Thanks to ADashOfInsanity, BunnyFleur, IlikeYuki, Fire and Ice will always love, and Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki for reviewing so far! Roy takes an interesting turn at the end of this chapter... enjoy!

Roy blinked several times and gave a small laugh. "What?"

"I m-mean," Marth stammered, "One evening. You know, to hang out?"

"Right."

"So I can get to know you better." Marth fiddled with his hair nervously.

"Like a date?" asked Roy.

"S'pose so, yeah." He blushed.

"I prefer the way you first suggested it."

Marth blushed even deeper, not knowing what to say.

Roy coughed. "So are you free this evening?"

Deep breaths. "Yes."

"Great." Roy shrugged.

They arranged to meet at 7.30pm and Marth gave Roy his address before heading back to work. Now he needed a filter coffee.

Well that had been unexpected. Marth headed home elated. He was going to spend an evening with Roy! He almost skipped as he reached his front door.

It was unlocked. Assuming he must have forgotten to lock it when he'd left the house in the morning; Marth pushed down the door handle and went in.

"Ah, hello. I was wondering when you'd get back."

"What are you doing here?"

Ike wandered over to him, once more topless, this time with baggy frayed jeans to accompany.

"Painting your walls of course."

Oh yeah. He'd forgotten that side of their bargain.

"How did you get in?"

"You keep your spare key under the doormat."

"Why didn't you wait?"

"I did for a bit and then I got bored so I figured I might as well start searching for the spare key."

Marth stared at him. "You broke into my house."

"I needed to attack the Magnolia."

Marth suppressed a smile, shook his head and wandered through into the kitchen, following the smell of fresh paint.

"Like it?" Ike asked from behind him. Marth looked at the end wall, on which three chillies had been painted, fading through from a red chilli on the left to a green chilli on the right. An abstract green wavy line then ran over all the kitchen cabinets on the wall on the green chilli side of the room.

"Nice."

"Thank you."

"Is it finished?"

"Still a bit more to add."

"My friend is coming round at 7.30 – will you be done by then?"

"Not sure. Can't I just hand around until I finish? I'll stay out of your way."

Marth though about it for a moment. "Alright. See you in a moment, I'm going to get changed."

Upstairs he searched his wardrobe for something appropriate to wear. Trouble was, if he dressed up for dressed up for Roy he would feel overdressed next to Ike, but if he dressed down for Ike he would feel underdressed next to Roy. And if he just dressed normally he wouldn't fit in with either of them. He looked at the clock. 6:32. hang on, what if he dressed down to feel more comfortable with Ike now, and then dressed up again before Roy arrived? Genius. He changed out of his uniform and pulled on some jeans. He felt awkward topless – exposed. But if he wore a top he knew he would feel overdressed as he had before. Trying to convince himself it was no big deal, Marth headed back downstairs.

When he reached the kitchen Ike turned around and noticing he was topless, took a good and undisguised look at him. Marth squirmed inwardly under his gaze, instantly regretting his decision to go topless and fighting the urge to dash back upstairs and grab a jumper.

Ike crossed the space between them in three long strides and took him by the shoulders. Marth, having only a second to react, braced himself to be kissed, but Ike only pushed his shoulders down and out, before moving one hand to lift his chin up.

"Wear your skin as if it is clothing," Ike commanded him.

"What?"

"You're obviously topless to appear more casual but you're not actually acting casual, and so it isn't working. So do as I say. Your skin is like a t-shirt – you needn't take any notice of it, just operate as normal." He put his hands under Marth's armpits and then jerked upwards, forcing Marth to momentarily straighten his spin.

"Stand tall. Exposing chest should be no more awkward than exposing arms or legs. Go on. Stand tall, shoulders back, chin up."

Bewildered, Marth obeyed. Ike gave him a quick look over.

"Alright. Now come and help me with some painting." The quick tuition on posture ended as abruptly as it had started and Ike wandered over to the sink, beckoning Marth over. Slowly Marth followed.

"Place your hand up against the wall just behind the sink there."

Marth did so.

"Now keep it there I'm gong to paint it."

"Why do I need to put my hand on the wall for you to paint it?"

"I'm not painting your hand I'm painting a picture of your hand in that position on the wall next to it."

"What for?"

"You'll see." Ike began painting and silence filled the kitchen. Eventually Marth broke it.

"What do you like?"

"What?"

Marth smiled. "You interrogated me the other evening, starting with that."

"Oh yes." Ike's focus was on his painting.

"Why?" Marth persisted.

"To break the ice."

Oh. So not in order to find out about him then. Marth tried not to be disappointed.

"Why did you offer me one night as payment for all this work? Why did you give me the portrait you did of me? Why did you kiss me?" The questions tumbled out of him, his final question barely more than a whisper.

"I kissed you so that I could have a decent portrait to paint. I gave the portrait to you because it was of you. I offered you the option of spending a night with me as payment because I didn't want to charge you as you seem nice and I wanted to do it as a gift but feared that you might be offended by it and see it as an act of charity or assume that if I offered it free there must be some dodgy underlying motive." He laughed. "Of course, that backfired a bit, didn't it? In trying to seem inoffensive in one way I ended up accidentally saying something much worse."

Marth stared at him. His eccentric logic did make some sort of sense, though a little shaky in places.

