geekystudmuffin | The Way to Love Anything, Reid/Rossi (Conscious of Our Treasures universe), NC-17

severity-softly.livejournal.com posting in

Title: The Way to Love Anything
Authors:

severity_softly
Pairing: Rossi/Reid
WC: ~8500
Rating: NC-17
Summary: When Dave and Spencer's vacation in Vegas is interrupted by a case, they don't expect things to take such a frightening turn.
Series: Conscious of Our Treasures

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

"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."
-- G.K. Chesterton

"Dave, I hate having to do this..."

"Save the apologies and tell me what's up," Dave said, knowing Aaron would appreciate it.

"We have a case in Chicago. Four nurses, three med students, and a female doctor have all been raped and stabbed to death. You can imagine how people are talking."

Dave frowned, nodding. "Richard Speck."

"There's been a lot of media coverage, and...Dave, I really need the two of you here."

"Don't say another word," Dave said. "We'll be on the next flight to Chicago. Have someone pick us up at O'Hare."

"Thanks, Dave." There was a pause, then Aaron added warmly, "Thank Spencer, too."

Dave closed the phone and glanced at Spencer. "Looks like we're going to Chicago."

Spencer sighed and rubbed his face. "I'll call mom and tell her we have to leave," he said, then looked at Dave and smiled faintly. "You call the airport, and tell me if we have time to finish up."

Dave returned the smile and kissed Spencer. "Sounds like a plan."

***

Chicago was Dave's favorite city in the world. He freely acknowledged that he was biased, but he couldn't see how anyone would dislike Chicago. He liked going back home, but he never really liked having a case in Chicago, considering what it meant.

Aaron had faxed the file to the Las Vegas field office and Spencer and Dave swung by to pick it up on their way to McCarran International. They spent the flight to Chicago reviewing the file, shielding their fellow first-class passengers from the grisly crime scene photos. The more Dave thought about it, the more he thought someone was trying to copycat Richard Speck.

When they got to Chicago, Morgan was waiting for them at the airport. They were rushed through security and at the latest crime scene before they'd been in town an hour. The entire case was a breathless, headlong rush to a confrontation that none of them were looking forward to.

The unsub seemed to be copycatting Richard Speck's 1966 murder of eight student nurses. The victimology branched out into all types of medical personnel, with the caveat that all victims were female and most of them were Latinas. Chicago PD had originally pursued the killings as race-related, but when Emily pointed out that the unsub probably couldn't tell the difference between Latinas and Filipinas, they ruled that out.

What they were left with was a clever, methodical man who committed serial murders in such a way that they looked like Speck's mass murder. His need to control the situation and not let anyone identify him accounted for the difference in methodology. But his ultimate downfall was the fact that he felt the need to make up for that difference by copying everything else as exactly as possible.

As a long shot, Dave used Spencer's geographical profile and had investigators target all the tattoo parlors within the unsub's area of operation. They got a hit at the ninth place they visited. Armed with a name, Garcia tracked the man down, and less than an hour later the team was leading a SWAT unit into Steven Carson's apartment building.

Given the way Carson was devolving, they were expecting a stand-off. What they weren't expecting was that he would hide in a utility closet outside his apartment. They had cleared his apartment and Dave was on the radio with Hotch when the something hit him hard from behind.

Dave heard shouting, and he threw himself backwards, pinning his attacker between himself and the wall. He felt two hard punches to his lower back, just under his vest. And then a shockwave of pain went through him and he staggered to his knees. The guy was still on him, one arm looped around his neck. Then Morgan hit them both with the force of a freight train, and Dave lost track of the struggle.

Dave saw Hotch run past him, gun drawn, and then Spencer was crouching at Dave's side, his expression frantic, his eyes flicking between the struggle and Dave. He pressed an hand to Dave's side, and Dave sucked in a breath at the sharp sting of pain. He'd been stabbed.

Spencer nudged him gently. "Lie down," he said, and guided Dave back. "And stay with me. You have to stay with me." He radioed for medics, and glanced at the struggle again, then put his gun to the side. The struggle was obviously over. He cupped Dave's cheek. "Look at me."

"God," Dave grunted. His vision was going fuzzy. "Spence." He closed his eyes, trying to reorient himself. Then he snapped them back open when Spencer slapped his cheek.

"Dave, look at me," Spencer ordered. Dave looked at him, even though he wasn't really seeing much. He'd been shot before, and he knew what it felt like to go into shock. He couldn't say it mattered much, though. He just wanted to close his eyes.

He heard Hotch talking to Spencer, but he couldn't find any reason to care, then Spencer was calling his name again. Before he could answer, everything went black.

Spencer's hands were covered in his lover's blood. He leaned against the wall, watching the paramedics loading Dave on their stretcher. God, Dave, he thought desperately. Hold on.

He climbed into the ambulance with Dave, not waiting for Hotch to wave him in. Someone had to ride with Dave, and there was no reason that it should be anyone else. He gripped Dave's hand, careful not to get in the way of the medics, as they made their way to the hospital.

Suddenly his genius was a handicap. He wished he didn't understand so much of what the medics were saying. Dave's blood pressure was dropping faster than it should be. God, Dave couldn't die. They'd just been lounging by the pool in Vegas.

They wheeled Dave out and into the hospital, and Spencer followed until someone stopped him. He fumbled for his credentials and flashed them automatically, and the nurse inspected it. Then she gripped his shoulders.

