Normal or Not- Chapter Three (Spencer Reid)
Summary: Judi and Spencer visit the natural history museum
A/N: I love a cheeky museum, again apologies for how bad this is. This is definetly more of a trial fic (i reliase this the more i write it)
Word Count: 3.2k
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It had been a few weeks since Judi’s phone call with the doctor in which she’d excitedly suggested her favourite Italian for his dinner plans. Since then a few more recommendations were shared and she’d found a pattern in the man’s preferences. He liked Asian cuisine, but couldn’t for the life of him manage to use chopsticks. Subs were something he deemed a ‘lunch’ food unsuitable for dinner, fast food such as burgers made him feel lazier than he already was, and burritos and tacos apparently could never get old.
Over late phone calls she’d hum tunes of an indecisive mind and urge Doctor Reid to hint at which dishes he would be interested in. Then, goodbyes were exchanged and she’d eagerly await his conclusions, usually finding some sort of distraction in the meantime.
In a giddy way she looked forward to their conversations. At a squeaky office chair she’d secretly hope for a text stating he was in town (which meant a call was on the cards, the Doctor never called on cases). She didn’t intend to revolve certain things around him, but it was almost impossible not to.
Dinner was the period in which she’d ponder about what to recommend to him while simultaneously attempting to cook food for herself. As she ate, a part of her would wonder if he’d like her cooking, if maybe one day she could cook for him. Then the shame of that would dim her. Switched out like a light those thoughts were diminished with a shake of the lever in her head.
Between eating and sleeping were the hours in which there was a mere possibility that he would call. Of course, on the days he didn’t she would fill her time with other things, telling herself that they weren’t distractions from the fact.
However, when she heard the chime of her ringtone everything was put aside. She’d relish in the easy conversation, listen to him ramble effortlessly about the books he’d read, talk about how her paper was going. It was like an unscheduled release, like when he dialed her number everything shrank away.
Per usual she figured it was sort of pathetic to think that way, to give someone she hardly knew so much credit. But the hopeless romantic underneath her awkward pauses and stuttering didn’t really care for those critiques. Instead it took everything offered.
Judi wanted to see him again. She desperately tried to remember exactly what he looked like, but considering the last time she saw him was over a month ago, that image was fading. He was a blurred portrait of a hazy face with soft features and tall curls.
It was difficult attempting to conjure up the perfect words to request that they meet up, and if he rejected she was sure she’d crumble from embarrassment. But she thought about how she felt in the coffee shop. How the unease that came with being around other people didn’t seem to shroud her when she was with him. She wanted to see if it was a one off, a short lived miracle, if her trembling would return once her eyes met his.
So, during their next phone call she asked the question.
“Would you maybe wanna do something this weekend?”
Of course, she couldn’t just ask without rambling.
“Only if you’re not busy, and only if you want to. I wouldn’t want you to feel obliged to go somewhere with me. Just I never really go anywhere with anyone, and it would be nice to. Not that I’m trying to guilt you. Now it feels like I’m guilting you. I’m sorry I-“
“I’d like that.”
She was partly stunned. For a while before the call Judi had prepared herself for the offer to be declined. To be met with her heart sinking down the six floors beneath her apartment. His response was unexpected, but despite that it’s radiance shone through her.
“Great,” she said almost breathlessly. “What days are you free?”
“Sunday.” He was quick to confirm. “But I can’t guarantee I won’t get a call asking me to come in. It’s sorta a job requirement.”
She shook her head in dismissal. “That’s fine, I get it.” Then the next most important thing hit her. “What do you want to do? Or where do you want to go? Any ideas? I didn’t really think this far ahead.” A nervous chuckle followed her question.
“Good question,” replied the doctor. “Anywhere you’ve been meaning to go?”
As soon as he uttered the words an idea popped into her head. There had been a place, but just as quickly it dawned on her that it might seem like she was trying to make their outing into some sort of date. Which, while that would be lovely, she assumed the doctor wouldn’t be interested in. Yet, nothing else would come to mind.
