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𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 ❞

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ㅤ"𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄'𝐒 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀?" Derek asked in disbelief, eyes trained on the woman in front of him who was stretching as they get ready for the sparring session they planned a few days ago.

Very different from her usual baggy attire, May was sporting black low-rise leggings and a matching black tank top—that she still decided on covering with a black windbreaker zipped up halfway—and some black trainers.

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Yeah, so?"

"I never knew!" He exclaimed, grinning at her with his pearly whites on full display and eyes crinkling at the edges. "Why use your middle name?"

"'Cause Accalia...my mom was the person who called me that the most growing up," she confessed, moving closer to him and stepping into the mat, still stretching her arms as she went. She didn't really know why she was telling him this, but she was comfortable enough to open up to him. "Kinda..." She grimaced, "I don't know, I just didn't want the reminder, I guess."

Derek has worked with her for a while, so he was aware of the accident that took her mother's life. He winced a little, realizing his mistake. "Sorry."

"No, no," she shook her head. "It's okay. Kind of. But I've gotten way too used to May to force everyone to call me Accalia. Plus, I like being 'May', it's like an alter ego or something."

"Well, can May actually beat the hand-to-hand teacher?" He quipped.

"Honestly, don't expect too much."

Making sure not to actually hurt her, Derek swung. May, surprising herself, leaned back almost Matrix-style. She then stood back straight with wide eyes, but didn't have enough time to actually digest what she'd done as Derek was swinging again. This time, she properly dodged it like a boxer, covering her face as she leaned down, which gave her the space to throw her own punch, straight towards his gut.

Derek felt the air rush out his lungs, wheezing slightly. But it didn't deter him all that much, grinning as he commended her with a quick, "Nice!"

Grinning back, May moved slightly away from the man to avoid getting hit due to close contact. "That was just luck."

"Stop doubting yourself. Now hit me again."

Nodding, she steadied herself as she watched him get closer, before quickly twisting her body to deliver a solid spin kick with a surprising amount of force that made Derek tumble backwards. As he landed on his back, he gasped.

"Woah, where the hell have you been hiding that strength?" He asked incredulously.

"I..." She trailed off. "I didn't...I'm not that strong."

"You basically threw me across the mat," he said, gesturing around them. She realized then that he was right; they had been standing near the middle, and now he was teetering at the edge. "You're strong."

"I'm not," she denied, breathing suddenly erratic as she thought, First, it was the heightened senses, then the physical changes, now the strength? What's going on?

Derek sighed as he stood up. "I'm telling you, just a bit more practice and you can probably beat most of us. You had any formal training?"

"No," she shook her head as she broke away from her stiff, ready-for-battle stance. She relaxed her shoulders as she admitted, "not really. Just the stuff you learn in basic. I'm the brains, not the brawn."

"You could be both," he told her, walking closer. But his wince went unnoticed. He frowned as he lifted up his tank top. His toned stomach would've distracted May, if not for the giant bruise already forming on his side, where she'd kicked him. "Goddamn."

Without thinking, she walked closer to him and gently placed her hand on the surrounding area. "Jesus Christ, I am so sorry."

Absolutely refusing to admit that her light touches sent shivers down his spine, he shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"You literally have Greenland growing on your side and you say it's not bad?" She deadpanned. And she wasn't that far off from the comparison, given the size and shape of the bruise.

"It's not." He patted her hand before holding it in his as he pulled it away, placing it on his chest instead, letting his tank top drop and cover his side once more. "Don't worry about it, gorgeous. It'll heal."

She slapped his chest before pulling her hand away. "Don't call me gorgeous."

"I'm not a liar, May." Grinning, he placed a kiss on her forehead, watching with delight as her cheeks flamed. "So, hand-to-hand definitely needs improvement. You need to come see me at least once a week."

Frowning, she asked, "Why does it sound like you want to see me even more than you already do?"

"Because I do."

"Derek Morgan!"

"Reid failed his qualification," Elle announced as soon as Gideon and May entered the bullpen together, both holding a cup of coffee each that no one would doubt was the same exact order.

"He can re-test in two weeks," Gideon responded, gesturing for May to go to her desk while preparing to walk towards his office.

"Yeah, but he's gonna be embarrassed about it," Elle called, before focusing her gaze towards Derek, "so let's not mention it."

Sitting down on her chair, May gave Derek a pointed look. "Yeah, let's not."

"Mhmm," Gideon agreed, giving a pointed look towards Derek as well before finally walking away.

On cue, Spencer walked into the bullpen and headed straight towards his desk. May watched as Derek began to stand up, so she—loudly—cleared his throat to gain his attention.

"What?" He asked.

"Don't even try."

The tone of her voice and the look on her face made him pause. Looking towards Spencer again, he sighed, nodding at May's request with his hands lifted up in defense as he relaxed back into his chair. "Fine, fine."

"Okay," JJ gained everyone's attention as she walked towards them. "Franklin Park, Des Plaines, yesterday afternoon. Three victims shot at distance." She handed everyone a case file each. "It's the third such shooting in two weeks."

Both Derek and May stood up as they were handed the files, beginning to read through it just as Hotch made his way to them.

"A sniper?" Elle wondered.

"We don't...use that word," Derek told her.

"Why not?"

