Hey! Love your work! I’m wondering if you wrote this one fic where Spencer and reader go undercover to a swinger party? I’ve been looking for it and can’t find it!
Hi! Thank you for your kind words! Yes I wrote that story but I deleted my NSFW fics a while ago.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
my gift for @foxy-eva for the @cmgiftexchange
Summary: You've been dating Spencer for three years and want to make this Christmas extra special. Turns out, he has the same idea.
Rating: G
Pairing: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader
Tags: Fluff, Romance, Christmas Fluff, Pregnancy, Marriage Proposal, Female Reader-Insert
Sneak peek under the break <3
With a heavy sigh, you slouch over the shopping cart, hanging your head between your shoulders and closing your eyes. For just a moment, you try to block out the cacophony of last minute shoppers, the music playing over the speakers that you can swear has looped three times since you entered the store, the crying kid two aisles over. You take a breath, slow and deep. . .
Someone bumps into you, jostling you back to awareness with a startled cry. The brief spike of annoyance is quickly squashed when your met with the apologetic, and clearly frazzled, mother of a fussy toddler trying to finagle her own cart through the busy walkway. She’s still apologizing as she disappears into the crowd, even after your assurances that it was fine and there was no harm done, really.
Casting your eyes over the gifts you’ve picked out so far, you go over the list in your head once more. One by one, everyone gets checked off when you spot their intended gift until you get to the final person. Spencer.
In theory, it should be easy to get him something he’d like. Pick out some old or nerdy book, maybe some figurines from a sci-fi franchise, a slew of colourful socks. . . simple. Easy.
Rossi dresses up as Santa to surprise the BAU children at their homes. They all have figured it out by now but playing pretend makes the kids just as happy as Rossi.
Penelope insists on helping everyone in the BAU decorate their homes. It always ends up perfectly festive (and a little over the top)
She also makes sure to hang mistletoes in everyone's living rooms and secretly hopes that Tara and Emily will end up standing underneath one together
Rossi hosts a Christmas party every year and everyone at the BAU makes sure to be there
A few years ago Spencer wore a hideous Christmas sweater to this annual event and started a little tradition. Now each year everyone will wear Christmas sweaters to the party, the uglier the better
At the end of the party, Rossi gives a present to the person with the ugliest sweater. Ever since Spencer started knitting his sweater himself, he always wins
They play Secret Santa at the office and Spencer has picked Luke three years in a row now, shaking his head at the mathematical probabilities of that
He is not aware of the fact that he is considered the best gift-giver at the BAU, which is why Luke made it a habit to mess with the names in the bowl to draw from
That one time Tara got Luke, she gave him a booklet with her best "Your mom" jokes
Everyone else takes this little game surprisingly serious, which is why the room is always filled with giggles and laughter when they lift the secret of who picked who
Let me know if you enjoyed my headcanons and if you'd like to read more. Your comments mean the world to me and help me stay motivated to come up with more stories.
Author's Note: This is my gift for @ceramicstarz as part of the @cmgiftexchange I hope you like this story. Merry Christmas!
Masterlist
The quick clacking of her pink high heels was barely noticeable to Penelope as she rushed down the hallway of the hospital. Too loud was the pounding of her own heart, drumming way too fast in her ears. She walked - or rather ran - past her coworkers who called out her name several times but she did not hear them.
“Garcia, wait!” Tara called one last time as she caught up to her.
“I need to see him!” Penelope almost yelled. “I need to know he’s okay.”
“Alvez is pretty bruised up and seems to have a concussion. He’s still a bit confused and needs to rest,” Tara explained.
None of that made any sense to her. This shouldn’t have happened. “Why didn’t he wait for backup?”
Tara just shrugged. “Apparently he thought he could take the unsub down alone.”
“That’s so stupid.” Penelope’s voice trembled, if from anger or concern she wasn’t sure.
She always worried about the team when they were out in the field. She only found solace in the fact that they always had each other’s backs. It was hard to believe that Luke would act so reckless. Not when he knew the two of them had left so many things unsaid right before he left for the case.
