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Joe grins brightly at Nicky's arch glare. "Come on, you know me enough to be able to tell that I am never going to let you live it down," he teases, poking Nicky's cheek with his finger playfully. "The look on your face when you saw me without a shirt for the first time will keep me warm on many lonely evenings, I think." He waggles his eyebrows, leaning his cheek against his hand, his elbow on the back of the couch.

He considers, humming. "You can call me your boyfriend. I'd like that." Joe is all in on this relationship, and if Nicky wants to go a little too fast, that works for him.

Nicky sighs heavily, knowing that he will never live it down, but if Joe is going to remind him about it...

He slides his palm under Joe's shirt to helpfully remind himself of the very nice muscles that his boyfriend has. His boyfriend. Yes, that has a very good ring to it, and his smile is a mysterious thing as he rubs circles. "I don't want you to have any lonely evenings from now," he insists, his eyes bright as he stares at Joe.

He's elated and ecstatic, but he's very much trying to hide it. "Are you sure? You don't think it's too quick, after only three dates?"

"What's that?" Joe inquires when Nicky slips his hand under his shirt, touching warm skin. He shivers a little at the stroking, leaning into it. "Should I be flexing for this?" he teases, reaching to touch Nicky in return, stroking from his broad shoulders to his cheeks.

"You'll keep me company?" he asks, softly. "That's nice."

Nicky looks so soft right now with his small smile and his bright eyes, Joe just has to lean in and kiss him, gentle and light. "It's quick, but I don't mind. I wasn't planning on going on dates with anyone else, you know." He strokes his thumbs over Nicky's cheekbones. "I want to spend time with you." There is still a chance it might not work out between them, but Joe is determined to try very hard. He could fall in love with Nicky, he thinks, given a little more time.

Nicky scratches his nails gently against Joe's stomach, like he's scratching a cat, little light touches of his blunt nails to all the warm skin available to him. He could very much get used to this, which is why he brightens up at the idea of actually being Joe's boyfriend.

"Of course I'll keep you company, you have such a nice sofa," he teases, closing his eyes for the kiss that feels like heaven.

He licks his lips as he opens his eyes to look at Joe, lips in a crooked smile. "You're my boyfriend," he says out loud. "I'm the boyfriend of successful artist, Yusuf Al-Kaysani."

"Now, I know that's a lie. I have a shit sofa, so it must mean you're here for me," Joe deduces, arching his eyebrows. He figured you out, Nicky. He likes the gentle scratching and the kissing, obviously, and leans in to rest his head on Nicky's shoulder for a second, breathing him in.

"You're the boyfriend of mildly popular, at best artist Yusuf Al-Kaysani," Joe corrects, smiling sunnily. "And his harshest critic too, somehow." He takes Nicky's hand (the one that isn't currently under his shirt) and reaches for his paintbrush, drawing a little seaglass heart on Nicky's skin with a goofy grin.

"Is this a terrible sofa?" Nicky acts innocent as he presses a hand down into the cushions, while also getting him closer to Joe, stealing another kiss because he can, his eyes alight with the fondness of getting to be with this man and to date him.

He's not entirely sure how he got to be so lucky, but here he is.

"You will be wildly successful when you follow your harshest critic's suggestions," he counters, with very little sympathy. In fact, he's a bit smug, watching Joe start to draw a heart on his skin. It makes him think of other things. "How long will that paint take to dry?" he asks curiously.

"It's not great," Joe confirms, though the sofa is the last thing on his mind at the moment. He leans in for another kiss, so warm and soft it makes him shiver in pleasure, his fingers stroking Nicky's neck and up to his hair, pulling gently.

"And what suggestions would those be?" he taunts, amused by Nicky's complete lack of remorse. "To paint him naked instead of myself?" He focuses on the heart, making sure it is rounded and cute, before he lets go of Nicky's hand so he can see it. "A couple of minutes, it's watercolor," Joe says, smiling. "It washes off easily too, don't worry."

Nicky is not pleased that they're spending so much time talking if Joe is going to pull on his hair in that perfect way, yanking guttural moans from his depths for the touch. He blinks, a little distracted, thinking, Art, they're talking about art.

