Ansel shook his head, unwilling to listen to Lucio's blunt advice. "You're wrong. There is nothing better than you." But Lucio didn't want to hear it, either, and the two were at an impasse as they sat for a moment longer in silence. Ansel looked down at their interlaced fingers and sighed. As much as he hated what Lucio had said, there was some merit. He couldn't allow himself to get so angry, especially on campus. His job was at stake, and despite his staggeringly impressive credentials, Ansel highly doubted that the university would allow him to keep his job if he beat another teacher's face into a bloody pulp.<br/><br/>Lucio graced him with a small kiss before getting off of his lap and beginning to collect his things. Ansel stood up from his chair quickly, grabbing Lucio's wrist and pulling him back to him. "No. Don't go," he said, wrapping Lucio up in his arms and hugging the young man to his broad chest. He didn't want their separation from one another to begin like this, sad and angry and full of unspent testosterone. However awful Grissom made him feel, Lucio made Ansel feel like he was immortal, and he didn't want to give that up today. Not yet.<br/><br/>Ansel led Lucio back to his desk and placed his hands on his lover's narrow waist. With little effort, as if Lucio weighed nothing to Ansel at all, he lifted the young man onto the desk and situated himself in between his legs. A large, strong hand rested itself against Lucio's cheek, stroking the blemish-free skin. "I'm sorry. I'll do better," he whispered against Lucio's lips, kissing him fully, desperately. He took Lucio's hand into his own and placed it on his waist.<br/><br/>The professor broke the kiss and cleared his throat, looking down at the floor as he spoke. It was the first bit of shyness he had ever displayed in front of Lucio, the only tinge of nervousness it seemed Ansel had ever felt in the young man's presence. "Lucio, my sister, she . . . It's my birthday on Saturday and my sister is having this little get together for me that evening with some old friends. I'm not one for celebrations like that but Johanna insists, and I'd be remiss to turn her down. Would you perhaps be interested in coming with me and keeping me company? My sister's an incredible chef and there will be<i>a lot</i>of alcohol. My own insistence."<br/><br/>Ansel was aware he was potentially putting Lucio in a strange position, especially considering he was sure Lucio was scheduled for a "date" sometime soon, although he didn't know exactly when. Their date had been the prior Friday, so perhaps Lucio kept to that schedule. Even if that was the case, Ansel still very much recognized that Lucio may refuse him. The anxiety building up in Ansel's chest was something he wasn't used to; it left him a bit twitchy, his fingers drumming distractedly on Lucio's hips.<br/><br/>"I'd understand if you said no, my love," he added lightly, laughing to soothe his jitters. "Getting drunk with a bunch of middle-aged snobs certainly wouldn't be my first choice. But having you there would be, well, I'd enjoy it. Immensely."