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Research was a favoured pastime of Reid’s. From his childhood fascination with space to a lifelong love of the human psyche, research took up hours of Spencer’s day—and he intended to keep it that way. Research brought order to Spencer’s otherwise scattered mind. It was a constant, something that he could turn to to bring himself back to his body when he felt far from reality.
Today his topic of study was a personal matter. The BAU’s most recent case—while not gruesome—stuck out in Spencer’s mind. An unsub in Orlando, Florida had been targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community. Reid got talking to a possible target while she was under police protection. Spencer was fascinated by the intersectionality of Marisol’s queer identities; she was a pansexual, aromantic trans woman.
A wonderful woman, she was happy to answer any of Reid’s questions. The term Reid was least familiar with was her aromantic identity. He knew what aromantic meant, of course, but not in as much detail as someone who had the lived experience of being aromantic. Hotch and Morgan had to pry Reid away from her when they went to make the unsub’s arrest.
This led to him now on the plane back to Quantico, laptop open and his fingers fervently typing away. Spencer scoured page after page on dozens of forums, quickly committing every term possible to memory.
Derek plopped down next to Reid about ten minutes into the flight. He rested an arm on the back of the seat behind Spencer.
“What’cha lookin’ at, pretty boy?” He asked quietly.
Reid shrugged.
“Aromanticism. Just—I wanted to learn more after speaking with Marisol.” He perked up, passion gleaming in his eyes. “It’s actually quite fascinating. Did you know that an estimated one percent of the global population is aromantic? That translates to approximately 78 million people. Aromantic people also have some interesting symbols they associate with aromanticism, such as—”
“Reid,” Morgan smiled tiredly, “You know I love it when you get excited about things, but—as much as I want to—I am way too tired to listen. You can tell me more tomorrow, okay?”
Spencer nodded, allowing Derek to relax against the couch they shared. After a few minutes Reid heard Derek’s breathing even out and he returned to his research.
A small bout of turbulence hit the jet, knocking Derek’s head onto Spencer’s shoulder. Reid froze. There was no change in Derek’s breathing, he simply adjusted in his sleep, unconsciously nuzzling into the crook of Spencer’s neck. The feeling of Morgan close against him sent lightning through his veins.
Reid had rarely felt something like this before Derek. He would meet someone, get to know them, and then some sort of feelings would develop. Whether romantic or platonic Spencer wasn’t sure. Hell, he was still nearly convinced that love at first sight was some sort of Hollywood trope, not something based on reality.
On the off chance Spencer got close to someone they never stayed around long. They would tire of Spencer’s infodumping or social awkwardness or the way he would never stop fidgeting with everything; they all had a tipping point. Spencer seemed to have a talent for driving people away, at least he certainly thought he did.
But Derek stayed. He always stayed. His patience and kindness and wit never failed to surprise Spencer. Reid was sure that Morgan should have reached his limit by now, especially after having worked with Spencer for so long, yet after everything—shortcomings in the field, focusing on the wrong thing during cases, hell, every time he opened his mouth—he stayed. Furthermore, Derek seemed happy to spend time with him. That was a first.
Despite knowing he was feeling something, Spencer couldn’t put a finger on what it was. He knew he wanted to spend time with Derek and that he enjoyed it when Morgan called him “pretty boy” and other forms of endearment, but none of that necessarily screamed romance. He cared deeply for Derek and that was all Spencer needed to know.
Reid tore his eyes from his laptop to Derek. He slept peacefully on Spencer’s shoulder, his gentle, even breaths lulling the genius into a sense of calm. It was impressive how even unconscious Morgan had an inexplicable soothing effect on Spencer. He smiled down at Derek, not yet brave enough to put an arm around his friend’s sleeping form. At least Reid could admit he looked handsome even when only illuminated by Spencer’s laptop.
Spencer turned to his laptop for the remainder of the flight, allowing Derek the rest he needed.
