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falling for you spencer reid x derek morgan (fluff) synopsis: a late night winter walk feat. penelope word count: 1k warnings: for secret santa event
"you're terrible at darts"
"no i am not, reid. you just keep talking, distracts my throws," derek closes one eye as he stares down the dart board, the bar's lights bright and unwavering.
his hand moves swiftly to hit the board, the dart landing on the one space, right above the bullseye. derek whips his head back, groaning in frustration. darts were always his thing. now, though, when he plays against spencer, it's like he's never played in his life. something about his pressing voice distracting him.
"see you've done it again," derek relents as he makes his way down to the dartboard, shaking his head.
spencer merely laughs, like he's not torturing derek's gameplay with that voice of his. it wasn't always like this for derek. he could have spencer around without the sound of his voice becoming a sort of lullaby. but now? the sounds of christmas carols and bar patrons couldn't possibly block out spencer's voice.
"hey, chocolate thunder, you good there?" another familiar voice brings derek out of his thoughts, penelope, holding a beer for him.
derek nods, toying with one of the darts in his hands, his eyes darting to spencer. he's talking to emily and jj, him waiting for derek's return. "yeah, just surprised pretty boy over there is beating me at my own game," he takes a drink from the glass, which surprisingly tastes a little odd, "woah- what is this?"
"it's called blitzen's beer, it was soaked with candy canes for the festive season," penelope's smile grows as derek seems uninterested in the drink, a frown forming on his own face.
"yeah, we're never getting that again sweetheart," derek sets it down at the high table, coughing a little from the obtuse taste.
"but really, what were you staring at spencer for? just cause he was beating you at darts, or is it something else?"
derek shakes his head at the comment, unsure why she would think that it was about anything other than darts. the two are friends, close ones at that, so can't be just admire the man from afar? his throwing skills, his soothing voice? "derek, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
he shrugs his shoulders, a slight sense of uncomfortableness in the air, "yeah, it's just- he's great."
"i know that too hun, but i don't stare at him at random moments. i mean maybe when we were training for that stupid physical exam-"
derek brings his hand up to his face, laughing wholeheartedly at her comment. he shakes his head while bringing his freehand to her shoulder. "that's just ridiculous, i still can't believe that you guys did all of that training for nothing."
penelope gasps, swatting his hand away, "that's your fault! that is totally your fault! if i didn't like you so much, i'd steal your bank account numbers."
before the two of them could continue their bickering, the group of three made their way over. emily is already throwing her coat on, mentioning that the three of the girls should go for a sleepover, possibly do a little bit of christmas shopping.
it seems to resonate highly with jj and penelope, who are downing the last of their drinks to join. this often happened in the group, them leaving spencer and derek behind. sometimes their moments alone felt awkward and stuffy. however, most of the time, it's like they're given a new lease on life.
the lights seem a little brighter together, the snowflakes seem ever so slightly more beautiful. derek watches the others leave, taking a look at spencer in the tail end of their distancing. he looks healthier than derek ever noticed before. his hair has taken on a curlier look, his clothes reflect his personality perfectly, clean cut, yet stylish for a bar.
"derek?"
"oh- yeah? sorry, i thought i saw something,, what did you need?"
"do you want to go for a walk? i can only listen to mariah carey singing christmas songs one more time- actually she's the only artist in history to have number one hit song in four different decades," spencer mentions, the slight buzz on his lips causing them to become a little loose.
derek nods, grabbing his jacket to throw around his shoulders. "yeah we can, and honestly would've thought it would be the beatles or something."
the two make their way outside, snow trickling down from the clouds. the streets are filled with strands of lights and christmas trees on different intersections. spencer practically brings all of the attention of the snow to him, his hair reflecting a soft glow. derek attempts to keep the comments to himself, but he just can't seem to accomplish that.
"you look great by the way, healthy," derek shoves his hands into his pockets, a soft smile lining his lips.
spencer looks up at derek, returning the warm glow of affection. his shoulders move up, shrugging at the comment, like he's unaware of how to accept such a compliment. "no, really, i know you've had a tough run. i'm always here for you, you know, pretty boy?" derek keeps looking ahead, avoiding spencer's gaze.
"thanks, derek. i know, and i'm really grateful. you're amazing in your work, and even though you don't know music history and how it impacts people today, i'm happy to be with you. well, not with with you, not that i wouldn't want that at some point because-"
spencer's shoe makes contact with a slippery surface, a sheet of ice along the sidewalk. his arms fly around as the world seems to slow down. derek, already paying a little too much attention to spencer, reaches out for him. one of his arms end up behind spencer's shoulder blades, the other holding his hand. derek's is a little tougher, callouses rubbing against spencer's.
derek breaths out heavily, thinking he would've lost his closest confidant, "you should watch out for ice more, that could've been terrible."
"well, it's probably just because i'm falling for you."
