The Logical Next Step, 2/2, Reid/Rossi, NC-17 (Concious of Our Treasures universe)

[severity-softly.livejournal.com]

Title: The Logical Next Step, part two
Authors: innerslytherin and severity_softly
Pairing: Reid/Rossi
Rating: NC-17/FRAO
WC: ~14,200
Summary: Dave and Spencer have been together long enough to know they want forever, and Dave knows what the logical next step would be if Spencer were a woman. Dave decides to take that step over Valentine's Day weekend.
Notes: Self-betaed as usual.

This is part of the "Conscious of Our Treasures" universe, all of which can be found at this tag. This is part THREE. :)

PART ONE


Spencer's stomach was still twisting the next morning. The light was filtering in through the windows, and he spent a long moment just looking at Dave. God, the night before had ended so badly, but Spencer loved Dave, even if it still scared him a little. He knew he'd hurt Dave's feelings, and that part of the problem had been Dave's past, but that a lot of it was his own too.

After a while, he carefully pulled out of Dave's hold and rolled out of bed to go start a pot of coffee. When he came back, he put his mug and the one he filled for Dave on the nightstand so he could climb back in bed, and saw the ring box.

He froze, staring at it for a moment. He'd offered to wear it the night before, and he would, if Dave still wanted him to, but it still felt like branding himself another on the ever-growing list of Dave's loves, ex or otherwise, no matter how stupid Spencer knew that was.

Just ignore it, he told himself, and finally slipped carefully back into bed. But he couldn't ignore it. After a few sips of coffee, he picked up the box, and after glancing at Dave to make sure he wasn't awake, Spencer opened the box and pulled out the ring. He stared at it, biting his lips together at the cool, heavy feel of the metal against his fingertips.

God, it didn't look nearly as scary this morning as it had the night before, even if his heart was suddenly thudding against his ribs again.

He heard Dave take a long, slow breath, and that usually meant Dave would be waking momentarily. But when he looked over at Dave, his lover's eyes were already open and fixed on him. As soon as he saw Spencer looking, he closed his eyes and yawned, like he was just waking. But Spencer hadn't missed seeing the hope and pride in Dave's gaze.

God. Dave wanted this so much.

Spencer looked at the ring again, then back to Dave, then shifted down to kiss Dave's cheek. "I brought you coffee," he said, his voice a little hoarse from disuse, and settled against Dave, drawing the covers up around them and slipping the ring over his thumb so he didn't lose it. "G'morning, handsome," he murmured, and kissed Dave.
"Mmm, g'morning to you, gorgeous," Dave murmured when their lips parted. He wrapped his arms around Spencer and rolled against him, kissing him more hungrily. When he pulled away, he smiled warmly at Spencer. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah," Spencer replied, which was sort of a lie. He'd fallen asleep fast, but woken several times in the night. He lifted his hand, index finger curled around the top of his thumb to keep the ring where it was, and brushed the rest of his fingers through Dave's hair. "You?"

"All right," Dave murmured. Spencer thought that might be sort of a lie, too, because at least once when he'd woken, Dave had sounded like he was breathing too quietly to be asleep. Dave pressed his face against Spencer's neck and kissed it.

Spencer smiled and slid his hand around the back of Dave's neck, wondering too late if it was wise, because the ring was pressing against the back of Dave's neck now. Suddenly, he was having this big internal debate he hadn't realized was even possible.

On one hand he could put the ring back now. But suddenly the thought of how disappointed Dave would be was making his chest ache. On the other hand, he could put the ring on. Correctly. Which seemed like the better option, even if it also made his chest squeeze a little too tight.

"Thank you for my get away," he whispered instead.

"You're welcome," Dave murmured. He sounded like he was smiling. He kissed Spencer's neck again, then pulled back, propping himself on one elbow and looking down at Spencer. "I do enjoy giving you all the special things, Spencer," he said. He lifted one hand to stroke Spencer's cheek.

"I know." Spencer smiled, and pulled Dave down for a brief kiss, and then held up the hand with the ring. "It, ah... it really is nice."
Dave's expression looked like he couldn't quite make up his mind how to react to that. "I wanted to pick something that wasn't flashy. Something a little different."

Spencer nodded at him, and slid the ring off his thumb to curl his fingers around it. "I like it. It was a good choice." Just put it on, he told himself, and then a new debate started. Would he be putting the ring on his finger now because of Dave, because Spencer felt bad, or because he really wanted it?

