Synopsis: Spencer Reid silently admires the new psychiatrist on the floor.
WARNING: nothing, just fluff!
A/N: Remember when I said I wrote more than what I posted for Doctors Across The Hall? This is itđ€ (I forgot to post it on aug 1, oops) I've decided to make Spencer Reid x psychiatrist!reader a series! It'll just be a bunch of fluff/angst/rare spicy stuff with psychiatrist!reader that happens in the same timeline but it's not in order. So, not exactly a story just tangents ??? Also I'm open to requests/prompts to keep this going hehe <3 Tell me what you think!
â âGuys, youâre so sweet! This is adorable!â
â Spencerâs ears perk up at the commotion. Curiosity thrums in his veins as he watches Derek hand you a rose. A small stuffed toy is clutched in your other hand. A wide smile adorns your face. A gorgeous sight on a late Wednesday morning.Â
â Derek laughs, âCanât take the credit.â He takes Penelope into his right arm. âBaby girl, right here strongly encouraged me.â
â Penelope gives you a bone-crushing hug, âHappy National Girlfriends Day, my favorite psychiatrist! Get ready for our sleepover! I have so many plans!â She squeals in excitement, inviting JJ in, whoâd just discovered the similar objects on her desk.
â Your heart swells. Only two months into the bureau, and youâve already found yourself a great group of friends. As the newly mandated psychiatrist in the building, it was nerve-wracking to enter the floor that seemed to reak of evil and know-it-alls. And although the BAU team is filled with know-it-alls, despite their constant denial, you managed to squeeze into their group as easily as befriending Penelope Garcia. Considering your office happens to be next to her lair.
â âIsnât that day for couples only? For a girlfriend? Not a girl that's a friend?â You chuckle, taking in the aroma from the single rose.
â âNah-uh,â Penelope wiggles her index finger. âAll those boys are just piggybacking on girl powerââ She turns to Derek, whoâs about to object, ââYouâre not included. You have been graciously influenced by moi. Iâm just saying that I have my girlfriends, so I will celebrate the day the way I see fit, and that is with my gorgeous, gorgeous babes!âÂ
â As JJ begins to add her piece to the excitement parade, Spencer turns to Emily, who comes back from the kitchen, her stuffed toy in hand.
â âNational Girlfriends Day?â He asks lowly.
â âWhat?â Emily furrows her brows for a moment before it flattens on her forehead. âOh, that. Just a day some people celebrate to appreciate their girlfriends. Garciaâs excited about itââ
â Her voice quiets into the background in an instant. Spencer sits in his mind as he processes the information. National Girlfriends Day. The words echo in his head. A day to appreciate girlfriendsâŠ
â âż â âż âż â âż âż âż
â Lunch is usually your highlight of the day. Not because of the time you eat but because of the time you spend listening to all the sizzling drama Penelope has to offer. Itâs an interesting experience to have when youâre also the same person who listens to her cries every time the BAU team flies to yet another case in a different state.
â Today, though. Itâs quite different.
â As soon as you enter the bullpen to check in with another agentâs inquiry regarding your services on the floor, a delivery man approaches you and hands you a huge bouquet of roses. Your newly found friends immediately hover around like shameless busybodies. Though, you never mind at all.
â âOooh, yet another gift from your secret loverâŠâ Emily teases, perching on Derekâs desk as she sips coffee.
â Derek joins in, eyebrows raised. âWhat is thatââ He picks up a small note from one of the roses, rolling it open, ââLove looks not with eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blindâŠâ He waves the note with a mischievous grin. âWe donât know this guy, but he sure is cheesy.â
â Emily flashes a sheepish smile, âThereâs one on each rose! How many roses are there?â She starts counting by eye.
â âItâs like Shakespearean roses.â Penelope quips after reading another note from a different rose, passing you the small poem that immediately makes your lips curl.
â âShakespearean roses..? That's a thing?â You curiously inquire, looking over the vast red petals close to your chest.Â
Penelope shrugs, âNot really, but it could be!â She beams at you.
â JJ smiles, joining in after a small detour to her office. âOh, wow!â Her eyes widen, and her brows lift. âAnother one of the noble Sir Rumple?â She coaxes.
â âWho is this Sir Rumple, anyway? Iâm very curious.â Emily snorts, wiggling her brows at you. She doesnât push past your clear boundaries but never fails to strike all her attempts to get a name out of you. Sheâs a profiler, after all.
â âMost importantly, when is she going to introduce us to her secret lover?â Derek teases, nudging you playfully.
â Just as you look up, Spencer Reid stands behind everyone, clutching the strap of his bag like usual.Â
â His hair is short and untamed. Big hazel brown eyes spark under the fluorescent light. A thin, shy smile. And a familiar red cardigan.Â
â You reckon it was the priciest clothing youâve ever bought as a small thank you present. But Spencer doesnât need to know, really.
â Time moves slowly at the brewing desire to have Spencer close. His shy smile and adorable averting eyes bring you the thought of domesticity. You imagine him coming home just like that. Messy hair. Giddy, tight-lipped smile. Exhausted features and yet the most handsome man in your books. A spatula in your hand, music in the kitchen, and the hem of his collared shirt swaying over your thighs. It's poetically a dream. Something you wish to have, to do for as long as you're breathing.
â âMaybe next time?â You say with blushing cheeks. The utter embarrassment of talking about a secret lover in front of your crush had your mind blown into overdrive.
â The group exchanges looks. But they donât push further, indulging in the rare moment of your silent, sunny smile and hoping that youâre happy with whoever's been showering you with affection.
â âOkay, maybe not fully Shakespearean roses,â Penelope interjects, reading a corny joke that had the entire group cringe and you laughing.
â The joy in your laughter is like Clair de Lune playing through sunset. Spencer imagines warm tea in his hand, a book on his lap, and your little giggles across as you flip a page of yet another cheesy romance novel. Sunlight along your most beautiful features, which he insists is all of you. The cozy oversized shirt he owns covers the softness of your skin. A simple thought and yet has his heart racing in sheer bliss.
â Spencer smiles into his action report. âShakespearean rosesâŠâ He whispers in a chuckle, shaking his head at the idea.
â âż â âż âż â âż âż âż
â The day comes to a close with excitement and heartwarming joy.Â
â âSee you later at 9! Don't be late.â Penelope waves at you as the doors slide closed.
â You chuckle at her antics but quickly find yourself in a small predicament, struggling to carry all the tokens of love youâd received from everyone.
â âHere, let me help.âÂ
â Your eyes meet his. And you think you're having a heart attack. But you make sure to smile kindly with a not-so-eager nod.
â âThanks, Reid.â
â He flashes his signature smile, taking the tall bouquet from your hands.Â
â You fight yourself from biting the lower of your lips at the sight of his hand clutching the stem without difficulty. So, you breathe gently and indulge in his warmth next to you.
â âLooks like you had a nice day,â Spencer starts tentatively, swaying on the balls of his feet as he hoists your favorite thing of the day.
â You turn to him with a hum and a gentle bounce of your shoulders. âI did. I feel loved.â You confess.
â Spencer hides his blushing ears. Is it so wrong to wish you always smiled at him like that? Does a lifetime sound too much to ask?Â
â âThat's great,â He nods casually, letting the other patrons jump in and out of the lift.
â The doors open on the last floor. Both of you walk side by side as you trickle out of the lift into the parking lot. It's not a rule. But somehow, you and he always parked in the lowest lot despite the vast parking spaces above.
â He continues the conversation on smaller tangents that make you giggle. How did your sessions today go? How was the new lunch place you went to?Â
â And you throw back the same curiosity with an enthusiasm he admires. Did you finish all your reports? Did you enjoy your lunch stroll?Â
â Spencer hands you the bouquet back as soon as you settle your things in the passenger seat of your car. âSee you tomorrow?â
â You beam at him, and his eyes soften, âSee you tomorrow, Sir Rumple.â You giggle, stealing a quick peck on his cheek.
â Before you can turn around, Spencer stills your hips and steals a similar kiss, albeit on the softness of your lips.
â The two of you giggle at the silence. Butterflies flutter with tickling speed in both of your stomachs. Maybe keeping your relationship private isnât as bad as youâd imagine.Â
â He opens the door for you and waits until you're comfortable in your seat. âI think I prefer Shakespearean Rose now.â You announce as he leans on your window.
â He playfully pouts, âBut I love Sir Rumple betterâŠâ He twists his brows. The telltale sign of his gears turning. âMaybe I can be both?â He comprises.
â âYou can be whatever pseudonym you want,â You smile at him. âYouâre the only Spencer Reid I want.âÂ
â Spencerâs cheeks tint a shade of soft red. He leans and kisses your forehead.
in which even six years apart isnât too much time for spencer to come see you.
pairing:Â ex!spencer reid x fem!reader
genre:Â angst/comfort sort of
tags:Â that freaky shit (soul crushing angst). a lot of nothing. approximately the time morgan left the bau (it's mentioned). spoilers for 5x9 (â100â) if you haven't watched it yet... fade to black.Â
word count:Â 1.2k
a/n: heyyyy⊠enjoy my the contents of my sad brain lol. this can kinda be a waiting room pt. 2 if you squint. iâm super sick right now so hereâs a draft i wasnât going to post until august (although itâs july 31 so is it technically august?) because i have no energy to write rn. whoops. enjoyy
Your mother once told you she doesn't think you can be just friends with some people.Â
They're either there to be in your life forever, souls so deeply woven together that you have to be more than friends. Or they're fleeting, and your lives will line up for a short enough period of time that they'll impact you, and then you'll never see them again.Â
You wished Spencer Reid was the latter.
Not at first. No, at first he was the man you were going to marry. You were certain of it. Discussing your wedding with your friends because it was going to happen, and you were picturing him at the altar. You had fantasised what was supposed to be the happiest day of your life so many times, dedicating so many hours to the concept of it, that when you lost it, you mourned the loss of it as much as you mourned the relationship.Â
But Spencer Reid was the former. Unfortunately so. Losing so many years to a man you didn't even speak to anymore, because you just can't get over it. Can't get over how you could give someone so much of you, and they will still throw it all away for a narrative they've made up in their mind. Can't get over the narrative he made up of you.Â
It was justifiable, you supposed. His boss had just lost his (ex) wife because of the job. It was tough for everyone on the team. You didn't think it was so bad he would freak out as much as he did, though.Â
Because in his mind you were next. He was going to lose you as well. And even that stupidly large brain of his couldn't see how ridiculous that sounded. He refused to listen to you when all he could hear was the screaming in his head of you being next, and the statistics of female abductions. Statistics that were no different between the day before the incident, and the day he broke up with you. They were just louder to him.
An achingly long amount of time had passed from the last time you spoke to him. A pathetic meeting you had requested two months after the breakup, because your life was falling apart and maybe seeing him would make it better.
It didn't.Â
You wondered if you'd still be shedding tears over him if you hadn't met him that night.
You heard your name, and so your head lifted from your lap. Right, you thought, bitterly. He was here. In your apartment. The same one he used to sleep at, for days on end.
You knew triggers like the back of your hand. They were usually things that made sense. Loud noises, blood, anniversaries. Could you justify your trigger being a whole person?Â
You hadn't known he was a trigger until that evening, when he had showed up at your apartment door with a bouquet of flowers that you didn't really want, and an insultingly pretty smile. You had broken down, right there in your doorway, crumpling to the floor in a hyperventilating, miserable heap.Â
He had held you, and frustratingly so, it helped. He didn't speak when he had done it, until you were calmer and were muttering apologies to him, embarrassment replacing the upset.Â
At which he shushed you. You listened.Â
"Why are you here?" you broke the silence that followed his calling of your name, voice shaky.
He exhaled audibly. "I wanted to see you."
"No, Spencer," you sniffled. "You don't get to come over with flowers just because you wanted to see me. Why are you here?"
He fell silent, and you wished you could crawl into his brain to see what he was thinking. You presumed a million things.Â
"Morgan left," he said, quietly, and you felt your mouth go dry.Â
"Oh."
Then; your eyebrows furrowed. Because did he really have no one to go to? You stared back at him for a few seconds, and for a moment, you let yourself forget about the weight between you two. Staring into his eyes was an easy way to forget that, apparently. It was comforting for you, but perhaps uncomfortable for him.Â
Because he cleared his throat, and adjusted his position on the couch. "I didn't know where to go. And you said if I needed anything, you would be there andâ"
"âPeople say that as a courtesy, Spencer," you breathed out.
"I know," he said, quickly. "But I really needed someone, and I genuinely didn't know where else to go."
You couldn't slam the door in his face even if you wanted to. Because now you were registering more than just your own emotions. The red rimming his eyes, the dusting of pink on his nose and above his lips.Â
So, you nodded your head. "Okay. Come here," you said, opening your arms, and took him in between them. Albeit hesitantly. On both ends.Â
This time he broke down, and you let him. His face pressed into the crook of your neck, your fingers entangled in his curls, scratching at his scalp in the best soothing motion you could.Â
He cried until he had dehydrated his body, and your arms had begun to cramp from the position they were in. When he pulled back, your heart cracked a little more at the sight, his face wet with tears that stuck his hair to his cheeks, that you cleaned up.Â
"I miss you."
You froze. He did as well, but for an entirely different reason. At the idea that he had said it. Not you. Him. The words decorated the air and hung there for minutes as you fell silent.Â
Finally; "You don't mean that."
"Yes I do," his response was quick, as if expecting you to deny him of his own feelings.
"You're upset, and I'm comforting you. You miss Morgan. Not me. Transference," you mumbled, hands dropping from his face.Â
"This isn't transference."
"Spencer."
You were right. You knew it in the way his shoulders sagged in defeat, and his lips parted as if to say something, only to clamp shut in mental defiance.Â
"Maybe," he finally said, quietly. "But I do still miss you."
"It's been five years," you answered. He nodded his head in agreement. You exhaled. "I miss you too, Spencer."
He lips twitched, but never reached a smile. "You aren't seeing anyone, then?" he asked.Â
"You can deduce that, I'm sure."
You were right, he could, and he nodded his head, lips reaching a smile, albeit sadly. "Yeah. Me neither."
"I also figured," you said. "You would've gone to your girlfriend if you had one."
"I would've," he nodded his head, laughing a breathy, awkward laugh. "Instead I went to my ex-girlfriend."
"You did." More uncomfortable silence, before you let out a sigh. Again. "Movie?"
"What?"
"Do you want to watch a movie?" you say the full sentence, a little slower than what was probably necessary. You knew him well enough to know that he hated talking about his feelings, he was an awful communicator. Had been, your brain screams at you. He could've changed.Â
It seemed he hadn't, because he nodded his head, a smaller, more genuine smile painted his lips. "Yeah. Okay."
your reblogs and replies are always appreciated dearly âĄ
in which he breaks up with you, and your life slowly falls apart. so obviously you should see him?
pairing:Â ex!spencer reid x reader
genre:Â angst
tags:Â implied alcohol reliance? lots of nothing happening not even a gun to my head could get me to write action... do not read if emotionally stable because i sure wasn't when i wrote this.
word count:Â 1.9k
a/n:Â i never write in second person so if there's a cheeky she her they them somewhere in this ignore it!!! i do not know what i am doing!!! probably not proofread enough. also no happy ending i hate those let the people cry i say! i haven't posted my writing in like three years be nice...
also posted here on my ao3 !
"Hey."
"Hi."
Awkward silence. Horribly awkward silence.
Your eyes darting around a bar that you found all too familiar, with decor that you could paint on a canvas with your eyes closed, and such a distinct smell that you could imagine it from miles away. You didn't think you'd ever forget the way the air moved in this bar, or the sound of the same three bands singing every Friday night on repeat. You knew all the words to their songs by now. And the bartender knew your name, embarrassingly so.Â
And even over the sound of patrons talking, and the clinking of glasses and every other overwhelming sound that drove you crazy, you felt like you could hear your heartbeat slamming against your chest. Your lips chapped, never wetting no matter how many times you produced the saliva in your otherwise dry mouth to lick them. Hands wrapped around an ice cold glass that did nothing but numb some part of your body, to accompany the numb feeling in your chest.Â
You looked better than you felt, but he was knocking both parts of you out of the park. Maybe that's why your mouth was so dry. You'd tell yourself that it is, at least. He's too attractive to talk to. But you could talk to him. You did talk to him. All the time. About everything, and nothing. Because that's what you two did.Â
And yet; the awkward silence.Â
He cleared his throat, and it prompted you to take a sip of your drink, mixed alcohol falling down your throat and leaving a burn that shouldn't comfort you, but did. You didn't pull a face at the taste of it the way you used to, and you found yourself wishing that part of you that you despised was back.Â
Maybe he would tease you for it again.
"How's work?"
The words felt foreign on your lips. It wasn't really what you wanted to ask him, but every inquiry you had died on your tongue before you could ask them, nothing feeling good enough.Â
"It's good," he answered, eyes studying you in a way that made you want to shrink into nothingness.Â
"That's good," you said, and you saw the small twitch of his lips â brief, before they fell back into their natural downturned shape.Â
It was almost comical how much silence sat between you two. Two people who would talk until people around them were groaning and regretting asking them a question, falling silent in the presence of one another.Â
He cleared his throat again. Maybe you should offer him some water, but then you realised this wasn't your house and he was fully capable of getting his own water. And everything else in the world.
"How's work for you?"
"It's good," you answered, half-heartedly, because you really didn't know. You hadn't been in months.Â
You didn't really realise a breakup would affect you this much. You had always been good. Good at putting emotional turmoil on pause for your busy life. You never considered the possibility of putting your busy life on pause for emotional turmoil.Â
But then Spencer Reid left you. You never considered the possibility of that happening either, until it did.Â
"Is it?" he asked, and you watched his body shift slightly in his seat, almost leaning closer to you.Â
And unfortunately, you can only pretend in front of the man across from you for so long. "No," you said.
"Why not?"Â
"I'm not going." Your voice was embarrassingly quiet, but you knew he heard you, because his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, and his lips parted for a second. It made you want to take the words back; to lie again. "I got laid off a week ago."
He slowly nodded his head in recognition â that would explain your sudden request to meet. "I'm sorry."