••••
Come Monday morning Derek felt rejuvenated and well-rested. He felt good enough to approach Spencer after settling his things at his desk.
Predictably, Derek found Reid hogging the coffee machine. Spencer was a lot of things; a genius, a human encyclopedia, a Star Trek aficionado, but a morning person was not one of them.
Derek leaned against the counter beside Spencer.
“Morning, Reid.”
Spencer grabbed two more sugar packets and poured them into his mug.
“How many of those are in there?” Morgan joked, but there was a hint of concern.
“Twelve,” Spencer yawned nonchalantly. He examined his mug with a pensive expression, “I think.”
Morgan chuckled, fondly shaking his head.
“Long night?”
“Personal project,” Reid replied.
Derek expected him to elaborate. When Spencer stared into his mug with thoughtful eyes and sipped more of his coffee Derek became concerned.
“You all right, pretty boy?”
The genius’s brows furrowed further. A feeling of dread dropped in Derek’s stomach. He moved closer to Spencer and lowered his tone to a whisper.
“What’s going on in that big, beautiful brain of yours?”
Reid couldn’t help but smile.
“Something I read while researching resonated with me,” Spencer quietly revealed.
Derek’s tone dropped into something more serious than his usual flirty bravado.
“What is it?”
“Uhm,” Reid avoided Morgan’s eyes, making it easier for him to focus on what he wanted to say. “Just something on an aromantic forum. I was researching all of the identities on the aromantic spectrum and I came across a term that I think really fits me.”
“Okay,” Derek leaned on the counter, listening intently.
“It’s-it’s called quoiromanticism.” Spencer breathed, nearly whispering. “For me it means I’m not sure whether or not I experience romantic attraction. I mean, I know I feel something, I just don’t know if it’s romantic. I-I like this person, but the concept of romantic attraction isn’t helpful in explaining how I feel. The concept doesn’t really apply to me, I guess? If that makes any sense…”
“Spencer, you’re making perfect sense.” Derek assured him. He silently noted Reid’s phrasing, ‘I like this person,’ as if he was talking about somebody specific. He tabled his questions about that for another time. “And it’s completely fine that you feel this way. Feelings can be complicated.”
Spencer smiled. He never imagined he would be accepted so quickly with such ease.
Their conversation was cut short by JJ informing them of an urgent case that just came in. They were on the jet and off the ground in thirty minutes.
••••
Another case was said and done. Luckily this was one of the ones where they found the latest victim before anything too terrible happened to them. The team was feeling far too tired to celebrate, though. It took them three hours on the plane to get back to Quantico. Spencer was lucky enough to get a few hours of rest before being rudely awoken by the plane’s wheels stuttering on the asphalt.
The team gathered their belongings from the office, each member slowly dragging themselves home to sleep for a few hours.
Derek was one of the last few to gather his things. He spotted Spencer seated at his desk, leaning over a pile of surprisingly unfinished paperwork. Reid had slipped his glasses on, something Derek noted he needed more and more often as the years passed. Not that he minded, of course, he thought the spectacles made Spencer more dashing than ever—something he didn’t think was possible until now.
He approached Spencer, leaning against the side of his desk and startling him out of his working trance. Now that Derek was closer, he noted the fresh cup of coffee in front of his work, undoubtedly filled with a copious amount of sugar.
“Burning the candle at both ends?” Derek flashed him a small smile.
Spencer shrugged, fidgeting with his hands on the desk.
“Just…don’t want to go home yet, I guess.”
Derek chuckled, shaking his head fondly. He recalled Spencer telling him one time that his mind tended to be more active late at night.
“There’s gotta be better things to do than paperwork,” he stated. Derek picked up Reid’s papers, “Is this even needed anytime soon?”
Spencer shook his head.
Derek couldn’t help but ruffle Reid’s hair, “Come on, let’s grab something to eat.”
Spencer’s face scrunched in confusion. “But it’s two in the morning. Don’t you need to get some sleep?”
