Happy New Year I'm only *looks at calendar* three days late but in my defense I only finished it 6 hours before Midnight and you couldn't have payed me to tag it that night for here you go every one 24k fantasy au one shot bc I will die on the anything is a one shot if you post it all at once hill
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
⇾ ⋆ [𝐆𝐢𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭: @ag-ib] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, historians would call them friends...] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Food, very slight mentions of bombing and getting hurt] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2591] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐎3] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐀/𝐍: I’m turning this into a very long slowburn series, and the first part is Cherries and Strawberries. Y’all have @kermitsaysgayrights to thank, because if it wasn’t for her, I wasn’t going to write a part two, and wouldn’t’ve gotten invested enough to turn into a series so... also, disclaimer that they are 5 year olds in grown men meat suits, thank you for coming to my tedtalk!] ⋆ ⇽ ⇾ ⋆ [𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @blakes-dictionxry ⋆ @reese-the-edgy-enby ⋆ @spencerreidstie ⋆ @reidrights ⋆ @sergio--prentiss ⋆ @agentshortstacc ⋆ @suburban--gothic ⋆ @cloudy-reid ⋆ @hannibalslut ⋆ @pretty-b0yy ⋆ @abitcriminalminds ⋆ @misspenelopegarcia ⋆ @spencers-renaissance] ⋆ ⇽
⇾ ⋆ [𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: "He’s kept quiet for all this time, but there was something - a feeling in his gut - that told him he wouldn’t be able to keep this charade up for much longer."] ⋆ ⇽
“Pretty boy! Whatcha doin’ tonight?” Morgan sat on Emily’s desk as he leaned over the divider to talk to his friend.
“Oh, I was going to re-watch this hour-long documentary on seahorses! I’d ask if you want to come, b-“ before Reid could finish his sentence, Morgan interrupted him.
“Sound good! I’ll be there at 8!” He spoke as he leaned off the table and moved towards his own desk. Spencer’s face lit up like a Christmas tree as he gasped.
“Really?!” He said with the brightest smile on his face as he frantically started packing his stuff. Morgan stared in adoration for a little bit before he started pacing his own belongings, but Reid spoke up again before he could say anything.
“You are going to love it! In my opinion, seahorses are one of the most fascinating creatures, and I re-watch that documentary every now and then, and even though I have it all memorized, it never ceases to amaze me!” Derek gave him a small smile, and the young man mumbled something about leaving now to get everything ready- including popcorn, earning a chuckle from Morgan. He was on his way out when he turned around and sprinted towards Derek’s arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Morgan hugged back immediately, furring his brows in confusion before he heard Reid’s muffled voice, barely above a whisper. “Thank you!”
<- —————— ->
It was about 7:50 when Morgan left his apartment, making his way over to his friend. He wore a tight black t-shirt, a grey hoodie, and some dark rifle green cargo pants to match. He made his way out the door and into his car, making sure to pass by the trusty coffee shop, getting him and his boy their favorite deserts. He knocked on the door once he reached it, and was met by Spencer’s shy smile on the other end. He stepped out of the way to let Derek in, beaming happily when he noticed the bag on his hand and sniffed, getting a whip of the pastries.
“You didn’t!” He locked the door as quickly as he could, trying not to waste any time, as Morgan just chuckled, kicking off his shoes to the side.
“Oh yes I did!” The smiles across each other’s face could make anyone wonder just how their cheeks weren’t hurting. Derek made his way around Spencer’s couch, but before he sat down, Reid stopped him.
“Oh no no no no no, we’re staying my room because the CD doesn’t work on the player here for some reason, and besides, I wanna be laying down, so...” he said, as he cooked his head towards his bedroom, disappearing behind the door, with Morgan following suit after.
There was a bowl of popcorn on the nightstand, and the bed was set on the corner of the room, a TV at its feet above a drawer cabinet that seem to be a couple hundred years old. There was this rustic design to Reid’s bedroom that didn’t seem to match the rest of his house, and though Morgan had come over may times, he’d never actually enter the boys room, despite the desire to do so. You see, Derek Morgan had a problem. One he’s had for about 8 years. This... problem... had evolved within the very first year of him knowing the boy.
He realized his problem the very first time Spencer got hurt. They were at some station in the middle of a case, when someone with a bomb around them decided to enter, their goal being to take out as many people as they could along with them selves. The team had all been injured, along with most of the officers at the station, but Derek could only think about Spencer. He realized then, his problem. This said problem being... he had feelings for the young man. He’s kept quiet for all this time, but there was something - a feeling in his gut - that told him he wouldn’t be able to keep this charade up for much longer.
“Are you gonna keep staring or do you wanna sit down?” Spencer mumbled with a smirk, looking at Derek through his lashes.
“Right, sorry...” he breathed out, taking off his sweatshirt and laying next Spencer. He’d completely forgotten the pies until he heard a slight hum come from beside him. He looked over to see Spencer biting into his pie, furrowing his brows in concentration, with a slight smile as he tasted the treat.
“You’re doing it again...” he said, turning his head to meet Morgan’s gaze, snapping the him out of his thoughts once more. Derek blinked rapidly, before chuckling. “Anything you wanna tell me?” The boy whispered, looking at the TV and away from Morgan.
