Reiteration - S05E06 The Eyes Have It

He and Reid had a deal. It'd been there since the moment they'd become a couple, because Reid knew Morgan was a ladies man. A player, a flirt, he liked to go out and have a good time. The same way Morgan was fine with letting Reid figure out what and who he liked with other people, pretty boy let him have his fun.

Now of course, there were different situations to consider. If Morgan were going to a bar or a club, all he had to do was say where he was going, and Reid knew what to assume and expect. If Morgan were to meet some girl somewhere else and decided he wouldn't mind a date or two, all he had to do was tell the genius that there was a woman that he was going to see. And Reid would nod and give him a kiss as he left for his date. It was a mutual, understood thing between them. Granted, neither one of them had ever suspected that one of these women would be the relative of a victim from a previous case.

Garcia was much less content with the issue than either of the profilers were. Maybe she hadn't expected it to happen, considering Morgan had definitely been in denial, but she wished he'd listened to her when she told him to cut contact with Ms. Barnes. Sometimes she wished her Junior G-Man wasn't so understanding. At least she knew they were devoted to each other; she'd been the one to show it to Chocolate Thunder for cover's sake, but Reid had been in on the planning for Morgan's office. He was the one who knew about Agent Hall's impending retirement, so that JJ could make the calls she did. Even if she wasn't always happy with how they dealt with things, she trusted them.

Sorrow – S05E09 100

Some events force you to take stock of your life. Hotch losing Haley to the Reaper, almost losing Jack too… What could anyone say? What could any of them possibly say in the face of such grief? They'd separated yes, but everyone knew that Hotch and Haley had never stopped loving each other, and to have it end like this… Morgan uttered an apology that didn't seem like enough. It wasn't, how could it be? And seeing the other man's face told him all too well.

Neither Reid nor Morgan wanted to be alone that night. Some people grieved alone, but this was different. They mourned, but their thoughts were with their team leader, on that phone call, on the future; they were there physically to ground the other as they each tried to make sense out of the too-personal death. Not just another victim. It was the quietest night they'd had in a long time. Too soon, they'd have to relive it all over again.

(The interviews were painful to go through, but Strauss had pitted herself against a mountain; no one was going to budge on what had happened. Their story was the same: it wasn't Hotch's fault.)

Growth - S05E12 Uncanny Valley

Even geniuses needed a reminder now and then of how far they'd come. Apart from a couple of moments, Reid didn't think he'd grown very much as a person. He didn't notice the difference in his own behaviours like Morgan did; didn't see his new backbone until he'd faced up to Strauss during the interview about the Reaper, and especially didn't see his mind as it grew. To him, it had always been that way, no matter how many chess games he played.

What he did notice though, was how upset he'd gotten over Samantha's father, and his treatment of her. It wasn't like he'd never been angry with people like him in the past, but something was different this time. The anger came faster, maybe because of how he dealt with the loss of his father, and knowing ECT was not the answer. The accusations were harsher, because how dare he use such a treatment for something he had done to her… and because he was so close to someone who had survived the same thing. Morgan had never liked child molesters or abusers – it could be seen in how he treated them. Reid seemed to have developed a similar distaste thanks to his partner. That change, that new fire in him that told him to stand against these villains, stood out more prominently to him than anything new in his intellect ever did.

Night In - S05E17 Solitary Man

"How's the leg Pretty Boy?"

The team had just finished their latest case, so Reid and Morgan were settling in at Morgan's apartment for a relaxing evening of watching movies.

"It's fine. I'm lucky climbing that ditch didn't mess it up at all." The genius said, hand unconsciously rubbing over his knee though it wasn't hurting at the moment. Morgan just shook his head and smiled. Reid wasn't supposed to have been climbing at all, but at least no damage had come from it.

"Well good. Wouldn't want you to be distracted from the movie I picked up. It sounds like it's right up your alley, kid."

"Oh? What's it called?"

"A.I."

"...Morgan, please tell me you didn't."

Plans - S05E20 ...A Thousand Words

"There goes my beach house rental."

"And my non-refundable Sin-to-Win weekend in Atlantic City."

Morgan arched an eyebrow. "Sin to win?"

"Yea, and I always win big." Prentiss smirked at the man, making her way to the conference room.

"I didn't have any plans."

Reid could be so clueless sometimes. Morgan sighed, letting go of his plan to surprise pretty boy with the extra ticket to the beach house. Another time then… as always.

Date Night - S05E21 Exit Wounds

Never failed that the whole team would be out doing something, doing their own things, when a call would come in from the BAU or JJ and they'd be pulled back. Morgan and Reid had planned for it this time.

They'd dressed up. Nice, but not fancy, Morgan just in a handsome shirt and Reid in a vest, shirt and tie. They had dinner together, but didn't leave the apartment. Enjoyed the few quiet moments they had with each other. There was disappointment when the call did come, but it was accepted like an old friend and without complaint. They held hands on the way to the BAU, and dove into the new case without hesitation (though a playful argument they'd had on the way there resulted in Morgan refusing to room with Reid, just to get back at the kid for being a smart ass again.)

AN: So apparently this story got nominated for Best Slash Fic of 2014? I have my suspicions for who did it, but regardless, thank you so much! I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw the PM in my inbox! I'm honored by even just a nomination, and it got my butt back into gear to post this, and six should be up relatively soon as well.

-Sable