Set sometime in the Spencer Summers 'verse, no real connection to any other story. This is going to be a two, MAYBE a three shot, but no more than that. Just basically an excuse for some sick!Spencer, inspired by a sick friend of mine who I hope feels better soon! If you don't like fevers, vomiting, or things of the like, if they make you sick, don't read the second part. I suppose part one here can stand alone on its own and there's nothing really to be squeamish about in this first part :)
Spencer Reid was miserable. Not just unhappy, not just upset, but full on miserable.
It had started out simple enough. A headache that didn't seem to want to go away. An almost full body ache that he attributed to sleeping on the bad hotel bed. A feeling of exhaustion despite having slept earlier. Nothing too serious. He was kind of used to those feelings. They happened on bad cases and this had definitely been a bad case. Ones with children always were. But it'd ended happily enough and that was all anyone could ask for. So what if he still felt a little down on the ride home? It was just the last few days catching up with him. At least, that was what he told himself. What he kept trying to tell himself even after they were back home and he was standing in the elevator on his way up to the bullpen and a small wave of dizziness had him leaning against the wall. He was fine! He was just tired, the case was long, and once he finished his paperwork he'd go home and go to bed.
But there were others watching who knew better. Others who had noticed the genius getting progressively paler. Who had seen the little furrow that built between his eyebrows and how his eyes had gained that pinched look to them. Most thought headache; Derek knew better. He knew that look. One thing that he'd learned to look out for over the years was any sign that Spencer might be getting sick. That was definitely the 'getting-sick' face. And the last place that a sick-Spencer needed to be was at the Bureau. As soon as Derek knew what was going on, he took action, hurrying up to his Unit Chief's office.
A quick rap on the open door drew Aaron's attention. He looked up to find Derek there and the man's body language had Aaron sitting up straighter. "What's wrong?"
"Reid's getting sick." Derek said bluntly, not even bothering to beat around the bush.
The reply Aaron gave came just as quickly. "Take him home. The rest of us will handle the paperwork."
Nodding, Derek turned to hurry back out. They both knew the seriousness of Spencer being sick at work. They knew what could happen when Spencer got sick. It was so very rare for him to catch any kind of cold—Thank God—so the only other person currently on the team that would know the signs and understand the seriousness of it was Penelope. Neither Emily nor Dave had ever seen Spencer sick, and Ashley definitely hadn't. But Derek, Aaron and Penelope had. JJ had, too, but she wasn't here anymore, so the job fell to Derek right now. And it looked like he'd caught it not a moment too soon. Just as he hit the bullpen, trying so hard to move casually, Spencer bowed his head and sneezed—and the light over the sink near the coffee pot surged and broke. Shit. That right there was exactly why he needed to get Spencer out of the Bureau—now. When Spencer got sick, the powers that only a select few knew he had tended to go haywire. The last thing they needed was for there to be random power surges each time Spencer sneezed or coughed, or any other electrical thing blowing up when he threw up.
Spencer grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk and wiped at his nose. His eyes felt slightly gritty and that sneeze had only served to make his head ache more. There was a part of him that recognized what was going on and knew that he should do something about it, that there was something serious that he should be worrying about, but his brain just couldn't seem to make the appropriate connections. It felt a little fuzzy and not quite right.
A hand on his shoulder had him jumping. Wide eyes shot up and Spencer had to blink a few times before he realized who it was standing there by him. "Oh. You startled me, Morgan. What's up?"
"Not much, kid." Derek said with a smile. "Grab your bag; Hotch wants us to go pick some stuff up." The lie rolled easily off his tongue. Years of experience with his best friend had taught him that Spencer would never admit to anything that made him appear weak. Sometimes, a little manipulation was called for.
It worked. Spencer blinked owlishly at him a few more times and then nodded. "Oh. Okay. I can do that."