“Where is he?”
Tara pointed to a room at the end of the hallway. “Be nice to him,” she said when she finally let Penelope see him.
Penelope’s heart almost stopped when she entered the room. Luke laid in the hospital bed under a blanket with his eyes closed. There was bruising along his cheekbone and a stitched up wound on his forehead.
“Oh newbie,” she whispered as she sank down onto a chair at his bedside. “What did you do?”
Carefully she let her fingers trace along the back of his hand before letting them rest inside his palm. Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze, signaling that he was awake.
“You should see the other guy,” he croaked with a raspy voice.
She quickly retracted her palm and shook her head. “That’s not funny. You could have been killed!”
Despite her angry words, a smile spread over Luke’s face when he found Penelope’s eyes.
“You look cute when you’re mad,” he purred.
“Don’t do this right now! I’m serious. You really should have waited for backup. I can’t believe you would be so stupid. Always acting like the manliest man out there. Guess what, newbie! You’re not superman,” she scolded him, her anger oozing out with every word.
Instead of his usual witty, flirtatious response, Luke let out a loud breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Penelope was faced with a look he had never seen on him. He seemed to be frustrated and irritated with her.
“Come on, cut me some slack for once!” His words came out a lot harsher than he had intended. Luke instantly noticed the change in Penelope’s demeanor - she was hurt.
Instead of saying anything, she got up and walked towards the door.
“Garcia, wait, please. I’m sorry, I…” Luke wasn’t able to finish the sentence, the pounding inside his head becoming overwhelming.
Penelope lingered at the door and turned around to find his eyes. It was obvious that he was in pain. Her anger subsided and was quickly replaced with concern. She really had not intended to make it worse.
“You need to rest,” she whispered, her heart aching at the thought of leaving him.
With widened eyes, he responded, “Could you stay, please? Even if just for a minute.”
Nodding, she walked back to his bedside to sit down again. Luke reached out his hand for her and Penelope did not hesitate to accept his invitation. She let her fingers intertwine with his before their hands rested on his blanket.
“Holding hands with Penelope Garcia,” he mumbled as a timid smile spread over his face. “Maybe I’m in heaven after all.”
She had to try hard not to start smiling at his words. “You sound like you hit your head,” she deadpanned instead.
“I also feel like I hit my head.”
There was a moment of silence between the two before Luke raised an eyebrow and joked, “No remark on me being boneheaded? Wow, you must be really mad.”
Penelope didn’t feel like playfully bickering around anymore as she felt tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. “I was so worried about you,” she confessed. “And I am so annoyed that you even have the ability to make me this worried.”
Even after thinking about the meaning of her words for a moment, Luke still seemed clueless about what she just said. “What do you mean?”
“I thought by being mean to you I could keep up this… wall I built. This job, it has taken so much from me already. I am so tired of seeing the people I love get hurt. I never wanted you to be yet another person I have to worry about. But there you are, looking at me with your comically big brown eyes and your stupid smile and my wall just crumbles.”
“Penelope…” Luke murmured as he gently squeezed her hand.
Before either of them could say more, the voice of a nurse interrupted them. “Time to check your vitals, Agent Alvez!”
There was so much more Penelpe wanted to tell him then as all her feelings started bubbling towards the surface. But now was not the time. Instead, she got up from her seat and walked towards the door.
As the nurse approached his bed, Penelope turned her head and softly spoke, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning, okay? Try to get some rest, Luke.”
How lovely his first name sounded as it fell from her lips. Never before had he heard her say it and he already craved to hear it again.
When Penelope approached his room the next morning, she overheard Luke talking to a doctor. Eavesdropping was nothing she was proud of but she couldn’t help but linger by the door to listen to their conversation.
“We don’t recommend full bed rest for more than 48 hours since it can actually prolong recovery time after a concussion. But to be able to discharge you now, you have to name a caretaker we can instruct with how to help you heal. You should not be left by yourself the next couple of days,” the doctor explained.
“I live alone,” Luke muttered.
