Two weeks earlier...
It had been a grueling several days in Delmont, Oklahoma. The case had dragged on and on due to the ineptness of the local police department, and their bungling had put almost all of the agents in peril, in one way or another. Both Hotch and Morgan had barely avoided getting shot; Reid had nearly been run over by a cop car; and Prentiss had slipped in a pool of blood while chasing the unsub through a shopping mall, and sprained her ankle as a result.
The whole situation would have been laughable if lives hadn't been at stake.
Miraculously, Reid and Morgan managed to get to the victims before they were blown up, while Hotch and Rossi brought in the unsub.
That night, the whole gang--except for Garcia, who'd stayed in Quantico--went out on the town to celebrate, and ended up in the hotel bar for after-dinner drinks.
Reid was now alone, seated in a booth which the rest of the team were using as home base for the evening. He sipped a rum and Coke, watching indulgently as Morgan, seated on a stool at the bar, shamelessly flirted with Jordan Todd.
It didn't bother him--Morgan was a natural flirt and Reid knew it didn't mean anything. Besides, Jordan and Morgan had butted heads ever since she came on board to fill in during JJ's maternity leave, and Reid knew Morgan was irritated by her.
And, anyway, Reid knew that Morgan loved him. He reached into his chest pocket and touched two hotel room key cards. One was for his own room; the other unlocked Morgan's door. They'd developed a little system for when they were out of town together--they would each get two key cards, then at the first opportunity, they'd slip one of their own to the other. Then, they'd take turns spending the night in each other's room.
It worked great. They'd mix it up--sometimes, Morgan would be the first to leave the group. He'd head to Reid's room, or, he'd go to his own room and wait for Reid to gracefully pull away and meet him there. Other times, Reid would initiate the arrangement.
It had been going on for months, ever since they first started casually sleeping together. At first, it was just a sort of test of their ability to craftily put something over on the rest of the team, and soon became an inside joke between the two of them; the fact that they were able to indulge in their new-found obsession with each other's bodies was a pleasurable bonus. Then, somehow, it became... necessary. Essential. Vital.
The rest of the team never noticed.
As long as Morgan occasionally played at being a player, the idea of him being attracted to another man remained inconceivable. And, Reid was careful to maintain his status as an almost asexual geek. No one thought of them as a potential couple. Which was good... mostly. Except for times like these, when they both played their roles so well, and Morgan would say the right things to the wrong people, and Reid would say nothing to anyone, and both of them ended up spending the evening feeling lonely as hell, with only their nighttime secret to sustain them.
Reid shook his head resignedly and slid out of the booth to go to the bathroom. On the way, he heard Morgan's silky-smooth voice purring to Jordan: "Oh, now, sweet thing, I know you know my room number. You want to continue this conversation, you just come on up there and knock three times so I know it's you. I'll let you in and we'll have a real... deep discussion on the subject."
Reid rolled his eyes and moved past slowly enough to be able to hear Jordan's laughter and response: "Well, you know, Agent Morgan, I just might do that. I do love a good, down-and-dirty... debate." Reid mentally winced and hastened along to the men's room. Clearly, alcohol had smoothed out any rough edges that had existed between the two of them, and Reid really didn't want any more of their insipid banter imprinted on his tired brain.
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Reid had just returned to his seat when Hotch returned to the bar from the hotel lobby, where he had been using his cell phone and talking to the desk clerk. He strode over to Reid and slid into the seat across from him.
"Reid, we have a problem."
"What's wrong?"
"All the hotels in town are booked up, and the governor is flying in tonight so that he can deliver an address in the morning, congratulating the police department and thanking us for bringing in the unsub. I've volunteered to give up my room and bunk with someone else, but it turns out you're the only one with a room with two beds. Would you mind if I moved in with you for tonight?"
Reid's one consolation for suffering through an evening of Morgan acting like Mr. Big Shot around Jordan had been the thought of slipping into his room later on and crawling into bed with him. There was no way he would be able to get away with that if Hotch was in the room with him. He pushed the disappointment aside and nodded brightly.
"Sure, Hotch, that's no problem."
"Great. I'll get my things and ask for a key to your room."
"Oh, don't bother--here, take mine. I'll get another one before I go up." He checked the room number on the little envelope, then handed Hotch his key card, and his supervisor slid it into a pocket.
"Thanks, Reid. I appreciate it."
He turned and left. Reid sighed. He got up and went to tell Morgan the bad news.
Morgan and Jordan were laughing, and Jordan's hand was resting on Morgan's arm. He turned when he felt Reid tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey, man. What's up?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but can I speak with you for just a second? Sorry," he said again directly to Jordan. She made a dismissive gesture and turned back to the bar to order another round of drinks for the two of them.
Morgan and Reid stepped off to the side, out of earshot. Morgan looked worriedly at Reid.
"Hey, babe--you know this is all bullshit with Jordan, right? You're not--"
"No, no, I know what you're doing. It's fine. No, actually, there's a... situation I needed to let you know about."
"What's wrong?"