“Yeah, actually...” he started, sitting cross-legged, facing the boy laying next to him. Spencer lifted himself upwards, holding his upper-body up on his elbows, looking at Morgan in curiosity. “When was...” Derek looked at him fondly before continuing. “When was the las time you washed your hair?” He smirked down that the boy, as he sat up to hit Morgan’s chest.
“Morgan! You scared me! I thought it was something important!” He kept hitting the older agent’s shoulder as they laughed. Morgan grabbed the controlled from Spencer’s nightstand, pausing the documentary they were no longer watching, and he shoved the boy off the bed, making him nearly fall before he was able to catch himself. “I can shower later!” He whined, but Derek wasn’t listening.
“Nah nah nah! You go wash that head of yours, I’m not gonna play with no greasy hair!” Spencer raised his brows at that, before scoffing, never once dropping his smile. He nodded slightly, smirking as Derek winked, before he grabbed the towel behind the door and disappeared into the bathroom. Derek watched as the boy walked away, eyes traveling all over.
Spencer stepped out about 10 minutes later, noticing Derek’s pie was gone, and there were a couple extra bite marks on his own that weren’t there before. He rocked a white t-shirt with a brown cardigan and grey sweatpants. Morgan moved the cardigan out of the way to read the letters on the shirt once Spencer reached the bed again, drying his head with a towel.
“Plain t-shirt” Derek whispered and chuckled as he read, poking Spencer’s side where the drawing of a paper plane was outlined on his shirt.
“Did you eat my pie?” Spencer asked, earning another laugh from the older agent. “Derek! You had your own!” He smacked Morgan’s chest as he complained, and Derek spun him around, sitting the boy on his lap.
“Shhhh, here”- he picked up the remote, and handed it to his friend -“watch the pretty seahorses!” He changed the topic as he started running his hand through Spencer’s hair, taking another bite out of the pie before handing it to him.
“Hey, I saw that!” The boy complained again, as an untrustworthy smile crept onto his face, and blush rose to his cheeks when Derek just smirked and placed a soft kiss to the young man’s cheek. “This conversation is not over!”
“Uhum!” Derek furrowed his brows and nodded, turning the boys face back to the TV in front of them, as he resumed interlocking his hand with Spencer’s hair. He made braids in the boy only to destroy them again once he got to the ends, and repeated this for almost half an hour. “Spence?” He whispered once he noticed how relax the boy was and how he swayed slightly from side to side. He placed a hand under the boy’s chin, turning it sideways as he peaked from behind him, startling Reid awake.
“Hm?” He asked, completely oblivious to the butterflies violently flapping their wings in Morgan’s stomach, some having the utter audacity to rise to his chest. “‘M sorry...” he mumbled softly closing his eyes again for a few moments, before opening them again, trying to brush it off as a long blink. “Tht’s weird, m’never happened before”- he mumbled again, rubbing his eyes as Derek stared in adoration once more. “I don’t usually fall asleep watching documentaries...” he said a little more clearly before a yawn.
“Don’t worry pretty boy, here,” Derek lifted Spencer so he could slide off the bed, grabbing the pretty paper that had come with their pies, and bawling it his fist. He laid Spencer backwards onto the mattress, before pausing the CD and somehow managing to remove the covers from under Spencer, draping them over him as the boy closed his eyes again. “I’ll be right back, ok?” Reid nodded against his pillow while Derek left the room.
The older agent returned to room a few moments later to find what it seemed like a fast-asleep-doctor-reid. He smiled at Spencer, letting his mind wander off again.
“You really got stop doing that...” Spencer’s voice rang through the quiet room, bringing Morgan back down from the clouds. Spencer patted the bed behind him, moving closer to the edge to give the older agent enough space. Derek raised is brows as he made his way to lay next to Spence. “‘M take off your pants” the boy sighed out, earning a confused look from his friend.
“Excuse me?” He took a step back, looking over the boy.
“Don’t want your dirty pants in ma’ bed!” He mumbled grumpily. “You’re not getting in here with pants on, so if you want cuddles you gotta take them off!” He raised his brows as he spoke, not once opening his eyes, yet sounding much more awake them before. Derek just chuckled at the boys attitude, trying his hardest not to read into this.
And he didn’t! He didn’t read into the situation until he was laying next the Spencer, and the boy sunk into his chest. He didn’t read into anything until Spencer turned around and was just a few inches away from Dereks face. The young man moved down a little, nuzzling his face onto Dereks chest, and placed one of his hands on Derek’s chest, draping the other one around his torso. It was impossible for Derek not to read into it. So he let his mind wander.
He wandered what it would be like if they did this every night, and the next morning when they woke up? Would Spencer be angry? He didn’t want to think about that, so he played into the fantasy where he didn’t. Instead he thought about waking up next to a sleeping Reid. And the thought was enough to send him away into his own dreams.
He woke up to the sound of a phone vibrating from under the pillow. Spencer was laying completely on top of him, with his head directly next Derek’s on the pillow, facing inwards where he breathed small puffs of air onto the older man’s cheek in his sleep. Morgan had a hand around the boys waist and the other draped to the side. He moved it to find the source of the frequency, answering the phone once his eyes had adjusted to the lighting from the window.
“Morgan!” He mumbled sleepily as a squeal came from the other end of the phone, loud enough to startle Spencer awake.