You could imagine a million things you knew he'd be saying the words for, but not one part of you really believed it for any of them. So you only nodded your head, gaze dropping from him to the glass in front of you, the paper straw disintegrating in the liquid â something you weren't used to; you would finish drinks too quickly for that to happen.Â
You didn't come here to mope. You do that every other Friday night. You didn't need to do that tonight, when the man you were spending your nights sobbing and your mornings numb over was right there with you.
"How's your mom?" you ask instead, lifting your head back up, and you watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.Â
"She's okay. Same as usual," he said, and you nodded your head. Short answers seemed to be the only thing you guys knew how to do. "How's yours?"
"Good," you answer, because the question doesn't really have the same weight as it did when you asked him; he only did it to be courteous. "She misses having you over."
That brought a small smile to his face. "I miss being over."
You can come back, you want to say, but you know that isn't true.Â
You don't know how much longer you two sit in silence before he breaks it with a sigh that, if you didn't know better, you'd think was irritated. But it wasn't; simply exhausted.Â
"Why did you want to meet me?" he finally asked, and your lips parted, before shutting again, because you're not too sure the answer is something you're allowed to say aloud.Â
You say it anyway.
"I missed you."
You watched his facial features soften, his shoulders relaxing slightly, and that only seemed to bring more nervous energy to you.Â
"You shouldn't," he said, and if your heart had anything left for him, it probably would have cracked again.Â
You knew that you shouldn't. You had told yourself to get over it a thousand times before. Your go-to mantra was grow up. But you couldn't. Your brain wouldn't let it go and your eyes could just never stay dry for long enough to think it's finally over. It was almost pathetic.Â
You swallowed the lump in your throat, nodding your head, slowly, and you were pretty sure tears were welling in your eyes, which felt even more pathetic in front of him.Â
"I'm sorry."
This time it was you to apologise, and you knew he didn't believe your apology either. Not when you didn't even know what you were apologising for. Missing him, meeting him here, ever even dating him in the first place.
"It's okay," he said, instead, and you watched him exhale shakily, his lips rubbing against each other â usually a telltale sign he didn't want to be wherever he was any longer. That broke your heart too.Â
Words died in your throat as you abruptly stood up, the stool you were perched atop wobbling slightly with your sudden movements.Â
You stared at him for another moment, committing his face to memory, before you nodded your head to him in acknowledgement, pocketing your phone. You forced a smile, and left.Â
Maybe not the best move you've ever done in your life. Not the move you wanted to do. But certainly the smartest.Â
Because the second the cool, early fall air hit your skin, so did your tears, and you found that even ordering an Uber was difficult through blurry vision. So you decided to walk. Walk where, you didn't know. Away from the bar. Through the people-filled square; people as drunk as you wished to be, people out with friends and partner's, to have fun. People having a much better night than you, clearly.Â
You heard your name. And something in you screamed to not turn around, to not give in to the caller. Probably the logical part of your brain. But your heart ignored it, and you halted in your tracks, turning to see him walking towards you, eyebrows furrowed in so much concern you think you'd crack further than you already have. Maybe if you split yourself down the middle it would finally stop hurting.Â
"I miss you too."
Four simple words that could be heard even over the mixed songs playing from the clubs around you, even over the beeping cars and the chattering people.Â
"Please don't lie to make me feel better," you croak, and you're acutely aware of the tears on your cheeks.Â
"I'm not lying," he breathed out, and you were far enough away from his body to see his hand twitch. For whatever reason you didn't know. "Sweetheart, you're breaking my heart, here."
Oh.
You swallowed down a sob, swiping another set of falling tears before they could get too far down your cheeks.
"Spencer, please," you said, so desperately that you wanted to shoot yourself. "I shouldn't have asked you to meet."
"No, you shouldn't have," he agreed, and your heart stuttered in your chest, because he was telling you things you shouldn't do. Again. "Not that Iâ" he cut himself off with a sigh; frustrated, this time. "Not that I didn't want to see you, because I did. You're the only person I want to see recently. But I was getting better, and I know I've ruined all that by being here with you tonight."
I was getting better. The words echoed over and over in your brain. If he was just as bad as you were, maybe it would make this easier. Maybe you aren't as pathetic.Â
"I hate this," you settled on, fidgeting awkwardly with your fingers.Â
He didn't respond for a few too many moments, and it had you wanting to take back your words. He rubbed his eyes with another sigh.Â
"I'm not going back on my decision," he said, and you didn't need to ask what decision; you had an idea, and your stomach twisted uncomfortably.Â
But you did anyways. "Which decision?"
"Breaking up with you."
You were silent for a few moments too. "I'm not asking you toâ"
"âNo, but you want me to," he cuts you off. "And I'm telling you I won't. You know why I did it. That trumps whatever feelings I have for you."
Have.
"I don't know why," you said, shakily. You did. He gave you a reason, and if you had to explain the breakup to someone, you could tell them why. But the ongoing conflict in your brain confused you anyways.Â
"Yes you do," he answered, his jaw tensing. When you shook your head, and went to respond, he cut you off, stepping closer. "I can afford to lose you. I can't afford for the world to."
He had said something similar the day he left. Something about a fear of you dying. Something you had tried to reassure him of, failing to do so clearly.Â
"What about me?" your voice cracked and you cursed it.
"It will get better."
You could've cried all over again, in the middle of the square. Everything always for the better. Never for the right now, for the things you both wanted. But for the everlasting fear Spencer had in his brain, that you didn't know how to help.Â
"Apparently," you replied, sniffling as you took a step away from him. "I think I should go."
If he wanted to protest, he didn't show it. He simply nodded his head, lips parting in a silent exhale.Â
And so you did, with wet cheeks, and a quiet, "Goodbye, Spencer."
your reblogs and replies are always appreciated dearly âĄ
hi!!! could you write aaron x bau! reader, where jack accidentally finds a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom or somewhere in a drawer before reader gets a chance to tell aaron)))đ«¶đ»
tells
omg omg i could cry đ«¶đ»đ„č cw; pregnant bau!reader, mentions of pregnancy symptoms, a ton of fluff <3 wc; 1k
"Hi sweetheart."
Aaron's eyes rose as you entered his office, before returning to the files laid atop his desktop, a paper in his right hand. His stare had lingered momentarily, so he noticed the bag in your hand. "Heading out?"
"Yup, gotta pick up Jack." You replied, hoping you sounded somewhat normal, given your current circumstances. You felt as if your voice was borderline squeaky, in that attempt to remain normal, while also resisting the urge to bounce on your toes. "You coming with?"
On another note, you were so incredibly thankful to be leaving early; overwhelmed with nausea, back pain, fatigue. Ginger ale had been within arm's reach all day, an achingly long day. Laying in bed had never sounded more appealing.
"No, I wish I could. There's a few consults I need to look over before tomorrow. It shouldn't take too long, though." He got up, inching towards you, "I can, however, spare some time for you."
Your nose scrunched in amusement, leaning up to peck his lips, "You're too good to me."
He chased your lips, murmuring into the kiss with a soft smirk and teasing you right back, "I do try."
After the two of you pulled away (and a whistle echoed outside from a passing Derek Morgan), you toyed with his tie, smoothing it cleanly against his torso. "Don't stay too late, okay?"
"I won't." Aaron kissed you once, twice more before retreating back to his desk. He held onto your hand for as long as possible, causing it to fall gracefully to your side. "I'll be home before dinner, I promise."
Instead of leaving, all you could do was stand there; staring at him, completely giddy. The secret you held, it made you feel a whole new kind of love when you looked at him. The father of your unborn child, the perfect addition to your family. A new love you had created together.
Aaron's gaze lifted, catching you ogling him, a confused smile forming on his face. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." You shrugged, forcing your feet towards the door. "I'll see you at home."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, playfully. He absolutely didn't buy it. "Okay, drive safe."
-
"Hi." Jack greeted, climbing into the backseat and shutting the door behind him. He struggled the smallest amount, his backpack weighing him down.
"Hey Jackers," You twisted behind, offering a warm smile, "have a good day?"
"Yeah." He verified, and left it at that. He simply settled in, buckling up.
While you had thought you were the one being strange, he was definitely more so. As you took the route home, he remained quiet in the back, rather than being his usual talkative, wanting-to-tell-you-everything-about-his-day self. You peered at him in the rearview, observing him.
He didn't look pale, so hopefully he wasn't coming down with something. He didn't seem upset - his eyebrows always pinched together in worry when he was. Even this morning during breakfast for instance, he seemed far away, off in his own world. If you didn't know any better, he looked on edge, but in a jittery, seemingly excited way. Antsy, and oddly familiar.
"You okay?"
Jack nodded, keeping his eyes out the window. His absorbed expression indicated the gears continuing to turn in his mind.
You stopped the car, arriving home, turning around in your seat again to fully look at him. "You know you can ask me anything. Whatever's on your mind, nothing's off limit."
His eyes lit up, hopeful yet quizzical. He quietly and timidly asked, "Am I getting a baby brother or sister?"
You blinked at him, surprised, as that was the last thing you expected to come out of his mouth. But you couldn't stop the small smile tugging its way onto your face. Not only because you were happy, of course, but you also didn't want him thinking he had done something wrong. "What makes you ask that?"
"I wasn't snooping, I promise. I went into your bathroom to look for some floss - Dad said I could, said it was in the top left drawer - and I saw it, it said pregnant. But I didn't mean to see, I swear."
Your expression softened sweetly, a gentle laugh escaping you too, "It's okay buddy, that's completely on me. I didn't do a very good job of concealing it at all."
An adorable, boyish smile pulled at his lips, the words leaving him shyly. He could infer the answer, but he needed the actual confirmation. "So... am I?"
After a moment's silence, letting the suspense linger, you confirmed, your heart bursting as you did. "You are."
"Yes!" He nearly shouted, immediately unbuckling his seatbelt and throwing his arms around you, as much as he could with the obstacle of the driver's seat. His arms mainly reached around your neck.
You laughed gleefully, your hands raising to his arms, squeezing them gently - a makeshift hug for the meantime. Tears dared to spill down your cheeks, overwhelmed with emotion.
He released the embrace, sobering for a moment and the realization beginning to fully set in. "I'm really getting a sister?"
"It could be a boy too." You arched a brow, grinning.
"Yeah," he matched your smile, buzzing with happiness. "And I'd love that too. But, I think it's gonna be a girl."
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see." You shrugged coyly, "It's still quite early, so we won't be able to find out for a couple weeks."
"Weeks?" He whined painfully, but it faded as fast as it had appeared. "I'm so excited. I can't wait."
"You wanna know something else?" He nodded profusely. "You're the only one who knows."
Jack's eyes brightened more if it were possible, in both exhilaration and shock. "Seriously?!"
For the meantime, it was a special secret, shared just between the two of you. You could've sobbed right there, between his genuine sweetness and excitement. And the hormones.
Regardless, he was going to be the best big brother.
"Dad doesn't know?"
"Not yet. I was brainstorming how to tell him, how to tell you, but you were just too quick for me." You flashed him a teasing grin. "That means you have to help me come up with a fun way to tell him, and quick, because I think he's onto me. Deal?"
Jack held out his pinky, interlocking it with yours. "Deal."
You worry your boyfriend is ashamed of you. This is very much not the case. Or, 5 times Hotch hid your relationship (+1 time he didnât).
7k words, new-ish established relationship, lots of fluff between angst, hurt/comfort, fem!reader, civilian!reader, reader calls him aaron mostly
àŒșàŒ»
The security for Aaron's building is weird. Weird as in extensive, intimidating, and extremely intricate.Â
You'd really wanted to minimise his stress â the whole reason you're here is to bring him a forgotten sheet of paper that must've slipped out at your kitchen table from one of his case files because you don't want him to have to make up a new copy â but you're too scared to go in.Â
You pull your phone out reluctantly and dial in his number, eager to hear his voice even if the security detail a few feet away are freaking you out.Â
"Hotchner."Â
"Hi, handsome," you say softly.Â
There's a small pause. For a split-second a nightmare situation runs through your head, his low voice asking, Who is this?
"Hi, honey."Â
You beam so wide it aches, forcing a pleased little breath from your mouth.Â
"What do you need?" he asks.Â
"I'm outside of your building but I'm too afraid to come in. I'm not sure they'll let me. I need a badge, right?"Â
"You're outside."Â
You pick at the hem of your sweater, a loose thread marring your otherwise pretty outfit. You'll admit to dressing up unnecessarily to see him. Nice clothes, your most subtle perfume.Â
"I found something confidential this morning, a piece of paper. I didn't read it, I promise."
"You really shouldn't be here," he says.Â
Your smile abruptly drops. You press the phone closer to your face and wait, hoping he's not talking to you. When it's clear that he is you cringe, the silence pervasive and the most awkward it's ever been with him.Â
"Sorry." Your apology is quick, quiet. "I thought it would be easier for you. I didn't mean to⊠overstep."Â
"It's not that. It's busy. Would you hang on to it for me? Maybe I can come and get it tonight, bring dinner."Â
You love how he says it. It's not a question, not an assumption. And it's a relief. If he wants to see you on a night where you hadn't planned to get together, he can't be mad at you for being here.Â
"Yeah, please. If you want to."Â
"I want to. Okay?"
Not for confirmation, it's shorthand. You okay?Â
"Yeah. Okay. Have a good rest of your day, handsome."Â
"Bye."Â
You like to think you can hear the sound of his phone clicking shut, imagining him at his desk in one of his neat suits with a case file open in front of him. You're not sure on the specifics of his job but you know he looks good doing it, and you also know he's very, very busy. You don't take his clipped goodbye as anything but efficiency.Â
Maybe you should.Â
â
The next time Aaron inadvertently hurts your feelings is in person.Â
Compared to him, you wouldn't say you're an incredibly exciting character. Your day job is tame, your hobbies are invaried. You like to watch TV, see movies, you enjoy people-watching. When you hold that stuff up to his job, his profiling, and his hobbies (seriously, who likes triathlon?) you feel rather immature.Â
You know deep down that hobbies are hobbies and that your job doesn't define how special you are, but when you're with someone like Aaron who lives and breathes his profession it can play with your head.Â
"Is there something interesting about my shirt?" he asks, a murmur under the sound of the TV.Â
You look up from the hem of his nice button down and smile, a half-smile. You want it to be more genuine than it is. "Don't you already know?"Â
"What do you mean?"Â
"You can tell I'mâŠ" You frown, dropping the starched material of his shirt from between your fingers. "I've given myself up, haven't I?"Â
"A little," he concedes sympathetically.Â
You huff your defeat and let your cheek fall into his chest. Nice to seek comfort from him, nicer for him to give it to you, his arm rising from behind your shoulders to hook around your neck.Â
"I'm not profiling you," he says, voice close to the top of your head, "I'm wondering what you're thinking."
You relax under his touch, his big hand settling in the curve of your neck. A semi-hug. It doesn't take long for you to melt into his front completely, your unhappy thoughts dissolving with any tension and leaving only a want to kiss his stupidly nice neck.
"It doesn't matter," you say.Â
"You sure?"Â
You lift your head from his chest. He has to lean back to meet your eyes and he does it unflinchingly, a bemused smile playing on his lips.Â
"I'm good. Better, if you wouldâŠ"Â
"Yeah?" he asks quietly, leaning down, down.Â
You can't withstand his charms. He knows exactly how to get you, his smile and his eyes, his lashes kissing in the corners as they close.Â
He's imposing in the best way, a heavy presence that overwhelms you. All you can think about is the way he nudges his nose with yours to encourage your head back and the heat of his lips as they touch your own. His arm tightens behind your head.
You try to rise onto your knees, hands vying for his neck and his pitch dark hair. You're doubly pleased when you feel his mouth turning up into a smile, a mirror of your own.Â
"Slow down," he chides gently.Â
You're about to say something unlike yourself, something loud and brash. Speed up, Hotchner. You're hopped up on the giddiness that comes with being close to him. You're just about to say it when his phone rings.Â
He gives you a short, hard kiss.Â
"Hotchner."Â
You sit back in his lap, his hand sliding to the small of your back to keep you close as his face clouds with confusion. You attempt to climb off of him because you're not a sack of sugar â you're probably giving him numb thighs â but he won't let you.
"Garcia," he says eventually, "is this an emergency?" His tone makes it clear to you that whatever it is Garcia is saying, it's far from an emergency.Â
His hand climbs up, over your shoulder. You shudder as he tugs your earlobe, a mild and thoughtless gesture. You're so busy shivering you almost miss his playful eye roll.Â
"I haven't changed my mind. Yeah. Thanks for the invitation, but I'm perfectly happy where I am tonight."Â
Whatever Garcia says makes him laugh. If you weren't sitting as close to him as you are you wouldn't have heard it.Â
"Have fun. Bye," he says succinctly. He snaps his phone closed in one hand, the other dropping from your ear to your shoulder. It's heavy with a remorse you can't allow. "Sorry."
"Doesn't matter," you assure, tilting your head toward his hand and pretending to size him up. You don't know how to profile, but you're a good guess.Â
"You're not telling me something."Â
"No?" He blinks in surprise.
"No. You've been invited somewhere with your work friends, and you usually go. Why not tonight?"Â
"I think that's obvious."Â
"You don't have to flake on your friends for me, Aaron."Â
He smiles as you say his name. "Like I told Garcia, I am perfectly happy where I am."Â
You hide your face in his neck lest he see your doped up smile. "You have nice friends," you murmur, working your hands under the hem of his shirt.Â
"I think you'd love Garcia after the infinitial terror."Â
"I think I would too. She's good to you, after all. Makes me like her⊠Maybe one day we can all go out for drinks."Â
You don't have to be a profiler to feel the way he tenses.Â
"Yeah," he says. It sounds very much like Probably not.Â
That's a strumming hurt. Aaron is so nice, so so nice, and he treats you like you're gold dust. He does all the movie boyfriend stuff like flowers, silver earrings on your birthday (with tiny diamonds!), dinner reservations at dauntingly fancy restaurants. And he does stuff you didn't know men did, like calling you near every night to make sure you had a good day, and praising even your smallest achievements, and leaving notes in places he knows you'll find them on hard days. You don't know how he knows when days are hard, he just does.Â
You'd figured all of this stuff meant he must really like you, might even love you though he's yet to say it, and that's why his lack of enthusiasm stings.Â
Why doesn't he want you to meet his friends? He's obviously very proud of what they do at the BAU. They're not the issue.Â
It's you.Â
You cuddle him as a pit forms in your chest.Â
"You're tired?" he asks.
