HR with a side of Seaver (vague references to femme slash)
Spencer leaned against the telephone pole as he waited for Aaron to come back with the bag of supplies. He looked left and right, sure he had felt eyes on him earlier today. He always hated that feeling.
That was when it happened.
He knew it, he had just known he was due to be blitzed, albeit he hadn’t expected it to be by Seaver- but…
“Reid! There you are!” She smiled. Reid didn’t really know how to respond to that. There he was? It’s 9PM, he and Aaron were finally headed home after a long day in the office to finish up reports and she’s just ‘randomly’ at this location? No, he’s a little bit better at his job than to fall for that.
“Who set you up to do this and why.” Is all Reid offered, Seaver blinked.
“…I… don’t get what you mean?”
Reid pulled himself off the pole to let his height loom over her a bit more. “You were following me, why- Seaver.”
That caused her to blush, but she quickly countered. “I didn’t mean anything by that… it’s just… I wanted to ask you something and I couldn’t do it at the office.”
“Or over the phone? You have my contact information. Ashley, you’re new to this so you don’t get why it’s not a good idea to ‘surprise’ profilers, and while I only recall one agent who ever shot a person who ‘surprised’ him- there are slightly less injurious but equally present consequences.”
She blinked.
“It doesn’t matter who, he died a few years back.” Reid clarified, he had been one of Aaron’s good friends if he recalled, it was before the power-dynamics had shifted in the team and Aaron took over as the section head. That brought him back.
“Spencer, I just wanted to…” she looked down, when she looked up she was shocked to see Hotch walking from the deli they stood outside. “What is Hotch doing here?”
Reid’s body went rigid, he stood to block her line of sight, “I think you should just go home now, Ashley.”
“…Morgan, Garcia and I are going to a movie. Please come. If you agree, I’ll go.”
Reid rolled his eyes, “Is that what this is about?” He looked back to Hotch who was giving him a look of his own. “You could’ve just called about something like that.”
“It isn’t about that, but if you’re going then we can talk afterwards.”
Reid kicked himself, he somehow suspected that might be it.
She gave a brief wave and went back toward her car, at least Reid suspected she had driven. He spotted Hotch waiting by the door for him to finish. He approached the older man.
“What was that about?”
Reid shrugged, “You’ve got me…” He let out a sigh, “I just got roped into a movie with Morgan, her, and Garcia though, I’m sorry.”
“Does she think it’s a double-date?” Hotch let out a low laugh as he played with a strand of Reid’s hair. His lover tensed.
“…I’m not entirely certain she doesn’t, actually.” He batted Aaron’s hand away, “Why? Would it be weird if someone was interested in me?”
“Now I didn’t mean it like that, Spencer.” He leaned in to kiss him on the lips, “Plenty of people are interested in you… a disturbing amount of which are serial killers, but there is the portion of--”
Spencer glared, “You think you’re being funny but you’re really not. Are you trying to compare yourself with hookers and murderers--?” he crossed his arms across his chest.
“Alright, I’m sorry that was mean, but you’re the one who’s outside chatting it up with a coworker.”
“Then let’s solve both of our problems by going home and you marking territory- I’ll forget my scarf half-way through the day and this shouldn’t come up again.”
His lover thumbed at his top button of his dress-shirt before he tilted his head to the car. “Sounds like a plan.”
CM
Before Reid could fully implement a way out of it, Seaver had cornered Reid in the break room. He could feel her eyes on him, more precisely his neck. She smiled, it unnerved him. She acted far too interested in him for something like that to be taken as a good sign, and yet, here she was solidifying plans.
“We’re all going to go out tonight… if it’s okay with you, can we meet up to talk before it? At 7 maybe?”
He looked around, this was awkward, “Uh, sure.” On one level he was upset that his plan hadn’t succeeded, but the sex itself had been great so it was only so much of a disappointment… he had to talk to Aaron about this, though. He wasn’t sure where this was going… and despite his ability to profile, his ability to make friends and dissuade unwanted romantic interests, well, that didn’t always go so well.
