[july 12]

[youfeelluckypunk]

It'd happened all too quickly, having barely begun before it was already over, but the incident has left Reid with butterfly stitches at his temple, a bruised cheek, and a headache that hasn't gone away even after taking a hot shower and changing into a shirt that isn't bloodstained. Reid can't blame the man who'd done it; after all, an emotional outburst from Frank Hansen was to be expected when he'd suddenly appeared at the scene of his own wife's death, the sound of his anguished cry echoing between the walls of alley and overpowering the chatter of the crowd behind the crime scene tape.

Clank had tried to stop him, but the strength of a person suffering from a fresh loss is not to be underestimated, and Mr. Hansen had pushed past the tape and Clank and the other officer on duty before reaching Reid. He'd held his hands up in front of him, a calming gesture that never seems to do its job, and had received one punch, then another, then a rough shove into the brick wall to his left for his trouble.

In all honesty, the worst part about this ordeal hadn't even been the forced visit to the hospital. The worst part is that he'd been due at Luke's over an hour ago because it's his friend's birthday, one he'd promised to help celebrate nearly a month ago, and he hadn't wanted to explain via text the reason for why he's late so Reid is sure Luke must be thinking awfully poorly of him right about now.

As soon as he's straightened his tie in the mirror, poked at the tiny bandage strips on his face with a grimace, and patted down his hair for the eight time in the mirror, he rushes out of his apartment while shooting a quick text out to let Luke know he's finally on his way.

He has a wrapped gift in one hand and a cake, an ice cream cake with a wolf in icing on it, a custom request that hadn't gotten him so much as a raised eyebrow, sitting in a bag hanging from the other, and it's well past closing time for the store so Reid goes straight up the stairs and knocks on the door to Luke's apartment. There's a part of him that's worried that Luke has already left his place, already fed up with how late Reid is, but he reminds himself that there's little to no chance of that. They'd made plans and maybe Reid has been called away to a crime scene once or twice already, but Luke keeps agreeing to see him, and they keep having a great time together, all of which contributes to just how much harder Reid has to try to tell himself that he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize this friendship. Namely, anything that would indicate that what he's been growing to feel for Luke isn't just friendly.

When the door opens, he breathes a silent sigh of relief and smiles, momentarily forgetting what had made him so tardy in the first place. He'd already texted Luke a happy birthday this morning, accompanied by a smiley face that had seemed innocuous enough, but he says it again now as he holds the bag containing the cake up for his friend to see. "Hi. Happy birthday, I'm sorry again that I'm late, I just-- There was this thing that happened at the crime scene, and-- well, obviously, I guess, but anyway... Yeah. Happy birthday."

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[notaretriever]

It's nearly half an hour after Reid is supposed to arrive that Luke identifies what he's feeling as anxiety.

They live very different lives, he's understood that right from the beginning, and although he's felt an uncharitable and completely senseless flare of jealousy when Reid has been pulled away from their plans before, Luke has accepted right from the start that their schedules are bound to be different. His job is easy, secure, the schedule never changes, but what Reid does for a living is unpredictable and there's no way for him to know when he might end up at a crime scene. It means Luke has to be a little more accommodating when it comes to the times they see each other and that really doesn't seem like such a hard trade off. He's willing to be flexible if it means they get to carry on with their friendship, especially now that he's identified this warmth growing in his chest as something more than strictly just a friendly feeling. He doesn't know what to make of that, he's never acted on feelings like this before, so for the time being it's just something that's there, building low inside him. He'll take whatever time he can get with Reid, however, and he's excited about the idea of celebrating his birthday with him.

But half an hour after he's supposed to have arrived, Luke hasn't seen him and he hasn't heard from him and he suddenly realized his throat is dry and his chest is tight. What he's feeling isn't irritation that Reid is late, it's genuine fear that something bad may have happened to him and Luke checks his phone for what feels like the fiftieth time before he sets it aside and forces himself to do something else. If another thirty minutes go by without hearing anything, he'll call. That's the decision he makes and instead of letting himself stare at his phone, he leaves it in his small, cozy living room and goes into the kitchen to clean.

It's really unnecessary, his apartment is about as clean as it can possibly get, but it's something he's always done in times of stress. He's always been very neat and today he's even made his bed, which is something he rarely does. Not that he expects them to have any reason to be in his bedroom, but if Reid wants a tour, Luke wants to be sure the entire apartment is in the best shape it can be.

He wipes down the counters again and then dries them with a dish towel that he then folds and hangs neatly on the hanger beside the sink. It's as he's rearranging his coffee mugs that his phone makes a noise to let him know he has a text and when he sees it's from Reid, all he can really do is breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe he's late, but that's fine, just as long as he hasn't been injured or worse. Luke knows the things that creep around this city, he knows all the possibilities, and there's a part of him -- a stupid, irrational part -- that wishes he could just be there with Reid at all times to make sure he's okay.

When he hears the knock he gives himself a second just so it doesn't seem like he's rushing to the door, then he smooths his hands down over his shirt and goes to answer the door. His smile fades when he catches sight of Reid, the bandages at his temple and the bruise on his cheek, and without thinking Luke reaches up, his fingers catching Reid's chin gently before it even occurs to him that his friend doesn't particularly like to be touched. Luke has seen him awkwardly avoid handshakes and he's made careful note of that, has done his best not to initiate touch where it's not welcome, but he isn't thinking of anything but the bruises on Reid's face.

His skin is warm under Luke's fingers and he can feel the light scratch of stubble, and for a second he can't think of a single thing to say. "Sorry," he manages finally, taking a step back to let Reid inside, the distance it puts between them enough to let his hand fall away. "What happened?"