"So what's the camera for?", Carson asked, pointing to the video camera Herbie was setting up on a tripod before six empty chairs in the college classroom.

Herbie didn't even turn to address him. He continued adjusting the tripod and camera, saying, "One of the requirements of the thesis. I have to have videotaped data as well as written data. All part of the deal." Carson made a satisfied expression to indicate he accepted that explanation.

"To prove he's not just making up all his info", Acker joked.

"Something like that", Herbie said, stepping away from the camera, making sure the recording remote was working.

Acker loitered about with the other five boys who had dutifully reported for their second session of Herbie's project. It was now Day 2, and both he and Jamie seemed most at ease, having gone so far as to change from their slacks into their overalls in the men's room down the hall before entering the classroom. Carson and Rickie appeared a bit preoccupied, but were relatively relaxed, considering they were going out of their way not make eye contact with one another. Both Bry and Coffee were visibly uncomfortable, appearing anxious and jumpy.

Vic stepped beside Herbie, leaning over to whisper to him. "Herb, shouldn't we ask them about what happened yesterday? I mean, after they left the session? What the experienced, what they did?"

"I know what they did", Herbie said, not bothering to lower his voice.

Vic took Herbie by the arm. "Yeah, but don't you think they need to know why they did what they did? Don't you owe them that much?"

This time Herbie did lower his voice. "You wanna tell them we hypnotized them with implanted suggestions to go gay when they're alone with each other, be my guest."

Vic's eyes darkened. "What's this "we" shit, Herb?! I didn't even know what you had in mind until you'd already done it!"

Herbie smirked. "Tell them that. Far as they know, we're a team. And aren't we?"

His ire rising, Vic tightened his grip on Herbie's arm. Herbie looked down at Vic's hand and leveled a warning glare at him. Pulling his arm away from Vic's grasp, he said to the group, "Okay, gentlemen, I'll need you to get suited up in your overalls and straw hats. Just like last time. Let's go."

Jamie and Acker changed fairly quickly, since all they needed to do was shuck off their shirts and kick off their shoes. They made a playful bit of putting their straw hats on each other's heads. Carson and Rickie changed slowly, pulling their overalls out of the duffle bag they'd brought along. Both of them hunched over to remove their trousers simultaneously, not realizing they were moving in perfect unison. They both looked up at the same time, their eyes meeting as they were bent over, their pants down around their ankles, their legs bared. Carson moved forward just a bit, his face coming closer to Rickie's his lips parting. Then they both started, as if remembering where they were. They turned around and continued dressing with their backs to each other.

Bryce and Coffee stood watching the others change for a moment before they too began to remove their everyday clothes and step into their worn bib overalls. Their movements were stiff, almost mechanical, as if their bodies were operating on autopilot. Their eyes, however, were wide and sharp, watching the other boys follow their orders to change and take their seats.

Bry whispered to Coffee. "We're gonna tell him, right? We're gonna tell him that we want out, right? We do not want a repeat of last night's little sexual fiasco--"

"Shut up, man."

Bry reached over unconsciously and adjusted the buckle on Coffee's right bib strap. "I'm serious. Before this goes too far and we wind up on the floor clucking our brains out again. We gotta tell him. We're out. Done, finished." Bry put the straw hat on Coffee's head and took a few moments to make sure it was titled in a rakish fashion most becoming his friend. He then turned to approach Herbie.

Coffee gently touched Bry's bare shoulder with his fingertips, stopping him. Bry turned to face him. "What?" Coffee lightly set the twin to his straw hat on top of Bry's head, tapping it into place. Bry smiled. "Hey. Thanks."

Bry and Coffee looked at each other for a moment. They could hear the scraping of chair legs along the classroom floor as their comrades took their seats. The sound seemed so distant. Bry could feel his breathing becoming a bit heavier. Coffee looked so damned adorable in this country boy outfit. Softly, Bry reached out with his hand and traced his friend's arm from the shoulder down to the wrist. He took a step closer to him, feeling the tips of their toes touching. It sent a sudden thrill through him. Bry reached up with his other hand and softly, gently, curled his fingers around Coffee's neck. He could feel the warmth of his friend's body heat under his hand.

Coffee then took Bry by the shoulders, hurriedly turning him around to face the rest of the room. The four other boys sat impatiently in their chairs, with two vacant seats on the far right of the lineup. Vic leaned against the far wall near the door, arms crossed, looking oddly irritated. Herbie cleared his throat from behind the camera. "Anytime you guys are ready", he said.

