New LuRe Fic: The Great American Fake-Off, 4/4
The Great American Fake-Off, Part 4
by Suz
Feedback would be fab! Also posted on AO3 here.
*
Luke had been texting him on and off in the hours since breaking the news at the hospital. Remarkably, because of that - and spending some time hanging out with Jacob - Reid's mood had improved considerably when it came time to leave.
Luke picked him up just after 7:40. Katie, of course, knew he was coming.
Katie, of course, pounced the moment Reid opened the apartment door.
"Hi, Luke!" she greeted very enthusiastically. "It's so good to see you!"
"Uh, thanks, Katie," he said back, glancing between her and Reid. "It's good to see you, too...?"
"Sorry, I forgot to warn you," Reid told him, pulling on his jacket and patting his pockets to double-check he had his phone and keys.
"Warn me?" he asked, still looking between for some explanation as to Katie's frankly scary behaviour.
"She's a little..."
"Happy for you," Katie finished.
"Obsessed with our relationship," Reid corrected.
"That is not what's been happening," she insisted, "and excuse me for wanting to be happy for my friend being happy."
"He can be a bit grumpy about that stuff," Luke scrunched his nose up and told her, like they were sharing a secret, "but he's a teddy bear really."
"Tell me about it," Katie said in a conspiratorial tone. "He pretends he's this big, mean doctor but I've seen him singing to Jacob. He's nowhere near as scary as he thinks he is." Pausing, she glanced at Reid curiously, before glancing back towards Luke. "Did you tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Luke frowned.
Time to move. "Aaaand we're leaving," Reid announced, grabbing Luke's arm to guide him out of the apartment. "Don't wait up and forget all about us," he called out, hustling Luke towards the elevator.
"Come on, it's nice that she cares about you," Luke rebuked as they waited for the elevator. "You could've done a lot worse than end up with Katie as a room mate."
"True, I could've had you," he shot back, though his grin showed he didn't mean it. Luke rolled his eyes anyway. "No, I know how lucky I am," he acknowledged. "But most people get on my nerves at one point or another - even Katie. She's just so...involved all the time in other people's love lives - I've seen her do it to other people, too."
Stepping into the elevator, Luke grew contemplative. "Maybe it's her way of dealing with losing Brad."
"Could be," Reid shrugged. He'd seen enough relatives lose loved ones to know there were all different kinds of ways of coping. "What was he like?" Brad had been a Snyder, as far as he recalled.
Luke smiled instantly, which said a lot. "Funny. Kind. He wasn't necessarily always the most politically correct type of guy, but he always stood up for what was right, you know?" Reid nodded. "He was a good man." Pausing for a moment, as if realising something, he turned to look at Reid again. "Actually he was a lot like you - though you'd probably hate that comparison if you'd ever met him."
Reid was sure he was right, but unfortunately there was no way to know for sure, now. "Well, I'll take the compliment."
"You should," Luke told him, and the doors dinged open.
They were taking Luke's car, as he actually knew where he was going. Apparently, much like the Snyder farm, Lucinda's estate wasn't in Oakdale proper and was a little ways out of town.
"Have you decided what you're going to tell Grandma?" Luke asked when they were on the road.
He'd thought about that a lot. "The truth, for the most part - that he stole my papers and research. That he's not the kind of man Memorial should trust."
"That's certainly the truth," Luke muttered, readjusting his grip on the steering wheel.
Reid appreciated the hell out of the fact that Luke was so offended on his behalf. There wasn't even anyone else around so, just like when he'd first told him what Steve had done, it had to be a genuine reaction.
Eventually, after taking some turns down a few back roads, they pulled up to a large, intricate-looking metal gate. "I'm guessing this is Grandmother's house."
"You'd guess right," Luke nodded, then instead of leaning out of the car to buzz for entry, he popped open the glove box and pulled out what looked like a garage door opener. A press of the button later and the gate was swinging smoothly open and Luke slowly drove up the drive way.
Leaning forward to look out through the front window, Reid whistled. This was clearly the house of someone who had a lot of money and didn't mind showing it. It was huge and Reid half-expected to be greeted by a butler or something, but once they'd parked up and made it to the house - mansion? - it was Lucinda herself who opened the door.
"Luke," she greeted openly, as they shared a hug.
"Hey, Grandma."
"And Reid," Lucinda smiled, holding out her hand. "It's good to see you again."
Shaking her hand, he nodded. "Lucinda."
"Please, come in," she welcomed, stepping back and opening the door further. Once they were all inside and the door was closed, she led them into a nearby room. "There are refreshments on the table," she said, gesturing to the table in question. "Please, help yourselves."
Reid was never one to turn down free food and drinks, but he was honestly a little overwhelmed by how opulent Lucinda's home was. He knew they had money, but the rest of the family lived so differently it was a shock to the system seeing a house like this in Oakdale.
Better than just hoarding it, he guessed. Luke had said that most of Lucinda's money went back into her company, but she clearly had money to spare and obviously spent said money on maintaining this enormous home.
He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about it.
"So," Lucinda spoke again, drawing Reid's attention back to the matter at hand, "there's something the two of you wanted to talk about? And you need me involved, for some reason?"
"There is," Luke nodded, "and we do."
"Well," she said, taking a seat on an expensive-looking chair, gesturing to the equally expensive-looking sofa across from her, "tell me all about it."
Swallowing, Reid looked over at Luke. Stepping closer, Luke took his hand as they sat and Reid honestly couldn't even freak out about the fact that he liked Luke right now - he was just so glad he was there.
Taking a breath, he told Lucinda his story - with a few glaring omissions. He told her who Steve was, that he was working for Invicta and their interest in the hospital. He told her about Steve stealing his research and his papers. He told her that Steve had to be stopped because, whatever he had planned for Memorial, he knew it would only be bad for the hospital and Oakdale.
Lucinda wasn't a fool, however. "There's something you're not telling me." Staring at him intently, she leant forward in her chair.
Luke's hand squeezed his reassuringly. Looking down at their joined hands, he squeezed back. "Steve and I were...involved, at the time."
"Ah," she said in a tone of voice that said it all made sense now, sitting back in her chair. "So he's even crueller than he first appeared."
"He's a monster," Luke said darkly, causing Lucinda to look taken aback. "And he needs to be stopped."
He did, but Luke's tone may have suggested something. "But this isn't about revenge. I don't want you to...destroy him or anything." Given the amount of money she had to have, that no doubt would've been within her capabilities.
"I wouldn't mind," Luke muttered.
"I just want him to leave Oakdale. As soon as humanly possible. And I want him to leave Memorial alone - it's a fine institution, he's going to ruin it." He could only imagine what those corporate fat cats would do to it - and how it would all affect Bob.
Still studying him closely, Lucinda then abruptly changed her view, smiling sweetly at Luke. "Luke, I think I left some iced tea in the fridge, would you mind?"
Blinking in surprise, Luke nonetheless stood up to fulfil her request. "Sure, Grandma." Glancing back at Reid, he smiled soothingly. "I'll be right back," he said, releasing his hand and leaving the room.
Lucinda had clearly wanted some privacy and she used it to her advantage right away. "The timing of this is all very convenient, you know."
Reid had played a lot of chess in his life. This was easy. "It is?"
"You and my grandson suddenly announce you're dating out of nowhere, claiming you have been for a while - the very same moment your ex-boyfriend comes into town."
He pretended to think it over. "That does look suspicious," he agreed.