That was when Penelope made her presence known by clearing her throat and stepping into the room. “I can take care of you,” she softly spoke.
Luke widened his eyes and couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Penelope. She almost seemed like a divine being with her perfectly curled blonde hair and a colorful dress.
Coyly, he responded, “That’s too much to ask.”
Penelope playfully rolled her eyes and countered, “Now don’t be silly, newbie. As if you could say no to me.”
There was no denying that, so Luke didn’t try to argue with her. After the doctor explained all the next steps of his recovery and symptoms to look out for, the two of them left the hospital together.
Luke’s head was still pounding when he arrived at his apartment and he couldn’t overplay the lingering dizziness he still experienced. So when he mentioned he was going to take a shower, Penelope looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
“Absolutely not,” she said in a warning tone. “What if you slip and fall?”
“I feel gross,” Luke complained. “I really need to shower. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Gently, she touched his arm before saying, “I really don’t want you to get hurt even more. I’m going to run you a bath and I’ll help you wash your hair in the tub.”
Luke felt his cheeks heating up at the thought of that. Being in such a vulnerable position felt odd to him. How could he admit that he needed help with such a simple task? He was used to being the protector, the one who took care of the women in his life - not the other way around. It was as if Penelope sensed what he was thinking.
“I know it’s going to be a little awkward,” she mumbled. “But I really don’t mind helping you in any way I can. Let me take care of you, Luke. Please.”
There it was again - Luke. Hearing his name fall from her lips once more was all it took to break any restraints. “Okay,” he breathed.
After disappearing in his bathroom for a little while, she came back to the living room and reached out her hand. Without hesitation he took it, a sharp breath escaping his throat as his bruised up body protested against any movement. Penelope noticed but didn’t say anything as she led him to the bathroom.
The steaming bath was filled with water and more bubbles than necessary. As the vanilla scent began clouding his mind, he was brought back to reality with a tender touch on his shoulder. With hands more gentle than Luke had ever experienced, Penelope slowly helped him shed every layer of clothing until he stood completely bare in front of her.
For a second he thought she might let her eyes roam over his body to make a lewd comment, but she didn’t. She kept looking at his face, care and concern clearly written over her features. Her hand found his to help him into the tub and only let go when she was sure he was seated.
There was no need for any words to be spoken. Penelope sat down on the edge of the bathtub to rinse water over his hair before gently massaging shampoo over his scalp, making sure the stitches on his forehead wouldn’t get wet. Luke leaned into the touch as he closed his eyes, enjoying this moment shared between the two of them.
“All done,” Penelope whispered after rinsing off the last bit of bubbles from his hair.
“Thank you.”
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she helped him get out of the tub and handed him a towel before grabbing some of his clothes from his closet. Luke followed her into the bedroom and slowly sat down on his bed with a towel still wrapped around his waist.
Penelope put his clothes next to him on the mattress. “Do you need help getting dressed?”
“I got it,” he responded as he grabbed his shirt. Penelope turned around and left the room as he got dressed.
Exhaustion overcame Luke and he was unable to follow her back to the living room. He winced as he pulled back the blanket and laid down on his bed, his bruised body making it hard to find a comfortable position.
Just a few moments later Penelope was back by his bedside. For a second Luke thought he might be hallucinating when he looked at her. She had changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of pink sweatpants. He never thought this woman could get any more beautiful to him but obviously he was wrong. She looked absolutely adorable in casual clothes.
“What?” She snickered. “My dress got wet and I wanted to wear something more comfortable.”
With stars in his eyes he purred, “You look so cute.”
Without hesitation, Penelope lifted the blanket to lay down beside Luke. When she accidentally bumped against a big bruise on his upper arm, he flinched.
“I am so sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She sat up on the bed and pulled back the blanket to look at him. Carefully, she pushed the short sleeve of his shirt up to reveal the blue and purple stain on his skin. Then, she leaned down to place a tender kiss on the bruise, her lips barely touching his skin.
Luke just watched in awe, unable to say anything.
