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It occurred to him, one rare rainy afternoon, that the two of them hadn’t tried showering together yet.
He didn’t even mean anything dirty by it. True, showering with a significant other often came with some interesting connotations, but for once in his life, Aoba wasn’t thinking about things like that. He simply wondered what it would be like to take a shower with Mink, plain and simple. There wasn’t much to be curious about, to be sure—he’d already seen Mink naked plenty of times, and they’d been together in several far more intimate ways before, but he couldn’t shake this strange curiosity from his mind.
Aoba had the idea in his head for several days before he worked up the courage to ask about it. He wasn’t sure Mink would go for that kind of thing; though his partner had been willing to try several creative styles and positions, intimacy of any sort was something Mink generally reserved for the bedroom. Nevertheless, he had to ask—if only to hear a “no” directly.
Phrasing the question proved a particularly difficult task.
“So…” Aoba said nonchalantly one evening. Mink looked up from the stir fry he’d been cooking on the stove. He cooked on days when Aoba had work; perhaps as an apology for making Aoba cook the other days.
“Yes?”
“Y’know, I was thinking…” Aoba continued, “Um. Well, we’ve been living together for a while now, and… Well, I was wondering if maybe…”
Mink sighed.
“Spit it out, boy.”
“I was wondering if maybe you wanted to try showering with me.”
Mink gave him a good, long stare.
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve never thought about that before?”
“Can’t say I have.”
“Oh…” Aoba’s heart sank.
“But now that you mention it,” Mink went on, “It might save on water.”
“That’s what you think of first?!”
“Sure. Seems fairly efficient.”
Aoba crossed his arms.
“You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that…?”
Mink’s mouth turned upwards at the corners slightly.
“I usually shower in the mornings, but if you want, we can try it this evening.”
“You sure? I don’t wanna rush you into it or anything…”
“Do you want to do this or not?”
“Okay, okay.”
Dinner couldn’t pass by quickly enough. Mink was surprisingly good in the kitchen, and the stir fry had been cooked to perfection. Aoba almost felt bad for wolfing down his food, but he couldn’t help wanting to finish as quickly as possible. He finished long before Mink and took care of his own plate.
After dinner the two of them cleaned the kitchen together, then moved to the bathroom as though this was something they did all the time. Mink almost seemed intent on not making a big deal out of this; he got the water going and started removing his clothes and jewelry without a word. Aoba couldn’t help watching him as he took his own clothes off. He hesitated to throw the word “beautiful” around, but that was the first word that came to mind. Mink had the most beautiful body Aoba had ever seen: from the way his muscles showed through his golden brown skin, to the way the angles and lines of his back seemed to flow together; head to toe, fingertip to fingertip, he was simply perfect. Even the faded scars on his wrists and neck seemed to complete him somehow.
“What are you looking at?” Mink asked, catching Aoba’s gaze in the mirror.
“Oh, uh,” Aoba snapped out of his daze, “I’m just admiring you is all. You’re so… I mean, every time I see you naked I can’t keep my eyes off you. You’re in such perfect form, it makes me kinda jealous.”
“Hm?” Mink raised an eyebrow, “You’re not bad yourself.”
“Pfft, don’t make me laugh,” said Aoba, “There’s no way I can compare with you. Just look at you!”
“So don’t compare, then,” said Mink, “I like you the way you are.”
He said it so bluntly that Aoba couldn’t keep his cheeks from burning.
“J… jeez…”
“I mean it,” Mink continued, “You should give yourself more credit, honestly. It’s not just the way you look naked that appeals to me.”
“Oh?”
But Mink had no plans to elaborate. He stuck his hand behind the shower curtain, testing the water.
“It’s warm enough. After you.”
Aoba stepped in carefully, letting the water wash over him with a welcoming warmth. For a minute he worried that Mink wouldn’t join him after all, but the curtain moved to the side, and Mink stepped into the shower alongside him.
They had to take turns letting each other stand under the water. Mink wet his hair quickly—he was accustomed to short showers in the morning—before letting Aoba have the water again. Mink picked up his shampoo and was about to pour some into his hand before Aoba snatched it away.
“What?” said Mink irritably.
“Let me do it,” said Aoba.
“Why?”
“What’s the point of showering together if we just wash our own hair?”
Mink was quiet for a few moments, mulling this over. Finally he shrugged and let Aoba have the bottle.
“You have a point. Hand me yours, then.”
Aoba handed Mink his own shampoo. He was getting close to running out of the bottle he’d brought from Midorijima, and he dreaded trying to navigate an American store in search of new shampoo. What did American shampoo even look like? All he had to go on was Mink’s, but he figured it would be weird to use the same kind as his partner.
Aoba poured some of Mink’s shampoo into his hand—a distinct cinnamon smell wafted from it, and he couldn’t help letting out a contented sigh—and reached up to slather it into Mink’s hair. It was a little tough for him to reach, but he managed to work up a decent foam. He ran his fingers through Mink’s umber hair, doing his best to cover as much as he could. The way the man’s hair faded from brown to red was less noticeable under the water—he wondered why. When he was satisfied with it, Mink traded places with him and rinsed out the suds.
