A/N: Sorry this is so short.

The wine tasted of honey, almonds, and apples; the duck came slathered in a cherry-port sauce with blanched green beans tossed with hazelnuts; and the room's ambience was romantic, with candles flickering in the half-darkness, the warmth emanating from the fireplace, and Tchaikovsky's Symphonie Pathetique playing softly on the radio. But Brian and Justin took little notice.

Their focus fell on something else, that is to say, getting answers to their questions while revealing as little as possible about themselves. They did so for nearly the same reason: They wanted to appear "cool." For Justin, that meant appearing more worldly and experienced than he was. For Brian, that meant appearing less emotionally involved and sentimental than he was.

After "the big reveal," it was Justin's turn to admit to something. He knew Brian wanted to hear more about his dungeon experience, but he didn't want to offer that up without a guarantee of a like admission from Brian (about his mystery man), so he prefaced his admission by suggesting, "Why don't we alter the game a bit? The other person can name the topic he wants to hear more about and can still pose a follow-up question." Justin tried to say this as calmly as possible, as though he could not care less whether Brian agreed. He shrugged before speaking to try to force his voice to take a cue from his body language and looked not at Brian but at a point a few inches to the right of him (he didn't want his eyes to give him away).

Brian was feeling pretty confident then, since he'd managed to throw Justin off to such a degree by the mere mention of his mystery man. He felt sure he could use this opportunity to pump Justin for all the detail he wanted while deflecting when his own turn came. So he smiled and answered almost enthusiastically, "Sure. Why not?" His eyes danced. He liked a challenge. "So that means I choose a topic first."

Justin nodded. "Yup."

Brian pretended to contemplate for a moment. Then he shrugged and said, following Justin's lead and looking not at Justin, but slightly to Justin's right, "The dungeon."

Justin had expected this. He confessed, "That was the first time I'd ever had sex involving handcuffs, floggers, nipple clamps, and paddles." Justin's confidence soared when he saw genuine surprise pass over Brian's face (the smile disappeared immediately and Brian seemed to freeze for a few seconds before he recovered). He managed to imply that he'd had such sex more than once while at the same time being perfectly honest. That had been the FIRST time. It had also been the LAST. But Brian didn't need to know that.

Brian took a sip of wine, Justin guessed, to appear at ease, in no hurry for more detail. Then he asked, "Did you like being spanked?"

Justin raised an eyebrow and smiled seductively. "Who says I was the one being spanked?"

Brian was so shocked by this answer that he didn't think to point out that Justin hadn't really answered the question. Part of his reaction was caused by the surge of heat coursing through his body converging on his groin. Brian had liked Justin's display of dominance the night before, much more than he would ever admit, so Justin's insinuation sent Brian's cock from zero to fully erect in 30 seconds.

Justin capitalized on Brian's shock to move the conversation forward. He said, "Your turn. I choose my mystery man." Justin didn't even try to hide his eagerness. He was more worried that Brian would realize that he hadn't sufficiently answered the follow up. He needed to distract Brian.

Brian nodded slowly to buy himself a little time. Then he said, "I was there that night. I know what happened."

All of Justin's composure left him then. He froze. He looked down at the table, licked his lips, and swallowed hard. His throat seemed so dry suddenly. That was all that stopped him from bursting out, "You do?" and thus wasting a follow up. He had to formulate that very carefully. He wasn't sure how he was feeling. Jolts of electricity surged through him, causing both pleasure and discomfort. He liked the idea that Brian had seen Justin with his mystery man, but he also felt embarrassed and a little like the experience was sullied by the presence of someone else. In the end, the pleasure and excitement won out. When he looked back up, he asked, "What did you see?"

Brian actually laughed, which caused Justin's eyes to assume a surprised, almost hurt expression. But of course, it wasn't because Justin had anything to be ashamed of. He had acquitted himself quite well that night. Rather, Brian was impressed. Justin had asked the PERFECT follow-up question. Out of all the questions he could have asked, that one would garner him the most information. Brian thought back, actually picturing it in his head, as he spoke. "I saw a terrified but blond twink kissing like he wanted to consume his 'partner,' for lack of a better word. I noticed that he had no style whatsoever." Brian shook his head and scoffed. "Plaid, really?" He grimaced, which caused Justin to laugh. "I saw that same twink fall to his knees in near worship and, a bit later, pinned to a wall writhing and moaning."

Justin was genuinely touched (and profoundly relieved). Not only did Brian remember A LOT considering how long ago it was – and Justin would never have imagined that Brian would even have noticed him, let alone focused his attention solely on him. Yet Brian's recounting of events did just that. Butterflies fluttered in his abdomen, and he finally found himself able to breathe normally. He'd been terrified at the thought that Brian might have fucked his mystery man, but if he recalled nothing about him, if he'd spent all of his attention on Justin, that can't have been the case. Or so Justin reasoned. Justin exclaimed a little breathlessly. "I can't believe you remember me. That was years ago!"

Brian shrugged. "You had terrible taste in clothing. Really horrendous. It traumatized me."

Justin froze. "Wait, so did you recognize me at the gallery?"

Brian smirked. "You already asked your follow up." But when Justin let his head fall, his eyes full of disappointment, he added quickly, "Yes. I recognized you."

The resultant smile nearly blinded Brian.