“Better?” Penelope playfully asked as she found his eyes. “Or are you hurting anywhere else?”
“Here,” Luke breathed as he pointed to the bruise under his eye.
Penelope leaned down to put a soft kiss there, too. Then, her fingertips ghosted over his lips. “What about here?”
Dumfounded, Luke just nodded. Penelope placed her lips on his for a sweet kiss that immediately let his heart threaten to jump out of his chest. She then laid back down, careful to not brush against his bruises as she cuddled up against him.
Author's Note: This is my gift for @ceramicstarz as part of the @cmgiftexchange I hope you like this story. Merry Christmas!
Masterlist
The quick clacking of her pink high heels was barely noticeable to Penelope as she rushed down the hallway of the hospital. Too loud was the pounding of her own heart, drumming way too fast in her ears. She walked - or rather ran - past her coworkers who called out her name several times but she did not hear them.
“Garcia, wait!” Tara called one last time as she caught up to her.
“I need to see him!” Penelope almost yelled. “I need to know he’s okay.”
“Alvez is pretty bruised up and seems to have a concussion. He’s still a bit confused and needs to rest,” Tara explained.
None of that made any sense to her. This shouldn’t have happened. “Why didn’t he wait for backup?”
Tara just shrugged. “Apparently he thought he could take the unsub down alone.”
“That’s so stupid.” Penelope’s voice trembled, if from anger or concern she wasn’t sure.
She always worried about the team when they were out in the field. She only found solace in the fact that they always had each other’s backs. It was hard to believe that Luke would act so reckless. Not when he knew the two of them had left so many things unsaid right before he left for the case.
“Where is he?”
Tara pointed to a room at the end of the hallway. “Be nice to him,” she said when she finally let Penelope see him.
Penelope’s heart almost stopped when she entered the room. Luke laid in the hospital bed under a blanket with his eyes closed. There was bruising along his cheekbone and a stitched up wound on his forehead.
“Oh newbie,” she whispered as she sank down onto a chair at his bedside. “What did you do?”
Carefully she let her fingers trace along the back of his hand before letting them rest inside his palm. Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze, signaling that he was awake.
“You should see the other guy,” he croaked with a raspy voice.
She quickly retracted her palm and shook her head. “That’s not funny. You could have been killed!”
Despite her angry words, a smile spread over Luke’s face when he found Penelope’s eyes.
“You look cute when you’re mad,” he purred.
“Don’t do this right now! I’m serious. You really should have waited for backup. I can’t believe you would be so stupid. Always acting like the manliest man out there. Guess what, newbie! You’re not superman,” she scolded him, her anger oozing out with every word.
Instead of his usual witty, flirtatious response, Luke let out a loud breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Penelope was faced with a look he had never seen on him. He seemed to be frustrated and irritated with her.
“Come on, cut me some slack for once!” His words came out a lot harsher than he had intended. Luke instantly noticed the change in Penelope’s demeanor - she was hurt.
Instead of saying anything, she got up and walked towards the door.
“Garcia, wait, please. I’m sorry, I…” Luke wasn’t able to finish the sentence, the pounding inside his head becoming overwhelming.
Penelope lingered at the door and turned around to find his eyes. It was obvious that he was in pain. Her anger subsided and was quickly replaced with concern. She really had not intended to make it worse.
“You need to rest,” she whispered, her heart aching at the thought of leaving him.
With widened eyes, he responded, “Could you stay, please? Even if just for a minute.”
Nodding, she walked back to his bedside to sit down again. Luke reached out his hand for her and Penelope did not hesitate to accept his invitation. She let her fingers intertwine with his before their hands rested on his blanket.
“Holding hands with Penelope Garcia,” he mumbled as a timid smile spread over his face. “Maybe I’m in heaven after all.”
She had to try hard not to start smiling at his words. “You sound like you hit your head,” she deadpanned instead.
“I also feel like I hit my head.”
There was a moment of silence between the two before Luke raised an eyebrow and joked, “No remark on me being boneheaded? Wow, you must be really mad.”
