As the war on Hoshido raged, morale in Corrin's troops began to drop. While the Nohr siblings were all finally reunited, having Xander's division added to the army did little to raise spirits. Corrin's betrayal by Kotaro in Mokushu and the conflicted truce with Saizo to find Kagero left many soldiers feeling drained. Corrin became increasingly worried for both his army's mental health and his own until Camilla had the brilliant idea of having a hot spring installed in the Astral Plane.

The process took little time at all, especially considering how time differed between the Astral Plane and Mokushu. Once the members of Corrin's army were able to access the springs, chins quickly lifted, smiles quickly returned to faces, and positive vibes flowed during the army's downtime once again.

Even Niles found himself returning to the hot springs as often as he could spare. The army had not been to battle in a couple of days, so he had bided his time while the majority of the army took advantage of the free time to soak in the waters. Finally, once the crowds in the springs had died down, Niles made his visit. He changed from his clothing and washed the grime from his skin in a shower before quietly making for the waters. As he passed Kaze, who greeted him politely on his way out of the springs, he hoped that luck would allow him a few moments in the springs alone. He positively despised the idle conversation some of the other troops would make with him as he attempted to soak in peace.

He was disappointed upon entering the spring to find that he would not be soaking alone that evening as he saw the silhouette of another visitor shifting in the waters. Thankfully, however, the figure was lounging against the far corner of the bath, so Niles situated himself at the opposite corner, dropping into the water with abandon and enjoying the small shock of pain the steaming water sent through his legs. As he leaned against the wall and dipped his arms into the water, he feigned staring into the distance as he attempted to see who was lounging across from him in the waters. If only the steam wasn't so thick, he could probably pick the figure out.

Giving up, he closed his eye and rolled his neck between his shoulders, hearing the waters shift from the opposite end of the pool. The soft slap of wet feet against the tile flooring approached his right side. The figure was leaving the hot springs – excellent. He counted the figure's footsteps and timed them with his breath as he inhaled for four strides, then exhaled for four strides, and repeated. The sound was almost at the exit when the footsteps stopped abruptly. Niles held his breath, waiting for the strides to resume.

"Niles, is that you?"

Niles' eye snapped open and he turned in the waters to see Leo crane his neck in his retainer's direction. His arms were crossed against his chest, but the body language did not appear imply a distantness; it implied a sheepishness.

"Good evening, Lord Leo," he said. "I couldn't tell who you were from the opposite corner, but wanted to leave you in peace, at any rate."

"I'm glad for it," Leo sighed, approaching the corner's edge. "It bores me when others wish to make hollow chitchat while I'm trying to relax. However, I must admit, now that I know that it is you here, would you mind if I joined you?"

"Not at all, milord."

Leo slinked into the water and took a seat next to his retainer, gradually uncrossing his arms. Niles noticed he still kept them in his lap, however.

"This place was greatly needed, don't you agree?" Leo asked. Niles nodded silently. "I was close to dozing off, honestly, but at some point today I need to meet with my siblings and discuss our next plans. I'd love to make going here a regular occurrence, however. It just melts away my tension, if only for a moment!"

Niles kept himself visually engaged with Leo's speech just enough to satisfy the prince, but his attention was focused on his master's neck, on how his tendons rose from and sank into his skin as he shifted his head, on how his Adam's Apple slid up and down as he spoke. Very seldom did Leo remove his armor, and even when he did he still wore tall collars that obscured his neck and shoulders. Plus, it did little to stare at his master when he wore more casual clothing. This was the first time Niles was able to truly watch how Leo's muscles worked.

Droplets of water still clung to his master's arms, biceps more toned and lithe than Leo would have anyone believe. Even with the arrow wound he had suffered from over a week ago, the muscle remained healthy underneath. Niles watched Leo touch his chest with a spread palm in a gesture that he honestly didn't hear. He was too busy watching the chest swell with each inhale his master took, each inhale controlled by his diaphragm, the diaphragm housed inside his abdomen, which lingered beneath the water in ripples that would inevitably lead deeper into Leo's body.

"Niles? Niles...!"

Niles mentally shook himself from his daydream, and regarded Leo with a mere blink.

"Yes, milord?"

"Your staring has me feeling self-conscious..."

"You've no need to feel self-conscious, though. I'm simply admiring your form beneath all your armor."

Leo instinctively wrapped his arms across his shoulders, sinking a bit deeper into the water.

"Ugh, why do you think I wear so much of it? I'm not nearly as muscular or strong in physique as Xander, or Odin, or even yourself."

Niles' brow knit slightly, and though he loathed the thought of sympathetic touch, he placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. Below his hand, Leo's wound continued to heal, albeit slowly. Leo had resumed practicing his magic long before Elise was comfortable with him doing so, but thankfully the muscle tissue was repairing itself well under the princess' medicine. Even still, the raw flesh would take another month to scar over.

