'Hiro-San!' Nowaki lovingly calls down the empty hallways of the apartment. The time is 6pm, and the artificially lit hall towards the main room of their spacious apartment had an atmosphere of wait, almost as if Hiro-San's waiting for him to get home had filled up the entirety of the flat and caved in on Nowaki, making him want to see Hiro even more.

His tall form strides into the living room confidently, doctor's coat on back, tonight's dinner shopped and carried, bag containing a change of clothes slung over shoulder, warm and welcoming beam on face. He spots Hiro casually on the sofa, (brows furrowed even more than usual as he squints through his frames at a recipe magazine) and looks into his eyes as Hiro lifts his own head to look into his.

Nowaki flops himself down gratefully onto the cool, leather sofa and embraces the warm and blanketed form of Hiro. Hiro doesn't resist and happily returns the action- at least until he glances over to this evening's shopping bag and notices the contents.

'Um…' he hesitates, not taking his eyes off of the bag.

'Yes, Hiro-San?' Nowaki asks, carefully stroking Hiro's hair behind his ear, still warmly smiling at the fact that Hiro had still not yet resisted or even tensed to his loving actions.

'Is it…somebodies birthday, perhaps?' he murmurs, secretly worshipping the soothing and comforting feel of Nowaki's warm and caring hands through his hair.

'No, why do you ask?' Nowaki gently replies; Hiro could even feel the warm breath of his words in his ear.

'Then what's with the massage oil and scented candles?' Hiro awkwardly shifted position on the sofa as he said this, the result only being Nowaki squeezing him tighter and burrowing his nose into his ruffled bed hair.

Then Nowaki laughed gently and slowly got up from the sofa. Hiro looked at him as sternly as he could in his tired state with whatever pride he had left considering he was in the midst of a nasty (suspected) cold and was currently sulking on the sofa in a mound of blankets (still in a rather rumpled work suit).

'I bought you something warm for dinner, as I thought it would be good for your illness' Nowaki said, carrying his bags out into the kitchen area and out of Hiro's sight.

'I'm not ill,' Hiro murmured, against all hard and obvious evidence. Nowaki simply smiled to himself and continued on like he hadn't heard this. He was, obviously, used to Hiro's practically unbreakable stubborn ways.

'Nowaki!-'Hiro gave up, too tired to try and win a losing battle. He regretted the fact that he was so stubborn as to still do a full working day in his current state, and really what he wanted most of all right now was to relax; not just physically but mentally too. This really was a rare state for him to be in. I bet I wouldn't be this soft on myself if I had never met Nowaki, he thought to himself, though as he thought this, Hiro still stared fondly across to his towering lover as he happily began preparing their dinner. Nowaki really does look sexy when he's wearing oven gloves… 'Wait, what?!' Hiro accidently yelped out loud. This thought had somehow made it into Hiro's stubborn mind, and he discarded it with shock instantly, realising how much just one guy could mess up his brain.

'Hey, Hiro-San...' Nowaki said, looking up from his (probably deliberately) meticulously slow vegetable dicing.

'Hmm…?' Hiro quietly enquired, once again flipping through the probably dull recipe magazine as a way of showing his honest disinterest, with his forever stubborn pride.

'Well, I figured that you weren't well this morning-'

'I could tell,' Hiro cut in, remembering the constant protests being thrown at him all morning as Nowaki had practically clung to his leg, begging him not to go to work.

'Haha, yeah, so I thought that, maybe, you would like me too…' Nowaki had begun to blush, and seemed a little more hunched over the spotless work surface than before.

'Would like you to what?' Hiro said, still flipping through the magazine and not really processing anything that either he or Nowaki were saying.

'Erm…well, I thought it would be nice and relaxing for you if I, well, you know…run us a bath?'

Hiro froze and continued to try and read the same sentence that he had re-read about five times now during their conversation in an attempt to get into a restaurant article and away from his current situation. 'Us…?'

'Yes, well, actually, it is quite a common thing amongst lovers, and from what I've heard is a very relaxing and bonding experience!' Hiro didn't even want to look up from his reading to see his lovers expression, to look into his eyes (if that were even possible, considering Nowaki was now so hunched over the kitchen worktop now that his face was practically squashed onto it) as he said this.

'Well, I don't know if you remember but I did say that I didn't want to get involved in any of that lovey-dovey watching of the fireworks together as we hold hands and, and you coming home to seeing me wearing a maids dress-

-Nowaki gulped. How did he find out that I had been fantasizing about that? Oh…right, my diary…' he physically sank lower into the worktop, if that were even possible without melting into it-

-or whatever, so thank you for the offer Nowaki, but no thanks, 'Hiro appeared to have finished, and simply rustled his magazine in a business-like manner, and got on with things.

Meanwhile Nowaki was now back to - (almost) - his full height again and was this time (probably non-intentionally) cutting the vegetables meticulously slowly with possibly the most downcast expression it was possible for him to wear. It was like when you were a child, and a new sweet shop opened in town, and you ask your parents (practically knowing the answer to be yes) to go, and then being told harshly, 'no, never' and being forced to go and do all of this week's homework. That is literally how Nowaki felt. Sort of.

