Fic: Sandwich (LuRe)
Title: Sandwich (1/1)
Author: AlissaBlue
Characters: Luke Snyder, Reid Oliver
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1009
Summary: Luke tells Reid he loves him
Genre: Romance, A little angst
Pairing: Luke/Reid
“I love you”
The first time Luke tells him, he chokes on his grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a good sandwich, great even and the first one in Oakhell he doesn’t immediately classify as unappealing or a waste of precious time that could have gone to a better sandwich. It was made with a lot of care and devotion by Luke and if he could marry the damn sandwich, he probably would. With Luke as his dirty mistress.
Luke is watching him with adoring eyes, watching him choke on those three little words, as Reid coughs and reaches out for something, anything, to drink. Luke hands his glass of water to him and starts rubbing his back, barely able to hold in the fit of laughter Reid’s sure is coming. He takes a big gulp of water and sets the glass down.
“Who did what now?” He can pretend he never heard it, he can babble right over the words, snark them into oblivion. Reid’s eyes widen like a deer caught in the headlights and he looks down at the crumbs on his plate. Luke’s face breaks into a small smile and he leans in closer, whispering the words in Reid’s ear.
“I love you, Reid Oliver.” Love. As if he didn’t hear it the first time. Love. Not like, despite himself. Not even tolerate. Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi Snyder loves him. Why, he doesn’t know and for that reason alone, he can’t bring himself to believe it. Luke, twenty-two-year-old golden boy, could have the world, including everything and everyone in it, but he chooses to stay right here. Right here in Podunk, with him. His rude, cold and obnoxious old boyfriend, who’s grumpy in the mornings, forgot his birthday last week and will not under any circumstance share his food with him. Except for the last donut. Luke can always have the last donut.
“Okay, what brought this on?” It’s giving him an out. A reason to take it back, a reason to tell him to run the other way. Back to Noah, back to the life where his boyfriend didn’t work through Christmas; where his boyfriend had people skills.
“It’s just… Seeing you manhandle my grilled cheese sandwich.” Again, those adoring eyes, those ridiculously charming puppy dog eyes he seems to have a thing for, accompanied by a ‘Luke Snyder Original’ grin that usually turns him into a babbling science nerd guy.
“First of all, your grilled cheese sandwich?”, Reid asks, frowning at the suggestion that any sandwich in their presence would not automatically belong to him. “And second of all, watching me with a full mouth of bread and cheese gets you off?” Luke chuckles, shaking his head at Reid’s response.
“It’s the little things, Reid.” Luke covers Reid’s hand with his own and the touch almost confuses Reid, like everything else Luke has done in the little time they’ve been together. Reid Oliver can tell you everything you need to know about cerebral hemispheres, but the cloyingly naïve guy in front of him has him at a loss for words every time he turns around.
“Look, Luke, I-” And he feels it. Of course he does. It’s the first thing he thinks about in the morning, the only thing, apart from brains, he thinks about during the day and the last thing before he closes his eyes at night. Richie Rich with the silver spoon has had him wrapped around his finger since the second or third time he laid eyes on him. Hook, line and sinker.
“No, don’t say anything, Reid! We’re having a moment. Let me have my moment.” If he wasn’t Reid Oliver, he’d probably stay quiet in an generous effort to keep the momentum. But he is Reid Oliver and he’s never been much of a conformist.
“Why? Why did you just say that?” Because he needs to know. He needs to know what he’s done to deserve this. This ease, the comfort of knowing someone misses you when you’re not around. This feeling he’s sure right now, no one else in this confederacy of idiots and jerks will ever be able to grant him. And, most importantly, he needs to know if Luke is in this, all in, before he spills his ‘love’-guts all over the kid and traumatizes the hell out of him.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Luke asks, leaning back into his chair, before it hits him. Because he’s rude, cold and rude. Because he’s not warm and fuzzy. Because he’s not Noah.
“Reid. I’ve already told you that I don’t want you to be warm and fuzzy. And I don’t want you to be Noah. Like I said, it’s the little things... Like, seeing you eat and choke on that sandwich. And finding the last donut you left for me. And hearing you say ‘That’s not ego, It’s fact’.” Luke continues, doing his best ‘Reid Oliver’-impression. Reid can’t help but chuckle at Luke’s attempt to channel his boyfriend. If he wasn’t Reid Oliver, he’d probably giggle.
“ I just want to be sure, that you know why you’re saying it. Because we can just-”
“ Reid?”
“ Uhhuh?”
“I’m sure. I said it, because I meant it. I’m sure. I love you.” Luke leans in and their lips meet, as he gives him a sweet, chaste kiss. Reid breaks up the kiss and softly puts his hand on Luke’s cheek. The words sink in and somewhere between ‘I’m sure’ and ‘I love you’, he starts to believe his bratty blond boyfriend.
“Well, then, I love you, too. And don’t get all weepy, but I’ve loved you for a very long time.” Luke smiles at him and Reid swears he can sees stars of delight in Luke’s brown eyes. Luke looks like he’s giddy enough to break out in some kind of a cheerleading routine and the thought alone is enough for Reid to roll his eyes and shake his head. He sighs and smoothly nudges his empty plate in Luke’s direction.
“Will you make me a new sandwich?”
“Always.”