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The Hamon training had been going surprisingly well. Joseph felt stronger than ever and that filled him with such glee it confined to ecstasy. He was fueled with self-confidence as he walked around the island, prancing. Even the sun seemed to be shining brighter this day.
He bumped into Caesar who had his arms full of trash and piles of unidentified colorful objects. Cardboards and various random stuff fell all across the floor. The blonde cursed under his breath.
“ What are you doing, Caesaaaar-chan ? “ Joseph asked in a sing-song voice.
“I was dumping Lisa Lisa’s makeup leftovers, among other things. She asked me to empty the trash and added this to the list of things to throw away.”
Caesar bent forward and started to pick up and organize the piles back in precarious balance into his arms.
“What? Wait. Do you think she wants to stop wearing makeup?”
Joseph went down on his knees, picking up some of the colorful metallic makeup boxes. He looked at it with awe, shyly opening one box after another to take a peek inside. Shiny powders caught his eye. It smelled wonderful, perfumed with some kind of fruit scent. Some products seemed new, others barely touched.
Joseph took a silver tube at random and opened it. It was a dark red lipstick. He looked at the label : it said “BloodMoon, and your kisses last forever”. Another longer tube happened to hide a dark blue mascara. The little brush inside had a really funny shape, and Joseph wondered how it was supposed to not get into one’s eyes.
“I have no idea, Joseph, ask Lisa Lisa yourself if it bothers you that much. Thanks for your big help! Now if you could please get out of the way.”
Caesar sighed and took back the last items Joseph had been looking at by pulling it from his hands.
Joseph shrugged and said in a pouty voice :
“Too heavy for you, little man? You need help, maybe?”
Caesar shot him a look, then took a pile from his piles and threw it into Joseph’s arms.
They were both heading downstairs, towards the garbage dumpster.
“Y’know… This gear seems new or barely touched, it would be a shame to throw it all away… Don’t you think?” Joseph asked after a moment.
Caesar stopped dead in his tracks, almost dropping everything again.
“Please, Joseph. Please. Don’t tell me you intend to keep this makeup.”
“Why not?”
Caesar opened his mouth, seemed on the verge of saying something, said nothing, then closed his mouth again. He put all the piles on the stairs, selected all that was makeup and gave it to Joseph. Then he sighed, took the trash that was left, and started walking away.
“Thannnnnnk youuuu !! Caesar-chan, you’re the best. When you’re done, why don’t you come to my room?! We could have fun trying all this oooo~nnnn !”
Caesar shot him his are-you-serious look and didn’t bother answering. He noted the big smile such a small thing could bring Joseph, though. And what made Joseph smile kind of warmed his heart too. He couldn’t quite figure why.
Joseph’s treasure was splattered all across his bed. Lipsticks, blushes, eye-shadows, brushes of all sizes and shapes, mascara and there were even some nail polishes, as all the labels told. Joseph knew what some of these products were for, but had no idea about others. What the heck was a foundation? Seemed important if you trusted its name. A concealer had to be used to… hide some parts of your body?
Joseph opened and smelled some products, and it was all nicely flavored with sweet candy or fruity scents. The many powders were glittery and very colorful. Even mascaras came in various tones. The blue one was a bit too bright, like neon. The brown one was too… brown. Joseph found the black one to be the most appealing. He took it, went in front of the mirror, opened the small bottle and looked at the brush.
It looked like a pine cone coated in the deepest black. Joseph looked at his own blue eyes in the mirror, then at the pine brush, then back at his lashes, and he realized he had no idea how to proceed. Oh well.
He tried to apply it on his closed eye and just smeared black on his upper cheek. He tried to apply it on an open eye’s lashes and damn it burnt? Stung? Well, it was definitely not supposed to get into the eye, to say the least. But in the end the result was pretty cool. His lashes were black and seemed of infinite length. His eyes seemed bigger, maybe a little too much. And he had nice trails of dark tears running down his cheeks. He tried to clean most of it with soap but that stuff was greasy and hard to get rid of…
Time to try on something else! He was reviewing the supplies when he heard the door swing open. And… Caesar was here. First he frowned when he saw Joseph, then half-smiled, then laughed cheerily. He closed the door behind him and stepped forward.
