Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2018 02:38:11 +0000 From: Willow Lemon Subject: THE PAGE AND THE CANVAS, CH 24 If you would like to receive updates about new chapters of this book, or news of my other publications, email me at: willowlemon@outlook.com I encourage you to please donate to this wonderful site. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html On a personal note, this is my favorite chapter. It's not in the anime, but it was definitely needed. Enjoy! CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR The next morning, I was smiling from ear to ear. And when I came downstairs to Kip making breakfast, I found that he was also. "Good morning." God love him, he flushed. "Morning." I loved that I could still make him blush. In four days he'll have been living here for a year. Things have changed so much since that first day and our first kiss, but some things, like his flushed cheeks, hadn't. Last night had made me so happy. And not just because of the fantastic sex, and it was fantastic. When I came, I had a vision of the gates of heaven. But what had truly made me joyous was when Kip chose me. Because I had been petrified that he wouldn't. There was a real chance that he wouldn't, and I was fully aware of that. Kiefer was his idol. Kip had loved and respected his work for years. Kiefer was the creator of his one and only fandom. And though I was loathed to admit it, he was incredibly handsome. I don't know many who would pass up even the chance at a love affair with their idol, no matter how brief or unpredictable, and here Kiefer was telling him that he was in love with him. And then to top it off, Kip said that he was ready for us to come out as a couple. I know how hard that is for him, how much he's struggled with it. I'm most pleased that it means that he is accepting himself. He had only ever been attracted to girls his whole life, and I was a drastic change for him. He wasn't even sure if he was bi-sexual, or if it was only me that he was attracted to. I don't suppose it matters, because I planned on being with Kip forever. I don't plan to push him on coming out, though. He had said, 'I think I'm ready.'" Not exactly the same as being completely ready. There was no rush. No one needed to know until Tavis knew, anyway. Fully expecting to be chastised for bothering him when he was trying to do something as I usually was, I was surprised when he didn't seem to mind me coming up behind him and embracing him while he cooked eggs on the stove. "How are you doing?" I took in the scent of his clean, still slightly damp hair. "Well...I feel like my ass could be used as a train tunnel." I laughed enthusiastically. "Everyone would want a ride on that train." He had just taken the eggs off the heat as I nibbled the back of his ear, when we heard the front door opening. Mira and Donnan. I really needed to take their key away. "Congratulations!" They said together. "You won the International Prize for Literary Artistry!" Donnan threw his hands in the air, while Mira beamed. "That's amazing!" Kip turned in my arms, put his hands on my neck, and pulled me down for a brief kiss. "Congrates," he whispered. I was speechless, and it had nothing to do with winning the prize. "The award ceremony is in August in Paris. If you stay on track with meeting your deadlines, you'll be able to stay for a week or two if you'd like," Mira explained cheerily. "Sorry, I'm on track to miss all of my deadlines." "Why?" she asked flatly as her smile crashed into a frown. "Kip says I don't need to change. He likes me the way that I am." "Hey!" He slipped out of my arms. "Don't bring me into this! Do your work when you're supposed to!" * * * Donnan and Mira continued to try and talk to Ali about what all he was going to need to do, press and speeches and such, but they should have known better. He did best with short notice, pertinent details only. He rushed them out the door, because for him, our breakfast was priority. And, of course, he didn't want to talk about the award. In fact, we mostly talked about me. He was so good to me. Too good. He was teaching me everything there was to know about loving someone deeply. I already had plans for his birthday tomorrow, but now after what happened with Kiefer, his award, as well as our year anniversary of living together and first kiss, I wanted to do more. Something to show him just how extraordinary he was. Then when I left for work after breakfast because today was my no school day, I could see the consternation on his visage. He didn't have to tell me what he was worried about, I knew. Kiefer. There was always a chance I could run into Kiefer. I needed to do something to put his mind at ease. To let him know it was only him for me. I could tell him over and over again, but as I've heard before, actions speak louder than words. He was difficult to buy presents for. If he wanted something, he bought it. As I had for Christmas, I painted him a picture...a portrait really. And honestly, it wasn't really for him, but for me. This way, though, he might hang it up in our bedroom where I want it. It was a long vertical canvas of a picture I snapped one night while he was sleeping. He was sleeping on his stomach, on top of the covers...naked. He was so splendid, rivaling Adonis. I also planned on making him prime rib like I had that first night as a thank you for letting me live with him. I thought he might like a bouquet of sterling roses since he was so enamored with my tattoo. But it wasn't enough. I needed to do something else. * * * I told Mira that she owed me after