a/n: this is lowkey ass but here’s another request filled !!! if i don’t fill your request i am so sorry my inbox is VERY full and some of them get lost in the sauce!!
word count: 2k
warnings: hints at smut but none actually, fluff as always
“Are you sure we can’t cancel?” Spencer whined, letting his hands come to rest on your hips. You had gone to the break room for a last minute pick-me-up before heading out to the bar with the team, not knowing that Spencer had followed you. It had been a long day with the completion of a case early in the afternoon, and the jet ride was only an hour and a half back to Quantico. You knew Spencer wasn’t fond of the bar scene on a good day, let alone after a long winded case.
“Spence, it’s okay, you don’t have to go if you really don’t want to.” You said leaning into him as you made your coffee. Spencer frowned and shook his head.
“No, I’ll go.” You handed Spencer the extra coffee you had made for him and he gulped it down gratefully, pausing to rub his eyes. You grinned and placed a kiss on his cheek before returning to your desk to grab a pair of new clothes. You went to the bathroom to change, and found Emily and JJ already in there, getting ready.
“Hey there!” Emily said, applying a fresh coat of lipstick.
“Did you convince Spence to join us?” JJ asked.
“Somehow yes. It took a lot of coaxing and a few promises of different things for when we get home tonight.” You giggled. Emily’s jaw dropped and JJ raised her eyebrows, sharing a look with Emily.
“Ooooh, dirty things?”
“I don’t kiss and tell!” You replied, fixing your makeup in the mirror. Emily and JJ shared your laughter and you went into the stall to get changed. You emerged in a red, off the shoulder top and a pair of red black skinny jeans with some calf-high heeled boots. You looked in the mirror and grinned at yourself. You looked like a badass. JJ and Emily had already finished and returned to the bullpen by the time you got changed, with Morgan and Spencer. Morgan whistled as you approached and Spencer stopped mid-conversation with JJ to drop his jaw. You knew that red was Spencer’s favorite color, so wearing it in this capacity was a huge thing for him. You grinned as he approached, resting his hands on your waist.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, my love.” He said quietly, placing a quick peck on your lips. Morgan whistled again, and you gave him the finger. He held his hands up in surrender and walked towards the doors, the rest of your team and you following him into the elevator, where Spencer grabbed your hand. Generally Spencer wasn’t a huge fan of PDA, however, he knew that it was your “love language” of sorts, so he would often compromise with small but sweet gestures; such as allowing his hands to rest on your hips or waist, holding your hand, or the occasional peck on the cheek or lips. It was small enough that Spencer was still comfortable, but it made you ridiculously happy.
You split up among yourselves in the parking lot, meeting up at the bar. Hotch promised Emily that he would take his own car there, to which Emily made a face. He gave a look with her that conveyed he had to do something he didn’t want to, such as having a conversation with the witch herself, Erin Strauss. Prentiss broke into a sympathetic smile as she climbed into the car and rocketed out of the parking lot. You plugged your phone into Spencer’s aux to try and get him a bit more perked up, so you put on one of your playlists that he hated the least; and actually had come to enjoy. He hummed along quietly, absentmindedly stroking his thumb across the top of your hand. You stared out the window and just appreciated the quiet time you got with your love. You arrived shortly later, and the drinking had commenced as soon as you and Spence walked in. Garcia shoved a Bay Breeze into your hand and forced you to chug it for being late.
You complied, shotgunned the drink, and slammed it back down on the bar with a cheer. Garcia seemed satisfied and you felt a hand on the small of your back; it was Spencer. He had a weird look on his face, following his gaze you quickly realized why- some guy at the bar was staring at your ass. His look quickly changed to a scowl as he pulled you in and placed a passionate kiss on your lips, to show the entire place you were entirely his. He pulled away and you quickly pecked his lips and smiled.
“I love you.” You said.
“I love you too.” Spence grinned and took a sip of his beer, grimacing at the taste. It was one of the alcoholic drinks he despised the least, but that was not to say that he was particularly fond of it. He couldn’t understand how Morgan was such a fan of the drink, but learned quickly not to ask questions. To each his own.
Spencer lost track of you rather quickly as you were a little ways away, at the other end of the bar, doing shots. Suddenly Spencer felt a presence behind him, and looked back to see Morgan.
“What’s up, Boy Wonder? You look a little lost.” Spencer frowned and shrugged.
“I just don’t like the party bar sort of scene, but I wanted to make (Y/N) happy.” Morgan chuckled and took a sip of his beer.
“Pretty boy, you are both very very sweet, and frankly quite whipped.” Spencer furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his friend, who was being beckoned by Garcia. Spencer followed behind and when you saw him, you lit up.
“Hey you,” You said, reaching out your hand. Spencer took it gratefully, and pulled you into a hug. You melted into him.
“You guys wanna grab a seat at the bar, get some apps and a few more drinks?” Morgan offered, taking Garica’s hand. You all agreed and Prentiss walked away to call Hotch, to see if he was on his way and if he wanted anything for when he got there.
Your time at the bar was relatively short lived before moving to a table to accommodate the group better. Morgan sat back with his arm slung around Garcia’s shoulders, who was getting closer to tipsy with every sip of her margarita. You were talking about first kisses, to which you felt Spencer tense up slightly beside you, like he so often did during these sorts of conversations.
“I mean, I kissed my childhood best friend on the playground, but I doubt that really counts.” You paused.
“Not really. It counts for something, but it’s not your real like, first kiss. Spill it, girl.” Morgan said, smirking.
