Fabrication (20/27)
It really didn’t come as a surprise when Luke’s voice disrupted the quiet of the locker room. Reid had just kicked off his shoes with an accompanying sigh, but he laughed quietly when he heard the soft "Reid."
“Luke,” he asked without turning around, “what do you not understand about ‘medical personnel only?’”
Luke didn’t answer at first, and Reid turned to face him. Luke walked across the room, a sheepish smile on his face. When he got close enough to Reid, he sighed and wrapped his hand around the back of Reid’s neck.
“I just wanted to see how you were.”
“I told you in the other room, the surgery went fine.”
“Yeah, and that tells me how the surgery went and how Noah is. It doesn’t tell me how you are.”
Reid took a breath and turned away. He pulled his shirt up over his head, revealing the toned muscles that Luke knew only too well.
“What do you think, Luke? I’m tired. I’m relieved. I’m - I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“You need some TLC,” Luke told him, the hint of an offer in his voice.
“I have to stay here until Noah wakes up. Like you said, that is my first priority.”
Luke smiled self-deprecatingly. “Actually, I said it was your career, not your patients’ well-being.”
“Whatever,” Reid replied without emotion, sitting down as he pulled off his scrub bottoms.
“And I shouldn’t have said that. That was - I overreacted.”
“Yes, you did,” Reid said.
Luke sighed, sitting down on the bench but still facing the opposite direction. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I just want things to go back to…how they were, I guess.”
Reid turned to him, and Luke stared back for a moment. “Forgive me?” Luke asked.
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Reid said. “You’re right; my career is important to me.”
Luke nodded, dropping his eyes away. “I know. But you can’t work all the time, so come over tonight after Noah wakes up. Casey’s got a late shift, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. I’ll even cook you dinner first.”
“You cook?”
“I’ll order you dinner.”
Reid smiled softly. Then he looked at Luke again. “Back to how things were?”
“Yeah,” Luke said, the slight hesitation barely noticeable.
Reid bent his head in a half-nod. All he said was, “I have to take a shower.”
Luke raised a teasing eyebrow.
“Alone.”
Luke laughed as he stood and walked to the door. Before he left, he turned around and stared back at Reid. “Thank you for taking such good care of my friend,” he said sincerely. Then he walked out of the room.
Reid faced forward again and sighed. How things were. How was that, exactly?
**
Noah was groggy and drugged stupid, but he was awake. He responded to Reid’s tests as well as could be hoped, although he needed to heal more before they would know if the surgery was ultimately successful. The Snyders, including Luke, eventually left the hospital, although Richard chose to stay. When Reid finally felt comfortable leaving, he moved quickly through the halls, avoiding anyone who might try to get him to consult on something else.
As he walked out to his parked car, he took out his cell and dialed Luke’s number quickly. “I’m on my way,” he said as soon as Luke answered.
“What do you want?”
“You.”
“To eat,” Luke clarified, and Reid could hear the smile in his voice.
“You,” Reid repeated.
“Reid.”
“Pizza,” Reid said, grinning.
“OK, I’ll call it in. I was - I was going to get you some beer, but then I realized I don’t know what kind you like, so if you want some - ”
“It’s fine. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
There was a pause. “Reid, I told you that you didn’t have to worry about - ”
“I’m not. I don’t want to drink. I’ve had an exceedingly long day, and I’d like to have a little bit of time with you before I pass out.”
“OK, fine,” Luke said, sounding slightly skeptical. Reid rolled his eyes.
“Can we not have this conversation again, please?” Reid asked. “I don’t like repeating myself.”
“Can we go five minutes without fighting?” Luke shot back.
Reid laughed out loud. “I don’t know. Can we?”
“Only when we’re naked,” Luke replied, voice suddenly deeper.
Reid swallowed. “I’m on my way,” he repeated.
**
Sometime during Noah’s surgery, when Luke was ostensibly kicking Richard's ass at a card game, he was really reevaluating everything. Hanging out with Casey was a nice break from his feelings, but he couldn’t keep his head in the sand forever. Reid more or less confirmed this morning that he’d be going back to Texas as soon as he decided Noah was well enough to transfer to a local doctor. No matter what fantasies he might have entertained, Luke needed to accept that. Reid lived in Dallas; Luke lived in Oakdale. Reid had never promised him or even suggested anything more than what they had. That was why Luke had asked Reid if they could forget about his flip-out and just return to that, to how things had been between them. Because if he only had Reid for a little more time, he wanted to make the most of it.