all the times she called me when she couldn't get a hold of Ali, and I was always on her side. I got her to insist that he had to come in for a meeting the afternoon of his birthday. I wanted everything to be about that evening, so I rushed through breakfast, and with a 'happy birthday,' I was out of there. Once Ali left the house, I returned to start the cake and dinner. Miracle upon miracles, Mira was able to keep him there until 6:00. When he came in, I was wearing the same thing I had that very first day, in the kitchen, making prime rib. From the smile on his face I knew that he understood what I was doing. Coming around the counter, I hugged him and said, "Happy birthday," kissing him. The kiss became heated quickly, our tongues tangling, hands roaming. I let it continue for a bit, before I broke it off. "I haven't been slaving all afternoon in the kitchen for us to eat a cold dinner. Go get cleaned up and then read your card on the table." He smiled slyly, bussed me one more time, and then did what he was told. When he came back downstairs without his jacket and tie, he went over to where I had propped his card up on a vase of lavender-gray blossoms. "You got me sterling roses?" "Yes, sir." "Sir? I like it. Can that be my pet name?" He had a mischievous glint in his eye. I laughed. "I like Ali. I'm the only one that calls you that." "And I love that." We ate dinner and I told him how I got Mira to torture him. "Hey! It's my birthday, not hers." We laughed and had a good time. He tried to teach me about wine with a ridiculously expensive bottle. The most I could pick up on was that it was delicious. I brought out the cake I had made. It was a round, three-layer, chocolate cake that I had rolled white marshmallow fondant over, and then used edible paint to draw little pictures representing the last year. A little octopus, bunny, and bear. A red sports car. The Golden Gate Bridge. The gold metal he got for his award. The Christmas tree. A bonsai tree from our trip to Japan. A stack of books. Yellow and pink Baby Romantica and lavender-gray sterling roses. "It's too beautiful to eat." That made me happy. "Well then it will go bad. I took plenty of pictures, so make a wish." I put one single candle in the middle, so that there was no chance of his wish not coming true. "No one's ever done anything so special for me, Kip." His eyes were glowing in a way that made my heart melt. "There's more, so don't get carried away." "You're too good to me." He reached out and stroked my cheek. "Not nearly enough." He blew out the candle and we each ate half a slice, still fullfrom dinner. I put the cake and the flowers away, and then using a couple of books to prop his painting up, I told him to unwrap it from the blue metallic paper I had covered it with. "I wonder what this is..." "It's a really big candy bar." I had stretched a canvas over a five by one-and-a-half- foot frame. Peeling away the paper, he just stood staring at it. I couldn't even tell if he liked it, his expression was unreadable. He was quiet for so long, I was seriously starting to get worried. "Did you paint this from memory?" he finally spoke. "I, um, took a picture of you," I muttered guiltily. "I would never show it to anyone," I added. He gave a small smile. "I know that darling. I'm flattered that you would do such a thing. But this painting... Kip... your talent is astounding. It's just...amazing. I love it so much." He pulled me to him and pressed my face into his shoulder. "Do you really? I was kind of worried about it. I honestly painted it for myself, but I thought maybe this way you might let me hang it up." "Clever you. I do really love it. With all of my heart." His hand was at the back of my head, the other trailing up my spine. He kissed my hair, my temple, my cheek, and just as he came in for my lips, I informed him, "You have one more gift." "Kip! Really this is too much. I'm supposed to spoil you, not the other way around." "Well, I can't take it back, so..." "I'm going to get you back on your birthday." I rolled my eyes at him. "Alright, what is it?" Stepping back and out of his arms, I instructed him, "Please remove my shirt." Raising a gold-brown eyebrow, he observed, "That's my kind of gift." "It's not what you think." Looking intrigued, he lightly grasped the hem of my t-shirt, lifting it over my head. I was so nervous I thought for certain that he could see my heart pounding. I didn't say anything, I wanted him to find it. I didn't have to wait long. He fell to his knees so that he could get a closer look. There, above my left hip bone, in the front: Ali His mouth fell open and he grabbed my hips. He laid his lips on it for several seconds. "Oh my darling! You sweet, sweet angel! I can't believe you've done this!" He stood and took my face in his hands. "I don't deserve you, yet somehow you are absolutely perfect for me." He kissed my lips with loving force. "When did you do this?" "I went to the tattoo parlor today." I took his hands from my face and held them. "I-I wanted...I needed to do something to show you that I choose you. That I'll always choose you. I love you forever, Ali." I covered his mouth with mine, pouring all my earnestness into it. This time I didn't want the kiss to end. There were no more gifts. I wanted to go upstairs and make love all night, but now Ali was stopping. "Let's go." He took my hand and pulled me to the front door, grabbing his keys off the table. "Wh-what? Where are we going?" He didn't stop until we were in the elevator. "We're going back to that tattoo parlor, and I'm getting your name on me. It was