Funny how it's his comfort you crave when he's the one who's hurt your feelings. You're a little lopsided being upset with him, and you know if you tell him how you feel he'll try to make it up to you, but you're too afraid of the other alternative â a fight. Right now his arms are a sanctity you wouldn't trade for anything. You hope he feels the same.Â
You're not sure anymore.Â
"Yeah," you say roughly.Â
Your eyes burn as he pats your back. "Let's go to bed, honey."Â
You'll just⊠have to prove you're someone worth showing off.Â
â
Your plan, loosely titled 'Get Aaron Hotchner to Show Me Off,' is going about as well as you'd thought it would.Â
If Aaron doesn't want me to meet his friends there must be a reason. You've been thinking about it and it can't be a coincidence that he hadn't wanted you to return his paperwork a few weeks ago. That must've been something significant.Â
But what?Â
You start with your hair. Aaron has expressed a lovely and heaping handful of times that he thinks you have pretty hair. He plays with it often, usually when he's limp and tired from a long day. You've always taken care of it. Now you're going to the extreme â hair masks, hair appointments you can't afford, anything to make it look perfect.Â
It doesn't work toward the plan, though your boyfriend certainly notices.Â
"Your hair," is the very first thing he says when he sees you, stopping only in his smiling assessment to kiss your cheek in greeting.Â
"Is it okay?" you ask, turning your face to one side.Â
"More than okay. Do you want to go in?"Â
So it's kind of a bust. But that's okay, you weren't expecting to get a haircut and magically be invited to team dinners. You persevere, and eventually you forget the plan for the night when Aaron promises to show you how much he likes your new look with a hand at the small of your back.Â
Phase two, your clothes.Â
You dress as nicely as you can but you're no fashion guru and you can't afford an entirely new wardrobe. You get a bunch of magazines and look for fall staples. What's in this year, and how do you style it? You buy a couple of pieces that fit your budget and try to work around them.Â
Aaron's favourite are the new corduroy pants. They aren't a great fit.Â
"They're too tight," you lament, pulling the fabric from your thighs where they hug snugly. They're a desaturated sort of burgundy, not bright by any means but a good 'pop of colour'.Â
"I know," he says.Â
You gawp at him, and when he gets his fingers on the buttons afterward, you break.Â
"You like them?" you ask worriedly.Â
"What makes you think I don't?"Â
"Besides how eager you are to get them off of me?"Â
He hooks two fingers in your belt loops and holds your gaze as he tugs them down. "I like them."Â
A good time, but still no dice. You suppose a new look, besides looking smarter, doesn't actually prove your merit as a girlfriend. Maybe he wants something a little more concrete before he introduces you to people. Maybe things aren't as good for him as they are for you, and he doesn't see the point.Â
That particular thought sparks a wave of panicked tears.Â
The next time you see him, it's like he can tell. You wonder if he has x-ray vision, some sixth sense for tear stains that he has yet to tell you about. He's been gone for a few days in St. Louis, and when he'd come back he'd spent the weekend with Jack, so it's a whole seven days since the last time you saw him and your worries have festered. Not even his doting phone calls had kept the thought at bay.Â
Maybe I'm not a good girlfriend.Â
You open your door and there he is in a quarter zip with an overnight bag, matte suit cover draped over one arm.Â
"Hi," you say, unsure.Â
"Did I get uglier while I was away?" he asks seriously.Â
You startle. "No, of course not."Â
He smiles and meets you in the doorway, your head dipping back to accommodate. "I think I've had it too good," he says lightly, bringing a tentative hand to your cheek. "Are you okay?"Â
You're trying to work out what he means, and when you do your heart skips. "Handsome!" you say urgently. "Hi, handsome. No, you didn't get uglier, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, and-"Â
He kisses you. It's malaligned because of your parted lips, but it's good. You'd really missed him.Â
"You're definitely still handsome," you murmur.Â
"Doesn't count. I begged for it-"Â
"No!" you deny, lifting on tiptoes to give him another kiss and stop his slander. "It does count because you're always handsome, I promise. I think I slept too much and miswired my brain when I woke up."Â
"I don't mind that you didn't call me handsome," he says firmly, "now let me in. We have dinner to make."Â
"Right, sorry."
Aaron frowns at you, then. It's weird. He frowns at his phone, at the TV, at nothing, but he doesn't frown at you.Â
"Is something wrong?" he asks as you traverse down the hall. You hold your hands out for his suit and bag to take to your room and hang up, ignoring his question. He doesn't give them to you. "Is there?"Â
"No." You smile as you say it.Â
You're an awful liar, especially with him. He makes you more nervous than anyone because he's your boyfriend and because he's a literal human lie detector.Â
"You didn't even try."Â
You cover your face with both hands and groan dramatically, spinning around and away from him. You don't want him to see how flustered you are.Â
"Don't make fun," you beg.Â
"You're embarrassed."Â
"Teach you that at the Bureau, do they?"Â Â
You stop in the doorway of the kitchen, distracted by your own racing thoughts when suddenly there are two long arms needling around your waist and pulling you backward. You gasp a laugh and squirm uselessly to escape.Â
"I'm sorry," he says quietly.Â
You tip your head back, hands falling from your face in surprise. "What for, handsome?"Â
His laugh fans out over your face but when he speaks again there's no humour there, only sincerity, "For being gone so long."Â
"Well don't be. You can't exactly help it, Agent Hotchner," you hum.Â
"Oh, don't."Â
"Going out and saving the world takes time. I knew that when I met you, 'n I know it now. You don't have to say sorry."Â
"I'm not apologising for my work. I'm apologising that we've," â his nose presses into the highest point of your cheek â "been apart."Â
"I did miss you," you relent.Â
He presses his lips to your cheek. "I missed you too."Â
It's a nice distraction. You'd missed one another, and now you're together. You forget for a while what you'd worried, and only when he leaves again do you remember.Â
Maybe I'm not a good girlfriend.Â
You're not stupid enough to think Hotch is using you for anything, or that he's insincere. You're level-headed, though. His affection for you isn't necessarily permanent no matter how genuine.Â
You don't want to be overbearing. The offers start slow.Â
I can wash that for you. Of course I'm sure, I'm great with whites.Â
Maybe I could make you lunch tomorrow. You can take it in, spare yourself the federal cafeteria.Â
Yeah, I got them shined for you. They were looking a little dull at the toes.Â
"Do you want me to press these?" you ask.Â
Aaron looks up from where he's sitting in bed. You'd been out on a foray to the bathroom and have come to a stop by his bedroom door where a pair of black slacks hang in wait for the morning.Â
He pushes a darling pair of reading glasses up the bridge of his nose. "No."Â
"Are you sure? It won't take five minutes."Â
"I'll do it in the morning."Â
"I can do it for you, then. Just wake me up," you say, pushing back the sheets on the empty side of his bed. Your socked foot bumps his thigh as you pull up your legs. "What are you reading?"Â
He puts his book on the nightstand, takes off his glasses. It's too bad. He really suits them.
"I want to talk to you about something."Â
You laugh and slide down onto the flat of your back.Â
"What?" he asks, confused, the tiniest hint of amusement in his eyes.Â
"It's unlike you to start that way. You always cut around the fat." You bring his bed sheets up to your nose and squint at him. "'M I in trouble?"Â
"Depends."Â
"On what?"Â
"You know I care about you."Â
Your heart somersaults. That feels very much like a break-up opener, and he must see your anxiety on your face. He wrangles your hand from under the sheets and leans over you, his face in your eyeline, his fingers massaging yours until they ache in the good way.Â
"Do you know how much?" he asks.Â
"Is that a trick?"Â
"No."Â
You wait in case there's something he's going to add. When there's nothing, you pull the sheets to your chin and tamp down your perplexed pouting.Â
"Yeah, I know how much."Â
"I'd like to tell you how much." He pulls your joined hands toward his jaw. "I know I'm not always here, but I'm always thinking of you. In roundabout ways."Â
"What ways?" you ask. Self-indulgence.
Aaron Hotchner indulges you.Â
"I see," â he kisses your hand â "trees. I've seen a thousand trees, but when I see the bigger ones I wish you could see them too."Â
It's a dropping sensation, near uncomfortable, that's how gutted his confession makes you feel. "You do?"Â
"Sometimes women walk past me and I swear that it's you because they smell like your perfume. Flowers growing through cracks in the sidewalk. Lights through the jet window." It's the kind of stuff you like to point out to him when you're together.Â
He stares at you, a long, reassuring look.Â
He deserves a better reply, but all you can say is, "I think of you all the time, too."Â
"I love that you want to take care of me, but you don't need to wear yourself out."Â
You bite the inside of your bottom lip. So that's what this is about. Aaron has profiled you, and now he's being the gentleman that he is and assuaging your fears.Â
"I'm not," you say quickly.Â
He understands that you're saying I'm not wearing myself out rather than I'm not taking care of you. You are taking care of him, the best that you can, the best that he'll allow.Â
"I can press my own pants," he says, leaning down for a kiss. "I can shine my own shoes." He kisses you again. You screw your eyes closed as the warmth of his breath heats your cupid's bow. "I can do my own laundry." He pulls back, dropping your hand in favour of your neck. His thumb pushes against your windpipe gently, palm hot over your skin. "I'll accept the lunches, if you're sure you don't mind making them."Â
You feel as excited as you did the very first time he touched you, chest full of a dizzying pleasure, heart bump-bump-bumping a racing rhythm. His thumb strokes a lazy quarter circle into your neck. He can probably feel your pulse, see the way your eyes have blown.Â
"I love making them," you say, breathless in earnest.
"The team think I'm spoiled."Â
"You aren't spoiled." You're adored, you want to say. You cup his cheek instead. "You'd be spoiled if I brought them by everyday."Â
Aaron doesn't stay with you and you don't stay with him enough to make him lunch everyday. He might get one or two a week, and that's when he's home.Â
"Wouldn't that be nice," he mutters, his fingers pushing between your neck and the pillow underneath.Â
You hike up on to your elbows slowly to avoid headbutting him. "Well, I could."Â
His easy, loving smile flattens. "No."Â
"I wouldn't mind. My lunch break is super long and it only takes me ten minutes to get there. We could have lunch together."Â
"That's not going to work."Â
"Okay." You wish you could take it as calmly as he says it. You sound choked up. You are choked up.Â
"Sweetheart, the office is a war zone. Half the time I'm not there."Â
"I get it," you say, dropping flat onto your back again.Â
"Sweetheart."Â
"Handsome," you mirror, putting on your best unaffected smile.Â
You can't hold it very long, his concerned brows too much to deal with. You turn your head to the left and turn off the lamp on the nightstand, throwing at least half of your expression into darkness.Â
Aaron doesn't give up. Does he ever? He cups your cheek and pulls you back to face him.Â
"I can't promise any lunch dates. But I was thinking we'd go out for dinner next week, Friday," he begins hopefully, "somewhere nice."Â
It feels like an apology and you're desperate to take it.Â
"I don't need somewhere nice, s'long as you're there 'n not in Kansas, or Colorado, or Idaho, or New Jersey-"Â
He hums and drops his head until his nose lies against your own. "Gonna go through all fifty?"Â
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Hotchner?"Â
"I love your voice," he says agreeably.Â
Disarmed, you let him charm you, and you let him push it all out of your mind. Plan foiled, your fears fall on the backburner for a third time.Â
â
His fourth rejection is the first that feels entirely intentional, though you won't know until later.Â
Mostly because Aaron pushes you.Â
Far from cruel, the two of you are actually out walking in the city when he forces you into an alleyway, your fancy drink sloshing down the front of your sweater.Â
You laugh in surprise and almost roll your ankle, hands clinging to his coat to stop an unfortunate fall.Â
"Holy shit, Hotchner, learn to be a gentleman," you say as he presses up against you. "What are you doing? I'm soaked, you're gonna ruin your sleeves."Â
He kisses you hard. It's a surprise, your head jumping back against the wall to find his hand already there to protect it.Â
It's worth noting that Aaron is a sweetheart in practically every aspect of life. He once apologised after having walked in on you changing, which is ridiculous because most of the nights where you're together he insists on getting you some sort of undressed (even if it's just to help you into your pyjamas).
Needless to say, he's never kissed you like this. Your emotions spike so suddenly you laugh into his mouth, a girlish peel of giggles that you'll regret afterward but can't stop for the life of you.Â
He shushes you. "Sorry," he whispers, as ill-composed as you've ever heard him. "Sorry, just-" He cuts you both off with another bruising kiss.Â
Your laughter fades into sighs and little gasps for air. Somewhere near the alleyway opening a group of people pass by, a jovial series of cheers and friendly laughter trailing behind them. Aaron presses you further into the wall behind, and slowly, slowly winds down. Weirdly, you think his last couple of pecks feel sorry, softer and sweeter.Â
Your lips buzz.Â
"Why'd you buy me that fancy drink if you were gonna tip it all over me?" you ask good-naturedly when he finally pulls back.Â
"You looked too nice today." His deadpan voice wars with the smile on his face. "I'm sorry. We'll go find you something to change into."Â
"Was it really that important that you kiss me right then?" you ask, feigning disdain.Â
He looks out toward the main street again. "Yes. Where do you want to go? There's a Nordstrom."Â
You take a sip of your drink, unsurprised when he takes your hand and starts to lead you toward the department stores. "Have you ever been inside of a Nordstrom?"Â
"I'm sure I'll figure it out."
âÂ
The fifth time is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Or the brick. It feels heavier than a strand of straw. It's technically already come to pass, so it's an invisible brick.Â
You're out for coffee by yourself which really means you're out for something sweet, bundled up in a coat and scarf to fight the night-time chill.Â
"Thank you," you tell the barista, accepting your drink and receipt with a smile.Â
You turn around and almost walk straight into a pretty dark-haired woman with really nice hair. You make a note to tell Aaron about it when you see him next, not because he'll care but because he likes to hear what you've been thinking about. And right now, all you can think about is her feathered bangs.Â
I want nice bangs, you think offhandedly.Â
"I'm sorry," you say, trying to move around her.Â
She steps into your path.Â
"Sorry," you say again.Â
She's squinting at you, thin eyebrows peeking out from behind her hair. "Sorry, have we met?" she asks.Â
You try not to be too hasty, but you're not sure you've ever seen her. You stare at her as she stares at you, and you get a tiny inkling of familiarity, but it's gone as quick as it comes.Â
"I'm really sorry, I don't think so," you murmur, tilting your head to one side.Â
She bites her lip, let's it go. "Oh!" she says excitedly, voice bright with triumph. "Oh oh oh! I know who you are, you're Hotch's mysterious girlfriend!"Â
Your smile turns quizzical. You know nearly everybody calls Aaron 'Hotch'. Whenever you try it he either gives you the silent treatment or covers your mouth with his hand.Â
"I'm Emily Prentiss, I work in the BAU," she explains rapidly, shoving her purse under her hand to offer it for a handshake.Â
You do the same and shake her hand. Introducing yourself feels awkward. She knows you. You don't have a clue who she is. Only-Â
"Oh, I know who you are now, I'm sorry I didn't recognise you before!" you say contritely. "I've seen photos of you and the team together. It's really nice to meet you."Â
She nods. "It's nice to meet you too. I have to say, we've been dying to meet you. We even have a betting pool on what you're like, because Hotch barely says a thing about you."Â
You try not to look as devastated as you feel, re-wrapping your fingers around your cup. "No?"Â
"We didn't even know what you looked like until we saw you the other day. We came looking to say hi and you'd disappeared."Â
You lick your dry lips. "The other day?"Â
"Yeah, last Friday. We were out for impromptu drinks, celebrating a case. You know, you should come with sometime. It would be fun."Â
Emily talks each word with an undertone of good humour. She's stunning, bubbly, and her hair flows around her face with every movement.Â
"He really doesn't talk about me?"Â
Emily drops into girl code niceties, backtracking. "I mean, not too often. We catch him smiling at his phone and hear your voice sometimes when you call. He seems happy. Well, happy as Hotch can seem." She swallows. "He's a private creature."
He doesn't talk about me.Â
You pretend to check your watch.Â
"It was really good to meet you," you say, voice airy with a feigned nonchalance.Â
"Yeah, of course. Super nice," Emily says.Â
You smile at her. It's more like a grimace. By the time you're outside of the coffee shop you're too upset to care, a humiliated shock of tears brewing behind your achy eyes.Â
You hold your cup to your chest and unzip your purse to tuck the receipt inside, trying to maintain some control. There's a folded note inside, thick cardstock quartered.Â
You take it out. Your fingers tremble with offended adrenaline.Â
You're beautiful.Â
Short, sweet, extremely Aaron Hotchner. Too bad you can't believe it.Â
Emily Prentiss being out and about means the BAU are done for the night, though whether your workaholic boyfriend got the memo is anyone's best guess. You're not sure if it's better or worse if he's in work when you call. You're so upset that you can't help yourself.Â
"Hi, honey."Â
"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" you ask, staving off tears with all your willpower.Â
"I wouldn't write it if I didn't mean it. That one took you a while to find, I was-"Â
"Are you sure?"Â
"...Are you okay?"Â
You glare up at the dark sky rather than answer, blinking hard to force down your tears. You really don't wanna cry, but it's been a bad day and meeting Emily has made it worse. No matter how hard you try to think otherwise, all signs point to Aaron being ashamed of you. Embarrassed to be with you. He's hiding your relationship from everybody.Â
"Am I- Is it my clothes? My job?"Â
"What's wrong with your clothes?"Â
"You tell me, detective."Â
You're getting angry. He's- he's lying, or he's messing with you. He's making fun of you. At least that's how it feels.Â
"Where are you right now?" he asks. You can picture him shrugging on his suit jacket, putting his files in order to come and meet you.Â
You don't want to see him. "I'm at the coffee shop by your apartment. I actually ran into somebody, and I'm feeling very well-informed." A first tear bumps down your cheek. You ignore it.Â
"I don't understand."Â
"I don't understand! What am I doing wrong?" You bite your tongue in last ditch efforts to remain intact, but the tears won't hold off any longer. You swallow a sob. "What's wrong with me?"Â
"Nothing. Nothing, honey, nothing is wrong with you."Â
You wipe your wet face with mean hands.Â
"Stay where you are. I'll come and meet you."Â
"No. I don't wanna see you."Â
"Honey-"Â
"Leave me alone, Aaron."Â
You hang up. You walk for a while, feeling as though steam is rising off of your flushed skin with every clumsy step. It had been a short phone call and already you can't remember what you said, all you can feel is angry, and then that runs out and all you can do is cry.Â
You've never felt incredibly attractive. Aaron makes you feel better than that â he has the uncanny ability to inspire self-confidence with a loaded look alone. He can smile at you and your skin feels like it's glowing.Â
So why doesn't that translate? If he thinks you're so pretty, why does he insist on hiding you away?
