A.N.: Part three my friends, 1.5k words
TW: Reader cusses once, there's a short reference to Spencer being a hostage before but no details
Thursday, October 20th
"Y/N!" Isa's voice carried through their paper-thin walls.
"Yeah?" She shouted back.
"I'm going out!" Isa replied.
Y/N stepped out of her room, spotting Isa dressed up in the kitchen. "Wait, with who?"
"You remember that one kid from my psychology class?"
"Uh... starts with a T?"
"Taylor." Isa winked. "They finally asked me out."
"That's cool." Y/N grabbed a drink from the fridge. "...Why are you telling me?"
"Because it is a school night and I will be back at exactly 10 o'clock, and if I spot a Volvo Amazon in the parking lot I will be very disappointed that you're keeping secrets from me."
Y/N took a sip in silence before she realized. "You know what car he drives?"
Isa shrugged. "I'm just saying."
"You suck." She sneezed.
"There's cookie dough in the freezer."
"I love you."
"That's what I thought." Isa laughed. "Have fun tonight."
"You too."
The door closed behind her. Y/N sighed, enjoying the silence. She drummed her fingers against the countertop, bored. She checked her phone, which had previously been open on her contacts. The white letters "SR" flashed across the screen. She felt too stalker-y searching up a photo for his contact, so for now he remained 'Spencer Reid', with an empty gray background. She glanced at the call icon.
Should she? Should she wait for him to call her? What if he was busy? What if he actually just felt bad for her and gave her his number out of sympathy? What if he was just as nervous as she was?
Screw it.
The call rang five times before he picked up. Silence on the other end.
She squeezed her hand into a tight fist. "...Spencer?"
"Hi! Um, hello." Spencer's voice was heard. There was some rustling around in the background. "What's up?"
"Uhm, just checking in on you." Y/N said. "Are you doing okay?"
"Me? I'm fine." Spencer said, but not before Y/N heard a slight strangled sound.
"Did you just stop a sneeze?" Y/N asked.
"...no."
"You'd think the FBI would train you in lying." Y/N joked. "What if you were taken hostage or something?"
Spencer didn't say anything, just sneezed.
"Oh shit- have you been taken hostage before?"
Spencer cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"I am so sorry, that's so insensitive of me." Y/N apologized. "I figured as a profiler you worked more of a desk job-"
"The job description is intentionally vague." Spencer quipped back.
"Again, I'm really sorry, Iknowthat'satraumaticexperienceandyoudon'twanttoreliveit-"
"-Y/N, it's alright." Spencer reassured her. "It's been awhile. And I would love to talk to you about it if you're curious." He took a deep breath. "Just maybe on a later day, when I'm no longer ill."
"Alright..." Y/N nodded. "...so you admit you're ill."
She could picture him rolling his eyes at her. "You got me. I'm feeling a little under the weather at the moment, but I'll be fine."
"Did I interrupt your rest or something?" Y/N asked.
"No, not at all." Spencer said. "I've been reading in bed all afternoon, this is a welcome distraction."
"How many books have you finished in that time?" Y/N teased. "8? 10?"
"I'm most of the way through my 12th, actually."
Y/N snorted in disbelief. "Prove it." She pressed the Facetime button.
"Woah, what did you just do?"
She laughed. "I'm trying to switch to a Facetime call, to video chat?"
"Oh, I don't have much experience with those."
"If you'd rather stay on a voice call that's fine, I just wanted you to prove it-"
Spencer accepted the Facetime call. Y/N immediately took note of herself in the upper corner and attempted to fix her hair and the camera angle. Spencer's face came into view. He was lying in bed like he'd said, and he stretched out his arm to display that the right side of his bed was covered in books.
"Is that the proof you're looking for?"
"That is... impressive."
Spencer lowered his arm and struggled positioning his phone. "I apologize for my appearance."
"You really don't have to." Seriously, what was he talking about? Spencer had changed into an incredibly comfy-looking sweater, and his soft curls were tousled in just the right way across his forehead. Sick or not, this man was ridiculously attractive.
"I've only video-called a few times." Spencer admitted. "And they were all just saying hi to Henry and Michael."
Y/N tilted her head. "Do you have kids?" It was times like these that she remembered he was older than her, and there was a chance.
"No," Spencer shook his head. "They're my godsons, I'm their 'Uncle Spencer'." He smiled to himself.