"The governor's coming in, and the hotel's overbooked. Hotch is going to share my room tonight."
Morgan's face twisted into an annoyed glare. "What? Oh, fuck, no. That's going to mess everything up for later!"
"I know. I'm sorry, but I'm the only one with a double room. Hey--it's ok. We'll... make up for it tomorrow night, at home." He leaned in and whispered, "In complete privacy." He grinned teasingly at his lover, and a reluctant smile crossed Morgan's face.
"Well... all right. To tell you the truth, I'm about beat. I guess it wouldn't hurt me to just... go to sleep, for a change, huh?"
"Probably not, and the same goes for me. Ok, well--get back to your would-be paramour over there, looks like she's getting impatient." Reid's eyes twinkled and he headed back to his booth, where Prentiss had taken a seat facing the bar. He slid in across from her and picked up his drink.
Prentiss gave her drink a swirl and nodded at him. "Hey, Reid. How's your evening going?"
"It kind of sucks. How's your ankle?"
"Amazingly painful. I can't believe I had to go to the emergency room while Hotch and Dave brought in the unsub. I swear, I miss out on everything."
"I know how you feel." Reid smiled at her and saw that she was staring toward the bar. He glanced back and saw that Jordan was leaning forward, saying something directly into Morgan's ear, making him laugh. Prentiss huffed.
"God, why doesn't she just blow him right here in the bar? She'd save them both some time."
Reid's eyes widened, and he shifted uncomfortably. "Uh--well, that would be highly inappropriate."
"Oh, she could get away with it. Some of these tables have tablecloths."
Reid couldn't help but glance around to see that she was right. He nervously cleared his throat, and Prentiss laughed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you with sex talk."
Reid shrugged and said, "That's ok. That's usually about as close as I ever get."
Prentiss laughed again and shook her head. "Come on, Reid--you could get some if you just put a little effort into it. You're a cute guy."
Now, Reid stared, utterly discomfited. "Uh, well--I think I'm just going to go up to my room, now. Hotch is bunking with me, and he's already there. I wouldn't want to disturb him once he's asleep."
Prentiss had heard the story about the governor coming in, and she pursed her lips in disgust. "You know, Hotch can be a jerk, but sometimes, he's too damn nice. He should have made them move somebody else. I'm sure there're people in this hotel who didn't nearly get killed today."
Reid nodded his agreement, stood up, and said, "Goodnight, Emily. See you tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Reid. Good job today, by the way."
"Thanks." Reid strode to the exit and headed to the front desk. He got another key to his room and took the elevator up to his floor. He unlocked his door and went in. Hotch was lying under the covers on one of the beds, reading.
"I moved your things to the dresser," he said without looking up.
"Thanks." Reid slipped out of his trousers and took off his shirt, leaving him in socks, underwear and a t-shirt. He slid under the covers and took out a book. The two men read in silence for nearly an hour, then Hotch leaned over and shut out his light.
"Good night, Reid. Sleep well."
"Will it bother you if I keep the light on a little longer?"
"No, not at all." Hotch turned over and pulled the covers over himself. Reid went back to his book and read for another fifteen minutes. He felt himself getting sleepy, so he put the book on the nightstand and turned out the light. He settled in and tried to sleep, but he kept thinking of Morgan.
Derek Morgan had an extremely high sex drive, and he rarely let his boyfriend go to sleep without, at the very least, a quick fuck before turning in. Reid had become happily accustomed to the release of soothing endorphins that allowed him to slip off to dreamland without any effort whatsoever. Now, he was missing that. He found himself turning on one side, then the other, unable to find a comfortable position. He lightly stroked himself, thinking of how Morgan's warm hands always seemed to know exactly when, how much, and how hard he needed to be stimulated in order to bring him to orgasm.
He was getting too worked up, so he folded his arms across his chest and considered going to the bathroom for a hasty round of self-pleasure. But, having someone else in the room--especially Hotch--brought up too many memories of being thirteen and having his mother rap on the bathroom door while saying, "Spencer! You've been in there forever, what in the world are you doing?"
No, that just wasn't going to work for him.
Reid sat up, leaned back on his pillow and considered. He could creep out and run down to Morgan's room. They could make love, cuddle for a while, then he could return and sneak back into the room without Hotch ever knowing a thing. Even if he did happen to wake up and miss him, Reid could say he hadn't been able to sleep and went to read in the lobby for a while. That would work.
Reid listened to Hotch's steady snores. He softly asked, "Hotch?" When he got no response, he added, "Hotch? You asleep?" The man continued his snoring.
He got out of bed, pulled on his pants and shirt, checked to make sure he had the key cards, and took his book with him, for authenticity's sake. He made his way quietly to the door, pausing to make sure that Hotch was still snoring, and then slipped out and took the elevator down to Morgan's floor.
He pulled out his cell phone, intending to call Morgan to let him know he was on his way. His finger hovered over the number pad for a moment, but then he clicked the phone shut and put it back in his pocket.
He thought it would be a lot more fun to surprise him.
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