He remembered Gideon’s attempts at playing wing-man that had led to him outing himself to JJ. It had ended with the Redskins winning, they were closer friends, Reid had kissed her cheek and both had cried. He didn’t think that was a normal football game experience, somehow.
Morgan knew better than this, though. Garcia as well, and while not everyone on the team was privy to who he was dating, it was clear he was spoken for, and more precisely what his orientation was. So whoever was playing wing-man for Seaver was being unfair. He scowled while he stood before Hotch’s door. It was unfair, but it was also awkward. He didn’t like having to out himself just to get her to back off. He sure as hell didn’t out himself to Lila or Austin, he just convinced them each that his affair with his work was much more time consuming than any fling he’d have with them.
But it didn’t change the fact, she saw the love bites, how would she not get that he was taken? Was that not even it?
Hotch opened the door and cued Reid to enter, he shut the door behind him. “What is it, Reid?”
“My plan didn’t work out like I hoped. The others are having a movie night tonight that I somehow have gotten roped into. Can I ask… your professional opinion about something? This sounds preposterous, but… I don’t get it. Am I making it up that Seaver throws a LOT of attention my way? Am I misreading that?”
Hotch’s eyebrow shot upward, true he had seen it, but each person copes to a situation differently. He had viewed it as friendly, but with Reid’s track-record he could see how the younger man might view it elsewise. The others seemed to as well, they seemed to get a sick pleasure from putting Reid in this position too. He internally noted to look for sadistic markers in their upcoming evals.
“She sends mixed signals and… I’m not interested, clearly I’m not, but it’s like she just isn’t perceptive to how unreceptive I am to her advances. It’s like the harder I hint out the more she wants to corner me.”
“Has she been less than friendly, sexually harassed you, or made you uncomfortable in any way?”
“Don’t play it like that, Aaron. You know what I mean. I don’t feel like I know her enough to be safe outing myself, and I sure as hell don’t want her outing you. She saw you last night. I could probably convince her we were carpooling, but if she keeps looking she’ll find it.”
“Give her the benefit of the doubt or at least the benefit of a firm rejection, Spencer. How you do it is up to you, I’ve told you my stance on telling BAU members about our relationship and that still stands. But if she continues to make this a hostile work environment, I’ll have Garcia schedule a fraternization and sexual sensitivity seminar.”
Spencer bowed his head and laughed, “…You don’t have one person on staff right now NOT violating at least one of those at any given moment.”
“Well, Rossi is all but over-looked at this point, and he and Prentiss are the definition of discrete. Morgan and Garcia are both so overt that her smoke-screen with Kevin is just… silly at best, but we’ve done a fairly good job staying off the radar too.”
“Because of Morgan and Garcia’s smoke screen, and Kevin, probably.” He smiled. Hotch smiled back.
“And hey, she’s harassing you, rounds out the set. Makes her part of the team, if she doesn’t stop it by tomorrow I’ll have her transferred to Swan’s team.”
Reid rolled his eyes slightly. “That might be overly helpful. You’re right though, if I just address this directly… it should be something we can resolve. Aaron, thanks.” He smiled and went to the door. “Tonight, when I get back… think we can do a repeat performance?”
“Oh I’d like to think we’re creative enough to come up with a new one, but I’d like that. I’ll see you when you get in.”
CM
Reid stood in the middle of a long line at one of his ‘favorite’ coffee shops. After he made his order, he spotted her outside, already with her preferred brew in hand.
Once coffee was procured, he headed outside, “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” she smiled, “Spencer, thanks for coming out here tonight…” She paused as if thinking of what to say next, instead she took a sip of coffee.
“So, what’s this all about? You’re being cryptic and you’re just asking me to show up out of the blue like this.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that, but… I needed to get you away from work, and to be sure… and well, Rossi told me I should just go for it… so… I’m gonna.” She smiled, Reid was seeing red.
Rossi did this to him? David best-friends-with-Aaron fucking Rossi did this to him. He clicked his tongue, filed it away.
