Fic: First Kiss with the Last Boy (5/11)
Title: First Kiss with the Last Boy (5/11)
Author: gradgirl (aka Ali)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Primarily Luke and Reid, mentions of Noah, Katie and the Snyder Clan.
Summary: Sometimes it's not about the first boy you kiss, it's the last. Different scenarios in which Luke and Reid could have shared their first kiss.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not my characters, just borrowing them for fic purposes.
Author’s Notes: As always I have to thank you all for stopping by and reading. All of your comments are so greatly appreciated. I have to thank my two betas (reilaroo and hopeful 624) for making this what it was. This series is made up of 10 one-shots, individual situations in which Luke and Reid could have shared their first kiss. The last chapter explains how they are tied together. ~Ali
{ Chapter 1} { Chapter 2} { Chapter 3} { Chapter 4}
Chapter 5: Pushing Buttons
Luke paced the short area that made up the lobby of the Lakeview Hotel. Just one short week ago, he was standing in this same spot, arguing with Dr. Oliver about the coldness of hospital waiting rooms. Luke tried not to think of the irony of arguing with a man who practically lived at the hospital. Reid’s argument being “what could be wrong with the hospital?” of course.
He shook his head. He couldn’t think of irony. Luke needed to plan, find a way to make his case. He couldn’t be overtly emotional. And as Luke tried to formulate his argument, he pictured Dr. Oliver. Luke could see the blue eyes, which always seemed to narrow-two lasers of disdain often directed at him. The full lips were usually pressed together, forming a thin line or pursed, ready to argue.
Luke shook his head again. He didn’t need to focus on how the doctor looked either; he needed to concentrate on the arguments that would come. It was like chess, he realized. For every move Luke made, Dr. Oliver would have one in return. I’m pretty good at chess, the blonde reminded himself. But he vaguely remembered Reid mentioning he liked chess. The man was brilliant; chess would be right up his alley.
He pivoted, another turn. Luke refused to check his watch, and he wouldn’t give the doctor the satisfaction of calling.
Earlier, when Luke had talked to Dr. Oliver, the older man was his usual charming self.
“If I’m not in surgery-I might be able to attend this meeting. I know you think my work at the hospital has been getting in the way of these vital discussions about the type of padding for the waiting room chairs.”
It took everything Luke had not to snort in response. Despite their combative relationship, the dry wit-even when it was directed at him-was appealing. That last thought made Luke stop in his tracks.
It had been a shock to see the brilliant doctor sweating and panicking. And yes, Luke had used it to his advantage, but the blonde knew (as he knew his own name) if the situation were reversed, Dr. Oliver would have reacted in kind. This small thing kept tugging at him. He was supposed to be focusing on the meeting and stating his case. Luke wasn’t going to let things like teasing and smiles and…
“Pushing buttons,” the blonde murmured.
“Yes, Mr. Snyder, if you press the buttons, the elevator will arrive and we can go to our meeting.”
The younger man stood frozen as soon as he heard Reid’s voice. While he was standing in place, a familiar shock of awareness worked its way through his body. He briefly remembered feeling this way the night he tried to push Dr. Oliver out of his living room. It wasn’t unusual for Luke to grab or shove the older man. But that had been different-a brief moment, that awareness which Luke had either ignored or never realized was there, suddenly appeared.
There was no going back.
Dr. Oliver’s deep voice, thick with condescension and disdain, sent a shiver down Luke’s spine. He watched the blonde for a moment. The thick hair, which was so many shades of blonde that it reminded Reid of the wheat fields he’d seen on his way into town. He shook his head, disappointed in himself, waxing poetic about young Mr. Snyder’s hair and likening it to wheat fields? He had been in this town too long. And there was no end in sight, especially since the point of this meeting was to discuss a neurology wing Reid would be running.
But why did the redhead’s left hand suddenly tap against his leg, itching to run his fingers through the blonde hair, even if it resembled crops.
The blonde turned and Reid wondered if Luke realized what he was doing, but his eyes traveled down Reid’s body and he saw young Mr. Snyder swallow. The doctor quickly dismissed the thought that Luke might be checking him out.
“Ready?” the blonde finally asked. Luke’s voice squeaked a little.
The doctor suppressed a grin. “Are you?” His hand started to tap faster. “I mean since you have to remind yourself how to work an elevator and all.”
