A/N: Hey guys, so I was overconfident in my immune system and when the flu hit my school I thought I could escape getting it even though I was taking care of friends when they had it. Unfortunately I am now starting to feel the weakness and nausea that could signal a nasty bug so I will try to update regularly still but if I can't then I will finish writing the story once I am well.
Also AhmoseInarus was kind enough to point out that 'I'm Too Sexy' is not by MC Hammer but is by Right Said Fred. I got my information from my sister and did not look into it more thoroughly and I apologize for the mistake. (Though I can understand her confusion, I went online and found the proper lyrics for the song to refresh my memory and it was under MC Hammer. I went back to try finding it on youtube after seeing that review and found that the simple youtube search would have corrected me if I had done so earlier.)
Thank you to RoseLaurel for the brilliant suggestions of clichés! I will likely use a few of those and of course will give credit to you at the beginning of those chapters.
Last bit of business is to say that I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters as always.
~Winter
February 8
Garcia waited anxiously for JJ and Morgan to arrive for work, they were the last in today and the rest of the team kept giving her weary glances. The way that she was staring at the elevator was unnerving not only her team but the others that worked in the bullpen as well and Garcia turned to Reid for a distraction after quickly making sure that Hotch was not in hearing range of them. "So baby, have you thought of anything to give Hotch yet for Valentine's Day?" Reid flushed a brilliant red color and Garcia was surprised that the question she had meant innocently had gotten such a response.
Reid hastily looked around himself before grabbing Garcia's hand and pulling her up to the conference room where he quickly locked the door and turned down the blinds not putting it past their team to read their body language as they spoke. "I was actually wondering if you and JJ would be willing to go with me today to look at something I have been thinking about." Garcia watched as Reid's entire face lit up as he thought about Aaron Hotchner, "I know that we can't get married or anything like that, but I want to give him something that like a ring he can always carry with him that is from me as a symbol of my devotion to him."
Garcia pounced on Reid and hugged him tightly to her before kissing him on the forehead, "Of course JJ and I will go shopping with you! What are you thinking of getting him and how are you planning on presenting it?" Reid's flush returned and Garcia smiled, knowing that this response was something personal and the real reason he had flushed when she first brought up the topic. "I know that it is unethical especially since Aaron is clearly the more dominant one in our relationship," The flush on his cheeks darkened and Garcia couldn't help but coo at him as she pressed her relatively cool fingers against his flushed cheeks.
Reid took a fortifying breath and pushed on, "but I want to propose to him, or at least the equivalent. I want to promise to be with him forever even if we cannot make that legal. I was thinking since we aren't exactly traditional anyway that I could give him a pocket watch with an engraved message on the back." Garcia's expression of delight was highly reassuring to Reid and he felt himself relaxing slightly knowing that she would not let him embarrass himself in such a manner if she thought the idea wasn't a good one.
"What kind of metal were you thinking for the watch? What color were you considering for the engraving?" Reid's expression took on pure delight which caused Garcia's eyes to tear up; her baby was truly happy, happier than she had ever seen him before. "I was thinking of a white gold pocket watch and chain and have the engraving be in either a regular gold or asking if they could do inlays of black opal since opal is my birthstone and it would add a bit of me to the watch."
Garcia placed her hand gently on Reid's cheek again and smiled up at him, "We can ask JJ as well but I think the opal would be better. It is more unique and perfectly you, not to mention that the black would offset the white gold perfectly and the hints of color would add great dynamic." Reid smiled brilliantly again and he looked towards the door, "Well we probably already look suspicious enough up here so why don't we go see if JJ and Morgan are here yet. You were waiting so anxiously for them earlier." Garcia smiled and bounced over to the door, she had almost forgotten about her anxiousness for everyone to be here at Reid's present idea and he chuckled as he followed her out.
Everyone looked up as Garcia bounced down from the conference room followed by Reid at a mellower pace. Hotch noticed the brightness of Reid's eyes and the happiness that was so prevalent in his expression and was drawn closer to the boy from it. When Reid finally made it to his desk and sat in his chair Hotch was leaning against the corner of his desk and Reid smiled softly as he noticed Hotch had leant more towards him the moment he sat down.
"Okay everyone, today I got you things that I consider appropriate for you to wear for Valentine's Day evening when you finally get down to loving things up!" Everyone looked at Garcia with a newfound apprehension and she pulled a large stack of boxes from a supply closet near where she was standing. She handed them their boxes without having to check which one was huge and smiled deviously before making her escape. She could watch them all through the security cameras and would be able to avoid their possible immediate reactions to the things that she had gotten for them.
