Chapter Text
Spencer made his way into the bullpen half asleep and under caffinated. He wished that he could have stayed home wrapped up with Luke and enjoying the happiness of finally having him home for good but like Luke had said, somebody needed them and his place was here. The feel of cold metal on his skin was a blessing though and he smiled as he looked at it. It was a simple ring, nothing flashy just a band of gold that was already scuffed from where it had been resting against Luke's dogtags but those faint marks made the ring even more special as it told the story of how Luke had carried it with him through Iraq and most likely toyed with it late at night picturing him.
"Pretty boy, you alright? You seem a little dazed..." Derek asked and Spencer gave a nod pulling his eyes away from the ring to head towards the coffee machine. Once there he grabbed his mug and made the strongest and sweetest drink possible. "You sure you're okay, Reid? You having nightmares again?"
"Nope...just the early morning..." he yawned before they both made their way to the round table room where the rest of the team were sitting casefiles already in front of them. Spencer sighed sitting down and nursing his coffee as he waited to see what new evil somebody had done to somebody else.
The warm happy fluffy feeling he'd had since waking fled as he realised that they were going to the Bronx and that the victims were all older Mexican women. His mind immediately went to Luke's mother and his aunt Rosa who had been instrumental in them getting together. Without a word he stood and left the round table room pulling out his phone as he did so. There were a few calls from his teammates behind him but he focused only on calling Luke.
"Cariño?" Luke answered sleepily clearly having gone back to bed when Spencer had left.
"The case is in the Bronx. The victims are your mom and aunts ages..." he said without any pleasantries. "Call them...make sure they check in with you...Please..."
"...Right...I will do, cariño...thank you..." Luke said with complete understanding as Spencer turned to see Hotch looking at him with a raised eyebrow his face fixed in a frown. "be safe and get the bastard..."
"I will...I have to go...See you later..." Spencer hummed waiting for the "I love you" from Luke before hanging up and swallowing as he looked at Hotch. "I...sorry..."
"Are you okay? You went pale..."
"The victims they are the same age and race of a friend of mines mother and aunt. They also live in the Bronx..." Spencer explained running his fingers over his face for a moment feeling the cool metal against his skin. "I'm sorry for stepping out like that..."
"...No, it's understandable and I am glad you could warn your friend..." Hotch said his eyes laser focused on Spencer's hand his lips thining for a moment. "...when did you start wearing jewellery?"
"Oh...um...since last night..." Spencer answered with a slight flush. This wasn't the way he had expected this to go and he could feel Hotch's eyes moving over him, profiling him. "I should go back to the team..."
"Spencer Reid have you gotten married?" Hotch asked in a fatherly tone that Spencer was admittedly weak to. It was soft and fond but at the same time hard and commanding. He quickly shook his head twisting at the ring on his finger.
"N-not married...Engaged I guess?" He answered startled when there was a loud gasp of excited surprise from somewhere behind Hotch and immediately he knew who it was. As both men turned to look they saw Garcia standing just outside the office Spencer had slipped into to make his call. She was practically buzzing with excitement rocking back and forth on her stilt like high heels.
"Junior G man! You got engaged! We didn't even know you were dating!" She gasped clapping her hands together. "You got a ring too?" Her voice was loud enough to carry and soon the rest of the team were coming out of the conference room staring at him in surprise all their eyes now fixed on his finger and the ring that was clearly there.
"Why didn't you tell anyone you were even dating, pretty boy?" Morgan asked recovering before Emily or JJ who were wearing matching faces of complete shock.
"Don't ask, Don't tell..." Spencer answered with a shrug twisting at the ring on his finger knowing his team could put the pieces together from there. To no-ones surprise it was Rossi who figured it out first realisation dawning in the Italians eyes before he said.
"You're dating a man...a military man..."
"Ex-miltary...he's just finished his last tour and was discharged..." Spencer confirmed with a nod slowly looking around the team. Nobody was looking at him with anything other than surprise and happiness and he sucked in a breath. "Um...can I not tell you his name yet? He wants to meet you all but we...I'd rather you didn't know everything about him before you do...after this case..."
"Okay...just answer one question then it'll be forgotten..." Hotch said in his mix of father and boss tone and Spencer swallowed hard and nodded. "He makes you happy?"
"So very happy..." Spencer answered with feeling his mind going to Luke and all the things the man had done to make him happy over their life together. There was a clash of coos from the guys and a heartfelt thump on the back from Morgan.
"Then we're happy to wait till we can meet him, okay...Garcia?"
"Yes boss man! I will definitely not try and find anything out about Mr Mystery Man!" Garcia chirpped hurrying forward and wrapping her arms tightly around him. "I promise I can wait until you are ready to tell me everything! Just one tiny question? Is he hot?"
"...Yeah..." Spencer squeaked earning him another squeeze from Garcia and he had the distinct impression if she was going to ask him to compare him with Morgan so he beat her to it. "Hotter than Morgan..."
"There is no such man! However I am prepared to wait to pass judgement until I've met him..." her eyes twinkled from behind her glasses and Spencer nodded with a smile that lasted only until Hotch cleared his throat.
"As happy as we all are for Spencer we have a killer to catch..." he said and Spencer nodded his mind going back to the images of the women who all reminded him of Luke's family who had accepted him with open arms from the moment he had met them.
