wasted times- s.r

FOUR

The next day at work was said to be a paperwork day, and you were grateful to be able to stay close to home, and not in another state working a case. You didn't mind paperwork, it was one of the easier parts of your job, and it might have been a nuisance, but it wasn't unbearable. Since there wasn't a case today, you had the luxury of sleeping in a little while longer and going into work later. You used this advantage to the best of your abilities and walked into work feeling surprisingly energized after getting a full night's sleep.

You plop your purse down under the desk and seat yourself in the chair, grabbing the decently sized stack of files on your desk and beginning on them. You and JJ are the only two in the bullpen right now, and that's not including Hotch and Rossi who are both in their offices. Penelope arrives next, then Morgan, leaving everyone to wonder where Reid is when he's typically the first one here. As if the universe heard your thoughts, the bullpen doors open and in walks a smiling Reid, a tray of coffees in his hand.

He walks up the stairs and stops at Hotch's office first before heading to Rossi and Penelope's last. You don't spare him a glance, keeping your gaze downcast on your paperwork to get a headstart on them and hopefully head home early. You can smell the coffee as Reid moves to hand out everyone a cup, and you look up when you see his tall figure casting a shadow over your work.

"Yes?"

"I'm so terribly sorry, I must have forgotten your coffee. Maybe next time." He gives you a faux smile and you return his gesture with a nod. You may not know him well enough to call him a friend, but you know for a fact he has an eidetic memory-- he hadn't forgotten. JJ glances between the two of you, "Do you want some of mine? I could pour it into another cup if you'd like?" You shook your head, appreciating the gesture. "I'm fine, I actually had time to have a cup before I got here so I'm already caffeinated." It was an obvious lie, and you're sure she knew it, too. You just want to appear unphased as to not give Reid the satisfaction of pissing you off.

Reid must have been getting bored with you ignoring him and went to his own desk, breezing through each file like it was no big deal for him. You know all these little things he does is to try and get under your skin, and you aren't sure why, you're also not sure why he's managed to succeed. If he really dislikes you as much as he makes it out to be, then why does he go out of his way to let you know every single day? It didn't make sense to you.

Your phone keeps vibrating on the desk, and you choose to ignore it and opt to continue working. It also seems to be annoying the brunette doctor whose desk is parallel to yours, so that was also a plus. You know they aren't important texts, probably just your friends and family from back home to check-in. You hear Reid huff under his breath and mumble something, but you pretend not to notice.

"Can you turn that damn thing off?" He finally snaps, his pen clattering on the desk as he clenches his hand. You feign innocence and look up at him with a furrowed brow, "What? This old thing?" You pick up your phone and hold it up to him, "Is it bothering you?"

"Yes, very much so." His eyes narrow and his jaw clenches shut. "Who's even texting you this early in the day?"

"Friends," you answer. "But I bet with an attitude like yours you don't really have many of those, do you?"

He scoffs incredulously, "I have friends." You raise an eyebrow in question, silently challenging him. "What? I do!" 

"If you're so sure, then let me ask you this," You lean forward so you're resting on your forearms, your face now in between the small crack separating your desks. He visibly gulps and crosses his arms over his chest. "They're all sitting in this room, aren't they?"

He scoffs disbelievingly and sputters over his words. "Wha- How is that even relevant?" You take that as answer enough, smirking to yourself as you return to the files in front of you. You would typically not bother to retaliate against him, but it had gotten to a point where you didn't want to play nice with someone who couldn't be bothered to even make an effort before deciding he hates you. Though, you do decide to put your phone away in your purse to avoid another altercation later. You manage to make it to lunch without having to interact with Reid anymore, and you and JJ decide to have lunch together with Garcia in her office. Something about 'girl time' as Penelope put it. It seems like you're slowly but surely warming up to everyone on the team, barring Reid, but you were sure you'd never be making any progress in that department any time soon.