"So how can I possibly trust you?" she asked. "Yes, I could probably do what you ask, influence the hospital board in the way that you want, but why would I? If you're willing to lie about my grandson, who knows what else you'd lie about?"
"I haven't lied about Luke."
"Really?" she asked doubtfully.
"I want nothing more than to be in a relationship with your grandson," he said truthfully. "In fact, there are only two things I want out of life at the moment - for Steve to leave, and to date Luke."
She regarded him contemplatively. "Is that so?"
"It is so," he said, holding her gaze as Luke walked back into the room carrying a jug of iced tea.
"Here we go," he said, placing the jug down on the table, on a tray that was already holding snacks, glasses and a jug of water. "So, what do you think?" Luke asked as he sat back down, rubbing the palms of his hands over his pants. "Can you help?"
"Of course I can," she said pleasantly, as if she hadn't just been interrogating Reid. "You know how special you are to me - all you had to do was ask."
Reid narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled back brightly.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Luke enthused.
"Think nothing of it," she insisted. "Tomorrow, I'll start discreetly contacting board members, make sure they see that getting involved with Invicta is a bad idea. If this Steve is anything like you said he is," she continued, "I'm sure I could also find some evidence to back that up, should it prove necessary."
"I can't tell you how much that would mean to us," Luke said.
"He's right," Reid agreed, because he should probably sound grateful even if she had played him. "I...appreciate it."
"I'm sure you do," she said perceptively, before gesturing towards the table. "Now, what say we all have some iced tea to celebrate?"
*
The drive home was largely silent and Reid used the time to think. The news that Steve had paid the foundation a visit had led to one good outcome - it'd forced him to worry about that instead, stopping him from panicking about his feelings for Luke.
Now that Lucinda was on the case about Steve, too, he was remarkably zen about almost every aspect of his life - and it made things a whole lot clearer. Thinking about the way Luke had been today - how defensive and protective he'd been of Reid, both around Lucinda and privately - it made him think that maybe this wasn't as one-sided as he'd feared.
He thought back on other events, too - the way Luke had kissed him, passionately in the porch, when no one was even looking. How many times Luke had said or implied that Reid made him happy. How much Luke had openly cared about him, worried about him, when he'd been telling him exactly what Steve had done.
With his feelings no longer a surprise and with no fear to guide him, it didn't take Reid long at all to piece the evidence together and for him to determine that it was equally likely that Luke liked him as well. In fact, he was pretty damn sure that was the fact.
Releasing the burden about what Steve had done to him had been eye-opening for Reid. He'd had relationships since, yes, but he'd never really put himself out there, never shown as much of himself as he could have - because of Steve, in case it happened to him again.
He wasn't giving that asshole any power over him anymore. Reid had claimed for years that he lived life by his own terms and in most respects that was true - but not when it came to relationships. Steve had made him overly-cautious, too-careful and none of his relationships since had got much further than casual sex.
No more. From now on he was going to do what he wanted to do, not what his fear of being hurt was telling him to do. He was going to tell Luke the truth and cope with the answer regardless, because he was an adult and that was what adults did. He was going to tell Bob that he actually wanted to keep working in Oakdale and find out if that was a real possibility.
He wasn't letting Steve - or Angus, or his parents deaths or anything else - make choices for him anymore. It was a cliché, but he was the master of his own destiny, as the saying went. And he wanted to be there for Luke and - amazingly enough - Luke's siblings. Even if it was just friendship.
He wanted to debate with Lucinda, keep eating Emma's cooking - he even wanted to keep butting heads with Lily, simply because she deserved it.
He wanted to keep hanging out with Katie and watch Jacob grow up, find out if he liked boys or girls - or both or neither. See first hand the kind of man he'd grow up to be. He wanted to learn more about Brad and the kind of man he was.
He didn't want to miss any of it.
It was quite some decision he'd reached, silently sitting in Luke's surprisingly-average car. Luke likely had no clue whatsoever what had just occurred mere inches away from him, the maelstrom that'd been going on inside Reid's head.
But that was fine, too. Reid was definitely going to tell him, but now wasn't the time. If Luke actually didn't like him back, he didn't want to make it difficult or awkward for him by doing it while they were still pretending to date.
Still, if Lucinda was as good as advertised, it wouldn't be long until Steve was running out of town with his metaphorical tail between his legs - and then he could tell Luke everything.
It might only be a matter of a day or two. Reid was looking forward to it.
"You're grinning," Luke pointed out, sending him an odd look.
Reid realised he was right. "I just have a feeling everything's going to work out," he shrugged.
Looking surprised but pleased, Luke nodded. "That's because it is. You've got grandma on your side - trust me, she can do anything."
"I'm sure she can." Lucinda seemed like a formidable business woman. "But I think that if everything does work out, in the end, it won't be because of her."
Frowning, Luke kept switching between concentrating on the road and sending confused looks Reid's way, as if trying to determine exactly what Reid meant by that.
"It's okay, concentrate on driving," he urged, turning to see his own reflection in the passenger side window. Reid smiled at himself. "I'll explain everything another time."
*
Reid had a pleasant couple of days after that. It was honestly as if a weight had been lifted that he hadn't even realised he'd been lugging around. It sounded sappy as hell, but he was happier. He smiled more. He wasn't as rude to his patients, even the really annoying ones - though he still got a good few digs in if they were absolute idiots.
Plus he got to spend time with Luke and could finally admit how much he enjoyed it, and not just for the entertaining fake boyfriend duties. He'd already admitted to himself that he liked Luke, romantically, but he genuinely liked him as a person, too. He was kind, funny, an asshole - all things he'd already told Katie. And all true.
Two days after their meeting with Lucinda, they were sharing a table in Java. Reid slurped at his caramel latte gratefully, enjoying the caffeine and sugar fix - and the company of the other man at the table.
"You've been different since we saw Grandma," Luke said, eyeing him from the other side of the table.
He wasn't wrong. "Oh?" Reid lowered his drink.
"Yeah," he mused, frowning as if trying to pin it down. "I don't what it is, exactly. It's like you're more relaxed or something. Maybe it's because you know Steve's going to be dealt with."
"Must be the reason," he agreed, because that was at least part of it.
"Well, good," Luke said, pleased. "I'm glad you're starting to feel better about things. What I said, that day?" he asked rhetorically. "About how he made you seem...not yourself?" He waited until Reid nodded. "That really bothered me. A lot, actually. I was worried that what he'd done to you had made you...resistant," he held Reid's gaze, "to taking chances."
And Reid knew without a doubt, now, that they were on the same page.
"Trust me," he said, staring back, the side of his thumb tracing the rim of his mug, "that's giving him far too much credit. I make my own choices."
"Good," Luke replied hesitantly, shifting his chair around the side of the table, gaze falling to Reid's mouth and and apparently he didn't need to wait after all, "because I was hoping-"
Reid's beeper went off.
"Oh my God, really?" Luke demanded, which only made Reid chuckle.
"Perils of the job," he told him as he fiddled with his beeper. "Emergency neuro-trauma," he announced, standing. "I have to go."
"That's gonna get annoying."
"That's also something you'll have to get used to," Reid replied, taking a moment to pause and look at him. "When you're dating me."
Luke looked back up at him, smiling. "I guess you're worth it."
Smiling back, Reid cupped the side of his face briefly - and then jogged out of the coffee shop.
Reid performed the emergency surgery brilliantly and though the patient would be in recovery for a long time, at least they'd recover.
He got home after midnight, exhausted but satisfied, and after letting himself into the apartment was greeted by a wicker basket full of muffins sitting on the side in the kitchen. Knowing already who they were for - Katie must've taken them in - he reached for the small card at the front.