"Agent Reid, there is nothing you can do in there."

"But that's--"

"They're good doctors. Please," she said, and guided him to a chair. He just stared at her dumbfounded and let her move him. "We can get you some scrubs," she said, gesturing at his chest, and Spencer looked down to see his shirt had blood all over it too.

He nodded numbly and she walked away.

When she returned, she had a bundle of cloth in her arms. She guided him towards a bathroom where he could wash up. Then she seemed to realize he wasn't capable of doing it himself. "You aren't hurt, are you?" she asked, helping him get cleaned up.

He shook his head silently. When she'd finished with his hands and arms, she nodded. "Now I'm going to step outside and you change your shirt, all right? I'll be sure to let you know the minute I have any news."

"Yeah," he managed, then found himself just staring at his badge on the sink when she left. That was Dave's blood smudged all over it. He closed his eyes and made himself breathe deeply. Dave had to be all right. Spencer finally managed to tug his bloodied shirt off and pull on the scrubs, then he wiped his badge off as best he could.

When he stepped back out into the waiting area, Hotch and Morgan were sitting out there, talking in low voices. Morgan saw Spencer first and nodded over towards him. Hotch turned, said something to Morgan, and came over to Spencer.

"You aren't hurt?" he asked.

Spencer shook his head. "I didn't get close enough to get hurt. Is anyone else?" His voice was blank, and he wondered, after the question was asked, if he even had room in his head to be worried about anyone else but Dave right now.

"Everyone's fine. How's Dave?"

Spencer finally looked at Aaron. "I-- he-- his blood pressure was dropping. He was going into shock. And then they made me stop following him."

Hotch pressed his lips together, nodding. "They probably needed to work in peace without you making them nervous," he said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Come sit down, Reid."

"I stayed out of their way on the ambulance," Spencer protested weakly, but he followed Hotch and sat down.

"It's still intimidating to have someone watching you work," Hotch said. He rested a hand briefly on Spencer's shoulder.

Spencer just shrugged and frowned at the floor. "I should be with him."

"They'll let you in as soon as possible. He has you listed as his next of kin." Aaron glanced over at him. "He has for two years."

That didn't really make Spencer feel much better. His lover could be dying, and he was just sitting here. "I know," he said, twisting his wedding band around his finger absently.

JJ and Emily arrived after a while, and JJ sat down next to Spencer and hugged him hard. A short time later a doctor came out and glanced around for a moment, then homed in on Spencer.

"Spencer Reid?"

"Yes," Spencer said, almost too quickly, and he jumped out of his seat to get to the doctor.

"Mr. Rossi came through surgery all right. They're moving him from recovery to the ICU, but you can go back and see him. We had to repair damage to his spleen, but we're hopeful."

Spencer nodded. "Is he awake?"

"The nurses will be able to tell you that," the doctor said. "Probably if he is, he'll be groggy."

Spencer frowned. The doctor didn't even know if Dave was awake? This was the man he'd trusted with his husband's life? Spencer looked away after a moment and raked his hand through his hair, telling himself he was overreacting.

The man shrugged. "I'm just the trauma surgeon," he said, giving Spencer a reassuring smile. "The nurses do the real work after I sew him up."

"I know," Spencer said, keeping himself from snapping, if only because the doctor was smiling at him. "Can someone show me where he is now?"

He nodded and gestured. "The candy-striper can take you." A girl who looked about fourteen came over. "Agent Reid needs to go to Surgical ICU." He gave Spencer a last nod and headed back the way he'd come.

Spencer scrubbed a hand over his face and let the girl lead him back to where they were keeping Dave. She left him by the nurses station and one of the nurses pointed him to the correct room. Spencer walked through the open glass door and saw Dave lying in bed. His eyes were closed, and machines were beeping around him.

Spencer took his hand gently. "God, Dave," he whispered. "I love you."

Dave made a noise, but didn't open his eyes. His fingers twitched in Spencer's.

Spencer sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as tears of relief threatened. When he had it controlled, he leaned down and kissed Dave's forehead. "I love you," he whispered again, then pulled a chair closer and sat next to the bed, not letting go of Dave's hand.

Dave's response was more of a groan than a word. His fingers twitched again and he didn't open his eyes, but he turned his head to face Spencer. "Spss?"

"I'm here," Spencer murmured. "If someone else had kissed you, there would have been trouble."

Dave grunted and his eyes flickered open. He looked groggy, but he smiled faintly when he saw Spencer.

"You scared me," Spencer said, smiling back even after Dave's eyes slipped shut.

"Mmhmm. Sorry." Dave sighed, then winced.

"Do you need anything?" Spencer asked immediately. Dave looked pretty drugged, but he was obviously still hurting.

"New spleen," Dave suggested. He opened his eyes again. "Nother kiss."

Spencer grinned. "The latter I can do." He stood and brushed his lips to Dave's.

"Mmm." Dave shifted. "Mis'rable."

"I didn't think it was that bad," Spencer said. He kissed Dave again.

Dave snorted, then groaned. "Don' make me laugh," he mumbled. "Hurts."

Spencer made a face. "Sorry," he murmured. "Sleep."

