Fic: Neither Rhyme Nor Reason (9a/9)
Title: Neither Rhyme Nor Reason (9a/9)
Author: gradgirl (aka Ali)
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid
Summary: When it comes to love, neither rhyme nor reason need apply.
Warnings: Based upon this prompt.
Author’s Notes: Written for a prompt by gypsieheart. Hope you enjoy it. And a huge thank you to cherimola for beta work and comma use. Comments are appreciated and loved. Thank you ~Ali
Previous Chapters: { One} { Two} {Three} { Four} { Five} { Six} { Seven} { Eight}
Note: This last chapter is massive so broken up into two parts.
Chapter Nine
Dating a neurosurgeon took some getting used to. Dating a man was even more unusual for Luke. Actually, dating in general was new territory, but Reid had assured him that Luke wasn’t alone. They continued to find snippets of time together, coffee breaks, meetings with Bob and the architect, Luke constantly trying not to grin like an idiot. And for the first time in Reid’s life, he was playing footsie with someone while pretending to pay attention in meetings.
And somehow, it worked. Because it was them.
The only downside was finding time alone. Since Luke lived with his mom and siblings, he was constantly uncomfortable, jumping at any little noise. It was only slightly better at Reid’s place. Katie kept her distance, and Luke continued to let things progress. They hadn’t gone any farther than that day in the bathroom, but Luke was receptive to Reid’s touches.
And Reid… He had never been more frustrated in his life. He was being patient because it was Luke, and he didn’t want to hurt the young man. It wasn’t about the neuro. wing. Before Luke all Reid had was his work. Now that he’d met the other man, Reid was in a completely different world. He had his work and he had Luke; the two were interconnected, and he wanted to excel at both. Failure had never been an option for Reid and definitely not with Luke. And since the moment Reid met the younger man, he had one overwhelming desire: Luke.
Trying to push all of those thoughts away, Reid opened his door. Katie and Jacob had gone over for dinner with her sister. Reid was blissfully off for the next forty-eight hours. The hospital knew not to page him unless the third-rate neurosurgeon they had on staff before Reid had there was completely overwhelmed. And Reid had threatened the woman with bodily harm if she so much as thought of calling him.
And then he saw him. Reid’s heart paused for a moment and then stuttered on. Luke was standing in front of him, dressed nicely, and the doctor realized Luke must have just come from work. He liked that, because it meant that Luke was just as anxious to see Reid as the doctor was. Luke was a wearing a button-down shirt with the tantalizing view of chest hair. He’d been attracted to the man since they met, and sitting across from Luke there was only one thing Reid wanted to do. Now he could.
Reid reached out and tugged on Luke’s hand. The blonde chuckled as he stumbled further into the apartment. The doctor’s free hand came up gripping Luke’s neck; his thumb graced underneath the younger man’s chin, and Luke’s head tilted back in the desired response. Reid pressed a kiss to Luke’s chest, and then bit softly at the skin where Luke’s neck met his chest. The younger man groaned and Reid’s lips vibrated. Luke felt the smile against his skin and then Reid’s tongue darted out, a quick swipe before he attacked again. The younger man’s hands came up, holding the doctor in place, his fingers carding through the redhead’s curls, the pads of his fingers holding Reid’s scalp.
After a few moments, Reid pulled away. His eyes met Luke’s and the blonde realized he’d probably just gotten his first hickey.
“Hi,” Luke whispered.
The older man’s lips were a little bruised and wet, and it took everything Luke had not to dive in for another kiss. He didn’t want to give Katie’s neighbors any more of a show, though.
“Hi,” Reid whispered back. With a slight groan he walked backwards into the apartment, his hands slipping around Luke’s waist and the younger man shuffled with him into the living room.
“I’m not sure how much time we have…” Reid began and he tried to hide his grimace. He needed to find his own place. But with all the work it took getting this wing up, what little free time he had he wanted to spend in Luke’s arms, not scouring the internet for an apartment.
Reid started to head toward the couch and Luke’s legs became entangled with his; they fell in an unceremonious heap. “That was graceful,” the redhead muttered.
“Yeah…” Luke sighed and started to move back slightly. He sat up further on the couch and his hand reached out cupping Reid’s cheek for a moment. “So I have a question…” He hadn’t gotten much work done that day. He’d been playing this conversation in his head, imagining how it would begin, what Reid would say, how Luke should respond.
“Yeah?” Reid checked, his head leaning into Luke’s touch. He normally didn’t like people touching his hair, getting too close. Below the waist, he didn’t care, but with Luke…every touch mattered.
“This hatred of hotels…is it absolute?” Luke nervously pulled his hand away and started to pick at a thread on the couch. “I mean, if I wanted to… If I were… If we…”
“Luke.” Reid’s hand came up and cupped the younger man’s cheek in the palm of his hand. “You’re babbling.”