For the hard-working doctor, it said, I hope the surgery went well.
Shaking his head, Reid had no idea how Luke always got this stuff together so quickly - though, thinking about it, his huge wads of cash were likely a big clue.
Smiling to himself, Reid grabbed a blueberry muffin and shuffled off towards bed.
*
He slept incredibly well and, the next morning, sent a text.
Thanks for the muffins. You should come over tonight and help me finish them off.
Luke's response wasn't long in coming. I doubt I could eat that many muffins if I tried - but I'd be happy to try anyway. 6:30?
Sounds good, Reid texted back and started whistling as he got ready for work.
"You're in a good mood," Katie observed, carrying Jacob out from her bedroom.
"That's because life is good," he announced, plucking a chocolate muffin from the basket, intending to eat it for breakfast on the walk to work. "Jacob's good," he said, leaning in to ruffle his mostly-non-existent hair, "you're good," he kissed her on the cheek, "and muffins are good," he finished, holding his muffin in the air as if that made the point for him.
"It's good to see you so happy," she smiled, shifting her hold on Jacob. "A little weird, maybe," Katie admitted, "but definitely good. I'm glad things are working out for you," she added softly.
Reid didn't even make fun of her - that's how generous he was feeling. "Luke's coming over tonight," he offered instead.
"I knew it had something to do with him," she smirked knowingly. "Should I make myself scarce?"
While he appreciated the offer, he wasn't assuming anything - about sex with Luke, anyway. He knew they both wanted more, now, but it was still very early in their non-relationship. "We'll probably just be sharing some hot muffin-eating action."
"Of course you even make that sound dirty," she rebuked, but there was a definite smile on her face.
His day continued to progress nicely. Work went well, with only one or two slightly irritating issues. Things went even better when, a little after midday, Bob approached.
"Reid," he ambled over, "I've been meaning to speak to you all morning but haven't had the time."
Handing the clipboard back to the nurse, Reid clicked his pen and hooked it into the chest pocket of his lab coat. "What's up, doc?"
Bob didn't seem impressed. "Very droll, Reid."
"I thought so, yes."
"Anyway," he pressed on, because clearly the old man had no sense of humour, "I thought you'd appreciate hearing that, as of this morning, Memorial formally declined Invicta's offer."
Reid's heart might have actually leapt into his throat. "Really?" It had worked?
"Really," Bob confirmed, seeming pleased. "The board unanimously decided that Invicta's corporate model was not what was best for the hospital and our patients - and it certainly didn't reflect our personal values. No," he continued, "Memorial will very much remain the kind of hospital that puts patient care first."
This was fantastic - Memorial would stay the way it was and Steve would be leaving, definitely sooner rather than later. He was a little surprised Steve hadn't tracked him down after the meeting, but then he'd been in appointments all morning and Steve probably hadn't been able to track him down. "I need to call Luke," he said but even as he went to pull his phone out Luke barrelled around a corner, panting and frantically scanning the area.
When he locked eyes with Reid, he smiled.
"You heard," Reid said, forgetting all about Bob, quickly crossing over to him.
Luke jogged the few paces to him. "I did," he said, grabbing Reid's forearms. "He's leaving, Reid." Overjoyed, Luke hugged him firmly. "He's leaving."
Appreciating the hell out of Luke's warm form - and he didn't even have to pretend it was an act, now - Reid pulled back and grabbed Luke's upper arms. "We need to talk." He wasn't putting this off for a second longer.
"We do," Luke agreed, immediately babbling, "I know this was only supposed to be while Steve was here, but...I don't want it to stop?" he asked hopefully. "That day Casey interrupted us and I got all weird? It was because I was angry, no, furious at him for stopping the kiss and when I realised just how much I really wanted to keep kissing you, I...and it's not just that it's been so much fun," he went on, "which it has, but I finally feel like I know you. And I want to know so much more of you, Reid," he continued passionately, "you're so much more than the genius, or the doctor, or the guy who can think up insults at light-speed. You believe in what's right," Luke said firmly, staring hopefully at him, "and you make me feel valued in so many ways. When were in Java yesterday," he recalled, "I thought I was getting the impression that-"
"You were," Reid confirmed, making them grin stupidly at each other. "You definitely were."
"Really?" Luke asked, almost in disbelief, almost like he couldn't believe it was happening.
Reid knew how he felt. "Really."
"So we're really...?"
"Definitely," he said with conviction. "But," he glanced around - no one was paying them any attention, "this isn't right." Reid wasn't a fan of drama - not even a little - but after all the stupidness they'd been through together, there was only one right way to do this.
"What isn't right?" Luke looked lost.
"I still owe you," he quipped, then followed up with, "your mom's town house is nearby, right?" Luckily for Reid, it was conveniently close to the time he needed to take a lunch break.
Not even ten minutes later, they were standing outside Luke's mom's house - the house Luke was also living in at the moment - holding hands.
"I still don't get what we're doing here." He'd voiced some variation of that the whole walk over but Reid had refused to give anything away.
"You'll see," he said vaguely, looking up at the house. "Which one is your room?"
"That one," he replied, pointing to a set of windows that was fortunately at the front of the house.
"Good," he nodded, "go up there and open the window."
Luke still looked utterly confused. "Reid..."
"Come on," he urged, knowing he finally had to give Luke something. "I never did get the chance to out-do your flowers and declaration of love." Luke slowly starting smiling as the words sunk in. "You gotta at least give me the chance."
Smile now taking over his whole face, Luke squeezed his hand before jogging over to the front door, fumbling for his keys. After he'd disappeared inside, Reid unlocked his phone, turned the volume up and found the first vaguely romantic song on a playlist.
Luke already had the window open and was leaning out of it - he must've run the whole way - by the time Reid had the music blaring, holding the phone over his head.
"What are you doing?" Luke yelled from his bedroom window, looking delighted.
Amazingly, Reid was the one who was making him feel that way and smiled himself as he called up to him. "Have you never seen Say Anything?"
"Say what?"
Philistine. "It's a movie from the eighties."
"Oh my God," Luke shouted back, "just how old are you?"
That little shit. Reid was vaguely aware that he was drawing a small crowd, but he genuinely didn't care. "Look, I'm John Cusack. Your mom is the parent who wants to keep us apart. You're-"
"I'm the girl, aren't I?" he interrupted. "You don't even have to say it. I am totally the girl."
"Girls are awesome!" Someone shouted from nearby.
"Yeah," Reid agreed loudly. "Listen to the random stranger, Luke! Girls are awesome!"
Laughing, Luke shook his head. "You're crazy!" he yelled as the song reached the chorus.
"Crazy enough to want to be your boyfriend," he agreed. "Luke Snyder," he continued, "will you do me the honour of becoming my real, honest-to-goodness, nothing to do with any ex-jerk boyfriends, boyfriend?"
Luke tried to hide his smile but he might as well have been trying to hide the sun. "I don't know," he tried to muse, like he was trying to think it over, "will I get to hear you sing to Jacob?"
He liked the asshole so much. "Yes," he conceded, "I'll let you hear me singing to Jacob."
"I'll be right there!" Luke yelled with excitement, pulling the window shut with a loud thump. Reid had only just got his phone put safely away when the front door flew open and Luke came barrelling out. Reid had been expecting it and was braced, ready and waiting, for the kiss that followed.
There might have been a light smattering of applause. Reid ignored it.
He just kissed Luke back, for as long as he could get away with, and when they finally parted they were both grinning at each other.
