Chapter Text
Victor was once again partaking in his favourite hobby, watching the Baxter Building.
Or more specifically, watching Reed.
Reed — who was sitting at his desk looking miserable —a pen in one hand and a blank piece of paper before him. He stayed that way for hours.
And quite frankly, it made for boring viewing.
——
It was the same affair the next night, yet this time Reed had company. A bottle of tequila sat untouched on his desk, the lid still firmly on.
Victor sighed. What had made Reed so upset recently, and more importantly — why did he care? After all, Reed was the reason he was spiralling down a dark path...
Nursing his own drink, a glass of the finest American brandy, Victor watched as Reed ran a tired hand through his hair.
——
Things were going too far now.
It was night five, a Saturday night, and Reed was... well, he was almost becoming one with the damn chair. The tequila bottle was gone, replaced with a large mug of what looked like coffee, and again this was untouched.
The piece of paper from night one had a single, short line on it.
Victor was half tempted to go to the Baxter building and slap some sense into him.
——
Night six and Victor should be at a meeting in five minutes, but first... first he had to check on Reed.
Reed was slumped in the chair, and Victor could see him slowly slipping lower and lower... until...
thud.
He was now just a heap of sadness on the floor and Victor had had enough.
——
When Reed opened the door, mostly to save it from being knocked down by whoever was on the other side, he was half-hoping it was Susan. To perhaps take him back?
However, unless Sue had cut her hair short, dyed it dark brown, and got some really heavy eyebrows, it was not her. Reed blinked at his visitor, blinked some more and decided that he must be hallucinating. Cause why the fuck is Victor stood there?
"Victor?" He said, a little breathless before promptly fainting.
Yet he never hit the ground.
——
When he next woke up, Reed found himself in an actual bed, a soft one at that, and as he peered around, he made awkward eye contact with his enemy, Victor. It made his cheeks heat up. Why was he here? And staring at him like that?
"Victor?" He asked hesitantly, "What are you doing here?"
Victor was sat in a chair next to the bed, his hands folded carefully in his lap. He was wearing an expensive looking suit, and if anyone asked Reed his opinion, he would say that it fitted the man well... too well. Reed couldn't help but ogle at him.
"Reed, you're drooling."
Fuck.
"You didn't answer my question, Vic," He said with a pout. Stupid sexy Victor distracting him from his heartbreak.
——
Now it was Victor's turn to hesitate. How could he answer without appearing like a stalker? Well, Reed, I've been um... watching you for the past week. No. Too weird.
"I... wanted to see Susan." He lied instead, immediately regretting it when Reed went pale, his lower lip trembling pathetically.
It was like looking at a kicked puppy, and usually Victor wouldn't give a shit... but Reed and his stupid little sad face was affecting him. He sighed.
"What? What's happened?"
Reed was toying with the duvet, his eyes downcast. He sniffed and mumbled. "Sue broke up with me."
Oh.
Reed was heartbroken.
This was the moment where Victor should throw an insult, enjoy Reed's pain, and bounce. But seeing how absolutely pathetic his ex-friend was, with his puffy eyes and droppy hair, caused Victor to hesitate. He grit his teeth together, internally having a silent battle with himself. Just leave him, it's not your problem versus he needs you, and you like that he needs you.
Growling under his breath, Victor stood up and crossed the room, only to sit beside Reed on the bed. Reed blinked up at him with those big brown eyes, uncertainty dancing within them, as though he was scared of Victor's motives.
Surprising both of them, Victor lifted up the covers and climbed under, leaning against the headboard beside Reed. He didn't want to intrude on the other's personal space. Especially as they were no longer friends.
"What happened with you two?" He asked softly, pulling a tissue out of his pocket and handing it over to Reed.
Reed took it with the smallest of smiles, "She said I loved my work more than her."
"You do, but with a brain like yours... it's understandable, I suppose." Victor replied, falling silent for a minute. Side-eyeing Reed, he noticed the other struggling to fight back a yawn. "When did you last sleep?"
Reed stared blearily at him, "Oh, um, like a week ago?"
And then Victor felt a warm weight against his shoulder. Reed was close, too close, and he was torn between pushing him off — because they haven't done this since the college days — and allowing Reed to stay, thus swallowing his pride.
He gave Reed the tiniest of pokes, and when the other didn't respond, or rather his response was to move closer, Victor admitted defeat. In fact, for once, he welcomed it.
"Get some sleep," He murmured quietly, shifting slightly to wrap an arm around Reed's shoulders.
In bed with the enemy... You couldn't make it up.
——
Victor woke up when the door burst open. He peered towards the window and noticed that the sun was barely above the horizon — which meant it was too early for this shit.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Susan, Ben and of course, Johnny were all stood in the doorway, their expressions ranging from horrified (Ben) to downright disturbed (Johnny).
Victor swallowed, his defenses shooting up at the sight of the Fantastic three.
Their eyes roamed over Victor to Reed, lingered there for a few seconds to check he was okay, then moved to the arm Victor had around him, Susan's eyebrows rising faster than Ben's blood pressure.
"You know," Johnny began slowly, "If you think about it, it does make sense. Kinda."
Ben opened his mouth to argue, realised that Johnny was in fact correct and quickly closed it again.
And Susan? Her eyes were locked with Victor's, whose lips were lifting into a satisfied smirk. Haha, I win, he said silently to her.
Meanwhile, Reed stayed fast asleep.