Peyo ✮ 20 ✮ They/them ✮ part of the lesbians for Spencer Reid club
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✩ I write for The Raven Cycle and Criminal minds (Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia, Jemily)
✩ Requests aren't open, but if you have anything to ask or to share, feel free to send it to my ask box !
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SUMMARY : two agents pull up to a stakeout; one won't stop talking, and the other isn't paying attention because she's too busy picturing them fucking. abstinence really must make people crazy, because spencer reid is the bottom of the barrel—at least you thought he was, six hours ago.
PAIRING : spencer reid x fem!reader | WORD COUNT : 2.8k
TAGS : MDNI, “enemies” but they’re just court jesters, no sex but reader's sure thinking about it, daydreaming & fantasising, body odour, big dick spencer reid, kissing, dry humping, torn clothing, interrupted sex, semi-public almost-sex, idiots in love, emphasis on idiots, silliest marcidstars fic to date, title from a blythe davis song, not proofread at all
NOTES : lowkey wrote this in one sitting. here she comes world, be nice to her <3
Spencer Reid sucks.
That's the conclusion you've arrived at following three grievous years in the BAU.
It started off with small things; disagreements that could have been ironed out if they hadn't piled up so quickly. He cut you off when you were delivering a profile, you accidentally drank from his special coffee mug, he tried to stand up as you walked by and rammed his desk chair into your hip—each misstep was followed by an apology, and each apology was met with forgiveness.
But the well of mercy isn't infinite, and a pattern is a pattern.
You pulled away first, started avoiding him hoping it would prevent further incidents and protect your precious peace of mind. It worked, for a time, until something else happened. Another slight. Another apology. Another pardon.
Spencer forgot to refill the coffee pot. An honest mistake, you're sure, but you were tired. It had been a long day, long week, long month with the amount of cases you were juggling; always running from scene to scene, or battling your fear of flying thirty thousand feet in the air, or listening to him talk when you had already told him you had a headache. All you wanted was a coffee.
It wouldn't have stuck with you, if it hadn't been him who was responsible. You wouldn't have even blinked if Emily or JJ—or anyone else—had put their hand up to take the blame for the sad, empty coffee pot. But of course it was him.
It was always him.
So you misplaced the file he was working on ("Sorry, Spence. I know I left it around here somewhere…"); and he let you borrow a pen that exploded all over your blouse ("Crap— I'm sorry! It must have gotten too warm in my car."); and your desk chair broke so you took his instead of one of the spares ("My bad…but are you sure you've always sat there? No, I'm certain you usually sit somewhere else. The same spot for seven years now? Are you gaslighting me, Reid?").
It wasn't until Spencer physically knocked the mug out of your hands, spilling your coffee all over the carpet, that the team noticed something was up. So much for those acclaimed profiling skills.
And the worst part? Spencer offered to clean that carpet. No, he insisted on it, and he apologised at every chance he got, all wide eyes and worry lines, really leaning into his kicked puppy appeal, and that was the moment your quiet battle turned into an all-out war.
Snide comments were ping ponged across the bullpen, the conference room, the jet—anywhere that put you and Reid within earshot of each other turned into your own hostile work environment playpen. He called you so many variations of the word "bitch" you were convinced he had shoved a thesaurus up his ass (all without actually calling you a bitch; that was too far), and you responded by slipping the word "virgin" into every sentence for two full shifts; he made a daring remark about the "borderline inappropriate" cut of your shirt, and you stole a sweater from his go-bag and wore it the rest of the day to "protect his eyes"; you got yourself a boyfriend, and he got…weird.
Reid's always weird, in a Reid way; awkward, rambling, would-be-a-good-court-jester kind of weird. But this was different. He was different.
He stopped fighting. Raised his pitiful little white flag and just stopped. No big argument, no letter from HR, nothing.
You just thought he'd gotten bored of the back-and-forth, or maybe his New Year's resolution was to stop being a total bitch (you can call him a bitch; that's fine) and become a total bore instead. It wasn't something you thought anything of— and you wouldn't even be thinking about it now if things weren't…like this.
Three months ago, you broke up with your boyfriend. (No big deal; people break up all the time.)
The last time you had sex was three months ago. (Again, nothing crazy; you've abstained for far longer than that in the past.)
You're stuck in a car for twelve hours… (Average stakeout; nothing to write home about.)
…with Spencer Reid… (You've done it before; you can do it again.)
…and you're pretty sure you're ovulating. (Literally happens every month; you'd be more concerned if you weren't ovulating.)
All of these factors are insignificant on their own. Mundane things that happen to everyone, anywhere, any time; mundane things that have all happened to you at one point or another, and it really, really shouldn't be a big deal.
So why does it feel like you're dying?
Spencer's talking to you, he has been for some time now, and you can barely hear him over…whatever this is. And you certainly can't look at him, because then you'll—
Christ, have his hands always looked like that? Were those veins there when you got in the car? The definition? Have they always been that big?
Okay, arms and legs crossed, eyes forward, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth…
…is he sweating? Can you smell is sweat right now? Is that really what he smells like?
Correction: breathe in through your mouth, and out through your mouth.
You're sweating, that's for sure.
Fuck, it's hot in here.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Uh huh."
"You haven't been listening, have you?"
"Sure I have." You rub your eyes, trying to get to whatever thing has hijacked your mind. "You said this guy, uh…wasn't bitten by a spider? So how is he Spider-Man?"
"I…" His gaze burns a hole straight through your temple and into your brain, sears it from the inside out. "I said that ten minutes ago."
"Oh." Pull yourself together. "Run it back?"
"Run it back?"
"We have time, don't we?" You squint at the dashboard, carefully avoiding any hands or forearms or biceps or— "There's…six hours left of this…oh my God."
"Don't sound too thrilled," Spencer mutters. "Anyway, the reason he's Spider-Man is because he was trying to recreate the abilities of the original Spider-Man in other people—this is set in the future, remember? He actually wanted to discontinue his research after a human test subject died, but Tyler Stone—that's his boss—had other plans…"
Garcia once told you about this alternate universe trope in a lot of her "fandoms" where characters have this almost wolf-like biological hierarchy thing going on— or something like that, you weren't paying much attention. You remember her talking about how certain people experience "heats" like animals do, and you're sure this must be the real-life equivalent.
You've been sitting in a hot car for six hours, unable to sleep, with a coworker who is inexplicably getting more and more attractive with each torturous minute that passes, and he's talking about fucking Spider-Man. Not even regular Spider-Man, either; he's talking about Spider-Man from the fucking future.
And that's not to say that Reid was unattractive before this nightmare began, Morgan doesn't call him "pretty boy" for no reason, but you weren't attracted to him. Okay, maybe a little, or…more than a little—but not to the extent that you are now.
Right now, you feel positively in-fucking-sane.
"…and in order to get himself off of Rapture, he uses an older template of his unaltered genetic code to overwrite his current biology. However, his subordinate Delgato sabotages the machines and, instead of being restored to his old code, his genes are rewritten to contain fifty percent spider DNA—that's how he becomes Spider-Man."
A pause. Spencer doesn't pause unless he's awaiting a response.
"…uh huh."
The leather squeaks as Spencer leans over to scrutinise you. "What did I say?"
"That he, um—" You shrug as you clear your throat. "Someone fucked with the machine, and now his DNA is half spider."
Another pause. Longer.
What is he waiting for? You answered his question.
"Um. I just figured that all Spider-Men were bitten by—"
"Can you look at me?"
"Nope."
You weren't supposed to say that out loud.
"…nope? What— what do you mean nope?"
"We're supposed to keep an eye out for our unsub," you mutter.
"So you can't spare a glance?"
"Nope," you repeat, popping the "p" this time so it sounds more intentional.
Spencer sinks back into his seat, but his gaze doesn't leave you.
"Did I do something?"
You shake your head quickly. "No, you're…fine."
He's fine? Really?
"Look," he sighs, "I know we've never really…seen eye to eye. And I've been, um, distant—"
"Just keep talking about Spider-Man, Reid."
"—but I think, if there's ever going to be an opportunity to talk things out, then—"
"Please."
"—this is it."
He talks over you, unapologetic. Bulldozes your words with his own, and with a kind of resolution that leaves the air feeling even heavier. The heat inside of the car mixes with whatever poison gas he's just released, makes it impossible to breathe.
Does your sweat smell as strongly as his does? If so, you should invest in a better deodorant— and stop breathing through your nose.
"Can we open a window?" you ask stiffly.
"Nope."
"Reid, please—"
"Are you trying to say I smell bad?"
God, no.
"Yes," you snap, "and I'm sweating like a dog in…"
As your words trail off into obscurity, Spencer scoffs. "Fine, open your window. It isn't even that warm in here, I have the AC turned up all the way."
"AC my ass."
The air that hits you as you roll your window down feels like heaven. You lean back in your seat, finally able to breathe, but then you hear that damn squeak.
Spencer's leaning over to adjust the passenger side fan. His hair tickles your nose, and when you freeze up, he cranes his neck to look at you, and he smiles.
"Hello."
"What are you doing."
"I'm fixing your—"
"I just said you stink, Reid."
"Stop breathing through your nose, then."
There's brain matter leaking out from your ears. Eyes locked in this subdued, almost dead stare. Homed on his lips. You're roadkill, flattened under his tyre, using the last of your strength to blink and twitch. Slow and laboured. Helpless.
When the hell did he start looking like this?
"…thank you, Doctor."
Your efforts to keep your voice steady prove futile. You sound as weak as you feel, breathless and—Christ—like sex.
Close enough to kiss. You could lean in, that's all it would take. He'd taste like his coffee, strong and sweet, at first, with a bitterness that hits you just as you pull away, drags you back in for more. You hate his coffee, and yet…part of you…
"You're welcome, Agent."
Spencer pulls back, returning to his seat before you can do anything rash. The fan hits your face, but it does nothing to cool you down.
Despite your best efforts, your gaze follows him. Sticks to him like a magnet, dumb and dead and desperate. He doesn't seem to notice how he's killed you.
He reaches for the steering wheel, holds it like he's going somewhere. Fingers flex against the plastic, tendons working. Veins. Just…veins.
He probably has a big dick.
And you're looking out of the window, putting yourself in time-out, because what?
What is wrong with you? This is Spencer. Awkward, bumbling, pain-in-the-ass Spencer. You can't be thinking about him like this. It isn't right. It's…
That day, when you stole his sweater, he had only made that remark about your outfit because you had caught him staring first.
"There is actually, um, something I've been meaning to…talk to you about."
And you had only kept it on for as long as you did because it was comfortable. Because you liked how it smelled. How it reminded you of him.
…and he never even asked for it back. You could have kept it. He would have let you keep it.
Just how long as this been happening?
"I asked Hotch to pair us together on this."
His words hit like a bucket of ice, and you snap back to him, frowning. "What?"
"I wanted— I don't know," he sighs. "I needed a moment alone with you—"
"A moment?" you hiss, leaning forward. "We're here for twelve hours, Reid. We've— we've already been here for six, and you're only just saying this now? What took you so long to—"
He cuts you off, spitting out the name of your ex boyfriend like a curse—like it means anything.
You scoff, all irrational, hormonal thoughts forgotten. "What about him?"
"He's the reason I took so damn long, alright?" He's talking to the steering wheel; you're staring at him like he's lost his mind. "Because I…I had a plan, at the start of the year. I-I was going to ask you out, but—"
"Reid."
"You got this…stupid rock of a boyfriend, and— and I concluded that I was the idiot. I-I told myself that I had misread everything, and that you were never…interested in me, like that."
"Are you serious—"
"I'm not finished." Releasing the steering wheel, Spencer turns to you with this big, sarcastic smile. "The idiot here is you—"
You practically launch yourself across the seats, meeting his open, smug mouth with a kiss that leaves him floundering, grasping at the leather to keep himself steady so he doesn't fall and, more importantly, so he can kiss you back. He matches your hunger like it's second nature, like it's been simmering quietly within him for as long as it has been in you. Like he's spent months letting it eat him alive.
Everything is on fire. Your skin burns at the same temperature his does; tongues meet in a blaze amidst scorched lips and molten teeth.
He pulls you over the centre console. Your knee hits the gearstick, and he mumbles an apology into your mouth, adjusts himself so you can straddle him with relative ease.
Those large hands settle like anchors on your waist, pressing you down just enough for you to feel how his body responds to the kiss, to this position, to you. And it's enough to make you moan, because you were right: if the bulge in his slacks is anything to go by, Spencer Reid has a big dick. It's a wonder his ego isn't supersized, too.
It hardly registers that you're rocking your hips until he's whining on your tongue, trying to move in tandem in a way the car seat simply won't allow for. You reach around blindly, and the seat gives a rough, begrudging jerk before it reclines.
"Okay…" Your chest heaves against his as you pull back just enough to let yourself breathe. "I concede…I'm an idiot…"
Spencer exhales a shaky, smile-ridden sigh as his hand finds your cheek. The curl of his lips reads as nothing but affectionate; pure, unfiltered fondness offset only by his words.
"I forgive you."
You don't share in his smile. In fact, you swat his hand away like it's dirty.
"Bitch."
And then you're latching onto his neck, relishing the way he stutters on a gasp that, if you're hearing correctly, is laced with a curse. Faint, but discernible.
God, the things you'd do to hear that again.
When your teeth nip his sensitive skin, he whimpers, and you feel his cock twitch and strain against the fabric between you.
Corrupting the golden boy, getting him to say all kinds of nasty things for you, and in a government-issue vehicle, too…now that sounds like an exciting way to spend your night. Far better than this stupid stakeout— the stupid stakeout that he requested you accompany him on.
Buttons hit the window as you pull his shirt open without care. He sputters, stammers, but you're kissing along his collarbone before he can choke out a single word, dragging your nails down his chest, and by that point all he can do is throw his head back and make his pretty little noises; you can worry about his shirt later.
As if on cue, Spencer's phone starts to ring. The hot car turns to ice, and in that split-second before the panic really kicks in, and he's just staring at you with those startled brown eyes, you swear to God he's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.
He scrambles around for his phone, finds it in his pocket just under your thigh. He almost drops it as he brings it to his ear.
Currently watching Ted Lasso (because apparently my to-watch list just wasn't long enough) and this is I think one of my favorites tropes. Ted's just out there overcoming every obstacle by being just a really great dude
summary: a week after the incident, you run into some of the team by coincidence (a coincidence stained with pink glitter)
word count: 6.5k
a/n: This took an outrageous amount of time to finish, apologies ! Bittersweet fluff incoming ! You know... Fluff, angst... semantics... The whole team makes an appearance in a flashback, Garcia and Reid antics, reader has a difficult relationship with JJ, reader works in a daycare
But don't fool yourself
She was heartache from the moment that you met her
Oh, my heart is frozen still as I try to find the will to forget her somehow
She's out there somewhere now
The daycare had been surprisingly uneventful that week. No toddler scraping their knee, no toy broken, no explosive diarrhea, or at least none that you'd had to deal with, and better yet, no lice outbreak. Since the start of the year – and it had been quite some months now – there had been no report of any sort of virus or any other type of ailment going around. Though you were careful not to celebrate too noticeably, harboring despite yourself the same sort of superstition that kept ER workers from rejoicing on a quiet shift, though you did celebrate in your own way.