He bent down to grab for his bag and his head started to spin a little. He had to brace one hand on his desk just to keep from toppling over. Woah. Where had that come from? Behind him, he heard someone call out his name and then a feminine voice asking "Is everything okay? He doesn't look too well."
"He's fine." Derek was saying. His hands were on Spencer, helping to brace him, and then one hand slid in front of Spencer and down to the ground to grab his bag. "Here, kid, I got it. Let's just get you up, all right? Come on now."
"I'm not a child, Morgan. I know how to walk." Spencer said.
His voice was just this side of surly, another sign to Derek to tell him just how much this cold was kicking in. He gave a mental curse and tried not to rush Spencer as he helped him upright. He needed to get his friend out of here, first and foremost, and then he needed to make a quick call. Though Spencer didn't really get sick often, they'd learned early on that he got sick differently than most. It always seemed to creep up out of nowhere and, within a few hours, slam him down hard. They'd learned to get Spencer home as quickly as possible (or once, back to a motel room, cause they'd been on a case) and then to just let him be. Spencer never wanted anyone around while he was sick. He rebuffed any offers of help or anything like that. He'd shut himself in his apartment for a few days, or however long it lasted, and when he came back he'd always be in good health again.
That wasn't going to happen this time. Derek knew that Alex, Spencer's brother, was currently visiting. There was no way in hell the man would just bail on a sick Spencer. He wouldn't let Spencer kick him out. Just the thought of that argument had Derek snorting to himself. As much as Spencer and Alex fought, he knew the two were close and he knew there was no way Alex would leave him alone while sick. Neither would Scott, the oldest of the brothers. Though, from stories that Derek had heard Spencer tell, Scott didn't handle 'sick' all that well. He'd told Derek once that the quickest way to make Scott sick was to throw up around him. "It's almost automatic. He just has to hear someone gagging and it makes him sick." Spencer had said with a laugh that had told Derek that most likely Scott's little brothers had tested that theory out, many times.
Despite Spencer's building surliness, it was easy enough to get him out of the Bureau, and they only had one incident of Spencer sneezing and the lights flashing in the elevator—dear sweet God, the elevator, they were so damn lucky it was just the lights flashing!—and that was easy enough to play off as nothing. No one else in the elevator seemed to make the connection between Spencer and the lights and they sure as hell didn't realize just how lucky they were that Spencer's powers hadn't sent the elevator crashing downwards or something else equally dire. The elevator thankfully made its trip without any further mishaps and Derek quickly ushered his friend out.
He got Spencer outside, noting the way the kid started to instantly shiver, and hurried to bundle him up in his car. Spencer's car could stay here. There was no way Derek was letting him drive himself home. He wasted no time after shutting the passenger's door before he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Alex's number. He'd become surprisingly good friends with Alex over the years.
The man answered after just two rings. "What's wrong?" He demanded in lieu of greeting.
Derek knew that his call had probably set off every protective instinct the man had. He'd probably started to worry when he saw it was Derek calling, knowing that the team was on a case, and he was probably thinking the worst. "We're fine." He hurried to reassure him. "We're back and everything, but I'm bringing Reid home. He's sick."
Those last two words were all it took to have Alex cursing. "You left the Bureau yet?"
"We're at my car right now."
"All right. I'll get things ready here." And without even saying goodbye, he hung up.
Derek closed his phone, stuffing it in his pocket, and then he hurried to the driver's seat. Time to get Spencer home.
