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It's December 31st, and Derek is nervous.
He's curled up on the couch with Spencer, not unlike a lot of nights these days - they've been living together for just over a year, barely spending any nights apart for the two prior to that.
But this time, Taylor Swift and Ryan Seacrest are on the TV screen, and there's a small box digging into his leg through his pocket.
He doesn't think Spencer suspects anything - he's not even watching the TV, really, just occasionally lifting his nose out of his book to look up from where his head is resting against Derek's shoulder - and Derek's trying really hard to not bounce his leg like he knows he does when he's nervous, in case he gives it away.
He's not sure why he's so nervous - they've been together for three years, have known each other for another five before that, and they literally discussed it six weeks ago when Maryland announced they were going to legalize it - but he is, and he's really freaking annoyed about it.
He sighs, and Spencer looks up at him, glasses a little wonky on his nose.
“Everything alright?”
He smiles, and ducks to kiss him on the nose, causing his boyfriend (and hopefully soon fiancé) to scrunch his face up in a way that makes him look a little like a disgruntled rabbit. “Yeah, just fine baby. Having a nice night?”
Spencer grins, and shuffles so that he can kiss Derek firmly on the mouth. “I am.” He pouts a bit. “I feel bad that we didn't go to Penelope's party, though.”
“Hey, hey - we have an agreement, remember? Every other year. This year is a quiet night in, next year we socialize.” He's getting plenty of text updates from Emily, anyway - apparently Rossi has Hotch smoking cigars on the balcony and Penelope is telling JJ how much she loves her while trying to break out her karaoke machine.
But honestly?
This is where he'd much rather be.
“I know, but-”
“But nothing, baby boy. I'm perfectly happy to be here, with you, curled up on the couch watching TV and eating Thai food.”
“You're sure?”
“I'm always sure about you, Spencer.”
Spencer smiles, and leans up to kiss him, before settling back against his shoulder.
It's 11:45 PM, so he's got another fifteen minutes before he’s planning to ask.
Just fifteen more minutes to keep calm until he asks the most important question in his life.
He can do that.
He's driven an ambulance containing a bomb, watched his friend die and come back to life, and faced down hundreds of serial killers. They almost got killed by tornadoes two months ago.
He can keep calm about proposing.
Why is he so nervous?
He's got nothing to be nervous about.
It's stupid.
He looks back at the screen, trying to distract himself - the music really isn't his or Spencer's thing, but they agreed to watch it because it's tradition, something they'd both done with their moms growing up.
Thinking of moms…should he have asked Diana for permission? (He knows you're supposed to ask the dad, but no way is he asking him anything.)
Is asking the parents permission even a thing anymore?
He told his own mom what he was planning, and she'd screamed down the phone in excitement, then hung up to call his sisters - he's pretty sure she likes Spencer more than she likes him, most of the time.
Spencer chuckles next to him, and he looks down - he hadn't even realized one of his hands was playing with the soft locks of Spencer's hair, and he admires the way the ends curl around his hands, like they're trying to keep him there.
He glances at the screen again - 11:50 PM.
It's only been five minutes?
(It's already been five minutes? Is the heating on a little too high? He's hot. His hands are sweaty.)
“Whatcha reading?” He looks down at the book in Spencer's hands, and judging from the letters, it's not in English. “Russian?”
“Yeah, just a collection of Chekhov's writings.”
“What's this one about?”
“A young man proposing to a woman before they get into arguments about land disputes.”
Huh. “Sounds interesting.”
“You're lying, but I appreciate the attempt.”
“I'm not, I swear! I like it when you tell me about stuff all the time.”
“Do you want to read more about Modernist writers? Because I have a few lying around.”
“I could, but it always sounds so much more interesting when you're the one telling me.”
Spencer blushes, and Derek kisses him again, pulling him tight against his chest and smiling against his lips. The book drops half-forgotten onto the coffee table as Spencer wraps his arms around Derek's neck and climbs into his lap, making soft little sighs as he does.
God, he loves this man.
Spencer opens his mouth very slightly, and Derek takes the opportunity to run his tongue against his lower lip.
And then, Spencer freezes, and pulls back. “What's in your pocket?”
Fuck, he'd forgotten. “Uh.” Well, he guesses now is as good as any. He rests his hands against Spencer's thighs, and Spencer covers his hands with his own, looking down at him just a little confused even as his pupils are still a little blown. “There's, uh, there's something I wanted to ask you-”
“Yes. Yes, absolutely, the answer is unequivocally y-”
Derek laughs, finally feeling himself relax. “Slow down, baby. I might be asking you to quit the FBI and run away with me to live off-grid in the Rockies.”
Spencer glares. “You’d never do that to me.”
“I know, but please let me do this?” He takes a deep breath, and tries to remember the speech he'd been practising in the mirror all morning. “The past three years have been some of the best of my life, having you by my side. We've been through a lot together-” years of memories run through his head, shootings and deaths and resurrections and hundreds of near-death experiences between the two of them - “ and there isn't anything I don't want to experience without you by my side. Spencer, baby, would you do me the honor of marr-hmph!”
His speech gets cut off when Spencer kisses him hard, arms wrapped back around his neck as he matters against his lips. “Yes, yes I will marry you, oh my God-”
Derek moves his hand from Spencer's thigh to grab the box from his pocket, and he opens it with shaking hands as Spencer looks on.
The ring isn't anything fancy, not really - Spencer's never worn jewellery, only a watch, but he didn't want to do this without anything to show for it. It's tungsten, with a thin band of what he really hopes is real meteorite in the center.
