Fic
Title: Pulling No Punches
Written By: thefigtree
Category: General
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: One-shot. Luke comes home to find Reid with an unfortunately familiar injury. Discussion ensues.
Luke pushed the door to the condo open with his elbow after maneuvering the key in the lock, both hands occupied with paperwork and coffee. He and Reid had only lived there for two months, but it was already feeling more like home than any other place had in recent memory.
After shucking his armfuls on the entryway table, Luke shuffled over to the light switch on the opposite wall. It was dark enough in the place that Reid must have closed the curtains in the living room before he had left for work that morning. Switching the hall light on, Luke jumped and yelped a bit upon catching a glimpse of a figure sitting on their sofa. Reid turned halfway around to speak in Luke’s general direction.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Reid’s voice sounded strangely muffled.
“Jesus, Reid, I almost jumped out of my skin,” Luke said breathily, his heartbeat slowly returning to normal after a few moments. Luke started walking further into the living room. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day? You should’ve called me, we could’ve done lunch or - ”
Luke stopped in his tracks upon seeing Reid. He was reclining on the sofa, one hand held up close to his left eye, covering what Luke could just barely identify as the beginnings of a bruise.
Luke briskly closed the rest of the distance between them, crouching in between Reid’s legs. “Oh my God, what the hell happened?” He gingerly reached out to Reid’s hand, pulling it away. Reid and Luke both winced. The bruise was still a deep pink, surrounding Reid’s left eye and crawling up and around to his temple. “I’ll get some ice,” Luke continued, placing his hands on either side of Reid’s thighs on the sofa and pushing himself up.
He hurried to the kitchen, grabbing a dish towel from a drawer and filling it with ice from the freezer. He also grabbed some aspirin and a glass of water. By the time he made it back to the living room, Reid’s hand had returned to its vigil over his eye. Luke again crouched in front of Reid, handing him the water and aspirin tablets.
“Here, take these. How’s the pain right now?” Luke asked.
“Pretty pain-like,” Reid groaned, downing the pills and water quickly. Luke twisted one end of the dish towel to keep the ice from falling out. With one hand cradling the back of Reid’s head, Luke gently touched the ice pack to the bruise. Reid winced again and pulled away slightly at the contact.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ll be careful.” Reid relaxed a bit and let Luke tend to him. “So, are you going to share what happened or am I going to have to read about it in the Oakdale newspaper?”
Reid sighed. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Patient dies, patient’s angry father lashes out on the surgeon who provided said patient with borrowed time. I took the rest of the day off.” Luke noted the bitterness in his voice but could find little anger.
“Oh, Reid,” Luke replied a little sadly. “How many times has this happened to you and when are you going to realize that you don’t deserve these reactions from people?” Luke leaned forward and placed his head on Reid’s shoulder. “No one has the right to take physical violence out on you, no matter how much they’re hurting.” Luke paused, thinking for a few moments, then continued, “In fact, this guy should be held accountable for this. I’m talking litigation, Reid. It can be your friend.” Luke smiled when he heard Reid’s snort.
“So, you’re saying I should sue the guy who hit me?” Reid sounded amused by the prospect.
“Damn right, I am,” Luke replied. “You shouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Reid’s arms circled Luke’s back and pulled him closer. His voice was jocular when he resumed talking. “Well, in that case, while we’re at it, we may as well track down all those other people who’ve hit me. Let’s see, there was this one guy in Dallas years ago, then Annie Judd’s father not too long ago, and hey, I suppose we could always include Noah in that group as well.”
Luke sat up suddenly as if he’d just had an epiphany. He hadn’t thought about that incident with Noah in a long time, preferring to keep it locked up in the annals of memories not often visited. “Oh my God . . . Noah hit you.” The look on Luke’s face was a mixture of scandalized outrage and heartfelt concern.
Reid couldn’t help his amused smirk. “That’s true,” Reid started, his words slow and even as if talking to a six-year-old. “Weren’t you there?”
Luke continued to display his emotions all over his face, ultimately settling on a look of regret, staring at Reid with wide eyes. “God, Reid, I’m so sorry that Noah did that to you.” The hand holding the ice pack started to lower as if in defeat, and Reid grabbed it and supported it with his own. His face turned serious again.
“Luke, you don’t ever have to apologize for something that Noah did. Despite evidence to the contrary, he is apparently a human being with his own free will. Only Noah is responsible for what Noah does.”
“I just - I can’t believe I didn’t call him out on it. I mean, I spoke to him afterwards, but it really just ended up being about me and him somehow.” Luke paused, contemplative. “I guess I’m just sorry I didn’t stand up for you more.”
“One more time: you don’t have anything to be sorry about. You’re probably right that I shouldn’t have let him get away with it, but honestly, at the time, I didn’t want to rock the boat too much with us.” As Reid had been speaking, his hand had found its way up to the base of Luke’s neck, coaxing him to settle down against Reid’s chest and shoulder once again. The dish towel was soaked through and Reid’s face was cold and numb enough to prompt him to place it on the coffee table. With both hands now free, Reid helped Luke onto the sofa.