Because that day, he'd seen his friends. He could've introduced you but he took you down the alley and kissed you so you wouldn't be seen. That's not too busy: That's secretive.Â
That kiss. You fooled yourself into thinking you must've looked irresistible. Fuck. You went home that night thinking you were the best thing since sliced bread.Â
"I'm so stupid," you mutter, sniffling.Â
Your self deprecation is muffled by the sound of a slowing car. You don't look up. There are two possibilities for who it is, and you don't want to deal with either.Â
The car parks and then you do look up. Despite how mad you are you're not suicidal, and Aaron's given you extensive coaching on sex trafficking.Â
It's him. Shocker.Â
You're half-expecting him to reprimand you. You didn't look up until I parked. You know it takes five seconds to snatch and incapacitate someone?Â
He looks haphazardly put together. Suit jacket on but tie loosened, he rounds the hood of his car and joins you on the sidewalk. You don't want to play games with him. He really doesn't need it, he didn't sign up for it, and drama isn't your style, but you're sick of this.Â
"You want to tell me what you're thinking?" he asks, standing an amicable two feet away, hands at his hips.
"I'm really mad."Â
"What else?"Â
"I'm thinking," you say, looking down at your cold hands, "that you⊠That you'reâŠ" You rub your cheek into your shoulder to hide a fresh tear. "I don't know, Aaron. I'm thinking lots of things."Â
"Do you want to think about them in the car?" he asks.Â
Do you want to talk about it?
You don't want to talk about it. You don't like crying in front of him on a good day.Â
You're pretty sure he'll combust on the spot if he knows you're walking home alone in the dark and distracted.Â
You get in the car. He has the good sense not to touch your shoulders like he normally would.Â
You buckle as soon as you've closed the passenger side door. "I'm sorry," you mumble, looking down at your knees.Â
"Let's forget that, for now." He turns the key but doesn't pull out. "Tell me what's upset you and I'll explain."Â
"I met Emily Prentiss."Â
He looks at you out of the corner of his eye.
"She told me that you don't talk about me. Ever. That they didn't even know what I looked like."Â
You know he's listening but he keeps his eyes on the road, and you chance a look at the side of his face. He doesn't seem mad.Â
"I don't talk about you often," he says. "But that doesn't mean never⊠It's true that they didn't know what you look like."Â
"Until last week, when they saw us together and you pulled me into an alley so they couldn't see me."Â
"Yes."Â
Your lower lip trembles. "Do you see why that would upset me?" You're asking genuinely.Â
"Yeah, honey."Â
Your head jolts up. He's diverting his gaze from the road to you intermittently, offering up a regretful grimace. The oncoming headlights splash over his work worn face.Â
"Then why are you doing this? What's so wrong with me that you won't even admit we're together?"Â
"Nothing is wrong with you. I'm not ashamed of you," he says firmly, volume rising.Â
"Then why?"Â
His eyebrows pull together. "You're the best person I've ever met that isn't my son, and I selfishly don't want to share you yet. I also don't want to scare you off."Â
You pull your sleeves over your hands and turn in your seat, wiping your damp cheeks as he continues.Â
"My job is hard, and it's dangerous. It has jeopardised the safety and wellbeing of people I love before. So no, I'm not eager to introduce you to my world. The more intertwined with my life that you become, the more danger I put you in, andâŠ" The car slows down again. He turns to look at you. "And I like that I'm the only one who knows you like this.
"I have been hiding you. I have. But it was a," â his tone turns wry â "misguided attempt at keeping you all to myself. Safe, and to myself."Â
You're finding it difficult to be mad with him.Â
He's finding it difficult to maintain his poker face. A fat tear rolls down your cheek and you're not sure what it's made of, fatigue or relief or plain hurt, whatever it is he doesn't like it. He pulls over.Â
You hold still as he pinches the tear off of your chin.Â
"How long have you felt like this?"Â
"Like what?" you ask wetly.Â
"Like this." He opens his hand against your cheek. It encompasses your face; you lean in, hungry for reassurance.Â
"I don't know."Â
"This is why you changed your hair. Your clothes. And started making my lunch."Â
You cover his hand with your own. "I actually really like making your lunches."Â
You stare at each other until suddenly you're laughing, sniffly, short of breath. Aaron joins in soon after. He always sounds so surprised to be laughing.
"I'm glad," he says when your laughter has abated, pinky and ring finger caressing down the slope of your cheek. "I really like having them. Rossi can't hide how jealous he is."Â
"They know about the lunches?"Â
His mindless petting pauses. "They know about the lunches. You're not a secret. I'm⊠selfish with the details. I'm selfish." Aaron takes back his hand. "I'm sorry."Â
You take as deep a breath as you can. "Okay."Â
"Yeah?"Â
"Mm. Can we go home?"Â
His eyebrows jump and swiftly smooth again. "Yeah, we can go home." He chucks your chin and gets the car moving again.Â
You watch him drive.Â
When you get home, he doesn't mind reassuring you some more. Actually, it's like he needs to do it. You'd love to say that it's overkill and that his low murmurings of praise are unnecessary, but you can't.Â
"You're lovely," he says seriously across two plates of pasta. Again through the mirror when you're brushing your teeth, and again when you've curled into his chest for the night. You're lovely. Nothing that needs hiding.Â
You hear him on the phone early in the morning, half asleep.Â
"Hey, Dave. Yeah. Okay. Uh⊠No, that's fine." He laughs under his breath. "Yeah, if she was awake I'd ask her to make you one. I think she would⊠Okay. See you in forty."Â
You bury your tired face into his pillows and beam.Â
â
+1Â
Aaron's office is terrifyingly hectic. You can see already that the bullpen is full to bursting with agents, including but not limited to his special team of profilers. There's the distinct smell of coffee, sharp and burning, and then the underlay of printer ink, new paper.Â
You can't believe you're here.Â
You're not brave enough to introduce yourself to his team, and half aren't at their desks anyways. You hover in the doorway until somebody needs to get past you, taking a reluctant step inside.
You shouldn't wait for Aaron. You should be brave. You're a grown up, and you're bringing your grown up partner his very grown up lunch. You'd wanted desperately to do this. The least that you can do is do it by yourself.Â
You've scrapped most of the fall staples but kept the burgundy pants Aaron likes so much at his request. They feel insanely tight on your thighs, as does your collar. In fact, the room has definitely shrunk since you got here.Â
Like an idiot, Aaron says your name loud and clear, standing with a hand on the railings at the top of the instep. You hadn't even noticed him emerging from his office.
His voice demands â commands â attention. People turn in their seats, first toward him, and then toward you.Â
All eyes on me.Â
You don't run but you don't walk either, weaving through desk chairs and people looking a mix of busy and curious.
"You're being cruel," you say as you approach him, a brown paper bag held close to your abdomen.Â
"Hi, honey," he says. He wears a knowing smile, all dark and tall and handsome as he starts down the stairs to meet you.Â
"Don't punish me."Â
"Is that what you'd call this?" he asks, hand quick to clasp your shoulder, glueing you in place so he can kiss your forehead.
And yes, this is what you'd wanted. The doting boyfriend not just at home but at work, too.
That doesn't mean it isn't really, really embarrassing.Â
"Is everyone looking at me?" you murmur.Â
He slips his arm behind your shoulders to walk you up the stairs. "Yes." His voice drops lower. "At one place specifically, I imagine."Â
"What part is that, Agent?"Â
He laughs and opens his office door to beckon you inside. "Don't start."Â
àŒșàŒ»
my first hotch fic omg. i did a big character study beforehand but i doubt it's entirely in character, hotch is a difficult character to write for! (and im only at season 4). but this was so fun and he's hot so it's worth it. if you enjoyed, please consider reblogging! i promise it makes a difference to me (and also i love seeing what people thought). thank you for reading!! â„
Sypnosis: silently suffering an unnecessary heartbreak over Spencerâs âcrushâ on Agent Seaver.
WARNING: little angst. fluff in the end.
A/N: rien <3
âOh my god! You do think sheâs pretty!â Penelope squealed on what surprisingly seemed to be both a whisper and a shout as she walked alongside Spencer.
âI didnât say that. In fact, I didnât say anything.â Spencer defended, clutching the strap of his messenger bag as he held himself back from glancing in your direction. He fought the redness from flowing on his cheeks, averting his eyes at every possible matter except Penelopeâs.Â
Derek immediately turned to you with a pitiful gaze. You gave him a tight-lipped smile, shrugging his concerns off.Â
summary: two months after he embarrassingly got caught ogling at the pretty girl on the train, Spencerâs team begins to suspect something.
pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader
genre: friends to lovers, rated G for mutual pining and second hand embarrassment. no use of (Y/N).
warnings: fluff, boy band spencer reid (caution, hot!), reader wears lipgloss, excessive mentions of Edgar Allen Poe (one of my favourite Gothic authors), not proof read
wc: 3.4k
part one: carriage six
âSo, Iâve been reading Poeâs works,â you begin, your headphones around your neck and you pull out âThe Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poeâ, flipping to âAnnabel Leeâ.Â
Spencer watches as you flick to the page, his heart soaring at the sight of the annotations that litter the page. There are different colours and highlighters across the words and from what he could tell pink talked about language and that was the colour that stood out to him most. You bring the book closer so that he can read your annotations too and his heart stutters in his chest at the close proximity. He can smell the strawberry and honey shampoo in your hair and the heat rises up to his cheeks. Itâs intoxicating.Â
âI really donât think the narrator is a crazy psychopath,â you say, glancing at him. âIt just sounds like heâs really, seriously in love with her which just makes a bunch of people jealous.â
He watches the way you point to a certain line, âBut we loved with a love that was more than loveâ I and my Annabel Lee.âÂ
âDoes that not sound like something you would say when youâre in love?â You ask, swooning a little. âItâs romantic, donât you think? And their love is so brilliant and pure that the angels stole her away from him. I mean, itâs sad, but itâs kind of a picture of how amazing their love is.â
He nods along, his cheeks flushed because thatâs what he thinks when he thinks of you. But heâll never tell you that. How could he even dream of you feeling the same? The idea in itself is just so bizarre that he doesnât even dare to entertain the thought. Not even when itâs late at night and heâs by himself, thinking through every single interaction youâve had with him since he finally talked to you two months ago.Â
âAnd I mean, think about it,â you continue, gesticulating with every word, eyes wide with excitement. âThe last stanza. Heâs still in love with her even after sheâs passed away. How romantic is that?â
âVery romantic,â Spencer agrees, and he wonders if thatâs how he looks when he rambles. âAlright, itâs definitely a love poem.â
He relishes in the way your eyes light up at his acceptance, the way you grin up at him and he wants to make you smile this way every day. His eyes wander to your lips and he swallows thickly. Youâre wearing that lipgloss again, a cool berry tone that makes your lips shine andâ
âSpencer? Are you okay?âÂ
He all but jolts out of his trance and he coughs awkwardly, his cheeks flushed. âYes!â He squeaks, before clearing his throat and repeating the word. âYes. Yes, Iâm okay.â
He watches as an amused smile quirks at your lips as you ask, âare you sure?â
âIâm sure,â he manages to croak, his ears red.Â
He canât even look at you. His eyes turn back to the book youâre holding, reading through the annotations youâve made on the page for the nth time over. This is an example of one of the instances he doesnât want to remember and prays that his stop would miraculously be next.Â
âIâve been reading The Tell-Tale Heart,â you say, bringing him out of his thoughts.
Spencer forces himself to maintain eye contact with you and he manages a small, âreally?â
You laugh and nod. âYep! Itâs really good. Kinda creepy.â
âIt is a little creepy,â he admits, his gaze flicking to your lips again. Heâs kicking himself internally, asking, âwhoâs the creepy one now, weirdo?!â
He figures that youâre either incredibly gracious or incredibly used to it because you donât mention the way his attention wavers.Â
âYou donât seem okay.â
Or so he thought.
âWhatâ umâ what makes you say that?â He asks, clearing his throat.
You shoot him a smile. âYouâre not going on about the text like you usually do.â
He opens his mouth and then shuts it again, his brain short circuiting. He can imagine Derek snickering and Emily commenting her usual, âIQ of 187, slashed to 60â.Â
âSpencer?â You look amused, a smile on his face and a mischievous glimmer in your eye. âAre youââ
âIâ never mind,â you shake your head, continuing to laugh. âBut I do want to hear your thoughts on âThe Tell-Tale Heartâ at some point.â
âTotally!â He jolts, and heâs kicking himself internally for being so eager. âYes. Tomorrow?â
âTomorrow.â
The train lurches to a stop and Spencer gets up from his seat.Â
âBye, Spencer,â you say, smiling brilliantly at him, and it takes every ounce of self control in him to not just grab your face and kiss you.
âBye,â he says, saying your name, before getting off the train.
***Â
Spencer has been acting weird. That is the conclusion Derek has come to as he watches the youngest member of their team enter the bullpen with the widest grin on the planet for the fourth time that week. He watches as Spencer sits down at his desk, looking like a literal teenager, and gets down to work. He has his earphones plugged in, the kind you would get at a dollar store, or the complementary ones you get from airports that never fit your ears right and leave you with headaches because of the horrible audio quality. Derek supposes heâs just listening to Beethoven or Bach or another dead classical musician. But as he passes Spencerâs desk, he hears something that makes him stop in his tracks. Spencer is humming. No, not just humming. Heâs muttering lyrics under his breath. Since when did classical music have lyrics?
âWhat the hellâŠ?â Derek asks under his breath to no one in particular.Â
âYou talking about Reid?â Emily asks, an amused grin on her face. âHeâs acting weird.â
âThank God, I thought I was the only one.â JJ seemingly appears out of nowhere, standing beside them with her arms crossed and a sly smile tugging at her lips.Â
Rossi enters the bullpen, nodding towards Spencer who was sitting at his desk, blissfully unaware. âWe talking about the kid?â
âHeâs been acting weird all week,â Derek insists, his brows furrowing. âWhat do you think it is?â
âMaybe he won a chess tournament,â JJ says with a soft laugh.Â
Emily rolls her eyes at the idea. âPlease, Reidâs probably the winner of every single chess tournament in the state.â
âMaybe his mother is doing better?â Rossi suggests.
âDoesnât explain why heâs listening to, I donât know, not Mozart,â Derek points out.
Thereâs a silence that pulls over the group as they stare at the back of Reidâs head. It isnât long before he turns around to face his coworkers, raising an eyebrow.
â⊠Why are you staring at me?â Spencer asks, giving them all pointed looks.Â
âYouâre acting weird,â Morgan says, cutting straight to the chase. âCare to share with the class?â
Spencer offers them all confused looks. âIâm⊠not acting weird? If anything, you guys are the ones acting weird.â
âOhh, no, donât turn this around on us.â Emily grins, walking over to him. âWhatâs going on?â
âWhatâ guys, what happened to âno profiling each otherâ?â Spencer spluttered, shooting accusatory looks towards his coworkers.
âWeâre just worried, thatâs all,â JJ says with maternal sympathy, but Spencer can tell that sheâs hiding a smile.Â
He groans, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. âIâm fine guys. Iâm not acting âweirdâ or anything.â
âWho are you listening to, Reid?â Rossi asks quickly, nodding towards the ear phones.Â
âWhat?â Spencerâs head snaps up, redness crawling up to his ears.Â
Emily smirks. âYeah Reid. Who are you listening to?â
âNo one,â he answers, avoiding their gaze. âIâm uhâ Iâm going back to work.â
He quickly turns his chair around, busting himself with his files. His co-workers all exchange glances, mischievous grins on their faces.Â
âYou know, I could just ask Garcia to dig into your phone,â Derek says with a shrug. âOr you could tell us yourself.â
Spencer shoots him a light hearted glare. âYou wouldnât.â
âYou donât know that.â
âYou wouldnât.â
***
Spencer thinks heâs going to die of mortification. He spent that entire week downloading all of the released songs by Taylor Swift, dutifully listening to each song and reporting back to you on his opinions. He has since come to a conclusion: Taylor Swift is a lyrical genius. Granted, he doesnât have much experience with other branches of music that involves lyrics, but he figures itâs pretty similar to poetry. Regardless, heâs one hundred percent sure that heâs in for a world of teasing and tasteful jabs towards his sudden shift in music taste.
Heâs also been doing this thing called texting, and he even went as far as getting a new phone and email address just so that he could properly contact you. Heâs been in contact with you for the past eight weeks, going as far as messaging and calling you during break times and hiding in the bathroom to have an ounce of privacy. He feels like a changed person, all because of a tiny handheld device that fits in his back pocket. And you. Mostly you. The worst thing about this entire situation is the fact that Morgan did in fact manage to convince Garcia to snoop into his phone.Â
âAlright, Reid, quit hiding. Whoâs the girl?â Derek demands, slapping a piece of paper onto Spencerâs desk. Itâs a log of calls and downloads. In other words, itâs a log of all the times heâs called the same number and all the Taylor Swift songs heâs downloaded.Â
âGirl? Whatâ what girl?â Spencer asks, playing dumb and willing himself to look Derek in the eye. His mind is spinning. âBlink evenly. Maintain eye contact. Donât stutter. Answer his questions evenly. Play dumb. There is no girl, there is no girl there is noââ
âReid? Reid? Spencer!â Derek snaps his fingers in front of his face, jolting him out of his trance.
