Lucio's words left Ansel feeling like a large, heavy stone had been placed in his chest. His eyes grew dark as his companion rejected his offer and pulled his hand away. Although he should have been able to see it coming, he had been thinking about this moment all night, when Lucio would inevitably turn him away, the weight Ansel felt was almost more than he could bear. Not since being a scrawny, unimpressive teenager had Ansel faced any sort of rejection from a partner. He had forgotten how much it stung, how deeply the words cut into his flesh. It was something he could help any of his students understand, something that he'd have a thousand ways to cope with if this pain were being harbored by someone else. And yet, when he was the victim, Ansel couldn't seem to access all of that training and research. All he could see was Lucio's beautiful face, the curve of his lips and the heavily lidded eyes, the long locks that Ansel wanted to run his fingers through.<br/><br/><i>Lucio is just a prostitute</i>, Ansel reminded himself bitterly. He took a sip from his coffee and sat back in his chair, eager to get away from the younger man.<br/><br/>"I understand," the professor said bluntly, an edge to his voice that betrayed his seemingly nonchalant demeanor. "One doesn't do business with someone who doesn't have anything they want. Basic economics, no?" He shrugged his shoulders, took a deep breath and pushed the last bits of his food away from him. He would visit the gym later, something he probably shouldn't be doing on a nearly empty stomach, but Ansel couldn't bring himself to eat anymore with Lucio so close to him.<br/><br/>Ansel reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark leather wallet, plucking a hundred dollar bill and tossing it carelessly on the table. It was far more than the total of their modest breakfast plus the tip, but that didn't concern him. "I hope you realize that just because you're guaranteed a good grade in my class that doesn't mean you're exempt from turning<i>something</i>in. Assignments from you will still be expected to stave off any questions. You can copy and paste the lyrics to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' into your essay for all I care, just make sure you turn something in."<br/><br/>The professor stood and pulled on his coat, sweeping back his dark hair with a strong, stiff hand. "Give me the bottle," Ansel commanded, reaching out a hand toward Lucio. "I don't want to keep you longer. We can part now and I suppose I will see you again on Monday, then?"