“Alright, alright. I was a sophomore in high school; my best friend had this family friend who had a son a year younger than us, who went to high school with us. He was really sweet, but also very VERY quiet. We were sort of friends, in a sense. Like, we knew each other and would text back and forth sometimes, mostly about a bio class we had together, but regardless. I really liked him and he never expressed any real interest in me, other than just like smiling at me and getting close to me, which didn’t mean much. Anyway, my best friend and I went to a New Year’s Eve party at his house and we were mostly hanging out in the basement or floating around with the various kids we went to high school with, just hanging out and other teenager stuff. Lo and behold, it’s the countdown to midnight and he appeared at my side. It became midnight and he grabbed my hand so I would look at him, he took my head in his hands and just kissed me.” You smiled at the memory of the sweet boy who only lasted in your life for about a month.
Derek laughed, Garcia and Prentiss awed, and Spencer didn’t really express anything. He just took a quiet sip of his beer.
“Alright, I said. It’s your turn, Prentiss!” Her eyes widened as she shook her head.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” She smirked, echoing your words from earlier today. You rolled your eyes as Hotch approached the table.
“Saved by the bell.” You muttered as Emily stood, giving Hotch a quick peck on the lips. He smiled and sat beside her.
“Another round?” You offered, standing up with your now empty glass. You crossed the room and took a seat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice you. You saw someone sit beside you out of your peripheral and realized it was Garcia, who was grinning wickedly.
“Hi, Sweets.” She said, sounding entirely too innocent. You narrowed your eyes.
“What did you do?” You asked.
“Nothing!”
“Pen.”
“I didn’t do anything. I have an idea,” She smirked.
“Oh God, what?”
“I saw this hilarious thing on Twitter last night where you text your significant other something SUUUPER nasty when you’re in a public setting together to see how they react.” You considered it for a minute, when the bartender approached. You listed off the group’s order and he disappeared.
“You’ve caught my attention, Pen. Have you tried it with Derek?” She raised her eyebrow.
“Have I tried it. Please, honey. I’ve done it 4 times tonight alone, have you noticed him even FLINCH?” You glanced back at Morgan, who was clapping Hotch on the back. Your eyes wandered to Spencer, who was finally smiling, and looked like he was actually having a good time. Perfect opportunity.
“You’re on, Garcia. $20 says Spencer blushes, shifts in his seat, and looks down at the table.”
“Alright, I say he smirks, rests his head on his hand, and gives you that look he does right before you leave the BAU.” A flush filled your face as you realized that your allegedly “discreet” look was apparently not so discreet.
The bartender returned with the drinks seconds later, and you only had about a minute to come up with something GOOD. With the help of Garcia, you got to work crafting the dirtiest text you could think of that would earn you the response you were looking for from your boyfriend.
Spencer felt his phone vibrating in his pocket which immediately alarmed him, considering the few people that would actually text him were all sitting with him. Besides you, who had gone to the bar, but you wouldn’t have just disappeared and only sent a text. He furrowed his eyebrows as he read the text he received from you, immediately reacting the way you thought he would.
He quickly locked his phone and put it face down on the table, running a hand through his hair in discomfort. He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, among other places, as he began shifting in his seat to try and discreetly make himself a bit more comfortable. He stared at the table, hard, as if he was going to burn a hole through it with his eyes. Meanwhile, you were collecting $20 from Garcia across the room, in tears from laughing so hard. With Penelope’s help you escorted the drinks back to the table, earning a few cheers from your friends. You sat beside Spencer and placed a casual hand on his thigh, making him squirm even more.
“Why did you do that?!” He whispered in your ear.
You simply smirked in response and took a sip of your drink.
“Let’s just say i’m now $20 richer.” Spencer narrowed his eyes at you before looking around the table, his eyes landing very quickly on Garcia. She was being uncharacteristically quiet and still leaning on Derek, but avoiding eye contact with Spencer. He scowled and she ignored it, trying to suppress her laughter.
You placed a chaste kiss on Spencer’s cheek and he shifted again, but grabbed your hand anyway. For what it was worth, Spencer was definitely very good at putting up with your mischievous ways.
You unlocked your phone to send someone a text, when you saw your own to Spencer. You grinned in spite of yourself.
I can’t think about anything besides you throwing me on the bar and ravaging me in every way you please. You know, kinda like last night…. I’ve never heard you say my name so loud.
request: blurb request! spencer reid x reader y/n getting super sad and mumbling thru tears “ just wanna be close to you”
a/n: okay i sat at my computer for a solid 10 minutes trying to figure out where and how i could run with this story and i think i figured out the perfect thing heheheeee
word count: 2.6k
warnings: slight angst (i guess? idek) and fluff! and jello. personally i hate jello
“Are you sure?” You overheard Morgan saying as you inspected the surrounding area, Spencer doing the same. “Alright, I’ll tell (Y/N) and Reid. Thanks.” He hung up the phone and turned to you.
“The lab was clean.” He said, frowning. “Where’s Reid?” You looked over your shoulder and came up empty, looking around a little more frantically.
“Spencer?” You called. No response.
“Reid!” Morgan called a little louder. Still no response.
You started running and screaming Spencer’s name, when you looked in the direction of the open front door. You ran up and started into the lab when Spencer ran out of nowhere and shoved you back, closing the door between you.
“Spencer what the hell are you doing?!” You asked, looking up at him.
“You have to get out of here now.” He said, locking the door.
“Spence i’m not-”
“Now, (Y/N)! The anthrax lab is in here! It’s too late for me, you have to leave! I’m so sorry.” Tears welled up in your eyes as you approached Morgan, who heard the entire conversation.
Hotch and the officers from downtown appeared shortly, you were sitting outside beside Morgan. You both stood as Hotch approached, already having been briefed by Morgan.
“It’s not your fault, (Y/L/N).” Hotch said.
“I should have gone in with him, at least then he wouldn’t be alone.” You muttered, wiping away a spare tear.