“What the fuck Derek?” The boy’s tone was annoyance, but a blush formed in his chest and made its way onto his face once he rose to his elbows and realized how close their faces were.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!!” They heard Penelope squeal through the phone interrupting their longing stare. “You know what, hotch wanted you here in 30 minutes, but you have an hour!” She said right before she hung up, not giving them any chance to explain themselves. When Morgan looked at the screen he realized he had Spencer’s phone in his hand, and he looked back at the boy above that was still staring down into Derek’s eyes.
“I- I’m sorry, Morgan, I don’t know what happened, I just- I- I’m sorry!” He stuttered as he lifted himself off the bed, and made his way into the bathroom before Derek could give him a response. Morgan closed his eyes and sighed out as he got up to put his pants back on.
“Hey Spence, I’m gonna... I’m gonna head out, I’ll meet you there, kid!” He spoke into the bathroom door, earning an ‘ok’ from the other side. As he was making his way out he heard the bathroom door open.
“Wait!” Spencer called out, making Derek turn around. “We have an hour so... um, I was thinking, maybe we could pass by that coffee shop and get something to eat?” He asked shyly, fiddling with his hands. Derek smiled at him, as he made his way to the couch.
“Sounds good! I’ll wait out here so you can uh”- he gestured his hands up and down Spencer’s body from across the room, making the boy look down.
“Right! Ok, give me five minutes! The remote is on top of the TV, if you wanna watch anything...” he whispered, making his way back into his room, coming out minutes later with a white button up, and a 3 pice suit with different shades of brown.
<- —————— ->
They sat at a table for two near the door, and Derek went up to the cashier while Spencer stayed behind, staring at the waving flag the was placed on the other side of the window. Derek came back a few moments later with their pies and coffees.
“Oh thank god! I’ve been dying to have one of these!” He said picking up the pie, taking a big bite out of it, making Morgan chuckle.
“Pretty boy, you had one last night!” He laughed as Spencer tried to explain with a mouthful. He furrowed his brows as he spoke, covering his lips, as Derek just laughed harder.
“Derek!” Was the only thing the other man could make out. Spencer’s fake-annoyed tone rang between them, along with muffled and incomprehensible explanations and, of course, the older man’s lovely laughter. The boy finally swallowed his food before he began “complaining” again.
“As I was saying,” He mocked, widening his eyes and shaking his head playfully, making Derek giggle - giggle! - as he kept up his fake-annoyed rant. “I wouldn’t be craving this if someone” - he emphasized -“hadn’t eaten like half of my pie yesterday!” He smirked, knowing damn well Derek was having the time of his life. The older man put a hand across his stomach, trying to calm down his laughter - it didn’t work.
“Alright, alright!” He threw his hands up in surrender, never dropping his smile, instead making Spencer smirk harder as he dug back into his breakfast. “I won’t eat your pie next time, I promise!” This earned him a skeptical look and a grin from the man in front of him, as he started on his own treat and beverage.
They finished pretty soon after, and rushed to work as fast as they could. They reached the bullpen about 45 minutes after Garcia’s call, and made their way into the briefing room.
“Why are you two so la- you know what, I don’t wanna know, just keep it professional at work!” Hotch told them from his place in the briefing room, and they shared a look. Before either one could explain themselves, however, Penelope winked at them, as she resumed where they’d left off.
Penelope Garcia, Derek thought to himself as they sat down, what have you done?
here you go everyone, Merry Chrimis, I'm doing Lego the rest of the night but I have finally posted my nearly 41k Flower Husbands one shot, covering the clothes stealing in their relationship and other sweet moments, it truly swirled honestly
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
⊹ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid ⋆ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1492 ⋆ 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Alcohol Use! (nothing violent though, this is pure fluff)
⊹ 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Spencer finds out about the Dinosaurs In Love song, and he gets really soft over it. Cue a shit ton of fluff.
⊹ 𝐀/𝐍: I didn’t plan on posting this, but here you go! There’s a little bit of angst if you squint, but I’m sure it can be over looked by the fluff! (Also this the type of thing where if I hadn’t added a literal kiss scene I would’ve been like "cOuLd bE rEaD As pLaToNiC!1!1!")
Spencer sat on his motel bed, hugged to a half empty wine bottle, as he stared ahead singing mumbles under his breath.
“Pretty boy, you alright?” Derek sat at the end of the bed, and placed his hand on Spencer’s knee, bringing him out of his thoughts. Spencer sniffed, wiping away his tears, and nodded slightly.
“‘M fine,” He sighed. “I was just thinking about the dinosaur song.” He smiled, shyly when Derek grinned at him. He rubbed Spencer’s knee, and brought his other hand to the boy’s chin, making him look at up.
“You sure that’s all?” He gazed into Spencer’s eyes, deep enough to recognize he wasn’t, in fact, ok.
“I was just thinking...” a tear slipped down his face, as he looked anywhere but Derek’s eyes. “We’re the dinosaurs!” He scoffed with a sad smile.
“Ok, I think you, Mister,“ Derek started, getting up and removing the bottle from his hands. “Have had too much of this!” He wiggled the bottle in the air, placing it on the counter on the other side of the room, and he moved to lay next to Spencer.
“I mean think about it!” He tried to convince Derek as the older man pushed him back on the mattress, and lifting his leg so the heel of Spencer’s foot rested at Derek’s chest.
