Page 76 of Small Sacrifices

Technically, that's not an answer. Reid lets it go, opens his arms, and nods. It only takes a second until Everett is wrapped around him. Reid's first emotion is relief. Everett smells good.There's a hint of woodsy fragrance somewhere, maybe an aftershave or his deodorant, but it's not overpowering. And that's it. No laundry detergent, no fabric softener, nothing. Reid can breathe deeply, and all he smells is Everett.

Next comes an overwhelming sense of safety. Everett is both taller and broader than him, which he isn't used to. His father is taller than him, but they haven't hugged in years. It's nice to be enveloped so completely. And tightly, too. Everett is downright squeezing him. But Reid doesn't mind.

Then, Everett tucks his face into Reid's neck and sends him shivering when the rush of his breath meets the sensitive skin over Reid's jugular.

It's an infinitesimal movement, but it's enough to spook Everett. He immediately steps back.

"Not good?"

Reidwouldsay no, only Everett now has his hands on his upper arms and is still standing incredibly close. Which is distracting. All he can do is look up at him and shake his head.

And that's another thing that he didn't expect to feel anything about—the height difference. Reid isn't that much smaller than Everett. If they stand a few feet apart, it's barely noticeable. But now that there's maybe one foot between them, he has to crane his neck a little. Why that makes him feel all quiet, he doesn't know.

"You sure?" Everett asks.

Recognizing that this is going to take verbal communication, Reid gathers what's left of his wits. "Yeah. I'm fine." He deliberates for a moment and then decides that it's only right to be honest after how open Everett has been today. "That felt good."

"Oh." The way Everett is softly looking down at him and smiling should be illegal. It feels dangerous. They're supposed tobe saying goodbye right now, but Reid only wants to keep him here for longer. Wants him closer.

Everett's eyes are flitting over Reid's face again, which only makes his breathing go shallower. They're on the cusp of something. He can feel it. He feels alot.Probably too much. He should break this moment and send Everett on his way before he overwhelms himself. But he physically cannot. He's rooted to the spot, almost trapped in Everett's gaze.

And then Everett, slowly, deliberately, takes a step closer. That kicks everything up a notch. Reid's breathing, his heart rate, his awareness of the heat of another body so close to his. And his need for movement, too. Suddenly, he's vibrating with it.

It only gets worse when Everett moves one of his hands from Reid's biceps to brush a curl behind his ear. That's a fool's errand, so he repeats the action a few times before he gives up with a breathless little laugh. It crinkles up the corners of his eyes and makes Reid's throat constrict.

"Your hair is something else," Everett says. His hand comes to rest at the hinge of Reid's jaw, thumb stroking his cheek. Reid pretty much gives up on breathing right then and there. This is it, right? He's not misreading this?

He watches with wide eyes as Everett's gaze flits over his face, alternating between his eyes, his mouth, and the spot right next to it where his thumb is resting. Reid can feel it press into his skin just a little more, feels his lips part in response.

Only Everett isn't doing anything else. He's just looking at him. His breathing is quickening, and his expression is only growing more intense. But going by his furrowed brows, Reid doesn't think that expression is desire. It looks more like concern. Or maybe fear?

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

It might be a weird question to ask in a situation like this. But when he sees Everett blink and slightly shake his head, he can't really bring himself to care. Oh dear. If somethingiswrong, then what—

"Can I kiss you?" The words are quiet. But once they've left his mouth, Everett bites his bottom lip. The look on his face is almost pained now, all pinched and tense.Oh.Maybe this is what nervousness looks like on him.

When Reid takes a breath, the shiver running down his spine is audible in it. "Yes."

Reid's face is already tilted up towards Everett, so it doesn't take much. As soon as his eyes are closed, there are lips on his. Everything stops. Reid's circling thoughts, the traffic on the street in front of Reid's apartment, the gurgling of the radiator—all of it is suspended in favor of the feeling of warm lips on his. Rarely does he ever feel so present in body, socalm.

All too soon, Everett breaks away again. He even leans back a bit to look Reid in the eyes. But before Reid can send himself into a panic over this, he asks, "Is that okay?"

Reid frowns. "Yes." Hadn't he said that? Was he not clear enough?

"Yeah?" There's a flush high on Everett's cheeks, and maybe for the first time, it's matched in the color of his lips. Are they usually that red? It's difficult for Reid to remember when he's distracted both by the memory of what they felt like on his and by the gleam in Everett's eyes.

Reid nods. That's all it takes for Everett to move back in. And... oh. This is different. Everett uses the hand cradling Reid's jaw to tilt his head back just a smidge further, pressing in tighter than before. His other hand finds Reid's hip. Not to tug him in, just to hold him.

Now, Reid feels hot all over. He huffs some sort of noise into Everett's mouth. But he can't even bring himself to beembarrassed because he gets one right back. The part where he's supposed to be kissing Everett back feels a bit more fraught. What if Everett doesn't like it? This already feels so good. He wants Everett to feel good, too. But after a few tries, he thinks he's got it. All he really has to do is imitate what Everett is doing. Surprisingly, that's quite easy.

At least until Everett opens his mouth a bit further. That's... it feels good, no question. Reid can tell that Everett can tell that he likes it. He keeps smiling into the kiss. It's a fascinating feeling. But it's also intimidating. Because open mouths mean French kissing, right? That scares him a bit. How is he supposed to manage something like that without verbal instructions? Can he ask for those? That would probably be even weirder than he usually already is.

Everett brings a stop to those thoughts with a gentle nip on his bottom lip. It sends a jolt through Reid's entire body, so strong that Everett must be able to feel it.

"You alright?" he asks. His voice is deeper than usual, and just a little hoarse. The sound of it sends a tingle down Reid's spine.

"M-hmm." He nods. "You just surprised me."

---