Outlier, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Reid’s tongue was as talented as his fingers.
He had refined control to the extent that he could precisely alter its stiffness and shape at will. Spearing, flicking, fluttering, lapping - no matter the job, Reid’s tongue was the ultimate tool. One he could wield indefinitely - he had the stamina and steadiness of a surgeon, after all - so, like his fingers, his tongue was tireless. His control even extended to perceived length - at times it could feel impossibly long.
Both fingers and tongue were currently engaged. Three fingers, bent slightly upward, were, at that precise moment, fucking Katie’s pussy. Reid’s tongue was actively engaging her clitoris, his lips sealed around it, applying rhythmic suction. His lower face shone with her secretions. The fingers of his other hand pressed arpeggios into her naked ass.
For Katie’s part, her mind had been blown three orgasms ago. By now a brain scan would have most closely resembled a collection of unsynchronized squiggles - the rubble of bliss. But her voice, what was left of it, continued to urge him on, as did her fingers snarled in his hair. Not that Reid was inclined to stop. He had yet to let up, relentlessly keeping her at altitude, on the razor-sharp edges of high peaks, gasping for breath in the thin air. After one final strong, sucking bite on her abused clit, he replaced his fingers with his tongue, stroking roughly over her slippery, swollen labia as she came.
Finally, it was time for his cock. Katie lay sprawled on the bed, her head to one side, eyes closed, arms extended, skin flushed. Reid rose to his knees, his heavy penis as perpendicular as it could be. Bracing one hand at the slope of her shoulder, he dipped his massive head into her, trailing slickness as he pulled back, closing his eyes momentarily as he teased them both. Then, in one smooth, isolated movement of his hips, he buried the entire length - all the way, balls-deep. She bucked off the bed, gasping as if suddenly reviving from a near drowning. The fullness was almost too much, the stretch almost too intense. Almost. She collapsed, a sleepy, wicked drone building in her chest, resonating through her body, into his. The sound began to oscillate once the thrusts began - hard, fierce, dominating. The humming grew louder, more insistent, competing with the accelerating slap of skin on skin. Reid leaned forward, drove harder.
“Whatcha doin’?”
Reid turned his head. Luke Snyder stood by the side of the bed. He wore the light suit, his leather bag hanging from one shoulder.
“I…what…what are you doing here?” Reid struggled to recapture the rhythm. Katie seemed oblivious.
“I thought we could talk about the plans for the wing. Did you have a chance to look at the changes?”
“The-” Reid momentarily lost his grip on Katie slick skin. “Wait…now?”
“Yeah.” Luke’s smile dazzled. “I mean, I guess you look kinda busy, but you can still talk, right? It’s not like you’re kissing.”
“What…I don’t…how did you get in here?”
“From over there.”
“Where?”
“I dunno. Look, I was thinking,” Luke withdrew a roll of paper from the bag, removing the rubber band and unfurling it on the bed next to Reid and Katie’s joined naked bodies. His attempts to point to a specific part of the blueprint were complicated by the rise and fall of the mattress. “Right here - it seems as if there's an area where we could squeeze in a few overnight rooms. You know, for families. And see? It wouldn’t interfere with lab space at all.”
“What? What are you…” Still plunging into a blissed-out Katie, Reid twisted his neck to see where Luke was pointing. Luke sat on one corner of the paper to keep it still. Reid’s thigh brushed Luke’s hip with every thrust.
“Only problem is now the second-floor lounge is too small. No way would we be able to fit in the video arcade and petting zoo.”
“What? Are you out of your-”
“Ha!” Luke slapped Reid’s pistoning hip with the back of his hand. “Gotcha. Don’t worry - there’ll just be the one pony. But seriously - what do you think about the overnight rooms? It’s a small thing, but it would make such a huge difference. And the foundation would cover any extra costs, of course.”
Reid studied the plans. “Well, I suppose…I mean, if you’re paying…it might not be the absolute worst idea in the world.”
“Really?” The room brightened.
“Less…talking,” rasped Katie.
“Oh, sorry.” Reid shifted, planting his knees more securely. He lifted one of her legs, holding it up.
“Here, let me help.” Standing on the floor, Luke took Katie’s leg from Reid, holding it at the ankle and behind the knee.
