A Simple Plan (1/2) Morgan/Reid, NC-17
Feb. 13th, 2009 08:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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geekystudmuffinTitle: A Simple Plan (1/2)
Authors:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
innerslytherin and severity_softly
Pairing: Morgan/Reid
Rating: NC-17
WC: ~15,700
Summary: With Valentine's Day approaching, Morgan makes a surprising discovery about Reid, and then sets out to win his interest...by being an anonymous admirer.
Notes: Self-betaed as usual.
Morgan flipped his cell phone closed, glad he'd at least taken care of sending flowers to his mom and sisters for Valentine's Day. He was dodging phone calls from a girl he'd met several weeks ago, because he knew she was wanting a date for the holiday, and there was no way he was getting himself hooked into that.
With a sigh he turned back to the crime scene photos he'd been going over and found Reid watching him.
Reid jerked his gaze away and down to the file in his hand, and Morgan tilted his head at Reid for a moment. "Somethin' on your mind, pretty boy?"
Reid lips quirked a little, and he glanced back up and shrugged. "Not really." Then he looked at Morgan's phone. "How many?" he asked.
"How many what?" Morgan asked, moving a little closer and keeping his gaze on Reid's. He actually liked it when Reid showed an interest in him, even though he never tried to read anything into it.
"Dates," Spencer said, and then suddenly looked a little sheepish and looked back down at his file. "And/or potential dates for Valentine's."
"Are you kiddin' me? None." Morgan grinned. "The only flowers I send on Valentine's Day are to my mom and sisters. I stay very far away from any other females on that particular holiday." He threw an arm around Spencer's shoulders, ignoring the way the younger man tensed slightly. "Us men are way more reasonable about shit like that."
Spencer's eyebrows went up. "Yeah, I wouldn't really know."
"Trust me. If a woman gets you to take her out on Valentine's Day, she's gonna think she's got you hook, line, and sinker." Morgan pulled away and shrugged, turning to rest his hip against the desk. He folded his arms across his chest and studied Spencer. "Not a big fan of Valentine's Day, pretty boy?"
Spencer shrugged. "Never had a date on Valentine's day, so... I wouldn't know about that either. Seems like it'd be fun, though."
"Nah, you're not missing anything but a chance to blow a whole lotta money on things like chocolate and roses. Trust me." Morgan shook his head. "You're better off kicking back and watching a game on TV with a beer." He eyed Spencer. "Or watching a Star Trek marathon, I guess."
"There's nothing wrong with chocolate and roses," Spencer said, looking sheepish again. "Star Trek and ice cream sounds better, but..." He shrugged again.
"Aw, now that's cute. Spencer Reid's a romantic at heart." Derek tipped his head, grinning at Spencer and trying not to get any ideas. Derek could do the hearts and flowers thing, but Spencer liked girls; he'd proven that pretty well, between Lila Archer and then that Austin chick at the club in Atlanta.
He realized a moment later that Spencer was frowning at him. "What's wrong with that? Can you honestly imagine me... doing what you do?"
"Hey, what's wrong with what I do?" Derek said, frowning back at Spencer. "Just because I haven't settled down..."
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," Spencer said, holding up his hands. "It's just... not what I want."
Derek's frown lightened. "Well, I didn't say there was anything wrong with bein' romantic, either. I didn't even say it's not what I want. It's just not what I'm looking for with some woman at Valentine's Day who's gonna read more into it than what's really there." He shrugged.
Spencer nodded slowly, and Morgan wondered what he was thinking. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just bit his lips together. "Okay, so no Valentine's Day and no Halloween. Is there a holiday that you do like? Outside of Christmas, that is."
Morgan pretended to think. "Fourth of July. Thanksgiving. Martin Luther King Junior's Day. Hell, President's Day, they have good sales on electronics and shit for that. Just no holidays that involve dressin' up as something you're not, or buying candy and a big rock for someone you're not in love with." He looked around for his coffee and then realized he must have finished it earlier. He wondered if he could get Spencer to go for a coffee break.
"Who buys a diamond for someone they're not in love with?" Spencer asked, crinkling his nose.
"Oh, fine, I'm exaggerating," Morgan said. "Come on, I need some coffee. Let's take a break. This case isn't going anywhere."
Spencer glanced at his coffee cup, then pushed away from his desk. "Sure," he said. "Where to?"
"Wherever," Morgan said. "Just somewhere that's got better coffee than we make here."
"Great, I know this place that you'll love, they only use fair trade coffee, and it's cheaper than Starbucks."
Morgan gestured for Spencer to go ahead of him. "Lead on."
When they got to the coffee shop, Derek almost wished they had gone to Starbucks. Surely Starbucks wouldn't be decorated in pink and red streamers with hearts and Cupids stuck to the windows. He glanced sideways at Spencer. "Romantic," he said dryly.
"I had no idea, Morgan," Spencer said, matching his tone, though his lips were quirked to one side.
Morgan laughed. "Right, sure. You're the one who said you were lookin' for romance." He glanced over at Spencer. "I just didn't know you meant me," he added, fluttering his lashes.
"I don't make a habit of dating straight men," Spencer said, and then his smile slipped off, like he hadn't meant to say that. "Or co-workers."
Morgan's eyebrows went up and he tilted his head back a little, studying Spencer. "But not-entirely-straight men are okay? What about Lila and Austin?" It occurred to him that it probably said something about him that he remembered the names of Spencer's girls and not his own.
Spencer's eyebrows lifted to match Morgan's. "What about Lila and Austin?"
Derek held his gaze for a few moments, then shrugged and looked towards the counter. "Nothin', I guess. If we're talking about not entirely straight, as opposed to completely homosexual." He glanced at Spencer, then headed over to order his coffee. When he was sure Spencer wasn't looking, he grabbed one of the little boxes of fancy chocolates by the register and nodded for the girl to ring that up with his coffee.
Spencer followed, and ordered something ridiculously sweet. Morgan wasn't sure what, but he was certain he heard the words chocolate and caramel thrown around. When they settled at the table, Spencer looked uncomfortable. "You can't tell anyone. I didn't really mean to say that."
Morgan frowned at him. "Spencer, I don't break confidences, man. What you say to me, especially when it's just us, hangin' out? It stays between us." It sort of hurt that Spencer would think Morgan might out him to the entire team. That was the sort of thing Morgan wouldn't even tell Penelope, and he told her everything.
Spencer stared at Morgan for a long moment. "You don't care?" he asked.
Morgan leaned back a little in his chair, trying to look casual. "I wouldn't say I don't care," he said, and paused as Reid's face fell. "But it doesn't bother me, if that's what you mean," he added.
"Then why do you care?" Spencer asked, but then he shook his head. "Nevermind. It's not important."
"Because I'm your friend? Because you're important to me?" Derek tilted his head. "Because I can't believe I had no idea until just now?" He sipped his coffee and didn't look away from Spencer's face. He ought to tell him now, say that he cared because he wasn't as straight as everyone seemed to think. But there were so many reasons he couldn't do it.
Spencer blinked at him. "I didn't exactly advertise it for a reason, and there wasn't really any reason to say anything. It's never been pertinent to a case." Spencer shrugged. "It's not really important."
"It's important because it's part of who you are," Derek contradicted. He leaned on the table, smiling faintly. "So...do you like girls as much as guys, or was that just, y'know, an act?"
Spencer's mouth fell open. "I don't know why that matters," he said. "And it wasn't an act. I wasn't the one who approached Lila, and Austin... no one would listen to me. You told me to flirt."
"I'm just makin' conversation," Derek said, shrugging. "Is this something we can't talking about, even when it's just the two of us sitting here?"
Spencer shrugged. "I've just... I never have, and I don't know why we need to. It doesn't define me."
"Well, no, I mean, it's just..." Derek shrugged again. "Okay, we won't talk about it, then." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I guess I'm...I can relate, that's all." His heart sped up as soon as he said it. He'd never actually told anyone this before, especially someone who knew about Carl. He'd never had to; things had happened naturally with the guys he'd been attracted to in college, and since then he'd had eyes for only one guy.
Spencer's eyebrows shot up. "What?" He smiled after a moment, then laughed softly and drew his fingertip through the whipped cream on his coffee. Or what was passing for coffee, anyway. "Right," Spencer said, his tone disbelieving, and sucked the whipped cream off his finger.
"You think I'm messing with you?" Derek glared at him despite the burn of desire that sight sent through him. "No, look, I...there's just been a couple of guys, when I was in college, and then..." He sighed. "I made the stupid mistake of falling for someone I worked with. Someone I couldn't have, you know? Ah, never mind." He waved a hand and sipped his coffee. How the hell had this happened? He'd just come out as bisexual to the one person he wanted more than anything. He'd never meant to do anything about this attraction, and now he was getting into dangerous territory.
Spencer was staring at him again, seeming to have forgotten the new dollop of whipped cream on his finger. Finally, though, he licked it off and raised the newly-clean finger, leaning forward in that way he did when he was imparting some great Spencer Reid wisdom. "Ah... I'm pretty sure David is straight."
Morgan stared back. "Dav--Okay, that's funny. I do not have a thing for Dave Rossi." He shook his head. "Nah, this goes back years before I even met Rossi. Let's just drop it. Like you said, it's not important." He glanced around the coffee shop, trying to think of something else to talk about.
"Oh, so it was all right when it was about me, but not when it was about you?" Spencer pointed out, raising an eyebrow and sitting back, with the look on his face of a man who'd just won an argument.
"What? You said you didn't want to talk about it." Derek shrugged and wondered how this conversation had even come about. They'd started out talking about Valentine's Day and now he and Spencer were confessing things to each other...Spencer by accident, and Derek...well, sort of by accident. He sipped his coffee. "Anyway, it's...It doesn't matter. I do fine the way things are."
"If that's what you want," Spencer said, then sipped his coffee.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said. If that's what you want, then you do just fine."
Morgan frowned at him, then shrugged. "It's fine." He looked down at his coffee, wishing they'd never started this conversation. All it was doing now was making him wish for things. And it was somehow worse knowing that what he wanted was almost close enough to touch, because Spencer had added that he didn't date co-workers. A good policy, but the only way Derek could see a relationship working for any of them was to date one of their co-workers. After all, Hotch's marriage had fallen apart, and Rossi had had three of them dissolve. JJ had managed it, but he couldn't help thinking she was lucky that she'd fallen for a detective.