“You were right, it would have been a shame to discard this. Seems that you are having quite some fun here. May I join the party?”
“Sure, it’ll look even better if you help me apply these. I’m sure you are an unsuspectingly skilled makeup artist.”
“Tell me, Joseph. Aren’t you supposed to apply the eye-shadow first, before the mascara?”
“Maybe. I have no idea. But you’re right, this eye-shadow thing sounds fun. Pick one for me, Caesar!”
Caesar sat next to him on the bed, then he put on a deadly serious face and reviewed the palettes for a while. He picked one, tossed it away, picked another, and finally chose a metallic dark silver. Very glittery.
“You kinda have the beginning of smoky eyes makeup, we could try and complete the look.”
He handed Joseph the palette. When he made no move to take it, Caesar gave him an interrogative look.
“I thought... maybe you could help me by, like, y’know, applying it?” Joseph asked in a pleading voice, his bright eyes wide open.
Now that was cute.
“Riiiight. Why on earth did I come, again? I was certain it would end up like this.” Caesar answered, rolling his eyes. But there was a hint of a smile on his lips. He kept the palette and looked for a brush. He took a small fluffy one and looked at Joseph again. Joseph was looking back, hands on the knees, a little tense.
Caesar exhaled the air he had been unwillingly holding in and changed his mind. He put the brush back down and rubbed his index finger against the colorful dot to coat it in silver powder.
“What are you…?” Joseph asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Shut up and close your eyes. It’s supposed to stand on your eyelids.”
Joseph did obediently as he was told. Caesar hesitated one second, his finger hovering above Joseph’s offered eyelids. Then he very carefully brushed his finger against the thin skin in little circles. He could feel Joseph’s eye movements underneath. He was so vulnerable at this moment. Caesar felt lucky to be able to see him in such a state, so close to him.
“Tell me if I’m too harsh. I wouldn’t want to get you one-eyed by mistake.”
“Hmhm. It’s ok. The powder smells good. Your touch is soft.”
Joseph hesitated then added in a low voice :
“I feel like you’re pampering me.”
Caesar’s mind went blank for a split second. He slowed his movement and removed his hand. Joseph waited a few seconds then fluttered open his eyes. Caesar’s face was turned. He was putting more powder on his finger. His cheeks seemed redder than before.
“I guess… you could say that.” Caesar said finally without looking at him.
He gestured Joseph to close his eyes again and resumed his application.
“You spoiled brat.”
Both of Joseph’s eyelids were now covered in silver eye-shadow. Caesar rubbed his hands together to get rid of the powder on his fingers. He waited a little before telling Joseph it was over, enjoying the sight he offered. After this short while, he said :
“I think I need to practice more, look at you. It’s too much, it makes your gaze dark. You look like a thug.”
Joseph looked at himself in the mirror. Indeed, the eye-shadow was more of an eye-painting. But it didn’t matter. He was having fun. Caesar was smiling and giving him all his attention. Nothing else seemed important right now.
“I like what you did! I’m gorgeous either way. But I’m not against practicing. Anytime. Now it’s my turn ! Mind if I paint your nails, Caesar?”
Caesar considered the offer. Now that he was here, it was part of the game. He saw no serious reason to deny Joseph this little pleasure.
“Well... as long as you know a way to remove the polish, I don’t care.”
“YEEEEEEESSSS!!” Joseph shouted, making a victory gesture.
“… If it’s all it takes to make you happy. But please, have pity on my ears, don’t shout again.” Caesar smiled. JoJo was so overreacting, like a puppy.
“I’m more than happy. You’re making my whole day.”
Joseph rummaged through the nail polishes in order to pick one that would fit the blonde.
“Would you please give me your hand, Mr Zeppeli?”
Joseph was ready, a grass green polish in one hand, the other hand open for Caesar to put his into. His stare was intense and this smile of his was so endearing.
Caesar felt like a flushed maiden and tried to pull this thought away when he gave his hand to Joseph. The touch was warm and welcoming through the gloves. He resisted the urge to caress Joseph’s palm and stood still. Joseph closed his hand on Caesar’s briefly to take a look at his nails. Short and not as dirty as one might think, considering his previous activities had been Hamon training and trash dumping. Caesar wanted to feel this hand holding his forever.
