justprompts: The best thing in life is...
"Man... you sure I have to do all that?"
"Yes, Reid. I'm positive. Just finish putting them all, it'll be all right."
The blond made a face at his partner, then withdrew back out of the bathroom, where he'd peeked in for a last attempt to get out of... something.
Not the responsibility, of course. There was no such a situation, where Reid would filch away out of what he had to do; not to mention that the occasion was more than marginally something that he wanted to be at. It was just that, he thought as he fiddled with the cuff links of the cream silk shirt, the discreet glint of silver sobering it up...
Well, it was sober. Or, at least, supposed to. It wasn't like he didn't already own the clothes, or they weren't cared for, or anything like it. He'd probably even worn most of them, at one time or another, for his mother's 'events' or charity occasions. Stuff like that.
But putting it all together was, whatever. Something else. Except he wanted to be there. And at his best, not spoiling anything for anybody, even a little. (Even if everybody knew that Reid not spoiling anything also meant making people laugh at something ridiculous; Pogue would get worried, otherwise. Maybe. Not like he wasn't going to be busy...)
He shrugged on the vest, picked up the hanger with the jacket, brushed a hand over the shoulders before carefully putting it on. This kind of thing just made stand up straight and all. He still wasn't too fond of the sensation, even if the reflex to hunch down in on himself was... less gnawing, had been growing so since things had changed into whatever it was that he and Tyler had.
And Vienna, but she wasn't here tonight. Family emergency and all; she had been unhappy to have to be missing, but her presence was really needed elsewhere. And Reid and Tyler were in turn unhappy that they couldn't be there. But neither shit could be rescheduled, and they'd promised her a lot of pictures and a piece of the cake for when she came back. That should... help start making it up a bit.
... which train of thought kind of trailed off, because Tyler stepped out of the bathroom, all dressed up but the jacket, and Reid's lips curled up on their own, without conscious thought to initiate it. Conscious thought was entirely too busy admiring - his boyfriend, his partner, his friend, well, his Ty. Looking him down and then up all the way, until he reached the blue eyes that seemed to be just about as interested in - and appreciative - as he felt... "Wow, blondie."
"Oh, this old thing?" Tyler made a face at him, and Reid rolled his shoulders and straightened up. "Glad it's not too hard on the eyes." Then he took a step closer, and then another, until he was standng right before the slightly taller man, reaching up. "Your bow tie's crooked."
"Oh shut up."
Long fingers were already straightening the slightly gleaming fabric; his smile went quirkier. "Make me."
Yes, he pretty much knew that the kiss that followed was coming. It still made his knees soften a little, and his breath catch; by the time it was over, their arms were around each other and Tyler's fingers were buried in the back of his hair. "How's that."
"You mussed up my hair."
"Whiner. And no, pouting won't... dammit."
Mmm. Reid did love to make his lover's eyes soften just like that, he really did. He also loved the feel of his fingers running down the back of his hair, smoothing it out. And the angle at which he tilted his head, slightly exasperated but without moving a fraction of an inch away.
"There. Better?"
"I dunno. Do I have to go find a mirror?"
Raised eyebrow; Reid grinned.
"It would mean I have to move away, you know."
"Brat."
Another kiss; this time just a brief one, even if his hand managed to find its way down to resting on Tyler's butt. "Always. baby boy."
"If you keep that up, we're going to be late."
"Now this is mean."
"No, it's not."
"It is when you're speaking so closely that I can taste your breath on my--" Yeah, that got him another kiss; then, they disentangled themselves reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm going to behave... More or less."
"Reid!" But when the blond held outt the jacket he had reached first, Tyler shrugged it on without complaint, waiting for the older boy to adjust it appropriately and everything. "I still can't believe you managed to get us in matching colors."
"Think anybody will object?"
"Besides your mom?" Reid winced; Tyler let out a breath. "Sorry, blondie."
"That's alright. At least she'll be there."
"Yeah."
The silence after that was less uncomfortable than it would have been, a year or three ago; they finished taking their stuff, started gravitating towards the door. Tyler actually reacted a little bit surprised when Reid looked back of his shoulder and murmured, "you look good, too, by the way," right before slipping out the front door.
They'd been to not a few formal or formal-like receptions since they got together; they knew how to behave, more or less. The snogging (or more) in, say, coats closets would come late,r after food and Reid getting his hands on whatever had been arranged that he could accommodate the mischief with; to begin with, there was good and steady mingling, making sure everybody - including the principal parties guilty for the occasion - were having a reasonably good time.
It was in the middle of a sentence that Reid first caught a glimpse of red hair among the guests, his eyes widened, and he barely finished his thought before excusing himself and gravitating (or descending?) towards the spot where he'd spotted that.
He and Tyler reached her at about the same time; she was facing the other way, but Tyler could see him well enough. There would be a full hug later; now all she got was Reid's arm around her waist, Tyler's hand on her shoulder, and kisses, chaste and quick, from each of them.
"You made it."
"Yeah, I... may still have things to deal with, but..." Small shrug. When things mattered, she could ignore difficulties with the best of them; it was one of the things that had kept the three of them together. For now, her tired eyes ran down one and then the other, and her eyebrows rose up. "Wow, you two..."
Tyler grinned. "He cleans up nicely, doesn't he?"
"Hey!"
"Oh, you do." It was a combination between Ty's squeeze of his elbow and the little bit of husk in Vienna's voice that calmed Reid down, but instead more objections, his face softened in a smile, unexpected a little vulnerable. He couldn't doubt them, when they were like that; no, he just couldn't doubt them. Even his own issues just melted before that warmth, blew away like ashes in the wind.