It was Aoba’s turn next, and he watched as Mink poured a dollop of shampoo into his hand. He had expected a rough, quick wash, but it was exactly the opposite: Mink was very careful to cover Aoba’s hair evenly, and he even washed behind his ears and on the back of his neck. He treated Aoba’s hair so gently that even Aoba was a little surprised, but he knew he should have expected it. Mink was always delicate with Aoba’s hair, even though the feeling was mostly gone from it. He didn’t want to cause even the least bit of pain.
Mink finished his sudsing with a scalp massage, and Aoba felt as though he’d died and gone to heaven. He began to regret that he’d done a sort of lackluster job on Mink’s hair by comparison. When they switched places again, Aoba took a long time to rinse out the soap under the warm water.
“That felt amazing, Mink,” he said, “I should have you do my hair all the time…”
Mink scoffed.
“Don’t get your hopes up, boy.”
He fished the soap out of the soap dish and lathered up his hands.
“Do you want me to wash your body, too?”
Aoba couldn’t help feeling slightly aroused by that, but he took a deep breath and nodded. Right now, they were sharing a different kind of intimacy. There would be time for other things later. He stepped out of the water, letting Mink take his place.
“Turn around. I’ll wash your back first.”
Aoba faced the back wall and closed his eyes as he felt Mink’s hands on his skin. He could feel every muscle in his body relax at the man’s touch. Mink started from the top and worked his way downwards, massaging Aoba’s shoulders, rubbing his thumbs into Aoba’s back, and finally sliding down to give the boy’s butt an affectionate squeeze. Aoba jumped a little in spite of himself.
“You’re spoiling me, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah. Turn around so I can do the front.”
Aoba turned to face Mink, watching quietly as his partner gently rubbed soap on his chest. Even soaking wet with slicked-back hair, Mink was unfailingly attractive—perhaps even more so. Aoba was looking forward to his turn to wash; how he longed to touch that beautiful skin…!
Mink looked up and furrowed his brow.
“What are you staring at, boy?”
“Do you even have to ask?” Aoba smiled, “You, silly.”
“Hmph.” Mink handed him the soap, “Your turn.”
“You’re not gonna give me a minute to rinse off?”
Mink moved to the side a little, and Aoba took his place under the water. The older man faced the wall, indicating that he wanted Aoba to start with his back, and Aoba was only too happy to comply. Eager to make up for earlier, he did his best to emulate what Mink had done for him—but before long found himself simply tracing his fingers over the muscles of his partner’s back, unable to contain his awe.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Mink asked flatly.
“… yeah…”
“You’ve done enough back there. Can I turn around?”
“Sure.”
Mink turned to face him, eyeing him expectantly. Aoba didn’t want to keep him waiting; he lathered up his hands for another round. He reached out—it occurred to him that he’d never touched Mink like this outside of sexual intimacy, and he hesitated for a second before gently putting his soapy hands on his partner’s chest. His hands began to wander down to Mink’s stomach, where an impressive set of abs sat just above the navel, but his eyes never moved from the chest.
“… You know you’re staring again, right?” Mink commented.
“S-sorry…” said Aoba, “I can’t help it. They’re so perfect, I just wanna kiss ‘em.”
“What are?”
“Your… your pecs…”
Aoba could feel color rushing to his cheeks, but Mink seemed unmoved.
“Go ahead, then. What’s stopping you?”
“Huh?”
“You can kiss them if you’d like.”
Aoba could hardly contain his excitement. He leaned forward and planted a kiss over Mink’s heart. He looked up to gauge his partner’s reaction, but Mink didn’t seem to mind one way or another. Aoba continued, kissing briefly and sweetly here and there. He loved the feeling of Mink’s warm, smooth skin against his lips. Feeling Mink close to him at all—from the lightest touches to tightest embraces—was something Aoba treasured almost above all else. He couldn’t help doting a little whenever he got a chance like this.
Aoba straightened up and aimed his lips a little higher, tugging a bit on Mink’s collarbone. Mink flinched slightly, and Aoba withdrew as quickly as he could.
“No good?”
“It’s fine,” said Mink, “It just took me by surprise.”
He let out a sigh before returning his gaze to Aoba.
“It felt good,” he continued, “Go on. Knock yourself out.”
Aoba returned gleefully to where he’d left off, sucking hard enough that he was certain he’d leave a mark. Mink inhaled sharply and seemed to tense up at first, but after a bit he relaxed a little and let Aoba have his way. His breathing became somewhat heavier, and every so often he let out a low grunt. Aoba couldn’t keep a smile off his face: it was rare for him to see Mink like this.
Aoba pulled back a little, admiring his handiwork. There were at least three marks, he noticed—but his eyes caught the way Mink’s chest moved as he breathed, and his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
“Are you satisfied now?” Mink asked.
