The next morning, Derek texted Penelope, asking if he needed to bring anything. She immediately messaged him back that he just needed to bring himself, which he found odd, considering they were going to be putting together a costume for him. Shrugging it off, he got into his car and drove to her apartment.

When she came to the door, she raised an eyebrow. "Wow, no Spencer attached to you? I'm in shock."

He mock laughed, stepping inside. "Have you done your costume yet?"

She scoffed. "I'm insulted that you doubt me. I decided to stick with Boy Wonder's Marvel theme and am taking on the persona of Black Widow."

"...So his costume is something involving Marvel. Are we talking X-Men universe, Spider-Man universe, or Avengers-universe?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.

She shook her head. "Sorry, nuh uh. Sworn to secrecy on the details, you'll find out tomorrow. Now comes the point where we need to dress you." She held up a shirt before tossing it to him. "Will that fit you?"

He checked the tag before nodding. "It'll be tight, but it'll fit."

"Good, exactly what I'm going for." She walked over to her closet, dragging out a mannequin with some sort of contraption built onto it.

"...And that is?" he dared to ask.

"Really, you're not catching on to this? You went with me to the first showing of the movie Derek, come on. Tight shirt," she pointed to the goggles hanging on the neck of the mannequin, "protective eyewear," she turned it around, motioning toward the contraption, "mechanical wings with armholes and easy functionality. Come on!"

He eyed it for a minute before smirking. "You're making me Falcon."

She pointed a finger at him. "And Bingo was his name-o. Do you still own those deliciously tight black pants?"

He thought to himself. "What you refer to as my 'nut huggers' and 'booty highlighters'? Yes. Why?"

"Because those are your pants for the costume, and you need your black combat boots. Please tell me you didn't get rid of them."

He shook his head. "Still in my closet, I'll dig them out tonight. Why am I here?"

She pointed to the mannequin. "I need to custom-fit this to you and make it so you're not weighed down the entire party, and so if anyone tries to pull the 'what are you supposed to be' act, you can put out the wings, then retract them. It's going to be a process, but this is a favor, so don't you dare start whining."

He nodded, sitting on the couch. "If that's the case? Then you're not going to get any enjoyment from me being shirtless in your apartment, or wearing very tight clothing."

She sighed. "I guess I'll have to be okay with it."

With the smirk that followed, Derek shook his head. "Let's get to work."

"Shoulder feeling okay?" she asked, picking up a needle and sewing something onto the shirt.

"Feels fine," he said honestly, stretching it out to prove his point.

She clicked her tongue before pulling out her measuring tape. "Up, we've got some work to do." He stood up and she tapped his elbow. "Arms up."

He put his arms out. "Like this?"

"Perfect, don't move." She took the measuring tape and took his measurements, writing them down and humming to myself. "I can now add 'feeling up Derek Morgan' to my resume," she mumbled, picking up some fabric.

"Should I leave you to do this, or do you need my help, or-"

"I need you to do me a favor and stay out of my way, and I mean that in the nicest way possible." She pointed to the TV. "Make yourself comfy as I make a costume that will make your little Boy Wonder swoon."

"I'm not one to defy orders," he said, sitting down on the couch and grabbing the remote.

"Yeah, unless they're from your boyfriend."

He smiled, rolling his eyes before focusing on the screen, flipping through the channels.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Penelope called him back into the bedroom. He turned off her TV, walking back there.

"Yes, dear?"

She held out the shirt to him again. "Put this on."

He pulled off his shirt, putting that one on and looking at her. "Good?"

"Great," she said, holding up something that looked to be between a backpack and a jetpack. "Now this."

He raised an eyebrow, pulling on the straps and watching as she tightened them. She then handed him the goggles and he pulled them on, before holding out his arms and turning around. "How does it look?"

"If I didn't know you were Derek Morgan, I would swear you were Sam Wilson because damn. I am good!"

He looked over into her full length mirror and smiled. "Not too shabby, Baby Girl. What usually happens at this Halloween party?"

She shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Spencer usually puts himself on Trick or Treat duty, but this year we're banning him and forcing him to have some fun, so if you have any pointers they're welcomed. We drink, we laugh, we reminisce, we have good times, and it's just a really fun party. I'm glad you're joining in this year, because Spencer, I love him to bits, really I do, but that kid needs to learn how to not have a stick in his keister just for a few hours."

He laughed softly, unbuckling the front of the backpack and pulling it off. "I'll see what I can do. What time should I be there?"

"I'd say about 5:00, if that works for you? Finish your early morning shift, go home and nap for a couple of hours, go to the party, have a whole bunch of fun, and be grateful you're off the schedule the next day."

He gave her a thumbs up, changing his shirt. "Sounds good." He leaned in, kissing her cheek. "Thank you, sweetness."

"Anything for my favorite guy," she said, winking and nudging his arm. "Especially when he's taken our sweet little Spencer and taught him that there's more to life than school, school, and more school."

"I'm glad I could help."

She grabbed the parts of the costume, putting them into a bag and handing them to him. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Looking forward to it."

After his shift the next morning, Derek had gone back to his place to get a few hours of sleep in before he was going to be up all night at the party. He never really was the kind of person to go to a Halloween party, but it was something Spencer wanted to do, and it was Spencer's favorite holiday, so he was going to do it for him. He woke up from his nap and checked his phone to see a text from Spencer.

Do you mind coming to my place before going to the party? JJ apparently wants us to 'make an entrance' as a couple, whatever that may mean.

Derek smiled, texting him back.

I'll be there. Mind if I get in costume at your place? I don't think I could drive with my props.

A minute later, his phone buzzed.

That's fine. You got Penelope's help, didn't you?

You bet.

Once he took Clooney for a walk, Derek packed up everything for his costume into a bag and put it into the backseat of his car. Pulling up to Spencer's place, he saw that their front yards were decorated for Halloween, Spencer's more than JJ's. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his backpack from the backseat before walking up to Spencer's door, knocking.

He heard Spencer groan loudly, throwing something down on the couch. "Trick or treating doesn't start for another hour. What is with children these days and thinking that this starts whenever they want it to?!" Spencer opened the door, blinking. "...And you're not an annoying child dressed in a Disney costume."

Derek laughed softly. "No, but that rant was priceless."

Spencer held the door open. "Come on in."

Derek stepped inside and noticed that Spencer's apartment had been completely decorated for Halloween. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said that Halloween was your favorite holiday."

Spencer shook his head. "What, you don't have a favorite holiday you decorate for?"

"Oh, I do, and it's Christmas, but I definitely can't compare to you and Halloween."

"Nothing does," Spencer said, shrugging. "If you need to get ready, you can use my bathroom if you'd like. Penelope told me that I'd be proud of her hard work… we'll see."

He held up crossed fingers and walked to the bathroom, closing the door.

When he walked out, he kept the goggles pushed up. "Spencer?" he called out.

"Just getting my arm on," Spencer said from the bedroom. Rather than questioning it, Derek shook his head, going to the living room and sitting down on the couch. He picked up the newspaper on the table and looked for the sports section, taking it out and reading to kill some time.

"Has Halloween always been your favorite holiday?" Derek asked, flipping through.

"Pretty much. I had to grow up pretty fast, considering everything at home, but on her best days, Mom wanted me to still stay a kid, and Halloween was the best way to do that. It's something I held onto all of these years. Is that odd?"

"Not at all, it makes perfect sense to me."

The bedroom door opened a few minutes later and Derek turned around to look at his costume. His hair was down in his face, and he was wearing a mask covering from his nose down, and he was wearing all black with a pair of black boots. The part of the costume that stuck out the most was his left arm, which was covered in some sort of silver material and there was a red star toward the top of it.

Derek smirked. "Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier. Very nice."

Spencer pushed the hair out of his face and moving the mask, looking Derek over and shaking his head. "Penelope, I presume?"

"What gave it away?"

"We saw the movie together and said we needed to be Black Widow and The Winter Soldier. If you came up with Falcon all on your own, it's quite an amazing coincidence."