"Spencer..." Dave started, but Spencer cut him off.

"Do you think you could maybe not return it? Not right away." Dave's expression went from just torn to torn and bewildered, so Spencer explained, "I, ah... I'm having an argument in my head and I don't know which side is winning, or why."

Dave's eyebrows went up, but after a moment he shrugged and nodded. "Will the personality that wins let me know as soon as he can?" he said dryly.

Spencer stared at Dave for a moment... and then a ridiculous, affectionate smile spread across his face. "Yes," he said, nodding.

"That's all I can ask," Dave said, and leaned down to kiss Spencer again.

Spencer hummed into the kiss, and then slid an arm around Dave to pull him down and deepen it for a moment. He pulled away after fully exploring Dave's mouth. "Are we okay? No matter what I decide?"

"Of course we are, Spence," Dave said breathlessly, though his expression was serious. He cupped Spencer's cheek in his hand and held his gaze. "Of course." He traced his thumb lightly along Spencer's lower lip, smiling faintly at him.

Spencer glanced back for a moment to replace the ring on the nightstand, and ignored the way Dave's expression was somehow just barely less bright when Spencer looked back. He pulled Dave down for another lingering kiss, hoping to soothe Dave again.

It didn't take long for Dave to relax into the embrace, obviously putting the matter of the ring aside in favor of enjoying where Spencer's hand was wandering. Dave made a quiet happy noise and rolled over onto his back, pulling Spencer with him.

Spencer automatically pressed down against Dave, feeling ten times better than he had felt just a few minutes ago, and light years better than he did the night before after Dave had tried to give him the ring. "Mmm, Dave," he murmured, his body quickly taking notice of what they were doing.

Dave hummed and stroked a hand down Spencer's back, resting it at the base of his spine and nibbling at Spencer's lower lip. "You know what I'd like right now?" he murmured, burying his other hand in Spencer's hair. "I'd like to be inside you, watching you ride me."

Spencer let out a little whimper, and thrust against Dave, enjoying the pleased little grunt it got from his lover. "That's sounds like a fantastic idea," Spencer breathed, kissing Dave hard.

Dave slid his hand down from Spencer's hair to rest at his hip, his fingertips teasing the skin at the small of his back. He knew that drove Spencer crazy. Spencer whimpered into the kiss and Dave's other hand moved to cup his ass.

"Dave," Spencer breathed, then rolled his hips down against Dave again with a little moan. Dave drew his nails lightly up the base of Spencer's spine, and a shiver ripped through Spencer. He nipped at Dave's chin, teeth scraping lightly through the patch of stubbly hair there, and then he was planting hungry kisses against Dave's throat as he quickly worked himself out of his boxers and started on Dave's.

"Nnnh, you're sexy," Dave said, lifting his hips and lowering his eyelids as he gazed at Spencer. His hunger was obvious, and Spencer liked that Dave never made him doubt how much he was wanted. Emotions, Spencer could and did feel insecure about from time to time, but the physical aspect of their relationship left nothing in doubt.

Spencer let out a little, breathy laugh. "You are," he panted. "Mmm, lube?"

Dave laughed. "Impatient."

"Better than impotent," Spencer said, which made Dave laugh again.

"You're the one with the Kama Sutra sex kit," Dave pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," Spencer said, and grinned, sitting up and throwing the covers off them so he didn't have to struggle to get out of the bed. The room felt almost cold after having been pressed up against Dave under blankets, and he bit his lower lip as he slid off the bed and darted across the room for the box. When he turned around, Dave as watching him, his eyes traveling Spencer's body. So Spencer slowed down a little as he walked back to the bed.

A smile slid onto Dave's face and he stroked a hand down his stomach to cup himself, stroking slowly. "Get back here," he ordered, though his expression clearly said he was pleased about the way Spencer was showing himself off.

Spencer reached the end of the bed, and put the box down. He started pulling it open, but his eyes were on Dave's hand, moving slowly up and down Dave's shaft. "You're so... hot," he said. His eyes traveled up Dave's body to his face. "Handsome." And then he made himself look down so he could see what he was getting out.

He dug past the body dust and chocolate, and got out the chocolate mint oil. He put the box to the side, bending to kiss the top of Dave's ankle as he did, and then climbed onto the bed.