After a day filled with children calling out for you, of wooden toys clattering, of diaper-related odors and such overwhelming but very common occurrences that came with the job, you were in desperate need of a break, as much for your senses as for your mind and its irritable nagging. Worse than your name spoken by so many high pitched voices at varying volumes, another tormented you. A deeper one, sweeter, achingly so.
"Darling" the echo mocked.
You ignored it as best as you could. What else was there to be done anyway ? She wasn't there. And she should've been glad, because you'd have done anything for her voice to leave you. You ignored most of your issues these days anyway, like you did a certain tech analyst's newest text asking you to hang out at your favorite cafe for the third time this month. You'd respond later. Decline and swallow the guilt before it overflows.
"Sweetheart" the voice taunted.
No amount of distractions, of music, of screaming toddlers, had managed to silence her voice, prevalent at the forefront of your brain at all times. Of course, it had gotten worse after the incident two weeks ago, but some foolish part of you had expected it to fade, had expected you to be somewhat over this whole nonsense. Unfortunately, it seemed your brain had somehow missed the "no contact" memo.
Your well deserved break took the form of a large chocolate chip cookie and a fuming hot cocoa at your favorite coffee down the street. A soft chatter animated the shop as the amber light of the afternoon settled over brick walls covered in framed posters and vine, and for a fleeting second, you managed to finally escape. Taking a slow breath in, you drew your mug closer and closed your eyes to better enjoy the beverage.
Just then, because the universe had a strange sense of humor and evidently hated you specifically, the bell above the wooden door chimed, and a second later, you caught a blond set of curls sprinting toward you. In an instant of supernatural reflexes, you managed to set down your cup before the impact, which you endured with a startled grunt. The little boy buried his face in the crook of your shoulder and wrapped his arms around your neck.
"Hello to you too Henry," you chuckled, dumbfounded, as he squeezed as much as his kid-strength allowed.
"You know, people usually make themselves known before running full-speed into someone," you continued, a hand settling against his back, "you should try it next time."
"But I missed you," he spoke, his voice muffled into your sweater, and you squeezed him back.
"Sweetheart," a familiar voice called a few feet away, "what did we say about jumping on people ?"
You glanced up, and the golden light of the late afternoon did very little to soften the look in your eyes as they met JJ's.
"Nice to see you too," she sighed, glancing back as a colorful figure skipped closer.
Before you could respond, an exaggerated gasp made you roll your eyes, though your lips still curled as Penelope clasped her hands together, beaded bracelets clinking melodically.
"Oh my goodness ! You, here ?" she popped down onto the chair next to yours, lifting her godson into her lap, "What a coincidence !"
"Penelope Garcia," you leaned into your seat, crossing your arms loosely, "Did you stalk me ?"
"Actually, it's more about suggestion," a third voice announced, referring to the texts you'd read but left unopened, "it was very likely you'd come here after Garcia mentioned it, especially after a long day, and considering your attachment to the place."
The lanky doctor appeared to your right, setting down a tray with three cups of coffee and a lemonade with a swirly straw before looking to you, as if asking for permission to sit down. You shrugged and he settled on the chair.
"But yes," he continued as JJ finally joined them at the table, albeit hesitantly, "she stalked you."
Penelope scoffed at the claim, "It's not stalking if I'm just checking on my friend !"
"You have a very vague definition of the term stalking for an FBI agent"
"You didn't reply to my text !"
"It's only been half an hour !"
She dismissed the argument with a wave of her hand.
"Yes, well it's been half an hour of torment !"
You rolled your eyes fondly and she continued, "and I know how you get about planning stuff, but with the amount of rain checks you took, I started to worry !"
"Hence the stalking," Spencer hummed, taking a sip of his coffee just as Garcia's elbow met his arm.
Shaking your head, you glanced down at Henry in Penelope's lap and found his eyes trained on your forgotten cookie. Weak to the boy's envious stare, you handed him the snack, immediately rewarded by a wide grin.
"What do you say Henry ?" his mother murmured at his side.
"Thank you !" he managed through a mouthful of chocolate.
"You're welcome," you huffed through your nose, looking down to avoid meeting JJ's eyes.
While Reid busied himself crafting Henry a makeshift bib with paper napkins and hooking a corner of it into the boy's collar, Garcia didn't give you the grace of fussing over her godson.
"So," she started, staring like she might intimidate a truthful answer out of you "how have you been ?"
The instant shrug that lifted your shoulders was perhaps the best indicator of your forthcoming lie, though you were certain the profilers at your table could've named ten more if you'd asked.
"Good. Good." you nodded, a hand lifting the cup of hot chocolate to your lips, "No particular complaints. The new kids at the daycare are sweethearts, though some have more of a temper than others." you winked at Henry, who giggled into his cookie.
"Well, that's good. Great, even !" Penelope chirped halfheartedly, "Yes, really good. And we're... We're OK ?"
The doubt in her voice made you glance up to find worry filling her blue eyes.
"Oh, Pen–" you whispered, guilt lodging in the back of your throat. Before you could answer, her mind seemed to catch up to the vulnerability in her words.
"I mean– I know you said you were just busy– and I'm sure that's true, I'm not doubting you, of course ! It's just that– well it's been three months, and I know I tend to be a little– well, overbearing, so I told myself I should stop texting you and just leave you be– but– I mean you're my friend and I didn't want to just, not talk anymore– not that it's your fault ! But maybe you're not– I mean considering– you know–"
"Sweetie," JJ hummed, resting a gentle hand onto her arm, "breathe."
At the reminder, Garcia took a second to draw in a comically deep breath.
Henry, as if sensing the importance of the exchange, slipped off of your lap and climbed onto his mother's.
With a sigh, you resigned yourself to what the universe had decided your day was going to end, and leaned over the table to take your friend's hands into your own.
"Pen," you spoke softly, thumbs tracing soothing circles around her knuckles, "we're okay. Of course we're okay. I know you were just worried, and I get it, I do."
Your friend made a shy attempt at a smile, and it warmed your heart as much as broke it.
"But I'm okay, really." you reiterated, like maybe repeating it would make it come true, "it's just– well, seeing you, any of you, it's–" pushing through the weight in your throat, you breathed, "it's a lot."
In your peripheral vision, you caught the way Spencer's lips pursed, the way Jennifer looked down, blond hair obstructing the sight of her features.
"That doesn't mean we're not friends anymore, I just can't go back to the way it was before like nothing happened," the explanation seemed coherent enough to satisfy the agents.
Then, like pulled by some magnetic force, your gaze found JJ's, the woman who'd been your friend too, before all of this.
Before you'd even known Emily.
The first time you'd ever met JJ, she'd been sporting a twenty-something weeks bump, a spiral notebook in one hand and a ball-point pen nestled between the thumb and index of the other. You'd noticed her first, radiating the sort of nervousness first time parents often did. Then, you'd noticed the man beside her, a hand splayed over her lower back, steadying her without a word. His shoulders were relaxed, his eyes roaming calmly around the day-care's entrance hall where hers darted from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, sharp and assessing in a way that made you feel like a student awaiting a mark.
To your relief, her expression softened as soon as you entered their field of vision, and the couple greeted you with a smile.
"Welcome to the Sunny seeds daycare," you smiled, mirroring their expression in a way you hoped made you look calmer than you felt, "what can I do for you ?"
"Well–" they started together, before the man nodded for her to continue, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
The woman took a step toward you and extended a hand, "I'm Jennifer Jareau," you took her hand and introduced yourself in turn, before letting her continue.
"This is my partner, William LaMontagne." she gestured toward the man now back at her side, "We're trying to plan ahead by looking for a daycare before this little guy gets here." the hand that held her pen is now cradling the bump of her stomach through her blue sweater.
"Smart move," you nod along to her explanation, "how can I help ?"
Her notepad whipped open in a way you'd only ever seen in shows "Would you mind answering a few questions ?"
"Not at all ! I can even give you a quick tour if you'd like. Except for the playroom, where the children are at the moment. Unregistered adults aren't allowed in."
"That would be great, thank you."
"I would like to preface that my qualifications don't exactly include tour guide, so it will be a very amateur level commentary."
Both laughed at the warning. William shook his head, "No worries, I'm sure you'll do great."
With every question, you'd grown increasingly certain that interrogating people was something she did for a living. You could see it in every gesture, every carefully selected word coming out of her mouth. Something related to journalism maybe ? A police officer ? A therapist ? You had a feeling it was one of the latter.
Despite the gentle professionalism she exuded, the tension in her shoulders seemed to gradually melt as the tour progressed. Even William, who hadn't seemed particularly nervous at first glance, had considerably loosened up.
By the end of the tour, Jennifer had slowly abandoned her previous clean professionalism and the conversation had started feeling like one between two old friends. You hadn't needed to debate whether inviting her for coffee sometime was inappropriate for long before she asked you herself while signing the papers insuring their incoming baby a spot at the daycare.
Over the next few weeks, the two of you had quickly become close friends, and it became a sort of routine for you to come over at hers and Will's place for hot cocoas and chats.
The first time she'd told you about the team, you were sat comfortably on one end of the couch, mug in hands, while JJ laid next to you, throw pillows on each side of her to accommodate her growing belly, legs splayed over your lap. Between handfuls of Cheetos – which she'd explained having always had cravings for, but that had worsened since getting pregnant – she'd gotten a little teary-eyed, which was nothing new since the start of her third trimester, but always had the same jolting effect on you.
"Gosh," she'd sighed, holding out a slightly orange fingered- hand toward you, "you have no idea how grateful I am for you,"
You took her hand without much concern for the crumbs now coating your own, "Aw, JJ, I'm glad I met you too."
JJ shook her head, "No, it's– I mean, it's more than that. Since starting at the BAU, I've kind of lost contact with most of my college friends, and I didn't have time to actually make new friends anymore. I mean, don't get me wrong, my team is amazing. They're some of my best friends. They're my family, and I have no idea what I'd be without them, nor do I want to find out," she clarified before continuing, "and they've been really supportive since I told them about the pregnancy, and as present as they could be. But now that I have more time off of work, that I can't travel with them, I've realized just how much I rely on them. Being alone is good sometimes, but it gets heavy, especially when you're basically sick all the time, one way or another," she laughed, a tear catching onto her lashes.
Wiping it away with her free hand, she squeezed yours with the other, "So having a friend outside of my work, it's been really helpful. You've been really helpful."
Cocking your head to the side, you smiled at her and tried your best not to tear up as well. Unfortunately, you'd found that JJ had the kind of presence that affected everyone around her, that made everyone act like sponges to her state of mind. If she was calm, everyone else was too. If she was agitated, you'd find yourself antsy, and if she cried, well, you cried too.
The only person who seemed to stay unaffected was Will. You'd seen the way he always managed to soothe her when she got irritated, when she grew upset with the discomfort of her changing body. You supposed it played a role in why their dynamic worked so well. Watching them together, you'd sometimes feel the sharp needle of jealousy dig into your side. The growing need for the kind of intimate comfort they'd built, the unprompted reassurance they offered each other. It had always been something you'd envied, not just in romantic relationships, but in every aspect of life. A silent hand on your back, a whispered encouragement, a steady pulse under your ear, arms to hold you when you inevitably fell apart.
"Well," you'd chuckled through the sting in your eyes, "I'm glad I can help"
After some time spent laughing at the cheesiness of the moment, and once you'd both dried your cheeks, you turned back to her and leaned an elbow on the armrest.
"How long have you known your team ?"
JJ let her head fall against the back of the couch, eyes searching the ceiling as she thought.
"Well... I joined the BAU during the fall of 2003, and that's when I met Hotch, who's still acting Unit Chief, and Gideon, who retired a few years ago. Then Morgan joined–"
"Your friend that renovates houses ?" you interrupted, remembering her telling you how he helped her and Will find a house.
Smiling, she nodded, "That's him. He's a great guy, likes to act more macho playboy than he actually is. He's just a big softie though. Actually, I think Spencer joined before Morgan did. But we'd worked with Morgan on cases before."
"Spencer, that's your genius best friend right ?"
"That's him. I think you two would get along great actually," she turned her head your way, "He's not the arrogant kind of genius. He's really sweet, very awkward though."
Arching a brow, you looked back at her, "Don't even think about trying to set me up."
Immediately, she raised both of her hands in the air, her features twisted in faux-shock, "Me ? Try to set you up ? Never."
An amused huff left your nostrils as you rolled your eyes at her, "Jen, I guarantee you, you don't know enough about my romantic preferences to set me up with someone."
"Well, sure," she dug a hand into the bag of Cheetos balanced on her belly, fishing out another mouthful, "But I think I'm qualified enough to know who you'd get along with, regardless of romantic implications. For instance," she readjusted her posture again, letting her legs fall from your lap, before pulling them criss-cross on the cushion, "I think Garcia would absolutely love you. She's our absolutely fabulous tech analyst, and she's such a fun person to be around. She joined after Morgan did, and they've been aggressively flirting ever since."
Your brows knit together, lips still smiling, "Are they together ? I didn't peg the FBI for a very... 'interpersonal relationship' friendly place."
"They're not ! That's the thing that surprised us all at first, because we all thought they'd get together, even secretly, but no, that's just their dynamic. And Garcia flirts with everyone."
"Everyone, huh ?" you chuckled, "You too ?"
JJ grinned, "Everyone. She's like a sister to me." she frowned then, before adding, "Don't think about those two statements together too much." which sent the two of you into a fit of laughter.
"Okay, okay," you said as you calmed down, "You didn't finish answering my question Jen."
"Right, yes," she snapped her fingers, "Well, after Garcia, Elle joined as well, though she only stayed for two years."
"Did something happen ?"
JJ seemed to ponder her answer for a moment before settling on something, "Yeah. But I'd rather not go into any details. None of us have heard of her since she left, and I like to imagine that she's doing better."
"That's... a good thing to hope for."
The blonde let silence settle for a moment, eyes lost somewhere in the distance, before snapping back to reality. She cleared her throat, "Sorry."
You shook your head and breathed a quiet reassurance, before nodding at her to continue.
"Right. So... After Elle quit, Emily joined the team," she fluffed one of the throw pillows at her side, "it was a little weird at first, after Elle leaving so abruptly, to have a new member so soon, and the rest of the team wasn't at its best. Despite all of that though, Em's the kind of person you can't help but love. She's got something that makes it so easy to trust her, and she quickly became part of the family."
