Title: Moving In, Moving On
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, 20_est_relships
Prompt: 4, Past Times
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Aaron Hotchner or Spencer Reid, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Spencer let out a sigh as he straightened up after setting the last of the boxes down in the room that would be his in Aaron's house, looking around in satisfaction. It was already starting to feel like his room; just having his bed there made it look familiar.

But he hoped that he wouldn't be spending any nights in that bed. His heart thumped almost painfully in his chest at the realization that he would be sleeping in Aaron's bedroom, in the big bed that he'd already gotten so used to sharing with the other man.

He'd only moved his bed here because it was comfortable to use as a couch. He didn't foresee any nights in this room, sleeping alone and dreaming of the man who was in the master bedroom across the hall. No, he would be sharing his nights with Aaron, he was sure of that.

Besides, it was good to have familiar things around him, wasn't it? It would make the transition of moving into Aaron's house seem less jarring. And it would give him a room that he could feel was his own, surrounded by familiar belongings and furniture.

He'd already gotten used to spending nights here, but it still felt a little strange to be moving in, and to know that this was his home now. His lease had run out on his apartment at just the right time -- and that had seemed like an indication that he was meant to be here.

They'd both taken it as an omen, Aaron saying that it couldn't have happened at a better time. Spencer had agreed, though he hadn't been able to hold back a twinge of nostalgia when he'd looked up at his old apartment building for the last time.

"It feels weird to be moving out," he'd murmured, his gaze sweeping over the facade and lingering on the window that had been his living room. "I've been here for a while -- and I felt comfortable here. It's kind of scary to be giving up that comfort zone of having my own place."

"But you're moving into a place where you'll be able to build another comfort zone -- and you won't be alone all the time," Aaron had pointed out, his voice soft as he'd squeezed Spencer's hand reassuringly. "I hope that's what you want, Spencer."

Spencer had nodded, looking away from the building and into Aaron's eyes. "This is exactly what I want," he'd said, his voice soft and husky. He had been telling the absolute, unvarnished truth -- he did want to move in with Aaron, more than he'd ever wanted anything.

Even being a part of the BAU hadn't been as important to him as this was, he mused, his gaze moving around the room. That had only been a part of his life -- this was his entire future. The BAU was what he did for a living. This involved his heart and soul.

Aaron came into the room behind him with the last box from the moving van; he set it down near the door, straightening up to cast Spencer an inquiring glance. "That's the last of it," he said, sounding breathless. "I already paid them. They're gone."

"What?" Spencer asked, turning to Aaron with wide eyes. "Hotch, you didn't have to do that. I should be paying them, not you. I'm going to pay you back. Just let me have the bill." His voice was firm; he wasn't going to take no for an answer on this.

But Aaron was shaking his head just as firmly. "No, Spencer. You're going from a life of being alone to a life that you're sharing with me -- and this is part of my of welcoming you into this house and into my life. I'm not going to take money from you for this."

Spencer knew better than to argue with Aaron when he made up his mind about anything; instead, he smiled and acquiesced gracefully, raising his brows in question. "Only part of your way of welcoming me here? What's the other part, if I might ask?"

"This." Aaron moved into the room to stand beside Spencer, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist and pulling him close. Spencer sighed softly, his own thin arms sliding around Aaron's waist, nuzzling his cheek against his boyfriend's.

"I can't believe I'm here," he sighed, letting himself relax in his lover's arms. "I've spent this whole week packing up and thinking about how many times I've moved in the past -- and you know, I've never really been excited about new places, but this one is different."

"Oh?" Aaron looked curious, tilting his head to one side and raising a brow in imitation of Mr. Spock. "Why is that?" The words were accompanied by a smile and a quick kiss pressed to Spencer's cheek, his arms tightening around the young man's waist.

"I think it's because I never really felt that any other place was going to be permanent," Spencer tried to explain, shaking his head. "It never was -- especially when I was a kid. But this feels like it's where I've always been meant to be. Like I can build a life here."

"You never felt that you could do that in the past, did you?" Aaron asked softly, his gaze fixed on Spencer's face. "I always wondered if you were trying to do that in the apartment you were living in -- it never felt to me as though you were."

"I wanted to," Spencer admitted, the words coming out slowly and hesitantly. "I wanted to feel like I could settle down in that apartment and be happy there. And after I met you, I thought I could -- even if it meant that I'd always be living there by myself."

"Even after I got divorced, you thought you'd still spend your life living alone?" This time, it was Aaron's turn to shake his head in disbelief. "Spencer, you should have known that no matter what the past had been like, I wouldn't let you spend your future alone."

"I'd have been happy to do that, if I had to," Spencer told him, his gaze meeting the other man's. "If you hadn't felt right about me moving in here, then I could have accepted that. As long as I had you in my life, I'd have been happy to live anywhere."

Aaron's soft laughter filled the room; his arms tightened around Spencer, pulling the young man to him in a fierce hug. "I'd have cleared out that apartment and had you move in with me sooner or later, you know. I couldn't live my life apart from you for much longer."

"I guess it's just kind of hard for me to let go of the past," Spencer murmured, feeling tears well up behind his eyes. He'd known that his boyfriend wanted him here, but he hadn't expected this warm a welcome -- or for Aaron to be so open about his feelings.

"The good parts of your past will always be here, you know," Aaron told him, raising a hand to tap his finger against Spencer's forehead. "You'll never lose them. And eventually, being here will be a part of that past, and you'll hopefully have good memories of that, too."

"Do you mean that you're planning to move out of this house sometime?" Spencer asked, his mind churning with the possibilities. He'd just moved in, he didn't want to think about leaving already! But Aaron was laughing softly and shaking his head.

"Listen to you. You're not even unpacked yet, and you're worried about moving somewhere else. Maybe we'll do that eventually, Spencer. I don't know. But for now, you're moving in here and we're both moving on from the past," Aaron told him, brushing another kiss against Spencer's cheek.

"I can see us being here a long time," Spencer said, looking around the room and feeling relaxed and happy. "I hope we will be, anyway. I love this house. There's just something really relaxing and comforting about it. I feel at home here, more than I have anywhere else."

"That's how I want you to feel here," Aaron told him, reluctantly releasing him and moving towards the door. "Now, before we start unpacking all this, do you want something to eat? We were too busy to even think about lunch. I'm hungry, even if you're not."

"Before 'we' start unpacking?" Spencer asked with a laugh. "Are you volunteering to help me with all this? It's mainly books, you know. I've got a ton of them. Good thing you've got bookcases in here to go along with mine. I needed more storage space."

"We can get you more bookcases if you need them," Aaron told him with a laugh, reaching for the young man's hand and leading him out of the room and towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's make lunch. We can tackle the boxes and the unpacking later."

Spencer followed him gladly, pushing thoughts of the past out of his mind. This was where he was now, and the past was behind him. He had to concentrate on the here and now -- and on building a happy future with the man he loved.

***