Commissions

Spencer/Ava #3

(Commission for @/flowerhound on Tumblr)

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Spencer shut off the tap and leaned over to test the water with a finger. Flinching, he immediately pulled back. Not used to these taps yet...still a bit too hot. He smiled to himself. Which means it should be perfect by the time Ava gets home. 

He had had this night planned all week; a surprise in celebration of their first month of cohabitation. The time had truly flown by, and it didn't seem possible that they had been living together in Ava's apartment for a whole month. It was definitely worthy of a special night, especially because the first month in this apartment hadn't been easy. 

Living with Ava was wonderful--waking up beside her every morning was more than worth any discomfort Spencer felt in his new surroundings. But he did feel a bit out of place. Ava's apartment wasn't quite what he was used to; for one thing, Ava left things everywhere. She wasn't necessarily messy, but she didn't always hang up her coat by the door, and the pillows on the couch were sometimes askew, the rug a bit rumpled, and the books out of place. He didn't always know where things were, and often found himself fumbling with the strange appliances and reaching for lightswitches that weren't there. 

So the fact that he had survived his first month here was certainly something to celebrate, and Ava had agreed. 

His first plan had been a candlelit dinner of homemade biryani, but a mishap with the unfamiliar stove had left the dish inedibly burned and the kitchen uninhabitably reeking of charred spices. After a hasty text to Ava advising her to pick up some takeout on the way home, he'd decided to forego plans for a fancy dinner and figure out a different course of action. Considering the stench in the kitchen, it had seemed like a good idea to make the other rooms in the apartment smell as nice possible, and after hunting down several candles, the idea to make an in-home spa date had come naturally. 

After setting up the candles in the bathroom--lavender and honeysuckle--Spencer had dimmed the lights and set to work finding rose petals for the bathwater. There hadn't been any roses, but there were some sprigs of fresh lavender in the kitchen, and he figured those would work just as well. He had just finished lighting the last candle when he heard the front door open. 

"Spence? Why's it so dark in here?...and what smells so bad?" 

Grinning, he trotted back out to the living room, a fluffy towel in hand. Ava was shrugging off her coat, looking around and wrinkling her nose. "Did something catch fire?" she asked, glancing warily toward the kitchen. 

Spencer smiled sheepishly at her. "Dinner, um. Didn't work out so well." He noticed the bag of Chinese take-out sitting on the table. "But I see you've got it covered!" 

"Well, you told me to pick something up. You didn't tell me it's because you lit the place on fire," Ava sighed playfully. Suddenly she noticed the towel in his hand. "What's that? Did you make some other mess?" 

"Actually, sort of. But I think you'll actually like this one." 

Taking her hand, Spencer led her back into the bathroom, watching as her face visibly relaxed at the gentle scent of lavender. She took in the candles and the pale purple flowers floating in the tub, then looked at him with a quiet smile and kissed his cheek. 

"You're right," she said. "I do like this one." 

He smiled back and kissed her softly on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around him. "Do you think dinner can wait?" he whispered playfully, running a hand through her hair. 

"I think so," Ava replied, her fingers catching in the collar of his shirt. "I mean, we can reheat take-out. The bath water"--she giggled--"probably not so much." 

Several minutes and clumsy kisses later, both her scrubs and his jeans and fluorescent floral t-shirt were in a tangled heap on the ground, and she was in his arms, being lifted securely into the warm water. 

"Not too hot?" he asked suddenly, remembering the steam that had been rising only a few minutes before. 

"The water? No." Ava leaned her head back against the porcelain. 

"Of course the water. What else would I be talking about?" He dipped a finger in, just to make sure. 

Ava raised her eyebrows. He blushed. 

Fighting back a sudden feeling of embarrassment, he joined her, careful not to disturb the water too much as he settled himself behind her and wrapped her in his arms. She laid her head against his chest and smiled up at him. "Okay, now it's a bit warmer," she quipped playfully. 

The tub wasn't really large enough for two people, but that wasn't a problem, as Ava was determined to get as close to him as possible. The feeling of her soft skin on his was enough to make the water feel scalding, and there was no escape from it. Her sweet scent mingled with the lavender and made him feel almost lightheaded. 

"We've been living together a month now," she whispered in his ear, running a hand through his hair and accidentally wetting it. He didn't mind. "I think we should try another 'first'." 

He twisted around so that he was holding her flush against him, the lavender petals catching on her shoulders. "And what did you have in mind?"

Ava didn't bother with an answer. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his and settled comfortably around him. He'd been expecting it--the look in her sparkling eyes had been hard to misread--but somehow it still took him by surprise. A pleasant surprise, to be sure. 

Sinking deeper into the water and into her, he kissed her and held her closer, lips spilling down her neck. The candlelight danced across the water and across her skin, ripples of reflected flame building to an inferno. The fire built slowly, steaming the mirrors and fogging all sense of time. All he could sense was her, her hands in his hair and across his skin, her warm touch sliding over him like the waves of a summer ocean. 

The waves were building, rising and crashing with mingled sighs and whispered confessions, and the lavender sprigs were now washed up on the porcelain shore, their scent still lingering. The air was heavy with the scent of wet flowers and misty skin, and the pressure was building into a tsunami, threatening to break the shore. When it finally did, tidal waves of affection spilled over the banks, carrying them both safely to shore in each other's arms. 

After the ocean had calmed, Ava raised her head from his chest and gazed up into his eyes, her hand nestled in his. She was so beautiful, her face flushed and her hair damp, a sprig of lavender clinging to her collarbone. 

Slightly breathless, she smiled and said, "Well. I think we'll definitely have to reheat that takeout"--she glanced at the water dripping down the sides of the tub--"and dry the floor. " 

He kissed her nose and held her tighter. "Hey, it's your apartment," he teased. "I just live here." 

Ava sighed. "I know there was some reason I asked you to move in with me, but right now I can't think of what it would have been." 

Reaching over to drain the tub, he started to stand and helped her to her feet, grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping them both in its cottony folds. "Not even one?" 

"Well..." Ava grinned and hugged him nearer. "Okay, maybe one reason." 

Cuddling her close among the fading scent of lavender and the lingering warmth of her affection, Spencer silently agreed that there were plenty of reasons to call this apartment home.