A quiet chuckle left his throat and his smirk softened as he shook his head. Of course I would. Nothing else I’d rather be doing right now, Nikolai thought absently as he began mixing his paints again, looking for a brown-green that would match. He allowed his words to drift lazily over to his friend, less focused and directed than speaking would be. It was a relief to share his thoughts so casually, so naturally.
His movements regained their earlier confidence and he moved in closer to Ferran, pausing and tilting his head slightly in thought, not sure what angle would be best. Instead of taking the time and effort to move everything over to Ferran’s other side, Nikolai opted to simply lean over his back and paint the rest that way. Not an ideal position, but it would work. Besides, it was much less of a hassle. Fingertips braced against the other man’s ribs for support, placed carefully between the lines of drying paint, he slid the paintbrush over his skin, filling out another branch.