“I’d rather not,” he smiled, untying his shoe laces, and sliding the shoes off his feet, placing them in front of the nightstand before moving to Spencer’s go bag to find his pajamas.
Spencer sat back up right, staring at his mismatched socks. “Where did my shoes go?” He whispered under his breath, causing Derek to chuckle. “Anyway, just think about it!” He looked back up at Morgan, who was currently removing a white tee shirt, and a pair of black sweatpants from Spencer’s duffle bag.
“Ok, doctor, enlighten me!” He sighed, raising his brows sitting next to Spencer on the bed.
“What if-“ Spencer’s voice broke as he started sobbing uncontrollably. Derek furrowed his brows and stared, surprised at the way his mood changed in the matter of seconds. “What if one day our Big Bang-“
“Our Big Bang?”
“Comes, and- yes! You know like, like-“ he stuttered “like an unsub...” he whispered, sighing in frustrated. Derek nodded, whispering a small ‘ok’ before Spencer kept explaining. “What if our Big Bang comes, and I can’t say goodbye?” He leaned over, resting his head on Derek’s shoulder, as he cried.
“Ok, yeah, you are definitely drunk!” Derek said to no one in particular. He knew Spencer wasn’t too drunk so he’d remember this in the morning, but he still didn’t want to admit that the kid had made himself a really good point. He ran his hands up and down his back, as Spencer sobbed into his chest.
“C’mon, pretty boy,”-he started, lifting them up untill they were standing between the hotel beds-“get changed, at least, ok?” He said, softly. Wether Spencer would remember this or not, Derek still tried his best to take care of him. The young man nodded, taking the clothes that had once been forgotten on the bedside table, into the bathroom to change. He came out a little while later, rubbing his eye with his palm, stumbling and sleepily making his way to Derek’s bed.
“Pretty boy, what’re you doing?!” Derek said, automatically scooting over, and letting Spencer lay next to him. They stayed next to each other, with Derek’s back against the headboard, and Spencer’s head on the pillow beside him. Spencer looked up at him, causing the older man’s eyes to dart down to meet his.
“What?” Derek chuckled lightly, as Spencer stared fondly. He nodded 'no' against the fabric, and lifted his head so it rested on Derek’s lap. The older man ran a hand through the boy’s hair, as Spencer fell asleep, waking up a few hours later to a pair of strong arms wrapped around him.
He moved carefully, trying not to wake up whoever was next to him and turned to see Derek, pressed directly against him, holding him tightly in his arms. Spencer’s eyes went wide, as he tried to remove the pair of hands that interlocked behind his back. Once he was finally free, and off the bed, panic started to rise, and he stormed off to the bathroom. He came back out to see his best friend sprawled out on the bed, and he couldn’t help but stare for a while.
The golden lighting from the window matched perfectly with his dark skin. Spencer memorized this moment like it was the most important thing in the world. He memorized the way Derek’s back muscles fit perfectly on the white bedsheets, creating a beautiful contrast. He memorized the chirps from the birds that passed by the open window, and the way Derek breathed in his sleep. He sat on his bed, not taking his eyes off the older man even for a second.
Derek huffed and moved slightly, the soft sunlight hitting his eyes, giving him a morning kiss. He woke up with a heavy sigh and big smile as the memories from the previous night flowed back into his mind. He turned to find Spencer staring directly at him with the most mesmerizing softness to his expression.
“Good morning my little dinosaur!” He teased, snapping Spencer right out of his thoughts. They boy blushed lightly, bowing his head in hopes that Derek didn’t notice his rosy cheeks. “Like the view?” He chuckled, making Spencer smile a little. The young man might’ve been filled with embarrassment, but Derek always found a way to make him smile. It took a while for the previous comment to hit him, but once it did he was confused as ever.
“‘My little dinosaur?’” he questioned, making Derek chuckle, as he sat upright on his own bed, directly across from Spencer. The beds were close enough that their knees brushed up against each other, but not too close where it would make them uncomfortable.
“Dinosaurs eating people, dinosaurs in love...” Derek sang, and Spencer gasped, trying not to laugh as the events from yesterday slowly came back to him. He lowered his head, hiding his embarrassment in his hands, and Derek laughed. “C'mon, it was that bad!” He loved marking Spencer blush.
“Oh god!” Spencer’s laugher was muffled by his hands, but still audible. “I’m so sorry!” They laughed and smiled, and Derek made his way to sit next Spencer, bumping him in the arm as the boy died inside of embarrassment.
“Y’know...” Derek started once the laughter had died down, and mood had softened. “You did make... an interesting point...” he moved his hand to rest atop Spencer’s, and the other man took in his own, subconsciously, as they both stared down at the soft movements. “If... something ever happens, out in the field...” he darted his eyes to look up at Spencer’s, hoping he would mimic the movement, and he did. They looked at each other for a moment, and it was Derek’s turn to be overwhelmed by beauty.
He stared into hazel eyes, as the sun kept rising, lighting up the room, brightening it more and more by the second. He moved his free hand to where finger tips met Spencer’s jaw line as they stared at each other. “I need you to know...” he trailed off for a moment, as they moved closer and closer. “How much you mean to me...” Spencer nodded, tightening his grip on Morgan’s hand, leaning forward and pressing his lips to the other man’s. There weren’t fireworks, there weren’t sparks, there wasn’t anything special. It was just a kiss. A long, soft, the most chaste kiss of Derek's life, but still just a kiss, and the sun sparked golden shadows on their faces as they broke apart.