Hesitation laced her attempt at speaking. “Well, I’ve been wanting to go to the Natural History Museum. I have a feeling you’ve probably already been, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to it.”
He let out a friendly scoff. “Of course I’ve been. I can’t believe you haven’t.”
“We can go somewhere else if you want.”
“No,” he swiftly established. “We can go, mostly because it’s shocking that you haven’t already.”
“I’m a busy person!” she gigged.
“So am I! And I’ve still been there. No excuses.”
“Well the museum it is then.”
“The museum it is.”
And then she was standing on the steps of said museum, coat pulled taught as she used her boot to play with a couple of stray leaves. She was early, but she was always early. It was a trait of hers she could never seem to shake, even when she ended up waiting twenty minutes in the cold.
Judi was obviously nervous. It wasn’t a date, but still she greatly admired the man who was supposed to be arriving in a few short minutes. That, paired with the fact that she didn’t really go places with other people, was causing her to tear apart a forgotten piece of tissue in her left pocket.
Since their phone call confirming their outing she’d been anxiously awaiting a cancellation. Every message from him she’d poise herself ready for the let down. Except it never came. The day before he’d confirmed the place and time, reminding her that a work call could whisk him away at any second, and she reiterated her understanding.
Judi pulled out her phone, allowing her other hand to continue with the scraps of tissue left. The time stared back at her, unlike any notifications. Her phone was pretty barren anyways, except from the odd work email, so she wasn’t expecting to see anything. Though it was one minute until their agreed upon time, and she was beginning to expect a text informing her he’d be late.
“Judi?”
Her head shot up from her phone. Standing before her was the doctor himself, dressed similar to the day they met, hair just as wild, and his features filling in the blanks held from her memory. It was confirmation she hadn’t made up a better looking version of him in the confines of her messy imagination. He really was just very handsome.
“Hi!” She greeted him excitedly. “You’re,” she checked her phone, “right on time.”
His chuckle found its way into the brisk autumn air. “I left according to the estimated foot traffic and subway delays.”
“Of course you did.” She smiled, staring at him for a little too long before remembering what they were here for. “Wanna head in?”
“Sure.”
They both traversed up the steps and into the building, Judi struggling slightly to keep up with his brisk pace. His legs were much longer than hers.
“That’s an elephant.” She simply stated, stopping in place when she’d spotted the display.
He glanced at her frozen frame. “They’re the largest land animals on earth. This one seems to be an African bush elephant, which is actually becoming an endangered species.”
A frown slipped onto her face. “Endangered?” She turned to him.
“Sadly.” The Doctor nodded. “Poaching is a huge problem for them.”
Judi looked back to the elephant standing tall before her and in the corner of her eye spotted the informational plaque. She shifted over to read the facts, the doctor following close behind.
“Habitat loss is also a factor in their population decline,” she recited from the text. “Poor things.”
“Come on.” He urged her to follow. “You’re going to make yourself sad if you keep dwelling on the elephant population.”
Judi spun to trail him, letting out a light scoff. “The elephants deserve better than that.”
He met her with a smile. “You’re very right about that.”
The doctor led her to a room with an array of more animals, spilling out facts about each one as if he was an expert in the field. She listened intently, letting him ramble while adding a comment when she felt it was needed. It was incredible how much information he could retain, and she tried her best not to zone out and gawk every time he recited exact statistics and facts.
“You know their tongues can grow to around fifty three centimetres.” Was the fact he chose to tell her in front of the giraffe exhibit.
Judi couldn’t help but giggle at it. “That’s kind of disgusting.”
“I don’t think the giraffes would appreciate you being mean about their tongues.”
The look he gave her was his attempt at seeming serious, through the quirk of the corner of his lip said otherwise.
