Paranoia - s.reid

12 Days

Hotch had allowed Liz and Spencer to do their paperwork at home for two weeks, turning it whenever they could.

They'd agreed to let the dog stay with Liz's sister, Rose, who'd just moved into a new apartment half an hour away from them. 

Liz had been patient. She knew Spencer would need time, and she gave that to him. She didn't initiate anything, she always waited for him to show any sign of affection. When they slept, sometimes he didn't hold her and acted as the big spoon and she was fine with that because he always draped an arm over her as a reminder that he was there. She helped him get through nightmares, while dealing with her night terrors on her own and Spencer was so grateful for her. When Emily invited her out, she was always ready to turn down the invitation, no matter how much she wanted to spend one-on-one time with her. But Spencer always made sure she went, reassuring her and agreeing to call her every now and then while she was out. This allowed her and Emily to grow an extremely special bond.

She did know something was off at certain moments. Like when she asked if he was hungry and what he wanted to eat, he was irritated and brushed her off with a "Whatever you want." Whenever Spencer said those words before Hankle, they were sweet, but now when he said them they were cold and careless. Minutes later when Liz would be in the kitchen he would cuddle up to her and kiss her like he wasn't just irritated and annoyed.

She also noticed that Spencer didn't want to sleep. He'd be affectionate with her before bed to replace sleep with another activity, if you know what I mean. It was one of the only signs of affection she'd shown her besides calling her nicknames and holding her hand when they went out. The hand holding was quite rare though, it wasn't as present as it used to be. He'd use her as a distraction from his nightmares, and she didn't object. Liz had to admit she was exhausted. She barely slept. She constantly cooked three times a day, dealt with an annoyed Spencer for less than a minute before having him be all lovey dovey for a few hours, did work and made sure to call and check in with people.

Sure, Liz had her suspicions. She knew the effects of drug usage and all, but she knew she couldn't profile her own boyfriend. Not just because it was a violation to his privacy, but because she was scared of being able to say her theory was correct. She was too damn good at her job.

Liz knocked on the door of what the couple liked to think was their office in their own house. It was the only place they allowed themselves to talk about work since it was banned from being discussed anywhere else. The room was still littered with boxes and case files, but had a desk big enough for both of them. "Penny? Do you want lunch? I made lasagna." She called softly, not wanting to fully interrupt his work.

"No. Not right now." He deadpanned, his eyes remaining on the paper before him. Liz sighed, making her way to the kitchen. She began washing dishes, taking her frustration out and ferociously scrubbing the plates.

This went on for five minutes.

She jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her small frame flush against his as Spencer began kissing her neck. "I'll do the dishes later, let's have lunch." He murmured against Liz's skin. She knew he probably wasn't talking about the lasagna.

"They're done. I promised Em I'd video chat her today." Liz turned off the water, not ready to leave Spencer's grasp. She missed him being affectionate, and she knew this may be all she'll get before he's irritated again. "Never stopped us before." Spencer smirked, his mouth traveling up and down her neck. Liz spun around, lightly pushing him by resting a hand on his chest.

"I'm serious." She watched her boyfriend huff before dropping his arms and walking away. She missed his touch. As soon as she thought about how much she missed him, the floodgates opened up and she sat on the kitchen floor, silently crying. She immediately stopped, a talent she'd learned in the past two weeks, when he phone began ringing. She picked it up.