“Derek I-“ they pressed their foreheads together, as Morgan dropped his and to hold Spencer’s. “Nothing will happen to us, ok?” Spencer moved back just enough to look into Derek’s eyes. The older man nodded lightly and smiled, for what had he now to fear? Spencer dropped his head on the crock of Derek’s neck, and let go of his hand, pressing them to his chest, and pushing him back down on the bed. He moved to sit on top of his stomach, as Derek wrapped his arms around his waist, and Spencer rested his head on the older man’s shoulder.
It’s a quarter past 6, and they knew they didn’t have to go into work for another 2 or 3 hours, so held they each other in their arms. Spencer recited the song lowly, running his fingers over Dereks collarbones, while he thought of nothing in particular. Derek, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring out the window, seeing the birds chirp and dance around one other, praying they’d never get their Big Bang, as he held Spencer tight, hoping the same for themselves.
Pairings: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, past Elle Greenaway/OFC
Summary: She looked around, trying to find the source of her unwanted feelings, finding a certain pull towards the door. Run was all she could think, but her feet were sent in place, and she was frozen. She couldn’t move, couldn’t get out of this agonizing situation, barely able to breath. And as the door swung open, she fell lifelessly on the floor. As her body hit the wooden tiles her eyes snapped open.
A/N: No beta we die like illiterates. I was in a THOBM mood, so this chapter might be a little weird... (also, if you like, please reblog 🥺)
Link Center // Permanent Taglist: @pretty-b0yy @abitcriminalminds @moreidism @blakes-dictionxry @hotchnerslut @reese-the-edgy-enby
Chapter Three: Don’t Forget To Tell Them; I Was The Warmest Place On Earth; And You Left Me Freezing
The next morning was... warm. Elle woke up to a nice, soft beat, playing outside the bedroom door. She was a little confused at first, but she opened it to find Derek dancing with Spencer. He twirled the boy around, and they giggled like little kids. It was the purest thing the woman had ever seen, but it all came crumbling down, when she felt a weirdly familiar presence surrounding her.
Guilt... Shame... Fear.
She looked around, trying to find the source of her unwanted feelings, finding a certain pull towards the door. Run was all she could think, but her feet were sent in place, and she was frozen. She couldn’t move, couldn’t get out of this agonizing situation, barely able to breath. And as the door swung open, she fell lifelessly on the floor. As her body hit the wooden tiles her eyes snapped open.
It was just a dream, she told herself. “You’re ok, it was just a bad dream!” She whispered under her breath, getting out of bed, not missing the tics on the clock informing her of the time. 5:27 am.
She walked out of Spencer’s room to find the boy sleeping on the couch, holding onto a pillow for dear life as a blanket was poorly draped across his legs. She adjusted the fabric so it covered Spencer’s entire body. She removed his hair from where it was spread all over his forehead, and tucked it neatly behind his year instead.
She pressed her lips to his forehead and held it there for a few seconds. She pulled away from the kiss moments later, holding back tears- not paying attention to the man sleeping in front of her, but the boy she lost.
“I’m so sorry!” She broke down, “I’m sorry baby, we will find you, ok?! We’ll save you! I’ll save you!” Her mind no longer seeing Spencer, she looked at Théodore like he meant the whole world to her- because he did. “I’ll bring you home, Theo, I promise! Just hand in there baby, I’m coming to get you!” She pressed her forehead to his for a moment, letting tears stream down her face, before getting back up and moving towards the kitchen.
She got herself a glass of water, and sat on the counter next to the sink. There was a faint banging sound coming from the door that was getting louder and louder by the second. At some point it got so loud, she wondered how Spencer hadn’t woken up with it yet, but as she moved to open the door, it suddenly stopped. She stared at it for a minute, confused, and opened it just in case. However, she was met with an old flickering light at the end of the empty hallway, and nothing more. She sighed before closing the door, and as she turned back around, a dark figure stood behind her, and she froze once more.
The same old feelings form her nightmare came rushing back- the guilt, shame and fear -becoming all too familiar, housing themselves on an empty body, making friends with the walls on the inside, all while terrorizing her on the outside. Her body shaking in agony, as she stared at the human-like figure that had been haunting her for years. The glass of water slowly slipping out of her hand, shattering as it hit the floor-spreading the liquid all over- and she not able to move a muscle-not able to do anything but stare into the emptiness of the creature that drowned her of the feelings she longed for the most.
Spencer woke up startled to the sound of glass shattering, and when he looked at the source of the noise, she saw Elle staring straight ahead, body shaking, the mortal terror present in her eyes. He got up quickly, and ran to her, taking her shaking hands into his own, and talking her back into reality.
“Hey! Elle! I’m right here! Elle, look at me! Look at me!” He told her but the dark abyss in her eyes made him realize she was millions of miles away, tucked away in the horrors of her own head. He guided her around the broken glass, and sat her down on the couch, her steps so slow she didn’t even realize she was taking them until her body hit the sofa and she was slowly brought back down to earth.
She closed her eyes and cover her face with her hands, and they sat in a comfortable silence until she was able to explain to Spencer what had just happened.
