[fic]: of geniuses and candy [morgan/reid] [pg-13]
[mood| 
writing]
Title: Of geniuses and candy
Author: Lago Lindari
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Morgan/Reid, established relationship
Rating: pg-13
Prompt: Close your eyes at criminal_prompt
Summary: In which there are malfunctioning elevators, candy, and evil geniuses.
A/N: I started out with a plot that was pure angst, claustrophobic and dramatic. And somehow within the first 200 words it turned into... this :). Thanks to laurazel and ar_poe for cheering me on ♥.
“Well, kid. I’m afraid we are officially stuck.”
Reid’s snort resounded all too loudly in the cramped elevator. “Why, thank you for letting me know, Morgan. Somehow, I had failed to deduce it from the thirteen minutes in which we have clearly not been moving.”
Morgan made a point of ignoring him. “Seems like we’re just not destined to take elevators together,” he commented. He jabbed one last time at the emergency call button, without much hope, and leaned against the door, arms crossed.
“I would be inclined to agree,” Reid scowled. “And stop that. They said they’ll come as soon as they can, there is no point in insisting.” He paused, taking the time to glare reproachfully at Morgan. “I am never getting in an elevator with you again. Actually, I am considering never getting in an elevator again altogether. Provided we get out of here alive, that is,” he muttered darkly. Morgan huffed a laugh.
“You know, Reid, it could be you’re the one who has a problem with machines,” he said, an eyebrow raised. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how computers tend to go berserk when you’re around. Who said this elevator thing has to be my fault?”
“But I haven’t even touched it! You’re the one who kept pushing the button,” Reid almost squeaked, pointing an accusatory finger towards Morgan. “And I wanted to take the stairs anyway.”
“I don’t remember you saying that,” Morgan replied, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. “You had all the time to stop me. And remember that I did use to work with bombs - I sure as hell know how to handle an elevator.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. As brilliantly proven by the fact that we are stuck, ” Reid retorted, his grin by now impossible to contain. “Lucky that I have candy in my bag. There’s no telling how long we’ll have to survive in these extreme conditions.”
“Hey. You got candy on you?” Morgan said, eyeing the leather satchel with sudden interest. “I demand a candy. It could be ages before the emergency guys show up, and I can already feel my sugar level dropping.”
“I don’t know,” replied Reid, slowly. He tilted his head to the side, considering - not quite able to hide the mischievous glitter that twinkled in his eyes. “You got us stuck, after all. Starvation may be just what you deserve.”
“Come on, kid. Don’t make me suffer,” Morgan shifted against the wall, his shoulder blades aching. “Tell you what. I’m gonna bring you coffee for a week. With all the sugar you like.”
“A month.”
“Two weeks. And I’m throwing in muffins.”
“Deal!” Reid answered, triumphantly. He opened his bag, and started rummaging through it. His hair promptly fell in front of his face and he shook his head in a futile, albeit rather cute - and Morgan had not just thought that - attempt to clear it away. “They better be chocolate muffins,” the kid added, the threat somehow lost in the smile that glowed freely on his lips. Morgan fought to keep his own expression grave and serious.
“Alright. Chocolate muffins only. Promise,” he said, solemnly raising a hand. “Now bring on the candy.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Verbal agreements are legally binding,” Reid commented, his hand emerging from the bag holding a bunch of colorfully wrapped sweets. “Now, which flavor do you prefer? I have… strawberry, orange, cherry and grape. Pick one,” he said, opening his palm to show Morgan the booty. Morgan shrugged.
“Any. Doesn’t really taste different anyway,” he said - only to receive an outraged, wide eyed look from a very shocked-looking Doctor Reid.
“How can you say that! Of course they’re not the same. That’s what flavors are supposed to be about. How do you - ” he paused, his eyes narrowing, and looked at Morgan with sudden suspicion. “It’s because you don’t actually taste the candy. You just gobble it down and can’t tell the difference between a peppermint and a sugar cube. You’re a - a sugar addict, that’s what you are!”
“Says the one who drains the sugar bowl every time he has coffee.” Morgan protested. “Of course I notice the flavors. If there’s a sugar addict, here, it sure as hell ain’t me.”
“Right. Well, let’s put your version to the test,” Reid said, all too cheerfully. “Tell me - what flavor is the red-colored JellO? You should know - I’ve seen you eat it plenty of times. Usually stolen, but that is beside the point.”
