She was self conscious in front of him. She blushed every time he smiled at her lovingly and blushed deeper when he told her how pretty she was. 'I could never be pretty,' she thought on many occasions. 'Handsome, maybe, but never pretty.' Being mistaken for a guy for most of her life had made her believe that.

Makoto loved her deeply. Just seeing her made his day better. Seeing her smile sent his heart racing. They'd been living together for six months and only two months ago he convinced her to share the bed with him. He still had not seen her in less than a swimsuit and, though he wouldn't mind seeing her in the nude, he wasn't going to force her. It was nearly a miracle when he talked her into not wearing shorts to bed anymore. He told her what he truly felt about it: that her legs were long and sexy and it would be a shame to cover them up. She had blushed a dark red and since then wore only a t-shirt and underwear to bed.

Makoto smiled to himself. Today he would put his plan into effect. He told her he would never force her into being naked in front of him, but he never said he wouldn't try to entice her. He planned to be sitting on the couch when she got home, completely naked.

Ito blushed furiously all the way home. One of the women working at the theater with her had gotten her a late birthday present. It was a set of sheer lingerie that would barely cover her front side and very nearly wouldn't cover her back side. The woman was the only one that knew that Ito and Makoto had never slept together. She also knew why. Ito had told her about being afraid of Makoto finding her almost curveless body hideous. She sure didn't find her tall, thin frame very attractive. The woman had told her that, judging by the look in Makoto's eyes, he'd find her extremely attractive even if she were only wearing a potato sack and had just rolled in the mud. When she handed Ito the gift, she had said it could be a little test. Ito wouldn't be naked, but she would be revealing a lot more of her body than she was used to and could watch Makoto's reaction.

She reached the front steps of their apartment and drew in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She hoped that Makoto would be in a different area of the apartment and she could sneak the bag into her dresser drawer. Ito opened the door and gasped.

"M-M-Mako?"

"Hello, love."

"I, uh, I... hello," she finished lamely. Her mind screamed "OH MY GOD HE'S NAKED!!"

Mako smiled at her beat red face. He stood up, walked over to her, and gave her a hug. "So, how was the theater?"

He was acting so nonchalant about it that Ito almost couldn't form a complete thought. "It... was... fine."

Mako's smile widened. "Good. Why don't you change into something more comfortable and I'll set dinner on the table."

Ito nodded and took off for the bedroom. Her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding. She slipped into a t-shirt and shorts and slowly made her way into the dining room. She kind of hoped that she had only been dreaming Mako's naked body, but something inside of her stirred when she thought of it and she knew deep down that she wouldn't mind seeing him again. When she got to the dining room, she saw that it wasn't just a dream. Mako was there in all of his naked glory setting the table with a smile on his face. Ito blushed all over.

"So, what was in the bag?"

"Um, oh, nothing. Just something one of the ladies at work gave me for my birthday."

"Mhmm. Maybe you'll have to show me later." He turned his back to hide the smile that he couldn't hold back when he saw Ito blush. He knew very well what the lady had gotten her. She had come and asked for Ito's size. Mako was rather excited to see what Ito would look like in it.

Ito was confused as to how he knew about what was in the bag, but she was soon distracted. Ito took the time when his back was turned to examine his backside. She had to fight down the urge to reach out and touch his well muscled legs and his b-- Ito blushed and started choking on her water. She couldn't even think the last word. What was she doing? If she couldn't be naked in front of him, how dare she enjoy looking at him when he was naked? She must have said that last part out loud because Mako turned around.

"You know you could join me like this. I'd love to see all of you."

Ito leaped up from her chair when Mako moved determinedly toward her. "I... don't want you to see me and find me repulsive. I just don't have very many curves and I don't think I ever will."

Mako shrugged. "I fell in love with you because I think you are beautiful and wonderful to be around. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. How can I get you to believe me?"

Ito looked at the ground, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, I just don't see how I could be beautiful to anyone."

Mako looked at her with that sweet, loving look of his. "Why don't you go try on what you got for your birthday and we can see just how wrong you are about being repulsive."

Ito's eyes shot to Mako's face. He was serious, but there was no pressure there. She could see it in his eyes. If she decided not to wear the outfit, he wouldn't get mad at her or force her. Ito made a quick decision and before she could chicken out, she went to the bedroom to change. When she came out, Mako's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He started blushing, which gave Ito more confidence. Mako started to smile great big. He walked slowly around her and whistled, forcing himself not to touch her and scare her away.

"You look amazing," he said in a low voice in her ear. He smiled when she shivered. "You know what I'd like to do right now, don't you." When Ito nodded, he continued. "However, I'm willing to wait. I do not want our first time to be because you felt like you had to."

With that, Mako turned and headed to the dining room. Ito followed him, feeling a desire rise up in her that she had never felt before. She took a deep breath and walked right up to him, slid her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately. Mako drew in a ragged breath when they pulled away from each other.

"I love you, but if you do that again I will have a difficult time restraining myself."

Ito smiled and kissed him again. "That's okay, I wouldn't mind if you didn't restrain yourself."

Mako's heart started pounding and he swallowed nervously. He would have waited forever for her, but did he hear right? She was allowing him to do what he had wanted to do for the last several months. He picked her up and carried her into their bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and climbed up beside her, letting his hands roam a little. Ito looked a little nervous, but still sure of her decision. Mako wanted to make absolutely sure she wanted to do this. He leaned back to ask one last time, but she pulled him down into another kiss. Mako's head was spinning by the time Ito had let up. She smiled serenely at him.

"I love you and want to share myself with nobody but you. I've been really nervous about anyone seeing me naked, but you're reaction today showed me that I really am beautiful to you."

Mako nodded, not able to speak past the lump in his throat. She was the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on and they were going to be together forever. "You're beautiful," he whispered. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again.