The Way You Lie, Part 2/?

[coffeebuddha]

Title: The Way You Lie
Author: coffeebuddha
Rating: R/FRT (rating is subject to change)
Characters/Pairings: Spencer Reid/Ethan, Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan, eventual appearances by entire team
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Summary:  Spencer's angry, Ethan's in town, Derek's jealous, and nobody's telling the complete truth about anything.
Note: This is the sequel to Hot Like Mexico.
Part One

 

***
 

"So," Spencer says as he gives Ethan a speculative once over. "Exactly how long have I been yours, and when were you planning on filling me in on that fact?"

Ethan laughs and whips his towel off to rub at his dripping hair. "Didn't you ever learn that it's rude to listen at doors?"

"Ethan," Spencer says, the hint of warning in his tone wavering just a bit at the sight of Ethan's long, wiry muscles shifting under his bare skin as he briskly towels at his hair. Ethan smirks when he sees Spencer watching him and drops his arms, his hair sticking out wildly from his rough treatment. He moves closer and bows his head to lap at a bead of water on Spencer's jaw, and Spencer shivers at the combination of his hot, wet tongue and the brush of his cool, damp curls. Ethan drapes his towel around Spencer's neck and uses the ends to carefully pat at the drops of water still clinging to his face and shoulders.

"What did I do?"

Spencer frowns, but doesn't pull away when Ethan slides an arm around his waist and leans against him. When Spencer relaxes into his embrace a fraction, Ethan smiles wider and kisses him, his fingers teasingly dancing up and down Spencer's bare sides until he's squirming and half laughing against his mouth. Ethan finally relents when Spencer starts to try and twist away, which sends the both of them tumbling down onto the couch with Spencer sprawled across him. Spencer tries to move to sit next to Ethan, but Ethan holds him tighter and grumbles against his neck, so instead he shifts enough to get comfortable on his lap. Spencer rolls his eyes as he tries to tame Ethan's flyaway hair with his fingers. "You're out of control," he says, although he sounds more amused than anything now.

Ethan leans into his touch, turning his head to kiss the inside of Spencer's wrist when it's close enough, and grins cheekily. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Asking him if he wanted to join in on a threesome might have been a bit much." This is nice, Spencer decides as he looks down at Ethan's completely unrepentant face. He doesn't get this-this deep, easy companionship-very often, and it's been far too long since he's been able to just relax and be with anyone this effortlessly. When Ethan touches him, there's a definite sizzle. It might not have the heat or intensity of the electrifying zing that Derek sends speeding through his veins, but it's familiar and comfortable, and there's nothing wrong with that.

"But he's so dreamy," Ethan exclaims with an exaggerated flutter of his eyelashes. Spencer purses his lips together and Ethan laughs and shrugs. "I was just ruffling your jock's feathers a little bit. It's nothing he won't get over." Ethan's fingers knead Spencer's neck, working loose the tension there, and Spencer slumps against him a little more.

"He isn't my jock. Right now he isn't even my friend," Spencer mutters, but there's more hurt than heat in his voice. Ethan glances between him and the door, and his eyebrows quirk up.

"Yeah, I can see that." He nips at Spencer's jaw, humming with pleasure at Spencer's sharp, short intake of breath. "He's clearly just all sorts of over you. Just like you clearly have absolutely no feelings for him." Spencer tenses and Ethan nuzzles at the crook of his neck, his hand stroking down the curve of Spencer's spine to finger the edge of his towel.

"No trying to pretend with me, genius. We both know that I know you too well for that." Ethan's scruff scrapes against Spencer's hypersensitive skin and something tightens low in his belly. He lifts himself up, pivots so that he's straddling Ethan, and kisses him. It's a good kiss-familiar and easy and satisfying, like coming home after being away for too long. Every flick and stoke is as perfect as if they've rehearsed this, which in a way they have. There's no fumbling, no thrill, but it fills Spencer with warmth and it's so, so good that he presses closer for more. Ethan's hands slide further down and he cups Spencer's ass, dislodging his towel, and pulls him in even tighter so they're hip to hip, skin to skin. Spencer groans against his mouth and tangles his fingers in his hair, and it's like they're fifteen and figuring out what their bodies are for all over again.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," Ethan pants as Spencer licks a line up his neck and bites his earlobe. "That asshole hurt you. I really think we should talk about that."

"Later."

"Later?" Ethan's head falls back against the back of the couch as Spencer's sinfully hot mouth sucks hard on his neck. "Okay, later could work for me," he mumbles and flips them so that Spencer's on his back underneath him. Ethan moans when Spencer hooks a leg around his waist and arches up against him. "I am so incredibly good with later."

