Finally taking a break, huh?

With lithe steps on the damp black rocks, Ranmaru perched himself down on the edge of the steaming hot spring, clearly content to simply enjoy the view: a Takuto, most commonly seen urgently working on at least 6 tasks at a time, lay on the edge of the pool, head resting in his arms. From the looks of it, actually having fallen asleep.

Ranmaru smiled... earlier he swore he wasn't tired at all, instantly refusing when Ranmaru once again suggested that Takuto allowed his carefully selected delegates to... delegate, at least long enough for them to enjoy a soak.

And then, once they'd actually begun to bathe, absence of his work, Takuto turned his attention to his other obsession: meticulously washing every strand of Ranmaru's hair, behind his ears, wherever he could find... which Ranmaru politely explained was cheating, since it wasn't a break unless you actually stopped working, before excusing himself to a separate pool. Once he'd returned a good while later, he found Takuto had finally conceded.

Hmm... Ranmaru gently brushed the wet strands of hair on Takuto's forehead, letting out a sigh of relief. He was cute... but even in his sleep, he still wore that same stubborn pout he had while working. Though he would love to just let him rest for as long as he wanted, Ranmaru was internally counting down the moments before Takuto snapped awake, scolding Ranmaru for not keeping his promise that, should he fall asleep, he would wake him up on time...

...

...

Hum... fine...

Poke.

Takuto immediately opened his sharp red eyes and looked up at Ranmaru... expressionless. Ranmaru flashed a comforting smile, before standing up and holding open a thin, white robe.

...

The baths put them in such a pleasant mood, they figured it would be a shame to immediately head back to the hustle and bustle of their clan... conveniently, right next to the pools was a beautiful wooden gazebo, still dripping wet from the recent rain... it wouldn't hurt to appreciate the scenery for a little bit longer.

While Takuto sat next to him, probably lost in thought rearranging his schedule, running his fingers through his dripping red hair, Ranmaru stretched, making sure he could feel the effects of the bath in every single part of his body.

"Hmm..." Which he could, except for one area, still subtly aching. Ranmaru reached down, rubbing the heel of one of his feet. "I suppose it'll take more than a few baths to recover from all that walking..."

Traveling from castle to castle, sometimes on horseback, sometimes on foot, either way, it was a long journey. Neither Ranmaru nor even Takuto used to look forward to it, seeing it as nothing more than a waste of time standing between them and their next plans, that unfortunately couldn't be avoided.

But... Ranmaru shrugged, "I guess it can't be helped..." without many other distractions, those treks also happened to be where he and Takuto ended up having the most insightful conversations. Takuto would explain to him more about Japan, telling him to implant the geography into his mind, telling him his plans on what to build and how exactly it would aid in defeating their enemies... and if he was lucky, Ranmaru would be able to sneak in a question about Takuto himself... and sometimes, Takuto would shyly ask a question about him in return...

Even as his feet ached, there were still moments Ranmaru wished that walk would never end...

He leaned back in the gazebo and closed his eyes, letting his crossed legs hover above the ground to alleviate any possible stress. While he did genuinely care for Takuto's wellbeing, perhaps baths like these were just him reaching intimate moments like those again... when work was just a hop, skip and jump away, it was so easy for it overtake everything without one even noticing.

Hm... Ranmaru never used to mind his duty overtaking his entire life, in fact, he took pride in it...

He limply turned to Takuto, looking as if he couldn't be more comfortable, and smiled... Predictably, Takuto didn't smile back, he simply blinked, but his entire posture relaxed a bit more. He never looked like he was settled into anywhere, always on the edge of his seat, ready to move onto the next task... Ranmaru didn't know where his old self, the one completely devoted to his cause, went, but when he looked at Takuto, he saw it once again...

...

Perhaps it was his subtle way of forbidding him from leaving, he lightly took Takuto's hand, just to hold a little, before closing his eyes again...

