Lukas stood in the doorway of the classroom. His eyes searched the room, going from one face to the next. He couldn’t find Tate anywhere. He assumed he would already be there, but it seemed he wasn’t. Lukas sighed. He thought he would get the conversation over with as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to have to wait and come back for a break or lunch.

"What are you doing here?"

Lukas flinched when he heard Tate's voice. He froze for a second and then slowly turned around. Tate was standing behind him, looking as antisocial and menacing as always.

"Can… can I talk to you?" Lukas was suddenly very nervous. He had prepared himself, but now that it was actually going to happen, he wanted to run.

"Fine." Tate groaned and turned around. Lukas stared at him, unable to follow. "Well, are you coming?"

"Yeah." Lukas nodded.

Lukas followed closely behind Tate. A knot form in his stomach as they went to the last floor. He replayed over and over again what he was going to say. It was like preparing for an oral exam. He had to make sure that his message got through, that it didn’t lack in any way. Lukas was so concentrated on what he was going to say that he didn’t realize where they were going until they arrived.

Tate stopped in front of the storage room they had been in before, the same one he had dreams of. Tate looked around and opened the door. Lukas stared at the opening, debating on whether he should really step inside or not. He took a deep breath and finally stepped inside.

Everywhere Lukas looked, he saw images from his recent dream. He tried forgetting those images, but in the room, it was all he could think about. The way Tate touched him. The words he spoke—the sensation it gave him.

Tate closed the door and locked it drawing Lukas' attention away from his thought. Lukas went further into the room, putting some distance between him and Tate. He was still nervous and wasn’t sure yet what he was going to tell him. But he knew he had to get this over with. He couldn’t let it drag on.

"So?" Tate leaned up against the wall as he waited. "Did you decided what you want from me?"

"I..." Lukas fidgeted. "I..."

"Just spit it out."

Lukas flinched at the aggression in Tate's voice. The situation was making him even more anxious. Lukas bit at his inner bottom lip as he tried to find the words, but nothing seemed right. Nothing sounded right. Tate sighed and started to head back to the door. Lukas began to panic. If Tate walked out now, he was sure he would never get him to come back to talk to him again. He needed to say something. Tate reached for the door.

"I-I won't tell anyone," Lukas finally said. Tate had stopped and turned slightly to look at him. "I wasn't planning on telling anyone about..." He paused as the words he was planning on saying refused to come out. "...that."

“Am I supposed you believe you?” Tate walked back towards him. “I don’t know you. What makes you think I can trust you?”

“I promise I won’t.”

“Not good enough.”

Tate was right. He didn’t know Lukas. They were strangers. That week was the first time they had ever talked. Lukas’ lowered his head.

“I don’t want to cause you any problems.”

“And why not?”

Cause...” The knot in his stomach began to tighten. “I need your help.”

"Help you with what?"

"Um..." Lukas began to fidget. "Well... the thing is..."

"Do I have to keep telling you not to waste my time?"

"Why are you such a dick?" Lukas snapped. He had been feeling nervous for hours, and Tate's attitude was the last straw. "This isn't easy for me to say. It's personal, and you're far away. What if other people hear?”

Tate sighed and walked over to Lukas until he was standing inches away from him. Lukas could feel Tate's breath on his forehead.

"Is this better?"

Tate's voice was so close and low. Lukas could barely look up, and he felt a strange sensation in his crotch that he wasn’t used to feeling.

"Um... too close."

"Well, too bad. Talk."

Lukas fidgeted again. He was not expecting this sort of outcome.

"I… I need your help."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. Help with what?"

Lukas swallowed hard. This conversation was harder than he thought it would be. He never actually told anyone before. Charlie knew about it because they had known each other for so long. It was only natural that he would know about his condition. His mother knew about what had happened to him because the cops had told her, but she didn't know about the aftermath. And Hiro knowing was an accident. Lukas bit his lip and lowered his head.

"I have... a condition."

"What kind of condition?"

"I..." He paused. "Um… I sort of have... ED.

There was a silence that followed, and it made things extremely uncomfortable.

"You. Have erectile dysfunction? At your age?"

Lukas's head hung lower. He had only told two people about it that their reactions made him feel like he had done something wrong.

Tate stared at him a moment and took a step closer, slipping his leg between Lukas's legs. Lukas gasped as he felt Tate's knee against his groin. Tate lowered his head, his lips close to Lukas's ear.

"You sure you have ED?”

Lukas felt his breath quicken as Tate rubbed his thigh against his crotch repeatedly. Lukas bit his lip as he tried to suppress his voice that was slowly rising.

"It seems to be working fine to me."

"Ah!" He tried to cover his mouth, but he couldn't do it very well. "Be-because it-it's you."

Tate hesitated but didn't move.

"Elaborate."

Tate pressed his lips closer to Lukas's ear. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was all Lukas could hear.

"Ever... since that day." Lukas gasped again. His head fell back. "I get... when...I think... of you. B-but I can't... ah!"

Tate looked at Lukas. He was shivering. He was feeling it but nothing else. Tate rubbed his crotch again, causing Lukas to bite his lip as hard as he could.

"So if I help you with this, you won’t say anything?"

“No.” Lukas shook his head. “I won’t say anything even if you don’t help me.”

“Right.”

"I mean it." Lukas couldn't look at him. He was too ashamed. "I just wanted to ask for your help." Lukas gasped. "I don't want… to force you."

Tate rubbed his thigh again against Lukas's groin. Lukas's hands flew to his mouth, covering a moan. Tate stared at him. Lukas was trembling to his touch.

"Fine." Tate pulled back. His eyes remained on Lukas. "I'll help you." Lukas looked up and smiled. "But you will have to follow some rules."

"O-okay. What rules?"

"1. Never speak to me at school. 2. Training will take place at your house. 3. Never look at me. 4. Don't expect sex. Deal?"

"Um... Yeah."

"Fine. Give me your number. I'll contact you when it's time to start."

Tate gave Lukas his phone. Lukas added his number and handed Tate back his phone. Tate slipped it into his pocket and walked to the door.

"I'll text you."

Tate left the room. Lukas stood there alone, still shaking from the sexual arousal that he had felt.