âHuh?â Spencer jolts, snapping out of his trance. âWhat?â
Derek snorts at his reaction. âLook, kid. This person calls your cell every day at 12:30, which just so happens to be in two minutes. So, either you tell me and I let you have your fun, or she calls you and sheâll be hearing my voice instead of yours.â
Spencer scoffs, holding his phone firmly in the palm of his hand. âThere is no girl, Morgan.â
âRight.âÂ
âIâm serious!â Spencer says, his voice going up and octave and he cringes internally. Smooth. âThere is no girl.â
âTotally believe you.â
He groans, wiping a hand over his face to calm himself down. Before he could respond, the phone in his hand begins to ring. A smirk tugs at Derekâs lips and he immediately lunges for the phone, eliciting a yelp from Spencer who leaps from his seat.Â
âMorganâ Morgan noââ
âCâmon kid, itâll be a lot easier if you just give in!â
âNo! Nope, nope, Morgan I swear to-â
In seconds, Derek snatches Spencerâs phone out of his hand, a triumphant look on his face. He keeps Spencer at armâs length as he picks up the phone.
âHey Spence!â A voice rings through the phone.
âSorry, sweetheart, not Spencer,â Derek responds, his voice smug.
â⊠thatâs concerning,â The voice responds slowly, cautiously. âWho is this?â
Spencer grabs the phone out of Derekâs hand, running out of the bullpen as quickly as his long legs could carry him, flipping his coworker the finger before he leaves.Â
âHello?â He asks into the phone. âIâm so sorry, that was Derek, my co-worker.â
âOh, the bald one!â You say quickly, recalling his name from the photos Spencer had shown you beforehand. âI thought it was like⊠a bad guy or something.â
He laughs softly into the phone, his cheeks warm and wearing a smile that could split his face in two. âDonât worry, heâs not a bad guy. A pain in the ass, maybe, but not a bad guy.â
He hears you chuckle from the other side of the line. âYeah, he seems like a nice person. Your entire team sounds really cool.â
âMaybe you could meet them at some point,â Spencer says quietly, his heart thundering in his chest. âI mean, they kind of already know you exist.â
âThat would be fun,â You muse, and he hears the soft ruffling of cling wrap in the background.
âLunch?âÂ
He hears you hum in response, and he canât help but chuckle. Thereâs a silence for a few seconds, and he assumes you were eating, before your voice picks up again.
âIâd love to meet your team at some point, Spence. They seem like really amazing people.âÂ
He canât help but smile, running his fingers through his hair. âYeah. They are. Youâd love them, and Iâm sure theyâd love you just as much.â
Before long, lunch break is over and Spencer begrudgingly hangs up and returns to the bullpen, his team all wearing frustratingly smug faces. He rolls his eyes, not paying them any kind as he returns to his desk. He ignores the very blatant whistle Derek does in his direction and the snort Emily fails to hide.
âSoâŠâ JJ begins, dragging her words out. âYouâve got a girlfriend?â
Spencer chokes on air and bites his tongue, grimacing at the taste of blood. âI do not have a girlfriend.â Itâs not a lie.
âBut you want her to be,â Emily says, smirking.Â
âNo! Yes. I donât know, maybe?â Spencer feels like a teenage boy being lectured by his parents. Not that he knows what that feels like.
âAlright, well, have you asked her on a date?â Derek asks as he raises an eyebrow.
Spencer coughs, reaching for his mug of stale coffee. Thatâs all he needs to do to answer Derekâs question, because in moments Derek is screaming in his ear.Â
âWhy havenât you asked her out yet?!â
âWe talk loads of times,â Spencer insists, hiding behind his disgustingly old coffee. âWe just never⊠weâre just friends.â
Rossi bites back a chuckle. âYes, because friends call each other every day during their lunch breaks.â
Spencer feels his face grow impossibly hotter and he chugs the last of his coffee. He cringes before turning his attention back to his files in an attempt to calm himself down. It doesnât work.
âHow did you meet her?â JJ asks, gentler this time.Â
Spencer flushes and plays with his watch. âOn the train.â
âThatâs very you,â she laughs, ruffling his hair. âShe seems really nice, Spencer.â
He preens at the compliment, his mind drifting to your pretty hair and glossy lips. He sports a grin and he nods. âSheâs really, really nice.â
***Â
Spencer sits next to you on the train as usual. His cheeks are flushed and his hair is combed to be a little neater, only for his efforts to be destroyed when a strong gust of wind hits his face the moment he left his apartment. He reminds himself to put a comb into his bag after work. Youâre talking about another one of Poeâs works, this time âThe Ravenâ, another love poem. Your eyes are bright with excitement as you go on and on about the writing style and whatever else.Â
Spencer is far from religious but your existence alone is enough to have him thanking the heavenâs that he is alive. He canât help but smile every time you do, his gaze perpetually on your lips. He feels a little guilty about it, about how he canât even control himself when heâs around you but youâre just so beautiful that he canât help himself. He feels even guiltier when he realises he hasnât processed a word youâve said.Â
â... and thatâs why I think Edgar Allen Poe is really just a huge softie who wants to be loved,â you finish, snapping the book closed. âWhat do you think, Doctor Genius?â
âTotally,â Spencer agrees quickly, almost biting his tongue. âAbsolutely.â
You laugh and Spencer thinks heâs going to faint.Â
âWhere are you up to in your Taylor Swift project?â You ask teasingly, nudging his arm. If it were anyone else, Spencer would have grimaced and shrugged them off but you arenât just âanyoneâ. Youâre the most amazing person in the world.Â
âIâm up to 1989 track 9, Wildest Dreams,â Spencer recites, pulling out his notebook from his inner jacket pocket. Itâs a small leatherbound notebook that heâs been writing all his thoughts in regards to the Taylor Swift songs, all in chronological order. Heâs actually quite proud of it as he flicks to the latest page. âI really like this one. I did some research and I found out that the bass sound in the background is actually her heartbeat. Thatâs pretty interesting.â
You almost scream in excitement, leaning closer to him to read his notes. âI love this song! Itâs my favourite Taylor Swift song ever and itâs just so pretty, you know?â
He nods in agreement, his cheeks flushed at the close proximity and he finds that he can no longer feel his tongue. He should get that checked out.Â
âIt reminds me of you sometimes,â you say, completely unabashed. Spencer thinks youâre trying to kill him.Â
âWhat?â He asks meekly, recalling every lyric from the song.Â
You freeze, flustered and you pull away from him. Spencer frowns at the sudden space but he watches as you stammer and stumble over your words.
âI just meantâ you know, itâs a good song! Thatâs all.â You laugh anxiously, fiddling with the book in your hand. âNever mind, just ignore me. Tell me more about what you like about the song.â
In an almost uncharacteristic bout of confidence, Spencer reaches out to take your hand in his. At first, he thought his head was going to explode. It felt heavy and light all at the same time and he was almost about to pull his hand away when you squeezed his fingers. Just like that, all doubts are gone. Youâre smiling at him and Spencer knows that he would do absolutely anything to make sure to keep it there.Â
When the train lurches to a stop at Quantico, Spencer doesnât make any effort to move. Heâs grinning ear-to-ear, intertwining your fingers with his.Â
âIsnât this your stop?â You ask gently, loosening your hold on his hand.Â
He shrugs, holding onto your hand tighter. âIâm always early. I can be late for once.â
Besides, he thinks to himself, inching closer to you, this is so worth it.
Pride bubbles in his heart when he hears you laugh again and his smile grows impossibly wider.Â
âWeâre almost at my stop,â you say, rubbing your thumb against the back of his hand. âWe should go out. You know, instead of just meeting on the train.â
Spencer nods immediately at the suggestion. âIâd like that. Are you free on Saturday?â
âIâm definitely free on Saturday,â you respond, squeezing his hand again.Â
Spencer sits there with you until you make it to your stop. The corners of his eyes are crinkled and he feels happy, so goddamn happy, and he wonders how heâs lived without you. Before you get off the train, he calls your name. He relishes in the way you turn around, the confusion palpable in your eyes.Â
âYeah?â
He takes a step closer to you, his face in front of yours. His heartbeat is in his ears but at the same time he feels an incredibly ironic sense of calm. In seconds, he presses his lips to yours in a short kiss. He grins at you as you stumble out of the train dazed, waving goodbye. From the window he could see you press your cold hands to your cheeks before reaching for your phone.Â
The smile that grows on his face when he sees your face light up his phone is embarrassing. Itâs goofy and silly and he is so grateful that the carriage is empty.Â
âHello?âÂ
âYou cannotââ your voice comes through the speaker and he grins againâ âyou cannot just kiss me randomly and then leave.â
âTechnically the train left, not me,â Spencer says with a small laugh.
Youâre quiet on the other end before replying, âWe need a re-do on Saturday.â
can i request a lil something for hotch about that one trend on tiktok âcalling my bf my husband to see his reactionâ thxx!
pairing: aaron hotchner x fem!reader
genre: fluff, established relationship
warnings: talks about marriage + commitment
a/n: thank you for requesting lovely <3
wc: 650
Aaronâs confusion is palpable when he watches you prop your phone up by the corner of the car so that the front camera faces the both of you. Heâs well aware of how you make videos of yourself to post on the internet â itâs actually how Penelope set the two of you up â but heâs never really been in any of the videos youâve posted. The two of you are just going on a fast food trip and as soon as you step into the car, he finds himself incredibly underdressed. Granted, you always look lovely, but you still look far too overdressed to go to a drive-through.Â
âAre we going somewhere after this?â He asks slowly, his eyes raking over your figure and the way you fix up your hair.Â
âNo, honey, I just wanted to dress up.â You smile at him, leaning over the console to kiss his cheek.Â
He frowns, a stark contrast to the brilliant blush on his cheeks and the redness of his ears. âThis seems like a plot.â
âNo plot,â you laugh again and turn to your camera. âGuys, my husband thinks that Iâm plotting something. Can you believe that?â
Aaronâs brain short circuits as soon as the words register. His fingers go lax on the steering wheel and his jaw unhinges. Heâs staring at you like youâve got three heads and his blush travels all the way down his chest. He likes the sound of that. An entire lifetime with you flashes before his eyes and all of a sudden thereâs a ridiculously wide smile on his face and his eyes are crinkled at the corners.
âYouâre beautiful.â
Youâre giggling. A hand over your mouth and your eyes have lit up with mirth. He spares a glance at the camera and he manages a small groan, covering his face with one hand in an effort to shield his reputation. Youâre still laughing quietly, although your own cheeks are hot from his breathless compliments.Â
âWas this all just for a video?â Aaron asks, moving his free hand to your knee and squeezing. âSweetheart, thatâs cruel.â
âNo, it isnât! Itâs just a silly video, Aaron, itâs not cruel,â You say through a smile, and you stop recording and pocket the phone. âYou reacted really nicely though, Iâm sure the video will do well.â
âDo other people not react well?â He asks, concerned. He doesnât really want to think about how other boyfriends react to their significant other calling them âhusbandâ, especially when he canât imagine ever having a life without you in it.Â
You shrug as you respond, âone guy didnât let his girlfriend finish her sentence before he was yelling that he âisnât her husbandâ. Which is true, but he responded really quickly and really seriously that it didnât seem like a joke. I donât know how they are in real life though, so it could have been staged.â
His concern turns into one of mortification, mainly for the couple. âI donât understand how someone could get into a relationship and have no end in mind.â
That alone is enough to have you swooning, and he leans over to kiss your forehead. Youâre beaming at him, almost slyly, and he brushes your hair out of your face.Â
âWe should go somewhere nice,â He decides, sitting back in his seat. He puts the car into drive. âYouâre too pretty to go to a drive-through.â
Youâre laughing again as he starts driving in the direction of your favourite Italian place, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh. You donât know about the velvet ring box hidden underneath the driversâ seat.Â
Two weeks later, the video you recorded garnishes a whopping 23.6 million views, pinned beside another with a ring as the thumbnail. That video has a terrifying 43.9 million views, and Aaron is not spared any teasing.Â
pairing: pre-seasons!spencer reid x sunshine!fem!reader
genre: fluff, roommate au
warnings: spencer and reader are roommates !!! reader wears Miss Dior.
a/n: so very sorry for not posting in so long! got busy with extracurriculars and uni started up again :( big thank you to @januaryembrs and @hotchfiles for reading through this first !!
wc: 1.04k
Spencer officially joins the BAU late July once he completed his time at the FBI academy. It wasnât necessarily fair for the other agents who hoped and prayed that they would be the lucky someone who would get to join the extremely elusive Behavioural Analysis Unit upon graduation, especially because he was the one who was chosen by name by the esteemed Jason Gideon. It also wasnât necessarily fair to get home after four long egregious months of constant movement and firearm training to his roommate.
âYouâre home!âÂ
He grimaces a little bit, dropping his heavy suitcases and bags at the doorway with a heavy sigh. âIâm exhausted.â
âIâd bet! Youâve got more things than you left with!â Youâre beaming, taking his new FBI registered duffle bag out of his hands and into the living room. âYour hair is so long now.â
âI feel like a wet dog,â he grumbles, pushing the strands out of his face. âWere you okay with rent? Iâll pay you back and everythingââ
You laugh, shaking your head and pulling him to sit on the couch by the wrists. âItâs okay, Spence, relax. One of my friends needed a temporary place to stay, so I really only needed to pay a couple weeks of rent by myself. Youâre probably starving, arenât you? Iâve got pizza on the way.â
His cheeks burn at the contact, his throat going dry and his head almost as if itâs about to explode. âYeah.â
âYeah,â you repeat, beaming. Your fingers tug at the FBI windbreaker heâs sportingâ big on his shoulders and long at the hips. âThis is new. You went shopping without me?â
âGideon insisted I get more FBI uniform,â he explains hurriedly, âhe said itâd made me feel more âofficialâ. They didnât have any more in my size.â
âItâs cute! Give us a spin, Walter.âÂ
He does it half-begrudgingly, rising from the couch pillows and doing an awkward spin. He used to be used to it, before he went away for four months to train at the academy. Heâll need to get re-used to it, he supposes.Â
âYou look very official,â you say with genuinity, grinning ear to ear. âGot anything else?â
His nose scrunches in distaste as he sits back down. âThereâs meant to be more?â
âThe uniform isnât just a jacket, is it?â You ask with furrowed brows. âThe bag is a nice touch, though.â
âThey said that I should get the polo, but I donât think Iâd ever wear it,â he explains, going through his things. Theyâd all need a good wash, he decides, throwing his clothes onto the floor. âThere isnât a uniform policy at the BAU, though. Just to be clean and tidy.â
âYouâre already a pro at that, arenât you, Walter?âÂ
His cheeks glow at your jest and he kicks at the pile of clothes at his feet. âYou donât think Iâm weird, do you?â
âWeird for⊠being clean and tidy?â You blink, poking at his shoulder. âIf thatâs what weird is, then I hope there are a lot of other guys who are weird.â
âThatâs an oxymoron.â
âExactly.â He catches your smile as you speak. âItâs not a bad thing to be different. You know that, donât you?â
âIn theory,â he responds vaguely.
You huff, âYou ought to remember it with that big brain of yours.â
âThereâs no significant correlation between brain size and intelligence,â Spencer reminds you again, shrugging his jacket off. âYou should remember that, too.â
***Â
Itâs an incredibly cold November morning, just a couple of days after Halloween, and Spencer has been tearing up and down the apartment in search of his windbreaker. The team are set for Alaska this time around, and though his sweaters and wool socks provide some warmth, it was nothing compared to the inner pockets of his FBI assigned windbreaker that hold heat warmers.Â
âHave you seen it?â He asks hurriedly, rushing through the living room. âI need to leave in three minutes or Iâll miss my trainââ
âSeen what?â You ask, frowning as you fill his travel mug with hot coffee and sugar. âWhat are you looking for?â
âMy jacket,â he explains halfheartedly. âYou know the one.â
You let out a breath of a laugh, moving to the bathroom and pulling it off the hook. âSpencer?â
He visibly relaxes, taking it from your hands with a hint of embarrassment. âOh.â
âYou let me borrow it after you picked me up from the Halloween party, donât you remember?â The corners of your lips quirk upwards in jest as his expression shifts into that of realisation. âI put it behind the door so that you could find it easier. Not that it helped, clearly.â
âSorry,â he mumbles, cheeks pink in the light. âThank you. See you later.â
âSee you later,â you agree, and heâs already out the door, his jacket and travel mug in tow.