"That's nice," you smiled, trying to recall if you'd ever met someone like this. Of course, your first thought went to JJ, but then again, you'd never tried to not like her, so you imagined it didn't exactly count.
"Yeah. She's great. Really bad-ass too," she continued, "on her first day, she translated a text from Arabic like it was her first language. Her parents traveled a lot due to their jobs, and now she speaks fluent Arabic, French, Italian and some Russian."
You scoffed, "And Spencer's the only 'Genius' ? What the hell is that resume ? Is that woman straight out of a movie or something ?"
That pulled a bright laugh from JJ, which, from the sharp breath she drew in after, and the hand she pressed to her side, she seemed to instantly regret.
"Don't make me laugh–" she huffed, "I'll pee myself,"
The following week, after a surprisingly quiet day at the daycare, you checked your phone to find a text from JJ inviting you to the bar where she was celebrating a closed case with the rest of her team. Ever since that first discussion about her colleagues, she'd been very enthusiastic at the idea of you meeting them. She'd slip some comments here and there about Spencer or Morgan, and you couldn't help but fear some match-making scheme. Though JJ had quickly become a dear friend of yours, you hadn't talked about dating much, and you'd avoided it half-consciously, so the thought of having to explain to her why you'd rejected her friend made you feel a little sick.
Still, you couldn't avoid her because of some unfounded fear, nor did you want to. After taking a second to assess your current head space, you decided a night at the bar with her and people who seemed so like-minded didn't sound half bad, and told her to send you the bar's address.
It was a twenty minutes drive to O'Keeffe's, and the second you stepped inside, the sticky warmth of alcohol and laughter filled your senses. Your life wasn't devoid of social activity by any means, but most of your friends preferred the comfort of a cozy living room and a cup of tea rather than the noise of a crowded bar in the evening, and it took you a moment to recalibrate. You glanced over to the bar counter, then to the people at the other end of the room playing darts, before finding the booths and catching the eye of a familiar blonde.
You slipped through the crowd as she waved you over, and JJ stood to greet you with a hug.
"You didn't have to get up," you chuckled.
"My legs were going numb," she retaliated, "it was as much for me as it was for you."
Once she pulled away, you turned to find five pairs of eyes already looking at you, and you suppressed the urge to wave awkwardly. Before you could cave in, JJ – hero that she is – introduced you.
The first to greet you had been physically vibrating with excitement from the second you'd come into view. Seemingly unleashed by the introduction, the woman you'd assumed to be the infamous Penelope Garcia jumped out of her seat to grab your hand and shake it enthusiastically.
"Oh I am so glad to finally meet you !! JJ has told us so many wonderful things about you, and she's a very trustworthy person, so any friend of hers is a future bestie of mine !" without so much as taking a breath, she continued, all smile and glitter, "We have to get coffee sometime !! What do you take ? Oh wait– Hot cocoa ! You look like such a hot cocoa girlie. I know just the place for you ! They make the best hot chocolate ever, with whipped cream and sparkle and all ! Oh I am so pumped !"
A fond laugh escaped you as you listened, nodding along to the proposal, but as you opened your mouth to answer, a deep voice cut in.
"Penelope."
"Right ! No scaring new friends. Got it," she let go of your hand and motioned zipping her still-smiling mouth closed.
A stern man stood, a hand keeping his tie from grazing the table while he extended his other for you to shake, "Nice to meet you. You're welcome to join us, David here has offered to pay for everyone's drinks."
As you let go of his hand, your brows shot up, "Oh– Well I kind of came unannounced, please don't feel obligated, I can pay for my drink–"
An older gentleman, David Rossi, as you'd come to guess, dismissed your argument with a wave of the hand, "Oh, don't you worry. One drink more isn't going to throw me into debt. Plus, you're our dear media liaison's guest. It's my pleasure."
Considering his firm stance, you offered him a warm thank you and moved on.
Spencer – or the one you assumed to be him, it was a pretty safe assumption from JJ's portrait of the man – opted for what you'd refrained from, and lifted his hand in a silent greeting, lips pulled into a thin line. You barely had time to smile in return before a whistle came from over your shoulder, making you look back.
"Apparently JJ forgot to mention how gorgeous her new friend was," Morgan set a few drinks on the table before lifting your hand and bringing it to his lips, "Good thing I have two functioning eyes to find out."
As unfazed as you were by the praise, an amused smile slipped past your guard, immediately followed by an eye roll, "Derek, I presume" you stated, slipping your hand from his light grasp.
"What gave it away ?"
"JJ said you were a fake playboy."
The agent struck a palm to his chest dramatically, "Ouch"
JJ shrugged, "It's true."
"I can't believe you'd ruin my reputation like this," Morgan huffed as someone set down the rest of the drinks on the table, the air suddenly ember scented.
"Tone it down Morgan," a velvety voice called beside you, "you'll scare her away."
When you turned, raven hair filled your vision, strands of silk cascading down to her shoulders and framing her face like it was holy. Like it belonged some place sacred, some place away from this scruffy bar. The gentle scope of her nose guided your eyes down to heart shaped lips tinted a soft berry red, and you wondered if it tasted as sweet as you imagined. The thought clouded your mind enough that no sound reached your ears as you watched her lips move. Heat climbed up your neck as you shook away the idea, before spreading to your cheeks as you registered the eyes on you.
Morgan, leaning against the end of the table next to JJ, raised an eyebrow, as the blonde pursed her lips in an unsuccessful attempt at concealing her amusement.
"Do I have something on my face ?" the woman inquired, deep brown eyes piercing through all of your unspoken defenses, a grin tugging at one corner of her mouth.
"I– you– um," only as you stammered your way through a response did you realize how intently you were staring, "no– No ! Nothing, I just– uh," brief is the relief provided by your cool palm against the back of your head.
The woman laughed, a heady, melodious laugh, and you swore you could have died right there. Instead, JJ stood and bumped your shoulder.
"This is Emily," she introduced, and you could hear the smile in her inflection.
Emily held out a hand, "JJ's told us a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you."
Fighting against your mind's delay, you took her hand, "All good things I hope," you managed, immediately regretting the overdone response.
"Oh no," she frowned suddenly, "all awful. Truly incriminating things. That's actually why you're surrounded by FBI agents right now."
A snort left you before you could help it, shocking you out of the bubble your mind had trapped you inside of, "Ah damn, I should've known."
"You really should've," she grinned, thumb moving absentmindedly against your knuckles, "but it's too late now, so I guess you'll just have to stay for a few drinks."
"What a shame", some distant part of your brain noted how soft her hand was, despite the rough skin around her nails, "I guess if there's no choice..."
She'd let go then to settle next to Spencer at the table, and you'd mourned the loss visibly enough that JJ laughed beside you.
"What ?"
She shook her head, a hand squeezing your shoulder, " I guarantee you, you don't know enough about my romantic preferences to set me up with someone", she quoted mockingly. "Ye of little faith."
You turned to her, eyes and mouth wide with astonishment, "You absolute Puck."
Raising her hands in a weak claim at innocence, she giggled, "What can I say ? After so much time around them, I've become quite the profiler myself !"
She'd supported you through the difficult months following Emily's supposed passing, and you'd sometimes wondered how she managed to compartmentalize so well, how she managed not to break down at the mere thought of having lost someone so dear. Of course, the answer had seemed obvious the second your dead girlfriend had tried to explain the cruel plan to you. She'd known. She'd known, and she'd chosen to keep you in the dark, knowing first-hand how deeply it had been affecting you.
You couldn't recall the exact text you'd sent her that evening, but you were certain it wasn't the careful type you usually used to resolve conflict. Needless to say she'd taken you at your word, and hadn't tried to contact you since, and though it had been at your request, her lack of insistence hurt more than any convoluted explanation she might have given you instead.
Anger still licking at your ribs, you held her gaze across the table until her blue eyes dropped back to her son.
"Well, I'm not expecting you to just– forget it, obviously !" Penelope continued, undeterred by your divided attention, "I just– Well I just don't want to lose you because of all of this."
You understood her point, of course you did. You also knew yourself, and your tendency to shut everyone out when things got rough. You had to admit that, though frightening at times, her insistence on keeping you in her life was heart-warming, and in that moment, you found that you no longer had any intention of going against it.
"Okay," you sighed fondly, "we can... Start hanging out again–"
You had barely finished your sentence that a wave of excitement surged through her like lightning, and she smiled so wide you feared for the strain on her cheeks.
"Oh you are so not going to regret this ! I have so much tea to give you– both metaphoric and figurative– Oh my god I am so stoked !" she beamed as she grabbed your hands in her funky rings-clad ones.
Unable to fight back the contagious joy she radiated, you laughed at her enthusiasm before adding gently, "Just go easy on me, okay ? I've kind of lost my hard-earned social skills in the past six months or so."
"Yes ! Yes of course !" she nodded, jumping in her chair, before immediately forgetting what you'd said, "Oh ! Oh ! Let's go to my place ! I have so much stuff to update you on ! And we could watch a movie ! Or do a wine night ! Or–"
"Pen," JJ hummed softly.
"Right. Right," she shook her head, "light and breezy. Easy."
You laughed, and Spencer, who'd been unusually quiet, grinned against the rim of his cup.
Looking up at the sign on the door, you "I mean, the cafe is about to close… And I don't have work tomorrow,"
Before you could think twice about your own suggestion, Penelope hopped out of her seat and grabbed your arm.
"Oh I love you !!" she cheered.
"Just– let me finish my drink Pen"
"Yes, yes ! of course !" she nodded, "I'm just so pumped !"
"I can tell," you chuckled as you downed what was left of your hot chocolate.
"I think everyone can" added Spencer as he gathered the empty cups.
"Joy is something to be cherished by all, I'll have you know !" Penelope scoffed.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw JJ standing up, Henry comfortably perched over her forearm, "Well, I think we'll be leaving you to it. Will must be waiting for us, and this little guy has to eat" she declared as the little guy in question frowned in protest.
Then, her eyes settled on you, and her voice softened, "It was nice to see you," she smiled, though it seemed cautious, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to be glad, "If you ever–" she paused, searching her words, "If you ever feel like it, just know my door is always open."
All you could do was nod in acknowledgment as she waved goodbye and left the cafe.
Garcia's apartment hadn't changed much since you'd last seen it. A few colorful additions had been made to the already busy decor, new fuzzy pillows now sat atop the velvet couch, new figurines standing proudly on the shelves over it. Time had slipped and skipped a step along the evening, and soon enough, you were sprawled sideways on a coral armchair, legs hanging lazily over one armrest, a cup of green tea in your hand as you listened to Spencer over-explain something Penelope had just recounted. The doctor sat on the carpet, back set against the couch, legs folded awkwardly under him as he tapped the rim of his mug along with the words spilling out of his mouth. Penelope sat on the couch beside him, allowing her to playfully kick his arm whenever he said something she didn't fully agree with.
Unable to help a grin as you listened to the two of them argue, your eyes drifted to the empty rocking chair a few feet away. Your mind filled in the space embarrassingly fast, pulling from your memory the image of a raven haired woman, knees pressed against the wooden armrest, wrapped in the pastel blanket you'd knitted for Penelope a few years ago.
Now the same blanket sat bunched on the chair, and you found yourself wondering if she still clung to it when she came over. If she still fiddled with the edge, laced the strings through her fingers as she laughed at something her friends were saying, teeth bared in the same smile that had always taken your breath away. If she still—
"I think we lost her," Spencer's voice pulled you back to reality, and heat crept up your neck as you found your two friends staring back at you.
"You ok there sweet cheeks ?" Penelope cooed, "I'm sorry, I guess we've been rambling a little–"
"Oh– no, no not at all," you grabbed your cup, if only to occupy your hands, and shook your head, "I just– I got a little lost in my head there, I'm sorry. I must be more tired than I thought."
The doctor's brows furrowed, eyes quickly fleeting to the empty chair before finding yours again. Penelope clapped her hands together.
"How about I make us all some coffee then ? To get some pep in your step ? Or maybe some wine ? Oh ! I have the best thing, wait here just a second !"
Without giving either of you a chance to speak, she hopped onto her feet and grabbed the three empty cups before scurrying to the kitchen, leaving you and Spencer alone.
You racked your brain for a topic to fill the silence, anything to stop the incoming train racing toward you, but more silence ensued, and the tracks violently rumbled under your feet.
"I couldn't look at her for the first few weeks," the driver declared on impact.
Your eyes met the raw edge of your nails, and you hated seeing her in the red there.
Spencer bit the inside of his cheek for a moment, before speaking again, "I wasn't… I mean, I guess I was mad at her. But–" his jaw tensed, "No. I was really mad. Still am. We're her friends. Her team, and none of them thought that we deserved to know."
You felt the anger there, in the slight tremor that plagued the quiet register of his voice. In the tightness of your own throat at his words.
"Did you know, I spent most of my nights at JJ's during those months, sobbing, just–" he scrunched his nose, and you recognized the movement as a self soothing mechanism, "And still, she never said a thing. I mean, I guess that speaks to her professionalism."
The huff of laughter that left him then was one of pure bitterness. You recognized yourself in his words. In the unwavering presence of JJ at your side when you went too long without eating properly. In her steady hand. In the treason you felt when you'd learnt that she'd known all along.
Reid sighed, "I still struggle to see JJ the same way. I think that if I could see the situation from a completely objective point of view, I'd understand, but I just… I can't."
He looked at you then, and though your eyes were still fixed on the battered flesh of your fingers, you felt it like a hand on the back of your neck.
"But Emily– I think I've forgiven her."
"Oh, well good for you." you spat before you could help yourself.
Spencer didn't flinch.
"I think– No, I know, that she only did what she did to protect us. To protect you."
You drew your lips between your teeth.
"I know you don't have… all of the information, and– well, it isn't my place to give them, but just– I assure you, she had very good reason to worry."
Finally, you lifted your chin to look at him. While he'd only seemed partially present most of the evening, the look in his eyes told you he meant every word he said.
"The man– the people that were after her, they would've done anything to hurt her. Anything. This wasn't just a case, it was revenge, and that drives some people to the edges of insanity." he took a breath, "I turned it over in my head for weeks. I tried to think of some other way things might have gone. Some other way we could've stopped them from doing what they intended to, other than her—"
His brows furrowed as he bit back the word.
"But I couldn't find any. Not one. We had no resources to catch them. No evidence, no lead, not a single one."
Clatter rang from the kitchen, quickly followed by a high pitched curse unbecoming of Penelope Garcia, forcing the two of you to your feet.
"Just… I'm not trying to tell you what to do or not do. I'm only giving you the insight I have." he said finally, before speed-walking toward the alarming noise.
After taking a steadying breath, you followed.