Penelope didn’t feel like playfully bickering around anymore as she felt tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. “I was so worried about you,” she confessed. “And I am so annoyed that you even have the ability to make me this worried.”
Even after thinking about the meaning of her words for a moment, Luke still seemed clueless about what she just said. “What do you mean?”
“I thought by being mean to you I could keep up this… wall I built. This job, it has taken so much from me already. I am so tired of seeing the people I love get hurt. I never wanted you to be yet another person I have to worry about. But there you are, looking at me with your comically big brown eyes and your stupid smile and my wall just crumbles.”
“Penelope…” Luke murmured as he gently squeezed her hand.
Before either of them could say more, the voice of a nurse interrupted them. “Time to check your vitals, Agent Alvez!”
There was so much more Penelpe wanted to tell him then as all her feelings started bubbling towards the surface. But now was not the time. Instead, she got up from her seat and walked towards the door.
As the nurse approached his bed, Penelope turned her head and softly spoke, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning, okay? Try to get some rest, Luke.”
How lovely his first name sounded as it fell from her lips. Never before had he heard her say it and he already craved to hear it again.
When Penelope approached his room the next morning, she overheard Luke talking to a doctor. Eavesdropping was nothing she was proud of but she couldn’t help but linger by the door to listen to their conversation.
“We don’t recommend full bed rest for more than 48 hours since it can actually prolong recovery time after a concussion. But to be able to discharge you now, you have to name a caretaker we can instruct with how to help you heal. You should not be left by yourself the next couple of days,” the doctor explained.
“I live alone,” Luke muttered.
That was when Penelope made her presence known by clearing her throat and stepping into the room. “I can take care of you,” she softly spoke.
Luke widened his eyes and couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Penelope. She almost seemed like a divine being with her perfectly curled blonde hair and a colorful dress.
Coyly, he responded, “That’s too much to ask.”
Penelope playfully rolled her eyes and countered, “Now don’t be silly, newbie. As if you could say no to me.”
There was no denying that, so Luke didn’t try to argue with her. After the doctor explained all the next steps of his recovery and symptoms to look out for, the two of them left the hospital together.
Luke’s head was still pounding when he arrived at his apartment and he couldn’t overplay the lingering dizziness he still experienced. So when he mentioned he was going to take a shower, Penelope looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
“Absolutely not,” she said in a warning tone. “What if you slip and fall?”
“I feel gross,” Luke complained. “I really need to shower. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Gently, she touched his arm before saying, “I really don’t want you to get hurt even more. I’m going to run you a bath and I’ll help you wash your hair in the tub.”
Luke felt his cheeks heating up at the thought of that. Being in such a vulnerable position felt odd to him. How could he admit that he needed help with such a simple task? He was used to being the protector, the one who took care of the women in his life - not the other way around. It was as if Penelope sensed what he was thinking.
“I know it’s going to be a little awkward,” she mumbled. “But I really don’t mind helping you in any way I can. Let me take care of you, Luke. Please.”
There it was again - Luke. Hearing his name fall from her lips once more was all it took to break any restraints. “Okay,” he breathed.
After disappearing in his bathroom for a little while, she came back to the living room and reached out her hand. Without hesitation he took it, a sharp breath escaping his throat as his bruised up body protested against any movement. Penelope noticed but didn’t say anything as she led him to the bathroom.
The steaming bath was filled with water and more bubbles than necessary. As the vanilla scent began clouding his mind, he was brought back to reality with a tender touch on his shoulder. With hands more gentle than Luke had ever experienced, Penelope slowly helped him shed every layer of clothing until he stood completely bare in front of her.
For a second he thought she might let her eyes roam over his body to make a lewd comment, but she didn’t. She kept looking at his face, care and concern clearly written over her features. Her hand found his to help him into the tub and only let go when she was sure he was seated.
There was no need for any words to be spoken. Penelope sat down on the edge of the bathtub to rinse water over his hair before gently massaging shampoo over his scalp, making sure the stitches on his forehead wouldn’t get wet. Luke leaned into the touch as he closed his eyes, enjoying this moment shared between the two of them.
