FIC: The Third Roommate (3/?)
Title: The Third Roommate
Rating: PG-13
Genres: AU, Romance, Angst
Word Count: ~ 1,800
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Characters are property of ATWT, CBS, P&G etc. No profit is made from this fan creation. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Sorry it's kind of short. The chapter I am posting next week is much longer as it will probably be the last one I will be able to post this year. Thanks to my beta ditzybea
Luke let out a sigh as he plopped down on the big couch after a long day at the Trib. Jason had texted him earlier to let him know that he would be late by half an hour for their 'dinner date' and he decided to enjoy the silence and relax for a little while.
He hadn't seen Reid since he had tried to start a conversation with him yesterday morning and the blond was kind of relieved about that as he had decided to avoid the older man as much as he could to prevent any possible trouble. If Reid wanted to be left alone then that's how it was going to be.
The past two days had gone by so fast and he already knew that his new job was more prestigious but also more stressful than the one he had at the local newspaper in Oakdale after he finished college, but he loved it. Up till now the blond had always had the feeling that something was missing in his life. Even in those times when he was in a relationship, Luke had the feeling that his life wasn't complete. He wondered if he would find what had been missing in Chicago, even if he wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for.
By the time he heard Jason entered the apartment Luke had almost started to drift off asleep. He moved to sit upright and rubbed his tired eyes for a moment.
"Hey. You look tired." Jason commented as he neared the couch. "Did you have a tough day?"
"It was alright." Luke replied. "I'm starving though. What do you want to order?"
"I was thinking Thai. Is that okay with you?" Jason asked.
"Sure, count me in."
"Okay. Let me get the menu." Jason said and headed for the kitchen area. He had secretly been looking forward to this all day. He had just finished a sixteen hour shift at the hospital and was just waiting for some down time.
A while later Jason sat down next to Luke, after both of them decided what they wanted to order and he had called their order in. He hooked one leg under himself and turned sideways to look at the blond. "So how is it going with your new job?"
"Honestly? I love it." Luke replied with a smile on his face. "I mean I always liked working at The City Times in Oakdale, but this job is really amazing and such a great opportunity. I guess it can be pretty stressful at times but I already learned many new things in the past two days that I would have probably never learned when I had decided to stay in Oakdale. So far I definitely don't regret moving to Chicago."
"That's great man." Jason replied. Suddenly he couldn't help laughing as he remembered something from his past.
"What?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I haven't really thought about it in a long time but I just remembered something from my school days." The brunette explained. "My teacher said that I really have a way with words and suggested that I should invest into a writing career. He even offered to help me to get a scholarship."
"Sounds like he really believed in you." Luke said. "I'm guessing that you didn't take him up on your offer?"
"No, and honestly, I didn't even consider it. I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor, even though I wasn't sure what kind of doctor back then." Jason replied with a shrug of his shoulder.
Luke nodded. "I think it's great that you knew so early what you wanted. I mean I always liked writing, but I wasn't sure if I was good enough to do it for a living and I had even stopped writing for a while."
"I guess I was really lucky to know so early what I wanted." Jason said thoughtfully. He also knew that he was really lucky that although his dad was a doctor too, his parents never forced him to follow in his footsteps; it was simply what he wanted to do. "But you're here now, so it seems like eventually found your purpose too."
Before Luke could reply they were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. When his roommate was about to get up to answer the door, Luke stopped him and told him that he would take care of it; it was a quasi way to thank him for his help the other day like he had promised. He paid the delivery guy, giving him a proper tip, before he made his way back into the living area.
"Do you want a beer?" Jason asked when the blond re-entered the room.
"Soda is fine." Luke replied as he set the takeout containers down on the kitchen island. "I guess you should know that I don't drink. I drank way too much when I was a teenager and had to have a kidney transplant."
"I'm sorry." Jason said, before he grabbed a soda for Luke and beer for himself out of the fridge.
