Hey! So, it's been a while since I updated this one, but here it is! Depending on where this chapter ends up, I'll see how many more there will be at the end of the chapter! Here we go!

P.S. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I don't own Criminal Minds.

"You're coming to the game tonight, right?" Penelope asked as her and Spencer researched for their World Cultures project. The class had been assigned a partner project to create a newspaper with articles, pictures, and ads using events and traditions from one of the cultures they had covered so far. To say Spencer was surprised when Penelope had sat beside him and said "It's you and me 187" was an understatement. With her bubbly personality, optimism, and godly skills on the computer, he had figured that everyone would be hankering to work with her and he would be added to whatever poor group made the mistake of making eye contact with the teacher as usual. But no, Penelope had come to him first, without even looking to work with anyone else.

Spencer shrugged noncommittally. As much as he would love to go to hang out with his hopefully new-found friends like a normal teen (and perhaps stare just a little at Derek in a tight jersey), he new it would be a cold day in Hell when his father allowed that to happen. He was lucky he was allowed to go to school. The only reason he did was because his father had turned his school back in Vegas down when they had mentioned him having the ability to graduate by the time, he turned twelve. William hadn't wanted his son to be looked at as anymore of a freak than he already was. His father hated him, yet he insisted on drawing out Spencer's schooling much longer than need be. Yet another thing that made no sense to Spencer about William Reid.

She probably just felt obligated to work with him because none of her other friends were there.

Then again, he was beginning to believe that, no matter how improbable it seemed, he may have actually gained some true friends for once. He had been attending their high school for almost a month now and Derek and his entire group of friends had been nothing but kind to him. Penelope brightened him up as soon as she walked into the same room as him no matter how sore or exhausted he was. And, on particularly bad days, she always had little treats and snacks on her like she somehow just knew he needed a little pick-me-up. JJ, he was quickly learning, was easy to talk to. She made him feel included and, for once in his life, safe. Rossi and Emily's constant bickering always managed to draw him out of his own head and give him a nice chuckle. Even Hotch had softened up. Whereas he had been expecting to get bullied and beat on from the moment he walked through the front doors of his new school, Hotch's strong, quiet presence kept all potential threats at bay.

And of course, Derek was completely indescribable. He was kind and funny and gorgeous, not to mention the caring smiles he sent in Spencer's direction throughout the day warmed the genius' scarred soul up like nothing else. Every time their skin made contact Spencer felt little jolts of electricity shoot up his veins. He knew he had vowed to himself to keep Derek at an arms' distance, but he was beginning to think that his heart and his brain didn't actually work together when it came to his emotions.

Penelope snapped her pink-painted nails in front of his face and he not-so inconspicuously flinched backwards. Shifting in his seat, he hoped that she either didn't notice or wrote it off as him being startled.

"Hello? You kind of spaced out on me, my handsome genius. I believe we were discussing you coming to Derek's football game tonight?" Garcia said, fixing him with a look that said, "I'm not really suggesting." He blushed slightly at her nickname and looked away. He got more attention from Garcia in a day than he had gotten from his father in his entire life. While it was embarrassing more often than not, he had grown to look forward to her little pet names and quirky sayings.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I, um, don't know that I'll be able to come. M-my dad, um doesn't really ap-approve of me going out after school." He swallowed hard and looked down, ashamed that he had stuttered at the mere mention of his father and embarrassed that he couldn't go to a stupid football game just like any other teenager.

Penelope pouted slightly and that only made him feel even worse. "Can't you just ask him? We'd really like you to be there and it's not like anything crazy goes on. There's teachers there and everything."

"Yeah, I guess…I guess I can ask him." His shoulders slumped. He knew that asking wasn't going to get him anywhere. He was either going to get ignored entirely, screamed at for talking without his dad addressing him, or hit if his father was in the right mood. Still, Penelope didn't need to know that. When he didn't show up, they could just assume he was forced to stay home like some kind of fifth grader instead of the senior he was.

"Great! If he lets you go, call me and I'll pick you up at five. Now, do you think an article about the bubonic plague would go good here?"

0000

By the end of the day, Spencer had completely made up his mind that he was going to that game. One way or another, he was going to hang out with his new friends and watch Derek play. It was the last home game of the season and he didn't want to miss it. He had already missed two others because he had been too scared of his father to even mention it, making up an excuse about family visiting or other plans to the group. Not this time though. He felt that he deserved this one thing. All he wanted was to be a normal teen.

