It was one of their more recent addictions, taking advantage of the early morning to find small places that would sell them legalized drugs: Coffee, sugar that stuck to your lips and tongue. Poisoning concoctions for Brian, the dried sweets for Aaron.

"It's too early for this kind of thing," Brian spoke through steamy, chapped lips.

"Too early to drink coffee with your oldest of friends you mean?" Aaron seemed lost in the sugary patterns of his donut, a glum frown etched behind his eyes, and in the bags that sagged beneath them.

"Too early to be out. It's nearly eight in the morning, and it's too early."

Brian seemed to have forgotten about the day before. He did so without effort, and it sometimes seemed as though half of his life was always lost in another thought, or pleasure. The shapely sway of another boy's ass could clear his mind from one of the most acrid and hallucinogenic highs of his life; the pungent smell of dying flowers reminding him of his mother's death, could easily be erased when he remembered that his jeans needed a wash. His tears were always wiped away by a new object, session, pleasure, or other worldly item.

"I suppose that it could be worse though," Brian echoed into the blackness of his coffee. He stared into the blank expression of Aaron's face, watching for any signs of life. Watching over the Styrofoam lip of his cup, he edged his foot into the soft spots of Aaron's inner thigh, slowly massaging the tender flesh with his toes. And Aaron grinned, looking up with those dark eyes that always seemed so sweet, even in his darkest days.

"You're right. I suppose. I suppose… We could always be in school again, waking up at the crack of dawn, rolling back over, and running late to class." Aaron smiled softly and cocked his head to the side, bringing his knees together and trapping Brian's foot in between his legs.

"Ah the memories, and all those wonderful people…"

"People?" Aaron lazily sighed, squeezing his legs tighter against Brian's naked foot.

"Oh god -"

"Who need people…" Aaron started to sing.

Brian finally slipped his foot down from the perch of Aaron's legs, and watched as his beautiful smile disappeared. He always knew how to control Aaron; slipping a hand here, a foot there, a tongue in between his beautiful lips to calm or reassure him. Leading him on until his true-self showed, then trying to let him keep his own appearance up without him. It was something he enjoyed, something that they both seemed to enjoy.

"You know I can't stand queens."

"I know…" Aaron took the donut between his lips, biting softly on the edges. "It's such a pretty day. Let's fade away and, do something outside?"

"I'm afraid they'll fire me if I take another morning off with you."

But with someone else, would they punish you? Aaron nodded, staring over his fading donut edges at the busy street outside the large glass windows.

Lost in the patterns of morning-yellow sunlight he failed to notice the small jingle of bells, the sudden lingering waft of clove cigarettes. Only when Brian turned his head to look in the direction of the tall girl in a short-cut leather jacket, twirling pink hair around on her middle finger as she waited by the counter, did his eyes take notice of his surroundings again.

He caught Brian's eye as his head turned about and managed a feeble smile -

"Hello, and Welcome to Black Oats. Can I take your order, ma'am?" The woman behind the counter smiled briefly, her eyelashes flittering superficially over the pink hair and bandaged hand.

Brian smiled, a simple twist of muscle before looking behind Aaron's head -

"Yeah sure. I want something with a lot of caffeine, doesn't matter what. Okay, and one of those small moon-shaped cookies. Yeah those." The tall girl dug in her pocket for a five-dollar bill, and tossed an open condom wrapper to the floor. She shook her head, rubbing the inside part of her elbow.

Brian watched as the young woman began to shake, a slow tremble that began in her knees and moved along the notches in her spine until her back seemed to break -

"Are you okay? Ma'am?"

Aaron turned around, licking white powder from the corner of his mouth, eyes following obvious bruises up the girl's legs -

"I-fine. Here. Take the money. Please. Thanks."

They both watched the girl as she staggered outside, leaving behind her a brown trail of coffee and breadcrumbs. Brian rolled his eyes back over to Aaron, who sighed softly in time with the jingle of the bells.

"I wonder what her problem was," Brian asked.

"I don't know. She looked lonely though, maybe I should go after her?"

"No. You always want to try and help others, and you always put your own problems on the back burner. You have to learn how to deal with your problems. Fuck the world. They can help themselves."

"I suppose," Aaron noticed the sudden guttural sound in Brian's voice and let the subject drop.

They walked out afterwards into the omnipresence of the perpetual New Orleans sun. Brian sighed, wishing for the rains to come. He put his hands behind his head and looked up into the spotless blue sky.

"Want to club tonight?"

"I don't think you'll remember."

"Of course I will," Brian laughed, putting his arm around Aaron's waist.

"Yeah, okay." Aaron dumped his plate into the round metal bin outside the Black Oats door.

"Sweet, same time and place. I'll see you then, buddy."

Brian walked off down the street, whistling to himself. His voice carrying high and calm down the street, over the din of tourists, until he turned a corner and lost himself in brick and flesh.

Aaron knew deep down that Brian wouldn't appear tonight, that he would hurt him and leave him alone in a club with too many fantasies, and an endless wall of debauched skin and gouty lips. But, he also knew that he would go just in the slight hope that Brian would come, and silently kiss him on the dance floor of perfection in pink.