said, grinning. "Starting right now."

"Oh. Good," Brendan said, and then he couldn't say anything else because Emmett was doing a very good job convincing him of that fact. They kissed slowly, getting to know each other, until Brendan was so hard he ached. They started rolling their hips together, not thrusting yet, but it was still a disappointment when Emmett drew away.

"Hang on," he said, then scooted down the bed. Brendan sucked in a breath when Emmett started untying his shoes. It wasn't even a seductive move, but it was intimate, and something deep inside of him ached in recognition of a need long neglected. Then Emmett crawled back up into his arms, and they were too busy trying to get each other out of their clothes for him to dwell on his hopes and fears.

"You're so hot," Emmett murmured, stroking his chest. "I wanted you the first time I saw you, you know that?"

"Really?" Brendan didn't try to stop his pleased smile. "Me, too."

Emmett smiled, and then, with a promising gleam in his eyes, slipped his hand between their bodies so he could gather their cocks together in a firm grip. Brendan closed his eyes and let go. Let Emmett take care of him.

It didn't take much. He opened his eyes in time to see Emmett's long eyelashes flutter over his cheeks, his brow drawing tight. Emmett sighed softly and spilled all over Brendan. Brendan pressed his face into Emmett's chest, sucking in harsh breaths as the pleasure overwhelmed him as well.

They didn't move for long seconds, catching their breath as the aftershocks faded away. Emmett pressed a soft kiss to his neck--and then Brendan's stomach growled. Loudly.

Emmett laughed. "Was that me or you?"

"Me," Brendan said. "So much for the afterglow."

"Hmm," Emmett said, lazily mouthing Brendan's shoulder. "You know, I'm pretty sure that's your body saying it needs to refuel for another round. I've got leftover lo mein in the fridge..."

"I really like the way you think." Then Brendan rolled them until he was on top. Chinese sounded good--just as soon as he was finished learning Emmett's mouth.

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