He contemplated his strategy for getting out of the house tonight while Derek drove him home, chatting away about some event that had occurred in his biology class. Even though he felt guilty about not giving Derek his full attention, he truly needed to just think and not have to worry about keeping up his end of a conversation.

Derek went silent, eyeing him worriedly out of the corner of his eye. "You okay Spencer?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Spencer muttered distractedly, only part of his consciousness being in the car with Derek.

"You sure? You look like something's bothering you."

Spencer met the other boy's caring brown eyes briefly and offered him the best smile he could muster. "I'm sure. I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Thinking more than usual, that is," Derek added with a cheeky smile in his direction. This time, a genuine smile graced Spencer's face, along with a slight blush dusting his cheek. He knew it was embarrassingly easy to make him blush, especially if it was Derek talking.

Derek continued to grin as he turned the corner into Spencer's neighborhood. For what it was worth, Spencer had to admit that where he lived was nice. His father was a very prominent lawyer; thus, his paychecks were pretty great. Not that he bought anything for Spencer or helped him in anyway though. The genius was positive that the only reason he was such a great lawyer was because he loved to argue and was the most stubborn person he had ever met, and not in a good way either.

Spencer sighed and snuggled a bit deeper into his seat. He wanted to absorb the warm, comforting feeling that came with riding in Derek's car for as long as possible. The few minutes he got in the car with Derek each day after school was the solace he got in a day and today of all days, he really just needed something to give him a little extra strength if he was going to get around his dad.

Derek had been giving him rides to and from school ever since he found out that he had to ride the bus and the kids that rode with him were less than kind. (Spencer could still picture Derek's furious face when he found out the kids had been destroying his lunch on a daily basis). At first, he had been tentative to accept, but after some coaxing and, quite frankly, pleading from Derek, he had given in. Everyday on the way home he was grateful that he did. Derek always kept the car just warm enough to make it cozy without it being stuffy. The worn leather seats were soft and comfortable with old age and the whole atmosphere smelled exactly like Derek: leather, grass (probably from his grass-stained football uniform that lived in his car), and lavender that must have been his laundry detergent. All of it combined made him feel impossibly safe in a way that he had long forgotten the feeling of.

Derek pulled into his driveway and Spencer felt a coil of dread settle in his stomach. Just looking at his house made him sick and he knew that wasn't normal. He simply couldn't help it, though. He knew what was in store for him behind that door. No matter what kind of day his father was having, it still meant Spencer was going to get hurt in one way or another.

Once out of the car, it took all of Spencer's will power not to turn around and crawl back inside. Back to warmth and comfort and Derek who wouldn't look down on him or pry him for information like he just knew there were certain things Spencer refused to talk about.

"Thanks, Derek. You really don't have to keep doing this," Spencer said quietly, turning around long enough to briefly meet his eyes then quickly look away. He silently cursed his lack of social confidence. He turned back and took a step towards his house, mentally readying himself for what was to come just like every other day of his life.

"Spencer!"

Spencer turned back around to see Derek half hanging out the door of his hand-me-down pick-up truck trying to grab ahold of his wrist before he got too far away.

"Yeah?"

Derek swallowed and looked down, suddenly appearing very nervous. This, in turn, made Spencer even more nervous than he had previously been. His fingers unconsciously found their way to the loose threads on the cuff of his jacket, twisting them as his nervous habit. If Derek was nervous, Spencer surely should have been panicking.

"Um, so…I just…um," he grumbled to himself and momentarily shut his eyes. Spencer waited while also fighting back shivers that weren't just stemming from the chilly November breeze. "Um…are you coming to the game tonight?" he finished, visibly deflating.

Spencer blinked. Even he hadn't thought that was what Derek was going to ask and he wasn't exactly an expert on social interactions. For a moment, Spencer had actually entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, Derek was going to ask him out. But he had quickly snuffed out that hope and reminded himself that no one like Derek would ever consider going out with him. Still, Spencer knew for a fact that was not the question Derek had wanted to ask.

"Uh, I don't know. I hope but," he glanced back at his house, "I don't know if I'll be allowed."

"Oh, well, I really hope you can make it. I'd love to see you there. I'll see you tonight or Monday morning if you can't come." He quickly sat back shut the door and backed out of the driveway without another glance in Spencer's direction.