And then as he was staring across at his lover (who was frowning in a concentrated manner at the magazine, though he probably wasn't even reading it) an idea sprung into his head. Hiro-San was sitting on the sofa with his back directly to the bathroom door, deep in concentration. The opportunity was just too easy to miss.

Hiro was still struggling to get into the dull magazine, but refused to lift his head up and let himself see his Nowaki's (most definitely) sorrowful expression, because it was just too obvious that, once again, as stubborn and as much pride as he had, Hiroki would just fall into it and let himself be swept away again.

But not this time. As much as he loved his Nowaki, which was more than anyone else before (and most certainly more than anyone else to come, which would be NOBODY) he really just could not stand to let himself get sucked into any of this lovey-dovey stuff- because he just knew, that if he allowed it once, just once, no matter how short and discrete- he would probably end up dealing with it every day for the rest of his time.

Then Hiro's deep thoughts were suddenly disrupted as he heard the painfully high squeaking of their baths taps, and the loud pattering of water onto the base of the bath from in the room behind him. He's obviously just gone and run a bath for himself to escape this awkward atmosphere that I've, no he's created. He suggested the idea, after all.

So finally settled by these (what he thought were) the ultimate thoughts for this evening, he decided to close his eyes and let his whirring mind take a break for a bit, as Nowaki obviously had no intentions of being around him, when-

'Gaargh!' Hiro's sore throat let out a strangled cry, as two large and familiar hands pressed him against a large and familiar chest, and carried his struggling form bridal-style into the door behind him (or should he say, them)- the bathroom.

Nowaki gently placed Hiro-San down and unnecessarily locked the bathroom door behind him and then stood behind it, rubbing an unidentified oil into his hands in preparation of what he knew to come from his lover next, and yes was he right, just as predicted Hiro was literally jumping up and down in rage in the dimmed, candlelit, cinnamon scented room, obviously designed for romantic winter relaxation.

'-and I can't believe you did this, do you ever even listen to me?! I tell you all the time Nowaki, I repeat all the time! I don't need or desire any of this- aah' Hiro couldn't stop his previously tensed shoulders sagging, recently strained eyelids slowly fluttering closed, as his now relaxed lips parted into a sigh of pleasure. Nowaki had come up behind him and, beneath the other man's baggy and crumpled shirt, began working the before mentioned massage oil into Hiro's strained shoulders with his big and caring hands.

Hiro's brain made the smallest of attempts of stringing an angry and protesting sentence together, but just when he thought he could summon up the will-power to say it an even bigger wave of pleasure hit him as Nowaki's thumbs began their obsessive routine of pushing in circles at the backs of his shoulder-blades even harder while four other fingers still worked on stroking him around the front and top all creating just too much pleasure and heaven in one go to handle. As Nowaki's hands kneaded into his previously stressed body Hiro's mind just simply melted as all trains of thought were silenced over by one big golden wave of pleasure until his brain just felt like a calm and bliss sea of caramel.

Not only did the oil-coated hands now pressing and stroking at the joints where Hiro's shoulders ended and his once-aching back began feel simply too amazing and soothing for words, but they were also his lovers hands, his Nowaki's hands. Something about the fact that these hands belonged to the person he cared for most in this world tripled the pleasure of it all; Nowaki's giant, warm, caressing and caring hands on him made Hiro feel strangely secure- like as if as long as he was with Nowaki, no harm would ever be allowed to come to him, and nothing bad would ever enter his world because he has the safest barrier in the world between himself and the outside- holding on to him, protecting him, caring for him and standing up and against anything that would ever threaten him. And this amazing guardian that would lay down his life for him was all his, and knew it.

'Ah-' Hiro took in a sharp gasp of breath as Nowaki suddenly began gently pressing and prodding against the aching small of his back, which was sure to be filled with knots from constant hunching over at desks and tables.

'That's painful, isn't it?' Nowaki gently whispered into Hiro's ear as he stopped his prodding at the knotted area and began stroking it gently instead, which filled Hiro's mind with yet more gold and stars. 'It'll probably feel better if you get in the warm bath-water, and afterwards I'm planning on doing more of this to you anyway,' Nowaki gently continued to whisper, and slowly took his hands of Hiro to gracefully step into the welcoming bubbles.

Hiro couldn't help but notice the props laid around the sides of the bath- expensive toiletries that definitely weren't there this morning, the heavenly massage oil, a box of expensive looking dark chocolates, cinnamon-scented candles, all surrounding Nowaki, who was sitting up in the bath, yet still managing to cover the complete length of the dark and bubble filled paradise.

'Nowaki, how are we both going to…?' Hiro's still hot and melted brain managed to come up with this sentence.

'You can lie on top of me, because I'm sure I'm much softer and cosier than the bath which of course will be much better for that stress in your back,' Nowaki stated as he lay in the bath- eyes shut, not moving a muscle.

