Pretty Boy

chapter 1

A/N: Disclaimer! I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters. However, I do own this story. Do not post to another site.

The first time it happened it caught him off guard. But it almost felt natural. Until he started thinking about it more.

Spencer just walked into the bullpen. It was early in the morning when everyone was getting ready for their long vacation.

Elle and Morgan were excited about getting with hot singles and enjoying their time on a nice beach. Hotch was excited to spend time with family and who knows what Gideon was up to.Spencer started at his desk, gathering the things he needed and putting them into his bag. He began to think about his errands and duties until that was blissfully interrupted.

"Oh, there he is! Pretty. Boy." Morgan announced as he walked towards Reid, coffee in hand. "Last chance. I can get..." his voice trailed off.

Reid went on autopilot. He was fixated on two words. The two words that had just escaped Morgan's mouth at the beginning of his ramble. Trying to understand what he had just heard, wondering if he even heard him right.

As Morgan was finishing trying to coax him into his idea of a "fun" vacation with the ladies, Reid suddenly realized he had to function like a normal human. Deciding to dismiss his thoughts as he continued the conversation by politely passing. He needed to be alone to process what just happened. What he just heard.

_

Eventually, he got back to his apartment, confusion adamant on his face as he set his bag down and sat down on his couch. He stared ahead at his bookshelf.

He didn't understand. He knew Morgan always flirted with Garcia, making similar comments but that made sense. Garcia is a wonderful person who deserves to be flirted with and praised and loved. Just as much as Morgan did. That made sense. Garcia was... Garcia.

Pretty Boy? That didn't even make sense. He wasn't even a boy, more like a twig. A twig that could get swept into a slight breeze. A twig that was definitely not pretty. That made more sense to him.

Curious, he walked to his bathroom and closed the door, shying away from the mirror.Finally gaining courage, he looked up into his reflection. Pretty...? His eyebrows furrowed. He stared. For a long time. Long enough that his face didn't even look real anymore.

Logically, Reid thought he was nowhere near pretty, attractive even. He was... Reid. And he thought, no, he knew, that he was not pretty or attractive or wanted by any romantic partner. He was not muscular or well-defined. He was not tone either, actually rather pale in comparison. He looked malnourished and if someone saw him they would assume he was 14 years old. His hair was too long, he dressed like an assistant and he slouched. Not to mention, his social skills probably didn't help.

His thoughts flooded with all of his awkward encounters even encounters with people he was supposed to relate to. That painful memory of talking in front of those college chemistry students popped into his head and he flinched at the reminder. He was already incredibly insecure about his ability to understand social cues.Reid knew the list just went on his head and he could sit here for hours thinking about all of his irregularities. He started giving himself a headache just thinking about it.

But he couldn't continue, for he had important business to retain to, or rather distract himself with. But alas his brain stayed on. Was Morgan mocking me? That must be it. Morgan is like his best friend, and friends tease each other all of the time. So this must be one of those times. Yeah.

Nevertheless, a part of him truly, deeply liked the nickname and wanted to be called pretty even more often. But he surely couldn't tell Morgan that. Because Morgan is... Morgan. And Morgan is only joking. At least that's what he told himself.

The second time it happened he almost missed it. It had been a while since the first time, and he had almost gotten over it. However, lucky for him, Morgan was not about to let that happen.

Morgan was walking in, his bag slung over his shoulder. He was just getting back from a case with Rossi.

Reid was patiently sitting in his chair, writing a report for the interview he had just had with Chester.

"Pretty Boy. How was Connecticut?" Morgan's voice was as smooth as ever. Again, that stupid nickname. That stupid nickname gave him a headache for a week before. He could not deal with that again.

Even so, Reid simply replied, "Ultimately uneventful." He was thinking again. He swore this nickname was going to give him an ulcer if he didn't come to a conclusion about his concerns soon.

Quickly changing the subject, Reid moved his attention to Rossi, briefly explaining someone was waiting in his office for him.He went home after a while with a pounding headache, his mind racing once more.

A/N: Tell me what you think! I'm down to read reviews and suggestions.