That resolution was proving a little difficult to maintain as he prepared for Reid to arrive later that night. He kept getting out a candle and putting it on the dinner table, only to roll his eyes at himself and put it away. Why did they have a candle to begin with, he really wanted to know, but that wasn’t the main point. This wasn’t a date. This was dinner before sex.
The doorbell rang and Luke fumbled the candle, almost dropping it to the floor. He quickly put it back in the cupboard and walked to the door. He exhaled quickly, running a hand through his hair and then smoothing his shirt. Then he sighed, shaking his head at himself.
He opened the door.
“Hi,” he welcomed Reid.
Reid quickly smiled, stepping inside the apartment. He looked around curiously. “So this is your love nest with the Hughes kid?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Shut up,” he said, closing the door.
Reid glanced at him, a teasing smirk his only response. He stepped farther into the room, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked over to read the titles of the books on the shelf.
“The law ones are Casey’s,” Luke said quietly. “Everything else is mine.”
Reid lifted a hand, placing his finger on one book and tilting it at an angle. “You have eclectic tastes.”
“Yes, I do.” Luke grinned. “I like to read. I used to write, actually, but not anymore.”
“Why not?” Reid said, turning back to him.
Luke shrugged. “I got busy. I didn’t have anything to write about. Most of the stuff I wrote was that, you know, angsty teenage crap which I think I’ve outgrown…I hope. Every once in a while, I think about trying it again. I got into nonfiction a few years ago, and that’d be an interesting challenge, maybe. Researching something. Maybe some of the places I traveled to. It’d be like school, but…fun. But I don’t have the time for that.”
Reid nodded, stepping closer to Luke. And closer and closer. Luke held his eyes, licking his lips. Just as Reid reached out and ran a hand down Luke’s arm, just as he bent his head towards Luke’s…the doorbell rang again.
Luke sighed and stepped back. He reached into his pocket for his wallet.
“Give him a lousy tip,” Reid grumbled.
**
They didn’t talk much while they ate dinner. Luke had learned already that one didn’t come between Reid and food. Of course, Reid never let his chewing get in the way of conversation, either, but Luke figured he’d let Reid give the pizza his full concentration. Besides, he was full long before Reid was finished, which gave him the opportunity to watch Reid. Luke couldn’t stop the small smile on his face.
“Stop looking at me,” Reid said.
“You look really hot with pizza sauce on your chin,” Luke said, his voice dripping with exaggerated seduction.
Reid stuck his tongue out, trying to find the spot without luck. Luke smirked.
“This is nice,” Luke said. “Hanging out like this. Don’t you think?”
Reid glanced up at him. He fought a smile, then shrugged. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s…” Reid cleared his throat. “So with your parents today, all I could think the entire time I was talking to them was ‘I know what your son looks like naked.’”
Luke snorted. “Well, it didn’t show. You seemed very…professional.”
“Good.”
“Did you think anything else?”
Reid furrowed his brow. “Like what?”
Luke inhaled, feigning innocence as he stood and walked around the table. He dragged two fingers over the surface, tracing small patterns. He stopped right in front of Reid; Reid looked up at him, leaning back in his chair. And then Luke straddled him, sitting down on Reid’s lap. He wrapped his arms around Reid's shoulders, reaching one hand up to play with the curls at the nape of Reid’s neck.
“Like…I know what your son sounds like when he comes?”
Reid smirked, bringing one hand up to Luke’s back. Luke slowly started rotating, grinding against Reid. He bent forward, pressing his forehead to Reid's as he stared into his eyes.
“Or…the other night, I made him feel so good, he couldn’t see straight.”
“Pun intended?”
“Shut up." Luke laughed, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "I’m not good at dirty talk, OK?”
“I think you’re doing just fine.”
“I think you’ve had enough pizza.”
Continued
A/N: OK, people, I've spoiled myself on the ending, but I'm still staying spoiler-free for how we get there. Anyway, could someone please let me know - without giving anything away, without even hinting at whether it's good or bad - what days the boys are on next week, if that's known yet? Thank you kindly.