The rum burns as it runs down your throat, and you grimace before setting the illegal bottle down in front of you. Spencer giggles, sitting criss cross on your floor in front of you. You glare at him.
"No laughing at me, brainiac. Your turn."
"Spencer picks up the bottle, looking at you. "Question?"
You think for a moment. "Hm...what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever been caught doing?"
"Oh, one time when I was younger, I tried stealing a bunch of books from the library." Spencer giggles again, his toothy smile growing. "My mom caught me, and I had to take them back. I was so embarrassed—I thought they were never going to let be back inside the library ever again." He takes a sip from the bottle, swallowing then coughing before setting it down.
You laugh, tilting your head at him. "You're were a wild child, Spencer."
A slight blush forms across his cheeks, and he averts his gaze to the floor. You lean forward slightly, resting your elbows on the inner part of your knees.
"You know, you're like my only friend," you tell him, sighing.
"That's not possible," Spencer replies, mirroring your position.
You raise your eyebrows. "It is. Before you came along it was just me, books, and Google. Six months later, it's you, me, books, and Google. Except you don't use Google."
He grins. "I can't believe I've only known you for six months. It feels like I've known you forever."
You laugh, picking up the bottle. "Okay, my turn. Question."
"How many people have you kissed?"
You scoff, shaking your head. "I haven't kissed anyone."
You set the bottle down to the side, averting your gaze. You feel Spencer's eyes on you, and you tap your fingers against the floor.
"I haven't either."
You raise your head, looking at Spencer. "Really?"
"I was twelve when I was high school, and I had earned three degrees before I turned eighteen. I was a super nerd. So, yeah, really."
"I was just, uh, awkward, so I didn't ever have boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever." You feel heat creep across your cheeks.
Spencer's quiet for a moment and you meet his gaze, his hazel eyes seeming to search for something in your face. Your stomach flutters as he looks at you, and you give him a small grin.
"Kiss me," you say, watching Spencer's eyes widen.
"What?" He practically squeaks, his face turning a darker shade of red.
"Kiss me, brainiac. Then we'll both have our first kisses."
You adjust your position, scooting closer to him so your knees are touching. Leaning forward, Spencer's face is inches from yours, his eyes moving from your lips back to your eyes.
"Are you sure?" He asks, his hands resting on his knees.
You nod. "Yeah, Spencer. I am."
Spencer's eyes travel back down to your lips and he leans forward. You meet him in the middle, his lips pressing against yours softly. Your hands move up his arms to his shoulders before moving to either side of his face. His hands slide across to your knees, his touch light. After a moment, you begin to move your lips against his faster, Spencer's nails digging into your knees slightly. The kiss is slightly clumsy—what's expected of two people who have never kissed anyone before. But nonetheless, butterflies explode in your stomach, warmth radiating through your body as you kiss Spencer.
Eventually, the two of you break away from each other. Your lips feel like they're on fire, an after effect of Spencer's touch. You're both panting slightly, Spencer's eyes moving from your lips to your eyes again.
"Wow."
You give a breathy chuckle. "Yeah, wow."
After a moment, you release your grip on his face, letting your hands drop into your lap. Spencer slides his hands back onto his legs, and you scoot back, a breathy laugh escaping you.
"No cheating," Spencer says, his smile widening. "You still have to drink."
Laughing, you pull the bottle to your lips, taking a sip of the rum. When you set the bottle down, your body feels warm, your lips still feeling like they're on fire.
But you know it's not from the rum.
"This has to be our unsub."
You stare at the photo of John Walker's face, shaking your head. Garcia had narrowed down volunteers from the animal shelter, and John Walker specifically had caught the team's eye. He's single, volunteering at the shelter, but he owned his own photography studio on the side.
"My guess is he bribes the girls, telling them he'll take their pictures for free. Pictures can be expensive," Spencer says from behind you.
You tense, flashing back to when he'd kissed you in the hallway last night. Your stomach flips, and you lean back in your chair, turning around to face him and Hotch.
"That's a good theory," you tell him, giving him a little smile.
He returns the smile and you turn your attention to Hotch. "Should we check out the studio?"
Hotch nods. "Let's see if we can find him." He turns to JJ. "Keep this out of the news. We don't want to spook him."
JJ nods, leaving the room to go debrief the police and the press. Standing, you exhale slowly, turning to face the rest of the team. Hotch crosses his arms.
"Prentiss, Reid, you're with me. Morgan and Y/l/n stay here. You two can interrogate him when we get back."
"Yes, sir," you mutter, sitting back down.
You exhale as the team leaves, Spencer looking back at you before walks out of the room. You look at the table, blinking hard as you remember last night. The way his lips felt familiar, his hands on your back, your bodies pressed together. It brought up old memories—and a feeling you had tried so hard to forget.
"Y/n, are you okay?"
