Title: Oh, What You Do to Me (No One Knows).
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Morgan/Reid.
Summary: It was like, everyone looked at Reid like he was a delicate flower.
Oh, What You Do to Me (No One Knows).
Morgan had trouble concentrating. He found the lint in his pocket to be more interesting than what Strauss had to say.
"Agent Morgan, are you listening?" she questions, eyebrow raising in annoyance. If anything, Morgan should have been the one annoyed. I mean, she was talking to all of them like they were in the first grade. Personally, Morgan thinks that first graders made more sense, but that was just him, and by the looks of it, everyone else in the room, too.
"Yes."
"Good."
Morgan stifles the urge to make a sarcastic comment. He avoided making eye contact with everyone, and chose, instead, to stare at his dress shoes. Morgan did not care about the new dress code they were enforcing, and he sure as hell didn't care about Strauss.
The thing was: everyone always worried what would happen if Morgan had broke Reid's heart. No one seemed to care if it was the other way around. No one cared how he would feel, or what he would think. It was like, everyone looked at Reid like he was a delicate flower.
Well, he's not.
Morgan supposes he is, however. It's not like he would tell anyone that, though. I mean, how could he? Morgan didn't break Reid's heart. In fact, the genius had broke Morgan's heart, if just a little...or a lot.
"Morgan."
"Yeah, Garcia?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"What's up?"
Morgan had followed the shorter woman into her bunker, shutting the door behind him on her request. If anyone was going to say anything to him, Morgan knew it would be Garcia.
"You do know he's coming back, right?"
"Who?" Morgan knew exactly who.
"Morgan, don't play that with me," she scolds, a sour expression on her face. Morgan lets out a sigh, taking a seat. Morgan rocks himself back and forth for a few moments before looking back at her. Garcia's face full of worry.
"No, I didn't," Morgan admits.
"What happened, Morgan?"
"Nothing happened, Garcia."
"I know you two broke up," she muses, voice low.
"Apparently, there was no us for there to have been a break up," Morgan chimes bitterly, moving to his feet. He had had enough of this conversation. Morgan loved Garcia, but he didn't want to talk any further.
An experiment.
Apparently, that's all that Morgan was to him. An experiment.
Garcia doesn't try to stop him from leaving, or ask him to explain himself further the next day. Penelope Garcia was a good friend.
Reid was coming back, only after a month of being away. Apparently, New York wasn't as great as Virginia, or something like that.
A month since he had called things off. Morgan didn't know, something about them not being right together. How Reid didn't feel right, not with Morgan, not with other men...everything.
Morgan assumed that meant that he was straight, and just curious as to what it would be like to be with another man.
He had had a whole month to think about this, but only a month to heal.
It didn't seem fair for him just to walk back into the picture. It's not like Morgan could say anything. Morgan had heard that everyone had welcomed him back, and boy was Morgan glad to have missed that occasion.
The first time he saw him, Morgan acted as though he could care less about his return. Morgan was more interested in the case they had just been handed.
Morgan could feel his eyes on him, but he ignored them. As far as everyone else was concerned, Morgan had ended things with Reid, and that was the reason why he had left. Morgan told them no different. Morgan told them nothing at all, but the accusation was still there. The truth was far too painful.
The only person to come close to the truth was Garcia, and even that had burned him. Those eyes. Those big, brown, beautiful eyes...they burned him.
Lacy Miller was a seventeen year old girl from Baltimore, Maryland. She had been abducted three days ago, and if their profile was right, she only had two left.
Morgan kept staring at the white board in front of him, studying the images in front of him. These three girls had been through hell before they were murdered. Morgan did not want the same fate for Lacy and her family...her two dad's.
Robert and Steven had been together for over twenty-five years, and had four children. Lacy was the second youngest, and their only daughter. The two were devastated that this could have happened to their family.
Morgan felt heart broken for them, and at the same time, jealous of their love and support for one another.
Their home was simple, modern with pictures of their children posted around the house. The older boys, Alex and Justin were in college. Their youngest, Nick, had just entered high school.
They were all devastated.
Morgan felt devastated for them.
"Twenty-five years together. Twenty of those as parents..." Robert Mourned.
Morgan couldn't get them out of his mind, never mind the fact that Reid was there interviewing them as well. Never mind the fact that he wouldn't stop staring at Morgan.
"Do you mind if I took a look at Lacy's room?"
"If it'll help, not at all," Mr. Miller says, standing from his spot on their couch.
Morgan follows the saddened man up the stairs, the third room to the left being Lacy's. Her room was like any seventeen year old girls. Filled with people she admired, but also very private.
