Page 54 of Small Sacrifices

He stayed? After everything that happened yesterday, he stayed and slept here? And on top of the sheets, too. That must've been cold. Reid doesn't know what to think. A smile steals itself onto his face as he watches Everett snuffle and bury his nose into the sheets that are bunched up between them. It'sstill dark, so he can't see much. But a streetlight outside the window is just bright enough to highlight his cheekbones.

As comfortable as the sheets were moments ago, now they're too hot. But what can Reid even do about that? Everett has his arm wound around his middle quite firmly. What if he wakes up? It's still early.

Everett makes a small, sleepy sound. Reid freezes, but it's too late. The deep, even breaths of sleep are gone, replaced by a slow stirring. Everett pulls back his arm like he's been burned, his wide eyes betraying his embarrassment.

It stings, just a bit. The rejection couldn't be clearer. Which makes Reid feel quite weird—because it shouldn't matter. If Everett doesn't want to hold him, then that's fine. Reid doesn't want to be held by him. Right?Right?So why does it make his stomach clench?

Everett's hair is adorably tousled. It looks soft—Reid wants to reach out and feel it for himself. He doesn't. Acting on impulse now would be a prime recipe for sending himself into another shutdown. But he keeps looking. And he keeps feeling the warm, squirming bubble behind his sternum grow.

Because just him looking would be one thing. Everett looking back is what makes Reid feel like there’s an electrical charge in the air. The way his eyes skip all over Reid, from his rumpled clothes to his no-doubt riotous hair to his eyes and then back to his hair.

At some point, Everett seems to realize how long they've been staring at each other.

"Sorry, I'm still half asleep." He chuckles as he says it. But more importantly, he shuffles away to put more distance between them—and he's now looking down. Reid feels the loss keenly.

"It's fine," he says. But it doesn't sound as light as he wants it to. If anything, it sounds hollow.

Everett is a bit too busy fiddling with the hem of his shirt to notice, though. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable."

That gets Everett to look at him again, and they both snort at the pinched expression that he must see there. Clearly, that's a lie. But it also isn't. Reid frowns.

"You'renot making me uncomfortable," he amends. There, that's better. This isn't Everett's fault. Everett is just present for it.

Everett, who tilts his head and squints at Reid. "You sure?"

"Yes?"

A smile. "It doesn't sound like you're sure."

Reid huffs. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't question me like that. I know what I'm feeling." At least where this is concerned. This, and only this, and little else. Sometimes, his sister has to tell him what he's feeling. It isn't inconvenient or frustrating at all.

"Okay," Everett says slowly, dragging out the A. "But I mean... You know that I'm gay, right?"

Oh. "That makes sense." What doesn't make sense is why this confirmation makes his heart beat so quickly. Everett isn't saying he's interested. He isn't. In fact, he seems to expect this statement will put Reid off. And that's like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. Has Reid given him the impression that he's a homophobe? What could he have—

"Sense?" Everett echoes, one eyebrow raised. He looks amused, which only confuses Reid more, but at least it's not a bad sign.

Reid nods. "Yeah. People have been making allusions. I'm not very good at understanding things like that. But if you're gay, then that makes sense."

There's a furrow between Everett's brows. Still, he's grinning. "So what you're saying is that you need people to be very clear with you."

Again, Reid nods. "I can't read between the lines. If you say something, I'll understand it literally." Most of the time, anyway.

"Then let me be clear." Everett stops to think for a moment. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable with me getting so close to you. That was not my intention. I was asleep."

"Right," Reid says, and presses his eyes shut on a breath out to ward off the frustration. He hates repeating himself. "And I said I wasn't uncomfortable. Knowing you're gay doesn't change that."

"Oh, okay!" Everett's smile lights up his entire face. It does something strange to Reid's insides. But other things are more pressing right now.

"Is that why Mr. Wright thought I was flirting with you? Because if I was, I didn't notice."

"What do you mean you didn't notice?" Confusion scrunches up Everett's face. "I mean, I didn't think you were. But what?"

It's a good question, one Reid asks himself frequently. Sadly, he can do little more than shrug in response. "I don't know. People think I'm flirting sometimes. Briana says it's the way I talk."

"Your sister."

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