"Love you." Dave's fingers twitched in Spencer's grip again, and then Dave fell asleep so quickly it was almost like someone had flipped a switch. Spencer stayed with him, not even letting go of his hand. He'd come so close to losing his lover today, and he couldn't stand the thought of letting Dave out of his touch.

Nurses came and went periodically, and Spencer didn't move. They chatted with him a little as they checked on Dave, but Spencer wasn't all that good at small talk with strangers even when his lover wasn't in a hospital bed.

"Reid."

He bolted upright in his chair and realized he'd fallen asleep. He blinked and rubbed at one blurry contact.

"Reid, you need to take a break." Hotch was standing by the foot of Dave's bed, one hand on Dave's ankle. "Dave's sleeping, and you probably haven't had anything to eat today."

"Breakfast," Spencer croaked in protest, then cleared his throat. How long had he been asleep?

"Breakfast was six hours ago, at least," Hotch said. "Go get something to eat. Morgan's in the cafeteria. I'll sit with Dave."

Spencer closed his eyes, then sighed and stood. He'd get something and bring it back. He squeezed Dave's hand, running a thumb along Dave's knuckles. He wanted to kiss him, but not in front of Hotch.

"I promise, I'll take good care of him," Hotch said dryly. "Go on."

Spencer sighed again. "I'll be right back," he told Dave, then gave Hotch a sheepish look as he left the room.

Morgan was leaving the cafeteria when Spencer got there, but as soon as he saw Spencer, he turned around and draped an arm around Spencer's shoulders, walking back up to the line with him. "Hey, kid. How you doin?"

Damn it. He probably wasn't going to get away as easily as he'd hoped. "Mrr," Spencer replied, and shrugged. "Just going to get food and go back."

"Oh, no-no-no," Morgan said. "I got orders. The bossman said he was sending you to get food whether you liked it or not, and I was supposed to make sure you sit and eat it. Gotta keep your strength up, pretty boy."

"I can sit and eat it in Dave's room," Spencer protested, and tried to push out of Morgan's hold, but Morgan's arm tightened and kept him moving forward.

"You can sit and eat at a table in the cafeteria, like a real boy instead of a damsel in distress," Morgan said. He squeezed Spencer's shoulder gently. "Dave's gonna be okay, Reid. And he's gonna be pissed as hell at the rest of us if we don't take good care of you while he's out of it."

Spencer was scowling at Morgan when they got up to the counter. "Damsel in distress?" he repeated, an edge to his voice.

Morgan snorted. "Well, come on, you're kinda acting like it." He grinned at Spencer, but he did back off just a little, obviously preparing to be smacked.

"I don't need anyone to rescue me from myself. I just want to be there for him," Spencer retorted, then glanced back at the woman behind the counter. "Grilled cheese, please," he said, his tone more gentle.

"And a salad," Morgan added. "We're not sayin' you can't be there for him. But you've gotta take care of yourself too." He waited until the woman had stepped further away, then leaned in. "And you might think about shaving at some point. Just sayin'."

Spencer rubbed at his face and frowned at Morgan again. After a moment, he sighed and took his food. "Never going to be able to pull off facial hair," he muttered, then asked for extra dressing.

Morgan pulled out his wallet and added two Cokes to Spencer's tray, then paid for the whole thing, waving off Spencer's protest. "You're pretty without it, anyway," he teased. "Come on, let's sit. Hotch won't leave Dave alone while you're eating."

Spencer made a low noise, then just sighed. "And if he wakes up while I'm gone, I'll miss it."

"Reid, the man's recovering from major surgery and on a morphine drip. My guess is that if he wakes up, he won't realize you're not there. And Hotch will be there to tell him how we dragged you, kicking and screaming, to eat."

"I didn't say he'll miss it; I said I'll miss it."

"Kid, if there's something magical about Dave Rossi when he wakes up, I want to know about it." Morgan stole a radish from Spencer's salad.

Spencer sighed again. Morgan didn't understand. Spencer slumped at a table and pushed the salad towards Morgan's side of his tray.

"Nuh-uh, Spencie, eat your veggies," Morgan said, pushing it back towards him. "I just wanted a radish. You need to keep your strength up so you feel up to pining over Dave's bedside some more when you get back up there."

Spencer scowled again. "Morgan--"

Morgan held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, look," he said, his expression going more serious. "I do get it. You want to know the truth, I'm a little bit jealous. Not of you or Dave, but just...the way there's never any question with you two. You got hurt out in California, Hell itself wouldn't have torn Dave away from you. He gets hurt here, and it takes the combined forces of me and Hotch just to get you to eat." His gaze was affectionate as he looked at Spencer. "You guys work, man. But I'm totally serious about making you eat your entire meal before I let you go back upstairs. You may not be single any more, but I can still take you hand-to-hand."

Spencer's frown didn't fade, but a lot of his anger did. "You ordered the damn salad," he grumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Yeah, because a grilled cheese is comfort food, but you need something healthy too." Morgan settled back in his chair. "So what the hell does the spleen do, anyway?"

"It gets rid of old, aged red blood cells, synthesizes antibodies in the white pulp and removes antibody-coated bacteria and blood cells from the system," Spencer said. He tore open both salad dressing packets and poured them on the lettuce, then kept eating his sandwich.

"So...in non-genius speak?" Morgan said. "Part of the immune system?"

"Yeah," Spencer said.

Morgan nodded and lapsed into silence. He spun his bottle cap on the table for a while, but it didn't feel impatient or awkward.

