Sunlight was fading in a pale winter horizon, the clouds that had been crowding the sky during the day however had vanished, allowing it to assume a beautiful, deep blue colour. Pale silver stars clouded the silky sky, barely visible, the moon not having risen yet. The glowing points were scattered across the reflection in the window.
The lights in the bath were turned off, only the warm glow of street lantern lights was cast through the large windows onto the stainless white tiles. Neither of them had ever understood why a bathroom would ever have transparent windows, but they had, at some point, decided that it was not their problem if anybody ever looked into it - a case that was highly unlikely in the deserted street the house was situated in. It was a lovely area at the edge of the city, only a small path, enclosed with hedges, was between two houses each. Barely anybody ever walked the street from which the lantern light came, especially not after dark. And if anybody had chosen to take a walk there just tonight they wouldn't see anything but blackness behind the dark windows, possibly assuming the house to be deserted.
Benjamin probably hadn't caught the reason why his lover insisted on turning the lights off every time in the bath, and Roel was very glad he didn't because if he did he probably just wouldn't join him anymore. He already had to hold him, pressing him close with his arms around his chest to prevent him from growing restless after five minutes had passed. If he succeeded in keeping him there long enough it was guaranteed that he would eventually cease the struggle and simply fall asleep in the water, which was exactly what Roel wished to achieve. He had his reasons.
They hadn't much talked to each other today, sometimes it seemed to Roel that the other would forget he was there; not in a bad way, simply as a result of being lost in thought. He was wonderful to look at when lost in thought, with far distant eyes, his hands always drumming on something, fumbling with his hair or performing any other repetitive move. Sometimes he would even sing a melody he'd note down instantly.
Tonight it was quite different, yet all the same. He was humming a strange tune under his breath, sometimes changing into quietly singing pieces of lyrics. The song seemed more than a spontaneous idea, rather like an existing song that was, however, not quite finished yet but still needed some development. Roel listened cautiously until it had ended. The other's mind certainly was far away again, his fingers disturbed the silent water around them.
"Is that one of the new ones?" he whispered at last, immediately startling his lover.
"Did I just...?" he cursed under his breath before he let his head sink back onto his lover's chest.
"Yeah, yeah, it is. Still needs some improvements, though I can't quite capture where exactly they need to be done."
"That can wait," Roel replied calmly as he'd noticed the restlessness taking hold of Benjamin again. Christmas was always a time where he was forced to take some days off work in favour of family. While Roel spent his own Christmas home with his family, Benjamin would drive a couple kilometres to be with his own. If Roel was lucky he'd be home before his beloved, allowing him to take advantage of Benjamin's still relaxed, calm mood to drag him to bed, the couch or the bath to spend one of the rare, quiet evenings.
"I guess so..." Benjamin shrugged, but it was obvious that his mind was with lyrics and melodies again.
"Sometimes I think you're forgetting about me!" Roel said in a jokingly complaining tone.
"Hmh? No... why would you?" the other replied absentmindedly, causing him to chuckle.
"Come on, turn the creative brain side off for once, or should I make you?" he said, slightly teasing.
As he didn't receive an answer he sighed exaggeratedly and strengthened the tightness of his left arm around Benjamin while his right hand ran over the other's stomach and chest up to his neck, under the remaining dry part of his hair. At the instant he could hear the other's previously silent breathing, see the way he closed his eyes and opened his mouth just a little bit in front of his inner eye.