“All done,” Penelope whispered after rinsing off the last bit of bubbles from his hair.
“Thank you.”
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she helped him get out of the tub and handed him a towel before grabbing some of his clothes from his closet. Luke followed her into the bedroom and slowly sat down on his bed with a towel still wrapped around his waist.
Penelope put his clothes next to him on the mattress. “Do you need help getting dressed?”
“I got it,” he responded as he grabbed his shirt. Penelope turned around and left the room as he got dressed.
Exhaustion overcame Luke and he was unable to follow her back to the living room. He winced as he pulled back the blanket and laid down on his bed, his bruised body making it hard to find a comfortable position.
Just a few moments later Penelope was back by his bedside. For a second Luke thought he might be hallucinating when he looked at her. She had changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of pink sweatpants. He never thought this woman could get any more beautiful to him but obviously he was wrong. She looked absolutely adorable in casual clothes.
“What?” She snickered. “My dress got wet and I wanted to wear something more comfortable.”
With stars in his eyes he purred, “You look so cute.”
Without hesitation, Penelope lifted the blanket to lay down beside Luke. When she accidentally bumped against a big bruise on his upper arm, he flinched.
“I am so sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She sat up on the bed and pulled back the blanket to look at him. Carefully, she pushed the short sleeve of his shirt up to reveal the blue and purple stain on his skin. Then, she leaned down to place a tender kiss on the bruise, her lips barely touching his skin.
Luke just watched in awe, unable to say anything.
“Better?” Penelope playfully asked as she found his eyes. “Or are you hurting anywhere else?”
“Here,” Luke breathed as he pointed to the bruise under his eye.
Penelope leaned down to put a soft kiss there, too. Then, her fingertips ghosted over his lips. “What about here?”
Dumfounded, Luke just nodded. Penelope placed her lips on his for a sweet kiss that immediately let his heart threaten to jump out of his chest. She then laid back down, careful to not brush against his bruises as she cuddled up against him.
Author's Note: This is my gift for @ceramicstarz as part of the @cmgiftexchange I hope you like this story. Merry Christmas!
Masterlist
The quick clacking of her pink high heels was barely noticeable to Penelope as she rushed down the hallway of the hospital. Too loud was the pounding of her own heart, drumming way too fast in her ears. She walked - or rather ran - past her coworkers who called out her name several times but she did not hear them.
“Garcia, wait!” Tara called one last time as she caught up to her.
“I need to see him!” Penelope almost yelled. “I need to know he’s okay.”
“Alvez is pretty bruised up and seems to have a concussion. He’s still a bit confused and needs to rest,” Tara explained.
None of that made any sense to her. This shouldn’t have happened. “Why didn’t he wait for backup?”
Tara just shrugged. “Apparently he thought he could take the unsub down alone.”
“That’s so stupid.” Penelope’s voice trembled, if from anger or concern she wasn’t sure.
She always worried about the team when they were out in the field. She only found solace in the fact that they always had each other’s backs. It was hard to believe that Luke would act so reckless. Not when he knew the two of them had left so many things unsaid right before he left for the case.
“Where is he?”
Tara pointed to a room at the end of the hallway. “Be nice to him,” she said when she finally let Penelope see him.
Penelope’s heart almost stopped when she entered the room. Luke laid in the hospital bed under a blanket with his eyes closed. There was bruising along his cheekbone and a stitched up wound on his forehead.
“Oh newbie,” she whispered as she sank down onto a chair at his bedside. “What did you do?”
Carefully she let her fingers trace along the back of his hand before letting them rest inside his palm. Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze, signaling that he was awake.
“You should see the other guy,” he croaked with a raspy voice.
She quickly retracted her palm and shook her head. “That’s not funny. You could have been killed!”
Despite her angry words, a smile spread over Luke’s face when he found Penelope’s eyes.
“You look cute when you’re mad,” he purred.
