hand sanitizer | spencer reid
pairing | dad!spencer x mom!reader
summary | your first time hosting thanksgiving at your house. you two just had a baby and spencer doesn't want your family getting near the baby due to germs.
btw!!! | established relationship (husband and wife), a son named arthur, no use of y/n
it’s november 28th, thursday—thanksgiving day. since you and spencer got together, thanksgiving dinner has been at your parents' house, since his mom lives all the way in vegas and his dad... well, he's a deadbeat. plus, your parents' place is closer to where you live, so it works out.
your family immediately embraced spencer. they adored him, especially how he treated you and how clearly smitten he was with you. he quickly became a part of your family, spending almost every holiday with you all. once you and spencer turned 26, you decided to get married, and two years later, you welcomed your son, arthur, in early october.
your family had been out of town when arthur was born, and then you fell ill the week after. the following week, your family fell ill too. it wasn’t until thanksgiving that they were finally able to come meet arthur. while you were overjoyed, spencer was on edge.
he’s always been cautious about germs, but now that you have a baby, he’s even more vigilant. he’s terrified of arthur getting sick, especially since it's more dangerous at his age and the thought of it is just terrifying for him.
your illness and the precautions taken by your family made spencer even more vigilant. it reached a point where you couldn’t even approach your own son without spencer insisting you use hand sanitizer or sending you off to wash your hands before entering the room. it made you wonder how he’d react to the possibility of your family visiting for thanksgiving. if he was this cautious with you, how would he handle your family?
"where's the hand sanitizer?" spencer asked, glancing at the nightstand beside arthur's crib. you sighed and ran a hand through your hair.
"i knew i forgot something!" you muttered, frustration dripping from your voice. you stood up from the rocking chair in the corner of arthur’s room and walked over to spencer, placing your hands on your hips, your face flushed with guilt.
"i’m so sorry, love. i meant to grab it last night when i went grocery shopping, but i must have forgotten. i'm really sorry."
spencer frowned but immediately wrapped his arms around you, holding you close for a moment. he pulled back slightly, cupping your face gently. "hey... it's okay," he said, rubbing your cheeks with his thumbs. "i should’ve gone to the store myself. you're already doing so much with dinner, arthur, and everything else. i'm sorry, love. i'll go get it right now."
you gave him a small, reassuring smile and murmured, "okay."
just as spencer was about to leave the house to buy more hand sanitizer, the doorbell rang. you absentmindedly ran your fingers through your hair while spencer struggled to put his shoes on, trying to hurry before you could stop him. you reached him just as he was about to step into the garage.
"just say a quick hello," you sighed. He turned to face you, concern on his face.
"but love-" he started, but you cut him off.
"spencer, you can go after we greet them," you insisted. he lowered his head in defeat and stepped back into the mudroom to take off his shoes. you straightened up and dusted off your clothes before heading toward the entryway. spencer followed and opened the door.
standing there were your parents, your two sisters, your older sister’s husband and daughters, and behind them, spencer’s mother. your mother squealed as soon as she saw you and pushed her way past your sisters.
"where is he?!" she exclaimed, stepping inside and looking around.
"good to see you too, mom," you chuckled, crossing your arms. the rest of the family followed in, and spencer came over to place a hand on your lower back. once everyone was inside and the door was shut, he leaned in and whispered in your ear, "now can i go?"
you pulled back slightly and shook your head. "just a quick hello," you replied softly. he sighed, shoulders slumping, and walked into the family room.
"he’s upstairs taking a nap, mom," you say, walking over to where she’s standing and wrapping your arms around her. she immediately returns the gesture, holding you close. "we’ll bring him down when he wakes up," you add, before pulling away and greeting everyone with a tight hug and a cheerful, "how are you?!"
"so, what’s for dinner?" your dad asks as he settles on the couch.
"i decided to keep it traditional and make tamales," you reply casually, but your mom’s face immediately falls.
"you didn’t tell me you were making tamales! why didn’t you tell me? i could’ve helped! did you make the sauce yourself—?" she starts rambling, but you cut her off with a laugh.
"mom, after watching you make them for most of my life, i think i’ve got it figured out," you chuckle, and she shakes her head in mock disapproval.
spencer clears his throat, then speaks up. "um, do we want to eat now, or should we wait...?"
"i think we should all get comfy first, and then we can start dinner!" you suggest with a smile.
dinner flies by in what feels like no time at all, though it actually lasts about an hour and a half. spencer grows increasingly agitated, repeatedly asking if he can go buy hand sanitizer, but you just respond each time with, "not yet." eventually, he forgets about it.
once dinner wraps up, everyone heads upstairs to the tv room. your mom is the first to ask about seeing arthur. you nod, and she steps in, spencer following right behind you.
arthur’s nursery is cozy, with a wooden crib nestled against a wall adorned with thrifted paintings. a knitted blanket you made while pregnant with him is draped over the crib, and a curtain dotted with little stars hangs next to it. a rocking chair sits beside the crib, and when you enter, you see arthur is just waking up.
you walk over and gently scoop him up, supporting him with one hand on his back and the other under his bum. you bounce him softly for a few moments until he calms down, then your mom holds out her arms. you pass him to her, and she cradles him carefully, cooing at him and rocking him gently.
then spencer has a sudden realization. his eyes widen as he notices your mom didn’t use hand sanitizer—or wash her hands—before picking up arthur. his stomach drops at the thought, and he taps you on the arm. you turn from the loving look your mom gives your son to find spencer’s worried face, and your expression shifts from content to concerned.
"spence, what’s wrong? are you okay?" you ask, reaching up to touch his arm, the fabric of his button-up shirt between your fingers.
"your mom didn’t use hand sanitizer..." he mumbles, his voice full of worry. your face softens, and you give him a reassuring smile.
"spence—"
"...and she didn’t wash her hands either," he continues, his voice trembling slightly.
you sigh, cupping his face gently. "love, i’m sure he’ll be fine."
"no, he won’t! you don’t understand how much bacteria and disease humans carry, and if he gets sick, it could be really bad—" spencer starts to spiral, but you squeeze his cheeks, halting his words.
"did you ever check under our bathroom sink for hand sanitizer?" you ask softly.
"no... was i supposed to?" he looks down at you with those wide, pleading eyes. You shrug.
"i’ll go check." you pull away from him, and he steps out of the nursery and into the bathroom to check the cabinets under the sink. after a moment, you hear a frustrated groan, and spencer reappears holding a small bottle of pumpkin spice hand sanitizer from bath & body works, the size of arthur’s tiny hand.
"seriously?" he mutters, annoyed by the size and knowing it’s probably not going to be very effective. but after a brief pause, he sighs and decides it’s better than nothing.
from that point on, every time someone even looks at arthur, spencer insists they use the tiny hand sanitizer, and by the end of the night, it’s completely gone.
authors note | this is so half assed im sorry 😭 anyways i'm done with all my after school stuff (for now) so i should be back to posting twice a week but i'm still not fully motivated enough to write full fics so we'll see how it goes :]
credits | @saradika
word count | 1.3k
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