Spencer nodded slowly. "Fine."
Morgan kept frowning at his coffee. "I mean, you know, for now. It's okay." His face felt hot. He sighed and took a long sip of his coffee.
"Yeah," Spencer said.
If that's what you want, Morgan could almost hear Spencer adding mentally.
Morgan glanced up at him, but didn't say anything. What I want, I can't have, he thought.
Spencer's lips pulled to one side. "It's probably time to head back," he said.
"Yeah, sure," Morgan said, and stood. "Come on, let's grab another cup to take back with us."
***
Morgan hadn't really had a plan when he had bought the box of fancy chocolates at the coffee shop. But he'd had an idea they might come in handy. Before the afternoon was over, in between looking over the consult he and Spencer had been working on, he formed a sketchy plan. He didn't let himself think about what would happen if he gambled on this and was wrong. He just had to show Spencer he could provide the romance that Spencer apparently wanted. And if he could convince him, at the same time, that romance was overrated, but companionship and great sex was well worth it...well, that would be great, too.
Morgan hung around in one of the training rooms until he was sure everyone would be gone, then headed back to the bullpen. If he left the chocolates on Spencer's desk tonight, they'd be found the next morning, hopefully when he could see Spencer's reaction.
After he'd set them carefully in the middle of Spencer's tidy desk, he went home. He spent the entire evening telling himself not to worry about it, which only made him worry more. But eventually he dropped off to sleep in his recliner with a basketball game on. He woke a couple of hours later, long enough to stagger to bed, and didn't wake again until his alarm went off.
By the time Spencer showed up at work that morning, Morgan had been at his desk for ten minutes. As soon as he saw Spencer coming in the door of the BAU, Morgan got up and headed for the kitchenette. It would look less suspicious if he weren't scrutinizing Spencer's every move.
Still, he couldn't help but watch as Spencer approached his desk, and then stopped a few feet in front of it. He glanced at the desk next to his, as if to confirm he was at the right desk by its neighbors, and then closed the gap between him and his own desk. His lips quirked up in a smile as he picked up the box, and then he turned... and stared at Morgan's desk for a long moment.
Shit.
Spencer turned around after what felt like way too long, and looked around the bullpen to see who was here.
Morgan thought he looked away in time for Spencer to think he was doing nothing but stirring creamer in his coffee. He drank it that way sometimes, so it shouldn't look too suspicious. He was relieved when he saw Garcia coming from her office towards the coffee area.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said, smiling at her. He could see Spencer from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't quite tell what he was doing.
"I'll show you a good morning," Garcia retorted, grinning back. "How's the consult going?"
He rolled his eyes. "I think Reid and I might agree on the profile sometime before we die of old age," he exaggerated, and she wrinkled her nose at him. "Kidding, sugar," he added. "How's the cyberworld?"
"Cyber-beautiful," she replied, and poured herself a cup of coffee. Morgan laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and headed for his desk, hoping it was safe.
He saw Spencer drop the chocolate in his drawer before Morgan reached him, but he was still grinning. "Morning," Spencer said, then darted a significant glance at the coffee. "How is it this morning?"
"The coffee? Made it myself this time." Morgan gave him a wide grin. "So excellent, of course. Didn't see you come in, or I'd have brought a cup over." Okay, he was lying, but it was a white lie. Really. He sat down at his desk and spun around to face Spencer. "What's got you in such a good mood this morning?"
"You didn't see it when you came in?" Spencer asked, and then got up to go to the kitchenette to get his own coffee.
"See what?" Morgan called after him. He didn't make it a habit to look at his co-worker's desks, did he? Okay, so he usually did notice stuff like that. Prentiss was more observant, though, and she wasn't here yet. He was probably safe being oblivious.
God, this giving secret Valentines thing was harder than he'd anticipated.
"You didn't see it?" Spencer asked, when he came back after pouring about a pound of sugar in his coffee. He collapsed back in his chair and looked at Morgan, then shrugged. "It's nothing," he said, and turned to look at the files on his desk.
"Yeah, well, that 'nothing' sure made you grin," Morgan said, but he didn't think he should push it, since that might make Spencer suspicious. He snagged one of the folders off his desk and flipped it open. They really did need to get their profile together for the consult and fire it back to the detectives in Pierre, South Dakota, who had requested it.
Spencer shrugged and pulled open the file he was looking at, and they traded information and ideas for a while, still not agreeing. After a while, Spencer pulled the box out of his desk and started munching on chocolate as he looked over the crime scene photos for what had to be the one hundredth time.
"Oooh, chocolate," Derek said, and rolled his chair over to try to steal a piece from Spencer. "Thanks, pretty boy."
Spencer made a negative noise with his mouth full and pushed the box out of Morgan's reach before he got a piece.
"Greedy," Morgan said, pouting at him. He spread half a dozen crime scene photos over Spencer's desk and leaned his elbows there. "Look at the blood splatter and tell me this unsub wasn't experiencing serious rage."
Spencer sighed. "Everything else is meticulous, Morgan," he said around a mouthful of chocolate. "The restraints, the precautions he took not to be heard. That's not rage." He picked up a piece of chocolate, and handed it over. "And I'm not greedy. It's just rude to take something without asking."
Derek's eyebrows went up and he blinked at him. "I beg your pardon, Reid. Thank you for sharing your chocolate with me." He held Spencer's gaze for a few beats, then grinned and bit the chocolate in half. "Mmmm, caramel," he said when the gooey filling registered on his tastebuds. He frowned even though he was enjoying the chocolate. "Why else would he kill with this much violence, if not rage? You think he has a reason for flinging blood across the walls?"
Spencer's mouth fell open, and he glanced at the box. "That was the only caramel," he said, once he compared the little chart to the pieces left. He frowned, took the other half of the chocolate back, and popped it in his mouth. "Theshomthing--" He held up a finger, then chewed a few moments. "There's something to it. Maybe there's two of them?"
There was something sexy about Spencer eating the chocolate he'd bitten in half, even if Derek had wanted the rest of it. Derek realized after a moment that he was staring at Spencer's mouth, and he jerked his gaze away. "We don't have any other indication of that," he objected. "Unless you think the broken window at the first victim's house was the blood-flinging unsub getting out of control."
Spencer was staring at him, his lips curling in a mischievous smile, but he just shrugged. "I don't know, but if there's one of them, he's not disorganized."
Morgan sighed, trying to ignore the way Spencer's smile made his stomach jump nervously. "Look, we're not gonna agree entirely...I say we either ask Dave to be the tie-breaker on this, or we write in the profile that if there's only one unsub, he's at least somewhat organized, but if there are two unsubs, one is disorganized."
Spencer tilted his head. "Mmm, I was about to suggest David myself."
Morgan eyed him, then leaned in closer to whisper. "I'm pretty sure Dave's straight." He pulled back and grinned at Spencer, wondering if he'd get smacked for that, or just cut to shreds verbally. He hoped Spencer wouldn't really get angry.
Spencer just snorted, then glanced at Dave's door and back. "I can be persuasive," Spencer said, his gaze steady on Morgan's.
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "I'd almost like to see you flirting with Dave Rossi," he murmured, "except I'd be the one who ended up putting the pieces back together when he was done with you." After a moment he grimaced. "And don't take that in a dirty way." He sighed. "Maybe Prentiss will look at the case for us."
Spencer snorted. "Sure, now you don't want David doing it."
"You know, I never noticed how you always call him David," Morgan observed. "Why is that?"
Spencer shrugged. "It's his name. It just... feels more like him to me."
Morgan watched him for a moment. "Oh, fine, we'll ask Dave." Morgan stood. "Come on, we need to get this out by noon. I think he's in his office now."
Spencer got up and followed. "When did you start calling him 'Dave'?"
It was Morgan's turn to shrug. "It's what Hotch calls him. Besides, he calls me Derek, I might as well call him Dave." He glanced over at Spencer with a teasing grin. "Jealous?"
"Oh, totally," Spencer said. "It's going to keep me up tonight."
"Aw, it doesn't have to be that way," Morgan replied, thinking he wouldn't mind being the one keeping Spencer up tonight.
Before Spencer could reply, they were at Rossi's door, ending the conversation.
***
The timing had been a little too convenient. The day after Spencer had accidentally come out to Morgan, and Morgan to him, Spencer had walked in to find chocolates on his desk. It wasn't yet Valentine's, so he doubted it was some random secret admirer that had been planning this for a while.
The secret admirer either had to be Morgan, or someone Morgan knew had been watching Spencer that he told. He wasn't worried either way. Morgan, for all the teasing, was protective of Spencer, so Spencer knew he wouldn't have told someone who he thought might 1) be a jerk to Spencer, or 2) spill Spencer's secret any more than it had been. He trusted Morgan's judgment, if Morgan had set him up.
If the secret admirer was Morgan, however... well, that was a whole other story. Spencer had never really considered it before--he'd never thought he was allowed to--but now that he was, it was definitely an enticing option.
Of course, Spencer had tried to get a rise out of Morgan the day before after the chocolates, and it hadn't worked, so the theory that it was Morgan was looking less and less probable. When Spencer came in to work the next day to find a sort of silly Valentine's Day card on his desk, it all but dashed the hope that it was Morgan. Morgan might do chocolate, but a card with little hearts on it and a love-sick looking puppy? Probably not.
Spencer squashed his disappointment, surprised that he was even disappointed at all, and set his mind to figuring out who Morgan would have told. It wouldn't be Hotch or David, so that left... an intern, maybe?
He supposed it could be someone in one of the other profiling teams, but they hardly ever saw each other, since if one team was in the office, the others usually weren't. Spencer studied the card again, but since there was no signature, just a little smiley-face at the bottom, he didn't have anything to compare it to.
He saw Morgan come in through the glass doors and hastily shoved the card down into his bag. He shoved down the way his heart gave a little jump at the sight of Morgan. He couldn't do this. Morgan probably wasn't even the person leaving him gifts.
Morgan came straight over to his desk, bypassing the coffee. "Hey, Reid," he said, smiling at him. "Brought you a present." He held out a paper cup that was steaming. "Hope I got something sweet enough. It's some kind of caramel mocha thing. Clerk said it was pretty sweet." He set the coffee cup on Spencer's desk, and the theory that his secret admirer was Morgan sank entirely. Morgan wouldn't give him a card and bring him coffee on the same day. He would know that would raise Spencer's suspicions.
