It was their weekly dinner: something that had become a routine for Spencer, Derek and Garcia. Spencer had gone into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine while leaving Derek and Penelope to small talk in the dining room.
When he walked back into the room, he found the two of them giggling slightly over a story that Garcia was telling. "So, tell me poindexter, what's the best roller coaster you've been on?" she asked as he took his seat back from Derek.
"Seeing as I've never been on one, that question isn't one I could answer," he said, taking a sip of wine.
Derek turned to him, a curious look upon his face. "You're from Vegas, how've you never been on a roller coaster? Don't they have them all over the casinos?"
"Considering I institutionalized my mother at 18, and the only time I've returned home is either to visit her or on a case? Not that hard to believe."
"Oh we definitely need to fix this," Garcia muttered as she pulled her tablet out of her bag. After a few seconds of searching, she turned her tablet towards the pair and grinned. "You're in luck! Six Flags America is only an hour away."
"Well looks like we're playing hooky tomorrow, Pretty Boy," Derek grinned as he ruffled Spencer's hair.
"Hooky?"
Penelope stared at him. "Don't tell me you've never played hooky before."
Spencer made a face. "I was 12 in high school and started my first semester of college at 13, why would I play hooky?"
"Oh, 187, for a genius you have a lot to learn," Penelope teased, causing Derek to laugh. Spencer groaned and ran a hand over his face.
"I'm going to regret this."
"So, we're calling into work and telling them we're sick so we can go to an amusement park?" Spencer had asked the next morning as he sat on the couch, nursing a mug of coffee.
"Yes."
"They're profilers. They're going to think something is up when we both call in sick."
"We have Garcia, I'm pretty sure she can cover for us."
"Derek, I've never called in sick."
"There's a first time for everything."
"They're not going to believe me. And what if we get a case? What-"
Spencer was cut off when he felt Derek's lip against how own. On instinct, he gave in and cherished the feeling of Derek biting his lip as they pulled apart. "Mm, hi."
Derek grinned and sat down next to him. "Spencer, you need to calm down. It's just one day."
"What if-"
"No more ifs! Do you trust me?"
"Always," Spencer didn't even hesitate.
"Then trust me on this."
Spencer let out a defeated sigh. "We're not going to get in trouble?"
"With Garcia? Pretty Boy, we're golden."
The drive was too short for Spencer. As Derek drove into the parking lot, Spencer couldn't keep his eyes off the orange and black coaster that could be seen from the parking lot. There were drops and turns and the speed. Spencer swallowed slightly, already imagining all things that could possibly go wrong.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his knee. He jumped slightly and turned towards Derek.
"Are you okay?" Derek asked, the concern evident in his voice.
Spencer cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, just never done this before, you know."
Derek sighed. "Stop."
"Stop what?"
"The numbers."
"What numbers?"
"How many roller coaster related deaths are there in a year?"
"Out of millions of people who attend amusement parks a year-"
"Stop that."
"Oh."
"Trust me, you're going to have fun," he kissed Spencer, grinning at the small sounds he heard coming from the genius and climbed out the car, Spencer following.
"You and I have very different opinions on the definition of fun," Spencer muttered as he began to follow Derek, making their way through the parking lot towards the entrance of the park.
Spencer glanced around and saw the collection of school buses over in a corner of the parking lot. "Derek, are you sure this is-"
Spencer snapped his mouth shut when he felt Derek's hand over it. "Spencer, they're probably here for a field trip," he said, completely aware of what the genius was going to ask. "Believe it or not, that's what happens in schools near the end of the year."
Spencer didn't say anything as Derek removed his hand, knowing anything he would attempt to say would immediately get shot down, and he had no choice but to listen to Derek. Letting out a defeated sigh, he allowed Derek to take his hand and lead him into the park.
After paying for their passes, Derek had grabbed a map before they passed through the main gate and tried to figure out what would be the best ride to start Spencer on.
Spencer glanced over the map at his normal speed and gulped as he read the different names for each section of the park. "Because Skull Island sounds like a party," he mumbled as he turned away from Derek and looked around.