"I think you might have won," Luke said in wonder. "I don't even want to out-do it because that was easily the most romantic thing that's ever happened to me."
Reid did feel a quick swell of pride, but he tamped it down. That wasn't what mattered, not today. "Nah," he shrugged, face nuzzling against Luke's as they moved into a hug. "I figure we both won."
It was, as he would've said before, incredibly cheesy - but it was also true. And he wasn't letting insignificant little assholes like Steve stop him from doing what he really wanted - not when doing what he really wanted meant he ended up with Luke.
Nope, he thought, as Luke pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. Never again.
*
Reid, unfortunately, had to return to work - people didn't stop needing medical care just because he'd finally got his crap together. Luke insisted on walking with him, though, and they alternated between holding hands and sharing kisses all the way there.
If he'd seen the way they were acting himself, he would've found them sickening, disgusting.
But he loved every freaking second of it.
Their shared good mood took an unfortunate blip as they passed through Old Town, where they ran into Steve. He was dragging a small suitcase behind him and didn't look happy.
"Of course I run into you," he spat, glaring at Reid. "I had them. I had them right in the palm of my hand, even after their earlier concerns and then...I don't know how you did it," he shook his head, "but every single one of them came back and said no. Do you know what this is going to do to me at Invicta?"
"I really couldn't give a crap about you or Invicta," he drawled and Steve seemed so...small, now. What must he have gone through to turn him into the kind of person he was?
Or maybe he really was just a sociopath.
Either way, he wasn't Reid's problem anymore.
"You think I won't come for you?" Steve asked, eyes disturbed. "I'll make your life a living hell."
"I don't think so," Luke said back sharply, drawing Steve's attention as he walked right up to him. "You mess with my boyfriend and you mess with me. And you really, really don't want to mess with me. My birth father is Damian Grimaldi," he told Steve, "and though the name may mean nothing to you now, once you've looked him up..." Luke shrugged. "Well, let's just say that you'll never want to cross paths with us again. Now, Damian's been out of town lately, working through some issues at his New York office, but he's coming back soon. You were clearly on your way out of town anyway," he said, nodding towards the suitcase, "so I suggest you go. Before he returns. And never come back here again."
Staring back at Luke intensely, Steve was plainly trying to work out if he was bluffing or not. Apparently deciding that he wasn't after all, Steve grabbed the handle of his suitcase and tried to hang on to what remained of his pride. "This whole visit has worked out for me in the long run anyway," he told Reid, like he gave a crap. "You're not the only one who found a boyfriend in this tiny little excuse for a town. I've convinced him to move back with me already," he added smugly, pleased that he was still such a manipulative tool, "I'm on my way to meet up with him, and then Mason and I will say goodbye to this godforsaken town forever."
It could've been a coincidence but even Reid recognised that name. From the look of surprise on Luke's face, he was picturing just the same person.
"I'm sure you deserve each other," Reid said, but instead of looking at Steve he watched Luke's reaction as his shock transformed into a smile. "C'mon," he continued, turning his back on Steve, "we're done with this joker."
He made a point of not looking back.
The moment they were close to a sturdy enough vertical surface, however, Reid pressed Luke up against it and gave him the filthiest kiss they'd ever shared. There was tongue, there was spit and, by the end of it, they were both a little hard.
Eyes blown wide when they finally pulled apart - though not by much as they were still pressed up against each other - Luke smiled as his gaze focused on Reid's mouth. "What was that for?" he asked, patting Reid's face absently.
"Do you have any idea how hot you were just then?" he asked rhetorically. "Defending my honour with threats and intimidation? I didn't even know that did it for me, but apparently it does."
Luke's smile became a smirk. "I guess I'll have to keep doing that then."
"I guess you will," Reid agreed with his own grin, as they moved in to kiss again.
A loud banging noise made them jump, and they turned to see the owner of the antique shop window they were pressed up against gesturing towards them angrily.
Luke immediately moved away from the window, tugging Reid with him. "Sorry, Mr Chamberlain," he said awkwardly.
"Should've charged him for watching," Reid murmured into his ear, making Luke smile again as he threw an arm around his shoulder and led the way back to Memorial.
*
They kept their muffin date, though there was a lot more making out than there was muffin-eating. It was inevitable, of course, that eventually they experimented with a combination of the two, though that meant muffin ended up everywhere and Reid's inner-neat freak had to stop because all the crumbs lying around were driving him crazy.
The sofa was mostly looking back to its normal self when Luke's phone went off. Brushing the crumbs from his hand into the trash, Luke pulled his phone out on the way back but paused when he saw who was calling.
Reid frowned. "Who is it?"
"Mom," Luke sighed, moving again to take a seat on the sofa.
Reid sat next to him. "How are things between you two now?"
The phone stopped ringing. Luke placed it on the table in front of them. "We live in the same house, so we have been talking to each other - but not about anything important, you know? And Mom and Dad did talk some things through that night, but you never really know." He glanced at Reid. "To be honest I've been trying not to spend all my time worrying about it and you've been a great distraction," he said kindly. "When I'm with you everything's so...vivid, so...concentrated. I can forget about all that other junk for a while."
Reid nodded - he could understand wanting to do that. "Well, I'll be around for the foreseeable future, so feel free to use me to distract yourself at will."
Tipping his head to one side, Luke studied him fondly. "Does that mean you're sticking around after Noah's surgery after all?" He didn't sound unsure.
"It'd be pretty hard to keep working at Memorial if I left."
The confirmation definitely made him happy, though. "I knew it," he insisted as he grinned, bumping his arm against Reid's. "Or, hoped. The way you'd been saying lately how you'd be there for me and the others. That you wouldn't abandon Ethan, Nat and Faith."
"Even I know what's really important in life," he seriously. "Speaking of which..." Reid nodded to Luke's phone. "You should call your mom. Actually talk to her."
He still wasn't a fan of Lily's, not by a long shot, but he knew how important the relationship was to Luke. If she had actually made an effort with Holden - and there was no reason to doubt Luke's word - then maybe she was ready to put her kids first.
Acknowledging Reid's advice, Luke nodded and picked up the phone. After hesitating for a moment, he unlocked the phone and quickly returned the call. Choosing to stand, he started pacing around as he waited for Lily to pick up.
Reid busied himself by neatening up all the cushions they'd disturbed on the sofa.
"Hey, Mom," Luke greeted, "sorry I missed your call." After a few moments, he glanced over towards Reid. "You heard about that, huh?" he asked, looking happy. "Yes," he confirmed, "Reid was outside our house playing music and yes, we kissed in front of everyone. He was showing me how much he cares about me," he told her and the two of them smiled at each other across the apartment at the memory.
Reid certainly wasn't forgetting today anytime soon. Hell, he wasn't forgetting anything about Luke anytime soon.
Since the very first time he'd met Luke, he'd turned Reid's entire world upside down. Reid had hated it at first - another guy trying to control him, the disruption to his routine. But it hadn't taken very long at all, really, for Reid to see that for all the outward similarities, Luke was nothing like Steve.
He was, surprisingly enough, what Reid had been unknowingly waiting for all this time.
Even more amazingly, he seemed to be just what Luke needed, too. Somehow, Reid had lucked into the one relationship with the one guy that was actually going to work. He had no fear, now, no doubt - he knew they were going to make it. And he knew they were going to have a hell of a lot of fun on the way.
"Yeah," Luke said softly into his phone, gaze turning gentle as he continued to look across at Reid. "Yeah, Mom. I know exactly how lucky I am."