"The question is," Ike continued, "Why are you asking?"

The casual delivery of such a serious question took Marth's breath away. Ike smiled and answered it himself.

"You thought I might have done those thing because I fancied you?"

"You did kiss me," Marth pointed out. Ike didn't reply and continued painting in silence. Marth, unable to think of anything else to say, just watched him. And then the clock. And then Ike again. It looked like Ike was painting an image of his hand splattering into spaghetti Bolognese or some similar spaghetti dish. It was super-realistic and deadly serious in detail, yet the positioning of it in Marth's kitchen made it quirky.

After almost an hour of stunning painting and conversation on other topics Ike had finished, and they both stopped for tea and biscuits. After 5 minutes of excruciating silence Marth said,

"That's a really good painting."

"Thanks." Ike smiled. Marth took a deep breath.

"And I'm sorry about assuming you had an ulterior motive to doing things."

Ike's smile broadened and he turned his head to face Marth fully. "I didn't do those things because I fancy you."

Marth opened his mouth to acknowledge this but Ike put a finger to his lips.

"But I do fancy you."

Oh hell. But before he could think of a reply the doorbell rang. Marth rushed to answer it, too eager of the distraction to remember who it would be.

"Oh. Hi Roy."

"Hi."

Marth suddenly recalled that he was bare-chested. "C-come in, I'll be back in a second." He dashed upstairs.

Having pulled on a plain white top he re-greeted Roy downstairs. Ike minded them both watchfully. Wary of this, Marth led Roy through into the lounge so that they could leave Ike alone to paint in the kitchen. Marth also needed to be away from Ike so that he could let what Ike had just told him sink in before he thought of a reply.

"You didn't need to a put a top on for me," Roy informed him. "I didn't mind."

"Well…" Marth shrugged. Being topless with Ike was one thing – topless was Ike's dress code – but being topless with Roy would be something different, more personal somehow.

"And wasn't that the artist guy in your kitchen?" Roy asked.

"Yeah. I asked him to paint my walls."

"Nice."

"There was no colour in my house before."

"I see."

"Yeah. All my walls were painted Magnolia."

Roy shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with Magnolia."

"What."

They both turned to see Ike standing in the doorway, glaring at Roy as if he was about to challenge him to a duel.

"It's a nice, clean colour," Roy argued.

"Nice? Perhaps as a background to something better or in moderation it is tolerable, but to fill whole rooms with nothing but? Plain. Disgusting. Intolerable."

Marth suppressed a laugh.

"I don't think anyone ever pays much attention to the colour of walls. Magnolia is nice and unobtrusive, and gives a light, pleasant feel to a room." Roy argued back in a dismissive tone that said both 'I'm right' as well as 'but this argument is pointless'.

"Well no one's going to pay any attention to the walls for sure if they're painted Magnolia. Walls are wonderful things. You can use them to express yourself without taking up any space in the room. They can help to create an atmosphere." Unlike Roy, Ike argued passionately, as if not only to convince him but somehow everyone in the world with Magnolia walls at the same time.

"I think Magnolia gives a pleasant neutral atmosphere. What do you think Marth?" Roy turned to him. Marth, surprised at the sudden appeal for his opinion, thought for a moment, unwilling to go against either of them. Eventually he addressed Ike.

"I thought you were meant to be painting my kitchen."

"Indeed. You butted into our conversation quite rudely," Roy added. Ike showed no change of composure at the accusation, and replied to Marth,

"I know, but I was unsure whether you might need the kitchen to prepare dinner for you and your guest."

Oh shoot, he hadn't thought of that. "Right. Yes, I will need it, thank you." He turned to Roy. "Sorry, forgive me for forgetting to cook in advance. Let me just go to the loo first." With which he quickly slipped out of the room and headed upstairs.

As soon as he was safely gone Roy got up from the sofa and walked up to Ike.

"You keep your hands off Marth, you understand?"

"What?"

"Don't play innocent. How dare you talk Marth into taking his shirt off when he is obviously uncomfortable with it?"

"I didn't talk him into it –"

"So you took it off for him, did you?"

"He took it off himself! I had nothing to do with it."

"I want you to leave him alone."

"He paid for me to paint all his walls, and that's what I'll do."

"And how much does all this painting cost, may I ask?"

"£1050."

"You charged him £1050? Just for painting some stupid walls?"

"Would you prefer me not to charge him?"

"Yes!"

"Very well. I'll remove all charges. But I'll still do the work."

Roy narrowed his eyes at Ike, realising that if Ike did remove the charge the painted walls would act as a gift to Marth and only endear Ike to him.

"Well…I'm not saying do it for free exactly – but do it for less. £1050 is extortionate."

"How dare you! Art," Ike spat disdainfully, "Does not sell with a 50% off special deal. It's either £1050 or nothing."

"Why would you do it for free? I don't trust your motives. No, you can tell Marth I am footing the bill for this. And once the work is done I want you gone you understand?"

Ike didn't reply.

"You understand?"

Ike still didn't reply.

"I don't have my chequebook on me but I'll send you a cheque in the post. What's your address?"

Ike handed him a business card silently. Roy took it from him.

"You keep away from Marth." When Ike made no response to his threat Roy walked away; just as Marth was leaving the bathroom upstairs.