“God of course.” She shook her head at the ground before turning to face the static giraffe. “I’m very sorry mister giraffe.”
“Miss,” he corrected.
“Miss giraffe,” she confirmed with a firm nod.
The two fell into a bout of laughter, soft enough not to draw attention but something quietly shared between them that held more weight than it’s volume.
Judi couldn’t wipe the smile from her face even after their laughter had subsided, and lines laced with content on the doctor’s skin were far from fading.
Together in each other's company they continued throughout the museum. The doctor continued to lean down to tell her about each exhibit, lowering his voice into a whisper when they entered a particularly quiet area.
At his hushed octave he managed to compel her into a trance, a deep focus into how she could prevent him from seeing the blush that spread up her cheeks, her breathing that had hitched. Every time it was a sincere struggle, but she didn’t mind if it meant she could meet his lowered gaze with her own. She’d stare into honey shaded eyes, finding her smile reappearing as she watched his own. It was sickly. And she hated it. But also she couldn’t get enough.
“Does it ever freak you out that the earth is as old as it is?” Was the question she asked as they both stood side by side with necks tilted to absorb the T-Rex fossil towering above.
She took a quick glance towards the doctor and watched him furrow quizzical brows. “Not really. I’ve always been interested in the history of the earth and the universe. Sometimes understanding something makes you less afraid of it.”
Judi had partly expected a long drawn out answer. His simple reply was a genuine surprise. Yet it was fitting. Someone who knew so much would likely derive comfort from simply knowing. Being able to pick apart a concept and analyse each piece with confidence would seem like something that would bring comfort to any uncertainty. Though she didn’t have that privilege.
“I just think it’s odd that where we are standing right now has been through so much. Before this museum, this country even. So much below our feet over billions of years and now I’m standing here.” For some reason she shuffled her feet, feeling for the floor as if it held any history before the short years it had lived.
“That is slightly odd to think about I suppose.”
“Slightly,” she lightly laughed.
“As I said, when you know everything there is to know about everything there aren’t really any surprises.”
Judi found herself aching at the tone he’d laced throughout those words. Like he was tiresome. As if knowing so much overtime has forged into more of a curse for the man. Her eyes settled on him with hidden sympathy.
“Do you ever wish you didn’t know so much?”
Those words seemed to hit him harder than she’d expected. Hazel eyes flitted across the room, his lips twisting as he thought hard.
“I-“ he began, “It’s definitely somewhat a good thing. I wouldn’t be where I am without the memory that I have. Though sometimes it’s a heavy weight to carry. To know so much and hold it all in.”
“You don’t have to hold it in around me.” No matter what, she didn’t think she could ever tire of his voice indulging her with things she’d only ever dream of discovering alone. “I’ll listen.”
The doctor almost seemed pained. She’d struck him and sent him stumbling backwards, and he was in a haze trying to find something to grasp onto, all while still standing steady with a Tyrannosaurus Rex watching above.
It took him a collection of moments to part his lips to speak. “I’d like that.”
“Then let’s go find some other exhibits.” The smile on her lips was painstakingly genuine. “I think he’s tired of us,” she nodded towards the soaring fossil.
So they carried on weaving through the building filled to the brim with history, and she let him almost burst its seams with his words. They tiptoed in comfy company, with no exact path in mind, just following whatever they were drawn towards.
Judi almost couldn’t believe it when she’d absentmindedly checked the time and saw that three hours had passed. The phone in her hands was tilted to reach the doctor’s range of vision.
“I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed in a hushed panic. “I didn’t realise how long we’d been here.”
“It’s fine! I didn’t realise either.”
They shared a lopsided smile, both seemingly revelling in the abundance of time they’d collected together. She didn’t mind at all, and by the shyness that had encompassed the man’s features she assumed the doctor didn’t either.
“Can we go to the gift shop?” She asked in almost a childlike nag.
“Sure.”