“I’m not tired,” Derek shrugged, throwing his go bag over his shoulder. “Besides, I know a great twenty four hour cafe just a few blocks from here.”
The promise of cafe food, especially fresh coffee rather than the packets kept in the BAU cabinets was awfully appealing. What was more enticing was the thought of a meal, alone, with Derek Morgan. They hadn’t had any time to talk since before the case, and Spencer longed to have some time with Derek without the fear of anyone else listening in. Though he loved his co-workers like family, Derek was the one he held closest to his heart. Not that he could ever admit that, anyway.
“All right,” Spencer placed his glasses in his shirt pocket. He filed his work away for the night and grabbed his bag.
The walk to the cafe was quiet and calm. Spencer was happy to let Derek lead the way, hanging onto his every word. A couple of blocks down, Derek stopped at a small, hole-in-the-wall cafe. He held the door for Reid, the sweet gesture warming Spencer from the inside out.
It was a quaint, homely place. Polished, dark wooden tables were spread around the room with stools sat across from one another. Most tables had a candle held in the center, adding to the warm light already emitted from fairy lights strung around the perimeter of the restaurant. The walls were covered in a matte wood pattern, making Spencer feel as though they were inside some sort of modern cabin.
Derek led the duo over to one of the tables at the front of the cafe, next to the windowed wall that allowed them to watch over the city. Reid perched on the edge of his stool, crossing his ankles and tapping his feet together. Seated across from him, Morgan looked at him, concerned.
“You all right, Spencer?” He asked, referencing Reid's restless legs.
“Fine,” Spencer replied honestly. “It’s just something I’ve always done, I guess.” Reid watched Derek wring his hands together anxiously, not meeting Spencer’s eyes. “Are you okay, Derek?”
“Yeah,” Derek replied, though he seemed unsure. “Well. Actually…” Morgan licked his lips, pressing them together. “Nevermind. What do you want to eat?”
“Oh,” Spencer was surprised, he didn’t expect Derek to order for him. “You don’t have to, Derek, I can order—”
Derek cut him off with an outstretched hand, “Don’t worry about it. I dragged you out here, after all. Besides,” Derek’s deep brown eyes met Reid’s, “I know it’s not your favorite thing.”
Reid cocked his head to the side, “Ordering food?”
“Well,” Derek scratched the back of his neck, “New situations—new people—in general.”
Most times when the BAU went out for food while on the case Spencer would leave early from the meal, or skip it altogether, instead spending his time in the familiarity of a hotel room. It’s not that he didn’t want to spend time with his colleagues, but sometimes going out in a crowded, public space was too much after a long day of work. Between the chatter of other guests, the clanging of pots and pans and yelling he could hear from the kitchens, the scraping of silverware against plates, the lighting that incessantly buzzed through his skull (despite his friends assuring him it was nothing), and even the sound of chewing from those around him was too much to handle. On top of that having to socialize and familiarize himself with a new restaurant, with foods he did not know whether or not he could eat (due to texture, smell, or even the way it was presented) was often impossible to cope with.
The genius felt his chest flutter at his friend’s consideracy. Although Spencer was surrounded by profilers, he was surprised to find out that one of them cared enough to pick up on what bothered him about those situations. The thought that Derek had put effort into making sure he was comfortable made his brain pleasantly fuzzy.
“Thanks,” Reid replied. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just have some coffee, thanks.”
The profiler hopped up from his seat, “Anytime, pretty boy.” Derek left with a wink.
The chivalrous, gorgeous man returned minutes later with two fresh, hot cups of coffee with napkins wrapped around them so they wouldn’t burn their hands. Reid smiled; Derek really thought of everything.
They fell into a pleasant conversation. Reid asked about Derek’s family, how his mother and sisters were doing. The conversation easily ebbed and flowed more naturally than with anyone else Spencer knew. He was happy to listen to Derek talk about his childhood (the time his sisters roped him into doing a fashion show with them was Reid’s favorite tale of the evening), and how Morgan looked forward to spending part of his weekend at home, catching up on the latest season of Queer Eye.