Morgan hesitated for the briefest second. “Strawberry,” he said eventually, hoping to sound very much convinced. “And I do not steal food.”
“Morgan - it’s raspberry, ” Reid replied, raising his arms in honest shock. “You totally took a guess based on the fact that it’s red! I mean, who would ever mix up strawberry and raspberry? They taste completely different. ”
“And how do you know it was raspberry?” Morgan retorted, feeling a somewhat silly smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He could, after all, imagine worse ways to pass the time. “Maybe the JellO I was eating was strawberry flavored. Maybe you are wrong.”
“Morgan - I know it was raspberry because it’s my JellO that you have been stealing,” Reid replied, cocking his head to the side with the most charming grin. “And I always buy the raspberry one. And that, incidentally, is also how I know that you do steal food.”
Morgan harrumphed. It would be somehow undignified to blush over gelatinous candy - so he convinced himself it was indeed not happening. “Well - since it’s in our fridge, it could be argued that the JellO belongs to both of us. So it wouldn’t be stealing.” He paused, rather helpless under Reid’s skeptical gaze. “So, I was thinking - that perhaps I could make it three weeks of coffee and muffins.”
“Thanks. Now I begin to see why power is so appealing to mankind,” Reid commented, looking entirely too smug. “I could definitely get used to this.” He considered the sweets in his hand, before he picked one up and started peeling away the crinkled wrapping. “Okay… now close your eyes. I want to try a little experiment.”
“Hey. I do like the idea of you experimenting on my body,” Morgan said, and couldn’t help a laugh at the blush that all but burst on Reid’s cheeks. The kid’s fingers were suddenly clumsy as he tried to unwrap the candy; Morgan, very generously, decided not to insist. He suppressed a smile as he watched Reid try to act nonchalantly, and fail in a rather epic way.
“You - you,” was all Reid could manage, his eyes ostentatiously on the task at hand, very much determined to avoid Morgan’s amused gaze. He all but ripped off the wrapping, stuffing it in his pocket, and said, “Close your eyes.”
Morgan, obediently, complied. “What now?” he said. “I stay still as you do wicked things to me?” He struggled not to laugh at the undignified squawk he heard coming from Reid’s general direction. God, it was just too easy.
“I just want to see - if you can actually identify the flavor of the candy. How can you make everything sound like - like… no, don’t look - you can’t see the color,” Reid said, and Morgan heard his soft steps as he moved closer. “Just - open your mouth,” he said, his voice a little too low, just a fraction too breathy for Morgan not to remember other occasions in which the same words had been spoken, although with very different intentions. A shiver crawled its way down his back; he wondered if Reid would notice.
“Okay,” he said, and obediently parted his lips. He was rewarded by the tip of Reid’s fingers, brushing for the briefest instant against his skin, before something small and rounded was slipped in his mouth. Morgan could feel the fingers hesitate, lingering just a moment too long - he brushed them with his tongue, smirking to himself as he heard Reid’s sharp intake of breath.
“Okay. Now what?” He said, toying with the candy in his mouth. The flavor was heavy, a sweet undertone that spread slowly, warming up his tongue; it tasted, Morgan found himself considering, very pink, and - and was he suffering from lack of oxygen because of the constricted environment? That was no dignified way to think about candy.
“Now you tell me what favor that is. And you can open your eyes,” replied Reid - Morgan didn’t need to look to sense the kid’s smile, well evident in his voice. And maybe he was suffering from oxygen deprivation, after all - because he found himself considering, in a quiet corner of his brain, that there were few things in the world which raised his spirit the way a smiling Reid did. Not that he would say that out loud.
He cleared his throat, trying to appear utterly unaffected. He wasn’t sure he succeeded; but the kid did not remark, his eyes glittering in mild amusement as he waited for Morgan’s move. Morgan - never one to back out of a challenge - took his time to twirl the candy in his mouth, considering. Bubblegum-y. Not too much - a heavy flavor. Syrupy. Way too much sugar… “Cherry?” he ventured, trying to keep the question out of his voice - and Reid all but beamed at him, nodding.
“Yes! Cherry it is. You passed the test - I am impressed,” he said. Morgan chewed on, pretending to be deep in thought. When he spoke, his voice was purposefully a fraction too low.