“Don’t do this right now! I’m serious. You really should have waited for backup. I can’t believe you would be so stupid. Always acting like the manliest man out there. Guess what, newbie! You’re not superman,” she scolded him, her anger oozing out with every word.
Instead of his usual witty, flirtatious response, Luke let out a loud breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Penelope was faced with a look he had never seen on him. He seemed to be frustrated and irritated with her.
“Come on, cut me some slack for once!” His words came out a lot harsher than he had intended. Luke instantly noticed the change in Penelope’s demeanor - she was hurt.
Instead of saying anything, she got up and walked towards the door.
“Garcia, wait, please. I’m sorry, I…” Luke wasn’t able to finish the sentence, the pounding inside his head becoming overwhelming.
Penelope lingered at the door and turned around to find his eyes. It was obvious that he was in pain. Her anger subsided and was quickly replaced with concern. She really had not intended to make it worse.
“You need to rest,” she whispered, her heart aching at the thought of leaving him.
With widened eyes, he responded, “Could you stay, please? Even if just for a minute.”
Nodding, she walked back to his bedside to sit down again. Luke reached out his hand for her and Penelope did not hesitate to accept his invitation. She let her fingers intertwine with his before their hands rested on his blanket.
“Holding hands with Penelope Garcia,” he mumbled as a timid smile spread over his face. “Maybe I’m in heaven after all.”
She had to try hard not to start smiling at his words. “You sound like you hit your head,” she deadpanned instead.
“I also feel like I hit my head.”
There was a moment of silence between the two before Luke raised an eyebrow and joked, “No remark on me being boneheaded? Wow, you must be really mad.”
Penelope didn’t feel like playfully bickering around anymore as she felt tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. “I was so worried about you,” she confessed. “And I am so annoyed that you even have the ability to make me this worried.”
Even after thinking about the meaning of her words for a moment, Luke still seemed clueless about what she just said. “What do you mean?”
“I thought by being mean to you I could keep up this… wall I built. This job, it has taken so much from me already. I am so tired of seeing the people I love get hurt. I never wanted you to be yet another person I have to worry about. But there you are, looking at me with your comically big brown eyes and your stupid smile and my wall just crumbles.”
“Penelope…” Luke murmured as he gently squeezed her hand.
Before either of them could say more, the voice of a nurse interrupted them. “Time to check your vitals, Agent Alvez!”
There was so much more Penelpe wanted to tell him then as all her feelings started bubbling towards the surface. But now was not the time. Instead, she got up from her seat and walked towards the door.
As the nurse approached his bed, Penelope turned her head and softly spoke, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning, okay? Try to get some rest, Luke.”
How lovely his first name sounded as it fell from her lips. Never before had he heard her say it and he already craved to hear it again.
When Penelope approached his room the next morning, she overheard Luke talking to a doctor. Eavesdropping was nothing she was proud of but she couldn’t help but linger by the door to listen to their conversation.
“We don’t recommend full bed rest for more than 48 hours since it can actually prolong recovery time after a concussion. But to be able to discharge you now, you have to name a caretaker we can instruct with how to help you heal. You should not be left by yourself the next couple of days,” the doctor explained.
“I live alone,” Luke muttered.
That was when Penelope made her presence known by clearing her throat and stepping into the room. “I can take care of you,” she softly spoke.
Luke widened his eyes and couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Penelope. She almost seemed like a divine being with her perfectly curled blonde hair and a colorful dress.
Coyly, he responded, “That’s too much to ask.”
Penelope playfully rolled her eyes and countered, “Now don’t be silly, newbie. As if you could say no to me.”
There was no denying that, so Luke didn’t try to argue with her. After the doctor explained all the next steps of his recovery and symptoms to look out for, the two of them left the hospital together.
Luke’s head was still pounding when he arrived at his apartment and he couldn’t overplay the lingering dizziness he still experienced. So when he mentioned he was going to take a shower, Penelope looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
“Absolutely not,” she said in a warning tone. “What if you slip and fall?”