“Uh, thanks.” Gripping her hips tightly, Reid intensified his efforts, angling slightly circular thrusts toward her raised leg.
“Oh…oh…oh…oh, yes!” Katie’s whole body shook with each impact.
With his other hand, Luke fumbled with the blueprint, awkwardly trying to re-roll it. “So, any surgeries today, Dr. Oliver?”
“Uh, what? Um…I…I, uh, I’m not sure.”
“Oh.” The blueprint dropped on the floor. Luke tried to bend down while still holding Katie’s leg; he gave up, straightening. He smiled at Reid. “Hey, have you ever tried anal?”
Reid’s eyes opened. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for his breathing to slow. Waiting for the dream to fade. For his cock to stop throbbing. He reached for his phone - the alarm would have gone off in ten more minutes. He’d never been so grateful for lost sleep. Gathering the shards of his shattered psyche, he tried to remember what was on the schedule for that day.
Of course. Noah.
______________________________
The surgery was a success. Goes without saying.
It was also harrowing. Not just because of the uncertainty - he never, truly, knew what he would find, and this time was no different. Noah’s brain was, in essence, a mess. Even with the treatment regimen, the damage had been more profound than expected, requiring eight hours of careful reconstruction with an intraparenchymal hemorrhage or two to keep things interesting. More than once, Noah had been slipping away. But Reid had done his job, better than anyone else could have. Nothing he hadn’t done before.
So, why was he shaking?
His scrubs hanging on him limply, Reid pushed the heavy swinging doors, leaving the restricted area. The hall was empty. He shuffled toward the cramped waiting area (maybe Mr. Snyder has a point). Turning the corner he saw him, hunched in a hard chair, sitting alone. The surgery had taken hours longer than estimated; apparently, the rest of Noah’s ‘family’ had left. Luke’s head lifted, his eyes meeting Reid’s. They lit with concern, caring, relief - Reid relaxed into them, felt the weary tension drain into their depths. It would be okay. Luke was there for him.
No, Luke was there for Noah. Of course. He forced himself to reexamine Luke’s expression, putting the emotions on display into their proper context.
He’d never felt more alone.
Luke had risen from the chair. “Well?”
“Well, what? When he opens his eyes, he’ll see.”
Reid thought Luke’s face had lit before. Now the floodlights came on. “Really? You’re serious? No complications?”
“No more than usual.”
“So…he’s going to wake up?”
“Any hour now.”
“Oh…Dr. Oliver…” Perversely, the glittering joy in Luke's eyes only further dimmed Reid’s spirits. He didn’t look for a causal link. (This is when they get back together.)
He also didn’t see the hug coming. Luke was a hugger - obviously, Reid knew this - but it never occurred to him that Luke’s hugging radius would ever encompass him. He wasn’t prepared. It was like a sneak attack on a holiday - Reid’s defenses were low, most of the troops eating turkey with their families. Into this uncharacteristically vulnerable Reid-state swooped Luke - all strong arms and warm body and soft hair, a full frontal assault of open emotion, soft sentiment spilling out like hot oil on sleepy, sated defenders. Reid stood immobile. He hadn’t realized how…solid Luke was. How large. How if only Reid could lean into him, if he could only let go…if only this weren’t a cruel facsimile of comfort, a caricature of connection. Because this wasn’t for him; this wasn’t his. Not that he wanted it to be. Not that both arms were tingling now, both hands lifting…
Reid took a giant step back. The hold broke.
“Sorry, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait a little longer for that kind of action, Mr. Snyder. A good bedside manner doesn’t extend to standing in for your boyfriend.” He backed away further as Luke’s face fell. He couldn’t look at it, not with what he was doing, what he was saying.
Not again.
Instead his eyes skipped from Luke’s heavily fingered hair to move over his crumpled clothes - the way his jacket was falling off one shoulder, how the shirt underneath was a network of creases. Reid wanted to fix, to smooth. He clenched his hands. “Someone will let you know when he’s awake, though maybe it’s better if you run home first to freshen up for him.”
Pulling away from Luke’s draw was like swimming against a current. Reid watched himself fight it, turning away as if in slow motion. He needed to retreat, to get back down the hallway. He couldn’t catch his breath here - not with the heavy air. Not with it carrying Luke’s scent. His scent. It was on him now.
Luke grabbed his arm. “Why do you do that?”
