Title: Early Morning
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid
Tags: Established Relationship, Light Angst,
Summary: Early mornings were Spencer's favorite time of day with Aaron; he just wasn't used to it on cases.
Word Count: 2,512
Spoilers: Entire Original TV Series
Beta: Grammarly



Spencer stretched a little and tried to get comfortable again, but he found he was trapped. He checked the time and found that it was just after five. It was a little late for Aaron to still be asleep, but he didn't want to wake the man up. If he needed the sleep, he needed the sleep.

It was easy to grab the book on the stand and the small flashlight he used to read when Aaron was still asleep. He found the page he had been on the night before and then settled in to read until Aaron woke up.

The arm around Spencer's waist started to move a little, and Aaron pulled Spencer back into him a little more. It was just after six, so no matter what, Spencer's alarm for six thirty would wake Aaron.

Spencer closed his book a few minutes later and put it and his flashlight up. He rolled a little in Aaron's arms and waited for his lover to wake up. He wasn't sure that Aaron would wake up quickly at all. He was sleeping deeper than he normally did when on a case. Though, Aaron also never slept in Spencer's bed while they were on a case, even if they shared a room nearly every time. It was part of why they were even together. The friendship and then more had come mainly from Aaron dealing with Spencer's quirks. The relationship that had come up had been just something that seemed so natural.

Even now, Spencer was still shocked that Aaron was with him. He didn't expect it to last more than at least another year. While Aaron and Spencer were good together, there was something that Aaron was holding back from Spencer, and he didn't think it would last through the test of time for them. Spencer was going to enjoy it all, though.

"Morning," Aaron said a few minutes later, pressing their body together even more than they had already been.

Spencer laughed a little and tried to move, but Aaron used that to put Spencer like he liked him, as the little spoon. "Good morning, Aaron."

"Sorry for invading your bed last night. I had a nightmare, and it was just...it's all I wanted, to feel you in my arms."

"It's okay. It wasn't like it freaked me out. I've been lying here reading over the last hour. You missed your run."

"I turned off that alarm because I need to sleep more than I need to run. So I'm just going to lay here and enjoy being with you until the alarm goes off, and we have to get ready to face the day." Aaron buried his face into the back of Spencer's neck, his arms holding on tightly.

"You can have whatever you want."

Spencer would give Aaron everything of him until he left.

---

Spencer hated waking up all achy from the cold he had. He snagged the edge of the blanket and pulled it up over him a little more, keeping his cocoon of warmth from letting in the cold. He hated winters in DC, but he was getting used to them a little more each year.

"Daddy, can I have my juice now?"

Spencer's eye shot open at Jack's voice.

"Yes." Aaron's voice came from right behind him and what he thought was the heavy blanket wrapped around him wrong from tossing and turning was actually Aaron's arms around him. He didn't remember waking up when Aaron got into bed with him.

"Go back to sleep, Spencer. You need it."

Spencer couldn't do anything but close his eyes and let himself drift back off. He wasn't sure what was going on, really, but he wasn't going to look a gift Aaron in the mouth.

Sometime later, Spencer woke up, and he felt a little better, his body didn't ache, and he was warm. He was almost too warm, but he didn't want to make Aaron let go of him. He was content like he was at the moment. The cough wasn't there, and he didn't feel like he needed to throw up.

"How are you feeling?" Aaron asked.

"Less like shit than I did when I went to sleep."

"I looked at what you had and placed a delivery order from the drug store you like. I also have food coming. I got that soup you like when you are sick but also your favorite meal just in case you think you can eat something more than the soup."

Spencer didn't answer as he was still feeling sleepy, and he didn't want his mouth to get away from him.

"Hey, you need to take your pills, and you need food in your stomach for that."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"You got another four hours."

"And you just laid there and held me?"

"I napped as well. Jack's entertained with the laptop I bought with me and the DVDs of his favorite shows. So, he's good for a few more hours. I got up a few times to help him get something."

"I'm surprised he's so happy."

"He knows what he feels like when he's sick. He wants me to help take care of you. He says that I make him feel better, so he wants you better so you can show him that trick you promised him."

Spencer hummed as he had no clue what to say to that. He knew that Jack liked him, and so far, Jack hadn't had too many issues with Aaron and Spencer dating, more that some of his time with his father was with Aaron and Spencer instead of just Aaron. Still, he had gotten over that pretty quickly and seemed to enjoy time with both of them.

"I guess I'm still a little off," Spencer answered.

"As you should be. You were pretty sick the day I sent you home early from the case. How are you feeling, really?"

"Like I could sleep for another day."

"And I'll let you as soon as you eat and take more pills. Your fever broke a little while ago. You broke out in a sweat and then seemed to pass out."

"Sleep," Spencer said.

"Not until you eat."

Aaron let go of him and started to scoot back. Spencer tried to follow him and ended up in a cold spot. He shuddered as he still wanted to be warm. Aaron chuckled, and then something heavy dropped over Spencer. He forced his eyes open and looked at the sweater. It was one of the favorites that Spencer liked to see Aaron wear. Spencer put it on, inhaling the scent of Aaron, and it helped to settle him down.

"Come on. I'll get a blanket to wrap your legs in out there. I kicked up the heat a little."

"Hmm," Spencer said. He wanted to get warm again but with Aaron wrapped around him.

Getting up, he followed Aaron out into the living room, where Jack was set up in Spencer's favorite chair, a laptop playing in front of him as he drew in a notebook. Spencer didn't want to let go of this kind of thing, but he knew it was coming.