From the minute that Derek had made his call, Alex had been preparing. He wasn't quite sure just how sick Spencer was but he had to be sick enough to worry people if they were bringing him home. And Spencer never could seem to catch just a simple cold. Hank had said once that it had something to do with his powers and the way his electricity affected his immune system and how it sped up his metabolism and a bunch of other mumbo jumbo that Alex hadn't really bothered to pay any sort of attention to. None of it really mattered to him. What good did it do them to know why Spencer went from healthy to the-flu-from-hell in point five seconds? It didn't tell them how to fix it so he could at least get sick like some normal person. All Hank had been able to offer were suggestions on how to make the whole process easier and Alex hadn't bothered to listen to those, either. He didn't need anyone telling him how to make it easier for his little bother, er, brother. Alex had taken care of a sick Spencer plenty of times. Who else was going to? Diana, bless her heart, wasn't usually up to it to make the duration of one of Spencer's colds, and it wasn't like Spencer had a father figure that would step up to the plate. Not even Scott, the steadiest father figure that Spencer had, could really handle the kid when sick. Oh, sure, he'd try, but the first sign of vomit and Alex would end up having to step in anyways, only then he'd have to clean up two messes, not just one.
Alex had the brother-care routine down. He knew what kind of things he'd need and what he'd need to prepare for and he took the time to get all that ready while he waited for Derek to bring the youngest Summers home. A mop bucket was grabbed from the closet, given a quick rinse, and then set up by Spencer's bed. Clean sheets were stripped out for the old, well-worn set that Spencer kept in the closet, the ones that he wouldn't really be that fussed if they got messed up. While he was at the closet, he saw another familiar blanket and he grinned as he grabbed it, bringing it out as well. A look through the cupboards and the medicine cabinet had him scowling and shaking his head. He made up a quick list and then calculated out how much money he was going to need. He was just pulling out his wallet when he heard the sound of keys in the door.
One look was all it took for Alex to really start cursing. Damn, the kid looked like shit! Spencer stumbled his way into the apartment, somehow keeping upright while managing to avoid touching Derek in any way, shape or form. The other profiler was standing behind him with his hands out like he was ready and braced to catch Spencer the instant he dropped. And it was a matter of when, not if, cause there was no doubt that Spencer wasn't going to be able to keep his feet for long. Knowing just how messed up Spencer's empathic shields could get while sick, the main reason the kid tried not to touch anyone, Alex hurried forward get an arm around him before Derek would have to. He moved in just enough time, too. Right when he reached Spencer, the young genius started to slip down to the floor. Alex caught him up with one arm around his waist and pulled him upright, keeping him anchored easily against his side. It wasn't like Spencer really weighed all that much.
"Woah there, pidge." Alex said, pulling Spencer in. He looked at Spencer's pale face, the bags under his eyes and fogginess that was visible even through his contacts, and he shook his head. "You look like shit."
A small scowl twisted Spencer's features and made him look all of about four years old. "Shut up." He grumbled. He didn't pull away, though. In fact, he leaned in, his head dropping down to rest on Alex's shoulder.
Alex rolled his eyes and carefully drew his little brother up. He saw Derek still standing there, watching them both with surprise, and it took him a minute to realize why. Oh! The man was probably used to Spencer refusing any kind of touch when he was sick. Sometimes Alex forgot about that. It was one of the shittier parts of a sick Spencer. When sick, he had trouble with his shields and he couldn't really keep from feeling other people's emotions if they touched, but at the same time his empathy kicked in enough that all he really craved was the warmth and comfort of someone with him. When he was sick was one of the few times that the empath in Spencer got free and showed the need for affection and the craving for touch that the kid usually buried deep, deep inside himself. Basically, what it translated to for Alex was simple—a sick Spencer was a needy, clingy Spencer. That was just a fact. One that he was used to and that he didn't really think about. It was also one of the few things between them that they'd both called 'hands off' for teasing years and years ago after one particularly bad flu bug where Spencer had tried to fight touching because he hadn't wanted to be made fun of anymore and he'd only made himself sicker in his efforts to do it all alone. Since then, there was no teasing about it.
Pulling from his thoughts, Alex looked to Derek and held out the list and money that were still in his one hand. "The shit has, like, almost nothing here. Would you make a store run for me? Now that he's latched on, I won't get him to let go until the bug runs its course."