Derek nodded. "Penelope. Did she do it justice?" he asked, putting his arms out and putting out the wings, turning around.

Spencer looked him over before nodding. "Definitely, though I'm surprised she didn't put you in comic Falcon's clothing, which is essentially red spandex."

He laughed to himself. "I'm glad she went with the movie universe." He motioned toward the door, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Spencer smiled slightly, linking his arm with Derek's. "We shall."

They walked out the front door just as JJ's party seemed to be picking up.

Derek turned to Spencer. "You sure you're ready for this? Party as a couple is kind of a step forward in this."

Spencer chewed on his cheek before firmly placing his foot in front of himself. "Step taken." He smiled at Derek, pulling on his arm and walking into JJ's house.

"The Winter Soldier and Falcon have arrived!" Penelope announced, walking over and hugging them. She had straightened her hair and dyed it back to the red/orange color Derek had seen on her before, and it was working perfectly with her costume.

"And so has Black Widow," Derek observed, giving her a once over. "Very nice."

"Indeed." She turned to Spencer. "How's the arm?"

"It's just tubing, easy on and easy off," he said, sliding it off and re-fastening it with velcro.

She gave him a thumbs up, wrapping an arm around Derek's neck. "This is mostly people from college, so you get to be the awkward one for a change and spare poor little Boy Wonder here," she said, nudging Spencer with her elbow. "But in all seriousness, eat, drink, and be merry."

He shook his head. "No can do, princess. I've got to drive home tonight, so I can eat and be merry, but the drink isn't happening."

Spencer clicked his tongue. "I'm not much of a drinker, so if you want, and just if you want, no pressure, you could have a few drinks and I could either drive you home or you can stay on my couch again?"

"I'll think about it."

She patted his cheek. "That's all I ask." She turned to the door and squealed in his ear. "Emily!" she screamed, releasing them and running over to the door.

Derek rubbed his ear, scrunching up his face. "Who is Emily and why is she worth deafening me?"

Spencer smiled. "Dorm-mates, I guess you could say? she lived in the dorm right next to Penelope and JJ, and they were like a sisterhood, if you will. She has some high-up job and they never really get to see her, so when she comes to the parties, it's a huge deal to them, and the three of them proceed to drink much more than they should."

"Sounds like fun."

He shook his head. "What's really fun is calling them the next morning."

"You've done it?"

He shrugged. "Their parties have kept me up many a Halloween night, it's my right as a neighbor."

Derek smirked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you say. Drink?"

"Whatever's bottled and guaranteed non-alcoholic. I learned the hard way to not trust JJ's so-called 'fruit punch'."

"Did you get a little tipsy?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose. "That depends, does little imply stripping all of your clothes and running through the front yard?"

Derek bit down on his lip, a laugh slipping out. "I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a lot."

Spencer made himself comfortable on JJ's couch while Derek went to get them a few drinks. He looked around and saw that the non-alcoholic options were limited to water bottles and fruit punch juice boxes. He grabbed one of each and turned around to Spencer, holding them up and mouthing 'which one'. When he saw Spencer pointing to the juice box, he gave him a thumbs up, putting the water bottle back down.

"How's the shoulder doin'?" Derek looked up to see Will making himself a drink.

He motioned toward it. "Good as new, but my pride is still a little hurt. Is this big bash your idea, or your wife?"

Will shrugged. "It was JJ's idea originally, to get Spencer to come out of his shell a little bit, since it's his holiday of choice, but then we realized that we're that couple that likes to host the parties. Not to mention we get to invite all of our old friends from college and have mini-reunions without having to deal with a reunion, you know?"

"Makes sense to me. Reunions are just awkward, at least this way you get to see who you want to see." He looked around. "I take it the little man's out for this?"

Will nodded. "JJ's mom was in town and wanted to take him out, then take him for the night. And as a parent, when someone offers a night away, you love your kid, but you take it."

"Gotcha." Derek reached into the cooler, taking out a beer. "Have a good one, man."

"You too."

He walked over, holding out the juice box to Spencer. "Enjoy the drink of a five-year-old."

