warnings: hint to an alcohol addiction.
{pls no comments about y/n being like strauss, alcoholism is a real thing, it isn't fiction.}
The doors to the elevator open and you step out, your heels clacking against the floor. You open the glass doors and walk in, everyone sitting in their desks per usual.
As soon as you reach your desk, you feel a tall presence behind you. You stop in your stance and turn your head around, smiling at the towering Luke behind you.
"Hi," you say, "You okay?"
By the way he looked at you with stern eyes, something was wrong. You never resolved the problem that happened between you before you left to New York with Reid. You forgot about the whole ordeal, your mind pushing it into one of the crevices in your brain.
"Can I talk to you?" he asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He glances up and down your body, his eyes finally resting on yours.
You fully turn around, your eyes bouncing from him to Reid, who was sitting across from you. "Yeah, yeah," you twitch a smile, patting your hands on your black pencil skirt.
He turned over and walked towards a hallway, opening the door to an empty office. You swallow the lump that formed in your throat, your heart beating rapidly as he closes the door behind you.
"How are you?" he queries, "I know you went to see your parents."
You began to ask yourself if he knew Reid was the one that accompanied you. He wasn't there and neither were you, so did they just connect the dots? They weren't stupid. So they obviously knew.
"Did Prentiss ask you to come talk to me?" you scoff.
He shifts in his stance, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat, "No. I wanted to ask because I care," he says in an annoyed tone.
Your eyes wander around the room in embarrassment, "Right. Sorry," you pause. "I'm...okay. Parents aren't dead," you joke, letting out a fake laugh. Your joke didn't sit well with him by the way his eyebrows scrunched together, his lips pulling together in a thin line.
"Y/N you do know it's okay to express how you feel. When something as traumatic as this is happening and you avoid your emotions-"
"The situation becomes worse and you delay recovery. Yes, I know. Thank you for trying to help though," you say defensively, folding your arms over your chest. Luke was trying to help, but the sudden anger that flooded into your body was hard to stop. You wanted to speak to him softly and take his advice, but some part of your brain wasn't allowing you to.
"Sorry," you say, "Just a little off, you know."
He moves in closer to you and wraps his arms around your petite body, his chin resting on your head. "I'm here for you princesa. You're my friend, and I care about my friends."
"Thanks," you murmur into his chest, your nose filling with his strong cologne. He didn't seem irritated or angry with you. Maybe he understood your unsureness and wanted to make you feel comfortable, which brought you some sense of peace.
A knock pulls you back into reality, your arms immediately moving back to your sides. You turn your attention to the door and look through the open blinds. Reid.
Luke brushes past you and opens the door, his eyes meeting Reid's. "Hey, we were just talking. Is there something you need?"
He cranes his neck to look at you, "Yeah, Prentiss needs to see Y/N," he says in a monotone voice. You gazed into his eyes, pinpointing the lie that was hidden in them. Luke wouldn't be able to tell, but you could see it clearly.
Luke turns his head towards you and smiles softly. You return the smile and swiftly walk out of the empty office, following Reid. You swivel your head back to see Luke making his way back to his desk. He wasn't able to see that Reid was definitely not taking you to Prentiss' office.
"I think you're taking me the wrong direction," you laugh faintly, picking at your cuticles.
"What were you doing?"
"Hugging my friend," you grin, "Why, are you jealous?"
"It's not a fun sight."
"I could say the same thing about the day I saw you eat Cat's face off in front of your apartment," you spit. You remember the day like it was yesterday. The way your stomach bubbled in envy at the sight in front of your eyes. The way he grabbed her face and pounced his lips onto hers was heart breaking. You wanted to be Cat in that moment.
"You're serious?" he asks dully, stopping at the end of the dimly lit hallway.
"Oh yeah, seeing someone I considered attractive shove their tongue down someone else's throat is a beautiful sight," you say sarcastically, rolling your eyes.