Penelope stood very still in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by colorful shards of broken glass.
Reaching into the cupboard, Spencer pulled out a dustpan and immediately started cleaning up.
"Oops" she finally said, voice thin.
You knew the affection your friend harbored for inanimate objects, and so, without missing a beat, you picked up one of the pink shards and carefully stepped closer.
"My brother got those for me," she said through the knot in her throat.
Turning the piece of glass over in your hand, you leaned toward her.
"Well, just because you can't drink out of them anymore doesn't mean you've lost them," you bumped her shoulder with your own before lifting the pink glass to the light, "I bet I can make some really lovely earrings from those for you"
Wiping a few stray tears with the heel of her palm, she looked up at you, "Really ?"
You huffed, "Do you doubt my crafting abilities ? With the amount, I reckon I can make you an entire collection"
Penelope sniffled before letting a wet giggle escape from her lips.
"This one looks like a star," Spencer pointed out, lifting a yellow piece of glass.
"See ? Even boy-genius found his creative spirit from this," you looped your arm through hers and squeezed affectionately, "fear not my friend, renewed shall be the glass that was broken"
The doctor snorted, and Garcia grinned.
"Was that a misplaced Tolkien quote ?"
"It sure was," you pressed a kiss to her cheek before helping Spencer pick up the rest of the broken glass.
Thank you for reading !! If you liked it, I'd love to know ! PSA, likes don't do a lot for the algorithm on here, so if you want to support this fic, please consider reblogging <333
Series masterlist
Pairing: Spencer Reid x femBAU!reader
Category: smut 18+ MDNI, angst
Summary: Attending Rossi's wedding while nursing the betrayal of your boyfriend, you find solace (and revenge) in the arms of Dr. Spencer Reid.
Content: 7.7k porn with a plot. Mentions of smoking and drinking, reader wears a dress, heels, and make up, and cheats on her shitty bf, semi-public sex, oral (m and f receiving), softdom!Spencer, fingering, overstimulation, squirting, reader is called naughty girl and good girl, very slight degradation, lots of praise, big dick!Spencer, size kink, unprotected p in v, creampie, rumination and references to sin and Eve and religion in general, probably blasphemous, Jeid mention, unhealthy coping mechanisms, this is kinda toxic but it's sexy I swear (I HOPE; yell at me nicely if i missed anything)
A/N: this fic had been MARINATING for more than a month. Probably overwritten and self-indulgent, years of Catholic trauma rlly just spilled onto my docs ya know. Tried very very hard to make the smut worth it because there's so much build up and I'd hate for the smut to be meh. Lost the plot multiple times. Reached the point of i’m sick of this fic pls let it end but ultimately it's a piece that I’m actually proud of. Dedicated to user @notlongtolove for the yap fest and brainstorming, iykyk!!! Pls enjoy while I rejoice; this mammoth is finally over. Special request to leave a comment so I feel accomplished, pretty please tyyyy.
Rossi's wedding had been your opportunity to introduce your new boyfriend to the team. You've taken great pains to keep your relationship private, a feat that makes you proud because the amount of things that gets past Penelope Garcia is next to nothing. But somehow, in the past four months, you've managed. You've passed the threshold, the personal rule of three months of privacy, of keeping things on the down low, and you had been excited to stroll up to Rossi's fourth wedding in the arms of Cameron, your boyfriend of nearly five months.
Unfortunately, you'd caught another woman's underwear in his car nearly a week before the day of the wedding. He still hasn't admitted to his betrayal, no matter how many times you've pleaded and talked to him. You already know, anyway. It's easy enough to tell from his body language. The twitch of his lips he does whenever he's nervous, the way he overuses the phrase come on, every single one of his tells point to his infidelity. You've used every trick in the profiler handbook— interrogation, an attempt to seduce, anger— none has worked.
Your pathetic boyfriend would only repeat that he loves you so much, why are you acting like this?
So you're a depressing cloud on Rossi's big day. You hide it behind a big smile, which would normally be unconvincing, but everyone is too wrapped up in the festivities to look too closely at your hastily erected facade.
And it’s worked, for the most part. You know it’s not because of your acting skills, but more because there’s too much going on to pay attention to you. And disappearing as part of the crowd allows you to observe and stew in your betrayal, fingertips tingling with the desire to get even somehow.
You wish you could say he’d tempted you. Pursued you with gentle brushes of his hands on the exposed skin of your back, bewitched you with his dimpled smile, so inhumanly beautiful you just couldn’t say no. How could you resist temptation when it is being presented to you by someone who looks like he’s been carved by the hands of God himself?
Because Spencer Reid has always been something akin to divinity, at least to you. As the BAU's newest recruit— appointed and transferred by the infamous Linda Barnes herself—you've had to fight tooth and nail to earn the team's trust.
Now, Linda Barnes is gone, you have a spot on the team, and Spencer Reid remains elusive.
His reputation preceded him, of course, one of the smartest active agents, incarcerated for something he didn't do. He's kind in the moments you've spent with him, with a bumbling earnestness that you've found endearing.
He's also incredibly beautiful.
So who could blame you if you did give in to his advances? People stronger than you have succumbed, after all, and you, in your vulnerable, lovelorn glory, would not have been responsible if you decided to take a bite from the forbidden apple, right? Giving in to temptation is the lesser sin, more forgivable, would absolve you of guilt especially after the betrayal you've gone through.
Except Spencer Reid hadn’t pursued you. The meeting had been accidental, at least that’s what you tell yourself. You’d seen him leave towards the end of the ceremony. Of course you did, you had been watching him all night. Sometime towards the end of the ceremony, while the minister was talking about the importance of second chances, he’d slipped away.
You had been the one to go after him. In your defense, you’ve been itching to get your hands on a cigarette since you got here. Weddings have always made you giddy, excited. It’s a celebration of love, after all, a declaration of two people’s commitment to each other. In sickness and health. But Cameron's infidelity weighs heavily upon your shoulders, and though you've borne more than this—you're a BAU agent, after all, you face horrors on a daily basis—it's still difficult to set aside the burn when you're surrounded by happy couples.
So you’d put your focus on Dr. Reid: handsome in his suit, but something about him seemed distracted. Perhaps he'd been banking upon the wedding as a distraction, just like you had been. Everyone is too busy with the happy couple to pay attention to two lonely souls.
But he's wrong. You've got your eye on him, and you see something in his amber irises that reflect your own.
Loneliness.
Why is Spencer Reid lonely?
It’s the intrigue that ultimately leads you out into the hallways. And when you stumble upon his brooding form, your excuse is truthful, “I'm trying to find the bathroom.”
He kindly escorts you to the correct wing, making small talk. Something about wedding dresses not being white historically. You smile and nod, thanking him graciously as you slip into the ladies room. When you leave the bathroom after basically inhaling a stick of cigarette, he’s still lingering outside. Waiting by the wall, smiling upon your return.
“Oh,” you return his smile, “You’re still here.”
“Figured we could walk back together.” his nose wrinkled a little as you stepped closer, the smell of your cigarette apparently not sufficiently disguised.
You're smile becomes sheepish, shaking your head, “I thought I was being slick by spraying perfume, but apparently not.”
He laughs. It reminds you of the church bells that rang for the wedding. Rich and lilting.
“Not to judge, but why the need for a smoke break?”
“Why should there be a reason?”
“You've told me you only smoke when you're stressed out.” Fuck. “Why are you stressed out?”
“Just having a bad day.”
It's the wrong answer, because his gaze zeroes in on you, oozing with an intense curiosity. “On Rossi's wedding?”
“Not because of it,” You laugh airily, but in the quiet of the hallway, it's much more difficult to pretend that everything is okay. Two can play at this game though. “Why are you out here?”
He averts his gaze to his shoes, brows furrowing in a way that makes you blood spike. He’s hiding something.
“I just needed some fresh air.” he pushes his hands deep into his pockets, lifting his gaze from the floor and dragging it through your form, taking in your appearance in the cocktail dress you’ve donned for the wedding. His voice is strangled when he speaks again,, “You look lovely. I don’t think I’ve had the chance to tell you yet.”
“Thank you. You look very dashing too.” A pause stretches between you. In that quiet moment, it seems like the universe has presented the perfect way of retaliation for you. The nicotine had made you bold, audacious. And if you’d read him correctly, then he’s in need of relief as much as you are, the kind of relief a simple cigarette wouldn’t fix. You step closer, looking straight into his eyes, “Truth be told, I’m not in any hurry to go back.”
You see his jaw clench, the beautiful brain of his going a thousand miles per minute, likely computing every possible meaning of your words. His eyes flicker to your lips, and you decide to help him out, taking another step forward and tilting your head up.
When you kissed him, he didn’t even hesitate to kiss you back. Mouth parting, fingers tightly clenched at your waist, pulling you closer and closer until space felt like a foreign concept altogether. He is an insistent kisser, leaning his whole weight into you as his lips opened and sucked at yours.
The dark corner isn’t ideal, but it was the closest space at your disposal. Neither of you are willing to spend more time looking for somewhere to hide, not when you could spend that time running your hands and lips in places undiscovered. Your lips across the strong angle of his jaw, his stubble tickling your skin. Spencer tonguing the space beneath your ear, fragrant with traces of your perfume. Your hand massaging him into an erection through the fabric of his pants.
He lets out the prettiest moan when you drop to your knees in front of him.
You don’t miss the irony of it as you tugged and undid his belt and zipper, fully conscious of the act you’re about to commit. Kneeling in a chapel, for all the wrong reasons.
“Are you sure?” the words spill from his lips so sweetly, as if he isn't standing before you with his erection only inches from your face. Long and thick and already leaking precum at the tip.
You take him into your mouth as an answer, condemning yourself to your fate. Spencer is beautiful like the devil, and you’re Eve succumbing to the first sin.
Two wrongs do not make a right. You know this. Everyone does. A lesson as old as time itself, written in languages you can’t comprehend. Even mathematics dictates that adding two negative integers does not cancel them out—the negative value merely increases. You should not retaliate on your boyfriend by committing the very sin that hurt you in the first place. By all accounts, nothing good should come from it.
Yet here you are, on your knees for a man as pretty as the devil himself. A man very much not your boyfriend.
Even fucking worse, your coworker.
Tucked in some dark corner—not even given the dignity of a dusty closet. That at least would have given you complete privacy. No, you’re on your knees in some seemingly abandoned hallway, half hidden by a combination of the dim lights, and ostentatious pillars, and him. His lean body shields you from general view as your lips stretched around his throbbing length.
You learn that he is a contradiction. A large hand gathers your perfectly styled curls, holding them at the crown of your head. Gentle, careful. The other rests just beneath your jaw, holding your head still as he slowly pushes his hips forward. Your nails grip his pants as your mouth stretches around his girth. The fabric wrinkles under your clutches as the tip of his cock hits the back of your throat, then begins to push beyond it.
Only half of his length in and you're already choking.
Wide, panicked eyes dart up to meet his deceptively honeyed ones. You consider pulling back, just to catch your breath but you can’t; his hands are holding you steady. Oddly enough, the look in his eyes helps you relax. There’s something inherently trustworthy about those ochre irises, despite the fact that his pupils have blown up so much and nearly eclipsed them. Maybe you’re too used to indifference from Cameron, too used to sex being so clinical and borderline perfunctory, that the unbridled lust in his gaze excites you instead of scare you away.
Still, it doesn’t help the little choking issue you’re currently having.
“Breathe through your nose,” he murmurs. You blink back the tears that have gathered at your lashes, still maintaining eye contact with him. Spencer sighs, pulls his cock out. Mercy. It's not something you deserve, but you take advantage of the moment wisely, following his instructions and breathing through your nose.
The stench of sin is musky and stale. You fill your lungs with it all the same, just as he rams his cock back down your throat and fills your mouth. He hisses when you gag around him lightly, but doesn’t stop. You realize that you’d probably chase after him if he does anyway.
His thumb caresses your cheek, “That’s it, good girl. You can take it.”
Well fuck.
It’s a little too much, balancing on your knees like this while he uses your mouth and throat, but you push through because he says you can. You fancied yourself the seductress, but somehow, the tides have turned and you’re little more than putty in his hands.
His cock glides in and out of your mouth with ease, painting chapped red marks from your lipstick along the veined length with every push of his hips. Finding your balance, you wrap a hand around the base of his cock, stroking up what you can't fit into your mouth. After a few clumsy attempts, you manage to match the rhythm of his hips.
What a pretty figure you make, on your knees, looking up at him with fluttering lashes. You moan around his length, sending vibrations up his spine, and are rewarded by his mouth falling open, a wordless expression of pleasure. He continues to fuck your mouth, never breaking eye contact as he eases his cock deeper with each thrust. Tears gather at your lash line every time he goes down your throat.
You’re sure your throat is distending in order to accommodate his girth, and it makes your own pussy clench at the idea. What would it be like to have such a large cock inside your walls, filling you? It makes you moan again, and Spencer’s hand tightens at your hair. His pace quickens, and you hollow your cheeks, urging him to continue.
You hear his undoing before you feel it, strained groans tumbling from trembling lips, before his hips thrust forward and suddenly your nose is pressed to his crotch, and there’s an explosion at the back of your throat. He holds you there, eyes watering, drool spilling from the corners of your ruined mouth as he blows his load deep in your throat.
Yeah, he definitely needed that.
You swallow what you can, but that’s difficult when there’s a huge cock obstructing your throat.
It ends up being a mess, combination of your saliva and his cum dripping out of your mouth and onto the floor. How fitting. In the back of your mind, you’re just happy that only a few drops landed on your dress. Easy enough to clean. Miraculously. Your conscience, however, is an entirely different story.
Still, some part of you can’t even begin to feel bad. Cameron had cheated first, he’d broken the bounds of your relationship first.
Sure, this is still wrong. You have no moral ascendency to stand on, but who cares about any of that when Spencer Reid is kneeling before you with gentle hands and even gentler eyes?
“Are you all right?” he murmurs, his voice slow and sensual like dripping honey.
Somehow, your voice does not betray you, coming out clear and far more confident than you’re actually feeling. “Yeah, I’m good.”
He smiles, thumbs wiping away some of the residue off your lips, “Are you sure? You look a little dazed.”
You laugh, “I mean, yeah, but I just need to catch my breath.”
He takes your hand, helps you stand back up. “I think another trip to the bathroom is in order.” he says as he guides you to the bathroom again.
When you get there, you are a wreck of the highest order, curls dishevelled despite his attempts to be careful, lipstick smudged around your mouth. Your chin is still a little moist from the drool and cum that had dripped down. Tear tracks drag down your cheeks, but thankfully your eye makeup and foundation are only a little smudged. Nothing a little dab of a napkin won’t fix.
