fic: A Beautiful Mess, 7/22
Fic: A Beautiful Mess, 7/22
Summary: Luke is a pediatrician! He is officially Dr. Luke Snyder.
Spoilers: References to Luke's past from canon and that's about it.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Wish they were mine but they're not.
Note: This was inspired by this entry in lure_prompts by the brill _alicesprings. Feedback, concrit, etc. welcome! ♥
"And reschedule Mr. Montgomery. I have surgery that day," Reid dictates to Jaymie.
"Oh and you have another package."
"What?"
She leaves his office and comes back with another wrapped package. It's the same shape as the other one and Reid can't help but smile when he sees it. "I'll leave you to it," she tells him and closes his office door behind her.
Reid sighs and unwraps the package. This tin has a picture of a pumpkin on it. He opens it and finds mini-pumpkin pies inside. On top of the pies is a note that reads:
Grandma Emma's pumpkin pies. Just a sample. You haven't said yes yet.
Luke
Reid picks up his phone and dials Luke's extension.
"Dr. Snyder's office," his secretary answers.
"This is Dr. Oliver, is he there?"
"Just a moment, Dr. Oliver," she tells him, putting him on hold for a moment while she gets Luke.
"Dr. Oliver," he hears Luke's voice.
"Pumpkin pies, huh?" he asks as he picks one up and takes a bite from it.
"She makes three different kinds. There's pumpkin, apple, and cherry, and if you like something else, she takes requests." Reid mumbles and Luke laughs, "What?"
"I said," he swallows. "This Grandma seems too perfect to be true. Are you sure you're not just making her up and buying these from the store?"
"Reid, you are in for it."
"Ooh, I'm shaking in my shoes." He can hear Luke's smiles on the other end. "Are we still on for tonight?"
"Right after rounds. I'll see you then."
"See you," Reid smiles after he hangs up the phone and pops another mini-pie into his mouth.
Unfortunately, they never get to the date after rounds. He's called into surgery last minute and it lasts several hours. He makes sure to leave a message for Luke before he's scrubbed in and he's lost in the joy of surgery for several hours. There's a moment when he thinks it's about to take a turn for the worse but they manage to catch the bleed before it does any real damage.
With yet another successful surgery under his belt, he feels like he deserves a celebratory drink. Just one to relax him at the end of this long day. He goes to Yo's and prays that it's still open so he can get one drink before he goes home.
He feels relief when the door opens as he pushes it and he heads straight to the bar.
Taking a seat on the stool, he orders a beer, and he hears laughter coming from a nearby table. The laughter's very, very familiar to him. Turning his head, he sees Luke there with a man that he appears to be having a good time with. He doesn't want to jump to conclusions. He doesn't want to be the guy who smiles when he's around the guy he likes and gets jealous when he sees that guy with another attractive guy.
But he knows that he already is that guy so there's no need to try and fight it.
He watches them for another minute, seeing them laugh, seeing their bodies close together, shoulders touching, and the other man takes it up another step and wraps his arm around Luke's shoulder. Luke doesn't seem to mind.
Reid's upset that Luke isn't the man that he thought he was. He's disappointed that he's been played so easily when he's done everything he can to be on his guard and keep his defenses up.
In this case, his walls came tumbling down whenever Luke had been around. It's his own fault.
It makes him angry to think that Luke's been just as cautious, asking him if he's ready for people to know, and now people can see him out in the open with this other man.
Reid breaks his gaze, throws a bill on the bar, and leaves to go home.
All he can see are images of Luke and that man, laughing, smiling, and touching.
He remembers touching Luke, marking him, and fucking him.
As soon as he's at home and in bed, he tries to erase those memories and decides to start from scratch in the morning. He'll forget about this and he'll forget about Luke.
---
The following day, Reid makes sure to stay busy, and never visit his office for more than a few minutes at a time. He doesn't want to get stuck in there and Luke's going to have a chance to corner him. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't need to be in his office for Luke to find him.
"Reid!" Luke calls his name and Reid turns, seeing the same man at the bar standing beside Luke. "Hey, hold on a second. I haven't been able to catch you all day."
Reid says nothing and just nods, "Been busy."