Coffee and Bry shuffled nervously to their seats. Carson and Rickie scooted their chairs over an inch or two as if trying to gain a bit more distance from them. Jamie and Acker kept grinning.

"Same drill as yesterday, fellas", Herbie said. "This is an exercise in relaxation and information absorption through hypnosis conveyed by way of the natural vehicle of warmth. I'll fire up the little heater here and we can get started."

"Um, before we get started, I'd like to say something."

Herbie looked at Bryce, who'd spoken. Vic also perked up a bit, interested to hear what the boy had to say. Carson and Rickie looked at him askance. Jamie and Acker looked only mildly interested, anxious for the exercise to get under way. Herbie stuck his tongue into his cheek, looking perturbed. "You need a quick recap of what we did yesterday?"

Bry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "No, no it's not that--"

"What, then?"

"We can't do this anymore. Take part in your psychology experiment." The rest of the boys looked at him accusingly, wondering if Bry were taking their vices into account with his statement. Seeing their expressions, Bryce quickly amended, "I mean, Coffee and me. We're dropping out. Isn't that right, Coff?" Bry looked to Coffee for support.

Nodding, Coffee said, "Yeah, we decided we're dropping out of this whole thing. Sorry."

"We're not even coming today", Bry added with new confidence.

Herbie walked up to him. "So, you're just gonna up and quit? Not even coming today, huh?"

Bry smiled. "Nope. We're just stayin' home." He looked at Coffee, proud of their show of solidarity, but Coffee's face fell and he put his head in his hands. Bry was confused. "What?'

Herbie just smiled. But Vic said, "If you're not coming today, what are you doing here?"

Bry started to answer, then realized the idiocy of it and shut his trap. He looked back to Coffee and whispered loud enough for all to hear, "Dude, we're already HERE!" Still cradling his head with one hand, Coffee reached over with the other and took Bry's hand, interlacing their fingers. Bry just sighed heavily, resigned to whatever would come next.

"If there are no further delays", Herbie said, "please face forward, and keep your eyes on the little orange light."

And they were alone. Bry and Coffee were suddenly in the room by themselves. Everyone else, even Herbie's machine, was gone. The session was over and they had remained behind to talk things over. Or at least they must have. Memory was a bit fuzzy after their day's session.

"How--how long have we been just sitting here?", Bry asked, looking around the empty classroom.

"I--I'm not sure", Coffee answered, rubbing his eyes. "We were looking at the light on Herb's machine, I remembering feeling really nice again."

"Nice?"

"Relaxed. You know. You must have felt it, too. Like last time. All warm and comfortable and you start to get just a little worked up and excited. You can feel yourself getting hard even as you kind of sink into your chair--"

"Okay, yeah! I get it! We both felt that! We don't have to relive it!" Bry stood up, feeling a little embarrassed that his words came out harsher than he had intended. He began to pace around a bit, feeling the cool surface of the floor under his bare feet. he was trying to remember where he had left his clothes. He reached up to take off his ridiculous straw hat, but no sooner was it off his head than it felt...somehow wrong to remove it unless he had his street clothes on hand to change into. He put it back on his head.

Coffee stretched in his seat, feeling as if he'd just awakened from a very invigorating nap. He found himself staring at Bry's ass. Even under the baggy drop-seat of his bib overalls, he could tell Bry worked out and that his magnificent butt was well-sculpted.

"So what do you make of it?"

Coffee was taken off-guard. "Huh?" he quickly shifted his gaze a bit higher, taking his eyes off Bry's posterior. "Make of wh-what?"

Bry turned to face him. "Of this. Of us waking up alone here with everyone else gone. What's up with that?"

Coffee smirked. "You'd rather we wake up clucking like chickens?"

"No", Bry said defensively, realizing too late that Coffee was joking.

"Maybe", Coffee surmised, "we were under so deeply this time that it took us longer to come out of it all the way. I hear that can happen."

Bry shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah?"

Coffee leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. "Oh, yeah. We could've been woken up right along with the other four guys, Jamie, Acker, Carson, and Rick. But if we were more zonked, we could have been acting like we were wide awake before we were really fully conscious. Like a sleepwalker."

"You weren't kidding when you said you were into this stuff."

