Lucio smiled warmly as Ansel reached across to take up a contact with him, he rested their linked hands down upon the tabletop as he gazed over at his lover. “Oh yes, Ansel, it’s going to be just lovely,” he murmured as he drank in the sight of the gorgeous professor. His teeth briefly latched onto his lower lip as his mind wandered to what they’d be getting up to later in the evening. He was jarred from his raunchy thoughts when a voice boomed over the audio system that was set up throughout the massive ballroom.<br/><br/>“Hello ladies and gentlemen! It’s an absolute pleasure once again to welcome you to the Lifetime Foundation’s annual gala and auction!” A chipper older male crowed over the mic, his words being rewarded with a smattering of applause. Lucio shifted his gaze over onto the man, having recognized him by his voice. His name was Matthew McHugh, he was an incredibly stout man, whose white hairline had been creeping back over his glossy head gradually over the past couple years that Lucio had known him. He had an obnoxiously wide grin, and a pair of constantly crinkled, smiling brown eyes. He was a pleasant enough individual, though Lucio often found him to be almost unbearably energetic. Wasn’t there supposed to be some sort of drop off in energy as one grew older? McHugh was at least in his early seventies, so Lucio wasn’t quite sure how he still seemed like he could bounce off of walls without so much as pausing for a breath.<br/><br/>The boy paused, glancing over at Ansel and pursing his lips thoughtfully as he gazed at the man’s profile. Surely Ansel would be in as good of spirits if not better when he was Matthew McHugh’s age; his love was fitter than most individuals, and he had to imagine that the simple fact that he was so in shape would allow him to maintain a certain level of energy. Lucio sighed softly to himself at the thought of Ansel at such an advanced age, but he chose to push the thought from his mind. They’d have to sit down and have a chat one day about the future, but now was not the time to dwell on it. Lucio gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he turned his attention forwards once again, tuning in to the chipper auctioneer for the evening.<br/><br/>“Now, I must say we have an absolutely delightful selection of items we’ve got up for auction this year, folks! From a weekend getaway at the one and only Delou Ski Resort and Spa, offered up by our very own Claude Delou,” Claude stood up and waved politely, “to a few one of a kind shots from some of our favorite up and coming models!” Lucio raised his free hand in response to the second statement, smiling as he glanced over his shoulder at the hollering of a few of his particularly rambunctious little fan club. “And we’ve even gotten some of them to agree to take you, our beautiful patrons, out on some fully funded dinner dates! How about that?!” The man laughed at the playful whooping that came from somewhere amidst the sea of tables followed by a soft murmuring of chuckles.<br/><br/>“But on a more serious note, my friends, I want to thank you all for being here this evening. The Lifetime Foundation really couldn’t function without the generous donations offered by all of our wonderful supporters here this evening. We’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us, and so these lovely pieces we have to offer you today will hopefully serve as some sign of our gratitude … So, without further ado, shall we move on to our first item?!” Another round of applause erupted within the room and the Auctioneer grinned and clapped his hands together. “Wonderful! And our first item up for auction is … A horse riding lesson with the one, the only, Michael Page!”<br/><br/>So, the night began to wear on like this. Courses being gradually served as an auction took place. It was mostly civil, and a polite level of chattering hummed throughout the evening as item after item was auctioned off, and course after course of beautifully cooked food was served. Ansel and Lucio enjoyed a variety of yummy dishes, some of which mirrored food that they’d eaten in that very hotel on their first eve together: Raw oysters, delectable fried artichokes, and later on they even enjoyed the whiskey ice cream that Ansel had painstakingly licked and nibbled off of Lucio’s pelvis. A smile played at the boy’s pretty lips as he lifted the spoon up towards them. “I remember on our first evening together you lectured me extensively on how such wonderful memories could be held within such delectable little bites,” he murmured playfully before slipping the ice cream into his eager mouth, maintaining eye contact with his lover as he did so.