When Spencer finished his sandwich, he poked at his salad until Morgan gave him a look, then started to eat it. He wasn't really tasting anything. His mind was elsewhere.

Finally he seemed to have eaten enough to make Morgan happy. Morgan took care of his tray for him, then made Reid wait while he grabbed a cup of coffee. "I promised I'd get something for Hotch," he explained, and then they hit the elevators.

Spencer couldn't think of anything to say as they went back to the room, but Morgan wasn't making him talk. When they got there, he found himself stupidly disappointed that Dave wasn't awake.

Hotch accepted the coffee gratefully and he and Morgan sat with Spencer for a while, but eventually Hotch had to step out to check his voice mail. When he came back, he told Spencer they needed to wrap some things up at the field office, and they would be back later.

Spencer nodded, but didn't bother seeing them out. He talked to Dave for a little while after they left, even if Dave wasn't responding, then eventually put the TV on low. He didn't actually watch much of it, but the background noise was soothing.

After a while he shifted his chair so he could put his head down on the bed next to Dave's shoulder. Eventually he drifted into sleep.

***

Dave woke up in pain. He took in his surroundings: hospital bed, monitors, Spencer asleep in the chair next to him. After a moment the memory of the case and being attacked by the unsub filtered into his mind. Right, they'd had to repair his spleen. He remembered the nurse explaining stuff in the recovery room, but most of it was really a blur anyway.

He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as a stab of pain went through him. He exhaled a groan and reached out to touch Spencer's head where it was resting against the bed.

Spencer was obviously stressed; he normally slept like a rock, but the touch had his head snapping up. "Dave?" he said, his voice hoarse.

"Hi, handsome," Dave murmured. His own voice sounded croaky. "Got some water?"

"I can get some," Spencer said. A relieved smile had spread across his face. He got up and went to get a cup of water, then brought it back. "Are you hurting?"

Dave gave him a look. "I feel like I've been stabbed," he said flatly. He took the cup with a hand that shook a little. "You okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," Spencer said, pressing the call button for a nurse. He lifted a hand to brush over Dave's hair, looking ready to steady the cup if he needed to.

"Mmm." Dave sipped the water slowly, not taking his gaze away from Spencer's face. It was good to know Spencer hadn't been hurt again. Everything had been so confused there for a while, and Dave had been in pain, so he hadn't been sure exactly what had happened. "Everyone else okay?" He asked.

Spencer nodded. "You were the only one that got hurt." He breathed a laugh. "Don't you feel special?" He petted Dave's head again, then glanced over as a nurse came into the room.

"How are we doing today, Agent Rossi?" she asked cheerfully.

"He's in pain," Spencer answered. "Can you give him anything?"

Dave held up a hand to get her attention. "Ibuprofen," he said. "Or Toradol. No narcotics."

Spencer's gaze snapped back to Dave's, and for a moment, his lips pulled thin and he looked deeply uncomfortable. He gaze slipped to the sheets, then the expression left his face and he looked back at the nurse.

Dave reached over and took Spencer's hand, holding it tightly. He wasn't going to ask Spencer to do something that he wouldn't do himself. It wasn't much of a gesture, but he could make it anyway.

She hesitated, but nodded anyway. "All right. Are you sure you don't want something like Darvocet? It's not a strong narcotic, but you might be a little better off." Dave just shook his head, and she nodded again. "All right, let me see what I can get you."

Spencer glanced back at him, then just sat down without saying anything, squeezing his hand tight.

When the nurse was gone, Dave pulled Spencer's hand up to kiss his knuckles. "If I'm going to ask you to go without narcotic painkillers next time, I guess I can do it myself," he said gruffly.

Spencer shoulders relaxed then, but he looked up at Dave, his expression concerned. "You don't need to do that."

"Look, I know there's a lot of that struggle I can't help you with," Dave said. "This may not be much, but it's something I can do." He looked warmly at his lover. "It was so good to wake up and have you here," he murmured.

"I wasn't going to leave," Spencer murmured. He still looked unsure about Dave foregoing the good drugs.

"I know you weren't," Dave said. He tugged gently on Spencer's hand, wanting a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you," Spencer said back, then stood and leaned down to kiss Dave gently.

Dave smiled at him and was thinking about demanding another kiss when the nurse came in. "Here you go," she said, and held out a little paper cup with pills in it. She poured him a fresh glass of water. "Make sure you drink a whole glass of water with that," she said. Dave nodded and swallowed the pills.

Spencer was quiet until she left, then gave Dave a look. "You're going to regret that choice, and I won't feel sorry for you."

"You're not supposed to," Dave said. He shifted a little. "C'mere, I want another kiss. Did you guys catch him, by the way?"

"Hotch and Morgan did," Spencer said, then kissed Dave gently. "You'd better feel sorry for me if I get hurt and don't take the good drugs."

"Of course I would," Dave replied, amused. He lifted a hand to brush through Spencer's obviously unwashed hair. "For me it's sheer stubbornness. For you it would be an act of willpower." He tugged gently on Spencer's hair for another kiss.

"Mmm," Spencer hummed, and kissed Dave again. "I'm not going to make out with you here, you know."

Dave laughed. "You could. I wouldn't mind." He stroked a hand over Spencer's cheek. "You're a wonderful man, Spencer," he murmured. "I hope you know how much I love you."