They hadn't made it that far in the park and were standing in, what the map had listed as Main Street. This park seemed to be themed around the American Revolution, with pop culture and the like thrown in to attract for amusement park goers.
"It's safe to say we'll be skipping over both Looney Tunes Movie Town and Hurricane Harbor," Derek said as he folded up the map and placed it in his back pocket. Seeing the questioning glance Spencer shot him, he knew he had to explain.
"Hurricane Harbor is their water park and I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend a part of your day looking like a drowned rat," he teased lightly. Spencer made a slight face at the thought and nodded. "Looney Tunes Movie Town has rides just yet more kid focused."
"So, where are we off to first?" Spencer asked, slightly nervous. The way Derek's grin grew didn't exactly put him at ease.
"I can give you a choice where we could head to first. There's Southwest Territory, Skull Island and Gotham City."
Spencer quickly recalled the map and placed each section's name into place, figuring out which would be the best to head to from their current location. "I say we could head to Southwest Territory? Since it's in a sort of corner we can get that out of the way and move on from there?"
Derek nodded in agreement, smirking slightly at Spencer's choice.
"What's that look for?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow.
Derek shook his head and smiled. "Nothing, Pretty Boy. Time to introduce you to your first roller coaster." He grabbed Spencer's hand, dragging him in the direction of Southwest Territory.
The walk didn't take that long and they made a slight detour through Olde Boston just to see what it had. There were groups of school children and their chaperones all around: riding the carousel, a pirate ship and exploring shops.
As each step closer to the first ride came, Spencer felt himself growing slightly more nervous that he had been. He really didn't know what he expected from this, and was really hoping he didn't end up freaking out on Derek. The slight squeeze of his hand brought him from his thoughts.
"What?" he asked, looking at Derek.
"Spencer, stop thinking. You definitely needed this day off," Derek said, smiling. Spencer smiled in return and took a deep breath before letting it out.
As they walked into the section of the park, there was loud screaming that caused Spencer to freeze slightly and immediately turn to his left. What he saw was a large, tall tower with rides grouped around it, raising and dropping suddenly from different heights. As he looked over and saw the name, he paled slightly.
"Please tell me you're not getting me on that thing," Spencer begged when Derek stepped slightly closer to him to find out what was wrong. "It's called Tower of Doom. Please don't tell me you're going to attempt to get me on that monstrosity."
Derek bit his cheek to stop himself from laughing. "Kid, don't worry, I'm not that evil."
Spencer let out a sigh of relief. "Then which ride are we getting on?"
Derek turned and pointed towards the ride that was closest to them. "It's called The Wild One."
Spencer looked to where Derek was pointing and felt his stomach drop. There was a large, wooden roller coaster standing there. There weren't too many extreme things from what he could see. He was expecting something with an incredible heightened drop, weird turns and a track that went upside down.
"You want my first roller coaster to be something called The Wild One?" He asked, voice squeaking as he looked over at Derek.
"Yes," he responded, shrugging slightly.
"It's a wooden roller coaster," he felt the need to point out.
"Yes. I say the best way to start is on a wooden roller coaster," Derek explained as he started pulling Spencer towards the entrance to the ride.
"No, Derek, wooden roller coasters are said to be the fourth most dangerous amusement park rides. Studies show-" Spencer was immediately cut off when once again, Derek's hand covered his mouth.
"Spencer, I'm begging you. Please, trust me on this," he pleaded. "Forget the numbers, the studies, thinking… and just have fun." He slowly began to remove his hand from Spencer's mouth, giving the other man a chance to answer.
"But I-" Spencer began to object, but Derek quickly put his hand back.
"No buts! You need to get out of your head for the day, have some fun. You even said it yourself, you don't call in sick and I know you've never requested a day off. I just want you to have some fun," he explained and removed his hand fully from Spencer's face.
Spencer remained quiet and stared at Derek, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and began to feel slightly guilty. He bit his lip and thought, before releasing a defeated sigh. "Fine, but if I die, you're the ass I'm coming back and haunting."
Derek grinned and chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." And they walked up the ramp, getting in line for the ride.