***Â
âGood morning,â JJ says, her bright blue eyes drowsy with sleep despite her greeting. âAre you guys ready to go?â
Spencer nods, zipping up the windbreaker and snapping the buttons together. Even in Virginia itâs still freezing. He doesnât want to imagine how cold itâd be in Alaska.Â
âSomeone smells nice,â JJ chirps with a grin. âIs thatâ is that Miss Dior?â
âWhat?â Spencer sniffs, frowning. âWho?â
âThe perfume?â She repeats the name, her brows flushed together. âIâm not crazy.â
âIs that Miss Dior?â Hotch asks in bemusement, sniffing the air. He looks at Jennifer with a mix of appreciation and a nod to say good taste. âHaley used to wear it all through college.â
âIâm not wearing it,â JJ insists, shaking her head with a laugh. âSpence?â
Heâs barely paying attention to the conversation, frantically Googling an image of whatever the hell Miss Dior is. Heâs met with the familiar rectangular bottle with pink liquid and a bow on the neck, something that heâs seen on your dresser multiple times.Â
âMy roommate,â he groans, covering his face with the palms of his hands. âShe borrowed my jacket a couple days ago.â
âOoh, a lady friend,â JJ snickers, âand she borrowed your jacket. How gentlemanly of you.â
Spencer sends you a long text message about the importance of not spraying perfume on clothes once he gets off the jet.
heyyy omg I love your writings so much! congrats on your latest milestone, it's DESERVED đ can I pls request track one with spencer reid where he gets an epiphany and decides that he wants to propose to his girlfriend? just superrrr cute and fluffy đ thanks a lot!!
glue song â spencer reid
summary: âbut youâre here, and so i love you.â in which spencer realises that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you.
pairing: s5!spencer reid x fem!reader
genre: established relationship, fluff
warnings: spencer in a knee brace (tell me why thatâs attractive. why does he look good at his worst. face card never declines), heâs genuinely obsessed with you, not proof read oops
a/n: thank you so much anon !!!! iâm so sorry it took so long to post; i kept changing and editing it hahaha i hope you enjoy it !!
wc:Â 1.05k
âCareful watch yourâ no, pivot a little, pivotââÂ
âI am pivoting! Thereâs nowhere to pivot to! Why is it so messy?â
You suppress a grimace as you manage to somehow squeeze your way through Spencerâs tiny doorway and into his apartment, the shoe rack on the side dangerously close to his damaged knee. You stumble a little as Spencer grips your shoulders tightly for support, his other hand holding onto a crutch.Â
âMaybe we should move into a bigger apartment,â you muse, helping him to the couch. Your gaze shifts to his injured knee, your face falling. âDoes it hurt?â
âOnly when I think about it. Which is pretty much all the time,â Spencer says, wincing as he finally collapses against the cool leather cushions. âThank you for doing this.â
You look almost offended at his words as you brush his hair out of his face and into a makeshift ponytail. âDid you think that I wouldnât?â
He hums as he feels the way your fingers pull lightly at his hair, your nails scraping against his scalp. âThought youâd get tired of me. After, you know, everything.â
âNone of that was your fault,â you remind him swiftly. âThisââ you gesture to his kneeâ âisnât either.â
He softens, leaning his cheek on your shoulder. Youâve been there for him through everything and he knows what specifically it is youâre referring to. He could see it from the moment his doctors informed you that he wouldnât take the vicodin they had prescribed to him to soothe his discomfort. His thought process makes sense; he didnât want to risk it. Regardless, he was left with a growing pain in his leg that didnât shake even after taking toradol.Â
âIâd never get tired of you,â you clarify, squeezing his hands. âYouâre too pretty to get tired of.â
He lets out a proper laugh as he squeezes back. âYouâre funny.â
âIâm being serious!â
He laughs again, shaking his head adamantly. âLiar.â
âWhen have I ever lied to you?â
Spencer beams in your direction, pressing kisses against the soft of your jaw. âYouâre right.â
A triumphant smile spreads across your face at his words. âExactly.â
***Â
From his spot on the couch, Spencer watches guiltily as you hustle and bustle about in the kitchen, grabbing plates and filling them to the brim with the food you ordered from the Chinese place he loves. He feels bad seeing you work so hard looking after him; especially when you have your own workload to take care of. He doesnât even notice that youâve already placed his portion of food in front of him until you whack him lightly on his head with some napkins.Â
âStop it. I know what youâre thinking.â You shoot him a half-hearted glare as you snap open your chopsticks. âI want to do this. I truly donât mind.â
âYouâre already doing so much,â he insists, âIâm okay, angel, I swear.â
You are not easily convinced and you point to the list of things the doctor suggested you to do in order to ensure Spencerâs speedy recovery. âI have a responsibility, Walter. What will your team do without you?â
âTheyâll live,â he assures, reaching a hand out to massage the muscles by your shoulders. âI think youâve seen me naked more the past two weeks than you have our entire relationship.â
âWell itâs not my fault that you need to bathe,â you argue, stabbing at your noodles. âYou love it really.â
His cheeks burn with embarrassment at the accusation. âI do not! Itâs humiliating.â
âItâs nothing I havenât seen before,â you soothe, smiling at him. âBesides, itâll only be like this for a little while longer.â
âIf you consider five months to be âa little while longerâ,â he quips as he shovels food into his mouth.
You let out a laugh, not finding offence is his sarcastic blow. He thinks youâre a blessing and he figures that you definitely are. Who else can deal with the problems of him being, well, him aside from you? Spencer doesnât know what he would do without you. How could he when you manage to push all the darkness and negativity away?
âIâm lucky to have you,â he says finally, his gaze on your face. âYouâre so good to me.â
You hum in response, wiping your mouth and curling into his good side, draping an arm over his middle. âThatâs true. Youâre good to me, too.â
He brings his hand over your waist and kisses the side of your face in an act of reciprocation. âYouâre beautiful.â
Heat crawls up your neck to your ears at the sudden compliment and you canât help the silly bashful smile that pulls at your lips. Your mouth opens and closes, deciding on what to respond with before you settle with a simple, âThank you.â
Itâs the honest truth. Thereâs a look about you that tells him that you donât believe it, but he doesnât say anything more to try and convince you. He tells it to you everyday; heâs sure that youâll end up accepting the compliments more readily. Your being beautiful might have been what had drawn him to you in the first place. Although he isnât entirely sure. He recalls a certain folktale about invisible stings and how it was tying him to you. Thereâs something pretty about that thought, the mere idea that you were made for him and he was lucky enough to actually hold you in his arms.Â
Youâve turned the television on now, a romance movie playing on the screen with familiar actors. Itâs supposed to be a comedy, at least that was what the description on the DVD said, about the main male lead reminiscing about his year that he spent with some manic pixie dream girl. Spencer doesnât understand how that could be comedic but you seem to enjoy it.Â
Spencer has tuned out the movie now, finding entertainment in the reactions you have. Your face morphs into different emotions with each dramatic scene and in that moment Spencer realises one very important thing.Â
âIâm gonna marry you one day,â he whispers, his breath tickling the shell of your ear.Â
âWhat was that?â you ask obliviously and you lift your eyes to look up at him.Â
âNothing,â he dismisses, pressing his lips to your forehead. âJust keep watching the movie, angel.â
Prompt: Y/N confessed to JJ that she always been in love with Spencer but he never noticed her, too busy focusing on someone else. During a case, they are all held as hostages and JJ confesses her love for him.
Warning: a lot of fluff, mention of depression and anxiety, mention of blood, mention of violence, mention of self-harm, kidnapping, major angst.
summary: âheâs so tall, and handsome as hellâ/âhis hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room.â
pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader
genre: best friends to lovers, mutual pining, fluff, slow burn
warnings: rated 16+ for lots of kissing hehehe, reader wears a dress + makeup, a final âeff u!!â to jeid LOL
wc: 3.3k
a/n: we have finally reached the end! thank you all so much for your support during this little project đđ massive thank you to @astrophileous for beta-reading this entire project! congratulations again for finishing your thesis!!
SERIES MASTERLIST // MAIN MASTERLIST
Spencer yawns softly as he steps out of bed, running his fingers through his unruly hair. He finally got it cut a few days ago and, even though itâs a lot shorter than what he is used to, he really likes it. After putting on his shirt that has fallen haphazardly to the floor the previous night, he walks into the kitchen to fix himself a cup of tea.Â
He stirs the sugar with a spoon tiredly, his vision blurry from both the lack of sleep and the lack of glasses. The muscles of his thighs quiver with each step and he grimaces. Maybe he should start working out with Morgan. He dismisses the thought immediately. He still wants to live.Â
Heâs about to go back into the room when a pair of arms wrap tightly around his middle, and he lets out a breathless laugh. âHey, angel.â
You grunt out a noncommittal greeting, your forehead resting between his shoulderblades as you continue to hug him. âWhyâd you go?â
âI was thirsty,â he responds, turning around to hug you back. Youâre wearing one of his t-shirts that you stole and he glows with pride, pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. âWhatâre you doing up, darling?â
âYou left,â you respond groggily, leaning into his touch. âGot cold.â
Spencer, as you have learned, is essentially a human furnace. He exudes so much warmth both figuratively and literally that you have saved probably hundreds of dollars in electricity bills. He is so unbelievably warm and he always gives the best hugs, wrapping his arms around your frame and tracing circles into your skin.Â
âIâm sorry,â he whispers, kissing the side of your face. âGo back to bed, angel. Iâll be there in a second, okay?â
You merely nod in response, reaching up and planting a firm kiss to his chin before padding back into your room, burying yourself under the covers. He arrives soon after, shuffling closer to you and pulling you in so that your nose is against his sternum. His fingers find the knots in your hair, skillfully and carefully untangling them. He feels you yawn as he continues his ministrations, and he presses yet another kiss to your head.
âYou should move in,â you mumble against his chest, creeping a hand up under his shirt and brushing your nails against his spine.
He shudders at the contact, a quiet groan leaving his lips. âYeah? You think I should move in?â
It is within moments like these where it becomes glaringly obvious that Spencer is no longer the naive âkidâ he was when he began working at the BAU. Heâs grown into himself now, filling out his dress shirts better and wearing an easy smile on his face. Spencer has always been attractive, all of the girls who loved him before are a testament to that (no matter how bitter you are when coming to this realisation), but heâs now a lot more comfortable with it. He likes to say that you are a big part of that journey. You would simply tell him that the growth was his to make.
âYou basically already live here,â you tell him. âItâs close to the train station and thereâs that good Thai place across the road.â
âIâd love to move in with you,â he says softly, stroking your cheeks. Heâs had an affinity for your cheeks since he first met you, poking at them teasingly and you would do the same in retaliation. Now, he can let his touches linger. âReally. I can get the rest of my things here by the end of the week.â
âItâs Wednesday.â
He smiles. âExactly.â
You yawn again, your eyes squeezing closed so tightly that an unnecessary tear slips past the corner of your eye. Spencer wipes it away with his thumb before kissing your nose, relishing in the way you let out a breathless laugh.Â
âI love you,â he whispers, his lips brushing against yours.
You beam at him, kissing him softly. âI love you.â
***Â
âAnd itâs like, if you donât want to get yelled at, donât come late to every single shift that you have, yâknow?â You complain from your bedroom, pushing your lashes upwards with the side of your finger. Youâre leaning over your new white vanity, forgoing the chair, as you try to keep your lashes up. âI mean, I get that this is her first time doing work experience, but come on she isnât nine. And get this, babe, she doesnât even have a phone. Sheâs seventeen years old doing work experience and she doesnât have a phone. I have to remind her of her shifts through her mother. Do you know how awkward that is?â
Spencer hums as he does up his tie, coming up from behind you and and glancing at you for a moment. âShe doesnât sound like someone who wants to be doing work experience, angel.â
âI swear sheâs only doing this because itâs compulsory at her high school,â you lament, turning around to face him. âAnd she is so rude. You should have heard what she said to Veronica, Walter, it was insane. Like, she swore in front of a client. In front of a child.â
His nose scrunches up at your words, resting his hands on your waist and stroking up and down with his thumbs, feeling your curves through the pretty dress you picked out. âYou should fire her.â
âLegally I cannot,â you say with a huff. âBut Iâm pretty sure sheâs going to quit or something. âRonica will let me know, and honestly, good riddance.â
He laughs as he kisses your forehead. âI donât doubt it, angel.â
You smile at him, no longer disgruntled from your frustrating coworker. âYou look really good,â you murmur, pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.Â
âYou look exquisite,â is his quick response, continuing to stroke up and down along your sides. He kisses you slowly, one hand moving to cup your neck and holding you there. âIs this a new dress?â
âGot it for forty bucks,â you say with a grin. âThis boutique was having a sale downtown. Guess how much this used to be.â
He laughs at your enthusiasm, kissing you again. âHow much?â
âOne hundred and twenty,â you say giddily as you straighten his tie. âThatâs a steal, right? So I bought two more dresses the same price. Thatâs like, two free dresses, yâknow? Girl maths.â
Spencer canât help but smile as you tell him all about your shopping spree, his pointer finger dragging up and down your jaw. He doesnât have the heart to correct you about the inaccuracies of whatever âgirl mathsâ is, instead choosing to nod along. âYeah?â
You nod with a silly smile. âYeah! And I figured that I might as well get JJ and Willâs wedding gift while I was out and I got these super cute wine glasses andââ
He cuts you off with a kiss, his fingers delving into your once neat updo, and his mouth pressing firmly against yours. In seconds he has you sat on the seat of your vanity and he leans down to kiss you harder.Â
âYouâre gorgeous,â he murmurs against your lips, âso pretty.â
âYou messed up my hair,â you scold half-heartedly, your fingers grazing against the collar of his shirt. âWeâre gonna be late to the wedding.â
âItâs not our wedding,â he breathes, kissing you again and murmuring between them, âtheyâll understand.â
You pull away, cheeks hot and lips swollen. âTheyâll know.â
âGood.â
âSpencer!â
You arrive at Rossiâs mansion with five minutes to spare, guests already filing through the doors. From the corner of your eye, you spot Aaron and Emily speaking in one of the living rooms while JJ follows an older lady up the stairs holding a white dress in her arms. After placing the wedding gift on the table, you venture out into the garden where the tables are decorated with white lace tablecloths and the chairs have big satin ribbons on the backs of them. Cream and white roses are arranged elegantly on top of the tables and the fairy lights provide an even bigger sense of magic to the scene.Â
âThe place looks amazing, David,â you praise, beaming at the older man. âTruly, itâs like something out of a fairytale.â
He chuckles as he holds a flute of champagne, gesturing to where Derek stands with Penelope. âI had some help. Youâre taking care of yourself?â
âOf course,â you respond, waving to Derek who looks all too pleased to see you again. âIt has been a really good couple of years.â
âYou and Spencer have been together for, what, two and a half years?â He asks as he looks over to where Spencer is showing magic tricks to Henry.Â
âSounds like a long time, huh?â You ask through a breathless laugh. âItâs been good.â
David smiles proudly at you, patting you on the shoulder. âIâm happy for the two of you. Youâre like a daughter to me, you know that.â
âI know,â you respond, grinning. âThank you.â
âLet me know when the big day happens,â he says with a wink. âItâll save you from renting a venue.â
You only laugh and shake your head as you move to where Spencer is, ruffling his hair as Henry giggles loudly. Spencer lets out a shout in protest, swatting your hands away lightly before holding them in his own, bringing his lips to the back of it.
âHaving fun?â You ask them, grinning at Henry who nods excitedly.Â
âUncle Spencer showed me a magic trick!â He exclaims, clapping his hands together.
âOh is that right?â
Spencer offers you a sheepish smile, twirling a penny around his fingers. âDo you want to see?â
He doesnât give you much room to accept or deny the offer, holding the penny in his hands and showing it to both you and Henry.Â
âBehold,â he announces, âa normal penny. But this penny can travel through the astrological planes and dimensions. Watch closely.â
He holds the penny up to your face before snapping his fingers and, lo and behold, the penny was out of sight. He shows both his hands, front and back, a boyish smile on his face. Henry claps at the display, squealing and brushing his long hair away from his face.Â
âWhereâd it go?â Henry asks, pouting.Â
Spencer beams at the enthusiasm and holds his hands out again. âAh, now that is the tricky part. For that, I need an assistant⊠angel, do you mind?â
He holds you by the waist with left hand, kissing your cheeks before holding his right hand in front of your face. Henry shrieks at the display of affection, covering his eyes exaggeratedly. You laugh out of embarrassment, swatting at Spencerâs arms and rolling your eyes.Â
âStop torturing the poor child,â you scold lightly, wiping away his sloppy kisses.Â
âCouldnât help myself,â he dismisses, before waggling his fingers. âNow, to find that pennyâŠâ
He reaches up behind your ear, pinching at something, before revealing the penny in his pinched fingers. He watches as your eyes widen with surprise, his cheeks pinkening in delight.Â
âHow did you do that?â You ask, grabbing the penny from his hand and turning it over in your fingers.Â
âHeâs magic,â Henry provides helpfully, clapping his hands. âJust like Auntie Penelope! When I tell her about something, it magically shows up at my house in a big brown box!â
You laugh, not having the heart to inform him that Penelope is not magic; simply very good at spoiling the people she cares about. She has taken you on more than a few shopping sprees in hopes of spoiling her little godson, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the cute clothes and toys in the department stores. Recently, sheâs been scouting out jewellery stores, going on and on about how difficult it is to find gifts for people. You had offered a few recommendations of your own, gesturing to the pretty rings and necklaces out on display, but she only dismissed your suggestions.Â
âAuntie Penelope is basically a fairy godmother,â you tell Henry in explanation, chuckling. âLike in Cinderella.â
âI love Cinderella,â Henry says, his eyes lighting up. âUncle Spencer read it to me! He said that the original story is about Ash-poo-tell.â
âAshputtel,â Spencer explains to you, âthe original story.â
âAh,â you nod in remembrance, recalling the grim details of the story. You ruffle Henryâs hair. âYou can hear that story when youâre older.â
The rest of the wedding goes without a hitch. Drinks are handed out by the ushers Rossi hired, along with cute little hors d'oeuvres. The ceremony in itself is perfection; JJ and Will sharing a kiss after saying their vows, and Henry being the ring bearer. Spencer holds your hand the entirety of the celebrations, brushing his thumb up and down the back of your left palm, carefully tracing each knuckle.Â
As JJ and Will take to the dance floor, more and more couples join in. Derek and a very drunk Penelope join in with loud giggles, and Beth drags Hotch into the circle by the wrists. Spencer rests his hands on your waist as the two of you stand at the sidelines, watching with amused grins as Penelope trips over her own feet.Â
âHey,â Spencer murmurs into your ear, pulling you closer. âWhat do you say we get away from the crowd?â
You jump on the opportunity, already picking up your purse. âWho are you and what have you done to Spencer Walter Reid?â
He rolls his eyes at you, shooting a quick message to the teamâs group chat to let them know that you were making an early leave. âVery funny.â
âNo, no, Iâm serious! Do you need to see a doctor? Like, a medical one?â You ask with jest as he opens up the car door for you.Â
âDo you want me to change my mind?â He asks, laughing, before getting into the driverâs seat of the car. âI just thought that we could go somewhere. Itâs not too late and if we hurry, I think we could catch the sunset.â
You smile innocently as he puts the car into drive, heading off to who knows where. âHave I ever told you that I love you?â
âTell me again,â he prompts, resting his hand on the inside of your thigh as he keeps his eyes on the road.Â
âI love you.â
âI love you,â comes his immediate response, squeezing at the flesh of your thighs through your dress. A street sign passes overhead as he drives, reading the word âAnacostiaâ.Â
âWeâre going to the Bridge Park?â You ask curiously, peering out the window.Â
He hums in affirmation. âI heard itâs pretty this time of day. I wanted to take you out somewhere nice, but I donât know when weâll have a case next so I figured that this would be the perfect time.â
After parking the car and locking it, Spencer takes your hand as you walk through the park. Itâs a very popular area in Anacostia, the entire neighbourhood holding old historic buildings that have been refurbished.Â
You relish the feeling of the breeze in your hair, your cheeks turning rosy as the temperature begins to drop. You made it just in time for the sunset as it paints the park in oranges and a soft lavender haze, your skin flushing gold from the lighting. You commit the image to memory as you stare at the view, your dress fluttering around your legs from the wind.Â
In your distraction, you miss the way Spencerâs hand drops from yours, and you search through your purse for your phone. You click open the photo app, putting it onto the selfie setting as you turn to him.