Spencer smirked, taking out the straw and putting it into the juice box. "Don't worry, I will."

"Last call, you sure you don't mind either driving me home or me crashing on your couch?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind at all. Enjoy yourself."

Derek opened the can, taking a sip and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder. "So, do you just never drink, or are you not drinking tonight?"

"Well, considering I'm just a year above the drinking age as of a few weeks ago? I haven't had much time to legally drink, with school and everything."

Derek paused, turning to him. "Wait, a few weeks ago, you're a year above the drinking age, as in you've just turned 22?"

He nodded. "As of the 9th of the month."

"...We've been dating just over a month and you didn't tell me it was your birthday?"

Spencer shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel obligated to do something for me. I don't really celebrate birthdays. We didn't when I was growing up, so I failed to see the point when I was grown up." He finished off his juice box. "JJ and Penelope try to insist on celebrating with cake and presents, and I go along with it, but for the most part, I don't care." He saw the shocked look on Derek's face and shrugged again, patting his shoulder and kissing his cheek. "Don't sweat it. I don't."

"Spencer, Emily wants to see you!" JJ called, trying to get him over.

"I look pretty much the same as I did this summer," he pointed out.

"Come on!"

He groaned, patting Derek's knee. "I'll be right back." He got up, walking over to JJ, and Derek watched as JJ ruffled his hair and gave him a hug, then he saw a dark-haired woman, who he assumed was Emily, hug him and pat his cheek.

"And over there is Spence's boyfriend," JJ said, pointing to Derek. "Can you say wow?"

Spencer blushed and gave Derek an apologetic look, but Derek shook his head, waving to Emily.

"I can definitely say wow, because wow. Does tall, dark, and gorgeous have a name?"

Derek took another sip of his drink before getting up, walking over and wrapping an arm around Spencer's shoulder, putting out his other hand. "Derek Morgan."

She smirked. "Emily Prentiss," she said, shaking his hand. "Are you sure you play for the other team?"

"Ignore them," Spencer mumbled under his breath. "They've been drinking far too much."

Derek kissed the side of his head. "Don't worry, I can handle it," he whispered, before turning back to her. "Unfortunately, sweetness, you're not my type."

She scoffed. "All the good ones, gay or married. Every last one of them." She eyed Penelope. "You're like, sure?"

"Honey, I've worked with him for years. Nothing I've tried worked. He's not interested."

Emily sighed, defeated, before looking at the two of them. "At least you're a cute couple," she said, picking up a tray of Jell-O shots and holding them out. "I say we toast to the cute couple and the fact that life sucks, because they're both extremely un-straight."

Derek laughed, reaching out and taking one, watching as all of the women did the same.

"Come on, Spence, you know Jell-O is your favorite," JJ said, waving one under his nose.

He sighed, taking it from her. "I like Jell-O, I hate vodka. You know this."

She pouted. "Please?"

Groaning, he took it from her. "One day, I'll learn to say no to you."

"Luckily it's not today." She held up her shot. "To Spence and Derek."

"Statuesque God of Chocolate Thunder and the Boy Wonder," Penelope added.

Emily held up her own. "To fate being cruel."

Derek smirked, taking his shot, and watching as Spencer did the same. "Good?"

Spencer wrinkled his nose, shaking his head and swallowing. "You ladies enjoy your cackling and gossiping. We're going to be over there," he said, pointing to the couch.

JJ ruffled his hair one last time as he walked away and Spencer sighed, patting it down.

Derek saw Spencer ready to speak and shook his head. "Don't apologize for them, it's fine."

"Yeah? I don't see your friends making you look like a complete idiot in front of me."

He laughed. "You just did. All of my friends are literally you, Penelope, and my family. Before the night is over, I guarantee she'll do something to embarrass me."

"I hope so," Spencer mumbled, sitting on the couch and pulling Derek down beside him, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

Over the course of the rest of the party, the two of them didn't do much social interacting with anyone but each other, but they did get to know each other better. They were able to share embarrassing stories from their childhoods, their favorite childhood memories, favorite movies, and they covered several other topics. Derek was lucky they had the chance to talk this much, and was grateful for JJ's Halloween party and the invitation.

