Work Text:
The second Luke steps inside the apartment, he notices something’s different. Not really wrong—if something bad happened, he would’ve known, his gut feeling’s never failed him before—but something’s definitely different. For one, Roxy hasn’t come to greet him at the door; she usually bolts for it the second she hears footsteps outside the place, her tail wagging like crazy, waiting for Luke to come in and give her the attention she’s been missing the entire day. Right now, she’s taking her sweet time to come up to him—Luke manages to kick off his shoes before the dog trots into the hallway.
“Well, hello there,” Luke says as he crouches down to give Roxy a generous amount of pets and scratches. He looks around and then it hits him—the extra pair of shoes in the corner, the suitcase by the door. A bright smile stretches across his face and he feels warm all over.
From the doorway, Luke can see Reid’s body curled up on the couch, the lump of him wrapped in a blanket from chin to toe and as much as Luke doesn't want to disturb Reid’s sleep, he really can’t help himself. It’s been months since the last time he heard from his boyfriend but that was the nature of this particular case and they both knew that when Reid accepted it. It wasn't exactly an undercover job but at the same time, everything about it was highly classified and it took Reid all the way to Europe. They didn't know how long it was going to last and what exactly the level of danger was going to be, but Spencer was dead serious about wanting to do it. It started sixteen months ago and they only got to see each other in person once—it was mid-July, just before Luke’s birthday and Reid managed to clear a weekend, which they spent in a hotel room in Berlin, both for safety reasons and because they didn’t really want to do anything other than enjoy each other’s company with no distractions. After that, it’s only been secure line phone calls and encrypted messages and, frankly, sometimes it all drove Luke crazy. Now that it's all done, he can finally breathe easy again.
Luke quietly makes his way towards the couch, with Roxy following behind him, and crouches just in front of Spencer’s head; he reaches out and gently brushes his fingers through the other man's hair—it's gone insanely long, down to his shoulders now and Luke actually likes it, When his palm rests on the side of Spencer’s head and his thumb runs back and forth across his cheekbone, Reid’s eyes slowly flutter open and a smile starts forming on his lips.
“I was going to wait for you but I didn't get much sleep on the flight,” he explains as he sits up. Roxy tries to worm her way in between them, her muzzle bumping into Reid’s knee, so he gives in to her wishes with a soft laugh and buries his fingers in her soft fur.
“When did you get back?” Luke asks as he sits on the couch next to Spencer; all he wants to do is wrap Reid up in a tight hug and kiss him long enough to make up for all this time they've been apart but he’s not about to get in between his boyfriend and Roxy; he’d tried that once and had learned his lesson.
“About four hours ago. We went for a walk and then we ended up napping.” The fond smile does not leave Spencer’s lips for a second, even when Roxy finally walks away and settles in her dog bed. “How was work?” he asks then, leaning back and trying to get comfortable. Before he can fully settle, Luke leans over and kisses Spencer, soft and lingering; he holds onto him as if he never wanted to let go of him ever again. Eventually Luke pulls away, just enough to get a good look at Reid’s face, and they’re both grinning at each other.
“Work was fine but I just—missed you,” he says as he plays with the strands of Reid’s hair that frame his face. He’s once again reminded of how long it’s been since they’d last seen each other and his heart immediately swells. For a second, he lets himself panic, because what if this happens again, what if work demands for them to be apart for months on end again but before the thought turns into a full-fledged breakdown, he shifts his focus to the here and now, to Spencer grinning back at him and holding his hand. “Are you planning to keep your hair like that?” he asks, his tone slightly teasing.
“I was going to get a haircut. Unless I shouldn’t,” Spencer replies, trying to match Luke’s tone. He runs a hand through his hair and tries to smooth it back but his fingers get caught in a few tangles instead, which makes them both laugh. “Maybe I should get it cut. I feel like this is a safety hazard.”
“No, I think you should keep it.”
“Should I now?”
Luke hums in response, a smile on his face that disappears only when he kisses Spencer, a lot deeper this time, the extent of how much he’s missed his partner finally coming through in full. He wraps his arms around Reid’s body and shifts them slightly so they can lie down on the couch, Spencer’s back against the cushions and Luke on top of him. Reid’s arms end up wound around Luke’s neck, pulling his body so close that there’s barely an inch between them. Reid kisses back as if he couldn’t get enough of it and when Luke moves on to Spencer’s neck, he can hear him gasping right into his ear.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Luke says when he pulls away, his breath heavy. He’s almost sure he’ll be saying the same thing at least ten more times tonight.
“Me too,” Reid answers; he reaches up to cradle Luke’s face in his hands and they remain like this, staring at each other and drinking each other in for a while until they inevitably dissolve into a fit of giddy laughter. Once they settle, Spencer slides his hands down Luke’s neck and starts unbuttoning his shirt, a playful spark in his eye. Luke’s mouth is back on Reid’s neck even before he gets to the last button. When Spencer feels the bare skin under his fingertips, it truly feels like coming home.
“Come on,” Luke says as he pulls away; he stands up and pulls Reid up with him, his arms immediately around his waist, refusing to let go even for a single second. The moment they’re off the couch, Roxy’s ears perk up and she’s at their feet almost immediately.
“Bet you didn’t miss this,” Luke jokes and crouches down to give their dog the same lecture she gets every single time before she gets locked out of the bedroom. Spencer stares at the scene with an affectionate grin and the only thing he can think of is how insanely lucky he got.