“Reid, we’re gonna get you out of there as quickly as possible, and get you to a hospital.” Hotch said into the phone. He put it on speaker in time for you to hear Spencer’s response.
“No.”
“NO?” You called.
“I’m already infected, that doesn’t mean I can’t help from in here. This guy must have created an antidote in the case of accidental self infection.” He said. Hotch remained quiet.
“Hotch, you gotta say something to him!” Morgan was angry with himself as well for not going in with Spencer. The idea of the kid dying ripped a hole in his chest.
“He’s right, Morgan.” Morgan shook his head and threw his hands up, walking away. You sat there, the sick feeling in your stomach becoming more and more potent. You and Spencer had only been dating for 5 months before this, the idea of already losing him was terrifying and entirely too real to you. You’d had too many close calls in your friendship alone, let alone during your short-lived relationship. Army men began setting up tents outside of the house. Reid was listing off everything that he could see in the room to get a better idea of who the new unsub was, and what his next move was since murdering Nichols. You and Morgan elected to stay with Reid while Hotch went to the BAU.
“Hey Garcia.”
“Hey, Reid.”
“No nicknames today, huh?”
“Not when you’re in there and we’re all out here. What can I do to help?” He could hear worry laced in her voice. He swallowed hard.
“I need to record, um, a couple of messages.” Spencer tried to will away the tears he felt coming.
“Sure thing, just give me one second.”
“You ready?”
“Go, Reid.”
“Hi, mom. This is Spencer, just calling to say that I love you and am so happy to be your son. You’re a great mom. Get it, Garcia?”
“Yep,” She sniffled slightly, hoping Reid didn’t hear her. He did.
“One more message, this one is for (Y/N). Hi there, love. Um, this is Spencer. I guess you figured that out when I called you love, at the beginning of this message.” He chuckled a little, and wiped away a tear that was falling. “Um, I don’t know how else to say it, but I love you, so much. Ever since your first week at the BAU, I’ve been in love with you. I’m so glad you allow me to love you every single day, and show you just how special you are to me. I’ll see you soon, I love you.” Garcia was now silently crying on the other end, and could barely choke out that she got both of his messages taken care of. He thanked her as the team in hazmat suits approached.
“I gotta go, thanks again Garcia.” He hung up and faced the doctor.
“Are you in any pain, Dr. Reid?” She asked. He swallowed and refused treatment, promising that he felt fine. He was actually beginning to sweat and his thoughts were clouding slightly, but he pushed through.
“I believe the antidote is in here somewhere, as a just in case precaution. He was a military scientist, so it won’t be out in the open.” Reid felt a cough rising in his throat, and panic setting in. He swallowed hard, again, and answered the incoming call he had been anticipating.
“Hey, Spence.” Your voice was thick. “I’m here with Morgan. How are you doing in there?”
“I’ve been better.” He laughed a little, leading to a small coughing fit. You felt your stomach knot harder.
“Stay with me, Spence. What can you tell us about the man Nichols was working with?” You could hear the shuffling of papers on Spencer’s end.
“I see a thesis with writing in the margins, like a professor would do for a student.” He began reading from the paper, almost verbatim to something Nichols had said earlier.
“I’ll call Garcia.” Derek walked away to do just that, and Spencer was coughing again. You sniffled.
“Hey, I’m okay, love. I’m gonna be fine!” Spencer tried, but failed, to sound even remotely convincing. How could he when he just gave Garcia his goodbye messages?
“We’re gonna catch this sonofabitch and get you out of there, I swear, Spence.” Tears were flowing freely now.
“Yeah, we are.”
“Here’s Morgan, Garcia found the unsub.” Spencer breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Get out of there, Pretty Boy.” Morgan said, clapping his phone shut. Spencer smiled and hung up his own phone, when the doctor approached.
“You were right, Reid. It wasn’t somewhere we would think to look.” She held up Nichols’s inhaler.
You watched as the men in the hazmat suits escorted Reid out of the house and into the tent, and started hosing him down.
“Spence.” You breathed, watching him react to the seemingly cold water and trying to approach him. He held out his hand.
“Go help Hotch.” He said, his voice rough from coughing.
“No, I’m staying here with you.” You said, crossing your arms. He knew arguing with you was futile, and that he needed to save his energy. “Morgan went with Hotch.” You could tell what he was thinking.
You tried to get closer, not caring about the consequences. He stopped you again, and met your eyes, brimming with fresh tears.
“I just want to be close to you.” Your tears spilled over and fell down your cheeks, as you suddenly felt Spencer’s hand delicately lift your head to meet his eyes. “I really thought we were going to lose you. I’ve never been so afraid.”
“They’re about to strip me naked, and scrub me down. Do you really wanna see that?” You tried to suppress a laugh. Spencer smiled a little.
“I’ll meet you outside. I’m riding with you in the ambulance.” Spencer seemed satisfied with the compromise and you exited the tent, pacing just outside as you could hear him coughing. You frowned and put your head in your hands, still worried about whether or not there was enough time to save him.
The doctor’s wheeled him out on a gurney a few minutes later, coughing his head off. You climbed in after him and grabbed his hand as he continued coughing, closing his eyes.
“How are you, Dr. Reid?” Doctor Kimura asked, hovering a stethoscope above Spencer’s chest.
“I’ve been better, honestly. But besides the coughing, I feel okay.” You frowned and rubbed your thumb across the top of his hand.
You arrived at the hospital shortly after and took a break to call the team, and alert them that Reid’s vitals were stabilizing.
