Faolan set his boots to the side of his bed, glancing at his bag to make sure it was undisturbed in their absence. Satisfied, he removed his shirt, noting that it was slightly damp with sweat. He tossed it on the floor, then stood to take off his pants too. He focused on these things instead of thinking about Lucien, but it was hard to focus with the man lying only feet away from him.

He heard Lucien get into bed and lay down, and glanced over his shoulder to see that the Frenchman had turned his back to him. He grunted in response to Lucien's farewell for the night, but lingered as he looked over at him. After a brief pause, a moment of weakness, he finished undressing and fell into his bed.

He had his back to Lucien as well, worried about what would happen if he looked at his companion again. The springs in his mattress whined against his weight as he shifted his position to get comfortable. His body ached and itched. After moments, he shifted again, but could not find a place of rest. He was too hot, too cold, lonely, frightened, aroused, and tame all at once. He was leaving tomorrow. He could imagine Lucien's face, see the look of disappointment, of betrayal in his eyes. He could feel his lips still, now, as he lay alone in his single bed on the other end of the room.

He couldn't help it any more. He rolled over, and though he tried to keep his eyes closed, he could not help but open them. He saw Lucien's back, her shoulders tight as his arms wrapped around himself. He looked so cold there, alone...Faolan could feel it welling up inside of him. He had never craved touch so much in his life. He was frantic and desperate and could not relax.

He took a deep breath, contemplating for only a half second what he was about to do. He let instinct take over for one more moment, and felt himself rise from his bed.

He crossed the room quickly and quietly and approached Lucien's bed. He could see that the Frenchman was still awake, but was trying not to react to his presence. Out of fear or...did he not want Faolan there?

He pushed these thoughts from his mind, and softly lifted the blanket as he slid into bed beside Lucien. The springs creaked under both of their weight as Faolan settled himself against him. The bed was barely big enough for the Irishman alone, let alone both of them, but he didn't care. He would sleep on the floor if it meant he could touch Lucien again.

He pressed his body into Lucien's back and laid his arm over him slowly and gently, looking down at the Frenchman's face. From this vantage, he could only see half of it, but that was enough to tell him that Lucien had opened his eyes. He was worried for a moment that he had overstepped his bounds, but he felt Lucien relax into him and subconsciously he smiled. [color=a36209]"Is this okay?"[/color] he whispered. There was only one way to know for sure.