"Perhaps I should adopt shoulder guards more similar to the kind Xander wears," Leo muttered, noticing Niles examine his wound.

"I'll be more careful next time," Niles whispered, gently tracing the edges of the wound with his fingertips. He watched his prince follow his fingers with his eyes.

"It couldn't have been helped," Leo finally said. "Whoever shot that arrow was either foolhardy or incredibly skilled. It had nothing to do with your level of attention."

"Alas, I allowed an arrow to damage your perfect figure."

Leo leaned slightly away from his retainer's touch, his expression sheepish, as he said, "My body is nothing special..."

"Leo, your - I mean, Lord Leo, your body is -"

"No other nobles surround us to require your honorifics, Niles."

Niles paused, momentarily rendered speechless by the suggestion. Leo turned his head, his cheeks burning in the heat.

"Regardless," Leo blurted, "I know you were going to compliment me, and I appreciate it. I only show myself without armor to a select few."

"I feel honored to be one of those people," said Niles. He tested his hand on his master's shoulder once more, and, seeing Leo remain still instead of leaning away again, he slid the hand to his neck, then his cheek.

"Maybe I can help you understand how lovely your body is," he cooed, gently coercing Leo's chin back around to face him.

"How would you do that?"

"Do you trust me?" Leo nodded without a second thought. It almost made Niles wince. "You shouldn't."

"Why in the gods' names wouldn't I?"

"I'm a disgusting person, on the inside and out."

"Oh, come now. Yes, perhaps your past may influence you now, but-"

Niles silenced his master with a rough kiss. At first, Leo murmured irritably against Niles' lips, but he gradually relaxed, allowing their lips to mold together warmly. Niles pushed his luck by slowly moving closer, straddling his master's lap, his lips never once leaving Leo's. This way, Niles was able to press him firmly against the wall of the bath.

He chuckled into the kiss, which made Leo part their lips sharply.

"W-What's so funny?" he demanded.

"I can feel you, milord," Niles smiled impishly as he watched Leo's entire face blossom a bright red. Leo cupped his own cheeks in a desperate attempt to hide his blush.

"Hardly helps that you're comfortably sitting on it," he growled.

"Again, Leo, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you. Why?"

Niles gave no answer, but instead slid from his master's lap, a hand lingering on Leo's chest for a few moments as Leo eyed him suspiciously. Then he dunked his head beneath the steaming water. The heat burned his face and his eye, igniting an excitement within him as he found Leo's trunks with his hands, sliding them away from his pelvis.

Leo was still hardening beneath his clothing, and Niles tenderly wrapped a hand around him in encouragement, smiling as he flinched at the touch. He found Leo's tip, wrapping his lips around it and working his way down. Hot water filled his mouth, and slowly he developed a pumping rhythm around his master. Leo's pelvis squirmed beneath him, and his hands grasped Niles' head and shoulders in an attempt to pull him from beneath the water. Niles noted, however, the half-heartedness of the prince's tugs, as though he were more concerned for Niles' ability to breathe than the riskiness of going down on him in a public hot spring.

The moving water drowned out almost all other sounds around him, but even still, Niles sensed sounds emitting from vibrations in Leo's torso. He could tell from the way Leo's hands had gone limp around his retainer's shoulder and head that the sounds Leo was emitting above the surface of the water were not pure ones.

Niles slowed his pace considerably, focusing instead on making sure his master felt every sensation spark through his shaft, and Leo's hands found their firm grip once more. For a moment, Niles took the grip as a shock of pleasure, but again Leo tugged at Niles' head and shoulders, and this time the move seemed desperate. He paused, then removed Leo from his mouth and lifted his head above the water in one swift motion. As he sucked in oxygen, Leo fussed with his trousers in a panic. It took a moment for the water to clear from Niles' ears enough to hear the soft smack of a new set of feet on the tiles.

"Good evening, Leo, Niles," came the voice of Xander as he dipped his toes into the water nearby the other two. Leo busied himself splashing water onto his face, possibly to rid himself of his flush, as Xander waded through the water to join them. He gave Niles a polite and bemused smile as the retainer ran his hands through his hair, wringing it out.

"It is not recommended that one be swimming about in this hot water," he advised. "The temperature is bad for your scalp, so take caution."

"Duly noted, Lord Xander," said Niles drolly.

He stood, and regarded his master, who seemed finished scrubbing his face. The red on Leo's cheeks had not completely vanished, but at least now it looked as though the water was to blame for the tint instead of Niles' risqué behavior.

"By your leave, milord, I'll allow you two some...privacy," Niles breathed. "I'll finish my soaking some other time." He arched the brow of his blind eye subtly in place of a wink as Leo curtly nodded for his retainer's dismissal. As he left the hot spring to towel off, he could hear Xander speak to Leo in a hushed tone. Whether or not they had been caught mattered little to him, and though he was sure Leo would feel otherwise, at least Niles knew he enjoyed their little escapade.