I don't own. I hope you enjoy this one, sorry it's rushed, I had a busy day. I hope you all enjoyed the snow!
N is for Names
The first time Morgan called Reid by his first name, it was after a close brush with death on the younger agent's part.
Somehow, Reid had managed to come, yet again, in contact of an Unsub with a bomb, and absolutely no backup. When the team outside of the building heard the bomb go off, they all ran in, Morgan taking the lead, all praying and hoping and wishing that their youngest was still with them.
It was Morgan that found him, bleeding and lying on the floor, clutching his leg, which was twisted at an odd angle. "I'm fine!" Reid managed to choke out, sagging slightly in Morgan's arms as the older Agent called for a medic. His eyes began to close, but Morgan wouldn't allow it.
"C'mon Reid, stay with me here…" Morgan begged, as the young doctor struggled to regain conscious. "Come on… Spencer…" And Morgan had to resist the urge to slap Reid when a smile broke out slowly along his face. "Pretty Boy, what could you possibly be smiling about right now?" Reid just smiled wider and looked Morgan straight in the eye.
"You called me Spencer."
The second time was in desperation.
"You gotta tell someone!" Morgan yelled, trying to be stern, but only sounding terrified. Across the room, Reid pulled down the left sleeve of his jacket further, concealing another track mark left behind by needle after needle. Reid shook his head, and Morgan crossed the room in large strides, clutching the young genius's arms tightly. Reid shrunk in his grasp, shaking slightly.
"I'm fine, Morgan!" Reid spat, breaking from the grasp, backing into the wall. "I don't need help, I'm perfectly in control of the entire situation.' He broke off and looked Morgan straight in the eye. "You," He whispered, voice breaking. "You don't know what it's like. What it's like to need to forget." Tears filled his eyes as his voice cracked again. "Morgan, I need to forget."
"Please… Spencer, Please." Morgan begged, closing the space between them. "You've gotta stop." And with that, Reid collapsed into his arms, sobbing, and Morgan just stood there and held him, rubbing his back and standing strong, ready to be the rock for both of them.
The third time was unexpected and casual, more so than either of them expected, but that was what made it so great.
It had been after a case, and they were all in the office for the night, filling out paperwork. Emily was half asleep at her desk, head leaning on her arm, paperwork forgotten, and Reid was struggling to stay in consciousness, blinking hard, and swallowing back yawns every minute or so. Before Reid could even notice that Morgan wasn't at his desk, said agent walked through the door, carrying three stacked coffees. He placed one quietly on Emily's desk, and handing the other to Reid, who thanked him gratefully before taking a sip.
Morgan laughed as he heard the younger man hum contentedly, almost surprised. "What?" Morgan teased. "Surprised I got it right? C'mon, three spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of milk. C'mon, Spencer, you don't need an IQ of 187 to remember that." And Reid smiled at him, sipping his coffee happily.
You see, first names for them were rarely uttered in the throes of passion, or anything as chaste as that. They were simply used to remind each other that they were there for one another. Morgan needed to remind Reid every once in a while that he knew the boy had a life outside of work, and it was even his subtle way at hinting he wanted to be a part of that.
Reid started calling Morgan "Derek" shortly after he realized that he wasn't going to be crucified for the simple act of kindness, of intimacy. It was one of the few special moments that they shared, and Reid was glad of it. First names were rarely used between the two, but Reid could recall every moment that Morgan called him "Spencer", and he was almost sure that he would be able to without an eidic memory, and that was what was special about it.