“Thanks, my knees were starting to get tired.” Luke settled down at Reid’s right, sitting on one leg, and resumed his cuddling. “How’s your head?” he asked softly.
“Much better now,” Reid replied. One arm was around Luke’s middle, and the other was caressing Luke’s outstretched arm through the fabric of his blazer. They remained motionless and silent for a while, taking comfort in each other’s presence, until Luke spoke up again suddenly.
“I think you should sue him.” Luke’s voice was matter-of-fact.
Reid frowned. “Who, Noah?” Reid paused while Luke nodded. “Yeah, right, I’m gonna sue Noah Mayer,” came his sarcastic reply.
“No, seriously, I’m sure you have a valid claim for assault and battery. I can have one of the paralegals in the foundation’s legal department check out the statute of limitations.”
“It’s really sweet that you’re concerned about my dignity, Luke, but I know you too well. It would be really upsetting to watch your current boyfriend sue your ex-boyfriend. Lawsuits can get really messy, and there’s just nothing to gain at this point. I moved past it a long time ago. And, for your information, I know I didn’t deserve it. I guess I’m just the bigger man who can swallow his pride and refrain from retaliation,” Reid finished with a smirk.
“I guess I just never really thought about it like this before. The fact that he punched you just confirms how immature and juvenile Noah was back then. I was ready to move on and grow up and he was still acting like a child.” Luke sighed regretfully.
“Good thing you came to your senses and saw how sexy, mature and awesome I am,” Reid said smugly, pulling Luke up for a kiss.
Luke smiled against Reid’s lips, his hands gently framing Reid’s head. “Your face is cold,” said Luke, concern once again furrowing his brow as he inspected Reid’s injury.
“Your face is hot,” Reid returned, moving his fingers across Luke’s brow, smoothing the lines he found there.
Luke laughed and kissed Reid again square on the mouth, lightly sweeping his tongue across Reid’s bottom lip. “Okay, seriously, though. Tell me you’ll at least consider a lawsuit for this incident today,” he said after pulling back. “People have to learn you’re not going to put up with being a punching bag.”
“I promise I’ll consider it,” Reid replied. “Although, I’m starting to think it won’t be necessary with you around to protect me.”
Luke relaxed again, circling Reid in his arms. “What can I say? I’m pretty protective of the people I love.”
Written By: thefigtree
Category: General
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: One-shot. Luke comes home to find Reid with an unfortunately familiar injury. Discussion ensues.
Luke pushed the door to the condo open with his elbow after maneuvering the key in the lock, both hands occupied with paperwork and coffee. He and Reid had only lived there for two months, but it was already feeling more like home than any other place had in recent memory.
After shucking his armfuls on the entryway table, Luke shuffled over to the light switch on the opposite wall. It was dark enough in the place that Reid must have closed the curtains in the living room before he had left for work that morning. Switching the hall light on, Luke jumped and yelped a bit upon catching a glimpse of a figure sitting on their sofa. Reid turned halfway around to speak in Luke’s general direction.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Reid’s voice sounded strangely muffled.
“Jesus, Reid, I almost jumped out of my skin,” Luke said breathily, his heartbeat slowly returning to normal after a few moments. Luke started walking further into the living room. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day? You should’ve called me, we could’ve done lunch or - ”
Luke stopped in his tracks upon seeing Reid. He was reclining on the sofa, one hand held up close to his left eye, covering what Luke could just barely identify as the beginnings of a bruise.
Luke briskly closed the rest of the distance between them, crouching in between Reid’s legs. “Oh my God, what the hell happened?” He gingerly reached out to Reid’s hand, pulling it away. Reid and Luke both winced. The bruise was still a deep pink, surrounding Reid’s left eye and crawling up and around to his temple. “I’ll get some ice,” Luke continued, placing his hands on either side of Reid’s thighs on the sofa and pushing himself up.
He hurried to the kitchen, grabbing a dish towel from a drawer and filling it with ice from the freezer. He also grabbed some aspirin and a glass of water. By the time he made it back to the living room, Reid’s hand had returned to its vigil over his eye. Luke again crouched in front of Reid, handing him the water and aspirin tablets.
“Here, take these. How’s the pain right now?” Luke asked.
“Pretty pain-like,” Reid groaned, downing the pills and water quickly. Luke twisted one end of the dish towel to keep the ice from falling out. With one hand cradling the back of Reid’s head, Luke gently touched the ice pack to the bruise. Reid winced again and pulled away slightly at the contact.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ll be careful.” Reid relaxed a bit and let Luke tend to him. “So, are you going to share what happened or am I going to have to read about it in the Oakdale newspaper?”
Reid sighed. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Patient dies, patient’s angry father lashes out on the surgeon who provided said patient with borrowed time. I took the rest of the day off.” Luke noted the bitterness in his voice but could find little anger.