“It started years ago- the night I-” she cut herself off before continuing. “A few days after I shot William Lee...” she sighed, and Spencer listened attentively. “It happened occasionally, but it got worse when Lucía passed...” Spencer put his hand on her shoulder-calming down her still shaking body.
“What did you see” he asked softly.
“I- I don’t... I’m not sure... it looks human but... it has this- this darkness to it that’s too inhumane. I just feel so... alone...” she started sobbing, “when it’s back, and I-“ she sniffed, and Spencer pulled her in for a hug.
Sure, there are many reasons to be mad at her, but when you see it from her perspective... being haunted by a ghost from your past is the last burden you want to bring to your family. And maybe leaving was the best thing she could’ve done.
A/N: Credits to @rcllthecredits for being an a m a z i n g co-author! Ilysm babey!!! ♡♡♡ Set during, and after 7x13
Spencer is leaving the gambling house when he gets a call from their technical analyst.
“Hey Garcia, did you find anyth—“ He started, but she cut him off before he could even finish his sentence.
“No, no, I’m calling you, because this has been nagging at me all day, and I don’t know how to tell you, and I’m so sor—“
“Wait, hold on, slow down!” He tells her, “What’s this about?”
“Derek!” She answers, and she can practically see the skeptical look on his face.
“Wha-“ he looks around, slowly separating himself from the group. “What about him?” He crosses his free arm round his torso, and furrows his eyebrows.
“I... I, um... I think, I’m not sure, I haven’t talked-“
“Garcia?!” He cuts her off.
“Right, sorry! I think that, last night... I- I don’t know what happened! I woke up, and he was in my shower, and-“
“IM SORRY, WHAT?!” He screams at her. “Tell me you’re joking!”
“I really wish I was, boy wonder, I’m sorry, I had a little bit too much wine, and I don’t know what happened...” she tries to excuse, but if she doesn’t even believe herself, how would Spencer?
“GARCIA, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? YOU KNOW I LIKE HIM!” He whisper-yelled, leaning in to phone. He looked around when he heard a whistle—Emily, waving him over, while getting in one of the SUVs and rolling down the window.
“Look, I gotta go, I’ll talk to you when I get back!” He hung up, not giving enough time for her to respond, and made his way over, standing outside the driver’s door of the SUV occupied by Emily.
“Hotch said you and Morgan are going to his house, maybe he went back there.” She told him, and drove off once he nodded and stepped away. He walked toward the other black vehicle, where Derek stood leaning against the driver’s door. They looked at each other, nodding, and got in the car.
———
“Yeah, Hotch, there’s nobody here. There’s a foreclosure sign on the front lawn!” Derek said, as they re-entered the SUV.
“Ok, you and Reid stay there in case he comes back!” Their boss’s voice rang through the other side, as he hung up moments later.
“Alright, spit it out!” Derek said, propositioning himself on the driver’s seat, so he had his left knee up to his chest, slightly turned to face the younger agent on the seat next to his.
“Huh?” Spencer asked, lifting his head to meet Morgan’s gaze.
“You’ve been quiet the entire ride, no facts, no statistics, it’s like you’re not even here! Something’s clearly bothering you, pretty boy!” He explained.
“Why don’t ask Penelope?” He mumbled under his breath, dropping his hands to his lap, and looking down once more.
“What was that?” Derek asked, leaning forward just a little, to see if he could catch the other man’s words.
“Nothing... Just... nothing to say I guess...” Spencer shrugged, and Derek put a hand on his, which Spencer took hesitantly. “I just... I didn’t think you were the kind of person to do something like that...” he removed his hand from under Morgan’s, and crossed his arms around his chest. Morgan furrowed his brows, and removed his hands from Spencer’s knee.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” He said, a very skeptical tone creeping at his voice.
“I- nothing, forget I said anything...” Spencer said, and drowning out Derek’s complaints by turning on the radio. After a while, he gave up trying to get Spencer’s attention, and focused on the scenery around them, looking for anything suspicious, as BANNER’s Someone To You filled the awkward silence of the black SUV.
___
“Ok, what happened between us was popcorn, and a movie on tv... which you fell asleep in the middle of, by the way!” Derek told Penelope as they sat in her layer, once the the team got back from the case.
“So you sleept on the—“ she said while gasping.
“Couch!” He finished for her.
“Yes, you did!” She got up to hug him. “Oh, thank you! Oh, thank you god for maintaining the integrity of my most beloved of friendships,” she cupped the back of his neck, while shaking her head side to side, “and from now on I promise only mostly,” she kept going while tiling her head at the ceiling. Derek looked at her with furrowed brows, and a confused expression as she continued. “The purest of mineral water will cross these lips!” She finished.
“Hey, plum sauce, you coming?” Kevin bagged in the door, making them both look.
“Yeah! I’ll be right there!” She answered, and you could hear the smile on her face.
“Hey Derek!” Kelvin said, closing the door slowly, giving time for the other man to answer.
“Hey, what’s up man?” He responded.
“Since the fight we have decided to have a standing date every Tuesday night.” She told him, with the widest smile on her face.
“Good luck with that, with this job.” He said, and she hummed. “You got a great guy out there. You know that, right?” he asked, pointing at the door.