The name of the show made Reid momentarily meet Derek’s gaze.
“Something wrong?”
“No,” Spencer shrugged. “I just didn’t expect you to be a fan too.”
Derek giggled at that.
“No way,” he exuded pleasant surprise, “Doctor Spencer Reid watches reality TV?”
“Not usually,” Reid answered. “It’s just nice to see a show focused on bettering the lives of others, especially those that deserve it. It’s also nice to have, well, a positive representation of people in your community.”
Spencer froze, realizing what he’d let slip. Sure, he’d already told Derek that he was on the aromantic spectrum, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg of Spencer’s complex queer identity. He noted Derek’s perplexed expression and elaborated.
“Right, uhm…” No better way to explain it than blunt honesty, Spencer supposed. “I’m asexual. And-and also quoiromantic, which I’ve mentioned before, and I’m also bi?” This was coming out much more anxious than Spencer had hoped it would. He felt himself splutter out the last piece of his identity before he could stop himself, “Also non-binary. And I, uh, I use they/he/she and xe pronouns.”
Well, Spencer could certainly say this was not how they expected this meal to go. He stared at her hands wrapped around his coffee cup.
“I’m sorry, I know that it’s a lot of information. If-if you want me to, I can explain anything you’re not familiar with.”
“Hey,” Derek reached out to cover the doctor’s hand with his own, rubbing his thumb over the back of Reid’s hand. “It’s all right. I know what those terms mean, pretty boy.” Derek paused, reconsidering, “Or, pretty person? I don’t know. What are you comfortable with?”
Spencer smiled, admiring how Derek’s hand slotted against xyr own perfectly.
“Pretty boy is fine,” Reid assured him. “Well, better than fine. I actually, uh, really like the nickname…I don’t think I’ve ever told you that.”
Reid freed their hands from the coffee cup, gingerly taking both of Derek’s hands in hers. Morgan smiled brighter than the morning sun. He basked in the intimate moment, the rest of the world falling away. Only he and Spencer existed here, now, in this moment, their intertwined hands sending sparks through Derek’s body and fiery heat dancing on his cheeks.
“Derek,” Spencer broke the pleasant moment. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” Derek nodded.
“Is this supposed to be a date?”
Morgan was silent for a moment.
“Yeah.” He looked at Reid. “Did you want it to be?”
“I…” The genius smiled sweetly, “Yeah. I did.”
Derek tenderly brought Reid’s hand to his lips, softly kissing his knuckles. Spencer flushed bright red, grinning under Derek’s affections. Her joy peaked when Derek ran his hand through their hair, unabashedly admiring everything about the person in front of him.
Morgan couldn't fight his smile, “Good.”
••••
Their meal lasted an hour or so, Spencer and Morgan swapping stories about hiding their feelings from one another. Laughs and pleasant moments of intimacy were shared even once they sauntered their way to Reid’s apartment complex. The duo stood on the doorstep, fingers intertwined. Truth be told, Derek wasn’t quite ready to let Reid go. He was afraid if he did he would wake up from this wonderful dream where Spencer and he had just gone on their first date. Instead, he asked Reid something he’d been meaning to the whole night.
“Spencer?”
“Hm?” Spencer replied.
“You’re asexual, and qua…quo…?”
“Quoiromantic,” Reid supplied.
“Quoiromantic,” Derek repeated, trying to commit the word to memory. “Quoiromantic. So, how did you know that you…” God, Derek felt like a stupid teenager asking this kind of question. “Had feelings for me?”
Reid lit up as in excitement. Xe loved talking about tertiary attractions.
“Well, I know I experience other types of attraction than romantic and sexual attraction. Mostly aesthetic, noetic, and sensual attraction.” She could feel Derek’s confusion from where she stood, so she explained. “Aesthetic attraction is when you find someone attractive, or beautiful. When I started seeing you as, uhm, handsome it was my first clue that I liked you in an other-than-platonic manner. Noetic attraction is a subtype of mental attraction where someone is attracted to another person based on their opinions, perception of reality, and how their mind works.”