His touch was too much to fight; it pulled Reid under the water. His lungs began to burn.
“Why are you treating me like this?”
Reid closed his ears to the quiver.
His hand still on Reid’s arm, Luke stepped around to face him. “I thought…I thought that we were…”
We’re nothing.
“…that we’re past this.” Luke’s fingers tightened. “This isn’t you. It can’t be. I’ve seen you. I’ve seen you.” He ducked his head, trying to get Reid to look at him. Luke straightened. “Or maybe I just wanted to.” Pressing his lips together, he dropped Reid’s arm. “Maybe…maybe you wouldn’t be treating me this way if I were the straight partner of one of your patients.”
Now Reid looked at him. “Excuse me? You think I’m homophobic?”
Luke’s eyebrows were raised.
“That’s…ridiculous.” (I thought you weren’t his partner.)
“Really? Why? ’Cause some of your best friends are gay?” The sneer in Luke’s voice almost covered the tremor.
“What? That’s not…you know I don’t have friends, Mr. Snyder. It’s ridiculous because I’m from Boston and New York. I’m the liberal elite - it’s statistically impossible for me to be homophobic.” His face…why did he make me look at his face? “Besides, that would imply that I cared enough to form an opinion on the matter. I care only about my patients, not their…peripherals. Everything else - everyone - is beneath my notice.”
Luke took a step back. Once more, Reid looked away.
“Then what?” Luke sounded tired. “If it’s not because I’m gay, then what else could it be?”
“What do you…you kidnapped me. You hijacked my life. You trapped me in this…reality show.”
“No. That’s not it - you could have left by now. Heck, if you want to look at it that way, then it’s because of me that you now have a dream job, an amazing girlfriend… We are past that. No. This is something else.” Luke’s voice was growing stronger with every syllable. “This is about some…some switch being flipped every time that you come close to being human.”
Shaking his head, Reid took several steps down the hall. Luke blocked his path, pointing a finger. “No, it is. It’s like that time you showed up at the police station to help my father. I know you said it was just to get me to testify, but it was more than…I mean, it was the first time…it was like we were finally on the same side. Like you were almost letting yourself enjoy doing something for someone else. And then after I testified - you even went so far as to thank me. Like I was, gosh, I don’t know, an actual person - not just an annoyance or a means to an end. But then next time I see you at the station, you’re back to being your old destructive self. Even though I was in pain - maybe even because I was - you couldn’t help but fire up that flamethrower and burn everything down.”
The water was getting denser. It was pressing on Reid’s throat now, closing it.
“And then - when you came to my house…”
Don’t.
“…when you saw how upset I was that time, you almost…for a minute it almost seemed as if you cared.” Luke expelled a harsh breath, dimples flashing for the wrong reason. “But then once again Dr. Hyde shows up and says all those…” He took a breath. “But that wasn’t you. You can’t tell me that it was. And just now…we’ve been getting along - we have. But you can’t handle that, can you? Heaven forbid you let anyone in. Not as a friend. I suppose Katie’s different, of course - a man has needs, right?” Luke’s voice cut - though it seemed some of the damage at this point was self-inflicted.
Reid’s gut had clenched for multiple reasons, none of which he was willing to identify.
“And so, once again, you wait for the worst possible moment…when you can serve up maximum pain.” Suddenly, the hardness in Luke’s voice was gone. “But it’s not just meant for me, is it? That’s the sad part - it’s like you’re doing it to yourself, too.”
Luke had grown larger, was standing closer - his presence was everywhere at once. His eyes were too big, too bright, too sharp. Reid had only one thought in that moment: that he didn’t want to be seen.
He gulped for air. “Nice try, but I’m afraid that what you see is what you get. This is the real me. And I don’t discriminate - I’m an equal opportunity ass. I’m just this delightful with everyone.” He forced himself to meet Luke’s liquid gaze. Reid’s own eyes and voice were flat. Charred. “Sorry, Mr. Snyder, but there’s nothing special about you.”
Turning, he pushed his way through the thickness, down the hall, back through the swinging doors. Luke’s expression followed him, trailing like a deep-sea specter, translucent and filmy. Dissolving before his eyes as he climbed back to the surface, leaving only an imprint of injury. An impression of pain.
The expression he never wanted to see again, now etched behind his eyes.