Dave was smiling when Spencer reached him. He didn't speak, though, just reached out to trail his fingers down from Spencer's collarbone, circling a nipple, then down to his stomach. Spencer let out a happy sigh, and inspected the bottle as Dave touched him, trying to decide where to use it, aside from the obvious place.

"If I'd gotten a towel, I'd give you a massage," he murmured, frowning, then flipped the cap open and sniffed the contents of the bottle.

Dave chuckled and sat up to kiss the corner of his mouth, then leaned in to sniff the bottle, too. "That's a nice idea, but it'd be better saved for the end of a bad day," he said, his voice teasing. "You can be more adventurous than that this morning."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. He'd actually been thinking if he could get Dave on his stomach, he'd have an excuse to draw the oil down Dave's back and into the valley of his ass, and "taste test" the oil there. "Who said I wasn't going to be adventurous?" he asked, but then squeezed a bit of oil over Dave's nipple, circling his thumb over it and watching Dave closely.

Dave hummed and arched into Spencer's touch, his eyelids lowering again. "Mmm, I should have more faith in you, hmm?" He smiled and gave Spencer a look of mock compliance. "All right, whatever you want, then."

Spencer grinned and leaned down to lick the oil off Dave's nipple, enjoying the way Dave shifted into the touch. Dave tasted and smelled like mint chocolate, and Spencer let his eyes flutter shut for a moment, moaning softly. This did not bode well for Dave ever getting out of the bed. "I'll go get towels," he said, his breath hot over Dave's skin.

Dave just made an unintelligible noise and slumped back against the bed as Spencer got up. He went and grabbed a few towels, and came back, nudging Dave to roll onto his stomach. He left the towels folded on the edge of the bed to lay down when Dave rolled back over, and then climbed back over Dave again, straddling his hips.

God, he was achingly hard just thinking about what he was going to do. But he managed to ignore it for a moment and drizzle some of the sweet-smelling oil into his hands. He rubbed them together, and then started kneading at Dave's neck and shoulders, bending over to taste each part of Dave's body he touched when his hands moved to a new place and steadfastly ignoring how his cock was snug against Dave's ass every time he did.

Dave was making very pleased sounds, interspersed with grunts a couple times Spencer found tender areas. "God, I love your hands," he grunted after a while.

"I think you love every part of my body," Spencer said, his voice growing hoarse, and he bent again and rolled his hips down a little, which brought a tiny groan from Dave.

Spencer's hands moved down Dave's shoulder blades, over his spine, adding more oil as he needed it. When he got to the small of Dave's back, Spencer slid back to expose Dave's ass. God, Dave was so gorgeous.

In the time they'd been together, Spencer had never taken Dave, but they both seemed perfectly happy with the way their sex life was. More than happy. They were always finding new and creative ways to touch each other. Still, Spencer couldn't help considering it now, as he added a little more oil, then drew a fingertip down Dave's ass until he brushed Dave's entrance, stilling as he waited for a reaction.

Dave let out a quiet noise that sounded like he enjoyed the touch. He turned his head and muttered breathlessly, "This was a ploy to get me vulnerable and take advantage of me, wasn't it?" But he didn't sound upset. Spencer couldn't tell what he was thinking, until Dave shifted enough to press against Spencer's finger.

Spencer sucked in a breath, but started circling his finger against Dave's pucker. "It totally was," he breathed. Dave seemed to want Spencer to press his finger inside, and God that was sexy, so Spencer was torn now between doing what he'd planned or what Dave seemed to want. "So sexy," he whispered.

"Nnnh," Dave sounded utterly pleased by those words. He reached back to stroke his fingers blindly over Spencer's knee. "Turning shy on me?" he asked.

Spencer breathed a laugh, but just said, "Do you want my mouth or my finger?"

Dave groaned, his breath coming audibly faster. "Mouth," he said quickly. "God, Spence."

Spencer smiled and leaned Down, kissing over the small of Dave's back, his lips and tongue working slowly down Dave's spine as his finger continued it's circling. "You smell good enough to eat," Spencer murmured. For that matter, the massage oil tasted fantastic too. He added a little more pressure against Dave's entrance, not enough to breach Dave, though, and then dropped his hand away and replaced his finger with his tongue.

Dave let out a long moan at that. "God, Spencer," he gasped, his body jerking. It was gratifying to know he could affect Dave like that.