~FINIS
Original post on Dreamwidth - there are
comments there.
by Suz
Feedback would be fab! Also posted on AO3 here.
*
Luke had been texting him on and off in the hours since breaking the news at the hospital. Remarkably, because of that - and spending some time hanging out with Jacob - Reid's mood had improved considerably when it came time to leave.
Luke picked him up just after 7:40. Katie, of course, knew he was coming.
Katie, of course, pounced the moment Reid opened the apartment door.
"Hi, Luke!" she greeted very enthusiastically. "It's so good to see you!"
"Uh, thanks, Katie," he said back, glancing between her and Reid. "It's good to see you, too...?"
"Sorry, I forgot to warn you," Reid told him, pulling on his jacket and patting his pockets to double-check he had his phone and keys.
"Warn me?" he asked, still looking between for some explanation as to Katie's frankly scary behaviour.
"She's a little..."
"Happy for you," Katie finished.
"Obsessed with our relationship," Reid corrected.
"That is not what's been happening," she insisted, "and excuse me for wanting to be happy for my friend being happy."
"He can be a bit grumpy about that stuff," Luke scrunched his nose up and told her, like they were sharing a secret, "but he's a teddy bear really."
"Tell me about it," Katie said in a conspiratorial tone. "He pretends he's this big, mean doctor but I've seen him singing to Jacob. He's nowhere near as scary as he thinks he is." Pausing, she glanced at Reid curiously, before glancing back towards Luke. "Did you tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Luke frowned.
Time to move. "Aaaand we're leaving," Reid announced, grabbing Luke's arm to guide him out of the apartment. "Don't wait up and forget all about us," he called out, hustling Luke towards the elevator.
"Come on, it's nice that she cares about you," Luke rebuked as they waited for the elevator. "You could've done a lot worse than end up with Katie as a room mate."
"True, I could've had you," he shot back, though his grin showed he didn't mean it. Luke rolled his eyes anyway. "No, I know how lucky I am," he acknowledged. "But most people get on my nerves at one point or another - even Katie. She's just so...involved all the time in other people's love lives - I've seen her do it to other people, too."
Stepping into the elevator, Luke grew contemplative. "Maybe it's her way of dealing with losing Brad."
"Could be," Reid shrugged. He'd seen enough relatives lose loved ones to know there were all different kinds of ways of coping. "What was he like?" Brad had been a Snyder, as far as he recalled.
Luke smiled instantly, which said a lot. "Funny. Kind. He wasn't necessarily always the most politically correct type of guy, but he always stood up for what was right, you know?" Reid nodded. "He was a good man." Pausing for a moment, as if realising something, he turned to look at Reid again. "Actually he was a lot like you - though you'd probably hate that comparison if you'd ever met him."
Reid was sure he was right, but unfortunately there was no way to know for sure, now. "Well, I'll take the compliment."
"You should," Luke told him, and the doors dinged open.
They were taking Luke's car, as he actually knew where he was going. Apparently, much like the Snyder farm, Lucinda's estate wasn't in Oakdale proper and was a little ways out of town.
"Have you decided what you're going to tell Grandma?" Luke asked when they were on the road.
He'd thought about that a lot. "The truth, for the most part - that he stole my papers and research. That he's not the kind of man Memorial should trust."
"That's certainly the truth," Luke muttered, readjusting his grip on the steering wheel.
Reid appreciated the hell out of the fact that Luke was so offended on his behalf. There wasn't even anyone else around so, just like when he'd first told him what Steve had done, it had to be a genuine reaction.
Eventually, after taking some turns down a few back roads, they pulled up to a large, intricate-looking metal gate. "I'm guessing this is Grandmother's house."
"You'd guess right," Luke nodded, then instead of leaning out of the car to buzz for entry, he popped open the glove box and pulled out what looked like a garage door opener. A press of the button later and the gate was swinging smoothly open and Luke slowly drove up the drive way.
Leaning forward to look out through the front window, Reid whistled. This was clearly the house of someone who had a lot of money and didn't mind showing it. It was huge and Reid half-expected to be greeted by a butler or something, but once they'd parked up and made it to the house - mansion? - it was Lucinda herself who opened the door.
"Luke," she greeted openly, as they shared a hug.
"Hey, Grandma."
"And Reid," Lucinda smiled, holding out her hand. "It's good to see you again."
Shaking her hand, he nodded. "Lucinda."
"Please, come in," she welcomed, stepping back and opening the door further. Once they were all inside and the door was closed, she led them into a nearby room. "There are refreshments on the table," she said, gesturing to the table in question. "Please, help yourselves."
Reid was never one to turn down free food and drinks, but he was honestly a little overwhelmed by how opulent Lucinda's home was. He knew they had money, but the rest of the family lived so differently it was a shock to the system seeing a house like this in Oakdale.
Better than just hoarding it, he guessed. Luke had said that most of Lucinda's money went back into her company, but she clearly had money to spare and obviously spent said money on maintaining this enormous home.
He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about it.
"So," Lucinda spoke again, drawing Reid's attention back to the matter at hand, "there's something the two of you wanted to talk about? And you need me involved, for some reason?"
"There is," Luke nodded, "and we do."
"Well," she said, taking a seat on an expensive-looking chair, gesturing to the equally expensive-looking sofa across from her, "tell me all about it."
Swallowing, Reid looked over at Luke. Stepping closer, Luke took his hand as they sat and Reid honestly couldn't even freak out about the fact that he liked Luke right now - he was just so glad he was there.
Taking a breath, he told Lucinda his story - with a few glaring omissions. He told her who Steve was, that he was working for Invicta and their interest in the hospital. He told her about Steve stealing his research and his papers. He told her that Steve had to be stopped because, whatever he had planned for Memorial, he knew it would only be bad for the hospital and Oakdale.
Lucinda wasn't a fool, however. "There's something you're not telling me." Staring at him intently, she leant forward in her chair.
Luke's hand squeezed his reassuringly. Looking down at their joined hands, he squeezed back. "Steve and I were...involved, at the time."
"Ah," she said in a tone of voice that said it all made sense now, sitting back in her chair. "So he's even crueller than he first appeared."
"He's a monster," Luke said darkly, causing Lucinda to look taken aback. "And he needs to be stopped."
He did, but Luke's tone may have suggested something. "But this isn't about revenge. I don't want you to...destroy him or anything." Given the amount of money she had to have, that no doubt would've been within her capabilities.
"I wouldn't mind," Luke muttered.
"I just want him to leave Oakdale. As soon as humanly possible. And I want him to leave Memorial alone - it's a fine institution, he's going to ruin it." He could only imagine what those corporate fat cats would do to it - and how it would all affect Bob.
Still studying him closely, Lucinda then abruptly changed her view, smiling sweetly at Luke. "Luke, I think I left some iced tea in the fridge, would you mind?"
Blinking in surprise, Luke nonetheless stood up to fulfil her request. "Sure, Grandma." Glancing back at Reid, he smiled soothingly. "I'll be right back," he said, releasing his hand and leaving the room.
Lucinda had clearly wanted some privacy and she used it to her advantage right away. "The timing of this is all very convenient, you know."
Reid had played a lot of chess in his life. This was easy. "It is?"
"You and my grandson suddenly announce you're dating out of nowhere, claiming you have been for a while - the very same moment your ex-boyfriend comes into town."
He pretended to think it over. "That does look suspicious," he agreed.
"So how can I possibly trust you?" she asked. "Yes, I could probably do what you ask, influence the hospital board in the way that you want, but why would I? If you're willing to lie about my grandson, who knows what else you'd lie about?"
