Page 49 of Small Sacrifices

On the entire ride home, Reid feels numb. The sound of the wheels on the street lulls him into a trance—so much so that he has to turn the radio on to make sure he doesn't doze off. That would be too much; to quit his job and get into a car accident on the same day.

God, this will look horrible on his resume, won't it?

Who quits an unpaid internship after barely being there for a month?

Even if Mr. Wright doesn't blacklist him, a hiccup like that won't endear Reid to potential employers.

That'll make it even more difficult to figure out how to meet his parents' deadline.

Strangely giddy, he wonders what he’ll do all day. His first instinct is to call Everett. But he’s probably attending his remote lectures. Maybe they can talk this evening if they're still going to meet. Everything feels hazy—did he tell Marisol he'd see her?

All those questions disappear when he arrives home and finds Everett waiting on the stairs leading up to his building. As Reid approaches, Everett jumps to his feet so quickly that Reid gets dizzy at the thought of the head rush he might be experiencing.

Everett, however, remains steady. He just quietly follows Reid as he unlocks the door, climbs the stairs, and then unlocks the door to his apartment.

His dark eyes track Reid as he closes the door behind them, hangs the key onto its hook, and deposits his bag onto the chair next to the door. Only then does he speak.

"Did they fire you too? I heard they let Marisol go, and then you left, so…"

A giggle bubbles up in Reid’s throat. He barely disguises it as a cough. "No, I quit."

"What, why?"

Reid shrugs. He doesn’t know how to explain it.

Sure, Everett knows how bad his father is.

And he doesn’t seem to like Mr. Wright either.

But it just… It still feels a bit too complicated in Reid’s head to explain.

The problem with that, it seems, is that Everett isn’t just going to let this go without an explanation.

"I thought this job was important to you. What happened to getting people engaged in politics?" Wow. That would feel like a low blow if Everett didn’t look so concerned. Even under the deep furrow of his brow, his eyes are strikingly wide.

"Not like this," Reid says. "I’ll find another way, but I just… couldn’t stay."

The searching look in Everett’s eyes makes him squirm. He feels so pinned under his gaze that he doesn’t even try to get past Everett and sit down on the couch. Instead, he just leans back against his front door and lets himself glide down.

Before he can say anything, there's a hand on his knee. When he looks up, Everett is kneeling in front of him with a concerned expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I found something that implicates your father in a criminal conspiracy with the Agrifarm thing," Reid says. Better to get it out all at once. That way, at least, he won't have to worry about the reaction too much.

Everett tilts his head and frowns. "I'm sorry, what?"

And so Reid tells him everything. About how he sat on the couch just a few feet away and first read that email, then panicked.

About how they don't have the attachment, so they don't have actual proof.

About how Marisol said Mr. Wright just brushed it to the side, and about how he demanded sex for a promotion just a few days later.

He also says, "I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner. I wanted to. I just didn't really know how. And we don't have actual proof, so…"

"I would've believed you." The expression on Everett's face is severe. "God, I knew he probably knew something, but this is…"

"I'm sorry!"

Everett snorts. "Alright, I guess it's my turn now to tell you that this wasn't your fault. My father and his people are fucking ghouls. You were just trying to do the right thing and got caught in the crosshairs."

Reid isn't sure that description is accurate, but Everett seems passionate about it, so he leaves it be. Instead, he picks at his cuticles. It takes Everett slowly tapping him on the knee to realize he's retreated into himself again.

"Hey, are you sure you're fine?" he asks. "You're very quiet. Did he scream at you or something?"

The question makes Reid all warm inside, and he can't help but smile. "No. My brain just hasn't fully caught up yet, so I feel a bit numb. I'll be furious in an hour, I promise."

Everett grins. "Oh, you promise? Well, now I have to stay. I'd probably pay to see that. You, furious? That's quite magnificent."

What? Reid turns to Everett so that he can see him better. "When have you seen me furious?"

"Friday." The answer is quick and sure. "You read me the riot act when I kissed you. And rightfully so, but can I just say? You were glorious."