"Yeah, do you have a minute? I just want you to meet someone."
Now Luke's going to be introducing to the new guy he's fucking? It makes little sense to him and it leaves him feeling very confused. "Sure," he forms the statement into a question, curious.
"This is my brother, Aaron. He's in town for Thanksgiving."
Brother.
Reid feels like a complete and total moron. For someone who scored a perfect score on the SATs and his MCATs, he's an idiot. He feels relief and he feels like he owes Luke a huge apology even though he knows nothing about what he's gone through in the past twenty-four hours.
"Aaron, this is my boyfriend, Dr. Reid Oliver."
"Boyfriend?" Aaron exclaims, a large smile on his face. "You've been keeping this from me the whole time?"
"Wanted to see how you'd react," he tells him with a laugh. "And you," Luke says as he looks at Reid.
"Uh, I'm fine," Reid gives him a small smile and shakes Aaron's hand. "Luke, a word," he motions for him to follow him.
"Yeah?" Luke asks once Aaron's not within an earshot.
"Um," Reid rubs the back of his neck and glances down before looking at Luke. "So, I never said anything about Thanksgiving yet."
"Yes?" Luke smiles widely and Reid tries not to stare directly at it.
"And I've decided that it's probably worth enduring the pains of a social occasion with strangers if I get fed so I'll go."
"You'll go?"
"Don't make me say it twice."
"Well, Dr. Oliver," Luke says, taking a step closer to him. "I will pick you up on Thursday at three."
"Three? In the afternoon?"
"We start early and it's right after the hospital Thanksgiving lunch," he leans in for a brief but sweet kiss, his lips lingering against Reid's for an extra half a second.
"Three it is, Dr. Snyder," he speaks when Luke pulls away.
"All right. I'm off today to take Aaron around but I'll see you."
Reid nods and Luke reaches over to squeeze his arm before he goes.
"See you at Thanksgiving!" Aaron makes sure to say before Luke pulls his arm, the both of them heading in the opposite direction.
Reid's mentally kicking himself because of how insecure he'd felt and how much he'd doubted not only his own feelings but Luke's too. Not only did he doubt him but he didn't trust him. It's a big realization to have, realizing that he has those strong feelings toward Luke, that he feels like he's hurt him in some way even though he had no idea what his thoughts had been last night.
These feelings are completely unfamiliar to him. It's making him feel unsure and he can't even remember the last time that he's felt insecure. It must've been back in high school or a brief flicker of a moment in college.
He's sure about brain surgery. He's sure about being a damn good doctor. He's sure that he'll always have something good to eat on a daily basis.
But, Luke Snyder makes him feel insure, not sure about himself or his feelings.
He unbuttons the top button of his shirt, feeling panic settle upon him. He takes a couple of deep breaths and realizes that he hasn't moved from his spot for a few minutes.
He decides to stop thinking about this and goes back to work.
---
It's the day before Thanksgiving Luke invites him to dinner via text message.
Reid responds, "Aren't we having a massive meal at your family's place tomorrow? I should be saving room."
His phone makes a sound and he chuckles when he sees Luke's text, "Reid Oliver turning down food? I hear the four horsemen coming."
"I didn't say no."
"I should've thrown in a euphemism about dessert and sex."
"There's dessert?"
"And sex."
"Two of my favorite combos."
"I'll be over at 8. Cook you something."
That's when the texting wars stop and Reid looks at the last message. Luke can cook? Well, he'll find out later tonight. He has a couple of consults and his rounds to complete but he's out of the hospital by 7:30. By the time he reaches his place, Luke's already at the front door but still in his scrubs and holding a bag from the grocery store.
"Hey," he greets him when he reaches the door, leaning in for a kiss.
Reid returns it and opens his front door to let them both inside. "You just finish up?"
"Yeah, went to the store straight after the last appointment. Poor kid has a bad case of bronchitis."
"Hacking up a lung, huh?" Reid asks as he takes off his jacket. Luke's already in the kitchen, putting the bag down on the counter.
"Yeah, for a few days now. What about you? Anything coming up?"
"Um, surgery on Tuesday," he says as he glances at his phone. It's off and he never turns it off. He turns it back on and walks toward the kitchen. "Need to change," he tells Luke, glancing down at his own scrubs.