As expected, Penelope had embarrassed Derek, walking over and kissing him on a dare from Emily, then sitting on his lap and sharing some stories with Spencer that he'd rather remain buried, including the time he'd gotten sick at work and made a mess of the store. Wrinkling his nose, he finished his drink and patted her back, motioning for her to go back to her friends.

"So, they had to shut down the whole store, huh?" Spencer asked, smirking.

"...I think I see another drink with my name on it," Derek mumbled, getting up and walking over to Will, who was making drinks. "Something strong to erase your wife's best friend telling embarrassing stories to my boyfriend?" Derek asked hopefully.

Will laughed softly, thinking to himself before making a drink. "I'm very sorry. I cut them off, but something tells me early tomorrow morning, one of them is going to get a phone call and I'll be hearing all three of them complaining about it."

He held out the drink to Derek, who raised it in a silent cheers. "Thanks, man," he said, taking a sip and giving him a thumbs up, before sitting back on the couch beside Spencer.

Spencer moved in, wrapping his arms around Derek.

"How many drinks has JJ guilted you into?" Derek asked, looking down at him.

"The Jell-O shot and another shot. Now shh, I'm not inebriated, I'm comfortable."

Derek smiled, taking another sip of his drink, wrapping an arm around Spencer and rubbing his arm. "Me too."

Spencer rested his head on Derek's shoulder, smiling to himself.

When Spencer wanted to leave, Derek turned to him. "Are you sure you don't want me to just go home?"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't mind your company, and I don't trust you driving. Put two and two together." He helped Derek up. "Besides, you need to sleep this off."

"I'm fine, Spencer. Believe me, I've been worse than this."

"Trust me, I don't doubt that. College athlete? You've definitely been worse." He walked up to JJ, waving. "We're going to head out. See you tomorrow or whenever you may emerge from the deep caves of your hangover."

JJ smiled, patting his cheek. "Did you have fun?"

"I did, thank you." He waved to Penelope and Emily. "Always a pleasure."

"...So are you two going home together?" Penelope asked, pointing between the two of them.

Derek gave her a thumbs up and Spencer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's intoxicated and I'm not letting him drive home, so he's sleeping on my couch."

"Have fun you two," Emily said, winking at them.

Spencer shook his head, walking out with Derek and closing the door behind him. "I'm calling her so much earlier than I usually do," he mumbled, taking his house key out of his pocket and walking over, unlocking the front door and holding it open, helping Derek inside.

"Spencer, I'm fine," Derek insisted.

"Uh huh," Spencer said, opening the hall closet and taking out some blankets and pillows. "I'm sure you are."

"Really, I'm good. I can walk home, it's not that bad."

"So I can hear on the news tomorrow morning that a drunken idiot started a bar brawl and have to see your face in a mugshot? No, thank you." He walked over to the couch, making up a bed, then helping Derek out of his costume. "If you need anything, I'll be right in my room."

Derek nodded, shrugging off the backpack and pulling off his shirt.

"I am suddenly very glad that my nosy neighbor is so intoxicated she's not outside, and she's not going to see anything," he said, closing the curtains and going to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. He set the bottle on the table, along with a few Tylenol. "Take those and get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

Derek saluted him, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss.

Spencer smiled. "Good night."

"Night, Spencer," Derek mumbled, popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing, before taking a sip of the water.

Spencer walked back to his room, turning off the lights as he went. Derek kicked off his pants and kept on his boxers, turning to Spencer. "Hey, Pretty Boy?" he called out.

Spencer turned around to face him. "Yeah, Derek?"

Derek smirked. "I love you."

Spencer smiled, shaking his head. "Good night, Derek." He turned off the light for the hallway and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Derek woke up the following morning, sitting up on the couch and squinting, forgetting where he was and how he had ended up there. He realized he was on Spencer's couch and tried to piece together everything from the night before.

