A/N: Writing this because I always felt that in the book there was something going on between Joe and Damien, and I also wrote this for a buddy on Tumblr. Enjoy.

It was four in the afternoon on the Monday before Easter. Damien Karras was in the confessional in the back on the church, finishing up the last round of absolutions for the day. It was custom that confessions be offered to everyone for a few hours each day every day in the week before Easter. In fact, it was mandated by every diocese around the world. Most parishes had several priest available at a time, but Georgetown University was a college campus, and most college kids weren't into the whole "cleanse your spirit" thing. This was perhaps bad for their souls, as the older priests would say, but it made the lives of the priests on campus easier. They only needed one priest available at a time, and divided the day into shifts, each man taking about an hour of the mandated time. They were being generous when they gave the last shift to the new guy.

Karras had only been at the university for a few months. He'd been ordained almost three years ago, but had moved around several local parishes in the last couple of years, yet conveniently he never traveled far from the seminary he'd graduated from with honors. All the more conveniently, this kept him close to all his friends who were at this point in their lives finding the people they would settle down with, and when he met up with them he had to deal with hearing about this one's girlfriend and that one's wedding plans. He, on the other hand, had taken a vow of celibacy, and at twenty-four it was starting to hit him hard. It had been his idea to enter the priesthood. He did have the faith needed for it, and he could even say he loved his religion, but at this point he was starting to think maybe he should've just become a lector and gotten married. Well, it's too late now.

The door creaked open. He wasn't in the mood to talk to any of these kids right now, but it came with the job, and he had to humor it. He saw the person enter the small cubicle to be in his company, but he was surprised to see that it wasn't a student, but a friend of his…Joseph Dyer.

"What are you doing here?" It came out as a snarky complaint, and he wondered if that was how it was unconsciously intended.

"Sneaking away from classes to see how you're doing." There was a pause. "I figured that confession duty here would be slow." He walked further in and sat down.

"Do you want me to absolve you?" It was a light-hearted rhetorical question that he knew Dyer would answer anyway.

"You probably should. Y'know, I've realized that the closer I get to graduation, the more boring my classes become." He bit his lip and continued, "I skipped."

"Your period?" It was said straight and dry, and it was a joke, but Karras sounded dead serious.

"Very funny. I just thought you needed the company."

"And what if someone actually wants me to absolve them and they can't come in because you're here?"

"Their loss. And probably mine, too. I've been missing so many classes my parents will probably kill me come finals." He almost shivered at the thought.

"Then why don't you go back and sit through your class?"

Dyer scoffed at the suggestion. "Because I don't care, Damien! Unlike you, I never wanted this. I mean, yeah, at one point, but not anymore, and now there's no turning back."

"What made you change your mind?" It was a hesitant question. He felt his "priest voice" creep in, as if he were counseling someone who'd just confessed a deep, dark secret.

There was no answer, but he saw Joe stand up and walk toward him. His gut told his legs to stand up and walk out and leave, but something told him not to, and in six flat seconds he had his best friend facing him, straddling him.

"Joe, what are you doing?"

"Do I really have to answer that, Damien? Have you forgotten?" It was whispered in his ear and dripping with sensuality. "I know you have that whole vow of celibacy thing now," he started, moving his lips down his neck but never touching it, letting his breath hit Karras's skin as he moved one hand over and down the front of his shirt, "But there's no way you've completely forgotten." He stopped moving, sat still, and seemingly satisfied, buried his lips into the crook of his best friend's neck, and listened, quite satisfied, for the hitch in his breathing that followed as Damien threw back his neck.

"Joe, I told you," his retort came off as a bit sporadic as he felt the all too familiar lips keep searching for new places, "It's done. I took my vows and you're taking yours soon and that's-mmm." He let it fall as Joe fumbled with his shirt and he felt the pressure rise.

"You're not going to finish that lecture? That's too bad, Father."

"Don't call me that." It was a pointed, edged remark with maybe a bit too much anger attached.

"Oh, so you do want it."

"No, I don't." Again, he was persistent. "In fact, if we get caught, we'll both be in trouble."

"But you can't help yourself."

"Yes, I can."

"Pffft. Be honest right now, Damien." By now he had succeeded in taking Damien's shirt off. "You need me."

"For what?!" It was defensive. "Put my shirt back on by the way."

"If you want it you can get it yourself. But you didn't complain about me taking it off because right now you're desperate."

"NO, I'm not."

"Yeah, you are." He paused, then added slyly, "You need me to finish you off, don't you?"

"Huh, you wish!" Another hitch in his breathing.

With this retort, Dyer straightened himself and sat up, but didn't get off. "Really?" He said sarcastically. Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

With this last, short reply, Joe smirked, and averted his eyes slightly downward. "I'm not blind, Damien. I can tell certain things, you know." There was silence as Karras tried to hide his slight embarrassment as he realized he had been betrayed by his own body. He'd been aware of his physical state but tried to dismiss it.

"Is it that noticeable?"

Dyer didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned forward and continued kissing his chest in a way that nipped the skin and would leave marks. "Extremely," he hissed. Dyer didn't see Damien's face turn red with further shame, but through the shame he couldn't help but feel excited from the way that last bit of dialogue was said.

"You look really cute when you're flushed." Joe had looked up momentarily to break the silence with this observation, and he took the opportunity to kiss his best friend on the cheek.

"Just keep going," urged the impatient voice beneath him. "Things on my end are starting to get just the least bit uncomfortable," and he knew by saying this he was letting Joe know that he'd succeeded in having the last word. He leaned forward again, got back to work, going down…down…down.

It would've been an understatement for Damien to say he'd missed this…all their long nights in college after getting drunk and just going after each other. And he found he forgot where and who he was. It just didn't matter.

He found himself getting impatient. "You're really slow today, Joe."

"You honestly thought I was going to go for your pants right away and let this be over? We don't get to do this often."

"Never, actually," was Karras's smug reply. He tilted his head back and was ready to give in, let his friend just do what he wanted at this point because the hands exploring every part of him were just too much, but he saw the cross above his head.

"Joe, stop." It was soft but urgent, and he saw Dyer look up with an irritated expression. "You know, you're not the only one who wants to get something out of this."

"No, here, it just isn't right. Please get off."

"Yeah, I was going to but you won't let me." He was obviously irritated, but he wasn't about to do anything to Damien against his will, and he was obedient. "Maybe you can stop by tonight then, Damien? If you dress in normal clothes we could get away with it…" But he saw before he finished that the answer was a stern "No."

"Can't you enjoy yourself for once?"

"I never said I didn't, Joe. I just have the willpower to not indulge in what I want."

There was silence, and then a muffled noise as Dyer walked to the door. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"As long as you don't try to seduce me via phone." It was a poor attempt at a joke, but it did the trick.

"That's much too vulgar display of power, Karras. I'll try not to."