“Lakeview. Hotel room. Do you have a problem with that?” Luke asked, the words rushing from his lips. He felt the blood pounding in his ears, so he couldn’t be certain he’d hear anything Reid had to say.
The redhead’s hand still cupped Luke’s cheek, and he patted it for a moment. He tried to understand what Luke was asking him, but sometimes Reid felt like he needed a translator. “Why would you get a room at your mother’s hotel?”
Luke’s head ducked down and Reid’s hand fell away. He missed the touch, but he needed to say this as well. “I’m ready,” he murmured and then his head came back up. His gaze locked on Reid’s and Luke’s fingers reached out, tugging on the collar of the redhead’s shirt. “I’m ready.”
Reid’s throat felt like it was closing. He had to be certain because there were a million scenarios running through his mind, the same ones since the first time he shook Luke’s hand. “For what?” he asked, his almost pulled away, still not ready to hope.
The smile on Luke’s face started bashful, then it deepened and his gaze met Reid’s. “No, I’m ready. And I have no idea when Katie’s going to come home. We never do.” He shrugged softly. “At this point I was thinking I just want…a bed and some privacy. So…”
The doctor immediately jumped up and grabbed Luke’s hand. “Yes. Now. I want you naked now.”
Luke allowed himself to be pulled and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Are you sure… I’m not…”
Reid turned and with his free hand, pulled Luke towards himself. He kissed Luke with a smack, but he kept holding the younger man’s face in his hands. “I have wanted you since the moment I first saw you,” he assured the blonde. “But what I want more than anything is to know that you’re certain. No doubts. Are you?”
The doctor felt Luke’s grin before it appeared, and with effort continued to hold the younger man’s face. Luke nodded his head quickly, but Reid needed to hear the words. “Luke, I’m not the guy you’ve been waiting for. I’m not perfect, and I’m not exactly sure how to be in a relationship. But if you’re willing to take a chance on me…”
Luke tugged free and wrapped his arms around Reid’s waist. “You’re wrong. I know you don’t think we make sense. I wouldn’t allow myself to want you or think about you, but there’s no stopping you, Reid Oliver, is there?”
“Not when I want something. And, Luke, all I want is you.”
“Then you were wrong. You are most definitely the guy I’ve been waiting for.”
Reid pulled him close for another kiss. Things heated up quickly, hands tugging on clothes, bodies pressing together but not getting close enough. Luke pulled away with a gasp. “Lakeview.”
The older man nodded his head in agreement.
“Should you pack a bag?” Luke checked. He remembered how Reid had been about the hotel in Dallas.
“How long are we talking about, Mr. Snyder?” Reid asked.
Luke smiled. He used to hate when Reid called him that, but now he kind of loved it. “Well, Dr. Oliver, I checked with Martha. I know you’re not scheduled for work for the next two days. I hope you’ll be naked for most of them.”
Reid chuckled. Luke was learning quickly. “Maybe a toothbrush. And other supplies.” He hesitated for a moment. This was still new for him, dating a virgin. He didn’t want to scare Luke away but was encouraged that the younger man was making some of the first moves.
“Those are taken care of,” Luke noted. “I also booked the room already. But I know how you get about your toothbrush, so… Maybe you should tell Katie…” his voice trailed off and he blushed.
“I’ll think of something,” Reid assured him. He didn’t feel like sharing the details of his sex life with his roommate any more than Luke did.
*
The ride to the hotel was relatively quiet. Luke drove a little fast, and it was awkward. He held Reid’s hand the whole way. The doctor had reached for Luke the moment they got in the car. More kisses and his hand gripped Luke’s thigh, his fingers exploring, but when Luke almost had an accident, they had to settle for holding hands.
The elevator took forever, and once they were inside Reid shoved Luke up against the wall. He attacked his mouth and Luke welcomed him in.
“I hate elevators,” Reid murmured against the younger man’s mouth.
Luke slipped out of Reid’s grasp. “What?”
“Before you, I hated elevators. I…I’m claustrophobic and I can have panic attacks.”
Luke reached for the doctor’s hand. “Are you all right? Should we take the stairs?”
“I’m fine,” Reid assured him. “But why aren’t we kissing? If you really want to help me, Mr. Snyder…”
Luke chuckled softly and tugged on the doctor’s hand, pulling him close. The elevator pinged to a stop and the doors open. Luke quickly let go when he saw a bellhop get on. He recognized the guy from high school and smiled. The guy nodded in return.
The three men stood in silence until the bellhop got off on the next floor.
“Something you want to tell me?” Reid asked. He hadn’t reached for Luke again.