Spencer was left staring after him forlornly, telling himself that he had done something to deserve the way Derek had just left. With a sigh, he blinked back the miserable tears that had begun to form in his eyes as soon as Derek pealed out and he trudged into his own personal Hell.

0000

Derek thumped his fist against the steering wheel, growling at himself in frustration. He had completely screwed it up! He had been meaning to ask Spencer out since the day he had overheard Spencer quietly admit to Garcia that he was into guys, but each time he came close, he lost his nerve.

Derek didn't understand what was going on. He had never gotten nervous asking someone out before! He was always cool about it, quick to accept whatever answer the person gave him without much disappointment. But none of them were Spencer Reid. None of them made his heartrate pick up like the genius did whenever their skin met. None of them made butterflies come to life in his stomach like when he brushed his locks of curls behind his ear only for them to immediately fall out once again. None of them were perfect, shy, sweet genius boys who stuttered and blushed without any prompting.

Now he had probably lost his opportunity until Monday at school. He could admit that he was disappointed that Spencer more than likely wouldn't be coming to his game. He had been hoping to see him again and spend as much time with him as he could (if that meant showing off a bit of muscle to the other boy, well then, so be it.)

However, something about Spencer was still bugging him.

He had met plenty of shy, quiet people in his life, but Spencer was different in even that regard. He hardly ever initiated conversations and always seemed to be tip toing around what he was actually trying to say. It wasn't even just his shyness either. The way he flinched at sudden noises and then immediately looked around to see if anyone noticed was a dead give away that something wasn't right in his life. From the dread he saw in Spencer's eyes every time he looked at his house, Derek assumed that he didn't have the best home life. He figured that Spencer probably lived in a household where his parents fought a lot, or no one talked at all and he truly did feel bad for him.

In the short month he had known the genius, Derek came to view him as his best friend. He hated the idea of Spencer going home to a place where he got ignored or shouted at, but there was nothing he could do. He didn't have any proof that anything was going on and Spencer's dad was one of the biggest lawyers in the city now. Derek knew the city would be reluctant to investigate and make themselves look bad for accusing a prestigious lawyer of neglect.

So, Derek just did the best the best he could for the boy he had fallen head over heels for. He gave him rides and brought extras of his mom's homemade cookies for him. He would give his shoulder a friendly squeeze whenever he could tell that the other boy was getting nervous. He tried to never stop talking on the way home from school in the hopes that his endless chatter would at least offer Spencer some sort of distraction before he got home.

He could be completely wrong of course; Spencer could just be hopelessly awkward and shyer than anyone he had ever met. He could flinch at loud noises because he was just easily startled. But Derek knew it was more than that. He just simply couldn't talk himself into a reason for Spencer's eyes to hold such dread at the thought of going home.

Derek sighed. What he wouldn't do just to be able to hug the boy genius and hold him close if only to offer him a few moments of comfort.

0000

Spencer sat between JJ and Penelope on the bleachers and watched as Derek threw a perfect pass to one of his wide receivers and scored a touchdown for the team. He couldn't help but grin and laugh as his friends made all sort of racket cheering and clapping for Derek and their home team.

He was feeling truly happy for once. Even if he was freezing and his jaw was aching terribly, he really was having a good time. He was doing something normal high schoolers did, sitting amongst people that were quickly becoming his best friends, and watching his crush play a game that he couldn't even begin to understand. It was great.

Of course, getting to his current position hadn't been so great. After he had gotten home, he had tried to slip past his father going over a case in the dining room, but luck wasn't on his side. William had called him back and made him help him with his work. He only used Spencer for his reading speed and his knowledge of every law in the books. William didn't actually want company, not his company at least. He had made that very clear but the punch to the jaw he had received for not finishing William's case file quick enough, hence the bruised jaw that he had told his friends he received after running into the doorframe. It really wasn't all that hard to believe after spending five minutes with his clumsy self.

He was still shocked that his ploy to get to the game had actually worked. He could have never in a million years come out and just ask William to go. That would have gotten him more than a bruised jaw. But, if there was one things William wanted more than to punish Spencer, it was to fit in and try to keep his "freakiness" to a minimum. So, William could hardly deny Spencer attending a mandatory school event to work on their quarter projects. He had even made it sweeter by telling his father that he didn't have to drop him off or pick him up because Penelope already had that covered.