"Thanks," he said. He debated the intelligence of just asking Morgan who he'd told, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Morgan had promised him he wouldn't tell anyone, so Morgan had probably wanted this to look like it happened without his help. It wasn't Morgan's fault the other guy seemed to not be worried about how suspicious the timing was.
Spencer picked up the coffee and took a sip. "No, it's perfect. I think this is what I usually get, actually." He pulled open the lid. "Too bad the whipped cream dissolved already."
"Sorry about that. Traffic was crap today." Morgan propped his feet up on his desk and took a long sip of his coffee. "So how's life treatin' you today? Found someone to be all romantic with on the big V yet?"
"I don't know," Spencer said lightly, then decided to try pushing Morgan again, just to be sure, and added, "You?"
"Oh, do tell, pretty boy," Morgan said, letting his feet drop and scooting his chair closer to Spencer's. "You got your eye on someone?" He completely ignored Spencer's question. That was interesting.
Spencer stared at him pointedly for a moment. "You answer first."
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "My answer's the same as it was three days ago. I'm not interested in spending Valentine's Day with some girl I just like casually."
Spencer tilted his head, then whispered, "What about some guy?"
Morgan eyed him for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't have some guy I like casually," he returned, equally softly, "and I haven't been dating anyone. So." He shrugged again. "Now, fess up. You got your eye on someone?"
Well, that was Spencer's answer right there. It wasn't Morgan. He apparently didn't have his eyes on anyone. Spencer pressed his lips together. "Not really. Someone has their eyes on me, though. And I don't know who it is." There was a hint in his voice that he had a suspicion about how he could find out, but he didn't say that.
"Really? Do tell." Morgan scooted his chair over to lean on Spencer's desk, watching him. Spencer tried to assess whether Morgan was looking at him more intently than usual, but it occurred to him that Morgan always looked at him intently. Well, unless he was talking about how long it took to build the Death Star.
"There's nothing to tell." Spencer shrugged. "Someone left me those chocolates yesterday."
"Really? A secret admirer?" Morgan grinned. "And you shared the chocolates with me. I'm touched." He leaned closer. "So who do you think it is? Any ideas?"
"Nope. Not a clue," Spencer said, and turned to the file on the other side of his desk. He needed to end this conversation before he said the wrong thing and ruined Morgan's 'secret' set up.
"Huh. Well, if that person doesn't show their hand before V-day, you're always welcome to come over and watch TV with me. I might even do a Star Wars marathon just for you, if you show up." Morgan rolled himself back to his own desk. "As long as you promise no physics lectures," he added teasingly.
Spencer snorted. "You know I can't make promises like that."
Morgan laughed. "All right, all right. But you'll never get me to admit I like it." He winked at Spencer, then turned to his work.
That wink sent a little thrill through Spencer. Morgan's words didn't help either. Spencer swallowed hard and turned back to his work, determined to put the entire thing out of his mind.
***
Later the same afternoon that Spencer got the card, the team was called out on a case in southern New Mexico. They spent four days there and, though Spencer watched more closely than usual, Morgan did nothing suspicious. None of his words or actions could even remotely be interpreted as those of a secret admirer. And of course nothing like chocolates or a card turned up in Spencer's hotel room.
He supposed whoever was sending the gifts was waiting for him to get back to Quantico. He was surprised when the team filed into the bullpen and Spencer saw--clear across the room--the potted plant that didn't belong on his desk.
Spencer's eyebrows shot up, and then he immediately looked at Morgan. Morgan looked... amused.
"Shut up," Spencer said, and then he noticed that Prentiss and Dave had both stopped next to him when they saw Spencer stop and stare. JJ had headed to her office without looking, and Hotch had stopped a few feet away. His gaze followed his team's to Spencer's desk, then back to Spencer. Then his expression had gone half-way between amused and curious before he continued on to his office without comment.
"I didn't say anything," Morgan protested, but he was grinning. He slung an arm over Spencer's shoulders. "Somebody likes you," he sing-songed, walking with Spencer toward their desks.
Dave just snorted behind them and headed to his office, but Prentiss followed. "Who's the special guy?" she asked, her tone matching Morgan's.
Spencer's mouth dropped open. "Who said it was a guy?" he asked defensively.
Her eyebrows went up, and she held up her hands. "That just isn't the sort of gift a girl would send. A card, yes. A potted plant, not so much."
Morgan tightened his arm just slightly around Spencer's shoulders. Maybe it was supposed to be comforting. "What's wrong with a potted plant?" he asked, letting go of Spencer and sliding up to sit on his own desk.
"It's just sort of 'manly', that's all," Prentiss said. "I mean, I wouldn't give a guy flowers at all. I'd buy him tickets to a sporting event." She smiled faintly.
"Huh. Yeah, okay, so would I," Morgan admitted, "but anyone who knows Spencer knows he ain't into football or basketball or anything."
"Anyone who knows Spencer would buy him tickets to a lecture series on recent advancements in astrophysics, if you're going to make that argument. I'd say this admirer either doesn't know Spencer very well, or is trying to hide his identity. But it's not a woman. A woman wouldn't trust a man not to kill a houseplant," Prentiss said, then looked back at Spencer. "So, who is he?"
Spencer was just staring at her. "I--" He cleared his throat, and moved the plant to the floor where it wasn't in his way, just to give him time to think of an answer. Sometimes working with profilers really sucked. "No idea," he said lamely, after he sat down.
"He got chocolates the other day, too," Morgan said helpfully. "Only whoever it was didn't get the right kind, because there was only one caramel in the box." He drummed his heels lightly against the front of his desk like a toddler.
"Ooh, chocolates and a plant?" Prentiss leaned on Spencer's desk, looking fascinated. "So some guy is admiring you from afar and you don't know who it is?" She glanced over at Morgan.
Curious, Spencer followed her glance, but Morgan just looked back at them innocently and kept kicking his feet. The innocent act seemed to appease Prentiss, but Spencer wasn't fooled. When he found out who the person was, Morgan was going to pay for letting them send Spencer a house plant.
"I haven't noticed anyone unusual around his desk lately, but I can't say I'm my brother's keeper, here," Morgan said.
"So... I have a lot of paperwork to get to..." Spencer said, and looked between the two of them.
"Uh-huh, that's a hint if I ever heard one." Morgan laughed. "Maybe we could have Garcia plant cameras on his desk."
Spencer's mouth dropped open, and he stared at Morgan for a moment. Why hadn't he thought of that? "She doesn't have to; there are security cameras on the bullpen already!" he said, then grinned and bit his lip, a surge of excitement coursing through him.
Morgan's grin faded a little, then he shrugged and leaned back. "And people say you're the genius around here."
***
"Speak and be recognized, O gorgeous man."
"Baby girl, if you love me, you have to help me," Derek said into his phone. As soon as Spencer headed off to talk to Garcia about the camera, he'd pulled open his cell and dialed her.
"You know I love you, sugar. What can the goddess of all that is knowable do for you today?" He could hear the smile in Garcia's voice, but he didn't have the time to flirt.
"First of all, take me off speaker, sweetpea. Secondly, when Reid comes in there, which he will in about ten seconds, do whatever you have to in order to convince him that what he's asking isn't possible."
"What is he ask--Why, hello, tall, geeky, and handsome. What can I do for you?"
Derek stifled a groan and closed his eyes. "Just remember who brings you coffee and chocolate and all kinds of shiny stuff," he muttered into the phone.
"Who, Rossi?" she replied. Now, Derek could tell, she was wearing the wicked grin that said what he wanted was going to cost him. "Hang on just a second, okay, Reid?" He heard Spencer's muffled assent, then Garcia said, "Again I ask--"
Morgan glanced around and saw Prentiss watching him suspiciously. Fuck. The whole damn team was going to know about this before he even worked up to actually asking Spencer out. "He's going to want you to show him the footage from the bullpen. I just need you to make sure he doesn't see me leaving stuff on his desk."
"Oh, honey, that is going to cost you. I'll give you my bill later." And she hung up.
"Damn," Derek muttered, and tossed his phone on his desk. He met Prentiss' gaze and lifted an eyebrow to ask 'what?', then turned back to his work.
Prentiss gave the fern on the floor a pointed glance, then turned around in her chair. "A fern?"
Morgan clenched his jaw, then sighed. "They represent protection and sincerity. Spencer's secret admirer knows Spencer well enough to know he'd know that," he muttered. "And keep your mouth shut, or I'll have Garcia Photoshop you into something compromising and send it to your mother."
Prentiss just started snickering, but she didn't reply, and when Spencer came back a little while later, looking disappointed, she skillfully hid her amusement entirely.
"No luck," Spencer announced, and dropped into his chair.
"Really?" Morgan tried to feign disinterest, but he could feel Prentiss over there being amused at his expense. If she hadn't gone and pointed out that it was a guy, he would have felt a lot more secure. Of course, there was always the chance Spencer had figured it out already, and was just humoring him. "How come?"
Spencer shrugged. "Something about them having done a lot of maintenance on the security system lately. You'd think they would have a back up running."
"Huh. Well, we've only ever needed the cameras to stop a crazy serial killer once before." Morgan glanced over at him. "I suppose it takes more than one to convince the finance department that we need backup cameras."
Spencer laughed. "There's minimal traffic in the bullpen over night and during the early morning hours. They at least did what they could to reduce the risk of trouble."
Morgan snorted and shook his head. "Guess you'll have to think of some other way to catch him--or her--" he added, with a pointed glance at Prentiss, "in the act." No sense in admitting Prentiss was right, after all, especially when they bickered habitually anyway.
***
Morgan was torn. Valentine's Day was this coming Saturday, and he still thought a Star Wars marathon and alcohol would be a better way to celebrate than a fancy dinner and roses. But he was starting to think maybe he ought to confess everything to Spencer and just ask if he'd go out to dinner. Besides, what if Spencer decided not to take him up on his off-hand invitation, and they both ended up spending the evening alone when it was possible, just, that they might both enjoy the evening more in each other's company?
Then again, he still didn't have any real indication of what sort of guy Spencer went for, and even though he'd started with the little gifts in the hopes that they would make Spencer happy, they weren't doing anything to enlighten Morgan in that regard.