A puff of air shot out from Luke’s lips. “I wasn’t talking about elevators. I was-” His lips smacked shut. This is exactly what he had been trying to avoid. The blonde’s weight shifted from one foot to the other and when he chanced a glance at the doctor, he could see the bemused expression on Reid’s face. Luke wanted to say something, anything to wipe that look off the redhead’s face. He didn’t like feeling out of control or that with one look Reid could see everything that Luke was thinking. If Luke was standing in front of the doctor completely naked, he wouldn’t have felt as exposed as he did right then.
“Look, Mr. Snyder, I do have patients, so if you want to stand in the lobby, that’s fine. I am going to go see this architect that you insist I dress up for. Although, if he is paying more attention to the fact that I’m wearing a suit than trying to impress me-”
Luke shook his head. Without thinking, he grabbed Reid’s hand and started to lead him to the elevator. The doctor was surprised and allowed himself to be led.
“I know you have an opinion on everything, and yes, you’re even brilliant,” Luke noted as he continued to drag him to the elevator. “But do you ever shut up?”
They had finally made their way to the elevator and with his free hand the younger man pressed the button to call the elevator to the lobby.
Reid’s mouth opened and closed for a moment. He was used to the manhandling (as best as he could be), but this felt different. Maybe it was because of the unconscious way Luke had done it or the gentle way the younger man’s thumb moved across Reid’s fingers.
The doors slid open and Luke hesitated for a moment. He finally realized that he was holding Reid’s hand. He quickly let go as though the redhead’s hand was burning.
“Mr. Snyder?” Reid asked.
The elevator doors slid shut and both men were still standing there in the lobby.
“I’m sorry,” Luke finally murmured. “I…” A small smile tugged at his lips. “I was just thinking about the last time we were here.”
Reid turned and watched the blonde’s profile.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Luke admitted.
The doctor tried not to feel disappointed. It was odd, but he realized he was starting to enjoy the arguments. He didn’t want to like Mr. Snyder and he hated that. Luke was everything he disliked about this provincial town, but just like this place, living with Katie and the kid, he was building a life here. And two months ago, even two weeks ago, he would deny it with his last breath-even if it was a lie-he was starting to like this place, and worst of all, he was starting to like Mr. Snyder.
“Mr. Snyder-” It was a reflexive response: say the young man’s name with complete exasperation.
The blonde finally turned, his eyes meeting Reid’s, and this time the doctor felt like he was naked. Although, Reid wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of standing naked in front of Luke.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Luke replied.
The doctor jerked back slightly. He didn’t know what he was going to say, and he was slightly terrified by the younger man’s response.
“‘Shut up, Mr. Snyder, and let’s get this meeting over with,’” Luke’s voice was slightly deeper, trying to mimic the sound of the cool disdain Reid always displayed.
It didn’t have the desired effect though.
“At the risk of falling back to our usual contentious relationship,” Reid replied, his voice and gaze pointedly directed at Luke. “I was going to say…I don’t…” he swallowed. “Necessarily want to fight with you either. At least not when we’re going to get on this death contraption.”
Luke chuckled softly. “I checked with maintenance, the elevator has been running fine all day.”
Reid looked at the young man, so many questions rushing through his mind. “Why?” he finally asked and his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Wanted to make sure you were all right,” he responded.
The elevator doors opened again, and Luke stepped in.
Reid was frozen for a moment.
“Are you coming?” the blonde called. He was leaning against the back of the elevator.
Dr. Oliver didn’t say anything, just nodded his head and followed Luke.
The doors slid shut with a whoosh. The blonde was still leaning against the back wall of the small space as though he were trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. It surprised Reid, not just from the fact that less than five minutes ago Luke was holding his hand. But more than that, Reid couldn’t forget what had happened the last time they were in this elevator. Well, to be more precise, what had happened after they left the elevator.
Reid had yet to catch his breath as he raced through the hotel lobby on his way to the parking lot. He had almost forgotten that Luke had driven them.
“Dr. Oliver!” a breathless voice greeted him.
But he couldn’t think about the meeting. He had a patient who needed him. He glanced back at the young man and Reid opened his mouth.
“My car’s right here,” Luke reminded him.
The doctor’s mouth quickly closed, and he went around to the passenger side. He had barely gotten his door shut before Luke peeled out of the parking lot. Reid was grateful he didn’t have to remind Luke of the importance of getting to the hospital.
Reid didn’t know what to expect and he usually ran through the surgery in his mind beforehand. But all he had was a page. Instead, Luke became his focus. The young man drove fast but not erratically. Reid was surprised, the young man seemed to be ruled by his emotions. Luke had leaned forward, his gaze intensely concentrating. Reid shuddered slightly, remembering that night in the Snyder living room, when that same gaze had been directed at him.
