The Pink Rose's Promise (BL)

31. Christmas Eve

Ichirou giggled as he removed his strappy high heels at the entryway of Masahiro's apartment. He was just a little bit tipsy from the nice champagne they had at the high-concept, gastronomical restaurant they went to on this beautiful Christmas Eve. After that, they walked over to look at the Christmas lights that laced the trees. The whole time they walked, they chatted, and Ichirou held tightly onto Masahiro's arm for both warmth and pleasure. Despite wearing a coat, he also had worn a short skirted dress, so his legs were freezing.

"I'm gonna go wash up, okay, Masahiro?" Ichirou said, carrying his overnight bag with him as he walked down the hall.

"Sure thing," Masahiro called from the entryway. "I'm gonna shower really quick, too."

Masahiro's apartment was big enough that it had two and a half bathrooms. The master bathroom was only accessible from his room, and it only contained a shower, with no bath. However, the bathroom Ichirou would be using contained only a bath and no shower, unless you count the tiny washing station as a shower. So, as he lived alone, he really could shower and bathe however he pleased.

Ichirou dropped the bag in the spare bedroom that he had become quite familiar with, and pulled out some makeup wipes, as well as a tiny plastic box that he used to hold his fake eyelashes. He was a little sad to be taking it all off, as he knew he looked hot in the dress and makeup, but it had to come off eventually. He just needed to be kind of quick in the bath so he could get to cuddling Masahiro now that they were alone.

Ichirou walked into the bathroom that was across the hall from the den, closing the door behind him. He walked into the bathing room first, turning on the water and making sure the settings were correctly adjusted. He then went back into the toilet room and carefully pulled off his eyelashes, then cleaned his face with the makeup wipes. He then pulled off his dress and briefs, placing them in a small basket, before heading into the bathing room once more.

Ichirou washed himself off with the small, what could barely be called a shower. The scents in this bathroom were all fairly neutral, which Ichirou took to mean that Masahiro usually didn't use the deep tub. After ensuring he was clean from head to toe, Ichirou finally allowed himself to sink into the warm, pleasant tub.

Ichirou was beyond pleased with how the evening had gone so far. Masahiro had complimented him quite thoroughly when they met up at Ichirou's house. Then, they had a joke-filled conversation during the dinner, which was also delicious. It was nothing like Ichirou had ever had before, but he liked it. Then, once they were done with dinner and were walking around the Roppongi area, Ichirou got to hold Masahiro's arm. Already, it seemed like this night was a great success, even without any cuddling.

Ichirou found himself wondering for the millionth time whether Masahiro liked him back or not. He seemed to have relaxed quite a bit into their skinship, now going out of his way to grab Ichirou's hand, or allowing his hand to linger a bit longer than was necessary when he touched Ichirou's arm. The physicality of their relationship simultaneously was wonderful, and yet, not enough.

Ichirou knew when it would be enough. It would be enough when Masahiro told Ichirou that he loved him. Whether he said it first or Ichirou did, it didn't matter much to him. The important part was that Masahiro needed to say it. Despite all of their skinship, Ichirou still wasn't sure if Masahiro was feeling the same way as him, or whether he just enjoyed touching Ichirou. Ichirou supposed the latter wasn't the end of the world, but the former was his absolute ideal.

Ichirou began to wonder if there was really, truly any way to tell if Masahiro liked him without asking. Takeru would have to know, wouldn't he? That's right, Takeru would totally know! He needed to ask Takeru. Hopefully, he didn't pull some sort of lame excuse, like that Ichirou should ask for himself instead of relying on others. Ichirou had never been the best at telling when people had a crush on him. He'd only realized this with Yuuhei because Yuuhei turned bright red whenever they so much as spoke.