“I know” she nodded. “What does a girl do when she has two great guys?!” She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“She doesn’t pour herself that extra glass of wine!”
“Oh, yeah!” She rolled her eyes mockingly, and gave him a hug.
“Ok, love you, bye!” She bouncy-walked towards the exit, as Morgan sat down at her desk.
“Plum Sauce?” He asked himself, and gave a light chuckle.
“Plum Sauce?” He looked up to see Spencer walking into to the room, his bag around his shoulders, as per usual.
“Kevin! He just called Penelope ‘Plum Sauce’!” He informed him.
“Right... So-“ he started, but was interrupted by the older agent.
“You-“ they cut each other off, and chuckled.
“You first!” The young doctor waved one of his hands in the air aimlessly, signaling the other man to go.
“She-...” he ponders a way to phrase his thoughts. “Garcia, she thought...” he trailed off once he realized Spencer already knew what he was about to say. He looked up at Spencer, “but you already knew that...” he got off the desk, and took a step towards him. Spencer looked down, fiddling with the strap of his sachet. “Is that why you’ve been so quiet?” Spencer didn’t answer for a second, thinking of the right words while Derek walked towards him until he was but inches away.
“I- it’s... um.. it’s not like that... I-“ Spencer stutters.
"C'mon pretty boy, spit it out." Derek said in a soft but firm way. His eyes holding a gleam of hope.
The young genius stuttered, should I take the risk? It’ll be better between us when he says no, right? Spencer reid had never been one for risks, but at the words of many greats, he'd say what was on his mind.
"I-um i like you" he forced out like bile pouring out of an upset stomach. Fear present his eyes, his body was scrunched up as close as can be. Derek however was beyond elated, feeling as if he was on cloud nine. Ultimately, he took a step closer to the younger man, placing his hand on his waist, the other cupping his cheek. Spencer was... surprised, to say the very least, where was the rejection?
"May i?" the older agent asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"Y-yes." the doctor choked out. "Yes please!" he felt as if he was dreaming and any second the pain of reality would hit him. It never did... and at those words, Derek closed the gap between them, taking chapped lips into a chaste kiss. They separated moments later, Spencer’s lips a dark peach, his pupils blown wide, as his head spun.
“Why don’t I take you home?” The older man asked with a shit-eating grin, removing Spencer’s bag from over his head, to rest it on his own-bulky-shoulder. He took Spencer’s hand in his own, the poor boy practically melting under the soft touch, as he followed Derek out of Garcia’s office.
As they made theire way to Derek’s car, Spencer thought if this was really what he wanted. Was he willing to let him self be even more vulnerable around the man he’d been pining after for years? What if he leaves? What will you do with yourself then, Spencer? He heard his mother’s voice in his head. Learn to live without him... but for now, I’ll appreciate any moment spent with him. He smiled. He felt as if there was a weight lifted off his shoulders. No more worries. No more unrequited feelings. It’s just us now, Spencer thought, taking Derek’s hand in his own. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, could be read as platonic
Characters: Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Original Female Character (OFC)
Additional Tags: cottage core aesthetic coffee shop, grumpy Spencer Reid, fluff, there’s a lot of fluff, there’s a bit of teasing too, caramel coffee, strawberry pies, cherry pies, Moreid- freeform, again could be read as platonic
Summary: It was routine by now. At 8:27 am, he put on the coffee. At 8:29 am, he poured it into a mug, and added 7 spoons of sugar. He made his way back to to his desk, and set the mug on the desk next to him. At 8:30 and grumpy Spencer stumbled out of the elevator, arms crossed, making his way to his own desk.
Today was different though. Today he left a note.
It was routine by now. At 8:27 am, he put on the coffee. At 8:29 am, he poured it into a mug, and added 7 spoons of sugar. He made his way back to to his desk, and set the mug on the desk next to him. At 8:30 and grumpy Spencer stumbled out of the elevator, arms crossed, making his way to his own desk. As soon as he sits down, his head falls lifelessly on the surface in front of him. At 8:35 am, he lifts his head, and starts drinking the coffee in front of him. He doesn’t really know when he started doing this small favor for his co-worker, but it’s been going on for a few months. Today was different though. Today he left a note.
Spencer lifted his head, and as he went to grab the mug, he noticed a pink post it next to the handle.
This might not be that good, sorry pretty boy! The coffee was already made, and I didn’t want to wast it, so it might be cold, also we ran out of sugar so I put 4 of it and 3 of caramel. I’m really sorry, I’ll go out and buy one if you end up not wanting it— Der
He removed the post it, and brought the mug to his lips. It was surprisingly good, besides the fact that it was already cold. He looked at Derek, and nodded at him. He scribbled something down on a green post it, scrambled it into a little ball, and threw it at Derek. It landed in his lap, and he furrowed his eyebrows, a smile on his face as he picked it up and read it.
You are forgiven, but I still want coffee, you were right, it’s too cold, but I did like the caramel thing. I drive by a local coffee shop every morning, it’s amazing!!! I could send you the location if you’d be so kind to get me one :)
— S.
Derek chuckled, as he got up shooting Spencer a look, grabbing his leather jacket and making his way to the elevator. Spencer looked around to see that the bull pen was about half empty, and the ones that were their were either head deep in work, or playing on their phones (although the latter was only Emily that was sitting in the desk across form Derek’s). He didn’t watch the way Morgan’s ass moved as he walked away. Quickly he looked back down to his paperwork, as soon as he saw Morgan getting in the elevator and turning around-facing him.
