Work Text:
The month has barely started and the bullpen of the BAU was already the more festive place any of the members had ever seen. Courtesy of one Ms. Penelope Garcia, of course, and even though they weren’t too big on Christmas, they always appreciated the nice little decorations she put up every year. It was a nice change of scenery from that of gruesome bodies and psychotic killers.
As the team exited the elevator on December 11, coming home from a case, they were met with the most beautiful rug. It was large, and a vibrant shade of read, that was just vibrant enough to grab the attention of the team, but not too vibrant to hut their eyes. It had golden swirls at each of the four corners, and the fur was so soft, it almost felt... homey.
They continued walking in, knowing something big would be waiting for them, and they were not disappointed. As the profilers passed through the open glass doors they saw the lights dimly lit, and each of their desks was covered in fairy lights from the outside, and above the desk dividers. Golden garlands were set in hoops at the top of the walls, and rolled around the handrails that led them from the center of the bullpen to the conference room. All of the doors to separate offices had dark green painted door frames, and decorative wreaths that matched each other.
They each looked at their desks and noticed the name tags had changed as well, and once they sat at their individual posts, they all saw a little card with a candy cane tied to it with a nice little ribbon. All but Emily’s. Emily had 2, one assigned to her, the other to the blonde that always sat her desk after cases. The team smiled around at each other, before opening their cards and reading them silently to themselves. They smiled, some chuckled, but no one asked for what was in the other’s cards. It all felt too personal.
“Guys... how do we repay her?” Spencer asked in a soft voice. An idea popped in Derek’s brain, as he started to open his candy cane.
“You know,” he started, getting the team’s attention as Hotch and Rossi left their offices. It was so quiet in there, even through closed doors they could hear Morgan speak. “Every year, she asks for one thing we can’t provide...” they all looked around, watching each other’s reactions.
“You know we’re always away on cases, so we rarely get to spend Christmas together?” He asked, earning a nod and some guilt filled looks from the rest of them. “How about this year... we say screw it!” They all looked around wondering where he was going with this.
“Secret Santa...” Spencer said in a low tone, as realization hit him, and Morgen nodded. They all looked around wondering how the little genius could’ve guessed it.
“I mean think about it!” Morgan said after a while, the rest of them stayed silent. “We never get to do anything just us! Well, anything that isn’t work-related.”
“I agree!” Rossi chimed in. “We could all go to my place on the 24th, I’ll make diner, and with Secret Santa we only need to buy one gift!” He said, earning nods and smiles from the rest of them.
“We could have a sleepover!” Emily said jokingly, but smiled happily when Rossi said it would be fine by him. They all smiled, making small talk, mainly about Jack, Henry and Michael, and how they’d love to have a sleepover at Uncle Dave’s, but the conversation died as they heard an all-too familiar clacking of heels.
They turned around to the hallway leading to Penelope’s office, and saw as the blonde walked away from it, head down as she fumbled around in her purse, too focused to notice the team was there. She was pulled away from her thoughts, however, when she felt 8 arms all around her, looking up to see Emily, JJ, Derek and even Spencer huddled around her, thanking her in hugs. She hugged them back with no hesitation, obviously, but when she saw the bright smile on Hotch and Rossi’s face is when she realized how appreciated she truly is.
They all pulled away from her, and Derek was the one to break the silence.
“Baby girl, we uh...” he started shyly, looking around at the team for some form of confirmation, which he received in form of nods. “We were thinking on doing something a little special this year! We thought we’d all have diner at Rossi’s, spend the night and uh...” he said hesitantly, her smile only getting wider and wider. “We thought about doing Secret Santa!” He revealed, as if he were telling a child they get to go to Disney Land, and her reaction matched it perfectly. She gasped, and when they though her smile couldn’t get any brighter, it did! She wrapped her arms around Derek’s broad shoulders jumping in uncontrollable happiness, and rushed to place a kiss on all their foreheads.
Secret Santa was something she’d been asking for for so long, but every year they never got around to it. This year, with the promise of no cases, suggested by Derek and enforced by Hotch, they knew they had enough time to do all the things they’d been missing out on. And with that they all left the bullpen, each with a card in had that was way too special to be left forgotten in a drawer.
The next day, Penelope sprinted through the office with a colorful box in hand. She called everyone into the bullpen, and placed the box at the exact center of the round table. They all sat down with confused expressions, as the woman started to explain herself.
