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“Pretty boy.”
Spencer breathed out a sigh of relief and gripped the phone tighter. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He could hear the smile in Derek’s voice. “How you holding up?”
“Well, I haven’t had a fever since yesterday morning.”
“Why do you sound so grumpy about that?”
“It means I could’ve come with.”
“Spence.” He was rummaging through something, possibly his bag. The first time they’d been forced to share a room during a case Spencer had been surprised by how organized Derek was. Everything was exactly in its place. Well, until the things actually left the bag, that is. “We weren’t gonna bring you with us when you were sick.”
“But at that point I had already been sick for three days, and the likelihood of it continuing for longer than another couple of days was very low, which I told you about-”
“You’re probably better because you’ve been resting.”
“Hm.”
“Spencer.”
“Yes?”
“You have been resting, right?”
Spencer ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the ceiling. “Of course.”
“Baby.”
“Mm?”
“I know when you’re lying.”
Something about his tone of voice made Spencer flush. He could imagine him hovering above him, fingertips on his jawline, head tilted as he gently told Spencer exactly what he wanted him to do for him-
Well, his brain was just cruel. Derek was in fucking Seattle and he was left (alone, unattended, abandoned) in Virginia.
“I might have asked Garcia to send me some of the case materials,” he admitted, and he could hear Derek spluttering into the phone. “Hey, it’s actually really boring to just be lying here when you’re not dying.”
“I’m gonna kill her.”
“Please don’t.”
“Don’t think I won’t kill you too.”
“You’ll miss me too much.”
Derek didn’t reply. He must’ve found whatever he’d been looking for. Maybe he was getting ready for bed. It was nearly 11pm over there after all and he’d probably had a long day.
“I have some input if you guys want it,” he mumbled after a while and Derek huffed out a laugh.
“Of course you do.”
“She wouldn’t send me everything.”
“She shouldn’t have sent you anything.”
“Don’t blame her, I was pestering her for like two days.”
“Oh my god.” Derek laughed again. Spencer couldn’t help but smile. “You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?”
“You knew what you signed up for.”
“That I did.”
The sound of the faucet running. Spencer turned his head and looked at the semi-illuminated tree tops outside. Being sick during springtime was just unfair.
“Hey, Spence?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you still awake anyway? It’s like 2am there.”
Spencer shrugged even though he knew he couldn’t see it. “Wanted to talk to you.”
“We literally talked earlier because you wanted me to talk you to sleep.”
“Didn’t work.”
“Spencer, have you spent the last few hours working instead of sleeping?”
“No.”
“Doctor Reid.”
“Oh, stop. You can’t say it like that when you’re not here.”
Derek hummed. “I’m gonna tickle you to pieces once I get back. As punishment, of course.”
Spencer blushed to the roots of his hair. After all these months he was still unused to this. “Oh, no, whatever shall I do.”
“Okay, smartass. What if I do the opposite and withhold tickles until you learn to take better care of yourself?”
“Oh, now you’re being mean,” he pouted.
Derek laughed. He could hear him get into bed, probably shuffling under the covers and lying on his back with one arm behind his neck like he usually did.
Spencer ran a hand over his chest. “Speaking of that,” he started, suddenly feeling shy even though Derek couldn’t see him. “How- how exactly would you punish me?”
“You want to know how I would tickle you right now, pretty boy?” His tone was teasing, but his voice gentle. He wasn’t making fun. He never had.
“Maybe.”
“I need you to speak up, baby.” Spencer groaned, making Derek laugh again. “Or is that too much to ask for? Are you blushing?”
“Me? Never.”
“Hmm. I can imagine it so clearly though. Your eyes refusing to meet mine. Me forcing you to look up by gently holding your jaw. How deliciously pink you are right now. I can nearly feel the heat of your cheeks on my fingers.”
Spencer covered his face with both his hands, caught somewhere between an embarrassed laugh and an overwhelmed squeal which Derek could probably hear. “Stop.”
