Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 42 of Of Innocence and Empathy
Collections:
Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
Stats:
Published:
2020-11-05
Words:
715
Chapters:
1/1
Kudos:
5
Hits:
1,295

Of Innocence and Empathy: Innocence Won

Summary:

Series: Of Innocence and Empathy
Beta: Fireness
Rating: FRT-13
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Damnit.
Challenge: 50episodes – Criminal Minds, Morgan/Reid
Table: 2
Prompt: 22. Found
Word Count: 612
Author’s Note: Twelvth in the original set beginning with Knowledge and Innocence; read directly after World Wise.

Work Text:

 

Of Innocence and Empathy: Innocence Won
by Frogg

 

Voices in the background, muffled, soft and gentle. Trusted, yes, even loved; he was safe, let the heavy weight of drugs hold him under.

He didn't want to wake up, didn't want to face the pain of his back, the pain of the hole left in his heart.

Fingers tugged at his hair, familiar and agonizing, then brushed his face.

Unable to deny the sweet ache, Reid fought his way through the drugged haze.

"Mrg'n?" His lover's name was a mumbled blur of consonants.

There was a pause, the sound of someone rising from a chair, the squeak of metal against linoleum. Then one of the voices distantly saying, "I'll leave you two alone, I could use a cup of coffee." Gideon, his muddled mind whispered over the footsteps fading away.

Morgan still hadn't spoken, hadn't acknowledged him; he had to be there, Gideon had--

"I'm here, Spence." The words were thick with fear and grief, and yes, pain.

Spencer swallowed with difficulty, his mouth and throat dry from the sedative. "Der'k," he managed after, in recognition; they weren't Morgan and Reid here, weren't at work. Here, they were Derek and Spencer, but Spencer didn't know what they were now, what they were supposed to be. "Y'came."

"Yes," and it sounded choked. "I'm sorry, Spence, I can't..."

Spencer heard a sob, a swallow, ragged breath, the annoying squeak of rubber soles against the floor. The bed shook beneath him. "Back?" He didn't have the strength for more, had to trust Derek's ability to understand him half-asleep. "D'side, wnsee," he whispered.

"Sure, Spence." The bed shook again; more footsteps, uneven and hurried.

A gentle hand touched his face, brushing away the tear that had escaped without notice. Spencer opened his eyes with difficulty, lids crusted with sand and weighed down with exhaustion and drugs. "Y'ere."

"Yeah, I'm here." Derek appeared haggard, half-panicked; there were deep circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, tears in his dark dark eyes, more trickling down his cheeks.

He looked wonderful.

"Stay?" Spencer asked; they both knew he was asking for more than this moment. His fingers twitched, pulled at the tape on the IV.

Covering Spencer's hand with his own, as much as the IV would let him, Derek swallowed and ducked his head. "Not going anywhere, Spencer. Not this time." He paused, then forced himself to continue. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He looked back up at Spencer's watering eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I walked away. That I pushed you away."

"B'okay," Spencer answered. Then he tugged his hand back, struggling to shift himself to the side of the bed. "Nd'you."

"Spence--"

"Please?" He couldn't keep his voice from sounding thin and pathetic.

Derek braced himself visibly, then nodded, unable to deny Spencer anything. Moving carefully, entirely too aware of Spencer's injuries, he managed to help Spencer make room, then eased onto the bed with him.

Reaching out with his un-taped hand, Spencer patted Derek's bare arm clumsily. "Skn?"

Derek laughed sadly. "I'm not stripping down for you, but..." He sighed and sat up, pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it over one of the fruit baskets before laying down again, gingerly scooting himself as close to Spencer as he dared.

Dropping his head into the crook of Derek's neck and shoulder, Spencer inhaled and made a pleased, purring sound. His hand seemed to drape itself over Derek's side, the IV board hitting the mattress and sending a jolt of distant pain up his arm.

"Sleep, Spence, I'll be here, I've got you," Derek whispered, hot puffs of breath wafting over Spencer's ear and making him shiver.

"N'go."

"Promise."

~~~

For those less fluent in sleepy, drugged Spencer (I'll skip Morgan's name, cause, duh!::flees::):

Y'came. - You came.
Y'ere. - You're here.
D'side, wnsee - This side, I want to see you.
B'okay. - It'll be okay.
Nd'you. - I need you.
Skn. - Skin.
N'go. - Don't go.

 

~~~the end~~~

Series this work belongs to: