Morgan blames it on those damn glasses. He just looks so cute in them, and Morgan cannot stop looking his way, even though he should be concentrating on his own paperwork, not staring at Reid trying to do his, glasses sliding down to the end of his nose. It's ridiculous that those nerdy classes should make him so attractive, but with his new haircut it just works and Morgan finds himself looking towards Reid's desk more and more during the day.
Emily notices, of course. She keeps smiling at him and looking like she wants to laugh. He guesses he's just lucky Garcia doesn't work up here with the rest of them; she'd have noticed in a heartbeat and bugged him about it all day. As it is he can't believe Emily hasn't called her and tipped her off. He's also very glad that today seems to be just a paperwork day, because he hates being distracted while their working a case. And today Reid is definitely very distracting.
It's when Reid starts absently putting the end of his pen against his lips that Morgan decides he should take a break, quickly. He gets up and mumbles something about going to see Garcia, but heads down the wrong end of the hallway. There's an exit that leads to a small alley out back, where people can go to smoke during their breaks. It's deserted now, which Morgan is grateful for. He leans back against the concrete and lets his head fall back, thinking.
It had taken him awhile to come to terms with wanting Reid. He'd tried to write off his feelings, thinking that he'd simply been spending too much time around the other man; it was bound to happen sometime, right? After all, he'd had that dream about Elle, maybe this thing with Reid wasn't that different. But the feelings hadn't gone away, and he'd just had to learn to ignore them.
It had helped that Morgan had already had his "gay crises" in college, when a drunken night with a friend had turned into a hookup. The other guy had laughed when Morgan freaked out the next morning, but had eventually helped Morgan understand that what Buford had done to him hadn't forced him to be attracted to men, that it was okay to like both men and women. The two hadn't stayed friends, or anything else, but Morgan was grateful for the advice. He imagines that if he'd gone to Reid with that kind of crises, Reid would have all kinds of quotes and statistics about male abuse victims, all said in that way Reid gets when he's in his element: confident and animated.
But that's not what he wants from Reid. He doesn't want facts, he wants…well, he's not sure what he wants. But it involves more kissing than talking, more pressing the younger man against his desk than hearing statistics. He wonders what the other man would do if he leaned over his desk and kissed him, in front of everybody; wonders if he would blush or get angry. The thought makes him smile.
He's drawn from his thoughts when he hears the door to the building open, but when he looks up it's not someone coming for a smoke like he expects. Instead it's Reid standing there, looking at him with a concerned expression.
"Morgan?" Reid asks, letting the door fall shut behind him. "Everything alright? Emily sent me to check on you, she said you looked upset."
Of course she had. Damn it. It figures that she'd interfere, but he can't bring himself to be mad at her; he knows she just wants to help.
"I'm fine Reid," He says, "Just wanted to get some air."
It's not a lie, he actually does feel calmer. Even though the fact that Reid is standing there looking worried about him is making him weird again.
"Are you sure? Because you've seemed distracted all day. Usually you spend at least part of the day teasing Emily or myself, and another part with Garcia. You also haven't done nearly as much work as you usually do, nor have you tried to give me any of your work."
Well. He hadn't realized Reid had been paying that much attention. Although, the way the young man's mind works, he could probably notice little things without even trying. Morgan prefers to think that Reid has just been watching him too. He smiles a little at the thought, and sees that Reid looks a little reassured.
"I've just got a lot on my mind, man." Morgan says, still smiling. He can ignore these feelings. He can.
Reid hesitates, then steps closer to Morgan, moving to leans against the wall right across from him. He smiles slightly, but still wavers.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, flipping his hair out of his eyes, which of course were behind those glasses.
Morgan hesitated. On the one hand, this is the perfect opportunity to talk to Reid about how he's been feeling; their alone, they're not particularly busy. On the other hand, Morgan's not sure he really wants to talk about his feelings. Besides, what if Reid doesn't feel the same way? It's not like Reid will laugh at him or anything, having had enough experience with that himself, but he doesn't want to put a strain on their friendship.
But Morgan's never been one to not go after what he really wants. And he's not going to break that habit now.
"Actually, yeah," he says, crossing his arms across his chest, "That might help."