He finally thought he'd hit on a plan, though. There was a new exhibit opening Friday at one of the Smithsonians, and advance tickets were available for Thursday evening. Through some wheedling and finagling and cashing in a favor from when he was with the bomb squad, Morgan had managed to get two tickets to the event. Sixteenth century manuscripts weren't really his thing, but he knew Spencer would like them, and it would probably be more interesting with him along.
Keeping in mind that Spencer was a handwriting expert, Morgan had enlisted Garcia's help to generate a note that looked handwritten but was actually a computer font. It said simply, "I thought you might be interested. If you go, I'll be there. You'll know me."
Penelope looked dubious when he explained the plan, but Morgan was convinced it was better to at least show Spencer he was trying to find some common ground between them. "You mean, besides the fact that you work together and are clearly crazy about him?" Penelope had pointed out, but Morgan waved her off.
Thursday morning he sneaked into the BAU extremely early to put one of the tickets on Spencer's desk, then he'd taken himself to a practice room to work off some of his nerves with sit-ups and a punching bag.
When he came back, he found Spencer positively beaming at a rather gruesome crime scene photo, and had to assume it had nothing to do with the picture, and everything to do with the ticket. "Someone looks happy," he said, trying to conceal the little surge of victory he felt.
"Hmm?" Spencer said, then looked up. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I guess."
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "You guess? Reid, you're grinning at that poor woman's headless body. Not usual, even for one of us." He settled at his desk. "Let me guess, your secret admirer strike again?"
"Mmm-hmm," Spencer hummed, his grin not going away. "And if Prentiss' arguments are correct, the guy knows me." He didn't even bother to lower his voice, and Morgan mused for a brief moment that ever since Prentiss had talked so casually about his secret admirer being a guy, like it wasn't a big deal if he was, Spencer had seemed less and less concerned about keeping his voice down once the initial awkwardness wore off.
"Yeah? Whatcha got?" Morgan pushed his chair over towards Spencer, hoping he looked curious. He glanced over at Prentiss' desk, but she had just headed for the coffee maker. It was possible she was trying not to laugh about his act.
Spencer's smile went wider somehow, and Spencer pulled the ticket out, handing it over.
Morgan let his eyebrows go up. "This looks cool. Well, it looks like something you'd enjoy." He glanced up. "But there's just one ticket. When are you actually gonna meet this guy?"
"He said he'd be there and that I'd know him," Spencer said.
Morgan shrugged. "So you do know him. Or you'll recognize him somehow. Let's just hope it's not Gideon. Or that Prentiss isn't wrong. Maybe it's Strauss." He snickered. "Seriously, though, any ideas who it might be? Or who you want it to be?"
"Ugh. That's not even funny," Spencer said, and took his ticket back, then lifted a foot to give Morgan's chair a push back towards his own desk.
Morgan lifted his feet and let Spencer push him, grinning. "Come on, you've got to have some kind of mental image of this guy. If it is a guy."
Spencer pursed his lips. "I hadn't even really thought about it." He shrugged. "There really isn't any use in thinking about stuff like that."
Morgan shrugged too. "So you gonna go?" he asked, gesturing to the ticket.
"Yeah, of course I'm going to go," Spencer said, a smile blooming on his face again. "First of all, I want to know who he is. Secondly, even if he's not someone I'm interested in, the exhibit should be interesting."
Morgan nodded slowly. "Makes sense. When is it? You got a date for Valentine's Day now?" He sighed and pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. "I'm bein' stood up for Guy's Night."
Spencer laughed. "The exhibit is Friday night. Valentine's is Saturday. I guess I don't know if I have a date on Valentine's yet."
Morgan sighed. "Oh, sure, you say that now," he said. "I can tell, it's going to be me and Clooney and a microwave dinner."
Spencer snorted. "You said you weren't interested in Valentine's anyway."
Morgan decided a glare was answer enough.
***
Morgan wasn't really sure how to dress for a fancy museum exhibit opening, but he figured a suit would do it. After swallowing his pride and asking Prentiss, though, he decided to go with a somewhat sexy button-down shirt under the suit, and no tie. It was dressed up, but not business-like.
I can't believe it's come to this, Morgan thought, checking his reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out of his car. I might as well have asked Rossi how to dress. The whole damn team is going to know about this before I've actually even asked Spencer out.
Technically, he supposed, he'd done so already, but he didn't think the exhibit counted, since Spencer didn't know it was him. He checked his shirt pocket for his ticket, then left his parking spot. He had kind of a long walk, but he figured it would be nice on the way back, if Spencer took him up on an offer of a ride home.
***
Spencer had decided on a black shirt with a nice sweater vest, his tie tucked down into it, and black pants. Morgan once said he looked "snappy" in it, and Spencer wasn't sure why that mattered, except maybe because this had been Morgan's set up, even if he wouldn't admit it.
He found himself waiting outside the Smithsonian early, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously as he looked around for his date. His mind was running through all the possibilities of who it might be as he did. And he couldn't help wondering if the guy was going to like him. Which was ridiculous, considering whoever it was had gone to all the trouble of sending him gifts.
At about five minute until the opening, Spencer looked across the crowd and saw Phillip Stein. He was a nice guy who was interning with the tech department. Garcia called him "Squeaky". Spencer had never asked why, but now he really wanted to know. Not that there was always a reason for her nicknames.
She seemed to like him, though, so Spencer drew a long breath and walked in his direction, offering him a small wave when he got there. "Hi."
"Hey! I mean, hi. Doctor Reid." Phillip gave him a broad smile. "Wow, how are you?"
"I'm fine. Good. You?" Spencer said, returning the smile.
"I'm good, good." Phillip stuck his hands in his pockets, then seemed to change his mind, and took them back out. He seemed nervous. "So...how's work?"
"It's good," Spencer said. "Well, good as it can be, given the circumstances." He tilted his head at Phillip, wondering if there was anything he could do to make him more comfortable, though he knew he wasn't all that good at that. "Garcia's not making life too hard on you, is she?"
"Garcia? Oh, no, Penelope's great." Phillip beamed. "She's super-nice, and her friend Kevin is, too. They've both helped me a lot." He glanced around, then leaned in a little. "Agent Morgan is the one who sort of makes life difficult. He's just...well, he reminds me of the jocks when I was in high school, you know?" His smile turned anxious, as if he was just remembering that Spencer and Morgan were friends.
Spencer grinned. "I used to think that too. He's really not that bad, actually. Well... he used to be. Or I thought he was." Spencer shook his head, realizing he was talking in circles and that Phillip looked confused now. "He usually doesn't mean anything by it." Spencer shrugged.
"Maybe. I don't understand why he likes Penelope and Kevin so much if he doesn't like me. It can't be a geek thing, or he wouldn't like them." Phillip shrugged. "Anyway, sorry. I know you're friends. Um... So you're interested in manuscripts, then?"
"Yeah," Spencer said, frowning faintly. He knew how Phillip felt about Morgan. "I doubt he doesn't like you," he said, but then shook his head. "Yeah, though. It sounds like a good exhibit. Thanks." He gave Phillip a thankful smile.
"Yeah." Phillip shrugged. "My girlfriend is a grad student in Renaissance history, so she drags me to all these things. I'm starting to get a taste for it, I guess. I do like the way they do the wine and cheese things at the openings, though." He smiled at Spencer again.
Spencer blinked at him. His girlfriend? Oh. God. Spencer glanced around them quickly before he could stop himself. Phillip wasn't his date. Spencer was supremely relieved he hadn't said anything too stupid. "That's always a plus," he said absently, then looked back. "Well, I should let you get back to her. It was good seeing you."
"Yeah, yeah, definitely. I hope you enjoy the exhibit." Still smiling, Phillip walked back to where a dark-haired girl was obviously glad to see him, from the way she curled her arm around his. Phillip wasn't his date. Who, then? He looked around him again.
It was past time for the exhibit to open, so unless he got stood up, Spencer's date had to be here. His heart jumped into his throat a moment later when he saw Morgan standing at the edge of the crowd. He didn't look very happy, and then he turned around and started walking away.
Spencer stared at him too long. Was Morgan his date? Spencer had all but ruled Morgan out, but it made sense. Spencer's breath was suddenly shaky. "Morgan!" he called, but Morgan didn't turn around. God, Morgan had seen him with Phillip and he was going to leave! Spencer started fighting his way through the crowd.
Morgan didn't stop walking; either he hadn't heard or, more likely, he was ignoring Spencer. He had his hands in his pockets, but he was walking fast. Spencer bumped into someone and glanced back over his shoulder to call a hasty apology, and then he ran headlong into another person. By the time he'd finished apologizing and making sure the man was all right, Morgan was gone.
"Shit," he whispered, staring in the direction Morgan had gone. He ran his hand through his hair, and wondered if he ought to chase him. Though, considering he seemed in a hurry to leave, that probably wasn't a good idea.
Why had Morgan left, though? If he was Spencer's date, he knew Phillip wasn't. But he'd seen them talking, and maybe he thought Spencer thought Phillip was his date. What a mess. Of course, this wouldn't have happened if Morgan had just asked him out instead of playing his little game.
Still, the game had been sweet. It had felt good to find little gifts on his desk, and there had been that thrill of excitement, not knowing exactly who they were from. If it was Morgan, that would explain why Garcia had looked so amused at his request for footage of his desk...
And possibly why Prentiss had been avoiding the conversations about his secret admirer lately. God, did everyone know?
Spencer pulled his ticket out of his pocket and stared at it. It had probably really cost Morgan to get it, and it seemed a shame to waste it, but he didn't really feel like going alone now.
After a long moment, Spencer sighed and headed for the VRE.
Part Two
Authors:
innerslytherin and severity_softlyPairing: Morgan/Reid
Rating: NC-17
WC: ~15,700
Summary: With Valentine's Day approaching, Morgan makes a surprising discovery about Reid, and then sets out to win his interest...by being an anonymous admirer.
Notes: Self-betaed as usual.
Morgan flipped his cell phone closed, glad he'd at least taken care of sending flowers to his mom and sisters for Valentine's Day. He was dodging phone calls from a girl he'd met several weeks ago, because he knew she was wanting a date for the holiday, and there was no way he was getting himself hooked into that.
With a sigh he turned back to the crime scene photos he'd been going over and found Reid watching him.
Reid jerked his gaze away and down to the file in his hand, and Morgan tilted his head at Reid for a moment. "Somethin' on your mind, pretty boy?"