“In the box, there are 7 papers, each with our names on it.” She began, but couldn’t finish because of Spencer’s rude interruption.
“For Secret Santa? Nice!” He leaned from his place on the table towards the middle, reaching for the box only to get his hand slapped away by Garcia.
“Yes, and you will get your turn, eventually...” she squinted at him, and he leaned back in his chair, murmuring something of an ‘I’m sorry’ under his breath.
“Emily you get to go first, and we’ll go clockwise!” She emphasized. Given that Emily was sitting right next to Spencer, that would mean he’d be the last one, and the team chuckled at the punishment. They took their turns getting each of their papers, smiling and grinning smugly as they eyed the rest of them.
The rest of the week had gone smoothly, and the only cases they had were regional, so they didn’t have to fly to anywhere where their plans could be ruined. They made plans to go to Rossi’s mansion, given that it would mean they each had their own room.
—————
As they entered Rossi’s house mansion, one by one, they set the presents under the Christmas Tree, while they sat around the coffee table centered in the living room, and the couch right behind it. Hotch and Jack were the last ones to arrive, earning mocking cheers from the rest of the team as if it were a miracle. They shared some lighthearted conversation and laughter before Penelope grew impatient with excitement, and decided to start the gift exchange. Luckily, the kids had fallen asleep, and were taken to a guest rooms where they could sleep in peace.
“I’ll go first!” Derek said excitedly. “My person!” He announced, gathering everyone’s. “Can be mea-“
“Emily!” They all said simultaneously, not even letting Derek get a sentence in.
“Well, you’re not wrong, but you could’ve at least play dumb, no?” Derek mocked annoyance as Emily got up from her seat with a smirk. Derek leaned down to pick his present from under the tree. She tore the wrapper apart and gasped when she saw what laid underneath.
“You didn’t!” She said, a large smile growing rapidly on her face. “Derek Morgan, I love you, I love you, I love you!!!” She hugged him excitedly, bouncing on her feet with happiness as she opened the box to show a pair of two butterfly knives, one black and one white. She grabbed one on each hand, but before she could do anything, Derek took it away from her.
“We don’t need anyone loosing eyeballs on Christmas, now do we?!” She scrunched her face, faking mad, while the rest of them laughed. She put her knives back in the box, and gave Derek a tight hug.
“I guess I’m next,” she chuckled nervously before continuing. “My person is...” she pondered on how to describe the team member without making her feelings obvious. “Caring...
They’re always able to connect with the victims, and make a safe space for them. They value family over anything, and they could be a real badass with a gun!” They all shared a chuckle and started calling out JJ’s name. JJ got up, looking down as she made her way to stand next to brunette, trying to hide the blush that had mysteriously made its way onto her face. Emily handed her a flat box covered in colorful paper, and JJ quickly unwrapped it. She gasped, as she let the Christmas themed wrapping fall on the floor and opened the box. Tears started forming in her eyes, as she pulled Emily into a tight hug.
“Thank you!” She managed to choke out between tears as she handed Emily the box. “C-can you-?” Emily nodded as JJ turned around, and removed a silver locket from the box. The team watched the exchange in awe, realizing this was too personal to ask what the gif was. Emily placed it around JJ’s neck, and the blond looked down, opening it one more time. She stared at the picture of her and her sister for a few moments, tracing the oval shape of the necklace with her thumb, before wiping her tears away, and smiling at Emily.
“Jennifer Jareau, you are the strongest person I know!” She said, a whisper so low it sounded like nothing but soft mumbles to the rest of the team. “You have no idea how much you mean to me, Jayje.” Emily brought a hand to rest at JJ’s jaw while she praised the woman.
“And you couldn’t even dream of how far I’d go to protect you. And little Henry. And what I’d do to make sure you were safe!” JJ let a tear stream down her face before leaning forward, and pressing her lips to the brunette’s. The kiss was tender and sweet, as they held each other, even after they broke apart. JJ wrapped her arms around Emily, giving her one last hug. The team cheered lightly, and Spencer gave Emily a knowing look.
“I love you Jennifer Jareau!” Emily whispered against the blonde’s lips. “I love you, Emily Prentiss!” She let another tear fall, before they were pulled out of the moment once more by the team’s ‘awe’s.