“Hey Morgan, it’s (Y/N). Reid and I are at the hospital, I think he’s gonna be okay. He’s asleep now, but I think he’s gonna be okay. Call me when you get this, bye.” You clapped your phone shut and sat back, reading the book Reid had given you a couple of months ago that you often read on the jet rides home. It was very long, but very interesting, and since it was one of Spencer’s favorites that was actually in english, you promised him you would read it and tell him what you thought.
“Hey, Pretty Girl, we caught him.” Morgan said. You could hear the grin in his voice.
“Of course you guys did. Did you get to tackle him or did you apprehend him the less fun way?” You giggled.
“For your information, missy, I don’t get a kick out of tackling psychopaths.” He replied.
“I call bullshit.”
“Oh whatever. How’s our boy?”
“Still sleeping, but the anthrax is making its way out thanks to Spence finding the cure in the inhaler. Don’t tell him I said this, it might go to his head. He’s kind of a genius.” You pretended to whisper. Morgan chuckled on the other line and sighed.
“Something like that. Want me to meet you at the hospital?”
“Sure. There’s a ton of jello here, i’ve been munching on it as I wait for Spence to wake up.” You said, taking another bite.
“Whatever happened to you being so worried you couldn’t eat, like, 2 hours ago?” Morgan asked.
“Doctor Kimura said he was gonna be fine, he just needed time to rest. The worry left and the jello appeared. I don’t make the rules.” You said simply.
“Whatever, kiddo. See you in 20.” Morgan hung up before you could say anything else, and you returned to your book and your jello. Spencer stirred slightly, your heart leaping into your throat, only to turn slightly and let out a small snore. You giggled a little, and kept reading.
You made it about 4 chapters deep when Morgan finally showed, magazine in hand.
“Anything yet?” He asked, pulling up a chair beside you. You shook your head and opened another pack of jello, handing Morgan a green one.
“Ew, I hate the green. Give me a red,” He put the green back and opened the red, digging in as he flipped carelessly through his magazine. A raspy voice caught your attention.
“Is that jello?” You snapped your head up and were met by Spencer’s hazel eyes, glancing back and forth from the jello in your hand to your face.
“You’re awake!” You threw your book into Morgan’s lap and stood to go grab Dr. Kimura.
“Welcome back, Pretty Boy. Thought we lost you for a minute.” Spencer smiled weakly.
“I’m just glad you caught him, and that I found the antidote in the lab.” He rasped, eyeing up your jello.
“How are you feeling, Doctor?” Dr. Kimura asked from the doorway, smiling. She was extremely happy to see the young Doctor made a full recovery, and was going to be back to normal in a matter of days.
You stepped out from behind Dr. Kimura with an armful of jello, and a spoon. Spencer grinned like a child and took the orange one gratefully, shoving a huge spoonful into his mouth.
“Thank you.” He tried to sit up and winced slightly, falling back on his pillows.
“You gotta take it easy for a few days, Kid.” Morgan said, not looking up. Spencer sighed but closed his eyes as you pet his hair. A calm smile crossed his features and you smiled, so happy to have met someone as amazing as Doctor Spencer Reid, FBI agent.
Down the road……
The anthrax incident had been anything but forgotten, though moved past. Reid made a full recovery as expected, and was back to work in a matter of days, something that made you extremely happy. You had stopped by Starbucks like you did every morning, Spencer waiting for you in the car. Garcia had texted you that morning that she was running late and asked you to pick up her usual, and she decided to order yours and Spencer’s usuals as well. You grabbed the drinks and went out to the car, making your way through the morning D.C traffic with your love and plenty of caffeine.
You went straight to Penelope’s lair to deliver her coffee, when you heard Spencer’s voice on the other side. Had he gone a different way and beaten you there?
“Hi there, love. Um, this is Spencer. I guess you figured that out when I called you love, at the beginning of this message.” He chuckled a little, and wiped away a tear that was falling. “Um, I don’t know how else to say it, but I love you, so much. Ever since your first week at the BAU, I’ve been in love with you. I’m so glad you allow me to love you every single day, and show you just how special you are to me. I’ll see you soon, I love you” Your eyes widened. It sounded like he was rehearsing something. Was he proposing already? Or working out how to say “I love you”? Neither one of you had said it yet. You were prepared to, but wanted the moment to be just right. You also weren’t sure where Spence stood on the matter. You knew Spencer was absolutely the one, and you would marry him in a heartbeat, but wasn’t it a little bit early? You were barely living together by this point, marriage seemed a little bit down the road. You decided to enter, cautious.
“Hey, Pen, here’s your coffee.” You glanced around the small room, but there was no sign of Spencer anywhere. “Who were you talking to? It sounded like Spencer.” You eyed Penelope, who choked a little bit on her coffee. Her eyes widened.
“Uh, I was watching a Youtube video.” She said quickly, avoiding eye contact. You sat on the edge of her desk and looked down at her. She still refused to make eye contact, instead fiddling with a plastic ring adorning her middle finger.
“Pen, it sounded just like Spencer.” You pressed.
“Oh, fine! He didn’t want me to show you this but here it is.” Penelope replayed the message you had heard moments before, this time it was unmistakable. It was Spencer.
“When did he record this?” You asked, feeling as if you were out of breath.
“During the anthrax case, in case he didn’t get to say goodbye.” Penelope mumbled, looking guilty.
“Why didn’t you show me sooner? That… that was so sweet.”
“He didn’t want me to, he said it was unnecessary since he survived.” You set your mouth in a line and went to hunt down Spencer. You found him perched on Morgan’s desk, boring him about some Shakespeare play you had seen together over the weekend. You tucked on his sleeve and pulled him aside, interrupting him.
“Hello to you too. What’s up?” He seemed confused since you looked so angry, but weren’t using what he dubbed “your angry voice”.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the message you told Garcia to give me in case something happened to you during the anthrax case?” You asked, folding your arms across your chest. His eyes widened.