“It’s hard, you know? Being so young and in the FBI, and single… people, well, they have questions… you get them too, don’t you? People constantly asking who you’re dating, when do you think you’ll get married…”
“Not really. I shield pretty well, and usually if they try it, I talk to them about traffic statistics for Anchorage until they take the hint and back away slowly.”
Seaver rose her eyebrows, she hadn’t thought of that angle. “Well, I guess you would have it easier… in that regard… Spencer, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way…”
He looked toward her, he couldn’t say that was a normal way to start a confession.
“…but, I’m pretty sure we’re really, really similar in a lot of ways and, well… We’re friends right?”
“Ashley, we’re coworkers, I don’t dislike you, but I have no idea where you’re going with this. What are you trying to say?”
“…I…” She lowered her head to blush, she turned back up to face him, “I’m trying to figure out if I should out myself to the team. You’re gay, you’re open about it… what was it like? Did they still accept you, should I keep quiet about it until I’m more into the group dynamics, or should I just hide it…?”
Reid’s mouth dropped open, he turned left and right in front of one of his favorite coffee spots and saw three people in different locations turn to watch them.
“Let’s go for a walk, ok?” He insisted, he pulled at her arm until they were at the park three blocks away. He glared. “Ashley… I’m going to start this off with yes or no questions. I do not want names, I absolutely do NOT want names. Are you involved with anyone at work, yes or no?”
“…Yes, kind of… she’s, well…”
“No more details.” His voice flitted, “Are you two involved, if it’s a crush that doesn’t count. Sexually involved counts, dates count. Yes or no?”
She looked down, “Yes.”
He let out a breath, “Did you ask me because of fraternization rules or because of BAU policy, or because I’m some spokesperson suddenly?”
Her eyes watered, apparently she hadn’t expected that outing him in the middle of the street might make Spencer upset. He raked a hand down his face.
“Don’t cry, but you don’t out a person… you don’t. I go to that place, and I am a very private person. My significant other is also a private person, we keep our business ours. Our family- the BAU- they know about us because we’ve been together long enough to be considered a stable relationship. If your relationship is fraternization it needs to be stable or you need to get out of it. This is your career. A volatile relationship can blow up in everyone’s faces so you need to know yourself and know if your lover is comfortable with you being out, and with them being out. They may not be, and that’s something you two have to discuss in the dynamics of your relationship. Our team is very understanding about each other’s relationships. They aren’t likely to judge you for it, but they aren’t likely to tell you who they’re dating either. That’s just how it goes. We’re profilers, if you can’t figure out who is dating whom, it’s a conscious choice on their behalves to hide it.”
“So you hide who you’re with but not that you’re gay.”
“What do you mean? I don’t go around advertising I’m gay.”
“…You kind of do.” She said, looking down, she looked back up, “Then again, you kind of send signals to Morgan and Hotch too…”
Reid rolled his eyes, “I do not. Morgan is my best friend… and… let’s leave Hotch out of this, he’s my boss.”
“…And your lover.” Ashley pointed out. He hated working with profilers sometimes.
“Let’s leave Hotch out of this, as I said.”
“Is he still in the closet?”
“Ashley! It isn’t your place. You don’t need to know everyone on the team’s sexual preference, you just don’t. If you’re a lesbian, that’s fine, bisexual, transgender- it doesn’t matter, heterosexual- also fine and acceptable, but don’t go outing people. Just because you’re trained to pick up mannerisms doesn’t mean a person is SAYING they are open and out. We’re trained to look for subtle cues.”
“Like how you wear purple?”
“That’s just my favorite color, I don’t wear it to advertise what my sexuality is. I’d wear it regardless of my preferences in partners.” He let out a low, shaky breath, “When I started with the BAU I …dressed down my personality, that’s true. I didn’t wear my different socks without a pair over them, because I didn’t know my place on the team. Some of the older agents… they weren’t comfortable around me, but some of them were fine with me. Most of them were. Sure some of the people from other departments gave me grief for being effeminate. It bordered harassment, but those aren’t people I’d tell about who I am in love with. I’m not ashamed of being gay but I work with people who need to have my back and sometimes personal issues get in the way of that. I don’t want to get shot because my back-up doesn’t quite have my back in the field, so I don’t broadcast it to people outside my circle. That’s my personal choice. I’d recommend you figure out what your stance is and where you’re drawing your own lines.”