“So… do I get a prize?” he whispered, taking a step forward, his eyes steady and meaningful as he looked the kid in the eye.
“I - I suppose you do,” the kid replied, a little breathless, his voice cracking as Morgan stepped into his personal space - Morgan allowed himself a grin, before he proceeded to rob the kid of his breath altogether.
His hand curled around Reid’s nape, holding him close as Morgan licked his lips open - Reid’s mouth was cool, its flavor fresh - peppermint, Morgan thought distantly. He used his tongue to push the sweet past Reid’s lips, reveling in the shiver he could feel racking the kid’s lean frame, before he proceeded to thoroughly kiss the hell out of him - and kiss they did, hot and wet and messy, their tongues curling around each other and the candy, fighting to steal it from each other, then pressing it back to restart the match all over again. It was only when the sweet finally dissolved in a lingering, sugary trace that Morgan had the courtesy to release Reid’s mouth - allowing himself a tiny bite on the reddened, plump bottom lip which felt so inviting under his tongue. The kid took a shaky breath, leaning against Morgan’s body; Morgan had no complaints whatsoever.
“Maybe I should feed you candy more often,” Reid whispered, his voice unstable - his eyes impossibly wide as they traced Morgan’s face. “If that’s what you do when you’re on sugar high.” Morgan couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud, as a familiar warmth curled in his chest, quiet and heavy and so very pleasant.
“You had this planned from the beginning. Admit it,” he said, affectionately. He let his hand reach to brush Reid’s hair, tucking a stray strand behind the kid’s ear; he was a little bit in love with the way Reid always smiled at him when he did it. Another thing he would not be saying out loud anytime soon.
Reid could not repress a chuckle. “You are an easy prey. All I needed was a few candies to lure you in, and now you’re in my power.”
“You are an evil, evil genius. I knew it,” Morgan said - and, if it came out a little warmer than he’d intended, he pretended not to notice. He leaned forward, brushing a kiss at the corner of Reid’s mouth.
“I know. But I am an evil genius with candy,” Reid murmured, leaning in to nip at Morgan’s lips, his eyes fluttering closed for the briefest instant. Morgan smiled.
“Pretty boy - just when I though I couldn’t love you more.”
.
writing]
Title: Of geniuses and candy
Author: Lago Lindari
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Morgan/Reid, established relationship
Rating: pg-13
Prompt: Close your eyes at criminal_prompt
Summary: In which there are malfunctioning elevators, candy, and evil geniuses.
A/N: I started out with a plot that was pure angst, claustrophobic and dramatic. And somehow within the first 200 words it turned into... this :). Thanks to laurazel and ar_poe for cheering me on ♥.
“Well, kid. I’m afraid we are officially stuck.”
Reid’s snort resounded all too loudly in the cramped elevator. “Why, thank you for letting me know, Morgan. Somehow, I had failed to deduce it from the thirteen minutes in which we have clearly not been moving.”
Morgan made a point of ignoring him. “Seems like we’re just not destined to take elevators together,” he commented. He jabbed one last time at the emergency call button, without much hope, and leaned against the door, arms crossed.
“I would be inclined to agree,” Reid scowled. “And stop that. They said they’ll come as soon as they can, there is no point in insisting.” He paused, taking the time to glare reproachfully at Morgan. “I am never getting in an elevator with you again. Actually, I am considering never getting in an elevator again altogether. Provided we get out of here alive, that is,” he muttered darkly. Morgan huffed a laugh.
“You know, Reid, it could be you’re the one who has a problem with machines,” he said, an eyebrow raised. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how computers tend to go berserk when you’re around. Who said this elevator thing has to be my fault?”
“But I haven’t even touched it! You’re the one who kept pushing the button,” Reid almost squeaked, pointing an accusatory finger towards Morgan. “And I wanted to take the stairs anyway.”
“I don’t remember you saying that,” Morgan replied, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. “You had all the time to stop me. And remember that I did use to work with bombs - I sure as hell know how to handle an elevator.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. As brilliantly proven by the fact that we are stuck, ” Reid retorted, his grin by now impossible to contain. “Lucky that I have candy in my bag. There’s no telling how long we’ll have to survive in these extreme conditions.”
“Hey. You got candy on you?” Morgan said, eyeing the leather satchel with sudden interest. “I demand a candy. It could be ages before the emergency guys show up, and I can already feel my sugar level dropping.”