"She's never been without her family," he says quietly, arms crossed over himself.
"You'd be surprised how strong people can be in these type of situations. You just have to have faith in your daughter, Mr. Miller," Morgan speaks.
"That doctor, he seems to know a lot about a lot, huh?"
"Yeah, he's got a lot of information in that head of his," Morgan says, and the other man nods his head. After a few moments, he leaves, the scene too much for him.
Morgan finds a journal of hers, and sits down to read it. Morgan is so engrossed with what he's reading, that he doesn't notice Reid when he enters. It's not until Reid clears his throat that Morgan acknowledges him.
"Find anything?"
"Just the happiest girl in the world. The most recent entry is six days ago. It's about a trip to Ocean City with her brother Nick and her dad's. She just mentions a nice guy she met who worked at a restaurant they all went to," Morgan notes, standing up. He goes to move past him, but Reid stands in his way.
Morgan bites his cheek to keep from saying anything. Reid's touch is something he doesn't want anymore, but craves.
"Talk to me," he pleads. With all his strength, he removes Reid's hand from his shoulder. For the first time, Morgan looks him in the eye.
"I have nothing to say to you."
Another day passes by and they were no closer to finding Lacy, and one day closer to losing her. Morgan is alone in his hotel room, searching for an answer when a loud series of knocks interrupts Morgan's concentration. He opens the door, only to see that Reid is on the other side, eyes wide.
"I think I know who did it!" he says excitedly, tugging Morgan by the sleeve of his shirt. The rest of the team arrives shortly after, and they all head off to the police station.
"Okay, Morgan found Lacy's journal. What I didn't connect, was that Morgan mentioned a boy she had met at a restaurant in Ocean City. Now, when I looked at the other three girls profiles, each came from various locations. Mandy Williams was from North Carolina. Jamie Reynolds was from Missouri, and Mona Noels was from California. What didn't vary was the locations they were all found. Baltimore. Baltimore is a big city, with a high crime rate. Ocean City isn't that far from here. Now, in the journal, Lacy doesn't give the name of the restaurant, but says that the man's name was Jonathan. "
"But all these other girls were tourist staying at hotels in Baltimore. Lacy's actually from here, why change his MO?"
"I thought about that, too. In her journal, Lacy talks about him giving her a free meal. And that before she left, a flower to remember him by. I think in his mind, Jonathan sees Lacy as something more than an object...I think he likes her."
"Good work, Reid. I'll call Lacy's parents'..."
"I already did. The name of the restaurant is Hooper's."
Morgan could have kissed the other man right then and there, if it wouldn't have meant anything.
That afternoon they found Jonathan Harper as well as Lacy Miller, still alive. Besides a couple of bruises, and rope burns on her wrist and ankles, she was in perfect health. It turned out that Jonathan had actually grown to like Lacy...in an unorthodox sort of manner.
"Mr. Miller, Mr. Velasquez, we've got Lacy...she's on her way to the hospital now." Their relief and joyful tears made Morgan's heart swell. It made him proud to have been able to help bring their daughter home.
"Good work," Hotch says, patting Morgan on the shoulder in recognition.
"It was Reid who made the connection," he admits, gathering his go bag. Morgan turned the corner to see Reid and the new girl, what's her face, talking.
"I wouldn't have made the connection without you," Reid says, a small sad smile to the corner of his mouth.
Morgan ignores him, opting to carry his stuff out to the SUV. The way everyone seemed to look at him indicated that they now knew that Morgan was not the one who had ended things, and that Reid wasn't the one hurt in all of this.
Morgan didn't care.
"Can we talk?" he asks, and he seems reluctant now, afraid that Morgan might reject him. Morgan holds back his pride, and agrees to talk to him.
They walk together, getting into an otherwise empty elevator. Morgan presses the button to go down, and waits patiently for Reid to speak. He doesn't have to wait long.
"I'm sorry," he says, and Morgan laughs. He laughs so loud that he scares himself for a moment in time.
"Sorry, for what? For not liking me, or for using me?" Morgan questions, the two metal doors open, and he eagerly makes his exit. Morgan had agreed to talk, not to be polite.
"That's not fair, Derek. Wait!" he calls out, Morgan turns around, chest to chest with the slender man. Furious.
"Don't you ever tell me that I'm not being fair, Reid!"
"Stop calling me Reid!"
"No! I'm not going to call you Spencer. I'm not, I don't get that right anymore, just like you don't get to call me Derek," Morgan grits out. Spencer moves in to kiss him, but he pulls away, shoving him.
"Stop," he warns.
"No," Reid responds, sifting his hands into the other mans shirt. "I won't. Not until...not until you love me again."