"Yeah, sure." Derek said quickly. He took the list and money, pocketing one and scanning over the other. His eyebrows went up with surprise at a few things there. "You sure about all this?" he asked carefully, like he didn't want to offend Alex but felt like he had to speak up. He tapped one finger against an item on the list. "Reid, well, he's given quite a few speeches on how disgusting he thinks 7UP is when someone tries to give it to him.
That had Alex chuckling. "I'm sure. The kid can't stand the shit unless he's sick. Then it's one of the only things he'll drink. That, an tea. Brands are important, too. You can find it all down at the market down the road. Just get it like I've listed it all and you'll be good."
"Got it. I'll be back in a bit."
The door shut behind him and the two were alone now. Alex turned his full attention to his baby brother, who was doing a pretty good imitation of trying to fall asleep against Alex's shoulder. Rolling his eyes, Alex jiggled him slightly. "Come on, pidge, don't pass out on me yet. Let's get you changed first. I bet you're ready to take that noose off."
Spencer made a low grumbling sound and Alex knew without looking that he was scowling, too. "'M not passing out." He paused and sneezed, right down the front of them both, totally missing the heavy sigh Alex gave at that or the way he rolled his eyes. "'M supposed to be working. Morgan said…said we've got to get something."
Well, at least Spencer was still mostly coherent. His sentences were still making sense and he hadn't really slipped on it that much, which he tended to do when really sick or when he had a fever. Luckily enough, he couldn't really feel any fever heat in Spencer's skin. That would happen soon enough. There wasn't a single cold that Spencer ever got, even just a regular cold, that he didn't end up with a fever. Another of those things that Hank blamed on his mutation and a buildup of electrical energy that apparently left him feverish.
Alex adjusted his grip and started to turn them so he could lead Spencer down the hall to his bedroom. "You don't have to go get anything, Spencer. All you have to do is come back to the bedroom and get out of all this crap you wear."
"I do too." Spencer said in that half sulky, half annoyed voice that made him sound like a little brat. "Morgan said so. We've got to pick up stuff for Hotch."
A chuckle slid from Alex. It would seem getting Spencer out of the Bureau hadn't been easy. Derek must've resorted to lying just to trick Spencer out of there. Having resorted to that plenty of times himself, Alex could appreciate it. He didn't need to bother with it now, though. Not while Spencer was like this. Grinning broadly, he led them down the hall, half carrying his brother. "Nope. You don't have to get anything, pidge. Morgan said that just to get your scrawny ass out of there."
He felt Spencer huff out a breath and he had to chuckle when he looked over and saw the glare that Spencer was shooting towards the floor. His amusement only grew when he heard Spencer curse in what he was pretty sure was Latin. That had always been one of Spencer's favorite ways to curse. He liked to use it because not many people realized what he was saying. Alex never told him that he purposely learned a little bit just so he could better understand the things his brother spit out sometimes.
They got Spencer down to the bedroom and Alex's grin was wide when he offered to help Spencer changed. It got the reaction he wanted. Spencer's glare lifted to him and the little shit yanked away from him just to be ornery and prove that he could dress himself. He gave Alex a look like he expected him to just up and leave for this and was the kid really that stupid? Rolling his eyes, Alex dropped himself on Spencer's bed, making himself completely at home here. He's never been shy invading Spencer's space and he sure isn't going to start now. Not while the kid's sick. Doesn't he know better than to think that? He should be used to it. Spencer sick is the time that, according to Spencer, Alex goes from annoying-pain-in-the-ass-brother to an annoying-overprotective-mother-hen-brother. And he may be glaring at Alex right now like he believes that Alex is staying in here for the sole purpose of annoying the hell out of him, a typical Alex thing to do, but they both know Alex is staying here because Spencer's starting to sway just the slightest bit and he keeps leaning in Alex's direction even though he won't admit that. He'd panic like crazy if Alex left right now.
But neither one said anything of those things. Spencer just set about carefully stripping out of his clothes and Alex distracted him as he changed by asking him about the case. That worked like a charm. It helped things seem a little more normal and it got them through Spencer changing into the pajama pants and oversized shirt that make up his lounge clothes.