Spencer drew the flat of his tongue over Dave's entrance, lapping at it as he let his hands massage down the backs of Dave's thighs.

"Nnnh." Dave's reactions were starting to make Spencer want to laugh. He was usually more eloquent than this. "Ssso...good..." he panted. His body was tense, his breath coming fast.

"Hmm-hmm," Spencer hummed, the sound somewhere between pleased and amused because he just couldn't stop himself. He wanted to see how much tighter he could wind Dave. He pulled back just enough that he could flick his tongue at the pucker, holding back another smug little noise at the way Dave gasped and shivered. When he worked his hands back up, he spread Dave a bit more, and then covered Dave's entrance completely with his mouth.

"Fuck!" Dave bit out, gasping and arching a little. "God, Spence, yes!" The reaction sent a thrill through Spencer, and he moaned quietly.

He drew the tip of his tongue around the tight pucker, and then pressed the tip just inside. Dave actually made a noise Spencer didn't think he'd ever heard before then. Spencer groaned and rocked against the bed, his own body starting to demand more attention than it was getting. "Mmm, Dave," he murmured against Dave's skin, but continued what he was doing, wanting to make Dave the impatient one for once. Though Spencer was starting to wonder if he could hold out that long.

"Nnnh, yes," Dave grunted. "God, Spence, you going to...do something more than that or...just keep teasing me?"

The words shocked Spencer; he hadn't been sure if Dave would like this at all, let alone want, well, more. Spencer whimpered and pulled back to replace his tongue with his finger again, then slowly slid his finger in, seeking out Dave's prostate right away. "I can fuck you," he murmured, a little jolt of nervous excitement going though him. "Or I can keep teasing you until you fuck me."

Dave made that noise again that Spencer had never heard before tonight. "Do you want to fuck me?" he asked, his voice strangled and breathy.

God, yes, Spencer thought, but he rubbed his fingertip against Dave's prostate again before saying it aloud. He wondered if anyone else had ever done this. Dave had never offered this before, and Spencer couldn't help but feel that he might not offer again for a long time.

"Have you been wanting that?" Dave managed.

"For about five minutes," Spencer admitted, smiling and bending to kiss Dave's ass. "It's not been a long-standing desire. But I do want to fuck you." Another kiss, and then he gave Dave a little more pressure with his finger. As much as he wanted to fuck Dave, he was also finding himself oddly jealous of what he was doing to Dave, thinking about how what he was doing felt when Dave did it to him. "Feel good?" he murmured.

Dave groaned. "God, yes. You know how it feels." His breathing was ragged. "Your fingers...so fucking talented."

Spencer smiled, glad that Dave was enjoying it. But he couldn't help another twinge of envy at Dave's words. This was usually Dave doing this to Spencer. And right now all Spencer had was an aching cock that wasn't getting any attention.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" Spencer whispered, curling his fingers around himself, still a little slick with oil. He was trying not to stroke, though; if Dave said yes, he didn't want to come too soon.

"I want to give you what you want," Dave said, his voice strangled. "But I love fucking you, Spencer."

Spencer watched him, nodding even though Dave wasn't looking at him. That was an 'I will for you' not a 'yes, I want that', and that wasn't enough to justify switching 'roles' when Spencer knew they both loved it when Dave fucked him. "I love it when you fuck me too," he murmured, sliding his finger out so that he could spread the towels down next to Dave.

"If this is important to you..." Dave began, but Spencer leaned down and stopped his words with a light brush of his lips. Dave hummed an acknowledgment, and when Spencer pulled away, Dave rolled onto his back, watching Spencer hungrily.

Spencer found the forgotten bottle of oil in the sheets and poured some in his hands, then gripped Dave's cock with both his hands, squeezing and working them up and down Dave's cock, giving it a little massage. After a moment, he dropped a hand away. His eyelids lowered and his gaze directly on Dave's face, Spencer reached down to slide a finger into himself, letting Dave watch him.

He sucked in a breath and bit his lip, working the finger in and out to prepare himself for Dave. He knew Dave liked to watch him do things like this, and his cock was impossibly hard now, not having been touched. "Love you inside me," he whispered, his breath hitching as he worked a second finger inside himself.

"Fuck," Dave breathed, watching him. He licked his lips and held out a hand, palm up, for Spencer to drizzle some oil there. Spencer hastened to do so, knowing what would come next. And then he groaned in relief as Dave's hand closed gently around his cock, moving too slowly, but at least he was touching Spencer finally.

