Archive of Our Own ^beta

Monte woke up to light filtering through the window and landing on his face. The sun wasn't particularly warm today, mostly because it was early November and the winter-ish weather was settling in, but it was bright. It left him squinting in the middle of Shorty's bedroom. 

Speaking of Shorty, he was asleep next to him, and so warm and pliant, Monte was tempted to turn around and join him in sleep again. It was so rare to see Shorty so relaxed and actually sleeping in that Monte relished the occurrence. Monte smiled. Perhaps he should have worked on wearing Shorty out more often if the results were so relaxed. 

Just as quickly as that thought came to him, he banished it. What he and Shorty had went beyond sex and physical touches and Monte would never use sex as means to an end, regardless if it made Shorty sleep better and have less nightmares. But the thought had been appealing anyway, and Monte wasn't above experimenting. Besides, if they both benefited from it, where was the harm in that?

Monte turned around anyway and stared at Shorty sleeping. He knew people would qualify it as creepy, but he found it comforting. He had Shorty next to him, sleeping. Alive. It was a reassurance to look at his lax face and watch Shorty's chest rise and fall with each breath he took. To count each freckle and mole on his body, the subtle gray hairs showing up in Shorty's chest hair and stubble. The softness of the hair spread on the pillow and the urge to run his fingers through it every so often...

Call him a romantic, or a sap, definitely hopeless, but Monte wasn't above feeling poetic about watching his loved one sleep. It had been a long time since he felt like this, since everything had made sense in the world. It was definitely not a foreign concept for Monte, but still it had been a long time since he felt the way he did now. Shorty gave his life purpose anew. And Monte cherished that.

The strong urge to watch over someone that wasn't a friend or an acquaintance was present and grew with every day he spent with Shorty. Martine was the last person he felt this for. And Monte knew that with Shorty it wasn't exactly the same as it was with Martine, but it was unique in its own way because it was with Shorty . It wasn't just the feeling of being complete that Monte missed for so long. It was the stability of having someone by your side at any given moment no matter how long you were apart. It was the sense of connection and falling madly in love. Monte thought that he would never get anything like the thing he had with Martine. And he was right. Because the thing with Shorty was completely different. And just as important. 

Shorty completed him in a way he didn't feel complete for years now. And it made Monte love him so much more because of it. 

Watching the way Shorty looked when he was asleep just reassured Monte that things were okay. That they were going steady. The little pillow crease on Shorty's cheek, the laugh lines around his eyes, the soft lips… it was all part of the little things about Shorty that made Monte feel alive again. 

Monte stretched, careful not to wake Shorty up, and moved a little to the side of the bed, before he got more comfortable. He was in his underwear and a t-shirt, but it was chilly so he pulled the blanket up to his waist and set to keep watch until Shorty decided to join him. He sat like that for a while, before an idea struck him. 

Being a writer ( in secret, though ) and being old school most of the time made him carry pen and paper everywhere, because he constantly got ideas and he couldn't always get his laptop and phone out to type the ideas out. He kept a pad of paper in his messenger bag, but that one was right by the door… of Shorty's apartment. It stayed there ever since they got through the door and Shorty practically slammed him in the wall. One thing led to another and well… 

Monte decided to look for paper in one of the drawers. He hoped Shorty kept some there since he was always doodling when he wasn't actively drawing. Opening up the first drawer, he noticed there were some odds and ends, but no paper. Second drawer, though, that one held several notebooks. At least that was what they looked like to Monte when he saw them first. But when he opened the "notebook" on top of the stack, thinking he could rip off a page out of it, he noticed it wasn't exactly a notebook, but a sketchbook. It made sense, since Shorty was an artist, he was drawing all the time, of course he had a lot of these laying around. 

But this one was a sketchbook Monte hadn't seen before. Shorty sometimes showed him some of the sketches, and Monte was always mesmerized at the talent Shorty possessed. His drawings were always so lifelike. 

What Monte didn't expect was his own face staring at him from the sketchbook's pages. He knew that Shorty occasionally drew him, Shorty showed him the drawings all the time. But those were drawings of Monte in the bookstore, working with the kids, milling around with Chet, mundane stuff. The ones in the sketchbook Monte was holding in his hands were completely foreign to Monte. There were close ups of his face, his eyes, just him , and they were from different moments of their lives. Monte remembered most of the situations, and he couldn't believe just how much detail Shorty caught with one simple drawing. 

He was immersed in flipping through the pages so much he didn't hear Shorty stir next to him, nor the kiss Shorty placed on his cheek. 

"Good morning, handsome." was what finally pulled him out of his thoughts and Monte looked up to find Shorty smiling at him. 

At the risk of sounding sappy again, Monte could swear Shorty's smile felt like the sun came up again.

"Good morning to you, too." 

"What are you doing?" 

"Was looking for some paper and I found these. I knew you were good, but I had no idea you could make me look so…" 

"You? That's who you are, Monte. I'm just doing my best to capture your essence." 

"You are amazing, you know that, right?" 

Shorty turned his head away and Monte could see the timid smile and the blush on his face. 

Still, after all this time, Shorty reacted to a compliment like it was something he couldn't believe about himself. 

"Sorry I was snooping around." 

"It's okay. I planned on showing these to you. Eventually. You probably saved me a lot of anxiety over how to break this to you." 

"You should know by now that I won't judge. Shorty… I love you. And I love your art." 

"Thank you. Love you too." 

Before Monte could overthink what just happened, he pulled Shorty in a kiss, trying to convey everything he couldn't tell Shorty in that one kiss. 

It turned heated pretty quickly and Monte found himself on his back, Shorty straddling his hips and looking every bit as gorgeous as ever in the morning light.

"What do you say we use up the last of the morning for some morning activities ?"

"You are so bossy, Fr-" 

"Don't you dare say my name, Montelius . Or you will wind up with a case of blue balls if you use my given name during sex." 

Monte grinned, knowing just the right way how to rile Shorty up. 

"You are imp, Monte Walsh, you know that, right?" 

"I've been called worse, so…" Monte knew he was pushing the limits, but it was fun to see Shorty getting worked up.

"Keep this up and you ain't gettin' any, cowboy." 

"Keep what up?" Monte wiggled his eyebrows for maximum effect. "I can feel something that's up." He wiggled his hips next, making Shorty shudder. 

"Smooth. Real smooth, Monte."

"Eh, I like to think I've still got it." 

Shorty effectively shut him up with a kiss and wiggling in his lap. 

"Now, where were we?"