You fix what you can—quick spray of perfume, reapplication of lipstick. Hands steady as you work. You aren't sure if this is a sign of guilt, or lack of it. You don't really care. He's gone when you leave the bathroom now, and the soft, treacherous side of your heart fills with disappointment. You remind yourself that it's better this way, less conspicuous, if he returns to the wedding before you.
Still, swallowing his load with an obstructed throat somehow had been easier than swallowing the bitter disappointment that builds in the back of your tongue.
The ceremony is just about to end when you return to the makeshift chapel, people standing and clapping as David and Krystall Rossi share the sweetest kisses. A celebration of love and second chances. After what you've done with Spencer, you know this is out of your cards now. You've fallen far beyond redemption, shot the remnants of your relationship with Cameron after kneeling in service of another man.
You catch sight of Spencer, standing in the midst of other agents. Clapping like everyone else, but his eyes are trained upon something else. Curiosity gets the best of you and you follow his gaze, trying to approximate what he's looking at.
Or rather— whom.
If you're correct, then he's looking at someone.
Oh.
Blonde hair, a slim frame in a beautiful red dress that perfectly accentuates the long, muscled lines of her arms and legs. Beside her, a man with salt and pepper hair and kind blue eyes. His arm at her waist. Your coworker and her husband. JJ and Will.
Oh.
Your gaze returns to Spencer, and despite your attempts not to dig deep, not to learn why he's looking so forlorn, it’s easy to put the pieces together. Whether or not this is a full blown affair isn’t important; all you know is he wants her, and she's married to another man.
Is this connected to the previous case? You recall the last case, the hostage situation in LA. He and JJ had been in there for a long time, but neither really shared what exactly happened. Nobody knows except for the two of them, the unsub, and the victims. You aren’t about to pull rank and ask traumatized people about the drama between your coworkers. You’re better than that.
Are you?
Yes. You don’t hold much sacred, but your job is important. It is above you. You aren’t about to jeopardize it over some workplace drama.
But still, the curiosity gnaws at you no matter how much you attempt to tamp it down. Does he have feelings for JJ? Does she, for him? She couldn’t possibly; she has a husband, two beautiful kids. Easy enough to deduce that it’s probably Spencer, then, who is pining after her.
As though he feels your stare, Spencer looks over at you. Hurriedly, you avert your eyes, heart pounding faster than you would like it to.
Was he thinking about JJ while he used your mouth?
The thought knocks the wind out of your lungs, and you banish it to the deepest crevices of your mind. It shouldn't matter.
It doesn't. It doesn't.
You don’t have any room to judge, anyway. You’ve dragged Spencer into your own messy relationship by sucking him off in the middle of the wedding. A relationship he doesn’t even know about. So, with a smile, you clap for the new couple, and follow the crowd to the reception.
Joy and excitement are nearly palpable in the room. A small, intimate crowd of smiling faces surrounded by the tastefully extravagant decor, obviously paid for by the wealthy groom. The air is filled with that soft, electric energy that often occurs when people are happy and sufficiently buzzed with some drinks.
The only thing on your mind is him.
How can it not be, when you can still remember the little tryst you'd had prior. The weight of him in your mouth, the fetid mess of skin and cum and the lingering nicotine.
It passes by in a blur. The food is delicious, you gush to Portia, you look so beautiful; congratulations, to the new couple. None of it is fake, but you are possessed by a single, irrevocable urge to watch Spencer. That glance at JJ has intrigued you more than you should be. What sort of web had you stumbled upon? And instead of trying to get out, you're eager to spin more.
Bringing the champagne flute to your lips, you pretend to sip, allowing the glass to obscure some parts of your face while you continue to watch them. They’ve met up at the bar now, deep in conversation, hands clasped together in a way that’s far too intimate to be just friends. You can't tear your eyes away as JJ leaves, returning to the embrace of her husband, and you watch with an almost sick sense of fascination as Spencer lingers by the bar. Longing, pure and unmistakable, is etched upon every line on his face.
Before you can stop yourself, your feet are moving, gliding across the floor until you're beside him. He startles, brows lifting as he gazes at you. Your name slips through his lips with an exhale.
“You don't have to act like I'm a ghost, Spencer.” your lips quirk up in a teasing grin as the bartender refills your glass of champagne.
He looks chagrined, the implications of your words hitting him like a brick. “I’m not, you just seemed like you were having fun with Garcia.” he says, leaning on the counter. His eyes travel down the length of you again.
“You’re right, but you were looking a little lonely,” you take a sip from your champagne, letting the bubbly drink fizzle in your mouth and wash away the taste of him. “So, what was that with JJ?”
He sputters, eyes wide as his gaze darts back to your blonde coworker—now currently wrapped up in her husband’s arms.
“Nothing!”
“Holding hands when you’re a known germaphobe doesn’t seem like nothing.”
“I’m not that bad,” he protests, shaking his head, “I’d hold your hand too, but that’s besides the point.”
“It is,” you agree, tilting your head innocently, as your voice lowers, “Just wanted to know who you were imaging in place of me.”
He looks horrified to be reminded of your little quickie from before, “No one. It’s not—I wasn’t using you to—god, it’s not like that.”
“I’m not judging you if it was,” It’s true. It’s exactly what you’re doing with him, using him to forget about Cameron, to get back at him. Poor Spencer just doesn’t know about your secrets. Your amused look only makes him fluster even more.
“It isn’t,” he insists, “I just –”
“Listen, it’s okay,” you interrupt gently, fighting the urge to rest a reassuring hand on his forearm. The words are true anyway; you don’t wish to unearth whatever secrets he wants to keep buried. You have your own, anyway; it’s only fair he’s allowed his secrecy. Your reasons for approaching him are entirely different, and perhaps a little self serving. But you’ve already condemned yourself to being the bearer of temptation, you might as well take full advantage of it.
“Don’t look so ashamed,” you grin as you lift the recently refilled glass to your lips, “You know I have a room for the night… in case you want to blow off more steam.”
The invitation makes his eyes darken in a way that’s becoming increasingly familiar. “You’re—we shouldn’t.”
“Who would know?” you quirk a brow in response, “Besides, it’s pretty much tradition for people to hook up at a wedding. Why shouldn’t it be us?” Please, say yes.
“We’re coworkers.”
“We’re adults.” you deliberately don’t say single adults, “It’s fine. Listen, I booked a room because I didn’t want to deal with the traffic, so if you want, it’s 309B. Completely up to you.” with a smile, you leave him at the bar and Spencer Reid is forced to watch a woman walk away from him for the second time.
That night, there's knocking at your hotel door—three sharp, no nonsense knocks that seem to mean business—echoes in your room minutes before midnight. You don’t bother looking through the peephole to confirm who’s on the other side. The moment you open the door, there’s not a lot of build up.
He’s shed his suit jacket; wearing only the white button down, slightly rumpled from the day’s events. His crown of light brown curls, carefully pushed back earlier, had fallen all over his forehead, messy tendrils tumbling across his face.
He takes one look at you—still in your lavender dress, but devoid of makeup and no more heels to add inches to your height. In the dimness of the room, you are diminutive, stripped of the ethereal mystique you bore from earlier. Human.
God, he wants you.
Not even as someone to help him forget about JJ. No, he wants you in your entirety, to possess you even for one night.
He kisses you again, but there’s no rush to his movements now. The previous rendezvous had been hasty in every sense of the word, made within minutes in an attempt to alleviate the desperate need all while staying safely hidden and inconspicuous.
Now, you have the entire night. He intends to make full use of it. He kicks the door closed behind him, one hand reaching back to lock it as the other tilts your face up so he can kiss you deeper. Your own arms snake around his neck, hands burying into those messy curls. There’s no more public reception to worry about; you can tug and twist and mess with it as much as you want.
Spencer groans into your mouth, hands tight at your hips, before pulling back slightly, “Jump.” he mumbles against your lips.
Your body reacts as if it’s wired to obey him, launching off the balls of your feet. His hands help to hoist you up, and you wrap your legs around his hips.
“You smell so good,” He whispers as he noses through your neck, before his teeth close around your earlobe. You giggle, urging him on by craning your neck to the side. His teeth tug on your earlobe playfully as he crosses the room to your bed. He toes off his shoes and lays you down carefully, his body hovering above yours while his kisses travel down your neck. Soft and sloppy and wet, they mark you like a brand.
Long, eager fingers hike your dress up, bunching it up your thighs, past your hips, and you hear him groan when your bare pussy is exposed to his darkened gaze.
“No panties?” he runs a finger up your folds, gathering your slick, “Don’t tell me you’re been going around like this all day?”
“Maybe I have,” you grin, legs parting even more to accommodate him. You haven’t—you’d just been touching yourself to the thought of him as you waited, but you’re not about to tell him that.
“Naughty girl,” he mumbles, one long finger pushing past your entrance and curling into you, “And so wet, too. You get off on being this dirty, or am I just lucky?”
A breathy laugh escapes your lips, “Which one would you prefer?” you ask, because tonight, you’re not yourself. Not really. You’re whoever he needs to be, the same way he’s exactly what you need right now. A body to which you can lose yourself.
“I’d like to think this is all just for me,” he adds another finger, the pace languorous and teasing.
“It is,” you gasp as he curls his fingers, then withdraws. Torturously slow, he fucks you with two lengthy fingers, hitting the spot inside you with ease. Your toes curl into the bed, sinking into the soft mattress, “Faster.”
“So needy,” he murmurs, shaking his head as he takes you in. There’s something addictive in the way you look in this moment, spread out beneath him like something unreal and sublime.
Your hips buck up. Something volatile simmers beneath your skin, desperate for more, “Please.”
Spencer chuckles as he watches you, fingers stilling inside your fluttering walls. Hovering above you with soft brown curls framing his face, he looks every bit an angel come to life. The laughter continues, his lips twisting into a sneer as you push your hips up desperately.
“So, so needy.” he repeats, but he acquiesces to your plea. More than that, he sinks a third finger inside you and speeds up. A cry of surprise and pleasure falls from your lips, head thrown back as he works his fingers inside you, “Oh, you’re taking it so well.”
Shame unfurls in your chest. What are you doing? Begging another man to fuck you with his fingers? Enjoying it? Is this truly what you’ve come to?
It’s not something you can dwell on, as Spencer begins to curl his fingers inside you while his thumb finds your clit. It circles the nub slowly, adding a layer of stimulation that has your thighs trembling. With a squeal, you writhe, moving to close your legs as the sensations become red-hot, building up closer and closer to a crescendo.
Spencer tuts teasingly, one leg pressing down on your thighs, and his other hand coming to grip your hip and hold you in place. “No, no, darling, I want to see you coming undone on my fingers.” he says, continuing to make come hither motions inside you.
“God—oh, I’m so—ah!” words trip over one another as you approach your climax, the world coming down into one point of focus. “Spencer!”
“That’s it, good girl,” he murmurs, laying his body over you as his fingers help you through your orgasm, “There you go.”
You’re thankful for the weight of him; it is a grounding presence in the midst of all the flurry. You’ve come undone at the hands of another man—literally. Never mind that Cameron had betrayed your trust first; you are no better than him.
But if sin felt as good as Spencer Reid’s kisses, then you have no qualms indulging.
His lips are upon you again, traveling down your collarbone and nipping at the skin there. You whine and wrap your legs around his waist, sensitive but still eager for more. He laughs against your skin with a tenderness that takes you by surprise.
“Are you always this needy?”
“No,” you’ve had a taste of the forbidden fruit earlier. Thrown out of Eden, you’re already past the point of no return. Might as well succumb and have one hell of a time. “Only for you.”
He hums, pushing your dress up again. It gets caught somewhere around your chest and there’s a brief moment of awkward laughter as he tries to tug at it, force it up and off you.
“Zipper,” you gasp when your brain finally works. Lifting yourself up on your elbows allows him to slide his hands to your back, find the dangling piece of metal and ease it down. The dress loosens across your shoulders and chest, and he’s finally able to pull it off altogether.
“Beautiful,” he sighs, descending upon you once again, “So beautiful.”
His words have you preening, and you wonder how something so insignificant as the word beautiful could make you feel so heavy. You used to associate delight with weightlessness, floating and light, but everything about Spencer is lumbering and grounded especially after he came back from prison.
You feel his lips and tongue making their way down, kissing every inch of your body. He tugs your bra down, not even bothering to take it off completely, your breast spilling forth and free for his touch. He takes one nipple and sucks, while his thumb circles and gently tugs the other. Every single act has you gasping, and you wonder when and where the hell did Spencer Reid ever learn how to do this? You shouldn’t question it though.
When his mouth lands upon your hips, you jerk. “Spencer,” you gasp, looking down on him, but there’s no more teasing from him now, no hesitation. Before you can even formulate what to say next—you don’t have to, I’ve already cum, I’m still so sensitive—his mouth is at your core, tongue lapping up what remains of your previous orgasm and all evidence of your arousal.
“Fuck!” you are not responsible for your actions anymore, not responsible for the way your fingers find his russet curls and tug hard, the way your thighs try to clamp shut around his head. He chuckles against you, the sound sending tingling vibrations that travel from your pussy to the tips of your toes and fingers.
“Settle down,” laughter drips from his gentle admonishment, “Or I’ll stop.”
“Please don’t.” you’re past the point of shame and guilt, eager to beg and obey as much as he wants. The positions have turned since the tryst in the hallway. No longer are you on your knees for him, no longer the one servicing him and choking around his length, yet somehow you’re still at his mercy. “Don’t stop, please, so good.”
He laughs, and you feel something sliding past your entrance. You clench around it involuntarily, as if you can tell what it is from the mere feeling, but then his mouth wraps around your clit and you’re reeling into oblivion once again.
“Spencer!” you thrash against the pillows, overwhelmed and sensitive but still eager to take more, “Spencer, oh my god, Spencer!” you lose count of how many times you’ve uttered his name from your lips. It has simultaneously lost every meaning, yet retained all of it. An invocation of fervent desire from a lowly, undeserving sinner. Thankfully, your god is merciful and giving, because Spencer wraps his arms around your thighs to hold you down, sucks at your clit harshly and thrusts into you again—fingers, you now realize, all three spreading you open and curling deep inside you.
With everything going on, your climax comes as no surprise. You and Spencer are both expecting it, you’re so worked up after all. What makes you both pause is the fact that something gushes out of you as you arch off the bed and cry out his name.
His movement stills for a split second, before he continues and helps you through your orgasm, tongue lapping at the mess between your legs as your body is wracked with the aftershocks, trembling beneath him. After a few moments, he stops, resting his head at your hip.
Looking at him feels like a risk. Fear keeps your eyes squeezed shut, afraid of what you’ll find. More teasing? Disgust? Doesn’t seem like it, from the way his fingertips are trailing over your thighs. You lift your lids again, eyes meeting his own hazy ones. They are nearly black, but what pulls your attention are his lips and chin. Glistening with slickness.