And... Reid did not object to the feeling that all left, at all.
"Yes, Reid. I'm positive. Just finish putting them all, it'll be all right."
The blond made a face at his partner, then withdrew back out of the bathroom, where he'd peeked in for a last attempt to get out of... something.
Not the responsibility, of course. There was no such a situation, where Reid would filch away out of what he had to do; not to mention that the occasion was more than marginally something that he wanted to be at. It was just that, he thought as he fiddled with the cuff links of the cream silk shirt, the discreet glint of silver sobering it up...
Well, it was sober. Or, at least, supposed to. It wasn't like he didn't already own the clothes, or they weren't cared for, or anything like it. He'd probably even worn most of them, at one time or another, for his mother's 'events' or charity occasions. Stuff like that.
But putting it all together was, whatever. Something else. Except he wanted to be there. And at his best, not spoiling anything for anybody, even a little. (Even if everybody knew that Reid not spoiling anything also meant making people laugh at something ridiculous; Pogue would get worried, otherwise. Maybe. Not like he wasn't going to be busy...)
He shrugged on the vest, picked up the hanger with the jacket, brushed a hand over the shoulders before carefully putting it on. This kind of thing just made stand up straight and all. He still wasn't too fond of the sensation, even if the reflex to hunch down in on himself was... less gnawing, had been growing so since things had changed into whatever it was that he and Tyler had.
And Vienna, but she wasn't here tonight. Family emergency and all; she had been unhappy to have to be missing, but her presence was really needed elsewhere. And Reid and Tyler were in turn unhappy that they couldn't be there. But neither shit could be rescheduled, and they'd promised her a lot of pictures and a piece of the cake for when she came back. That should... help start making it up a bit.
... which train of thought kind of trailed off, because Tyler stepped out of the bathroom, all dressed up but the jacket, and Reid's lips curled up on their own, without conscious thought to initiate it. Conscious thought was entirely too busy admiring - his boyfriend, his partner, his friend, well, his Ty. Looking him down and then up all the way, until he reached the blue eyes that seemed to be just about as interested in - and appreciative - as he felt... "Wow, blondie."
"Oh, this old thing?" Tyler made a face at him, and Reid rolled his shoulders and straightened up. "Glad it's not too hard on the eyes." Then he took a step closer, and then another, until he was standng right before the slightly taller man, reaching up. "Your bow tie's crooked."
"Oh shut up."
Long fingers were already straightening the slightly gleaming fabric; his smile went quirkier. "Make me."
Yes, he pretty much knew that the kiss that followed was coming. It still made his knees soften a little, and his breath catch; by the time it was over, their arms were around each other and Tyler's fingers were buried in the back of his hair. "How's that."
"You mussed up my hair."
"Whiner. And no, pouting won't... dammit."
Mmm. Reid did love to make his lover's eyes soften just like that, he really did. He also loved the feel of his fingers running down the back of his hair, smoothing it out. And the angle at which he tilted his head, slightly exasperated but without moving a fraction of an inch away.
"There. Better?"
"I dunno. Do I have to go find a mirror?"
Raised eyebrow; Reid grinned.
"It would mean I have to move away, you know."
"Brat."
Another kiss; this time just a brief one, even if his hand managed to find its way down to resting on Tyler's butt. "Always. baby boy."
"If you keep that up, we're going to be late."
"Now this is mean."
"No, it's not."
"It is when you're speaking so closely that I can taste your breath on my--" Yeah, that got him another kiss; then, they disentangled themselves reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm going to behave... More or less."
"Reid!" But when the blond held outt the jacket he had reached first, Tyler shrugged it on without complaint, waiting for the older boy to adjust it appropriately and everything. "I still can't believe you managed to get us in matching colors."
"Think anybody will object?"
"Besides your mom?" Reid winced; Tyler let out a breath. "Sorry, blondie."
"That's alright. At least she'll be there."
"Yeah."
The silence after that was less uncomfortable than it would have been, a year or three ago; they finished taking their stuff, started gravitating towards the door. Tyler actually reacted a little bit surprised when Reid looked back of his shoulder and murmured, "you look good, too, by the way," right before slipping out the front door.
They'd been to not a few formal or formal-like receptions since they got together; they knew how to behave, more or less. The snogging (or more) in, say, coats closets would come late,r after food and Reid getting his hands on whatever had been arranged that he could accommodate the mischief with; to begin with, there was good and steady mingling, making sure everybody - including the principal parties guilty for the occasion - were having a reasonably good time.
It was in the middle of a sentence that Reid first caught a glimpse of red hair among the guests, his eyes widened, and he barely finished his thought before excusing himself and gravitating (or descending?) towards the spot where he'd spotted that.
He and Tyler reached her at about the same time; she was facing the other way, but Tyler could see him well enough. There would be a full hug later; now all she got was Reid's arm around her waist, Tyler's hand on her shoulder, and kisses, chaste and quick, from each of them.
"You made it."
"Yeah, I... may still have things to deal with, but..." Small shrug. When things mattered, she could ignore difficulties with the best of them; it was one of the things that had kept the three of them together. For now, her tired eyes ran down one and then the other, and her eyebrows rose up. "Wow, you two..."
Tyler grinned. "He cleans up nicely, doesn't he?"
"Hey!"
"Oh, you do." It was a combination between Ty's squeeze of his elbow and the little bit of husk in Vienna's voice that calmed Reid down, but instead more objections, his face softened in a smile, unexpected a little vulnerable. He couldn't doubt them, when they were like that; no, he just couldn't doubt them. Even his own issues just melted before that warmth, blew away like ashes in the wind.
And... Reid did not object to the feeling that all left, at all.