-flashback-
Spencer stood neverously next to his lover staring at the front door to the house Luke had grown up in. Even with the door open he could hear the noise of family. He had never had a lover who had wanted him to meet their family and he had been twitching with nerves since Luke had suggested it. He had already met Luke's aunt Rosa, she had been in Bennington for a while with his mother, and he had liked her, how could he not when she and Diana were the reason that he and Luke had started dating in the first place? But meeting his mother and father was a different matter altogether.
"You okay, cariño? You're looking pale" Luke whispered into his ear and Spencer swallowed rubbing his palms on his jumper to try and remove the imagined sweat.
"What if they don't like me?"
"They will cariño, how couldn't they like you? You're amazing..." Luke said with such honest emotion in his voice that Spencer flushed even harder. He was still amazed that somebody like Luke would find him even a little attractive, they were complete opposites after all, but somehow he did and Spencer was still struggling to believe that.
"People don't like me, Luke...I'm awkward...I never know what to say so I spout facts that nobody is interested in..." Spencer said knowing that he was building up to a full on panic attack. Luke gripped his shoulders holding him gently but firmly.
"Cariño, breathe and relax for me okay? If you don't want to go in we don't have to..."
"But we're right here..."
"So, we can just leave...but know that I love you...I love you're beautiful huge brain and the random facts that you know and my parents are gonna love you to..." Luke told him gently his deep brown eyes blazing with all the emotions his voice was showing him. "Tell me a fact..."
"What about?" Spencer frowned his head cocking to one side.
"Butterflies...tell me about butterflies" Luke said clearly thinking of the first thing that came to mind. Spencer let out a laugh his mind filled with books of butterflies he had read when JJ had told him about her fascination with them when she was younger.
"Um...Butterflies have four wings which are brightly coloured and patterned. Butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales and they are the only insects with scaly wings.
Each scale on a butterflies wings are a single colour, either red, yellow, black or white. Butterfly colours, including green and blue, are created by light refracting on the butterfly’s wings. The patterns and colours on a butterfly wings are symmetrical and as the butterfly grows older, its wings fade and become ragged...." he parroted and Luke smiled his eyes full of awe and love.
"See that is incredible...that you just know all that...how anybody can't think you're incredible is beyond me...and my mama will see it to..."
"Alright...let's go in..." Spencer breathed lightly using some of the courage he had when facing killers to try and keep the fear from his face as Luke knocked on the door and threw it open.
Inside was warm and cheerful with scents of sweet and spicy food. People were talking over each other but in a playful, happy way. Kids of all ages were running around playing games that Spencer had no hope of understanding. He thought it was pirates but one child was dressed as a spaceman. Weaving their way around mismatched colourful furniture Luke led them to a kitchen where three woman of remarkable resemblance were all chatting happily one he recognised easily as Rosa. The woman in the centre though was who Luke called out to.
"Mama..."
"Luke! You're home! Let me take a look at yo- oh! Is this the boy?! Rosa you held back!" She shouted hurrying around the counter and standing in front of them both her arms outstretched "You never said he was so handsome!"
"I did! I did say that Maria!"
"No! You said he was pretty! He is more than pretty he is handsome!" Maria Alvez shot back at her sister in a teasing manner they were both speaking in Spanish and Spencer could only be thankful Luke had been helping him learn.
"I-its a pleasure to meet you...Mrs Alvez..." Spencer stammered awkwardly in the same language knowing his accent was faulty.
"No! No! You must call me mama! My boy is so in love with you!" Maria said shaking her head before throwing her arms around him and Luke and hugging them tightly "I am so very glad you could come visit! Luke said you may not make it!"
"I'm happy...um to be here..." -end Flashback-
"Spence? Spencer...are you okay? You seem a little...Spaced out?" JJ said pulling him out of his memory and Spencer blinked realising that they were alone. "Everyone's gone to get ready....do you..."
"I'm fine JJ I was just...this case...um the victims...they remind me of...somebody...my...boyfriends mother and aunt..." he admitted already giving more information than he meant to about Luke. "They also live in the Bronx so I'm a little worried about them."
"You've met this guys family?"
"Yeah, his mom...she makes me call her mama...they're nice..." Spencer confirmed as his phone hummed with a message from Luke.
>mama and Rosa are safe. They are gonna check in with me every morning and afternoon. Mama says if you have time you should call in she'll make your favourite...take care and look after yourself, Cariño xxx <
"Is that him? Your partner?"
"Yeah he's told his mom and aunt to check in every morning and afternoon...Um we should go right?" He answered slipping his phone back into his pocket and JJ smiled nodding as she slipped her arm around his and led him down to his desk where his go bag was waiting.
"Yup. Just tell me one thing...How did you keep this man of yours a secret? Nobody had any idea but me and Will you all sniffed it out in an instant..."
"With him being gone all the time and not being able to call. It was easier to hide" Spencer hummed remembering all the times JJ had snuck off to make a work call on her private phone or the weekend trips 'home' when they all knew she hadn't been back since leaving. "I was also...Afraid that people wouldn't treat me the same if they knew..."
"Spence we're your family. We're gonna tease you because that's what families do but...we'd do it just the same if you were dating a woman...We love you, you know that right?" JJ stopped them on the ramp her face serious as she stared up at him. "Nobody is gonna treat you any differently...tell me you know that..."
"...I know JJ...thank you..." he whispered meaning it.
"Good, come on we've got a killer to catch so we can meet this man of yours..."
Spencer nodded and smiled leaning into his best friend optimistic for the future once the killer had been caught.