FIC: A Fun Night
Title: A Fun Night
Author: sleeper6
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Reid tries to distract Luke from his illness.
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Author's notes: Sequel to Too Tired and inspired by FFF prompt, SexyBack. Can be read as a stand-alone fic.
Warning: Might be too angsty at the beginning but there's fluff!
“Luke!”
Luke, sitting in the hospital waiting room, looks up to see Reid running down the corridor toward him.
Reid struggles to catch his breath as he stops in front of Luke. “Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. There was a big emergency and-”
“Reid, I know. I got your text. Don’t worry about it,” Luke says quietly.
“But I wanted to be here; you know I needed to be,” Reid says.
“I was here so . . . “ Luke says, looking away.
Reid stares at Luke, who’s been looking weaker every day since he started the dialysis treatments months ago. He doesn’t eat a lot, sleeps too much, and, though Reid has told him constantly to slow down, works more than he should. Luke’s also been distant lately, not talking endlessly like he’s always done, not laughing at Reid’s stupid jokes, barely letting Reid touch him, and repeatedly ignoring invitations from Lily and Holden to join them for dinner. Though Reid doesn’t take it personally-Luke really is sick-he misses Luke, his Luke, and he hopes that Luke can-and will-get better soon.
Reid brushes invisible lint off Luke’s jacket, his fingers lingering on Luke’s shoulder. “So what did Dr. Andrews say?”
Luke stares straight ahead at the wall. “That the treatments aren’t working.”
Reid’s chest suddenly feels very tight. He swallows hard. “That’s what he said might happen, remember?”
After Luke’s infections and weight loss continued without change, Dr. Andrews had tried being completely honest without being too blunt (unlike his Chief of Staff). Though he hadn’t used the term “transplant,” he had made sure that Luke and Reid knew that the treatments more than likely weren’t going to be the sole remedy for Luke’s condition. Reid remembers the anger he felt toward Dr. Andrews as he heard him calmly talk to Luke and wishing the doctor, for Luke’s sake, to at least pretend to be one of the superheroes that doctors are supposed to be instead of the mere mortals that they really are.
Though Luke was smart enough to know what was happening, Reid still wanted to shield him from the harsh truth. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to protect Luke; he needed to protect him. He wanted to help keep the smile on Luke’s face even if he couldn’t help the rest of his body.
“Yeah,” Luke says, slowly nodding. “He was right.”
“Let’s go to Chicago and see that specialist I told you about.”
Luke looks at him. “You don’t trust Dr. Andrews?”
“I don’t trust what’s going on with your kidney, and I think the doctor in Chicago can help us a lot more.”
“Help me, you mean. It’s my body, Reid. It’s my kidney. It’s my fucking mess.”
“I know, I know,” Reid says as he pulls his hand away from Luke’s shoulder.
Luke has been blaming himself a lot lately for his current condition. He gets irrationally angry, paces around the bedroom or kitchen or living room-wherever Reid is-and talks about his past and his mistakes and says he’s going to fix himself all on his own since it’s his fault that he’s sick again. Reid tried comforting him the first two or three times, but now Reid ignores Luke and lets him talk as much as he wants (these are the only times lately that Luke actually talks). Luke needs to rant and vent, and Reid lets him do so, but it doesn’t mean he likes hearing it. He hates it.
Reid rubs his eyes. “I just want you to get better.”
“I want that too,” Luke says softly.
“So why don’t we go, then? We’ll take the train up there tomorrow and-”
“Tomorrow? But you’re working.”
“I’ll take a sick day,” Reid says.
Luke shakes his head. “I don’t feel like traveling tomorrow. I’m too tired.”
“Luke-”
Luke stands up and almost falls back, but Reid quickly stands and holds him steady. “I got you.”
“Can we just go home?” Luke asks.
“Yeah, of course.”
“We have to take your car. I was too tired to drive over here so I got a ride from work.”
Reid nods and leads them out of the hospital, his right arm tight around Luke’s waist.
“I can get him to come here,” Reid says as he drives. “That is, if you don’t want to go see him in Chicago.”
Luke doesn’t say anything. He’s leaning against the door, his head resting on the window as he looks out into the darkness.
“Luke?”
“I trust Dr. Andrews.”
“So do I, but there’s nothing wrong with seeking additional advice from another expert.”
After a minute of silence, Luke sighs. “I’ll see him but not tomorrow-some other time.”
“What else did Dr. Andrews tell you?”
Luke shrugs.