When Spencer's bedroom door opened, Spencer had his phone in hand. "Good, you're up. Can I borrow your phone?" he asked, walking over and holding out his hand.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, picking up his pants off of the floor and digging through his pocket, taking out his phone and handing it to Spencer.

"4:15 in the morning," Spencer said, sitting in his armchair. "Last night I was able to take Emily's phone and change the ringtone to a car horn, and JJ's to an alarm clock."

Derek ran a hand over his scalp before rubbing his temple. "...When did you have time to do this?"

"When Penelope had pulled you aside to take 'costume selfies'." He put his phone on speaker, dialing.

Derek reached over on the table, picking up the water bottle and taking a sip. "Is this your revenge?"

Spencer nodded, putting a finger to his lips.

There was a loud whine and a sigh. "This is Emily Prentiss," Emily said, and Derek could tell her head was more likely than not still buried in her pillow.

Spencer smirked. "Good morning, ladies."

Emily groaned. "JJ, I fucking hate your little brother, un-adopt him."

"If the forms existed, I would."

"Everyone, stop with the yelly voices!" Penelope said. "Too many drinks, not enough sleep, now shush!"

"You're yelling!"

Derek bit his lip, smiling to himself and listening to the argument. "Does this happen every time?"

Spencer nodded, sitting back and listening in. "They always forget I'm on the other end, argue with each other for a good ten minutes until they just give up, hang up, and go back to sleep. And yet they still answer the phone."

"...Why did you need my phone?" he asked, pointing to it.

He put up his finger, dialing JJ's house phone. "Just listen."

They heard stumbling and shuffling before JJ answered the phone. "This had better be some sort of emergency, I swear to God."

Spencer reached over, hanging up the phone and tossing it back to Derek.

"All of this for embarrassing you last night? Kinda harsh."

He shook his head. "If you knew the previous parties when I didn't have a date, you'd be finding me more phones."

Derek leaned back on the couch, listening to them bicker at each other. "Can I go back to sleep, or are you going to need me for anything else?"

Spencer waved his hand. "Go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast when you get up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Technically, shouldn't I be waking you with breakfast, considering you let me stay here?"

Spencer shook his head, biting his lip to hold back a laugh as Penelope called Emily an 'uppity twat'. "It's on me this time."

Derek pointed to the phone as he pulled up the blanket. "...How long do they usually hate each other like this?"

"Just as long as the conversation goes, really. They bicker and argue, go back to sleep, wake up and they're best friends again. It's part of the hangover process."

Derek smiled slightly, shaking his head and fixing the pillow behind him before letting his eyes slip shut.

When Derek finally woke up, he sat up, stretching on the couch.

"Morning," Spencer said, not looking away from the book he was reading.

Derek reached over, checking the time on his phone and raising his eyebrows, impressed at how late he slept. "Morning. Did you get back to sleep?"

Spencer nodded, turning the page. "For a few hours, after I was called an, and I quote 'evil little shit' by Emily and 'the inner-makings of a Dalek' by Penelope."

Derek laughed softly. "And JJ?"

"Looking up how to officially un-adopt someone you unofficially adopted." He paused. "Oh, and I'm a 'total prick'." He shrugged. "Breakfast?"

"Sounds great." He pulled on his pants. "I'm gonna head out to my car and get some clothes, maybe take a quick shower. Do you mind?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not at all."

Once out of the shower and changed, Derek walked out to the kitchen and saw Spencer cooking. He took a seat at the table, resting his head on his hand and looking over at him.

"What are you making?"

"Pancakes and scrambled eggs," Spencer said, motioning toward the pans. A few minutes later, he walked over, setting the plates on the table. "And breakfast is served."

Derek picked up a couple of pancakes, putting them on his plate and grabbing the butter. "Can I ask you something without you embarrassing me about it?"

Spencer shrugged. "Depends on what it is?" he said, putting ketchup on his scrambled eggs, along with some pepper.

He buttered his pancakes before cutting them up. "Did I do or say anything stupid last night? When I drink, things tend to slip out and I make an idiot of myself."

Spencer paused, picking up his fork and cutting up his scrambled eggs with it. "You said some things."