“Right!” JJ sighed, as Emily sat back down. “Um, my turn, I guess.” She chuckled lightly, re composing herself, as she removed her present from the Christmas tree. She smiled back down at Emily one more time, before looking at the rest of them. “My person is... often belittled by those around them, but they carry a special place in our hearts. Others might look at this person and make them seem less, almost infantile, but we know them, and we know just how untrue that is...” before she could finish, they all started looking at Spencer, and she noticed the way Derek looked him like he was the only person in the room. I guess Penelope and I sure got into his head, she thought to herself, as Spencer made his way from the couch around the table to stand next to her. She gave him a warm smile as she handed him his gift. He unwrapped it, and smiled brightly once his eyes landed on the object under the paper.
“JJ!” He looked between her and his gift before giving her a hug. “Thank you so much!” He said, not even bothering to hide his excitement as he ran a hand over where the title was engraved on the hard cover of the book. He flipped the book, demonstrating it to the team, but looking only at Derek. “Look!” He whispered, shaking the book a little, earning a chuckle and a nod from Derek and smiles from the rest of them. “I never actually read it, but my mom used to read this book to me all the time when I was little.”
He looked at the book mesmerizingly, “Thank you so much, JJ!” He smiled at the blonde, pulling her into another hug, and placing a soft kiss to her cheeks. She she sat Mack down, Spencer placed his book on the table, and fumbled around looking for his present.
“Um, alright, I uh...” Spencer struggled to find his words as he started at the object in hand. He looked at his teammates before continuing. “My person is constantly overlooked by those around them. The one asset that makes them stand out from the rest of the team is constantly brushed aside simply because-“ he stopped himself before he could say something that would completely give away who his person is. “Wha- what I’m trying to say is that, um, they are smarter then people give them credit for, and more caring then people want to admit-“ Spencer sounded infuriated, and Derek got up from his seat, placing a hand on Spencer’s shoulders.
“Is it me?” He asked with a shit eating grin, making Spencer chuckle and blush lightly.
“Yeah,” he breathed out while he nodded, handing the gift to Morgan who gave him a forehead kiss before shifting his attention fully to present. Spencer blushed a little harder thankful that the only light source was the colorful lights from the Christmas tree behind him. Tears filled Derek’s eyes as he unwrapped the gift and opened the box.
“Pretty boy, how-“ he stood there staring at the focus of his attention as shock filled his every facial expression. The thing about Derek Morgan is that you’ll only see his emotions if, A) He wants you too, or B) he’s too comfortable around you to be able to hide them. Something in Spencer’s brain hoped for the latter.
“I managed to pull some strings...” He said, and Derek just smiled at him. He was so lost in Spencer’s eyes he forgot time was passing, and was brought back when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He chuckled awkwardly, removing and reading the text from his mom. Did you get the present? She asked him. He looked back up at Spencer who just nodded. He took a picture of the box in his hand-his gift- that held his father’s badge on a glass frame inside, and sent it to his mom.
“Thank you so much, Spence...” he hugged the boy tightly before letting go. The team looked at them in awe just like earlier, except this time all they got were nervous chuckles and longing stares. As the boys sat back down, Rossi got up from his seat.
Morgan sighed happily, and didn’t miss the way Emily and Spencer looked at each other. He knew how significant both his and JJ’s presents were, and realized they probably got it together.
“I’ll go next!” Rossi said, making his way to the other side of the table, right in front of the Christmas Tree.
“My person is probably the only thing holding this team together! Highly likely the reason those two finally got together,” Rossi said pointing to JJ and Emily, “and the reason those two are about to!” He directed his pointer towards Morgan and Reid, where the boys looked down and away from each other, as a blush crept onto their faces.
“They are very charismatic, and always ready to help and make everyone happy!” They all turned their focus towards Penelope, and she got up with a smile. “Merry Christmas kiddo!” He reached around the tree, grabbing one of the enveloped boxes, and handing it to her. She unwrapped her present, her smile growing wider once she saw what the colorful paper had been hiding.
“I love it!” She smiled brightly at the object in hand. She showed off her new desk ornament to her team- a brightly lit frog carved on a piece of glass that was set on a rock with the label ‘don’t froget to love yourself’-before she gave Rossi a tight hug, and he made his way back to his seat. She removed the second to last present from under the tree, her smile not dropping for a single moment.
“My person has a very big heart despite the fact that they try to hide it. They can be very cold, but we all know they’re secretly a big softy!” She described her teammate as she looked around to all of them.
