"Babe, you want a coffee? Babe? Baaaabe..."
With a sigh, Sebastian trudged from the kitchen out into the hallway, and down past the stairs towards a door at the far end, on the right hand side. As he stepped through it, he found himself in the living room of his house, and, by extension, the place where he and his husband spent the majority of their time. There his delightful, wonderful man stood, staring into space over the top of a canvas propped up on an easel, with the windows beyond looking out into the grand expanse of his husband's carefully maintained garden. Sebastian approached the man, a fox, from behind and hooked his arms around him. The fox jumped, startled, and and blew a half-laugh, half-groan.
"Fuck, Seb, you scared me." He giggled, and Sebastian's hands roamed.
"Nel, you were spacing out again." He reminded him and the Fox's expression faltered for a moment.
"Ah, sorry...I was just thinking about something." He mumbled. Sebastian glanced down at the canvas to see the muddy complexion of what looked like murky sea water. His husband, Nel, was a good artist; the detail of the water was exquisite. Half of the sky was painted in mixtures of grey, like a cloudy day.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sebastian asked carefully, aware that his husband's dark paintings were usually an outlet for something...and he could understand why. It was a tentative time of year for Nel, whose best friend had passed away around that time. Sebastian knew every pertinent detail...and he had no intention of dredging it up if it wasn't necessary, but he also needed to show support.
"No, no," Nel sniffed, briefly, and turned on the spot to face the wolf, reaching up to cup his cheeks. "I'm fine, babe. Honest."
"If you're sure," Sebastian's muzzle creased into worry. "I know how you get when you start painting cloudy stuff, though..."
"Babe." The fox spoke firmly and Sebastian faltered, before he sighed through his nose.
"I'll stop." He assured him, and Nel seemed satisfied. Seb lowered his muzzle and the two exchanged a soft, tender kiss that barely lasted a handful of moments before the wolf pulled away.
"I love you," He murmured, and the fox leant forwards to press his muzzle down against the canine's neck. "So what's this painting about then, hm?"
"Oh!" Nel shifted and scooted back so he could turn to look at it. "I was thinking of adding a guy standing...about here."
The fox made a gesture towards the bottom half of the painting, and Sebastian noticed a series of painted rocky outcrops right on the corner, at the perfect angle for someone to stand and look out over the murky sea and sky. The wolf smirked and hooked an arm around his husband's side, keeping him close as he spoke.
"So, looking out into the vast sea beyond?" He suggested and Nel hummed.
"I was maybe thinking of adding lighting in this part..." He gestured to that corner again, though slightly further up. "Like, some kind of light shining in the distance, a place outside the canvas where it isn't cloudy...and the person standing there could be facing that instead, with his back to the sea."
"That's a pretty striking image," Sebastian remarked quietly. "Is it an analogy for something."
"I suppose it could be...but I just thought it'd look good." Nel smiled sheepishly, and Sebastian could see that he was lying through his teeth. With a pursed muzzled, he squeezed the fox's side.
"Why don't you come with me to the kitchen for a bit then, whilst the paint dries?" He suggested. "Get some coffee, a little TLC..."
"Say no more." The fox giggled, receptive, and with a smirk Sebastian led him across the room and back into the hallway, where the two of them wandered their way into the kitchen. The wolf quickly crossed the room to fill up a small kettle with water so it could boil, before he turned and pulled the fox in, pressing him up against his chest. Nel sucked in a breath and grimaced, causing Sebastian to frown.
"What?" He asked, and looked down at Nel parted, revealing exactly why. Sebastian hadn't even noticed that the fox was wearing his usual painter's apron, nor that he'd made a recent mess of the front. Splotches of paint dotted Sebastian's T-Shirt and some of his shorts.
A silence fell between them for a moment before Nel snorted, covering his mouth and trying not to laugh. Sebastian growled and grabbed the fox, pulling him towards him, and in response Nel squealed, laughing as the wolf turned and lifted the fox up onto the kitchen counter.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Nel laughed in a mixture of surprise and delight as Sebastian deliberately pulled his head close and playfully bit and nibbled at the fox's neck.
"I'll punish you for not warning me!" Sebastian teased, and the fox writhed defiantly against him, kicking out his legs and giggling madly as Sebastian's hands slid up his sides and deliberately probed and prodding, tickling his husband as he licked and bit at his naturally coloured fur.
He didn't let up for a little while as the kettle started to boil, but he did eventually slow down when he realised the kettle was done. After all, his intention was to pour coffee, even if he wanted to do more with his love. He eventually pulled back and cared little about the paint on his front as he took the kettle and made them both some coffee, using the instant stuff, some milk and a little bit of sugar, just how his husband likes it. When he sat it down on the counter beside the fox, Nel remained seated on it, staring warmly at the wolf. Their eyes met and the love in their gaze was palpable.
"Drink your coffee," Sebastian hummed, leaning forwards to kiss his lover again. "Then you can get back to painting. Don't forget to take care of yourself."
"Okay...thank you." Nel looked sheepish, but he did as he was told. If he didn't have his husband, he'd probably have nothing.