"I'm not the one who stopped, or maybe, just maybe you never loved me at all." Morgan hurts him with that comment, and it gives him a sick pleasure in the pit of his stomach. It seemed like Morgan had been the only one hurt in all of this, obviously not. Well, not anymore—anyway.
"I do love you. I love you so much," he says, grip loosening some, but not enough to let go.
"Don't lie to me," Morgan bites, pulling away from him, only to dive back in, even if Reid didn't love him, it didn't change how Morgan felt about him.
Reid could be fucking with him, for all he knew. Morgan just couldn't...couldn't bring himself to tear away from him. It seemed the more he tried to get away, the harder he fell for him. Reid leans in again, and this time, Morgan doesn't stop him. Reid's lips press hard against Morgan's, in a fit of desperation Morgan hadn't imagined possible.
Right there in the parking lot, Morgan kisses him back. Reid's teeth tugging on his bottom lip. Morgan allows him access briefly before switching their roles. Morgan runs his fingers through Reid's hair, he had missed how those locks felt against his skin.
Morgan can't do this, not again.
This was shaping up to be just like out first encounter, how wonderful that had been.
Alone in the coffee room, chatting heatedly about their previous case. Talking about their plans, or lack thereof, for the evening. They had danced around the subject of Morgan's near death experience, but Morgan could tell that the other man had been eager to say something about it—anything.
"I'm fine, Reid," Morgan had promised, determined to make him believe it. Reid simply gazed at the other man with those wise eyes, and but his lip in a nervous manner.
"But you could have...could have, you know?" Reid retorts. Morgan takes a hold of his large hand, smoothing it over his left arm.
"I'm right here—unharmed," he had said, staring Reid in the eye. Reid had taken back control of his hand, running it back up again, that time to Morgan's neck.
It was a sensitive area.
Morgan shivered at the contact. Reid unsure, thought he had crossed a line. Reid had done no such thing. With heavy lids, Morgan had leaned in to kiss him. He had gotten a thrill from hearing Reid suck in a surprised breath.
Right there in that coffee room.
Morgan thought, he didn't know what he had thought. He just hadn't thought that it would have ended like it had—in disaster.
"Don't stop," he begs, and he pleads. His hands running up Morgan's back and shoulders, fingers pressing in. His mouth tracing lazy patterns along his collarbone. Morgan's hand clutching tightly against his neck. Morgan is torn between wanting more, and tearing himself away from Reid. For his sanity, Morgan chooses the later.
"I have to." It takes everything Morgan has in him to walk away. Morgan didn't want to, god knows he didn't, but he couldn't risk it. "I-I can't do this again."
"I'm sorry. I said I was sorry, why can't you believe that?" he asks, and it's the first time Morgan can truly see how torn Reid is about this.
This wasn't healthy. They were tearing each other apart. It was obvious that they were both miserable, but were they miserable because they weren't right for each other, or because they couldn't stand being apart?
Did it matter? I mean, they were colleagues. They worked together, why were they trying so desperately to destroy that with some innate feelings they had been able to keep at bay? It made no sense, this torture.
"It's not about believing you, Spence. It's about trust. How am I ever suppose to trust you again? Tell me that, come on, solve this one problem of mine, genius," Morgan says. Reid's eyes look at him softly, and even though his head tilts down, Morgan can sense his determination.
"You called me Spence."
"It slipped."
"No, it didn't. That has to be a step in the right direction, right? I need you. I got scared. I never meant to hurt you," he says. Morgan looks away, but Reid tilts his chin to at him, "but I did, and I don't know how to fix this, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying." Morgan bites his lip hard in concentration. Reid had never lied to him before, not unless it was to protect him, and even under those circumstances, he ended up spilling the truth eventually.
"I don't know. I don't...just give me sometime to think about all of this," he says. It wasn't the answer Reid wanted to hear, but the answer he was expecting. With a heavy heart, Reid nodded in understanding. Reid turns to walk away, and Morgan has to take a deep breath.
Reid makes it nearly across the parking lot before Morgan makes up his mind. The older man jogs slightly until he reaches him. Reid turns on his heels as Morgan grabs him. Morgan stares at that beautiful face, and those beautiful full lips.
"I thought about it."
"And?"
"And, I don't care if you kill me in the end. I want to be with you." The slender man kisses him then, and it's the sweetest taste Morgan has ever had in his life. He grins against Reid's mouth as the pull apart.
"I won't kill you, I promise."
"Oh, no?"
"No. I'll just torture you slowly," he says. Morgan laughs, a deep, odd little laugh then. A laugh Reid had never had the chance to hear before. This was beyond them, now.