Fic: Fanfiction, Chapter 3 (Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan)
Title: Fanfiction, Chapter 3
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pair: Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Criminal Minds Main List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“It should be criminalized.” Reid ranted, tossing another mouthful of popcorn into his mouth, and then continued. “It’s like someone introduced a new specie of animals into an ecosystem it doesn’t belong to. It destroys the balance, alligators go hungry when they have to compete with pythons, they start attacking humans, then humans automatically star diminishing the population and the eco-system never recovers from all the shocks-”
“Baby boy… Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?” Morgan asked. “I mean, I see your point, but-”
“They ruined the delicate chemistry that takes a long time to develop, and it will probably never recover from it-”
“Yeah, but it’s just a TV-show. Some characters leave and some new ones come in, that’s just how it goes.” He moved closer to the genius and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “If you want a little something to pass the time… I can keep you well entertained. You don’t need TV for that.”
Reid snapped the television off. “Can I be perfectly honest with you?”
“Sure.”
“I want the old Morgan back.”
“What do you mean?”
“The one, who would have used this whole situation as an excuse to suggest we have sex on the coffee table.”
“How do you know I wasn’t gonna suggest that?”
“The whole time I was watching the TV, your eyes kept wandering back to those.” Reid pointed across the room, at the bookshelf where a thick wad of prints was stashed. “It doesn’t take a genius IQ to deduce you’re thinking about Garcia’s literary excrement.”
“I found a really good one. It’s a multiparter and it’s set in an adult entertainment company.” Morgan got up from the couch and grabbed several pages from the stack. “I even got a really cool porn-name.”
“I can’t believe I live with a man over thirty, who still thinks “porn-names” are cool.”
“Well, you got to keep your big brain, I got to win awards.” Morgan smiled smugly. “Three of them!”
“Awards for what?”
“Are you gonna walk out if I read it to you?”
“I’m not sure, but Clooney already did when he saw you approaching those things.”
“What do dogs know about erotica? And Garcia has actually made author’s notes on this one: To Whore4Pi: Thanks a lot for the feedback. I know I sometimes embellish things like a romance writer, but what can a girl do when I got hot guys to play with? But I am trying to cut down on the whole Harlequin style, I’m a girl of action. So I’m already waiting forward to writing the NC-17 chapters…”
----- ----- -----
“Please….!” Jennifer pleaded, flipping her hair back and forth in an increasing pace. That was usually a sure sign of agitation. “I don’t often ask favors from you.”
“I was just here to check how they retouched my new pics, I’m not even working today.” Morgan whined, but one look at the blonds eyes was enough. He gave her a reluctant nod. “Fine, but just a tour.”
“That’s all I’m asking. He has an appointment with Aaron around two, they’ll sign the papers and all that stuff.”
“So is he a new exclusive?”
“So I heard.”
“That’s a dumb move.” Derek scoffed. “If there’s too much of us, we’ll be just like regular models. It’s bad enough that everyone’s doing that web-crap now.” He pointed at framed poster of himself, that was hanging on the wall behind the reception desk. “You think I would have won the Boner Award for best Top three years in a row if I had done the whole website route? It ruins your credibility!”
“Derek, no one’s taking your place. We don’t even know who Aaron’s going to pair him with, and the first time’s nervous for everyone. You could try to take him under your wing a bit, show him the ropes and all that.”
“Don’t try to sound mature, just because you got a kid. It wasn’t that long ago that you were doing four guys at the same time in the middle of the cornfield in the name of our art.”
“It really was art.” Jennifer claimed, but blushed all the same. “I even had a blindfold on.” She shoved a bunch of pictures into Derek’s hand and grabbed her bag from the front desk. “I really have to go now, so be nice. Aaron thinks this kid could be the next big name in the business.”
“Not with a name like Spencer.” Derek eyed the short list of information written on the back of the stack of test shots. He took a look at the young man in question, noticing the large brown eyes and thin figure, dressed in the ugliest cardigan and stripy dress shirt Derek had ever seen. “That’s definitely a geek name and the style’s a match too.”