“I don’t know,” replied Reid, slowly. He tilted his head to the side, considering - not quite able to hide the mischievous glitter that twinkled in his eyes. “You got us stuck, after all. Starvation may be just what you deserve.”
“Come on, kid. Don’t make me suffer,” Morgan shifted against the wall, his shoulder blades aching. “Tell you what. I’m gonna bring you coffee for a week. With all the sugar you like.”
“A month.”
“Two weeks. And I’m throwing in muffins.”
“Deal!” Reid answered, triumphantly. He opened his bag, and started rummaging through it. His hair promptly fell in front of his face and he shook his head in a futile, albeit rather cute - and Morgan had not just thought that - attempt to clear it away. “They better be chocolate muffins,” the kid added, the threat somehow lost in the smile that glowed freely on his lips. Morgan fought to keep his own expression grave and serious.
“Alright. Chocolate muffins only. Promise,” he said, solemnly raising a hand. “Now bring on the candy.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Verbal agreements are legally binding,” Reid commented, his hand emerging from the bag holding a bunch of colorfully wrapped sweets. “Now, which flavor do you prefer? I have… strawberry, orange, cherry and grape. Pick one,” he said, opening his palm to show Morgan the booty. Morgan shrugged.
“Any. Doesn’t really taste different anyway,” he said - only to receive an outraged, wide eyed look from a very shocked-looking Doctor Reid.
“How can you say that! Of course they’re not the same. That’s what flavors are supposed to be about. How do you - ” he paused, his eyes narrowing, and looked at Morgan with sudden suspicion. “It’s because you don’t actually taste the candy. You just gobble it down and can’t tell the difference between a peppermint and a sugar cube. You’re a - a sugar addict, that’s what you are!”
“Says the one who drains the sugar bowl every time he has coffee.” Morgan protested. “Of course I notice the flavors. If there’s a sugar addict, here, it sure as hell ain’t me.”
“Right. Well, let’s put your version to the test,” Reid said, all too cheerfully. “Tell me - what flavor is the red-colored JellO? You should know - I’ve seen you eat it plenty of times. Usually stolen, but that is beside the point.”
Morgan hesitated for the briefest second. “Strawberry,” he said eventually, hoping to sound very much convinced. “And I do not steal food.”
“Morgan - it’s raspberry, ” Reid replied, raising his arms in honest shock. “You totally took a guess based on the fact that it’s red! I mean, who would ever mix up strawberry and raspberry? They taste completely different. ”
“And how do you know it was raspberry?” Morgan retorted, feeling a somewhat silly smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He could, after all, imagine worse ways to pass the time. “Maybe the JellO I was eating was strawberry flavored. Maybe you are wrong.”
“Morgan - I know it was raspberry because it’s my JellO that you have been stealing,” Reid replied, cocking his head to the side with the most charming grin. “And I always buy the raspberry one. And that, incidentally, is also how I know that you do steal food.”
Morgan harrumphed. It would be somehow undignified to blush over gelatinous candy - so he convinced himself it was indeed not happening. “Well - since it’s in our fridge, it could be argued that the JellO belongs to both of us. So it wouldn’t be stealing.” He paused, rather helpless under Reid’s skeptical gaze. “So, I was thinking - that perhaps I could make it three weeks of coffee and muffins.”
“Thanks. Now I begin to see why power is so appealing to mankind,” Reid commented, looking entirely too smug. “I could definitely get used to this.” He considered the sweets in his hand, before he picked one up and started peeling away the crinkled wrapping. “Okay… now close your eyes. I want to try a little experiment.”
“Hey. I do like the idea of you experimenting on my body,” Morgan said, and couldn’t help a laugh at the blush that all but burst on Reid’s cheeks. The kid’s fingers were suddenly clumsy as he tried to unwrap the candy; Morgan, very generously, decided not to insist. He suppressed a smile as he watched Reid try to act nonchalantly, and fail in a rather epic way.
“You - you,” was all Reid could manage, his eyes ostentatiously on the task at hand, very much determined to avoid Morgan’s amused gaze. He all but ripped off the wrapping, stuffing it in his pocket, and said, “Close your eyes.”
Morgan, obediently, complied. “What now?” he said. “I stay still as you do wicked things to me?” He struggled not to laugh at the undignified squawk he heard coming from Reid’s general direction. God, it was just too easy.
