Damen breathed out in relief, feeling Laurent relax against him rather than pull away from his touch. He knew not everything was solved between them - they still had a lot more to work on - but it was enough for tonight. Even Laurent trembling a little didn't strike him as an ominous sign.

"I know," he said softly, more to the meaning behind the excuse than the bare statement. His fingertips strummed down Laurent's back beneath the blanket, over his bedclothes. He would love to have Laurent again, or simply touch him, kiss him, twine with him, any sort of physical intimacy. But everything was too new and raw. They already knew how fraught the prospect of sex was for them. They didn't need to throw it into the mix tonight.

He gathered Laurent against his bare chest with a careful affection. Damen's face nuzzled against his husband's forehead. "What chances would you say I had, if I asked for a kiss right now?"