Morgan's voice snaps you back into reality, and you look up at him, trying to wipe the dazed expression from your face. You nod, giving him a fake smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
He raises his eyebrows. "You and Reid haven't talked much today."
"We're fine, Morgan."
He's quiet for a moment before he walks over to you, sitting in the chair next to you. You turn your body toward him, letting your right elbow rest on the table.
"I feel like you and Spencer aren't giving us the whole truth," he says matter-of-factly.
"There's no truth to be told," you deflect, holding his gaze.
"You might be a human lie detector, but you're not that good at lying," Morgan rebuttals, a light smile on his face.
"Derek, I just...I don't want to talk about it, okay?" You give him an exasperated sigh. "It's...complicated."
"If you two dated—"
"We didn't date." You don't mean for your voice to sound so harsh—but it does. Morgan recoils, and you exhale slowly through your nose. "I'm sorry, that came off harsher than I intended."
Morgan holds up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I won't push. Just know if you need to talk about it, I'm here."
You nod at him, offering him a light smile. "Thanks."
You two idly chit chat for a while until the door to the station opens. The sheriff walks in ushering John Walker inside in, the team coming in after him. Spencer glances around the room until his eyes land on you, and you exhale in relief. Going out into the field can be dangerous—and you're glad Spencer's okay. You and Morgan cross the room to Hotch.
"Did you guys find anything at his place?" You ask, eyes following the sheriff as he walks John to an interrogation room.
Hotch nods. "We did. We found some cyanide—but a confession on top of that would be much better evidence. We want you and Morgan to interrogate him."
You nod. Specializing in deception means that you're in the interrogation room a lot—spotting lies is your specialty. Hotch leads you and Morgan to the little hallway in front of the room where John is being held, and you look at the boy. He's leaning forward in his seat, his eyes darting all over the room, right leg shaking. He's nervous.
"This'll be easy," you mutter, stepping inside.
Morgan follows you, and you sit down in front of John, his eyes flicking from you to Morgan. Morgan stands, his arms crossed, looking into the eyes of the unsub.
"So, John," you begin, trying to catch his gaze. "Why did you kill those girls?"
He averts his gaze. "I didn't."
"Mhm." You lean forward in your seat, folding your hands together.
"Can you tell us where you were this past Saturday night?" Morgan asks, placing his hands on the table.
John leans back in his seat—a telltale sign of trying to distance himself. Lying. "At around six-thirty, I went and got pizza."
Your eyes light up. "Oh, the one off Bay Avenue or the one off Fulton street? 'Cause they're both really good."
A flash of panic flashes in his eyes for a split second before he answers, his voice monotone. Lying. "Bay Avenue."
"Good choice," you say, giving Morgan a side glance.
"What did you do after that?" Morgan asks, staring John down.
John's eyes flick up to yours. "Then I went home and rented a movie."
"Which one?" You ask, holding his gaze.
He breaks his gaze, leg beginning to shake again. Lying. "Midsommar."
"That's a great movie," you say, grinning. "I've seen it at least six times. What's your favorite part?"
"I—uh, I—"
"John," you interrupted, raising your eyebrows, "I've never been to a pizza place off Bay Avenue. And I know our tech analyst is looking into your credit card information right now, and I know she's not going to find a charge for a movie rental." You meet his eyes. "I know you're lying. We found cyanide in your studio. The truth is, you don't have an alibi because you were alone with women who are now dead. Isn't that right?" He's silent. You stand, your hands flat against the table. "I said: isn't that right?"
"Yes!" He says, slamming his cuffed hands against the table. "Yes, I killed those women, and you know what—I'd do it again. I'd kill you if I could."
Smirking, you rest your arms by your side. "Too bad you'll never get that chance. Isn't that right?" You turn around, walking toward the door before pausing, turning your head to meet his angry gaze. "It's a shame about Midsommar—the movie really is fantastic."
With that, you exit the interrogation room, Morgan shutting the door behind him. You come face to face with the rest of the team, an impressed look on their faces.
"That was cool," JJ says, looking at you.
"Your methods are a bit unconventional," Rossi states. "But effective."
"Thanks," you say to them, grinning.
"Alright, team. Let's go home."
The ride back to Quantico was a short one; most of the conversation was between Prentiss, JJ, and Morgan who wanted to go to a club after the plane touched back down. Morgan glances over at you, raising his eyebrows.
"You wanna come? Garcia will be there, too."
You glance over at Spencer, finding his eyes already on you before looking back at Morgan. "Count me in."
Prentiss and JJ cheer and you giggle, turning your attention back to your phone.
"Can I come, too?"
Spencer's voice makes you whip your head up, and your eyes land on him. Morgan raises his eyebrows, a little shocked.
"Sure, kid."
"Well, I'm glad you guys didn't ask me, 'cause I'm not going," Rossi says from the back of the jet.
You all laugh, and after another few minutes, the jet touches down. You grab your go bag and the team heads back into the building, and you head straight for your car.
"Ace, wait!"
