topino | (no subject)

Joe isn't upset about this, though he knows he wouldn't be pleased if his own friends tried to belittle what he has with Nicky. He doesn't like the way this is making Nicky angry however, the way it's making him question his closest friendships.

"Perhaps I could meet them?" he volunteers, his face earnest. "They would see that I am serious about this too, that I am committed to making it work." He smiles, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Nicky's ear. "I don't know if it'll change their minds, but seeing how I'm in just as deep as you are might make them worry less that you're going to get your heart broken."

Nicky grunts, because they don't deserve to meet the most wonderful man that Nicky's met, not if they're acting like this, but he also knows that this is his ability to hold a grudge.

He's just developed it against his good friends.

"I could invite them to dinner, but then I would be cooking for people I'm mad at." He's starting to pant, the speed of the treadmill catching up to him. "So better it be drinks," he says, sweat beading down his temple, and then Joe's words hit him, and he nearly trips on the treadmill.

Luckily, he catches himself before he goes flying. "You are? In as deep as me?"

"I could cook," Joe states, leaning against the treadmill, watching Nicky run. "How could they stay suspicious of me once they try my cooking?" he jokes, trying to see if he can get Nicky to smile again. He hums, nodding. "Drinks also works."

Nicky is growing red in the cheeks, sweat beading on his forehead as he pants. It shouldn't be an attractive look and yet it sidetracks Joe for a second, his eyes warm as he stares.

Then Nicky almost trips and Joe reaches out to steady him, one hand on his hips, the other fiddling with the treadmill to stop it. "Habibi, he says, softly. "Did you not know?"

Nicky fumbles a little more as the treadmill goes from a running speed to stopped, gripping the side of the treadmill handles as he shifts to look at Joe, hauling his t-shirt up to mop the sweat off his face, inhaling deep breaths that pushes his stomach out.

"I..." Did he know? He exhales and gives Joe a fond smile. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I thought that I was the only one in so deep, and it's why I was worried what my friends said. If it was just me, then maybe we are going too fast."

Since it's not, he has to think that it's not just in his head. Reaching down, he grabs at Joe's t-shirt so he can haul him up for a victorious kiss, pleased that he might be in the deep end, but it's with Joe.

Joe puts his other hand on Nicky's hips, both to steady him and bring him closer, smiling back lovingly. Nicky is positively glowing at the moment, both with happiness and with exertion, and Joe can't help put squeeze his hips gently, moving close.

"I should have been clearer, then," he answers, nodding slowly, and gives Nicky a wry smile . "But I also thought I was the only one in so deep after only a few weeks, and I didn't want to drive you away." Clearly, they need to communicate better about their feelings.

He kisses back, going on his tiptoes to make up for the height difference, his hands stroking up to Nicky's waist. "It's not just you," he whispers into the kiss. "It's not just you."

Nicky's exhalation is a shaky thing, but he's not sure that it has to do with the exercise so much as Joe's hold on him, not to mention the kiss as he leans down to meet Joe halfway, breathless and a little hungry for more.

Joe doesn't help, making a promise like that.

"It's not normal," he mumbles against the next kiss he presses to Joe's lips. He knows that. "But it's real and I need my friends to understand how much I adore you."

"I don't know about not normal," Joe says, closing his eyes and smiling into the kiss. He squeezes Nicky's hips again, his strong fingers digging in gently before he lets go. He's getting worked up very quickly and he doesn't want to spend the rest of his time at the gym uncomfortably aroused. "Just really fast. But when you know, you know." And Joe does know that Nicky is right for him.

He gives Nicky one last kiss, nipping on his lower lip, before he steps back just a little. "Give them some time," he advises, gently. "And then invite them over for drinks so I can charm them all."

Nicky doesn't think he's going to be able to go back to running, though it would probably help to get his mind off the part where he'd like to be doing other cardio-heavy things with Joe right now.

He's still sulking a little when Joe talks about inviting their friends over, but only because he hates that they've made him doubt this. "Joe," he says, and this is the other doubt, "...what if it's even faster than that?" he puts out there.

Because he's fairly sure he loves the man, but that is absolutely too fast, even his own mind says that.

Joe would be delighted to do these cardio-heavy things with Nicky, for the record. They're his favourite workout. Still, they are in public and he doesn't want to get banned from his favourite gym.