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have gotten stabbed," Spencer said, but there was a hint of teasing to it.

"I didn't exactly set out trying to accomplish that," Dave protested.

"Excuses," Spencer said, smiling faintly, then he leaned down to kiss Dave again.

Dave hummed and tangled his fingers in Spencer's hair. "Need to find out how long they're gonna keep me here," he muttered.

Spencer nodded. "We'll ask when she comes back," he murmured. He stroked his fingers over Dave's cheek. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Dave said. He shifted and tried to hold in a grunt of pain. The meds weren't kicking in fast enough.

Spencer sighed. "You should have taken the better drugs," he complained. "Now you're suffering because of me. It's not really all that comforting."

"I'm suffering because I'm a stubborn jackass," Dave said. "Shut up."

"I will not shut up," Spencer said, frowning, his expression having gone a little defiant. "You're being a stubborn jackass because of me."

Dave snorted. "If you're just going to mother me, I can go back to sleep," he said.

Spencer glared at him for a moment, then just sat down.

Dave gave him a smug look that he knew was annoying, but fairly sexy. It usually made Spencer quit arguing, if it wasn't a serious argument. Then again, he didn't know how strongly Spencer really felt about this. It might just get him the silent treatment.

Dave held a sigh when Spencer just gave him a look, then turned his attention to the TV on the wall.

Well, he certainly wasn't going to give in and take the stronger drugs now. He'd just do any suffering in silence. He settled back against the bed and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again just to spite Spencer. It didn't work, and Dave ended up huffing once, then trying to hide his annoyance as he tried shifting again.

Spencer's arms and legs were crossed and his foot was twitching where it dangled. He was still frowning at the TV when he said, "Hurts to move, doesn't it?"

"Of course it hurts," Dave snapped. "But if you're waiting for me to give in, you can damn well wait all night."

Spencer sank lower into his seat, scowling at the TV now.

Dave made a wordless grumbly noise and shifted again, glaring at the half-open doorway and doing his best to ignore his lover.

Spencer started flipping channels without a word, though every once in a while, he sighed deeply, and Dave heard his chair creak. They lapsed into silence for a while, and just when Dave was starting to calm down, Spencer blurted angrily, "I'm not going to take any of it."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Dave burst out, his voice louder than he meant it to be. "Is that what you think this is about?" He was astonished that Spencer could even think Dave would believe that. More than that, he was furious. He knew he'd been a little hard on Spencer after he backslid in his struggle against narcotics. But he'd thought he had also expressed his love and trust well enough.

"You're in a lot of pain, and we both know you're being stupid because of me," Spencer snapped. "If that is what this is about, you don't have to worry."

"Don't be an idiot," Dave snapped back. "I trust you, dammit. But I'm completely powerless to help you with that, so you might try to at least appreciate my gesture."

"I don't appreciate that you're in pain," Spencer said, a crease still deep between his brows. "Your 'gesture' makes me feel responsible."

"Oh, fine, I'll take the fucking Darvocet," Dave growled. "Will that make you happy?"

"Yes," Spencer said, his arms tightening around himself. His shoulders were tight. "And it'll make you happy too, once it kicks in, so shut up."

"You shut up," Dave retorted, and realized abruptly that he sounded like a six-year-old. He clenched his teeth to keep from snarling at Spencer any more, and closed his eyes.

Spencer didn't say anything for a moment, but the room was silent except for the TV. So quiet, Dave almost wasn't sure the next noise he heard wasn't from the TV... until it became undeniably obvious that Spencer was stifling laughter.

"Oh, shut up," Dave grumbled, but he couldn't fight the way the sound of Spencer's laughter made his anger begin to dissipate. "Damned insolent, infuriating, ridiculously adorable man," he added for good measure.

Spencer let go of a more genuine laugh then, then hummed a pleased noise. "Could say the same about you."

Dave opened his eyes and glared at Spencer, but he let one corner of his mouth turn up just a little.

Spencer just grinned at him, then reached over and curled his fingers around Dave's. "Thank you."

Dave let out a very put-upon sigh and gripped Spencer's fingers. "You're lucky I love you," he grumbled.

"Could say the same about you," Spencer repeated, squeezing Dave's hand.

"True," Dave admitted. He sighed again and tugged.

Spencer stood up and leaned down to kiss Dave, drawing it out slowly. "You can thank me later," he murmured, then cupped Dave's cheek and kissed him again, before he could reply.

Dave grunted, but decided he didn't have the energy to argue. It was tiring being stuck in the hospital and in pain. He just kissed Spencer back, then let his eyelids droop a little. "I do love you," he murmured.

"I know," Spencer said. He kissed Dave again. "I love you too."

"And I trust you," Dave said softly. He brushed a hand through Spencer's hair. "Completely."

Spencer just sighed, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise," Dave finally said.

Spencer shook his head. "I would understand if you didn't trust me on that."

Dave frowned slightly. "I have to be able to trust you on it," he said. "So I do. I choose to trust you. And it didn't even cross my mind when I said I didn't want narcotics." He held Spencer's gaze as he spoke. "Not once."

Spencer watched Dave for a moment, then nodded slowly, still looking a little uncertain. His thumb stroked Dave's cheek, and he kissed Dave again. Then he went to find the nurse.