“If you don’t tell me, you know I’ll simply ask him myself.”
“He’s my doctor, not yours.”
“True, but he works for me, he reports to me, and he has to tell me anything I need to know,” Reid shoots back.
“Ask him then.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
They ride in complete silence until they arrive home. Neither gets out when Reid parks the car.
“Luke, I know it’s hard.”
Luke looks at Reid, his eyes narrowed and his nose flared. “Yes, it’s hard, Reid. It’s very hard. You have no idea.”
Reid says nothing, knowing it’s that time again for Luke to rant.
“I hate this and I know I’m supposed to fight to get better but for what, huh? What if my doctor or your doctor tells me I need a new kidney? And what if I get it and then in another five or ten years I have go through his all over again? I’m tired. I did it when I was sixteen, I’m doing it now and I don’t want to do it again later on. It’s hard, yes, and maybe that’s why I don’t want to go see any other doctor. Maybe I just don’t want to do anything about it anymore, maybe I should just accept whatever happens to me and-“
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not? Why not? It’s my kidney, Reid, it’s my fucking kidney. I get to decide what I want to do about it,” Luke yells.
“Don’t be a selfish asshole.”
Luke laughs. He is about to open the passenger door when Reid’s hands grab onto his. Luke slaps Reid’s hands away. “Let me go.”
Reid holds onto Luke’s wrists, hoping he’s not holding him too tightly and possibly hurting him. “No, not until you listen to me.”
Luke stops moving and looks at Reid, his breathing loud and heavy in the car.
“It may just be your kidney but it’s my life you’re dealing with here.” Reid leans in closer to Luke. “Are you listening?” Luke looks at him. “You know it’s true, Luke. If you give up, if you quit, if you . . . I’m not going to lose you, you hear me? Not like this and not after everything we’ve been through.”
Luke is still breathing heavily, his eyes glassy as he stares at Reid.
“And we still have a lot more to go through and a whole lot more to do that we haven’t yet, so don’t talk about shit like quitting and giving up, you hear me? I need you around to do all those things with, so you better stop talking like that. Because it matters to me what you do or don’t do. Your life is my life too, Luke.”
“I don’t want to be sick, Reid.”
“I know.
“I’m sorry.”
“Come here,” Reid says as he embraces Luke. “Don’t apologize for being sick, just promise that you’ll try to get better for you and for me and for us. Remember, there’s so much we haven’t done yet and I don’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Luke holds on to Reid, his face nestled in Reid’s neck. “Like what?”
“Like, um, go to Paris. I promised we’d go there one day and we still haven’t but we will.”
“Okay.”
“And what about that apartment you want us to buy in New York so we can spend our holidays there? I know you still want to do that,” Reid says, wanting to give Luke any kind of hope. “And you want to see Ethan graduate from high school, don’t you? And you haven’t written a best-selling novel yet.”
Luke chuckles, which gives Reid hope as well.
“And, um, I know that one day . . . many, many, many years from now, you’re going to want to ask me to marry you so how do you expect to do that if you’re not around?”
Luke immediately pulls away from Reid. He looks at Reid with a look of shock. “Did you really just say that?”
“Say what?” Reid asks.
“Reid.”
Reid shrugs. “I don’t know what you heard.”
Luke smiles.
Reid touches Luke’s chin. “I know we have to be realistic and face what we’re dealing with here, but we also have to remember to keep living, Luke, just like we’ve been doing for the past few years, doing normal things like arguing about stupid things and about stuff we haven’t fought about-like your hair.”
Luke touches his head.
“You know that’s going to be a topic of discussion very soon. Or my eating habits. I know it won’t be long before you’re throwing away my junk food and stocking the fridge with tofu and vegetables and such.”
Luke smiles wider.
“How about we focus on fun stuff tonight and not talk about this anymore? Do you think we can do that?” Reid asks.
Luke nods.
“Do you want to watch a movie or play chess or . . .?” Reid asks as they enter the house.
Luke laughs. “You said we were going to do something ‘fun.’ There’s nothing fun about getting my ass kicked by you.”
“But it is fun kicking it,” Reid replies with a wink.
“Ha ha. We can watch a movie, nothing too serious, though.”
“Damn. I was about to recommend a three-hour classic on existentialism,” Reid jokes.
Luke rolls his eyes and sits on the couch. Reid heats up a bowl of pasta that he’d bought the night before but which Luke had been too tired to eat from, so there was plenty left over. He walks into the living room and sets the bowl in the center of their coffee table along with two round plates.
