Please, Don't Leave Me

Chapter 26

        Once they had caught their breath, Marc finally got up off of Nathaniel and held a hand down to help his lover stand. Nathaniel smiled up at him as he took his hand, slowly standing as Marc pulled him up. He then lifted Marc's face and gently kissed him before walking over to the shower and turning it on, waiting for the water go become hot. Marc watched him, admiring how slender Nathaniel was while also being so strong. He also began thinking about how amazing Nathaniel has been to him, both as a friend and as his lover. He had been there when he lost his mother and after they got the misunderstanding out of the way and he got deakumatized, Nathabiel had been his best friend aside from the girls. He smiled at the memory of his birthday at the school that Nathaniel threw him and how he somehow managed to throw a cupcake across the room and hit him square in the face. He closed his eyes and chuckled; that was shortly before they had gotten together, and it was one of his favorite memories. He opened his eyes and saw Nathaniel smiling at him, "what's got you so giggly, Babe?" Marc chuckled softly, "I was just thinking about you and that cupcake came to mind."

          Nathaniel laughed at the memory; he had actually thrown that cupcake at Alex, but she moved, so when Marc looked up to see what was going on, his face was immediately covered in icing. This memory made both boys laugh. Nathaniel soon recovered and checked on the temperature of the water, "The water is ready. Let's get cleaned up." Marc smiled and nodded, agreeing that they needed to get cleaned up. Nathaniel got in first and helped Marc in so he wouldn't slip before simply pulling Marc close. Of course, Marc didn't mind as he hugged his redheaded lover happily. When they pulled apart, Nathaniel smiled and squeezed some of Marc's shampoo into his palm, "Close your eyes, Babe, and I'll wash your hair." Marc giggled sweetly before closing his eyes, soon feeling Nathaniel run his fingers through Marc's raven hair. This made him relax, and he sighed softly when he felt Nathaniel massaging his scalp, making Nathaniel chuckle softly; he knew Marc loves massages.

          Once Marc's hair was fully lathered, Nathaniel rinsed off his hands, grabbed a cup, and used it to carefully rinse the shampoo out of Marc's hair. Then, he squeezed out a small amount of conditioner and gently massaged it in. He knew Marc always let it soak into his hair for awhile so he pulled Marc's pouf off its hook on the shower caddy and squeezed some bldywash onto it. He then began to bathe his lover, much to Marc's surprise. "I wasn't expecting you to bathe me, too..." Nathaniel chuckled and kissed his cheek, "Surprise~" Marc giggled and allowed Nathaniel to bathe him, which he did with care. He even focused on some of the places where he had been dealing with dry skin such as his elbows, knees, and feet. When he reached either splt, he would carefully use the exfoliating side of the pouf to remove the dead skin when also not hurting Marc. When he finally reached Marc's feet, he tried to exfoliate without tickling him, but he failed. Marc's eyes widened, and he began laughing, nearly slipping as his body convulsed from the sensation on his feet. "N-Nate that tickles!!" Marc said laughing. Nathaniel chuckled in response, "I'm not trying to. I can't help your feet are ticklish." Marc continued to laugh until finally, Nathaniel finished his feet and stood to rinse the conditioner from his hair.

          Once Marc was cleaned, he smiled up at Nathaniel and squeezed Nathaniel's shampoo into his palm, "Your turn, Nate." Nathaniel chuckled and knelt in front of Marc so that he wouldn't have to stretch, making Marc giggle. He ran his fingers through Nathaniel's tomato red hair, marvelling at how soft it was. He smiled affectionately as he soon began massaging the shampoo into his scalp as Nathaniel had done to him. Once lathered, he had grabbed the cup and began to fill it, but when he looked over at Nathaniel, he noticed some suds trailing down his temple and that he already had some on his chest. He blushed and washed those away first before refilling the cup to rinse out his hair, earning a chuckle from the redhead, "You know you were supposed to pour that on my head~" Marc blushed even more and smirked, "Sorry. I'll be sure to pour it on your head." He then took the cup and dumped the water on him, making some of the suds reach his lips, "pffff pffff! What was that for??" Marc laughed adorably, "You said I was supposed to pour it on your head! I was only doing as told~" Marc continued to laugh and Nathaniel chuckled as he stood, rinsing his hair and face, "You little smartass..." Marc smiled up at him and giggled, "But you love me~" Nathaniel met his eyes and smiled, "More than anything in the world." He then missed Marc's cheek, admiring how even the smallest of gestures can make him so rosy cheeked. Marc smiled up at him sweetly and squeezed some body wash onto Nathaniel's pouf, "Ya know.... If I hadn't met you, I would probably still be so shy and terrified that Andrew would find me. I'm glad you're in my life; you've changed my life for the better..." Nathaniel smiled happily at his words; he never thought about how he may have been if they had never met. He was glad he made Marc so happy.

          Marc began to wash Nathaniel, admiring how fair complected he was. He started by washing Nathaniel's neck and shoulders then worked his way down to his chest, stomach, and hips, paying articulate attention to his elbows, knees, and feet as he reached them respectively. He had finished both knees when he noticed that some of his previous suds were trailing down to his groin almost teasingly. This made the raven haired boy blush madly as he quickly looked away to wash the rest of his lover, making Nathaniel smile in amusement. When he reached Nathaniel's feet, he gently scrubbed both of them to remove the dead skin. He stood and smiled at Nathaniel before the couple rinsed out their poufs. Nathaniel turned off the water before getting out and helping Marc. Once out of the shower, the couple began drying off so that they could get dressed. Nathaniel was the first one to get dried off, so he gave Marc a loving kiss before going into his bedroom to get dressed.

          Once in his bedroom, he put on his briefs and pants on first then his button down shirt. Over the shirt he donned a warm jacket, slipping the ring box into a hidden pocket on the inside of the jacket. He turned to see Marc had dried off and was walking out of the bathroom. He couldn't take his eyes off Marc as he dropped the towel and put on his own pair of briefs but then put on his shirt, glancing over at Nathaniel, "Like what you see~?" Nathaniel jumped and blushed, not realizing he had gotten caught watching him. Marc giggled and walked over to him, standing on his toes to kiss his cheek, "I'm glad I still enthrall you this much.... I hope I always do..." Nathaniel smiled and thought to himself, 'If he says yes, I know he will always have this effect on me....' Nathaniel kissed his lover, which was returned, and Marc returned to his clothes to put on his pants. Once dressed, both boys donned their socks and shoes, and Nathaniel made sure Marc was wearing a jacket due to the forecast foreseeing snow within the next few hours. Marc sighed and put on one of Nathaniel's heavier jackets, and the couple walked down the street to the fancy restaurant he took Marc for their first date. Nathaniel had a very specific plan for tonight; he would treat Marc to dinner then take him for a carriage ride to a beautifully decorated pavilion where he would surprise Marc with a stunning view of the countryside and talk to him about how special he is to him and how he needs Marc, and when Marc turns around, Nathaniel will kneel, reveal the ring, and ask him to be his king until the day they die. However, he is also scared that Marc may not say yes.  That thought alone is almost enough to make him cry, but he couldn't show it or else risk ruining the surprise. He took a deep breath and walked Marc inside, a waiter seating them at a table with a view of the city lights. Nathaniel thanked the waiter and pulled a chair out for Marc, pushing it in when he sat down. Marc smiled up at him, not realizing that tonight was sure to change his life once again.