Title: Five Ways Reid Didn't Go To See The Redskins (And The Way He Did)
Author: diagonalist
Pairings: Just about anything could be inferred. But definitely Reid/Gideon and Reid/Hotch pre-slash.
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: FRT?
A/N: You get to decide which was the way he actually went. And oh, they were all going to be short, but then they just kept getting longer and longer and I didn't have the heart to rein them in. For rushlight75, from whom I stole the idea of Gideon talking to Reid about Hotch. Bad me. Also, I know even less about football than Reid does.
Disclaimer: These characters are not my inventions, I'm just using them without permission to further explore their dynamics.

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1) JJ

Reid didn't really remember much of the time he spent with JJ that day. Beyond being hyper-aware that she was a girl, a pretty girl, and he had a horrible history of interactions with those, there was the pressure of this being a date. She thought it was a date. Gideon had expected it to be a date.

What happened on dates? What should he do, or say?

He ended up doing and saying very little, other than tripping up on the way into the box and proceeding to stutter for the rest of the time they spent there. He wondered if she thought he took after the footpath killer, and spent some time recalling statistics on stutters in his defence. His mind going off on a tangent made him miss the next thing she said, and he must have seemed the most inattentive date ever.

Reid decided he didn't much like dating. He already had enough problems talking to people on a personal level, but the date-thing was utterly eroding his social skills. Every moment was a moment of tense awkwardness, and he didn't understand the game at all. His usually agile mind deserted him and he was unable to discern patterns in the quick and often violent movements of the players.

She asked him back for coffee, after, and he said "No thanks, I don't drink it." There was a short pause, then she smiled and said goodnight. It wasn't until he'd reached his own bed that he realised what it had meant, and what he had done wrong.

Now he'd have to face her - face them all - the next day at work. He wished the whole day had never happened. Being alone, he came up with clever and witty things to say, and imagined her laughing with him. A ridiculous fantasy. Perhaps girls, with all their associated complications, weren't for him. He felt far more comfortable with the men on the team, and it wasn't as if there wasn't attraction there too.



2) Morgan

The best thing about going to the football game with Morgan was that Reid hadn't actually had to ask anyone to go with him. Morgan had seen the tickets, lying forlornly on his desk, and invited himself along. Reid had been so relieved that he'd even thanked Morgan, before realising that might have given too much away.

As soon as they arrived in the VIP box Reid began to expound on the culture of group sports. "The psychology involved is really fascinating, especially the effect that being part of the crowd has on people…" Morgan gave him a look that said he was a freak for thinking about details so much. Reid grimaced self-consciously and sat down.

Reid got the teams confused, and his first attempt at cheering was on an own goal. His observations of the game, and queries into procedure were constantly laughed at by Morgan, who told him to ‘just relax and enjoy the flow.' Reid decided he wasn't very good at that, in life generally as well as in relation to football.

Still, the mocking was good natured, and as the game came to a rousing finish Morgan slapped him on the back and said he was more than happy to further his education. It could have been a lot worse.



3) Gideon

Reid was already talking animatedly as he entered the football ground, and continued that way for most of the game. Occasionally he caught a small, amused smile on Gideon's face, and forced himself to pay attention for a minute.

The ball passed back and forth across the pitch, accompanied by loud yelling from the stands.

"Why do people come and see this?" Reid asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"To be with people, enjoying something that they enjoy." Gideon studied him for a moment. "Don't you ever feel the need to do that? To feel a connection?"

Reid's eyes twitched away nervously. "I enjoy my work," he said uncertainly.

"That's good." Gideon considered for a moment, turning sideways and giving his full attention to Reid. The weight of Gideon's gaze rested warm and heavy upon him, and Reid flushed slightly. "It's always important to enjoy your work, and to get along with the people you work with. But equally important to have something outside of work that you can do to relieve stress, or somebody to talk to when you can't talk to the people you work with."

Reid nodded, not looking at Gideon. What was he supposed to say, that he had no friends? Everyone he'd known in the academic world had been much older than him. The only people he talked to at all outside of work were his mother and one of his old professors. And neither very often.

"Don't worry about it," Gideon said. As though he knew Reid's thoughts.

"I just ' I don't really know anyone around here," Reid muttered uncomfortably. "And I don't usually have time. When I get some time off all I want to do is collapse." His mouth quirked up in a smile.

Gideon returned it. "I know how you feel. Still, the rest will come in time. Just be open to new experiences."

The crowd gave a sudden roar.

"Like football?" Reid said ironically.