my idea first! You can't just steal my idea and take all the credit." I laughed, I had to. I knew him well enough to know there was no stopping him now. And truly, I didn't want to. * * * On the drive home, I couldn't believe how happy I was. The permanence of what we had done scared me, but also thrilled me to my core. Ali had wanted to get it in the same spot as mine, but I suggested he get it on his right so that when we were face to face kissing, our tattoos would do the same. He agreed, and now he had his first tattoo: Kip "That was fun. I think I will get another one, sometime." "No," I told him. "Painting you made me understand how perfect you are. If you want a tattoo, tell me what you want and I'll get it for you. My body is yours anyway." "Kip, no one has done anything remotely like this for me my entire life. Making me feel so special, so loved. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm never letting you go." I lunged at him. I ducked under his arm as he held the wheel and opened his pants. I took his cock out and found it in a semi-state of arousal. Was the man always, at least partially, hard for me? I was for him. My right hand started bobbing up and down and he was rock hard in no time. He released a moan as his fingers turned white from griping the wheel. He was driving, so this was dangerous, but I still didn't ask if it was alright to do it. He didn't tell me to stop. I keep beating up and down, but after a while it wasn't enough for me. I switched to stroking with my left, and wiggled my right into his snug pants to his balls where I massaged them. "Ugnh...K-Kip," he mumbled. I was in halfway in his lap now trying to get my hand down his pants. Thrumming him with my left hand was awkward since I was right-handed, so since I was close, I bent a bit more and put him in my mouth, swallowing him whole down to his base. "Fuck!" His lips were parted and he was breathing so hard I could hear it. No longer shy about it, my right hand kept moving until my middle finger was all the way inside of him. "Ahh! Oh god!" I didn't have any room to maneuver, so I swirled my finger around, searching out that spot that I knew was there because of all the times he found mine. When I reached it, I knew because I heard the car rev and the wheels jerked slightly. This was dangerous. Perhaps I should quit. I could always pick back up when we got home. As usual, Ali was so in tune with me, he knew what I was thinking, because he uttered in a strained voice, "Don't stop!" I didn't. My mouth didn't stop humming up and down, and my finger didn't stop pressing and stirring. Soon we had come to a complete stop and I was vaguely aware of us pulling into the parking garage. Now that his hands were free he was reaching out for anything. His hands were sliding up and down my body. He tried to reach my ass, but the angle I was at he wasn't able, so his hands ended up one holding the door rest and the other twisted in my hair. He was positively writhing beneath me. He exploded in my mouth, and I unwittingly hummed, "Mmm..." as I made certain I got every last drop. Sitting up and sliding my finger out of him, I was surprised when Ali was up and out of the car in a moment. He was zipped up and tucked in, and when he saw me still sitting in the car, he ordered me to, "Get out, now." I was so stunned, I just did it. Taking me by the hand, we didn't run, but we were speed walking to the elevator. When the doors closed he enveloped me. He was everywhere, in my mouth, my shirt, my pants, my hair. When the elevator dinged, he was dragging me down the hall to our door. Once inside, he moved fast. My pants were down, then his, with my hands braced on the front door, he took me from behind. I thought I had seen Ali out of control before, but now I realized I hadn't. He kept his stomach pressed to my back and his hand was on my dick immediately. Grunting with every powerful thrust he made I was feeling completely overwhelmed. I was still trying to catch up from our make-out session in the elevator. Soon grunting wasn't enough as he pummeled me. "Do you like that? You like my cock in your ass?" I was just trying to breath, so I could barely answer. "Y- yes....oh...god!" Then he bent his knees, my bottom resting in his lap, he began churning his hips. Something happened. A switch was flipped, a dial was turned up. I yelled out a noise that I couldn't recognize as myself. "There! Oh, there! Don't. Stop." "That's my darling," he whispered in my ear. His pulsing quickened. "Come for me. I want us to come together. Are you close?" "A-almost," I muttered. He bit my shoulder as he surged in and out. "Pull my...pull my hair. Please." Using the hand that wasn't drubbing my cock, he took a handful of my hair and tightened it in a fist that tugged my follicles over and over. It didn't hurt, but there was something about it, a sensation that was somehow sensual. I could feel the build, it was near. "I'm going to," I panted. He knew what I meant and his strikes into me became hyperactive. He gasped as he filled me up. I whimpered his name as I covered his hand and dripped on the floor. He turned me and pulled me against him, our tattoos pressing together as I lay my head on his shoulder trying to catch my breath. I was still trying when Ali had his pants back on and picked me up cradling me in his strong arms carrying me upstairs. "I think a bath is needed." "Wait. You don't have to carry me." "It's my birthday, so you can't keep me from getting what I want today." I laughed. "You are right, sir." I feathered kisses along his neck. "Sir...I love it."