When the jet landed back home, the group of tired profilers disembarked, each one ready to go home. Dave climbed into his car and drove away after waving goodbye to everyone. Emily offered Ashley a ride to the Bureau to pick up her car, which the young woman accepted. Morgan offered to drive Spencer home—typical of the two of them. Everyone knew Spencer took the bus to work. As everyone was getting into their cars, Aaron bid them a good night and went to his own car.
He’d only driven a few blocks away when his cell phone went off with a text.
Morgan: My place? :D
A chuckle slid past Aaron’s lips as he navigated the deserted road and typed his response.
Hotchner: Works 4 me. Want me 2 pick up food?
Morgan: Do u think I’ll say no 2 free food? Brat says he wants burgers
Though they did stay at Aaron’s house sometimes, mostly when they knew Jack was going to be there or they wanted a change of scenery, they typically stayed at Morgan’s house. His house sat on one of the many properties he’d bought and the only one that no one else knew the location of. No one came to find them while they were there and there was enough property for Clooney to run and play and for their neighbors to be few and far between.
After their relationship had grown, the three of them having been together for a little while, Morgan had remolded this property, changing a few things. Expanding on others. It was a four bedroom house, which gave them their bedroom and three offices, one for each man. The master bath had been remodeled to accommodate the large shower as well as the Jacuzzi tub that were put in there—that had been a luxury they’d all pooled in on and splurged with. The shower was large enough to fit the three of them, as was the Jacuzzi tub. In all actuality, this was their house, not just Morgan’s. Despite Spencer and Aaron having their own homes, those were mostly for a cover and in Aaron’s case, for Jack. But this was their home.
Much to Aaron’s amusement, he saw the glowing lights of the golden arches up ahead of him just shortly after he read Morgan’s last text. Apparently their ‘brat’ was going to get his wishes. The senior profiler pulled in to the drive-thru, not even pausing at the menu board. He knew what he wanted and he knew what the other two liked to eat.
Thirty minutes later he was pulling into the driveway of their house. After parking the car, Aaron gathered his keys and the bags of food and climbed out of the car. He grabbed his go bag and briefcase from the backseat and expertly juggled everything as he made his way to the house. Just as he reached the front door it was flung open. Spencer stood there, a mile wide grin on his face. “You got burgers!” he exclaimed cheerfully, unloading the bags of food from Aaron’s arms.
The older man couldn’t help but laugh as he came in the house, kicking the door shut behind him. Morgan was sitting in ‘his’ recliner—they each had one that they preferred to sit in, as well as the long couch they constantly shared—and he was laughing at Spencer. The young genius had set the food on the coffee table before folding his long legs and sitting right beside the table on the floor.
While Aaron put his briefcase, bag and coat in the close, he heard Morgan moving around behind him. By the time Aaron had turned around and was making his way to his chair, Morgan was walking back into the room, two beers in hand, one of which he handed to Aaron. The older man grinned and took it gratefully. “Thanks, Derek.”
Grinning, Morgan bent and stole a kiss. “No prob. You’re like me; after a case, you want your chair and a beer.”
“You two can have all the beer you want.” Spencer tossed over his shoulder with a slight curl to his lip. He turned and handed one of the bags to Morgan, having sorted out their stuff to individual bags, and then passing the other one to Aaron. “I’ll stick with the good stuff.” To punctuate his point, he picked up his glass of cognac off the table and took a sip, humming softly in pleasure. Spencer wasn’t much of a drinker, but when he did, he was particular about what he drank.
Aaron took a long pull from his bottle. He slid his shoes off of his feet and crossed his legs, resting one ankle on the other knee. “Sometimes a good beer is the perfect end to a day.” He countered Spencer’s argument. This was one the three of them had shared before and that never failed to amuse them.
“No, beer is for football games and frat parties.” Humor lit Spencer’s eyes as he argued. He unwrapped his burger, laying the paper out on his lap as a napkin. “It’s perfect to end the day with a glass of cognac, or a smooth chardonnay.”
That drew Morgan into the conversation. “Like hell. Beer’s always good.” To prove his point, he took a drink from his, winking at Aaron.
As the playful banter continued back and forth, Aaron felt himself relaxing. This was what he looked forward to at the end of the day. This easy camaraderie; the playful jokes and arguments. To sit back with people he loved and who loved him without a single care of who would see them or what would be said or if there was a chance they would be caught. They were just free to be themselves. If it weren’t for these moments, Aaron had no idea how he would get through the long days.
Finally dinner was finished and the garbage was disposed of. By mutual agreement, Morgan and Aaron didn’t indulge in any more beers, wanting to be clearheaded for what was coming. Now that they’d relaxed, it was time for the discussion that had been delayed. They could see that Spencer knew it was coming, too. The younger man had moved to sit on the couch, curling his feet up underneath him, tucking himself into the corner. It was both a comfortable position for him as well as a defensive one.
To keep from crowding the other man, Aaron and Morgan both sat back in their recliners, getting comfortable. It was, unsurprisingly, Aaron who started the conversation. “We know you don’t want to talk to us about this, Spencer. But I want to ask you now, not as your boss, but as your lover—what did Seaver say to you to hurt you so much?”
Eyes sliding closed, Spencer cradled his glass of cognac in one hand, his other hand nervously tapping against his leg. “There’s no point in worrying about it, guys. It’s just words.” He tried.
Neither one of them were buying it. Morgan sat forward, resting his arms on his legs, looking earnestly at Spencer. “We know how badly words can hurt, baby boy. What she said, it hurt you. Can’t you tell us and let us help you chase away the hurt?”