“Reid, I’m not really hungry.”
“I beg to differ,” Reid says as he scoops some pasta onto Luke’s plate and shoves it toward him. “And we’re doing fun things, remember? Eating is fun.”
“Fine,” Luke says, grinning as he sits back and starts the movie.
But thirty minutes later, Luke’s food is practically untouched, and he’s barely laughed once. Reid thought it’d be good for both of them to not talk or think about Luke’s health, but that was obviously easier said than done.
Reid sighs as Luke stares blankly at the screen. “You’re not enjoying this, are you?”
Luke puts his plate on the table. “Not really.”
“Okay, we can do something else. Any suggestions?”
Luke shrugs. “I’ve already seen this movie.”
“Let’s watch another, then.”
Luke bites his lip but says nothing.
“What do you want to do, Luke?” Reid asks a little too loudly.
Luke rubs his face. “I want to go to sleep.”
Reid stands and throws his empty plate onto the table. He walks out of the living room.
“Reid. Reid,” Luke calls after him, but Reid doesn’t return.
Until a few minutes later.
Reid walks in wearing tight black pants, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a black vest. A skinny, black tie completes the outfit.
Luke sits up. “Where are you going?”
Reid doesn’t respond. He moves the table out of the way and then walks over to the stereo.
“Reid?”
Reid stands in front of Luke, still not saying anything.
“Reid, don’t be mad,” Luke starts as he attempts to stand.
Reid motions for him to sit. “I’m only going to do this once and if it doesn’t work like I want it to, then we’re really screwed.”
“What are you talking about?”
Reid holds up a finger to his mouth. Luke looks at him confusingly until Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” song begins, the music filling the entire room.
Luke holds up a hand to his mouth in utter surprise. “I don’t believe it!” In the years they’ve been together, Reid has never showed Luke his Justin Timberlake impression, which Luke only knew about when Katie accidentally let it slip one time. No amount of convincing on Luke’s part could persuade Reid to show him even the tiniest bit of it.
Until now.
Luke watches in fascination as Reid moves from side to side and even spins several times as his mouth lip synchs to the lyrics. He even mimics Justin’s hand movements.
After the three-and-a-half minute song is over, Reid dramatically bows.
Luke claps and whistles louder than he’s ever done before.
Reid walks over to Luke and holds up his arms. “Well?”
Luke stands and throws himself into Reid’s arms. He hugs him tightly and kisses every inch of his face. “That was amazing!”
Reid laughs as he holds onto Luke.
“Now I can die happy.”
Reid frowns.
“Oops, wrong choice of words,” Luke says, chuckling. “Why had you never done this before?”
“There are so many things you haven’t watched me do, yet, Snyder. I want you to give me a chance to show ‘em all to you.”
Luke pulls back, holding onto Reid’s hands. He nods. “Okay.” He pushes his lips against Reid’s. “You are awesome.”
“So are you.”
“All this time . . . I . . . wow, you’re just-you’re amazing, Reid, you really are. Thank you.”
“That’s nothing,” Reid says as he lowers them to the couch. “If you promise to get better and stick around longer, I’ll show you my other dance, one that not even Katie and Jacob have seen. It’s Justin Timberlake, circa 1999-”
“Not the NSYNC dance?” Luke asks, his eyes wide and hopeful.
“Yup.”
“Complete with puppet movements?” Luke says, referring to the boy band’s famous “Bye Bye Bye” dance routine.
“Oh yes,” Reid says, nodding firmly.
Luke hangs onto Reid’s tie and pulls him closer. “I can’t wait,” he says, his eyes twinkling.
“So you won’t give up, then?” Reid says.
“I need to see that dance,” Luke says.
Reid laughs. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Luke kisses Reid. “Now I want to have sex with you so I can imagine Justin in my head.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding!” Luke says. “After watching you, I have to say you’re even better than the real thing.”
“I am.”
Luke lies down and pulls Reid on top of him, kissing him intensely as his hands move down to Reid’s pants.
Reid breaks the kiss. They haven’t been intimate in almost three weeks. “Are you sure, Luke?”
“You said we were going to do fun things tonight, right?”
“Right.”
Luke kisses him again. “Take me to Chicago tomorrow,” he whispers in Reid’s ear.
Reid exhales in relief. He didn't think a silly song and dance would work but it did and he's glad he did it. “You got it, Luke.”