***

Finally Spencer was allowed to take Dave home. It had been several days since the injury, and the drainage tube in Dave's chest had been taken out yesterday. The rest of the team had flown home once it was sure Dave would be making a full recovery, but Hotch had brought the jet back to Chicago today. It was ostensibly so he could wrap up some of the files on the case, but Spencer knew he'd really done it so Spencer and Dave wouldn't have to fly commercial.

Of course, Dave was still taking pain pills, so he slept most of the way home. When they got to Andrews, Spencer bundled Dave into the truck, then let him go back to sleep. He stopped on the way home to buy milk, bread, and eggs, and didn't wake Dave until they pulled into the garage.

Dave smiled at him sleepily and Spencer sucked in a breath. God. No sex for at least two weeks. This was going to kill him.

He reached out his hand and stroked his knuckles over Dave's cheek. "Handsome," he whispered. "We're home."

"Hmm? Home. Good." Dave kissed him. "Need to wake up. I have plans for you."

"Huh?" Spencer said. He frowned, wondering what these 'plans' involved, but just got out of the car and walked around to help Dave out of the passenger side. "You should sleep if you need to."

Dave grinned at him. He still looked sleepy, but there was a spark of mischief in his gaze. "My plans are more interesting than sleep."

Spencer stared at him for a moment, then his eyes widened. "We can't," he said, clearing his throat as if it would push the image out of his head.

Dave raised an eyebrow. "Correction. I can't. You can." His grin widened. "And I get to watch."

Spencer sighed. Dave got to be drugged and comfortable, and Spencer had to touch himself. Not that he minded so much. They'd had a lot of fun like that, but usually Dave was enjoying himself too. "Not as much fun without you."

"I'll do my best to make it as fun as possible," Dave promised. He traced a finger teasingly along Spencer's lower lip.

Spencer rolled his eyes, but shivered automatically. "You always do," he murmured, then kissed Dave.

Dave hummed and wrapped an arm around Spencer, then groaned. "Sorry," he whispered. "Sex is non-contact for a while."

Spencer made a face, then just kept them moving toward the bedroom. "Do you need anything?"

Dave gave him a brief, nippy kiss and slid a hand down to squeeze Spencer's ass. "You," he said, and kissed him again. "Naked." Kiss. "As soon as possible."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a glass of water, food, or medication," Spencer said, but he was smiling as he guided Dave to bed and helped him pull his shirt off carefully.

"Naked Spencer is a good treatment for any ailment I can think of." Dave shifted and grunted, then propped himself up with pillows. "Go on."

"What are you getting out of this?" Spencer said, moving to stand at the foot of the bed. "Am I allowed to suck you? Can you touch yourself?" He lowered his lids as he spoke, and pulled his tie off, tossing it to the floor.

"I get a fantastic, totally sexy show," Dave said. "That's all I need." He smiled. "And I get to watch you in the throes of passion."

"And unless you've developed some amazing control over your body, you get blue balls," Spencer said, but he bit his lip and lowered his gaze, letting his hair fall into his eyes a little as he slowly started undoing his buttons.

"The painkillers help with that," Dave said. "Anyway, it's worth it." He sounded a little breathless. "God, you're sexy."

"Mmm," Spencer acknowledged, then gave Dave a slow smile as he let the shirt slip off his shoulders and onto the floor. "What do you want?"

Dave raised his eyebrows and smirked at him. "I want you to put the tie back on," he said. "Just the tie."

Spencer's eyebrows rose in return, then he snorted. "Just the tie?"

Dave nodded. "Just the tie."

"Hmm," Spencer hummed, but went to get the tie, making sure Dave could see the length of his torso as he reached for it, then he slid it back around his neck, and just tied it in a lazy knot.

Dave grinned happily. "And the pants," he said, watching.

Spencer's lips quirked up. "The pants are already on," he said, knowing full well what Dave meant.

Dave glared. "I know. I want them off."

Spencer laughed, then pulled open the button of his slacks. He tugged the zipper down slowly, then kicked out of them. "Like this?"

"Yeah, and the boxers too." Dave folded his arms.

Spencer slid his thumbs into his boxers and pushed them off, then looked back at Dave. He ran his hand down his body and circled his fingers around his half-hard cock once they were off. "Going to have to give me a little motivation," he murmured.

"What kind of motivation are we talking here?" Dave asked, raising his eyebrows. "You need me to tell you how to jack off?"

Spencer dropped his hand and glared.

Dave grinned unrepentantly at him. "I know you know how to jack off. Come on, let me see that long, lean body of yours. Show off for me."

Spencer pursed his lips. "I meant excite me. This isn't as exciting on its own knowing you're not getting off too."

"It's not exciting knowing how fucking gorgeous I think you are?" Dave murmured. "Knowing how very much I love your body?"

"I like knowing that," Spencer said. His fingers curled around his cock again, and he squeezed gently.

"Mmm, I wish I could touch you," Dave said. "But that would just be too tempting. If I touched you, I'd want to kiss you. Then I'd want to bring you off myself. And before long I wouldn't be able to resist fucking you. God, the next two weeks are going to kill me."

Spencer closed his eyes as a thrill washed through him at Dave's words. It shot straight to his groin. "Me too," Spencer said, feeling himself come to full hardness in a matter of seconds. "Wish you didn't have to resist fucking me."