"What do you think of it?"

Reid thought that from the way Gideon's eyes smiled he knew exactly what Reid thought of football. "It's… interesting."

"Well, I know how you like new and interesting things." Gideon said, and Reid made a face. "Try to see beyond the push to score. There are strategies underlying every move. What is interesting is how the strategies of different teams interact. Although it can be just as interesting when strategy is completely abandoned." Gideon pointed out an example, their shoulders brushing at the motion.

"You mean when they stop thinking about their rules and do what is instinctive?"

"You can analyse a person from how they execute a particular plan. All of the players will do it slightly differently, with their own style. But how a person acts when there is no longer a plan to refer to ' that tells you more than anything else."

"So it's like if an unsub is forced to change his plan and act on the spur of the moment? You can gather more information?"

Gideon tilted his head, regarding Reid with interest. "The unsub's plan was his to start with ' not designed by a manager. But in a way you're right. Someone who plans out his actions in advance will reveal more than he intended to by changing them. The new choice of victim, location, weapon ' does he use what's closest to hand or does he need to do things a certain way? Does he leave unintentional clues?

"But we were talking about football. Watch the game, Reid." Gideon shifted his hand to pat Reid's leg and didn't remove it afterwards.



4) Elle

Inviting Elle to see the Redskins was possibly the best decision Reid had ever made. She made dry, satirical comments about the public's obsession with ballgames, helped him get through a large bag of pretzels, and never let on she knew she hadn't been his first choice.

Afterwards, she bought him a Redskins souvenir cap, and said he could now declare himself a real fan. "Maybe you should wear it into the office, to show your true devotion."

He saw nothing but kindness in her face, and his flush was muted. "It would let Gideon know I had a good time."

She smiled at him as they walked towards the car. "I think you should tell him that yourself. And to be honest, I don't think he was expecting you to be a huge fan of the football part of the plan."

"Um." He shrugged awkwardly. "I, um, I had a good time. With you. And football. That was… different." Now if only he could actually manage to communicate with people without sounding like an idiot.

She laughed though, and agreed with him. "My honest opinion, after the extensive research we have just conducted, is that football is not the game for me. Nor for you, unless you had company that made you appreciate the game more." A slightly arched eyebrow, gently suggesting, and then he couldn't see her face anymore as they got in the car.

The darkness made it easier to speak. "About that. I don't think that I really ' I mean, I don't know how I would…"

"It's okay," she said, and the smile was still there, if only in her voice now. "I don't know what made Gideon ‘profile' the two of you together, but there are plenty of others out there. Maybe people you'll feel more comfortable with."

"I don't know if there ever will be," he said quietly, unhappily. "No one seems to ‘get me' ' I'm just a reference material full of obscure numbers. Not someone you'd like to go out on a date with."

"We had fun tonight, didn't we?"

Reid's head jerked up in surprise. "Of course!"

"There you go then," Elle sounded smug. "Having proven that you aren't socially stunted, I am left to suggest that you haven't found the right person to go out with. It'll come one day." She reached over and patted his hand, and surprisingly he felt better. He could go to Gideon and honestly say he'd gone out and had fun, which was probably more important in the end than who he went with, and whether anything came of it.



5) Hotch

"So, I have these tickets to a ' a Redskins game? And I was thinking maybe…"

"Sorry Reid, you'll have to ask someone else. I really don't have time right now." Hotch looked tense and angry. Reid knew that he wasn't angry at him, but bowed his head anyway, backing off a little.

"Right, of course, sorry, I just thought. But yes, of course." He fumbled for words as Hotch left without a backwards glance, then mumbled to himself, "I have to go and-" He left, and found a reason to talk to Gideon in a corridor out of sight.

Gideon saw straight through him, of course, and sighed. Eyes narrowed, he said, "Asking someone who's actually a fan of the Redskins might have had a more positive result."

Reid bobbed his head up and down. "Yes, yes, and I tried that." He paused, then defensively said, "I did. I asked her if she liked football, and the Redskins."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"She said she did." At the other man's look, he hastened to explain. "I said that I had tickets to a game and wanted to know more about them and somehow made her think I'd already asked someone else and was just using her for information." His words stumbled over each other in their haste to get out. "In the end I couldn't ask her because she was saying have a good time and bring back candy and I just… didn't know what to say."

Gideon considered this for a moment. "You didn't know how to ask a girl out, so you asked Hotch?"

"Not that it went any better," sighed Reid.

"Why Hotch," Gideon asked thoughtfully.

