As delightfully fun their teasing always is, Reid loves these quiet, tender moments between them even more. With his teammates at the BAU, he'd been the subject of a lot of teasing it, most of it fond and affectionate so he'd rarely taken offense. The prank wars between him and Morgan had always been something to look forward to, as well, mostly because they'd never failed in finding another way to get a leg up over the other. As he often describes them, the team had been like his family, and as the youngest of that family, he'd grown accustomed to receiving the regular brunt of the jokes.
That's not what it's like with Luke, not at all. While they are playful with each other, it comes from a different place in their hearts. He doesn't tease Luke the way he would have teased Morgan, doesn't joke with him the way he would with Garcia or JJ; everything is on an entirely new level, more balanced and in sync than he's ever been with anyone else.
But this, the way Luke looks at him, the way Luke makes him feel when he looks at him, Reid has absolutely nothing to compare it to, and he finds it pointless to even try. He understands that people are different, that not everyone is interesting in entering into a committed relationship with just one person, but Reid thinks they must never have been look at quite like this. There's a hint of desire there but more than that, there's genuine love, and it threatens to knock Reid to the floor with its sheer force. What they feel for each other, it sometimes almost seems tangible, like Reid could reach out and grasp it in his hands, this connection between them. On a day like this, seeing that look in Luke's eyes somehow seems all the more important, and he huffs a breathless laugh just before Luke kisses him again.
He's not sure how he's supposed to go from this profound gratitude for having his boyfriend in his life to going out to deal with Magnus's fake flirting, but Reid merely nods, unable to even form proper words just yet. As he's following Luke out of the kitchen, earning the approving whoops of more guests who've apparently been patiently waiting for dessert as long as Magnus has, Reid manages to give them all an enormous grin. It's the first Thanksgiving dinner he's had with a family that isn't his team and knowing that every single person is here out of want and not obligation means more to him than he truly knows how to express.
Maybe next year, he'll have figured out how to say it. Maybe by then, he'll have been able to let it process a bit more, this new feeling of having friends who choose to enjoy his company. Until then, he's content to let it be, to simply let the pleasantness of the evening warm him, and he rests a hand against the small of Luke's back as his boyfriend cuts into one of the pies.
"'And suddenly we see,'" he murmurs, barely loud enough so Luke can hear him over the music and chatter behind them, "'that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.'" He presses a kiss to Luke's shoulder, ignoring the catcall that surely belongs to Magnus, then smiles up at his boyfriend. "It's true. You have set me free."
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That's not what it's like with Luke, not at all. While they are playful with each other, it comes from a different place in their hearts. He doesn't tease Luke the way he would have teased Morgan, doesn't joke with him the way he would with Garcia or JJ; everything is on an entirely new level, more balanced and in sync than he's ever been with anyone else.
But this, the way Luke looks at him, the way Luke makes him feel when he looks at him, Reid has absolutely nothing to compare it to, and he finds it pointless to even try. He understands that people are different, that not everyone is interesting in entering into a committed relationship with just one person, but Reid thinks they must never have been look at quite like this. There's a hint of desire there but more than that, there's genuine love, and it threatens to knock Reid to the floor with its sheer force. What they feel for each other, it sometimes almost seems tangible, like Reid could reach out and grasp it in his hands, this connection between them. On a day like this, seeing that look in Luke's eyes somehow seems all the more important, and he huffs a breathless laugh just before Luke kisses him again.
He's not sure how he's supposed to go from this profound gratitude for having his boyfriend in his life to going out to deal with Magnus's fake flirting, but Reid merely nods, unable to even form proper words just yet. As he's following Luke out of the kitchen, earning the approving whoops of more guests who've apparently been patiently waiting for dessert as long as Magnus has, Reid manages to give them all an enormous grin. It's the first Thanksgiving dinner he's had with a family that isn't his team and knowing that every single person is here out of want and not obligation means more to him than he truly knows how to express.
Maybe next year, he'll have figured out how to say it. Maybe by then, he'll have been able to let it process a bit more, this new feeling of having friends who choose to enjoy his company. Until then, he's content to let it be, to simply let the pleasantness of the evening warm him, and he rests a hand against the small of Luke's back as his boyfriend cuts into one of the pies.
"'And suddenly we see,'" he murmurs, barely loud enough so Luke can hear him over the music and chatter behind them, "'that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.'" He presses a kiss to Luke's shoulder, ignoring the catcall that surely belongs to Magnus, then smiles up at his boyfriend. "It's true. You have set me free."