It was their turn to ride as they lined up at their designated spot for the cart. Spencer was relieved that Derek had turned down the park attendant's offer for them to ride in the front and said they'd be fine somewhere in the middle.
Spencer watched as the previous passengers left the ride and made their way out, the park attendant giving them the signal it was alright to climb in.
With a nervous step, Spencer stepped forward and made his way for the left seat of the cart. Sitting down he began to take a few deep breaths, trying to push his nervousness away.
"You're going to be fine Spencer," Derek said, as the metal bar was lowered to their laps. "After this, you're going to be fine on whatever roller coaster we choose."
"I sure hope so," Spencer mumbled.
Suddenly the ride began to move and Spencer felt his breath hitch. He kept his eyes forward as the cart began to make its ascent to the first drop. After what felt like hours, it reached the top and slowed as it went over the tip and dropped. Spencer felt the pressure from the plunge and felt his eyes begin to water as the ride took its first turn, before making another drop and another turn. The speed was something he definitely wasn't expecting, and he was so thankful that there was nothing in his stomach, in case he ended up being nauseous.
He couldn't help but feel relieved as the ride slowed and they began to taxi into the loading dock. He felt Derek take one of his hands and squeeze as Spencer clenched his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the tears.
As the bar lifted from their laps, no speed was quick enough for Spencer to get out of that cart. Derek followed and to made their way down through the exit, leading them back to the entrance of Southwest Territory.
They sat down on a nearby bench as Derek pulled out the map and tried to figure out where they were heading next. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking over at Spencer slightly, realizing he hadn't said anything.
"Yeah," Spencer muttered out, sounding slightly breathless. There was a sort of adrenaline rush from the ride that he was still trying to get rid of. "Just, first experience and everything, you know."
Knowing that Derek wouldn't fall for that, he looked over at him and gave a small smile. "I'm fine, really," he said honestly. "It was different, something incredibly different."
"Would you ride another one?"
Spencer thought on that for a few minutes before turning back to Derek and nodding. "I wanna ride another one," he said, causing Derek to grin. "Just promise me one thing?"
"What's that?"
"No more wooden roller coasters."
Deciding that there wasn't anything left for them to see in Southwest Territory, the pair left and started to make their way towards Skull Island.
"Are you sure you want to save Gotham City for last?" Derek asked.
Spencer nodded. "From what I recall from the map, I'm guessing that the section of the park is based around multiple DC characters, and I'd rather end this day on an enjoyable one rather than risking something while saving Skull Island for last," he explained.
Derek nodded in understanding, and the two continued walking towards their next destination.
As they entered Olde Boston, Spencer couldn't help smile as they passed the group of school children, all who seemed to be excited to be there. They began to pass Johnny Rockets as Spencer glanced in and saw something that made him freeze.
Derek turned around after realizing Spencer wasn't following and gave his boyfriend a confused look. "Spencer? What's wrong?" he asked as he walked over to the other man.
Spencer looked at him and held a finger over his mouth as a sign to remain quiet. He grabbed Derek by the shirt and pulled him until they both were hiding from the doorway to the restaurant.
"Spencer?" Derek asked, slightly worried.
"I saw Hotch," Spencer whispered.
"You saw Hotch? Are you sure?"
Spencer nodded. "He's in Johnny Rockets. I saw Jack first and then realized Hotch was sitting across from him. I think he's chaperoning."
Derek didn't say anything as he slowly moved so he could glance inside the restaurant. Spotting the unit chief, he quickly moved back. "Yep. That's definitely Hotch."
"What are we going to do? Should we leave?"
Derek thought it over for a minute. He knew this was something that Spencer was going to be extremely worried about, especially since this was Hotch.
"I have a response but I think we should move somewhere just in case," Derek explained as he pulled the map back out and looked it over.
"Since he's obviously eating now, it's safe to say we could move to another food vendor," Spencer suggested.
"How do you feel about Chinese for lunch?" Derek asked as he looked up from the map.
Spencer shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I just want to get away from here before he see's us."
Derek nodded in agreement. "There's a Panda Express on the other side of the teacups ride," he said as he pointed in that direction. "We'll just find a way to sit somewhere that makes sure we can't be seen or something."