“I knew him from high school,” Luke murmured, staring straight ahead.
“So?”
“He was good friends with Kevin,” the blonde said, finally meeting the doctor’s gaze.
Reid’s head nodded for a moment. “Ah.”
“All of that is in my past, I don’t want to think of any of that, ever, but especially now.” He reached out, taking Reid’s hand in his. “I want to focus on you.”
Before Reid could respond, they reached their floor. Luke started to led them toward the hotel, looking back, checking to make sure Reid was with him. When they got to the room, both men stopped.
“Are you sure?” Reid checked.
Luke smiled and with one more kiss, opened the door. Reid walked past him, placing his bag on the chair. He saw Luke’s already there, and he smiled gently.
“What would you have done if I said no?” the doctor questioned, turning and watching as Luke struggled with the “do not disturb” sign.
“What?”
Reid quickly closed the distance between them and put the sign on the door. He took Luke’s shaking hands and slowly walked him further into the room. “We really don’t have to do this,” Reid said.
Luke shook his head. “Don’t say that. I know this couldn’t possibly be what you want… dating a… me.”
The older man took a few steps back. “I’ve never been someone’s first, Luke. But from the moment I met you, you are all that I have wanted. Now that we’re here, though…” His hand came up and he rubbed the back of it against his brow. Reid took a breath. “Your first time…it should be right. It should be good.” It was on the tip of his tongue to say, it should be with someone other than me, but at the idea of anyone touching Luke, the burn in his stomach was instantaneous, and his hand came down to his side, forming a fist.
Luke’s own feet pushed him in the direction of his boyfriend. “It will be,” Luke assured Reid. “It’s you. How can it not?”
The doctor unceremoniously snorted. “Just… As much as I want you…” He held up his hands up, they came together in a brief prayer. “And believe me that’s not the problem. Since the moment I ever laid eyes on you…”
The younger man’s cheeks stained red. “Really?” Luke still found it difficult to believe that this man-Reid-wanted him.
“You have no idea what you did to me,” Reid noted incredulously. “I was never that guy. My sanity went out the window the moment I saw you smile.”
From the first word alone, Luke couldn’t help but smile. “Then prove it.” He leaned in closer, bouncing on the balls of his feet for a moment, the smile continuing to dance across his lips.
Reid pressed a quick peck to the blonde’s mouth and headed toward Luke’s bag. There was a small drug store bag next to it. He pulled out the box of condoms and the bottle of lube. He tried not to imagine Luke’s nervousness while making the purchase. He would have done it for him, and truth of the matter was, he did have both in the table next to his bed-ready for any surprises-but this time Luke shocked him.
With a breath for courage, Reid turned back to Luke. The blonde smiled and Reid couldn’t help but smile back. He never smiled as much as he did with Luke, but he was still nervous. He wanted every moment to be right and perfect, and he knew that it wouldn’t be, because it couldn’t. He just didn’t want to disappoint Luke too much. The blonde reached out his hand, welcoming Reid back.
Dropping the supplies on the bed behind them, Reid pressed a soft kiss to Luke’s mouth. The younger man’s hands came up, digging into his scalp, finding a better angle. Reid leaned into the kiss, tilting his head, his mouth opened, pulling Luke’s bottom lip in. His own hands trailed up and down Luke’s back.
When breathing became a necessity, Reid pulled away. “I never knew how amazing it was just to kiss someone.”
Luke chuckled nervously, afraid that Reid was just trying to assure him that despite the lack of other activities, he was enjoying himself. “Didn’t you kiss any of your other…” his voice trailed off and with a shake of his head, he said, “Don’t answer that.”
Reid’s hand came up, cupping the blonde’s cheek in his hand. “Luke, I’m not a poet or even a generally nice guy. When it comes to sex… I see what I want and I go after it. But with you…” He patted the blonde’s cheek for a moment.
“What?” Luke’s eyes searched Reid’s face, hoping to see what the doctor was afraid to tell him.
“I’m different. I’ve never been that guy…the guy someone waited for. I was usually the guy they couldn’t wait to get away from.”
Luke frowned for a moment and shook his head. “I’m right here. I’m scared, yes, but…I keep thinking about that look.”
“What look?”
“In your bathroom after I…” Luke’s voice trailed off and his blush returned.
“Oh.” Reid smiled, and his left hand bounced against his leg for a moment. “I remember that day very well. I may have recreated it a few hundred times in my mind.”
“Oh, yeah?” Luke asked, a smile teasing his lips.