âWalter, letâs take aââÂ
The words die at your tongue upon the sight before you. Spencer, in his once neat suit and tie and all his germaphobic tendencies kneeling on the cold concrete, holding a velvet ring box in his hand. The box looks comically small in his palms as he looks up at you, his eyes glossed over and a tearful smile on his face.Â
âHi, angel,â he says softly, his voice cracking at the last syllable.Â
âWhatâre you doing?â You ask, even though you know exactly what is going on. Blood rushes to your ears and you sniffle. âSpencer, your pantsââ
âI love you,â he says firmly, the box in his hands quivering as his hands shake. His palms are sweaty and he swallows the nerves down his throat. âI love you. Iâm notâ Iâm not good with words or with expressing how I feel but I know one thing for certain: I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.â
He chokes out a quiet laugh as you take a step closer to him, wiping the tears away from his eyes. âI had a speech prepared and everything,â he says, embracing the feel of your warm hands on his cheeks. âI canât even remember what I was going to say.â
âItâs okay,â you murmur, crouching down so that you are eye level with him. âItâs okay, Walter.â
âNo, Iââ he swallows the lump in his throat and wets his bottom lip. âLove in the English dictionary covers a multitude of feelings. You can love doing something, or love a specific food, or love an object. In other languages, there are different words for different types of love and I think⊠I think that they got it right. There are a million untranslatable words that all mean love but I think the one that expresses how I feel about you would be the Chinese phrase âyuan fenâ. It means that two people were⊠predestined to be together and I thinkâ I know that we were meant to be.â
He sucks in a breath after his rant, smiling up at you. âWill you marry me?â
Tears slip from your eyes as you nod, pulling him up from the cold musty ground. âYes. Yes, Iâll marry you.â
Spencer exhales, his arms looping around your waist. His nose burrows into the side of your neck and you can feel the hot tears against your skin.
âThank God,â he breathes, moving his head to kiss your cheeks. âI love you.â
âI love you,â you respond, hugging him tight. âWas there ever any doubt?â
He laughs a little, shaking his head as he fumbles with the velvet box, slipping the ring onto your left ring finger. âNo. Never.â
Spencer brushes a strand of your hair away from your face before kissing you slowly, the light from the sun finally going down. As you pull away, the speakers overhead come to life with the announcer clearing his throat.
âUnfortunately, due to the predicted rain that will be coming shortly, the fireworks show will be rescheduled. We apologise for this inconvenience.â
You peer up at Spencer curiously who looked more than disappointed. âFireworks show?â
âThat was the plan,â he says with a small frown. âIâm sorry, angel.â
Thereâs a crash of thunder and before you know it, small droplets of water begin to fall from the sky. Spencer immediately covers your head with his jacket, pulling you over to the car.Â
âWait, waitââ you laugh, resisting his efforts. âWalter, wait!â
âIâm not letting you get sick,â he scolds lightly, his curls sticking to his forehead from the rain.Â
You laugh again, stepping closer to him and wrapping your arms around his neck. âWell, we donât have a pool but⊠rain works too, right?â
âYouâre insane,â he says, his forehead pressed against yours. âYouâre crazy.â
A teasing grin makes its way onto your face as you waggle your fingers in front of him. âYeah, well, youâre marrying crazy.â
âNo regrets,â he responds, before pressing his lips to yours.Â
In that moment, as he kisses you on the sidewalk in the pouring rain, you could have sworn that you felt sparks fly.
â previous part || series masterlist â || bonus !!
Thank you everyone once again for your support through this project! I have had so much fun writing it and I am so grateful for all the traction and love that it has received! With the help of this project, we have reached 2.1k followers! To celebrate, I have opened requests and you can find the event page here <3 thank you all once again and until next time !!
You write fluff and flangst absolutely amazingly and Iâm in awe every dang time!
Buuut since youâve got spring break coming up, a little fic idea thatâs in my head that Iâll never do justice! (If youâre interested)
Fem!reader finding out an adorable way to tell Spencer sheâs pregnant. I donât care if theyâre dating or married or what - but like she puts together a crossword, or a puzzle and he just doesnât get it. (If you wanna throw angst in, he leaves without getting it for a case and then realizes it in the middle of the night.)
puzzling | S.R.
trying to tell Spencer you're pregnant, but he's too concerned with your well-being to fill out your custom crossword puzzle
who? spencer reid x fem!reader
category: fluff
content warnings: pregnancy and misc. symptoms., talk of fainting and blood tests.
word count: 1.69k
a/n: welcome back to the spencer reid dilf agenda! i hope this does your request justice and thank you for entrusting me with this idea!!!! <3
you
It was your pride and joy, the collection of folded papers that sat on the kitchen counter, next to a cup of coffee that you had already filled for him.
On your fake newspaper, you had created a custom crossword puzzle. With four very important clues.
Across: âEarly stage of lifeâ
Across: âAmerican actress Frances _â
Down: âMust be finished byâ
Down: âVeteranâs Day monthâ
You smiled softly to yourself as you heard Spencerâs footsteps coming down the staircase. Padding over to the kitchen counter, you sat on one of the stools, a cup of tea in front of you.
Before he even looked at the newspaper, Spencer leaned over to kiss you good morning, âYou look tired,â he whispered, hooking a finger under your chin as if he were investigating the dark circles underneath your eyes.
âWay to make a girl feel good about herself,â you teased lightly, even though you knew he was right. At least you felt tired.
He rolled his eyes, âYou know thatâs not what I meant.â Turning to grab his mug of coffee off of the counter, he observed you again, âAre you sure your doctor said nothing was wrong?â
Smiling, you gave him a brief nod. You had gone to see your doctor a few days ago for nausea and fatigue, and Spencer wouldâve gone with you had he not been on the other side of the country on a case. âTheyâre running some tests, but they didnât see anything blatantly wrong,â the doctor was running a few blood tests, checking your iron levels and HCG.
Using his free hand, Spencer reached over and moved a lock of hair out of your face, âThey said your blood pressure was low?â
Low blood pressure, as it turned out, was a pregnancy symptom that was most common in the first trimester. âYouâre freaking out over nothing, Spence,â you told him. Really, it was something. A rather large something â or small, depending on how you wanted to look at it. âCome on, itâs crossword time,â you told him, using the end of the pen to tap on the newspaper.
âI worry about you when Iâm away. You do know that low blood pressure can cause syncope, right? Did they prescribe you anything for it?â He asked, ignoring your wishes to move on and do the crossword.
There was a small part of you that just wanted to tell him, but frankly, you had worked too hard on the crossword puzzle to give yourself away like that. You couldnât tell him that they didnât prescribe you anything because they didnât know how far along you were. A larger part of you knew that if you just got him to work on the puzzle, he would have his answers in about seven minutes.
Then his phone rang, he pulled the device out of his pocket, and the Caller ID on the screen caused you to slump your shoulders forward. It was Garcia. âHey Garcia,â he greeted on the phone, âat the tarmac?â
You set your head on the counter and sighed in defeat as Spencer hung up the phone.
âAre you alright?â He asked you softly, tenderly wrapping an arm around your torso.
Humming, you sat back up, ignoring the stars in your field of vision as you did so. âIâm fine, you should go,â you insisted.
Spencer shook his head, âNo, youâre sick. Iâll call Garcia back and tell her I have to stay back.â Acting bewildered at the idea that he had been so remiss as to agree to do his job while you were unwell.
You reached out and set a hand on his, âItâs alright, love. I can take care of myself,â you reminded him. Besides the fact that you were wholly self-sufficient, the only reason why Spencer would be asked to meet the team at the tarmac was if they were headed toward a particularly gnarly case â they needed all hands on deck.
âPromise me youâll check in? Call your mom if you need any help, please,â he requested, pleading eyes following you as you got up to hug him.
Nodding, you wrapped your arms around him, âYou should take the crossword with you.â Pulling away, you haphazardly refolded the newspaper and handed it to him.
Furrowing his brow, Spencer inspected the paper that you had given him. âWe always do the crossword together on Saturdays,â he found you incredibly helpful on the pop culture clues. âWe could save this one and then have two for next week,â he offered.
God. No. Your eyes widened at the idea of having to keep your secret for another week, shaking your head, you shrugged, âNo, you should take it. Itâll make me look forward to next week even more,â you insisted.
He folded, and with a sweet kiss to the forehead, he was off to go save lives, remaining entirely unaware of the one growing inside of you.
him
The judgmental Italian behind him was proving to be a distraction, âDid you find something?â Spencer asked, eyeing the evidence board with frustration. Something bugged him about the case, and he couldnât figure out exactly what it was.
âNot right now, but itâs three in the morning,â Rossi said, joining Spencer by the evidence board. âWhy donât you give that big brain of yours a break?â
Shaking his head, Spencer crossed his arms in front of his chest, âI tried. I canât stop thinking about the case.â Men were popping up dead in a small Missouri town at an alarming rate, and he felt so close to a breakthrough.
Dave nodded like he understood the feeling, that was probably why he had emerged from his hotel room so early, returning to the precinct before the sun peeked over the horizon. âWhat do you usually do to wind your brain down?â
Raising his eyebrows, Spencer shrugged, âCrossword puzzles,â he admitted, any word puzzle would do the trick.
The chuckle from the older man next to him startled Spencer, âNow, why doesnât that surprise me?â Rossi looked around the precinct, âIâm sure we can find one around here somewhere.â
âNo,â Spencer said, âI have one in my bag, actually.â He refrained from including the detail that you had given him the crossword puzzle, or else heâd never hear the end of it.
Clapping him on the back, Rossi lifted his coffee cup, âThen I suggest you go take the thirty seconds to fill out that puzzle and then get some rest.â
Once he was back in his hotel room, he changed before pulling out the pile of papers that you had sent him off with. Sitting on top of the bed, he filled out the puzzle in approximately six minutes and forty-three seconds. Once the letters were filled in, he skimmed the puzzle â just to check it over.
The only one that mightâve given him trouble was about an American actress â usually he had you to help him with pop culture, but he recalled having the same last name as an actress in Days of Our Lives.
It was interesting that the words âBabyâ and âReidâ were right next to each other.
Wait.
Quickly, he calculated the odds that the words âBabyâ âReidâ âDueâ and âNovemberâ were all in the puzzle and when the numbers were put together, they made your anniversary. Spencer just as quickly called you, listening to the phone ringing.
His heart was racing as he waited to see if you answered the phone. âHey,â your groggy voice came through the receiver.
âWhere did you get this crossword puzzle?â He asked you, flipping through the rest of the newspaper for the first time.
You hummed softly, âYouâre doing it right now?â
Looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he dropped his face into his hands. âIâm sorry, love. I didnât even think about the time,â it was just past four in the morning now, making it just past five in the morning in Virginia. âI just thought thatâŠâ his voice trailed off. What if it was just a coincidence?
There was silence on your end of the call, and he wondered if you had fallen asleep. You hadnât been feeling well, and heâd woken you up with his phone call. âYou thought what, Spence?â
The teasing lilt in your voice had given you away to him immediately. He knew. Every one of his suspicions were confirmed, âY/N Reid,â he breathed.
âSpencer Reid,â you countered.
He took a deep breath, âAre you pregnant?â
âYeah,â you answered simply, with about as much enthusiasm as he expected from you at five in the morning.
It all started to make sense to him. The low blood pressure, the drowsiness, and even the slight caginess when it came to him asking about your doctorâs visit. He swiped away a few stray tears, âI donât know what to say.â It wasnât a feeling he was overly used to.
You cleared your throat, âAre you happy?â Nerves clouded your voice, and he could hear you becoming more awake â more alert.
âI am,â he searched aimlessly. Elated. Thrilled. Ecstatic. âIâm so happy,â he told you, at a loss for words. âI donât know what to say, I just⊠God, are you okay?â Dread washed over him, you were alone, sick, and pregnant at home and he was halfway across the country.
Sighing, he heard a ruffling on the other end of the call. âIâm great. Iâm exhausted, I had no idea being pregnant was so tiring. I mean, I knew, but I didnât know.â You sighed again, âIâm not making any sense.â
He laughed lightly at your rambling, âYouâre making perfect sense. Chances are your energy will return during the second trimester.â
âDonât get my hopes up.â You paused again for just a moment, âIâm sorry if I scared you. With the whole doctorâs appointment thing. They really are keeping an eye on my blood pressure and whole slew of other things, but they know the root cause.â
A giddy smile grew on his face, âItâs because youâre pregnant.â
A soft hum came through the phone, âItâs because Iâm pregnant,â you concurred.
Summary: The night with your boyfriend is going perfectly, and you couldn't be happier, until he receives an unexpected call telling him that information about an important case has been leaked to the press, and many doubts about you appear.
TW: mentions of crime and trauma (normal warnings in the serie). established relationship. angst without a happy ending. mistrust and lack of communication. english isn't my first language (sorry for my mistakes, be kind please).
Note: Again I apologize in advance for this, but I love exploring Spencer's character and his changes. It's so funny to know that the one from the first seasons would never do this but I love him anyway.
⥠Enjoy! âĄ
Your smile couldn't have been bigger at that moment.
After several weeks of work and no time to see your boyfriend or send him more than two text messages, you finally find yourself humming cheesy love songs next to him and hugging him whenever you want. You had only been in his apartment for a few hours after the universe and all the stars had aligned so that neither of you had to work that night and you could have your long-awaited quality time together. It was certainly much needed for both of you and could be a bit of a celebration for finally getting a raise.
The sweet smell of the candles you both had placed on the table mixed with the ingredients on the countertop, creating a much more homey atmosphere. After much thought, the two of you had decided to make some homemade cookies with different fruits to eat yourselves and give some to your friends. You had always loved baking, especially when it came to desserts, and being able to do it with Spencer was even better. Although you knew he was only doing it to make you happy because he was pretty clumsy in the kitchen.
âI think you have some flour here, sweetheart.â You could feel him running his finger over your face, laughing as he smudged you, then stepping back a little to look proudly at his handiwork. âYou look so cute.â
âReally? You want to play, Dr. Reid?â
You raised an eyebrow and gave him a menacing look, and made a quick move to smear some flour on him and get on the same terms. But you barely managed to mess him up a bit when he gently grabbed your wrists and planted a kiss on your lips, pushing any thoughts of revenge from your mind.
âYou cheated, it's not fair.â You murmured against his lips as you both pulled away from the kiss.
âI didn't do anything.â He replied in an innocent tone, kissing you briefly before pulling away to feed the cat. âI think this kid has been eating cookie dough because he doesn't want to eat his food.â
âHe's an unruly kitten, just like his daddy.â You said as you watched Spencer pet him and laugh at your bad joke.
The two of you had officially been together for almost a year, but you had known each other for much longer. A coffee shop tucked away in the middle of town was the best place for an FBI agent and you, a news reporter, to meet and start talking. From the beginning, you knew there was something different about Spencer, and it was much more than the fact that he was the only man in the country who didn't know you because he didn't watch television and therefore the news you had anchored for years. He didn't care that your face was what people saw every day and that put you in the spotlight, he liked you for who you were and how you thought about the world.
âI think they'll be ready in a few minutes.â You reported after putting a tray of cookies in the oven.
You were about to ask your boyfriend where he kept the dishes, but when you turned around, you noticed he was still playing with the cat and you couldn't help but smile at how relaxed he seemed. It had been a good idea to convince him to adopt the animal that always followed you home and peeked out of the fire escape. Nothing made you happier than seeing him happy, so you followed your instincts and noticed that the kitchen was still organized as usual. You may not have lived with Spencer yet, but you spent more time in his apartment than yours and had already memorized how a couple of things worked, though you were afraid to tell him because you knew he had trouble opening up too much and taking such big steps in a relationship so quickly.
All your attention was on picking out the prettiest plates and pots for the cookies when his phone rang over the counter. Your hands were still dirty with flour and dough, so you didn't hand it to him and could only read that it was Penelope before you saw him answer.
âYes, I'm with her now. We're making cookies, and yes, I'll bring you some. Yes, she says hello to you too.â You listened as Spencer repeated into the phone with an encouraging tone.
You barely listened to his conversation because you were nervous it was about work and that he would have to leave so soon.
âYou're out of milk, I'm going to the supermarket downstairs.â You informed him quietly after checking the fridge, not wanting to interrupt his conversation. âI won't be long.â You finished, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips before leaving.
He couldn't help but smile like a fool at the kiss and stopped listening to his friend's voice on the other end of the phone for several seconds.
âThe full profile was leaked to the press, along with details about the crime scenes.â Garcia's voice brought her feet back to the ground.
âWhat? How?â He asked blankly, needing to sit down to process the information. âWe were very careful.â
Spencer thought the case was already closed, he had filled out the profile himself, they had everything they needed to make the arrest, and Emily had insisted on giving him the night off for it.
âWe don't know, but it was on the evening news.â
Wait, the evening news? They were the ones you presented every day. It was strange that you hadn't mentioned it, since you'd just come home from work a few hours earlier, happy about your raise.
âWhich channel was the first? Who gave the scoop?â His voice trembled slightly, as if he was a little afraid of the answer because his mind was telling him something he didn't like.
There was a long silence for a few seconds and his anxiety increased.
âYou need to calm down and not jump to conclusions.â Penelope tried to be the voice of reason at the time and sugarcoated things a bit. But he insisted that he wanted to know. âShe said so...she broke the news a few hours ago and I think that was the first network to do it.â
His whole world seemed to crumble before his eyes again and everything was a blur amidst the feeling of betrayal and bitterness that gripped his body. Every thread in his mind began to connect in just a few seconds, and for the first time in a long time, he hated having that ability.
âReid, listen, I don't think it was her. Emily said we'd fix it, but you should know before you watch the news.â She tried to defuse the situation, but his words only made them feel more betrayed. âI forgot to tell you before because I didn't want to ruin anything, you looked so happy.â
Since meeting you, Spencer had watched at least a minute of the evening news every day just to see you, and everyone knew it. Only today he hadn't because he'd been busy trying to finish the damn profile so he could get off early and spend some time with you.