Your slick.
“Oh god,” your words are half groan, half laugh when the reality hits you, “Did I really?”
He laughs again, light and tender. “I believe you did.”
“I’m sorry.” you mutter, feeling utterly mortified that you just squirted all over your coworker’s face.
Spencer’s expression is one of mischief, but his eyes gleam with something darker. “What for?”
“Don’t make me say it.”
Another laugh, “But I wanna hear it,” he coos, pressing his lips to your hip bone, “Come on, darling, what are you sorry for?”
When you don’t answer, he nips at your skin playfully, slowly moving back to your center. Your pussy throbs both in anticipation and overstimulation.
“Spencer.”
“Mhm?”
“Too sensitive.” you try to squirm out of his grip. It only tightens, presses you deeper into the mattress.
A lick, teasing and light. “Tell me why you’re sorry.”
“Spencer!”
“Come on,” He's grinning, the bastard, “Why are you sorry?”
“Because I squirted in your face.”
He bites your inner thigh with more force than usual, “You shouldn't be.”
“Hm?”
“I loved it,” He murmurs, soothing the bite with a flick of his tongue, “Wanna see you do it again.”
You shudder, though you’re unsure whether it’s from his moistened tongue, or his words. “Yeah?”
“Mhm,” he drags himself up, kissing along your body as he does so, “Think you can be a good girl and do it again for me?”
“I think that’s entirely dependent on how well you do.”
Soft, dewy lips curl into a smirk at your challenge, and suddenly he’s sin incarnate, a devil about to pounce. Once again, how are you to deny this man of anything? How could you resist temptation when someone who looks like he’s been carved by the hands of God himself is looking at you as though you were the masterpiece? Liquid gold irises take you in, inspecting every inch of your body with unabashed want, and you’re reminded of the fact that he’s fully clothed, cock straining through his pants, and you’re in nothing but your flimsy bra that’s been pulled down your chest it’s not even covering anything anymore.
You fight the urge to squirm under his gaze, but then his hands come up your sides, ghost over your ribs and your back until he finds the hook of your bra.
“Not really fair,” you say as the last strip of your clothing falls away, your chest heaving from the sheer weight of his gaze, “I want to see you too.” with that, you reach for him, deft fingers quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt.
He doesn’t fight it, doesn’t help, only continues to regard you with quiet intensity.
Once his clothes are off, he meets your lips again. His kisses are slower this time, an almost dreamy tangle of tongue and teeth, but his body is hot and slick with sweat even as he holds himself on his elbows above you. His cock rests upon your lower abdomen, its heft reminding you of how much your mouth had to stretch to accommodate him earlier. How the length and girth had all but blocked your airways as he thrusted into your throat.
You clench around nothing at the idea of that same cock filling your pussy.
His kisses move down your jaw, down the column of your throat, being careful not to suck too hard on the skin and leave marks. You never know when you might be called in for a case, and he doesn’t want any trouble.
“Last chance to back out,” he murmurs, his hand wrapped around the base of his cock, positioning the tip at your entrance.
You grin and shake your head, “No, I want to see if you can make me squirt again, or if that last one was just beginner’s luck.”
Laughter. You’re beginning to find sex with Spencer enjoyable on more than just the physical aspect. He drags the tip of his cock over your folds, combining his precum and your arousal into a heady, natural lubrication. He’s big, you already know that, but right now, you’re so pleasure drunk that you have no problem opening up to him.
You can tell he’s being careful, pushing his tip in slowly, and your entrance flutters, stretches around him. There’s a slight burn, but it’s accompanied by awe, overtaken by pleasure. You marvel at how his cock sinks into your slick, velvety heat, the way every slight thrust makes your body conform to his own as he carves out a space for himself.
As if he belongs there.
As if you’re his.
Every single memory about your cheating boyfriend is expelled from your mind with every thrust of his hips. You moan and clench around him at the thought.
“Fuck,” he groans, hips stilling. His cock is only halfway through, and you already look so fucked out, “Careful with that, darling, or this is gonna end sooner than we’d like.”
Your lower lip trembles, but you nod, spreading your thighs apart even further. “Sorry.”
He kisses that expression away, “Don’t be sorry,” two large hands hold your thighs in place, keeping you spread for him as he sinks in another inch. And then another. You’re so wet, and he’s done such a great job stretching you out that your walls engulf him easily.
“Oh god!” you gasp, eyes squeezing shut as he fills you. You hear a chuckle, before he retreats, pulls out almost all the way, and once again you’re clenching around his length as though you’re trying to convince him to stay buried inside you.
“Stop clenching.”
“Can’t help it!”
“Fuck, you’re so tight.” With a soft hiss, he thrusts back inside, still slow and steady. The curse makes you gasp; you’ve never heard him curse before, somehow it’s even more jarring than when he’s murmuring filth into your ears. When you open your eyes, he’s staring at you, unblinking and focused, watching your every reaction. “You okay?”
“Fuck yes,” you gasp as his thrusts grow steady. The world seems to disappear around you, the only point of importance is where your bodies are coming together repeatedly. You reach up, hands seeking for something to ground you, and finding purchase at his tangled curls, “Oh god, yes!”
It’s funny, crying out for a god you don’t really believe in. Crying out for a god when you’re in the midst of sin, carnal pleasure and infidelity and who knows what else, you were never religious to begin with. You wonder if this is what religion is, this free fall, the blind surrender. But faith as you know it believes in something unseen, the conviction to the intangible and unexplained.
Spencer is very much here, and you can feel him between your thighs, his very existence present in the stretch of your walls around his cock, the soft curls you’ve woven around your fingers. He keeps his thrusts slow but deep, letting your walls feel every single vein and ridge on his cock.
“Spencer,” you moan, one hand falling to his face, soft palm on the stubble at his jaw, “Feels so good.”
“You too,” he turns his face, pressing his lips to the warmth of your hand. He’s very tender, his movements measured to ensure your comfort, “God, you’re taking me so well.”
Your walls tighten around him in response.
Something seems to ignite in his brain, his hand catching your wrist, pulling it from his face and pinning it to the bed. “You like that, my pretty girl? Like knowing you’re doing a good job for me?”
Fuck. The same rush of heat from when he’d had you on your knees fills your stomach. The heat that compels you to do whatever he wants, take whatever he’ll give in order to hear more of his praise. Like a devoted servant, at the service of a benevolent god.
“Yes,” you gasp, hooking one leg around his hips, while the other is bent at an angle, foot pressed to the mattress in order to allow you some leverage to meet his thrusts. It’s sloppy at first, your body not entirely in your control right now.
“That’s it, my darling, you can do it.” he mutters encouragingly, pausing to allow you to join in this tangled, exhilarating dance. When you’ve gotten steadier, he resumes his thrusts, and you’re finally able to buck your hips up to meet them.
The action sends his entire length buried deep inside you, something he’s been very careful to avoid in fear of hurting you. But instead, you let out a cry of pleasure, eyes rolling to the back of your head, “Yes!”
“Right there?” he grunts. You’ve never heard him before, voice low and strained as he slams his hips into yours, again and again. The mattress begins to creak from the force of his actions.
“Mhm hmm!” You meet him thrust for thrust, the impact hitting spots deep inside you that you’ve never felt before. Toes curling in on themselves, one hand buried in his hair, the other pinned by his strong grip, “Oh, god, Spencer, yes!”
He loosens his grip on your wrist, intertwines your fingers together, “Good girl. Look at you, so pretty while you take me.”
No words come from your mouth, only his name, repeated over and over that it begins to sound made up, unreal. Perhaps he is divine. Nothing human can make you feel this way, surely.
He shifts, his free arm wrapping around your hips to elevate you slightly, and the new angle has you keening, every single muscle in your body tightly wound and white-hot as he pounds into you. It’s obscene how easily your body accepts every single inch of him, the way your pussy flutters and yields to the throbbing length of his cock.
“My god, you feel like heaven,” he groans, and that’s it, those words have you screaming so loud he starts to laugh and kiss you just to swallow the sound. You’re shuddering beneath him, crying, the pleasure coiling and building until it bursts and snaps, cascading over you with such fervor he has to wrap both his arms around your limp body to help you calm down.
Somehow, your hazy mind registers the wetness between your thighs, the loud, nearly pornographic squelching of his body plunging into yours. He’d done his goal; he’s made you squirt again. You are boneless in his arms as he fucks you through your orgasm, and chases his own. You only regain agency when he tenses, groaning into your ear.
“Gonna cum,” he says, moving his hips to drag his length out. He’s so long you’re able to wrap your legs around his waist before he’s pulled his cock out all the way.
“No, please, do it inside.”
His body stutters, head falling to the crook of your neck as he ruts his hips into you, not even bothering to argue or ask you if you’re sure. He thrusts into your sensitive pussy erratically, mouth open and groaning into your neck, “Oh my god, oh my — ah!”
Spencer holds onto you, breathing heavily into your ear as you both come down from your high. You feel simultaneously weightless and heavy, melting into your mattress with sweet, glassy eyes.
“That was incredible,” you whisper against his hair. He’s already half asleep on top of you, mumbling incoherently against your shoulder. You don’t bother to move, letting his still hard cock stay buried inside your pussy as you both drift off into dreamland.
Morning comes with a delicious ache in your lower belly. Spencer has you tucked to his chest, his arm around your waist. The air is heavy with the lingering smell of sweat and sex, but also oddly light with the knowledge of a new day. You shift in his arms, yawning as you will your body to wake up and shake off the sluggish feeling clinging to your bones.
He wakes slowly, groaning into your hair, “Morning.” he mumbles.
“Morning,” you reply, but before either of you can say any more, your phone rings. Mindlessly, you reach for it, not even bothering to hide the screen from Spencer, who’s nosing at your temple sweetly.
Cameron ❤️
Your heart sinks. Before you can hit the ignore button, Spencer turns his head, still half asleep as he catches sight of your screen. The name, the heart emoji, the multiple missed calls shakes off every single sleepy cell in his body.
“Who’s Cameron?”
more size kink fics in the BUD Chronicles.
Forehead smooches to the many people who witnessed the conception of this fic and patiently listened and helped me as I crashed out and went screaming crying throwing up, hey nachos, @mggslover (who also proofread ty) @beenreidingaboutyou @reidingandallthat @burymagdalene and @ihatethecrowdsyouknowthat good god there's so many, my need for reassurance is actually extremely bothersome and embarrassing but ily guys.
Summary: It is the age old story of womanhood—looking through your closet and realizing you have nothing to wear for an upcoming wedding. You're not sure when Spencer Reid becomes the person to call during times of panic, but he agrees to accompany you to the boutique anyway.
Contents: 3.3k words, FLUFF, fake relationship, prof!reader who wears glasses, no use of y/n, anxious prof!reader, very slight nonsexual nudity, SO much tension, descriptions of dresses, pic isn't entirely accurate just for vibes.
A/N: ILY guys. Happens after I Don't Even Dare To Wish It. Gif by @reidgif .
➳ Save the Date masterlist
Between teaching, research, and consultations, there's not much time on your schedule left for shopping. Unfortunately, shopping is exactly what you have to do, as your best friend's wedding is creeping ever closer and the dresses in your closet are comically unfit for neither theme.
A Winter Ball.
It's so endearingly predictable. Of course Melissa—who loves snow, fantasy and fairy tales, and anything tipped with silver frost—would choose a winter ballroom wedding. The colors on the invitation say dress in the colors of the northern lights, accompanied with a palette that's admittedly very pretty. Some of these colors would be flattering on you. It's workable.
Unfortunately, the dress code is black tie. Which poses a problem.
You have black tie gowns in your closet, but they don't quite fit the whimsical winter theme. Plain black silk with modest necklines, falling straight to the floor. Just pretty enough to suggest effort, but never eye catching, never particularly beautiful. Dresses that say I made an effort while simultaneously insisting please don't perceive me.
Perfect for faculty dinners.
Terrible for pretending to be a glamorous guest at a winter fairytale wedding.
Thus, shopping.
Now for your next issue: finding someone who'll come with you last minute.
In-store shopping has always triggered a very specific kind of anxiety—the tongue-tied, chest constricting, panic sweating kind. It's irrational—you know that—but knowing it's irrational has never stopped your pulse from racing every time a sales associate asks, Can I help you?
Normally, you'd simply order online and save yourself the stress. But you don't want to risk the delayed shipping, or the inaccurate sizing. Additionally, in case the whole thing is a bust, online returns take way too long.
Besides, you have friends. Surely, you'll find one willing to accompany you, right?
Right.
Before you know it, you've dialed a number. It takes a full ring before you realize it's Spencer's.
Fuck. You stare at the screen, wondering when the hell did Spencer Reid become your go-to contact. Your thumb hovers over the end-call button, debating whether you should salvage your dignity and hang up now.
He answers before you can make the decision.
"Hey, what's going on?" he sounds soft.
Your mind flashes back to when he was here, in your apartment—in your bed—armed with takeout and reassurance and warm hugs while you cried over your dissertation.
He'd used the exact same tone then. Low enough to soothe over the frayed edges of your nerves. Does he use that voice with anyone else, or is it unique when he's talking to you?
Why do you care? You don't.
Why is that important? It's not.
You push your glasses up your nose and reply, "Hey. Um." Oh wow. Brilliant. You are so eloquent.
"Is something wrong?"
Is it too late to say you've accidentally butt dialed his number? Perhaps not. However, in that split second, you decide that the truth is less mortifying than a lie so lame as butt dialing, so you blurt it out.
"Nothing's wrong. Just wondering if you're busy."
"I'm free after lunch."
Fuck. Why couldn't he make your life easier by saying he's busy? Why didn't you just call Carrie in the first place? Why was Spencer's number the first thing you dialed?
"Would you..." You squeeze your eyes shut. "Would you maybe come shopping with me?"
No answer. You power through, against your better judgement, the words spilling in one suspended breath. "I… I need to find a dress for Melissa's wedding and I hate going shopping by myself."
There's a pause, which you use to alternate between praying the ground swallows you whole, and hoping he says yes.
"Are you sure you want me to come?" his voice more animated now, colored with confusion, "I'm not exactly knowledgeable on women's fashions."
"I don't really need you there for your expertise, just the moral support."
He doesn't answer again. An image of him comes so sharply to your mind—brows furrowed, nose crinkled, lips lightly curling like he's fighting back a smile—it makes your lips twitch before you catch the action and school them into a neutral straight line.
"It's fine if you don't want to," you begin to say, voice lightly strangled. "It's a weird request."
"No, no. I don't think it's weird at all."
You can imagine him shaking his head. Cheeks dimpled and curls gilded by light. You feel it would take too much energy to expel the thought from, so you allow it to linger. It roots like some sacred memory, and you find you don't mind it too much.
