Work Text:
Derek Morgan was in a funk and he knew it. He had no desire to hit the clubs or bars after work. There seemed to be little point when he knew he wouldn’t find what he wanted there. He didn’t want another nameless skirt with an empty head. He wanted those experienced mouth and hands and the beard that tingled against his skin.
After another restless night and a wet dream he most definitely didn’t want to think about, he got up early for a run. He grabbed his ipod from the dresser and looked at himself in the mirror. Dave always used to ogle him when he wore his running shorts and tank top and it always gave him a thrill to be the center of Dave Rossi’s attention. Dave’s dark eyes carried an intensity that seared through him and turned his insides into jelly.
Derek blinked and shook his head to clear it. He smiled ruefully at his reflection and held the ipod up. “Are you sure it was a good idea to let Baby Girl play with this?”
He smirked. He slipped his sunglasses on and the earbuds in his ears. “Probably not.”
He took off out the back door and ran to the park a half mile from his house. He focused on the music, his breathing, and the way his feet hit the pavement. The air was already warm and humid and he was covered with sweat before he really got his heart rate up.
He didn’t acknowledge anyone who ran past him. He didn’t care about the women or men who stopped to check him out. All that was important was the music. //Not bad, Baby Girl. Hard rock, outlaw country, old school rap, and none of that soft ass shit. None of that stuff meant for squealing teenage girls.//
Then he heard it and he almost tripped. He frowned and even his pants sounded irritated. //Christina Aguilera.//
It wasn’t that she had a bad voice, but her music really didn’t speak to him. Still, he had to admit that the song had a good beat. When he heard the words genie in a bottle, he knew why the song appealed to Garcia and her somewhat fairy tale sensibilities (which he wouldn’t change for anything in the world).
Thankfully, that was the only teenish music he had to suffer through. He ran back home, grabbed a shower and a quick breakfast, and headed off to work. He brought a cup of her favorite coffee to her den. “Good morning, Goddess.”
Penelope Garcia swiveled in her chair and favored him with a brilliant smile. “Good morning to you too, my favorite hunky profiler.”
Derek came closer. He bowed and handed her the cup. “For you.”
Penelope squealed. “White chocolate mocha. My favorite.”
“I know.”
“Sometimes, I like working with profilers.” Penelope pulled a second chair next to her and patted it. “And sometimes I hate it. So, what did you think of my playlist?” she asked excitedly.
Derek took the chair. He grinned at her. “It was good.”
Penelope giggled and nudged him. “I was a little surprised when I looked up outlaw country. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.”
Derek chuckled. “I grew up listening to those guys. My mom could never decide which one of them she liked the best.” He mock glared at her. “But Christina Aguilera. Come on, Baby Girl. What possessed you to add her?”
Penelope shrugged and gave him her best innocent look. “Why not? Genie in a Bottle is a good song, isn’t it?”
“It was all right.”
Penelope looked at him intently. “Did you…ah…listen to the lyrics?”
Derek arched an eyebrow at her. “Not really. Why?”
Penelope began humming and sang quietly, “My body is saying let’s go. But my heart is saying no. If you wanna be with me, baby there's a price to pay. I'm a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub me the right way. If you wanna be with me, I can make your wish come true. You gotta make a big impression, I gotta like what you do.”
Derek put an arm around her. “Not bad,” he admitted. “But what’s your point?”
Penelope let out a long suffering sigh. She ducked out from under his arm. She turned to her computer screens.
Derek put a hand on her shoulder. “What did I do now?” he asked at a loss.
Penelope rolled her eyes. She refused to look at him. “You’re just being a man. You’re being dense.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Of course you don’t.”
It was Derek’s turn to roll his eyes. “Will you just spit it out?” he snapped irritably.
Penelope shook off his touch. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. I included the song because it reminds me of you and Rossi.”
Derek snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, why didn’t I see the connection between David Rossi and teenage girl music?”
Penelope slapped his arm. “If you would just think about it for a minute.”
