Hiro’s eyes were still covered by one of the fluffy, warm towels that one of the servants left for thm so he didn’t notice Akito approaching until he was submerged in the water. The other wasn’t exactly loud, but the gentle splashes still gave away where Akito was. It wasn’t surprising that he was on the opposite end of the tub either. Hiro wasn’t going to question it so long as Akito was comfortable. Speaking of comfortable, the prince hummed a greeting, much too comfortable to peek from under his towel. “S’one thing I do love is a nice hot bath after the cold weather. Feels nice. Then again, hot baths after long days are quite nice as well. Almost as good as the massages, which also sound like a nice idea.” Hiro spoke loud enough for Akito to hear should he want to respond, but he was mainly speaking his thoughts aloud. It was something he was used to doing, not really expecting much of a response either way. 

His arms stretched over his head and he stay up straight so he wasn’t mostly submerged. “It was really fun though Akito, than-” The towel fell into the water as he stretched, leaving him to finally gaze at his betrothed across from him. It had only been for a short few moments, but he stared wide eyed at the ex-soldier in surprise and in silent awe. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the heat of the bath after being in the cold for so long or thanks to that particular moment, but he was sure he could feel the faint flush in his cheeks. Why was he getting so lovestruck now? He had seen Akito countless times. He had memorized those timid expressions far too well. Hiro was well aware of just how cute Akito was. Nothing had changed, had it? Surely it was obvious Akito had long hair judging by his ponytail alone, but it hadn’t dawned on him that he had never seen it down. And for some reason, the soon to be prince looked even more lovely than he had known he could. [i]’Wow, I’m getting a bit sappy now, aren’t I?’[/i] 

“Ah, yeah.” He laughed a little sheepishly before clearing his throat. “It was really fun. Rain and all. Thanks for joining me today.” He knew that his dad would fuss over his health at some point, but in the end Hiro thought it was worth it. Being in the rain was fun, a little too cold, but the moment was nice. 

His gaze went downwards to what was floating out the corner of his eye. “Oh?” Hiro paused for a moment, sinking neck deep into the water as if to get a closer look. “Aw how cute, Hoko floats.” He focused on the animal, not wanting to send Akito in some sort of tizzy for accidentally staring. Hiro had missed Akito’s inclination to get in the tub before, but he could imagine it must have taken a little push from Kaede. As gentle as Hiro could be, he nudged Hoko in order to alter the animal’s float back.