Reid lips quirked a little, and he glanced back up and shrugged. "Not really." Then he looked at Morgan's phone. "How many?" he asked.
"How many what?" Morgan asked, moving a little closer and keeping his gaze on Reid's. He actually liked it when Reid showed an interest in him, even though he never tried to read anything into it.
"Dates," Spencer said, and then suddenly looked a little sheepish and looked back down at his file. "And/or potential dates for Valentine's."
"Are you kiddin' me? None." Morgan grinned. "The only flowers I send on Valentine's Day are to my mom and sisters. I stay very far away from any other females on that particular holiday." He threw an arm around Spencer's shoulders, ignoring the way the younger man tensed slightly. "Us men are way more reasonable about shit like that."
Spencer's eyebrows went up. "Yeah, I wouldn't really know."
"Trust me. If a woman gets you to take her out on Valentine's Day, she's gonna think she's got you hook, line, and sinker." Morgan pulled away and shrugged, turning to rest his hip against the desk. He folded his arms across his chest and studied Spencer. "Not a big fan of Valentine's Day, pretty boy?"
Spencer shrugged. "Never had a date on Valentine's day, so... I wouldn't know about that either. Seems like it'd be fun, though."
"Nah, you're not missing anything but a chance to blow a whole lotta money on things like chocolate and roses. Trust me." Morgan shook his head. "You're better off kicking back and watching a game on TV with a beer." He eyed Spencer. "Or watching a Star Trek marathon, I guess."
"There's nothing wrong with chocolate and roses," Spencer said, looking sheepish again. "Star Trek and ice cream sounds better, but..." He shrugged again.
"Aw, now that's cute. Spencer Reid's a romantic at heart." Derek tipped his head, grinning at Spencer and trying not to get any ideas. Derek could do the hearts and flowers thing, but Spencer liked girls; he'd proven that pretty well, between Lila Archer and then that Austin chick at the club in Atlanta.
He realized a moment later that Spencer was frowning at him. "What's wrong with that? Can you honestly imagine me... doing what you do?"
"Hey, what's wrong with what I do?" Derek said, frowning back at Spencer. "Just because I haven't settled down..."
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," Spencer said, holding up his hands. "It's just... not what I want."
Derek's frown lightened. "Well, I didn't say there was anything wrong with bein' romantic, either. I didn't even say it's not what I want. It's just not what I'm looking for with some woman at Valentine's Day who's gonna read more into it than what's really there." He shrugged.
Spencer nodded slowly, and Morgan wondered what he was thinking. It almost looked like he wanted to say something, but then he just bit his lips together. "Okay, so no Valentine's Day and no Halloween. Is there a holiday that you do like? Outside of Christmas, that is."
Morgan pretended to think. "Fourth of July. Thanksgiving. Martin Luther King Junior's Day. Hell, President's Day, they have good sales on electronics and shit for that. Just no holidays that involve dressin' up as something you're not, or buying candy and a big rock for someone you're not in love with." He looked around for his coffee and then realized he must have finished it earlier. He wondered if he could get Spencer to go for a coffee break.
"Who buys a diamond for someone they're not in love with?" Spencer asked, crinkling his nose.
"Oh, fine, I'm exaggerating," Morgan said. "Come on, I need some coffee. Let's take a break. This case isn't going anywhere."
Spencer glanced at his coffee cup, then pushed away from his desk. "Sure," he said. "Where to?"
"Wherever," Morgan said. "Just somewhere that's got better coffee than we make here."
"Great, I know this place that you'll love, they only use fair trade coffee, and it's cheaper than Starbucks."
Morgan gestured for Spencer to go ahead of him. "Lead on."
When they got to the coffee shop, Derek almost wished they had gone to Starbucks. Surely Starbucks wouldn't be decorated in pink and red streamers with hearts and Cupids stuck to the windows. He glanced sideways at Spencer. "Romantic," he said dryly.
"I had no idea, Morgan," Spencer said, matching his tone, though his lips were quirked to one side.
Morgan laughed. "Right, sure. You're the one who said you were lookin' for romance." He glanced over at Spencer. "I just didn't know you meant me," he added, fluttering his lashes.
"I don't make a habit of dating straight men," Spencer said, and then his smile slipped off, like he hadn't meant to say that. "Or co-workers."
Morgan's eyebrows went up and he tilted his head back a little, studying Spencer. "But not-entirely-straight men are okay? What about Lila and Austin?" It occurred to him that it probably said something about him that he remembered the names of Spencer's girls and not his own.
Spencer's eyebrows lifted to match Morgan's. "What about Lila and Austin?"
Derek held his gaze for a few moments, then shrugged and looked towards the counter. "Nothin', I guess. If we're talking about not entirely straight, as opposed to completely homosexual." He glanced at Spencer, then headed over to order his coffee. When he was sure Spencer wasn't looking, he grabbed one of the little boxes of fancy chocolates by the register and nodded for the girl to ring that up with his coffee.
Spencer followed, and ordered something ridiculously sweet. Morgan wasn't sure what, but he was certain he heard the words chocolate and caramel thrown around. When they settled at the table, Spencer looked uncomfortable. "You can't tell anyone. I didn't really mean to say that."
Morgan frowned at him. "Spencer, I don't break confidences, man. What you say to me, especially when it's just us, hangin' out? It stays between us." It sort of hurt that Spencer would think Morgan might out him to the entire team. That was the sort of thing Morgan wouldn't even tell Penelope, and he told her everything.
Spencer stared at Morgan for a long moment. "You don't care?" he asked.
Morgan leaned back a little in his chair, trying to look casual. "I wouldn't say I don't care," he said, and paused as Reid's face fell. "But it doesn't bother me, if that's what you mean," he added.
"Then why do you care?" Spencer asked, but then he shook his head. "Nevermind. It's not important."
"Because I'm your friend? Because you're important to me?" Derek tilted his head. "Because I can't believe I had no idea until just now?" He sipped his coffee and didn't look away from Spencer's face. He ought to tell him now, say that he cared because he wasn't as straight as everyone seemed to think. But there were so many reasons he couldn't do it.
Spencer blinked at him. "I didn't exactly advertise it for a reason, and there wasn't really any reason to say anything. It's never been pertinent to a case." Spencer shrugged. "It's not really important."
"It's important because it's part of who you are," Derek contradicted. He leaned on the table, smiling faintly. "So...do you like girls as much as guys, or was that just, y'know, an act?"
Spencer's mouth fell open. "I don't know why that matters," he said. "And it wasn't an act. I wasn't the one who approached Lila, and Austin... no one would listen to me. You told me to flirt."
"I'm just makin' conversation," Derek said, shrugging. "Is this something we can't talking about, even when it's just the two of us sitting here?"
Spencer shrugged. "I've just... I never have, and I don't know why we need to. It doesn't define me."
"Well, no, I mean, it's just..." Derek shrugged again. "Okay, we won't talk about it, then." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I guess I'm...I can relate, that's all." His heart sped up as soon as he said it. He'd never actually told anyone this before, especially someone who knew about Carl. He'd never had to; things had happened naturally with the guys he'd been attracted to in college, and since then he'd had eyes for only one guy.
Spencer's eyebrows shot up. "What?" He smiled after a moment, then laughed softly and drew his fingertip through the whipped cream on his coffee. Or what was passing for coffee, anyway. "Right," Spencer said, his tone disbelieving, and sucked the whipped cream off his finger.
"You think I'm messing with you?" Derek glared at him despite the burn of desire that sight sent through him. "No, look, I...there's just been a couple of guys, when I was in college, and then..." He sighed. "I made the stupid mistake of falling for someone I worked with. Someone I couldn't have, you know? Ah, never mind." He waved a hand and sipped his coffee. How the hell had this happened? He'd just come out as bisexual to the one person he wanted more than anything. He'd never meant to do anything about this attraction, and now he was getting into dangerous territory.
Spencer was staring at him again, seeming to have forgotten the new dollop of whipped cream on his finger. Finally, though, he licked it off and raised the newly-clean finger, leaning forward in that way he did when he was imparting some great Spencer Reid wisdom. "Ah... I'm pretty sure David is straight."
Morgan stared back. "Dav--Okay, that's funny. I do not have a thing for Dave Rossi." He shook his head. "Nah, this goes back years before I even met Rossi. Let's just drop it. Like you said, it's not important." He glanced around the coffee shop, trying to think of something else to talk about.
"Oh, so it was all right when it was about me, but not when it was about you?" Spencer pointed out, raising an eyebrow and sitting back, with the look on his face of a man who'd just won an argument.
"What? You said you didn't want to talk about it." Derek shrugged and wondered how this conversation had even come about. They'd started out talking about Valentine's Day and now he and Spencer were confessing things to each other...Spencer by accident, and Derek...well, sort of by accident. He sipped his coffee. "Anyway, it's...It doesn't matter. I do fine the way things are."
"If that's what you want," Spencer said, then sipped his coffee.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said. If that's what you want, then you do just fine."
Morgan frowned at him, then shrugged. "It's fine." He looked down at his coffee, wishing they'd never started this conversation. All it was doing now was making him wish for things. And it was somehow worse knowing that what he wanted was almost close enough to touch, because Spencer had added that he didn't date co-workers. A good policy, but the only way Derek could see a relationship working for any of them was to date one of their co-workers. After all, Hotch's marriage had fallen apart, and Rossi had had three of them dissolve. JJ had managed it, but he couldn't help thinking she was lucky that she'd fallen for a detective.
Spencer nodded slowly. "Fine."
Morgan kept frowning at his coffee. "I mean, you know, for now. It's okay." His face felt hot. He sighed and took a long sip of his coffee.
"Yeah," Spencer said.
If that's what you want, Morgan could almost hear Spencer adding mentally.
Morgan glanced up at him, but didn't say anything. What I want, I can't have, he thought.
Spencer's lips pulled to one side. "It's probably time to head back," he said.
"Yeah, sure," Morgan said, and stood. "Come on, let's grab another cup to take back with us."
***
Morgan hadn't really had a plan when he had bought the box of fancy chocolates at the coffee shop. But he'd had an idea they might come in handy. Before the afternoon was over, in between looking over the consult he and Spencer had been working on, he formed a sketchy plan. He didn't let himself think about what would happen if he gambled on this and was wrong. He just had to show Spencer he could provide the romance that Spencer apparently wanted. And if he could convince him, at the same time, that romance was overrated, but companionship and great sex was well worth it...well, that would be great, too.