“I feel gross,” Luke complained. “I really need to shower. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Gently, she touched his arm before saying, “I really don’t want you to get hurt even more. I’m going to run you a bath and I’ll help you wash your hair in the tub.”
Luke felt his cheeks heating up at the thought of that. Being in such a vulnerable position felt odd to him. How could he admit that he needed help with such a simple task? He was used to being the protector, the one who took care of the women in his life - not the other way around. It was as if Penelope sensed what he was thinking.
“I know it’s going to be a little awkward,” she mumbled. “But I really don’t mind helping you in any way I can. Let me take care of you, Luke. Please.”
There it was again - Luke. Hearing his name fall from her lips once more was all it took to break any restraints. “Okay,” he breathed.
After disappearing in his bathroom for a little while, she came back to the living room and reached out her hand. Without hesitation he took it, a sharp breath escaping his throat as his bruised up body protested against any movement. Penelope noticed but didn’t say anything as she led him to the bathroom.
The steaming bath was filled with water and more bubbles than necessary. As the vanilla scent began clouding his mind, he was brought back to reality with a tender touch on his shoulder. With hands more gentle than Luke had ever experienced, Penelope slowly helped him shed every layer of clothing until he stood completely bare in front of her.
For a second he thought she might let her eyes roam over his body to make a lewd comment, but she didn’t. She kept looking at his face, care and concern clearly written over her features. Her hand found his to help him into the tub and only let go when she was sure he was seated.
There was no need for any words to be spoken. Penelope sat down on the edge of the bathtub to rinse water over his hair before gently massaging shampoo over his scalp, making sure the stitches on his forehead wouldn’t get wet. Luke leaned into the touch as he closed his eyes, enjoying this moment shared between the two of them.
“All done,” Penelope whispered after rinsing off the last bit of bubbles from his hair.
“Thank you.”
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she helped him get out of the tub and handed him a towel before grabbing some of his clothes from his closet. Luke followed her into the bedroom and slowly sat down on his bed with a towel still wrapped around his waist.
Penelope put his clothes next to him on the mattress. “Do you need help getting dressed?”
“I got it,” he responded as he grabbed his shirt. Penelope turned around and left the room as he got dressed.
Exhaustion overcame Luke and he was unable to follow her back to the living room. He winced as he pulled back the blanket and laid down on his bed, his bruised body making it hard to find a comfortable position.
Just a few moments later Penelope was back by his bedside. For a second Luke thought he might be hallucinating when he looked at her. She had changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of pink sweatpants. He never thought this woman could get any more beautiful to him but obviously he was wrong. She looked absolutely adorable in casual clothes.
“What?” She snickered. “My dress got wet and I wanted to wear something more comfortable.”
With stars in his eyes he purred, “You look so cute.”
Without hesitation, Penelope lifted the blanket to lay down beside Luke. When she accidentally bumped against a big bruise on his upper arm, he flinched.
“I am so sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She sat up on the bed and pulled back the blanket to look at him. Carefully, she pushed the short sleeve of his shirt up to reveal the blue and purple stain on his skin. Then, she leaned down to place a tender kiss on the bruise, her lips barely touching his skin.
Luke just watched in awe, unable to say anything.
“Better?” Penelope playfully asked as she found his eyes. “Or are you hurting anywhere else?”
“Here,” Luke breathed as he pointed to the bruise under his eye.
Penelope leaned down to put a soft kiss there, too. Then, her fingertips ghosted over his lips. “What about here?”
Dumfounded, Luke just nodded. Penelope placed her lips on his for a sweet kiss that immediately let his heart threaten to jump out of his chest. She then laid back down, careful to not brush against his bruises as she cuddled up against him.
hey did you ever write the one spence fic where he meets a girl on a case she’s a teacher and it’s halloween so she’s dressed as little red riding hood and all? (it was a nsfw fic ive been looking for it for AGES i know you took them down but if you had it to share let me know ill dm you!!)
Hi! I think you might be looking for my friend @imagining-in-the-margins fic Big Bad Wolf!
At least that one came right to my mind. I never had a fic like that!