"Enough to know that much, anyway." Coffee stood up and walked over to Bry. "I also know that I feel great right now." He stepped even closer. "And I know you do too--"

Bry took a step back. "Coff, don't. I--I can't do what we did before. Last night was a fluke or something--"

"A fluke that felt great."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it real. Like when you're drunk or something--frat guys have at it that way all the time when they're wasted. It doesn't mean they've, you know, joined the other team or anything. We were just high from the hypnosis is all."

Coffee's eyes were warm and tender. "Maybe. But I think I remember reading something about deep hypnotic trances awakening submerged...even repressed, feelings you may not know you have."

Bry looked very uncomfortable, but this time he didn't back away when Coffee closed the gap between them. "God, Coffee, I'm confused. I--I don't want to feel this, but--I, it's like I can't help it."

"I know what you mean." Coffee ran gentle fingers over Bry's shoulders, playing with the straps on his overalls bibs.

Bry closed his eyes, his hands slowly emerging from his pockets, reaching over to finger the brass buttons on either side of Coffee's waist. He began to unbutton Coffee's overalls even as Coffee was unbuckling Bry's bib straps. They moved closer to each other, their toes touching, their knees bumping lightly together.

Coffee let Bry's straps tumble back over his shoulders. He then gently lowered his denim bib, running his palms over Bry's smooth chest. Bry traced the edges of Coffee's bib, fingering the buckles clipped around the corner buttons, which he unfastened easily, letting both bib and straps fall to reveal hairless, firm abs.

The two pressed their chests together, ran their hands across one another's smooth backs. Bry rested his chin on Coffee's shoulder, whispering softly, "I don't want this. I don't want to be gay."

Coffee whispered back. "I know. I don't either. But I want you."

The two began to kiss. Lightly at first, then more passionately, going from closed mouths to open, lips probing and feeling the moist warmth inside the other. Slowly, the two began to drop to their knees, as if being lowered on a lift. On the way down, their hands stroked bare backs, waists, arms, and shoulders. The intensity of their kissing increased. Once down on their knees, they began to kiss with abandon, feeling their heat rise.

"We can't do this", Bry panted in between kisses. "We're not gay."

"We can be", Coffee gasped back, beginning to kiss Bry's neck. "As long as we're alone, as long as no one can see. We can be gay, It's just between you and me."

Coffee's hands reached down underneath Bry's unbuttoned bibs and kneaded his ass, his lips suckling Bry's neck. Bry tried to answer his friend, but found he had no voice. Before he began to kiss the side of Coffee's head, stroking his waist, he merely offered a weak nod to signal his agreement.

"Buk-KAWK!" Carson's senses came into sharp focus. His own squawk had apparently brought him around, as when a sleeper's snoring grows too intense. He was squatted down on his haunches, directly in front of Rickie, who was similarly posed, but with a glazed look in his eyes. Down on his haunches, arms bent, knuckles stuffed into his armpits, Rickie remained in his chickenesque posture, blank eyes staring into space.

Carson lowered his arms from their "wing" position, resting one knee down on the floor, feeling the tension leave his legs as he adjusted his posture. He looked at the mesmerized Rickie. He waved a hand before his empty eyes. No response.

"Hey, Rickie", Carson said. Nothing. Then again, a bit louder, "Rickie." Nada.

Carson gave Rickie's knee a gentle push, and raising his voice a notch, said, "Rick!"

Rick's eyes came into focus. "BYUk-buk-buk-ba-KAHWK!" His elbows even flapped slightly, like chicken wings.

Carson laughed. "Dude, you still sound like a sick ostrich."

Rickie was back. "Fuck you! I do not! I'm a full-fledged chicken, pal! And don't you--" he paused, lowering his arms, coming out of his squat. "--forget it..." He looked around the room and then back at Carson. "Cars, where is everybody?"

"Search me." Carson stood up, offering Rickie a hand as his friend also got to his feet, slowly working the kinks out after being down in that uncomfortable position.

"How long do you suppose we were out?"

Carson shrugged. "No idea. Long enough for the others to clear out of the classroom, evidently. You think this is all part of the experiment? Leaving us behind posed like chickens and everything, or maybe just a little prank--?" Carson turned to see Rickie trying to work a cramp out of his leg. "Here, let me help you with that."

Before Rickie could respond, Carson was down on his knees behind him, massaging Rickie's calf under the soft denim pant leg. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Cars. I appreciate it and all, but--" and then he felt the strength of Carson's fingers firmly working the stiffness from his muscles. "Ohh, maannnn...that feels great. Thannnkss."