Spencer reaches into the box and pulls it out, lifting it up to take a closer look. “Is this what I think it is?”
“It's supposed to be crushed meteorite in the band.” He swallows. “Do you like it?”
“Derek, I love it.” Spencer slides it onto his left ring finger, where it sits perfectly. They both stare at it for a moment, taking in what it means. “And I love you. And I also have a surprise for you.” He climbs off of Derek's lap and runs into the bedroom, coming back out with his hands behind his back. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand, please?”
He does as he's told, grinning, and doesn't open them again until Spencer is in his lap again and something light is resting in his palm.
When he opens them, there's a silicon ring in the center of his hand, black with a simple pattern along the center. It almost matches the one on Spencer's finger.
“I didn't want to get you a normal gold band, and I'd read about these a while ago and thought it would be perfect. If something happens and you get your finger caught on a door or something” - they both laugh, knowing that he's not one for putting his hands near doors when they're on a case - “it'll come off and you won't get hurt.” Spencer lets out a shaky breath. “Do you like it?”
“No, Spencer.” He presses his other hand against his face, kissing him on the cheek, shushing Spencer when he looks like he's about to bolt. “Let me finish my sentence, baby. I love it. It's perfect.” He slides it onto his own left ring finger, the silicon light as anything and skin- warmed, before he takes hold of Spencer's left hand with both of his, looking at the ring.
His ring on Spencer's finger.
Something possessive and protective in him is smug as hell.
“You were going to ask, too?”
“Yeah. I hadn't decided when, but…yeah. I was going to ask.” He laughs a little wetly. “I guess you beat me to it.” They both laugh gently, staring down at their joined hands, before Spencer starts speaking again. “The Egyptians and Romans were the first to wear wedding rings on the fourth finger on the left hand because they believed a vein ran straight from that finger all the way to the heart. They called it the vena amoris, and although that's now been disproven, we still follow that tradition.” He looks at Derek, and his eyes are shining brightly. “I love you so much, Derek Morgan. More than I ever thought it was possible.” he smiles. “Even when you put empty cartons back in the fridge, and then I have to drink black coffee with even more sugar than usual.”
Derek laughs, and then he wipes away one of the tears that's escaped Spencer's eyes. “I love you, too, Spencer Reid, even when you drink all the coffee in the house and I have to deal with you being decaffeinated.” They both laugh a little wetly, before Derek pulls Spencer down for another searing kiss.
In the background, Derek can hear them setting up for the countdown on the TV, but there are already fireworks going off inside his head. “So, you doing anything tomorrow?”
Spencer frowns again, confused, and Derek kisses his curled brow and then his pout. “We're going out for breakfast with the rest of the team, remember?”
“I do. I was just wondering if you fancied a trip to the courthouse first.”
Spencer laughs so hard he almost falls off Derek's lap, then rests his forehead against his shoulder. “I would, but I think there are some people who might have an issue with that. Well, one person in particular.”
They smile at each other, then speak as one. “Penelope.”
Derek wipes his hand down his face, laughing. “Yeah she'd kill us. Or ruin our credit scores.”
“Or both.”
“Probably both.”
“Definitely both. Also, courthouses in the US aren't open on New Year's Day.”
“You make a very good point.”
Spencer leans against Derek's chest for a moment longer until the countdown starts, when he slides off his lap and puts his head in Derek's lap, watching the ball drop.
When it finally lands, Spencer sits up and kisses Derek hard, leaving him a little light-headed and very, very in love. “Happy New Year, Derek.”
“Happy New Year, Spencer.”
They listen to the fireworks going off outside, before Derek's phone starts ringing.
He almost doesn't want to look at it, soak in a little more time before everyone knows, but Spencer pulls back and looks down. “It's Penelope.”
He groans, making Spencer giggle again (God he loves that sound), before answering the call. “Hey baby girl. Having a good night?”
As the entirety of the BAU shout down the phone at them, Derek's thumb runs absentmindedly along Spencer's ring finger, rubbing the metal that's now warmed up with the pad of this thumb.
They'll tell them tomorrow.
But right now, he wants his fiancé to just be his for a little while longer.
When they finally hang up, Spencer's yawning, and Derek smiles. “Does my fiancé need to go to bed?”
Spencer blushes hard, the red spreading below the collar of his CalTech t-shirt.
“Call me that again?”
“What, my fiancé?” Spencer nods. “You’re my fiancé, Spencer. And I genuinely couldn't be any happier.”
“I can think of something that'll make you happier.”
“What's that, baby?”
“When you're my husband.”
Derek short-circuits for a second, but when he's back to normal, he stands up and scoops Spencer into his arms, making him squawk.
“Well, let's get my sleepy fiancé to bed, yeah?”
“But what if I want you to take me to bed?” Spencer yawns again, ruining the innuendo, which then makes Derek laugh and also yawn.
It seems getting engaged is pretty tiring.
“In the morning, baby. Right now I just wanna curl up next to you.”
“I can agree to that.” Spencer curls into Derek's shoulder, letting him carry him into the bedroom and tuck him under the comforter before Derek climbs into bed himself. Derek turns off the lights, and pulls Spencer up against his chest, covering Spencer's ring-bearing finger with his own.
When they wake up the next morning, Spencer's head pillowed on Derek's chest and the weak winter sun trailing through the window, Derek's heart skips at the sight of the tungsten ring and the meteorite fragments sparkling in the light.
And then he focuses his attention on waking his fiancé up in the most fun way possible.