"I'm just curious why you need 'moral support' when you're shopping?"
You laugh, mostly at yourself. "It's… okay, those ladies doing sales freak me out. I feel like they're always sizing me up or something, it's a whole thing and it's dumb because I know it's literally their job to anticipate if I need help, but I just feel weird going there alone."
He hums through the phone, sounding thoughtful. You push your glasses up your nose, just for something to do.
"You know," Spencer says after a moment, "there's evidence that people significantly overestimate how much strangers notice them."
"You think I don't know that? I told you, I know this is dumb. You can say no."
"Okay."
"Okay I'm being dumb, or okay you're saying no?"
"Okay, I'll come with you," for the first time this whole conversation, he finally sounds amused.
And for the first time since he picked up, your chest doesn't feel like there's a pile of bricks sitting on top of it, impeding your breaths.
"Really?" you don't bother hiding the relief from your voice.
"Really. I can pick you up around 1:30."
Pick you up around 1:30 sounds awfully close to being picked up for a date. Your brain unhelpfully goes back to the dates of your youth, what few ones you've been on, arm and arm with a man and smiling in excitement. Traitorously, your brain also replaces the faces of the men in these memories into a tall, dimpled professor.
No. You shut the thought down quick.
This is normal friend behavior. Carrie uses the same terms, except Carrie is Carrie, not a very attractive older colleague who you're also pretending to date.
Whatever. You're getting worked up over nothing.
This is Spencer doing you a favour because he's an extraordinarily kind person helping out a friend.
You thank him, managing to sound remarkably normal considering your internal monologue has descended into complete chaos.
The boutique is just as you predicted. Too bright, too many sales associates welcoming you with too wide smiles. The air is saturated with cloying jasmine and vanilla, and soft, instrumental music hums just loud enough to hide the buzz of conversation.
""Welcome!" one of the ladies chirps the moment you and Spencer step inside. "Are you shopping for a special occasion?"
Your shoulders tense automatically.
"We're just going to look around," you answer, trying to match her enthusiasm without sounding as uncomfortable as you feel.
Her smile doesn't falter. "Of course! Let me know if I can start a fitting room for you."
"I will. Thank you." You don't move until she's turned away. Once she does, you make a beeline for the least crowded rack, shoulders still tense. Spencer follows beside you, and without a word, rests his hand between your shoulder blades. You feel the warmth of it through your coat, quietly, steadily melting some of the tension.
When you glance over your shoulder, you notice the sales associate watching the two of you from across the boutique.
Before you can overthink it, Spencer shifts. Instead of walking beside you, he moves behind by half a step. You're confused for just a moment until you realize that, with him standing at that angle, the sales associate completely disappeares from your view.
Quite literally shielding you with his body.
He doesn't say anything. Doesn't drop his hand either. Just follows you like a patient shadow, while you browse through rows upon rows of blues and greens. You feel you chest tightening for reasons unrelated to the perky sales ladies.
It's silent, surprisingly comfortable, until he breaks it with one of his usual tangents.
"You know," he says, lifting a hanger to inspect the fabric, "the distinction between black tie and white tie has become significantly less rigid over the last century. Certain movements have called out the elitism of these dress codes, as well as the ridiculous standards set upon each gender."
"I thought you said you know nothing about women's fashion?" you glance at him with a grin.
"I did a little research after you called."
"Are you aware that little usually means a lot?"
He shrugs with an easy smile. "I had a couple of hours to kill. Fashion, history, and capitalism go hand in hand."
You laugh, moving to the next rack while he regales you with more of his findings. Before you know it, you've forgotten about the other people in the boutique. Spencer Reid has successfully monopolized your attention, and though you can't believe you're saying this, you're glad he did. You're glad you asked him to come. You're glad he said yes.
Twenty minutes later, your arms are draped with dresses and you're surveying another one, when he breaks his current information dump with a question.
"Wouldn't you be cold in some of these?" Spencer looks at you with concern.
Indeed, most of the gowns are strapless, or made with thin material.
"The ceremony's indoors, everything will be heated." you reply. It had said so in the invitation.
"But getting there?"
"I can wear a coat over it on the way, don't worry."
He accepts your logic, keeps quiet as you go from one rack to the next. It lasts all of two minutes before he's asking something again.
"Am I expected to wear these colors too?" he asks, watching you peruse through shades of green.
You glance over, brows furrowing. "What?"
"Should I rent a new suit in these colors?" he says, gesturing at the array of gowns in your arms.
"I mean, men's formal wear is so much more straightforward, I think you can get away with a standard black coat and tie." you answer, checking a price tag on one dress and wincing lightly. Back on the rack it goes.
"I suppose that's true," he follows you to a different rack, hands deep in his pockets. Spencer's dressed the most casual you've ever seen him, in a black sweater without a button down collar peeking underneath, and a heavy black jacket to combat the cold. It's a good look on him, not that you'd ever admit it out loud.
"And I'm assuming you already have those already."
"I do, but wouldn't it be nice to match a little? If we're attending together, do men's accessories usually coordinate with the gown? I've never been someone's wedding date before."
You whirl to face him.
He smiles. "If we're going as a couple, don't you think that'll more convincing?"
You blink, mouth agape.
"No one would consciously notice," he continues, like this is something he's thought about for a while, "but coordinated colours tend to reinforce the perception that two people arrived together," he tilts his head, "it increases credibility."
"I suppose that's true." you say finally.
"It'll also narrow down my options."
"Your options?" your brows are probably at your hairline now.
"For which tie to wear. I wouldn't want to clash with you."
"Right."
"So, if you think about it, it's actually a good thing I came. I'll know exactly what color you'll pick, and I can match you accordingly."
"You realize it'll be unbelievably corny?" you joke, because how else are you supposed to react to Spencer Reid offering to color coordinate with you for a stupid fake relationship?
"I daresay most people would encourage being corny at a wedding." Spencer replies, grinning wide and proud.
"That's fair," you nod, "Yeah that's—oh god, I hate that this makes sense."
He laughs. "I'm just doing my job as your boyfriend."
There are three final contenders in the dressing room, all of them within your budget and fitting Melissa's curated winter color scheme.
The first dress is nice enough, a solid choice if you don't find anything better.
The second is gorgeous, a total steal for its price point, but the fabricis nearly translucent you can't even show it to Spencer without worrying about flashing him, so it's eliminated from the running.
Which leaves the third.
Save the best for last, so the saying goes, and this one is definitely it. It's cut in a timeless silhouette made of a heavier fabric than the other two, which makes it perfect for the cooling temperatures. Despite its weight, it is soft, draping delicately over your body, and flowing like liquid with every movement.
The neckline dips lower than anything you'd normally wear, while the back falls open a few inches above your hips, held together by slender ribbons threaded through loops and criss-crossing over across your back.
It's elegant. Daring. So unlike the plain, very classic dresses in your closet.
Which is probably why you like it so much.
Unfortunately, you can't quite get a whole picture of how it looks on you because you've unravelled the lacing while trying to put it on. One long ribbon is hopelessly tangled around your forearm, while the rest resemble the world's most expensive ball of string. You would be a cat's dream plaything right now.
"Fuck," you hiss. You're unsure how you fucked it up so badly, and you're terrified you'd accidentally tear open a seam if you keep twisting around. "Fuck!"
"You okay? You've been in there six minutes and forty-nine seconds, that's three minutes and thirty-one seconds longer than normal." Spencer calls out.
You stop struggling long enough to frown, even though he can't see you.
"Why are you timing me down to the seconds?" you huff.
"It's an old habit," he replies. "Need any help?"
No. Yes, but are you really prepared for that?
"I could call one of the ladies and—"
"No," you croak. You do not want one of them coming in, no matter how nice or accommodating they are, "I think you'd be… sufficient."
"If you're sure."
"I'm sure… I'm just, uh, a little tangled up."
"Ah." he knocks on your door, as if to indicate he's ready and willing.
"Don't peek or be a creep, Spencer, I swear to god."
"Of course not!"
The front of the dress is held up only by an arm tightly pressed to your chest. It's not so bad. He'll catch maybe a hint of side boob, but you can live with that. You crack the door open and peek out.
His owlish eyes greet you, concerned and unblinking. The rest of the hallway is clear.
"All right, here." You open the door wider, and turn around, letting him see the twisted mess of silk across your back. "The ribbons are supposed to go into the slots along the sides, see?"
Spencer's quiet. You feel his gaze like an insistent weight, and suddenly the room lacks oxygen.
"Spencer, do you see where they're supposed to go?" you repeat, your free arm twisting to run over the material, trying to feel for where the loops are located. "I think I missed a slot here, so it's always uneven when I tighten it."
"Yes, I see." his voice is low, hoarse, and lands in a space so unfamiliar you can't even name it. His exhale is a lick of heat across the back of your neck and shoulders, fingertips ghosting over your skin as he tugs at the silk ties, slowly separating them one by one.
"Okay."
"You really did tangle the entire thing, it's kind of impressive." he chuckles.
You can only sheepishly laugh in return, eyes fixed upon the ground, and arms crossed protectively over your chest. Anything to distract you from his proximity.
He's close enough that his scent surrounds you, the warm spices and slight musk of old books now welcome and customary.
"How'd you get so tangled up like this anyway?" he asks, pushing some of your hair back over your shoulder. The continued contact of his fingertips makes you suppress a shudder. He's going back and fixing the mistake from the top, and you're wishing the knot in your stomach is as easy to unravel as these ribbons.
"Beats me," you say, laughing weakly.
"They go kind of like shoelaces." he answers in that same hoarse voice.
You exhale. "Mhm, but those are easier to fix."
The ribbons drag across your back as he tugs, slow and steady. He repeats the same motion to the other side, quiet in his focus. Rough knuckles brush on your skin every now and then. Accidental. Probably unavoidable.
You think you're two seconds away from combusting.
The worst part is, you're not entirely sure why.
Because nothing about this is should be riling you up. He's lacing you in, for heaven's sake, not out. A friend helping a friend.
But every brush of his fingers on your skin, accidental or otherwise, lingers far longer than it should.
The frightening thing is, part of you wants to welcome it. Wants to become familiar with his touch, wants to lean in and relish it.
Spencer is quiet, guiding the ribbons through every loop with sure fingers, steadily getting lower. He fumbles with the loop by your waist. You can't help but jump.
"Did I hurt you?"
How could he possibly, moving this delicately?
"No, I'm good."
"Ticklish, then?" he asks, amused.
"I'm—yeah." Sure. Ticklish, let's go with that.
"My bad. I'll be more careful."
"It's fine, really. I'm not porcelain."
"I know, but I'd rather be."
You squeeze your eyes shut and bite the insides of your cheek. The dress settles to your form as he works, the bodice now properly hugging your torso, snug enough that you can lower your arm without fear of the top collapsing.
"Do you think it's too much?" you ask, relaxing now that you're more covered. A quick glance at the mirror confirms your initial assessment—this is the dress. Far more sensual than what you're used to
Now that it's fitted to you properly, it might be your favorite out of everything you've tried. Snug at the top, hugging your curves just enough. But the low, exposed back is a little out of your comfort zone.
"The dress?"
"Yes." You feel one harsh tug as he tightens the last row, and something in you clenches and burns.
"I don't know."
Unbidden, your stomach sinks. But then, he adds,
"This isn't my area of expertise, remember?"
You laugh, shaking your head. "You don't need to be an expert to give an opinion, Spencer."
"For a wedding? No, it's not too much. It fits the dress code, doesn't it?"
"It does. I really like it but I'm—I don't know, it's not something I normally wear."
Spencer's head lifts finally, looking over your shoulder. Your eyes meet in the mirror, equally apprehensive.
"I think it suits you." he says, "Different can be good, right?"
"Right." You exhale, relieved.
"Do you feel comfortable in it?"
You pause, considering. Are you willing to spend an entire evening in this dress without being worried about wardrobe malfunctions? You shift, turn to one side, eyeing your reflection in the mirror. Oddly enough, even though it reveals a lot more than what you're accustomed to, the dress feels very secure.
"Yeah. I do. It's a pretty thick fabric, too." You consider for a moment, before adding, "I like it.
"Then that's what matters," he smiles, watching you move around the dressing room, feeling out the dress. He adds, in a rushed tone, "For what it's worth, I think you look beautiful."
The words make you pause. Even the haphazard speed couldn't mask the earnestness in his voice. You manage a smile, murmur a thanks, because he might not know it yet—hell, you don't want to admit it yourself—but it's worth a lot.
Thank you deeply for reading, please reblog if you enjoyed!
Summary: It is the age old story of womanhood—looking through your closet and realizing you have nothing to wear for an upcoming wedding. You're not sure when Spencer Reid becomes the person to call during times of panic, but he agrees to accompany you to the boutique anyway.
Contents: 3.3k words, FLUFF, fake relationship, prof!reader who wears glasses, no use of y/n, anxious prof!reader, very slight nonsexual nudity, SO much tension, descriptions of dresses, pic isn't entirely accurate just for vibes.
A/N: ILY guys. Happens after I Don't Even Dare To Wish It. Gif by @reidgif .
➳ Save the Date masterlist
Between teaching, research, and consultations, there's not much time on your schedule left for shopping. Unfortunately, shopping is exactly what you have to do, as your best friend's wedding is creeping ever closer and the dresses in your closet are comically unfit for neither theme.
A Winter Ball.
It's so endearingly predictable. Of course Melissa—who loves snow, fantasy and fairy tales, and anything tipped with silver frost—would choose a winter ballroom wedding. The colors on the invitation say dress in the colors of the northern lights, accompanied with a palette that's admittedly very pretty. Some of these colors would be flattering on you. It's workable.
Unfortunately, the dress code is black tie. Which poses a problem.
You have black tie gowns in your closet, but they don't quite fit the whimsical winter theme. Plain black silk with modest necklines, falling straight to the floor. Just pretty enough to suggest effort, but never eye catching, never particularly beautiful. Dresses that say I made an effort while simultaneously insisting please don't perceive me.
Perfect for faculty dinners.
Terrible for pretending to be a glamorous guest at a winter fairytale wedding.
Thus, shopping.
Now for your next issue: finding someone who'll come with you last minute.
In-store shopping has always triggered a very specific kind of anxiety—the tongue-tied, chest constricting, panic sweating kind. It's irrational—you know that—but knowing it's irrational has never stopped your pulse from racing every time a sales associate asks, Can I help you?
Normally, you'd simply order online and save yourself the stress. But you don't want to risk the delayed shipping, or the inaccurate sizing. Additionally, in case the whole thing is a bust, online returns take way too long.
Besides, you have friends. Surely, you'll find one willing to accompany you, right?
Right.
Before you know it, you've dialed a number. It takes a full ring before you realize it's Spencer's.