Derek had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. It was one thing to know the genius had feelings for him, it was another to know they were attracted to him for his body and mind.
“And, uh, sensual attraction,” Reid continued, “Is wanting to engage in non-sexual forms of physical intimacy with a specific person, such as hand holding,” Reid smiled and raised their tangled hands, “hugging, and, uh…” They swallowed their fear, “…kissing.”
At that moment Morgan had to restrain himself from jumping for joy.
“Kissing,” Derek repeated, astounded. “Is that something you’re interested in?”
Spencer froze, and for a second Derek assumed he’d said something wrong. That was until Reid’s affirmative nod registered in his mind.
“Spencer,” Morgan let his hands wander to Reid’s hips, pulling him imperceptibly closer. “Is that something you’re interested in right now?”
Shyly, Spencer managed a soft statement. “Yes.”
Quickly, unwilling to wait a second longer, Derek pressed their lips together, their smiles melting into each other. Spencer’s body lit with the light of all the stars in the galaxy. She came to xyr senses, grasping Derek’s strong shoulders like they were a tether to reality. He gently slid his lips against the profiler’s with all the tenderness xe could muster, Derek returning the favor with zeal.
Reid reluctantly leaned out of the kiss as oxygen was still a necessity. They rested his forehead against Derek’s, not quite ready to break from the intimate moment.
“You’re welcome to stay here tonight,” Spencer offered, her words tickling Derek’s lips. “If you want to, I mean.”
Reid felt Morgan wiggle his eyebrows suggestively and sighed.
“Not-Not like that!” Spencer responded. Derek shook his head, muttering that he was kidding. “Just—it’s late, and you live far, and we have work in the morning, so I thought—”
“Pretty boy, pretty girl, pretty enby, hey.” The different gendered nicknames pulled Spencer from xyr train of thought, quickly establishing a redness on his face. Derek pulled his beloved into an embrace, allowing Spencer to nuzzle their face into Derek’s neck. “It’s a great idea. I’d love to stay, if you’ll have me.”
“Mm,” Spencer affirmed. “Of course.”
••••
The next morning, the BAU in Quantico was filled with a room full of tired profilers. Most of them didn’t make it home until two or three in the morning, leaving very little time for them to rest. However, this didn’t mean they were any less observant than usual.
When Spencer and Morgan walked into the bullpen, they couldn’t help but smile. After their date, the duo retired to Spencer’s bedroom for a few hours’ sleep, barely shedding their shoes before crawling on top of the covers and tangling themselves in each others’ arms. Reid fell asleep that night to the steady tune of Derek’s heartbeat, soothing him into an uncommonly peaceful slumber.
JJ called everyone to the round table to discuss yet another case. This case involved the murder and trafficking of children. Morgan shook his head, it was times like these the tragedy of the caseload the BAU had truly set in. Underneath the table, Spencer gave Derek’s hand a reassuring squeeze, accompanied by a silent promise that they would talk on the jet. It was at that moment that the silence in the room registered with Spencer, as well as the gazes of xyr friends landing on Morgan and her.
Spencer blinked, examining his friends’ faces, “What?”
“Took you two long enough,” JJ rolled her eyes fondly. “All right, pay up.”
Everyone except for Morgan and Reid handed the grinning blonde five dollars.
“Wait a minute, you guys bet on us?” Derek was incredulous, a little insulted, and very amused.
Garcia shrugged, throwing her money into the pile. Even Hotch and Rossi forked over some cash.
“Traitors,” Derek grumbled lightheartedly.
“Hey,” Emily pointed at the muscular profiler, “If I remember correctly, you two pitched in on the betting pool for Penny and I last year!”
Garcia giggled lightly, recalling sitting around this table in a very similar scenario a year before. Spencer didn’t dare meet Emily’s eye. Morgan just shrugged.
“Touché.”