topino | (no subject)

Joe wouldn't be obvious enough to curate an entire exhibit around Nicky, but he can certainly foresee him being his muse in the future. He shakes his head mock-reprovingly, stroking his hand down Nicky's side. They both need a shower.

"And I still maintain that I don't see what's wrong with using yourself as a model," he teases, leaning up on his elbow. He grins when Nicky says that he's going to make him famous. "Yeah? And what will that cost me?" he asks, leaning in to give Nicky a soft kiss.

Nicky leans over to press a kiss to Joe's pecs, up to his shoulder, and up his neck. "I understand now why you were so keen to use yourself as a model, now that I've seen you," he praises, his other hand sliding down to grip at Joe's hip with a possessive firmness that starts to hint at the cost.

Because it is going to mean his presence in Joe's life. Not unending, maybe, but as long as he can possibly steal. "You'll have to bring me to all your openings," he negotiates, "let me argue on the phone with your galleries. Book you interviews and jobs," he goes on. "And in the middle of that, you must eat all the food I make for you."

The gentle kissing makes Joe close his eyes with a pleased sigh, leaning into the soft press of Nicky's lips. "It's not a question of vanity," Joe says, though they've already had this argument. "I just find bodies the most interesting subjects to paint. And mine is the easiest model."

He tilts his head at the grip on his hip, right above the flaking hand print. He likes the possessiveness, he finds, and it comes as a bit of surprise. He would usually balk at feeling so owned, especially so early in a relationship, but with Nicky it comes without any concern.

"A steep price, tesoro," he jokes, leaning in to kiss Nicky on the lips, his eyes warm. "But those are all things you will do for me. What will I do for you?"

"That sounds like vanity," Nicky teasingly whispers, not sure how else to take 'easiest model' and 'interesting subject' otherwise, but he's delighted and loves that he can poke and prod, knowing that he thinks differently now.

It's never that he thought Joe was untalented. He absolutely is, it had just been a choice he'd made, and one that Nicky now understands.

Nicky leans into the kiss, his hand at the hip a little harder as he leans in for another, then another. "You will remember your writer and critic boyfriend and praise him in interviews," he says with a sparkling and delighted smile. "I think you are able to do that."

Joe groans at the playful whisper, rolling onto his back and crossing his arms over his chest. He's not truly annoyed though, he knows Nicky doesn't actually thinks he is a vain man. "I don't do it for people to lust after me, it's really not the point." He arches his eyebrows, poking Nicky's cheek. "You did that all on your own."

He grins, slowly, accepting as many kisses as Nicky is willing to give him. "Oh, I'll remember. I'm going to mention you so many times they'll be sick of hearing about you. It's going to become a thing: 'can you do an entire interview of Al-Kaysani without him gushing about his boyfriend?' And the answer will be no, you cannot."

Nicky chases after him in order to make up for any offense he might have caused, enjoying the way it feels to kiss him, delighted at the nip he can give to his lower lip, playfully. He settles on Joe's chest, both to make sure he can't budge, but also because he enjoys being right there with him.

"I cannot wait to start adding those to a collection to watch when I'm feeling low," he says playfully, "And then I can watch endless interviews praising me as your rock and muse," he jokes, giving himself more praise at least for this.

Joe has to uncross his arms to welcome Nicky against his chest, kissing him back, giving a little groan at the nip to his lower lip. He chases after Nicky's mouth, his hands slipping into his hair and stroking down to his painted back.

He smiles, stroking his palms over Nicky's naked arms and shoulders with obvious delight. "Between that and the endless portraits of you, you're the one whose ego is going to blow up like a balloon."

Nicky is pleased to see Joe welcoming him in so readily and easily, smug as anything as he settles into Joe's warmth, hip-checking him a little to get cozy. "I think my ego will be able to take it by reminding myself of how many failed relationships I have in my past."

There's nothing like a bucket of icy water to a man's ego than the reminders of his past failures, and Nicky has plenty to choose from. He doesn't change to suit others, and some of his boyfriends didn't like that. "Endless portraits, is it? I didn't know I would be getting endless ones."

The hip check makes Joe smile but he does shift to accommodate, his arms around Nicky's waist. It's a comfortable position, with Nicky's head close to his and their bodies pressed together. "Have you really had many?" he asks, softly. He's not judging, it just seems odd to him that anyone would get in a relationship with Nicky and not want to keep him forever.