“Don’t you want me to tell you how I’d tickle you?” he purred on the other side. Spencer could imagine his grin and it made his heart skip a beat.
He said, quietly, “Yes.”
“That’s a good boy,” Derek said. “I’d ask you to tell me how you’d want me to tickle you, but I fear we’d be getting nowhere with how shy you’re being tonight.” Spencer whined and Derek laughed once again. “Don’t worry, it’s adorable. As for the tickling.” He sang the last word, dragging it out as if to make sure Spencer didn’t miss it. “Are you lying on your back?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’d probably not straddle you or anything, but start off lightly just to see you squirm and fight against your instinct to move away. I’d trail my fingertips over your ribs-” Spencer started stroking his own ribs, his skin warm to the touch. “Watch you tense up each time I get close to your sides. I’d probably be grinning at you and you would blush, kind of like you are right now.”
Spencer’s blush intensified. “Do you have cameras in here?”
“No. But that’d be kinda hot right now.”
Spencer laughed.
“There it is,” Derek said, audibly delighted. “The first laugh. I bet it’s because I’m slowly moving toward your belly and you’re nervous about it.”
Spencer moved his hand down, his abdomen jumping beneath his fingers.
“I bet your belly’s jumping right now. That’s so cute, by the way. You being so sensitive there that your body’s fighting to get away from the sensation.”
“Derek.”
“Yes?”
Spencer breathed out, unsure whether the teasing was too much or just enough. Maybe not having him physically there made it all the more intense, since Spencer couldn’t know what Derek looked like. If he was smiling or undressing him with his eyes, or both at the same time. He could hear Derek shuffling when he didn’t reply.
“You okay?” he asked, dropping any playfulness from his voice. Spencer could picture him frowning.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, sorry-”
“There’s no need to apologize, angel.”
Angel. Derek had never called him angel before.
“Did you start overthinking?” he continued.
“Not really, I just- I didn’t know how to respond to your- teasing. It’s different when you can’t physically see my reactions.”
“You don’t have to respond, you know. I trust you’ll tell me if you think I’m overstepping or that it gets too much. You can just lie there in silence and imagine my hands on you, okay?”
Spencer nodded even though he couldn’t see. “Yeah, okay.”
“Good because I was just about to reach your lower belly and you know how much I enjoy the sounds you make when I kiss and tickle you there.”
Spencer’s breath hitched. He could practically feel Derek there, being so very gentle every single time.
“I will trace your skin for a bit, getting you all squirmy and flustered.” Spencer traced the skin of his lower belly. “And then, just as you’re starting to giggle and fight back I will pin you. Do you feel my body on yours?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good. I’m straddling your hips, because while you flail a lot it’s your bucking that always throws me off. Literally.”
Spencer let out a laugh. “Sorry.”
“I forgive you only because you’re so pretty.”
“Mm, that’s shallow of you.”
Derek laughed in surprise. “I thought you were gonna be quiet? Don’t get all sassy on me now. I might pin your hands above your head and tickle your armpits and not stop, pretty boy. Actually,” he added when Spencer spluttered. “I think I’ll be doing just that. Raise your arms for me, baby.” Spencer did, even though Derek had no way of seeing if he obeyed or not. “Just like that. Can you feel my hand approaching?”
Spencer, somehow, could, and it made him throw his head back in anticipation.
“My hands are big, you know. I can cover so much ground.”
“I kn-know.”
“Oh, you’re talking again, huh?”
“Sh-shut up.”
“Not when you stutter like that.”
Spencer gripped the headboard of his bed, his phone on speaker next to his head, as if Derek was speaking right into his ear. He could almost feel his breath tickling his cheek, making his hair flutter a bit. Derek would be perched on his side with his head resting in one hand, his other hand free to roam. Maybe he wouldn’t even be tickling him. Spencer would be blushing no matter what.
“Do me a favor, pretty boy,” he was saying now. “Laugh for me.”
And Spencer, even though he wasn’t actually being tickled and it was technically impossible that mere words could tickle, did.