"Sure, take your time," he smiles at him before he begins to busy himself.
Reid does just that and changes into a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. He shaves, making sure that he looks like a better, refreshed version of himself.
He goes to rest in the living room, putting on some music, and taking a seat to go through a few medical journals that he hasn't read yet.
Occasionally, he hears the clang of a pot and cupboards closing but Luke's mostly silent. When he isn't cooking, he's sitting at the table, and reading his own set of medical journals that he's brought with him.
Reid turns back to reading some articles and soon, Luke tells him that dinner's ready.
Luke's already set the table and he brings their plates out for them. It's a nice warm plate of pasta, bread, and side salads. "Traditional doctor fare," he says as he puts a plate in front of Reid. "The first thing I learned to cook in med school. It's fast, easy, and hits the spot."
"I didn't even have time to make meals like this," Reid tells him. "But the neighborhood restaurants knew me on a first name basis."
"I bet," Luke laughs and takes a seat. "I was covered for undergrad. My parents and grandmothers would never let me starve but I was on my own afterward."
"So, you don't have to take your brother around anymore?" Reid wonders when he takes a bite of his pasta. It's good and as Luke says, it hits the spot.
"Aaron? Oh, no. He's been bombarded by the rest of the family. We went out the night before when he first came in and then we hung out at the farm yesterday. He lives in Seattle so we don't really get to see him much."
"He's pretty hot," he speaks, taking a bite of his bread.
"What!" Luke exclaims, mouth dropping open in surprise. "You think that my brother's hot?"
"Well, I think that you're hot. Apparently it runs in the family," he chews and speaks.
Reid looks down at his plate and glances over at Luke. He's smiling at him, ducking his head to hide it. Luke clears his throat, poking at his food before he takes a bite. "All right, just don't go hitting on my brother. He's straight."
"It's a good thing I fell for the gay one then."
The filter in Reid's brain is just allowing these phrases to slip through one at a time. One look at Luke and he can tell that he doesn't mind it either.
They finish their dinner and Luke stands to clear their plates. Reid's finishing his water when Luke returns and slips his arms around him from behind. "I promised dessert and sex, didn't I?" he asks, speaking in Reid's ear.
Feeling Luke's warm breath against his ear makes him shiver and he nods. "You did, yes."
"I plan on delivering. Come with me, Dr. Oliver."
Luke leads him into the bedroom and provides the last of a very satisfying meal.
---
It's the middle of the night. Reid can hear the sound of a phone ringing that's not his and the bed shifts. A second later, the phone stops ringing, and he hears Luke's voice.
"Dr. Snyder," he answers, voice groggy and hoarse. "Yes? Oh, hello, Mrs. Hilts. Is he -- uh-huh, yes." Luke shifts again and begins to sit up a little. Reid's bare arm is cold with Luke no longer pressing against him. "Right, no. The results were negative. There's a very little margin for error in those tests that we conducted. Um, I don't have the file with me right now. No, sorry."
Reid's about to reach over to turn on the light but Luke catches his hand, holding on to it.
"Absolutely. I'll be right there and I'll take a look at him. Okay, see you soon." He hangs up and he places the phone back on the nightstand. "Sorry," he apologies to Reid.
"Not your fault," Reid mumbles, opening his eyes to look at Luke.
"There's an emergency and I have to get going," Luke leans down for a kiss before he gets out of bed. Reid reaches over and turns on the light anyway so Luke can find his clothes. Each item of clothing is somewhere on the floor, scattered with Reid's.
Reid watches Luke get dressed and finds that it's just as entertaining as Luke getting undressed. Luke sees him watching and smiles at him, chuckling. Once he's fully dressed, he takes a seat at the edge of the bed, and leans down to kiss Reid again.
"I'll see you later today."
Reid nods and turns on his side to go back to sleep. He doesn't have to be awake for another few hours. "Lock the door, will you?" he closes his eyes and Luke turns off the light again. Before he leaves, he moves his fingers through Reid's hair, and Reid waits until he hears the front door close.
He can still feel Luke's fingers against his scalp and it suddenly feels a lot colder in the room.
Next.