After several long moments, Seaver just looked back at him and smiled. “You’re right, thanks Spencer.”
Reid nodded until Seaver threw herself into a tight hug that almost knocked him off his balance.
“I’m so glad I know someone who knows what I’m going through!”
Reid’s arms spread to his sides, willing for her to release him, he never was one for these sorts of displays of affection, even in friendly levels. Once she released him he straightened his shirt. “Yeah, don’t mention it… but… good luck.”
With that, the pair walked the four additional blocks to the movie theater.
CM
Reid managed to successfully dislodge from the group at a reasonable 1 AM, he made it back to Aaron’s townhouse in time to see the bedroom lamp get hit off. He smiled as he unlocked the door, he undid his tie as he entered the two-story brick building, the door locked and alarm code punched as he slipped from his shoes.
He crossed his arms as he approached his lover in their shared bedroom, “So, you mentioned Swan’s team…?”
“Because her girlfriend is on it,” Aaron smiled, and patted the bed.
“So you knew she was only focusing on me because she thought we could commiserate and you didn’t feel the need to warn me.”
“Not particularly, no.” Reid shook his head at his lover’s dismissal.
“You should fire me, missing something like that.” Reid sighed.
“You didn’t miss it, you just had a hypothesis that didn’t work. If I didn’t fire you for ‘evil twin, eviler twin’ I’d say you have job security for it.” He smiled and kissed Spencer, pulling him to the bed with a gentle tug of the wrist.
“You really are a bit of a bully, you know that right?”
“Hey, every so often I get to know something you don’t. It’s a nice change of pace.”
“Oh really…” Spencer kicked his leg over so he was straddling his lover, “Then I think I need to help set a different pace, because I don’t like to be left behind.”
Fin.
That was when it happened.
He knew it, he had just known he was due to be blitzed, albeit he hadn’t expected it to be by Seaver- but…
“Reid! There you are!” She smiled. Reid didn’t really know how to respond to that. There he was? It’s 9PM, he and Aaron were finally headed home after a long day in the office to finish up reports and she’s just ‘randomly’ at this location? No, he’s a little bit better at his job than to fall for that.
“Who set you up to do this and why.” Is all Reid offered, Seaver blinked.
“…I… don’t get what you mean?”
Reid pulled himself off the pole to let his height loom over her a bit more. “You were following me, why- Seaver.”
That caused her to blush, but she quickly countered. “I didn’t mean anything by that… it’s just… I wanted to ask you something and I couldn’t do it at the office.”
“Or over the phone? You have my contact information. Ashley, you’re new to this so you don’t get why it’s not a good idea to ‘surprise’ profilers, and while I only recall one agent who ever shot a person who ‘surprised’ him- there are slightly less injurious but equally present consequences.”
She blinked.
“It doesn’t matter who, he died a few years back.” Reid clarified, he had been one of Aaron’s good friends if he recalled, it was before the power-dynamics had shifted in the team and Aaron took over as the section head. That brought him back.
“Spencer, I just wanted to…” she looked down, when she looked up she was shocked to see Hotch walking from the deli they stood outside. “What is Hotch doing here?”
Reid’s body went rigid, he stood to block her line of sight, “I think you should just go home now, Ashley.”
“…Morgan, Garcia and I are going to a movie. Please come. If you agree, I’ll go.”
Reid rolled his eyes, “Is that what this is about?” He looked back to Hotch who was giving him a look of his own. “You could’ve just called about something like that.”
“It isn’t about that, but if you’re going then we can talk afterwards.”
Reid kicked himself, he somehow suspected that might be it.