He can see that Reid is pleased that he wants his help. It's really cute, and it just encourages Morgan to keep going.
"Here's the thing," He begins, "I'm sure you guys have noticed that I've been a little…distracted lately."
He waits for Reid's nod before he goes on. He knows he's been distracted, and knows that a team full of profilers wouldn't miss that. So he's glad Reid doesn't deny that they've been watching.
"Well, it's because lately, there's someone I've been thinking a lot about. Someone I really care about."
He thinks this is the best way to start, this way he can make sure Reid knows it's not just physical…and so he can gauge his reaction to this unnamed person who Morgan has been fixated on. He doesn't miss the way Reid almost frowns, how he shifts and crosses his arms, mimicking Morgan's stance. These are good signs.
"Ah, I didn't realize you'd started dating someone," Reid says, looking a little awkward, "You didn't say."
"Oh, I'm not dating anyone," Morgan s conversationally, "That's the problem, you see, they don't realize I want them."
Morgan knows that Reid notices the lack of feminine pronouns; he sees the dawning comprehension on the young genius's face.
"And if I tell them," Morgan goes on, watching Reid carefully, "It could ruin our friendship, which is the last thing I want to do. And it might make work awkward." He pauses. "Oh, did I mention we were coworkers?"
"Ah, no," Reid murmurs, "No, you didn't."
He's shifting from foot to foot now, and Morgan is having a hard time telling if he's uncomfortable or not. He really hopes it's 'not'. He steps away from the wall, moving forward until he's right in front of Reid, only a little space between them. If Reid wanted to move away, he still could, but it doesn't look like he's going anywhere. Morgan watches as Reid licks his lips, and leans in.
"So, what do you think?" He asks softly, "Should I keep it to myself? Or tell them?"
It's a way out, if Reid wants it. There's no way Reid doesn't understand what he's asking now. But Morgan doesn't expect what Reid says next at all.
"No."
Morgan blinks and steps back automatically. He had thought this was going somewhere, and immediately tries to think of a way to fix this. He starts to back off but is stopped when Reid grabs his arm. He stares at the younger man, confused.
"Reid, what-"
"You shouldn't tell him," Reid interrupts, "People have been shown to respond more to actions than to words."
For a moment, Morgan doesn't understand what he was talking about. But then it clicked, and Reid is smirking at him a little.
"You should show him."
And it's really convenient that Reid is already leaning up against a wall, because it makes it that much easier for Morgan to press against him, one hand behind Reid's head to keep it from banging into the concrete…and as an excuse to tangle his fingers in the other man's hair. The kiss is hot and wet and perfect; better than anything Morgan has fantasized about, even though Reid's glasses are pressed uncomfortably against Morgan's face.
He's not sure how long they might have kept this up, but they're rudely interrupted when an intern bursts through the door, cigarette already in his mouth. The shocked look on his face is extremely comical, especially when his cigarette falls from a mouth opened in shock, and they both side-step him and stumble back into the building, laughing loudly and telling the guy to just forget they were there.
Morgan was a little worried that, now that they weren't attached by the lips, things might get a little awkward for a bit. But Reid just grins at him a little, smoothing his hair down where Morgan's fingers have been tangled in it. Morgan can't help but reach out and straighten the other man's glasses for him, and Reid's grin softens into a small smile.
"So what now, Pretty Boy?" He asks, telling himself that he doesn't feel uncertain, no he doesn't.
"Well, I wouldn't advise continuing this at work," Reid says seriously, but there's still a smile tugging at his lips.
"No?" Morgan answers, "Well then, what do you advise, Doctor?" He can't get this stupid grin off his face, and doesn't bother to try.
"I guess you'll just have to come over tonight instead," Reid says simply, and Morgan wonders when he became the confident one, "It's the only way to avoid scarring more co-workers."
"Oh, I don't know," Morgan says thoughtfully, "I think he might have enjoyed the show."
Reid slaps his arm, which makes Morgan happy because he knows that Reid's not one for causal physical contact. He flicks the other man's tie in response.
"But maybe we should get some more practice before we put on any more performances."
And if Emily gives them both a knowing look when they comes back, he ignores it. And when he buys her lunch later that day, it has absolutely nothing to do with her interference. Nothing at all.