Morgan hung around in one of the training rooms until he was sure everyone would be gone, then headed back to the bullpen. If he left the chocolates on Spencer's desk tonight, they'd be found the next morning, hopefully when he could see Spencer's reaction.
After he'd set them carefully in the middle of Spencer's tidy desk, he went home. He spent the entire evening telling himself not to worry about it, which only made him worry more. But eventually he dropped off to sleep in his recliner with a basketball game on. He woke a couple of hours later, long enough to stagger to bed, and didn't wake again until his alarm went off.
By the time Spencer showed up at work that morning, Morgan had been at his desk for ten minutes. As soon as he saw Spencer coming in the door of the BAU, Morgan got up and headed for the kitchenette. It would look less suspicious if he weren't scrutinizing Spencer's every move.
Still, he couldn't help but watch as Spencer approached his desk, and then stopped a few feet in front of it. He glanced at the desk next to his, as if to confirm he was at the right desk by its neighbors, and then closed the gap between him and his own desk. His lips quirked up in a smile as he picked up the box, and then he turned... and stared at Morgan's desk for a long moment.
Shit.
Spencer turned around after what felt like way too long, and looked around the bullpen to see who was here.
Morgan thought he looked away in time for Spencer to think he was doing nothing but stirring creamer in his coffee. He drank it that way sometimes, so it shouldn't look too suspicious. He was relieved when he saw Garcia coming from her office towards the coffee area.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said, smiling at her. He could see Spencer from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't quite tell what he was doing.
"I'll show you a good morning," Garcia retorted, grinning back. "How's the consult going?"
He rolled his eyes. "I think Reid and I might agree on the profile sometime before we die of old age," he exaggerated, and she wrinkled her nose at him. "Kidding, sugar," he added. "How's the cyberworld?"
"Cyber-beautiful," she replied, and poured herself a cup of coffee. Morgan laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and headed for his desk, hoping it was safe.
He saw Spencer drop the chocolate in his drawer before Morgan reached him, but he was still grinning. "Morning," Spencer said, then darted a significant glance at the coffee. "How is it this morning?"
"The coffee? Made it myself this time." Morgan gave him a wide grin. "So excellent, of course. Didn't see you come in, or I'd have brought a cup over." Okay, he was lying, but it was a white lie. Really. He sat down at his desk and spun around to face Spencer. "What's got you in such a good mood this morning?"
"You didn't see it when you came in?" Spencer asked, and then got up to go to the kitchenette to get his own coffee.
"See what?" Morgan called after him. He didn't make it a habit to look at his co-worker's desks, did he? Okay, so he usually did notice stuff like that. Prentiss was more observant, though, and she wasn't here yet. He was probably safe being oblivious.
God, this giving secret Valentines thing was harder than he'd anticipated.
"You didn't see it?" Spencer asked, when he came back after pouring about a pound of sugar in his coffee. He collapsed back in his chair and looked at Morgan, then shrugged. "It's nothing," he said, and turned to look at the files on his desk.
"Yeah, well, that 'nothing' sure made you grin," Morgan said, but he didn't think he should push it, since that might make Spencer suspicious. He snagged one of the folders off his desk and flipped it open. They really did need to get their profile together for the consult and fire it back to the detectives in Pierre, South Dakota, who had requested it.
Spencer shrugged and pulled open the file he was looking at, and they traded information and ideas for a while, still not agreeing. After a while, Spencer pulled the box out of his desk and started munching on chocolate as he looked over the crime scene photos for what had to be the one hundredth time.
"Oooh, chocolate," Derek said, and rolled his chair over to try to steal a piece from Spencer. "Thanks, pretty boy."
Spencer made a negative noise with his mouth full and pushed the box out of Morgan's reach before he got a piece.
"Greedy," Morgan said, pouting at him. He spread half a dozen crime scene photos over Spencer's desk and leaned his elbows there. "Look at the blood splatter and tell me this unsub wasn't experiencing serious rage."
Spencer sighed. "Everything else is meticulous, Morgan," he said around a mouthful of chocolate. "The restraints, the precautions he took not to be heard. That's not rage." He picked up a piece of chocolate, and handed it over. "And I'm not greedy. It's just rude to take something without asking."
Derek's eyebrows went up and he blinked at him. "I beg your pardon, Reid. Thank you for sharing your chocolate with me." He held Spencer's gaze for a few beats, then grinned and bit the chocolate in half. "Mmmm, caramel," he said when the gooey filling registered on his tastebuds. He frowned even though he was enjoying the chocolate. "Why else would he kill with this much violence, if not rage? You think he has a reason for flinging blood across the walls?"
Spencer's mouth fell open, and he glanced at the box. "That was the only caramel," he said, once he compared the little chart to the pieces left. He frowned, took the other half of the chocolate back, and popped it in his mouth. "Theshomthing--" He held up a finger, then chewed a few moments. "There's something to it. Maybe there's two of them?"
There was something sexy about Spencer eating the chocolate he'd bitten in half, even if Derek had wanted the rest of it. Derek realized after a moment that he was staring at Spencer's mouth, and he jerked his gaze away. "We don't have any other indication of that," he objected. "Unless you think the broken window at the first victim's house was the blood-flinging unsub getting out of control."
Spencer was staring at him, his lips curling in a mischievous smile, but he just shrugged. "I don't know, but if there's one of them, he's not disorganized."
Morgan sighed, trying to ignore the way Spencer's smile made his stomach jump nervously. "Look, we're not gonna agree entirely...I say we either ask Dave to be the tie-breaker on this, or we write in the profile that if there's only one unsub, he's at least somewhat organized, but if there are two unsubs, one is disorganized."
Spencer tilted his head. "Mmm, I was about to suggest David myself."
Morgan eyed him, then leaned in closer to whisper. "I'm pretty sure Dave's straight." He pulled back and grinned at Spencer, wondering if he'd get smacked for that, or just cut to shreds verbally. He hoped Spencer wouldn't really get angry.
Spencer just snorted, then glanced at Dave's door and back. "I can be persuasive," Spencer said, his gaze steady on Morgan's.
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "I'd almost like to see you flirting with Dave Rossi," he murmured, "except I'd be the one who ended up putting the pieces back together when he was done with you." After a moment he grimaced. "And don't take that in a dirty way." He sighed. "Maybe Prentiss will look at the case for us."
Spencer snorted. "Sure, now you don't want David doing it."
"You know, I never noticed how you always call him David," Morgan observed. "Why is that?"
Spencer shrugged. "It's his name. It just... feels more like him to me."
Morgan watched him for a moment. "Oh, fine, we'll ask Dave." Morgan stood. "Come on, we need to get this out by noon. I think he's in his office now."
Spencer got up and followed. "When did you start calling him 'Dave'?"
It was Morgan's turn to shrug. "It's what Hotch calls him. Besides, he calls me Derek, I might as well call him Dave." He glanced over at Spencer with a teasing grin. "Jealous?"
"Oh, totally," Spencer said. "It's going to keep me up tonight."
"Aw, it doesn't have to be that way," Morgan replied, thinking he wouldn't mind being the one keeping Spencer up tonight.
Before Spencer could reply, they were at Rossi's door, ending the conversation.
***
The timing had been a little too convenient. The day after Spencer had accidentally come out to Morgan, and Morgan to him, Spencer had walked in to find chocolates on his desk. It wasn't yet Valentine's, so he doubted it was some random secret admirer that had been planning this for a while.
The secret admirer either had to be Morgan, or someone Morgan knew had been watching Spencer that he told. He wasn't worried either way. Morgan, for all the teasing, was protective of Spencer, so Spencer knew he wouldn't have told someone who he thought might 1) be a jerk to Spencer, or 2) spill Spencer's secret any more than it had been. He trusted Morgan's judgment, if Morgan had set him up.
If the secret admirer was Morgan, however... well, that was a whole other story. Spencer had never really considered it before--he'd never thought he was allowed to--but now that he was, it was definitely an enticing option.
Of course, Spencer had tried to get a rise out of Morgan the day before after the chocolates, and it hadn't worked, so the theory that it was Morgan was looking less and less probable. When Spencer came in to work the next day to find a sort of silly Valentine's Day card on his desk, it all but dashed the hope that it was Morgan. Morgan might do chocolate, but a card with little hearts on it and a love-sick looking puppy? Probably not.
Spencer squashed his disappointment, surprised that he was even disappointed at all, and set his mind to figuring out who Morgan would have told. It wouldn't be Hotch or David, so that left... an intern, maybe?
He supposed it could be someone in one of the other profiling teams, but they hardly ever saw each other, since if one team was in the office, the others usually weren't. Spencer studied the card again, but since there was no signature, just a little smiley-face at the bottom, he didn't have anything to compare it to.
He saw Morgan come in through the glass doors and hastily shoved the card down into his bag. He shoved down the way his heart gave a little jump at the sight of Morgan. He couldn't do this. Morgan probably wasn't even the person leaving him gifts.
Morgan came straight over to his desk, bypassing the coffee. "Hey, Reid," he said, smiling at him. "Brought you a present." He held out a paper cup that was steaming. "Hope I got something sweet enough. It's some kind of caramel mocha thing. Clerk said it was pretty sweet." He set the coffee cup on Spencer's desk, and the theory that his secret admirer was Morgan sank entirely. Morgan wouldn't give him a card and bring him coffee on the same day. He would know that would raise Spencer's suspicions.
"Thanks," he said. He debated the intelligence of just asking Morgan who he'd told, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Morgan had promised him he wouldn't tell anyone, so Morgan had probably wanted this to look like it happened without his help. It wasn't Morgan's fault the other guy seemed to not be worried about how suspicious the timing was.
Spencer picked up the coffee and took a sip. "No, it's perfect. I think this is what I usually get, actually." He pulled open the lid. "Too bad the whipped cream dissolved already."
"Sorry about that. Traffic was crap today." Morgan propped his feet up on his desk and took a long sip of his coffee. "So how's life treatin' you today? Found someone to be all romantic with on the big V yet?"
"I don't know," Spencer said lightly, then decided to try pushing Morgan again, just to be sure, and added, "You?"