"Don't be. It was a long time ago." Luke took the soda can from his roommate and sat down on one of the bar stools.
Jason didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything, taking his seat next to the blond. The both of them simply sat in silence for a while, enjoying their meal. The older man was the one to break the silence, thinking that now was a good time as any to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since he met Luke for the first time. He nervously cleared his throat. "Um there is something I've been meaning to ask you, but only of its okay...if you don't want to talk about it..." Luke cut him off.
"What is it?" Luke asked. "Spill."
"Well, when you were here the first time you mentioned that you don't like to live alone and I was wondering why!?"
"It's okay. I don't mind telling you." Luke took a sip from his soda before put it back down and then continued talking. "I was robbed. I had been living by myself for about six months when it happened. I was coming home from work. I had my laptop on one arm and groceries in the other. I didn't know it, but they had followed me home from work. They rushed me as unlocked my door. Before I realized what was happening, the two guys had me bound to the bedpost and blindfolded me."
"Oh my god, that's horrible." Jason said as he reached out and squeezed Luke's upper arm.
"Yeah, it really was. I mean they didn't hurt me or anything, but it happened on a Saturday morning. I wasn't found until Monday morning when I didn't show up at work." Luke's voice trailed off. "It was years ago, but since then I don't really want to live on my own anymore. I get an uneasy feeling when I know no one is coming home or if I'm on my own too long." Luke confessed and then felt a little pathetic over his confession.
"I don't blame you." Jason replied. "Man it seems like you've been through a lot in your life."
Luke smiled sadly, knowing that his roommate didn't even know the half of it yet.
***
Jason grabbed two bottles of water out of fridge, throwing one of them to Reid, who caught it easily. He wiped away a drop his sweat from his forehead using his bottom of his t-shirt before he gulped down half of the water at one swallow, enjoying the feeling of the cold liquid running down his throat.
"Damn, you almost shook me off today." Reid mumbled, having already emptied his bottle. "I really need to start working out on a regular basis again."
"Or maybe you're just getting old." Jason teased. Whenever their shifts just happened to end at the same time they liked to go for a run together, but it had been a while.
Reid rolled his eyes at his friend, who often teased him about his age even though he was only three years younger. "Yeah I'm not that old yet."
"If you say so." Jason smirked, playfully bumping his best friends shoulder. "By the way did you get the chance to get to know Luke a bit better?"
"Why would I?" Reid asked. "Besides I have barely seen him since he moved in and that's a good thing." Reid quickly stood and walked into the kitchen. Jason looked over his shoulder and his eyes followed him.
Jason let out a sigh. "Reid can you at least try to get along with him? For me? It's really important to me."
"Why?" The older man asked as he grabbed another bottle of water out of the fridge, closing it with a thud.
"I told you that I really like Luke." Jason replied. "We talked for hours last night and he has really been through a lot in his life."
"Like what?" Reid asked before he could stop himself. What troubles could Richie Rich have gone through during his short life?
Jason hesitated for a moment. "I don't think that's my story to tell. You should spend some time with Luke and get to know him better and you'll see that he isn't so bad."
Reid had his own thoughts on the matter, but remained silent. "I'm going to take a shower."
Jason sighed, but didn't do anything to stop the older man. He longingly watched as Reid left the room, wishing that he could follow him to join him in the shower. Knowing that it was a really bad idea, he dismissed it quickly. The one time he had tried to make a move on Reid right after they moved in together it had gotten him nowhere. Afterwards it had been pretty awkward between them for a while. He prayed that Reid didn't notice that his feelings for him hadn't died down over time. If Reid did notice, he was keeping it close to the vest.
Jason was just biding his time until he finally got the courage to try again, but until then, he would continue to keep his relationship with Reid as normal as he could. Hopefully the next time, Reid would be as receptive as Jason hoped he would. He threw his and Reid's empty bottles into the recycling and decided to borrow Luke's shower. He knew he wouldn't be able to sit in his bedroom, knowing Reid was wet and naked behind the bathroom door.
