FIC: The Third Roommate (6/?)
Title: The Third Roommate
Rating: PG-13
Genres: AU, Romance, Angst
Word Count: ~ 1,700
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: Luke and Reid are kinda slowly making progress. Thanks to my beta ditzybea!
Luke closed the apartment door behind him and immediately collapsed against it; letting out a deep sigh. He shut his eyes and held them close for a moment, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. As soon as his heartbeat got back to normal, Luke pushed himself away from the door to check if he was alone in the apartment. When he found that Reid obviously was still at the hospital, he was little bit relieved to see that he was alone for once.
The blond paced back and forth in the living room for a few minutes before he finally let himself fall onto the couch, leaning his head against the back of the couch. He rubbed his tired eyes for a moment.
'What a day', Luke thought.
First his computer at work crashed and he had to rewrite most of an article that was due tomorrow morning and on top of that the coffee machine in their department broke. As if that wasn't enough bad things for one day, Luke also ran into a guy on his way home that looked just like his ex-boyfriend Justin. The brief encounter had churned him up so much that he had still been shaky when he tried to put the key in the door to unlock it.
Suddenly Luke couldn't hold back his tears any longer as the pent-up tension of the day left his body. He pulled his legs close to his body and sat like that for a while as his quiet sobbing was the only sound in the otherwise silent living room.
Luke couldn't help wishing that Jason would be here right now. His roommate had only been gone for three days now and he already missed being able to talk to his friend whenever he wanted. He had been alone at the apartment almost the entire time since Jason left to go to L.A. because Reid was at the hospital most of the time and it made him more than uncomfortable. For a moment he considered calling Jason or one of his other friends, but he didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill.
It was then that the sound of the front door being slammed shut that startled him out of his thoughts. He quickly attempted to wipe his tears away; he didn't want Reid to see him like this as he probably would only make fun of him. He sipped some water out of his bottle, but didn't move otherwise; while he heard Reid in the kitchen. Somehow the blond hoped that his roommate would only grab a beer and go to his room, but to no avail. Luke's bad luck was continuing.
Luke couldn't hold back a sigh when his roommate sat down on the couch opposite of him. Another argument with Reid was really the last thing he needed right now.
"You look like you need a drink." Reid said after a moment of silence. He didn't miss the red and swollen eyes when he cast a glance at the blond and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. And he had that feeling in his stomach again. He chalked it up to being hungry; yeah, that's what it was.
"I don't drink." Luke replied in a low voice; he hoped that that the shakiness wasn't noticable. "You should know that by now."
Reid shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you should make an exception from time to time." He said, taking a gulp from the beer.
Luke snorted. "And would you still give me the same advice when I tell you that I'm an alcoholic and that I had a kidney transplant when I was a teenager, Dr. Oliver?"
"Okay so no drinking for you then." Reid said, trying to ignore that he liked the sound of his name coming from Luke's lips more than he should. "Sorry. I really didn't know."
"I guess there is no way you could know." Luke said with a shrug of his shoulders "I mean we never really talk."
Reid nodded his head but didn't say anything for while. He knew that it was because of him that they knew next to nothing about each other because he had a problem trusting people. After a moment of silence he cleared his throat. "By the way, Jason called earlier. He wants me to say hi to you and let you know that he will call you tomorrow." Reid clumsily grabbed at the only connection between him and Luke; their affection for their other roommate.
"Thanks." Luke gave him a small smile. "I really miss talking to him."
"You can talk to me if you need to talk." Reid said before he could stop himself.
Luke raised an eyebrow at his roommate.
"What? Maybe I'm not the right person if it comes to giving advice, but I am a good listener." Reid said. "It's a one-time offer Snyder."
Luke was more than skeptical, but he had a really bad day and he really did need to talk to somebody. Before he really realized what was happening, he found himself telling Reid what was on his mind. He talked about the crappy day he had, about how he misses his friends and family, and even told him how uncomfortable he is when he is alone for too long until he suddenly realizes that he has been going on and on for 20 minutes and stops. He almost expected Reid to start laughing.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all this." Luke abruptly got up from the couch.
"Luke---"
"I'm going to bed." He interrupted, already heading for his bedroom "Good night."
***
After a restless night Luke hesitated in the morning whether he should have breakfast or skip it today. The blond had already heard the shower in the master bathroom running so that he was certain that his roommate hadn't left for work yet and somehow he didn't want to face Reid after what happened the night before. He still didn't really know what had come over him last night when he had told his roommate so much about himself, but he felt like he had made a fool out of himself.
It was still twenty minutes until his alarm was set to go off but Luke got out of bed and took a quick shower before he got dressed for work. He knew he couldn't hide from Reid forever.