<br/><br/>Coffee and tea was being served by the time that the Auctioneer began making his way through the photographs of the various models that had come onboard. Cassio’s photographs sold for a respectable $20,000 a piece, and Griffith’s sold for similar amounts. Various other pretty little things found their pieces sold for upwards of $50, $60, and $70,000. Lucio was the final model up for bid. When the announcer called his name, he stood, scooting around the table and pausing to stoop down and press a brief peck to Ansel’s lips. “Just a few minutes more and then we can fall into bed together, my love … Or, more so you can fasten me down onto the mattress,” he murmured cheekily, smirking down at the professor as he stood straight before making his way up onto the stage. He was one of the few models that was present for the auction itself, his brother’s were barred from coming by his mother, due to classwork that they’d been slacking on. They may have been highly sought out after models, but Miss Bane kept them in line with a stern hand, and that was something that Lucio admired her for. So many young modellings got to run rampant without supervision; Ian was a prime example of a beautiful, but horribly spoiled young thing.<br/><br/>Lucio trotted up onto the stage once he was beckoned up, and he smiled brightly as he reached up to pull off the ornate mask he had fastened up to his face, setting it down upon the podium before moving to grip the edge as he gazed out over the audience. “I know it’s not my place, but I must say I am incredibly grateful for all of you coming here this evening and sharing in a night of great fun, fantastic food, and a wonderful cause. I’ve been working with the Lifetime Foundation for four years now, and each and every year I’m astonished by how generous you all are.” He paused at a smattering of applause that rippled through the gala’s guests, and a warm smile graced his beautiful features. “This year is certainly no different, and I’m pleased to announce that I, Lucio Bane, will be one of the four models that are auctioning of an evening of their time this year on behalf of my friends at the foundation. But first, we have three divine photographs to offer!” He stepped back from the podium, standing just to the side of Mr. McHugh as they drew the first photograph up onto the stage.<br/><br/>The first photo: the headshot of the young Englishman, was battled over briefly but in the end it went to Alyssa Fitz for roughly $30,000. The second, the one that focused in on Lucio from the waist up, went to Angelica Clout for a respectable $15,000. The final photograph, however, was battled over for a quite a while. In the end it was Angelica Clout against Claude Delou, bickering back and forth with their numbered paddles for possession of the photograph. The price climbed ever higher, $20,000, to $60,000, to $90,000. In the end the multibillionaire Mr. Delou won the clash, in the end dishing out a stagger $160,00 for the single full body shot. Lucio’s devoted group of upper class admirers were the reason that he was so well liked by the foundation. It wasn’t an odd occasion for his photographs to go for such obnoxious prices.<br/><br/>Up next for auction wasn’t a simple photograph, but Lucio’s person itself. He smiled as he stepped forward into the foreground of the stage so folks could get a nice long look at him whilst the prices gradually rose. The entire fan club fought over the chance to spend an evening alongside the object of their dreams. It wasn’t entirely clear who was going to win out, until Claude stood from his seat instead of following suit with the silent bidding, which had reached upwards of $150,000. He slammed his paddle down and shouted commandingly, “$300,000!” Without even pausing to wait for a challenge the Auctioneer pointed at Delou and cried out, “SOLD! To our dearest patron, Claude Delou!” Lucio did, as always, a wonderful job with hiding his dread at the news that his former lover had won his little dinner date. His gaze, however, slowly slipped over to Ansel who was seated alone at their little table for two, and he cleared his throat awkwardly at the sight of him, moving to step off the stage and return to his lover as he was dismissed and a few words were said to close off the auction.<br/><br/>“I … I’m sorry love, I know this wasn’t the turn of events you wished for,” he whispered once he reached Ansel’s side, folks all around beginning to lift from their seats and meander throughout the maze of tables in the general direction of the door. "But come, I've something to show you ... Please." He reached his hand down to his darling Professor, his brow knitting together slightly as he gazed at him.