Rating: PG-13
Genres: AU, Romance, Angst
Word Count: ~ 1,800
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Characters are property of ATWT, CBS, P&G etc. No profit is made from this fan creation. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Sorry it's kind of short. The chapter I am posting next week is much longer as it will probably be the last one I will be able to post this year. Thanks to my beta ditzybea
Luke let out a sigh as he plopped down on the big couch after a long day at the Trib. Jason had texted him earlier to let him know that he would be late by half an hour for their 'dinner date' and he decided to enjoy the silence and relax for a little while.
He hadn't seen Reid since he had tried to start a conversation with him yesterday morning and the blond was kind of relieved about that as he had decided to avoid the older man as much as he could to prevent any possible trouble. If Reid wanted to be left alone then that's how it was going to be.
The past two days had gone by so fast and he already knew that his new job was more prestigious but also more stressful than the one he had at the local newspaper in Oakdale after he finished college, but he loved it. Up till now the blond had always had the feeling that something was missing in his life. Even in those times when he was in a relationship, Luke had the feeling that his life wasn't complete. He wondered if he would find what had been missing in Chicago, even if he wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for.
By the time he heard Jason entered the apartment Luke had almost started to drift off asleep. He moved to sit upright and rubbed his tired eyes for a moment.
"Hey. You look tired." Jason commented as he neared the couch. "Did you have a tough day?"
"It was alright." Luke replied. "I'm starving though. What do you want to order?"
"I was thinking Thai. Is that okay with you?" Jason asked.
"Sure, count me in."
"Okay. Let me get the menu." Jason said and headed for the kitchen area. He had secretly been looking forward to this all day. He had just finished a sixteen hour shift at the hospital and was just waiting for some down time.
A while later Jason sat down next to Luke, after both of them decided what they wanted to order and he had called their order in. He hooked one leg under himself and turned sideways to look at the blond. "So how is it going with your new job?"
"Honestly? I love it." Luke replied with a smile on his face. "I mean I always liked working at The City Times in Oakdale, but this job is really amazing and such a great opportunity. I guess it can be pretty stressful at times but I already learned many new things in the past two days that I would have probably never learned when I had decided to stay in Oakdale. So far I definitely don't regret moving to Chicago."
"That's great man." Jason replied. Suddenly he couldn't help laughing as he remembered something from his past.
"What?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I haven't really thought about it in a long time but I just remembered something from my school days." The brunette explained. "My teacher said that I really have a way with words and suggested that I should invest into a writing career. He even offered to help me to get a scholarship."
"Sounds like he really believed in you." Luke said. "I'm guessing that you didn't take him up on your offer?"
"No, and honestly, I didn't even consider it. I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor, even though I wasn't sure what kind of doctor back then." Jason replied with a shrug of his shoulder.
Luke nodded. "I think it's great that you knew so early what you wanted. I mean I always liked writing, but I wasn't sure if I was good enough to do it for a living and I had even stopped writing for a while."
"I guess I was really lucky to know so early what I wanted." Jason said thoughtfully. He also knew that he was really lucky that although his dad was a doctor too, his parents never forced him to follow in his footsteps; it was simply what he wanted to do. "But you're here now, so it seems like eventually found your purpose too."
Before Luke could reply they were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. When his roommate was about to get up to answer the door, Luke stopped him and told him that he would take care of it; it was a quasi way to thank him for his help the other day like he had promised. He paid the delivery guy, giving him a proper tip, before he made his way back into the living area.
"Do you want a beer?" Jason asked when the blond re-entered the room.
"Soda is fine." Luke replied as he set the takeout containers down on the kitchen island. "I guess you should know that I don't drink. I drank way too much when I was a teenager and had to have a kidney transplant."
"I'm sorry." Jason said, before he grabbed a soda for Luke and beer for himself out of the fridge.
"Don't be. It was a long time ago." Luke took the soda can from his roommate and sat down on one of the bar stools.