When Luke entered the open plan kitchen-living area a while later he found Reid sitting on one of the bar stools, sipping on his coffee while he had one of his massive sandwiches in front of him. Luke swallowed at the sight of his roommate in his scrubs, they somehow make him even more nervous. He mumbles a faint 'morning' as he walks past Reid to pour himself a cup of coffee, avoiding looking at the older man.
"Morning." Reid responded. He watched every move of the blond and somehow he wished he knew what was going on in his head right now. The auburn haired man had been lying awake for close to two hours last night, thinking about Luke and his own behavior towards the blond and he knew that it was up to him to make the next move now.
He cleared his throat to get his roommates attention, but Luke still wouldn't look at him. "Can we talk about what happened last night?" Reid asked and he watched Luke's shoulder slump, as if he was facing the evitable. Finally Luke lifted his head to look at him and he decided to take it as a sign to go on. "I just wanted to say, that in case you're worried about what you've told me last night or maybe you think you've said to much or whatever, I'm not going to make fun of you or judge you or anything like that if that's what you're worried about."
Luke opened his mouth to say something but no words were coming out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Where is this suddenly coming from? I don't need you to pity me you know!" Luke was irrationally angry all of the sudden. He knew Reid was trying to be nice, but Luke was afraid that there was something else behind this.
Reid chuckled. "Okay, I know that we don't really know each other yet, but even you should know that I don't pity ANYONE."
Luke tried to suppress a smile but felt the corners of his mouth twitch. "You have a point there."
Reid smiled. "Look, I know I acted like an asshole since you moved in and I'm sorry about that. I kind of have a problem with trusting people but I know I should at least give you a chance. Maybe we can start over?" He paused for a moment and when Luke doesn't respond anything he continued. "Maybe we could play a game of chess again or watch a movie or something. I'd even let you cook again if it's as delicious as the last time." He teased.
The blond remained silent for a moment as he was still skeptical. "What if I want to ask you some questions about yourself to get to know you better, will you actually answer them?"
"I will try my best." Reid replied. "How about we have dinner together tonight and see how it goes? My treat."
"Okay sure. Why not." Luke said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"It's a date." Reid said and a moment later his beeper goes off. Sighing he got up, quickly taking one last bite from his sandwich before he turned on his heels to leave. "See you later!" Luke heard him open the door and he yelled, "Don't eat my sandwich!" before he slammed the door behind him.
Luke just stood there staring at the door for several minutes after Reid left wondering if that had really just happened.
Rating: PG-13
Genres: AU, Romance, Angst
Word Count: ~ 1,700
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: Luke and Reid are kinda slowly making progress. Thanks to my beta ditzybea!
Luke closed the apartment door behind him and immediately collapsed against it; letting out a deep sigh. He shut his eyes and held them close for a moment, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. As soon as his heartbeat got back to normal, Luke pushed himself away from the door to check if he was alone in the apartment. When he found that Reid obviously was still at the hospital, he was little bit relieved to see that he was alone for once.
The blond paced back and forth in the living room for a few minutes before he finally let himself fall onto the couch, leaning his head against the back of the couch. He rubbed his tired eyes for a moment.
'What a day', Luke thought.
First his computer at work crashed and he had to rewrite most of an article that was due tomorrow morning and on top of that the coffee machine in their department broke. As if that wasn't enough bad things for one day, Luke also ran into a guy on his way home that looked just like his ex-boyfriend Justin. The brief encounter had churned him up so much that he had still been shaky when he tried to put the key in the door to unlock it.
Suddenly Luke couldn't hold back his tears any longer as the pent-up tension of the day left his body. He pulled his legs close to his body and sat like that for a while as his quiet sobbing was the only sound in the otherwise silent living room.
Luke couldn't help wishing that Jason would be here right now. His roommate had only been gone for three days now and he already missed being able to talk to his friend whenever he wanted. He had been alone at the apartment almost the entire time since Jason left to go to L.A. because Reid was at the hospital most of the time and it made him more than uncomfortable. For a moment he considered calling Jason or one of his other friends, but he didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill.
It was then that the sound of the front door being slammed shut that startled him out of his thoughts. He quickly attempted to wipe his tears away; he didn't want Reid to see him like this as he probably would only make fun of him. He sipped some water out of his bottle, but didn't move otherwise; while he heard Reid in the kitchen. Somehow the blond hoped that his roommate would only grab a beer and go to his room, but to no avail. Luke's bad luck was continuing.
Luke couldn't hold back a sigh when his roommate sat down on the couch opposite of him. Another argument with Reid was really the last thing he needed right now.
"You look like you need a drink." Reid said after a moment of silence. He didn't miss the red and swollen eyes when he cast a glance at the blond and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. And he had that feeling in his stomach again. He chalked it up to being hungry; yeah, that's what it was.