Gift shops were always pricey traps for parents to find themselves stuck in. Luckily Judi wasn’t a parent, but she did love a plush toy and today they were very tempting.
“Thirty dollars!” The elephant plush she held stared blankly back at her. It wasn’t even that large. But it was cute.
“They’ve got to make their money somehow,” the doctor quipped. “We didn’t pay an entry fee.”
“Still,” she waved the animal. “Isn’t thirty whole dollars a bit much?”
He flashed a smile. “Oh definitely.”
A groan left her as she placed the elephant back onto the shelf. Even if some of the money did go towards conservation efforts, she couldn’t really afford to spend that much on something she’d probably have to move from her bed every evening before she settled down to sleep.
They continued their browsing, brushing past a few children that had also been encapsulated by the toys.
At one point the doctor left her side, leaving her to stare at the different types of dinosaur candy. Which seemed dumb, but obviously wasn’t since she found herself wanting it anyways. Maybe she could buy a packet for them to share? He had spent the day with her so perhaps it was the least she could do.
Judi took a packet of the candy to the counter and made her purchase. For a moment she turned and scanned the store for the man said candy was meant for. He was spotted by the exit and gave her a wave when her eyes landed upon his figure.
“Look what I got.” She held up the overpriced packet and wiggled it with a smirk.
“Look what I got…you.” A small keyring was revealed in the palm of his hand. It was an elephant. An African bush elephant.
“For me?!“
“Well, the plushie was out of bounds and this still makes a generous donation to conservation efforts.”
The joy that filled her was indescribable. Gently he handed her the precious keychain and she held it up to admire its design. A toothy smile was sent his way, and she held herself back from hugging him. For some reason he didn’t seem the type to hug much, and she wouldn’t want to attempt one without confirmation that he indeed would accept one.
Judi suddenly remembered the candy in her hand. “I got this for you actually.” She watched as he took the bag and examined its contents. “It’s not a keychain, but everyone likes candy right?”
“Yeah.” He laughed with content. “Everyone does like candy.”
Large fingers brushed over the plastic packaging of the confectionery, as if what was held inside was gold. Instead it was flavoured jelly dinosaurs that happened to be vegetarian. Yet, to Judi they were so much more, and as she traced her fingers over the metal in her grasp she felt that perhaps the small elephant also represented more than just something to attach to her apartment keys.
“Thank you.” His words were soft and genuine, like the look in his eyes and smile on his lips.
The keychain was flashed again along with her grin. “No, thank you! The elephants are forever thankful, and so am I.”
Judi slipped the gift into her pocket as the two of them sauntered out of the exit, entering the harsh autumn air with a shiver. They found each other close as they almost stumbled down the steep steps in their unsaid happiness, her elbow absentmindedly nudging his for the silent urge for him to wrap their arms together. But that didn’t happen, and she doubted it ever would. However, if she could have him like this again, chattering away at exhibits and handing her a gift shop keychain, she wouldn’t mind if he never even touched her once.
“I’ve gotta go this way.” He shrugged in the direction of where he’d come from when he’d arrived.
The nod she gave him was almost shy, she felt herself reminiscing to the feeling of parting ways at the end of a date. Though perhaps now she was even more timid.
Just before he turned his heels she managed to find it in her to say a parting word. “Thank you for today!” Was the sentence that rushed out of her mouth a little too quickly. “Thank you.” She confirmed, more controlled this time.
Again that smile sent ripples down her spine. “No problem.” She thought that was it. “I had fun.” It wasn’t.
“I- me too.”
Then he was gone. The dark overcoat that shrouded him fluttering in the icy wind as he walked out of sight. And she sighed. She let out whatever the mix of feelings she’d acquired over the past couple of hours had made within her tightened chest.
The walk home was brisk and long. A break of the subway shuddering the thoughts around in her rattling brain. Her frigid fingers felt the even colder endangered species in her pocket. She’d place it on her keys when she got home.