Jason didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything, taking his seat next to the blond. The both of them simply sat in silence for a while, enjoying their meal. The older man was the one to break the silence, thinking that now was a good time as any to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since he met Luke for the first time. He nervously cleared his throat. "Um there is something I've been meaning to ask you, but only of its okay...if you don't want to talk about it..." Luke cut him off.
"What is it?" Luke asked. "Spill."
"Well, when you were here the first time you mentioned that you don't like to live alone and I was wondering why!?"
"It's okay. I don't mind telling you." Luke took a sip from his soda before put it back down and then continued talking. "I was robbed. I had been living by myself for about six months when it happened. I was coming home from work. I had my laptop on one arm and groceries in the other. I didn't know it, but they had followed me home from work. They rushed me as unlocked my door. Before I realized what was happening, the two guys had me bound to the bedpost and blindfolded me."
"Oh my god, that's horrible." Jason said as he reached out and squeezed Luke's upper arm.
"Yeah, it really was. I mean they didn't hurt me or anything, but it happened on a Saturday morning. I wasn't found until Monday morning when I didn't show up at work." Luke's voice trailed off. "It was years ago, but since then I don't really want to live on my own anymore. I get an uneasy feeling when I know no one is coming home or if I'm on my own too long." Luke confessed and then felt a little pathetic over his confession.
"I don't blame you." Jason replied. "Man it seems like you've been through a lot in your life."
Luke smiled sadly, knowing that his roommate didn't even know the half of it yet.
***
Jason grabbed two bottles of water out of fridge, throwing one of them to Reid, who caught it easily. He wiped away a drop his sweat from his forehead using his bottom of his t-shirt before he gulped down half of the water at one swallow, enjoying the feeling of the cold liquid running down his throat.
"Damn, you almost shook me off today." Reid mumbled, having already emptied his bottle. "I really need to start working out on a regular basis again."
"Or maybe you're just getting old." Jason teased. Whenever their shifts just happened to end at the same time they liked to go for a run together, but it had been a while.
Reid rolled his eyes at his friend, who often teased him about his age even though he was only three years younger. "Yeah I'm not that old yet."
"If you say so." Jason smirked, playfully bumping his best friends shoulder. "By the way did you get the chance to get to know Luke a bit better?"
"Why would I?" Reid asked. "Besides I have barely seen him since he moved in and that's a good thing." Reid quickly stood and walked into the kitchen. Jason looked over his shoulder and his eyes followed him.
Jason let out a sigh. "Reid can you at least try to get along with him? For me? It's really important to me."
"Why?" The older man asked as he grabbed another bottle of water out of the fridge, closing it with a thud.
"I told you that I really like Luke." Jason replied. "We talked for hours last night and he has really been through a lot in his life."
"Like what?" Reid asked before he could stop himself. What troubles could Richie Rich have gone through during his short life?
Jason hesitated for a moment. "I don't think that's my story to tell. You should spend some time with Luke and get to know him better and you'll see that he isn't so bad."
Reid had his own thoughts on the matter, but remained silent. "I'm going to take a shower."
Jason sighed, but didn't do anything to stop the older man. He longingly watched as Reid left the room, wishing that he could follow him to join him in the shower. Knowing that it was a really bad idea, he dismissed it quickly. The one time he had tried to make a move on Reid right after they moved in together it had gotten him nowhere. Afterwards it had been pretty awkward between them for a while. He prayed that Reid didn't notice that his feelings for him hadn't died down over time. If Reid did notice, he was keeping it close to the vest.
Jason was just biding his time until he finally got the courage to try again, but until then, he would continue to keep his relationship with Reid as normal as he could. Hopefully the next time, Reid would be as receptive as Jason hoped he would. He threw his and Reid's empty bottles into the recycling and decided to borrow Luke's shower. He knew he wouldn't be able to sit in his bedroom, knowing Reid was wet and naked behind the bathroom door.