“Were you eating too much ice cream when you did this? Did you have a brain freeze?”
“You’re the one with the brain freeze. You’ve been moping over Rossi since Sarasota.”
“I have not been moping,” Derek interrupted.
Penelope held a finger to his lips. “You will hush and you will listen to me,” she said seriously. “You don’t like the word moping. How about pining?”
Derek eyes got wide. He was about to open his mouth. However, the glare she shot him would’ve turned a lesser man to stone.
“You’ve been trained to study human behavior but you can’t see what’s under your own nose,” Penelope continued in annoyed frustration. “He’s waiting for you to prove to him that you want him for more than just competitive sexual release. For one of the few times in his life, he wants more than sex and it’s thrown him off balance. I think he’s realized that he loves you and he has no idea what to do about it.”
A swarm of butterflies invaded Derek’s stomach. She removed her finger from his lips and he swallowed heavily. “But…”
“So he pushed you away. He wanted to take a step back. Isn’t that what you told me?” Penelope waved an arm. “He’s just as dense as you are. He can’t see that you’ve got it just as bad as he has.”
“You…I…” Derek spluttered.
Penelope stared at him. “Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong.”
Derek couldn’t meet her compassionate, exasperated gaze. Instead, his eyes traced the swirling blue, green, and white patterns on her shirt. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I think you’ve been seeing things.”
Penelope threw her hands up and turned back to her screens. “I love you, Chocolicious, but you need to leave my sanctum. You’re creating nothing but bad vibes and I have to protect my babies.”
Derek rubbed his hands over his knees and stood. He started to walk out but stopped just short of the door. He slowly turned his head to the side so he could barely see her out of the corner of his eye. “What do you think I should do?” he asked quietly.
“Find a way to rub your genie in the bottle the right way,” Penelope answered, completely deadpan.
“Yeah, right,” Derek muttered.
“You may have to say the three words that every man fears.” Penelope paused and her whole demeanor brightened. “And I have faith in you. Now march your fine ass out of here.”
Derek leaned against the wall just outside her office. He ran a hand over his head. He shut his eyes and blew out a long breath.
Derek pushed away from the wall and walked into the bullpen. Quickly, he went past Prentiss and Reid’s desks while they were empty. He took the stairs up two at a time. He nodded to Aaron through the open door. Then he knocked on Dave’s closed door and charged in before there could be a reply.
Dave looked up from the file on his desk. He arched an in inquisitive eyebrow. “Morning, Morgan. What can I do for you?” he asked mildly.
Derek shut the door. He stood on the other side of Dave’s desk. He shifted his feet nervously but his voice was steady. “I was wondering if you have any plans for this weekend.”
Dave sat back in his seat. He tilted his head to the side, studying Derek. “Barring a case, no.”
“The Cubs will be at Yankee Stadium.”
“I know.”
Derek tried for his usual charming smile but he knew the tension in it was evident to Dave. “I got a friend who works for the Yankees. He owes me a favor.”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Dave’s neutral tone set Derek on edge, reminding him of that stilted conversation back in Sarasota. He noted Dave’s fingers twitching against the armrest. “I know this isn’t taking a step back, but I want this,” he said quietly but intently. “Please.”
Dave pinched the bridge of his nose. “Derek,” he sighed.
“Dave,” Derek said quickly. He grinned. “This is for fun. No pressure and I’ll take care of everything.”
Dave shook his head at himself and chuckled. “All right.”
Derek’s grin widened. Before he could reply, Aaron interrupted them. Aaron took in the scene at one glance. His annoyed expression didn’t change. “Dave, Strauss wants to see us.”
Dave grunted and stood. “I hate dealing with the Dragonlady so early in the day.” He stopped by Derek for a split second on his way out. “I hope you make this weekend worthwhile, Derek,” he said in a low rumble.
Derek followed them out. He stopped at the railing. He watched Dave follow Aaron out. “I will, Dave,” he whispered. “I promise.”