To Solve

Chapter 2: Plain Sight

Parker woke up before their alarm could even get a chance to wake them.

Spencer was still sound asleep and looked even younger than he already was.

Parker kissed him first on the cheek and then on the nose. The young man woke up this and wrinkled his nose

"Happy Birthday", Parker murmured and gave their boyfriend another kiss on the cheek.

"Can I always be woken up like this from now on?" Spencer asked sleepily.

Parker's smile widened. They loved that cute, childish side of him. Spencer was the smartest man they knew and despite his vast knowledge he was just a young man still trying to find his place in the world.

"Maybe," Parker replied, standing up.

They stopped at the door and turned back to Spencer.

"What do you think of birthday–pancakes?"

"I think, that sounds great," Spencer replied, sitting up.

Parker shuffled into the kitchen, made the pancakes, and set the table.

"Sit down," they said to Spencer, when he walked into the kitchen and put two plates with pancakes on the table.

After the couple had breakfast, Spencer opened his gifts, which included an Egar Allan Poe anthology and a Doctor Who collectible figure.

But Parker wasn't the only one thinking about Spencer's birthday.

The team had a cake and a hat in a shape of a birthday cake. Parker remembered that they had one like this in elementary school– they hated it.

"Make a wish," Elle said as Spencer tried to blow out the candles. But they kept igniting on their own.

"I thought you were full of hot air, Reid," Elle joked.

Elle, JJ, Morgan and Parker stood behind Spencer and chuckled.

"Come on, Reid!"

"They're trick candles, Spence, okay? They... They're going to come back on every time," Parker resolved the situation when Spencer kept trying to blow out the candles.

Gideon and Hotch stood a few steps away, watching the scene.

"Isn't it amazing he knows what he knows, and he's only twenty-four?" said Hotch.

"Imagine what he'll know by fifty," Gideon replied.

The agents looked back at their team and at the same moment Parker gave Spencer a small kiss on the cheek.

"Do you think the two of them will still be together?" Hotch wanted to know from his colleague and pointed to Parker and Spencer.

"Those two? 100 percent. Or can you imagine the two separated?" Gideon replied.

Hotch thought for a moment and looked over at the two.

He was a rational person and knew that any couple could break up—an unspoken rule.

But even Aaron Hotchner couldn't imagine Parker Gallagher and Spencer Reid ever not being together.

"No," Hotch answered and was called to a phone call at the same moment.

He passed his colleagues who were trying to carefully pull the candles out of the cake.

Spencer got up and joined Gideon.

"You having fun?" the older agent wanted to know.

"Yes. Definitely," Spencer didn't really answer the question truthfully. "I'm definitely having fun."