"Oh, do tell, pretty boy," Morgan said, letting his feet drop and scooting his chair closer to Spencer's. "You got your eye on someone?" He completely ignored Spencer's question. That was interesting.
Spencer stared at him pointedly for a moment. "You answer first."
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "My answer's the same as it was three days ago. I'm not interested in spending Valentine's Day with some girl I just like casually."
Spencer tilted his head, then whispered, "What about some guy?"
Morgan eyed him for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't have some guy I like casually," he returned, equally softly, "and I haven't been dating anyone. So." He shrugged again. "Now, fess up. You got your eye on someone?"
Well, that was Spencer's answer right there. It wasn't Morgan. He apparently didn't have his eyes on anyone. Spencer pressed his lips together. "Not really. Someone has their eyes on me, though. And I don't know who it is." There was a hint in his voice that he had a suspicion about how he could find out, but he didn't say that.
"Really? Do tell." Morgan scooted his chair over to lean on Spencer's desk, watching him. Spencer tried to assess whether Morgan was looking at him more intently than usual, but it occurred to him that Morgan always looked at him intently. Well, unless he was talking about how long it took to build the Death Star.
"There's nothing to tell." Spencer shrugged. "Someone left me those chocolates yesterday."
"Really? A secret admirer?" Morgan grinned. "And you shared the chocolates with me. I'm touched." He leaned closer. "So who do you think it is? Any ideas?"
"Nope. Not a clue," Spencer said, and turned to the file on the other side of his desk. He needed to end this conversation before he said the wrong thing and ruined Morgan's 'secret' set up.
"Huh. Well, if that person doesn't show their hand before V-day, you're always welcome to come over and watch TV with me. I might even do a Star Wars marathon just for you, if you show up." Morgan rolled himself back to his own desk. "As long as you promise no physics lectures," he added teasingly.
Spencer snorted. "You know I can't make promises like that."
Morgan laughed. "All right, all right. But you'll never get me to admit I like it." He winked at Spencer, then turned to his work.
That wink sent a little thrill through Spencer. Morgan's words didn't help either. Spencer swallowed hard and turned back to his work, determined to put the entire thing out of his mind.
***
Later the same afternoon that Spencer got the card, the team was called out on a case in southern New Mexico. They spent four days there and, though Spencer watched more closely than usual, Morgan did nothing suspicious. None of his words or actions could even remotely be interpreted as those of a secret admirer. And of course nothing like chocolates or a card turned up in Spencer's hotel room.
He supposed whoever was sending the gifts was waiting for him to get back to Quantico. He was surprised when the team filed into the bullpen and Spencer saw--clear across the room--the potted plant that didn't belong on his desk.
Spencer's eyebrows shot up, and then he immediately looked at Morgan. Morgan looked... amused.
"Shut up," Spencer said, and then he noticed that Prentiss and Dave had both stopped next to him when they saw Spencer stop and stare. JJ had headed to her office without looking, and Hotch had stopped a few feet away. His gaze followed his team's to Spencer's desk, then back to Spencer. Then his expression had gone half-way between amused and curious before he continued on to his office without comment.
"I didn't say anything," Morgan protested, but he was grinning. He slung an arm over Spencer's shoulders. "Somebody likes you," he sing-songed, walking with Spencer toward their desks.
Dave just snorted behind them and headed to his office, but Prentiss followed. "Who's the special guy?" she asked, her tone matching Morgan's.
Spencer's mouth dropped open. "Who said it was a guy?" he asked defensively.
Her eyebrows went up, and she held up her hands. "That just isn't the sort of gift a girl would send. A card, yes. A potted plant, not so much."
Morgan tightened his arm just slightly around Spencer's shoulders. Maybe it was supposed to be comforting. "What's wrong with a potted plant?" he asked, letting go of Spencer and sliding up to sit on his own desk.
"It's just sort of 'manly', that's all," Prentiss said. "I mean, I wouldn't give a guy flowers at all. I'd buy him tickets to a sporting event." She smiled faintly.
"Huh. Yeah, okay, so would I," Morgan admitted, "but anyone who knows Spencer knows he ain't into football or basketball or anything."
"Anyone who knows Spencer would buy him tickets to a lecture series on recent advancements in astrophysics, if you're going to make that argument. I'd say this admirer either doesn't know Spencer very well, or is trying to hide his identity. But it's not a woman. A woman wouldn't trust a man not to kill a houseplant," Prentiss said, then looked back at Spencer. "So, who is he?"
Spencer was just staring at her. "I--" He cleared his throat, and moved the plant to the floor where it wasn't in his way, just to give him time to think of an answer. Sometimes working with profilers really sucked. "No idea," he said lamely, after he sat down.
"He got chocolates the other day, too," Morgan said helpfully. "Only whoever it was didn't get the right kind, because there was only one caramel in the box." He drummed his heels lightly against the front of his desk like a toddler.
"Ooh, chocolates and a plant?" Prentiss leaned on Spencer's desk, looking fascinated. "So some guy is admiring you from afar and you don't know who it is?" She glanced over at Morgan.
Curious, Spencer followed her glance, but Morgan just looked back at them innocently and kept kicking his feet. The innocent act seemed to appease Prentiss, but Spencer wasn't fooled. When he found out who the person was, Morgan was going to pay for letting them send Spencer a house plant.
"I haven't noticed anyone unusual around his desk lately, but I can't say I'm my brother's keeper, here," Morgan said.
"So... I have a lot of paperwork to get to..." Spencer said, and looked between the two of them.
"Uh-huh, that's a hint if I ever heard one." Morgan laughed. "Maybe we could have Garcia plant cameras on his desk."
Spencer's mouth dropped open, and he stared at Morgan for a moment. Why hadn't he thought of that? "She doesn't have to; there are security cameras on the bullpen already!" he said, then grinned and bit his lip, a surge of excitement coursing through him.
Morgan's grin faded a little, then he shrugged and leaned back. "And people say you're the genius around here."
***
"Speak and be recognized, O gorgeous man."
"Baby girl, if you love me, you have to help me," Derek said into his phone. As soon as Spencer headed off to talk to Garcia about the camera, he'd pulled open his cell and dialed her.
"You know I love you, sugar. What can the goddess of all that is knowable do for you today?" He could hear the smile in Garcia's voice, but he didn't have the time to flirt.
"First of all, take me off speaker, sweetpea. Secondly, when Reid comes in there, which he will in about ten seconds, do whatever you have to in order to convince him that what he's asking isn't possible."
"What is he ask--Why, hello, tall, geeky, and handsome. What can I do for you?"
Derek stifled a groan and closed his eyes. "Just remember who brings you coffee and chocolate and all kinds of shiny stuff," he muttered into the phone.
"Who, Rossi?" she replied. Now, Derek could tell, she was wearing the wicked grin that said what he wanted was going to cost him. "Hang on just a second, okay, Reid?" He heard Spencer's muffled assent, then Garcia said, "Again I ask--"
Morgan glanced around and saw Prentiss watching him suspiciously. Fuck. The whole damn team was going to know about this before he even worked up to actually asking Spencer out. "He's going to want you to show him the footage from the bullpen. I just need you to make sure he doesn't see me leaving stuff on his desk."
"Oh, honey, that is going to cost you. I'll give you my bill later." And she hung up.
"Damn," Derek muttered, and tossed his phone on his desk. He met Prentiss' gaze and lifted an eyebrow to ask 'what?', then turned back to his work.
Prentiss gave the fern on the floor a pointed glance, then turned around in her chair. "A fern?"
Morgan clenched his jaw, then sighed. "They represent protection and sincerity. Spencer's secret admirer knows Spencer well enough to know he'd know that," he muttered. "And keep your mouth shut, or I'll have Garcia Photoshop you into something compromising and send it to your mother."
Prentiss just started snickering, but she didn't reply, and when Spencer came back a little while later, looking disappointed, she skillfully hid her amusement entirely.
"No luck," Spencer announced, and dropped into his chair.
"Really?" Morgan tried to feign disinterest, but he could feel Prentiss over there being amused at his expense. If she hadn't gone and pointed out that it was a guy, he would have felt a lot more secure. Of course, there was always the chance Spencer had figured it out already, and was just humoring him. "How come?"
Spencer shrugged. "Something about them having done a lot of maintenance on the security system lately. You'd think they would have a back up running."
"Huh. Well, we've only ever needed the cameras to stop a crazy serial killer once before." Morgan glanced over at him. "I suppose it takes more than one to convince the finance department that we need backup cameras."
Spencer laughed. "There's minimal traffic in the bullpen over night and during the early morning hours. They at least did what they could to reduce the risk of trouble."
Morgan snorted and shook his head. "Guess you'll have to think of some other way to catch him--or her--" he added, with a pointed glance at Prentiss, "in the act." No sense in admitting Prentiss was right, after all, especially when they bickered habitually anyway.
***
Morgan was torn. Valentine's Day was this coming Saturday, and he still thought a Star Wars marathon and alcohol would be a better way to celebrate than a fancy dinner and roses. But he was starting to think maybe he ought to confess everything to Spencer and just ask if he'd go out to dinner. Besides, what if Spencer decided not to take him up on his off-hand invitation, and they both ended up spending the evening alone when it was possible, just, that they might both enjoy the evening more in each other's company?
Then again, he still didn't have any real indication of what sort of guy Spencer went for, and even though he'd started with the little gifts in the hopes that they would make Spencer happy, they weren't doing anything to enlighten Morgan in that regard.
He finally thought he'd hit on a plan, though. There was a new exhibit opening Friday at one of the Smithsonians, and advance tickets were available for Thursday evening. Through some wheedling and finagling and cashing in a favor from when he was with the bomb squad, Morgan had managed to get two tickets to the event. Sixteenth century manuscripts weren't really his thing, but he knew Spencer would like them, and it would probably be more interesting with him along.
Keeping in mind that Spencer was a handwriting expert, Morgan had enlisted Garcia's help to generate a note that looked handwritten but was actually a computer font. It said simply, "I thought you might be interested. If you go, I'll be there. You'll know me."
Penelope looked dubious when he explained the plan, but Morgan was convinced it was better to at least show Spencer he was trying to find some common ground between them. "You mean, besides the fact that you work together and are clearly crazy about him?" Penelope had pointed out, but Morgan waved her off.
Thursday morning he sneaked into the BAU extremely early to put one of the tickets on Spencer's desk, then he'd taken himself to a practice room to work off some of his nerves with sit-ups and a punching bag.
When he came back, he found Spencer positively beaming at a rather gruesome crime scene photo, and had to assume it had nothing to do with the picture, and everything to do with the ticket. "Someone looks happy," he said, trying to conceal the little surge of victory he felt.
"Hmm?" Spencer said, then looked up. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I guess."
Morgan raised his eyebrows. "You guess? Reid, you're grinning at that poor woman's headless body. Not usual, even for one of us." He settled at his desk. "Let me guess, your secret admirer strike again?"
"Mmm-hmm," Spencer hummed, his grin not going away. "And if Prentiss' arguments are correct, the guy knows me." He didn't even bother to lower his voice, and Morgan mused for a brief moment that ever since Prentiss had talked so casually about his secret admirer being a guy, like it wasn't a big deal if he was, Spencer had seemed less and less concerned about keeping his voice down once the initial awkwardness wore off.
"Yeah? Whatcha got?" Morgan pushed his chair over towards Spencer, hoping he looked curious. He glanced over at Prentiss' desk, but she had just headed for the coffee maker. It was possible she was trying not to laugh about his act.
Spencer's smile went wider somehow, and Spencer pulled the ticket out, handing it over.
Morgan let his eyebrows go up. "This looks cool. Well, it looks like something you'd enjoy." He glanced up. "But there's just one ticket. When are you actually gonna meet this guy?"
"He said he'd be there and that I'd know him," Spencer said.
Morgan shrugged. "So you do know him. Or you'll recognize him somehow. Let's just hope it's not Gideon. Or that Prentiss isn't wrong. Maybe it's Strauss." He snickered. "Seriously, though, any ideas who it might be? Or who you want it to be?"
"Ugh. That's not even funny," Spencer said, and took his ticket back, then lifted a foot to give Morgan's chair a push back towards his own desk.
Morgan lifted his feet and let Spencer push him, grinning. "Come on, you've got to have some kind of mental image of this guy. If it is a guy."
Spencer pursed his lips. "I hadn't even really thought about it." He shrugged. "There really isn't any use in thinking about stuff like that."
Morgan shrugged too. "So you gonna go?" he asked, gesturing to the ticket.
"Yeah, of course I'm going to go," Spencer said, a smile blooming on his face again. "First of all, I want to know who he is. Secondly, even if he's not someone I'm interested in, the exhibit should be interesting."
Morgan nodded slowly. "Makes sense. When is it? You got a date for Valentine's Day now?" He sighed and pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. "I'm bein' stood up for Guy's Night."
Spencer laughed. "The exhibit is Friday night. Valentine's is Saturday. I guess I don't know if I have a date on Valentine's yet."
Morgan sighed. "Oh, sure, you say that now," he said. "I can tell, it's going to be me and Clooney and a microwave dinner."
Spencer snorted. "You said you weren't interested in Valentine's anyway."
Morgan decided a glare was answer enough.
***
Morgan wasn't really sure how to dress for a fancy museum exhibit opening, but he figured a suit would do it. After swallowing his pride and asking Prentiss, though, he decided to go with a somewhat sexy button-down shirt under the suit, and no tie. It was dressed up, but not business-like.
I can't believe it's come to this, Morgan thought, checking his reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out of his car. I might as well have asked Rossi how to dress. The whole damn team is going to know about this before I've actually even asked Spencer out.
Technically, he supposed, he'd done so already, but he didn't think the exhibit counted, since Spencer didn't know it was him. He checked his shirt pocket for his ticket, then left his parking spot. He had kind of a long walk, but he figured it would be nice on the way back, if Spencer took him up on an offer of a ride home.
***
Spencer had decided on a black shirt with a nice sweater vest, his tie tucked down into it, and black pants. Morgan once said he looked "snappy" in it, and Spencer wasn't sure why that mattered, except maybe because this had been Morgan's set up, even if he wouldn't admit it.
He found himself waiting outside the Smithsonian early, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously as he looked around for his date. His mind was running through all the possibilities of who it might be as he did. And he couldn't help wondering if the guy was going to like him. Which was ridiculous, considering whoever it was had gone to all the trouble of sending him gifts.
At about five minute until the opening, Spencer looked across the crowd and saw Phillip Stein. He was a nice guy who was interning with the tech department. Garcia called him "Squeaky". Spencer had never asked why, but now he really wanted to know. Not that there was always a reason for her nicknames.
She seemed to like him, though, so Spencer drew a long breath and walked in his direction, offering him a small wave when he got there. "Hi."
"Hey! I mean, hi. Doctor Reid." Phillip gave him a broad smile. "Wow, how are you?"
"I'm fine. Good. You?" Spencer said, returning the smile.
"I'm good, good." Phillip stuck his hands in his pockets, then seemed to change his mind, and took them back out. He seemed nervous. "So...how's work?"
"It's good," Spencer said. "Well, good as it can be, given the circumstances." He tilted his head at Phillip, wondering if there was anything he could do to make him more comfortable, though he knew he wasn't all that good at that. "Garcia's not making life too hard on you, is she?"
"Garcia? Oh, no, Penelope's great." Phillip beamed. "She's super-nice, and her friend Kevin is, too. They've both helped me a lot." He glanced around, then leaned in a little. "Agent Morgan is the one who sort of makes life difficult. He's just...well, he reminds me of the jocks when I was in high school, you know?" His smile turned anxious, as if he was just remembering that Spencer and Morgan were friends.
Spencer grinned. "I used to think that too. He's really not that bad, actually. Well... he used to be. Or I thought he was." Spencer shook his head, realizing he was talking in circles and that Phillip looked confused now. "He usually doesn't mean anything by it." Spencer shrugged.
"Maybe. I don't understand why he likes Penelope and Kevin so much if he doesn't like me. It can't be a geek thing, or he wouldn't like them." Phillip shrugged. "Anyway, sorry. I know you're friends. Um... So you're interested in manuscripts, then?"
"Yeah," Spencer said, frowning faintly. He knew how Phillip felt about Morgan. "I doubt he doesn't like you," he said, but then shook his head. "Yeah, though. It sounds like a good exhibit. Thanks." He gave Phillip a thankful smile.
"Yeah." Phillip shrugged. "My girlfriend is a grad student in Renaissance history, so she drags me to all these things. I'm starting to get a taste for it, I guess. I do like the way they do the wine and cheese things at the openings, though." He smiled at Spencer again.
Spencer blinked at him. His girlfriend? Oh. God. Spencer glanced around them quickly before he could stop himself. Phillip wasn't his date. Spencer was supremely relieved he hadn't said anything too stupid. "That's always a plus," he said absently, then looked back. "Well, I should let you get back to her. It was good seeing you."
"Yeah, yeah, definitely. I hope you enjoy the exhibit." Still smiling, Phillip walked back to where a dark-haired girl was obviously glad to see him, from the way she curled her arm around his. Phillip wasn't his date. Who, then? He looked around him again.
It was past time for the exhibit to open, so unless he got stood up, Spencer's date had to be here. His heart jumped into his throat a moment later when he saw Morgan standing at the edge of the crowd. He didn't look very happy, and then he turned around and started walking away.
Spencer stared at him too long. Was Morgan his date? Spencer had all but ruled Morgan out, but it made sense. Spencer's breath was suddenly shaky. "Morgan!" he called, but Morgan didn't turn around. God, Morgan had seen him with Phillip and he was going to leave! Spencer started fighting his way through the crowd.
Morgan didn't stop walking; either he hadn't heard or, more likely, he was ignoring Spencer. He had his hands in his pockets, but he was walking fast. Spencer bumped into someone and glanced back over his shoulder to call a hasty apology, and then he ran headlong into another person. By the time he'd finished apologizing and making sure the man was all right, Morgan was gone.
"Shit," he whispered, staring in the direction Morgan had gone. He ran his hand through his hair, and wondered if he ought to chase him. Though, considering he seemed in a hurry to leave, that probably wasn't a good idea.
Why had Morgan left, though? If he was Spencer's date, he knew Phillip wasn't. But he'd seen them talking, and maybe he thought Spencer thought Phillip was his date. What a mess. Of course, this wouldn't have happened if Morgan had just asked him out instead of playing his little game.
Still, the game had been sweet. It had felt good to find little gifts on his desk, and there had been that thrill of excitement, not knowing exactly who they were from. If it was Morgan, that would explain why Garcia had looked so amused at his request for footage of his desk...
And possibly why Prentiss had been avoiding the conversations about his secret admirer lately. God, did everyone know?
Spencer pulled his ticket out of his pocket and stared at it. It had probably really cost Morgan to get it, and it seemed a shame to waste it, but he didn't really feel like going alone now.
After a long moment, Spencer sighed and headed for the VRE.
Part Two
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-03-04 03:10 am (UTC)"I'm pretty sure Dave's straight." He pulled back and grinned at Spencer, wondering if he'd get smacked for that, or just cut to shreds verbally. He hoped Spencer wouldn't really get angry.
Spencer just snorted, then glanced at Dave's door and back. "I can be persuasive," Spencer said, his gaze steady on Morgan's.
OMG! TOTALLY MADE ME SQUEEEEEEE! And I'm sorry for commenting before I finish reading but I just spazzed and flailed and squeed and I just had to say I loved that!!! =D
no subject
Date: 2009-03-04 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-04 03:29 am (UTC)LOL! He's so upset! I love it! =D
"She doesn't have to; there are security cameras on the bullpen already!" he said, then grinned and bit his lip, a surge of excitement coursing through him.
Morgan's grin faded a little, then he shrugged and leaned back.
Heh! Faded just a little? I think not! =)
Morgan once said he looked "snappy" in it, and Spencer wasn't sure why that mattered,
Awwwww! <3!
Spencer blinked at him. His girlfriend? Oh. God. Spencer glanced around them quickly before he could stop himself. Phillip wasn't his date.
LOLOLOL!! I had to cover my mouth so as to not wake anyone up because that literally made me LOL!!! =D
Still, the game had been sweet. It had felt good to find little gifts on his desk, and there had been that thrill of excitement, not knowing exactly who they were from.
*loves*
What does VRE mean?
LOVE! the story so far! I can't wait to read Part Two!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-04 03:39 am (UTC)Glad you liked it! Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2011-06-14 08:00 am (UTC)