“I-I didn’t want to make you upset, uh,” He stammered, tucking his hair behind his ears.
“I love you too, Spence.” You whispered. He visibly relaxed. He smiled a little and pulled you into a tight hug.
“I meant every word I said, by the way.” He whispered in your ear. You closed your eyes and nudged your head deeper into his shoulder.
“Good.” You stayed like that for a few minutes until Morgan walked by and whistled, causing both of you to turn bright red and go back to your desks.
i think this is actually the longest fic i’ve written to date, goddamn. as always, i really really ran with this one. **LOOSELY BASED OFF OF SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 “52 Pickup”.
word count: 3.8k
warnings: none, some angst and some fluff.
“So you think he’s taking classes on how to talk to women?” Prentiss asked, incredulous. You tried to surprise your giggles, causing the others to look at you.
“Maybe Reid should try that,” Spencer’s face reddened as he busied himself with the file, pretending to read through it. You could tell he was faking because it never took him that long to study a file.
“I’m kidding, Spence.” You said a short time later, suddenly feeling guilty. Spencer looked up at you and nodded, tight lipped. He returned to the book he was reading. You shook your head and headed to the back of the jet to make yourself a coffee and take a break for a little while. Your peace, however, was short lived. Morgan strolled back and started making himself a cup of coffee while you waited for yours to finish brewing. He looked at you, eyebrows raised.
“What’s on your mind, Sweet Thing?” He asked.
“I feel really bad about what I said to Spencer.” You said quietly, taking a long sip of your coffee. Derek chuckled.
“I know why you said it, can’t say I blame you entirely.” You narrowed your eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh nothing, nothing at all.”
“Morgan.” Your tone raised slightly.
“Alright fine, you can put the angry eyes away. All I meant was that I can see the way you look at him, and you’re frustrated that he hasn’t made any sort of moves.” He said, leaning against the counter and raising his eyebrows again. “Am I wrong?”
Your answer was you walking away. He was completely on track, but you couldn’t bear to say the words out loud just yet. There wasn’t much hope on your end in terms of Spencer feeling the same way about you that you do him, so what was the point of hoping? It just lead to high expectations and low outcomes. You forced yourself to concentrate on the case file for the rest of the ride, briefly glancing at Spencer here and there; you made eye contact 3 times.
Although the jet ride was painfully quiet, the arrival on the scene was nowhere near as heavy. Well, in a sense. You were staring a dead woman in the face who looked just a little bit too much like you for your taste, and you could tell Prentiss was having similar thoughts.
“I guess we have to go pay this “Viper” guy a visit.” Spencer said behind you, quietly. You turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised. It was the first thing he’d said to you since the jet.
“Okay, I’ll grab the keys from Hotch.” You turned on your heel and headed in Hotch’s direction as Morgan approached Reid.
“I see the way you look at her, you know.” Morgan said from behind him, frightening Reid slightly. He tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, and made a confused face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said quietly, walking to the car you hopped in.
“Those two are made for each other, goddamn.” Morgan said to no one in particular. Meanwhile, your ride to Viper’s class was a little too quiet for your liking. You broke the silence and turned the radio down slightly.
“I’m sorry, Spencer.” He looked at you suddenly, as if lost in his own thoughts.
“For what?” He frowned.
“For what I said on the jet, that was unfair and I’m sorry.” Spencer was quiet for a minute, contemplating.
“I really am, Spence.”
“No no I know, I accept your apology. I was just thinking, what if that was the reason the unsub had taken the class in the first place?” You paused, waiting for him to continue. He had something.
“Meaning that if a woman in his life, whether it was a girlfriend, wife, or maybe a female in a club, made him feel small and that he was unable to pick up women. Maybe he’s impotent and he’s out to prove a point.” You grinned and touched Spencer’s arm lightly, retracting when you remembered his disdain for being touched. His facial expression faltered, but was replaced quickly when he called Hotch.
“You are such a genius, Boy Wonder.” He smiled and looked at his hands in his lap, feeling warmth spread through his body.
The drive through downtown Atlanta was an easy one, you having spent the majority of your early to late teens and 20s driving all through downtown D.C. You arrived at the community center rather quickly, and found Viper in a seminar room on the first floor.
“This is the jungle, my friends, and you are the predators.” He said to his class, earning a round of applause.
As you and Spencer approached, he looked you up and down hungrily, licking his lips.
“Well hello there, gorgeous. Fortunately for you my class just let out, and I happen to have an hour until my ne-”
“My name is Doctor Spencer Reid and I’m with the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit, and this is Agent (Y/L/N).” Viper tore his prying eyes away from you for a moment to look Spencer up and down, clearly unimpressed.
“Sure, sure. What can I do for you, Agents?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“This is regarding your, uh, class. Have you seen any sort of suspicious people or any of your students acting out of the ordinary?” Reid said, sticking his hands in his pockets.
“All my students are out of the ordinary, otherwise they wouldn’t need me to guide them.” He returned his attention to you, with a smirk.
“I, however, am the master. Picking up women is my profession and my dedication.” You rolled your eyes.
“We need to see a list of your students.” You said, monotone.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Sweetheart.”
“We will come back with a warrant.” You glared. Men like Viper made you sick.
“Alright, fine, Miss. Agent. You’ll get the roster. You can have anything else you want, you just have to ask nicely.” Viper leaned in closer and Spencer moved forward, almost shielding you.
“Oh, Dr. Reid, moving to protect the lady, hmm? How often do you have to rely on that title of yours to help you bring women home?” He almost laughed.
