AN: It has been pointed out to me that it was impossible to write anonymous reviews. Well, this has now been corrected. Forgive a beginner for her little errors? Obviously I would be very grateful for any feedback, people. (Translation: I would jump up and down and perhaps even come out of hiding...)

Now, on with the story...

Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit.

Tristan woke to the sound of voices. He lay still for a moment, and then he remembered. Last night. Dagonet. It felt unreal now in the gray light of the morning, but he could recall every detail. The way Dagonet's mouth tasted, the feeling of his hips moving, the sound of his voice when he came. Tristan felt the heat rise in him just by the thought of it.

Fear of detection had made them part ways when they heard the others going off to sleep. Hardly a word had been spoken between them, since neither man spoke with ease. Tristan thought, lying on his back in the bare room, that he could speak a thousand words to Dagonet and still not be able to convey half of what he felt. They would, as were the habit of both men, have to rely on actions. More than a little surprised at having been able to sleep at all, the scout finally rose from his bed.

When he stepped out to the courtyard the others were already there. Usually Tristan was the last to sleep and the first to rise, so this was a rare occurrence. Bors was not about to pass on the opportunity to hassle the man a little.

"If I didn't know you, I'd say you were either suffering from a bad hangover, or possibly had some company last night. And I'm not talking about the avian kind!"

The others smiled, but having seen the expression on their scout's face, none of them dared say anything further.

Feeling painfully observed, Tristan took to tending his horse. Hidden behind the beast, he seized the opportunity to look for Dagonet. The man was standing by his own horse, and the sight of him made Tristan ache. He had always thought him a handsome man, but today he was an epiphany. Taller than anyone else, muscular and strong. His clean-shaved head and the scar across his eye made him look dangerous. But in contrast to this Tristan also saw the tender look in his eyes and the way he was caressing his horse with big hands. The scout felt he could stand it no longer, so he made his way to stand by his side.

"Often have I tossed and turned in bed thinking of you, but this is the first time you have robbed me of sleep altogether."

The words from Dagonet were soft, but spoken with absolute steadiness. Tristan turned to look at him.

"Never have I been happier."

With these words Dagonet touched Tristan's hand, ever so lightly, and mounted his horse.

Across the yard Arthur's gaze never left them.

ooooo

The morning was foggy, and the ever present drizzle threatened to turn into heavier rain as the men rode out. They kept a steady pace and didn't talk much, each man deep in his own thoughts. As usual Arthur conferred with Tristan before sending him out, ahead of the others.

When Dagonet watched him ride off, the hawk circling overhead, he had to quench an instinct to follow him. Dag was perhaps a loner by heart, but never before had he felt the presence of the other knights such a burden. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with Tristan, but realized the futility of the notion, and so he kept his pace. Side by side with the others, but miles away in spirit.

As the day went by without any word from Tristan or any sign of the woads, the men began to speak more freely. Gawain and Lancelot was deep in conversation about the finer points of archery and Arthur was talking to Galahad of Rome, which made the youngest knight think of gods and fairytales told by his mother.

Dagonet and Bors talked of many things. Their conversation had always come easy, although it tended to be Bors doing the talking and Dag the listening. Today Dagonet was immensely grateful for his company. Apart from being enjoyable in its own right it kept his mind off Tristan. When darkness came creeping, though, he began searching the shadows for any glimpse of the scout. Finally he came, and after a few words to Arthur the order came to make camp for the night.

They all ate together by the fire. Dagonet tried repeatedly to make eye contact with Tristan, but to no avail. In fact, Tristan seemed to avoid him altogether. As they finished their meal and took to tending the weapons or just talking, Dagonet began to feel more and more uneasy. When he finally decided to ask the scout what was wrong, Tristan approached him.

"I need to talk to you. Will you come with me?" He asked, loud enough for the others to hear.

Doing nothing to hide his surprise, Dagonet stood up and followed Tristan away from the camp.

They walked in silence for a while, deeper into the woods. The rain had ceased earlier and it was quite warm. Eventually Tristan stopped and faced Dagonet.

"It's impossible to be around you," he said with a tormented look. "My feelings must be plain for anyone to see. I'm used to concealing things, but I'm not able to anymore."

Before Dagonet could answer, the tattooed man put his hands on his chest and backed him into the nearest tree. He licked his lips, then found Dagonet's mouth with his own. It was more forceful than it had been the night before. Dagonet let his hands stroke Tristan's sides before slipping them under his tunic to feel bare skin. Tristan deepened the kiss in return and started stripping Dagonet of his shirt.

Eventually they were both naked from the waist up, and the sensation of skin against his own almost made Dagonet's knees buckle. He steadied himself on the other man, but soon they both lay down on the damp ground. Dagonet spread his legs and the scout moved on top of him, kissing his neck and his chest.

After a few wordless minutes he shifted positions to lay beside the big man and, for the first time, unlaced his breeches and touched him. Dagonet bucked his hips and gasped into Tristan's mouth. The sensation was almost painful. Tristan let his hand move up and down, hoping that the actions he used on himself would also be good for Dagonet. It didn't take long for him to finish, and the moan that came from Dagonet was almost enough to push the scout over the edge as well.

Dagonet lay with eyes closed, trying to catch his breath. After only seconds he resolutely turned Tristan on his back and sat astride him, looking down. He gently leaned forward and kissed his eyelids, his nose, his mouth, his chin. All the way down his body he went, until he rested just above his left hip. With a look of determination he slid Tristan's breeches down and tasted him. It took all of the scout's willpower, and both his hands holding Dagonet still, to keep him from release. Soon he loosened his grip on Dag, but he couldn't restrain himself for very long.

Afterwards they lay, side by side, looking up through the trees. Dagonet let out a long breath.

"At this precise moment, I confess I don't much care for what the others might think." He chuckled, but his eyes were sincere. "This makes everything else seem insignificant."

Tristan saw the honesty in Dagonet's eyes and heard the warmth in his voice, still he couldn't help but feel all eyes on him as they got back to the camp. He felt them piercing into what he had hidden for so long, and it felt like a violation upon his soul.

tbc...