“Hotch!” Emily called out, while they all smiled, and Derek clapped Hotch’s knee with a chuckle. Hotch smiled at Garcia, as she handed him his gift. Hotch smiled as he unraveled a tiny box, revealing two tickets to go see Broadway’s Wicked musical.
“Ok, I know musicals aren’t your think, but-” she explained, but he cut her off giving her a smile.
“It’s perfect, Penelope, thank you!” He said, somehow sounding more formal then he did at work. She smiled at him, and resumed her place on the floor next to JJ and Emily.
“My gift isn’t something really meaningful, like the rest of you but...” Hotch leaned down to take the last present from under the tree as Rossi got up. “Merry Christmas, Dave!” He said, handing the older man his gift. Rossi removed the colorful wrapping to reveal a bottle of some fancy wine no one but Rossi (and Reid, probably) had heard of.
“Good shit, Aaron!” Rossi chuckled, giving Hotch a side hug, as they sat on the floor across from the rest of the team.
They shared lighthearted conversations after that, JJ and Hotch sharing stories about their kids, Spencer and Penelope bonding over Dr. Who while Derek just watched mesmerized, and Rossi seemed a little interested in Emily’s butterfly knife. Eventually they tired themselves out, and decided to turn in, each going to a separate room except JJ and Emily who bunked together.
—————
At around 3, Spencer finally stopped pacing in his room and walked out, heading straight to Morgan’s. He didn’t even think about knocking on the door, but luckily, Morgan was awake watching something on the TV.
“He kid, what’s going on?” He asked, intrigued, and Spencer didn’t let his mind wonder what the covers hid under Derek’s very naked torso.
“Um, about, uh... about your gift...” he scratched his head, struggling to find the right words.
“Is everything ok? Do I have to return it? It’s ok if I do, pret-“ Derek began, getting up from his bed, making his way next to Spencer, and getting cut off by the boy.
“No it’s nothing like that, I just-“ Spencer let out a frustrated sigh as Derek too Spencer’s hand in his. He guided him to sit on his bed, and Spencer immediately fell back, facing the ceiling. “Can I get a do over?” He asked.
“What do you mean?” Derek asked confused, laying down me to him, and they turned and moved until they completely facing each other. Spencer took out a tiny box from his pocket and stared Derek in the eyes.
“I have... something else for you- and you can say no-“ His words started out soft, but turned a little panicky, and Derek just nodded, intrigued. “Ok, so...” he started nervously, not lifting his eyes off the gift in his hand. “My person is the person with the biggest heart I know,” he lifted his gaze momentarily towards Derek before continuing.
“This person manages to get on every single one of my nerves...” he chuckled lightly, “but... they have a special place in my heart. I’d lay my life for them, and I trust them with every part of me. They’re the one I think of when everything is going to shit, and the simple thought of them brings me out of it. They mean more to me then anyone could-“ he tried to swallow his tears, but failed miserably. As tear slipped down his face, he looked up trying to stop the rest of them. “Then anyone could ever imagine...” he smiled sheepishly, as Derek took Spencer’s trembling hands in his own.
Spencer handed him the gift, and Derek took it hesitantly, not taking his eyes off Spencer’s. He opened it to find a ring with the words 'bound together through space and time' engraved around the outside and 'for 500 years' on the inside. Derek raised his eyebrow and gave the ring back to Spencer, expanding his hand. The boy slid the ring on Derek’s ring finger of his left hand.
“Pretty boy, I-“ Derek let a tear slip down his face, speechless at the gift. He looked at his hand for a few moments before he brought them up to cup Spencer’s face. He placed his lips to Spencer’s, and the boy reciprocated the kiss almost immediately. They broke apart after what felt like an eternity. Spencer chuckled lightly, between the mess of tears they’d made.
“I’ve been waiting so long to do that...” he whispered against Derek’s lips as they smiled. Derek pressed another peck to Spencer’s lips before whispering back.
“I’m glad you finally did... thank you, pretty boy!” He rubbed his thumb on Spencer’s cheek, leaning back in to give him a more passionate kiss. It felt sort of weird that their first kiss was at Rossi’s house, in one of his guest rooms, but laying here with Spencer, kissing him senseless is all Derek could ever ask for. Spencer looked almost angelic under the dim lighting of the room, like his own little angle had come to keep him safe. Even the experience itself felt so surreal to Derek. One could call it, a Christmas Miracle...