"...Like?" Derek asked, pouring syrup onto his plate and taking a bite of his food.

He cleared his throat. "We talked most of the night, it was nice and sweet, we came back here, I put you to bed, and you may have used a certain phrase."

"Excuse me?"

Spencer gripped his coffee cup, taking a sip and setting it down, swallowing. "Before you passed out, you said 'I love you'." He shrugged. "I get it, you were intoxicated and it happens. I'm not mad."

Derek sat there, stunned. He'd planned on finding a nice way to tell Spencer about this, maybe after a nice date or a good day for the two of them, him at work and Spencer at school. He never intended to say it when he was drunk and it could be taken as something that just slipped out with no meaning. "Spencer-"

Spencer shook his head. "Don't worry about it. The few times I was intoxicated, I said things I didn't mean as well."

Derek opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't come up with the right way to explain himself, so the rest of their meal was spent in an awkward silence.

After breakfast, Derek did the dishes. He walked out to the living room to find Spencer working on some assignment. Sitting on the couch, he rested his elbows on his knees, chewing on his cheek and turning to Spencer.

"Can we talk?"

Spencer tucked a bookmark into his textbook, setting it on the table. "We can…" He tucked his legs underneath himself. "About what?"

Derek clasped his hands together. "What I said last night."

Spencer shook his head, giving Derek a small smile. "You don't have to. I understand that you'd had a few drinks and things like that just slip out. It's fine, I'm not offended."

He sighed. "It's not like that. I need to tell you something, but I need you to not be scared by it."

Spencer looked at him, curious. "...Okay?"

Derek exhaled, wringing his hands. "It's going to sound ridiculous, probably even premature, but the night we went out and I showed you how to have fun, and you took care of me after I got hurt? That's the night that I realized… I have very strong feelings for you. In the past, I haven't gotten these kinds of feelings this early in a relationship, and honestly? It kind of scared the shit out of me, but then I realized that… I have no reason to be scared. I can't deny what I feel."

"...Derek, you're rambling." Spencer pointed to himself. "That's my job."

Derek smiled slightly. "Sorry. The point I'm trying to make is… that is something I wanted to say for a couple of weeks now, and I just wanted the perfect opportunity to say it. Unfortunately, Drunk Derek beat me to the punch."

"Excuse me?"

He reached out, taking Spencer's hand and squeezing it. "This relationship… I've fallen hard and fast, but I don't regret anything. I love you, Spencer. Sobered up, completely in my right mind, I mean it." He saw Spencer's face freeze up and waved his hand in front of it, whistling. "Spencer, did you hear me?"

Spencer blinked, clearing his throat and nodding. "Yeah, um, I heard you. It's just the comprehending I'm having trouble with. We've been together less than two months and you've brought in a word I thought didn't come out for several more months."

"You don't need to feel obligated to say it back, I just ask that you don't run for the hills and stop answering my phone calls."

He smiled slightly. "Come on, I get a guy like Derek Morgan, I can't exactly walk away." He squeezed Derek's hand, licking his lips and thinking. "I care about you, Derek, I do, but to me… that phrase means a lot, and I'm not personally in a place where I'm ready to use it. Not to say I won't say it, but, I just, I'm not ready to say it. I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head. "Don't sweat it." He leaned over, kissing Spencer's cheek. "I'm not offended."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He lifted Spencer's chin, giving him a quick kiss. "I'm going to head home, I'm sure Clooney misses me. Give me a call later, or just shoot me a text?"

Spencer nodded. "No problem. Thank you."

Derek gathered up his clothes, putting them into his bag and zipping it up. He gave Spencer a kiss before walking out, closing the door behind him, and digging his car keys out of his pocket. RIght about now, he wished he could go back in time and put some duct tape over Drunk Derek's mouth to stop him from being such an idiot. Shaking his head, he got into the car, starting it and hoping to clear everything out of his head.

Author's Note: There may be a delay in posting the next chapter - I have a family wedding coming up and little to no time to get writing done, but I will get it written and posted ASAP!