"We'll get you into more subjects and mediums and then sell you to higher profile galleries," Nicky insists, peering at the heart with satisfaction. "As for the paint, I'm not worried, I just think you could use a bigger canvas," he says, before leaning back to strip off his long sleeved shirt.

That noise makes Joe's eyes darken, his lips parting. He does it again, using his grip on Nicky's hair to bring him close so he can give him another kiss, a little more heated this time.

"Are you saying you want me to have other models, Nicky? Isn't it a little early in this relationship to open it to strangers?" Joe teases, his eyebrows arching high when Nicky starts to take off his shirt. "You want me to paint you?" he asks, smiling. It's a good idea, he thinks he could make a beautiful work out of Nicky.

Nicky smirks at Joe when he talks about other models. "Maybe early in the relationship, but very late in your career." He still has very defined opinions about what it is that Joe should be doing to get himself out there more, and Nicky thinks he can find him some models that have clout of their own.

"Just think of the social media you would get if you sketched someone semi-famous," he says, and sprawls out on his stomach on the sofa, resting on his elbows to give Joe the line of his bare back to work with. He peers over his shoulder, affecting an innocent look. "I'm giving you a canvas. You can choose what you want to do with it."

"Damn," Joe grumbles, because Nicky is ruthless with him today. He likes it, though. "I guess," he allows, sorting through his paints to find the colors he wants for Nicky. Joe likes social media fine, he's just never really thought of them as part of his art.

"Any requests?" Joe teases, amused and a little turned on at the way NIcky is just offering his body for him to paint and touch. "I'm sitting on you," he tells Nicky and unless he protests will do just that, carefully straddling his hips and resting his weight on Nicky's thighs and ass.

Is this objectively the best position to paint Nicky's back? Yes.

It is going to make focusing on the painting really difficult? Also yes.

Nicky knows that it's a bit like selling out your soul, but it does have a tendency to get you attention, which is what Joe needs. His talent is there, his skill is unparalleled. He knows if people got to see his art, he would be in high demand and famous.

It's just a matter of getting that exposure.

Nicky opens his mouth, but soon Joe is on top of him, straddling his thighs in a way that has him clearing his throat to settle his mind. It's not what he'd expected, but he's also not sure he can be mad. "Paint something you're proud of," he says. "Because when it's my turn, I don't think I'll manage more than a few smears of paint, when all I want is my hands on you."

It's a good vantage point to see Nicky's back and paint it, really. That's Joe's story and he's sticking to it.

"I wasn't aware you wanted a turn," Joe answers, smiling. He likes the idea of Nicky trying to paint him too, though. "You can just finger paint me, if you'd rather."

He sets his palette aside with care and puts a brush to Nicky's back gently. "Not too ticklish?" he asks, as he start weaving intricate patterns of flowers, leaves and birds with bright colors all over Nicky's back. It's a nice canvas, broad and fair and unblemished, but it also moves a little with Nicky's breathing, which is a new experience for Joe, as a painter.

"I very much want a turn." Nicky already knows exactly what art will be on Joe's body, which he thinks is going to be a lot different than the beautiful work that he's doing on Nicky, but also beautiful in its own very possessive way.

He bites his lip at the soft touch of the brush against his skin, enjoying the strokes, breathing out deeply as he nods. His hips, maybe they rock a little against the couch, the sensory pleasure perfect in a way he can't describe, only that he knows it's everything he wants. "No," he manages, voice strangled. "Not ticklish."

"You can have a turn," Joe tells him, his voice low. The slow rocking of Nicky's hips against the couch is making it hard for Joe to concentrate, especially with the way it makes his ass move against him. He doesn't tell Nicky to stop though, putting his free hand on Nicky's hip, holding him.

"You like it?" he asks, sounding pleased. He goes higher, adding a sword hilt on the nape of Nicky's neck, the blade disappearing among the flowers below. "Is that going to feature in your book, then?"

Nicky grunts his appreciation for the permission, even if he would have dipped his hands into the paints and done his worst anyway, whether Joe said he could or not. There's no reason to tell him that, though, instead focusing on the way Joe is holding him in place.

"I think being your canvas is more enjoyable than I expected," he confesses, biting his lip. "It may end up in the book," is added after, breath hitching. "Maybe a little more mature there, though."