"You volunteered to be my muse, what did you expect?" Joe teases, grinning against Nicky's cheek. "Did you think I would do a couple and move on?" He snorts. "You don't know me very well, then."

"Not so many," Nicky confesses, not wanting Joe to suddenly think that he's a player or somehow rampantly discarding men liked used tissue. "Three, maybe four in my adult life? They all usually left for the same reasons." Nicky had been too serious, too critical, too focused on his work. They had wanted more attention, or they had wanted him to change.

Nicky is stubborn, if nothing else, which means that he had refused. So they'd left.

He grins, too, though, at Joe's smile, loving the warmth of it. "I don't think I do," he admits, "and I want to know everything. I want to know your favourite foods and what you do in your spare time when you're not creating. I want to know where you like to travel, and all the other incredible things you do."

Joe doesn't think that. Nicky was (relatively) easy to seduce, but Joe gets the impression that he got very lucky in that respect, and that Nicky is usually a lot more circumspect. From what he knows, it would seem out of character for Nicky to have multiple relationships and discard them all.

He hums, not asking what the reasons were. He doesn't want to stir up painful memories. "Their loss," he says, gently, and kisses Nicky's temple.

He chuckles, stroking through Nicky's hair. "I'll tell you, but you have to tell me yours in return," he teases. And he will. He can tell Nicky about the foods he likes, about how he loves reading and going to museums and occasionally writing mediocre poetry, about how he enjoyed his holidays in Algeria and would love to go to Malta next summer.

"My gain," Nicky replies, seeing as he absolutely thinks that finding and having Joe is the first prize in a contest he hadn't even known he'd been a part of, but here he is, and he's absolutely beyond thrilled, in a way he cannot describe.

He finds he's fighting a jaw-cracking yawn, but he knows he needs to clean up, so he pinches Joe's hip. "We cannot fall asleep," he says, as if he's accusing Joe of that, when it's really him who's at fault. "And maybe you can start by telling me your favourite colour. Mine is...green, I think."

It's such a sweet thing for Nicky to say that Joe just has to cup his cheek and give him another kiss, smiling into it. He feels warm, both from Nicky's embrace and from his interest.

"I'm not falling asleep," Joe protests, wriggling away from the pinch. "Are you?" He leans up a little, snorting. "Yeah. Come on, let's go shower before we put even more paint on my sheets." He hates to break their embrace but he's looking forward to getting clean too, tugging Nicky to a sitting position.

"What kind of green?" Joe inquires, curiously. "There are many." He would know, as he's been reviewing them all to find a good match for Nicky's eyes.

Nicky makes a face, a considerate face that says that yes, he is falling asleep, and if Joe lets him curl in with him, then he will fall asleep a painted sticky mess, and nothing can be done about it. Luckily, Joe is made of sterner stuff, sitting up and giving Nicky a good example to follow.

"Sea green, like the ocean. Or deep green? Blue? Aqua?" He shakes his head, not sure what the difference is in the minutia, he just knows that he likes it because it reminds him of the deep sea. "And yours?"

It's a very sweet face and it almost prompts Joe to just let Nicky curl against him and fall asleep. Almost. "Come on," he repeats, chuckling. "I'll wash your back for you." He smiles, kissing Nicky's shoulder before he pulls him to stand up.

"Those are all very different greens, Nico," Joe chastises, amused. He stretches his arms above his head, relaxing his back. He won't bother to get dressed to walk to the bathroom, pulling Nicky along. "I like a good golden orange," he says, thoughtfully. "Like a beautiful sunset."

He leads the way, closing the bathroom door behind them. "Bath or shower?" he offers, letting Nicky choose.

Nicky lets Joe pull him to his feet, grateful for the help because he doesn't think that he could do it on his own, not without Joe. "It will be a shame to watch such beautiful art go down the drain," Nicky says with a look of regret over his shoulder, peering at it. "I guess you will have to do it again."

"And then again," he teases gently, following towards the bathroom. "And maybe the next time, you can use such beautiful sunset golden oranges." He kisses Joe's cheek, lingering and soft, wanting to reward him for such sharing. "Shower, I think. Too much paint on us for a bath."

"I wouldn't mind doing it again," Joe agrees, starting the shower and pulling Nicky into it once the water is warm. "You're a great canvas." He grins. "Distracting, but lovely."

