topino | (no subject)

"Looking forward to it," Joe comments, smiling. Nicky's lasagna is always delicious, and he loves watching Nicky move around the kitchen. He makes a soft, pleased noise when Nicky agrees that this is one of his favourite sketches.

"You can have it, if you'd like," he offers, his voice tender. "I'll make a companion piece for it, me in one of your T-shirts, reading under the moon," he teases, though he can absolutely do that if Nicky likes the idea.

Joe meant the promise to show Nicky his animal magnetism mostly as a joke, but he enjoys the slight gasp and the protest nonetheless. "I do," he says, his voice low though he's still smiling. "About as hard as it is to look at all the art I've done of you while you're so far away, I think."

Nicky makes a little noise in the back of his throat that's full of longing and need, because Joe is not making any of this easy for him. He wants, so badly, to be able to curl into Joe's arms and read together, until the moon, and not just have it be a design or a drawing.

He's silent, for another moment, taking the temperature of this moment.

"Joe," he finally speaks, "I need to tell you something. I've been thinking about it, lately, and being away from you, it's only highlighted it."

"Habibi," Joe says, very softly, when he hears Nicky make a quiet, longing noise. "You'll be home soon. We can take care of each other."

He lets silence stretch between them, not uncomfortable, giving Nicky time to voice whatever it is he needs to say. He hums gently at the words. "You can tell me anything you want, Nicolo. I'm always listening," he answers, earnest and warm. And it's true. Whatever is on Nicolo's mind, Joe is interested in finding out.

Nicky breathes in carefully, lets the air fill his lungs, thinks about what he's going to say, and weighs whether it's true. He thinks it is, and so, he continues. "Being on the road, away from you, and only having you to talk with at night, it's shown me that...that I love you, Joe," he says the words.

He knows he could have waited, could have made sure he could see Joe's face, but it feels more important to be honest and speak his mind. "I've never met anyone like you in the world. I never want to meet anyone like you again. I love you, with all my passionate heart and all the fury and fire that brought us together, to bicker over your art."

Joe doesn't answer for a few seconds, and when he does his voice is tight with emotion, like he might start crying if Nicky continues. "And you call me an incurable romantic," he says, softly. "That was beautiful."

He smiles, his chest feeling tight with warmth and happiness. "I love you too, Nico. You're the best man I've ever met, I want to spend all of my time with you. Even if we bicker and even if you're wrong about my art." He grins wider. "I'll still take you, and your fury, and your passionate heart. I want all of it."

Nicky exhales, not even realizing how much tension he'd been holding inside of him to think of saying the words and Joe not saying them back. He'll say them again when they're not on the phone, but for now, he's just beyond grateful to have Joe say those words to him.

He loves him. Nicky loves him and he's loved right back.

"You are an incurable romantic," he murmurs, voice scraping fondly over the words. "I can be one, too. You've taught me." He smiles fondly and lets the words sit with him just a moment more. "When I get home, Joe, I don't want to be in my apartment anymore, not when I know yours is there and with you in it."

"That's right," Joe agrees, on the subject of romanticism. "We can do it together." He sighs, soft and pleased, and rubs a wayward tear from his eye. He knew this already, knew that Nicky loved him, but hearing the words spoken so earnestly is very emotional for him.

"Yeah?" he prompts, grinning. "You want to move in? You're there most days of the week, you might as well. I'd like that." He hums, considering the question. "Or we could find another flat together, if you'd rather."

Nicky has to wonder if it's just the space between them that's made them so emotional. Normally, he's not like this. He's very calm and cool, but hearing Joe tell him that he loves him has made him choked up. It's also allowed him to start thinking about his life in a brand new way.

It's one with Joe in it. Mornings with Joe, with coffee and breakfast while they read the paper, tangling their legs together, it's a heady image and one he wants.

"I know it might be too quickly, but my lease is up in a few months. Maybe we should plan for then, and look for something that suits us both?" he suggests. Pitching his voice lower, he continues, "All I know is that I cannot imagine life without you in it every day, Joe."

"I don't think it's too quickly," Joe says, gently. He knows this has been a worry of Nicky's from the start, compounded by the way his friends keep telling him they're moving so fast. Joe worried about it at first too -he's fallen too deep and had his heart broken before- but he doesn't have that kind of fear anymore. He knows what they have is real, he knows it's going to last.

"It's great whenever you come over, we have such a nice time. We'll look for a flat, I think we'll be good at living together," he says, gently. He wants to see Nicky every day anyway, wants to hold him and draw him and make him coffee the way he likes. "Oh, habibi," he sighs, sounding fond and wistful. "You're going to make me check out place ticket prices again."

Edited 2021-05-30 23:06 (UTC)

"Honestly," he says, and he feels this in his heart, "I don't think it's too quick either."