“Remind me again… What was your original name?” Jennifer teased and headed to the front door. She almost had her face squished as the door was pushed open, and she took a hasty step back. A young man came in carefully, his eyes darting around the reception hall.
“Sorry, I was-”
“That’s alright.” Jennifer assured. “You’re Spencer?”
“Yeah. So I’m in the right place?”
“This is it, CM Productions. I was just on my way out, but this guy here…” She pulled Derek closer. “… is our number one seller right now, Derek.” She pointed at one of the framed posters, where Derek was posing on a haystack, using a cowboy hat to cover his modesty. “He’ll show you around, it was nice to meet you.” She hurried out of the door, leaving two awkward men in her wake.
“So… Welcome to CM, kid.”
“Thanks.” The kid offered Derek his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, kid. Jen had an emergency hair appointment, she’s not always like that.”
“Emergency hair appointment?”
“Her waxer`s going out of town, so she wanted to get her monthly bleaching done before that.”
“Bleaching?”
“She likes to be blond all over.” Derek shrugged. “Anyway, this is the reception, and those are our bestsellers.” He spread his arm to gesture at he row of framed posters. “My latest one’s coming out next month, so it’ll probably be framed here couple months later.”
“So you’re a… performer?” Spencer asked carefully. He looked as if he was walking on thin ice, and scared to death he would make the wrong move.
“What kinda question is that? Haven’t you seen my films?”
“I don’t really… Sorry… It’s not really my thing.”
“Not your thing? Do you even know who I am?”
“Derek, she just said it. And it’s there on the poster too.” The kid wrapped his hands around himself, like he was shielding himself from Derek’s reaction. “Sorry.”
“You really don’t know? I’m on the shortlist to win the lifetime achievement award at this years Golden Codpiece Awards!” Derek was at the verge of feeling very hurt, but the scared look on the kid’s face cut it down like someone had closed a faucet. “I’m Derek “Ten Inch” Noir.”
Spencer’s face didn’t reveal any sign of recognition, just a growing amount of confusion.
“Is that a… professional name?”
“Yeah, Penny came up with it, she’s one of our directors. You seriously haven’t heard about me? I was even in a reality show last year! Who Wants to Be a Pornstar!”
“Sorry, I don’t own a TV.” Spencer tugged a loose lock of curly hair behind his ear. “Was it a big success?”
“They cancelled it after two episodes.” Derek admitted. He took a deep breath, stroking his bruised ego, then looked at the kid again. “Let’s start from the beginning, okay? I’m Derek, nice to meet you.”
“Spencer.” The kid gave him a little wave. “Did you know Derek is derived from the same root as the German name Theodoric, that means power of the tribe or ruler of the people. Other variants include Deryk, Deric, Derak and the Dutch form Dirk. It was popularized by the actor Dirk Bogarde-”
“No, I didn’t know, but why do you know?”
“I… I like facts. I learn them easily.”
“You like facts so you can tell what some random name means?”
“I have eidetic memory.” Spencer said faintly. “I try not to say it, because then people always ask what it means and when I tell them what it means they tell me to shut up. Or look at me like I got three heads.”
“What are you, some kinda genius?”
“That’s another thing they always ask.”
“What do you tell them?”
“That measuring intellect is not-”
“So you are. Why aren’t you studying human brains or teaching or something?”
“I do that.” Spencer blushed and turned his eyes away from Derek. He brushed his hair behind his ear once again in a gesture that had already become quite familiar to Derek. “I doesn’t pay too well, and then my mom…” His blush deepened and he started stammering. “Doctors are not exactly cheap. Except my sort.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“Actually I have three Phd`s. Aaron said I could use a false name and I… I really need the money.”
“Jen said Aaron hired you himself. You should be flattered, kid”
“He saw me at the library." Spencer explained. "I was doing some preparations for my classes and he was there trying to convince the head librarian to let them shoot a film there. She said no, because she was worried the books would get stained and then he noticed me and asked if I was interested…” The blush was reaching a fully new shade of crimson. “At first I didn’t even realize what he was talking about.”