“Oh, Reid,” Luke replied a little sadly. “How many times has this happened to you and when are you going to realize that you don’t deserve these reactions from people?” Luke leaned forward and placed his head on Reid’s shoulder. “No one has the right to take physical violence out on you, no matter how much they’re hurting.” Luke paused, thinking for a few moments, then continued, “In fact, this guy should be held accountable for this. I’m talking litigation, Reid. It can be your friend.” Luke smiled when he heard Reid’s snort.
“So, you’re saying I should sue the guy who hit me?” Reid sounded amused by the prospect.
“Damn right, I am,” Luke replied. “You shouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Reid’s arms circled Luke’s back and pulled him closer. His voice was jocular when he resumed talking. “Well, in that case, while we’re at it, we may as well track down all those other people who’ve hit me. Let’s see, there was this one guy in Dallas years ago, then Annie Judd’s father not too long ago, and hey, I suppose we could always include Noah in that group as well.”
Luke sat up suddenly as if he’d just had an epiphany. He hadn’t thought about that incident with Noah in a long time, preferring to keep it locked up in the annals of memories not often visited. “Oh my God . . . Noah hit you.” The look on Luke’s face was a mixture of scandalized outrage and heartfelt concern.
Reid couldn’t help his amused smirk. “That’s true,” Reid started, his words slow and even as if talking to a six-year-old. “Weren’t you there?”
Luke continued to display his emotions all over his face, ultimately settling on a look of regret, staring at Reid with wide eyes. “God, Reid, I’m so sorry that Noah did that to you.” The hand holding the ice pack started to lower as if in defeat, and Reid grabbed it and supported it with his own. His face turned serious again.
“Luke, you don’t ever have to apologize for something that Noah did. Despite evidence to the contrary, he is apparently a human being with his own free will. Only Noah is responsible for what Noah does.”
“I just - I can’t believe I didn’t call him out on it. I mean, I spoke to him afterwards, but it really just ended up being about me and him somehow.” Luke paused, contemplative. “I guess I’m just sorry I didn’t stand up for you more.”
“One more time: you don’t have anything to be sorry about. You’re probably right that I shouldn’t have let him get away with it, but honestly, at the time, I didn’t want to rock the boat too much with us.” As Reid had been speaking, his hand had found its way up to the base of Luke’s neck, coaxing him to settle down against Reid’s chest and shoulder once again. The dish towel was soaked through and Reid’s face was cold and numb enough to prompt him to place it on the coffee table. With both hands now free, Reid helped Luke onto the sofa.
“Thanks, my knees were starting to get tired.” Luke settled down at Reid’s right, sitting on one leg, and resumed his cuddling. “How’s your head?” he asked softly.
“Much better now,” Reid replied. One arm was around Luke’s middle, and the other was caressing Luke’s outstretched arm through the fabric of his blazer. They remained motionless and silent for a while, taking comfort in each other’s presence, until Luke spoke up again suddenly.
“I think you should sue him.” Luke’s voice was matter-of-fact.
Reid frowned. “Who, Noah?” Reid paused while Luke nodded. “Yeah, right, I’m gonna sue Noah Mayer,” came his sarcastic reply.
“No, seriously, I’m sure you have a valid claim for assault and battery. I can have one of the paralegals in the foundation’s legal department check out the statute of limitations.”
“It’s really sweet that you’re concerned about my dignity, Luke, but I know you too well. It would be really upsetting to watch your current boyfriend sue your ex-boyfriend. Lawsuits can get really messy, and there’s just nothing to gain at this point. I moved past it a long time ago. And, for your information, I know I didn’t deserve it. I guess I’m just the bigger man who can swallow his pride and refrain from retaliation,” Reid finished with a smirk.
“I guess I just never really thought about it like this before. The fact that he punched you just confirms how immature and juvenile Noah was back then. I was ready to move on and grow up and he was still acting like a child.” Luke sighed regretfully.
“Good thing you came to your senses and saw how sexy, mature and awesome I am,” Reid said smugly, pulling Luke up for a kiss.
Luke smiled against Reid’s lips, his hands gently framing Reid’s head. “Your face is cold,” said Luke, concern once again furrowing his brow as he inspected Reid’s injury.
“Your face is hot,” Reid returned, moving his fingers across Luke’s brow, smoothing the lines he found there.
Luke laughed and kissed Reid again square on the mouth, lightly sweeping his tongue across Reid’s bottom lip. “Okay, seriously, though. Tell me you’ll at least consider a lawsuit for this incident today,” he said after pulling back. “People have to learn you’re not going to put up with being a punching bag.”
“I promise I’ll consider it,” Reid replied. “Although, I’m starting to think it won’t be necessary with you around to protect me.”
Luke relaxed again, circling Reid in his arms. “What can I say? I’m pretty protective of the people I love.”