Ranmaru would always joke about how he could hear the cogs in his head turning, and that he wouldn't be surprised if steam came from his ears at any moment. But he knew he would only get denial if he brought it up... he settled for running his thumb over the other's hand, providing whatever ease Takuto couldn't manage to find within himself.

That helped a little... right?

...

But, after a few short moments, whatever was on Takuto's mind simply couldn't wait much longer, and his hand gently slipped away. Of course... Ranmaru didn't move or even open his eyes. Though his hand suddenly felt a bit lonely, but it couldn't be helped.

Takuto was a feudal lord, the leader of a great, powerful clan... but also just a selfless, dedicated person. His entire country was depending on him and that doesn't change, no matter how much rest one needed, or how much one wanted to enjoy a tender moment... or even deserved it. Takuto swore to himself would be there for them, at all times.

It was noble, one of the things Ranmaru admired most about him and he would never change it... but Ranmaru just couldn't help but try whatever he could to mitigate the stress always so visibly on his face. After all, one should never devote themselves so much to others that they never think about their own wellbeing--

?

...

...he wasn't startled, how could he be with such a delicate touch... but still, the feeling caused his once completely relaxed body to tense up more and more: when Ranmaru opened his eyes and saw Takuto kneeled in front of him, holding onto his left foot as if it was made of glass...

...for some reason, Ranmaru froze, smile having faded away. He tightened up, staying completely still... barely holding back a gasp of shock when after a moment, Takuto actually began lightly rubbing his feet... from ankle to toe, being extra careful around the arch. After seemingly realizing that Ranmaru would not fall apart at the slightest amount of pressure, it became something that could be called a massage.

Though it was obviously intended to relax him... Ranmaru's brow furrowed, his fists clenched at his sides, he shifted in his seat... the leg Takuto held became stiff, trying to resist every urge to pull away... getting more and more difficult with each brush of his calloused hands...

Ranmaru already explained earlier, this was cheat--

...

...

...Hm.

It didn't feel uncomfortable or anything... maybe the gesture was just... hard to grasp?

Ranmaru had once been around people who considered him their savior, even a deity, though he didn't like to admit... yet no one had ever really gone as far as to do something like this... would he have ever let them close enough to do so? He knew he wouldn't, but with the way the ache truly began to evaporate... he must have actually been needing that. Needing it since...

...

How many years had it been since he first picked up that sword?

...

He wondered if this is how Takuto felt whenever Ranmaru cared for him... why he got so flustered at such simple gestures... he would always tease him whenever that happened, and yet...

...

"You don't..." The irony wasn't lost on him, but he still had to say it, "have to do that... you know..."

...

...

All he received for a response, was a very light kiss on his ankle... Ranmaru's eyes widened and his face began to glow.

...

...

After... regaining his breath, Ranmaru conceded, resting his hands in his lap, forcibly relaxing his shoulders. Some people just... liked to work. If Takuto was never going to take the time to rest, or even notice and appreciate the scenery, then fine, Ranmaru was going to do so himself.

The intricate, handcrafted wood of the gazebo, how it beautifully reflected the colors of the garden, said garden having so many different plants and flowers he'd never even seen before, all still dripping with rain...

It was a perfectly tranquil space, and very much worth admiring. It also happened to be much easier to look at than his friend in front of him, currently serving for him at a level he felt even the most affectionate lover should never stoop to.

...but on the occasions that Ranmaru did glance over... his heart still couldn't help but warm, when he caught a glimpse of what he'd actually been hoping for all day: not a smile but just... that calm, peaceful look on Takuto's face, as if tending to Ranmaru was the most important job in the world and he couldn't be happier to do it.

---

---

?

Ranmaru's sleepy eyes drifted open at a curious feeling, and he slowly looked over, finding that Takuto's hands had kind of wandered away from his feet...

Takuto looked up at him, expressionless...

...

"...!" Before lighting up red, with the most adorably guilty face.