“Frankly, “Viper”, the way you talk to women is completely demeaning and utterly disgusting. We will come back with a warrant and will be investigating your supposed alibis, because right now you are a prime suspect in a murder investigation.” Spencer got in Viper’s face, his face as cold as stone. You’d never seen him get his back up in this way, usually it was Morgan.
“I have receipts to back up my whereabouts last night, for your information.”
“If you have any questions, call the Atlanta police department.” You said quietly, handing him a card with the number written out on the back. He looked you up and down one more time and replaced the ridiculous furry hat back on his head.
You followed Spencer out the door and back to the car, almost unable to keep up with his pace.
“Spence, what’s up?” He looked out the window, not saying anything. You could sense his anger.
“What’s wrong?” You pressed.
“I don’t like the way Viper was looking at you or talking to you.” He spat. “He was looking at you the way a predator looks at literal prey; you are so much more than that.”
Your face softened, and you rested a hand on his shoulder.
“I appreciate you standing up for me, that was very sweet.” You whispered, giving him a small smile. His heart fluttered, and he mustered up a small smile in return.
“Anytime, (Y/N/N).” He looked back out the window and subconsciously unclenched his fists at your sides, making you smile a little more.
Your ride back to the police station was very quiet, Spencer was still angry at Viper’s disgusting nature, and was completely against Morgan and Hotch’s idea to send you into a club as bait.
“This is ridiculous!” He said, crossing his arms.
“Spence, it’s fine. If it’s what I have to do, then it’s what I have to do.” You said, beginning to get frustrated. You appreciated more than anything how much Spencer cared, it made your heart do backflips, but you could take care of yourself. You’d been an FBI agent for 4 and a half years, and trained with Morgan regularly. Worst case scenario, you could handle yourself.
“It’s not fine, (Y/N). You were already subjected to Viper once today, now you have to go act as the prey for the unsub? What if he kidnaps you?”
“Reid, we’re going to be stationed at the bar and on the floor handing out fliers. Nothing is going to happen.” Spencer walked out of the room, Prentiss following close behind.
You crossed your arms and huffed. Hotch looked at you, and then looked away. You knew what you had to do, and you were determined to save some lives tonight, whether Spencer liked it or not.
“Are you ladies almost ready?” Hotch said on the other side of the door.
“Yeah, Hotch, we’ll be out in 5 minutes.” Emily called back. You could hear Hotch’s retreating footsteps, and resumed your conversation.
“Did he really say that?” Emily asked, securing an earring.
“Yep. Verbatim.”
“Wow, I can’t believe Reid had the guts to stand up to Viper like that, or that Viper even had the audacity to say something like that!”
“When you’re a misogynistic narcissist, anything is possible.”
Emily laughed in response as you looked at yourself in the full body mirror, smiling a little bit. As much as you hated to admit it, you did look good. You were in a tight red dress with a plunging neckline, gold jewelry, and red heels. You adorned a smokey eye look and teased your hair, completing the outfit. If nothing else, you were definitely ready for the club. Prentiss’s outfit was similar, except black with silver accessories. You opened the door to find your knights awaiting, and a few dropped jaws.
“Phew, you ladies clean up nice. You sure you’re alright with this?” Morgan said, directing the question at you.
“Yeah. Where’s Reid?” You asked, Spencer nowhere in sight. Morgan frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“He’s waiting in the car.” Hotch said, looking at Morgan. Morgan shrugged his shoulders as you followed them to the car you were set to take, separately from the rest of the team so it looked like you were going in on your own.
“Spencer’s jaw would drop harder than Morgan’s if he saw you back there,” Emily said, a knowing look crossing her features. You snorted a little.
“Yeah right, he wouldn’t notice anything was different.” Months ago on a ladies night with Emily, JJ, and Penelope, you’d confessed your crush on Spencer to them after a few glasses of wine too many. Since then, they’d done everything they could to try and make sure you two would get together, but to no avail. Either Spencer was pretty good at hiding his true feelings, or he just did not feel the same way.
You were hoping for option 1.
You arrived at the club a lot sooner than you would’ve liked, and entered beside Prentiss.
“Just pretend like it’s another ladies night.” She said. You nodded and headed straight for the bar while she went to find a hightop to stand at.
“Two margaritas, please.” You told the bartender, who flashed a white smile. You smiled back softly and looked at the sea of people crowding the dance floor, looking for any sort of activity that caught your eye. On the other side of the bar, something did catch your eye. Spencer. He was staring at you, and when he noticed you looking back, he reverted his attention to Morgan. You frowned, and thanked the bartender.
“Spence was staring at me.” You said as you placed your drinks on the table. Prentiss raised her eyebrows and nodded at Morgan, who nodded back. He and Spencer moved slightly away from the bar to pass out fliers and ask if anyone had seen the man from the sketch.
You mindlessly sipped your marg when a familiar scent hit your nose, and rose your eyes to meet Viper’s.
“Oh no.” You said, giving Prentiss a look.
“Hello again, fancy meeting you here. Decide to take me up on my offer to see me on my turf?” He asked.
“No.” You said.
“Well, maybe I can pique your friend’s interest here. How are you, Sweetheart?” Prentiss glared.
“Here to prey on some younger women?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow. Viper frowned, but recovered quickly.
“If that means you, then yes ma’am. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, trying to take her hand. She snapped her hand back to her body, and looked annoyed.
“If you aren’t here to help us, walk away.” She said, clenching her teeth. Viper shrugged and headed back in the direction of the bar, probably to find some other poor soul.
“He is not real.”
“I wish that were true.” You both took a long drag from your drinks, and found your eyes wandering towards the tall, curly haired genius. It was hard to find him at first, until you picked him out as the most uncomfortable man in the room. Morgan was beside him, also without any fliers, pointing to various women in the room. Spencer was nodding, as if taking mental notes about whatever Morgan was saying.