Maybe it's just that he's had time and time on his own, but Nicky has come around to the understanding that what he feels is real and hasn't been something he's invented. Time away from Joe has been hard, but at the same time, it's allowed him to sort out his feelings.

And what he knows is that he loves him, terribly, and he doesn't want that to stop. "I think we can search for something with a very nice bedroom and studio that we can share. Your art, my writing," he says fondly, closing his eyes to imagine such a space, with great beams of sunlight cascading in.

He clucks his tongue in dismay. "Joe," he warns. "It's less than a day. Don't spend that money on me, not when we can stay on the phone the whole time." Well, most of it, at least.

"Good," Joe agrees, warmly. "We wouldn't want to be hasty about this now, would we?" he teases, gently. It's been long enough, Joe thinks. If Nicky had some sort of hidden flaw, a terrible secret that would make Joe dislike him, Joe would have found out at this point. As it is, he finds even Nicky's flaws and annoying habits charming, so he's not concerned that they will argue if they move in together.

"I agree. We can share a studio, if it's big enough." He grins, slowly. "And I think it'll be good for our inspiration, to have each other there." Since Joe is going to be doing a lot of sketches of Nicky anyway, he might as well be there to sit for them.

"I know, I know," Joe says, fully aware that it is foolish to even consider joining Nicky now. He chuckles, amused at the offer. "Oh yeah? You want to stay on the phone until tomorrow?" Not a bad idea, though he fears it might become impractical after a while.

"I think we were hasty the minute I saw you in that art gallery and my cock started telling me what I wanted to do to you," Nicky confesses, knowing that it's inappropriate, but honestly, he doesn't care. He's been away from Joe for so long and he's so tired of his own hand that he's happy to be a little lewd on a phone call.

Plus, Joe is painting him such vivid pictures of their life together, and it's very much a turn-on. "Is that what we're calling it? Our inspiration?" he echoes with a playful smile. "I think we will absolutely have that, but also, a nice desk to bend each other over."

His heart beats faster to think of speaking to Joe for the next day. "We'll both have to sleep at some point," he admits. "So maybe not the whole day."

Joe does not mind a little inappropriate talk on the phone and it shows in the way he laughs, throwing his head back. "Is that how you remember our first meeting?" he inquires, amused. "I wouldn't have guessed, I couldn't read you at all. I wasn't even sure you were enjoying my outrageous flirting."

He hums, grinning wider. "You're very bold tonight, Nico," he points out, clearly appreciative. He wonders if that's anything to do with the distance between them. "But yes. I second buying a sturdy desk for the studio. For... artistic reasons, clearly."

"Yeah," Joe agrees. "I'm not having you snore right into my ear over the phone too," he teases. "And you'll have to go and sign more books tomorrow, I don't want to intrude. We can talk as long as we want, otherwise."

Edited 2021-06-01 23:05 (UTC)

"I was very irritated with how attractive and talented you were, considering you had been tearing me to strips in our communications," Nicky says with a delicate little sniff, as if his honour is in need of defending (when really, he'd gotten the man and more out of it, so what defending is really needed?)

"I miss you," he admits, subdued, but an explanation for why he's being so forward. "It's been a very long time, you know, since you and I have been together," he sighs, and thinks of Joe splayed out on the desk.

It's a very good image and suddenly, he is aching to touch himself.

"I do not snore!" he protests, and now there is honour to defend. "Joe," he warns, with a growl.

"I was mostly stunned that you didn't turn out to be a balding sixty-year-old man with a bitter face, honestly," Joe says, the memory fond. "You started making fun of me and you were so hot it took me a few whole seconds to think about anything to retort."

He makes a soft noise, agreeing. "Too long, Nico. But you will be home soon, yes?" he says, hopefully. He can't wait.

"You do not snore," Joe agrees, laughing at the obvious growl in Nicky's voice. "I apologize, habibi. Tell me more about that sturdy desk you want to put in the studio and what we might do on it." Because if Nicky wants to whisper filthy things in his ear, Joe is fully willing to play along.

"Who knows, maybe in thirty years, that's exactly what I'll be," Nicky jests, with an amused smile as he thinks about his future. "Though, if I am bitter, then I hope I'm not balding. I can only imagine so many faults at once in this hypothetical world."

"I will be home the minute I can be," Nicky vows. "Maybe even sooner. The minute I am done my last signing, I am driving home to you, Yusuf." He will speed, he will break traffic laws, and he will get home to him.

"It must be very sturdy. That way, any time I worked at it again, I would think about what we did. If it broke, I wouldn't have those memories. Oak, maybe?" he suggests, sliding his fingers slowly into his boxers. "Or cherry wood?"

"You won't be bitter in thirty years, not if I have a say in it," Joe states, amused. "And I do hope you won't be balding, either. I love your hair." It's soft and silky and very nice to tug on.

He smiles at the promise. "Drive safe, Nico. I don't want us to meet again at the hospital because you were in a crash." He leans back in his chair, relaxing. "I'll be waiting for you. I'll cook you something good and wear that shirt you like," he offers, softly.