Sequel: Charlie the Friendly Nurse
Author: sleeper6
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Reid tries to distract Luke from his illness.
Disclaimer: All belongs to As the World Turns, not me.
Author's notes: Sequel to Too Tired and inspired by FFF prompt, SexyBack. Can be read as a stand-alone fic.
Warning: Might be too angsty at the beginning but there's fluff!
“Luke!”
Luke, sitting in the hospital waiting room, looks up to see Reid running down the corridor toward him.
Reid struggles to catch his breath as he stops in front of Luke. “Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. There was a big emergency and-”
“Reid, I know. I got your text. Don’t worry about it,” Luke says quietly.
“But I wanted to be here; you know I needed to be,” Reid says.
“I was here so . . . “ Luke says, looking away.
Reid stares at Luke, who’s been looking weaker every day since he started the dialysis treatments months ago. He doesn’t eat a lot, sleeps too much, and, though Reid has told him constantly to slow down, works more than he should. Luke’s also been distant lately, not talking endlessly like he’s always done, not laughing at Reid’s stupid jokes, barely letting Reid touch him, and repeatedly ignoring invitations from Lily and Holden to join them for dinner. Though Reid doesn’t take it personally-Luke really is sick-he misses Luke, his Luke, and he hopes that Luke can-and will-get better soon.
Reid brushes invisible lint off Luke’s jacket, his fingers lingering on Luke’s shoulder. “So what did Dr. Andrews say?”
Luke stares straight ahead at the wall. “That the treatments aren’t working.”
Reid’s chest suddenly feels very tight. He swallows hard. “That’s what he said might happen, remember?”
After Luke’s infections and weight loss continued without change, Dr. Andrews had tried being completely honest without being too blunt (unlike his Chief of Staff). Though he hadn’t used the term “transplant,” he had made sure that Luke and Reid knew that the treatments more than likely weren’t going to be the sole remedy for Luke’s condition. Reid remembers the anger he felt toward Dr. Andrews as he heard him calmly talk to Luke and wishing the doctor, for Luke’s sake, to at least pretend to be one of the superheroes that doctors are supposed to be instead of the mere mortals that they really are.
Though Luke was smart enough to know what was happening, Reid still wanted to shield him from the harsh truth. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to protect Luke; he needed to protect him. He wanted to help keep the smile on Luke’s face even if he couldn’t help the rest of his body.
“Yeah,” Luke says, slowly nodding. “He was right.”
“Let’s go to Chicago and see that specialist I told you about.”
Luke looks at him. “You don’t trust Dr. Andrews?”
“I don’t trust what’s going on with your kidney, and I think the doctor in Chicago can help us a lot more.”
“Help me, you mean. It’s my body, Reid. It’s my kidney. It’s my fucking mess.”
“I know, I know,” Reid says as he pulls his hand away from Luke’s shoulder.
Luke has been blaming himself a lot lately for his current condition. He gets irrationally angry, paces around the bedroom or kitchen or living room-wherever Reid is-and talks about his past and his mistakes and says he’s going to fix himself all on his own since it’s his fault that he’s sick again. Reid tried comforting him the first two or three times, but now Reid ignores Luke and lets him talk as much as he wants (these are the only times lately that Luke actually talks). Luke needs to rant and vent, and Reid lets him do so, but it doesn’t mean he likes hearing it. He hates it.
Reid rubs his eyes. “I just want you to get better.”
“I want that too,” Luke says softly.
“So why don’t we go, then? We’ll take the train up there tomorrow and-”
“Tomorrow? But you’re working.”
“I’ll take a sick day,” Reid says.
Luke shakes his head. “I don’t feel like traveling tomorrow. I’m too tired.”
“Luke-”
Luke stands up and almost falls back, but Reid quickly stands and holds him steady. “I got you.”
“Can we just go home?” Luke asks.
“Yeah, of course.”
“We have to take your car. I was too tired to drive over here so I got a ride from work.”
Reid nods and leads them out of the hospital, his right arm tight around Luke’s waist.
“I can get him to come here,” Reid says as he drives. “That is, if you don’t want to go see him in Chicago.”
Luke doesn’t say anything. He’s leaning against the door, his head resting on the window as he looks out into the darkness.
“Luke?”
“I trust Dr. Andrews.”
“So do I, but there’s nothing wrong with seeking additional advice from another expert.”
After a minute of silence, Luke sighs. “I’ll see him but not tomorrow-some other time.”
“What else did Dr. Andrews tell you?”
Luke shrugs.