___
Derek walked into the coffee shop, and it’s like he entered a movie. The waiters walked around in white flats, with plain white dresses to match. Their hairs were in messy buns, held up by beige scrunchies. The walls had the top half painted white, and the bottom half a light beige. There were leaves, and-very alive-flowers across the borders of the walls, and fairy lights at the top, above the large windows. There were curtains at the ends, being held by a bay pink ribbons that matched the shades of the flows that peaked out behind it. There was such a cottage core aesthetic to this coffee shop, so soft and warming, that Derek couldn’t help but feel welcome.
“Good morning! How may help you?” A very polite woman said at the other end of the counter as he walked up to it.
“Hello, can I get a large, black, caramel coffee with 4 sugars to go please?” He answered.
“Of course, anything else?” She asked as she pressed some buttons in the machine between them. He watched as the price appeared on the screen next to it—$2.50. Wow two fifty for a large coffee, no wonder Spencer likes this place. Derek thought to himself, but his attention got snatched away as soon as he noticed the bite-sized pies they had on display.
“Um... how much for two of those?” He asked, pointing to them.
“They’re free for first timers, what flavor would like?” She asked, and rung them up, the price not changing in the monitor. How does she know I’ve never been here before? He tried not to dwell on the thought, and occupied himself by answering her question.
“Cherry and Strawberry, if you’ve got those.” He gave her a smile, and she nodded, removing two from different rows, and placing them on a white paper bag with baby pink flowers drawn on it. Again with the baby pink flowers. Can’t say I blame them, thought, it is cute!
“Would that be all, sir?” She asked, handing him the bag, her politeness never leaving her voice.
“Yes, thank you!” He said reaching for his wallet, and handing her a five dollar bill. He placed the change in the white painted maison jar that had ‘tips’ written in it with such a light rifle-green shade, Derek wondered how he was able to read it so clearly. A few minutes later, she handed him the coffee on a light green paper cup, with leaf prints on it.
“Have good day!” She waved him goodbye.
“You too, ma’am!” He smiled back, as he left the coffee shop, only now noticing the pride flag waving next to the door, on the outside.
___
He walked into the bullpen with the biggest smile on his face as he made his way to Spencer. He sat at the corner of his friend’s desk, and placed the coffee and the bag next to him. Spencer didn’t miss the happiness written all over the other man.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?” He said, a grumpiness was still present in his tone, but he wasn’t as grumpy anymore. He picked up the coffee, and brought it to his lips, looking up at Derek through his lashes, before he closed his eyes and happily hummed into his beverage.
“I don’t know... something about that coffee shop, it was so...” he trailed off as he looked around, staring at nothing specifically.
“Yeah, I know...” Spencer responded, setting the cup down, and grabbing the bag in front of him. “What else did you get?”
“Cherry and Strawberry mini pies.” He answered, as Reid pulled them both out of the white bag. They had ‘cherry’ and ‘strawberry’ decoratively written on them with red, and pink-what Spencer could only assume was-food coloring markers. They looked so cute, that Spencer could stare at them for hours, if he wasn’t so hungry. “I know you like strawberry pies, so I got you that one, to see if you’d stop being so grumpy.” Derek said with playful smirk on his face, and he grabbed the cherry pie and took a bite of it—surprised at how good it tasted.
Derek wasn’t really a fan of pies, he was more of cake guy himself, but this? This was so good, Derek thought he might combust! And, plus, it was free. Spencer rolled his eyes at the comment, but couldn’t help the smile splattered across his lips. He took a bite of his own strawberry pie, and furrowed his brows immediately.
“Mmm! That amazing!” He said, covering his mouth his free hand, then moving to grab the coffee once again. “I had never tried one of those, how much was it?” He asked, and just like that, all that grumpiness was gone.
“Free for first-timers!” Derek said, scrambling the flowery napkin that came with their treats, shooting, and scoring in the trash of his own desk. He gave a small cheer, and though Spencer shook his head in fake-annoyance, he couldn’t stop smiling at the man sitting on his desk. “How’s the coffee?” He asked him.
“Meh, it’s ok...” he said, with a shit-eating grin.
“Ok? Why, not enough sweetness?” Derek teased.
“No, there’s enough sweetness.” He said matter-of-factly. “But you didn’t make it, so...” he leaned forward, looking up at Derek, the grin not dropping for one second. Where he’d gotten this sudden burst of confidence? He had no idea, but he wasn’t about to let it go to waste. Derek raised his eyebrows, and chuckled playfully.
“I see...” he said placing a soft kiss to Spencer’s cheek as he slipped off his desk, and made his way to his own. Spencer’s face turned a strong shade of peach, as that confidence slipped away, rather too quickly for his taste. He finished the—actually amazing coffee, he lied before—and tossing it out along with the bag and two napkins that were left.
And that was their new routine. Derek makes coffee, Spencer arrives, and during the five minutes of morning procrastination, Derek went to buy two pies for them. He got back, they ate the pies at Spencer’s desk and got to work. When they were way on cases, Derek made sure to get each of them a full sized pie once they came back. It was their own thing, and if others thought anything of it no one dared to comment.