“Yep,” said Aoba, “It’s been a while since the last time I got to mark you up, Mink.”
Mink snorted.
“Glad you had fun. Hand me my conditioner, will you?”
The two of them took turns conditioning their hair, trading for the water as they had before. As Aoba went to rinse, Mink pulled the boy into his arms and held him close. Aoba rested his head on his partner’s chest and let out a contented sigh. The water washed the last of the conditioner away as the sound of Mink’s heartbeat pulsed against his ear. For a while they stood there together, just enjoying each other’s closeness. Aoba hadn’t felt this relaxed in ages. If they hadn’t been standing up, he felt as though he could fall asleep like this—immersed in warm water and steam and his lover’s embrace.
“We should probably get out soon,” Mink said quietly, “We’ve been in here for a while as it is.”
“Yeah…” said Aoba, “But I’m so comfy here…”
“We’ll be even comfier lying next to each other in bed, won’t we?”
“….fair point.”
Aoba pulled back and glanced into his partner’s eyes.
“Thank you for trying that with me,” he said.
Mink’s lips turned upwards at the corners again.
“It wasn’t so bad. I even enjoyed it, in the end.”
“Sooo…” Aoba grinned cheekily, “You’d like to do it more often?”
“Hah. Don’t get too used to it.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll get out first.”
Aoba stepped carefully out of the shower, pulled his big, fluffy towel off the rack, and wrapped it around himself to keep out the sudden chill. Mink’s towels were at least twice the size of the ones Aoba used back home. He hadn’t seen the point of large towels at first, but now that he’d grown accustomed to wrapping himself in one the minute he got out of the shower, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to go back.
Mink stepped out and took his own towel off the rack. Aoba watched as Mink dried off: first his dripping hair, then his body. Mink gave him a sideways glance and smirked.
“Staring again.”
“Sorry…”
“Whatever. I don’t mind so much if you’re the one doing it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda cute when you look at me like that.”
Aoba looked at his feet, as if that would do anything to hide the sudden flush in his cheeks. He busied himself with drying off, pulling the towel over his head to dry his hair. Mink had already started putting his clothes back on by the time Aoba finished, and he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed to watch that incredible body disappear behind clothing again. Mink left most of the buttons undone; evidently he didn’t intend to wear these things very far.
“I’ll meet you in the bedroom,” Mink said, stepping past Aoba to the door. The boy hastily hung his towel back up and pulled his underwear on before following Mink out.
He found Mink in a somewhat dimmer bedroom than usual; Mink had only turned on the bedside table lamp. Aoba climbed into bed and watched Mink with his head resting on his hand. The older man carefully rebraided the lock of hair he usually kept adorned, but he left the jewelry on his dresser top for the next morning. He joined Aoba in bed after removing and folding his shirt and pants.
“You know,” said Aoba, “I’ve noticed this for a while, but—everything you own smells like cinnamon. Even your shampoo does.”
“Yeah. And?”
“You really like cinnamon stuff, don’t you?”
Mink shrugged.
“I just happen to buy cinnamon stuff more often than not.”
Aoba almost burst out laughing.
“No way am I going to believe that!” he said, “You can’t possibly buy all this cinnamon stuff on accident.”
Aoba smiled at him.
“It’s okay to say you like something once in a while, you know.”
“Fine then. I like cinnamon.”
Aoba’s hands found their way to Mink’s shoulders, up, and around his neck.
“I’ve come to like cinnamon too. Every time I smell it, no matter what context, I always think of you.”
“Heh. You…”
Mink touched his forehead to Aoba’s lightly.
“What I said earlier…” he said, “About your body not being the only thing that appeals to me. This is the kind of thing I meant.”
“Huh?”
“It’s more than your body,” Mink continued quietly, “It’s the way you move, the look in your eyes when you look at me, all the little things you say and do… It’s intoxicating. But most of all…” Mink touched his finger to Aoba’s chest, just above his heart, “The part that draws me to you is something I feel more than see.”
Aoba was at a loss for words. It was rare for Mink to open up to him so honestly; whenever he did, Aoba felt as though he’d been handed an invaluable treasure. How could he possibly respond to that?
“Of course,” Mink dragged his fingers meaningfully up Aoba’s thigh, “Your body is a nice plus.”
“Oh it is, huh…?” Aoba couldn’t help grinning.
“Sure,” Mink replied with a smirk, “Ought to give credit where credit’s due.”
“Careful, you could get into a loooot of trouble saying things like that.”
“That so?”
Mink moved downward slightly and nipped at Aoba’s neck.
“Sounds to me like you wouldn’t exactly be opposed to a little trouble.”
“Perceptive as always, aren’t you?”
The older man let out a sigh with just a hint of a laugh.
“And after we’d just finished getting ourselves clean, too…” he said.
Aoba met Mink’s gaze and tangled his fingers into his lover’s still-damp hair.
“Yeah, what a shame.”