He considers Nicky carefully, watching the way the look on his face goes from sulky to a little worried. The words make him smile, warmth building in his chest. "I think it's a little early to propose, tesoro," Joe teases, though his heart is beating very fast at the idea of what he thinks Nicky is going to say.

Nicky's face is flush, not because of the running, but because of what he's toeing around confessing right now. He knows that he can. He knows it won't be a bad thing if he does, but it feels so fast.

"Even I'm not that quick, Joe," he deadpans, because he's not (thankfully). The thing is, while he's not about to drop to one knee, he knows this. "I do think it is still early to tell you that I think I'm falling in love with you, but that doesn't change that I am."

"Disappointing," Joe teases when Nicky tells him he's not planning to propose just yet. He smiles, very soft and very warm, at what Nicky admits next, his heart in his throat, a flush rising on his cheeks.

"It is very early," Joe acknowledges, his voice gentle. "But I'm grateful you were brave enough to tell me. It's not an easy thing to say." He steps closer again, putting his arms around Nicky's waist and resting his cheek against his chest since he can't reach his shoulder in this position. "I'm falling in love with you too, Nicolo," he whispers. "And it scares me a little, how much you already mean to me."

Nicky clucks his tongue a little, because no one wants to be a disappointment, least of all to your very hot boyfriend that you want to please. Still, he leans down to kiss that flush off his cheeks, then his lips, softly.

He's forgotten about the gym, about the treadmill, even about all the people looking at him. "Maybe we are just soulmates," he says, with the matter-of-fact pragmatism of someone who thinks it just is like that. "Maybe that's why it's so fast and feels so right."

Joe is just teasing, he's not really disappointed Nicky didn't propose. He closes his eyes at the kisses, feeling how hot his face has become. Joe doesn't blush very easily, but intense feelings do make him flush.

"Maybe," he agrees, softly. His romantic heart loves the idea of soulmates existing, though he didn't truly believe it was possible before Nicky. He wants to believe, now. "I think when it feels right, you know it is," he adds, giving Nicky a soft grin. He lets go, reluctantly, when he realizes they are attracting a lot of attention. "Do you want to run for a while longer? Do strength training?" Go home? he doesn't add, though that's kind of what he wants to do right now.

Nicky's anger has ebbed away in the face of both the kisses from Joe and the declaration of love, but he has only been here for a little and he did come with a goal in mind. "I'd hate for you to cut your workout short because of my bad mood," he says, inhaling deeply and stepping off the treadmill.

He squeezes Joe's hip gently, cupping his cheek. "Come," he encourages, "I think you promised me a little bit of a show. Maybe another 5, 10 minutes of one? Then we can go clean up at your place."

"That's not why I would be cutting my workout short," Joe answers, waggling his eyebrows playfully. He nods, helping Nicky off the treadmill and heading towards where most of the weights and strength training machines are.

"How do you want to do this? Are you going to mirror me? Do you just want to watch?" he inquires, curious. He'll teach Nicky or he'll put on a show, anything works for him as long as Nicky is happy, really.

Nicky dutifully follows along, starting to feel a little better, and much more eager to watch Joe's workout. After all, he's seen the positive results of what happens thanks to his dedication and time, why wouldn't he see the show.

"Oh, no, no, I'm not mirroring anything," he says helpfully, finding a comfortable spot along the wall where he can sit down and smile up at Joe, gesturing to him with his fingers. "Go on, show me what you'd do."

Chuckling, Joe throws a small water bottle Nicky's way. "Drink some, at least, you got pretty sweaty on the treadmill." And it wouldn't do for Nicky to get a dehydration headache.

He seems amused by Nicky's determination to watch him, though not surprised. He's willing to do this if it makes Nicky happy, by all means. "Alright, I'll do 15 minutes, just a quick workout."

And so he does. He doesn't really make a show of it but he'll keep his eyes on Nicky as he goes through the exercises, pushups, pull-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, planks and more. He does them with great care, sweat beading at his forehead after a while, his muscles flexing and cording as he strains them.

Nicky manages to catch it, because you don't need to be a buff gym god to have good reflexes. It's needed too, because he could feel his head start to pound a little, the loss of sweat sapping his stores. Besides, a good drink and a great view, who is he to complain?

His breath catches at least once while watching Joe, stomach tumbling with want and need as he watches him sweat, sees the ripple of muscle, and thinks of how amazing it feels to touch.

