Prompt: "lederhosen"
From: light within the shadows
Word Count: 846
Rating: K+
Characters: Reid, Morgan, Hotch
Genre: Humour, Family
A/N: I actually changed this from my original idea. Not that it really matters; I just think that this is funnier. Also, there is a very slight NCIS crossover here to make part of it make sense. Don't worry; you don't need to watch the show to read this. Also, thanks to everyone for favouriting, reviewing, and reading this.
"Lederhosen"
JJ asked, "What's Hotch doing?"
Rossi noted cryptically "Right now I'm guessing he's wishing anybody else was the leader of this team."
There were a lot of things that SSA In Charge Hotcher hated about Monday morning. On good weekends, it meant leaving Jack to the sullen glares of his ex-wife. On bad weekends, it meant merely moving from one stack of paper to another. On the occasion, Monday morning brought him drama, and being team leader the onus was on him to deal with it if need be.
On this particular morning, about fifteen minutes in to what was promising to be a very long day, two of his subordinates were standing in front of his desk. He couldn't help but compare himself to a high school principal; certainly the issue at hand was juvenile enough. He wondered if perhaps certain members of Gibb's team were having a bad influence on his agents. This was certainly something he would expect of Tony Dinozzo.
"So let me get this straight." He sighed, resisting the urge to unlace his hands from their businesslike position on the desk, to find a suitable pressure point to relieve the on coming headache. "Derek, you decided that Reid needed a little encouragement in changing his wardrobe?"
"Hotch-"
"Just yes or no Derek." He requested wearily. He nodded. "So you broke into his house –which is illegal by the way- and stole all of his clothing, leaving nothing but a single outfit for him to wear?" Morgan nodded again, this time looking a tiny sheepish at having his crimes read back to him. "And you hoped that Reid would be forced to wear this outfit."
"I didn't think that he had backup." Morgan noted in disgust, more at his own plan failing then Reid succeeding in thwarting it. He looked over to take in the sight once again.
The young man certainly hadn't missed his calling. His ingenuity was boundless, no doubt helped along by FBI training. He had several items from a box of Halloween costumes, which Morgan had to admit was a huge oversight on his part, forgetting that Reid loved the all hallows eve. The vampire cape, lederhosen, and Spiderman costume tied together with fireman boots made for a hilarious ensemble that even Jack would have trouble rivalling. He had walked into work with head held high, ignoring the resounding laughter and jokes.
"And I mean really Reid; you'd rather wear that then the outfit I left?" He asked incredulously.
Reid sniffed. "It's the principal of the thing." He stated levelly. Morgan rolled his eyes in disbelief, and looked to Hotch as if to say "can you believe this?"
Hotch stared back, and gave his verdict. "Well first of all, Morgan, you're going to return all of Reid's clothes. Not now." He added when Morgan turned to leave. "I don't want you to leave the office until the end of the day. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." Morgan said resignedly.
"You're dismissed." Morgan quietly left.
"As for you Reid…" he looked at the young agent, quietly proud of him for standing up for himself, but superego dictated his course of action. "I realise that Morgan was out of line. But you can't walk around all day looking like that." Reid glared at him defiantly.
"So I should have come to work in the outfit Morgan laid out for me?" he asked angrily.
"I didn't say that." Hotch said, the corner of his mouth twitching up for just a second, but long enough for Reid to catch it. "Did you bring the outfit?"
"Yes." Reid grumbled. "To give it back."
"Well for today, just wear it. It won't kill you." He added before Reid could protest. Reid sighed in defeat and nodded his assent.
Half an hour later, Rossi and Morgan stood at the rail, leaning over the bullpen. Both were dumbstruck, though Rossi hide it with grace.
"Unbelievable." Morgan muttered. "I can't win for trying." He shook his head. "Whatever man. I give." He strolled down the ramp, leaving an amused Rossi fighting the urge to chuckle.
Reid had changed as ordered. He now wore a black, button down dress shirt with a simple black tie. The shirt wasn't tucked, thanks to the itching powder conveniently dusted on the lower part of the shirt. Morgan had actually taken it from Reid's own magic trick collection, to add irony to the drama. It hung over black designer jeans, which politely hugged Reid's attractive frame. The outfit ended in plain tennis shoes (deemed the only appropriate part of his previous wardrobe).
The people who had laughed only recently had become a steady parade of people past his desk, either complimenting him, or flirting. What despaired Morgan and amused Rossi and the rest of the team was that Reid remained painfully oblivious to the females (and one or two males even) advances.
Reid learned to take precautions from devious colleagues, and Morgan learned that a complete wardrobe makeover could never change someone's true character.
Except for the six phone numbers now sitting snugly in Reid's messenger bag. Sometimes to prove a point and still accept that someone was right, it paid to be a master at sleight of hand.
~Fin
A/N: I have to say, I don't know whether I like prompts better that I focus on, or the ones that I use as a catalyst and take the story 180 degrees from it. This definitely isn't one of my better prompts. Ah well, everyone has bad days right?
*On another note to my reviewers; you are more then welcome to give me prompts too! Just put it in a review or a PM and I will write it within a week.