---

Waking up and still feeling a little drugged was the worst thing for Spencer. He knew that going home was a no since they were in Los Angeles, but he still wanted to. He wanted to be home in his own bedroom where he could cry about the end of everything that mattered to him. The case had been out of nowhere, something they were called to as soon as it happened. A spree killer who wasn't found after all of the LAPD started to jump on it. Then another body dropped, and the BAU was called in to stop the spree killer before he killed again.

Which they did, but only because Spencer had been able to get away from the man, and in the daze of it all, his arm had been broken, and he had gained a gash down his side that was worrying. He hadn't wanted to be in the hospital, so he sweet-talked the doctor into letting him go. Aaron had been pissed about it all and muttered about how this was the end of it.

Spencer had asked Morgan to get him from the hospital to the hotel room. They were on a secure floor, given what had happened to Spencer; their rooms moved within two hours of landing.

The team had probably stayed at the station working on things overnight, given everything. Spence wished he hadn't woken up because now the pain was returning, and he was just so tired of it all. He wanted to sleep until it was time to go home, and then he would lick his wounds while he was out for his arm, and by the time he was allowed back at work, he would act like nothing had ever hurt him, that Aaron hadn't broken up with him.

"Quit thinking so hard," Aaron said.

Spencer jerked in surprise, but the arm holding him tight to Aaron's body didn't let him move too far. It still hurt, and Spencer gasped in pain. He wanted to get out of that hold. He didn't need Aaron babying him. He didn't need Aaron at all.

"Let me go."

"Okay," Aaron said. He pulled his arm away but didn't move off the bed.

Spencer got to where he could lay on his back, breathing in and out through the pain. He had slept through his needing more pills.

"I picked up some of the Coco Wheats that you like. It's the instant kind you'll be able to do with hot water from the coffee machine."

"What are you doing here?"

"Came back for sleep."

"But why in my bed?" Spencer looked over at the bed Morgan should have been in, and it was empty. Morgan's stuff was gone, and Aaron's was in there. He frowned. Aaron just wanted to hurt him. It was horrible, but Spencer wouldn't have to deal too much with him until he could talk someone into letting him sleep in their room. JJ and he had shared beds before.

"Where else would I be?" Aaron asked. He pushed himself up to where he could look down at Spencer, his face a mask of confusion. "Spencer, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You...you..." Spencer shook his head.

Aaron's confusion deepened, but after a few moments, he smiled a little, but it wasn't a happy smile. "Oh, sweetheart, that's not what I meant by that yesterday."

"What?"

"I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at myself. You did nothing wrong, and I was just pissed off you had been taken from me again." Aaron cupped the side of Spencer's face and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. "I promise. I love you so much that I can't stand it sometimes, and yesterday, I put you with someone else I shouldn't have. I was trying to prove that I don't treat you differently than anyone else on the team to prove to Strauss that this would work between us."

"You...what?"

"Shit, I've made a mess of this, haven't I?" Aaron leaned over and pressed his forward to Spencer's chest. Aaron had done that another time.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. My thinking you understood me and your own issues with everyone leaving you just ran headlong into each other. I was not upset at you at all. You got yourself out of there, and while you didn't get the UnSub, you gave us enough that we have narrowed down who we are after. I have files for you to look through, as I know you are going to go nuts sitting here. The station we are working out of is too full of people, or I would have you there."

Spencer was just stuck on the whole love confession, but as he lay there, he realized he shouldn't be. Aaron had always been one to show affection instead of talk about it. Aaron showed Spencer near daily that he loved him in the little things.

"No wonder you clung to me so tightly when I got into bed with you. You didn't wake up, but you thought you would never have it again."

"I didn't...I didn't think we would last, Aaron."

"No, I know that. I know you well enough to understand what you fear, Spencer."

"I love you too," Spencer said.

Aaron's smile turned fond. "I know you do. I've known that for a while now. I just don't want you to feel forced to say it before you are ready."

"I've been ready, just afraid of telling you and you leaving."

"When this case is over, come to mine, and we can talk for a while after I get Jack to bed that night. I don't want you home alone anyway. Now with this and how distracted you can get. We can pick up enough books to keep you entertained at the apartment while you are injured and not able to go to work. I might even bring you cold cases if you are good the first few days."

"You..." Spencer swallowed. This was a little too much in change for him in a short period of time.

"I'd ask you to move in with me, but I'm afraid that might scare you too much."

"No, not too much. Just a little. I don't want to do it like right now, but we can...try it?"

"Of course." Aaron brushed his thumb over Spencer's cheek. "Whatever you want."

"Right now, I want something to eat and my pills. I need...it hurts so much."

"Of course. Of course. I'll get that going. I have a banana for you." Aaron reached over and picked up the banana. He handed it over. It was already peeled, and while it was a little dry on the outside, it would be good.

Bananas were always good with Spencer's stomach. He slowly sat up and made sure not to bump his arm on anything. He was happy with everything so far. He had been in a dark place earlier, but now he felt like he was on top of the world. He wasn't too worried about everything. He and Aaron were good at talking when they were talking about the same things. Now things were going to be changed for them, but it was changes that Spencer was looking forward to.

"Thank you."

"For?" Aaron asked.

"Loving me, despite the issues I have."

"It just makes me love you more because I want to prove you are worthy of it." Aaron cupped Spencer's cheek again, and he smiled. That smile was like Spencer was on top of the world.

If this was what love felt like, Spencer never wanted to not feel this love. He would do anything to keep it. He would do anything to always wake up with him in Aaron's arms.

The End