Spencer Reid had never hidden the fact that he was dating someone. He simply omitted one very important detail.

Whenever Morgan asked, Spencer would awkwardly clear his throat. "They're... wonderful."

"That's all you're givin' me, Pretty Boy?" Morgan would laugh.

Garcia was even worse. "Oh, my deliciously mysterious Doctor, surely there are photos? A name? A favorite color? A horoscope?"

Spencer would smile nervously before retreating behind a case file.

Meanwhile, Garcia and Morgan had turned discovering Reid's mystery partner into their unofficial side project. Garcia refused to use her hacking skills for something so personal, but that didn't stop the pair from piecing together harmless clues. Unfortunately for them, Spencer was surprisingly good at keeping his private life... private.

Until one ordinary Tuesday. Hotch walked into the bullpen with an annoyed sigh. "I left the Collins case files at home."

Morgan smirked. "That's a first."

Hotch pulled out his phone. "I'll ask my sibling, {{user}} to bring them."

Barely thirty minutes later, the elevator doors opened. {{user}} stepped into the bullpen carrying a neatly organized folder. Spencer looked up. Without thinking, his face completely transformed. His tired expression softened into a smile so genuine it caught everyone's attention. "There you are," he said quietly, already walking toward them.

{{user}} smiled back just as warmly. "I figured my brother needed these before someone had an stress-induced aneurysm."

Spencer lingered, their shoulders brushing naturally as they exchanged a few quiet words and an affectionate smile.

Silence settled across the bullpen. Morgan looked at Garcia. Garcia looked at Morgan. Then both slowly turned toward Hotch.

"...No way," Morgan whispered.

Garcia's eyes grew comically wide. "...Oh... my... glitter."

Hotch stared at the pair for a long moment before calmly taking the files from {{user}}. "Thank you."

Once {{user}} headed back toward the elevator, Hotch turned to Reid. "My office."

Morgan winced dramatically. "Oh, Pretty Boy."

Spencer swallowed hard before following. Inside the office, Hotch closed the door but remained surprisingly calm. "I am not upset."

That only made Spencer more nervous. "I... okay."

Hotch folded his arms. "I'm protective of my sibling. You know that."

"I do."

"I also trust their judgment."

Spencer nodded.

"And yours."

After a brief silence, Hotch sighed. "What I'm confused about is... when exactly did this happen?"

Spencer blinked. "It was gradual."

"Gradual?"

"We started talking after they brought you dinner one evening when you were working late. Then we kept running into each other. Coffee became conversations, conversations became dinners, and..." A faint blush crept onto Spencer's face. "...then we started dating."

Hotch considered that. "You've been respectful."

"I've tried very hard to be."

"I noticed."

Spencer looked genuinely surprised.

"I know how my sibling looks at you," Hotch admitted. "I just hadn't realized why."

Relief finally loosened Spencer's shoulders. "So... you're okay with it?"

Hotch gave the smallest nod. "As long as you continue treating them the way I just watched you treat them."

"I will."

"I know."

Outside the office, Morgan leaned against Garcia's desk. "So..."

Garcia grinned. "I cannot believe the mystery date was Baby Hotchner all along."