“Yeah, but believe me, the reality is so much better than the fantasy.” Reid’s hands came out, holding Luke’s waist, his fingers skimming across the younger man’s hips. “So what about my outstanding good looks has kept you so…”
“I want to make you fall apart, because I could have…” Luke stilled for a moment, looking down at Reid’s chest before meeting the doctor’s gaze. “When I told my parents… Even before that, when I was 16…I fell apart. I did and it wasn’t until I met you that I felt whole, like I am the person I’m supposed to be. I’m gay and I’m crazy about you. And…” He grinned ruefully for a moment. “Why aren’t we naked?”
The doctor let out a relieved smiled as well, and his fingers tightened their grip, digging into Luke’s hips. “Good question, Mr. Snyder. We should rectify that situation,” he finished solemnly.
They quickly closed the small distance between them. Their lips crashed into each other. Luke pulled away with a nervous giggle, his teeth having smashed into Reid’s. The older man came back and sought Luke’s mouth. The laughter died on his lips as the kiss took his breath away.
Reid’s hands reached for the buttons of Luke’s shirt. With deft fingers, the shirt opened, slipping free from the buttons, and Reid’s lips dragged themselves down the younger man’s chin and neck, kissing and nipping along the way. With each exposure of skin, Reid pressed another kiss. The blonde’s hands came up, holding Reid in place before guiding him down, gasping with each press of Reid’s mouth to his heated flesh.
Finally, Luke’s shirt was completely undone. Reid blindly reached for the ends of it, pulling it out of the younger man’s pants, continuing to kiss him. Luke tugged on Reid’s hair, pulling him up and their mouths met again. The kissing continued for a few moments, and Luke understood what Reid meant about how amazing it was just to kiss someone.
The doctor pulled away for a moment, Luke’s fingers still in his hair, and Reid’s eyes met the younger man’s. Luke nodded his head, and Reid tried to pull Luke’s shirt off. It got caught on the watch on Luke’s wrist. The younger man’s face was inflamed, and he tried to pull it off, but Reid simply chuckled. It wasn’t supposed to be perfect, after all.
Walking behind Luke, Reid gently pulled the shirt off. His mouth found more flesh to explore and gave kisses to the back of the blonde’s neck as his hands came around Luke’s waist. Luke’s head tilted to the left, giving Reid better access. Reid’s hand rubbed up and down Luke’s chest, dipping lower with each stroke, until his hand worked its way between Luke’s stomach and his pants. Those deft fingers of his slipped the hook loose on Luke’s pants, and his palm cupped the blonde for a moment. Luke panted and tried to reach behind him. He didn’t want to pull Reid away, but his knees were shaking, and he needed something to hold on to. Reid moved, unzipping the younger man’s pants, but Luke’s gasping was too loud to hear anything. When Reid’s hand came back, the coolness against Luke’s heated flesh made the younger man jump.
Reid stilled, letting Luke’s cock adjust to his hand. It was no use though; Luke’s body was so on edge even air startled him. Reid’s palm opened, and he slowly worked up and down the younger man’s cock, find the right speed and angle, listening for the gasps, knowing what Luke wanted. With what little strength he had, Luke disentangled his body and turned to face Reid. The doctor’s hand was between them, desperate for more.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he told Reid.
“We both are,” the older man reminded Luke.
The blonde’s hands were still a little shaky as he reached for Reid’s shirt. It took him a couple of tries to get the first button undone, and he almost ripped the second one off. The older man was patient, but his chest rose and fell rapidly. Luke’s tongue darted out to dry his wet lips, and he remembered how wonderful it felt when Reid kissed his chest while undressing him. Leaning in, the blonde pressed a soft kiss to Reid’s skin. His chest was warm and smooth and Luke loved the taste. Grateful for a distraction from his nerves, Luke continued to kiss across the redhead’s chest; finding one of his nipples, he sucked it into his mouth. Luke kissed and worried the nipple between his teeth. Reid let out a shudder, and the younger man grinned against his skin.
While Luke continued to kiss Reid’s rapidly heating flesh, he reached down and tugged on Luke’s pants. The younger man pulled away. “Hey,” he murmured.
“Clothes off, remember?” Reid noted, cocking an eyebrow.
Luke grinned in return, and his hands reached for the top of the doctor’s jeans. His fingers worked a little better this time, and he was able to unsnap the button and zipper. Before the older man realized it, his jeans were pooled around his ankles. “I remember,” Luke assured him.
Both men quickly discarded their shoes and socks. Then Reid took off his watch and reached for Luke’s hand. The younger man still had his watch on. Holding up Luke’s arm, Reid kissed the inside of his wrist, feeling the pulse increase, seeking Reid’s mouth. Slowly, he removed Luke’s watch and put it on the nightstand next to his own. Reid’s gaze met Luke’s, and both men knew they were barreling toward the point of no return. Luke realized that if he wanted to-if he wasn’t ready-Reid would understand. But Luke wanted this.
Onto Part Two...