wherein y/n opens a bakery next door to the home of troubled fbi agent dr spencer reid.
during the aftermath of 'revelations,' where spencer is still battling his addiction. however, the members of the team does not exactly line up with this timeli...
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"why didn't you want me to meet them?" i ask it the next time he's in, sitting at a window table.
he sighs, and thinks for a moment. i can tell he wants to lie to me. i give him a look, he sighs again. "i'm just not ready, i've never really had any other friends outside of them before. i've never really had any friends at all."
i know that isn't all, that there's something more there, i don't press. no need to start an argument.
"okay, i'll accept that," i give him another look, i'm was going to figure this out eventually.
i stand to clear his plate, the morning rush is about to begin.
a deep breath.
"we should hang out, outside of here though. most friends do that, you know." i wink at him, like it's a joke. i nudge him on the shoulder so he knows it isn't one.
"what do you have in mind?" think think think.
"do you know any book shops? i couldn't bring any with me when i moved and i'm very depressed about it."
a lie.
i hate reading. i've always preferred movie adaptations.
i'm pretty sure he could see through my lies, i just want him to feel comfortable and i figure that book shopping is probably something he does very often. plus, it would probably mean a lot of rambling and that i would easily consider a bonus.
"yeah, i know a few." he says it like it's an inside joke. his eyes are glistening and i'm just happy i've made him happy. i wink again, this time with a bigger smile.
——
we hung out the saturday after that, he met me at the cafe and we walked from there into town. i was nervous, so was he.
it was strange, seeing him outside of the shop, seeing him in the outside world. watching him ever so slightly flinch when cars would beep too loud, or when someone would shove a little to forcefully past him. it was like observing animals at the zoo.
i try not to laugh when i think about the fact he's probably the most easily intimidated fbi agent in, like, ever.
he notices my amusement and turns to me with twinkly eyes and a big smile.
"what?" he pushes his glasses up his nose with one finger on the middle and if it isn't the cutest thing ever i'm not sure what is.
"nothing," i tease with a smirk. i don't wanna ruin his mood by making him self conscious. i think his jumpiness is cute but i know he'd see it as some sort of attack.
"you're just cute, 's'all." a blush, a shy smile. my heart skips a beat.
"you know," i look up at him, "i don't think i ever realised just how much taller you are." he smiles down at me.
"it's because you're always standing while i'm sitting." i was average. he knows that, he's just a giant. i shake my head and then i realise something.
something.
bad?
no.
good?
i'm not sure.
i'm nervous about it.
his hand, brushing against mine.
and germaphobe spencer reid not immediately pulling away.
should i go for it?
no.
yes?
no.
i dont have to.
his fingers, wrapping around mine. i look to his face, it's turned away. i can see his neck getting red.
i open my fingers wider to allow his to weave through.
we've stopped walking. it's tense. my hand is on fire, it feels like someone has just seared it off, and then sewed back on.
like spencer has just seared it off and sewed it back on.
he made the last move, i decide to make the next. i step my left food forward. then my right. then my left and suddenly he's walking with me and i'm walking walking walking. like the ground is a cloud. i'm floating. i'm floating floating floating.
i start to laugh, so does he.
it's gleeful.
and my face is hot and his is red and his hands are sweating and i don't care.
he swings our arms, and we're walking on a busy street and we're laughing at nothing and people have to walk around us because we're one of those annoying coup...
because they can't go through us.
because we're linked.
because he has my hand and i have his.
it took us fifteen more minutes to get to the bookshop he wanted to go to.
it was quaint. small. rustic. perfect.
"it's...." spencer looked nervous while i trailed off. "it's lovely, spence. thank you so much for taking me here," i could tell this was somewhat of a personal space for spencer.
he squeezed my hand, i suddenly remembered he was holding it. he began to flex his fingers and i thought he was about to let go.
i squeeze his hand back so that he wouldn't. i rubbed a small circle on the back of his pale hand, feeling the veins on them. he truly had the most attractive hands in the world, it was a privilege to hold one.
"lead the way, agent reid," he laughs before he starts walking towards a bookshelf to the left of the shop. he waves as he looks at an elderly lady at a small counter in the back. she has a book in her hands and lights up when she spots him.
"spencer! how lovely it is to see you here again!" she smiles at him and he just blushes. it makes my heart melt.
oh god i'm pathetic.
"hi martha," as i look at her closely i start to take in her features. martha, i'm assuming, is an elderly asian woman with long waist length silvery hair and wrinkled skin. she has the most gorgeous brown eyes and if eyes were ever truly the windows to you soul, hers surely were. they're not honey and golden like spencer's they're dark and near black with a fountain of wisdom and smile lines all around.
she reminds me of my grandmother and suddenly my heart has a bittersweet ache. i can't help but smile at her and she returns it as spencer rambles on about some book or another he just read.
"oh yes! sorry, sorry." he turns to me bashfully and i wonder what on earth he has to apologise for?
"martha, this is y/n." he presents me to her with her hands like i'm an object he's brought to show and tell. it makes me smile wider. he's so weird.
"y/n," he does the same odd gesture and it reminds me of those car salesmen at the mall who are desperate for you to buy the car they have parked in the middle of the shopping centre.
"martha." he finishes his introduction and martha raises a wrinkled brow, "so this is why you've been too busy to pay me a visit recently, hm?"
"what?" he stuttered the word a bit and looked around.
martha turned to me, "you know i used to see him every morning before he went to work?"
