The first time Morgan saves Reid’s ass, he doesn’t get a thank you.

“Was that really necessary?”

No, not really.

The second time Morgan realizes he thinks a little too much about Reid’s hands, he’s half asleep and they’re gently shaking his knee.

“We’re landing, Morgan. Morgan? You heard?” They look… elegant. Like an artist’s hands. They’re all long fingers and bony knuckles.

“Yeah. I heard.”


It takes three tries for Morgan to finally convince Reid to talk to him.

“I just…” The kid looks like he’s about to break. “I feel like there’s no one left, you know? It’s like everyone is just leaving. And it’s not even like they’re really leaving. They’re just leaving me.” Reid sounds tired, broken and oddly pessimistic. Morgan decides he never wants to hear that again. A small smile flashes against his face. “But hey, at least you’re still here right?”

Morgan isn’t sure if he’s telling him or asking him. He isn’t sure he cares. With a blinding smile and a grab on his shoulder, Morgan replies.

“You know it, kid.”


It’s the fourth time Reid gets attacked by an UnSub that Morgan just loses it.

“You don’t think you can be a little more careful? You can’t even think about it, Reid? After everything you’ve been through you should know better than to pull this shit man!”

Shock runs across Reid’s face, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye. The look of shock is replaced by a look of indifference and Morgan immediately misses it.

“That’s rich coming from you, Special Agent Morgan.” Morgan rolls his eyes and grits his teeth farther. “Have you ever considered that I am careful? That I do think about things?”

“If you’re so careful, why would you have done that? Why would you have walked right to an armed UnSub with nothing on you at all? No protection?” Reid doesn’t hesitate to respond.

“It was a better than watching you do it again.”

Reid’s on his fifth cup of coffee when he finally crosses over to lean against Morgan’s desk.

“Did you know that caffeine is often thought to have properties that mirror-“

“Not today, kid. I have way too many reports to catch up on for a history of caffeine.” Reid looks dejected, which makes him look like a sad puppy. “Rain check?” Morgan adds at the last second.

Reid doesn’t say anything; he just smiles and leans across Morgan to grab at a pile on Morgan’s desk.

“Rain check,” Reid confirms with a smile, and stack of Morgan’s reports in hand.


Morgan’s phone has vibrated six times and it feels like it’s starting to burn a hole in his pocket. He’s received six texts, if he knows the vibrations correctly, and he wants to read them.

The whole team is sitting outside some FBI lecture their required to attend. Hotch asked that they all keep their phones on vibrate until the end of the class. Everyone was listening. Except Reid.

“Hey Hotch, how come the genius gets to use his phone and none of the rest of us do?”

Hotch glances towards Reid for only a second, before looking back down at the notebook in his lap.

“Reid’s probably is looking up the history of FBI policies on his phone. If you were on your phone, you’d probably be looking for a date tonight, or something equally less important.”

“Thanks Hotch, I appreciate that.” Everyone lets out low laughs, except for Reid who is busy typing something on his phone.

Morgan’s thigh vibrates for a seventh time 10 seconds later. Apparently Reid isn’t looking up FBI policies and Morgan doesn’t need to look for a date tonight.


Not that he’s counting, but Morgan’s 99% sure that this is his and Reid’s seventh date. And not that seven dates is an eternity, but Morgan hasn’t even gotten a kiss out of the kid. He wasn’t gonna push him though; this was Reid’s idea and he was gonna go by Reid’s rules.

They’d already had Italian, Chinese, pizza, burgers, deli sandwiches, breakfast at a diner and tonight is a homemade meal of chicken and pasta. They’ve been out at restaurants four times, at Morgan’s twice and at Reid’s once. They’ve had seven dates, but zero kisses. Morgan feels like he might have judged this wrong—sure, he and Reid flirted non-stop, which led to Morgan asking, ‘Dinner tonight?’ and Reid responding with a huge smile. And they’ve repeated that same formula seven times now. So maybe it’s not technically a date, he guesses. Which leads Morgan to where he is now.

“These are dates right? I mean, I feel like I might be going crazy over here and totally missing the point. Which would be fine... I just don’t wanna get this wrong, Baby Boy.” Morgan hears what sounds like a laugh and looks up into a face full of beautiful Spencer-Reid smile.

“I’m pretty sure these qualify as dates... right?” And the kid is messing with him. He’s biting his lip and his eyes are dancing with laughter. Morgan’s up and across the table half a second later.

He’s pretty sure this was worth seven dates and a hell of a lot more.


Morgan and Reid have sex eight times the first weekend they get together like that. The first time is on Friday night, in Morgan’s bed, and it’s slow, sensual and the only thing Morgan’s ever done that’s even resembled ‘making love;’ looking into each other’s eyes and gasps and moans and arches and kisses.

The second time is faster and dirtier and makes Reid saw ‘Wow,’ which was entirely worth repeating the whole experience for a third time. The fourth and fifth times involve mouths and tongues and it’s quick and sexy Morgan literally falls off the bed when Reid’s mouth is done with him.