That… is not a word that Reid has ever associated with himself.

Glorious. Neither is magnificent. An entire lifetime of experiences has taught him to not believe people when they say things like that.

Usually, they're just mocking him. But this is Everett.

Reid doesn't fight the smile that spreads on his face.

"I was?" he asks.

"Oh, absolutely. All that righteous anger… It was a good thing you put me in my place, honestly. If I hadn't been so horrified at myself, who knows what might've happened."

If Reid draws a sharp breath at this admission, then that's his business. Everett, thankfully, is distracted by the truly alarming noise his knee makes when he shifts around.

"Ow. D'you think we could take this to the couch, maybe?"

Since Reid's butt is already numb from the hard floor, that sounds like a good idea.

So he nods and lets Everett pull him to his feet.

But Everett either underestimates his own strength or maybe he just doesn't pay attention, because he pulls way too hard.

They almost topple over. By the time they've righted themselves, they're nose to nose.

Reid's throat runs dry. A breath ghosts over his lips, and the tingling sensation of it makes his own breath stutter.

All on its own, his gaze wanders down to Everett's mouth.

Was it this overwhelming to be close to Everett on Friday?

He doesn't think so. But then why is it worse?

He's already kissed him, so shouldn't it be easier now that he knows what that feels like?

A small sound escapes Reid when Everett's hand molds itself to his jaw. It forces him to look up again, and that's not much better, because Everett's pupils are blown so wide that his eyes look black in the dim light of the apartment. Reid doesn't want to assume. But that look... It's a lot.

"Can I kiss you?" Everett asks, voice husky.

Reid decides it's most expedient to answer that question by just moving in.

From the very beginning, the kiss is deep.

His hands are on Everett's chest, which makes it easy to snarl his fingers in the collar of his shirt and drag him closer.

Everett's other hand is lying on Reid's hip.

It's not gripping onto him as much as clenching periodically, like he wants to tug Reid closer but doesn't quite dare to.

It's amazing how quickly Reid forgets everything around him.

All he can do is feel. Everett's large hand splayed over his jaw, the tips of his fingers tangled in Reid's curls.

Everett's breath on his face, deep and surprisingly loud.

It sounds like he's trying to control it, but failing.

And finally, the soft drag of his lips on Reid's.

It's enough to make Reid shudder and take a step closer.

Somehow, that translates to Everett pushing him up against his door. He must make some sort of sound when his back makes contact with the wood, because Everett immediately breaks the kiss and moves back so that he can look at Reid.

"You okay?" he asks. "This... is this okay?"

"Yes," Reid says. It's surprising how breathy his voice is. He's looking up at Everett, whose eyes are flitting over his face for a hint that maybe something is off. Reid appreciates that, in a way, but it would be great if Everett could just trust his word.

"This isn't too much?"

Reid frowns. "Why would it be?" This is brilliant. His synapses are singing.

He watches Everett's Adam's Apple bob before he says, "You'll tell me if I go too far? I'll try to ask, but can you help me?"

What a weird question. Reid nods, observing the furrow in Everett's brow smooth out. He supposes that it's an extension of what happened on Friday, but as far as he's concerned, Friday was definitive proof he says when he doesn't like something. Then again, maybe Everett is just being careful.

Thankfully, that seems to be enough for Everett.

Reid thrills at how his hooded eyes slip closed as he moves in to kiss him again.

And then, as before, he's back to just feeling.

At first, he thinks Everett is being careful.

Because the kisses are short now, there and then gone again.

But then, when he makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and Everett grins against his mouth, he realizes: He's being teased.

After the initial spark of irritation has died down, he asks himself—why?

Is this just for fun? Or is Everett trying to get him to do something?

After what they just talked about, maybe Everett is trying to make sure that Reid actually wants this.

It's intimidating to move one hand from Everett's collar to the back of his neck and to open his mouth further, to initiate a deepening of the kiss.

But only until he's done it. Because Everett openly groans against his mouth and opens up to respond in kind.