A/N: So I've been reading back through my chapters, and realised this really isn't as good as my other fics have been. Of course, it's better than a lot of the crap out there, but truth be told, I have no plot. I have a couple scenes I want to write, but no idea how to fill in the spaces in between. So bare with me, and hopefully don't bore you all to death. LOL

Chapter 7: Cravings

Reid shook his head as he returned with the pizza boxes and placed them on his small coffee table. "What exactly were you trying to achieve, T?"

"What do you mean?" T asked innocently.

"I saw the looks you were giving the delivery boy, I'm not blind."

"He was cuuuute." T replied, sing-songy.

"And you're in no condition." Reid continued shaking his head as he opened the boxes.

"I just wanted a taste. I wouldn't need to have sex with him."

"Just what exactly were you thinking of then?"

"I could have just jerked him off, or gave him a blow-job. My arms aren't broken, and my mouth is fully functional." T nodded once, to emphasise his statement.

"Not in my house." Reid remarked.

"Hallway?"

"Not in this building! Gosh, you're impossible. You don't even know if he was gay."

"Oh trust me, I knew. I'm very good at picking 'em. I had you pegged right off the bat, didn't I? I knew before you did!"

Reid frowned, "I'm still not sure I am."

"You told your friends you are." T noted.

Reid sighed, "Yeah, and I care about you, a lot. But how do you know?"

T shrugged, "You just… know."

"You never once questioned your sexuality?" Reid asked.

T shook his head, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a bite, his mouth full as he answered, "Never. I wasn't aware there was anything to question."

"Have you ever been with a woman before?"

Nodding, T replied, "A few times… More than a few actually. When I was on the streets. Female clients were rare, but they existed. Some of the other boys had strict preferences, but I didn't, so I usually got them all."

"And you were okay with that?"

"It was gross, I'm not gonna lie, but the women tip better, so it was worth it."

"So, you can compare the two and know which you like better."

"You can't?" T inquired.

Reid sighed, "I've only been with you, you should know that. I've kissed girls before, a couple times, and it was nice. Soft, I guess." He frowned, struggling to even talk about this. Too distracted by his thoughts to eat, even as T grabbed a second piece.

"Yeah, well, I have soft lips too." T's eyes glinted with a hint of mischief. "Wanna see?" In a swift practiced move he dove forward, faster than a man with his injuries should have been able to, and captured Reid's lips in a gentle but needy kiss.

Reid struggled not to melt into the kiss, putting his hands on Tamesis' shoulders and applying pressure to push him away without hurting him. When their lips parted Reid shook his head, "T, no."

T's shoulders slumped, and he put on a pout. "You didn't even give me a chance to woo you."

"I don't want to be wooed, T. I've told you we can't have a relationship. At least, not right now. Not until I figure out how to balance both you and work. I can't fall too deeply into one or the other; they're both important."

"But I need you." T admitted.

"No, you need someone. Not me."

"Well you're the only one here, Reid. What am I supposed to do?" T asked; a small glare set into his features.

"Resist it? Heal. I had to fight my craving for months, but I managed. There's still days I think about it, but I can handle it. I know you have the strength to resist your urges, just until you heal."

"I might be younger than you, but I've had my problem for a lotlonger than you had yours. I've been this way since I was 11. I've had sex, in some form or another, nearly every day for over 10 years. I can't change."

"I'm not asking you to change, just to put your health first. When I no longer have to worry about you bleeding to death because your wounds have opened up again, you can do whatever you want, so long as it's not here."

"So now you're kicking me out to have sex on the street?"

Reid shook his head in disbelief. "Why do you insist on twisting my words like that? There are two of you involved, go back to their place."

T put down his half eaten slice of pizza and crossed his arms in a huff, "I just call it like I hear it."

"Please tell me you're not going to be childish about this. I stopped dealing with childish things when I was 7."

T glared, "Why are you being so mean to me? What did I do!"

"I'm not being mean; I'm just setting down some rules. While you're a guest here, you follow those rules. Simple. If you can't follow them, you can recover in a hospital." Reid stated with a small sigh. Not wanting to use it as a threat, but knowing it came out that way.

"You know I can't. I can't let them find me. It's better for them, if they think I'm dead."