"Oh, God," he moaned. It occurred to Spencer that this was sort of messy, but it felt too good to care. He slid another finger inside himself, the angle getting a little awkward. He pressed them as deeply as he could, making a strangled noise.

"You're so fucking gorgeous," Dave murmured, flicking his thumb lazily across the head of Spencer's cock. "Getting yourself ready for me. So sexy, Spencer." His hand wasn't moving nearly fast enough for Spencer.

Spencer whimpered, eying Dave's hand, and then slid his fingers out. He moved to straddle Dave, watching the way Dave was looking at him, his gaze hungry and possessive and loving all at the same time. Spencer positioned himself, and then slid down over his cock, gasping and arching as Dave filled him.

Dave groaned, his fingers tightening on Spencer's cock. He made a hungry noise and bucked his hips up almost instantly, watching Spencer's face as the unexpected thrust sent a jolt of sensation through him. He wasn't quite adjusted yet, but the combination of almost-discomfort and pleasure was still overwhelming.

"God, I love fucking you," Dave said, stroking a little faster as he thrust again. His gaze was hungry.

"Mmph!" Spencer managed, bracing a hand against Dave's stomach. "Yes!"

Dave started to move them into a more demanding rhythm before Spencer had quite settled, and it was taking Spencer's breath away. Dave was doing it on purpose, keeping Spencer's body humming. Spencer found himself simply babbling Dave's name as Dave moved inside him.

"God, so good," Dave was saying, his words interspersed with grunts and gasps. "So gorgeous, need you..." He kept talking, but Spencer was giving himself over to the sensations and not listening to anything but the tone of Dave's voice any more. Dave's thrusts were growing more demanding, his hand on Spencer's cock moving faster.

Spencer started working his thighs, matching Dave's rhythm, which only made the pleasure coiling inside himself start to feel overwhelming. He couldn't catch his breath, and after the first time Spencer came down on Dave hard and Dave gasped, Dave stopped talking and just started thrusting hard, groaning and grunting as he did.

For a short time, their only communication was in gasps and moans, and then Dave shuddered and cried out Spencer's name, and Spencer felt him come, the hot flood of release inside him exciting. Spencer caught his lower lip in his teeth and worked his muscles around Dave, loving the additional groan that earned him.

When he settled against Dave, he worked his hips in a little circular motion, wringing the last of Dave's release from him, and enjoying the odd sensation of Dave softening in him.

"God!" Dave gasped, his hand moving faster over Spencer's cock. He flicked his thumb across the head, sliding his other hand down to massage Spencer's balls.

Spencer let out a low groan and leaned back, bracing his hands against Dave's thighs and dropping his head back. "Dave," he murmured, panting. He clenched around Dave again, liking the feel of Dave still inside him, and Dave gasped again. "More. Ngh, talk," he panted.

"Like you're paying attention to anything I say," Dave accused, but his voice was affectionate. "You're gorgeous, but you already know that. You're so sexy, such a beautiful man, so passionate and exciting." Spencer's eyes slid shut as he concentrated on the slide of Dave's hand and the way his words washed over him. "I love you."

"Need to be hard again," Spencer murmured, his lips curling into a lazy smile, though he couldn't manage a teasing tone. "Love you," he whispered, his body starting to tense as Dave's hand started to send shivers through him.

"You make my life exciting and fun," Dave said, his voice soft. He was massaging Spencer's balls harder, but his hand slowed on Spencer's shaft, spending more time at the sensitive spots that made Spencer whimper. "You're wonderful and kind, and you bring me joy."

"Oh, God," Spencer moaned. When he'd asked Dave to talk, this wasn't what he'd had in mind, but it was somehow just as thrilling as dirty talk. He gave me a ring, he remembered suddenly. He wants all of me. Spencer moaned loudly, shifting into Dave's hand a little, all of his nerves lighting. "C-close," he gasped.

"You're fascinating and brilliant," Dave murmured, "and I love that we can work together and sleep together and still never get enough. Spencer." His hand sped again, tightening around Spencer's cock. "My Spencer."

Spencer opened his mouth to agree, but then he just groaned and spasmed over Dave as he came. His body tightened and he slumped forward, whimpering as he spilled out over Dave's stomach. When he was spent, he slumped, gasping for air. "God."