"Let's go," Spencer whispered, following him.
After ordering something small, the two sat down at a table in a corner and ate while discussing their options.
"So, from how I see it, there are two things we can do," Derek explained.
"Oh?"
"We either leave now, which I think should be our last resort," he began, looking at Spencer for his reaction.
Spencer shrugged. "I agree."
Derek's eyebrows raised: he was surprised and slightly amused at how easily Spencer was adapting to this whole thing. "Then we could either risk Hotch seeing us or we could just confront him."
Spencer continued to eat his food as he thought over the choices. "Could we check in with Garcia first?"
Derek nodded as he pulled out his phone and put it on speaker.
"Prophet of all things awesome, how can I improve your life today?"
Derek grinned at the greeting. "Hey, Baby Girl, you got me and Spencer."
"And how are my statuesque god of chocolate thunder and triple doctorate pretty boy profiler doing today? Has being bad boys and skipping work felt enlightening?"
Spencer's face turned slightly pink and remained speechless as Derek chuckled. "We're doing alright, mama. Already got genius boy here on a roller coaster-"
"A wooden roller coaster, which I'm never riding again."
"And we've come to a slight speed bump," Derek finished, grinning at Spencer's annoyed look.
"Speed bump?"
"Who's in the office today?"
"Rossi, JJ and Emily," Garcia listed, slightly confused. "Hotch isn't here because he had to chaperone something for Jack's class after one of the chaperones had to drop out due to being sick. So, you're not missing any cases."
"Okay, so that definitely was Hotch," Spencer said as he leaned back into his chair, running a hand over his face.
"What was definitely Hotch? Wait, is Hotch there?" Garcia asked.
"Yeah, we were passing a food vendor on our way to the next ride when Spencer spotted him and Jack. We wanted to confirm it."
"Well, what are you guys going to do?"
"We were thinking of either trying to avoid him or just confronting him," Spencer explained.
"Well, I think you should try to avoid him. Seems more badass that way," Garcia said, causing the other two to laugh.
"What do you think, Spence? Wanna be a badass or a kiss ass?"
Spencer quirked an eyebrow and shrugged. "How many times do I get to associate myself with being a badass? Given this entire endeavor would put me at an acute badass at best, but nonetheless a badass."
He could hear Garcia giggling and smiled when he saw Derek chuckling. "Think we've got our answer."
"Keep me updated you two!"
"We will, talk to you later mama!"
After finishing their lunch, the pair made their way towards Skull Island and definitely felt better that they hadn't seen Hotch again.
Spencer didn't want to admit it, but seeing Hotch here and knowing there was a definite chance of him spotting them, he was slightly more nervous that he had been entering the park. Though, knowing they were going to keep an eye out for him knowing he was chaperoning a group of school children did put him a little more at ease.
As they got closer to Skull Island, Spencer spotted the roller coaster that he had seen when they had pulled into the parking lot that morning.
"That's our next ride, isn't it?" he asked, looking at Derek.
"Yep!" Derek said, grinning.
"What's this one called?" Spencer asked. They got closer and the screams from the riders got louder.
"Apocalypse."
"Great," Spencer groaned and followed Derek to the entrance.
There wasn't that large of a line as they continued to make their way toward the ride's loading area. The path was long and twisted as they made their way towards the stairs. Spencer jumped when a geyser of fire shot up next to him.
"Dammit Derek," he groaned, quickening his walk to get closer to him.
"Spencer, this will be fine," Derek said as the line moved. "At least it's not wooden, right?"
Spencer glared at him for that remark and moved to look at the coaster as they saw the numerous drops and twists. At the amount of times the ride went upside down, he could feel his stomach doing cartwheels.
"We shouldn't have eaten before this," he mumbled as the line moved again.
A few minutes later, Spencer and Derek were standing on their spots for the cart and climbed in once given the signal. As the restraints came down over his shoulders, Spencer felt Derek take his hand and gave it a light squeeze before he felt the ride hitch and start to move.
Grasping the handles on the harness and holding his head against the back of the seat, Spencer braced himself for what was about to happen.