Carson continued rubbing the one leg, then moved on to the next. Rickie almost protested, having a cramp in only the one leg, but then let Carson continue. Rickie rested his palms on a nearby desk and leaned forward a bit, allowing Carson's hands to work their way up his claves to his inner thighs, gently applying more pressure with his massage. Rickie let out soft moans of satisfaction as Carson's nimble fingers worked their magic.

And then Carson's hands reached Rickie's ass. Rickie felt his mouth spread into a wide grin as Carson attentively kneaded his rear. Then he heard a couple sharp snaps and felt a cool breeze across his cheeks. Carson had opened Rickie's rear drop-seat.

"Cars, what the hell are you doing??", Rickie said, twisting around as much as he could, with Carson's firm hands holding his butt in place.

"Buddy, you really do have a magnificent ass", Carson said, chuckling. He then gave his buddy's rump a playful slap, his laughter increasing.

Rickie twisted away, breaking free of Carson's hold. "Okay, smartass, let's see how yours measures up!"

Carson danced away, all smiles, letting out a sneer of, "Ohhhh, no!" The two played a bit of octopus arm wrestling, with arms flailing and hands grasping, until the smaller Rickie was able to duck under Carson's long reach and snag his wrists. With a quick flip, Rickie spun Carson around to bend him over the same desk he himself had been leaning on.

Carson, more amused than concerned, spat out through snorted guffaws, "Alright, alright, you got me! Go ahead and have a look, poultry boy!"

Rickie was down on his haunches, yanking at Carson's backdoor flap. "That's poultry man to you, chicken little." Carson felt the brass snaps give way as Rickie popped them open, and felt the cooler air against his ass. Then he felt the warmth of gentle fingers pressing down against his smooth flesh. "Well ol' buddy", Rickie said, "your ass ain't half bad, either. In fact..." and his voice faded off.

Over his shoulder, Carson, still a bit giddy, remarked, "Yeah, all I'm missing is a nice feathery tail, huh?" Rickie said nothing. "Hey, Rick? Whattaya think? Am I all set to start laying eggs, or what?"

Then Carson felt his friend's finger probing into his ass. The finger was moist, slick, apparently having been into Rickie's mouth before going into Carson's hole. Carson gasped sharply. "Uhh! Rick!" His voice was a hoarse whisper. "Whu-whuh--what're you d-doing??"

Rickie said nothing back, save to whisper a reassuring, "Shhhh." Rickie's fingers dug in deeper. Two digits, then three. Then--omigod--four? Rickie massaged the inside of Carson with careful, tender strokes, sending electric jolts of pleasure through Carson's body. Carson gripped the edge of the small student desk, his knuckles going white with his tightening grasp.

The fingers that had not entered Carson delicately played at the skin around the outside, touching, tickling. Carson's jaw was locked in an open position, his eyelids fluttering even as his gaze turned involuntarily upward. His own erection was growing in size and heat, and he could feel its stiffening shaft pressing against the desk under the soft denim of his overalls.

Then, Carson felt the wetness, running up his back. Rickie was licking Carson's backside, starting just above where he had inserted his fingers and riding up as far as the skin exposed by the open drop-seat would allow. Carson let out a high-pitched whine as he inhaled sharply, his legs tensing, his arms trembling.

Rickie kept on playing with Carson's posterior even as he paused in his tongue play, commenting, "Cars, you're finger lickin' good. Want me to keep going?"

It was all Carson could do to form a coherent thought, much less answer Rickie. But he twisted his head to the side, his flushed face straining to spit out a sentence. Eyes watering, Carson nodded ever-so-slightly, whispering, "...yes, please..."

Jamie and Acker both blinked. They stared at each other for a moment, still shirtless and in their beat up overalls and straw hats. A quick glance told them they stood in the corner of the classroom, near the instructor's desk.

"Where is everybody?", Acker asked.

"Dunno", Jamie said. "Are they all gone?"

"Looks like it. How'd we get over here?"

Jamie shrugged, looking around the room and stuffing his hands into his front pockets. "Not sure. We were over in our chairs...I remember feeling all sleepy like when we went under before."

"I was holding your hand."

"Right. We were holding hands. Then what?"

"I have no clue. Think we were told to forget this session? I mean, programmed to or whatever?"