Dave hummed and shifted, pulling Spencer down against him. Spencer didn't resist. He loved how strong Dave's arms were around him, how tightly Dave held him. He felt safe and wanted in Dave's arms.

"I love you," Dave whispered, his lips brushing Spencer's temple. "You are my joy." His voice sounded hoarse, but Spencer didn't want to move. He just nestled his face against Dave's neck, clinging to him as best he could.

"Mmm," he hummed, and kissed Dave's skin lazily, a little too overwhelmed to smile, but feeling like his chest might burst anyway. "Don't want to go back to the real world," he breathed finally. Of course, last night they'd proven they could still easily kill each other even here, but that wasn't what mattered right now.

"Don't have to until tomorrow," Dave said, stroking a hand over Spencer's skin. "Let's not think about it until then."


***

The next case was a bad one. Then the one after that was worse. They were all bad, but it had involved children, and those were usually the hardest. Three cases later, and Spencer hadn't given Dave an answer, but it was becoming clearer and clearer what he was going to do.

The Kama Sutra box helped through the stressful weeks away from home, though, when they both got back to the hotel and just wanted to forget the day. Or when Spencer let his anxieties about the ring situation run too many circles in his head.

Dave had liked his Italian hand-tooled wallet. The scarf Spencer had knitted for him looked good on him too. Garcia had helped him with that, as he'd never touched a knitting needle in his life before now, and was even right about the color. Dave looked fantastic in blue.

And every time Spencer saw Dave wearing it, he felt a little surge of pride. As silly a comparison as it was, it kept making him remember the ring. And how much Dave would like to see Spencer wearing it.

It was still sort of a terrifying thought, but the more distance he got from that night at the Bed and Breakfast, the more he was starting to realize that the impulse to put the ring on the following morning wasn't just about not hurting Dave's feelings. It had just as much to do with Spencer sincerely wanting the things that he also feared.

It was late, and he knew Dave was tired--Dave had been tired before Spencer brought out the Kama Sutra box, though he'd risen admirably to the occasion--but once Spencer came to a decision about the ring, he wanted to take action. He was snuggled against Dave, but he couldn't help thinking about the Clering Jewelry box that had traveled with him in his ready bag. He made a happy noise when Dave turned his head and kissed his temple.

"Mnnh, I can't keep up with you," Dave muttered, but he was smiling.

"You very obviously can," Spencer whispered. "If I have my way, you'll be keeping up with me again later tonight." He nibbled at Dave's jaw.

Dave chuckled. "I swear, ever since you found out you're on my insurance policy, you've been doing your damnedest to give me a heart attack. I'd really rather die in the line of duty than naked in bed, Spence."

Spencer laughed too, and got up on his forearm to look down at Dave. "You'd rather be shot than die having an orgasm?" he asked with mock incredulity.

"There's my dignity to consider," Dave replied, grinning at him. "So if you really want the insurance money, you need to put your genius brain to work arranging to get me shot. I may put a stipulation in my will that if I die naked in bed, you get nothing." He pulled Spencer down for a long kiss.

Spencer hummed a little laugh against Dave's lips, and when they pulled apart, he was grinning. "We'll just have to start having sex on the floor then," he murmured, and kissed Dave again. God, he was going to get distracted by either more sex or sleep, if he didn't say something soon.

"Oh, so you can throw my back out before you kill me?" Dave smiled and stroked his hands up Spencer's back, then wrapped his arms around him again. "Mmm, let an old man rest."

"Mmm, 'kay," Spencer breathed, and settled against Dave again, kissing his shoulder. He listened to Dave's breathing for a little while, watching Dave's face, even though Dave's eyes were closed.

He wasn't sure why he was stalling even now that he'd made up his mind, except that he figured the idea was going to take a long time to get used to, even if he knew it was the right move to make.

"Dave," he whispered, and Dave made a sleepy noise of acknowledgment. "Are you awake?"

Dave grunted. "Am now." He opened his eyes and tightened his arms around Spencer again. "What's up?"

"I love you," Spencer said, but his voice cracked in the middle. He didn't say that nearly enough, he knew. It still felt hard to say sometimes, and weird that he should have to, considering Dave knew how he felt, but it seemed appropriate now.

Dave made a happy noise and lifted a hand, stroking his fingers over Spencer's hair. "I know," he whispered, smiling. His fingers trailed down to brush Spencer's cheek. "I love you."

