Francis eases his head back and for a moment his hands are on Raju's head, his legs are behind Raju's shoulders. All around him. Raju's eyes are wider. He hadn't realised...

He takes a hard, slow breath in through his nose, the sensations sinking into him like rain into dry, cracked ground. He would have been able to do without but now that he feels it, feels the need, the difference that it makes—

Francis' fingers move through Raju's hair. He can feel them on his scalp. Any other thoughts dissolve away. His lips part and a breath makes its unsteady way out through them, only to be sucked shakily back in again when Francis' fingers start moving in circles. Raju would be embarrassed, he knows it dimly, at not keeping his reactions to himself, if he hadn't felt so off in the first place. Francis has asked a question, and Raju opens his mouth a little wider to answer it. He draws in a sharp breath instead, trying to find his way around the enormity of the sensation to answer it. He focuses on what he sees, moves his gaze over to Francis' face, and it helps. His fingers curl against the floor.

"...All right," he murmurs on his next breath, then clears his throat, blinking quickly as his eyes move away from Francis again. "Sorry, I ah..."