"You have the most gorgeous cock," Dave murmured. His voice was husky. "And your hips are perfect, lean and strong. Your chest is wonderful. I love licking your nipples and watching you react."

Spencer sucked in a breath and squeezed his fingers around himself again. He started stroking slowly, sliding his free hand up to brush over his nipple. He imagined the heat of Dave's tongue, the the sharpness of teeth as he pinched. "Yes," he whispered.

Dave chuckled lazily. "Yeah, I know you like it when I pinch," he murmured. "Or bite. You like a hint of teeth, don't you?"

Spencer nodded. "I love it when you bite," he said. "When you leave marks." He pinched harder and made a little strangled noise. "Love everything you do to me." He shifted onto the bed, climbing onto his knees at the bottom and sitting back on his heels.

"Mm, I love the tie on you," Dave said. His lips curled. "Wrap it around your cock. Let me see."

Spencer smiled faintly, then pulled off the tie. "You're ridiculous," he teased, then pulled the knot out of the tie. He wrapped the fabric loosely around his cock, then pulled it though his legs, letting it brush his entrance as he did. He couldn't hold the groan at the gentle friction.

"Ridiculous he says." Dave sounded offended, but there was a grin on his face. "God, look at you. I love reducing you to a purely sexual being, Doctor Spencer Reid. And such a wanton minx at that."

"Only you," Spencer whispered. He took both ends of the tie and pulled gently, giving himself more pressure, then pulled it back through his legs again, shuddering.

"Good," Dave said, his voice dropping into a growl. "Better be only me."

That sent a thrill through Spencer. "Mmm, yes," he breathed, he gave Dave a heated look, then lifted his hand to press his fingertip to Dave's mouth.

Dave's tongue flickered out and swirled around the tip, then Dave trapped the finger gently in his teeth, holding Spencer's gaze. He blinked slowly, then closed his lips and sucked, flicking his tongue against Spencer's fingertip.

"Nnggh," Spencer managed, then he bit his lip and closed his eyes, letting the feeling of Dave's tongue on him rush thorough him. He stroked himself to the way Dave was sucking him for a few moments, opening his eyes to watch, his breath short, then pulled his finger away and leaned over to kiss Dave. His hand slipped behind him to tease at his entrance with the finger Dave had slicked.

Dave hummed into the kiss, one hand sliding into Spencer's hair. Then he tugged lightly at his hair and pulled away. "Need to stop touching you, or I'll get too turned on," he murmured.

Spencer only moved back as far as Dave pulled him, his gaze heated. He liked it when Dave pulled his hair too, and Dave knew that. "Can't even touch yourself?" he whispered. "I can't even suck you?"

"Better not," Dave said. "Strenuous activity's completely ruled out." He smiled slowly at Spencer. "Why don't you let me get comfortable and watch you."

"How is it strenuous to lay back and let me suck your dick?" Spencer said. "Aside from raising your heart rate." He grinned though, because now he was mostly teasing, and he sat back to let Dave move.

"You're an evil young man," Dave groused, shifting back a little with a grunt. "Using a guy's infirmities against him." He settled down and looked hungrily at Spencer.

"You like it," Spencer whispered, and wrapped his hand around himself again, then spit to slick his finger again. He reached back and slid it slowly inside of him, closing his eyes at the slight burn. He started working it in and out as he stroked himself, whimpering and biting his lip.

"God," Dave breathed. "You're so gorgeous like this. Tell me what you're thinking."

"You," Spencer whispered, leaving his eyes closed to imagine it. "One of those mornings when you curl up behind me and then touch me until I'm awake. Love waking up knowing I'm desired." His thumb slid over his head and he gasped softly, then tried to awkwardly work a second finger in. It was sort of a shame he couldn't reach his own prostate with just his fingers.

"Mmm, you oughta always know you're desired," Dave said. His voice was husky. "You fascinate me, Spencer Reid. I love how clinical you can be, and how utterly sexual you can be. You're an amazing puzzle of a man, and I'll always want you."

"Nngh," Spencer managed. "Good," he panted, working his fingers a little faster, wishing he really could feel Dave inside him. His fingers could never replicate it, even if it did feel good. "I'm thinking about you fucking me with your fingers," he panted, then moaned quietly.

"I wish I could." Dave sounded a little breathless. "Hell, I wish I could press you down into the bed and fuck you so hard you'd never question how much I need and want you. I love the noises you make when I'm inside you. I love making you squirm."

"Oh, God, yes," Spencer moaned. His back arched, barely able to stop squirming now between Dave's words and his own hands. "Wish you could," he panted. "Going to need a toy before these two weeks are up. Could really imagine your cock slamming inside me."

"Mmm, only if I get to watch. That would be hot, watching you fuck yourself with a big purple dildo or something." Dave was grinning, but Spencer could tell just how turned on he really was. "I want to touch you so much, Spence."

Spencer's lips curled. "It would be really easy," he murmured.

"Can't," Dave sighed. "Stroke your prick harder. You know I wouldn't be teasing you like that."

Those words--that order--sent a thrill all through Spencer, making him shiver and clench around his fingers. "God," he whispered, and did what he was told. "Yes... Dave."

"Yeah, like that," Dave said. "And flick your thumb across the top. I know how much you like that. Love the way you twitch when I do that."