The first drop wasn't anything like the other roller coaster, but it was definitely faster. It continued to pick up as the track twisted and they hit the first loop. Spencer couldn't help but smile though as the turns and loops came, laughing slightly as it made the second drop.
More turns and twists and they came to the end of the ride. The harness was raised from above his shoulders and Spencer climbed out, waiting for Derek.
After they had exited, Spencer made his way to the closest trash can and immediately got rid of his lunch. With ever heave he felt Derek rubbing his back. After another minute, Spencer stood up straight, wiping a sleeve over both his eyes and his mouth.
"Sorry," he rasped and gave Derek a thankful look, taking the bottle of water he was offered.
"You alright?" Derek asked him, worried.
Spencer nodded as he took a few sips from the water, swishing it around in his mouth and spitting it out before drinking a few more. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm pretty sure this was just from how extreme the ride was compared to The Wild One."
"You sure?"
Spencer nodded. "Positive."
The two quickly looked around to see if there was any sign of Hotch before pulling out the map and taking a seat on the closest bench.
"The other roller coaster in this section is a wooden one," Derek said, looking over at Spencer.
Spencer made a face and shook his head. "If we're going to ride more, I'd rather stick to ones like this one."
Derek smiled. "So, you enjoyed this one?"
Spencer grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Besides the whole getting sick part, I did find it quite enjoyable."
Nodding in amusement, Derek turned his attention back to the map. "Want to head to Gotham City then?"
"Yes, please."
As they walked under The Wild One's track and into Gotham City, Derek automatically knew this was the one that Spencer was going to enjoy the most. Even though there were a few public named 'nerd' things Spencer openly enjoyed, he treated comic books as his guilty pleasure. Derek knew while he might prefer many different stories in Marvel, the Justice League was enough for Spencer to attach himself to DC comics as well.
He grinned when he saw the shock and awe on Spencer's face as the two walked towards the Gotham City Food Court.
"What do you want to do first?"
Spencer looked over at him and shrugged. "What's around here?"
"Right now closest to what seems like The Joker's Jinx," Derek said, looking over the list on the map. He pointed in the right direction and the two of them made their way over there.
Derek was definitely glad to see the change of Spencer's behavior and actions over the course of the day. It was obvious he was feeling more at ease and that he was actually really, really enjoying himself.
"This isn't a wooden one either, right?" Spencer asked as they got in line for the ride.
Derek shook his head.
"Good."
As they climbed into the ride, Derek couldn't help but notice the excitement that Spencer was emitting as they were strapped in.
"Ready, Pretty Boy?"
Spencer turned his head, a giant grin on his face, nodding. Derek grinned in return and felt himself warm up at the sight of Spencer's smile, knowing that this was one of the better decisions he's ever made.
"That was so much fun," Spencer exclaimed as they made their way towards the exit.
"You definitely seemed to be enjoying yourself," Derek pointed out, wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder and kissing him on the temple.
Spencer nodded. "Thank you so much for dragging me here."
"Anything for you, baby boy."
As they continued down the path, Derek turned and stopped when he saw Jack heading towards the entrance of the ride.
"Spencer, Hotch is coming. We need to get out of here before he spots us," Derek whispered and quickly began pushing Spencer down the path. After a few seconds, the two were basically running and turned towards the next ride, really hoping they weren't going to get spotted.
Sitting down, Spencer took a second to catch his breath. "That was close," he mumbled rubbing a hand over his face. Derek nodded in agreement.
They were silent for a few minutes, trying to collect themselves.
"What's next?" Spencer asked.
Derek grinned. "I've got one more ride for you."
"Which one?"
Derek pointed at a roller coaster behind him and Spencer looked up. He gulped slightly when he watched the cart reach the top of a large drop and instantly speed down it a few seconds later.
"That is an incredibly tall drop," he whispered, standing up and standing next to Derek.
"It's 205 ft."
Spencer turned to look at Derek before returning his gaze to the roller coaster.
"This one is called Superman: Man of Steel," Derek told him.
"Fitting," Spencer muttered.
"Ready?"
All Spencer could do was nod.
As they got in line, everything that happened between now and getting in line for the first roller coaster seemed to disappear. All of a sudden, he was incredibly nervous.