“If you don’t tell me, you know I’ll simply ask him myself.”
“He’s my doctor, not yours.”
“True, but he works for me, he reports to me, and he has to tell me anything I need to know,” Reid shoots back.
“Ask him then.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
They ride in complete silence until they arrive home. Neither gets out when Reid parks the car.
“Luke, I know it’s hard.”
Luke looks at Reid, his eyes narrowed and his nose flared. “Yes, it’s hard, Reid. It’s very hard. You have no idea.”
Reid says nothing, knowing it’s that time again for Luke to rant.
“I hate this and I know I’m supposed to fight to get better but for what, huh? What if my doctor or your doctor tells me I need a new kidney? And what if I get it and then in another five or ten years I have go through his all over again? I’m tired. I did it when I was sixteen, I’m doing it now and I don’t want to do it again later on. It’s hard, yes, and maybe that’s why I don’t want to go see any other doctor. Maybe I just don’t want to do anything about it anymore, maybe I should just accept whatever happens to me and-“
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not? Why not? It’s my kidney, Reid, it’s my fucking kidney. I get to decide what I want to do about it,” Luke yells.
“Don’t be a selfish asshole.”
Luke laughs. He is about to open the passenger door when Reid’s hands grab onto his. Luke slaps Reid’s hands away. “Let me go.”
Reid holds onto Luke’s wrists, hoping he’s not holding him too tightly and possibly hurting him. “No, not until you listen to me.”
Luke stops moving and looks at Reid, his breathing loud and heavy in the car.
“It may just be your kidney but it’s my life you’re dealing with here.” Reid leans in closer to Luke. “Are you listening?” Luke looks at him. “You know it’s true, Luke. If you give up, if you quit, if you . . . I’m not going to lose you, you hear me? Not like this and not after everything we’ve been through.”
Luke is still breathing heavily, his eyes glassy as he stares at Reid.
“And we still have a lot more to go through and a whole lot more to do that we haven’t yet, so don’t talk about shit like quitting and giving up, you hear me? I need you around to do all those things with, so you better stop talking like that. Because it matters to me what you do or don’t do. Your life is my life too, Luke.”
“I don’t want to be sick, Reid.”
“I know.
“I’m sorry.”
“Come here,” Reid says as he embraces Luke. “Don’t apologize for being sick, just promise that you’ll try to get better for you and for me and for us. Remember, there’s so much we haven’t done yet and I don’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Luke holds on to Reid, his face nestled in Reid’s neck. “Like what?”
“Like, um, go to Paris. I promised we’d go there one day and we still haven’t but we will.”
“Okay.”
“And what about that apartment you want us to buy in New York so we can spend our holidays there? I know you still want to do that,” Reid says, wanting to give Luke any kind of hope. “And you want to see Ethan graduate from high school, don’t you? And you haven’t written a best-selling novel yet.”
Luke chuckles, which gives Reid hope as well.
“And, um, I know that one day . . . many, many, many years from now, you’re going to want to ask me to marry you so how do you expect to do that if you’re not around?”
Luke immediately pulls away from Reid. He looks at Reid with a look of shock. “Did you really just say that?”
“Say what?” Reid asks.
“Reid.”
Reid shrugs. “I don’t know what you heard.”
Luke smiles.
Reid touches Luke’s chin. “I know we have to be realistic and face what we’re dealing with here, but we also have to remember to keep living, Luke, just like we’ve been doing for the past few years, doing normal things like arguing about stupid things and about stuff we haven’t fought about-like your hair.”
Luke touches his head.
“You know that’s going to be a topic of discussion very soon. Or my eating habits. I know it won’t be long before you’re throwing away my junk food and stocking the fridge with tofu and vegetables and such.”
Luke smiles wider.
“How about we focus on fun stuff tonight and not talk about this anymore? Do you think we can do that?” Reid asks.
Luke nods.
“Do you want to watch a movie or play chess or . . .?” Reid asks as they enter the house.
Luke laughs. “You said we were going to do something ‘fun.’ There’s nothing fun about getting my ass kicked by you.”
“But it is fun kicking it,” Reid replies with a wink.
“Ha ha. We can watch a movie, nothing too serious, though.”
“Damn. I was about to recommend a three-hour classic on existentialism,” Reid jokes.
Luke rolls his eyes and sits on the couch. Reid heats up a bowl of pasta that he’d bought the night before but which Luke had been too tired to eat from, so there was plenty left over. He walks into the living room and sets the bowl in the center of their coffee table along with two round plates.