"I don't drink." Luke replied in a low voice; he hoped that that the shakiness wasn't noticable. "You should know that by now."
Reid shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you should make an exception from time to time." He said, taking a gulp from the beer.
Luke snorted. "And would you still give me the same advice when I tell you that I'm an alcoholic and that I had a kidney transplant when I was a teenager, Dr. Oliver?"
"Okay so no drinking for you then." Reid said, trying to ignore that he liked the sound of his name coming from Luke's lips more than he should. "Sorry. I really didn't know."
"I guess there is no way you could know." Luke said with a shrug of his shoulders "I mean we never really talk."
Reid nodded his head but didn't say anything for while. He knew that it was because of him that they knew next to nothing about each other because he had a problem trusting people. After a moment of silence he cleared his throat. "By the way, Jason called earlier. He wants me to say hi to you and let you know that he will call you tomorrow." Reid clumsily grabbed at the only connection between him and Luke; their affection for their other roommate.
"Thanks." Luke gave him a small smile. "I really miss talking to him."
"You can talk to me if you need to talk." Reid said before he could stop himself.
Luke raised an eyebrow at his roommate.
"What? Maybe I'm not the right person if it comes to giving advice, but I am a good listener." Reid said. "It's a one-time offer Snyder."
Luke was more than skeptical, but he had a really bad day and he really did need to talk to somebody. Before he really realized what was happening, he found himself telling Reid what was on his mind. He talked about the crappy day he had, about how he misses his friends and family, and even told him how uncomfortable he is when he is alone for too long until he suddenly realizes that he has been going on and on for 20 minutes and stops. He almost expected Reid to start laughing.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all this." Luke abruptly got up from the couch.
"Luke---"
"I'm going to bed." He interrupted, already heading for his bedroom "Good night."
***
After a restless night Luke hesitated in the morning whether he should have breakfast or skip it today. The blond had already heard the shower in the master bathroom running so that he was certain that his roommate hadn't left for work yet and somehow he didn't want to face Reid after what happened the night before. He still didn't really know what had come over him last night when he had told his roommate so much about himself, but he felt like he had made a fool out of himself.
It was still twenty minutes until his alarm was set to go off but Luke got out of bed and took a quick shower before he got dressed for work. He knew he couldn't hide from Reid forever.
When Luke entered the open plan kitchen-living area a while later he found Reid sitting on one of the bar stools, sipping on his coffee while he had one of his massive sandwiches in front of him. Luke swallowed at the sight of his roommate in his scrubs, they somehow make him even more nervous. He mumbles a faint 'morning' as he walks past Reid to pour himself a cup of coffee, avoiding looking at the older man.
"Morning." Reid responded. He watched every move of the blond and somehow he wished he knew what was going on in his head right now. The auburn haired man had been lying awake for close to two hours last night, thinking about Luke and his own behavior towards the blond and he knew that it was up to him to make the next move now.
He cleared his throat to get his roommates attention, but Luke still wouldn't look at him. "Can we talk about what happened last night?" Reid asked and he watched Luke's shoulder slump, as if he was facing the evitable. Finally Luke lifted his head to look at him and he decided to take it as a sign to go on. "I just wanted to say, that in case you're worried about what you've told me last night or maybe you think you've said to much or whatever, I'm not going to make fun of you or judge you or anything like that if that's what you're worried about."
Luke opened his mouth to say something but no words were coming out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Where is this suddenly coming from? I don't need you to pity me you know!" Luke was irrationally angry all of the sudden. He knew Reid was trying to be nice, but Luke was afraid that there was something else behind this.
Reid chuckled. "Okay, I know that we don't really know each other yet, but even you should know that I don't pity ANYONE."
Luke tried to suppress a smile but felt the corners of his mouth twitch. "You have a point there."
Reid smiled. "Look, I know I acted like an asshole since you moved in and I'm sorry about that. I kind of have a problem with trusting people but I know I should at least give you a chance. Maybe we can start over?" He paused for a moment and when Luke doesn't respond anything he continued. "Maybe we could play a game of chess again or watch a movie or something. I'd even let you cook again if it's as delicious as the last time." He teased.
The blond remained silent for a moment as he was still skeptical. "What if I want to ask you some questions about yourself to get to know you better, will you actually answer them?"
"I will try my best." Reid replied. "How about we have dinner together tonight and see how it goes? My treat."
"Okay sure. Why not." Luke said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"It's a date." Reid said and a moment later his beeper goes off. Sighing he got up, quickly taking one last bite from his sandwich before he turned on his heels to leave. "See you later!" Luke heard him open the door and he yelled, "Don't eat my sandwich!" before he slammed the door behind him.
Luke just stood there staring at the door for several minutes after Reid left wondering if that had really just happened.