"I haven't lied about Luke."
"Really?" she asked doubtfully.
"I want nothing more than to be in a relationship with your grandson," he said truthfully. "In fact, there are only two things I want out of life at the moment - for Steve to leave, and to date Luke."
She regarded him contemplatively. "Is that so?"
"It is so," he said, holding her gaze as Luke walked back into the room carrying a jug of iced tea.
"Here we go," he said, placing the jug down on the table, on a tray that was already holding snacks, glasses and a jug of water. "So, what do you think?" Luke asked as he sat back down, rubbing the palms of his hands over his pants. "Can you help?"
"Of course I can," she said pleasantly, as if she hadn't just been interrogating Reid. "You know how special you are to me - all you had to do was ask."
Reid narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled back brightly.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Luke enthused.
"Think nothing of it," she insisted. "Tomorrow, I'll start discreetly contacting board members, make sure they see that getting involved with Invicta is a bad idea. If this Steve is anything like you said he is," she continued, "I'm sure I could also find some evidence to back that up, should it prove necessary."
"I can't tell you how much that would mean to us," Luke said.
"He's right," Reid agreed, because he should probably sound grateful even if she had played him. "I...appreciate it."
"I'm sure you do," she said perceptively, before gesturing towards the table. "Now, what say we all have some iced tea to celebrate?"
*
The drive home was largely silent and Reid used the time to think. The news that Steve had paid the foundation a visit had led to one good outcome - it'd forced him to worry about that instead, stopping him from panicking about his feelings for Luke.
Now that Lucinda was on the case about Steve, too, he was remarkably zen about almost every aspect of his life - and it made things a whole lot clearer. Thinking about the way Luke had been today - how defensive and protective he'd been of Reid, both around Lucinda and privately - it made him think that maybe this wasn't as one-sided as he'd feared.
He thought back on other events, too - the way Luke had kissed him, passionately in the porch, when no one was even looking. How many times Luke had said or implied that Reid made him happy. How much Luke had openly cared about him, worried about him, when he'd been telling him exactly what Steve had done.
With his feelings no longer a surprise and with no fear to guide him, it didn't take Reid long at all to piece the evidence together and for him to determine that it was equally likely that Luke liked him as well. In fact, he was pretty damn sure that was the fact.
Releasing the burden about what Steve had done to him had been eye-opening for Reid. He'd had relationships since, yes, but he'd never really put himself out there, never shown as much of himself as he could have - because of Steve, in case it happened to him again.
He wasn't giving that asshole any power over him anymore. Reid had claimed for years that he lived life by his own terms and in most respects that was true - but not when it came to relationships. Steve had made him overly-cautious, too-careful and none of his relationships since had got much further than casual sex.
No more. From now on he was going to do what he wanted to do, not what his fear of being hurt was telling him to do. He was going to tell Luke the truth and cope with the answer regardless, because he was an adult and that was what adults did. He was going to tell Bob that he actually wanted to keep working in Oakdale and find out if that was a real possibility.
He wasn't letting Steve - or Angus, or his parents deaths or anything else - make choices for him anymore. It was a cliché, but he was the master of his own destiny, as the saying went. And he wanted to be there for Luke and - amazingly enough - Luke's siblings. Even if it was just friendship.
He wanted to debate with Lucinda, keep eating Emma's cooking - he even wanted to keep butting heads with Lily, simply because she deserved it.
He wanted to keep hanging out with Katie and watch Jacob grow up, find out if he liked boys or girls - or both or neither. See first hand the kind of man he'd grow up to be. He wanted to learn more about Brad and the kind of man he was.
He didn't want to miss any of it.
It was quite some decision he'd reached, silently sitting in Luke's surprisingly-average car. Luke likely had no clue whatsoever what had just occurred mere inches away from him, the maelstrom that'd been going on inside Reid's head.
But that was fine, too. Reid was definitely going to tell him, but now wasn't the time. If Luke actually didn't like him back, he didn't want to make it difficult or awkward for him by doing it while they were still pretending to date.
Still, if Lucinda was as good as advertised, it wouldn't be long until Steve was running out of town with his metaphorical tail between his legs - and then he could tell Luke everything.
It might only be a matter of a day or two. Reid was looking forward to it.
"You're grinning," Luke pointed out, sending him an odd look.
Reid realised he was right. "I just have a feeling everything's going to work out," he shrugged.
Looking surprised but pleased, Luke nodded. "That's because it is. You've got grandma on your side - trust me, she can do anything."
"I'm sure she can." Lucinda seemed like a formidable business woman. "But I think that if everything does work out, in the end, it won't be because of her."
Frowning, Luke kept switching between concentrating on the road and sending confused looks Reid's way, as if trying to determine exactly what Reid meant by that.
"It's okay, concentrate on driving," he urged, turning to see his own reflection in the passenger side window. Reid smiled at himself. "I'll explain everything another time."
*
Reid had a pleasant couple of days after that. It was honestly as if a weight had been lifted that he hadn't even realised he'd been lugging around. It sounded sappy as hell, but he was happier. He smiled more. He wasn't as rude to his patients, even the really annoying ones - though he still got a good few digs in if they were absolute idiots.
Plus he got to spend time with Luke and could finally admit how much he enjoyed it, and not just for the entertaining fake boyfriend duties. He'd already admitted to himself that he liked Luke, romantically, but he genuinely liked him as a person, too. He was kind, funny, an asshole - all things he'd already told Katie. And all true.
Two days after their meeting with Lucinda, they were sharing a table in Java. Reid slurped at his caramel latte gratefully, enjoying the caffeine and sugar fix - and the company of the other man at the table.
"You've been different since we saw Grandma," Luke said, eyeing him from the other side of the table.
He wasn't wrong. "Oh?" Reid lowered his drink.
"Yeah," he mused, frowning as if trying to pin it down. "I don't what it is, exactly. It's like you're more relaxed or something. Maybe it's because you know Steve's going to be dealt with."
"Must be the reason," he agreed, because that was at least part of it.
"Well, good," Luke said, pleased. "I'm glad you're starting to feel better about things. What I said, that day?" he asked rhetorically. "About how he made you seem...not yourself?" He waited until Reid nodded. "That really bothered me. A lot, actually. I was worried that what he'd done to you had made you...resistant," he held Reid's gaze, "to taking chances."
And Reid knew without a doubt, now, that they were on the same page.
"Trust me," he said, staring back, the side of his thumb tracing the rim of his mug, "that's giving him far too much credit. I make my own choices."
"Good," Luke replied hesitantly, shifting his chair around the side of the table, gaze falling to Reid's mouth and and apparently he didn't need to wait after all, "because I was hoping-"
Reid's beeper went off.
"Oh my God, really?" Luke demanded, which only made Reid chuckle.
"Perils of the job," he told him as he fiddled with his beeper. "Emergency neuro-trauma," he announced, standing. "I have to go."
"That's gonna get annoying."
"That's also something you'll have to get used to," Reid replied, taking a moment to pause and look at him. "When you're dating me."
Luke looked back up at him, smiling. "I guess you're worth it."
Smiling back, Reid cupped the side of his face briefly - and then jogged out of the coffee shop.
Reid performed the emergency surgery brilliantly and though the patient would be in recovery for a long time, at least they'd recover.
He got home after midnight, exhausted but satisfied, and after letting himself into the apartment was greeted by a wicker basket full of muffins sitting on the side in the kitchen. Knowing already who they were for - Katie must've taken them in - he reached for the small card at the front.