Spencer was glad Dave didn't mind being woken up to hear that. Of course, that wasn't all Spencer had to say, but it was a good start.

He tilted his chin to kiss Dave's jaw. "I made a decision," he murmured finally, his stomach jumping. "About my Valentine's present."

Dave blinked sleepily at him for a long moment, then apparently caught up with him. He suddenly looked much more awake, but he also looked apprehensive. His expression faded into something hopeful, then wavered again. He kissed Spencer softly. "Okay."

"I want to wear it," he whispered against Dave's lips. His fingers brushed into Dave's hair. "I'm yours, and I don't want that to change, even if it scares me."
Dave pulled back enough to focus on Spencer's face, and the happiness in his expression was almost frightening. "Are you sure?" he asked softly, cupping Spencer's cheek lightly.

Spencer tried on a smile, and then wished it didn't look nervous. "I wouldn't make you wait this long to give you an answer I wasn't sure about," he said, then was suddenly very glad he'd predicted they'd be in bed when they had this conversation.

He leaned in to kiss Dave, shifting them just right, then pulled back to whisper against Dave's lips. "I have a condition, though."

Dave's expression had turned apologetic at Spencer's first words, but at the second, suspicion overtook it. "What's that?" he asked, eying Spencer.

"Mmm," Spencer hummed, biting his lips together. He rolled away a little to look at Dave, and gave him a little shrug. Then with a quick flick of his wrist, the hand that had just been buried in Dave's hair had a gold ring clasped between two fingertips. He held it up and gave Dave a questioning look, suddenly too stupidly terrified that Dave might tell him no to even speak.

Dave stared at it for a moment, then stared at Spencer's face. He looked back at the ring, and Spencer was pretty sure he wasn't imagining that Dave's eyes got a little glassy. After a moment, Dave cleared his throat. "If you had that thing hiding up your ass, I'm not wearing it," he said hoarsely.

Spencer blinked at Dave from about two seconds before he started laughing. He leaned in and kissed Dave after a moment, relief flooding through him because that meant Dave was going to wear it. Didn't it? "I-- That's a yes, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Dave said, pulling Spencer close and then rolling them over to pin him down. "Yes," he repeated, and kissed Spencer hard.

Spencer let out a pleased noise into the kiss, his arms sliding easily around Dave. He slipped the ring over his own finger to keep from dropping it, and returned the kiss.

"I didn't know what size you--" Spencer started, but Dave kissed him again, drawing it out and deepening it. When Dave pulled back to nibble at his lips, Spencer managed a breathy, "I hope you like--" before Dave kissed him again. Finally he gave up trying to speak and just melted into the kisses.

Dave didn't stop kissing him for some time; Spencer had the feeling he was trying to make sure Spencer didn't talk any more. When Dave's lips trailed down from Spencer's mouth to his neck, Spencer just smiled and tangled his fingers in Dave's hair, arching under the attention. He'd known Dave would be happy, but he couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed at how happy Dave was about it. Then Dave's mouth slid lower, and for some time, Spencer let other concerns overwhelm him.

When they were both spent again and tangled together, damp with sweat and catching their breath, Dave finally brought up the rings again. "You've made me very happy," he said quietly, as if Spencer didn't already know that.

The ring was still on one of Spencer's fingers, which was curled carefully to keep it on. "I know," he whispered. "I thought, mmm, that you might want something more traditional than what you got me," he explained now that Dave would let him, though he was still winded. "If you don't like it, we can take it back, though."
Dave stroked a hand lazily over his shoulder. "I like it," he said, "but you wouldn't rather it match yours?" His voice was completely neutral, which gave Spencer absolutely no clue about which answer Dave would prefer.

Of course... the fact that Dave's voice was neutral when he was clearly emotionally affected by the ring meant that Dave was probably covering something. Besides, the fact that Dave was even mentioning it instead of just accepting the ring said something as well. And thinking of it, matching sets were traditional too, and Spencer hadn't even thought about that.

Stop profiling.

Matching didn't concern him so much as picking something he thought Dave would like, and if he was honest, his stomach was twisting a little that Dave would rather have the ring he picked than the one Spencer did. But considering he'd thrown the ring back at Dave when he'd first given it to him and then made Dave wait three weeks for an answer, Spencer was pretty certain he didn't have much right to be hurt here.