“Women like it when you can make them laugh. I know your sense of humor is a bit questionable, but if you can get her laughing, you’re definitely on your way there.” Spencer nodded, finding his gaze locked on you. You looked absolutely stunning in your red dress, barely coming above your knees. Your makeup accentuated your gorgeous eyes and your hair framed your face, and Spencer was breathless.
“Hey, stay with me, Pretty Boy. These tips can work on her too, I promise.” He nodded in your direction with a knowing smirk. Spencer’s cheeks flushed and he turned his attention to the bartender, who was talking to a couple of younger girls. He approached her and gave her a shy smile and a wave, pulling a spare flier from his pocket.
“Have you seen this guy walking around tonight?” He asked. The bartender shook her head and moved on to the man next to her, filling a drink order as she spoke.
“He looks familiar, but so do all the men I come across around here. He’s a common character.” She nodded to the paper in Spencer’s hand. She clearly wasn’t interested, too busy to be.
“Alright, then can I ask you something?” He said, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. She placed the drink down in front of the man next to him, turning her attention back to Spencer.
“Shoot.” She looked down the bar and saw that the other bartender had taken a few guests at a time, so she had a free minute.
Now he was across the room, talking to the female bartender. He was performing a magic trick for her, causing your blood to boil. She was giggling and touching his arm, and you could see the blush on his cheeks from across the room.
You grabbed your drink and were ready to march over there, when Prentiss caught your arm.
“I think I know who the unsub is,” You looked at her, thoughts of Spencer long forgotten.
“I was thinking about what you were saying about Viper’s speech today- the thing about squashing the queen bee.” Sparks collided in your brain as your eyes widened, connecting the dots.
“I’ll grab Spencer and Morgan, tell Hotch and let’s get out of here.” You chugged the rest of the margarita and felt it immediately, marching over to Spencer and Morgan much more confidently than you should have.
“We know who the unsub is,” You said, primarily to Morgan.
“Who?” Spencer asked, abandoning the magic trick and the bartender. She walked away without a second glance. Your glare hardened as you turned on your heel, walking out of the bar.
Morgan and Reid looked at each other before following you outside, watching as you jumped in the car with Prentiss and Hotch. Rossi pulled up in a car beside them, and they hopped in too. Spencer and Morgan put their vests on in the car and Spencer allowed his mind to wander. You’d looked so angry back there. Did he say something? He was only angry on your behalf earlier, he didn’t think you would be upset with him for something so trivial. He frowned as you all pulled up outside of the house.
You hopped out after Prentiss, still in your dress, but changed into black high top converse. You looked somehow even better with the dress and the converse, your hair still wild and free. Spencer gulped as he unholstered his gun, following behind Morgan. You were the first to enter the house, clearing almost half of the downstairs by the time Morgan and Reid caught up. You started up the stairs when you’d heard a crash from behind a door.
“He’s in there!” You yelled, jumping down the stairs to kick down the basement door. “FBI you’re under arrest!” You screamed down the stairs, making your way down with Morgan hot on your heels.
“Put your weapon down.” Morgan said, aiming right for his head. The unsub simply laughed.
“Or what, you’ll shoot me, pretty girl? I don’t think so.” The unsub inched closer, and you trained your gun on his head.
“One more step and you die. I don’t really think you want that, though.” You remained firm, and the unsub lost his nerve. The knife clattered as it hit the ground, the victim crying as she wriggled in her restraints behind him.
Morgan cuffed him and forced him upstairs, and as Reid approached you, you followed behind them. Reid frowned once more and followed Prentiss and Rossi back upstairs. Luckily, the unsub had slipped up and led the trail right to his home and the latest victim, who you were able to save. No harm had come to her when you had gotten there, although the disemboweling seemed like it was about to begin. It was safe to say she was scarred psychologically.
You stood a bit apart, arms crossed over your chest. You didn’t even hear Spencer approach.
“I don’t think I got the chance to tell you this, neither at the club or at the police station. You look beautiful,” Spencer’s brown eyes glistened, boring into yours.
“Thanks.” You said.
“I can tell by your tone and body language that you’re upset with me, but I still haven’t quite worked out why.” He pressed, standing in front of you, hands in his pockets.
“You don’t think I can handle myself.” You said, raising your eyes to meet his. He scrunched his face in confusion.
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to; it was the way you were so angry at the police station earlier today. It didn’t seem like you thought I could do it or handle it.” You glared. Your expression softened when Spencer frowned.
“I didn’t mean to make you think that, I was just worried about you. I don’t know what I would do with myself if anything happened to you,” Spence said quietly, taking your hand in his. All your anger dissipated the moment he took your hand.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
You were quiet for a minute, contemplating bringing up what you saw between Spencer and the bartender. You decided against it, and opted to give him a hug.
“I appreciate how much you care, Spence.” You said into his shoulder. He gratefully returned the hug, elated that you were no longer angry with him. You both pulled away and rejoined your team, heading for the jet. You both slept the entire plane ride, since you were able to change into a pair of leggings and a hoodie. Spencer’s hoodie.
Spencer walked you to your car as he did after most cases, just so he could be secure in knowing you were safe for another night. You had been debating the entire walk whether or not it was a good idea to bring up the bartender, and you eventually decided to ask. You had to know whether or not to move on.
“Spence,” You broke the silence as you approached your car. He turned his attention to you, his eyes tired. “Whatever happened with the bartender from the club?” You asked, absentmindedly picking at your nails. He picked up on it right away, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“What do you mean?” He took your hand to stop your nail picking. You frowned. He rubbed his thumb across your knuckles to prompt you to continue.
“You were flirting with her and I wasn’t sure how it went.” You hadn’t thought past asking the question, therefore you didn’t have a very good reason why you were asking. Spencer looked unconvinced, but decided to bite anyway.