For the hard-working doctor, it said, I hope the surgery went well.
Shaking his head, Reid had no idea how Luke always got this stuff together so quickly - though, thinking about it, his huge wads of cash were likely a big clue.
Smiling to himself, Reid grabbed a blueberry muffin and shuffled off towards bed.
*
He slept incredibly well and, the next morning, sent a text.
Thanks for the muffins. You should come over tonight and help me finish them off.
Luke's response wasn't long in coming. I doubt I could eat that many muffins if I tried - but I'd be happy to try anyway. 6:30?
Sounds good, Reid texted back and started whistling as he got ready for work.
"You're in a good mood," Katie observed, carrying Jacob out from her bedroom.
"That's because life is good," he announced, plucking a chocolate muffin from the basket, intending to eat it for breakfast on the walk to work. "Jacob's good," he said, leaning in to ruffle his mostly-non-existent hair, "you're good," he kissed her on the cheek, "and muffins are good," he finished, holding his muffin in the air as if that made the point for him.
"It's good to see you so happy," she smiled, shifting her hold on Jacob. "A little weird, maybe," Katie admitted, "but definitely good. I'm glad things are working out for you," she added softly.
Reid didn't even make fun of her - that's how generous he was feeling. "Luke's coming over tonight," he offered instead.
"I knew it had something to do with him," she smirked knowingly. "Should I make myself scarce?"
While he appreciated the offer, he wasn't assuming anything - about sex with Luke, anyway. He knew they both wanted more, now, but it was still very early in their non-relationship. "We'll probably just be sharing some hot muffin-eating action."
"Of course you even make that sound dirty," she rebuked, but there was a definite smile on her face.
His day continued to progress nicely. Work went well, with only one or two slightly irritating issues. Things went even better when, a little after midday, Bob approached.
"Reid," he ambled over, "I've been meaning to speak to you all morning but haven't had the time."
Handing the clipboard back to the nurse, Reid clicked his pen and hooked it into the chest pocket of his lab coat. "What's up, doc?"
Bob didn't seem impressed. "Very droll, Reid."
"I thought so, yes."
"Anyway," he pressed on, because clearly the old man had no sense of humour, "I thought you'd appreciate hearing that, as of this morning, Memorial formally declined Invicta's offer."
Reid's heart might have actually leapt into his throat. "Really?" It had worked?
"Really," Bob confirmed, seeming pleased. "The board unanimously decided that Invicta's corporate model was not what was best for the hospital and our patients - and it certainly didn't reflect our personal values. No," he continued, "Memorial will very much remain the kind of hospital that puts patient care first."
This was fantastic - Memorial would stay the way it was and Steve would be leaving, definitely sooner rather than later. He was a little surprised Steve hadn't tracked him down after the meeting, but then he'd been in appointments all morning and Steve probably hadn't been able to track him down. "I need to call Luke," he said but even as he went to pull his phone out Luke barrelled around a corner, panting and frantically scanning the area.
When he locked eyes with Reid, he smiled.
"You heard," Reid said, forgetting all about Bob, quickly crossing over to him.
Luke jogged the few paces to him. "I did," he said, grabbing Reid's forearms. "He's leaving, Reid." Overjoyed, Luke hugged him firmly. "He's leaving."
Appreciating the hell out of Luke's warm form - and he didn't even have to pretend it was an act, now - Reid pulled back and grabbed Luke's upper arms. "We need to talk." He wasn't putting this off for a second longer.
"We do," Luke agreed, immediately babbling, "I know this was only supposed to be while Steve was here, but...I don't want it to stop?" he asked hopefully. "That day Casey interrupted us and I got all weird? It was because I was angry, no, furious at him for stopping the kiss and when I realised just how much I really wanted to keep kissing you, I...and it's not just that it's been so much fun," he went on, "which it has, but I finally feel like I know you. And I want to know so much more of you, Reid," he continued passionately, "you're so much more than the genius, or the doctor, or the guy who can think up insults at light-speed. You believe in what's right," Luke said firmly, staring hopefully at him, "and you make me feel valued in so many ways. When were in Java yesterday," he recalled, "I thought I was getting the impression that-"
"You were," Reid confirmed, making them grin stupidly at each other. "You definitely were."
"Really?" Luke asked, almost in disbelief, almost like he couldn't believe it was happening.
Reid knew how he felt. "Really."
"So we're really...?"
"Definitely," he said with conviction. "But," he glanced around - no one was paying them any attention, "this isn't right." Reid wasn't a fan of drama - not even a little - but after all the stupidness they'd been through together, there was only one right way to do this.
"What isn't right?" Luke looked lost.
"I still owe you," he quipped, then followed up with, "your mom's town house is nearby, right?" Luckily for Reid, it was conveniently close to the time he needed to take a lunch break.
Not even ten minutes later, they were standing outside Luke's mom's house - the house Luke was also living in at the moment - holding hands.
"I still don't get what we're doing here." He'd voiced some variation of that the whole walk over but Reid had refused to give anything away.
"You'll see," he said vaguely, looking up at the house. "Which one is your room?"
"That one," he replied, pointing to a set of windows that was fortunately at the front of the house.
"Good," he nodded, "go up there and open the window."
Luke still looked utterly confused. "Reid..."
"Come on," he urged, knowing he finally had to give Luke something. "I never did get the chance to out-do your flowers and declaration of love." Luke slowly starting smiling as the words sunk in. "You gotta at least give me the chance."
Smile now taking over his whole face, Luke squeezed his hand before jogging over to the front door, fumbling for his keys. After he'd disappeared inside, Reid unlocked his phone, turned the volume up and found the first vaguely romantic song on a playlist.
Luke already had the window open and was leaning out of it - he must've run the whole way - by the time Reid had the music blaring, holding the phone over his head.
"What are you doing?" Luke yelled from his bedroom window, looking delighted.
Amazingly, Reid was the one who was making him feel that way and smiled himself as he called up to him. "Have you never seen Say Anything?"
"Say what?"
Philistine. "It's a movie from the eighties."
"Oh my God," Luke shouted back, "just how old are you?"
That little shit. Reid was vaguely aware that he was drawing a small crowd, but he genuinely didn't care. "Look, I'm John Cusack. Your mom is the parent who wants to keep us apart. You're-"
"I'm the girl, aren't I?" he interrupted. "You don't even have to say it. I am totally the girl."
"Girls are awesome!" Someone shouted from nearby.
"Yeah," Reid agreed loudly. "Listen to the random stranger, Luke! Girls are awesome!"
Laughing, Luke shook his head. "You're crazy!" he yelled as the song reached the chorus.
"Crazy enough to want to be your boyfriend," he agreed. "Luke Snyder," he continued, "will you do me the honour of becoming my real, honest-to-goodness, nothing to do with any ex-jerk boyfriends, boyfriend?"
Luke tried to hide his smile but he might as well have been trying to hide the sun. "I don't know," he tried to muse, like he was trying to think it over, "will I get to hear you sing to Jacob?"
He liked the asshole so much. "Yes," he conceded, "I'll let you hear me singing to Jacob."
"I'll be right there!" Luke yelled with excitement, pulling the window shut with a loud thump. Reid had only just got his phone put safely away when the front door flew open and Luke came barrelling out. Reid had been expecting it and was braced, ready and waiting, for the kiss that followed.
There might have been a light smattering of applause. Reid ignored it.
He just kissed Luke back, for as long as he could get away with, and when they finally parted they were both grinning at each other.
