The Pink Rose's Promise (BL)

34. The Aquarium

Ichirou checked himself over one last time, ensuring that he looked perfectly adorable. His makeup was soft and gentle, his hair fell nicely around his shoulders with a large bow pinned to the back of his head, and he was wearing the dress that Masahiro got him for Christmas. Although he did his best to cover up his bright red sunburns from yesterday's snorkeling adventure, he still looked rather pink in many areas. He wore sunscreen, but it didn't last long enough for the whole time.

Still, something was not quite right. Did he miss shaving somewhere? No, it didn't seem like it. What about the makeup? It all looked like it was good enough for a simple aquarium date–not that this was actually a date. Maybe Ichirou was just being overly nervous because he couldn't help but think of this as a date. After all, an aquarium date... wasn't that one of the more typical dates you could go on? No, Ichirou had to keep himself in check. Masahiro didn't view this as a date, so neither should he.

Ichirou walked out of the bathroom, his nerves clearly showing on his expression. "Hey, Masahiro, do I look okay? Something seems off, but I can't tell what."

Masahiro, who was laying on the bed and playing a game on his phone, jolted into a sitting position and turned to Ichirou. Ichirou watched as Masahiro's eyes went from his toes all the way up to the top of his head. Despite being a little embarrassed, he slowly turned around so that Masahiro could see his full body. He thought he caught Masahiro staring at his behind, but he wasn't sure because the other man's eyes flicked upwards so quickly.

"You look gorgeous. Nothing is off. That dress looks positively perfect on you," Masahiro said, standing up and smiling warmly.

"Are you sure? I mean, I just... I can't help but feel..." Ichirou mumbled, trailing off.

Masahiro grabbed just above Ichirou's hips, pulling him up against the other man. "You are gorgeous, beautiful, sexy, hot, stunning, pretty, and so much more. Don't fret, you look great."

Ichirou turned bright red and shyly placed his hands on Masahiro's chest. "Th- that's too much..."

"Is it?" Masahiro asked softly, before leaning in and kissing Ichirou softly on the lips.

Ichirou stood up on his tip-toes in order to kiss Masahiro back, a slight smile on his face. Ichirou and Masahiro had spent the day kissing up until this point, and they spent much of yesterday and the day before kissing as well. They also spent a fair amount of time cuddling and holding hands. It almost felt like they were a real couple.

Masahiro pulled back, his hands still holding onto Ichirou. "How are your burns? Do you need me to rub some more aloe vera on them?"

"I'm okay," Ichirou murmured, face red.

Masahiro had been the one to rub the sunscreen on his back, so Ichirou figured that he probably felt guilty for the burning that Ichirou had experienced. It wasn't his fault, sunscreen just didn't last as long in water and Ichirou forgot because he was looking at pretty fish and coral reefs. Still, Masahiro had been more than happy to rub on the aloe vera as well, and Ichirou couldn't help but think that Masahiro was having some inappropriate thoughts while touching him.

"Well, you look gorgeous, either way, so are you ready to go out?" Masahiro asked, stroking Ichirou's waist with his thumbs.

Ichirou nodded and pulled away a bit regretfully, grabbing his shoulder bag and pulling on his sandals. "Let's head out."

The two of them held hands as they walked down to the front of the hotel where their ride was waiting for them. Ichirou was certain he could get used to this. Spending every day, all day with Masahiro was like a dream come true. The past two nights they had gone to sleep in each other's arms, and woken up to them still being entangled. Masahiro gave him both "good morning" and "good night" kisses. Masahiro was constantly finding some excuse to touch Ichirou, whether it be to brush some hair behind Ichirou's ear or to touch the small of his back to guide him towards something. Ichirou was truly feeling pampered and beloved, much like a princess.