Morgan opened his box first and groaned as he found chaps within the box that Garcia had constantly threatened to photoshop on him. It would seem that the woman had finally given up on only having pictures of that fantasy and wanted to see Morgan wearing the attire herself. Morgan couldn't help but snicker at the fact that there was also a hat, boots, and a set of spurs. That girl had a kinky mind and he couldn't help but appreciate the enthusiasm she held for the idea, maybe he would indulge her, maybe.
Rossi opened his box and gaped at the velvet pants and the silk button down shirt that she had given him. The two fabrics could make decent outfits but the clothes that she had chosen for him if he ever wore them would make him look like a really outdated pimp trying to pick up women who were barely or not even legal. He quickly closed the lid to his box before Morgan could look into it and shook his head trying to look scandalized and not burst out laughing at the spunk of the woman.
JJ opened her box cautiously and found a cute silk chemise that was a soft rose pink color and had tan colored lace flower patterns that ran along the hems an went up from one hip and through the center of the chemise to end at the opposite shoulder giving a hint of a risqué look to the scanty piece of clothing while also making it look elegant. JJ actually greatly appreciated the piece and the nice feel of the fabric between her fingers.
Prentiss opened her box with caution and flushed slightly when she found a blood red bustier with black lines that would go from over her hips to the tops of her breasts and end in little silk bows if she were to ever wear it. Much to her chagrin there was also a matching pair of underwear to complete the ensemble and she quickly hid her box from Morgan's view as the man tried to see what Garcia had given her.
Hotch and Reid looked at each other with uncertainty and Hotch knew that he couldn't avoid opening his box any longer. When he opened it he found a pair of leather pants that looked about the size that if he wore them they would look painted onto his body and his eyebrow arched in response to that. It wasn't until he saw Reid's flaming face that he noticed there were words stitched into the waistband of the pants that he realized would likely rest too low on his hips. The message was simple and brought a look of mortification to his own face, the words 'Master Hotchner' were stitched into the waist on either side of the zipper of the pants clearly an insinuation towards his relationship with Reid. Hotch quickly stuffed the pants back into the box and scowled at Morgan who was laughing heartily and Rossi who was chuckling and moving a safe distance away.
Reid looked down at his own box with hesitation. On one hand if he didn't open it then Garcia would come out and make a big scene out of it which would draw more attention than was already on the team, if he did open it then he would likely be embarrassed beyond all reason. After seeing what Garcia had given to Hotch he just knew that what she had gotten for him would be ten times worse. Making up his mind he quickly lifted the lid of his box just enough for him to see into it. A blush exploded over his face and he noticed that there was a letter included in his so he quickly grabbed the letter out of the box and then not trusting the others not to try and open it themselves he grabbed the letter, the box and his messenger back and escaped to the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he entered.
Reid quickly took the two items that Garcia had gotten him out of the box then sat on the floor against the wall and opened the letter that had come with the items. He decided that since the letter would be about the items she had gotten for him then it was best to stop trying to ignore them and actually see what they were fully. The first item was a headband with fuzzy cat shaped ears on the top that were brown and gold which he figured was to match his coloring and when he touched one he found that they were surprisingly soft. The ears explained why Garcia had called him kitten the other day but he realized that the reason he was paying so much attention to the ears was to avoid the other item.
He reached out and picked up a slim leather collar. There was a silver clasp on the back of the collar that would allow it to be fastened securely and the metal would not chafe against the skin and on the opposite side from the clasp was an amber stud that held a silver dog tag below it that had his first name engraved into the tag in elegant black lettering. He was about to cast the collar aside, insulted by the implication of him being a pet when he realized there was an engraving in silver lettering on the inside of the collar.
'You are my heart and soul. I will always belong to you.'
The message didn't show ownership over Reid, it showed the exact opposite. He realized that to fully understand he needed to read the letter that Garcia had given him with this present. He knew the woman well and though it may have been his initial reaction he knew that she would never purposefully imply that he was only a pet. He carefully unfolded the letter and as his eyes drifted over the words he felt that the present was far from the shameful thing he had first seen and that it actually meant a lot to him.
Spencer,
I realize that you probably took offense to the present at first and I want to give you a little bit more to think about when it comes to this. I had the opportunity to talk to Hotch one day about you and I asked him how he felt for you. The question was direct because I wanted a direct answer and he realized as much and gave me as direct of an answer as he was able to.
He spoke so passionately about you and the biggest thing that I noticed was that when he was trying to explain how he felt about you he never said that you had his heart or that you had his soul, he kept using the words 'he is' rather than 'he has.' That struck something in me and I realized that there is a depth of emotion there that he truly couldn't find the words for.