Reid panicked at the overanalysing mind being directed that way. "I'm just," he shrugged, "Just more comfortable with him. Not always worrying about what to say." Gideon gave him an affectionate look. "Most of the time, anyway."

"Well, I honestly have no idea if he likes football, but you might like to try asking when he isn't -"

"Busy, I know. Thanks." He turned to walk back to his desk, and Gideon's hand rested on his shoulder.

"I'm not saying it's a bad idea."

"O-kay," Reid said, uncertain as to where this was going.

"But, you go to football with a certain fan, it means one thing. You go to football with Hotch, it's just going to football." There was neither censure nor pity in that voice, but Reid suddenly felt his cheeks flame as though the whole world knew his improper thoughts.

"Okay," he said again. "I know. It's okay. It's just football."

The hand on his shoulder let go, and he shook as he sat down.

"Reid."

Reid looked up at the familiar voice and found Hotch looking at him in concern. He realised he'd been staring at the same piece of paper for the last half an hour. "Hi," he said belatedly. "Um, is there something I can help you with?"

Hotch smiled at him, Hotch who so rarely smiled, and Reid lit up inside with the knowledge it was for him. He tried to mentally slap himself down for being pathetic, but some of the glow remained. "Did I hear something about football earlier?" Hotch asked.

And the first thought that entered Reid's mind was ‘Did Gideon tell him? Does he know? Is he humouring me?'

"Yeah," he said, "I have these tickets to a Redskins game, and-" he stopped there.

"You know who's a Redskins fan?"

"Yes," he said shortly. Hotch frowned at him in what could have been concern. "I just don't ' she's busy." And Hotch had to know he was lying, had to, had to, but he didn't call him on it.

"Who were you planning on going with then?"

"Oh," Reid mumbled, "I don't know." He glanced up searchingly, and found some courage. "I thought maybe you'd want to? See football?"

Hotch reached over to his shirt pocket, where the tickets had stayed since being given to him, and plucked them out. "I'm officially confiscating these tickets for disrupting your work routine." Reid's mouth opened to protest, even though that would actually solve the problem and oh god Hotch had just touched him. "I'll see you there."

Reid's mouth closed with an audible click, and he reworked the conversation in his head. "Yes," he said, and tried not to think about it. All the things it could possibly mean, but didn't. Just football, like Gideon said.

In the end the best part wasn't going to see the game, but the hours before it. Hotch insisted they meet up in the park. He said Reid wouldn't appreciate football properly unless he had at least some experience of it. All Reid could think of were embarrassing lessons at school with him always the last to be chosen, but Hotch tutored him as patiently as he always did with a gun. How to dribble, how to kick, how to score.

How not to stare at Hotch's face, all flushed with exercise, was something Reid had to learn himself.



6) ___

Reid didn't manage to invite JJ to the football game. The conversation he started on the plane dissolved into him listing the early history of football, as a tradition, and her smile became less and less encouraging. He retreated to a corner, unwilling to go to Gideon and say he'd failed. Though Gideon would know anyway.

The next day, he brought the subject up twice. Both times he stuttered and abandoned the topic. The day after that he got no further than saying hello to her before he gave up on asking her.

He didn't know what to say.

He couldn't ask Gideon to go with him, because Gideon had meant the tickets for a date with someone. When he thought about it, Gideon would probably have been the only one he would have felt safe asking. Gideon would never have made him feel bad, even if he'd said no.

With everyone else there was too high a probability of rejection. He couldn't see himself ever asking Hotch such a question. He would never hear the end of his lack of knowledge, or inability to get a date, if he asked Morgan. Elle he didn't really know well enough and he couldn't even bring himself to speak to JJ at the moment.

He didn't have any friends outside of work. Actually, considering his track record with social relationships, it was rather astonishing he had friends in work.

He left the tickets on JJ's desk while she was out. A gift, since she was sure to enjoy them more than he would. She could take someone else with her. Strangely, he wasn't bothered by that thought at all. He didn't think he liked her so much that way, and all of his panicking had been more about the pressure he felt to ask her.

Gideon came back into the office though, and Reid quickly snatched up the tickets again, hoping the older man hadn't seen them. Gideon's opinion of him mattered a great deal, and he didn't want to be seen as a coward.

He went to the game by himself.

The game, the gift, was wasted on him, he felt. It all seemed so alien to him ' an entire culture which he didn't belong to. All these people, so happy and so angry and so alive, and he couldn't find any feelings in himself at all except for distance from them.
 

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