Alex bundled Spencer back out towards the living room, then, and got him situated on the couch despite the low protests his brother gave. All he had to do to still those protests was to put in the first disc from season one of Leverage, a show the two of them enjoyed the hell out of, and Spencer started to quiet. Alex tossed the quilt from the back of the couch over him for good measure. By the time he was in the kitchen putting on the kettle to get the water heated, the only sounds from Spencer were sneezes and sniffles. Alex shook his head while he set about preparing a cup of tea. God, didn't he just look fucking domestic? "Only for you, fuck stick." He grumbled, shaking his head again. He cast a glare in the direction of the living room. "You're gonna owe me for this. That's for damn sure."
Ten minutes later Alex was seated on the other end of the couch, drinking his own tea liberally laced with some whiskey, and Spencer was curled up on his half of the couch, when Derek finally got back. Spencer didn't even stir at the knock at the door or as Alex went and let Derek in. With a quick look to make sure the kid was still focused on his show—and Alex didn't miss how Spencer's eyes were slowly starting to slide closed—he led Derek into the kitchen and gestured at him to set the bags down on the counter. He started to unload them, not even bothering to put it all in the cupboards. He just set things out on the counter as he came across them. Why put them away when he was going to need them all over the next few days?
He caught the tail end of a worried look flashing over Derek's face when the man glanced towards the living room at the sound of Spencer's sneeze. Pulling out the six pack of 7UP bottles, Alex set them down on the counter. "He's fine." He flashed a grin up at Derek. "Don't worry about it. I've been this route with him enough times that I've got it down to a science. He'll be fine."
"He looks worse than when I left."
"Yeah." He really did, Alex knew. There was less color in Spencer's face and, with his contacts out, it was easier to see the dulled color in his electric eyes. "That's just how he works, though. His colds always come on fucking fast. They build fast and hit hard and then spend a few days kicking his ass fucking hard. Then, he gets better just as fast, and just as out-of-nowhere as it came on." A quick glance up at the clock and a mental calculation and he added "He's still in the sleepy, starting phase. I've got a few hours left before a fever usually sets in. Then the fun really begins." Fever Spencer was—interesting.
Some of the worry faded from Derek's face. One corner of his mouth quirked up in a slightly amused start of a smirk. "Look at you, Daddy Alex."
Alex scowled at him. "Shut up."
"No, no, it's so sweet." Derek's smirk grew bigger, unmistakable now. "You've got his soup, special Kleenex, even the soda he likes, an he's all tucked in there on the couch. It's so sweet and domestic, Alex. So nice."
The way he said 'nice' made it sound more like a curse word and that was just how Alex took it. "Bite me. I'm not nice. I'm being practical. If I don't take care of the little shit, aint no one else gonna."
"Uh huh."
Alex rolled his eyes at Derek's smug tone. Dammit, he was never going to hear the end of this. He picked up a bottle of 7UP with one hand and used the other to wave Derek out of the kitchen. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? Somewhere other than here?"
The two knew one another well enough that Derek didn't take offense to the tone. He just laughed and let Alex steer him out of the apartment, tossing out a mocking "Have fun there, Papa!" like the damn smartass he was, and then he was out the door and Alex was rolling his eyes again as he locked it behind him. He turned back around to look over to the couch where, sure enough, Spencer was sound asleep, and he couldn't help but sigh. "You're really gonna owe me here, pidge." He warned his sleeping brother. Still, he stopped by Spencer's head, not quite able to stop himself from reaching out and brushing a bit of loose hair back from Spencer's pale face. He tugged the edge of the blanket up over Spencer's shoulder, making sure he was tucked in, and then he sat himself down on the other side of the couch. Might as well relax and enjoy some good TV while he waited. He toed his shoes off and then kicked his stocking feet up on the coffee table and let himself relax while Leverage played on the TV and the congested snores of his baby brother filled the air around him.