Spencer whimpered and then obeyed. "Yes," he said, then gasped as his thumb stroked over the wetness accumulating at the tip of his cock. His breath went ragged. He could feel his muscles tensing, and he was starting to have a hard time keeping both his hands moving at the same time.

"God, you're sexy like that." Dave almost sounded smug. "Sometimes I wish people could see you the way I do, see how much I want you right now. But I'm too jealous to ever let anyone really see. But you're such a wanton little minx, and no one has any clue. No one knows how you beg me to fuck you harder. No one sees the way you bite your lower lip if I'm not there to keep your mouth occupied for you. No one knows the way your tight little ass clenches when you're about to come."

"Oh God," Spencer managed, but he was having a hard time thinking about anything but the words coming out of Dave's mouth, and his body seemed to want to obey Dave just as much as his mind. He felt himself clenching around his fingers when Dave finished, as if on cue. "Yes," he managed, his voice going a little high. His stopped fingering himself, but left his fingers inside as he stroked harder, fighting for breath. "Close," he panted.

Dave groaned. "So fucking gorgeous," he breathed. "Wish I could get my mouth on your cock right now. Or your ass. You like it when I use my tongue on you, don't you? When I lick you and tease you so much you can't even wait until I get inside you before you come? I love how little self-control you have when it comes to me. I love watching the pleasure you take from me. I love watching you come and knowing it's for me."

Pleasure was flooding Spencer with every word Dave spoke, and then he was clenching hard around his fingers. He made a noise that was somewhere between a squeak and Dave's name and came, dropping his head back as he stroked, moaning and gasping for breath until his was finished.

"God," Dave breathed. The bed shifted and then his fingers tangled in Spencer's hair. "So sexy," he murmured, and sealed his lips over Spencer's.

Spencer whimpered into the kiss, cupping Dave's jaw carefully enough not to get come all over him, and melted into it. "Mmm, you shouldn't be moving around," he murmured, but he had no energy to move to make Dave rest.

"Can't help it," Dave whispered. "You're gorgeous." He nipped at Spencer's lower lip, then kissed him once more, very thoroughly. Then he pulled back and sighed. "And I have to just lie here and rest."

"Mmm," Spencer agreed, and opened his eyes to watch Dave settle back. He held a sigh and grabbed a tissue from the nightstand to clean himself off, then snuggled down against Dave. "How do you feel?"

"Horny," Dave complained, but he wrapped an arm around Spencer and kissed his forehead. "But happy."

"Good," Spencer said. "Not really what I meant though," he added, carefully draping an arm around Dave.

"I'm fine," Dave said, sounding huffy. "M'going to lie here and try not to think about doing dirty things to you, or I'll never get any rest."

Spencer sighed. He was really tempted to mention all those things by name, but decided to be nice. "Do you want me to put something on?"

"You mean music, lights, or clothes?" Dave asked, then glanced over at him and grinned faintly. "Maybe a pair of boxers and some kind of jazz CD." He kissed Spencer's forehead.

Spencer wrinkled his nose at the jazz, but didn't complain. Instead he got up and pulled his boxers on from the floor, leaving the rest of his clothes. He knew that would probably drive Dave crazy, but Dave really couldn't do anything about it. Spencer found one of the better jazz CDs and put it on, then went out of the room and down the hall to get Dave's pain medicine. He had a feeling Dave needed it more than he let on.

"I don't know how you can be friends with a jazz pianist and not like jazz," Dave grumbled when Spencer came back. He'd obviously noticed Spencer's expression. "Why don't you pour me a glass of scotch to go with this? That nurse said it would give the painkillers some help."

Spencer sighed and wished that nurse had kept her mouth shut. He went and made Dave a small scotch, though, because Dave would get grumpy if he didn't. When he came back, he handed it to Dave and climbed back in bed. "I like Ethan's jazz because it's him playing it. Plus, it's totally different seeing it live than it is listening to a CD."

"That's like saying you would enjoy football if you were watching Morgan play it," Dave grouched at him. "It's not logical. If you like jazz you like it whether it's your friend or live or whatever." He sipped his scotch.

Spencer shook his head. "I would enjoy watching Morgan play. Might not appreciate the sport, or understand it, but I can appreciate the player. Same with Ethan and his music."

"Hmph." Dave wrapped his arm loosely around Spencer. "By that logic, you'd 'like' my books even if you didn't, just because you like me."

Spencer snorted. "That's not the same thing at all. If you want to draw that comparison, you'd have to say I'd like to watch you write because I like you, and you have to admit no matter how much you like someone, watching them write would be boring." He grinned and kissed Dave's cheek. "But I do like to watch you when you're at work anyway."

Dave just grunted, but he pulled Spencer a little closer. After a while he yawned. "I love you," he mumbled. "Brat."

"You can't just say it nicely?" Spencer said.

Dave let out a long sigh, then turned his head and kissed Spencer. "I adore you," he whispered. "With all of my heart." He smiled faintly and kissed him again.

"Mmm," Spencer hummed and cupped Dave's jaw. He'd been teasing, but the answer he got delighted him. "I love you," he murmured, kissing Dave again.

"I can tell," Dave murmured. "I'm glad." He was sounding sleepy. "Stay here for a while, huh?"

"Sure," Spencer said. He'd intended to stay until Dave fell asleep anyway. He stroked his fingers over Dave's jaw and chest, and listened to the sound of Dave's breathing as it slowed and evened out.