"I think you might have won," Luke said in wonder. "I don't even want to out-do it because that was easily the most romantic thing that's ever happened to me."
Reid did feel a quick swell of pride, but he tamped it down. That wasn't what mattered, not today. "Nah," he shrugged, face nuzzling against Luke's as they moved into a hug. "I figure we both won."
It was, as he would've said before, incredibly cheesy - but it was also true. And he wasn't letting insignificant little assholes like Steve stop him from doing what he really wanted - not when doing what he really wanted meant he ended up with Luke.
Nope, he thought, as Luke pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. Never again.
*
Reid, unfortunately, had to return to work - people didn't stop needing medical care just because he'd finally got his crap together. Luke insisted on walking with him, though, and they alternated between holding hands and sharing kisses all the way there.
If he'd seen the way they were acting himself, he would've found them sickening, disgusting.
But he loved every freaking second of it.
Their shared good mood took an unfortunate blip as they passed through Old Town, where they ran into Steve. He was dragging a small suitcase behind him and didn't look happy.
"Of course I run into you," he spat, glaring at Reid. "I had them. I had them right in the palm of my hand, even after their earlier concerns and then...I don't know how you did it," he shook his head, "but every single one of them came back and said no. Do you know what this is going to do to me at Invicta?"
"I really couldn't give a crap about you or Invicta," he drawled and Steve seemed so...small, now. What must he have gone through to turn him into the kind of person he was?
Or maybe he really was just a sociopath.
Either way, he wasn't Reid's problem anymore.
"You think I won't come for you?" Steve asked, eyes disturbed. "I'll make your life a living hell."
"I don't think so," Luke said back sharply, drawing Steve's attention as he walked right up to him. "You mess with my boyfriend and you mess with me. And you really, really don't want to mess with me. My birth father is Damian Grimaldi," he told Steve, "and though the name may mean nothing to you now, once you've looked him up..." Luke shrugged. "Well, let's just say that you'll never want to cross paths with us again. Now, Damian's been out of town lately, working through some issues at his New York office, but he's coming back soon. You were clearly on your way out of town anyway," he said, nodding towards the suitcase, "so I suggest you go. Before he returns. And never come back here again."
Staring back at Luke intensely, Steve was plainly trying to work out if he was bluffing or not. Apparently deciding that he wasn't after all, Steve grabbed the handle of his suitcase and tried to hang on to what remained of his pride. "This whole visit has worked out for me in the long run anyway," he told Reid, like he gave a crap. "You're not the only one who found a boyfriend in this tiny little excuse for a town. I've convinced him to move back with me already," he added smugly, pleased that he was still such a manipulative tool, "I'm on my way to meet up with him, and then Mason and I will say goodbye to this godforsaken town forever."
It could've been a coincidence but even Reid recognised that name. From the look of surprise on Luke's face, he was picturing just the same person.
"I'm sure you deserve each other," Reid said, but instead of looking at Steve he watched Luke's reaction as his shock transformed into a smile. "C'mon," he continued, turning his back on Steve, "we're done with this joker."
He made a point of not looking back.
The moment they were close to a sturdy enough vertical surface, however, Reid pressed Luke up against it and gave him the filthiest kiss they'd ever shared. There was tongue, there was spit and, by the end of it, they were both a little hard.
Eyes blown wide when they finally pulled apart - though not by much as they were still pressed up against each other - Luke smiled as his gaze focused on Reid's mouth. "What was that for?" he asked, patting Reid's face absently.
"Do you have any idea how hot you were just then?" he asked rhetorically. "Defending my honour with threats and intimidation? I didn't even know that did it for me, but apparently it does."
Luke's smile became a smirk. "I guess I'll have to keep doing that then."
"I guess you will," Reid agreed with his own grin, as they moved in to kiss again.
A loud banging noise made them jump, and they turned to see the owner of the antique shop window they were pressed up against gesturing towards them angrily.
Luke immediately moved away from the window, tugging Reid with him. "Sorry, Mr Chamberlain," he said awkwardly.
"Should've charged him for watching," Reid murmured into his ear, making Luke smile again as he threw an arm around his shoulder and led the way back to Memorial.
*
They kept their muffin date, though there was a lot more making out than there was muffin-eating. It was inevitable, of course, that eventually they experimented with a combination of the two, though that meant muffin ended up everywhere and Reid's inner-neat freak had to stop because all the crumbs lying around were driving him crazy.
The sofa was mostly looking back to its normal self when Luke's phone went off. Brushing the crumbs from his hand into the trash, Luke pulled his phone out on the way back but paused when he saw who was calling.
Reid frowned. "Who is it?"
"Mom," Luke sighed, moving again to take a seat on the sofa.
Reid sat next to him. "How are things between you two now?"
The phone stopped ringing. Luke placed it on the table in front of them. "We live in the same house, so we have been talking to each other - but not about anything important, you know? And Mom and Dad did talk some things through that night, but you never really know." He glanced at Reid. "To be honest I've been trying not to spend all my time worrying about it and you've been a great distraction," he said kindly. "When I'm with you everything's so...vivid, so...concentrated. I can forget about all that other junk for a while."
Reid nodded - he could understand wanting to do that. "Well, I'll be around for the foreseeable future, so feel free to use me to distract yourself at will."
Tipping his head to one side, Luke studied him fondly. "Does that mean you're sticking around after Noah's surgery after all?" He didn't sound unsure.
"It'd be pretty hard to keep working at Memorial if I left."
The confirmation definitely made him happy, though. "I knew it," he insisted as he grinned, bumping his arm against Reid's. "Or, hoped. The way you'd been saying lately how you'd be there for me and the others. That you wouldn't abandon Ethan, Nat and Faith."
"Even I know what's really important in life," he seriously. "Speaking of which..." Reid nodded to Luke's phone. "You should call your mom. Actually talk to her."
He still wasn't a fan of Lily's, not by a long shot, but he knew how important the relationship was to Luke. If she had actually made an effort with Holden - and there was no reason to doubt Luke's word - then maybe she was ready to put her kids first.
Acknowledging Reid's advice, Luke nodded and picked up the phone. After hesitating for a moment, he unlocked the phone and quickly returned the call. Choosing to stand, he started pacing around as he waited for Lily to pick up.
Reid busied himself by neatening up all the cushions they'd disturbed on the sofa.
"Hey, Mom," Luke greeted, "sorry I missed your call." After a few moments, he glanced over towards Reid. "You heard about that, huh?" he asked, looking happy. "Yes," he confirmed, "Reid was outside our house playing music and yes, we kissed in front of everyone. He was showing me how much he cares about me," he told her and the two of them smiled at each other across the apartment at the memory.
Reid certainly wasn't forgetting today anytime soon. Hell, he wasn't forgetting anything about Luke anytime soon.
Since the very first time he'd met Luke, he'd turned Reid's entire world upside down. Reid had hated it at first - another guy trying to control him, the disruption to his routine. But it hadn't taken very long at all, really, for Reid to see that for all the outward similarities, Luke was nothing like Steve.
He was, surprisingly enough, what Reid had been unknowingly waiting for all this time.
Even more amazingly, he seemed to be just what Luke needed, too. Somehow, Reid had lucked into the one relationship with the one guy that was actually going to work. He had no fear, now, no doubt - he knew they were going to make it. And he knew they were going to have a hell of a lot of fun on the way.
"Yeah," Luke said softly into his phone, gaze turning gentle as he continued to look across at Reid. "Yeah, Mom. I know exactly how lucky I am."
~FINIS
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