She gave a brief wave and went back toward her car, at least Reid suspected she had driven. He spotted Hotch waiting by the door for him to finish. He approached the older man.
“What was that about?”
Reid shrugged, “You’ve got me…” He let out a sigh, “I just got roped into a movie with Morgan, her, and Garcia though, I’m sorry.”
“Does she think it’s a double-date?” Hotch let out a low laugh as he played with a strand of Reid’s hair. His lover tensed.
“…I’m not entirely certain she doesn’t, actually.” He batted Aaron’s hand away, “Why? Would it be weird if someone was interested in me?”
“Now I didn’t mean it like that, Spencer.” He leaned in to kiss him on the lips, “Plenty of people are interested in you… a disturbing amount of which are serial killers, but there is the portion of--”
Spencer glared, “You think you’re being funny but you’re really not. Are you trying to compare yourself with hookers and murderers--?” he crossed his arms across his chest.
“Alright, I’m sorry that was mean, but you’re the one who’s outside chatting it up with a coworker.”
“Then let’s solve both of our problems by going home and you marking territory- I’ll forget my scarf half-way through the day and this shouldn’t come up again.”
His lover thumbed at his top button of his dress-shirt before he tilted his head to the car. “Sounds like a plan.”
CM
Before Reid could fully implement a way out of it, Seaver had cornered Reid in the break room. He could feel her eyes on him, more precisely his neck. She smiled, it unnerved him. She acted far too interested in him for something like that to be taken as a good sign, and yet, here she was solidifying plans.
“We’re all going to go out tonight… if it’s okay with you, can we meet up to talk before it? At 7 maybe?”
He looked around, this was awkward, “Uh, sure.” On one level he was upset that his plan hadn’t succeeded, but the sex itself had been great so it was only so much of a disappointment… he had to talk to Aaron about this, though. He wasn’t sure where this was going… and despite his ability to profile, his ability to make friends and dissuade unwanted romantic interests, well, that didn’t always go so well.
He remembered Gideon’s attempts at playing wing-man that had led to him outing himself to JJ. It had ended with the Redskins winning, they were closer friends, Reid had kissed her cheek and both had cried. He didn’t think that was a normal football game experience, somehow.
Morgan knew better than this, though. Garcia as well, and while not everyone on the team was privy to who he was dating, it was clear he was spoken for, and more precisely what his orientation was. So whoever was playing wing-man for Seaver was being unfair. He scowled while he stood before Hotch’s door. It was unfair, but it was also awkward. He didn’t like having to out himself just to get her to back off. He sure as hell didn’t out himself to Lila or Austin, he just convinced them each that his affair with his work was much more time consuming than any fling he’d have with them.
But it didn’t change the fact, she saw the love bites, how would she not get that he was taken? Was that not even it?
Hotch opened the door and cued Reid to enter, he shut the door behind him. “What is it, Reid?”
“My plan didn’t work out like I hoped. The others are having a movie night tonight that I somehow have gotten roped into. Can I ask… your professional opinion about something? This sounds preposterous, but… I don’t get it. Am I making it up that Seaver throws a LOT of attention my way? Am I misreading that?”
Hotch’s eyebrow shot upward, true he had seen it, but each person copes to a situation differently. He had viewed it as friendly, but with Reid’s track-record he could see how the younger man might view it elsewise. The others seemed to as well, they seemed to get a sick pleasure from putting Reid in this position too. He internally noted to look for sadistic markers in their upcoming evals.
“She sends mixed signals and… I’m not interested, clearly I’m not, but it’s like she just isn’t perceptive to how unreceptive I am to her advances. It’s like the harder I hint out the more she wants to corner me.”
“Has she been less than friendly, sexually harassed you, or made you uncomfortable in any way?”
“Don’t play it like that, Aaron. You know what I mean. I don’t feel like I know her enough to be safe outing myself, and I sure as hell don’t want her outing you. She saw you last night. I could probably convince her we were carpooling, but if she keeps looking she’ll find it.”