He realizes himself that he is truly yours and that though things can hurt him and many have tried to break him you are the only one who could ever succeed. He realizes the power that you have over him and he loves you even more deeply for that. I know that he has told you that himself but when I was thinking of this particular gift I knew that I wanted to put a message from Hotch into it and that I wanted to have you see the full impact of how you effect him.
This collar does not show ownership over you. The collar goes around your neck, a place where many aim to kill, a place that holds life. The message on this collar will always be against your neck when you choose to wear it and shows that your life truly has more power over the man you love than anything else in his own life does. If you should chose not to wear it I understand, you are a modest person and it is quite an obvious piece of jewelry, but don't cast it aside.
-Garcia
Reid picked the collar back up and traced his finger over the message lightly before smiling and slipping the collar into his messenger bag along with the cat ear headband. He shook his head at the idea of the ears but couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought of the collar. He quickly tossed the box they had come in and made his way back out of the bathroom.
When Reid got back out to the bullpen everyone was working like normal and didn't stare at him like he had expected them to do. Morgan didn't even bother him to know what he had gotten from Garcia when he walked by, nor did the man tease him about escaping into the bathroom. When Reid sat at his desk and turned on his computer he had a message flashing that he had new e-mails so he opened the account to find an e-mail from JJ saying that Garcia had pulled her aside and asked if she wanted to go shopping with them and that she would love to go as well.
Reid smiled at the screen, really excited for the lunch hour to come around now and noticed that he had another e-mail from Strauss which dimmed his excitement a little. He almost hopped that the e-mail would be another prank from Garcia even though she had already done her thing for the day and she wouldn't use the e-mail from Strauss ruse again. He opened it to find an e-mail from Strauss asking him to come to her office to talk and he sighed, he should have expected her to go after him next but he was hoping she wouldn't.
When Reid knocked on the door to Strauss's office she called for him to come in and he quickly settled down in the chair across her desk when she motioned to it. "Agent Reid, I am glad you were willing to take some time away from your paperwork to speak with me." Reid gave her a false smile and strove for a polite yet neutral tone of voice, "Well ma'am I tend to get my paperwork done faster than the others and since my car is currently getting repairs done I have been getting a ride from Hotch since my place is on his way so I am usually here longer than I need to be and will have plenty of time to get my work done."
Reid hoped that giving her more information than needed in certain things would balance out the times that he gave her very little. "How long has your car been getting repairs done Agent Reid? I have noticed that you tend to arrive with Agent Hotchner often." Reid tried to casually shrug his shoulders, "My car has been in the shop for a week or so now. Hotch also occasionally picks me up when we are likely going to leave for a case right away since it doesn't make sense for us to both drive in and leave our cars sitting here."
Strauss shook her head and Reid could tell she was getting annoyed. He had difficulty keeping from smiling at her clear aggravation. "What can you tell me about Agent Hotchner's individual relationships with you and your teammates?" Reid hid his own irritation much better than the woman sitting across from him, "Overall he shows his worth as the leader of our team every day. Individually Hotch has made sure to take the time and know each of us so that he can help us when anything comes up. He talks to us individually regularly to make sure that we are all in a good place mentally and emotionally for the job we do."
Reid watched her as he responded and saw the resignation in her when she realized another of Hotch's team was going to stand up for him. "Ma'am I mean no disrespect by this but I don't think you realize the dynamics of how our team works and without that understanding you could never comprehend how we interact and work together. You are in your office and left to work as an individual most of the time. When we are at work taking the role of an individual rather than a team can get people killed. You are in individual first and we are a team first." With that Reid stood from his chair, "If that will be all ma'am?" Strauss waved him away and Reid left the office at a forced casual pace before retreating back to the bullpen and immersing himself in his paperwork.
When lunch came around Reid gladly left with JJ and Garcia after a quick goodbye to Hotch. Morgan and Rossi waited for them to leave before making their way to Hotch's office, "Hey Hotch, since we have apparently been left behind why don't we head out and do our own thing for lunch?" Hotch looked up at the two of them, Morgan had spoken but Rossi was obviously in agreement or he would have said something in opposition or just not come up to Hotch's office.