"The public perception is that the FBI doesn't have an exemplary record with snipers," JJ spoke up.

"Besides," Hotch continued, "a sniper is a professional marksman. These guys aren't snipers."

"What do we call 'em then?" Elle asked.

"LDSK."

"Long-distance serial killers," May and Spencer chorused.

Elle looked at the two before setting her gaze on Spencer. "How many of these guys have we caught using a profile?"

But it was Gideon who answered. "None."

They eventually migrated to the roundtable room, with May in between Spencer and Derek on the walk there in case the latter tried anything. She nearly throttled Derek when he handed Spencer a whistle, throwing it back to him before dragging her best friend away.

She eventually sat between them again.

"Two weeks, three shooting incidents, six victims, all shot in the abdomen," Hotch began. "First and only fatality, Henry Sachs, married, father of three, was shot in a shopping center parking lot. Nine days later, Doug Miller and Kevin Parks were playing basketball at a community center. Franklin Park, four days later, Jerry Middleton, Kate Murray, and Tim Reilly. Des Plaines police have found no link between any of the victims."

"Ballistics?" Derek asked.

"He's using frangible rounds, which fragment on impact, making ballistics comparisons impossible."

"The good news is that all the park victims are gonna make it," JJ spoke up. "The bad news is that none of them saw anything. However, one of the patients does have an intact bullet lodged in his spine."

"What's the prognosis?" Gideon then inquired, his glasses safely perched on his nose.

"Well, there's disagreement among surgical staff as to whether they can remove the slug without paralyzing the patient."

"Without a useful witness or a solid piece of forensic evidence..." May trailed off.

Hotch turned to her. "The profile's all we'll have."

After their short debriefing on the plane, Gideon made his way over to the cockpit to ask the pilots some questions about their flight plan. And as soon the older man left, Derek quickly gestured for May to occupy the now-vacant seat across from him.

Giving him a weird look, she shrugged in response.

This interaction, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Spencer who sat across from her. He frowned, and turned to face Derek with a glare. "You better not."

"What?" Derek shrugged with a grin.

"You bully me then go after my best friend? No."

"Hey, it's not my fault you failed."

"I didn't say you did, but--"

"Boys," JJ cleared her throat, causing both of them to silence. May had to cover mouth, trying not to let out the laughter that was bubbling from within her. "Can we not? And why can't May make her own decisions?"

"JJ, I love you," May immediately announced, raising her hand up for the blonde to high-five. Of course, JJ didn't hesitate, and even gave her a wink. "And for now, I'm gonna take advantage of the fact that no one's sitting beside me."

She lifted her legs and placed them on the empty seat beside her, shifting so she could lie down as comfortably as she could. It was a bit difficult given her height, but she made do. She then crossed hands behind her head and winked at Derek who was pouting.

Elle laughed. "You really need to up your game, Morgan."

"Damn right," May chuckled. She took off her cap and placed her headphones—that she had around her neck—over her ears. Pulling out her iPod and connecting her headphones to it, she began to play Queen's Sheer Heart Attack album, moving her feet along to the beat.

Ignoring the knowing look Hotch and Gideon—who was now leaning against the back of May's seats—were sending him, Derek continued to admire May's form. Admittedly, the first time he met her, he was purely attracted to her because of her physical appearance. Like a goddess from some old myths, May Black was tall, regal, with her face looking like it was sculpted by the heavens.

Despite being a newbie at the time, May was quickly catching everyone's attention; some because of her physical appearance which Derek fell under; some because of her eccentric taste in fashion; and some because of how quick she—and Spencer—became the protégés of the one and only Jason Gideon.

Quickly, Derek learned that May was, for the lack of better term, a gem. Her physical appearance wasn't something she even thought was an asset, her taste in fashion mostly inspired by the fact that she had a grunge phase, and her being under Gideon didn't even change her attitude. She was still the same; a woman who was intelligent yet brash, and can only be controlled by her best friend and her mentor.

But it wasn't like she couldn't be talked down by the other members of the team in case of emergencies. Him, JJ, Elle, Hotch, and even Penelope are clearly dear to May Black, and she shows her love and appreciation by giving them little knick-knacks that she carved herself. Recently, it was Derek who received her latest creation: a keychain with a wooden charm that showed the sun.

And judging by her oversized gray and black pullover, gray sweatpants, and black boots, Derek knew she won't be changing anytime soon. And he adored that about her.

He didn't even know when the whole thing started. He couldn't tell you when he realized that there was something about her that made him want more. But now that they were here, now that they're close, all he wanted to do was to be closer.

If only Spencer wasn't still glaring at him with the best death stare he could muster.

"Turn. Around," Spencer commanded, which had everyone responding with chuckles.

Gideon could only smirk, eyes flickering from Derek, to Spencer, and finally to May who had her eyes closed and ears covered, completely unaware that she had one of the FBI's most sought-after bachelors wrapped around her fingers. 

author's note: absolutely love it when it's the love interest that falls first instead of the main character. although, neither has 'fallen' yet, but derek's the first one to really make it glaringly obvious and i think that's beautiful.

on another note, i honestly don't even know if this entire chapter makes sense. i have a migraine, and i've been preparing for move-in for the past few days so my brain hasn't really been functioning properly. nonetheless, i hope y'all like it.