“Give her the benefit of the doubt or at least the benefit of a firm rejection, Spencer. How you do it is up to you, I’ve told you my stance on telling BAU members about our relationship and that still stands. But if she continues to make this a hostile work environment, I’ll have Garcia schedule a fraternization and sexual sensitivity seminar.”
Spencer bowed his head and laughed, “…You don’t have one person on staff right now NOT violating at least one of those at any given moment.”
“Well, Rossi is all but over-looked at this point, and he and Prentiss are the definition of discrete. Morgan and Garcia are both so overt that her smoke-screen with Kevin is just… silly at best, but we’ve done a fairly good job staying off the radar too.”
“Because of Morgan and Garcia’s smoke screen, and Kevin, probably.” He smiled. Hotch smiled back.
“And hey, she’s harassing you, rounds out the set. Makes her part of the team, if she doesn’t stop it by tomorrow I’ll have her transferred to Swan’s team.”
Reid rolled his eyes slightly. “That might be overly helpful. You’re right though, if I just address this directly… it should be something we can resolve. Aaron, thanks.” He smiled and went to the door. “Tonight, when I get back… think we can do a repeat performance?”
“Oh I’d like to think we’re creative enough to come up with a new one, but I’d like that. I’ll see you when you get in.”
CM
Reid stood in the middle of a long line at one of his ‘favorite’ coffee shops. After he made his order, he spotted her outside, already with her preferred brew in hand.
Once coffee was procured, he headed outside, “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” she smiled, “Spencer, thanks for coming out here tonight…” She paused as if thinking of what to say next, instead she took a sip of coffee.
“So, what’s this all about? You’re being cryptic and you’re just asking me to show up out of the blue like this.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about that, but… I needed to get you away from work, and to be sure… and well, Rossi told me I should just go for it… so… I’m gonna.” She smiled, Reid was seeing red.
Rossi did this to him? David best-friends-with-Aaron fucking Rossi did this to him. He clicked his tongue, filed it away.
“It’s hard, you know? Being so young and in the FBI, and single… people, well, they have questions… you get them too, don’t you? People constantly asking who you’re dating, when do you think you’ll get married…”
“Not really. I shield pretty well, and usually if they try it, I talk to them about traffic statistics for Anchorage until they take the hint and back away slowly.”
Seaver rose her eyebrows, she hadn’t thought of that angle. “Well, I guess you would have it easier… in that regard… Spencer, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way…”
He looked toward her, he couldn’t say that was a normal way to start a confession.
“…but, I’m pretty sure we’re really, really similar in a lot of ways and, well… We’re friends right?”
“Ashley, we’re coworkers, I don’t dislike you, but I have no idea where you’re going with this. What are you trying to say?”
“…I…” She lowered her head to blush, she turned back up to face him, “I’m trying to figure out if I should out myself to the team. You’re gay, you’re open about it… what was it like? Did they still accept you, should I keep quiet about it until I’m more into the group dynamics, or should I just hide it…?”
Reid’s mouth dropped open, he turned left and right in front of one of his favorite coffee spots and saw three people in different locations turn to watch them.
“Let’s go for a walk, ok?” He insisted, he pulled at her arm until they were at the park three blocks away. He glared. “Ashley… I’m going to start this off with yes or no questions. I do not want names, I absolutely do NOT want names. Are you involved with anyone at work, yes or no?”
“…Yes, kind of… she’s, well…”
“No more details.” His voice flitted, “Are you two involved, if it’s a crush that doesn’t count. Sexually involved counts, dates count. Yes or no?”
She looked down, “Yes.”
He let out a breath, “Did you ask me because of fraternization rules or because of BAU policy, or because I’m some spokesperson suddenly?”
Her eyes watered, apparently she hadn’t expected that outing him in the middle of the street might make Spencer upset. He raked a hand down his face.
