He was going to woo Levi all over again.
Asher looked down at his hand again, at the blood still under his nails, and nodded. He needed a shower too, and Levi already had the water going, plus he was pretty sure people found showers with their partners romantic. He could start tearing down the barriers between them right now.
Asher was so giddy he started removing his clothes right there at the kitchen sink. He paused briefly to hunt down the loose roll of cling wrap he used to put away last night’s leftovers and wrap it around the dressing on his thigh. It really did hurt when he let himself think about it, but it didn’t bother him in this moment. How could it?
He was about to go take his very first shower with his boyfriend.
Levi had locked the door, but it was a thumb-button lock, the cheap rental kind that popped if a thin object went into the pinhole on the outside, but Asher was ready for that. Levi’s discharge paperwork was still on the kitchen counter, so Asher just used the paperclip and made quick work of the lock.
The door opened and the steam rolled out. Asher could see the shape of him through the steamed glass, head down, hands on the tile wall, water running over his back. As soon as Asher shut the door behind him, he saw Levi’s head snap up.
“Asher?” Levi’s voice sounded small and scared. Asher had to place a hand over his cock, trying to convince it not to respond yet, because he was pretty sure if he stepped into the shower hard enough to pound nails into concrete, Levi would panic. He always panicked.
It was so cute.
“Hi, baby.”
“I–I locked the door,” Levi stammered.
“I know you did,” Asher said, pressing a hand to the wall for support as his thigh decided to throb at the worst moment.
“Thenget out.”
He couldn’t help the smile. It was the wrong response and he knew it, but his face did it anyway. Levi wastalkingto him like he used to, in his actual voice, sharp and full and his — and Asher couldn’t stop grinning. He had always been praised for his youthful appearance, but being around Levi was definitely going to give him some wrinkles.
“Baby,” Asher purred, stepping up to the sliding glass door. “I just want to shower with you. It’s romantic.”
“Don’tbabyme. Get out of the bathroom,“ Levi snapped.
“I’m not going to.”
Asher slid open the glass and felt his heart stop beating at the sight of him. There was something utterly devastating about seeing Levi dripping with water, hunched over as he tried to hide his body from Asher and surrounded by steam. “Please? I’m already naked, we can save on water or something.”
“Asher, no. I’m saying no —” Levi’s eyes drifted down to where Asher was holding his hand over himself, then snapped to the wall in front of him as his cheeks turned bright red.
Caught you.
Levi tried to slide the door closed; Asher caught the edge and pushed it open all the way. Levi tried to step backward, as if to put more water between them and his foot slipped. Asher’s hand was on his bicep before his hip hit the tub edge.
He knew it was too hard, that his fingers were going to leave marks, but Asher didn’t loosen his grip. He held Levi up. The force was the force the falling required. No more, no less.
Levi held still, looking at the floor of the tub.
“Look at me,” Asher said, tightening his grip until Levi gasped. He was getting really fucking sick of Levi not looking at him. He stepped over the lip of the tub as Levi looked up.
Still beautiful.
The water hit his head and shoulders, running down his chest with a rusty tinge where it found the blood still in his hair. He let go of Levi’s bicep slowly, watching his feet to make sure he wouldn’t slip again.
Levi leaned on the wall, his arm across his chest again, his hand between his legs as water dripped from his hair into his eyes. “Asher, please…please let me shower alone.”
His voice had retreated. Theget outwas gone. Thepleasehad taken its place. Asher liked both versions.
“Shh.” Asher put his hands on Levi’s hips. “I’m just going to wash your hair. Turn around. You’re going to feel better when your hair’s clean.”
“That’s not —”
“Turn around, Levi.”
