(no subject)
Title: Coming Home
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Prompt: Moving for hc_bingo
Medium: fic
Wordcount: 783
Rating: pg
Warnings: Emminent character death
Summary: Moving the family to Chicago. Morgan/Reid
“Dad, I don’t wanna move,” Charlie shouts, kicking his shoes across the room, “I’m not going.”
“Charlie, buddy, it’ll be an adventure. You’ll love Chicago. You already love Chicago,” Derek cajoles.
“No, I won’t; I want to live here and be with my friends.”
“Charlie, come on.”
“I hate you,” Charlie cries as he runs up the stairs.
“He’s young, Derek, he’ll get over it. I think we should tell him why we’re really moving,” Spencer says softly.
“I’m not telling him his grandmother is dying.”
“It might make the transition better.”
“It’ll just make him feel guilty now.”
“We should’ve explained it to him before.”
“No, this way he won’t blame her.”
“I guess you have a point. Derek, I know this isn’t easy for you either.”
“I’m fine, Spence,” Derek says, wrapping a glass in newspaper and putting it in the box labeled ‘kitchen’.
“No, you’re not and that’s okay,” he says. He grabs Derek’s arm and pulls him away from packing. He slides his arms around his neck drawing Derek into his shoulder. Spencer kisses the side of his head, “We can hire people to do this.”
“That’s not necessary; I’m…we’re perfectly capable of doing this ourselves.”
“Derek, why won’t you talk about this?”
“What exactly am I supposed to say?” Derek asks as he goes back to packing.
“Tell me how you’re feeling.”
“How I’m feeling about being an orphan? How I’m feeling that my mama barely has a chance of being alive in 5 years? How I feel that our daughter will probably not remember her grandmother except for stories we tell her? How I feel that our son hates me? How I feel that my world is crumbling around me?”
“Yes, Derek, I want to know all those things.”
“They make me feel like shit, and I don’t want to think about it.”
“Please, talk to me.”
“Right now, I just want to be alone.”
Spencer walks away and goes to check on Charlie and Tessa. Tessa cries out first. Her little fingers clenched into her palm as she wails. She’s small and she’d only been home three days when they heard Fran’s diagnosis. Now, two months old and on her way to a new home, she could careless as long as it’s warm and she gets fed and changed. Babies are easy that way. It’s their son Spencer’s worried about. Before he opens the door, he knows what Charlie is doing. He’s throwing the baseball methodically against the wall. He’s not sure where he picked up the habit, and while it is grating, it is a clear indication of when their son is upset.
“Charles,” Spencer knocks.
“What?” He yells in response, and Spencer opens the door.
“You need to apologize to your dad.”
“No.”
“Charlie, you really hurt your dad’s feelings.”
“Good, maybe, he won’t make us move then.”
“You know your dad and I decided this together, and you know how much it hurts him to hear you say those things. We’re going to go live with your grandma. There are 6 million multi-generational homes in the United States.”
“Papa, why does that matter?”
“I guess it doesn’t,” Spencer laughs.
“Papa, I really don’t want to move.”
“I know, buddy, but that doesn’t mean you should take it out on your dad and you especially shouldn’t say you hate him. You know how much that hurts him.”
“I guess.”
“Are you going to apologize?”
“Do I have to?”
“Do you?”
“I guess.”
Charlie rolls out of bed and treks down the stair, heavy sighing the whole way. Spencer follows a fair distance behind.
“Dad,” Charlie says hesitantly.
“Yeah, buddy,” Derek responds solemnly.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Derek responds, opening his arms to Charlie. Charlie throws himself into Derek’s open arms.
“Daddy, I don’t hate you, but I’m really sad,” Charlie cries into Derek’s neck, “I’m gonna miss everybody here: all my friends at school, Auntie Pen, Aunt JJ, Henry, Jack, and everybody else.”
“I know; I’m going to miss them too, but we’ll have fun in Chicago and we’ll come back to visit. Plus, you’ll be close to Grandma, Aunt Desi, Aunt Sarah, Uncle John, Uncle Ty, Jackie, Sam, Franny, Jason, and Lizzy.”
“Will I get to play with Jason all the time?”
“Yeah, why don’t you go upstairs and pick out the things you want to play with and put it in that box Papa left in the hallway.”
“Okay,” Charlie squeals and runs upstairs.
“See, we’ll be alright,” Spencer says as runs his hand over Derek’s neck.
“I hope you’re right, Pretty Boy,” Derek says as he turns into Spencer’s caress. They kiss softly until Tessa coos, “You’ll love Chicago, Tessa girl.”