Jamie cocked one eyebrow. "That would explain a lot. Aren't most peoples' memories a blank after being hypnotized?"

"I think I've heard something like that, yeah." Acker grinned, ignoring the fact that they each remembered most of their first session. "Only one thing to do now, I guess."

Jamie smiled brightly. "Lock the door."

Jamie bounded across the room in giant leaps, hopping over desks and scrambling to the doorway. His kinetic bouncing, combined with his country boy wardrobe, made him appear more like a giddy farmboy than a first-year college student. He was giggling as he stuck his head out the door into the hallway, quickly craned his neck around, and upon deciding no one was around, yanking the door shut and locking it closed.

He spun around to see Acker zipping about the room, racing back from the side exit door in the far corner that was opposite the main hallway entrance Jamie had just locked. "All clear", Acker said, smiling. Jamie leapt over another couple desks as Acker dashed across the floor, his bare feet sliding up to meet Jamie's.

The two met in a tangle of arms that quickly became an eager embrace. At first it was all just stroking and hugging, then came the kissing. Quick, ravenous, hungry. They paused briefly to catch their breath, both their foreheads resting together, the brims of their straw hats curling upward against each other. Hands resting upon one another's shoulders, Jamie and Acker panted softly.

"This is so not what I had planned", Jamie said. "I was gonna keep all this bottled up until later. Not come out until after graduation, ideally. Senior year at the earliest. Not before then, and certainly not this soon."

Acker ran his hands down Jamie's smooth arms. "You think you're surprised? I didn't even know that I was...you know. That way. I mean, I thought about it every once in a while. But I just figured it was a phase or something. Random thoughts. Nothing that really meant anything. But these feelings...oh, God these feelings..." Acker slid his hands around to Jamie's back, drawing him closer. "It's just that I never expected..."

Jamie pressed his chest to Acker's, resting his cheek against his friend's. "...to fall in love."

Acker clutched the back of Jamie's head, his fingers sliding under the straw hat. "Is that what this is? Is that what I'm feeling? Is that why I can't stop thinking about you, all the time, Jamie? All day, ever since last night?"

Jamie's lips pressed against Acker's ear. "It must be. I feel it too. Constantly." Lightly, Jamie nibbled at Acker's earlobe.

Acker started to caress Jamie's back with his palms. He slipped his hands under the soft denim of the overalls and let his hands slide down to knead Jamie's buttocks. They could each feel the growing warmth of each other's bodies, hear the gentle pant of their breathing.

Very quietly, Acker whispered. "I need to get you out of these clothes."

"Me, too", was all Jamie said in reply.

In an instant, the two boys were literally tearing their overalls off one another. They each grabbed the other's hat and tossed it to one side, to have it careen off the dry erase board on the far wall. Jamie fussed with undoing Acker's bib strap buckles, but Acker simply grabbed Jamie's straps under his thumbs and pulled them to outward, yanking them off Jamie's his shoulders. One the bib straps were either unbuckled or slid off, the rest of the loose-fitting farmer pants flopped to the floor with no trouble.

Their passion fired by their nakedness, Jamie and Acker kissed eagerly, mouths open and tongues probing. They stumbled backwards to bump into the instructor's desk. Jamie kneaded Acker's shoulders and Acker reached around to grasp Jamie by the waist and hoist him up onto the desk. Acker was quick to join him there, pushing his friend down onto his back so Acker could straddle him. Acker and Jamie kissed furiously, arms rubbing and stroking smooth, taut skin. As they wrestled, their deft fingers reached between them to seize both the moment and one another's manhood. Their mumbled professions of love were lost amid their moans of pleasure.

Unbeknownst to the amorous Jamie and Acker, a mere fifteen feet away, Carson and Rickie experimented with their newfound interest in anal play. And unbeknownst to either couple, on the far side of the room, Bry and Coffee remained liplocked down on their knees, lost in their own embrace. Each couple had been given the suggestion that all other occupants of the room had left. Each couple had also been given a certain leeway to follow wherever their passions might lead them, feeling a certain sense of security knowing they were safely sequestered away and unobserved.

Through it all, Herbie kept the camera running. This day of the experiment had proven very productive indeed, as each couple had far exceeded expectations.

Vic looked daggers at Herbie as everything that unfolded was captured on video. Herbie finally felt the weight of Vic's stare and turned to meet his withering gaze. The psych major only shrugged. "It's for my research."