I could walk out now…Hiro thought to himself. Just now, and none of the silly romance will ever happen…

.

.

.

.

What the fuck I just want to feel Nowaki on me now and when I say now I mean now.

Nowaki opened an eye suspiciously to see Hiro struggling out of his trousers, perhaps a little too desperately and at a speed that he wouldn't normally perform this activity at…

.

.

.

.

Oh, I get it, Nowaki's usually innocent and fluffy mind was beginning to go into it's, what he liked to call, 'seme' mode. You really just want to be in this bath, don't you? You want to feel my skin on yours, you really badly want me to touch you again, don't you? Well, don't bother worrying or fantasizing about that, because I'm sure we both know that all I want to do is fuck you, no sorry touch you…I really need to get a grip on myself. I promised that I'd save all that for tonight. Right now, fluff shall rule and fluff only. Hah.

'Wait what?!' Nowaki realised he had cried this aloud, as he sat up and caused the room to fill with the swish of the bath water. Were they…my thoughts? Nowaki thought to himself…how on earth could such dirty things get into his brain? I don't know anymore… and his train of thoughts was soon cut off as Hiro elegantly placed one leg into the bathtub (in the space between Nowaki's legs) and then another. He looked a little concerned at Nowaki's panicked expression and sudden outburst.

'You O.K?' he asked, slowly lowering himself to lie on Nowaki's lap, his head against Nowaki's large and heated chest, which currently was beating at about a thousand beats per moment, making it very hard for Nowaki to control his fast and quite obviously unrelaxed breathing.

Nowaki swallowed and got a grip on himself, leaning back into the soothing, velvety bubbles, with Hiro peacefully resting against his chest; eyes shut and shaggy, ill breathing deep.

'Yes, sorry, I'm not quite sure what came over me,' Nowaki calmly murmured into his Hiro-San's ear, as he run his fingers soothingly through his lover's semi-dry hair.

'O.K' Hiro replied quietly, treasuring the relaxing feel of Nowaki gently trickling warm, bubbly water on his aching forehead and hair from his carefully cupped hands. He embraced the relaxing atmosphere- the strong, seasonal smell of the candles and bath water, the gentle sizzle of the bubbles as they blanketed his and Nowaki's bodies; separating the calmly swishing water around them from the hot, steamy and music filled air above (yes Nowaki had put on a subtle romantic piano playlist on the IPod located on the top shelf, out of Hiro's reach so as it couldn't be turned off) and the wonderful feel of Nowaki below and around him.

'So what was today like? Do you regret not listening to me this morning?' Nowaki teased as he lightly stroked up and down Hiro's rasping chest and aching stomach.

Hiro remained quiet for a bit; even in this state and situation he still had a hint of stubbornness about him. 'I skipped most of my classes,' he slurred, only really half awake. 'My head has been killing me, my temperature has gone from freezing to boiling hot, I've been…faint…' his sentences trailed off as Nowaki placed a gentle butterfly kiss upon his neck, and then reached out to a cold and wet towel from the side just above him and padded his Hiro-San's pounding head with it, gently putting on miniscule pressure then slowly releasing it repetitively, causing Hiro to moan a small noise of pleasure and relief from beneath his closed lips. This made Nowaki smile.

'Does that feel nice?' he asks Hiro, with his lips practically brushing his ear.

'Keep doing that,' is all Hiro manages to reply with as the glorious and refreshing feel of the flannel against his severely aching skull fills his mind with calm bliss.

And then, for some reason, during this relaxing and heavenly moment with Nowaki lying beneath him, pressing an icy cloth to his pounding forehead, the other man's body below his aching and tired one, and secure, comforting arms around him, dread fills him as a foreign feeling hits his stomach.

He bolts up out of the water and drips bubbles everywhere as he rushes to get to the toilet, afterwards emptying the contents of his stomach into it; gripping tensely onto the porcelain as if for dear life.

'Hiro-San!' Nowaki instantly rushes out of the water for his lover, and then kneels behind him, comfortingly stroking his lovers back as he begins dryly retching; already having emptied himself of everything he had.

Once this horrible process ceased Hiro leaned back into his lovers hold, gasping for breath with tears beginning to slowly form and run down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away though, telling himself to man-up and wondering why he was weeping over something so ridiculous, but he couldn't help but let them go as his lover easily picked up his shorter body in a cradle, and placed his lips against his forehead saying-

'Don't cry, Hiro-San- I will look after you'

'I don't think it's a cold, Nowaki,' Hiro managed to say, roughly swiping the petty tears from his scarlet cheeks.

'No, you must've caught the flu that's been going round,' Nowaki then saw his lovers devastated expression. 'But don't worry! I will take the time of work to care for you you and spoil you until it goes away,' and with that the two men placed their lips together, but Hiro suddenly pulled away crying-

'Baka! You'll catch my virus if you do that!'

Nowaki replied by pulling Hiro's lips onto his once again.