You had a small crush on Reid during your first few months at the BAU. It escalated into a larger crush, but then JJ confessed his love for him and he was completely under her spell. He went to therapy and well... you figured he wasn't going to like you, ever. So you forgot about it and kept your distance.
His face falls into a gloomy expression, his eyes scanning your face. You weren't upset over the retrieval of events, it was long ago and you overcame the small heartbreak. You pursed your lips and stood still in front of him.
"I'm sorry." He steps in closer to you and you step back, your stance awkward- your fingers fiddling with one another and your bottom lip trembling.
He seemed to grow attached to you as the days passed by. You found yourself finding him more attractive every day as well, but you disagreed with the path your emotions and feelings were trying to take. You could tell he wanted a relationship, someone to be with, and although you've fantasized about being his girlfriend multiple times, you weren't ready for a relationship.
Statistics have shown that many relationships fail due to the partners moving at different speeds, and you didn't want to hurt him due to your indecisiveness.
His eyebrows knit together and a crease forms between them. He looks offended, you could see it taking over his body. A pang of guilt hits you and you stop in your tracks, himself pausing as well.
"I'm sorry I just- I like you a lot Reid, but I don't think this is good for us right now."
"Right. Yeah, I gotcha."
You tap your foot on the shiny floor, your eyes moving down to his arms. His sleeves are rolled up today and he's wearing a dark gray tie. He looks... good.
You flick your eyes back to his and hold the momentary gaze. "So, is that all? Or did Prentiss need to speak to me?" you ask.
"Actually," he whispers, gesturing you to move in with his index and middle finger. "I concocted a plan."
You cocked your eyebrows, "A plan for what?" you ask.
"So I visited Garcia in her cave when I got here and she was telling me about this date she was going on tonight with a tall, muscular man," he lifts his fingers in quotation.
"Mhm, go on."
"She described this man as warm toned with black wavy hair and plump lips," he continued, "And there is only one man in this office that fits all of those categories."
"Luke."
"Bingo," he exclaims, his voice raising an octave but still managing to stay low. "So what I was thinking was that we could follow her to the restaurant and spy on them. To see what they're doing."
You stare blankly at him, seeing the large smile set on his lips. He seemed excited... excited to spy on his best friend. Although you may not fully agree with the way he'll be spending his friday night, you figured why not? You both never get out much and this was an alternative to sitting at home drinking your problems away.
"Fine."
"Okay, so she said she's going to 'Delilah's Bay' at 8pm. Can you look it up for me? I don't know much about how phones work."
You nod and take out your phone, searching the place up on google. You skim through the photos of the place, the large dimly lit restaurant painted in all white with white tables and red centerpieces. It was dull, pretty, but dull, especially if Garcia would be eating there. She would pop out with the funky colors she wears every day.
"Alrighty senior citizen, are you going to be picking me up?" You ask, stifling a laugh that managed to partially escape your mouth.
He laughs and shakes his head, "Yeah, just send me your address. I'll pick you up at..."
"7:30. It's 20 minutes away from my place, but it gives us enough time to sneak into a spot. I already know where they'll be sitting," you say, smiling widely at him.
He looks down at you with his dark eyes that suddenly turn light brown from the light you project above him. His eyes crease from the smile that pulls his lips, his pearly white teeth illuminating in your vision. You were enjoying the view, but you knew you had to get back to work, so what's better than taking an imaginary snapshot.
You lift your fingers up and form a fake camera, taking a mental snapshot of the sight in front of you. His smile only grows wider, leading into the beginning of laughter.
"What are you doing?" he laughs, mimicking your actions and taking a snapshot himself.
"A picture of one of my senior citizen friends," you say.
"A senior citizen? Really?"
You nod your head, giggling. "Yes. Doctor Reid you don't know how phones work, that's why you're stuck with one from two-thousand seven." You begin walking back.
