Fic: An Everyday World (1/1 Criminal Minds OI&E)
Title: An Everyday World
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy
Author: Frogg
Beta: None
Rating: FRT-13
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Word Count: 617
Morgan flipped his cellphone closed after assuring Hotch he and Reid were on the way. As important as the case was - as important as any case was - he was more concerned about Reid, sitting nervous and preoccupied in the passenger seat. "Hey."
"Hmm?" Reid tilted his head, making brief eye contact before dropping his gaze to his hands.
The sad, almost forlorn expression he'd barely glimpsed in Reid's eyes didn't belong there. "Talk to me, kid, what's going on?"
"I was just, just thinking about--"
"Reid."
Reid blinked.
"Whatever crap you were about to give me about the case, don't bother, okay? It's just me here." Morgan waited out the stunned, embarrassed silence, making a smooth lefthand turn behind a dark purple minivan. "You don't have to hide anything from me, you know that."
"Nightmares," Reid blurted, ashamed.
"Nathan again?" Morgan frowned; he hadn't heard anything the night before.
"No, I, I didn't have any last night, at least not that I know of. But still. I was thinking..." Discomfort making his voice dwindle to nothing, Reid swallowed hard.
"Thinking what?"
"I always...I sleep better when you're there. And, and...you seem to be--"
So that was it. "Reid? I don't mind sharing rooms on a regular basis, if that's what you're trying to get at."
"Um." He didn't elaborate.
Ok, so that wasn't it. "Reid, come on, talk to me. I don't profile my friends, and I can't read your mind." Morgan had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel, his white-knuckled grip having left dents in the padded leather.
"I, uh, d-didn't want to, to get in the way, I mean, I don't-"
"Reid, you know I don't pick up when we're out on a case. My rep is just that, it's how other people see me. It's not true."
Reid stared at him, half shocked, half amazed. There was a touch of--something, something Morgan didn't want to identify in his eyes.
Training his gaze back on the road, Morgan chastised himself for how much he liked that look, how much he wanted to see it again, how much he wanted to be the one to put it there. But if sharing a room wasn't what Reid wanted, what was? Getting in the way meant... Oh. Only the fact that Morgan was driving kept him from shutting his eyes and trying to fight off a burgeoning headache, pain at his own obtuseness starting a dull throb at his temples.
Reid wanted to be touched. Morgan knew, they all knew, how touch-starved Reid must be, growing up the way he had. The whole team had started communicating more through physical contact since Reid had joined, if only to try and alleviate that need, but none of them shared the kind of connection with Reid that Morgan did. None of the others could offer Reid the security that sharing a bed gave him, gave them both, skin to skin and wrapped up in each other. Reid had never complained about being smothered when Morgan invariably slept half on top of him, never...
Morgan swallowed. "You're right, we both sleep better," he managed, throat tight. "Come on over to my room when you're ready to go to bed. If nothing else, we can keep each other from having those nightmares."
"And maybe get a decent night's sleep once in a while," Reid said, his shaky voice barely more than a whisper.
And maybe a whole lot more, someday, Morgan thought to himself, nodding, thankful that they were turning into the parking lot.
Someday, when Morgan's wounds weren't quite so raw, when Reid could see the forest for the trees.
Someday.
~~~the end~~~
Previous: To Honor Wisdom
Next: Unlocking the World
Series: Of Innocence and Empathy
Author: Frogg
Beta: None
Rating: FRT-13
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Word Count: 617
Morgan flipped his cellphone closed after assuring Hotch he and Reid were on the way. As important as the case was - as important as any case was - he was more concerned about Reid, sitting nervous and preoccupied in the passenger seat. "Hey."
"Hmm?" Reid tilted his head, making brief eye contact before dropping his gaze to his hands.
The sad, almost forlorn expression he'd barely glimpsed in Reid's eyes didn't belong there. "Talk to me, kid, what's going on?"
"I was just, just thinking about--"
"Reid."
Reid blinked.
"Whatever crap you were about to give me about the case, don't bother, okay? It's just me here." Morgan waited out the stunned, embarrassed silence, making a smooth lefthand turn behind a dark purple minivan. "You don't have to hide anything from me, you know that."
"Nightmares," Reid blurted, ashamed.
"Nathan again?" Morgan frowned; he hadn't heard anything the night before.
"No, I, I didn't have any last night, at least not that I know of. But still. I was thinking..." Discomfort making his voice dwindle to nothing, Reid swallowed hard.
"Thinking what?"
"I always...I sleep better when you're there. And, and...you seem to be--"
So that was it. "Reid? I don't mind sharing rooms on a regular basis, if that's what you're trying to get at."
"Um." He didn't elaborate.
Ok, so that wasn't it. "Reid, come on, talk to me. I don't profile my friends, and I can't read your mind." Morgan had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel, his white-knuckled grip having left dents in the padded leather.
"I, uh, d-didn't want to, to get in the way, I mean, I don't-"
"Reid, you know I don't pick up when we're out on a case. My rep is just that, it's how other people see me. It's not true."
Reid stared at him, half shocked, half amazed. There was a touch of--something, something Morgan didn't want to identify in his eyes.
Training his gaze back on the road, Morgan chastised himself for how much he liked that look, how much he wanted to see it again, how much he wanted to be the one to put it there. But if sharing a room wasn't what Reid wanted, what was? Getting in the way meant... Oh. Only the fact that Morgan was driving kept him from shutting his eyes and trying to fight off a burgeoning headache, pain at his own obtuseness starting a dull throb at his temples.
Reid wanted to be touched. Morgan knew, they all knew, how touch-starved Reid must be, growing up the way he had. The whole team had started communicating more through physical contact since Reid had joined, if only to try and alleviate that need, but none of them shared the kind of connection with Reid that Morgan did. None of the others could offer Reid the security that sharing a bed gave him, gave them both, skin to skin and wrapped up in each other. Reid had never complained about being smothered when Morgan invariably slept half on top of him, never...
Morgan swallowed. "You're right, we both sleep better," he managed, throat tight. "Come on over to my room when you're ready to go to bed. If nothing else, we can keep each other from having those nightmares."
"And maybe get a decent night's sleep once in a while," Reid said, his shaky voice barely more than a whisper.
And maybe a whole lot more, someday, Morgan thought to himself, nodding, thankful that they were turning into the parking lot.
Someday, when Morgan's wounds weren't quite so raw, when Reid could see the forest for the trees.
Someday.
~~~the end~~~
Previous: To Honor Wisdom
Next: Unlocking the World