Hotch grabbed his jacket and the men left the office to come upon Prentiss sitting in the bullpen watching them all closely. Hotch sighed and motioned for the woman to join them so he could explain to her on the way. So far Prentiss was the only one other than Reid that didn't know what Hotch was planning anyway. JJ had been the first Hotch approached with the idea and they quickly recruited Garcia not only to distract Reid but also to make the process of what Hotch was doing go faster. Then Morgan and Rossi had been brought in when Hotch realized that he wouldn't be able to do everything on his own. It looked now like a truly team effort to get his surprise for Reid put together so quickly.
JJ and Garcia watched with awe as Reid babbled on incessantly about the pocket watch he had found. It was the white gold that he had been looking for and the face had roman numerals for the number which made him even happier. There was no designing on it and that left it open for being engraved, "What are you planning on getting engraved onto the back?" Reid smiled at JJ, not caring at all that she interrupted him, "It is a quote by William Shakespeare, 'My heart is ever at your service.' I looked it up online before choosing what to put and it is short enough to be engraved on the standard sized pocket watch."
Garcia and JJ smiled indulgently at the boy as he became entranced once more by the pocket watch that he had chosen. After the shop keeper finished with the customer he had been serving he made his way over to stand opposite from Reid. "That is an excellent choice young man. Many people don't recognize white gold when they see it." Reid smiled brilliantly up at the man before looking back at the watch and asking to look it over more carefully. The man obliged and pulled the watch out to allow Reid to handle it.
"Would it be possible to engrave this by Valentine's Day?" The man chuckled, "It can be engraved for you by close of business tomorrow if you would like sir." Reid looked up at him with an apologetic smile, "What if I want inlays of a specific stone to be put into the engraving?" The man behind the counter hesitated slightly before responding, "Depending on the stone it can still be done. It would most likely take until the afternoon of Valentine's Day depending on how long the message is. We will have to make sure that we can form the stone into the letters so that it won't come loose which takes some effort. I do believe one of our jewelers is perfectly suited for the job though. What stone were you thinking?" Reid's smile brightened, "I was hoping to put a Shakespeare quote done with inlays of black opal." The man looked at him in surprise, "Black opal is quite an expensive stone, and it is the rarest opal. Can you afford that?" Reid nodded enthusiastically and the man behind the counter looked over him and the two women flanking him obviously re-evaluating his customer.
The man looked at the way the boy was handling the pocket watch with obvious care and delight that he had found the one he was looking for and he couldn't help but smile. He loved being able to see people that were genuinely in love. Some of his customers just came in and grabbed something that looked pretty but this young man had obviously put much thought into his gift and the man found that he was eager to see the finished product himself.
"What quote do you want to use?" Reid quickly wrote down the quote for the shopkeeper and the man smiled brilliantly at him, "Alright sir if you give me your phone number I will call you when we have it completed and I can guarantee that it will be ready on Valentine's Day if not the day before." Reid wrote down his phone number on an order form along with all of the other information that the shop keeper needed. When Reid paid for the pocket watch as well as the cost of engraving and for the black opal the shopkeeper attached those receipts to the paperwork as well before printing off another copy for Reid. "Alright Mr. Reid, I will see you on the fourteenth!" Reid smiled and shook the man's hand once more before leaving the shop with Garcia and JJ.
Having already finished his paperwork and not really wanting to do more of Morgan and Prentiss's Reid decided to have Garcia drop him off at his place so he could spend some time packing up things that Hotch and him didn't need at his place as the other man had suggested already. He smiled and waved goodbye to them a final time as he watched them drive off. As he entered the building he was looking down at his phone slowly typing out a text message to the man telling him that he would be taking a half-day from work and he didn't notice Garcia and JJ stopping just a few meters down the street where they ran into Morgan, Rossi, Hotch and Prentiss.
That night Hotch returned and entered the apartment to the sound of classical music floating through the air. There were several boxes lining the edges of the sitting room and he caught the scent of dinner wafting from the kitchen. He quickly put his gun into a gun safe before walking into the kitchen to find Reid humming along to the music as he moved around the kitchen cooking Chinese food. Ever since JJ had taught him how to cook the boy had taken a special liking to trying out Chinese recipes and Hotch was always glad to try them.
They talked quietly through dinner, enjoying the calm atmosphere around them and once dinner was over Hotch quickly cleared the table and began doing the dishes. He looked up when their conversation had trailed off a few moments before and saw Reid sitting on a barstool at the counter looking contemplative and noticed that the boy's long fingers were running absentmindedly along his own neck. He quickly finished the dishes and walked around behind Reid kissing the boy's neck along the same path his fingers had been tracing.
"What has you so preoccupied this evening Spencer?" Reid laughed lightly trying to hide his blush that had been caused by startling when Hotch touched him. He hadn't meant to go into a daze like that, "I was just thinking about something Garcia said." Hotch looked at him incomprehensively and thought Reid was merely trying to change the subject when his young lover asked once more what he was up to and he found that he needed to distract his lover quickly.