Joe chuckles, leaning in to kiss the back of Nicky's head, touching the paint on his back carefully to see how it's drying. "They are called brush strokes for a reason," he tells Nicky smartly and rocks his hips a little, letting him feel that he's getting aroused as well. "I'm having a great time, for the record."

He grins, adding details now, touches of light and color. "Yeah? Tell me what the dashing artist will do next with his green-eyed lover, then."

Edited 2021-02-06 11:57 (UTC)

"I think you had some very excellent brush strokes with your hands and your tongue and other parts last week," is Nicky's smart reply, exhaling with a rush of air, breathing out shakily as he rocks his hips, eager to let Joe keep touching him.

He grins against the pillow he's tugged under his chin, biting his lip as he waits for another brush stroke to finish. "Well, he's going to finish up and take a photo to post to social media. He doesn't need to say it's of his new boyfriend, but people will want to see it."

"And then, his green-eyed lover is going to get a turn at the paints."

"Thank you," Joe says, clearly laughing at the way Nicky chose to phrase this. "I am, after all, a professional." He takes his time to finish up on his painting, making sure it is as vibrant and pleasing to the eye as Nicky deserves.

"You don't want to see it before I post it?" Joe teases, leaning back a little to survey his work. "You don't know what I did, back there." He will post it on his social media, though. Perhaps Nicky is right, he does need to promote his art more.

"Any idea what you'll paint on me?" he asks, curiously, as he grabs his phone and takes several picture of Nicky's painted back. It looks good, mostly dry but not cracking on Nicky's warm skin.

"The most exciting kind of professional I've met in a very long time," is Nicky's honest praise, grinning as he wriggles a little to settle in, letting Joe take as many pictures as he wants. "I'll see it when you post it on your social media and then I will see what tag you use to describe the canvas."

He wants to know if this is how Joe intends to tell the world that he's dating someone new, very keen to have that moment himself, but he doesn't really use social media, or keep up publicly.

He shifts to rest his cheek on his arm, peering back at Joe. "I know exactly what it is I want to put on you," he vows, voice low with heady intent.

Joe is too private to just tell the whole world he has a new boyfriend like this, but he will tag the picture with #beautifulcanvas #thebest and let people imagine what they will. "I'm putting in nice tags about the canvas, don't worry," he tells Nicky, typing in the post that this is just a painting he did for fun on a willing participant, and hitting send.

He sets his phone aside, leaning in to kiss the top of Nicky's shoulder, where he hasn't painted him. "Yeah? Are you going to tell me?" he teases, leaning up so Nicky can turn around if he likes.

"Good, because I wouldn't want to have to introduce people to your art only to find out you've insulted my back," Nicky says, especially when he has a very good back. His broad shoulders means there's plenty of room for Joe to work with, which means it's probably a beautiful painting.

It will be a shame to wash it off later, but right now, he has something else in mind. His eyes are bright as he sits up, grabbing at Joe's waist to prevent him from falling as he struggles to make room for himself.

Hooking his fingers in the hem of Joe's shirt, he tugs at it just a little. "First, I need this off. Pants, too."

"I would never insult your back, it's lovely," Joe says, very earnestly. He does think that: Nicky's back is broad and strong, and Joe loves how sensitive he was to the brushstrokes.

He lets Nicky turn and sit up, kneeling to give him room and grinning down to him when he's settled. The request to remove his shirt is expected and Joe moves to unbutton it, his eyebrows arching when Nicky tells him to take off his pants as well. "Pants too?" he prompts, teasing. "What kind of painting is that going to be?"

He doesn't mind, obviously, shedding the shirt and standing up from the couch so he can remove his trousers too.

"I like when you're in that position over my back," Nicky says smoothly, reaching for some of the paints. He doesn't bother putting his shirt back on, because he's a little worried about making a mess, so there's one other important question to ask.

"Does this stuff wash out of the couch, in case I accidentally drip some?" he asks, reaching for the deep red and burnished oranges, eager to get his fingers dirty for the art he has in mind.

"I'll give you a back massage some time, if you like," Joe offers, stepping out of his trousers. "Same position." He smiles as Nicky selects his paints, his eyes fond.

"It should be fine. The couch cover washes off pretty well, I've spilled paint on it many times already." He's not uncomfortable to be in his underwear, sitting back next to Nicky, watching him curiously. Spreading his arms, he gives Nicky a grin. "How do you want me, then?"