“First, let’s get rid of this.” Joseph said. He then removed gently Caesar’s fight gloves. Caesar felt like his motions were unnecessary slow. He shivered through the process and hoped it went unnoticed. He was not cold. He hoped his body wouldn't betray him again.
“Your hands are soooft under here ! But your fingers definitely need more care, they’re all rough. You should try not to extinguish your cigarettes on them, too.”
Joseph was tracing each finger with his own, stopping when he met a scar or a calloused surface. Starting from the back, he then turned and focused on the palm. He brushed Caesar’s lines as if he were palm reading his future. He rubbed gently his burn scar, frowning disapprovingly. Rub was not the word. He was actually caressing the whole surface of his hand. As if he were worshiping it in some way. And he seemed to genuinely enjoy it.
Caesar stayed silent until he was sure to be able to speak in a steady voice. “You make me want to smoke, stop talking about this and get to work already. We’ll get to the manicure another time.”
Joseph sighed and opened the polish bottle. He was focused on his task and did his best not to paint all the tip of Caesar’s fingers green but only the nails. Caesar loved watching him. It was so Joseph, being all dedicated for such silly things. When he was done, Joseph let go of Caesar’s hands and blew on it a few times to make the polish dry quicker.
The blonde missed his touch already.
“Well, not bad for a beginner. Or are you?” Caesar frowned. “Admit you’ve done this before!”
Joseph chuckled. “Maybe.”
Caesar gave him a shoulder push, then said :
“I can try to paint your nails too if you’d like. But I want you to get gothic so I’ll paint them black, be warned.”
“You got a thing for goth style, hm? First the smoky eyes, now this...” Joseph said with a grin.
Caesar thought -no, I’ve got a thing for you in goth style- but said :
“So are you in?”
“Yeah, go ahead. But try not to ruin your polish...”
Joseph handed him the black polish bottle and removed his gloves.
Caesar had a hard time applying the polish on Joseph’s hand because he couldn’t find a way to hold it right. The result was pretty messy. So he rested Joseph’s other hand on his knee to steady it and do better. It was nice to see JoJo’s nails blackening, one finger at a time. Caesar wondered what scratches it would leave on his skin if Joseph were to suddenly grasp him. Black polish would be mixed with the redness of his blood droplets, if he were to tear his skin apart… He shook his head, putting the thought away. He was wearing pants, no such things could happen anyway.
Joseph had to shift his hand a little between each nail to make the job easier for the blonde. He could feel Caesar’s skin under his pants, warming his palm. He tried to make each shift last longer, to enjoy the feeling of having Caesar’s body under his palm. To brush it. He felt a surge of possessiveness and tried not to clutch Caesar’s knee, keeping his fingers in display in an apparently relaxed gesture. He wouldn't want to ruin the moment.
Caesar was leaning over Joseph’s hand and proudly polishing the fourth successive finger without flaws when he became suddenly aware of Joseph’s breathing next to his ears. It was … warm, and very close. Caesar tried to remain focused on his task but it was becoming hard. He was picturing Joseph leaning over him and that thought was messing with his brain. Then he realized Joseph’s breathing wasn’t exactly the smoothest. He could hear it becoming less and less steady. Caesar could also hear his own fastening breathing. It was matching his, actually.
“Ok, I’m done!” Luckily, it was over, Caesar could draw back. He exhaled a long breath to relieve the tension. He closed the bottle and turned a little to drop it back behind them on the bed. Joseph was quiet and his freshly painted hand was still resting on Caesar’s knee.
Caesar felt Joseph’s hand move up a little. Suddenly his grip tightened on his thigh, just above the knee. It made Caesar gasp in surprise and sent a shudder wave along his spine. He looked up to meet Joseph’s gaze. Joseph was already looking at him. His eyes were dark blue and the makeup was emphasizing his features. He was stunning.
“So how does the goth grip feel? Am I stronger with black nails?” said Joseph, grinning.
Caesar tried to regain his composure and answered : “You just managed to ruin your polish on my pants. Congrats.”
Joseph looked down at his hand and indeed, Caesar’s pants were now decorated with black stains and Joseph’s nails were all messy.