“Nothing happened, I didn’t get her number or anything. She wasn’t really my type.” He said, nodding. You nodded in return and smiled. He smiled, but furrowed his eyebrows further. “Why?” He smirked a little.
“I was just curious.”
“Uh huh. What’s the actual reason?”
“I WAS curious!”
“With ulterior motives, I’m sure.”
You shifted your weight between your feet, suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze. He raised his eyebrows and closed the already shrinking gap between you, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He pulled away and raised his eyebrows as if to ask, “Is that why?”. You reached up and pulled his face back down to yours in another soft, warm kiss.
“Yeah. I was a little bit jealous.” You said, slightly breathless. Spencer smiled softly, and intertwined your fingers.
“Why were you jealous?” You sighed, and smiled up at him.
“Because I like you, dummy.” His eyebrows shot up as if you told him the secret to curing cancer, and slowly processed a response.
“I-I like you too.” You pressed a final kiss to his warm lips and grinned into it, letting your forehead come to rest against yours.
“I should have known the way you were drooling over me in that dress.” You whispered. He looked away and swallowed, running a hand through his hair.
“Goodnight, Spence.” You rolled your eyes as you threw your go bag in your back seat. He was grinning like a doofus as he made his way to his car, receiving a text from you as soon as he got in.
“You’re such a little dork, Reid. You’re lucky you’re adorable.” The warm feeling washed over Spencer once again as he held his phone to his chest, smiling like an idiot his entire drive home.
Warnings: child abuse, bible nonsense, I’m pretty sacrilege but like really it’s just a funny word I’m only half sure of the meaning, and self-harm
Word count: 6 or 7,000? No pairings. All of them die single.
Here’s the bible shit you need to know only because Hotch knows: In Genesis, Cain killed his brother Abel. Also In Genesis, Abraham’s faith was tested by God telling him to take his only son, Issac, to the top of a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. He is stopped before he delivers the killing strike and a goat is offered in Issac’s place. In Exodus, Moses saw a flaming bush and God instructed him to get the Israelites out of Egypt.
Now to the main show:
He goes to sleep with his window shut.
Dreams of the branches of the willow in the backyard creeping into his room. Long branches wrapped around his throat. A noose. He’s seen pictures in his history books. Black and white pictures of limp bodies. How bad would it really hurt? Worse than broken ribs? Worse than a fractured skull? He’s passed out before, a hand around his throat and another slamming into his stalled chest. That hurt. But suicide is a sin. The preacher on Sunday mornings, voice cracking through the mountain fog, looks right at Aaron as he breathes these words. It’s the worst sin. To kill the gift of life that God has so tenderly breathed into your lungs. Aaron looks away. He’s angry enough, scorned enough, not to care.
He wakes up and his window is open, leaves scattered on his carpet.
His mother tells him this too shall pass, holds his hand, and reads from the bible. She thinks that this is a trial, smiles, and tells him his father is just battling the devil. Aaron looks away from her, lets her hold his cold, thin wrist but refuses to sit with her. God is her comfort but not Aaron’s. If the devil is who his father battles, Aaron can’t imagine how small God must be. The devil is a bottle. So who is God?
Whiskey. The devil is whiskey, hellfire scorching Aaron’s face as his father holds him still. “Smartass,” his father jeers, thick fingers sunk into Aaron’s bottom jaw. “You never know when to shut the hell up, do you?” Aaron’s mouth hurts, his jaw grinding under the grip his father has on it. His lips are bleeding, split by the fat class ring on his father’s index finger. His blood is smeared on his cheek, dripping onto his nice shirt. Held still by his father’s crushing grip, looking into his wild, angry eyes only inches away from his own, Aaron survives by withdrawing. He sees nothing and feels nothing. Thinks about the willow in the backyard. He wouldn’t even need a rope. The branches are so thick– He’s shaken back to cognition, reflexively pulling back as his father’s face gets closer. “Are you listening to me, you little bastard?”
The fingers loosen just a fraction, he’s moving his other hand back to slap him, but Aaron sees it coming. He wrenches his face free, feels the sting of the slap, but runs. Throws the screen door open and runs. Doesn’t look back. Can’t look back.
“Come back here you stupid little prick!”
The woods welcome him. He is their child. His blood has spilled onto their foliage. He has laid in their safety. It is their life that has maintained his.
He stole a knife from the Brookes’ County Store, the owner the father of a girl he goes to school with. He’s a nice old man but Aaron doesn’t trust him. No matter how softly he speaks. Aaron’s not stupid. He’s not certain Roy Brookes would hurt him but he knows what happens when you trust adults. Two summers ago, Johnny Raylan was found drowned in the river. Lured there by his neighbor. A man he trusted, a man who loved him. Roy Brookes doesn’t even care about Aaron, so no, he doesn’t trust the man.
He stole a knife just because he knew Roy wouldn’t say anything and that made him feel big, powerful. Untouchable.
Mockingly, he carved into the bark of the oak in the middle of the woods. Taking out his pain and fear on old wood. Where no one would find his sacrilegious offense, he left “These trials will show your faith.” Aaron finds it easily and knows where to go. The woods are his home, these trees are just hallways. He comes to stand at the base of the oak tree, panting from his run. He presses his fingers into the jagged letters, feeling where the wood raises. From his back pocket, he pulls out his knife. He thumbs the blade experimentally. He sinks it into the tree, satisfied by the resistance but craving more. The knife shimmers in the sunlight, a wicked idea crosses his mind. How terribly fucked, he imagines, he must be to think such a thing. To hurt himself because he’s being hurt. How terribly unforgivable and immoral… He craves it nonetheless.