He's not the only one who notices too, as Nicky can see more sets of eyes on him around the gym. It requires action. He pushes to his feet to meet him in the middle of his set, lifting his chin. "I think you also promised to show me how much you could lift, using me?" he suggests, calmly and innocently.

Joe couldn't care less about the people looking at him, he only has eyes for Nicky and the way his gaze rests, dark and appraising, on his body. It makes him shiver a little despite the heat, his face glowing with how nice it is to be wanted so.

He mops his sweaty brow with his T-shirt when Nicky steps closer, taking a few seconds to catch his breath even as he grins in reply. "I can do that." He runs his fingers through his curly hair, pushing it back. "Do you want to sit where the weights normally go, in the machine?" he gestures at the weight lifting machine nearby.

He arches his eyebrows. "Or do you want to go home where I could show you how well I can take your weight for an extended period of time, if motivated enough." If they were to... exercise against a wall, for instance.

Nicky's smile is a slow-building thing, aware that he's about to get everything that he wants, which is why he's so pleased. He settles on where the weights are, and he nods, even as he works to keep his face passive and calm. "I think that would be a good start," he agrees, gesturing with two fingers to point to the weights. "That."

"And then," he adds, voice dipping lower, "you can take me home and show me how well you can press my weight up," he agrees, not budging his eyes from Joe's for a single moment. "First, I want you to impress everyone here."

Nicky, included.

If there is one thing Joe likes it's making Nicky happy, so the slow-growing grin on Nicky's face is met with a fond smile. "This is going to be a very intense workout habibi," he says, sounding amused though his eyes are dark and eager.

He's agreeing, obviously, checking that the weights and Nicky are correctly positioned, and actually taking off his T-shirt before he settles in the machine, smirking a little. "How many reps do you want me to do?" He could manage a few, but Nicolo's weight will get tricky to lift after a while. Still, he's willing to struggle with it for as long as it takes to satisfy his lover.

"I should hope so, I'm not the kind of man who's only half-intense," is his guarantee, his eyes fixed on Joe with delight. He lets out a surprised noise when Joe strips his shirt, though, feeling the upper hand slipping away from him when he suddenly forgets how to speak.

Still, he cannot complain, laughing with delight for Joe's brazen teasing. "I would hate for you to strain anything, so be careful," he does warn. "If it hurts, you stop."

They're definitely a show now, given that people have their phones out now and all.

"Yes, I've noticed that about you," Joe answers, arching his eyebrows. He likes it, frankly, just how intense Nicky gets. He grins at the noise of surprise Nicolo makes, looking pleased that he can still elicit such a response.

"Okay," he agrees, considering it. He knows how much Nicky weights, roughly, and how much he can lift, so it's an easy decision. "I'll do ten." He could probably do more, but he doesn't want to hurt himself. He keeps his eyes on Nicky, ignoring the people filming, smiling as he takes a deep breath and begins.

Nicky is quite heavy to lift like this so Joe goes slow, pulling hard, the muscles in his arms and chest straining with the effort. He lifts until Nicky goes all the way up and brings him down just as slowly, a show of control. And then again, and again, and again. There is something hypnotic about it, Joe's breathing going sharp and ragged, sweat shining on his chest.

Nicky is breathless, but it's not because of any work that he's doing. Joe has completely taken his breath away in the most incredible of ways, being so effortlessly charming and handsome and talented and, well, sweaty. You cannot forget the sweaty.

He's counting, mouthing the words, waiting until he'll have the full permission he needs to dart in and kiss Joe for his reward, even though he truthfully would like to mouth all of Joe's sweaty muscles in reward instead of stopping at the mouth.

"Such a good job," he praises, at nine. "Finish up, my handsome, strong man."

Joe keeps his eyes on Nicky, watching the way his lips part and his eyes darken, a flush appearing on his sharp cheekbones. That alone is well-worth the effort and Joe smiles, trying to take deep breaths. He counts along with Nicky, groaning quietly as he gets to nine, his muscles beginning to grow sore.

He can do just one more, especially when Nicky is praising him so freely, with that intent look on his face that Joe has come to associate with Nicky wanting to kiss him. He nods and does one more, slow and controlled, lifting Nicky all the way up and then bringing him down before he lets go of the handles, his chest rising and falling quickly as he pants. "There," he says, proudly, and gives Nicky a sunny grin.