“Well… It gets easier.” Derek couldn’t come up with anything more comforting, so he decided to switch the topic. “That blond, whose nose you almost smashed in with the door was Jennifer.”
“What’s her job?”
“She’s the receptionist and an occasional fluffer. Used to do films, but when she got pregnant, she wanted to retire so Aaron came up with a new job for her. She was one of the first big sellers of CM.” Derek made a grand gesture at one of the older posters on the wall. It pictured Jennifer dressed in a skimpy variation of a fireman’s costume, carrying a fire ax and surrounded by burly men. “You gotta see that movie, the things she can do with a firehose should be illegal. Or maybe they are, I’m not sure.”
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Come on, kid. You can’t be that shy if you already said yes to porn. How do you think you’re gonna handle being in front of the camera if you start blushing when you hear about it?”
“It wasn’t that bad.” A little grin curled up Spencer’s lips, and a tine hint of something mischievous flashed in his eyes. Before Derek could really comprehend it, it was already gone. “It was awful when Aaron wanted to take those test shot, but when I got in front of the camera and everyone else was on the other side of it…” The kid bit his bottom lip, looking up through his lashes. “It was… stimulating, in an exhibitionistic way.”
“Really?” Derek quirked an eyebrow. He took the stack of pictures he had placed on the counter and started browsing through them. He hadn’t looked past the first few photos and what followed them was quite a surprise.
The change in the young man posing in the pictures was easy to see, within the first few frames the angular body had relaxed and the scared look had vanished from his face. The man peeling off his hideous cardigan and shirt was giving the camera a sultry gaze, letting his hair fall on his face.
Spencer’s skin had looked pale under the fluorescent lights of the reception area, but under the studio lights the paleness became translucent, reflecting and shimmering under the spotlight.
“Are they any good?”
“What?” Derek managed to stammer. His mouth had gone dry watching the glossy photos. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if they were any good. Aaron just said they were, but I didn’t see them myself.”
“They’re great. If you can do it like that in the real situation, you’ll be a hit.”
“What exactly is the real situation like?” Spencer asked carefully, his arms tightening around himself again. “I mean, how many are gonna be there?”
“The director, cameraman, the sound guy, editor usually comes to talk about how he’ll cut it, the make-up girl, set and prop guys-”
“Set and prop? I thought it was just… Guys and… guys.”
“Yeah, in some cheap-ass-run-of-the-mill porn shop. CM’s famous for the production values. Actual stories, nice locations, pretty sets and so on. That’s our trademark.”
“So it won’t be just…?”
“Porn? Yeah, it’s porn, but the classy kind.” Derek felt a little flame of pride in his chest when he said it. “They don’t do cheap and sleazy, they do it hot and pretty. Speaking of pretty, did anyone tell you the basics?”
“What basics?”
“Whatever the position, always make sure the camera can see your face. People think it’s all about what’s down there, but people get off on seeing us react. Don’t hold back, and if you like dirty talk, do it.” An idea slithered into Derek’s mind. He took another look at he way the kid carried himself and how he seemed to keep a small distance between them. “Kid… You know what you’re getting into, right?”
“Of course I know.”
“I mean, are you sure you know what we do in front of the camera?”
“Yes, I do know that.” Spencer sounded slightly offended at the doubts about his knowledge. “I know some people find it unbelievable, but I do know what people do in porn movies-”
“I didn’t say-”
“And contrary to what a lot of people think, I’ve also done some of them myself, believe it or not.”
“I’m not doubting you, kid!” Derek raised his hands to try to stop the rant. “I didn’t call you a virgin.”
“That’s what it sounded like.” Once again, Spencer brushed his hair behind his ears, nervousness returning in full force. “You wouldn’t be the first one who thinks that.”
“I just meant, that some people can’t performing front of the camera. They got no problem in their own bedroom, but the pressure is just too hard. And they aren’t.”
“Well, I didn’t have a problem before.” Spencer’s eyes slid down to the pictures Derek was still holding in his hand. “The whole experience was…”
“Hot?”
“It sounds horribly self-centered, but… I didn’t get scared.”