“Reid, I’m not really hungry.”
“I beg to differ,” Reid says as he scoops some pasta onto Luke’s plate and shoves it toward him. “And we’re doing fun things, remember? Eating is fun.”
“Fine,” Luke says, grinning as he sits back and starts the movie.
But thirty minutes later, Luke’s food is practically untouched, and he’s barely laughed once. Reid thought it’d be good for both of them to not talk or think about Luke’s health, but that was obviously easier said than done.
Reid sighs as Luke stares blankly at the screen. “You’re not enjoying this, are you?”
Luke puts his plate on the table. “Not really.”
“Okay, we can do something else. Any suggestions?”
Luke shrugs. “I’ve already seen this movie.”
“Let’s watch another, then.”
Luke bites his lip but says nothing.
“What do you want to do, Luke?” Reid asks a little too loudly.
Luke rubs his face. “I want to go to sleep.”
Reid stands and throws his empty plate onto the table. He walks out of the living room.
“Reid. Reid,” Luke calls after him, but Reid doesn’t return.
Until a few minutes later.
Reid walks in wearing tight black pants, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a black vest. A skinny, black tie completes the outfit.
Luke sits up. “Where are you going?”
Reid doesn’t respond. He moves the table out of the way and then walks over to the stereo.
“Reid?”
Reid stands in front of Luke, still not saying anything.
“Reid, don’t be mad,” Luke starts as he attempts to stand.
Reid motions for him to sit. “I’m only going to do this once and if it doesn’t work like I want it to, then we’re really screwed.”
“What are you talking about?”
Reid holds up a finger to his mouth. Luke looks at him confusingly until Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” song begins, the music filling the entire room.
Luke holds up a hand to his mouth in utter surprise. “I don’t believe it!” In the years they’ve been together, Reid has never showed Luke his Justin Timberlake impression, which Luke only knew about when Katie accidentally let it slip one time. No amount of convincing on Luke’s part could persuade Reid to show him even the tiniest bit of it.
Until now.
Luke watches in fascination as Reid moves from side to side and even spins several times as his mouth lip synchs to the lyrics. He even mimics Justin’s hand movements.
After the three-and-a-half minute song is over, Reid dramatically bows.
Luke claps and whistles louder than he’s ever done before.
Reid walks over to Luke and holds up his arms. “Well?”
Luke stands and throws himself into Reid’s arms. He hugs him tightly and kisses every inch of his face. “That was amazing!”
Reid laughs as he holds onto Luke.
“Now I can die happy.”
Reid frowns.
“Oops, wrong choice of words,” Luke says, chuckling. “Why had you never done this before?”
“There are so many things you haven’t watched me do, yet, Snyder. I want you to give me a chance to show ‘em all to you.”
Luke pulls back, holding onto Reid’s hands. He nods. “Okay.” He pushes his lips against Reid’s. “You are awesome.”
“So are you.”
“All this time . . . I . . . wow, you’re just-you’re amazing, Reid, you really are. Thank you.”
“That’s nothing,” Reid says as he lowers them to the couch. “If you promise to get better and stick around longer, I’ll show you my other dance, one that not even Katie and Jacob have seen. It’s Justin Timberlake, circa 1999-”
“Not the NSYNC dance?” Luke asks, his eyes wide and hopeful.
“Yup.”
“Complete with puppet movements?” Luke says, referring to the boy band’s famous “Bye Bye Bye” dance routine.
“Oh yes,” Reid says, nodding firmly.
Luke hangs onto Reid’s tie and pulls him closer. “I can’t wait,” he says, his eyes twinkling.
“So you won’t give up, then?” Reid says.
“I need to see that dance,” Luke says.
Reid laughs. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Luke kisses Reid. “Now I want to have sex with you so I can imagine Justin in my head.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding!” Luke says. “After watching you, I have to say you’re even better than the real thing.”
“I am.”
Luke lies down and pulls Reid on top of him, kissing him intensely as his hands move down to Reid’s pants.
Reid breaks the kiss. They haven’t been intimate in almost three weeks. “Are you sure, Luke?”
“You said we were going to do fun things tonight, right?”
“Right.”
Luke kisses him again. “Take me to Chicago tomorrow,” he whispers in Reid’s ear.
Reid exhales in relief. He didn't think a silly song and dance would work but it did and he's glad he did it. “You got it, Luke.”
Sequel: Charlie the Friendly Nurse