“Like I said, we’re asking as your lovers. I’m not your boss right now. Derek isn’t your co-worker. As the men who love you, we want to make this better. We want to help you stop hurting. Can you let us do that? Can you let us help you, honey?”
It was the term of endearment from Aaron that really did Spencer in. Morgan used pet names easily, even for his friends. The ones for his lovers were more special, with a different tone that always thrilled Spencer to hear and made Aaron smile and feel loved. Aaron only used pet names with the two men he loved and his son. To hear the tough man soften enough to say them would almost always soften both Spencer and Morgan. Spencer….Spencer almost never used them. The only times he did was when either of his partners was really, really hurting. When he went into full caretaker, protector mode, the pet names slipped past his lips without thought.
He tightened his hand around his glass for a moment. He didn’t like thinking of the things people said to him and he knew his lovers wouldn’t take well to hearing them, either. “It…it wasn’t just her. Not really.” Spencer started out slowly. His words almost seemed pulled from him. “I mean, a person is entitled to their opinion. And Seaver didn’t really come out and say anything directly rude. She just gave her viewpoint of the dynamics of the team. It’s just…” Agitated, he set his glass down on the table, taking that moment to try and find his words. “I just get frustrated when people look at me and all they see is my intelligence. That’s not all that I am, you know.”
Morgan started to say something, but Aaron held a hand up, gesturing for him to stay quiet. He had a feeling that, if they said nothing, Spencer would say plenty on his own. This was something the younger man needed to get out.
Sure enough, Spencer continued on a moment later, his words coming faster and faster as they started to pour from him. “They may have had to make exceptions for me to get into the field, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to handle myself. I passed my gun qualification just like every other agent. Granted, stating all the exceptions they made for me in the initial meeting with Seaver probably didn’t give a very good first impression, but still. I am a qualified agent. I’ve earned the title. So why do people insist on thinking that I’m this weak kid who cannot handle himself out in the field?”
Suddenly too agitated to sit, Spencer rose, pacing the floor. “I’m not useless outside of my brain. I know I’m not. But when people persist in insinuating or outright saying that I am, it gets to me. How could it not? Words are just words, yes, but it’s as you said, words do hurt. I’ve fought my whole life not to be weak. I’ve worked just as hard as any other agent to get to where I am. Harder, sometimes! I have not only my age, but my size against me. Those two factors instantly make me appear a weak link in a group. Factoring in my intelligence and my social awkwardness and people start to view me as a walking encyclopedia. But there’s more to me than that!”
Spinning, he stared at his two lovers as if they doubted his words. “I’m perfectly capable of handling myself! I am not useless or weak or inferior. Each person has their own strengths and should play up to those. But that doesn’t mean that it’s their only use! I’m not just intelligent. I’m not just the resident genius. I may not be as strong as either of you, or as intimidating, but I can hold my own in interrogation. I can handle interviews with victims and witnesses. I can chase down an Unsub just the same as the rest of the team! I am not useless and I’m not a damn liability!”
Now was the time to say something. Now was the time to look at Spencer and quietly tell him “No, you’re not.” Aaron kept his voice level to counter the strong emotions that were playing in Spencer even though his heart ached to hear the things others had told him. “You are a valuable member of this team and quite an asset. Not just for your brain, but for your other skills as well as for yourself. I would trust you to have my back in the field any day, Spencer.”
“So would I.” Morgan agreed easily. There was no hesitation to his words. “You are smart, yes. But you’re also funny when you want to be, kind, gentle, compassionate, charming, and friendly. You can be tough if the situation calls for it. Maybe you don’t always go the physical route as others do. Maybe you don’t fight your way out where others would. No, you do something none of them can. You use that big old brain of yours to think of a way to get out of any situation with minimal violence. Like Aaron said, I’d trust you to have my back anytime. I’d feel safe, knowing that you’d help find a way out without violence if there was one and you can hold your own if violence does become necessary.”
Aaron pushed up from his chair to walk over to his young lover. There he took him into his arms, bringing their bodies close. “You are most definitely not useless. Neither at work nor anywhere else. You’re a wonderful person, Spencer. Don’t you ever let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Morgan had risen as well, stepping up beside them. Both men opened their arms to include him in the hug. “And if they try, you just remember one thing, pretty boy. Your team, the people you work with, trust and respect you. And you’ll always have Aaron and I to help remind you exactly how wonderful you are to us.”
Emotions were flickering back and forth in Spencer’s expressive eyes. Finally they settled on love; the emotion pouring out from them. He leaned in and kissed first Aaron, then Morgan. “I love you two.” He whispered. “Thank you.”
Sliding his hand up Spencer’s back so that he could lightly stroke over his hair, Aaron gave him a smile full of love. “I love you too. Both of you. And you’re welcome.”
It was Morgan who flashed a grin they all knew very well and who started to tug lightly on them. “Come on.” HE said with a mischievous twinkle to his eyes. “I’m not going to say it. Why don’t you two come with me and I’ll show you exactly how much I love you both?”
His good humor was infectious. Aaron turned his head to grin at Spencer. “What do you think, Spencer? Should we?”
Spencer’s grin was just as wide. “I guess we could. There’s nothing better to do, really.” He teased. When Morgan smacked his ass, Spencer laughed and yanked away, taking off toward the bedroom. His laughter echoed down the hall.
With a smirk and a twinkle in his eyes that no one but these two had ever seen, Aaron looked at Morgan and said “Last one there loses.” And then he took was taking off down the hall. The sound of their laughter filled the house, a perfect end to a long day.