He tilts his face back into the stream of water, rubbing at his beard, and then steps back, motioning Nicky to take his place. "I'll turn you into a beautiful sunset, if you like." He smirks. "Your ass can be the sun." He puts his hands on Nicky's hips and pushes him to turn around, reaching for the soap to wash his back. "And what an incredible sun it will be."

Nicky slides right into the shower and, consequently, Joe's arms, which is the only place he wants to be, tipping his head to the side to watch the paint start to sluice off him with the water, sighing with disappointment to see the colourful water go down the drain.

"Will you be a sun worshipper, then?" he questions, able to keep his expression neutral even if there's a sparkle of mirth and amusement in his eyes. "Or is this just the new series of paintings? My backside and back, in series of nature landscapes?"

"It's okay, tesoro," Joe says, smiling at the way Nicky is sighing wistfully. "I'll paint you again. And you can see the pictures for this one." He kisses Nicky's shoulder once it is clean, humming.

"I will definitely be a sun worshiper," he returns, grinning though he's very serious about it. He runs soapy fingers across Nicky's backside, even though there isn't much paint there. Chuckling, he leans against Nicolo's back, his chin on his shoulder. "I could make a series of it. Maybe not all landscapes featuring your backside, though, that would be tacky." And some things aren't meant to be posted online, Joe thinks.

"Good," is Nicky's emphatic reply, because he would never want to see work wasted, and seeing it all go down the drain is a very poignant reminder that this is a transient artform. At least the picture will make it more permanent.

Nicky glances back to Joe, stealing a kiss in between him being soaped up. "There's another artwork that I'd like to see of you," he admits, "if you're willing to take on a commission." He reaches for the soap so he can have a turn, taking his time soaping up and running his hands over Joe's abs. "I'd very much like a new artist for the cover of my next book."

There is no need to steal kisses from Joe, he will give them all very willingly. He pauses to kiss Nicky better, his hands staying on his hips for a while, his eyes closed.

The offer makes him hum, even as he gently strokes his palms over Nicky's chest, making sure he got all the paint that managed to get there. "From you, I'll take any commission," Joe says, earnestly. He leans into the touch, looking down to enjoy the sight of Nicky's strong hands on his own chest.

"I could do that," he says, sounding surprised but pleased by the request. "I'd love to put your words into art." He grins, his hands coming up to rest on Nicky's broad shoulders, stroking to his neck. "I'm warning you, though, I am very expensive to commission," he adds, playfully. "So if you thought you could get away with getting free art from your poor boyfriend, you thought wrong, Nicolo."

Nicky can already tell that he'll feel the absence of Joe's fingers on his hips in no time at all. When he writes, when he reviews, he'll ache for the press of his fingers. It may become something of a problem, but he's going to enjoy it now, while he has it.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't ever think about making you do it for free. You would be paid and your name would be in the promotional materials," he promises, turning to face Joe, sliding his fingers through his wet hair to push it off his forehead. "Is my boyfriend truly so poor? Here I thought that he was very rich in non-financial ways."

Luckily, Joe will be more than willing to touch him every time he likes.

"That's nice," Joe agrees, mildly. "I didn't think you would. You don't strike me as one of the 'do it for the exposure' assholes I've had to deal with in the past." He shakes his head, disapproving.

"I am poor in money, very rich in other ways," Joe agrees, cupping Nicky's face between both hands. He grins, the corners of his eyes crinkling in joy. "I mean, I have been calling you tesoro for a reason, haven't I?" Nicky is quickly becoming so precious to him.

"I would never," he vows with a hint of fierceness in his words, because he would never ask for Joe to do anything for him as a favour or a kindness. He appreciates Joe's value and his talent far too much to even imply that he doesn't deserve the very most.

Nicky grins as he slides his soapy hands a little lower, taking his time to wash Joe's hips as he skims his thumbs over the line of Joe's hipbones. "Am I silver and gold, then? Or gems?"

"I know," Joe says, gently. He doesn't know everything about Nicky, but he can already tell that this is not the type of person he is. "Thank you."

He shifts his weight a little when Nicky's hands stroke lower, both because it feels nice and sensitive, and because he loves Nicky's hands on his hips. "No," he answers, smiling back. "You're yourself, and that's enough to make you precious."