"Would you have kids?" Y/N asked, then blushed furiously. That was kind of a personal question. That was totally a personal question.
"I'd like to." Spencer shrugged. "I just worry about my job, you know? Not teaching, obviously. I spend a lot of time away as a profiler. I wouldn't want my kids growing up without a father, not like I did."
Yikes. Y/N blinked, unsure of how to respond. Spencer glanced up at her, attempting to ease the situation. "And of course, there's my lackluster social life." He chuckled. "How am I even supposed to sustain a relationship with someone long enough to have kids?"
"I think you'd be a great dad." Y/N blurted out.
"Really?"
"You seem like you would be." She chewed her lip. "You care, you know? I can tell when someone cares. And you're like... so cool?" She laughed. "How could people not want to date you? I mean-" She stopped herself. "Look, what I'm trying to say is you seem like a wonderful human being, and as cheesy as it sounds I guarantee you'll meet the right person, and things will all work out, you know?"
Spencer pressed his lips into a straight line, his cheeks flushing softly. "Thank you."
"Anytime, Doc." Her fingers traced the outline of her phone case absently. "Am I keeping you from your reading? Cause we can hang up now, I just wanted to check on you-"
"You're not keeping me from anything." Spencer adjusted his position in bed, propping his head up with another pillow. "Would you like to keep talking?"
"...Absolutely."
*****
"That's such an overused answer."
"What? You think I'm gonna have some snooty take on it just cause I'm a lit. student? Shakespeare is Shakespeare man, like it or not, his works are still performed all these centuries later." Y/N ate another spoonful of frozen cookie dough. They'd been talking for a long time, and she'd migrated to the sofa with a bowl full of Isa's 'peace offering'.
"I don't have anything against Shakespeare." Spencer folded his arms. He'd propped his phone up against a stack of pillows and books. "I just appreciate other writers from his time too, what about Veronica Franco?"
"Oh I love her, but Shakespeare!"
"We'll never resolve this, will we?"
Y/N laughed. "Probably not. Let's move on then... hmm... 19th century writers?"
"Edgar Allan Poe, easy."
Y/N gasped. "I love Poe!"
Spencer's jaw dropped slightly as he grinned wide. "Really?"
"I've been obsessed with his stuff since I was little!" She exclaimed. "Freaked out some teachers, actually."
Spencer tapped his fingers against his chin. "Which story's your favorite?"
"Oh, how am I supposed to decide?" Y/N wrung her hands together. "I guess I'd say 'Ligeia', but 'The Raven' holds a special place in my heart too, since it was the first piece of his I ever read."
"'Ligeia'? That's an interesting one." Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I prefer 'The Tell-Tale Heart'."
"Ooh, classic." She remarked. "And makes sense, with the whole FBI thing. The truth always comes out."
"It tries its very hardest." Spencer mused. "But sometimes it needs our help."
Y/N nodded in agreement, and a comfortable silence fell on the both of them. She watched him carefully through the screen. He was smiling, his eyes shining, color in his cheeks. His laugh was something unique, kind of all over the place, not exactly what you'd expect from a straight-laced genius, but it made him all the more endearing. Y/N found herself staring at the way his hair fell in front of his eyes, the curve of his high cheekbones, the slight stubble on his jaw. God, he was beautiful. She didn't know how else to describe it.
"What are you looking at?" Spencer asked after a moment.
Y/N flushed with embarrassment. "Nothing," She lied. "Guess I zoned out or something."
"Ah."
Y/N heard the lock to the front door turn. "Crap, Isa's home early." She stood up from the sofa. "I don't need her listening in."
"Didn't you say she'd be home by ten?"
"Wait..." She checked the clock on her phone. "She's on time? You mean we've been on the phone for almost 3 hours??"
"You seem to have a habit of losing track of time." Spencer chuckled. "Maybe we call it quits for the night, and get some rest."
"Yeah, alright." Y/N agreed. "I'm sorry for keeping you so long."
"Don't apologize, Y/N." Spencer said. "I enjoyed talking to you."
She blushed. "Thanks."
"I'm hoooooome!" Isa called.
"I really have to go." Y/N apologized again. "Um, you can call me again whenever, you know?"
Spencer smiled. "Will do. Goodnight, Y/N."
"Goodnight Spencer."
A.N.: Sneak peak at Part Four:
"Friday, October 21st
-Incoming Canvas Notification-
Announcement- 10:05 am:
Subject: CLASS CANCELED FRI OCT 21"