You turn to find Spencer trying to catch up with you. You stop, looking at him with amusement as he stops in front of you, breathing heavily. He bends over slightly, his hands on his knees.
"How do you walk so fast?" He breathlessly says, looking at you.
You giggle. "As athletic as ever, brainiac."
"I was wondering if you could drive me to the club?"
You nod. "Sure. Hop in."
You put your bag in the backseat before climbing into the driver's side. Spencer sits comfortably in the passenger side, buckling in his seatbelt. You back out of the space and head toward the club, only about a fifteen-minute drive from Headquarters.
You and Spencer are silent the drive there, and you park outside of the club, seeing the group waiting at the front. Unbuckling your seatbelt, you pull your keys from the ignition.
"Ace—"
"Later," you say, looking at him. He searches your eyes for a moment before nodding and climbing out.
You follow him to the group, grinning at them. You haven't been out with a group of people in...it's been way too long. You all pile inside, the loud music and flashing lights making you smile. You beeline to the bar with Garcia.
"I want to do shots," you tell Garcia.
She beams at you. "Sweetie, shots are my specialty."
You order two rum shots, paying immediately after. You hate keeping tabs open, so you pay drink to drink. You take the shots one after the other before ordering one more and a rum and coke for yourself.
You and Garcia make your way over to Prentiss, JJ, and Spencer. Morgan must be dancing somewhere—probably on some gorgeous looking girl. You set your shot and your drink in front of Spencer, who's holding a water in his hand.
"No drinking for you?" You ask him, taking your shot.
"Nope," he answers, eyeing your drink.
"You might have to drive me home," you tell him, and he gives you a grin.
"Same old Ace. Drinking like there's no tomorrow."
You giggle, taking a sip of your drink. The girls grab your hand, pulling you onto the dance floor. You feel the bass in your chest, and you let the music move you, doing crazy dance moves with Garcia. Prentiss brings over shots, then JJ, then Morgan, then Garcia. You lose count of how many you drink—but you get pretty drunk.
When you stumble back over to Spencer, he shoves a water in front of you.
"Drink."
You look at him, grinning before you wrap your lips around the straw, practically downing the water. You reach into your pocket, pulling out your keys.
"I'm sleepy. Let's go."
You and Spencer say your goodbyes to the team, and he helps you outside, wrapping an arm around you to keep you from falling. He opens the passenger side door and you get in, your back hitting the seat hard. You fumble with the seat belt, Spencer climbing into the driver's side and starting the car.
You give Spencer your address, and he starts the short drive to your place. The ride is silent, and you hiccup every so often. The alcohol makes you feel fuzzy, and you enjoy the feeling. It makes the world seem a little less serious. Eventually, Spencer parks your car outside your apartment complex, and you unbuckle your seatbelt, looking at him.
"Come inside; you're gonna have to stay here anyway," you mumble, opening the door.
He grabs your keys and jogs around to the passenger side, wrapping his arm around you again to help you up the steps. You lead him to your front door, and he unlocks it, and the two of you stumble inside. Spencer leads you to your bedroom, and you sit on the edge of your bed before he backtracks out of the room.
You groan, kicking off your shoes and pulling your skirt down. You fumble around in your dresser, pulling out a pair of comfy shorts. You pull them on before pulling your shirt over your head and throwing it to the side, unclipping your bra. You pull on an old Caltech t-shirt, closing your dresser drawer as Spencer walks back inside, holding two glasses of water.
He puts them both on the bedside table, and you yawn, looking at him.
"Well, I'll just go make myself comfortable on the couch," he says, beginning to cross to the door.
"Spencer, stay," you say, moving your body up to the head of the bed, slipping underneath the covers.
"I don't think—"
"Stay," you say again, looking at him.
His eyes search yours before he bends down, unlacing his Converse and pulling them off. He takes his tie off, laying it beside his shoes. He climbs into the bed beside you, and you lay on your side, not facing him.
"Why'd you kiss me the other night?" You ask him, the question fueled by alcohol.
"Because I wanted to," was Spencer's automatic response.
You're silent for a moment. "It reminded me of that one time—with the alcohol. Our first kiss."
This time, Spencer's quiet for a second. "It reminded me of that other time."
"I don't like thinking about that time," you whisper, closing your eyes.
"Why?" Spencer asks, and you hear him shift in bed to, presumably, face you.
You swallow. "Because you left college right after. Thinking about it hurts too much." Spencer's silent, and you feel yourself being pulled under by sleep. "You not staying in touch hurt me too much."
Spencer's quiet, and you feel the thick waves of sleep begin to pull you under. Just as you're almost completely asleep, you hear Spencer mumble one thing.
"I'm sorry, Ace. It hurt me too."
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Author's Note
The end of this chapter made me kinda sad BUT you get some more backstory between Spencer and the Reader!!
Thank you all for the support on this fic! I'm so glad y'all are enjoying it :) You all are great and I love y'all!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)