The first observation to be made of the motel room was that it was small. Olive green walls completely failed to complement the dark grey carpet. Henley, Daniel, and Merritt eyed the room with suspicion. Jack kicked off his shoes and flopped on one of the beds.
"I've been in worse, trust me. It's clean enough."
The other Horsemen shrugged and began pulling off shoes and coats.
As soon as her shoes were off, Henley raced toward the bathroom. "I call first shower!" The boys groaned, knowing she'd use up most of the hot water.
"I'm next, then," Merritt added. He climbed onto the other twin bed. "We should probably leave Henley the sofa sleeper."
Daniel nodded and turned to Jack. "Can I join you then?"
"Sure," he replied, moving over to make room on the bed. The two men barely fit, so Jack found himself curling into Daniel's side.
"That works," Daniel said, smiling. He looked over to Merritt in anticipation of a sarcastic remark, but the older man was sound asleep. Daniel allowed his muscles to relax as he sunk into the bed. He found Jack's warm body to be comforting. The past year had been non-stop action; it was exciting, sure, but Daniel never quite managed to feel safe. Even now, the danger was far from over. However, in the small and dingy room, Daniel was protected.
When Henley emerged from the bathroom some time later, her damp hair covering her shoulders and a towel wrapped around her chest, she smiled at the scene before her. Daniel and Jack were both peacefully sleeping. Jack's head lay on Daniel's chest, and Daniel's arm curled around his back, pulling them closer together. Henley crept over to Merritt and shook his shoulder gently, putting a finger to her lips when he awoke. She had him help her wrestle open the sofa sleeper before he went into the bathroom for his shower. As she pulled her clothes back on, Henley thought over the situation at hand.
We're likely to be here for a bit, she thought. And the tension between these two is only going to get higher unless Merritt and I push them together. She paused. Which would be worse: living with two guys who are denying they want to fuck, or two guys who have just started fucking? She shook her head. Both suck. But I know they'd both be happier with number two. Pulling on her gloves, Henley sat back on the sofa sleeper. Just then, Merritt opened the bathroom door, a towel around his hips.
"Nope!" Henley whisper-shouted to him. He grinned and ducked back inside the bathroom, remerging a minute later fully clothed. Henley walked over to him and whispered into his ear.
"We need to out for a bit, get some food or something." She pointed to the pair on the bed. "I'd rather not be here when they discover each other's lips, if you know what I mean."
"I absolutely agree," Merritt said. He stepped over to the bed and shook the both of them awake. "Henley and I are going out to find us some food and clean clothes. Be good while we're gone!" He winked, and the two of them stepped out of the motel room.
As they walked down the hall, Merritt turned to Henley. "I give them ten minutes before they start making out."
Henley laughed. "I'm thinking closer to five."
As it turns out, they were both wrong. It was more like two.
a/n: Hey Horsemen, I apologize for missing yesterday. Real life has gotten a bit crazy as of late, and as a result I may be updating a bit less. My goal will still be one new chapter a day, but I may not always be able to make it. I hope you'll forgive me and keep reading; the story is only going to get better from here!
See you soon,
Julia