The sixth time is a lot like the first, except this time Morgan whispers to Reid, “I want you.” And Reid doesn’t need to ask, because he gets it, he knows what Morgan wants, what he needs.

Following the seventh time, which just involved hands, they’re lying side by side on the bedroom floor, gasping for breath and staring at the ceiling.

“So... do you think it’s always gonna be like this?” Reid asks. And Morgan can only laugh.

“I hope not, Pretty Boy. If it is, you’re gonna send me to an early grave. I can’t take all this.” And Reid laughs, really laughs, and it bellows out and bounces against the walls.

“What’s so funny over there?” Morgan finally asks, and Reid rolls over so he’s looking straight into Morgan’s eyes.

“I was just thinking... That’d be a hell of a way to go.”

His smile is blinding and beautiful and Morgan can’t help but go for round eight.


It’s the ninth trip they’ve gone on for work since they’ve been a couple, but the first that they’ve shared a room.

Morgan isn’t sure why JJ agreed to this; she knows about their relationship. He was shocked that she suggested that they be the only 2 to share a room in this little town in Arizona. It seemed like a conflict of professional interest—but he knows she wasn’t thinking of that.

This case had kids—kids who were being abducted by a schizophrenic woman. And to top it off it was taking place is Arizona, a climate way too similar to Nevada in Reid’s opinion. It was like some sick combination of every single thing that got to Morgan and Reid added together and multiplied by 10.

He’s lying in bed, trying to fall asleep when Reid gets out of the shower. Morgan doesn’t look up; he doesn’t want to watch Spencer possibly fall into the queen bed next to his. He wants him right here, in his arms, on his chest. Morgan just wants him.

He hears Reid shuffle around for a few minutes, before everything goes silent. He knows what Reid’s doing now, looking between the two beds and trying to figure out which one to go to. He’s probably wringing his hands and biting his lip while trying to figure out where he should be. Not where he wants to be, but where he should be.

Reid’s hair is wet against his shoulder, and his feet are freezing against his calves—but the naked skin of his chest is warm and his arms are stretched all around Morgan’s torso—holding Morgan, who’s holding him.

Morgan’s never appreciated anything more.

When Morgan opens his closet he sees ten of Reid’s button-downs taking up a small corner of the rack. There are two scarves and blazer in there too, settled in nicely next to Morgan’s own clothes. Morgan looks down and sees three pair of Reid’s shoes laying in a neat row next to his own.

As he goes to grab a pair of socks—which are all in pairs—he realizes that there are probably 20 single socks lying loose in the drawer. They’re different colors and a couple of different styles, but they’re all Spencer’s.

As he glances back to the bed he just left, he lets himself stare at the beauty that’s currently dead to the world. He realizes that Reid doesn’t look like he’s sleeping in someone else’s bed, like the first few times he stayed over. Morgan remembers waking up the first few mornings seeing Reid lying on his back, awkwardly hanging to the side of the bed; neck craning oddly against a new pillow; legs laying straight together, as not to take up too much room.

That’s not how he looked now though. Now he’s lying on his stomach, his long legs open and reaching the end of the opposite side of the bed. One arm was shoved under the fluffy pillow he was using and the other was sprawled across the place where Morgan’s body once was. His mouth was open and his hair was everywhere.

He looked like he was sleeping in his bed.

Morgan really wanted to work out this morning, he hadn’t gotten a good workout in days—but he could live without it. He climbs in, hovering right above Reid, pulling the sheet down softly so he can leave a trail of kisses from his lower back up to his neck.

“Mmmm.” He hears Reid moan, and he recognizes the sleepy surprise in his voice. That moan always hits Morgan, but usually it’s down a little south—today though, it tugs on his heart and makes him feel like someone stole all the air from his lungs.

Reid’s eyes still aren’t open, but he’s taken the hand that wasn’t under the pillow and wrapped it around the back of Morgan’s neck. His fingers are lightly rubbing there and he’s turned his neck slightly, so Morgan can have better access to his neck. Morgan doesn’t think about what he’s saying, he just lets it come out.

“I want this, Baby Boy. I really want this,” Morgan whispers into Reid’s ear, and Reid moans in agreement. Reid shifts his hips upward, so that his ass grinds right into Morgan’s crotch. And Morgan laughs, not because it’s funny—he honestly wants that too—but just because he can’t believe this is happening. He can’t believe they’re here. “No, Spencer. I mean I want this. I want this. Us. Here. Everyday. I want it all.”

It’s silent for a second, and Morgan prays that Reid hasn’t fallen asleep already. Then all of a sudden, Reid is turning around to look him right in the face. His eyes still look sleepy, but they’re alert and peering at Morgan like he doesn’t understand what he just said.

“I have three pair of shoes here.” Reid says, and his voice is still gravely and hoarse from sleep. “That’s all I own.” And then he’s moving up to meet Morgan in a slow, sweet kiss. “I thought we already had this.”

Morgan knows he’s never been happier.