Chapter Text
Sincline had been too absorbed in his sketching to notice that he was being watched.
It was only when he looked up to judge the angle of the next stroke of his stylus that he realized Sendak was awake.
Their eyes met, and then Sincline looked away, flushing.
Last night…
He didn’t even know what to say.
“Good morning,” Sendak said quietly. Lotor was still asleep on his other side, and he probably didn’t want to wake him; it was still early, after all.
“Good morning,” Sincline said, setting the tablet aside and making to slip away.
Sendak reached for him, and then faltered. If Sincline were Lotor, he had no doubt that Sendak would have pulled him back into an embrace.
Sincline wasn’t there yet. Maybe he could allow Lotor to take such liberties with him, but Sendak? No, that would be too much.
Sincline stayed anyway, despite the lack of physical restraints.
“You’re up early,” Sendak said neutrally.
”Mm,” Sincline said. “I couldn’t sleep.”
”No?” Sendak asked, in a light-hearted, teasing tone. “Not even after last night?”
Sincline’s flush deepened. He’d never allowed anyone to touch him like that in his universe; it was far too intimate, left him far too vulnerable.
Why was it different with Sendak?
Sure, Lotor was there to vouch for him, but even so…
And yes, he’d been curious about it since he’d watched Sendak do the same to Lotor, and yes, he’d wanted, but he was used to putting aside his own desires.
He could have said no, and should have said no, but he hadn’t.
Why?
He realized Sendak was waiting for an answer, despite the teasing tone of the question.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing. A bad dream, nothing more.”
Sendak’s expression softened (even further). “Oh,” he murmured. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
Sincline shook his head. He didn’t remember the dream clearly; he usually didn’t. He only knew that it had been enough to wake him, head and heart pounding. “No,” he said, “it was just a dream. I’m awake now.”
”Alright,” Sendak said. It was clear that he wanted more information, but he didn’t push. Instead, he changed the subject, and Sincline couldn’t help but feel unreasonably grateful for that. “What were you sketching?”
That did nothing to diminish Sincline’s flush. He hadn’t expected to be asked such a thing, and while he knew that Sendak meant no harm by it, and that he himself had nothing to hide, it was still…
He reached for the tablet anyway. Sendak must have seen hundreds of Lotor’s sketches over the years (and some were probably quite racy, if the pictures on Lotor’s tablet were any indication); surely this simple sketch wouldn’t be an issue.
He opened the tablet to the sketch, and turned it towards Sendak.
”Oh,” Sendak said, “you drew me!”
He sounded so delighted that it startled and confused Sincline. “I hope that’s alright,” he said, looking anywhere but Sendak’s face.
”Draw whatever you like,” Sendak said. “I’m happy to be your subject.”
Sincline scrambled for something to say after that, because gods damn. “I- I’m sure you’ve been the subject of Lotor’s artistic inclinations before.”
”Of course,” Sendak said easily. He handed the tablet back to Sincline. “It really is quite good. You’re very talented.”
Sincline glanced at the sketch -Sendak, asleep, totally content -and had to admit that he’d drawn Sendak in a particularly sympathetic light. Sendak was, of course, very handsome, a paragon of Galra beauty standards.
The sketch he’d made didn’t just portray Sendak as handsome. There was something else there, something he couldn’t name, even if he wanted to.
“Thank you,” he said. And then: “Thank you, also, for last night. I hope you didn’t feel as if you had to do what I asked.”
“Not at all,” Sendak said. “It wasn’t the first time. It’s not usually Lotor’s preference, but it’s fun to switch things up now and then.” He hesitated, then pressed a soft kiss to Sincline’s wrist. “I should be the one thanking you, for trusting me enough to let me touch you, let alone…”
Sincline shook his head. “I…enjoyed it,” he admitted softly. “I didn’t think I would.”
”No?” Sendak asked, pushing himself up on one elbow, so that he was closer to Sincline’s eye level. “Sex is meant to be enjoyable.”
”Just because something is meant to be, does not mean that it is,” Sincline said.
“Well,” Sendak said finally, when the silence stretched on too long, “I’m glad you enjoyed it. If it’s something you want again, I’m more than happy to provide, and if not… then that’s fine, too.”
”You enjoy it, too,” Sincline said, almost a question.
“I do,” Sendak said, “but I enjoy it most when my partner wants it. I won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do, but you should let yourself want things. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Sincline and Lotor were practically the same person, but somehow Sendak seemed to understand him better; maybe it was because of his marriage to Lotor, or maybe it was something else.
”I’ve spent a long time denying myself,” Sincline said. “It’s hard to remember how to want.”
Sendak kissed his wrist again, and then, after a brief pause, where he studied Sincline’s face, he pressed a kiss to Sincline’s cheek.
”We have all the time in the universe for you to learn again,” Sendak said.