After much grumbling and yelling at Spencer for being a burden, William gave in and retreated to his room without so much as a goodbye to Spencer, which, of course, was just fine. Spencer didn't want a goodbye from the man anyhow.

At halftime, Spencer watched the football teams head for the locker rooms, all except for the home team's quarterback. He smiled up at Spencer like seeing him at his game had just made his entire day. He waved and pointed towards the back of the bleachers, a silent message for Spencer to follow him. When he rounded the back of their seats, Spencer found that only him and Derek were occupying the dim space. He carefully stepped over one of the metal support beams and made his way over to Derek.

Derek gave him a soft smile as he approached. "I thought you weren't allowed to come?"

"Actually, I said that I didn't think I was going to be allowed to come. There's a big difference."

"Okay smarty pants, but I'm still happy you came." Derek leaned back against the chilly metal seats and pulled Spencer along with him.

"So am I," he murmured quietly, trailing off as he looked at the other boy's face. Being this close to him, he could smell all the dirt and sweat emanating off of the other teen, and he didn't think he had ever smelled anything more enticing. Spencer stood there, staring into Derek's chocolate brown eyes. They were warm and inviting and he felt like he could stare at them with content for the rest of his life.

"Derek, I-"

He was cut off by Derek's lips softly meeting his, warm and gentle. It was nothing like the kiss scenes his mother had read to him out of her romance novels when he was younger. It wasn't rushed and messy; there wasn't any desperate need for each other or passion-filled yearning. It was sweet and slow in a way that just fit the two of them perfectly.

The other teen's lips were salty with sweat and tasted perpetually like honey Chapstick. Derek carefully turned them so that Spencer's back was against the bleachers and he pulled his cold, skinny body into his own warm, muscular one. His slightly calloused palms rested on either of Spencer's cheeks, and his fingertips brushed along Spencer's chestnut curls. Spencer leaned into the kiss, terrified that at any moment he would wake up from this beautiful dream and it would all be over.

Eventually, they had to break apart for air. Even then, Derek rested his forehead against Spencer's, so their eyes were mere centimeters apart.

"I've been waiting to do that," Derek murmured, the warmth of his words rolling across Spencer's face.

Spencer's brain malfunctioned. He couldn't seem to get his mind to cooperate with his lips. Before any part of his brain was consulted, his lips whispered back, "Me too."

Before anything else could be said, Spencer's phone buzzed in his pocket. The only reason he even had a phone was because his father wanted to be able to have access to degrading and yelling at him even when he wasn't home. If the device weren't the only way he had to get into contact with his friends, he would have smashed the thing a while ago.

Spencer looked at Derek apologetically and checked his phone to see he had received a text from his father.

Get home NOW

Spencer's heart dropped and his face paled. That couldn't be good. His father had no reason to be texting him to get home. Unless he knew. Fear settled in Spencer's stomach and he felt tears form in his eyes. He didn't want to go home, God he didn't. If his father had somehow found out he had lied, it would be the end of him. If there was one thing his father didn't tolerate over everything else, it was lying. The mere thought of his father's rage had him choking on his own cry of fear. He just wanted to go back to a few moments ago when he had been lost in the bliss of Derek's lips. Why couldn't he have a normal father who cared about him and loved him and let him be a human being? For once, he wasn't just scared, he was terrified.

Derek's eyes filled with concern when Spencer tensed up in his grip. He ran the back of his hand over Spencer's cheek.

"What's wrong?"

Spencer looked back up at Derek, desperately trying to blink back tears. He focused on trying to slow his breathing that he didn't even realize had picked up.

"I-I have to g-go. My," he swallowed hard, "d-dad wants me to come home."

Derek's eyes filled with fear and a bit of anger, his speculations pretty much being confirmed. The tears Spencer was hurriedly trying to blink back broke his heart. He glanced at the scoreboard to see that he had two minutes before the game started again. He desperately wanted to just leave then and take Spencer back to his house to keep him from ever having to go home, but he knew there was nothing he could do in the moment. At least not until he talked to his dad.

He pulled the genius into his arms, tears of his own burning the backs of his eyes. He placed a kiss on the tip of his nose, light as a feather, and looked him in the eyes.

"You're not alone. I'm here for you, baby."

I know it's been a while since I updated, but here the next installment finally is! I didn't really know how to finish the chapter, so it may seem a little awkward, but I did my best. As for how many chapters are left, probably one, at the most, two. Thanks for reading!