“Don’t cry, but you don’t out a person… you don’t. I go to that place, and I am a very private person. My significant other is also a private person, we keep our business ours. Our family- the BAU- they know about us because we’ve been together long enough to be considered a stable relationship. If your relationship is fraternization it needs to be stable or you need to get out of it. This is your career. A volatile relationship can blow up in everyone’s faces so you need to know yourself and know if your lover is comfortable with you being out, and with them being out. They may not be, and that’s something you two have to discuss in the dynamics of your relationship. Our team is very understanding about each other’s relationships. They aren’t likely to judge you for it, but they aren’t likely to tell you who they’re dating either. That’s just how it goes. We’re profilers, if you can’t figure out who is dating whom, it’s a conscious choice on their behalves to hide it.”
“So you hide who you’re with but not that you’re gay.”
“What do you mean? I don’t go around advertising I’m gay.”
“…You kind of do.” She said, looking down, she looked back up, “Then again, you kind of send signals to Morgan and Hotch too…”
Reid rolled his eyes, “I do not. Morgan is my best friend… and… let’s leave Hotch out of this, he’s my boss.”
“…And your lover.” Ashley pointed out. He hated working with profilers sometimes.
“Let’s leave Hotch out of this, as I said.”
“Is he still in the closet?”
“Ashley! It isn’t your place. You don’t need to know everyone on the team’s sexual preference, you just don’t. If you’re a lesbian, that’s fine, bisexual, transgender- it doesn’t matter, heterosexual- also fine and acceptable, but don’t go outing people. Just because you’re trained to pick up mannerisms doesn’t mean a person is SAYING they are open and out. We’re trained to look for subtle cues.”
“Like how you wear purple?”
“That’s just my favorite color, I don’t wear it to advertise what my sexuality is. I’d wear it regardless of my preferences in partners.” He let out a low, shaky breath, “When I started with the BAU I …dressed down my personality, that’s true. I didn’t wear my different socks without a pair over them, because I didn’t know my place on the team. Some of the older agents… they weren’t comfortable around me, but some of them were fine with me. Most of them were. Sure some of the people from other departments gave me grief for being effeminate. It bordered harassment, but those aren’t people I’d tell about who I am in love with. I’m not ashamed of being gay but I work with people who need to have my back and sometimes personal issues get in the way of that. I don’t want to get shot because my back-up doesn’t quite have my back in the field, so I don’t broadcast it to people outside my circle. That’s my personal choice. I’d recommend you figure out what your stance is and where you’re drawing your own lines.”
After several long moments, Seaver just looked back at him and smiled. “You’re right, thanks Spencer.”
Reid nodded until Seaver threw herself into a tight hug that almost knocked him off his balance.
“I’m so glad I know someone who knows what I’m going through!”
Reid’s arms spread to his sides, willing for her to release him, he never was one for these sorts of displays of affection, even in friendly levels. Once she released him he straightened his shirt. “Yeah, don’t mention it… but… good luck.”
With that, the pair walked the four additional blocks to the movie theater.
CM
Reid managed to successfully dislodge from the group at a reasonable 1 AM, he made it back to Aaron’s townhouse in time to see the bedroom lamp get hit off. He smiled as he unlocked the door, he undid his tie as he entered the two-story brick building, the door locked and alarm code punched as he slipped from his shoes.
He crossed his arms as he approached his lover in their shared bedroom, “So, you mentioned Swan’s team…?”
“Because her girlfriend is on it,” Aaron smiled, and patted the bed.
“So you knew she was only focusing on me because she thought we could commiserate and you didn’t feel the need to warn me.”
“Not particularly, no.” Reid shook his head at his lover’s dismissal.
“You should fire me, missing something like that.” Reid sighed.
“You didn’t miss it, you just had a hypothesis that didn’t work. If I didn’t fire you for ‘evil twin, eviler twin’ I’d say you have job security for it.” He smiled and kissed Spencer, pulling him to the bed with a gentle tug of the wrist.
“You really are a bit of a bully, you know that right?”
“Hey, every so often I get to know something you don’t. It’s a nice change of pace.”
“Oh really…” Spencer kicked his leg over so he was straddling his lover, “Then I think I need to help set a different pace, because I don’t like to be left behind.”
Fin.