"Alright Doctor Y/L/N, i'll pick you up at 7:30," he speaks, stuffing his hands into his pockets. You throw him a goodbye and rush back to your desk, a wave of happiness hitting you like a bus. Your smile fades but your heart still pounds in your chest, so loud the entire office can almost hear it.
+++
You stand next to Tara in the small kitchen, popping grapes into your mouth as she talks about a weird dream she had where she saw JJ and Emily kissing.
You look down at the floor, a certain dream coming to mind. "I um, I actually had a weird dream a couple nights ago too," you clear your throat.
She turns to get a better view at your face, "Alright, what could possible be more weird than our boss and JJ kissing?"
You scoff, popping another grape in your mouth. Your dream definitely beats hers, because you could definitely see them together. But no one could envision two other members of the team doing it.
"Reid and Luke..."
Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes open, a laugh brushing past her lips. "Oh god, they- did you join in?" She adds.
You shake your head and bite down on your lip, "Yeah, yeah I did." You set the small container of grapes down on the counter, brushing your hands off onto your skirt even though nothing was on them.
The dream now displays in front of you, the entire scene playing from the beginning. You flick your eyes down to the floor to try and shake the dream away, but it stays put. It wasn't a horrid sight to see, you actually enjoyed it. That's why you were terrified.
"Oh mama, anything you dream of can come true.
Just like I dreamt of sipping whiskey on the
patio of a millionaire, and look at me now," she glided her hands down her body, giving you a wink before opening the door and stepping out.
You dismiss the memory and grab your lunch bag, stepping out into the bullpen where most of the team was already gone. You place your bags onto your desk and open one of your drawers, finding bottles of vodka and tequila stacked on top of one another along with the letter from your mom that you brought back.
You stare at the mixture of empty and half-empty bottles, your stomach stabbed continuously with the words of your mom echoing in your ears. I love you love bug, stay safe and make smart choices.
Make smart choices.
This wasn't a smart choice.
You close and lock the drawer and stuff the silver key into one of your bag pockets. You let out a sharp breath and throw your bag over your shoulder, taking the short walk over to Reid's desk.
"Need a ride?"
+++
You shift your eyes to the pair that was sitting in one of the middle tables. Penelope stands out from the rest of the middle and old aged adults, her bright pink polka dot dress straining your eyes- in a good way.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Reid pokes, breaking apart a piece of bread the waitress brought to the table.
"How good the sex is going to be," you say, swirling around the virgin piña colada in your glass.
"Or they could be talking about work."
You laugh at his comment, his protectiveness shining through his armor. He's protective over Penelope, a little too protective for your taste, but it shows just how much he loves her.
"Oh Reid, by the way she was describing him, they're definitely not talking about work," you say, leaning down to sip your drink.
It was obvious they were flirting- the way Penelope leans in closer over the table, the way their cheeky smiles sync together, the multiple times Luke touches her arm- they were definitely flirting.
In addition to the way they can't keep their hands off of one another, you remember last week's girl night where Penelope would not stop talking about Luke like she was ultimately in love with him. And she probably was. Hating him for so long due to him being a replacement for Derek Morgan, then finally letting her feelings take course, it must feel good.
"I don't see why we're still here. They're doing perfectly fine," you sigh. "I'm starting to think you're just spying because you want to see how dates are supposed to go."
He scoffs, "I've been on multiple dates before."
"Dates with your mom and murderers don't count Reid," you look up, smirking.
He laughs, "I've been on two dates, that's it. But that's not why i'm spying." He takes a sip from him water and turns his head slightly to look at your team members. They seem fine.
"Then..."
He takes in a deep breath and exhales slowly, "Penelope was shot 13 years ago by a guy she went on a date with. I just want to make sure she's fine."
Your eyes widen and you flick your gaze back down to your drink. Your eyebrows scrunch together in co fusion. They knew one another, so why was he so worried?