“I just want to see - if you can actually identify the flavor of the candy. How can you make everything sound like - like… no, don’t look - you can’t see the color,” Reid said, and Morgan heard his soft steps as he moved closer. “Just - open your mouth,” he said, his voice a little too low, just a fraction too breathy for Morgan not to remember other occasions in which the same words had been spoken, although with very different intentions. A shiver crawled its way down his back; he wondered if Reid would notice.
“Okay,” he said, and obediently parted his lips. He was rewarded by the tip of Reid’s fingers, brushing for the briefest instant against his skin, before something small and rounded was slipped in his mouth. Morgan could feel the fingers hesitate, lingering just a moment too long - he brushed them with his tongue, smirking to himself as he heard Reid’s sharp intake of breath.
“Okay. Now what?” He said, toying with the candy in his mouth. The flavor was heavy, a sweet undertone that spread slowly, warming up his tongue; it tasted, Morgan found himself considering, very pink, and - and was he suffering from lack of oxygen because of the constricted environment? That was no dignified way to think about candy.
“Now you tell me what favor that is. And you can open your eyes,” replied Reid - Morgan didn’t need to look to sense the kid’s smile, well evident in his voice. And maybe he was suffering from oxygen deprivation, after all - because he found himself considering, in a quiet corner of his brain, that there were few things in the world which raised his spirit the way a smiling Reid did. Not that he would say that out loud.
He cleared his throat, trying to appear utterly unaffected. He wasn’t sure he succeeded; but the kid did not remark, his eyes glittering in mild amusement as he waited for Morgan’s move. Morgan - never one to back out of a challenge - took his time to twirl the candy in his mouth, considering. Bubblegum-y. Not too much - a heavy flavor. Syrupy. Way too much sugar… “Cherry?” he ventured, trying to keep the question out of his voice - and Reid all but beamed at him, nodding.
“Yes! Cherry it is. You passed the test - I am impressed,” he said. Morgan chewed on, pretending to be deep in thought. When he spoke, his voice was purposefully a fraction too low.
“So… do I get a prize?” he whispered, taking a step forward, his eyes steady and meaningful as he looked the kid in the eye.
“I - I suppose you do,” the kid replied, a little breathless, his voice cracking as Morgan stepped into his personal space - Morgan allowed himself a grin, before he proceeded to rob the kid of his breath altogether.
His hand curled around Reid’s nape, holding him close as Morgan licked his lips open - Reid’s mouth was cool, its flavor fresh - peppermint, Morgan thought distantly. He used his tongue to push the sweet past Reid’s lips, reveling in the shiver he could feel racking the kid’s lean frame, before he proceeded to thoroughly kiss the hell out of him - and kiss they did, hot and wet and messy, their tongues curling around each other and the candy, fighting to steal it from each other, then pressing it back to restart the match all over again. It was only when the sweet finally dissolved in a lingering, sugary trace that Morgan had the courtesy to release Reid’s mouth - allowing himself a tiny bite on the reddened, plump bottom lip which felt so inviting under his tongue. The kid took a shaky breath, leaning against Morgan’s body; Morgan had no complaints whatsoever.
“Maybe I should feed you candy more often,” Reid whispered, his voice unstable - his eyes impossibly wide as they traced Morgan’s face. “If that’s what you do when you’re on sugar high.” Morgan couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud, as a familiar warmth curled in his chest, quiet and heavy and so very pleasant.
“You had this planned from the beginning. Admit it,” he said, affectionately. He let his hand reach to brush Reid’s hair, tucking a stray strand behind the kid’s ear; he was a little bit in love with the way Reid always smiled at him when he did it. Another thing he would not be saying out loud anytime soon.
Reid could not repress a chuckle. “You are an easy prey. All I needed was a few candies to lure you in, and now you’re in my power.”
“You are an evil, evil genius. I knew it,” Morgan said - and, if it came out a little warmer than he’d intended, he pretended not to notice. He leaned forward, brushing a kiss at the corner of Reid’s mouth.
“I know. But I am an evil genius with candy,” Reid murmured, leaning in to nip at Morgan’s lips, his eyes fluttering closed for the briefest instant. Morgan smiled.
“Pretty boy - just when I though I couldn’t love you more.”
.