“I’m hurrying. I promise,” Luke said. He thought the older man’s movements were more related to the upcoming surgery.
Reid didn’t say anything in response. He kept his eyes forward for a few moments. Slowly, the doctor’s eyes slid over to Luke again. His eyes landed on the young man’s hands, remembering the gentle way he had pulled Reid’s fist away from the elevator door.
Finally, they arrived in the hospital parking lot. Dr. Oliver raced out of the car. Again he had forgotten about the younger man, instead choosing to focus on his patient. He raced toward the hospital doors. Reid needed to get to the patient.
Luke didn’t say anything, not at first, but the doctor couldn’t stop sweating. He tugged at his tie and then he felt hands on his shoulders and down his chest for a moment. Reid stood completely still. Luke tugged and the jacket slid down his shoulders. The gesture was so intimate, mostly because it was natural and unconscious on Luke’s part.
And just as soon as it started, it was over. Dr. Oliver was once again racing toward his patient.
Reid had almost forgotten about the moment, but when he had put his coat on before coming to this meeting, he noticed a faint whiff of cologne: Luke.
A gentle chuckle broke the silence in the small elevator. “Are you okay?” Luke finally asked.
Dr. Oliver sighed. “I would be if you stopped asking me that. It’s not being in an elevator that bothers me.”
“Okay, I just…” The blonde shook his head with a smile. “I was surprised to learn that you were human.”
Reid’s head swiveled around, and he looked at Luke for a moment. “And your response wasn’t exactly kind. You didn’t jump to help me.” Reid shrugged. “Well, you did jump-” he continued pointedly.
The younger man chuckled at the doctor’s words. “Well…” He moved closer. “If I offered to hold your hand, that would make you feel worse.”
The redhead looked at Luke for a moment. He had opened his mouth to respond-an automatic reflex-verbal tennis. But Reid wasn’t ready. He again caught a whiff of Luke’s cologne, and he remembered the hands on his shoulders, pulling the jacket off of him.
“Dr. Oliver?” he questioned. Luke’s head cocked to the right.
“I-I’m not so sure,” Dr. Oliver finally responded
Luke’s gaze locked on Reid’s mouth for a moment. “About?” he murmured.
“If-”
The rest of the doctor’s response died on his lips. The younger man’s hand slid down Reid’s arm until the blonde’s hand grasped Reid’s.
“What are you doing?” the words were thick, low, and they sent every nerve ending in Luke’s body on end.
Glancing at their hands, Luke smiled. “I’ve always been curious about your hands.”
Reid found he couldn’t move, and soon breathing was going to become difficult. He couldn’t believe the effect the young man had on him.
“The lives these hands have saved…the work you do,” his voice was low, breathless. Luke’s free hand skimmed over the doctor’s. Finally, the blonde looked up, his gaze meeting Reid’s. Luke swallowed thickly. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. No one had ever looked at him like that. It wasn’t just that Reid wanted him (at least, that’s what Luke thought), but it was like Reid could see right through him.
The doctor’s free came up and cupped Luke’s cheek in his hand. The blonde’s eyes fluttered shut. It was too much, too overwhelming to look into Reid’s eyes and to feel the doctor’s thumb against his skin. He felt himself being pulled and then…
A breath skimmed across his lips.
“Luke…”
His eyes flew open and then Reid’s lips were pressed against his. Luke quickly let go of the doctor’s hands, his own coming up to hold the doctor’s face, guiding him, pulling him close. He couldn’t stop moving his lips or his hands, his body pushing, pulling, trying to keep Reid with him.
The doctor rested one of his palms against Luke’s lower back, holding him still, his lips exploring the young man’s. He couldn’t remember how long he’d wanted to be in this place with the younger man, but he was going to make it last. Remembering Luke’s impulsivity, he realized once the blonde came to his senses, he would pull away.
The elevator jolted, bringing them to their floor. A soft ding and then the doors slid open.
They breathlessly pulled apart. Reid hesitated, waiting for the fear to creep into Luke’s eyes, the frantic questions about what he was doing.
The blonde looked at Dr. Oliver for a moment. His lips were red and swollen, his breath came out in short puffs. Then the lips closed, curving into a gentle smile. Luke’s gaze held Reid’s. “Think of the brain,” he instructed before turning and hitting the emergency button. The doors slid shut with a loud clang.
Then Luke grabbed Reid’s tie and tugged him close. “Just think of the brain,” he murmured before capturing the doctor’s bottom lip in both of his.
===========
Onto Chapter Six...