Written for 50ficlets on lj prompt: 001: Before. This is my first age appropriate Criminal Minds fic so if you want to read my others please go to my writing journal, the link of which can be found in my profile. Enjoy and if you like it review.

Also, this story is COMPLETE so please do not add it to story alerts as it will not be updated.

Derek Morgan had found it easy to find someone to occupy his bed at night. He'd go to a bar, find a blonde, a brunette, a red head.

Race didn't matter. Curves were good and long legs and big eyes were better.

Good kissers.

Warm bodies in his bed.

Always women.

That had changed, and had changed in a time period that seemed to quick he still found himself surprised when he woke up to find someone in his bed and didn't feel the urge to get them out as quickly as possible.

That had been before Spencer Reid had come to the BAU.

Derek didn't deny he'd tried to hate him, tried to find the spewing of information annoying. Why of all men did he have to find himself attracted to a person who could double as a human Encyclopedia of Everything.

It was the eyes.

They reminded Derek of dark caramel.

Perhaps it had been the hair though, so mussed as though Reid had no time in the morning, or had just rolled out of bed. Yet his clothing, as odd as some of the choices were (did his socks every match?) always seemed well put together even if he did tease Reid that he sometimes looked like an old man.

The long limbs helped. Although Reid was more gangly and awkward then smooth lines and grace.

But there had been and was something so wonderful about that awkward nature. He had been drawn to it and still was.

There had been something in the way Reid moved, the way he spoke and the way he gestured that had attracted Derek to him.

He had tried so hard to ignore it, burying himself as much as he could in work. Clubbing, partying and sleeping with as many people as possible.

He'd never felt so ashamed of himself as he did when he realized how horribly he'd treated Reid at times before he'd come to terms with how he felt.

It had been even harder to admit that part of his hangup with the idea of a relationship with a man had to do with being abused when he was a youth.

Logically Derek knew, he knew in his heart that there was nothing wrong with the way he felt. But in his head there was a little voice, always a little voice whispering to him that he didn't want to be like that.

It had taken a multiple PHD'd 20 something year old man with a vocabulary larger than some dictionaries to make him open up.

Reid had been more than understanding and there had been a kindness in his eyes Derek had never seen before from him as he nodded and listened and for once didn't have a word to say until the end when he told Derek exactly what he knew.

He told Derek that he knew he could wait as long as possible for him to become comfortable because he felt the same way. He had told Derek he had no idea what he could possibly be going through and felt helpless because for once statistics and books wouldn't help. Reid promised to be there and listen if he needed it.

They had gone to dinner that night and Derek had had to admit to himself and to Reid he'd never felt such a close connection with anyone.

Reid had simply smiled and nodded, but there had been agreement in his eyes.

It had been two more months before they had made it official but not because of Derek, but because of Reid. He had been so determined to take is slow that Derek was beginning to think he had nerves of steel.

It had been two more months before they had done anything sexually. The image of Reid arching and gasping as hair fell into his eyes erased any bad imagery that had ever come before it. It had been a cleansing experience for both of them.

Derek turned his gaze on the man sleeping next to him and a small smile touched his lips as he shifted around in the bed and wrapped one arm around Reid pulling him closer he wasn't surprised when the genius didn't even wake up.

Before Reid he had been horribly unhappy. He had tried to find himself in the heat of sex, in the impersonality of one night stands.

Before Reid he had been horribly unhappy.

And now, he couldn't imagine any other way of living his life then waking up to this. A gangly, awkward and undeniably sexy genius.