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Caesar, as I see things, there is one last part we cannot skip. The lipstick.”
“OK. And then we clean up your mess.”
Caesar and Joseph reviewed their options with lipstick. Sadly there was no black lipstick, so Caesar picked “BloodMoon” for Joseph. Classic dark red. Joseph chose a copper one for the blonde.
They were holding each other’s lipstick and when Caesar tried to give Joseph his, he shook his head. So Caesar said :
“Ok, you begin, JoJo. I’ll put yours after. I sense everything won’t go according to plan if we try to put it on at the same time.”
Joseph opened the tube and got a little bit of the lipstick out. It was a beautiful bronze with a glossy finish. The label said : “Praline crystal : get very kissable”. It smelled sugary with a faint fruit scent, like gooseberries’ syrup.
Caesar felt a sudden nervousness fill his stomach. That didn’t sound like a good idea anymore. It would not end well. Something was about to happen and shift things. He wanted this and feared it at the same time.
“Hey JoJo, I’m not sure about this anymore...” Caesar began, his voice wavering.
Joseph softly put his hand on Caesar’s nape, to get a hold of his head. He was ever so slowly bringing the lipstick next to Caesar’s lips with his other hand.
He played with a strand of hair and with the headband’s ribbons that were floating behind the blonde’s neck. He then murmured soothingly in his ear:
“Don’t worry, it’ll be OK. Trust me, Caesar. In the end, you’ll like it. I promise.”
Caesar tensed a little at the touch. He felt his heart racing. He was losing his breath, slightly opening his mouth to try and get more air. When Joseph shifted his hand to grab his chin, Caesar surrendered and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes.
Joseph brushed tenderly the lipstick against his bottom lip, applying the copper glitter along the soft sensitive skin. His own mouth was inches apart from Caesar’s and the blonde could feel his warm breath slipping through his lips. Caesar opened his eyes for a second, saw a very close and very flushed Joseph focused on his task and closed them again, afraid of what might happen next.
“I’m… done. You should smack your lips against one another to even the surface but I think it’s alright.” Joseph said, his voice coming out a bit hoarse.
Caesar didn’t want to get up and look at the mirror. He wanted to stay seated on the bed, his thigh brushed against Joseph’s. So he said :
“How do I look like now, JoJo?”
“Very kissable.” Joseph’s face was so serious it made Caesar look away.
“Good, so the label wasn’t lying. Let’s make your kisses last forever, then, if I recall correctly.”
Caesar grabbed the BloodMoon lipstick and turned the base of the tube to get the product out a bit. Dark matte red. Sexy.
He cupped Joseph’s chin and brushed his thumb against his bottom lip. Joseph was passive, wide smoky blue eyes diving deep into Caesar’s. His lips were soft, a little wet, warm. Just as Caesar had imagined it. Joseph half-opened his mouth as in a response to his touch. It looked like an invitation. Caesar inhaled sharply. He found his hand to be shaking a little when he brought the lipstick closer to Joseph’s mouth. Caesar realized he couldn’t withstand the weight of Joseph’s needy stare, spying his every move. But he would not withdraw. Not now.
“Close your eyes.” Caesar commanded.
“Really? I’m pretty sure this stuff isn’t for eyelids, though.” Joseph answered in a quizzical tone.
“Please, JoJo. Do as I say without blabbering, for once.” And so, Joseph obliged.
Caesar was applying the lipstick when he absentmindedly wondered at what time Joseph’s hands had ended up on his thighs. He was leaning towards him, after all, it must have been for balance. But Caesar couldn’t come up with a tangible explanation for what he was doing now. Joseph was slowly stroking his thighs through his pants, and his grip was not so gentle. He could feel a tension, a need. He was calling for more in this touch.
Or was it his own cravings talking?
That was it. The Moon was bleeding all over Joseph’s lips in dark rays.
All this madness was about to end.
Caesar threw the lipstick tube away and cupped Joseph’s face in his hands.
Joseph opened his eyes and shifted his hands to rest them on each side of Caesar’s waist.
“Your kisses last forever, JoJo.”
“Come here and we’ll see about that, my very kissable Italian boy.”
Their lipsticks blended very well together, in a deep red sugary copper mix.