masterpiece; spencer reid x reader

chapter thirteen; detective

chapter thirteen

YOU WOKE UP comfortably tucked into Spencer's bed, warm covers pulled up to your chin. You took just a moment to push your nose farther into the soft pillow beneath your head, basking in the fact that it smelled exactly like him. The sunlight coming through the curtains warmed your face as you slowly sat up, stretched, and rubbed your eyes.

You were alone.

The bed was empty, and the room showed no signs of Spencer, eerie silence instead filling the apartment. Your breath sped up at this realization. Had you overstayed your welcome? What time was it? How had you even gotten to his bed in the first place? Had he carried you?

Despite your urge to stay beneath the comforter, you rolled out of bed, planting your feet firmly on the cold hardwood floor. You realized you were still in the clothes he had given you the night before. Slowly, you tiptoed out of the bedroom, peeking around every corner until you reached the kitchen.

There was a mug of coffee on the counter, which was placed on top of a post-it note with familiar handwriting on it.

Morning lectures- sorry I had to go :(
Feel free to stay, you can change into something from my closet if you want
I'll be back after lunch
-Spencer

A sigh of relief fell from your mouth. Of course he had morning classes. You picked up the note, looking at the small writing, and the adorable emoticon drawn after his apology. Unconsciously, a grin began to grow on your face. You almost forgot why you were here in the first place. At the memory, your smile fell, and your fingers ghosted over the purpling bruises on your throat. Your face twisted as a lump formed in your throat.

You set down the note, instead picking up the mug of coffee, taking a sip despite the fact that it was lukewarm at best now. Your eyes began to wander over the room. It was like a mini library, with all the books lining the walls. It felt so perfectly like him that you started to feel warm inside, like you belonged here. He was a comfort to you, and even being in his space made you feel safe. The realization scared you, honestly.

You'd never felt so strongly about anyone in your life, but Spencer really seemed like he cared for you, didn't he?

You shook your head, pushing the thought from your head, making your way back to his room. It took a lot of willpower not to snoop through his things, but you knew he deserved privacy, no matter how much you wanted to dig through any drawers you could find, so you resisted the urge.

Instead, you found his closet, picking out clothes for you to change into. It was filled with button ups, sweater vests, cardigans, and dorky ties. You laughed  quietly to yourself as you leafed through the hangers.      You were slightly sweaty from a night under the heavy covers, and the clothes on your body were stuck to your form.

You found a large sky blue button-up. It looked well worn, like it'd been washed a few too many times. You smirked as you imagined Spencer in it. Maybe he wore it at his profiler job? The thought of him with one of these button-ups on, plus a gun on his hip made you excited. You'd always been curious about that side of his life. He'd never talked about it. Then again, you'd only been on a few dates with the man. Still, you knew almost nothing about his primary job.

Quickly, you slipped off the pajamas, folding them neatly and placing them on a hamper near the door, and slipped on the shirt. It fell all the way to your legs, more like a dress. It encompassed you, and felt overwhelmingly comforted.

In your new change of clothes, you wandered back to the kitchen, through to the living room. Your eyes were first drawn to an analog clock on the wall, telling you it was already noon. You grimaced. No wonder the coffee was cold. Then your eyes looked further, onto the other walls, where a small gallery of framed pictures were hung.

Now it was your time to play detective.

Your feet brought you unwittingly to the wall, and you scanned all the pictures, trying to determine who the people in them were. The photos themselves looked like an array of ages, a few were obviously very old, but a few were definitely recent.

Some were pictures of him as a child, often with him hugging a blonde woman. Maybe his mother? No pictures of his dad seemed to be present.

The next picture you looked at was definitely Spencer, now with a different blonde woman. They were both crouched behind a small child, who Spencer hugged tightly. Who was the woman? Oh my god. Did Spencer have a baby momma or something?

The woman was in a few other pictures, too. Mostly group pictures, with a few other people, all older than him. In fact, as you surveyed the other pictures, it appeared that they were all the same six or seven people.
In some, he was obviously younger, his long hair slicked back tightly to his head. He must have been fresh out of college in those ones. You laughed to yourself as you looked at more of them, admiring the array of haircuts seen in all of the frames. Others were recent, documenting birthday parties, weddings, or other events with all of the same people. They had to be insanely close.

Finally, you reached a group photo. You took it off of the nail it hung on, studying it closely. It was the group of people again, this time they all stood together in front of a tall, plain, corporate-looking building. You squinted to read the signage on the front. You barely could make it out. It read:

QUANTICO

You gasped in realization. It was his team, of course. You had no idea coworkers could be so close. Some of them you now realized you recognized from the news, especially the older man with a fitted suit, black hair, and strong brows. Though unlike on the news, he was smiling in this picture.

Suddenly, you heard a key turn in the door as it opened. Glancing up, picture still in hand, you saw Spencer. He walked in, and only as he began to take off his shoes did he register you. First, admiring the fact that you were wearing his shirt, then he just seemed happily surprised to see you still there. You'd never even considered leaving, truthfully.

He then saw the picture clutched in your hands.

"What're you looking at?" He questioned, moving toward you. Your cheeks heated up. It wasn't really snooping, it'd been hanging on his wall after all, but it still felt invasive.

"I-is this your team?" You asked bluntly, your curiosity overpowering embarrassment. He nodded, looking at the photo with you. A soft smile grew on his face, he was obviously fond of them. "I didn't know people could be so close with their coworkers." You said honestly.

"When you have the job that we do," he began, still staring at the faces in the photo. "and you see all of that evil together, you can't help but bond. I mean, we've gone through hell and back as a team, and it takes a lot of trust to have each other's backs at all times." He was more serious now, somber almost. "I'd do anything for them, and they'd do the same for me. I mean, really, we're not just coworkers. They're my family."

A silence fell over the two of you. You could practically see how much they meant to him. It was readable on his face and in the tightness of his voice. You looked at him, studying his expression, just staring at how he admired the photo. You suddenly felt the need to say something. Spencer looked up, and you locked eyes.

"Can I meet them?"

________________________

a/n

kinda a filler chapter but that's ok it's necessary for the Plot™️

I'm bingeing criminal minds right now so that's why you're getting so many chapters ahahahaha

p.s. if you're reading this and/or commenting your reactions to things??????? wow???!!!!!
i've decided we're gonna travel together after we retire so where r y'all thinkin?

much love,

may