"Reid they know each other, she'll be fine." You take out your phone and press the tracking app. "I have her tracked, so i'll know where she is, always. Okay?"
He seems wary at first but then he nods, "Okay, alright." He stares into your eyes, finding comfort in them as he fiddles with the napkin in front of him.
A cough pulls you from your stare and you look up to see Luke and Penelope. Luke is glaring down at you while Penelope is smiling behind him.
"Nice to see you here," you say playfully, twirling a piece of hair with your index finger.
"Y/N what are you doing here?" Luke queries, the veins in his neck popping out.
You glance at Reid, his eyes already set on yours. You shouldn't have agreed on this plan, it was an invasion of privacy, but you couldn't hold back. Did that make you a bad person, or a good friend?
"I wanted to check on Penelope. We're about to leave, we just need the check and we'll be on our way," Reid interrupts. You twitch a smile and rake your eyes back up to Luke and Penelope.
"Thanks Reid, but i'm okay. Promise." Penelope scurries to Reid and throws her hands over him, shaking him slightly.
"Alright, well we'll go back and have our fun dinner. Have a good night niños."
As they leave, your waitress comes back with the check, placing it on the edge of the table. You reach for it but Reid stops you, his fingers brushing past yours. You weren't going to argue over something small, so you let him.
He places a fifty dollar bill inside of the book and slides it to the waitress, "Keep the change," he says. What you ordered wasn't expensive at all, but you were there for over an hour- seventy-two minutes and fifteen point three seconds to be exact.
You thank the waitress and stand up, sliding your purse onto your shoulder. Spencer stands as well and heads towards the exit. He holds the door open for you and you step out, your heels clacking against the cement sidewalk.
The cold air hits you like a bus, goosebumps forming on your skin as you walk quickly to his car. You wrap your hands around your body, rubbing your hands on your arms to warm yourself up. The sound of the car unlocking clicks in your ears and you open the cold door, the inside feeling colder than the weather outside.
You buckle your seatbelt and lean your head on the window, your body tired from the nervous shaking you had done the entire night.
Reid starts the car and pulls out of the parking spot, turning towards the street. Your head shakes against the window, so you lean your head back on the headrest.
You keep your silence during the entirety of the ride. It was a comfortable silence, you were both tired and needed a little bit of quiet time. You weren't on a date, but whatever it was, you wanted to experience it again. Although you were a nervous wreck, he took you away from the problems that awaited you at home. And you needed that.
He reaches your apartment and parks into an empty parking spot, his car coming to an all time stop. He unbuckles his seat belt and opens the door, walking fast over to your side of the car. You unbuckle your seatbelt and grab your bag from the floor, the door opening as you reach for the handle.
You step out and scurry to your apartment door, Reid following behind you. You turn your head, "I'm fine Doctor Reid, I won't die."
He doesn't reply. You open the door and walk up the stairs, reaching your apartment on the second floor. You dig in your bag for your keys and finally take them out after a short moment, the keys jingling on the keychain.
You stick the correct key into the lock, rotating it to the right before turning the doorknob. You slightly push it open before shifting your body to face Reid. You place your hands on his shoulders and stand on your tiptoes, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Your stomach erupts in butterflies as you step back down, hiding your face by turning it to the side. "Thank you for tonight," you say.
A bright red blush creeps onto his face, "No problem."
"Well, goodnight Reid."
"Goodnight."
He turns and descends the stairs, his waves bouncing until you can no longer see them. You smile to yourself and walk into your apartment, closing the door behind you.
This had to be one of the best nights of your life. Your life could be crumbling behind you, but Reid made it feel like a completed puzzle.
And that feeling itself brought sunshine and rainbows to your cloudy skies.
___
so idk if you guys follow me on tiktok, but that's where i will probably post all of my announcements, so if you don't follow- follow!! it's @ iminlovewiththc :) ALSO, i hope you guys caught the second 'woman' reference (i am completely in love with reidsbau if you haven't realized).