*

After leaving Spencer's apartment, Derek had driven to one of his flip properties and ripped out rotting hardwood floors until the dust made his eyes stream and he shook deep in his bones with exhaustion. He wakes up half curled up on a couch that the previous owners had left behind, the early morning light pouring in through a cracked bay window almost blinding him. He's completely covered in grime, so filthy that he grimaces when he touches his own skin and feels the layer of dirt and dried sweat under his fingertips. None of the bathrooms are in working order, but he briefly considers hosing off in the backyard before realizing that he'd have to crawl back into the same disgusting clothes he's wearing now.

During the ride back to his house, he tries to focus on traffic and the feel of his bike humming between his legs, and, when that doesn't do enough to distract him, he makes a mental list of things he needs to do. It almost works, but he gives up after the third time 'kill Ethan' pops up on the list. It isn't until he's in his shower with his forehead resting against the slick ceramic tiles and the hot water pounding down on him, scalding and soothing at the same time, that he finally admits to himself what he's been trying to ignore.

He's completely and totally fucked.

If his life was a romantic comedy, he'd be the bumbling, masculine hero who realizes during the final ten minutes that his life is so much better with the intelligent, witty heroine. He'd have raced over to Spencer's apartment and said all the right things and they would have fallen into each other's arms and lived happily ever after. But this isn't a movie, it's real life, and while he might have realized that Spencer's the one he wants to be with-not just for a night, but for forever-there's nothing he can do that will change the fact that Ethan's Duckie has just beaten his Blane. Ethan's the one who's earned the right to lounge in Spencer's apartment and his life, watch him sleep, caress his body, taste his lips. Derek had his chance and he blew it.

The shower helps to ease some of the soreness in his muscles, but he's still almost too tired to be functional when he gets to work. He spends most of the day holed up in his office doing paperwork and avoiding Spencer, but his luck runs out when he's dragging himself out of the building, every inch of his body crying with relief at just the thought of collapsing into bed. He's on the elevator, leaning heavily against the wall with his eyes half shut, when someone calls out for him to hold the doors. His finger automatically presses the button before he brain can register who the voice belongs to, but by then it's too late, because Spencer's standing frozen at the entrance, half in and half out. He shifts as if he wants to turn and leave, but then shakes himself and steps in. He stands with his back ramrod straight and his mouth pressed into a tight, thin line. Derek watches him, noting how his slender frame is almost vibrating from how rigidly he's holding himself, and searches for something, anything, to say.

"Ethan seems like...," Derek trails off, wondering if this is a good idea, and darts a glance at Spencer. The other man's steadfastly staring at the elevator numbers ticking downward and gives no indication that he heard him, but Derek keeps talking anyway. "I'm not going to lie to you. He seems like an ass."

Spencer snorts, but the curl of his lips is more scornful than amused. "He is, but he's an ass who was there when I woke up this morning. That counts for a lot."

Derek winces and reminds himself that he deserved that. Still, they're alone for the first time in weeks. If he can't have Spencer, maybe it's not too late to win back his friendship. He has to at least try. "I'm sorry, Spencer. I shouldn't have waited so long to say it, but I am. I should never have slept with you that night. If I'd known things were going to turn out like this..."

"That doesn't matter," Spencer says flatly. Tension rolls off of him in waves, polluting the entire elevator and making Derek damp with sweat around his collar. He runs a finger under the edge of it and tries again, his voice firmer this time.

"It does-"

"No, it really doesn't." Spencer cuts in, finally looking away from the elevator numbers and at Derek. The hard, unwavering glint in his eye makes Derek suddenly wish he could go back to Spencer ignoring him. "I know you, Morgan. I know what you're like and I knew what I was getting into. You don't do relationships and there's absolutely no reason why I should have thought that things would be different because it was me instead of some stranger. When it comes to romance, you're a statistical nightmare. I don't even want to try to figure out what kind of odds I had."

"I thought you said it doesn't matter," Derek manages to say faintly.

"The sex doesn't matter," Spencer says, his disgust and frustration almost palpable. "I'm not upset because we had sex and you want to treat it like a one time thing. I expected that. I'm upset because I thought we were friends and the way you acted afterward isn't how you act toward a friend."

Spencer looks as if he wants to say more, but just then the elevator dings and the doors part. Spencer gives Derek one last scathing look and stalks away. Derek stands there for a moment too stunned to move. It takes the doors starting to slide close to snap him out of it, and he shoves his way through them at the last second, hurrying after Spencer.