Joe laughs, the sound low and quiet, when Nicky starts talking about what kind of wood they should choose for the desk. "Your dirty talk really needs work," he teases. "But cherry wood sounds good. It's a pretty color, too. It'll look good against your naked skin," he adds, dreamily.

"If I'm still with you in thirty years, I have no idea how I'll be anything but the happiest man in the world," he admits, knowing that he's tempting fate by saying such things when he's just told Joe not to come and visit him for these last few hours.

Yet, how can he not say it?

Now that they're talking about moving in, saying things like 'love', it sets Nicky's mind to the future. In thirty years, he could still be with this incredible man. In fact, he could be married to him, and it would be the best thing in the world. Smiling contentedly to himself, he shifts the phone to the bed to slide his hand down a little lower, wrapped around his cock.

"I like you in every shirt," he counters. "How will you know which I like you best in?" Then, his breath hitches a touch, giving him away. "Well, if it's my skin we're matching to..."

He is tempting fate indeed, and Joe makes a soft, emotional noise at the idea that they will still be together in thirty years, and happy to be. It's a very nice fantasy and he won't hide how much he likes it. "I'll try my best to make sure of that," he answers, very tenderly, and closes his eyes so he doesn't pull his laptop closer and look at ticket prices again.

Joe laughs warmly, amused by Nicky's reply. "I was thinking the blue one but if you want another, we can make that happen for you too," he returns, his eyebrows arching a little at the way Nicky is breathing now. "Are you okay, Nicolo?" he asks, knowingly. "You sound pretty breathless of a sudden."

He knows exactly what Nicky is doing and will shamelessly do the same, holding the phone between his cheek and his shoulder so he can unzip his trousers and palm himself. "I think cherry wood would go well with my complexion too, so it's definitely the best choice," he reveals, grinning. "We can take turns, you know."

"I like the blue one," he muses, as he thinks about the way Joe's shoulders look in it. It's definitely enough to help feed his mind with beautiful images that he knows he won't regret, smiling in a daze as he keeps stroking himself, careful not to dislodge the phone.

He hums softly when Joe starts to talk about the desk and his breathless state. "I'm letting my boyfriend sweet talk me with sex over the phone," he says, "I'm perfect."

Nicky doesn't talk about touching himself, because he knows he doesn't have to. "I do like taking turns. Sharing is very generous, after all." He gasps softly as he touches himself a little harder, just a little faster.

"Then the blue one it is," Joe confirms, grinning. He'll iron it, even, so that it sits crisp and tight on his chest. He chuckles, throwing his head back a little, his own breathing hitching at how good it feels to just rub himself through his underwear. "Is that what's happening, Nicky? Am I sweet-talking you?" he teases, his voice warm.

"Sharing is very generous," Joe confirms, grinning. "As your poor boyfriend you've abandoned for weeks, I feel like I should get the first turn, though," he adds, his voice going lower, more intimate, as he wraps his fingers around himself. "And you should let me splay you on that desk and put my mouth all over you."

Nicky makes a little noise of complaint at the image of Joe in his mind, mainly because he wants to do plenty of his own touching, but he can't do that if Joe gets his turn first. Still, is it a bad thing to lie back and let Joe do all the work?

No, no, it's very much not.

He bites his lower lip as he starts to stroke himself faster. "I would let you do anything to me, tesoro," he vows, breath hitching softly. "Tell me what you are doing now. What you look like."

Complaint? Not if Joe has anything to say about it.

He can hear Nicky's breathing go a little faster and grins, his eyes closed. "I know," he says, his voice low, heat twisting sharply in the pit of his stomach at what he would do with Nicky.

"I'm..." he swallows dryly, and starts again. "Sitting in the living room. I'm wearing a white T-shirt. It has paint on it," he dutifully describes and then grins, because there's nothing sexy about that. "Running pants. Very easy to slip your hand inside, as you know. I have." He strokes himself nice and slow, humming in pleasure.

Nicky takes his time inhaling deeply, and pretending that it's Joe's hand on his cock is good, but it's not enough. He knows it isn't, but he also knows it's what he has to live with, for another twenty-four hours.

Next time, when he goes on a book tour, he is not letting Joe out of his sight. He will make him come, and they will have learned their lesson.

"Tell me about what you were painting," he insists, instead of the clothes. That's what he knows will bring him off, hearing Joe speak with such passion about his project.

Joe grins at the request, because of course Nicky would want to hear about his painting and bring himself off to Joe's description of his work. He's weird like that, and Joe loves it.

"Kinky, Nicolo," he teases, stroking himself steadily and closing his eyes as he remembers. "It's a landscape, mostly greens and blues, very peaceful," he describes. "A little impressionistic in the style, because I wanted..." he'll talk about his plan for the painting then, and the idea behind it, his voice low and breathless.