Punchline Takes a Hit (PT 1)
Summary: Hotch tells the team a joke for Jack and Spencer doesn’t get it right away. When he finally does, his ridiculous laughter awakens feelings Morgan didn’t know he had.
Hotch came out of his office and entered the bullpen. “I almost forgot that Jack told me a joke this morning and wanted me to tell it to you all. What has two butts and kills people?”
Elle and Morgan looked at each other, running possible answers through their minds. Hitman; no. Sadist; no.
“An assassin,” Hotch chuckled.
Morgan and Elle laughed. “Where’d he hear that?” Morgan wondered.
“Someone at school heard it from their brother,” Hotch shrugged. “He was proud that he got me with it.”
The three looked at Reid who was still contemplating the joke. His brow was furrowed, his eyes seemingly staring at the floor but not focussing. Assassin?
“Reid?” Hotch questioned.
“I-I don’t…” he shook his head with a frown.
“You’ll figure it out,” Morgan reassured. “A hint: don’t overthink it.”
Hotch chuckled again at the perplexed look on the youngest agent’s face and went back to his office.
Reid got a fresh cup of coffee and sat back down. On a scrap of paper, he wrote the joke’s question and the punchline under it. Writing out the punchline was what got the joke through to him.
The young doctor clamped a hand over his mouth, giggling. His eyes were clenched shut as he laughed. The two co-workers sitting around him shared a look.
“You good, Pretty Boy?” Morgan chortled.
“You just got the joke, didn’t you?” Elle sighed.
Reid finally managed to swallow his mouthful of coffee and burst out laughing. He nodded in answer to Elle’s question. Hotch could hear Reid’s laughter from his office and couldn’t help laugh. The young genius could pinpoint where the unsub lived based on his handwriting in moments yet it took minutes for him to understand a simple quip.
Elle spared Morgan a look, her smile softening when she noticed a different light behind the man’s eyes as he watched Reid trying to contain his laughter.
After a few moments, Reid managed to calm himself but was left with the hiccups. Everytime Reid hiccupped, Morgan would chuckle. At first, she thought it amusing. Now though? Five minutes later? It was driving her insane.
The brunette ventured into the breakroom and thrust a cold bottle of water into Reid’s hands when she came back.
*****
JJ and Reid were talking in the breakroom later in the afternoon.
“Did you hear the joke Hotch told earlier?” Reid giggled at the thought of the joke.
“No. What was it?” JJ grinned at her child-like friend.
Reid managed to tell the joke- a smile constantly on his face and through giggles.
“Want some Tums for those butterflies, lover-boy?” Elle teased suddenly, making Morgan jump.
“Jesus, Elle!” Morgan hissed from where he sat at his desk.
“You’re gonna talk to him, right?”
“I talk to him all the time,” Morgan shrugged, trying to dismiss the woman’s teasing.
Elle gave him an incredulous look.
“I- No. Not about this.”
“Why not? There’s nothing in the books saying agents can’t date.” Elle crossed her arms over her chest, tapping the toe of her shoe waiting for an answer.
“I...It’s not a smart move.”
“Not a smart move?” Elle scoffed. “It’s one of the smartest moves you could make.”
“What move?” Reid wondered as he and JJ appeared in the doorway.
“Pulling his head out of his ass long enough to breath,” Elle covered, ignoring Morgan’s galre.
Reid’s brow furrowed again in confusion, but he dismissed it and headed back to his desk to finish the consult he was working on.
“Butterflies?” JJ looked between the two profilers with a knowing smirk.
“Does everyone know?” Morgan threw his arms up.
“I’m not a profiler and I know, so probably.” JJ shrugged.
Morgan glanced at Reid with wide eyes, silently asking the two women if Reid might know as well. The women glanced at Reid. “No,” they answered at the same time.
“I’ll give Garcia a heads up that you’re gonna want to talk to her for date ideas.” JJ beamed and left with a bounce in her step.
*****
“Pretty Boy.” Morgan caught Reid’s elbow as the younger agent pressed the down button for the elevator.
Spencer looked at Morgan with widened eyes, shock evident in them. “Yeah?”
“Wanna get some coffee that’s supposed to be sweet without rotting your teeth?” Morgan offered. “My treat.”
“Oh. Sure,” Reid smiled. “The coffee they have here isn’t good enough?” he teased.
“Do you see the ability to steam milk?” Morgan smirked.
“Fair point. But if you want frothy milk, it’s not hard to do. I mean, you could buy a hand-held frother- they don’t cost much. Or if you have a jar- like a canning jar- then you fill it a third of the way and shake it like crazy until the milk doubles in size. It only takes about a minute, actually,” Reid explained.
As the two got into the elevator, Reid missed the thumbs up JJ and Garcia were sending Morgan’s way with wide smiles.
“You don’t usually drink coffee after four unless we have a case. What changed?” Reid’s question pulled Morgan’s wandering mind back to the present.
“Uh...it’s just one of those cooler fall days, you know? Gets ya in the mood for warmer drinks.”
“Have you had spiced cider?” Reid asked, excitement in his eyes. “My favorite coffee house only has it from October first to December 31.”
“You never really struck me as a cider kinda guy,” Morgan noted.
“It has to be real cider. The stuff they sell at the store isn’t worth the money. It’s just over priced, juice made from crab apples- not really crab apples, but it’s sour enough to be. It has to be real cider,” Reid explained.
“If you like cider so much, have you had hard cider?”
“I don’t drink,” Reid shook his head. “I like the usage of my frontal lobe and liver too much. Not to mention what it does to your kidneys and blood- Alcohol is just back for you. Some people swear that a glass of red wine is good for at the end of the day, but more current studies are finding that it’s not because it kicks your liver into hyper drive right before you lay down to go to bed so it actually keeps you up.”
Morgan chuckled at Reid’s info-dumping. A lot of people found it annoying, but Morgan saw the truth behind it. The more the kid trusted you, the more he info-dumped. He wasn’t huge on physical touch from others- he, JJ, and Garcia were working on that- so he showed he cared by sharing his infinite knowledge with you.
“Sorry.” Reid tugged the cuffs of his cardigan over his palms and fisted his hands. “I was rambling.”
“It’s all good. I knew people thought wine could help disease- my aunt swears by it- but I didn’t know they were disproving it. I’ll have to send her some of those sources of yours, huh?”
“I can forward them to you tomorrow,” Reid nodded.
*****
Reid got up from their table to get them refills. They’d been chatting and working on a jigsaw puzzle at the back of the coffee house. Morgan sent a quick text to JJ.
“I don’t think he knows I asked him out.”
JJ giggled as she replied. “So tell him you asked out. You know Spence. You have to be painfully clear.”
Reid sat back on the couch, handing Morgan one of the cups of spiced cider. “Do we have a case?”
“Nah. Just JJ texting to see what’s up,” Morgan shrugged. He couldn’t help but admire Spencer. The younger man went right back to the puzzle, the awkward air floating miles above his head.
**********
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