*

The worst part is that if the stunned, confused expression on Derek's face was anything to go by, he still doesn't get it. Spencer can hear Derek's footsteps-too fast for him to be doing anything but trying to catch up-but he doesn't slow at all until he catches sight of his car and Ethan leaning against its hood. Ethan perks up when he sees Spencer, pushing away from the car. His fingers twitch and he starts to lift his arms before catching himself and shoving his hands in his pockets. Spencer exhales slowly and closes the distance between them until he can feel the comforting heat of Ethan's body without actually touching him. Derek's footsteps falter and go silent, and Ethan glances over Spencer's shoulder and nods once, then winks. Spencer rolls his eyes, but smiles when Ethan arches an eyebrow and asks, "What?"

"You enjoy provoking people too much."

Ethan looks thoughtful, then shrugs. "Probably. It's part of my charming nature."

Spencer shakes his head and manages a small laugh at that. "That's debatable. Did you have any trouble getting where you needed to go?"

"Hmm?" Ethan frowns speculatively at Spencer, then blinks and hands over the car keys. "No, no problems at all. You look like hell. Rough day at the office, dear?"

Ethan's words are light, almost offhanded, but the glare he shoots over Spencer's shoulder is anything but. Spencer takes his arm when he bounces up on the balls of his feet like he wants to move, and he looks back at Spencer, startled.

"Don't start anything," Spencer warns quietly.

"Me? Start something?" Ethan visibly scoffs at the idea and pats Spencer's hand reassuringly, although his expression darkens again when he looks back in Derek's direction. "So, what did the boy wonder do now?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. As much as I appreciate your concern, I can take care of myself. I'm perfectly capable of handling Morgan without your help."

Ethan's eyes snap back to Spencer. "Oh, you must be pissed if he's Morgan again. What did he do?"

"Nothing. Can we please go now?"

Spencer must look miserable, because this time Ethan doesn't even try to stop himself from reaching for him. The kiss is chaste and tender, and Spencer melts into it even as the more rational part of his brain screams that this probably isn't the best place to be doing this. Still, he feels calmer than he has all day when Ethan breaks the kiss and presses their foreheads together. Spencer closes his eyes and lets himself enjoy just being held, but immediately tenses when someone taps on his shoulder. He braces himself, fully expecting it to be Derek, but when he turns the other man is still halfway across the lot, looking like someone just killed his dog. Instead, Garcia's there at his elbow smiling cheekily up at him.

"So, this must be the 'friend' you blew us off for last night. Can't say that I blame you," she says, not even trying to hide her blatant appraisal of Ethan. "You are adorable. How about buying me a drink while you tell me all about how you two starry-eyed lovebirds met?"

Spencer can feel the blood rushing to his cheeks and his mouth flaps open and closed without any words coming out. Ethan looks at him for a second, his eyebrows drawn together with concern, then smiles graciously at Garcia and takes her hand. When he kisses the back instead of shaking it, she fans herself and feigns a small swoon.

"You must be Garcia. Spencer's told me about you," Ethan says. Spencer's still trying to remember how to form words, but Garcia bats her eyelashes coyly and makes no move to take her hand back.

"And all of it's true, baby."

"I like this one, Spencer," Ethan says with a laugh. He arches an eyebrow at Spencer, who sighs, then smiles ruefully and nods. Ethan tucks Garcia's hand into the crook of his arm and flashes his most charming grin. "You said you wanted a drink?"

***

Part Three

Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated.

Ninja!Garcia makes me way happier than she should.

 

Comments

[stargazer0106.livejournal.com]

Just wonderful. I can't tell you how much I love this story. Isn't Spencer just adorable here?
""I'm not going to lie to you. He seems like an ass."

Spencer snorts, but the curl of his lips is more scornful than amused. "He is, but he's an ass who was there when I woke up this morning. That counts for a lot."

and this "When it comes to romance, you're a statistical nightmare. I don't even want to try to figure out what kind of odds I had."

and this "I'm upset because I thought we were friends and the way you acted afterward isn't how you act toward a friend."

I can't help, but Ethan was always one of my favorite characters among all others.
the conversation in the elvator was just great! So Spencer isn't that ... weak ... as Derek thought him to be, just the opposite. He's very strong ... at least it seems so.

Garcia. I love Garcia. She's a darling, isn't she? And she's right Ethan is a little sweetheart.
His "I like this one, Spencer," made me laugh.

*jumps to part 3*