Chapter Text
Going out with Avery was always a decadent affair, but somehow you didn’t feel truly spoiled until you experienced the water pressure in the shower of the five star hotel suite he routinely rented out.
You had learned early on in your arrangement that every luxury came at an angle. He would take you to restaurants you’d only ever dreamed of stepping in, only to order tasty but unfulfilling dishes for you. He would whisk you away to beautiful banquet halls filled with music that sounded like nothing you’d ever heard before, only to be expected to show up the other dancing couples. And at the end of every night, there would be a wad of cash with your name on it, but only if Avery got his happy ending.
But that five star shower? Compared to the puny drippings of the orphanage’s bath… that truly was heaven on Earth.
Your fingers danced over the many different products, remnants of Avery’s extended stays there; scented oils, body scrubs, shampoos and deep conditioners with no English instructions, bars of soaps in intricate shapes. Most of these things, you noticed, had never even been opened. You wondered if he’d be upset if you used any of them.
You decided to stick with the basics, picking up what you hoped was shampoo, and began to work it into your hair when you heard a knock on the bathroom door.
It opened before you could respond. Avery let himself in without glancing at you and walked over to fiddle with a cabinet above the sink. You fought the instinct to feel a little silly at your exposure and his lack of acknowledgment; the bathroom was almost the size of your bedroom and every sound echoed the perimeter of it, and the shower area itself was sectioned off by only a thin wall of foggy glass.
You rinsed the product out of your hair and moved on to a sweet smelling conditioner, the sounds of Avery going through the steps of his morning routine punctuating your every movement. Would it be frivolous to ask him to join you? Would he find it sweet? Or would you just be getting in his way? You both had places to be, and you weren’t sure if his perfectionism extended to his morning rituals.
As if answering your thoughts, his reflection in the mirror sniffed, and then his clear, deep voice rang out almost absent-mindedly. “It’s like a sauna in here.”
You wanted to ignore him, the current temperature so blissfully toasty, but you reflexively adjusted the handle of the water a little to please him.
But once he had discarded his pajamas and entered behind you, he reached around you to correct the handle all the way to the left. It didn’t take long for the water to reach a skin-numbing degree and you were careful to not let Avery see you deflate with disappointment. “I'd warm you up myself, but I’m afraid there’s no time this morning,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you, pet.”
You moved out of the way of the stream as much as you could, thankful you’d gotten most of the conditioner out of your hair beforehand.
He began to clean himself up, making idle chit chat with you about the day ahead. He complained about the design and supposed superiority of his associate’s business card compared to his own, and how he swore it was done intentionally to outshine him. You weren’t sure what to say in response to that, but you nodded along and hummed in agreement anyway.
Eventually Avery shut the water off, ushering you out with a sneaky pat to your bum and over to a pair of microfiber robes he had laid out on a cushioned bench, complete with matching plush slippers. You dressed in silence, eventually changing out of the fancy robe and into your school uniform as you both continued to get ready for the day, until it was finally time to walk out the door.
He pulled you closer to him, giving his lips a tap like he always does, and you answered with a quick peck.
“Don’t forget you promised to warm me up,” you admonished.
He beamed down at you fondly. “I look forward to it.”