Fuck. You stare at the screen, wondering when the hell did Spencer Reid become your go-to contact. Your thumb hovers over the end-call button, debating whether you should salvage your dignity and hang up now.
He answers before you can make the decision.
"Hey, what's going on?" he sounds soft.
Your mind flashes back to when he was here, in your apartment—in your bed—armed with takeout and reassurance and warm hugs while you cried over your dissertation.
He'd used the exact same tone then. Low enough to soothe over the frayed edges of your nerves. Does he use that voice with anyone else, or is it unique when he's talking to you?
Why do you care? You don't.
Why is that important? It's not.
You push your glasses up your nose and reply, "Hey. Um." Oh wow. Brilliant. You are so eloquent.
"Is something wrong?"
Is it too late to say you've accidentally butt dialed his number? Perhaps not. However, in that split second, you decide that the truth is less mortifying than a lie so lame as butt dialing, so you blurt it out.
"Nothing's wrong. Just wondering if you're busy."
"I'm free after lunch."
Fuck. Why couldn't he make your life easier by saying he's busy? Why didn't you just call Carrie in the first place? Why was Spencer's number the first thing you dialed?
"Would you..." You squeeze your eyes shut. "Would you maybe come shopping with me?"
No answer. You power through, against your better judgement, the words spilling in one suspended breath. "I… I need to find a dress for Melissa's wedding and I hate going shopping by myself."
There's a pause, which you use to alternate between praying the ground swallows you whole, and hoping he says yes.
"Are you sure you want me to come?" his voice more animated now, colored with confusion, "I'm not exactly knowledgeable on women's fashions."
"I don't really need you there for your expertise, just the moral support."
He doesn't answer again. An image of him comes so sharply to your mind—brows furrowed, nose crinkled, lips lightly curling like he's fighting back a smile—it makes your lips twitch before you catch the action and school them into a neutral straight line.
"It's fine if you don't want to," you begin to say, voice lightly strangled. "It's a weird request."
"No, no. I don't think it's weird at all."
You can imagine him shaking his head. Cheeks dimpled and curls gilded by light. You feel it would take too much energy to expel the thought from, so you allow it to linger. It roots like some sacred memory, and you find you don't mind it too much.
"I'm just curious why you need 'moral support' when you're shopping?"
You laugh, mostly at yourself. "It's… okay, those ladies doing sales freak me out. I feel like they're always sizing me up or something, it's a whole thing and it's dumb because I know it's literally their job to anticipate if I need help, but I just feel weird going there alone."
He hums through the phone, sounding thoughtful. You push your glasses up your nose, just for something to do.
"You know," Spencer says after a moment, "there's evidence that people significantly overestimate how much strangers notice them."
"You think I don't know that? I told you, I know this is dumb. You can say no."
"Okay."
"Okay I'm being dumb, or okay you're saying no?"
"Okay, I'll come with you," for the first time this whole conversation, he finally sounds amused.
And for the first time since he picked up, your chest doesn't feel like there's a pile of bricks sitting on top of it, impeding your breaths.
"Really?" you don't bother hiding the relief from your voice.
"Really. I can pick you up around 1:30."
Pick you up around 1:30 sounds awfully close to being picked up for a date. Your brain unhelpfully goes back to the dates of your youth, what few ones you've been on, arm and arm with a man and smiling in excitement. Traitorously, your brain also replaces the faces of the men in these memories into a tall, dimpled professor.
No. You shut the thought down quick.
This is normal friend behavior. Carrie uses the same terms, except Carrie is Carrie, not a very attractive older colleague who you're also pretending to date.
Whatever. You're getting worked up over nothing.
This is Spencer doing you a favour because he's an extraordinarily kind person helping out a friend.
You thank him, managing to sound remarkably normal considering your internal monologue has descended into complete chaos.
The boutique is just as you predicted. Too bright, too many sales associates welcoming you with too wide smiles. The air is saturated with cloying jasmine and vanilla, and soft, instrumental music hums just loud enough to hide the buzz of conversation.
""Welcome!" one of the ladies chirps the moment you and Spencer step inside. "Are you shopping for a special occasion?"
Your shoulders tense automatically.
"We're just going to look around," you answer, trying to match her enthusiasm without sounding as uncomfortable as you feel.
Her smile doesn't falter. "Of course! Let me know if I can start a fitting room for you."
"I will. Thank you." You don't move until she's turned away. Once she does, you make a beeline for the least crowded rack, shoulders still tense. Spencer follows beside you, and without a word, rests his hand between your shoulder blades. You feel the warmth of it through your coat, quietly, steadily melting some of the tension.
When you glance over your shoulder, you notice the sales associate watching the two of you from across the boutique.
Before you can overthink it, Spencer shifts. Instead of walking beside you, he moves behind by half a step. You're confused for just a moment until you realize that, with him standing at that angle, the sales associate completely disappeares from your view.
Quite literally shielding you with his body.
He doesn't say anything. Doesn't drop his hand either. Just follows you like a patient shadow, while you browse through rows upon rows of blues and greens. You feel you chest tightening for reasons unrelated to the perky sales ladies.
It's silent, surprisingly comfortable, until he breaks it with one of his usual tangents.
"You know," he says, lifting a hanger to inspect the fabric, "the distinction between black tie and white tie has become significantly less rigid over the last century. Certain movements have called out the elitism of these dress codes, as well as the ridiculous standards set upon each gender."
"I thought you said you know nothing about women's fashion?" you glance at him with a grin.
"I did a little research after you called."
"Are you aware that little usually means a lot?"
He shrugs with an easy smile. "I had a couple of hours to kill. Fashion, history, and capitalism go hand in hand."
You laugh, moving to the next rack while he regales you with more of his findings. Before you know it, you've forgotten about the other people in the boutique. Spencer Reid has successfully monopolized your attention, and though you can't believe you're saying this, you're glad he did. You're glad you asked him to come. You're glad he said yes.
Twenty minutes later, your arms are draped with dresses and you're surveying another one, when he breaks his current information dump with a question.
"Wouldn't you be cold in some of these?" Spencer looks at you with concern.
Indeed, most of the gowns are strapless, or made with thin material.
"The ceremony's indoors, everything will be heated." you reply. It had said so in the invitation.
"But getting there?"
"I can wear a coat over it on the way, don't worry."
He accepts your logic, keeps quiet as you go from one rack to the next. It lasts all of two minutes before he's asking something again.
"Am I expected to wear these colors too?" he asks, watching you peruse through shades of green.
You glance over, brows furrowing. "What?"
"Should I rent a new suit in these colors?" he says, gesturing at the array of gowns in your arms.
"I mean, men's formal wear is so much more straightforward, I think you can get away with a standard black coat and tie." you answer, checking a price tag on one dress and wincing lightly. Back on the rack it goes.
"I suppose that's true," he follows you to a different rack, hands deep in his pockets. Spencer's dressed the most casual you've ever seen him, in a black sweater without a button down collar peeking underneath, and a heavy black jacket to combat the cold. It's a good look on him, not that you'd ever admit it out loud.
"And I'm assuming you already have those already."
"I do, but wouldn't it be nice to match a little? If we're attending together, do men's accessories usually coordinate with the gown? I've never been someone's wedding date before."
You whirl to face him.
He smiles. "If we're going as a couple, don't you think that'll more convincing?"
You blink, mouth agape.
"No one would consciously notice," he continues, like this is something he's thought about for a while, "but coordinated colours tend to reinforce the perception that two people arrived together," he tilts his head, "it increases credibility."
"I suppose that's true." you say finally.
"It'll also narrow down my options."
"Your options?" your brows are probably at your hairline now.
"For which tie to wear. I wouldn't want to clash with you."
"Right."
"So, if you think about it, it's actually a good thing I came. I'll know exactly what color you'll pick, and I can match you accordingly."
"You realize it'll be unbelievably corny?" you joke, because how else are you supposed to react to Spencer Reid offering to color coordinate with you for a stupid fake relationship?
"I daresay most people would encourage being corny at a wedding." Spencer replies, grinning wide and proud.
"That's fair," you nod, "Yeah that's—oh god, I hate that this makes sense."
He laughs. "I'm just doing my job as your boyfriend."
There are three final contenders in the dressing room, all of them within your budget and fitting Melissa's curated winter color scheme.
The first dress is nice enough, a solid choice if you don't find anything better.
The second is gorgeous, a total steal for its price point, but the fabricis nearly translucent you can't even show it to Spencer without worrying about flashing him, so it's eliminated from the running.
Which leaves the third.
Save the best for last, so the saying goes, and this one is definitely it. It's cut in a timeless silhouette made of a heavier fabric than the other two, which makes it perfect for the cooling temperatures. Despite its weight, it is soft, draping delicately over your body, and flowing like liquid with every movement.
The neckline dips lower than anything you'd normally wear, while the back falls open a few inches above your hips, held together by slender ribbons threaded through loops and criss-crossing over across your back.
It's elegant. Daring. So unlike the plain, very classic dresses in your closet.
Which is probably why you like it so much.
Unfortunately, you can't quite get a whole picture of how it looks on you because you've unravelled the lacing while trying to put it on. One long ribbon is hopelessly tangled around your forearm, while the rest resemble the world's most expensive ball of string. You would be a cat's dream plaything right now.
"Fuck," you hiss. You're unsure how you fucked it up so badly, and you're terrified you'd accidentally tear open a seam if you keep twisting around. "Fuck!"
"You okay? You've been in there six minutes and forty-nine seconds, that's three minutes and thirty-one seconds longer than normal." Spencer calls out.
You stop struggling long enough to frown, even though he can't see you.
"Why are you timing me down to the seconds?" you huff.
"It's an old habit," he replies. "Need any help?"
No. Yes, but are you really prepared for that?
"I could call one of the ladies and—"
"No," you croak. You do not want one of them coming in, no matter how nice or accommodating they are, "I think you'd be… sufficient."
"If you're sure."
"I'm sure… I'm just, uh, a little tangled up."
"Ah." he knocks on your door, as if to indicate he's ready and willing.
"Don't peek or be a creep, Spencer, I swear to god."
"Of course not!"
The front of the dress is held up only by an arm tightly pressed to your chest. It's not so bad. He'll catch maybe a hint of side boob, but you can live with that. You crack the door open and peek out.
His owlish eyes greet you, concerned and unblinking. The rest of the hallway is clear.
"All right, here." You open the door wider, and turn around, letting him see the twisted mess of silk across your back. "The ribbons are supposed to go into the slots along the sides, see?"
Spencer's quiet. You feel his gaze like an insistent weight, and suddenly the room lacks oxygen.
"Spencer, do you see where they're supposed to go?" you repeat, your free arm twisting to run over the material, trying to feel for where the loops are located. "I think I missed a slot here, so it's always uneven when I tighten it."
"Yes, I see." his voice is low, hoarse, and lands in a space so unfamiliar you can't even name it. His exhale is a lick of heat across the back of your neck and shoulders, fingertips ghosting over your skin as he tugs at the silk ties, slowly separating them one by one.
"Okay."
"You really did tangle the entire thing, it's kind of impressive." he chuckles.
You can only sheepishly laugh in return, eyes fixed upon the ground, and arms crossed protectively over your chest. Anything to distract you from his proximity.
He's close enough that his scent surrounds you, the warm spices and slight musk of old books now welcome and customary.
"How'd you get so tangled up like this anyway?" he asks, pushing some of your hair back over your shoulder. The continued contact of his fingertips makes you suppress a shudder. He's going back and fixing the mistake from the top, and you're wishing the knot in your stomach is as easy to unravel as these ribbons.
"Beats me," you say, laughing weakly.
"They go kind of like shoelaces." he answers in that same hoarse voice.
You exhale. "Mhm, but those are easier to fix."
The ribbons drag across your back as he tugs, slow and steady. He repeats the same motion to the other side, quiet in his focus. Rough knuckles brush on your skin every now and then. Accidental. Probably unavoidable.
You think you're two seconds away from combusting.
The worst part is, you're not entirely sure why.
Because nothing about this is should be riling you up. He's lacing you in, for heaven's sake, not out. A friend helping a friend.
But every brush of his fingers on your skin, accidental or otherwise, lingers far longer than it should.
The frightening thing is, part of you wants to welcome it. Wants to become familiar with his touch, wants to lean in and relish it.
Spencer is quiet, guiding the ribbons through every loop with sure fingers, steadily getting lower. He fumbles with the loop by your waist. You can't help but jump.
"Did I hurt you?"
How could he possibly, moving this delicately?
"No, I'm good."
"Ticklish, then?" he asks, amused.
"I'm—yeah." Sure. Ticklish, let's go with that.
"My bad. I'll be more careful."
"It's fine, really. I'm not porcelain."
"I know, but I'd rather be."
You squeeze your eyes shut and bite the insides of your cheek. The dress settles to your form as he works, the bodice now properly hugging your torso, snug enough that you can lower your arm without fear of the top collapsing.
"Do you think it's too much?" you ask, relaxing now that you're more covered. A quick glance at the mirror confirms your initial assessment—this is the dress. Far more sensual than what you're used to
Now that it's fitted to you properly, it might be your favorite out of everything you've tried. Snug at the top, hugging your curves just enough. But the low, exposed back is a little out of your comfort zone.
"The dress?"
"Yes." You feel one harsh tug as he tightens the last row, and something in you clenches and burns.
"I don't know."
Unbidden, your stomach sinks. But then, he adds,
"This isn't my area of expertise, remember?"
You laugh, shaking your head. "You don't need to be an expert to give an opinion, Spencer."
"For a wedding? No, it's not too much. It fits the dress code, doesn't it?"
"It does. I really like it but I'm—I don't know, it's not something I normally wear."
Spencer's head lifts finally, looking over your shoulder. Your eyes meet in the mirror, equally apprehensive.
"I think it suits you." he says, "Different can be good, right?"
"Right." You exhale, relieved.
"Do you feel comfortable in it?"
You pause, considering. Are you willing to spend an entire evening in this dress without being worried about wardrobe malfunctions? You shift, turn to one side, eyeing your reflection in the mirror. Oddly enough, even though it reveals a lot more than what you're accustomed to, the dress feels very secure.
"Yeah. I do. It's a pretty thick fabric, too." You consider for a moment, before adding, "I like it.
"Then that's what matters," he smiles, watching you move around the dressing room, feeling out the dress. He adds, in a rushed tone, "For what it's worth, I think you look beautiful."
The words make you pause. Even the haphazard speed couldn't mask the earnestness in his voice. You manage a smile, murmur a thanks, because he might not know it yet—hell, you don't want to admit it yourself—but it's worth a lot.
Thank you deeply for reading, please reblog if you enjoyed!
I keep telling myself that when I get to the beach on Saturday I'll have a whole week to spend writing and drawing and stuff, but if I'm honest with myself I probably won't be as productive as I wish I'd be