âWe don't want you to jump to conclusions, we all know her and I don't think she would do this. Maybe it's a mix-up or...â
âDon't do that, don't try to make me feel better when she's the only one I tell about the cases.â
And about absolutely everything. He always talked to you about his dreams, his deepest fears, his hopes for the future, his worst moments, and even things he never thought to say out loud, even to his therapist. All his life he had felt silenced until you showed up to listen to even the most complex thought and his mental discussion of possible names for the cat you both shared and treated like a son.
Since his release from prison, his view of the world and himself had changed. He no longer felt worthy of love or anything good until you came along and insisted on entering his heart and saving him from the emptiness he faced every time he woke up in that dark, lonely apartment that you came to fill with light and the smell of cookies.
It weighed heavily on his heart that the bad thoughts that always haunted him made sense.
âI'll be there soon.â He finished, not paying attention to the thousand and one possible explanations and theories Penelope had given him so as not to blame you for everything.
He ended the call and walked quickly to the bedroom to find your computer for answers. You had been staying with him for several days and always used it for work, so it was on the nightstand. He was about to turn it on when the sound of the front door startled him and let him know you were back.
âSpencer? Where are you? Do you want to play hide and seek?â Your voice echoed through the apartment, coming closer and closer to the room.
There was no movement or sound from him, just silence, until you entered the room and saw him sitting on the bed with your computer in his hands. You couldn't help but be a little startled by his expression.
âAre you okay, love? You scared me.â You spoke as you approached him and took his hand lovingly. âDo you need to use my computer? It's out of battery, but the charger is in my bag.â
The strange thing was that Spencer didn't return your affectionate squeeze, he didn't even kiss your hand like he always did. He just froze in place and looked at you as if he was waiting for you to confess to a crime.
âIs something wrong?â You sat down in front of him and grabbed his chin to force him to look at you.
He looked at you for a few seconds and clenched his jaw, pulling away from your touch as if it burned him. âYou tell me.â
Confusion washed over you and you bit your lip, trying to think of something that could have changed everything so suddenly. For a second you thought that maybe something had happened at Spencer's work and he had to go now, but his expression and his teary eyes said much more than that. Something serious had happened, you even thought it might be his mother and your heart shrank.
âI know what you did.â
You frowned at his words, trying to find some trace of a joke in all this. âWhat have I done?â
Once again, the room was filled with silence and his piercing gaze. You made a feeble attempt to approach him to give him some comfort as he looked like he was about to cry, but he rejected you and moved further away from you. He got up from the bed, put the computer down and looked at you as if he expected you to be the one to give the explanation.
âI don't understand this, baby. I really don't know.â You got out of bed and tried to get closer to him.
At your action, he backed away from you.
âDon't call me 'baby'. Don't pretend you don't know what you've done.â
The problem was, you didn't know what you'd done to give him that attitude. It had only been a few minutes since you left and everything was fine, so it didn't make sense that he was suddenly angry.
âI should have seen it coming before, how could I not, why would someone like you notice me? You obviously wanted this, you wanted to use me to get that raise and have all the fresh information.â Finally he seemed to react and started to blurt out everything that was on his mind without any filter. âI was an idiot to think you loved me.â
The confusion in your bright eyes only made things worse for him. His defense mechanism told him that you were an actress, that you must have known him well enough to manipulate him for so long and not even flinch. It made all the sense in the world that the whole perfect relationship you had was a sham, because he never understood how you, who had the fame and beauty to be with any man in the world, could have chosen him, a former addict who had spent months in jail and had more trauma than happy memories, to be your partner.
You took a step toward him, trying to process what he had just said. âI do, you know I love you.â
âCome on, you don't have to pretend anymore, I already know that you leaked the information I gave you about the profile.â He said after pacing the room a few times, trying to control his anger. âAnd maybe how many times you did the same.â
âWait, you think I'm some kind of spy or something...you're joking, right?â You tried to make sense of his words, wanting to believe again that it was a joke. It had to be, or the pain you felt in your heart at his rejection would definitely kill you.
The silence that followed his words was enough to know that he was serious.
âYou're the only person outside the team I talk to about cases all the time. And you magically get a raise when there's a big leak.â His every word was like a knife in your heart, digging deeper and deeper. âYou even broke the news a few hours ago, you're unbelievable.â
That was too much, and it was the move that pierced your heart with the knife.
âDo you really think the only way I can get a raise is to betray you? That I've been pretending for almost a year that I love you for my own benefit? Do you really think I can stoop so low and that my job is worth so little?â You asked him almost pleadingly, as if begging him to tell you no, but in vain. âTell me it's not so, please. Tell me you don't distrust me.â
Silence. Lots of silence.
âPlease...â
He said nothing again and that was answer enough for you. You loved Spencer Reid like you'd never loved anyone before, but you weren't going to let this go. You weren't going to keep begging him to believe you when you told the truth and never gave him reason to doubt.
âFine. I hope you don't have to come back to me when you realize you made a mistake and ended up with the best you had.â
The pained look you gave him and the tears streaming down your cheeks stayed in his mind as you left your apartment keys on the table and walked away, closing the door behind you at the same time as the oven beeped.
His smile could not have been more nonexistent at that moment.
summary:Â When you wake up in the hospital, buried feelings arise and you must now make a difficult decision. (spencer reid x fem!reader)
category: angst
warnings:Â detailed descriptions of kidnapping, mentions of guns and drugs, mild cursing
word count:Â 5.6k
a/n:Â this was really a struggle to write bc i hated how it kept turning out, but now after a month since i posted Too Late, iâm finally happy with it! this is the longest fic iâve ever written and i hope it did Too Late justice (although i think i still like Too Late better lol)
MASTERLIST
(part one, part two)
(ICYMI: read part one here)
âIâm here, Y/N, Iâm here.â
His voice echoed through your mind as you slowly gained consciousness. You smiled as you felt his hand in yours and you gave it a squeeze.
You slowly opened your eyes and greeted the blurry figure beside you. âSpencer,â you whispered with a smile.
âSpencer? Whoâs Spencer?â
Your vision refocused as you looked over and saw that the figure was actually your boyfriend Connor. Your eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as you tried to laugh it off. âSorry, he was the last person I saw.â
Guilt washed over you at once. During this entire ordeal, your boyfriend hadnât even crossed your mind. Connor must have been so worried about you⊠while all you could think about was Spencer. You shut your eyes and attempted to shake the thoughts of your ex away, but much to your dismay, they stayed.
Your shallow laughs were cut off with a wince as the pain in your body hit you at once. You grimaced as you placed a hand over your stomach, trying to sublimate the pain. Connor looked at you with concerned eyes, but you waived it off. âItâs okay, Iâm okay.âÂ
Connor shook his head as his eyes filled up with tears. He grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it. âNo, youâre not, Y/N.â He leaned over and placed another kiss on your forehead. âOh God, I thought I lost you,â he whispered as he leaned his forehead on yours.Â
You smiled as you leaned into your boyfriend only to feel⊠nothing. You tried to combat the guilt swirling in your stomach by forcing the butterflies and happiness you felt whenever Connor was around. Heâs your boyfriend, why doesnât it feel like it?Â
You bit your lip at your guilty conscience as Connor sat back and ran a hand through your hair. The tension in the air was suffocating;Â between Connorâs intense stare of worry to your seemingly absent feelings, you had to lighten the mood.
âYouâre not getting rid of me that easily.â You quipped, laughing.
Connorâs face softened as his laughter joined yours. You heard footsteps enter the room and when you looked to see who it was, your eyes lit up. You ignored your heartâs flutters as you exclaimed, âThereâs the man who saved my life!â
You tried your best to mask the overwhelming emotions that erupted once you saw Spencer. You overcompensated your guilty feelings by enthusiastically introducing your ex to your boyfriend. âSpencer, I want you to meet Connor. My boyfriend.â
You cringed at your tone as soon as the words left your mouth. Maybe you were too enthusiastic⊠And you were too caught up in your own delivery that you didnât notice Spencerâs face fall.Â
spencer deals with a lot on the field, but nothing can prepare him for when heâs stuck inside a locker with you.
pairing :: spencer x fem bau!reader
warnings :: 18+ due to sexual themes but no smut, slight claustrophobia triggers
word count :: 2.2k
authorâs note :: inspired by a scene from s9e23, i'm imagining spencer in a fitted collared shirt and tie, reader wears a skirt
accompanying song :: stuck between by dutch criminal record
ânothingâs showing up on vicap. iâve cross-checked records against everything youâve mentioned, sir, but thereâs literally nothing. zilch,â you hear garcia let out an exasperated groan as she ferociously taps at her keyboard.Â
you watch as hotch kneads the skin between his brows with growing impatience while morgan starts to pace around the room. youâre not doing any better yourself, your stressed-out fingers threatening to tug at the strands of hair neatly holding your ponytail together.Â
itâs too frustrating. the leads are clearly there, but your team is lacking the final puzzle piece to complete the profile, to confirm that itâs someone in the department thatâs deliberately injecting themselves into the investigation.
âyour answer is probably written down on paper. ugh, i hate when bad guys try to act all smart,â garcia fumes, and sulks as she gives an apologetic wave from her side of the screen. hotch nods, relays a thank you, and cuts the call before rounding the whole team together.
âthink about it, those two are the perfect scapegoats. all of these agents have everything to lose, so why not just blame them? theyâve been in and out of cells already, and it makes perfect sense to craft a narrative thatâll point fingers at them,â morgan starts, making small gestures as he speaks with his signature cadence, topped with a honeyed rasp.
âand theyâve got all the authority to influence the publicâs opinion,â jj nods in agreement.
âwe need to try to get those two to talk again, but we also have to take extra precautions. jj and prentiss, go interview them one more time to see if theyâll spill any names. morgan, i need you to work with garcia to look for other possible leads. reid and l/n, go to the records room to review the files of the agents working with us. dave and i will try to hold down the fort,â hotch instructs, nodding at each of you as he rolls out the orders.Â
âand try not to draw suspicion. if all else fails, say that you need to run to the bathroom,â rossi adds with a wink. it always amazes you how calm the italian agent is during such high-pressure situations, a trait youâve grown to immensely appreciate.
âshall we?â you say as you nudge spencer, and he hums back in response. you bid a wish of good luck to emily and jj and traverse the hallway to the records room with the doctor, your heels clacking beside the cushioned steps of his slightly worn converses.Â
after looking left and right to make sure no oneâs around, spencer opens the door. you silence the sounds of your heels as you follow inside, and let the bolt of the lock plunge into the frame by slowly closing the door.Â
âalright, you take the left, iâll take the right,â you whisper, and spencer gives you a thumbs up.Â
the two of you work silently and as fast as possible, sifting through the piles of records that lie on the tables and beside the cabinets. you feel your heart jump into a cartwheel every time a sheet of paper slips out of the manila folders, the sounds of rustling and creasing setting you on edge.Â
âi found mcgregor and drew, but i donât think itâs either of them,â spencer declares with a voice that isnât supposed to sound loud at all, but it feels hundreds of decibels higher than the bare whisper you spoke with earlier.Â
âokay, i found weaver and lee, but they donât fit the profile either. letâs continue looking for the other two,â you call back.Â
spencer walks over to you and kneels beside your left to help you with your search. once you spread the folders on the floor, you spot one of the two remaining files, and spencer soon finds the other. youâre about to turn through the sheets in the folder when the doorknob starts to shake, startling the both of you.
âshit. spence,â you blurt as spencer takes his file in one hand and grabs yours with the other, and shoves them into an open drawer. after he slides the compartment back with his careful and nimble fingers, you grab his arm and squeeze into a spare locker. you barely manage to seal the opening shut in time.
you could say that it was quick thinking that saved your and spencerâs cover, since the door jiggles and thrusts open a mere second later.
you never wouldâve imagined that the day would come when you would draw air directly from spencerâs breaths, let alone enclose yourself in the same room as him.Â
and yet here you are, perched on top of spencerâs knee, the scratchy fabric of his trousers resting under the hollow space of your pencil skirt and between your legs. his other leg presses against your side of the wall with an uncomfortable bend, while his chin sits an atomâs width from your forehead.
itâs a nonnegotiable consequence that comes with his tall figure, the way his clothed knee has to rub against your inner thighs under the draped fabric.
one of your hands lies awkwardly on his chest while the other is on his thigh, right above the knee thatâs using you for leverage. your attention immediately shifts to your left when you see the rays of the intruderâs flashlight scope through the room.Â
you stop mid-exhale when the light pours through the gaps of the locker, casting shadows on spencerâs face and your body. he looks stressed, anxiously wetting his lips with closed eyes, face turned away from you.
and he looks overwhelmed. rapid bursts of inhales and exhales fire from his body, likely due to the collar of his shirt being bound tightly around his neck with the tie. with shaking fingers, you slowly reach for his tie, waiting for approval to loosen it.Â
you feel his forehead bury into the cave of your shoulder, and he whispers his desperate ask into your ear: âplease.â
despite the lack of light around you, youâre able to locate the small end of his satin tie, and you tug lightly. the knot unfurls as you pull, and spencer lets out a small sigh of relief before breathing a low thank you in your ear.
as this happens, you hear the intruder surf through the piles of papers, unlocking drawers and lifting boxes left and right. hurry, hurry, hurry, you pray desperately in your head. beads of sweat start to form at your temple and threaten to fall down to your exposed neck, which happens to be situated directly in spencerâs line of sight.
âcome on,â you hear the guest in the room complain, angrily flipping through papers and slamming the cabinets. you think itâs finally time for him to leave when you hear the high-pitched ring of his phone.Â
but your eyes widen when instead of heading to the door, he makes strides towards the locker right across from yours, and leans his back against it before holding the phone up to his ear. holy shit.
âjensen speaking,â he says with a gruff voice, and plays with the button of his flashlight so it turns on and off spontaneously. as the light flickers, it dimly shines the space inside your locker.Â
spencer turns his head to meet your eyes, a panicked expression covering his face. youâre about to mouth a small sorry for the helpless situation youâve dragged him into, but just as youâre about to do so, spencerâs trousers slide against your legs, creating friction so unbearable that you let out a squeak.Â
you freeze, looking up to see spencerâs eyes flash warningly. he instantly clasps your mouth with his hands to cover any further sound from escaping your lips, but with no form of support to maintain his position, he starts to slip, and his shirt lightly skids against the lockerâs slippery walls. this is somehow even worse for you, because spencerâs knee starts to dig further up your legs and into your cotton underwear, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut.
luckily for the both of you, jensen seems to be distracted by whatever words are being spewed from the other end of his phone call to pay any mind to your suppressed yelps.Â
âi think their agents might be on to us,â he scowls, and you watch from the corner of your eye as he tosses the last of his files into a box and opens the adjacent locker to ram it inside. Â
âyeah, iâll try to stall them for as long as i can. they donât know what theyâre getting themselves into.âÂ
jensen curses and promptly ends the call, returning his phone into the pocket of his shirt. he finally walks to the door, sighing as he twists the knob and steps out. the two of you lie in wait for an additional three minutes before trying anything.Â
âi think weâre good,â spencer huffs, finally opening the locker door with a thud as the sounds of steel clashing against steel echo throughout the air.Â
âyeah,â you nod, taking a breath to collect yourself as you step out. you watch as spencer runs a hand through his hair and moves his fingers down to adjust his tie.Â
he returns the stare, his adamâs apple bobbing when he eyes your wrinkled shirt and scrunched up pencil skirt â which looks more like a mini-skirt with how it sits right below your hips.
âi um, i need some air. how about you?â spencer asks at last, clearing his throat. you bite your lip when he starts to brush the dust off his thighs and knees, the moments of earlier flooding into the back of your mind like the warmth pooling between your thighs.
âyeah, i could use some fresh air too,â you respond breathily, averting your eyes and focusing instead on smoothing out your shirt and retying your loosened ponytail. when youâre done, you turn around and stagger to the door, not looking twice to see if spencerâs following you. an intense flush spreads across your cheeks, and your only viable path of escape is to the bathroom.
âyou, um, missed a spot,â you hear from behind, and you follow spencerâs gaze to see that heâs referring to the back of your skirt.
âoh,â you say as embarrassment swamps you, and you hurriedly pat at the fabric. âdoes that look better?â
âitâs still folded there. if you want, i can- may i?âÂ
the question tumbles from his pretty lips and messes with your head. his hand hovers right around your waist, the same way yours lingered on his tie as you waited for his consent. and his softening eyes. his slightly smoldering gaze looks so innocent and alluring at the same time, your heart starts to feel heavy with the weight of desire.Â
note to self: never wear a pencil skirt again.
âplease,â you utter like a silent prayer, and mentally prepare yourself to endure the test of his fingers against your skin.
as soon as he receives your word, his hand lightly brushes against your thigh and trails down your skin. he takes the hem of your skirt and pulls down, giving several tugs before releasing the stretched garment.Â
he clears his throat when you donât move even after heâs retracted his hand.
âall good now.âÂ
spencerâs words drown out your thoughts and snap you back to reality. heâs already standing by the door, holding it open for you with a patient smile.
âthanks,â you say as you walk out and rub your hands together, nervous for what youâre about to say next. âspencer, um, iâm so sorry about that whole ordeal, it was really unprofessional of me to drag you in there, i wasnât thinking when i-â
âyou did the right thing,â spencer interrupts your ramble with the shake of his head, and his flawless smile pulls at your heartstrings.
âi wouldâve pushed you in there if you hadn't. that doorâs the only way in and out if you donât count the windows,â he continues, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walks you to the elevator.
âoh,â you shyly murmur back, your cheeks flushing with a shade of bright pink as his words pour over you like warm water. he wouldâve pushed you in there if you hadnât?
âyeah, but how about we try a bigger locker next time?â spencer almost reads your mind as he half-mindedly jokes, causing you to drop your jaw in shock. he doesnât acknowledge your reaction, however, because he starts to dial rossiâs number on his cell.
âby the way, the uh, new look suits you. the grey skirt and all,â spencer says with a lopsided smile before he raises a hand to excuse himself and call rossi. youâre saved the embarrassment of responding when rossi accepts the call, but your palms are already profusely sweating at his compliment.