"You must be tired from going through everything and packing all afternoon, why don't we go take a bath?" Reid shrugged and allowed Hotch to get out of the question figuring he could figure out the answers to his questions later. It was moments later when they were both in the quickly filling bathtub and Reid was curled up sideways in Hotch's lap, Hotch was right, they really did need a much larger bathtub. Hotch's hands ran soothingly up and down Reid's arms and sides causing him to cuddle closer to the older man's chest and sigh with contentment.
Reid remained happily relaxed as Hotch soaped up a rag and ran it over his skin, cleaning the day's work from Reid's skin leaving him feeling content and warm. He enjoyed it when Hotch did things like this; small and simple gestures that showed just how much the man cared for him. Reid let out a soft sigh that was quickly followed by a surprised moan when Hotch pinched one of his nipples. "You don't get to sleep yet Spencer." Reid looked up at Hotch in surprise, not having realized that his eyes were drifting shut until he was reprimanded.
Reid squirmed, trying to escape the strong grip that Hotch had on him. "Aaron, I'm tired and we have not been getting nearly enough sleep lately." Hotch chuckled darkly and allowed Reid to get out of the tub and he unstopped the water to drain as they toweled dry. Reid huffed out a breath when Hotch stepped up and wrapped his arms around Reid's waist turning his young lover to face the mirror above the bathroom counter.
Hotch nibbled at Reid's ear and knew that he had won when Reid's head tilted to the side allowing him more room. "I want you to see how beautiful you look when I am giving you pleasure." Reid flushed and he could feel Hotch's smirk against his neck. "Mmmm, whatever you want Aaron." Hotch trailed his hand along Reid's abdomen and began playing with the boy's nipples once again. "Keep your eyes open Spencer, I want you to watch all of this." Reid's eyes fluttered back open and he looked into the mirror and groaned as he made eye contact with Hotch's reflection.
Hotch's hand that wasn't playing with Reid's nipples moved down to grasp the boy's erection firmly causing Reid to whimper. Hotch began a slow rhythm of moving his hand up and down Reid's shaft, collecting pre-cum when it started leaking from the tip to lubricate his hand and speed up the pulls of his hands. He kept up a whispered commentary of Reid's beauty in his ear and had to continuously remind the younger man to keep his eyes open.
"Aaron, stop teasing." Hotch smiled to Reid's reflection, "I'm not teasing Spencer, I am going to show you that just watching your pleasure can bring me to my own release. Just you Spencer." Reid's eyes widened slightly and his cheeks flushed a deeper red than the arousal had already made them and his hips twitched forward into Hotch's hand that moved steadily over him.
"Yes Aaron, faster, please." Hotch groaned as he kissed along Reid's shoulder and neck while still holding Reid's eyes with his own in the mirror. He quickened the pulls of his hand and slid his other hand down along Reid's chest and abdomen before tracing his fingers lightly along the bottom of the boy's stomach bringing a desperate sob from his lover. "Let go Spencer." Reid let out a soft moan as Hotch's grip tightened more and his pulls sped up while he trailed his other hand down to lightly fondle Reid's swollen sack.
"So close Aaron." Hotch's breathing was fast as it caressed Reid's neck and he could feel Hotch's erection pressed against his backside, wanting desperately to at least feel Hotch against him Reid ground back against Hotch as he came nearer to the pinnacle of his pleasure. "Oh god Aaron." With an incoherent wail Reid released and with the combination of watching Reid's face in the mirror and feeling the warm seed coat his hands along with Reid grinding back against his own erection brought Hotch along with him.
Reid was bracing himself on the counter as he regained his breath and saw Hotch reach over him for the folded pile of rags he always kept on the bathroom counter. He quickly soaked one with warm water and cleaned the fluids off of both of them before leading Reid out of the bathroom and to bed. "Do you see how beautiful you are to me Spencer?" Reid let out a small laugh and cuddled into Hotch's arms, "All I see is that you are a kinky bastard Hotch. Mirrors? Really." Hotch chuckled at that and Reid kissed him softly on his jaw which got Hotch to tilt his head down towards Reid and allowed the younger man to capture his lips with his own in a passionate kiss. When Reid broke away from him he was smiling brightly even though he looked incredibly tired still. "Sleep now Aaron." Hotch smiled fondly and shook with silent laughter when Reid murmured the word 'mirrors' once more in disbelief as he drifted off into sleep.