"How is that better? I know, in my gut, that your mom still believes you're alive, that she still has hope. Wouldn't you like to relieve her of her worry, and have her know you're alright? You don't have to go back to them, just take away their suffering."

T shook his head, "She… They'll want to know what happened to me, and I can't tell them. It would just hurt them more. I know whatever they've imagined, isn't as bad as what actually happened."

"But Letha," Reid continued, "she was just a baby when you left. She's never known you; she has no memories of you. Wouldn't you like to know her, and have her know you?"

T paused, worrying at his lip with his teeth. "I… I'd like to know her, yes. But I can't let her know me. She's innocent. I don't want to taint her."

Reid reached out and brushed a curly lock out of T's face, resting his palm against T's cheek without even noticing what he was doing. "You can't taint her, T. You can't corrupt her. She's your sister, she needs her big brother."

"She has two others. She doesn't need me." T sighed, and pulled away from Reid's touch. "What kind of influence would I be on her? I like to drink, and fuck, and if someone offers me money for it, that's just an added bonus. She doesn't need that in her life. None of them do."

"That's not all of you, Tamesis. That's just a small part. When you're not being down on yourself, you're funny, and kind, you look out for the people you care about, you'd rather hurt yourself than see them hurt. You're a good person, T. Rather than thinking you'll teach her bad habits, you should focus on the fact that you can teach her what not to do. Teach her about the world without her having to experience it herself. Teach her to be careful. She'll trust you. Trust your experiences." Reid tried to smile, hoping he was encouraging T.

"Why would she trust me? She doesn't know me."

"You're family. She'll trust you."

T sighed, "It's a nice thought Reid, but I can't see it happening."

"Maybe not right away, but someday, T. Someday, the time will be right. And I want to be with you when it happens. I'll support you through it. Just think about it, okay?"

T shrugged, not answering one way or the other, before picking up his pizza slice again and taking another bite. "You know," he started, mouth full again. It made Reid smile as he analyzed the reasoning behind why T insisted on doing it. He almost missed what T said. "You've always been good at making me see the other side of things."

"Do you think I'll ever get you to see the other side of Connors?" Reid asked.

T shrugged again, "I dunno, maybe. Doubtful, but maybe. I mean, I know he's not a saint, or anything. I know he's had people killed, that I've done it for him, as well as many others who work for him have. I know all that, logically. But, no one's perfect. I can't explain what he means to me. When he met me he saw something in me that no one else ever saw. He knew I could be useful, that there was more to me than just a whore. He taught me that. He taught me how to defend myself, whether it was with my fists, a knife, or a gun. I'll never be a… a victim, again. I'll never be hurt again."

Reid's eyes were sad, "T, you have been hurt again. Look at yourself. They may be all bandaged up right now, but if you could see the marks on your body like I saw them... And hedid this to you."

T shook his head, "He never touched me. It was the others, Four mostly. Four liked to practice his carving skills. But Four's always been a sick fuck."

"But it was Connors who let them. He gave them permission to."

"Why would he do that? He… I'm his favourite."

"You said it was because you needed to be punished."

T blinked and frowned, "I did? Oh… right, I did."

Reid reached out again, this time deliberately, and took T's head in his hands, holding the sides of his face. "I don't know how convoluted things are in your brain right now, but I promise you I'll help you sort them out. I know you see Connors as a saviour right now, but I'm hoping, now that you're away from him, that you can start to see him like the rest of us do. And I promise you, Connors isn't the only one who's seen you as more than a whore. I knowyou're more than that. I've always known that. I just want you to fight for yourself. Don't give in to what you think you know, just because it's easy. This isn't going to be easy, T, but I'm going to help you get yourself back."

T smiled, finishing his pizza slice as he looked at Reid. "Thanks, I guess." Slowly he averted his gaze, eyes falling to the pizza boxes. "You should eat too, you know. 'Cause if you don't remove your hands from my skin, I might have to kiss you again."

Reid laughed and pulled away, reaching for a slice of his pizza. "You should get some more rest after this, okay? There's no medical proof that sleeping makes you heal any faster, but it makes it seem faster if nothing else."

"Will you lay with me? Just lay." T asked, eyes flashing innocence.

Reid considered for a moment before nodding, "Okay, but no… funny business. And if I end up accidently hurting you, I'm coming back out here. Deal?"

T nodded, "Deal."