"You okay?" Derek asked. "Your hands are shaking."
Spencer ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I don't know why, but I feel like all my confidence and badassness has disappeared. I think it's the height of the drop. It's sort of intimidating." He looked over and saw the worried face. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
They remained quiet until it was their turn to ride. After being strapped in, Derek took a look at Spencer. His face was pale, he was sweating slightly and he was staring forward.
"This is the last one, Pretty Boy. You're going to be fine." He smiled when he saw Spencer smiling slightly and looked forward.
As they started up the incline, Spencer took deep breaths. He kept telling himself this was the last one: it wasn't a wooden coaster and he was fine on the others.
When it reached the top and stopped, Spencer closed his eyes so he couldn't see over the tip. After a few more seconds, the car made its way down, quickly picking up speed.
Spencer found it impossible to keep his eyes closed and opened them, slightly calming down as they reached the bottom of the drop. He let out a cheer as the ride continued on the track and he grinned with every turn and tip. The ride slowed and hitched as they came near the end.
He looked over at Derek and was surprised to see Derek staring at him. "What?" he asked, obviously confused.
"You alright?"
Spencer smiled and nodded. "Definitely the best way to end today."
Derek grinned as they were released and climbed out of the cart. "Glad you thought so."
Spencer allowed Derek to walk with a hand around his waist as they slowly made their way towards the exit. They both figured they had enough excitement for the day and Superman was definitely their last ride.
They didn't rush out and just walked, enjoying their time together.
"So, first amusement park?" Derek asked, looking over at Spencer.
"Amazing," Spencer said and turned, kissing Derek on the cheek. "Thank you."
Derek grinned and pulled Spencer in a little tighter.
They were almost at the exit when a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Morgan? Reid?" came the voice of their unit chief.
Turning in the direction of the voice, Spencer and Derek didn't even react to seeing Hotch standing there. He had an amused look upon his face and had his arms crossed against his chest.
"Hey Hotch," Spencer said, waving slightly.
"What are you doing here?" Derek asked, trying to hide the fact that they already knew.
"I'm chaperoning. I could ask you the same question."
Spencer and Derek looked at each other and shrugged, figuring they were probably in enough trouble anyway.
"Playing hooky," Derek told him.
Hotch raised an eyebrow. "Hooky? Really Reid?" he asked, looking at the the young agent, surprised.
Spencer shrugged. "Even called in sick," he stated happily.
"This was his first amusement park and I wanted to show him the enjoyments of roller coasters," Derek explained.
Hotch chuckled slightly and shook his head. "I've been wondering that since I saw you two on the Joker ride earlier." He laughed when he saw his agents' eyes widen in surprise.
"You saw us?"
Hotch nodded.
"Dammit, Derek. We should've just told him we were here," Spencer muttered, slapping Derek on the back of the head.
"You're the one who wanted to pretend to be a badass," Derek shot back.
"Hey guys?" Hotch said, hoping to catch their attention. They both turned and looked at him. "Next time? Make it the weekend." With a nod to both of them, he turned and made his way towards the school buses.
Derek and Spencer blinked as they watched him walk away.
"So, we're not in trouble?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Good."
The ride home was quiet as Spencer had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. Every few minutes Derek would look over at him and smile. He was glad to know that Spencer had enjoyed the day and was most likely exhausted.
When they got home, Derek didn't have the heart to wake him, so he carried him up to their bedroom and slowly undressed him until he was in his boxers. Then stripping down to his own, he crawled in bed next to Spencer. Wrapping his arm around the genius, he pulled Spencer closer and pulled the blankets up over them.
He smiled when he felt Spencer turn and move himself closer to Derek, resting his head on one of Derek's arms. "Mmm, Derek?"
"Yeah, baby boy?"
Spencer reached up and kissed Derek on the jaw, before wrapping his arms around him and snuggling in closer. "Thank you again for today."
Derek smiled and kissed Spencer on the head, rubbing his back. "My pleasure."
Author's Note: This came to me while attending an amusement park over the weekend with my best friend. Hope you all enjoyed! All critique is welcomed!