“Did you think you would?”
“I guess… But when the camera’s there, it felt… safe.” The blush was back, but this time the little glimmer of naughtiness didn’t disappear from his eyes. “And exiting.”
Derek’s eyebrows almost reached the area where his hairline would have been.
“You’re a little pervert inside, aren’t you?”
Spencer didn’t answer, instead he just looked at Derek, till the older man started squirming under the unwavering gaze.
“What?” He asked, but Spencer’s expression was too hard to read. “Should I say I’m sorry? I meant it as a compliment.”
“No, I just wasn’t sure whether it was meant as a statement, a question or an insult.” Spencer nodded and his arms loosened around himself. “No, you don’t need to apologize.” He paused and the previous shyness appeared once again. “Is it unusual? To get… aroused when in front of the camera like that? I’ve read a few studies, but they-”
“Listen, pretty boy. Some people think they can walk through a scene on an autopilot, but people watching the movie can tell. They know if you’re not into it, so getting comfortable like this…” He pulled out one of the pictures and showed it to the young man. “… it’s half the victory right there.”
“What’s the other half?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Derek’s eyes wandered up and down the slim body. “You already got it covered.”
“Thanks.” Spencer smiled almost demurely. Or as demurely as possible while standing next to poster, where three men were dressed as gladiators and the tagline announced: The last man standing… get’s the Emperor. “So how long have you been working here?”
“Six years, almost seven.” Derek gestured him to follow, and lead Spencer in front of a poster. “That was my breakthrough role. I got my first Boner Award for that.”
“You got awarded for a film called “Overtime II: Working Hard”?”
“Yeah. It’s a real classic.”
“Is it… storyline dictated?”
A voice behind them answered his question. “All of our films are, it’s one of our trademarks.”
They turned around to face the man, who had joined them. Derek rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway.
“Yeah, I already told him that. Jen had to leave early.”
“And you already met Spencer.” Aaron stated, keeping his face unreadable as always. “That’s good, because he will be your next co-star.”
“He is?”
“Starring roles for both of you.” He handed both Derek and Spencer their copies of the script. “Spencer, you’re a wannabe-actor, who came to the big city and ended up on the street. Derek, you’re a tough, but caring cop, who offers him a place to stay.” He turned his focus back to Spencer. “My office is in the next floor, Derek can show you. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.” He gave them a quick nodded and walked past them.
“Whoooo….” Derek stated as he flipped through the script. “He’s really giving you the star-making treatment.”
“Why do you say that?” Spencer still seemed surprised by the speed Aaron handled his businesses.
“You’re in the first scene and the last scene. The last scene is normally for the headliners, it’s the whole selling point that makes people watch it all the way through even if they don’t like the other guys in the scenes before that. And if you’re in the first scene completely clothed, it’s like a teaser. That’s a big thing for a newbie. He’s got a lot of faith in you.”
“But you don’t?” Spencer asked. He fiddled with his copy of the script, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Derek swallowed down the sense of guilt for putting that look on the kids face.
“Judging by those pics, you got a big career ahead of you if you’re really gonna do it. Aaron just doesn’t go this far that often. When he finds a new face he normally tests them first with someone more experienced, so they don’t need to carry a scene. If he’s putting you under the spotlight, it means he’s sure you can pull it off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me, I know him. Anyway, there’s cafeteria in the next floor, you wanna get some coffee and go over the script with me?”
“Sure.” The kid looked up and gave him a sincere little smile. “But I have to warn you, I’m a really quick reader, so I’ll be well caffeinated by the time you’re done.”
----- ----- -----
“Ouch!” Morgan grabbed his hand, checking the little teeth marks on his skin. Clooney had laid down on Reid’s lap and kept growling at Morgan. “You little…-”
“Morgan, you can’t blame a dog for acting like a dog.” Reid continued petting the canine and the growling turned softer. “If you present Garcia’s… literary efforts, using the phrase very lightly, you open the door for healthy criticism.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t open it up for teeth!”
“Sometimes sincere criticism can really hurt.”
Chapter 4