"I don't even match my own socks, Dave. I hadn't even considered it," Spencer whispered. "But we'll get matching ones, if you want."

Dave smiled faintly and kissed him. "I love your mismatched socks. And we don't have to have matching rings. I like what you picked for me. I just didn't want you picking something traditional just because you thought I'd prefer that." He trailed a finger down Spencer's cheek, his smile strengthening. "After all, tradition would have had me looking for a fourth wife instead of a handsome male lover twenty years younger than me. Fuck tradition." He kissed Spencer again. "To be honest," he murmured after a moment, "I don't care as much what they look like as that we have them at all."

Spencer was trying to smile at Dave, but now he was just confused. "I did pick it because I thought you'd prefer it. That's sort of the point," he said, then pulled back, sort of torn with what to do with the ring. Dave hadn't taken it from him, which still made Spencer think he wanted something else, but it felt weird to just put it on the nightstand. So he just held it between them. "But I could have been wrong," he said, because, after all, if he'd picked out his own ring, Spencer wasn't so sure he would have gone with a black band. Even if it was beautiful. "What do you want?"

Dave kissed Spencer again and took the ring. "I want you. Forever." He smiled. "You picked out a ring for me, and I want to wear it."

Spencer eyed him. "Why did you bring up matching bands?"

"Because if you thought I wouldn't like wearing titanium and platinum, but you wanted me to, I wanted to know," Dave said. "God, this is getting confusing, I don't know what either of us wants now. Do you even like the titanium and platinum? Should we go back to Clering and pick out a different one for you?"

"No. I like it." Spencer said quickly. It wasn't really his first choice, but it was Dave's choice, and that made it special to Spencer.

And maybe one day they'd laugh about what happened the night Dave had actually "proposed". Maybe. Spencer wasn't sure why that made his ring special too, but it did.

"Good," Dave said, and brushed his lips against Spencer's. "Do you happen to have yours with you?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Spencer.

Spencer smiled. "It's in my bag," he said, then rolled away to get it, padding across the room. He was conscious of Dave's gaze on him as he dug for the ring. When he returned, he settled next to Dave again, the box in hand. Doing this naked in bed after two rounds of sex didn't feel very traditional either, but it felt comfortable.

Dave had shifted around so he was leaning on the headboard, and he was holding his ring in the palm of his hand. When Spencer sat back down next to him, Dave held out his hand. "All right, I do want a little bit of tradition," he said, with the air of someone making a big confession. "I want you to put it on me."

Spencer tugged the sheets up over their laps and grinned, then leaned over to kiss Dave. "I hope it fits," he said, and took the ring out of Dave's hand to replace it with Spencer's ring.

Dave grinned back at him, and if Spencer were completely honest, he'd have to admit Dave looked a little goofy with that expression on his face. But Spencer loved that he had put it there. Dave kissed him again, then murmured. "Forever, Spencer," and slid the ring on his finger.

Spencer made a pleased noise at that, and looked down at his hand, knowing his own expression was probably goofy too. It looked strange, the wide black and silver band around his slender finger. It would definitely take some getting used to. But it was nice. More than nice.

He forced his gaze away from his hand and looked back at Dave, leaning over to kiss him. "Forever," he replied, then looked down to slid Dave's ring onto his finger.

It seemed a little loose as he slipped it on, but Dave's hands were cold, so maybe it would be all right. Dave smiled and wrapped his arms around Spencer again, kissing him tenderly. "Years from now," he murmured, pulling Spencer to lean against his chest, "you'll be able to tell your godson you 'got married' naked in a hotel room in Valdosta, Georgia."

Laughter bubbled up in Spencer too quickly for him to stop it, and he kissed Dave soundly, feeling deeply, deeply happy. "Wonderful," he whispered. "But for now, let's just worry about what I'm going to tell my mom."

Comments

[nagi-schwarz.livejournal.com]

It was good to see some sticky-sweet Valentine's romance as well as some relationship reality. I love that Spencer knitted Dave a scarf - that was a really adorable touch.

[severity-softly.livejournal.com]

*G* I'm glad you liked that! Spencer's sweet like that, and I love the idea of Garcia teaching him to knit.

Thanks!

[innerslytherin]

Thanks! I have a feeling no matter how perfect people try to make things, something's always going to go wrong...and especially with these two. But at least they love each other enough to get through it.